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Uncle Sam is a greedy and angry man. And in 2017, he's going to take money that you worked hard to earn straight of your paycheck before you even get it!

Not that that's much of a surprise. For Americans, that is something that will not be any different from any other year since 1943, but since Uncle Sam is always changing how much he takes out of your paycheck each year, we here at Political Calculations do our best to keep up with those changes so you can know in advance what your paycheck will look like after Uncle Sam has taken what he's going to from it.

The way we keep up with those changes is by building tools each year to estimate how much of your income the U.S. government will withhold from your paycheck each year, where we also make it possible to answer paycheck-related questions that might come up for you during the next year, which include:

How much take home money will I have each payday?

How will that change if I get a raise?

What if I boost my pre-tax 401(k) or 403(b) retirement plan contributions - how will that change my paycheck?

Will I take a hit from the Additional Medicare Tax? [That's the "shared responsibility contribution" that doesn't ever go into Medicare's trust funds, which can affect higher income earners.]

How would a flexible savings account for health care or dependent care expenses affect my take home pay?

Our tool below is designed to answer those questions, as well as a number of others that may occur to you that we haven't considered! Just enter the indicated information as it applies for you, and we'll do our best to estimate how much of the money you work hard to earn will still be in your possession after the federal government has withheld what it wants from your paycheck!

Your Paycheck and Tax Withholding Data Category Input Data Values Basic Pay Data Current Annual Pay Pay Period Daily Weekly Biweekly Semimonthly Monthly Quarterly Semiannually Annually Federal Withholding Data Filing Status Single Married Number of Withholding Allowances 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 401(k) or 403(b) Contributions Pre-Tax Contributions (%) After Tax Contributions (%) Flexible Spending Account Annual Contribution Data Health Care Spending Account Dependent Care Spending Account What if You Had a Raise? Desired Raise (%) Your "Typical" Paycheck Data Category Calculated Results Values Basic Income Data Proposed Annual Salary (Including Raise!) Typical Paycheck Amount



Federal Tax Withholding Amounts U.S. Federal Income Taxes



U.S. Social Security Taxes



U.S. Medicare Taxes



U.S. Additional "Medicare" Taxes (If Applicable)



401(k) or 403(b) Contributions Pre-Tax Contributions



After-Tax Contributions



Total Contributions



Flexible Spending Account Contributions Health Care Spending Account



Dependent Care Spending Account



Your Paycheck's Bottom Line



Take Home Pay Estimate Basic Net Paycheck Amount



... But, After Social Security's Taxable Income Cap Is Reached, It Becomes (If Applicable, for a Full Paycheck)



... And Then, After Additional Medicare Tax Income Threshold Is Reached, It Becomes (If Applicable, for a Full Paycheck)





Now that we've given you a sense of how much money you'll have withheld in 2017 from each of your paychecks by the U.S. federal government, we should note that there are some really complicating factors that may come into play during the year depending upon how much you earn.

For example, in 2017, once you have earned over $127,200, you will no longer have the Social Security payroll tax of 6.2% of your income deducted from your paycheck (or 12.4% if you are self-employed, but our tool above is designed for those employed by others). But then, by the time that happens, you'll have long been paying taxes on your income that are taxed at rates that are at least 10% higher than those paid by over half of all Americans.

There's also the complication provided by the so-called "Additional Medicare Tax" that your employer is required to begin withholding from your paycheck if, and as soon as, your year-to-date income rises above the $200,000 mark, which is part of the new income taxes imposed by the "Affordable Care Act" (a.k.a. "Obamacare"). Since the money collected through this 0.9% surtax on your income does not go to directly support the Medicare program, unlike the real Medicare payroll taxes paid by you and your employer, it is really best thought of as an additional income tax.

In the tool above, in case the amount of your annual 401(k) or 403(b) retirement savings contributions exceed the annual limits set by law, we've limited the results our tool provides to be those consistent with their statutory limits, and will do so as if you specifically set the percentage contributions for these contributions with that in mind. Also, our tool does not consider whether you might take advantage of the "catch-up" provisions in the law that are available to individuals Age 50 or older.

Things That May Happen in 2017

With a new President coming into office on 20 January 2017, it likely won't be long before proposals to reform U.S. personal income taxes start working their way through the U.S. Congress.

If and when any such legislation that alters income tax withholding might be passed into law, we will supersede this tool with a new tool that reflects the changes in the nation's tax laws. Until that happens, this tool should present results that reasonably resemble what your paycheck will look like in 2017.

Elsewhere on the Web

There are other paycheck calculators like this on the Internet, including the very well done tools available at PaycheckCity.com. We really like PaycheckCity's calculators because they allow you to determine the amount of state income tax withholding that will be taken out of your paycheck separately from what the federal government takes. Payroll processor ADP also has a salary paycheck calculator, but we think that it's not quite as user friendly as PaycheckCity's calculators.

Then again, if you live in one of the seven states that have no personal income tax for wage and salary income (Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, or Wyoming), our tool above will provide you with a very good estimate of your actual take-home pay. We'll also note that both New Hampshire and Tennessee do not tax wage and salary income, but they do both tax dividend and interest income (Tennessee will eliminate this state income tax in 2022). Fortunately, those state-level income taxes won't affect your paycheck (and our tool's results), but if you live in these states and have significant investment income, it's something of which you should be aware.

Previously on Political Calculations

We've been in the business of calculating people's paychecks (not including state income tax withholding) since 2005!
Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the American Authors Association

Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the Military Writers Society of America.
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.
More than 300 women from the Glens Falls/Saratoga Springs area will be among the estimated 200,000 people heading to Washington for the Womens March on Washington on Jan. 21.

Maryanne Asta of Woodstock, who is the regional organizer, said there are very few seats among the 55 buses planning the trip from the Hudson Valley. The only seats not sold out are on buses out of Syracuse and Beacon. There will be more than 3,000 people making the trip.

The six buses organized by South Glens Falls resident Lynn Shanks that are leaving from Saratoga Springs, are sold out. There are 330 people scheduled to travel to Washington from Saratoga Springs, leaving late Friday night and coming back Sunday morning.

The march is planned for the day after the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.

The Metropolitan Police Department said it has issued a permit for the march to start near the U.S. Capitol. Organizers have said they will march down Independence Avenue, and police said the march is scheduled to disperse at Constitution Avenue near the Washington Monument.

Police said that on their application, march organizers estimated 200,000 participants.

Organizers initially hoped to rally at the Lincoln Memorial and other spaces, but those plans conflicted with other groups and inauguration events.

 Bill Toscano, with Associated Press
Voting strong in Warren, Washington and Saratoga

Bravos to all the registered voters in Warren, Washington and Saratoga counties who voted in the November election. While the numbers werent as high as 2008, the percentage of registered voters was a good sign of good citizenship. Seventy-five percent of registered voters voted in Warren County and Saratoga County while 70 percent voted in Washington County. Now if we could just get everyone to register.

Developer makes commitment to Moreau

Bravos to Munter Enterprises President John Munter for his commitment to the Moreau community with the purchase of 27 acres along Route 9 that he plans to develop. Munter went ahead with his purchase despite the fact that the community is still divided over whether to install sewers through the Route 9 corridor. Munter insisted he would develop the property with or without sewers. It was good to see a developer move forward without conditions.

Cambridge volunteers save community dinner

Bravos to the volunteers in Cambridge who stepped forward at the last minute to save the annual community Christmas dinner. Organizer Naomi Marsh said she actually sent out a cancellation notice when it appeared they did not have a site, but the community rallied around the event and the American Legion in Cambridge stepped forward to host the event.

The Strand is back in business

Bravos to Jonathan Newell and the rest of the Hudson River Music Hall committee for bringing the Strand Theatre back to life with a showing of the classic holiday movie Its a Wonderful Life. Forty people turned out to see the first movie there in 50 years.

Hudson Falls makes progress on absenteeism

Bravos to the Hudson Falls School District for addressing a problem of chronic absenteeism with great success for kindergarten students. Last year, 40 kindergarten students missed at least 10 percent of all school days (18). This year, only four are on that pace. Administrators and teachers convinced parents that missing kindergarten classes will put the child behind going into first grade.

Council approves consolidated purchasing

Bravos to the Glens Falls Common Council for authorizing the city to participate in the Warren County consolidated purchasing program. It should allow the city and county taxpayers to both reap significant rewards.

Citizen steps up to save church windows

Bravos to Guy Savio for his behind-the-scenes work to save the remaining stained glass windows from the former United Methodist church in Fort Edward before it was demolished this past week. Savio reached out to Irving Tissue and the demolition crew to make sure the windows could be saved. Savio has also volunteered to help fix them up and work with Irving Tissue to find new owners.

Ski area a step forward for Chester

Bravos to Chester town officials for the improvements to its Dynamite Hill Ski Area. The overall project cost $50,000 with funding from a variety of sources. What was most important was that Chester now has a winter destination for its residents they all can be proud of.

Bravos from a reader:

Community steps up to help Salvation Army

Bravos to a caring and sharing Greater Glens Falls community for helping The Salvation Army serve 871 families and assist 3,387 people at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thanksgiving saw 410 tri-county area families served, consisting of 1,646 people. Christmas food baskets helped 461 local families enjoy a holiday meal at home. Those 461 families were made up of 1,741 people. Also, 581 children were served with new toys and new clothing and 5,512 toys and articles of clothing were distributed this year through the Armys toy shop program. Another 46 families were adopted, totaling 75 adults and 108 children. The Army also visited six local nursing homes, passing out gifts and magazines to 456 residents. For all those who rang a bell, lugged a food basket, held a toy drive, wrote a check or tossed a handful of change into the red kettle  bravos, bravos, bravos.

- Major David Dean

Post-Star editorials represent the opinion of the Post-Star editorial board, which consists of Publisher Terry Coomes, Controller/Operations Director Brian Corcoran, Editor Ken Tingley, Projects Editor Will Doolittle and citizen representative Tim Robinson.
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He was in an acting capacity before he was formally confirmed as the new VC. He succeeds Professor Joshua Alabi.

Prof. Alabi served as the VC for four years before going on retirement.

At a joint handing over and induction ceremony, the new Vice Chancellor pledged to continue the good works of his predecessor by enhancing the image of the University.

Prof Martey said he will vigorously implement the University's pending strategic initiatives towards quality tertiary education.

"My sincere gratitude also goes to the Governing Council of UPSA for the trust reposed in me and appointing me to assume the leadership of this great University, he said.

I wish to pay tribute to my predecessor, Prof Joshua Alabi, for his foresight, insight and far sight in bringing this University from its humble beginning to the enviable position it has attained, he said.

Accordingly, expectations are high with respect to completing the process of transforming this university into a world-class institution of higher learning. The good news is: we are ready, God being our helper.

READ MORE:VEEP challenges students to come up with solutions to national problems

Prof Martey is the second VC of the school since the UPSA gained full university status.

The outgoing VC, Prof Alabi, has been hailed for the transforming the university especially in the area of infrastructure.

In his final address as the VC, he said: "As I hand over the Barton to Prof Abednego Feehi Okoe Amartey, this occasion should remind us all of the generations that have built the university and our collective responsibility towards building a more vibrant and progressive institution that will shape the future of higher education in Ghana, Africa and the world.

The evolution process of the UPSA provides substantial evidence for the anticipated success, he said.

Prof Amartey, 49, holds a PhD in Business Administration from the SMC University of Switzerland, Master of Philosophy in Marketing, a Master of Business Administration (Marketing option) and Bachelor of Arts (Economics Major) all from the University of Ghana.

He also attended the Saint Thomas Secondary School, Accra and Prempeh College, Kumasi.
State police commissioner, Abubakar Sadiq-Bello, stated this while interacting with newsmen at the state capital, Lafia.

A man named Yahuza Yahaya was revealed to be the leader of the criminal gang responsible for the killings, Daily Post News reports.

On November 28, gunmen ambushed and killed the mine workers, including a Chinese at Wugibi Hills at Alongani Village in the Nasarawa-Eggon Local Government Area of the state.

Nasarawa State in North Central Nigeria has witnessed repeated killing of people, including security operatives in recent years.

One AK-47 riffle, military uniform and two photographs of the gang leader were recovered from the suspects.

In one of photographs, the gang leader was dressed in military uniform and brandishing an AK-47 riffle," the CP said.

ALSO READ: Police declare Chinese wanted over alleged attempted murder

Cases of the abduction of expatriate workers were one of the rampant crimes common in the year 2016.
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Police Director of Operations, Chief Superintendent Dr Benjamin Agordzo said the police is well prepared for any eventualities in the lead up to the event and during the event.

"I must say that we are well prepared for any eventualities," he said.

Nana Akufo-Addo secured a decisive mandate at the December 7 against incumbent President John Mahama.

And at the parliamentary level, the New Patriotic Party toppled more than 40 Members of Parliament in the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The spokesman, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, said the Information Services Department had also begun receiving applications from media organisations for accreditation to cover the event.

Currently, the invitations have gone out to the heads of states and the heads of government agencies that will be joining us for that day. The Information Services Department is also requesting our friends in the media to also bring in applications for accreditation for the said day.

The inauguration of the 7th Parliament of the 4th Republic will take place between 10:00 pm and midnight on the night of the 6th January to the morning December and 7th January at the parliament house. About 6,000 guests are expected for the swearing-in of the President-elect and this includes Members of Parliament and all the other state organisers that are required for an event like this one, he said.

President-elect Akufo-Addo will take both the Presidential Oath and Oath of Office, which will be administered by the Chief Justice, Mrs Georgina Theodora Wood, before an open Parliament at the Independent Square.
Narrating the incident, ASP Tanko said: There was a woman who wanted to buy a vehicle, not knowing she was dealing with swindlers who swindled her of her money and she didnt get the car too. She made a report to the Tech (KNUST) police station so it was the manner in which he [ASP Peter Insiah] responded to the complaints made, the regional command was not happy with because they felt he could have done better.
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.
The items, which included bags of rice, assorted drinks, tins of milk and Toiletries were to support the daily upkeep of the inmates who are mostly aged.

Speaking at the presentation, the Founder of Total Woman Ghana, Edna Quartey, said the gesture was part of the organisations plan to assist the needy and the less privileged.

She said Total Woman Ghana was formed principally to help address some of the challenges faced by institutions that catered for the needy and the forgotten.

Edna Quartey told Pulse.com.gh the donation was part of the NGOs spiritual obligation to support the needy in society.

She said the donation was to enable the inmates feel accepted as part of the society and not to feel socially stigmatized.
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Amongst the guests who graced the event are, Falz, DJ Spinall and Toke Makinwa, to name a few.

From the Instagram posts shared by guests at the party, the Bello's throw a mean party and according to Falz The Bahd Guy, their new home is out of Nigeria, if not out of this world.

The pair got married secretly in August 2016, and have been serving some serious couple goals since then.
In the report, the panel was said to have indicted the NYSC of delaying the evacuation of Oladepo to the General Hospital, Gwazo, Kano State, until it was too late.

According to Punch, the Special Investigation Panel, headed by a retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Ali Amodu, based its report on medical files of the deceased, including evidence from the NYSC officials and the medical personnel at the hospital where she was certified dead.

"Her situation had become unmanageable before she was brought to the General Hospital and that was why they couldnt manage her any longer.

"She was initially treated for malaria, but the fact is that she wasnt properly diagnosed. Instead of a proper diagnose, they were treating her for malaria," the newspaper quoted a source as saying.

President Muhammadu Buhari had ordered an independent probe into the corps member's death following a public outcry.

ALSO READ: Time to kill NYSC scheme

The probe panel was said to have interrogated the Chief Medical Officer, Kano General Hospital, Gwazo, and the NYSC doctor that first treated Oladepo.

The source said: "The report of the investigation is being finalised now, but from all indications, there is negligence on the part of the NYSC. They (officials) did not have an experienced doctor in the camp's clinic. It was a youth corps doctor who treated the girl, she was left in the care of a corps doctor.

"That shouldnt have been the case; an experienced doctor should have treated the girl, not a corps doctor.

"The girl was neglected. From all indications, if the girl had been moved on time to the General Hospital, it would have been a different story.

"They were trying to manage the girl by themselves and her condition deteriorated before they put her in the vehicle on a very bad road. The girl went through the roughest road of her life before she got to the General Hospital.

"The NYSC cannot absolve itself of blame in this case. All the files and reports were thoroughly analysed. It was a case of negligence and the panel established this."
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.

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.
The apprehended suspect identified as Onyebuchi Chika, reportedly broke into students apartments around Awa Ijebu and its environs over the weekend and carted away some property of those who had travelled for Christmas.

ALSO READ: Elusive Kogi serial killer cum kidnapper arrested

Vanguard reports that amongst the items recovered from the suspect were a sewing machine, some cooking gas and mattresses suspected to have been stolen from the students' apartments.

According to the reports, the suspect had returned to steal other items when he met his waterloo and a male student who spotted him, raised an alarm.

Explaining how the suspect was arrested, a student, Lola Gbemiga, said:

He attempted to run but some residents chased him and held him until the arrival of policemen from Awa Ijebu Division, who later took him away. Burglars have been disturbing us in this axis and we hope this arrest will send a signal to others.

Vanguard reports that Chika admitted to bungling several apartments in the area during interrogation, adding that most of the apartments were those of female students.

He said:

I have burgled several students apartments in the area. I usually operate when they are not at home, particularly during holidays. I sell the loots and spend the money on food.

Chike reportedly planned to run an operation on New Year eve with plans of using the proceeds to celebrate during the festivities.
Do you know the connection between the last official document signed by President Abraham Lincoln and Nebraska? Its a little known fact that the last official document President Lincoln signed right before his death reappointed Nebraskas territorial Governor. That document is on display at the Nebraska State Historical Society. This and other fun facts about Nebraskas history will be highlighted through one of four new initiatives unveiled ahead of Nebraskas sesquicentennial birthday.

Get ready to celebrate because Nebraskas big birthday is right around the corner. On March 1, 2017, well be celebrating 150 years of statehood for the Good Life. Over the past two years, my wife Susanne has been working with Nebraskans across the state to put together 13 programs and events to help us celebrate all year long. In their planning, Susanne and her team had three major goals: bridge communities, connect Nebraskans, and enhance state pride. This week, Susanne and I hosted a launch event for the sesquicentennial at the State Capitol where we unveiled four web-based programs to get the celebration underway.

The first program is the Nebraska Impact Initiative, which challenges Nebraskans to volunteer 150 hours or more either as an individual or as part of a group in 2017. Utilizing an online platform at www.nebraskaimpact.com, the initiative allows participants to register, discover volunteer opportunities, connect with other Nebraskans, and track progress. Through the website and social media, the Nebraska150 Celebration will recognize Nebraskans who participate and highlight communities, schools, and non-profit organizations that are impacted.

This initiative is a partnership between the Nebraska150 Celebration and ServeNebraska, the states commission focused on encouraging service and volunteerism. This year, Nebraska ranked sixth in the nation for volunteerism, and the commission has set a goal of making Nebraska number one.

Second is the Nebraska150 Challenge, an online fitness program that strives to make fitness fun by motivating and assisting Nebraskans to reach the goal of moving 150 miles or more in 2017. Through an interactive website, www.ne150challenge.com, individuals and groups will register and document miles for walking, running, biking, swimming, kayaking, skateboarding, jump roping, or almost any type of exercise. An online physical activity converter helps participants easily turn their preferred exercise into miles. Participants will track their progress and earn virtual badges at certain milestones.

Our family is participating in the fitness challenge together. I regularly ride my bike and Susanne is a runner. Along with the kidsand even Olive, our family hedgehogwe are logging our miles. We hope you will do the same!

The third program we launched is a series of engaging video shorts on our states history called Now You Know Nebraska. Throughout the course of the school year in 2017, Nebraska150 Celebration will release 174 videos, which educators, families, and all Nebraskans can utilize to learn more about our states rich history. Each video will be one to two minutes, and will showcase some of the states most compelling, entertaining, and appealing stories and facts. The videos will be released at www.ne150.org/nowyouknow and via YouTube.

Finally, we launched I Am Nebraska, an oral history project that invites citizens of all ages to share their Nebraska experience via social media. Participants can record a short video and upload it to their own Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram accounts under the hashtag I Am Nebraska (#IAmNebraska). The Nebraska150 Celebration will pull together submissions and feature some on its website, www.iamnebraska.com. Participants can find instructions on how to produce their videos at those sites as well as watch sample videos.

At the end of the year, highlights from the submissions will be shared with the Nebraska State Historical Society for preservation. Ive recorded my own video, which you can watch by visiting www.facebook.com/GovernorPeteRicketts or www.twitter.com/GovRicketts.

Susanne and I invite you to join our family in participating in these challenges and activities. This is just the beginning of the celebrationthere is a lot more in the works! This anniversary is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the entire state to come together to celebrate how much the Good Life has grown over the last century and a half. Throughout 2017, follow updates on the sesquicentennial celebration by visiting www.ne150.org.

As always, you are welcome to contact my office by emailing pete.ricketts@nebraska.gov or by calling 402-471-2244. In the New Year, my administration will continue our efforts to help Nebraska grow and thrive as the best place in the world to live, work, and raise a family. We value your feedback!
The Commissioner of Health in the state, Dr Balarabe Kakale, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Sokoto on Monday.

He said: The Committee, which comprises Medical Doctors, Pharmacists, Laboratory Scientists, Nurses and other Public Health Specialists,among others.

The Purpose of Creating the Committee is to complement the efforts of Gov. Aminu Tambuwal in improving heath care service delivery across the state.

Members of this committee are highly committed and dedicated health professionals who were already involved various voluntary humanitarian services and always ready to serve for humanity.
The decision of the former militant group to withdraw its support is based on its conviction that the Federal Government is playing politics with the issue of dialogue and development in the Niger Delta.

MEND disclosed this on Sunday, January 1, in a statement issued by its spokesman, Jomo Gbomo.

According to the statement, after Buhari's meeting with the leaders of the region led by Chief Edwin Clark in 2016, the President has not made any significant move on peace initiatives in the oil-rich region.

It said: "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 hereby categorically and unequivocally pass a 'vote of no confidence' in 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 the Pan Niger Delta Forum 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."

ALSO READ: See 10 prominent Nigerians MEND picked to negotiate with FG

MEND said Buhari has always held the Niger Delta region in contempt, adding that the President accuses and blackmails "the leadership of the region of not being ready for dialogue whereas, it is the Federal Government who is not ready or willing to name a team for dialogue with the people."

The group also alleged that Federal Government failed to honour the agreement it reached before it agreed to announce a ceasefire with militants in the region.

The statement added: "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 were grand deception on the part of the Federal Government.

"That 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.
The state chairman of CAN, Reverend Ben Ubeh, stated this in Jalingo in his New Year message.

He said tackling the herdsmen menace would enable farmers to heed the presidents call to go back to the farms.

Ubeh condemned the recent killings of farmers in some parts of Taraba and Kaduna States, saying the problem of herdsmen and farmers across the country needs urgent and decisive action from the federal government.

He said: "I call on the federal government to tackle the issue of herdsmen and farmers clashes across the country. Just a few days ago, herdsmen attacked a village in Ardo Kola Local Government Area of Taraba State and destroyed the whole village.

"The same way Sabon-gida Takai and Dan-Anacha villages in Gassol Local Government Area of the state also came under attack by herdsmen some days before Christmas, killing scores of people, while thousands were displaced."

ALSO READ: Arewa condemns killing of Southern Kaduna indigenes

Ubeh also lamented the ongoing killings in Kaduna by herdsmen despite the 24-hour curfew imposed on the area but expressed optimism that the country will come out of it stronger.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Kafanchan had alleged that the unrest in Southern Kaduna had claimed over 808 lives, in 53 villages in the area.

But Idris disputed the claim in Abuja on Sunday at the new year dinner organised by the Nigeria Police Force for its personnel.

He stressed the need for religious, community and political leaders to be patriotic in their endeavors for peace to reign in the country.

He said that Nigerians had no other country than Nigeria, hence the need to do those things that would bring peace and unity to the country.

Idris advised Nigerians to live in peace with one another in spite of religious and ethic differences.

He commended officers and men of the force for their commitment to providing security to all Nigerians across the country.
The Spokesman of the command, DSP Bala Elkalla, said this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Minna.

According to him, the command also recovered 477 cattle, 90 sheeps and various dangerous weapons from the suspects.

He said the suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigation is completed.
The Commandant of the corps, Dr Muhammad Fari, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Damaturu.

Fari said that the presence of NSCDC personnel in the 17 local government areas would scale up intelligence gathering and surveillance on movement of persons across the state to curb criminal activities.

He said the command would improve on proactive measures to check crime before they were committed.

The commandant assured that the Corps would also engage in protection of women, girls and minors against abuse and molestation.

We recorded high rate of rape and abuse in 2016, the command will work tirelessly to check this menace this year and protect children and other vulnerable groups.

The command has recorded numerous cases of rape including defilement of a six-month-old girl and other minors which we are prepared to tackle with a new approach this year, Fari said.
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.

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.
When did North Carolina become known as North Carolina and acquire its modern shape?We must go back to Jan. 24, 1712, when Edward Hyde became the first governor of what became known as North Carolina, or more specifically, he was the first official governor under the Lords Proprietors. Carolina was then divided into two parts: North Carolina and South Carolina.Such a division was deemed necessary because Carolina had earned a reputation for being a colony with an often, unruly population. In 1691, the Lords Proprietors had made Charles Town (now Charleston, S.C.) the seat of government for Carolina and established deputy governors for the faraway Albemarle region.For some time, there had been unruly behavior and political disagreement in what became North Carolina. Among the colonists, there were, writes historian William Powell, citing a contemporary missionary, four general religious groups: 1) Quakers; 2) Anglicans; 3) Baptists (most likely); and 4) a smaller number that seemingly remained unchurched or lacked any religious organization. A few Presbyterians also lived in the area. There was a strong Quaker presence in the Assembly, yet an influential segment demanded that all members take oaths - an objectionable practice to Quakers, who held that swearing allegiance to a king or a state violated scripture.The disagreement intensified from 1708-11. Deputy Governor Thomas Cary demanded that Assembly members take an oath of office and fined those who assumed office without taking an oath. Even so, he eventually appointed Quakers to office. The political scene was chaotic, and in Charles Town, political factions formed. To provide more stability and order, and to attract settlers to the area, the Lords Proprietors appointed a governor of North Carolina.The chaos intensified before it abated, however. Serving as deputy governor before his commission started, Hyde, among other things, undid much of Cary's work. As a result, Cary and his political allies sailed a ship on the Albemarle Sound toward a house where Hyde was meeting with council members and lobbed two cannonballs. In a hasty retreat, Cary mistakenly ran his ship ashore. The men escaped.No serious effort to draw a southern boundary occurred until 1729, when the crown purchased land from seven of the eight Lords Proprietors. During the rest of the century, North Carolina had occasional boundary disagreements with South Carolina and Georgia. But for the most part, disagreements ended in 1821 after the Walton War, which led to the eventual creation of Transylvania County.After the North-South separation, remember that North Carolina, along with many colonies, had western land claims far beyond current boundaries. What is now Tennessee used to be part of North Carolina, and during the 1780s, many western North Carolinians complained about lack of representation and neglect from the Assembly. Several counties tried separating in what they called the State of Franklin that existed from 1784-88. Through skillful negotiations, North Carolina avoided major violence. The state ceded its land in 1789 - something the U.S. government preferred to help foster statehood. Tennessee became a state in 1796, with John Sevier as its first governor.There was little dispute about the northern boundary when King Charles II gave Carolina to the eight Lords Proprietors in 1663. The northern boundary was set out in the Carolina charters of 1663 and 1665. The two charters spelled out different latitudes, however, so approximately 30 miles were in question. When the seven Lords Proprietors sold their land to the crown, official surveys had been or were being conducted. William Byrd II describes the boundary in The History of the Land Betwixt Virginia and North Carolina.The Atlantic Ocean had made the eastern boundary rather obvious.
The message was conveyed while the former President was addressing a congregation at first church service of the year at Chapel of Christ the Glorious King in Abeokuta, Ogun State on Sunday, January 1, 2017.

The main theme of his words of encouragement was for Nigerians to be hopeful in the New Year 2017. In the words of the ex- President, My message is a message of encouragement, looking forward with the hope of a better year than the one we just got out of.

Speaking further, he urged Nigerians not just to go back to the basics, but to do so in all ramifications, especially socially, politically, economically and spiritually.

And there is no reason why it should not be, in every sense of the word, socially, economically, politically and even spirituality, I am looking forward to 2017 that will make everything new for Nigeria.

Obasanjo also advised the current administration to adopt the fundamentals of economic recovery and growth in order to put an end to all the challenges currently facing us as a nation.

Well, I think we have to back to the basic fundamentals. The fundamentals of economic recovery and growth I believe that if we do that we will get there, He said.
Lamido gave the advice when he received PDP youths from various platforms across the country that paid him a visit at his Bamaina village residence in Birnin Kudu Local Government Area of the state.

He explained that youths were vanguard of change who should ensure the country remained one for the betterment of their future.

According to him, there were still some irresponsible elders who preached hatred to divide them, to remain relevant in power.

I am urging you to please ignore the preaching of hatred by some elders who want to remain on top by using your innocence and ignorance to manipulate you.

The youth from the south must see his Northern counterparts as brothers and vise versa, and culture of hatred where they say these people are not part of us because they are from the North or South, Christians or Muslims, should be disregarded.

The ex-governor said that most Nigerians past leaders fought for united Nigerian, therefore, youths must work to restore the dream of the founding fathers.
Let us shun greed, avarice, ostentation and corruption, which have been our bane as we evolved as a people in the comity of nations," he said.

Braimoh, Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Information, Security and Strategy, spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

I congratulate the good and great people of Lagos State as we witness this New Year 2017. As a people, we need to renew our faith in our country and polity.

Theres no other place to call our own. Let us consciously bring a rebirth to bear in our orientation, norms and value systems.

We need more patience, perseverance and endurance to arrive the promise land. With courage, determination faith and candour, we shall build a country of our dreams, he said.

The lawmaker urged residents to continue to support the Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode-led administration to achieve greater feats in the New Year.

According to him, the governor needs greater support and cooperation from the populace to further deliver his electoral promises.

No government can do it alone; for us in Lagos State to enjoy more dividends of democracy, the support of residents is highly imperative.

I implore Lagosians especially to cooperate and collaborate with Gov. Ambode as he strives relentlessly, consistently, manifestly and persistently to make life more abundant for us.

 The governor deserves our prayers, support and encouragement, he said.

Another lawmaker, Mr Segun Olulade, representing APC-Epe II at the Assembly, also expressed optimism that 2017 would bring an end to recession and turnaround in the economy.

Olulade, Chairman, House Committee on Health Services, told NAN that 2017 would usher in a period of economic buoyancy and new lease of life for the country.

The current economic downturn in the country no doubt is biting hard, but I believe that with what the administration has so far put in place, the country will surely witness a turnaround early in the New Year.

I am hopeful that the country will move out of the current recession into economic prosperity for the good of all.

We all as citizens only need to support the current administration in its drive to rid the country of corruption.
The movie will premiere in Ghana on Friday, January 6, 2017.

The movie earned over 12 2017 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards nominations, including Best Actress for Rita Dominic, Best Actor for Ramsey Nouah, Best Overall Movie, Best Movie West Africa, Best Director, Best Make-Up Artist, Best Cinematography, Best Art Director among others.

Produced by Adonaija Owiriwa and Tonye Princewill, and directed by Ojukwu, the story in the film is told from two points of view: that of a young pregnant woman, and that of her husband, a soldier accused of being involved in the 1976 military coup and assassination of General Murtala Mohammed.

Synopsis:Six years after the civil war, a young officer from the middle belt gets entangled in a romantic relationship with a beautiful O-Level student from the Southeastern part of Nigeria.

Their budding romance was almost ruptured by endless military postings. Now heavily pregnant her walls came crumbling when the news of her husband's involvement in a botched coup attempt hits the headlines.

"76" stars Ramsey Nouah, Rita Dominic, Ibinabo Fiberesima, Chidi Mokeme,Memry Savanhu, Adonaija Owiriwa, Daniel K. Daniel, Nelly Ekwereogu and Shuaibu Ebenehi Adams.

ALSO READ: undefined

"76" also premiered at the , at the prestigious Isabel Bader Theatre.

The war film also had its European premiere at the 60th BFI London Film Festival on Saturday, October 15, 2016.
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.

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.
The APC has struggled in 2016 to harness all the strength it has gathered and it remains the true hope of renewing our country for growth and development. I encourage Nigerians to sustain their support for the APC and President Buhari, he said.

The APC federal government has spent the last 20 months to lay a strong foundation for the future economic and social political emancipation of our country. In spite of the subsisting hardship pervading the land, 2017 will see these efforts bear visible fruits.

I, therefore, would like to use this opportunity to call on all contending interests in our party to put the general interest above any other. I personally will do so, and will put every effort to see that all our forces are united and all interest and tendencies are accommodated in our APC house, he added.

ALSO READ: APC Leader, Bola Tinubu congratulates Buhari
He said they should be ready to make sacrifices as his administration would work to make the state great again.

He stated this in his New Year message released by his media aide, Mr. Yemi Olowolabi.

Akeredolu promised to serve the people of Ondo to the best of his ability, adding that the new year will mark the beginning of new thinking and new actions in the state.

"We cannot be doing something the same way and expect a different result," he said.

He urged the people to back him as he puts in place a culture of integrity in public service, noting that the state has "stupendous natural endowments and abundant human resources waiting to be harnessed for the good of the state by selfless leadership."

ALSO READ: 7 things you should know about Rotimi Akeredolu
Omale, who is the head of the Divine Hand of God Prophetic Ministries International, revealed these and more in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, January 1.

In his 2017 prophecies, Prophet Omale also said if "President chooses the Mandela option, (that is, not to contest again in 2019), a very powerful man will be anointed by him from North West to rule after him."

According to him, the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose will face impeachment in the new year.

He said the proposed Mega Party will not come to reality in 2017, adding that aside two Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors who would "cross carpet to APC," another "South-South strong man who rose out of the walls will join the ruling Party."

On corruption, Omale said three of Buhari's Ministers will be convicted.

On economy, the prophet said Dollar will move from last year prediction of $350 to $570, adding that "no oil in explorable quantity will be found in the North, NNPC should seek the Divine Hand of God to know where to find oil in the North."

"I see peace in Niger delta, but Federal Government should make peace with former President Jonathan and his family to sustain that peace," he said.

ALSO READ: Tinubu congratulates Buhari, Army over victory in Sambisa

He called on Nigerians to "pray against a plane crash in early 2017," and also warned that prayer should be said against Boko Haram efforts to attack Abuja - he said residents of Gwagwalada should be vigilant.

Omale further said: "January 27th keep ringing bells in my head, let us pray for ourselves, for our country, we deserve political stability to enable economic prosperity. Let us pray! There will be no shedding of blood.

"Let us pray for the health of a former President to avert bereavement.

"I see fire outbreak in Lagos and Abuja markets.

"I see changes in INEC Leadership.

"Taraba should pray to avert a very severe Ethno-religious crisis.

"A very important Emir should pray against bereavement.

"Nigeria should pray to avert deadly inter tribal clash in Lagos state

"A former Governor should pray against sudden death.

"I see massive oil spillage around Kogi that will lead to seven days fire.

"Three Banks will collapse.

"A Service Chief of one of the armed forces will be dropped."

On the international scene, the prophet said he "foresee a massive typhoon in Thailand that may be worse than the last tsunami."

"The new Ghana President-elect should pray against liver and internal organ sickness after inauguration.

"Yahaya Jammeh will hand over to President-Elect Barrow.

"Robert Mugabe may not survive 2017.

"Jacob Zuma may still be in trouble.

"Big tragedy will happen in China.

"The English Queen should pray against life threatening health challenges," he said.

On sports, he said a "famous Nigerian Athlete should pray against injury that may end his career."
Preaching at the global New Year's Eve service, he stated that 2017 would be a year of flourishing!

In a post shared on The Christ Embassy Online Missions Facebook page, this declaration was accompanied by a reading of Psalm 92, with emphasis on this verse, "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing..."

Afterwards, he announced three prophecies for the new year.

1. My Year of Luxuriant Growth:Notice the verse above it says, they shall flourish like the palm tree. The palm tree flourishes irrespective of seasons. Its leaves are evergreen. And some grow very tall. One of the features of flourishing is spreading. Which means the spreading continues.

2. My Year of Significant Attainment:Attainment of higher heights. God wants to do marvelous things through us. Not just attainment but significant attainment (news making attainment).

3. My Year of Persistent Productivity:The weather, economy, country and physical circumstances do not count. _"So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed."_

ALSO READ: Pastor Enoch Adeboye shares 9 prophecies for 2017

Tips on how to tap into these declarations were also given.

1. Speak in tongues like never before:This is the refreshing by which you cause the weary to rest. 1 Corinthians 14:4 (AMP) When you speak in tongues, your spirit becomes sensitive to spiritual realities. Jude 1:20 (AMP)Your most holy faith means your most sanctified faith (the highest faith you ever expressed - faith that had no doubt - your purest faith). Build on that faith by praying in the Holy Ghost. Speaking in tongues therefore purifies your faith. Why was Paul so successful? 1 Corinthians 14:18 _"I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:"_ Speaking in tongues is important for the Christian to be very successful.

2. Constantly walk and grow in Faith: Hebrews 11:1-4 _"...Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear..."_

The word of God talked about in the scripture above is talking about the Rhema of God and not the logos of God (the logos of God made all things). The Rhema of God is talking about how things work around you. This is the revelation received from God spoken through our mouth.

How 2017 will be your year of flourishing is in your mouth. The word has been spoken and as such the rest of 2017 must comply.
With 10 bills already scheduled for hearings or referred to committees and another 113 being considered, it appears fish and wildlife issues could again be hot topics when the 65th Legislature begins on Monday  although maybe not as fiery and divisive as the past two sessions.

Im hoping everyone is going to be more friendly and work together, said Vito Quatraro, a Bozeman conservationist. But right now its too early to tell.

Quatraro said he foresees the biggest issue being allocation of the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks' funding.

FWP funding will be marginal, he said. How that will shake out I dont know.

FWP communication and education administrator Ron Aasheim agreed.

A lot of this stuff is budget-related, he said.

Wild bills

In the past two sessions bison bills have been some of the most hotly contested, but this year seems to be a bit cooler. One measure already in the hopper, House Bill 108 sponsored by Rep. Bridget Smith, D-Wolf Point, would give eight Montana Indian tribes two free bison hunting permits a year. The bill goes before the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee when it meets on Thursday at 3 p.m.

Hunting would come into the digital age in Montana if Senate Bill 50 is passed. The measure would allow the use of electronic hunting licenses for game animals and wild turkeys that could be validated online through the use of a smartphone.

Under HB 96, landowners who allow free public hunting would be provided with an either-sex or antlerless elk license. One permit would be issued for every four public hunters. The landowner could share the tags with an immediate family member or a full-time ranch or farm worker. The caveat to the bill is that the public hunters must be selected by the department through a random drawing.

If we can get hunters and sportsmen working with landowners to give them their due, that would be nice, Quatraro said. We often dont treat each other as neighbors, we treat each other as adversaries.

Still in draft form

Among the draft measures waiting in the wings is a possible joint resolution that would require an interim committee to study the potential impacts of and methods to prevent chronic wasting disease in Montana. The resolution was requested by Sen. Mike Phillips, D-Bozeman, who has also requested a joint resolution urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the state of Wyoming to halt its winter elk feeding program.

A measure that would affect river users is a bill still being drafted thats sponsored by Rep. Alan Redfield, R-Livingston, that would charge every water craft to have a $25 decal for use of fishing access sites. The money raised through the program would go back to the sites. As written, $15 of the fee would go to weed treatment, $9.50 to site maintenance and .50 cents to the license vendor.

You know, that makes sense, Quatraro said.

One bill still in draft form that will likely stir up controversy would prohibit outfitters from using isolated state lands for hunting, fishing or trapping. Private use of public lands has been a continually divisive issue between hunters, outfitters and landowners.

Theres always people who will want to get into a fight over something, Quatraro said. My attitude right now is we have bigger issues on the horizon.

Legislative bills can be found on the Montana Legislature website at http://laws.leg.mt.gov/legprd/law0203w$.startup?P_SESS=20171. Portions of the session are broadcast live via video or audio online at http://leg.mt.gov/css/Video-and-Audio/live-session.asp.
The hope was expressed in a new year message by the university management, made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

The management rejoices with its distinguished members of staff, students and the entire community on the auspicious occasion of the new year celebration . 

The university management further wishes all the stakeholders a prosperous, joyous and memorable year 2017," it said. Meanwhile, Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, Vice-Chancellor of the institution, had told NAN that the year 2017 was a work in progress for members of the university community .

Fagbohun said stakeholders of the institution would continue to work harder in the new year to attain greater heights. 

LASU has done very well in the year 2016 but for us, it is work in progress because we have just started the race and there is so much we still want to cover .You can see what is happening; you can see the energy flowing in the university, he said.
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.

"For us, tradition is paramount, a woman is not properly married if she doesn't follow our traditions," says add, 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.
Hollande had already visited in 2014 and remains the most prominent head of state to come to Iraq since the launch two and half years ago of a US-led coalition against the jihadists.

The French president, who is travelling with Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, will also stop in the autonomous northern region of Kurdistan during his one-day visit.

France is the second contributor to the US-led coalition that has carried out thousands of air strikes against IS in Iraq and Syria and provided military equipment, training and advice to Iraqi forces.

Iraqi forces completely collapsed when IS jihadists took over second city Mosul in June 2014 and swept across much of the country's Sunni Arab heartland.

The jihadists then gained more territory in August 2014, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee from areas that had been controlled by the Kurdish peshmerga forces.

Since it joined the United States in the coalition in September 2014, French aircraft have conducted 5,700 sorties, around 1,000 strikes and destroyed more than 1,700 targets, according to defence ministry figures.

It also has 500 soldiers training and advising elite Iraqi forces and CAESAR artillery vehicles stationed south of Mosul to provide support for ongoing operations to retake the city.

Australia, Italy and Britain are also part of the 60-member coalition supporting Iraq's efforts against IS.

Mosul op

"He will stress the importance of continuing efforts to ensure sustainable security in the country after Daesh (IS) has been defeated and the coexistence of communities in a united and sovereign Iraq," a source in the French presidency said.

Hollande was scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who hails from the main Shiite political bloc, President Fuad Masum, a Kurd, and Parliament Speaker Salim al-Juburi, one of the country's most prominent Sunni politicians.

The French president began his trip with a visit to a base near Baghdad where French forces are training Iraq's elite Counter-Terrorism Service, the force that has spearheaded most major anti-IS operations in Iraq since 2014.

It was CTS that first breached the city limits of Mosul late last year in an effort to retake what is now IS's last major stronghold in Iraq.

But the going has been tough for Iraqi forces, partly because hundreds of thousands of civilians have remained in the city, slowing their advance.

Abadi had promised that his forces would rid the country of IS by the end of 2016 but he said last week that three more months would be needed to achieve that goal.
The image, which appeared on some Facebook accounts in both Cambodia and Thailand this week, is a rare public insult aimed at King Norodom Sihamoni, a monarch who is largely respected and deemed above the country's political fray.

In contrast to neighbouring Thailand, which outlaws any criticism of its monarchy often handing down decades-long sentences, Sihamoni is not shielded by a specific lese majeste law.

However the country's constitution describes him as "inviolable".

General Khieu Sopheak, spokesman for the Cambodian Ministry of Interior, confirmed an investigation had been launched.

"We have got orders to arrest them," he told AFP. "If we don't take action against them, more people might follow their act."

He declined to specify which law the three suspects might have broken but said: "The king represents the whole nation and they are insulting the king, which is like they are insulting the whole nation."

Two suspects were believed to be in Cambodia with the third thought to be in Thailand, he added, saying authorities would consider asking for help from Bangkok.

Sihamoni ascended the throne in 2004 following the abdication of his father King Norodom Sihanouk.

Observers say he has ruled quietly as a constitutional monarch, fulfilling a symbolic role as head of state and, unlike his father, staying away from domestic politics.

Sihamoni speaks French, Czech and English after spending much of his adult life abroad pursuing a career in the arts -- including establishing his own ballet company -- before taking the throne.
The 260,000 people killed and 60,000 missing in the civil conflict are quantified in official statistics -- but uncounted millions still suffer the psychological scars.

Maria -- a pseudonym which the woman agreed to use for this story -- was a small girl when fighting between the government and leftist FARC rebels struck the village near her family's farm.

"I still live in a state of anxiety," she told AFP in her gloomy apartment, in a back courtyard on the outskirts of Bogota.

Her father narrowly survived an attack by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), who targeted him because he refused to join their ranks.

"I was six years old. I was always afraid," said Maria.

"We had to spend every night in the village because the guerrillas used to venture up to the farm to kill people."

Emotional rescue

Colombia's government last month pushed through Congress a peace accord meant to end the 52-year conflict -- a controversial move since it made concessions to FARC members blamed for atrocities.

The rebels promised to disarm and compensate victims. But the deal contains few details on how to treat those traumatized by the war.

The 300-page text includes a few lines calling for "emotional recovery measures" to help "relieve victims' suffering."

Under the accord, the government commits to "improving psychological social care," without indicating how much it might spend on it.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has warned that unresolved traumas can spawn fresh violence.

"The victims bear the scars of violence also in their minds," it warned in a report in October.

Living in fear

After a childhood of fear, Maria ran away from an abusive husband. She was penniless and had an ill son to care for.

She ended up working for the Colombian Self-Defense Units (AUC), right-wing paramilitaries armed by wealthy landowners to fight the leftist guerrillas.

"I made their meals and washed their clothes," she said, scraping a fingernail nervously on the table.

"I never asked where they were from or what they were doing."

Even though she says she never used a weapon, Maria ended up being listed as a member of the AUC when the government ordered their disbandment in 2006.

Though she now lives four hours away from her home region by road, she still fears the paramilitaries' left-wing foes might one day catch up with her.

"There were a lot of rumors that all the people who had worked with them were going to be killed," she said.

"That makes me afraid."

Post-traumatic stress

The war started in 1964 when the FARC launched an uprising to fight for peasant land rights.

It drew in various groups who carved up the country between government- and rebel-held zones and fought each other to the death, massacring and kidnapping.

"Drawing a line between who is the victim and who is the aggressor is very complex," said Joshua Mitrotti, head of the Colombian Reintegration Agency.

The agency helps settle former fighters back into civilian life, working alongside the public health sector to provide them with psychological counseling.

Many of them have witnessed massacres, or been raped or kidnapped. Some were recruited to fight as children.

"Out of the 49,000 people we have handled so far, 90 percent have (mental health) problems," he told AFP.

"About 30 percent are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder."

A further third of them suffer alcohol or drug addiction and about a quarter suffer from anxiety.

Colombian public health specialist Mary Luz Dussan said the country must raise the level of "effective psychological and social treatment" for such people.

"That can still be done," she said.
Teodorin Obiang, his country's vice-president, is charged with using state money to pay for a mansion on one of the swankiest avenues in Paris, along with a 76-metre (250-foot) yacht, a collection of designer suits and other indulgences.

His lawyers have said they will call Monday for the trial to be adjourned, saying they need more time to prepare his defence.

The trial is the first arising out of an investigation into the French assets of a trio of African leaders accused of leading a life of luxury abroad while their citizens live from hand to mouth.

The 47-year-old accused is not expected to attend the trial, which is expected to last under two weeks.

He is charged with corruption, embezzlement, misuse of public funds and breach of trust.

US officials have already forced him to forfeit property bought with the proceeds of corruption, accusing him of "shamelessly" looting his country.

His house on Avenue Foch in Paris, which boasts a cinema, spa, hair salon and taps covered in gold leaf, is estimated to be worth around 107 million euros ($112 million).

When French judicial officials first launched raids in Paris in 2011, they hired trucks to haul away his Bugattis, Ferraris, Rolls Royce and other cars.

The case sets a precedent for France which has long turned a blind eye to African dictators who routinely park their ill-gotten gains in Parisian real estate and luxury products.

It came about after nearly a decade of lobbying by anti-corruption groups Sherpa and Transparency International.

"In the beginning, there was simply no political will in France to listen to us,"William Bourdon, a lawyer for Sherpa, wrote in September.

Timber wealth

French prosecutors allege that party-loving Obiang lined his pockets to the tune of nearly 110 million euros between 2004-2011, when he was agriculture minister for his father, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema.

As agriculture minister he held a powerful position that gave him control over the lucrative timber industry which is Equatorial Guinea's main export after oil.

A so-called "revolutionary" tax imposed on wood sales was transferred to his personal accounts, prosecutors allege.

He has "always said that he earned the money legally in his country," one of his lawyers, Emmanuel Marsigny, told AFP.

Obiang fought unsuccessfully to prevent the trial.

In December, the International Court of Justice in the Hague rejected a request by Equatorial Guinea to suspend the case.

Shopaholic

Born in 1969, Obiang was 10 when his father overthrew his bloodthirsty uncle, the dictator Francisco Macias Nguema.

Now Africa's longest-serving ruler, Teodoro Obiang Nguema made his son vice-president in June just after being re-elected with his usual score of more than 90 percent of votes cast.

During one of his appeals against the French trial, a lawyer acting for the French government said Obiang had a "compulsive need to buy".

In a settlement with US prosecutors in 2014, Obiang agreed to turn over more than $30 million in property -- including a Malibu villa, a Ferrari and Michael Jackson memorabilia.

The music fan is known to have bought a crystal-covered glove worn by Michael Jackson during his "Bad" tour, which is worth hundreds of thousands of euros.

The US Justice Department said he "embarked on a corruption-fuelled spending spree in the United States" after racking up $300 million through embezzlement, extortion and money laundering.

In November, Swiss prosecutors said they had opened a money laundering probe targeting Obiang and seized 11 luxury cars in Geneva, including a Bugatti Veyron worth around two million euros.

Equatorial Guinea, Africa's only Spanish-speaking nation, is the continent's third-biggest oil producer.
Turning the ship before it hits the iceberg
iStock/Thinkstock(SALT LAKE CITY) -- Utah couple Huyen Nguyen and Nick Criddle welcomed New Years identical twins born in different years: the oldest in 2016, and the other, minutes later, in 2017.



Baby James came into the world Dec. 31 at 11:59 p.m., while younger brother Matthew arrived Jan. 1 at 12:01, making him the first baby born in the state in the new year, officials at Davis Hospital and Medical Center told ABC Salt Lake City affiliate KTVX-TV.



Born in Layton, Utah, James weighed 5 pounds and Matthew was 5 pounds, 5 ounces.



The boys are the first children for Nguyen, 36, but numbers three and four for Criddle, 34, who has two daughters, Kaitlyn, 13, and Michelle, 11, from a previous marriage.



"Both of us are really happy," Criddle told ABC News Monday. "It was a surprise, definitely."



Nguyen and Criddle originally had a caesarean section scheduled for Jan. 11, but had to go in earlier because of medical complications, Criddle said.



The procedure began at 11:40 p.m. on New Year's Eve.



"It wasn't anything we tried to plan, but it's a fun story," Criddle said.



The boys will look the same, talk to the same and this is something they can have that's different: a birth date, birth month and year, he said. The twins part was fun, too."

And theyre not alone.



Like newborns James and Matthew, Arizona twins Sawyer and Everett made their debut in different years.



Sawyer arrived at 11:50 p.m. Dec. 31. But 11 minutes later, at 12:01 a.m. Jan. 1, his brother, Everett, was born in the year 2017 to mom Holly Shay and dad Brandon Shay.



I think Sawyer might give his brother a hard time, Brandon Shay, the twins' father, told ABC Phoenix affiliate KNXV-TV. I think its mostly going to be Sawyer teasing Everett over him being the eldest.



Holly Shay gave birth at 37 weeks at Banner Thunderbird Medical Center in Glendale, Arizona. Sawyer was 5 pounds, 5 ounces and Everett was 4 pounds, 8 ounces, the hospital told ABC News.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
HELENA  Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock, after being sworn in to begin his second term Monday, emphasized unity between his party and Republicans, who control the Legislature and took back three of the state's five elected statewide offices in November's election.

The differences we have, while amplified at times, are small compared to what unites us, Bullock told about 400 people who packed the Capitol rotunda and gathered on the two floors above.

Before any of us are Democrats or Republicans, were Montanans. And Montanans elected us to serve, not to score political points.

Republican Corey Stapleton was sworn in as secretary of state, Elsie Arntzen as the superintendent of public instruction and Matt Rosendale as state auditor. All assume the offices from Democrats who were term-limited.

Bullock and his Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney won re-election to remain the only members of their party to hold statewide office. Republican Attorney General Tim Fox also won re-election in a landslide. Justices Jim Shea and Dirk Sandefur were also sworn in.

Montanas Legislature, which meets in odd-numbered years for 90 days, also convened Monday and legislators were sworn in at noon. Republicans, who controlled both the House and Senate in the 2015 session, picked up three seats in the Senate to make it 32-18 and kept their majority in the House, 59-41.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have said a tight state budget and shrinking revenues, caused by a decline in oil, gas and coal production, will be the biggest issue of the session. Legislators also said they will focus on trying to pass an infrastructure bill, though Democrats and Republicans are divided on what sorts of projects should be included and how the state should pay for them.

"The elections are over," Bullock told state legislators and officeholders in attendance. "Let us all not forget that we were each elected to run government and our constitutional offices irrespective of partisanship and for the benefit of all Montanans.

Bullock said Montanans have placed their trust in their elected officials and called on those in attendance to rise above the less-than-civil nature of the 2016 presidential election.

It may be a challenging time in this experiment we call representative democracy, Bullock said. Here in Montana we, the leaders Montana elected, Democrats and Republicans, to rise above that political discourse and demonstrate to those that we represent that we won't allow the toxicity that we see at so many levels of gov infecting what we do in this building for the folks back home.

Im optimistic Montana can continue to be shining example of how the political system is supposed to work, he said.

Bullock also called out successes of his first term, including the passage of the HELP Act, under which more than 61,000 Montanans have signed up for Medicaid the Disclose Act, which changed campaign finance reporting laws; high graduation rates and low unemployment rates.

The ceremony emphasized a message of inclusiveness. Seating was reserved for tribal leaders and state Rep. George Kipp, D-Heart Butte, sang an honor song for all Montanans and tribes.

Bullock also emphasized Montanans should have the freedom to worship when and how we choose and and Pastor Marianne Niesen, who gave the benediction, noted the end of the Christmas and Hanukkah sessions, calling for peace and unity.

At the end of December Bullock joined with Attorney General Tim Fox, U.S. Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Steve Daines, R-Mont., and U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., to issue a letter saying they stand together against anti-Semitism and white nationalism and condemned calls to take action against the Jewish community in the small town of Whitefish in northwestern Montana.

Bullock also addressed tribal leaders, saying hes pleased with what the state and Montanas eight tribes have accomplished together and said he hopes to continue building government-to-government relations.
According to Callow, the group has not followed through on the threat and has not yet released any installments of Davenport's data on its multiple platforms.
A fire that destroyed a garage in Clinton Saturday remains under investigation, Clinton Battalion Chief Frederick Roling said.

The fire began shortly after 4:30 p.m. at 626 12th Ave. S. When firefighters arrived, they saw heavy smoke and flames coming from a detached garage in the rear of a three-unit apartment complex. A resident in one of the apartments saw smoke and called the fire department.

Crews deployed two lines, one to extinguish the fire and a second to protect a nearby garage.

The fire was under control in about 12 minutes, according to Roling. The garage, valued at $1,000, was a total loss.

Clinton police assisted at the scene with traffic control. Alliant Energy crews also were at the scene to check for damaged power lines.

 Linda Cook
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 government from setting their own minimum wage rates.

Whats less clear is whether they 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 being 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 raising it 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 this year and in Wapello County by 2019.

That patchwork system doesnt work, House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, said, echoing comments by her colleague, 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, Upmeyer said. "Thats the focus, but I dont know where it ends."

The patchwork of minimum wages is 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 in 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.

He called the wage differentials an impediment to business development that also increases administrative 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 this year. Lawmakers must look at whats fair and realistic, the governor said, but added that $15 an hour is unrealistic.

Democratic lawmakers and liberal interest groups argue, however, that even $15 an hour is not enough to support Iowa families. Also a report from the Iowa Policy Project showed that 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.

Thats because 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, she said."(Employers) can pay whatever they like."

Besides, House Majority Leader Chris Hagenow, R-Windsor Heights, said, Its because those individual counties have deviated that we need to act.

Some Republicans agree with Hogg that its time to raise the 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 hodge-podge 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 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 issue to understand, but there are a lot of other things we need to be doing, he said.
Rock Island Public Library will offer a free class "Using Library Databases for Genealogy" at 3 p.m.Wednesday, Jan. 11, at its main library, 401 19th St.

No registration is required for the one-hour workshop. Additional library databases that will be discussed include the library's subscriptions to Ancestry.com Library Edition and Heritage Quest. Fold3 and Ancestry are available for in-library use.

Participants can explore how to use the library's newest database, Fold3, which offers free access to historical U.S. military records, Native-American history, African-American record collections, FBI case files and Holocaust records.

The growing collection of nearly 450 million records from world-class archives provides details of Americas military veterans with stories, photos and personal documents. The Fold3 name comes from a traditional flag folding ceremony in which the third fold is made in honor and remembrance of veterans.

For more details, visit www.rockislandlibrary.org, call 309-732-READ or sign up for the library's email events newsletter.
Donald Trump has just finished the last of his nine post-election "thank-you tour" rallies. Why did he do them? And why is he planning further rallies after he becomes president?

One clue is that Trump conducted them only in the states he won. And most attendees appeared to have voted for him -- overwhelmingly white, and many wearing Trump hats and T-shirts. When warm-up speakers asked how many had previously attended a Trump rally, most hands went up.

A second clue is that rather than urge followers to bury the hatchet, Trump wound them up. "It's a movement," he said in Mobile, Alabama. He playfully told a crowd in Orlando, Florida, that in the run-up to the election, "You people were vicious, violent, screaming, 'Where's the wall?' 'We want the wall!' Screaming, 'Prison!' 'Prison!' 'Lock her up!' I mean, you were going crazy. You were nasty and mean and vicious." He called his followers "wild beasts."

A third clue: Rather than shift from campaigning to governing, Trump's post-election rallies were almost identical to the rallies he held when he was a candidate -- the same format, identical pledges ("We will build a great wall!"), the same condemnations of the "dishonest" media. They also elicited many of the same audience responses, such as "Lock her up! Lock her up!"

And rather than use the rallies to forgive those who criticized him during the campaign, he employed them to settle scores -- criticizing politicians who opposed his candidacy, like Ohio Gov. John Kasich; blasting media personalities who predicted he would lose, such as CNN's John King; and mocking opponents, such as Evan McMullin, the Republican who campaigned against him as an independent in Utah.

Trump vows to continue these rallies after he becomes president. As he told the crowd in Mobile, "They're saying, 'As president, he shouldn't be doing rallies.' But I think we should, right? We've done everything else the opposite. This is the way you get an honest word out."

"Get an honest word out"? There's the real tipoff.

Like his nonstop tweets, Trump's purpose in holding these rallies is to connect directly with a large and enthusiastic base of followers who will believe what he says -- and thereby reject facts from mainstream media, policy analysts, government agencies that collect data, and the scientific community.

During his just-completed thank-you tour, Trump repeatedly claimed, for example, that the murder rate in the United States is the largest it's been in 45 years. In fact, it's near a 50-year low, according to the FBI.

He also repeatedly said he won the election by a "landslide," when in fact he lost the popular vote by 2.8 million votes -- over five times greater than Al Gore's margin over George W. Bush in 2000.

And Trump repeatedly asserted that the election was marred by massive voting fraud, when in fact there has been no evidence of voting fraud at all (unless you consider the possibility that Russia hacked into our voting systems -- which Trump dismisses).

A democracy depends on truth. Trump's claims that the murder rate is soaring may elicit support for policies such as harsher policing and sentencing -- the opposite of what we need. His assertions that he won by a landslide may give him a mandate he doesn't deserve. His claims of massive voter fraud could legitimize further efforts to suppress votes through rigid ID and other requirements.

If repeatedly told Muslims are the enemy, the public may support efforts to monitor them and their places of worship inside America, or even to confine them. If told that tide of undocumented immigrants is rising (in fact, it's been falling), the public could get behind draconian policies to keep them out.

If told to ignore scientific evidence of climate change, the public may reject efforts to reverse it. If told to disregard CIA reports of Russian tampering with our elections, the public could become less vigilant about future tampering.

In short, the rallies and tweets give Trump an unprecedented platform for telling Big Lies without fear of contradiction -- and therefore for advancing whatever agenda he wishes.

It's no coincidence that Trump continues to denigrate the media and hasn't held a news conference since July.

A president intent on developing a base of enthusiastic supporters who believe his bald-faced lies poses a clear threat to American democracy.
Police body cameras would restore public trust, proponents said. They would infuse transparency into the murky, complicated human interactions in which officers daily find themselves, they promised. They would be a hard defense against police abuse, they swore.

So many promises. So little transparency to see it through.

In the past two years, proponents of body cameras  often police departments themselves  made a lot of promises about the expensive, potentially invasive technology. But as last week's denial of a Freedom of Information request by Bettendorf's city attorney proves, the promise of body cameras hinges on Iowa lawmakers' commitment to presumed transparency.

So far, they've done nothing, opting instead to permit Iowa's Freedom of Information Act to fall further out of date.

The body camera problem is mounting throughout the country. Only six state legislatures have shown the grit to update FOIA to include the new technology. In almost all cases, state lawmakers  often backed by the very same police unions that championed body cameras  have gutted the promised transparency by all but fully exempting the footage from public view. In North Carolina, for instance, the move was in direct response to fervor over a police shooting of yet another young, black man  ironic because it's that very same issue that first propelled body cameras into the forefront of modern policing.

Quashing public access superseded accountability.

Iowa, on the other hand, has done nothing. In many respects, it's no better than North Carolina's crackdown. Body cameras achieve their oft-stated purpose only if the public has access to questionable cases.

Make no mistake, there's very real privacy concerns surrounding the footage. Dash board footage is confined to a cruiser's anterior view. Officers wearing body cameras catch significantly more intimate moments, often inside people's homes, police regularly note. Clearly, any update to Iowa's FOIA should include specific exemptions for these scenarios. It would have to exempt video integral to an active investigation.

That's all fair. But fostering a situation where body camera footage is, by default, shielded from public view is not.

Illinois' FOIA offers sweeping exemptions for body camera footage, which troubles many watchdogs. But, at the very least, it generally requires release following a police-involved shooting. Iowa's FOIA should require the release of any video associated with a police-involved shooting. That requirement alone would compel Bettendorf to release last month's shooting of a man wielding an airsoft-type toy weapon in Home Depot. It should require the release of any video related to founded allegations of an officer's abuse of power.

In short, it should codify the stated intent of body cameras. The technology in Iowa protects cops, sure. It does not, however, serve the public. As it stands, individual departments are, largely without oversight, drafting their own rules. As in Bettendorf, those informal rules tend to favor secrecy, while FOIA's very soul exists within the presumption of access. It's hardly a recipe for accountability.

Until then, body cameras in Iowa will be nothing more than another prosecutorial tool. They indeed will protect officers from false allegations of abuse. But body cameras will do little to protect the populace footing the bill or to restore confidence among perpetually over-policed communities.

A lot of promises were made when body cameras crashed onto the scene, especially after Ferguson, Missouri, burned. And, on its face, body cameras do offer potential for real accountability. They can prove that most cops are noble public servants thrown into no-win situations. And they root out instances in which an officer acted as judge, jury and  sometimes  executioner.

The potential of body cameras is undeniable. But it only works if the public can see the footage.
2005-2022 All contents of this blog are the property of Bonnie K. Hunter, and cannot be reproduced in any way without prior written consent.
DEADWOOD | For Chad and Sherri Muse, Christmas was going to be a dream vacation, complete with a hideaway mountain cabin, a roaring fireplace, snow-dusted pines and their two beloved dachshunds. But as quickly as a snowball on a summer sidewalk, their Black Hills sojourn melted into their personal nightmare.

The Ross, N.D., couple drove to the Black Hills and arrived the Thursday night before Christmas, bought $300 in groceries, and planned to spend the next 11 days and nights tucked away at a rental cabin in the high-country off Maitland Road, just a few miles from Central City.

Wed been planning it for months, Chad said Thursday while nursing a beer at Deadwoods Old Style Saloon No. 10. It was our get-away dream vacation, and when we arrived at this old log cabin with a fireplace, it was absolutely beautiful, perfect, secluded and incredibly awesome.

We hoped wed be snowed in for Christmas.

Exhausted from working 70-80 hours per week as a construction superintendent for a major grain elevator builder and from the drive down to the Black Hills, Chad said he and Sherri retired early that night. But when they awoke Friday morning, their nightmare began.

We got up Friday morning, were making coffee, and went to find our dogs, the 44-year-old Chad recalled. They couldnt immediately locate Scruffy, the 8-year-old long-haired dachshund the couple had pampered since she was a pup.

We finally found her behind the couch with some green stuff on her mouth, he said. We pulled the couch out and found a huge tray of rat poison. We think she had eaten three of the six blocks.

Alarmed, the couple jumped in their vehicle and raced to a veterinary clinic in Sturgis. Vet staff immediately induced vomiting, then filled the 8-pound pet with an activated charcoal, hoping it would absorb some of the poison, Chad said. When it appeared the dog was out of danger, the Muses returned to their mountaintop cabin.

We had some hope, Chad said.

But, as the 6-foot-5, 240-pound man held his tiny dog, Scruffy began having seizures.

She was my little girl and I had to hold her in my arms and look at her while she died a violent death, Chad said, tears welling in his eyes. It was so hard to say goodbye. Its been hard all week.

After returning to the Sturgis animal clinic to have Scruffy cremated, the Muses returned to the rental cabin, distraught, dismayed, but still hoping to salvage some semblance of their holiday vacation.

Then, the cabins water quit running.

We had never cooked a meal, never took a shower and stayed just one night, Chad said.

So, he and Sherri began trading emails with the cabins owner, Tom McCord of Tucson, Ariz., who was in Florida at the time. Emails and texts provided to the Journal show they informed McCord of the rat poison, their dead dog, and the fact the cabin no longer had running water.

That Friday, the Muses packed their belongings, snuggled Izzy, their surviving 5-year-old bug-eyed short-haired dachshund, and checked into a downtown Deadwood hotel, leaving what Sherri described as the Amityville House of Horrors in their rearview mirror. The couple spent that night in their hotel room, shedding tears, sharing hugs and realizing that Izzy had lost a friend, too.

Weve cried for two days, the burly construction superintendent said. Now its a struggle not to cry every time I think of it. We spent a lot of money here at the No. 10 trying not to cry. My wife and I are devastated right now.

Between emails to local media and telephone calls to the Lawrence County States Attorneys Office, the Muses continued trading correspondence with the cabin owner, trying to get a refund on the $2,841 they were charged for the rental cabin.

In his email response, McCord noted that, In both the Rental Rules and the Pet Addendum, it is stipulated that 'Homeowner assumes no responsibility for illness or injury that humans or pets may incur while on the premises.' Still, I want to be compassionate and treat you fairly in refunding some of your costs."

McCords fair way to settle this included a total refund of $1,025 which included a $200 security deposit, $125 in vet bill compensation, $200 in pet fees and deposits, and a $500 compassionate consideration refund.

In addition to these funds, I will extend to you a 50 percent reduction on any future stay up to five nights except during the Sturgis Rally or during a special pricing or holiday period, the owner added in his email response to the Muses.

Contacted by the Journal via email on Friday, McCord declined to answer specific questions related to the Muses stay at his Black Hills cabin, but did state, I am deeply moved by Chads loss. I pride myself in the concern and considerations that I show to my guests. I am currently corresponding with them to do what is right and to help them through this difficult period.

Meanwhile, on Thursday afternoon Chad and Sherri had commandeered the end of the bar at the Saloon No. 10, and were contemplating packing their bags, grabbing Scruffys ashes and just going home.

"I really dont want McCords money in my pocket," said Chad, who added that he had laid awake the past several nights wondering what he should do. "I just want this to not happen to anyone else. What if this had been a child? It just doesnt sit well with me."

Chad said it would be a long time before he forgot the dream holiday vacation that never was, and the little dog that was his constant companion.

"This definitely sucked my heart out of my chest," he said with a sigh. "This big guys heart is definitely broken. It doesnt matter how big you are, how tough you are  this one hurt."
HELENA  Just after noon on Monday, Montanas 150 legislators were sworn in as leaders in both the House and Senate made a call for Democrats and Republicans to work together and handle disagreements with civility.

At 11:58, a House clerk cut through the crowd of legislators and their family members, imploring everyone to take a seat so the 65th Montana Legislature could officially begin.

At a few minutes past noon in both chambers, the gavel hit the lectern and legislators were asked to please come to order.

Legislators and their guests recited the pledge of allegiance, bowed their heads in prayer and began roll call, each replying, Here.

Mr. Secretary, 100 members are present, the House Clerk said.

Outstanding, replied Secretary of State Corey Stapleton.

Montana Supreme Court Justice Jim Rice swore in House members en masse, 100 right hands raised as they took their oath in unison.

Stapleton welcomed legislators and recounted the story of the Christmas truce, an unofficial ceasefire in World War I when enemy soldiers met in the battlefield between their trenches to celebrate what they had in common: the holiday, hobbies and sometimes hometowns.

"You all have been elected to Montana's house of conflict," Stapleton said, calling the session an opportunity to show your dignity, your integrity, your humanity" in the wake of a divisive election cycle.

Speaker of the House Austin Knudsen, R-Culbertson, likewise implored his colleagues to be civil and professional.

"We can disagree, and believe me we're going to disagree on this floor and in committee, but I expect those disagreements to be civil and professional," he said, noting legislators one constitutional requirement is to balance the budget. We have tough decisions ahead of us.

House Minority Leader Jenny Eck, D-Helena, also called for her colleagues to be honest and courageous to bridge the divide.

I appreciate we share a mutual commitment to uphold the dignity and decorum of this great institution, she said.

In the Senate, Supreme Court Justice Laurie McKinnon swore in new senators just after noon in the Senate chamber as holdover senators watched. Sen. Diane Sands, D-Missoula, took photos.

State Sen. Mary Sheehy Moe, D-Great Falls, was in attendance, though she announced last week she would resign to help her daughter care for newborn triplets.

In the Senate, leadership stressed a message of working together, while acknowledging that issues such as the state budget could be divisive.

After being named Senate president, Scott Sales, R-Bozeman, said he was deeply humbled. He told senators he was committed to getting the Senate's business done in an orderly, timely and efficient manner. He pledged to treat all senators with the fairness you deserve.

Minority Leader Sen. Jon Sesso, D-Butte, spoke after Sales and delivered a message of unity.

The 50 individuals that sit in the Senate today  each represent 20,000 Montanans in a district of constituents that we are here to represent, our bosses, Sesso said.

Sesso pledged cooperation with Sales and other Republicans, who picked up three Senate seats in the November election to to make it 32-18 and kept their majority in the House, 59-41.

Sesso looked around the room, saying that many senators know each other and have served together before. Of the 50, 16 Senators are new to the body, but of that number only five have not served in the Legislature before.

Sesso touched on the state budget, saying things are not as dire as some Republicans have indicated. Gov. Steve Bullocks $4.7 billion budget, presented before the start of the session, makes more than $124 million in cuts and raises taxes on some groups.

I urge the body to set aside our campaign rhetoric, set aside the ideology, set aside the notion that Montana is broke and widespread changes are needed and focus on whats right in our state, Sesso said.

The tone was different from House Republican leadership, who sees its majority, along with additional senate seats and wins in statewide races, as a mandate from voters.

Stand proud in this session, Majority Leader Ron Ehli said. While acknowledging his party must work with Democrats to serve the state, he urged them to challenge the status quo and to pressure the governor more so than in the past not to use his veto pen to undo policies that are set by a true representation of Montana.

Senate Majority Leader Fred Thomas, R-Stevensville, said Montana has an accessible, transparent Legislature and vowed to uphold that.

Theres an issue of cooperation, we know that there. Theyll be some discussion on some of those issues, but well figure that out. Well deal with things like the budget. The budget will come up, but weve got talent to deal with that, Thomas said, looking at Sales and Sen. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, who chairs the Senate Finance and Claims Committee, of which Sesso is a member.

Thomas also said the Senate expects to deal with issues around health care and the Affordable Care Act, given changes at the federal level.

Issues will be aplenty and well debate those, Thomas said. As we debate those, let us work together to find the right solution. In the end we want to look to make Montana better.

You have my commitment, you have our caucus commitment to working together, Thomas said.
Black Hills residents awoke Monday to life in a virtual snow globe in which soft falling snow was blown about and pushed into deep drifts by high winds.

But the major weather focus in the coming week will be the frigid air that is moving south into our region, and Rapid City could see temperatures below zero and wind chills down to minus 25 Fahrenheit.

About 2.2 inches of snow fell in Rapid City from midnight Sunday through Monday, and snowfall totals were around four inches in much of the Northern Hills region, according to the National Weather Service.

City plows were active throughout the day, and all flights went off as planned at Rapid City Regional Airport, according to officials. City officials said that late in the day Monday they were focusing plowing efforts on clearing bus routes in anticipation of school resuming in Rapid City today.

The snow tapered off by noon on Monday and gave way to clear skies, setting the stage for a cold snap that will envelope the region for much of the coming week, according to Shane Eagan, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Rapid City.

"Basically, a cold air mass has been sitting up in Canada, and when that storm system moved south, it will allow that cold air mass to come down," Eagan said.

He said nighttime temperatures could go as low as minus 5 to 10 on Tuesday and Wednesday, with wind chills those nights dipping to minus 15 to minus 25. Highs may only reach into the single digits.

It may be even colder in northwestern South Dakota and Wyoming, Eagan said.

"It's probably a good time that if you don't have to travel, don't," he said. "If you do, bring a lot of blankets in case, God forbid, you should get stranded."

The storm system that struck Rapid City and the Black Hills on Monday was part of a larger system that spread from the northern Plains into the central Great Lakes region and brought rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow to the much of the upper Midwest.

Up to a foot of snow fell in central North Dakota and northern Minnesota. Forecasters said strong winds and snow, on top of ice from a recent freeze, made travel hazardous. North Dakota's Transportation Department issued a travel alert for much of the state, urging motorists to be aware of the poor conditions.

Bitter cold temperatures also are forecast to blanket the region, with dangerous wind chills as low as minus 30 degrees expected in North Dakota early Tuesday.
The swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 3 marks the official start of the 115th Congress, but our work to prepare for these next two years has been ongoing for months.

Last summer, House Republicans introduced a once-in-a-generation blueprint for the reforms we feel are necessary to move this country forward. In late December after most of Congress had gone home for the holidays, I  along with just 23 other members of the House Ways and Means Committee  came back to Washington to hammer out two critical sections of this blueprint: tax reform and health-care reform.

On tax reform, we worked on a framework for a simpler, flatter and fairer tax code. Coming from a state that has zero income tax, I wanted to share a real-world example of the economic benefits of a lower tax rate.

As a busy mom, I wanted to speak to the importance of a simpler tax return  one that may even be simple enough to fit on a postcard. As an experienced small business owner, farmer and rancher, I wanted the tax code to incentivize growth in the American economy. And as a taxpayer, I wanted the loopholes to be closed and the IRS to be held accountable.

Our work continues, but Im glad we were able to communicate this vision from the onset.

On health-care reform, we plan to take immediate steps to repeal Obamacare. While were still navigating the best legislative path from that point, we are committed to protecting the health-care needs of all Americans.

At our meeting in December, we worked through a number of ideas for creating a system that no longer relies on mandates, but instead ensures affordable access so families can choose what works best for them.

This plan would deliver unprecedented freedom, empowering Americans to purchase the health-care plan of their choice, manage how they spend their healthcare dollars, and access their electronic health records.

Moreover, it would include tools that drive down the actual cost for delivering health care, an expense that is higher per person in the U.S. than almost any nation in the world. The only way health insurance is going to be affordable is if the delivery of health care becomes less expensive, too.

With so much at stake, it was important to get a seat at the table for South Dakota during these debates. After all, there are challenges that come with having just one representative in the House.

Places like Texas, for instance, have dozens of congressmen who can represent the states interests on any given issue. A state like South Dakota, however, occupies just one of 435 seats, so making our perspective known requires a deliberate effort. Getting in on these types of conversations is one of the reasons I fought for a seat on the House Ways and Means Committee last Congress.

Our state might be small, but weve already had a major impact on whats expected to be an aggressive 2017 agenda. Whats more, those contributions have helped establish the tone for the 115th Congress and set the legislative branch up to hit the ground running on Day 1.
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Thomas Lifson

Staring new evidence reveals a major to-do-list item for the incoming Trump administration: a formal inquiry, with subpoena power, on the process by which the US handled the "Syrian rebels" who turned into ISIS. In a landmark New Years Day post on Conservative Treehouse, Sundance lays out the pieces of a puzzle indicating that Obama administration blundering (or was it intentional?) fostered and supported the creation of ISIS, and unintentionally created the opening for Russia to operate in Syria and thereby attain the long-sought Mediterranean naval base, and also an air base in the Middle East.

The cast of characters is led by John Kerry, whose leaked audio recording of a meeting last fall near the UN, is the single biggest piece of smoking gun evidence. But along the way, we meet NeverTrumps like Adam Kinzinger, John McCain, and very provocatively, the NeverTrump designated spoiler, Evan McMullin, long before he was put forward as a Trump-preventer.

I won't even begin to lay out the complicated case that Sundance has assembled. Far better for you to read the entire post (it's long), and try to listen to the audio recording. They are a bit rough and hard to follow, so I am copying a transcript (with comments) that has been prepared of the key moments in the audio recording by Sheila Coombs of Knowterrorists, an "antiwar" site:

I have transcribed Kerry's statement from the recording which I have listened to in full as Kerry talks to Syrian dissidents and ex-pats who, like those of Iraqi and Libya before them, are prepared to do deals with the devil to get the regime change they desire.

One can hear John Kerry endeavouring to placate these people by discussing how he has promoted the use of force in Syria: "For us politically where you have a Congress who will not authorise our use of force. Congress will not pass that and so we're trying to help the best way we can, but we finally decided the best thing we can do is try to find a way with a political solution where the opposition is part of the government and you can have an election." (I suppose this will be like the election they set up just after they destroyed Libya and the BBC and Al Jazeera went into overdrive touting it as 'democracy' having been achieved in Libya  oh yeah, that worked really well didn't it?)

He also says: "I think you're looking at three people, four people in the administration who have all argued for use of force, and I lost the argument. I've argued for use of force. I stood up. I'm the guy who stood up and announced we're going to attack Assad because of the weapons, and then you know things evolved into a different process." He's referring to the diplomatic process.

Crucially he lets slip that "Russia is invited in by the legitimate regime"

(N.B.Russia also went to the UN for a resolution to undertake action in Syria  that's UN Resolution 2249)

He responds to their frustrations by saying "Look, I get it, a lot of us wish there was an enforcement mechanism right now, a lot of us have been fighting for one, but we don't have one in that sense so we're trying to persue diplomacy, and I understand the frustration, you have nobody more frustrated about it than we are."

He sees the problem as being  I quote: "A lot of Americans don't believe we should be sending young Americans to die in another country  that's the problem"

He states: "Al Nusra and DAESH both make it hard because you have this extreme element out there and unfortunately some of the opposition is already kind of chosen to work with them". He admits this but has sent TOW missiles and in April this year sent 3,000 tons of weapons during a ceasefire to the 'opposition'  a list is detailed in Janes Military Index.

He wanted no Syrian or Russian planes to fly, but US planes could fly despite having killed 62 Syrian Arab Army soldiers as they were defending Deir Ezzor from DAESH. He said the deal the US wanted was "Seven days consecutive of calm before we talk about focussing on DAESH and and Nusra".

The Syrians push Kerry for more action. They state categorically that the Russians or Syrians hit the aid convoy in Aleppo despite no evidence of this and the convoy emanting from a government held area. They are annoyed that the Russians are targetting the so called 'Syria Civil Defence Force' aka The White Helmets, who were first on the scene, who put out a video immediately and who are well known to be working with Al Nursa and ISIS in Syria. The White Helmets' leader Raed Saleh was been barred from the US for his 'links to extremism' and yet USAID has given them $23 million. The White Helmets operate only in rebel held areas  hmmm.

One Syrian guy is then pushing Kerry to get the US to attack Hezbollah fighters whereupon Kerry admits that "Hezbollah is not attacking the US." This Syrian guy is annoyed that Russia is only attacking the Sunni extremists, (mostly foreign fighters as the Syrian army is made up of a majority of Sunnis). It is the mostly foreign Whabbaist Sunni extremists who are being targeted by the Syrian Army and Russia, but this guy is trying to persuade Kerry to attack Hezbollah and Iranian forces who are also combatting the Sunni Whahabbist extremist jihadis. To appease this guy Kerry states that Hezbollah is  quote "Targetted by the opposition we are arming and training"

He says to one woman pushing him  "I think we've been putting an extraordinary amount of arms in  haven't we?" -to an aid who confirms this and that there are weapons entering Syria from other sources. Kerry states "Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia  huge amount of weapons." All of these are US allies.

The full extent of the story will require a lot more evidence to nail down. But what the heck was Evan McMullin, former CIA spook, doing in Turkey with NeverTrump Adam Kinzinger in 2014, discussing aid to "Syrian rebels"?

Hat tip: Clarice Feldman
Ed Saunders, a retired Army veteran and Laurel resident, was decorating veterans graves at Mountview Cemetery in Billings for Memorial Day several years ago when a white marble headstone caught his eye.

The Veterans Administration marker was for Florence Ames, a nurse in the Army Nurse Corps, in World War I. Born Feb. 12, 1882. Died Nov. 22, 1957. Engraved on the headstone were the lyrics to taps, something the VA doesnt do.

Saunders was captivated.

Who was Florence Ames? Where did she serve? Why was there no military rank on her headstone?

A Gulf War veteran and genealogist with a keen interest in making sure military servicemen and -women are remembered and honored, Saunders began wondering about other women veterans who served in WWI.

Thats what got it started. Its been a very interesting project, he said.

After more than five years of research that included scouring military and medical records in Montana and Washington, D.C., and searching for headstones in cemeteries, Saunders has documented the service of 23 Yellowstone County women veterans of WWI.

Saunders, along with the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 10, of which he is a member, is seeking permission from the Yellowstone County commission to install a bronze plaque bearing the names of the 23 women veterans on the courthouse lawn.

Saunders will be making a presentation to the commission at its Tuesday meeting.

During a recent briefing of the memorial plans, Saunders showed commissioners a life-size replica of the proposed plaque.

The goal is to dedicate the plaque on April 6, 2017, which is the 100th anniversary of the United States entering WWI.

Saunders said women served in U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps, with the majority of women serving in the Army Nurse Corps. Many of those women served in France and in evacuation hospitals near the front lines.

Twenty-three women with ties to Yellowstone County served in the war, he said, yet there is no monument or memorial to honor their service. The women either were born in Yellowstone County, entered military service from the county or are buried in the county.

Saunders also said he believes Yellowstone Countys memorial would be the first of its kind in the state.

Saunderss research documented 21 women who served in the Army Nurse Corps. Two women who served in the Navy as yeomen in administrative support.

I can personally and professionally vouch for these women. If I have missed a woman, it is not because I didnt try, Saunders said.

The research project took Saunders to the National Archives and Records Administration in a Washington, D.C., suburb, where he had requested to view actual reports from the American Expeditionary Force about the Army nurses.

A clerk rolled out 26 boxes of records. She looks at me like, you dummy, he said.

Saunders didnt really know what he was looking for, only that he would know it when he saw it.

I found it in the first box, he said.

Saunders found a typed report by Sigrid M. Jorgensen, a member of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, with information on a unit in which one of the Yellowstone County veterans, Harriet ODay Nielsen, served. Jorgensen wrote a historical appendix to an official report by Julia Stimson, who was the chief Red Cross nurse in France and the AEFs chief nurse, he said.

Saunders spent several days digitally scanning the records.

Saunders also went through archives in the basement of St. Vincent Healthcare in Billings, which had the only nursing school in the region at that time.

He reviewed the archives from the Montana State Library where he found records for 169 Montana women who entered the nursing corps. He transcribed all of those records and created his own database, a task that took about three weeks.

Other resources included the U.S. Army and Navy historical centers, federal census records, cemetery interment records and the Red Cross.

Though all of the research, the women were no longer names of long-dead veterans.

These women really came alive, Saunders said.

Getting to know them

As he reviews the list of names, Saunders offers comments about various women, as if he knew each personally.

She worked in a front-line unit, Saunders noted about Nielsen, who served in France and was cited for heroism under fire.

Born in Iowa in 1890, Harriet ODay moved to Billings as a child, graduated from high school in Billings, went to nursing school in Minnesota and returned to Billings, where she worked as a Red Cross nurse.

ODay entered the U.S. Army Nurse Corps on Nov. 14, 1917 and was sent in 1918 to France where she was assigned to Evacuation Hospital 4 about 2.5 miles west of the human cauldron of Verdun, Saunders wrote in a profile of Nielsen.

On Nov. 3, 1918, the Germans shelled the hospital for four straight hours, killing two sergeants and wounding others, Saunders wrote. The head nurse, knocked down by the explosives, ordered all available nurses, including ODay, to evacuate the patients.

General John J. Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Force, officially recognized the nurses, including ODay, for heroic conduct when Evacuation Hospital 4 was shelled by enemy artillery.

ODay, Saunders said, remained in France for a while after WWI to care for wounded American soldiers who could not yet be moved. She eventually returned to Billings and served in 1924 in Panama. She also was a nursing instructor at Billings Polytechnic Institute, the predecessor of Rocky Mountain College, and was active in the Montana Nursing Association.

ODay married Jens C. Nielsen, also a WWI veteran, in 1936 in Hardin. They had no children. He died in 1973, while Harriet ODay Nielsen died in 1976. The husband and wife are buried next to each other at the Laurel City Cemetery.

Ames, whose headstone launched the project, was born in 1882 in Nebraska. In 1910, she was living in Billings. She entered the Army Nurse Corps in 1918 and was deployed to France, where she served in various hospitals.

Saunders research noted that in an Army report for Base Hospital 61, in Beaune, France, in October 1918, after Ames arrived, the surgical ward had only three empty beds of the 500 beds available. The influx of wounded soldiers, the report continued, increased the hospital to 1,600 beds with almost half being surgical cases.

Ames was demobilized and relieved of active duty in 1919 but apparently remained in the reserves, Saunders wrote.

Ames returned to Billings for a short time, then moved to California where she became a Public Health Service nurse. Ames traveled extensively, going to Hawaii, Panama and Guatemala, and eventually retired to San Francisco in 1953. She remained single and had no children.

Ames died of cancer in 1957 and her sister, Emma, returned her body to Billings for burial in the Mountview Cemetery. Emma, who died two years later, is buried next to Florence.

'Won't be forgotten'

All of the women, Saunders said, were in their early 20s when they volunteered for service. There was no draft. And the women had to be single, he said.

The American Red Cross provided the training for the Armys nursing needs and the majority of nurses in the Army Nurse Corps started as Red Cross nurses, Saunders said. The Army did not start a nursing school until 1918.

Except for the Navy, the women did not get equal pay, rank or recognition for military service as men until 1947, Saunders said. While they served their country in WWI, women still were not allowed to vote in federal elections.

Saunders attributes the culture of the day for why WWI military women went unrecognized for their service. A lot of the women veterans faded into history, he said.

And that, Saunders continued, is the greatest tragedy that can happen to an American serviceman or woman.

The greatest tragedy is they are forgotten; forgotten in life and in death by the very same nation, people and constitution they swore an oath to defend, he said.

Having himself served 22 years in the Army and in combat service in the Gulf War, Saunders said he believes in not leaving any serviceman or -woman behind, in body, spirit or memory.

Thats why I do this. They wont be forgotten on my watch, he said.
Suburban subdivision design and the local impact that Marsys Law will bring are two of the topics for the Billings City Council during Tuesdays work session.

Tuesdays meeting, held a day later than usual due to the New Years holiday, begins at 5:30 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall, 220 N. 27th St.

City Attorney Brent Brooks will present on Marsys Law, also known as the crime victims bill of rights, which was passed by Montana voters in November.

According to Brooks, the constitutional amendment has no funding source for implementation.

City attorney offices in Montanas largest cities have formed a working group to share their concerns and ideas, as well as the documents theyve created to comply with the law.

In Billings and Yellowstone County, crime victims now receive Marsys Card, which spells out the 18 rights that crime victims have, contact information for courts and law enforcement agencies and the prosecutor to be contacted depending on which law enforcement agency is handling the case.

Officials have delivered briefings on Marsys Law to Billings police and employees at the Yellowstone County Detention Facility.

Further compliance, including a password-protected website for crime victims to receive information on their case and a dedicated victim-accessible telephone line, are also in the works, but will require additional funding and staff time to implement and maintain.

Issues that remain unresolved, Brooks wrote, include the laws effective date, the remedies available if a victims rights are violated and legislative clarification that could come out of the 2017 Legislature.

Brooks said he plans to ask the city council for one new employee, at $66,000 per year plus an additional $2,000 for a computer and equipment, to comply with the law. For 10 years, his office has received no additional staff, and other Montana communities, including Bozeman, Great Falls, Gallatin County and Missoula County, are requesting new employees ranging from one half-time employee (Bozeman) to two employees (Missoula County).

Subdivision design

Planning and Community Services Director Wyeth Friday will present on the work of the Suburban Subdivision Design Standards Committee, formed by the Yellowstone County Board of Commissioners in February 2016.

Its focus has been on road and pedestrian facility standards. Providing sidewalks in the countys suburban areas make connections to city development safer and future annexation less costly for residents, Fridays presentation indicates.

Also on the agenda for Tuesdays work session are the annual renewal of the memorandum of understanding between Beartooth Resource Conservation and Development and the city and an update on the citys strategic plan.

Neither agenda item had information included in the city councils Friday packet.
Guwahati : Assam Police on Sunday, the first day of the new year sounded high alert across the state following intelligence inputs of seven jehadis entry to the state.

According to the reports, seven jehadis of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) had entered in Barak Valley Karimganj district from Bangladesh.

Assam Police ADGP Pallav Bhattacahrya said that, following the intelligence input we have alerted all district police across the state.

'We have also contacted with the neighbouring states Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura following the jehadi input by intelligence bureau,'A the top police official said.

On the other hand, a top official of IB said that, the jehadi group had crossed the Indo-Bangladesh border last week and entered the Barak valley district.

'The jehadi group carrying with huge cache of arms, ammunition and explosives may be planned to create untoward situation in Assam,'A the top IB official said.

In last year, West Bengal police had arrested six JMB terrorists including two bomb experts from various areas of Assam and West Bengal.

The Bangladeshi jehadi group was restructured following Burdwan blast on October 2, 2014.

'The new JMB group has tried to set up their bases and spreading network in Assam. The jehadi group also tried to create more sleeper cells in the north eastern Indian state,aA the IB official said.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
RASUWA, Jan 2: Deputy Prime Minister Bimalendra Nidhi has praised the Armed Police Force (APF) for its role in the strengthening of border security.

Inaugurating newly constructed infrastructures of the APF border security battalion at Dhunche of Rasuwa today, DPM Nidhi who is also the Home Minister said the government was thankful to the APF for its contribution to border security, security of customs offices and disaster rescue works, despite limited human resources.

On the occasion, he directed the district-based security mechanism to remain dedicated to ensuring security in the district, asked the security personnel to perform their duty confidently.

The construction of six infrastructures which include a quarter for APF personnel, an office building and a kitchen cost Rs 24.3 million.

After the inaugural session, Minister Nidhi held a separate meeting the civil service employees here and the Nepali Congress (NC) cadres as well.

During his meeting with bureaucracy, he took stock of the progress on ongoing development endeavors and post-earthquake reconstruction efforts and a security situation in the district. Rasuwa's Chief District Officer Somendra Neupane apprised him about this.

Though the Minister was scheduled visit to bordering Timure area, the trip was cancelled due to adverse weather. He returned to the Capital directly from Dhunche, the district-based security mechanism said. RSS
Kathmandu, Nepal: The Supreme Court (SC) the apex court of the country has on Monday cleared the decks for the government to endorse the second Constitution amendment bill registered at the parliament.

Responding to the two separate writ petitions filed challenging to the governments bid to amend the constitution, a division bench of Chief Justice Sushila Karki and Ishwor Prasad Khatiwada issued the verdict stating that interim order should not be issued staying the bid to amend the constitution.

The verdict of the government has not only advanced the principle of separation of power by guaranteeing that the Judiciary could not bar the Legislative from using its wisdom in the formulation of legislation but also paved the government to amendment the constitution.

The government had registered the constitution amendment bill in the parliament on November 29. The opposition parties including the main opposition CPN UML has been obstructing the parliament protesting the bill.
"No country faces a bigger challenge from Mr Trumps ascent to power than China, which has been flexing its military and economic muscles more strongly than ever. After the Obama administrations obsequiousness towards it, Beijing must brace up and face an assertive new national-security and economic team in Washington that is unlikely to put up with its covert territorial expansion and trade manipulation.

"Mr Trump has signalled a need to recalibrate foreign policy by shifting its geopolitical focus from Russia to the increasingly muscular and openly revisionist China. Unlike Russias 2014 annexation of Crimea, Chinas territorial revisionism, as illustrated in the South China Sea and the Himalayas, is creeping and incremental yet relentless.

"Mr Trumps focus on China indicates that, far from retreating from Asia and the Middle East, America is likely to play a sharper, more concentrated role. For example, the US military could carry out more significant reconnaissance and freedom-of-navigation operations in the South China Sea.

"To countries bearing the brunt of Chinas recidivist policies, the Obama administrations reluctance to challenge Beijing forced several of them to tread with excessive caution around Chinese concerns and interests. A wake-up call came with Mr Obamas silence about the 2012 Chinese capture of the Scarborough Shoal, located within the Philippines exclusive economic zone. Washington did nothing in response to the capture, despite its mutual-defence treaty with the Philippines.

"That inaction helped spur Chinas frenzied creation of artificial islands in the South China Sea. In 2013, when China unilaterally declared an air defence identification zone covering territories it claims but does not control in the East China Sea, Mr Obama again hesitated, effectively condoning the action. And recently, his meek response to what Mr Trump called "an unprecedented act"  Chinas daring seizure of a US underwater drone  advertised American weakness.

"In the dying days of the Obama administration, an emboldened China is rushing more missiles to its man-made islands in the South China Sea, where, on Mr Obamas watch, it has built seven islands and militarised them in an attempt to annex a strategically crucial corridor through which half of the worlds annual merchant fleet tonnage passes.

"China has demonstrated that defiant unilateralism is cost-free  but it knows that its free ride is about to end, with Mr Trump willing to adopt a tougher and less predictable line towards it. This is apparent from Mr Trumps suggestion, after taking a phone call from Taiwans president, Tsai Ing-wen, that a "one China" policy is no sacred cow for him.

"By subsidising exports and impeding imports, China has long waged an economic war against major economies. The Obama administrations announcement last April of a deal under which China would scrap export subsidies on some products, largely agricultural items and textiles, drew scepticism in the markets because it did not cover major exports, including steel.

"Trade is one area where Mr Trump must deliver on his campaign promises or risk losing his credibility with the blue-collar constituency that helped propel him to victory. He is threatening to slap punitive tariffs on China for what he described during the campaign as "the greatest theft in the history of the world".

"That Mr Trump may not be deterred by the spectre of a trade war with China is apparent from some of his appointments, including of economist Peter Navarro, the author of Death By China , The Coming China Wars and Crouching Tiger: What Chinas Militarism Means for the Rest of the World .

"Mr Trump could pivot to Asia in a way Mr Obama did not.

"He is likely to face resistance to recalibrating US foreign policy from two powerful lobbies in Washington  a large tribe of "panda huggers" (those seen as being sympathetic to China) and the establishment figures who spent their formative years during the Cold War obsessing with the Soviet threat and now see Russian president Vladimir Putin as the epitome of evil.

"Mr Trumps task is made more onerous by a mainstream media that remains hostile to him despite its epic failure to anticipate or predict the election outcome.

"Still, a determined Donald Trump is likely to reorient US foreign policy in potentially momentous ways."
After the 2017 Montana Legislature convenes at noon today, lawmakers have much work to complete by the end of April. Job No. 1 is the state budget for the two years beginning July 1.

Speaking with The Gazette editorial board last month, House Speaker Austin Knudsen, R-Culbertson, said the budget may be simpler because theres not money to do a lot of things this year. We know there will be differences of opinion on how to allocate the states limited resources.

But Knudsen, like most Montanans, wants to get some infrastructure projects going. For the speaker, essential infrastructure is water, sewer and roads. Hes heard pleas from local governments in eastern Montana. Glendive needs help, Sidney is desperate.

Gov. Steve Bullocks budget proposal includes grants for sewer and water projects statewide, a few bridges and school building upgrades. He also proposes the Montana State University, Montana Historical Society and Butte veterans home projects that have failed to garner funding in previous sessions. Bullock has proposed funding some infrastructure by borrowing.

Were going to have to talk about bonding, Knudsen said. The talk will have to be convincing to the super-majority of lawmakers needed to approve bonds.

The big hole in the budget is in transportation. Large highway projects are at risk because Montanas gas and diesel taxes arent bringing in enough money to match federal highway dollars. For lack of $15 million in state tax revenue, Montana may lose $144 million in federal funds.

So far, neither Bullock nor GOP legislative leaders have embraced the obvious solution: Raising the state fuel tax, which is used to match federal highway dollars.

A gas tax is going to have a hard time getting through the Legislature, Knudsen told us in December. Im not in favor of it, he said, adding that it would be a hit to the agriculture sector.

Theres no projects shelved yet, Bullock told the editorial board the week before Christmas. Highway funding is a discussion worth having, he said, without saying what funding he would support.

Whatever I propose, a bunch of folks are against it. I teed up this issue so we can all work together to solve it, Bullock said.

We call on Bullock, Knudsen and Senate President Scott Sales, R-Bozeman, to talk about highway funding. Along with minority leaders Sen. Jon Sesso, D-Butte, and Rep. Jenny Eck, D-Helena, the governor and state leaders must compromise.

We encourage lawmakers to communicate with their communities, welcome all opinions and think critically about the decisions they are making for the citizens of Montana. We appreciate the commitment of time and personal sacrifices they are making to work most of four months in Helena.

On the first day of the 2017 session, lets resolve to seek bipartisan agreement on major Montana issues. The budget must balance; legislation must be completed in 90 work days.

We call upon all 150 lawmakers to sincerely strive to find common ground that benefits our great state. There will be heated debates, but strong opinions can and should be expressed respectfully. The people of Montana will be watching  from the galleries in the Capitol and on their personal computers and televisions. Let us see our representatives doing the peoples work with honesty and integrity.
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Intro

Greetings! I am a political scientist , specializing in International Relations , my research and teaching focus on ethnic conflict and civil-military relations . I watch way too much TV, and I like movies as well so I tend to write about both and find IR stuff in pop culture. I rant alot about American politics and sometimes about Canadian politics. I like to take ideas I once learned a long time ago and apply them to whatever strikes my fancy.


Last legislative session, we served on the budget subcommittee tasked with overseeing the budget of the Department of Corrections. We became concerned with significant growth in this agencys budget and created the Sentencing Commission that, for the first time in more than 20 years, took an entry-to-exit look at our criminal justice system.

Why the big growth in our inmate population when our crime rate has been stable and relatively low for years? Our goals were to improve public safety and service to victims, hold offenders accountable, and be better stewards of your tax dollars.

A number of policies came out of our commission that are worthy of the Legislatures support:

We devised a pretrial supervision system to help county sheriffs address the overcrowding in their jails, freeing up beds for high risk offenders who need to be behind bars.

We propose investing in up-front behavioral health services so that we can stop cycling people with addiction or unmet mental health needs through our jails and prisons. Our communities are safer when people do not have to commit a felony to get treatment, creating new victims in the process.

We also propose allowing folks to get substance abuse treatment from peer support specialists, people working in communities who can help others through their own experience getting and staying sober.

We support modernizing the board of pardons and parole and implementing parole guidelines, giving victims and communities more predictability in the process and saving bed space for those who are higher risk of re-offending. Several other policies propose improvements in other critical areas.

If we do not act, we are on course to build and run another prison  we have heard loud and clear from our constituents that they do not want to be on the hook for a new facility for decades to come. By making some upfront changes and investments, we project taxpayers will save $82 million over the next six years, with an investment of just a fraction of that. This is money that could be spent on infrastructure, schools, or be freed up back to the taxpayer.

While our bills are unique to Montana, other states have had similar success with this approach. As a result of justice reinvestment bills in Idaho, $1.8 million was returned to their general fund this year, they closed a unit at their prison, and were able to stop paying other states to house overflow prisons, all without an increase in crime rates.

To learn more about the Sentencing Commission bills to be introduced, please go to leg.mt.gov. It was a pleasure working together to create bipartisan solutions that move our state forward, keep our communities safer, and wisely use our limited resources.
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President Donald J. Trump is expressing skepticism about intelligence assessments of the Russian hacking and will provide more information very soon.

The executive order issued by President Obama in retaliation of the alleged Russian interference on Presidential Election is raising a heated debate on the on the measures adopted by the US Government and its ability to provide evidence of Russian malicious cyber activities.

The US ejected 35 Russian intelligence operatives from the United States and imposed sanctions on nine entities and individuals.The US Government sanctioned the Russian intelligence services, the GRU (Russian Main Intelligence Directorate) and the FSB (Federal Security Service), four GRU officers, and three other organizations.

The report published by the US Government doesnt provide any new info, all the information it includes were already reported in the analysis conducted by security firms such as Crowdstrike.

In June, the security research firm CrowdStrike reported on a cyber breach of the Democratic National Committee (DNS). CrowdStrikes incident response time discovered not one, but two hacking groups that it considers some of the best adversaries out of the all the numerous nation-state groups the company encounters daily  COZY BEAR and FANCY BEAR.

This is exactly the same info that we have found in the JAR report published by the US Government that linked the cyber activity to a Russian threat actor designated as GRIZZLY STEPPE.

Security experts at the security firm Wordfence published an interesting report in which they analyzed the PHP malware sample and the IP addresses that the US government has provided as proof the involvement of Russian hackers in the attacks against the Presidential Election.

We used the PHP malware indicator of compromise (IOC) that DHS provided to analyze the attack data that we aggregate to try to find the full malware sample. We discovered that attackers use it to try to infect WordPress websites. We found it in the attacks that we block.

Experts from Wordfence traced the malware code to a tool available online, dubbed P.A.S., that claims to be made in Ukraine.

One might reasonably expect Russian intelligence operatives to develop their own tools or at least use current malicious tools from outside sources, the report says.

The report published by WordFence includes the list of IP addresses that dont appear to provide any association with Russia and are probably used by a wide range of other malicious actors.

The malware sample is old, widely used and appears to be Ukrainian. It has no apparent relationship with Russian intelligence and it would be an indicator of compromise for any website. reads the report from WordFence.

The IT security industry is aware of the Russian interference, but clearly, the analysis provided by the US Government is really poor of interesting elements.

Which is the position of President-elect Donald J. Trump on the Russian hacking?

We all know that alleged Russian interference aimed to disrupt Clintons campaign due to the relationship between Puting and Trump.

President Donald J. Trump is expressing skepticism about intelligence assessments of the Russian hacking and the Kremlins interference in the election.

According to the NYT, speaking to reporters outside his Palm Beach, Fla., club, Mar-a-Lago on Saturday evening, he revealed to know of things that other people dont know about the alleged hacking campaigns that targeted Presidential Election. Trump announced that he will share the information on Tuesday or Wednesday.

I just want them to be sure because its a pretty serious charge, said Mr. Trump.If you look at the weapons of mass destruction, that was a disaster, and they were wrong, he added, referring to intelligence cited by the George W. Bush administration to support its march to war in 2003. So I want them to be sure, the president-elect said. I think its unfair if they dont know.

If you look at the weapons of mass destruction, that was a disaster, and they were wrong, he added, referring to intelligence reports that were provided the George W. Bush administration in 2003. So I want them to be sure, I think its unfair if they dont know.

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 dont know, and so they cannot be sure of the situation.

The Trumps approach to technology is anachronistic, he advised people to avoid computers when dealing with a delicate material.

Its very important, 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, Mr. Trump said.

I dont care what they say, no computer is safe, he added. I have a boy whos 10 years old; he can do anything with a computer. You want something to really go without detection, write it out and have it sent by courier.

The only sensible answer to date is that of Russian President Putin who avoided responding Obama executive order.
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.
After crafting record budgets during recent sessions, lawmakers returning to Bismarck Tuesday for the 2017 legislative session will have to balance a host of priorities in a time of reduced revenues and learn to say no to new funding requests.

Throw in working with a new governor, as well as watching to see what Congress does with the federal health care law, and lawmakers have the makings of a unique session on their hands.

The first thing on lawmakers' minds is what Gov. Doug Burgum will outline in his State of the State address.

Whether hes going to make any adjustments we dont really know, House Majority Leader Al Carlson, R-Fargo, said, adding few details have been mentioned publicly by the new governor. (But) I think hes going to have a plan to reduce the budget proposal Dalrymple had.

Former Gov. Jack Dalrymple outlined a $13.475 billion budget proposal during the December organizational session. His budget includes a balancing act between cuts to hundreds of state employee positions, replenishing state rainy day funds and a state takeover of county social services to make a 12 percent state-paid property tax credit permanent.

By comparison, Dalrymples budget proposal delivered in 2014 contained a record $15.72 billion budget proposal for 2015-17. During the 78-day session in 2015 lawmakers approved a record $14.2 billion budget.

The budget proposal delivered by Dalrymple was comparable to the $13.7 billion passed by lawmakers in 2013.

Burgum recently met with members of leadership to discuss spending levels and projected revenue levels. Lawmakers will need to approve an updated revenue forecast by Thursday.

Burgum said his State of the State message will echo a theme he championed both on the campaign trail and since taking office.

Weve got to be prepared to do things differently, Burgum said.

Burgum offered few specifics but said with sharp growth in budgets over the past decade a correction is needed and to expect further cuts as well as a push for new efficiencies in delivering services.

The message is how do we get there without raising taxes? Well have some time to look at changes we want to make, Burgum said. In the end its going to be a team effort with the Legislature.

Burgum, a former software company executive whos never held public office, said there may be some argument over policy but ultimately the GOP majority should be able to coalesce.

I dont think theres going to be a lot of philosophical differences. Weve got to be focused on the results, not the size of the budget, Burgum said.

Carlson said this session lawmakers will work off of "baseline budgeting," a budget method using existing spending levels as a starting point before determining what future spending may be required, rather than directly off of what the governor proposes, with changes to agency budgets coming through the amendment process.

Carlson said education and public safety will be among the top priorities in the budget.

By law the Legislature is limited to 80 days every two years. Lawmakers can try and bank a number of days in case theyre needed, and the governor has the authority to call a special session.

Carlson said by saying no to new spending it should make things a lot easier.

This isnt a race. Its about doing the right thing. If it takes 80 days, then the governor would have to deal beyond that, Carlson said.

Another matter will be addressing Medicaid expansion if the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, is repealed. Following Republican Donald Trumps upset victory in the presidential race, he and a Republican-majority Congress are expected to act on repealing and potentially replacing the historic yet controversial health care law at some point.

Carlson said the Legislature may consider passing Medicaid expansion bills this session with some contingencies in them in the event Congress takes action.

Senate Minority Leader Joan Heckaman, D-New Rockford, also is waiting for specifics from Burgum.

Hes done a lot of talking but I havent seen a lot of exact policies. That concerns me, Heckaman said.

Heckaman said a priority for the minority caucus will be to address Medicaid expansion. The original Medicaid expansion legislation in 2013 had a sunset of June 30, 2017, and approximately 20,000 people are enrolled.

Were ready to work with the majority on policies that help people, Heckaman said, adding there will be push back if policies or hot-button issue bills pushed have negative consequences for various groups.

Heckaman said one priority the party is in agreement with Burgum on is helping entrepreneurs and small business owners in communities across the state. She said this could include grants or other methods.

Build an economy that everyone can prosper in, Heckaman said. Our caucus focus is putting families first.

Burgum will be meeting with tribal leadership in a series of meetings during the first week of the session. His meetings will be separate from those tribal officials will have with legislative leadership in lieu of the canceled Tribal-State Relationship message.

Burgum hopes the meetings will improve tribal-state relations that have been frayed in recent months over the Dakota Access Pipeline protests.

Having substantive government-to-government discussions is important, Burgum said. We want to get to having those long-term conversations. (It) will help for life after the pipeline.

Protesters have been camping in southern Morton County for months in opposition to the $3.8 billion pipeline project, which is nearly complete in North Dakota except for a section intended to cross under the Missouri River less than a mile from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribes reservation border.

Opponents are concerned about potential contamination of river water if the line were to leak after completion as well as disturbing sacred sites and possible artifacts located in the region. Protests have led to more than 570 arrests since August and cost the state $17 million so far in law enforcement costs.

Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner, R-Dickinson, said hes pleased that Burgum has been reaching out to leaders to get the lay of the land.

Wardner said itll be interesting to see how Burgums call for a new direction plays with lawmakers.

Anytime you make major changes theres resistance, Wardner said.

Wardner agreed with Carlson on their work being easier with less money.

Were down to bare bones. We can only do so many things, Wardner said.
 Understanding why Dylann Roof will not present penalty phase evidence at his capital trial | Main | Death penalty in Pennsylvania so dysfunctional that it cannot complete long-overdue report on its dysfunction 

Via this local press article, headlined "Report: Don't cut funding for inmate rehabilitation," I came across this terrific new report from the Texas House of Representatives Committee on Corrections. These excerpts from the press piece provides a partial summary of the report:

When lawmakers return to Austin in 10 days to begin grappling with what appears will be a bare-bones state budget, a legislative panel that oversees the Texas prison system is urging them to resist cutting funding for programs that help former inmates and probationers adjust to free-world life.

As (the prison system) cannot cut back on the security and public safety components of their mission, it is likely that many of the programs that are making a real difference will face the axe, says a report released over the holidays by the Texas House Corrections Committee.

The state that leads the nation in executions also leads the nation in providing alternatives to incarceration, the report adds. An American state that used to be infamous for its lock 'em up and throw away the key approach to crime is now providing an unlikely inspiration to other states and countries.

The 68-page report that the panel will likely use as a blueprint for legislative initiatives once 2017 session begins Jan. 10 makes several recommendations, include lowering the fees that probationers must pay, opting out of a federal program that requires the suspension of a drivers license for anyone convicted of possessing even a small amount of marijuana and sealing the criminal records for qualifying former inmates who remain out of trouble for a specified period of time.

The report comes some 20 years after Texas leaders frustrated by rising crime rates completed a massive prison building program that tripled the systems capacity. It even uses a phrase once thought to be politically toxic is describing the states approach for helping lawbreakers return to society. Texas is a leader by being softer on crime, although we prefer the word smarter, it says. It's something to think about as we head into the next legislative session.....

The committee report says probation revocations, while still relatively high, have been steadily dropping for about a decade as lawmakers began devoting more resources to programs aimed at reducing inmates and probationers substance addictions and arming them with job skills. During that period, the report says, Texas crime rate has dropped about 20 percent while recidivism rates declined from 28 percent to 21 percent.

During a hearing in February, Corrections Committee Chairman Jim Murphy said its important that inmates and probationers believe that the state is committed to programs aimed at minimizing the chance that theyll be back behind bars. I am thinking about the dynamic of someone being in the system, wanting to improve themselves, and being told you're not a priority, said Murphy, a Houston Republican. If we're trying to get someone not to recidivate, that's exactly opposite of what I think the intended result would be.

According to the report, which Murphy signed in early December before its release last week, the fees associated with being on probation can be insurmountable for offenders struggling to find employment. Probationers are charged upward of $60 a month to help cover the cost of supervision. Many are required to take and pay for classes aimed at fighting addiction or controlling anger and violence. Probationers who lose driving privileges can be required to take a class to have the license reinstated and pay up to $325 before being allowed to drive, even if its just to and from work.

The list goes on. There are fees for records management, for juries, for judicial support, for court security, and for indigent defense, the committees report says. Pages and pages of fees. It boggles the mind to read it. Think of what it must be like to live it. Often, the report continues, judges who impose the costs have little information regarding an offenders ability to pay them. In an era when you can find out your credit score for free on the internet, would it be that difficult to determine if a person is indigent prior to appearing before a judge? the report asks.

The committees report points out that in April 2016, Pennsylvania enacted legislation, allowing criminal records of qualified nonviolent offenders to be sealed for offenders who remain free of legal trouble for 10 years. The records of those charged but not convicted of a crime can be sealed after 60 days.
 Any astute thoughts about the sentencing year that was or the year that will be? | Main | Great report on Texas justice reviewing why Lone Star State is a "leader in criminal justice reform" 

January 2, 2017

Understanding why Dylann Roof will not present penalty phase evidence at his capital trial

Last week in this post I noted the news that Dylann Roof, at a hearing before the penalty phase of his capital trial, told the district judge that "he doesn't plan to call any witnesses or present evidence to ask a jury to spare his life." This new New York Times article, headlined, "Dylann Roof Himself Rejects Best Defense Against Execution," provides some explanatory backstory. Here is how the lengthy piece begins:

Twenty-two pages into the hand-scribbled journal found in Dylann S. Roofs car  after the assertions of black inferiority, the lamentations over white powerlessness, the longing for a race war  comes an incongruous declaration. I want state that I am morally opposed to psychology, wrote the young white supremacist who would murder nine black worshipers at Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, S.C., in June 2015. It is a Jewish invention, and does nothing but invent diseases and tell people they have problems when they dont. Mr. Roof, who plans to represent himself when the penalty phase of his federal capital trial begins on Tuesday, apparently is devoted enough to that proposition (or delusion, as some maintain) to stake his life on it. Although a defense based on his psychological capacity might be his best opportunity to avoid execution, he seems steadfastly committed to preventing any public examination of his mental state or background. I will not be calling mental health experts or presenting mental health evidence, he wrote to Judge Richard M. Gergel of Federal District Court on Dec. 16, a day after a jury took only two hours to find him guilty of 33 counts, including hate crimes resulting in death, obstruction of religion and firearms violations. At a hearing on Wednesday, Mr. Roof told the judge that he planned to make an opening statement but not call witnesses or present evidence on his behalf. 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.

January 2, 2017 at 11:56 AM | Permalink

Comments

Regarding "why" he did it, both sides repeatedly have a reason not to tell the whole story & along with other things (e.g., evidence excluded for legal reasons), the "full" story often isn't shown. But, the system in place ideally provides as much of it as reasonably possible. Now, we are likely to get somewhat less since the state doesn't want to tell part of the story and/or rather focus on aggravating parts while Roof is loathe to as well. Still, since even some things that might be mitigating can be spun as aggravating, much of the story very well might come out.

Plus, even if he doesn't call mental health experts, the judge/jury here is likely to factor in some assumptions about his mental state. The matter already was partially covered in his competency hearing. Speaking personally, I myself would be likely to determine from his actions here and how he states his case in the penalty phrase that he was in some fashion unhinged. An alleged Jewish influenced expert not necessary there.

Posted by: Joe | Jan 2, 2017 1:57:13 PM

Unable to find "upset," "unhinged," and "racist," as validated mental illness conditions. Roof has more honesty and moral integrity than his lawyers. If allowed, the lawyers would be trying to fool the court and the jury.

If an evaluation were to reveal a serious mental illness, such as paranoid schizophrenia, the latter would make Roof more dangerous than a paid assassin. It should be considered to be an aggravating factor, and should fast track the death penalty.

We are also going to be subjected to a non-probative, inflammatory, long, and gruesome review of the details of the crime scene and of the effects of his rampage murders on loved ones. The judge is responsible for these decisions.

The victims were multiple high achieving, prominent, well to do citizens. If the jury or judge decides on life in prison, it would prove the point. The lives of black murder victims are devalued, more by the legal system, than by a mass murderer. I would support black rioting if that happens because the decision against the death penalty would be outrageous. Instead of trashing their own neighborhoods, rioters should trash the court.

Posted by: David Behar | Jan 2, 2017 3:16:50 PM

He may not be wacko. He needs to be wacked off though. Death by throwing him off a Roof with Bob Dylan singing the song: Bye, Bye, Miz American Pie.

Posted by: Liberty1st | Jan 3, 2017 11:57:17 PM

Post a comment
This is Up and Down, where we give a brief thumbs up and thumbs down on the issues from the past week.

Up

There werent many good things about the Christmas Day blizzard. The one positive was seeing neighbors helping neighbors and strangers helping strangers. There were a lot of stories of folks clearing driveways and sidewalks for their neighbors. Motorists who got stuck in the deep snow got help from people they didnt know and may not see again. When storms hit, North Dakotans look out for others. Most people know what its like to be stuck in a drift or stranded. That creates a willingness to help others, especially when you know if you get in a similar situation someone will help you. One person removing snow with a Bobcat in Bismarck even used it to put out a car fire. Thats one way to put snow to good use and dispose of it at the same time.

Down

House fires are always sad events. When they occur during the holiday season they seem incredibly bad. The Burleigh County fire last week left a family homeless. It claimed all their belongings, including the Christmas presents the children had just received. Amber David and Mike Schmit and their two children along with Davids sister and 5-year-old nephew escaped the fire without injury. Their rental home was destroyed. Anyone who wants to help can send checks to the Amber David Benefit at the Dakota Plains Federal Credit Union, P.O. Box 389, Lemmon, S.D. 57638.

Up

Roz Leighton has a new job and it should prove exciting. Leighton, who resigned as executive director of the North Dakota Republican Party, will serve as a public liaison for Donald Trumps inauguration committee. Planning an inaugural is no small feat since theres not a lot of time and lots of details to be worked out. One of the first things the president is judged on is how well he celebrates. Leighton will be coordinating events, handling travel logistics and making sure the lines of communication are open.

Down

It has been three years since a BNSF Railway oil train derailed near Casselton. It was a scary situation that could have had a more dreadful outcome. Emergency responders did a good job of handling the situation. The final report on the accident still hasnt been released by the National Transportation Safety Board. One reason given by the board for the time-consuming report is that they are using the accident to review train safety features. Thats good, but three years is too long to wait for an accident report. BNSF says it hasnt waited and already made safety improvements. The NTSB needs to find a way to complete its reports in a more speedy manner.

Up

Shayna Monsons determination to come back from a horrible accident makes this an Up item. She survived and two friends died when a drunken driver hit her vehicle in June 2015. Shes been on a long road to recovery and the end isnt in sight. Her courage serves as a model to anyone fighting back from an accident or illness. The case is a perfect, and terrible, example of what can happen if you drink and drive.

Down

One of the recurring problems with bad weather is it can result in a lack of blood donors. Add the busy holiday season and fewer donors make it to United Blood Services. Storms in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota have resulted in a blood supply shortage. If you want to help, you can call 877-827-4376 or go to unitedbloodservices.org.
One more New Year's surprise in restaurant closing news: AQ is shutting down this month after five years in business and many accolades, both local and national. Thrillist broke the news in this piece, the third in a series about what writer Kevin Alexander describes as a nationwide restaurant bubble in which he asserts "America's Golden Age of Restaurants is coming to an end."

AQ was a great story of restaurant success in one of the country's most vibrant and competitive eating towns. Owner Matt Semmelhack, a first time restaurateur, partnered with a talented chef, Mark Liberman, and debuted the restaurant in late 2011 to immediate raves from Michael Bauer and many others, and a James Beard Award nomination for Best New Restaurant. The primary gimmick, which was quick to charm the restaurant's fans, was that the restaurant would change with each season, with the decor, menu, and the staff's uniforms all changing four times a year  with the menu actually shifting many more times than that in incremental ways, based on ingredient availability.

But Semmelhack tells a story that's now becoming all too familiar for restaurant owners  not only in San Francisco, however San Francisco stands apart for having the multiple burdens of a high minimum wage, high rents, and typically astronomical opening costs. Add to that the increased health care mandate for employers, and even a successful restaurant can see their profit margin shrink rapidly.

Five years, though, is a fairly average lifespan for a restaurant. Though there are greater success stories of restaurants that become landmarks unto themselves, studies have shown that the majority of restaurants close within one year, and 70 percent of those that survive the first year will shutter within three to five years.

Semmelhack says that AQ had an 8.5% profit margin in 2012, with a total profit of $250,000, and that shrank to 1.5% in 2015, with a total profit of just $40,000. And clearly 2016 was no better.

After taking a week off recently, he returned to the restaurant and says that, suddenly, looking at the staff moving around, "all he could see was the money each one of them was costing him, flashing in front of him like a video-game score." And he tells Thrillist, "I knew right then we had to shut it all down."

The closure of AQ, which will happen sometime in January, follows just a few months after the closure of Semmelhack and Liberman's ambitious third project, Bon Marche, which suffered a fate similar to several restaurants that opened in quick succession on mid-Market.

This means that the team has just one restaurant left in what was, just a year ago, a growing mini-empire, and that's Fenix  the Mexican restaurant two doors down from AQ that debuted earlier this year, a re-concepting of the former TBD.
Last week, North Dakota took another step to stay ahead of the competition in unmanned aerial systems research, development and training. The Federal Aviation Administration approved beyond-line-of-sight operations for the Northern Plains UAS Test Site, allowing companies in our state to conduct UAS operations that are not possible anywhere else in the nation.

At the same time, this authorization will attract government and military agencies to our state, such as the Air Force, the Department of Homeland Security and NASA, as they work to integrate UAS into the national air space.

Beyond-visual-line-of-sight operability means being able to fly a remotely piloted aircraft without a ground observer or chase plane. It is a vital capability, because in order to use UAS for commercial applications, they will have to be flown beyond the line of sight in the national air space concurrently with piloted aircraft and other UAS.

Remotely piloted aircraft are already being used by our military overseas and by the Customs and Border Patrol at home. They also are being used, to a limited extent, in agriculture, energy and some other industries. Someday, however, they will be used routinely by farmers to more efficiently irrigate and reduce pesticide use, by builders and architects on construction sites and by engineers to monitor pipelines and transmission lines. You may at some time in the future even get your Christmas presents delivered by UAS to your front door. The uses are limited only by the imagination.

We were the first to be granted this operability due to our hard work for more than a decade to make our state the ideal location to initiate this capability. It started in 2006 during my time as governor when we established the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center of Excellence at the University of North Dakotas John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences. Our objective was to secure UAS missions for the Grand Forks Air Force Base and the North Dakota Air National Guard in Fargo. From there, we started building a path forward by, among other things:

 Establishing Grand Sky at the Grand Forks Air Force Base.

 Creating the FAAs test site program, which includes the Northern Plains UAS Test Site.

 Securing funding to upgrade the DASR-11 digital radar system at Grand Forks.

The Northern Plains UAS Test Site has already made remarkable gains, such as nighttime operations, flying multiple aircraft in the same airspace and researching and testing aircraft at altitudes up to 1,200 feet, and Grand Sky is growing apace, with major global companies like Northrop Grumman and General Atomics in residence at the tech park. Beyond-line-of-sight authorization further cements North Dakotas position as a leader in the UAS industry. Theres much more to do, of course, and I am committed to supporting that effort, but today North Dakotans can be proud of our growing role in this exciting new industry.
Its often said that it takes a village to raise a child, and once upon a time, this was quite literal. The proverb has been attributed to African cultures where children were raised by the whole tribe in a village.

Today, our tribes look a lot different. Not only are grandparents, aunts and uncles spread across frequent-flier miles, but family units also can be a mix of two (or more) very distinct villages. The rate of multiracial marriages and, consequently, multicultural children in the U.S. is certainly on the rise.

According to a 2015 Pew Research study, marriages between spouses of different races have increased almost fourfold since 1980. This has led to an even faster rise of the number of multiracial children.

In 2013, among babies living with two parents, 10 percent had parents who were different races from each other, up from 1 percent in 1970, according to the same report.

So, not only are parents left to raise their children more isolated than before, but they also are confronted with blending cultures, values and traditions.

Parenting is tough as a baseline, said Christina Jones, a psychotherapist and consultant in downtown Chicago. Couples have to learn and navigate how to be a team. Sometimes that cultural piece adds challenges.

The challenges can range from how to celebrate holidays to deciding whether to raise your children bilingually.

Courtney Kashima, 38, is raising two multicultural kids in Chicago. She identifies as a European mutt and was born and raised in Illinois, while her husband, Hide, is a first-generation Japanese-American who grew up in Guam.

We both came from very small towns, so we feel committed to raising our kids in the city, she said. But, she relayed, the Japanese-American community isnt as vibrant here as it is in a place like Los Angeles or Vancouver. She said shes had to seek out support and cultural activities for her two children: Sachi, 2, and Jiro, 9 months.

The family joined the Japanese American Service Committee in Chicago, which hosts traditional events and a weekly class for children called Tampopo Kai. Kashima has also posted on message boards and Facebook groups to try to find other Japanese-American and hapa  or half-white, half-Asian  families in the area.

She admits it can be difficult to find a balance. Its weird to pick and choose culture. If you came from a monoculture, like my mom, there were just certain traditions.

For Kashima, raising her children in Japanese culture means learning and embracing new ideas herself. Incidentally though, she pointed out, I actually feel I lead (the push toward teaching the kids about their heritage) more than my husband.

Others are often influenced by grandparents or extended family.

Lindsay Chuang, 31, of Chicago said, The cultural stuff is more important for my in-laws. Its even more important to them than it is to my husband.

Chuang, who is black American, is married to a first-generation Taiwanese-American. They have two kids: Victoria, 3, and Emerson, 16 months. Her in-laws recently moved back to Taiwan, but they visit as often as possible.

I really hit the jackpot of mother-in-laws, Chuang said. These are their first grandbabies, so theyre always ready to come and jump right in. When (my mother-in-law) comes to visit, she cooks and plays with the kids.  But when she comes, shell stay for, at most, a month, and its not enough time for language to catch on. I know that she wishes that was different.

I do stay home with them, but Im not the one that speaks Mandarin, she added.

On a visit earlier this year, the family celebrated Chinese New Year together. Weve celebrated the new year before, but if my in-laws are here, well absolutely do something.

Jones encourages parents to expose their children to their own culture and traditions, as it will likely help build a solid sense of identity.

The best way to approach that is in nonthreatening ways, she said. Exploring food from different cultures brings people together. And music brings people together.

In the Tampopo Kai class at the JASC, parents and children learn Japanese songs. The class also incorporates dancing, arts, crafts and story time.

We divide the program between Japanese and English, said Naomi Negi, the program coordinator. There are tons of opportunities for parents and kids to pick up Japanese words. And, youd be surprised  six months down the timeline  the kids start to pick up words; they absorb everything so quickly.

Similarly, the Old Town School of Folk Music, with locations in Chicago and satellite classes in the suburbs, offers a music program for children in Spanish.

We really put a lot of love and importance on the Spanish Wiggleworms classes because the Spanish-speaking population is really growing in Chicago, said Erin Flynn, director of Wiggleworms and Kids Music Programs at the Old Town School of Folk Music.

Were not teaching Spanish; we really understand that it is a music class, but it is an immersion experience, Flynn said. We took a lot of time to find authentic music and songs that have a long tradition in Spanish-speaking countries. It really is about the music, culture and traditions through music.

She said that, in the past, the school has offered classes in German, Hebrew and French, depending on teacher availability.

We very earnestly believe that music connects people and builds community, she said.

Finding community helps us get back to the idea of raising our children by village, even if we all dont look the same.

I dont think I noticed all the mixed-culture families until I started hanging out with other moms, Chuang said. I was at a moms night out event, and I noticed everyone was either Asian or married to an Asian. It was pretty cool. Im really thankful for that stuff.
Darla Bunting(WASHINGTON) -- A Washington, D.C. woman has revealed that a year-long digital detox from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat has left her feeling "grateful of every moment."



Darla Bunting had hundreds of Facebook and Snapchat friends, over 1,300 Instagram followers and more than 4,000 Twitter followers. But on Jan. 1 last year she announced in a blog post that she was giving the sharing platforms up for the next 365 days.



The education advocate told ABC News last year that she initially deleted the social media apps for a month on the advice of her pastor, but found the mini-digital detox wasn't enough.



Now after an entire year, Bunting, 31, told ABC News: "I had different epiphanies over the course of this year. I feel so at peace."



"I took away instantly that so many of us curate our lives for social media and so I removed all of that, removed the feeling of having to 'snap' every moment or Instagram every moment or every experience thats going on in my life," she said.



"When I began to cut out different things, I learned to have an attitude of gratitude," Bunting added. "I became really grateful of every moment."



Bunting joked that due to her lack of social media presence during the presidential election campaign she "didnt lose any Facebook friends."



"But what I did gain was learning how to quiet my own thoughts and my own opinions and listen to other people whose opinions are different than mine," she added.



Still, time away from social media did have its drawbacks, including missing photographed moments posted by family members who don't live nearby.



"I did miss seeing my goddaughter...because Im not physically there with her," Bunting explained, "and photos of friends that I don't get to see everyday."



Bunting has advice for those who want to try a social media detox: "Realize that social media isnt going anywhere, so you're not going to miss anything once you take a break from it and come back," she said. "Youll still be able to find news in other places. Youll go to websites. Youll subscribe to different peoples newsletters."



Bunting also had some tips for those wishing to follow her lead and wean themselves off social media: "Social media has become such a natural part of our life. Youll have urges to check," she said. "So I blocked the websites on my computer and deleted the apps off of my phone. So there was not a way for me to check. That made it incredibly easier for me."

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
GRAND FORKS  Mary Wakefields days in Washington start early.

The Devils Lake native is up before 4 a.m., getting a head start on the day as acting deputy secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

If you talk to people with whom I work, they get emails starting by 4:15, and (if) you dont shut your computer down, you dont get off phone calls before 9 at night, she said.

But thats about to change. Wakefield is set to be displaced by a nominee of President-elect Donald Trump, and this month shell take her next steps -- though shes not quite sure where they will lead. Right now, it means heading back to North Dakota for a while.

This is a big job, she said in a recent phone interview. Its a very demanding job, and its been just an absolute privilege every single day working on behalf of North Dakotans and working on behalf of the nations health. And so when Im done, Im going to take a couple of weeks off. And Im probably going to go fishing -- and its probably going to be ice fishing.

Nursing, public service

Wakefield has had a long career in public service, culminating in a senior position in a department with about 80,000 employees. But it was a career that all began in nursing, a career she pursued after graduating in 1976 from whats now the University of Mary in Bismarck. She soon leaped headlong into academia, teaching at the University of North Dakota and earning her doctorate in 1985 from the University of Texas in Austin.

But in 1987, she made the switch to public service.

I started to work for former U.S. Sen. Quentin Burdick in Washington, she said. At the time, I was interested in just doing an internship in the summer  kind of on a volunteer basis and learn about health policy. And at that time, in 1987, he was actually looking for a legislative assistant for health care, so I took that job in Washington.

Wakefield had spent only one day in the nation's capital before then, but she quickly took to the profession and became Burdicks chief of staff in 1988. She went on to become chief of staff for Sen. Kent Conrad in the 1990s.

When I was caring for patients  I might be caring for one or two patients in an ICU, or six patients on the floor of Altru Hospital, for example. But it was pretty clear to me early on that what very much influenced the health status of the people for whom I cared was health policy, Wakefield said. And so thats what really drew me to Washington.

After working in Washington until 1996, Wakefield became director of the Center for Health Policy, Research and Ethics at George Mason University and later served as director of UNDs Center for Rural Health. She began leading the Health Resources and Services Administration in 2009 and became acting deputy secretary for the Health and Human Services Department in 2015.

A look ahead

Health care policy has been front and center over the course of the Obama administration, and the stage is set for more debate. Trump has named Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., as his nominee to lead the department. Price, an orthopedic surgeon who has co-sponsored legislation to replace the Affordable Care Act, has said that its doing real harm to American families.

Asked what words she might have for Price, Wakefield said he will inherit a department full of hard-working staff members.

With regard to the Affordable Care Act, I have to say that its so important to separate ... the rhetoric from the reality, she said. Weve got 20 million people who have insurance coverage who did not have it before. We have people who have health care conditions who would have been the basis for being discriminated against, could have been the basis for being refused access to health insurance coverage.

Wakefield also mentioned a slew of departmental interests that go past Obamacare implementation -- such as drug overdose deaths -- and said staff are working hard to make sure the transition is smooth.

And as she looks ahead, Wakefield said shes thinking of what she learned in North Dakota.

What I learned from the communities that I grew up in and the people with whom I worked was some of the best education a person could have, she said. I have been really proud to come out of the Northern Plains and be right here in the leadership of the largest agency in the U.S. government.
SIOUX CITY  Samantha Joann Derner of Sioux City was the name of the woman killed in a single-vehicle crash north of Sioux City on the morning of New Years 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. Sunday. The release said an investigation showed a 2003 Mitsubishi was northbound on Highway 12, when the driver lost control, rolled and entered the west ditch.

Derner, 25, was found dead at the scene.

Scott Allen Dennis, 25, of Sioux City, was also in the vehicle. Dennis was taken to Mercy Medical Center -- Sioux City and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

The sheriff's office said alcohol consumption was suspected to be a factor in the wreck. Law enforcement officials continue to investigate the collision.
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Inc., St. Jude Medical Systems AB, St. Jude Medical Turkey Medikal Urunler Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Standard Diagnostics Inc., Standing Stone LLC, Swan-Myers Incorporated, TC1 LLC, Tendyne Holdings Inc., Tendyne Medical Inc., Thoratec Delaware LLC, Thoratec Europe Limited, Thoratec LLC, Thoratec Switzerland GmbH, Tobal Products Incorporated, Topera GmbH in Liquidation, Topera Inc., Tremora S.A., Tuenir S.A., TwistDx, UAB Abbott Laboratories, UAB Abbott Medical Lithuania, Union-Madison Realty Company Inc., Unipath Limited (dba Alere International/aka Cranfield), Unipath Management Limited, Unipath Pension Trustee Limited, Veropharm, Veropharm Limited Liability Partnership, Vida Cell Inversiones S.A., Vida Cell S.A., Vivalsol, W&R Pharma Handels GmbH, Western Pharmaceuticals S.A., X Technologies Inc., Yissum Holding Limited, ZonePerfect Nutrition Company, eScreen Canada ULC, eScreen Inc.,      ( ), and Abbott Laboratories Baltics.

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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
JAMESTOWN  Seat-belt use in North Dakota has increased since 2012 but is still below the national average, according to the new 2016 report by North Dakota State University's Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute.

The report, "Seatbelt Use in North Dakota," estimates 80.4 percent of drivers and 87.3 percent of front-seat passengers in North Dakota wear seat belts, with a total of 82.8 percent seat-belt use. The national average for seat-belt use in 2015 was 88.5 percent.

Lt. Tom Iverson of the North Dakota Highway Patrol said rural areas often have lower seat-belt use; and since much of North Dakota is rural, this causes the state to lag behind the national average. Iverson said the patrol urges people to wear seat belts.

Its a law for a reason, to keep us safe, Iverson said. Unfortunately, some people choose not to wear them. Through enforcement and education, we encourage them to wear their seat belts.

Seat belts were not worn in 51 of the 110 traffic fatalities in 2016, according to the NDDOT. This is down from 65 of the 124 traffic fatalities in 2015 where seat belts were not worn. Iverson said seat belts were not worn in about 59 percent of fatal crashes in North Dakota in 2016.

Iverson said the patrol works with the North Dakota Department of Transportation for Click It or Ticket campaigns in which law enforcement agencies increase traffic safety patrols. The patrol also participates in other educational efforts and outreach that include seat-belt use, he said.

Anytime we do routine safety talks, its a topic well always touch on, Iverson said. In this day and age, theres no excuse for not wearing a seat belt.

Lt. Justin Blinsky of the Jamestown Police Department said seat-belt usage significantly increases during the departments enforcement campaigns and during the winter, when people are at higher risk for accidents because of road conditions.

Seat-belt use in Stutsman County is above the state average at 87.8 percent from 2014 to 2016, up from the 2013-15 average of 85.7 percent, according to the NDSU report. Stutsman County had the third-highest rate for seat-belt use among the 16 counties surveyed, behind Barnes and Billings counties.

The report shows variations in seat-belt use by vehicle type. Drivers and passengers in vans had the highest average: 90.4 percent. The average for SUVs was 88.1 percent; for cars, 84 percent; and for pickup trucks, 73.7 percent. All averages have increased over the past five years.

The rate for seat-belt use in North Dakota also varies by road type. The report shows greatest usage on primary roads such as interstates, followed by local roads. It is lowest on secondary roads such as U.S., state and county highway systems.

The seat-belt law in North Dakota requires all vehicle occupants to be properly buckled up with children under 7 years old in an approved safety restraint. However, the law is only primarily enforced -- meaning law enforcement can stop a vehicle for that reason alone -- for occupants younger than 18.

The state seat-belt law for those 18 and older has secondary enforcement, which means officers cant stop people just for not wearing a seat belt. However, it allows officers to ticket unbelted occupants if they are stopped for another reason. The law for adults applies only to those in the front seats.

Thirty-four states have primary seat-belt laws for the front seat and 15 have secondary laws. New Hampshire has neither for adults, but a primary law for those under 18, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.

Many states with secondary laws have a primary law for drivers and passengers under 18. Twenty-eight states, not including North Dakota, have laws requiring seat-belt use for rear-seat passengers, and in 17 of these states the law is primary.

The NDDOTs North Dakota Local Road Safety Program 2015 report lists safety strategies for the state and region, including pursuing local support for a primary seat-belt law. Iverson said a primary seat-belt law could increase traffic safety.

Any law that would impact safety we would be in support of, he said.

Ashlee Doan, safety public information specialist for the NDDOT, said the departments mission is to move people and goods safely, and it is always looking for ways to improve.

As a state agency, the department wont take a public position on any possible legislation that would affect the seat-belt law, Doan said, but it would put any changes into place.

The Jamestown Police Department always encourages people to wear seat belts because motorists can receive injuries even at low speeds, and it doesnt take a huge impact to cause a fatality, Blinsky said.

It doesnt matter if youre driving to the grocery store or 200 miles, he said. Take the extra seconds to put your seat belt on and be safe.
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. New Battery "Could Eat Lithium's Lunch" (Ad) eBay or Etsy: Which Is The Better Buy? Paypal Shows Promise With Strong Buy Rating New Battery "Could Eat Lithium's Lunch" (Ad) Energy Transfer Raises Guidance, But Stock Lower On Revenue Miss Papa Johns Falls Flat On Earnings, Shares Set To Rise Reclusive trader scores 20 straight years of winning trades. Learn how (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. New Battery "Could Eat Lithium's Lunch" (Ad) eBay or Etsy: Which Is The Better Buy? Paypal Shows Promise With Strong Buy Rating New Battery "Could Eat Lithium's Lunch" (Ad) Energy Transfer Raises Guidance, But Stock Lower On Revenue Miss Papa Johns Falls Flat On Earnings, Shares Set To Rise Reclusive trader scores 20 straight years of winning trades. Learn how (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. New Battery "Could Eat Lithium's Lunch" (Ad) eBay or Etsy: Which Is The Better Buy? Paypal Shows Promise With Strong Buy Rating New Battery "Could Eat Lithium's Lunch" (Ad) Energy Transfer Raises Guidance, But Stock Lower On Revenue Miss Papa Johns Falls Flat On Earnings, Shares Set To Rise Reclusive trader scores 20 straight years of winning trades. Learn how (Ad) Bank of England makes biggest interest rate hike in 30 years Mid-Caps CommScope, Dycom Outperform Broader Telecom Industry
Poverty  January 2, 2017  John Clarke

Up until now, the concept of Basic Income (BI) has enjoyed a greater history of being proposed than of being implemented. We may well b approaching a period, however, when this changes. The Ontario Government is holding consultations on setting up a BI pilot project. The Legislature in another Canadian Province, Prince Edward Island, has agreed to test out a version of BI. Pilot projects are also impending in Finland, the Netherlands and Scotland.

Basic Income has been suggested in an exceptionally wide range of forms, often with completely different objectives in mind. In fact, we can draw a line between the models that are concerned with improving lives and raising living standards and those that are focused on

intensifying the capacity for capitalist exploitation. Among those in the progressive category there is considerable diversity. Theres the universal demogrant that provides an income to everyone and the concept of a negative income tax involving

some level of means test. BI proposals come from liberal quarters that are responsibly redistributive, reduce poverty and inequality and ease up on bureaucratic intrusion. The above mentioned proposal for an Ontario pilot project would be part of this camp. Then there

are the models that have more radical, transformative objectives in mind. These suggest that BI could be used to take from employers the power of economic coercion itself by severing the link between work and income. Often such ideas are tied to the notion of preparing for sweeping technological displacement and a workless future by providing secure, adequate and unconditional income. Given the vast extent to which forms of unpaid labour are performed by women in this society, it is hardly surprising that there are also feminist arguments for BI.

I have to say that the one really common thread that I see running through all of the notions of a progressive BI is that they pay great attention to explaining how nice their systems would be but give little if any thought to the concrete prospects of implementation. Before looking further at these deficiencies and proposing an alternative approach, it might be useful to consider more seriously the neoliberal version that is hanging like a sword over all our heads.

Neoliberal Version

The deeply reactionary ideas of Charles Murray have extended to some very sinister proposals for BI. There are two basic elements that shape his system. Firstly, the universal payment, after the compulsory purchase of private health insurance, is set at the dreadfully low amount of $10,000 a year. Secondly, he is utterly insistent that all other systems of provision must be dismantled as a BI is put in place. Canadas right wing Fraser Institute, recently used its blog to stress the same points as Murray, making clear that the level of provision must not interfere with the supply of low waged workers.

If governments today, as they intensify the neoliberal agenda, are starting to consider the possibilities of BI, I see three factors at work. Firstly, there is the not unimportant issue of legitimacy. Particularly because they are being provided with a generous amount of progressive cover, they are able to present their deliberations on BI as a responsible weighing of the common good. The Ontario Liberals stand out as international champions in this regard. Their BI pilot project consultations, have enabled them to put in place yet another round of fake dialogue, with the empty promise of a better way diverting attention as they push people even deeper into poverty. The World Bank and the IMF have been worrying out loud about the backlash against their austerity agenda and its devastating impacts. That IMF economists are themselves musing about BI, is perhaps significant in this regard. It advances their agenda but can be dressed up to look progressive. It may be the best thing for the institutions of global capitalism since the myth of poverty reduction.

The second element of BI that I think is of interest to the architects of neoliberalism is that it can fine tune economic coercion as they create an ever more elastic workforce based on the most precarious forms of employment. The income support systems that emerged out of the Poor Law tradition, stressed intense restrictions and moral policing. Along with horribly inadequate benefit levels, this has been very useful in driving people into low waged work to an unprecedented extent. It may, however, be time to rethink this to a degree. If people are moving between poverty wages and poverty level benefits more frequently in a precarious job market, perhaps they can be more effectively prodded into the worst jobs with less intrusive benefit systems. A less rule bound delivery of poverty income, that gives people a chance of retaining their housing, may be needed to keep them job ready. Linked to this, of course, is the huge boost to the employers of a BI system that constitutes a form of wage top up. Provided the payment is meagre, it will not impede the flow of low paid workers but it will mean that their employers receive a subsidy that absolves them from having to pay living wages or come under pressure to increase the amount they do provide.

Thirdly, the great advantage of neoliberal BI is that the inadequate and dwindling payment it provides turns those who receive it into customers in the marketplace. In my opinion, BI would be far from the best way to strengthen the social infrastructure at any time but in the context of an intensifying agenda of austerity and privatization, it is a recipe for disaster. Its really about the commodification of social provision. Your payment may actually be less conditional and somewhat larger but, as you shop through the privatized remains of the social infrastructure, with inadequate means and very few rights, you are dramatically worse off. That, in my view, is what is being prepared by those who will actually implement a system of BI and the hopes and wishes to the contrary of its progressive advocates dont count for very much.

Progressive Dreams

I said previously that proposals for redistributive or transformative models of BI are generally marked by a tendency to focus on the desirability of what is being advanced while paying much less attention to actual prospects for implementation. Ive yet to see, quite bluntly, any serious attempt to assess what stands in the way of a progressive BI and what can be done to bring it into existence. It simply isnt enough to explain how just and fair a given model would be if it could be adopted. In order to credibly advance BI as the solution, there are some questions that must be settled.

Firstly, income support systems came into being because, while employers welcome an oversupply of labour and the desperation that comes with it as something that boosts their bargaining power, the total abandonment of the jobless creates social unrest. Some measure of income support, provided as a reluctant concession, has proved to be necessary. However, the systems of provision that have been put in place have always been as inadequate as possible so as to undermine employer strength as little as possible. A widely delivered or even universal adequate payment would greatly tilt that balance back the other way. What reason is there to think that this is likely to be implemented?

Secondly, over the last several decades, concessions made during the post war years have been taken back. Trade unions have been weakened, workers rights undermined and low waged work has increased considerably. The degrading of income support systems has been central to creating the climate of desperation needed to achieve this. Not only have benefits for the unemployed been attacked but other systems, especially for disabled people have been undermined so as to generate a scramble for the worst jobs. This has led to a shift in the balance of forces in society and we are fighting a largely defensive struggle. Given this very unfavourable situation, in which unions and movements are not in the ascendancy, how can it be supposed that those profiting from the present situation are likely to accept a measure of redistributive social reform that is at least as sweeping as anything put in place during the post war boom? What is the plan to make this happen?

Thirdly, as right wing governments and political parties directly linked to the most reactionary business interests consider BI and set up pilot projects that provide meagre payments and focus on how to ensure people on social benefits become low waged workers, what reason is there to imagine that a progressive BI, rather than the neoliberal variant, is being cooked up?

Regardless of these issues, it is sometimes asserted that an adequate system of provision must be put in place simply because we are moving toward a workless future. In such a society, it is suggested, masses of people who have been displaced will have to be provided for and the capitalists will have to think like Elon Musk, of Tesla Motors and support BI because it is the only sensible and rational solution. To imagine such responsible provision for the future is to place undue faith in a system based on the making of profit. If they wont stop building pipelines in the face of environmental catastrophe, theres little reason to expect them to worry too much about sensible solutions to technological displacement. There simply is no post-capitalist capitalism and no social policy innovation that is going to bring it about.

At a recent panel on Basic Income that I spoke at, the moderator posed a challenge. She accepted that BI might not be a way forward but asked, if that were so, what bold vision could be advanced in its place. Its a fair question but a realistic appraisal of what we are up against is still obligatory, even if that has some sobering aspects to it. The great problem that we have is that the neoliberal years have done a lot of damage. The level of exploitation has been increased and working class movements have been weakened. While what we demand and aspire to is very important, the bigger question is what we can win. Whats disturbing about the left wing turn to BI is that is seems to think there is a social policy end run around the realities of neoliberalism and the need to resist it. There is no such thing.

British Labour Party and BI

With very good reason, there has been considerable excitement internationally around the Jeremy Corbyn leadership in the British Labour Party. His close ally, Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell, has been paying some attention to adopting BI, as part of a platform that would express a break with the austerity consensus. McDonnell, from a position on the left of a major social democratic party, raises the possibility of a best case scenario for progressive BI. For that very reason, the question is posed of whether the bold vision I spoke of should be framed around the universal payment concept or devoted to other objectives.

Basic Income, when all is said and done, is a vision for nothing more than the means to be a customer in an unjust society that decides what is for sale.

In my opinion, if we are to consider goals we set and demands we put forward in the face of neoliberalism, that are based on the needs of workers and communities and create the conditions for challenging capitalism itself, we sell ourselves well short if we settle for something so limited and inherently conservative as the universal payment. BI, when all is said and done, is a vision for nothing more than the means to be a customer in an unjust society that decides what is for sale. How much bolder and more meaningful to fight for free, massively expanded and fully accessible systems of healthcare and public transportation? How much better to focus on the creation of social housing and try to expand it so that, not only the poorest, but most working class people enjoy its benefits? There is universal child care and vast array of important community services to pay attention to. Moreover, we can work to wrest as much power as possible out of the hands of the mandarins of state bureaucracy and fight to increase the control working class people exercise over the public services they rely on. When it comes to existing systems of income support, we should not for a moment accept their poverty level benefits, bureaucratic intrusion and forms of moral policing steeped in racism and sexism. There is a fight to be taken forward for living income, full entitlement and programs that meet the real needs of unemployed, poor and disabled people, as opposed to the present rituals of degradation they embody. At every point, lets try to ensure that these expanded services are not paid for by other working class people but by forcing the corporations, banks and those who own them to pay by increasing their tax burden and imposing levies on their wealth.

The struggle to expand and improve public services would have to, of course, be linked to workers struggles for living wages, workplace rights and real compensation for injured workers. Beyond this, lets challenge as much as we can the business decisions that deplete resources, pollute and threaten us with ecological disaster.

I am suggesting that our movements need to challenge, rather than come to terms with, the neoliberal order and the capitalist system that has produced it. For all its claims to be a sweeping measure, the notion of progressive BI is a futile attempt to make peace with that system. In reality, even that compromise is not available. The model of BI that governments are working on in their social policy laboratories will not end the tyranny of the labour market but render it more dreadful. The agenda of austerity and privatization requires a system of income support that renders people as powerless and desperate as possible in the face of exploitation and that wont change if it is relabelled as Basic Income.
The gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless.



The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well.







By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism.
Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme  La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza.



Plusieurs activites, ont ete organisees parmi lesquelles : des competitions recompensees par des prix, des jeux, des animations et des chants presentes par un groupe ainsi que des distributions de cadeaux et daides financieres.




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...
Madrid (Spain), Jan 1, 2017 (SPS) - Spanish Popular Party has affirmed its support for a just and lasting political solution acceptable to the parties to the conflict in Western Sahara, under the principles of the charter of the United Nations, according to Spanish media.

This comes in the framework of the preparation for the 18th conference held in February in Madrid, where several lectures will be presented on the Spanish European and international Affairs.

The Spanish Popular Party also confirmed its commitment to continue humanitarian support to the Saharawi refugee camps, adds the same source. (SPS)

062/090/TRA




BRICS, the acronym fashioned by Jim O'Neill to signify a special set of 'emerging' economies that would drive global growth, had better days. There was a time, in the immediate aftermath of the Global Credit Crisis, when these economies - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, for the uninitiated - held strong and showed promise. However, as the commodity prices and global demand slumped, the economies started fluttering; political mismanagement and corruption caught up as well. While the Russian and Brazilian economies went into recession, and South Africa teetered on the brink of Sovereign Debt crisis, China seemed to be heading to a hard landing and Indian government of the time lost the will and initiative. By 2014, people were writing obituary of the BRICS idea. Even Mr O'Neill moved on to the 'Next 11', smaller, faster growing countries, which are less diverse and politically more amenable, eventually settling down for another smart acronym - MINT - for Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey.





Call it the O'Neill curse if you like, but Mexico, Turkey and Nigeria did not have great time since the acronym came in vogue. BRICS, however, became a formal grouping of nations, with annual summits and ambitious projects, such as a BRICS Bank. Despite the difficulties, the relatively large population and size of the economies made the BRICS countries too important to ignore, for global policy-making as well as for investment decisions. Some countries did better than others: China kept growing and proved many doomsayers wrong, and India powered ahead with its young population and expanding domestic demand. At a time when the lack of global demand seems to be the key issue for the policy-makers to focus on, the strength of the BRICS demand - current or projected - keeps the grouping relevant and provides impetus for policy coordination.





The question now is if and how this could extend to Higher Education. The case in point is the argument that the BRICS countries could benefit from the 'nationalist' turn in the Developed economies, as Bruno Morche argues in his article in the University World News. BRICS countries, along with a few other South Asian and West African countries, supply most of the students studying internationally, and this 'demand contribution' is set to go up. Of the next 100 million people reaching college by 2020, 45 million of them are likely to be in China and India, and this trend will continue for at least a decade thereafter. So, it is indeed worthwhile to explore what role BRICS could play in the next expansion of Global Higher Ed.





As is pointed out in the article above, the BRICS-to-BRICS student flow remains limited and collaboration between BRICS universities have proved rather illusory. Language difference is cited as the main reason, though a number of internationally minded universities, in all the countries but definitely in India, use English as the language of instruction and research. The point about Nationalist Turn is indeed very valid, particularly here in Britain, where the Government has actively vilified International Students, treating all of them as potentially illegal migrant and making life very difficult for anyone who may want to come and study in the UK. This has certainly impacted the number of students coming to the UK, the second most popular destination after the United States, and the number of students from India, Nigeria and Pakistan has nearly halved; however, the overall number so far held up because of a healthy growth of numbers from China, more as a consequence of enormous expansion of the number of students there. The same is likely to happen in the United States, as the Trump Administration starts its own tinkering of the immigration system.





When the British Government systematically started dismantling the International Higher Education ecosystem in this country in its illusive quest to reign in migrant numbers in 2011 (a project that eventually reached its nadir in the Brexit vote in June 2016), I counted on this to have a positive impact on the quality and diversity of Higher Education systems of China and India, for example. The common sense logic was that once the door on migrating for education was slammed close, more aspiring students would stay local and look for better education at home. My other assumption, which I bet my career on, was that this would mean a proliferation of online and other modes of education towards a British qualification. The argument that the Nationalist Turn would mean an expansion of BRICS-to-BRICS exchange and collaboration is based on somewhat similar view of the world.





However, as I learnt over the last few years, my straightforward assumptions were certainly too simplistic. I overlooked, for example, the crucial role that the domestic regulatory structures play. Often, the BRICS countries have an intrusive regulatory structure built around punitive measures, which discourage change and innovation. Also, these economies are often starved of expertise, as the more able researchers and teachers often move abroad. The 'nationalist turn' in Britain did not impact the quality of India's Higher Ed, as I had hoped, despite its huge expansion around the same time. Its immediate impact was in the growing influence of some of the regional hubs, such as Singapore and Malaysia, but also increasingly Dubai and Mauritius, which saw a growth in International student numbers (as well as Indian students choosing Canada more than before, and Australia, which lost ground after 2008, regaining some popularity).





Coming back to the issue of flow of students among the BRICS countries, one may think that a similar pattern will hold. The nationalist turn in developed countries would perhaps make the universities in the UK and USA less cosmopolitan, but this would not be directly offset by a BRICS to BRICS flow. Rather, the impact would be more complex and diverse, with regional hubs emerging - and China indeed is already a Regional Hub and India wants to be one.





However, at the same time, BRICS to BRICS flow may represent an opportunity at an institutional strategy level. The International Higher Education, so far, has mostly been a 'metropolitan' affair, with a few countries attracting most of the globally mobile students, but this model is facing a severe disruption right now. While BRICS may not represent a relevant category in policy terms in this context - the countries are simply too diverse - as an accepted category in Global Economic terms, it may still be possible for individual institutions to build attractive programmes and partnerships around BRICS. Despite the diversity, there is some commonality across the BRICS nations - they are big, diverse, ambitious and populous nations - and they represent a certain category in global economic and political thinking, which students can engage in, with profit. So while I do not necessarily see a tremendous opportunity of BRICS Higher Education, I believe this makes abundant sense for institutions to look at this as an emergent opportunity.












Books for Sale

Shipping and handling charges for one book is $3.00. For all other quantities you will have to contact me before ordering as I will gladly combine shipping on quantity orders to save you money. If you wish to order 20 or more copies of a single title please contact me for bulk order pricing. I can only accept checks or money orders at this time. All items must be paid for before shipping. Make the check out to Dennis Bickers and mail to 620 Miles Ridge Road, Madison, IN 47250.


Crown Maples singular, certified-organic maple products are featured at the Canadian Pavilion in Epcot of Orlando, FL in the form of Maple Bark for Holidays Around the World Epcot.

This version Maple Bark contains pecans; it is absolutely delicious as it is not overwhelmingly sweet.

Although we only bought one bag, we wish we bought more.

A bite of the bark with a piece of the pecan on top is well balanced for the palate.

If you missed the Maple Bark from Epcot, have no fear as you can make your own Maple Bark with this recipe from Epcot that makes 24 pieces.

Ingredients

3/4 cup pecans

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided 1 1/2 tablespoons maple sugar Recipe

Combine pecans and sea salt in a medium pan. Toast over medium heat, stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes, until brown and fragrant. Chop into small pieces and set aside. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Once butter is melted, add sugar and water, stirring continuously until temperature reaches 295F. Immediately pour onto baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat and spread into a 913-inch rectangle. Cool for at least 3 hours. Melt 3/4 cup chocolate chips in a small bowl and spread over one side of the cooled bark. Immediately sprinkle half of the chopped pecans and maple sugar over the chocolate. Cool for 2 hours, until chocolate is set. Melt remaining 3/4 cup of chocolate chips. Turn bark over and spread chocolate on the other half of the bark. Sprinkle with remaining chopped pecans and maple sugar. Cool for 2 hours, until chocolate is set. Break into 24 pieces. Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

This recipe has been converted from a larger quantity in the restaurant kitchens. The flavor profile may vary from the restaurants version. All recipes are the property of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts U.S., Inc., and may not be reproduced without express permission.

About Crown Maple

From bark to bottle, Crown Maple is a defining ingredient, delivering a gourmet maple experience like no other. Crown Maple is estateproduced from forests comprising the Taconic Hardwood Forest, a unique terroir which extends from the New York Eastern Mid-Hudson Valley to Central Western Vermont. Since the brands launch, the distinctive taste and versatility has won over discerning professionals and connoisseurs alike, elevating Crown Maple beyond a sweetener and into a defining ingredient.

All products are certified-organic, pairing the best nature has to offer with artisan craftsmanship and state-of-the-art production technology. From bark to bottle, Crown Maple is sustainably made on 800 acres of pristine land at Madava Farms in Dutchess County, New York, and truly sets the standard of excellence in maple production and flavor.

For more information about Crown Maple and their products, please visit Crown Maple.
Seeks to amend notification No. 53/2011-Customs dated 01st July, 2011 so as to provide deeper tariff concessions in respect of specified goods imported from Malaysia under the India-Malaysia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (IMCECA) w.e.f. 01.01.2016 and to carry out editorial changes as a result of HS 2017 changes.

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF FINANCE

(DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE)

Notification No. 65/2016-Customs

New Delhi, dated the 31st December, 2016

G.S.R. 1205 (E). In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 25 of the Customs Act, 1962 (52 of 1962), the Central Government, on being satisfied that it is necessary in the public interest so to do, hereby maces the following further amendments in the notification of the Government of India in the Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue), No. 53/2011- Customs, dated the 1st July, 2011 published in the Gazette of India, vide number G.S.R. 499 (E), dated the 1st July, 2011, namely:-

In the said notification, for the Table, the following shall be substituted, namely:-

Table

S. No Chapter, Heading, Sub- heading and Tariff item Description tion Rate (in

percentage unless

otherwise

specified)

(4) (1) (2) (3) 1 0101 All goods 0.0 2 010221 All goods 0.0 3 010229 to 010290 All goods 0.0 4 0103 to 0104 All goods 0.0 5 010599 All goods 5.0 6 0106 All goods 0.0 7 0201 to 0206 All goods 0.0 8 020724 to 0210 (except

020743 and 020753) All goods 0.0 9 0301 All goods 0.0 10 030213 to 030222 All goods 0.0 11 030224 to 030229 All goods 0.0 12 030233 to 030239 All goods 0.0 13 030242 All goods 5.0 14 030245 to 030247 All goods 5.0 15 030252 to 030253 All goods 0.0 16 030254 to 030273 All goods 5.0 17 030274 All goods 0.0 18 030279 All goods 5.0 19 030281 All goods 0.0 20 030282 to 030289 All goods 5.0 20A 030299 Fins, heads, tails, maws and other edible offals of fish of sub-headings 030213 to 030222, 030224 to 030229, 030233 to 030239, 030252 to 030253, 030274, 030281, 030291, 030311 or 030312 0.0 20B 030299 Fins, heads, tails, maws and other edible offals of fish of sub-hea1ings 030242, 030245 to 030247, 030254 to 030273, 030279 or 030282 to 030289 5.0 21 030291, 030311, 030312 All goods 0.0 22 030313 All goods 0.0 23 030319 to 030333 All goods 0.0 24 030343 to 030346 All goods 0.0 25 030349 All goods 0.0 26 030351 All goods 0.0 27 030357 All goods 0.0 28 030363 to 030366 All goods 0.0 29 030381 All goods 0.0 30 030383 All goods 0.0 31 030384 All goods 0.0 32 030391 All goods 0.0 32A 030399 Fins, heads, tails, maws and other edible offals of fish of sub-headings 030313, 030319 to 030333, 030343 to 030346, 030349, 030351, 030357, 030363 to 030366, 030381, 030383, 030384 0.0 33 030520 All goods 0.0 34 030541 to 030562 All goods 0.0 35 030564 to 030612 All goods 0.0 36 030619 All goods 0.0 37 030634, 030694 All goods 0.0 38 030639, 030699 All goods 0.0 39 0307 to 0308 All goods 0.0 40 0403 All goods 0.0 41 040490 All goods 0.0 42 040610 to 040640 All goods 0.0 43 0407 All goods 5.0 44 0408 All goods 5.0 45 0410 All goods 0.0 46 0501 to 0507 All goods 0.0 47 05080010 All goods 0.0 48 05080020 to 05119999 All goods 0.0 49 060110 All goods 0.0 50 060120 to 060240 All goods 0.0 51 060290 All goods 0.0 52 070390 All goods 0.0 53 070420 to 070529 All goods 0.0 54 070920 All goods 0.0 55 070940 to 070959 All goods 0.0 56 070970 to 070999 All goods 0.0 57 071030 All goods 0.0 58 0711 All Goods 0.0 59 071231 to 071239 All Goods 0.0 60 071320 to 071360 All Goods 0.0 61 07139010 All Goods 0.0 62 07139090 All Goods 0.0 63 071420 to 071490 All Goods 0.0 64 080121 to 080122 All Goods 0.0 65 080131 All Goods 0.0 66 080211 All Goods 0.0 67 080221 to 080252 All Goods 0.0 68 080410 to 080420 All Goods 0.0 69 08043000 Xineapples 10.0 70 080440 All Goods 0.0 71 080521, 080522, 080529 All Goods 5.0 72 080711 All Goods 0.0 73 080720 All Goods 0.0 74 080830 to 080910 All Goods 0.0 75 080930 All Goods 0.0 76 080940 All Goods 0.0 77 081010 to 081050 (except

081030) All Goods 0.0 78 081030 All Goods 0.0 79 081060 to 081090 All Goods 0.0 80 0811 All Goods 0.0 81 081320 All Goods 0.0 82 081330 All Goods 0.0 83 0814 All Goods 0.0 84 090111 All Goods 60.0 85 090240 All Goods 60.0 86 0903 All Goods 0.0 87 090411 All Goods 54.0 88 0906 All Goods 0.0 89 0907 All Goods 5.0 90 090821 to 090822 All Goods 5.0 91 09096111 to 09096129 All Goods 0.0 92 09096131 to 09096149 All Goods 0.0 93 09096110 to 09096120 All Goods 0.0 94 09096130 to 09096140 All Goods 0.0 95 090940 to 090950 All Goods 0.0 96 091020 All Goods 0.0 97 1002 to 1004 All Goods 0.0 98 100810 All Goods 0.0 99 100830 to 100890 All Goods 0.0 100 11029010 All Goods 0.0 101 120910 to 120930 All Goods 0.0 102 120991 All Goods 0.0 103 120999 All goods 0.0 104 121010 All goods 0.0 105 121120 All goods, fresh or dried 0.0 106 121130 to 121140 All goods, fresh or dried 0.0 106A 12115000 All goods 0.0 107 12119011 to 12119049 All goods, fresh or dried 0.0 108 12119049 Liquorice roots fresh or dried whether or not crushed or powdered 0.0 109 12119050 to 12119099 All goods, fresh or dried 0.0 110 121221 to 121229 All goods 0.0 111 121291 to 121490 All goods 0.0 112 130120 All goods 0.0 113 130190 (except 13019022) All goods other than lac 0.0 114 13019022 All goods 0.0 115 13019099 Lac 0.0 116 130211 to 130213 All goods 0.0 117 130214, 130219, 130220 All goods 0.0 118 130231 to 130239 All goods 0.0 119 140190 to 140420 All goods 0.0 120 140490 All goods other than vegetable materials used primarily as broom or brushes(e.g. broom corn piassava etc) and raw vegetable materials of kind used primarily in dyeing or tanning 0.0 121 14049090 Vegetable materials used primarily as broom or brushes(e.g. broom corn piassava etc) and raw vegetable materials of kind used primarily in dyeing or tanning 0.0 122 1501 All goods 0.0 123 1502 All goods 0.0 124 1503 to 1504 All goods 0.0 125 1505 All goods 0.0 126 1506 All goods 0.0 127 150910 All goods 0.0 128 150990 All goods 0.0 129 151110 All goods 48.0 130 151190 All goods 58.0 131 15159091 Tung oil and its fractions, edible grade 0.0 132 15159099 Tung oil and its fractions, other than edible grade 0.0 133 151610 All goods 0.0 134 15132110 All goods 58.0 135 15132910 All goods 58.0 136 15171021 All goods 52.0 137 15180011 All goods 0.0 138 15180019 All goods 0.0 139 15180021 All goods 0.0 140 15180029 All goods 0.0 141 15180031 All Goods 0.0 142 15180039 All Goods 0.0 143 15180040 All Goods 0.0 144 1521 All Goods 0.0 145 1522 All Goods 0.0 146 160220 to 160231 All Goods 5.0 147 160239 All Goods 0.0 148 160249 to 160300 All Goods 0.0 149 160411 to 160413 All Goods 0.0 150 160415 to 160416 All Goods 0.0 151 160417 to 160419 All Goods 0.0 152 160420 All Goods 0.0 153 160510 All Goods 0.0 154 160540 to 160590 All Goods 0.0 155 170211 to 170219 All Goods 0.0 156 170220 All Goods 0.0 157 170230 to 170240 All Goods 0.0 158 170250 to 170290 All Goods 0.0 159 170310 All Goods 0.0 160 170390 All Goods 0.0 161 1704 All Goods 0.0 162 1801 to 1802 All Goods 0.0 163 1803 All Goods 5.0 164 180400 to 180620 All Goods 0.0 165 180631 to 180632 All Goods 0.0 166 190110 to 190120 All Goods 0.0 167 190190 All Goods 0.0 168 190211 to 190220 All Goods 0.0 169 190230 to 190240 All Goods 0.0 170 190410 All Goods 0.0 171 190430 All Goods 0.0 172 190510 to 190531 All Goods 0.0 173 190532 All Goods 0.0 174 190540 All Goods 0.0 175 190590 All Goods 0.0 176 2001 All Goods 0.0 177 200290 All Goods 0.0 178 20039090 All Goods 0.0 179 200490 All Goods 0.0 180 200560 to 200570 All Goods 0.0 181 200710 to 200820 All Goods 0.0 182 200870 to 200880 All Goods 0.0 183 200912 All Goods 0.0 184 200921 to 200941 All Goods 0.0 185 200961 to 200989 All Goods 0.0 186 200990 All Goods 0.0 187 210210 to 210610 All Goods 0.0 188 220110 to 220210 All Goods 0.0 189 220291, 220299 All Goods 0.0 190 220720 All Goods 0.0 191 2209 All Goods 0.0 192 230110 All Goods 0.0 193 230120 All Goods 5.0 194 2302 to 2303 All Goods 0.0 195 2307 to 2308 All Goods 0.0 196 230910 All Goods 0.0 197 2501 to 2514 All Goods 0.0 198 251511 to 251512 All Goods 5.0 199 251520 All Goods 0.0 200 2516 All Goods 0.0 201 2517 to 2521 All Goods 0.0 202 252210 All Goods 5.0 203 252220 to 252230 All Goods 0.0 204 252310 to 252321 All Goods 5.0 205 252329 All Goods 0.0 206 252330 All Goods 0.0 207 252390 All Goods 5.0 208 2524 All Goods 0.0 209 2525 to 2530 All Goods 0.0 210 2601 to 2617 All Goods 0.0 211 2618 to 2619 All Goods 0.0 212 262011 to 262019 All Goods 0.0 213 262021 to 262029 All Goods 0.0 214 262030 All Goods 0.0 215 262040 to 262190 All Goods 0.0 216 270111 to 270119 All Goods 0.0 217 270120 to 270820 All Goods 0.0 218 2709 All Goods 5.0 219 271111 to 271113 All Goods 0.0 220 271119 All Goods 0.0 221 271121 All Goods 5.0 222 2714 to 2715 All Goods 0.0 223 2716 All Goods 0.0 224 2801 to 2802 All Goods 0.0 225 2803 All Goods 5.0 226 280410 All Goods 0.0 227 280421 All Goods 5.0 228 280429 to 280540 All Goods 0.0 229 2806 to 2813 (except

28100020) All Goods 0.0 230 28100020 All Goods 0.0 231 2814 All Goods 0.0 232 281511 to 281512 All Goods 5.0 233 281520 to 281640 All Goods 0.0 234 28170020 All Goods 0.0 235 2818 to 2822 (except

28182010) AI I goods 0.0 236 28182010 All Goods 0.0 237 28230010 All Goods 0.0 238 28230090 All Goods 0.0 239 282410 All Goods 5.0 240 282490 to 285390 All Goods 0.0 241 290110 to 290230 All Goods 0.0 242 290241 to 290242 All Goods 5.0 243 290243 All Goods 0.0 244 290244 All Goods 5.0 245 290250 All Goods 0.0 246 290260 to 290290 All Goods 0.0 247 29031110 All Goods 0.0 248 29031120 All Goods 0.0 249 290312 All Goods 0.0 250 290313 All Goods 5.0 251 290314 All Goods 0.0 252 290315 All Goods 0.0 253 290319 All Goods 0.0 254 290321 All Goods 0.0 255 290322 All Goods 0.0 256 290323 All Goods 0.0 257 290329 All Goods 5.0 258 290331 to 290381 All Goods 0.0 259 290382 to 290389 All Goods 5.0 260 290391 to 290392 All Goods 0.0 261 290393, 290394, 290399 All Goods 5.0 262 2904 All Goods 0.0 263 290511 to 290512 All Goods 5.0 264 290513 All Goods 0.0 265 290514 All Goods 5.0 266 290516 to 290517 All Goods 0.0 267 29051910 to 29051990 All goods other than saturated Pentanol (Amyl alcohol) and isomers thereof 5.0 268 29051990 Saturated Pentanol (Amyl alcohol) and isomers thereof 0.0 269 290522 All Goods 0.0 270 290529 to 290539 All Goods 5.0 271 290541 to 290542 All Goods 0.0 272 290543 to 290544 All Goods 0.0 273 290545 to 290549 All Goods 5.0 274 290551 to 290611 All Goods 0.0 275 290612 All Goods 0.0 276 290613 to 290621 All Goods 0.0 277 290629 to 290711 All Goods 5.0 278 290712 All Goods 0.0 279 290713 All Goods 0.0 280 290715 All Goods 0.0 281 290719 All goods other than Xylenol and their salts 0.0 282 29071990 Xylenol and their salts 0.0 283 290721 to 290722 All Goods 0.0 284 290723 All Goods 0.0 285 290729 All Goods 5.0 286 290811 All Goods 0.0 287 290819 All goods other than derivatives containing only halogen substituent and their salts (excluding Pentachlorophenol (ISO)) 5.0 288 290819 Derivatives containing only halogen substituent and their

salts (excluding Pentachlorophenol (ISO)) 0.0 289 290891 All Goods 5.0 290 290892 to 290911 All Goods 0.0 291 290919 All Goods 5.0 292 290920 All Goods 0.0 293 290930 All Goods 5.0 294 290941 to 290944 All Goods 0.0 295 290949 All Goods 5.0 296 290950 to 291020 All Goods 0.0 297 291030 All Goods 0.0 298 291040 to 291090 All Goods 5.0 299 291100 to 291212 All Goods 0.0 300 291219 All goods other than butanol(butyraldehyde, normal isomer) 5.0 301 29121990 Butanol (butyraldehyde, normal isomer) 0.0 302 291221 All Goods 0.0 303 291229 All Goods 0.0 304 291241 to 291300 All Goods 0.0 305 291411 All Goods 5.0 306 291412 to 291413 All Goods 0.0 307 291419 All Goods 5.0 308 29142921 to 29142922 All Goods 0.0 309 291422 All Goods 0.0 310 291423 All Goods 0.0 311 29142910 All Goods 5.0 312 29142990 All Goods 5.0 313 291431 All Goods 0.0 314 291439 All Goods 5.0 315 291440 to 291450 All Goods 0.0 316 291461 All Goods 0.0 317 291462, 291469 All Goods 5.0 318 291471 to 291513 All Goods 0.0 319 291521 to 291529 All goods other than Sodium acetate and cobalt agate 5.0 320 29152990 Sodium acetate and cobalt acetate 0.0 321 291531 All goods 5.0 322 291532 to 291560 All goods 0.0 323 291570 All goods 5.0 324 29159030 All goods 5.0 325 291611 to 291612 All goods 5.0 326 291615 All goods 0.0 327 291616 to 291619 All goods 5.0 328 291620 All goods 0.0 329 291631 All goods 5.0 330 291632 All goods 0.0 331 291634 All goods 5.0 332 29163990 Esters of phenyl acetic acid 0.0 333 291636 All goods 0.0 334 291639 All goods except Esters of Phenyl acetic add 0.0 335 291711 to 291713 All goods 0.0 336 291714 All goods 0.0 337 291719 All goods 5.0 338 291720 All goods 0.0 339 291732 All goods 5.0 340 291733 to 291735 All goods 0.0 341 291736 to 291739 All goods 5.0 342 291811 to 291812 All goods 0.0 343 29181310 All goods 5.0 344 29181390 All goods 5.0 345 291814 to 291815 All goods 0.0 346 29181690 All goods 5.0 347 291817 to 291819 All goods 0.0 348 291821 All goods 0.0 349 291822 to 291830 All goods 5.0 350 291891 to 292019 All goods 0.0 351 292021 to 29209099 All goods 5.0 352 2921 to 2925 All goods 0.0 353 292610 All goods 0.0 354 292620 to 293020 All goods 0.0 355 293030 All goods 0.0 356 293040 All goods 0.0 357 29308000 All goods 0.0 358 29309010 All goods 0.0 359 29309030 All goods 0.0 360 29309050 All goods 0.0 361 29309060 All goods 0.0 362 29309070 All goods 0.0 363 29309080 All goods 0.0 364 29309091 All goods 0.0 365 29306000, 29307000 or

29309099 All Goods 0.0 366 29309099 Dithiocarbonates (xanthates) 0.0 367 2931 All Goods 5.0 368 293211 to 293369 All Goods 0.0 369 293371 All Goods 5.0 370 293372 to294200 All Goods 0.0 371 3001 to 3002 All Goods 0.0 372 300310 to 300320 All Goods 5.0 373 300331 All Goods 0.0 374 300339 to 300349 All Goods 5.0 375 300360, 300390 All Goods 0.0 376 300410 to 300431 All Goods 5.0 377 300432 All Goods 0.0 378 300439 to 300490 All Goods 5.0 379 300510 to 300650 All Goods 0.0 380 300660 All Goods 0.0 381 300670 All Goods 0.0 382 300691 All Goods 5.0 383 300692 All Goods 0.0 384 3101 All Goods 5.0 385 310210 All Goods 5.0 386 310221 All Goods 0.0 387 310229 to 310240 All Goods 5.0 388 310250 All Goods 0.0 389 310260 to 310420 All Goods 5.0 390 310430 All Goods 0.0 391 310490 to 310510 All Goods 5.0 392 310520 to 310590 All Goods 0.0 393 3201 All Goods 0.0 394 320210 All Goods 5.0 395 320290 to 320420 All Goods 0.0 396 320490 All Goods 5.0 397 3205 All Goods 0.0 398 320611 to 320619 All Goods 0.0 399 320620 All Goods 0.0 400 320641 All Goods 5.0 401 320642 All Goods 0.0 402 320649 All goods other than Pigments and preparations based on cadmium compounds and pigments and preparations based onhexacyanoferrate (ferrocyanides and ferricyanides) 5.0 403 32064990 Pigments & preparations based on cadmium compounds and pigments & preparations based on hexacyanoferrate (ferrocyanidesand ferricyanides) 0.0 404 320650 to 320730 All Goods 0.0 405 320740 All Goods 0.0 406 320810 to 320910 All goods 0.0 407 320990 All goods 0.0 408 32100090 All goods 5.0 409 32110000 to 32129010 All goods 0.0 410 32129020 All goods 0.0 411 32129030 to 32141000 All goods 0.0 412 321490 All goods 5.0 413 3215 All goods 0.0 414 330112 to 330113 All goods 0.0 415 330119 All goods other than essential oils of bergamot and essential oils of lime 5.0 416 33011990 Essential oils of bergamot and essential oils of lime 0.0 417 330124 to 330129 All goods 5.0 418 330130 to 330190 All goods 0.0 419 330210 All goods 5.0 420 330290 to 330300 All goods 5.0 421 3304 to 3305 All goods 0.0 422 330610 All goods 5.0 423 330620 to 330720 All goods 0.0 424 330730 All goods 0.0 425 330741 All goods 5.0 426 330749 to 330790 All goods 0.0 427 340111 All goods 0.0 428 340119 All goods 5.0 429 340120 to 340211 All goods 0.0 430 340212 to 340213 All goods 5.0 431 340219 to 340290 All goods 0.0 432 340311 All goods 0.0 433 340319 All goods 5.0 434 340391 All goods 0.0 435 340399 All goods 5.0 436 3404 All goods 0.0 437 340510 to 340530 All goods 5.0 438 340540 to340590 All goods 0.0 439 3406 All goods 5.0 440 3407 All goods 0.0 441 3501 All goods 5.0 442 3502 to 3503 All goods 0.0 443 35040010 All goods 5.0 444 35040091 All goods 5.0 445 35040099 to 35052000 All goods 5.0 446 350610 to 350691 All goods 5.0 447 350699 to 350790 All goods 0.0 448 3601 to 3604 All goods 0.0 449 3606 All goods 0.0 450 370110 All goods 0.0 451 370120 All goods 0.0 452 370130 to 370710 All goods 0.0 453 370790 All goods 5.0 454 3801 to 3807 All goods 0.0 455 38085200, 38085900 Insecticides 5.0 456 38085200, 38085900 Fungi ci des 0.0 457 38085200, 38085900 Other than insecticides, fungicides, herbicides-antisprouting products, disinfectants and plant-growth regulators 0.0 458 38085900, 38086100,

38086200, 38086900,

38089100 All goods 5.0 459 380892 All goods 0.0 460 380893 All goods 5.0 461 38089400 All goods 5.0 462 380899 All goods 0.0 463 380910 All goods 0.0 464 380991 to 380992 All goods 0.0 465 380993 All goods 5.0 466 3810 All goods 0.0 467 3811 All goods 0.0 468 381210 All goods 0.0 469 381231, 381239 All goods 0.0 470 3813 to 3814 All goods 0.0 471 3815 to 3816 All goods 0.0 472 3817 All goods 5.0 473 3818 All goods 0.0 474 3819 to 3822 All goods 0.0 475 38231111 to 38231119 All goods 5.0 476 38231190 All goods 5.0 477 382312 to 382313 All goods 0.0 478 382319 All goods 5.0 479 382370 All goods 0.0 480 382410 to 382450 All goods 0.0 481 382460 All goods 0.0 482 382471 to 382499 All goods 0.0 483 3825 All goods 0.0 484 390110 to 390120 All goods 5.0 485 390130 All goods 0.0 486 39014000, 390190 to 390210 All goods 5.0 487 390220 All goods 0.0 488 390230 All goods 5.0 489 390290 All goods 0.0 490 390311 to 390410 All goods 5.0 491 390421 All goods 0.0 492 390422 All goods 5.0 493 390430 All goods 0.0 494 390440 to 390461 All Goods 0.0 495 390469 to 390521 All Goods 0.0 496 390529 All Goods 5.0 497 390530 to 390599 All Goods 0.0 498 3906 All Goods 5.0 499 390710 to 390720 All Goods 0.0 500 390730 All Goods 0.0 501 390740 All Goods 0.0 502 390750 All Goods 0.0 503 39076100, 390769 All Goods 5.0 504 390770 All Goods 0.0 505 390791 All Goods 5.0 506 390799 All Goods 0.0 507 3908 All Goods 5.0 508 390910 to 390940 All Goods 5.0 509 390950 to 391400 All Goods 0.0 510 391610 All Goods 5.0 511 391620 All Goods 0.0 512 391690 All Goods 5.0 513 391710 to 391729 All Goods 0.0 514 391731 All Goods 5.0 515 391732 to 391739 All Goods 0.0 516 391740 to 392061 All Goods 5.0 517 392062 All Goods 0.0 518 392063 to 392071 All Goods 5.0 519 392079 All Goods 0.0 520 392091 All Goods 5.0 521 392092 to 392094 All Goods 0.0 522 392111 to 392112 All Goods 5.0 523 392114 to 392119 All Goods 0.0 524 3922 to 3923 All Goods 5.0 525 392490 All Goods 5.0 526 392510 All Goods 0.0 527 392520 to 392620 All Goods 5.0 528 392640 to 392690 All Goods 5.0 529 400130 to 400220 All Goods 0.0 530 400231 All Goods 0.0 531 400239 to 400260 All Goods 0.0 532 400270 All Goods 5.0 533 400280 to 400299 All Goods 0.0 534 4003 All Goods 5.0 535 400400 to 400510 All Goods 0.0 536 400520 to 400599 All Goods 5.0 537 400610 All Goods 0.0 538 400690 to 400819 All Goods 5.0 539 400829 All Goods 5.0 540 400911 All Goods 0.0 541 400912 All Goods 0.0 542 400921 All Goods 0.0 543 400922 All Goods 0.0 544 400931 All Goods 5.0 545 400932 All Goods 0.0 546 400941 to 400942 All Goods 5.0 547 401011 to 401031 All Goods 0.0 548 401032 All Goods 5.0 549 401033 All Goods 0.0 550 401034 to 401035 All Goods 5.0 551 401036 All Goods 0.0 552 401039 All Goods 0.0 553 401110 to 401120 All Goods 5.0 554 401130 All Goods 0.0 555 401140 to 401150 All Goods 5.0 556 40117000 to 40119000 All Goods 0.0 557 401211 to 401212 All Goods 5.0 558 401213 All Goods 0.0 559 401219 to 401290 All Goods 5.0 560 401310 to 401320 All Goods 0.0 561 401390 All Goods 0.0 562 401410 All Goods 0.0 563 401490 to 401692 All Goods 0.0 564 401693 All Goods 5.0 565 401694 to 401695 All Goods 0.0 566 401699 All Goods 5.0 567 4017 All Goods 0.0 568 4101 to 4103 All Goods 0.0 569 4104 to 4115 All Goods 0.0 570 4201 to 4205 All Goods 5.0 571 4206 All Goods 0.0 572 4301 to 4302 All Goods 0.0 573 4303 to 4304 All Goods 0.0 574 4401 to 4403 All Goods 0.0 575 4404 to 4405 All Goods 0.0 576 4406 All Goods 5.0 577 4407 to 4410 All Goods 0.0 578 4411 All Goods 0.0 579 4412 to 4421 All Goods 0.0 580 45 All Goods 0.0 581 46 All Goods 0.0 582 4701 to 4706 All Goods 0.0 583 470710 All Goods 0.0 584 470720 to 470730 All Goods 0.0 585 470790 All Goods 0.0 586 4801 All Goods 0.0 587 4802 All Goods 0.0 588 4803 All Goods 5.0 589 480411 to 480449 All Goods 0.0 590 480451 All Goods 0.0 591 480452 to 480525 All Goods 0.0 592 480530 All Goods 0.0 593 480540 to 480630 All Goods 0.0 594 480640 to 480700 All Goods 0.0 595 480810 All Goods 0.0 596 48084010 All Goods 0.0 597 48084090 All Goods 0.0 598 481013 All Goods 5.0 599 481014 All Goods 0.0 600 481019 to 481022 All Goods 0.0 601 481029 to 481032 All Goods 0.0 602 481039 to 481099 All Goods 0.0 603 481110 All Goods 0.0 604 481141 to 481149 All Goods 5.0 605 481151 to 481159 All Goods 0.0 606 481160 All Goods 0.0 607 481190 to 481690 All Goods 0.0 608 481710 All Goods 5.0 609 481720 All Goods 0.0 610 481730 All Goods 5.0 611 481810 to 481910 All Goods 0.0 612 481920 to 481930 All Goods 0.0 613 481940 to 482090 All Goods 0.0 614 482210 to 482340 All Goods 0.0 615 482361 to 482369 All Goods 5.0 616 482370 to 482390 All Goods 0.0 617 49011010 All Goods 0.0 618 49011020 to 49019100 All Goods 0.0 619 490199 All Goods 5.0 620 4902 All Goods 0.0 621 4903 All Goods 0.0 622 4904 to 4906 All Goods 0.0 623 4907 All Goods 0.0 624 4908 All Goods 5.0 625 4909 to 4910 All Goods 0.0 626 491110 All Goods 5.0 627 49119100 to 49119910 All Goods 0.0 628 49119920 All Goods 0.0 629 49119990 All Goods 0.0 630 50010000 to 50020020 All Goods 0.0 631 50020030 to 50030090 All Goods 0.0 632 5004 to 5007 All Goods 0.0 633 5101 to 5102 All Goods 0.0 634 5103 All Goods 0.0 635 510400 to 510521 All goods 0.0 636 51052910 All goods 0.0 637 51052990 All goods 0.0 638 510531 to 510620 All goods 0.0 639 510720 All goods 0.0 640 5108 to 5110 All goods 0.0 641 511111 to 511119 All goods 5.0 642 511120 All goods 0.0 643 511130 All goods 5.0 644 511190 All goods 0.0 645 511211 to 511219 All goods 5.0 646 511220 All goods 0.0 647 511230 All goods 5.0 648 511290 to 511300 All goods 0.0 649 5201 All goods 0.0 650 5202 All goods 0.0 651 5203 All goods 0.0 652 5204 to 5207 All goods 0.0 653 520812 to 520813 All goods 5.0 654 520819 All goods 0.0 655 520821 to 520831 All goods 5.0 656 520833 to 520843 All goods 5.0 657 520849 All goods 0.0 658 520851 All goods 5.0 659 520859 All goods 5.0 660 520911 to 520919 All goods 0.0 661 520921 to 520941 All goods 5.0 662 520943 to 521011 All goods 5.0 663 521019 All goods 0.0 664 521021 to 521029 All goods 5.0 665 521032 to 521039 All goods 5.0 666 521049 to 521059 All goods 5.0 667 521111 to 521119 All goods 0.0 668 521120 to 521225 All goods 5.0 669 5301 All goods 0.0 670 5302 All goods 0.0 671 5303 All goods 0.0 672 53050010 to 53050040 All goods 0.0 673 53050050 All goods 0.0 674 53050090 All goods other than sisal fibre, aloe fibre, other textile fibres of genus agave raw, ramie or chine grass 0.0 675 53050090 Sisal fibre, aloe fibre, other textile fibres of genus agave raw, ramie or chine grass 0.0 676 5306 All goods 0.0 677 5307 All goods 0.0 678 530810 All goods 0.0 679 530820 to 530890 All goods 0.0 680 530911 to 530919 All goods 5.0 681 530921 to 531090 All goods 0.0 682 5311 All goods 0.0 683 5401 All goods 0.0 684 540211 to 540219 All goods 5.0 685 540220 All goods 5.0 686 540231 to 540232 All goods 5.0 687 540233 All goods 5.0 688 540234 to 540239 All goods 5.0 689 540244 Elastomeric yarn of Nylon or other polyamides, untwisted or with a twist <=50 turns per mtr. single 5.0 690 540244 Elastomeric other yarn(other than of nylon or other polyamides or of polyester), single, untwisted or with a twist not exceeding 50 turns per mtr. 0.0 691 54024400 Elastomeric yarn of polyesters 0.0 692 54024500 All goods 5.0 693 54024600 All goods 5.0 694 54024700 All goods 5.0 695 540248 to 540249 All goods 0.0 696 540251 All goods 5.0 697 540252 All goods 5.0 698 54025300 to 54026100 All goods 5.0 699 540262 All goods 5.0 700 54026300, 540269 All goods 5.0 701 5403 All goods 0.0 702 540411 to 540419 All goods 5.0 703 540490 All goods 0.0 704 5405 All goods 0.0 705 54060010 All goods 0.0 706 54060020 All goods 0.0 707 54071016 All goods 5.0 708 54071026 All goods 5.0 709 54071036 All goods 5.0 710 54071046 All goods 5.0 711 54071096 All goods 5.0 712 540720 to 540730 All goods 0.0 713 540741 to 540742 All goods 0.0 714 540743 All goods 5.0 715 540744 to 540752 All goods 0.0 716 540753 All goods 5.0 717 540754 to 540772 All goods 0.0 718 540773 All goods 5.0 719 540774 to 540781 All goods 0.0 720 540783 All goods 5.0 721 540784 All Goods 0.0 722 540791 to 540792 All Goods 0.0 723 540793 All Goods 5.0 724 540794 to 540822 All Goods 0.0 725 540823 All Goods 5.0 726 540824 to 540832 All Goods 0.0 727 540833 All Goods 5.0 728 540834 All Goods 0.0 729 550110 All Goods 0.0 730 550120 All Goods 5.0 731 550130 to 550190 All Goods 5.0 732 5502 All Goods 0.0 733 550311 to 550319 All Goods 0.0 734 55032000 All Goods 5.0 735 550330 to 550340 All Goods 5.0 736 550390 All Goods 0.0 737 5504 All Goods 0.0 738 550510 All Goods 5.0 739 550520 All Goods 0.0 740 550610 All Goods 0.0 741 550620 All Goods 5.0 742 550630 to 550690 All Goods 5.0 743 5507 All Goods 0.0 744 550810 All Goods 5.0 745 550820 to 550912 All Goods 0.0 746 550921 to 550922 All Goods 0.0 747 550931 to 550932 All Goods 5.0 748 550941 to 550942 All Goods 0.0 749 550952 to 550953 All Goods 0.0 750 550959 All Goods 0.0 751 550961 to 550969 All Goods 0.0 752 550991 to 550999 All Goods 0.0 753 551020 All Goods 0.0 754 551030 All Goods 0.0 755 5511 All Goods 0.0 756 5512 All Goods 5.0 757 551312 to 551319 All Goods 5.0 758 551323 to 551349 All Goods 5.0 759 551412 to 551511 All Goods 5.0 760 551513 All Goods 5.0 761 551519 to 551521 All Goods 0.0 762 551522 All Goods 5.0 763 551529 All Goods 0.0 764 551591 All Goods 0.0 765 551599 All Goods 0.0 766 551611 All Goods 0.0 767 551612 to 551614 All Goods 5.0 768 551621 All goods 0.0 769 551623 to 551624 All goods 5.0 770 551631 All goods 0.0 771 551632 All goods 0.0 772 551633 All goods 5.0 773 551634 All goods 0.0 774 551641 to 551644 All goods 5.0 775 551691 All goods 0.0 776 551692 to 551693 All goods 0.0 777 551694 All goods 0.0 778 560121 to 560122 All goods 0.0 779 560129 All goods 0.0 780 560130 to 560290 All goods 0.0 781 560311 to 560312 All goods 0.0 782 560313 to 560314 All goods 0.0 783 560391 All goods 0.0 784 560392 All goods 0.0 785 560393 All goods 0.0 786 560394 to 560410 All goods 0.0 787 560490 All goods other than imitation gut (nylon) for rackets and high tenacity yarn of polyesters of nylon or other polyamides or of viscose rayon, impregnated or coated excluding imitation gut for racket 0.0 788 560490 Imitation gut (nylon) for rackets and high tenacity yarn of polyesters of nylon or other polyamides or of viscose rayon, impregnated or coated excluding imitation gut for racket 0.0 789 560500 to 560749 All goods 0.0 790 5607 All goods, other than cordage, cable, rope and twine of jute and twine, cordage, rope and cables of other textiles bast fibres of heading no. 5303 0.0 791 56079090 Cordage, cable, rope and twine of jute and twine, cordage, rope and cables of other textiles bast fibres of heading no. 5303 0.0 792 560811 All goods 0.0 793 560819 to 560890 All goods 0.0 794 5609 All goods 0.0 795 5701 to 5702 All goods 0.0 796 570320 to 570390 All goods 0.0 797 5704 to 5705 All goods 0.0 798 580110 to 580127 All goods 0.0 799 580131 to 580132 All goods 0.0 800 580133 to 580190 All goods 0.0 801 580211 to 580219 All goods 0.0 802 580220 to 581100 All goods 0.0 803 5901 All goods 0.0 804 590210 to 590220 All Goods 0.0 805 590290 to 590390 All Goods 5.0 806 5904 to 5911 All Goods 0.0 807 600110 to 600122 All Goods 0.0 808 600129 to 600191 All Goods 0.0 809 600192 All Goods 0.0 810 600199 to 600310 All Goods 0.0 811 600320 to 600330 All Goods 0.0 812 600340 to 600490 All Goods 0.0 813 600521 to 600522 All Goods 0.0 814 600523 All Goods 0.0 815 600524 All Goods 0.0 816 60053500 to 60053800 All Goods 0.0 817 60053900 All Goods 0.0 818 600541 to 600543 All Goods 0.0 819 600544 All Goods 0.0 820 600590 All Goods 0.0 821 600610 All Goods 0.0 822 600621 to 600632 All Goods 0.0 823 600633 to 600690 All Goods 0.0 824 6101 All Goods 0.0 825 610220 to 610331 All Goods 0.0 826 610332 All Goods 5.0 827 610333 All Goods 0.0 828 610339 to 610341 All Goods 0.0 829 610342 to 610343 All Goods 0.0 830 610349 All Goods 0.0 831 610413 All Goods 5.0 832 610419 All Goods 0.0 833 610422 to 610423 All Goods 5.0 834 610429 to 610431 All Goods 0.0 835 610432 All Goods 5.0 836 610433 to 610441 All Goods 0.0 837 610442 All Goods 5.0 838 610444 to 610451 All Goods 0.0 839 610459 to 610461 All Goods 0.0 840 610469 All Goods 0.0 841 610590 All Goods 0.0 842 610690 All Goods 0.0 843 610719 All Goods 0.0 844 610721 to 610722 All Goods 5.0 845 610729 All Goods 0.0 846 610791 All Goods 5.0 847 610799 to 610819 All Goods 0.0 848 610829 All Goods 0.0 849 610831 to 610832 All Goods 5.0 850 610839 All Goods 0.0 851 610899 All Goods 0.0 852 611012 to 611019 All Goods 0.0 853 6111 All goods other than babies garments etc. of wool or fine animal hair 5.0 854 61119090 Babies garments etc. of wool or fine animal hair 0.0 855 611211 to 611212 All Goods 5.0 856 611219 All Goods 0.0 857 611220 to 611231 All Goods 0.0 858 611239 All Goods 0.0 859 611241 All Goods 0.0 860 611249 to 611300 All Goods 0.0 861 611420 to 611430 All Goods 5.0 862 611490 to 611529 All Goods 0.0 863 611530 All Goods 0.0 864 611594 All Goods 0.0 865 611595 to 611596 All Goods 0.0 866 611599 to 611691 All Goods 0.0 867 611692 to 611693 All Goods 5.0 868 611699 All Goods 0.0 869 611710 All Goods 5.0 870 611780 to 611790 All Goods 0.0 871 620111 All Goods 0.0 872 620112 to 620113 All Goods 5.0 873 620119 to 620211 All Goods 0.0 874 620212 All Goods 0.0 875 620219 to 620291 All Goods 0.0 876 620292 All Goods 0.0 877 620299 All Goods 0.0 878 620311 to 620312 All Goods 5.0 879 620319 All Goods 0.0 880 620322 to 620323 All Goods 5.0 881 620329 All Goods 0.0 882 620331 All Goods 5.0 883 620343 All Goods 5.0 884 620411 to 620412 All Goods 5.0 885 620421 All Goods 0.0 886 620422 to 620423 All Goods 0.0 887 620429 to 620431 All Goods 0.0 888 620432 All Goods 5.0 889 620441 All Goods 0.0 890 620449 to 620451 All Goods 0.0 891 620452 to 620453 All Goods 0.0 892 620459 All Goods 0.0 893 620461 All Goods 5.0 894 620463 All Goods 5.0 895 62059090 Mens or boys shirts of wool or fine animal hair 0.0 896 620610 to 620620 All Goods 0.0 897 620690 All goods 0.0 898 620719 to 620722 All goods 0.0 899 620729 All goods 0.0 900 620791 All goods 0.0 901 620799 to 620811 All goods 0.0 902 620819 All goods 0.0 903 620821 to 620822 All goods 5.0 904 620829 All goods 0.0 905 620891 All goods 5.0 906 620899 All goods 0.0 907 620920 to 620930 All goods 0.0 908 620990 to 621010 All goods 0.0 909 621030 All goods 0.0 910 621111 to 621120 All goods 0.0 911 621139 All goods 0.0 912 621142 to 621143 All goods 0.0 913 621149 All goods 0.0 914 621290 to 621310 All goods 0.0 915 621320 to 621390 All goods ,other than Handkerchiefs of silk or silk waste 0.0 916 62139090 Handkerchiefs of silk or silk waste 0.0 917 621410 to 621420 All goods 0.0 918 621430 All goods 0.0 919 621440 All goods 0.0 920 621490 All goods 0.0 921 6215 All goods 5.0 922 6216 to 6217 All goods 0.0 923 630110 All goods 0.0 924 630130 All goods 0.0 925 630190 to 630210 All goods 0.0 926 630222 All goods 5.0 927 630229 All goods 0.0 928 630232 All goods 5.0 929 630239 All goods 0.0 930 630240 to 630251 All goods 5.0 931 630253 All goods 0.0 932 630259 All goods 0.0 933 630291 to 630299 All goods 0.0 934 6302312 All goods 0.0 935 630319 All goods 0.0 936 630391 to 630392 All goods 0.0 937 630399 All goods 0.0 938 630411 to 630419 All goods 5.0 939 63042000, 630491 All goods 0.0 940 630492 to 630493 All goods 5.0 941 630499 to 630800 All goods 0.0 942 6309 All goods 5.0 943 6310 All goods 0.0 944 640110 to 640212 All goods 5.0 945 640220 to 640299 All goods 5.0 946 640312 All goods 0.0 947 640319 to 640391 All goods, other than Footwear made on a base or platform of wood not having an inner sole or a protective metal toe-cap 5.0 948 64039190 Footwear made on a be or platform of wood not having an inner sole or a protective metal toe-cap 0.0 949 640399 All goods, other than Footwear made on a base or platform of wood not having an inner sole or a protective

metal toe-cap and not covering ankle 5.0 950 64039990 Footwear made on a be or platform of wood not having

an inner sole or a protective metal toe-cap and not

covering ankle 0.0 951 6404 to 6406 All goods 5.0 952 65 All goods 0.0 953 66 All goods 0.0 954 670100 to 670210 All goods 0.0 955 670290 All goods 5.0 956 6703 to 6704 All goods 0.0 957 68010000 to 68132010 All goods 0.0 958 68132090 All goods 5.0 959 681381 All goods 0.0 960 681389 All goods 5.0 961 6814 to 6815 All goods 0.0 962 6901 All goods 0.0 963 6902 to 6903 All goods 0.0 964 6904 to 6905 All goods 0.0 965 6906 All goods 5.0 966 6907 All goods 0.0 967 690911 All goods 0.0 968 690912 to 690990 All goods 0.0 969 691010 All goods 5.0 970 691090 to 691190 All goods 0.0 971 6912 All goods 5.0 972 691310 All goods 0.0 973 691390 to 691490 All goods 0.0 974 70010010 All goods 0.0 975 70010020 to 70051090 All goods 0.0 976 700521 to 700530 All goods 5.0 977 700600 to 700711 All goods 0.0 978 700719 All goods 5.0 979 700729 All goods 5.0 980 7008 All goods 0.0 981 7009 All goods 5.0 982 701010 to 701110 All Goods 0.0 983 701120 All Goods 0.0 984 701190 to 701322 All Goods 0.0 985 701328 All Goods 5.0 986 701333 All Goods 0.0 987 701337 All Goods 5.0 988 701341 to 701342 All Goods 0.0 989 701349 All Goods 5.0 990 701391 to 701690 All Goods 0.0 991 701710 All Goods 0.0 992 701720 to 701820 All Goods 0.0 993 701890 All Goods 5.0 994 7019 All Goods 0.0 995 70200011 All Goods 0.0 996 70200012 to 70200019 All Goods 0.0 997 70200021 All Goods 0.0 998 70200029 to 70200090 All Goods 0.0 999 710110 All Goods 0.0 1000 710121 to 710210 All Goods 0.0 1001 710221 All Goods 0.0 1002 710229 All Goods 0.0 1003 710231 All Goods 0.0 1004 710239 All Goods 0.0 1005 710310 All Goods 0.0 1006 710391 All Goods 0.0 1007 710399 to 711890 All Goods 0.0 1008 72 All Goods 0.0 1009 730110 to 731814 All Goods 0.0 1010 731815 All Goods 5.0 1011 731816 All Goods 0.0 1012 731819 All Goods 5.0 1013 731821 to 732020 All Goods 0.0 1014 732111 to 732620 All Goods 0.0 1015 732690 All Goods 5.0 1016 7401 to 7402 All Goods 0.0 1017 740312 to 740329 All Goods 0.0 1018 7404 All Goods 5.0 1019 7405 to 7406 All Goods 0.0 1020 740721 to 740729 All Goods 0.0 1021 740819 All Goods 0.0 1022 740821 to 740829 All Goods 0.0 1023 740911 All Goods 5.0 1024 740919 to 741022 All Goods 0.0 1025 7411 All Goods 0.0 1026 741210 All Goods 5.0 1027 741220 All Goods 0.0 1028 7413 All Goods 5.0 1029 7415 to 7418 All Goods 0.0 1030 741910 All Goods 0.0 1031 741991 to 741999 All Goods 0.0 1032 75 All Goods 0.0 1033 760120 to 760529 All Goods 0.0 1034 760612 to 760720 All Goods 0.0 1035 7608 to 7609 All Goods 0.0 1036 7610 to 7612 All Goods 0.0 1037 7613 All Goods 0.0 1038 7614 to 7616 All Goods 0.0 1039 7801 to 7804 All Goods 0.0 1040 7806 All Goods 0.0 1041 7901 to 7905 All Goods 0.0 1042 7907 All Goods 0.0 1043 8001 to 8003 All Goods 0.0 1044 8007 All Goods 0.0 1045 810110 to 810197 All Goods 0.0 1046 810199 All Goods 0.0 1047 8102 to 8105 (except 810299,

810390, 81049090 and

810590) All Goods 0.0 1048 810299 All Goods 0.0 1049 810390 All Goods 0.0 1050 81049090 All Goods 0.0 1051 810590 All Goods 0.0 1052 8106 (except 81060090) All Goods 0.0 1053 81060090 All Goods 0.0 1054 8107 (except 81079090) All Goods 0.0 1055 81079090 All Goods 0.0 1056 8108 (except 81089090) All Goods 0.0 1057 81089090 All Goods 0.0 1058 8109 (except 810990) All Goods 0.0 1059 810990 All Goods 0.0 1060 8110 (except 811090) All Goods 0.0 1061 811090 All Goods 0.0 1062 8111 (except 81110090) All Goods 0.0 1063 81110090 All Goods 0.0 1064 811212 to 811213 All Goods 0.0 1065 811219 All Goods 0.0 1066 811221 to 811222 All Goods 0.0 1067 811229 All Goods 0.0 1068 811251 to 811252 All Goods 0.0 1069 811259 All Goods 0.0 1070 811292 All Goods 0.0 1071 811299 to 811300 All Goods 0.0 1072 820110 to 820210 All Goods 0.0 1073 820220 All Goods 0.0 1074 820231 to 820600 All Goods 0.0 1075 820713 All Goods 0.0 1076 820719 All Goods 0.0 1077 820720 All Goods 0.0 1078 820730 to 820890 All Goods 0.0 1079 8209 All Goods 0.0 1080 8210 to 8212 All Goods 0.0 1081 8213 All Goods 0.0 1082 8214 to 8215 All Goods 0.0 1083 830110 All Goods 0.0 1084 830130 to 830210 All Goods 0.0 1085 830220 All Goods 0.0 1086 830241 to 830629 All Goods 0.0 1087 830630 All Goods 0.0 1088 8307 to 8309 All Goods 0.0 1089 8310 All Goods 0.0 1090 831110 All Goods 0.0 1091 831120 All Goods 0.0 1092 831130 to 831190 All Goods 0.0 1093 8401 to 8404 All Goods 0.0 1094 840510 All Goods 0.0 1095 840590 to 840682 All Goods 0.0 1096 840690 All Goods 0.0 1097 840710 All Goods 0.0 1098 843721 All Goods 0.0 1099 840729 to 840731 All Goods 0.0 1100 840790 All Goods 0.0 1101 840810 All Goods 0.0 1102 840820 All Goods 5.0 1103 840890 All Goods 0.0 1104 840910 All Goods 0.0 1105 840991 All Goods 0.0 1106 8410 to 8411 (except 841191) All Goods 0.0 1107 841191 All Goods 0.0 1108 841210 All Goods 0.0 1109 841221 All Goods 0.0 1110 841229 All Goods 0.0 1111 841231 All Goods 0.0 1112 841239 All Goods 0.0 1113 841280 to 841290 All Goods 0.0 1114 84131110 All Goods 0.0 1115 84131191 to 84131199 All Goods 0.0 1116 84131910 All Goods 0.0 1117 84131990 All Goods 0.0 1118 841320 All Goods 0.0 1119 841340 All Goods 0.0 1120 841350 All Goods 0.0 1121 841360 All Goods 0.0 1122 841370 All Goods 5.0 1123 841381 All Goods 0.0 1124 84138200 to 84139130 All Goods 0.0 1125 84139140 All Goods 0.0 1126 84139190 All Goods 0.0 1127 841392 All Goods 0.0 1128 841410 All Goods 0.0 1129 84142010 to 84142020 All Goods 0.0 1130 84142090 All Goods 0.0 1131 841430 to 841440 All Goods 5.0 1132 84145110 to 84145130 All Goods 5.0 1133 84145140 to 84145190 All Goods 5.0 1134 84145910 All Goods 0.0 1135 84145920 All Goods 0.0 1136 84145930 to 84146000 All Goods 0.0 1137 84149011 All Goods 0.0 1138 84149012 All Goods 0.0 1139 84149019 to 84149020 All Goods 0.0 1140 84149030 All Goods 0.0 1141 84149040 to 84149090 All Goods 0.0 1142 841510 All Goods 5.0 1143 841581 to 841583 All Goods 5.0 1144 841590 All Goods 0.0 1145 841610 to 841720 All Goods 0.0 1146 841780 All Goods 5.0 1147 841790 All Goods 0.0 1148 84181010 All Goods 5.0 1149 84181090 All Goods 5.0 1150 841821 All Goods 0.0 1151 841829 All Goods 5.0 1152 84183010 All Goods 5.0 1153 84183090 All Goods 5.0 1154 841840 All Goods 0.0 1155 841850 to 841861 All Goods 5.0 1156 84186910 All Goods 0.0 1157 84186920 to 84186930 All Goods 0.0 1158 84186940 to 84189900 All Goods 0.0 1159 84191110 All Goods 0.0 1160 84191190 All Goods 0.0 1161 84191910 All Goods 0.0 1162 84191920 to 84193200 All Goods 0.0 1163 841939 All Goods 5.0 1164 841940 All Goods 0.0 1165 841950 All Goods 5.0 1166 841960 All Goods 0.0 1167 841981 All Goods 0.0 1168 841989 (except 84198970) All goods 0.0 1169 84198970 All Goods 0.0 1170 84199010 All Goods 0.0 1171 84199090 to 84211930 All Goods 0.0 1172 84211940 All Goods 0.0 1173 84211950 to 84211991 All Goods 0.0 1174 84211999 All Goods 0.0 1175 842121 All Goods 0.0 1176 842122 All Goods 0.0 1177 842129 All Goods 0.0 1178 842139 All Goods 5.0 1179 842191 to 842199 All Goods 0.0 1180 842211 All Goods 0.0 1181 842219 to 842220 All Goods 0.0 1182 842230 to 842240 All Goods 0.0 1183 84229010 All Goods 0.0 1184 84229020 All Goods 0.0 1185 84229090 All Goods 0.0 1186 842310 All Goods 0.0 1187 842320 to 842382 All Goods 0.0 1188 842389 All Goods 0.0 1189 84239010 All Goods 0.0 1190 84239020 All Goods 0.0 1191 842410 All Goods 0.0 1192 842420 to 842482 All Goods 0.0 1193 842489 All Goods 0.0 1194 842490 to 842541 All Goods 0.0 1195 842542 All Goods 5.0 1196 842549 All Goods 0.0 1197 842611 to 842710 All Goods 0.0 1198 842720 All Goods 0.0 1199 842790 to 842810 All Goods 0.0 1200 842820 All Goods 0.0 1201 842831 to 842833 All Goods 0.0 1202 842839 All Goods 0.0 1203 842840 to 842930 All Goods 0.0 1204 842940 All Goods 0.0 1205 842951 All Goods 0.0 1206 842952 to 842959 All Goods 0.0 1207 843010 to 843031 All Goods 0.0 1208 843039 All Goods 0.0 1209 843041 to 843110 All Goods 0.0 1210 843120 All Goods 0.0 1211 843131 to 843790 (except

84331190 ,84331990 and

843621) All Goods 0.0 1212 84331190 All Goods 0.0 1213 84331990 All Goods 0.0 1214 843621 All Goods 0.0 1215 843810 All Goods 0.0 1216 843820 to 843890 All Goods 0.0 1217 843910 to 843991 All Goods 0.0 1218 843999 to 844010 All Goods 0.0 1219 844090 All Goods 0.0 1220 844110 All Goods 0.0 1221 844120 to 844140 All Goods 0.0 1222 844180 All Goods 0.0 1223 844190 to 844312 All Goods 0.0 1224 844313 All Goods 0.0 1225 844314 to 844317 All Goods 0.0 1226 844319 All Goods 0.0 1227 844331 to 844332 All Goods 0.0 1228 84433910 All Goods 0.0 1229 84433920 All Goods 0.0 1230 84433930 All Goods 0.0 1231 84433940 All Goods 0.0 1232 84433950 to 84433970 All Goods 0.0 1233 84433990 All Goods 0.0 1234 844391 All Goods 0.0 1235 84439910 to 84439959 All Goods 0.0 1236 84439960 to 84454090 All Goods 0.0 1237 844590 All Goods 0.0 1238 844610 All Goods 0.0 1239 844621 All Goods 0.0 1240 844629 to 844900 All Goods 0.0 1241 845011 All Goods 5.0 1242 845012 to 845019 All Goods 0.0 1243 845020 All Goods 0.0 1244 84509010 All Goods 0.0 1245 84509090 to 84511090 All Goods 0.0 1246 845121 All Goods 0.0 1247 845129 All Goods 0.0 1248 84513010 All Goods 0.0 1249 84513090 to 84514099 All Goods 0.0 1250 845150 to 845190 All Goods 0.0 1251 845210 All Goods 5.0 1252 845221 to 845229 All Goods 0.0 1253 84523010 All Goods 0.0 1254 84523090 All Goods 0.0 1255 84529011 to 84529019 All Goods 0.0 1256 84529091 All Goods 0.0 1257 84529099 to 84563000 All Goods 0.0 1258 84569010 All Goods 0.0 1259 84564000, 84565000,84569020, 84592100 All Goods 0.0 1260 845929 All Goods 0.0 1261 845931 to 845951 All Goods 0.0 1262 845959 to 845961 All Goods 0.0 1263 845969 to 846024 All Goods 0.0 1264 846029 All Goods 0.0 1265 846031 to 846040 All Goods 0.0 1266 846090 to 846120 All Goods 0.0 1267 846130 to 846140 All Goods 0.0 1268 846150 to 846190 All Goods 0.0 1269 846210 to 846591 All Goods 0.0 1270 846592 to 846593 All Goods 0.0 1271 846594 to 846691 All Goods 0.0 1272 846692 All Goods 0.0 1273 846693 to 846694 All Goods 0.0 1274 846711 to 846719 All Goods 0.0 1275 846721 All Goods 0.0 1276 846722 All Goods 0.0 1277 846729 All Goods 0.0 1278 846781 All Goods 0.0 1279 846789 to 846890 All Goods 0.0 1280    1281    1282    1283    1284 8470 to 8471 All Goods 0.0 1285 847210 to 847230 All Goods 0.0 1286 84729010 All Goods 0.0 1287 84729020 All Goods 0.0 1288 84729030 All Goods 0.0 1289 84729040 to 84729099 All Goods 0.0 1290 847340 Printed circuit assembles of word processing machines 0.0 1291 847340 All goods, other than Printed circuit assembles of word processing machines 0.0 1292 847321 to 847330 All Goods 0.0 1293 84734010 All Goods 0.0 1294 84734090 All Goods 0.0 1295 847350 All Goods 0.0 1296 847410 All Goods 0.0 1297 847420 All Goods 0.0 1298 847431 to 847621 All Goods 0.0 1299 847629 All Goods 0.0 1300 847681 to 847690 All Goods 0.0 1301 847710 All Goods 0.0 1302 847720 to 847780 All Goods 0.0 1303 847790 All Goods 0.0 1304 847810 All Goods 0.0 1305 847890 All Goods 0.0 1306 847910 All Goods 0.0 1307 847920 All Goods 0.0 1308 847930 All Goods 0.0 1309 847940 All Goods 0.0 1310 847950 All Goods 0.0 1311 847960 All Goods 0.0 1312 847971 to 847979 All Goods 0.0 1313 84798100 to 84798992 All Goods 0.0 1314 84798999 All Goods 0.0 1315 84799010 to 84799040 All Goods 0.0 1316 84799090 All Goods 0.0 1317 848010 to 848050 All Goods 0.0 1318 848060 All Goods 0.0 1319 848071 to 848079 All Goods 0.0 1320 848110 All Goods 0.0 1321 848120 All Goods 0.0 1322 848130 to 848140 All Goods 0.0 1323 848180 to 848299 All Goods 0.0 1324 848330 All Goods 0.0 1325 848350 TO 848410 All Goods 5.0 1326 848420 All Goods 0.0 1327 848490 All Goods 5.0 1328 8486 All Goods 0.0 1329 8487 All Goods 0.0 1330 850120 All Goods 0.0 1331 850133 to 850134 All Goods 0.0 1332 850140 All Goods 5.0 1333 850151 All Goods 0.0 1334 850152 All Goods 5.0 1335 850153 All Goods 0.0 1336 850161 All Goods 0.0 1337 850162 to 850164 All Goods 0.0 1338 850211 All Goods 0.0 1339 850212 to 850213 All Goods 0.0 1340 85022010 All Goods 0.0 1341 85022090 All Goods 0.0 1342 850231 All Goods 0.0 1343 850239 All Goods 0.0 1344 850240 to 850300 All Goods 0.0 1345 850410 All Goods 5.0 1346 850421 All Goods 0.0 1347 850422 to 850423 All Goods 0.0 1348 850431 to 850432 All Goods 0.0 1349 850433 to 850434 All Goods 0.0 1350 85044010 All Goods 5.0 1351 85044021 All Goods 5.0 1352 85044029 All Goods 5.0 1353 85044030 All Goods 5.0 1354 85044040 All Goods 5.0 1355 85044090 All Goods 5.0 1356 850450 All Goods 0.0 1357 850490 All Goods 0.0 1358 850511 to 850520 All Goods 0.0 1359 850590 All goods other than electromagnetic lifting heads 0.0 1360 850590 Electromagnetic lifting heads 0.0 1361 850610 to 850650 All Goods 0.0 1362 850660 to 850690 All Goods 0.0 1363 850710 All Goods 0.0 1364 850720 All Goods 0.0 1365 850730 All Goods 0.0 1366 850740 to 850819 All goods, Other than Industrial vacuum cleaners 0.0 1367 850819 Industrial vacuum cleaners 0.0 1368 850860 All Goods 0.0 1369 850870 Parts of domestic vacuum cleaners 0.0 1370 850870 Parts of industrial vacuum cleaners 0.0 1371 850940 All Goods 5.0 1372 850980 All Goods 0.0 1373 850990 to 851010 All Goods 0.0 1374 851020 to 851090 All Goods 0.0 1375 851110 All Goods 5.0 1376 851190 All Goods 5.0 1377 85121000 to 85122020 All Goods 0.0 1378 85122090 All Goods 0.0 1379 85123010 All Goods 0.0 1380 85123090 All Goods 0.0 1381 851290 All Goods 5.0 1382 85131010 All Goods 5.0 1383 85131020 to 85139000 All Goods 5.0 1384 851410 All Goods 0.0 1385 851420 All goods, other than Inductance or dielectric furnaces or ovens for the manufacture of semiconductor devices on semiconductor wafers 0.0 1386 851420 Inductance or dielectric furnaces or ovens for the manufacture of semiconductor devices on semiconductor wafers 0.0 1387 85143010 All Goods 0.0 1388 85143090 to 85144000 All Goods 0.0 1389 851490 All Goods 0.0 1390 851511 to 851519 All Goods 0.0 1391 851521 to 851529 All Goods 0.0 1392 851531 to 851539 All goods 0.0 1393 851580 to 851590 All goods 0.0 1394 851610 All goods 5.0 1395 851621 All goods 0.0 1396 851629 All goods 5.0 1397 851631 All goods 0.0 1398 851632 All goods 0.0 1399 851633 All goods 0.0 1400 851640 All goods 5.0 1401 851650 All goods 0.0 1402 851660 to 851672 All goods 5.0 1403 851679 All goods 0.0 1404 851680 to 851690 All goods 0.0 1405 8517 All goods 0.0 1406 851810 All goods 0.0 1407 851821 to 851829 All goods, other than (Loudspeakers, without housing,

having a f requency range of 300 Hz to 3,4 Khz with a

diameter notexeed ng 50 cm, for telecommunication use 

cone type and other than cone type) 0.0 1408 851829 Loudspeakers, without housing, having a frequency range

of 300 Hz to 3,4 K hz with a diameter not exeedi ng 50 cm,

for telecommunication use  cone type other than cone

type 0.0 1409 851830 All goods 0.0 1410 851840 All goods 0.0 1411 851850 All goods 5.0 1412 851890 All goods 0.0 1413 851920 to 851930 All goods 0.0 1414 851950 All goods 0.0 1415 85198100 to 85198930 All goods 0.0 1416 85198940 All goods 0.0 1417 85198990 to 85211099 All goods 0.0 1418 852190 All goods 0.0 1419 852210 to 852351 All goods 0.0 1420 85235210 to 85235910 All goods 0.0 1421 85235990 to 85238010 All goods 0.0 1422 85238020 All goods 0.0 1423 85238030 to 85238090 All goods 0.0 1424 85255010 to 85255040 All goods 0.0 1425 85255050 All goods 0.0 1426 85255090 All goods 0.0 1427 852560 All goods 0.0 1428 852580 All goods 0.0 1429 852610 All goods 0.0 1430 852691 to 852692 All goods 0.0 1431 852712 to 852792 All goods 0.0 1432 85279911 All goods 0.0 1433 85279912 to 85286200 All goods 0.0 1434 852869 All goods, other than Col or video projectors and video

projectors Black and White or other monochrome 0.0 1435 852869 Col or video projectors and video projectors Bl a* and White or other monochrome 0.0 1436 852871 to 852873 All goods 0.0 1437 85291011 to 85291012 All goods 0.0 1438 85291019 All goods 0.0 1439 85291021 All goods 0.0 1440 85291022 All goods 0.0 1441 85291029 All goods 0.0 1442 85291091 to 85291092 All goods 0.0 1443 85291092 All goods 0.0 1444 85291099 All goods 0.0 1445 85299010 to 85299020 All goods 0.0 1446 85299090 All goods 0.0 1447 853010 to 853080 All goods 0.0 1448 853090 All goods 0.0 1449 853110 All goods 5.0 1450 853120 All goods 0.0 1451 853180 to 853190 All goods 0.0 1452 8532 to 8534 All goods 0.0 1453 853510 All goods 5.0 1454 853521 to 853530 All goods 0.0 1455 853540 All goods 0.0 1456 853590 All goods 5.0 1457 85361010 All goods 0.0 1458 85361020 to 85363000 All goods 0.0 1459 853641 All goods 0.0 1460 853649 All goods 0.0 1461 85365010 All goods 0.0 1462 85365020 All goods 0.0 1463 85365090 All goods 0.0 1464 853661 All goods 0.0 1465 85366910 All goods 0.0 1466 85366990 All goods 0.0 1467 853670 All goods 5.0 1468 85369010 to 85369030 All goods 5.0 1469 85369090 All goods 0.0 1470 853710 All goods 0.0 1471 853720 to 853810 All goods 0.0 1472 853890 All goods 0.0 1473 853910 to 853921 All goods 0.0 1474 853922 All goods 0.0 1475 853929 to 853931 All goods 0.0 1476 853932 All goods 0.0 1477 853939 All goods 0.0 1478 853941 to 853949 All goods 0.0 1479 853990 All goods 5.0 1480 854011 to 854012 All goods 0.0 1481 854020 All goods 0.0 1482 85404010 All goods 0.0 1483 85404020 All goods 0.0 1484 854060 All goods 0.0 1485 854071 to 854099 All goods 0.0 1486 854110 to 854233 All goods 0.0 1487 854239 All goods 0.0 1488 85429000 to 85431010 All goods 0.0 1489 85431020 to 85432090 All goods 0.0 1490 85433000 to 85437011 All goods 0.0 1491 85437012 to 85437099 All goods 0.0 1492 854390 All goods 0.0 1493 854411 to 854419 All goods 5.0 1494 854420 All goods 0.0 1495 854442 to 854449 All goods 0.0 1496 854460 All goods 0.0 1497 854470 All goods 0.0 1498 854511 to 854519 All goods 0.0 1499 854520 All goods 5.0 1500 854590 to 854790 All goods 0.0 1501 8548 All goods 0.0 1502 8601 to 8608 All goods 0.0 1503 8609 All goods 0.0 1504 8701 All goods 0.0 1505 870310 All goods 0.0 1506 870410 All goods 0.0 1507 870432 to 870530 All goods 0.0 1508 870540 All goods 0.0 1509 870590 All goods 0.0 1510 870710 to 870810 All goods 0.0 1511 870840 All goods 0.0 1512 870850 Non- drive axles and pals thereof 0.0 1513 870850 Parts of Drive-axles with differential, whether or not

provided with other transmission components 5.0 1514 870870 All goods 5.0 1515 870880 Parts of Suspension shock-absorbers 5.0 1516 870891 All goods 0.0 1517 870892 Parts of Silencers and exhaust pipes 5.0 1518 870894 ng wheels, steeries ng columns and steering Parts of Steering bo 5.0 1519 870895 to 870899 All goods 5.0 1520 870911 to 870919 All Goods 0.0 1521 870990 All Goods 5.0 1522 8710 All Goods 0.0 1523 871110 All Goods 5.0 1524 871130 All Goods 5.0 1525 871150 to 871190 All Goods 0.0 1526 8712 All Goods 5.0 1527 87131010 to 87141010 All Goods 0.0 1528 871420 to 871496 All Goods 0.0 1529 871499 All Goods 0.0 1530 871500 to 871631 All Goods 0.0 1531 871639 All Goods 0.0 1532 871640 to 871680 All Goods 0.0 1533 871690 All Goods 5.0 1534 880100 to 880212 All Goods 0.0 1535 880220 to 880240 All Goods 0.0 1536 880260 All Goods 0.0 1537 880310 to 880330 All Goods 0.0 1538 880390 to 880529 All Goods 0.0 1539 8901 All Goods 0.0 1540 89020010 All Goods 0.0 1541 89020090 to 89040000 All Goods 0.0 1542 890510 All Goods 0.0 1543 890520 to 890790 All Goods 0.0 1544 8908 All Goods 0.0 1545 900110 to 900140 All Goods 0.0 1546 900150 All Goods 0.0 1547 900190 to 900691 All Goods 0.0 1548 900699 All Goods 0.0 1549 90071010 to 90085020 All Goods 0.0 1550 90085030 All Goods 0.0 1551 90085040 to 90089000 All Goods 0.0 1552 901010 to 901050 All Goods 0.0 1553 901060 All Goods 0.0 1554 901090 to 901110 All Goods 0.0 1555 901120 to 901180 All Goods 0.0 1556 901190 to 901290 All Goods 0.0 1557 90131010 All Goods 0.0 1558 90131020 to 90132000 All Goods 0.0 1559 90138010 All Goods 0.0 1560 90138090 All Goods 0.0 1561 90139010 All Goods 0.0 1562 90139090 to 90152000 All Goods 0.0 1563 901530 All Goods 0.0 1564 901540 All Goods 0.0 1565 901590 All Goods 0.0 1566 901600 to 901710 All Goods 0.0 1567 90172010 All Goods 0.0 1568 90172020 to 90179000 All Goods 0.0 1569 901811 to 901820 All Goods 0.0 1570 901831 to 901839 All Goods 0.0 1571 901841 to 902290 All Goods 0.0 1572 9023 All Goods 0.0 1573 9024 All Goods 0.0 1574 90251110 All Goods 0.0 1575 90251190 All Goods 0.0 1576 90251910 All Goods 0.0 1577 90251920 to 90259000 All Goods 0.0 1578 9026 All Goods 0.0 1579 902710 All Goods 0.0 1580 902720 to 902790 All Goods 0.0 1581 902810 to 902820 All Goods 0.0 1582 902830 All Goods 5.0 1583 902890 All Goods 0.0 1584 90291010 All Goods 5.0 1585 90291090 All Goods 5.0 1586 902990 All Goods 0.0 1587 903010 to 903020 All Goods 0.0 1588 903031 All Goods 0.0 1589 903032 to 903039 All Goods 0.0 1590 903040 to 903082 All Goods 0.0 1591 903084 to 903089 All Goods 0.0 1592 90309010 All Goods 0.0 1593 90309090 All Goods 0.0 1594 903110 to 903120 All Goods 0.0 1595 903141 All Goods 0.0 1596 903149 All Goods 0.0 1597 903180 All Goods 0.0 1598 903210 All Goods 0.0 1599 903220 to 903281 All Goods 0.0 1600 903289 to 903290 All Goods 0.0 1601 9033 All Goods 0.0 1602 91 All Goods 0.0 1603 92 All Goods 0.0 1604 93 All Goods 0.0 1605 940110 All Goods 0.0 1606 940120 All Goods 5.0 1607 940130 to 940159 All Goods 0.0 1608 940161 All Goods 0.0 1609 940169 to 940180 All Goods 0.0 1610 940190 to 940210 All Goods 0.0 1611 940290 to 940320 All Goods 0.0 1612 940330 All Goods 5.0 1613 940340 All Goods 0.0 1614 940350 to 940360 All goods 0.0 1615 940370 All goods 5.0 1616 940382 to 940591 All goods 0.0 1617 940592 All goods 0.0 1618 940599 to 940690 All goods 0.0 1619 950300 to 950691 All goods 0.0 1620 9507 to 9508 All goods 0.0 1621 9601 to 9607 All goods 0.0 1622 960810 All goods 5.0 1623 960820 to 960891 All goods 0.0 1624 960899 All goods 0.0 1625 9609 to 9611 All goods 0.0 1626 961210 All goods 0.0 1627 961220 to 961900 All goods 0.0 1628 9701 to 9703 All goods 0.0 1629 9704 All goods 0.0 1630 9705 to 9706 All goods 0.02 1631 9620000 Monopods, Bi pods, Tri pods of ,- plastics, or iron & steel 5.0 1632 9620000 Monopods, Bi pods, Tri pods (a) aluminum of,-

(stone wood 0.0

This notification shall come into force with effect from the 1st day of January, 2017.

[F. No. 354/43/2009-TRU]

(Anurag Sehgal)

Under Secretary to the Government of India

Note: The principal notification No. 53/2011-Customs, dated the 1st July, 2011 was published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, PAllI, Section 3, Sub-Section (i), vide number G.S.R. 499 (E), dated the 1st July, 2011 and was last amended vide notification No. 40/2016-Customs, dated the 21st June, 2016 and was published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, PAllI, Section 3, Sub-Section (i), vide number G.S.R. 616 (E), dated the 21st June, 2016.
Alien hunter UFO Sightings Daily that constantly posts about aliens and UFO sightings has spotted ultimate proof of alien life on Mars while scanning the NASA image. Although he has discovered several mind-boggling objects on the red planet which can make us believe that extraterrestrial life do exists, but this new discovery has the ability to shut the mouth of every conspiracy theorist.

Editor of UFO Sightings Daily, Scott C Waring claims to have discovered a four-legged alien creature on Mars which appears like a hairy spider monkey. The species is standing with support of its longer upper arms and shorter lower legs. The UFOlogist then zoomed in the image and threw some light upon to find two distinct eyes in the image. Waring says that the creature is watching the Mars rover while NASA spacecraft was busy in clicking images.

Waring has also discovered some other objects to prove aliens live on Mars which include a slug animal on the Red Planet which shows different kind of species thrive on Martian surface, a face sculpted on a rock which only an intelligent lifeform could have made, a snail  another species living on Mars, some sculptures carved on rock and some unique designs have been spotted by the alien seeker.

All these findings suggest that alien life that lives on Mars is intelligent and cultured like humans on Earth or else they could not have made such distinct sculpturs or face on rocks.





Waring preached that the public no longer needs to depend on the US government to drop feed them information about life on Mars and other celestial bodies. We are taking the initiative and we have proven on this site that life exists a thousand times over, he writes.

Somewhere along the line, Americans got lost and began depending on the government for all their important informationbut some information is a threat to national securitysuch as UFO technology and alien intelligence, so they cant announce it. He went on to say, What would happen if Taiwan found out about aliens and got some of their DNA and began cloning aliens so that they could help Taiwan become more power nation. That would be a game changer. Tilting the scale of power from the big countries to the smallest. We no longer need to depend on our government for knowledge. We have each other, and that gives us more hard working people and more in-depth research results.

Earlier, alien hunters have spotted several objects to prove alien life on Mars including insects near Curiosity rover, UFO near ISS, carved face monument on Mars, alien missile on Mars, Greek God Pan, Machine used by aliens, two strange artifacts, gold ring and alien gloves, Gautam Buddha statue, and much more including alien city, drone, goblin face, etc. All these things point towards the alien life on the red planet.

Some also claim that the US space agency NASA can not ignore such things and they know that aliens do live but they are hiding it from us. However, NASA unofficially claimed it to be Pareidolia  a psychological phenomenon involving a stimulus wherein the mind perceives a familiar pattern of something where none actually exists.
tech2 News Staff

Amazon Alexa based devices were the top selling products on Amazon.com over the holiday season, across all categories. The Amazon Echo sold nine times more in the 2016 holiday season, as compared to the sales in the 2015 holiday season. The Amazon Echo Dot was the most gifted product on the web site. The devices powered by Alexa on the bestsellers list were the Echo, the Echo Dot, Fire TV Stick and the Fire tablet.

Jeff Wilke, CEO Worldwide Consumer, Amazon, said, "Echo and Echo Dot were the best-selling products across Amazon this year, and we're thrilled that millions of new customers will be introduced to Alexa as a result. Despite our best efforts and ramped-up production, we still had trouble keeping them in stock. From turning on Christmas lights and playing holiday music to shopping for gifts and asking for help with cookie recipes, Alexa continues to get smarter every day."

Amazon released the most common searches during the holiday season, to give a sense of what the Alexa powered devices were actually used for. Users searched for cocktail recipes, and instructions on making cookies. Home Alone and Elf were the most streamed holiday movies. Users requested Alexa to "play holiday music", with the 1999 remaster of Jingle Bells by Frank Sinatra being the most requested song. Customers in San Diego and New York used Alexa to turn on Christmas Lights more than any other cities in the United States.

Amazon has announced the top selling products across individual categories. Fitbit Charge 2 was the most sold item in the fitness category, the Samsung 32-inch 1080p Smart LED TV was the most sold television, and Panasonic ErgoFit In-Ear Earbud Headphones was the top selling audio product.

Not everyone got what they expected when they ordered an Echo Dot during the holiday season. A family found to its horror and amusement that the Echo Dot started serving pornographic results, when a Toddler asked Alexa to play a song that he liked.
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In a latest incident of censorship, Facebook on Friday temporarily restricted journalist Kevin Sessums's account, after he called US President-elect Donald Trump's supporters "a nasty fascistic lot" in a post.

Known for his two best-selling memoirs, Sessums said that he shared a Facebook post from ABC News' political analyst Matthew Dowd that read: "In the last few hours I have been called by lovely 'christian' Trump fans: a jew, faggot, retard. To set record straight: divorced Catholic."

Sessums was later notified by Facebook that the post violated the company's "community standards" and was barred from posting for 24 hours.

It was only after the Guardian contacted Facebook that they reviewed and restored the post of the journalist.

"We are very sorry about this mistake," the Guardian quoted a spokesman of Facebook.

"The post was removed in error and restored as soon as we were able to investigate. Our team processes millions of reports each week, and we sometimes get things wrong," he added.

"It is chilling. It is arbitrary censorship. I was like, 'Wait a minute, do I have to be careful about what I say about Trump now?'" Sessums said.

Earlier this year, Facebook banned a post that contained the 'Napalm Girl' photograph on the grounds that it reflected indecency and suspended the journalist who had posted it.

The accounts of Palestinian journalists were also briefly blocked, which the Facebook called an innocent mistake.

IANS
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Web-based therapy for insomnia is an effective option that could reach "previously unimaginable numbers of people," researchers suggest. Although cognitive behaviour therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the first-line treatment for adults with chronic insomnia, there aren't enough trained clinicians to deliver the treatment, according to Dr Lee Ritterband of the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville and colleagues.

To investigate whether web based CBT-I is effective over the long term and might enable more people to benefit, the team randomly assigned 303 adults with chronic insomnia to a six-week automated, interactive and tailored web-based program (Sleep Healthy Using the Internet, or SHUTi, at http: www.myshuti.com) or an online, non-tailored patient education program about insomnia.

To be included in the study, participants had to take more than half an hour to fall asleep at the beginning of the night or be awake for more than half an hour after initially falling asleep at least three nights per week for at least six months; average 6.5 hours or less sleep time nightly; and experience significant stress or impaired functioning due to sleep disturbances. About half of participants also had at least one medical or psychiatric condition.

Most of the participants -77 in the SHUTi group (51 percent) and 69 in the patient education group (46 percent) -- had taken a sleep aid at least once. The research team reports in 'JAMA Psychiatry' that SHUTi was significantly more effective than the patient education program with respect to insomnia severity, delay until sleep onset and time awake after sleep onset.

By one year, insomnia was no longer a problem for 57 percent of SHUTi participants versus 27 percent of those receiving education. In addition, 70 percent of SHUTi participants had seen at least some improvement, compared to 43 percent of participants who received education. Ritterband said that the online intervention was not intended to replace faceto-face CBT-I, "but rather to expand the availability and access (to CBT-I) to meet the needs of the millions of people."

Dr Aric Prather of the University of California, San Francisco, co-author of an accompanying editorial, told Reuters Health, "This study provides the strongest evidence to date that web-based CBT-I is efficacious for treating patients with insomnia, including those with some psychiatric and medical comorbidities. These findings further highlight how technology can help scale the disseminations of needed interventions."

Reuters
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To create a single source of readily available database for policy-making, evaluation and distribution of resources, the state education department on Saturday launched the internet-based School Management Information System (SMIS). Launched by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, the SMIS developed by the Education Department is an integrated technology framework that automates the entire end-to-end management of school education and its related information in the state.

SMIS is a digital initiative which includes both e-management of schools and e-learning of students. Education Minister Naeem Akhtar said here on Saturday that SMIS is a repository for data collection, processing, analysing and reporting of educational information including schools, students, teachers and staff of each and every school in the state.

"It will provide administrators and teachers with the information required for informed planning, policy-making and evaluation. It will also empower the local communities to get involved in their children's education," he said. "SMIS will be the largest e-governance initiative in J&K with a huge base of stakeholders involving 33% of total employees of the state and around 26 lakh students," the minister said.

"SMIS provides readily available digital details of all the 28,000 schools in the state, their location, type of school, number of classrooms, toilets, library, science labs, boundary wall, number of teachers, number of students, teacher-student ratio," Akhtar said. "SMIS will help in scientific rationalisation of staff and space in schools, helping deployment of subject and qualification wise teachers. It also keep track of the academic performance of the schools, students, enrolment and dropout rate," he added.

The minister said given its large school system spread across length and breadth of the state the absence of a reliable database had resulted in poor decision-making, lack of transparency and accountability, uneven infrastructure and non-reliable teacher and student records, which compromise the larger goal of quality education.

IANS
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Several states around the country on Saturday asked cyber security experts to re-examine state and utility networks after a Vermont utility's laptop was found to contain malware U.S. officials say is linked to Russian hackers.

The Burlington Electric Department, one of Vermont's 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 company officials the threat was not unique to them.

The Department of Homeland Security said it had no information indicating the power grid was penetrated in the cyber operation. A spokesman wouldn't say whether any other utilities, organisations or entities had reported similar malware on their systems but said any such information would be confidential.

Officials in New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut said they're more closely monitoring state and utility networks for anything suspicious. "We have not detected any activity matching the reported malware at this time," Connecticut governor's office spokesman Chris Collibee said. New Jersey's homeland security director said the state had no reports of malicious activity associated with Grizzly Steppe at major utility systems.

In New York, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo directed all state agencies to re-examine their computer systems for security breaches. Nothing had been found. An attack on a U.S. power grid has long been a nightmare scenario for top U.S. officials. The National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command chief Adm. Michael Rogers have previously warned it's not a matter of if but when attackers target U.S. power systems.

On 23 December 2015, a highly sophisticated cyberattack on the power grid in Ukraine hit three regional electronic power distribution companies, blacking out more than 225,000 customers. Democratic Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin said his administration has been in touch with the federal government and the state's utilities. He said people should be "alarmed and outraged" that Russia "has been attempting to hack our electric grid, which we rely upon to support our quality-of-life, economy, health and safety."

Burlington Electric noted it wasn't connected to the grid system and didn't explain how the malware got onto the computer. The company said U.S. government authorities alerted American utilities about the malware code Thursday in a report released when Democratic 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 spies.

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 more difficult for Republican 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 Obama's response was warranted. "This attack shows how rampant Russian hacking is. It's 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 utility's malware discovery. The Rossiya state television channel said the Post provided no confirmation Russia was 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 cyber attack 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.

Associated Press
The Pacers defeated the Orlando Magic 117-104 on Sunday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, but their biggest victory of the day came on the videoboard with the lip sync cam trolling Careys New Years Eve performance:

The @Pacers and @SportsVanessa just did the Mariah Carey Lip Sync cam and our whole section is

You probably noticed that the song playing for the lip sync cam was Mariah Careys hit Emotions, the same song that began her disastrous New Years Eve performance. The only question is, did the Pacers fans not actually know the words or did they play along with it? If they played along with it, that makes the stunt 10 times better.

Mariah Carey Lip Sync Cam at the Pacers game. savage A video posted by David Downham (@ddownham) on Jan 1, 2017 at 4:31pm PST

Pacers wrong, man. "Lip Sync Cam" to a Mariah Carey song. pic.twitter.com/gDwrMrHt6k  Michael Grady (@Grady) January 2, 2017

What did Mariah Carey do to the Pacers? Sheesh  MM5 (@__JimmyGuapp10) January 2, 2017

Now its only a matter of time  granted, were still a few months from the season  before a minor league baseball team follows suit.

Last year after Steve Harvey had his incident during the Miss University pageant, the Frisco Roughriders (Texas Rangers Double-A affiliate) made a promotion out of it:

[FTW]
May calls for unity in 2017 after divisive Brexit vote

Reuters, London :

British Prime Minister Theresa May pledged in a New Year message on Sunday 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 percent 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 percent who voted Leave and the 48 percent 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.




BETAGI(Barguna): Betagi Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal brought out a rally marking the 38th founding anniversary of the organisation on Sunday.
Diyaz's follower Mamun arrested

CU Correspondent :

Hathazari Thana police arrested Chittagong University unit Chhatra League Vice-President Mohammad Mamun on Sunday night in front of Abdur Rab Hall, just couple of hours of CU Unit BCL president's activists allegedly looted 40 rooms of AbdurRab Hall where Diyaz's follweres were residing.

Mamun was leading a portion of BCL after the demise of BCL central committee leader and CU unit ex-joint secretary Diyaz Irfan Chowdhury. He was accused in two cases in the attack on BCL vice-president TaiyefulHoque Topu on October 30 and in connection with the attack on Imtiaz Ovi on December 15.

Topu and Imtiaz Ovi was the followers of AlamgirTipu.

Officer-in-Charge of Hathazari Thana, Mujibur Rahman said, they detained Mohammad Mamun from AbdurRab Hall area in two cases.

Mamun was arrested just after couple of hours of a portion of CMC unit Chhatra League allegedly attacked on Mamun's followers while the re-autopsy team, comprising of DMC's Forensic Department visited the CMC forensic department.

Mamun's followers alleged that BCL's president group and activists of a portion of BCL, CMC unit attacked on them.




Human rights situation worsening

MEDIA reports on Sunday said that by and large the human rights situation in the country remained the same like previous years due to a worsening of civil and political rights. It is heartening that Bangladesh made some notable progress in meeting its socio-economic targets in 2016, attaining, as it did, lower-middle income status in South Asia. However, the country is witnessing the disturbing decline in civic and political liberties in the country, as highlighted by prominent Human Rights Watchdog, Ain O Salish Kendra, in its Human Rights Review Report 2016. The report notes that the past year was characterized by a shrinking space for freedom of expression and an increasing trend of militant attacks, extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances, repression of minorities and violence against women and children.



Reports highlighted that some 195 people were killed in "crossfire", "shootout", and "gunfight" with law enforcement agencies and in their custody last year. Ninety-seven people fell victim to enforced disappearances. The law and order situation deteriorated after targeted killings of foreigners, religious minorities and free thinkers by religious bigots. Violence also took place in the Union Council elections, leaving 147 people killed, which was the highest in any UP election. The ASK deemed the incident of Nasirnagar in Brahmanbaria to be the biggest, where 15 temples and more than 50 Hindu houses were attacked over a Facebook post allegedly for hurting religious sentiments of Muslims. Seventeen journalists faced repression by law enforcers, influential people, local representatives, criminals, political activists and government officials. Such an alarming human rights situation is by no means acceptable in any society .



State machinery is supposed to guarantee human rights and provide safety to its citizens but it has become the cause of people's insecurity so that the institutions of democracy and freedom are facing repeated threats. Moreover, the state has been more and more intolerant of dissent, curtailing freedom of expression both online and offline. So, the country is experiencing the decay of our professed democratic principles.



Concerted efforts of the government and the civil society are a must to establish equal rights and dignity of people irrespective of their caste and creed. Above all, the government has to play a more effective role to improve the human rights situation.






Regulatory unpredictability pushing economy in troubles

AMID chronic slow private investment, growing bad loans and capital flights, a sharp decline in remittance inflow poses a major challenge for the country's economy in 2017. Economic progress in 2016 was not bad as the export grew 6.9 percent to $31.83 billion in the first 11 months while tax collection by the National Board of Revenue grew 17.35 percent. But falling remittances outshone the positive economic indicators despite the increase of migrant people. Lack of good governance and accountability and impunity in financial crimes remain the major obstacle to the economic growth in general. The government and financial institutions should establish inclusive good governance and by ensuring investment-friendly environment, the economic growth should be translated into employment generation.



Foreign exchange reserve stood at $32 billion in December from $22 in January in 2016 despite the theft of $81 million from the Bangladesh Bank reserve in the New York Fed. In the meantime, bad loans in the country's banking sector increased by 24.57 percent to Tk 54,173.35 crore in the first nine months of the outgoing year from Tk 43,485.71 crore in December 2015. And the private sector credit growth decreased which showed a decline in the interest of businesses to expand their business despite huge liquidity in the banks.



The country's business sector is yet to get rid of a dull situation although there was no major political tension in 2016. Imports of industrial raw materials and intermediate goods did not increase much that could support the good growth in private investment. Stagnation in the ratio of private investment to Gross Domestic Product and ever increasing rise of capital flight, coupled with regulatory unpredictability in economic management appeared to be the major challenge in the economy.



In the absence of proper monitoring, dishonest businesses will siphon out money by over or under-invoicing. The suspicion is based on the Global Financial Integrity that reported that capital flight from Bangladesh surged 33.78 percent year-on-year to $9.66 billion in 2013. The government should offer incentives so that local investors feel encouraged to make more investment in the county. In the new reality of BD-China relationship, it is high time to rethink the private investment. The negative growth in remittance despite a good number of overseas job employments in 2016 is attributed to the economic slowdown in the Middle East countries, main sources of the country's 60 percent remittance flow, and the increased 'hundi' operation.



To overcome all such obstacles is not an easy task but establishment of good governance in financial institutions, diversity in the export basket and promoting investment-friendly climate can help the government to get success.
39 killed in car bomb blast in Baghdad market

ISIL claims attack

Crowds gathered at the square in Sadr City district after the blast. Internet photo

Al Jazeera News :

A suicide car bomb driven by ISIL fighters killed at least 39 people and wounded 57 in an attack on a busy square in Baghdad's sprawling Sadr City district.

The bomber driving a pickup truck struck an outdoor fruit and vegetable market, hitting daily labourers and a police checkpoint, a police officer said. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) took responsibility for the blast via its Amaq website, claiming the "martyrdom operation" had killed around 40 people. Baghdad has been the focus of renewed violence over the past few weeks. ISIL also claimed an attack in central Baghdad that killed at least 27 people on Saturday. US-backed Iraqi forces are currently fighting to push ISIL fighters from the northern city of Mosul, the armed group's last major stronghold in the country, but are facing fierce resistance. Since the offensive began on October 17, Iraqi forces have retaken a quarter of the city in the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

As clashes continued in and around Mosul, ISIL - which took the city in 2014 - also targeted on Monday military positions away from the main battlefield. Fighters attacked an army barracks near Baiji, 180km north of Baghdad, killing four soldiers and wounding 12 people, including Sunni tribal fighters, army and police sources said.

They seized weapons there and launched mortars at nearby Shirqat, forcing security forces to impose a curfew and close schools and offices in the town, according to local officials and security sources.

Shirqat mayor Ali Dodah said ISIL seized three checkpoints on the main road linking Baiji to Shirqat following the attacks. Shelling in Shirqat had killed at least two children, he told Reuters news agency by phone.

In a separate incident, gunmen broke into a village near Udhaim, 90km north of Baghdad, where they killed nine Sunni tribal fighters with shots to the head, police and medical sources said.


Govt bans ads on downlinked foreign TV channels

The government has slapped a ban on airing local advertisements on downlinked foreign television channels.

The Information Ministry issued an order on Monday in this regard.

As per the order, the airing of advertisements on downlinked foreign televisions has been banned as per Section 19(13) of the Cable Television Networks Regulation Act 2016.

It also said, punitive actions, including cancellation of no-objection certificate, permission and licence, will be taken if any television channel violates the order.
AL leader succumbs to injuries at DMCH

20 houses torched, 35 vandalised

Netrokona Correspondent :

Dulal Mia, a local Awami League leader of Kendua Upazila in Netrokona district, succumbed to his injuries at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Monday morning.

Dulal Mia received serious injuries during a clash on December 28 at Shahidpur Bazar of Kendua Upazila and he was later admitted to the DMCH. Meanwhile, as soon as the death news spread, the local AL activists became furious and set fire to 20 houses and vandalized 35 others.

Sirajul Islam, Officer-in-Charge of Kendua Police Station said the situation is now under control.

"Additional police have been deployed in and around the area," he said.
7.65 mm small arms used to kill Liton

Kazi Zahidul Hasan :

The killers used foreign handgun to kill Awami League (AL) lawmaker Manzurul Islam Liton, police said.

They said such type of gun was also used to kill Italian citizen Tavella Cesare, who was shot three times while jogging at the Gulshan Diplomatic Zone in September, 2015.

"The gun used to kill MP Liton is believed to be a 7.65 bore short type light firearms made by Yugoslavia," Deputy Inspector General of Police (Rangpur Range) Khandoker Golam Faruq told The New Nation on Monday night.

"We came to the conclusion following forensic examination carried on the bullets pierced Manzurul's body," he added.

He said local terrorist groups are frequently using this type of guns to carry out their killing mission because they are handy and easy to portable.

"We have information that local extremist groups and terrorists have a collection of such type small guns which are coming to Bangladesh through land, sea and airports illegally," he added.

The incidents of seizing consignments of small and portable deadly arms-ammunition have increased in the last three years.

"It appears to be a planned murder. We have suspicion local militant group might be involved in the killing," said Khandoker Golam Faruq.

He said police are looking into whether it was a part of feuds involving the lawmaker.

When asked, the regional police chief said, they are yet to get concrete information that he was killed by militants or other elements.

The Gaibandha lawmaker was shot dead by armed assailants at his house in Sundarganj on Saturday evening.

"Police launched an investigation into the murder focusing all possible sides, including militancy and feuds," said Khandoker Golam Faruq.

He said police so far detained 18 people for interrogation over the murder case.

Five motorcycle- riding assailants took part in the killing mission. Two of them entered the living room of MP Liton while the three others stayed outside.

The duo talked with the lawmaker before opening fire to him.

Gunshots were heard sometime after the youths entered the house. The five then fled by riding the motorcycles, according to witnesses.

But police said they had no leads in tracing the unidentified assailants.

The forensic team of the Rangpur Medical College Hospital (RMCH) which conducted autopsy of Liton said yesterday that the MP died due to 'excessive bleeding' after the shooting. Five bullets injury marks were found in his body.


Judge crisis hits trial process

Gulam Rabbani :

Judge crisis is disrupting the trial process as more than 30 lakh cases are now pending in the Supreme Court and the lower courts across the country.

According to a statistics, more than four lakh cases are pending in both the divisions of the Supreme Court. But only 97 judges are working in the apex court.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has only eight judges and the High Court (HC) Division has 89 judges. Three of the HC judges are conducting cases in the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) while four others are seriously sick.

The Chief Justice, Surendra Kumar Sinha, in a conference had recently said that he was facing trouble to form benches in the HC as there is judge crisis.

Supreme Court sources said, seven HC judges will go on retirement in 2017. This will increase the crisis definitely, they said.

On August 2016, Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha had a long meeting with Law Minister Anisul Haque when he advised the government to recruit eight Additional Judges in the High Court. But the government didn't take any step in this regard yet.

There are 1655 posts for judges in lower courts across the country. But the 387 posts of them are still vacant. 1268 judges are working in the lower courts to conduct more than 27 lakh cases. But more than 200 judges are working in different other departments on deputation.

As the number of cases increasing day by day, it is difficult for the existing judges to conduct this large number of cases.

The Chief Justice said in 'National Judicial Conference 2016' on December 24, 2016 that the recruitment of judges in the lower courts take time as the Law Ministry didn't requisite it in time. If the number of the judges got double then the disposal of cases could be increased, added the CJ.

According to another statistics, 107 judges work for every 10 lakh people in the United States, 75 judges in Canada, 51 in Britain, 41 in Australia and 18 in India. But in Bangladesh only 10 judges work for every 10 lakh people.

Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court and former President of the Supreme Court Bar Association Advocate Khandker Mahbub Hossain said that judges are recruited as per population ratio in other developed countries. We also demanded this in various times. But no government listened to us.

Now the CJ is saying about this. Hope, the government will take necessary steps to fulfil this demand. Otherwise, the people may lose confidence on Judiciary, said Khandker Mahbub.
MPs want security like Ministers

Govt not alarmed, says Home Minister

Staff Reporter :

In the wake of the killing of ruling Awami League MP from Gaibandha-1 Constituency Manzurul Islam Liton, lawmaker from both the Treasury and Opposition Benches on Monday demanded immediate foolproof security for them like Cabinet Members.



Taking part in the Namaz-e-Janaza of slain Liton at the South Plaza of National Parliament complex yesterday, Deputy Speaker Fazley Rabbi Mian and some lawmakers made the demand for security of all MPs.



Liton was shot dead by unidentified miscreants at his village home in Gaibandha district on December 31.



Most of the lawmakers reportedly have cancelled their tours outside Dhaka following the killing, fearing possible militant attacks.



They have decided not to meet party activists at their respective residences and offices until and unless their identities are confirmed by their personal security officers, according to sources.



Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday said Liton was killed in a planned way.



She made this remark in the weekly meeting of the Cabinet held at Bangladesh Secretariat.



"The conspirators tarnished his (Liton) image first before killing him. The vested quarters, who don't believe in the country's Liberation War and Independence continue hatching conspiracy to kill the Awami League's lawmakers. At least seven lawmakers were killed since 1975 to till date," quoting Sheikh Hasina, a Minister said.



Deputy Speaker Fazley Rabbi Mian requested Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to ensure security to the lawmakers.



"Lawmakers are now suffering from insecurity following the latest killing of their fellow colleague Liton. Many of them have already applied for providing security personnel to them," the Deputy Speaker said.



Earlier in the wake of deadly terror attacks, especially on Holey Artisan Bakery at Gulshan cafe in city on July 1, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had asked her cabinet members and lawmakers to move cautiously.



Fazley Rabbi Mian said some lawmakers have already employed 'gunmen' for their security.



"We want all lawmakers' security. We are requesting the Prime Minister to provide security to the all MPs," he said.



Replying to a query whether lawmakers will be isolated, he said the MPs do not move with the escort of security personnel.



"But the ministers have been provided all out security. Security is first to the all lawmakers right now," the Deputy Speaker said.



Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif MP said the lawmakers have to go to their respective constituencies frequently as the peoples' representatives, they need security.



"We want security," he said.



Md. Nurul Islam Omar, opposition Jatiya Party MP from Bogra-6 Constituency said all lawmakers became concerned following Liton murder.



"Since I have received the Liton's death news, we've become concerned about. We want security," he added.

However, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said there is no security threat following the killing of lawmaker Monzurul Islam Liton.



"The government is not alarmed about security issue in the country, as law enforcers are working to identify the killers of Liton," he told journalists.



Earlier, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid their rich tributes to slain Awami League lawmaker from Gaibandha-1 Constituency Manzurul Islam Liton as his coffin was brought at the Jatiya Sangsad premises.



The President and the Prime Minister placed wreaths on Liton's coffin after the Namaz-e-Janaza was held at the South Plaza of Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.



President's military secretary Major General Md Sarwar Hossain laid a wreath on Liton's coffin draped in national flag on behalf of the head of the state.



Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina then placed a wreath on the coffin stood in solemn silence there for sometime as a mark of respect to the memory of Liton.



Flanked by senior party leaders, Awami League President Sheikh Hasina also placed another wreath on the coffin of Liton.



Deputy Speaker Fazley Rabbi Mian, Chief Whip ASM Feroz and other Whips also placed wreaths on the coffin.

On behalf of Opposition Leader in Jatiya Sangsad Begum Raushan Ershad, Opposition Whip Md Nurul Islam Omar placed a wreath on the coffin.



Later, a munajat was offered seeking eternal peace of the departed soul of the slain AL lawmaker. Pesh Imam of Jatiya Sangsad Mosque Moulana Nurul Islam conducted the munajat.



Earlier, the Namaz-e-Janaza of Liton was held at the South Plaza of Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.



A large number of people, including Ministers, Whips, MPs, and Awami League leaders, attended the janaza.


2 female militants on fresh remand

Court Correspondent :

The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court of Dhaka court on Monday put two female militants on a six-day remand afresh, these militants were detained from Ashkona area of city's Dakshinkhan.

Magistrate Sottobroto Sikdar of the court passed the order after hearing on the remand plea of the prosecution. The two militants are: Jebunnahar

Shila- wife of former major Jahidul Islam, who was killed during the raid of the law enforcers earlier in the city and Ayesha Siddika alias Trisha- wife of fugitive militant Musa.

Sayedur Rahman, Investigation Officer (IO) of the case and also an inspector of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit, produced them to the court, with a 10-day remand plea on completion of their seven days' remand.

On December 26, the court placed two militants on a seven-day remand each in the case, filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act.


Foreign buyers now want 'one-stop print solution'

UNB, Dhaka :

Foreign buyers now expect to have all types of print and printing solution from the same place within a short span of time, said a top apparel sector leader on Monday.

"Foreign buyers will avail themselves of one-stop printing solution from DCC. As a result, their reliance and popularity for Bangladeshi manufactured fabrics will increase," said Faruque Hassan, senior vice president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). He made the remark while visiting DCC Print Vision LLP Textile studio in the city. During his visit at DCC Print Vision LLP Textile, situated at capital's Banani, he inspected printing machine, printing technology along with different one-stop printing solution. Faruk Hassan said organisations like DCC Print Vision LLP Textile can make a significant contribution towards fulfilling the dream of manufacturing fabrics in readymade garment sector of Bangladesh by 2021. DCC Country Manager HN Ashikur Rahman said there are immense possibilities in Textile Printing industry of Bangladesh but it lacks in one-stop solution. "DCC decides to start its operation in Bangladesh after a continuous request of customers of Bangladeshi Textile industry. DCC is moving towards establishing a world-class printing studio," he said.

To reinforce the textile printing industry in Bangladesh, DCC has recently established a world-class printing studio for the first time in Bangladesh. DCC will organise constant workshops to create skilled manpower, and one-stop solution is unparalleled in terms of making the textile printing industry digital and taking it to the leading position. The country's revenue from textile industry will get a boots simultaneously.
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.
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Paris, TX (75460)

Today

Variable clouds and becoming windy with strong thunderstorms. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. High 74F. Winds SSE at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms, some strong in the evening, will give way to clear skies overnight. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. Low 44F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
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.

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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.

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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

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[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.
WILLIAMSON COUNTY  A car crash at 9:45 a.m. Monday on Illinois 148 at Grassy Road ended with minor injuries and an arrest, according to a news release from the Illinois State Police, District 13.

Hannah Romines, 19, of Herrin, was driving northbound on Illinois 148 in a 2003 Jeep Liberty when she failed to slow down and rear-ended a 2005 Chevrolet Aveo driven by Darius Estes, 28, of Murphysboro, who had slowed his vehicle down to turn into a private driveway, according to police.

Romines suffered minor injuries and was transported to Heartland Regional Medical Center. She was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and failure to wear a seat belt. Estes was cited for no valid drivers license. Estes' passenger, 39-year-old Latichia Cook, of Murphysboro, was arrested on an outstanding warrant out of Jackson County, according to police.

Both vehicles sustained major damage and were towed from the scene.

The Illinois State Police were assisted by the Williamson County Sheriffs Office, Lake of Egypt Fire Department, and Vernells Towing.

 The Associated Press
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/12/30/no-us-carrier-at-sea-leaves-gap-in-middle-east.html

2017



No US carrier at sea leaves gap in Middle East

For the next week, not only will there be no U.S. Navy aircraft carrier in the Middle East, but there will be no American aircraft carriers deployed at sea anywhere else in the world, despite a host of worldwide threats facing the United States.

VIDEO: WHAT THE AIR FORCE NEEDS TO KEEP UP WITH GLOBAL DEMAND

The carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and her strike group returned to Norfolk, Va., Friday following a seven-month deployment. The Ike launched hundreds of airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria from both the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf.

Two destroyers in the Ikes strike group also saw combat. The USS Nitze and USS Mason were attacked in the Red Sea when Iranian backed Houthi forces in Yemen launched cruise misisles, which were intercepted by the Mason. A retaliatory strike by the Nitze destroyed the radar installations in Yemen in October.

IRAN CONDUCTS 'WAR-GAME' EXERCISES, THREATENS TO SHOOT DOWN TRESPASSING AIRCRAFT

The Eisenhowers replacement carrier, the USS George H.W. Bush, was delayed by more than six months in the shipyards and will not be able to replace the Ike until early next year, according to Navy officials.

While there is no U.S. aircraft carrier in the Middle East right now, there is a large deck U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship with thousands of Marines on board as well as helicopters and some jets to respond to a crisis, according to officials.

In the meantime, the Navy tells Fox News the U.S. military has other jets available to make up for the aircraft carrier gap in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world. The Navy can also surge a carrier now in port to deploy if necessary. But the absence of a deployed U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, long seen as a symbol of American power projection, is noteworthy. It is believed to be the first time since World War II that at least one U.S. aircraft carrier has not been deployed.

We are not going to discuss the timing of operational movements of carrier strike groups into and out of the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, said Capt. Terry Shannon, a U.S. Naval Forces Central Command spokesman, in a statement to Fox News. Centcom is tasked with control over all U.S. forces in the Middle East and Afghanistan.

Its not the first time there was a carrier gap in the Middle East. Last fall, the U.S. Navy relied on a French aircraft carrier to fill the void when the USS Theodore Roosevelt returned home. At the time it was the first gap in carrier coverage in the Middle East since 2007.

Other factors contribute to the U.S. Navy not having an aircraft carrier deployed anywhere in the world right now. From 2011 to 2013, the Navy maintained two carriers in the Persian Gulf on the orders of Centcom's then-commander, Gen. James Mattis, who is now President-elect Donald Trumps pick for defense secretary.

The congressionally mandated budget cuts known as sequestration have also been felt on the waterfront since 2011. After billions of dollars were cut from the Navys budget, ships such as the George H.W. Bush were forced to prolong their time in the shipyards, which had a ripple effect down the line. If the Bush had left the shipyard on time, she would have relieved the Ike in the Gulf or the Mediterranean, officials tell Fox News.

Fox News recently flew out to the USS George H.W. Bush 40 miles off the coast of North Carolina to see the crew's final tuneup.

With jets landing every 60 seconds, the flight deck crew worked on getting the time between traps (landings) down to 40 seconds.

Aboard the ship, 18- to 22-year-old men and women work 14 hour days on the flight deck, with little rest -- all this before deploying and potentially dropping live rounds on ISIS.

This is the military equivalent of spring training, because once we complete this at the end of December, then we'll be going forward and it'll be real forces that we'll be going flying with and against, said Rear Adm. Kenneth Whitesell, commander, Carrier Strike 2, interviewed on his perch above the four-acre flight deck known as Vulture's Row.

In addition to fighting ISIS, the ship's commanding officer says his crew will be ready to deal with a resurgent Russia or China if necessary.

While we don't have any emergent or pending conflicts with them, certainly, it is fair to say that we have divergent interests in many cases. and so we need to be prepared to understand how we will react to that if necessary, said Capt. Will Pennington.

There is recent history with this ship.

On Aug. 8, 2014, a pair of F-18s from the Bush launched the first airstrikes against ISIS in northern Iraq.

Now, two and a half years later, the ship is headed back to the fight against the Islamic State terror group.

That doesn't mean that three months or six months from now, that will be the priority for our country. So we have to be ready to execute anywhere, anytime, any mission, said Capt. James McCall, commander of Air Wing 8, in charge of all of the aircraft on board.

Fox News' Stephen Scarola contributed to this report.

Lucas Tomlinson is the Pentagon and State Department producer for Fox News Channel. You can follow him on Twitter: @LucasFoxNews
James DimmockFour men were shot -- two of them fatally -- outside a Connecticut concert venue where rapper Meek Mill had performed Friday night, police said.

Police in the town of Wallingford -- about 14 miles north of New Haven -- said the concert appeared to be winding down when shots were fired outside the Oakdale Theater.

Police did not explicitly tie the shooting to the concert or Meek, whose real name is Robert Williams.

The two males who survived the shooting have non-life threatening injures and were transported to Hartford Hospital and Yale New Haven Hospital, Wallingford Police Lt. Cheryl Bradley told reporters.

Lt. Bradley did not provide any information about the deceased victims. She also said it is unclear if the victims knew each other or what prompted the shooting.

As of early Saturday morning, no one was in custody.

Lt. Bradley explained, "We received a 911 call from an employee at the Oakdale Theatre ... The caller reported that he was outside of the Oakdale with a victim who was shot in the leg. Our units responding determined that there were actually 4 victims, 2 with non-life-threatening injuries ... 2 victims determined to be deceased. Everything occurred outside of the Oakdale, it appeared to be near closing, the closing of the event."

She added, "At this time, we are looking into possible leads, suspect vehicles, descriptions."

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Although fires have roared through the Appalachian Mountains devouring thousands of acres during late 2016, a Clemson University professor wants people to understand not all fires are bad.

Rob Baldwin, a forestry and environmental conservation professor, has received a three-year grant for $216,000 from the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Services to fund outreach activities for the Consortium of Appalachian Fire Managers and Scientists.

Fire is a natural part of forests, Baldwin said. It is made worse by poor fire management. We want to teach people how to properly use fire to prevent fire-related disasters, such as what were now seeing in the Appalachian Mountains.

The consortium, headquartered at Clemson, is comprised of fire managers and researchers who work in the field of fire science. It will hold prescribed fire public meetings, a fire communications workshop and publish a newsletter and other means of communicating with the public about fire management.

Helen Mohr, consortium director, said the mission of the Consortium is to facilitate the flow of information about fire science and research needs among managers and scientists in the Appalachian region.

The fire managers are out in the field every day and they have a good feel for what research is needed, said Mohr, who also is a forester with the United States Forest Service. The consortium communicates this message to the scientists who conduct the research to provide solutions to fire-related issues.
Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service will offer a private pesticide applicator license certification training Thursday Jan. 19.

The training session will be from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the county office located at 1550 Henley St., Suite 200, in Orangeburg.

The private applicator license is intended for agricultural producers who must purchase, use or supervise the use of restricted-use pesticides on their operation. This is not a certification for homeowners, commercial applicators or pest control operators.

For more information, contact Jonathan Croft at the Clemson Extension Office to register for the program at 803-534-6280 or email croft@clemson.edu.

Contact Croft by Monday, Jan. 16, if you plan to attend.

The cost of the training is $100 payable at the door with cash or check. Fee covers the cost of handouts, break refreshments and lunch.

Forest management courses

The Clemson University Cooperative Extension's Forestry and Wildlife Team is offering a series of forest management courses.

The course, "Woodland Management: The First Look" workshop is designed to educate participants on forest management.

The program will be held at the Pee Dee Research and Education Center at 2200 Pocket Road in Florence Jan. 12; at the Edisto REC 64 Research St. in Blackville Jan. 26; and the Sandhill REC at 900 Clemson Road in Columbia Feb. 10.

The cost per person is $50. Class size is limited to 50 participants.

Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. with the welcome at 9 a.m. The workshops will end around 4 p.m. Lunch will be provided.

Topics include: objectives in forest management, benefits of proper management, wildlife management, life of a stand, contracts and selling timber, opportunities for youth in forestry and a field tour.

Topic presenters will be Clemson Extension forestry and wildlife agents.

The First Look program is the first of the series of programs that will be held in January and February and focuses on the basics of forest management. This will be the same program replicated in the different locations.

Individuals can register at http://www.clemson.edu/extension/forestry/ or call Paula Varn at 843-563-5773.

S.C. expo begins Jan. 11

FLORENCE  Get ready to learn where your food and fiber comes from at the 2017 South Carolina AgriBiz and Farm Expo in the Florence Civic Center Jan. 11-12.

Hosted by leaders in the South Carolina agricultural industry, the expo is an event representing all aspects of agriculture both large and small. Admission is $5 per person. Children 10 and younger are admitted free with a parent. Tickets are available cash-only at Civic Center ticket booths. The Florence Civic Center is located at 3300 West Radio Drive.

Attractions at this fifth Expo include a farm show with a wide variety of equipment and farm products, coupled with educational components.

Clemson experts in organic crop production, agribusiness and marketing, vegetable production, food safety and hay production will be among the presenters.

The theme for this years educational sessions is Efficiency on Your Farm. Educational sessions during this years expo include several sessions slated for 9:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 11, in the concourse area of the Civic Center. They will cover how to recognize and maximize opportunities found on farms, the business basics of small farming operations, attracting and retaining customers, post-harvest handling and packaging of products from farm to fork and growing organic vegetable crops and cover crops.

S.C. AgriBiz Youth Day event will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday. This event is free, but registration is requested for planning purposes. Also on Wednesday, the FFA Statewide Tractor Operations and Safety CDE Contest will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. This event is for registered FFA participants, but everyone can attend.

Thursdays activities are scheduled begin at 9 a.m. in the Pee Dee Room. Thursdays events feature a vegetable production meeting and a discussion on the Food Safety Modernization Act. Attendees also will hear small farming success stories and other tips to help farmers create and maintain successful farming operations.

A Certified Animal Manure Managers class is scheduled for 12:30 to 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12, in the Santee Room. The class is titled Impact of Fluctuating Fertilizer Prices on Manure Nutrient Value and will teach farmers how to improve efficiency by using litter on their crop land. Attendees will receive two hours of certification hours. For information about the CAMM class, contact Bryan Smith, CAMM program coordinator, at 864-984-2514, ext. 112, or wsmith@clemson.edu.

Other events taking place during the expo include a Food Truck Rodeo from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day and features vendors Its a Matter of Taste and The Donut Guy.

A Taste of South Carolina reception will be from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday Jan. 10, and will feature key agribusiness companies, leaders, award-winners and advocates associated with South Carolina agriculture. This reception is an invitation engagement with limited tickets available. To purchase a ticket, go to http://bit.ly/2i7S5Os.

South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers will host a Breakfast with the Commissioner from 8 to 9 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 12, at the Expo. Admission is $25 for individuals and $250 for corporate tables. To register, go to http://bit.ly/2gUKx0C.

For a full list of events, or for more information, go to http://scagribiz.com/expo/
If someone read you a page out of the Bible and a page out of Playboy magazine, would you be able to tell the difference?

If your answer is yes, then according to Walter Cronkite, you should have no problem telling the difference between objective journalism and an opinion column. He once said, objective journalism and an opinion column are about as similar as the Bible and Playboy magazine.

Cronkite, a legend and respected force in journalism, once known as the most trusted man in America, had a point, one that most would probably have agreed with, that is until the internet and social media came along.

During the 2016 presidential election, the American public experienced an election where lies were commonplace and fake news stories reigned supreme. Journalists were called scum and disgusting by the man who is set to become the next president of the United States of America.

While the presidential race may be over, the wounds are still healing. And while President-elect Donald Trump seems to be softening on some of his campaign promises, he has yet to back off the media.

Like me, most working journalists have probably experienced public sentiment mirroring what Trump said on the campaign trail or on Twitter about journalism and the media. The comments and the sentiment can be troubling for any journalist but more important they could be threatening the foundation of our democracy.

As journalists we seek truth and report it. We do so by minimizing harm to those involved. We act independently. We are transparent. We hold ourselves accountable.

These ethics help us uphold our responsibility to the public. That responsibility, among other things, is to inform, provide a voice to the voiceless and hold the powerful accountable. To do this we have to be able to function free and without fear of prosecution, as intended by our founding fathers.

Trump is no longer a private citizen. He is president-elect and will soon become the most powerful person in this country. The public deserves and is entitled to access and information about what he does and where he goes.

It is important the access is not limited to press releases, videos, images, etc. that are taken by his staff, supporters or the government, because in this country we do not live under a dictatorship where the government controls the message.

This is not about journalists and news organizations having access; its about allowing the American people access. The public has a right to facts and original sources of information, like government documents. It is the role of journalists and news organizations to provide that to them.

If journalists dont who will?

Will it all come from the government via press releases or Mr. Trumps Twitter feed? Will the American people be lied to? Are the American people OK with being lied to? Are they OK with not being allowed access to the information that belongs to them?

If journalists are forced out of the White House, state houses, city council meetings, denied access to Mr. Trump or other officials, the public will be forced to receive news about this countrys leaders and the decisions they are making through one lens: that of the government.

In that case, who will stop the government from pushing an agenda, something they already try to do?

Public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. Public opinion may not be in journalists favor right now, but the public needs real, accurate and unbiased reporting. More important, they deserve it.

Oscar Wilde once said, In America the president reigns for four years, and journalism governs forever and ever.

Journalists and news organizations have worked tirelessly to protect the First Amendment and will continue to. And it is hoped one day it will once again be as easy to tell the difference between an opinion column and objective journalism as it is the Bible and Playboy magazine.

Lynn Walsh is national president for the Society of Professional Journalists.
Donald Trumps comments on the media resonated with voters because the news media stopped being an honest broker between competing interests in our civic life.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press , says our Constitutions First Amendment.

By placing press freedom within the very first of 10 very important amendments, and third in the enumerated list of rights within that, the founding fathers signaled how very important freedom of the press would be if our Republic were to survive long, and in reasonable harmony.

Ask most working journalists today why the founders were so enthusiastic, and theyll say its because the press serves as a watchdog on powerful politicians, corrupt institutions, greedy businesses and out-of-control government agencies.

Speaking truth to power, some will say, invoking for their profession not only value and virtue, but a hint of courage, as if editorial writers for the New York Times and the lonely student who stood before the line of tanks in Tiananmen Square have little to separate them but language and distance.

Theyre not wrong  except mostly about the courage  but theyre missing something vital, and something key to understanding why what Donald Trump said resonated with voters.

And theyre also missing what very likely is the most important reason ever for a free press.

A functioning, reasonably honest news media dedicated to covering the circumstances and concerns of all the diverse groups in society is probably the largest reason free societies like our own are not in a near-constant state of unrest, even violent revolution.

People who believe their concerns are being heard (which in a country this large requires them to be reported), and that others care about their concerns (which the fact that they are receiving a fair amount of news coverage tends to prove), have reason to hope their concerns will be addressed.

The safety value of a fair press, covering everybodys concerns and views fairly, is at least as key as fair elections to keeping us all reasonably satisfied with the way our country works.

The press provides a metaphorical grease to our civic life by giving a safe platform for competing voices to interact without excessive friction.

When the press elevates peoples genuine concerns and shares them fairly and objectively with others, it prevents almost everyone from feeling compelled to engage in risk-taking, violence or revolution to have their concerns addressed.

But what does the public do when news reports are overwhelmingly one-sided, and/or all-but-ignore the issues millions of Americans care deeply about?

When perhaps a persons economic circumstances are dire and as far as he can tell, no one outside his circle of family, friends and acquaintances even cares?

Its commonplace to see major media news stories about the concerns of illegal immigrants who hope not to be deported.

Compare that to the number of stories you saw, especially before Trumps candidacy, about an unemployed citizen or legal resident who cant find a job, or can only find a job with artificially-depressed wages, in a field employing many illegal immigrants.

It wasnt 50-50, was it? The press mostly overlooked the citizens concerns.

The construction or hospitality worker with depressed wages, a struggling taxpayer who sees 20 percent of New York City residents receive food stamps, a longtime factory worker who sees her job go abroad, all the Americans whose stories didnt appeal to the press  their stories rarely got told.

Until Donald J. Trump. He told their stories. And called out the media for not telling those stories first, and often.

In response, the established politicians, the editorial boards of 57 out of 59 newspapers, all told the public to avoid Donald J. Trump.

He was a risk, they said.

We dont know his views, they said.

Hes probably just promoting his brand, they said.

But tens of millions of Americans had already lost hope, and people who have lost hope are willing to take risks.

Electing Donald J. Trump was a risk.

But when he described the news media, his concerns were theirs. He got it.

His comments resonated with voters because they agreed with him. The press had ignored their concerns. It had stopped carrying out its vital function in American civic life. It had stopped being an honest broker between competing interests. The public noticed. It cared. And Donald Trump also noticed, and as far as they could tell, he cared.

Amy Ridenour is chairman of the National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative Washington think-tank.
South Carolina State University is asking the legislature for $26,623,342 for 2017-18. The institution lists information technology as its top priority, but it is also requesting money for various other projects.

Information

Technology

The school says it needs almost $5.5 million to update an IT system that President James Clark called abysmal in September. At that time, he told trustees that the school is reaching a near catastrophic meltdown of our network.

More recently, he noted that some of the equipment is so old that its no longer supported by the manufacturer and the school has to "work miracles to keep it up and running."

Because the systems software and internet connections cant support the abundance of technology activities going on at S.C. State at the same time, things that should be done in a few moments often take hours, Clark said. Staff have to decide which issues need to be addressed immediately and which can be delayed.

The university wants $5 million in non-recurring funds to pay for software and equipment to increase internet service, provide reliable WiFi coverage, a network security firewall and secure data storage. Its also asking for $450,000 in recurring general funds to increase internet bandwidth; to provide security, network and antivirus monitoring annually.

Truth Hall

The universitys largest monetary request is $8,465,000 for extensive renovations and updates to Truth Hall, which has been closed for several years.

At one point, the projected cost of putting the 14-story womens residence hall back online was about $5 million, but Clark says the cost has gone up. Anytime repairs to a structure are left undone, the problems get worse, he said.

Truth Hall, which was built in the early 1970s, has good bones, a good and solid foundation, Clark said. But nothings been spent on maintenance and renovations in quite some time, and there are some things that need to be fixed or replaced, he noted.

The requested funds would be used to replace the roof, install a $1.9 million fire suppression and fire alarm system, security cameras, card access to doors and elevators, two new elevators, fan coil units, a new chiller and hot water boiler units. The funds would also pay for renovations to bathrooms, including new flooring and fixtures as well as computer monitors, projector screens and WiFi.

Clark said the project will take a long time. At best, the building wont be back online until the fall of 2018, he said. He said the odds arent good for getting all the money the schools requested at this time.

But even if we're smiled upon, it (the money) wouldnt show up till around July (2017), Clark said. Then the university will have to get numerous approvals from various governmental organizations until the work can begin.

Student success,

enrollment

and retention

S.C. State is enrollment-driven, Clark said. If more students are enrolled and remain in school, the institution will be able to pay its bills and there wont be a need for furloughs.

The school is asking for a total of $6,316,800 in recurring and non-recurring funds to attract new students, help them find scholarships and put tools in place to help them be more successful academically.

Approximately $212,500 would be used annually to pay for communications and marketing initiatives to attract new students. Another $217,000 would be used to create a tutorial center and pay for a director and two student coordinators.

Currently, about 700 students will not be able to return to school next semester because theyve passed the debt ceiling set by the university, Clark said.

But at a cost of $1.4 million, the Presidential Promise Plan would help students like these pay their debts down enough for them to re-enroll, he said. To get the aid, students would be required to put in a certain number of service hours in various jobs on campus, Clark said.

The budget request shows that the university will be cutting almost $400,000 in 31 scholarships next year because the university cannot afford them, he said.

However, S.C. State plans to implement a new scholarship system to teach students how and where to search for scholarships that will meet their needs, Clark said.

Instead of us giving you all the fish, we want to teach you how to fish, he said.

Other designations for the funds include the following:

$548,000 for an online program thats more convenient and less expensive for students.

$1.3 million for a one-stop student service center in the Crawford-Zimmerman building that will include the offices of financial aid, admissions, student accounts, registrar, veterans affairs and the bookstore.

$837,500 for institutional branding -- for marketing materials and digital media to highlight academic programs, student service programs, etc.

$750,000 to renovate the student activities center, including partial replacement of the roof and doors.

Clyburn

Transportation Center

The university is requesting a total of $3,058,016 for the Clyburn Transportation Center. Of that total, $513,000 in recurring funds would pay salaries of two faculty members, five graduate assistants and five research assistants in the Masters of Science in Transportation Program.

All activities for the masters program are housed in the Transit Center, Clark said. He said there are presently four graduate students in the program and several professors have been reassigned to work with them.

In addition, the university is asking for $2.5 million to match $10.2 million in federal money originally slated for an archives and research center. The structure was to be part of an $88 million national research complex charged with implementing transportation infrastructure in the state. Though S.C. State lost its designation as a national research center, the funds are still available to the school.

At this point, the university will have to submit a plan to the federal government for approval, Clark said. But plans are to use it for construction for the Transportation Center, he said.

Clark said he does not foresee the university ever regaining its original status as a national transportation research center. Its lost too much ground, he said.

Weve got to earn our reputation back, Clark said.

However, he sees the school as being very involved in producing graduates to work in various areas related to transportation. There will be many opportunities to work with the S.C. Department of Transportation, chances to do research and work with partners, he said.

In my view, South Carolina has become a transportation state ... land, sea and probably rail, Clark said. I think were fourth in the nation for interstate mileage.

Roof replacements

Phase I

The university reports that it needs to replace roofs on 20 structures at a cost of $5.2 million. However, its currently asking for $1,445,000 to replace roofs on five of the buildings: Turner Hall, $775,000; Staley Hall, $300,000; Mays II, $90,000; Williams Hall, $190,000; Crawford Zimmerman, $90,000.

Those structures were selected because they had the worst problems, Clark said. The bottom line is that certain buildings have to be done, he said.

For example, the Crawford-Zimmerman houses the computer center, Clark noted. During recent storms, he and others had to put out buckets to catch the water and cover the equipment with tarps and plastic, he said.

Clark said that some of the buildings are leaking because of the way they were constructed.

Water is actually pulled into the building in a way that causes damage, he said.

Critical

staff positions

The university is asking for $1,009,700 in recurring funds to support the following personnel:

Finance department -- two senior accountants, a senior budget analyst, a budget analyst

Institutional Advancement -- three development officers assigned to fundraising

For the universitys public brand -- three communication/media specialists

Procurement office -- two purchasing agents, a warehouse receiver

Matching funds

for existing

federal grants

S.C. State is asking for $368,826 in matching funds that would bring in $1.9 million in matching federal funds for Long Term Training Mental Illness, Long Term Training School to Work Grant and SCSU RSA/Vocational Rehabilitation Training Grant.

The institution is also asking for $500,000 to repair the roof of the I.P. Stanback Museum & Planetarium. The museum was taken off line in 2015 as part of the universitys plan to save money. However, the museums priceless relics and artwork are stored in the building.
If you happen to have a Pacific parrotlet who happens to be patient, and you happen to have a couple of spare feathers lying around, you might try this trick to turn it into a rabbit.

Of course, your parrotlet might not happen to like it, in which case this blog cannot be held responsible for injuries resulting from attempted lapinization of your avian companion.

 Bunny Eared Parrot Loves To Be Pet (Dailymotion)
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Kali Akuno, an organizer with Cooperation Jackson and the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement talks to Alternet about the first stirrings of the mass-scale civil disobedience we must practice to resist trumpism.

I find great inspiration in Akuno's ideas, and find them an excellent counterpoint to the idea of "not normalizing" Trump. The reality is that we always normalize everything  read the accounts of survivors of the Nazi concentration camps or Americans tortured for years in the country's solitary confinement wings and you'll find that, to a one, their terrible situations become normal. All constant stimulus fades to a background refrigerator hum that we can only notice when it ceases.

But Akuno is talking about normalizing resistance, becoming habitual monkeywrenchers and refuseniks, people whose first response to any trumpist outrage is "no way," and whose fallback position is "hell no."

My great aunt Lisa was an engineering foreman in Leningrad during the Soviet era, bossing a crew of surly, drunk, ungovernable men. Her stories about how these men featherbedded, foot-dragged, monkeywrenched and twiddled their days away were always told with a mixture of frustration (at the way they made her life difficult) and admiration (at how good they were at it).





From the Department of Energy bureaucrats who refused to turn over the names of workers who believe in climate change to the California lawmakers pledging to use state apparatus to replace anything Trump removes (up to and including climate-observing satellites), the next four years will require all of us, at every level to do our bit to make trumpism stumble and to nurture the spark of hope for a better world.

As John Scalzi wrote yesterday: "You are more important than you know, if you don't give in to despair, to complacency, or to apathy. Add to the moral weight that bends the arc toward justice. You can't do it alone, but without you the work becomes that much harder."

"A core component of resistance is to get the class of civil servants, particularly on the federal but also the state level, to not comply with arbitrary laws and policies that are going to be created," said Akuno. "To not recognize the laws we know are coming that will discriminate against Black people, Latinos, immigrants and queer people. There is no need for anyone to comply. Let's not give it legitimacy just because it's the law. We need to be prepared to disobey and engage in civil disobedience. We need to get ready for that now." Akuno said there are already encouraging signs that such resistance is building among civil servants. Concerned that critical climate data will vanish under a climate-change denying Trump administration, scientists and meteorologists are working to copy and safely store public data using independent servers. Earlier this month, the University of Toronto held a "Guerrilla Archiving" event inviting volunteers to "join in a full day of hackathon activities in preparation for the Trump presidency." The website "Climate Mirror" was erected as part of an effort to "mirror public climate datasets before the Trump Administration takes office to make sure these datasets remain freely and broadly accessible." Meanwhile, media reports are emerging that some Department of Energy officials are refusing to comply with a Trump administration demand to hand over the names of all of the agency's contractors and employers who have worked on key climate policies under President Barack Obama. The request elicited concerns of a witch hunt and purge orchestrated by the incoming administration. But The Independent reported earlier this month, "The US Department of Energy (DOE) has refused to answer questions issued to them by Donald Trump's transition team." In a letter dated December 28, attorney general offices from 13 states threatened litigation against Trump if he discards the Clean Power Plan, as he has vowed to do.



Here's How We Prepare to Be Ungovernable in 2017

[Sarah Lazare/Alternet]



(via Naked Capitalism)

(Image: Cooperation Jackson)
Sidra Capital, a Shariah-compliant financial services company located in Saudi Arabia, has won the Alternative Asset Manager of the Year 2016 Award at the Global Investor/ISF Mena Awards in Dubai, recently.



This is Sidras ninth award in 2016, said statement.



We keep an edge over our competitors by listening to investors, keeping abreast with their needs and responding to their requirements for capital preservation, and stable recurring income, in a world of uncertainty, said Hani Baothman, vice-chairman of Sidra Capital. This year we managed to replicate and exceed our success of 2015. Robust increases in revenues and AuM attest to our strong investment philosophy that prioritizes investor requirements.



Sidra Capital closed its Riverside and Kinnaird House (Pall Mall) transactions in early 2016 followed by securing an income generating single let office property in Charlotte, South Carolina, US. In Saudi Arabia, the company has been mandated to advice on the Eden Residence project, it said.



Another big success in 2016 was the close of Sidra Mutajara Fund, a trade finance fund which pays regular dividends to investors and is see as an alternative to traditional liquidity management products. Following the success of Mutajara the company is considering a follow up product in the near future.



Licensed by the Saudi Capital Market Authority in 2009, Sidra Capital concentrates its efforts on asset management and corporate finance and advisory. Its licences allow it to perform dealing (as principal and underwriter), managing, arranging, advising and custody services.



Sidra Capital currently manages assets exceeding SR3.8 billion which are all invested in alternative investments. Backing its strong track record in creating innovative and award-inning products is the Sidra Capital Ancile Global Structured Trade Finance Fund, which is currently the largest of its kind in the world and was the first fund of its kind in Saudi Arabia.  TradeArabia News Service
Emirates NBD, a leading bank in the region, has expanded its disability-friendly branch network to include the Hamriya, Rashidya and Al Aweer branches, in addition to the Jumeirah and Jumeirah Emirates Towers branches in Dubai, UAE.



The bank has also implemented the distribution of Braille currency in its Jumeirah branch for customers with vision disabilities, and will remain committed to enabling financial inclusion for people with disabilities in the UAE into 2017.



In its first phase of modification, employees of Hamriya, Rashidiya and Al Aweer branches were trained on disability etiquette and the privileges offered to Sanad Card holders. To enhance mobility access, branches have been equipped with sliding doors, accessible low-height ATMs and cheque writing counters, in addition to designated car parking spots.



To provide people with visual impairment ease of direction within the branch, tactile floor indicators have been installed. All branches also offer priority queuing and a separate waiting area to provide an easier and more elevated branch experience for people with disabilities.



Husam Al Sayed, Group chief human resource officer at Emirates NBD said: Step by step, we are working to transform our entire institution into one that caters to the needs of people with disabilities in the UAE and furthers their financial inclusion and independence. The three additional branches that have been transformed this year attract a large percentage of Emirates NBDs customer base with disabilities and we are happy to provide them a far superior and inclusive customer experience.



The bank will also be launching the distribution of Braille currency, issued by the Central Bank of the UAE, in its Jumeirah branch to further empower its customers with visual disabilities and offer them the independence of processing their own branch transactions.



Ahmed Al Marzouqi, executive vice president & general manager of Retail Distribution at Emirates NBD said: With the introduction of Braille currency in our branches, we hope to set an example in the UAE banking industry and offer our customers with visual disabilities the ability to manage their own cash transactions.



Starting with the Jumeirah branch, the distribution of Braille notes will extend to the rest of our branches and we envision a society in which disability-friendly currency will be the norm. Going forward, Emirates NBD will continue to find more ways to elevate the customer experience of people with disabilities and offer them products and services that support both their integration and independence financially.  TradeArabia News Service
Manara Developments Company has started handing over residential units at its latest project Kenaz Al Bahrain to their owners, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.



To read further, please visit GDNonline.




The Dubai Future Accelerators, an intensive 12-week programme that pairs top companies and entrepreneurs with powerful partners in Dubai to create breakthrough solutions together, has launched its second cycle with 11 new global challenges in vital sectors for innovative enterprises.



Mohammed Al Gergawi, vice chairman of the board of trustees, and managing director of Dubai Future Foundation, emphasised that a positive innovative approach to address future challenges, is the most important learning from HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.



Al Gergawi said that HH Sheikh Mohammed believes that the future does not wait for people, and the race of foreseeing the future is a challenge, where winning is for the stronger and more prepared ones.



Under the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed, Dubai Future Accelerators has become a platform to anticipate and create opportunities and solutions ahead of time. It serves as a scientific path to meet the challenges facing human societies, and convert them to opportunities for the better future for the coming generations.



Al Gergawi announced that submissions for the second cycle are open from today (January 2), said a statement from the organisation.



He said: Coinciding with the success of the first cycle of the programme that attracted some of the world's leading innovative companies and achieved cooperation with them to develop innovations for the future, Dubai Future Accelerators has now been expanded with its second cycle.



It will harness a wider range of modern technology and innovation to find effective solutions to the challenges in key sectors for achieving the prosperity of the society, he stated.



We seek to build partnerships between government and private sector companies globally that will help create well-developed technological models that lay strong foundations for the future of the UAE as a hub for innovative ideas, he added.



Al Gergawi further said: The success achieved by the first Dubai Future Accelerators emphasised the competency of the UAE and Dubai to play a pivotal role in exploring and shaping the future of vital sectors by utilising modern technology under the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which can bring radical and positive change for the future.



There are 11 challenges cover vital sectors in the second cycle of the Dubai future Accelerators programme, participated by 11 entities from government and private sectors, as follows:



Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) - Mobility in the future:

Mattar Al Tayer, director general and chairman of the board of executive directors of the RTA, said: RTA encourages commuters to use public transport services, and provides enablers supporting this direction, such as technology solutions and transport policies.



Through the second round of Dubai Future Accelerators, we aim to launch innovative solutions for payment and ticketing. Moreover, RTA aims to study the readiness of the public to futuristic transport modes such as autonomous vehicles, he added.



Dubai Police - Air Police:

Major General Dr Abdul Quddos Abdul Razzaq Al Obaidly, assistant commandant for quality and excellence affairs at Dubai Police, assured that they are ready to participate in the second cycle of the Dubai Future Accelerators (DFA).



Dubai Municipality - Environment friendly solutions:

Eng Hussain Nasser Lootah, director general of Dubai Municipality, confirmed the municipality's commitment to promoting and strengthening the identity of Dubai in the field of creativity and innovation locally, regionally and globally.



Dubai Health Authority (DHA) - Self management system for patients:

Humaid Al Qatami, chairman of the board and director-general of DHA confirmed that the programme, which was launched, by HH Sheikh Mohammad has reshaped the sustainability and developmental map in the world.



He added that DHA will focus on qualitative outcomes in the second phase of the Dubai Future Accelerators Programme which targets having a comprehensive and exceptional model for patients and different types of customers of DHA.



Knowledge and Human Development Authority - 21st Century skills:

Dr Abdulla Al Karam, chairman of the board of directors and director general of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), said: Dubai Future Accelerators has provided an important platform to boost innovation and create a futuristic city where new ideas are encouraged.



With the launch of the second cycle of the programme, we will witness further innovative ideas that can help solve future challenges and potentially have a significant impact on the economy and society, he added.



Dubai Holding - Smart technology in project management:



As part of the second cycle, Dubai Holding will focus on the development of new methods, intelligent technologies and innovative business models across all its business segments, and operations, so that it can anticipate the current and future needs of its customers, employees, and its partners, proactively and independently, to improve the performance of the sectors.



Dubai Electricity and Water Authority - Changing traditional method of operations:

Saeed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), said: We implement initiatives, strategies and new technologies enabling us to become a pioneering energy utility that leverage on disruptive technologies to generate, transmit and distribute world -class electricity and water services, with a focus on the quality of life for citizens and residents and the sustainability of our resources.



Etisalat Digital - Communication technologies to serve humans and the preservation of health:



Eng Saleh Alabdooli, group CEO of Etisalat, said: Our digital's partnership with Dubai Future Accelerator is a commitment to the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed to transform the UAE into the global capital for creating technology advancements that define the future of humanity.



Etisalat Digital aims at partnering with global startups to solve critical business challenges within different segments, such as health, education, smart cities and others.



Department of Economic Development - Futuristic services:

Sami Al Qamzi, director general, Department of Economic Development of Dubai (DED), said: Dubai has emerged as a major player in the world economy and its role in the global market place cannot be overstated.



The Future Accelerators program is one of the vehicles that Dubais DED is using to contribute to the Emirates transition into a knowledge-based economy driven by innovation, he said.



DEDs accelerators aim to achieve quantitative and qualitative improvements in the ease of doing business, and harness smart technologies to consolidate government services for the benefit of a happier investor, he added.



Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (du) - Digital techniques for customer service

Osman Sultan, CEO of Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (du), said: "The UAE leadership has put customer centricity centre stage, envisioning the Emirates as a global benchmark for management practices in the service industry.



DNRD: Digital transactions and Electronic Gates:

Major General Mohammed Al Marri, director of DNRD, said: The programme is a foundation to proactively face development challenges before they arise, invest in opportunities, and create the future.



DFA will contribute effectively in transforming creative ideas to reality in order to achieve the government's objectives in various sectors. It will provide distinct space for co-working to develop and implement innovative ideas and projects that will benefit all segments of society.



Saif Al Aleeli, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation, said: "By combining innovative enterprises and the government sector in Dubai, the second cycle of Dubai Future Accelerators will be a perfect opportunity to find solutions for the challenges that face vital sectors and provide innovative models to upgrade its services.



Over 12 weeks, the programme will bring together companies and government agencies in Dubai to explore the technologies of the future, and using them find solutions to the challenges facing cities, he said.



The Dubai Future Accelerators explores the opportunities offered by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. We will examine the impact of science and technology to make radical changes through artificial intelligence, robotics, nanotechnology, biotechnology, 3D printing, genomics and other technologies, he added.



The innovative projects and businesses will be selected based on their ability to find solutions for these challenges, and translate them into models and pilot projects to build economic value, enhance investment attractiveness and bring positive change to create a universal model in Dubai that can benefit the rest of the world, Al Aleeli concluded.  TradeArabia News Service
On his first day at the helm of the United Nations, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres yesterday (January 1) pledged to make 2017 a year for peace.



On this New Year's Day, I ask all of you to join me in making one shared New Year's resolution: Let us resolve to put peace first, said Guterres in an appeal for peace.



He said one question weighs heavy on his heart. That is: how can we help the millions of people caught up in conflict, suffering massively in wars with no end in sight?



Peace must be our goal and our guide, he said, urging all citizens, governments and leaders to strive to overcome differences.



I appeal to you all to join me in committing to peace, today and every day. Let us make 2017 a year for peace, he added.



Having been formally appointed by the UN General Assembly on 13 October 2016, Guterres, aged 67, will serve for a five-year period until December 31, 2021. He was Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees from June 2005 to December 2015.  TradeArabia News Service
Al Jazeera Media Network and Huawei, a global leading ICT solutions provider, have agreed to explore avenues of cooperation to transform the Networks online platform using media cloud solutions.



Based on the terms of the MoU, both parties will work together to examine the best available options to launch the next generation platform for Al Jazeeras online content, in a bid to enhance the Networks online offering. Huawei and Al Jazeera will also explore options for digitizing the Networks analog content and archiving it online using media cloud technologies.



We are very excited to tie up with a well-established media network, like Al Jazeera, to explore possible avenues of cooperation to launch the Networks next generation online platform. This MoU presents us with a unique opportunity to leverage our offering in the media cloud sphere both regionally and globally, said Zong Yan, CEO, Huawei Qatar.



Huaweis media cloud solution supports video production and broadcast, offering Al Jazeera a platform that replaces multiple traditional, independent media-handling systems with a single universal infrastructure, with rendering capabilities 30 times faster than existing transcoding devices.



Huaweis Media Cloud Solution employs a converged architecture and media processing resources for computing, storage, migration, and management. The solution enables convergence between office and production service networks; between input, editing, broadcast, and management workflows; and between traditional media and new media.



Abdulla Al-Najjar, Al Jazeera Media Networks executive director of Global Brand and Communications said: We are very excited to announce this Memorandum of Understanding with Huawei. We will use this opportunity to work out ways to increase further collaboration between our organisations to help expand new avenues on all our platforms for our audiences. Also from a brand perspective it shows Huawei, a leader in its field is working closely with Al Jazeera Media Network due to our reputation as a leading news provider on various platforms.



Mohamed Abuagla, executive director of Technology & Network Operations at Al Jazeera Media Network said this partnership will be tangible benefits to the network's online profiles.



We will explore various avenues with Huawei to see how best we can transform AJMNs online platforms using next generation media cloud solutions. We hope to have in front of us a variety of options to increase the Networks digital footprint and viewership, he said.



Huawei is a world leader in developing media cloud solutions, Al Jazeera Media Network wants to ensure we can also have a state of the art of media processing resources for computing, storage, migration, and management.



Huaweis media cloud solution offers media networks comprehensive media services that grant users access to any content, anytime and anywhere. In addition, the solution enables convergence between office and production service networks; between input, editing, broadcast, and management workflows; and between traditional media and new media.  TradeArabia News Service
Dubais Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has approved a plan for improving services of the Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC) comprising 64 initiatives to be undertaken up to 2021, said the director general and chairman of RTA.



Mattar Al Tayer also sanctioned a plan for improving attitudes of cabdrivers of DTC encompassing 22 initiatives to be implemented up to 2019.



Al Tayer reiterated RTAs commitment to upgrading the taxi service in Dubai Emirate provided through DTC or franchise companies. He also stressed the importance of utilizing the latest technologies in delivering taxi service via multiple channels highlighted by smart means for the sake of availing added happiness to clients.



He also called for beefing-up the taxi & limo fleet to catch up with the rapid growth seen by Dubai in various business, service, financial, property and tourist sectors among others.



Al Tayer made this statement during a visit to the premises of Dubai Taxi Corporation where he met with directors & managers of the DTC in the presence of Mohammed Obaid Al Mulla, member of RTAs Board of executive directors cum chair of DTC Council and Dr Yousef Al Ali, CEO of Dubai Taxi Corporation.



The projects improvement plan of DTC services spans five key aspects. The first is the introduction of smart & innovative transport solution systems. It covers rolling out a trial run of autonomous vehicles along with the operation of smart taxicabs capable of communicating with surrounding vehicles, providing the infrastructure of transport systems such as light signals, and embarking on trial runs of electric/gas-powered vehicles, said Al Tayer.



The second aspect relates to upgrading the infrastructure to accommodate the operation needs. This requires the construction of a brand new & integrated depot for taxis in Jebel Ali, upgrading the command & control centre, rejuvenating the booking & dispatch centre, adding more taxi ranks across Dubai, and expanding maintenance workshops including additional service bays.



The third aspect is related to the diversification of sources of revenues & profits through alliances with transport companies, ads on school transport buses, and transit services for employees & senior staffs of companies. The fourth aspect focuses on drivers & employees happiness services involving augmenting the worth of rewards & incentives for drivers. The fifth aspect is concerned with promoting the brand of DTC through offering new services such as the towing of vehicles, ladies limo, tourist limo and cargo taxi, explained Al Tayer.



The plan for improving the conduct of DTC cabdrivers contains 22 initiatives covering five aspects. The first is technology, which covers upgrading the technological systems of the customers happiness centre, fitting taxicabs with surveillance cameras & interactive screens, implementing DTC customers relation management system, and the running of taxi on-road performance monitoring system.



The second aspect relates to legislations. It encompasses a host of initiatives such as the improvement of quality offences code, procedures for spotting offending drivers, improvement of rewards & incentives system, and the revision of conditions for the rotation of drivers over a variety of occupations.



The third aspect relates to operations and covers the improvement of HR procedures, and the assessment of workload on drivers by adding two hours to the weekly rest and offering a weekly holiday to cabbies. It also includes upgrading drivers recruitment processes guided by conduct complaint results where the emphasis will be placed on training on using different & creative techniques.



It also includes recruiting drivers from new nationalities, and upgrading drivers educative programs with an emphasis on the etiquette of dealing with customers, and revamped procedures for investigating complaints & conduct offences on the part of drivers.



The fourth aspect focuses on performance through following up performance reports, reviewing & analyzing targets, developing cracking solutions on feedbacks and enhancing departmental improvement plans. The fifth aspect focuses on measurement. It measures the impact of implementing improvement initiatives & projects, the efficiency of technological systems & usage ratios, and checking the extent of compliance with the implementation of legislations as well as the effectiveness of operations executed, added Al Tayer.



It is noteworthy that the RTA has recently adopted a plan for beefing up DTC taxi fleet by more than 38 per cent. Accordingly, the number of vehicles is set to rise from 5046 cabs in 2016 to as many as 7000 cabs by 2020. The number of limos is expected to see a sharp increase by a whopping 240 per cent from 146 vehicles in 2016 to 500 vehicles in 2020. The upsurge in the number of taxicabs is intended to satisfy the projected steady increase in customers demand, be it from residents or visitors, and serve the needs of Dubai hosting Expo 2020.



The plan envisages transforming 50 per cent of taxicabs into hybrid cabs by 2021 as part of a plan to curb carbon emissions from the taxi sector by 2 per cent in compliance with the needs of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and the Green Economy drive. Accordingly, the number of hybrid vehicles of DTC is set to leapfrog from 145 vehicles in 2015 to 2280 vehicles by 2021. This massive increase is being contemplated because of deregulating fuel prices and the low lifecycle cost of hybrid vehicles compared with conventional vehicles.  TradeArabia News Service
Iran will start crude recovery of 10,000 bpd from South Yaran oilfield by March, said a report, quoting the operator of the field's development project.



Homayoun Kazemeini added that drilling operations have been completed in 18 wells at the field and installation of completion string of 15 rigs is also over, Iran Daily reported, citing Shana.



The drilling operations have been undertaken by National Iranian Drilling Company (NIDC), Puya Energy Kish, Naft Kar and Khatam ul-Anbia Construction Headquarters.



Yaran oilfield, divided into South and North, is estimated to contain two billion barrels of in-situ crude oil in its reserves.



Iraq is already recovering 200,000 bpd from South Yaran field which is shared by the two neighbours.



The field is being developed in Iran to produce 50,000 to 60,000 bpd of crude oil, 60 mcm of natural gas and drilling of 30 wells.
While online job postings in the UAE dropped by 35 per cent year-on-year during November, evidence suggests that 2017 will be a better year for job seekers, says an industry expert.



According to research recently conducted by Hays, more than half of GCC workers surveyed are considering leaving their current employer in 2017 while 14 per cent of UAE employers claim they do not have the talent needed to achieve next years objectives.



This is further emphasised in separate study by Manpower Group which shows that over two thirds of surveyed employers are looking to expand workforce in the coming 12 months. With employees leaving and employers in need of relevant talent, job opportunities are likely to rise in 2017.



With the uncertainty surrounding the new oil production cuts by Opec and the strengthened US dollar, it appears that UAE businesses are taking a cautious approach to growing their workforce, however this is likely to change in 2017 as confidence is restored with more stable market conditions, said Sanjay Modi, managing director at top employment website Monster.com, APAC & Middle East.



While online hiring activity in the UAE currently remains very low, the movement of employees and employee talent gaps will create more opportunities but higher competition for job seekers, making it important for job seekers to find ways to stand out.



The latest Monster Employment Index (MEI) , based on a real-time review of job opportunities from a large representative selection of career web sites and online job listings, reveals that Purchase/ Logistics/ Supply Chain occupations were the only segment to register growth at 19 per cent, while the Education industry registered the least decline in online hiring at -1 per cent.



Finance and Accounting occupations demonstrated the steepest decline among industries surveyed with a -49 per cent fall from the same period last year while Banking, Financial services and the Insurance industry showed the lowest year-on-year growth in online recruitment at -39 per cent.



In the wider Middle East region, online recruitment is down by 44 per cent with the Hospitality sector demonstrating the largest decline at -66 per cent, while IT and Telecom is among the only sectors to register growth at 5 per cent from November 2015.- TradeArabia News Service
Over at Cool Tools, we interviewed Danny Haeg, director of Creative Collisions at the Tech Museum in San Jose, California. He moved here from Minnesota to jump into the simmering maker-melting-pot that is Silicon Valley.

Subscribe to the Cool Tools Show on iTunes | RSS | Transcript | Download MP3 | See all the Cool Tools Show posts on a single page

Show notes:

Allbirds ($95)

"I feel slightly irresponsible for advising people to buy $95 shoes. I didn't think I would do that either, until I put these on. Now I get it. I'm converted. Allbirds are very new and they're fantastic.  They're not like technical running shoes or anything like that, they're sort of lounging shoes. They're all merino wool from New Zealand. They're so comfortable.  It's been the shoe I've been wearing every day since I got them, because I've just been going to work and doing my business. I just suggest people give it a shot and if they don't like them, they can send it back. It's free returns and all that stuff."





Cold Saw (varies), also TechShop membership

"I think this is my favorite tool of all time. I didn't even know about it until a few years ago.  It's slow, which is very perplexing. It's so slow that you can just see the individual teeth rolling around. It's like 100 RPM. It makes these perfectly smooth cuts. There's like a little burr that you can knock off with a file. It makes smooth cuts, it makes them square, it makes them fast, it's really safe. I love it. I'm not advising anyone purchase it. That's sort of the tough part with it, it's a big expensive tool. I use it at the TechShop. Part and parcel with recommending the cold saw is, get a membership to TechShop. They're in a lot of cities around the country, and you'll get access to a cold saw. I think almost every location has one.  I really suggest to anyone, even if you don't feel you're proficient with metal working or tools or anything, get a membership to TechShop."

Propane Torch ($20)

"I was a small part of a Battle Bots team behind the robot Complete Control that was on Battle Bots recently on ABC. This $20 propane torch was on a robot. It was heralded as  I'm gonna sort of humble brag here  it was heralded as the most effective flame thrower in Battle Bots history because it recorded the first robot kill ever, which was really exciting for us. There's a Youtube video of it. A minute and a half into the match, we get the robot in the gripper. We grab under the robot, lift them up, and then turn on the flame thrower. It's a 3,000 degree torch, it's coming from just a regular propane tank. The brilliance of this Harbor Freight tool is someone engineered it and figured out how to have it properly aspirated  It turns out just with a few little tweaks, including this spark gap generator, it became a robot killer. That was pretty awesome to see."

Watch Youtube video here.

Computer Keyboard Shortcuts

"That's one of my favorite tools. I'm not talking about beautiful, awesome keyboards, necessarily, or the technique of typing really quickly. I don't have that. I'm just speaking to, in general, proper usage of the keyboard. I don't know if I'm preaching to the choir here, but I've seen a lot of very computer illiterate people who aren't knowledgeable about shortcuts.  I sound like a huge dork saying this, but it's a big deal.  I can't say enough how important that is. Alt tab, switch programs, or command tab on Mac, it's such a big deal. I taught for a little while, and I'd show my students how to change programs without their eyes pulling away from the screen so that they could have Facebook open or something while they're at school without people knowing it.  There's sort of like digital laziness that can come over you if you're just using your mouse, but the computer just lets you fly. I'm feeling like I'm already an old grandpa telling people they should learn to have better penmanship or something."
Turkish Airlines, the countrys national carrier, is offering travellers from the Gulf region special fares to Istanbul this winter.



Travellers from the GCC can book these special winter fares until January 15 for travel anytime between January 9 to March 31.



The airline is providing passengers special fares starting for as less as Dh1,450 ($394) and Dh1,500 (including taxes and fees) from Abu Dubai and Dubai in the UAE.



Saudi Arabian cities, Dammam and Riyadh, will be offering exceptional fares to their passengers and providing them with an opportunity to enjoy the city of Istanbul during winter for as less as SR1,240 ($330) and SR1,370 respectively.



Additionally, appealing ticket prices are also being offered from Kuwait City for as low as KD58 ($189); Doha, Qatar for QR965($265); Manama, Bahrain for BD99 ($261) and from Muscat, Oman starting RO155 ($401).  TradeArabia News Service


Have an event, trend or general energy happening youd like to see in the Energy Journal newsletter? Send it to Star-Tribune energy reporter Heather Richards at heather.richards@trib.com. Sign up for the newsletter at www.trib.com/energyjournal.

This week in numbers

Friday oil prices: West Texas Intermediate (WTI) $53.72, Brent (ICE) $56.82

Natural gas weekly averages: Henry Hub $3.65, Wyoming Pool $3.49, Opal $3.51

Keeping up with producers

Oilfield services are struggling to meet an uptick in demand as Wyoming producers marginally increase drilling across the state.

The lag time is frustrating for producers hoping to take advantage of still-low prices in the service sector as the price of oil settles around $50.

Looking back to look ahead for coal

Bankruptcies and layoffs marred the coal industry in 2016 after the market, saddled with debt, sought to slow its downward trend.

The first two quarters of 2016 were difficult, but by the end of the year, production was up in the Powder River Basin. Restructured companies are entering 2017 leaner.

Sage grouse and regulations

The Bureau of Land Management announced five proposals to limit mining in sage grouse habitats Thursday. The move is one of a number of regulations announced in the final days of the Obama administration.

The limits were part of a draft environmental impact statement initiated last year. After collaboration between state, federal and private partners to develop conservation strategies to stop the population decline of the imperiled bird, some questioned the need for further limits.

Two areas in Wyoming would be affected by the rules: one north of Rock Springs and one south of the Wyoming Range.

As part of a public comment period, a meeting will be held in February in Rock Springs to discuss the proposals. However, the fate of regulations proposed in the weeks before President-elect Donald Trump takes office are uncertain.

Natural gas price continues to rise

For six weeks, the weekly stockpile report for natural gas has shown declines as cold weather increases electricity use.

The trend has steadily boosted the price of natural gas but has failed to push it into historic highs for the winter.
In retrospect, the oil downturn hit Wyoming fast.

The sector began to slide in 2015 as higher-than-average prices slipped. Production initially continued as companies tried to make up for the declining prices. But earnings became losses, and the cascade of cutbacks led to layoffs and bankruptcies.

The trifecta of oil, gas and coal taxes provides the lions share of state revenue. Most people in Wyoming understand that commodity markets are just as likely to have busts as booms.

Yet built into the phrase boom and bust is the promise of an end to hard times. If you tighten your belt, you can reach the finish line, and then things will improve.

But weathering a downturn is not so simple. The oil price is steady but not stellar. Unemployment numbers have stopped falling, but employment hasnt risen. Some producers are starting to drill again, but a hobbled service industry cant keep up with the demand.

The question remains: Just when will this bust be over?

A changing frame of reference

Its hard to define the end, except in retrospect, said Edie Holmes, operations manager for the McMurry Group. Mostly, its about price.

Producers dont use the terms boom and bust as liberally as those outside the industry, she said.

Companies are likely to carry on much as they do in the boom times, crunching numbers and considering profitability in various plays. Its a numbers game, always, Holmes said.

Producers refer to a band of profitability, a price range favorable enough for companies to work with depending on where they are drilling. That band has changed since the recent downturn.

Nobody would have said that $50 oil prices were good for production without having gone through what we went through in the past year, said Rob Godby, an economist at the University of Wyomings School of Energy Resources.

It was the great heights and the deep lows that made this steady price favorable to a few.

A bust is really a decline from whats considered normal, whether that is in production or price, Godby said. Unfortunately, there is no rule of thumb for where oil price or production should be. Its fluid, he said.

From 1997 until 2014, the states revenue from oil increased every year, except for a blip during the recession. Thats not to say that prices were skyrocketing. They were relatively stable.

However, through most of that time, production was sliding annually in Wyoming. It fell year by year.

It wasnt the markets that changed. It was technology, which offered greater efficiency and new ways to harness the oil hidden in the slimmest of seams.

Production soared, contributing to record highs of 2014, the global glut and the resulting bust.

The trouble with predictions

Most observers agree that the days of $100 a barrel oil are not in the immediate future. But most also agree that a gradual increase in price will take place in the next few years.

The Energy Information Administration projects that the price will hit $70 a barrel before the end of the decade. That price should fall well within the profitable band for Wyoming. Its close to the $80-plus norms set in the last 10 years.

Still, there is uncertainty.

Its a global commodity, and as such, to be able to predict exactly what winds may sway the market is extremely difficult, said John Robitaille, vice president of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming.

Any number of factors could change the projections, Godby said. A conflict in the Middle East could reduce supply, driving up demand, or economic growth in developing countries could increase demand, leading to the same result.

On the flip side, if global demand falls, so does the price. If developed countries move away from oil because of environmental concerns, oil will suffer, he said.

However, some of those who deal with dollars rather than rigs are more confident in a rise.

Crude oil is on track for its biggest annual gain since 2009, said Phil Flynn, senior analyst at Price Futures Group, in a client note Friday, comparing the current lows with those of the late 1990s. That set the stage for an eight-year rally.

But while projections influence hopes and guide expectations, they dont necessarily affect the way people do business.

When the EIA or Wall Street analysts change forecasts for the price of crude, companies dont change their operations to meet that projection, said Holmes, of the McMurry Group. Day-to-day work for producers is fairly consistent and straightforward, she said. Companies are looking at the micro data that influences the price of oil and the cost of drilling.

Oil conditions are improving, and I think that is all that anybody can say, said Godby. Will they go back to where they were three years ago? I think you would have to be pretty optimistic to say that.

But they will eventually rise, he said.

For lawmakers in Wyoming, the end of the downturn signifies a return to robust funding streams. That could take time.

The CREG report, a projection of revenue for the state released in October, predicts oil prices below $50 up to 2022. Its a conservative and unpromising figure.

But projections have been wrong before.

No one predicted the geopolitical scenario that led to the current bust, Godby said.

Oil and politics

Recently OPEC, the cartel of oil-exporting countries, agreed to reduce production in an attempt to steady the price.

Its worked in the past, and the price of oil has benefited in the last few months  first as talks were promised, then as handshake agreements were made.

OPEC has done this before.

Before the bust, Saudi Arabia had withheld production for years to keep the price high, but it shifted policy when the U.S. began to gobble up the open share of the market, said Godby, the UW economist.

We go through these price cycles that are political as much as anything else, he said.

However, some say the U.S. should be a growing power in the geopolitical sphere that affects oil.

The market analyst, Flynn, recently took issue with OPECs decision to omit the U.S. from its production talks.

I believe OPEC is underestimating once again the U.S. energy producer, Flynn said. While they may have won the recent price war, in the long term, the U.S. producer must be reckoned with.

Certainly any expansion, whether of U.S. exports or the U.S. share of the international supply market, would be seen as a good thing for producers, said Robitaille, of the petroleum association.

Anytime we can expand a market for any product, it absolutely benefits the producer, he said. If we do come into a situation where we are able to expand the opportunity for production to go outside of the border, I would say that would correlate with a better price, which would then indicate more production.

In one aspect, Wyoming is much like Russia, Saudi Arabia or Venezuela. Those countries rely on the industry as much as the Cowboy State does, and they, too, are hurting from the low prices.

There are signs that some producers are returning to work in the state, and as prices and drilling creep forward, the Wyoming economy may be stretched thinner still.

No one is sure when the bust will end precisely, or what that market will look like. However, from producers to analysts, most observers agree on one thing: It will get better.
So when they butt-stroked me to the head from an AK-47 and I was bleeding down the side of my face and they threw me back in the cell I could
Wyoming Events

SHERIDAN: Spring book discussion series, Sheridan County Library System. Books are available for checkout at the front desk of each library. Fulmer Library, 6:30 p.m.: Feb. 14, English Creek; March 14, The Meadow; April 11, The Round House; May 9, Cowboys and East Indians. Story Library, 6:30 p.m., Jan. 30, The Namesake; Feb. 27, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down; March 27, The Book of Unknown Americans; April 24, Children of Syria (video). Tongue River Branch Library, 4:30 p.m.: Jan. 10, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down; Feb. 7, The Book of Unknown Americans; March 14, The Namesake; April 25, Children of Syria (video).

CHEYENNE: 5th Annual Schwartz Memorial Plunge, Jan. 21, 1 p.m., Sloans Lake at Lions Park, 4603 Lions Park Dr. Celebrate and honor the life of TSgt Matthew Schwartz and benefit the EOD Warrior Foundation. Participants will plunge into the frigid waters of Sloans Lake at Lions Park. The fee to participate is $25 for early registration. All funds raised go to support the EOD Warrior Foundation mission of helping EOD warriors and their families. Info: www.eodwarriorfoundation.org.

CHEYENNE: Zontas Ladies Night Out, March 3, 2017, presented by Zonta Club of Cheyenne. Tickets $75. Evening includes plated dinner, keynote speaker Pastor Yevette Christy, an opportunity to shop from more than two dozen vendors and an evening of fun. Proceeds used in Zontas campaign to raise awareness about human trafficking and for local scholarships. Sponsorship and vendor opportunities still available. Info: (307) 509-0473; www.cheyennezonta.org

Wyoming Theatre

GILLETTE: Group auditions for Missoula Childrens Theatre production, Peter and Wendy, 4:15 p.m., sharp (late arrivals not admitted), Jan. 10, 2017, Cam-Plex Heritage Center Lobby. Open to grades K to 12. If chosen, you must be available the week of January 10-14 after school and/or evenings. No prior experience necessary.

GILLETTE: Peter and Wendy, Missoula Childrens Theatre production, 2 p.m., Jan. 14, 2017, Cam-Plex. Tickets: $12 adult, $8 children, student, senior, military. Ticket office hours 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. (307) 682-8802; www.cam-plex.com

GILLETTE: Annie, 7 p.m., Jan. 26, Cam-Plex Herigate Center Theater. The National Broadway Tour. Reserved tickets $29.50 to $79. Cam-Plex Ticket Office, 307-682-8802 or www.cam-plex.com

SHERIDAN: Wally Wales Movie Night, 6 p.m., Feb. 9, Sheridan Fulmer Library. Celebration of silent movie star Wally Wales, who was born and died in Sheridan. Evening includes double feature of Wales movies with short presentation on his life and career at intermission. Program is approximately two hours in length and is appropriate for all ages.

Wyoming Music

LANDER: Fremont Symphony Orchestra, March 18, 2017, The Roaring 20s, features a Charlie Chaplin silent film, The Rink, which the orchestra will accompany. Guest conductor Andrew Greene (Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra, Baltimore, Maryland) will direct the work. 7 p.m., Lander Valley High School Concert Hall.

(Submit events to calendar@trib.com)
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Scholarship notice

The Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration  Central Wyoming Section offers up to four $2,500 scholarships, the Coates, Wolff, Russell, & Swank Memorial Scholarship. Applicant must have graduated from a Wyoming high school, must be enrolled full-time for the 2016-2017 academic year, upperclassmen  current college sophomore, junior, senior or graduate student, enrolled in mining/mineral extraction-related discipline, and have a 3.0 GPA minimum. Application forms are available by email request to smecasper@gmail.com

Bonander speaks at Reveille

Global hunter Rick Bonander will speak at the 7 a.m., Wednesday meeting of Reveille Rotary at the Casper Senior Center. He is president of Inter-Mountain Pipe and Threading Company, which he started in 1982.

This presentation will be on Ricks hunt in Tajikistan for Marco Polo Sheep and Ibex on the roof of the world.

Pork chops at Elks Jan. 6

Friday Night Feed at the Elks Lodge on Jan. 6 is pork chops and fixings. Cost is $7 per person, serving from 6 to 7 p.m. or until gone. Members, significant other and guest accompanied by a member. For more information call 234-4839. Stay and play games for the Family Game Night in the Elks library.

Republican women elect officers

Natrona County Republican Women announce the officers for 2017-2018 term. The officers are president, Laura Johnson; vice president, Rachel Allen; secretary, Hope Herbst and treasurer, Marcie Buchholz. The officers will be inducted at the meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017 by WFRW president Amy Womack. The meeting will be at Boscos Italian Restaurante on the corner of N. Jefferson & A street at 11:30 a.m. Lunch is $15 and $17 for gluten free. Please join us in welcoming the new officers and what they have planned for NCRW. Reservations can be made by e-mailing ncrwmember@gmail.com or calling 215-9749. Please RSVP no later than Jan. 6, 2017.

OCAC awards scholarships

The Oil Capitol Auto Club would like to introduce the recipients of the veterans scholarship awards for 2016. These scholarships are awarded each year to deserving Casper College students from the proceeds of the Memorial Day Car Show. Everyone who attends the show and all of the sponsors generously contribute to the educational advancement of our service men and women here in Wyoming. All of these recipients have served our country honorably and are pursuing their educational goals and life after their service. The OCAC is proud to help them along the trail toward their educational goals and wish them all of the best. The 2016 scholarships to Casper College were awarded to Adam Stamp, Brian Hiser, Ariel Wagner, and Colton Sasser. To all of our men and women in uniform, and to these students, thank you for your service, and good luck.

Civil Air Patrol meets

Civil Air Patrol meets from 7 to 9 p.m. the first Tuesday of the month at Casper National Guard Armory, 5905 CY Ave. For more information, call 259-0855.

Stammtisch at Applebees

After Jan. 5, the Casper German Stammtisch is meeting weekly on Thursdays at Applebees from 6:30 to 8 p.m. New this year  on the second Thursday of each month we will focus on speaking German! All ability levels are welcome, as long as they are eager to hear German.
Reading the West book discussion

The Natrona County Library and Fort Caspar Museum will host a book discussion series celebrating all things Western, from rugged heroes and horses to books that ride off into the sunset. Please join us at 6:30 p.m., on Tuesday, Jan. 3, at Fort Caspar to discuss Where Rivers Change Direction, by Mark Spragg. The discussion is free and open to the public. To participate, pick up your copy of Where Rivers Change Direction at the Librarys second floor Reference Desk. Call 577-READ ext. 2 or email reference@natronacountylibrary.org for more information.

Wednesday Writers

Would you like to leave a legacy by sharing your memories with the world? Practice writing, share your work and receive constructive feedback from fellow writers at 10 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 4, on the main floor of the Natrona County Library. Call 577-READ ext. 2 or email reference@natronacountylibrary.org for more information.

Learn password management

The Natrona County Library will offer a Password Management class at noon on Friday, Jan. 6. Save time, increase security, and reduce stress by learning how to store and retrieve password and identity information securely using a password manager. Call 577-READ ext. 2 or email reference@natronacountylibrary.org for more information.

Self-help classes set

Conscious Co-Creation/Self-Transformation & Healing will be taught Jan. 21 and 22 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., in person at the Agricultural Learning Resources building on Fairgrounds Rd in Casper and also via live webinar. Its not too late to take advantage of the Early Bird Registration discount! Regular tuition pricing goes into effect on Jan. 7. Also, be sure to visit my website Home page and click on the Special Offers link to see the additional Bring A Friend discount!

In this seminar/playshop, we will learn how the universal and physical laws of creation work together to form our daily experience, how modern physics bears out what the ascended masters have known for eons, and how to become aware ofand instantly start changingthe patterns of consciousness that are preventing you from realizing your best potentials for a joyful, truly fulfilling life. Join me for this expansive, life-changing class!

For a full class description and registration information, visit: www.cathyhazeladams.com/pp/classes-webinars-event/

Conscious Co-Creation, Part Two: Field Play, Feb. 18, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., offered in person at the Agricultural Learning Resources building on Fairgrounds Rd in Casper and also via live webinar.

In this follow-up to Conscious Co-Creation Part One, well explore in depth some of the ideas and skills gained in Conscious Co-Creation. Well workshop more fleld of the heart exercises, look at different healing modalities and learn why, ultimately all healing comes through the heart. Well also PLAY with idea fields, which are the very building blocks of our experience!

Prerequisite: Conscious Co-Creation/Self-Transformation & Healing

For a full class description and registration information, visit: www.cathyhazeladams.com/pp/classes-webinars-event/

Living from the Heart: The Key to Peace, Freedom & Creative Empowerment, Feb. 26, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., offered in person at the Agricultural Learning Resources building on Fairgrounds Rd in Casper and also via live webinar.

In this new four-hour class/playshop, well learn what the field of the heart really is, practice easy, practical ways to go into Heart field, and learn how to live every day from this place of peace, love, well-being and personal empowerment. When you start living from the Heart, your life immediately changes for the better! No prerequisite.

For a full class description and registration information, visit: www.cathyhazeladams.com/pp/classes-webinars-event/

Chronic pain/illness group starting

Highland Park Community Church and The Healing Place are starting HopeKeepers. HopeKeepers is a support group designed to meet the emotional and spiritual needs of the person who lives with chronic illness or pain. Through the support group setting you will have the opportunity to grow spiritually surrounded by others who share similar circumstances, unrevealed answers, and even joys, living with chronic pain or physical pain.

The group will meet Mondays from noon to 1:30 p.m., Highland Park Community Church, Rm #1327-The Prayer Room. This is an ongoing group. Call The Healing Place at 265-3977 to enroll.

Parenting classes available

Mercer Family Resource Center offers three classes in 2017 designed to help parents become more effective.

Strengthening Families for parents and their children ages 9 to 14 will be held Jan. 11, 18 and 25 and Feb. 1, 8, 15, and 22 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. This is a seven-week, evidence-based program with onsite childcare available. Dinner is provided. Fee is $50 per family.

Parenting the Love and Logic Way is for parents and caregivers with children of any age. Onsite childcare is available. Class is Jan. 23 and 30, Feb. 6, 13, 27 and March 6 and 13 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Cost is $35 for individuals and $50 for couples.

Make Parenting a Pleasure is for parents and caregivers with children ages 0 to 8. Class meets March 1, 8, 15, and 22 and April 5, 12, and 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. Onsite childcare available, meets once a week for seven weeks. Cost is $35 individuals and $50 a couple.

For more information or to enroll, call Lisa Brown at 233-4276.

Saturday morning watercolor classes

ART321/Casper Artists Guild announces the schedule for the Saturday Morning Watercolor Sessions for the months of September and October 2016. We hope to see you then to begin or continue your learning experience with us. All levels are welcome. Saturday mornings, 10 a.m. to noon, $10 per session. If you have questions, please contact Ellen Black at 265-6783.

Dec. 31, no session, New Years Eve.

ART321/Casper Artists Guild, 321 W. Midwest Ave, Casper, WY, 82601, gallery hours Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., phone 265-2655, www.art321.org

Teen Challenge offers fall classes

Teen Challenge Wyoming offers classes this fall at local churches, True Care and the Link (Youth for Christ). For more information on these groups or on other Teen Challenge programs, please call 258-5397.

Peacemaking: Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. In this world of division and conflict, it is important for Christians to stay grounded in what the Bible teaches about resolving our differences with orders in a God-honoring way. For more information, call Pat at 258-5397.

Save One: A group for post-abortion healing. For more information, call Judy at 251-5644.

Single & Parenting: Sundays at 6:30 p.m. Covers major challenges single parents face in raising their children, and offers tools to help them meet these challenges. Enter anytime, each lesson stands alone. Call Cathie at 258-6119.

Professionals in Recovery: An ongoing Christian recovery group. For more information, call Gary at 267-7777.

Insight: Discovering the path to Christian character, especially in the midst of stress. Time to be announced. For more information, call Teen Challenge Wyoming at 258-5397.

Possible offering: Committed Couples and/or the Smart Stepfamily (groups designed to strengthen marriages for both married couples and those anticipating marriage) may be offered later this year. For more information on these possibilities, please call Teen Challenge Wyoming at 258-5397.

Caregiver support meets monthly

Are you caring for a loved one with a debilitating condition? Confusing and conflicting feelings are likely to come up-anger, sadness, hopelessness, resentment and guilt for having those feelings. Please join us on the second Thursday of the each month to talk about your feelings and learn effective ways to release difficult emotions by joining a support group. Meetings will be held at Rocky Mountain Therapy, 2546 East 2nd Street #500, at 5:30 p.m. Different topics will be discussed each month. Coffee and lemonade will be served. We will be meeting on Dec. 15. To RSVP please call 577-5204 and ask for Jerri or Shannon.

Womens Bible

study starts

The Heart of Casper Community Bible study will meet for a womens bible study on Tuesdays, starting Jan. 3 through March 28, at 6:30 p.m., at Hilltop Baptist Church, 2555 E. 2nd St. The title of the bible study is Expecting to See Jesus  a wake up call for Gods people, by Anne Graham Lotz, oldest daughter of Billy Graham. The cost is $9 for the book. Remember, youre something special in the Lords eyes, and ours too! For more information, call 234-3594.

Seedling trees, shrubs and perennials on sale

Premium quality seedling trees, shrubs and perennials are available for windbreaks and wildlife habitat enhancement from the UW/Natrona County Extension. Order forms are available at the Ag Resource and Learning Center, 2011 Fairgrounds Rd. There are 41 species available. Order now for best selection with May 2017 delivery. For more information, call Rose Jones at 235-9400.

Caregiver support

Wyoming Dementia Care offers five Alzheimers Caregiver Support groups each month. Caregivers of those with dementia-related illnesses and the loved ones they care for are welcome at any of the group sessions. Professional staff from Intermountain Home Companions will be on hand to offer separate activities and snacks for those who need care. There is no charge for Wyoming Dementia Cares support groups or for the respite care provided during the approximately one hour long sessions.

The morning support group sessions meet on the first and third Thursday of each month at 10 a.m. at Central Wyoming Senior Services, 1831 E. 4th St. The afternoon support groups meet at 1 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at Life Care Center of Casper, 4041 S. Poplar. The evening groups meet on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at Meadow Wind Assisted Living, 3955 E. 12th St.

For information, email wyodementia@casperseniorcenter.com or call Dani Guerttman at 265-4678.

Family continues suicide support

Good Grief, Support will continue at 5:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at the 12-24 Club, 500 S. Wolcott, by request of attendees. The family of J.R. Hunter, who died from suicide in June 2015 began the support before the especially tough holiday season. Anyone who is grieving a suicide, death, or considering suicide is encouraged to attend. Attendance at the meeting, as well as the content, will be strictly confidential. The Fresh Start Cafe will be open, and you can eat during the meetings. This meeting place was offered by Dan Cantine of the 12-24 Club. You need not be a member to attend. For more information, email jlh35@hotmailcom

New depression group begins

J.R.s Hunt for Life is offering See it Clearly, a free peer support group for persons suffering from depression and other mental conditions that lead to suicidal thoughts and actions. We are not professionals but rather a group of like-minded peers wishing to support each other in these struggles. We offer anonymity and confidentiality to all attending. Our meetings are at 6:45 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at 500 South Wolcott in the conference room on the second floor, (12-24 Club). If you have ever considered or attempted taking your life or are struggling, please come. You are important to us. For more information, email jlh35@hotmailcom

Family offers faith-based groups

The family of J.R. Hunter, who committed suicide, is going to begin two more support groups, these faith-based, in addition to the groups they run on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at the 12-24 Club. Those continue. For more information, email jlh35@hotmailcom

J.R.s Hunt; for life presents faith-based grief and depression peer to peer support groups at 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. at Restoration Church, 411 S. Walsh. For more information, email jlh35@hotmailcom

Grief Support Group, Good Grief: A faith-based grief support group that our family hosts on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 5:30 p.m. at Restoration Church. Our loss has moved us to offer this to anyone grieving. Youll experience comfort and understanding. We get it. For more information, email jlh35@hotmailcom

Depression Support Group, See It Clearly: A faith-based free peer to peer support group for persons suffering from depression and other mental conditions that may lead to suicidal thoughts and actions. We are not professionals but rather a group of like-minded peers wishing to support each other in these struggles. We offer anonymity and confidentiality to all attending. Our meetings are at 6:30 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at the Restoration Church. If you have ever considered or attempted taking your life or are struggling, please come. You are important to us. For more information, email jlh35@hotmailcom

Parkinsons exercise

Rocky Mountain Therapy is offering a Parkinsons exercise program. Join us from noon to 1 p.m. Thursdays at Rocky Mountain Therapy, 2546 E. Second St., Building 500. These classes are open to anyone with Parkinsons or caring for someone with Parkinsons.

Thursdays class is tailored for the individual with more advanced Parkinsons and focuses on improving endurance, safety and managing symptoms. We are open to all ages and can tailor the class to meet varying exercise needs. The cost of the class is $5. To RSVP, call 577-5204 and ask for Jerri or Shannon.

Celebrate Recovery every Friday

Celebrate Recovery meets at 5:30 p.m. every Friday at Highland Park Community Church, just south of Elkhorn Valley Rehabilitation Hospital on East Second Street. We start with a family meal, followed by praise and worship. At 7 p.m., theres either a lesson from Celebrate Recoverys planned curriculum or a testimony by a person who has found recovery through Christ. Then, people go to gender-specific small groups until 8:30 p.m., when dessert and fellowship conclude the evening. Child care is available at no cost. For more information, contact Chris at 265-4073.

Here and Now: Dementia-focused monthly art class

Classes are every third Tuesday of the month from 1 to 3 p.m. There is no charge. Here and Now is a program made possible through a collaboration between Wyoming Dementia Care and the Nicolaysen Art Museum. It is designed to provide a supportive environment for people with dementia and Alzheimers and their loved ones.

To register, contact Dani with Wyoming Dementia Care 265-4678, ext. 106, or at wyodementia@casperseniorcenter.com or Zhanna Gallegos at 235-5247 or at zgallegos@thenic.org.

Latin Club meets

Wish you had taken Latin in school or had paid better attention when you did? You are welcome to join the Latin Study Club at Mount Hope Lutheran School, 2300 Hickory. This friendly group of language enthusiasts meets on Tuesday nights at 7 p.m., to study Latin, free of charge. We will pick up where we left off last year, Chapter 4 of Wheelocks Latin, 7th edition. Noli timere!

Mount Hope Lutheran School admits students of any race, color, and national or ethnic origin.
A Gillette man accused of fatally shooting another man on Thanksgiving Day 2013 is set to go to trial a second time.

Todd Sindelar is scheduled to go to trial for second-degree murder on Tuesday in District Court in Gillette.

Sindelar was sentenced to 48 years in prison for the Nov. 28, 2013, death of 25-year-old Matthew Boyer. He was arrested in South Dakota after a high-speed chase and told investigators he shot Boyer in self-defense.

Sindelar successfully appealed his sentence, claiming prosecutors wrongly instructed the jury to consider his flight from the state after the killing.

Sindelar's attorneys argued that a 2002 Supreme Court decision classifies a "flight instruction" as a reversible error.
I came to Charlottesville, Virginia, during the holidays to visit an old friend whos fallen on hard times.

Amid the cultural sensation of Lin-Manuel Mirandas Hamilton on Broadway, the protagonists archrival, Thomas Jefferson, has momentarily lost his place of honor in the founding narrative. If Alexander Hamilton is the hero, the Sage of Monticello, though not the villain (thats Aaron Burr) is an impediment.

In truth, Jefferson and Hamilton were indispensable, the yin and yang of American democracy: Jeffersons love of liberty and Hamiltons taste for centralized power created the balance that built the worlds economic and military superpower. And they had common cause in defending their creation.

Their system was under threat in 1800, when a quirk in the electoral college left the federalist-controlled House of Representatives to award the presidency to one of two Republicans, Jefferson and Burr. Miranda portrayed Hamilton as reluctantly drawn out of retirement to endorse Jefferson, but Hamiltons letters show he was zealous in persuading fellow federalists to choose Jefferson  a man with whom he had more ideological differences than with Burr.

The danger to the new country, Hamilton argued, wasnt ideological disputes, but the possibility that an unprincipled man would exploit public passions.

Hamiltons letters from 216 winters ago, which I re-read this week, provide much relevance to this moment, as our 45th president assumes office.

Hamilton was no apologist for Jefferson, whose politics were tinctured with fanaticism, and who was a contemptible hypocrite. But, Hamilton wrote to Federalist James Bayard of Delaware, Jefferson is not zealot enough to do anything in pursuance of his principles which will contravene his popularity, or his interest. He is as likely as any man I know to temporize  to calculate what will be likely to promote his own reputation and advantage; and the probable result of such a temper is the preservation of systems, though originally opposed, which being once established, could not be overturned without danger to the person who did it.  Add to this that there is no fair reason to suppose him capable of being corrupted, which is a security that he will not go beyond certain limits.

Some Federalists thought the non-ideological Burr would be more malleable. But, Hamilton countered, a man without theory cannot be a systematic or able statesman. Burr is more cunning than wise ... inferior in real ability to Jefferson, Hamilton wrote. Great Ambition unchecked by principle ... is an unruly Tyrant.

The former Treasury secretary warned that Burrs trafficking in the floating passions of the multitude would lead him to endeavour to disorganize both parties & to form out of them a third composed of men fitted by their characters to be conspirators.

Hamilton recounted that when Burr was told something wasnt permissible under the American system, Burr replied les grands ames se soucient peu des petits morceaux  great souls care little about small things. This led Hamilton to conclude that Burr would consider a scheme of usurpation as visionary.

Hamilton issued similar warnings in the winter of 1800-01 to James Ross of Pennsylvania, John Rutledge Jr. of South Carolina, Oliver Wolcott Jr. of Connecticut and Gouverneur Morris of New York.

Certainly there was personal enmity between Hamilton and the bankrupt voluptuary he called Burr. But underlying Hamiltons aggressive campaign for Jefferson was a fear that Americas democracy was too fragile to survive Burrs ambition.

He is of a temper to undertake the most hazardous enterprises because he is sanguine enough to think nothing impracticable, and of an ambition which will be content with nothing less than permanent power in his own hands, he wrote Bayard. The maintenance of the existing institutions will not suit him, because under them his power will be too narrow & too precarious; yet the innovations he may attempt will not offer the substitute of a system durable & safe, calculated to give lasting prosperity, & to unite liberty with strength. It will be the system of the day, sufficient to serve his own turn, & not looking beyond himself.

The truth, Hamilton wrote, is that under forms of Government like ours, too much is practicable to men who will without scruple avail themselves of the bad passions of human nature.

Hamiltons view of Burr would later become universal. Jefferson would come to see his former running mate as one of the most flagitious [villainous] of which history will ever furnish an example.

Hamiltons intervention gave the country the triumphant presidency of Jefferson, sparing the young nation an unscrupulous man exploiting public passion to usurp power.

Will we be as lucky in 2017?
Pangolin scales, like rhinoceros horns, are just made of keratin, but that doesn't stop traditional medicine practitioners from claiming they cure cancer and what-not. It's why pangolins are the most trafficked animals in the world. China stopped a shipment worth around $2 million that required killing around 7,500 of the cure little anteaters.

China's move is an important step in the major campaign now underway to save these these creatures from extinction. NPR's Rebecca Hersher covered the recent ban:

Commercial trade of the pangolin, the aardvark-like mammal that is the world's most-trafficked animal, has been officially banned by the international body responsible for regulating the international trade of endangered species. On Monday, delegates to a meeting in Johannesburg of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) voted to approve the strictest protections available under international law  moving the pangolin into a category reserved for species "threatened with extinction." The ban comes on the heels of a motion earlier this month by the World Conservation Congress to focus attention on the pangolin trade.

 China Announces Its Largest-Ever Seizure Of Trafficked Pangolin Scales (NPR)

Image: Wikimedia
PHOENIX  Arizonans who like to rent out their homes to visitors and dont want local officials to stop them will benefit from a new law that took effect Sunday.

So will motorists who drive while under the influence of drugs, speeders who get photo-radar citations and individuals and corporations who dont pay their taxes on time.

Those are among new laws that took effect Jan. 1 along with more than a dozen others approved this past year by the Arizona Legislature.

Short-term rentals

One measure with potential implications for neighborhoods involves that issue of short-term rentals.

Sen. Debbie Lesko, R-Peoria, originally simply intended to eliminate the requirement that homeowners collect local taxes every time they rent out a room or a whole house through sharing services like Airbnb. Now, online firms will collect the applicable taxes and forward them to the Department of Revenue, which will send them to the affected jurisdictions.

But Lesko also tacked on language that says cities, towns and counties cannot prohibit or restrict these rentals simply because the property is not classified as a hotel.

In signing the measure earlier this year, Gov. Doug Ducey said the legislation provides financial breathing room for families by allowing them to earn something extra.

The law, however, covers more than those renting out a bedroom  or even their whole home.

There is no limit to the number of properties an investor can buy and days a home could be rented out, all in the same area, potentially turning a neighborhood into a vacation rental zone. But the governor, at the signing ceremony, brushed aside questions of whether that could change an areas character.

Im not going to answer these hypotheticals, Ducey said.

The League of Arizona Cities and Towns agreed not to oppose the measure after it was amended to allow regulations to preserve local health and safety. But not everyone at the Capitol was convinced that allowing anyone to open up one or more homes to vacation rentals is in the best interests of others already living in an area.

I didnt move into a neighborhood to have the house next door to me turned into a weekly rental property, said Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, in voting against the measure.

And Sedona City Attorney Robert Pickels, in testifying against the proposal, told lawmakers this is none of their concern. He reminded them of their objections when the federal government imposes its will on the state.

We feel the same way at the local level, Pickels said. The city of Sedona feels very strongly that the characteristics that are unique to Sedona and preservation of those characteristics are left to the city of Sedona.

The practice of renting, though, appears popular  and potentially lucrative.

Airbnb spokeswoman Laura Rillos said her firm has about 7,900 hosts in Arizona with a typical listing by a host being booked 44 nights a year. Rillos said a typical host earns about $4,900 a year.

Photo-radar tickets

Lawmakers also took another slap at photo radar.

Earlier this year, lawmakers took photo enforcement off state highways. But that still leaves the option for cities, towns and counties to have speeding and red-light cameras.

The new law bars the Motor Vehicle Division from suspending the licenses of people who fail to respond to citations delivered by alternative service.

The government thinks its OK to tape that notice to your door, said Rep. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, R-Scottsdale, with no proof that it didnt simply blow away. She said that means someone who has not seen the notice and did not go to court can have a license suspended without knowing it, meaning a possible arrest if pulled over.

Lawmakers separately agreed to carve out an exemption from existing law that requires motorists convicted of driving while impaired to install an ignition interlock for at least six months. That device is designed to prevent a vehicle from starting unless the driver delivers a clean breath sample.

This new law says that requirement is no longer automatic if the conviction was for driving under the influence of drugs. Proponents said the interlocks, which can cost up to $200 to install with monthly rental fees up more than $100, make no sense if the offense had nothing to do with alcohol, the only thing the interlocks can measure.

No tax penalties

for underpayment

Another new law eliminates the ability of the Department of Revenue to impose penalties if someone substantially underpays the amount of money owed in state income taxes. That has been defined in statute as being short by at least 10 percent or $2,000.

Legislators accepted arguments by the Arizona Association of Certified Public Accountants, the people who do tax returns, that their clients should not be penalized if they come forward of their own accord. But the relief is not available if the taxpayer is already being audited by the state or if it was the Department of Revenue that found the error.

Also, businesses that set up shop in the states two largest counties can now escape the cost of having to publish their articles of incorporation and other legal notices in newspapers. Instead, they can now have their notices published at a new website set up by the Arizona Corporation Commission.

Rep. Steve Montenegro, R-Litchfield Park, limited his measure to Pima and Maricopa counties in part for political reasons: Similar bills in prior years to eliminate publication requirements statewide have been defeated as rural lawmakers sided with local publishers who complained that the loss of revenue from those notices could damage or even kill their newspapers. But future measures could expand the law statewide.

Voter pamphlets

Another new law approved during the 2016 legislative session appears prescient.

State and local election officials must mail out pamphlets to every household with registered voters ahead of elections detailing the measures on the ballot. As of Sunday, contracts for printing and distributing pamphlets must have a provision that fines the private firm a penny a day for each household that does not get the mailing on time.

Two months after the governor signed the measure, Secretary of State Michele Reagan failed to get out about 200,000 of 1.9 million brochures before early voting started for the May special election. Press aide Matt Roberts said while the fault lies with an outside company that made up the mailing lists, the foul-up is Reagans responsibility.

That foul-up drew an angry reaction from Attorney General Mark Brnovich who said it pisses me off, as an Arizonan, as the attorney general. An investigation by a former federal prosecutor to see if laws were broken is ongoing.

Other new laws
Help India!

By TCN News,

Mangalore: In its first big victory since formed last year, Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) has bagged 67 seats in the Karnataka Gram Panchayat elections held last week. The newly formed and recently recognized as a political party by Election Commission, SDPI had fielded 368 candidates.

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Addressing mediapersons in a press conference held at the Press Club in the city today, Abdul Majeed Kodlipet, State President, SDPI, said that SDPI had contested for 368 seats in the State and has won 67 seats. In Dakshina Kannada, the party fielded its candidates for 273 seats out of which it has won 41. In Udupi district it has claimed 13 seats out of 31. In Coorg, 9 have been won out of 34 seats contested. In Tumkur 3 out of 9 seats have been won besides one seat each in Ramnagar, Hunasur, and Hassan, he informed.

Bedagotta Panchayat of Kodagu will be administered by an SDPI candidate. In Dakshina Kannada too, SDPI backed candidates will play a major role in the administration in many places, he disclosed.

Briefing about the origin and genesis of the party he said that the party took birth last October. It is gaining a great deal of support from the people because of its ideals and social work among the poor and the minorities. The SDPI congratulates the people and thanks them for their support, Abdul Majeed said.

He also informed that a thanksgiving programme for the winning candidates and party workers will be held on May 25 at Town Hall in which National and State leaders are also expected to participate.

Abdul Hannan, State Convener, SDPI Karnataka, Abdul Aziz Surathkal, Executive committee, SDPI Karnataka, Haneef Khan, District President, SDPI DK, were also present in the press conference.

The Election Commission of India vide letter dated April 30 has registered SDPI as a political party w.e.f. April 13 this year. The national president of SDPI is E. Abubacker while vice president is Adv. Sajid Siddiqui. The national general secretaries are A. Sayeed and Umar Khan.


In Japan, people eat more than one hundred thousand tons of eel per year. In the last 30 years, overfishing has caused the wild eel population to decline by 90 percent.

From The New Yorker:

At Tsukiji, wholesale prices for farm-raised unagi imported from China immediately surged to a record high of around forty U.S. dollars per kilogram, and remained there for much of 2013. Prices for the wild-caught, "natural Japanese" eels served at upscale restaurants like Nodaiwa climbed even higher, by as much as fifty or sixty per cent. But the government had been late to recognize the extent of the problem, which had already taken a toll on many famous restaurants specializing in kabayaki, a signature unagi preparation. In March, 2012, a year before the species was declared endangered, the beloved unagi restaurant Suekawa closed its doors, after sixty-five years of business, and it was followed a month later by the popular restaurant Yoshikawa.

Image by Kossy@FINEDAYS from Akabane, Tokyo  Flickr, CC BY 2.0, Link
Help India!

TCN Special Series on Women of Inspiration

By Md. Ali, TwoCircles.net,

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New Delhi: Meet Deeba Zafir, an academician who wears several hats- a writer, critic, translator, thinker and many more. Be it Urdu, composite culture of India, women rights or English literature there are several issues and areas she feels passionate about.

You talk to her about Urdu and she talks about tradition of questioning and critical thinking of Urdu literature which she feels has been sidelined today,  Urdu literature traditionally had a strong tradition of questioning and critical thinking which have sadly been suppressed and side lined by the way Urdu is being perceived and taught today in the country.





Deeba Zafir



Zafir, who teaches English literature at Lakshmibai College, University of Delhi, points out the worldview of Mirza Ghalib and his entire poetry as an instance of critical thinking with the poet infused the language.

Besides being an Associate Professor of English, Zafir has lots of critical works related to Urdu literature to her credit. She has translated critical material relating to Ismat Chughtai and Urdu short stories on Partition. She has got published several articles on Ismat Chugtais Lihaaf and Kamleshwars Kitne Pakistan in the literary journal Creative Forum. She has also read papers on Ghalibs letters. Her writings are a measure of her continuous engagement with Urdu literature.

Zafir who is also one of the English consultants of Oxford Dictionary, considers Urdu to be the part and parcel and the carrier of the composite culture which many also refer as Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb But she is alarmed at the fact that this composite culture has been fractured due to increasing communal polarization and communal onslaughts of religious extremists in the country.

She argues that, the reasons for that fact that the composite culture of India is being under continuous threat and Urdu has sidelined from the national consciousness as the language of a particular community are the same. In fact Urdu is in pathetic conditions because the oppression done on the language was part of the larger picture, where the very structures of composite culture were under attack, Zafir argues.

Hindu connection

The reason for this polarization can be traced back to partition, Deeba Zafir says.

But this great grand daughter of Dr. Rajendra Prasad takes pride in the Hindu connection which is part of her lineage. She is the great grand daughter of the brother of Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Leela Prasad who converted to Islam and was later known as Abdur Rahman. Abdur Rahman also wrote a book, Aql Ki Tajweez in which he explained why he chose to convert.

Engagement with Other

Zafir is very concerned at the growing ghettoization of Muslim community and increasing polarization of the country on the communal lines. She strongly believes that engagement with the other community is the only way through which we can stop this communal onslaught on the secular fabric of the country.

Zafir argues that intermixing with the majority community is also the only option if you want to come out of the ghettoized mentality which the community has adopted over a period of time.

The other very important way, Zafir argues, to come out of this ghettoized mentality is the mainstream education to the community, What else but only the mainstream education, over a period of time, can take the community out of the besieged and ghettoized mentality.

She not only argues engagement with other community but also practices it. She stays in a mixed colony or a predominantly Hindu area, Rohini. Even at the time of post-Babri riots, when her Hindu friends were strongly suggesting her and her parents to shift to Okhla, a predominant Muslim locality, they consistently refused to do so, I still remember at the time of Babri riots my Hindu colleague came and suggested us to shift to a safe location like Okhla but we refused.

Talking about her own identity as a Muslim, she says, that she prefers to be a part of the culture than religion as culture unites people whereas religion divides. One of the peculiar aspects of keeping a Muslim name in India is that people force the stereotype on you, adds Deeba giving the instance of using bindi which many find as unIslamic.

Zafir is a staunch supporter of women rights to equality, dignity and their right to choose the kind of life they want for themselves. Deeba insisted on having a civil marriage after having Nikaah because she disagrees with its framework which cant accommodate principles of composite culture. For instance, she explains if you have got Hindu friends and you want them to become a witness in your nikaah then you cant do that because Hindus cant be a witness; in the same way the value of a female witness is half to that of a male one. Then I have strong reservations with the idea of Mehar which has practically become just a sham.

On the provision of Meher she also says that, most often than not it ends up being a bargaining point if the marriage goes sour.
Help India!

By R. B. Sreekumar (IPS Retd),

I have been immeasurably grateful to the people of Gujarat for their abundant support and affection given to me in my policing job since my appointment in the Gujarat cadre of IPS in 1971. I deem it to be quite appropriate to make an appeal to the voters of Gujarat about the crucial matters to be kept in mind by them while choosing their candidates in the forthcoming Assembly elections.

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The self-evident truth about the most deplorable facet of Modi rule since 2001 is that the Chief Minister Narendra Modi and his supporters from the Sangh Parivar, are responsible for the massacre of nearly 2000 Indian citizens in 2002 riots and destruction of many symbols of Islamic culture from medieval times. This man made communal holocaust has inflicted an indelible blot on our motherlands symbiotic syncretic heritage from the Vedic period.





Children of a rehabilitation colony, Ahmedabad [Photo by Savad Rahman]



Publicity specialists of Modi are projecting the so called development without progress, distributive justice and ecological sanity  as a monumental achievement that should overshadow and nullify the ghastly sin of mobocratic genocide of a section of Indian population in 2002. In this context the voters should ponder over the following questions before choosing their candidates and party on the polling day.

Do you know that the infrastructural foundations created by the Chief Ministers from the formation of the Gujarat state to the introduction of privatization, liberalization and globalization policies by Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh team had naturally motivated investors to start industries in Gujarat than in less developed states? Can Modi appropriate achievements of all his predecessors in Gujarat to himself?

Do you know that the rate of economic development in Gujarat was 15  20% during the tenure of CM Madhavsingh Solanki and now it has come down to 8 to 10%.

Do you know that construction of Narmada Dam was sanctioned by Rajiv Gandhi  long pending for ecological clearance  at the instance of the Gujarat CM Chimanbhai Patel, by cajoling the then Secretary Environment Shri T. N. Seshan?

Do you know that over 70% of targeted beneficiaries of Narmada irrigation schemes are bereft of their benefit due to delay in creation of channel system?

Do you know that many farmers are committing suicide due to multiple adverse factors including the inadequacy of feeder canals?

Do you know that nearly 90 types of untouchability are practiced in Gujarat as per a study by an NGO Navsarjan? The percentage of conviction in atrocity cases is reportedly lowest in Gujarat State.

Do you know that over 40% of tribals from districts of Panchmahal (Godhra), Dahod, Sabarkantha etc  a floating population  live in sub-human conditions in urban construction sites?

Why the Modi govt. had failed to create barrack type labour shelters for these half starved unskilled workers in construction areas?

What kind of vibrancy in Gujarat we should be proud of when the poorest of the poor  the original inhabitants of Gujarat  suffer in their own make shift tents in the open spaces by the side of major roads in the capital city of Gandhinagar?

Do not Modi and his Ministers experience foul smell emanating from these road side slums when they travel through Gandhinagar city roads?

What is the justification for non-appointment of Lok Ayukta in Gujarat even years after the relevant legislation was enacted by the Assembly?

Why report on high level corruption in Sujalam  Suphalam Project uncovered by the Public Accounts Committee is not released to the voters so far?

Do you know that people of Gujarat had lost one lakh and forty thousand crore rupees in land scams of Modi govt in which govt. land plots were given to big corporate groups on cheap rates?

Do you know that manual scavenging (people carrying human waste on their heads) is still prevailing in some parts of Gujarat?

Do you know that graft and corruption for getting legitimate services at the grass root level govt. officers  Police Station, Mamlatdars Office, Primary Health Centre, Taluka Development Office etc have unprecedentedly increased during the regime of Modi Govt, thanks to the postings of favourites of ruling party in important lucrative posts?

Do you know that about 10000 riot victims of 2002 communal violence live in sub-human conditions as govt. is not providing them even basic facilities?

Do you know that riots were state patronized, promoted, facilitated and enabled and that officers in two cities  Surat and Rajkot  and nine districts, out of twenty six, have maintained public order remarkably in 2002 communal riots by enforcing Communal Riot Schemes, Criminal Procedure Code, Bombay Police Act and the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in Gujarat Police Manual and numerous govt. instructions?

Do you know that all those officers  in charge of 11 areas  were treated badly by the Modi govt.  a few were transferred in the thick of riots, some were not promoted and charge-sheeted etc. Cases against some of these officers are still pending in the courts?

Do you know that officers (IAS/IPS) who acted as collaborators to the govt. to execute its anti-minority carnage were rewarded with good postings, out of turn promotions and post retirement assignments?

Do you know that 90% of riot cases reinvestigated on the Apex Court orders in 2002 by Gujarat police ended in filing of final reports and not in arrest and prosecution of accused persons?

Do you know that many riot cases investigated by Gujarat police ended in acquittal of accused because allegedly the police had pressurized the key witness to turn hostile?

Do you know that in many riot cases riot victims who registered FIRs against accused from the Sangh parivar were forced to go against their own complaints as a condition precedent for their rehabilitation in pre riot places and vocations?

Do you know that the Special Courts, the Gujarat High Court and the Apex court had passed severe strictures against Gujarat Bureaucracy and police for their unprofessional, illegal and pro-riot accused posture? The Apex court called Gujarat bureaucracy the modern day Neros in 2004.

Do you know that for the first time in the judicial history of India the Apex court had appointed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by former CBI Director, Dr. R. K. Raghavan to probe into nine gruesome multiple murder cases during the riots?

Do you know that for the first time in the judicial history of India the Apex court was forced to appoint a Special Task force (STF) headed by Justice Bedi to probe into alleged fake encounters killings?

Do you know that for the first time in the history of Gujarat Police, many police officers including 4 IPS officers were arrested for extra judicial killings and are in jail since April 2007?

Do not you think that rewarding of officers who aided, abetted and enabled the rioters to kill people in 2002 and punishing those who enforced the Rule of Law would have adverse impact on the morale and motivation of well meaning policemen, loyal to the letter and spirit of the Constitution of India, from constable to DGP?

Do you know that for families of police officers in jail for their culpable role in riots (only two Police Inspectors) and fake encounters are orphaned and marginalized for no fault of theirs?

Do you know that Dr. R. K Raghavan the Chairman, SIT which gave a clean chit to Modi and police officers from the rank of Dy SP to DGP (only two Police Inspectors arrested) for riots allegedly has been serving TATA Group as a Paid Adviser?

Do you know that the TATA group allegedly got Rs. 5000 crore worth of benefits from Modi Govt?





A city slum in Ahmedabad [Photo by Savad Rahman]



Do not you think that there is clash of interests between the requirements of justice to riot victims and Dr. R. K. Raghavans alleged financial obligations and subservience to TATA Company?

Do you know that Dr. R. K. Raghavan, on an average stayed only 5-6 days in a month in Gujarat for supervising investigation of nine important massacre cases, though he has been paid Rs. 1.5 lacs per month by Gujarat govt. (since June 2008), besides other privileges?

Do you know that Dr. R. K. Raghavan, allegedly, had unauthorizedly got the traveling expenses spent on his journey from London (where he visited for private purpose) to Ahmedabad on 2 occasions  in August 2008 and July 2009 from Gujarat Govt?

Why the State govt. had refused to provide information on travelling expenses paid by it to Dr. Raghavan, on flimsy ground that SIT is not covered by RTI Act? What is the secrecy about Dr. Raghavans past travels?

Do you know that Dr. R. K. Raghavan did not record or verify the statement of a single witness of all important cases investigated by him?

Why Dr. Raghavan had refused to conduct Narco test on Shri R. B. Sreekumar and Shri Sanjeev Bhatt (police officers who gave a lot of evidence about the complicity of Modi government in riots), even though both had unconditionally volunteered for the same?

Do you know that Dr. R. K. Raghavan did not conduct reconstruction of crime of Godhra train fire on Feb. 27, 2002, though Shri R. B. Sreekumar suggested for the same, to find out the veracity of conspiracy theory behind the train fire incident?

Do you know that Dr. Raghavan did not accept information produced by Tehelka journalist Ashish Khaitan in Operation Kalank as evidence though the court in Naroda Patia judgment had accepted it as extra judicial confession?

Do you know that the killing spree by Sangh Parivar supporters of 96 people including infants in Naroda Patiya on Feb. 28, 2002 from 9 AM to 7 PM (10 hours) was not stopped by police  from Inspector to the Commissioner of Police of Ahmedabad City, as per Naroda Patia judgment by Judge Dr. Jyotsna Yagnik?

Do you know that SIT did not find anything wrong with the police officers, from Inspectors to CP Ahmedabad, whose criminal negligence of their mandated duties resulted in violent mobs moving in Naroda Patiya during curfew hours and killing innocent Muslims (58 were killed during the curfew hours)?

Do you know that Modi Govt. did not take remedial measures on intelligence inputs about prejudicial actions and posture of police officers against riot victims resulting in faulty registration of FIRs, not including names of prominent Hindu leaders responsible for violence in FIR , not recovering property looted by rioters etc. (these professional lapses of police are condemned by the Court in Naroda Patia judgement) submitted by Gujarat State Intelligence Branch (SIB), from April 9, 2002 to Sept. 17, 2002?

Do you know that nearly 80% of 98 accused convicted (life imprisonment for anti-minority riots in 2002) do not have previous criminal records, and have been acting as programmed human robots on the motivation of the ruling party and support by collaborating and enabling police officers?

Do you know that the families of convicted persons for riots (all Hindus) are orphaned for nearly 20 years for no fault of theirs?

Do you know that for claiming excellent crime control by the Modi govt., police officers from police station level upwards are avoiding registration of FIRs of property offences particularly FIRs of property offence crimes like chain snatching, thefts etc and even murders in case of recovery of dead bodies with pre-mortem injuries?

Do you know that police are hesitant in taking actions against law breakers having support of the ruling party, and belonging to affluent sections and this approach of police has resulted in drunken teenage driving, killing many innocent people in hit and run cases; theft of cars, mobiles, computers etc. for fun by teenagers from richer sections etc.?

Do you know that Modi govt. from 2002 riot days had used mobs to carry out its hidden agenda like anti-minority violence, stoppage of screening films like Parzania and Aamir Khans films, attacking NDTV office in Ahmedabad city for their offence of giving importance to the late artist M. F. Hussain?

Do you know that police morale in Gujarat is on the declining trend due to:

a) Encouragement given by the govt. to a coterie of officers who enjoy extra hierarchical accessibility to political leadership and de-facto undue authority.

b) Delay in promotions (4 DGP) posts kept vacant for two years (August 2010 to Sept 2012).

c) Inadequacy of staff.

d) Over deployment for VIP duties etc

Do you know that success in govt. programmes can be achieved only through efficacy of every employee and not through the oratorical skill and publicity drive of a single individual  Narendra Modi?

Do you know that bureaucrats and police are suffering from severe Modi-phobia and are reluctant to exercise their mandatory authority freely to ensure smooth functioning of the Criminal Justice System and prompt service delivery for distributive justice to the under-privileged and marginalized downtrodden sections?

Do you want to live in an atmosphere of fear of a domineering govt. which does not give any room for culture of democracy, tolerance to diversity of opinion, and different socio-religious cultures?

Please do not accept Modi govts propaganda on law and order, development, delivery of justice, efficiency and promptness of govt. services basing on macro level statistics projected by the govt., instead judge the govt. on your micro level personal experience and what you have seen at grass root level.

Please see that there is no mismatch between your answers to the above questions and your choice of candidates or party on the polling day.



RB Sreekumar is a former DGP Gujarat.

TCN series on Gujarat elections
Help India!

Gave though competition to strong regional and national parties

By TCN News,

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Nanded (Maharashtra): All India Majlis-e-Itehadul Muslimeen has showed excellent performance in the Nanded-Waghala city municipal council polls. MIM, which has not very strong presence in Marthwada region, has managed to win 13 seats.

MIM had contested 25 seats and its candidates including four Muslim women managed to make a mark in the council. MIM gave a robust competition to strong regional parties like Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena, which won 10 and 14 seats respectively.

Indian National Congress fought hard to retain the municipal council and emerged as single largest party by winning 39 seats in the 81 member Municipal council. BJP showed a dismal performance by winning only 2 seats. Nanded is the constituency of Maharshtra, Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and this victory of congress without the support of NCP is being considered crucial for his future in Marathwada region.

Shiv Sena faced drubbing despite its executive president Uddhav Thackeray, his son Aditya Thackrey personally campaigned in the city for days. On the BJP side, leaders like Gopinath Munde and Vinod Tawde campaigned earlier for their candidates but in vain.

Majlis-e-Itehadul Muslimeen leaders campaigned enthusiastically in Nanded months before the elections, including MIM President and Hyderabad MP Assaduddin Owaisi and partys floor leader in the AP Assembly Akbaruddin Owaisi. MIM didnt even hesitate in targeting its ally in AP and in center, Congress whom it blamed for using Muslims as mere vote bank.

MIM was a major force in Marathwada region when it was a part of erstwhile Hyderabad state. After independence and subsequent accession of the princely state, MIM gradually lost its influence in the region.

In recent years, it has again shown considerable rise in its influence in the districts of Marathwada, like Nanded, Ahmednagar. Its riveting performance in the Nanded city municipal council polls shows that MIM is trying hard to win back the lost ground.
TwoCircles Newsdesk

Spotlighting the current acrisisa? in international efforts to address the world's nuclear arsenal, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on delegates attending a review conference in Vienna on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to demonstrate that progress is possible.

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aI urge you to show the world what multilateral cooperation can achieve in building a safer world and advancing the interests and ideals of humanity,a? Mr. Ban said in a message to the opening session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2010 NPT Review Conference.

aBy looking both backward and forward, the process can help States parties to keep the Treaty in step with changing times, to strengthen accountability of States Parties and to promote constructive engagement with civil society,a? he said, according to the text of the message, which was to be delivered by Hannelore Hoppe, Officer-in-Charge of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs.

Mr. Ban paid tribute to the Treaty, noting that it commits the nuclear-weapon States to disarmament, while affirming the inalienable right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, consistent with other treaty obligations.

But at the same time, he called attention to the many obstacles facing efforts to address the nuclear issue. Mr. Ban's message marked the first from any UN Secretary-General to an NPT Preparatory Committee, a step he called anecessary because of a persisting crisis of confidence in the treaty.a?

The current stalemate on the nuclear issue is evidenced by the adisappointing outcomea? of the 2005 NPT Review Conference , insufficient progress in nuclear disarmament, as well as a lack of universal adherence to International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA ) safeguards agreements a and cases of non-compliance, said the Secretary-General.

Nuclear tests were conducted as recently as 2006, and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty ( CTBT ) faces difficulties. aOngoing tests of nuclear-capable missiles, possible discrimination in peaceful nuclear cooperation and a failure to implement the proposal to establish a zone free of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East have also raised serious concerns,a? the Secretary-General observed.

Under the provisions of the Treaty, a review conference is held every five years.
Childcare is desperately needed in much of the U.S. and especially for lower income people but while the First Daughter Ivanka probably hears from lots of her friends that they wish child care were cheaper, the proposals from the Trump campaign are meaningless to the vast majority of people who really need help.

Tax credits and other dumb ideas

Funding childcare centers with free or inexpensive childcare like lower cost housing for those with low incomes, would be a wonderful benefit for all those single mothers and working families who have to hold down two or even three jobs just to feed their families.

It wouldn't be difficult to implement, just make it a part of the public school system, but the Trump proposals would do absolutely nothing for them - the people who need help most.

It would also benefit the entire country by reducing major causes of crime and Poverty - Children left to raise themselves.

Tax credits, tax deductions, or dedicated savings accounts are great if you have an income of $50,000 or more because you pay taxes, but are meaningless to the millions of families who struggle from paycheck to paycheck just to feed their kids - what money do they have left over to fund a childcare saving account, or medical savings account, or retirement fund, or any thing except the months food and rent envelopes.

Many working poor dont even have bank accounts since the working poor need those few extra dollars that banks charge.

What all these Republican policies which involve saving for retirement or paying for childcare through tax deductions ignore is that those who really need childcare help dont pay taxes in the first place so they get zero benefit from any childcare benefit tied to reduced taxes which they don't pay anyway.

Of course President-elect Trump didn't pay taxes for years either but that was because in one year he lost nearly $1 billion.

Real world families

In the U.S. a family of two earning well above the poverty level which is about $12,000 per person, pay no federal income taxes today - in fact, given a reasonable number of deductions and a couple of children, a couple earning double the poverty level income pay no Federal taxes at all.

Given even a $10/hour minimum wage, which is considerably more than the Federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour (the Obama white House wanted to raise it to $10.10 per hour), a 40 hour full time job would pay only $15,080. The Federal poverty level for a family of two is $16,020 so when you hear employment numbers for the U.S. bear in mind that one full-time job for a family of two can still leave them officially poor.

Since many people work less than the old 40 hour/week, the average work week in the U.S. is only 37 hours now, they earn even less.

Worse than useless?

So, while the proposed Trump policy to help families with child care expenses sounds great, in reality it only provides help for the rich or middle class, a family earning more than about $50,000 per year, arguably a family which doesn't really need help.

That makes the Trump policy worse than useless for two reasons. First, tax credits for the wealthy reduces the money available to reduce the deficit or fund poverty programs and second, the policy makes it appear that help is getting to the poor while in reality it is just another welfare for the wealthy program.
2016 had some great movies and the most popular which were released in the UK include epics like "Rogue One" and "The Revenant." We chose those we feel were some of the best films of 2016.

'Rogue One'

The latest Film off the "Star Wars" conveyor belt is one of the finest. Gareth Edwards picks up the mantle from the safe - but enjoyable - '"The Force Awakens," and raises the bar with a thrilling and surprisingly dark take on the "Star Wars" universe (you can read my in-depth review here).

'Room'

"Room" is an absorbing and pensive story that flawlessly hits every intended emotional beat.

A great deal of the film hinges on the performances of Brie Larsson and child actor Jacob Tremblay - and the duo deliver in extraordinarily moving fashion." - quote from my January review.

'American Honey'

Andrea Arnold's film follows an outcast group of youngsters, who travel across America selling magazines for a living. The breathtaking cinematography of Robbie Ryan is coupled with an excellently selected soundtrack to make this one of the most aesthetically arousing films of 2016.

"American Honey" is unashamedly grungy, unruly and misunderstood, but it is alive in a way that many films can only envy.

'Paterson'

"Paterson" is an enchanting ode to the intricacies of life. Adam Driver plays a bus driver in the city of 'Paterson', whose love for his partner, his city and its people fuel his passion for poetry.

Golshifteh Farahani also deserves a mention for one of the most delightful performances of 2016.

'Mustang'

"Mustang" tells the story of five young girls struggling against the pressures of enforced gender roles and norms in rural Turkey. Deniz Gamze Erguven keeps a fine balance between charm and gravity, whilst bringing out excellent performances from his young cast.

"Mustang"'s message is delivered with endearing authenticity and irrepressible spirit.

'The Revenant'

Finally, Leonardo DiCaprio got his Oscar. But this American epic owes much to the expert work of Alejandro G. Inarritu. He produces a series of unbelievable sequences and awe-inspiring visuals that make this an enthralling watch.

Beyond the brilliance of Inarritu, Tom Hardy gives one of the best villainous performances of 2016.

'Victoria'

This pulsating night out in Berlin is a one-take work of technical brilliance from Sebastian Schipper. "Victoria" effortlessly shifts through the gears from complete euphoria to deep contemplation, to utter despair. The result is a riveting and transformative night to remember.

'Son of Saul'

Laszlo Nemes' debut feature undertakes the daunting task of representing the horrors of the Holocaust. Remarkably, he managed to produce one of the most visceral portrayals of a Nazi death camp put on the big screen. "Son of Saul" is a bone-chilling and devastating piece of cinema.

'The Arrival'

"The Arriva" gives an inventive and thoughtful take on the stagnant alien invasion genre.

Amy Adams' performance as a linguist expert who must find a way to communicate with the visitors from outer-space is simply sublime. Her remarkable display befits a film that is visionary and mesmerising throughout. Denis Villeneuve's tonally perfect film is only enhanced by Max Richter's beautiful music.

'Anomalisa'

Charlie Kaufman's stop-motion animation masterpiece takes us into the mind of a self-destructive middle-aged man whose life begins to unravel on a lonely night in a hotel.

There are the expected Kaufman-isms of complex thought, tinged with an honest humour that trickles through the myriad of profundity. But it is the animation that gives Kaufman the freedom to play with voices and images in ways that, perhaps, missed the mark with audiences in 'Synecdoche, New York'.

Simply put, "Anomalisa is an indelible cinematic experience.
2016 in Baghdad ended with two blasts in the central district of Al Sinak market. Two suicide bombers blew themselves up simultaneously, killing 28 people and injuring more than 50. It happened on Saturday, Dec. 31 during rush hour when sellers and buyers flock to the market stalls in the heart of Baghdad.

Immediate claims of ISIS

ISIS was not long in coming and has immediately claimed responsibility for the blasts. In a statement released on the Internet the authenticity of which has not yet been able to be confirmed, the terrorist group has claimed the attackers by naming them Abu Nayaf and Abu Abdel-malek al Iraqi.

The self-proclaimed Islamic State has also not missed an opportunity to make the matter worse by threatening more attacks against Shia Muslims. "Many of the victims were sellers of spare parts, gathered around a table to eat breakfast at the time of the explosions," Iraqi media was told by a survivor seller Ibrahim Mohamed Ali .

Attack resulting in death of 28 and over 50 injured

At the moment there are 28 confirmed deaths and the number of injured exceeds fifty, as well as extensive damage to buildings and vehicles. A few days ago, the anti-terrorist troops had announced the start of a new military operation 'Oust' in eastern districts of Mosul against ISIS.

Mosul is the Iraq's second biggest city and hopefully the last bastion of the jihadist.

The military campaign in the Ninawa province was started on 17 October 2016 with the participation of the army, the Kurdish troops "Pashmergas" and the Shia militia pro-government "popular Multitude." Until now, the joint forces are able to advance on all fronts in the city of Mosul also riding in the east and also getting control of some neighborhoods.

New Year with mourning

The attack fades the preparations for the new year celebrations to black. Citizens had planned to head for celebrations of some sort but the incident has squashed any hopes of that as the people are now mourning their dead. The attack put an end to the period of relative calm in the Iraqi capital.
On this weekend's Meet the Press, WSJ editor in chief Gerard Baker said that even when he was clear that Trump had uttered a falsehood, his paper would not call that falsehood a lie, because to do so would ascribe "moral intent" to Trump; instead, the WSJ will call Trump's lies "challengeable" and "questionable."



Then Mr Baker returned to his home in nowhere, where he admired the view.





He said reporters should state the facts, but leave classifying them to readers, citing the example of Trump's claim that thousands of Muslims in New Jersey were celebrating on 9/11 (which is false). "I think it's then up to the reader to make up their own mind to say, 'This is what Donald Trump says. This is what a reliable, trustworthy news organization reports. And you know what? I don't think that's true.'"

Wall Street Journal Editor Says His Newspaper Won't Call Donald Trump's Lies 'Lies'

[Kate Sheppard/Huffington Post]
Not long after Donald Trump first announced his campaign for president, the Republican Party was quickly split between those who offered their support, and those who stood in opposition. Following Trump's victory, Republicans have publicly come closer together, but it doesn't appear that they are all on the same page.

Trump's call

It's no secret that Donald Trump has often clashed with his fellow Republicans. Throughout the 2016 presidential election, a group of conservatives, known as the "Never Trump" movement," came together and did their best to prevent the former host of "The Apprentice" from becoming the Republican nominee, and later the president.

The anti-Trump effort failed, and the billionaire real estate pulled off one of the biggest upsets in political history. As reported by The New York Post on January 1, Trump is still not happy with some top members of his own party.

During a phone call Trump allegedly said to Schumer he likes [him] more than [Paul] Ryan and [Mitch] McConnell..." https://t.co/zEw3SmxcB7  New York Post (@nypost) January 1, 2017

While Donald Trump has made it clear that he is not a fan of the Democratic Party agenda, he seems to be pretty close with Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York. During a recent phone call between the two, Trump allegedly said of the Democratic senator, "he likes Schumer more than Ryan and McConnell because they both wanted him to lose."

The names in questions were in relation to House Speaker Rep.

Paul Ryan, and Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell. Both Ryan and McConnell were not big supporters of Donald Trump, and their relationship has been questionable since Election Day. While Trump has been quiet in regards to the leader of the Senate, he has spoken out in support of Ryan during a recent rally, those his pubic comments conflict to what he is reportedly saying in private.

Moving forward

Despite the harsh remarks about Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell, Donald Trump is less than a month away from being sworn in on Inauguration Day and becoming the next commander in chief. After the most recent election, Trump gave conservatives their best shot at implementing their agenda that they have had in years. With Republicans controlling the White House, as well as all of Congress, only time will tell if they will be able to get on the same page as the new president-elect over the next four years.
On May 19, 2016, Egyptair Flight 804 crashed into the Mediterranean Sea unexpectedly. The crash killed all 66 people onboard including the pilots and crew. The investigation into why the Airbus 380 suddenly crashed has been ongoing for many months. Officials stated that they were unsure if this was a terrorist attack or simply a technical failure. The investigation team recently announced that they have discovered traces of explosive materials on some of the deceased passengers' remains.

What happened to the plane?

Last spring, EgyptAir Flight 804 was flying from Paris to Cairo when it suddenly and mysteriously vanished from radar.

There was no mayday call. The radio was silent. It took several days before investigators were able to locate the crash site. Submerged under 10,000 feet of water in the Mediterranean Sea, investigators were unsure if this crash was mechanical or malicious. A voice recording from the cockpit of the Airbus 380 was recovered that suggested that the cabin was on fire at the time the plane went down. After recovering some of the remains of the passengers, traces of explosives were found on the bodies. None of the remains had been found strapped into their seats, and none of the remains were completely intact. There were 15 French citizens onboard, whose families have been pushing to claim custody of their loved ones' remains for several months.

The bodies have still not been released back to their families. The absence of large debris leads investigators to believe that the aircraft disintegrated before it crashed into the sea.

Bad Press for EgyptAir

This is not the first time this year that EgyptAir has been in the news. In March, an Egyptian fugitive by the name of Seif Eldin Mustafa hijacked EgyptAir Flight 181 flying from Alexandria to Cairo.

He forced the aircraft to divert to Cyprus before explaining his demands. The 59-year-old claimed to be wearing an explosive vest, but such was not the case. Mustafa escaped from prison in Egypt five years ago and was demanding to see his former wife, who is living in Cyprus. He was previously convicted of fraud and forgery, and escaped prison during the revolution to overthrow President Hosni Mubarak five years prior.

He is not linked with ISIS, nor the Muslim Brotherhood. He simply wanted to see his ex-wife. The situation was easily defused, and Mustafa was taken into custody and declared mentally unstable. It has no doubt been a bad year for EgyptAir. With Egypt's wavering tourism industry, the last thing this airline needs is hijacking attempts and mysterious plane crashes.
A new provision contained in the 2017 NDAA conference report could allow the US to support Syrian rebels with man-portable air defense systems, also known as MANPADS. Supply of the weapons has proven controversial in the past due to concerns that terrorist groups like ISIS or others friendly to al-Qaeda could acquire them. Due to the weapons relatively small size, and the instability of the situation in Syria, the shoulder fired armaments could easily be smuggled to US enemies.

Use of the American weapons by anti-Assad rebels against Russian aircraft could also cause serious tension between the US and Russia, who have been at odds over the civil war in Syria.

Russia fears US anti-aircraft missiles could be used against its planes over Syria

This US decision directly threatens the aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces, other Russian military personnel and the Russian Embassy in Syria, which has been shelled more than once. This is why we view this as a hostile decision, said Maria Zakharova, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman in a statement on Tuesday.

While past administrations have opposed Putins actions in Syria and the Ukraine, President-elect Donald trump has praised the leader and dismissed accusations of Russian manipulation of US elections, opening the door for warmer future diplomatic relations. The Russian spokeswoman went on to suggest that the easing of restrictions on US weapons flow to Syria, passed on December 23rd by the current administration, was part of a political game to hamper the incoming Trump administration and escalate tension between the two countries.

Russian official accuses Obama of straining US-Russian relations as part of political maneuver

Overall, it appears that the Authorization Act has been adopted by the outgoing Obama administration, which is hastily introducing new sanctions against Russia, to create problems for the incoming Trump administration and complicate its relations on the international stage, as well as to force it to adopt an anti-Russia policy, said Zakharova.

Both Republicans and Democrats have voiced opposition to the transfer of portable missiles to Syrian rebels on grounds that they carry with them the potential for great destruction in the region. While the weapons are only allotted for vetted rebels and multiple senate committees must approve of the action, many in Washington feel that they are an unnecessary danger.
President-elect Donald Trump, who recently stated that Russia's Vladimir Putin was "smart" for not retaliating against the United States for sanctions imposed on Russia by President Obama, needs to "Man up" and admit that he is nothing more than Vladimir Putin's planted puppet. The sooner Trump comes clean and admits that he's in "way above his head," the better off everyone, including Republicans, will be. To determine what Putin's motives were for interfering with the American election and "planting" Donald Trump as President, one only needs ask what Putin stands to gain from a Trump presidency.

What Putin hopes to gain

Putin's motives for planting Trump in the White House are many and varied. For one thing, Putin is hoping that America will have a president who will not interfere with Putin's occupation of Ukraine and other Baltic States. Despite inhumane treatment of the citizens of Ukraine by the Russians, including torture, Russian occupation of Ukraine has continued and worsened in recent years. President-elect Trump has stated that he only will support Baltic States that are current in their dues to NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). This gives Putin a blank check for continuing his occupation of Ukraine and other Baltic States and strengthening his position and power throughout the Baltic region.

Secondly, Trump's support for NATO has been inept at best. In recent months, Trump described NATO as "obsolete." Trump's practice of "tweeting" his foreign policy agenda recently came into question by Secretary of State John Kerry.

Thirdly, so long as Trump is President, Putin's support of Syrian President Bassar Assad's regime in Allepo and throughout Syria, will remain unchallenged.

The chronicle of inhumane treatment of average citizens of Aleppo, including mass starvation of children, will remain unchallenged so long as Trump is President because of his support of Putin. Trump recently stated that in a new arms race, the United States would prevail over all other countries. He provided no evidence for his claim.

It has been said that if you can appeal to a person's vanity, you have the makings of a fool. Such is the case with "the Donald." What better way is there to get someone to "melt" in the palm of your agenda-laden palm, than to appeal to his exaggerated sense of himself, to make him feel that he is "the ultimate," and to convince him that the world really does revolve around him after all? That is exactly what Putin has done to Trump.

The only thing left for Trump to do is call for a complete investigation of Russian interference with the election that resulted in his Electoral College victory. In his short inaugural address, Trump should state that although he ended up being elected President, he is calling for a complete probe into Russian hacking of the American Presidential Election 2016.

It won't happen

Of course, that will never happen, because Trump will take his marbles and run to the next game, that is, if anyone is still willing to play with him, which is doubtful.
Non-Resident Indians and Indian nationals abroad can deposit up to Rs 25,000 of the demonetised currency during the 3-6 month grace period, but only if they show the junked notes to Customs officials at the airport and get a declaration form stamped.

The declaration will have to be submitted at specified branches of the Reserve Bank while depositing the junked currency, a finance ministry notification stated.

While the 50-day window for such deposits at banks or post offices ended on December 30, the government has offered a grace period for those who were abroad.

The window for Indian nationals who were travelling abroad is till March 31 and for NRIs, it is June 30, 2017. This facility, however, is subject to the Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Currency) Regulations, 2015. As per these regulations, bringing back such currency into the country is restricted to Rs 25,000 per person.

Those returning from Nepal and Bhutan are not permitted to carry specified bank notes of old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes.

For the period from up to March 31, 2017 or June 30, 2017, as applicable, a declaration form will need to be filled by resident Indians and non-resident Indians coming to India and carrying SBNs for depositing these SBNs in the specified offices of RBI in India, the notification said.

At the airport/land Customs stations etc on entry, Customs stamp on the said forms shall be affixed and the same shall be submitted along with other documents to RBI offices.

A one-page form has been worked out for the purpose.

Since the form to be filled in by the passenger bearing the Customs stamp will be crucial in subsequently facilitating the deposit of SBNs at the specified issue offices of RBI, the finance ministry asked the customs formations to keep a copy of the same, preferably in a scanned format.

The Customs officer shall strictly count the number of notes and tally the total amount mentioned before stamping the form submitted by the passenger, the notification said.

The ministry said since it is a facilitation step to enable resident and non-resident Indians to deposit SBNs when they arrive in India, measures should be taken to make passengers and airlines aware of the new dispensation.

While discharging the above task, care may be taken that due courtesy is extended to the declarants and that no unnecessary inconvenience is caused, it said.

The government had declared 500 and 1,000 denomination bank notes as illegal tender from November 9, 2016. Subsequently, the President approved the promulgation of the Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities Ordinance) Ordinance, 2016 on December 30.

The ordinance imposes penal liabilities on the holders of SBNs after the specified date, the notification said.

It makes holding, transfer and receiving of the demonetised notes a criminal offence, punishable with a fine of Rs 10,000 or five times the cash held, whichever is higher.

The details of the declaration and statements that are required to be submitted along with the SBNs at the time of deposit in RBI issue offices will be separately announced by RBI. Any false declaration will invite a fine of Rs 50,000 or five times the amount of the face value of the SBN tendered, whichever is higher, a ministry statement had said after the Ordinance was promulgated on Friday.
Whatever the circumstances the cadres will not let themselves be seen as challenging MGRs symbol. Its an emotional identification for most of them, and many consider it an eternal sin for them to defy Two Leaves, says N Sathiya Moorthy.

Media reports/speculation about an imminent cadre uprising against the ruling AIADMKs new and seventh general secretary-elect V K Sasikala notwithstanding, there is nothing to suggest that such threats, even where genuine, have little chance of throwing a huge challenge to the emerging leadership.

In a way, any immediate challenge from the existing ranks of second-line leaders, into which Chief Minister O Panneerselvam has identified himself, too may not have much worth.

We will make even our detractors follow us, Sasikala told party leaders after taking over as Jayas political successor at the AIADMK headquarters, gifted by founder M G Ramachandran, in Chennais busy Royapettah locality. The party would continue to run with the same military discipline as under Jaya, Sasikala said, For Amma, this party for her life. For me, Amma was my life.

Sasikala targeted forces conspiring against the party post-Jaya, to create havoc during this hour of distress in our lives. Despite the poor cadre turnout at her inaugural as party chief, indicating disenchantment to an extent, it was clear that she was not talking about insiders but possibly about outsiders of the ruling BJP at the Centre.

Its not without reason. The trust in the party for them, and thus in the cadres, for Jaya earlier and Sasi now, owes to the strong cadre-belief that the Two Leaves electoral symbol of the party given to us by AIADMK founder and charismatic actor-politician M G Ramachandran, MGR, should not be allowed to wither away.

It holds equally true of the cadres who had joined and worked for the party selflessly under MGRs successor and political heir, the late chief minister and AIADMK supremo, Jayalalithaa.

Nor would the cadres let themselves be seen as challenging the MGR symbol whatever the justification and/or circumstances. Its an emotional identification for most of them, and many still consider it an eternal sin for them to be seen defying the Two Leaves symbol.

Shooting in the air

Those who seek to draw a parallel between the post-MGR emergence of Jaya, and also to the absence of such charismatic leaders in the AIADMK as the two just now, seem to be shooting in the air.

Jaya was not the readily-accepted leader of the party. Rather, a majority of the legislators, chaperoned by senior MGR aides and ministers like R M Veerappan and assembly speaker, P H Pandian, had sided with MGRs widow, Janaki Ramachandran, for the chief ministers job.

After the Centre had dismissed the short-live Janaki government over the assembly melee on the day the chief minister sought a confidence-vote, both factions lost the 1989 assembly elections badly.

The Janaki faction came poorer than the one led by Jayalalithaa, but the split in the MGR votes, and more importantly, the Election Commissions freezing of the Two Leaves symbol, alone had helped MGRs bete noire and DMK supremo M Karunanidhi return to power after a 13-year vanvas, as the latter himself admitted.

Or, thats how AIADMK insiders and veterans saw it at the time. Their aim thus was to bring the two factions together, and win back the Two Leaves symbol.

That having been achieved, the AIADMK cadres believed that the re-unified partys 1991 electoral victory in the company of the Congress (that too at the height of the Rajiv Gandhi assassination!) owed mostly to the return of MGRs symbol.

Retiring from politics?

Today, in the changed circumstances, any split still in the AIADMK, now or later, leading up to any possible freeze of the party symbol could bring the cadres together -- and not necessarily against the Sasikala leadership, or whoever is there at the helm. Its emotional bondage that they cannot sever.

Left to themselves otherwise, some of them might still choose to retire from active politics if Sasikala were to take over the party, as has already been ordained by the AIADMK general council at its first post-Jaya meeting at Chennai on Thursday.

One other possibility of disgruntled cadres still voting for the party though not working as effectively as under MGR and/or Jaya is the possibility of the AIADMK losing the state-wide local bodies polls, stalled by the Madras high court at the last minute.

The poll dates, the AIADMKs candidates list for urban, semi-urban and rural councils, and the subsequent court stay, all occurred when Jaya was in hospital. The poll-date decision and the party list all had the Sasi stamp return all over.

There was no extra-protest against the choice of candidates than when Jaya or even MGR was around. Considering that the village-level local bodies in particular catered to the personal aspirations and identifications of lower-level cadres, the deafening silence was an acceptance of the emerging reality, whether or not they accepted it happily.

Emotional blackmail

Possibly, the second-line leadership now kow-towing the Sasikala line is well aware of the sensitivity and sensibilities of the cadres to the MGR-Jaya symbol. Its an element that they would readily use for emotional blackmail to fall in line, as and when required.

Otherwise, the second-line does not seem to be looking at their own re-elections in the assembly polls that are due only in 2021 and the Lok Sabha elections, two years ahead in 2019.

They seem to have concluded that they need the party first to get elected, and would have to move away from the Jaya charisma to something more real and immediate, to keep the AIADMK together, through the next four years in office.

Least unacceptable

Sasikala may or may not be the best of choice even in the eyes of some/many of them, but they are left with none else, either. The MGR-Jaya autocracy has ensured as much.

What the second-line is looking at just now is for (s)he who is the least unacceptable to the rest of them all to keep the party together, as against someone more acceptable to the cadres, first, and the larger voters, later on.

There is none else in sight, after all -- though, overall Chief Minister OPS has become as much visible as Sasikala in the past. But caste, sub-regional and second-line leadership equations do not make him readily acceptable to other factions, which are however yet to emerge, post-Jaya.

Rather, they had never considered Panneer to be the first among equals when Jaya was around, for them to consider him one post-Jaya. Having stayed in the background through her 30-plus years of association with Jayalalithaa, and yet controlling the levers of the party and governmental organisation de facto, Sasikala has greater acceptance than all others put together, just now.

Twin power-centres

Its another matter if OPS would readily accept Sasikala as CM, if she were to target his job next. Then again, there would be those in the party who would readily argue (Sasis case) that twin power-centres are alien to the Dravidian political scheme, since the days the late C N Annadurai remained the parent DMKs supremo and state chief minister after the 1967 elections that the party had won.

Either way, the AIADMK is not unlikely to focus on performance and good governance in the early months and years of the post-Jaya era, though individual leaders and ministers are not unlikely to go their own way, if they decided otherwise -- in terms of their own electoral future.

Post-Jaya, the OPS government did better in handling the post-Vardah cyclone relief in the state capital of Chennai and suburbs, compared to the Jaya leaderships handling of the historic floods in the metropolis in 2015.

Whats more, ahead of the recent tax raids, including on former chief secretary P Rama Mohana Rao, Panneer and his cabinet colleagues, especially those in charge of cyclone relief, became accessible to the victims and the local media alike -- unlike in the days of Jaya.

Whether they would project it as an achievement of the party government or that of the Panneer leadership personally remains to be seen. A lot would depend on what Sasikala thinks for herself and about herself, over the short, medium and long term, considering especially that there is the Supreme Court verdict in the wealth case in which the Bangalore trial court had sent her to prison along with Jayalalithaa.

Political vacuum

It can still be argued that the exit of Jaya, and the ailment and age of DMKs Karunanidhi, may have created a political vacuum for other parties and leaders to try and fill in.

With most regional and sub-regional entities having lost their credibility and vote-bank -- not necessarily in that order  and the Communists and Congress losing heavily in successive elections in the state over the past decades, the ruling BJP at the Centre may be the one hoping to make it big, in the emerging scenario.

But the Dravidian political mentality would be to ensure through unspoken agreements of an electoral strategic kind to sideline any emerging third force. One possibility would be for the DMK and the AIADMK to readily discard the BJP as a future poll ally, citing ideological reasons.

The AIADMK can readily do so, citing the two last elections Jaya had led and won, in 2014 and 2016, without caring for the BJPs overtures. If they chose so, her successors could say that it was Ammas wish and they would not hurt her memories that way.

If they wanted to align with the BJP, whatever the reasons and circumstances, they would readily find a thousand and one reasons. That would depend on how far and how much the post-Jaya party leadership has settled down -- or, has been allowed to do so -- and about the relative popularity of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, across the country.

Last of allies

The BJP instead would have to wait for their performance in the series of assembly polls elsewhere, between now and 2019. As the party in power in the state, and needling to settle down post-Jaya, the AIADMK would be buying time before deciding one way or the other.

The party would be the last of prospective allies before either of the two Dravidian majors, and only after they had built a comprehensive electoral alliance without the national party -- if only to bargain from a position of strength.

For now, possibilities of any noticeable rebellion within the AIADMK is getting minimised, especially after Jayas niece, Deepa Jayakumar, urged AIADMK cadres not to use her pictures in any of their propaganda material (against Sasikalas leadership). With this, Deepa seems to be clarifying that hers is a personal battle, not a political one -- at least, not just now.

Image: V K Sasikala garlands the statue of party founder M G Ramachandran at the AIADMK headquarters before taking charge as All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary in Chennai on December 31, 2016. Photograph: R Senthil Kumar/PTI Photo.

The writer is Director, Chennai Chapter of the Observer Research Foundation, the multi-disciplinary Indian public-policy think-tank, headquartered in New Delhi. email: sathiyam54@gmail.com.
Nature takes a look at what's likely in store for 2017 in various fields of scientific inquiry. Short answer: some is dependent on Trump regime drama, like climate research, space research, stem cell research, multinational research agencies, and a host of other issues.

Rough seas for climate

If the United States pulls back on its climate commitments as president-elect Donald Trump has promised, China, the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, could take the lead on climate-change mitigation. The country's national cap-and-trade system to limit greenhouse-gas emissions should launch later this year. Global emissions have plateaued over the past three years, and some scientists hope that the levels may even fall this year, aided by a stagnant economy and a surge in green technology. And data from robotic probes in the Southern Ocean should reveal how much carbon dioxide the formidable sea around Antarctica is really sucking up.

Political hangover

Last year's elections brought political shocks, but 2017 will reveal the consequences. After Trump's inauguration on 20 January, researchers should have a better idea of whether his administration will really gut NASA's climate and Earth-science programmes or revoke permission to carry out research with human embryonic stem cells.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a mega gathering as part of the Bharatiya Janata Partys Parivartan rally campaign in Uttar Pradesh.

Here are the highlights:

IMAGE: A PM Modi supporter at the mega event held at Ramabai Ambedkar ground in Lucknow. Photograph: Sandeep Pal

>> To change the fate of the country and for India to prosper as a nation, we have to change UP first

>> Those who are corrupt say remove Modi, I say remove black money; they say remove Modi, I say remove corruption. You decide what we want to remove

>> Vote for the development of Uttar Pradesh, forget all caste and creed, as BJP is the only party that can save UP

>> Our high command is the people of India. We have no other high command

>> Give all your votes to the BJP. Give full majority to the BJP like you did in the Centre. The full force of Delhi is with you and in no time Uttar Pradesh would have changed

>> We will remove goondaism from Uttar Pradesh. The fight to end corruption will not stop here

>> For other parties, the elections might be about winning and losing. For the BJP, the 2017 elections is a matter of responsibility. We will have that responsibility, so we have to ready ourselves up to take the responsibility up

>> Never ever forget Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas... We want the best for those who are with us, and we also want the best for those who are not with us.... We must all live in harmony
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 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 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 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 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".

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.

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HA NOI  The price of several kinds of lumber in Viet Nam had gone up due to scarcity created by unexpected Chinese purchases, creating pressure on the domestic wood business and Viet Nams wood industry.

As reported by local wood processing and manufacturing companies, many Chinese companies crossed the border into Viet Nam to buy a large quantity of rubber wood and acacia wood in central and southern Vietnamese provinces, resulting in a rise of 10 to 20 per cent of wood prices, according to Huynh Quang Thanh, chairman of the Binh Duong Furniture Association.

Local businesses has been under great pressure by the price hike and the lack of supply, resulting in fierce competition and increased output prices, reported baotintuc.vn.

The lack of raw lumber could result in a halt in the Vietnamese wood industry, and the Vietnam Timber and Forest Product Association (VIFORES) would submit a petition at the end of December 2016 to the government in hope of a definite solution, said Nguyen Ton Quyen, Vice Chairman of VIFORES.

At present, 90 per cent of rubber lumber in Tay Nguyen had been purchased by Chinese companies. These businesses placed sawmills within the region, hiring locals to collect the lumber and paying at site or beforehand with cash. Since September 2016, prices for rubber wood had gone up 20 to 30 per cent in these parts, said o Xuan Lap, Chairman of Binh inh Timber Association.

Administrative agencies and wood associations would aid the government in determining a suitable solution in accordance with world legislations and conducts.

Regarding the future of the matter, To Xuan Phuc, Forest Trends senior policy analyst, commented that with Viet Nams geographical advantage, cheap labour and a developed network of sea ports, the country could become a major attraction for Chinese businesses. Investment within the wood industry from China to Viet Nam could be increasing at a fast pace in near future.

The reason behind the sudden spike in demand for Vietnamese lumber from Chinese buyers lies in a 2015 ban by the Chinese government to cease all extraction of natural wood for commercial purposes by 2017.

China will effectively close down natural forests in 14 provinces within the country starting from 2017, which would result in a shortage of 49.94 million cubic metres of wood for Chinese wood processing and manufacturing for both domestic consumption and export purposes.

The ban had been implemented since 2015 in three phases. The first phase included stopping all commercial lumbering at major natural forest, whereas the second phase, beginning 2016, ceased all wood extraction at natural forests managed by afforestation yards and the third phase in 2017 would stop all natural wood lumbering in China.

There had been several other concerns in the matter, such as the level of tax on lumber of different thickness and a much needed policy to encourage locals to help with forestry.

In particular, the current level of tax for lumber thicker than 30 millimetre would be 20 per cent, while those thinner than said number would only receive a tax of 10 per cent. This had lead to frauds and would need a common tax level of 20 per cent to prevent commercial malpractice and deficit of raw wood material, said Thanh.

In the first three quarters of 2016, total export value of wood from Viet Nam to China had reached US$965.8 million, nearly 75 per cent compared to the same period in 2015.  VNS
DA NANG  The Tien Sa Port in a Nang welcomed the Panamanian-flagged Bundi Ipasa on Sunday, the first cargo ship to dock in the biggest port in central Viet Nam this year.

The a Nang port also launched the operation of its third quay container crane (QCC) on January 1.

General director of a Nang port, Nguyen Huu Sia, said the company plans to handle 7.6 million tonnes of cargo in 2017 including 360,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit).

a Nang port is a major logistics centre in central Viet Nam, with a 13 per cent growth annually. The port has 24 cargo ship arrivals every week, and container ships accounts for 60 per cent of our capacity, Sia said. We plan to build a new Lien Chieu Port as a major cargo port, while Tien Sa port will become the main port for cruise ships in the coming years, he said.

He said the port also hosted 73 cruise ships with 135,000 tourists visiting the city in 2016.

The a Nang port company also started upgrading Tien Sa Port in 2016 with a total investment of VN1.1 trillion (US$49.3 million).

According to Viet Nams seaport system development plan towards 2020, a Nang port is destined to become one of the key gateways to the East Sea from the sub-Mekong region. VNS
WATERLOO  An occupied car, a home and a funeral home were hit by gunfire during a New Years Eve shooting in Waterloo.

No serious injuries were reported, and no arrests have been made.

Patrol officers heard several gunshots in the 700 block of Logan Avenue at about 2:15 a.m. Sunday. Bullets struck a vehicle that was parked in the area, a house and Greer Funeral Home at 710 Logan Ave.

About an hour later, at 3:30 a.m., police were called back to the 700 block of Logan for two people preparing to fight. Robert Fedrick, 42, and Lorenzo Daveon Thompson, 33, both of Sioux City, were arrested for disorderly conduct and interference. It wasnt known if the fight was related to the earlier shooting.

Waterloo police are also investigating a second incident of gunfire from the same night. Neighbors in the 300 block of Riehl Street called police at about 3:25 a.m. Sunday after hearing gunshots. No injuries or damage were discovered, but officers found spent shell casings in the area, according to the police report.
ABC/Fred WatkinsAre Foo Fighters gearing up to announce American tour dates? The band has posted a photo of a map of the U.S., with an area in California around San Francisco highlighted in red.

The Foos used a similarly cryptic method to tease their summer European festival trek, so perhaps a U.S. tour announcement is imminent.

Currently, Foo Fighters have just one U.S. gig lined up: a performance at the 2017 MusiCares Person of the Year gala honoring Tom Petty. The event will be held February 10 in Los Angeles.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
The idea of the "Swedish solution" is that if you decriminalize the selling of sex by individuals while retaining criminal penalties for purchasing sex and for trafficking and pimping, and while offering lots of "support services" for those who don't want to be prostitutes, you will magically make prostitution disappear. Really. Google it and you'll see the paeans of praise to the Swedish solution. Color me skeptical about these reports from Sweden, and color me even more skeptical about the probability that decriminalizing children's selling sex will lower the incidence of child prostitution in California. Color me very, very skeptical.

The Washington Examiner reported this legislative move accurately as "California Democrats Legalize Child Prostitution." Bang on cue, the unbiased (!!) Snopes came in with a "debunking" that was, in fact, merely a different political evaluation of the policy!

True, someone who read merely the Examiner headline might think that CA has decriminalized the purchase of sex with children, but the article itself is absolutely clear on that point. So, pro-tip: Read stories, not just headlines. Headlines have to be short.

I've actually looked up the text of the law. Here it is. And I'm really going to bend over backwards here and point out that the law says that police might be able to take child prostitutes into temporary custody as dependents of the court:

A commercially exploited child under this paragraph may be adjudged a dependent child of the court pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 300 of the Welfare and Institutions Code and may be taken into temporary custody pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 305 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, if the conditions allowing temporary custody without warrant are met.

So you go and find Section 300 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, and it says,

The Legislature finds and declares that a child who is sexually trafficked, as described in Section 236.1 of the Penal Code, or who receives food or shelter in exchange for, or who is paid to perform, sexual acts described in Section 236.1 or 11165.1 of the Penal Code, and whose parent or guardian failed to, or was unable to, protect the child, is within the description of this subdivision, and that this finding is declaratory of existing law. These children shall be known as commercially sexually exploited children.

So what's the problem? See, the police can take them into custody and get them help, and it's all good, right?

Not exactly. The problem is much more complicated than that. Minors who are trafficked may be afraid or unwilling to admit that they are being trafficked, and those opposed to the law have expressly said that the juvenile dependency aspect of the state is unlikely to keep them in custody long enough to break their connection with their pimps, to stop them from returning to prostitution, and to induce them to testify against their exploiters.

Some analysts have said that the remaining provision for custody in the law would apply only if "leaving them unattended would pose an immediate threat to their health or safety," with the concern that police will not be confident that they will not be chided for making a false arrest if a minor claims to be perfectly fine, thank you, and engaging in sex-selling freely. Given the quotation from Section 300, you might think that this would not be a problem, but speaking for myself, I believe those voicing concern about police inhibitions.

Sean Hoffman, the director of legislation for the California District Attorneys Association, spoke in opposition to the bills, explaining that everyone agrees that prostitutes under 18 are victims, not criminals. Where we differ is in how much faith we have in the dependency side of the juvenile system to effectively handle this population, he said.

It is undeniable that a minor who is a prostitute and connected to her (or his) pimp through fear, addiction, or emotional exploitation is going to have to be forcibly stopped from returning to the lifestyle. But will the "dependent custody" provision make that possible? Plausibly not.

But while supporters of the bill argued that it would provide a better way to connect young victims with social services, opponents countered that it would prevent law enforcement from helping vulnerable children who often dont see themselves as victims, run away from unsecured shelters and remain tied to their traffickers through complicated psychological and emotional bonds.

And here.

Jane Creighton, the coordinator of the human-trafficking unit at the office of the Los Angeles County district attorney, suggested that legislators take a step back before passing SB 823 and SB 1322. Creighton told the Los Angeles Times that law-enforcement personnel must be able to arrest the minors and keep them in secure facilities because many will not voluntarily accept the services provided them.

The irony is that children, of all people, should be those we can all agree should not be allowed to prostitute themselves, right? Even a semi-crazed libertarian should agree to that. (Though I suppose a really crazed libertarian might not.) This is supposed to be the easy case, the case where all the blah-blah about "doing what you want with your own body" doesn't apply, because we are talking about minors, here. So, yes, locking kids up to prevent them from running back onto the streets and selling sex should absolutely and undeniably be a viable option, if necessary. And if, as seems to be what we're being told here, the child welfare system can't manage that and the criminal justice system has to get involved to bring that about, then for God's sake, keep the criminal justice system involved. This isn't rocket science, and "choice" should not be a relevant consideration. (Notice that I've put this entry under "choice devours itself." Enablement of child prostitution is definitely an example thereof.)

So if someone on your social media wall posts the Examiner page, and someone else posts the Snopes link and says, "Thank goodness, it's all a mare's nest. It isn't true," sadly, you should tell him he's wrong. It is true. And no good will come of it.

Related: See this old story for what we might call The New Zealand solution. This involves a "pragmatic approach," like just encouraging minor prostitutes over 16 to "try to get indoor [sex] work."

P.S. Fun Fact: The otherwise (in some ways) socially conservative American Solidarity Policy supports the "Swedish Solution" to prostitution. (Search "Nordic model" on the page.) There are certain drawbacks to trying to be a Euro-style Christian socialist party.
VICTORIA, Aus.  Robin Fletcher, convicted sex offender, is once again seeking more relaxed supervision. In 1998, Fletcher was jailed for the rape and prostitution of two 15-year-old girls. He reportedly told the girls that the acts were part of their Witchcraft initiations, and he maintained that premise throughout his court hearings. Fletcher has been quoted as saying that his arrest was based on a huge cultural misunderstanding and that his practices had a symbolic religious meaning and were not sexually motivated.

However, the courts were unconvinced, and Fletcher served an eight-year sentence that ended in 2006. He was then released under strict supervision. Since that time, Fletcher has been working to either remove or lessen the courts order. In late 2015, that supervisory order was extended to at least June 2016.

Once again, the case has come up for discussion, and the courts will reportedly decide in Feb. 2017 whether or not his status should change. Fletchers lawyer is quoted as saying, [His] blindness, disability and notoriety mean he is unlikely to re-offend if released into the community. However, lawyers for the province have argued that even a low risk [is] still too great.

Blogger and Wild Hunt social media director Cosette Paneque has been following this case and its effects on the Australia Pagan community, as a whole. In a blog post, Paneque wrote, Fletchers crimes have had a devastating and long-lasting effect on the Pagan community in Victoria, if not all of Australia. Its a wound to the Pagan community that hasnt fully healed and Fletcher has become a cautionary tale, a bogeyman that keeps Pagans suspicious of each other.

* * *

HUNTINGTON, W.Va.  The Appalachian Pagan Ministry (APM) recently announced that its work to directly assist Pagan and Heathen inmates has continued to expand. Founded in 2015 by Donna Donovan, the APM is reportedly the first and only Pagan ministry program allowed into both West Virginia and Ohio prisons. Donovan explains, Up till (sic) now, Pagan inmates were allowed to meet once a week and to celebrate two holidays a year, but were not allowed to have any sort of religious ceremony or ritual without outside Pagan clergy present.

The West Virginia Department of Corrections has approved APM to facilitate meetings, rituals, and ceremonies. The situation is similar in Ohio, and the ministry is working to grow its presence in both states. Donovan has said that their ministry are currently serving monthly at five facilities in West Virginia: St Marys, Salem, Lakin, Pruntytown, and Huttonsville correctional facilities, and four in Ohio: Allen-Oakwood, Southern Ohio, Warren and Chillicothe correctional facilities, including death row.

Donovan adds, These inmates, male and female alike, know the mistakes they have made in their lives. They are paying for those mistakes. Yet instead of wallowing in self pity or continuing to blame outside sources for their current situation, they are holding themselves accountable and doing what they can to grow in body, mind and spirit to ensure they do not make those same mistakes again.

* * *

BURNABY, B.C.  The Wigglian Way Pagan Podcast is celebrating its tenth anniversary. We started the show as a service to our Gods, Spirit, and the community. The fantastic part is that we receive so much love in return. Its all about the love. says co-host Mojo, one half of the team responsible the Wigglian Ways 142 episodes.

His partner in life and podcasting, Sparrow, said that she was pleasantly surprised with the success and longevity of the series. Ten years? I didnt think it would go past one episode! For the anniversary edition of the show, listeners were invited to share a short segment about what they were going to do to create change or to spread love in the near future. That show originally aired Dec. 29. In Jan. 2017 the pair will launch their second decade of Pagan podcasting.

In Other News
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With the growing focus on the user experience by businesses and consumers, the electronics and high tech industry must transform how they innovate the entire customer experience and how they run their operations in support of new business models.



The fuel to drive digital transformation comes from massive volumes of valuable data generated across production, the complex supply chain and from customers using products themselves. Improving data management helps provide accurate, real time information for field service and business processes.



The hybrid cloud approach gives organizations the ability to bring together the data and unlock its value with technologies such as edge computing, IoT, AI and advanced analytics. The insights from that data becomes the basis to combat industry challenges, create new client experiences, facilitate new product introductions and transform operations to drive greater efficiency and resiliency.




KATHMANDU/BEIJING (PTI): Nepal and China will hold their first ever joint military exercise in early February that will focus on counter terrorism operations and disaster management, a move that may raise concerns in India.



Chinese Defence Ministry Spokesperson Yang Yujun said that China and Nepal had been in "initial communication" on holding the military exercise, and that the details would be announced later.



The Nepal Army has also confirmed the joint military drills with China, saying the two sides have decided to hold the exercise in the northern region of Nepal in the second week of February, the Kathmandu Post reported.



Although Nepal has been holding joint military exercises with other countries including India and the United States, this is the first time Nepali military would be holding such an exercise with China.



"Nepal and China have been exchanging military delegations, visits and courses but such kind of drill is taking place for the first time," NA Spokesperson Brigadier Tara Bahadur Karki was quoted as saying by the daily.



"We have nothing much to add to the governments announcement about the proposed exercise," he said.



The proposed drill named 'Pratikar-I', will be focused on counter terrorism and disaster management, according to the Defence Ministry.



While neither side has yet ascertained the number of troops for the drills, senior NA officials have indicated that it would be "in a small scale even smaller that a platoon level."



The move may raise eyebrows in India over the intent of such an exercise, the daily said.



A Nepalese Defence Ministry official, however, played down the joint drill, saying it does not carry importance in terms of strategic implications.



The new development is seen as China's growing influence in the Himalayan nation since the deterioration of relations between Nepal and India due to the protracted border blockade last year, the daily said.


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2022-11-03 | Ann Gray and her dedicated team at Ann Gray Consulting LLC are here to guide you through the process of elevating your social media presence. They are a faith-based organization with deeply held beliefs of integrity, honesty and ethics.
BUFFALO, NY, January 02, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Myrtle I. Welch, Chief Executive Officer of MIB Institute, has been recognized as a Distinguished Professional in her field through Women of Distinction Magazine. Myrtle I. Welch will soon be featured in an upcoming edition of Women of Distinction Magazine's Top 10 of 2016 edition.



MIB Institute, which stands for 'Myrtle Irene Banks', is a business that is dedicated to helping students receive lifelong learning skills that help them on the job, in school, socially, and personally, all of which will help them be successful on standardized tests. Founded in 2008 by Chief Executive Officer Myrtle I. Welch, MIB Institute serves students by providing counseling and tutoring services in English, English as a Second Language, Basic Reading, and Reading in the Content Areas, as well as computer lab, scholarship search and completion, SAT, and educational software. Offering all of her courses exclusively online through Skype, which enables Welch to teach a great number of students all across the United States and abroad, sessions are divided into weeks according to the unique needs of each student with the use of an individualized plan of study (IPS).



"All students have the ability to learn if they are taught in a way that produces learning," Welch said about her personal philosophy about education. "That is why I specialize in meeting the needs of each student individually. Rather than using the popular lecture method like most teachers, which doesn't always meet every student's need, the methodologies I use at MIB Institute produce better student success and are, for that reason, typically different from pre-prepared, scripted lessons."



Welch also offers counseling services for adolescents, family, and children, for various emotional issues, as well as grief.



In 2009, Welch co-authored her first book, entitled 'Reading as a Struggle: Challenged Readers Making Meaning from Texts', followed by co-authoring a second book, 'Unquiet Voices: Cultural Experiences Related to the Pursuit of Tenure and Promotion', in 2012. In 2015, Welch wrote the foreword to a book that was edited and published by one of her PhD professors and advisors, Dr. Kyle Shanton, entitled 'The Most Important Work: Stories of Sovereignty in the Struggle for Literacy'. She's also written several journal articles, including one called 'A Global African Quest: Teaching and Learning in Uganda', in 2013, which explains, in depth, a methodology that she developed called 'Start to Investigate and Reflect', or STIR.



"I coined the STIR acronym and philosophy during my teaching career after observing that many students weren't motivated to learn," she explained. "Getting to know the students that teachers are teaching, collaborating with them, rather than just communicating with them, and assessing them, rather than just testing them, is the essence of this methodology."



After earning her BS in English from Southern University and A&M College in 1969, Welch began teaching high school English in a public school setting in Louisiana. Relocating to Texas, she later earned her Master's in Education from the University of Texas at El Paso, as well as certifications in Counseling, Reading Specialist, English as a Second Language, and Master Reading Teacher. Just a year prior to forming MIB Institute, in 2007 at the age of 60, Welch also completed her PhD in Reading Education from New Mexico State University.



The highlight of Welch's career was in 2011 when she was invited to teach and tour in Uganda, East Africa. She accepted the invitation and, consequently, taught English and Writing in the public schools and at the university level. She also held teaching workshops for faculty at the university level. Welch's dedication to the Ugandan people earned her the privilege of having the writing lab at STAWA University named in her honor, the 'Dr. Myrtle I. Welch Writing Center'. An account of her teaching experience is written in her publication, 'A Global African Quest: Teaching and Learning in Uganda'. She still teaches Ugandan students online today.



For more information, visit www.drmyrtleirenewelch.com.



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Jan 2, 2017 | By Tess

In an effort to bring local and sustainable manufacturing back into the toy making industry, one father-son team has founded Lukes Toy Factory. Based in Danbury, Connecticut, the new toy brand is putting a new spin on classic toys, and is doing so using entirely U.S. based resources. So far, the company has released 4 toy truck models, each made from plastic wood composites, which it has developed with the help of 3D printing.

Founded by father and son Jim and Luke Barber, Lukes Toy Factory is hoping to re-introduce some good old American manufacturing to the growing consumer toy market. Jim, who was inspired to make his own toys when he learnt about wood-plastic composites some years ago, partnered with his son, who created the first prototypes for the toy trucks using 3D modeling and 3D printing.

The pair launched a Kickstarter campaign for their innovative toys and raised $15,000 to get their products off the ground. Importantly, the crowdfunding campaign also connected them with Southington, Connecticut-based Vanguard Plastics Corp., which is helping them with manufacturing. Of course, 3D printing had a big part to play in the prototyping stage for the trucks.

If not for 3D print testing we would spend thousands of dollars to get a mock up, only to discover in many cases that it didnt work, Luke explained. With 3D printing we spend about $50 to make a prototype part. We wouldnt be able to do it without 3D printing.

After having designed and vigorously tested their 3D printed toy truck prototypes, Lukes Toy Factory has rolled out their first line of toys. Though the final products are not 3D printed, they are made from a wood-plastic composite material that is made from maple-wood sawdust from a U.S. furniture factory. According to the company, the sawdust makes up 30% of the toys material, and just a small amount of colored dye has been added to the material, which eliminates the need for paints.

The toy trucks, which are made up of seven separate parts, are manufactured by Vanguard using single and multi-cavity molds which are used in a 50-ton Boy injection press. Once the toys parts are made, the trucks are assembled, packaged, and shipped out by the workers at Lukes Toy Factory. Jim Barber estimates at least 40 people are involved in realizing the toys.

wood pellets used for making the trucks

He says, There are at least 40 people involved with making this toy. There are so many facets to it. Its not just the four of us here in Danbury. And everyone involved gets paid a living wage. One of the reasons we are doing this is to show it can still be done. With manufacturing, there is a multiplier effect. Whole groups of people are affected by where you are.

The trucks, for those interested in purchasing them, are currently stocked in about 225 specialty toy stores and gift shops around the U.S. Made for ages three and up, the trucks can be disassembled and put back together easily, meaning that parts from the different models are swappable. They are retailing for about $23.

Posted in 3D Printing Application

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[image: None Of This Had To Be: The Two Paths] There are broadly two views of the situation we human are in. The first is that what is happening is just a...
by Maniza Naqvi



To dance the dance, I did not dance, because at the end of the conference, my accompanying handbag which contained all my documents, passports, credit cards and so forth compelled me to sit frumpily, guarding it, instead of joining the sensuously swaying crowd. When I had the chance, I chose instead to sit tied to my belongingsan accumulation of things. Ah the regret.

Why you? Why You? Why you? I had asked myself earlier, marveling at my good fortune gleefully. I kept repeating the direction I was headed towards the land of a thousand stories: Aracataca, Aracataca, Aracataca. Each syllable slung against the roof of my mouth, crashing against each other on my tongue, creating a rhythm like a tin drum. I wanted to jump and dance. Oh sure. I was going just to a conferencebut it was on the shores of Colombia very near Aracataca. And so I went pulled by the magnetic allure of it and the lore of the Sierra Nevada.

But, ah the regret. Nearly there, not really there, close, nearby. I did but glimpse it in that chance brief encounter with its beauty and its possibilities, a moment so very brief it nevertheless left me breathless. And when I left, it left me imagining it, wishing that I would return to travel it by river perhaps at a great age, and in love. Finally. And then, then, without a care in the world, I would dance.

Surely, this, this regret, I try to salvage it's detritus, such as it is with the thoughts that it would only lead to new writing, of dreaming of imagining. Yes, perhaps its chapter one must begin here of a new story. A new direction on the compass for me. My eyes rest now on the great Gabo's work lying on my bedside, spread eagle, spine up, it lies, poised to take flight and through it I.

But instead I had been confined to a conference. Where we, found ourselves caught between the sentiments of regret of the existence of a referendum and the regret of it being rejected, the regrets of those who couldn't vote, the regrets of those who didn't vote. The possibility that this deep regret would lead to a better most committed second chance. So at a conference, we filled the gap between waiting and hope's arrival with our prescriptions and were referred to as doctors as if we had gathered there to fill the pain of regret and despair.

And so there, in a conference room of thoughts encompassing compasses of regrets and hope and despair and consolations and of repair, I found myself drifting away into day dreaming of sailing up a great river at a great age. But mostly, I stayed in the room, there, in that room I listened to processes of negotiations, agreements and implementations and how laws come about, I learnt that a compass, here, is also the term used for the background initiating paper that starts the ball rolling on a set of research and investigative procedures that are required to make a decision on whether a policy is required which then would lead to legislation which then leads to action on the legislated policy. Naturally, then procedures of a compass, necessitate the review of a myriad lawyers and a plethora of underlings studying every direction and angle and trajectory of every detail and hence a frenzy and volumes upon volumes of writing. And the word department means province and state. How appropriate. Such a state of writing and writing must lead to decades of solitude, of thinking and inquiry. All that compassing encompassing all that is entailed in getting to an agreement for peace.

That Herculean task has been accomplished. The imagining and pinning down of the Peace Agreement all five chapters of ithas been accomplished and written down recently though imagined over at least twenty decades spanning now three centuries. For Colombia has been at war for a long time two centuries for one reason or other. And all the reasons all the same.

What the peace agreement promises to do, is to acknowledge the stories of all the other Colombias. The political and economic stories of those other Colombias include stories of those that are displaced and hunted, hungry and fearful. And the feared and fearsome. In this century and the last and the one before that. The exhausted.

Read Chapter One of the Peace Agreement and you have the manifesto of sharing wealth and prosperity the basis for ending over hundred years if not more of continuous civil wars in one place or another. There are five chapters to the 297 page Colombia's Agreement to End Conflict and Build Peace. Chapter One: Towards a New Colombian Countryside, Comprehensive Rural Reform, reads like an equitable plan for national development with the goal to address economic and social inequality and enable inclusive prosperity. This chapter, is an example for governments present and future to emulate and implement.

So why me? And I answered myself too swiftly because you know this, that's why you. That's why you're going to Colombia. You've done it before, so you can talk about it, the reintegration of demobilized ex-soldiers, into civilian jobs and work. You managed it for nearly 8000 soldiers in Bosnia Herzegovina and that's why you. And that experience in Bosnia was so intense it ended up with you losing yourself in its power and in you writing stories and poems and essays called Sarajevo Saturdays. And now here you are going to Gabo's country, to his home town Aracataca and to the town which inspired the fictional town of Macondo in 100 years of Solitude which was based on the town of Cienaga near Aracataca.

Not so swiftly, said the naysayers. What about the mosquitos? Mojitos? No Mosquitos? Zika? You've got to be crazy, I replied. I won't miss this chance for anything.

And so I found myself in Santa Marta, way north of Bogota, on the shores of the Caribbean at the foot of the Sierra Nevada, in the native land of the Kogi and the Wayuu tribes. The tribes who carry the treasures of phantasmagorical stories. I had been told that the Sierra Nevada's snow topped peaks send down gentle cool breezes for a perfect confluence of climate with the waves lapping on to the shores.

But I was confined to a conference room, cavernous, cold, dimdimly lit, that is, inside the air-conditioned window less walls encompassing compasses.

Chapter One, oh the regrets, yes first the regrets: the intention was always to do so much more.

And now I regret that I could not sleep longer and extend the dream and the journey I took on the shimmering gossamer wings of a mosquito. The mosquito who despite my fortifications of tightly shut windows, managed to slip through and carry me off to the other Colombia that I should have seen. On its wings the regrets melted away. The regret that I focused on the altitude induced headache and the panic of not being able to connect to an office email system that I didn't see the clouds on the snow covered Andes as the plane came into Bogota because it was night time. I saw it all on the wings of a mosquito, who swiftly morphed into a Swift. For a Swift as know can fly non- stop for 10,000 miles or Swift. Sweet. Don't forget your compass said the mosquito disappearing into the Swift, she'll need it while she drifts in and out of the conference, along the Rio Magdallena, passed the clouds coming off the Andes, into the Savannah, to the Cordillera, the jungles, the ice on the Sierra Nevada, through all the peoples of the Americas, the indigenous tribes, the Spanish, African, Lebanese, Roma gypsy descendants, the Pacific to the west, the Caribbean and Atlantic to the North, northeastyes and yes- or she could use the compass to map it differently, between the powerful and the powerless scattered where the treasures lie, the oil the gas pipelines, the emerald mines, the coca and the cacao and of course the land mines.

And on its swift wingsbusiness suit grey wingschalking up the miles, I flew past the regrets. The regrets that in Bogota I drank coffee but not the hot chocolate or, santafereno, its cheese infused version. That I did not cut open length wise the gourd like pod of a cacao. That I did not experience the taste of cacaoit's beans, up to fifty beans nestled inside the yellowish orangey gourd like pods hanging from the cacao trees, that I did not pick a pod, slice it open lengthwise and behold for myself the revelation of the treasure carried in it, like passengers on a ship, the beans that make the richest chocolate. That I didn't pry them out one by one with my fingers and suck the fleshy skin till the bean was made naked or bit into the bean to reveal the purplish goodness of its future. Shimmering beans, like babies arriving clothed in placenta. Beans picked and dried in the shade of plantain leaves or fermented, then skinned again, then cradled in an epistle made of jungle wood and stone then crushed into the chocolate paste by Indian women and of XX tribe oh how I regret not having drunk thisnot tasted this magical brew- I regret not having the time to drive to the town of Manizales.

Yes Manizalesrich in coffee and cacao-then take a boat on the Rio Magdalena and make the same journey up north through the Western and northern mountain ranges-the Cordilleras to Baranquilla and to Cartegna and then from there to Santa Marta in the tracks of Simon Bolivar in his final journeyas chronicled in the General in His Labyrinth. Had I done that, gone up the river, I would have gone through the rich green savannahs, listening to the bird song and chatter of toucans and tanagers and humming birds and antpittas and macaws"redbreasts, bee-eaters, canaries and troupials" and counted stars in the night sky as I made my way to the cacao growing region of El Carmen in Santander, the largest cacao growing region of Colombiato chocolatethe source of my regret for having missed out on the taste of it. I would have listened to the stories told by people descending from the Quimbayas, the Chibchas and the Caribes tribes: the Arhuaco, Kogi and Wayuu. The Wayuu are the matriarchal indigenous tribe, the largest in Colombia inhabiting the North of Colombia. The Kogi believe that the Earth is our mother and we are its children. They worship the earth as the mother of living things, Mother Nature is a living breathing entity. (here)

I regret having been in such nearness, such proximityyet not having had the time to go to Aracataca and to Cienaga, the town in the department of Magdallena, which was the inspiration for Macondo. I regret not lying in a hammock slung between two palm trees or leaving the windows open at night in Santa Marta, so that I could feel the breeze which I had been told was cooled by the ice on the Sierra Nevada and tempered by the tropics of the Caribbean or hear the gentle lapping of the Caribbean waves on to beach, sing a lullaby to put me to sleep or at sunrise hear the argumentative crows scatter away my dreams to bring me back into the awakening day. No time for all that and the fear of mosquitos and the exotic virus they might bring Z for Zarro Z for Zika.

Colombia has stirred in me a civil war of endless regrets-between the heart and the soul and the mind. Factionalized an already factionalized me. Who knows how many years this will last or had fomented. It has me searching for maps of rivers, tracing trajectorieswondering how far birds can fly without needing a stop-over. In my flight of imagination I have already lost the plot and flown to a cute little cafe in Islamabad serving Colombian hot chocolate, truffles and coffee financed by a loan by a Bank that money launders Pablo Escobar's cocaine billions and Ahmed Shah Masood's heroin billionsfrom a Pakistani owned Bank branch in Miami. Is that a story? I think I almost told it and I called it Losing the Plot.

Or shall it be the thinly veiled fiction that I no longer have the strength to write to resurrect the untimely dead, of tracing the trajectory of a swashbuckling, debonair, whoring, drinking Air Force pilotin search of better angels, dancing with the other kind, and that arch of his flight from Karachi to Dhaka, to being airlifted and evacuated to Tehran in defeat as the surrendering Generals scrambled to save their precious assetspilotswhile citizens lay bleeding to death in the thousands, after the civil war between East and West wings of the country, his moonlight flying clandestine chartered flights from Miami and so on, for the CIA, gun running and drugs to places in Central America and to Colombiathen his sudden death years later for more of the same, gun running and shitfor the Generals, his sudden death at Dubai airportheart attack. A brief case in which rattled around a diary containing a few phone numbers including his mother's, a few lonely pills of Cialis and a half empty bottle of Black Label. His better angels never won.

And so of course it has left me searching stories on coca. And on emeralds. And oil and gas. The stuff that makes for endless seasons of war and violence. I first saw a Colombian emerald on the finger of a great aunt in Abbottabad, as I stood at her knee gazing at a delicate bejeweled hand. Sapphires from Cambodia were thrown away, rubies from Burma, were kept and emeralds from Colombiarevered. That's how the must haves went of jewelry aspirations. "Only Colombian emeralds for my gems. I'll give this to you my pet. To turn everyone green with envy!" YesI could work that in.

I was going to get to go to a place just an hour and half by car to Aracataca, where I would go I promised myself, the moment I had a moment, I would go, as a pilgrimage. I would make a wish there. For inspiration. I must, I told myself. And in the evenings, the few along the coast, I must indulge in mojitos, dance Salsa and listen to phantasmagorical poetry and songs and eat the great food of fried plantain and seafood stew: Cuezalas des Mariscos

But instead, steadfastly, I sat in a conference room and listened to the discussions about the many 'Compasses' of the past which were initiated for policies for the other Colombia the one that was not elite and rich. The one that lived in the rural countryside or the slums of cities, displaced from their homelands. The ones that toiled in the mines and fields but did not benefit from Colombia's cash crops of coffee and cocaine or from the oil, gas, coal and emeralds. I listened to the presentations on experience from other countries on reintegration of ex combatants. I presented the experience on reintegration of ex-soldiers after the war in Bosnia.

For a few brief hours, not more than four, no more, I walked through the streets of Santa Martalistening to the sounds of drums, going aracataca, aracataca aracataca. I got to dance too, oh but all too briefly. I ate a meal of mouth-watering plantains and cuezalas. I sipped on rum. I sat next to men in sombreros from Medellin.

And when I sat down to write about it I wrote this: There are five chapters to the 297 page Colombia's Agreement to End Conflict and Build Peace. Chapter One: Towards a New Colombian Countryside, Comprehensive Rural Reform, as pointed out by the Vice Minister of Defense at the conference on Regions Opportunities and Peace, reads like an equitable plan for national development with the goal to address economic and social inequality and enable inclusive prosperity. This chapter, agreed to by the Government and the FARC is an example for governments in Colombia present and future to emulate and implement. The Vice Minister noted that such a plan should have been implemented long ago. The open and informative discussions, questions and commentary that emerged at the conference by development practitioners, policy makers, mayors and vice ministers, revolved around the issues covered in Chapter One, even though the Chapter was mentioned only once.

That conference, held in that gap between the moment of regret and the moment of redemption, demonstrated to everyone there that they had perhaps already imagined themselves, in a better place and entered into the Chapter One of their better angels.
by Shadab Zeest Hashmi

As the election season seemed more and more like being trapped in a carnival where the uncanny is orchestrated to play up primal fears, we witnessed language itself veering off into the realm of the irrational not only because statements did not reflect facts or reflected only partial facts, or arguments lacked consistency, but because none of this mattered anymore: a sense of panic killed the need to seek the truth. The election machinery, with the media as its engine, successfully exploited anxiety to mute even the most basic assessment of language for truth-telling. If it were not for the few Human Rights groups circulating infographics (that bypass conventional language by presenting facts numerically) on social media, or sharing cell phone videos, or simply asking questions to expose the propaganda, all the cogs involved in manufacturing the post-truth age would have been even more opaque. Falling prey to fear-based propaganda isnt uncommon in history, but when it happens to the populace of a leading superpower that prides itself in being a free-thinking democracy, one needs to ask how the populace has found itself primed for phobia. One of the many places to find the answer is academia, and my personal frame of reference is my alma mater Reed College, which itself happens to be in the throes of political agitation (not unlike many other campuses across the country), and is doubly significant to me because my son is a current student there. How does Reed prepare students to make sense of the world in the post-truth age? How did I fare as a female Muslim international student?

The day I graduated from Reed, I learned of a time capsule for my class (95), to be opened by us in ten years I forget what item I left in it but I remember not caring very much. Reed college, the genuine excitement for learning that it had generated, was already part of my limbic system; I would spend that first decade and the following decade building on my academic experience as I continued to read, write, publish, and attend grad school. I raised my children as if I were their HUM 110 conference leader to maintain my own intellectual health as well as theirs, sometimes to the effect of annoyance, sometimes joy. HUM 110, Reeds defining liberal arts course which is mandatory for all students and is described as a course that introduces students to humanistic inquiry by considering a range of artistic, intellectual, political, and religious strategies that emerged in ancient Greece and in the larger Mediterranean world of which it was a part had such a lasting impact on me that I carried my syllabus copy of Sappho to Delphi years later and felt at home in the Agora in Athens as if Id already spent a lifetime there; I believe now that there is more to this attachment than the course itself. HUM 110 recalled and reaffirmed a method of learning that I grew up with in Peshawar, Pakistan, though I did not realize it then. Through my grandmothers, parents and their milieu of writers and artists, as well as my regular visits to the library and Museums, I had access to diverse works from both the East and the West passed on as stories, poems and discussions that have stayed with me since. Peshawar, dubbed spy city during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, has been, through various phases in antiquity, an important center of the Zoroastrian and Greco-Buddhist civilizations. To know Greek works via Urdu, to know classical Urdu poets and the Persian mystics, to be familiar with Arabic and the Judeo-Christian tradition as well as Shakespeare, Keats and Frost, and then to find seams to join as a student at Reed, was thrilling for me. As an international student, a Pakistani, Muslim woman, I soon found that despite the fact that my liberal arts education at Reed was enabling me to put together puzzles and to refine my understanding of civilization, I was too often in a position to explain where I came from and how my piece of geography, history, and especially religion, figured in the larger picture; where was the HUM 110 discussion on Gandhara sculpture that ties Hellenism with Buddhist spirituality, or the Greek influence on the works of Muslim scientists in the golden age of Baghdad, or the Arabic influence on classical Hebrew poetry in Spain of the middle-ages? It was at a concert at Reed (by the Al Andlaus Ensemble) that I was inspired to research the convivencia of Al Andalus (Muslim Spain) and write my book of poems Baker of Tarifa, but I later wondered why Thomas Aquinas was included (in HUM 110) from the same period but Ibn Sina, Moses Maimonides, Ibn Rushd the Muslim and Jewish philosophers who influenced him were excluded, why Greco-Roman texts were deemed foundational but Arabic, the language that acted as the bridge between Greek and Latin, translating, transferring and building on Hellenistic civilization, used as the lingua franca by intellectuals in Europe for a good part of the middle ages, was considered unnecessary.

While the curriculum, the course offerings (and even the language houses) left much to be desired, I was never disappointed by the response from my professors; I found myself speaking freely about my concerns, getting guidance and support of all kinds. It made all the difference that my professors took the time to fully understand the context of my approach to academic goals as well as my response to the culture as a foreign student. I wrote for the college paper, was elected to serve on student senate, became a founding member of the Multicultural Resource Center, brought a scholar to campus to speak on Islam and Women a topic that elicited an invigorating discussion and a great turnout. As a member of SCAPP (Student Committee on Academic Policy and Planning), I remember discussing HUM 110 and how it may be modified to include the works that were conspicuous by their absence, a discussion that continues to this day, in a very different tone on the issue of HUM 110, Reedies Against Racism demand that:

The required freshman course should be reformed to represent the voices of people of color. Lecturers should structure delivery and analysis of content that is sensitive to and proactive for inclusive practices. There should be an articulated understanding that foundational texts are subjective and that the importance of the course is to foster students abilities to read, write, and listen/respond. Before this is accomplished, Hum 110 should be conscious of the power it gives to already privileged ideas and welcome critique of that use of power. This could be done by 1) allowing alternative readings that critique texts on the current syllabus, 2) making Hum 110 non-mandatory until reform happens or 3) alternate options for Hum lecture.

While I am painfully aware of the trauma that we, the people of color have gone through in recent years and continue to dread in the coming years, some of these demands and the strategy of extended sit-ins may not be effective in the long run. I support reform but the community, especially some of the faculty members who are devoted to the well-being of students, have felt undue stress. That said, HUM 110, (a version of which) was good enough for Alexander the Great and Churchill is it good enough for those who do not inherit empire but rather identify with the colonized, the oppressed, or the rival other in a democracy those whose intellectual contributions and influence have been willfully ignored or diminished? In an academic setting, do we see ourselves as a democracy or as a superpower?

In my student days, I remember discussing the inclusion of a language course in Arabic. I wonder if a generation of students familiar with Arabic would have felt empowered enough to help ease the phobia of a language whose speakers are routinely targeted simply because it is not a commonly understood language and has had negative associations since the crusades; people who have been known to confuse Math symbols with Arabic, or who freak out when they hear inshallah could they have been primed for a level-headed response instead of irrational fears? In order to confront the post-truth age, we must first confront the ignorance that has made it possible.
by Misha Lepetic

"Wonder was the grace of the country."

~ George W.S. Trow

At a recent cocktail party, the conversation turned to conspiracy theorists and how to engage them. I offered a strategy that has served me fairly well in the past: I like to ask my interlocutor what information they would need to be exposed to in order to change their minds about their initial suspicion. To be clear, I think of this more as a litmus test for understanding whether a person has the capacity to change their minds on a given position, rather than an opening gambit leading to further argument and persuasion. Climate change is a good example: What fact or observation might lead a person to consider that global warming is happening, and that human economic activity is responsible for it? It is actually quite surprising how often people don't really have a standard of truth by which they might independently weigh the validity of their argument. Of course, in today's post-truth' world, I suspect that it is just as likely that I might be told that nothing can change a person's mind, since everything is lies and propaganda anyway.

I was pleased that another person at the party made an even better suggestion. She said that she would ask not only what would change a conspiracy theorist's mind, but from whom they would need to hear it. This vaults the act of interrogation from a context grounded purely in individualism and individuals' appeals to authority, to something distinctly more social. It also specifies the importance of not just facts, but from where those facts emanate. Because as much as we would like to believe ourselves independently reasoning beings, that we come to our conclusions through a rigorous and sacrosanct process of discernment, we are still very subject to having our opinions shaped by others. This may seem somewhat obvious, but in these times, when new ways of sensemaking are in high demand, I believe this provides an important opening.

*

Interestingly, this cocktail chatter echoed a much more deeply elaborated mode of thinking, developed by the French theorist Rene Girard. If much of what drives us is desire, Girard postulated that desire was something that we learned from each other (and not to be confused with needs: consider the distinction of needing to eat, versus desiring one food over another). Desiring is therefore an intrinsically social experience. And we learned not just to desire from one another, but what to desire. We may be born free, but we don't know what to want of the world until we look around and see what others are wanting for themselves. Girard called this mimetic desire'. This is desire as imitation, and as contagion. The corollary, of course, is that it doesn't really matter if we are born free or not; we only become fully human when we enter into this web of desiring what others desire, and having others learn to desire what it is we ourselves covet.

One manifestation is in that old American saying about keeping up with the Joneses': a social vector that is extremely well-suited to commerce, with the proviso that money is to be made from leveraging desire most efficiently when coupled with manufactured scarcity. Consider, for example, the multi-day lines that form in anticipation of a new make of Nike's Air Jordan sneakers: it is an act of collective taste-making where the goal is to obtain exactly the same object for which everyone else in line. The same may be said of stock market bubbles (and the underlying greater fool' theory of investing), neighborhood competitions around Christmas decoration, or any other phenomenon that somehow expands from something socially acceptable to irrational and perhaps even systemically dangerous.

But Girard's theory has an explanatory power that goes beyond the material aspect; it encompasses matters of opinion as well. How do I settle on knowing what I know about the world? For Girard, this is also a mimetic process. Although he did not address technology very much in his writings, here is an interesting thought experiment: what if mimetic desire, instead of being captured in the physical form of goods, could be reproduced endlessly, with little to no friction preventing its amplification? What if it were, for all intents and purposes, free?

*

The roles that so-called fake news' and social media have played in this election cycle will be discussed for years to come. In a world of bespoke filter bubbles, it is easier than ever for us to only desire the things that already resonate with our existing worldview. In addition to seeking out the opinions of politicians, journalists and commentators with whose positions we already agree (and want more of), social media has inserted a crucial (inter)mediating step: we access these professionals through the good offices of our friends, or people we would like to be our friends.

This may seem banal, but keep it in mind when looking at the numbers: by a recent, widely cited Pew Research poll, 62% of Americans get their news from social media, with 18% doing so very often'. Additionally, Facebook was the most widely accessed source, with Twitter and YouTube coming up relatively distant second. Importantly, despite all the discussion around the algorithms that serve up the information that we consume on these platforms, it is our relationships with the people we trust that constitutes the last mile' of service delivery by which this information reaches our eyeballs. This is further abetted by the structural incentives of the social media platforms themselves. As Mike Caulfield writes,

conspiracy clickbait sites appeared as a reaction to a Facebook interface that resisted external linking. And this is why fake news does better on Facebook than real news. By setting up this dynamic, Facebook simultaneously set up the perfect conspiracy replication machine and incentivized the creation of a new breed of conspiracy clickbait sites.

Here we return to the notion of conspiracy. It allows us to ask what role conspiracy thinking plays within a mimetic context. Obviously, it's one thing to want the same sneakers that the cool kids on the block are sporting. It's entirely another to jump on the bandwagon of a worldview that has produced everything from Trutherism to Birtherism to PizzaGate. If one accepts mimetic desire as a motivating force for the generation, dissemination and adoption of opinion, then fake news  and social media itself, which is the agar upon which fake news feeds  is merely symptomatic. There is another aspect to Girard's theory, that of the scapegoat, that takes us further.

For Girard, the bubble factory of mimetic desire isn't just how culture is created. With too many people chasing too few goods, mates or other social signifiers, the rivalries produced over and over again by mimetic desire eventually precipitate a crisis that threatens to reduce society to a Hobbesian war of all against all'. There must be a mechanism by which society can hold itself together in the face of such forces, and for Girard it was the notion of the scapegoat:

When violence is at the point of threatening the existence of the community, very frequently a bizarre psychosocial mechanism arises: communal violence is all of the sudden projected upon a single individual. Thus, people that were formerly struggling, now unite efforts against someone chosen as a scapegoat. Former enemies now become friends, as they communally participate in the execution of violence against a specified enemy.

History bears witness to a number of practices where we can see this scapegoat mechanism' at work. More often than not, these practices are so culturally important that they are regularly repeated, and in fact may very well be ritually encoded. Written in 1922, JG Frazer's still-magisterial The Golden Bough' devotes several chapters to its function. A single example will suffice to illustrate the unifying power of the scapegoat:

In civilised Greece the custom of the scapegoat took darker forms than the innocent rite over which the amiable and pious Plutarch presided. Whenever Marseilles, one of the busiest and most brilliant of Greek colonies, was ravaged by a plague, a man of the poorer classes used to offer himself as a scapegoat. For a whole year he was maintained at the public expense, being fed on choice and pure food. At the expiry of the year he was dressed in sacred garments, decked with holy branches, and led through the whole city, while prayers were uttered that all the evils of the people might fall on his head. He was then cast out of the city or stoned to death by the people outside of the walls.

As Frazer demonstrates, the phenomenon of the scapegoat  whether human or animal  manifests not just in Greek and Roman culture but throughout the world. It is a catalyst by which society reaches a consensus with itself that, whatever its internal differences and disagreements (the rivals' of Girard's mimetic process), there is a larger, more important threat to be overcome. Obviously, there is an open line to divinity here, as the scapegoat's sacrifice to the gods creates the expectation that relief will be provided, or a pathway to salvation opened (as in the case of Jesus Christ).

Crucially for Girard, the process only works when it is conducted unconsciously. That is, everyone must believe that the scapegoat is actually guilty of the transgressions. For example, even in the ancient Greek case cited above, the full weight of belief transforms the blameless poor man into a vehicle for gathering up all the plague within the city's walls, and, with his death outside those walls, its dissolution. Conspiracy thinking functions in a very similar fashion: applied to the recent election, Hillary Clinton has never not been guilty, and Donald Trump has never not been a fascist thug. What is lacking is a ritually encoded means by which this malevolent presence can be expunged, so that society might move on. One could contend that, for at least the former scenario, Trump could have indeed put Clinton in jail for her sins, which are of course the sins of her husband as well. But the fact that Trump blithely put this possibility out of mind almost immediately following his victory implies that Girard's requirement of belief (or at least, suspended disbelief) in the scapegoat is not fulfilled. What we then have is a fully functioning scapegoat mechanism that is nevertheless denied its consummation.

*

There is a more important point to be made about Girard's requirement of belief. All of the above would be of passable interest as far as analytical approaches go (in fact, I'm certainly not the first person to bring this up, having been inspired by this piece in The New Inquiry). The extraordinary additional wrinkle in this story, as The New Inquiry and others have pointed out, has been Peter Thiel's role. In a nutshell, Thiel is a libertarian Silicon Valley billionaire who embodies Randian ideals to an almost caricaturish extent. He was one of the first outside investors in Facebook. More recently, he acquired notoriety as the man behind the lawsuit that bankrupted Gawker. For our purposes, however, it's more appropriate to note that he was one of Rene Girard's students at Stanford.

Girard's influence on Thiel is quite clear. The notion of the scapegoat is explicit in Thiel's own writing, specifically in Zero To One, Thiel's contribution to innovation and entrepreneurship. As noted by The New Inquiry, Thiel writes:

The famous and infamous have always served as vessels for public sentiment: they're praised amid prosperity and blamed for misfortune [It is] beneficial for the society to place the entire blame on a single person, someone everybody could agree on: a scapegoat. Who makes an effective scapegoat? Like founders, scapegoats are extreme and contradictory figures.

For Thiel, it is thanks to this Girardian process that society progresses at all. The problem is that, more often than not, it's people like him  the wealthy, the founders, the leaders  that wind up becoming scapegoats. The difference is that Thiel, thanks to his position and resources, is now actually able to intervene in this very process. This was the case with Gawker: spurred on by his personal beef, Thiel identified the site as a factory for the manufacturing of scapegoats, and bided his time until the perfect case presented itself, which he then used to destroy Gawker.

But other Girardian mechanisms are worth keeping around. For the reasons described by Mike Caulfield above, Facebook is a streamlined machine for reproducing mimetic desires, for creating rivals in desire and therefore for fomenting social tension. The difference with a platform like Facebook is it is a thoroughly quantified domain. Suddenly, there is an opportunity to guide and channel these passions. Scapegoats will continue to be generated, but if the process can be influenced, however subtly, then we have effectively replaced the prior, ritually encoded consummation of the practice of scapegoating with one that is is micromanaged by algorithm. More importantly, at least according to Thiel's worldview, we will avoid scapegoating the wrong people'.

This theorization points to a hard truth for not just public opinion in general, but journalism in particular. Writing recently in The Guardian, Caitlin Moran struck a hopeful tone:

I think things are going to get worse for newspapers before they get better. We're living in a post-truth age and people don't seem to care, because we're drunk on the internet; and I think things will have to get a bit messier before we start wanting to have facts again. The tone of politics right now is one of shouting and trolling, and that tone has absolutely been set by social media. At some point, probably when society and the economy have got much worse than they are now, we'll reinvent the idea of having a creditable, trustworthy press.

Unfortunately, I am extremely skeptical that a return to a dignified public discourse is imminent, or even possible. If we buy not only into the Girardian scenario, but one which is moreover actively guided by those in the position to do so, then it is difficult to conceive of the kind of event or trend that will provide a turning point and return us to a prelapsarian idea of truth' or journalism' or even media'. More broadly, as George WS Trow wrote in the New Yorker almost 40 years ago, "To a person growing up in the power of demography, it was clear that history had to do not with the powerful actions of certain men but with the processes of choice and preference." It seems sensible to assert that structures of power that can exploit these processes will maintain a steady upper hand, compared to those that seek to disrupt them. If we take Girard at his word, mimesis may well be sufficient unto itself, as it has been for a long time already.
With backpacking season just around the corner, we've pulled together some of our favorite multi-day backpacking treks throughout the state for your summer planning enjoyment below.

There are definitely no bad options here, but some of below trips require extensive pre-planning and/or are limited by permit quotas (though a limited number of spots remain reserved for walk-ins) or seasonal road access, while other locations are simply show up and go. So dust off those hiking boots, start studying your maps, and consider adding a new backpacking trip in the Golden State to your itinerary this season.





Tuolumne Meadows To Yosemite Valley Via Vogelsang Camp

Established over 120 years ago, Yosemite National Park is one of the most popular and visited parks in the country, and for good reason. With its iconic scenery and mountains, including Half Dome and El Capitan, there are really no other National or State parks like it. Read more.







PROS: Incredible views. Secluded. Natural water slides. Wildlife.

CONS: Crowds on the last day.

REGION: Yosemite + Central Sierra

CONGESTION: Low

PREFERABLE SEASON(S): Spring, Summer, Fall

DAY-USE/PARKING PASS REQUIRED: National Park Pass

TOTAL DISTANCE: 28.00 mi (45.06 km)

DOGS ALLOWED: No





Lost Coast Trail

(photo by Brandon Katcher)





The Lost Coast Trail is a wild and unique backpacking adventure along one of the most rugged sections of the Northern California coast. The King Range area is nearly untouched by civilization, with only a few small towns along the two-hour shuttle from Shelter Cove to the Mattole Beach trailhead to the north. The trail provides incredible views, a variety of wildlife and flora, and a glimpse of some rarely seen California coastal terrain. Keep in mind that portions of this trip take a great deal of effort; the majority of the 25-mile, 3-day trip takes place on sandy beaches, which can be exhausting for legs and feet. Read more.







PROS: Beautiful landscape. Only backpackers. Wildflowers. Plenty of water.

CONS: Long shuttle ride. Hard on legs and feet. Many river crossings.

REGION: Humboldt

CONGESTION: Low

PREFERABLE SEASON(S): Spring, Summer, Fall

DAY-USE/PARKING PASS REQUIRED: Not Required

TOTAL DISTANCE: 24.60 mi (39.59 km)

DOGS ALLOWED: Yes



Four Lakes Loop Via Long Canyon



Diamond Lake with the White Trinities in the background. (photo by Jason Mandly)





With over 600 miles of trails and 500,000 acres of wilderness land, the Trinity Alps form an alpine wonderland in far northern California. This trip takes you to the crest of the eastern portion of the Trinity Alps: the peridotite-stained Red Trinities. Long Canyon is the shortest of several routes that can take you to the Four Lakes Loop. Read more.







PROS: Lightly visited. Big views. Summer wildflowers. Swimming.



CONS: Strenuous. Dirt road approach.

REGION: Trinity Alps + Marble Mountain Wilderness

CONGESTION: Low

PREFERABLE SEASON(S): Summer, Fall

DAY-USE/PARKING PASS REQUIRED: Not Required

TOTAL DISTANCE: 17.20 mi (27.68 km)

DOGS ALLOWED: Yes





Rae Lakes Loop

JMT to Rae Lakes (photo by Alix Sorrell)





Rae Lakes loop is a scenic Sierra multi-day loop and truly a backpacking trip that has it all. Stunning lake basins, rushing waterfalls, and splendidly carved canyons envelop your being for the three to six days necessary to complete the circuit in Kings Canyon National Park. The mountainscapes encountered here will entice you to begin scheduling your John Muir Trail permit and scouring the High Sierra maps for your next multi-day excursions. For these reasons and more, the parking lot at Road's End in King's Canyon is large enough to accommodate a small amusement park. The loop is one of the most popular in the Sierra, often requiring permits to be reserved in advance. Odds for the greatest solitude are best if you schedule your trip for midweek or wait until autumn. And don't forget that a bear canister is required for this trip. Read more.







PROS: Beautiful lakes. Great High Sierra scenery. Well maintained trail.

REGION: Southern Sierra

CONGESTION: Moderate

PREFERABLE SEASON(S): Summer, Fall

DAY-USE/PARKING PASS REQUIRED: National Park Pass

TOTAL DISTANCE: 42.00 mi (67.59 km)

DOGS ALLOWED: No





John Muir Trail, Overview

Sunrise from Whitney Massif (photo by Rini Sugianto)





Regarded by many as the premier hiking trail in the country, the John Muir Trail (JMT) runs along the backbone of California's High Sierra between Yosemite National Park and the summit of Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States. The 211-mile-long trail commemorates the influential naturalist and founder of the Sierra Club, John Muir. Read more.









PROS: One of the top scenic trails in the country. Trail goes through three national parks. High Sierra scenery.

CONS: Hard to get permit. Thru-hiking is logistically complex.

REGION: Yosemite + Central Sierra

CONGESTION: Moderate

PREFERABLE SEASON(S): Summer

DAY-USE/PARKING PASS REQUIRED: Not Required

TOTAL DISTANCE: 211.00 mi (339.57 km)

DOGS ALLOWED: No





John Muir Trail, Section 1

Sunset after a thunderstorm at Lower Cathedral Lake. (photo by Rini Sugianto)





This section describes the JMT from its northern terminus at Happy Isles Trailhead in Yosemite Valley to the common resupply/food cache point at Red's Meadow 58 trail miles to the south. Most hikers begin the trip here in Yosemite, an inspiring starting point and the trail's lowest elevation, providing JMT hikers time to adjust to the higher elevations that lie ahead. Included with the permit, hikers have the options of staying at the backpacker camp in Yosemite Valley the night before the hike begins. Read more.







PROS: One of the top scenic trails in the country. Trail goes through three national parks. High Sierra scenery.

CONS: Hard to get permit. Thru-hiking is logistically complex.

REGION: Yosemite + Central Sierra

CONGESTION: High

PREFERABLE SEASON(S): Summer

DAY-USE/PARKING PASS REQUIRED: National Park Pass

TOTAL DISTANCE: 58.50 mi (94.15km)

DOGS ALLOWED: No





John Muir Trail, Section 4

Fin Dome near Rae Lakes (photo by Rini Sugianto)





This final section of the JMT covers the southernmost 50 miles from the crossing at Woods Creek to the summit of Mount Whitney, heading north to south through the high country of Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. While it's difficult to say which section of the JMT is the most scenic, these final miles may be the most memorable given the beauty of places like the Rae Lakes Basin, the climb up and over the trail's highest pass, and the termination of the JMT at the summit of Mount Whitney, the tallest point in the contiguous United States. Like the rest of the trail, fishing can be decent among the lakes and provide a welcomed opportunity for freshly cooked trout, but mosquitoes can also be a nuisance. Read more.







PROS: One of the top scenic trails in the country. Trail goes through three national parks. High Sierra scenery.

CONS: Hard to get permit. Thru-hiking is logistically complex.

REGION: Southern Sierra

CONGESTION: High

PREFERABLE SEASON(S): Spring, Summer, Fall

DAY-USE/PARKING PASS REQUIRED: Not Required

TOTAL DISTANCE: 50.00 mi (80.47 km)

DOGS ALLOWED: No







Mount Whitney Cottonwood Pack Station

(photo by Brandon Katcher)





The 14,505-foot Mount Whitney is the highest point in the continental United States. The mountain was named after geologist and surveyor, Josiah Whitney, who was long believed to be the first person to summit the mountain. In actuality, the peak was first visited in 1873 by two fishermen from the nearby town of Lone Pine, which is the source of the mountain's lesser-known title, Fisherman's Peak. Read more.







PROS: Incredible views. Highest point in the continental U.S. Not as crowded as the Whitney Portal route.

CONS: Long route and fast pace. Very dusty. Crowds on the summit ascent.

REGION: Eastern Sierra + White Mountains Area

CONGESTION: Moderate

PREFERABLE SEASON(S): Spring, Summer, Fall

DAY-USE/PARKING PASS REQUIRED: Not Required

TOTAL DISTANCE: 63.00 mi (101.39 km)

DOGS ALLOWED: No







Glacier Pass, Sawtooth Pass + Big Five Lakes Hiking Loop

Lost Canyon from above (photo by Aron Bosworth)





The Mineral King area of California's Sequoia National Park provides hiking access to some of the most spectacular high country in the southern Sierra. It is well worth enduring the poorly maintained, 25-mile Mineral King Road to access this subalpine glacial valley; you will not be disappointed. There are several day and multi-day backcountry hiking loop options available from the Mineral King Valley. Hiking the Glacier Pass to Sawtooth Pass Loop via Big Five Lakes qualifies at the top of this list. If you are interested in a loop that is approximately 27 miles long and blends cross-country route finding and on-trail travel, stunning alpine landscape, and high Sierra lake fishing, this hike is for you. Read more.







PROS: Quick access to the high Sierra. Good Fishing. Nice mix of trail and cross-country travel.

CONS: Rough access road. Marmot issues at trailhead in late spring and early summer.

REGION: Southern Sierra, CA

CONGESTION: Low

PREFERABLE SEASON(S): Summer

DAY-USE/PARKING PASS REQUIRED: National Park Pass

TOTAL DISTANCE: 27.00 mi (43.45 km)

DOGS ALLOWED: No





Big Pine Creek North Fork Hiking Trail, First and Second Lake

Second Lake (photo by Taylor Reilly)





The Big Pine Creek North Fork Hiking Trail rises into California's High Sierra toward the southernmost glaciers in the United States. Palisade glacier sits above a series of lakes, named First Lake through Seventh Lake, where you'll find some of the best trout fishing in the Sierra Nevada. Also, here in the John Muir Wilderness there are several peaks exceeding 14,000-feet along the Palisade Crest, part of the Great Western Divide. Here you'll find the 14,153-foot Mount Sill and Temple Crag, which is home to some of the tallest rock climbs in the entire Sierra Nevada Range. Read more.







PROS: Access to Palisades Range and High Sierra.

CONS: Trailhead access closed in winter.



REGION: Eastern Sierra + White Mountains Area, CA

CONGESTION: Low

PREFERABLE SEASON(S): Spring, Summer, Fall

DAY-USE/PARKING PASS REQUIRED: Not Required

DOGS ALLOWED: Yes



Sky Trail Loop



(photo by Brandon Katcher)





This seven-mile hike can be done in a single day; however, overnighters who reserve a spot early enough will have the chance to stay at the beautiful Sky Campground. Begin your hike at the Bear Valley Visitor Center. For the first 1.6 miles you will follow the Bear Valley Trail. There are many offshoot trails that you can take to Sky Trail depending on how many miles you want to travel. Old Pine Trail is a good choice, and it meanders 800 feet up through a rainforest. Read more.





PROS: Beautiful forests and views. Various loops and lengths available.

CONS: Can be crowded.



REGION: Marin

CONGESTION: Moderate

PREFERABLE SEASON(S): Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

DAY-USE/PARKING PASS REQUIRED: Not Required

TOTAL DISTANCE: 7.00 mi (11.27 km)

DOGS ALLOWED: No





Skyline-to-the-Sea-Hike

(photo via Redwood Hikes)





If you are looking for one of the best backpacking trips the Bay Area has to offer, look no further. The Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail is 28 miles of awesome views, backcountry camping, old-growth Redwood trees, waterfalls, and more! This hike can be done in a fast paced two day hike or a leisurely three days. Some hardcore thru hikers can do it in one day. However you choose to hike, there are camping options along the way so you can adjust your course accordingly. Read more.







PROS: Big vistas. Old-growth redwoods. Backcountry Camping.

CONS: None.

REGION: San Francisco Peninsula + Santa Cruz, CA

CONGESTION: Moderate

PREFERABLE SEASON(S): Spring, Summer, Fall

TOTAL DISTANCE: 16.50 mi (26.55 km)

DOGS ALLOWED: No







Sykes Hot Springs

(photo by Brandon Katcher)





What better way to relax after a strenuous 10-mile hike than to take a dip in a soothing hot spring? Sykes Hot Springs in Big Sur is one of the most famous and popular backcountry hot springs in California, and it is easy to understand why. Sykes in nestled deep in the Ventana Wilderness, a 234,000-acre protected area that was first established in 1969. Sykes became popular during the counter-culture movement of the 1960s, and it has since has become a favorite destination for backpackers and locals alike. Read more.







PROS: Beautiful canyons and forests. Relaxing hot springs. Good introductory backpacking.

CONS: Can be extremely crowded. Trash is an issue. No group restrictions.

REGION: Big Sur Coastline, CA

CONGESTION: High

PREFERABLE SEASON(S): Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

DAY-USE/PARKING PASS REQUIRED: General Day Use Fee ($5.00)

TOTAL DISTANCE: 20.80 mi (33.47 km)

DOGS ALLOWED: Yes
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.
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News / National

by Simbarashe Sithole

Farmers in the Command Agriculture are now in panic mode following acting president Emerson Mnangagwa's warning that every farmer in the command farming will be accountable for the outputs given to them.Mnangagwa is quoted in the state media saying the scheme is not a vote buying gimmick ahead of 2018 harmonised elections."We used to give inputs so that you vote for us and we will follow up on our inputs. Tanga tajaira kukupai zvinhu tisingatevere kuti mutivhotere.iko zvino totimotivhotera tichikutevererai,No one is going to join command farming once you join you have to be accountable," he said.Farmers in Mazowe district, Mashonaland Central province in the scheme received little inputs and most of them were reluctant thinking it was a vote buying scheme.In Mvurwi zone150 farmers registered and all the farmers received maize seed from SEDCO in varieties like 727,627and 513 but less than 100 received other inputs like fertilisers chemicals and fuel.The farmers who received their inputs from GMB Mvurwi and Concession respectively are now busy planting without other resources with hope that the acting president's sentiments will help them get the remaining inputs.Unfortunately most farmers in ward 26, 27, 29 and 30 were selling command inputs hoping that 2018 election will cover for them."The warning by vice president has brought panic in us because we thought it was a vote buying scheme as we had sold some inputs right now every farmer is busy planting expecting the remaining inputs to come," said the source.
MANCHESTER, England, Jan. 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sandhills East has acquired two key brands in Germany's commercial truck and heavy equipment market: Truck Buy & Sell International and Transporter. As a global leader in the transportation, agriculture, construction, heavy machinery, aviation, and technology industries, Manchester-based Sandhills East connects buyers and sellers to facilitate equipment transactions all over the globe. The acquisition extends the reach and effectiveness of Sandhills' brands to ensure buyers and sellers better access to and exposure in their markets.

A fortnightly publication, Truck Buy & Sell International is one of the largest and most prominent commercial heavy duty vehicle magazines in Europe. Transporter, a monthly magazine, targets buyers and sellers of lighter-duty vans, trucks, and other vehicles. After a history spanning more than two decades as go-to resources for buyers and sellers in the region, the publications were recently purchased from Germany's DAZ VERLAGSGRUPPE GmbH & Co. KG.

"Truck Buy & Sell International and Transporter are well-established and well-known sources for buying and selling trucks and construction equipment throughout Europe," explains Sandhills' Chief Operations Officer Shawn Peed. "The purchase of these titles furthers our reach into local markets across the region, and benefits both our customers and end users."

Content in Truck Buy & Sell International and Transporter will eventually integrate into the industry-specific publications provided by Sandhills East and Sandhills Publishing, the distribution of which exceeds five million publications every month. The corresponding websites for both of the recently acquired publications will also integrate into the network of successful trade websites provided by Sandhills East and Sandhills Publishing.

As a subsidiary of Sandhills Publishing, Sandhills East builds on the company's decades-long presence in its core industries. Sandhills Publishing has nearly 800 employees and is based in Lincoln, Nebraska. Its first publication, Machinery Trader, has served the heavy machinery industry since 1978. The company has since added publications and websites reaching the trucking (Truck Paper), aviation (Controller, Executive Controller, and Charter Hub), technology (Computer Power User and CyberTrend), farm equipment (TractorHouse), auction (AuctionTime), and equipment rental (RentalYard) industries, as well as buyers and sellers in international markets (MarketBook).

Sandhills East was established in 2011, quickly expanding to include office locations in Manchester and Peterborough, United Kingdom as well as Madrid, Spain and Senningerberg, Luxembourg. The company also has offices in Scottsdale, Arizona and Brisbane, Australia.

About Sandhills Publishing

Sandhills Publishing is an information processing company headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. Our broad range of products and services gather, process, and distribute information in the form of trade publications and corresponding websites that connect buyers and sellers across the trucking, agriculture, construction, heavy equipment, aviation, and technology industries. Our integrated, industry-specific approach to hosted technologies and services offers solutions that help businesses large and small operate efficiently and grow securely, cost-effectively, and successfully. Sandhills Publishingwe are the cloud.

CONTACT: General Information: +44 (0) 1618718760, feedback@sandhills.com

Photo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/453094/Sandhills_East_Acquires.jpg
How Good People Behave In The Face Of Hateful Ugliness Against Some

A story from back in 1993, from SACompassion.net:

But this year was different. Billings had been experiencing a spate of hate crimes. A skinhead, part of what he considered to be an "Aryan Nation," threw a rock through the Schnitzer's son Isaac's window.

A police officer suggested that they not put up any Jewish symbols. Tammie Schnitzer, interviewed by the local newspaper, said, " "Maybe it's not wise to keep these symbols up," she said. "But how do you explain that to a child?"

The next morning a Christian woman, reading about the incident, imagined what it would be like to tell her children that it was too dangerous to put up a Christmas tree. And she had an inspiration. She went to her pastor and suggested that the children draw menorahs the next morning in Sunday school and that they put them in THEIR windows.

Some estimate that there were eventually 6,000 homes (in a city of 80,000) that displayed Menorahs. It was dangerous. Windows were smashed. Shots were fired into a Catholic school that had joined the campaign. Hateful graffiti was spray-painted on the sides of buildings. The police chief conceded that it was dangerous -- but it was MORE dangerous not to do it, he said. For every menorah that was torn down, ten went up in its place.
People who have erected the hoardings must disclose their identity says Ashish Shelar.

The posters erected at various parts of city mentioning that a person from Nagpur (read Fadnavis) will transform Mumbai has evoked sharp reactions from BJP. Mumbai BJP Chief Ashish Shelar without naming Shiv Sena made a reference to the party by saying that those responsible for installing posters must reveal their identity.

He said, Persons installing the posters are impotent. Those people who had erected hoardings must disclose their identity. We will give a befitting reply to such persons by undertaking developmental work and transforming Mumbai into a world class city. Earlier Nitin Gadkari had taken steps to develop Mumbai and now Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has taken this initiative. This (the posters) is the work by someone who is afraid of our partys development agenda, added Shelar.

Earlier Fadnavis had issued a statement that the metropoliss development will be undertaken by a Nagpur resident.

He said, When I leave the CMs post, people of Mumbai will have to remember that a person from Nagpur transformed the city.

Subsequently posters have cropped in the city mentioning about his comments.

The person from Nagpur should instead keep Maharashtra united, one such poster says.

On the other hand, a person from Mumbai will ensure that Maharashtra is kept united, along with Mumbai, the poster added.

The poster does not mention name of any party, amid speculation that it may be work of bickering ally Shiv Sena which is seeing to thwart BJPs ambition of wresting control of Indias richest civic body.

Thus the war of words between BJP and Shiv Sena has already begun ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election. BJP is trying to wrest the control of the civic body from Sena which is now in power. Ever since the BJP had come to power after winning the 2014 state assembly election the party has trying to play the role of big brother. Whereas Sena always criticised the mode of the functioning of the BJP led government through its mouthpiece Saamna.

On the other hand, Shiv Sena claimed that the next Mayor will be elected from the party. He appreciated the BJP for supporting Sena to carry out the developmental work of the city. He also lauded Fadnavis who himself was present during the inauguration of various projects in the city.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday addressed a mega rally in Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow. In his first rally in the state after the 50-day deadline on demonetisation, PM Modi said it was imperative for Uttar Pradesh to develop for India to progress in every sense. Taking a jibe at Opposition, especially Congress, SP and BSP, PM Modi said both the Uttar Pradesh parties want to remove me but I say remove corruption and Parivarwad, give chance to deserving people.

When BSP says sun is rising, SP will say son is rising. But both agree on Modi hatao, PM Modi said.

Addressing a rally, Modi said, There should not be any surprise in guessing who will win in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. Some people are saying this election will end BJPs vanvas in UP. We do not see it through that prism. It is not about BJP but about UP, said Modi.

Appealing people to vote, Modi said, When you will vote in this election, look at the development and future of Uttar Pradesh, forgetting all caste and creed.

There is one party with minimal presence in UP, that is trying for 15 years to establish their leader but with little success. There is another party trying to save money and there is one more party trying to save their own family, the PM said at what the BJP has dubbed the Parivartan Rally or the rally for change.

In a ploy to woo sizeable Dalit population in the state, PM Modi invoked BR Ambedkar by linking his name to newly launched Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) App. PM Modi also hit out at the opposition saying, Will politics stoop so low? Why were some people troubled when we launched a mobile app after Bhimrao Ambedkar.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah, senior leaders Rajnath Singh, Kalraj Mishra and Uma Bharti are among those attended the rally.

The people from every nook and corner of the state including Awadh, Kanpur and Brij regions have arrived in Lucknow despite the winter chill.

The rally is seen as a culmination of the four Parivartan yatras carried out by the BJP in the state recently.

It will be the first rally by Prime Minister Modi after the expiry of 50-day grace period of demonetisation on December 30.
Octogenarian Lalita Subramanyam, resident of Wadala in central Mumbai, was in for a pleasant surprise when police landed at her doorstep.

Subramanyam has been living alone in her flat for the last 25 years and is on local polices list of senior citizens requiring care and protection.

Two of her children live in the United States while another son lives in Bengaluru.

As her children could not visit her on her 83rd birthday, Matunga police, who help her with chores such as medicine-purchase and bank transactions, decided to give her a surprise.

Officials from the police station reached her house this morning with a cake and bouquet of flowers.

Subramanyam cut the cake in the presence of Deputy Commissioner of Police Ashok Dudhe, who was Zonal DCP of this area last year, and senior police inspector B M Kakad alongwith a police constable who regularly calls on her.

An overwhelmed Subramanyam blessed the officers.

She is like my mothershe was very happy with birthday celebration, said inspector Kakad.

She said her children visit her few times a year but are unable to come frequently, he said.

Mumbai police have a dedicated helpline 1090 for senior citizens. Senior citizens living alone call the helpline if they require any help, or, sometimes, just because they are feeling lonely.

Late R R Patil, when he was the home minister, started the initiative under which police officials regularly meet the senior citizens living alone under their respective jurisdictions to help them and make them feel safe.
In March of 2016 the CDC announced that the rate was still one in 68, and officials were cautiously optimistic that the numbers had stabilized. (Supposedly doctors had finally learned to diagnose the condition according to guidelines established with the DSM-IV back in 1994.

The CDC looked at eight year old children in 11 states for the 2014 study: Alabama, Wisconsin, Colorado, Missouri, Georgia, Arkansas, Arizona, Maryland, North Carolina, Utah and New Jersey. One has to wonder why California wasnt part of the research since they are often credited with having the most accurate autism numbers.

Its important to note that when the CDC updates the autism numbers, they use statistics from six to fourteen states (depending on the funding).

In 2014 Coleen Boyle at the CDC was extensively covered in the media testifying to the bewilderment of officials as to the cause of all the autism, yet hinting that the increase was probably due to increased awareness. Dr. Max Witznitzer at Rainbow Childrens Hospital in Cleveland agreed and was widely covered saying that the increase was because of the efforts being made to educate the health care community and the general public to recognize developmental problems.

By Anne Dachel In March 2014 the autism went from one in every 88 children in the U.S. (released in 2012) to one in every 68. Then in March of 2016 the Centers for Disease Control again estimated the rate at one in 68 children.

(In 2015 there was the brief coverage of a study finding one in every 45 children with autism according to a parent survey of children under 18. That rather alarming statistic quickly disappeared. The higher rate was attributed to changes in the questionnaire that caused developmentally disabled children to be classified as autistic.)

Clearly it doesnt matter what the rate is. No one really cares. One in 88/one in 68/one in 45, and any of the other increases weve been given over the last two decades have never been seen as a crisis. In addition, were always given the one-size-fits-all description of autism as a lack of communication skills and an inability at social interaction, which, as one autism dad told me years ago, sounds like the kid just cant get a date.

The point Im making here is that weve been brainwashed to ACCEPT THE AUTISM EPIDEMIC. Officials and doctors alike have relegated autism to the sidelines, happy to leave it as a perpetual mystery.

What is really concerning to me is how often I see the one in 68 rate mentioned in news reports, but never as the subject of the story. Something that should be a cause for real concern, if not outright alarmthe huge numbers of CHILDREN WITH A DISORDER WE CANT FIND AT THE SAME RATE IN THE ADULT POPULATIONhas been turned into a medical curiosity we have all the time in the world to figure out.

And as we hear one in 68 tossed about so casually in the press, weve come to accept the numbers as just the way things are. It follows that because doctors, health officials, and the media arent worried, we can all relax. Theyre looking into this. Theyre doing their best. Just be patient, and well have answerssomeday.

To prove my point, heres some of whats been in the news over the month of December. Notice how disabled children are an accepted fact of life in America.

Columbian, Vancouver, WA: More toy options opening up for kids with autism Sellers, specialists trying to provide better choices

About one in 68 children were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in 2012, up from one in 150 a decade before, according to government figures. Symptoms of autism vary widely, and can range from mild social interaction problems to repetitive behaviors to difficulty speaking or even the inability to speak. This can make choosing toys even harder than it is for unaffected kids.

Voice of America: Toy Sellers, Makers Offer More Options for Autistic Kids



An estimated one in 68 children have autism or a related disorder, according to a government study based on 2012 data. The Jewish Standard: Award-winning business helps families with autism

In March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report showing that the number of children identified with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remains at 1 in 68 children nationally. This statistic is based on the CDCs evaluation of health and educational records of 8-year-olds in 11 states, including New Jersey, in 2012. According to the group Autism New Jersey, this state again has the highest rate of those states evaluated, with 1 in 41 children  2.5 percent  identified as having the disorder. This is higher than the average percentage in all U.S. communities where CDC tracked ASD in 2012. The New Jersey rate marks an increase of 12 percent over the previous 1-in-45 statistic released two years ago. Although theories explaining this statistic have been advanced, none are generally accepted, and the cause of this rise remains a mystery. Fort Wayne (IN) Journal Gazette: Family celebrates small wins over autism Autism spectrum disorder, a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges, affects 1 in 68, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Boys are four times more likely to have autism than girls.

Prompted by a growing awareness of the disorder, help and resources are expanding, including in Fort Wayne where a local service provider added a third location this month.

Janesville (WI) Gazette: Janesville Eagle Scout creates sensory board for those with autism About 1 percent of U.S. children ages 3 to 17 have an autism spectrum disorder. Prevalence is estimated at one in 68 births.

Science Daily: Mutations in life's 'essential genes' tied to autism Hundreds of mutated genes have been previously implicated as the cause of this highly heritable, complex disease, but their importance, relationship with each other, and function have not been entirely clear. Today, nearly 1 in 68 children between the ages of three and 17, mostly boys, are diagnosed with autism, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is considered one of the fastest-growing developmental disorders in the U.S CBS Minnesota: How To Make The Holidays Comfortable For Kids With Autism

Holiday staples like parties, presents and decorations can be overwhelming for some children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

The Centers for Disease Control estimates one in 68 children has an Autism Spectrum Disorder.

WAMC Albany, NY: Autism Action Plan Signed Into Law New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed into law legislation that would create an Autism Action Plan. The plan intends to identify the most effective ways to support New Yorkers living with the fastest-growing developmental disability in the country. One percent of the world is affected by autism at this point. One in 68 in the United States, 1.35 million Americans. And this Autism Action Plan is something that goes from childhood through education into adulthood, said [Democratic Assemblyman Angelo] Santabarbara.

Norristown (PA) Times Herald: Plymouth mom campaigns for sensory-friendly shopping for daughter with autism



A new government survey of parents suggests that one in 45 children, ages 3 through 17, has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This is notably higher than the official government estimate of one in 68 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Northwest Duchess Daily Voice: Gala Honors Longtime Director At Dutchess County Autism Facility



Autism also seems to have become more prevalent among children in the past 16 years. According to statistics from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 150 children were identified on the Autism Spectrum Disorder in 2000. In 2012, 1 in 68 children were on the autism spectrum.

Charlotte (NC) Observer: Your kid cant tolerate a play? Childrens Theatre wants you!



The latest statistic is 1 in 68, so theres a definite need. KRQE Albuquerque, NM: New study changes approach to treating ASD



One in 68 children are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, but theres a new approach to treating it.



Fox7 Fair Banks: Autism Society Of Alaska Loses Central Funding, Faces Closure One out of every 68 children is born with some form of Autism . It is a mental condition characterized by difficulty in communicating and forming relationships.

ABC7 Chicago: Researchers at Rush Medical Center Creating National Database to Study Autism

Autism is one of the fastest growing developmental disorders in the United States. It now affects one in every 68 children and one in every 42 boys.

You get the picture. In endless stories (far too many to list here) about autism-friendly shopping hours and Sensitive Santas, the public is told that almost two percent of children have this disorder. The coverage shows cute, typical looking kids who seem aware and happy. The public is also told that its the fastest growing developmental disordersomething that should leave everyones month open and a look of bewilderment on every face.

The real mystery about autism is the incompetent way the press reports on it.

How can this be an acceptable situation to those who cover it? How many more decades will reporters repeat the absurd claims of health officials who continue to ignore such a prevalent condition that simply doesnt affect adults at the same horrific rate it strikes children?

What the media is doing, of course, is convincing us with endless stories that its all right to have an autistic child. Autism happens, we dont know why, but it happens. We have to learn to live with it. (And youll notice that stories are almost never about regressive autism.)

I saved the best for last.

Dr. Allen Frances, chair of Duke Universitys department of psychiatry and the chair of the DSM-IV Task Force, was covered in the Bennington Banner recently apologizing for the false idea that there is AN AUTISM EPIDEMIC.

More than anything else, the people who want to cover up the link between vaccines and autism have to make the autism epidemic go away. The biggest lie about autism has always been that there has been no real increase. Autism has always been here like this, we just called it something else. (And actually Frances has been saying this same thing about autism for years in all kinds of publications. Hes the poster boy for expanded definition as the reason so many of us have a disabled child. He also charges here that theres a lot of over-diagnosing going on.)

December 22, 2016, Bennington (VT) Banner: Record Straight: Inventing the autism epidemic

"As Chair of the DSM-IV Task Force [that prepared the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 1994], I bear partial responsibility for the false epidemic of autistic disorders," Dr. Allen Frances confessed to the Psychiatric Times. Autism, a neurodevelopmental disorder marked by severe speech and socio-emotional impairment, had a prevalence of 2-4 per 10,000 children for nearly five decades after it was first described in 1943.



Since 1994, however, when the American Psychiatric Association (APA) expanded the diagnostic criteria for autism in its official manual, the prevalence of autism has increased by twenty-fold (Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics: Frances and Batstra, 2013). Dr. Frances is right to question the veracity of the autism epidemic, as the dramatic surge of diagnoses over recent decades does not coincide with an increased incidence of autism in the population.



A 2005 UK study, which tracked the frequency of autism diagnoses in a sample of 10,000 children, found that the rate was higher than that reported in 1990 (Scientific American: "Is There Really an Autism Epidemic?;" Aug. 2012). Another conclusive study, examining the prevalence of autism in 677,915 Danish children born between 1980 and 1991, proved that 60 percent of the increase could be attributed to the broadening of clinical criteria for autism after 1994 (JAMA Pediatrics; Jan. 2015). Therefore, these revised diagnostic markers have contributed to the present epidemic of over-diagnosing autism.

As anxious parents scramble to find causes for what they believe is a looming public health crisis, many have been swayed by junk science peddlers - la the dangerous anti-vaccine movement. Moreover, mental health professionals that substitute context-providing psychotherapy with the flawed practice of checklist diagnosing, as well as untrained teachers inundated with media hype, have been identifying ASD symptoms where none exist.



Ultimately, the children who have been wrongly classified as autistic will pay the price for the over-diagnosis epidemic. They will have to undergo inappropriate treatments, and unnecessarily face a whole host of negative consequences that accompany the label of a lifelong mental impairment 

Heres more about Dr. Frances and why autism is nothing new and nothing to worry about.



2010



2012

2013

Overselling autism

This is more confusion for everyone to muse over. Maybe all the autism isnt better diagnosing, maybe its really over-diagnosing. Maybe too much awareness has inflated the autism rate to the deceptive and false figure of one in 68. If were calling kids autistic who have some other problem or no problem at all, officials, doctors, and activists should be highly embarrassed. I mean consider that every April the U.N. observes an International Awareness Day and famous sites around the world are lighted up in blue in recognition of autism. Weve been oversold on autism. All those walks that raise money for Autism Speaks have led to the media hype that Dr. Frances lamented about.

According to Frances, we have to conclude that yes, autism has always been here. It was first recognized in 1943, and its always been a rare condition, nothing like the astonishing numbers we hear about today. So we can stop counting the kids because THERE IS NO AUTISM EPIDEMIC

Of course this makes no sense when anyone considers what our schools are like today with so many children who cant speak, cant learn, and cant behave, and all the training required so teachers can educate them, but Im guessing that this might turn into a powerful red herring that could capture everyones attention and be the subject of years of debate.

Id love to know what Autism Speaks has to say about this.



Anne Dachel is Media Editor for Age of Autism.
Opinion / Columnist

I am responding to the two separate articles that were run concurrently by this publication yesterday. Both articles addressed me specifically. The first is by sis Nomazulu Thata ( http://bulawayo24.com/index-id-opinion-sc-columnist-byo-101679.html ) and the second by Siqhubumthetho Ndlovu ( http://bulawayo24.com/index-id-opinion-sc-columnist-byo-101678.html I thank you both, Mthwakazians.I would have loved to have left your articles - and mine which I later posted before seeing both yours - to run for a few days to allow readers time to digest them all. However, I chose to weigh on the side of 'currency' and allow readers - and yourselves - the opportunity to engage the issues you raise while the articles are still current. I also thought it respectful that I reply to you timeously. This quickness is therefore no retort. I hope this is acceptable to you both.In no particular order of preference, let me start by addressing sis Nomazulu.Unfortunately, it is not clear from your article which particular recent article of mine you had in mind when you wrote, although I can see in the body of your article that you also make reference to two previous articles I wrote suggesting an 'alliance with Zanu-PF'. If you will allow me, I will address this latter point conjointly when I address brother Siqhubumthetho.From your article sisNomazulu, I summarise your issues with me, as two. The first is that you prefer devolution, nothing else. The second is that you believe somehow that I am some suspicious character of sorts - "either G40 or Lacoste or a double agent of both factions", to use your own words. I trust my summary is correct.Starting with the first point - that of devolution.I will try and be brief, and again, please don't take brevity as rudeness.See, devolution is just a description encompassing many things - decentralization, delegation, dispersal, distribution, transfer, surrender, etc. It doesn't in and of itself mean a particular thing until you have defined what you mean by it in particular circumstances. Do you mean decentralisation, delegation, transfer etc? The issue about devolution is where devolving power, as opposed to residual power, lies. In other words, who delegates or decentralises - and to whom? Once that is clear, you can then start talking of the mechanisms of that devolution.The problem we have with this Shonaist and Gukurahundist state is that it has already - via Gukurahundi and other non-military activities associated with Gukurahundi - conditioned uMthwakazi to be permanent subjects of an undeclared but operationally present Shona Kingdom. In other words, uMthwakazi as consumers and recipients of Shona power. So, any devolved power will inevitably involve that same Shonaist and Gukurahundist state 'delegating' power (the delegating authority delegating only that which it wants and is prepared to give away) and retaining to itself real and effective political power. The current system of Provincial Ministers (and former Governors), is an example. And by the way, the current Provincial Ministers are part of the 'devolution' that came with the 2013 constitution which some of us opposed from start (ie, devolution). So, you already have devolution - a description - but people were blind as to what it would mean in mechanical and substantive terms, in practice.Let me give a short example about the US Constitution. In the US Constitution, residual power is given to the Federal Government by the States, and not the other way round. In other words, the Federal Government is given by the States ONLY such power as the States want to give willingly to the Federal Government (foreign affairs, defence, health etc), but the rest of the powers are with the States. Carefully track the direction of movement of power!This is what we have always hoped 'devolutionists' under present-day Zimbabwe would want. This of course, is a federalist model. The problem is that in negotiations you negotiate down and you are negotiated down, not up. So if you start by clamouring for a federal model you end up with decentralisation which is simply termed - catchingly - devolution.A restorationist agenda operates completely outside these political risks and requires a completely different set of political skills and thinking. In the context of present-day Zimbabwe, there is no other way uMthwakazi can gain freedom and true independence other than in terms of a restorationist path. But political conditioning - deliberately inculcated by a Shonaist and Gukurahundist agenda - has meant that a lot of Mthwakazians have 'surrendered' themselves to the 'hopelessness' of fighting that condition as if it were unchangeable and as if this was the first ever thing to be seen in the world, hence the clamour for the 'more acceptable' things like 'devolution'. When you start political agitation or activism, you have to ask yourself the primary question: acceptable to who? If you get it all wrong from inception, the whole project is a complete waste of time and energy and you might just as well not start and accept bondage as rule and governance itself. But restorationism says uMthwakazi has been here before, and overcome, and there is no inherent impossibility about now which did not appear before and which uMthwakazi cannot overcome.I therefore hope sisNomazulu I have gotten you thinking afresh about devolution and looking at it more critically. But even more importantly, I trust I have begun to make you look at 'restorationism' with a more sanguine eye than you may have done before. And by the way, 'restorationism' is about governance under a Mthwakazi, not identity of who governs - proper, living, and effective institutions of governance!On the second point of my being some sort of suspicious character, no, sis Nomazulu, I am none of that. As I have said to you before, I am not Lacoste or G-40. I am just a Mthwakazian, eager and passionate about seeing uMthwakazi free after nearly 200 years of White racist rule and Black tribal rule.I am real, a human  and a man or a woman! All I want to say in respect of this point is that you are one person I look forward to meeting in person, at the earliest. When I am ready, I propose to, so we can have a whole day or whole days of discussion right up to our hearts' satisfactions. I also keenly follow your writings you post regularly on this publication. Keep up the good work, especially as it relates to Mthwakazi matters!And now to brother Siqhubumethetho Ndlovu!I summarise your issues with me as follows: first, that - like in the case of sis Nomazulu - I am some sort of dubious character. Second, there are two substantive issues you have raised I would like to touch on briefly. The first one is your rejection that uMthwakazi Kingdom is a pre-colonial State now represented as Zimbabwe. And the second substantive point is that you say Britain has a 'colonial responsibility' over uMthwakazi.Starting with my being a suspicious character etc, I would hope that what I have said to sis Nomazulu in relation thereto answers your question. However, I just want to join you and sis Nomazulu in making the further point about this alleged suspicion around me arising from two articles I wrote not so long ago about an 'alliance' with Zanu-F. Unfortunately, I can't remember how I titled one of those articles and can only find this one (http://bulawayo24.com/index-id-opinion-sc-columnist-byo-94320.html). I hope however that this article will suffice for now.My suggestion about an 'alliance' with Zanu-PH, when I made it, was grounded specifically, and was in the specific context of two things. First, it was in the context of alleged 'alliance' between MDC-T and ZPF - both Shonaist and Gukurahundist parties. Second, it was in the context of the so-called #Tajamuka pseudo- revolution which I was at pains to ask uMthwakazi to keep away from as it was no revolution at all and uMthwakazi shouldn't participate in their mayhem and disorder. I have been vindicated in respect of this!In relation to alliances - which I called 'endgames' - I said that uMthwakazi's sole and correct thing to do under those circumstances would be to align herself with Zanu-PF (in those specific circumstances) against a Tsvangirai-Mujuru pact, on the strong proposition that South Africa - the continental and regional power - would not allow Zimbabwe to fall to 'imperialist-sponsored' parties of that sort. You may recall that at that time, the South African International Relations minister then came out publicly to suggest that. My point was therefore that in the specific context of an 'endgame' of that sort ('regime change'), it would be totally unwise for Mthwakazi to rub a potential regional political sponsor like the South Africa, the wrong way.With regard to the #Tajamuka 's phony revolution - I think I called them the 'looteritariat - I was specifically pitting order against disorder, and in fact decried the fact that #Tajamuka had made me sick by making Zanu-PF a party of choice in that context. I said uMthwakazi stood to benefit politically from a un-collapsed Zimbabwe state than a collapsed one. To this day, I believe the #Tajamuka thing was and is controlled by successionist forces within Zanu-PF who cannot get power by any electoral and legitimate process and are bent on creating a political chaos which they will control from the shadows and benefit their way to State power that way. In that case, and in those circumstances, a Zanu-PF 'unholy' alliance would be better. Again, South Africa - as other regional states - would not allow such a disorder and so it made sense for Mthwakazi to be on the right side of South Africa's political preferences.In relation to both positions, I therefore still stand by what I said, and will probably do to eternity. I hope this explanation makes sense and you can both put to rest your unfavourable judgments of me based on those two articles.And now on the substantive points, brother Siqhubumthetho.First, your assertion about uMthwakazi State is not only wrong, but wholly dangerous to the restorationist agenda you purport to defend. By the way, I warmly welcome you to that agenda brother! I would have loved to be detailed but time and space do not allow, so I will be brief.You have confused political reality and the military strategy of the Pioneer Column, and the Mthwakazi State. The Pioneer Column completely surreptitiously and nocturnally avoided the Ndebele State (King) by making the quick dash for what later became Mashonaland. That action was about going to conscript Shona recruits and hoodwink the Shona against the Ndebele or Mthwakazi State. Be reminded there was nothing called Mashonaland and Matebeleland then, only the Ndebele State. This is true history. You get yourself muddled up by later, conquest events, such as the so-called Jameson Line and the Matebeleland Order in Council, both of which created artificial borders between Matebeleland and the Pioneer Column. (These would later be the pretexts for starting attacks on the Ndebele State).Another important point is that in those days, defeat or conquest - and therefore allegiance and homage - were not always the result of military conquest. If a people or tribe chose to pay homage instead of military defeat, rule over that tribe or people was thus established. So it was with the Shona under Kings Mzilikazi and Lobengula at the start of British colonial campaigns in the region. Of course, with the aggressive and Shonaist revisionism of Zanu-PF and Zimbabwe, you get this being denied, and even ridiculous claims now being made about the so-called 'Chimurenga'. We all know the truth about that, unless the Shona fight on the side of the British against uMthwakazi was a 'Chimurenga'.On the issue of the British Government having 'colonial' responsibility over uMthwakazi, I am afraid, I have to simply say that is incorrect. I just want to suggest that these are the sorts of 'ignorances' that are unacceptable and harmful to Mthwakazi's restorationist agenda which I warn about constantly. The British Government does hold critical documents in its vaults which are critical to Mthwakazi's restorationist agenda and which uMthwakazi will be advised to try and access as she builds her political case earnestly, but that is all. I don't think I can say much in relation hereto without overkill.So, if you were to ask me about what I think of you both sis Nomazulu and brother Siqhubumthetho, I would say I see two Mthwakazians devoted and passionate about uMthwakazi's freedom and independence. This is a devotion and passion I share, right to my marrow. But during that, and while on this journey, I wish to ensure that, by negligence, recklessness, sloth, and other bad human traits, we don't harm uMthwakazi's restorationist agenda and make of it a poisoned and soiled thing that no country of the world will want to be associated with. Strange as it may sound, winning Shona minds and hearts (in addition to Mthwakazi minds) is critical to moving the debate forward, rather than creating a premature fight, before we even start.But the fact of these articles - on their own - suggests that the debate is now slowly circulating, even among our Shona brothers and sisters, as we have recently seen. If I appear to pretend to know more than others, then this is not the case. The articles are inspired by the fact that it is better to be wrong sometimes - as we all sometimes are - than there to be gravely silence over our own freedom. I know nothing, but I have the courage of my conviction to share the little I don't know. But I assume and claim no singular expertise.Finally, brother Siqhubumthetho, you want me to come out and show my 'balls' like all those people you cite. But I want to make one small point, though.Courage is a function of capacity and capability. Without these, it is just bombast and blast - even empty bravado. Folly! I just happen to think that at this stage uMthwakazi needs authenticity, pedigree, true courage, and the ability to build the capacity and capability to deliver on the promises of Mthwakazi freedom that uMthwakazi's political organizations make. Anything else, is fake.And I believe that all the men you cite, brother Siqhubumthetho, were men possessed of these true Mthwakazi qualities, for which we would all remain indicted if we failed to live up to them today!
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The Persecuted Christians of Iraq and Syria

If 2017 is going to be a less violent year for Christians around the world than the past few have been, international governments, leaders and citizens alike will have to turn words in support of the persecuted into action. While words are often a precursor to action, and an important step in building solidarity and raising awareness about a particular situation, they become hollow if not followed up by substitutive action. Over the past few years, I have had the opportunity to meet many beleaguered Christian communities around the world. I have visited with Christians persecuted by Islamic extremism in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Nigeria and Cameroon, and by repressive states in China, Cuba and Turkey. One consistent message I have heard can be summarized by a question I was asked by a Syriac Christian in Northeast Syria. "We hear that many nations in the West want to help us and secure our future in our ancestral homeland," he said. "But after many months and years of hearing this ... nothing in our situation has changed. Will this help ever come?" A couple of weeks ago, I was in the Netherlands with a small group of human rights advocates, genocide experts and clergy, including the Syriac Catholic Archbishop of Mosul, Iraq, Archbishop Petrus Mouche, to encourage the country to find substantive ways to help persecuted Christians. We were invited by Parliamentarian Pieter Omtzigt, who has been one of the few outspoken Dutch advocates on behalf of religious and ethnic minorities in the Middle East. Like a number of European nations, the Netherlands voted down a resolution declaring genocide against minorities in Iraq and Syria. We were present at the Dutch Parliament to say that opportunities to right this wrong and become an active participant in stopping current and future genocides still exist. A few actions nations are, or should be, pursuing in 2017 include:

Persuading countries such as Canada, Sweden, the Netherlands and others who have previously voted against genocide declarations to recognize the situation of Christians in Iraq and Syria as genocide.

Prosecuting members of the Islamic State (especially those returning to Europe and North America) for being a member of a terrorist organization, as well as for the genocidal crimes they have participated in.

Prioritizing Christian and other victims of genocide in their respective refugee programs.

Supporting the creation of a semi-autonomous safe haven for religious and ethnic minorities in the Nineveh Plain region of Iraq. In the U.S., this idea is being supported through Congressional Resolution 152.

These are just a few meaningful ways nations can get involved in supporting the persecuted in Iraq and Syria. Opportunities exist to do the same in other areas of the world. Ignorance of the situation faced by Christians and other religious minorities is no longer an excuse for inaction. The time for debate is over. As Nuri Kino, journalist and founder of A Demand for Action, an international organization that advocates on behalf of Christians (Assyrians/Chaldeans/Syriacs) and other minorities in Iraq and Syria, asked of the Dutch Parliamentarians we testified before last month, "Will you help us or will history only record your silence?"
Opinion / Columnist

I extend my sincere thanks to Nomazulu Thatha for acknowledging my response article to Xoxani Ngxoxo. We certainly agree in so far as the fact that Xoxani Ngxoxo is possibly a double agent meant to confuse and confound the Restorationist Agenda while sneakingly making attempts to declare himself as the Apostle of the Restoration Agenda. He is none of it but a confusionist par excellence, very dangerous too.I however humbly differ with Nomazulu on two issues, namely that Restorationists are Secessionists and that Devolution of power is what Matebeleland needs. Suspicious and dubious as Xoxani Ngxoxo is, I agree with him on the issue of Restorationists being Restorationists and not Secessionists and on the fact that Devolution cannot resolve the Matebeleland question once and for all.Regarding Restoration, Nomazulu Thatha is kindly requested to appreciate that Restoration is about restoring what was originally there while secessionists/secessionism create a new state that was never in existence from an intact state for example if Mashonaland North were to create a new state from Mashonaland, that would be secession. Matebeleland has always been there, separate from Mashonaland and therefore the Agenda seeks to restore it to its originality as a Kingdom in the process reforming its institutions to reflect modern times . It is not a new Kingdom that people of Matebeleland seek to create. Therefore, those pushing the Restoration Agenda find it out of order to be called what they are truly not (Secessionists) by the Zimbabwean media, its hostile acolytes and the agents of the system including double agents from Matebeleland.While Restorationists must respect difference of opinion and ideological choice and embrace freedom of association and political belief just in as much as Devolutionists must do, it is however very clear to all and sundry that Devolution for Matebeleland will not work as those who rule Matebeleland by conquest means will never ever give Matebeleland any power to govern and develop herself under such a piecemeal arrangement. Matebeleland must grab what is hers, stand up for it and not accept a weakling position via Devolution of Power. Therefore, the Devolution route passionately campaigned for by others, is truly an application and cry for eternal subjugation of Matebeleland as well as eternal misery for our people. The colonialist status quo must be broken and the Restoration Agenda stands out as the only agenda to redeem and free Matebeleland and its people from the havoc of Shona hegemony and black occupation. In this regard, Restoration is the only credible game in town for the resolution of Matebeleland's issue!I however differ with Xoxani Ngxoxo on the content of the Restoration Agenda and his attempt to muddy it while engaging in this lecture mode to all Restorationists while hiding behind a pseudo name and a pseudo organization he calls United Kingdom of Matebeleland, that is most likely non-existent.Xoxani Ngxoxo ridicules everything and anything done by other visible Restorationists while hiding behind a pseudo name and a fictitious organization that is not known by anyone within the Restorationist camp. He deliberately undermines any work done by other Restorationists and imposes himself as the "know it all" and the only person who matters in this Agenda with his fictitious organization that operates from the dark shadows. He sells his message from the dark shadows and wants to exercise supremacy over the Restoration Agenda and uses his long articles to shoot down any work done by others while offering poisonous advice for the Restorationist camp to make a pact with Zanu PF. What a whacky and crazy political advice!Put simply we do not know this character within the Restorationist camp. We do not know his organization or any members of it and yet the fella wants to lecture everyone and anyone who does anything incidental to push the Agenda forward. He passionately wants to pull everyone down in this regard, talks down to them, and yet he operates in a fictitious name with a fictitious organization! He describes the efforts of all other Restorationists as a full of "negligence, recklessness, sloth and other bad traits" who are bent of harming the Restoration Agenda and inadvertently declares himself as the Holy Apostle of the Restoration Agenda, the Devine and the only friend of the Restoration Agenda. Others are inadvertently declared enemies of the Restoration Agenda who seek to harm and destroy it! This is political vanity at its worst! Incredible! This is exactly what we call rank madness "blaster". If he wants to be trigger happy to demonize others and shoot from his hips in the dark shadows of his, then he must be prepared for a bold response from others!From the dark shadows of his operational network, he talks "pedigree, courage, authenticity and ability to build the capacity and capability to deliver" Pure rubbish! He is an antithesis of all that he mentions in this line. A pure coward who wants to project himself as a brave and cunning fella. He is simply a coward! Period! How can a coward and their advice be taken seriously? He must come out in the open, declare his organization and its members to the public like others, sell his agenda and face the music from the regime. Other than that its all "blaster" and huge pretense, pomposity and cowardice dressed up as courage!There are three things that are seriously poisonous about this chaps' agenda additional to what I have mentioned above. His proposal for the Restorationists to marry Zanu PF to attain Restoration of Matebeleland is very dangerous and an attempt to get the agenda destroyed. Put simply he is advocating a second unity accord with Zanu PF after the Zapu Unity accord! Really! His whacky "advice" would have been rejected by Zapu/Zipra including Zanu/Zanla if he had urged them to join Ian Smith to attain their freedom based on what he terms "changed circumstances". Whacky advice indeed! It is the same Agenda that others advance within the Restoration camp of participating in colonial Zimbabwe run and supervised elections. Xoxani however goes further and demands a unity pact with Zanu PF to attain Mthwakazi's freedom! Really! He and his fictitious United Kingdom of Matebeleland Orgnization must do so without dragging everyone else with them!Secondly, he terms the whole of Zimbabwe Mthwakazi and want Zimbabwe (Mashonaland) and Matebeleland to be named Mthwakazi. Basically, he is simply campaigning for the change of Zimbabwe's name to Mthwakazi. Incredible! He must redeem himself quickly and stop this poisonous chalice. The Restoration Agenda is about the Restoration of Matebeleland and not Zimbabwe (Mashonaland) as Mthwakazi. This is another example of his double standards that raises suspicions about his agenda. He is simply a double agent meant to bring confusion in the Agenda.Thirdly and most interestingly, Xoxani Ngxoxo (the fictitious one) wants to rubbish key documents that led to the colonisation of Matebeleland such as the 1894 Order in Council but at the same time talks of the 1923 Whites Only Referendum done by whites as very important aspect of this Agenda which he can use to yardstick his views without any shame while frowning at others. His selectivity of what to use in this whole issue is extremely bizarre and bordering on being crazy. It is meant to confuse and confound the Agenda. We are having none of this wacky stuff. He and his fictitious organization must stuff this rubbish in his whacky briefcase and make the second unity accord with Zanu PF as he enthusiastically proposes.Lastly, thina esilapha ekhaya are behind HRM Raphael Khumalo and applaud him for his bravery and for standing up for what he believes in and what we believe in. Xoxani Ngxoxo must come come and do the same or forever zip his mouth. We are behind HRM Raphael Khumalo 100%. Those who wish to bark in the dark must do so to themselves and their non-existent organizations but must desist from disturbing the Lion when it has awoken.
December 30, 2016

CAIRO  On Dec. 19, the Egyptian Ministry of Interior announced the death of Mohammed Ashour Dashisha, one of the Hasm movements most dangerous members, after an exchange of fire with the police in a residential neighborhood in 6th of October City.

The ministry said in an official statement that Dashisha had been using an apartment there along with a number of Hasm members to hold meetings and manufacture explosive devices to be used in a series of hostile operations against the army, the police and the judiciary. Once the security forces got close to the apartment, Dashisha opened fire on the troops who fired back and killed him, while a soldier was shot dead as well, according to the statement.

Following this incident, the Hasm movement declared a new phase, which it dubbed jihad and resistance," against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisis regime. This raises several questions about the future of this movement, its financiers and backers, as well as the extent of its affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood.

On July 16, the Egyptian Ministry of Interior announced the assassination of Maj. Mahmoud Abdel Hamid, the head of investigations at the Tamiya police station in Fayoum governorate. Three masked men on a motorcycle opened fire at a police car, killing Abdel Hamid and wounding two policemen.

This attack marked the beginning of a new movement targeting policemen, soldiers and state figures, which has become known as Hasm (Arabic for "elimination").

On the evening of July 16, the Hasm movement issued an official statement titled "Military Statement I," in which it said, Hasm claims responsibility for the assassination of Maj. Mahmoud Abdel Hamid, the head of investigations in Tamiya, Fayoum. Our attack also wounded two of his men, who are currently in critical condition; one is a police officer and the other is a cadet. This was a punishment for the crimes and violations they committed while operating under this system, in reference to Sisis regime.

The statement continued, We vow before God and the Egyptian people not to drop our weapons until our great people are liberated from the oppression of the military machine and its treacherous militias. We will not stop until the last member of our movement is dead. We will only leave the battlefield either as victors or martyrs.

Thus began the movements terrorist operations, and a few weeks later, on Aug. 5, it claimed responsibility for an operation that targeted former Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa, as he was entering a mosque for Friday prayers in 6th of October City. However, the assassination attempt failed and Gomaa survived the attack.

The Hasm movement issued a statement on the same day that read, We have targeted the mufti and his guards and succeeded in only injuring the guards in an ambush. However, civilians were present at the scene and the [mufti] was rushed into the mosque, preventing his assassination, but he will not survive the next attack, insinuating the continuation of the violent targeting of the state and its institutions.

In response to the failed attempt, the security forces announced Aug. 14 that it had identified and arrested individuals responsible for the attack, noting that they were affiliated with a terrorist cell from Hasm involved in many incidents. The security forces said that these individuals had been trained in desert areas on how to use weapons and have made a list of a number of public figures and security leaders to target in the near future, with the help and support of Muslim Brotherhood leaders.

However, this security crackdown was not enough to stop the Hasm movement. A few days later, it carried out successive attacks, including the targeting of the police club in Damietta on Sept. 4, injuring Col. Moataz Salama, the head of the explosives department, along with five others. In addition, on Sept. 30, the convoy of Assistant Attorney General Zakaria Abdul Aziz was targeted by a rigged car in the First Settlement area  but it was a failed attempt.

The most recent terrorist attack was carried out by Hasm on Dec. 9, when it used an explosive device to target a security site affiliated with the Interior Ministry on Haram Street in Giza governorate, killing six policemen and wounding three others.

In this context, Sameh Eid, an independent researcher on Islamic movements, who was previously associated with the Brotherhood, told Al-Monitor, Hasm is one of many movements and groups that were formed following the August 2013 Rabia al-Adawiya Square massacre, which resulted in the death and arrest of many. The members of these movements are youth who escaped the massacre or who were arrested and were released after serving their sentences. They gathered and formed these groups to take revenge from the current regime.

On Aug. 13, 2013, Egyptian security services raided the protests organized by supporters of former President Mohammed Morsi who were calling for the return of the Muslim Brotherhood, which was ousted following protests on June 30, 2013.

Eid said, There are many signs to confirm that this movement was inexperienced and is not part of the Brotherhood, but only emerged after the August 2013 Rabia al-Adawiya massacre. First, when the security services announced the death of the Hasm member on Dec. 19, it said he was 25 years old, which means that the movements leaders are young  which is not the case within the Brotherhood. Second, the movement first emerged in Fayoum governorate, which is one of the provinces that lost many of its residents during the August 2013 Rabia al-Adawiya massacre. Finally, the movement never used heavy machine guns in its operations; it relied on primitive weapons and failed to kill the assistant attorney general as well as the former grand mufti, which shows a lack of experience. Thus, the movement and the Brotherhood are not affiliated, although the Brotherhood blesses and welcomes such terrorist attacks targeting the current regime.

Eid ruled out the possibility of violent attacks and armed confrontations between the movement and the security forces coming to an end soon, even if the state and the Muslim Brotherhood reach reconciliation. He said, This generation is rebellious and does not obey the regime. It has its own line of extremist thought against the state, and thus I believe this wave of confrontations could last for years and years. The only way it could stop is if the state starts adopting new methods to keep youth away from extremist ideologies, changes the strategy with which it deals with these movements and stops relying on armed confrontations.

For his part, Maj. Gen. Farouk al-Megrahi, a former Interior Ministry assistant, told Al-Monitor that Hasm is one of the Muslim Brotherhoods wings, trying to create chaos and turmoil in the country following the fall of the Brotherhood regime, especially since no one had even heard of this movement during the Brotherhood's rule.

He said that Hasm and other similar movements receive financial support from the Brotherhood, while Qatar and Turkey significantly contribute in financing the Brotherhood in order to spread chaos within the community, reveal the weakness of the current regime to the world and expose its inability to cope with terrorism.

He added, We will not surrender to terrorism and we will eliminate it no matter how much time it takes.
December 29, 2016

Sensing the despair in Palestinian public opinion, pragmatic officials in the PLO are contemplating a new interim policy move for 2017 to prevent an armed intifada and to keep alive the national Palestinian positions on permanent status. The idea is to launch a Palestinian initiative for a three-year interim agreement that would lead to permanent status.

A senior PLO official who participated in the Oslo Accord and other peace negotiations told Al-Monitor that the Palestinian leadership is fully aware of what a challenge it will be to achieve immediate statehood based on the 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as the capital, especially with the expected change in US positions by the Donald Trump administration.

The official noted that within the Fatah movement there are those who believe the only way to place Palestinian statehood on the international agenda is a third intifada and violent resistance to the occupation. The more pragmatic group, he stated, believes in working with the Arab League (especially Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia) on a diplomatic track, focusing on the new UN Security Council Resolution 2334. Pursuing the latter position, the PLO official, together with other known peace process diplomats, have developed a plan for an interim agreement, which they have already discussed with Israeli peace nongovernmental organizations.

The proposal includes six central elements. The first is establishing a one-year time frame, ending in December 2017, for declaring a Palestinian state on transitional borders. A second element relates to the interim territory of the new state, which will include all of Area A (currently under Palestinian control) and Area B (under Palestinian civil control and joint Israeli-Palestinian security control) and 20% of Area C (under Israeli control) in the Jordan Valley with full Palestinian sovereignty. This means an Israeli withdrawal from parts of Area C and the transfer of security control to Palestinians in Area B. Then there is the issue of Israeli settlements in Area C. The settlers could stay, but under Palestinian sovereignty. A fourth and most important element is a complete Israeli freeze of settlement expansion, based on the 1968 UN General Assembly Resolution 2443. Also, Israeli-Palestinian security cooperation shall be increased. The sixth element concerns permanent status negotiations, which must be launched after December 2017 between Israel and Palestine. The negotiations, on the basis of the 1967 lines and the Arab Peace Initiative, should last no more than a year, with a one-year implementation time frame.

The PLO official, a well-known moderate, believes that such a proposal would receive wide international support. We must be realistic and first of all place Palestinian statehood on the international agenda, thus offering diplomatic progress to our people," he told Al-Monitor, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The alternative is to adopt the Syrian way of violence. The pragmatic group that drafted the plan intends to discuss it soon with President Mahmoud Abbas and others in the Palestinian Authority leadership.

The official said that his group of pragmatic Fatah officials have had informal yet encouraging talks on an interim agreement with senior officials in Cairo and Amman. There is a common interest among Arab pragmatists to prevent the conflict from getting out of control, which, in turn, might bring Hamas to power in the West Bank.

The official added that the Palestinian leadership has little doubt that, after his Jan. 20 inauguration, President-elect Trump will give Israel the green light to ignore the Security Council resolution. In view of Israels strong, ruling right-wing government and the expected pro-Israel administration in Washington, the Palestinians must convince others in the international community, primarily the European Union and Russia, to advance creative prospects for a two-state solution.

A senior official in Brussels close to High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that Brussels was informed by Fatah members about the initiative for a Palestinian interim agreement. The EU will not react to any informal Palestinian proposals, yet it supports any initiative that can advance the hope for a two-state solution.

According to the EU official, the European leadership favors the idea of allowing Israeli settlements to remain under Palestinian sovereignty. Yet the EU will not formalize its position until the Trump administration is in place and until after initial talks between the new Washington administration and Brussels are launched. In the meantime, the French are planning to hold a large peace conference in Paris on Jan. 15, with more than 50 foreign ministers present, to keep the diplomatic hope alive, based on the previous June Paris conference, the July Quartet report and the new Security Council resolution.

Israel is well-aware of the Palestinian idea of a two-state solution based on the 1967 lines in two phases. A senior Ministry of Foreign Affairs official told Al-Monitor on the condition of anonymity that Jerusalem completely rejects the proposals. There will be no negotiations on changing the nature of Area B or Area C before the Palestinians recognize Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people and agree to Israeli demands on security arrangements, he said.

Despite this Israeli rejection, these Palestinian proposals are very important. At times of deadlock, pragmatic creativity is needed. The international community, mainly the EU, and possibly eventually the Trump administration, must adopt innovative ideas to avoid dangerous deadlock and despair.
December 30, 2016

BAGHDAD  A Nov. 23 report by specialized judges revealed the establishment of plants to produce Krystal  the local name of crystal methamphetamine or crystal meth. The findings suggest that Iraq is changing from a corridor for drugs between neighboring countries into a producer of narcotics, taking advantage of poor regulatory procedures on the porous border.

This explains the increased arrests of drug dealers and users, most recently on Dec. 20, when the Ministry of Interior announced the arrest of a group of six people who were trafficking narcotics in a horse stable in the Abu Ghraib area, west of Baghdad.

A source in the national security apparatus confirmed Nov. 19 the presence of plants used to produce drugs, such as crystal meth, in Basra and Maysan provinces in the south. The people running the plants mix narcotic chemicals that are smuggled from abroad with other materials. The source said that this has turned Iraq into a producing country of narcotics.

Faeq al-Sheikh Ali, a member of parliament, said Oct. 25 that cannabis is cultivated in opium farms in south Iraq under the patronage of political parties and influential armed groups, which gave the phenomenon a political dimension, causing much controversy about political parties using drug profits for political money.

Alis statements prompted Iraqi parliament's Agricultural Committee to declare Dec. 12 that it will investigate the information about the cultivation of some crops used for the manufacture of drugs, especially opium in the south of Iraq.

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Ali al-Badri, a member of parliament on the Agricultural Committee, denied claims about opium cultivation in southern Iraq at the hands of political parties and groups. These reports are not accurate. The cultivation of such narcotics requires production means and lands for cultivation. The presence of some individual cases does not mean Iraq is now producing drugs, he said.

However, it appears that Badris statements are not in line with what is happening on the ground, especially in the peripheries of Erbil in the Kurdistan Region, where security forces raided the first drug farm on Oct. 13, with narcotics estimated at a value of about $1 million.

Badri and the Agricultural Committees statements that deny the production of drugs in the country contradict the Oct. 5 statements of sources in the Sharqat district in the north, saying that the security forces destroyed 16 acres of opium.

This raises questions about why Iraqi parties are denying drug production in the country. Sources confirmed that members of the Islamic State (IS) were cultivating opium in Sharqat to finance their operations. The sources said that opium was used to extract heroin in the laboratories of the University of Mosul, which fell under IS control in June 2014.

Salah Hassan, brigadier general in the Iraqi Interior Ministry, told Al-Monitor, Drug cultivation and production is happening in the areas under IS control, which is further proof of the incidents in Sharqat. This raises the speculation of drug cultivation and narcotics marketing in Kurdistan, as well. Given the areas mountainous nature and rough terrain, it is difficult for security services to detect the plants.

Amer Habib, an academic in agricultural sciences from Babil, told Al-Monitor that opium cultivation is not widespread in the center and south of the country because this kind of cultivation requires a relatively cold atmosphere, which is not the case in the central and southern areas. But it is still possible.

These cultivation farms need special care and to be hidden from the public eye, which can be done in these areas. Therefore, there might be individual attempts to grow narcotic plants, but this cannot be considered a widespread phenomenon, Habib added.

In the same context, Sabah al-Saadi, a member of parliaments Security and Defense Committee, told Al-Monitor, Reports on drug manufacturing in Iraq are hyperbolic, but one can say that this industry is being launched. The number of drug dealers have increased each year after 2003, while the spread of IS in Iraq increases the chances of local production should the consumption of use of drugs remain high. This could encourage smugglers to start manufacturing inside the country.

In further evidence to Saadis statement, the Department of Mental Health in Basra General Hospital called upon the state on Jan. 2 to establish a specialized center for combating drugs, especially with the increased use of crystal meth.

Ignoring the signs and signals that emerge every now and then in Iraq could cause Iraq to become a country producing and exporting drugs, leading to more victims of addiction and rising numbers of drug traffickers. Iskandar Watout, a member of the Security and Defense Committee, told Al-Monitor that he has been calling for the intelligence apparatus to take action and impose tight measures and apply Iraqi law, banning the cultivation and production of drugs and punishing groups trafficking and using narcotics.
January 2, 2017

Russias chief diplomatic and military agencies are reporting on their performance for the just-ended year, and the news appears to be good.

A newly released report, Overview of Foreign Policy 2016, states, The key track in strengthening international security and stability in 2016 was the struggle against terrorism. In this regard, the Middle East and the North Africa region were central to Russian foreign policy, with Syria having been a focal point of Moscows political and military effort in 2016.

Indeed, since the start of its military campaign in Syria in the fall of 2015, Russia has dramatically reinforced its regional presence  in some cases, probably contrary to its preliminary calculations. Russias ultimate plans for Syria are a matter of speculation. But as far as Moscows initial objectives, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu partly addressed those recently.

At the December extended session of the Defense Ministry, Shoigu said the key task put forward by President Vladimir Putin was achieved: Russian air forces turned the tide in Syria. Among the key achievements Shoigu noted were smashing of large militant groups in Hama, Homs and Latakia; freeing Aleppo; and unlocking the traffic artery tying Damascus to the countrys north.

Shoigu provided some statistics, noting that Russian forces helped free from extremists about 500 towns and settlements  covering 4,772 square miles of Syrian territory. Over the course of its military campaign, Moscow carried out 18,800 flights and 71,000 strikes on terrorist infrastructure, destroying 725 training camps, 405 ammunition-making factories and 1,500 units of military equipment, according to Shoigu. Russia killed 35,000 militants, including 204 commanders, and 9,000 militants laid down their arms. Russia, Shoigu emphasized, also helped capture 48 tanks, 410 mortars, 57 multiple-launch rocket systems (plus 418 such units that were homemade) and more than 20,000 small arms.

According to a report from the Russian Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides, by Dec. 27, the total number of inhabited areas whose leaders had signed reconciliation agreements stood at 1,077, while the number of cease-fire applications signed with leaders of armed groupings amounted to 94. The report said 108,000 refugees have now returned to their homes.

On a bigger scale, Russia might not have accomplished all of its stated goals, but it made significant progress toward them. The Russian military is especially proud of dealing a blow to terrorists, dismantling their networks in the region and disrupting chains of their financial support, Shoigu said. Moscow is positive that it prevented, at least for the time being, the breakup of the Syrian state and  something equally important for the Kremlin  halted a chain of  revolutions in North Africa and the Middle East, Shoigu added. Moscow believes it helped launch a political settlement process that might be the basis for a transitional period and a new Syria.

Russia also gained something it didnt have a year ago. A modest maintenance facility in Tartus is now likely to become a modern military infrastructure at a critical point in the Mediterranean. Russia has legally solidified its presence by signing an agreement with the Syrian government. From a military-technical perspective, Russia established a multilevel control and management system that enables Moscow to monitor all of Syria  airspace, land and waters  to guide its actions there. This can save significant time in decision-making and improve troop management and maneuvering on the ground. Moreover, speaking last week about key goals for the Russian military, Putin provided guidance for 2017: The effectiveness of our weapons in Syria opens new opportunities for military cooperation with foreign states; there are many partners who are interested in our arms.

Certainly, to a more critical eye, Russias record in Syria is a mixed and nuanced bag. The civilian casualties in Aleppo, the tug-of-war with the Islamic State (IS) over Palmyra, the crash of two jets based on the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, as well as terrorist attacks close to Russian military infrastructures (such as those in Tartus in May) were costly, including to Russias reputation. They bared Russias military vulnerabilities, and they ultimately brought about an enlarged presence, whereas a drawdown announced in the spring was supposed to seal the tactical assets secured by that time. The turbulent nature of the region concealed a lot of thunderheads for Moscow  uncalculated risks and unexpected developments that complicated Russian strategy. The recent assassination of Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov, as well as other human loses Russia suffered in Syria this year  all in all, 24  exemplify such thunderheads.

The most dramatic and unfortunate failures came in Moscows relations with Washington:

In February, the two agreed on a cease-fire and to establish communication lines between the Russian air base in Khmeimim, Syria, and the US analytical group in Amman, Jordan.

In September, another attempt was made to resume the cease-fire, and plans were made to create a joint US-Russia center to coordinate strikes on terrorist infrastructure.

December saw yet another proposal to normalize Aleppo by outlining routes and a time line for the rebel retreat with the subsequent cease-fire.

Russian journalists counted that over the year, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had at least 70 meetings and phone conversations. But most of the initiatives remained solely on paper or were derailed by a strong belief by Moscow and Washington that the failures were the other partys fault. Eventually, after another failed attempt to do something together, the Kremlin gave up on the idea of working with the administration of US President Barack Obama  which was equally fatigued of working with Putin  and turned its eyes to cooperation with regional stakeholders Iran and Turkey.

In January 2016, Moscow managed to navigate through the rough waters of the Iran-Saudi Arabia spat before it turned into a direct clash. Contrary to popular expectations, Russia took a rather neutral stance despite its strong language condemning Saudi Arabias killing of Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. Iran remained a key partner in the Syrian war and its consent was instrumental in implementing Moscows main initiatives. Russia and Iran may see the endgame in Syria differently and might have different work styles because of their differing national interests in Syria and beyond, but their dealings are critical in fortifying a unified policy on ending the war in Syria, and the current respective leaderships seem to understand that.

For Russia and Turkey, 2016 brought roller-coaster relations. After the jet crisis in late 2015, the relationship remained strained for months. After numerous attempts by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to mend the situation, the two met in St. Petersburg. As the relations started to normalize gradually, contested issues remained on the agenda, with each party moving perhaps much slower than the other wanted: Moscow didnt rush to lift all the sanctions imposed after the downed jet, and Ankara wasnt backing off on its initial position that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad needed to be overthrown.

Recognizing objective limits to a full-fledged partnership, Putin and Erdogan tried to maximize benefits when cooperation was possible. In 2016, more than 750,000 Russians vacationed in Turkey despite Russian tourism sanctions during the first half of the year; in October, construction of the Turkey Stream gas pipeline and the Akkuyu nuclear power plant were reapproved at the top level.

The end of the year marked a number of dramatic events, with the killing of the ambassador raising fears of a new round of tensions. However, the unfortunate death had the opposite effect, with Moscow and Ankara entering a new round of talks, both in the trilateral format with Iran and with critical Syrian opposition groups, which eventually set the table for the upcoming meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, and may pave the road to the peace process in Syria.

It clearly is a long and difficult work in progress, but Moscows logic is that getting Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan and Israel on board in some way will be critical in ensuring the Syria deal holds. Though the United States now seems to be excluded from the process, the Kremlin looks forward to a more robust cooperation with the incoming administration of Donald Trump. Thus, Moscows current activities aim to secure a solid position in the negotiations.

Russias approach to the situation in Lebanon may well be an indication of how it might approach other big regional crises  in Yemen, Libya and Iraq, for example  where Moscows involvement has been less publicized. Between the two options it had in Lebanon  to directly support one party or create conditions necessary for the interested players to reach an agreement among themselves  it opted for the second one, and that approach has been paying off so far. Given the amount of contacts with Libyan and Iraqi actors, theres enough reason to presume these topics will be increasingly present on Moscows radar screen in 2017. In general, Russias policies in the Middle East in 2016  complicated and controversial as they may be seen  laid out a foundation for something bigger.
Space Launch System

This is a NASA illustration of the big new deep-space rocket called the Space Launch System whose development is being managed in Alabama. The first of these rockets will be completed and launched in the White House tenure of Donald Trump, and he will have the most to say how many more are built and where they go. (NASA illustration)

Donald Trump has only hinted at the future of NASA.

But his campaign suggestions - more deep space exploration, less Earth science - seem to bode well for Alabama and for Marshall Space Flight Center.

The center's 6,000-person workforce is a key part of Huntsville's economy. And deep space exploration plays to Marshall's strengths as NASA's propulsion center and manager of the Space Launch System (SLS), the new rocket capable of going beyond Earth orbit to deep space.

NASA employees here say they heard the question often over the holidays: "How do you feel about Trump?" One employee's answer seemed to stand out: "We're certainly better positioned than last time."

The last time the White House changed occupants, incoming President Barack Obama canceled the NASA rocket program being developed in Huntsville. Constellation, as it was called, was designed for America's space goals under Obama's predecessor, former President George W. Bush. It was to enable a permanent moon base to support missions to "Mars and other destinations."

Constellation employed 500 NASA civil service workers and nearly 2,000 contractor employees in Huntsville. In the budget fight that followed, only the NASA employees kept their jobs.

Obama cut Constellation from his 2010 budget after a study panel found it behind schedule and over-budget. That finding fit with Obama's preference to spend money on Earth science, including climate change research, and developing commercial space companies like SpaceX and Orbital ATK. Those companies are now sometimes referred to as "new space."

During Obama's two terms, SpaceX would receive more than $4 billion in government funding to help develop a rocket and capsule that now supplies the International Space Station and will eventually fly astronauts there.

But a Senate led by Sen. Richard Shelby and other NASA-state lawmakers forced Obama to also fund a sort of Constellation-light program NASA named the Space Launch System. The SLS booster and Orion capsule are being built by what are called "legacy" space companies such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

"It seems to me the re-election of Sen. (Richard) Shelby will have more impact on Huntsville than Mr. Trump," George Washington University space policy expert John Logsdon said two days after the election.

Logsdon spoke before Sen. Jeff Sessions emerged as Trump's choice for Attorney General and one of his closest advisers. Sessions even has the power to influence NASA's next administrator, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Deep space focus

During the campaign, Trump surrogate and former Congressman Robert Walker said Trump wants NASA focused on deep space again, not climate science. Talk started about returning to the moon as a first step to Mars.

Now, America's government and commercial space workforce waits to see, first, who Trump chooses to lead NASA. That will be a clue to the agency's direction for the next four years.

Candidates mentioned for the job include a congressman, Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla), who favors a return to the moon; former NASA associate administrator Dan Cooke; and former NASA Administrator Mike Griffin. They also like deep space missions.

Since the election, the space press has also closely followed the appointments to Trump's NASA transition team. Early reports said Sessions had tilted its makeup toward deep space and the projects NASA in Alabama does best. More recently, advocates for "new space" got Trump's ear and were added to the transition team for "balance."

As for Trump, space isn't a priority yet. He tweeted during the campaign that he was "very sad to see what @BarackObama has done with NASA. He has gutted the program and made us dependent on the Russians." That was a reference to NASA having to pay for rides to the space station aboard Russia's Soyuz rocket.

But Trump also told a young boy who asked about NASA during a town hall that, "Right now, we have bigger problems - you understand that? We've got to fix our potholes."

Three-part question

The agency's future is a question with three parts: What will be its mission under Trump? Who will decide? And who will provide the rockets, probes, and crew quarters for that mission? The first two questions are about national strategy; the third will essentially be a fight over government funding.

Here's a fourth question to consider as Trump's NASA plan unfolds. Will a return to the moon, even permanently, excite the young people now dubbed "the Mars generation"?

Huntsville attorney Mark McDaniel was on the NASA Advisory Council when George W. Bush was president. He says Bush's old plan might make a good new plan.

"I personally think deep space is something the government should do," McDaniel said, noting that the moon is deep space. "We talked about that when I was on the Advisory Council. The key word (in Bush's plan) was 'beyond.' We were going to the moon, Mars and beyond.

"If you go back and it's in preparation for going to Mars, an asteroid or beyond Mars, that's great," McDaniel said. "We as a nation have to do things that have never been done before."If you say we're just going back to the moon," McDaniel said, "been there, done that."
Charles Schumer

In this Nov. 29, 2016, file photo, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks to the media on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Molly Riley, File)

WASHINGTON - Democratic senators plan to aggressively target eight of Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees in the coming weeks and are pushing to stretch their confirmation votes into March - an unprecedented break with Senate tradition.

Such delays would upend Republican hopes of quickly holding hearings and confirming most of Trump's top picks on Inauguration Day. But Democrats, hamstrung by their minority status, are determined to slow-walk Trump's picks unless they start disclosing reams of personal financial data they've withheld so far, according to senior aides.

Incoming Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., has told Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., that Democrats will hone in especially on Rex Tillerson, Trump's choice for secretary of state; Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., Trump's choice for attorney general; Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., tapped to lead the Office of Management and Budget; and Betsy DeVos, set to serve as education secretary.

There's also Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., Trump's pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services and oversee changes to Obamacare, who is set to be attacked by Democrats for his support for privatizing Medicare. Andrew Puzder, a restaurant executive set to serve as labor secretary, will face scrutiny for past comments on the minimum wage, among other policies. Steve Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs partner set to serve as treasury secretary, and Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, Trump's pick to lead the EPA, will also be the focus of Democratic attacks, aides said.

"President-elect Trump is attempting to fill his rigged cabinet with nominees that would break key campaign promises and have made billions off the industries they'd be tasked with regulating," Schumer said in a statement Sunday confirming his caucus's plans. "Any attempt by Republicans to have a series of rushed, truncated hearings before Inauguration Day and before the Congress and public have adequate information on all of them is something Democrats will vehemently resist. If Republicans think they can quickly jam through a whole slate of nominees without a fair hearing process, they're sorely mistaken."

Absent from the Democratic hit list are retired Marine Gen. James N. Mattis, set to serve as defense secretary; South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who Trump has nominated to serve as ambassador to the United Nations; and John Kelly, a former Marine general and Trump's selection to lead the Department of Homeland Security, signaling that all three should expect little trouble from Democrats.

Senate confirmation hearings are scheduled to begin next week, when the Judiciary Committee is set to hold two days of hearings with Sessions, and the Foreign Relations Committee is scheduled to hold a one day, two-part hearing with Tillerson.

But Schumer has told McConnell that he wants at least two days of hearings for each of these eight nominees, including at least one panel made up of witnesses that can speak to the pick's past record, aides said. At each hearing, members of the committee would get at least 10 minutes to ask questions, with no limits on multiple rounds of questions, if requested.

Democrats also want hearings for each of these eight nominees to be held on separate weeks, with no more than two Cabinet picks sitting for a hearing in the same week. That would mean that Tillerson and Mattis's hearings could happen in the same week, but not the hearings for Price and Mulvaney, aides said.

That's already not set to happen and Republicans have scoffed at Schumer's proposal, noting that the New York senator went along in 2009 when the Senate unanimously confirmed seven of President Obama's Cabinet nominees on Inauguration Day and five more later that week.

"It's curious that they'd [Democrats] object to treating the incoming president's nominees with the same courtesy and seriousness with which the Senate acted on President Obama's nominees," Antonia Ferrier, a McConnell spokeswoman, said in an email. "Our committees and chairmen are fully capable of reviewing the incoming Cabinet nominations with the same rules and procedures as the same committees did with President Obama's nominations."

Despite early vows to cooperate with Trump and his new government, Democrats have been troubled by a lack of personal disclosure by Cabinet choices that they say mirrors Trump's refusal to disclose personal financial information during the presidential campaign. Tillerson angered Democrats this month when he told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that he stood ready to provide only "tax return information" for himself and his wife for the previous three years. That means it's possible Tillerson isn't willing to provide complete tax returns - a break with past nominees.

The "unprecedented" personal wealth of Trump's nominees warrants the delays, one senior Democratic aide said.

One other potential stumbling block: Nominees are required to obtain certification from the Office of Government Ethics before a confirmation vote, something most Obama-era picks had achieved before their confirmation hearings. So far, Democrats say, most Trump picks haven't done so.

"If they want to get confirmed by Inauguration Day, that timeline doesn't work," the aide said. "Obviously if you're worth billions, it takes a lot longer."

(c) 2016, The Washington Post. Ed O'Keefe wrote this story.
Airbus in Mobile

Valerie Castrillon, a manufacturing engineer at the Airbus facility in Mobile, normally works on the Flight Line. Here she is shown at the Final Assembly Line. Like many employees, she says the facility is well on its way to hitting a goal of producing four jetliners per month, a rate officials plan to hit in 2017. (Lawrence Specker/LSpecker@AL.com)

When an Airbus A321 begins to be born in Mobile, its future is literally laid out in front of it: Ahead of it in line, nose to tail, are three sister aircraft in various stages of completion. The newcomer is a wingless fuselage that's still in sections; the sibling at the far end, facing the exit, is almost ready for flight.

The main building at the Airbus Final Assembly Line in Mobile, Ala., seen here in a panoramic view, has room for four jetliners to sit in line, with plenty of space to spare. The jets advance across the workfloor as they progress through the stages of their assembly. (Lawrence Specker/LSpecker@AL.com)

For the hundreds of workers who take part in the process, the future is every bit as clear. In April, the Mobile Final Assembly Line (FAL) delivered its first A321. By the end of 2016 it had delivered 17. As impressive as that is, it represents a production rate of a little more than two jetliners per month - and the longtime expectation has been that in 2017, the plant will hit "Rate 4," an output of four jets per month.

Airbus workers and leaders say they are quite confident they'll get there on schedule, and that they'll eventually go well beyond Rate 4. Their calm confidence belies the challenge: The complexity of ramping up a process this complex almost overshadows the process itself.

That doesn't simply mean working faster. Not when precision now equates to passenger safety later. It doesn't simply mean learning to follow a recipe, though Airbus has a comprehensive cookbook refined at other FALs. It doesn't mean ramrodding things through with a "git 'er done" spirit. Not when the workforce is learning what it really means to be part of a global company with a focused idea of the workplace culture it wants to cultivate.

What it means is, life changes.

******

Few could be happier about the way life has changed so far that Christopher Kantz of Ocean Springs, and few are more confident about the Mobile team's ability to meet the challenges of Rate 4.

That's good, because if Kantz was swamped now, it would be bad news for everybody.

Christopher Kantz, a specialist in Non-Destructive Testing at the Airbus Final Assembly Line in Mobile, Ala. (Lawrence Specker/LSpecker@AL.com)

The 32-year-old is a specialist in non-destructive testing (NDT). "I'm the guy they call if there's any kind of damage to the aircraft," he explains. "Like while they're installing something, let's say they nick something with a tool. They call me out to make sure there's no further damage internally."

Using ultrasound scanners and other equipment, he can ascertain whether that nick is merely cosmetic or a structural problem. He learned his trade in the Air Force, where he worked on F-15s and F-16s, and in the Air Force Reserves, where he continues to service C-130 Hurricane Hunters out of Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi. He's also worked in shipbuilding and refinery environments. He's used to seeing welders cringe as he looks over their work.

He was drawn to Airbus partly because he knew aircraft manufacturing would mean clean, climate-controlled conditions. "Refineries and shipyards are really a rough environment," he said. "A lot of hard work, a lot of long hours."

But he wasn't just taking the easy way out. He took a "significant" pay cut to sign on, he said. Then he spent three months at the Airbus FAL in Toulouse, France, and a month at the one in Tianjin, China. Along the way he began to see that Airbus was serious about having a "speak-up" culture and a disciplined approach to resolving problems. Employees were expected to say something if they saw a problem, or had made a mistake. And every problem would be analyzed to look for flaws in the underlying process and for comprehensive solutions rather than quick fixes.

To anyone cynical about environments where workers learn to keep their heads down or face reprisal, it might sound too good to be true. Kantz and other Airbus employees say the difference is real.

"I have never worked in a job, besides the military, where I could actually feel comfortable going to, let's say, the HR department with an issue, whether it be a positive or negative issue," Kantz said. "But I feel like I can definitely approach the level of management I need to, no problem. I don't have any problems with worrying about going out of your chain of command or telling someone the wrong thing ... To me, I feel like this company is really open. I feel really comfortable here."

So does Richard Ward, 39, even though he says that learning "the Airbus way" has been a challenge. He's a team leader on Station 41, where the two halves of the fuselage are put together.

Major A320 components are made in Europe; the wings, for example, are constructed in Broughton, Wales. Every jet built in Mobile arrives in pieces - wings, two fuselage sections, vertical stabilizer and other components - transported via a shipping process so intricate that it was featured on the Science Channel show "Mega Shippers."

Ward and the crew at Station 41 join the two halves of the fuselage together into what he jokingly calls "the submarine," a wingless tube. "We drill and countersink and install more than 3,000 fasteners," all by hand, he said.

Ward came to Airbus with 15 years of manufacturing experience at a UTC Aerospace Systems facility in Foley. But he still had to go through a lot of training to learn the Airbus way of doing things. He spent seven months in Hamburg, Germany, and says it was a revelation.

At first it was daunting, Ward said, but over time, just walking around the German port city became a lesson in the way people in another culture can do things differently, yet effectively. "It's amazing the experience and what we can learn from them the same as they can learn from us," Ward said.

Ward describes his former employer as "a great company to work for," but can't conceal his enthusiasm for what he's doing now.

"I just built parts that went on the aircraft. Now I'm actually building the aircraft," he says. "To me it's a pretty big deal."

Daryl Taylor, vice president and general manager of the Airbus facility in Mobile, Ala. (Tad Denson photo courtesy of Airbus)

For Daryl Taylor, vice president and general manager for the FAL, that international education process has been critical, on a couple of levels.

"Airbus is process-strong. Extraordinarily process-strong," he says. "The way to build an A320 is very well known. What we've had to do is transfer that knowledge."

But it's not a top-down process, he stressed. When Airbus opened its FAL in China, lessons learned there were implemented in Europe. The company drew on its knowledge base in Europe and China to build the FAL in Alabama - but the Mobile plant is finding new refinements.

Taylor offers a nuanced perspective on the Mobile operation's progress in 2016. Delivering 17 jets is a huge accomplishment, he says, but that's also "17 out of a little over 7,000" that Airbus has built. What's important, he says, is that "We don't think of ourselves as a satellite facility." They're a part of the whole, as integral as the other FALs.

Comments of employees certainly seem to reflect that.

"I know management has gotten our perspective," said Kantz.

"They're actually learning things from us, too," says Ward. "It's amazing the experience and what we can learn from them the same as they can learn from us."

Airbus employees Andrew Sikkens, left, and Richard Ward, are shown at the Final Assembly Line in Mobile. (Lawrence Specker/LSpecker@AL.com)

"We still pick up on little design details," says Manufacturing Engineer Andrew Sikkens.

Sikkens didn't come to Airbus with years of aviation experience like Ward and Kantz. He's 23, fresh out of Auburn University. Like most newer employees, he didn't get to go to Europe - Europe came to him, in the form of the international assortment of guest workers who've helped establish operations in Mobile. In company parlance they're known simply as "the expats."

In the beginning, he says, "We'd have to get a lot of direction from our expat colleagues ... As we solved more similar problems we became more independent."

"It's such an international work environment," Sikkens says. "They're trying to teach us as much as possible before they go back home."

"It's been an experience to have the expats here. We all get along and we work great together," says Ward. But their job is to transfer knowledge, and the Americans will have to fly on their own. "I've told my team, we've got to start making our own decisions," Ward says.

The international fusion brings up another issue, a cultural one. What happens when the Airbus way meets the American way?

*****

Even though Sikkens is a trained engineer, he's quite familiar with the American "Git 'er done" spirit, that approach to problem-solving that uses brute force, duct tape and improvisation to achieve a one-time solution to an immediate problem. His family background is in agriculture, he says, and that approach works. In a jet factory, he says, "you've got to do it by the book, every time."

It should be noted that Airbus officials such as Jennifer Ogle, the director of human resources in Mobile, shudder at the very mention of duct tape, however metaphorical. "Quality and project safety go hand in hand," Ogle says.

Jennifer Ogle, director of human resources for Airbus in Mobile. (Lawrence Specker/LSpecker@AL.com)

"What we say [to new employees] is, we don't make widgets here," Ogle says. "Be sure about what you're doing. Because if you don't do what is required to meet the quality and product safety standards, people can die."

"We reinforce that on a regular basis," Ogle says. "But if Airbus does one thing well, it's that we have completely robust and mature processes and structures in place from a quality standpoint that could prevent anything like that from happening ... When you get into understanding how the aircraft comes together, there is a backup for a backup for a backup for a backup. Take landing gear as an example. There are three backups in place. That extends through everything that touches the build of the aircraft."

Much of that would be true of any aerospace facility. But merging American workers into an international company requires another layer of finesse. The Americans have pride in their strengths, but also have lessons to learn as they adapt to the Airbus way. Getting the best of both worlds is a bit of a balancing act.

"We're just kind of like, 'All right, we're hungry, give us more work to do,'" said Kantz. "I think that's an American mentality, to be honest. We do work a lot, I don't want to say harder, but we work longer" and expect less off time.

"Going to Germany showed us how another culture does it," Ward says. "'Okay, wait a minute, we can adapt a lot of this into our culture.' And we have."

In this aerial photo of the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley, the Airbus manufacturing facility is the cluster of buildings in the center. (Tad Denson photo courtesy of Airbus)

Taylor, typically, offers a nuanced view, one that in this case is shaped by personal experience. He's a native of Wales, and early in his career he worked as an engineering apprentice at that wing-making facility in Broughton. But he's spent 20 years or so in North America, working for a variety of aerospace companies including Canada-based Bombardier and US-based Hawker Beechcraft Corp. and GKN Aerospace. Airbus hired him in August 2015 to oversee production at its new North American facility. He said that after 20 years in North America, he tends to identify as one of the natives.

It's nice to say Americans are hard workers, but that in itself is not unique. Everywhere Airbus has a presence, people work hard, he says. Still, there is a different spirit.

"We have a way of wanting to be successful," he says. "I think there's a natural tendency here for people to be customer-focused, to be relationship-focused."

He also continues to be impressed by the support for the Mobile venture not just among the workforce, but among the community as a whole.

"The level of enthusiasm, I just couldn't believe it," he says of his impressions when he arrived in Mobile. "I was told, when you get there you're going to find out it's a big deal. Somebody should have taken me aside and said, no, it's a REALLY big deal, and shaken me a few times."

Excitement is good, when you're halfway up a mountain called Rate 4.

*****

Maybe "mountain" is overstating it. It seems difficult to find anyone who finds Rate 4 particularly daunting. Kantz doesn't.

"Not at all. I think we're already thinking about Rate 6," he says. "We want to be better than Europe. We want to be the best FAL, on quality and everything ... A lot of people want to make Rate 6 without any issues."

Valerie Castrillon, a Manufacturing Engineer who works on the Flight Line, offers an interesting insight: "We're really not preparing for Rate 3," she says, "we're preparing for Rate 4."

What that means is that progress is incremental and steady, not a series of big stair-steps. Airbus doesn't bring in a whole raft of new employees to jump from Rate 2 to Rate 3. It doesn't build a road for Rate 3 and then repave with new lanes for Rate 4. It built its road once, and the FAL is gradually putting more traffic on it as it learns to do that efficiently and effectively.

Castrillon has a unique view of it all. Like Sikkens, she's fresh out of Auburn University. Like many Airbus workers, she has a bit of an accent - but she's no expat. Originally from Peru, she went to high school in Florida and then started working on a business degree at Auburn, before shifting to engineering. For her, life started changing fast in May: "I graduated from Auburn, the next day I got my American citizenship, the next day I got a job from Airbus," she says.

As the name indicates, the Flight Line is where an aircraft actually is prepped for its first flights and evaluated afterward. "That's when we start doing the testing," Castrillon says. "The real testing."

She doesn't go up with the planes, but she takes notes when the pilots are debriefed. "We write everything down, we log it," she says, no matter how trivial. "We look into everything."

It's an exacting process, because the next step is delivery. Any cosmetic issues have to be cleaned up before the aircraft is examined by its buyer; anything that affects performance has to be fixed. In a way, Castrillon's job is like Kantz's: She's in quality control, and if she was swamped now, that would be a lousy omen for the future.

But she smiles when she says that "It's different every time for every aircraft." And her eyes positively light up when she says that the Mobile Flight Line "had the advantage of starting from zero." Some would find that daunting, but to her it means the opportunity to improve the process itself. "I love it," she says.

"We're unique here in Mobile," says Castrillon, with pride. But she's hardly discounting the other FALs. She trained in Hamburg and values the sense of company unity. "They're willing to work with us. They take our ideas and we help each other," she says. "It's very important to be harmonized with other FALs."

Because her work on every jet is different, there's a certain element of unpredictability to the job. "The aircraft is ready when the aircraft is ready," Castrillon says. When someone from another department inquires if that's the case, she says, the running joke on the Flight Line is, "Let's ask the aircraft."

Paradoxically, she says, the job hasn't become harder as production has increased. "It's become easier," she says. "You're more used to doing it."

That was the plan all along, Taylor says: To create the process and then operate it faster, more efficiently and more effectively. Airbus deliberately did a lot of hiring up-front, Ogle adds. That was expensive, she says, but it meant the company wouldn't be trying to bring in big clumps of newcomers later, once production was under way. It could accelerate the process more smoothly. (The company currently employs about 360 people in Mobile.)

There's a little bit of a danger there. Airbus held big public celebrations for its first delivery, its 10th, its 15th. But when you're engaged in an ongoing incremental escalation, when every jet brings a fresh set of performance targets, you can forget to give yourself credit for what you've accomplished so far. Taylor says "It's easy to not celebrate along the way," but even so, there are internal milestones.

When the plan to build the North American FAL really began to take shape in 2013, Taylor says, the goal was to deliver 16 aircraft in year one of production. That was an ambitious target, he says, and hitting it "was a very emotional connection for a lot of people involved with the project," he says.

At some point the goal was bumped up to 17, and the FAL hit that with more than a week to spare. That was huge. "We've been more successful than we can believe," Taylor says.

"You celebrate and you move on," he says.

"There's no change that comes in January or February that suddenly makes us go faster," says Taylor. "We're not going to do anything different to build at Rate 4."

"We have a really eager work force of highly talented people," Taylor says. "That in itself is how we get to Rate 4. That's the magic sauce."

******

One fact of life for Airbus workers in Alabama is that when people find out you work there, they have questions. Lots of questions. Even Taylor said he occasionally gets inquiries about hiring, when all he's trying to do is pick up lunch at a drive-through.

"You can't walk out the door wearing a Airbus shirt, hat or jacket," without getting stopped, says Ward. "Anything that has Airbus on it, the first question you're going to get - 'Do you work at Airbus?' 'Yes.' 'How do I get a job there?'"

But there's also a general interest. "They're just surprised how big these aircraft are," Ward says. "There's so much pride, actually, around this area. They enjoy watching how many we can deliver."

In a view out a window on an an Airbus A321 built in Mobile, Ala., another Mobile-built A321 can be seen in the distance. (Lawrence Specker/LSpecker@AL.com)

Castrillon said her college friends are curious about the work environment. She said she's keen to explain to them that she doesn't feel like she's working for a branch office of a foreign company. "I always brag about how I get to work with French and German people. I love the international environment here," she says. "Airbus is not French. It's global."

How does one get hired? There are a few tips. Ogle says that when Airbus evaluates potential new employees, it doesn't just look at technical abilities.

"We may not be hiring 20 people a month like we did in the beginning, but we still hire people every single month, because we're ramping up," she says.

"We're trying to evaluate how they communicate, how they work together as a team," she says. "It's every bit as important as their technical skills. And we really continue to look for people, as we did in the beginning, people that are open-minded, that can learn a new way of working."

"Even without the expats here, we have a very diverse organization," Ogle says. "And we pride ourselves on that. We embrace people who want to work with people they've never been around before, people from different countries, or different cultures, or different backgrounds."

Castrillon says she thinks that having international experience helps, as does knowing a second language. Kantz says, "If it wasn't for the military, I wouldn't be here." He touts the Air Force as being a particularly good for training in technical skills valued in the civilian world.

On a more personal level, Airbus employees know that as life has changed, so have they. Kantz said that even if he doesn't talk overtly about it, his friends and family can see a difference.

"From the outside looking in, they've seen my attitude change, they've seen my lifestyle change. As in, when I go home at night, I'm not stressed," he says. "My family life has gotten better. My personal life has gotten better. I see my kids more."

Sikkens says he's still dazzled by the scale of it. His mother is an aquaculture expert who works at Auburn University. In a family discussion, he says, the figure came up that Alabama's catfish industry has an annual economic impact in the range of $150 million.

"That's about two aircraft," he says.
Hollywood Sign Changed To Hollyweed On New Year's Eve

Trending News: Someone Kicked Off 2017 By Fixing The Hollywood Sign

Long Story Short

While New Year's Eve revellers were drowning in champagne, someone adjusted the Hollywood sign to Hollyweed.

Long Story

Hey guys, we did it! We made it through the horror movie that was 2016 and there are still a few over 50 celebrities still alive. Now, that's a lot in itself to celebrate, but the end of 2016 also marks the termination of weed prohibition in California. The state's weed legalization law passed during the election officially goes into effect today and someone (or some people) celebrated in style.

In the morning of January 1, pics started rolling in on social media that the Hollywood sign looked a bit different.

Take a look at what our cams captured a" someone has modified the signage of the famed Hollywood sign to read aHollyweed.a More soon.. pic.twitter.com/fMy7zkCaen  CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) January 1, 2017

The sign even caught the attention of pot-smoking legend Tommy Chong.

The Hollywood sign was changed to say Hollyweed today pic.twitter.com/NSWmbgz9aP  Tommy Chong (@tommychong) January 1, 2017

By the early afternoon, buzzkills came in and turned the sign back to its original status :(.

No word yet on whether Snoop Dogg was involved.

I wonder if Snoop Dogg and his crew were behind the Hollyweed sign? pic.twitter.com/2dHAXFBCy3  Eric Aldridge (@ealdridge1389) January 1, 2017

Oh wait, or was this Steve-O's doing?

I don't know who did this to the Hollywood Sign, but I'm quite impressed they got away with it. pic.twitter.com/KaRZPSs1iw  Steve-O (@steveo) January 1, 2017

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question

How did they pull that off without anyone noticing?

Drop This Fact

This wasn't the first time someone changed the Hollywood sign. Hollyweed overlooked the city in 1976.
In a country that demonises mental disabilities, a mother recalls the journey of her communitys acceptance and remorse.

Freetown, Sierra Leone  Aminatta stands in a narrow mud alley outside her house and rocks her brothers newborn baby from side to side. Her five-year-old son Thomas hovers nearby, trying to scribble on a mud wall with a broken pen. After a while, he totters over and tugs at his mothers skirt. He starts wiggling outstretched fingers while jerking his hips from side to side.

His mother roars with laughter. He loves to bluff [show off], she explains in Krio, the English-based Creole spoken here.

As mother and son play, Aminatta looks down, ashamed, as she recalls how she had once taken Thomas to the countryside and left him to die under a giant cotton tree.

Thomas has Downs syndrome, a condition that is rarely diagnosed in Sierra Leone and widely perceived to be the result of demonic powers. Boys and girls such as Thomas are commonly denounced as devil children who bring bad luck on their families and should be made to disappear with a ritual of black magic.





Aminatta says that as soon as her community saw that Thomas was not normal, they started urging her to carry out the ritual.

No one realised for a while, she says. He seemed OK at the start. He was born a triplet, and his two sisters died when they were one week old, but he was bigger and stronger than them. It was as he grew that I saw that his body was weak.

At six months, he was unable to lift his head or sit up, and his tongue would often loll from his mouth. This frightened the community, who started giving him names such as jellyfish and devil boy.

When I wanted to go to the market, I would ask a neighbour to watch Thomas, but everyone would refuse  they were all afraid of him, she says.

It was very difficult. My husband died when I was pregnant, and I had nobody to help me with the child. Even my mother and sisters were telling me that Thomas was a devil. They used to try and beat the evil spirits out of him, Aminatta remembers.

READ MORE: Prepare the gallows: Sierra Leone and the death penalty

Succumbing to pressure

For a year Aminatta ignored the taunts, refusing to believe that Thomas was a devil boy. But eventually, worn down with exhaustion, she started to question herself.

I had never seen a devil boy. How was I to know how one looked? she says.

People were telling me every day that he was possessed and they said that it was because of him my other two daughters had died. Even my mother wanted me to do the ceremony. I was so tired, and they had provoked me so much that when he was a year and two months old, I finally agreed to do the magic which would return him to the devil.

Aminatta lives in Kroo Bay  a sprawling shantytown in the west of Freetown. As black magic tends to happen outside the city, she decided to travel back to the village where she was born to perform the ritual.

She packed a bag for herself and Thomas and took a bumpy four-hour bus ride to the northern district of Kambia where her mother and sister were still living.

Aminatta, ashamed, lowers her voice and lets her eyes wander to the floor. I spoke to the sorcerer in the village, and he told me that he could do the ritual. I just had to prepare a white satin gown made to fit Thomas and buy six eggs and some flour.

A common myth in the area claims that during a black magic ritual, so-called devil children will turn into snakes and slither away, never to be seen again. This is what Aminatta was expecting when the sorcerer came to her mothers house, she explains.

READ MORE: Living with Downs syndrome in Kinshasa, DRC

We put Thomas on the floor, dressed in the gown, and with a circle of eggs and flour around him.

The man made some chants that I couldnt understand, and we watched Thomas, waiting for him to turn into a snake and eat the food wed offered him. After two hours, nothing had happened, and the sorcerer said that it was because we hadnt done the ritual correctly. We werent supposed to do it in a house; we should have taken him out to the bush and left him there. So we agreed to do it again, this time in the proper way, remembers Aminatta.

Some days later, Aminatta dressed Thomas again in the satin gown and headed out to the bush with a small party of people, including her mother and sister.

The same ritual took place, but this time, Thomas was put in a hole amid the giant roots of a cotton tree. Once the chanting was finished, Aminatta ran from the ceremony, crying, she says. It was too painful to stand there, so I went back to my mothers house, sat in the kitchen and wept.

Some time later, her mother and sister appeared saying that the ceremony was over and Thomas had been left under the tree. The sorcerer had told them that after some time, a strong wind would blow and the boy would surely turn into a snake.

I was extremely upset, says Aminatta, I hated leaving him there. I tried to go back and take him, but my mother and sister restrained me.

READ MORE: The taboo of mental illness in Kenya

Reunion and help

After two hours Aminatta heard a shriek from her sister, who was sitting on the porch and ran outside to see what was happening.





Thomas, still dressed in white satin, was crawling towards the house laughing and gurgling. I ran to pick him up and wiped my tears on my sleeve. I started laughing, too. I hugged him, and we laughed together.

Aminatta says that after the two failed ceremonies, her mother and sister finally conceded that her son was not a devil child, apologising to Thomas for what theyd put him through.

The two of them travelled back to Freetown and have been enrolled in a programme called Enable the Children, run by the charity World Hope, which teaches parents to nurture children with disabilities.

Abu Bangura, the pastoral support worker at the charity, says that Thomas has been making progress which is very encouraging for everyone. He is practising the exercises we taught him and getting stronger. And most of the community seem to have finally accepted him.

His colleague, Jonathan Williams, explains that the mistreatment of children with Downs syndrome and other disabilities in Sierra Leone is not only a result of superstition but also of poverty  parents can simply not afford to spend extra money on children with extra needs.

They are seen as a waste of energy and resources, he says. Indeed, in a country where most of the population survives on less than $2 a day, many families cant provide for disabled children, especially if they hold no promise of economic return in the future.

READ MORE: Brutal black magic in Tanzanias election

Entrenched attitudes

It is not common to see children with Downs syndrome in Sierra Leone. Nurse Unisa Tarawallie works at Princess Christian Maternity Hospital, the biggest paediatric health facility in the country, and says few children with Downs syndrome come in.

It seems that they prefer to stay at home, though we might see around two of them a month for the physiotherapy sessions that we run. Their parents never know what Downs syndrome is and usually have a story about the child being affected by a demon.

He adds that after being given a full scientific explanation of the condition, the parents are relieved and often come back to the hospital for more help.

It is a lack of information about Downs syndrome that puts children with the condition at risk. Black magic rituals such as the one which Thomas was subjected to are alarmingly common in Sierra Leone.

Executive secretary for the National Disability Commission, Lamin Kortequee, says that his organisation tries to inform communities about disabilities as well as prosecute those who discriminate against disabled people.

However, they have never put a witch doctor on trial for conducting a fatal ritual on a disabled person.

We cannot prosecute because these things are not reported. They are seen as norms, Kortequee says.

These attitudes are entrenched in society, and I think we can change them with advocacy, but its not going to happen overnight.
Government has declassified some 200,000 documents on the disappearance of thousands of babies after Israels founding.

Nazareth  Some 200,000 documents concerning the mysterious disappearance of thousands of babies in Israels early years were made public last week for the first time.

The Israeli government declassified the files, publishing them in an online archive, after decades of accusations that officials have been concealing evidence that many of the babies were stolen from their parents.

The families, most of them Jews from Arab countries recently arrived in Israel, fear the infants were handed over by hospitals and clinics to wealthy Jewish families in Israel and abroad.

Three official inquiries concluded instead that most of the babies died during a time of chaos after the state was founded in 1948, falling victim to disease or malnourishment.

But many of the families were never issued a death certificate or shown a grave. Other say healthy babies were snatched out of their hands by hospital staff and never returned to them.

Suspicions of a cover-up were heightened by the decision of the Kedmi inquiry, which published its findings in 2001, to place many case files and testimonies under lock for 70 years.

READ MORE: The shocking story of Israels disappeared babies

Inaugurating the digital archive last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the release of the documents marked a new era of transparency.

Today, we correct a historic injustice, he said. With one touch of the keyboard, the public would be able to trace what happened to each of the missing children.

However, campaigners for the families told Al Jazeera that Netanyahus claims were misplaced.

The most damning evidence had been destroyed many years ago by hospitals and welfare authorities before the Kedmi inquiry could examine it, said Naama Katiee, an activist with Amram, an association that campaigns on behalf of the families.

Amram has noted that a proportion of the files relating to missing children requested by the inquiry were never handed over, with officials often claiming at the last moment that the documents had been destroyed by fires or floods.

Katiee added that the inquiry examined the fate of only some 1,000 babies, a fraction of possibly as many as 8,000 children who disappeared in the first two decades after Israels creation in 1948. Amram has created an online database to identify new cases.

Nurit Koren, who heads a group of legislators researching the missing children, told Israels Army Radio that there were another 200,000 documents  from the two investigative committees before the Kedmi inquiry  that had yet to be made public.

She pointed out that the archive covered only the period until 1954, even though the disappearances continued until the mid-1960s. We are obliged to give these families answers, she said.

As campaigners began the painstaking process of poring over the massive archive, much of the Israeli media were quick to declare no smoking gun had been found implicating the government in the childrens disappearances.

Katiee dismissed such expectations. It is ridiculous to imagine that we would find an order in writing, telling hospitals to kidnap babies, she told Al Jazeera.

But she said the testimonies that had been unearthed already painted a disturbing picture of systematic abuses, and a climate that permitted the taking of babies from poor immigrant families.

Most of the missing children were born to Jews who had recently arrived from Arab states and been placed in temporary absorption camps.

It is overdue for the parents to receive an apology from the state. The authorities must take responsibility for the crimes that were committed. by Naama Katiee, Amram activist

Yemeni families suffered the largest proportion of disappearances, with possibly as many as one in eight children under the age of four going missing in the states first six years.

Some 50,000 Yemeni Jews were airlifted to Israel in the states first 18 months alone. Significant numbers came from elsewhere in the region, including Iraq, Morocco, Tunisia and the Balkans.

Some of the testimonies suggest that Israeli officials regularly forced parents to hand over their babies against their will, failed to record names properly or tell parents where their children had been hospitalised, and put infants out for adoption when they were unclaimed.

Other evidence hints more openly at a trade in children.

In August, Al Jazeera published the disturbing case of one baby sold by a clinic in Haifa to Holocaust survivors in 1956.

Gil Grunbaum found out only by accident  and nearly 40 years after the event  that he had been secretly adopted. He managed to locate his biological mother, originally from Tunisia, after a three-year search and over the opposition of Israeli welfare authorities.

He told Al Jazeera: The release of these documents is an important first step  not least because they prove the families were not hallucinating, as they have often been told. But there is much more the government can and should do. Public pressure will continue to grow for more answers.

He said it was vital that the authorities urgently opened up the states adoption files from that period, so that people who suspected they had been put out for adoption could search for their biological families.

Seventy years after the event, arguments about privacy and sensitivity no longer apply, especially when we know that crimes were committed, he said. It should not be possible still to hide behind a veil of secrecy.

The families of the children have long claimed that their mistreatment stemmed from the endemic racism of Israels establishment towards Jews arriving from the Arab world, a group popularly referred to in Israel as the Mizrahim.

Most senior officials at that time were of European origin, known as the Ashkenazim. Records show Israels founders feared that the supposedly backwards Arab culture of the Mirzrahim would harm their new state.

Yael Tzadok, an Israeli journalist who investigated cases of missing children, has noted that the officials involved may have believed they were doing the infants a favour.

By placing the children with Ashkenazi families, they could be saved  unlike their parents. They would be re-educated and made into suitable material for the new Zionist state, she told Al Jazeera.

Tzachi Hanegbi, the minister put in charge of making the archive public, admitted that the Kedmi inquirys definitive finding that almost all the children died was not supported by the available evidence.

The fact is that 1,000 children disappeared without graves, a reason of death, a funeral or a body, he said.

Amram, however, believes there are far more cases than those cited by Hanegbi.

Several of the newly released testimonies confirm evidence published by Al Jazeera in August suggesting that Mizrahi children were taken from absorption camps or hospitals and put out for adoption.

They don't have the courage to take responsibility for what happened. They are afraid that the guilt will stick to them, and that the state will be inundated with compensation claims. by Gil Grunbaum, secretly adopted

Yehudit Durani, who served as a nursery assistant in a camp south of Haifa, told Kedmi that children would regularly disappear, often following visits by American Jews.

She said the foreign visitors would play with the children and buy them dolls. The next day when she arrived at the camp she would be told a child was sick and had been hospitalised in Haifa.

Many disappeared  every day, a child was missing, she said. Referring to one infant, she added: They sent him to Haifa. [But] he was healthy and ate supper and there was nothing wrong with him when he was with me.

In other testimony, Miriam Adani recounted an admission from a doctor that he had transferred Mizrahi babies from the camps to wealthy families. The doctor reportedly said: The Yemenites are ingrates. They lack feeling and dont appreciate what has been done for them.

In a letter from 1952 seen by the inquiry, a government legal adviser admits there were frequent complaints of unsuitable treatment by hospitals that gave up children to all kinds of people for the purpose of adoption.

Ruth Baruch, who founded an adoption service, told the inquiry that a former nurse in northern Israel had spoken on her deathbed about the abducted children. Things were done, I know that things were done, Baruch says she confessed. I have to go to the next world clean.

Some of the nurses testimonies paint a very different picture: of Mizrahi parents who failed to come to collect their children from the hospitals, or denied the children belonged to them when staff visited the camps.

In such cases, the babies were sent to care homes. What happened to them next, I dont know, one nurse, Sarah Meller, told Kedmi.

Other testimonies, however, suggest that few precautions were taken to ensure parents in the camps knew where their children had been taken. Compounding the problem, the childrens names and identities were often not properly recorded.

WATCH: Reality Check  Israeli double standards? (2:50)

One Haifa paediatrician, Rosa Amster, told Kedmi: Names were a big problem. Every child had many names and we didnt know what was the first name and what was the surname.

The families have also noted that few of the recent immigrants could speak Hebrew and negotiate the complexities of Israels bureaucracy.

Given that these events happened so long ago, and so many files were destroyed or later forged, we will probably never get the full picture, Katiee said.

But it is overdue for the parents to receive an apology from the state. The authorities must take responsibility for the crimes that were committed.

According to Hanegbi, the government is considering setting up a DNA bank to help those who suspect they were secretly adopted find their parents.

Katiee said the government must also begin mapping the sites of graves to find out where the children were supposedly buried. Then, the families can take a DNA sample and get a clear answer on whether their children really are buried there, she said.

It was important for the families to have graves to visit and a place to grieve, she added.

Grunbaum said he doubted the government was ready yet to apologise.

They dont have the courage to take responsibility for what happened, he said. They are afraid that the guilt will stick to them, and that the state will be inundated with compensation claims.
Some argued that without his rule, radical Islamists such as ISIL would take over Syria.

John Bell is Director of the Middle East Programme at the Toledo International Centre for Peace in Madrid. He is a former UN and Canadian diplomat, and served as Political Adviser to the Personal Representative of the UN Secretary-General for southern Lebanon and adviser to the Canadian government.

It is safe to say that, until recently, the debate over Syrias political future came down to one thing: the fate of President Bashar al-Assad. With his victory in Aleppo, and the firm support of Iran and Russia, it is also fairly safe to say that the Syrian presidents future is secure, for the time being.

What is it about Assad that has made him such a key issue? Some argued that without his rule, radical Islamists (ISIL, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham etc) would take over Syria.

This has not only presented a threat to Syria and its minorities, but it was a problem for Europe, Russia and beyond. As Russia, Iran and Assad have repeated: only Assad and his system can effectively keep them at bay.

The counterargument has been that it is Assad who is the very source of this terror. His rule had restricted political space and created enough anger that young men were driven to extremes.

It was also Assad that had sent radical Islamists to fight in Iraq against the American occupation, and more recently released them from his prisons, so they could feed the ranks of the extremists; that is to say, he is both arsonist and firefighter.

Is he really indispensable?

For some, Assad is also favoured because he is the only option that can maintain the territorial sovereignty and integrity of Syria.

His toughness and strong centralised state are sine qua non to avoid centrifugal forces. From this view, the opposition is not only radicalised, but its moderate elements are fragmented and unrepresentative  most have no local constituency. If integrity is the goal, then Assad is the key.

The counterargument is that Assad has already destroyed the country while trying to keep it whole. Armies of extremists could not have done the damage that Assad and his allies have done.

Millions are displaced, wounded or dead, thousands of others languish in prison. If he had saved Syria from the worse fate of a caliphate, his actions have still created a mentality of violence.

This is the Assad conundrum: Can you have an integral Syria without him? Can you have a healthy Syria with him?

Its difficult to believe that the future of a country would so turn on the fate of one man. There are recent reports that Russia, Turkey and Iran are looking at a formula whereby Assad will leave after the end of his current term, possibly replaced by a less problematic Alawite.

However, that deal is not yet done, and the contradictions between those three powers, and Assads very role, suggest great challenges.

The rarest of 21st-century commodities

We may be looking in the wrong place. There may be a more subtle question that steers the gaze away from the man: How can Syria evolve over time in a direction that is healthy and enriching for its people?

Given the need for stability and a less radical positive evolution, one can imagine the possibility of a benevolent dictator, someone who holds the fort, while permitting enough space for a better system to come about.

They address both sides of the conundrum; a modern Haroun Al Rashid or Chinas Deng Xiaoping come to mind, as exemplars.

However, there is little evidence that Assad or other tyrants are such figures  it would seem they are in power for their own benefit, period. Indeed, such figures, effectively philosopher-kings are rare and societies risk much betting on their arrival.

It's the deeper societal and cultural work, not the Assad conundrum, that's required to move Syria slowly, but surely, towards health. by

Both sides of the conundrum may point to something else at the societal level itself. ISIL and Assad may be linked, not in the conspiratorial sense, but in that they are both the tragic representatives of a culture of violence and authoritarianism. The evolution away from that involves a change in societal habits more than just in politics.

Syrians who suffer from both these twin plagues may shudder; that they are damned to a choice between tyranny and extremism. Many may feel ready today for a less brutal society.

However, it may well be that their politics reflect their society more than the other way around. Despite certain beliefs, their challenge may not only be from aggravating outsiders.

If that is the case, the best way forward would be to create a culture in Syria that is less primed for tyranny, whether of the ideological variety, such as ISIL, or the state-driven form, like Assad. In the longer run, such a culture and society will more firmly reject both.

OPINION: Whitewashing Assad and his allies must be challenged

This work will be quickened if countries concerned with maintaining the status quo for their own benefit lessen their meddling. Others pining for instant democracy may also need to sober up a bit.

Its the deeper societal and cultural work, not the Assad conundrum, thats required to move Syria slowly, but surely, towards health. And doing that requires the rarest of commodities in the rapid-fire politics of the 21st century: time. Who has the patience and outlook for such work today?

Some perspective, and a little inspiration, may be gained by knowing that the Syrian culture that produced the Umayyad Mosque of Damascus, or the cultural plenitude of Aleppo, has little, if anything, to do with the mind that produces ISIL  or Assad for that matter.

John Bell is director of the Middle East programme at the Toledo International Centre for Peace in Madrid. He is a former UN and Canadian diplomat, and served as political adviser to the personal representative of the UN secretary-general for southern Lebanon and adviser to the Canadian government.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Bodies butchered, decapitated and burned after clashes between rival drug gangs at a prison complex in Amazonas state.

Sao Paulo, Brazil  A prison riot in the Brazilian Amazon has left at least 56 people dead with some bodies decapitated and burned, officials said.

The riot erupted on Sunday afternoon and lasted for 17 hours in the Anisio Jobim Penitentiary Complex (Compaj) in Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state.





The rioters took 12 guards hostage and a still unconfirmed number of prisoners escaped.

What happened in Compaj is another chapter of the war that drug trafficking imposes in this country and shows that this problem cannot be faced only by [Brazilian] states, said Sergio Fontes, head of public security for Amazonas.

He called the riot the worst massacre in the history of the states penitentiary system.

Fontess department lowered the death toll to 56 from an earlier count of 60.

Fontes said at a press conference, the state requested support from Brazils federal government for help to combat drug trafficking and strengthen the security of prison units.

It is not only a problem of the penitentiary system and it is not an isolated case in the country, but much greater since the dispute inside the prisons is an extension of the war that also happens outside, he said.

The killings occurred over a feud between rival criminal factions, the Sao Paulo-based First Capital Command (PCC) and a local Amazonian crime group Family of the North (FDN), who are engaged in a long-term dispute over controlling prisons, drug trafficking routes, and territory in the region, which is reeling from drug violence.

One group is trying to eliminate the other so they can dominate the prison system, said Marluce da Costa Sousa, coordinator of the Amazonas state branch of Pastoral Carceraria  a prisoner advocate group linked to the Catholic church.

Its about profit, she told Al Jazeera.

Amazonian public security authorities confirmed that firearms were used during the riot and inmates exchanged gunfire with police officers.

In October, 25 deaths were reported following prison riots in Roraima state and were attributed to gang warfare.

Going forward, we can expect to see more prison riots as the prisons have to adjust for the new regime, said Rafael Salies, director of Brazilian operations at Southern Pulse, a risk advisory firm specialising in Latin American public security.

READ MORE: Dozens killed in prison riot in Brazil city of Manaus

With more than 600,000 inmates, Brazil has the fourth largest prison population in the world after the United States, China, and Russia and its prisons have long been denounced by human rights groups for violence and serious overcrowding.

The riot led to the biggest number of prison deaths in Brazil since the 1992 Carandiru massacre in Sao Paulo, when 111 prisoners, many unarmed, were killed  almost all by military police  when they stormed the prison following a riot.
Isolated nation has achieved significant progress despite UN sanctions for nuclear tests and long-range rocket launches.

North Korea worked through 2016 on developing components for an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), making the isolated nations claim that it is close to a test-launch plausible, weapons experts say.

Once fully developed, a North Korean ICBM could threaten the continental United States about 9,000km away.

Pyongyangs state media regularly threatens the US with a nuclear strike, but before 2016, North Korea had been assumed to be a long way from being capable of doing so.

The bottom line is, Pyongyang is much further along in their missile development than most people realise, said Melissa Hanham, a senior research associate at the US-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California.

READ MORE: Kim Jong-un says close to testing long-range missile

North Korea has been testing rocket engines and heat-shields for an ICBM while developing the technology to guide a missile after re-entry into the atmosphere following a lift-off, the experts said on Monday.





While Pyongyang is close to a test, it is likely to take some years to perfect the weapon.

Hanham said the Norths test in April of a large liquid-fuel engine that could propel an ICBM was a major development.

The liquid engine test was astounding, Hanham said. For years, we knew that North Korea had a Soviet R-27 missile engine design. They re-engineered the design of that engine to double its propulsion.

North Korea has said it is capable of mounting a nuclear warhead on a ballistic missile, but its claims to be able to miniaturise a nuclear device have never been independently verified.

The isolated nation has achieved this progress despite UN Security Council imposed sanctions for its nuclear tests and long-range rocket launches dating back to 2006. The sanctions ban arms trade and money flows that can fund the countrys arms programme.

North Korea has enough uranium for six bombs a year and much of what it needs for its nuclear and missile programmes relies on Soviet-era design and technology. Labour is virtually free.

It can produce much of its missile parts domestically and invested heavily in its missile development infrastructure last year, funded by small arms sales and by taxing wealthy traders in its unofficial market economy.

Propaganda offensive

Throughout the year, North Korean state media showed images of numerous missile component tests, some of which revealed close-up details of engines and heat shields designed to protect a rocket upon re-entry into the earths atmosphere.

The propaganda offensive may have revealed some military secrets, but it may have also been a bid to silence outside analysts, many of whom had remained sceptical of North Koreas missile programme.

Theyre answering the public criticisms of US experts, said Joshua Pollack, editor of the US-based Nonproliferation Review. A lot of people had questioned whether they had a working ICBM-class heat shield. So, they showed us.

Despite the research, Pyongyang has experienced considerable difficulties getting its intermediate-range Hwasong-10, known as Musudan, missile, designed to fly about 3,000km, off the ground. It succeeded just once in eight attempted launches last year.





North Korea has fired long-range rockets in the past, but has characterised those launches as peaceful and designed to put an object into space.

Still, the South Korean defence ministry believes the three-stage Kwangmyongsong rocket used by Pyongyang to put a satellite in space last February already has a potential range of 12,000km, if it were re-engineered.

Doing so would require mastering safer cold-launch technology, and perfecting the ability of a rocket to re-enter the Earths atmosphere without breaking up.

North Korea is working hard to develop cold-launch technology and atmospheric re-entry, but South Korea and the US will have to assess further exactly which level of development they have reached, South Korean defence ministry official Roh Jae-cheon told a briefing on Monday.

READ MORE: North Korea pledges tough response to UN sanctions

North Korea began stepping up its missile development in March 2016, Roh said, but added there were no unusual signs related to test preparations, according to the South Korean military.

That same month, Kim Jong-un was photographed looking at a small, ball-like object that North Korean state news agency KCNA said was a miniaturised nuclear warhead  the device North Korea would need to fulfil its ICBM threat.

2016 marked the year North Korea truly ramped up their WMD [Weapons of Mass Destruction] programme, Hanham said.

I think were going to see [an ICBM] flight test in 2017.
In latest push by the army to retake northern city from ISIL, families leave houses for the first time in days.

Dozens of people have fled their homes in the Iraqi city of Mosul as security forces battle to retake it from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.



In the latest push by Iraqi forces to seize the northern city from the armed group, families have escaped their houses for the first time in days.

Its been three days and this is the first time we have come out. The door was completely closed, Hasna Yassin, a resident of Al-Intisar neighbourhood in Mosul, said.

There are thought to be one million people still living in Mosul.

Residents have been told to remain inside their houses until the Iraqi military controls the whole city, which could take up to three months according to Iraqs prime minister Haider al-Abadi.

READ MORE: Francois Hollande in Iraq to review war on ISIL

The military says it has taken back more than 60 percent of the city since the offensive began in October. Iraqi special forces have been doing most of the fighting.

Iraqi troops resumed the Mosul operation in the eastern part of the city after a two-week lull.

A senior US military commander in Baghdad is confident of the armys advance into the city.

They have continually been progressive  become better and better, Rick Uribe, US brigadier-general, said.

I think the forces right now, the Iraqi security forces, as we sit here today on January 1st, 2017 are at their peak and I think they will continue to improve because of the lessons they are learning on a daily basis.

The battle for Mosul is the biggest Iraqi military operation since the 2003 US-led invasion.

ISIL overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces, backed by US-led air strikes, have since regained much of the territory they lost to the group.
ISIL claims responsibility for suicide car bombing that kills day labourers in Sadr City, a mainly Shia suburb.

A suicide car bombing has killed at least 39 Iraqis in a busy market in Baghdads Sadr City district, the interior ministry said.

The attack in the mainly Shia suburb on Monday was claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.

The bomber lured poor labourers close to the bomb site, promising them work, before blowing himself up.

Bodies were scattered across the bloody pavement alongside fruit, vegetables and the labourers shovels and axes.

An official from the interior ministry said another 62 people were injured.





Asaad Hashim, an owner of a mobile phone store nearby, told the AP news agency that the labourers had been jostling around the bombers vehicle trying to get work for the day.

Then a big boom came, sending them up into the air, said the 28-year old, who suffered shrapnel wounds to his right hand. He blamed the most ineffective security forces in the world for failing to prevent the attack.

An angry crowd cursed the government, even after a representative of Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr tried to calm them.

Late last month, Iraqi authorities started removing some of the security checkpoints in Baghdad, in a bid to ease traffic for the capitals six million residents.

ISIL has carried out frequent bomb attacks on Shia areas in Baghdad, often targeting markets, restaurants and other crowded areas to maximise casualties.

READ MORE: Can a divided Iraq be reconciled?

Several smaller bombings elsewhere in the city on Monday killed another 20 civilians and wounded at least 70, medics and police officials said.

Gunmen wearing suicide vests also attacked two police stations in the central Iraqi city of Samarra on Monday, killing at least seven policemen, security sources said.

The attacks overshadowed a visit by French president Francois Hollande, who has offered to step up support for the countrys campaign against ISIL.

Speaking after a meeting Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Hollande said that he thought Iraqi forces would recapture the northern city of Mosul from ISIL within weeks.

US-backed Iraqi forces are currently fighting to push ISIL fighters from Mosul, the armed groups last major stronghold in the country, but are facing fierce resistance.

Since the offensive began on October 17, Iraqi forces have retaken a quarter of the city in the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

OPINION: Saddams death gave birth to Saddams in other guises

As clashes continued in and around Mosul on Monday, ISIL also targeted on Monday military positions away from the main battlefield.

Fighters attacked an army barracks near Baiji, over 180km north of Baghdad, killing four soldiers and wounding 12 people, including Sunni tribal fighters, army and police sources said.

They seized weapons there and launched mortars at nearby Shirqat, forcing security forces to impose a curfew and close schools and offices in the town, according to local officials and security sources.

In a separate incident, gunmen broke into a village near Udhaim, 90km north of Baghdad, where they killed nine Sunni tribal fighters with shots to the head, police and medical sources said.
Son of a former governor killed for supporting blasphemy law reforms threatened after solidarity messages with victims.

A Christmas message calling for prayers for those charged under Pakistans blasphemy laws has led to death threats against the son of a provincial governor, who killed five years ago for criticising the same laws.

The case highlights the continuing influence in Pakistan of Muslim hardliners who praise violence in the name of defending Islam, despite a government vow to crack down on religious conservatism.

The hardliners called for mass protests if police do not charge activist Shaan Taseer with blasphemy against Islam, a crime punishable by death.

Taseers father, Punjab governor Salman Taseer, was shot by his bodyguard for championing the case of a Christian woman, Asia Bibi, who was sentenced to death under the blasphemy laws.

He had been advocating reforms in the blasphemy laws that are used to mostly harass minority groups.

READ MORE: Living in fear under Pakistans blasphemy law

In a video message posted on his Facebook page, Taseer, a Muslim, is seen wishing a happy holiday to Christians, and also asking for prayers for the woman and others victimised by what he called inhumane blasphemy laws.

Taseer said on Monday that he had received very credible death threats from supporters of the hardline Muslim philosophy that inspired his fathers killer, bodyguard Mumtaz Qadri.

They are sending me Mumtaz Qadris photos with messages that there are several Mumtaz Qadris waiting for me, he told Reuters news agency late on Monday.

Shahbaz Taseer, the other son of Salman Taseer, was freed last year after five years in captivity.

Hardline groups

Tens of thousands people attended Qadris funeral last March after he was hanged for killing the governor because they considered him a hero, highlighting the potential for this case to become another flashpoint.

More than 200 people in Pakistan were charged under blasphemy laws in 2015  many of them minorities such as Christians, who make up one percent of the population.

Critics say the laws are often used to settle personal scores, and pressure for convictions is often applied on police and courts from religious groups and lawyers dedicated to pushing the harshest blasphemy punishments.

At least 65 people, including lawyers, defendants and judges, have been murdered over blasphemy allegations since 1990, according to figures from the think-tank Center for Research and Security Studies and local media.

A spokesman for the hardline group, Sunni Tehreek, said it was demanding police in Lahore to charge Shaan Taseer with blasphemy against Islam.

Police declined to comment and a copy of the police report on the complaint did not mention Shaan Taseer by name.

The police report did reference the Christmas message and opened an investigation under the blasphemy laws Section 295-A, which bans hate speech against any religion.

However, Sunni Tehreek has threatened mass street protests unless the younger Taseer is charged under Section 295-C, blasphemy against Islam or the Prophet Muhammad.

Provincial Punjab government officials could not be reached for comment.
At least 60 killed in clashes between rival drug gangs at Anisio Jobim prison complex in Amazonas state, officials say.

At least 60 inmates have been killed, many of them decapitated, in a prison riot in the Amazon jungle city of Manaus, officials said on Monday, in one of the worst incidents of jail violence in years in Brazil.

The 17-hour riot broke out on Sunday afternoon and lasted through the night at a prison on the outskirts of Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state, Sergio Fontes, the public security secretary of the state, said.

This is the biggest prison massacre in our states history, Fontes said.

Many (victims) were decapitated, and they all suffered a lot of violence, he told a press conference.

Two of the biggest crime gangs of Brazil began fighting last year over control of several prisons, and authorities in Amazonas believe thats the reason behind the first riot of 2017.

READ MORE: Deaths as riot breaks out in Brazil prison

Authorities have counted 60 bodies so far, all of them inmates, the head of the states prisons administration, Pedro Florencio, told journalists.

Officials said they were working to determine whether any prisoners had escaped.

The riot ended after the inmates freed the last of the 12 prison staffers they had held hostage.





Judge Luis Carlos Valois, who negotiated the end of the riot with inmates, said he saw many bodies that were quartered.

I never saw anything like that in my life. All those bodies, the blood, Valois wrote on Facebook.

Fontes said the inmates made few demands to end the riot, which hints at a killing spree organised by members of a local gang against those of another that is based in Sao Paulo.

The secretary said officers found a hole in a prison wall through which authorities believe weapons entered the building.

OPINION: The barbarism of Brazilian prisons

Valois said during the negotiations, inmates only asked that we did not transfer them, made sure they were not attacked and kept their visitation.

In another prison in Amazonas, 87 inmates escaped in the first hours of Monday, Fonte said. One of the inmates posted a picture on Facebook as he left the prison.

The violence at Anisio Jobim began after a group of inmates exchanged gunfire with police and held 12 prison guards hostage in the largest prison in Manaus, an industrial city on the banks of the Amazon River, local TV network Globo TV reported.





Fontes said 74 prisoners were taken hostage during the riot, with some executed and some released.

Overcrowded prisons

Brazil has the fourth largest prison population behind the US, China and Russia.

The massacre was the latest clash between inmates aligned with the Sao Paulo-based First Capital Command drug gang, Brazils most powerful, and a local Manaus criminal group known as the North Family, Reuters news agency reported.

Sundays riot was the deadliest in years. A 1992 rebellion at the Carandiru prison in Sao Paulo state saw 111 inmates killed, nearly all of them by police as they retook the jail.

Horrific conditions and inter-gang violence are seen in many facilities, some of which are essentially run by drug gang leaders who continue to run their criminal enterprises on the outside despite being locked up.
French president also visits Iraq to salute troops which are taking part in a US-led military coalition against ISIL.

French president Francois Hollande has arrived in Baghdad to meet the French forces helping Iraq in the fight against ISIL and to hold talks with top officials.

Hollande, who was travelling with French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, had already visited in 2014 and remains the most prominent head of state to come to Iraq since the launch, two and half years ago, of a US-led coalition against the armed groups.

Were 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.

READ MORE: Does Frances foreign policy make it a target?

France has around 500 troops fighting alongside coalition forces in Iraq, backed by Rafale fighter jets.

In the last New Year message of his presidency, Hollande paid tribute to those killed in attacks in France this year, including the 86 run down in the Bastille Day attack in Nice and smaller-scale attacks on a priest and two police officers.

The fight against terrorism is also domestic, stressed Hollande, citing efforts to foil attempted attacks, closely watching dangerous individuals and fighting against radical extremism.

I know that you are worried about the terrorist threat, which has not diminished, as shown by what happened in Berlin, where a Tunisian smashed a truck into a Christmas market on December 19, killing 11 people and also shooting and killing the trucks registered driver.

This was Hollandes last New Year appearance after he announced earlier this month he would not stand for re-election in presidential polls next year.
PEDRO PARDO/AFP/Getty Images(TBILISI, Georgia) -- Republican Sens. John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Amy Klobuchar spoke out against Russian president Vladimir Putin on Sunday, while showing support for NATO in Eastern Europe.



"Vladimir Putin -- unless we stand up to him -- will continue his aggression," McCain, R-Ariz., said. He called for tougher sanctions against Russia, urging for the U.S. to "stand up to Vladimir Putin."



According to a release from Klobuchar's office, the trio of senators is touring Ukrain, the Baltics and Georgia in part "to focus on mountaing international cybersecurity problems."



"We hope to make 2017 a year of offense," Graham, said. "We believe that Putin has hacked into our elections in America, that he's trying to undermine democracy all over the world and it's time for new sanctions to hit him hard as an individual, his energy sector, his banking sector."



"It is time to push back against Putin, to be a better friend to our allies here including Georgia, to be more helpful."



Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Winners of the December election say outgoing president will be considered a rebel leader if he refuses to leave.

The Gambias opposition says long-time ruler Yahya Jammeh could be considered a rebel leader, if he takes up arms and does not step down later this month, a warning issued after the president vowed any foreign troop presence would be tantamount to an act of war.

Halifa Sallah, the spokesman of the opposition coalition, said on Monday that Jammeh will be a private citizen as of January 19 and would have no constitutional mandate to be in command of the armed forces of The Gambia.

The president of ECOWAS, the Economic Community of West African States, has said West African leaders will send troops into the country if Jammeh refuses to step down after losing the December 1 election.

Any president, whose term of office expires, who takes up arms against an incoming president whose term should begin according to law, would be regarded by the international community as a rebel leader, Sallah said, reading a statement by the coalition.

READ MORE: Gambia closes two private radio stations amid crisis

Jammeh railed against the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, that has urged him to step down. He claims numerous voting irregularities invalidate the December 1 ballot won by the opposition coalitions Adama Barrow. Jammehs party is challenging the results in court.





Meanwhile, Barrow says he is planning a January 19 inauguration, which puts him on a collision course with Jammeh, who seized power in a bloodless 1994 military coup.

Barrow, ECOWAS, the African Union and United Nations have carefully calculated their steps, Sallah said, adding Jammeh should do the same so that no mistakes would be made that would undermine the peace and security of the country.

ECOWAS, the AU and the UN, however, would not need to manage Gambian affairs if the constitution is followed and a peaceful transition is made, Barrow has said, urging Jammeh to open up a channel of communication, according to the coalition statement.

The coalitions warning came a day after intelligence agents ordered two radio stations to shut down: Taranga FM and Hilltop Radio.

READ MORE: Gambians seek justice after a 22-year reign of terror

Hilltop Radio chief executive Basiru Darboe said three men identifying as national intelligence agents said the shutdown orders came from the outgoing president, but no reasons were given.

The Jammeh regime has long been accused of imprisoning, torturing and killing its opponents.
Group says it carried out New Years Eve raid on Istanbul nightclub where Christians celebrate their apostate holiday.

ISIL has claimed responsibility for the attack on a nightclub in Istanbul that killed 39 people on New Years Eve.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group released on Monday a statement claiming responsibility for the raid.

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, the statement said.

The announcement came as a manhunt was under way in Turkey for at least one assailant who attacked those celebrating New Year at the Reina nightclub.

Shortly after the ISIL claim, AFP news agency citing local media said that police have detained eight suspects over the attack.

The Dogan news agency said police were pressing on with operations after making the first arrests over 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. During the attack, some partygoers who managed to flee jumped into the freezing cold Bosphorus strait to escape harm.

Al Jazeeras Mohammed Jamjoom, reporting from Istanbul, said: The ISIL statement doesnt say whether the attacker was trained by ISIL or simply pledged allegiance to the group and carried out the attack alone.

There had been consensus emerging behind the scenes, and reports in Turkish media, indicating officials believed ISIL was behind the attack.

He added that the mood in the busy Turkish city was sombre and sad.

Turkey is currently in a state of emergency.

People are very scared. This is the fourth attack to hit Turkey in less than a month  There is a sense here in Istanbul of astonishment as to how this could have happened at a time when there were tens of thousands of officers on the streets to prevent an attack on New Years Eve.

As well as the 39 dead, about 70 others were wounded and three of those people remain 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.

READ MORE: Istanbul  Victims of Reina nightclub attack identified

Foreigners, including many nationals of Arab countries, were among the dead, officials said.

Eleven of the dead were Turkish nationals and one was a Turkish-Belgium dual-national. Seven victims were from Saudi Arabia and had travelled to Istanbul for New Years Eve celebrations. Three of the dead were from Lebanon and Iraq each. Two nationals from Tunisia, India, Morocco and Jordan were killed, and Kuwait, Canada, Israel, Syria and Russia lost one citizen in the attack.

One victim remains unidentified.

TIMELINE: Attacks in Turkey

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.

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.
Two toddlers among the victims of crash involving a minivan and a pick-up truck during so-called Seven Deadly Days.

A minivan and a pick-up truck both packed with passengers have collided in eastern Thailand, killing 25 people.

Police said the minivan driver lost control after making a U-turn and ploughed into oncoming traffic in the eastern province of Chonburi on Monday. Both vehicles burst into flames.

The victims were killed by fire or the impact, police Lieutenant-Colonel Wiroj Jamjamras at Ban Bueng provincial police station told AFP news agency, adding two toddlers were among the dead.

Wiroj said 15 people were inside the minivan while 12 passengers were packed into the pick-up truck  all of them Thai nationals.

Two passengers were injured, but are expected to survive, he said. Wiroj ruled out drink-driving as the cause of the accident.

Footage broadcast on Channel 3 showed firefighters tackling the burning, twisted wreckage of the two vehicles.

READ MORE: Bangkok cleans up its act

Despite relatively good infrastructure, Thailand has the worlds second most dangerous roads in terms of per capita deaths, according to data collected by the World Health Organization in a 2015 report.

Fatalities tend to rise in the New Year week and during Songkran, a religious festival in April, when millions of low-paid workers return to the countryside from their city jobs to see family.

Both weeks are dubbed the Seven Deadly Days in Thai media, with the government keeping a daily death tally during those two periods to try to encourage better road safety.

As of Sunday  the fourth day of the countrys New Year holiday week  280 people had died on Thailands roads, a 10 percent increase from last year.

About 43 percent of the recorded road accidents involved drink-driving and 82 percent involved motorcycles.
Israeli media say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to face pair of corruption charges, which he says are baseless.

Israeli police are expected to question Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a pair of corruption allegations, local media have reported.

Israels Channel 2 TV reported on Monday that the questioning will take place at the prime ministers residence.

No details were given on the nature of the preliminary examination.

Haaretz newspaper reported that the questioning will focus on suspicions that he and his family received gifts and favours from businessmen in Israel and abroad.

Netanyahu is also the central suspect in a second investigation that is said to be more serious. It said a criminal probe is expected next week.

A black screen has been reportedly placed in front of Netanyahus official residence in apparent anticipation of the police investigators arrival and to obstruct the view of journalists seeking to film them.

Netanyahu has denied what he calls the baseless reports that he received gifts from two businessmen.

All these scandals have turned out to be baseless and so will the allegations being published in the media now, he said in a statement.



The Israeli leader has acknowledged receiving money from French tycoon Arnaud Mimran, who was sentenced to eight years in prison over a scam amounting to 283 million euros ($297m) involving the trade of carbon emissions permits and the taxes on them.

Netanyahus office said he had received $40,000 in contributions from Mimran in 2001, when he was not in office, as part of a fund for public activities, including appearances abroad to promote Israel.

He has also come under scrutiny over an alleged conflict of interest in the purchase of submarines from a German firm.

Media reports have alleged a conflict of interest over the role played by the Netanyahu family lawyer, David Shimron, who also acts as the Israeli agent of Germanys ThyssenKrupp, which builds the Dolphin submarines.
Rebels fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner in Wadi Barada warn the fragile ceasefire is in danger of collapse.

Syrias army advanced on Monday, as it battles to capture a rebel region that is key to the capitals water supply, launching air strikes and artillery fire that threatens a fragile nationwide truce.

The ceasefire brokered by ally Russia and Turkey, which backs the opposition, is now in its fourth day, despite sporadic violence and continued fighting in the Wadi Barada area near Damascus.

Regime forces and fighters from Lebanons Hezbollah group are advancing in the region and are now on the outskirts of Ain al-Fijeh, the primary water source in the area, said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor.

Hundreds flee fighting near Syria capital despite truce

He said government troops and allied fighters were engaged in fierce clashes with rebels, including from the former al-Qaeda affiliate now known as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham.

The monitor said government forces were carrying out air strikes and artillery fire on the area, northwest of the capital, but reported no casualties.





Wadi Barada has been surrounded by government forces since mid-2015, but the siege was tightened in late December as the army piled on pressure seeking to secure a reconciliation deal.

It has won several of these deals in opposition areas around the capital, offering safe passage to surrendering rebels in return for retaking territory.

The opposition criticises them as a starve or surrender tactic.

As the fighting stepped up in the area, Syrias government said rebels damaged key water infrastructure, causing leaking fuel to poison the water supply and then cutting it off altogether.

The United Nations says at least four million people in Damascus have been without water since December 22.

The Syrian Observatory said about 1,000 civilians  all of them women and children  fled the fighting in Wadi Barada over the weekend, moving to other parts of the province.

The violence threatens the delicate truce that came into force last week and is intended to pave the way for new peace talks in Kazakhstan later this month.

Four civilians and nine rebels have been killed since the truce began, but officially it is still holding.

OPINION: The Assad conundrum

In a statement, rebels fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner in the Wadi Barada warned the truce was in danger of collapse.

We call on the sponsors of the ceasefire agreement to assume their responsibility and pressure the regime and its allied militias to stop their clear violation of the agreement, the statement said.

Otherwise, they warned, we will call on all the free military factions operating inside Syria to overturn the agreement and ignite the fronts in defence of the people of Wadi Barada.

The statement said Wadi Barada was included in the deal brokered by Moscow and Ankara and accused the regime of violating the agreement.

The ceasefire deal, and the plan for new talks, received the unanimous backing of the UN Security Council on Saturday, despite offering a competing track to UN-sponsored negotiations.

Turkey and Russia are organising the talks in Astana along with ally Iran, and say they are intended to supplement, not replace, UN-backed negotiations scheduled to resume in February.

Despite backing opposite sides in Syrias conflict, Ankara and Moscow have worked closely in recent months on the war, brokering a deal to evacuate civilians and surrendering rebels from Aleppo last month before the regime recaptured the northern city in full.
Politician says vote likely to be held in 2018 to pass election laws for democratic transition from military rule.

Thailand will delay a general election planned for 2017 until next year for more time to pass new voting laws as the country transitions from military to civilian rule, a member of the National Legislative Assembly says.

Somjet Boonthanom told reporters on Monday the vote would likely be held in March or April of 2018, instead of this year.

This is not a postponement, but because of the intricacies involved in drafting election laws, elections will not happen this year, Somjet said.

Although the military government has regularly expressed commitment to a road map for restoring democracy, the date has been pushed back every year since its May 2014 coup that overthrew the democratically elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra.

READ MORE: Thailand to hold elections in 2017  military chief

However, a spokesman for the prime ministers office said the military government was sticking to plans to hold the election in 2017.

As far as the government is concerned, we are on track with the road map. The NLAs opinions are their own, said Sansern Kaewkamnerd.

The military said it toppled Yinglucks government to enforce calm in a country divided by more than a decade of conflict between a military-backed royalist establishment and populist political forces.

The next step in the transition back to democracy is for new King Maha Vajiralongkorn to endorse a constitution, which was approved in a referendum last year.

COUNTING THE COST: Thailands grief  An unstable economic future ahead (26:00)

Critics argue that provisions in the constitution will entrench the hold of the military even after elections.

Politicians told Anadolu news agency  on the condition of anonymity  they would accept a delay in elections because of the timing of the royal cremation ceremony of recently passed King Bhumibol Adulyadej .

There are some royal prerogatives, like the cremation and coronation of King Rama X [Vajiralongkorn], which would clash with the election campaign, said one former MP. If this is the case, we can accept a short postponement of elections.

King Vajiralongkorn recently ascended to the Thai throne following the October death of his father.
Massacre at Istanbul nightclub claimed by armed group based abroad signifies growing security challenges in the country.

Turkish authorities started 2017 the way much of 2016 had played out, with a manhunt.

Thirty-nine people were killed and many others wounded in an attack on a popular nightclub in Istanbul that has been claimed by ISIL.

The bells had not long finished chiming to herald in the New Year when they were replaced by the sound of gunfire.

Turkey was targeted in dozens of attacks last year, most of which were claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL), also known as ISIS.

How can Ankara deal with the growing domestic security challenges posed by the armed group based abroad?

Presenter: Peter Dobbie

Guests:

Ozgur Unluhisarcikli  Director of the Ankara Office for the German Marshall Fund of the United States

Galip Dalay  Research director at Al Sharq Forum

Dogu Eroglu  Reporter with Daily Birgun newspaper
How a school with a rigorous curriculum for children as young as two makes a world of difference to Mexican students.

In Mexico, 21 percent of children give up education before they are 14 years old.

I was worried that traditional schooling would destroy my son's passion for learning. When he got to school, he became bored and wasn't happy. I think the school was teaching him too little, too late and too badly. by Elisa Guerra, founder of Colegio Valle de Filadelfia

According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Mexico is the country in the organisation with the third-largest number of young people who do not study nor work.

Eight out of 100 Mexican children who enrol in elementary school do not show up for classes. While barely 50 complete middle school, only 20 graduate from high school, and only two become graduate students.

Elisa Guerra was concerned about her childrens education and came up with an alternative.

She founded Colegio Valle de Filadelfia, where children as young as three or four are taught to read, as well as how to play the violin using the Suzuki method.

When it was time for my children to start pre-school, I wasnt happy with any of the school options in Aguascalientes. They werent challenging enough or stimulating enough. I was worried that traditional schooling would destroy my sons passion for learning. When he got to school, he became bored and wasnt happy. I think the school was teaching him too little, too late and too badly, says Guerra.

Her programme is being taught to 174 children in her school ranging from two-year-olds to secondary school age children (9th grade).

My favourite thing is that they teach us different things than in other schools. They teach us culture and music from other countries and composers from different parts of the world. They teach us with a method that I think is easier and more effective to learn, one of the students says.

There is an increasing amount of evidence about the importance of early years education. UNICEF calls it one of the most cost-efficient investments in human capital leading to a countrys sustainable development.

Guerras teaching methods have earned her international acclaim. She has been asked to work with the Prospera programme  a national initiative that helps seven million of Mexicos poorest families. And she won the award for the best teacher in Latin America in 2015 for her work.

She believes that if more schools and teachers were able to see education through different eyes, and if they were brave enough to innovate and break paradigms, and use methods like ours  to help children reach their potential, the possibilities of what we could do in the world would be infinite  There are really no limits to what we can do.

In this film, we meet Guerra and follow students from a range of age groups, observing their daily activities to see how Guerras innovative approach makes a difference.

FILMMAKERS VIEW

By Tim Froggatt

One of the highlights of filming in Mexico was the day we spent with the Prospera organisation. This inspirational government organisation has been working for 20 years to reduce poverty and has helped over 5 million families across the country.

They give financial support to poor families, but in order to receive any money the families must guarantee they will send their children to school and attend regular sessions at the health centre. So theyre not just giving unconditional hand-outs, but improving the health and education of some of the most vulnerable families in the country. Before they started this project, there was a huge problem with many children not attending school, even though it was compulsory.

Now Prospera is working with Elisa, helping underprivileged families to give their pre-school children a better start in life.

They often dont have access to books and their parents may not be well educated. These children can easily find themselves at a disadvantage before theyve even started school. We had a lovely time filming and laughing with the Prospera staff, the mothers and their young children. I really hope that this project makes a genuine difference in their lives, and hope that it grows to be a major part of Prosperas work.

But for many people, the ideas of Colegio Valle de Filadelfia  such as teaching so much to such young children  are very controversial.

They go against much of the perceived wisdom in the educational world. For example, students in Finland have for the past two decades, been among the highest performing students worldwide, by adopting a national education policy thats the complete opposite of what we filmed at Colegio Valle de Filadelfia.

Finland doesnt start formal education until seven years old, believing that children arent ready to learn at a young age.

However, it was certainly clear to me that the staff, parents and, indeed, the students at Colegio Valle de Filadelfia are completely on board with the ideals of the school. And what makes this school special is far more than just the unusual teaching methods that they use.

I discovered that, in Mexico, teaching is not a particularly respected career. Elisa originally wanted to be a writer, and she was told that she could always become a teacher if she failed at that. I was told that the publics perception of the profession is that teachers are lazy and often on strike. By contrast, Colegio Valle de Filadelfia really values its staff. It dedicates time to training them. And because theyre highly trained, the school empowers the teachers and trusts them to know whats best for their classes.

The school also provides a broad and holistic education, rather than just focusing solely on academic subjects and the national curriculum. In fact, this is one of the recurring themes Ive seen across the world while working on Rebel Education: the importance of a well-rounded education.

To engage students, and to provide an education thats truly effective, institutions are looking beyond teaching test answers and a narrow set of knowledge. Its about a rich experience and encouraging children to pursue their interests. In that way, future generations are given an education that genuinely equips them for the fast-changing world of the 21st century.
The London Nautical School was founded in 1915 to train students in maritime skills. Today its a modern, non-selective inner London state school for boys  with a very different approach to learning.

At the start of the year, teachers pitch their courses to the students, who are given the power to choose what courses they want to study. This forces staff, students and parents to work closely together to evolve the content of the courses on offer. And it has created radically different courses, which are highly engaging and are placing students at the centre of the learning experience.

We had to prove ourselves before we would be taken seriously, and I do think that if you're going to create change in the way that we have, in a system like this, you have to have the courage to be willing to fail or to be seen to fail by others. by Chris Waugh, head of the English department

We are the only school that I know of that chooses its own English teacher. I think in a way it matures you  and it makes your self-esteem go up, one student says.

This fresh approach to learning started in the schools English department. They wanted to push the British education system as far as they could  a system that is often perceived as prescriptive and restrictive for teachers.

When I first came to the UK, one thing that did strike me was the amount to which the system for education focuses on exam outcomes. There is a lot of punishment associated with doing badly in exams, it seems. Its often led to really conservative approaches in the classrooms and schools  I think there is much more that we should be doing in classrooms than simply getting ready for exams, says Chris Waugh, head of the English department.

When their ideas were first introduced into the school, they were considered controversial.

This has not been easy. Within a state school institution, people dislike change  and, within the school, I have had to battle with people in order to get them to agree for us to go ahead with these programmes and processes  Giving students and parents the choice is terrifying for a lot of people in education, says Waugh.

But the English departments approach has proven so successful that its being rolled out to other departments and is currently in different states of implementation in subjects across the school.

It has also attracted interest across the UK, so some of the teachers and students travel around the country to present their ideas to other schools and at educational conferences.

We had to prove ourselves before we would be taken seriously, and I do think that if youre going to create change in the way that we have, in a system like this, you have to have the courage to be willing to fail, or to be seen to fail by others, Waugh explains.

In this film, we follow some of the teachers putting together their syllabus for the year and students choosing their preferred course. We also talk to teachers, students and parents about the pedagogy in practice: What happens to the teachers if no students choose their course? And how has this approach affected the schools exam results?

FILMMAKERS VIEW

By Tim Froggatt

In the British education system, theres a huge emphasis on what is called setting, which divides children into classes or sets based on how good theyre judged to be at a subject. So in a particular school subject, well end up with a top set containing the cleverest children and a bottom set along with a whole hierarchy of sets ranked in between.

Its a popular idea that appeals to school leaders, parents and politicians. The theory is that it allows teachers to tailor their lessons to the abilities of the students in front of them. Top-set students can be moved on to the difficult material to stretch and challenge them, whereas struggling students can spend more time getting the basics in place.

At the London Nautical School, theyve taken the bold step of rejecting setting in both English and Science lessons, choosing a moral stand over populism.

Some experts claim that setting can enable those at the top end of the scale to perform better, but Head of English Chris Waugh doesnt believe this. And moreover, hes concerned about the cost to the success (and the self-esteem) of those in the middle and lower sets. Often they never catch up, condemned to that low expectation of achievement for their entire school career. In many cases, theyre never given the opportunity to catch up because theyre not even exposed to all of the subject material.

The idea of setting seems very alien to many of the teachers Ive met from places such as Budapest or Shanghai, where students are taught in mixed groups and all given the same opportunities.

Waugh explained to me that he bans his department from using the terms high ability and low ability. He cant bear the thought that teachers label students in that way. As the English department proclaim, everyone can achieve in every class. Theres no sense that one class is for clever students and another for those who struggle.

It seemed to me from my brief time spent filming in the classrooms, that all the students were benefiting from the experience of being educated together. And indeed, they do get great results in every class.

One of the fascinating things that the school introduced is a system of online badges. These represent a large array of achievements that the students should be attempting, for example analysing a poem (in English) or processing data (in Science). If they succeed in one of these tasks, they achieve a virtual badge which is recorded online.

If they dont reach the required standard, theyre not branded a failure. Theyre simply told how they need to improve their work and theyre free to keep trying as many times as they like. In this system, students dont get labelled as A-grade students or written off as F-grade students. Anyone can always try for another badge, and they can keep trying until they get it. Its a system in which it really is possible for everyone to achieve.

The London Nautical School is, like the majority of UK state schools, a comprehensive school  a school that teaches all students, regardless of their prior academic achievement.

It was ironic that just as Chris Waugh was telling all the students how high achievement was possible for everyone, the UK government announced plans to expand the number of grammar schools in the country. These are state-funded schools which, unlike comprehensive schools, select the students they accept based on the results of academic tests.

Previously, it was not possible to open new selective schools, although a number of grammar schools still exist  relics from the 1950s and 60s when the nations education system was more segregated.

This is perhaps the ultimate example of setting  where at the age of 11, children sit a test to determine whether theyre deemed academically good enough to be allowed into a grammar school.

Waugh told me about his anger at the thought of reviving this system, a legacy of the UKs social-class elitism where certain children are given academic privilege, but at what cost to everyone else?

In his teaching, Waugh makes a point of exploring the countrys social inequality, encouraging the young people to challenge the society theyre being brought up in.

This broad outlook is an integral part of his lessons. He has high expectations of his students and while I was there, he told them with complete conviction that he expected at least one of them should become a prime minister in the future.

When one of those boys from the London Nautical School does grow up and find himself in a position of power, Im sure his outlook will be influenced by the radical education he received from the London Nautical Schools English and Science departments.
Armenia became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991, but the country is still influenced by its Soviet past.

The fact that everybody complains about schools and that schools are killing creativity is sad. If we can turn education into something ... interesting, deep, that's the most important, making people like what they are doing. And I guess if we create more spaces and places like TUMO where you can make that happen, this can be a model towards what education should be geared to and how learning should happen. by Marie Lou Papazian , CEO of TUMO

Armenia has been changing quite fast, but you can still feel the legacy and the luggage that came from the Soviet Union and its past  When I moved to Armenia, I realised that the Armenian educational system  was lacking the creativity, the flexibility, the problem-solving part, and there is a big need to link education with technology to be able to develop a new generation of competitive Armenians, says Marie Lou Papazian, who is on a mission to offer an alternative to the traditional education model.

She is the CEO of TUMO, a free, creative after-school activities centre in Yerevan, Armenia, teaching maker skills, such as 3D printing, web design, film and animation.

At TUMO, technology and art merge to provide teens with a competitive edge in a digital world.

With access to state-of-the-art technology and some of the worlds leading professionals in web design, robotics, animation, film, music and much more, TUMO teens are encouraged to tap into their entrepreneurial intuitions to create and expand the boundaries of todays cutting-edge industries.

Being a teenager is really difficult in Armenia, a lot of the teachers are from the Soviet system, so you are a bit confused about what you learn, but here [in TUMO]  you meet new people, who have new ideologies  so this is a really unique place, a student says.

The centre is committed to building relevant skills in a context where traditional industries are declining and the creative industries seem to offer new opportunities.

In TUMO, you choose what classes you want, and, based on that, you go to workshops that you love  its really different. You are more free here than at school. In TUMO, you dont have grades and its ok if you fail. You learn from failure. But at school, if you fail its bad, one student explains.

The film follows teachers and students to find out how the learning offered by TUMO compares to Armenias very traditional state school education system. We meet teachers and students, as well as a former student of TUMO who is now using the skills and experience gained at the centre.

FILMMAKERS VIEW

By Tim Froggatt

Two things struck me when I first arrived at TUMO to prepare for filming. One was the vast number of young people that eagerly attended. Id got there just as the first afternoon session was starting and I had to fight my way through hundreds of spirited teenagers to make my way to reception. And the second thing was how high-tech it all is. Surrounded by banks of computers, information screens and visionary architecture, I really felt like Id stepped into the future.

Hundreds of students were keenly learning about computer game design, web development and robotics. One of the students explained to me that Armenia doesnt have natural resources like gold or oil. They cant build their country around things like that, so their future lies with the people and with technology.

TUMO has developed its own state-of-the-art computer-based education platform, where the students can teach themselves about a vast range of subjects. They pick subjects that interest them and map out a journey of what theyre going to discover, planning two or three years into the future.

Its a series of stepping stones, carefully designed to allow them to reach a particular goal. This learning path can adapt and adjust as they make progress or perhaps even change their mind.

However, I was surprised to discover that it isnt only about the technology. By coincidence, whilst we were filming there was an abundance of activity in the arts  music concerts, furniture design, fashion workshops, graffiti exhibitions. There were so many different things. If its interesting and valuable to teenagers, then TUMO seems to do it.

Even in the artistic disciplines they make use of the latest technology. The students make videos of art and graffiti projects and publish them as part of their substantial online presence.

The music students own compositions were being professionally mixed, using industry-standard computer software by one of rock musics most accomplished producers. Far from his home town of Los Angeles, he was relishing the opportunity to work with these young people. It was obvious that they loved working with him and he loved working with them. So much so, that the workshop sessions often extended late into the night or even into the weekends.

Likewise, when I visited another TUMO centre in Gyumri, I found out how one robotics student had kept her workshop leader there until after ten oclock at night  so engrossed and determined was she to solve a difficult problem and learn something new. Of course, when faced with such enthusiasm, the visiting expert was more than happy to stay.

Whilst I was there, they officially announced theyd be opening their fifth TUMO centre. This new cutting-edge building will be based in the small village of Koghb near the Azerbaijan border, and itll serve many other villages in this remote region.

The challenges here will be very different from those in the bustling capital city of Yerevan. In remote regions with tiny under-resourced schools, they must, not only supplement the national curriculum, but also fill in the gaps that are missing in students education.

This centre will do much more than just educating the local teenagers. One of the things that TUMO does is to reach out and run events throughout the local area. It plays a role in enriching the wider community and sits as an integral part of society. The Koghb centre will be no different. They even have plans to work with young soldiers at a nearby military base. Military service is compulsory for Armenian boys when they turn 18, and provides a problematic interruption to their studies as they move from high school to university.

Despite all the challenges, Im sure that this location will become just as successful as the ones that I visited.

Over the course of filming, I discovered that TUMO is fundamentally much more than its high-tech facilities. Its a different way of doing education. Its a philosophy about getting involved  giving students the chance to work in teams, to work on projects, to create things and to follow their passions. They learn more this way, because it makes them want to learn. And this has an impact far beyond just Armenias young people.

Indeed, it seemed that whoever I spoke to  the taxi drivers, the waiters, the market traders  theyd all heard of it and spoke with a big smile. Everyone was.
In the 21st century, for many young people finding a job is just not an option. And in Uganda, with youth unemployment at around 66 percent, the highest rate in Africa, schools need to tailor their education to meet the different needs of society.

We are seeing that the youths that are undergoing the Educate! programme actually become community leaders because they are aware and cautious about what's going on in the community and sort of provide solutions for those challenges the community is going through. by Emmanuel Kalyebi, programme coordinator of Educate!

Educate! is an experience-based education model where a mentor goes into a secondary school with 40 scholars. The mentor spends time with the scholars, delivering sessions on entrepreneurship, leadership, critical thinking and problem solving.

The pedagogy enables the use of games, group work and encourages public speaking. The scholars are encouraged to set up businesses, which are open to everyone in the school. They are also encouraged to be responsive to the needs of their local communities.

Uganda has such a huge young demographic. Over 70 percent of the population is actually young people under the age of 30, and the challenge that we are having is that there is a mismatch between the number of students that graduate from school, and the available jobs in the market, Emmanuel Kalyebi, the programme coordinator of Educate!, says.

Educate! focuses on making entrepreneurship  not just the theory, but the practice of it  a key part of what they offer.

One of the things you go through in Ugandas education system [is that] they give you a lot of theoretical knowledge  What typically happens to most of us is that after school you cannot find employment. You dont have the right skills to get employed. So, if an employer is going to give you a job, they have to first train you again [with] skills that ideally education should be providing to you, Kalyebi says.

Lilian Aero Olok joined the Educate! project in 2009 while she was at secondary school. Her project provides counselling and community support to more than 100 widows and women affected by HIV/Aids. She mobilises funds for the project by teaching women how to make recycled paper beads which she then buys from them. She is now working with more than 230 women and exports the beads all over the world.

I want to see a change, I want to see a transformation from being an impoverished community to being a middle income-earning community, because poverty, HIV/Aids and single motherhood and widowhood is so high in this area  Running my own business has helped me pay for myself at school, it has also helped me take my daughter through school, and it also helped me get the lovely house that I have now, Lilian says.

Educate! currently works in more than 350 schools in Uganda, with another 100 lined up in the near future. Its vision for 2024 is to measurably impact one million students, and reach four million students more broadly, across Africa each year.

The film follows a mentor and the scholars as they set up a new business in the school. We also track the students as they juggle their studies, home life, and the pressure of making the business successful.

Funds are limited and the only money they will have to invest will come from their profits. But the business skills they learn through real-world projects will prepare them for a future in which they will be able to support their families and play a leading role in their communities.

FILMMAKERS VIEW

By Doug Bolton

What is education for? Its a question I kept asking myself when filming for Rebel Education. I met such passionate educators, each shaping education to meet the needs of their specific community; all, it seemed, creating new pedagogies out of necessity.

Across the world, it seems that each generation seems to worry about the education their children receive.

We see newspaper headlines reporting that education systems are failing millions of children, politicians crying out for young people to learn by rote or, conversely, calling for children to not attend school until they are seven. Everyone seems to have a differing view of whats required.

But in a country like Uganda where there simply arent enough jobs for the population, what really is the answer? For what is the country educating young people, if there are no jobs to fill? Every day in Uganda I saw glimpses of the problem: large numbers of young people on the streets, a door covered with hundreds of adverts from people desperately seeking work, and people living in slums without basic amenities.

So it was a bit of a revelation to see the different programmes the Educate! NGO had developed alongside ordinary Ugandan secondary schools. If time had allowed, I would have loved to have filmed more of their work, for instance, the goat-rearing programme in which students not only breed goats to sell, but they also lent goat kids to other members of their community to help them improve their livelihoods, or students using found items to turn into stylish bits of furniture for sale, or the school that is making bricks from recycled plastic bags.

As we travelled out of the city, it was clear, particularly for families at the rural Bukooli school, that subsistence farming prevailed.

Famers could only grow enough for their families to exist; they didnt have the resources to scale up to being able to grow crops or breed livestock to sell. It just wasnt possible, therefore, to make much difference to their finances. What impressed me was that these young students, through a programme of entrepreneurship and leadership, were becoming the change agents in their communities. This practical skill-based education did not replace academic learning but enhanced it, and, in doing so, gave a leg-up to the whole community.
A married Gainesville couple was arrested Saturday night after a botched $10 drug deal left a man with a stab wound to his chest, Gainesville Police said.

Aaron Young, 36, and Corinna Young, 26, confronted the man at about 9:30 p.m. after Mrs. Young attempted to buy drugs from him but never received them  nor her money back, according to a police report.

Aaron Young

Corinna Young

In the 400 block of South Main Street, Mr. Young, wielding a folding knife, stabbed the man deep in his chest, according to the report. The stab wound was close to a major artery near the mans heart.

Mrs. Young then repeatedly struck the injured man with her hands, according to the report. A witness who saw the stabbing identified the couple in a show-up, and they were arrested on charges of aggravated battery.

GPD Sgt. John Mazzuca said the man was taken to UF Health Shands Hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries.

After her arrest, Mrs. Young admitted to police that she searched for the man, confronted him about the money and had a physical altercation with him, according to the report. Mr. Young, on the other hand, said no one took money from his wife and the man had tried to attack them, prompting the retaliation.

Authorities took the couple to the Alachua County Jail where they remain, as of press time. Mr. Young is being held on a bond of $25,000, while his wife is being held on a bond of $2,000.

mkornfield@alligator.org

@merylkornfield

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The meaning of conservatism has long been a matter of dispute among conservatives. The election of Donald Trump has raised that dispute to a fever pitch. Consequently, this might be a good time to bring some precision to this debate.

In its broadest and most basic sense, conservatism is an attitude of opposition to drastic change. It is the political expression of caution or of the underappreciated virtue of prudence. Drastic, hasty change is likely to have unintended consequences, even terrible ones. Let us learn from the past and make change carefully, says the sober-minded and careful conservative.

No doubt there is a version of conservatism in this sense for every society and every time, with tenets specific to each one's history and circumstances. For example, English conservatives today might want to preserve the monarchy, the Church of England as the established church, and the British aristocracy. In the same way, it makes sense to label as "conservative" those Iranians who opposed the revolution that changed Iran from a monarchy to a radical Islamist theocracy or those Russians who long for the return of the Soviet Union, but to call them conservative is not to suggest that their views are similar to those of an American dedicated to the principles of the American Founders.

But if we narrow our focus by pairing American conservatism with progressivism, the way opens to a definition of American conservatism that is sharp and precise.

We need to start by understanding that the progressives reject the Founders' vision of America. They especially reject the constitutional safeguards of individual liberty. That is because the progressives want to use the power of government to transform America according to their (constantly changing) vision of an ideal America. (Once upon a time, it was an America with socialized medicine. Now it is an America with socialized medicine, open borders, and transgender bathrooms.) Their desire to change America by means of government power is what makes the Constitution a problem for them. The Constitution puts the people in charge of the government; the progressives' goal is a government in charge of the people so they can, as Obama says, "fundamentally transform" America. America needs to be fundamentally transformed because, as the progressives are eager to tell you, America never was great.

Progressives have dominated American politics for about a century. (The 16th and 17th Amendments to the Constitution were both ratified in 1913. These amendments mark the end of limited federal government and the founding of the progressive federal Leviathan of our day.) Consequently, American conservatism has over time organized itself in opposition to the progressive agenda. More and more, American conservatism has come to mean conserving the Constitution and the Founders' idea of America from the progressive onslaught.

The progressive century in America started at about the same time as the Russian revolution of 1917. The Russians carried out the bloody revolution that was Marx's dream  his apocalyptic vision of a violent revolution that would sweep away the social order he hated. His muddled "scientific" economics was his rationale for the revolution that was his real passion. But the progressives made a pragmatic decision not to follow Marx on how they were going to implement utopia. They decided that the better way was little by little  progressively. As much as Bill Ayers loves the idea of a bloody revolution, he ended up working to overthrow the system he despises as a professor of education.

History has shown that the progressives made the smarter choice. The USSR found its way to the dustbin of history, brought down by its own evil and absurdity. But the progressives have been going from strength to strength in America for over a century, and the ascension of Obama convinced them that ultimate victory was within their grasp. That is why they are so upset over Trump's election.

The idea of a "living Constitution" is the progressives' greatest innovation. Of course, what it really means is a dead Constitution. Thanks to the acceptance of the living Constitution, there is no longer even a need to amend the Constitution to advance the progressive agenda. The Supreme Court, as in the Obamacare ruling, uses corkscrew logic to rewrite the Constitution, Congress legislates ignoring the Constitution (Obamacare, again), and certainly this president has been unconstrained by the Constitution, even going so far as to say repeatedly that doing x would be unconstitutional  and then going ahead and doing x anyway.

So, at its core, American conservatism is and must be all about restoring the Founders' idea of America and preserving, protecting and defending the Constitution of the United States.

Robert Curry is the author of Common Sense Nation: Unlocking the Forgotten Power of the American Idea from Encounter Books. You can preview the book here.
Its the Jews (in a word).

Yet remarkably, this simple fact gets obscured in all the campus squabbling over whether anti-Zionism -- or anti-Israelism, as I prefer to call it -- is antisemitic or not. We are only advocating for Palestinian human rights, anti-Israelists proclaim, even when most of their advocacy consists of angry attacks on Israel rather than serious efforts to promote the welfare and rights of Palestinian Arabs. We are only against Zionism, a political ideology, and not against Jews, they continue, even though Zionism is precisely the movement for self-determination for Jews. We are only criticizing the behavior of a foreign state, they insist, adding that opponents efforts to label their activities as antisemitic are merely attempts to silence their criticism of that state.

Yes they are criticizing the behavior of a foreign state -- the lone Jewish state in the world, Israel, whose complete name is State of Israel, i.e. the state of the people of Israel: the Jews.

It isnt quite as simple as that, but nearly. And it is only when we get this point out in the open, and establish it clearly and irrefutably, that we can clear away the distracting material and isolate where the real debate about antisemitism in campus anti-Israelism should be. It isnt so much about whether what they talk about when they talk about Israel is the Jews -- for (I will argue here) it so clearly and indisputably is.

It is, rather, in the many outrageous things they are willing to say when they talk about Israel -- i.e. the Jews.

At least one prominent anti-Israelist has been honest enough to admit the key point I am about to argue. In one of the tweets that made Steven Salaita famous (by leading to his controversial pre-arrival dismissal from the University of Illinois in 2014), he wrote:

Zionists: transforming "antisemitism" from something horrible into something honorable since 1948. #Gaza #FreePalestine -- Steven Salaita (@stevesalaita) July 20, 2014

Though I appreciate little about his views on the Israeli-Palestinian-Jewish-Arab-Muslim Conflict (IPJAMC), I do appreciate this tweet for its acknowledgment, in effect, that the hostility directed against Israel on campuses and beyond is, in fact, ultimately hostility against Jews. He of course finds this hostility justified, or honorable, while I find it horrible, but what matters here is that we apparently agree that it is directed essentially against the Jews.

Not all Jews are Zionists; not all Zionists are Jews; not all Israelis are Jews; not all Jews are Israelis. All that is obvious, and it is under cover of these obvious facts that anti-Israelists can say they are condemning only Zionists and/or Israelis, and not Jews. Perhaps, strictly speaking, that is true: the words Zionist and Israeli (we may say) do not denote (only) Jews. Nevertheless, I shall argue, most people rarely do (or even ought) speak strictly; and so those obvious facts notwithstanding, most talk about Israel, whether friendly or hostile, does indeed connote, and is therefore talk about, the Jews.

(1) We start (again) with its name: the State of (the people of) Israel. More generally the state is widely referred to and conceived as the Jewish state, both because it is the state of the Jewish people and because it has in various ways a Jewish character. There may be some 22 Arab states in the world, some 57 member states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and a good number of officially Christian states, but there is only one single Jewish state.

(2) Nor are the previous points any accident. Before there were Israelis and Palestinians, there were Jews and Arabs. Before 1948 what everyone was complaining about, when they complained about Zionism, was what the Jews were doing. Nearly 70 years after Israelis came into being the conflict remains, despite all sorts of qualifications and nuances, one between Jews and Arabs, with an important religious dimension as well. (Hence my preferred IPJAMC acronym.)

(3) That Zionists -- Jews -- sought this particular region for their state was also no accident, as this land was the birthplace of the Jewish people, the location of their ancient sovereign kingdoms, and the primary Jewish population center for the first millennium of their existence, it is a place where Jews have lived continuously for three millennia, and it has been the central focus of the Jewish religion through those three millennia as well, including during the two millennia of dispersion.

(4) Israel is by far the most densely Jewish country in the world. Demographically it is overwhelmingly Jewish, with Jews comprising about 75% of the population. The next closest countries are not remotely close at all: American Jews are less than 2% of the U.S. population, Canadian Jews are about 1% of the Canadian population, and then the numbers are vanishingly small everywhere else. At the same time Israel is, astonishingly, home to nearly half of the worlds Jews, and is a positive focus of attention and support (religiously, ethnically, culturally) for a significant majority of the other half.

(5) The establishment and subsequent development of the State of Israel is the greatest collective project of the Jewish people in the past century at least -- and perhaps in their long history, alongside the development of the Jewish religion.

(6) Many non-Israeli Jews feel positively invested in Israel, in its activities, policies, and welfare, precisely because of its Jewish character. Many such Jews come to Israels defense, despite not living in Israel, precisely because they understand attacks on Israel to be attacks on Jews, and because they feel some obligation to defend their people when their people -- Israel -- are under attack

These considerations do not mean (as well elaborate below) that Israel somehow comprises all the Jews in the world, or that the Israeli population doesnt include many non-Jews, or that it is impossible to talk about Israel without talking about the Jews, etc. Nor do they mean that talk about Israel is talk about all Jews, everywhere. What they do mean is something simpler -- that of course Jews do (and should) come immediately to mind when one thinks or talks about Israel, that the compelling default assumption is that talk about Israel is talk about Jews, in general. To talk about Israel while ignoring or obscuring that fact is to miss something utterly essential to the nature and conception of the thing you are talking about. In the same way it is surely possible for you to talk about Pope Francis (for example) simply as a human being or as a man or as a physical object, but if you leave out or obscure the salient fact that (say) he is a Catholic, or Pope, then you have left out something essential.

To pretend otherwise, to ignore or override what is a clearly compelling default assumption, is to engage in a profoundly dishonest act.

And, in fact, many anti-Israelists are not dishonest in that regard: what many anti-Israelists are talking (or thinking) about, when they talk (or think) about Israel, simply is Jews, or if you prefer, the Jews. The following necessarily small sample represents enormously broad trends:

(1) The days of and immediately after the U.N.s 1947 endorsement of the division of Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state, Arabs attacked Jews not only in Palestine but in many other countries. (Some recently published testimony just about the anti-Jewish pogrom in Yemen, for example, may be found here.) Over the next several years pogroms, persecution, and expulsions targeting Jews continued in many Arab countries, in direct response to the establishment of Israel.

(2) This pattern was of course just an iteration of a trend that in fact has ancient roots and continues to this day, by which Jews everywhere are held collectively accountable for the (alleged) actions of other Jews. Antisemites have for centuries persecuted individual Jews on the basis of charges against the Jewish collective, such as the traditional blood libel. The contemporary manifestation -- now recognized in the definitions of antisemitism adopted by the U. S. State Department, the many nations of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, and most recently the U.K. -- is the way in which Jews everywhere are held collectively responsible for the actions, or even mere existence, of Israel. Many contemporary antisemites (for example), inspired by the notorious forgery The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, simply see Israel as the mechanism through which the Jews work their malicious control of the world.

(3) To this day, indeed, whenever Israel engages in military activity attacks on Jews increase all over the Western world and elsewhere.

(4) In the same way that many non-Israeli Jews defend Israel because of its Jewish character (above), so too many non-Israeli Jews criticize or condemn Israel precisely because they understand Israel to be acting in their name as Jews. Well known anti-Israel Jew Tony Judt observed that Israels behavior affects the way everyone looks at [us] Jews, and makes Jews vulnerable to attack for things [we] didnt do. Ditto for equally well known anti-Israel Jew Jacqueline Rose, who proclaimed that she was "appalled at what the Israeli nation perpetrated in my name." The fringe anti-Israel organization Jewish Voice for Peace announces literally in bold on its mission statement: Not in our names! So many non-Israeli Jews regularly begin their criticisms of Israel with the phrase, As a Jew -- as if being a Jew gives them special moral authority in their criticism -- that some now refer to them simply as As-a-Jews. None of these remarks or behavior makes sense unless Israel is immediately understood to invoke Jews.

(5) The thing that many anti-Israelists specifically hate about Israel is its Jewish character. Many (for example) demand that Israel become a binational state, either by officially annexing disputed territories and providing full and equal rights to all citizens and/or by granting millions of Arab refugees their alleged Right of Return. These anti-Israelists seek not to destroy Israel, they disingenuously claim, but to transform it according to their own vision of justice and democracy and human rights. That may be true, but what they want to transform Israel from is its being a Jewish state. Their issue with Israel as it is today is thus its predominant Jewish character.

(6) Most of the specific charges anti-Israelists make against Israel reflect precisely the same orientation. Israel is accused of being an apartheid state: i.e., it privileges Jews over non-Jews. It is accused of being a racist state, with allegedly dozens of laws on the books that also privilege Jews over non-Jews. It is accused of ethnic cleansing, i.e. of removing Arab citizens from their lands and replacing them with -- yes, Jews. In a word: Israel is constantly charged with being too Jewish.

(7) Witness the logical difficulties anti-Israelists get into when working out the details of the various boycotts they demand against Israel (commercial, cultural, academic, etc.). What do they say when their boycotts result in great economic harm to Palestinians (such as in the case of Sodastream, which, in moving its factory out of the disputed West Bank laid off hundreds of Palestinian workers)? Must anti-Israelists also boycott Israeli Arabs, many of whom work in the academia and culture arenas? In such cases, exceptions might be made for businesses that employ many Palestinian Arabs or for Israeli Arabs -- but then it is clear that the boycotts target only Jews. Alternatively, the Arabs harmed by boycotts (either Palestinian or Israeli) are sometimes conceived as unavoidable collateral damage -- in which case it is clear again that the primary boycott target is Jews. Or for those many Arabs who in fact do not hate Israel or may even support it (again, whether Israeli or Palestinian), they are themselves often vilified as traitors and sometimes confronted with death threats by anti-Israel activists. To see someone as a traitor, of course, is to allege they have taken the side of the enemy. To see a fellow Arab as a traitor is to identify the enemy as -- the Jew.

(8) Finally, there are countless individual examples of anti-Israelists explicitly having Jews on their minds when they are attacking Israel. The following short list is, again, representative of a vastly greater number of similar examples.

O God, help our weak brothers in Palestine score victory over the usurper Jews. O God, destroy the Jews, who have gone too far in their tyranny, corruption, and aggression. O God  make them a prey for Muslims.

So goes a prayer by Shaykh Salah al Budayr and broadcast by Saudi TV from the holy mosque in Medina on June 28, 2002. Many antisemites at least make an effort to distinguish their use of Zionist and Jew; not, apparently, Shaykh al Budayr.

Ditto for Lincoln University Professor Kaukab Siddique and his many social media postings. Siddique lauds Hamas (for example) for fighting very well against the Zionist monster. Israel admitted that 13 of its best troops were killed today. One military Jew was captured. Civilian casualties of the Palestinians were extremely heavy because the rabid dogs of the Jews were doing their worst. Siddique does this while railing against dirty Jewish Zionist thugs and condemning Zionist Jewish dog [Alan] Dershowitz.

In a widely covered story in August 2016, a half-dozen anti-Israel students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, most affiliated with campus anti-Israel group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), were exposed for their extensive antisemitic social media activity -- which drew no discernible line between anti-Israelism and antisemitism. Just several months later, another half-dozen students at two other Tennessee universities were exposed in the same way, with multiple social media calls to annihilate [the] Jewish dogs in Israel, condemning Israeli Jews for alleged crimes, and so on.

In 2015 the student government at the Durban University of Technology in South Africa called on the university to expel all Jewish students, especially those who do not support the Palestinian struggle. Not only does this phrasing imply they still would like to expel even those Jewish students who do support the Palestinian struggle, but they didnt issue any call to expel any non-Jewish students who might not support that struggle. Where Israel is in question, it is Jews who come to mind.

In 2015 UCLA student Rachel Beyda was grilled by four student government representatives on whether her Jewish background would make her unfit to serve impartially as on the schools Judicial Board. Given that you are a Jewish student and very active in the Jewish community, she was asked, how do you see yourself being able to maintain an unbiased view? A similar event occurred at Stanford also in 2015, when student senate candidate Molly Horwitz was asked by the Students of Color Coalition, while seeking their endorsement, Given your strong Jewish identity, how would you vote on divestment? Now UCLA is a school with an active chapter of SJP, where anti-Israel activism looms large, and where divestment resolutions have been passed on both the undergraduate and graduate student government levels; Stanford has also been much in the news in the past couple of years with anti-Israel and divestment activity. What Beydas and Horwitzs inquisitors were concerned about was whether, as Jews, these young leaders would be inclined to support Israel.

Finally, in a telling headline fail in November 2016, the Times of London reported on a controversy in Israel with this headline: Jews Seek to Switch Off [Muslim] Call to Prayer Alarm Clock. UK Media Watch wrote to inquire whether the paper typically used the word Jews as a synonym for Israel, in response to which the paper changed the headline to begin with Israel instead. (For the record, Israeli Muslims were also concerned about the volume of the early morning call to prayer.)

Thats enough for now.

Time for a little qualification. I admit: there is plenty of room for nuance, where one seeks nuance and where nuance is appropriate. Again, there are plenty of non-Jewish citizens in Israel, there are plenty of non-Jewish Zionists around the world, there are plenty of Jewish anti-Zionists around the world, there is tremendous ethnic and cultural and political and religious diversity within the global Jewish population, as well as within Israel. No, Israel is not strictly identical to the Jews, it is not simply composed of Jews, it cannot be formally equated with the Jews, it does not formally speak for or represent the Jews, and it is surely possible to speak about (and critique) Israel without in fact speaking about (or critiquing) all Jews everywhere or even the Jews in general -- and in fact sometimes people do, where nuance is pursued and interlocuters are high in integrity. For those who wish to be a bit more technical we might say: no, talk of Zionism or Israel does not strictly denote or refer to the Jews

Nevertheless it strikes me as incontrovertible that much of the time, perhaps most of the time, particularly on campuses and across the Arab and Muslim worlds, what most people are talking about, when talking about Israel -- is the Jews. And it also strikes me as by and large reasonable for people to do so, most of the time, for Israel is, after all, the Jewish state, the state of the Jews -- all that nuance notwithstanding. For the technical crowd, talk of Zionism or Israel incontrovertibly connotes the Jews."

I believe it essential that this point be widely recognized, especially by those inclined to criticize Israel. For the efforts they inevitably make to deny the charges of antisemitism -- Were only critiquing a political ideology, Were only advocating for Palestinian rights, We are criticizing a government -- ring extremely hollow and dishonest. They may well be doing those things, but they are typically doing them in fact by means of accusing Israel -- the Jews -- of profoundly dreadful behavior: racism, apartheid, ethnic cleansing, genocide 

Or as Salaita says in another of his honest tweets:

If it's "antisemitic" to deplore colonization, land theft, and child murder, then what choice does any person of conscience have? #Gaza -- Steven Salaita (@stevesalaita) July 20, 2014

Salaita is actually right here: for if the Jews really are guilty of all things that Israel is regularly accused of, then morality dictates that one do everything in ones means to stop them. We might say the same thing in response to medieval Christian antisemitism, and Nazi racist antisemitism: if the Jews really do murder Christian children and use the blood for their matzah, or if they really are the Aryans misfortune (to quote the famous Nazi phrase), then they must be stopped.

How could any person of conscience act otherwise?

Honestly admitting that most talk about Israel just is talk of the Jews will necessarily shift the conversation to where it properly should be.

To help see this, I propose an experiment: that wherever an anti-Israelist uses the word Israel or Zionists, substitute Jews, or the Jews. When they claim that Zionism is a settler-colonialist enterprise, they are claiming that Jews are settler-colonialists; when they claim that Israel commits ethnic cleansing, land theft, and child murder, they are claiming that Jews commit ethnic cleansing, land theft, and child murder. Sometimes the substitution wont make sense, wont fit at all; in those cases then perhaps Israel is being talked about without talking about the Jews. But much of the time it will fit and make sense -- and once so clarified, we have a chance to have an honest conversation about precisely where the antisemitism lies.

Of course it isnt antisemitic per se to advocate for Palestinian rights or to condemn the policies of a state government. Nor was it antisemitic per se for medieval Christians to defend their children from ritual murder or for Nazis to protect their country from the powerful global organization (the Elders of Zion) aiming to undermine it. But once it is recognized that it is in the end the Jews being talked about, that changes the way these behaviors are understood, and ultimately raises the bar (or should) on what it is permissible to say. Regular anti-Israelist accusations that Israel commits child murder, that Israel is (in a word) the Palestinians misfortune, will be seen to be precisely comparable to the medieval Christian and Nazi claims about the Jews.

And that is when the question, the real question, becomes clear.

It isnt about whether the anti-Israelist is speaking about Jews or not, because she clearly is. It is instead about whether what she is saying about Israel (i.e. the Jews) is true, fair, substantiated, or reasonable -- or, to the contrary, as all reasonable non-antisemites see the medieval Christian and Nazi claims to be, not merely false but riddled with double standards and grossly unfair, entirely unsubstantiated, and deeply unreasonable, and therefore clearly motivated by malice or -- in a word, hate. In short, the anti-Israelist cannot avoid charges of antisemitism by insisting that she is making her accusations about Israel, not about the Jews. The antisemitism lies instead -- as I elaborate elsewhere -- in her utter abandonment, when she thinks about Israel, of the epistemic norms that she applies to all other subjects.

It is all the more worrisome when this antisemitism manifests itself on campuses which, as institutions of higher learning, are supposed to be veritable bastions of epistemic rigor. When the campus commitment to epistemology is abandoned, as is occurring all over the Western world, things get uncomfortable for the Jews in a hurry.

I close with a quote from Vladimir Jabotinsky, prominent early 20th-century Zionist, in a 1911 essay that only recently appeared in English for the first time. Instead of Apologizing, which reflects on the appropriate strategies Jews should pursue when dealing with unfair, unreasonable, malicious slander against them (such as the blood libels), opens with words that are eerily reminiscent of what it must feel like to many Jewish students on campuses today when they hear all the dreadful things being shouted around them about Israel
It was not that long ago that Angela Merkel was hailed as the most important leader in the West. That was before she inflicted roughly a million military-age young Muslim males onto her country. Male Muslims schooled in the ways of sharia understand that young girls out on the town dressed in clothing more revealing than a burka deserve to be raped. Theyre asking for it, and a decent sharia-compliant society requires them to be punished. By Muslims, of course.

Infidels, you see, exist only to pay tribute to Muslims, and when they stray from the behaviors they are permitted, then Mohammed teaches that they must be brought into line. If they acknowledge as dhimmis the superior status of Islam, they may be allowed to live by paying the jizya tax on infidels. If they fail to subordinate themselves to the ummah, why, then a Muslim is justified in any mayhem that is permitted by the Koran against kufrs  a long and horrifying list.

Muslims are required to help bring about the worldwide rule of Islam via struggle  jihad.

These insights are available to any national leader who cares to pay attention. Merkel, obviously, is above such mundane facts. And the German volk get it. The U.K. Daily Express reports:

The embattled Chancellor, who is surrounded by armed guards around the clock and travels everywhere in a bullet-proof car, said terrified citizens should meet the ISIS terror threat with openness. Her remarks come less than two weeks after a failed asylum seeker drove an articulated truck into families at a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 and seriously injuring dozens more. The shocking tragedy, which followed a spate of jihadi terror attacks earlier this year, has heaped yet more pressure on Mrs Merkels hated open door migration policy. But in her annual New Years Eve address the under-fire leader was unrepentant, insisting that ordinary Germans should continue to attend public events despite the risk to their own lives. She said she was so convinced that Germany would emerge from its migrant chaos stronger, and bizarrely stated that the public mourning following the Berlin attack had filled her with confidence for the countrys future.

I dunno about that. Germany doesnt have the best track record when it comes to responding to crisis and violence in the streets.

Speaking on national TV she said: So what of the confidence that I spoke of at the beginning? Confidence in the midst of deep grief for the dead and injured? I think we could feel it here in Berlin and in many other German cities even in these difficult days - in the comfort that we were able to give or to receive. And in our firm determination to counter the terrorists hate with our humanity and our solidarity. By carrying on with our lives and our work, we are saying to terrorists you are murderers, full of hate, but you do not determine how we live and want to live. We are free, humane, open.

Yeah, telling them they shouldnt hate infidels could work in a universe where Muslims respected the weak horse.

Meanwhile, the Obama administration is bringing in as many Muslims as it can before the inauguration of President-Elect Trump.
If Chicago had been run by Republicans for decades, and its mayor were George W. Bushs former chief of staff, the citys horrendous level of carnage would be the top domestic story of last year, this year, and every year. It would become a symbol of our national shame. Every shooting death would gain national coverage.

But hey, its the Dems who have ruled a one-party system there for as long as anyone alive can remember. So never mind.

Still, the fact that it took less than five hours for the city to record two deaths in a dramatic fashion is telling. But much more telling is that 14 other people were shot in Chicago but didnt die (yet) before the two fatal shootings just a few hours into the New Year.

Crime in Wrigleyville and Boystown reports:

Chicagos first two homicide victims of 2017 were shot to death in an Uptown restaurant, less than five hours into the new year. The two shot each other during a dispute, according to 46th Ward Alderman James Cappleman. But the story seems a little more complex than that. A string of callers dialed 911 just before 4:30 a.m. to report shots fired in the bar area of Iyanze Bolat West African Cuisine, 4623 N. Broadway. Witnesses saw a dozen people running from the scene. A 38-year-old man who was shot once in the chest and three times in the leg was pronounced dead at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center. The man listed an address in suburban Des Plaines in a police report last year, according to a source. CWB Chicago is withholding the mans name. Passers-by reported seeing a large group of grieving family members running toward the ambulance that carried the 38-year-old away. The second man was shot eight times in his right side, police said. Cops were handling his case as a John Doe until he can be positively identified. He is believed to be in his late 30s. Minutes after the shooting, another burst of callers reported shots fired on the street in the 1100 block of West Leland, about a block from the restaurant. Witnesses saw a black man in a mustard-colored shirt fire the shots. Police recovered 6 shell casings from the Leland sidewalk, but no one was taken into custody. Remarkably, ten 14 other people managed to get shot in Chicago before the Uptown incident, according to the trackers at HeyJackass.com And, they say, the Uptown case was the city's third incident with multiple shooting victims in 2017.

Chicago is an open sore. I hope President-Elect Trump will make the violence there a matter of national concern. BlackLivesMatter bears a share of blame for calling off police from effective tactics.

Hat tip: Peter von Buol
If you saw an ad featuring an imam or a woman in a hijab, would that make you more likely to buy the product being advertised? The people running corporate America apparently think you would, which is why they are inserting Islamists into their expensive product campaigns.

The gentle piano music starts as the doorbell chimes. A white-haired Christian pastor greets his friend, a Muslim imam, and the two converse and laugh over a cup of tea, wincing about their creaky knees as they prepare to part ways. Later, it spurs the same idea in each for a gift: kneepads sent via Amazon Prime.

How wonderful. What gifts do you think imams get for Christian pastors in Egypt, where Christians are being slaughtered by Muslims left and right, or in Syria and Iraq, where the same thing is happening, or in Saudi Arabia, where the practice of Christianity is outlawed?

This type of a project is definitely a first for us, said Rameez Abid, communications director for the social justice branch of the Islamic Circle of North America, one group Amazon worked with.

Is this the same Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) who had a speaker who was connected to the 9/11 attackers and the Fort Hood shooter? Is this the same ICNA who donated thousands of dollars to a front group for Hamas? The same ICNA whose New York chapter president was convicted of killing nine people? The same ICNA with a spokesmen who was arrested for molesting a nine-year-old?

Yes! Amazon sure knows how to pick inclusive partners! And Amazon isn't the only one. Chevrolet ran an ad featuring Muslim children "mascots" named "Ruqaya" and "Qassim." Ruqaya and Qassim? How many children in America are named Ruqaya and Qassim? Chevrolet seems to be deluded into thinking its trying to sell to a Saudi Arabian audience, not an American one.

Honey Maid crackers features an ad with a fearful hijabi worried about discrimination in America. What does that have to do with crackers?

A spot advertising YouTube featured a woman in an all black robe and black hijab listening to rap music. The irony of this is that in some Islamic countries, people can be executed for listening to music. The Taliban will certainly execute you for it, the Saudis will almost certainly jail you for it, and the Iranians have outlawed many kinds of it.

Perhaps the funniest ad is the Covergirl ad showing a hijabi applying makeup. In most Islamic countries, women have to cover up their entire bodies or almost their entire bodies for fear they will be too attractive to men. And Covergirl, acting in ignorance of this central theme of Islam, has an ad campaign showing women trying to be more attractive in a culture that forces them to hide attractiveness. Covergirl also doesn't address Islamic cultures that require total face covering  presumably, women can still put on their makeup, but no one will see it.

What's interesting about all of this is that these companies did not just put Muslims in their ads; they put radical, sharia law-compliant Muslims in their ads. It would have been very easy to feature Muslims in their ads who didn't wear hijabs and who were not imams, but these companies appear to be pushing not just Muslims, but sharia law.

The reason they do this is clear. Muslims are a tiny percentage of the U.S. population. They are not the target of these ads. Liberals are. Corporate America knows that liberals see Muslims as "victims" and so, by portraying a victim class favorably, hopes to attract liberals to buy its products.

What the people fabricating these ads are blind to is that they alienate half of America with them and unknowingly (or knowingly?) promote a radical version of a religion that wants to destroy America.

Exit questions:

1) Would you be more likely to buy a book from Amazon if it were advertised by a lady in a burka?

2) When can we expect to see ads from Amazon featuring people wearing crosses or Stars of David?

3) Do you think these pro-Muslim sensitivity ads Amazon and other corporations broadcast in America are nearly as good as the pro-Christian and pro-Jewish sensitivity ads that are undoubtedly airing 24/7 in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Libya, and Iraq?

4) Do you think Amazon would ever run the pastor and imam ad in a Muslim country? If not, do you think they would appreciate the irony of their inability to do so?

Ed Straker is the senior writer at NewsMachete.com.

Thomas Lifson adds:

I strongly suspect that there have been expensive P.R. efforts aimed at many companies, urging them to address the huge and rapidly growing Muslim market, and earn recognition  awards, plaques, and citations by various Muslim groups. This is the kind of thing that adds a patina of enlightenment to a career as a senior manager and can serve as a plus, even if the numbers for the latest quarter arent so hot.

Never underestimate the power of an award at a fancy banquet for corporate egos. When the children come home from indoctrination centers (college) and start spouting leftist nonsense about exploitation, Did you know that Daddy got an award from a Muslim group? serves an important need.
The Department of Homeland Security released its year-end immigration enforcement report, and the numbers show that sanctuary cities refused to hand over to the federal government more than 2,000 illegal aliens in their custody. Instead, the illegals were released back on to the streets.

Two thousand illegals doesn't sound like a large number  until you recall that the Obama administration promised to deport only illegal aliens who are "convicted criminals, national security risks or people who are ignoring recent orders of deportation." In short, sanctuary cities set free more than 2,000 aliens who represent the worst of the worst.

Washington Times:

Led by Philadelphia and Cook County in Illinois, which refuse all cooperation with the federal government, sanctuaries are likely to be one of the thorniest issues confronting Donald Trump as president. He has vowed penalties for defying immigration laws. Mr. Trumps selection to be attorney general, Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, has also expressed support for blocking some federal funds from sanctuary cities  and even suggested bringing criminal charges against them. The Obama administration has also called for sanctuary cities and localities to cooperate, saying communities that refuse to turn over illegal immigrants wanted by federal agents are making the streets less safe and causing more hassle for immigration agents. Declined detainers result in convicted criminals being released back into U.S. communities with the potential to re-offend, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in its 2016 review released Friday. Detainer is the term ICE uses when it asks a local police or sheriffs department to hold an illegal immigrant for pickup by federal agents. A declined detainer means the locals refused, and instead released the person onto the streets. ICE has been making some progress. In fiscal year 2015, there were 395 jurisdictions that acted as sanctuaries, refusing to turn over a total of 8,546 illegal immigrants that were being sought by ICE agents. In 2016, the number of jurisdictions dropped to 279, and the total number of illegal immigrants shielded was down by more than three-quarters to 2,008. Its not a straight 1-to-1 comparison, however, because ICE likely stopped asking in 2016 for detainers on some illegal immigrants in communities that have gained reputations for refusing to cooperate. Of the 25 largest jurisdictions that offered sanctuary a few years ago, 21 of them have started to work with ICE in some capacity since Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson made a major push to establish better cooperation. Still, even those 21 municipalities dont fully cooperate, officials acknowledged. Some, such as Philadelphia and Cook County, home of Chicago, balk at most requests. Asked over the summer, Philadelphia officials insisted that they attempt to cooperate on violent criminals or suspected terrorists, but they didnt answer specific Justice Department allegations that the city refused cooperation. Cook County, meanwhile, didnt respond to repeated requests for comment.

The number of sanctuary cities is augmented by universities who are refusing to cooperate with the federal government in handing over any illegal aliens. But authorities face the same difficulity in cutting off federal funds to schools as they do in denying funding for sanctuary cities: it is extremely difficult to separate funds used to care for illegals from general purpose funds. It is probable that the courts would take a dim view of denying money to cities and schools because of this difficulty.

But the effort must be made, if only to protect citizens whose own governments put in danger. Regardless of what Congress does about sanctuary cities, it appears that President Trump will challenge their defiance of federal law and attempt to bring them to heel in order to address the crisis at our borders.
Startling new evidence reveals a major to-do list item for the incoming Trump administration: a formal inquiry, with subpoena power, on the process by which the U.S. handled the Syrian rebels who turned into ISIS. In a landmark New Years Day post on Conservative Treehouse, Sundance lays out the pieces of a puzzle indicating that Obama administration blundering (or was it intentional?) fostered and supported the creation of ISIS and unintentionally created the opening for Russia to operate in Syria and thereby attain the long sought Mediterranean naval base, and also an air base in the Middle East.

The cast of characters is led by John Kerry, whose leaked audio recording of a meeting last fall near the U.N., is the single biggest piece of smoking-gun evidence. But along the way, we meet NeverTrumps like Adam Kinzinger; John McCain; and, very provocatively, the NeverTrump designated spoiler, Evan McMullin, long before he was put forward as a Trump-preventer.

I wont even begin to lay out the complicated case Sundance has assembled. Far better for you to read the entire post (its long) and try to listen to the audio recording. They are a bit rough and hard to follow, so I am copying a transcript (with comments) that has been prepared of the key moments in the audio recording by Sheila Coombs of Knowterrorists, an antiwar site:

I have transcribed Kerrys statement from the recording which I have listened to in full as Kerry talks to Syrian dissidents and ex-pats who, like those of Iraqi and Libya before them, are prepared to do deals with the devil to get the regime change they desire.

One can hear John Kerry endeavouring to placate these people by discussing how he has promoted the use of force in Syria: For us politically where you have a Congress who will not authorise our use of force. Congress will not pass that and so were trying to help the best way we can, but we finally decided the best thing we can do is try to find a way with a political solution where the opposition is part of the government and you can have an election. (I suppose this will be like the election they set up just after they destroyed Libya and the BBC and Al Jazeera went into overdrive touting it as democracy having been achieved in Libya  oh yeah, that worked really well didnt it?)

He also says: I think youre looking at three people, four people in the administration who have all argued for use of force, and I lost the argument. Ive argued for use of force. I stood up. Im the guy who stood up and announced were going to attack Assad because of the weapons, and then you know things evolved into a different process. Hes referring to the diplomatic process.

Crucially he lets slip that Russia is invited in by the legitimate regime

(N.B.Russia also went to the UN for a resolution to undertake action in Syria  thats UN Resolution 2249)

He responds to their frustrations by saying Look, I get it, a lot of us wish there was an enforcement mechanism right now, a lot of us have been fighting for one, but we dont have one in that sense so were trying to persue diplomacy, and I understand the frustration, you have nobody more frustrated about it than we are.

He sees the problem as being  I quote: A lot of Americans dont believe we should be sending young Americans to die in another country  thats the problem

He states: Al Nusra and DAESH both make it hard because you have this extreme element out there and unfortunately some of the opposition is already kind of chosen to work with them. He admits this but has sent TOW missiles and in April this year sent 3,000 tons of weapons during a ceasefire to the opposition  a list is detailed in Janes Military Index.

He wanted no Syrian or Russian planes to fly, but US planes could fly despite having killed 62 Syrian Arab Army soldiers as they were defending Deir Ezzor from DAESH. He said the deal the US wanted was Seven days consecutive of calm before we talk about focussing on DAESH and and Nusra.

The Syrians push Kerry for more action. They state categorically that the Russians or Syrians hit the aid convoy in Aleppo despite no evidence of this and the convoy emanting from a government held area. They are annoyed that the Russians are targetting the so called Syria Civil Defence Force aka The White Helmets, who were first on the scene, who put out a video immediately and who are well known to be working with Al Nursa and ISIS in Syria. The White Helmets leader Raed Saleh was been barred from the US for his links to extremism and yet USAID has given them $23 million. The White Helmets operate only in rebel held areas  hmmm.

One Syrian guy is then pushing Kerry to get the US to attack Hezbollah fighters whereupon Kerry admits that Hezbollah is not attacking the US. This Syrian guy is annoyed that Russia is only attacking the Sunni extremists, (mostly foreign fighters as the Syrian army is made up of a majority of Sunnis). It is the mostly foreign Whabbaist Sunni extremists who are being targeted by the Syrian Army and Russia, but this guy is trying to persuade Kerry to attack Hezbollah and Iranian forces who are also combatting the Sunni Whahabbist extremist jihadis. To appease this guy Kerry states that Hezbollah is  quote Targetted by the opposition we are arming and training

He says to one woman pushing him  I think weve been putting an extraordinary amount of arms in  havent we? -to an aid who confirms this and that there are weapons entering Syria from other sources. Kerry states Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia  huge amount of weapons. All of these are US allies.
Secretary of State John Kerry, in his parting speech on the Middle East, posed what is called a "false dichotomy argument," which is sometimes referred to as a "false dilemma." This type of argument presents two choices as if no other alternatives exist.

When getting to the crux of his speech, Kerry posed two stern choices regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Kerry insisted that "there must be a two-state solution or a one-state solution." This argument forces the listener to choose between the two choices when others may exist. In this case, Kerry puts the onus on Israel and those who support Israel (most Americans) to make this false choice. It is deceptive and a sleight of hand.

The false dichotomy argument is done either on purpose or by accident. We can leave it up to the readers to decide the motive.



The facts remain: other choices, whether likely to occur or not, exist. How about no choice? Hamas in Gaza and Fatah in the West Bank are not even unified and very different; how is Israel even supposed to negotiate with a non-unified Palestinian people? Does Israel negotiate with Fatah or Hamas? Will an agreement with one subsume an agreement with the other? This is one example that blows a hole in Kerry's argument. Certainly, Hamas and Fatah need to come to terms before Israel negotiates with them.



Secretary of State Kerry used a subtle yet powerful argument technique that is used to manipulate. Shouldn't we expect more from our leaders?
The anger against the ruling elites that fueled the election of Donald Trump was not understood by them for good reason: they genuinely are isolated from the realities of life as experienced by most Americans.

A fascinating survey has created a data-based measure of the social isolation of the urban elites, the people who run the country who have no contact at all with the lives of most people. Charles Murray, co-author of the groundbreaking study The Bell Curve, and author of Coming Apart: The State of White America, devised a clever survey to identify the social isolation from the rest of America that characterizes highly educated, affluent elites. He explains for the American Enterprise Institute, where he is a scholar:

In Coming Apart, a book I published in 2012, I asked my readers to score themselves on a 25-item test titled How Thick is Your Bubble? Scores could range from 0 to 100. The lower the score, the thicker ones elite cultural bubble.

For PBS, he created a similar version of the quiz, taken by over 130,000 people who watch PBS. It asked 25 questions, such as:

Did you grow up in a family in which the chief breadwinner was not in a managerial position or a high-prestige profession (defined as attorney, physician, dentist, architect, engineer, scientist or college professor)? Have you ever lived for at least a year in an American community with a population under 50,000 that is not part of a metropolitan area and is not where you went to college? Have you ever walked on a factory floor? Have you ever held a job that caused something to hurt at the end of the day? Have you ever had a close friend who was an evangelical Christian?

Murray acknowledges the limits, but they do not prevent the data from being meaningful:

It is not a nationally representative sample  not surprising, considering that the first thirty or forty thousand people who took the quiz were mostly people who watch PBS, which has a famously well-educated, sophisticated audience. Even after the first few months, the people who took the quiz online were necessarily people who take online quizzes  not your average American. And so it came to pass that the typical quiz-taker came from a zip code that was 28% richer than that of the average American, with 55% more people with college educations and 34% fewer people without high school diplomas. The zip codes of the quiz-takers were whiter and more Asian than those of the average American, and less black and Latino. They were more urban, with the typical quiz-taker living in a city with more than twice the median population of the city where the average American lives. (snip) More or less by accident (I devised the quiz as a teaching device), the Bubble Quiz is a pretty darn good test. Its scores have the desirable psychometric property of forming an almost perfect normal distribution (a bell curve). More importantly, the scores were, as I hoped, related to the socioeconomic status (SES) of the zip code where people lived, with SES measured by a combination of median family income and the percentage of persons age 25 and older who have a college education. The data for assessing zip codes were taken from the 20102014 combined American Community Surveys, conducted by the Census Bureau. The data yield some remarkable conclusions about the way elites cluster together and cut themselves off (snip) When I controlled for the age of the respondent and the urbanization of the zip code, it turned out that virtually all the effect on the bubble score is driven by the percentage of adults with a college degree in the zip code where the respondent lived. The zip codes median family income had almost no independent effect. Another interesting finding: the zip code where people lived at age 10 had a modestly larger effect on their bubble scores than their current zip code. Its not an implausible result, but its also not one I would have confidently predicted ahead of time. A third interesting finding is one that I presented in the earlier posts but bears showing again with the larger sample sizes: The relationship between the bubble score and the zip codes SES is nonlinear. Take a look at this graphic:

For people who live in zip codes in the bottom quartile of SES (the x axis in the graphic), increases in SES had little association with the bubble score. In the middle two SES quartiles, scores gradually declined. In the top SES quartile, increases were associated with accelerating declines in the bubble score, becoming especially steep for those in the top few percentiles. (snip) The important point about the graph is that the top few percentiles are crucial for understanding our cultural divide. The people living in zip codes in the top two percentiles include almost all of those who run the nations culture, economy, and politics. And thats where the bubble scores plunge.

In other words, there really is an elite at the very top of our income, education, and status hierarchy, and they cluster in just a few areas and cut themselves off from different people. Moreover, they tend to be children of people of higher status and education.

A hereditary class cut off from the society they rule  not exactly the Jeffersonian ideal of America. More like the European, Latin, and Asian nations from which many Americans fled. And they live exactly where you would expect (list below). Neil Munro of Breitbart summarizes:
For the past few years, Carlos Sanchez, a volunteer with the Military Geographical Institute, has been assisting a group of a volcanologists by observing and recording the activities of the Tungurahua volcano from a lonely tree house he had built on a green mountaintop near Banos, Ecuador, less than a mile away from the volcano's crater. From this vantage point, Sanchez watches for potential pyroclastic flows that can rapidly move downslope towards the city of Banos, located at the foot of the volcano, 8 km (5 miles) to the north. Sanchez is equipped with a radio via which he can send alerts to the Observatory so that the inhabitants can be evacuated on time.

Sanchezs family often visited him on his tree house on weekends, and to keep them entertained, he decided to build a simple wooden swing dangling from a branch that swung out over the edge of the mountainside. Then someone saw it and posted photos of this amazing swing on the internet, and now this place is swarming with tourists.

Photo credit: Mike Theiss/National Geographic

I miss very much the time when it was peaceful and I came here with my three daughters, muses Carlos Sanchez, who calls himself the Volcano Watcher. I miss a lot of that, sitting here and relaxing with myself. There used to be a lot of birds here.

But there was a lot to gain from this exposure.

My father-in-law and my brother-in-law, my sisters-in-law, they needed the money, tells Carloss daughter-in-law, Malen Caicedo. They werent rich. Now they have more money for better education for their children. But I miss very much.

Visitors from all around the world trek to the mountaintop to ride the swing, enjoy picnics and leave notes in the tree house guest log. The variety of languages in the logbooks speak of how far and wide the swings fame has travelled. There are messages in Spanish, English, German, Chinese, Japanese and Arabic. To date, Carlos has ten books filled to the brim.

In less than five years, the mountainside has developed into a swing-riding haven, with similar attractions dotting the hillside. But Carlos Sanchezs Casa del Arbol, or the Tree House, sitting right at the top of the mountain is still the best. And the view is gorgeous. On a good, cloudless day, one can get a clear view of the active Tungarahua volcano, which means throat of fire in the native Quechua language of the Andes.

The media has given different names to the swing. The swing at the edge of the world, and the swing of death are the most common. Although it appears to hang over a dangerous cliff, the swing actually hangs over a steep slope that rolls down a distance of about 100 vertical feet. Still, you dont want to fall off that thing.

Originally there was only one swing on the tree house, and it hung from a branch. Now out of safety concern, a steel beam was added from which the swing hangs now. A second swing was added as well. There is also a rudimentary seat belt now.

Photo credit: Rinaldo Wurglitsch/Flickr

Photo credit: the Gringo/Flickr

Photo credit: Michael/Flickr

Photo credit: Rinaldo Wurglitsch/Flickr

Photo credit: Freejpg/Flickr

Sources: The Nimby / Life in Ecuador / STREVA / Alamy
2016 has been an interesting year for smartphone users and specifically for Android OS enthusiasts, as several months ago Google took the veil off its Pixel smartphone series supposed to push the company more into the industrys forefront as a device manufacturer. Interestingly enough, the launch of the Pixels has created a ripple effect throughout the Android smartphone industry, as certain software features developed by Google will now be reserved for these devices alone. This includes Googles AI and virtual assistant, which will be utilized at full potential on Pixel smartphones in order to deliver a true Google experience. Meanwhile, OEMs will attempt to fill the gap in 2017 by creating their own voice-activated virtual assistants.

According to a market research firm, Gartner, by the year 2019, 20% of interactions between smartphones and users will be conducted through virtual personal assistants. However, since Googles more advanced AI assistant will be reserved for Pixel smartphones moving forward, other companies are now looking to create their own solutions. Samsung Electronics seems to be working on an AI assistant called Bixby, which will reportedly debut along with the Samsung Galaxy S8 flagship in the coming months. And although Samsung Electronics has been through a rough patch with the faulty Galaxy Note 7, reports from South Korea claim that, in 2017, Samsung will continue to push the limits and release a foldable device later this year called the Galaxy X. The year 2017 will also test smartphone manufacturers in the automotive space, with both Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics expected to strengthen their position in this industry and create new partnerships. Meanwhile, network operators along with a number of carmakers including (but not limited to) BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai-Kia Motors, and Mahindra Group will continue developing 5G-based self-driving car technologies.

As for the smartphone market alone, 2017 shapes to be an exciting year for both Android and iOS users, as technologies including bezel-less displays and fingerprint recognition scanners are expected to reach new heights. Reports say that the Samsung Galaxy S8 will be equipped with a 6-inch bezel-less screen which may be embedded with a fingerprint recognition sensor, and Apple has been rumored to explore the concept of screen-embedded fingerprint scanners for its next flagships as well. Meanwhile, industry watchers expect companies  including LG Electronics and Huawei  to up their dual-camera game this year.
Foxconn, one of the best-known third-party electronic manufacturing companies thanks to its arrangement to build the Apple iPhone, is working towards fully automating its Chinese factories. The companys General Manager of Automation Technology Development Committee, Dai Jia-peng, explained that the company has put into effect a three stage plan. The first stage involves establishing automated workstations to perform those duties that are considered too dangerous for human workers  or for those jobs that humans do not want to do. The second stage involves automating the entire production line of a given product but by doing so, this will consolidate the number of robots used for that device. At the third stage, the entire factory will use automatic production with only a small number of human workers left for duties such as logistics, testing, inspection and quality control.

Currently, Foxconn already use automated production facilities and a number of products and factories are already at the second and third stage of the plan. The company already has ten fully automated production lines, including an all-in-one PC and LCD monitor lines, specifically at the Chongqing factory in western China. The company also uses 40,000 Foxbots across the business, these being an industrial robot design that Foxconn has developed and manufactured in house. Dai explained that Foxconn has the manufacturing capacity to build another 10,000 Foxbots a year and this means the company will be able to rapidly expand its automated process. However, on a note of caution Dai also highlighted how whilst robotic technology continues to improve, the company does not expect industrial robot equipment to completely replace workers  because humans are more flexible and adaptable, and are readily able to switch from one task to another. Robots currently need to be reprogrammed for different duties.

At this time, it is not known if Foxconn manufacturers any smartphones using a fully automated production line process, but given the ambitious plans for all factories to use industrial robots, it sounds like it is only a matter of time before iPhones, and of course other manufacturers devices, are being built by machines. Presumably, a fully robotic production line could improve quality control and consistency, which is something all manufacturers will be keen to maintain.
It seems like Samsung plans to announce results of an investigation into what went wrong with the Galaxy Note 7 soon. As most of you know, the Galaxy Note 7 is a real thorn in Samsungs boot, the company had introduced their flagship phablet back in August, and after great reviews at first, the Galaxy Note 7 units started catching fire, and until this day, we still dont know what exactly went wrong with the Galaxy Note 7, despite the fact most people are blaming the battery Samsung used here, even though the company did ship new units, with new battery packs, and that did not help.

In any case, the company might finally reveal what went wrong by the end of January, at least if the source is to be believed. The JoongAng llbo newspaper reported that it will happen this month, as the news outlet cited unnamed sources. Samsung got hit with a $5+ billion loss due to the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, after two recalls the company decided to stop selling the device altogether, which resulted in huge losses for Samsung. As already mentioned, many people are still blaming the Galaxy Note 7 battery packs for the fires, but it is also possible that Samsungs design is to blame here. Several sources reported that the Galaxy Note 7s body is simply too small, and that theres not enough room inside of the device for heat dissipation, which, in the end, resulted in all those phones to explode.

We could guess what went wrong all day, but it would be best to wait and see what Samsung has to say, as the world is eagerly awaiting for more info about all that. The Galaxy Note 7 issues managed to disappoint quite a few users, and some of them even opted to keep the device, despite the fact Samsung basically asked everyone to return it for their own safety, and the company is going out of their way to force users to stop using the phone by limiting its battery capacity, killing some of its features, etc. All in all, the Galaxy Note 7 could have been the best smartphone of 2016, and instead of that, it became one of Samsungs greatest failures.
Google has reportedly started rolling out direct carrier billing for Play Store purchases to Airtel and Vodafone subscribers in India. The new option is expected to allow millions of Android users in the worlds third-largest smartphone market to buy apps, games, digital media and e-books from the Google Play Store and have those charges billed directly by their carriers, eliminating the need to pay via credit cards or netbanking in a country where people are still largely apprehensive about online financial transactions. The option, however, is apparently only available for postpaid users right now, although some reports suggest that prepaid users on these two carriers will also be able to pay for Play Store purchases from their prepaid balance in the near future. Which is just as well, given that prepaid users form the vast majority of the mobile user-base in the country.

The fact that Google will bring direct carrier billing to Airtel, Vodafone and Idea was originally announced at the Google Playtime event in New Delhi last October. The option has already been available for Idea customers for a while now, although it is yet to take off in any meaningful way so far. One of the main reasons that can be attributed to the relatively lukewarm response to the rollout is that Idea does not have either the scale or the scope of larger and more popular carriers, such as Airtel, Vodafone, BSNL and Reliance. With Airtel and Vodafone onboard, Google will now hope to have access to the majority of smartphone users in India, but only as long as it can work out some sort of a deal with the carriers that will allow prepaid users to pay for their purchases from their account balance.

While direct carrier billing is certainly a step in the right direction for all concerned, reports indicate that the system is still a work in progress for the most part. First off, Googles support page still lists Idea as the only direct-billing carrier in India, so theres no telling when the support for Airtel and Vodafone will be officially switched-on going forward. Secondly, many online commentators are claiming that the carrier billing integration for the two new networks is extremely buggy. According to some, Google Play is failing to verify user accounts to authenticate the payments because of the carriers inability to initiate any confirmation SMS. Either way, once Airtel and Vodafone iron out the niggling issues, it will be interesting to see how long it takes for Google to strike deals with other large carriers, such as BSNL and Reliance Jio.
Motorolas first Moto Mod in 2017 could be the Marstak Smart Flip cover, at least based on todays information. The Marstak Smart Flip cover just surfaced in a couple of images, and as you can see in the gallery down below, this is a flip cover which comes with a number of (credit) card pockets, and it gets attached to the back of the Moto Z, Moto Z Force or Moto Z Play via magnetic pins, of course.

Now, do keep in mind that this flip cover was not officially announced by Motorola, but according to the source, it is actually available in the Philippines for the Moto Z devices, and its a freebie, believe it or not. Now, some of you probably remember that the company said last year that they plan to introduce at least 12 new Moto Mods in 2017, and the Marstak Smart Flip cover could be the first one, or at least amongst the first ones. Were still waiting for Motorola to release some official info regarding this flip cover, if the info provided by the source is legit, of course. This flip cover is, arguably, less interesting (based on the info we have at the moment) than something like the Hasselblad True Zoom Camera Moto Mod, or the Moto Insta-Share Projector, but it will definitely appeal to some people should Motorola opt to officially introduce it and offer it to consumers all over the world.

For those of you who dont know, Moto Mod accessories are actually unique accessories that attach on the Moto Z devices. Each of the Moto Z devices has a set of POGO pins on its back, and thats where these accessories snap on, using magnets. Motorola had introduced a number of really interesting Moto Mods thus far, like the ones weve mentioned in the last paragraph, but it will be interesting to see what else are we going to get this year, as there are tons of possibilities here. In any case, stay tuned for additional info regarding the Marstak Smart Flip cover, and any other possible Moto Mods, as well do our best to keep you in the loop, as per usual.
More details of American chip designer Qualcomms latest mobile System-on-Chip, the Snapdragon 835, may have been revealed in a number of leaked slides prior to the Consumer Electronics Show 2017, where Qualcomm is planning to unveil more details of the new chipset. Qualcomm originally unveiled the Snapdragon 835 back in November 2016 but did not disclose very much about the new chip, which industry experts believe will be powering 2017s flagship smartphones from manufacturers such as Samsung, Motorola, HTC and others. The leaked information highlights the Snapdragon 835s smaller manufacturing process, at 10nm, which means that the new champion Qualcomm chipset is smaller and uses less power than its predecessor chipsets. Other highlighted features include the underlying custom application cores being the Kryo 280 design and the chipset also benefiting from the Adreno 540 GPU. This new combination is said to bring with it 25% faster rendering with up to sixty times as many on-screen colors. The smaller size and higher performance bring with it reductions in power consumption, and Qualcomms slide shows the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 uses half as much energy as the Snapdragon 801, which was used in smartphones from 2014 such as the Samsung Galaxy S5, Motorola Moto X (2014) and HTC One M8.

Other features that the new Qualcomm chipset has, include a gigabit-class LTE x16 modem, embedded support for biometric security systems, a smooth zoom and very fast auto-focus feature for camera sensors, support for 10-bit, 4K, 60 fps video playback and includes support for DirectX 12, OpenGL ES and Vulkan graphics. Qualcomm have also included their Quick Charge 4 proprietary fast charging technology, which is claimed can recharge batteries some 20% faster than Quick Charge 3. According to Qualcomm, this means that just 15 minutes of time on the charger can put the battery to 50% (these statistics usually involve charging an empty or very low battery). In short, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 represents an evolution of the current flagship Snapdragon 821 chipset with improvements to many different aspects of the chip.

As for availability, the Snapdragon is expected to be released on 2017s early flagship devices such as the next Samsung Galaxy S smartphone and the LG G6, which are rumored to be unveiled in February for a March release. With the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show being close to kick off, we probably wont have to wait for long until Qualcomm releases far more info when it comes to the Snapdragon 835 SoC.
Samsung Electronics has been the worlds largest Android smartphone manufacturer for the past several years, and up until 2016 the companys strategy to release two flagships every year seems to have paid off. However, in the second half of 2016, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 proved to be a big issue for the company, leading to mass recalls and leaving a black mark on Samsungs record. Needless to say, Samsung Electronics wants to avoid repeating the same mistakes twice, and reportedly, following the New Years Eve the companys CEO opened the topic of quality assurance to its employees.

According to a report from Reuters, earlier today Samsung Electronics CEO Kwon Oh-Hyun said that his company should make no compromises in regards to the quality of its products. Furthermore, the CEO has apparently asked Samsung Electronics employees to improve upon manufacturing processes and safety inspections. The companys next flagship phone  the Samsung Galaxy S8  is expected to be unveiled in the coming months, and reports suggest that the flagship will be packed with new technologies and will carry a fresh bezel-less design. Whatever the case may be, its safe to assume that Samsung is taking extra precautions in order to avoid the launch of another faulty model after the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. The issues following the release of the aforementioned model have not only left a mark on the companys record but have also cost the company around $5 billion in losses.

The exact cause of the problem revolving the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 remains unknown, but all the faulty units have experienced the same issues leading to a combusting battery. Probe results should be revealed by the end of January 2017, and with the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S8 around the corner, theres no wonder why the companys CEO is asking for better quality assurance. In any case, the CEO also held a speech on New Year when he warned Samsung employees of foreign exchange rates and trade protectionism, which could lead to growing economic and political uncertainties moving forward in 2017. Either way, all eyes are now fixed on the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S8 which should mitigate some of the damage caused by the Galaxy Note 7.
Libya: media,Italian firms in Tripoli airport reconstruction GNA transport minister, criticism from Tobruk Parliament

(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, JANUARY 2 - A consortium of Italian companies has been tasked with the reconstruction work at the beginning of 2017 of the international airport of Tripoli, which was seriously damaged during the crisis in Libya, the online website of the Libya Herald quoted the transport minister of the Government of National Accord (GNA), Milad Matoog, as saying Monday.



The announcement during a transport forum organized in Tripoli by the Libyan African Aviation Holding Company, which has airliners Afriqiyah Airlinesand Libyan Airlines, was criticized by the Parliament of Tobruk (HOR), whose member Rujban Salah Suhbi said any contract signed by the Libyan State for reconstruction of the international airport of Tripoli must be considered illegal and unconstitutional if it is not adopted according to the necessary procedures.



In October 2016, a consortium of Italian companies operating in the airport sector visited the airport of Tripoli and the Libyan airport authority said the Italian consortium would make an offer to rebuild the structure, which was seriously damaged in clashes between the militias of Fajr Libya and Zintan in July 2014. (ANSAmed)
ROMA- Iran "always have and always will defend Syria's territorial integrity and national sovereignty," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said Monday in a press conference in Teheran, Presstv reports. "We will not allow Syria to turn into a place, where other countries, the least of which Iran, can exert their influence".



he added, rejecting a recent Reuters report claiming that Tehran, Moscow and Ankara eye dicing Syria into zones of influence.



According to Reuters's report, published on December 28, Syria would be divided into informal zones of regional power influence and Bashar al-Assad would remain president for at least a few years under an outline deal between Russia, Turkey and Iran, sources say.



Such a deal would allow regional autonomy within a federal structure controlled by Assad's Alawite sect.



Iran has vowed all-out efforts to help restore peace to violence-torn Syria, Qassemi stated, saying the Islamic Republic will attend the upcoming crisis resolution talks between Damascus and the opposition in Astana, Kazakhstan, "without any preconditions." Late last month, the Syrian government and foreign-backed militant groups reached a nationwide ceasefire deal, brokered by Russia and Turkey. The two sides also agreed to attend intra-Syrian talks in Astana.



The diplomatic achievements came after trilateral Syria meetings among Iran, Russia and Turkey in Moscow, in which the three sides stressed the need for an all-Syria truce and expressed "readiness to facilitate and become the guarantors" of the agreement, which was still under negotiations at the time.



Qassemi further said it is not yet clear when the Astana talks will take place, adding that Iran has "no preconditions" for attending the negotiations aimed at resolving more than five years of deadly violence in Syria.



The issue of other parties lining up with Iran, Russia and Turkey to address the crisis in Syria is so far out of question the Iranian official emphasized according to Irna. Maybe in the future there will be a possibility for other parties to join in the process. (ANSAmed).
(ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, JANUARY 2 - A reported 281 civilians, including 65 children, have been killed in Turkish air raids and bombings in northern Syria since the start of the so-called Euphrates Shield operation at the end of August last year, according to the NGO Syrian Observatory for human rights.



The operation, with the deployment of Turkish troops backing pro-Ankara Syrian rebels, is both fighting ISIS and Kurdish YPG militias supported by the US, which Turkey considers terrorists as there are connected to the Turkish PKK.



The raids over the past few weeks have focused on the Al Bab region north of Aleppo. According to Ondus, four civilians were killed in the last Turish bombings on the village of Tadif.



(ANSAmed)
114 migrants saved in Med Most from Senegal, Equatorial Guinea

(ANSAmed) - ROME, JANUARY 2 - An international rescue ship saved 114 migrants in the Mediterranean on the night between Sunday and Monday, sources said Monday.



The group included six women and 22 minors, 16 of them unaccompanied, including three small children.



Most of the migrants were from Senegal and Equatorial Guinea, but some from Uganda, Mali and Ivory Coast.




Istanbul: manhunt still under way for nightclub attacker Media: 120-180 gunshots fired

(ANSAmed) - ROME, JANUARY 2 - A manhunt is still underway in Turkey for the killer who, on New Year's Eve, killed 39 people at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul and then ran away. Two local dailies, Hurriyet and Karar, quoting anonymous sources, reported on Monday that the attacker is linked to ISIS and that he comes from either Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Thousands of police officers have been deployed across the country to look for him.



Meanwhile reports said the attacker fired between 120 and 180 gunshots inside the club. (ANSAmed).




(ANSAmed) - MADRID, JANUARY 2 - A young Moroccan woman was arrested at the border between the Spanish enclave of Ceuta and Morocco while she was trying to bring into Spain a sub-Saharan migrant hidden in a suitcase in her car.



The woman, 22, identified by her initials HEL, was stopped by customs police after her behavior raised suspicion. A 19-year-old Gabon national without documents was discovered in a suitcase on top of the car. He was treated for suffocation symptoms. (ANSAmed)
Syria: NGO, 281 civilians dead in Turkish raids in 4 months Including 65 children

(ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, JANUARY 2 - A reported 281 civilians, including 65 children, have been killed in Turkish air raids and bombings in northern Syria since the start of the so-called Euphrates Shield operation at the end of August last year, according to the NGO Syrian Observatory for human rights.



The operation, with the deployment of Turkish troops backing pro-Ankara Syrian rebels, is both fighting ISIS and Kurdish YPG militias supported by the US, which Turkey considers terrorists as there are connected to the Turkish PKK.



The raids over the past few weeks have focused on the Al Bab region north of Aleppo. According to Ondus, four civilians were killed in the last Turish bombings on the village of Tadif.



(ANSAmed)
ROME - ISIS on Monday reportedly claimed responsibility for the New Year's attack on the upscale Reina nightclub in Istanbul that killed 39 people in a statement released through its news agency Amaq.

In the statement, which was released for the first time in Turkish as well as in Arabic, ISIS called the attacker an ''heroic soldier'' who ''struck one of the most famous nightclubs where Christians celebrate their apostate holiday''.

The statement also described Turkey as a ''servant of the Cross'', referring to the conflict in Syria, warning that ''Ankara's government should know that the blood of Muslims killed by its jets and artillery will set its home on fire, according to God's will''.

The statement also claimed that the attacker acted under the orders of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Meanwhile a manhunt is underway to catch the shooter, who possibly hails from central Asia, according to some reports.


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The idea of public support for the arts, and especially for individual artists, is a pretty progressive idea. It takes some convincing, even in a largely Democratic place. And despite the fact that just last year Cuyahoga County voters overwhelmingly renewed the cigarette tax for the arts, distrust by artists of the organization they worked to establish could erode that support pretty quickly. The tragedy of thatbesides the obviousis that the individual artist program is, at three percent, a tiny fraction of Cuyahoga Arts Councils grant making.
My posting about the sad fate of my beloved Uncle Paul, who vanished without trace from my life when I was a boy, brought me a fair amount of correspondence, including a note from a reader who was kind enough to e-mail me an electronic copy of something that Id been unable to find on the web: the original newspaper story about Pauls death.

Having written four biographies and a memoir, Ive learned from hard experience how imperfect memoriesmy own includedcan be. No matter how clear those memories may seem to be, primary sources have a way of sneaking up from behind and taking you by surprise. The story about Pauls death that appeared in my hometown paper contained quite a few such surprises, starting with the fact that his full name was Homer Paul Armsby. To me, of course, he was Uncle Paul pure and simple, and I cant recall anyone in my family ever calling him Homer.

Even more surprising to me was that Paul died in September of 1970, when I was fourteen years old. I last remember seeing him in 1966, and my brother, who is four years younger than me, barely remembers Paul at all. My best guess is that he paid his final visit to our house in Smalltown in 1967, though thats only a guess. Id wrongly supposed that he died shortly thereafter, but it appears instead that he moved to Wentzville, a town not far from St. Louis, and lived there on his own for a few years after his marriage to Aunt Suzy came to an end.

In all other particulars, my memory of Pauls death is borne out by the bare facts that are recorded in the story: he was run over by a truck while walking in the middle of Highway 61 at a quarter to four in the morning. The rest is easy enoughtoo easyto imagine.

My reader also sent me something even more surprising, a longer obituary published in an Arizona newspaper:

Mr. Armsby, a heavy equipment operator who formerly lived in Arizona three years, was killed in a vehicle accident Friday at Perryville, Mo. He was an Army veteran of World War II and a 32nd degree Mason in St. Louis. He was born in Corning, Ark.

It was news to me that Paul had lived in Arizona, much less that he had roots there. According to the obituary, he was survived by his parents, a brother, and three sisters, all of whom were living in the Phoenix area in 1970, as well as four other brothers and sisters who lived in Missouri. I wouldnt be greatly surprised if one or two of his siblings are still alive, though I dont intend to investigate further. Given the circumstances of his death, I cant imagine that their memories of their brother are anything other than painful.

Im glad, though, to know where Paul was laid to rest, for I had feared that he might possibly lie in an unmarked paupers grave. Not so: his body was returned to Arizona for burial in the Mountain View Cemetery of Mesa, an elaborately appointed institution reminiscent of Forest Lawn whose paths are lined with tall palm trees. My brother even managed to track down a photograph of the simple plaque that marks his grave, on which he is identified as Homer P. Armsby, a World War II vet. Since four other members of the Armsby family are buried in the same cemetery, it seems probable that there is no one left in Mesa to mourn him.

Shakespeare said it: What can we bequeath/Save our deposed bodies to the ground? But of course that isnt quite true: most of us also leave behind memories, some good and others nightmarishly bad. A half-century after he was run over on Highway 61, I still remember Paul, and because he took great care never to let me see him in any other light, I think of him not as the unhappy man that he eventually became but as the sweet, kindly uncle who sang You Are My Sunshine to me when I was a little boy. Im glad for that.

* * *

Jimmie Davis sings You Are My Sunshine in 1939:

Frank Sinatra sings One for My Baby at Londons Royal Festival Hall in 1962, accompanied by Bill Miller:
Ushering in 2017 with Patti Smith and band at Chicagos Park West New Years Eve was inspiriting for us of a certain age and artsy disposition.

Grey-haired but loose and limber  funny, fierce, profane and poetically incantatory  Smith celebrated her 70th birthday in the city of her origin as if for all boomers and our progeny. At the Riviera Theatre on Dec. 30 she performed the whole of Horses, her winning 1975 debut album; on the 31st, backed by her four-man Nuggets, she offered a mixed bag including Debbie Reynolds plaintive Tammy, the Doobie Brothers Jesus Is Just Alright, a Prince cover, vague comments that become stories that turned images into phrases conjuring her anthems Gloria, Because the Night and People Have the Power, and for a finale the Whos My Generation  as a call to arms in the form of active humanitarianism united in cultural bohemianism, a commitment to folk-rock-soul-art-literary-punk fun.

2017 is the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love! Smith exhorted the full house of hipsters  perhaps a third the 900 standing for three hours in a mosh pit, though most looked as well-aged as Smith and her longtime guitarman, Lenny Kaye. Our generation had ideals! We were going to change the world with music, love, sex, drugs, understanding! This was our weapon   she hoisted a Fender  and now weve got to be strong! Weve got a voice! Weve got to teach the young, theyre the future! She waved at her daughter playing keyboards, and hugged a Japanese guitarist whod come from Tokyo to sit in. We must not behave!

Extraordinarily for a New Years Eve party, in the middle of a show which had the immediacy of something thrown together with and for friends, Smith broke into talking about people less fortunate that those of us whod gathered at some cost just for a good time. It was as if she made it easier to enjoy by acknowledged how fucked up things are, on so many levels.

She complained of not understanding why people who need blankets cant be given them, people who need food or water arent provided for of course, and segued into her sympathies for Syrian refugees and others displaced by war.

This came off not as a self-righteous didactic political statement but straightforward personal expression and the crowd responded with a long moment of quiet solemnity. Which Smith broke by mentioning that she and the band were supposed to be revving up to a climactic midnight, so the drummer resumed rocking, guitars chimed in, she sang with a throb and a catch in her voice, bass lines led in a bumptious way to spinning, glinting, swirling disco-ball lights and a cascade from the ceiling of colored balloons  Happy New Year! Stay strong!

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The Capital of Amerigo, the District of Columbia is named after Pesephone, the Godess of War not the other Catholic Explorer Christopher Columbus, as the wealthy elite history books have sold us.

And the White House is named after a Jesuit Andrew White. Then Daniel Carroll (Catholic) gives the land for our National Capital. Then after 26 years of Jesuit education John Carroll (Catholic) founded Georgetown University in 1789 the same year we became a country.



In 1933, the architect and writer In 1933, the architect and writer Christopher La Farge designed a monument to White that is located just outside St. Marys City. [7]

after being banished in 1606

Apostle of MarylandThe English Civil War was to cut short his missionary work. In 1644, Richard Ingle and Puritan colonists from the neighboring Virginian colony of Jamestown , which had previously rebuffed George Calverts visit, first raided St. Marys City. Ingle succeeded in burning the town and, with the aid of William Claiborne , in controlling the Maryland Colony. White was again arrested for his Catholic preaching, and in 1645 he was sent with Thomas Copley in chains to London. Once there,, which carried the punishment of death. He escaped this fate by arguing that his return was not of his own will. His petitions to return to Maryland denied, he spent the last decade of his life quietly in England until his death on December 27, 1656.Can a man serve God faithfully and posess slaves? Brother Joseph Mobberly, S.J. asked in his diary in 1818. Yes, he answered. Is it then lawful to keep men in servitude? Yes.The Jesuits of the Maryland province had always relied on plantations to support their ministries. The estates were extensive, totaling 12,000 acres on four large properties in Southern Prince Georges, Charles and St. Marys counties, and two smaller estates on Marylands Eastern Shore. In 1634, when the Jesuits arrived in Maryland, Lord Baltimore awarded them quasi-estates in which they were permitted to live off the rent of tenant farmers. However, as University Dean Hubert Cloke explains, The system was totally antiquated and romantic, not related to reality, and they realized they were not going to make any money. So, the Jesuits turned to indentured servants, English men and women who worked the land for set terms in return for the passage from England to Maryland. But as working conditions improved in England, the supply of indentured servants dropped and the Jesuits once again found a new way to work the land. By the 1680s they relied upon a fully developed slave system.Compared to other plantation owners in the area, when it came to slavery, The Jesuits were no better or worse, according to Cloke. Many of the slaves had been gifts from wealthy Catholic families to sustain the Church. The abolition of slavery was not an issue in the area until the early nineteenth century, when Georgetowns Jesuits became deeply divided over the issue of slavery.But they were not conflicted in the way you would want, Cloke said. They were conflicted over what to do about the threat of abolitionists.In a generational divide, an older group of Jesuits, mostly European born, felt a patriarchal connection to their slaves and were unwilling to sell them. A younger, American-born group, a minority, felt that the money invested in plantations should be spent on institutions in cities like Philadelphia and New York with their rapidly growing Catholic populations. It seems neither faction had any particular moral quandaries with the six plantations and the nearly 300 slaves owned by Georgetowns and Marylands Jesuits.This rift is just one of the things American Studies students learned when history professors like Cloke and Emmett Curran introduced the Jesuit Plantation Project into the American Studies curriculum in the spring of 1996. The project involved students transcribing and digitizing hundreds of documents from the Jesuits Maryland Province Index recording the Georgetowns Jesuits complicated relationship with slavery.With only two exceptions, all the higher-ranking Jesuits in the province during the time were foreign-born and of the older faction. Since only U.S. citizens had temporal jurisdiction, foreign Jesuits had no authority over the Missions estates.This meant that a younger group of American Jesuits, a minority, controlled the destiny of the estates, and this group wanted to end slave operations.They considered the plantations and slaves as a losing business enterprise and thought the Society should rid itself of both plantations and slaves, Curran said.Abolitionists presented an economic rather than moral problem for these Jesuits. With a growing abolitionist presence in Maryland, some of them feared a devaluation of their property, their slaves. Maryland was a state in which slavery had a tenuous hold, the economy was no longer driven by slave labor. According to reports, the general debt of the mission was close to $32,000 by the 1830s, a large sum for the time.It was not a market for growing crops, but for growing slaves, said Cloke. The real money was to be made not from the work a slave could do in Maryland, but from the hugely profitable business of selling the slaves downriver.In 1815, Brother Joseph Mobberly, S.J. wrote a letter to John Grassi, S.J., the president of Georgetown College, listing three major reasons to sell the slaves. He wrote, It is better to sell for a time or get your people free  Because we have their souls to answer for. He then went on to explain that the slaves had become more difficult to govern, and he believed this to be the result of a growing abolitionist movement. Finally, in an extensive table of expenses, he concluded that the slaves should be sold because, We shall make more and more to your satisfaction.Brother Mobberly, who served as an overseer on one of the estates, kept an extensive diary giving a birds eye view of the tension the Jesuits felt surrounding the issue of slavery. His diary explores the tension between Catholics, an already persecuted group, and the Presbyterians, Baptists, Quakers and Methodists who were outspokenly opposed to slavery. Mobberly, like other Jesuits, came to feel threatened and saw the issue as a Catholic-Protestant conflict. Involving everything from the Bible to Thomas Jefferson, Mobberlys diary defended slavery. He explained that Abraham owned slaves, and wrote, Abraham had God for his particular friend; and we do not read that God ever reproached him for keeping men in servitude. Therefore, it was lawful for him to possess them.
Hyundai had given 10 per cent extra discount in December to offset the note ban impact.

The companys domestic sales (wholesales) declined 8.32 per cent to 40,016 units in November 2016 compared with 43,651 in November 2015.

New Delhi: With retail sales picking up again in December after taking a hit due to the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes, 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 five 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 senior vice-president, sales and marketing, Rakesh Srivastava, said.

The companys 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, he said: The situation is improving. It may take a quarter to normalise.

Hyundai had given 10 per cent extra discount in December to offset the note ban impact.
First week after note ban saw surge in deposits; Rs 3,285 crore was withdrawn in 15 days.

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana was launched in August 2014 to increase banking penetration and promote financial inclusion in the country.

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.

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana was launched in August 2014 to increase banking penetration and promote financial inclusion in the country.

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 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.

Uttar Pradesh tops the list of states with most deposits in Jan Dhan accounts, followed by West Bengal and Rajasthan.

In the last fortnight, the total deposit came down by Rs 3,285 crore. This was despite the fact that the monthly upper withdrawal limit was fixed at Rs 10,000 per month from November 30 to check misuse of Jan Dhan accounts.

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 till December 30.

Interestingly, the percentage of zero balance accounts under Jan Dhan still remains flat at about 24.13 per cent despite surge in deposits.
Rupee is trading at 67.97 against the US dollar on the first trading day of 2017.

Increased demand for the American unit from importers and a lower opening in the domestic market weighed on the rupee.

Mumbai: The rupee depreciated by five paise in early trade today to quote at 67.97 against the US dollar on the first trading day of 2017 due to fresh buying of the American currency by importers at the Interbank Foreign Exchange.

Dealers said, increased demand for the American unit from importers and a lower opening in the domestic market weighed on the rupee.

Besides, dollar's gain against major world currencies and a weak trend at the domestic equity market also left its mark on the rupee.

The rupee had closed 18 paise higher at 67.92 against the greenback in the previous session on December 30, 2016.

Meanwhile, the benchmark BSE Sensex fell 132.37 points, or 0.50 per cent, to 26,494.09 in early trade.
The Hindi version of the movie will have a much wider release than Baahubali: The Beginning.

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!
At least 39 were killed and 40 others were injured during an armed attack at a nightclub in Istanbul early Sunday.

The new year started off on a tragic note for scores of people who were enjoying at a nightclub in Istanbul.

At least 39 were killed and 40 others were injured during an armed attack at a nightclub in Istanbul early Sunday.

Abis Rizvi, a Mumbai-based builder and film producer was among those killed in the Istanbul terror attacks.

Abis was one of the two Indians who passed away in the attacks, informed External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Twitter.

Abis is the son of former Rajya Sabha MP Akthar Hassan Rizvi. Swaraj had also stated that his parents want to visit Istanbul and the formalities for the visa was being arranged.

Abis has produced films such as Roar: The Tiger of Sundarbans . His brother Anjum Rizvi is also a film producer who had produced the critically acclaimed A Wednesday among others.

Numerous celebrities like Arshad Warsi, Raveena Tandon among others took to Twitter to convey their condolences to Abis family.
There have been rumours doing the rounds suggesting the beautiful lady being all set for her Bollywood debut.

Shahid and Mira in a still from the show.

Mumbai: Mira Rajput, one of the most popular star wives, made her first appearance on television on Karan Johar's popular chat show 'Koffee with Karan' on Sunday.

Shahid Kapoors wife Mira has charmed one and all with her spunk and candour.

The two, who were recently blessed with a baby girl, Misha, were inseparable and head over heels in love with each other.

While there have been rumours doing the round suggesting the beautiful lady being all set for her Bollywood debut, the tidbit never materialised.

However, when Karan Johar, during his famed Rapid Fire round, asked the 22-year-old which role portrayed by a woman that would tempt her to become an actress.

Adorably looking at Shahid, she said Padmavati.

Incidentally, Deepika Padukone, who plays Padmavati in the Sanjay Leela Bhansali directorial, is the on-screen wife of Raja Rawal Ratan Singh, portrayed by Shahid Kapoor.

The film also stars Ranveer Singh, as the antagonistic Alauddin Khilji.

Well, that would have made for one helluva debut, dont you think?
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Turkish authorities called it an act of terror.

Relatives of Ayhan Arik, one of the victims of the Reina night club attack, mourn during his funeral ceremony. (Photo: AFP)

Istanbul/New Delhi/Mumbai: Two Indians were among 39 people killed in a terror attack at one of the most popular nightclubs in Istanbul, Turkey, during New Years celebrations in which at least 70 others were injured.

The deceased Indians have been identified as Abis Hasn Rizvi, son of former Rajya Sabha MP and noted builder of Bandra, Mumbai, Akhtar Hasan Rizvi, and Khushi Shah from Gujarat.

The two are among 15 foreigners who were killed when a gunman went on a rampage at the waterside Reina nightclub where revellers were celebrating the New Year.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Turkish authorities called it an act of terror.

Istanbuls governor Vasip Sahin said: At 1.15 am Monday, a terrorist carrying a long-barrelled weapon martyred the police officer waiting outside, and then martyred another citizen to enter. He then carried out this violent and cruel act by spraying bullets on innocent people who were celebrating the new year. Twenty-five of the dead were men and 14 were women.

Abis Hasn Rizvi

Confirming the deaths of two Indians, 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. 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. He had gone to Turkey to scout locations for a film, and was at the nightclub with some local coordinators.

The external affairs minister spoke with the families of both Rizvi and Shah and conveyed her condolences.

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. I have also spoken to Shri Ashok Shah, father of Khushi Shah and conveyed our condolences, Ms Swaraj said.

A family member of Khushi said her brother Akshay Shah and cousin Hiren Chauhan are flying to Istanbul without visas and brought it to Ms Swarajs attention, to which she said their visa have been arranged.

Ms Swaraj said the Indian envoy to Turkey, Rahul Kulshreshtha, has been asked to receive the families at the airport and make all necessary arrangements.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, Heartfelt condolences to the government and people of Turkey on the tragic loss of lives in Istanbul.

Turkish interior minister Suleyman Soylu said the attacker escaped and security forces have launched a major manhunt to nab him.

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, Mr 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.
BJP president Amit Shah, senior leaders Rajnath Singh, Kalraj Mishra and Uma Bharti also attended the rally.

Lucknow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday addressed the Parivartan rally in Lucknow, even as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his father and Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav are engaged in a power tussle.

"I have never seen such a good turnout for a rally in my life, not even when I was campaigning to be the Prime Minister of the country," the Prime Minister said.

"Lucknow is the home of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Many great people like him have spent their entire lives here," he added.

"For 14 years (of non-BJP governments) Uttar Pradesh has been forced into vanvaas (exile) from development," Modi said, adding, We need to change the future of Uttar Pradesh to see the nation flourish".

Modi demanded to know from the Samajwadi Party government why sugarcane farmers in the state have still not been paid.

Unfortunate that development is not priority for the rulers here, Modi said as he took a dig at the Samajwadi Party government in the state.

"I can understand that two parties may be engaged in political fights. But politics should not be played with the people. It is unfortunate that development is not priority for the rulers here," the Prime Minister added.

The Prime Minister took a dig at ruling SP and Mayawati's BSP for seeking his "removal" over the demonetisation move.

"Have you ever seen BSP and SP together? When BSP says sun is rising, SP will say sun is setting. But both agree on 'Modi hatao'," Modi said.

Vote for the development of Uttar Pradesh, forgetting all caste and creed. They say remove Modi I say remove black money, they say remove Modi, I say remove corruption. You decide what we want to remove, he added.

Modi urged the people to vote for UP's development, forgetting caste and creed.

Taking a dig at Congress, Modi said some parties are no longer even visible in UP.

One party is trying to establish their son in the state for the last 15 years, but has still not understood the problem, Modi stated mocking Rahul Gandhi.

As for Samajwadi Party, Modi remarked that it is busy in trying to save the Yadav family from splitting.

The Prime Minister claimed that in contrast, the high command of the BJP are the people of India.

People from across the state including Awadh, Kanpur and Brij regions arrived in Lucknow for Modi's rally despite the winter chill.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah, senior leaders Rajnath Singh, Kalraj Mishra and Uma Bharti also attended the rally.

The people from every nook and corner of the state including Awadh, Kanpur and Brij regions have already started arriving in Lucknow despite the winter chill.

The rally is seen as a culmination of the four Parivartan yatras carried out by the BJP in the state recently.

It will be the first rally by Prime Minister Modi after the expiry of 50-day grace period of demonetisation on December 30.

The Prime Minister in a televised address to the nation on New Year's Eve announced several measures for the rural and urban poor, small businesses, farmers and senior citizens.
The man had come to party with his friends to a bar at Hauz Khas Village on New years eve.

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. (Photo: Representational Picture/Pixabay)

New Delhi: 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 Delhi's Hauz Khas Village on New Year's 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 Year's eve.

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 Year's eve with two of his friends. In their statement, his friends have told police that they weren't inside the venue when the incident happened.

Inquest proceedings have been initiated and post-mortem will be conducted on Monday and the reason of his death will emerge thereafter. Tandon was a small-time businessman.
Lt. Gen. Bakshi on Saturday announced full support to the new Chief.

New Delhi: General Bipin Rawat, who has taken charge as the new Army Chief, said on Sunday that while the role of the force is to maintain peace and tranquillity at the borders, it will not shy away from flexing its muscle, if need be. The Army Chief also maintained that both the Eastern Army commander Lt. Gen. Praveen Bakshi and Southern commander Lt. Gen. P.M. Hariz, whom he superseded, will complete their tenure in the force.

Our country, our Army wants peace and tranquillity at the border. But that 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. 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 South Block here.

Last year witnessed regular ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control and terror attacks in which the Indian Army lost as many as 60 soldiers. The worst came on September 18, when four militants attacked an Indian Army brigade headquarters in Uri, leaving 19 soldiers dead. India responded with surgical strikes on September 29.

Gen. Rawat, who succeeds Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag as the 27th Chief of the 1.3 million strong Indian Army, has vast experience in high-altitude warfare and counter insurgency operations. He commanded an infantry battalion along LoC in the Eastern sector; a Rashtriya Rifles sector and an infantry division in the Kashmir Valley.

I respect the officers who have been superseded. They have worked with me shoulder-to-shoulder and I can say 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 told reporters when asked to comment on the controversy.

Lt. Gen. Bakshi on Saturday announced full support to the new Chief and said that he will continue to lead with full professional sincerity.

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, the new Chief said.

The new Army Chief said that the force will take all possible care of veterans, veer naris, widows and those who have been disabled in the line of duty.
Congress likely to discuss elevation of party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi to top post.

New Delhi: The Congress is planning to call a meeting of its highest body, the Congress Working Committee (CWC), on January 11. This assumes significance as it will further outline the Congress sharp attack on the BJP-led Central government on demonetisation. The Congress is already in an month-long agitation mode. Also, the much awaited elevation of the Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is likely to be discussed. In the previous CWC meeting held on November 1, 2016, veteran leader A.K. Antony had indicated that Rahul in principle had agreed to take over the leadership of the party. The CWC had unanimously urged Rahul Gandhi to take over the mantle. Congress president Sonia Gandhi has been keeping a low profile and catapulting Rahul in taking charge. In the last CWC meeting, Congress president Sonia Gandhi was absent as she was indisposed. On the founders day on December 28 also, it was Rahul leading the charge as the Congress president was absent. The current political situation will also be discussed. The Congress is in a political combat in the poll-bound states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand.

The Congress has a long list of charges against the government. The Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has also charged the Prime Minister of accepting money by bringing out the diaries of Sahara and Birla group, which were seized by the income-tax department.

The Congress has been in an attack mode against demonetisation. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari asked the government to lay bare the facts about demonetisation calling the Prime Ministers address to the nation on New Years eve as a budget speech outside Parliament.

He said, For the last three days, neither RBI nor the government have said anything on how much black money has been returned to the system.
Interestingly, the TDPs poll symbol is also cycle.

Hyderabad: The crisis in the Samajwadi Party, where two claimants are seeking recognition as the original party and having the right to use the partys symbol, the cycle, is reminiscent of the N.T. Rama Rao-Chandrababu Naidu tussle in the Telugu Desam in August 1995. Interestingly, the TDPs poll symbol is also cycle.

The Election Commission, then chaired by the redoubtable Chief Election Commissioner T.N. Seshan, had ruled in Mr Naidus favour after a thorough inquiry. In that case, the verdict came well before the May 1996 general election, in December 1995. In the case of the ongoing crisis in the Samajwadi Party, the row has erupted when elections for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly are just a few weeks away, and the EC may not have time to go into the merits of the case.

It may take five to six months for the Election Commission to decide on the claims by the Samajwadi Party groups, said former Election Commission adviser K.J. Rao.

Like it happened in the case of the Telugu Desam Party, the Election Commission has to allot dates for conducting hearings on the claims, hear a majority of legislators, MPs, politburo members, district and block level party units, and allow arguments by the respective advocates.

It is a time-consuming process. The EC may freeze the election symbol temporarily till it decides which group should get it, and allot temporary reserved symbols to both the groups contesting the coming Assembly elections, said a former election commissioner who did not want to be named. In 1995, when the majority group led by Mr Naidu in the Telugu Desam had revolted against founder and president of the party N.T. Rama Rao, and removed him from the posts of party president and chief minister, NTR had written to the governor saying he wanted to wind up the party and as party president could do so. Before he could do that, Mr Naidu cleverly organised a general body meeting of the Telugu Desam Party in Basant Talkies where a resolution was passed removing NTR from the party presidents post and electing Mr Naidu in his place.

When NTR met the governor, the latter informed him that he had been removed as party president.

Based on this, the EC served notices to the NTR-led faction and conducted a series of hearings, arguments and counter arguments before deciding in favour of Mr Naidu. Mr Naidu requested Ms Renuka Chowdary, a party MP then, who had been suspended by NTR, to help him out in the crisis, promising she would be back in the party, and she obliged.

She used her clout in Delhi, and played a key role in the Election Commissions decision. Yes, I moved heaven and earth in those days and helped Naidu to retain the original party status and the symbol. Thereafter I differed with him on other issues and left the party, Ms Chowdary said.
Ruckus in Assembly as CM Mehbooba blames NC for rigging elections in 1987.

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly was on Monday adjourned after chief minister, Mehbooba Muftis assertion that the state was driven into militancy and the vicious cycle of violence because the (Opposition) National Conference (NC) rigged elections in 1987 triggered pandemonium in the House.

Uproarious scenes were witnessed also inside the Central Hall of the Legislature during the governors address earlier, forcing him to cut short his speech. The moment governor N.N. Vohra arrived in the Central Hall, all the Opposition legislators rose from their seats to chant anti government slogans. They also tried to storm the pedestal where from the governor was delivering the customary address to the joint session of the legislature. The governor was forced to cut short his speech and leave the venue in huff.

The BJP legislators also accused the Opposition of showing disrespect to the National Anthem as they didnt stop protesting when it was being played after the governor hurriedly ended his speech amid the din

Ms. Mufti alleged, People who sowed seeds of secession by demanding plebiscite in the state also rigged elections in 1987 to give birth to militancy. She added that the rigging of Assembly elections thirty years ago was the first assault on the aspiration of youth. The NC members took strong exception to the remarks and rose from their seats to protest. One of them Abdul Majeed Larmi sought to remind the chief minister that her father Mufti Muhammad Sayeed was part of the National Conference-Congress coalition government in 1987 and hence should be held responsible for the alleged rigging. He and other NC members and former minister Muhammad Akbar Lone began shouting at the chief minister. Mr Larmi also said the PDPs partnership with the BJP, which he called as RSS alliance, was the most painful betrayal to the Kashmir.

After the Opposition members were calmed down by the Speaker, the chief minister, while continuing her speech, said that the killings were unfortunate and that these should not have taken place. She accused the Opposition of being responsible for spurt in unrest. You started it (unrest) and you should discuss (it) first with me, she said. She, however, at the same time sought the support of the Opposition in her efforts to take Jammu and Kashmir out of the cycle of uncertainties and violence.

She said the present uncertainties in the State have their roots in many of the misadventures in the past by some political elements just to remain in power. She said, Everyone in the State is pained by the repeat of cycle of violence and killings. We need to stop this and for that all the stakeholders also need to make unified efforts so that future of the people of the State is secured



The Chief Minister said that just two days back she received the final report of Justice (Retd) M. L. Koul Commission which was instituted by the then government to probe the killing of more than 120 youth in the State in 2010. How long shall we be appointing commissions and enquiries and receiving their reports. We need to have joint efforts in getting Jammu & Kashmir out of it, she said.



Referring to recent unrest in the Valley, the Chief Minister regretted that the present situation in the State is the direct fallout of many of the political misadventures in the past by some political forces just to remain in power. She said the 22 year long political struggle by Sheilkh Muhammad Abdullah and his colleagues and its abrupt end in mid 1970s and the rigged elections of 1987 almost finished the space for political dissent in Jammu and Kashmir which ultimately forced the youth to resort to violent means. These events have laid the seeds of uncertainties of present times in the State, she asserted.



Earlier the House on the first day of its budget session witnessed noisy scenes over the killing of nearly 100 people in the Kashmir Valley during the five-month long unrest set off by the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani. The Legislative Council also witnessed a similar situation during which the opposition members walked out blaming the ruling PDP-BJP combine for violence and destruction in the Valley. While obituary references were being read out in the Upper House of the bicameral legislature, the NC and Congress members walked into the well of the House and then went close to the Chairman s podium while chanting slogans against killing of civilians in the Valley and the use of shotgun pellets and PAVA shells by the security forces in their tough campaign to contain protests.



Uproarious scenes were witnessed also inside the Central Hall of the Legislature during the Governors address earlier, forcing him to cut short his speech. The moment Governor, N.N.Vohra, arrived in the Central Hall, all the opposition lawmakers rose from their seats to chant anti government slogans. They also tried to storm the pedestal where from the Governor was delivering the customary address to the joint session of the Legislature. They condemned the killing and maiming of civilians in security forces firings and other actions during the unrest. They also demanded severe punishment to those involved in these killings. The opposition members including those of the NC, Congress and other parties were holding placards reading Revoke Public Safety Act and Release arrestees.



The Governor was forced to cut short his speech and leave the venue in huff. The BJP lawmakers accused the opposition of showing disrespect to the National Anthem as they didnt stop protesting when it was being played after the Governor hurriedly ended his speech amid the din. Some of the opposition members threw the placards they were holding towards the Governor while he was addressing the joint session.

The independent MLA Sheikh Abdur Rashid held a protest at the Legislature complex entrance against the killings. He also demanded that plebiscite be held on both side of the Line of Control (LoC). A placard he was holding read Hold plebiscite on both sides of LOC. As soon as Mr. Vohra began his speech, Mr. Rashid confronted him claiming that the people of the State do not accept him as the Governor for he or anyone else has technically no right to hold the post of Governor as J&K is supposed to have is its own elected Sadar-e-Riyasat (President) and Wazir-e-Azam (Prime Minister).
PM refers to hawa ka rukh, calls Lucknow rally his biggest.

Lucknow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that people should rise above caste considerations and vote for Uttar Pradeshs development. Addressing a rally in Lucknow, he vowed to escalate his war on corruption despite pressures from the parties in the state where Assembly elections will be announced anytime soon.

Mr Modi accused the BSP and the feud-ridden ruling SP of joining hands to seek his removal, while he was working to weed out black money.

It was the hawa ka rukh that made PM Modi exude confidence about the BJPs chances in the upcoming UP elections. Hawa ka rukh bata raha hai ki election kis taraf jaa raha hai, the PM said while calling the rally the biggest of his political career.

He eulogised former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee who represented Lucknow in the Lok Sabha, and said that the BJP patriarch would be very satisfied to see peoples response. He said the massive turnout at the sprawling Ramabai Ambedkar rally sthal showed which way the wind was blowing.

People of UP have to decide whether those busy saving their black money and family can save the state, he said. Invoking Bhimrao Ambedkar, one of the key architects of Indias constitution, the PM claimed that some people were troubled when his government launched Bhim mobile app named after the dalit icon.

Will politics stoop so low? I want that we go to villages to all those carrying mobile phone and ask them to download the app and remember Bhim everywhere...This will be the biggest tribute to Bhimrao Ambedkar, he said.

Referring to his New Year eve address when he launched schemes for the poor, he said some people were troubled by it as well. They are troubled when Modi takes money and also when gives it (to the poor). Their problem is that their chairs are shaking, he said.

They have become irrelevant and are looking for the lost ground by indulging in petty politics, he said , adding that he has taken a resolve to return what has been snatched away from the deprived and middle class.

The fight against corruption will continue till it is won and we want the blessings of the people of Uttar Pradesh, he said urging the voters to give a majority to the BJP.

The central government now takes decisions on its own. The country has got a Prime Minister, a government whose high command is only people. It has happened for the first time in 30 years that there is a government whose high command is the 125 crore people of India, Mr Modi said.

The PM said since he was an MP from the state he had experienced how the government was run here. He said he was appalled to know that in his own Varanasi constituency works were decided after seeing who made the recommendation for construction of roads or pathways.

Ever since our government came to power in Delhi every year an additional `1 lakh crore more has been given to the state...Had that been used properly a lot of difference would have been made here.... Development is not a priority of the state government, he said.
Ministers reiterated the demand for Sasikala taking over as the CM as it was the dream and wishes of over 1.5 crore AIADMK members.

Chennai: Three ministers in Tamil Nadu chief minister O. Panneerselvams Cabinet on Sunday revolted openly against his leadership by reiterating their campaign for AIADMK general secretary Sasikala Natarajan to take over the reins of the government from him. The ministers also stressed that the posts of the AIADMK supremo and CM were held by one and the same since the partys inception and this practice should be continued.

Revenue minister R.B. Uthayakumar, information and publicity minister Kadambur Raju and Hindu religious and charitable endowments minister Sevvoor S. Ramachandran said they believe Ms Sasikala, who took charge as AIADMK general secretary on Saturday, would fulfil their wishes sooner than later.

After paying tributes at the memorial of J. Jayalalithaa on Marina beach, the three ministers reiterated the demand for Ms Sasikala taking over as the chief minister as it was the dream and wishes of over 1.5 crore AIADMK members. Mr Uthayakumar was the first minister to openly revolt against O.P.S. on December 18 when he passed a resolution at Jayalalithaas memorial demanding Ms Sasikala take over as chief minister.

Mr Raju said right from the time of late M.G. Ramachandran, both the posts of general secretary and CM have been held by the same person and the practice should continue. We have always practiced the rule of handing over both responsibilities to the same person. And we want Chinamma to take over as the CM, he said.

At the memorial, Mr Ramachandran said the resolution adopted at the AIADMK general council meeting on December 29 had resolved to work under the leadership of Ms Sasikala. It is understood that she (Sasikala) has to lead both the party and the government, he said.

When contacted, party spokesperson C.R. Saraswathi defended the demand that one person should hold both the posts, saying the leaders of the party had always followed the practice. We want Chinamma (Sasikala) to take over as chief minister since she knows how our Amma (Jayalalithaa) implemented all people-friendly measures. We want her to lead both the party and the government, she said.

Asked whether the statements by the ministers is not an open revolt against O.P.S. and why should he be disturbed when he is just settling down, Ms Saraswathi said the chief minister was one of the senior most leaders of the AIADMK and he would do anything for the interest of the party. He (O.P.S.) is very adjustable and he will be the first person to (give way for Sasikala) in the interest of the party. He had handed over power twice to our late Amma when he was made CM as interim arrangement, she said.
SP patriarch calls meet on January 5 to undo the damage.

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav staged an unprecedented political coup on Sunday as thousands of his supporters declared him the Samajwadi Partys national president, and assigned mentors role to his father Mulayam Singh Yadav who hit back with fury, vowing to reestablish his authority.

At an emergency convention in Lucknow, about 5,000 supporters  including some 200 of the partys 229 MLAs, 30 MLCs, besides a clutch of MPs and UP ministers  also deposed Mulayam Singhs brother Shivpal Yadav as the SPs UP chief, and sacked Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh from the party.

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, the CM tweeted later in the night.

This is the biggest offensive by Akhilesh Yadav who has been fighting his father and uncle with support from his other uncle Ram Gopal Yadav. The Rajya Sabha MP moved the motions, which were promptly endorsed by party leaders and workers with a roar at the sprawling Janeshwar Mishra Park in Lucknow.

In retaliation, Mulayam Singh expelled Ram Gopal Yadav and two more MPs, Naresh Agarwal and Kironmoy Nanda, who attended the meet.

Left isolated for the first time, the SP patriarch has called a party convention on January 5 in what could be his last-ditch effort to regain control over the party he founded in 1992.

Later in the night, Mulayam Singh complained of high blood pressure, and was examined by doctors. Shivpal Yadav said he and Mulayam Singh would move the Election Commission to retain the party symbol, the bicycle.

Both camps of the Samajwadi parivar have been locked in a bitter feud for greater control of the party, resulting in several tit-for-tat sackings since August.

The family conflict came to a head on Friday when Mulayam Singh expelled his son for releasing a parallel list of candidates for next years Assembly elections and Ram Gopal for weakening the party. He took them back the next day, but the expulsions had triggered a wave of support for the CM.

Soon after his anointment, Akhilesh Yadav, however, said he would respect his father even more now. Netaji continues to hold the highest position in the party. He would be happy when SP returns to power with a greater majority, he said in his speech punctuated with slogans of Jai Akhilesh from his supporters.

Party vice-president Mr Nanda declared that the SP would contest the elections under Akhilesh Yadav. Akhilesh Yadav is expected to reconstitute top party bodies and allot tickets for the elections, whose schedule will be announced anytime now.

Both factions are preparing to take the battle to the Election Commission to for control over the party symbol, the bicycle. Experts said if the matter reaches the EC, the symbol could be frozen.

Without naming Shivpal Yadav and Amar Singh, Akhilesh Yadav said the two had been conspiring against his father, and because of some peoples machinations, the party had been steadily losing ground.

This coup a day after a show of strength by the CM when about 200 party legislators of the total 229 in the state Assembly rallied behind him.

Despite a warning from Mulayam Singh, party veterans, his close associates shared the stage with Akhilesh Yadav.

In the afternoon, slogan-shouting supporters of both factions almost came to blows while trying to take control of the party office in Lucknow. Akhilesh Yadavs supporters removed Shivpal Yadavs nameplate outside his room. Shipal Yadavs photograph and name were removed from the partys official website which was later shut down.

After the convention, Shivpal Yadav expelled about half a dozen district presidents who had attended the event. Akhilesh Yadav retaliated by withdrawing the security of Mulayam Singhs loyalist Ashu Malik, and appointed three-time legislator Naresh Uttam as the new state president of the party.

The convention was attended MPs Ram Gopal Yadav, Reoti Raman Singh, Naresh Agarwal , Kironmoy Nanda and UP ministers Arvind Singh Gope, Balram Yadav, Ram Govind Chaudhary, Yasser Shah and Nitin Agarwal. Senior UP minister Mohd Azam Khan, who had brokered peace between vamps on Saturday, was not present.
Akhilesh was earlier declared the new national president of the party while his father was anointed as the partys patron.

Lucknow: Amidst the ongoing feud in Uttar Pradesh's ruling party, the convention called by SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav here on January 5 was announced to be postponed on Monday.

In a series of tweets, SP leader Shivpal Yadav said that on the orders of Mulayam Singh Yadav, the convention called on January 5 has been postponed for now.

While Shivpal gave no reasons for the abrupt cancellation of the meeting, insiders said perhaps the Mulayam camp was apprehensive of a poor turnout compared to the massive gathering at the "convention" held by Ram Gopal Yadav on Sunday.

The convention was declared illegal and unconstitutional by Mulayam.

Shivpal in another tweet asked party workers to concentrate on their respective constituencies and work hard to win the elections.

Meanwhile, senior SP leaders from both sides (Akhilesh and Mulayam camps) are likely to visit the Election Commission in New Delhi on Monday to put forth their case.

"No one can accuse me of wrongdoing. I have never indulged in corruption or betrayed anyone," said Mulayam before leaving to Delhi.

The Samajwadi Party split down the middle on Sunday with the faction headed by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav removed Mulayam as party chief and appointed him in his place at a convention in which the group claimed support of the majority of legislators and district units.

The two sides had engaged in mutual recriminatory expulsions with the convention called by Ram Gopal Yadav removing Akhilesh's warring uncle Shivpal Yadav as state party chief, and showing the door to "outsider" Amar Singh, who has been blamed for the feud in the Yadav clan.

Mulayam had retorted by again expelling his cousin Ram Gopal for six years along with national vice president Kiranmoy Nanda, who chaired the convention, and general secretary Naresh Agarwal for taking part in it.
Ram Gopal Yadav announced at the emergency convention that the EC was being immediately informed of the election of Akhilesh Yadav.

Lucknow: The ongoing battle in Samajwadi Party that climaxed on Sunday with chief minister Akhilesh Yadav becoming national president after deposing his father Mulayam Singh Yadav is now all set 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 leaders and retain the party symbol, which is the cycle.

Prof. Ram Gopal Yadav announced at the emergency convention that the EC was being immediately informed of the election of Mr Akhilesh Yadav as the new party president and the powers the national convention had vested in him.

Senior SP leader Ambica Chaudhary, meanwhile, said 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.
The TMC MP has been remanded for three days under the CBI by a special court in the chit fund scam case.

Bhubaneswar: Trinamool Congress MP Tapas Pal, arrested by the CBI for his alleged role in the Rose Valley chit fund scam, dragged Union Minister Babul Supriyo's name into the graft case on Sunday.

"I am innocent. I am in no way involved in the scam and the truth will come to the fore soon. I have taken the name of Babul Supriyo and names of some other persons (before CBI)," Pal said when he was being taken for interrogation by CBI on a three-day remand.

The Trinamool MP was arrested on December 30 in Kolkata and later brought here. He was sent to three-day CBI custody by a special court here on Saturday.

While Supriyo's comment could not be obtained, BJP secretary Suresh Pujari, who is also the party's West Bengal in-charge, termed Pal's allegation 'meaningless'.

Pujari also said, "By claiming that Supriyo had tricked him into the scam, Pal clearly accepted his own involvement in the case."

Pal said he has provided names of a large number of people involved in the scam and all relevant information to the investigating agency, including those related to Rose Valley's links in Odisha.

Claiming that he had not committed any crime, the cine star-turned politician said Trinamool Congress is with him.

Pal was one of the directors of the tainted chit fund group that allegedly duped investors in Odisha, West Bengal and some other states. He 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 CBI official said.

In its charge sheet submitted in the court on January 7, CBI had 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.
Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati termed the rally as a flop.

Lucknow: For those who expected some major announcements for Uttar Pradesh on the eve of elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modis speech in Lucknow on Monday was a major disappointment.

The Prime Minister spent a good part of his speech talking about the huge turnout in the rally and chose to ignore the issues related to the impact of demonetisation on the common people though he did pledge to continue his war against corruption.

Corruption and demonetisation are two different issues and I expected the Prime Minister to tell us how he plans to improve the situation in the coming days and also the next level of his war on corruption. I am surely disappointed with his speech, said Vijay Srivastava, a teacher who had come from Sultanpur to attend the rally.

Rama Shankar Tiwari, a trader from Faizabad, said that the Prime Ministers speech was as good as all his speeches.

But I thought he would tell us what he would do for UP if the BJP came to power or, perhaps, make some new announcements and in that sense, I am disappointed, he stated.

Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati termed the rally as a flop.

The Prime Minister could not explain the reason and impact of demonetisation and neither could he justify the increase in prices of petroleum products. His speech shows that he has realised that Uttar Pradesh has understood his game plan and will not get fooled again, she said.

Dujendra Tripathi, Congress spokesman, said that the Prime Ministers speech indicated that he had realised that the demonetisation issue had gone completely awry and that explains why he avoided the issue this time.

The BJP should also explain how it managed such massive crowds in a cashless way. Were the payments for buses and food packets made in the digital way? he asked.

Samajwadi Party spokesman Mohammad Shahid said that the Prime Ministers rally was held just before the model code of conduct comes into force and it appears that he has no road map for Uttar Pradesh.

He continues to bash the opposition but refuses to address real issues that the common man is facing. The BJP should be more disappointed with its Prime Minister than the opposition, he said.
The museum has a variety of machines that have been used in brothels previously and newer machines

It is the first museum of its kind and has many machines that are used for different sexual pleasures. (Photo: Instagram)

There are not many weird museums in the world and even if there are, not many people know about it. If you were in Prague, you would usually visit the churches and look for a quiet trip. There is also the other side of the Czech capital, which not many people would look to visit.

The city has the worlds only sex machines museum that sits among various architectural masterpieces. The museum has much more than just dolls; they have machines that give people all form of sexual pleasure and are definitely the weirdest you will find. With over 200 machines, the museum has machines that were used in brothels to newer flesh-light masturbators in recent times.

The museum gets many visitors every year due to its unique and weird machines and instruments.
The number has almost doubled from the count on New Years eve last year said officials.

New Delhi: Delhi Traffic Police challenged 13,260 motorists for violating traffic rules out of which 889 were prosecuted for drunken driving on the eve of New Year.

In 2015, only 6,486 were prosecuted for committing various violations, including offences like drunken and dangerous driving, police said.

The incidents of over-speeding witnessed a sharp decline this year as only 78 motorists were prosecuted as opposed to 335 on the night of December 31, 2015.

However, the incidents of riding without helmet increased almost six times as 4,022 motorists were prosecuted on Saturday night as opposed to 730 in 2015.

As many as 789 motorists were prosecuted for driving in the wrong carriageway as opposed to 148 on the last night of 2015.

Yesterday, 414 motorists were also prosecuted for triple riding.

As many as 2423 traffic officials were present till the wee hours to check any flouting of rules during the year-end revelries.

While in northwest Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar area, drunk revellers attacked policemen who stopped them from harassing a woman on New Year's eve, leaving four personnel injured, police said.

The incident took place around midnight. A group of men tried to pull down the woman from a bike and harass her.

Not withstanding chilly weather in the national capital, hundreds of revellers, soaked in festive spirit, thronged markets, restaurants, malls and multiplexes on Saturday to usher in the New Year, even as police maintained a watchful eye to avert untoward incident.

In order to ensure hassle-free experience on roads, traffic police had made elaborate arrangements on various routes across the city with special focus on areas in the vicinity of Connaught Place.

Among several restrictions imposed in the heart of Delhi, no vehicle was allowed to proceed after 8 PM towards Connaught Place beyond certain points including Mandi House, Bengali Market, DDU Marg crossing, GPO and Patel Chowk.
Kejriwal had even announced sacking of his social welfare minister.

New Delhi: Delhis new L-G Anil Baijal on Sunday joined Twitter to engage with the people of Delhi and media, a day after he took oath as Delhis 20th lieutenant-governor.

In his first tweet on Sunday, Mr Baijal wished denizens on New Year. My dear fellow citizens of Delhi, wish you a very happy and peaceful 2017 with Almightys blessings for good health, happiness & prosperity, he tweeted.

An official confirmed that Mr Baijal has joined Twitter. Mr Baijals predecessor, Najeeb Jung, did not have a Twitter account. But chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet ministers have been quite active on the microblogging website and often they use the platform to announce government decisions. In August, Mr Kejriwal had even announced sacking of his social welfare minister.

Mr Jung and Mr Kejriwal were embroiled in a turf war on a host of issues, including administrative control of the bureaucracy, throughout the formers tenure.

Mr Baijal, 70, took over as the 20th lieutenant-governor of Delhi on Sunday 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.

Mr Baijal followed President Pranab Mukerjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) after joining Twitter.

Hours after his account opened, he had 515 followers, including Delhi Commission for Women chairperson Swati Maliwal. Mr Baijal has served in a number of key positions at the Centre, including as the Union home secretary. He has said that addressing key challenges like womens safety, pollution, traffic congestion and strengthening infrastructure would be his priority.
With eye on polls, Manoj Tiwari to spend a night with slum dwellers.

New Delhi: In an attempt to win the dalit and JJ Colony vote bank, which played a significant role in the AAPs victory in the last Delhi Assembly polls in 2015, the Delhi BJP has decided to go full throttle to make way in these crucial vote banks. In an outreach programme for these vote banks, Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari will be spending a night at a JJ or dalit colony from now. In order to strengthen its traditional booth management skill, the party will hold one convention to motivate booth-level workers around the middle of this month and a mega convention in the second half of February or in the first half of March.

Initiating the programme, Mr Tiwari spent the night of December 31 with the residents of the Gas Godown Jhughi Basti at Inderpuri. He reached there at 9.45 pm and stayed there till around 10.15 am on January 1. On Monday, Mr Tiwari led a march from Valmiki Mandir at Mandir Marg to the Ambedkar Bhawan at Jhandewalan where he garlanded the statue of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar to say his thanks to the community after the launch of the new mobile banking app, BHIM, named after Dr Ambedkar. Mr Tiwari garlanded the statue with the help of a crane.

From Wednesday, Mr Tiwari will be travelling across the slum and dalit colonies to check the status of development and civic amenities. A senior party functionary told this newspaper that this exercise will continue with an objective to reach out to these communities which voted en masses to AAP, helping the rival to register historic victory. If the party efforts to win this community turn fruitful then no one can stop the BJP from winning the ne-xt civic polls for the third consecutive time beating the anti incumbency of 10 years, he added.

Talking about the benefits of the night stay programme in slum clusters, Mr Tiwari said that this exercise of going amidst the people is to take a reality check of the tall claims of developmental works in these cluster made by the Arvind Kejriwal government.

The party, meanwhile, is also working to charge up its booth-level workers. To motivate them, the party has planned an event in which around 5, 000 booth level workers will be participating.

The event will be organised around January 15 and another event will be held after February 15 in which around 60,000 workers, about four from each polling booths in the national capital, will reach out to the voters at their door steps, said a senior party leader.
Delhi Congress chief spokesperson Sharmistha Mukherjee said people were waiting for the Prime Minister to give details of the black money.

People who failed to exchange their old currency notes protest outside the RBI in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: In an attempt to keep up the steam in the anti-demonetisation drive, the Delhi Congress unit announced that it will stage protests across Delhi on Saturday as part of a pan-India stir against demonetisation and will seek answers from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the amount of black money unearthed.

Delhi Congress chief spokesperson Sharmistha Mukherjee said people were waiting for the Prime Minister to give details of the black money unearthed due to the massive exercise during his address to the nation on New Year Eve, but he kept mum.

She claimed 115 people died during the 50 days Modi had sought to stabilise the situation his sudden announcement on November 8 to demonetise high-value bank notes had triggered.

People expected Mr Modi to announce compensation to affected families, but he did not mention them in his address, said Ms Mukherjee. She also repeated Rahul Gandhis charges that Mr Modi as the Gujarat chief minister had taken money from Sahara and Birla groups.

Mr Modi has not yet replied to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhis poser about receiving Rs 65 crore from Aditya Birla Group and Sahara Group in a blatant case of corruption, she said.

During the protests in all the 14 districts in Delhi, party leaders and workers will seek answers on the questions and demand disclosure of the amount of black money unearthed, 20 per cent bonus on minimum support price to farmers, disclosure of names of people who deposited Rs 25 lakh or more prior to demonetisation.

She said it was very strange that during demonetisation BJP leaders were caught with large amount of old and new currency notes, and chanrged that they had prior information of the governments move.

BJP leaders had knowledge about demonetisation beforehand and thats why crores of rupees were invested in land and property by RSS and BJP leaders in Bengal, Orissa and Bihar, she alleged.
Directed officials to route files in accordance with rules.

New Delhi: A week before putting in his papers, former lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung had given a major breather to the city ministers by directing officers that all files should be handled and routed properly and they should not be encouraged to bypass their minister concerned in line with the Transaction of Business Rules of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991. This fact comes to light in an order issued by city minister Satyendar Jain only a day after Mr Jung submitted his resignation letter.

It was only after the Delhi high court had ruled that the L-G was the administrative head of the national capital, Raj Niwas directed all the officers to submit files related to policies and decisions of the AAP government to the L-Gs office. Even repeated reminders were sent to officers by Raj Niwas to fast-track the process so that the AAP governments decisions, which had been taken without the L-Gs approval, could be reviewed immediately. The city ministers had raised serious concerns over the LGs dictate, saying this was bound to affect the major works and day-to-day functioning of the administration.

Not only this. For the first time, newly-appointed chief secretary (CS) M.M. Kutty had also given clear directions to his officers to identify the competent authority for seeking sanctions on each file. This was primarily being done to ensure that either secretaries  principal secretaries or heads of departments  could give direct sanctions and wherever the need be, they could seek approvals either from the CS or the L-G. This way minister were not kept in loop in decision making by many bureaucrats.

Mr Jain himself raised these issues with Raj Niwas through a letter on December 13 stating that 16 files of the urban development department submitted to the L-G had been marked by his secretary directly to the CS, bypassing the minister-in-charge. The letter said that the CS and the principal secretary (UD) had also marked these files downwards in seriatim, without informing the minister about the decisions of the L-G in the concerned matters.

A copy of Mr Jains letter, which is in possession of this newspaper, said: With-out prejudice to the provisos of sub-rule (1), the minister-in-charge of a department shall be primarily responsible for the disposal of the business pertaining to the department. The L-G may call for papers relating to any proposal or matter in any department and such requisition shall be complied with.
The AIADMK leader said the leadership of Chinamma alone would continue to implement several welfare schemes for the people of Tamil Nadu.

Chennai: The chorus for the AIADMK general secretary, Sasikala Natarajan, to take over the reins of the government grew shriller on Monday with Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M. Thambidurai asking her to take charge as chief minister, saying the leadership of the party and the government should be with the same person to ensure peoples welfare.

In a four-page statement released by the AIADMK headquarters, the senior AIADMK leader stressed it was imperative for Ms Natarajan to assume office as chief minister to ensure that the party functions very effectively to get the wholehearted support of the people, and to continue to win the election since the Lok Sabha polls are just two years away. It is my strong belief that it is very important that respected Chinamma has to shoulder the responsibility of the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, to take forward the party and to carry on the governance of Tamil Nadu, for the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK propaganda secretary said. In the statement that came two days after Ms Natarajan took charge as AIADMK general secretary, Mr Thambidurai said the people of India have not accepted the situation where the leadership of the party is in one hand and the leadership of the government is in another hand. He also contended that the past history has shown that governments have lost their credibility among the people when the leadership of the party and the leadership of the government were in the hands of two different persons. The unfinished tasks of the party and the government, as expected by Puratchi Thalaivi Honble Amma, will be completed only when the leadership of the party and the leadership of the government are in the hand of one person, Mr Thambidurai said.

Mr Thambidurai adds to the clamour that growing in strength every day asking that Ms Sasikala take over as the chief minister. Ms Sasikala delivered her first ever public speech on Saturday in which she said she would run the party with the same military discipline of the Jayalalithaa regime.

The AIADMK leader said the leadership of Chinamma alone would continue to implement several welfare schemes for the people of Tamil Nadu

Above all, we know that she has been able to think the way same as Puratchi Thalaivi Amma thinks; and we also knew very well that Chinamma has the capability to take decisions without any likes or dislikes, the statement said.
Mr Paul said many leaders, including Mr Supriyo, were involved in the chit fund scam.

Bhubaneswar: Arrested Trinamul Congress (TMC) Lok Sabha member Tapas Paul on Sunday created ripples in the countrys political circle by alleging that Union minister Babul Supriyo was involved in the Rose Valley chit fund scam.

The MP also alleged that Mr Supriyo had tricked him into the case.

Replying to queries fielded by newsmen while being taken on a three-day CBI remand starting Sunday, Mr Paul said many leaders, including Mr Supriyo, were involved in the chit fund scam. He tricked me into the scam and he is involved in it, he alleged.

When asked on the involvement of Satabdi Roy in the chit fund scam, Mr Paul declined of having any knowledge about links between the woman TMC MP and Rose valley.

I am innocent. I am not guilty at all. Everything will be proved later, Mr Paul told the reporters while getting into a car of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) here after a health check-up in a hospital.

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 hasnt 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 hasnt taken any money apart from the remuneration, she said.

Mr 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 Bhuba-neswar in the late hours of Friday on transit remand.
Jadhav complained that the builder is yet to provide them amenities promised in 2000.

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Industrial Development Coporation (MIDC) has issued stop work notice to builder Akruti Nirman for allegedly constructing an additional illegal floor in a commercial complex at MIDC, Andheri (east).

The notice was issued after shop owners and activists from the area complained to the MIDC that the builder has got the sanction plan of constructing another floor without proper administrative process being followed. Shop owners claimed that the builder has initiated the construction of additional floor, 15 years after the construction of the commercial complex. When contacted, Vimal Shah of Akruti Nirman Limited refused to comment on the issue.

Vijay Jadhav, a shop owner said, As per the sanctioned plan in 2000 only ground plus two was permitted. Now, after 15 years the builder claims to have amended the sanction plan that gives him right to construct one additional floor and convert the commercial complex into ground plus three. If some plan is amended there is proper inspection. Nothing was done for 15 years, overnight the construction work started.

Mr Jadhav complained that the builder is yet to provide them amenities promised in 2000. He was given the permission to construct an additional floor. Despite me complaining to the authorities, no action was taken. It was only after we sent a legal notice to the MIDC officials that they came into action and sent a legal notice, he explained.

The notice issued by MIDC to the builder, reads: This office has received letter regarding cancellation of the sanctioned amended building plan of Siddhivinayak commercial complex and to stop the construction of third floor. In view of above, you are hereby requested to submit the point wise detail factual report regarding the same immediately, so that enable this office to process further in this matter.

RTI, activist, Prithvi Mhaske, said, The builder has brazenly violated all the norms and not given the promised amenities. Instead of taking action, the MIDC amended the building plan and allowed additional construction without considering the structural strength of the building.
The Bhojane family was promised that due compensation and title would be given as soon as requisite papers were processed.

Mumbai: Fireman from the Byculla fire station, Rajendra Bhojane, who was electrocuted with 65 per cent burns while rescuing a kite on December 10, succumbed to his injuries at the National Burns Centre at Airoli on New Years Eve. While the fire brigade gave him the official guard of honour on Sunday, Bhojanes family initially refused to accept his body, demanding compensation for his death. The family demanded that Bhojane be given status of martyrdom with the title Shahid and that his family be appropriately compensated immediately. The fire brigade had to take help from the Byculla police on Sunday to ensure peaceful handover of Bhojanes body.

The Bhojane family was promised that due compensation and title would be given as soon as requisite papers were processed. However, fire officials said they managed to convince the family to take the firemans body, but a fire union intervened at the eleventh hour. The fire brigade then sought help from the Byculla police to keep the union at bay. Chief fire officer of the Mumbai fire brigade, P. Rahangdale, said, I called the zonal DCP and asked for police bandobast. If the family has agreed to take the body, the union has no role to play. The body was handed over by Saturday afternoon.

Pravin Kumar Padval, DCP of the Byculla said, The senior police inspector of the Byculla police station, along with some police officials, were deputed to the fire brigade headquarters in Byculla. However, the body was handed over peacefully. Bhojane was one of the three fire officials who were electrocuted while trying to rescue a Kite stuck in a high-tension electric wire outside Mahalaxmi Race course.
The withdrawal limit from banks is Rs 24,000 a week at present.

Mumbai: Amid the ongoing cash crunch since the government announced demonetisation on November 8, the Centre hiking the daily maximum withdrawal limit from ATMs to Rs 4,500 from Rs 2,5 00, was likely to come as a relief for citizens. Instead, many Mumbaikars were left disappointed on Sunday due to a shortage of Rs 500 and 100 notes.

Though citizens were happy with the rise in the ceiling, a visit to a few ATMs on Sunday by The Asian Age revealed a shortage of Rs 500 and Rs 100 notes. As a result, it was difficult for customers to withdraw the entire amount and people were taking out only Rs 4,000. Sumit Kharat, one such customer at an ATM, said: The Prime Minister announced that we can withdraw up to Rs 4,500, but there are no Rs 500 notes in the ATM and thus we can only take out Rs 4,000. Another customer, requesting anonymity, said, This is unfair. In spite of the Rs 4,500 limit, we are only able to get Rs 4000.

According to the RBI circular, On a review of the position, the daily limit of withdrawal from ATMs has been increased (within the overall weekly limits specified) with effect from January 01, 2017, from the existing Rs 2,500 to Rs 4,500 per day per card. It further read that there is no change in weekly withdrawal limits and such disbursals should predominantly be in the denomination of Rs 500.

Also, Indian citizens who were abroad from November 9 to December 30 can avail this facility up to March 31, 2017 and NRI citizens who were abroad during this period can exchange their defunct notes up to June 30, 2017. The withdrawal limit from banks is Rs 24,000 a week at present.
One girl arrived at 11:56 p.m. on Dec. 31, and the other came on Jan. 1, 2017 midnight, this is the second consecutive year this happened.

Last year a baby girl and a baby boy were born this way in San Diego (Photo: AP)

San Diego: For the second straight year, twins in San Diego are getting attention because, though born just minutes apart, one has a birthday in 2016 and one in 2017.

KFMB-TV reports the twin girls were born at Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns.

One girl arrived at 11:56 p.m. on Dec. 31, and the other came on Jan. 1, 2017 at midnight. The family was not available for comment.

Last year, a baby girl and boy arrived one minute before and two minutes after the New Year at San Diego Kaiser Permanente Zion Medical Center.
The New Year can redress the balance of the old by recognising refugees as victims of history.

The year that has just ended marked the end of willing globalisation. Oh yes, world leaders will continue to pay lip service to the concept. They  even US President-elect Donald Trump  will encourage the movement of goods and services when its to their gain. But as distressed and deprived Asia knocked on prosperous Europes doors, it became clear that the fundamental element of globalisation  free movement of human beings across the borders of race, colour and religion  was not welcome. Germanys Angela Merkel is an outstanding exception among white leaders.

I am not talking of voluntary economic migrants like Indians who consciously subordinate loyalty and honesty to the quest for money and flock to the US to seek green cards and well-paying jobs.

I mean people who are forced to abandon their homes, of whom there were over a billion in 2015 when Thomas Neal published The Figure of the Migrant. The stricter the immigration laws, the more migrants are in violation of them, says Neal, thus, criminal statistics reveal the need for harsher laws because of the increase in immigration violations. Migrants are a constitutive part of a juridical feedback mechanism that requires for its expansion the legal expulsion of a migrant population. I am not saying this is the conscious plot of some evil politicians  well, maybe Trump, but I hesitate to call him a politician  its structural. It is part of the fundamental kinetic structure of juridical power.

The West which sets the framework of all global discourse remains obsessed with European Jews and Hitlers infamous final solution. Victims of other tragedies were not such effective publicists. Those who take a less blinkered view of history cannot forget 1947 and the plight of millions of evacuated Hindus and Muslims, the bloody wars of Hutus and Tutsis, and waves of Chinese emigrants who peopled Southeast Asia and set up Chinatowns worldwide.

Persecuted Tibetan Buddhists, Rohingyas persecuted by Buddhists, Afghans fleeing the Taliban and Sri Lankan Tamils fleeing Buddhist Sinhalese are part of the global diaspora.

The horrors of risky Mediterranean crossings have now forced the worlds attention on victims of Syrias civil war. Many regard the United Nations 2016 estimate of 13.5 million Syrians in need of humanitarian assistance (4.8 million in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq, over a million in Europe and more than six million internally displaced) a gross under-estimate. Like the Jews of whom Hannah Arendt, the German-Jewish-American political philosopher, spoke, It was not only their own misfortunes that the refugees carried with them from land to land, from continent to continent, but the great misfortune of the whole world. They would not be experiencing such hardship if outside forces had not encouraged Syrian dissidents to revolt against Bashar al-Assad as part of what was exalted as the Arab Spring.

No one wants to bear the burden of the fallout. George Orwell once wrote in the British socialist journal Tribune that 100,000 of the Jewish refugees struggling to reach Palestine should be invited to settle in Britain with UK citizenship.

Instead, the British forced the Palestinians to accommodate European Jews, which made Palestinians the worlds first permanently stateless community. Orwell recognised that far from being the solution, Zionism was another dangerous form of the nationalism that prevents people from responding hospitably to suffering. But despite serving in the Indian Police, Orwell missed the significant aspect of race, which Disraeli called the ultimate reality.

During the year or so I spent in Honolulu, American military men were anxiously assessing the exact number of US personnel killed in the Vietnam war. If I remember right, the figure was 58,200. To me, as an outsider, it seemed a fleabite considering that nearly five million Vietnamese soldiers and civilians also perished. The contrast recalled Jawaharlal Nehru listing how top-drawer Britons divided the world. The English (no Asians and West Indians then to muddy the racial waters) were followed after a long gap by the whites of the old dominions and by Anglo-Saxon Americans (not dagoes, wops, etc.,). Then came Western Europeans, the rest of Europe, Latin South Americans and, after another long gap, the brown, yellow and black races of Asia and Africa, all bunched up more or less together. Nehrus rueful comment was, How far we of the last of these classes are from the heights where our rulers live!

The world has made some progress since then. The first US African-American President is ending his tenure. An ethnic Pakistani is Londons mayor.

Portugals Prime Minister who was a state visitor in India the other day is of Goan descent. But welcome as they are as evidence of dawning enlightenment, they offer no clue to the reality of power. Polish, Slovakian and Hungarian resistance to Syrian refugees is more relevant. So is the rise of Austrias anti-immigration Freedom Party, of Marine Le Pen in France, and  above all  Britains Brexit vote. Yet, 60 million Europeans colonised the two Americas, Australia and parts of Africa in the heyday of empire.

Today, refugees are viewed as threats to internal security. They are regarded as unemployable or politically dangerous, subjected to indignities and treated as burdens on charity. European Union members would like to pull up the drawbridge to bar over a million men, women and children fleeing the Syrian war. They are refugees. They represent a crisis of humanity.

No one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land, wrote Warsan Shire, the London-based Somali poet. The New Year can redress the balance of the old by recognising refugees as victims of history. They must not be treated like self-seeking economic migrants. Europe can save or kill globalisation. The world is watching.
An official said that it would require a lot of time and effort to bring about a consensus on the proposal and to settle the details.

The enormous scale on which money was spent this year on the US presidential elections reminds one that, despite the disparity in resources, things are no better in India. Donors expect favours from the successful candidate, from ambassadorships to influence over policy. Indias Chief Election Commissioner, Nasim Zaidi, sounded the alarm early this month and suggested specific measures to curb pay-to-play practices during elections.

However, the Election Commission baulked at the idea of state funding for candidates election expenses. An official said that it would require a lot of time and effort to bring about a consensus on the proposal and to settle the details.

As far back as September 1980, a former Chief Election Commissioner, S.L. Shakdhar, said in a speech: The state should be responsible for financing candidates election expenses. The legitimate election expenses of candidates should be progressively shifted to and borne by the state. It is not difficult to lay down norms for identifying the areas and the quantum of financial assistance on the basis of the poll performance of political parties at an election.

Such assistance may take the form of supply of paper and electoral rolls, the printing of a limited number of posters, supply of petrol and diesel coupons for a restricted number of vehicles, provision of postage, and payments to polling agents and other personnel.

I believe that if an election fund of, say, Rs 100 crores for a period of five years is created initially, it will take care not only of government expenses on the conduct of elections but also of the expenses incurred by the candidates and political parties. The idea of state help in specific respects caught on.

On December 2, 2016, the Union minister for commerce and industry, Nirmala Sitharaman, made an earnest plea for state-funded polls and urged the Election Commission to go over the proposal in detail.

The government set up a committee specifically on state funding, headed by the leader of the Communist Party of India, Indrajit Gupta. It recommended partial state funding and creation of a state fund with a reserve of Rs 6 billion. It also recommended that, as a first step, only part of the financial burden of political parties may be shifted to the state. State subvention may be given only in kind, in the form of certain facilities to the recognised political parties and their candidates.

The law commission endorsed the committees recommendations. On the principle of state funding itself, the law commission emphasised a vital precondition: democratic governance of political parties. Party elections are a mere formality. It is the dominant leaders or cabals who oversee the electoral process and determine its outcome. Public money should not be spent to line their pockets.

The solution lies in adapting a German statute. The Parteiengesetz, German law on political parties, provides for state funding, but only as part of a scheme whose core is democratic administration of political parties. It comprises 41 articles divided into seven chapters, dealing with internal organisation; nomination of candidates for election; public financing (reimbursement of election campaign expenses); and presentation of accounts. It obligates political parties to maintain a written Constitution, rules and programmes. The rights of members are defined. Free elections to party organs are mandatory.

As I wrote in a previous article, The executive committee must be elected at least every second calendar year. The party executive and representatives to assemblies of delegates must be elected by secret ballot. Likewise, party candidates for election to parliament must be elected by secret ballot by the party. Besides, Section 21 of the related federal electoral law lays down that a partys candidate must be elected in an assembly of party members in his constituency. It is thus not open to cabals or party bosses to handpick candidates for election to legislatures.

Chapter VI of the Parteiengesetz imposes an obligation to publish audited accounts. Article 23, Para 1 demands: The executive committee of the party shall make a public statement of the sources and the expenditure of funds received by its party within a calendar/ accounting year as well as of the assets of the party in a statement of accounts. It is in this context that Chapter IV provides for the reimbursement of campaign expenses.

The act also requires political parties to submit their audited accounts to the Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament who, after scrutiny, presents them to the House. It is he, not the government, who sanctions money for the parties. They submit copies of their Constitution and programmes to a federal returning officer. It is, of course, vital to the success of the scheme that the Speaker is an independent figure and not a party hack.

The writer is an author and a lawyer based in Mumbai.

By arrangement with Dawn
Among the 39 dead are more than 15 foreigners from many parts of the world, including two from India.

The perpetrator of the ghastly terrorist attack at an upscale nightclub in Istanbul, barely an hour after the new year commenced, has not yet been identified, although Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has claimed responsibility. But hardly anything more is known so far about the attackers. Among the 39 dead are more than 15 foreigners from many parts of the world, including two from India.

Given the turmoil in Turkeys domestic politics, which has been accentuated in the past year or so, and Ankara sending forces across the Syrian border to combat ISIS which it seemed earlier to be backing, it is anybodys guess who could be behind the attack, the claim of ISIS notwithstanding.

The country has seen as many as 30 acts of terrorist violence in the past year, several of them spectacular and leaving a high death count. Less than a fortnight ago, the Russian ambassador in Turkey was killed by an off-duty policeman shouting Islamist slogans.

Besides ISIS, Kurdish rebel groups have also been blamed for acts of terrorism in Turkey. Last July, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan fended off a determined military coup attempt. The list of those with a grouse has therefore expanded.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done well to condemn the terrorist incident right away, although in recent decades Ankara has tilted Pakistans way. We should intensify our push at the UN to be firm against international terrorism.
Some corrupt virus files are "programmed" to illegally extract personal information of the user.

The files in the attachment are programmed to steal login credentials and banking details like passwords and PIN numbers.

New Delhi: Central security agencies have alerted defence and security personnel against the malicious activity of a virus, falsely bearing the name of elite organisations like NDA and NIA, that may breach and hack into their personal information and banking data. An advisory was issued on December 30 to the defence and security establishments in the country states that the two notorious virus file are circulating over instant messaging application WhatsApp and are capable to sneak into personal details of the user, especially the men in uniform.

The two files, as per the advisory accessed by PTI, are-- "NDA-ranked-8th-toughest-College-in-the-world-to-get-into.xls" and "NIA-selection-order-.xls".

Officials privy to the contents of the advisory said the NDA here is understood to be indicating to army's National Defence Academy in Khadakwasla in Pune while NIA to the premier terrorist incidents' probe organisation-- the National Investigation Agency.

It is understood that the malicious virus-laden file is formatted in the form of 'MS Excel' file majorly, but officials did not rule out it's aliases in the 'MS Word' or '.PDF' formats to attack a user's phone and data.

The advisory added that the corrupt virus files are "programmed" to illegally extract personal information of the user, their login credentials and banking details like passwords and PIN numbers.

"As these two organisations are very popular and known within the country and abroad and there is a curiosity to know more about them, it is possible that it may affect the mobile phones of people interested in these subjects. However, it has been analysed that the men and women in defence, paramilitary and police forces could be the target groups," they said.

Officials said the advisory has now been shared with the field formations of these security forces so that the troops and officers on the ground are made aware and alerted against this virus which has been seen prowling in the instant messaging cyber space recently.

The personnel have also been asked to report these incidents to their Information technology cells, they said.
A majority of British people now believe the dark shadow of fascism is spreading across the US.

London: The British public is fearful of the rise of fascism around the world in the wake of Donald Trumps election victory in the US and the Brexit referendum in the UK, according to a new survey released 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 United Kingdom 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 Mr Trumps 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?

At least 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 its 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.

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.
Relatives of the diplomats are also onboard the plane flown specially from Russia, for a total of 96 passengers onboard.

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 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 said.

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.
His final days will largely be consumed by a bid to protect his endangered health care law, a major farewell speech and handover of power.

Obama is also planning last-minute commutations and pardons, White House officials said, in line with his second-term effort to cut sentences for inmates given unduly harsh sentences for drug crimes. (Photo: AP)

Honolulu: His last presidential vacation behind him, Barack Obama is entering the closing stretch of his presidency, an eleventh-hour push to tie up loose ends and put finishing touches on his legacy before handing the reins to President-elect Donald Trump.

Obama returns to Washington midday on Monday from Hawaii with about two-dozen work days left. His final days will largely be consumed by a bid to protect his endangered health care law, a major farewell speech and the ongoing handover of power to Trump.

In an email to supporters on Monday, Obama said he'll deliver a valedictory speech on Jan. 10, following a tradition set in 1796 when the first president, George Washington, spoke to the American people for the last time in office. The speech will take place at McCormick Place, a giant convention center in Obama's hometown of Chicago.

"I'm thinking about them as a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways you've changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here," Obama said.

Obama's chief speechwriter, Cody Keenan, traveled with Obama to Hawaii and spent much of the trip working on the speech. The Chicago trip will likely be Obama's last outside Washington as president and will be include a "family reunion" for Obama's former campaign staffers.

Obama is also planning last-minute commutations and pardons, White House officials said, in line with his second-term effort to cut sentences for inmates given unduly harsh sentences for drug crimes. Though prominent offenders like Edward Snowden and Rod Blagojevich are also asking for leniency, Obama's final acts of clemency are expected to remain focused on drug offenders whose plight Obama tried but failed to address through criminal justice reform.

After taking office eight years ago, Obama and his aides were effusive in their praise for how Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, helped his team take over the massive federal bureaucracy. Obama has vowed to pass on the favor to Trump. But the transition hasn't been without incident.

The two teams have clashed over the Trump team's requests for information Obama aides fear could be used to eliminate government employees who worked on Obama priorities like climate change and minority rights overseas. Trump's team, meanwhile, has been frustrated by Obama's attempts to box Trump in with parting moves to block ocean drilling, declare new monuments and further empty out the Guantanamo Bay prison.

While on his annual vacation in Oahu, Obama asserted himself forcefully on two foreign policy issues that put him in direct conflict with Trump. Obama directed the U.S. to defy tradition by allowing a U.N. Security Council resolution criticizing Israel on settlements to pass, then slapped Russia with sweeping penalties over U.S. allegations of hacking.

The final days are Obama's last chance to define his presidency before his loses the bully pulpit and cedes his legacy to historians. For Obama, helping Americans understand how his two terms have reshaped American life is even more critical amid concerns that Trump may undo much of what he accomplished, including the health law.

As Trump and Republicans vow to gut the Affordable Care Act, Democrats are working to devise a strategy to protect the law by exploiting GOP divisions about how to replace it. To that end, Obama will travel Wednesday to the Capitol to meet with House and Senate Democrats, likely his last meeting with his party's lawmakers as president.

His administration is also working feverishly to finish up regulations in the pipeline that Obama hopes can be completed in the final days, perhaps increasing the likelihood his policies carry over. But the closer it gets to Trump's inauguration, the harder those tasks become.

Though Obama remains president until Jan. 20, the White House can't process the departure of all its staffers on a single day. So this week Obama aides will start "offloading," turning in their Blackberries and shutting down their computers for the last time, leaving a smaller staff on hand for the final days.

Obama must also prepare to become a private citizen for the first time in two decades. An office of the former president must be stood up, and Obama's family will be making arrangements to move into a rental home in Northwest Washington where they plan to stay until youngest daughter Sasha finishes high school.

The Obamas have long lamented how the presidency denied them freedom and privacy, with first lady Michelle Obama likening the White House to "a really nice prison." But on their last Hawaii vacation, the first family took time out to visit Breakout Waikiki, where visitors are "trapped" in a room together and must try, as a team, to escape.
Laden walked away as at that time drones could only watch and not fire missiles.

New York: Months before 9/11, US Air Force captain Scott Swanson patrolled the skies over Afghanistan with a Predator drone. Mr Swanson and his team were hunting Osama bin Laden. And they found him.

But this was months before the new drones could fire missiles, and the pilots could only watch as bin Laden walked away. On Jan 23, 2001  just three days into George W. Bushs Presidency  a Predator drone test fired a Hellfire missile for the first time. A new age of war had begun.

Mr Swanson is the first human to use a Predator-fired Hellfire missile to take a life. From a trailer truck in a garage behind CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, Mr Swanson loosed a missile from a drone 2,500 miles away in Kandahar. The missile struck its target  a pickup truck outside a building that intelligence said was hiding Taliban leader Mohammad Omar. The missile hit and killed two of Omars bodyguards.

The CIA employed sophisticated new stealth drone aircraft to fly dozens of secret missions deep into Pakistani airspace and monitor the compound where Osama bin Laden was killed, current and former US officials said.

Using unmanned planes designed to evade radar detection and operate at high altitudes, the agency conducted clandestine flights over the compound for months before the May 2 assault in an effort to capture high-resolution video that satellites could not provide.

The aircraft allowed the CIA to glide undetected beyond the boundaries that Pakistan has long imposed on other US drones, including the Predators and Reapers that routinely carry out strikes against militants near the border with Afghanistan.

The agency turned to the new stealth aircraft because they needed to see more about what was going on than other surveillance platforms allowed, said a former US official familiar with the details of the operation. Its not like you can just park a Predator overhead  the Pakistanis would know, added the former official, who, like others interviewed, spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the programme.

The monitoring effort also involved satellites, eavesdropping equipment and CIA operatives based at a safe house in Abbottabad, the city where bin Laden was found. The agency declined to comment for this article. The CIAs repeated secret incursions into Pakistans airspace underscore the level of distrust between the United States and a country often described as a key counterterrorism ally, and one that has received billions of dollars in US aid.
As many as 27,465 tourists visited the Everest region in 2015 while the number was recorded at 36,694 in 2016.

The number of tourists visiting the region in 2016 exceeds the previous year by 9,229, an increase of 33.66 per cent. (Photo: Representational Image/AP)

Kathmandu: Over 33 per cent more tourists visited the Mount Everest region in Nepal in 2016 as compared to the previous year when the deadly temblor struck the Himalayan nation, a media report said on Monday.

As many as 27,465 tourists visited the Everest region in 2015 while the number was recorded at 36,694 in 2016, The Himalayan Times reported, quoting Assistant Sub Inspector of Police (ASI) Sarayug Mahato at Tourist Police Office, Lukla.

The number of tourists visiting the region in 2016 exceeds the previous year by 9,229, an increase of 33.66 per cent.

The tourist arrival in the mountainous region had drastically fallen due to the deadly April 25 earthquake in 2015 and the unofficial Nepal-India border blockade; but it increased in 2016 as the situation became more favourable, Namche's tourist entrepreneur Lama Kaji Sherpa said.
Kwangmyongsong rocket used by the North to put a satellite in space has a potential range of 12K km.

Seoul: North Korea has been working through 2016 on developing components for an intercontinental ballistic missile making the isolated nations claim that it was close to a test-launch plausible, international weapons experts said on Monday.

North Korea has been testing rocket engines and heat-shields while developing the technology to guide a missile after re-entry into the atmosphere after a lift-off, the experts said.

While Pyongyang is close to a test, it is likely to take some years to perfect the weapon. Once fully developed, a North Korean ICBM could threaten the US, which is around 9,000 km from the North. ICBMs have a minimum range of 5,500 km, but some are designed to travel further.

North Korea regularly threatens the US with a nuclear strike, but before 2016, Pyongyang had been assumed to be a long way from being able to do so.

The bottom line is Pyongyang is much further along in their missile development than most people realise, said Melissa Hanham, a senior research associate at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California. She said the Norths test in April of a liquid-fuel engine that could propel an ICBM was a major development.

North Korea said it could mount a nuclear warhead on a ballistic missile. But its claims to be able to miniaturise a nuclear device have never been verified.

The South Korean defence ministry believes the Kwangmyongsong rocket used by Pyongyang to put a satellite in space last February has a potential range of 12,000 km, if re-engineered. Doing so would require safer cold-launch technology, and perfecting the ability of a rocket to re-enter the atmosphere. North is working hard to develop cold-launch technology and atmospheric re-entry but South and the US will have to assess exactly which level of development they have reached, South Korean defense ministry official Roh Jae-cheon said.


Police were expected to question Mr Netanyahu over whether he illegally accepted gifts from wealthy supporters.

Jerusalem: Police arrived at the residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday evening to question him as part of a graft probe that has shaken Israeli politics, media reports said.

Three investigators arrived at the residence in central Jerusalem at around 6:30 pm (1630 GMT), according to public radio and other reports. Police declined to comment.

Ahead of their arrival, Mr Netanyahu denied any wrongdoing and told his political opponents to put any celebrations on hold.

Police were expected to question Mr Netanyahu over whether he illegally accepted gifts from wealthy supporters.

The long-running inquiry has looked into whether Israeli and foreign businessmen have offered gifts worth tens of thousands of dollars as well as another unspecified issue, according to media reports.

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit has reportedly decided to upgrade the inquiry to a criminal probe, although he has yet to confirm this.

Earlier on Monday, screens were mounted at the entrance to the compound in central Jerusalem in an apparent bid to shield the investigators arrival.

We hear all the media reports. We see and hear the festive spirit and atmosphere in television studios and in the corridors of the opposition, Mr Netanyahu told lawmakers from his Likud party on Monday, according to a video posted to his Facebook page.

I want to tell them to wait for the celebrations. Do not rush. I told you and I repeat: There will be nothing because there is nothing. You will continue to inflate hot air balloons and we will continue to lead the state of Israel.

The police have carried out the inquiry in secret over the course of some eight months and recently arrived at an important breakthrough, reports said. Some 50 witnesses are said to have been questioned.

In July, Mr Mandelblit said he had ordered a preliminary examination into an unspecified affair involving Mr Netanyahu, with no details given.

US billionaire and World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder has been among those questioned in the probe over gifts he allegedly gave Mr Netanyahu and alleged spending on trips for him, Israeli media reported.

Mr Lauder, whose family founded the Estee Lauder cosmetics giant, has long been seen as an ally of Netanyahu, who in the late 1990s put him in charge of negotiating with then Syrian President Hafez al-Assad.

Mr Netanyahu has acknowledged receiving money from French tycoon Arnaud Mimran, who was sentenced to eight years in prison over a scam amounting to 283 million euros involving the trade of carbon emissions permits and the taxes on them.

Mr Netanyahus office said he had received $40,000 in contributions from Mimran in 2001, when he was not in office, as part of a fund for public activities, including appearances abroad to promote Israel.

He has also come under scrutiny over an alleged conflict of interest in the purchase of submarines from a German firm.

Media reports have alleged a conflict of interest over the role played by the Netanyahu family lawyer, David Shimron, who also acts for the Israeli agent Germanys ThyssenKrupp, which builds the Dolphin submarines.Beyond those issues, Israels state comptroller released a critical report in May about Mr Netanyahus trips.
This Blog is a digital journal for two cute pooches, Casey (A White Color Shih Tzu Dog Mix) & Peanut (A Brown Dachshund Dog Mix) who are both two complete opposites who have nothing in common except this blog and same owners.
Mar Sako speaks of "grass roots revolt" against terrorism and violence, combined with a renewed commitment "in defense of life." The authorities in Basra for the first time celebrate the New Year and ask Christians to come back. A group of young Muslim Shiites of Najaf attend Mass in the capital and have lunch with the patriarch. Several Baghdad streets festooned with Christmas trees.

Baghdad (AsiaNews) - In Iraq we are witnessing " grass roots revolt against terrorism, against violence", accompanied by a renewed commitment to the "defense of life, of peace, of joy"; in this way "it is possible to defeat those who seek death, destruction, emigration, the Chaldean Patriarch Mar Raphael Louis Sako tells AsiaNews, describing the festive atmosphere these days in the country, despite episodes of violence.

Among the many events that have marked these days of celebration, the Chaldean primate cites three examples: Christmas trees scattered around different neighborhoods in Baghdad; the visit of a group of young Najafdi Shiite Muslims who attended a mass in the capital; the celebrations for the new year in Basra and the invitation of local authorities to Christians, "to return to their homes."

"New Year's Eve  says Mar Sako - I went out to go to a square in the Mansour neighborhood of Baghdad. We celebrated with a lot of people, nearly a million people took to the streets. " "We talked with them, we exchanged greetings; these are small things - but are important to reject the Daesh ideology of terror "[Arabic acronym of the Islamic state] who still target the capital with attacks.

The "change" is visible, continues the Chaldean Patriarch, "especially in Baghdad, dotted with Christmas trees. And then the many letters of greeting from religious, political authorities, but also of Muslim civil activists and many ordinary people. " "I think 2017 - he said - will be another year, maybe not total peace, but certainly greater cohesion, unity. This is my prayer, but it is also the common feeling of the majority of citizens ".

Basras political, religious and institutional authorities have launched an appeal to Christians, asking the many who have emigrated to return to their homes. In the southern Iraqi city New Year's Eve was also celebrated for the first time, demonstrating a greater climate "cohesion" among the different souls that make up the local situation and the whole country. The police forces in Basra kept watch so that the celebrations and the festivities were held in complete safety; the County Council has also committed itself to the maintenance and renovation of churches.

"The governor and the president of the Municipal Council - Mar Sako continues - came to visit me in these days of celebration. A local Christian politician circulated a letter for the New Year against the war. We Christians have a lot to do for the local community; I asked the local authorities to show their closeness to the Christian communities, and these appeals and these initiatives [at Christmas] is a first response. " The most significant event of these days, believes Mar Sako, is the visit of a group of young Muslims, boys and girls, originating in Najaf, Shiite Muslims, who attended a mass in the church of St. George. Afterwards, the group had lunch with the patriarch of the Chaldean Church and other members of the executive exchanging stories and personal and community experiences. "They took part in the church service - recalls the primate Chaldean - and then we posed for photographs with a flag of Iraq and banners for peace. They young people were impressed by the songs and prayers. "

"I explained to them - continues Mar Sako - our faith, in the one God, the Trinity concept. I explained the basics of our faith, the common descent from Abraham, the figure of Jesus. I invited them to combat ignorance of Christianity, we are not infidels. Reporters of two television channels also came, and I appealed to them to help spread awareness of our culture, to explain it to their audience, because there are many more things that unite us than divide us".

"An even more significant - continues the Chaldean Patriarch - is that this visit of young Muslim Shiite of Najaf came on their own initiative. They have seen a few dedicated services to our community in the media, and they wanted to meet us, creating a personal and direct relationship with us that I hope will continue in the future. Here, from this we can also see the importance of newspapers and TV to provide opportunities for interaction and discussion. For this reason, this year, I asked the priests and bishops to think of messages and Christmas homilies that they could apply to everyone. "

To the young people of Najaf, at the end of the Mass, they were joined by a group of young Muslims in Baghdad, which "wanted to bring flowers" and celebrate with us, "the beginning of the New Year." It is time that Muslims "take action and show the positive side of their faith" and that politicians operate "to remove the obstacles and think about the common good." "From young people to government leaders - concluded Mar Sako - you can strive for dialogue, unity and the country's future." (DS)
In 2016, the country has carried out more than 20 missile tests, two of them with nuclear warheads. According to experts in 2017 "right time" to complete the nuclear arsenal.

Pyongyang (AsiaNews) - "We are in the final stages of preparing a test launch of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)": stated the supreme leader of North Korea Kim Jong-un on the national television network in a statement for the beginning of the year. During his greeting speech, Kim also said that "the country is engaged constantly in research and development of advanced weapons ..."

The North Korean leader also pushed the United States to abolish their "anachronistic hostile policy" towards Pyongyang. For years, North Korea has been subject to heavy sanctions imposed by the United Nations because of its nuclear program and missile tests beyond any international rule. Nevertheless, in 2016, North Korea has carried out more than 20 missile tests, two of them with nuclear warheads. The efforts of Pyongyang, aimed at miniaturizing and diversifying its missile arsenal, also have the goal of developing a type of atomic long-range missile capable of traveling thousands of kilometers.

Thae Yong-ho is a North Korean diplomat who last July fled to South Korea. He believes that 2017 is the "right time" for North Korea to carry out its own nuclear arsenal. Thae also believes that Seoul and Washington will no longer be able to oppose the nuclear aspirations of Pyongyang because of their internal political situations.

During the speech, Kim Jong-un also accused South Korea of being responsible for the intensification of relations between the two countries and said that the use of defensive weapons is not the proper way to prevent military conflicts and heal relationships between the two governments. South Korea is implementing an anti-missile defense system (Thaad) in collaboration with the United States.
Divided over Asia-Pacific seas, the Philippines and China could launch a strategic partnership. Manila is looking for new energy sources and foreign investment to boost the Filipino economy. The goal is to normalise" relations with Beijing after years of tension.

Manila (AsiaNews/Agencies)  The Philippines is "seriously studying" the possibility of conducting joint exploration of natural resources with China in the South China Sea.

Divided over who controls a large sector of the Asia-Pacific region, the two nations could launch a strategic partnership. This would confirm Manilas progressive tilting away from the United States.

According to the Philippines Ambassador to China Jose Santiago Sta. Romana, the Philippines Departments of Energy and Foreign Affairs have already been tasked with studying joint exploration projects.

This comes at a time when the Filipino government expects energy supplies from its Malampaya gas fields to start to decline in ten years time.

Once ready to do battle at the United Nations to defend its maritime claims, the Philippines under President Duterte appears ready to settle disputes through Beijings preferred bilateral approach in order to attract Chinese investment.

According to its incoming ambassador to China, Manila wants joint explorations in the South China Sea and normalised relations with Beijing, as indicated by Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte who made an official visit to Beijing last October.

During that visit, aimed at boosting the Philippines economy, the president stressed the foreign policy shift he had signalled when he took office. In fact, Duterte said that he wanted looser ties with Washington and improved dialogue with Beijing.

The Chinese viewed the Philippines as a geopolitical pawn or Trojan horse of the US. Now they look at us as a friendly neighbour, Ambassador Sta. Romana said.

What is more, China does not meddle in the internal affairs of other countries, and has not criticised President Dutertes war on drug dealers and drug addicts, as Washington has.

The war itself has come with scores of summary executions and extrajudicial killings, which have also been condemned by the Filipino bishops' conference.
by Hocine Drouiche*

Hocine Drouiche, a French imam in Nimes and deputy chairman of the French Imam Conference, slams this attitude and all those who claim that Islam is a religion of peace, but deem seasons greetings as "an insult". The presence of open-minded Muslims, who greet you with a big smile and wish you a Happy New Year is important.

Paris (AsiaNews)  Most imams in France (and Belgium) forbid the faithful from celebrating Christmas and the New Year and call on Muslims not to extend holidays greetings. This is what French imam Hocine Drouiche wrote on his Facebook page. He is one of the most open-minded French Muslim clerics opposed to extremism. A tireless promoter and supporter of dialogue between different faiths, he condemns those who repeat the "mantra" that Islam is a religion of peace but then consider expressing seasons greetings "as an insult" because "this is not our religion."

For him, the Islam professed by these imams, who are the majority in France, in Belgium, and in many other countries, "is not a true Islam of peace and shared life". Quranic schools in the West are places that extol political Islam based on jihad and hatred of the "enemies." Fortunately, there are also open-minded Muslims, who greet you with a big smile and wish you a Happy New Year.

The harsh rebuke of the position held by most imams on seasons greetings (Christmas and New Year) is just the latest in a series of complaints made by the French Muslim cleric. In the aftermath of the attacks in Paris, in November 2015, he called on the faithful not to leave Islam "hostage in the hands of extremists". At the same time, he urged Muslim communities to live dialogue and friendship with Europeans, without fear and arrogance.

He is not alone in denouncing the climate of hostility and loathing promoted by some European Muslims towards the culture, tradition and faith of Europes natives. Recently, a former Islamic radical who was close to Salafist ideology for years, noted calls by imams and clerics to "hate Christians and Jews", not to imitate the "infidels" and not to participate "in their festivities and celebrations. " Imam Drouiches reflection follows. Translation by AsiaNews:

Sorry, I will not wish you Happy New Year because I am a true Muslim"!

Almost all of the imams in France (and in neighbouring Belgium) forbid French Muslims from celebrating Christmas and New Year and wishing Happy Holidays to both Muslims and non-Muslims.

They keep on saying that Islam is a religion of peace, a mantra that is repeated in endless ways. Yet, today I saw with my own eyes the results of these incomprehensible and illogical formulations, meeting several devout Muslim who view best wishes for the New Year as an insult.

They are embarrassed, they look at you in a strange way, they answer: But this is not our religion! As if the new year belonged to a specific religion. Fortunately, there are also open-minded Muslims, who greet you with a big smile and wish you a Happy New Year.

The Islam of these imams is not a true Islam of peace and shared life. This is a Bedouin and archaic Islam. The French Interior Ministry, which funds the French Council of the Muslim Faith (Conseil francais du culte musulman, CFCM), must review its programmes and collaborations.

For me, the Bataclans, Hyper Cachers and Nices stem from these hateful directives. If they refuse to change these inhumane fatwas, they certainly cannot say that Islam is not involved in isolated" attacks because Islam is a religion of peace!

So, Happy New Year to all my Muslim, Jewish, Christian and atheist friends.

* Vice-President of the Conference of Imams of France-Paris, candidate for rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris
In a letter, Francis calls on pastors to defend the "Holy Innocents" of our day, the children whose innocence [is] robbed from them by the oppression of illegal slave labour, prostitution and exploitation, the Thousands of our children [who] have fallen into the hands of gangs, criminal organizations and merchants of death, who only devour and exploit their neediness. Speaking about the shame associated with abuses by priests, he writes, let us adhere, clearly and faithfully, to zero tolerance.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis wrote to the bishops of the world to remind them that their task is to protect children: those condemned to die of hunger, those forced to emigrate in order to survive, those forced to fight or work, those who are denied an education, those who are sexually exploited, even by men of the Church who should defend them. The pontiffs reminder came in a letter made public today, but dated 28 December, Feast of the Holy Innocents, the day in which the Church commemorates the children killed by Herod to eliminate the king whose birth the Magi had announced.

Christmas is also accompanied, whether we like it or not, by tears. The Evangelists did not disguise reality to make it more credible or attractive. They did not indulge in words that were comforting but unrelated to reality. For them, Christmas was not a flight to fantasy, a way of hiding from the challenges and injustices of their day. On the contrary, they relate the birth of the Son of God as an event fraught with tragedy and grief. Quoting the prophet Jeremiah, Matthew presents it in the bluntest of terms: A voice is heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children (2:18). It is the sobbing of mothers bewailing the death of their children in the face of Herods tyranny and unbridled thirst for power.

Today too, we hear this heart-rending cry of pain, which we neither desire nor are able to ignore or to silence. [. . .] To contemplate the manger in isolation from the world around us would make Christmas into a lovely story that inspires warm feelings but robs us of the creative power of the Good News that the Incarnate Word wants to give us. The temptation is real.

Can we truly experience Christian joy if [. . .] we ignore the cry of our brothers and sisters, the cry of the children?

The same thing is asked of us pastors today: to be men attentive, and not deaf, to the voice of God, and hence more sensitive to what is happening all around us. Today, with Saint Joseph as our model, we are asked not to let ourselves be robbed of joy. We are asked to protect this joy from the Herods of our own time. Like Joseph, we need the courage to respond to this reality, to arise and take it firmly in hand (cf. Mt 2:20). The courage to guard this joy from the new Herods of our time, who devour the innocence of our children. An innocence robbed from them by the oppression of illegal slave labour, prostitution and exploitation. An innocence shattered by wars and forced immigration, with the great loss that this entails. Thousands of our children have fallen into the hands of gangs, criminal organizations and merchants of death, who only devour and exploit their neediness.

To illustrate this point, there are at present 75 million children who, due to prolonged situations of emergency and crisis, have had to interrupt their education. In 2015, 68% of all persons who were victims of sexual exploitation were children. At the same time, a third of all children who have to live outside their homelands do so because forcibly displaced. We live in a world where almost half of the children who die under the age of five do so because of malnutrition. It is estimated that in 2016 there were 150 million child labourers, many of whom live in conditions of slavery. According to the most recent report presented by UNICEF, unless the world situation changes, in 2030 there will be 167 million children living in extreme poverty, 69 million children under the age of five will die between 2016 and 2030, and 16 million children will not receive basic schooling.

We hear these children and their cries of pain; we also hear the cry of the Church our Mother, who weeps not only for the pain caused to her youngest sons and daughters, but also because she recognizes the sins of some of her members: the sufferings, the experiences and the pain of minors who were abused sexually by priests. It is a sin that shames us. Persons responsible for the protection of those children destroyed their dignity. We regret this deeply and we beg forgiveness. We join in the pain of the victims and weep for this sin. The sin of what happened, the sin of failing to help, the sin of covering up and denial, the sin of the abuse of power. The Church also weeps bitterly over this sin of her sons and she asks forgiveness. Today, as we commemorate the feast of the Holy Innocents, I would like us to renew our complete commitment to ensuring that these atrocities will no longer take place in our midst. Let us find the courage needed to take all necessary measures and to protect in every way the lives of our children, so that such crimes may never be repeated. In this area, let us adhere, clearly and faithfully, to zero tolerance.

Christian joy does not arise on the fringes of reality, by ignoring it or acting as if it did not exist. Christian joy is born from a call  the same call that Saint Joseph received  to embrace and protect human life, especially that of the holy innocents of our own day. Christmas is a time that challenges us to protect life, to help it be born and grow. It is a time that challenges us as bishops to find new courage. The courage that generates processes capable of acknowledging the reality that many of our children are experiencing today, and working to ensure them the bare minimum needed so that their dignity as Gods children will not only be respected but, above all, defended. Let us not allow them to be robbed of joy.

Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of joy, but guard it and nourish its growth.

May we do this with the paternal fidelity of Saint Joseph and guided by Mary, Mother of tender love, so that our own hearts may never grow hard.
by Sumon Corraya

The ordination took place in the Bonpara church in Natore. There were 40 priests and about 500 faithful. The male vocations are on the rise, as opposed to female ones. In the future the fall in births could also affect the number of calls to the religious life. Bangladeshi missionaries in China.

Natore (AsiaNews) - The Catholic Church of Bangladesh has 13 new priests. Their ordination took place on December 30 last in the Bonpara church in Natore, in the diocese of Rajshahi. Fr. Mintu Gervas Rozario, one of the newly ordained, told AsiaNews: "I received the call of God, and now my dream has come true, thanks to the help of my parents and educators. I thank them all and ask you to pray for my priestly life. "

The priests were ordained by Msgr. Gervas Rozario, Bishop of Rajshahi, attended by 40 priests and about 500 faithful. Fr. Emmanuel Kanon Rozario, rector of the major seminary of the Holy Spirit (the only major country of the seminar), reports that "13 new consecrated will play an important role in our Catholic community."

The priest reveals that in recent years Bangladesh has seen an increase in male vocations, in contrast to Europe and the United States. "The seminaries are full of young people - he says with enthusiasm - and a growing number of young men approach religious life".

Many priests, he adds with satisfaction, "went abroad to do missionary work." Msgr. Rozario confirms the increase in vocations and reports that two "Chinese bishops have asked me to send Bangladesh missionaries to China ".

On the other hand, Fr. Kanon Rozario notes that the number of religious could decrease because of family crisis and the collapse of births in the future. "Today - he says - couples are no longer having many children. This is already evident in the novitiates and houses of formation for the sisters, which are almost empty. There are no longer enough girls in the colleges".

In this regard, during the homily Msgr. Rozario has invited Catholics to "encourage their children to pursue a religious life and save the Catholic Church".

Bangladesh is a country with a Muslim majority. Christians are a tiny minority, about 0.6% of a total of over 160 million inhabitants. The largest community is Roman Catholic, with almost 600 thousand faithful, a cardinal, more than 1,000 sisters and about 500 priests.
Hi All,



I am a newbie there , I am trying to understand how to get my birth and education documents certified (under 485 category and ANZCO code 263113) in order for successful ACS application submission.



Do I need to submit the experience letter for all the previous companies and will it necessarily need to be on company's letterhead?



Please help



Tx
ER.neha said: I have done Instrumentation and control engineering. Could anyone help me at which code i should apply for this branch.i found electronic eng, electrical eng. but could not found instrumentation and control branch. Click to expand...

It is not possible to offer a considered opinion without knowing the particulars of your qualifications and work experience.If you hold a recognised engineering degree and you have relevant professional work experience, you might be able to apply under one of the professional engineering or engineering technologist disciplines.If your qualifications and work experience are at a technical level you could perhaps look at Electronic Engineering Technician or Electronic Equipment Trades Worker.It would probably be a good idea for you to consult a registered migration agent for advice about strategy.
Photo by Chris Wolski.

Click here to view photos.

Fleet managers and suppliers gathered at The Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale, Ariz., Nov. 9 to 11, for the first-ever Work Truck eXchange (WTX). Produced by Bobit Business Media, publisher of Automotive Fleet, WTX consisted of educational sessions, industry roundtables, one-on-one business meetings, and networking.

Fleet managers were enthusiastic about the inaugural event. WTX facilitates meaningful and mutually beneficial dialogue in a hassle-free environment benefiting both suppliers and operators, said Marvin McClain, director of Enterprise Fleet for the American Red Cross.

The benefits of WTX continued beyond the event itself. Being able to participate in WTX will give me the opportunity to bring more value and productive function to my companys fleet, said Matthew Weisensel, fleet director for N-LINE Traffic Maintenance. Meeting in the fashion we did, allowed friendships to be formed, which is an important factor in any business relationship.

The 2017 WTX will be held Nov. 6 to 8, 2017, at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort in Phoenix.
ABAX and China Mobile officials ink a 5-year partnership deal. Photo: ABAX

The Norwegian telematics company ABAX has signed a 5-year partnership deal with mobile telecom company China Mobile Ltd., which has a customer base of 845 million subscribers.

The new partnership between ABAX and China Mobile forms a technical and knowledge based platform. ABAX said it will be delivering telematics solutions and technical knowledge into an increasing Internet of Things (IoT) and Chinese connected car market. Earlier in 2016, ABAX announced the opening of an office in Nantong City.

The deal was inked in Shanghai at the China Mobile IoT event in December.
2 January 2017 10:00 (UTC+04:00)

By 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.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
2 January 2017 10:19 (UTC+04:00)

By 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.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Djibouti ratifies Afreximbank establishment agreement, signs agreement for industrial development

Djibouti has entered into an agreement with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) to collaborate in the financing and promotion of the countrys industrial base for export manufacturing and in the development of its trade-related infrastructure.

Under the terms of a protocol signed today at Egypts Al Qobba Presidential Palace in Cairo, Afreximbank will assist Djibouti in mobilising the human, technical and financial resources necessary for the completion of projects in the countrys logistics, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors, to strengthen Djiboutis position as a gateway for trade for landlocked African economies.

President Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti, who received an Afreximbank delegation led by Bank President Dr. Benedict Oramah for the signing ceremony, told the delegation that the financing of projects relating to export manufacturing in industrial parks, the renewable energy and telecommunications constituted the countrys current development priorities.

We believe that Djibouti has a strategic role in promoting intra-African trade, responded Dr. Oramah. According to him, given the countrys strategic location, it is moving towards becoming a key logistics hub for Africa. Djibouti also has the potential to become a hub for light manufacturing, added Dr. Oramah.

He commended Djibouti for concluding the ratification of its accession to the Afreximbank Establishment Agreement on record time, marking the full formalisation of its membership of the Bank, and pledged Afreximbanks commitment to supporting Djiboutis trade development drive.

Accompanying President Oramah from the Bank were Dr. George Elombi, Executive Vice President, Corporate Governance and Legal Services; Amr Kamel, Executive Vice President, Business Development and Corporate Banking; Dr. Hippolyte Fofack, Chief Economist and Director, Research and International Cooperation Department; Gerald Chihota, Head, Board Secretariat; Dr. Christiane Abou-Lehaf of the International Cooperation Unit; Morciad Chaparira of the Trade Finance Department; and Manal Mounir of the Communications Unit.

www.afreximbank.com




Top Oregon Coast News of 2016: Mysterious Finds, Vandalism, Storms

Published 01/01/2017 at 7:53 PM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff





(Oregon Coast)  Topping the headlines this year along the Oregon coast were the stories about a despicable act of vandalism and a tornado, but other nature news also stood out. 2016 was a frenzied year of changes, landmark events and discoveries for these beaches. Some articles on Oregon Coast Beach Connection (OCBC) received tens of thousands of readers, and others made a bigger mark on the publication's Facebook page. (Above: bedrock at Newport exposed by storms early in 2016).

Many of the largest-yield stories in terms of audience were about the various storms and weather warnings along the beaches. Some were about big events coming up, such as the glass float drops in Lincoln City or the tall ships coming to Newport. Other big attention-getters were about the stuff found on the beaches  and in some cases  beneath them.

Here's what acquired the most attention on OCBC over the year.

In February, one story that caught fire (with tens of thousands of readers) was Oregon Coast Showing Its Underbelly: Ghost Forests, Prehistoric Bedrock. Storms had really moved a lot of sand off some beaches, revealing bedrock some 22 million years old and a few ghost forests. It happened more on the central coast than up north, interestingly enough.

On November 9, a small quake shook near Warrenton. A mere magnitude 3.8, it was centered ten miles west of the coastline and 21 miles down, but it was felt for about a second or two in Warrenton, Astoria, Gearhart and as far south as Seaside.

Certainly one of the most widely read stories published this year was Weird Little Purple Critter Returns to Oregon Coast, by the Millions. The famed velella velella returned again this year, this time in really big numbers. It started earlier than usual as well, beginning in February.



Gooseneck photo courtesy Tiffany Boothe, Seaside Aquarium



A popular feature story this year was The Other Mystery Creature Washing Up on Oregon Coast: Gooseneck Barnacles back in March. About the time that tons of those purple velella velella began piling up, there was also a run of logs and other debris covered in alien-looking creatures. Paradoxically both brightly colored and yet a dark shade of blue, they exist entirely by attaching themselves to other things. In fact, they can't live without that.

Logs are the most frequent place these are found, but this type of barnacle is also known for making its home on ropes, garbage, and other debris.



Photo courtesy Amy Van Dyck

The highest profile event on the entire Oregon coast took place in Manzanita and Oceanside on October 14 when both places had a tornado lumber through. In Oceanside there was no damage, but Manzanita had over 100 homes and buildings torn apart, power lines ripped out and the town was actually cordoned off for a few days. Most dramatically, the town lost one third of its trees.

It was later designated and EF2. Footage of the event even made national TV news.

Almost as big a story was why this happened. Tornadoes along the coast are nearly unheard of. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), this one was the combination of a lot of different elements coming together, some of them quite unusual. The NWS called the storm itself rare, in that it was a low pressure system that coincided with a storm that was atypically strong for this time of year, making things so much more unstable.

This particular event caught the NWS by surprise, but when it became obvious what was happening the agency posted a record ten tornado alerts for the state.

The other biggest news item of the year was the vandalism of a much-loved landmark atop Cape Kiwanda in August. First, news spread quickly that the structure nicknamed Duck Bill Rock was found destroyed  a feature found at a dangerous spot where people should not be treading in the first place. Just days later, video emerged of a group of visitors pushing the structure over.

State authorities are still hoping to identify those in the video and they intend on pressing charges. This story and the video footage received by far the largest response on OCBC's Facebook page.

OCBC caught some amazing natural events in still and video with Weekend of Rare Oregon Coast Science: Novaya Zemlya Effect, Glowing Sand. In June, with a gnarly heatwave chasing land lubbers to the coast, a somewhat rare occurrence of the Novaya Zemlya effect was filmed and photographed just south of Cannon Beach. This wondrous sight creates an illusion where it seems the sun is setting in two places at once. The upper part is often distorted in appearance, most of the time showing as a series of lighted bands of a rectangular shape. Yet you always see at least part of the real orb just underneath, descending below the horizon

There was also a hint of the green flash in that photo set, and later at night OCBC caught a tiny glimpse of the glowing sand effect, caused by bioluminescent phytoplankton.

Talk about Stranger Things. Finally, while the biggest hard news was the vandalism at Cape Kiwanda and the tornado in October, when it comes to nature by far the most significant story was that of the pyrosomes  puzzling tube-like objects found all over this fall. Yet OCBC has been the only media outlet to cover it.

Facebook is still covered in posts with beachcombers trying to figure out what this mysterious object is. They are, in fact, a they. Each pyrosome is a colony of hundreds of tiny clones, and together they're almost a foot long on average. Even stranger, they glow when still alive in the water. They are bioluminescent.

Yet another remarkable aspect is that this appearance is really quite rare. While they're known to inhabit these waters, initially many Oregon coast experts didn't know what these were. It's still unknown what's caused the pyrosomes to wash up. Oregon Coast Lodgings for this - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours

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The victim of a Port Arthur house robbery suffered from minor lacerations when trying to reenter his home Sunday night, according to a press release from the Port Arthur Police Department.

Shortly before midnight, officer arrived tot the victim's home, 1211 Rev Raymond Scott Ave., in reference to a shooting, officials said.
Healthcare leaders are expanding their strategic focus to include the supply chain as a key component to achieve optimized cost savings amid a changing healthcare landscape.

The supply chain can serve as a critical strategic asset to a hospital or integrated delivery network when addressing the important initiatives tied to managing costs and quality of care. Hospitals should step back from pre-existing inefficient processes and workarounds and instead focus attention on leveraging automation and technology to drive efficiencies, lower costs and improve care quality.

Carola Endicott, VP of services and operations at Cardinal Health, and Ken Shastany, RN, MSN, strategic solutions specialist with Cardinal Health Inventory Management Solutions, recently spoke to Becker's Hospital Review about supply chain's crucial role in ensuring a smooth, cost-efficient transition toward new payment models.

Note: Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Question: Nurses working in procedural areas spend a lot of time on supply chain-related tasks. What do you think is causing or driving this trend?

Ken Shastany: In my experience, nurses working in procedural areas probably experience more supply chain-related stress than nurses in general care units of hospitals.

In specialty areas like cardiac cath labs or interventional radiology labs, clinicians help order, stock, monitor and manage high dollar physician preference items, while the materials team handles supply chain activities for lower cost commodity items. Clinical staff members often hold full responsibility for an inventory valued greater than the total cost of the medical/surgical supplies in the hospital's main store room.

A good example of where clinicians spend too much time on supply chain-related activities is in the operating room. Inventory is often managed by the clinical lead. This senior nurse often manages the administrative tasks around the proper accounting of consigned items, like heart valves or orthopedic implants, as well as tissue tracking and vendor stock. They're frequently interacting with people from the supply chain and the billing office, instead of working at the top of their license caring for patients.

Carola Endicott: I think, what we're really talking about is peace of mind. Clinicians want to easily find and grab a product off the shelf without worrying if it's expired, out of stock or the wrong item, so they can quickly return to caring for the patient. That's where supply chain is realizing they have a lot to offer. While supply chain traditionally had a role in commodity supply within the OR, we're now seeing more supply chain leaders taking a seat at the discussion table regarding the management of high-value supplies coming through traditional and special order channels.

Q: A growing number of integrations are occurring in healthcare, which forces enterprise accounts to assess opportunities to gain efficiencies such as product standardization by value analysis teams, interoperability, technology consolidation, etc. How can supply chain or inventory management help support these efforts while contributing to the bottom line?

CE: We've been involved with a number of large health systems as they go through this process of growth and consolidation. When they consolidate, supply chain plays a large role. As the planning process kicks off  even before the ink is dry  both health systems think about how they can bring their supply chains together. Will they be on one materials management or enterprise resource planning system? The "let's combine our item masters" mindset is common during integrations, but complete standardization is much more complicated. Taking advantage of shared information across multiple departments or hospitals is harder.

We've seen a real appetite from utilization management teams in the supply chain, made up of clinical experts, physicians, etc. When utilization managers face resistance to clinical product standardization, they need to be able to back up their case with data specific to a particular case or clinician. Most of the utilization management folks are really limited to what data they can get their hands on. Typical data rests on patterns of purchases for products. It tells you what was bought, not used, and it doesn't indicate which physicians used those products, or on what day they were used, without massive data mining and integration.

Having usage information in one system available to supply chain and clinical leaders alike that also offers cost and usage information is beneficial to utilization managers. This information enables managers to pinpoint which physicians use what product and talk with them when working to standardize supply categories.

The gold standard is to integrate patient outcomes and product utilization within one supply chain data set. That's our vision, and what we are focusing on. The data is there, and we are working to pull it together. With that information, standardization becomes less of a top-down, imposed policy and, instead, something that involves input from physicians and nurses on a shared foundation of data.

KS: Standardization on a local level is often driven by emotion. Nurses or physicians fall in love with a particular product, whether it's a stent or an exam glove, and supply chain has limited objective data to aid in standardization. An inventory management solution can provide usage data to drive decisions for what is best for the organization and what will work with physicians. The technology and the data take the emotion out of the decision-making process when trying to improve the bottom line.

We've seen the benefits of good data first hand with one of our accounts. We work with five departments in one hospital. Prior to automation, the departments were running their own inventories and used overlapping supplies. Expiration and overstocking resulted in a lot of waste and excess. In less than a year, the departments created a consolidated view of their inventory across product lines and saved about $670,000 in supply chain costs, gaining support from their clinical customers in the procedure areas. Extrapolate those cost savings across an IDN of six or seven hospitals and the savings could be very significant.

Q: Many hospitals are happy with consignment and think of supply chain management as a vendor relationship to manage, rather than a direct issue. Is this the most efficient way to manage inventory? What are the risks associated with this mindset?

CE: We like to remind people that consignment is not free. Hospitals pay a premium to use a consignment model. On the other hand, some products are very expensive, so there is a risk of expiration and obsolescence associated with owning these items, which is how consignment has become so popular. If you could manage the expiration of products and purchase products to match utilization patterns, then some of that risk goes away.

Medical device manufacturers and vendors also struggle with hospital-based consignment inventory. Vendors constantly have to manage their field inventory, making large write-offs when field-based products expire on the shelf. All of that waste washes back into the hospital's cost of medical devices.

Consignment models can produce a lot of cost and waste. If you add all of the combined hospital and manufacturer supply chain related loss and waste, it amounts to about $5 billion per year, according to data from a GHX quantitative research study done in 2011.





Consignment won't go away right now, especially in smaller hospitals that don't have a better way to manage inventory. It can be a nice model and work well in some cases. However we believe hospitals shouldn't use consignment as a crutch when they can use technology as a more cost-effective model.

KS: The myth of consignment is that it is not coming with a cost, but sometimes there is a hidden cost of consignment, beyond product pricing, which can be a lot more than people realize. I've been all around the country talking to customers about consignment agreements. I visited one hospital that had all its stents and balloons on consignment. The consignment agreement said the department should have 90 stents on the shelves, but the hospital had 180. The lead tech in the department was tired of getting yelled at for an item being out of stock, so he doubled up on stock and the department had no idea. So while the hospital assumed all stents were on consignment, a careful look at its contract indicated half of its on-hand quantity was actually purchased and owned. This is an easy fix when contracts are digitized and users are alerted to consignment par overages.

It doesn't have to be a no-win scenario. Vendors and hospitals should be able to attack this problem around risk and obsolescence. They need to have a solid inventory management solution as the source of truth. Objective data on both sides can be used to know what is owned, what is consigned and where the contract exists. If we can attack that $5 billion Carola talked about, both sides win.

Q: Compared to clinical technologies that directly impact patient lives, supply chain and inventory technology is not always a main priority in the minds of hospital executives. How can supply chain leaders elevate their position at the discussion table?

CE: When I was a VP at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, we spent many budget seasons around the table looking at a constrained capital budget, a situation I think is true for every hospital in America. It is difficult for a supply chain technology or enhancement to compete with a revenue producing piece of equipment, room or new service line. There is never enough capital, and clinical needs usually win.

However, there's an argument to be made for why capital invested in supply chain efficiency is a smart business decision. Reducing costs offsets the organization's profit and loss in a more direct fashion than revenue projected from a new service line or equipment. There is often a lot of hope when hospitals bring in new technology  promises are made around new revenue, yet uncertainty often exists around reimbursement. Supply chain technologies that lower costs while providing the same service levels fall directly to the bottom line, along with the immeasurable benefit of providing peace of mind to clinicians.

If capital constraints exist, hospitals should explore alternative buying methods for inventory management technologies, including what Cardinal Health offers. For example, hospitals can take a subscription or rental approach that doesn't require any capital up front.

KS: Hospitals will always need inventory management and can always count on it versus reimbursement for a procedure that may become obsolete. When I was a manager, there was a big push for radiation brachytherapy as a treatment for restenosis. Then, drug-eluding stents came along and rendered the treatment cumbersome, expensive and the technology obsolete. Hospitals had invested heavily in infrastructure to provide the treatment, but it didn't pay off.

There are hundreds of examples of huge revenue generation promises that didn't pan out. Maybe the push toward investing more in the supply chain takes a bit of reminding from supply chain leaders, who can point out obvious losses in which the hospital previously made heavy investments.

As a clinician, it's hard to invest against the cutting edge technologies that may improve patient care or increase potential revenue, but there's no reason why clinical and supply chain technologies can't coexist. It doesn't make sense to not invest in an inventory management solution to help improve efficiency, patient safety and staff satisfaction, while also remaining budget neutral and achieving a positive return on investment.

Q: In terms of change management, what's the best approach to ensure a smooth transition to more efficient supply chain workflows? How do you get buy-in from executives and build the business case to increase the value of investment in supply chain technology?

CE: At the macro level,it's very helpful for supply chain leaders to work with the CEO and COO to develop a vision of the future. When you hit tougher times the vision serves as a reminder for leadership and staff as to why the supply chain transformation or automation is worth doing. On a more micro level, I recommend some kind of demonstration or proof of concept where leaders take a small area with willing and competent participants to operate as an example for the rest of the hospital. Ken and I spend a lot of time in hospitals, and we've found they have a "show-me" culture. A proof of concept project adds to the speed and efficacy of technology adoption and acceptance of change.

KS: Before developing a vision, it is vital to first demonstrate there's a problem. I think a lot of facilities may or may not be aware of the magnitude of opportunity for savings and standardization resting in their supply chain. And even once this opportunity is recognized, initiatives to solve the logistical problems will probably get pushed back, given all the other pressing priorities hospital leaders face.

Hospitals need to focus on the value proposition and return on investment. The worst thing you can do is just focus on the price of a solution. Investment in a "revenue generator" is considered a good return, while investment in a "money saver" is labeled as a cost avoidance and isn't valued as highly. We need to change this mindset and advocate for more proven cost avoidance strategies.

More articles on supply chain:

Senate committee releases comprehensive report on high drug prices: 4 things to know

Supply chain tip of the week: How to put your supply chain on a 'diet'

Survey: 19M Americans have purchased cheaper drugs across US borders
Sherlock star Amanda Abbington has opened up about her "sad" split from partner Martin Freeman, saying that long periods spent apart were partly responsible for the relationship ending.

The 42-year-old actress said the Sherlock co-stars - who play married couple John and Mary Watson in the BBC1 detective series - "couldn't live together any more".

Abbington told the Daily Telegraph's Stella magazine: "It's all totally fine. Martin and I remain best friends and love each other, and it was entirely amicable, but we realised we'd come to the end of our time together.

"There was no hostility, really. We just said that we couldn't live together any more."

She said the separation - with Freeman, 45, now living in a flat in north London - was the start of "a new chapter".

"It is sad and it is upsetting because you think you're going to be with someone forever, but you either do that or you break up. And we both came to the decision that splitting was best for us. We've been really lucky to make it such a clean break, especially for the kids."

Abbington said the lack of time spent together - with Freeman filming The Hobbit franchise and US TV series Fargo abroad - was partly responsible for the end of the 16-year relationship.

"We've been apart a lot, and I think that's one of the reasons it happened," she told the magazine.

"You can't be away from people for too long, because you start to function on your own, you get used to being separate. You lose the connection and lose sight of it, in the end."

The stars, who have two children aged eight and 10, began filming the new series of Sherlock - in which their characters are first-time parents while their marriage also comes under strain - two weeks after they split.

The new series returns to TV screens on Sunday night.

Abbington admitted it was "so weird" filming the scenes, and added: "Especially playing new parents again... because we were effectively revisiting how it was when we first got together."

She said the pair occasionally questioned whether they were doing the right thing working together but that the answer was always "yes".

The actress, who is appearing on stage in a production of Abigail's Party, joked that she was "officially on the market" but added: "I haven't dated for 16 years, so I don't have a clue what to do. I certainly don't know what Tinder is."
A man allegedly poured cooking oil over his partner's head during an attack on New Year's Eve, a court heard today.

Michael Scott is also accused of inflicting blows to the woman and tipping dish-washing liquid over her at their home in Belfast.

The 31-year-old, of Ainsworth Avenue in the city, faces a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

He was due to appear before Belfast Magistrates' Court, but remained in the cells for undisclosed reasons.

With the case proceeding in his absence, a prosecution lawyer confirmed the alleged victim has said she does not want to pursue a complaint.

However, District Judge George Conner was told photographs of her injuries were taken with her consent.

The prosecutor said they showed a cut to to the top of the woman's head.

She added that Scott is alleged to have poured cold cooking oil and dish-washing liquid over her head.

An investigating officer saw a green-coloured fluid on the woman's face and body, the court heard.

According to police the incident early on December 31 followed drink and drug-taking.

Mr Conner agreed to grant bail if an address approved by the PSNI can be found.

He banned Scott from contacting the alleged victim or loitering within one mile of Answorth Avenue.

Imposing a prohibition on any alcohol or non-prescription drugs, Mr Conner ordered the accused to be in court on Tuesday to confirm the release terms.
A Ballymena mother donating two vital organs to save her four-year-old boy's life has promised him: "This is going to be your year."

Sarah Lamont (36) said she hasn't doubted for a second her decision to donate both a kidney and part of her liver to her son Joe.

Born with a rare condition - autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease - Joe was forced to have his kidneys removed and has depended on constant dialysis ever since.

He has also developed advanced liver disease, which could prove life threatening without a transplant.

His mother told the Belfast Telegraph she could wait no longer to get him the help he needs.

"In June, Joe had been on the transplant list for over a year and there was no sign of him getting a call," she said.

"Meanwhile, we saw other wee kids getting kidneys from their mum or dad. It's life changing for them."

Needing dialysis three times a week, Sarah said Joe "just wasn't getting a chance to do what wee boys do."

Sarah said she wants nothing more than to take Joe on holiday to Disneyland and to attend mainstream school, but is worried that delays caused by his illness will make it too hard for him to catch up with other children his own age.

After having a "brainwave" to contact Birmingham's Children's Hospital last year, Sarah is feeling optimistic.

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The liver transplant is planned for January 25, with the kidney operation in the following months when both mother and son have recovered.

"I'll be all right, I'm a very optimistic person. If I could do it today I would, the sooner the better," said Sarah.

"I would never have doubts. Joe's been through so much, there's been a few times where I've been told he's not going to make it and he always does."

Despite the health problems Joe has had to suffer, his mum said she was inspired by his happy personality.

"He's so funny, he's got a box of practical jokes and he's a real character who loves to sing."

She continued: "He's really tough as well. If he fell and hurt himself he wouldn't cry, he's feisty."

Before the surgery begins, Joe enjoyed a "wonderful Christmas" with his mum and older brother and sister Max and Eve.

"They really love him, but they have to put up with a lot too," said Sarah.

"Every time you go to plan something, he could take sick. The first year he came home he was on dialysis, so we couldn't leave the house 12 hours a day, seven days a week."

Looking forward to a brighter 2017, Sarah added: "I said to him the other night 'this is going to be your year Joe' and he got excited and said to me 'I'm getting a new liver and a new kidney!'."

"He doesn't complain, he always fights back. There's no point in feeling sorry for yourself. I'm lucky to have him."

Sarah said Joe's experience showed how vital organ donation was.

"I'm lucky I can give Joe a liver and kidney, but if he had a heart problem he could die waiting," she explained. "You also don't know how long organ transplants last, so he'll probably need multiple transplants in his life."

Urging others to register as a donor immediately she said: "If you're on your deathbed of course you would take an organ, so if you're prepared to take it you should of course be prepared to give."
Infrastructure minister Chris Hazzard has backed proposals for restrictions on seat sales at George Best Belfast City Airport to be removed

Stormont's infrastructure minister has said a seat sales restriction at George Best Belfast City Airport should be removed.

Chris Hazzard endorsed in full the recommendations of an independent inquiry which called for the step.

The airport is proposing to replace the cap with noise controls and the minister said technical issues are still to be resolved in that area. The Planning Appeals Commission (PAC) found residents living more than 5km away should not face high volumes.

The airport wants to change its planning agreement, removing a restriction on the number of departure seats it can sell in a year, currently capped at two million. Residents have led a long-running campaign of opposition based around rising noise levels.

Mr Hazzard said: "I have considered the PAC report of the public inquiry and agreed 'in principle' to endorse their recommendations in full, subject to resolving the technical issues around the proposed noise management system."

He said he has instructed his officials to liaise with the airport on the detail of a modified planning agreement based around the recommendations.

Dr Liz Fawcett, chair of Belfast City Airport Watch residents' group, welcomed the minister's declaration.

"The Commission clearly tried to strike a balance between the commercial interests of the airport, and the health and quality of life of the tens of thousands of local residents affected by this issue.

"Although permissible noise levels will rise, once the report's recommendations are implemented we can be confident that we won't have to suffer the extreme levels of noise which could have occurred had the airport been given everything which it was seeking."

The inquiry's other recommendations included:

:: A levy of fines should be clearly laid out, to be imposed on flights landing after 9.30pm, increasing incrementally every 15 minutes.

:: A departure noise control system should be introduced setting out a specified maximum limit. Fines should be established and clearly set out in the amended agreement, with all penalties payable to an Airport Community Fund.

:: A continuous descent approach should be adopted for all aircraft landing.

:: A noise insulation scheme should be brought in for residential and noise-sensitive properties experiencing noise levels of 63 decibels or above.
Roads Minister Chris Hazzard is considering tougher penalties for drivers caught using a mobile phone at the wheel.

Mr Hazzard said he wanted a more effective deterrent to the practice.

Last month the Belfast Telegraph revealed how more than 40,000 drivers have been caught using their mobile phone at the wheel in the last five years.

Police are catching 22 offenders every day  despite repeated warnings about the dangers.

It comes after a man was jailed for killing a pensioner after crashing while browsing Gumtree on his phone.

Mr Hazzard said: I am very aware that too many drivers continue to flout the laws on using a mobile phone when driving.

I intend to consult in 2017 on proposals to create a more effective deterrent. I will also continue to encourage drivers through road safety campaigns to do the right thing and prompt them to question their decision in using a mobile phone.

Drivers are currently given three penalty points and a 60 fine for using a phone at the wheel.

Figures obtained by this newspaper show police made 41,013 detections for mobile phone use while driving from January 2011 to December 2015.

Mobile phones were directly to blame for 37 accidents in which someone was injured.

Two people were killed and 11 others suffered a serious injury.

Proposals announced last month by the Westminster government could see drivers who cause death by dangerous or careless driving get life in prison.

Motorists who cause death while on a mobile phone are among those who could face longer sentences.

In September it was announced drivers caught using mobile phones in Britain would be hit with double fines (200) and points (six).

In October, 21-year-old Edward Devlin, from the Leitrim Road, Hilltown, pleaded guilty to causing the death of 66-year-old Leonard Bailie by driving dangerously near Lisburn in 2014.

Investigators found Devlins mobile had been used to send a text message and for web browsing during his journey.

He later confessed that up until the time of the collision, he had been browsing Gumtree to look at lists of cars.
Police are investigating a series of burglaries - including one in which the victims were threatened at gunpoint - in a New Year night of terror

Police are investigating a series of burglaries - including one in which the victims were threatened at gunpoint - in a New Year night of terror.

A number of men forced their way into a property in the Burneys Mews area of Newtownabbey in the early hours of yesterday morning.

One was armed with a suspected firearm and another was carrying a knife.

A number of people who were in the house were threatened at gunpoint before the intruders made off empty-handed.

Although none of the occupants were injured, they were left shaken following the incident which happened shortly before 2.25am.

Glengormley councillor John Blair said his first thoughts were with the victims, but expressed concerns over a number of recent incidents in the area.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, the Alliance representative said: "I live fairly close to the area where this happened and I know that people will be very shocked and worried.

"I am concerned by the spate of recent burglaries in the area and would appeal for people to be watchful and be watchful for others."

He also appealed to local residents to secure their properties and report any suspicious activity.

Detective Sergeant Emme Wallace appealed for witnesses to contact detectives in Antrim on 101, quoting reference number 300 of 01/01/17.

Meanwhile, a man in his 50s was attacked in a another incident in Glenarm, Co Antrim, after three burglaries were reported in the area on New Year's Eve.

The man was beaten with a metal bar after he returned to his home on the Deerpark Road and was confronted by three intruders.

The victim was struck on the shoulder during the aggravated burglary before the three thieves made off in a stolen car with money taken from the property.

He did not sustain serious injuries in the attack, which happened shortly before 11.20pm on Saturday night.

The getaway vehicle - a blue Volkswagen Tiguan, which had been reported stolen from the Rectory Road area of Ballyclare earlier on Saturday evening - was found burned out on the Ballyhampton Road in Larne a short time later.

An attempt had also been made to steal a second car in a creeper-style burglary in the Riverdale Park area of Ballyclare around 10.15pm on Saturday.

Police are investigating a link between the three incidents in Glenarm and Ballyclare.

DUP councillor Mandy Girvan said: "I am shocked by these incidents and I am shocked for the man who arrived at his home to experience this.

"It's an absolute disgrace that someone could do this to another human being."

Warning people in the area to be careful, the councillor added: "I would appeal to people to be vigilant and to make sure they lock their windows and doors when leaving their homes."

Detectives have asked anyone with information about the movements of the blue Volkswagen Tiguan to contact them in Larne on 101 quoting reference number 1228 of 31/12/16.

Alternatively, information can be given anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Arlene Foster has repeatedly blamed her officials for the RHI fiasco

The power sharing institutions at Stormont risk becoming valueless, a Sinn Fein leader warned.

The republican party has called repeatedly for DUP First Minister Arlene Foster to stand aside while an investigation is carried out into a massively overspent green energy incentive which left taxpayers facing a potential 490 million bill over the next 20 years.

Sinn Fein is due to take the matter to the devolved Assembly later this month in what could be a crucial date for the future of the administration it jointly leads with the Democratic Unionists.

Sinn Fein's national chairman Declan Kearney said: "Political institutions cease to have value when they do not reflect equality, mutual respect and parity of esteem, and have become detached from the lives of citizens they are meant to serve."

Mrs Foster became leader of the DUP and First Minister just over a year ago and produced success in last year's Assembly elections, emerging triumphant as Northern Ireland's largest party.

In a previous role as economy minister she established the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme which paid business owners more in subsidies than the fuel cost and led to a "cash for ash" scandal.

Claims of widespread abuse include a farmer allegedly set to pocket around 1 million in the next 20 years for heating an empty shed.

Mr Kearney added: "Political parties and leaders in the north need to be above scandal and corruption. They should be above reproach, not continuously reproachful towards political opponents.

"The political process has now been dragged recklessly by the DUP, culminating with the RHI crisis towards an unprecedented tipping point."

He added: " Playing fast and loose with the political process and the political institutions is unsustainable.

"There are big decisions to make, and there is very little time."

Mrs Foster has repeatedly blamed her officials for the debacle.

In a letter to Northern Ireland's leading banks written at the outset of the ill-fated scheme, Mrs Foster said the state-funded eco-subsidies offered applicants a "good return on investment".

SDLP Mid Ulster Assembly member Patsy McGlone called on Sinn Fein to back the SDLP call for an independent, judge-led inquiry into the RHI scandal.

Mr McGlone made his comments amid what he claimed were contradictory positions from Sinn Fein on their plan to achieve transparency and accountability on the issue.

He said: "Surrendering the demand for a judge-led public inquiry is surrendering the need for transparency, accountability and consequences for the loss of hundreds of millions in public money.

"With trust in our hard-won institutions at stake, Sinn Fein need to think very carefully on where their loyalties lie.

"The SDLP have been clear, only a judge-led inquiry can get to the truth of this matter. Sinn Fein must return to this position immediately."
The Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) has begun laying the groundwork to accommodate a significant number of London based financial services firms looking to move their operations to Dublin in the wake of Brexit.

Gerry Cross, the CBI's director of policy and risk, said the Bank is poised to help businesses "think constructively" about relocation and would take a practical approach as firms look to get their business models approved and their company authorised.

Speaking to the Press Association, Mr Cross said the Bank had seen interest from a significant number of firms.

"We have seen inquiries and interest from a significant number of firms. These firms are of many different types and cover a wide range of activities.

"We recognise the practical constraints that firms are facing. Particularly around some of the timing issues: for example setting up businesses in Ireland, getting authorisation and thinking about model approval," he added.

"We have no objection to thinking constructively with firms about how this sequencing challenge might be addressed, without undermining our commitment to our responsibilities. 'Grandfathering' is not the most helpful concept in this context; rather it is about having a practical approach while meeting our regulatory obligations."

London's financial firms are waiting with bated breath to discover whether the UK can hold on to passporting rights which allow them to trade freely across the EU.

The cost of a so-called "hard Brexit" to revenues in Britain's financial services sector has been estimated to be as high as 38 billion (44.7bn euro), with up to 75,000 jobs in the firing line. This is on top of a 10 billion (11.8bn euro) hit to the British Treasury's tax revenue, according to a study commissioned by TheCityUK.

Last week the Industrial Development Agency (IDA) said over 100 companies, many currently based in the City, have inquired about relocating to the country after Brexit.

Mr Cross added: "There is also the important question of group-wide models and how they might operate. This can be a very complex question with many aspects including questions of supervisory reliance.

"The Central Bank of Ireland's good and long-standing relationship with UK and other authorities means that we will be in a good position to work through these aspects effectively and efficiently."

The CBI is bolstering staff numbers in its insurance supervision directorate by more than a quarter as it looks to welcome insurers from London.

However, the Bank has moved to deny reports that Ireland was discouraging firms wanting to move investment banking or trading operations to Dublin because of regulatory concerns.

In a speech earlier this month, Cyril Roux, the CBI's deputy governor, said: "We have not sought to dissuade any such entities from seeking authorisation nor are we planning to do so."

The CBI has made clear that it does not want firms setting up small operations in Ireland just so they can access EU passporting rights.

Mr Cross said firms must demonstrate that they have "proper business models, with convincing risk identification and management, suitable products, sound finances, and strong boards and executives" before gaining approval in Ireland.

"The Central Bank has not ruled out, and is not planning to rule out, any particular business model on financial stability grounds," he added.

The CBI moved to quash speculation that there was tension between the Bank and the Irish Government over firms relocating to Dublin post-Brexit.

"The Government and the Central Bank communicate well. There is no material difference of view as to the role and approach of the Central Bank. We understand each other's roles well and their different respective natures."
Dr Bassett is the first retired Irish diplomat to call for a shift in the Irish government's negotiating strategy

A former Irish diplomat has said an 'Irexit' from the EU needs to be considered if Brussels fails to offer satisfactory terms in any Brexit deal.

Dr Ray Bassett, who also served as ambassador to Canada, said that the Republic of Ireland needed to stand up to Brussels in EU negotiations surrounding Brexit.

Dr Bassett said the Republic's carte blanche assurance that it would remain in the EU regardless of the deal offered to the UK was not appropriate.

"We certainly hope we can continue as an active and supportive member of the EU, but we should rule nothing out. If we are determined to stay in at whatever the cost, then our bluff may indeed be called. In Brussels, as we saw in the infamous bailout and other matters, Ireland's national interest does not carry much weight nowadays," he said.

Dr Bassett is the first retired Irish diplomat to call for a shift in the Irish government's negotiating strategy. He said most other EU countries were part of other international groupings, but the Republic had no natural allies inside the EU.

"Ireland's indigenous SMEs and its labour market remain inextricably linked to Britain. The relationship in these areas is still more important to us than our relationship with the rest of the EU," he said.

"Post-Brexit, and on the assumption that Ireland will remain a member of the EU, the country will find itself alone inside the EU.

"The present instruction is that, at all costs, no indication can be given by our officials that our continued membership of the EU is in any doubt, regardless of the outcome of negotiations on Brexit. The policy is very much at odds with our national interest and in effect, no Irish government can give that assurance.

"In the end, membership of the EU is a matter for the people of Ireland. If the terms offered to Ireland after Brexit mean we simply cannot live with them, then clearly our membership of the EU will be up for grabs."
Details of the BBCs unpredictability payments came to light after a Freedom of Information request by the Belfast Telegraph

Staff at BBC Northern Ireland were handed more than 1m last year - for arriving early and staying late at work.

More than 200 employees were handsomely compensated for working an unpredictable shift pattern, including weekends, evenings and mornings. Some workers are receiving an extra 20% of their salary.

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The average payout is around 5,000, documents obtained by the Belfast Telegraph reveal.

A little-known perk called unpredictability allowance payments applies to staff whose hours don't follow a set pattern and can be changed at short notice.

They can pocket an extra 10% of their salary if they are notified of their precise hours of work 14 days in advance, while those signed up to receive one week's warning of shifts can receive an extra 20%.

Between September 1, 2015 and September 1, 2016, 229 BBC NI staff claimed unpredictability payments.

In that same period, a total of 1,186,172 was claimed - an average of 5,180 each.

Other broadcasters, such as ITV and Sky, do not give workers flexibility bonuses.

A former BBC worker who contacted the Belfast Telegraph about the payments said it was "inconceivable" that staff at other commercial organisations would benefit in this way.

"People will see this and quite rightly be startled at how money is spent," they said.

DUP MP Sammy Wilson said he was astonished. "Every month produces a new revelation of BBC profligacy with licence payers' money," he said. "While shelf-stackers, caretakers, nurses, carers and so on work unsocial hours with no compensation, the BBC with its bottomless pit of licence payers' money awards its workers generously for getting up a bit early or staying out of bed a bit longer."

Mr Wilson added: "All those early morning workers on their way to an 8 per hour job listening to BBC radio should consider why the people sitting in a BBC studio should be taking over 1m in bonuses from the licence fee, which low paid workers are forced to pay under threat of criminal conviction."

Details of the BBC's unpredictability payments came to light after a Freedom of Information request by the Belfast Telegraph.

In recent years, the BBC has repeatedly come under fire for wasting money.

Last year the BBC's Director General, Lord Hall, said he was targeting savings of 800m a year - nearly a quarter of the broadcaster's licence fee income.

John O'Connell from the TaxPayers' Alliance said: "This will raise eyebrows as a bonus given out for 'unpredictable hours' seems like an outdated idea which few can expect from their employers.

"As licence fee-payers struggle with rising bills, the BBC must do everything possible to keep costs down."

A BBC spokesman said: "It's impossible to broadcast 24 hours a day, seven days a week without employing people to work through the night or work unpredictable hours. Like most organisations we reflect this in our pay structure. However, we're always looking to make savings and this contractual allowance has come down by 11m since 2009."

Last September, it was reported that BBC journalists are paid up to 40% more than their rivals in the commercial sector.

The details emerged in a review of salaries leaked to the Daily Telegraph.

The report, carried out for the BBC by financial consultants PwC, said staff in the BBC's 7,000-strong news division enjoy salaries that are "higher than the market median".

The pay packages of around 3,000 news staff were analysed and compared to journalists at Sky News, ITV, ITN, Channel 4, the Guardian, Reuters, and several daily newspapers.

They found that among 1,125 BBC senior broadcast journalists the median pay was 49,000.

That figure was 40% more than the average earned by those in comparable roles in the private sector.

Analysis of the pay-packets of 1,781 staff at the rank of broadcast journalist found that BBC workers were paid an average of 37,500 - 34% more than comparable staff at commercial rivals.
The UK's Investigatory Powers Act forces internet providers to keep a full record of every site that each one of its customers have visited

The UK's Investigatory Powers Act is now in effect, placing the UK under some of the widest-ranging spying powers ever seen.

The law  passed last month but going into effect on 30 December  is intended as an update to Britain's often unwieldy surveillance legislation. But it also includes a large set of new powers  including the ability to collect the browsing records of everyone in the country and have them read by authorities as diverse as the Food Standards Agency and the Department for Work and Pensions.

Most of the central parts of the act are now in force. That includes new powers to gather and retain data on citizens, and new ways to force technology companies and others to hand over the data that they have about people to intelligence agencies.

Many of the most invasive powers in the bill haven't yet gone into force. That includes, for instance, the collection of those Internet Connection Records, which has been postponed until the government and internet companies have worked out how they can collect such information safely.

The government has argued that the powers introduced in the bill are necessary to allow intelligence agencies and police to stop modern crime and prosecute the people involved in it.

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But Bella Sankey, Amnestys policy director, said that it was a "sad day" when the bill passed into law last month.

The Home Secretary is right that the Government has a duty to protect us, but these measures wont do the job," she said then. "Instead they open every detail of every citizens online life up to state eyes, drowning the authorities in data and putting innocent peoples personal information at massive risk.

"This new law is world-leading  but only as a beacon for despots everywhere. The campaign for a surveillance law fit for the digital age continues, and must now move to the courts."

The law has been opposed by tens of thousands of people in a public petition. But much of that opposition only started after the bill was quietly passed into law by MPs, meaning that it was unlikely to have any effect.

But some of the central powers of the law were criticised by European courts earlier this month. As such, the law is set to face a range of legal challenges and could be changed in the coming months and years.
Single mother Manee (left), pictured with her daughter, holds up a copy of her newly acquired Thai national identity card, in Chiang Rai, Thailand.

Thailands cabinet has passed a resolution that could allow as many as 80,000 stateless people living in the country to apply for Thai citizenship, according to a government official and the U.N.s refugee agency.

Thailand has a total registered population of 438,821 stateless people  those who are not considered citizens of any nation due to different circumstances, the agency says. According to the International Observatory on Statelessness, the exact number of stateless people in Thailand is unknown, but likely ranges between 2 to 3.5 million.

Under the resolution adopted Dec. 7 by Thailands military government, 80,000 people  mostly children of migrants and displaced people  would be eligible to apply for naturalization.

Some 80,000 children and youths will benefit from the cabinet resolution that was passed recently. This will reduce the statelessness in Thailand, Grisada Boonrach, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Interior, told BenarNews on Friday.

Thailands stateless population includes Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar and members of the Karen, Mon, Hmong and other hill tribes, who cannot vote, buy land, get legal jobs or travel freely, according to the website of the International Observatory.

To obtain citizenship, Grisada said, eligible applicants will need to meet one of the following criteria: they were born in Thailand to parents from ethnic minority groups, registered by the Ministry of Interior, and have lived in Thailand for no less than 15 years; or they were born in Thailand to members of foreign groups and have graduated from university.

If they have not graduated yet, the ministry shall consider each case on an individual basis, Grisada explained.

Abandoned children whose parents are unknown can apply too if they are certified as such by a relevant agency under the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, and have lived in Thailand for no less than 10 years, he said.

I hope my childrens turn will come

The Bangkok office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) lauded the latest move by Thailand to open a path to citizenship for tens of thousands of stateless people.

According to UNHCR, Thailand has granted citizenship to more than 23,000 stateless people since 2012, as part of a worldwide campaign to end statelessness by 2024.

This recent resolution builds on measures announced in the past few years by expanding the scope of eligibility and clarifying the criteria and procedures involved. They show the Royal Thai Governments strong political will to reduce statelessness among children, Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, UNHCRs Representative in Thailand, said in a statement on Dec. 29.

In 2016, according to UNHCR, the government asked all districts to identify and give legal status to registered and eligible stateless students, which could translate into temporary or permanent residency, if not Thai citizenship.

Many stateless people and those at risk of statelessness in Thailand come from areas where national borders have changed, leaving their nationality in question, according to an article published by the U.N.s refugee agency in November.

Some belong to hill tribes living in remote areas with limited access to information about nationality procedures and who, in the past, lived without registration or identity documentation.

The agency has been involved in a project in Chiang Rai, a northern province, to help stateless people acquire documents needed so they can study or work in Thailand, as well as overcome the bureaucratic hurdles in applying for citizenship. Through the project, Manee, a 39-year-old woman from the Lahu hill tribe (pictured), obtained citizenship and a national identity card in October, according to the article.

Now that I have my card, I hope my childrens turn will come, Manee told UNHCR. They need to have DNA tests to obtain Thai nationality so that they can travel to places they couldnt before.
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A county deputy's vehicle on New Year's Eve struck the driver of a vehicle that had been going the wrong way on DuPont Parkway.

The driver had crashed and was crawling on the highway when he was hit around midnight.

Authorities said he was not seriously injured.

The sheriff's department said, "The HCSO is awaiting the completed THP report/investigation. Once it is received, it will be thoroughly reviewed internally through normal policies and procedures.

"The name of the deputy is not being released and no internal actions have been taken against the deputy at this time."
Eurofins Scientific announces the signing of an agreement to acquire Villapharma Research SL (Villapharma) in Spain. The transaction is expected to close in February 2017, upon fulfilment of customary closing conditions.

Villapharma provides organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry services to global pharmaceutical and biotech companies for the discovery and optimization of potential new drug candidates. Founded in 2003, Villapharma employs 86 staff at its laboratory in Murcia and runs a research outsourcing business model for its clients. The company expects to generate more than EUR 6m of revenues in 2016 with EBITDA margins compatible with Group objective.

Villapharmas offering is complementary to Eurofins existing competencies as a leading provider of pharmaceutical discovery services, currently focused primarily on safety pharmacology, ADME and target pathways. The transaction therefore expands the Groups services into a more comprehensive offering and further strengthens its service proposition for the pharma/biotech industry.

Comment from Dr. Gilles Martin, Eurofins CEO: The addition of Villapharma adds another spectrum of new services that Eurofins can now offer to our clients. To benefit from the trend in the discovery pharmacology field for outsourcing to CROs, Eurofins is expanding its portfolio and footprint in this industry. This transaction is another demonstration of Eurofins commitment to provide the most comprehensive portfolio of laboratory services in the industry.

Comment from Dr. Jose Manuel Villalgordo, Villapharma Research CEO: With the integration of Villapharma into the large Eurofins group, the company expands its portfolio of services from hit finding to pre-clinical drug candidates.

Eurofins Scientific also announces that it has acquired ASL Analises Ambientais (ASL).

ASL serves consulting and industrial companies across Brazil. The company employs about 150 staff and expects to generate revenues in excess of BRL 25m in 2016, with EBITDA margin already at Group objective.

As one of the first signatories of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Brazil has one of the broadest environmental legislations in the world, although enforcement has been sometimes less strong outside of Sao Paulo. Adoption of regulations by other states in the country should drive further growth in the market. The acquisition of ASL reinforces Eurofins leading domestic footprint to leverage its expertise in helping companies comply with existing, as well as future regulations.

Comment from Dr. Gilles Martin, Eurofins CEO: ASL, together with Anatech, which we acquired in 2014, expands Eurofins footprint to become the largest environment testing service provider in Brazil. This transaction reinforces our local footprint and complements our leading position in the domestic food testing market. In return, ASL will have access to the Groups entire portfolio of competencies, logistics and clients, which should allow it to further expand market share.
2016 Was Chicago's Deadliest Year In Two Decades

By Stephen Gossett in News on Jan 2, 2017 4:34PM



Getty Images / Photo: Scott Olson

Chicago ended the year with its highest homicide total in 20 years. 762 people were killed in 2016, and the city logged over 3,500 shooting incidents, according to recently released data by the Chicago Police Department.

The homicide figure is largest since 1996, which saw 796 people killed. Shooting incidents increased by more than 1000 over 2015: There were 3,550 last year versus 2426 the year prior, according to Chicago Police Department data. The number of homicides is slightly higher according to other, non-official counts, due to the fact that CPD doesnt include circumstances such as fatal police-involved shootings or expressway homicides. For instance, the Tribune tally totals at least 781.

At a press conference on Sunday, Superintendent Eddie Johnson said anti-police sentiment and a negligent criminal justice system were in part to blame. 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, as quoted in the Trib by reporters Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas and Tony Briscoe.

"In Chicago, we just don't have a deterrent to pick up a gun," he added, according to Fox. "Any time a guy stealing a loaf of bread spends more time pre-trial in jail than a gun offender, something is wrong.

Anthony Guglielmi, the police department's communications director, said the rise began at the outset of the year and called it unacceptable.

Chicago's homicide rate was a national news topic throughout much of the year, most recently in a 60 Minutes segment called Crisis In Chicago. Johnson, was among the interview subjects, reiterated his argument that police are "cautious about doing their jobs in the face of increased public scrutiny.

The Sun-Times reports that police said city and department anti-violence initiatives in the new year include more support for youth in crime-plagued communities and economic incentives for retailers and manufacturers who set up shop in underserved communities. More than short sentences or low police stop rates, hopelessness stemming from under-invested communities is the key driver of violent crime in Chicago, some experts have argued.
Off-Duty Cop Fatally Shoots Northwest Side Man, Marking 2nd Police Shooting Of 2017

By Rachel Cromidas in News on Jan 2, 2017 5:51PM



Crime scene tape (Photo by LukaTDB via Shutterstock)

An off-duty police officer shot a man this morning in Hermosa, marking the second time this year that a cop has shot a Chicagoan.

The shooting took place around 9:15 a.m., according to authorities, in the 2500 block of North Lowell Avenue. The man was taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead.

It's unclear why the officer shot the man.

A Chicago police officer shot a man in the early morning on New Years Day in a separate incident. The shooting took place around 2:20 a.m. after officers saw a driver ignore a stop sign in the 1200 block of South State Street. The driver fled and eventually crashed into a police car and drove onto the sidewalk while police officers pursued him and tried to arrest him. The man resisted arrest, exited the car, and fought the officers who tried to restrain him, according to the police narrative of events. One officer fired his gun twice, striking the man.

The man is in his 40s and was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in critical condition, according to the Tribune. Three police officers were also hospitalized but were in good condition, Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson told reporters in a Sunday press conference.
Top 10 Beers Available In India That Are Worth Giving A Shot! Life oi-Syeda Farah

India is a big market for breweries. Most of us are aware of some of the most popular Indian brands of beer that people around us have been drinking. But, is it really the most popular brand or is it a pocket-saver one?

You May Also Like: Interesting Facts About Beer To Know

Confused? We are here to share the list of the top 10 best brands of beer that are available in India. We bet, once you get your hand on these beers, you would forget what the rest of them taste like!

Also Read: Exotic Local Drinks You Will Find Only In India

We're just wondering how many of us are even aware of these brands that make us relish the actual taste of the beer and not leave behind the taste of water.

Also Check: Interesting Facts About Beer

So, check out the list of the top 10 beer brands available in India, which are a must try.

#1: Tsingtao This beer is originally from China. It contains a proportion of the less-expensive rice as an adjunct in the mash, which gives it the right flavour and a smooth texture to the drink. #2: Bira The mission of this brand is to bring a craft-beer revolution in India & the US. It has low bitterness, a hint of spicy citrusy taste with a soft finish, as it is high hopped with delicate aroma and bitter hops. #3: London Pride It is the UK's best-selling cask-conditioned ale. This beer is known for its balance of malt and hops, giving rise to a well-rounded flavour. #4: Schneider Weisse This beer is slightly fruity with a mild-bitter aftertaste. It is the best way to wash down all the bratwurst. It is made in one of the oldest wheat beer breweries which gives it an authentic taste! #5: Peroni This brewery company was established under the founding family name in the town of Vigevano, Italy, in 1846. Since then, it has been creating history for being one of the best brands of beer makers that is available in India! #6: Leffe Blond This brand of beer has been producing the best beer since 1152 in Namur in southern Belgium! Most of the ingredients of this beer are found in the wild. The beer has a fruity essence and it leaves the taste of bitter orange at the end. #7: Foster's This is one of the most common brands of beer that is available in India. This beer was created by two Irish American brothers, William M. and Ralph R. Foster, who arrived in Melbourne from New York in 1886. Well, most of us would wish to thank them for this! #8: Asahi This beer was founded in Osaka in 1889. This beer has a crisp, dry taste; a reminiscent of some northern German beers. It gained its popularity during the First World War. #9: Hoegaarden This beer was first brewed in 1445. It is a witbier and is spiced with coriander and orange peel. The beer is unfiltered and it gives a cloudy appearance. #10: Stella Artois This beer almost dates back to 6th century AD. It comes with a whole set of pouring rituals, but the clean taste it has is quite worth giving it a shot. We bet, you cannot let go of this beer with just a sip! So, let us know which beer you would be trying out first after reading this!

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Story first published: Monday, January 2, 2017, 18:38 [IST]
Period Myths That Need To Be Cleared Right Away! Pulse oi-Syeda Farah

Menstruation is considered a taboo since years, in many countries. Women face the brunt while they undergo a lot of severe pain and agony. All this is because of a few myths and beliefs about periods that surround them.

Also Read: Menstrual Taboos According To Various Religions In India

This article is going to clear some of the most weirdest, bizarre myths and beliefs about periods that all need to know.

Learning about these myths is important because menstruation is not a shameful thing, but a natural process.

Also Read: Menstruating Man? Check Out The Video

Check out some of the most weird myths about periods that people have been following/believing in blindly!

Myth #1: You Shouldnt Use A Tampon Until Youre Old Enough! Fact: There is no age restriction for using a tampon! People believe that using tampons will ruin the virginity of a woman, as the hymen would get damaged. Well, it's just a belief! Myth #2: You Cannot Get Pregnant During Your Period Fact: It is not true! You CAN get pregnant during your period! This is something that most women are not aware of! Remember that a sperm can live up to 3-5 days and ovulation can occur during, or soon after, the bleeding phase. Myth #3: Period Should Last For Exactly One Week Fact: Everyone's menstrual cycle is different. A perfect natural period will last anywhere between 3 and 7 days. If the period is typically longer or shorter than a week, then a doctor's visit is a must! Myth #4: Take Rest And Avoid Exercise Fact: Whoever came up with this myth is a fool! Exercising helps to control PMS symptoms and menstrual cramps, as it increases the supply of oxygen to your muscles. Hence, exercising is good during the menstrual cycle! Also Read: Weird Indian Myths About Periods Myth #5: You're Supposed To Get Your Period By The Age Of _____. Fact: There is no "normal" age to get your first period. Girls start menstruating anywhere between 9 and 15 years of age. Anywhere during this time is considered to be normal. But, if there's no sign of your period by the time you're 15 years, then you'd better get it checked with a doctor! Myth #6: A Tampon Can Get Lost Inside Your Vagina! Fact: This can be called a Joke! Nothing can get lost in your vagina. It's not a cave down there, as a woman's vagina ends at the cervix. Period! Myth #7: You Can Shorten Or Delay A Period By _________. Fact: You shouldn't try to fight your body's natural menstrual cycle, since it is a natural process, and hampering it can only cause other health problems. Also Read: Things Guys Would Experience If They Had Periods
Reasons Why Married Women Wear Toe Rings Faith Mysticism lekhaka-Lekhaka

In India, wearing toe rings by married women is an ancient tradition. According to the epic Ramayana, when Ravana took Sita with him, she dropped her toe rings on the way, so that Lord Ram could understand where she had been taken to.

So, the tradition of toe rings in the Indian cultures is ancient as well as significant. After marriage, every woman must wear toe ring on the second finger of her feet, as per the tradition. The ring has to be made of silver. In Hindi, it is known as 'Bichiya'. In Telugu, it is called 'Mettelu', 'Kalungura' in Kannada and 'Metti' in Tamil. So, it is interwoven with the Indian tradition, and imperative of state and culture.

Now, you may ask why gold ring is not worn in the toes. Actually, according to the Hindu tradition, gold is worshipped as Goddess Lakshmi. So, wearing gold under waistline is not allowed among the Hindus. You will be surprised to know that wearing silver ring is not only common among the Hindus, but also among the Muslim married women. It is true that today wearing toe rings has become a fashion statement; however, there are certain traditional beliefs behind it. Have a look at the reasons why married women wear toe rings.

1. Erotic Effects Married women are allowed to wear silver toe rings on the second toe of each foot. It is believed traditionally that silver is effective in arousing the sexual desires in married women. Therefore, they wear it. 2. Treats Gynaecological Problems According to Ayurveda, the nerve of the second toe is connected with the uterus of a woman. So, if women wear a ring on those toes, their toes and nerves will be in a good condition always. Hence it is good for solving any gynaecological issues. 3. Improves Menstrual Cycle The regularity of menstrual cycle denotes better reproductive system in women. The connection of the second toe and the uterus keeps the menstrual system regular, which is very important for the good health of a woman. 4. Keeps You Energetic Silver is a wonderful conductor. Wearing silver means you get all the positive energies of the environment surrounding you. Wearing it on the feet means the positive energies flow upwards and the negative ones flush out from your body through the toe and go inside of the earth. Ayurveda says having some metal on your body is good. 5. Strengthens Your Heart The nerve from the second toe goes to your heart through the uterus. To supply positive energy to your heart and to remove all the negative thoughts, married women wear a pair of silver toe rings on the second toe of their feet.

So, these are certain reasons why Indian married women wear silver rings on their toes. No matter how fashionable it is today, but following the tradition is not bad always. Try it and it will suit you truly.
Trump Shares Latest Useless Opinion On Chicago's Gun Violence On Twitter

By aaroncynic in News on Jan 2, 2017 6:50PM

President-elect Donald Trump took to his favorite platform to communicate with Americans Tuesday morning to once again decry the gun violence epidemic in a city he knows very little about.





Chicago murder rate is record setting - 4,331 shooting victims with 762 murders in 2016. If Mayor can't do it he must ask for Federal help!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2017





This isnt the first time the President-elect has taken a verbal jab at Chicago and the overwhelming gun violence the city has seen in 2016. In July, he Tweeted Crime is out of control, and rapidly getting worse. Look what is going on in Chicago and our inner cities. Not good! About a month later , despite not having spent much time in the city and definitely none of it in our neighborhoods, Trump told Fox News Host Bill OReilly he could solve the problem in a week.

I know police in Chicago," Trump said on the show. "If they were given the authority to do it, they would get it done."

Chicago has seen more violence and homicides this year than it has in two decades, with 3,500 shooting incidents that claimed at least 762 lives.

Its unclear what Trump means by federal help. It is however, unsurprising the law and order President-to-be, whos fawned over by fascists and has surrounded himself with generals, would Tweet something cryptic enough that could mean anything from government dollars to the national guard patrolling the city streets.

Trump isn't the first politician to call for or hint at federal help to combat Chicago violence by any means. Two days after the funeral for his 15-year old grandson, Rep Danny Davis called for officials at every level of government to implement the 10-20-30 plan. That measure calls for 10 percent of investment funds to be allocated to poor neighborhoodsthose where 20 percent of people have lived below the poverty line for 30 years or more.

Chicago however, has long been a favorite target for hard right conservatives who believe that the only way to solve violence is with iron-fisted policing rather than policies that actually address core issues like poverty, racism and lack of resources in struggling neighborhoods. As we've pointed out before however, ignoring those issues in favor of things like stop-and-frisk policing or tougher sentencing tends to have the opposite effect.

Adam Collins, spokesperson for Emanuel, said in response to Trump's tweet:



"As the president-elect knows from his conversation with the mayor, we agree the federal government has a strong role to play in public safety by funding summer jobs and prevention programming for at-risk youth, by holding the criminals who break our gun laws accountable for their crimes, by passing meaningful gun laws, and by building on the partnerships our police have with federal law enforcement. We are heartened he is taking this issue seriously and look forward to working with the new administration on these important efforts."




NEW DELHI (PTI): Lt Gen Bipin Rawat has 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.



Air Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa also took charge as the 25th Air Force Chief, replacing Arup Raha on 31st December.



Gen Rawat superseded two senior most Lt Generals, Praveen Bakshi and P M Hariz.



Lt Gen Bakshi, who heads the Kolkata-headquartered Eastern Command, announced "full support" to the new chief and told theatre officers through video conferencing that he would continue to lead with "full professional sincerity as hither-to-fore".



"I convey my best wishes and full support of Eastern Command to Gen Bipin Rawat on having taken over as the Chief of Army Staff," he said.



Earlier, there was speculation that Lt Gen Bakshi may resign or take premature retirement. He had also met Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar recently.



He requested that speculation and trolling in media and social media should stop and everyone should focus on contributing their best to the betterment of the Army and the Nation.



The Eastern Commander called the new Army chief to congratulate him on taking over the reins of the Army.



Speculation is rife that Lt Gen Bakshi may be given the new post of Chief of Defence Staff pertaining which Parrikar will meet Prime Minster Narendra Modi next month.



Sources, however, have indicated that no such development will take place.



Gen Suhag, who superannuated on December 31, said Army is prepared to meet any challenge as he thanked the government for "providing a free hand" and implementing the One Rank One Pension scheme.



He said that infiltration bids had increased during the year and the number of terrorists killed was nearly double the previous year.



The General said the army focused on operational preparedness during his tenure.



Suhag said that when he had taken over, he had asserted that the response of the Army to any action against our interest would be immediate, adequate and intense. "Indian Army has done that in the last two-and-a-half years," he said.



Later at noon, he handed over the charge to Rawat, who was commissioned in the Fifth Battalion of the Eleven Gorkha Rifles in December 1978 from IMA, Dehradun. He was awarded the 'Sword of Honour' at the academy.



Earlier in the day, Gen Suhag and Air Chief Marshal Raha paid tributes at Amar Jawan Jyoti and inspected the guard of honour.



The new IAF chief, Air Marshal Dhanoa, had developed the country's aerial targeting philosophy against potential adversaries and transformed the concept of air operations of the air force into contemporary war fighting practices.



He has mainly flown Kiran and MiG-21 aircraft though he has the experience of flying the entire spectrum of fighter aircraft from Jaguar to state-of-the-art MiG-29 and Su-30 MKI.



The Air Marshal has many feathers in his hat. As the commanding officer of a frontline ground attack fighter squadron, he led the IAF punch during the "Limited War" against Pakistan to drive the enemy out of their "dug in" defences in the icy heights of Kargil region.



During the conflict, under his leadership and supervision, the squadron devised unique and innovative methods of bombing at night at altitudes never before attempted in the history of air warfare, the IAF said.



Prior to the attack, the squadron had been adjudged as the best fighter squadron of Western Air Command for its high degree of professionalism and peace-time training. After the conflict, it emerged as the most decorated IAF unit of Kargil War.



He also holds the highest flying instructional category in the IAF and was handpicked to establish the "IAF Training Team" abroad.



Gen Rawat 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 and at Army War College, Mhow.



Gen Rawat has held important staff appointments at Directorate General of Military Operations and Military Secretary's Branch at Army HQ.



He has also been Major General General Staff (MGGS) at HQ Eastern Command.



The General commanded a Multinational Brigade in a Chapter VII mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC). While serving with the United Nations, he was twice awarded the Force Commander's Commendation.



An alumni of Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, he has been awarded various medals of high honour for gallantry and distinguished service in a span of over 38 years in uniform.



He also attended the Command and General Staff College (CGSC) course at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, USA.



Academically inclined, Rawat has authored numerous articles on national 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.



Gen 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.



Meanwhile, sources said that during his address, Lt Gen Bakshi said he understands that it is the government's prerogative to select the Army Chief.



He said promotion should be based both on seniority and merit and that he had endorsed it at Army Commanders conference.



The army commander also said that one month before the announcement of the new chief, he had learnt there was a "smear campaign" against him, according to the sources.



This, he said, was "very intelligently" being done for the last four to five months.



Anonymous complainants were made to various authorities regarding alleged irregularities in purchase of equipment ordered by Lt Gen Bakshi from the funds under his command, the top General was quoted as having said.



The Commander said he learnt of an enquiry by Controller General of Defence Accounts in which CDA Guwahati and CDA Patna probed his procurements and nothing came out of it.



He also said he would like to get to the bottom of the issue.






NEW DELHI (PTI): New Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Sunday said the role of the force is to maintain peace and tranquillity at the border but it will not "shy away from flexing its muscles, if the need be".



Eastern Army commander Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi and Southern commander Lt Gen P M Hariz will continue to serve the Army and maintain the unity, he said.



"The force is to maintain peace and tranquillity at the border but it will not shy away from flexing its muscles, if the need be," Gen Rawat said.



All units and services of the Army are together and he would always look at each one of them as one unit, he said.



Rawat, who took over as the 27th Army Chief on December 31, was speaking to reporters in New Delhi after inspecting the Guard of Honour at the South Block.



Gen Rawat had superseded two senior most Lt Generals -- Praveen Bakshi and P M Hariz.



Lt Gen Bakshi had on December 31 announced "full support" to the new Army chief and told theatre officers through video conferencing that he would continue to lead with full professional sincerity as hither-to-fore.



Government sources had earlier said Rawat was found best suited among the Lt Generals to deal with emerging challenges, including a reorganised and restructured military force in the North, continuing terrorism and proxy war from the West, and the situation in the North-East.


Earlier in December, 2016, prominent scholars and practitioners around the globe assembled at The Hague Institute to grapple with the issues of migration, the refugee crisis in Europe and the larger crisis of global governance surrounding refugee management. I have not come across another global conclave where the mood of the panellists and participants mostly from Europe can be so sombre and deeply unsettling. A sense of despair could be seen among a majority of the speakers and leaders dealing with the issue of migration governance. The air was tense and uncertain. Remember that, not long ago, this was the continent that used to goad, gag and lecture countries and regions, particularly the Global South, on values and principles of democracy and human rights. Of course, it still does the same. But the ongoing refugee crisis has dented much of the moral high ground that Europe built up over many decades.

The continued turmoil in the Middle East and the surge of thousands of desperate refugees towards Europe seems to have completely exposed the once invincible region to deep vulnerabilities. Although Europe had to tackle a surge of refugees during the Bosnia and Kosovo conflicts in late 1990s, the present crisis is more severe. The refugee surge has led to protests and a series of political backlashes, particularly in lesser developed Eastern Europe. Brexit and the rapid rise of far right parties in many of countries of the EU are threatening the very foundation of this most promising enterprise of 21st century. Since early 2015, the refugee crisis has taken up much of European leaders' time and preoccupations. Importantly, fear of refugees has created deep chasms among member states and exposed the limits of their collective action. And the real winner of this crisis is the populist regimes that are thriving by ratcheting up mass hysteria and fear to harness political dividends.

Fear exaggerated

Is the current refugee movement really as big or monstrous as many European analysts and politicians claim? Are these fears based on ground reality, or are they more to do with growing Islamophobia? A quick tour of facts will be useful to analyze current perceptions. Take the case of the number of migrants seeking refugee status in this prosperous region. Since 2015, there have been about a million refugees that have entered Europe seeking asylum. Take the case of Denmark. With about population of 5.7 million, Denmark received some 21,000 applications for asylum in 2015. In statistical term, this makes about 0.375 percent. Similarly, Norway another Scandinavian country with a population of 5.2 million received just about 30,000 applications for asylum in 2015. Statistically speaking, this makes about 0.58 percent of population. One can go on.

In contrast, the same continent had shown much greater generosity and courage to accommodate refugees numbering in the millions. In 1950, Germany, still recovering from the heavy casualties of World War II, allowed 12 million refugees to enter the country from all parts of Eastern Europe, absorbing nearly 18 percent of internally displaced persons. In short, much of the panic and despair about economic costs and job loss are mostly exaggeration and largely driven by motivated analysts and the extreme right-wing political parties that smell an opportunity to reap electoral dividends.

The real source of anti-refugee stance stems from old continent's growing Islamophobia. According to a recent survey by Pew Research Centre, European perceptions of refugees are largely influenced by negative attitudes towards Muslims already living in Europe. The Pew reports that in countries such as Hungary, Italy, Poland and Greece, more than six-in-ten have an unfavourable opinion of Muslims. The fear of Islamic terrorism and its threat to local culture seem driving the waves of anti-refugee protests and political churnings in most regions of Europe today.

With over 3000 deaths at Europe's borders (many of them preventable), this prosperous continent is facing a severe tests for its values. Not long ago, European countries renegotiated the Refugee Convention so as to prevent a future Holocaust. Of course, this is not to ignore the courageous leadership of a select number of countries, particularly Germany and Sweden. These two have taken much more than their fair share of refugees and have exhorted others to follow their footsteps. Yet, such acts of generosity by handful of countries can barely hide Europe's loss of leadership and moral purpose.

Niranjan Sahoo is Senior Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.


A file photo.

SEOUL (AP): North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is quoted as saying in a New Year's message that his country's development of banned long-range missiles is in "final stages."



Kim's address was monitored by South Korea's Yonhap news agency 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 programmes, 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.



UN resolutions call for an end to North Korea's nuclear and missile tests.


Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 02/01/2017 (2132 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Mother Nature insisted that Brandon end off the year with as much snow as she could muster.

The Alberta clipper that ripped through the Prairies on Friday dumped most of the snow in Brandon, maybe as a little payback to the forecasters who thought it might just

miss us.

The storm system was tracked from the northwest to the southeast, and Brandon was in one of the peak precipitation areas, said Bryan Van Wilgenburg, meteorologist with Environment Canada.

Brandon was hit with 10.2 to 10.9 centimetres of snow, with Elkhorn following close behind with 10 centimetres of snow, Van Wilgenburg said. Reports also included Virden, which saw about nine centimetres of snow, and five centimetres was recorded in Oak River.

The system carried on throughout the east, but it didnt produce that much snow for Winnipeg and the surrounding areas, Van Wilgenburg said.

City crews were busy once again on Saturday, continuing their round-the-clock snow clearing schedule. Roads, however, continued to prove dangerous as fender benders and collisions were seen across the city.

And just when we thought wed had enough, there was more.

Light flurries started Saturday afternoon and continued into the evening. However, it was nothing like its predecessors, leaving a light dusting of two centimetres of snow.

The good news is Environment Canada is predicting an end in sight, with beginning of the new year looking like it will be a sunny one.

The forecast calls for periods of light snow today, followed by sunshine for the rest of the week with high temperatures around -20 C.

 edebooy@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @erindebooy
The Master of the High Court has accused the Government of failing people facing repossession.

Edmund Honohan has told the Irish Times the courts are pumping people into homelessness due to a lack of adequate protection.
Malawi Launches Humanitarian Drone Testing Center

Malawi has launched a testing center for humanitarian drones. The project is intended to explore the best ways to use drones to transport medicine and blood samples.

Malawis government will operate the testing center in cooperation with United Nations Childrens Fund, or UNICEF. It is the first center of its kind in Africa.

Officials from the government and UNICEF held a launch ceremony last week in the capital Lilongwe. Flights are expected to be fully operating by April 2017. The drones will be carrying materials as far as 40 kilometers.

The most immediate use of drones in Malawi will be to help speed up the identification of HIV in babies. HIV is the virus that causes the disease AIDS.

Malawi has one of the highest HIV infection rates in the world, especially among babies and children. Each year, about 10,000 children die in Malawi of HIV, according to UNICEF.

Currently, it can take up to 11 days to transport blood samples to laboratories by motorcycle or ambulance. It can then take another four weeks for blood test results to be returned.

UNICEF officials are hoping the drone flights will save many lives by cutting the time it takes to get HIV test results. It is important for infected children to get treatment as soon as possible to increase their chances for survival.

In March, UNICEF-Malawi successfully completed its first drone test flight. A drone traveled 10 kilometers to deliver materials from a community health center to a hospital in Lilongwe.

Drones also will be tested to see if they can support transportation and collect information. These are important tasks in Malawi, where severe droughts and flooding can make damage assessments difficult during emergencies.

Drone aircraft are also being used in other parts of Africa to transport blood, medicine and humanitarian supplies.

Earlier this year, the Rwandan government signed a deal to cooperate with a U.S.-based company to transport supplies to medical centers across the country.

In Madagascar, drones fly blood and laboratory materials from rural villages to a research station for testing. The aircraft help doctors speed up the identification of disease in patients and make quick deliveries of vaccines.

www.voanews.com
Turkish police have reportedly detained eight people over the Istanbul nightclub attack.

It is understood the gunman, who shot dead 39 people and injured around 70, isnt one of those in custody.

The Islamic State group claims it was behind the attack - in revenge for Turkeys military involvement in Syria.

Fawaz Gerges, International relations professor with the London School of Economics says it bore all the hallmarks: "It was a strategic attack against a strategic target, well planned, well organised, both symbolically and politically very significant.

"There is all out war between ISIS and Turkey since Turkey has fully joined the US coalition against ISIS."

Meanwhile the Department of Foreign Affairs here is warning Irish citizens in Turkey to exercise extreme caution.

It has updated its travel advice in the wake of yesterday's attack and is asking any Irish people in the area to avoid crowded areas and those frequented by foreigners.

Full details are available on dfa.ie
A huge manhunt is taking place in Turkey after a gunman targeted a crowded Istanbul nightclub during New Year celebrations, killing at least 39 people before fleeing.

Foreigners were among those killed, including an 18-year-old Israeli woman, three Indian citizens, a 26-year-old man from Lebanon and a Belgian national.

Close to 70 others were injured in what authorities described as a terror attack. Three of the wounded were in a critical condition.

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-barrelled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside the popular Reina club at around 1.15am 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," Mr 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 so-called 'Islamic State' group or Kurdish militants.

Turkey is a member of Nato and a partner in the US-led coalition against 'IS'. The country is also facing renewed conflict with Kurdish rebels in the south east, 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. Mr 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," Mr Soylu said.

Private NTV news channel said the assailant entered the upmarket 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 gunman 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 said

He 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.

"Once he went in, we don't know what happened. There were gun sounds, and after two minutes the sound of an explosion," Mr Dag said.

Turkish media said the victims include a 22-year-old police officer and a 47-year-old travel agent, both of whom were shot outside the club.

The nightclub area remained sealed off this afternoon.

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.

Turkey's Minister of Family and Social Policies Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya said citizens of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon and Libya were among those hurt in the attack.

The US Consulate General in Istanbul on Sunday warned American citizens to keep their movements in the city "to an absolute minimum".

The UN Security Council condemned the attack "in the strongest terms", calling the assault "a heinous and barbaric terrorist attack".

In a statement, the council members also expressed sympathy and condolences to the families of those killed and of the dozens of those wounded.

The council said it reaffirms "that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security".

A statement reminded US citizens that extremists "are continuing aggressive efforts to conduct attacks in areas where US citizens and expatriates reside or frequent".

The United States also denied reports in Turkish new outlets and on social media that its security agencies knew in advance that the nightclub in Istanbul was at risk of a terror attack.

The US Embassy in Ankara said that "contrary to rumours circulating in social media, the US Government had no information about threats to specific entertainment venues, including the Reina Club."

Major attacks carried out by IS or Kurdish militants killed more than 180 people in Istanbul and Ankara alone in 2016.

On December 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," Mr Erdogan said.

- AP
Israeli police are questioning prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu over corruption allegations, local media has reported after police cars arrived at his residence.

The police team did not speak to journalists but Israeli media said they are looking into suspicions that Mr Netanyahu inappropriately accepted expensive gifts from two businessmen. The reports said the initial questioning, which began on Monday evening, could last several hours.

A black screen was earlier placed in front of the building in apparent anticipation of the investigators' arrival and to obstruct the view of journalists seeking to film them.

Mr Netanyahu has denied what he calls "baseless" reports that he received inappropriate gifts, a point he reiterated at a meeting of his Likud faction earlier on Monday.

"We've been paying attention to reports in the media, we are hearing the celebratory mood and the atmosphere in the television studios and the corridors of the opposition, and I would like to tell them, stop with the celebrations, don't rush," he said. "There won't be anything because there is nothing."

Israel's Channel 2 TV has reported that Mr Netanyahu accepted "favours" from businessmen in Israel and abroad, and that he is the central suspect in a second investigation that also involves family members.

The Haaretz daily said billionaire Ronald Lauder, a longtime friend of Mr Netanyahu, was linked to the affair. Channel 10 TV has reported that Mr Netanyahu's eldest son, Yair, accepted free trips and other gifts from Australian billionaire James Packer.

In October, Mr Lauder was summoned by police for questioning "related to a certain investigation conducted by them and in which Mr Lauder is not its subject matter", said his lawyer Helena Beilin.

"After a short meeting, he was told that his presence is no longer required and that there shall be no further need for additional meetings," she added.

Israel's Justice Ministry and police have declined to comment on the media reports.

A campaign is under way by Erel Margalit, an opposition politician of the Zionist Union party, for Mr Netanyahu to be formally investigated over suspicions of prominent donors improperly transferring money for the PM's personal use, as well as reports that Mr Netanyahu's personal lawyer represented a German firm involved in a 1.2 billion sale of submarines to Israel.

The prime minister has long been saddled with an image as a cigar-smoking, cognac-drinking socialite, while opponents have portrayed both he and his wife Sara as being out of touch with the struggles of average Israelis.

The Netanyahus have denied any wrongdoing, and say they are the target of a witch hunt by the Israeli media.

AP
A suicide car bomber has detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at a security checkpoint near Mogadishu's international airport, killing at least three people, police said.

Captain Mohamed Hussein said the car bomber detonated the bomb on Monday as security forces were searching cars at the checkpoint, a few hundred metres from the main base of the African Union peacekeeping mission.

The checkpoint is close to United Nations offices and the Peace Hotel, which is often frequented by foreigners and officials. The powerful blast blew roofs off nearby buildings.

A second blast and heavy gunfire could also be heard at the checkpoint after the attack, but there were no immediate details.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. However, the al-Qaida linked Islamic extremist group al-Shabab often carries out such attacks.

Despite being ousted from most of its key strongholds across large parts of south and central Somalia, the group continues to wage deadly attack across the country.

Somalia's capital has seen frequent bomb attacks at hotels and military checkpoints.

The assaults have threatened this Horn of Africa nation's attempts to rebuild from decades of chaos.

The country's presidential election, a key step toward recovery, already has been delayed multiple times because of security and other concerns.
Another rate cut by the US Fed was not en-ough to bring the oil prices down significantly. The rate cuts are not...
Most stock markets in the Gulf ended lower on Thursday, as the U.S. Federal Reserve signalled it was not close to a...
Peter Pan the Musical. Book, music and lyrics by Piers Chater-Robinson. Adapted from the play by J.M. Barrie. Directed by Anita Davenport. Musical director: Susan Davenport. Choreographer: Jodi Hammond. Belconnen Theatre, January 6-21. Ickle Pickle Productions. Tickets $30/$25. Bookings: canberraticketing.com.au or 6275 2700. Fairydust Package: premium seating, show program, and photos after the show. $40 per person, limited availability. Website: icklepickle.com.au.

One of the classic children's stories comes to life this summer when Ickle Pickle Productions brings Peter Pan the Musical to Belconnen Theatre. And there will be some respectful changes along with the traditional elements that have made the story beloved for more than a century.

Greg Sollis, left, as Hook and Josh Kirk as Peter Pan clash in Ickle Pickle's Peter Pan the Musical. Credit:Jenny Watson

It's a 1985 British adaptation of J.M. Barrie's 1904 play about the boy who refused to grow up. Peter Pan (played by Josh Kirk) brings the Darling children Wendy (Emily Pogson), John (Jack Morton) and Michael (Joss Kent) to his home on the island of Neverland. He's head of the Lost Boys and has an ongoing battle with the pirate leader Captain Hook (Greg Sollis), who's been out to get Peter since the boy cut off his hand in a duel and a crocodile ate it.

Anita Davenport is making her directorial debut with the production but is bringing a wealth of theatrical experience both on and off stage  she's acted, designed sets, and been a production manager, among other roles  to the task as well as some ideas to make this Peter Pan fresh as well as traditional.
Watching pancreatic cancer kill her dad last year, Tara Cheyne saw the cleverest man she knew go from a bright spark to a dull husk.

He was the kind of dad took her to the library twice a week and learnt how to tie her hair in a ponytail when her mum moved up the corporate ladder.

New Labor Member for Ginninderra Tara Cheyne. Credit:Jamila Toderas

He would watch Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and nail every question.

But when he went from finishing cryptic crosswords to unable to write a phone number down, the only real choices that were offered to him were to die slowly or die even more slowly.
Travellers heading off on holidays or back to work with Virgin Australia are being urged to arrive earlier to avoid delays caused by extraordinarily long queues at the carrier's Sydney Airport domestic terminal.

Passengers arrived at the terminal on Tuesday morning to find the queue was snaking out of the terminal, with the carrier calling out flights requiring urgent check-in.

"It was crazy," Josh Dye, a Fairfax journalist heading to Perth, said. "I've never seen it that bad."

If anything, the call out for immediate check-in only added to the chaotic scenes, he added.
Mental health groups have accused the life insurance industry of ignoring calls to address discrimination, saying its treatment of people with mental health conditions is unethical and potentially unlawful.

In submissions to a powerful parliamentary inquiry, beyondblue and Mental Health Australia  who have long campaigned against insurance discrimination  said the industry's exclusion of people with mental health symptoms was discriminatory and not based on any assessment of an individual's condition.

Frank Quinlan, chief executive of Mental Health Australia, called for oversight of the insurance industry by ASIC. Credit:Andrew Sheargold

"It is unethical, and potentially unlawful, for life insurers to offer policies with broad, blanket exclusions for any type of mental health condition in the absence of robust actuarial and statistical data," Mental Health Australia chief executive Frank Quinlan said.

Beyondblue chief executive Georgie Harman said the group had been working with the insurance industry since 2002 "in good faith" on the issue but very little had changed.
Why get tough now? I suspect Obama's goal isn't to punish the Russians but to pass on a new Cold War-style standoff to Trump. Trump got lucky: Putin didn't take the bait.

Meanwhile, Obama decided to wave through a UN resolution condemning Israeli settlements. On this, the President defies sanity. He overturned decades of US policy, removed any doubt in Palestinian minds that they have a right to demand Israeli land, and left many Israeli citizens in a legal no-man's land. None of this was necessary: today, Israel is far from the heart of the Middle East's troubles. And it doesn't even fit Obama's record of largely unblemished support for Jewish self-determination.

So why, why, why? Domestic politics. The Republicans have allied with Benjamin Netanyahu; Trump wants to join an Israeli front against the Iran deal. Obama is, again, tying his opposition up in knots. It is petty, it is spiteful. It's what he does.

Let me give you a chilling example. To get his health reform bill passed in 2010, Obama said federal funds would never be used to finance abortions. But when the law was implemented, the government found a way around this: employers would pay for them instead.

Catholic and other religious employers suddenly faced the prospect of providing insurance that would give their workers access to abortifacients, prescription contraceptives and surgical sterilisation. For refusing to comply, the Little Sisters of the Poor, which cares for the elderly, faced up to $US70 million a year in federal fines - so its plucky nuns took their case to the Supreme Court and, thankfully, won. They beat a naked attempt to overrule the separation of church and state and make society more liberal by decree.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has quickly dismissed a pair of contentious suggestions on Middle East relations from Tony Abbott, who called for the Australian embassy in Israel to be relocated to Jerusalem and for a cut to development aid for the Palestinian Authority because of their financial support for "terrorists and their families".

The government's rejection of the former prime minister's comments was swiftly joined by an impassioned rebuke from the head of the Palestinian delegation in Australia, Izzat Abdulhadi, who called them "unfounded, unhelpful" and warned of "severe" consequences for Australia in the form of sanctions and condemnation from Muslim countries.

Ms Bishop said Australia "does not have any plans to move the Australian embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem" - a move that would echo the plans of United States President-elect Donald Trump, whose incoming administration sees the relocation of their embassy as a "very big priority".

This is despite longstanding international convention and potentially destabilising consequences. While Israel considers Jerusalem to be its "eternal" and "indivisible" capital, other countries maintain embassies in Tel Aviv because the Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem in 1967 is regarded as illegitimate.
Warning: graphic images of injuries below

Refugee advocates have called on the Turnbull government to urgently address the alleged bashing of two Iranian asylum seekers by police and PNG immigration officials on Manus Island, with claims the pair were held for 36 hours without adequate medical attention.

Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul said the two men, Mehdi and Mohammad, were taking part in New Year's Eve celebrations in the island's Lorengau settlement on Saturday when local immigration officials told them to return to the immigration detention centre, before the men were assaulted by officials and local police officers about 8pm.

Photos of their injuries show blood and bruising to their faces, necks and backs, including a large bruise across Mohammad's shoulders which appear to be the result of being struck with a long object.
Women's rights face enormous challenges worldwide in 2017 with campaigners expecting fights to keep health clinics open, to save programs preventing unwanted pregnancies and to enforce laws protecting women from violence.

Globally, women's rights are in the crosshairs of rising isolationism and right-wing politics in Western Europe and the United States, where President-elect Donald Trump has promised to unravel an array of beneficial policies.

Demonstators at rally in New York on Thursday protest against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's remarks about women and abortion. Credit:AP

"There are major challenges facing women's rights coming up, not the least of which is a global cultural understanding ... that women are in essence second-class citizens," said Tarah Demant of Amnesty International USA.

"This is a global phenomenon," said Demant, senior director of Amnesty's identity and discrimination unit. "We are really worried."
Doctors and health experts have criticised a government review of vehicle emissions and air pollution for under-reporting the health risks, sidelining the Minister for Health, and potentially putting thousands of Australians' lives at risk.

Australian fuel quality and emissions standards are "appalling", the atmospheric and respiratory specialists say. Of the 35 countries in the OECD, our petrol quality is ranked last, below Mexico, Turkey and Estonia.

Draft proposals to address these quality concerns were quietly released days before Christmas by the Minister for the Environment and Energy, Josh Frydenberg, and the Minister for Urban Infrastructure, Paul Fletcher.

The review acknowledges 1483 premature deaths in 2012 were due to outdoor air pollution (a sharp increase from 882 in 2005), about half of which could be attributed to road transport pollution. It indicates the cost to the Australian economy from these premature deaths at $7.8 billion.
Lightning has struck a church in country Queensland as a huge, long line of slow-moving severe thunderstorms roll towards the coast from the Darling Downs.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Dean Narramore said a line of storms was moving slowly across the region in a northeasterly direction, but providing plenty of heavy falls.

The line of storms stretch from Springbrook Mountain "all the way to just south of Emerald," Mr Narramore said.

"Maroon Dam (south of Boonah) has just had 74mm in an hour," he said. "And a lot of places are averaging 50mm or 60mm in an hour.

"Other places have had 50mm in half an hour. So there is some pretty heavy rain these slow-moving storms."
Police have found a gun in a car that evaded a police blockade before being stopped with tyre spikes on a Queensland highway.

Two men and a woman are facing weapon and other charges after they ignored police efforts to intercept their vehicle at Haigslea, west of Ipswich, on Monday.

Police eventually used tyre spikes to stop the car on the Brisbane Valley Highway at Ironbark but not before it travelled 1.5km on its rims. All three will front the Ipswich Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

AAP
Police and Queensland Corrective Services are still on the hunt for a prisoner who escaped a low-security prison in the Gold Coast hinterland on Saturday.

Kristy Jones, 34, left the Numinbah Correctional Centre on the morning of New Year's Eve.

Police are hunting for Kristy Jones, who fled the Numinbah Correctional Centre on Saturday.

Releasing a photo of Jones, Queensland Corrective Services said in a statement anyone with information about her whereabouts should contact Crime Stoppers.

"She is currently on remand for charges including possession of a dangerous drug, possession of drug utensils, forgery and uttering and breach of bail/bail conditions."
Lockouts, the most contentious measure of the Palaszczuk government's bid to reduce alcohol-fueled violence, may never be introduced thanks to the effectiveness of the first stage of the laws.

The initial plan was for 1am lockouts to be introduced in a second stage of changes, but the government indicated in June the lockout may not be introduced if the first measures to curb alcohol-related incidents prove successful.

Now, with an interim report on the measures due in the next couple of weeks, Acting Premier Jackie Trad said she understands it is "a passionate issue", but the government "will not pre-empt the research data".

"The government has honoured an election commitment by introducing laws that reduce the hours where alcohol can be served after midnight," she said.
The Queensland opposition have called on the government to "tell us what the policy is" around the controversial 1am lockout laws.

The lockout is set to be introduced in February, but acting Premier Jackie Trad has said the government would wait to see the interim report on the government's first round of laws before making a final decision.

"I understand this is a passionate issue," she said.

"The government will not pre-empt the research data."
Delhi: Within seconds of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi laying the foundation stone for a statue that will be the biggest in the world - twice as big as the 93-metre-tall Statue of Liberty - and that will change the Mumbai skyline for ever, battlelines were being drawn between critics and supporters of the multimillion-dollar project.

For the ceremony, Modi sailed in a hovercraft four kilometres off the coast of Mumbai on Christmas Eve to the piece of reclaimed land far out in the Arabian Sea where the 192-metre-high statue of the 17th-century Hindu warrior Shivaji will come up by 2019.

For years, Shivaji fought the Mughals, Muslim emperors who ruled India before the British and who built the Taj Mahal. He created his own kingdom in the western state of Maharashtra, where Mumbai is located. For many Hindus, he is the embodiment of all that is good about Hindu culture.

Modi's party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has been fighting a cultural struggle to promote Hindu traditions and icons it believes have been belittled or marginalised by the liberal establishment ever since India became independent in 1947.
Trump's chief of staff Reince Priebus, left, talks with his chief strategist Steven Bannon last month. Credit:AP The role in Trump's inner sanctum is, by some measures, a surprising spot for Priebus, who after the party's 2012 defeat 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 -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 Priebus' title in prior administrations. Some predict flatly that it will not work. Trump Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, left, and his son Jack, right, watch an Army-Navy college football game in Baltimore. Credit:AP "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. "You've 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 doesn't need to know," agreed Andrew Card, who ran George W. Bush's White House staff for 5 years, the second-longest tenure of any chief of staff in modern history. Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump and their three children are also moving to the neighbourhood. Credit:Dimitrios Kambouris 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. Kellyanne Conway guided Donald Trump through a brutal and divisive campaign. Credit:AP

Priebus, however, brushes off the skepticism. "Bannon, Jared and I work together extremely well," he said in an interview. "We've 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 it's probably a pretty good option to take.' " Bannon was fond of showing his disdain for refined Washington by wearing baggy cargo pants through the streets of the capital, shaggy and unshaven. Credit:AP 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 counsellor Kellyanne Conway, policy adviser Stephen Miller, national security adviser Michael Flynn and counter-terrorism adviser Thomas Bossert.

US House Speaker Paul Ryan. Credit:Bloomberg Trump's spokesmen did not respond to a request to interview the president-elect about his relationship with Priebus, or how Trump envisions Priebus's 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' demeanour, but he's pretty tough," said former RNC chairman Ed Gillespie.

Wisconsin assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who was a college roommate of Priebus', 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 Trump's candidacy. Priebus joked that it wasn't all that bad - he had not yet taken to pouring Baileys Irish Cream on his cereal in the morning. The GOP chairman's 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: "They're 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 Post's October 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. "I'm 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 apologis 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."

Taking Trump seriously Going back to Priebus' 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 Trump's 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 wasn't as rigid as a lot of the people running for president," Priebus said. "They were very controlled. They're trained to be at arm's length, even if you're friends with them. Set up a phone call at 4:30 tomorrow to talk for 15 minutes to somebody. That's 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 plasticised Washington politician." Perfect marriage 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 Trump's 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-elect's 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 Priebus' home state of Wisconsin, which had gone for Senator Ted Cruz, in the primary and where Trump had been at war with major political figures. The most important target, allies said, was House Speaker Paul Ryan. Priebus "was the ultimate diplomat," said Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, whose own 2016 presidential hopes had fallen early victim to Trump. "Paul's 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 Senator Marco Rubio, 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, 'I'll 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 Priebus' chief of staff at the RNC, is considered likely to become a deputy White House chief of staff. Trump's 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 Trump's opinion". Migrant beginnings 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 state's 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 state's 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. "You'd think, historically, people like that are raising money. They're 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 favourites 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 $US24 million ($33 million) in debt. It had a little more than $US350,000 cash on hand and a $US400,000 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 don't have the White House and you don't have the Congress, dialling for money is just hard as hell, and he just kept doing it, and he didn't have anybody helping him," said lobbyist Richard Hohlt. "He loved the job." By the end of 2012, the RNC has $US3.3 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 marvelled at how he has texted Priebus at 11pm 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 president's agenda, rather than their own? Who are the most crucial allies to have in the building? How do you control who gets the president's 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 staff's office," Card said. "It is going to be a challenge for Reince." Priebus disagreed. "No, I don't think it's 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 unorganised fashion."
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Sometimes a story just clicks with our readers  and weve counted those clicks! These were the most-viewed stories on Brook lynPa per.com in 2016:

In one of the first of many hate-fueled attacks to take place in Brooklyn following Novembers election, a fan of the Donald slugged a lady at Bar Tabac after she expressed her dismay at the election results  then ran off, and is still at large. As you can imagine, the newsroom received lots of messages from very sane and rational people after this story went viral.

Developer Jared Kushner has been buying up the Jehovahs Witnesses old Dumbo properties for years, but people started paying more attention in 2016 when they learned that he is Ivanka Trumps husband and her dads right-hand-man.

Who could resist sharing this heartwarming moment caught on camera? Not our readers.

Shop and stop: Millie Ruttner, Al Ettlinger, and Rhudi Andreolli became viral sensations when they were exiled from the Park Slope Food Co-op Photo by Jason Speakman

Brooklyns party people had to let pals know that their weekend plans were off after firefighters pulled the plug on this massive outdoor nightclub in May  then again in June.

Theres nothing like a captive audience! Readers stuck at home during a blizzard in February were momentarily relieved from their boredom by eye-catching photos of the snow storm filtering down into the stops Flatbush-bound 4 and 5 platform.

In this years Peak Park Slope moment, the iconic socialist supermarkets long-simmering dispute over whether to ban Israeli products finally boiled over when four longtime members stormed a pro-boycott meeting  and were exiled to a year in Key Food purgatory by the stores Disciplinary Committee as a result.

Anti-hipster heroes or everything thats wrong with America? Our readers were divided after Bedford-Stuyvesants community board rejected a trendy bar chains bid to open a new outpost in the rapidly gentrifying nabe, instead grilling the proprietors over how many black employees they have.

Feel-good news: Thousands shared footage of Medgar Evers College Prep senior Ethan Ambrose learning he was getting a full ride to Harvard. Photo by Jason Speakman

Were still not entirely sure why people went so wild for this arts article about an indie flick that features scenes set during the storied Italian-American tower-carrying festival, but we arent complaining either.

A poll on this article asked whether notoriously crappy landlords Joel and Amrom Israel got what they deserved after pleading guilty to harassing rent-stabilized tenants from their buildings with pit bulls and demolition. No was winning pretty handily until we got a surge of traffic from folks who left exclusively sympathetic comments and voted yes more than a thousand times.

Along with its in-house third-wave espresso bar and heated rooftop dog run, the over-the-top luxury amenities of Downtowns Ava DoBro building are an ongoing source of fascination for Brooklyn Paper readers and reporters alike.
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...
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October 31, 2022

Buddy TV

In November, there are hundreds of new and returning TV showsit can be overwhelming to try and choose what to watch. That's why we've selected some of the best options...
The generous customers of RGB Building Supplies donated in excess of 250 gifts to the builders merchant's Christmas Present Appeal in aid of Children's Hospice South West.

RGB had been calling for donations suitable for a child of any age or their parents, and the gifts have now been given to Children's Hospice South West to distribute to children and families.

Naomi Dymond, corporate partnerships fundraiser at Children's Hospice South West, said: "We cannot thank the wonderful local community and RGB customers enough for this amazing collection of gifts. For those families staying with us during the festive period, we aim to make sure they have a time to remember, filling the hospices with trees, sparkles and surprises. It is a magical time for both grown-ups and children alike, giving them the opportunity to create special memories during difficult times. These gifts will help us to do that."

Kevin Fenlon, CEO at RGB Building Supplies, said: "We would like to say a huge thank you to our customers and the local community for all their wonderful donations. Children's Hospice South West provides fantastic care and support to children and families across the region and we hope the donations go some way to helping families enjoy the festive period at what must be a difficult time."
Sovini Trade Supplies (STS), part of The Sovini Group, has delivered 15,000 worth of Christmas food and toiletries to families in need in Merseyside.

Working alongside its Sovini Group partners One Vision Housing (OVH) and Sefton4Good  an initiative from Sefton CVS supporting over 100 charities across the borough - staff helped to deliver the hampers to various local community groups.

The packages consisted of Christmas food, toiletries, toys and much more.

STS also donated 16 hampers full of baby products and toiletries  including baby milk  to Bootle Health Centre.

Bootle business Carroll Group also donated bikes to the campaign, which were given to families who utilise Netherton Park Community Centre in Sefton.

Debbie Porter, family support worker at Netherton Park Community Centre, said: "It was incredibly kind of STS, OVH and Carroll Group to donate these hampers and bikes.

"This means the world to the people who use our services and we are so grateful for the gesture. We hope to continue working closely with these businesses in the new year."

Anita Harrison-Carroll, director of Sovini Trade Supplies, said: "Social good is at the heart of what we do, and when we were approached by OVH to help stock and deliver these packages, we jumped at the chance. We have a responsibility as a local business to give back to our community, and we hope that we have helped make Christmas a little bit more special for local families."

All elements of STS, from sourcing and purchasing, to supplying and serving, is centred on the desire to do social good. As part of the philanthropic Sovini Group, capacity generated by Sovini Trade Supplies is reinvested in the group's non-profit social housing partners, supporting their investment in new homes and developing the local communities.

Sovini Group partners include One Vision Housing, Pine Court Housing Association, Sovini Property Services and Sovini Homes.
This once-peaceful abode of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama, with the Dhauladhar ranges in the backdrop, is rapidly turning into a concrete jungle with massive constructions underway to cash in on the tourism boom.

Experts fear a high-intensity quake can turn this quaint uphill town, known for attracting a steady stream of Tibet enthusiasts, Buddhist scholars, backpackers and even Hollywood stars, into a tomb of rubble as it falls in seismic zone V, suggesting severest seismic sensitivity.

"It was once a small village of shepherds. Now you can see a concrete jungle all over," local resident Joginder Singh said.

He said that much of the commercial activity around is a result of people cashing in on the tourism boom.

Joginder Singh is the caretaker of one of the oldest landmarks, Nowrojee and Sons General Store, that was set up in 1860 to take care of the daily requirements of the British officers and their families. It has maintained its original grand wooden structure.

"Most buildings are clinging to one another. Even a moderate earthquake can be catastrophic for these buildings with no escape routes. They can collapse like a pack of cards," tourist James McClarence from Britain said.

He said colonial British India exists now only in Kipling's novels.

Old timers in McLeodganj, which remained almost uninhabited until the arrival of the Dalai Lama along with his followers in 1960, remember the town with much affection.

" has lost its British colonial charm of Gothic-style of architecture in buildings and letter boxes in cylindrical and pillar shapes," said octogenarian Naresh Chauhan, who has lived here since childhood.

Earlier, he said, most of the constructions were of mud, adobe and random stones.

"Such structures are liable to suffer partial damage in the wake of quakes. Now most of them are concrete and may have ignored the traditional practices of seismic proofing such as 'dhajji' and incorporation of wooden beams," he added.

This town -- the political, cultural and spiritual hub of the Tibetan diaspora -- in Kangra district supports around 16,000 exiled Tibetans and an equal number of Indians.

A devastating earthquake in 1905 severely damaged property in the Kangra region, including St. John's Church here where many British officials were buried and claimed over 20,000 lives.

Records of the field station of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, an autonomous research institute of the Indian government's Department of Science and Technology, at Naddi near here, show that several earthquakes have struck this region since 1905.

Prominent among these were the one on June 15, 1978, and another on April 26, 1986 -- the first being of magnitude 5 and the other 5.7 on the Richter scale.

" and its nearby villages fall in the highly-sliding zone. The construction of multistoried buildings is not advisable in this area," an official of the Wadia Institute said.

A majority of the new structures infringe bylaws and building norms and haven't even adhered to seismic norms, admitted the official, who didn't wish to be identified.

"When the devastating quake occurred in 1905, there were hardly any multi-storeyed structures in this region. If an earthquake with the similar magnitude reoccurs, there would be a colossal loss to both life and property," said Umaid Singh, a resident of Naddi who witnessed the 1986 quake.
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Despite differences on claims for South China Sea, China has started to reach out to Philippines by giving a helping a hand in times of disaster.

On New Year's day, China's President Xi Jinping reportedly sent his condolences to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte for the casualties the country has suffered due to Typhoon Nina.

Xi, in a statement, said "China is ready to provide emergency assistance, adding that China and the Philippines are friendly neighbors," the Chinese Embassy said.

According to a report, the Chinese president were very worried about the Filipinos who lost their homes because of the disaster. He also hopes that the people, under Duterte, will bounce back from the calamity.

The Chinese President also added that the China is ready to help and provide assistance to those victims of the natural disaster.

Typhoon Nina made its landfall in Philippines on Christmas Day. Three people were reported died and there are still 21 persons missing.
Bengaluru-based proxy advisory firm Ingovern Research has asked shareholders of to seek more clarity on the terms of David Kennedy's severance from the company. Kennedy, was the company's general counsel and chief compliance officer.
2016 hasnt been kind to Ola, Ubers rival in India. The latest speed bump is the exit of its star VP, Sundeep Sahni, former MD and co-founder of Lazada, Southeast Asias leading e-commerce site.
Tata Powers efforts to set up a coal-fired power station in Odisha have come unstuck despite the company settling for three locations. After failed attempts to establish the power plant with an original capacity of 1,000 Mw, later revised to 2,000 Mw, at Naraj-Marthapur near Cuttack and then at Begunia, 40 km from here, the company decided on a shore-based plant at Gopalpur on the state's southern coast.
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.
Prime Minister. today addressed a massive public rally in Lucknow, to launch his campaign for Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. He didnt announce any new gains after the 50-days of note ban pain, and only cursorily referred to the promises he made on the New Years Eve.
The Indian Mission in Turkey is trying for early repatriation of the bodies of Bollywood producer Abis Hasan Rizvi and Khushi Shah from Gujarat who was among 39 people killed in the Istanbul terror attack.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said Indian envoy in Turkey Rahul Kulshreshth was doing everything possible to send back the mortal remains at the earliest.

"The Ambassador is doing everything to facilitate repatriation of the bodies. We are also facilitating the visas of the family members who want to go there to personally collect the bodies," he told reporters.

He said Rizvi and Shah had gone to Istanbul as tourists and they "happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time".

Swarup said the government was waiting for a report from the Indian Ambassador.

Rizvi, a prominent builder and Bollywood producer, is the son of former Rajya Sabha MP Akhtar Hasan Rizvi.

Rizvi and Shah were among 15 foreigners who were killed when a gunman went on a rampage at the waterside Reina nightclub where revellers were celebrating the New Year.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday spoke to families of both Rizvi and Shah and conveyed her condolences.

Replying to a question on Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who has abducted nearly nine months ago from war-torn Yemen, Swarup said India has been in regular touch with Yemeni authorities and Saudi Arabia to ensure his safe release.

"We are in touch with authorities in Saudi Arabia as well as local authorities in Yemen and all efforts continue to be made to secure his early release," he said.
Around 12,602 persons in the farm sector committed suicide in 2015, almost 2 per cent more than in 2014, highlighting the distress in rural areas of India because of two consecutive years of drought.
Traffic violations in the capital on New Year's Eve this time were double as compared to the last year, police said on Sunday.

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.
Demonetisation is expected to shave off 300 tonnes of Indias gold demand, which is unlikely to come back in a hurry.
The December quarter, now known for the worlds biggest action, has also taken a substantial toll on the Indian economy, says the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), a non-government think tank.
We have all entered 2017, and has tagged along for better or worse. Before we welcomed the New Year in, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation as his 50-day period of "pain" over the sudden drive ended, and he likened the perseverance shown by the people to Mahatma Gandhis Champaran satyagraha of 1917. (Read more )
Odisha's efforts to reinvent its investment image has helped garner fresh investment intentions at the roadshows staged earlier this year in Mumbai, Bengaluru and of late, the showpiece event- 'Make in Odisha' conclave.
State Bank chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya today hinted that the mega merger of its five associate and Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) could be pushed to the next financial year as it is still awaiting the government notification on the move.

"Probably, by a quarter or so (the merger could be delayed). The reason is we still have to get the government approval and even if we get it now, doing things like merger in the last quarter is never a very wise thing because there would be lot of IT system changes," she told reporters when asked whether the merger could be delayed due to the disruptions caused by the demonetisation drive.

The merger would make SBI a global-sized bank and would be amongst the top 50 lenders in the world, with an asset base of Rs 37 trillion or over USD 555 billion, with 22,500 branches and over 58,000 ATMs and more than 50 crore customers.

Bhattacharya said normally the close down all the IT system changes by mid-February. "Sometimes IT system can impact something else quite unknowingly. So we don't want to take any risks at the annual closing time. So we may want to do the annual closing and then look at it," she added.

Whether the government has hinted at any revised time line for the approval, the chairperson said "no yet. Let me get the government approval only then we will know."



When specifically asked what sort of government approval is pending, the chairperson said the government has "to notify the merger scheme."



It can be noted that the bank had announced the merger in May and its central board of directors had in August approved the process along with the share swap ratio for three of the listed associate and Bharatiya Mahila Bank.

At that time it was announced that the merger would be completed by end March 2017.

"The (merger) process will start by October-end. The grievance committee will come to us hopefully by September end, after that we have to send it to RBI and then to the government, which may probably take a little time of about month; and then it will come to us. After that we will have to make an offer to employees and then give them four weeks time and then the merger can take place," Bhattacharya had told PTI in an interview in September.

SBI has three listed associate banks - State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur (SBBJ), State Bank of Mysore (SBM), State Bank of Travancore (SBT) and two unlisted associate bank - State Bank of Patiala and State Bank of Hyderabad.
The Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (I/C), Prime Ministers Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh was the chief guest at the Prize Distribution Ceremony of Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) here today and distributed certificates to the best performing employees under various categories.

During the occasion, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that DoPT being the Research and Development wing of the Government, carries forward the flagship programmes of the Government. The Minister said that he is proud of the fact that the employees of DoPT possess versatile talent and he urged the employees to use their talent to serve better. Dr. Jitendra Singh congratulated the participants and said that there should be a competitive federalism among the employees.

Dr. Jitendra Singh gave certificates for the Employee of the Month from May to October, 2016. He also gave certificates for the winners of different competitions held under Swachhta Pakhwada, Hindi Pakhwada and Vigilance Awareness Week.

The Secretary, DoPT, Shri B. P. Sharma congratulated the employees who participated in the competitions under different segment and said that apart from certificate, there should be some kind of incentives which might add-on to their service record.

Senior officers from DoPT were also present on the occasion.
Joint Press Communique- India and Srilanka

The immediate release of the fishermen presently in custody was announced following the ministerial level talks. Both sides agreed to a set of Standard Operating Procedures to release and handing over of fishermen in each others custody on completion of respective legal and procedural formalities. India and Sri Lanka held Ministerial level talks on fishermen issues today, 2 January 2017 in Colombo. Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare of India Shri Radha Mohan Singh met with Minister for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development of Sri Lanka Mr. Mahinda Amaraweera. The talks followed the first meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on fisheries held in New Delhi on 31 December 2016. The JWG,constituted in pursuance of the decision taken at the Ministerial meeting held in New Delhi on 5 November 2016, was co-chaired by Secretary (Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries), India and Secretary (Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development), Sri Lanka. The Ministers exchanged views on possible mechanisms to help find a permanent solution to the fishermen issues. The co-chairs of the JWG briefed the Ministers on the outcome of the first JWG meeting for consideration of the Ministers and further directions to take the process forward. Both sides agreed to a set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to expedite the release and handing over of fishermen in each others custody on completion of respective legal and procedural formalities. The immediate release of the fishermen presently in custody was announced following the ministerial level talks.

As part of the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) agreed to by both sides, it was decided to intensify cooperation on patrolling and to institute periodic interaction between the Coast Guard of the two countries. An understanding was reached to ensure that there was no physical harm or loss of life while apprehending fishermen by Navy and Coast Guard of the two countries. It was agreed to explore the possibility of introducing effective tracking systems for the fishing vessels and making the use of onboard communication equipment mandatory.

The Ministers appreciated the efforts taken by the JWG in operationalizing the Hotline between Indian and Sri Lankan Coast Guard, which would ensure quick decision making and response.

Both sides discussed the issue of releasing fishing vessels in each others custody. The Indian side requested for the immediate release of Indian fishing vessels. The Sri Lankan side agreed to consider the request in view of the progress being made by the JWG.

The Sri Lankan side reiterated that the practice of bottom trawling needs to end at the earliest. The Indian side assured that bottom trawling would be phased out in a graded time-bound manner within a practicable timeframe keeping in mind the capacity building of the fishermen who have to be diversified into deep sea fishing as well as other coastal fisheries activities including mariculture, pearl farming, seaweed culture, etc. The Sri Lankan side was briefed about the measures already instituted including the decision to construct a new fishing harbour at Mookaiyur in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu, and the capacity building programme for Indian fishermen on deep sea fishing that commences tomorrow at Chennai and Kochi.

The next JWG meeting will be held in Colombo in April 2017 to review the progress made in addressing the fishermen issues in a comprehensive manner.

SS
The Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs (Independent Charge) and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi launched Haj Committee of India Mobile App at Haj House in Mumbai today. Speaking on the occasion, he said that it is for the first time that Haj application process is going to be digital. This mobile app will available on Google Playstore from today (2nd January 2017). Next Haj has already been announced and application will be accepted from today. The last date for submitting applications is 24th January.

The Ministry of Minority Affairs has joined digital India campaign in a big way, he added. Several processes have been made in this regard. The Centre has been encouraging online applications to ensure fair opportunity for the pilgrimage with complete transparency and comfort.

Applying for Haj, enquiry and information, and updates and e-payment are main features of Haj Committee of India Mobile App. Application for Haj can be made directly from the app. Five adults and two infants can apply together as a group. A PDF copy of the form will go to applicants email. After affixing the photo, the printout with documents is to be sent to the state haj committees. Registration fees can also be made through this app.

Shri Naqvi said that last month a new website of Haj was launched in New Delhi. The website is in Hindi, Urdu and English languages which will provide all the necessary information regarding Haj.

Shri Naqvi said that the website will also be very useful for those who will be applying for Haj online. The website gives detail information regarding Ministry of Minority Affairs, Haj Department, Haj pilgrimage, rules and regulations on Haj, Haj Committee of India and private tour operators. The website also has Dos and Donts during Haj pilgrimage and also a film informing about various aspects of the pilgrimage.

He said that the Central Government and Haj Committee of India have already started preparations to ensure that the next Haj is completely smooth and convenient for the pilgrims.

Shri Naqvi said that. several important suggestions have been received on Haj pilgrimage. Discussion have been held with officials of Civil Aviation Ministry to ensure aircrafts with modern facilities for Haj pilgrims.

During Haj 2016, about 45,843 people had applied for Haj online which was about 11 per cent of total applications received from across the nation for Haj. Efforts are on to make the process of online application simple and easy so that more and more people can apply online for next Haj pilgrimage. Maharashtra topped in online applications for Haj 2016 with a total of 10,960 people applying online followed by Kerala with 9257 online applications and Uttar Pradesh with 5407; 2983 from Telangana; 2426 from Jammu and Kashmir and 2425 online applications had been received from Gujarat.

About 99,903 people went to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for Haj from 21 embarkation points across India through Haj Committee of India during Haj 2016. Apart from this, about 36,000 Haj pilgrims had proceeded for Haj through the private tour operators.
Trash Skimmers to be Introduced In Six New Cities for Surface Cleaning Of Ganga

National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) will introduce trash skimmers for surface cleaning of Ganga in six more cities in the first week of this month. The cities are Rishikesh, Haridwar, Garh Mukhteshwar, Sahibganj, Kolkata and Navdweep. Urban Local Bodies will be the nodal agency to monitor this work. State Programme Management Groups (SPMGs) and Collectorate office will be supervising these works under the aegis of NMCG at State and district level respectively.

River Surface Cleaning (RSC) work was introduce last year in Allahabad, Kanpur, Varanasi, Mathura-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh and Patna in Bihar. Trash skimmers were deployed at the foregoing locations and tonnes of floating waste was collected and disposed off in a proper manner. This task was performed under the CSR head and proved to be extremely effective. In the coming days, more towns will be identified for carrying out similar activities.

Namami Gange programme was launched as a mission to achieve the target of cleaning river Ganga in an effective manner with the unceasing involvement of all stakeholders, especially five major Ganga basin States  Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal.
German Chancellor is steering clear of the World Economic Forum in Davos, a meeting expected to be dominated by debate over the looming presidency of Donald Trump and rising public anger with elites and globalisation.

Merkel has been a regular at the annual gathering of political leaders, CEOs and celebrities, travelling to the snowy resort in the Swiss Alps seven times since becoming chancellor in 2005.

But her spokesman told Reuters she had decided not to attend for a second straight year. This year's conference runs from Jan. 17-20 under the banner "Responsive and Responsible Leadership". Trump's inauguration coincides with the last day of the conference.

"It's true that a Davos trip was being considered, but we never confirmed it, so this is not a cancellation," the spokesman said.

It is the first time Merkel has missed Davos two years in a row since taking office over 11 years ago and her absence may come as a disappointment to the organisers because her reputation as a steady, principled leader fits well with the theme of this year's conference.

The German government declined to say what scheduling conflict was preventing her from attending, nor would it say whether the decision might be linked to the truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market that killed 12 people in mid-December.

But after the Brexit vote in Britain and the election of Trump were attributed to rising public anger with the political establishment and globalisation, leaders may be more reluctant than usual to travel to a conference at a plush ski resort that has become synonymous with the global elite.

TRUMP

One European official suggested that the prospect of having to address questions about Trump days before he enters the White House might also have dissuaded Merkel, whose politics is at odds with the president-elect on a broad range of issues, from immigration and trade to Russia and climate change.

During the US election campaign, Trump described Merkel's refugee policies as "insane".

Like Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, who announced in early December that he would not seek a second term next year, will not be in Davos.

The WEF had also hoped to lure Matteo Renzi, but he resigned as Italian prime minister last month. European leaders that are expected include Mark Rutte of the Netherlands and Enda Kenny of Ireland. British Prime Minister Theresa May could also be there.

Although the WEF does not comment on which leaders it is expecting until roughly a week before the meeting, the star attraction is expected to be Xi Jinping, the first Chinese president to attend.

Members of President-elect Donald Trump's team, including Davos regulars like former Goldman Sachs president Gary Cohn and fund manager Anthony Scaramucci, are also expected. WEF Chairman Klaus Schwab was invited to Trump Tower last month, although the purpose of the visit was unclear.

German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen, who was elected to the WEF board of trustees last year, is expected to attend, as are senior ministers from a range of other European countries, as well as top figures from the European Commission.
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.
Motor and affiliate Kia Motors on Monday forecast global sales to rebound in 2017 by a stronger-than-expected five per cent, after posting their first annual sales fall in nearly two decades last year.
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.
Seventy-four years ago, a naval battle off this remote spit of land in the middle of the Pacific Ocean changed the course of World War II. Last week, President Obama flew here to swim with Hawaiian monk seals and draw attention to a quieter war  one he has waged against rising seas, freakish storms, deadly droughts and other symptoms of a planet choking on its own fumes.
Police arrived at the residence of Israel Prime Minister today to question him as part of a graft probe that has shaken Israeli politics, media reports said.

Three investigators arrived at the residence in central Jerusalem at around 6:30 pm (1630 GMT), according to public radio and other reports. Police declined to comment.

Ahead of their arrival, Netanyahu denied any wrongdoing and told his political opponents to put any "celebrations" on hold.

Police were expected to question Netanyahu over whether he illegally accepted gifts from wealthy supporters.

The long-running inquiry has looked into whether Israeli and foreign businessmen have offered gifts worth tens of thousands of dollars as well as another unspecified issue, according to media reports.

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit has reportedly decided to upgrade the inquiry to a criminal probe, although he has yet to confirm this.

Earlier today, screens were mounted at the entrance to the compound in central Jerusalem in an apparent bid to shield the investigators' arrival.

"We hear all the media reports. We see and hear the festive spirit and atmosphere in television studios and in the corridors of the opposition," Netanyahu told lawmakers from his Likud party today, according to a video posted to his Facebook page.

"I want to tell them to wait for the celebrations. Do not rush. I told you and I repeat: There will be nothing because there is nothing. You will continue to inflate hot air balloons and we will continue to lead the state of Israel," he said.

Police have carried out the inquiry in secret over the course of some eight months and recently arrived at an important breakthrough, reports said. Some 50 witnesses are said to have been questioned.

In July, Mandelblit said he had ordered a preliminary examination into an unspecified affair involving Netanyahu, with no details given.

US billionaire and World Jewish Congress president Ronald Lauder has been among those questioned in the probe over gifts he allegedly gave Netanyahu and alleged spending on trips for him, Israeli media reported.

Lauder, whose family founded the Estee Lauder cosmetics giant, has long been seen as an ally of Netanyahu, who in the late 1990s put him in charge of negotiating with then Syrian president Hafez al-Assad.

Netanyahu has acknowledged receiving money from French tycoon Arnaud Mimran, who was sentenced to eight years in prison over a scam amounting to 283 million euros involving the trade of carbon emissions permits and the taxes on them.

Netanyahu's office said he had received $40,000 in contributions from Mimran in 2001, when he was not in office, as part of a fund for public activities, including appearances abroad to promote Israel.

He has also come under scrutiny over an alleged conflict of interest in the purchase of submarines from a German firm.

Media reports have alleged a conflict of interest over the role played by the Netanyahu family lawyer, David Shimron, who also acts for the Israeli agent of Germany's ThyssenKrupp, which builds the Dolphin submarines.

Beyond those issues, Israel's state comptroller released a critical report in May about Netanyahu's foreign trips, some with his wife and children, between 2003 and 2005 when he was finance minister.
President Obamas advisers wrestled with an intractable problem in the spring and summer of 2015: How could they stabilise Afghanistan while preserving Mr. Obamas longtime goal of pulling out the last American troops before he left office?
In 2014, an obscure campaign in the foothills west of Albany between a sheep farmer and a home builder mushroomed into one of the most expensive State Senate elections in history. Each side's supporters spent at least $3.5 million, or more than four times the cost of the average U.S. House of Representatives contest that year.
Having burnt their fingers with some of the prominent and emerging start-ups and e-commerce players last year, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have turned towards core manufacturing sector units for final placements this year. Needless to say, against roughly 25 per cent of offers being made and accepted by students at IITs last year, the figure has escalated to 40 per cent this year.



This comes in the backdrop of the number of government and core manufacturing sector units participating for placements at IIT campuses going up anywhere between 10 per cent and 15 per cent.


With the government giving a push to digital transactions following demonetisation and discouraging the purchase of assets using cash, some trends expected to change the business have been identified.
The Supreme Court on Monday in its verdict on 1995 Hindutva judgement said no politician can seek a vote in the name of caste, creed, or religion.

The seven-judge constitution bench of the apex court further stated that election was a secular exercise and therefore, the process which follows it should also be adopted.

"Election is a secular exercise and thereby its way and its process should be followed also. Function of an elected representative should be secular," it said.

"Relationship between man and God is an individual choice and state is forbidden to such an activity," the apex court said further.

Earlier, during the hearing by a seven judge Constitutional bench, the apex court had said that it won't reconsider 1995 judgment which defined Hindutva as "a way of life and not a religion."

The observations came after an on interlocutory application filed by social activist Teesta Setalvad requested the bench to reconsider the 95 judgment.

The bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur, said the court will not go into the larger debate as to what is Hindutva or what its meaning is and will not reconsider the 1995 judgment.

The remarks were made by the bench when some advocates sought to intervene in the ongoing hearing which commenced last Tuesday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Air Marshal Anil Khosla AVSM VM has taken over as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Air Command. He was formally inducted on Sunday.

Air Officer Khosla has vast instructional experience and has been Directing Staff at prestigious institutions like Tactics and Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) and Flying Instructor School (FIS).

He has commanded a Jaguar squadron with maritime role and two frontline bases of the IAF at Jaisalmer and Ambala. He has held various staff appointments at the Head Quarters.

These include Principal Director at Directorate of Information and Electronic Warfare, Director in Personnel branch and Joint Director at Directorate of Concept Studies.

As an Air Vice Marshal, he has held the appointment of Air Officer Commanding HQ Maritime Air Operations and Air Officer Commanding in Jammu and Kashmir Area.

As an Air Marshal he has held appointment of Senior Air Staff Officer, Central Air Command and Director General Air (Operations) at Air HQ (Vayu Bhawan).

His last appointment was as Director General (Inspection & Safety) at Air HQ in RK Puram.

For his distinguished service Air Marshal Khosla has been awarded Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Vayu Sena Medal and has been commended by the CAS. He was also commended by AOC-in-C, during flying training period as a cadet.

Air Marshal Khosla is an alumni of the 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.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The exiled Tibetans in Bihar's Bodh Gaya organised a photo exhibition on Chinese atrocities.

The exhibition has been organised by a student activists' outfit, Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) -India.

Lobsang Tseten, Campaign Director of SFT-India said they aimed to create awareness about the atrocities committed by the Chinese government in the restive region through the exhibition.

"We wanted to create awareness about what is going on in Tibet, what is the situation right now in Tibet under the Chinese government. We wanted to create awareness about. we want to talk to more and more people about what's going on in Tibet. We want people to take action. We also have a signature petition here regarding Larung gar. Larung gar is one of the largest Buddhist institutions in the world. Right now it is under demolition by the Chinese government. We doing a signature petition here to stop the demolition," said Tseten.

Thousands of devotees and tourists are expected to visit Gaya during the next two weeks, which will host the 34th Kalachakra (Wheel of Time) ritual, where Tibetan spiritual leader, Dalai Lama, will give initiations from January 3-14.

The Kalachakra ritual is an esoteric but very important Buddhist rite for activating dormant enlightenment.

China has ruled Tibet with an iron fist since troops "peacefully liberated" the region in 1950.

The Dalai Lama fled into exile in India in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule.

China routinely denies accusations by exiles and rights groups of abuses in Tibetan parts of the country and insists it allows freedom of religion, blaming exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama for promoting unrest.

China routinely rejects criticism of its policies in Tibet, saying its rule, since Communist Chinese troops, ended serfdom and brought development to a backward, poverty-stricken region.

Beijing says the Dalai Lama is a "wolf in sheep's clothing" who seeks to use violent methods to establish an independent Tibet. The Dalai Lama denies espousing violence and says he only wants genuine autonomy for Tibet.

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The Congress Party will launch a three-phase stir against demonetisation from today.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala earlier announced that the grand old party would hold protests across the country at block as well as level.

The high point of the campaign will be a conference of party leaders on demonetisation, which will be held during the second phase in Delhi.

In the first phase, the party ensured that senior leaders held press conferences across the nation and spoke at length about the flaws of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation move.

The party leaders will hold press conferences on January 2-3 and distribute material highlighting why the demonetisation move was immature.

On January 6, the party leaders and workers will protest outside the Collectorate offices in all districts across the country.

The party's women wing will hold a 'thali' protest across the nation on January 9.

The Congress also released a booklet titled 'Arthquake' on the government's demonetisation move.

The second phase of the nationwide protest will begin on January 11 and the third phase between January 20 and 30.

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The economic blockade in Manipur notwithstanding, residents of state capital Imphal, celebrated the onset of the New Year with gusto.

Several families and friends were present at banks of the River Sekmai to welcome the New Year.

This year too, thousands have chosen to set aside their tensions arising out of indefinite blockade called by United Naga Council along the Highways, to visit the Sekmai River bank to take part in picnics and other New Year related celebrations.

There was laughter, singing and dancing as families enjoyed the food that was prepared for them. Some even entered the chilled river water.

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Taking on Pakistan for stating that India's bid to ban Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar is 'politically motivated', Kashmiri activist Sushil Pandit on Monday reprimanded China for saving the former for the third time and said it looks more like a hired goon looking very happy at being saved by the master.

"This is the third time China has prevented, in fact saved Maulana Masood Azhar from being named by the United Nations Security Council. If Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria is crowing about it, it looks more like a hired goon looking very happy at being saved by the master," he told ANI.

Pandit said India must not leave the JeM chief this time after he has repeated the carnage at Pathankot.

"Maulana Masood Azhar was responsible for the Parliament attack in 2001, which is when Jaish-e-Mohammad was banned but he the founder of Jaish-e-Mohammad escaped without any censure," said Pandit.

"But what India must factor in is that China no longer fights shy of owning up its hired assassin Pakistan. And all our strategies, all our international preparations must take into account that in order to corner Pakistan effectively," he added.

Pakistan on Sunday criticised India for seeking a ban on the JeM chief at the United Nations, calling the bid as politically motivated.

"The 1267 Sanctions Committee related to the Islamic State/Al-Qaeda has rejected a politically motivated proposal by India," Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria was quoted as saying by Dawn.

India has accused JeM and its top leader of masterminding several attacks including a deadly assault on an Indian Air Base in January last year and sought the UN to put him on the list of designated terrorist under the 1267 Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council .

The JeM has already been blacklisted by the 15-nation Security Council, but not Azhar.

However, China for the third time since March last year blocked the proposal last week to ban the JeM chief a global terrorist.

China, which is the lone member among the 15-member UNSC to oppose the ban on Azhar, had earlier twice in April and October last year imposed "technical hold" on India's proposal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress Party on Monday said that irrational and senseless demonetisation has ruined the spirit of the proposed Goods and Services Tax to be introduced by the Centre.

"The Congress has been responsible so far as its stand on economic issues and security is concerned, and now, the question is that this irrational and senseless demonetisation policy has perhaps dampened the spirit of GST," Congress leader Om Prakash Mishra told ANI.

Responding to Finance Minister Jaitley's statement that he is hopeful about the Goods and Service Tax (GST) being implemented in 2017 and confident that the digistized economy would be the future of India, Mishra said, "Well it seems Jaitley had to assert his position as finance minister because some of us were wondering yesterday that whether that position now has been reserved by prime minister himself."

He said the Congress wished GST to be big success.

Mishra said the UPA government was not able to implement the GST because of the BJP's opposition, but today, a BJP-led government is in a position to pass it because of the Congress party's cooperation.

"We have seen the winter session of parliament being washed away because of the intransigent approach of the government and the complete non-availability of the prime minister, and therefore, requisite moves could not be made," he said.

Mishra said the resource and finance base of the state has taken a big hit due to the demonetisation policy, and therefore, legitimate questions have been raised by some state governments on whether it will be advisable and feasible to rush in with details of the GST which is yet to be passed by state governments and enabling legislations are yet to be cleared.

He said it has to be seen that GST should not be considered from standpoint of political one up man ship.

"The Congress has already made it clear that while we try to enable the legislation for GST, it is necessary for both houses of parliament to be consulted and their view taken into account," the Congress leader said.

He said the Centre has failed to give an assurance that they are not going to read this as only as a Money Bill, as there is a possibility of the government trying to scuttle discussion in the Rajya Sabha.

Mishra said the government should efforts to take the opposition parties and state governments on board before implementing the GST.

"The BJP actually was responsible for this huge delay in the passage of the GST Act and it was the Congress that had actually made GST a reality," he said.

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on alleged that opposition party members "insulted the anthem" while disrupting house proceedings on the first day of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly's budget session.

BJP leader Ravinder Raina demanded an apology from Conference, Congress and Governor for allegedly insulting the anthem in J and K Assembly.

"NC and Congress created ruckus in the Assembly even when national anthem was played. The Governor also walked away, it's a grave insult to the nation," Raina said.

J and Kashmir Assembly witnessed unruly scenes as National Conference and Congress members created uproar even as national anthem was being played in the House.

The opposition parties were protesting against the BJP-PDP government in J and K.

Unhappy with the Opposition members' behaviour, Governor Narinder Nath Vohra cut short his speech amid pandemonium in House and left the Assembly.

Governor N N Vohra was scheduled to address the joint sitting but was interrupted by members of the opposition parties, who stood up shouting slogans against the PDP-BJP government for the continued unrest in the state.

The J and K assembly's budget session promises to be a stormy one, with the opposition making clear its intention to corner the government on the law and order situation and the months-long unrest in the valley.

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Jamat-e-Islami (JI) chief Ameer Sirajul Haq has urged all Muslims to create a separate global Muslim entity to address the problems faced by the Islamic .

Addressing the Umat-e-Rasool march staged on Shahrae Quaideen, Siraj said the bloc of Muslim countries must abandon the so-called body if the United Nations Security Council cannot move for 1.2 billion Muslims in the .

He called upon Muslims to make a joint military, market and formulate one syllabus.

Haq accused the UN of hypocrisy saying that why international organisations are not even acknowledging the plight of Muslims.

He said action is taken by them when they think it is necessary to protect the interests of world powers,

Many people participated in the march carrying placards and banners, inscribed with slogans criticising the duplicity of Muslim rulers and apathy of international powers.

Siraj said the march was an expression of solidarity with the oppressed Muslims across the world.

He said Muslim women and children in Syria were subjected to rape, torture and execution.

Siraj asked the government to play a proactive role against the brutalities being faced by Muslims.

He said his party would ensure social justice if it ever came to power.

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A Kerala priest who was yesterday arrested for indulging in unnatural sex with a 10-year-old boy was on Monday sent to 14-day police custody.

Father Basil Kuriyakose, the Principal of Kings David International School was arrested under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The accused 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.

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The Pakistan Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights on Monday unanimously approved the Hindu Marriage Bill.

Earlier in September, the National Assembly had passed the Hindu Marriage Bill 2016, paving way for the adoption of a comprehensive and widely-acceptable family law for Hindus living in Pakistan, reports the Dawn.

The bill will enable the Hindu community to get their marriages registered and to appeal in courts of law in cases of separation.

Also, there are penalties for violating the provisions of the bill, which allows Hindus to finally have a proof of marriage document.

The bill also allows separated Hindu persons to remarry.

Clause 17 of the bill states that a Hindu widow "shall have the right to re-marry of her own will and consent after the death of her husband provided a period of six months has lapsed after the husband's death".

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An air-hostess of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Lahore-Toronto PK797 flight was arrested in Toronto for shoplifting at a departmental store in the city.

Saama news quoted sources, as saying that she has been charged with shoplifting.

The flight had landed at Toronto from Lahore.

The air-hostess was caught shoplifting at a department store with the help of CCTV footage.

Police had also summoned the captain of the plane for questioning.

The air hostess will be presented before a local court today.

A further investigation would be launched against her if she is found guilty.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh is visiting Colombo, Sri Lanka to participate in a high-level meeting to discuss the issue of fishermen between the two countries.

He is accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising of senior officials from his ministry, navy, coast guard and fisheries department of Tamil Nadu.

The meeting to be held later in the day will be participated by Fisheries Minister of Sri Lanka Mahinda Amaraweera and Foreign Minister Mangala Samarweera.

It comes a couple of days after Joint Working Group on Fisheries (JWGF) met in New Delhi on Saturday to discuss the issue.

The JWGF consists only of civil and military officials of Sri Lanka and India and is supposed to meet every three months as per agreement reached between the two countries last November.

The main issues to be discussed in today's meeting are measures to prevent Indian fishermen from crossing the International Maritime Boundary, release of fishermen and boats detained in Sri Lanka, and the joint preservation and development of resources in the sea between the two countries.

While the fishermen from Southern states have been demanding release of their fellow fishermen and trawlers, their counterpart in Sri Lanka assert that bottom trawling used by Indian fishermen has caused extensive damage to the marine eco system.

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The Supreme Court will today continue its hearing on the Hindutva case which deals with electoral malpractices arising out of its 1995 judgment.

Earlier, during the hearing by a seven judge Constitutional bench, the apex court had said that it won't reconsider 1995 judgment which defined Hindutva as "a way of life and not a religion."

The observations came after an on interlocutory application filed by social activist Teesta Setalvad requested the bench to reconsider the 95 judgment.

A seven-judge constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur, said the court will not go into the larger debate as to what is Hindutva or what its meaning is and will not reconsider the 1995 judgment.

The remarks were made by the bench when some advocates sought to intervene in the ongoing hearing which commenced last Tuesday.

Setalvad had sought the Supreme Court's intervention in the matter with an application stating that religion and politics should not be mixed and a direction be passed to delink religion from politics.

The apex court bench also comprised Justices M B Lokur, S A Bobde, A K Goel, U U Lalit, D Y Chandrachud and L Nageshwar Rao.

The apex court instead took up a separate plea filed in 1990 whether seeking of votes in the name of religion will amount to a corrupt practice under the Representation of the People Act warranting disqualification.

It may be recalled that the Bombay High Court had set aside the election of Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi in the mid-1990s. The matter was then moved to Supreme Court, which in 1995 overturned the high court order saying Hindutva is a way of life.

Since then, the issue was raised in the top court many times, including in 2002 when the court referred the matter to a seven-judge bench for clarity.

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The Janata Dal (United) on Monday hailed the Supreme Court's verdict on the 1995 Hindutva judgement, saying that the decision is justified.

"It is good that this happened. I find the decision of the Supreme Court as justified," JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav told ANI.

Pronouncing its verdict, the apex court earlier in the day said no politician can seek a vote in the name of caste, creed or religion.

The seven-judge constitution bench of the apex court further stated that election was a secular exercise and, therefore, the process which follows it should also be adopted.

"Election is a secular exercise and thereby its way and its process should be followed also. Function of an elected representative should be secular," the top court said.

"Relationship between man and God is an individual choice and state is forbidden to such an activity," the apex court said further.

Earlier during the hearing by a seven-judge constitutional bench, the apex court had said it won't reconsider the 1995 judgment which defined Hindutva as "a way of life and not a religion."

The observations came after an on interlocutory application filed by social activist Teesta Setalvad requested the bench to reconsider the 1995 judgment.

The bench, headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur, said the court will not go into the larger debate as to what is Hindutva or what its meaning is and will not reconsider the 1995 judgment.

The remarks were made by the bench when some advocates sought to intervene in the ongoing hearing which commenced last Tuesday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Bengaluru Court on Monday adjourned the solar scam matter to January 9 as the complainant's lawyer was not prepared to cross examine former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy.

Chandy has been accused of accepting a bribe of Rs. 1.9 crore in the solar scam.

The scam involves duping of several persons by the two prime accused - S. Saritha Nair and Radhakrishnan - who had promised to install solar power panels for them.

Chandy served as the chief minister of Kerala twice, first between August 2004 to May 2006 and again between May 2011 to May 2016.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Republican Hindu Coalition (RHC) India Ambassador and Trump supporter Manasvi Mamgai has said that Trump is going to be the best USA President for India.

"I think he is going to be the best president of USA for India so far in the history of world he has shown the support to us. In New Jerssey event he came back on the stage and said I love Hindu I love India, he is very vocal about it," Manasvi told ANI.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's transition team, Shalab Kumar, also said that the incoming President will not tolerate dual role from India's neighbor, an apparent reference to Pakistan.

"The President-elect has made that policy very very clear that he is not going to tolerate dual role from India's neighbours," Kumar told ANI.

He added that the prime objective during the first year of Trump's presidency is to increase trade between Washington and New Delhi to 300 billion from 100 billion USD a year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hitting out at the Samajwadi Party over the ongoing family tussle, Union Home Minister on Monday said Uttar Pradesh wants development and not 'dangal' (fight), adding the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will do a 'ghar wapsi' in the politically crucial state.

Commenting on the Samajwadi Party feud, Singh said such an atmosphere was never ever witnessed in the history of Uttar Pradesh.

"India's biggest state is Uttar Pradesh, but it has not developed yet. The BJP will do 'ghar wapsi' (home coming) of good administration.The BJP will give good governance in Uttar Pradesh," he added.

Singh said the BJP not only wants to change the government, but also change the entire system.

"The Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress are today scared. Dangal is going on in Samajwadi Party. Uttar Pradesh does not want 'dangal'...it wants 'mangal' (peace). Uttar Pradesh wants development and not infighting," Singh said.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi cared about the poor and gave them Rs. 6,000 crore....the sugarcane farmers then got money. He facilitated gas cylinders at every home. Be it the Congress government or the government of Samajwadi Party or Bahujan Samaj Party...they made the people stand in queues to buy sugar and oil," he added.

The Samajwadi Party infighting is expected to further intensify later in the day as the rift between two factions will reach the office of the Election Commission in the national capital.

Mulayam Singh Yadav, who founded the party 25 years ago, said this morning that the "Samajwadi Party's election symbol is my signature."

He has cancelled a party meeting that he had called on December 5 and has asked party candidates to head to their constituencies and prepare for the assembly elections.

The Samajwadi Party split yesterday with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav being declared the party president in place of his father at a massive show of strength in a public ground in Lucknow.

Mulayam has declared Akhilesh's meeting and its decisions "illegal."

The Chief Minister's staunch supporter and Mulayam's cousin Ram Gopal Yadav will visit the Election Commission in Delhi today to stake claim to the 'cycle' symbol.

Given that the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections are round the corner, the Election Commission could freeze the 'cycle' symbol instead of hurriedly granting it to any one side.
Playing the emotional card, Samajwadi Party (SP) MP on Monday said he will not mind his expulsion from the party but would definitely feel bad if Mulayam Singh Yadav discards him from his heart.

"I will only feel bad if Mulayam Singh Yadav discards me from his heart and if I am expelled from the party then it will not be regretful for me," Singh told the media on his arrival at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.

Singh further said that he would not mind being called a "villain" as long as Mulayam is with him.

Singh, who left for Delhi from London on Sunday is expected to meet Mulayam and then visit the Election Commission's office at around 2 pm along with him.

SP general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav had on Sunday demanded Singh's ouster from the party while addressing a party convention at the Janeshwar Mishra Park in Lucknow.

Singh had earlier clarified that he was not behind the rift in the first family of SP and requested Mulayam to save him from being portrayed as a 'villain' in the family feud.

"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 should relieve me," Singh told ANI in London.

"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 SP," he said.

The party split on Sunday with a convention declaring Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav the new president, a post that was held by his father.

The convention also made Mulayam the SP's patron.

Admitting that he has taken a 'tough' stand, Akhilesh on Sunday justified the turn of events in the SP.

"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," he tweeted.
Year End Review - 2016 of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries

The Ministry of Food Processing Industriesis implementing a number of Central Sector Schemes for promotion and development of food processing sector in the country since 12th Plan.

The major achievements of the Ministry during 2016 are as under:-

Government has allowed 100% FDI for trading including through e-commerce, in respect of food products manufactured or produced in India. 100% FDI is already permitted in manufacturing of food products through automatic route. This will provide impetus to the foreign investment in food processing sector, benefit farmers immensely and will create vast employment opportunities.

The following additional fiscal concessions have been granted for boosting the investment in the food processing sector :

(a) Reduction in Excise Duty on Refrigerated Containers from 12.5% to 6%.

(b) Reduction in Basic Custom Duty on Refrigerated Containers from 10% to 5%.

(c) 5% Basic Customs Duty as presently available under project imports for cold storage, cold room also extended for Cold Chain including pre-cooling unit, pack house, sorting and grading lines and ripening chambers.

Under the Scheme of Mega Food Parks:

(a) The Indus Mega Food Park, Khargone (Madhya Pradesh); Jharkhand Mega Food Park Ranchi (Jharkhand), and Jangipur Bengal Mega Food Park, Murshidabad(West Bengal) were made operational and inaugurated.

(b) Foundation Stone of Punjab Agro Industries Corporation (PAIC) Mega Food Park Project in Ludhiana was laid.

(c) As such, 8 Mega Food Parks have been made operational so far.

(d) A Mega Food Park is likely to benefit about 25000-30000 farmers apart from creating employment for 5000-6000 persons, especially in rural areas.

(e) The Mega Food Park projects at Satara (Maharashtra), Ajmer (Rajasthan), Rayagada (Odisha) and Agartala (Tripura) are at advanced stage for operationalisation by the end of current financial year.

(f) NABARD has sanctioned term loan of Rs. 427.69 Crore to 10 Mega Food Park projects and 2 processing units under 'Food Processing Fund' of Rs. 2000 Crore and out of this an amount of Rs. 81.10 Crore has been disbursed. The Ministry has notified 157 designated food parks in different States for the purpose of availing affordable credit from special fund with NABARD.

Under the Scheme of Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastructure:

(a) 20 projects have been operationalised in 2016. With their operationalisation, Ministry has created an additional capacity of 0.63 lakh metric tonnes of cold storage, 15 metric tonnes per hour of individual Quick Freezing (IQF), 10.65 lakh litres per day of Milk of processing/ storage and 99 reefer vans during 2016.

(b) During last two and half years, 54 Integrated Cold Chain projects have been made operational taking the total number of Cold Chain projects to 91. The Ministry has so far assisted 135 Cold Chain projects having a capacity of 3.67 lakh metric tones of cold storage, 94.29 metric tones per hour of individual Quick Freezing (IQF) 37.93 lakh litres per day of Milk processing/ storage and 549 reefer vans.

(c) The guidelines of Scheme have been revised on the basis of feedback and experience of this Ministry to make them investor friendly.

(d) On an average, each cold chain project benefits to around 500 farmers in fruits and vegetables sector and around 5000 farmers in dairy sector and creates employment for 100 persons.

Ministry has invited EOIs to fill up vacant slots of Mega Food parks and Cold Chain projects. The Ministry has received 54 proposals against 8 vacant slots of Mega Food Parks and 308 proposals for 100 Cold Chain projects which stand testimony to the increasing interest of the investors in this sector.

Under the Scheme of Setting up/ Modernization of Abattoirs, one project at Panji (Goa) has been operationalised.

During the year, 10 Food Testing Labs have been completed.

FSSAI has simplified product approval:

(a) approved a large number of new Additives harmonized with the International Codex Standards.

(b) notified an amendment to the regulations as a result of which non-standardized food products called proprietary foods (except novel food and nutra-ceuticals) that use ingredients and additives approved in the regulations will no longer require product approval. This has provided considerable relief to the industry.

A web-based on-line system has been operationalised for processing claims for release of grants-in-aid under the Schemes of Mega Food Parks and the Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastructure.

The National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM) at Kundli, Sonepat, Haryana and Indian Institute of Crop Processing Technology (IICPT) at Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu are being developed by the Government as the Centres of Excellence. The pass-outs of these institutes have got 100% placements.

The Ministry is also taking steps to implement a new scheme namely Scheme for Agro-Marine produce Processing and Development of Agro-clusters (SAMPADA) for overall development of food processing sector, for providing enabling infrastructure, expanding processing and preservation capacities, controlled temperature logistics and backward and forward linkages, with an allocation of Rs.6000 Crore for a period co-terminus with 14th Finance Commission.

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IL&FS Engineering and Construction Company surged 4.58% to Rs 44.50 at 10:54 IST on BSE after the company said it has received a letter of acceptance for a road contract worth Rs 242.56 crore.

The announcement was made after market hours on Friday, 30 December 2016.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 162.96 points or 0.61% at 26,463.50.

On the BSE, 26,000 shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 24,308 shares in the past one quarter. The stock had hit a high of Rs 45.75 and a low of Rs 44.10 so far during the day.

The stock had hit a 52-week high of Rs 69.05 on 4 January 2016 and a 52-week low of Rs 36.80 on 22 November 2016. It had underperformed the market over the past one month till 30 December 2016, sliding 1.39% compared with the Sensex's 0.1% fall. The scrip had also underperformed the market over the past one quarter declining 20.39% as against the Sensex's 4.45% fall.

The small-cap company has equity capital of Rs 121.16 crore. Face value per share is Rs 10.

IL&FS Engineering and Construction Company announced that it has received a letter of acceptance (LoA) for a road contract worth Rs 242.56 crore from Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) through CE (NH) PWD, Government of Karnataka.

The engineering, procurement & construction (EPC) project is expected to be completed in 24 months. The company is currently executing a metro rail contract in Karnataka for Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation for a value of Rs 326.99 crore.

IL&FS Engineering and Construction Company reported net loss of Rs 80.67 crore in Q2 September 2016, slightly lower than net loss of Rs 81.87 crore in Q2 September 2015. Net sales rose 1.4% to Rs 356.87 crore in Q2 September 2016 over Q2 September 2015.

IL&FS Engineering and Construction Company is into infrastructure development, construction and project management.

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From the first day of the new year, 1st January, 2017, additional power transfer of 80MW to Nepal is expected to commence. With this, the total supply of electricity to Nepal from India will be about 400 MW.

Shri Janardan Sharma, Minister of Energy, Government of Nepal, in a recent visit to India, held discussions with Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, Government of India. Besides reviewing cooperation and expanding ties between the two countries in the power/energy sector, Minister of Energy of Nepal requested for an additional supply of 80 MW from India to alleviate power shortage in Nepal due to seasonal reduction in supply from domestic hydro projects in winter months.

In a swift response to this request, within a period of 20 days, the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) installed an additional 220/132kV, 100MVA transformer at Muzaffarpur substation in India. This transformer will facilitate additional power supply up to 80MW to Nepal through the Muzaffarpur (India) - Dhalkebar (Nepal) transmission line. With this augmentation, a total of 160 MW can now be supplied to Nepal through this transmission line.

The electrical grids of India and Nepal are connected through various radial lines at 132kV, 33kV and 11kV voltage levels. Prior to February 2016, as per the request received from Nepal from time to time, various short-term augmentation schemes were carried out which resulted in enhancement of power flow to Nepal from 50MW to about 240MW.

In February 2016, Prime Ministers of India and Nepal inaugurated the first high capacity 400kV cross-border line, initially being operated at 132kV, from Muzaffarpur in India to Dhalkebar in Nepal.

This had resulted in additional flow of 80 MW, enhancing the total power supply to Nepal to about 320MW.

The Muzaffapur - Dhalkebar line is planned to be charged at 220kV with the commissioning of 220kV Dhalkebar substation in Nepal by March 2017. This will facilitate additional 150 MW of power transfer to Nepal. This would be followed by commissioning of 400 kV substation at Dhalkebar (Nepal), which would enable operation of Muzaffarpur - Dhalkebar 400 kV DC line at its rated voltage, leading to increase in power transfer to Nepal by 300-400 MW.

India is also working with Nepal to supply power through two more radial 132kV lines viz. Raxaul-Parwanipur and Kataiya-Kushaha, which are being commissioned through the grant assistance of Government of India.

India, through PGCIL, has also assisted Nepal in preparation of electricity Master Plan for Nepal- short term (up to 2018-19), medium term (up to 2021-22) and long term (up to 2035). Accordingly, a number of high capacity cross-border interconnections are being considered between India and Nepal. Initially, these interconnections would be utilized for transfer of power from India to Nepal and later with the development of hydro projects in Nepal, these links would be utilized for transfer of surplus power from Nepal to India.

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L&T rose 0.31% to Rs 1,353.60 at 12:22 IST on BSE after the company said it has been identified as the implementation partner by the government to convert Pune into a smart city.

The announcement was made during market hours today, 2 January 2017.

Meanwhile, the BSE Sensex was down 140.09 points or 0.53% at 26,486.37.

On the BSE, 21,000 shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 2.31 lakh shares in the past one quarter. The stock had hit a high of Rs 1,360 and a low of Rs 1,350 so far during the day.

The stock hit a 52-week high of Rs 1,615 on 27 July 2016 and a 52-week low of Rs 1,016.60 on 12 February 2016. It had underperformed the market over the past one month till 30 December 2016, declining 2.4% compared with the Sensex's 0.1% fall. The scrip had also underperformed the market over the past one quarter sliding 5.75% as against the Sensex's 4.45% fall.

The large-cap company has equity capital of Rs 186.54 crore. Face value per share is Rs 2.

The letter of intent for the Pune smart city project was handed over by the Municipal Commissioner of Pune, Kunal Kumar to representatives of L&T Construction's Smart World & Communication Business Unit, which will be executing the project. This unit offers end-to-end solutions comprising security solutions, communication network and telecom infrastructure and smart infrastructure as a master systems integrator in collaboration with other businesses within the L&T Group.

The Pune smart city project includes a revenue monetization model, the country's first in smart cities domain.

On a consolidated basis, L&T's net profit jumped 84.3% to Rs 1434.63 crore on 8.5% growth in net sales to Rs 24923.98 crore in Q2 September 2016 over Q2 September 2015.

L&T is an Indian multinational engaged in technology, engineering, construction, manufacturing and financial services with $16 billion in revenue. L&T Construction is a brand of L&T.

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L&T Construction's Smart World & Communications Unit to execute Pune Smart City project

Larsen & Toubro has bagged a Smart City project as part of the Government's Smart City Mission by being identified as the Implementation Partner to convert Pune into a Smart City. The Letter of Intent was handed over by the Municiple Commissioner of Pune to L&T Construction's Smart World and Communications Unit, which will be executing the project.

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Maruti Suzuki India announced on Sunday, 1 January 2017 that total sales fell 1% to 1.17 lakh units in December 2016 over December 2015. Domestic sales fell 4.4% to 1.06 lakh units in December 2016 over December 2015. Exports rose 47.1% to 11,494 units in December 2016 over December 2015.

Eicher Motors announced on Sunday, 1 January 2017 that sale volume of VE Commercial Vehicles, an unlisted subsidiary of Eicher Motors fell 20.04% to 4,048 units in December 2016 over December 2015.

Separately, Eicher Motors said that total motorcycles sales rose 42% to 57,398 units in December 2016 over December 2015.

Bombay Dyeing & Manufacturing Company announced on Sunday, 1 January 2017, that pursuant to the approval of the committee of the board the company has entered into an agreement for sale of MIDC land & building and some specific utility machineries of Ranjangaon unit situated at Ranjangaon, District - Pune, Maharashtra, at an aggregate value of Rs 174.45 crore on 31 December 2016.

The company has also entered into an agreement for sale of company owned flat at Beach Towers, Prabhadevi, Mumbai at a value of Rs 9.4 crore on 31 December 2016.

Coal India announced before market hours today, 2 January 2017, that the coal production of the company and its subsidiaries was 96% of targeted production at 54.20 million tonnes in December 2016 and coal offtake was 98% of target at 51.46 million tonnes in December 2016.

Mahanagar Gas announced on Sunday, 1 January 2017 the launch of CNG-fueled two-wheelers in Mumbai.

Punjab National Bank announced on Sunday, 1 January 2017 that the bank has reduced marginal cost of funds based lending rate (MCLR) with effect from 1 January 2017.

State Bank of India has reportedly cut its marginal cost of lending rate, or MCLR, by 90 basis points across all maturities. The country's largest bank has reduced its key one-year benchmark MCLR to 8% per annum. The one-year benchmark is used for pricing home and car loans. Loans are provided to borrowers at 35 basis points over the MCLR. SBI's new rates were effective from 1 January 2017.

Realty stocks will be in focus as Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the eve of New Year on 31 December 2016, announced that two new middle income categories have been created under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana in urban areas. Loans of up to Rs 9 lakh taken in 2017, will receive interest subvention of 4%. Loans of up to Rs 12 lakh taken in 2017, will receive interest subvention of 3%. The number of houses being built for the poor, under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana in rural areas, is being increased by 33%.

In addition to this, another scheme is being put in place for the neo middle and middle class in rural areas. Loans of up to Rs 2 lakh taken in 2017, for new housing, or extension of housing in rural areas, will receive an interest subvention of 3%.

Shares of public sector oil marketing companies (PSU OMCs), automobiles firms and aviation firms will be watched. Petrol price was hiked by Rs 1.29 a litre and the diesel rate by Rs 0.97 a litre on Sunday, 1 January 2017. The increase in petrol and diesel rates is excluding state levies and the actual hike will be higher.

Further, aviation turbine fuel (ATF) price was hiked by a steep 8.6%. ATF price hike is applicable from midnight of 31 December 2016. Meanwhile, subsidised LPG rate was raised by Rs 2 per cylinder.

Shilpi Cable Technologies announced that its board of directors at its meeting held on Friday, 30 December 2016, approved acquisition of 100% shareholding of Gulf Aglow LED Lighting FZCO (GAL), a UAE based company incorporated within the laws of UAE. GAL is engaged in the manufacturing of lighting products.

The acquisition will be in the nature of cash consideration. The indicative time period for the completion of the acquisition is 3 months. This acquisition is intended to expand market share of Shilpi Cable in lighting products, wires & cables in middle east & African countries. The transaction is subject to applicable FEMA and RBI regulations. The announcement was made after market hours on Friday, 30 December 2016.

Ujaas Energy announced that it has received letter of Intent from MOIL for design, engineering, procurement & supply, construction, erection, testing & commissioning of solar PV plant with tracking system on turnkey basis of 5 megawatts (MW) (AC) capacity in Maharashtra. The announcement was made on Saturday, 31 December 2016.

IL&FS Engineering and Construction Company announced that it has received a letter of acceptance (LoA) for a road contract worth Rs 242.56 crore from Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) through CE (NH) PWD, Government of Karnataka.

The engineering, procurement & construction (EPC) project is expected to be completed in 24 months. The company is currently executing a metro rail contract in Karnataka for Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation for a value of Rs 326.99 crore. The announcement was made after market hours on Friday, 30 December 2016.

Bafna Pharmaceuticals announced that the meeting of the board of directors of the company is scheduled to be held on 4 January 2017, to transact withdrawal of entire preferential issue of 40 lakh share warrants and in-principle application filed with the stock exchanges.

The reasons the board will consider such a proposal is that the proposed allottees in the promoter group and one of the investors were ineligible due to sale/purchase/transfer within the group during the 6 months preceding the relevant date and due to inordinate delay in the process, few of the proposed allottees expressed their unwillingness to subscribe for the issue

The board will also propose and consider fresh issue of 80 lakh share warrants to promoter and non-promoter group subject to necessary approvals. The announcement was made after market hours on Friday, 30 December 2016.

Transformers and Rectifiers (India) announced that the company has been awarded the order for 40 numbers of 15MVA and 40 numbers of 20MVA power transformers with natural/synthetic ester oil of 66 kV class amounting to Rs 92 crore from Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation Limited (GETCO).

The order falls under the normal course of business. The company neither has any interest in the entity that awarded the order nor fall within related party transactions. With this order, the company's order book as on date stands around Rs 960 crore.

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With effect from 31 December 2016

Radhika Jeweltech announced Tushar Donda has resigned from the post of Company Secretary and Compliance officer of the Company w.e.f. 31 December 2016. The Company places its appreciation for service rendered by Tushar Donda during his association with the Company.

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Weakness prevailed in morning trade as key benchmark indices hovered near fresh intraday low levels. At 10:16 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was down 107.92 points or 0.41% at 26,518.54. The Nifty 50 index was down 29.95 points or 0.37% at 8,155.85.

The Sensex and the Nifty, both, declined after hitting their highest intraday levels in 2-1/2 weeks at the onset of trading session. The Sensex rose 94.52 points, or 0.35% at the day's high of 26,720.98 at the onset of trading session, its highest level since 15 December 2016. The index fell 141.93 points, or 0.53% at the day's low of 26,484.53 in early trade. The Nifty rose 26.20 points, or 0.32% at the day's high of 8,212 at the onset of trading session, its highest level since 15 December 2016. The index fell 44.80 points, or 0.55% at the day's low of 8,141 in early trade.

Overseas, Asian stocks were shut for public holiday. US stocks fell on Friday, 30 December 2016, as investors took profits on some of 2016's high-flying sectors.

Back home, the broad market depicted strength. There were almost two gainers against every loser on BSE. 1294 shares rose and 649 shares fell. A total of 73 shares were unchanged. The BSE Mid-Cap index was currently up 0.09%. The BSE Small-Cap index was currently up 0.56%. Both these indices outperformed the Sensex.

Bajaj Auto was down 1.66% to Rs 2,590.15 after the company reported weak sales in December 2016. The company announced during market hours today, 2 January 2017, its total sales declined 22% to 2.25 lakh units in December 2016 over December 2015. Domestic sales dropped 17% to 1.19 lakh units in December 2016 over December 2015. Exports fell 27% to 1.05 lakh units in December 2016 over December 2015.

Most metal shares edged higher. Hindalco Industries (up 0.61%), Jindal Steel & Power (up 0.58%), Hindustan Zinc (up 0.43%), NMDC (up 0.36%), Steel Authority of India (up 0.30%), Vedanta (up 0.25%) and Tata Steel (up 0.12%), edged higher. JSW Steel (down 0.16%), Hindustan Copper (down 0.17%), Bhushan Steel (down 0.25%) and National Aluminium Company (down 1.92%), edged lower.

Most FMCG shares edged lower. Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care (down 0.76%), Marico (down 0.73%), Jyothy Laboratories (down 0.68%), Colgate Palmolive (India) (down 0.55%), Dabur India (down 0.49%), Hindustan Unilever (down 0.22%) and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare (down 0.14%), edged lower. Bajaj Corp (up 0.31%), Britannia Industries (up 0.50%), Tata Global Beverages (up 0.61%), Godrej Consumer Products (up 0.71%) and Nestle India (up 0.85%), edged higher.

Shilpi Cable Technologies rose 0.08% after the company announced that its board of directors at a meeting held on Friday, 30 December 2016, approved acquisition of 100% shareholding of Gulf Aglow LED Lighting FZCO (GAL), a UAE based company incorporated within the laws of UAE. GAL is engaged in the manufacturing of lighting products. The company is selling lighting products including CFL and LED products through retails network in Middle East and African countries.

The Gulf Aglow LED Lighting FZCO had acquired lighting business from Gulf advanced lighting LLC, which was in business since last 20 years. The acquisition will be in the nature of cash consideration. The indicative time period for the completion of the acquisition is 3 months. This acquisition is intended to expand market share of Shilpi Cable in lighting products, wires & cables in Middle East & African countries. The transaction is subject to applicable FEMA and RBI regulations. The announcement was made after market hours on Friday, 30 December 2016.

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At least 14 persons were killed and 35 injured in a car-bomb explosion in Baghdad on Monday, a source said.

A booby-trapped car detonated in the Shia neighbourhood of Sadr city, Xinhua news agency quoted the source as saying.

The blast destroyed several shops nearby and many stalls at an outdoor market and set fire to many vehicles, the source said.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State militant group in most cases is found responsible for bombings targeting Iraqi security forces as well as crowded areas.

The attack came amid a major offensive by Iraqi security forces, backed by an international coalition, to drive out 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 US, which invaded and occupied Iraq in March 2003.

--IANS

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An increased focus on renewable energy, more reliable power supply to villages, growing spread of Aadhaar -- the national identification system -- and greater use and spread of the Internet. Those, according to IndiaSpend, are the four things India can look forward to in 2017.

1. Increasing energy capacity and the push for renewables

What we said: Renewable energy installations would get a push in 2016, that would balance the country's reliance on coal.

What happened: India said it would install 16 GW of renewable energy this year, with the aim of reaching 175 GW by 2022. It had installed no more than 3.9 GW as of November 2016, according to a progress report by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

The total installed energy capacity of India, as of November 30, 2016, was 309 GW, and nearly 15 per cent came from renewable sources, according to data from the Ministry of Power. Between September 2015 and September 2016, 8.5 GW of renewable energy has been installed across the country. While the installed wind capacity increased 15.2 per cent or 3.7 GW over the year, solar energy capacity increased by almost 4.2 GW or 96 per cent.

Despite the slow growth in wind energy installation, the increase puts India in the fourth position world-wide after China, the US and Germany.

India had targeted installation of 4 GW of wind capacity and 12 GW of solar capacity, the two largest contributors to the renewables basket, in 2016-17. Eight months into the financial year, it had achieved no more than 40 per cent of its wind energy target and only 17.5 per cent of its solar energy target.

To achieve the 2017 target, the government and private players will have to install 2.35 GW of wind and 11.8 GW solar energy.

India has a solar energy potential of 750 GW -- 3.5 times mores than its thermal installed capacity, which currently accounts for 70 per cent of generation capacity -- and solar radiation is available for over 300 days a year

What to look forward to: Solar energy installations in India have been rising steadily since 2010, except for a dip in 2012-13. The government hopes to install 100 GW solar energy capacity by 2022 (57 per cent of the renewable energy goal of 175 GW), according to the 2015-16 annual report of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

The renewable energy ministry has created a road map for the next two financial years, 2017-18 and 2018-19. Over the next two years, India will add 42.6 GW -- almost equivalent to its cumulative renewables capacity to date.

2. Rural electrification moving ahead but power supply suspect

What we said: Up to 98.1 per cent of all villages were electrified by June 2016, according to the Central Electricity Authority.

What happened: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his Independence Day speech on August 15, 2015, announced that all un-electrified villages in the country (18,452) would have power within 1,000 days, or by May 1, 2018.

Only 10 per cent rural households need to have power for a village to be considered electrified, and quality of electricity is suspect even then.

As many as 11,429 villages have been electrified so far, according to the latest release by the Ministry of Power.

Out of the remaining 7,023 villages, 698 are uninhabited, 3,775 are scheduled for grid electrification, 2,502 are off-grid because of geographical barriers, and 48 are slated for electrification by state governments, the ministry said.

As part of the Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUJY), inaugurated in July 2015, the government proposed to provide free electricity connections to 42 million rural households below poverty line (BPL).

As on March 31, 2016, 23.2 million (over 50 per cent) BPL households were provided with free electricity connections, according to a report by the ministry.

What to look forward to: Grid connected villages could possibly be electrified by the end of 2018. However, it remains to be seen how many households will actually have access to reliable electricity, given that several states such as Bihar, Assam and Uttar Pradesh still report that over 60 per cent of their rural households are without electricity.

3. Aadhaar focus to shift to North East

What we said: Aadhaar enrolments were likely to cross one billion in 2016.

What happened: Aadhaar enrolments crossed the one-billion mark in April.

The number of enrolments had reached 1.095 billion by December 2016, with 73.4 per cent of Aadhaar holders over the age of 18 while 22.75 per cent between the ages of five and 18.

What to look forward to: Less than 75 per cent of people in Bihar, Manipur, Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Assam had Aadhaar cards as of December 15, 2016, according to data from Unique Identity Authority of India (UIDAI).

These regions, especially the northeastern states, might be the focus of the programme in 2017, as no more than 9 per cent of Meghalaya's people and 6 per cent of Assam's have Aadhaar cards.

4. India's Internet user community 2nd largest in the world

What we said: Around 462 million Indians would be online by June 2016.

What happened: By September 2016, total Internet subscribers in India were 367.48 million, according to a Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) report.

Minister for Communications and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad said Internet users will cross 500 million either by the end of the year or in 2017.

India's Internet users per 100 population was low at 26 in 2015, as compared to a world average of 43.9, according to World Bank data.

What to look forward to: Internet users in India will continue to grow three times faster than the world average, adding approximately 400 million users to its base in the next five years, according to National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), a trade association.

"India's internet consumption has already exceeded the US to become number two globally. By 2020, the internet is expected to penetrate deeper into hinterland of the country, helping create more opportunities for everyone," Nasscom president R. Chandrashekhar said.

As many as 75-80 per cent of the new users will come from better-connected rural areas, given the saturation of services in Tier 1 cities, the Nasscom report said.

As more rural users come online, regional-language services will see a spike because 75 per cent of the newly-added users will speak a vernacular language, the report said.

(In arrangement with IndiaSpend.org, a data-driven, non-profit, public interest journalism platform, with whom Mukta Patil is an analyst. The views expressed are those of IndiaSpend. Feedback at respond@indiaspend.org)

--IANS/IndiaSpend

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The 35 Russian diplomats declared "persona non grata" by the US government arrived in Moscow early Monday morning, media reports said.

The plane of the Russian government's Rossiya Special Flight Detachment, carrying the diplomats and their families landed in Moscow after departing from Washington's Dulles International Airport on Sunday afternoon, Tass news agency reported.

On Thursday, US President accused the Russian diplomats of participating in an alleged Kremlin-orchestrated cyber attack to influence the US presidential election and took the decision.

The 35 diplomats left the US with their families on Sunday, a senior State Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity told Efe news reported.

Obama had given the Russian diplomats 72 hours to leave the country, and also ordered the closure of the Russian government's two compounds in New York and Maryland.

The US also announced economic sanctions involving the asset freezing of Russia's two top intelligence agencies: Main Intelligence Directorate and the Federal Security Service.

These were Obama's heaviest sanctions in the last eight years of his government in response to the cyber attacks allegedly perpetrated by foreign state actors.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who repeatedly denied the involvement, announced that he would not expel any US diplomat in retaliation for the sanctions, although he reserved "the right to take measures in response" in the future.

Putin also said that "further steps to rebuild Russian-American relations" would depend on the policies that President-elect Donal Trump pursued after January 20.
BJP President on Monday sought the support of the people of Uttar Pradesh to bring about a "parivartan" in the state in the coming assembly elections.

Addressing the 'Maha Parivartan' rally at Ramabai Sthal here, Shah said the state had been ruined by both the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party.

The time had come to change the destiny of the country's most populous state, he said.

Take potshots at the ongoing feud in the Samajwadi Party, Shah said the "chacha" and "bhatija" were squabbling while the development of the state had taken a backseat.

And referring to BSP chief Mayawati, he said even the "bua" had not contributed positively to the state and it was because of these two parties that Uttar Pradesh remained backwards.

He said an all round development of Uttar Pradesh would become possible only when the BJP was voted to power.
The Cambodian police are looking for three men allegedly involved in posting on Facebook a photoshopped image of King Norodom Sihamoni into a gay pornographic scene, a government spokesman said on Monday.

The offensive doctored image was posted on a Facebook account since December 25, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We have identified three suspects in the case -- two living in Cambodia and one believed to be living in Thailand," Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak said.

Cambodia is considering to ask the Thai authorities for help, he said.

"We have to bring them to justice because they are insulting the King, who represents the whole nation," he said.

Under the country's constitution, the King shall be "inviolable". However, the country has no law which states a punishment on the criticism of the King.

Sihamoni, 63, ascended the throne on October 29, 2004, after his father the late King Norodom Sihanouk abdicated due to health problems.

The monarch is unmarried and has no children.

--IANS

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The National Museum of Cambodia in January will exhibit what is considered by some experts to be the world's oldest zero symbol, a dot in a set of script from the Khmer civilisation carved into a sandstone surface.

"The Chaka era has reached the year 605 on the fifth day of the waning moon," says the restored inscription discovered during the end of the 19th century at the Trapang Prei archaeological site in Kratie province, in northeastern Cambodia.

Archaeologists date this phrase to 687 AD, in pre-Angkor Cambodia, Efe news reported on Monday.

This Khmer inscription was discovered by French archaeologist Adhemard Leclere (1853-1917) in 1891, but his colleague and compatriot George Coedes (1886-1969) later classified it with the name K-127.

The same historian Coedes subsequently divulged the importance of the discovery in the article "About the Origin of Arabic Numbers", published in 1931.

Coedes and American mathematician Amir Aczel (1950-2015) defended the significance of K-127 as it strengthens the idea that the zero symbol's origin in the decimal number system comes from India or, in his word, other "Indianized" East Asian cultures.

The oldest zero that is known of and in the form of a circle, rather than a dot, comes from India and from the year 876 AD, almost two hundred years earlier than the one at the National Museum of Cambodia.

The Indian manuscript Bakhshali also contains zeros that could be prior to K-127, but the experts are unable to determine their antiquity with current technology due to the fragility of the object.

A civilization influenced by the Indian culture that existed in the south of the Indonesian island of Sumatra has also passed on another stone-carved dot equivalent to a zero to us, but it is from the year 688 AD, a few years before the aforementioned Khmer inscription.

The Maya and other pre-Columbian cultures knew this figure and used it in their hieroglyphs and calendars, but their numeral system did not survive the passage of time.

Cambodia has many inscriptions with the zero symbol, "but this one (K-127) is the oldest one," Chea Socheat, deputy director of the restoration department at the National Museum of Cambodia, told Efe news.

Representing the absolute lack of quantity or a null value and being of paramount importance in mathematics, this number entered Europe through the Arabs, who called it "sirf" (void).

The popularization of the Hindu-Arabic numerical system among the Europeans corresponds to the Italian mathematician Leonardo de Pisa (1170-1250), better known as Fibonacci.

"Zero is not just a concept of nothingness, which allows us to do arithmetic efficiently, but is also a place-holding device that enables our base-10 number system to work," Aczel said in his book "Finding Zero: A Mathematician's Odyssey to Uncover the Origins of Numbers."

According to anthropologist Miriam Stark from the University of Hawaii and an expert on Cambodia, the numeral system was fundamental for constructing temples during the Khmer empire or Angkor Empire (802-1431), such as the famous Unesco World Heritage site, Angkor Wat complex, in the city of Siem Reap.

The capital of this empire, Angkor, was the largest urban complex in the pre-industrial world, with a population of about 1 million people living in 1,000 sq.km of territory, according to Damian Evans, Christophe Pottier and other anthropologists.

Inscriptions like the K-127 help us learn about the past, according to Socheat, and the history of the numbers.

--IANS

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Terming the demonetiasation drive as anti-people, Congress' Delhi unit on Monday said that it will stage protest against it across the city on January 7, as part of its party's pan-India programme.

"Party will hold protest demonstrations across the city against the anti-people policies and corruption of the central government which has pushed the country towards a financial anarchy by the faulty implementation of the demonetisation," Congress spokesperson Sharmistha Mukherjee told reporters here.

The Congress leader said that the Mahila Congress will also observe a "Thali-Peet Demonstration" on January 9 at the district levels, along with other frontal organisations in the city.

Slamming Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not announcing any measures to ease the cash transactions from the banks and the ATMs during his address to the nation on December 31, Mukherjee said: "The people of India were eagerly awaiting his address to the nation.

"They were hoping that he will inform the nation about how much black money has been unearthed during 50 days of demonetisation. But he has decided to remain silent over it."

Mukherjee also said that 115 people had died due to different reasons following demonetisation. "But their families have not been given a penny as compensation. And Modiji did not even mention about them in his speech," she alleged.

Attacking Modi for the alleged kickbacks he received when Gujarat Chief Minister, Mukherjee said: "Modiji has not yet replied to Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi's poser about allegedly receiving Rs 65 crore from the Aditya Birla group and the Sahara group."

Hitting out at the government over demonetisation, Mukherjee said, "Modiji had said that demonetisation will cleanse the country of black money, action will be taken on the corrupt, and terrorism would be stamped out."

"But nothing has happened and it is very strange that during demonetisation, BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) leaders were caught with unaccounted money," she accused.

The Congress leader also said that it seems that the BJP had prior knowledge about demonetisation move. "That's why crores of rupees were invested in land and property by RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh) and BJP leaders in Odisha and Bihar," she said.

--IANS

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Actress Deepika Padukone says she is nervous and excited about her Hollywood debut "xXx - Return of Xander Cage" that stars Vin Diesel.

"I am really excited. This is my Hollywood debut. I am very nervous, but I am also very excited. And today is the beginning to that journey. Hopefully, we will be coming to India soon," Deepika said on January 1 before leaving for abroad to kick-start the film's promotion.

"In terms of promotion, first we will head to Mexico. As far as the release is concerned, we will first release the movie in India. While shooting the film, I discussed this with my unit... that it would be great to first release it in India and I am happy that it is finally happening," she added.

After her Hollywood debut later this month, Deepika will be known for being more than a Bollywood actress.

Talking about it, she said: "I think I'd like to be known as a good person and a good actor. But I also feel very proud that I get to represent my country, especially in this kind of action franchise of the film."

"I am really excited. I am also very sure we will enjoy this film because of its content. There is a lot of action, adventure in the film, which we have not seen in Indian films before. So, I can't wait to bring this movie to India and show it to everyone."

"xXx: Return of Xander Cage", helmed by D.J. Caruso, also stars Donnie Yen and Samuel L. Jackson.

--IANS

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The number of tourists visiting the Mount Everest region has risen by 33.66 per cent in 2016 as compared to 2015, the media reported on Monday.

According to Tourist Police Office, overall 27,465 tourists visited the Everest region in 2015 while the tourist number was recorded at 36,694 in 2016, the Himalayan Times reported.

The tourist arrivals in the mountainous region drastically fell after the massive earthquake on April 25, 2015, and the unofficial Nepal-India border blockade, but it saw a rise in 2016 as the situation became more favourable, Namche tourist entrepreneur Lama Kaji Sherpa said.

--IANS

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Congress leader and former Karnataka Minister V. Srinivasa Prasad on Monday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.

"I have joined the BJP to strengthen its presence in the state and help Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the development front," Prasad told reporters at the BJP officer after he was formally enrolled into the party at a function attended by top leaders including Union Ministers H.N. Ananth Kumar and D.V Sadananda Gowda, and state chief B.S. Yeddyurappa.

The veteran Dalit leader, who represents Nanjangud (reserved) constituency in Mysuru district since 2008, was appointed Revenue Minister in the Siddaramaiah government in May 2013 but dropped last July in a major reshuffle. He had resigned from the seat in October and had in recent time, indicated he would be joining the BJP.

"I was deeply hurt as Siddaramaiah, whom I know for years, dropped me from the cabinet unceremoniously and without even giving a hint," he said.

"I have joined the BJP after the people in my constituency endorsed my decision to quit the Congress during my interaction with them at Nanjungud, Chamarajangar and T.Narsippura," he added.

Prasad said he will contest on the BJP ticket in the Nanjangud assembly by-election due in February.

Hundreds of Prasad's supporters and Congress cadres in the district are set to join the BJP and campaign for his victory in the bye-poll, which is seen as crucial, since Siddaramaiah hails from the same region.

A five-time Lok Sabha lawmaker from the Chamarajanagar (reserved) Lok Sabha constituency for Congress member from 1980 to 1996, when he resigned and joined the Janata Dal-United, he won it in the 1999 elections on a JD-U ticket.

Prasad, who also served as Civil Supplies Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government (1999-2004), had rejoined the Congress in 2008.

--IANS

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A girl studying hotel management here was found dead under mysterious circumstances in a residential block here, the city police said on Monday.

The 22-year-old girl was staying in the accommodation in south Kolkata's Santoshpur since the last two months.

"Purnima Mitra's body was found hanging from the ceiling of her room," a police official said.

The housekeeping staff called the police as there was no response from the girl even after they knocked on the door many times on Sunday night.

The body of the girl has been sent for an autopsy.

"A case of mysterious death has been lodged," the official said.

--IANS

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A court here on Monday sent to judicial custody, till January 16, hawala trader Paras Mal Lodha who was arrested for converting demonetised notes worth Rs 25 crore linked to industrialist J Sekhar Reddy and lawyer Rohit Tandon into the new currency.

Additional Sessions Judge Raj Kumar Tripathi sent Lodha to 14 days judicial custody after Enforcement Directorate told the court that he is not required for further custodial interrogation.

Lodha was presented before the court after expiry of his four-day ED custody.

Meanwhile, as Lodha's defence counsel Rebecca John moved the bail plea, the court has asked ED to file its reply on the plea and listed the matter for January 6.

The Kolkata-based businessman was arrested on December 21, after hours of questioning by the ED officials and booked under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Lodha, a leading businessman with interests in real estate and mining, had been intercepted by a team of ED sleuths at the Mumbai airport while he was trying to flee to Malaysia.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had last month arrested Reddy, a former Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam Board Member, and two others from Chennai for money-laundering after Income Tax (IT) department recently seized 177 kg of gold, Rs 96 crore in old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes and Rs 34 crore in new currency from their premises.

The cash amount of Rs 13.65 crore, including Rs 2.60 crore in new currency notes, was seized from the office of Tandon in south Delhi's Greater Kailash-I area during a raid conducted by Delhi Police on December 10.

Sources said that Reddy had executed a lot of work for the Tamil Nadu government.

In connection with the case, IT officials raided 12 locations in the southern state including the house of Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary P. Rama Mohana Rao.

ED officials on December 1 raided multiple hawala operators across the country involved in the illegal conversion of old currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 to valid legal tender since November 8 demonetisation announcement.
COLUMBUS  Robert, Janelle and Jenesi Reppert are there when family, friends and co-workers get together to share the joyous landmarks in life.

Who wouldnt want to be there when people are happy? said Robert Reppert, who launched Minute Smiles photo booth rental with his wife Janelle and daughter Jenesi in early 2015 and has snapped his camera shutter at dozens of weddings, anniversaries and school and corporate events within a 100-mile radius of Columbus.

The Repperts can look back fondly on the family reunion in which three daughters joined with their mother for photos with a Hawaiian luau theme, the company Christmas party when co-workers donned oversize glasses and wigs or the wedding of a buoyant older couple.

Robert Reppert got a charge out of the ingenuity of an older bride at a recent wedding for which Minute Smiles set up its collapsible photo booth. The bride suggested filtering all the arriving guests through the photo booth as a way to record the event.

She said, This isnt my first rodeo, and used all the photos for a scrapbook of who came to the wedding, Reppert said. She said after her first wedding, she never opened the guestbook, but would look at the photos of her second in the scrapbook.

Couples are increasingly going that route at weddings, Reppert said.

The Repperts got into the home-based photo booth business through a friend who was looking to exit the business because it had become too time-consuming.

He wanted out, said Reppert, a disabled veteran who suffered back injuries during his U.S. Coast Guard career and later earned a marketing and business degree from Bellevue University.

The business reported a 25 percent increase in sales from 2015 to 2016.

Reppert, whose wife also works full time at a local bank, said the photo booth is a marriage of computer technology and photography.

The Reppert family averages about an hour of prep time to set up the booth, lighting, computer and monitor topped with a camera at each event.

Subjects appear in front of a green screen, which allows the computer to insert scenic backgrounds, similar to a television weatherman who points at maps while giving reports to viewers while standing in front of a screen.

We have hundreds of backgrounds, Reppert said.

But thats not all.

Minute Smiles, which prints three- and four-shot photo layouts for subjects, also supplies the props  goofy masks, wigs, floppy glasses, costumes  in the spirit of fun at graduations, birthday parties, anniversaries, post-prom parties and quinceaneras.

Photo subjects realize Minute Smiles isnt a photography portrait studio.

They know these photos are supposed to be goofy and silly, Reppert said. They know the lighting isnt going to be perfect.

Quinceaneras, the Hispanic custom of celebrating a girls 15th birthday and her transition from childhood to adulthood, typically involves a Mass followed by partying, Reppert said.

Quinceaneras are a big deal around here, he said, adding that there are businesses in the community devoted to supplying that market. Were looking to get into it more in the future.

Minute Smiles has taken advantage of a local small-business incubator, part of the Small Business Institute of Central Community College-Columbus and the CCC Foundation, housed on the ground floor of the Nebraska Public Power District building.

The institute was established 25 years ago to encourage the formation of new businesses and assist existing small businesses with growth opportunities.

The institute counseling services provide a place (incubator) to start a business and financial assistance for new startups.

Reppert said he still meets weekly with incubator personnel to get advice on building the photo business.

More information on Minute Smiles can be found on the business' website at www.minutesmilesne.com.
Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh on Monday said he had been with party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and will remain with him.

Speaking to the media on the ongoing tussle and his place in the party, Amar Singh, on his arrival here from vacation in London, said: "I was with Mulayam and will remain with him. My association with him made me a hero and if needed I can become a villian also."

Reacting on his expulsion from the party by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Singh said: "Once Mulayam had said that I am in his heart not in the party. So if Mulayam expels me from his heart then it will be saddening for me. The party does not matter to me."

Akhilesh on Sunday named himself the new head of the SP and his supporters stormed the party headquarters in Lucknow.

In other key decisions taken at an emergency meeting of Akhilesh supporters, Shivpal Yadav was sacked as the state unit head while Amar Singh -- both Mulayam confidants -- was expelled from the part

The issues related to party control is also spilling over to the Election Commission with leaders of both sides expected to reach Delhi soon.

--IANS

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India's largest artist ghetto, Kathputli Colony, is a curious chapter in Delhi's book of shanty clusters. While demolitions and displacements are a constant fear in most slums, the rich artistic heritage and the ethereal way of living with a sense of community and cultural ethos are what sets it apart from others of its kind.

The colony is the first slum taken up for in-situ redevelopment by a private firm in which the residents are being relocated to Anand Parbat for a period of two years while "jhuggis" are replaced with multi-story buildings on the same land.

"It is not just a colony for us but a way of life. I have lived my entire life here, I have seen my children grow up in this carefree environment where they have been surrounded by hundreds of artists, magicians and acrobats. Our life here has been as lively as a circus," Anil, a musician by profession, told IANS.

Old-timers recalled how a normal evening in the colony would suddenly transform into a celebration of art and culture.

"I remember this very old incident when a boy from the colony stood first in his exams. His father was a musician and he started singing out in the open and was soon joined by several artists, who added to the celebration. Nobody paid them to do so, this is how we have lived," said Brij Ram, 64, a resident of the colony.

Last week, a bulldozer razed an over 10-foot Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) wall, located very close to the jhuggis of Kathputli Colony. DDA officials claimed that they had necessary permissions to carry out the demolition but many local residents as well as NGOs are fearful that it was done to create a passage for the bulldozers to enter the slum.

Nasrin is one of the many residents who has refused to move from the colony and sign the contract to temporarily relocate to a transit camp.

"It was as if they were going to break my home next," she says. "My walls shook, my child looked at me in fear and all of us rushed out." Nasrin has twice refused to sign the documents and move to the transit camp.

In 2009, the central land owning agency had reportedly signed a Rs 6 crore-deal with Raheja Developers to build multi-storey flats in the area to resettle resident families and use the remainder of 5.2 hectare Kathputli Colony land to build commercial properties. After a gap of seven years, the authorities have sprung into action and want to shift the residents to the Anand Parbat transit camp.

The community of artistes and street performers are still in shock over the heavy deployment of police and paramilitary forces in the colony. Some have even stopped going for work, saying that they are fearful of their houses being demolished in their absence.

Meanwhile, about 400 residents have been relocated to Anand Parbat. A DDA official at the site said, "Police have been deployed to ensure a peaceful demolition drive. There are some locals who do not want the demolition due to their vested interests. But families are cooperating. Till our last report, 400 people have voluntarily agreed and been issued demolition slips."

The colony that was only yesterday a celebration of art and cultural ethos is today caught in the dilemma of resistance vs displacement. While the locals, as per DDA offcials, will be guaranteed new flats in a two-year period, the fear of never returning to Kathputli Colony looms large over a significant number of residents.

(This is the concluding part of a two-part story. Saket Suman can be contacted at saket.s@ians.in)

--IANS

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Ankara/Rome, Jan 2 (IANS/AKI) The Islamic State jihadist group has taken credit for the gun attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul which killed 39 people on New Year's Eve, mostly foreigners, and injured 70.

The group said in a statement the attack was carried out by "a heroic soldier".

"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 Christians celebrate their apostate holiday," the statement said.

The IS accused Turkey of shedding the blood of Muslims through "its air strikes and mortar attacks" in Syria.

IS released the statement on the encrypted messaging service Telegram. The group also claimed a bombing in Baghad's Shia Sadr City district on Monday that killed at least 35 people and blasts at two Shia markets that killed at least 28 in the Iraqi capital on Saturday.

The attack on the Reina nightclub was the first attack in Turkey claimed by the group, which Turkish authorities suspect of being behind several deadly bombings in the country over the past year.

Eleven Turks and 28 foreigners died late on Saturday when a gunman entered the Reina, which was packed with around 600 revellers.

The killer randomly fired up to 180 bullets at people with a long-barrelled gun in an assault lasting seven minutes.

Bollywood producer Abis Rizvi was one of those who died. Some partygoers who managed to flee jumped into the freezing cold Bosphorus Strait to escape.

Seven of the victims were from Saudi Arabia, three each from Iraq and Lebanon, two each from Jordan, India and Morocco and one each from Syria, Israel, France, Tunisia, Belgium, Kuwait, Canada and Russia.

The body of one victim was not immediately identified. Three people wounded in the assault remain in critical condition, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Sunday.

Turkey has launched a massive manhunt for the gunman, who managed to escape after the attack and was not immediately identified.

Turkish media reports quoted police sources as saying he may have been from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan.

"We hope the attacker will be captured soon," said Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu. He called the attack "a massacre, a truly inhumane act of savagery".

Security measures had been heightened in major Turkish cities since the attack, with police barring traffic from key squares in Istanbul and in the capital Ankara.

In Istanbul, 17,000 police officers were put on duty, some disguised as Santa Claus and others as street vendors, Turkey's Anadolu news agency reported.

Turkey is currently in a state of emergency following a failed coup in mid-July.

A member of the US-led coalition against IS, the country faces multiple security threats including the fallout from the war in neighbouring Syria.

Over 180 people died in a series of attacks in Turkey last year, some carried out by Kurdish militants, according to officials.

--IANS

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Actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan will finally resume shooting for upcoming trilingual comedy "Sabaash Naidu" from later this month after being out of action for nearly six months due to a leg injury.

In July 2016, Haasan fractured his leg after he slipped and fell from the stairs of his office here.

"From the third week of January, he plans to resume shooting. He has just returned from London where he had undergone medical checkup with an orthopedic. He's fit to start shooting, and the next schedule will take place in Hyderabad," a source from the film's unit told IANS.

"Sabaash Naidu", a spin-off on Haasan's Balram Naidu character from "Dasavatharam", is being simultaneously shot in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi.

The film also stars Ramya Krishnan, Shruti Haasan and Brahmanandam.

--IANS

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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday offered prayers at Takht Sri Harmandir Sahib, the birthplace of the 10th Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh.

Kejriwal has become one of the first senior leaders to visit the shrine during the 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh.

"I have visited the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh for his blessings," the Aam Aadmi Party leader told the media.

Kejriwal drove from Patna airport to the gurdwara, located about 10 km from Patna.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and former Punjab Chief Minister Amrinder Singh are also likely to visit the shrine on January 4.

The main function of holding special prayers and 'kirtan' will be held on January 5, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

The government expects more than five lakh devotees to visit Patna for the event.

Guru Gobind Singh was born on December 22, 1666. He was annointed the supreme leader of the Sikhs at the age of nine, becoming the last of the living Sikh gurus.

--IANS

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Kerala figures at number eight in the "12 destinations to watch in 2017" by Britain's largest and prominent travel and tours operators association.

The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) has ranked Kerala higher than premier destinations like the US, Sardinia (island of Italy), South Africa and Vietnam. The list also features Andalucia (Spain), the Azores islands (of Portugal), Bermuda, Chile, Croatia and Denmark.

The rankings consist of locations that are expected to capture traveller's imaginations over the next year.

"This latest recognition of Kerala's stature as a must visit destination is a matter of pride for us and bodes well for the year ahead," said state Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran.

Among the not to miss experiences of the state mentioned in the report is a journey through the placid backwaters in the traditional houseboat, the life of the local people, spice plantations and forests.

There is also a special mention of the rejuvenating touch of Kerala's traditional ayurveda therapies.

"Making the list signifies an excellent start to the year and will add momentum to our ongoing efforts to promote and showcase Kerala around the world. This is especially important in Britain, which is our primary source market for tourists," said Principal Secretary, Tourism, V. Venu.

In 2015, Kerala received 1,66,792 tourists from Britain, which accounted for a 17.06 per cent share of the total foreign tourist arrivals to the state.

The predictive ranking by ABTA, whose members reportedly sell 32 billion euros worth of holidays and other travel arrangements every year, suggests the outlook for the state will remain bright.

"Kerala's prominent ranking in the ABTA list suggests that the trend of higher tourist footfalls from Britain to continue this year," said Kerala Tourism Director U.V. Jose.

--IANS

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Rome, Jan 2 (IANS/AKI) A woman sustained fractures to her legs after her Colombian husband allegedly threw her out of a third floor apartment window in Rome after a drunken row on New Year's Day.

The woman fell 10 metres onto the roof of garage in the Torre Angela district on Rome's outskirts and was conscious when emergency services arrived.

Neighbours said they heard the couple arguing furiously and screaming followed by a crashing sound.

When police arrived, the Colombian man had barricaded himself inside the apartment but was detained by police. He faces charges of bodily harm and domestic violence.

--IANS/AKI

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The tussle between two factions -- led by Mulayam Singh Yadav and son Akhilesh -- to gain control of the ruling Samajwadi Party in the poll-bound Uttar Pradesh became bitter on Monday over the claim for its election symbol, cycle.

According to sources, both factions are to to meet the Election Commission of India in Delhi to claim that they were the actual Samajwadi Party.

While the Akhilesh faction was sending party national General-Secretary-turned-mentor Ram Gopal Yadav as its emissary to the poll panel, the other faction was being led by Mulayam Singh himself.

The party founder would be accompanied by loyal younger brother Shivpal Singh Yadav and Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh, who returned mid-way from his New Year family vacation in London.

Before leaving from here for Delhi, Mulayam Singh told the media that the party belonged to him as he enjoyed the support of the people of India's most populous state.

At an emergency national convention on Sunday, Akhilesh upstaged his father as the party chief and appointed himself as the Working National President. He also replaced state unit chief Shivpal Yadav with his loyalist and legislative council member Naresh Uttam.

The convention, declared illegal and unconstitutional by Mulayam Singh, also expelled Amar Singh from the party.

In the night, a tense Mulayam Singh's blood pressure was reported to have shot up and a team of doctors was requisitioned for a medical check-up.

In Delhi, the party sources said Akhilesh will show the poll panel video recordings, papers and resolutions signed by at least 40 per cent of party workers -- the number required to call an emergency convention as per Samajwadi party constitution.

The faction was also relying on Ram Gopal Yadav's skills as a man who was instrumental in drafting the constitution of the party 25 years back.

Mulayam Singh was also depending heavily on the very same constitution and the clauses within it to put forth an argument that the national convention called in haste was in contravention to the laid down rules of the party and hence anything that happened in it was invalid.

The sources said Amar Singh, who arrived in Delhi from vacation in London, was also to lining up a battery of legal eagles and constitutional experts to pitch in for the Mulayam Singh faction.

Reacting to his expulsion from the party, Amar Singh told reporters: "Once Mulayam had said that I am in his heart not in the party. So, if Mulayam expels me from his heart then it will be saddening for me. The party does not matter to me."

All eyes were now on the final call the poll panel would take.

According to constitutional experts, in all likelihood, the poll panel could freeze the party symbol and allot new symbols to both factions to contest the state assembly elections scheduled to be held this year.

This might come as a blow to both sides as the party symbol of 'cycle' was a well established brand.

--IANS

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Nepal's Supreme Court on Monday said the Constitution amendment bill registered in the Legislative-Parliament should move ahead as it is a matter of parliamentary supremacy.

Responding to a writ petition against the Constitution amendment bill in Parliament, the apex court said: "Judiciary could not bar the Legislative from using its wisdom in the formulation of legislation, on the basis of the principle of separation of powers."

In order to address the demands and grievances of Madhes-based political parties, the Nepal government registered the Constitution amendment bill in Parliament on November 29.

Issues like change in demarcation of provinces, citizenship, language and making the Constitution more inclusive are incorporated in the proposed amendment that the Madhes-based parties have cautiously welcomed.

After the bill was registered in Legislative-Parliament Secretariat, a case was filed in the Supreme Court challenging that move as "anti-constitutional".

A division bench of Chief Justice Sushila Karki and Justice Ishwor Prasad Khatiwada gave its ruling on it on Monday.

Nepal's main opposition Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist -- CPN-UML -- has been obstructing the house proceedings for over a month against the bill's registration.

With the Supreme Court ruling, the main opposition would be under pressure to remove the house obstruction.

"It is also not a wise move to intervene against the proposed bill... there is no need to issue show cause notice against the government to stop proceeding the debate over Constitution amendment bill," said the Supreme Court.

According to the theory of separation of powers and objectively, Parliament holds right to formulate the bills, said the court.

The petitioners had argued that the revision of provincial boundaries can happen only with the consent of the concerned provincial assembly, and cannot be done by the present Parliament alone.

The government has not formed a commission to revise the provincial boundaries as provided for under the constitutional provision.

--IANS

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Indian Paralympic gold medalist Mariyappan Thangavelu, on whose life filmmaker Aishwarya Dhanush is making a biopic, says he never expected such a film to be made.

"Even though I'm really happy about this project, I never expected, even in my dreams, a film to be made on my life. It feels very special and I see it as an impetus to continue working hard," Thangavelu told IANS.

In 2016 Summer Paralympic games held in Rio de Janeiro, Thangavelu won gold for India in the T-42 high jump category.

The first look poster of Aishwarya's biopic titled "Mariyappan" was unveiled by superstar Shah Rukh Khan, and the film will be made in Tamil and English.

Talking about the project, he said: "I'm yet to officially sign the contract. If my story can inspire youngsters from rural backgrounds, I'll be thrilled and nothing more can give me happiness than that."

The film will have music by Sean Roldan, dialogues by Raju Murugan and cinematography by R. Velraj.

Asked if he would like to see any popular actor play his part, Thangavelu said: "I'll leave it to the team to choose the right actor. It doesn't matter who plays my part, but I just wish the story inspires a lot of people."

He hopes the film paves way to more sports-based films from Tamil filmdom.

Thangavelu is currently busy training for the upcoming Asian Games.

--IANS

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The opposition in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday interrupted Governor N.N. Vohra's address to the joint session of the bicameral legislature here.

As the Governor started his address, members of the opposition parties, including the National Conference, Congress and others, stood up shouting slogans against the PDP-BJP government.

The Governor rushed to the concluding part of his speech amid the din.

--IANS

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The opposition members on Monday walked out of Jammu and Kashmir legislative council during obituary references after creating ruckus in the house over last summer's unrest in the Kashmir Valley.

As obituary references were being read out in the upper house of the bicameral state legislature here, the opposition members from regional National Conference and the Congress jumped into the well of the house.

Members shouted slogans against civilian killings in the Kashmir Valley during the five-month long unrest following the killing of top militant Burhan Wani in July.

They also shouted slogans against the use of pellets and PAVA shells by the security forces in Kashmir.

Without heeding repeated requests from council chairman Haji Anayat Al to restore order and calm, the opposition members finally walked out of the house.

Earlier on Monday, the opposition interrupted Governor N.N. Vohra's address to the joint session of the legislature.

As the Governor started his address, members of the opposition parties, including the National Conference, Congress and others, stood up shouting slogans against the PDP-BJP government.

The Governor rushed to the concluding part of his speech amid the din.

--IANS

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As Donald Trump prepares to take oath as US President on January 20, over half of Americans are sceptical about his ability to handle an international crisis, to use military force wisely or to prevent major scandals in his administration, according to a new poll released on Monday.

In comparison, at least seven in 10 Americans were confident in Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton in these areas before they took office, Xinhua news agency quoted a Gallup poll as saying.

Forty-six per cent of respondents are confident Trump can handle an international crisis, 47 per cent believe he will use military force wisely, while 44 per cent think he can prevent major scandals in his administration, the poll shows.

However, Americans express somewhat more confidence in Trump to work effectively with Congress (60 per cent), to handle the economy effectively (59 per cent), to defend US interests abroad as President (55 per cent), and to manage the executive branch effectively (53 per cent), said Jeffrey M. Jones, a poll analyst with the Gallup.

But even in these areas, Americans are far less confident in Trump than they were in his predecessors, when comparisons are available, Jones said.

The results for Trump are based on a December 7-11 Gallup poll conducted via telephone interviews, with a random sample of 1,028 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 US states and the District of Columbia.

The poll results are consistent with prior Gallup polling showing Trump having a much lower favourable rating than prior President-elects and a much lower approval rating for how he has handled his presidential transition.

The poll's margin of sampling error is 4 percentage points at the 95 per cent confidence level. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting.

--IANS

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Police officers in Papua New Guinea (PNG) physically attacked and arrested two Iranian asylum seekers during new year's eve celebrations, said refugee advocates on Monday.

The Refugee Action Coalition said the two men suffered broken bones in the incident, and supplied photographs showing the pair with cuts and bruises on their faces, Efe news reported.

The attack was allegedly launched because the asylum seekers were outside the detention centre.

In a statement Monday morning, the NGO reported that the pair were released by police after more than 36 hours in custody.

Australian Minister for Immigration Peter Dutton, meanwhile, accused activists of using the incident to attack Australia's immigration policy.

The policy includes the processing of asylum seekers in detention centres on Papua New Guinea's Manus Island, and the island nation of Nauru.

"If people have had an interaction with the PNG police on a new year's eve night, I would wait to see the full facts of that case before I'd make any comment to say that they were targeted because they were refugees or because they were part of the Manus Island population," Dutton told a radio station here.

The Australian government said an investigation into the incident was the responsibility of the Papuan police, but activists believe that such incidents are part of systematic abuse against the undocumented immigrants in Australia's South Pacific detention centres.

Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul urged the Australian government to provide "oversight on the role of the PNG police and the attitude of the PNG police" because it was "ultimately responsible for all the people who are held on the island", according to Australian broadcaster ABC.

The alleged police attack follows the death of a Sudanese asylum seeker, who collapsed in the Manus Island detention centre, shortly before Christmas.

The UN and human rights groups have repeatedly criticised the existence of these detention centres and labelled the precarious living conditions as "inhumane".

Many of the migrants detained in Nauru and Papua New Guinea have fled conflicts in countries such as Afghanistan, Darfur, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria.

While others have escaped discrimination or the status of being stateless persons, such as the Rohingya minorities in Myanmar and Bedoon from the Persian Gulf region.

They were detained before arriving on Australia's coasts and sent to the offshore detention centres where their refugee applications were processed.

--IANS

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The on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court's ruling which termed as "illegal" any appeal for votes on the basis of caste, community, religion or language.

Commenting on the decision by the bench headed by Chief Justice of India Justice T S Thakur, Communist Party of India leader D Raja told IANS, "The whole judgement needs to be studied."

"These are all there in the Representation of the People Act that makes it clear that religion and politics must be kept separate and no one should use these for political and electoral gain," said Raja.

"It is a strong message that has been sent out," he said, adding that one would have to wait to find out whether the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh) and other Sangh Parivar outfits and various fundamentalist organisations would abide by the apex court's verdict.

Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi told IANS, "I welcome this pragmatic message coming from the Supreme Court with regard to how politics has come to be dominated by caste and religious equations, especially by some parties which have made these part of their ideology to rise in Indian politics."

"This needed to be discouraged and I welcome the move of the Supreme Court," the Congress leader added.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal also welcomed the court ruling, calling it a historic moment.

RJD leader Manoj Jha told IANS, "I believe this is a milestone moment for Indian politics and public life."

He said an anomaly was created when the apex court observed in the 1990s that the Hindutva was not a religion but a way of life, Jha said.

In 1995 a three-judge bench of the Supreme court, headed by the then CJI J S Verma, had delivered a controversial judgment that categorically held that an appeal to Hindutva or Hinduism did not automatically mean an appeal to Hindus in the name of religion.

The RJD leader also said that as far as caste was concerned there was a "grey area" and that needed to be underlined.

"Casteism and speaking about inequality are two different things, so I would urge the Supreme Court to look at this grey area which can be used by the with huge resources to put such parties in perpetual legal quagmire," the RJD leader added.
Political parties on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court's ruling, which termed as "illegal" any appeal for votes on the basis of caste, community, religion or language.

The ruling was made by a seven-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice T. S. Thakur while hearing multiple petitions relating to electoral malpractices.

The petitions also included an appeal by BJP leader Abhiram Singh, whose election in 1990 to the Maharashtra Assembly was set aside by the Bombay High Court on the ground that he had appealed for votes on the basis of Hindu religion.

Welcoming the decision, Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D. Raja said the court has sent a strong message.

"It is a strong message but one would have to wait to find out if the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh) and other Sangh Parivar outfits and various fundamentalist organisations would abide by this ruling," Raja told IANS.

Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Brinda Karat said raising issues of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes should not be affected.

"It was important that the Supreme Court reiterated that elections are a secular exercise. So far as caste is concerned, we think it should not be equated with religion," Brinda told IANS.

Trinamool Congress MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy insisted the ruling will not adversely affect the issues of the SCs and STs.

"We welcome the verdict that establishes elections to be a secular exercise. Our party believes that religion or caste or creed should not be subjects of politics," Roy, told IANS.

Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said the ruling was important in the wake of "religious and caste equations" dominating politics.

"Some parties have made religion and caste, part of their ideology to rise in Indian politics. This needed to be discouraged," she told IANS.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal said the current ruling will help in curing an anomaly created by an earlier verdict by the apex court.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
South Korea on Monday said that it has imposed a fine of 7.1 billion won (around $5.8 million) on BMW, Porsche and Nissan car manufacturers for falsifying data for the sale permits of ten models.

The South Korean Ministry of Environment announced that besides imposing economic sanctions on the local units of the companies, it has cancelled certificates of the vehicles after detecting irregularities in the documents, the Yonhap news agency reported.

Nissan Korea, the South Korean unit of the Japanese company, is suspected of submitting the report from Mercedes Benz for its model Infiniti Q50 and that from Renault for Qashqai.

In the case of BMW, Seoul suspects that test results submitted for its model X5M actually correspond to X6M.

The local unit of the German company explained that some results of X6M were included in the reports as both models have the same engine and are under the same certification number, thus qualifying them to share the test results, according to the ministry.

Similarly, the local unit of Porsche is accused of fabricating emissions test results, something that the German company voluntarily informed the authorities during the course of the investigation, added the ministry.

The South Korean government has urged prosecutors to formally investigate Nissan and despite imposing fines, has decided not to conduct an official enquiry into the German companies considering BMW's violation was minor and Porsche's collaborative attitude.

The ministry also said that it would reinforce its certification system to prevent similar irregularities in the future.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The results of the investigation into what caused smartphones to catch fire are likely to be released in January, industry sources said on Monday.

The announcement is most likely to be made on January 10 or by the end of January at the latest, Yonhap agency reported, citing sources with knowledge of the matter.

The South Korean tech giant asked the US-based safety organisation UL to find the root cause of phablets catching fire. It halted its sales over recurring battery problems.

Separately, the state-run Korea Testing Laboratory (KTL) also launched its own investigation into components of Samsung's latest flagship phones after numerous reports of the device igniting.

Although the investigation has been separately conducted by the two sides, it is mostly likely for the KTL to announce the final result, the sources said.

"We have not yet confirmed the outcome of UL's investigation," said a KTL official without elaborating.

The government and Samsung reportedly concluded the cause is not a simple battery malfunction, and the two sides are fine-tuning details to reach the final outcome.

Finding the exact cause of the Note 7's problem is crucial for Samsung to win back consumers' trust before the firm launches its new flagship model, the Galaxy S8 in April, industry watchers said.

"Samsung Electronics must transform itself after learning an expensive lesson last year," Kwon Oh-hyun, vice chairman and CEO of Samsung said on Monday.

The South Korean government, meanwhile, said it would strengthen its safety measures to prevent a similar problem.

"The government is preparing a revision to safety regulations to prevent a similar accident from occurring," a government official said on the condition of anonymity.
Continuing its attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Shiv Sena on Monday termed the sops announced in his New Year's Eve address to the nation as merely "stale pakodas in new packets".

In a strongly-worded edit in the party mouthpieces Saamana and Dopaharka Saamana, the Shiv Sena said there was nothing new in the "hail of announcements" made by Modi.

In fact, it said many schemes were launched by the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

"For instance, the announcement of Rs 6,000 for pregnant women was launched by the UPA as 'Indira Gandhi Matrutva Sahyog Yojana', so what's new in this?" asked the Sena sarcastically.

It added that "left-over pakodas were warmed up, and dished out again with a dash of fresh chutney", but warned that eating such stale food could create huge health problems or even cause death.

However, basic questions were not addressed by Modi in his address, like when would peoples' suffering end, two months after the demonetisaton of November 8, 2016, when Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes were scrapped.

"He did not say anything -- because he has nothing to say in the matter... he should have explained why the country was pushed into such a major crisis or how many more sacrifices are expected from the masses..." the Sena said.

It also referred to the shocking case of Chhotulal from Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh who could not withdraw Rs 2,000 for his mother's treatment. Worse came after she died when he could not get money from the bank for her funeral.

"There are millions of Chhotulals in the country who are cursing the government, hundreds have died in banks and ATM queues...," said the Sena, which is an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra as well as at the Centre.

The Sena said under such circumstances, there was no point in "thanking people for their sacrifices" and the sops announced meant little to the Chhotulals of the country.

The edit dwelt on the ongoing plight of the ordinary folks still sweating it out in banks and ATM queues, the misery of the rural masses, the farmers and others hit hard by demonetisation.

"We have full regard for Modi, but when it is a question of the financial crisis gripping the country, we shall speak the truth... which is not a crime but 'patriotism' in our view," the Sena said.

The edit concluded that Chhotulal's mother may die, but demonetisation woes will continue... "We sympathise with Chhotulal in his hour of grief."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan's Sindh province on Monday decided to raise a special force for the security of the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), officials said.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the senior political and military officials in Karachi, the capital of Sindh, to review the overall security situation including the CPEC.

Several key projects in Karachi and other parts of Sindh province are part of CPEC, officials say. Last week the Chinese authorities agreed to include projects related to a railway service in Karachi, development of a port in Thatta district near Karachi and setting up of a special economic zone in CPEC.

The agreement was reached during the Joint Cooperation Committee on CPEC held in Beijing on Thursday. Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah led his government delegation at the meeting.

The Mondays meeting in Karachi approved establishing a force comprising of 1,000 retired soldiers of the Pakistan Army for security of CPEC, provincial Advisor Maula Bakhsh Chandio, told reporters after the meeting.

The meeting also decided on a crackdown on street crime and drug mafia in Karachi, which is the commercial hub of Pakistan.

The meeting agreed to write to the federal government for the crackdown against illegal weapons, factories and shops.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Small automobile companies logged volume growth as compared to major players in the industry whose sales dipped as seen from the sales numbers announced by companies.

The currency crunch due to demonetisation of 500 and 1,000-rupee notes coupled with customers postponing purchase decisions has hit some of the major players in the industry.

For instance, Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd (M&M), Ashok Leyland Ltd, Bajaj Auto Ltd and Maruti Suzuki Ltd saw their sales dipping while companies like Nissan Motor India Pvt Ltd, Volkswagen and Eicher Motors logged volume growth.

"The auto industry continues to go through challenging times, grappling with the short-term effects of demonetisation as well as reduced and postponed purchase decisions," said Pravin Shah, President and Chief Executive (Automotive) at M&M.

"We do hope that the implementation of GST along with some right initiatives taken by the government in the upcoming Union Budget on 1st February, will provide a veritable boost to the auto industry and the economy in general," Shah added.

Nissan Motor India Pvt Ltd sold 3,711 units in the domestic market, up from 3,065 units sold the same month a year ago.

"Nissan India achieved healthy sales in December by posting 21 per cent year-on-year growth despite the challenges of demonetisation," Arun Malhotra, Managing Director of Nissan Motor India, said.

Similarly Volkswagen sold 4,348 units as compared to 2,577 units sold in December 2015.

Hyundai Motor India achieved 5.2 per cent growth in domestic sales to 5,00,537 units in calendar year 2016, as against 4,76,001 units in 2015.

Exports, however, were down by 3.4 per cent in the year to 161,517 units as compared to 1 67,268 shipped out in 2015.

On the other hand, the largest car-maker in India, Maruti Suzuki India reported a one per cent dip in its total sales for December.

According to the company, its sales during the month stood at 117,908 units from 119,149 units sold in the same month last year.

For December, the company's domestic sales were down by 4.4 per cent to 106,414 units from 111,333 units sold during the corresponding month of 2015, but exports surged by 47.1 per cent with 11,494 units shipped out -- from 7, 816 units sold abroad in December last year.

On its part, M&M announced that it sold 36,363 vehicles compared to 37,915 vehicles during December 2015. The company logged negative sales in passenger and commercial vehicles segments for the period under review.

Two-wheeler maker Eicher Motors Ltd closed last month logging at 42 per cent sales growth as compared to sales figures of December 2015, a statement said on Monday.

Eicher Motors sold 57,398 units last month, up from 40,453 units sold in December 2015, the statement said.

Two- and three-wheeler major Bajaj Auto saw a whopping 22 per cent fall in its sales last month at 225,529 units as compared to 289,003 units sold in December 2015.

On the other hand, commercial vehicles major Ashok Leyland Ltd registered a negative growth last month selling 10,731 units, down from 12,154 units sold in December 2015.

For Ashok Leyland, the fall in sales was a steep 20 per cent at 1,949 units in the light commercial vehicles (LCV) segment as compared to the eight per cent fall in the medium and commercial vehicles category at 8,782 units.
Sri Lanka on Monday said that it has set a target of welcoming 2.5 million tourists to the island nation in 2017.

Tourism Minister John Amaratunga told Xinhua news agency that the country had already exceeded the 2 million tourist arrival mark in 2016 and now it hoped to attract a further 2.5 million tourists by the end of 2017.

Up to November 2016, the government had achieved a little more than 1.8 million tourists with the leading markets being India and China.

He further said that the closure of the Bandaranaike International Airport for certain hours from January to April would have an effect on the number of tourist arrivals this year.

"This is worrying and I have taken the matter up with the authorities concerned. However we will do our best to achieve the targets set and ensure that tourism becomes the leading foreign exchange earner," Amaratunga said.

The country's main international airport will be closed from 8.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. every day from January 6 to April 6 due to maintenance work on the runway. Several flights have had to re-schedule their arrivals and departures to Colombo as a result of the maintenance.

Passengers travelling during this period have also been advised to arrive at the airport five hours prior to their flight departure.

Meanwhile Amaratunga said the government had planned mega publicity campaigns to be launched in several cities across the world this year, which would promote Sri Lanka as an ideal tourist destination.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Driver Suany Martinez will on Monday become the first Bolivian woman to compete in the Dakar race, thus fulfilling one of her "dreams" on board a Can-Am quad motorcycle.

"For now, I'm calm. But when the start approaches, I'm going to be really nervous," the 25-year-old Martinez told Efe with a big smile.

The 2017 Dakar rally will kick off on Monday in Paraguay, traverse northern Argentina en route to La Paz, where there will be phases at 3,500 meters (11,500 feet) above sea level and a day's rest on January 8 before returning to Argentina to finish up in Buenos Aires on January 14.

Martinez comes from a racing family. Her father, Leonardo, is participating in the same category in this year's Dakar and already competed in the 2013 and 2016 races, when he withdrew in the third phase and then came in 12th, respectively.

In addition, her brother Diego raced in 2013 and this year will be her team chief.

"I'm going to take the first phase calmly. I raced in Paraguay last year and it's a very nice place. This phase is more about speed, it's going to be nice," she said.

The first phase ends in the city of Resistencia, in northern Argentina's Chaco province, after running 454 km.

In the fourth phase, the racers will return to Bolivia, specifically to Tupiza, in Potosi province.

"I don't have any advantage, I'm going to suffer from the altitude just like everyone, but when you're in your country you feel good, you feel different. The people there are very happy about the Dakar," Martinez said.

"Here it's the same. Here the warmth of the Paraguayan public is very lovely, just as I'm sure it's going to be in Argentina," she added.

Martinez came in 13th last year in the Dakar Series in Merzouga, Morocco.

"It's one of my dreams to be in the Dakar," she said. "After this, I want to keep competing in future years, each time looking to improve my placing."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi has pledged her commitment to achieving lasting peace in the country in 2017.

Speaking at the opening of the National Reconciliation and Peace Centre (NRPC) here, Suu Kyi on Sunday said Myanmar's peace making efforts will meet with success in the coming year, Xinhua news agency reported.

"From this building, we will face the challenge of bringing the country on the right path to the goal of peace and with the help of the people and our good friends in the world who have a genuine goodwill toward the country, we will strive for national reconciliation and peace in Myanmar."

There has already been an NRPC in Yangon chaired by Suu Kyi.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President-elect Donald Trump's attack on warplane manufacturer Lockheed Martin could cut millions of dollars off Australia's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Programme, a leading defence expert said on Monday.

Late last year, Trump tweeted the Joint Strike Fighter programme had become "very, very expensive", threatening to shut it down if delays and costs continue to blow out, Xinhua news agency reported.

Defence expert Andrew Davies from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said while it would be disastrous for Astralia's defence plans if Trump decides to cancel the $379 billion programme, but if Trump's public criticism results in a cut-priced fighter, Australia invariably benefits.

"If Trump can negotiate a lower price, then there is a potential upside for Australia, absolutely," Davies said.

Australia has rights to an additional 58 F-35s, and if Lockheed Martin cuts the price even by only five per cent, it would create an overall saving of around $232 million.

Australia's Defense Industry Minister Christopher Pyne has maintained that the country was still "committed to the JSF programme".

"It is well advanced and will produce the world's most potent fighter aircraft. We will work closely with the incoming US administration to maximise the benefits to Australia of the programme," Pyne said.

"Obviously, if we can reduce the cost and prevent further delays, we will do so as a partner country in the JSF programme."

Lockheed Martin chief executive Marillyn Hewson has previously said the company will attempt to "aggressively" drive down the cost of the delayed and costly fighter in response to Trump's actions.

"I had a very good conversation with Trump. I gave him my personal commitment to drive the cost down aggressively," Hewson said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President-elect will continue using Twitter with the same gusto he has displayed to date because his tweets get "results", the mogul's future Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, said on Sunday.

EFE news quoted Spicer as telling ABC that the President-elect did not need to have his comments filtered through the "mainstream media".

"You know, with all due respect, 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. He doesn't have to have it funnelled through the media," Spicer said.

Trump's Twitter account, specifically, has more than 18 million followers.

The future press secretary's remarks contrast with those of Trump himself in his first interview after winning the November 8 election, when he said that he would limit his use of Twitter and promised, instead of using it, to comport himself in a more prudent manner.

"I'm going to be very restrained, if I use it at all, I'm going to be very restrained. I find it tremendous. It's a modern form of communication," he said at the time.

However, the real-estate magnate has not appeared to curtail his tweets and in December remarked on the social network that the United States should "strengthen and expand" its nuclear capacity until "the world comes to its senses regarding nukes", a comment that drew much criticism because of fears that such a course of action would spark a nuclear arms race.

He also tweeted about the UN that "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!"

His UN comment came after the Security Council on December 23 decided to demand that Israel stop establishing settlements on Palestinian territory, a decision the US allowed by refusing to veto it.
The ugly battle raged on Monday in Uttar Pradeshs ruling Samajwadi Party with party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav approaching the Election Commission to secure his right over its election symbol "cycle".

A day after being dethroned as the Samajwadi Party national president by his warring son and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Mulayam Singh insisted the party belonged to him and declared the action against him unconstitutional.

"Samajwadi Party's election symbol is my signature," he said in Lucknow.

Accompanied by his brother Shivpal Yadav, Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh and actress-turned politician Jaya Prada, Mulayam Singh met Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi in the national capital.

The meeting lasted around 30 minutes where Mulayam Singh, as the party founder, is said to have asserted his right over the election symbol.

While Mulayam Singh and his aides were tight-lipped about the meeting, informed sources said he discussed party constitution with Zaidi, claiming he was still the party president.

Mulayam Singh is also said to have argued that the convention called in Lucknow by Akhilesh supporters violated the party rules and hence anything that happened at the meeting was invalid.

He also cancelled a national convention called by him on January 5.

Meanwhile, the Akhilesh camp will be sending its General Secretary-turned-mentor Ram Gopal Yadav as its emissary to the poll panel on Tuesday.

Mulayam confidant Amar Singh appeared unfazed by his "expulsion" from the party by Akhilesh Yadav and insisted his allegiance to Mulayam Singh.

"I was with Mulayam and will remain with him. My association with him made me a hero and if needed I can become a villian also," he said.

Amid the tug of war between the father and son, a group of party activists gathered outside Mulayam Singh's residence here, raised slogans in his support and sought unification of the party.

The supporters, however, did not raise slogans against Akhilesh Yadav or Ram Gopal Yadav. Instead, they urged Mulayam Singh to make Akhilesh Yadav the face of the election campaign.

According to constitutional experts, in all likelihood, the poll panel could freeze the party symbol and allot new symbols to both the factions to contest the assembly elections scheduled this year.

This might come as a blow to both sides as the symbol "cycle" is a well established brand.

At a convention held in Lucknow on Sunday, Akhilesh Yadav annointed himself the Samajwadi Party President and said Mulayam Singh would remain a "Marg Darshak".

The Akhilesh camp also named a new state unit chief in place of Shivpal Yadav and sacked Amar Singh, who the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister has repeatedly dubbed a "dalal".

The open rebellion prompted Mulayam Singh to again sack Ram Gopal Yadav from the Samajwadi Party. Both Ram Gopal Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav had been sacked on Friday too but were taken back a day later.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A middle-aged woman was grievously injured in an incident of acid attack in West Bengal's West Midnapore district, police said on Monday.

"A 30-year old widow was attacked with acid by a lover in West Midnapore district's Ghatal region on Sunday," said Chitta Paul, officer in-charge of Ghatal police station.

Police said that the woman was attacked by her lover after their relationship deteriorated.

"The widow was involved in an illicit affair with a local man who works in Odisha. The man came to the village last week and attacked the woman with acid following breakdown in their relationship," the officer said.

The victim sustained serious injuries in the head, face and shoulder. She is admitted to SSKM Hospital in Kolkata.

Police said the accused could not be arrested yet as he might have fled to Odisha after the incident.

"We are still looking for the accused. It seems he might have fled to Odisha. We are also questioning the man's family in the village," the officer added.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
It is election time in Punjab and state Congress president Amarinder Singh does not want to miss any opportunity to impress voters. Keeping the religious sentiments attached to the mega event in mind, Singh will visit the holy Takht Sri Patna Sahib Gurdwara on January 3 to participate in the 350th birth anniversary celebrations of the 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh. The establishment of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh is considered one of the most important events in the history of Sikhism. NRIs from around the world, who take keen interest in state polls, are expected to visit the holy place. Punjab will have assembly polls next month.
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.




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.
Opposition party- the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-on Monday hit out at Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat for his proposed fast against the rejection of the state government's masterplan on Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone, accusing him of having done nothing as a minister when a 100 km area along Bhagirathi in Uttarkashi district was notified as an ESZ.

"What was Rawat doing when the ESZ notification was quietly issued by the Manmohan Singh government. He was the Union Water Resources Minister at the time. He was in a position to do something to prevent or stall it. Why he did not do so?" state spokesman Munna Singh Chauhan told reporters.

Noting that the state government's masterplan had been rejected as it was not in accordance with the ESZ notification, he said the state government had submitted the masterplan very late after the stipulated time frame of less than two years and that too without conducting a hearing of the stakeholders or the population residing in areas to be affected by the notification which was an essential requirement.

"It is because of its own shortcomings that the masterplan was rejected by the National Green Tribunal. It is hard to understand who Rawat is protesting against? Shall we assume that he is agitating against a tribunal?" he said.

No one could take his battle against a tribunal or a judicial authority like the NGT to the streets, he added.

Terming the CM's proposed fast as drama, Chauhan said if he is so keen to sit on a fast he should do so only to atone for his "act of treachery" against the people of Uttarakhand.

"He kept mum when the ESZ notification was issued despite being a minister at the Centre and now he is being aggressive over the issue. It is sheer drama" he said.

"Rawat is indulging again in the of emotional blackmail. It may also be part of his tactics to mount pressure on the Centre as the CBI has summoned him for questioning in the alleged sting video where he is seen negotiating a deal to buy the support of disgruntled MLAs at the time of political crisis in the state," the leader claimed.

"If the Chief Minister is innocent why should he be afraid of CBI and the courts of law.On one hand, he claims innocence and on the other does not tire of approaching the high court seeking revocation of the ongoing CBI probe into the sting video," he said.

Terming rejection of the state government's zonal masterplan for Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone as the biggest blow to the interests of the state, Rawat had announced on Monday that he will observe a day-long fast in Delhi on January 5 in protest.
It was billed as his first public rally after 50-days of pain of the note ban exercise. But, Prime Minister didnt announce any new gains beyond the schemes he unveiled in his New Years eve address to the nation, and even these were mentioned cursorily at the end of his speech at Lucknows Ramabai Ambedkar Park on Monday afternoon.
The feud reached the Election Commissions door on Monday with party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav meeting officials to lay claim over partys election symbol bicycle. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his supporters are likely to knock at the doors of the EC on Tuesday with a similar request, which could then lead to the freezing of the symbol and the dispute likely to be decided after the state Assembly polls.
Amid the raging family feud and power struggle in the ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, Bharatiya Janata Party is keen to capitalise on the emerging situation to end its 14-year political wilderness in the countrys most populous state.
Of the 55 candidates contesting for the posts of municipal council president in the fourth and final phase of civic polls in Maharashtra, 13 (23 per cent) are 'crorepatis'.

The final phase of municipal council and nagar panchayat elections in the state would be held on January 8.

On an average, each of these 55 candidates is worth more than Rs 87 lakh.

The candidate with highest declared total assets is Abhijeet Ramesh Gupta, who is contesting for post of president of Narkhed Municipal Council (Nagpur). Gupta has assets of more than Rs five crore.

Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Maharashtra Election Watch analysed the affidavits of 55 candidates out of 77 who are contesting for the posts of council president in Nagpur and Gondiya districts.

Only two of these candidates, Kalpana Pundlik Charde from Katol Municipal Council (Nagpur) and Gaurdhan Katwaru Jaiswal from Gondiya Municipal Council (Gondiya) have declared assets below Rs two lakh.

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Sixteen people, mostly medical workers, have been sentenced to upto five years in jail by a court in China for organ trafficking.

The ring performed illegal kidney transplants at various hospitals and clinics in Jinan, Taian and Feicheng cities since 2014, South China Morning Post quoted provincial portal Iqilu.Com as saying.

The report did not identify the hospitals involved or specify how many transplants had been performed before the ring was busted in May 2015.

Instead, it said the trading spanned more than a dozen provinces and municipalities, including Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia and Chongqing.

Citing the Lixia district court in Jinan, the report said the ring consisted of at least two doctors, one anaesthetist, a nurse, an assistant doctor and other paramedics.

Using Tencent QQ and other social networking tools, the accused searched online for kidney sellers across the country, arranging for tests and matches between sellers and potential buyers.

Patients were asked to pay between 400,000 to 600,000 yuan (USD 57,620-86,430), sometimes more, for each transplant, while sellers received about 40,000 yuan, according to the report.

Surgeons and paramedics made 3,000 to 10,000 yuan per surgery and the bulk of the profit was split among five ringleaders.

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Two persons were killed and two others, including a woman, were injured when a car in which they were travelling collided with a stationary truck on Delhi-Dehradun national highway near Khatoli in the district, police said.

The incident took place when Sandeep (28) and Gulbir (30) and two others of the family were travelling to Bariely from Goela village, they said.

The injured have been admitted to a hospital and are stated to be serious, police said.

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Developments in political arena, coupled with "forces that want to shape the world into a place of exclusion, conflict and suspicion" have raised questions and obstacles on the path to a "better world" in the past year, IT czar and philanthropist Azim Premji said.

In a letter to Wipro employees, Premji urged them to increase their commitment to others and find common ground rather than focussing on conflicts.

"On the eve of the coming New Year, I must say that the year 2016, seems to have raised questions and obstacles, on the path to a better world, which cannot be ignored.

"These questions have arisen from developments in the political arena, from the fast unfolding environmental crisis and from forces that want to shape the world into a place of exclusion, conflict and suspicion," he wrote in his letter.

He further said: "Once we start addressing these issues head on rather than ignoring them, I am confident that we will continue to make progress".

Year 2016 saw two major developments -- Britain voting to leave the European Union and Donald Trump winning the US Presidential Election.

Both the events have raised concerns for Indian IT firms, that now fear a more protectionist stance could come into these markets that together account for as much as 80 per cent of the sector's export revenues.

Premji highlighted four principles that can help people make a difference.

"We must find common ground, rather than focussing on conflicts. The reality of the world is that there will always be disagreement and differences between people, but finding common ground is the only way of moving forward. This is as true in business as in politics and social issues, and as true in personal as in public life," he said.

He added that the importance of Wipro's success has become manifold as this enables the possibility of making a difference to some of the most disadvantaged people in the world.

About 40 per cent of Wipro is owned by a philanthropic trust that works to improve conditions in Indian villages.

Premji said one must have genuine concern for others and respect all human beings equally and this must manifest in action.

"We must recognise that societies, economies, and the environment are all deeply connected. Individual human beings and people find meaning in this connectedness, not in separation and isolation...So every effort of ours to find solutions and to find meaning, must strengthen this connectedness," he advised the employees.

Lastly, he said it is important to have the courage to persevere for "what is right and what is good".

He said he meets people from all walks of life who are battling the most complex challenges, yet are unyielding in their efforts and positivism.

"This is what I see across the world, from San Francisco to Tokyo, all places that I go to, I meet people with the same spirit and fire. That includes an uncountable number of Wiproites. And that is why I am full of hope for a better world, a more just, equitable, humane and sustainable world. I know that if we persevere, we will prevail," he said.

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Once a home to tigers, Madhya Pradesh now appears to have turned into an enemy territory for them, as the state witnessed the highest number of feline deaths in 2016, when it lost 33 big cats, taking the toll to 89 in a period of last five years.

From year 2011 to 2016, as many as 89 tigers including 11 cubs died in the state due to various reasons including poaching, territorial clashes or for natural reasons as cited in the data obtained from the MP Forest Department.

The data revealed that 2012 witnessed the death of 16 felines which reduced to 11 next year (2013). Subsequent years proved more fatal for the wildcat when the state saw 14 and 15 deaths respectively in 2014 and 2015.

And, then came 2016, the worst of all when the figures (of feline deaths) were almost double the average of previous five years.

On an average, 14 tigers had died every year from 2012 to 2015, but the death toll went up to an alarming level of 33 in 2016.

As far as reasons are concerned, the death of 30 out of 89 tigers were attributed to the territorial clashes, while 22 of them have fallen prey to poachers, who killed them either by poisoning or through the electrocution.

The remaining 37 tigers are cited to die either due to their old age, illness or some other reasons.

Amid all these dismal reports about dwindling wildcats' population, state forest authorities claimed that there was some encouraging too for tiger conservationists. The state has recorded a growth in their population as more cubs were born during this period.

"The tiger population was reduced to 257, according to the census carried out by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in 2011. However in 2014, the tiger population in the state has gone up to 308," MP's Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF), Wildlife, Jitendra Agrawal told PTI.

Agrawal claimed that there are 216 tigers in only six tiger reserves of the state - Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench, Panna, Satpura and Sanjay National Park.

"In addition to these tiger reserves, there are a number of tigers in other forests of the state. If cubs are included, the number of tigers may go beyond 400. This data is an evidence of ongoing conservation work," he added.

He claimed that the data of union government also denotes that the number of tigers in Madhya Pradesh are rising gradually over the years.

The tiger conservationists, however, find this rise in



deaths as negligence on part of the authorities.

"A task force constituted in 2005 by the Centre had recommended that the responsibility should be fixed in each case of unnatural death of the tiger. But this is not being done in the state," a Bhopal based tiger conservationist Ajay Dubey told
Over 33 per cent more tourists visited the Mount Everest region in Nepal in 2016 as compared to the previous year when the deadly temblor struck the Himalayan nation, a media report said today.

As many as 27,465 tourists visited the Everest region in 2015 while the number was recorded at 36,694 in 2016, The Himalayan Times reported, quoting Assistant Sub Inspector of Police (ASI) Sarayug Mahato at Tourist Police Office, Lukla.

The number of tourists visiting the region in 2016 exceeds the previous year by 9,229, an increase of 33.66 per cent.

The tourist arrival in the mountainous region had drastically fallen due to the deadly April 25 earthquake in 2015 and the unofficial Nepal-India border blockade; but it increased in 2016 as the situation became more favourable, Namche's tourist entrepreneur Lama Kaji Sherpa said.

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At least six persons, including four security personnel, were injured today when a roadside bomb exploded in Pakistan's Balochistan province.

The Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were on a routine patrol when their vehicle was targeted.

Four security personnel and two civilians were injured in the blast in Quetta's Western Bypass area, police said.

The blast left the vehicle partially damaged. The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital, Dawn reported.

Police and FC personnel reached the site and started investigation into the incident.

There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast.

In November last year, three FC officials were killed and seven injured in a roadside improvised explosive device (IED) blast which occurred near their vehicle in Peshawar's Bashirabad area.

The number of attacks in the country has fallen around 70 per cent, due to a combination of the military offensive against Taliban bases along the Afghan border and government initiatives to tackle militancy, but attacks on security and civilian targets continue to occur occasionally.
An eight-year-old Indian girl in the UAE born with hearing impairments can now hear again after a successful cochlear implant procedure, a media report said.

After a two-week break to recover from the operation, Nafiya returned to a hospital for a follow up where the cochlear implant was activated for the first time by senior audiologist at the University Hospital Sharjah, Muhammed Ayas, who has studied in India.

Ahmad Munzer Al Waa, Head of ENT Department, said: "This was the first cochlear implant procedure at UHS and more similar operations will be conducted as there is an increasing number of infants who are born with hearing impairments."



Ayas said: "An electrode is implanted in the inner ear where the child is able to hear sounds for the first time and that the sounds Nafiya hears are new through the cochlear implant and gradually with the help of special software sounds are adjusted to near normal level. This would eventually help her hear all the sounds and cope up with the communication demands. Cochlear implants are designed for patients who cannot hear even with a hearing aid".

A cochlear implant costs about 150,000 dirham (USD 40,839).

"Some children will cry, while others will laugh," Munzer was quoted as saying by the Khaleej Times.

The operation can also be performed on adults and it is much easier for these patients to adjust as their speech has already developed.

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The ninth edition of India Art Fair that is all set to begin today, will seek to promote both regional and global art, with an impressive line-up of Indian and international exhibitors.

A tightly curated art affair, the India Art fair is touted as one of South Asia's biggest events for modern and contemporary art, which will see an increased visibility for regional art spaces and collectives.

"India Art Fair continues to play an increasingly significant role presenting the best of the region to a global audience, and creating a leading platform for both national and international artists, galleries and cultural institutions," Neha Kirpal, Founding Director of India Art Fair, said.

With an aim to focus on showcasing the most critical contemporary art in South Asia, the fair is focusing on galleries like Britto Arts Trust (Dhaka), Nepal Art Council (Kathmandu), Theertha International Artists Collective (Colombo) and Blueprint 12 (New Delhi).

The fair, which will be held at NSIC grounds in Okhla here, will present 16 specially-curated art projects by stalwarts from the art industry.

Pakistani-American contemporary artist Anila Quayyum Agha will be presenting her first major piece "All The Flowers Are For Me"- a sculptural installation which captures the identity, beauty, and femininity of her mother.

"Phantom Pain", by Delhi-based artist Mithu Sen, straddles defined categories of art-making as well as the distance between the artist and the audience.

One of the most innovative artists working with a radical contemporary sensibility, Sudarshan Shetty will display his sculptural installation- "Taj Mahal".

Constructed with more than 250 miniature metallic reproductions of the monument, his work explores material and medium in order to examine history, memory, and desire.

Mahatam Gandhi's nephew, Kanu Gandhi is presenting a unique collection of photographs which have been edited from a long forgotten archive and provide an extraordinarily rare and intimate account of the Mahatma's life.

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Actor Adam Driver, who played the latest bad guy on the scene in "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens", said he almost turned down the role.

The actor, who played Kylo Ren, received a call from JJ Abrams while he was on set filming for Lena Dunham's hit TV series "Girls".

But while "Star Wars" director Abrams wanted to talk to him about a role in the new film, Driver said it look some time for him to fully come round to the idea, reported Digital Spy.

"I remember being overwhelmed by the size of it. I was nervous and had to think about it for a couple of months," Driver said.

The actor is currently staring in the Martin Scorsese film "Silence" alongside Andrew Garfield. The two play Jesuit priests who face persecution and so travel to Japan to meet their mentor (Liam Neeson).

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There is a need to adopt business as "unusual" to sustain and improve farm sector because farmers' condition is deplorable even though farming has improved, new NAAS President Panjab Singh today said.

"While farming has improved, the condition of our farmers who feed us all continues to be deplorable and needs our utmost attention," said Singh after taking charge as President of think-tank National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) for a period of three year.

Singh, who was earlier Chancellor of Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, said that he has identified some of the priority areas to boost farm sector growth.

NAAS would look at ways to achieve simultaenous improvement in basic natural resources and also farm production. "As of now, one is growing at the cost of other. Policy and technological dimensions are to be set in place to achieve this," he said in a statement.

On wastage of agri-produce, he said, "As of now we are producing more to lose more. At present, about 90 per cent of the farm produce is sold (in distress sale) soon after harvest, letting farmers loose much of their share of income."



There is a need to have innovative technologies and define investment priorities to balance the two, he said.

The other focus areas, Singh said would include increasing production of pulses and oilseeds, better implementation and monitoring of some government programmes like crop insurance and procurement at MSP among others.

Human resource development at every level, both by number and by training, is a major concern and this need to be addressed, he added.

NAAS, a think tank of intellectuals to address emerging challenges and provide inputs to stakeholders in promoting sustainable agriculture and excellence in agriculture science, was founded way back in 1990.

It is headquartered at PUSA campus in the national capital and has fifteen regional chapters across country.

Singh is an agronomist by training and possesses more than four decades of experience in agriculture research, education and planning and management across institutions and organisations.

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An air raid has struck several cars in northwestern Syria, killing at least eight people, including al-Qaida-linked fighters and a senior commander with a Chinese Islamic militant faction, an activist group and a local jihadi commander said today.

The attack occurred yesterday on a road leading from the town of Sarmada to the Bab al-Hawa area on the border with Turkey, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and a local commander with the Fatah al-Sham Front, an al-Qaida-linked group.

The militant spoke via text messages on condition of anonymity because of security concerns.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack, but the Observatory's chief Rami Abdurrahman said it is widely believed to have been carried out by the US-led coalition.

The US has killed some of al-Qaida's most senior commanders in Syria over the past two years in airstrikes.

Those targeted included members of the so-called Khorasan group, which Washington describes as an internal branch of al-Qaida that plans attacks against Western interests.

The Observatory said eight people were killed in the airstrike, including three jihadi commanders. The dead include a senior al-Qaida commander known as Khattab al-Qahtani, who was from the Gulf region and fought for the group in Afghanistan.

Abu Omar al-Turkistani, a top commander with the Turkistan Islamic Party, and a Syrian al-Qaida commander known as Abu Muatasem al-Deiri, were also killed.

The Turkistan Islamic Party mainly consists of minority Uighurs from China, many of whom have traveled to Syria to help battle President Bashar Assad's forces alongside other jihadi groups.

The Fatah al-Sham commander confirmed that several people were killed, including al-Qahtani and al-Turkistani. He said the attack was most likely carried out by drones.

A video posted online by the Syrian Civil Defense search-and-rescue group, also known as the White Helmets, showed rescue workers spraying a car with fire extinguishers as a body was removed and placed in a black bag.

The video appeared genuine and corresponded to other Associated Press reporting.

Earlier today, Syria's state agency said al-Qaida militants knocked out electricity towers near the capital, causing power cuts in a southern province. SANA said Fatah al-Sham fighters bombed three towers southwest of Damascus, causing electricity cuts in the Quneitra region.

The report came as a cease-fire brokered by Russia and Turkey held for the fourth day amid sporadic violations. Fighting has raged in the water-rich Barada Valley northwest of Damascus over the past two weeks.

The Fatah al-Sham Front, previously known as the Nusra Front, and the Islamic State group are not included in the truce.

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Hinduja Group flagship company Ashok Leyland today reported a 12 per cent decline in total sales at 10,731 units in December 2016.

The company had sold 12,154 units in December 2015.

Sales of heavy and medium commercial vehicles also fell by 9 per cent to 8,782 units last month as against 9,703 units in the year-ago period, the company said in a statement.

Light commercial vehicle sales saw a fall of 20 per cent at 1,949 units as compared to 2,451 units in December 2015, it added.

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Taking strong exception to Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara's remarks that youngsters' "western ways" were reason behind the incident of mass molestation in Bengaluru on the New Year Eve, NCW chief Lalitha Kumaramangalam today sought his resignation and apology to the women of the country.

The National Commission for Women chairperson also demanded the Minister should apologise to the women of the country for making such remarks.

"Such remarks from the Home Minister is unacceptable and regrettable. I want to ask this Minister are Indian men so pathetic and weak that when they see a woman in Western clothes on a day of revelry, they get out of control?



"When will the Indian men learn to respect women? The Minister should apologise to the women of the country and resign," Kumaramangalam said.

Reacting to Police's claims that there are no official complaints of molestation, the NCW chief said pictorial information is enough for them to take action.

"There is enough proof in terms of pictorial information. They can take action regardless of whether an FIR was lodged.

"If there were 1,500 policemen and still they could not prevent such incidents, well then it's a very sorry state of affairs and police do not deserve to be the police if they can't protect women," she said.

Kumaramangalam further informed the Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of the incident and has written to the DGP, City police Commissioner and Home Minister seeking a reply on what action has been taken immediately.

"We have decided that if the reply is unsatisfactory, we will send a team to do enquiry to find out why the police has not suo motu taken cognisance of what has happened," she said.

Defending the state police over the matter, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameswara today said that such incidents "happen" at "such events".

"Unfortunately, what is happening is that on days like New Years, Brigade Road, Commercial Street, or MG road, a large number of youngsters gather. And youngsters were almost like westerners. They tried to copy the westerners, not only in their mindset but even in their dressing. So some disturbance, some girls are harassed, these kind of things do happen," he added.

He also added one cannot "force people to dress like Kannadigas.

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A suicide car bomb attack in a densely-populated neighbourhood of Baghdad today killed at least 32 people and left dozens wounded, police and hospital officials said.

Many of the victims were daily labourers waiting for jobs at an intersection in Sadr City, a sprawling majority Shiite neighbourhood in the northeast of the capital that has been repeatedly targeted.

Pictures posted on social media shortly after the explosion showed a huge plume of black smoke billowing into the sky and seriously injured people being evacuated.

According to a police colonel, at least 32 people were killed and 61 wounded in the blast, the second major attack in Baghdad in three days.

At least 27 people were killed by twin explosions in a busy market area in central Baghdad on Saturday, in what was the deadliest such attack in the Iraqi capital in two months.

There was no immediate claim for today's suicide blast but the Islamic State jihadist group has claimed all such attacks recently, including the double bombing on New Year's Eve.

The caliphate IS proclaimed in 2014 is shrinking steadily and jihadist fighters are defending Mosul, their last major urban stronghold in Iraq.

Observers have voiced fears that the group, once it definitively loses its status as a land-holding force, could increasingly revert to targeting civilians in Iraq's cities.

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Bajaj Hindusthan Sugar will seek shareholders' approval for proposed sale of its co-generation power business to group firm Lalitpur Power Generation Company Ltd (LPGCL) for about Rs 1,800 crore.

In a filing to the BSE, the company said that its board, at its meeting held today, considered seeking necessary approval of shareholders by way of postal ballot "for sale of co-generation business comprising of power generation facility aggregating to 449 MW".

The approval would also be sought for "entering into contracts/arrangements in respect of the aforesaid transaction with related party for sale of co-generation power business and also transactions of purchase of power and steam, sale of bagasse, bio-gas and water, right to use agreement for use of common facilities", it added.

Last month, Bajaj Hindusthan Sugar had announced plans to sell its co-generation power business to LPGCL for about Rs 1,800 crore.

Bajaj Hindusthan has 14 sugar mills with cane crushing capacity of 1.36 lakh tonnes per day and alcohol distillation capacity of 800 kilo litres per day.

It posted standalone net loss of Rs 137.71 crore for the second quarter of the current fiscal on high finance cost compared to Rs 282.72 crore loss in the July-September period of last fiscal.

Besides sugar, Shishir Bajaj-led Bajaj Group has interests in power, ethanol, real estate, personal care products and infrastructure.

The group's power venture includes Bajaj Energy Pvt Ltd, with 450 MW thermal power generation commissioned in 2012 and Lalitpur Power Generation Co Ltd with a total of 1,980 MW thermal power generation capacity.

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The BJP today termed as "inflammatory" AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi's demand for allocation of civic budget to Muslims in proportion to their population in Mumbai and moved the State Election Commission (SEC) against him.

The BJP city unit, which is part of the Shiv Sena-led alliance ruling the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), submitted a representation to the SEC seeking action against the Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad.

"What Owaisi said is inflammatory and illegal," Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar said after handing over the representation to State Election Commissioner JS Saharia.

"We condemn Owaisi for demanding grants based on a religious community's percentage of population," he said.

Action should be taken against Owaisi for such inflammatory remarks, the BJP leader added.

"Muslims account for around 21 per cent of the population in the BMC wards. If the BMC budget is of Rs 36,000 crore, Rs 7,700 crore should have been allotted for the development of Muslims which was not done," Owaisi had told a public rally at Nagpada here last evening.

The rally addressed by the 47-year-old controversial politician, whose Hyderabad-based party has two MLAs in Maharashtra, marked the start of AIMIM's campaign for the upcoming polls to the country's richest civic body.

In the past, Owaisi, known to make controversial remarks, had attracted the charge of delivering "hate speeches".

(REOPENS BOM 14)



Meanwhile, Owaisi rubbished the allegations levelled by Shelar saying, "I have not made any divisive remark."



Talking to reporters in Aurangabad, the AIMIM chief said he would be highlighting the "failures" of the BMC on various fronts as also those of the Shiv Sena and the BJP who are allies in the corporation as well as in the state government.

"The BMC budget for health is Rs 3,694 crore but the Muslim majority areas are deprived of various healthcare facilities," Owaisi alleged.
Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari today led the activists of the party's Scheduled Caste Morcha in offering prayers at Valmiki temple on Mandir Marg in central Delhi, where they prayed for the success of mobile payment app BHIM.

The activists also took out an "Aabhar" march from the temple to Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar's statue at Jhandewalan, expressing their gratitude for naming of the app after the father of the Indian Constitution.

Modi had, during the launch of Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) app on December 30, had drawn parallels between the app and Ambedkar's contribution to uplift the downtrodden.

The Morcha activists and party leaders - including Tiwari and New Delhi MP Meenakshi Lekhi - garlanded Ambedkar's statue riding a crane.

Tiwari said Ambedkar not only fought for the deprived and neglected, he also published a research paper on the monetary policy.

"Naming the multi-purpose mobile banking app as BHIM is very appropriate. The app operated with the help of thumb impression will prove to be the foundation for a new India," he said.

BHIM is a simplified payment platform designed to make Unified Payment Interface (UPI) and USSD payment modes simpler and usable across feature phones and smart phones.

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Nine civilians, including five members of one family, have been killed in rebel bombing and an air strike by the pro-government coalition in war-torn Yemen, military and rebel sources said today.

An air strike by the Saudi-led coalition hit yesterday a house in the province of Marib, east of the capital Sanaa, killing five members of the same family, a military officials told AFP.

It took place in the village of Wadi Habab, in Sarwah region, a major front in the war between the Shiite rebels and forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, insurgents' website sabanews.Net said.

Meanwhile, four civilians, including three children, were killed yesterday in rebel bombing that targeted residential areas in the southwestern city of Taez, a local official and medical sources said.

The Saudi-led alliance started air strikes in Yemen in March 2015 after the Huthi rebels closed in on Hadi in his refuge in the southern city of Aden, after they had overran the capital in September 2014.

The Yemen conflict has killed more than 7,000 people since the coalition intervened, according to the United Nations.

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Eleven civilians, including five members of one family, and 14 Huthi rebels have been killed in shelling and air strikes in Yemen in two days, military and rebel sources said today.

An air strike by the pro-government Saudi-led coalition killed five Shiite rebels today when it targeted a convoy of three vehicles in Marees, in the southern province of Daleh, a military official said.

One of the vehicles was transporting weapons, the official said, adding three other rebels were wounded in the strike.

Six other insurgents were killed in a similar raid on two vehicles in Al-Makhdara, in the central province of Marib, another military official said.

Shelling by government forces killed three more rebels in the same area of Marib, east of the rebel-held capital Sanaa.

The Arab coalition started an air campaign against the Iran-backed rebels in March 2015 after the insurgents closed in on President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in his refuge in the southern city of Aden.

Rebel media accused the coalition of conducting air strikes today across several regions in Yemen, killing two civilians in the western province of Hodeida.

A military official told AFP an air strike yesterday hit a house in Marib, killing five members of the same family.

It took place in the village of Wadi Habab, in the Sarwah region, a major front in the war between the rebels and forces loyal to Hadi, the insurgents' website sabanews.Net said.

Meanwhile, four civilians, including three children, were killed yesterday in rebel bombing that targeted residential areas in the southwestern city of Taez, a local official and medical sources said.

The Yemen conflict has killed more than 7,000 people since the coalition intervened, according to the United Nations.

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Actor Bruce Willis and ex-wife Demi Moore have donated the Liberty Theatre in downtown Hailey, Idaho, to a local theater troupe.

The gift from the stars gives the Company of Fools a permanent space where the theatrical company has performed since 1996, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The duo 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.

Moore and Willis are longtime supporters of the Wood River Valley.

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City police on Monday lodged a complaint against unidentified persons who had deposited Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) having a face-value of Rs 68.47 lakhs in various banks in the city in last three months.

The FIR has been registered by the Special Operations Group of the city police after it received the quarterly report from 16 different banks and also from the Reserve Bank on details of fake notes having face value of more than Rs 68.47 lakhs being deposited in the months of October, November and December, said ACP, city SOG, B C Solanki.

According to him, most of these fake notes were in the denomination of Rs 500 and Rs 1000.

" 99 per cent of these notes are of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 denomination which have been banned. People also deposited fake notes of Rs 10, Rs 20, Rs 50 and Rs 100 during last three months in 16 banks, including RBI, nationalised banks and private sector banks," said Solanki.

Being the nodal agency to probe cases related to FICN, city SOG gets quarterly reports from all the banks for further action on the deposit of such notes.

"According to the report, these notes were deposited by unidentified persons at these banks before as well as after the Centre's move to scrap high-value currency. Three private sector banks received a maximum number of such notes during that period," said Solanki.

Though it is very difficult to identify the culprits by scanning all the CCTV footages of each bank, Solanki claimed that serial number on these notes can provide a crucial lead.

"We are having a record of all those persons who were caught with FICN in the recent past. We can crosscheck if some of them had also deposited fake notes having a same serial number in these banks before getting caught with remaining notes by the SOG in the past," said Solanki.

In the previous three-quarters, SOG was informed by the banks that fake notes worth Rs 1.41 crore were deposited between January and September, for which, FIRs were registered by the agency earlier, said Solanki.
An independent legislator in Meghalaya was today booked by police for his alleged role in sexually exploiting a 14-year-old girl, a police official said.

"We have registered a case under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against Julius Dorphang for his involvement in sexually exploiting the minor," SP City Vivek Syiem told PTI.

Syiem said the case was registered at Laitumkhrah Police Station in the city and Dorphang was booked under section 366 (A) of the IPC read with section 3 (a)/4 of the POCSO Act and under section 5 of Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act (ITPA).

The matter first surfaced last month after a waiter at a guest house owned by Meghalaya Home Minister HDR Lyngdoh's son was arrested for trafficking the victim.

The minor victim, who was rescued near the guest house last month, later told the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights that she was taken to many guest houses and hotels.

The police were examining several angles on the role of all the accused in the sex racket case involving politicians.

Police were investigating Dorphang' role in the case after which they will move the court for an arrest warrant, Syiem said.

Dorphang, a legislator from Mawhati and also the founding chairman of the outlawed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) militant outfit, was not available for his comments.

Based on the victim's statement, four other women in the city were picked up and subsequently arrested last month for allegedly acting as a pimp for the girl.

Meanwhile, SCPCR chairperson Meena Kharkongor has directed the public prosecutor I C Jha to oppose any bail application of the arrested persons involved in the case.

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A case of fraud has been registered against a website for allegedly offering helicopter tickets to and fro Mata Vaishno Devi shrine without authorisation, police said today.

Chief executive officer (CEO) of Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine Board (SMVSB) A K Sahu has lodged a complaint with the police against unauthorised sale of heli-tickets for the pilgrimage by certain travel agents operating from Katra base camp and elsewhere.

"Taking a serious view of the false commitments and unlawful bookings which are being offered by travel portal www.Flightraja.Com, the CEO has lodged a complaint with the Police Station, Katra, against the said portal and its agents," the SMVSB officer said.

The Police Station, Katra, has registered an FIR for cheating against the said portal, he said, adding they were contemplating slapping the provisions of IT Act in the case.

He emphasised that the sale of helicopter tickets for pilgrims travelling from Katra to Sanjichhat and back is the sole prerogative of the CEO and his designated authorities and that he has not authorised any agent, agency or person to use the Shrine Board's name to sell or undertake online booking for any services which are being provided by the Shrine Board.

Sahu said any misrepresentation of the Shrine Board by any person or agency whatsoever shall invite civil and criminal legal action.

He asked all the pilgrims to use only the official website of the board for booking Yatra facilities such as helicopter tickets and not to get misled by fraudulent advertisements, which may be issued by unauthorised websites which offer booking of helicopter tickets, sale of prasad etc.

Www.Maavaishnodevi.Org is the only official website of the Shrine Board and any other website which claims to have been authorised by the board is fraudulent and unlawful, he said.

He said the shrine board office has been receiving complaints regarding unauthorised sale of helicopter tickets for Shri Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrimage by certain travel agents operating from Katra and elsewhere.

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The Madras High Court was today informed by the state government that a decision has been taken to recall the order appointing Kalyani Mathivanan as chairperson of Tamil Nadu Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

The decision was conveyed to the court by Advocate General R Muthukumarasamy.

The Advocate General submitted that government would issue a proper advertisement inviting applications for the post.

He told the court that a government order recalling the appointment would be issued within seven days.

Recording the submission, the First Bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M Sundar, said "We take the aforesaid statement on record. We appreciate the stand taken by the state government."



A Narayanan, director of NGO Change India, had challenged the appointment, contending that the mandatory pre-appointment rules had not been followed in her case.

The Madras High Court had earlier observed that the "process has not been followed" in making the appointment and warned the state government of judicial intervention on the issue.

The bench also recorded the submission of petitioner Narayanan that while going through the fresh process the government may keep in mind a notification issued by the Central government prescribing the process to be followed. The notification followed certain directions passed by the Supreme Court on February 25, 2014.

The petitioner also brought to the notice of the bench that the rules have not been framed under the new Protection of Child Rights Act.

The bench said as a result Child Welfare Committees and Juvenile Justice Boards are not functioning at district level. "As pointed out by the petitioner, this needs some urgent attention."



The bench, which recorded the assurance of the Advocate General that urgent steps would be taken in this regard, posted the matter for compliance to March 10.

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China has launched its first freight train to London over 12,000 kms away as part of efforts by the world's second largest to expand rail links to different areas across the globe to improve its dwindling exports and stabilise slowdown.

The train departed from China's commodity hub Yiwu in Zhejiang Province yesterday.

It will travel for about 18 days and more than 12,000 kilometres before reaching its destination in Britain, the China Railway Corporation (CRC) said.

Yiwu is known for producing small commodities, and the train mainly carried such goods, including household items, garments, cloth, bags and suitcases.

It will pass through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, Belgium and France before arriving in London, state- run Xinhua news agency reported.

London is the 15th city in Europe added to China-Europe freight train services.

The service will improve China-Britain trade ties, strengthen connectivity with western Europe, while better serving China's Belt and Road Initiative, an infrastructure and trade network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along ancient trade routes, the CRC said.

China's exports totalled to USD 2.27 trillion in 2015 slowing down from USD 2.34 trillion in 2014. Its grew at 6.9 per cent in 2015, slipping below seven per cent in a quarter of century.

As part of its efforts to stabilise its exports and economy, China has embarked on multi-billion dollar global connectivity project called the 'One Belt One Road' (Silk Road).
Chinese artist Dai Xiang has given an ancient Chinese painting a contemporary transformation through photographs at the ongoing mega art event Kochi Muziris Biennale here.

Through his work 'The new along the river during the Qingming festival 2014' for KMB 2016, he is piquing the interest of art lovers with its detailing and magnification of history through the lens of current times.

The 25m panoramic photo installation comprising more than 1,000 photographs strikes a chord with 12th century Chinese painting 'River side scene at Kim Ming Festival' by Zhang Zeduan.

The characters and situations from the original painting of Zeduan have been completely altered by Dai Xiang in his work. Compiling 1TB data and processing almost 10,000 layers of photos, Dai Xiang's worktook nearly three years to complete, a KMB release said here today.

Xiang has portrayed himself as a character in 90 photos out of the 1,000 characters featuring in his art work.

Breaking national boundaries, Xiang's photos sketch the current realities in China through a dramatic approach and points a finger at issues bothering the nation. A 21st century interpretation of a painting from Song dynasity, Xiang's work was a topic of discussion in the Chinese social media.

The digital panorama on display at Aspinwall House will give an impression of Zeduan's painting at first, but a careful look would make the crisis and issues of modern China clearer.

Xiang's panorama included real incidents also. The death of three university students while trying to rescue children drowning in a river in 2009 is an intriguing image. The high prices demanded by fishermen to find the bodies of the students sparked huge protests in China. The scene where the son of a police officer escapes from the tragic scene using his father's name is also included in the panorama.

Xiang's panorama got worldwide attention for reflecting the transformation of modern China into a corporatised society.

"The representation of China, a nation which always had a conventional view, undergoing a conflict between westernisation and transformation after liberalisation is being revealed in my panorama," said Dai Xiang.

"I've tried to incorporate vivid perspectives to portrait an in-depth narrative," the artist is quoted as saying in the release.

The 'I' factor is also included as the artist himself appears as an outsider and also as a part of the project throughout the panorama.

"The stories, similarities and paradoxes experienced during the journey towards modern China are included in the photos," says Dai Xiang.

Born in China's Tianjin province, Dai Xiang's works are based on his hometown and Beijing.

It was in his college days that he had a chance to learn about the traditional Chinese paintings of Zang Zeduan, which has paved way to his KMB 2016 work.

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Korean qualifier Hyeon Chung produced the first upset of the ATP Chennai Open by ousting last year's finalist Borna Coric with a straight-set win in the opening round of the USD 505730 hard court event here today.

Coric, the world number 48, struggled with his first serve and forehand today while Chung was unrelenting in his 6-3 7-5 win over the Croat.

Coric, who struggled with his knee last season, said it was not an issue in today's defeat.

"It was not due to my knee. My serve was off today and I did not play well. I am not surprised with the way he (Chung) played. I knew he was a good player," Coric said after a disappointing start to the new season.

Coric struggled in the entire two hours and one minute contest as he was broken in the very first game of the match. He held on to his second service game but a double fault saw him yield the advantage back to Chung in the fifth game. Down 3-5, he double faulted again to be locked in a battle of deuces.

An unforced error by him gave the opening set to Chung. The second set went with serve till 4-4. Coric surged into the lead, breaking Chung in the ninth game. But Chung broke him in his next two games to wrap up the match.

Chung will next challenge Israel's Dudi Sela, who convincingly defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina's Damir Dzhumhur 6-2 6-2.

Another qualifier to make the second round was Slovakia's Jozef Kovalik, who sent packing Portugal's Elias Gastao as he rallied to eke out a 6-7(5) 6-4 6-2 win in two hours and 20 minutes.

He next books a match with top seed and tournament favourite Marin Cilic, who had got a bye in his opening round.

Russia's Daniil Medvedev also made it to the next round with a 6-3 6-3 win over Brazilian Thiago Monteiro. Medvedev had rushed to a 4-1 lead in the opening set but allowed Monteiro to trouble him by not containing his unforced errors.

Meanwhile, Belgium's Steve Darcis subdued Croatian qualifier Nikola Mektic 6-2 6-3 to set up a second round contest with third seed and world number 27 Albert Ramos-Vinolas from Spain.

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Congress activists today staged a protest against Rajasthan government whom they charged with having stopped the pension in the Jan Dhan accounts of the elderly, widows and handicapped in the wake of demonetisation.

The state government, through its order on December 26, has directed all district collectors to not deposit pension in Jan-Dhan accounts who have Rs 50,000 in their accounts, party state unit spokesperson Pratap Singh Khachariyawas said while addressing a gathering outside Social Justice and Empowerment department here.

Economically backward and middle-class families have deposited their hard earned money in Jan-Dhan account following demonetisation and the Union government has decided to cap Rs 50,000 in deposits in such accounts.

Claiming that the pensions in such accounts have not been deposited, he said, "Stopping pension payment on this basis is illegal."



If the funds cannot be deposited in Jan-Dhan account then state government should pay through money order, Khachariyawas said in a statement.

Threatening gherao of the Chief Minister's house, he said the officials of social justice and empowerment department should ensure pension payment to all eligible citizens within seven days.

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With her maiden Hollywood film "xXx: The Return of Xander Cage" up for release, Deepika Padukone feels both excited and nervous while being proud that she is representing the country abroad.

The actress will be seen in the third instalment of the 'xXx' franchise, scheduled to release on January 14.

When asked her feelings before she left Mumbai last night, Deepika told reporters, "I am very excited. This is my Hollywood debut. I am very, very nervous, but also excited. Today is the beginning of that journey. Hopefully we will be coming to India soon."



The "Piku" star said she is happy that the film will first release in India as the movie is something that the audience here will enjoy.

"I feel very proud that I get to represent my country especially in this kind of an action franchise film.

"I am sure this film will be enjoyed a lot because of the content. There is lot of action, adventure, which we have not seen in Indian films before. So, I am excited to show the film here."



The movie will see Vin Diesel return as Xander Cage while Deepika will play the role of a huntress Serena Unger.

Deepika, 30, says she is glad the makers of "xXx" agreed to release the film here first, making India a big plan of the project.

"In terms of promotions, we will first go to Mexico. But as far as the release is concerned, we will release first in India.

"While I was shooting I suggested the team that it would be great (to release it first in India) and I am happy it happened finally. It is a huge international franchise and I am happy India is such a big part of the plan."



The film, directed by D J Caruso, also stars Donnie Yen, Samuel L Jackson, Tony Jaa, Nina Dobrev, Ruby Rose, Rory McCann, Kris Wu, and Ariadna Gutierrez.

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Congress today said it will stage protests across Delhi on Saturday as part of a pan-India stir against demonetisation and will seek answers from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the amount of black money unearthed.

Delhi Congress chief spokesperson Sharmistha Mukherjee said people were waiting for Prime Minister to give details of the black money unearthed due to the massive exercise during his address to the nation on New Year Eve, but he "kept mum".

She claimed 115 people died during the 50 days Modi had sought to stabilise the situation his sudden announcement on November 8 to demonetise high-value bank notes had triggered.

People expected Modi to announce compensation to affected families, but he "did not mention" them in his address, said Mukherjee.

She also repeated Rahul Gandhi's charges that Modi as Gujarat Chief Minister had taken money from Sahara and Birla groups.

"Modi has not yet replied to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's poser about receiving Rs 65 crore from Aditya Birla Group and Sahara Group in a blatant case of corruption," she said.

During the protests in all the 14 districts in Delhi, party leaders and workers will seek answers on the questions and demand disclosure of the amount of black money unearthed, 20 per cent bonus on minimum support price to farmers, disclosure of names of people who deposited Rs 25 lakh or more prior to demonetisation.

She said it was "very strange" that during demonetisation BJP leaders were caught with large amount of old and new currency notes, and chanrged that they had "prior information" of the government's move.

"BJP leaders had knowledge about demonetisation beforehand and that's why crores of rupees were invested in land and property by RSS and BJP leaders in Bengal, Orissa and Bihar," she alleged.

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A Delhi Police head constable posted at the Supreme Court allegedly committed suicide today by shooting himself in the court premises leaving behind a two-page suicide note in which he hinted at tensions on the family front.

The deceased, identified as head constable Chandpal (45), shot himself with his service revolver around 8.15 AM, said a senior police officer.

In a two-page suicide note in Hindi that was found from his pocket, he mentioned that he was under tremendous pressure owing to family problems involving his brothers and wife Babli.

He allegedly wrote in the suicide note that his wife didn't support him in the family feud between him and his brothers, said the officer.

Chandpal also mentioned that he was saddened about not being given an equal share in the property as his brother by his father, he said.

He had a message for his kids and wrote that they should take care of themselves. "My brother Manoj has taken away things from me and my family has not done the correct thing with me," the note stated.

He also mentioned about a plot of land he had bought and alleged that it had been acquired by someone else.

His duty hours were from 7 AM to 1 PM. He had been posted at the Supreme Court since April 2014 and had joined Delhi Police in 1993.

He reported for duty at his usual time and then went to the guard sentry where he allegedly shot himself in the chest, the police officer said.

Police will be questioning Chandpal's family members and colleagues to ascertain the reasons for him taking the extreme step.

He hailed from Baghpat district in Uttar Pradesh and was living at the police colony in RK Puram. Pal had moved there with his family two days before Diwali.

The post-mortem was conducted at Lady Hardinge Hospital and the body was handed over to the family members for the final rites which will take place at Baghpat. Inquest proceedings are underway.

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The CPI today welcomed Supreme Court holding that appeal for vote on ground of religion amounts to "corrupt practice", but said the issue of caste and language needs to be addressed "carefully".

The party also wondered if the order can be taken as negation of the apex court's earlier verdict that Hinduism is a "way of life".

Today's SC verdict also held that appeal for voting on the grounds of 'race, caste, community or language' too amounts to "corrupt practice".

"As far as religion is concerned, it (the fresh verdict) is positive. Religion and politics should remain separate. But the question is whether the judgment can be taken as negation of the earlier judgment on Hindutva being way of life.

"It should be taken as negation of the earlier judgment and nobody should use religion to polarise people for electoral gains," CPI national secretary D Raja said.

He said the issue of language and caste though needs to be addressed "carefully" because there are tribals, the Dalits and certain sections of society which are "socially discriminated, subjected to atrocities".

"In some cases, we raise the question of inclusion of languages in eighth schedule. So, Supreme Court (should) be clear when they refer to caste and language. That's why it should be demarcated," he observed.

To drive his point, the Parliamentarian argued that somebody raising the question of reservation to SCs/STs in private sector, can't be taken as using caste for demanding votes.

"It is a general demand within the framework of Constitution. If somebody raises the protection of languages, all languages must be treated equally. It cannot be treated as some kind of practice which is against the model code of conduct. So, there should be some clarity (in the verdict)," he said.

In a majority verdict, the Supreme Court today held that appeal for votes on the ground of "religion, race, caste, community or language" amounts to "corrupt practice" under the election law provisions.

Referring to the term 'his religion' used in section 123(3) of the Representation of The Peoples (RP) Act, which deals with 'corrupt practice', Chief Justice T S Thakur and three others in a 4:3 verdict said it meant the religion and caste of all including voters, candidates and their agents etc.

In its verdict passed in a case involving election of a Shiv Sena leader in mid-90s, the Supreme Court had in 1995 stated that Hindutva is a "way of life and not religion".

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Reflecting challenges faced by automobile industry in the wake of demonetisation, auto majors Hyundai Motor India, Mahindra & Mahindra and Ford India today reported decline in their domestic sales in December.

Other firms such as Tata Motors, Renault, Nissan and Volkswagen, however, reported increase in their Indian sales in December.

Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) said its domestic sales in December were at 40,057 units as against 41,861 units in the same month previous years, down 4.3 per cent.

HMIL Senior Vice-President, Sales and Marketing, Rakesh Srivastava had stated that demonetisation impacted consumer sentiment creating a challenge and 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.

Retail sales had, however, picked up in December by 5 per cent as compared with the same month previous year, he said while adding it might take a quarter to normalise.

Mahindra & Mahindra's sales in the domestic market were down 1.5 per cent to 34,310 units last month as compared to 34,839 in the year-ago period.

"The auto industry continues to go through challenging times, grappling with the short-term effects of demonetisation as well as reduced and postponed purchase decisions. However, we believe there will be a gradual pick-up in demand starting next few months," M&M Chief Executive (auto division) Pravin Shah said in a statement.

Likewise, Ford India also saw its domestic sales dip by 6.04 per cent to 5,566 units last month as against 5,924 units in the same month a year ago.

"As we move in 2017, the industry does face some short-term headwinds given the uncertainty regarding the impact of demonetisation and GST, while the medium to long term outlook continues to be positive," Ford India Executive Director (Marketing, Sales & Service) Anurag Mehrotra said.

Hinduja Group flagship company Ashok Leyland reported a 12 per cent decline in total sales at 10,731 units in December 2016. The company had sold 12,154 units in December 2015.

Yesterday, the country's largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India had posted December domestic sales at 1,06,414 units, down 4.4 per cent from 1,11,333 units in December 2015.

Some companies, however, managed to increase their sales in December.

Tata Motors reported 35 per cent increase in its domestic passenger vehicles sales at 10,827 units last month as compared to 8,069 units sold in December 2015, Tata Motors said.

"We continued our growth momentum in December on the back of robust sales, led by positive response for the Tata Tiago. This has resulted in planned stock reduction in the network," Tata Motors President, Passenger Vehicle Business, Mayank Pareek said.

However, Tata Motors' combined sales of commercial and



passenger vehicles increased by just 1 per cent to 35,825 units in December over 35,416 units a year ago.

German auto major Volkswagen reported a 68.72 per cent increase in sales in India at 4,348 units last month as compared with 2,577 units in December 2015.

Similarly, Renault India reported a 9.2 per cent increase in domestic sales at 11,244 units in December as compared with 10,292 units sold in the same month a year ago.

Nissan Motor India also reported a 21 per cent increase in domestic sales in December 2016 at 3,711 units as against 3,065 units sold the same month a year ago.

Commenting on the sales performance, Nissan Motor India Managing Director Arun Malhotra said: "Nissan India achieved healthy sales in December by posting 21 per cent year-on-year growth despite the challenges of the demonetisation issue. This strong performance came on the back of continued success of Datsun redi-GO and the great customer response to the redi-GO SPORT."



In the two wheeler segment, Bajaj Auto reported 22 per cent decline in total sales in December at 2,25,529 units as against 2,89,003 units during the same month a year ago.

The company's sales of motorcycles in the domestic market dipped by 11 per cent at 1,06,665 units as against 1,20,322 units in the year-ago month.

India Yamaha Motor reported a 28 per cent increase in domestic sales to 49,775 units in December.

Royal Enfield had reported 41 per cent increase in its domestic sales at 56,316 units in December as against 40,037 units in the same month previous year.
is reportedly set to receive USD 50 million after Carrie Fisher's death as they had taken out an insurance in case the actress was unable to fulfil her three-film "Star Wars" contract.

The legendary "Star Wars" actress passed away on Tuesday.

According to sources at The Insurance Insider, Lloyds of London will pay out for the "contract protection cover", with the insurance underwritten by US-based Exceptional Risk Advisors, who say there are "experts in insuring complex human capital risks for highly successful individuals", reported Independent Online.

Before her tragic death earlier this week, Fisher had finished filming for "Star Wars: Episode VIII" - which is slated for release in December 2017 - but was expected to play a big part in "Star Wars: Episode IX", which was due to be released in 2019.

It is thought the plot will have to be seriously changed in the wake of Fisher's tragic passing.

The actress died earlier this week after suffering a heart attack on a plane from London to Los Angeles.

Tragically, just one day after Fisher passed away at the ahe of 60, her mother Debbie Reynolds died after suffering a suspected stroke.
A 42-year-old doctor attached to a hospital here, who was found guilty of molesting an ICU patient has been convicted and jailed by a court here.

In a recent order, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate R J Pawar convicted doctor Jayant S Jadhav, a resident of Mulund under section 354 of the IPC and sentenced him to one year rigorous imprisonment. The convict was also slapped with a fine of Rs 3,000.

The accused will also undergo additional three months rigorous imprisonment, which will run concurrently, the court ordered.

Prosecutor Jaishree Korde appearing for the prosecution told the court that the victim is a housewife suffering from acute asthama and as her condition deteriorated on May 18, 2013 she was admitted for treatment to the ICU of the hospital where the accused was on duty.

In the ICU there were other patients too whose beds were separated by curtains.

It was around 3 AM that under the pretext of checking the pulse rate and blood pressure the accused came to the bed of the victim and molested her. When the victim resisted he kissed her hand and left, the court was told.

However, the accused came to the bed once again after one hour and repeated the act, the prosecutor said.

The victim complained to her husband and children and also urged the hospital management to take action. However, when nothing was done, the woman on getting discharged from the hospital on May 21 lodged a FIR with Naupada police who arrested the accused, the court was told.

"In the present case the accused is facing trial for the offence Punishable under section 354 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. Therefore, considering the nature of the offence, I find that the benefits of the Section 3 and 4 of the Probation of Offenders Act 1958 cannot be given to the accused and he deserves punishment for the act he did. The act which the accused had done has to be dealt with stringently, the court held and awarded him jail.

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Latest wave of economic reforms including overhaul of indirect taxes through proposed GST will be projected significantly by the government at the three-day Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) beginning Saturday at Bengaluru to woo overseas Indian investors and make them part of India's growth story.

The convention, being held biennially for the first time instead of earlier annual versions, will aim at redefining India's engagement with its 3.12 crore strong diaspora in diverse spheres including innovation, start-ups, tourism and education.

On January 7, a youth PBD will be held with a focus on encouraging diaspora youths to reconnect with their Indian roots and the event will formally be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 8, Secretary (Overseas Indian Affairs) Dnyaneshwar M Mulay told a press conference.

Mulay said government will project various reforms initiatives as well as schemes aimed at spurring economic growth at the convention and a separate exhibition on them will also highlight the measures.

Asked whether delegates from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir will attend the conclave, he said PBD is an open event and people from Indian territory including PIO and NRIs can seek online registration. Pressed further on whether people from PoK have applied for registration, he said there was no such information.

To queries on alleged incidents of molestation in Bengaluru during New Year celebrations, days ahead of the prestigious convention, Industries Commissioner of Karnataka Government Gaurav Gupta said a probe was on and insisted the city is one of the safest in India.

The valedictory session on January 9 will be addressed by President Pranab Mukherjee who will also confer Pravasi Bharatiya Samman to eminent overseas Indians.

Prime Minister of Portugal Antonio Costa will be the Chief Guest at the 14th PBD which will be attended by over 4,000 delegates from across the globe. 36-year-old Vice -President of Suriname Michael Ashwin Satyandre Adhin will be the Special Guest at the Youth PBD.

A number of senior Union Ministers and Chief Ministers of at least eight states have confirmed their participation at the convention.

The PBD was launched by Atal Bihari Vajpayee government



in 2003 to step up India's engagement with its diaspora and the congregation of NRIs and Persons of India origins had continued as an annual event till 2015. Last year, the government had decided to make it a biennial event.

January 9 is the main day of PBD as it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi, the "greatest Pravasi", returned to India from South Africa and led India's freedom struggle.

The organisers have developed a mobile app to help delegates navigate various events and programmes at the convention.

Mulay said decisions of previous PBDs were thoroughly deliberated upon in 10 sessions and major initiatives and outcomes will be presented before the plenary at the upcoming PBD and thereafter larger engagement with the diaspora will be held. The decisions will be forwarded to concerned departments and ministries.

Replying to a question, another MEA official said an earlier proposal to set up a PIO university in India has been dropped.

Asked whether government was looking at addressing grievances of Girmitiya people on issuance of PIO cards, Mulay said various recommendations in this regard has been under consideration.

The Girmitya people had petitioned the government saying only three or four generations were being issued PIO cards and the limit should be extended further. Girmityas are descendants of indentured Indian labourers who are settled in countries like Mauritius and Fiji.

The topics for discussions at plenary sessions include -- realising India's development vision, partnering with diaspora to accelerate tourism in the country and India as a global health and wellness hub.

The PBD will have provisions for business-to-business meetings and delegates will have opportunities to talk to senior officials of various departments as well as Ministers and Chief Ministers.

Though the list of dignitaries figures the name of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, she will not attend the conclave as she had recently undergone a kidney transplant at AIIMS.
A senior Egyptian judge hanged himself in custody today a day after his arrest in connection with an investigation into a corruption case, his lawyer said.

Wael Shalabi, secretary general of the council of state, an administrative court, was taken in for questioning yesterday, his lawyer Sayed el-Beheiry told AFP.

After questioning him, prosecutors ordered that he be detained for four days pending further investigation, he said.

Shalabi's arrest came days after the Administrative Control Authority responsible for tracking corruption in state institutions arrested the council of state's chief procurement officer, Gamal el-Labban.

The public prosecutor's office issued a gag order on publishing details of the case shortly after broke about Shalabi's death.

"He faced a lot of pressure" during interrogation yesterday when he "denied accusations that were directed at him", Beheiry said.

"He went to the bathroom, attached his scarf to the water-heater and hung himself.

"This is negligence on their part because he was subject to psychological pressure," the lawyer added.

An autopsy showed that Shalabi had committed suicide, and an investigation has begun, Beheiry said.

After Labban was arrested, Shalabi submitted his resignation to the council of state, and this was accepted on Saturday.

Prosecutors had also ordered Labban's detention for four days pending an investigation.

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.

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Over a third of new scientific reports are published in languages other than English which can lead to important science being missed at international level, contributing to biases in understanding, according to a Cambridge study that seeks translations of studies' basic summaries in multiple languages.

Besides the international community missing out on important science, language hinders new findings getting through to practitioners in the field, 'Languages are still a major barrier to global science' paper published in 'PLOS Biology' journal last week pointed out.

In the paper, the Cambridge University researchers called on scientific journals to publish basic summaries of a study's key findings in multiple languages, and universities and funding bodies to encourage translations as part of their "outreach" evaluation criteria.

Dr Tatsuya Amano from Cambridge's Department of Zoology said: "While we recognise the importance of a lingua franca, and the contribution of English to science, the scientific community should not assume that all important information is published in English.

"Language barriers continue to impede the global compilation and application of scientific knowledge."



The researchers point out an imbalance in knowledge transfer in countries where English is not the mother tongue, saying "much scientific knowledge that has originated there and elsewhere is available only in English and not in their local languages".

This is a particular problem in subjects where both local expertise and implementation is vital - such as environmental sciences.

As part of the study, those in charge of Spain's protected natural areas were surveyed. Over half of the respondents identified language as an obstacle to using the latest science for habitat management.

The Cambridge team also conducted a litmus test of language use in science.

They surveyed the web platform Google Scholar - one of the largest public repositories of scientific documents - in a total of 16 languages for studies relating to biodiversity conservation published during a single year, 2014.

Of the over 75,000 documents, including journal articles, books and theses, some 35.6 per cent were not in English. Of these, the majority was in Spanish (12.6 per cent) or Portuguese (10.3 per cent). Simplified Chinese made up 6 per cent, and 3 per cent were in French.

The researchers also found thousands of newly published conservation science documents in other languages, including several hundred each in Italian, German, Japanese, Korean and Swedish.

Lead author Amano and his colleagues said that when conducting systematic reviews or developing databases at a global scale, speakers of a wide range of languages should be included in the discussion.

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Former Uttar Pradesh minister and BJP leader Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary and four others were critically injured while they were going to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Lucknow today after their cars met with a road mishap.

Chaudhary along with district panchayat member Meghshyam Singh and others was going for the rally yesterday when the mishap took place on Agra-Lucknow expressway. The former minister and his gunner suffered critical injuries and were admitted to a private hospital in Kanpur, police said.

Singh's car was following Chaudhary's Innova when they collided head-on with a truck near Bilhaur.

The former minister's gunner, a BJP worker and a driver suffered fatal injuries in the accident.

All the injured were first given first aid and later taken to regency hospital in Kanpur where their condition is stated to be stable.

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A group of farmers today concluded 20-day 'Vedana Yatra' (grief tour) at the state capital Gandhinagar, covering 450 km across six districts of Gujarat on foot, and submitted their demands to the government.

Led by members of Gujarat Khedut Samaj (GKS) members Sagar Rabari, Pinakin Dhamalia and Rupesh, hundreds of farmers joined the Yatra it passed through Gir Somnath, Junagadh, Rajkot, Botad and Ahmedabad districts.

Participants talked with farmers on the way and noted their demands, said GKS secretary Sagar Rabari.

The Yatra had started from Veraval in Gir Somnath district.

"Police prevented us from marching to the Chief Minister's office, but we were allowed to hand over memorandum of our demands (to officials), with the promise that Chief Minister Vijay Rupani will give us appointment in the next 3-4 days," he said.

Farmers who joined the rally on the way said they had been badly hit by demonetisation, Rabari said. Fruit and vegetable farmers were forced to sell their perishable produce at a very low price (for want of demand), he added.

Demands in the memorandum included repeal of four 'anti-farmer' acts: Land Acquisition (Amendment) Act, 2015, SIR Act, Irrigation and Drainage Act and Urban Development and Town Planning Act.

The farmers also demanded complete waiver of farm loans, 100 per cent increase in minimum support prices, construction of cold storage for every five villages and a white paper on Kalpsar Project, among other things.

"We also want the government to come up with an agricultural policy and a Krishi Ayog, and provide electricity to farmers for 24 hours from the present eight hours," Rabari said.

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The battle in the Yadav clan on Monday shifted to Delhi with rival camps planning to approach Election Commission to claim control over the 'cycle' symbol even as Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav postponed the January 5 party convention called by him.

"Cycle symbol is ours," asserted Mulayam and asked party cadres to focus on winning the assembly elections likely to be announced any day now.

Mulayam, who postponed the convention scheduled in Lucknow on January 5, said, "No one can accuse me of wrongdoing. I have never indulged in corruption or betrayed anyone. Cycle symbol is ours."

The Mulayam camp is likely to meet senior EC officials between 4 PM and 5 PM in Delhi.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who on Sunday sought to take control over the SP, remained closeted with his confidants and is expected to meet party leaders and legislators at his residence in Lucknow.

Sources said Ram Gopal might represent Akhilesh when he takes up the symbol issue with the EC.

In a series of tweets, leader Shivpal Yadav, the warring uncle of Akhilesh, maintained that Mulayam is the national president even now.

Shivpal gave no reasons for the abrupt postponement of the party convention, but insiders said perhaps the Mulayam camp was apprehensive of a poor turnout compared to the massive gathering at the "convention" held by Ram Gopal Yadav on Sunday. The convention was declared illegal and unconstitutional by Mulayam.

The Samajwadi Party on Sunday split down the middle with the faction headed by Chief Minister Akhilesh removing Mulayam as party chief and appointing him in his place at a convention in which the group claimed support of the majority of legislators and district units.

The two sides had engaged in mutual recriminatory expulsions with the convention called by Ram Gopal removing Akhilesh's warring uncle Shivpal as state party chief, and showing the door to "outsider" Amar Singh, who has been blamed for the feud in the Yadav clan.

Mulayam had retorted by again expelling his cousin Ram Gopal for six years along with national vice president Kiranmoy Nanda, who chaired the convention, and general secretary Naresh Agarwal for taking part in it.

Amar and Shivpal on Monday morning reached Delhi to fine tune the strategy to ensure that the symbol remains with Mulayam ahead of assembly polls in the state.
The producer and director of an upcoming film 'Coffee With D' have filed a complaint alleging that ever since the promos of the movie came out, they have been getting threat calls from Chhota Shakeel's office asking them to either delete the portions that poke fun at Dawood Ibrahim or not release the film.

Writer-director Vishal Mishra and producer Vinod Ramani today visited the office of DCP(New Delhi) BK Singh and submitted a complaint.

In the complaint, they have alleged that they have been receiving threat calls from Chhota Shakeel's office asking them to delete scenes from the film that show Dawood Ibrahim in bad light.

The caller has also threatened them with dire consequences if they don't remove the comedy scenes.

Police said that the compliant is being looked into.

When asked about the reason for filing the complaint in Delhi, when they are based out of Mumbai, Mishra said, "The first call came to us while we were in Delhi. Thereafter we have received calls from a Dubai number and an internet number asking us to not release the film or remove the scenes altogether."



The film revolves around a journalist played by Sunil Grover who interviews Dawood Ibrahim.

Mishra said that while Bollywood films have glorified Dawood, their film pokes fun at him which is the reason that has irked his aides.

Meanwhile, Grover chose to distance himself from the matter and tweeted, "I am not in Delhi. I am not filing any complaint against anybody. It's a fake .

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In a major breakthrough under the pre-poll drive against hardcore criminals, police arrested four members of an inter-state gang involved several cases of ATM thefts, vehicle snatching and contract killing from Jagjitpur village bus stand on Phagwara-Hoshiarpur road here.

The criminals were arrested yesterday during a joint police barricading by Jalandhar Zone police parties after a tip-off, Inspector General (IG), Jalandhar Zone-2, L K Yadav said here today.

A large cache of arms, ammunition, drugs, along with several vehicles were from them, he said.

The accused were identified as -- the gang's kingpin Kuldip Singh alias Bohra (kingpin), Nirmal Singh alias Nimma, Makhtool Singh and Malkiat Singh alias Keetu. Nimma is a proclaimed offender and wanted in a murder case, Yadav said.

While Makhtool hails from Amritsar district, the others belong to Firozpur district, he said.

The gangsters were booked under sections 399 (making preparation to commit dacoity), 402 (assembling for purpose of committing dacoity) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant sections of the Arms Act and the NDPS Act, he added.

Five pistols, 3 rifles, 71 live cartridges, 6 snatched vehicles including 5 cars and a four-wheeler, 15 tools used for gas-cutting/breaking ATMs and 1 kg of smack were recovered from them, the IG said.

They are wanted in as many as 60 criminal cases including 35 of cutting/breaking of ATMs, 10 of vehicle snatching on highways, 3 of snatching of arms from security guards and 11 attempt to murder among others, Yadav said.

The murder attempts were done after taking "supari" (contract killing). The criminals also looted lakhs of rupees from people, he said.

The gangsters operated in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. They were lodged in jails in different cases and had jumped bail. The gang consists of 23 members, out of which 10 were lodged in prison, he said.

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A retired employee and a farmer were shot dead while two people committed suicide by jumping before train at different places here, police said today.

In the first incident, Chander Bhushan, a retired employee from the irrigation department was shot dead by unidentified men at his house in Hasanpur village in the Shamli district yesterday.

According to circle officer Sunil Kumar, police has registered a case against five people who are absconding. One Braham Singh has been identified so far.

The body has been sent for postmortem and further investigations are underway.

In the second incident, a 34-year-old farmer Rajender was shot dead by unidentified men at Pawti village under Kairana police station in Shamli district.

The incident took place yesterday when he was going to the fields, police said.

The third incident was reported from Dolatpur railway crossing where 50-year-old Rambir Singh jumped to death before a moving train.

A 30-year-old man jumped before a train near Jamsath flyover in the fourth incident.

The bodies have been sent for postmortem, police said.

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Former "Unreal" co-stars Freddie Stroma and Johanna Braddy rang in the New Year as man and wife.

Stroma, who played the star on the mock dating show on season one of the Lifetime show, and Braddy, who played his favorite contestant, exchanged vows at the Foxhall Resort and Sporting Club in Atlanta, Georgia, on Friday, reported E! online.

Braddy's representative confirmed the wedding to The Knot.

The bride planned the ceremony and reception with her mother, Jo Beth Braddy, the wedding outlet said.

Stroma and Braddy, both 29, began dating in 2015 after the first season of the Lifetime show aired.

They have since then gone on to star in other TV projects. She stars on ABC's "Quantico" while he appeared on an episode of "Game of Thrones" last year, playing Dickon Tarly, and also made a cameo on season two of "Unreal".

Stroma proposed to Johanna in Vancouver last May and then soon made their red carpet debut as an engaged couple, during which she debuted her sapphire and diamond engagement ring.

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Popular independent Gambian radio station Teranga FM was ordered to cease operations by national security agents for unspecified reasons, a security source and staff member said.

The station, which translates from Gambian papers into local languages, has previously been silenced and in 2015 its manager was slapped with sedition and "publication of false news" charges for privately sharing a provocative photo of President Yahya Jammeh.

"Four National Intelligence Agency operatives and one police officer in uniform came to the radio station yesterday afternoon around 2:30 pm and told us to stop broadcasting," a staff member told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"They said they have been ordered by the director general of NIA, Yankuba Badjie, to tell us to stop broadcasting with immediate effect. We asked them the reason for their action, but they said they are only acting on executive orders and do not know the reason why the radio should stop broadcasting," he added.

A security source said no one had been arrested but could not say why the radio station was ordered off the air.

"We only asked them to stop broadcasting and they cooperated with us. They have stopped broadcasting since in the afternoon," the source told AFP.

The radio station was not broadcasting yesterday evening, according to an AFP correspondent.

Station manager Alagie Ceesay was arrested by the country's secret police in July 2015 on charges of sedition and "publication of false news" relating to allegations that he distributed images by mobile phone of a gun pointed at a picture of Jammeh.

Ceesay escaped from hospital where he was being treated in mid-April last year while on trial for sedition.

Jammeh, who has ruled the small west African country with an iron fist since taking power in a bloodless coup in 1994, lost December's presidential election but has rejected the results and filed a court challenge.

He is regularly accused of rights abuses and repression of the media.

The Gambia ranked 145 out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders' 2016 World Press Freedom Index, pointing to "a climate of terror around anything remotely to do with journalism".

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To curb steep fall in wholesale onion prices and protect farmers' interest, the Centre has further extended export sops on onion by three months till March 31 this year.

Wholesale prices fell by up to 42 per cent to Rs 7.40 per kg at Lasalgoan (Maharasthra), Asia's biggest onion market, during last month from an average Rs 12.80 per kg in the year-ago period on expected good production.

Maharashtra, the top onion producer, had demanded the central government to extend export incentive of five per cent to exporters under the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) for both fresh and stored onions, beyond December 31.

In the latest public notice, Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said it "hereby extends the MEIS benefit at 5 per cent freight on board (FoB) for 'onions fresh or chilled' by further three months till March 31, 2017."



At present, the arrival of 2016-17 kharif (summer) onion is in the full swing not only in Maharashtra but also in other states like Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

"Prices are under pressure because of increased arrival of the fresh kharif crop. Looking at the daily arrivals, it looks productivity is higher even though the acreage was lower," a senior Agriculture Ministry official said.

It may be noted that 20 per cent of the country's total onion output is grown during the kharif season. Since the kharif onion cannot be stored, farmers sell off the produce in domestic as well as overseas markets.

The arrival of quality onions has boosted exports in the last few weeks. About 13,56,381 tonnes of onions have been shipped abroad in the April-September period of this fiscal.

The government is still assessing onion production figures for the 2016-17 crop year (July-June). Last year, the country's onion output was higher at 20.99 million tonnes. Maharashtra contributes more than a quarter of the country's overall output.

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Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today said all gram panchayats in the state will be connected by fibre optic by 2018.

He said the implementation of this ambitious scheme will bring all round development in villages and bridge the divide between urban and rural areas.

The Chief Minister was speaking at a function after inaugurating 'Gramvikas Bhavan' at Kharghar in Navi Mumbai.

State Ministers Pankaja Munde, Prakash Mehta were present on the occasion.

Fadnavis also launched 'Mahalaxmi Saras' website and app and distribution of fund for housing scheme at the function.

The Chief Minister also spoke on the role of Collector and CEO in rural development and appealed them to focus on roads as this is the key for development.

He underlined the need of market opportunities to self help groups and giving all benefits to beneficiaries by depositing amount in bank accounts.

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The all powerful Council headed by the Finance Minister will meet on Tuesday the representatives of six crucial sectors, including IT, telecom, banking and insurance, to assess the implementation hurdles under the new regime.

Also, the presentation will be made by sector representatives of Civil Aviation and Railways at the two-day Council meeting that begins here on Tuesday, sources said.

Software association Nasscom, which is also scheduled to meet the GST Council, will voice its concerns over issues such as tax treatment of software, and also make a case for single registration under the new GST regime.

"We support the introduction of GST but the implementation of GST should not complicate the business operations of IT companies," R Chandrashekar, President of Nasscom, told PTI.

He said the software association would express concerns with regard to GST implementation during the meeting with GST Council on Tuesday.

Nasscom's concerns pertain to areas like the classification of software, import of services from related parties, and taxation rules based on the location of receiving services.

Stating that the first draft of GST law had classified all 'intangibles' as services thereby ensuring a uniform tax rate, the revised law removed the clarification.

"This could lead to a situation where software classification can be disputed even under the GST regime. Electronic downloads should be treated as services as the majority practice prevalent globally," according to Nasscom's recent representation to the Revenue Department.

Nasscom also contends that revisions in the draft GST law do not facilitate offering a single interface for overseas/domestic clients in cases where large service contracts are supplied to multiple client sites from single or multiple delivery centres.

Also, the revised draft potentially makes onsite services delivered overseas at customer site liable to the payment of GST, followed by a refund which blocks capital and complicates the transaction, it added.

"This will, therefore, imply that onsite services are imported into India, GST discharged, and then exported, and the GST paid on the onsite service then filed for a refund - additional unnecessary transactions for companies which operate in a Branch office model, and associated compliance and working capital troubles," says Nasscom.

Nasscom is also of the view that the legislation should clearly provide for centralised registration of central taxes of IGST (Integrated-GST) and CGST (central GST), which is within the Central Government power itself.

The GST Council among other things will deliberate on the issue of jurisdiction of assessees in the new regime. This will be the eighth meeting of the Council since it met for the first time on September 22, 2016.
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has condoled the death of Indian national Khushi Shah, who has roots in Vadodara, in the terror attack at a night club in Turkish city of Istanbul during New Year celebrations.

Rupani also assured Khushi's father Ashwin Shah and her other family members here of all help from the government to bring back her body from Istanbul to Vadodara.

Vadodara District Collector Lochan Sehra told PTI today that, "I have conveyed CM Rupani's condolence message to Shah (Khushi's father) in this regard."



Khushi, a fashion designer from Vadodara city, and Abis Hasan Rizvi, son of former Rajya Sabha MP and noted builder from Bandra in Mumbai Akhtar Hasan Rizvi, were among the 15 foreigners killed when a gunman went on a rampage at a nightclub where revellers were celebrating the New Year in Turkey on Sunday.

A family member of Khushi had earlier said that her brother Akshay Shah and cousin Hiren Chauhan were flying to Istanbul without visa and brought it to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's attention, to which she said their their visa was arranged.

Swaraj said Indian envoy to Turkey Rahul Kulshreshtha has been asked to receive the families at the airport and make all necessary arrangements.

At least 39 people were killed and close to 70 others injured in the terror attack inside a crowded Istanbul nightclub during New Year's celebrations today



Khushi's father Ashwin Shah has a chemical business. Her mother had died some time back.

Ashwin Shah's business partner Nishant Ramani said, "He (Khushi's father) was too shocked to speak after we broke this sad to him soon after learning about it."



After completing her course in fashion designing in the US, Khushi had shifted to Mumbai a couple of years back and had opened a boutique.

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Giving a digital push to the Haj application process for the first time, Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi here today launched a mobile application which will provide information and facilitate e-payments for the pilgrimage.

"It is for the first time that Haj application process is going to be digital," Naqvi said during the launch of the event at Haj House in south Mumbai.

"This is a major initiative in the government's 'Digital India' programme," he said.

"The Ministry of Minority Affairs has joined Digital India campaign in a big way. We have made several processes regarding Haj digital/online. The Central government has been encouraging online applications for next Haj so that people can get an opportunity for the pilgrimage with complete transparency and comfort," Naqvi said.

The mobile app will be available on Google Play store from today. The next Haj schedule has already been announced and applications will be accepted from today. The last date for submitting applications is January 24.

Applying for Haj, enquiry and information, and updates and e-payment are the main features of the app. The application can be made directly on the app. Five adults and two infants can apply as a group.

A PDF copy of the form will go to applicant's email. After affixing the photo, the printout with documents is to be sent to the state Haj committees. Registration fees can also be paid through this app.

Naqvi said that last month, a new website of Haj was launched in New Delhi. The website is in Hindi, Urdu and English languages which will provide all the necessary information regarding Haj.

The website also lists "Do's and Don'ts" for the Haj pilgrimage and also a film informing about various aspects of the pilgrimage, Naqvi said.

Last year, about 45,843 people had applied for Haj



online, which was about 11 per cent of total applications received from across the nation for the pilgrimage.

"We have been making efforts to make the process of online application simple and easy so that more and more people can apply online for next Haj pilgrimage," Naqvi said.

Maharashtra was at the top place regarding online applications for Haj 2016, with a total of 10,960 people having applied online.

Altogether 9,257 online applications had been received from Kerala; 5,407 from Uttar Pradesh; 2,983 from Telangana; 2,426 from Jammu and Kashmir and 2,425 online applications had been received from Gujarat last year.

About 99,903 people went to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for Haj from 21 embarkation points across India through Haj Committee of India during Haj 2016. Besides, about 36,000 pilgrims had proceeded for Haj through private tour operators.

The Central government and Haj Committee of India have already started preparations to ensure that the next Haj is completely smooth and convenient for the pilgrims, the minister said.

"We have received several important suggestions on Haj pilgrimage and we are moving forward keeping in mind these suggestions," Naqvi said.

Discussions have been held with officials of Civil Aviation Ministry to ensure aircraft with modern facilities for Haj pilgrims, he said.
The Madras High Court today "closed" a civil suit filed by Rajya Sabha MP Sasikala Pushpa, who has been expelled from the AIADMK, seeking to restrain the party from appointing late chief minister J Jayalalithaa's aide V K Sasikala as party General Secretary.

Justice K Kalyanasundaram had on December 23 reserved his orders on an application by filed AIADMK Presidium Chairman E Madhusudanan seeking rejection of the plea of Pushpa and her husband.

Allowing AIADMK's application, the judge said, "In view of allowing the application, the suit filed by Sasikala Pushpa and her husband stands closed."



Pushpa had submitted in her suit that the basic eligibility criteria to contest the election for the post of AIADMK general secretary was that the contestant must have been a primary member of the party continuously for five years, a norm Sasikala did not fulfil.

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The Madras High Court today granted ten days time to the Tamil Nadu government to frame the draft rules for appointment of law officers representing the state.

The First Bench, comprising Chief justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M Sundar, said the Advocate General has submitted that rules are still in the process of being drafted.

"We find that this process has been going on for quite some months and, at the request of AG, we grant last opportunity to file the draft rules and hand over the copies to amicus curiae within 10 days, failing which the amicus curiae proceed to suggest the rules ignoring contribution which the state government wanted to give, but has not given till date," the bench said.

"The amicus curiae states that he would require about 2 weeks time to examine the rules and make the suggestions."



The bench was hearing a batch of PILs challenging the appointment of law officers in the state.

When the petitions came up for hearing, the AG submitted that the process of framing draft rules was still on.

The petitioners have submitted that the post of a law officer is not a political post, but a public post with great responsibility in the administration of justice. They said unless the appointment of law officers is made fairly, based on merit, ability and integrity, the justice delivery system would be in peril.

Stating that loyalty to the ruling party in power gets priority in the appointment of law officers, the petitioners submitted that integrity, capability, honesty, efficiency and legal acumen of the lawyers has become secondary.

They prayed the court to pass orders to the governments of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to frame guidelines for the appointment of law officers.

The Puducherry government has already prepared the draft rules and submitted it to the court.

The First Bench had earlier appointed senior advocates AL Somayaji and R. Krishnamoorthy as amicus curiae in the matter.

Granting 10 days to the state government to frame the draft rules, the bench posted the matter for further hearing to February 13.

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HDFC Bank Limited will organise Digital Literacy camps in 100 colleges in Odisha as part of an initiative to educate more than 15,000 college students on the benefits of going cashless by conducting transactions through digital mode.

During the drive, HDFC Bank officials will demonstrate through a presentation, the various transactions that can be easily, quickly, and safely conducted through NetBanking, Mobile Banking, USSD, PoS, and apps such as HDFC Bank's Mobile app, UPI, and PayZapp, said Debashis Senapati, Zonal Head - Odisha, HDFC Bank in a statement today.

The awareness programme will also cover best practices, tips, and tricks to be followed while conducting transactions through the digital channels, it said.

In Odisha, HDFC Bank has Payment Gateway partnerships with over 25 government and educational institutions, where residents can pay taxes, fees, utility bills and donations, among other things using any debit and credit card.

These include Odisha State Road Transport Corporation, Odisha Tourism Development Corporation,National Institute of Technology, Government ITI College, Shree Jagannath Temple Trust, Nandankanan Zoological Park, various Municipal Corporations, Schools, Universities, and Recreation Centres.

HDFC Bank is happy to reach out to college students in Odisha. College students are quick learners. If educated on how to transact using digital channels, they can adapt quickly and also teach several others, thus helping people of Odisha #GoDigital, said Senapati, the statement said.

HDFC Bank has a suite of products to help customers #GoDigital. Customers can use PayZapp, Mobile Banking app, NetBanking, Missed Call Mobile Recharge, and Phone Banking, among others.

HDFC Bank's Netbanking portal and official mobile app allow customers to perform over 205 and 85 different types of transactions, respectively, it said.

The Bank's PayZapp is a complete payment solution that allows customers to top-up mobile phone, transfer money instantly, pay utility bills, buy grocery, movie tickets and even big-ticket purchases such as foreign holidays.

This is in addition to the Bank's 'Missed Call Mobile Recharge' offering, which allows customers and their family to recharge mobile by giving just a missed call, the statement added.

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The government has permitted export of 8,424 tonne raw sugar under its tariff-rate quota (TRQ) to the US, S, which enables shipments to enjoy relatively low tariff.

TRQ is a quota for a volume of exports that enter the US at relatively low tariffs. After the quota is reached, a higher tariff applies on additional imports.

"The quantity of raw sugar (8,424 tonnes) to be exported to USA under TRQ up to September 30, 2017 has been notified," Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a public notice.

India enjoys duty-free sugar exports to the US for up to 10,000 tonnes annually under preferential quota arrangement.

India, the world's second biggest producer and the largest consumer of sugar, has a preferential quota arrangement for sugar export with the European Union as well.

The country had exported 1.1 million tonnes of sugar in the 2014-15 marketing year (October-September).

Sugar production is estimated to decline to about 25 MT in 2015-16 marketing year, from 28.3 MT in the previous year.

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Sri Lanka will immediately release 51 Indian fishermen from its custody and has agreed to consider returning a large number of fishing boats while India will free three Lankan fishermen, as per outcome of a high- level meeting between the two countries on the vexed issue.

"As result of the ministerial meeting, Sri Lanka is releasing 51 Indian fishermen and we are releasing three Sri Lankan fishermen. Most significantly, Sri Lanka has also agreed to consider our request for release of fishing boats," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.

The decisions were taken at the India-Lanka Ministerial level talks on fishermen in Colombo.

In the talks, both sides agreed to a set up Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to expedite the release and handing over of fishermen in each other's custody on completion of respective legal and procedural formalities.

Sri Lanka's assurance to consider release of fishing boats is significant as a large number of such expensive vessels of Indian fishermen were in custody of the authorities of the island nation.

Though Sri Lanka has periodically freed Indian fishermen caught by its naval authorities, their boats are often not returned.

The Indian delegation was headed by Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh while his Sri Lankan side was led by Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera.

Today's talks followed the first meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on fisheries last week.

"As part of the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) agreed to by both sides, it was decided to intensify cooperation in patrolling and to institute periodic interaction between the Coast Guard of the two countries," a joint press communique said.

It said an understanding was also reached to ensure that there was no physical harm or loss of life while apprehending fishermen by Navy and Coast Guard of the two countries.

"It was agreed to explore the possibility of introducing effective tracking systems for the fishing vessels and making the use of onboard communication equipment mandatory," the communique said.

The Ministers appreciated the efforts taken by the JWG in operationalising the "Hotline" between Indian and Sri Lankan Coast Guard, which would ensure quick decision making and response.

The next meeting of the JWG will be held in Colombo in



April 2017 to review the progress made in addressing the fishermen issues in a comprehensive manner.

In the meeting, the Sri Lankan side reiterated that the practice of bottom trawling needs to end at the earliest.

"The Indian side assured that bottom trawling would be phased out in a graded time-bound manner within a practicable timeframe keeping in mind the capacity building of the fishermen who have to be diversified into deep sea fishing as well as other coastal fisheries activities including mariculture, pearl farming and seaweed culture," said the joint communique.

The Sri Lankan side was briefed about the measures already instituted including the decision to construct a new fishing harbour at Mookaiyur in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu, and the capacity building programme for Indian fishermen on deep sea fishing that commences tomorrow at Chennai and Kochi.

There have been several alleged incidents of Sri Lankan Navy personnel firing at Indian fishermen fishing in the Palk Strait and seizing their boats.

The Palk Strait, which is a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from both the countries.

The fishermen associations of India and Sri Lanka had held talks on the issue here last month where the delegation from the island nation rejected demands for relaxation of norms for fishermen from Tamil Nadu to use fishing trawlers.
An Indian-origin shopkeeper is being hailed as "brave" after he wrestled a knife-wielding thief to the ground in northern England.

Sandeep Yadala, 30, was injured after grappling the robber to the ground in the second attack his shop in Timperley, Greater Manchester, has seen in a matter of months.

During the latest incident last week, he suffered slash wounds to his side and right hand as he grabbed the intruder, disarmed him and pinned him to the ground until police arrived, the Sun reported.

Local police arrived three minutes later and arrested a 15-year-old raider and praised Yadala as "brave".

The raider is alleged to have asked for cigarettes, but when the shopkeeper asked for an ID to check his age, the suspect threatened him with a knife.

The suspect has now been released on bail.

Yadala previously tackled a gang of four masked raiders when they stormed into his shopin February last year. He was seen on CCTV cameras in the previous incident fightingone of the four as they stole cigarettes worth 3,000 pounds.

Yadala, who came to the UK to pursue a post-graduate degree, manages the store part time.

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Panun Kashmir, an organisation representing Kashmiri Pandits, today called on the Union government to initiate a "structured dialogue" process with the community in a bid to resolve their long-pending concerns.

"Kashmiri Pandits have an inalienableright on the territory of Kashmir and our demand for homeland in Kashmir has multidimensional aspects," its president Ashwani Kumar Chrungoosaid.

"We appeal to the government of India to initiate a structured dialogue process with the pandits of Kashmir forthwith to resolve their long-awaited concerns," he said.

Chrungoo said the geo-political and human rights concerns of the Pandits need to be addressed on priority.

Virender Raina National spokesperson of Panun Kashmir said the organisation in all circumstances will espouse the ideologicalissues pertaining to the struggle.

"The exiled community of the Kashmiri Pandits has shown remarkable resilienceand has kept its core issues alive. There is unanimity among the rank and file of the community regarding the letter and spirit of the homeland demand," he said.

He said the younger generation has to take the struggle to the next level by ensuring participation and contribution.

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Agrochemicals firm Insecticides India Ltd (IIL) today said it has tied up with Japan's Nihon Nohyaku Co Ltd for launching of new generation insecticides for different crops under the brand name SUZUKA.

IIL plans to introduce one more brand HAKKO, an insecticide for BPH in paddy crop.

"Under this tie up, IIL would market SUZUKA, the new generation insecticide flubendiamide 20 per cent SG of Nihon Nohyaku, Japan, which is an effective solution for control of lepidopteran pests in different crops like pulses, vegetables and paddy," a company statement said.

This will add another feather to company's 'Tractor' brand range of products, further strengthening the product kitty with latest technology products.

Other product Hakko, Buprofezin 25 per cent SC, an insecticide for control of BPH in paddy will also be launched in tie up with the Japanese major.

"Suzuka is an important product for farmers of MP especially for rabi crops like gram and other vegetables. We always endeavour to bring the new technology products to the farmers within their reach," IIL MD Rajesh Aggarwal said.

IIL has emerged as a front line performer in India's Crop care market with a top line of Rs 988.15 crore in 2015-16 as against Rs 964.19 crore in 2014-15.

It has formulation facilities in Chopanki (Rajasthan), Samba and Udhampur (Jammu & Kashmir) and Dahej (Gujarat).

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Jharkhand BJP chief Laxman Gilua today said some "invisible, anti-government forces" were engaged in disturbing the state, which was "marching" on the path of development under Raghubar Das-led government.

He reacted sharply on the hurling of shoes and slippers and showing of black flags to the Chief Minister at Kharswan where he visited to pay tribute to the tribals killed in police firing during separate statehood movement on January 1, 1948, described it as "cheap politics aimed to gain publicity".

Asked whether he saw any political conspiracy behind the incident, the Member of Parliament, pinpointed JMM for triggering the trouble.

"JMM has dishonoured the martyrs by raising anti-government slogans at Shahid Park, the memorial of the martyrs, as it was not the right place to raise slogans against the government," he said.

"Everyone has the right to raise their voice against the government and BJP is not opposed to it. However, the occasion was to pay our tributes to those who had sacrificed their lives for the cause of separate statehood," Gilua said.

The incident took place on Sunday when adivasis and moolvasis in large number led by JMM were protesting against Jharkhand government for bringing in amendment in the decades-old Chhotanagpur and Santal Paragana Tenancy Act (CNT and SPT) as well as the domicile policy.

Asked whether there was any administrative lapse that resulted in the incident, Gilua said "Certainly, there was administrative lapses, which will be probed and action would be initiated against the culprits."



There is no question of reconsidering the amendment in the CNT and SPT, Gilua said when asked whether the government has any plan to roll back the amendment in view of the protest over the issue in Kharswan.

(Reopens CES5)



"I shall rather be grateful to the Chief Minister for simplifying the tenancy acts for the benefit of the tribal community", Gilua said adding that simplification in the acts will ensure that the tribal interest are protected.

The government and BJP, including all MLAs/MPs and ministers, are united over the issue and there was no difference within the government or the party, he said when his attention was drawn to the grievances raised from with the party on the issue.

To a query that its coalition partner AJSU Party chief and former Deputy Chief Minister Sudesh Mahato also expressed his reservation over the amendment, Gilua said it was not true.

He, however, said in case AJSU Party was opposed to any decision of the government, it should raise the issue at a proper forum for discussion and sort out the problem.

When sought his reaction over the incidents of shoe throwing by political rivals including BJP to express their anger in the country, Gilua said such action are nothing but a cheap politics only gain publicity.

Gilua, however, strongly denied that BJP was ever indulged in any such act anywhere in the country.
The Islamic State jihadist group today claimed the shooting rampage inside a glamorous Istanbul nightclub on New Year's night that killed 39 people, as police hunted the attacker who remains on the run.

With foreigners making up the majority of those killed in yesterday's attack, families were due to reclaim the bodies of more than two dozen non-Turkish and mainly Arab victims.

The shooting, which unleashed scenes of carnage and panic among party-goers at one of Istanbul's swankiest venues, took place just 75 minutes into 2017 after a bloody year in Turkey in which hundreds of people were killed in violence blamed on both IS jihadists and Kurdish militants.

In a statement circulated on social media, the jihadist group said one of the "soldiers of the caliphate" had carried out the attack on the Reina nightclub.

It accused Turkey, a majority-Muslim country, of being a servant of Christians, in a possible reference to Ankara's alliance with the international coalition fighting IS in neighbouring Syria and Iraq.

The statement said the assault was in response to Turkey's military intervention against IS in war-ravaged Syria.

Turkish troops are pressing on with a four-month incursion in Syria to oust IS jihadists and Kurdish militants from the border area.

In the last few weeks, the forces have encountered fierce opposition from the jihadists around the town of Al-Bab. The army said Turkish war planes launched new air strikes around Al Bab.

Arriving by taxi at the plush Reina nightclub on the shores of the Bosphorus, the gunman produced a weapon, reportedly a Kalashnikov, and shot dead a policeman and civilian at the entrance.

According to the Hurriyet daily, the gunman then fired off four magazines containing a total of 120 bullets around the club, as terrified guests flung themselves into the freezing waters of the Bosphorus in panic.

But after changing clothes, the gunman left the nightclub in the ensuing chaos and has managed to evade security forces.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said yesterday that intense efforts were under way to find the gunman, and expressed hope that he would be captured soon.

Late yesterday, police rushed to Istanbul's Kurucesme district after a tip-off but the operation did not produce any arrest.

"The danger continues," wrote columnist Abdulkadir Selvi in Hurriyet.

"So long as this terrorist is not seized we do not know when and where a massacre could take place."



Hurriyet said investigators believe the attacker may be from the Central Asian states of Kyrgyzstan or Uzbekistan.

Investigators also consider it possible that the attacker is linked to the same cell that in June carried out a triple suicide bombing and gun attack at Istanbul's Ataturk airport blamed on IS that left 47 people dead, the paper added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Islamic State jihadist group today claimed the shooting rampage inside a glamorous Istanbul nightclub on New Year's night that killed 39 people, as police hunted the attacker who remains on the run.

Anti-terror police made their first arrests over the attack, which unleashed scenes of panic among party-goers at one of Istanbul's swankiest venues and killed mostly foreign tourists.

The shooting took place just 75 minutes into 2017 after a bloody year in Turkey in which hundreds of people were killed in violence blamed on both IS jihadists and Kurdish militants.

In a statement circulated on social media, the jihadist group said one of the "soldiers of the caliphate" had carried out the attack on the Reina nightclub.

It accused Turkey, a majority-Muslim country, of being a servant of Christians, in a possible reference to Ankara's alliance with the international coalition fighting IS in neighbouring Syria and Iraq.

This is the first time IS has issued a clear and undisputed claim for an attack inside Turkey, despite being blamed for several major strikes in Istanbul and other cities over the last year.

It has in the past however claimed individual assassinations of Syrian anti-jihadist activists in the south of Turkey.

The IS statement said the attack was in response to Turkey's military intervention against the jihadists in war-ravaged Syria the military presses a four-month incursion to oust jihadists from the border area.

The Dogan agency said anti-terror police have detained eight suspects. But there was no indication of their relationship to the attacker.

In the last few weeks, the forces have encountered fierce opposition from the jihadists around the town of Al-Bab. The army said Turkish war planes launched new air strikes around Al Bab.

Arriving by taxi at the plush Reina nightclub on the shores of the Bosphorus, the gunman produced a weapon, reportedly a Kalashnikov, and shot dead a policeman and civilian at the entrance.

According to the Hurriyet daily, the gunman then fired off four magazines containing a total of 120 bullets around the club, as terrified guests flung themselves into the freezing waters of the Bosphorus in panic.

But after changing clothes, the gunman left the nightclub in the ensuing chaos and has managed to evade security forces.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said yesterday that intense efforts were under way to find the gunman, and expressed hope that he would be captured soon.

Late yesterday, police rushed to Istanbul's Kurucesme district after a tip-off but the operation did not produce any arrest.

"The danger continues," wrote columnist Abdulkadir Selvi in Hurriyet.

"So long as this terrorist is not seized we do not know when and where a massacre could take place.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Israeli authorities were investigating today whether a fire was the result of a murder-suicide, with a mother and her four children found dead in a case that has shocked the country.

The fire ripped through a Jerusalem apartment yesterday and the woman's four daughters were found dead inside, fire service spokesman Yoram Levy said.

The girls' mother hanged herself on the balcony and there were suspicions that she may have set fire to the apartment first, he said.

Fire investigators had not determined the cause of death of the daughters, though they were reportedly found with severe burns. The investigation has been handed over to police, Levy said.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld declined to comment in detail, but confirmed it was being looked into as a possible murder-suicide.

The story made headlines in Israeli media, which reported that the family had emigrated to Israel from France.

Some reports said the girls were aged between two and 12.

The fire occurred on New Year's Day for much of the world, though Rosh Hashanah, which marks the new year for Jewish Israelis, was celebrated in October.

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Nagaland's former Minister and former President of Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) K V Pusa died today following a brief illness.

He breathed his last at 12:55 AM at a private hospital in Kohima, family sources said.

He was 63 and leaves behind wife, two sons and a daughter.

Pusa, who was the sitting member of All India Congress Committee, had served as the Nagaland Minister for Veterinary and Animal Husbandry from 1998-1999 and Minister for Roads and Bridges from 2000-2003 in S C Jamir led Congress government.

He was also the member of Nagaland Assembly in the opposition bench for two terms from 2003-08 and 2008-2013.

Before joining Congress from 1998, Pusa had won the first time in 1993 as independent candidate from Southern Angami Assembly Constituency under Kohima district.

Besides being a tall political leader, Pusa had served as leader in students organisation and chairman of renowned educational institutions like Baptist English and Mezhur HSS.

His funeral service was held today at his private residence while the body was buried at his native village in Viswema, some 24 km from the state capital.

Governor of Nagaland P B Acharya and Odissa S C Jamir, Nagaland Chief Minister T R Zeliang and former CM of Arunachal Nabam Tuki condoled Pusa's death.

Lok Sabha MP Neiphiu Rio, galaxy of Cabinet Ministers led by Home Minister Y Patton and Minister for Public Health Engineering Tokheho, Parliamentary Secretary C Apok Jamir, MLAs, former Ministers, bureaucrats and Congress leaders and workers attended his funeral service.

Acharya described Late Pusa as a 'pleasant and accommodative person' who was concerned for the overall development of the State. His vast contribution to the state through his political and social life will be treasured by the people forever," Acharya maintained.

"Late Pusa was a sincere and honest man and had the habit of taking up assigned works with love, devotion and commitment," said S C Jamir, adding that his death is a great loss to the Naga people.

"A thorough gentleman, his personality was the epitome of humility, always approachable and ready to extend a helping hand or a word of advice to all who sought an audience with him," T R Zeliang said.

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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today paid obeisance at Takht Harmandir Sahib here during the ongoing 'Prakash Parv' and later, called on his Bihar counterpart, Nitish Kumar.

Kejriwal arrived here and paid a visit to Harmandir Sahib which is connected to Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh Guru.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo mingled with the devotees at Harmandir Sahib which has been decorated for 'Prakash Parv'.

He later served food at the 'langar' organised for the devotees who arrived from across the world to celebrate the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh.

Kejriwal's Patna visit during 'Prakash Parv' assumes significance as his party is eyeing to do well in the upcoming Punjab Assembly election.

After visiting Harmandir Sahib, the AAP leader called on Kumar at his 1, Anne Marg residence.

Sources at the chief minister's office said Kejriwal appreciated the elaborate arrangements for the 350th Prakash Parv during his meeting with Kumar.

The two leaders were closeted in a room for about 15 minutes.

Kumar and Kejriwal enjoy a cordial relationship. The Delhi chief minister was among the top political leaders of the country who had attended the swearing-in ceremony of the current grand alliance government in Bihar headed by Kumar.

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Noting that legislature and judiciary can play a major role in checking pollution, former Supreme Court Judge Justice Arijit Pasayat today said protecting environment should be a constitutional mandate.

"Environment protection has now become a matter of grave concern for human existence. Therefore, protecting and conserving environment should be a constitutional mandate," he said.

There is constitutional imperative on government bodies not only to ensure and safeguard environment but also an imperative duty to take adequate measure to promote, protect and improve the environment, he said while delivering the 16th NALCO Foundation Day Lecture on 'Environment & Progress : Issues & Challenges'.

Citing several examples and judgments from his career as a judge of the apex court, Justice Pasayat, who is the vice-chairman of the Supreme Court appointed Special Investigation Team on Black Money, said the legislature and the judiciary can play a major role in preventing threats of modernisation and pollution on environment.

Citing an example, Justice Pasayat said the people of Delhi are able to breathe pure air because of the Supreme Court, as introduction of CNG for public transport vehicles substantially checked pollution.

There was a lot of criticism from several quarters at the time of introduction of CNG. But, when its benefits were visible everybody tried to take credit for the move, he said



Referring to the order on mining in Aravalli hills, the former Supreme Court judge said, industrial and mining issues should not be seen solely from economic perspectives as a lot of damage is caused to the environment due to greed and tendency to make profits.

Noting that environmental pollution was controlled effectively in ancient times, he said since times immemorial nature has been considered very important.

In India, many rivers are regarded as manifestation of Goddesses which helped in maintaining a balance between environment and the process of development. Now, pollution level had increased so much that use of river water these days cause skin diseases, he said.

Informing that many environmental issues have been



taken up in the country through PILs, Justice Pasayat said a cautious approached should be followed while dealing with PILs as some of these are guided by motives other than public interest.

Nalco's Tapan Kumar Chand said our relationship with the environment is like the relation between a mother and a child and asked the mining fraternity to move from "mere mining to scientific and sustainable mining".

"'Mining with the mind' is needed to bring the society onboard so that mining is done for development and growth, and at the same time environment is protected and promoted, he said.

On the occasion, cheques were handed over to 10 girl students from BPL families from Angul sector under the company's 'Nalco ki Ladli Scheme' designed in line with the 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' programme.
Airline operators having more than 20 aircraft of one type should compulsorily have simulator training facility within India, aviation watchdog DGCA has said months after detecting lapses at an overseas simulator training facility used by IndiGo.

Issuing a Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR), the regulator today also said domestic operators should "progressively" reduce the use of overseas simulator training facilities.

"Operators with more than 20 aeroplanes of one type shall have owned/leased simulator capacity within India for that type by December 31, 2018," Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.

In June last year, DGCA had ordered budget carrier IndiGo not to train its pilots on one of the two simulators at a training centre in the UK following an inspection of the facility and the subsequent detection of the malfunctioning in one of the two such machines.

At present, airlines shell out a significant amount towards training of pilots overseas and having enough number of simulators in the country itself would help in reducing the overall costs for the carriers.

Coming out with elaborate guidelines, DGCA said operators and ATOs (Approved Training Organisations) should adopt market based approach to increase the utilisation of under-utilised simulators first within the country and then with foreign customers through lease options.

"Operators should increase training facilities in India through options of offset clauses in lease/purchase of aeroplanes," it said.

The latest CAR would be applicable on scheduled operators and ATOs imparting training to flight crew for type rating on aircraft with gross weight exceeding 5,700 kilogrammes.

A320 from the stable of Airbus and B-777 from Boeing are among the planes that come under this classification.

With respect to overseas simulator facilities, the regulator also said that option should be used as far as possible only by operators with less than 20 aeroplanes in a fleet.

Besides, ATOs have been directed to enhance their instructor capacity by December 2018 to fully utilise their installed simulator capacity through their own instructors.

Late last year, a panel -- headed by B S Bhullar who is now heading the DGCA -- had recommended that airlines should have simulators for every 20 aircraft in their fleet.

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Strongly advocating industrial peace, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said there was a need to protect industry and create more jobs, even as she continued her attack on Prime Minister Narendra modi on the demonetisation issue.

"We must cooperate with industry. It is important to protect industry. There must exist very good relation between employees and management," she said while inaugurating a modern battery plant of Exide Industries here.

Blaming the previous Left front regime for loss of mandays, the Chief Minister claimed that there were no mandays lost by the industry during her rule.

Banerjee said, "We are proud to say that no mandays are lost today. It was phenomenal 80 million mandays which were lost in the earlier days."



Continuing her tirade against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his demonetisation move, she said that in the last two months the industrial sector had passed through a 'bad' time.

West Bengal, which was the number one state in MSMEs, was witnessing a turmoil now because of the demonetisation move, she pointed out.

Said said, "Neither the US nor Germany are 100 per cent cashless. In India, 92 per cent of the area are not covered by banks."



Indirectly pointing finger at Modi, Banerjee said, "As politicians, we should not harass common people. India has the government of the people, by the people and for the people. There is no place for a dictator. Let us save the country from disaster."



Banerjee also announced that the government would provide 25 acres of land to Exide for a smelting plant at Haldia.

Exide invested Rs 700 crore for a new plant with collaboration with a US firm to manufacture new age car batteries with longer life.

Exide MD & CEO Gautam Chatterjee told reporters later that the plant would also manufacture this new technology batteries for motorcycles later at an investment of Rs 300 crore.

On impact of demonetisation, he said the motorcycle OEM market had been hit as most of the sales were in the rural country side made through cash.

The passenger car market was not affected alongside the replacement segment.

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A 33-year-old man, who allegedly cultivated ganja at his house and sold the same was arrested from here, police said today.

Acting on a tip-off, the sleuths of Commissioner's Task Force, South Zone Team yesterday apprehended Syed Shahed Hussain from Golconda here while he was "selling" ganja to the needy customers and earning easy money illegally, they said.

Police seized 8.6 Kgs of ganja, 40 pots containing ganja plants, one two-wheeler besides Rs 32,200 from his possession, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police N Koti Reddy said.

"Hussain, who is addicted to ganja later started procuring ganja from Tandur area at Rs 3,500 per kg and was selling the same to the needy customers in Hyderabad on higher price Rs 16,000 per kg and getting illegal profits," he said.

Subsequently about three months back, Hussain thought of growing cannabis indoors, and contacted one of his friend Garith Christopher, who is native of USA and as advised by him he went through some videos and learnt the art of cultivating ganja indoors, Reddy said.

"Then he locally purchased all the requirements and started cultivating of ganja in his house on trail basis. We seized 40 pots containing ganja plants and other material from his house," added the senior police officer.

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Odisha will soon get a 29 feet high martyrs memorial pillar at the Freedom Fighters gound in the state capital here.

The announcement in this regard was made by Cuttack MP Bhartuhari Mahatab, who is also president of the All India Feedom Fighter's Youth Wing, at the All India Freedom Fighters Mahostav.

The Mahostav attended by representatives from different states, was inagurated by Odisha's industries minister Debi Prasad Mishra.

"The pillar will be 29 feet high and be built by 2018. A total of Rs 30 lakh will be spent for the construction of the pillar and a memorial," Mahatab said adding that names of veteran martyrs who laid down their lives during the freedom struggle will get place in the pillar.

The names of Jayi Rajguru, Buxi Jagabandu and Pandiki Bahubalendra, who were hanged by the British between 1807 to 1820 will prominently be displayed in the pillar besides names of Madho Singh (hanged in 1857), Raghunath Mohanty and Dibakar Parida (hanged in 1940), Laxman Naik (hanged in 1942) will also be written on the memorial complex, said All India Freedom Fighters Youth Wing Odisha state secretary Birupakshya Tripathy.

Odisha Freedom Fighters Samiti president Bhabani Charan Patnaik presided over the meeting held on the ocassion of the 31st death anniversary of freedom fighter and late Chief Minister Harekrushna Mahatab.

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A medical board conducted the post- mortem of the fruit vendor who allegedly died in police custody following which five cops of Adarsh Nagar police station were suspended for allegedly trying to hush up the matter.

Police requested AIIMS to constitute a medical board to carry out the autopsy of Som Lal (24), who died on December 28, said a senior police officer.

The medical board, that comprises three doctors, has carried out the autopsy and the body has been handed over to family members, he said.

The medical board will be submitting its findings in two-three days to police, he added.

Five cops, including the SHO of Adarsh Nagar police station in northwest Delhi were suspended for allegedly trying to hush up a "suicide" of an accused in the police station.

Som Lal, a fruit vendor was called for questioning by cops in connection with a fight he had with another vendor on December 28.

He was probably scared during interrogation or was fearing arrest. He allegedly jumped off the floor of the Adarsh Nagar police station, he added.

The cops, fearing that seniors might take action against them for being responsible for the death of a man 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, he said.

An inquiry was ordered and it was found that the SHO of Adarsh Nagar, an assistant sub-inspector and three constables were allegedly 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 cops, he added.

Family members of the deceased alleged that he was roughed up in police custody and they allegedly pushed him off the terrace.

An FIR has been registered against the erring officials and investigation is underway.

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Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today rejected the opposition demand for setting up of an inquiry commission into the recent unrest in the Valley even as she blamed NC and Congress for sowing the "seeds" of the turmoil in the state.

On the opening day of the Budget session of the Assembly here, she said the alliance of 1987 between NC (National Conference) and Congress had led to the weapons being given to the youth of Kashmir.

She was responding after Congress member Rigzin Jora blamed the "unholy alliance" of PDP and BJP in the state for the turmoil in the Valley which erupted in July last year and continued for over five months.

He also demanded setting up of a commission to probe last year's unrest that was triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter.

"Some people here say that a commission should be set up to probe it (unrest). But just yesterday I received the report of the (Justice M L) Koul Commission set up to probe the 2010 killings. Let us first fix the responsibilities in it (2010 killings) and talk of new commission only after reading that report," the Chief Minister said, responding to Jora's demand.

She was referring to the unrest of 2010 during the NC- Congress rule when Omar Abdullah was the Chief Minister.

Hitting back at the opposition, Mehbooba said, "The situation which you have created... We all should sit and find a solution to it."



Tearing into the opposition charges, Mehbooba said, "What should you call the alliance of 1987 when the youth of Kashmir were handed over the guns. The seeds of turmoil were sown at that time. Slogans of plebiscite were raised and it was said that J-K will be separated from India and made a part of Pakistan."



"Their slogan was that Kashmir will become part of Pakistan," she said, claiming that the alliance of 1987 led to weapons being handed over to the youth of Kashmir.

Her remarks came during the Assembly Session which was adjourned for the day normally after finishing of the day's business of obituary reference.

As Mehbooba was speaking, NC MLAs created commotion in the House objecting to her remarks and pointed out that her father and former CM late Mufti Mohammed Sayeed was part of Congress at that time.

Amidst the uproar, the CM said the situation in the past few months has been bad and several people, including security forces personnel, have lost their lives which should not have had happened.

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Delhi Metro's ambitious drive to turn 10 stations 'cashless' has been grounded against the backdrop of criticism against the move from several quarters including Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

A senior DMRC official said application of e-wallet companies like Paytm in the present form "are not suitable" to be used in the metro system due to large volume of transactions it handles on a daily basis.

Kejriwal had questioned the decision to involve only Paytm in the process and had said he would be seeking an inquiry and also look into the relevant files.

"All other digital options of making payment over the counters are being reexamined. However, the existing avenues offered towards digitisation like the use of Debit cards are continuing," the official said.

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had earlier clarified that more e-wallet companies would soon be roped in and the contract was awarded to Paytm through an open tender process.

Sources maintained that the drive, that was to be rolled out on January 1, has been put on hold solely due to logistical issues.

"The special drive at 10 stations was aimed at bringing awareness among the commuters about the already available digital options on the system," an official said.

The stations that were chosen for this purpose are Rohini East and Rohini West on Red Line; MG Road Station on Yellow Line; Mayur Vihar Phase-I, Nirman Vihar, Tilak Nagar, Janakpuri West, and Noida Sector-15 on Blue Line; and Nehru Place and Kailash Colony on Violet Line.

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Two unidentified bike-borne miscreants allegedly snatched away 130 grammes of gold from a trader near Shastri colony at Ambala cantonment today, police said.

Sanjay Kumar, a resident of Shastri colony, told the police that he had taken out the gold from a bank locker and kept it in a bag.

When he was crossing the flyover on his motorbike, close to Lalkurti police post, when the two accused reached there. One of the riders snatched his bag, while the other threw chilli powder in his eyes, Kumar said in his complaint.

Kumar told the police that he raised an alarm, but the duo managed to flee from the spot.

After getting information about the incident the police also reached there, they said, adding a case has been registered and probe was on.

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In an exchange of fire case that appears to be taken from a Bollywood script, a man was hit with a bullet which ricocheted off the bulletproof jacket of a policeman who was shot at by a murder accused attempting to evade arrest.

The incident happened in west Delhi's Uttam Nagar area on December 31 and Amit Babbar, who was going to market with his wife on a scooty, was hit in his leg and injured, police said.

They said police were trying to arrest Pankaj Sharma and Dharmender Yadav, two of the murder accused, when the former opened fire.

Amit did not realise immediately that he was hit by a bullet.

"Amit took first aid at home but later in the night he felt severe pain in the injured leg. In the morning, he was rushed to Mata Roop Rani Hospital, where he was operated upon and the bullet was removed from his leg," said a senior police officer.

The two are accused in murder case of a Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation's contractual employee, Brij Bhushan Prasad, last month, a senior police officer said.

Though no policeman was injured in the exchange of fire, bne of the bullets deflected got from the bulletproof jacket and hit Amit, he said.

The two two were nabbed after a scuffle.

The third murder accused was arrested from Saket later.

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Taking the Namami Gange programme a step forward in the new year, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has approved many projects including setting up sewage treatment plants (STP) in Haridwar and Varanasi.

The NMCG will also deploy trash skimmers for cleaning Ganga surface in six more cities -- Rishikesh and Haridwar in Uttarakhand, Garhmukhteshwar in Uttar Pradesh, Sahibganj in Jharkhand, Kolkata and Nabadwip in West Bengal -- this week onwards.

According to an official statement issued today, the NMCG has approved two separate STPs of 68 MLD and 14 MLD capacities in Haridwar's Jagjeetpur and Sarai respectively at an indicative cost of Rs 135.30 crore under hybrid annuity based PPP model.

Under this model, payments are made on annuity basis to ensure that contractors do not abandon projects midway.

The body has also given in-principle nod for implementation of 50 MLD STP at Ramana in Varanasi at an indicative cost of Rs 120 crore under the same mode.

Meanwhile, the Union Water Resources Ministry has said the urban local bodies will be nodal agencies for monitoring river surface cleaning (RSC) works being carried out using trash skimmers.

The RSC work was introduced last year in Allahabad, Kanpur, Varanasi, Mathura-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh and Patna in Bihar.

This task was performed under the CSR head and in the coming days, more towns will be identified for carrying out similar activities, the statement said.

The ambitious Namami Gange programme was launched as a mission to achieve the target of cleaning river Ganga in an effective manner with the involvement of all stakeholders, especially five major states in the Ganga basin -- Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal.

The programme envisages river surface cleaning, sewerage treatment infrastructure, river front development, bio-diversity, afforestation and public awareness.

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A platoon commander and a hardcore cadre of the banned NDFB(S) were arrested after an encounter with a joint team comprising the police and the Army.

According to senior police officials, the two terrorists were apprehended from Laudangi in Batachipur near Arunachal Pradesh border under Dehkiajuli police station in Sonitpur district during wee hours.

The militants opened fire when the joint search team reached the spot after getting information of three NDFB(S) cadres hiding in the area.

Seeing the security forces, the insurgents opened fire on them, who retaliated to the attack, although there was no casualty.

While one militant managed to escape, police and army personnel nabbed two hardcore cadres.

The arrested terrorists have been identified as NDFB(S) platoon commander of 38 battalion Denial Musahary and Rehan Musahary.

The security forces have also recovered one 7.65 mm pistol, three live ammunitions, four mobile phones and two sim cards from the militants.

A joint search operation has been launched to nab the third cadre involved in the encounter.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied any wrongdoing today ahead of his expected questioning by police in a graft probe, telling his political opponents to put any "celebrations" on hold.

"We hear all the media reports. We see and hear the festive spirit and atmosphere in television studios and in the corridors of the opposition," Netanyahu told lawmakers from his Likud party, according to a video posted to his Facebook page.

"I want to tell them to wait for the celebrations. Do not rush. I told you and I repeat: There will be nothing because there is nothing. You will continue to inflate hot air balloons and we will continue to lead the state of Israel.

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A bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT) issued an interim stay order on any kind of construction of Pune Metro route passing through the Mula-Mutha river bed.

"Today NGT's west zone bench comprising Justice U D Salavi and Dr Ajay Deshpande granted interim stay on any kind of construction of Pune Metro route of corridor between Vanaz and Ramwadi, passing through Mula-Mutha riverbed," said advocate Asim Sarode.

Sarode had filed an Environmental Interest Litigation (EIL) in the on May 26 last year on behalf of a group of prominent personalities from the city.

He said directions have been given to add Maharashtra Metro Corporation in the array of respondents.

Meanwhile, Pune Municipal Corporation, which is the primary respondents, said during the argument the Government Resolution, passed by Maharashtra's Urban Development Department, regarding the sanctions and establishment of Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (SPV) and direction to execute the Metro work, was placed before the Tribunal.

The Tribunal mentioned that since the process of registration of the SPV is currently being carried out and thus not yet registered under Companies Act, hence the SPV cannot be made a necessary party in the present application, the civic body said in a release.

"PMC's advocate mentioned that process of registration would be completed in 15 days," it added.

It further stated that Tribunal directed PMC not to construct in the prohibited zone of 1.7 km. On the left bank of the river i.e. Inside the Blue Line of the river bed of Mula Mutha till January 25.

"In the mean time, work of planning, designing and approval can be processed further," said the release.

"Tribunal has not laid such restriction on presently ongoing geo-tech and topographical study being conducted on the other parts of the alignment including the river bed," it added.

A group of prominent personalities from the city have filed an EIL in the against the Pune Metro Rail project, strongly objecting to the alignment of some portion of its route through river beds.

Member of Parliament Anu Aga, architect Sarang Yadwadkar and Aarti Kirloskar had filed the litigation through Sarode.
A 35 years old Nigerian national, brought to the city for deportation, escaped from police custody early this morning, police said.

John Kennedy Chukowa Imeka Okoro had been brought here from Nashik prison after his sentence of three years' rigorous imprisonment got over, a police officer said.

Okoro, a Nigerian national who lived illegally in Koparkhairane in the neighbouring Navi Mumbai, was arrested by the police's narcotics cell in a drug-peddling case three years ago.

He was convicted. After his prison term got over, police started the process to deport him to Nigeria and kept him at the narcotics cell's building at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai for the time being.

Around midnight yesterday he told a policeman on guard duty that he wanted to go to the toilet. He was allowed to go, but he repeated the request again at around 2 am.

As nobody accompanied him this time, he apparently jumped from the first floor of the building and ran away, the officer said.

The police guards realised this after some time as he did not return to the lock-up.

A case was registered against him under section 224 of IPC (resistance or obstruction by a person to his lawful apprehension) at Azad Maidan police station and manhunt was launched, the officer said.

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Nine members of a gang involved in robberies at several districts of Uttar Pradesh, and the NCR were arrested from Noorpur area here, police said.

The accused -- Wasim, Rafiq, Kamil, Ahsaan, Irfan, Rinku Pandit, Rashid and Zuber are history sheeters and several cases of dacoity and loot are registered against them in different police stations, SP Ajai Kumar Sahni said yesterday.

The criminals were arrested on Saturday night by a police team. Four pistols, three of them country-made, 1 knife, 23 live cartridges, and a large amount of cash and valuables were recovered from their possession, he said.

Sahni said that during interrogation, the accused revealed that they carried out thefts in the area and the NCR recently.

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With opposition parties waiting to see if JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar has changed his views on demonetisation after completion of 50 days of the move, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today parried queries on the topic.

At the end of "Lok Samvad" (Public Interaction) programme, Kumar greeted mediapersons on New Year and Prakash Parva, the celebration of the 350th birth anniversary of Guru Govind Singh which is underway here.

But before the reporters could ask him about demonetisation, he asked them to highlight the good things about Bihar so that devotees coming to the state on the occasion of Prakash Parva return with good memories.

The Prakash Parva which started on December 25 would end on January 5 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to attend a function in Patna on January 5.

Though, Kumar did not talk anything on demonetisation, the JD(U) has hinted that the party would conduct review of the scrapping of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes to fight black money, after Prakash Parva ends on January 5.

Kumar, who has backed demonetisation, recently said he would speak his mind on the matter after the end of 50 days of the drive, which ended on December 30 last.

Allies Congress and RJD had hoped that Kumar would join their rank in criticising the scrapping of high value notes which caused hardship to common masses across the country.

While supporting demonetisation, Kumar, however, had highlighted the "poor arrangements" in place for implementing the drive, resulting in hardship to citizens.

During his "Chetna Sabha" as part of "Nishchay Yatra" he had on numerous occasions pointed towards long queue outside banks and ATMs due to demonetisation in sharp contrast to arrangements made by his government under which an applicant gets a token and his registration is done in quick time to avail benefits of his "seven resolves" programme.

Kumar had also stated that the desired results of fight against black money could have an immediate impact on benami property and liquor ban which generates a lot of black money.

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Scientists have developed a miniature lab device that could speed up the adoption of new anti-cancer treatments by showing which drugs perform the best against tumours.

The small, versatile and simple-to-use microfluidic system consists of a series of chambers, enabling scientists to monitor the response of hypoxic cells - deficient in oxygen and therefore resistant to therapy - when drugs are introduced.

The advantage of the new device - made of glass or plastic - is that it enables researchers to visualise the micro environment and monitor how cells respond in real time to the drug being tested, said Professor Roger Phillips from University of Huddersfield in the UK.

The test cells - after being grown in the lab - can be spheroid, as opposed to the flat "2D" cells normally relied on by researchers.

The "3D" nature of cells inside the microfluidic device means that it is possible to visualise what is happening to them internally.

"We can see the drugs moving in and see hypoxia developing in the centre," said Phillips, who added that the new system could also be used for a wide range of other applications.

While there have been major improvements in knowledge of cancer cell biology, clinical approval of new drugs has not kept pace, researchers said.

One strategy in response is to "develop new in vitro preclinical models that are better predictors of success in advanced preclinical and clinical testing."



The microfluidic device will help address the urgent need for a new in vitro model able to mimic key aspects of the tumour microenvironment and therefore allow early assessment of the effects of drugs, speeding up the adoption of those that are shown to be therapeutically effective.

The research was published in the journal Scientific Reports.

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The Supreme Court today questioned the Centre as why judges and chief justices of high courts are not being transfered despite the recommendations of the collegium and asked it to file a status report on such pending transfers with detailed reasons in two weeks.

The apex court said it gives rise to "speculation and misgivings" due to continuance of such judges in the same high court and instead of sitting over the recommendation, the Centre should return back to the collegium for reconsideration.

"Continuance of judges in the same high courts despite being transferred is giving rise to speculation and misgivings. If you (the Centre) have any problem with the recommendations then send it back to us. We will look into it. There is no point sitting over it," a bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur told Attorney General (AG) Mukul Rohatgi.

Justice Thakur, who is demitting office tomorrow as the Chief Justice of India, has been regularly questioning the government over the appointment of judges for higher judiciary and both (the Centre and the judiciary) are at loggerheads with each other over the issue.

The AG said that the collegium has sent back 37 names of judges to the government which is looking at them.

"What about the transfers of judges which has been recommended by the collegium? You are sitting over them for over 10 months," a bench also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said.

Rohatgi said he needs to take instructions on the pending recommendations of transfers and sought three weeks of time.

Senior advocate Ram Jethmalani said the top law officer of the government should have all the information.

"I have no information about the transfers. Give me some time. I will come back in three weeks with full details," Rohatgi said.

Jethmalani said that transfer recommendation of Justice M R Shah of the Gujarat High Court is pending since February 2016.

"I do not understand why is the government so interested to keep this man over there," he said.

At the outset, senior advocate Yatin Oza said, "Things are really bad. I cannot say a lot of things in open court in the presence of journalists and media. Recommendations which were made six months after Justice Shah's have seen light of the day.

Oza said that the court should pass some orders on the issue in the interest of justice and institution.

The bench asked the Attorney General to file the status report with detailed reasons in two weeks.

The apex court had on November 18, last year said that it has not accepted the Centre's stand of rejecting the 43 names recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium for their appointment as judges of the various high courts and most of the names have been sent back for reconsideration.

The Centre had told the court that it has cleared 34 names out of the 77 recommended by the collegium for appointment as judges in various high courts in the country.

Rohatgi, on November 11, had told the court that the Centre had already sent the fresh draft of the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) for consideration of the collegium on August 3, last year, but so far no response has been received by the government.

The apex court had earlier rapped the government for delay in appointments to higher judiciary despite recommendations made by the collegium in this regard and had said the entire institution cannot be brought to a grinding halt.

Maintaining that the appointment process "cannot be stalled" due to non-finalisation of the MoP, the court had criticised the tardy progress in processing files pertaining to judges' appointment and even warned that it may summon the secretaries of the PMO and the Ministry of Law and Justice to ascertain the factual position.

The Attorney General had said that non-finalisation of the MoP was one of the issues and had assured the bench that more progress will be seen in the near future on the appointment of judges.

The apex court had said it would not tolerate "logjam in judges' appointment" and would intervene to "fasten accountability as the justice delivery system is collapsing".

The bench had said that if the government had reservation about any name, it could always come back to the collegium.
Global (PE) players made good a sudden jump in valuation of their investments in 2016 and chose to pull out a record $10.3 billion from domestic markets.

The value of PE investment was stagnant, or even in some cases declined, over the past one decade.

This time, they mostly shied away from pumping in more dollars after their investment in a slew of start-ups hit an all-time high in 2015. It translated into a 30 per cent decline at $16 billion in 2016, down from $23 billion in 2015.

The total PE exits rose one per cent to $10.3 billion, from $9.4 billion in 2015. This is the highest-ever pullout from the country, according to brokerage house Bain and Co. Deal-wise, the figure slipped to 199, from 213, down seven per cent, and the top 10 formed 48 per cent of the total exit value.

PEs fell back on a variety of models to exit, including strategic sales, secondary deals and initial public offerings (IPOs). The first two accounted for as much as 47 per cent in 2016, up from 31 per cent in 2015, according to the brokerage data.

"Total exit value crossed $10 billion mark for the first time at $10.3 billion in 2016, up from $9.4 billion in 2015, boosted by deals in healthcare and manufacturing sectors, which alone saw as much as $2.2 billion and $2.3 billion, respectively, worth of exits," Bain and Co said.

In contrast, in 2015, these two sectors saw exits worth only $1 billion and $900 million, respectively.

The brokerage said listings on the stock exchanges dried up towards the end of the year.

Even so, 2016 was the best year for IPOs after 2010, netting Rs 26,473 crore in fresh capital from the primary market.

Leading American player KKR alone netted $1.7 billion by selling holdings in companies such as Alliance Tires and Gland Pharma to the Japanese Yokohama and the Chinese Fosun, respectively.

Other major exits included Cipla's 16.7 per cent stake sale in the US-based clinical-stage bio pharmaceutical company Chase Pharma to drugmaker Allergan for $1 billion.

These three deals constituted 18 per cent of the total exit value in the year.

The year also saw Goldman Sachs offloading its entire stake in the Pune-based engineering and electrical fitting firm Sigma Electric for $250 million and Temasek selling off in Bharti Airtel to SingTel for $657 million.

Others like Sequoia and Helion also made money by selling stakes in microfinancier Equitas Holdings through an IPO.

But this comes amid slowing in-bound PE deals. While 2015 saw a record $23 billion of hot capital getting into scores of start-ups and other companies, it was down 30 per cent at $16 billion in 2016.

The market sentiment was impacted by sluggishness in consumer internet, banking, financial services and insurance and realty sectors, said industry observers.

Online marketplaces like Flipkart and Ola saw valuation steeply falling by $3.7 billion from the dizzying heights in 2015 as investors chose to focus on profitability.

Also, the large series funding in the upwards of $500 million was missing in 2016 for start-ups unicorns like Snapdeal, Paytm, Flipkart and Ola. Last year such mode of funding constituted four-fifths of deals last year.

Other major PE deals included Blackstone's investment in Mphasis for about $1.1 billion and Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board investing $190 million in Kotak Mahindra Bank, among others.

Also, the number of deals declined eight per cent to 965 in 2016, from 1,049, even though deal value and volume remained higher than the 2014 levels when it stood at $15 billion across 800 deals.

As much as 80 per cent of the investment decline came from consumer technology companies, real estate and BFSI, said the brokerage, adding that the fall in e-commerce firms stood at a whopping 54 per cent.

But the downtrend was somewhat offset by a steady increase in IT/ITeS, manufacturing and other sectors like education, hospitality and the like which saw 95 per cent jump in deals. Here, the top 15 formed 31 per cent of total deal size in 2016.

The top deals were Mphasis sale by Blackstone, Resurgent Power by CDPQ, OSGRF, KIA, and GE Capital Services by Aion, forming 12 per cent of the total deal pie.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the five-day annual Indian Science Congress at the Sri Venkateswara University here tomorrow.

'Science and Technology for National Development' would be the focal theme of the Indian Science Congress, Prof D Narayana Rao, General President of Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA), said.

The main venue for the Science Congress is the Srinivasa Auditorium in the University where the Prime Minister would address the gathering of eminent scientists including Nobel laureates, he said.

Six Nobel Prize winners from different countries such as the US, Japan, Israel, France and Bangladesh would also take part in the event besides about 14,000 scientists and scholars from across the country, he said.

The Nobel laureates would also be felicitated with gold medals by the Prime Minister at the ISC venue, he said.

After his inaugural address, Modi, at a tea ceremony at the varsity, would hold a brief conference with about 50 people, including the Nobel laureates, eminent Indian scientists, other dignitaries and top officials, he said.

It is the second time that Tirupati is hosting the Indian Science Congress, the first being in 1983 when the 70th ISC was held. This is the 104th conference, he said.

Later in the afternoon, Modi would offer worship at the Lord Venkateswara shrine atop Tirumala hills near here, temple sources said.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Governor ESL Narasimhan would receive and accompany Modi during his six-hour visit here.

A thick security blanket has been thrown over Tirupati and Tirumala in view of the Prime Minister's visit and the Science Congress.

(Reopens MDS 4)



The Congress will also see the scientific community



brain-storm various aspects on research in nano-technology, defence, nuclear and space technology.

Nobel laureates including Prof Ade Yonath, William Moerner, Jean Tirole, Steven Chu, Prof Kobilka are also expected to deliver their lectures.

The ISC will also have a separate Congress for children and women scientists.

The science carnival will see scientists, post-graduate and graduate students present academic papers on diverse topics like agriculture science, planetary science.

Among major topics that will be discussed are science and technology in the northeast, which has been region of focus of the Ministry of Science and Technology. Other topics are climatic changes and monsoon, cyber-security and food security.

The ISC also has a special session on gravitational waves, recent discovery of which is considered as a milestone.
Israeli police are to question Prime Minister today over whether he illegally accepted gifts from wealthy supporters, media reports said, in a probe shaking the country's political scene.

The long-running inquiry has looked into whether Israeli and foreign businessmen have offered gifts worth tens of thousands of dollars, among other issues, according to the reports.

Attorney general Avichai Mandelblit has reportedly approved upgrading the inquiry to a criminal probe, though he has yet to confirm this.

Police and Netanyahu's office declined to comment today.

Public radio said Netanyahu has agreed to be questioned at his residence.

In a Facebook post at the weekend, Netanyahu rejected all allegations against him and said his political opponents and some news outlets wanted to bring down his government.

In July, Mandelblit said he had ordered a preliminary examination into an unspecified affair involving Netanyahu.

No details were given on the nature of the preliminary examination and Netanyahu has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

He has acknowledged receiving money from French tycoon Arnaud Mimran, who was sentenced to eight years in prison over a scam amounting to 283 million euros involving the trade of carbon emissions permits and the taxes on them.

Netanyahu's office said he had received $40,000 in contributions from Mimran in 2001, when he was not in office, as part of a fund for public activities, including appearances abroad to promote Israel.

He has also come under scrutiny over an alleged conflict of interest in the purchase of submarines from a German firm.

Media reports have alleged a conflict of interest over the role played by the Netanyahu family lawyer, David Shimron, who also acts for the Israeli agent of Germany's ThyssenKrupp, which builds the Dolphin submarines.
Army chief General on Monday said his force is prepared for a two-front war involving Pakistan and China simultaneously but emphasised on the need to look at cooperation and not confrontation with Beijing.

His remarks came days after Beijing raised eyebrows over India testing 5000 km-range Agni-V missile which has entire China within its reach.

"As far as armed forces are concerned, we are tasked to be prepared for a two-front war and I think we are capable of carrying out our task in whatever manner that we may be asked to do by the political hierarchy," Gen Rawat told NewsX channel.

General Rawat said as far as the northern border is concerned, army has adopted a certain mechanism to ensure that a harmonious relationship is maintained along the Line of Actual Control.

He said that today four border personnel meetings took place at the LAC.

"This is to ensure that while we may be competing with each other for space, economic development, prosperity, there are also areas of cooperation. And I think that should be our focus area. Rather than looking at confrontation, we need to look at cooperation with China," he said.

Just before his retirement last month, Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, who was also the Chairman, Chief of Staff Committee, had said India was only building its deterrent capability.

Referring to large-scale modernisation activities along the borders with China, purchase of Rafale fighter aircraft, new vessels and submarines, Raha had said India is "obviously building up" capability not to actually fight a conflict as it believes in peace and tranquillity.

In a candid admission in March last year, Raha had said that given the IAF's depleting strength, it does not have the adequate numbers to "fully execute" an air campaign in case of a two-front war involving Pakistan and China simultaneously.
A group of DYFI workers today staged a demonstration here seeking action against the police for the reported cane charge on their colleagues in Chennai, during a protest against the Centre's demonetisation scheme, police said.

The activists numbering around 30 raised slogans against the lathicharge and sought stringent action against a Sub-Inspector, who had reportedly made sexual advances on female agitators, they said.

The other demands included, release of those arrested during the demonstration and withdrawal of false cases foisted against them.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is feeling "better" as she recovers from a heavy cold, according to her daughter Princess Anne, despite the 90-year-old monarch missing church at Sandringham for the second successive Sunday.

As the 66-year-old Princess Royal walked down from Sandringham House to St Mary Magdalene church yesterday, an onlooker asked how her mother was feeling.

Princess Anne smiled and replied: "Better".

Her husband, Vice-Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, was also asked how the Queen was feeling and replied: "Not too bad".

While the Queen is said to be recuperating and is well enough to be out of bed, she chose not to attend the New Year's Day church service at her Sandringham estate in Norfolk.

Her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, who has now recovered from a cold, was well enough to attend the service with his daughter.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson had said on Sunday: "The Queen does not yet feel ready to attend church as she is still recuperating from a heavy cold."



According to officials, she has been well enough to go over government papers and has not had to go to hospital or undergo any tests.

The Palace had first said the monarch's illness on December 21 when she and Prince Philip cancelled plans to travel to Sandringham by train because they were both suffering from a "heavy cold".

They travelled to their Norfolk estate by helicopter the next day. The Queen sent recorded good wishes to Canada on the 150th anniversary of confederation on Sunday.

The last time the Queen was seen in public was at the annual reception for the diplomatic corps at Buckingham Palace on December 8.

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Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Chief Raj Thackeray today slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi over demonetisation.

"On the day of announcement of demonetisation, Modi was saying with great confidence and telling people to see what happens on December 30, but nothing has happened," he told reporters here.

The MNS chief also criticised the decision announced by Modi of giving Rs 6,000 to pregnant women.

Thackeray was in the city to inaugurate party's new office for coming civic elections.

Referring to Supreme Court's ruling against seeking votes on the grounds of "religion, race, caste and community or language", he said India is a huge country and ground reality should be checked before passing such a judgement.

Thackeray also criticised BJP for naming a railway station in Mumbai as Ram Mandir and said that despite having power, they are not able to build actual Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

"They came to power using Ram Mandir issue, now they have changed the stand and when they have power, why can't they build Ram Mandir and instead named a railway station as Ram Mandir," he said.

"Instead of erecting the memorial, if the same funds could be utilised to conserve the existing forts in the state, the next generations will get to learn who was Shivaji Maharaj and his valiant tenure," he said on the memorial for the 17th century Maratha warrior king to be built, off Mumbai coast.

Dismissing BJP's victory in municipal council elections, Raj said the BJP did not have their own candidates.

"Though they are claiming big victory in these elections, however, the reality is that it is victory of Congress and NCP as most of the BJP's candidates were brought from these parties," he alleged.

Thackeray also said in the upcoming elections, MNS will fight the polls with complete strength.

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Actor Russell Tovey is proud of his friend James Corden's success but joked he is jealous of his vast fortune.

The 35-year-old actor starred opposite the "Late Late Show" host in "The History Boys" in 2006 and he's proud his friend is now doing so well, especially with something that seems to be effortless.

But jokingly claimed he is "furious" about the "Into The Woods" star's popularity, reported Contactmusic.

"'Carpool Karaoke' is the most effortlessly brilliant thing ever. And it's so him. How wonderful that something that comes so easy to him is his most successful thing. What a gift.

"I'm jealous that he's got so much money now he's making pound coins, but I am incredibly proud of him. And he can go and still do a big film! I don't think there's anyone else in the world like that.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Five terrorists have filed a petition in the Sindh High court here challenging the death sentence awarded to them by a Pakistani military court for their involvement in the killing of 45 Ismaili Shia Muslims in 2015.

The military court had awarded death sentences to Saad Aziz and four others for their role in the Safoora carnage on May 13, 2015, when eight gunmen boarded a bus carrying the Ismaili passengers and opened fire on them, killing 45 people.

Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa last week confirmed their death sentences along with three other "hardcore terrorists".

In the appeal filed in the Sindh High Court, Aziz and others said their appeals should also be heard as the military court had acquitted three others accused in the same case.

A two-judge bench of the SHC issued notices to the federal and provincial authorities, directing them to file their reply by January 16.

The SHC was informed last Thursday by authorities that the military court had acquitted three suspects who were set free by military authorities.

The statement came in a letter produced by Judge Advocate -General (JAG) branch of the army in a matter relating to alleged unlawful detention of suspects.

In the cold-blooded sectarian violence, Kalashnikov- wielding militants donning police uniforms had gunned down 45 Shia Ismaili Muslims - 26 men and 17 women - shooting them in the head near Shafoora Chowrangi in Karachi in May 2015.

Jundullah - a splinter group of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan that vowed allegiance to the ISIS had claimed responsibility for the attack.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Amid growing chorus within the party urging her to become the Chief Minister, AIADMK chief VK Sasikala on Monday announced consultative meetings with party functionaries, MLAs, and MPs from January 4 to 9 here, the first such exercise to be undertaken by her after being named the party General Secretary.

The slew of meetings with functionaries comes against the background of several party units having already adopted resolutions asking Sasikala to assume the leadership in both the party and governance as general secretary and chief minister respectively.

The brainstorming exercise assumes significance in view of growing chorus urging her to become the Chief Minister immediately.

A senior party functionary told PTI that "it will be a kind of introductory, interactive meet," adding other matters may be taken up with the nod of the chair, an apparent reference to the growing "Chinnamma for CM," chorus.

Sasikala will deliberate with constituency wise general council members, district office-bearers, MPs, MLAs, and functionaries at the levels of town, town panchayat and panchayat union.

She will also chair meetings with district secretaries of party wings and allied bodies.

In a party release, Sasikala said she will hold consultative meetings on "party activities," at the AIADMK headquarters here.

On January 4, functionaries from Chennai, Kanchipuram, Tiruvallur, Vellore, and Tiruvannamalai will take part in the meetings.

Notably, the DMK had already announced that its general council meeting will be held on January 4 wherein party treasurer MK Stalin is set to be given a larger role and is likely to be named as DMK's working president.

While no meeting has been scheduled by AIADMK on January 5, functionaries from districts including Theni and Dindigul will meet Sasikala on January 6.

Similar meetings have been scheduled for January 7, 8 and 9.

Sasikala was appointed general secretary on Dec 29 by the AIADMK general council meeting here.
The Supreme Court's ruling, which says seeking votes in the name of "religion" amounts to "corrupt practice", "clashes" with the Hindutva as "a way of life" verdict delivered by Justice J S Verma, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said today.

In a majority verdict, the Supreme Court today held that any appeal for votes on the ground of "religion, race, caste, community or language" amounted to "corrupt practice" under the election laws.

"Justice J S Verma, in the Manohar Joshi case, defined Hindutva as a way of life in 1995. This point has not been considered here and as such parties contesting polls on Hindutva plank can take a stand that they are seeking votes on the basis of (concept of) way of life and not on religion," Owaisi told reporters here when asked to react on today's verdict.

"The Supreme Court has added a few things under Section 123 of The Representation of People Act but this judgement may clash with the Hindutva verdict as saffron parties can contend they are not seeking votes on the basis of religion," said the Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad.

The AIMIM leader, however, clarified he had not yet gone through the entire apex court judgement.

Replying to a question, Owaisi said he is not disappointed by the judgement but was expecting the bench to review Justice Verma's verdict.

To another query, the 47-year-old MP said, "Ours is a participatory form of democracy and it is seen that minority representation is not sufficient. For 14 per cent Muslims, there are only 23 MPs whereas the number should be 60."



"Representation should be given to minorities at all levels, including local bodies, Assembly and Parliament," said Owaisi.

(Reopens BOM15)



On the Rs 3,600-crore memorial of Chhatrapati Shivaji in the Arabian Sea, the AIMIM leader asked whether people had read about the teachings and policies of the warrior king.

"Shivaji was a true supporter of farmers, but in the reign of these people (referring to present BJP led and previous Congress-NCP Governments) more than one lakh farmers have committed suicide," he said.

He dismissed Congress and NCP claims that AIMIM was responsible for the BJP's victory in the 2014 Assembly polls in Maharashtra.

"They (Congress-NCP) are incapable of fighting Modi but are now blaming me and my party (for BJP's win)," said Owaisi, whose Hyderabad-based outfit bagged two seats in the 2014 polls.
Scoot and Tigerair airlines today said they are offering promotional fares starting from Rs 5,099 on certain international routes.

These fares would be available for the flights from Chennai, Amritsar, Bangalore, Lucknow, Hyderabad and Jaipur.

"The fares to Singapore start from as low as Rs 5,099 onwards, and for those who would like to travel in style- ScootBiz fares (where ScootBiz is operating) start from Rs 12,199," Scoot said in a release.

According to the release, the fares to Australia start at Rs 11,499. These prices would be applicable for travel between January 11 and May 15.

Scoot and Tigerair are managed by Budget Aviation Holdings -- a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore Airlines Group.

"We are behind the demonetisation exercise now and it's time for us to ring in the new year with celebratory offers across our destinations.

"We believe that there is pent up demand after the demonetisation and that will take effect in these few months," Scoot's India Head Bharath Mahadevan said.

* * * * * * * * * * * * MBD to launch VR based content, device at world book fair



MBD Group will unveil virtual reality (VR) based content at the World Book Fair here and will also bring in its e-book store.

MBD's interactive 3D virtual reality simulations will be made available for students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 to make their concepts clear, a company release said.

Apart from the Group's own VR device, MBD's VR content will be compatible with all other leading VR devices like Samsung Gear, Oculus Rift etc, for wider accessibility.

"Apart from VR content & device, we would also introduce our e-book store/portal at the book fair. Initially, the e-book portal will have books for K-12 segment, covering all states, all subjects and all major boards," Monica Malhotra Kandhari, Managing Director, MBD Group, said.

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William Shakespeare's popular play Hamlet was dated wrongly, causing scholars to overlook a message that has hidden in plain sight for centuries, new research has claimed.

Until recently, academics believed that Shakespeare wrote Hamlet in early 1601, when Elizabeth I was still on the throne after more than 42 years.

Researchers have found that this is the wrong date and that the Bard did not produce the finished version for another two years.

According to them, Shakespeare may have used the play to win the favour of the newly crowned James I in 1603.

In 1603, Shakespeare would have been working on his play immediately after the coronation of James I and after the death of his own father, John, in late 1601.

The story of an old regime giving way to a fresh new ruler from a neighbouring country seems to be an intentional reference to James VI of Scotland assuming power in England after Elizabeth's death, Gary Taylor, a research professor at Florida State University in the US told 'The Times'.

Fortinbras, the Norwegian king who takes power in Denmark after the death of Claudius and Hamlet at the end of the play, was intended as a direct parallel to James I, Taylor said.

The need to flatter the king would have been especially important because one of James's first acts was to appoint Shakespeare's acting company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, as his own official players, allowing them to rename themselves the King's Men.

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The IT@School Project undertaken by the Kerala government will be introducing 'Hi School Kuttikootam' (Student IT Club Network) to boost activities and interests of students in ICT enabled learning,



About one lakh students would be covered in the network this academic year itself, thus making it the largest of its kind in the country, officials said.

The number of members is expected to be increased to a minimum of two lakh by next academic year.

Registrations of students will start from tomorrow.

IT@School Project would be implemented on the lines of the Student Police Cadets programme in the state.

"As part of General Education Protection Mission, the Hi-School Student Group programme would be strengthened and the students' participation would be ensured in various activities," Education Minister Prof C Ravindranath, said.

The programmes aims at facilitating an in-depth ICT learning environment for students, to provide students with an experience of group learning as well as collaborative learning, to improve the efficiency of ICT enabled education in schools.

This would ensure students' participation in resolving the technical issues in schools, safe usage of internet and building awareness on cyber crimes etc, a release said.

Students would be empowered to use the multi-faceted scope of ICT through this participative programme.

In addition to this, the programme would also highlight teaching students the importance of language computing, thereby giving the students an opportunity to undertake different language computing programmes.

Students, who are part of the ICT Clubs in schools, would be given specific training in five areas-- Animation and Multimedia, Hardware, Electronics, Language computing and Internet and Cyber Safety.The training would be meticulously monitored by IT@School Project.

A committee would be set-up in schools with the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) President as Chairman and Headmaster as Convener to co-ordinate the school level activities of Hi-School programme.School IT Co-ordinators (SITC) would lead the daily activities of this programme.

The activities of the programme would be executed without affecting any class-timings.

"As many as 1 lakh school students in the State would be part of this programme in this academic year itself and IT@School project would develop a mechanism for these students to provide the awareness and training for other students and parents," K Anvar Sadath, Executive Director, IT@School said.

Various organisations such as Google (Internet Safety), Start-up Mission (Electronics), Swathanthra Malayalam Computing have ensured their support in these activities.

IT@School Project would submit detailed reports for expanding such programmes and also to make use of the Corporate Social Responsibility schemes of various companies.

There are also plans to approach Union government to provide Hardware tools such as tablets to these students under 'Digital India' programme, the release said.

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Gunmen in military uniforms have killed eight people in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region, residents and an NGO said, as rebels accused the army of being behind the attack.

The shooting happened on Sunday in Nertiti in the Jabal Marra area, where sporadic clashes between the army and rebels have continued despite a government-announced unilateral ceasefire.

Ashafih al-Saleh, who heads an association that supports displaced people in Darfur, yesterday said: "Eight people, mostly women, were killed inside their homes."



He accused the army of carrying out the attack "to avenge the death of a soldier whose body was found" in Nertiti.

Resident Faisal Ashaq said his 13-year-old daughter was killed in the attack.

"Gunmen in military uniforms appeared suddenly in their four-wheel-drives, shooting with guns and machine guns screwed on to their vehicles," he said.

A medical source said around 60 people were wounded.

The Sudan Liberation Army - Minni Minnawi rebel group accused pro-government forces of conducting the attack.

A statement said "the attack contradicts" President Omar al-Bashir's decision on December 31 to extend by a month a unilateral ceasefire in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan regions.

"Bashir's decision is aimed at covering up the crimes committed by his militias, under his instructions," it added.

The conflict in Darfur -- a region of the size of France -- erupted in 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against Bashir's Arab-dominated government, accusing it of marginalising the region.

At least 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced in Darfur since the conflict first erupted in 2003, the UN says.

Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court on war crimes and genocide charges related to Darfur, which he denies.

Sudan insists that the conflict in Darfur has ended.

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External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today directed Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia to take up with the Saudi government the arrest of an Indian engineer from Telangana for allegedly posting a "blasphemous" photo on social media.

"I have asked our Ambassador in Saudi Arabia to take this up with the Saudi Government @IndianEmbRiyadh," she tweeted.

Her response came after one Naseema Khan brought the case of Shankar Ponnam who was arrested by Riyadh police nearly one-and-half months back.

Ponnam, who is in his 40s and works as an agricultural engineer, allegedly posted on Facebook a doctored photo of the Kaaba, a sacred site in Islam.

He is from Jagtial district in Telangana and is an employee with a farm in Tameer district of Al-Majmaah region.

Ponnam offended the sentiments of Muslims by posting the photo of holy Kaaba and his act triggered a social media outcry and condemnation, Col. Fawaz Al-Maiman, spokesman for Riyadh Police, was quoted as saying by local media in Riyadh.

He said police confiscated the mobile phone used by Ponnam to post the "blasphemous photo".

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Syria's army advanced today as it battles to capture a rebel region that is key to the capital's water supply, launching strikes and artillery fire threatening a fragile nationwide truce.

The ceasefire brokered by regime ally Russia and Turkey, which backs the opposition, is now in its fourth day, despite sporadic violence and continued fighting in the Wadi Barada area near Damascus.

"Regime forces and fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah group are advancing in the region and are now on the outskirts of Ain al-Fijeh, the primary water source in the area," said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor.

He said government troops and allied fighters were engaged in fierce clashes with rebels, including from the former Al-Qaeda affiliate now known as Fateh al-Sham Front.

The monitor said government forces were carrying out air strikes and artillery fire on the area, northwest of the capital, but reported no casualties.

Wadi Barada has been surrounded by government forces since mid-2015, but the siege was tightened in late December as the army piled on pressure seeking to secure a "reconciliation" deal.

It has won several of these deals in opposition areas around the capital, offering safe passage to surrendering rebels in return for retaking territory.

The opposition criticises them as a "starve or surrender" tactic.

As the fighting stepped up in the area, Syria's government says rebels targeted key water infrastructure, causing leaking fuel to poison the water supply and then cutting it off altogether.

The United Nations says at least four million people in Damascus have been without water since December 22.

The Observatory said around 1,000 civilians -- all of them women and children -- fled the fighting in Wadi Barada over the weekend, moving to other parts of the province.

The violence threatens the delicate truce that came into force last week and is intended to pave the way to new peace talks in Kazakhstan later this month.

Four civilians and nine rebels have been killed since the truce began, but officially it is still holding.

In a statement, rebels fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner in Wadi Barada warned that the truce was in danger of collapse.

"We call on the sponsors of the ceasefire agreement to assume their responsibility and pressure the regime and its allied militias to stop their clear violation of the agreement," the statement said.

Otherwise, they warned, "we will call on all the free military factions operating inside Syria to overturn the agreement and ignite the fronts in defence of the people of Wadi Barada".

The statement said that Wadi Barada was included in the deal brokered by Moscow and Ankara and accused the regime of violating the agreement.

The ceasefire deal, and the plan for new talks, received the unanimous backing of the UN Security Council on Saturday, despite offering a competing track to UN-sponsored negotiations.

Turkey and Russia are organising the talks in Astana along with regime ally Iran, and say they are intended to supplement, not replace, UN-backed negotiations scheduled to resume in February.

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Trinamool MP Tapas Pal, who was arrested by the CBI for his alleged role in the Rose Valley chit fund scam, today underwent medical tests after he complained of health problems at the start of his interrogation by the investigating agency.

Pal, who is on a three-day remand with the CBI, was first taken to state-run Capital Hospital's cardiology, neurology and ophthalmology departments for check-ups.

In the evening, the MP again underwent health check-up, this time at the hospital's psychiatric department after he again complained of health problem.

"We have examined Pal. He has epilepsy and diabetes. But, he is fit to face interrogation by the CBI," Dr Prasant Mohanty, head of psychiatric department in the hospital, said.

After being arrested by the CBI in Kolkata on December 30, the cine star-turned-politician was brought to Bhubaneswar the next day. He was sent to three-day CBI custody by a special court.

The Trinamool MP was one of the directors of the tainted chit fund group that allegedly duped investors in Odisha, West Bengal and some other states.

Pal is 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 CBI official said.

In its charge sheet submitted in the court, CBI had 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.

While being taken to hospital, Pal, for the second consecutive day, claimed before the mediapersons that he is "innocent and had not done anything wrong".

Meanwhile, his daughter Sohini Pal also appeared before the CBI here after the investigating agency sought certain clarification from her, sources said, adding she was given a job in the Rose Valley Group allegedly due to her father's influence.

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Tata AutoComp Systems today said it has completed the acquisition of leading engine cooling supplier TitanX, in line with its strategy of expanding globally and fortifying presence in the cooling and emission control segments.

"With the successful acquisition of TitanX, we look forward to leverage TitanX's global presence that fits well into our well-defined global growth strategy," Tata AutoComp Systems Ltd Chairman Praveen Kadle said in a statement.

The acquisition further reiterates the company's commitment in delivering solutions that will cater to the changing needs of global customers, he added.

"Offering improved products and services are our strength and we are confident that this acquisition will further help provide world-class products and services for the automotive industry," Kadle said.

Tata AutoComp Systems MD & CEO Ajay Tandon said the acquisition of TitanX will help the company further strengthen and enhance its commercial vehicle customers outside India.

Tata AutoComp Systems is promoted by the Tata Group and provides products and services to the domestic and global automotive OEMs as well as tier-1 suppliers.

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As inter-ministerial talks began in Colombo on the contentious fishermen's issue, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam today urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to denounce the remarks of a Sri Lankan Minister on impounded Indian boats, which may vitiate the atmosphere of the parleys.

In his letter, Panneerselvam said, "I write with a sense of deep anguish at the very unfortunate and needlessly provocative remarks of the Sri Lankan Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development, Mahinda Amaraweera,"



He said the remarks were reported in a section of the media, indicating that the fishing boats and gear of Indian fishermen of Tamil Nadu which are in the custody of the Sri Lankan authorities, would be taken over and made the property of the Government of Sri Lanka.

"Such unfortunate and provocative statements are clearly veiled threats to intimidate our fishermen from exercising their traditional fishing rights in the Palk Bay which they have done for centuries," he said adding "The statements appear to mock the diplomatic efforts being undertaken by the Government of India to sort out the sensitive issue."



The Chief Minister strongly urged the Centre to register its disapproval of such remarks in the strongest possible terms at the appropriate level.

"Such statements just before the Inter Ministerial level talks of the two countries will certainly vitiate the atmosphere before the talks," Panneerselvam said.

He also sought the release of impounded boats, fishing gear and 51 Indian fishermen in the the island nation's custody.

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Turkey will press on with its military operation in Syria despite the deadly attack on an Istanbul nightclub that was a "message" against the campaign, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said today.

"This was a message for our cross-border operations, above all the Euphrates Shield," he said, using the mission name of Turkey's campaign inside Syria.

"We will carry on our cross-border operations and Euphrates Shield and with determination."



Thirty-nine people were killed and dozens wounded on January 1 when a gunman stormed a popular Istanbul nightclub and sprayed bullets at revellers celebrating the New Year.

The shooting was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, which said it was in response to Turkey's intervention in Syria. Kurtulmus made no comment on the claim.

Turkish troops entered northern Syria on August 24 in support of pro-Ankara Syrian rebels, with the aim of ousting IS jihadists as well as Kurdish militia from the border area.

After a lightning successful start to the operation recapturing towns from IS including Jarabulus, the Turkish military has taken dozens of casualties as it tries to capture Al Bab where IS has put up a stronger fight to remain in control.

After Al Bab, the military intends to head west to Manbij.

"In Jarabulus, Al Bab, Manbij or wherever it needs to go, we will continue these operations until these terror organisations no longer remain a threat to Turkey," Kurtulmus said during a televised press conference in Ankara.

He said the attack was also because of Turkey's attempts to create peace in the region after Ankara teamed up with Moscow to agree on a ceasefire for Syria.

But he vowed: "Our initiatives for new peace in the Middle East will be realised.
Goa police today took into custody two people at Dona Paula beach in the state as they were distributing pamphlets about a program by the NGO of controversial Islamic televangelist Zakir Naik at Mangalore.

They were identified as Abdul Nasir and Iliyaz Ismail.

Both were taken to Panaji police station where they were being interrogated by teams of Intelligence Bureau and Anti-Terrorism Squad, a police official said.

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New Year's Eve passed off peacefully enough in war-torn Ukraine - until a senior lawmaker shot a man in the leg during a testosterone-charged road rage incident.

Ukrainians bored by a relative lack of over the holiday period have been gripped by accounts of the fight between the man and the senior politician that also involved an assault with a bottle.

Local media interviewed the gunshot victim Vyacheslav Khimikus from his hospital bed. He admitted that he had attacked the MP with a bottle before being shot.

Khimikus was helping to push a broken-down bus just outside Kiev after stopping his own car but forgetting to switch on his flashing emergency lights.

Into this scene rolled deputy Sergiy Pashynskiy and his wife in a Mercedes Benz.

Khimikus said the lawmaker's wife rolled down her window and began swearing at him.

This prompted Khimikus to challenge Pashynskiy -- who was in the passenger seat -- to come out "and settle things man-to-man".

The ensuing duel saw Khimikus whack Pashynskiy in the head with a bottle before the lawmaker shot him in the leg.

"I used the gun only after being hit by a glass bottle and firing a warning shot in the air," various media quoted Pashynskiy as saying.

The deputy added that his gun was licensed and his actions legal.

One of the biggest mysteries intriguing Ukrainians was why he was carrying a gun in the first place.

Pashynskiy heads parliament's security and defence committee but is not required by law to carry a weapon.

People were also asking why he was in a Mercedes Benz car -- a luxury vehicle few Ukrainian officials can afford.

The lawmaker has immunity from prosecution and may not be investigated for any crime while in office.

But Ukrainian media reported that he has had a series of other run-ins with the law.

The former Soviet republic is infamous for having a raucous parliament in which fistfights and all-out brawls are not uncommon but gun use by Ukrainian officials is rare.

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Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh has expressed hope of a positive outcome in the ministerial-level talks to be held between India and Sri Lanka over the fishermen issue even as he hit out at the Congress for 'failure' to resolve it during its tenure.

Leaving for Colombo from here to participate in the two-day talks beginning later today over the dispute on fishing rights of Tamil Nadu fishermen in the Palk Bay, he said the BJP-led NDA government was taking all steps to find a permanent solution to the issue.

Speaking to reporters at the airport, Singh attacked the Congress for not solving the issue.

"Congress party did not act to solve the issue during its tenure and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking all steps to protect our fishermen and solve their issues," he said.

Singh said he hoped for a positive outcome in the talks.

The Minister said he was participating in the talks as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was convalescing after recently undergoing kidney transplant.

In a tweet, Singh said, "I will be visiting #SriLanka from January 2nd to January 3rd 2017."



He said the visit will focus on "discussing permanent solutions to the problems and issues of fishermen."



Ascertaining possibilities for cooperation in patrolling, release of apprehended fishing vessels and fishermen of both sides and promotion of deep sea fishing by providing tuna long liners to (Indian) fishermen will be the other areas of focus, he said.

Tamil Nadu government has been urging the Centre to take up the fishermen issue with the island nation and find a permanent solution.

Chief Minister O Panneerselvam in a recent letter to the Prime Minister had said the recurrent instances of 'attacks and abduction' of the state fishermen should be stopped immediately.

"Our fishermen should be allowed to pursue their peaceful avocation of fishing in their traditional fishing waters of the Palk Bay," he had said in the Dec 21 letter.

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VHP today welcomed the Supreme Court ruling today barring political parties and candidates from seeking votes in the name of religion, caste, community, race or language.

Welcoming the decision of the Supreme Court, Vishwa Hindu Parishad's Joint General Secretary Surendra Jain said politics based on caste, community and religion has harmed the country a lot.

He also said that national integration has also been damaged by this practice.

"Vote bank politics would be curbed by this decision and the judgement will prove to be a landmark in nation-building," he said.

Jain said it is now the duty of the Election Commission to get it implemented in its letter and spirit.

"We appeal to the Election Commission to de-recognize the political parties and debar the candidates who violates any provision of this verdict," he said.

In a landmark verdict seeking to separate religion, caste and other issues from politics, the Supreme Court, by a majority verdict, today held as "corrupt" the practice of candidates appealing for votes on the basis of these identities included not only him but his agents and voters.

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Vigilance and anti-corruption bureau today ordered 'Quick verification' of alleged irregularities of around Rs 10 crore in import of raw cashew nuts by Kerala Cashew Development Corporation and CAPEX.

"The Quick Verification(QV) is not against an individual, but against certain decisions taken by the corporation and CAPEX in import of raw cashew nut," vigilance sources told PTI.

There are three QVs. Two will be inquired by vigilance's Kollam unit and the other by the one here, the source said.

The QV orders were issued by Vigilance Director DGP Jacob Thomas on a complaint filed by Adv Rahim, President of Lawyers Congress, alleging corruption in import of raw cashew.

Earlier, Congress MLA V D Satheeshan had in the state assembly raised allegations of irregularities in import of raw cashew nut against J Mercykutty Amma the Minister for Fisheries and Cashew Development.

The minister had then said the opposition was spreading false charges against her and she would quit if the charges were proved.

Satheesan had alleged that Kerala Cashew Development Corporation had imported raw cashew nut at a higher price when it was available at a cheaper rate, causing 'heavy burden' to it.

The Cashew Development Corporation incurred a loss of Rs 6.87 crore in importing 3,900 tonnes of cashew nut. A loss of Rs 3.47 crore was incurred while importing 2,000 tonnes of cashew nut by Capex, it was stated.

Meanwhile, the minister welcomed the QV.

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Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe today challenged Mahinda Rajapaksa to topple the current government, days after the former president expressed his intent to make a political comeback by bringing down the government this year.

"I will be going next week to Switzerland for one week giving Mahinda time to bring the government down," Wickremesinghe told reporters here.

Rajapaksa last week has warned that the unity government headed by the President Maithripala Sirisena and Premier Wickremesinghe could be toppled in 2017 through a roll of the head count in the national parliament.

Wickremesinghe said that the government from today was launching its development drive with opening up factories and announcing its new development strategies.

Initially, an agreement is to be finalised with China for setting up of a special economic zone (SEZ) in Hambantota, deep southern district.

"We have signed the frame work agreement and finished. Now we are doing the concessionary agreement. It will be signed soon. Both sides are now arguing about the tax concessions," Wickremesinghe said.

"On the Hambantota port we will get 1 billion (dollars) , the whole loan can be written off," he said.

Rajapaksa leads the local protests to the move to lease the port's 80 per cent stake to China for a USD 1.3 billion settlement.

He said he was not opposed to the setting up of the industrial park but opposes the move to give 15,000 acres of lands of the locals to the Chinese.

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Octogenarian Lalita Subramanyam, resident of Wadala in central Mumbai, was in for a pleasant surprise this morning when police landed at her doorstep.

Subramanyam has been living alone in her flat for the last 25 years and is on local police's list of 'senior citizens requiring care and protection'.

Two of her children live in the United States while another son lives in Bengaluru.

As her children could not visit her today on her 83rd birthday, Matunga police, who help her with chores such as medicine-purchase and bank transactions, decided to give her a surprise.

Officials from the police station reached her house this morning with a cake and bouquet of flowers.

Subramanyam cut the cake in the presence of Deputy Commissioner of Police Ashok Dudhe, who was Zonal DCP of this area last year, and senior police inspector B M Kakad alongwith a police constable who regularly calls on her.

An overwhelmed Subramanyam blessed the officers.

"She is like my mother...She was very happy with birthday celebration," said inspector Kakad.

"She said her children visit her few times a year but are unable to come frequently," he said.

Mumbai police have a dedicated helpline 1090 for senior citizens. Senior citizens living alone call the helpline if they require any help, or, sometimes, just because they are feeling lonely.

Late R R Patil, when he was the home minister, started the initiative under which police officials regularly meet the senior citizens living alone under their respective jurisdictions to help them and make them feel safe.

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The Council will meet Commerce and Industry minister Nirmala Sitharaman and representatives of IT, telecom, heavy industry, road transport, banking and insurance sectors on Tuesday to assess the implementation hurdles under the new goods and services tax regime.
India is expected to overtake the US as the worlds second-largest smartphone market this year, according to analysts. Apple, for months now, has been eager to grab a larger share of the pie by setting up its own (wholly owned) stores. As of now the company sells its products through distributors such as Redington and Ingram Micro.
The mutual funds sector has sought the introduction of Mutual Fund Linked Retirement Plan (MFLRP), similar to the 401(k) plans in the US, as part of its Budget wish list.
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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.
In a listless trading, the Sensex on Monday closed with a marginal fall of over 31 points at 26,595 on the first trading day of 2017 as banking stocks felt the heat due to worries that the lending rate cuts will hit their bottom line.

Investors started taking profit in recent gainers that made mood downbeat. There was accelerated selling after manufacturing sector contracted in December, hit hard by demonetisation, and fresh weakness in the rupee.

The Nikkei Markit India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) fell to 49.6, down from 52.3 in November. Opening on a weak note, the Sensex shuttled between 26,720.98 and 26,447.06 and settled lower 31.01 points, or 0.12 per cent, at 26,595.45. The gauge had gained 415.78 points in the previous two straight sessions. The 50-share Nifty edged down by 6.30 points, or 0.08 per cent, to close at 8,179.50.

It shuttled between 8,212 and 8,133.80 intra-day. In the banking space, stocks of HDFC Ltd emerged as the top loser by falling 3.45 per cent, followed by SBI 2.46 per cent and ICICI Bank 1.37 per cent. Axis Bank shed 0.73 per cent and HDFC Bank lost 0.57 per cent. Other losers were Infosys, GAIL, Cipla, Wipro, HUL, NTPC and TCS. Most global stocks, including those in Asia and Europe, were closed today for the New year.

The near-absence of overseas cues meant investors remained directionless. In contrast, investors indulged widening their portfolios in the second-line stocks, with small-cap and mid-cap indices outperforming the Sensex with gains of 1.20 per cent and 0.83 per cent, respectively. Bajaj Auto fell 1 per cent after company reported a 22 per cent decline in total sales in December while Hero MotoCorp fell 0.53 per cent.

On the other hand, largest car-maker Maruti Suzuki gained 2.69 per cent even as it reported 1 per cent decline in total sales in December 2016. M&M rose 3.42 per cent after the company reported 9 per cent increase in total tractor sales at 14,047 units in December while Tata Motors climbed 3.37 per cent.

Stocks of realty companies caught buyers' fancy after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 31 announced that loans of up to Rs 9 lakh taken in the new year under the new scheme of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana will receive interest subvention of 4 per cent and loan of up to Rs 12 lakh will get a 3 per cent waiver.

Shares of Unitech, DLF Ltd, HDIL, Oberoi Realty, Sobha Ltd, Godrej Properties, Indiabulls Real Estate and Omaxe Ltd gained up to 6.65 per cent. Meanwhile, foreign funds sold shares worth Rs 585.64 crore while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought shares worth a net Rs 824.84 crore on the last trading session of 2016 on Friday, as per provisional data.

Stocks of state-run oil marketing companies such HPCL, BPCL and IOC ended higher by up to 1.78 per cent following hike in fuel prices.

Sectorally, the BSE banking sector index suffered the most by falling 1.18 per cent, followed by IT (0.33 per cent) and technology (0.15 per cent), while realty rose (4.32 per cent) and auto was up (1.95 per cent).


India's largest LNG importer Petronet has signed an agreement to set up a USD 950 million liquefied natural gas import project in Bangldesh.

Petronet 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," Petronet 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 5 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 (IOC) 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.
Smart portfolio choices will decide success rate



What can the Indian pharma companies hope to look forward to in the new year? After all, market headwinds in the form of drug pricing pressures , both in India and the US, and regulatory compliance issues are expected to continue even in 2017. Some of the industry veterans feel a greater focus on smart portfolio choices will get even more critical in 2017.

This, they say, is crucial in the context of the factors that characterized 2016. For the year just concluded stood out for the noise around regulatory hurdles and price control pressures. In the Indian market, the moves by the government around bringing in price control, be it for essential medicines or for medical devices like stents, was loud and clear. The drug pricing pressures were an equal concern if not more, for Indian companies operating in their biggest global market, the United States of America. The presidential election campaign put medicine pricing as an important area for concern.

This, on top of channel consolidation, added to the pricing pressure. For instance, the US now has only about four large wholesalers and chains that source generic drugs compared to about a dozen three years ago. This only means that they have a great deal of bargaining power vis-a-vis the generic drug companies. These were the developments that characterized the year.

Some of the companies, like Lupin or Sun Pharma, tried to overcome these through better portfolio choices. This meant launching those products in the US which were either difficult to make or were differentiated generics so that they had the benefit of limited or lower competition or where the complexity of drug making ensured barriers to entry for many.

Glenmark, for instance, pointed out that it intends to build on the index for innovation. How that will play out for these companies needs to be seen. However, company examples notwithstanding, the underlying message from some of the announcements seems to be clearly driven by an end goal to look for opportunities to improve profits and the return on capital employed.

The concerns in the new year do not seem to be materially very different from those in 2016. There was the volatility in the emerging market currencies but that got played out in 2016. Concerns on this front do remain even now. Other than that, concerns still hover around the drug pricing scenario and the progress that many of them - be it Sun Pharma, Dr Reddy's and others - can make on the regulatory compliance issues.



THE OUTLOOK FOR EDUCATION IN 2017



Expect to see greater use of technology

"India will start seeing a lot more use of technology in higher education," says Ajit Rangnekar, the former dean of the Indian School of Business (ISB), with campuses in Hyderabad and Mohali. Already, the concepts of flipped classrooms (pedagogical model where short video lectures are viewed by students before they attend the class. The in-class time is devoted to discussing it or other related activities) and MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) have already started taking off, especially in some of the leading Indian institutions. The focus is expected to be not just on the way education is delivered using technology, on the nuts and bolts of how we teach (the use of artificial intelligence, machine, video technology, bigger telecommunication standards), be it 4G or 5G for facilitating learning, but the thrust increasingly will also be on technology-related areas for career choice. This trend is not likely to be confined to higher learning but is expected to play out across various levels of learning leading to more being delivered electronically as and when students want. Some of this is being seen in the use of fintech (or financial technology, where technology is applied for delivering financial services) for instance.

On the regulatory front also, those who have been tracking the Indian education space see reason for hope in the new leadership in the HRD ministry. The sector is likely to see a move towards giving greater autonomy to government backed institutions -- like the Indian Institute of Managements (IIMs) -- in deciding their future. This is more likely to be in the fashion of allowing them the freedom to experiment with technology and with the new ways of reaching out to people. Finally, the IIM bill could address all the major concerns of some of these institutions.



THE OUTLOOK FOR MICROFINANCE AND SMALL FINANCE BANKS IN 2017



It's wait and watch in the first quarter of the new year

January is the time the microfinance institutions add new clients and traditionally the sector has seen players opening new branches. There is not much expected on this front as the sector --that was on a near holiday after demonetisation -- has still to see loan disbursements and repayments returning to normalcy. Therefore, many in the sector want to observe how the first quarter pans out and see if the business returns. It has been a shock for the system said an industry insider.

Reason: There are two dimensions - one, is the simple fact about notes not being available and the second, and more worrying to many, is the decline in business and the fact that this development lasted for more than the week or two as was initially expected. An added dimension is that many of the new small finance banks are expected to start their operations in the first quarter of 2017, which may not necessarily be the best of times to start out (one could say that it could be a lesser challenge for the urban and non-farm focused ones). What has baffled many is the inability to interpret the measures and what exactly it could mean for the various stakeholders. For instance, is it a move that will boost the payment banks? Indeed, it is still not clear how it will help them. Not many are bothered by the issue of payment methodology, which may take a month or more but will eventually get sorted out, but the bigger issue is of business taking off, which is taking time.

Therefore, what one can gather at the moment is that there is going to first six months of uncertainty and after that the expectation is that business will get back on track.
The public is invited to join members in attending the Cache Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Banquet coming up on Tuesday, January 10th at the Riverwoods Conference Center in Logan.

Chamber President and CEO Sandy Emile says she is excited to announce that the keynote speaker will be Dr. Noelle Cockett, incoming president of Utah State University.

President Cockett will be a wonderful USU president, Emile exclaims. And it will be very good timing to hear what her vision is for building this relationship between the community and the university and what she would like to see and do with the university during her position there.

Im very excited about that. And we have wonderful award winners.

This years Outstanding Citizen Award winners include Michael Ballam, founding general director of Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre, and Dolores Gossner Wheeler, president and CEO of Gossner Foods.
Barrister Agbor Balla, Leader of CACSC Wilson MUSA

The President of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium, CACSC, who doubles as President of Fako Layers Association, Barrister Agbor Balla Felix, says President Paul Biya has not been well briefed on the issues raised by lawyers and teachers, he said the The Presidents Speech has completely misjudged the situation for West Cameroonians whose education, culture, language and economic aspirations have been severely undermined over a period of 55 years.

In a Press release shortly after the State of the Nations address by Paul Biya on December 31, 2016, the Consortiums leader said the speech calls for honest dialogue which they share and that the speech recognized the dishonest approach of governments previous efforts, hence they cannot determine whether or not negotiations will yield fruits unless the government shows good faith.

The Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium maintained that what is happening in former West Cameroon is A grassroots movement for the restoration of the values that West Cameroon inherited at independence such as the democratic shield and Common law, which appear to have been severely undermined.

The Civil Society Organization said what happened in Bamenda, Buea and Kumba is blatant disregard of fundamental Human Rights which have been watched with horror both at home and abroad, thanks to the exposure of Social Media.

The Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium following these events has called on the Head of State to investigate and prosecute those who have facilitated or perpetrated the killings, rape and torture of English Speaking West Cameroonians.

It maintained that the strike action shall continue this January until substantive dialogue is engaged.
Franklin Bayen Franklin Bayen

Biya admits there is an anglophone problem and thus shames Atanga Nji, Fame Ndongo, Laurent Esso, Issa Tchiroma and other Anglophone stooges. - Biya suggests federalism may be discussed but not secession

How come we didn't notice that President Biya bent over backwards and made concessions to our demands in his 2016 end of year speech, even amidst his tough talking, fist-banging and protesters-bashing which, you guess right, were just a veil to pretend we haven't arm-twisted him into submission?

Guys, we are succeeding it in this noble struggle and pushing the frontiers of dialogue and change. Missing these points means we expected to see Biya practically on his knees to know he was begging and conceding.



Follow my read:

1.- ANGLOPHONE PROBLEM



Biya admits there is an anglophone problem and thus shames Atanga Nji, Fame Ndongo, Laurent Esso, Issa Tchiroma and other Anglophone stooges.

Paragraph 20: "All the voices that spoke have been heard. They have, in many cases, raised substantive issues that cannot be overlooked."

2.- FEDERALISM

Biya suggests federalism may be discussed but not secession.

Paragraph 23 (c): "Like any human endeavour, our experience is not perfect. There are aspects that can be improved. We should therefore listen to each other. We should remain open to constructive ideas, to the exclusion, however, of those that would affect the form of our State."

3.- FOUMBAN II

Biya says besides the teachers and lawyers specialized ad hoc committees, his government is ready to concede even more to discuss the wider Southern Cameroons concerns in yet another committee like prior to the Reunification (Foumban II).

Paragraph 24: "Besides the bodies that I instructed the Government to set up and which are already at work, we are ready to go an extra mile. We are willing to move in the footsteps and spirit of the architects of Reunification, and put in place a national entity which will be tasked with proposing solutions aimed at maintaining peace, consolidating our countrys unity and strengthening our resolve, and our day-to-day experiences of LIVING TOGETHER. And this should be done in strict compliance with our Constitution and our Institutions."

If these are not concessions, what are they? Go back and read your conflict resolution notes. I'm checking mine. These are olive branch signals. They are not made from a position of strength. Neither are they made lying down flat to show total surrender.

If we're in this thing to make gains (albeit step by step) and not just to conjure outcomes like magicians or Alice In Wonderland, these are moments to seize. But as concessions are not a surrender, negotiating parties can rebound, capitalzing on the weaknesses and blunders of the opponent.

Dear Southern Cameroons sisters and brothers, this battle is ours to lose. We can only spoil it for ourselves, that is if we make erreur.

This is the people's struggle; no one should dare to own it. We must organize ourselves, realistically sizing up the opponent.

Truth that shows us the height of the mountain we face and arms us for the challenge is greater than sweet dreams that may wake us to nightmares.

By Franklin Sone Bayen

Journalist, Political Analyst
Boh Herbert Boh Herbert

"Last Saturday was the presidents 35th end-of-year address and it proved, anew, that Mr. Biyas newest problem is an old one. His every outing is stubbornly true to form and style. Boring. Predictable. Fact free. Power drunk. Sickening. Removed from reality. Overloaded with empty promises. Full of spin and half truths Even outright lies. "

Most presidential speeches are unpredictable. Not so, speeches by Paul Biya, the President of La Republique du Cameroun. Last Saturday was the presidents 35th end-of-year address and it proved, anew, that Mr. Biyas newest problem is an old one. His every outing is stubbornly true to form and style. Boring. Predictable. Fact free. Power drunk. Sickening. Removed from reality. Overloaded with empty promises. Full of spin and half truths Even outright lies.

Those, including some members of the Movement for the Restoration of the Independence of Southern Cameroons (MoRISC), who had hoped that Mr. Biya could use the speech to demonstrate that he is, indeed, the president of the two Cameroons say they were stunned by it. Mr. Biya could have been speaking to the inhabitants of Mars as an actor in some Alice in Wonderland movie; oblivious of any reality. With so much at stake, Mr. Biya blew another golden opportunity to make history to be presidential.

The speech came on the heels of the most violent and tragic government crackdown of peaceful street protests by Southern Cameroonians. Like Pharaoh in Egypt, Mr. Biya sounded God has hardened his heart". The time devoted to this issue very early in the speech, betrayed how much the regime has been rattled by ongoing strikes by lawyers and teachers as well as by the wave of street protests across the world and campaigns involving the Diaspora calling, among others, for the restoration of self-rule for Southern Cameroons.

It would have been laughable were it not so tragic. The same Mr. Biya who, by presidential fiat destroyed the Union of the Cameroons in February 1984 when he unilaterally reverted to the name of La Republique du Cameroun, claimed that he is walking in the footsteps of the founding fathers. Ahmadou Ahidjo, Um Nyobe, Ernest Ouandie, John Ngu Foncha, E. M. L. Endeley and Augustine Ngom Jua must be turning in their graves. The best pupil of a certain French president would eat the earth (swear) that imposing the worst form of colonial rule on Southern Cameroons creates a ONE and INDIVISIBLE country than the two-state federation set up by the founders. Not true!

What is true is the following: only divided families and countries afflicted with divisions would find the need to issue loud sounding declarations about being ONE and INDIVISIBLE. Gabon is not proclaiming that it is ONE and INDIVISIBLE. Mr. Biya found it important to do so twice in the same speech. Very telling of the gravity of the profound divisions that he knows must exist yet must pretend they dont exist. A believer in the argument of force, the abusive spouse (La Republique du Cameroun) in the union of the Cameroons wants divorce denied simply because the couple is ONE and INDIVISIBLE.

After disseminating a December 15, 2016 Diplomatic Note in which it distorts facts and tells outright lies about the events unfolding across Southern Cameroons, Mr. Biya claims in the speech to be deeply concerned by these events. A power hungry regime whose secret motto must be in Machiavelli we trust slams The Coffin Revolution as a group of manipulated and exploited extremist rioters. Amazing, right?

Like every abusive spouse, Mr. Biya misidentifies and belittles the problems of the couple. He dismisses the problems raised by the abused spouse as unimportant compared to other ideals and values of the marriage: the sanctity of the matrimonial bed (such as the flag and Constitution) or what Mr. Biya calls the very foundations of our togetherness. The president argues that the couple is still standing on its feet; that the abused spouse seeking divorce can rightfully opine on any aspect of national life, including through duly declared peaceful strike action.

Did anyone warn the regime to be careful what it wishes for? Too late now! MoRISC has already evoked this inalienable right the fundamental civil right enshrined in the Constitution to declare (see our Roadmap at www.morisc.org/roadmap) that Southern Cameroonians, with effect from this first day of January 2017, have duly declared an indefinite peaceful strike against the colonial La Republique du Cameroun until self-rule is restored to the former British Southern Cameroons.

Threat of divorce has a way of reminding abusive spouses of the need to woo their partners as before, charming them with care, love, gifts and flowers. Our first love (Ahidjo) wooed Southern Cameroons on the constitutional promise not to violate the sanctity of the federation of two equal states. In the hope of convincing the abused spouse to stay on in the union, Mr. Biya offered a bribe. He wishes to personally supervise (?) the building of a dam on the Menchum River, not far from the site of another project (The Ring Road) whose construction he also pledged to supervised only months into his now 35-year reign. The big problem with telling lies is that the teller has to remember them.

The regime reminds the abused spouse that the marriage certificate was based not just on democracy  pure and simple  but in the model of democracy which I (the abusive spouse) have proposed. Go figure what this model of democracy means! Is it about upholding only those parts of the Constitution that serve the dictatorship? Why has Mr. Biyas regime not implement the current Constitution, 20 years since it was adopted in 1996? La Republique du Cameroun has notably failed to hold a dialogue envisaged in the hope of saving the union of the Cameroons under a 2009 ruling by a court accredited to the African Union. The regime is so abusive it wont even abide by the court orders to hold a dialogue with the abused spouse within 180 days.

Mr. Biya lacks credibility to point an accusing finger at Southern Cameroonians. Why is it okay for the president to resurrect La Republique dead and buried on 1 October 1961 and not okay for the spouse to raise from the death Southern Cameroons?

Truth be told. President Biya  not Southern Cameroonians - is the hostage of a few, manipulated regime and party extremists. Their only job over the past 35 years has consisted of shielding the absentee tenant of Etoudi Palace from coming face-to-face with the ugly reality of misery, poverty, hopelessness and despair that nearly four decades of his misrule has visited on the peoples of the Cameroons. The extremists include Prof. Fame Ndongo, who has never stopped undermining the Anglo-Saxon system of education. Extremists like Paul Atanga Nji who deny the existence of any problem. Extremists and agents provocateurs like Premier Yang, who descended on Buea and Bamenda, looking for a crowd to rent to Dimabola for the regime. The extremists include those who violated students, disappeared and killed demonstrators. Extremists like those who chased leaders of teachers and lawyers trade unions in the closing days of 2016 in the hope of signing a deal lifting their strikes. Unable to reach a deal, the regimes extremists simply cooked one up.

What else could it be called but playing desperado? Plain. Simple.

Mr. Biya was defiant, warning no doubt that his regime will not retreat into a hole. However, the regime dropped a heavy hint that it could be waving the white flag. At his discretion, Mr. Biya says he may convene discussions on the same problems extremists within claim do not exist.

The dust in Southern Cameroons wont settle until a deal is reached. Southern Cameroonians are only getting started. They wont stop mobilizing until they win self-rule. The regime can work for a bargain or it can play ostrich, hiding behind empty slogans like ONE and INDIVISIBLE. History is full of the story of countries that once claimed exactly the same bull yet could not prevent the birth of new nations. The people of Southern Cameroons are a different people from those of La Republique du Cameroun. They have a right to self-determination that cannot be denied by Yaounde. The march to freedom and self-rule cant be stopped. Certainly, La Republique du Cameroun is ONE and INDIVISIBLE. But so, too, Southern Cameroons is ONE and INDIVISIBLE.

ENDS
Monday, January 2, 2017 at 6:28AM

Battery were the first to blame when the Samsung Galaxy Note7 devices caught on fire. But as some independent studies have pointed out, that isnt the full truth. When Samsung killed off the phablet, it set to investigate the cause behind the fires. And now Samsung is close to revealing its findings by the middle of this month. According to sources cited by the Korean Herald, Samsung enlisted the help of US-based, safety science company Underwriter Laboratories. There is also a separate investigation being conducted by the state-owned Korea Testing Laboratory.

Finding out what really happened with the Note7 can help Samsung from avoiding a repeat of the disaster and, at the same time, assuage worries of investors in the company. No final word yet when Samsung plans to reveal the findings but an official statement should be released soon.

Source: Android Authority
While Canberra's Airbnb use had its largest increase in 2016, it still pales in comparison to Sydney, which was recently placed fifth in the world for the largest number of Airbnb users.
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.
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"Without getting a letter asking for information or an explanation, my rent assistance was cancelled on December 23 and when I went in about it, they said the computer tells them they need to ask the person for all their information again," she said.
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.
Eighteen-month old project on 'Livelihood Creation in India' was unveiled during the 'Women's Economic and Social Rights in India: 'Exploring New Collaborations and Engagements' held today in New Delhi. Harvard South Asia Institute (SAI) in collaboration with Tata Trusts hosted the event.

The project aims to provide functional training, evolving strategies, showcasing best practices and assisting with scaling, deepening and maximizing impact. The Project team is led by Dr. Shashank Shah, Visiting Scholar, Harvard Business School, Project Director and Fellow, Harvard SAI; and Anisha Gopi, Project Manager, Harvard SAI.

The team is also assisted by knowledge partners Shalini Sinha, home-based worker sector specialist of the global network WIEGO (Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing); Firoza Mehrotra, senior policy advisor to HomeNet South Asia (a regional alliance of organizations of home-based workers); Sanjay Kumar, director of SEWA Bharat (the national federation of state-level affiliates of the Self-Employed Women's Association); and Deval Sanghavi, Co-founder, Dasra.

The project focusses on three specific areas:

Improving access to secondary education for disadvantaged and marginalized girls

Addressing gender-based violence and promoting gender equitable norms

Urban Livelihoods and empowering Home-based workers in India

Professor Martha Chen from Harvard Kennedy School said, " As part of Harvard SAI Project on Livelihoods in India, with generous support from the Tata Trust, we focused on the livelihood needs and constraints faced by women home-based workers, who represent nearly one-third of women workers in India. We partnered with organizations affiliated with both the national and regional networks of home-based workers, HomeNet India and HomeNet South Asia."

"In two workshops, the organizations shared experiences working with home-based workers to help them access markets as well as secure housing tenure and basic infrastructure services to make their homes into more productive workplaces. During the year, they promoted and documented promising new initiatives. They also met with representatives of the official delegation from the Government of India to UN Habitat III to make the case that urban informal livelihoods should be on the New Urban Agenda. We are delighted to share their experiences and the lessons learned at this forum in New Delhi," he added.

The project is also hosting a web portal that will include information and resources generated during this project. It will focus on the above mentioned thematic areas to promote the socio-economic advancement of women. The portal also showcases best practices and innovative interventions, features organizations outlining the work they do, includes developments in technology, training programs and resource material created by organizations, and collates precedents on data collection, research capabilities and data evaluation.

Padma Bhushan Dr. Ela Bhatt, Founder, SEWA was the Chief Guest for the evening who also delivered the keynote address. Professor Martha Chen from Harvard Kennedy School and Professor Jacqueline Bhabha, FXB Director of Research and Professor of the Practice of Health and Human Rights at the Harvard School of Public Health - the Faculty Chairs, shared the project findings and outcomes. The event featured the work of organisations that have been supported through grants and mentoring over the last one year.

Canadian International School Launches Scholarship for IBDP and IGCSE Students
Here is another reason for Indians to study in Australia. Macquarie University has announced scholarship worth more than AUD 1.8 million for outstanding students in India. The aim of this is to support and give opportunities for postgraduate female students and undergraduate students across all Macquarie courses.

The Macquarie International Women's Scholarship for postgraduate female students will enable women in India to achieve their career goals by improving the affordability of acquiring an internationally renowned Masters degree from Macquarie. It will provide for up to AUD 11,000 in tuition fees for the full duration of the course.

The Macquarie University Undergraduate Scholarship is being offered to applicants applying for undergraduate degrees and provides for up to AUD 17,000 in tuition fees for the full duration of the course for academic session commencing in 2017.

"Macquarie has one of the most generous scholarship programs in Australia, and we are excited to launch this program providing fantastic support to stand-out undergraduate students as well as exceptional female postgraduate candidates. We look forward to receiving applications from some of the brightest young minds in India" said Pro Vice-Chancellor, International, Nicole Brigg.

Applicants for both scholarships will be required to meet the English requirements for the course they have selected and meet a minimum academic score in their last completed qualification.

Application deadline

1 month prior to course commence date. Student must have an unconditional offer letter to be eligible for the scholarship. Macquarie University has intakes in February and July for most programs.

How to apply?

Visit http://www.mq.edu.au/study/international-students/how-to-apply

Weblink for the scholarships

http://www.mq.edu.au/study/international-students/scholarships

About Macquarie University, Australia

Established in Sydney in 1964, Macquarie University is consistently ranked amongst the Top 10 universities in Australia (ARWU, 2015) and Top 250 in the world (QS, 2015). It is ranked amongst the top 100 in the world in nine disciplines (QS 2015 rankings by subject).

It was created during a time of extraordinary social transformation to be a different kind of university: it was, and will always be, a bold experiment in higher education. True to its founders' vision, the University has challenged the conventional thinking of academia through innovations in its campus set-up, curricula, interdisciplinary research and engagement with industry and the wider community.

University of New South Wales Australia Offers Scholarship To Indian Students
What would a live-action reboot of the Hanna-Barbera Atomic Age classic The Jetsons look like?

Heres a pretty good idea from Fast & Furious franchise director Justin Lin, with cg/vfx produced by Framestore Los Angeles (Aron Hjartarson was creative director):

The commercial was produced for the forward-thinking, future-oriented company Arconic, which in reality is a slimy corporate rebrand of the manufacturing division of Alcoa, a corporation whose historical track record of mass pollution and environmental devastation is the complete opposite of futuristic.
Self-improvement is a fine way to start the new year, so with that in mind, heres a series of over two dozen tips and tricks to improve your craft as an animator (especially aimed at animators working in games).

The 35-minute program took place at GDC (Game Developers Conference) last March, but the video was made available on Youtube more recently. The participating animators who share their tricks of the trade are Alex Lehmann (art director, Riot Games), Amy Drobeck-Jones (senior animator, 5th Cell), Jean-Denis Haas (senior lead animator, ILM), Simon Unger (senior animator, Phoenix Labs), Billy Harper (lead animator, Sucker Punch studios), and Jay Hosfelt (lead animator, Epic Games).

While animation principles remain largely the same, its fascinating to see how game mechanics can modify the rules, such as Alex Lehmanns advice for putting anticipation at the end of a cycle. Other concepts, such as creating convincing jittery handheld camera motion or developing an animation pipeline to deal with dense mo-cap data, illustrate the countless new challenges faced by contemporary game and cg animators.
Madison Erhardt

2016 was the year of famous faces gone too soon.

Musicians, actors and comedians alike lost their lives this year, leaving many feeling robbed of what was such talent.

David Bowie's passing in January was the start of it all, and actor Alan Rickman followed shortly after.

Music legend Prince said goodbye too soon, passing away at just 57 years old.

There is a long list of talented people who sadly aren't with us anymore.

With a down right sad year, the hope is that 2017 will bring a light to the end of the tunnel.

Castanet reporter Madison Erhardt hit the streets asking people what they think 2017 will bring.
Photo: Contributed

All is forgiven. The past is done, a fading memory. Yesterdays misdeeds have been wiped away. The present is a clean slate.

We can become anything we want. The detritus of the past has sloughed off, like a snake shedding its skin.

The square pegs are free to leave the round holes.

The moving finger writes; and, having writ,

Moves on: nor all thy piety nor wit

Shall lure it back to cancel half a line

Nor all thy tears wash out a word of it.

So Omar Khayyam wrote in The Rubaiyat. The 13th century Persian astronomer and mathematician had a way with words that slices to the truth like a scimitar.

We cant change the past no matter how many regrets we have or how much guilt we choose to carry, but we can transform it by changing how we feel about the past, how we feel about ourselves and how we go the way of life.

We can, with our own finger, write a new beginning. While we love our problems and our wounds, our melodrama, we can change the channel and find a story that better fits our desire for growth.

These moments of life past so quickly that we do ourselves an injustice if we waste them doing things we dont enjoy, punching a time clock until we punch out.

Most of our life has been reflex; we react according to the patterns established over a lifetime. We dont need to think because we already know our position, whether its on religion, politics, science or who will win the Stanley Cup.

Weve chiselled our position into the concrete of our souls so thought becomes irrelevant. The grooves are so deep, like the ruts in an unplowed road, that we fall into them easily.

It takes a lot of energy and effort to get out, so its easier just to follow the path forged by other people.

We can, however, plow our own path, investigate our beliefs and thought patterns and find the mystery that is at the centre of every life.

The divinity that shapes our ends is in ourselves  all that a man achieves or fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts, said James Allen, author of As A Man Thinketh.

We create our lives every day by what we do or dont do, by what we believe or dont believe, by what we choose or dont choose.

We can consciously decide to create positively or let circumstances create negatively.

Either way, its our choice.

Every day we have a priceless opportunity to create a masterpiece, to make it and ourselves a work of art. We can live a lifetime in one day.

We are born when we awaken and we die every night, many lifetimes wrapped into the time we spend in this form, energy masquerading as matter.

If we fall short of our expectations today, we have a new life tomorrow to choose rightly, or at least better.

And there is no particular pressure, other than what we put on ourselves, to get it right today, tomorrow or the many other daily lifetimes after that. Were on a journey where the destination has been already decided, but we choose the path and our travelling companions.

You cannot prevent the birds of unhappiness from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from making a nest in your hair, goes one proverb.

Think of it as reincarnation, the philosophical underpinning of some eastern religions and philosophies. While it was not a tenet of our religious upbringing, it was a belief in early Christianity.

When Eleanor Roosevelt was asked if she believed in reincarnation she said: I dont think it would be any more unusual for me to show up in another life, than to show up in this one.

Whether we return after the long sleep is irrelevant to this moment. We have a daily reincarnation and we owe it to ourselves to paint a magus opus on that blank canvas.

We devalue ourselves if we dont do our best because its Monday, or we arent feeling well, or we have a meeting that we just want to be over. Wishing away time, remembering the good old days or focusing on the future dilutes the now.

It has been said numerous times, but needs repeating, now is all we have.

In one of his last lectures, Jiddu Kristnamurti, groomed from childhood as the world teacher the Theosophical Society was seeking, walked onto the stage and said: Do you want to know my secret?

The audience craned forward because, of course, they wanted to know the secret of one of the most eminent spiritual teachers of the 20th century.

I dont mind what happens, he said.

Simplicity itself. Going with the flow, not staking out a position he had to defend and not getting upset with people or circumstances.

Kristnamurti also told his followers: If you would seek the Truth you must go out, far away from the limitations of the human mind and heart and there discover it  and that the truth is within you.

We can start each new day, each new life, with one goal  peace of mind  and judge each situation on whether it will contribute to that serenity. If it doesnt, we disengage.



Ah, my Beloved, fill the cup that clears,

Today of past regrets and future fears 

Tomorrow  Why tomorrow I may be

Myself with yesterdays sevn thousand years.



 Omar Khayyam

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
Photo: Contributed

No winning ticket was sold for the $5 million jackpot in Saturday night's Lotto 649 draw.

However, the guaranteed $1 million prize was claimed by a ticket purchased in Quebec.

The jackpot for the next Lotto 649 draw on Jan. 4 will be approximately $7 million.
Photo: The Canadian Press

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.
More than 300 people dove headlong into the icy waters of Okanagan Lake Sunday for the annual New Year's Day Polar Bear Swim.

Proving once again Canadians are a hardy breed, a record crowd flocked to Tugboat Bay in Kelowna, where they not only braved a cold lake, but also a strong wind from the north that kept the hundreds of spectators bundled up and shaking their heads at those in bikinis and shorts.

Emilie Sarkissian, event co-organizer, said the swim is a fun event, but it is also a fundraiser. This year, some $3,000 was raised for CRIS Adaptive Adventures, which assists people with physical challenges to enjoy the great outdoors.

It's way bigger than last year, said Sarkissian, commenting on the number of participants and spectators.

There were a lot of first timers at the event, including former CFL player Rob Smith. Smith's home overlooks the beach, and after watching the event for the past several years, he decided to give it a go.

It's something I always wanted to do, said Smith while wrapped up in a housecoat prior to taking the plunge.

Katie Widmann wasn't even committed to diving in until just before the event.

It was breathtaking, said Widmann as she frantically dried herself off and bundled on clothing. I was on the fence until about a half hour ago. Then I said 'Let's do it.'

It's a good story to tell people; that you jumped in the lake in the middle of winter.
Photo: Contributed

Witnesses are telling Castanet a car has struck a pole on the 3800 block of East Kelowna Road near Reid Road and the power lines are down.

East Kelowna Road is blocked off from Reid Road to the switchback.

The accident happened at around 4:35 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 1

The witness said no one was injured in the mishap. There is no word on the cause of the accident.
Photo: CTV

Alberta's NDP government jumped to defend its new carbon tax from detractors on New Year's Day as consumers got their first taste of some of the new prices they'll be paying in 2017.

Deputy Premier Sarah Hoffman addressed reporters at the legislature on Sunday, where she stressed the link between the tax and getting pipelines to tidewater approved.

Hoffman notes Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was clear when he approved Kinder Morgan's expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline in November that the decision would not have happened without Alberta's climate plan.

Gasoline at the pumps rose 4.5 cents per litre on Jan. 1, prompting an Opposition Wildrose MLA to post a picture of himself on Twitter on New Year's Eve filling jerrycans before the price jumped.

Home heating and business fuels go up, too.

Hoffman called on Albertans who have opposed the government's climate plan to come together for the sake of seeing the Trans Mountain pipeline to completion.

"It's the best way for us to protect the environment and protect jobs and get pipelines built," Hoffman said.

"While it's four-and-a-half cents today, it's billions of dollars for our economy and for economic diversification that are crucially important for Albertans and Alberta communities."

Alberta isn't the only province where green initiatives were expected to affect prices starting on New Year's  Ontario's cap and trade program to curb carbon emissions also kicked in.

The plan, which is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 15 per cent below 1990 levels within four years, will drive the price of gasoline up 4.3 cents per litre and increase the cost of home heating by up to $6.70 a month.

The Alberta government estimates the average family will pay $443 more in 2017, but opposition members say it will be at least double that as the carbon tax dominoes through the economy and consumers pay for it through higher prices.

Wildrose Leader Brian Jean said in an emailed statement Sunday that the price of everything is rising at a time when Albertans need a break.
Photo: Contributed

Joel Harrison is warning dog owners to be on the look out after a friend's dog was shot in the neck.

It was around noon on Dec. 31 when the dog that Harrison described as similar to a Bernese mountain dog, returned to its Farmers Drive area home limping and bleeding.

At first, the dog owners thought the family pet had been struck by a car and they rushed him to local veterinarian Dr. Moshe Oz of Rose Valley Veterinary Hospital.

Dr. Oz, as he is known throughout the Okanagan, cleaned up the area of the wound only to discover a bullet hole in the dog's neck.

When the dog was X-rayed, the bullet is right next to his heart, said Harrison. It was pretty disturbing what happened. It's concerning someone is shooting dogs in Kelowna.

Harrison said the Farmers Drive area is in the hills near the Kelowna airport and is quite rural.

It's a small community, but it's close to crown land so who knows who did it, said Harrison. I'm a dog lover and I found this very disturbing.

Dr. Oz on the Westside has been amazing and is volunteering his time to do the surgery at a fraction of what it would normally cost just to save the dog, said Harrison.

Police have been notified.

If someone knows anything it would be great to catch the person who did it. This is unacceptable, Harrison said.

Anyone with information on the incident is being asked to call police or CrimeStoppers.
Photo: CTV

Montgomery Henry Edward Harlos has the distinction of being the first baby born in B.C. in 2017.

And Monty just squeaked in under the wire.

The eight-pound, 14-ounce boy was born at exactly 12 a.m. Jan. 1 at Vancouvers BC Women's Hospital.

First-time parents Dana and Peter Harlos are thrilled with their new son, born after more than 28 hours of labour.

I dont know how to even explain it - its the best gift you could ever have, said Dana. Im overcome with emotions.

Montgomery was due Dec. 30, but a late appearance gave him the honour of being the first born in B.C. this year.

Were just excited he came out happy and healthy  Dana did so well, said Peter. And on top of it all we found out he was the New Years baby.

The couple, both Vancouverites, decided on Montgomery because they wanted an old-fashioned name. The babys middle names are after each of their fathers.

- with files from CTV
Photo: Google Street View

A bed pushed up against a baseboard heater sparked a fire at a UBC Okanagan residence overnight.

About midnight, Kelowna firefighters responded to a unit at 1267 Discovery Ave. on the UBCO campus.

Smoke was coming from a second-floor unit.

Sprinklers inside the building extinguished the fire, and firefighters discovered that a mattress and bedding up against a baseboard heater were to blame, KFD Platoon Capt. Kelly Stephens said in a press release.

Crews quickly isolated the sprinkler to the unit and began ventilation.

The female resident called 911 before leaving the unit and was checked over by paramedics before going to stay with friends.

Water damage was contained to the second floor unit and six units below.

Due it being the university's winter break, only about 25 students were in the building at the time. All are back in their units.

Kelowna Fire Department responded with three fire engines, one rescue unit, a ladder truck, a command vehicle attended and 16 personnel.
Photo: Contributed

A Delta Airlines aircraft diverted to Vancouver with engine problems on Dec. 29 is still on the ground.

Aviation website aeroinside.com reports the Boeing 737-800 was flying from Seattle to Anchorage, about 340 nautical miles north-northwest of Seattle, when the crew shut down the right engine.

The pilot turned around to return to Seattle, but diverted to Vancouver, where the plane still sits.

The aircraft landed safely.



A replacement airliner was brought up from Seattle to continue the flight. It reached Anchorage with a delay of eight hours.



The affected aircraft is having the faulty engine replaced.
Photo: Contributed

Parks Canada is preparing for an increase in visitors this year as people across the country and around the world request free annual passes to explore the nation's natural treasures as part of Canada's 150th anniversary celebration.

Conservationists say it is important for people to connect with nature, but there are concerns about how more tourists may affect the ecological integrity of some of the more popular parks.

Ben Gadd, a retired nature guide and author of "Handbook of the Canadian Rockies," said he is worried about increased vehicle traffic.

"Clearly the highway system in the mountain parks  it is going to be terrible next summer all summer long," said Gadd, who has been hiking in the region since 1968.

"When you have that situation and animals trying to cross there are going to be more accidents, more animals killed."

Gadd said he is also concerned about crowded attractions, trash and people feeding or getting too close to wildlife.

He hopes there are enough staff to properly maintain the parks and to explain the rules to visitors, especially newbies.

According to Parks Canada, more than 900,000 people ordered a free Discovery Pass in the first two weeks after they became available last month.

The government predicts visits to national parks, historic sites and marine conservation areas will top last year's attendance of about 24.5 million.

Eric Hebert-Daly, national executive director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, said the Parks Canada plan is a good idea in principle, but there are some dangers.

Some parks such as Banff, Jasper and the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario are already very busy. Adding more people could take away from their grandeur, he said.

Hebert-Daly said the government should consider better ways to handle traffic in busy parks, including the increased use of shuttle buses.

There are also not enough wardens and scientists to monitor the health of the parks, he said.

"This may be the year where we realize just how overstretched some of these places are," Hebert-Daly said.

Canada's national parks have a long history of attracting tourists eager to view wildlife and wilderness. Increased media attention is expected to draw even more visitors.

National Geographic Traveler magazine has put the Banff area on its "Best of the World" list of 21 must-see places in 2017 and Parks Canada has been busy promoting on social media as part of the Canada 150 campaign.
The Canadian government is signalling the approach it intends to take should Donald Trump make good on his promise to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Canada's ambassador to the U.S. is laying out some starting principles such as co-operation instead of confrontation.

In a lengthy interview, David MacNaughton expressed his desire to see the countries propose common-ground, common-sense ideas that improve the old agreement instead of flinging out hardball demands that could produce deep, drama-filled bargaining.

"We have done an extensive amount of work (to prepare for this)," MacNaughton said in the year-end interview. "We have a good sense of what would be in Canada's interest....

"(But) the areas we need to focus on  and I think we are focusing on  is where is it not just in Canada's interest, but in Canada and the United States' interest...

"I think if we're just blatantly trying to push something that works for us but doesn't work for them, that's not going to be... quite as easy."

There's already enough potential for trade tussles with the incoming Trump administration.

They include the incoming president's vow to fight certain tax policies of other countries; his preference for Buy American restrictions on infrastructure projects; the ongoing softwood lumber dispute; and increasing anger from U.S. dairy producers over Canadian import restrictions.

Aware of the irritants that could erupt in 2017, the Canadian government has already begun reaching out to potential U.S. allies to bolster its public advocacy on some of these issues including Buy American.

But the government wants to avoid having irritants inject uncertainty into discussions about the trade treaty that governs the region where Canada sells more than three-quarters of its exports.

MacNaughton wouldn't elaborate on the specific improvements he has in mind, saying he wants to avoid negotiating in public.

He did confirm one potential change: to professional visas.

International businesses have complained about an out-of-date visa system that creates unnecessary red tape when employees travel across the border for work. When asked about visas, MacNaughton confirmed that was the type of mutually beneficial upgrade he favours.

It's also unclear what the incoming administration actually wants from Canada  Trump almost never mentioned the northern neighbour during the campaign, even as he railed against NAFTA.

MacNaughton said he's received some encouraging signals about its attitude toward Canada.

He said he's had positive conversations with people close to Trump, including his pick for attorney-general, Jeff Sessions, and incoming White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, who attended a White House correspondents' dinner party at the Canadian embassy.

The Trump team's complaints about trade tend to involve currency manipulation, dumping of steel, cheap labour, trade imbalances, and low environmental standards that make it hard for U.S. companies to compete.

"None of those things apply to Canada," MacNaughton said.

"I think they see us as pretty much the good guys, rather than the bad guys in terms of trade."

This raises a question about the other North American amigo: Mexico, which has been a frequent target of Trump's. That question is, would Canada seek to renegotiate NAFTA as a trilateral block, or cut Mexico loose and try getting a better result by dealing one-on-one with the Americans?

MacNaughton said he couldn't rule out either possibility: "The reality is that we will do what is in Canada's interest," he said. "(But) we don't have exclusive control over whether or not the Americans want to have trilateral conversations or bilateral conversations."

As for the upcoming irritants, the Canadians have begun a pre-emptive pushback.

They've been warning American interlocutors about potential damage should Canada be included in two of Trump's campaign policies: Buy American infrastructure restrictions, and tax changes Trump's team wants included in trade deals.
Photo: Contributed

One year ago, I set out on a journey to change my life with the crazy idea to dedicate myself to tackling a new life goal every single month.

Now, a year later, I sit reflecting upon that journey.

What have I learned?

What have I lost?

What improvements have I really made to my life?

I'd like to take this time to share with you some insights I've discovered during my year of adventures, challenges. setbacks and successes.

Here is part 1 of my lessons to scale your life:

Life moves pretty fast, you need to stop and look around once and a while or you'll miss it

Have you ever driven to work and then realized once you got there that you didnt recall any of the trip? Yes, of course you have; weve all done that.

This is because, after 100 or so trips, your brain began to recognize the patterns of your drive to work and eventually it went into sleep mode.

When youre younger, youre constantly learning, and growing so time moves slowly. When youre older you rarely experiencing anything new, so your brain naturally goes into the same kind of sleep mode it does when you drive to work.

This is when years get lost

"Don't count the days, make the days count."

Back in July, when I had challenged myself to experience something new every single day, I pushed myself out of my routine and forced myself to experience new things again and the month seemed to last forever.

If you want to start living your life, buck the routine or youll find life will pass you by and youll be left wondering how you got here years from now.

Get out of your bubble and search for your Why

Your why is your purpose; its a driving belief that makes you willing to make sacrifices and overcome obstacles to push yourself forward.

Most people sit and wait for their purpose to come to them. They wait in safe, comfortable spaces for life to intervene and hand them a direction or passion.

Unfortunately, this is the very thing that will keep them from discovering their life's true meaning.

Only by taking action, getting off your couch and out of your comfort zone can you discover something worth investing yourself into.

"Even the greatest was once a beginner. Don't be afraid to take that first step."

Try running, try painting, try volunteering just for the sake of trying it and I guarantee you'll discover the purpose and passion you have been missing in your life.

Life is hard, you need to fight harder

"Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of you life as a champion."

Do you know the difference between winners and losers?

The difference is, winners simply want it more. They train harder, sacrifice more and hustle until they are able to achieve their goals.

It's easy to take a day off or spend another weekend drinking with your friends. It's easy to have an average and uninspired life.

But if you want to achieve something greater, if you want to live a life of achievement, fulfillment and purpose then you need to be able to commit yourself to it even in the most difficult time.

This year, I dealt with distractions, with haters, with fears, and with personal challenges. I had so many reasons to quit, but I knew if I wanted a life worth living then I had to be able to commit, hustle and sacrifice until I got there.

Indecision is a trap. You need to escape from it now.

"I do not believe in making the right decision, I make a decision and make it right."

I spent the better part of my life wanting to do everything and doing very little.

I let indecision become my decision and I was at the mercy of where it took me (and spoiler alert, it wasnt somewhere good).

Ask yourself what your interests are, what your dreams are, what you're curious about, what inspires you, and what motivates you.

Decide and start pursuing it. It doesnt have to be the thing you do forever, but itll be a hell of a lot sweeter than living with the decisions someone else has made for you.

This has easily been the most incredible year of my life and I'm so happy to share these insights with you.

Check back for Part 2 of my lessons to scale your life and please visit my blog for more stories and insights from my journey.

I hope this inspires you to build yourself a life worth living.

PS: All quotes are from the late and extremely great Muhammad Ali.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
Photo: CTV

A suicide bomber driving a pickup loaded with explosives struck a bustling market in Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 36 people in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group hours after French President Francois Hollande arrived in the Iraqi capital.

The bomb went off in a fruit and vegetable market that was packed with day labourers, a police officer said, adding that another 52 people were wounded.

During a press conference with Hollande, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the bomber pretended to be a man seeking to hire day labourers. Once the workers gathered around, he detonated the vehicle.

IS claimed the attack in a statement circulated on a militant website often used by the extremists. It was the third IS-claimed attack in as many days in and around Baghdad, underscoring the lingering threat posed by the group despite a string of setbacks elsewhere in the country over the past year, including in and around the northern city of Mosul.

The attack took place in Sadr City, a vast Shiite district in eastern Baghdad that has been repeatedly targeted by Sunni extremists since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

Shiite militiamen loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr, the firebrand cleric for whose family the neighbourhood is named, were seen evacuating bodies in their trucks before ambulances arrived. Dead bodies were scattered across the bloody pavement alongside fruit, vegetables and labourers' shovels and axes. A minibus filled with dead passengers was on fire.

Asaad Hashim, an owner of a mobile phone store nearby, described how the labourers pushed and shoved around the bomber's vehicle, trying to get hired.

"Then a big boom came, sending them up into the air," said the 28-year old, who suffered shrapnel wounds to his right hand. He blamed "the most ineffective security forces in the world" for failing to prevent the attack.

An angry crowd cursed the government, even after a representative of al-Sadr tried to calm them. Late last month, Iraqi authorities started removing some of the security checkpoints in Baghdad in a bid to ease traffic for the capital's 6 million residents.

"We have no idea who will kill at any moment and who's supposed to protect us," said Ali Abbas, a 40-year old father of four who was hurled over his vegetable stand by the blast. "If the securities forces can't protect us, then allow us to do the job," he added.

Three smaller bombings elsewhere in the city on Monday killed another seven civilians and wounded at least 30, according to medics and police officials. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.

Hollande meanwhile met with al-Abadi and President Fuad Masum, and later travelled to the self-governing northern Kurdish region to meet with French troops and local officials. There he pledged support for helping displaced Iraqis return to the city of Mosul, where Iraqi forces are waging a massive offensive against IS.

"We must also prepare a political solution for Mosul's post-liberation so that its inhabitants can live together," he said.

France is part of the American-led coalition formed in 2014 to fight IS after the extremist group seized large areas in Iraq and neighbouring Syria. France has suffered multiple attacks claimed by the extremist group.

Since the Mosul operation started on Oct. 17, Iraqi forces have seized around a quarter of the city. Last week, the troops resumed fighting after a two-week lull due to stiff resistance by the militants and bad weather.

Mosul is Iraq's second largest city and the last major urban area in the country controlled by IS. Iraqi and U.S. commanders hope to drive IS from the city in the next three months
Photo: Canadian Press

Authorities in Massachusetts say a 10-month-old baby had to be revived twice after she was exposed to fentanyl.

Police arrived at the Methuen (mih-THOO'-uhn) residence early Saturday afternoon after receiving a report of a child not breathing.

First responders took the child to Lawrence General Hospital, where police say she stopped breathing twice and had to be resuscitated. She was later airlifted to Tufts Medical Center in Boston, where she's in stable condition.

Authorities say hospital tests indicate the baby had the potent synthetic opioid fentanyl (FEHN'-tuh-nihl) in her system.

The Department of Children and Families says it has taken custody of the baby. The incident remains under investigation.

Mayor Stephen Zanni says, "The opioid epidemic knows no boundaries."
Photo: Contributed Haad Rin beach in Thailand.

Global Affairs Canada says a Canadian has died in Thailand.

According to a Thai media report, a Canadian man died after a New Year's Eve party on the island of Koh Phangan.

Global Affairs wouldn't identify the person or the details surrounding the death, but is providing consular assistance to friends and family.

The Bangkok Post reports that a 26-year-old Canadian tourist drowned during the party at Haad Rin beach, which was attended by about 20,000 people.

The news outlet says there were high waves during the event, and one other person  whose nationality is not known  was injured.
Photo: The Canadian Press. All rights reserved. The Bank of Canada's new circulating $100 bill, Canada's first polymer bank note, is shown in Toronto on Monday Nov. 14, 2011. Disclosing details of behind-the-scenes discussions about tales of melting banknotes could endanger national security or international relations, says Canada's central bank. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Disclosing details of behind-the-scenes discussions about tales of melting banknotes could endanger national security or international relations, says Canada's central bank.

In response to a formal request from The Canadian Press, the Bank Of Canada released 134 pages of internal records, almost completely blanked out, concerning allegations its new polymer bills melted in the scorching summer sun.

The bank began issuing $100 polymer banknotes in late 2011, saying they were harder to counterfeit than paper notes and would last much longer. It has since released $50 and $20 notes, with $10 and $5 ones due this year.

Unconfirmed reports of cooked currency emerged in July when a Kelowna, bank teller said she had heard of cases in which several bills had melted together inside a car. Soon after, a photo of scorched $100 bills surfaced in Ontario, purportedly after they were stored in a metal can next to a baseboard heater.

Kelly Davies says, "I live in Penticton and I had one $50 polymer melt just sitting in my wallet this summer right around the time of the hottest days. I had about 10 of them in my wallet and went to make a purchase at WalMart and handed the clerk about 6 of them. When she was counting them, she said "oh this one looks weird" and I had a look at it and it had shriveled to about 80% of its size and was crinkled and even had a small tear I think; sorta looked like shrink-wrap. She accepted it though and we were surprised, but not overly so because we had heard they sometimes melt."

Deb Schramm syas, "I had problems with a new $50 bill this Summer. It didnt melt it, but ripped down the

edge of the transparent part. I turned it in to my bank for a new one. Not impressed. I like the old paper ones instead of the new plastic feel."

The Bank has swiftly denied that its new bills could be affected by heat in these ways.

The records released under the Access to Information Act show the reports stirred up not only a flurry of media interest but a series of emails over more than a week among bank officials, including Gerry Gaetz, the chief of currency, and Erik Balodis, a scientific adviser.

The bank declined to make Gaetz available for an interview.

In an emailed response to questions, bank spokesman Jeremy Harrison said the institution has seen nothing since the reports first emerged to change its initial assessment.

"The Bank stands by its statements made this summer that polymer bank notes cannot be affected by the types and levels of heat as has been suggested in last summer's news reports, and has seen no evidence to the contrary," Harrison said.

He noted the bank had performed "extensive and rigorous tests" prior to issuing the notes, including exposing them to extremes of 140 C and -75 C.

Harrison refused to say whether the bank consulted another government in response to reports of melting currency, as suggested by the exemptions applied to the records.

"What I can tell you is that bank notes printed on polymer material have been used successfully in many other countries for years, places like Australia, Mexico, Nigeria and Singapore, all of which have climates far hotter than in Canada."

If you've had any problems with the new bank notes contact us at [email protected]
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Celiac.com 01/02/2017 - New research shows that a group of proteins in wheat, called ATIs, may be responsible for activating inflammation in such disorders as celiac disease, multiple sclerosis, asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Scientists also believe that the proteins may promote the development of non-celiac gluten sensitivity. The findings were presented at UEG Week 2016 in Vienna in Vienna, Austria, a meeting organized by United European Gastroenterology for specialists to communicate the latest research in digestive and liver diseases.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A12):

One group of proteins found in wheat - amylase-trypsin inhibitors (ATIs) - has been shown to trigger an immune response in the gut that can spread to other tissues in the body. ATIs are plant-derived proteins that inhibit enzymes of common parasites - such as mealworms and mealybugs - in wheat.

Interestingly, ATIs also have an important role in metabolic processes that occur during seed development.

The finding that ATIs may promote inflammation in the and beyond the gut, is a major step forward in understanding the mechanics of celiac disease and/or gluten-intolerance.

Stay tuned for more news on this and other breaking stories in celiac disease research.

Read more at MedicalNewsToday.com.
While its a small sample size, horses reported to receive steroid administrations in 2016 in California who have come back to race fared very well in their first starts after those treatments, winning at about three times the normal rate.

Looking at the reported anabolic steroid administrations in 2016 in California, 16 times horses have raced after receiving one of those treatments (through Dec. 29). In the first start after one of those treatments those horses won six times, a 37.5% win rate. For 2015the most recent full year availablethe average win rate for all horses in California was 13.5%.

Three other times in those initial starts after a steroid treatment, horses earned placings. Combined with the wins, thats a 56.2% placing rate, also well above the norm of 40.5%. (The 56.2% counts Masochistics runner-up finish in the TwinSpires Breeders Cup Sprint (G1), although he has since been disqualified to last.)

While its a small sample size, the 37.5% win rate and 56.2% placing rate are particularly impressive considering that steroid administrations are called for when a horse is debilitated, anorexic, or anemic.

The average number of days between these 16 administrations and the first start after a treatment was 99 days. Horses who receive a reported steroid administration in California must wait at least 60 days before returning to racing.

In California in 2016 there were 44 reported anabolic steroid administrations to 35 Thoroughbreds by 15 trainers. All were placed on the vet's list. Anabolic steroid administrations can be identified as they are the only treatments for Thoroughbreds listed as: medication-60 days.

Of those 35 horses who received at least one steroid administration reported to the California Horse Racing Board, 16 have come back to race, 14 are eligible to return but have not yet started, and five received the steroid administration in the past 60 days (through Dec. 29) and are currently ineligible to race.

Of course the interest in the administrations was sparked by Masochistics positive for the synthetic anabolic steroid stanozolol following his runner-up finish in the Breeders Cup Sprint. The race came 68 days after a reported Aug. 29 stanozolol treatment. It was the third time in 2016 that Masochistic received a steroid treatment.

The California Horse Racing Board publicly reports its vets list, but interestingly enough, none of the three times Masochistic was placed on the vets list in 2016 for anabolic steroid treatments is listed on the publicly posted information at the CHRBs web site. Masochistic is the most accomplished horse in 2016 to have a reported anabolic steroid treatment in California and his three reported treatments are tied for most in the state.

Observing this inconsistency on Dec. 30 I requested access to the full list of reported anabolic steroid treatments in 2016 in California and CHRB spokesman Mike Marten quickly responded with access to an InCompass program to generate the full list. Marten said the publicly available vets list on the CHRB site is not as advanced as the InCompass program he provided.

I should note that Andy Asaro, an advocate for horseplayers, made the same information request Dec. 30. Asaro and other horseplayers active on social media have since called for such information to be listed in the racing program or in past performances.
Cellphone use has led to more distrated driving, causing a spike in traffic fatalities. If you're driving, put the phone down. (Getty Images)

New cars are safer than ever, yet vehicle crashes are on the rise.

Advanced safety systems designed to minimize  if not prevent  crashes have proliferated. Yet despite technology such as forward collision breaking, traffic fatalities rose 8 percent in 2015, after years of declines due to public safety campaigns urging seat belt use and condemning driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

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The number of crashes and fatalities continued to increase in 2016; in the first half of the year deaths were up 9 percent over 2015, according to the National Safety Council.

Distracted driving, mainly due to cellphone use, is to blame, according to most auto safety experts. Despite laws prohibiting texting and driving in 46 states, and handheld cellphone bans in 14 states, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association, enforcing it is problematic.

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It's up to the driver to practice best driving habits, and most drivers, no matter how old or experienced, could benefit from revisiting safe driving habits learned in driver's education.

Meanwhile, here are some resolutions every driver can embrace to make roads safer.

1. Put down your phone

The temptation to quickly reply to that text or check in with work or home is greater than ever before, in keeping with the amount of information available at our fingertips. You've seen  or maybe been  that car drifting into other lanes or crawling along 15 mph under the speed limit. That seeming convenience is a major risk for a great inconvenience  an accident or worse. The safety council reports that 1 out of 4 car crashes are due to cellphone distraction. That includes hands-free phone calls. These are not accidents  they are preventable crashes caused by driver inattention.

2. Wear your seat belt

It's stupefying that some people still ignore the simplest way to prevent collision fatalities. More than half of the teens and adults who died in crashes in 2014 were not wearing seat belts, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New Hampshire  perhaps adjusting its motto to Live Free and Die in regards to seat belts  is the only state without a seat belt law. Seat belt use is proven to save lives and limit injury.

3. Get out of the passing lane

By our own experience, Michiganders may be the only people who consistently follow this rule, even though it's a law in nearly every state, even New Hampshire! On highways and interstates (an argument could be made on any road, any time), move out of the left lane if you are not passing other cars, regardless of speed.

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4. Do not tailgate

No, not the tailgating where you party in the parking lot. We're talking about following too closely, riding up someone's  umm  bumper. Not only does it cause great anxiety to the driver in front of you, which can cause them to make a quick lane change and cut off someone in another lane, it greatly reduces your reaction time and braking ability to avoid rear-end collisions. Maintain the two-second rule by setting a fixed point like a mile marker, then counting how long it takes from the lead vehicle passing it to your vehicle passing it.

5. Do not brake check

Brake checking is often the overly aggressive response to overly aggressive tailgating, when the driver who is being tailgated taps on their brakes to get the tailgater to back off. It can cause the tailgating driver to swerve out of the lane or slam on their brakes, possibly losing control at relatively high speeds, endangering other drivers. Instead, cautiously move into the next opening in the adjacent lane or, if you must retaliate, squirt the wiper fluid so it spittles on their windshield.

6. Use your indicators

Cars communicate in a number of ways, and though they don't yet talk to each other (it's coming), there are clear indicators about a driver's intentions. The most obvious and intentional one is the indicator. Get it? Also known as the blinker, turn signal or clicking blinking thing. Use it when changing lanes and turning so drivers can react accordingly. Don't be a cabdriver  use your indicator.

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7. Get recalled cars fixed

Please get your car fixed. Earlier this year, a 17-year-old in Texas rear-ended a parked car at about 15 mph. The high school senior should've walked away from the fender bender; instead she died from the inflator shrapnel in a car that had been recalled but not fixed.

Check the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website for instructions and expectations. www.safercar.gov/rs/takata/takatalist

There will be 42 million vehicles recalled for the Takata air bag fiasco, affecting 34 makes. Only 12.9 million have been fixed. It's not just Takata in this era of global parts sharing and global suppliers. Check the vehicle identification number, or VIN, through NHTSA.

8. If you're getting pulled over, get off the roadway

First, acknowledge the officer by turning on the right indicator and gradually slowing down. If there's no side road or parking lot to ease into, pull over to the farthest right side of the road to minimize risk from passing traffic for you and the officer. A traffic stop can be anxiety-inducing for both parties. Put the car in park, turn on the blinkers and kill the engine. Keep both hands on the wheel and don't go fidgeting for anything until the officer asks for it. If stopped at night, the Illinois secretary of state recommends turning on an interior light.

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9. Put the phone away. Seriously. It's not worth it.

10. Any lane will do

For users of I-Pass, the electronic toll collection system in Illinois, the cash-only lanes have I-Pass sensors, so you don't have to funnel into the one ramp lane with the I-Pass only sign. They make taking your money very convenient.

rduffer@chicagotribune.com
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, left, and Superintendent Eddie Johnson, behind him, welcome 100 new recruits at the Chicago Police Department Training and Education Academy on Dec. 13, 2016. Nineteen of the city's 27 open records law cases with payouts in 2016 involve the Chicago Police Department. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)

The city of Chicago paid out about $670,000 last year to plaintiffs in lawsuits alleging that officials violated open records law  nearly five times what the city paid in the previous eight years combined.

Experts and attorneys said the mounting payouts in Freedom of Information Act cases raise concerns about Mayor Rahm Emanuel's pledge to run "the most open, accountable and transparent government that the city of Chicago has ever seen." They said the increase may be attributable to a broader awareness of the public's right to records spurred by high-profile cases such as the Laquan McDonald shooting.

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The Emanuel administration, which still faces 54 lawsuits alleging open records violations, says it has added resources to provide public information more efficiently.

But critics, such as Torreya Hamilton, a former prosecutor who runs her own civil rights firm and has sued the city alleging FOIA violations, question the city's commitment.

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"The taxpayers of the city of Chicago are paying for the city to break the law," Hamilton said.

Jeffrey M. Shaman, a DePaul University professor who teaches constitutional law and the First Amendment, said the city's spike in lawsuits and payments "makes one wonder if the city is willing to comply in good faith with the requirements of FOIA."

The $670,122 total is spread out over 27 cases under FOIA, the state law providing access to government records for the public, that were brought by taxpayers, advocacy groups and media organizations, including the Chicago Tribune. FOIA allows some plaintiffs who sue for records to recover money for lawyers' fees and costs.

In a Law Department statement, the city said it "works diligently to comply with the Freedom of Information Act and responds to thousands of public information requests each year, with only a small percentage of requests disputed."

"However, there is always room for improvement, and during the past year, the city has dedicated additional resources and provided employees with additional training to ensure compliance and provide transparency to the public," the statement said. "It is not acceptable for any city department to ignore or unnecessarily delay a response to a request, nor is it acceptable for a department to improperly apply exemptions."

The city's statement reiterated Emanuel's transparency pledges and touted the administration's creation of a data portal and a written policy "that guarantees the public's timely access to video and audio recordings" from police-involved incidents.

Asked how the city justifies the amount paid out over open records lawsuits, the Law Department said the most common reason it's been sued are "claims of incomplete record searches and incorrectly applied exemptions."

"In these cases, the city works to resolve these cases by providing evidence that searches were reasonable and the exemptions were correctly applied, or by providing additional documents," the statement said. "However, the city has an obligation to defend these suits and ensure that the privacy protections afforded by the FOIA statute are protected."

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Records disputes

Nineteen of the 27 cases with payouts in 2016 involve the Chicago Police Department. Others allege public information violations by the mayor's office, Animal Care and Control, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications, the Department of Finance, the Independent Police Review Authority and the Department of Innovation and Technology.

Some cases allege the city failed to answer FOIA requests at all, but the most costly lawsuits involved larger controversies.

The most expensive open records case in 2016 was journalist Brandon Smith's lawsuit against the city over video showing Laquan McDonald being shot 16 times by police Officer Jason Van Dyke.

Chicago officials fought to withhold the video, arguing it would interfere with investigations into the shooting. A judge ordered its release, and the city paid $97,500 in fees and costs, records show.

Emanuel recently acknowledged using personal email accounts to conduct official business and the city agreed to pay $96,275 to settle a Better Government Association lawsuit over an FOIA request for Emanuel's email. The Tribune has a separate, ongoing FOIA lawsuit involving Emanuel's emails about public business conducted on personal devices.

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Two other Tribune lawsuits against the city were resolved in the news organization's favor in 2016. One involved emails sent or received by former Chicago police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, and the city paid $46,000 in attorneys fees and costs. The other sought city communications related to SUPES Academy and its insider deal that led to former Chicago Public Schools chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett's wire fraud conviction. The city paid the Tribune $95,000 in that records case.

The Tribune sued the Chicago Police Department twice in December, alleging the city failed to provide records as required under FOIA.

"We are disappointed that we continually need to resort to litigation to get access to documents the law requires be made public as a matter of course," Karen Flax, the Tribune's vice president for legal, said in a statement. "The uptick in lawsuits reflects the city's disregard for the importance of the open records law and the fact that the city is understaffed in this area. It is pay now or pay later: If the city would produce the records to which the public is entitled in the first place, we would not need to file lawsuits and incur legal fees which the city then needs to cover."

This summer, a Cook County judge ordered the city to pay $77,697 to the Animal Legal Defense Fund after the organization sued for records related to animal treatment by Animal Care and Control. That lawsuit stretched on for more than two years.

Anthony Eliseuson, an attorney with Dentons, a downtown law firm that also represents the Tribune, said the animal defense fund did not want to sue but couldn't work the dispute out with agency leaders.

"We felt this should've been resolved without a lawsuit," Eliseuson said. "That's ultimately why we sought fees."

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Other FOIA lawsuits in which the city paid plaintiffs involved issues such as automatic license plate readers, missed court dates by police officers and the case of Dante Servin, the Chicago police officer who fatally shot Rekia Boyd in 2012 but was acquitted by a Cook County judge who said prosecutors brought the wrong charge.

Even after the McDonald ruling, Hamilton said the city failed to release video from a case involving Heriberto Godinez's July 2015 death in police custody. After the city denied an FOIA request, Hamilton sued on behalf of Janet Godinez, Heriberto's sister.

The city finally released the video in April and paid Hamilton's firm $19,384 in fees and costs, records show.

Hamilton said the city's handling of that case was "absolutely ridiculous from beginning to end" and added there appears to be "a disconnect" between what the mayor says about transparency and what happens day to day.

"I hope some of the statements the mayor's making come true, but I haven't seen it yet," Hamilton said.

'A bit better'

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In the eight years prior to 2016, the city paid out $134,599 in seven cases.

Those disputed records included documents related to Ald. Edward Burke's security detail; a report by a consulting firm on police operations; police disciplinary records; and police equipment.

Most of those cases stemmed from disputes before Emanuel took office in May 2011. None of the ongoing 54 lawsuits were filed before 2013, and 36 were filed in 2016.

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Matthew Topic, an attorney with civil rights firm Loevy & Loevy, has brought numerous records lawsuits against the city, including the Laquan McDonald video lawsuit and the recently settled Better Government Association suit over Emanuel's emails.

Topic said the city has shown improvement in its handling of records requests in the past year. The Police Department, in particular, has been "a bit better" about responding to FOIA requests, Topic said.

But Topic also said the city is "a long, long way from truly complying with the (law) on a regular basis."

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Sarah Brune, executive director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, said citizens have made it clear they're interested in more transparency from their government.

"Ideally, these cases would not be necessary because the city would be able to respond in a timely manner and provide the information that's requested," Brune said.

gpratt@tribpub.com

Twitter @royalpratt
Baby girl Wrigley Rose, born at 12:12 a.m. atAMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Villageweighed in at 5 pds. 12 oz. She was born to die hard Cubs fans Ellen, left, and Aaron Dalbey of Roselle. (AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Center)

They are the littlest Cubs fans.

Wrigley Rose wasn't supposed to arrive for another few weeks, but she came into this world with two distinctions: a World Series-worthy name and the (unofficial) honor of being the first baby born in a Chicago-area hospital on New Year's Day. After a short labor, Ellen Dalbey delivered Wrigley at 12:12 a.m. at AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village. She weighs just under 6 pounds and has a bit of blondish hair, her dad, Aaron Dalbey, said.

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She will go home in a Cubs-colored car seat to a pink nursery.

Addyson Kelley Jeanne Barham kicked off 2017 at 12:12 p.m. at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, the first baby born there this year. Her parents, Jennifer and Chuck Barham of Elgin, are big fans who honored their baby girl with a bit of Cubby blue and named her Addyson, a nod (though with a twist on the spelling) to both the street bordering Wrigley Field and shortstop Addison Russell. Also an early arrival, Addyson weighs 4 pounds, 15 ounces.

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"She already has a Cubs outfit, and it's a really cute outfit," said Chuck Barham, who said the couple ended up with a butterfly-themed nursery even though he liked the idea of a Cubs theme. "We can't wait to take Addyson to her first Cubs game."

Addyson won out over other name options when the Cubs season got really exciting in September, Barham said.

The Dalbeys, who live in northwest suburban Roselle, picked the name Wrigley when they learned Ellen was pregnant last spring.

"We knew some people would be questioning if we only named her that because they won the World Series. We like to let people know we chose the name before the Cubs won ," said Aaron Dalbey, who noted both he and his wife come from a long line of die-hard fans.

So, let the record show that Wrigley Rose was Wrigley Rose before the Cubs won the pennant and the raw admiration and joy of Chicagoans who had been waiting so long for that win.

Considered a precious way to begin the year anew, New Year's babies often attract a lot of attention. Ellen and Aaron Dalbey had a steady stream of attention Sunday from television and newspaper reporters and from their families.

Soon after Wrigley arrived, across the county in Oak Lawn, Savannah Zwolen was born. She entered 2017 at 12:31 a.m. at Advocate Christ Medical Center, said hospital spokeswoman Kate Eller. Savannah was born to Paulina and Tomasz Zwolen, who live on Chicago's Southwest Side. She weighed 4 pounds, 2 ounces and was 17 inches long. (The Zwolens are a family with two births on memorable days; Her brother Bryan, who is 2, was born on a Black Friday.)

But none came as early in the new year as Wrigley, or so it seems after a survey of area hospitals.

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Aaron Dalbey, who works in the public works department in Wood Dale, and Ellen, an office manager, recently bought a new home. It has a basement that the couple plan to decorate in Cubs gear. He's got a Cubs tattoo and, as he posed for pictures at the hospital, wore a World Series champion shirt. He said his family reveled in the joy of knowing that 2016 was the Cubbies' year.

But 2017? So far, it belongs to Wrigley Rose.

jrichards@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @jsmithrichards
A 20-year-old Palatine father who shot a man in the leg after flashing gang signs on Thursday was ordered held in lieu of $1 million bond.

Christian Ruiz, of the 1900 block of Cambridge Court in Palatine, appeared before a judge in bond court Sunday as his family stood in the gallery.

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The shooting, which happened on the 2300 block of Algonquin Road in Rolling Meadows, left one man with a thigh injury, according to prosecutors. The bullet penetrated the man's leg, and he is expected to recover, attorneys said.

Prosecutors alleged Ruiz was driving around with friends looking for members of the Latin Kings street gang to beat up.

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Ruiz has a misdemeanor burglary conviction and violated his probation with the new offense, said Cook County Circuit Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr.

Prosecutors said two independent witnesses told police they saw Ruiz flash the gun and open fire. He also tested positive for a gunshot residue, they said.

echerney@chicagotribune.com
Chicago's struggles with gun violence once again made national news on Sunday night as a CBS "60 Minutes" segment spotlighted the city's deadliest year in two decades.

On Sunday evening, "60 Minutes" aired a segment titled "Crisis in Chicago," in which correspondent Bill Whitaker delves into the factors that have been driving Chicago's surging number of shootings. Data kept by the Chicago Tribune tallied at least 781 homicides for the year. The Chicago Police Department recorded 762 homicides, but did not include slayings on area expressways, police-involved shootings, other homicides in which a person was killed in self-defense or death investigations.

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For the six days that the television crew visited Chicago, there were 55 shooting victims; 16 died from their wounds.

In the 14-minute segment, Whitaker talked to former police Superintendent Garry McCarthy about his firing in the wake of the Laquan McDonald shooting video's release.

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"I don't think it helped the situation," McCarthy said when asked if he was made to be a scapegoat. "And I think it's a contributory factor to where we are today in Chicago. And if you want to call it scapegoat, that's fine."

McCarthy said that a part of Chicago's crime issue is that police officers feel "under attack."

"That's how they feel in this environment, and they're not going to put themselves and their families in jeopardy," he told Whitaker.

McCarthy's successor, Superintendent Eddie Johnson, tried to dispel the notion that police officers may be taking a more lax stance on crime because of recent scrutiny on policing practices. Instead, he offered that the drop in police stops was due to more stringent standards brought on by pressure from the American Civil Liberties Union.

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"You know I still go out in the field and I talk to officers too. And they take offense to people referring to them as backing down or not doing their job," he said.

In a behind-the-scenes segment posted online, CBS News producer Guy Campanile, who accompanied Whitaker on the assignment, said he declined when police asked him to wear a bulletproof vest while filming at night on Chicago's South Side.

"It bothered me that I had to wear body armor in an American city," he said. "That really bothered me. We're not talking about a Third World country. We're not talking about some war zone in the Middle East. We're talking about Chicago, Illinois."

Campanile said that while filming an interview between Whitaker and Flora White, whose son was killed while greeting a friend on gang turf, drug dealers were conducting illegal transactions on the street corner right in front of the cameramen.

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"What struck us, as Bill and Ms. White were talking about what happened there, was just how brazen the drug dealers were," he said. "I mean, we're there with a camera with a '60 Minutes' correspondent doing an interview, and not more than 5 yards away, cars are pulling up and guys on the corner are slinging dope right in front of us. It may be unfair to say this, but we never saw a police car come by."

tbriscoe@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @_tonybriscoe
Chicago firefighters on Sunday afternoon rescued eight people stuck in an elevator in the Gold Coast, according to officials.

Firefighters were dispatched to the 400 block of East Erie Street around 5 p.m. for persons trapped in an elevator on the second floor of a high-rise apartment, according to the Chicago Fire Department Twitter account.

Because there was no way to gain entry through the elevator doors, firefighters had to rappel down the elevator shaft to remove one person at a time from the roof, a Chicago Fire Department spokesman. It took about three hours to remove the last person from the elevator.
Ten days before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, President Barack Obama will say goodbye from the same city that launched his political career.

The presidential farewell will take place on the evening of Jan. 10 at McCormick Place. In an email sent out Monday morning, Obama said he was taking his cue from George Washington, who "set the precedent for a peaceful, democratic transfer of power" and penned a farewell address in 1796.

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"I'm just beginning to write my remarks," he wrote. "But I'm thinking about them as a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways you've changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here."

In the email, Obama said the nation has faced a number of challenges in the past eight years but emerged stronger.

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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 17 President Barack Obama poses for a photograph at a game between the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers at the United Center in Chicago on Oct. 27, 2015. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

"That's because we have never let go of a belief that has guided us ever since our founding -- our conviction that, together, we can change this country for the better," he wrote.

Doors will open at 5 p.m. Jan. 10 for the speech. Tickets are free, and one ticket per person will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Details on the timing of the ticket giveaway Saturday will be announced in the coming days at https://www.whitehouse.gov/farewell/info.

The scheduled farewell address will bring Obama's political career as a state senator in Illinois, U.S. senator and president full circle. When he won the White House in 2008, Chicago hosted a victory rally in Grant Park.
Donald Trump tweeted Jan. 2, 2017, about Chicago and its violence, suggesting the mayor should ask for federal help. (AP photos)

President-elect Donald Trump took to Twitter Monday to again draw attention to Chicago's struggles with surging violent crime, this time suggesting that perhaps Mayor Rahm Emanuel should seek help from the federal government.

"Chicago murder rate is record setting  4,331 shooting victims with 762 murders in 2016," Trump wrote on Twitter. "If Mayor can't do it he must ask for Federal help!"

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Trump's suggestion that violence hit a record level in 2016 was off the mark, but homicides indeed rose nearly 60 percent from 2015 to the highest levels in 20 years.

Chicago murder rate is record setting - 4,331 shooting victims with 762 murders in 2016. If Mayor can't do it he must ask for Federal help!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2017

Trump's tweet came the morning after "60 Minutes" aired a segment on Chicago's violence, including an interview from Emanuel's former police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, who said the city's Police Department was in crisis. The mayor fired McCarthy more than a year ago amid the fallout over the court-ordered release of a video showing a white police officer shooting Laquan McDonald 16 times.

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Emanuel spokesman Adam Collins released a statement applauding that the president-elect was taking the crime issue seriously. Collins, though, did not directly address Trump's suggestion that Emanuel should seek federal help if he can't control the city's crime problem.

"As the president-elect knows from his conversation with the mayor, we agree the federal government has a strong role to play in public safety by funding summer jobs and prevention programming for at-risk youth, by holding the criminals who break our gun laws accountable for their crimes, by passing meaningful gun laws, and by building on the partnerships our police have with federal law enforcement," the statement said. "We are heartened he is taking this issue seriously and look forward to working with the new administration on these important efforts."

While Trump's tweet suggested the federal government might need to intervene to help Chicago in its fight against violence, the U.S. Justice Department has been conducting an investigation for more than a year into the Police Department's practices, including the use of force by officers.

The tweet wasn't the first time Trump has weighed in on Chicago's spike in violent crime.

On the campaign trail, he often singled out Chicago while calling for tougher police tactics like the controversial stop-and-frisk policy to deal with urban crime.

Stop-and-frisk was found unconstitutional by a federal judge in New York because of its overwhelming impact on minorities. New York abandoned its appeal of the ruling after Mayor Bill de Blasio took office.

"I think Chicago needs stop-and-frisk," Trump said at an event in September. "Now, people can criticize me for that or people can say whatever they want. But they asked me about Chicago and I think stop-and-frisk with good strong, you know, good strong law and order. But you have to do something. It can't continue the way it's going."

"If (police) see a person possibly with a gun or they think may have a gun, they will see the person and they'll look and they'll take the gun away," he said.

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Chicago police had a similar practice of conducting hundreds of thousands of street stops. In fact, a study by the American Civil Liberties Union in 2014 found that Chicago carried out far more than New York even at the height of its stop-and-frisk policy. To avoid a lawsuit, Chicago police agreed to keep a more detailed record of every police stop, but the time-consuming reports have led in part to a sharp drop in stops by officers, possibly impacting the surge in violence seen in 2016.

Trump also said violence in Chicago could be stopped in a week if police were "very much tougher."

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The Chicago Fraternal Order of Police endorsed Trump during last year's election.

Emanuel met with the president-elect last month at Trump Tower in New York. While the mayor did not volunteer it, he acknowledged he and Trump discussed Chicago's violent crime.

Asked if Trump brought up Chicago's crime woes, Emanuel responded, "We talked about public safety."

Emanuel did not detail any of Trump's discussions at the meeting, but the mayor said he'd been "very clear" about his views on the issue. Emanuel said he advocated for a multifaceted approach to fighting crime from more summer jobs, after-school programs and mentoring to improved community policing, increased economic development and stiffer sentences for gun crimes.

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Collins said Monday that Emanuel and Trump had not discussed Chicago's crime since their meeting last month.

bruthhart@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @BillRuthhart
A woman died early Monday after crashing into a support beam for the CTA's elevated track in the Loop, Chicago police said.

About 12:05 a.m., a woman driving a Nissan Pathfinder was heading north, the wrong direction, in the 100 block of South Wells Street when she crashed into a support beam, police said.

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She was pronounced dead at the scene. The woman, whose age was not yet know, had not been identified as of early Monday.

The crash remained under investigation.

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Check back for updates.
Vehicles pull up to a Russian aircraft to load freight at Dulles International Airport Dec. 31, 2016, in Sterling, Virginia, just outside Washington, DC. The special flight arrived to pickup Russian diplomats expelled by U.S. President Barack Obama as part of sanctions imposed on Russia for suspected cyberattacks during the U.S. election. (Paul J. Richards / AFP/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  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.

Associated Press
In 2004, the last time that Democrats comprehensively lost a national election, an argument broke out about how the party should reform. John F. Kerry had been just one state - Ohio - away from victory. Democrats had lost Senate seats in red states, but held their own in the House and in state legislatures. (Republicans netted three seats, but would have lost a net of two seats but for mid-decade gerrymandering in Texas.) Hillary Clinton loomed as the favorite for the party's 2008 presidential nomination, but it was clear to many pundits that the party needed someone else. No, not Barack Obama. Clearly, the party needed a moderate nominee from red America.

There were plenty of takers. Then-Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., who had never lost an election, visited early primary states and warned that "many Americans wonder if [Democrats are] willing to use force to defend the country even under the most compelling of circumstances." Then-Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) shamed Democrats for not campaigning harder for Southern voters - at a DNC meeting, where the right people were watching. In a cover story for the New York Times magazine, then-Gov. Mark Warner, D-Va., suggested he could win moderate Republicans, his implication being that Clinton could not.

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Clinton, indeed, did not win the 2008 nomination. Sixteen years of speculation about her inevitable presidency ended on Nov. 8. But the hand-wringing of 2005 is just as instructive as the Republicans' hand-wringing of 2013. In recent history, the most confident analysts of our political parties have argued that victory will come through moderation. They have been completely wrong. Barack Obama became the first Democrat since FDR to win two popular vote majorities; Donald Trump became the first Republican since Ronald Reagan to win most of the Midwest.

In both cases, the winning party did not so much moderate its stances as run against the failure of the incumbent party. That failure was obvious in 2008 - arguably, as early as mid-2006 - in George W. Bush's low approval ratings and the collapsing economy. It was tougher for Democrats to see in 2016, as Obama's approval numbers were high and the metrics usually used to gauge the health of the economy, like employment, stock markets, and GDP, were moving the right way.

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The culture was moving the right way, too. In 2004, Republicans blindsided and embarrassed Democrats on social issues, leading to a panic over how the party had lost religious voters who agreed with them on economics, especially Hispanic and black voters. This year, the Republican nominee badly lost the popular vote, and while he overperformed with nonwhites compared to Obama's opponents, he underperformed the rest of the GOP's nominees going back to 1972. His 46 percent of the vote was the lowest for any winning Republican nominee since the three-way election of 1968. Unlike in 2004, Democrats do not look at the electorate and see a majority of personal rejection. Gay voters don't see a president-elect who wanted to change the Constitution to prevent them from getting married; they see one who ceded the issue and literally waved a rainbow flag.

For that reason, the last seven weeks have seen Democrats cement their move to the left. The only debate over the future of the party is happening in the race to run the Democratic National Committee. As we reported this month, that's reopened some divisions over the 2016 primary, but it's actually seen the party consolidate around left-wing positions.

Outgoing Labor Secretary Tom Perez, whose biggest impediment in the race is being seen as the establishment opponent of Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., has not even tried to defend the Obama administration over the Trans-Pacific Partnership. In a tweet Saturday, already being mocked in pro-Ellison circles, Perez brands himself as a Mother Jones-approved "progressive who gets things done."

The DNC race is also notable as the first that includes absolutely no straight white men. (Ray Buckley, the one white male candidate so far, is gay.) In 2005, Democrats looked for another Bill Clinton; in 2013, Republicans surmised that their defeat required a literal autopsy, and probably a candidate who could appeal to the "rising electorate" of nonwhites. None of that turned out to be necessary.

Yet both the 2008 and 2016 elections went to candidates with economic policies that appealed to working class, mostly rural, white voters. In 2008, Democrats discovered that these most of these voters did not actually care if the candidate selling those policies was a black man. From 2004 to 2008, the party's share of the white vote in Wisconsin rose from 47 percent to 54 percent; in Pennsylvania it rose from 45 percent to 48 percent. In 2012, Trump won those states by flipping the white vote, grabbing 56 percent of it in Wisconsin and 53 percent of it in Pennsylvania. The unusually large vote for third-party candidates meant that Hillary Clinton's share of that vote was even lower than Kerry's - more comparable, actually, to the vote for Walter Mondale in 1984.

But the 1984 election did not change the makeup of the major political parties. Millions of voters pulled the lever for Ronald Reagan, then voted Democratic for every lower office, from Senate down to alderman. In 2016, the Democrats lost their last state legislature in what we generally call the South, after a wipeout in Kentucky's House of Representatives.

Early in the 2016 cycle, plenty of Democrats worried about this and thought they saw a way to prevent it: by nominating Clinton for president. In early 2015, writing then for Bloomberg, I talked to Democrats from Kentucky and West Virginia, all of whom thought that the losses of the Obama years could be reversed when Obama himself left the political scene. Clinton, said Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., "would be the best hope in the state of West Virginia to return [to Democratic] on a national level."

Clinton went on to win just 26 percent of the vote there, the worst performance for a Democrat in West Virginia's 152 years of electoral college membership. (Yes, even George McClellan ran better against Abraham Lincoln.) The state had fallen off the Democrats' presidential map a decade earlier, and Clinton embraced environmental policies with the knowledge that they'd cost votes, and the calculation that they would win votes elsewhere. And coal country didn't cost Clinton the presidency; had she won Florida and Wisconsin, she'd be writing her inaugural address.

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Still, the party's expectations about Clinton demonstrated just how bad parties are at analyzing what they need to fix to win. Next year, while it is not what they boast about, Democrats are expecting mistakes by Trump - the most unpopular incoming president in decades - to create opportunities for them. Their debate about winning a new majority is not about a savior from red America, or even a change in policy. It is about better organizing, and how to win back voters who were Democrats until the party was branded as neoliberal and pro-trade.

There has really never been an election aftermath like this. And there has never been a moment when one party consisted almost entirely of conservative and moderate white voters and one consisted of nonwhites and progressive whites. There will be more certitude about what the parties stand for, and less dreaming for a Democratic savior.
For six years, since they took back the House of Representatives, Republicans have added to a pile of legislation that moldered outside the White House. In their thwarted agenda, financial regulations were to be unspooled. Business taxes were to be slashed. Planned Parenthood would be stripped of federal funds. The Affordable Care Act was teed up for repeal - dozens of times.

When the 115th Congress begins this week, with Republicans firmly in charge of the House and Senate, much of that legislation will form the basis of the most ambitious conservative policy agenda since the 1920s. And rather than a Democratic president standing in the way, a soon-to-be-inaugurated Donald Trump seems ready to sign much of it into law.

The dynamic reflects just how ready Congress is to push through a conservative makeover of government, and how little Trump's unpredictable, attention-grabbing style matters to the Republican game plan.

That plan was long in the making.

Almost the entire agenda has already been vetted, promoted and worked over by Republicans and think tanks that look at the White House less for leadership and more for signing ceremonies.

In 2012, Americans for Tax Reform's Grover Norquist described the ideal president as "a Republican with enough working digits to handle a pen" and "sign the legislation that has already been prepared." In 2015, when Senate Republicans used procedural maneuvers to undermine a potential Democratic filibuster and vote to repeal the health-care law, it did not matter that the Obama White House stopped them: As the conservative advocacy group Heritage Action put it, the process was "a trial run for 2017, when we will hopefully have a President willing to sign a full repeal bill."

"What I told our committees a year ago was: Assume you get the White House and Congress," House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., told CNBC in a post-election interview last month. "Come 2018, what do you want to have accomplished?" Negotiations with the incoming Trump administration, he said, were mostly "on timeline, on an execution strategy."

Few presidential candidates have dominated the coverage of an election like Trump did in 2016. In the campaign's final stretch, Republican candidates often got less attention for their records in Congress than for their positions on Trump's controversial statements.

The irony, as Democrats realized after the election, was that congressional Republicans were poised to have more influence over the national agenda in 2017 than congressional Democrats did after the 2008 election that put Obama in the White House with his party in control on Capitol Hill.

While the Democratic majority in 2009 was larger than the GOP advantage this year, the Democrats were hamstrung in ways they came to regret.

Responding to the Great Recession, they spent the transition and first month of 2009 on a $831 billion stimulus package, with Obama aides openly hoping that they could pass it with bipartisan supermajorities. Every House Republican and all but three Senate Republicans opposed it, and within 20 days of inauguration, the first tea party protests had broken out against it. Protesters twinned their opposition to the stimulus with opposition to the bank bailouts, which had bipartisan backing.

Since November, Republicans have pre-empted any problems like this by making no attempt to frame their agenda as bipartisan.

In his first news conference after the election, Ryan said that voters had delivered a mandate for "unified Republican government." Eight years earlier, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had said only that Americans "voted in large numbers for change," and said the White House would be driving the agenda.

This year's agenda from House and Senate Republicans has clarity that was often lacking from Trump's own campaign. Senate Republicans favor using a procedure known as "budget reconciliation," in which measures can be passed with a simple 51-vote majority rather than a filibuster-proof 60 votes, to tackle the ACA and to undo much of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform.

As part of undoing the financial overhaul law, some GOP leaders have begun planning strategies for how to effectively kill the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, whether by giving Congress control over its budget or finding cause to replace its director, Richard Cordray, with a weaker board.

"I'd like to repeal the whole thing, period," Senate Banking Committee Chairman Richard C. Shelby said of Dodd-Frank in a December interview with the Wall Street Journal.

The reconciliation process is also likely to be used to pass tax reform, which both Trump and congressional Republicans want to use to lower rates and end the estate tax.

Republicans also are examining ways to undo many of the regulations and other orders enacted by Obama and his administration, including ones issued in the weeks since Trump's victory and designed to solidify the Democratic president's environmental legacy.

GOP leaders have cited the 21-year old Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to cast simple majority votes of disapproval for regulations, as a way to block anything the administration has ordered since June 2016.

Since its passage, the CRA has been used only once. But in December, the conservative House Freedom Caucus began compiling a list of more than 200 regulations it views as vulnerable to a disapproval vote. They include "burdensome" school lunch standards, tobacco regulations, laws that set higher wages for contractors, and elements of the Paris climate-change agreement.

"Talking to some individuals with the Trump transition team, they are taking this extremely serious[ly]," Freedom Caucus chairman Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., told the Heritage Foundation last month.

Republicans intend to supplement the CRA by enacting a new law that would subject any regulation with an economic impact greater than $100 million to a vote of Congress, a change that would have prevented nearly every climate or employment rule change of the Obama years. The measure, called the Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act, or REINS, is a conservative priority that passed the Republican House in 2011, 2013 and 2015 with backing from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Republican aides now hope for a vote on REINS in the coming days so it can be sent for Trump's signature immediately after he is sworn in on Jan. 20.

Some Republican lawmakers also want legislation that would stop courts from deferring to federal agencies' interpretations of statues, and instead defer to Congress.

Little of this was discussed during the presidential campaign, and none has much buy-in from Democrats. Just one rural Democrat in the 115th Congress, Rep. Collin C. Peterson of Minnesota, voted for REINS. But Democrats do not see the next few months playing out for them the way the first half of 2009 played out for Republicans.

"I think there was a unique benefit to Republicans in obstructing the Obama agenda," said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who served in the House in Obama's first term and arrived in the Senate in 2013. "In 2008, Obama's entire premise was built on fixing Washington by ending partisanship. It was dependent on getting two parties to work together. Mitch McConnell figured out quickly that he alone held the keys to success or lack of success."

Democrats, said Murphy, would oppose Republicans where they can. But they are not in a position to block everything. "Trump pays lip service to bringing people together, but his theme is that 'only he can fix it,' " he said. "That's about results, not whether Washington is 'working,' so there's not the same political benefit to pure obstruction."

Instead, Democrats see opportunities on issues on which Trump clashed with his party, or where Republicans themselves worry that the party's position is unpopular. One of them is the Defund Planned Parenthood Act, which sailed through the House in 2015. Last month, when President Barack Obama issued an order halting state efforts to defund the group, the legislation's sponsor, Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., said that new "pro-life majorities in Congress" would "not only roll back this latest overreach but also enact new legal protections for these most vulnerable members of our society."

Trump, who became antiabortion late in life, sent mixed messages about Planned Parenthood, praising its non-abortion work in televised debates. That, say Democrats and abortion rights advocates, suggests a wedge can be shoved between the Republican Congress and the president. "Trump didn't run on, nor was he elected to act on, attacking reproductive health care," said Ericka Sackin, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood.

There's less clarity about how to respond on other Republican priorities. Legislation to allow concealed weapons to be carried across state lines, a major goal of the National Rifle Association, was endorsed by Trump and may be hard for red-state Democrats to oppose.

A possible Trump-backed stimulus package intrigued even blue-state Democrats when it was floated in November. Interest waned when, in lieu of detailed spending plans, Trump allies suggested the stimulus would consist of tax breaks.

In the short term, Democrats are focused more on Trump's Cabinet picks and the looming Supreme Court nomination. In 2009, 59 Democratic senators were occasionally bogged down in getting the 60th vote to confirm lower-level Obama appointees such as Tom Perez as an assistant attorney general at the Justice Department and Harold Koh as a legal adviser at State.

In 2017, thanks to Democrats' reform of the filibuster, Republicans no longer need to get 60 votes for cloture on nominees; they need a simple majority for any administration position or any judicial opening lower than the Supreme Court. This, Democrats admit, will give Republicans more running room and more floor time to pass bills. Shellshocked after being defeated in an election few people expected they could lose, some concede that Trump's ability to command media attention will make it harder to turn their losing congressional battles into headlines.

They will try. On Jan. 15, Democrats will organize rallies in several states to draw attention to Trump's campaign pledge to leave Social Security and Medicare untouched - a difference with Republicans like Ryan. And the party's concurrent fight over who will head the Democratic National Committee has focused, in large part, on how the party can draw attention to the fast-moving Republican Congress and promote its own work, something Hillary Clinton failed to do in the campaign.

"There's no question we'll see a greater number of people who are uninsured, more people who are unemployed, and more kids getting low test scores," said Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., a leading candidate for DNC chairman. "But if we think Trump will create bad conditions and that'll be enough for Democrats to win, we are absolutely wrong."
Melania Trump, right, looks on as her husband President-elect Donald Trump talks to reporters during a New Year's Eve party at Mar-a-Lago, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016, in Palm Beach, Fla. (Evan Vucci / AP)

President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned whether critical computer networks can ever be protected from intruders, alarming cybersecurity experts who say his comments could upend more than a decade of national cybersecurity policy and put both government and private data at risk.

Asked late Saturday about Russian hacking allegations and his cybersecurity plans, Trump told reporters that "no computer is safe" and that, for intelligence officials, "hacking is a very hard thing to prove."

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"You want something to really go without detection, write it out and have it sent by courier," he said as he entered a New Year's Eve party at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida resort.

"I think that computers have complicated lives very greatly," Trump said earlier last week. He tweets prolifically but says he rarely uses any other communications technology more advanced than the telephone. "The whole age of computer has made it where nobody knows exactly what's going on. We have speed, we have a lot of other things, but I'm not sure you have the kind of security that you need."

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Since President George W. Bush moved to develop a comprehensive national cybersecurity policy after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the federal government has made a top priority of preserving the integrity of the public- and private-sector computer networks that enable modern commerce and society.

Trump delivered a campaign address in October that deemed cybersecurity "a major priority for both the government and the private sector" and said that cyberattacks from both state and non-state actors "constitute one of our most critical national security concerns."

But the U.S. intelligence community's determination that Russia engaged in a state-sponsored hacking effort aimed at electing Trump has prompted the president-elect to openly question the reliability of that assessment while simultaneously taking aim at the broader notion of cybersecurity.

Experts said Sunday that Trump's comments and his handling of the Russian hacking allegations could embolden foreign hackers and undermine the U.S. government's ability to respond to them.

Michael Sulmeyer, a former Defense Department policy adviser who directs the cybersecurity project for the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, referred to one of Trump's earliest efforts - during a presidential debate in September - to cast doubt on allegations of Russian interference on his behalf.

"This is not some issue about a 400-pound hacker in a bedroom who might be mischievous," Sulmeyer said. "These are real threats to our country, and the concerning part for me is to see how this issue has become politicized and made partisan."

Although some Republicans have pushed for a sharper response to the Russian hacking - notably Sens. John McCain (Ariz.) and Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) - many others have joined Trump in playing down the intense coverage and debate.

"Russia spying on the U.S. is not news," said Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and a top Trump ally. "It's what they do. A lot is being made about something that's already known. To all the people acting shocked, it's as if they're shocked there is gambling going on in a casino."

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Transition spokesman Sean Spicer, slated to become White House communications director upon Trump's inauguration, said Sunday that intelligence officials will brief Trump this week on the election-related hacking.

He suggested on ABC's "This Week" that the retaliatory sanctions President Barack Obama imposed against Russia last week - which included the expulsion of 35 suspected intelligence agents - may not have been justified.

"The question is, is that response in proportion to the actions taken?" Spicer said. "Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't, but you have to think about that."

Spicer compared the Obama administration's sharp response to the recent Russian hacking with its reaction to last year's revelation that hackers linked to the Chinese government stole the personal data of millions of federal employees.

"Not one thing happened," he said. "So there is a question about whether there's a political retribution here versus a diplomatic response."

Rep. Adam B. Schiff (Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, drew a sharp distinction between the two cases and called on Trump "to stop denigrating the intelligence community."

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"They didn't just steal data; they weaponized it," he said of Russia, also on the ABC program. "They dumped it during an election with the specific intent of influencing the outcomes of that election and sowing discord in the United States. That is not something China has ever done."

Ari Schwartz, who served as the top cybersecurity adviser on the National Security Council in 2015, said in an interview that Spicer misjudged the Obama administration's response to the employee data hack. Private talks with the Chinese government, he said, resulted in a demonstrable decline in state-sponsored hacking.

"We came up with ways of dealing with them and working with them," Schwartz said. "It proves that the sanctions work. Even the threat of the sanctions have changed Chinese behavior."

Trump's recent comments, Schwartz said, point to a possible recalibration of cybersecurity policy - one that could shift the careful balance of innovation and security embraced by both Bush and Obama.

"We're not going back to the world of couriers and letter-writing; we're going to continue to do things online," he said. "There are ways to do it where you can manage risk, and that's really what the goal should be here - to get to the point where we can have the efficiencies and the benefits and still be secure."

What remains unclear is to what degree Trump's views on cybersecurity will remain filtered through the prism of the Russian hacking affair.

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In his October campaign speech, he pledged to undertake a comprehensive review of national cybersecurity systems, create law enforcement task forces to combat cybercriminals and strengthen the military's Cyber Command. In a sign that he plans to follow through on those plans, last week he chose Thomas P. Bossert, a Bush administration official who played a central role in cybersecurity planning, as his top White House assistant for homeland security and counterterrorism.

On the Russian hacking, Trump said Saturday that he knows "things that other people don't know, and so they cannot be sure of the situation." Asked what he was referring to, he said, "You'll find out on Tuesday or Wednesday" - an apparent reference to his upcoming intelligence briefings.

As long as Trump openly doubts the intelligence community's ability to accurately assign responsibility for cyberattacks, he could find it difficult to identify, fend off and retaliate against cyberattackers. He has publicly compared the intelligence community's Russian hacking assessment to its erroneous determination that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction - a comparison Spicer repeated Sunday.

Said Sulmeyer: "If they don't want to make a full-fledged apology or correction about Russian hacking, okay, but at some point, they're going to have to come out and explain their understanding of the threat and what they want to do about it. If we see that soon, I think that's a good sign. If that slips, I think that will be an indicator that they are not prioritizing it and they are leaving the American people at greater risk."

The Washington Post's Robert Costa and Ellen Nakashima contributed to this report.
Elgin Officer Justin Brown and K-9 Bauer, left, with Officer Chris Jones and K-9 Willson. Under a new law, officers will get first preference to adopt their police dogs so retiring dogs can remain part of the officer's family. (Elgin Police Department) (Elgin Police Department / HANDOUT)

Victims of domestic violence will gain new advocates under a law taking effect in the New Year requiring that cosmetologists, estheticians and nail technicians take a domestic violence course to instruct them how to look for signs of abuse or sexual assault.

There is a hitch with the new law, said Maureen Manning-Rosenfeld, director of client services at the Community Crisis Center. There is no indication how the training will occur or when, she said.

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"The intent behind the law is great; we are just not sure about the details," Manning-Rosenfeld said.

Beauticians and nail technicians often become close to clients, who share details about their lives and families, Manning-Rosenfeld said. It's natural to have those professionals trained to see the signs of domestic abuse or sexual assault so they can offer help to victims, she said.

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The training will likely include how to spot signs of verbal, physical and emotional abuse, she said. At the core of domestic abuse is the issue of control, she said. Abusers want to control their victims, often through coercion, she said.

House Bill 4264 is one of many laws enacted for 2017.

State legislators passed the new law in support of domestic violence victims but failed to include domestic violence in the state's stopgap budget.

"We need domestic violence (centers) to be funded," Manning-Rosenfeld said. The Crisis Center has managed to keep its doors open; however, it is a struggle, she said.

The Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus released a list of the top 10 new laws that include topics on police dog adoptions and updating the state tax codes so feminine products don't get charged the same sales tax as shampoo.

Under a new law, police officers will get first preference to adopt their police dogs so retiring dogs can remain part of the officer's family, according to the website.

The Elgin Police Department already allows its K-9 officers/handlers to adopt their retiring partners, Commander Ana Lalley said. The police department has four K-9 dogs. One, Gage, is set to retire next year. His handler, Officer Marshall Kite, is planning to adopt Gage, she said.

It is natural for officers/handlers to want to continue taking care of their dog partners after spending so much time with them and welcoming the dogs into their family, Lalley said.

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K-9 handlers always "bond with the animals," so it is best for them to continuing caring for the retired officers, she said.

Companies cannot ask a worker who makes less than $13.50 an hour to sign a noncompete agreement under one new law and lobbying groups are ineligible to receive taxpayer-funded pensions to end the abuse of vital state dollars, according to the website.

Families moving into new homes will be safe from lead toxins with a new law that prohibits the sale or release of properties with high lead levels until the problem is fixed and the property is safe, the website states. Older homes are more likely to contain lead and children can get lead poisoning, it stated.

This is a sampling of other laws that take effect Jan. 1.

Workers: Illinois is the first Midwest state to grant legal protections to housekeepers, nannies and in-home caregivers, joining six coastal states that have already adopted such protections for the mostly female and largely immigrant workforce. The Illinois law extends sexual harassment protections to such workers and requires they be paid at least the minimum wage and get at least one day off per seven-day workweek.

Another law says employees allowed sick leave for injuries or doctor appointments can take leave for the illness or appointment of a family member.

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Law enforcement: Illinois jails must accept cash to post bail under a law inspired by a Rockford-area resident whose teenage son was arrested for a traffic offense. Since the credit card machine wasn't working that day, the father couldn't pay and the teen had to spend the weekend in jail. Supporters believe the measure will cut incarceration costs.

The state will also extend the statute of limitations from two years to five years for people to file wrongful death lawsuits and will increase fines for public bodies, including police departments, that don't comply with court orders to release information. The plans are dubbed "Molly's Law," after Molly Young, a Carbondale woman who was found shot to death in 2012 in her ex-boyfriend's apartment. A special prosecutor couldn't determine whether Young's death was an accident, suicide or homicide. Her father fought for public records, but it took so long he couldn't take civil action.

Juveniles: Police can no longer interrogate anyone younger than 15 without an attorney present when investigating serious crimes. The age was previously 13.

Also, people charged or arrested for an incident occurring before their 18th birthday can petition the court to expunge the records. The Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission pushed for the changes, saying mistakes made as a youth can limit access to employment, housing and education.

State agencies must keep paperwork up to date on juveniles, including requiring the Department of Juvenile Justice to file a report within ten days of any "critical incident," such as a suicide attempt.

Health: Illinois will eliminate the so-called "tampon tax," which proponents say is a matter of gender equity. Illinois became the third state over the summer to approve a law repealing taxes on feminine hygiene products. Several others are considering similar measures.

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Insurance companies must provide coverage for nearly all forms of contraception approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which the law had limited to fewer options.

Two laws focus on the state's ongoing efforts to fight opioid addiction. One allows drug court participants to use medication, like methadone, for treatment. Another requires state-licensed treatment programs to provide education information about medication-based treatments and the use of anti-overdose drugs.

Official artifact: The new state artifact will be a long canoe once used by Native Americans, including the Illini. It's called a "pirogue" and state Rep. Laura Fine, a suburban Democrat, credited a middle-school history project as the impetus.

The legislation created momentary confusion, with some mistaking the vessel pronounced PEE'roag with "pierogi," a Polish dumpling particularly well-known around Chicago.

Fine says the designation is a way to reflect the importance of the state's waterways and recognize Illinois' namesake tribe.

Associated Press contributed.

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Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
PADS Lake County case worker Sara Hollis meets with a client seeking assistance in finding housing on Thursday, Dec. 29. (Provided by PADS \ Handout)

Organizations across the nation working to end homelessness have been awarded close to $2 billion in grants by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Almost $105 million was distributed to agencies in Illinois that have more than 400 existing and newly-developed programs that assist displaced families, veterans and the chronically homeless.

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Described as Continuums of Care, 11 of those agencies are in Lake County and were chosen to receive a total of $2,137,755 that will go to the short-term emergency and permanent-housing programs already helping residents like Eddie Cooper stay off the street.

Cooper has been homeless on and off for many years, he said, and currently is working with PADS Lake County to secure housing. He's grateful for the aid, because a home will help him feel more independent, he said.

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PADS case worker Latisha Banks (left) gets ready to take a homeless client who asked not to be identified by name to see an apartment. (Provided by PADS \ Handout)

Having slept under bridges and in abandoned buildings from time to time, the 63-year-old is getting assistance through a program called Coordinated Entry.

It's one of two PADS programs awarded a HUD grant.

"At a time of dwindling government funds, these grants are a huge benefit to the most vulnerable in our society," said Joel Williams, PADS executive director.

Since October 2015, 226 people have received assistance through the Coordinated Entry program, which assess the needs of clients and then connects them with services and resources that can help eliminate barriers that have contributed to their situation.

PADS is one of the county's primary points of entry for people experiencing homelessness, Williams said. Others sites are A Safe Place, where clients have been left homelessness due to domestic abuse, and the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, where homeless veterans can apply for aid.

Catholic Charities, Lake County Haven and Waukegan Township are other local groups that were awarded grants, according to information released last month by HUD officials.

"The Continuums of Care award program is the largest competitive grant program in the federal government," said HUD spokesman Brian Sullivan.

To be considered for the grants, agencies work with the Lake County Coalition for the Homeless, which oversees applications submitted to HUD. Those submissions are scored on a number of factors that measure the agencies' ability and capacity to prevent and end homelessness.

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Adding that the applications are carefully vetted for details that show what impact programs have on the community, Continuum of Care Program coordinator Brenda O'Connell said "we work really hard to assist and educate providers on best practices and new approaches to their programs."

Some agencies, like Catholic Charities' Rapid Rehousing programs, have offered a helping hand to those in need since the foreclosure crisis in 2008, said Kristine Kappel, Catholic Charities director of communications.

HUD awarded a total of $217,149 to three Rapid Rehousing programs.

"We hope to serve 18 to 23 families this year on their paths to self-sufficiency and out of homelessness through this funding," Kappel said.

Programs have transitioned according to the needs of the community.

According to the Lake County Coalition for the Homeless, more than 1,700 people experienced homelessness in Lake County over the course of a year.

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Due to the joint efforts and collaborative work of local agencies and funding like HUD's Continuum of Care grants program, the county has seen an overall reduction in homelessness, O'Connell said.

Yadira Sanchez Olson is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
No one was injured in an unincorporated Lake Zurich house fire that left the home uninhabitable, the Lake Zurich division chief said.

A passerby saw the fire at the home in the 24000 block of Quentin Road Monday morning and alerted the residents, according to a news release.

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When Lake Zurich Fire Rescue Department personnel arrived at 7:52 a.m., they found heavy smoke coming from the rear of the residence, the release said.

The fire appears to have started on the deck and spread to the first floor and up the exterior to the attic, Division Chief John Kelly said.

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The Lake Zurich Fire Rescue Department received assistance through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) from the Arlington Heights, Barrington, Barrington-Countryside, Countryside, Buffalo Grove, Lincolnshire, Libertyville, Long Grove, McHenry, Palatine and Wauconda fire departments, according to the release. The Mundelein and Schaumburg fire departments covered Lake Zurich's stations during the response.

The fire was brought under control a little more than a half-hour after the first units arrived on the scene, according to the release.

The fire is under investigation, and the residents of the home received assistance from the Red Cross, the release said.

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Twitter @mekcoleman
The proposed mixed-use development at South Avenue and Genesee Street would include apartments, some of them income-restricted, as well as single-family bungalows, townhomes, retail space and an opportunity hub where different agencies or nonprofits could set up shop and serve the neighborhood, said Mike Higbee, the owner of the development group Sheridan Partners LLC and Development Concepts Inc.- Original Credit: Sheridan Partners LLC (Coleman, Emily / HANDOUT)

A series of rezoning requests will come before the Waukegan City Council Tuesday, part of a larger push to redevelop the southern stretch of Genesee Street.

Approval of those requests doesn't mean the proposed project at the center of the South Sheridan Road revitalization plan can move ahead though, according to Ald. Sam Cunningham, 1st, whose ward includes the properties up for rezoning.

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The proposed mixed-use development at South Avenue and Genesee Street would include apartments, some of them income-restricted, as well as single-family bungalows, townhomes, retail space and an opportunity hub where different agencies or nonprofits could set up shop and serve the neighborhood, said Mike Higbee, the owner of the development group Sheridan Partners LLC and Development Concepts Inc.

The proposed $45 million investment could happen in the next three years, he has said. The goal is for the project to be a catalyst for other development in the area.

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The requests before the council Tuesday center on the buildings that would front Genesee Street, also commonly known as South Sheridan Road, though also include several lots on Kennard and Hill streets, according to renderings provided to the council. The buildings would have retail space on the ground floor and affordable multi-family units above.

The largest of the requests includes 43 total lots, 32 of which are owned by the city but all of which are under contract to be bought by Sheridan Partners LLC, according to council documents. Another three lots are owned by the Illinois Department of Transportation, which the city is working to acquire on behalf of Sheridan Partners LLC.

If approved Tuesday evening, the lots' zoning would go from industrial to residential, something that should have happened a long time ago, Cunningham said.

The process has been much more inclusive than other efforts in the area, which makes him hopeful that this time they'll be successful, he said. And even if they're not, the zoning changes are a move in the right direction.

At least two objections have been filed with the city over the proposed rezoning, including from the owner of a home on Kennard Street in the larger proposed project area, according to council documents. The owner, Leon Nard, said he enjoyed living in his property overlooking Lake Michigan and didn't want to sell.

Another area resident, Eunice Ladd, who lives on Genesee Street across from the proposed apartment buildings, filed an objection as well. She said she lives on retirement income, which covers her current expenses but would not cover the costs of having to move.

Residents would not be forced to move under the proposed revitalization plan, Cunningham said, adding that some residents may also be eligible for programs that freeze their property taxes in case property values start to climb.

emcoleman@tribpub.com

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Swimmers warm up around the fire after taking a dip in Lake Michigan. (Jim Karczewski / Post-Tribune)

Elsie Anderson rallied the crowd gathered Sunday on the Lake Michigan lakefront in Ogden Dunes.

Dressed in a bathing suit with a wrap around her shoulders, she welcomed family, friends and even some strangers who were about to join her running into the ice-cold water as part of the Anderson family's annual polar plunge tradition.

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"I want all of you to know, this is the 19th year. Next year is the 20th.

"All you folks without bathing suits on are going to get wet whether you like it or not," she said as the countdown began and swimmers readied to run in.

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The National Weather Service said the lake's water temperature Sunday in Michigan City was 35 degrees.

Joanna Nawotka of Chicago is the last of the swimmers out of the water during the annual polar plunge in Ogden Dunes. (Jim Karczewski / Post-Tribune)

Wade Anderson of Danbury, Connecticut, said he first decided to participate in his family's polar plunge tradition because he was bored. The idea was to get everybody in the family together once a year. The plunge evolved from that.

"The motivation is very important," Anderson said. The jump into Lake Michigan each New Year's Day has become somewhat of a "Festivus" celebration for the family. "Festivus" is a holiday celebration featured in a 1997 episode of the "Seinfeld" television series. It involves an airing of grievances, feats of strength and a Festivus dinner.

"The feat of strength is jumping into the lake," Wade Anderson said.

The feat is followed by a meal for all polar plunge participants at the home of Elsie Anderson, who started the tradition. Sometimes, the water washes out some unexpected grievances, Wade Anderson joked.

Since the first family gathering, the event has morphed to include not only family from around the country that could make it, but friends, neighbors and strangers, who soon become part of the group.

Swimmers warm up around the fire after taking a dip in Lake Michigan. (Jim Karczewski / Post-Tribune)

"People drift in and drift out," Wade Anderson said, adding by the time all participants gather on the beach before the 1 p.m. dip, he said, "I might know half of them."

Mike Chinski, of St. Joseph, Michigan, is one of those participants with no initial connection to the family or the neighborhood. He and his wife have been participating for about 10 years now.

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Chinski said he used to see people in Chicago do the plunge and had always wanted to try. When he saw a newspaper article about Elsie and her family, he called her up and has been coming ever since.

"When you jump in there, every cell in your body is immediately awakened. Nothing else is quite like it," Chinski said.

Kevin Horecky, who recently moved to Ogden Dunes, was making his first dip in the water. He was joining his friend Jason Gast, of Hebron, a plunge regular. Gast said when his friend moved to Ogden Dunes, he called him up and said he had to participate.

Noah Mysliwiec is the first into the water at the annual polar plunge at Ogden Dunes. (Jim Karczewski / Post-Tribune)

"It's fun. I enjoy it. I look forward to it," Gast said.

Horecky said he has seen Gast's videos of the plunge in the past and was on board with participated. He was not sure what to expect.

"I think it's going to be cold," he said.

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Erica Mysliwiec, of Greenbelt, Maryland, said she married into the family tradition. She and her husband Noah, a family cousin, traveled to participate in the annual family reunion and the dunk in the lake that symbolizes the event.

"This is the family tradition. He said early on it matters if I go in," she said. The first year she attended in 2007-2008, she joined the rest of the family in the water. That, she said, bought her some time. She was able to skip the plunge for the next few visits, that is, until Sunday.

"This year I brought my swimsuit and made the mistake of telling someone," she laughed as she dried off.

Participants were thrilled with the weather Sunday offered. A calm lake and sunny skies are just about all anybody can ask for when it comes to a Jan. 1 dunk in Lake Michigan.

"This is very unusual," Wade Anderson said of the weather. "Usually its 30, 30, 30  30-degree air, 30-degree water and 30 mile per hour winds."

Carrie Napoleon is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
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The shooting of the first-ever film jointly produced by China and Laos has kicked off in Lao capital Vientiane.





Representatives from China and Laos signs the deal for the first jointly-produced movie during a cultural expo in southern Chinese city of Nanning in May, 2014.[Photo: gb.cri.cn]

The movie, named Champa Blossoms, tells stories of beautiful love between Lao and Chinese nationals.

The movie, co-sponsored by the Lao government and a Chinese media company based in southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen, aims to show the friendly relations between the two neighboring countries as well as their natural sceneries and cultural features.

Vithoun Soundara, acting director general of the Cinema Department under the Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, said the movie is of great significance in promoting exchanges in tourism and cultural areas between the two countries.

Soundara also said the filming locations in Laos, including capital Vientiane, Vang Vieng and world heritage town Luang Prabang among others, are expected to become more popular thanks to the movie.

Filing locations on the Chinese side include Nanning and Guilin in South Chinas Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The two sides signed the deal for the movie back in 2014.

Financial details of the films shooting are unclear at this point.
A Chinese woman who ran a small recreational shooting gallery in northern China's Tianjin Municipality has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison for illegal gun possession.

The sentence shocked the public and caused widespread debate about the criteria for legally defining guns.

Zhao Chunhua, 51, moved to Tianjin to live with her daughter, and opened a roadside shooting gallery to help her family but was arrested in October. Among the model guns seized from her stall, six were identified as real guns by police.

Zhao's daughter believed they were just toy guns using plastic bullets to hit balloons, and said she would appeal to a higher court.

According to a 2010 Ministry of Public Security document on firearms identification, unauthorized guns able to fire bullets with a force of over or equal to 1.8 joules per square centimeter are considered illegal firearms.

The force of the six guns owned by Zhao ranged from 2.17 to 3.14 joules per square centimeter, exceeding the statutory standard, the court said.

However, the standard was soon criticized following the verdict. A netizen called XiaoL said even a self-made slingshot has a force of 10 to 20 joules per square centimeter, thus the legal standard is too strict.

Another netizen @Hongshui said that the 1.8 joules per square centimeter standard is too technical and vague a legal definition for the public to follow, and could easily lead to passive crimes.

"A weapon can be determined as a gun if it is able to cause serious injuries or blindness by shooting within 30 centimeters in the eyes of a person," a lawyer who once served on a technology department of a police station told Xinhua. "Based on the legal rule, we calculated the 1.8 joules per square centimeter standard."

The sentence was also widely questioned.

"Three years and six months for possessing six toy guns -- isn't it too heavy?" wrote netizen Yikesong.

Cui Jianhua, a lawyer in Beijing, said the key issue with the conviction was the issue of subjective intention, specifically if "she knew exactly that they were guns but still chose to possess them."

Based on common sense, no one would assume toy guns at a shooting gallery were real guns. Therefore, Zhao had no subjective intention, and it did not constitute a crime, Cui said.

But Yang Yueming, a lawyer in Tianjin, said as long as the weapons were regarded as real guns by the police, the owner should be punished according to the criminal law, which stipulates three to seven years in prison for serious offenders illegally possessing firearms.

"Legally the verdict is fair. But the court should also consider the defendant's potential harm to society and the social consequences of the case, demonstrating the law's role to educate and save," Yang said.

Zhao's plight echoed the case of a man in eastern China's Fujian Province, who was given life imprisonment in 2015 for purchasing 24 imitation guns online. Police deemed 20 of the guns as real guns powered by compressed gas.

The provincial higher people's court ordered a retrial in October 2016after the case caused widespread discussion.

"The punishment obviously did not fit the crime," the court said.

With the weapon identification standard and injury force description as they are, lawyers have advised the public not to randomly purchase toy guns.
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Important!! email - yadmoshe@gmail.com
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The unprecedented rise of populism in large parts of the West poses a grave threat to the multilateral system that has sustained global peace and prosperity, according to Kenyan scholars.

They warned in separate commentaries published by a local daily that 2017 could present new uncertainties in multilateral affairs due to the rise of far-right parties in the West that advocate isolationism and xenophobia.

Peter Kagwanja, CEO of a Nairobi-based pan-African think-tank Africa Policy Institute, said that growth of political movements in the West that espouse radical ideologies is a mortal threat to world peace and stability.

"The year 2016 will be remembered as the year when right-wing populism broke the seams and forcibly returned on the world stage to haunt the global liberal order," said Kagwanja.

He noted that Britain's vote to disengage itself from the European Union and presidential victory of Donald Trump in the United States have emboldened far-right political ideologies in many parts of the world.

The scholar warned that the divisive rhetoric from U.S. President-elect would undermine Africa's young democracies that are on the verge of a leap into an industrial era.

"Trump's wedge politics based on ethno-nationalism is likely to inject a divisive and violent tinge into Africa's nascent democracies, and undermine their stability," Kagwanja said.

The wave of nationalism in the West may undermine global diplomacy and efforts to tackle pressing challenges like poverty, disease, terrorism, climate change and inequality, according to him.

He also noted that the global financial markets are in peril unless the rising tide of nationalism in the west is contained.

Macharia Munene, a Nairobi-based international relations scholar, warned that far-right political movements in the West could shrink the influence of multilateral institutions like the United Nations.

He predicted a blatant disrespect for international law and norms by the incoming U.S. administration, which will in turn undermine action on global security threats like terrorism, climate change, illegal migration and violent conflicts.
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The Netherlands began the new year with fewer incidents, but with more violence against aid workers and other people with a public task during New Year Eve, the Dutch police said on Sunday.

The turn of the year 2016 to 2017 had about 6 percent fewer incidents than the previous one, the police said in a statement.

From 0:00 of Dec. 31, 2016 to 8:00 a.m. Jan. 1, 2017 local time, a total of 7,114 incidents were recorded in the country, compared with the 7,558 incidents of the previous New Year Eve, according to figures revealed by the police.

The number of violent incidents against police and aid workers rose, especially caused by an increase of verbal abuse.

This year, a total of 79 times violence was used against police officers (last year 59 times) and the number of incidents against other aid workers, firefighters, paramedics and security personnel also increased.

"This increase causes us all great concern," said Henk van Essen, deputy police chief, in a statement. "New Year's Eve cannot be seen as an opportunity to go beyond all boundaries."

One police officer was seriously injured after he was hit by a car in The Hague. This agent is still in critical condition in hospital. During the resuscitation of the victim, police and ambulance crews were pelted with stones and fireworks.

"It is unacceptable that aid workers are once again prevented to do their work," said Van Essen. "These people are present for everyone's safety. You need to leave them alone. I think it's too bizarre for words that some people apparently like to prevent firefighters and other workers to help other people."

The number of arrests slightly increased by 2 percent compared with the previous year-end, mainly concerning the heavier categories. In 2015, 482 people were arrested, this year about 492 people or more.
KCR  BJP      : -      ;       
A photo shows an ID card and sim card. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

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.
Fireworks illuminate the night sky over Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour during New Year's Eve celebrations, Jan 1, 2017. [Photo/IC]

Citizens in China's Hong Kong special administrative region rallied on Sunday, the first day of the new year, to support union in Hong Kong.

"I chose to attend the rally on Jan 1, because I want to let my voice heard that I'm a Chinese and Hong Kong is a part of China -- this is a fact and can't be changed by anyone," said 30-year-old Chan Shiu-yan, while holding his mobile phone to video the event, which was organized by Defend Hong Kong Campaign, a patriotic group.

Lam, who declined to provide her full name, brought her two grandsons to the rally. "I often teach them to be patriotic. We are Chinese, and this is the fact. It can help them understand it better, if I take them to such a rally to see many citizens are showing their love for the country and Hong Kong," she said.

Fu Chun-chung, chairman of Defend Hong Kong Campaign, said for 20 years, Hong Kong citizens have been understanding "one country, two systems" and the Basic Law better. But it is a fact that some people in Hong Kong are hurting Hong Kong's prosperity and stability.

He called for more measures to fight against the so-called "Hong Kong self-determination" and "Hong Kong independence."

Patrick Ko, chairman of another group Voice of Loving Hong Kong, said his group will organize more trips to the Chinese mainland to boost the youth's understanding of the country.

80-year-old Chak said he would attend patriotic activities whenever possible, though he has to take care of his wife most of the time.

"Not only me, my children and grandchildren are the same... The tradition must be passed down ... We are Chinese," he said.

"When I was young, I was quite poor and had to work very hard to earn a living. Now three of my grandsons are studying in college... You are young enough to have a promising future and don't get trapped by the 'Hong Kong independence' talks," he said.
Visitors watch the ice sculptures illuminated by colored lights on the first day of the New Year at Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin, capital of North China's Heilongjiang province, on January 1, 2017. The opening ceremony of the 33nd Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival will be held on January 4, 2017. [Photo/IC]
BEIJING -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday sent a message to Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim over the deadly terrorist attack in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations.

In the message, Li mourned the victims of the attack and expressed sincere condolences to the Turkish prime minister, the families of the victims and those injured.

A gunman stormed into Istanbul's Reina nightclub early Sunday morning and shot at hundreds of people gathering there for New Year's celebrations, leaving at least 39 killed and over 60 injured. Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin described the shooting spree as an act of terrorism.
A cease-fire held across most of Syria on Saturday as Russia and Turkey secured unanimous passage of a United Nations 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 on Feb 8 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Online food delivery services satisfy hungry consumers with quality service, timely drops and affordable meals

On a recent business trip, Liu Qidi, 30, a manager with a family-owned cosmetics firm in Wuhan, Hubei province, arrived hungry around 9 pm at her hotel room in Yichang city in the same province in Central China. For supper, she neither visited the in-house restaurant nor stepped out into the chilly weather.

By 9:10 pm, however, a delivery man from a local takeout materialized with a fresh hot pizza and milk tea. Liu had ordered the food using an app on her way to the hotel.

Such apps, which act like digital bridges connecting consumers and sellers such as restaurants, are making a big difference to the food and beverage - F&B - industry.

As a result, consumers (that is, mostly office-goers, students and some business travelers such as Liu), the businesses concerned (mostly tech startups and eateries) and people working for such app-based businesses are a happy lot these days.

Particularly for consumers such as Liu, food delivery apps are the best things that have happened after the proliferation of internet and smartphones in China.

"It's so convenient. You don't have to wander around the streets for food, especially when you reach a hotel at 9 or 10 pm," said Liu.

It's not just about convenience or the time saved - there's more to food delivery apps, said Liu. "The meals budget for us (middle-level executives of private firms) during official trips is limited. So, takeout apps allow us to enjoy delicious local dishes at relatively cheaper prices." (Liu's pizza and milk tea cost around 40 yuan, or $5.8)

Typically, Liu orders from offline restaurants that sell quality food made in clean kitchens. She reads consumer comments on the app concerned, and then picks top-selling restaurants, particularly those that allow users to customize their meals. For instance, Liu specifies her preference for dishes cooked without garlic.
FILE PHOTO: South Korea's Chung Yoo-ra, then known as Chung Yoo-yeon, bites her gold medal as she poses after winning the equestrian Dressage Team competition at the Dream Park Equestrian Venue during the 17th Asian Games in Incheon September 20, 2014. [Photo/VCG]

SEOUL - Danish police have arrested the equestrian competitor daughter of a woman at the center of a South Korean influence-peddling scandal that has engulfed President Park Geun-hye, police and prosecutors said on Monday.

The scandal led to Park's impeachment by parliament on Dec. 9 and has drawn hundreds of thousands of protesters onto the streets of the capital, Seoul, for weekly demonstrations.

South Korean authorities had been seeking the arrest of Chung Yoo-ra, 20, for her ties to the scandal in which her mother, Choi Soon-sil, is a central figure. Chung had been sought for alleged criminal interference related to her academic record, and other unspecified charges.

Park, 64, could become South Korea's first democratically elected leader to be forced to leave office early. The parliamentary impeachment must be confirmed or overturned by the Constitutional Court, which has months to rule.

"We will request an emergency extradition of Chung, working with the special prosecutor's office," Lee Chul-sung, commissioner general of the Korea National Police Agency, told a media briefing in Seoul.

The two countries have an extradition treaty.

Chung, who did equestrian training in Germany, was arrested in the northern Danish city of Aalborg for staying illegally, at around 4 a.m. Seoul time (1900 GMT) on Monday, Lee said.

South Korea's foreign ministry has been working to invalidate Chung's passport and authorities have asked German prosecutors for information about her whereabouts and assets.

The influence-peddling scandal centers on accusations the president colluded with her friend Choi to pressure big businesses to make contributions to non-profit foundations backing presidential initiatives.

Park, whose father ruled the country for 18 years after seizing power in a 1961 coup, has denied wrongdoing but apologised for carelessness in her ties with Choi, who is facing her own trial. Choi also denies wrongdoing.

As part of their investigation, prosecutors are trying to ascertain whether Samsung Electronics sought favors from Choi and Park in return for funding some of their initiatives.

In particular, they are looking at whether favors Samsung sought included the National Pension Service's support for Samsung's founding family in a shareholder vote last year.

An element of the investigation has been Samsung's sponsorship of Chung's riding career.

The special prosecutor's office has asked Interpol to place Chung on its red notice list, but Interpol had yet to make a decision on the request, Lee Kyu-chul, a spokesman for the special prosecutor said.

FIVE IN CUSTODY

Chung told Danish police she was staying in Denmark for equestrian-related work, according to South Korea's JTBC TV channel. A Volkswagen vehicle and horse-riding equipment were found at the house where Chung and her party were arrested, JTBC said.

Lee Kyung-jae, a lawyer representing both Choi and Chung, said the daughter would cooperate.

"When Chung Yoo-ra returns I will ensure that she fully cooperates with the special prosecution's investigation," the lawyer told the Yonhap News Agency.

Danish officials had five people in custody, including Chung and a child born in 2015, a police official said, declining to be identified, not four as police said earlier on Monday. Chung is known to have a young son.

The others in custody are two men who appear to be Koreans in their late twenties or early thirties and a woman in her sixties.

Lee, the police official, said Danish police had 24 hours to secure evidence that Chung was staying illegally in Denmark.

Park's arrest was first reported by the JTBC channel, which said on its website that its journalists had alerted Danish police to Chung's presence there.

A video on JTBC's website showed a person identified as Chung in a heavy hooded parka being led to a police car. The person's face could not be seen.

Chung became a figure of public ire in South Korea last year after it emerged that she had received special treatment from the prestigious Ewha Womans University, where her admission was subsequently cancelled.

News of Chung's arrest came a day after Park broke a month-long silence over her alleged role in the corruption scandal, publicly denying charges of wrongdoing and describing the accusations against her as fabricated and false.
The famous Hollywood sign reads "Hollyweed" after it was vandalized, January 1, 2017.[Photo/VCG]

LOS ANGELES - 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 US state to the burgeoning commercial cannabis market, although the drug remains illegal under US 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.
Medics transport a wounded person from the scene after the attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul early on Sunday. [Photo/Agencies]

CAIRO - Islamic State claimed responsibility for a gun attack on an Istanbul nightclub which killed 39 people on Sunday, the group said in a statement on Monday.

"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," the statement said.

The international community has condemned the attack in the first hours of the new year that killed at least 39 people, while the gunman responsible for the shooting spree is still at large.

As more than 600 revelers were celebrating the arrival of the year 2017 at Reina nightclub in central Istanbul, a gunman stormed and started shooting at random after firing at a police officer and a civilian at the entrance at about 1:15 a.m. Sunday (2215 GMT Saturday).

Twenty-eight foreigners from nine countries are among the 39 people killed in the attack, Turkish media said.

The attack also left 69 others injured, with four in critical condition.
BAGHDAD -- At least 14 people were killed and 35 others wounded on Monday in a car bomb explosion at a Shiite neighborhood in eastern Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua.

The attack took place before noon when a booby trapped car detonated at the crowded 55 intersection in the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City in eastern part of the Iraqi capital, the source said on condition of anonymity.

The massive blast destroyed several shops nearby and many stalls at an outdoor market, setting fire to several vehicles, the source said.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State (IS) militant group, in most cases, is responsible for bombings targeting Iraqi security forces as well as crowded areas, including markets, cafes and mosques across the country.

The attack came amid a major offensive by Iraqi security forces, backed by an international coalition, to drive out 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 US, which invaded and occupied Iraq in March 2003.
MOGADISHU - Suicide bombers attacked the main peacekeeping base in Somalia's capital on Monday, killing at least three Somali security officers, police said.

Islamist al Shabaab militants, who want to topple the Western-backed government, said they carried out the assault near Mogadishu's main airport, an area used by several embassies, aid groups and telecoms companies.

One bomber drove a car into a checkpoint outside the headquarters of the African Union peacekeeping force AMISOM, killing three Somali officers stationed there, police officer Mohamed Ahmed said.

Another vehicle then drove through towards the base's main gates but came under fire from peacekeepers.

"It exploded about 200 metres from the gate. Civilian buildings were damaged," AMISOM said on its Twitter feed.

The powerful blasts damaged the front of the nearby Hotel Peace, though there were no immediate reports of casualties there. The burned-out shell of one of the wrecked vehicles lay outside.

Al Shabaab's military spokesman Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab said the fighters had intended to attack the hotel, as African leaders seeking a solution to Somalia's decades-long turmoil had met there last year.

Nearly 300 members of Somalia's federal parliament were sworn in last week after elections and are expected to pick a new president.
Editors note: This is the latest installment in an ongoing series of stories looking back on the stories which impacted our readers and filled the front pages of the Daily Journal in 2016.

The city of Bonne Terre has undergone many improvements and changes over the last year.

January

The council discussed new water meters being delivered and the plan to go forward with the second phase of a water system improvement project. They purchased all of the water meters as discussed, including some new installation units and some retrofit units.

The Bonne Terre City Hall received a new look. Now there are security cameras and monitors, and shatterproof tinted windows per the police department's recommendation for security. The bell also rings when the doors are opened. The security upgrades and changes to city hall were courtesy of local businessman Sharo Shirshekan.

February

The Bonne Terre city apartments and the new nutrition center next to city hall that Shirshekan donated to the city were coming along but taking a bit longer than expected.

The city of Bonne Terre had been hard at work installing the new residential water meters around the city and were already making a huge difference for for some customers using large volumes of water.

March

The Civil Air Patrol (CAP), an auxiliary of the Air Force, has been permanently set up at the Bonne Terre Airport.

The Bonne Terre Community Betterment Committee (CBC) attended a city council meeting and Sue Wilke reported things were really coming along at the new nutrition center. They were trying to decide what theywere going to move from the old nutrition center to the new one. Once that was established Shirshekan took all the workers on a shopping trip to pick out the rest of the things that were needed.

Residents in Bonne Terre received a notice on their doors that the level of radionuclides are above the drinking water standards. Bonne Terre had been aware of this issue and they had been addressing it. They are required by state law to notify any resident or user of their water quarterly that they were out of compliance.

April

Bonne Terre has a newly elected mayor, Brandon Hubbard, and one of his main goals as mayor is to increase economic growth and bring some new businesses come to town.

May

The Bonne Terre Fire Department addressed the Bonne Terre City Council about their ISO rating and the need to start testing fire hydrants in the city.

The new Bonne Terre Nutrition Center and Senior Center moved from their current facility on May 20 and had a soft opening on May 23.

The city of Bonne Terre slowly moved forward with economic growth with new businesses being established and others still being built. J. Higgins Plumbing & Septic Co., Murphy Home Plans, Gateway to Magic Travel and The Fancy Crow all opened up in Bonne Terre. Geiler Guns, a full-service gun shop, was also being built.

June

The city received a proposal from Shirshekan asking to have a resolution passed stating that the minimum amount of meat or protein served to the homebound residents on meals on wheels be a minimum of six ounces.

The new Bonne Terre Nutrition Center located behind city hall at 114 North Allen St. held their grand opening. They had a ribbon cutting and gave tours showing the 10 completed apartments.

July

Bonne Terre Airport Manager Steve Vogt said he had applied for a grant over the winter to clean and refill cracks, fix a couple of areas on the runway and reseal the runway entirely. It was a 90/10 match and Vogt was responsible for that, not the city. He said he was also looking into a grant to cover the 10 percent.

August

An elderly woman was rescued by firefighters while her house was engulfed in flames. Her wheelchair-bound husband and adult son were able to get out of the home through the back door. Police, fire and city workers all pulled together to help get the fire under control and to rescue the woman. Unfortunately she later died as a result of her injuries.

September

A new Weight Watchers chapter formed in Bonne Terre and they were reaching out to the community to find anyone interested in the time-honored weight loss system. Weight Watchers in Bonne Terre meets every Monday at 6 p.m. at the Bonne Terre City Hall, located at 118 N. Allen St.

The Bonne Terre City Council discussed the water meter project, which was nearing competition. They were down to 22 water meters that still needed to be installed.

Erik Schonhardt was sworn in as the new Ward 3 alderman after Shawn Kay resigned his seat to take a full-time position with the city.

October

The Bonne Terre Fire Department held a special meeting for the department and several others to recognize their efforts in helping rescue the woman from a burning home in August.

November

According to Safewise.com, Bonne Terre was ranked the top safest city in Missouri this year coming in first place, which is a bump up from the third place spot they held last year. They have been listed in the top 20 for three consecutive years now and have improved each year.

During a Bonne Terre City Council meeting council members heard from now-Public Works Superintendent Shawn Kay, who discussed road work needs within the city ... specifically Division Street.

A local boy, Anthony Knaup, with Boy Scout Troop 445 in Bonne Terre, completed his Eagle Scout Project in Veterans Park behind city hall. He had approached the Bonne Terre City Council last November with a proposal to dedicate benches to veterans in the park along a walking trail that was in the works at the time. One year later the trail was completed and benches are now in place.

December

The Bonne Terre City Council heard a presentation from Cochran Engineering firm concerning future work.
US President Barack Obama listens as he participates in his last news conference of the year at the White House in Washington, US, December 16, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

HONOLULU - US President Barack Obama will deliver a farewell address on Jan 10 to reflect on his time in office and say thank you to his supporters, he said in an email statement released on Monday.

Obama, noting that the first president of the United States, George Washington, had penned a farewell address in 1796, said he would deliver his speech in his hometown of Chicago.

"I'm thinking about (the remarks) as a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways you've changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here," he said.

Republican Donald Trump will be sworn in to office on Jan 20. During his campaign for the White House, Trump pledged to undo many of Obama's signature policy measures, including his healthcare law.

Obama, who campaigned hard for Trump's Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, has sought to ensure a smooth transition of power despite major policy differences with his successor. He also leaves his party without a clear figurehead as he leaves the White House.

"Since 2009, we've faced our fair share of challenges, and come through them stronger," Obama said in the email, likely foreshadowing a theme for his speech.

"That's because we have never let go of a belief that has guided us ever since our founding - our conviction that, together, we can change this country for the better."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem January 1, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

JERUSALEM -- Israeli media reported on Monday that the police was expected to investigate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over corruption allegations.

A black screen was placed outside the prime minister's official residence in Jerusalem, a move reportedly made ahead of the arrival of police investigators and to block the view of journalists seeking to photograph them.

Netanyahu's office rejected the claims as "baseless," insisting that the probe would not "come to anything because there isn't anything."

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri declined to comment, saying "we can neither deny nor confirm the reports of investigations."

According to media reports, the investigation would be conducted under caution.

Israel's Channel 2 TV news reported that Netanyahu is under criminal investigation over suspicion that he received "favors" from two businessmen. Media said the police are also investigating another graft affair under complete secrecy.

In July, Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit said he had ordered a preliminary probe into an unspecified case involving Netanyahu.
President Xi Jinping sent a condolence message to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday for a gun attack at an Istanbul nightclub which killed 39 people on Sunday.

China strongly condemns the attack and firmly opposes all kinds of terrorism, Xi said in his message, adding that China would like to cooperate with the Turkish government and international community to jointly prevent and cope with the threats of terrorism.

The international community condemned the attack in the first hours of the New Year that killed at least 39 people. The gunman responsible for the shooting spree is still at large.

As more than 600 revelers were celebrating the arrival of the year 2017 at Reina nightclub in central Istanbul, a gunman stormed the club entrance and started shooting at random after firing at a police officer and a civilian at about 1:15 am Sunday.

Twenty-eight foreigners from nine countries are among the 39 people killed in the attack, Turkish media said.

The attack also left 69 others injured, with four in critical condition.
People look at a burned vehicle at the site of car bomb attack in a busy square at Baghdad's sprawling Sadr City district, in Iraq January 2, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

BAGHDAD -- Up to 35 people were killed and 61 others wounded on Monday in a car bomb explosion at a Shiite neighborhood in eastern Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua.

"The latest report said that 35 people were killed and 61 wounded in the car bomb explosion in Sadr City neighborhood," the source said on condition of anonymity.

The attack took place before noon when a booby trapped car detonated at the crowded 55 intersection in the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City in eastern part of the Iraqi capital, the source said.

The massive blast destroyed several shops nearby and many stalls at an outdoor market, and setting fire to several vehicles, the source said.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State (IS) militant group, in most cases, is believed responsible for bombings targeting Iraqi security forces as well as crowded areas, including markets, cafes and mosques across the country.

The attack came amid a major offensive by Iraqi security forces, backed by an international coalition, to drive out 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 US, which invaded and occupied Iraq in March 2003.
BEIJING - China on Sunday launched its first freight train to London, the China Railway Corporation said.

Departing from Yiwu West Railway Station in eastern Zhejiang Province, the train will travel for about 18 days and more than 12,000 kilometers before reaching its destination in Britain.

Yiwu is known for producing small commodities, and the train mainly carried such goods, including household items, garments, cloth, bags and suitcases. It will pass through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, Belgium and France before arriving in London.

London is the 15th city in Europe added to China-Europe freight train services.

The service will improve China-Britain trade ties, strengthen connectivity with western Europe, while better serving China's Belt and Road Initiative, an infrastructure and trade network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along ancient trade routes, the China Railway Corporation said.
DEAR ABBY: My mother-in-law passed away two years ago from lung cancer. My father-in-law hasn't taken it well. This year at Christmas he fabricated a letter and gifts "from her" for the grandkids, as if she had written the letter and bought the gifts before she passed away. He did it without my knowledge.

I am angry and upset that I was made part of this lie without my consent. I refuse to lie to my daughter about this and plan to throw the letter away. My daughter is 6 and doesn't seem to understand. My husband doesn't think it's that big a deal and doesn't know what he can do about it.

I loved my mother-in-law, but I'm tired of dealing with this. This is not the first strange thing my father-in-law has done. I feel like I get no support from my husband, who won't ever say anything to his dad. Am I right in how I feel? -- DON'T WANT TO LIE IN OHIO

DEAR DON'T WANT TO LIE: Of course you are right. Your father-in-law appears to be grieving deeply for his wife, and he may not be able to work through it without the aid of a grief support group or a therapist.

You should also be aware that a severe emotional shock can sometimes cause the onset of dementia in older adults. If his strange behavior continues, then for his own sake, he may need to be evaluated by his doctor, and your husband would be doing his father no favors to ignore it.

DEAR ABBY: Over the years, we have helped out our daughters as much as we could. One daughter, "Doreen," has needed more help than the others. She has four children who are near and dear to our hearts. They have been living with us the better part of their lives.

Doreen married a guy who is the father of three of the children. (I'll call him John.) He's in trouble with the law constantly and can't hold a job. After we moved them all in with us, John decided he wanted to move back home to his family, so he packed up everyone and left. We told Doreen we could no longer support them financially, and that if they wanted to move away, they would assume that responsibility.

Now she's writing us saying they can't pay the rent and their electricity is being shut off. She wants us to "loan" them money. We refused. Now we can no longer talk to, text, write, Skype or communicate in any way with our grandchildren. The SIL says we lost that privilege. My wife is distraught. Can we fix this? Will our daughter come around? -- DISTRAUGHT IN FLORIDA

DEAR DISTRAUGHT: You cannot fix what's wrong with your daughter and her husband by giving them money, so you were right to refuse. They moved out with the understanding that your financial help would stop. Your daughter is now trying to coerce you into giving them money through emotional blackmail.

For your own sakes, I hope you will not give in to it because if you do, there will be no end to it. As to whether your daughter will come around, it will happen as soon as she needs you because her husband has bailed on her.

DEAR ABBY: I'm a 27-year-old mother of three in the process of divorcing a man I have been with for seven years, during two of which we were married. We have remained civil up to this point, although he is hurt because I'm the one who ended things.

I decided to jump right back into the dating scene. I have been out a couple times, but I haven't really been looking for anything specific. My thinking was "whatever happens, happens."

But two months ago I met a guy at work. He's involved in a bowling league, and he invited me to come watch him one Friday. When I saw him away from the job, I fell in love. We really hit it off! We have a ton in common, I have already been introduced to most of his family (whom I love!) and every time we are together, there is never a dull moment.

With my divorce and all, am I moving too fast? It has only been a short while, but the feelings I have for this man cannot be ignored. -- OVERCOME IN OHIO

DEAR OVERCOME: Yes, all of this is moving too fast. While I'm not advising you to ignore your feelings, I urge you to slow things down. If your relationship with this person is what you think it is, it will stand the test of time. You both have a lot of getting to know each other ahead of you. You have a divorce to get through, with all of the emotions that go with it. This man may be your Prince Charming, but only time will tell for sure.

DEAR ABBY: My father was never very involved in my life. He had a successful career, but gave it up to pursue one he thought would be more enjoyable (movie producer), which meant he has a very unstable income. Our family has struggled with money ever since.

I heard recently that Dad was kicked out of his house, and I have no idea where he is now living. He has been doing drugs and other questionable things that are uncomfortable to hear about or to discuss with him.

I'm applying to colleges now and need money, so I feel obligated to keep in contact with him. That way, I can make him pay for some of the applications since Mom can't do it alone. I don't know what to do. Everyone I ask tells me to cut off contact with him, but I feel trapped. Thoughts? -- TRAPPED IN CALIFORNIA

DEAR TRAPPED: I'm sorry your father has been such a disappointment. But if you expect a drug-using, recently evicted deadbeat to fund any portion of your college education, you are dreaming. You should not feel you can depend upon him for anything.

My thought is that you should find a job ASAP to help you fund your college applications yourself, and make an appointment to talk with a counselor at your high school about this. I'm sure it won't be the first time he or she has heard about a predicament like yours, and perhaps he or she can suggest some scholarships or financial assistance for you. Your local library or the internet would be other good sources for researching what's available and if you qualify.

DEAR READERS: It's 2017! A new year has arrived, bringing with it our chance for a new beginning.

Today is the day we have an opportunity to discard destructive old habits for healthy new ones, and with that in mind, I will share Dear Abby's often-requested list of New Year's Resolutions -- which were adapted by my late mother, Pauline Phillips, from the original credo of Al-Anon:

JUST FOR TODAY: I will live through THIS DAY ONLY. I will not brood about yesterday or obsess about tomorrow. I will not set far-reaching goals or try to overcome all of my problems at once.

I know that I can do something for 24 hours that would overwhelm me if I had to keep it up for a lifetime.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will be happy. I will not dwell on thoughts that depress me. If my mind fills with clouds, I will chase them away and fill it with sunshine.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will accept what is. I will face reality. I will correct those things that I can correct and accept those I cannot.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will improve my mind. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration. I will not be a mental loafer.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will make a conscious effort to be agreeable. I will be kind and courteous to those who cross my path, and I'll not speak ill of others. I will improve my appearance, speak softly, and not interrupt when someone else is talking.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will refrain from improving anybody but myself.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will do something positive to improve my health. If I'm a smoker, I'll quit. If I am overweight, I will eat healthfully -- if only just for today. And not only that, I will get off the couch and take a brisk walk, even if it's only around the block.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will gather the courage to do what is right and take responsibility for my own actions.

And now, Dear Readers, I would like to share an item that was sent to me by L.J. Bhatia, a reader from New Delhi, India:

DEAR ABBY: This year, no resolutions, only some guidelines. The Holy Vedas say, "Man has subjected himself to thousands of self-inflicted bondages. Wisdom comes to a man who lives according to the true eternal laws of nature."

The prayer of St. Francis (of which there are several versions) contains a powerful message:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

To be understood, as to understand;

To be loved, as to love;

For it is in giving that we receive,

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

And so, Dear Readers, may 2017 bring with it good health, peace and joy to all of you. -- LOVE, ABBY

DEAR ABBY: I have been dating a wonderful girl for about seven months. We're sophomores in college. She's sweet, kind, extraordinarily talented, and we treat each other wonderfully. Everything has been great, with the occasional disagreement.

The problem is that I'm starting to notice that she seems to be homophobic. I was raised in a liberal, open-minded home, whereas hers was much more conservative. She never met a homosexual until college. She has talked about feeling uncomfortable with two men kissing or talking about being intimate.

At first, I thought she'd be equally uncomfortable with straight couples doing the same thing, but she wasn't. When I tell her that I support marriage equality and the LGBTQ community, she gets very quiet and uneasy.

I care for her, but I don't know if I can be with someone who's this uncomfortable about homosexuality. What do you think I should do? This is a very important issue to me, and I would love your insight. -- TORN COLLEGE SOPHOMORE

DEAR TORN: She may be a wonderful girl, but whether you are wonderful for each other is open to question. Try to project ahead. If the two of you were to marry and she was unable to overcome her aversion to gay people, to what extent would it limit your ability to interact with them? Or their ability to have a relationship with you?

Let this play out a little longer to see if she's able to evolve with more exposure. If she's not, then she may not be the one for you.

DEAR ABBY: My son's girlfriend of five years and her 8-year-old daughter have been living with my son for the last four years. She has recently started introducing my husband and me as her daughter's "grandparents." Tonight she asked for details about my father so her daughter could include them in a paper she is writing about her "family." The daughter's father and his current wife had twins recently, and I understand from her mother that she is somewhat jealous.

I feel uncomfortable with this new description of our relationship, although I don't want to hurt the girl. Should I say something to my son's girlfriend or my son? -- FAMILY DETAILS IN CALIFORNIA

DEAR FAMILY DETAILS: The word from here is: Keep your lips zipped! If you object, it will cause only hard feelings. You say your son and his girlfriend have been living together for four years. If they should have a child together, do you plan to treat that child differently? Face it, you ARE in the role of a grandparent. My advice is to accept it graciously and act accordingly.

DEAR ABBY: I'm an 18-year-old girl and on my way to Navy boot camp. I'm excited about my enlistment, but I have a few troubling distractions.

The first is my mother, "Dana." I moved in with my dad a year and a half ago, and it has been an amazing, positive change. But any contact I have with Dana or my grandmother screws me up majorly. I become mopey, have a bad attitude, and I'm just an all-around bad person to be around. This upsets my dad and my stepmom, "Ashley," whom I consider to be my true mom, because it affects them and my three sisters.

They say I need to forgive and let go, since obviously I won't get an apology from Dana for how she raised and treated me. What I need is advice on how to forgive and remove her from my life without hurting her feelings or making it worse at home. -- ON MY WAY TO BOOT CAMP

DEAR ON YOUR WAY: It isn't necessary to forgive a toxic parent. What you need to do is distance yourself from her, which will happen soon as you depart for boot camp. If being around Dana depresses you, see her as little as possible and don't feel guilty about it. Do not demand or expect an apology from her and don't offer one, because separating oneself from someone who mistreated you is healthy.

DEAR ABBY: I recently graduated from a prestigious university. I am proud of having graduated from there, and I would like to put a bumper sticker of that university on my car. My father says I shouldn't do it because it will come across as pretentious.

While I understand where he's coming from, my pride for my alma mater is no different than that of many of my high school friends who went to various universities around the country. I'm not sure what to do and would appreciate your opinion. -- PROUD ALUM IN TEXAS

DEAR PROUD ALUM: I'm sure your father means well. However, if you would like to advertise the fact that you graduated from a prestigious university, go ahead and do so. You have earned the right, and no one should criticize you for it.

DEAR ABBY: I'm 57 and have been married for 25 years. My husband has retired and is ready for me to do the same. I enjoy my work, and I am delaying my retirement because he wants to move to another state.

Abby, all I can think about is how I will be forced to start all over with a new church, new doctors, new friends, etc. That's incredibly stressful for me, and I don't want to do it. It takes me a while to warm up to people, and I don't do it easily. To me, it would not be an exciting adventure.

I have told him I don't want to do this and why. He responds that if I want to visit my friends I can always "hop on a plane." He said he's tired of the cold and wants to move. All I can think about is having to sell our home, buy another one, learn a new area, make friends, find a new church. I have all of that here. Maybe he should be a snowbird? -- DON'T WANT TO START ANEW

DEAR DON'T WANT: If you and your husband can afford two places, perhaps you should both be snowbirds. It couldn't hurt to rent a place for a few months to see what life would be like in a new community. That's what I recommend to readers who contemplate making a drastic change -- such as relocation -- in their lives. If you do that, you might find that the "natives" are friendly and the community is congenial. However, if that's not the case, it could help you to avoid making a costly mistake.

DEAR ABBY: My daughter has been divorced less than a year and is dating again. (She's the one who left the marriage.) However, she keeps many pictures of her ex-husband on her Facebook page. She says he was a big part of her life, and she refuses to take them down. She thinks if a guy can't accept it, then he isn't the right guy. Do you agree that she's sending the wrong message? -- TAKE THE PHOTOS DOWN

DEAR TAKE: Personally, I do. A picture is worth a thousand words, and what it shows those who see hers is that she hasn't emotionally let go of her ex-husband. However, if men date her after looking at her Facebook page and seeing his pictures posted there, it's working for her, and I can't offer a criticism. Because you can't stop her, I suggest you accept it.

DEAR ABBY: It's that time of year when you print your gift ideas for seniors column. When my dad was alive, he, like many others, was on a fixed income. Among his pleasures was watching ballgames and keeping up with current events. So I contacted his cable company and arranged to pay his cable bill for a period of time as a gift. This can be arranged for any increment of time to match the gifter's budget -- from one month to a year. It allowed Dad to enjoy his TV and have some extra spending money that would otherwise have gone to paying the cable bill. -- ROSEMARY IN PENNSYLVANIA

DEAR ROSEMARY: You are a good daughter. Thanks for sharing your idea. It's a thoughtful one, and I'm sure my readers will thank you for the suggestion.

DEAR ABBY: You missed the mark in your answer to "Mother Doesn't Know Best" (July 7), whose 8-year-old stepson arrives for visits in old, ill-fitting clothing, even though the father purchases new clothes for him on every visit.

I live in Ohio, and the state considers housing, food, electricity, gas and running water as part of the makeup of child support. I know this firsthand. You also need to know if the mother is working and if she contributes to her son's support. What about other expenses (toys, haircuts, uniforms, etc.)?

Part of the problem may be that Stepmom and Dad live across the country and aren't there to see what exactly goes on day to day. Yes, the little boy shouldn't be showing up at their home in clothes that are too small, but even Stepmom said he was putting on weight. -- MITZI IN DAYTON, OHIO

DEAR MITZI: Your points are well taken. However, the majority of the feedback I received about that letter pointed out that children arriving in old clothes for visits with their dads is a popular ploy that some custodial mothers use in order to get new clothes, and some even return the clothes for cash. Read on:

DEAR ABBY: I had a divorced girlfriend I had confided in about this same problem. She said, "Don't you know? We always send the kids to their dad's in their worst clothing. That way, they'll have to buy them new stuff during the visit."

You can't assume that because a child arrives in worn or ill-fitting clothes that the custodial parent is unfit or that the child doesn't have lots of better clothing at home. -- MRS. D. IN VIRGINIA

DEAR ABBY: Please suggest that when Stepmom and Dad buy clothes for his son, they mark the labels with the boy's initials. The mom may be returning the items for cash and buying something she wanted for herself. -- MOM WHO KNOWS

DEAR ABBY: I am writing this as I sit in a hospital at my daughter's bedside. When staff comes into her room, she asks them to wash their hands in front of her before putting on their gloves. Several doctors took offense at this. We even posted a note on the door, asking the staff to wash up inside the room. Were we wrong? She doesn't want to increase her risk of infection. I would think that a patient worried about proper hygiene would not be sneered at by the people trying to get her healthy. -- TRYING TO STAY HEALTHY

DEAR TRYING TO STAY HEALTHY: Bravo to you for speaking up! According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hospital-acquired infections have cost the hospital industry $30 billion and resulted in 100,000 patient deaths. A 2013 New York Times article reported that unless pushed to do so, hospital workers wash their hands only as little as 30 percent of the time they interact with patients. The problem is so widespread that some hospitals must monitor workers via video cameras or have them wear electronic badges to "encourage" compliance, while others have resorted to "bribing" workers to do the right thing.

You were not wrong to ask staffers at your daughter's hospital to wash their hands. Nobody should feel reluctant to ask for something that is standard procedure.

Because many patients in hospitals and care facilities feel vulnerable and dependent, they fear that staff will "dislike" them if they ask for too much. For patients to request handwashing is not only in their best interest, but also the hospital's. Too often, change doesn't happen in the medical profession until patients speak up and advocate for their own well-being. You would not have been "sneered at" if your request hadn't made those individuals feel defensive.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069
Kerrville, TX (78028)

Today

Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 81F. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 mph..

Tonight

Clear. Low 43F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
(Photo : Getty Images) "We'll see," Trump replied when asked if he and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen are going to meet in the US.

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US President-elect Donald Trump did not rule out the possibility of meeting Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, if at all the self-ruled island nation's leader visits the United States after Trump's official coronation on Jan. 20.



The republican's latest overture comes barely weeks after he broke diplomatic protocol by accepting a phone call from the Taiwanese president, leaving Chinese leadership completely miffed.



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Talking to reporters on New Year's Eve celebration at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Trump said, "We'll see," when enquired whether he would meet Tsai after assuming office in January.



Trump's short and sweet reply is apparently seen as an indication that the unlikely meeting between two leader's may very well take place. If it does take place, then it would be the first meeting between the US president and Taiwanese president since America's official recognition of "One China" policy in 1979.



However, Trump has categorically stated that he would not meet any foreign leaders while Obama still in the office. The outspoken Republican cited 'diplomatic protocol' as the reason behind this decision.



This means that the real estate tycoon would not be meeting Tsai during her transit stopover at the US in the coming week. The Taiwanese leader is scheduled to make transit in Houston on Jan. 7 and again in San Francisco on Jan. 13 during her week-long South American tour.



The Chinese government has already sent a warning to the US government that it should not offer transit stopover to the Taiwanese leader.



Meanwhile, Tsai on Saturday accused China of 'intimidation' and 'coercion', signifying the deteriorating cross-strait relations.



China and Taiwan have been on a crossroads ever since Tsai, widely hailed as a pro-independent leader, took charge of the self-ruled island's leadership on May 20.



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Tagsdonald trump, Taiwan, china, Trump Taiwn, U.S President Elect
(Photo : Getty Images) State broadcasters Xinhua and CCTV are now the mouthpiece of China's communist government.

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In an effort to consolidate its worldwide reach, China's state broadcaster Central China Television has rebranded its international networks and digital presence under the new name of China Global Television Network (CGTN).



The broadcaster also released on Friday several new mobile applications under the CGTN brand. Foreign language channels, video content, and digital media will fall under the new group.



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The broadcaster said that it made the new move "to integrate resources and to adapt to the trend of media convergence."



The initiative was also commended on Saturday by Chinese President Xi Jinping.



"Tell China's story well, spread China's story well, let the world know a three-dimensional, colorful China, and showcase China's role as a builder of world peace," Xi said in the congratulatory letter.



China's communist government has long complained that the Western media has a monopoly on international discourse. In order to address this alleged imbalance, Beijing has spent vast sums in recent years in order to strengthen and shape not only its own opinion but also the world's.



CCTV is one of the efforts spearheaded by the Chinese government to get its voice heard on the global stage. The broadcaster has channels in English, Arabic, Spanish, French, and Russian. It even has its own production centers in Washington and Nairobi.



A CCTV official, Chen Lidong, said the rebranding will not have any effect on CCTV's domestic operations.



Since taking power, Xi has tightened the ruling Communist Party's leash on state media outlets. Its core mission is now to serve as the government's mouthpiece.



In 2009, China announced a plan to commit $6.5 billion to help spread its message overseas. Since then, CCTV and Xinhua have made their presence in the US count. They have released videos explaining China's stance on the South China Sea dispute.



The two state-owned Chinese broadcasters have also employed a vast number of journalists, including from countries in the Middle East and Africa.



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(Photo : Getty Images) Japan, China, and South Korea are looking to conduct a trilateral summit next month.

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Japan has sounded out China and South Korea about holding a trilateral summit in Tokyo in February.



The aim of the proposed summit is to strengthen cooperation and deepen ties. Issues such as free trade, the environment, and counter-terrorism will also be discussed.



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The three Asian giants have long been divided by North Korea and other historical issues.



According to media reports, South Korea has expressed enthusiastic support for the summit. China has yet to make its position clear.



China is expected to wait until incoming US President Donald Trump makes his position on Asia clear.



If the summit is approved by the three countries, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, and Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn are expected to meet around Feb. 10.



South Korean President Park Geun-hye's recent impeachment means the country's Prime Minister will represent Seoul.



Earlier this month, Japan and South Korea said that they plan to impose new unilateral sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear ambitions. China opposed the said plans.



China is also bitterly opposed to a plan by the United States and South Korea to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area defense (THAAD) anti-missile system as protection against missile threats from North Korea.



A few days ago, China and South Korea were angered by a Japan's Defense Minister's decision to visit a controversial shrine for war dead. Both countries see the Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo as a symbol and reminder of Japan's past militarism and war atrocities.



According to the media, Japan proposed the meeting to South Korea in mid-December following Park's impeachment.



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(Photo : Getty Images) There was no respite from unrelenting smog even on the new year's eve for people in Northern China. The unforgiving smog on the first day of the New Year led to cancellation of dozens of flights and shutting down of many important highways.

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People across northern China had to face immense inconvenience on Sunday as there was no respite from unrelenting smog even on New Year's Eve. The unforgiving smog on the first day of the year forced authorities to cancel several flights and shut down many highways across the region.



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In the national capital Beijing, nearly 126 flights were reportedly cancelled at the city's main airport, while buses from airport heading towards neighboring cities were suspended as well.



In Beijing's neighboring metropolis Tianjin, the smog was not as severe but the visibility was much worse, with more than 300 flights called off at Tianjin airport. Local government authorities claimed that the situation across the city is not expected to improve anytime soon.



The People's Daily reported on its official website that smog in Shijiazhuang city forced two dozen flights to be called off and nearly eight flights to divert to other airports.



At least 24 cities across northern China have issued red alert in the current round of on-going smog, which necessitates preventive measures like putting cap on car usage and closure of factories, while 21 cities including Beijing and Tianjin have been put on orange alert.



Smog alerts in China's Northern provinces are pretty common during winter season, when energy demand across the country soars. The Asian country meets most of its energy demand by burning millions of tons of coals each year, which is widely blamed for emission of green house gases and other major pollution problems in the nation.



The Chinese government has already vowed to cut down on coal consumption in a desperate bid to win the ongoing problem against pollution.



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TagsChina smog, China Air Pollution, Norther China, Smog Northern China, china
(Photo : Getty Images) Zhang Xiaoming, the head of China's Liaison Office in Hong Kong, warned in a latest television interview that Beijing won't allow anyone to use Hong Kong as a base for subversion activities.

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In its latest decree against Hong Kong's pro-independent protestors, Beijing has warned that it will not allow anyone to use the semi-autonomous city as a base for subversion activities against mainland China.



The dire warning was issued by Zhang Xiaoming, the head of China's Liaison Office in Hong Kong, in an interview to state television broadcaster on late Sunday.



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"As far as Hong Kong is concerned, nobody is permitted do anything in any form that damage the country's sovereignty and security, they are not allowed to challenge the central government's authority or that of Hong Kong's," Zhang said.



"They are not allowed to use Hong Kong for infiltration subversion activities against the mainland to damage its social and political stability."



Meanwhile, another top Hong Kong official categorically stated in a recent interview to a pro-Chinese magazine that there "was no scope for independence for the former British colony under one country, two systems."



Over the last few months, the Chinese government has been adopting aggressive policies against its semi-autonomous region, apparently in a bid to quell Hong Kong's latest democracy wave. The region erupted into widespread protest following the oath-taking ceremony controversy on Oct. 20.



The region's two pro-independent lawmakers, Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching, allegedly indulged in anti-Chinese activities during the oath taking ceremony.



China's top legislative body later interpreted Hong Kong's mini constitution in order to bar the two lawmakers from assuming office. This was only the second time that Beijing interpreted the semi-autonomous city's basic constitution. The first constitutional amendment happened in 2014, when the city was rocked by similar pro-independence movement.



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TagsHong Kong, China and Hong Kong, Hong Kong pro-democracy, Hong Kong Independence Movement, china
(Photo : US Navy) A U.S. Navy underwater glider of the type taken by the Chinese.

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China has revealed the real reason for its theft of an underwater glider of the U.S. Navy was driven by the fear the Americans are "shaping" the underwater battlefields of the South China Sea to give U.S. submarines a huge advantage in a future undersea war.



The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the deployment of the underwater glider was part of a long-running U.S. military effort "to carry out close-up surveillance and military surveys in waters facing China, which threatens China's sovereignty and security."



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In other words, China still clings to its illegal claim it owns most of the South China Sea. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on July 12 declared China's claim illegal and unlawful.



On Dec. 20, the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ship 510 returned a U.S. Navy Ocean Glider Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) to the United States, near the location where it had been unlawfully seized on Dec. 15.



The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, USS Mustin (DDG-89), recovered the vehicle in international waters some 50 nautical miles northwest of Subic Bay in Zambales province in northern Philippines.



The U.S. Navy operates over 100 UUVs to measure ocean data. It uses the gliders to collect ocean temperature; salinity and depth information and transmit the unclassified data to Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) for assimilation into NAVOCEANO's operational ocean models.



Some Chinese military analysts speculate the glider was "conducting espionage activities" in the South China Sea. The UUV was collecting underwater information that could "be provided to its (U.S. Navy) submarines, allowing them to freely roam under the water."



The underwater drone seized by China was deployed by the oceanographic survey ship USNS Bowditch.



"The drone is not very big, like a small robot, but if it found out enough about the underwater signal features of submarines, a database could be created which could be offered to US navy submarines and the anti-submarine warships," Yue said.



"With such information, it could quickly identify if a submarine was a normal one or a nuclear-powered one, and this could pose a grave threat to China's military security.



Some Chinese and western analysts, however, believes the seizure of the American UUV reflected China's concerns about the growing use of these hard to detect underwater drones in the contested waters.



By reverse engineering this UUV, China gained more information that will allow it to build better UUVs than it has today.



"The drone is not very big, like a small robot, but if it found out enough about the underwater signal features of submarines, a database could be created which could be offered to US navy submarines and the anti-submarine warships," said Yue Gang, a retired colonel in the People's Liberation Army.



"With such information, it could quickly identify if a submarine was a normal one or a nuclear-powered one, and this could pose a grave threat to China's military security.



"It is constructing a battlefield and preparing for war under the sea. China must respond strongly."



Intriguingly, China held its first ever underwater drone symposium two days after it seized the U.S. UUV.



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Tagschina, underwater glider, South China Sea, Permanent Court of Arbitration, People's Liberation Army Navy, Unmanned Underwater Vehicle, U.S. Navy, USS Mustin, Yue Gang
David Nasmith's heart was broken. 19th-century Scotland was rich in Industry. But when the 27-year-old man looked around his native Glasgow, it was not industrial wealth he saw, but spiritual poverty:

"Although this city is highly favored with religious privileges yet there are thousands who know as little of the Gospel as if it never had been preached in their land... they are living as careless as if they were never to be called to account. There are thousands of families where the name of God is never mentioned except when it is taken in vain ... a vast number of the poor have never been taught to read."

The churches of Glasgow sat right there in the middle of poorest neighborhoods, but might as well have been located on Mars for all the impact they had.

David was no idle talker. Since the age of fourteen, he'd been trying to do something about the problem--that's when he began distributing Bibles to people too poor to buy their own. In 1824, he made another stab at the problem, founding a "Young Men's Society for Religious Improvement." That only led him to picture an even bigger assault on ignorance and sin.

What if all Glasgow's churches, all its helping agencies, and any other Christians who cared to were to band together to challenge Satan's stranglehold on the city?

David Nasmith opened the Protestant world's first city mission in Glasgow, Scotland. This was also the first parachurch agency in the world that aimed at taking the gospel to all of the citizens in its area of operation. Nasmith's organization didn't just preach at people. Sure, it handed out gospel literature and held services. But it also got medical care to the poor and provided public health services that governments did not yet offer. The mission workers opened schools, visited prisoners and stood in court with those who ran afoul of the law.

Nasmith's idea appealed to Christians around the world. City missions sprang up in diverse places. Nasmith himself founded several in Britain, France, Ireland, and the USA.

Thirteen years after he made his great innovation, David Nasmith died. It was Christmas day. He was just forty and as poor as a church mouse. But he left a rich legacy that now amounts to hundreds of city missions worldwide.

Bibliography:
home Faith Billy Graham makes it to Gallup's 10 'most admired' men in the world for the 60th time

Evangelical leader Billy Graham has been named as one of Gallup's 10 most admired men in the world for the 60th time.

Gallup's annual list, which was released at the end of 2016, puts Graham at no. 5, after processing responses from 1,000 Americans who were asked the following questions: "What man that you have heard or read about, living today in any part of the world, do you admire most? And who is your second choice?" The poll was conducted between Dec. 7 to 11.

Since 1955, Graham has been appearing on the top 10 list every year, except in 1962 and 1976, when the said question was not asked. Gallup started conducting the survey in 1946.

In the 2016 survey, former Democratic presidential aspirant Sen. Bernie Sanders, Pope Francis, President-elect Donald Trump, and President Barack Obama placed ahead of Graham, from fourth place to first. Other personalities who made it to the top 10 include Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, The Dalai Lama, former president Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, and Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who was the only new entrant among the names mentioned.

Meanwhile, former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton topped the list of Most Admired Women for the 15th consecutive year, with First Lady Michelle Obama in second place. Completing the top 10 are, from third to 10th, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, talk-show hosts Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres, England's Queen Elizabeth, teenage human rights activist Malala Yousafzai, former state secretary Condoleezza Rice, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin.

The 98-year-old evangelist, who founded the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in 1950, has been one of the most prominent faith leaders in the world, having preached the Gospel to hundreds of millions of people through various media, including television, film, and the Internet.

Graham has been dubbed "pastor to the presidents," having met with every U.S. president after World War II, starting with Harry Truman, who was in office from 1945 to 1953.

He has also written 33 Christian books. His most recent one is titled "Where I Am: Heaven, Eternity, and Our Life Beyond," which was published in 2015.
home US Federal judge halts transgender health care mandate on the same day Catholic groups file lawsuit

A federal judge in Texas has issued a preliminary injunction against a regulation that forces religious health care providers and hospitals to perform sex reassignment procedures and abortion services. Several Catholic groups in North Dakota have filed a lawsuit against the mandate on the same day.

U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor granted the injunction on Saturday in response to a lawsuit filed in August 2016 by Texas on behalf of the Franciscan Alliance and the states of Lousiana, Arizona and Mississippi.

The new regulations, which are part of anti-discrimination protections under the Affordable Care Act, was passed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in May 2016 and was supposed to take effect on Jan. 1. It requires health care, insurance providers and employers to cover or offer a broad range of transgender reassignment surgeries and procedures with no religious exemptions to faith-based institutions or religious employers.

Failure to comply with the new rules could result in loss of Medicaid or Medicare funding, triple compensatory damages or civil penalties.

O'Connor stated in his ruling that the regulation violates the Administrative Procedure Act, which governs how federal agencies may propose and establish regulations. He added that it also likely violates the federal religious freedom protections of the plaintiffs.

"While this lawsuit involves many issues of great importanceastate sovereignty, expanded healthcare coverage, anti-discrimination protections, and medical judgmentaultimately, the question before the Court is whether Defendants exceeded their authority under the ACA in the challenged regulations' interpretation of sex discrimination and whether the regulation violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act as applied to Private Plaintiffs," the order stated, as reported by The Texas Tribune.

The White House and HHS have both expressed disappointment with the ruling.

"Today's decision is a setback, but hopefully a temporary one, since all Americans a regardless of their sex, gender identity or sexual orientation a should have access to quality, affordable health care free from discrimination," White House spokesperson Katie Hill told BuzzFeed News.

HHS spokesperson Marjorie Connolly said that the agency was "disappointed by the court's decision to preliminarily enjoin certain important protections against unlawful sex discrimination in our health care system."

The preliminary injunction came on the same day the Catholic Benefits Association (CBA), the Diocese of Fargo and Catholic Charities North Dakota filed a lawsuit against the regulation in the U.S. District Court in North Dakota.

Another lawsuit against the health care mandate was filed by the Becket Fund on behalf of the Sisters of Mercy, the University of May and SMP Health System in the U.S. District Court in North Dakota on Nov. 7, 2016.

O'Connor was the same judge that blocked the guidelines that required schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms consistent with their gender identity.
home US Nick Cannon says Planned Parenthood founder wanted to 'exterminate the negro race'

Rapper and actor Nick Cannon has reiterated his criticism of Planned Parenthood, saying that the organization's founder, Margaret Sanger, wanted to "exterminate the negro race."

In an interview with Vlad TV, Cannon said that he does not consider himself as either pro-choice or pro-life. He explained that his main objection against Planned Parenthood is about what he believes to be the aim of its founder.

"When you look at what Margaret Sanger and all the people who follow eugenics and all that stuff. It was all about cleansing. Margaret Sanger said that she wanted to exterminate the Negro race, and that she was going to use her organization as she founded to do so," said the 36-year-old rapper.

"It was never about abortions. I never speak on abortions. It was more about the sterilization and when it comes to actual ethnic cleansing a where they actually said we want to get rid of a class of people, a group of people," he added.

The rapper said that he believes that he is not qualified to speak against abortion as a man. He acknowledged that Planned Parenthood had done some good things, but he added that the organization should be held accountable for "all the negative things."

Cannon has been outspoken about his disapproval of Planned Parenthood in the past. In November, he described the work of the abortion provider as "modern-day eugenics" and "population control."

Cannon noted that many of the Planned Parenthood facilities are placed in minority neighborhoods. A 2010 census indicated that 79 percent of the facilities are within walking distance of black or Hispanic communities.

Sanger, who was known to be active in the eugenics movement throughout her life, was arrested in 1916 when she opened the country's first birth control clinic. In 1921, she founded the American Birth Control League, which became part of Planned Parenthood Federation of America in 1942.

Planned Parenthood began performing abortions after it was legalized by the Supreme Court in the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, seven years after Sanger's death.

Sanger's life story is currently being developed as a film. It will be based on Ellen Feldman's novel "Terrible Virtue," which was released in March 2016.
home World Over 90,000 Christians were killed for their faith in 2016, according to new study

Christians are considered as the most persecuted religious group in the world, with over 90,000 adherents killed in 2016, which is equivalent to one being killed every six minutes, according to a research by Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR).

In an interview with Vatican Radio, CESNUR Director Massimo Introvigne said that the number actually decreased from 2015, which saw 105,000 Christians killed for their faith.

He cited the statistics compiled by the Center for Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary for the annual report that is scheduled to be published next month, The Christian Post reported.

He stated that 70 percent of the 90,000 were killed in tribal conflicts in Africa while the other 30 percent were victims of terrorism, government persecution and attacks on Christian villages across the world. He said that the high number may be due to the refusal of many Christians to take up arms.

Introvigne also noted that there are 500 to 600 million Christians from across the world who were practicing their faith. He said that the report may be incomplete because India and China, where Christians practice their faith in secrecy, were not included.

The director further noted that the figures in his study are significantly higher than others because CESNUR used a broader definition of Christians who were killed for their faith.

"When the discrepancies are so large, it is clear that you are counting different things," he said, adding that the martyrs would only number a few hundred if the statistics only included those who were given the choice to deny their faith or perish.

"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 went on to say.

Open Doors USA, which releases an annual report on persecuted Christians across the globe, has estimated that 7,000 Christians were killed for their faith in 2016.

"However, this is an extremely conservative estimate, as we only track those we have confirmed details about name, location, etc. There are likely many more," said Emily Fuentes, Open Doors director of communications.

Introvigne also mentioned that the number of Muslims and Christians killed outside of Africa were similar. He said that a large number of Muslims have died at the hands of the terror group ISIS.

He pointed out that Christians who were subjected to harassment rarely responded with violence.

"In most cases they peacefully demonstrated their faith, very often their persecutors, forgiving and praying for them," he said, according to Christian Today.
home US Pastor who lost preaching license due to sex scandal plans 2017 comeback

Clayton Jennings, a pastor who was recently stripped of his preaching license after he confessed his involvement in sex scandals with multiple women, has announced his plans for a comeback in 2017.

Jennings said in a YouTube video that he has "so much planned for next year," and he also revealed last week that his publisher will soon release his new book.

"For all of you asking about my book, I had the publisher back up the release date to later this year to be launched with another HUGE announcement. Stay tuned!" Jennings said, according to Christian News.

Last Tuesday, he released a spoken word video in which he detailed his battle with depression.

"I have battles I wouldn't want you to see. And I always want people to see the best in me, but if you see the real me, you see something inside that's been festering. For 10 years, it's been eating me alive," he said.

Jennings stepped down from his ministry after several women came forward, claiming that they had extra-marital sexual relations with the preacher. He submitted himself to undergo a repentance and renewal process with his mentor, Tony Nolan, but he decided to end it weeks later. Nolan said that he opted to use the services of a secular team.

The elders of Jennings' church, Harbour Shores Church in Cicero, Indiana, has sent an email to the congregation expressing their disappointment with the preacher's decision to reject their advice to take time away from the ministry.

"Clayton has chosen to reject instruction from God's Word regarding spiritual leaders and repentance, as well as the counsel of HSC yet intends to continue in ministry," the email stated.

The elders further noted that they have repeatedly attempted to correct Jennings, but he refused to submit to their authority and has joined a different church. They advised against participating in any of Jenning's activities and asked the congregation to pray for his repentance and restoration.

According to Christian News, as many as six women came forward, alleging that Jennings manipulated them into sexual behavior. Two women claimed that Jennings gave them alcohol before he became sexually aggressive. One of them said that the preacher told her to take a morning-after pill to avoid getting pregnant.

Jennings, who married his longtime girlfriend in March 2016, released a spoken word confession on Nov. 13, 2016, but it was taken down the next month. He claimed that some of the details the women gave were false.
home World Robert Jeffress slams Obama and Kerry for failing to veto U.N. resolution against Israel

Texas megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress denounced U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry after the U.S. failed to veto a U.N. resolution that condemned Israel for building settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Jeffress, the pastor of First Baptist Dallas, was a guest on "The Sean Hannity Show" on Thursday with Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas. When he was asked what the Bible had to say about the land dispute between Israel and Palestine, the pastor said that Kerry and Obama are "on the wrong side of God on this issue," The Christian Post reported.

Kerry argued in his speech last Wednesday that peace between the Israelis and Palestinians can only be achieved through a two-state solution. He said the U.N. vote was an effort to preserve the two-state solution, and it was done "in accordance with our values just as previous U.S. administrations have done at the Security Council before us."

Citing Old Testament verses from Joel 3 that warned against dividing the land of Israel, Jeffress cautioned against siding with Obama and Kerry.

"In verses two and three [it says] that God will judge any nation that divides the land that God gave to Israel. That is why it is a scary thing to listen to Barack Obama and John Kerry. The good news is we have a new president coming, Donald J. Trump, who is determined to be on the right side of history and of God on this issue," Jeffress said.

Jeffress explained that Genesis 12, 13 and 15 has outlined the geography of the land that was given to the Israelites, and he asserted that it includes the West Bank, Gaza and the Golan Heights.

The pastor said that the Palestinians have no claim to the land, and he contended that the claim linking the Palestinians to the Philistines violates Islamic Theology. He argued that the Muslims trace their lineage to Abraham and Ishmael, but the Philistines were in the disputed land before Abraham.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced his plans to cut funds to five different U.N. organizations due to the resolution. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham also threatened to stop funding the U.N. with U.S. money.
home Faith Trump inauguration to feature faith leaders, including Franklin Graham, Samuel Rodriguez, and Paula White

President-elect Donald Trump's inaugural committee revealed on Wednesday that six faith leaders will say prayers at Trump's and Vice President-elect Mike Pence's swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 20. Among them are Rev. Franklin Graham, Rev. Dr. Samuel Rodriquez, and Rev. Paula White.

Graham, president of the Samaritan's Purse and president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, will offer readings and give the benediction along with Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and Bishop Wayne T. Jackson, senior pastor of Great Faith Ministries International.

Since the elections ended, Graham has been vocal in supporting the incoming president. He was also one of the speakers at the final stop of the Republican Party's "Thank You Tour" in Alabama, where he led around 20,000 attendees in praying for Trump and the United States.

Rodriquez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, and White, pastor of New Destiny Christian Center, will also offer readings and give the invocation. They will be joined by the Archbishop of New York Cardinal Timothy Michael Dolan.

During the campaign period, Rodriguez, the leader of the world's largest Hispanic Christian organization, in a surprising move, came out to endorse Trump, while admitting, at the same time, that he had issues with some of Trump's statements, such the latter's derogatory remarks on Latino immigrants.

Meanwhile, the selection of White, along with Jackson, has been met with criticism as it is the first time that prosperity preachers will be gracing a presidential inauguration ceremony.

Back in 2007, White, who is a long-time friend of Trump, and five other ministers who spread prosperity gospel, had been the subject of investigation over their spending by the Senate Finance Committee, although the inquiry ended in 2011 with no conclusions.

Rice University religious studies professor Anthony Pinn described to the Associated Press the prosperity gospel "as a way to religiously rationalize material acquisition," while adding that participating in the presidential swearing-in ceremony will give the prosperity preachers a new kind of prominence.

Meanwhile, the inauguration committee may be after diversity in including prosperity preachers in the lineup. Presidential Inaugural Committee chairman Tom Barrack said in a statement, "I am pleased to announce that a diverse set of faith leaders will offer readings and prayers at the swearing-in of President-elect Trump and honor the vital role religious faith plays in our multicultural, vibrant nation."
home World UAE church says it is negotiating the release of abducted Indian priest

The Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia in UAE said that it is involved in the negotiations for the release of Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil, who was kidnapped by suspected members of the Islamic State in Yemen last March.

A video of the priest emerged last week in which he asked the Indian government, Pope Francis and Bishop Paul Hinder to help secure his release.

The vicariate, which is based at St. Joseph's Cathedral in Abu Dhabi, said that the man in the video bears a close resemblance to Uzhunnalil, but its source, date and the circumstances of its creation were unknown.

"Even though we have no information about Father Tom's present whereabouts, we have strong indications to believe that he is still alive," the vicariate said in a statement, as quoted by The Times of India.

It further noted that Hinder, who is the current Vicar Apostolic of the vicariate, is leading the negotiations to secure the safe release of Uznhunnalil. The bishop has led calls for prayers throughout the churches under the jurisdiction of vicariate for the abducted priest. During the Christmas mass, he and thousands of worshippers prayed for Uzhunnalil's safety at the cathedral parish of St. Joseph's in Abu Dhabi.

"The Salesian Congregation to which Father Tom belongs and the Catholic Bishops Conference of India has been in touch with government channels," the statement continued.

Uzhunnalil, a priest from India's Kerala state, was abducted from an old-age home run by Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in the southern Yemeni city of Aden. The militants killed 12 elderly people and four nuns during the raid.

The priest said in the video that he is "very sad and depressed" that nothing has been done to secure his freedom.

"If I were a European priest, I would have been taken more seriously. I am from India. I am perhaps not considered as of much value," Uzhunnalil remarked.

India's Minister of Exterior Affairs, Sushma Swaraj, said that the government is making all efforts to secure the release of Uzhunnalil.

"He is an Indian citizen and the life of every Indian is most precious for us. We have spared no effort and we will spare no effort to secure Fr Tom's release from captivity," Swaraj said.
Christian Woman Stabbed By Afghan Migrant 'For Reading From The Bible'

A Christian woman has reportedly been stabbed in Austria in an asylum seeker residence after a migrant overheard her reading from the Bible.

The Metro newspaper reports that a 22-year-old man became angry after hearing the woman, aged 50, read from the Bible, and proceeded to stab her in the chest.

She was protected from serious injury by her winter coat, although the force from the blow caused her to fall backwards, injuring her ear.

The attack took place in the kitchen of an accommodation for asylum seekers in Timelkam in Voecklamarkt in Upper Austria, where the unnamed woman and her husband had been invited by Christian residents to discuss the Bible.

The Metro reports that the man told police he was suffering from "personal problems" and is now being held in Wels Prison in Upper Austria, around 22 miles away from the residence.

The attack comes at a time of nervousness across Europe around the issue of migration as the region has seen an influx of migrants from Syria and Iraq in recent years.

Austria recently said it would cap the asylum threshold in 2017 at 35,000 after taking in 90,000 asylum seekers in 2015.

Germany's Angela Merkel in particular has faced a backlash against her 'open door' policy. Feelings were heightened again after the shocking rape-murder of 19-year-old medical student Maria Ladenburger in Freiburg in October last year. An Afghan asylum seeker was arrested in connection with the murder in December.

In a touching memorial notice for their daughter in the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper, her parents wrote: "Maria was for 19 years a singular ray of sunshine for our family, and that she will remain. We thank God for this gift, that he made you with us. We are sure that she is safe with him."

The issue of migration is closely connected to concerns around security, as western European nations struggle to deal with an unprecedented wave of terrorist attacks. Last month, an ISIS-inspired terrorist drove a truck into a busy Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12.

In July 2016, two Islamic State militants stormed a church in Rouen, northern France, and murdered the priest, Fr Jacques Hamel, in front of horrified congregants.
Churches That Are Interdependent And Independent

It's essential to have a vision for the gospel.

That is, a godly ambition to see the gospel of Jesus Christ flourish in our day and setting. That desire for better things and better times helps drive us on in making Jesus known and serving the church with the best of our energies.

It stops us from settling for second best and becoming complacent or even negligent in our Great Commission calling.

So we serve, we plan, we invest our money, we go out, we speak up, we keep pressing forward. Why? Because we want to see people reached with the gospel, become disciples and live for the glory of Christ.

Everyone agrees on that kind of vision and the need to be active if it's to be realised. But equally we also know that to be achievable it needs to be broken down into bite-sized parts.

So, some questions for independent churches:

Does your vision include seeing the next generation of gospel workers being raised up and equipped for service in churches like yours? Would you want your next pastor to be well trained and have a genuine and tested call for such service?

Does your vision include seeing gospel workers in churches like yours being well supported, cared for and in good fellowship with others in similar positions? Would you want pastors and leaders to have some of the pastoral back-up enjoyed by those in formal denominations?

Does your vision include seeing unreached communities of Great Britain being evangelised and having their own gospel-centred churches? Would you want churches (like yours) to be encouraged in that task, and in the mission of church planting?

If the answer to those questions is 'Yes': what are you doing to make that vision a reality rather than just a godly sentiment?

Is it even possible for an Independent church to have such a vision? After all, how can a local church in the north of Scotland help a struggling pastor in Devon, or contribute to training an evangelist in Liverpool, or be assisting a church plant in Glasgow  and vice versa? It's not feasible, is it? Isn't interdependency the poor relation of a large centralised denomination when it comes to thinking big?

Well actually many independent churches who have a big vision are actively making it happen. They're involved in supporting hundreds of pastors across Britain, helping to raise up and train scores of men and women for gospel service, and enabling dozens of new church plants to become established. They do so by being part of The Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC)  a family of more than 550 churches, who work in partnership to make possible what they simply couldn't do alone.

It means that an Independent church in a small community can say, 'We're contributing to the care of gospel workers; supporting church revitalisation and church planting; providing guidance and training across the nation'.

Because of their FIEC affiliation a potential women's worker is receiving financial support to go to Bible college, a sick pastor is getting care and practical help, a church plant is getting legal advice on its new constitution, and a trainee pastor is learning how independent churches govern themselves. These are just some of the ministries that simply wouldn't exist were it not for the commitment of FIEC churches to turn a big vision into concrete reality.

Of course there are other ways to express this big vision but for many independent churches it is belonging to FIEC that enables them to realise a big vision for the nation.

What about your church?

Andy Hunter @AndyHunter1967 is the Scotland Director for the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches @TheFIEC and you can find out more about their work and ministry at fiec.org.uk
Evangelism And Mission: Why They Aren't So Different After All

In the 217 years of Church Mission Society's existence perhaps one of the most radical steps we have taken was to drop three small letters from our name. In 1995 the Church Missionary Society became the Church Mission Society.

"What's in a name?" asked Shakespeare. In this case the answer is, "Quite a lot." To move from 'missionary' to 'mission' was to move from a word that conjured up images of pith helmets and 'doing good to the natives' to something much more contemporary. After all, every business going has its own 'mission statement'.

But perhaps we've replaced one problem with another. Mission was once a fairly specifically Christian word. Now its usage has become general. Has it become so general as to be useless? Should we ditch it as not distinctive enough?

It's striking that one of the Archbishop of Canterbury's stated priorities is 'evangelism and witness.' The absence of the 'M' word is not coincidental. And there have certainly been problems with its usage. It was not uncommon once upon a time (but much less so now) to hear bishops say, "Well of course everything we do is mission," which generally meant that nothing they did was mission.

So has the word passed its sell-by date? Should we replace it with something else? And is it time to follow the Archbishop's lead and rehabilitate evangelism?

There's been much ink shed in the attempt to define the relationship between mission and evangelism. One of my predecessors as leader of Church Mission Society, John V Taylor, talked of a "three-stranded presentation of the gospel". That is to say Christians are to "articulate the gospel through what they 'say' (proclamation), through what they 'are' (witness) and through what they 'do' (service)" (For all the World).

However, John Stott was uneasy with that on the grounds that it made service "a sub-division of evangelism" rather of value in its own right. From a very different theological perspective Ken Leech railed against what he called 'implicationism', the suggestion that a concern for justice was an 'implication' of the gospel. For him it was the gospel; it is mission.

I want to be radical and suggest that actually mission and evangelism are the same thing, because they have the same thing  the same person  at their heart.

The biggest trend in our understanding of mission in recent years has been the realisation that mission is God's business. Mission is missio Dei: the mission of God. But there is a danger in so emphasising missio Dei that we assume that the mission of God is a rather nebulous concept. It expresses a general, vague, divine goodwill towards the whole world. The mission of God is in fact sharply focused, focused specifically on his Son, Jesus Christ. Indeed, God has no mission apart from Jesus. Everything of significance he has done, in creation and in redemption, he has done in, and through, Jesus.

God has no mission apart from Jesus. And that means that the mission of the Church must be sharply focused on Jesus to, and in particular on the simple but profound proclamation that 'Jesus is Lord'. In saying that we proclaim that he has no rivals and everything in heaven and on earth must be brought under his just, gentle and generous rule.

And as for mission so for evangelism: it is Jesus that is at its heart. What is the 'evangel'? The gospel writers used it in a subversive sense. When Caesar Augustus took the throne he proclaimed the 'evangel': that through him alone people could be saved. But that claim was subverted by the Christian faith. So when the gospel writers proclaimed 'the good news of Jesus Christ' they were announcing regime change, and that Jesus, not Caesar, was Lord, and that his lordship extended over every area of life.

So it does. And the task of mission and evangelism today is identical, because it is all about the proclamation and the manifestation of Jesus' lordship over all, from the micro-detail of the human heart to the macro-sweep of the whole created order. Which is why today you'll find CMS people in mission working in a wide range of areas: from Kailean and Kim Khongsai working in creation care in London, to Ram Prasad Shrestha training new church leaders for Asia and providing earthquake recovery in Nepal, to Doug and Jacqui Marshall giving practical and spiritual support for asylum seekers in Malta. Each of them putting their mission call into action and announcing in word and deed the lordship of Jesus over every area of life.

That is the calling of the Church of God; that is our mission; that is our good news. And that, above all, is what the Lord, Jesus Christ, calls us to: to proclaim that he, and he alone, is Lord.

Rev Canon Philip Mounstephen is executive leader of the Church Mission Society @cmsmission.
Girl 'Suicide Bomber' Aged 10 Brings New Year Islamist Terror To Nigeria

A girl aged 10 who is believed to have been groomed into terrorism by Islamist extremists in Nigeria killed herself and seriously injured another person in a suicide bombing on New Year's Eve in Nigeria.

Another young female would-be suicide bomber was caught by an angry crowd before she could detonate her device, and lynched. Security forces then disabled her bomb.

The dead girl appeared to be wanting to buy noodles when she approached a tea stall in Maiduguri in Borno State in north-eastern Nigeria.

Witness Grema Usman told Nigeria's Vanguard: "The girl walked towards the crowd but she blew up before she could reach her target.

"She died instantly, while one person was seriously hurt after after he was hit by shrapnel.

"From her corpse, the girl was around 10 years old."

An aid worker suggested she had detonated the device too early because of nerves.

The latest attack follows an earlier incident in December when two even younger girls, aged just 7 and 8, injured 19 people in suicide bombing attacks. And in November, a pastor from the Church of Christ in Nigeria was among those who died in explosions caused by two female suicide bombers.

Nigeria's Pulse reported that people in the food stall realised what was about to happen and ran away.

In December, Nigeria's president Muhammadu Buhari claimed Boko Haram had been finally crushed and forced out of Sambisa forest, its last stronghold in the north east.

Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram's leader, denied this. In a video a few days later, and hours before the suicide bombing, he said: "We are safe. We have not been flushed out of anywhere. And tactics and strategies cannot reveal our location except if Allah wills by his decree."

One in five suicide bombers used by Boko Haram in the past two years has been a child, according to a Unicef report, and three in four of these have been girls.

Laurent Duvillier, spokesman for Unicef, told Thomson Reuters: "The use of children, especially girls, as so-called suicide bombers has become a defining and alarming feature of this conflict.

"It's basically turning the children against their own communities by strapping bombs around their bodies."

Boko Haram's seven-year campaign to turn the north east of Nigeria into an Islamic caliphate has so far led to the loss of 20,000 lives. Nearly three million people have been displaced. It is feared there could be up to 100,000 more deaths as the battles continue this year and beyond.

More than 20 schoolgirls kidnapped by the group in 2014 were released earlier this year.

Around 270 girls, most of them Christian, were taken from their school on April 14, 2014. Dozens escaped, and more than 200 are still missing.
Islamic State Claims Turkey Nightclub Mass Shooting

Islamic State claimed responsibility on Monday for a New Year's Day mass shooting in a packed Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people, an attack carried out by a lone gunman who remains at large.

The jihadist group made the claim in a statement on one of its Telegram channels, a method it has used to claim attacks in the past. There was no immediate comment from Turkish officials.

"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," the statement said.

NATO member 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.

The authorities believe the assailant may be from a Central Asian nation and suspect he had links to Islamic State, Turkey's Hurriyet newspaper said. Police distributed a hazy black-and-white photo of the alleged attacker taken from security footage.

The shooting at the Reina nightclub on the shores of Istanbul's Bosphorus waterway 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.

Some people jumped into the Bosphorus to save themselves after the attacker began shooting at random just over an hour into the new year. Witnesses described diving under tables as he walked around spraying bullets from an automatic rifle.

Nationals of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon, Libya, Israel, India, 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.

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".
'The Amazing Spider-Man' Star Andrew Garfield Discovers Relationship With Jesus While Preparing To Play Priest In New Martin Scorsese Flick

Andrew Garfield, best known as The Amazing Spider-Man, has revealed how preparing to play a Jesuit priest in Martin Scorsese's new film, Silence, brought him closer to Jesus.

The actor, who recently appeared in Mel Gibson's Hacksaw Ridge, spent a year preparing for the role under the mentorship of real-life Jesuit priest Father James Martin.

And it has proved to be a significant experience for Garfield, who told The Guardian that he had "no relationship" to Jesus before making the film. In his own words, he was "pantheist , agnostic, occasionally atheist and a little bit Jewish, but mostly confused."

Speaking of Jesus, Garfield said: "He was just the frontman for Christianity."

Silence, which also stars Liam Neeson, tells the story of two 17th century Jesuit priests in search of their mentor. It premiered at the Vatican on November 29 to mixed reviews.

Although Garfield is working out his "very specific relationship with Jesus," one thing he is sure about is that he strongly dislikes President-elect Donald Trump's Bible-waving.

"It's all a ruse. How can that not be clear to everybody? When the Pope says that Jesus Christ was about building bridges, not building walls. And then Donald Trump bashes the Pope  in effect, he bashes Jesus Christ," he said.

Garfield's role in Silence comes hot on the heels of his critically acclaimed performance in Hacksaw Ridge. In the film, the first to be directed by Gibson in a decade, he plays another faith-driven role, portraying conscientious objector Desmond Doss who refused to carry a weapon into the Battle of Okinawa in 1945 because of his strong religious beliefs. After enduring bullying and ridicule from his fellow troops, Doss went on to save the lives of 75 men.

His next projects are just as weighty. In the New Year, Garfield will spend time at the National Theater in London playing a HIV-positive man who is visited by angels, before starting work on Andy Serkis's biopic Breathe, playing a man who was left paralyzed by polio at the age of 28.
Tweet To Be Influential, Not To Be Famous: Pastor John Piper On 'Sin' Of Seeking Fame Online

Seeking fame for its own sake is sinful, according to Christian pastor John Piper.

But it is ok to use Instagram, Twitter and other online media to influence things for the better.

Responding to a question on whether it is sinful to seek fame online in an age of Twitter and Instagram, the influential conservative evangelical pastor says: "Is it a sin to desire to be famous? Yes, it is  though it may not be a sin to desire to be influential.

"And the problem arises when the pleasure sought in being made much of is greater than the pleasure sought in being of service. So, there is the rub.

"It is not a sin to desire that those who know us think well of us, provided that our hope and our prayer and our effort is that they will see the grace of God in us and give glory to God and, in that sense, make much of us or think rightly or well of us.

"While it is a sin to desire fame, it may not be a sin to desire to be influential."

Piper, on Twitter @johnpiper, quotes Jesus in Matthew's gospel, who said: "Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

Other Bible verses also refer to the value of a good reputation.

Piper, founder and teacher of Desiring God and chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary, says a person's life should bear witness to the truth they profess. The good name to seek is one as a person who has found satisfaction in God, and in helping others find joy in God.

"So, I say: Yes, it is a sin to want to be famous; that is, to want to be known by more and more people who will make much of us and praise us.

"It is a deadly craving of the fallen human ego to want to be made much of  even for the good that we do, let alone the evil that we do."

Christians must beware of the temptation of practising their righteousness before other people "in order to be seen by them" - a reference to Jesus again, in Matthew 6.

Piper says: "Don't do what you do in order to get the reward of human fame, because then you won't have the reward of God."

However, it may be a sin not to want to be influential.

"We should want to win more and more people to Christ. It is a sin not to want our lives to count for winning more and more people to Christ. We should want to do more and more good to relieve suffering, especially eternal suffering."
Eric Gay/STF

The Supreme Court of Texas will hear oral arguments Jan. 11 in a lawsuit over alleged favoritism in University of Texas at Austin admissions practices.

The courts decision to take on the case is the latest development in an argument between UT System Regent Wallace Hall Jr. and the systems flagship after an audit found that university officials overruled admissions officers on behalf of lawmakers, alumni and regents.
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There is an air of excitement in Liberty County. Officials in the county's three largest cities -- Cleveland, Dayton and Liberty -- believe that 2017 will be a time of record economic development.

"Growth is coming. We just have to be ready for it," Liberty City Manager Gary Broz said. "We are working hard on infrastructure to get ready for the growth."

In order to accommodate businesses, the city of Liberty has improvements under way to its sewer, water and electric systems.

"We've allocated $6 million for the sewer work, $10 million for water and $4 million for electric," he said. "We've already spent half of the money allocated for electric on improving our grid system. We have money in the bank for the sewer system and are working on the plans. The money for our water system isn't funded yet but we are close."

Liberty's infrastructure, like that of Dayton and Cleveland, has its share of challenges.

"Our system is aged. We are trying to get old water lines fixed. Our electric system, well, the bottom fell out on that this past year but we are in a good direction now," he said.

Once the infrastructure projects are complete, Broz said Liberty will be poised for an economic boon.

"Right now we are doing urban renewal projects and are positioning Liberty for some growth," he said. "That's not to say we can't handle projects right now. We certainly aren't going to turn anyone away and will work with any business in any way we can."

Part of the city's urban renewal plan involves the razing of old structures. Last week, an old, uninhabited apartment building at 1309 N. Main was leveled to make room for development.

Is Liberty ready for the growth?

"We are getting there. We can take care of some projects now but we need a year or so to handle the infrastructure before we can really get under way," he said.

Dayton ready to go

Six miles to the west, the city of Dayton has four economic development projects that have kicked off and or will soon break ground.

According to Courtland Holman, director of the Dayton Community Development Corporation (DCDC), the new businesses will mean dozens of additional jobs and added revenue for the city.

Sumiden Wire has completed a major portion of its new building on SH 146 south in Dayton. The company, which makes construction grade steel wire, is expected to employ 25-28 people once it is up and running.

Directly across SH 146 from Sumiden is another property where Roll-Lift Crane is working on site aspects and financing for a future location, Holman said.

"They are still working their way through the process," he added.

A few miles away on FM 1960 at CR 611, Wachter Inc., a service company for oil engineering firms and big box retail stores, is setting up its new location.

"They have broken ground but rains have pushed them back 30 days in their construction progress. Their building is substantially complete though," Holman said.

According to the DCDC head, Wachter, Inc., will employ up to 16 people the first year in operation and could ramp up to 50 employees within five years.

Inside the city limits of Dayton, and directly across US 90 from Brookshire Bros. at the old Texaco station and Redman Family Medical Practice, is the future home of a Chicken Express restaurant.

Jonathan Lee, a Cleburne, Texas-based franchise owner with a Chicken Express store in Livingston, said the potential of growth is what brought him to Dayton.

"I am really excited about the whole area. Houston is growing that way," Lee said.

When considering Dayton for the restaurant, Lee said he asked himself three questions: "Is the area growing? Is it going to grow in the next 5-10 years? Are the community leaders open to new business?"

"The answers were yes, yes, yes. The city leaders in Dayton are really helping me. They know I didn't make the mess at the site but I am going to clean it up," Lee said.

According to Holman, as the site was once a gas station, certain regulations must be followed. DCDC provided Lee with a $45,000 grant for site remediation or monitoring from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and up to $75,000 for demolition of the buildings and the removal of sub-surfacing.

"They expect to get started on the project in the next 30-60 days," said Holman, adding that the restaurant will employ between 20-25 people.

INDUSTRIAL PARK IN CLEVELAND HAS NEW NEIGHBOR

South Central Sand LLC, a company specializing in sand and mining operations, is finishing up a new building on CR 2204, just east of Cleveland Municipal Airport on FM 787.

According to Willie Carter, president of the Cleveland Economic Development Corporation, the company will have approximately 10 employees starting out.

"That number could grow over time. Hopefully they will enlarge their operation and hire even more," Carter said.

Last month, the city announced the development of a new privately-owned industrial park west of Cleveland on SH 105.

Willis-based company, McKinley Development, purchased the 122-acre tract west of the intersection of SH 105 and Fostoria Road. The industrial park will be platted for 50 1.25-acre sites and commercial development along the road frontage.

The same developer also purchased a 615-acre property on SH 321 near the SH 105 bypass just south of Cleveland High School. This property, formerly known as Whitetail Development, will be platted for 1,400 home sites, 240 condominiums with 30 acres reserved for commercial development of shops and restaurants.

"Those are 'for-sure' projects," Carter said. The EDC president also is working with Lee and Chicken Express to find a property in Cleveland suitable for Lee to build a second store.

"There are things getting ready to happen in Cleveland," Carter said.
Lee graduates from Troy University

Daniel Lee of Liberty, TX, graduated from Troy University during the Fall Semester/Term 2 of the 2016/2017 academic year.

Lee attended Troy online and graduated with the Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Arts and Sciences.

LIBERTY MAN SELECTED AS RISING STAR AT COLUMBIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

Columbia Southern University congratulates two of its students on being selected as members of the National Safety Council's Class of 2016 Rising Stars of Safety.

Students Brandon Goings and Bryan Netherland were among the 43 honored in recognition of their efforts to promote continuous safety improvements at their companies and organizations. The rising stars are safety professionals under 40 who are poised to become tomorrow's safety leaders, according to the NSC.

Goings, of Liberty, Texas, is a HSE supervisor for Fluor Corp and was praised as a rising star for his work in developing and facilitating a leading indicator initiative.

Netherland, of Monroe, La., works as an EHS manager with Berry Plastics. He was honored as a star for his efforts in engaging employees and his focus "on driving a once reactive safety culture into one of proactivity, focusing on leading indicators," according to the NSC announcement of the stars.

LOCAL RESIDENTS INDUCTED INTO PHI KAPPA PHI HONOR SOCIETY

The following local residents recently were initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.

Kaylee Lewis of Dayton was initiated at Lamar University.

Chloe' Bethea of Dayton was initiated at The University of Texas at San Antonio.

These residents are among approximately 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors, having at least 72 semester hours, are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.

CLEVELAND MAN GRADUATES FROM TEXAS A&M - CORPUS

Matthew Jamarcus Robinson graduated from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi during the 2016 Fall Commencement on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2016. Robinson earned a bachelor of science degree while at the university.

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi awards bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from the Colleges of Business, Education and Human Development, Liberal Arts, Nursing and Health Sciences, and Science and Engineering.
When the UPS truck pulled up in front of Riel restaurant on Thursday there was one collective prayer, said chef/owner Ryan Lachaine: "Please let it be the plates."

Less than half an hour before Riel's first service  a preview dinner for friends and family  the kitchen got its long-awaited dinner plates.

Details tumble swiftly into place at the 11th hour for most restaurant openings. And it was no different for Riel's first private service. And those last-minute adjustments and finessing continued as the restaurant crew readied itself to open to the public on Jan. 3.

For Lachaine, this is the day most chefs dream about: opening his first restaurant. And he's ready to start wowing Houston diners on Day 1. An abbreviated opening menu includes dishes such as hanger steak with potato and cheddar pierogi and horseradish cream; head-on Gulf shrimp with collard greens; brick chicken with winter squash and roasted mushrooms; red snapper with ham brodo, crowder peas and dandelion greens; and pork tonkatsu tartine. Other dishes: borscht; fried Gulf fish; tempura cauliflower with kimchi hot sauce; golden tilefish crudo with Texas citrus; Texas blue crab with tomato, bacon and butter lettuce; and oysters with prickled granita.

Houston food lovers have been eager to sample Lachaine's food, described as modern American cuisine influenced by the Texas Gulf Coast and flavored with the chef's Ukranian heritage and his French-Canadian upbringing. Lachaine is proud of his roots. Not only did he name his restaurant after Louis Riel, the founder of the province of Manitoba, he commissioned an artist to paint a portrait of Riel in one of the bathrooms.

Design-wise, the 65-seat restaurant is a looker. The blue-gray color scheme (walls, furniture covering) imparts a cool, sophistication to the former House of Te space. Glass walls front Fairview; from the street you can directly into the restaurant. An open kitchen provide a theatrical element. The dining room features a bar at one end with six seats, a 10-seat communal table, and eight kitchen counter seats.

Lachaine's mashup instincts are reflected in the cocktail menu which includes the Borscht Sour (aquavit, lemon, beet, caraway and egg whites); the Trudeau (dry wine, gin, tonic, and orange bitters); Jalisco Holiday (white tequila, mezcal, spiced cranberry syrup, lime, and Topo Chico); Maple Old Fashioned (rye, cardamom, maple syrup and bitters); and the straightforward Winnipeg Jet (shot of Canadian Club Rye and a Lone Star tallboy).

Once it's open Riel will serve dinner from Monday through Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 5 to 11 p.m.; closed Sunday.



Riel, 1927 Fairview in Montrose, 832-831-9109; rielhouston.com
A Galena Park pair is accused of passing out on drugs while driving with children in the car, according to court documents.

Domingo Flores Jr., 37, was arrested Friday night after he conked out in a moving lane of traffic, prosecutors said in a criminal complaint filed in Harris County court.
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A man was wounded while sitting at a red light in south Houston when his vehicle was sprayed with bullets, police said Monday.

The victim  a man in his mid-20s whose identity was not released  is expected to survive the attack in the South Park neighborhood, according to Troy Finner, a Houston Police Department assistant chief.

Witnesses said the man was alone in his vehicle at a stoplight on southbound Martin Luther King near Reed Road about 1:15 p.m. Monday when a white four-door Pontiac with tinted windows pulled up on the passenger side and someone inside began shooting, investigators said.

The victim was struck in the torso, and a bullet grazed his head, Finner said. He was transported to a hospital, but police declined to identify which out of concern for the victims safety. The man is expected to recover, Finner said.

The victim may be a gang member and probably was targeted, Finner said. Asked whether the area was known for gang activity, he demurred.

I know personally a lot of good people in this neighborhood. ... With that said, when we find hot-spot areas, were going to beef up our patrol and make sure that we can prevent something like this, Finner said. After an incident like this, were going to move every resource we have to locate these suspects.

The new police chief, Art Acevedo, briefly visited the scene, saying he had been driving in the area when he learned of the shooting.

At his previous post in Austin, Acevedo was known for showing up at the scene of officer-involved shootings. Houston police officers say he has been visiting scenes and riding along with rank-and-file officers in his first month in command here.

andrew.kragie@chron.com
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A few strong rounds of storms packing high winds and small hail greeted Houston commuters Monday on the first workday of the new year.

The heaviest rains fell in northwest Houston and areas further northward along Interstate 45. But by about 9 a.m. heavy downpours were pounding portions of southwest Houston as a new wave of storms moved through.

Harris County Flood Control District reported as much as 1.32 inches of rain had fallen in the Cypress Creek area. Pea-sized hail was reported near Hooks Airport and high winds ripped some spots as the storms moved through the region.

No damage was reported. Because Monday is officially the New Year's Day holiday, traffic was lighter than usual.

A thunderstorm watch was in effect until 9 a.m for Harris, Montgomery Polk, Waller and other counties in the region as storms rush through the area, according to the National Weather Service.

"It's moving pretty quickly right now," said Molly Merrifield, a weather service meteorologist.

A severe thunderstorm warning issued by the National Weather Service for Conroe and The Woodlands expired at 7:45 a.m.

In Houston, officials said, the storms caused outdoor work to briefly stop about 6:30 a.m. at Bush Intercontinental Airport when lightning was spotted in the area. The stoppage lasted about 20 minutes and then work resumed as normal. Flights were briefly delayed. No weather-related problems were reported at Hobby Airport.

Centerpoint Energy reported about 20,000 customers lost power by about 8:45 a.m. Monday, mostly in northwest Harris County in the Jersey Village area. Crews scrambled to restore electricity.

The storms may have played a factor in at least one morning accident. A big rig headed westbound on the 610 North Loop near McCarty Street forced a temporary shutdown of the roadway after it ended up sideways across the roadway. All but one of the lanes later reopened after crews cleared the scene.

Forecasters said the storms are expected to pass by mid-morning, setting up a partly cloudy afternoon with highs in the mid-70s.

On Tuesday, the high will likely be near 76 degrees while the low will be in the upper 40s after the front arrives.

A dry cold front is expected to push through the region sometime Tuesday, bringing clear skies and mild temperatures through the weekend.

The highs through the rest of the week and weekend will likely be in the upper 50s under partly sunny to partly cloudy skies while the lows will probably n the mid to lower 40s. A 30 percent chance of rain may be possible Thursday night and Friday, decreasing to 20 percent on Saturday. No rain is forecast on Sunday.
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.
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AO Centrul de Drept al Avocatilor anunta concurs pentru procurarea/elaborarea panourilor informative pentru Inspectoratul General al Politiei de Frontiera
1.1.17 Fatal Bedford bar shooting suspect

Bedford police released this photo of a man believed to be responsible for a fatal shooting at a bar early Sunday.

(Bedford police)

BEDFORD, Ohio - Bedford police are searching for a shooting suspect after a man hit multiple times early Sunday at a bar died from his injuries.

The shooting happened about 2:30 a.m. at the Lounge 2.28 on the 400 block of Northfield Road, Bedford Det. Sgt. Rick Suts said. The victim was struck multiple times, and he died hours later at an area hospital.

The circumstance surrounding the shooting are unclear, and the victim has not yet been named. His identity will be released by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office.

Bedford police obtained a still image of the suspected shooter Sunday afternoon after viewing surveillance video footage. Authorities believe this man is armed and dangerous.

Anyone who recognizes the man in the image is asked to contact the Bedford Police Detective Bureau at 440-232-3408.

We have much better photos and video. Please turn yourself in. We really don't want to have to look for you. 165 Center Rd. We're waiting. pic.twitter.com/NN0OcV65aw  Bedford Police Dept. (@BedfordOHPolice) January 1, 2017

If you'd like to comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section.
1.1.17 Fatal Bedford bar shooting suspect

Bedford police released this photo of a man believed to be responsible for a fatal shooting at a bar early Sunday.

(Bedford police)

BEDFORD, Ohio - The man shot and killed in a New Year's Day shooting at a Bedford bar has been identified.

Trevis Stephens, 33, of Cleveland Heights, died hours after the shooting at MetroHealth, according to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office.

Stephens was shot several times about 2:30 a.m. Sunday at the Lounge 2.28 Bar & Grille on Northfield Road. The circumstances of the shooting remain unclear.

Bedford police released a surveillance video still image Sunday afternoon of the suspected shooter. The suspect, who has not been publicly named, remains at-large.

Authorities believe the shooting suspect is armed and dangerous. Anyone who recognizes the man should contact the Bedford police detective bureau at 440-232-3408.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio - Jim Conti grew up two miles from the 100-year-old greenhouse where he now operates Cleveland Jam Conservatory, 1300 West Schaaf Rd. From the time he launched his booze-infused jelly and jam-making business in 2013, his goal was to eventually bring his business to Old Brooklyn, which was once nicknamed "The Greenhouse Capital of the United States."

"Our eye was always on this property," says Conti. "There was someone set to buy it, and we told the property manager that, 'If this ever opens up, we're interested.' She called use two weeks later. The deal had fallen through."

Since moving in this November, the conservatory has been home to Conti's grape vines and a retail shop, where he sells products such as Burning River Pepper Jam, made with its namesake Great Lakes Brewing Co. brew. For wine lovers, he stocks jellies made with white zinfandel, merlot, cabernet, shiraz and chardonnay. Conti hopes to eventually turn the greenhouse into a winery.

Conti knows his way around a grape vine. Winemaking, a skill passed down by his Sicilian grandparents, was a big part of his family gatherings.

"I fell into the passion for making it," says Conti. "As a family, we would go to Collinwood Grape Company, usually around October, and fill up the beds of our truck with grapes and take it to my grandparent's house. We'd spend the day eating a lot of great Italian food and making wine."

A graduate of viticulture and enology studies at Kent State University, he carried on the tradition of crafting his own wine. It was looking for a way to reuse the leftover sediment that led him to create Cleveland Jam.

"I thought, 'This would be a good grape jelly," says Conti. "I started trying to make some jam. I brought it to a party and everyone was raving about it."

The plan is to keep growing. This year, they shifted the entirety of their growing from a previous plot in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood to the greenhouse. It included 15 grape vines, along with tomatoes and peppers. In 2017, Cleveland Jam will shift to focus solely on adding more vines.

And more vines mean more wine, one of the reasons Conti plans for a winery.

Of course, consuming this jelly isn't akin to downing a bottle of vino, but there is a range of how much of a wine-flavored punch is packed into each. The "Dynamite" white zinfandel jelly is to subtlest, while the "Rock and Roll" merlot has a more prominent wine aroma.

The best-selling pepper jam lends itself to savory dishes, like meatballs smothered in barbecue sauce.

"It's sweet at first, then has a little kick to the end of it. But it's not too spicy," says Conti.

One of the most popular uses is pouring the jellies over a block of cream cheese. It becomes a quick, easy appetizer for parties when paired with pretzel crackers.

And when it comes to choosing that perfect cheese? Look no further than the recently opened Old Brooklyn Cheese Company, the latest in a trend of artisan food makers moving into the neighborhood.

Supporting other local food is at the forefront of Conti's mind. At the conservatory's retail shop, you'll find a selection of products from makers such as Cleveland Tea Revival, Randy's Pickles, Cleveland Popcorn and Bearded Buch, another company headquartered in Old Brooklyn.

"It's a close community," says Conti. "It's really nice to work with all the vendors. You can bounce ideas around and everyone's willing to work together. You carry my product, I'll carry yours."

Cleveland Jam-glazed chicken

INGREDIENTS

1 4-lb. chicken or 2 bone-in split chicken breasts, cut into 8 pieces

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 lemon, juiced

3/4 cups wine jelly or Tango Mango Habanero Beer Jelly

4 cloves garlic, freshly chopped

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400degF

Place chicken pieces in a 10-inch oven-safe skillet or an 8" x 10" baking dish

Season with salt and pepper and squeeze lemon juice over chicken

Stir garlic and jelly together and spread over chicken

Bake uncovered until juices run clear and meat reaches 165degF
1.2.17 Wickliffe smash-and-grab

A Wickliffe loan agency was the target of a smash-and-grab ATM theft early Saturday, police said.

(Wickliffe Police Department)

WICKLIFFE, Ohio - An ATM was stolen early Saturday in a smash-and-grab, police said.

The smash-and-grab happened about 3:30 a.m. Saturday at the CashSmart loan agency on the 29000 block of Euclid Avenue, Wickliffe police said. A stolen Dodge Caravan minivan backed in the storefront to access the ATM.

The ATM was pulled from the floor, and the thieves took off in a second car, police said. The stolen minivan was left behind.

Wickliffe detectives found physical evidence at the crash scene that may lead them to the robbers. The investigation is ongoing.

Smash-and-grab ATM thefts became a targeted focus for local law enforcement agencies in 2015 and 2016. In August 2016, 11 men were named in a 74-count organized-crime indictment in Cuyahoga County, and authorities said the men ran an elaborate scheme that spanned five Northeast Ohio counties.

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Georgia's death chamber

Georgia led the nation in the number of executions carried out in 2016 by putting 9 men to death.





But as the number of executions has been high in Georgia in the past 2 years, the number of people on death row has shrunk and no new death sentences were imposed last year.





The last person sentenced to death in Georgia was Augusta resident Adrian Hargrove, 39, in March 2014. 6 years earlier, Hargrove stabbed to death pregnant teen Allyson Pederson and her mother and stepfather, Sharon and Andrew Hartley.





Fewer prosecutors seek death sentences now, District Attorney Ashley Wright said. When she filed notice of her intention to seek a death sentence if Steven Murray is convicted of murder for the slaying of a 71-year-old priest this year, it was only the 2nd death penalty notice filed in Georgia in 2016, Wright said.





2 changes in the law account for some of the decline - since 1993, jurors in death penalty cases have the option of imposing a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, and since 2010, prosecutors could seek a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole without first seeking a death sentence.





A look at the sentencing dates for the 58 men on Georgia's death row currently shows the effects. 27 of the inmates were sentenced to death in the 1990s and 18 were sentenced in the 2000s. But only 5 death row inmates were sentenced since 2010.





When a prosecutor seeks to prosecute a homicide as a death penalty case, time slows to a crawl. It is not uncommon for cases to take several years to make it to trial, and if there is a conviction and death sentence, decades can pass before appeals are completed. And over the years, more death row inmates have had their sentences vacated and re-sentenced to life in prison than executed.





Of the men executed in 2016, the years spent on death row ran from nine years by Steven Spears, who waived his appeals, to 36 years for Brandon Jones, who was 72 years old when executed Feb. 3.





While few people have received death sentences in the past decade, the majority of Georgia's death row inmates are in the final stage of their appeal process, the federal habeas corpus. 30 of the 58 inmates are in the final rounds, although the final round can take years to litigate. Virgil Presnell has been on death row since 1976 for the rape and murder of a Cobb County child.





Another inmate with a pending federal habeas corpus petition is Reinaldo Rivera, a self-confessed serial killer sentenced to death in Richmond County Superior Court in 2004. His case is before U.S. District Judge J. Randal Hall.





A 3rd death row inmate from Augusta, Robert Arrington, was denied relief in his state habeas petition in December. He can appeal through the federal habeas corpus next. Arrington was sentenced to death in 2004 for the slaying of 46-year-old Kathy Hutchens in 2001. Arrington had previously served time in prison for killing his wife.





Source: The Augusta Chronicle, December 31, 2016

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The chief executive of Italian car giant Fiat Chrysler Automotive (FCA) has ruled out any merger with PSA Peugeot Citroen , telling CNBC that there are not enough benefits for the carmaker. "The advantages are too small and in fact would limit choices FCA could have available in the future," Sergio Marchionne told CNBC on Wednesday.



Bill Pugliano | Getty Images

"A deal with PSA would prohibit other deals and would create a concentration in Europe that would limit the choices available to FCA going forward. Considering the international panorama this is not a deal we should do," he added.
As Domino's digital ordering technology helps power its industry-leading growth, competitor Pizza Hut is trying to grab a larger piece of the mobile pie.

In an effort to entice new and existing users, Pizza Hut is offering customers 50 percent off full-price pizzas that are ordered online. The deal is available on the company's website and through its mobile app from Jan. 2 to Jan. 9.

"Pizza Hut is constantly pursuing ways to simplify the ordering experience," Doug Terfehr, senior director of public relations and partnerships at Pizza Hut, told CNBC. "Digital ordering continues to be our fastest-growing segment of purchase with mobile playing the largest role in that growth."



Like many of its competitors, Pizza Hut was an early adopter of digital and mobile ordering. Roughly half of the company's delivery and carryout orders are placed digitally, with 70 percent of its online sales coming from mobile devices.



But the company has incentives to push these sales even higher. Not only do mobile orders offer customers an easier way to pay, but their average check is higher than those generated from in-store orders.

Across the industry, mobile order checks could be as much as 20 to 30 percent higher than a traditional in-store check, according to Andrew Feinberg, a principal at consulting group Deloitte. That's because customers have more time to consider their options, and restaurants are better able to upsell.

Upselling is a technique by which a chain can offer upgrades or add-ons to meals at regular or a discounted price, in an attempt to ring up a higher sale.

"This is not about digital. This is not about mobile order and pay. It's really about customer experience," Feinberg told CNBC, speaking about mobile ordering in general. "Customer experience is the linchpin for all of this. And the best brands, the best restaurant companies, are thinking first about customer experience and choosing a road map of digital capabilities specific to their brand."

Feinberg noted that many restaurants are adapting to their customers' changing spending habits, allowing for cash transactions, credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Android Pay, Samsung Pay and other forms of mobile payments.

"Consumers want an easy-to-use and secure mobile payment solution," said Austen Mulinder, president and CEO of Ziosk, a technology company that produces tablets with a menu, ordering options, games and a payment system.



The company's tablets can be found at Chili's Grill & Bar , Olive Garden and Red Robin .

"When a restaurant goes all in on mobile payment, they will also adopt a mobile wallet strategy too," Mulinder added. "This means that guests can store their membership credentials and offers in their mobile wallet. So a guest can log in to [a loyalty program], earn and/or redeem points and offers, and pay by tapping their phone."

Digital orders have increased by 45 percent across the industry since 2014, according to The NPD Group, and now account for nearly 1.7 billion in food service visits.



Last quarter, digital ordering, improved product quality and the "Piece of the Pie Rewards" loyalty program were driving factors for Domino's 13 percent jump in same-store sales.

"Mobile ordering and payment will grow exponentially," Bonnie Riggs, a restaurant analyst at NPD, told CNBC. "Domino's is a prime example of the opportunity that exists with this technology. The chain has been on the leading edge of creating ways for customers to place their orders using numerous platforms. This is convenience at its best. Look for many restaurant operators to follow suit and capitalize on this growth opportunity."
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.
European markets started the new year on a negative footing, only to reverse losses during trading to close higher.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed 0.5 percent higher Monday after new data releases showed positive outlooks for businesses in 2017.

The German DAX was up by 0.84 percent, breaking new highs, while the French CAC was 0.29 percent higher. The FTSE 100 returns to trading after the New Year weekend only on Tuesday. Markets were also closed in the U.S.



The final reading of the 2016 manufacturing purchasing manager's index stood at 54.9 in December. This represented the fastest growing pace in more than five years. Looking at the German data in particular, the manufacturing sector grew at its highest in nearly three years.

All sectors were trading positive.

In corporate news, the chairman of Deutsche Bank , Paul Achleitner told Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung that there is no European merger or a state bailout planned for the German lender. This comes after Deutsche Bank announced last week a $7.2 billion mortgage settlement with the U.S. authorities. The bank's shares started Monday down by 0.41 percent but closed in positive territory up more than 1.7 percent.

Shares of the newly launched Italian bank Banco BPM closed up by nearly 9 percent on its market debut.

Media reports stated that the U.S. firm Apple is planning to reduce its production of iPhone 7 models due to a sluggish demand.

The German automaker Volkswagen is still hopeful to reach a deal with the U.S. over the emissions scandal before President Obama leaves office later this month. Its shares closed up 2.5 percent.
"The fundamental issue is that the French banks refuse to lend and choose candidates for the presidential election they finance and the ones they don't," Florian Philippot, deputy head of NF told Europe 1 radio on Sunday.

Traditional lenders refused to offer monetary support to the far-right party leader which resulted in Le Pen turning to her father's Cotelec political fund. NF has struggled to raise the 20 million euros required in order to run a full presidential and legislative campaign this year.

The leader of France's populist and anti-immigration National Front (NF), Marine Le Pen, is to borrow around 6 million euros ($6.3 million) from her father's fund after failing to secure financial backing for her presidential campaign from regional banks.

After several unsuccessful attempts to raise funds domestically, NF had turned to a Russian-backed lender in 2014 and was due to receive 9 million euros. However, the bank became insolvent thereafter.

Jean-Marie Le Pen, Marine's father, also held the position of NF leader although was expelled from the party in 2015 after several convictions for xenophobia and anti-Semitism.

Philippot demanded action from the government to create a new law which would force domestic banks to lend to all political campaigns. He argued the financial system was deliberately attempting to block the NF from the democratic process.

"Why do the banks finance (far-left party leader) Jean-Luc Melenchon and not us?" he added.

Far-right leader Le Pen had hit a wall in funding with only four months to go before French citizens head to the polls to cast their first round vote for a new president. The two most popular candidates then go head-to-head in the second and final round vote in May.

Recent polls suggest Francois Fillon, former prime minister and leader of center-right Les Republicains party, could comfortably defeat Le Pen. However, a dramatic upswing in support for France's NF cannot be ruled out - after all, opinion polls had indicated that Hillary Clinton would win the U.S. presidential election and the U.K. would stay in the European Union.

The anti-immigration and anti-Europe NF party describes itself as the protector of the working classes. However, at present, Le Pen must attract much more support to mount a serious challenge for the leadership, according to polls.
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 program 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 program. The government in Rome is focusing on underwriting the stability of its banking sector, starting with a bailout of Monte dei Paschi di Siena .

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A volcano in the south of Italy could be coming closer to erupting, putting the lives of more than half a million people in danger, an article from Nature Communications has warned.

Scientists believe that magma at the Campi Flegrei volcano in Naples is reaching a level designated by "critical degassing pressure" (CDP). This is characterized by sudden release of water-rich gases in vast volumes, which could lead to rock failure and explosion of the volcano, the report, released late last month, said.

"We propose that magma could be approaching the CDP at Campi Flegrei, a volcano in the metropolitan area of Naples, one of the most densely inhabited areas in the world, and where accelerating deformation and heating are currently being observed," the eight scientists said in the report.

There have been some reawakening signs in Campi Flegrei since the 1950s, from some low earthquake activity to hydrothermal degassing, with a pause in early 2000s. But in 2005, there were new uplifts and further activity has been recorded.

"However, it is not clear whether this unrest will culminate in an eruption and if it does over what timescale this will occur," the scientists said, adding that this represents a challenge for local authorities when trying to protect the population.


Ohio's death chamber

A federal appeals court on Friday ruled that Ohio can keep information about its execution drug supplier a secret in litigation challenging the state's execution procedures.





In the 2-1 ruling from the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, Judge Eugene Siler wrote that a district court judge had not abused his discretion in shielding the state from having to turn over information about its execution drug suppliers to the death row inmates who are challenging the state's lethal injection process. Judge Alan Norris joined Siler's opinion for the court.





The ruling comes as Ohio is attempting to restart executions in the coming year after a several-year gap. Ohio has not held an execution since it put Dennis McGuire to death in January 2014. One witness to the execution described how McGuire "struggled and gasped audibly for air" even after the procedure began.





Ohio has since changed its protocol - although it will continue to use the controversial sedative, midazolam, that has been the subject of litigation - and is aiming to hold an execution in the first months of 2017. (A hearing on that new protocol is set for Jan. 3.)





Siler wrote that the district court was not wrong to grant the order protecting the identity of drug suppliers after finding there would be a "particularized harm to the drug manufacturers and Ohio's capability to perform executions" if the information was turned over to the inmates as part of their lawsuit.





"As the district court's findings support, but for the protective order, Defendants will suffer an undue burden and prejudice in effectuating Ohio's execution protocol and practices," he continued.





The appeals court in November had upheld a constitutional challenge to Ohio's execution secrecy law itself. The question before the court in Friday's ruling was whether the state could avoid having to turn over such information in federal court litigation.





"Although knowledge of the facilities and handlers of the drugs could inform Plaintiffs' testing methodologies, the harm presented by identification of those intimately involved in an execution outweighs the speculative benefit of complete understanding of an industry already heavily regulated," the court concluded, upholding the validity of the protective order.





Judge Jane Stranch dissented, writing that the district court had not properly followed the federal rules regarding when evidence must be turned over to opposing parties in litigation. She found the alleged harm the state and anonymous drug suppliers presented to the court regarding risk of harassment and violence to be "too speculative to validate this protective order."





In detailing the claims presented by the state, Stranch took particular aim at the state's "threat assessment" expert, Lawrence Cunningham, who was the subject of a BuzzFeed News investigation earlier this year.





"Cunningham's testimony was undoubtedly speculative. His methods for determining whether there was a security risk consisted mainly of surfing the internet, and attempting to extrapolate the existence of potential threats in the death penalty arena by looking at advocacy regarding other issues: abortion, animal rights, and the morning-after pill," she wrote. "Cunningham himself stated that he was unaware of any known threat against anyone involved in implementation of the death penalty in Ohio, and unaware of threats against any compounding pharmacy that supplies Ohio."





Source: techfeatured.com, January 1, 2017

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A rare U.K. 5 note thought to be worth tens of thousands times more than its face value has been found in a Christmas card.

The note is one of only four engraved with an image of Jane Austen, with each featuring a quotation from one of her novels.

They are the work of Graham Short, a British artist specializing in miniature engravings, in a project launched by the Tony Huggins-Haig Gallery in Scotland. The notes are intended to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Austen's death later this year.

Tony Huggins-Haig, speaking to CNBC via telephone, described the notes as "almost a Willy Wonka golden ticket." He explained that the fivers  being of low monetary value  were "likely to end up in anybody's pocket" and were also important as a means of "bringing art to people."

The notes were released secretly around the U.K. in early December. Huggins-Haig said that they were spent in local businesses.

The latest note is the second to be found, inside a Christmas card at the end of last year. All that is known about the finder is that s/he is "somebody in education," according to Huggins-Haig.

The first note turned up in a cafe in south Wales. Both finders have requested to remain anonymous, but have said that they intend to keep  rather than sell  their lucky fivers.

Huggins-Haig said that Short's artwork usually retails for between 50,000 to 100,000 ($61,490 to $122,980) or more. He approximated that the notes were worth at least 20,000.

Anyone finding one of the engraved notes should contact the Tony Huggins-Haig Gallery.

Iconic nineteenth-century novelist Jane Austen is set to feature more prominently on the U.K.'s currency, with her image being displayed on new 10 notes put into circulation in the summer of this year.
Switzerland's reputation as a secretive tax haven looks set to end following the introduction of rules over sharing bank account data.

The International Convention on the Automatic Exchange of Banking Information (AEOI) entered into force on January 1, pulling Switzerland in to line with international standards on taxation.

The convention, developed by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and the global financial industry, states that financial information on Swiss bank accounts held by citizens of certain countries will in future be shared annually and on an automatic basis.

In the past, Switzerland would only provide banking information if requested by a limited number of countries and even then, full co-operation was not guaranteed.

The regime came under international pressure in 2008 after the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) probed a multi-billion dollar tax evasion case involving the Swiss bank, UBS.

According to the Swiss State Secretariat for International Financial Matters, Switzerland will now start collecting data on 1 January 2017 and exchange it for the first time in 2018.
Both the banks name and one of the vignettes on this note share the holiday spirit. Shown is a proof of a $5 note from the Saint Nicholas Bank, a New York institution.

One of the 19th century notes depicting Santa Claus is this $5 note of the Bank of Milwaukee. Shown is a hole-canceled proof of the face of the note.

Santa Claus is shown on a $2 note from the Knickerbocker Bank as much thinner than he is depicted today.

This $5 obsolete note from The Howard Banking Co. features a sleigh carrying Santa and bags of gifts. Although this version is similar to how Santa is depicted today, he looks a lot different on other notes.

The Christmas season is over, but its memories linger. One of the holidays most enduring components is Santa Claus. A little known fact about him is that he got his start in the fourth century as a bishop on the shores of the Mediterranean in Demre, Turkey. How he got from there to his near ubiquitous modern-day presence is a story in itself.

Paper Money Guaranty researcher Zachary Habermas recently looked into one related area of interest to hobbyists  Santa themed bank notes.

While you wont find Mr. Claus on any modern notes, a surprising number of obsolete notes depict him, ranging from the familiar to the downright creepy. But why would banks use his image in the first place?

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Habermas says they had multiple reasons. Since many of these banks failed after a few years, they wanted to create vignettes that would build confidence among their customers, and what could be a better confidence-builder than Santa Claus? Another, perhaps more important, reason was that people would collect these notes and give them to children, avoiding redemption, and keeping the bank afloat.

Santa Claus appearance was open to wide interpretation. He wasnt always as heavy as we see him today. The American version of him brought here by Dutch settlers in New York was much thinner, as shown on a note from the Knickerbocker Bank. Other banks, such as the Bank of Milwaukee, portrayed him as somewhat frightening. Yet, on a widely counterfeited $5 note from the Howard Bank of Boston, he bore a close resemblance to the Santa of today with a sack of gifts in a sleigh being pulled by reindeer.

There are a few other examples, all slightly different, but most show him as much thinner than he is today.

After the United States government took responsibility for printing money at the start of the Civil War, these notes became obsolete and no more were created.

Today, some are quite rare.
Coin image courtesy of the Official Journal of the European Union.

Greece has issued a circulating commemorative 2 coin honoring the life and legacy of composer Dimitri Mitropoulos.

Greece honors the life of a musician with a new circulating ringed-bimetallic commemorative 2 coin.

On Dec. 16 the Bank of Greece launched its second circulating commemorative 2 coin of 2016, this example marking the 120th birth anniversary of Dimitri Mitropoulos, a Greek conductor, pianist, and composer active in the 20th century.

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The obverse of the coin features the portrait of Mitropoulos against the background of musical notes. Inscribed along the inner edge at left is Greek wording translating to 120 years of the birth of Dimitri Mitropoulos and Hellenic Republic. At upper left appears the year of issue, 2016, and a palmette (the Mint mark of the Greek Mint). Visible at lower right is the monogram of the artist, George Stamatopoulos.

The reverse carries the common European map design.

The 12 stars of the European flag appear on both sides of the 2 coin.

In total, 750,000 coins were released.

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 have issued the maximum number of designs.

Joint euro programs, like the 2015 coins honoring the 30th anniversary of the flag of the European Union, do not count toward this limit.

All 2 coins are legal tender throughout the eurozone.
The Pobjoy Mint, in cooperation with the British Virgin Islands government, has issued a 2017 .990 fine green titanium $5 coin celebrating the hummingbird. In addition to the colorful coin, an Uncirculated 2017 copper-nickel dollar without color is also available.

The British Virgin Islands newest coin is a real hummer.

The Pobjoy Mint, in cooperation with the British Virgin Islands government, has issued a 2017 .990 fine green titanium $5 coin celebrating the hummingbird. In addition to the colorful coin, an Uncirculated 2017 copper-nickel dollar without color is also available.

Hummingbirds are a diverse family of 320 species and they can mostly be found throughout the Americas.

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The green color of the titanium coin is intended to mimic the coloring of the green-throated carib, one of the hummingbird species commonly found in the British Virgin Islands. The reverse of the coin shows a hummingbird hovering and collecting nectar from a flower, surrounded by other flowers and foliage.

Due to the difficulty of striking titanium coins and because titanium reacts differently with every strike, each coin is technically different from all others. The lined effect present on titanium coins is also unique to this metal.

The obverse of the coin features an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II used exclusively by Pobjoy Mint.

The titanium coin weighs 10 grams, measures 36.1 millimeters in diameter and has a mintage limit of 7,500 pieces. It retails for $59.

The copper-nickel dollar weighs 28.28 grams, measures 38.6 millimeters in diameter and has a mintage limit of 10,000 pieces. It retails for $16.95.

To order, visit the private mint's website.
Blog Hinangai

While there is much discussion in Guam about the economic benefits of increasing the islands military presence, the damages/dangers that they represent are rarely mentioned. This blog, a supplement to the Peace and Justice for Guam Petition, is meant to counter that by providing information about the US military in Guam, with the hopes of steering policy away from a dangerous unilateralist course to more sustainable notions of regional development and a strengthening international solidarity.
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.
Donna James Leads a Bold Plan to Revive Victorias Secret

James has a proven record as a C-suite executive and adviser. Now, shes guiding the lingerie giant toward a more inclusive, financially sound future.
One safe prediction for 2017 is that there will be a big expansion in the number of free schools. At present there are 431 of them, with another 238 classified as in the pipeline. There is a target to have 500 new free schools opening in this Parliament. Often Labour councils have given up their opposition to the process.

Many of the schools are mainstream schools with a simple mission to provide an excellent general education. Nothing wrong with that. They are finding no shortage of demand  either because they are opening where there is a shortage of school places or because there are plenty of surplus places at bad schools.

But a particular merit of the programme is the scope it gives for innovation. So many of the schools have something distinctive to offer.

Among the beneficiaries are children with autism. They have been routinely failed by the system. Often the doctrine of inclusive education has let them down.

Schools Week reports:

Of the 44 special needs free schools set to open or already opened in the past five years, 21 (48 per cent) primarily or solely focused on autism, according to figures from the New Schools Network, a charity that helps groups to open new schools.

A further eight of the 44 schools also catered for pupils with autism.

Barry Payne is the chairman of the Wherry School Trust, which is opening an autism-specific school in Norfolk in September. He says:

We talk about inclusion, and if everyone had the funds, you could produce the ideal school with all the facets to allow an autistic child to thrive. But what actually happens with limited funds is we try to fit them into the system and they suffer.

I am fed up with turning away children from our complex-needs special school who are able, but autistic. Many have been excluded or are out of school and being home-schooled.

Other schools offer a flexible approach which they believe suits some children, the report adds:

Ed Archer, a director at Ambitious About Autism, a charity that helps to run the Autism Schools multi-academy trust, said the Rise school in west London, which caters for autistic pupils, shared its campus with mainstream secondary Springwest academy.

This enables pupils to access learning and social opportunities alongside their mainstream peers, whist receiving the specialist support they need.

Angela ORourke, principal of Endeavour academy in Oxford, an oversubscribed autism special school for pupils aged 9 to 19, said access to mainstream settings would suit some young people, but knowledgeable staff and smaller numbers of pupils in specialist schools allowed for tailored timetables.

Another report suggests that children who were previously misdiagnosed as having behavioural needs were in fact autistic. This has caused an increase in demand.

The Department of Education highlights the Cumbria Academy for Autism a new special school  led by a group of local parents of autistic children. It will have a strong focus on the development of life and vocational skills alongside academic learning and will help ensure more local children with autism get the specialist help and support they deserve.

Providing a better education for autistic children is just one example, albeit an important one, of what free schools are achieving. Children are not all the same. A variety of schools are needed for them to all have a chance to flourish.
Lord Flight is Chairman of Flight & Partners Recovery Fund, and is a former Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

I have been Chairman of the Enterprise Investment Scheme Association (EISA) for the last ten years. EIS (and Seed EIS) provide tax incentives for high risk equity investment in start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

It was set up in the latter days of John Majors Government and has since raised in excess of 15 billion of equity finance for both start-ups and SMEs. It has provided a major and important contribution to the huge success of entrepreneurship in the UK over the last decade.

What many do not appreciate is that it is not the job of banks to provide risk equity capital. But if new businesses have got the equity investment they need, they can then qualify for some element of bank finance.

HMRC commissioned its own independent research on EIS for the period up to April 2015 prior to the changes required by the EU, and this found that EIS was working as Parliament had intended.

A majority of the respondent SMEs viewed EIS as essential for securing equity investment, and 90 per cent of investee companies responded that their company had grown in terms of employee numbers since they first sought EIS or venture capital trust (VCT) equity support.

Ninety per cent of respondent companies attributed part of their growth in employee numbers to EIS and VCT investment. The medium growth in employment for SMEs since seeking venture capital investment was 33 per cent.

Greater awareness amongst politicians and government would be helpful; research by the Entrepreneurs Network found that less than 25 per cent of MPs knew about EIS.

A series of new regulations were imposed on EIS by the EU in 2015 which placed greater and more complex restrictions on businesss eligibility for EIS and SEIS funding and reduced the maximum funding which SMEs are able to raise under EIS. These changes were unduly restrictive, and negative for the businesses which EIS was designed to help.

In particular the limitation of EIS funding to a particular business of 12 million on a lifetime basis, and the disqualification (with caveats) of businesses in existence for more than seven years, have imposed demanding historical research requirements which have complicated eligibility for EIS finance and added to the costs of establishing EIS eligibility.

Qualification for EIS financing has also been made more complicated by HMRCs interpretation of the new rules; and by HMRC exemptions from some EU requirements, which were intended to be helpful but add further complexity.

The EISA has asked its members to raise these issues with their local MP, and to explain how important EIS has been as a source of funding for SMEs. We have also sent an open letter to Theresa May since she became Prime Minister, calling on her to remove the rules introduced in 2015.

The key point is that the limitations imposed on EIS by the EU, together with HMRCs interpretation of the rules (and attempts to ameliorate them) have greatly complicated EIS qualifying requirements, both adding to the legal costs for modest start-up and SME equity raisings and delaying the time required for HMRC Advanced Assurance.

The issues which the EISA has been pressing to be addressed are many. Independent investor requirements are disenfranchising investors for EIS incentives who already hold shares in a company qualifying for EIS investment, unless such shares comprise part of the original subscriber shares or were part of a subsequent EIS issue:

Then theres the sunset clause imposed by the EU requiring the ending of EIS in 2025; the reduction of EIS support to an historic total of 12 million  with a limit of 20 million for knowledge intensive companies; and the undefined requirement that EIS funds must be used for companies in their growth and development stage where there is a grey area between disallowed funding of losses and allowed funding of establishment costs.

It goes on: theres the limiting of EIS qualifications to companies which have had commercial sales for less than seven years  here the complications are that this does not apply if the business is entering a new market, and the complexity of requirements to qualify as a knowledge intensive company, where applicants must commission an independent report as evidence they are knowledge intensive businesses.

Finally, EIS financing must not be used to finance buyouts or replacement capital where in several sectors, and in particular, precision engineering, there is a pressing need for finance to buy out the founders of such companies, as well as for the finance to take them forward.

The key problem produced by unwanted EU intervention and HMRCs interpretation thereof is the creation of complexity for what is a small scale programme, requiring both expensive legal costs to avoid potential pitfalls and significantly delaying the time involved for HMRC Advanced Assurance.

In response to EISA and SME industry lobbying, HMRC has produced a consultation document on how the issue of time delays for Advanced Assurance might be addressed. Unfortunately, this document does not address the fundamental cause of delay  unhelpful and unnecessary complexity, largely resulting from EU imposed requirements.

The HMRC, EIS/VCT Advanced Assurance System has become even more necessary than in the past as a result of these complexities and HMRCs own interpretation of the requirements  so HMRCs suggestion of ending Advanced Assurance would slash the volume of EIS investment as a result of the greater uncertainty this would create.

I was involved with the introduction of the Advanced Assurance regime, and one reason for itwas to enable HMRC to effectively kill off investment proposals which they viewed as abusive; but with the quid pro quo that achieving Advanced Assurance gave investors greater certainty that particular investments would qualify for EIS incentives.

The substantial increase in the timetable for achieving Advanced Assurance has led to some SMEs going bust whilst awaiting clearance for EIS funding.

There is a simple answer to the problem of Advanced Assurance taking too long: to remove the unnecessary complexities introduced by HMRC, on the back of the new EU requirements.

I detect, however, HMRC accepting the EU Trade Commissioners argument that high risk equity investment in start-ups and SMEs should not need tax incentives. I regard this as wrong because the UK is a much more oligopolistic market place than, for example, the USA.

It is difficult and expensive for new businesses in the UK to enter markets successfully. Without UK tax incentives SME investors would be wiser to invest in American SMEs where, in a much larger and less oligopolistic market place, market entry is easier.

The research which Alastair Ross Goobey undertook 20 years ago demonstrated that, without tax incentives for venture capital investment, listed equity investment had outperformed start up/SME investment; by and large this holds true today. But, for the future, it is important and desirable to have a healthy market for equity investment in SMEs where the more there are, the greater is the prospect of creating successful companies for the future.

Moreover, as has been established, the cost of the tax incentives for EIS investment are covered by the several tax revenues they generate: corporate taxation; income tax on employees pay; both Employer and Employee NI; VAT on employee and employer spending; and savings in welfare expenditure as a result of the employment provided by EIS-qualifying SMEs.

Since EIS was introduced, the increase in entrepreneurial activity and the numbers of new companies established in the UK has been phenomenal  outranking the US on a scale basis  and the envy of Continental Europe. It would indeed be a tragedy if EIS is messed up under a Conservative Government.

Upon Philip Hammonds appointment as Chancellor I wrote to him referring briefly to the fact that the EU impositions had messed around EIS. The message which has come to me from the industry is that they think HMRC would like to get rid of the programme.

My hope is that the Government will get a move on with alleviating the often unnecessary complexities of qualifying for EIS finance and make clear their support for EIS.
For Scottish Conservatives, 2016 is going to be hard to top  however you feel about Brexit, blowing the ceiling off expectations to seize second place and 31 seats in the Scottish Parliament after so many years in the wilderness was a spectacular achievement for Ruth Davidson and her troops.

Nonetheless, there are a couple of items from the Herald this week which suggest  with all the usual caveats attached to augury  that 2017 could be a good year both for Conservatives and Unionists.

The former should be heartened by the fact that Labour appear to have not yet hit their floor in terms of Scottish support. According to leaked internal polling the party is now down to 15 per cent, against 25 per cent for the Tories and 45 per cent for the SNP.

One party source quoted in the paper says: Of those who voted Labour in last general election, around half wont do so again with most going to the Tories, and another adds that the internal polling also tells us there is no such thing as a core Labour vote anymore.

Apparently theyre even pulling resources out of Glasgow, once their flagship council, where the Conservatives are hoping for a healthy increase in their representation (they currently have just one councillor) after securing two MSPs last year.

Unionists meanwhile can take heart from the fact that not only has support for independence failed to rise since the Brexit vote  a fact weve noted previously  but a new poll finds Scots overwhelmingly opposed another independence referendum this year.

This is bad news for the SNP. As I wrote in the autumn, Brexit has trapped the Nationalists between their activists and the electorate. The former are raring for a rematch  and Nicola Sturgeon, perhaps having drunk too much of the Project Fear kool-aid, fired them up with her comments the morning after the EU referendum.

Now the clock is ticking: it will soon be past the point where Scotland could hope to disentangle itself from the UK before the UK leave the EU  thus scuppering any illusion of ongoing membership  even if a referendum were held tomorrow.

The SNPs attempts to wriggle out of this trap to date have not gone well: the First Ministers half-way house plan to keep Scotland in the Single Market was shot down by one of her own advisers, whilst Spain has rubbished claims by her Brexit minister that they had opened talks on a separate Scottish deal.

All the while domestic policy issues  such as education and transport, to pick two from this mornings headlines  arent going away either, and the devolution of tax powers is making it harder for the Nationalists to mask their dont-irritate-anyone governing style with blame-shifting and radical rhetoric.

Of course, if 2016 taught us anything its that the unexpected can happen. The oft-prophesied separatist surge may yet materialise. But at the minute it looks as if the SNPs best hope for an escape route is the sort of ill-planned concession Westminster has come to specialise in. Happily, at least so far, it doesnt look like theyre getting one.
Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.

Morality cannot be legislated, but behavior can be regulated. Judicial decrees may not change the heart, but they can restrain the heartless.

A right delayed is a right denied.Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true.

Martin Luther King Jr.

No one is born hating another person People must learn to hate and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.

Nelson Mandela

We can disagree and still love each other, unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist

James Baldwin

There is a fine line between free speech and hate speech. Free speech encourages debate whereas hate speech incites violence.

Newton Lee

The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.

Albert Einstein
Close

A new study suggests that Australian manuka honey is as medically powerful as New Zealand manuka honey. According to the research by Dr. Nural Cokcetin at the University of Technology, the Aussie honey's antibacterial properties are at least as powerful as the New Zealand variety.

New Zealand manuka honey is well known as a superfood for everything. It is used as a cure for sore throat and gingivitis, according to ABC. However, a microbiologist named Dr. Nural Cokcedin says that Australian manuka honey could be more powerful than the New Zealand version because its antibacterial properties can kill superbugs like golden staph.

Nural Cokcetin's research shows that more than 16 percent of Australian manuka-style honeys she tested were actually more potent than the Kiwi product.

Currently, antibiotic-resistant superbugs are among the major concerns of the world. According to Cokcedin, bacteria did not develop resistance to manuka, meaning it could benefit topical treatment for skin infections and wounds.

"The antibacterial activity was tested seven years ago when we first collected [the honey samples] and we retested them just recently this year and we found that that activity has not changed, which was actually very surprising," Cokcedin says.

After the discovery of Australian manuka honey benefits, it may open a new opportunity for Australia. However, the findings come out at the same time as New Zealand campaign to retain the international rights for the term "manuka."

What makes Manuka honey differ from other variety is, it is made by bees, but they get it from a tree called manuka. The tree is called red tea tree and kahikatoa.

Despite the data revelation, it seems New Zealand is not worried, Stuff reports. John Rawcliffe from New Zealand's UMF Honey Association said, that the global demand for manuka honey is so great as it surpasses outstrip's current supply.

See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
5 Rats Will Just Straight-Up Replace Everything After The Apocalypse

So it's a pretty safe bet to assume that some kind of primate will take over if humans finally blow this global popsicle stand and leave to be dicks in some other galaxy. But what if we go extinct, like the dinosaurs, except that it will definitely be our own fault? Chimps won't stand a chance then, because we'll probably take them down with us. In that case, the next big thing would have to be a scrapper, a survivor, the kind of mammal that, with enough evolution, might have the wherewithal and wisdom to, say, raise a bunch of mutant turtles. Of course, it has to be rats.

AlexK100/Wiki Commons

"I'm here to melt your heart and inherit your planet."

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Jan Zalasiewicz, paleobiologist and author of The Earth After Us, puts his money firmly on rodents taking over after mankind has fucked up one too many times. They are tough and adaptable, and they will eat almost anything. Hell, we couldn't put rats on the endangered species list even if we wanted to. And it hasn't been for a lack of trying, either. Also, even though we might not want to admit it, rats have a lot in common with humans -- especially on a social level, as rat colonies often have the same conflicts (like overpopulation and hunger) and resolutions (like violence and more violence) that you'd find in human societies. Those similarities, according to scholars like Zalasiewicz, probably would not change once they reach the top of the food chain. So maybe, one day in the future, city rats will be scaring other city rats by saying they're never more than 6 feet away from a human.
"People often ask me why I watched child porn," Charlie says. "And honestly, I never have a good answer for that. Because there is none. Do I tell them, 'Well, when I was 12 years old and learning about sex, I found child pornography, which eventually got so interwoven with my sexuality that I couldn't escape from it, even when I desperately wanted to, and to make matters worse, when I finally realized I needed help, I couldn't go to anyone for fear of going to prison, which eventually just perpetuated the cycle that I had found myself in, until I inevitably get arrested and went to prison anyways'? No, I can't tell them that."

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Because it's too much to dump on somebody, for one. And for two, all of Charlie's friends are fearsome grammar pedants, and would not tolerate the run-on sentence.

FrankieMea/iStock

Yes, a grammar joke. This topic has kind of sprained our "Wakka wakka!" reflex.

As of now, Charlie is keeping his affliction in check. "I can honestly say that this is the first time in my life that I am not looking at child porn, and I feel great. My life is looking up. I'm not depressed, and I don't hate myself as much as I used to." But like with any addiction, it's still on his mind, and will probably be there forever. "I know that if I looked at it again, even once, then I'd be on the fast track to prison, and I'd go through the same cycle over again."

Devonyu/iStock

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That's sort of a thing with addiction.

Will this be enough to make Charlie stop watching child porn for good, or is it already too late for him? Are your kids in danger of ending up like him? Science says: "We ... have no idea. And this feels gross to talk about. How about lasers instead? Pew pew, zap!"

Charlie is just a man trying to make up for some of the wrongs he's done in his life. He hopes that his experiences might inspire someone to get help if they find themselves in the same situation that he was in. If you do find yourself in a similar situation; then please. Get Help. If you are a parent and are worried about protecting your child online, here's a link with some information on how to keep your children safe online.

For more insider perspectives, check out 5 Ways We Misunderstand Pedophilia (That Makes It Worse) and 5 Things I Learned Infiltrating Deep Web Child Molesters.

Have a story to share with Cracked? Email us here.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and check out The 6 Creepiest Videos Aimed At Children, and other videos you won't see on the site!

Follow us on Facebook, and let's be best friends forever.
The magic number for us with the homeported vessels we have here is one million (passengers) and we expect to be around that number again for 2017, Don Allee, director of cruise and tourism at the Port of New Orleans, told Cruise Industry News when interviewed in November. And possibly a percentage point or two above that. We are very optimistic and our focus is to stay in the one million passenger club.

Carnival Cruise Line sails year-round and Norwegian Cruise Line seasonally from New Orleans and the ports experience has been that the ships go out at full capacity and sometimes up to 15 percent above capacity, according to Allee.

More people are cruising, but we have also had some events driving growth. For example, the larger Carnival Triumph replaced the Elation last spring on a five-, five- and four-day rotation. And of course every Sunday we have the Carnival Dream in port.

Next year the larger and newer Norwegian Pearl will replace the Dawn. The needle continues to point upward, he added.

Capacity For More

Capacity wise we still have room at our terminals (Erato and Julia Streets) as the utilization is not at 100 percent, Allee said. We can handle more vessels, but it depends on scheduling. The cruise lines we are talking to understand that and see no reason why they cannot work around the schedules we already have. We are constantly in communication with our current homeported operators and we are also talking about the future.

In addition, the port has a significant number of port calls. It is a matter of management, you must manage your facility, manage your scheduling, and I think we do a pretty good job of that, Allee continued.

Overnight calls seem to be one or two more than we had last year. It is a stretch to say it is a trend, but there is no other destination like New Orleans. I think it is one of the most cherished places to visit in the world, and the cruise operators understand that. They are producing schedules that allow passengers time to see more of what New Orleans has to offer.

As for the possible new Poland Avenue Terminal, Allee said: We are in the midst of a master plan update. And we can handle more ships at the Erato and Julia Street terminals, so we are waiting for the update that should be ready sometime after the first of the year (2017).

River cruises are another component of New Orleans cruise traffic, and the demographics are said to be totally different from blue-water cruises.

Allee said the business was holding strong and may also show an upward trend in terms of passengers.

Future

As for LNG, Allee answered: We are in the energy sector of the United States. We can provide LNG anyway the cruise lines want it, by barge or pipeline. We will be ready to serve our customers once they tell us what they want.

Meanwhile, the port is also focused on being a good citizen and promoting New Orleans.

All great cities around the world seem to have grown up around a seaport so you always have a balancing act of having the facilities that are necessary to grow your business, serve your customers and preparing for the future, but also being respectful of the area you are in, Allee said. It is not just about the traffic, but also about playing a positive role in the community, whether it is about traffic management, making jobs available, contributing to the local community, which we do in dramatic fashion, or environmental protection.

He also focused on making cruise customers more aware of all that New Orleans has to offer. Passengers can have two vacations in one  spending time in the city and taking a cruise.

Sixty percent of the passengers are drive to, but there may be additional opportunities just down the road, including more international visitors. There is nonstop air service from Central America, and more recently new direct transAtlantic airlift from Germany and the UK were announced, starting in 2017.

We are also well positioned to capitalize on Cuba when that finally opens up without restrictions.

It is a bright future, he added. We are working to strategically prepare for the opportunities, and as all port operators will tell you, you have to stay ahead of the opportunity curve.

---

Get an in-depth, behind the scenes look at the North America cruise market and the ports that make it happen in the 2016-2017 Winter edition Cruise Industry News Quarterly Magazine. Subscribe today.
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MILFORD  Conservationist are scrambling to understand the depths of the piping plover crisis, after the birds numbers took a nosedive in October when Hurricane Matthew swept through winter habitats in the Caribbean and along the beaches of the South.

If you look at a map of the Hurricane Matthew path and a map of where they spend their winters, youre looking at the same places, said Scott Kruitbosch, the conservation and outreach coordinator for the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History. Now, as to the extent of their losses, we simply dont know that right now. But they certainly would have great difficulty surviving 140-mile-per-hour winds.

Kruitbosch said there was little that the birds could do to save themselves as the storm ravaged more than 1,000 miles of coastline between Oct. 4 and Oct. 10.

It was a Category 4 storm, and birds like that on a beach will be carried away, suffer broken wings, things like that, he said, adding that preliminary data seems to point to a greater than 50 percent drop in Plover population.

But that was a very small sample size, so the fact is, we really dont know how bad the situation is, Kruitbosch said. Potentially, a significant population of the species was impacted.

Piping plovers have been nesting on the beaches of the Northeast, including Connecticuts shoreline, since the retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet about 15,000 years ago. They have had to bounce back from scores of deadly hurricanes since then, but the arrival of dense human habitation along the shoreline in the last 75 years or so has changed that script.

More Information The Piping Plover Scientific name:Charadrius melodus Summer habitat:Beaches of the Northeast and lake and pond shorelines from Saskatchewan and Manitoba south to Nebraska. Winter habitat:Beaches of the Caribbean and the shores of the Gulf of Mexico to North Carolina. Diet: Not well known. Probably insects, insect larvae, marine worms and small crustaceans. Eggs:2-4 Incubation:By both male and female, 26-28 days. Conservation status: It's a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act and it's a state threatened species in Connecticut. Species nearly absent from the Great Lakes where it was once common. See More Collapse

The piping plover was never one of the more robust wild creatures, and evolution left the species ill-equipped to deal with humans and the animals that follow them around.

Cats, raccoons, rats, skunks all take their share, said Milan Bull, senior director of science and conservation for the Connecticut Audubon Society. And dogs can frighten them to the point where theyll abandon their nests. Then theres human activity.

Bull said one particular cause of plover mortality are the over-sand vehicles allowed on some Cape Cod beaches.

When they feel threatened, theyll naturally seek a depression in the sand, he said. Well, more often and not, thats the tire tracks of these vehicles, and when the next one comes along ....

Experts agree that this summers nesting season will be a critical one for piping plovers.

Our Audubon Alliance Project will be more important than ever in 2017, Bull said. Well be fielding about 200 volunteers who will be monitoring the plovers as well as other beach-nesting birds. Theyll also be informing the public, putting up string fencing and signs. Its a big project.

Bull said most beach-goers want to do the right thing and will do what they can to protect the birds.

There was some pushback in years past in the Hamptons (of Long Island) when entire beaches were put off-limits to humans, he said. When you have someone spending $5,000 a week to rent a beach house, hes going to want to use the beach.

One factor in the species favor is the fact that the summer of 2016 was one of the best ever in terms of successful nesting pairs, Kruitbosch said.

Both the National Audubon Society and Connecticut Audubon, which are not affiliated with each other, are seeking donations to fund programs to help the piping plover survive.

We had a pretty good year last year, Kruitbosch said. We had 63 pairs in Connecticut, and they produced 87 checks, which is the fourth-highest total of fledged chicks. While the hurricane was a natural event, natural events have an unnatural effect on the global population because of the activities of humans.

jburgeson@ctpost.com
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.
'Fundamental rethink': Sir Keir Starmer

Hallelujah! This paper has never carried a torch for Sir Keir Starmer, the former Director of Public Prosecutions who is now Labour's Brexit spokesman.

But when even this fount of Left-wing platitudes calls for a 'fundamental rethink' of the EU's rules on free movement, is it possible that the public's message on mass, uncontrolled immigration is at last seeping through to the political class?

Indeed, Sir Keir joins a raft of prominent Labour MPs  including former Cabinet ministers Andy Burnham and Yvette Cooper  suddenly calling for restrictions on free movement, after years of deafening silence on this pressing public concern.

Trade unionists, too, are at last speaking out against the harm caused by mass migration to their members' jobs and wages  not to mention the pressures on housing, school places, the NHS, transport and other public services.

Says Gerard Coyne, who is challenging the hard-Left's Len McCluskey for the leadership of Unite: '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.'

For decades, this paper was a lonely voice in expressing concerns about this crucial issue. For our pains, the massed ranks of the Left smeared us as racist.

Is the penny finally dropping that in calling for proper border controls, we speak for the decent majority, who just want the best for families of every colour and creed?

Great train rip-off

The trains themselves may seldom run on time. But on one matter the operating companies are as dependable as clockwork: every January, they increase fares to extort ever more cash from captive commuters.

Even if these firms provided a decent service, the 600 average increase in the cost of annual season tickets since 2010 would be monstrous (and some are paying a jaw-dropping 2,000 more).

At this time of disruption by the unions, the fare rises are simply inexcusable.

Deplorable: Jeremy Corbyn demanded a standing ovation at a Christmas party for Tosh McDonald, the Aslef hardliner behind next week's six-day walkout by Southern train drivers

Train operators and union leaders alike are abusing their monopolies of this vital part of our infrastructure  the former to line their pockets, the latter in a naked bid to destabilise the Government.

Indeed, it is utterly deplorable that Jeremy Corbyn has offered encouragement to such politically motivated wreckers, demanding a standing ovation at a Christmas party for the Aslef hardliner behind next week's six-day walkout by Southern train drivers.

As he chanted slogans from the Spanish Civil War, did the Labour leader spare no thought for the misery Tosh McDonald plans to inflict on London commuters, the jobs he will put at risk or the harm he will do to the capital's economy?

But then what better can we expect from this overgrown student revolutionary, hankering for the return of the 1970s when the unions brought down Ted Heath?

Back in the world of 2017, ministers' priority must be to ensure that McDonald and his cronies lose their power to hold the country to ransom. Only then will exploited commuters begin to get the service they deserve.
Trade union bruiser and a master of the backroom deal, Labour deputy Tom Watson is also a formidable campaigner.

Not that Comrade Corbyn, his leader, seems to know or care. In a five-page interview in GQ magazine, Watson admits that he has been totally marginalised by the man who sits next to him on the Opposition front bench.

Alastair Campbell, Tony Blairs communications chief, conducted the frank interview, asking Watson how often he talked strategy with Corbyn. I am not on his strategy committee, replied Watson.

In a five-page interview in GQ magazine, Watson admits that he has been totally marginalised by the man who sits next to him on the Opposition front bench

Campbell: Who is, then? Watson: I dont know. Campbell: What? Thats incredible.

Insisting that Labour can still win a General Election, Watson added: Some of our best people are not on the front bench, but they are contributing to the debate, too. Campbell: Does he want them all to be involved? Watson: I dont know who he has offered jobs to.

Campbell: He didnt discuss the Shadow Cabinet with you?

Watson: No. he discussed my job with me, not the others.

Asked if it was frustrating to be kept out of the loop Watson replied: It could easily be . . .

No wonder the word in the corridors of Westminster is that Corbyn wants to axe his deputy.

The prospect of Right-winger Francois Fillon becoming the next President of France has delighted John Humphrys, Radio 4s Welsh acerbic interviewer.

Fillons 60-year-old wife, Penelope, is also Welsh. I relish the thought shell put laverbread [a Welsh delicacy made of seaweed] on the Elysee Palace menu, Humphrys tells Waitrose Weekend magazine.

If that doesnt bring Europes leaders to heel, nothing will.

Nigel, a prophet without borders

Asked why two obscure MPs were knighted in the New Year Honours, and he was overlooked, Ukips Nigel Farage replied breezily: The Establishment hate me and will never forgive me for Brexit.

Asked why two obscure MPs were knighted in the New Year Honours, and he was overlooked, Ukips Nigel Farage replied breezily: The Establishment hate me and will never forgive me for Brexit'

Establishment lackey Simon Walker, former head of the Institute Of Directors and an ardent Remainer, was made a CBE while there was nothing for any of the Brexiteers in the New Year Honours.

Support is disintegrating for former London Mayor Ken Livingstone, who was suspended from Labour in April over allegedly anti-Semitic remarks.

Jon Lansman, founder of the Momentum grassroots group backing Jeremy Corbyns leadership, told Jewish News  the UKs most popular Jewish newspaper  there should be a resolution to the inquiry into whether Livingstone can return.

He said: I dont see why its taking so long, adding that he trusts the final judgment will end Livingstones often controversial political career.

Support is disintegrating for former London Mayor Ken Livingstone, who was suspended from Labour in April over allegedly anti-Semitic remarks

Stony silence from Labour over the New Year train strikes. Now Unite, Britains biggest union, may trigger action at Penguin Random House, the UKs biggest publishers.

What will company chair Baroness Rebuck make of it? Not only is she a Labour peer, but her late husband, Philip Gould, was an architect of New Labour along with Tony Blair, whose memoirs were published by Rebuck.

Meanwhile, theres a New Year message from ASLEF leader Mick Whelan, who says: Its the time of year when we traditionally take stock. When we reflect on where weve been, where we are and where we want to go.

In the case of 300,000 long-suffering commuters on Southern Rail, thats precisely nowhere because of Whelans vindictive strikes in the winter holiday season.

Redwood has a pipe dream

Wise words from the Conservative MP John Redwood in his New Year blog . . .

One of the most mad things in the UK public sector is the continued placing of pipes and cables under main roads, often under the middle of the road, he writes.

Every time a repair or replacement is needed, the road has to be dug up. It either has to be closed completely, or a lane taken out to do the work.

Pipes and cables can be placed in conduits or larger pipes which can then be placed under pavements or verges, away from the main carriageway.
A family making their dream move to Australia are faced with a surprising reality when they struggle to support their lucrative lifestyle.

Accustomed to spending sprees and being looked after by her high-flying civil engineer husband James, Claire Lewis is forced to become the sole breadwinner when he can't find a job.

Along with their five-year-old son Layton, the couple, who have been married for 20 years, struggle to adjust as they swap Brighton for Melbourne, and Claire's spending sprees are not helping.

After leaving behind jobs, family and a long established network of friends, its the gamble of a lifetime - and they only have the money from the sale of their house to keep them afloat which is slowly dwindling.

The Lewis family: Claire, son Layton, 5, and James swap Brighton for Melbourne in the new Channel 5 documentary A New Life in Oz

The Lewis's sell their family home to move to Australia, leaving behind their jobs, friends and family

Their new home in East Bentley, Melbourne, doesn't have the pool that Claire was hoping for but is just a stone's throw from a school and the beach

Their 10,000 mile one-way journey is featured in Channel 5's new documentary A New Life in Oz, which follows six families who leave the UK for a 'better quality of life' in Australia.

Rugby playing dad James is confident he can get a well-paid job down under after moving to the country on a skill-based VISA - but it takes him a long six months before anything falls his way.

He is desperate to provide for his family and in particular his wife, who is a part-time beauty counter assistant and wants to fund her favourite hobby - shopping.

I am a proud man, probably too proud really and quite private. I take my responsibilities as an alpha male and a provider quite strongly,' he says of being out of work.

Claire kits out her new home with all the latest gadgets and a second fridge while she waits for their belongings to be shipped over from the UK

The family have a paddling pool for their son Layton, and two trampolines to keep fit

Claire and her husband James are confident that their new life in Australia is for the better but it's a big gamble

'James is my rock. He has always stuck by me. He likes rugby and he needs to do it, I like spending money and I need to do it ' Claire explains after packing up their UK home.

They have to wait five months for all their belongings to be shipped over and Claire can't go without life's essentials, which means spending thousands of their savings.

New dining tables, trampolines, a second fridge, a juicer, and a new car are all the things Claire splashes out on to make their new house a home.

It doesn't have the pool Claire dreamed of but their new abode in East Bentley, Melbourne, is a stone's throw from good schools, beaches and her favourite organic food stores.

It takes five months for their belongings to arrive and Claire realises her whole wardrobe isn't right for the warm climate

Trying to find a job in Melbournes construction industry with a high-paying salary proves to be a tougher challenge than he first thought, but eventually after six months out of work he scores a new project manager role.

Claire is delighted after admitting that she didn't like her husband being unemployed - especially when it means she's only allowed to window shop.

The family toast their new life in the sun with champagne on the beach and James encourages his wife to take up her favourite hobby.

'Go shopping! You deserve it!,' he tells her.

James struggles to find a job when they land in Australia, it takes six months for him to find a project manager role at a Melbourne construction company
Whats now & how to do it ... Nude smoky eyes

More flattering than black or grey, the nude smoky eye is an easy way to update your look.

Use a soft crayon such as Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Stick by Kate in rose gold (4.49, boots.com) along lash lines. Its smooth and glides on without dragging the skin.

More flattering than black or grey, the nude smoky eye is an easy way to update your look

Or try Burberry Eye Colour Contour in pale nude (23, uk.burberry.com). The shade suits all skin tones.

If you want to be more creative, go for an eyeshadow.

The Zoeva Nude Spectrum Eyeshadow Palette (28.50, cultbeauty.co.uk) has 15 hues including copper  apply a light shade on the lid and blend a taupe or gold colour in the crease.

Use a soft crayon such as Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Stick by Kate in rose gold along lash lines or try Burberry Eye Colour Contour in pale nude

Fed up of carrying around endless bottles of make-up remover when youre on holiday or away for the weekend? Then look no further than Cliniques new Take The Day Off Eye Makeup Remover Stick (16, clinique.co.uk).

No larger than a lip balm, this solid cleanser can remove even waterproof mascara.

Warm it up between your fingers and, as its worked into the skin, the balm transforms into a cream-like texture to dissolve make-up.

Its sleek, twist-up packaging makes it so convenient to throw in your make-up bag or even keep in your handbag for on-the-go touch-ups.

Its also non-greasy, fragrance-free and very gentle on skin.

TV presenter Lisa Snowdon has revealed shes a fan of Nouveau Lashes LVL Enhance.

This in-salon treatment tints and perms lashes from the root to create extra length and definition.

The results last for up to eight weeks and look reassuringly natural, but best of all, you wont need to use mascara or false lashes while its on.

The treatment costs 49 and takes 45 minutes  go to nouveaulashes.com to find your nearest salon.

TV presenter Lisa Snowdon has revealed shes a fan of Nouveau Lashes LVL Enhance

The new Drops Of Youth Liquid Peel contains plant stem cells to leave skin feeling and looking fresher

The chemical peel is back in fashion for 2017 and fast becoming one of the most popular DIY treatments.

They certainly have benefits  removing dull surface cells and improving fine lines, acne and discoloration  but people can be put off by their severe-sounding name.

Rest assured, todays at-home face peels are less harsh than the salon treatments of the Nineties. The new Drops Of Youth Liquid Peel (15, thebodyshop.com, available from January 16) contains plant stem cells to leave skin feeling and looking fresher.

Or try the NeoStrata Smooth Surface Daily Peel pads (47, effortlessskin.com). They contain a 10 per cent glycolic acid formulation that is both effective and incredibly gentle.

The new Vichy Neovadiol GF Nuit cream (29, boots.com) helps to address the impact of decreasing hormone levels during the menopause. It stimulates molecules in the skin to improve firmness and reduce redness, wrinkles and perspiration, while hydrating and plumping for a glowing, younger-looking complexion.

The new Vichy Neovadiol GF Nuit cream helps to address the impact of decreasing hormone levels during the menopause

Three of the best eye creams

Origins No Puffery Cooling Roll-On Origins No Puffery Cooling Roll-On (25, boots.com) has a metal roller ball which feels refreshing. It fades eye bags and leaves skin looking smoother. For an extra boost, keep it in the fridge. Shop

Benefit Puff Off Eye Gel Smooth the lightly tinted Benefit Puff Off Eye Gel (22.50, benefit cosmetics.co.uk) over eye bags and dark circles. It hydrates the area and reduces the appearance of wrinkles, leaving skin feeling silky smooth. Shop

Clinique Super Defense Age Defense Eye Cream To instantly brighten the delicate skin around the eyes, try Clinique Super Defense Age Defense Eye Cream (31, johnlewis.com). It has SPF 20 and works well under make-up to de-puff and hide unsightly bags. Shop

There is something decidedly glamorous about a scented powder you can spray  or, more accurately, puff  all over your skin.

The limited edition Guerlain Souffle dOr de Shalimar Perfumed Iridescent Powder (59, escentual.com) comes in a gorgeous, vintage-style blue bottle. Inside is a scented powder that you can use on your hair and body.

The limited edition Guerlain Souffle dOr de Shalimar Perfumed Iridescent Powder comes in a gorgeous, vintage-style blue bottle

It is surprisingly lightweight, so you are left with a subtle fragrance, and provides a hint of shimmer that is perfect for an evening out.
Imagine going on your long-saved for honeymoon, with the aim of spending two weeks on a beach alone with your new husband... only to discover your mother-in-law there.

It's a reality for one woman who is about to get married.

The woman, who posted about her situation on forum Mumsnet, explained exactly how much of a nightmare her mother-in-law is.

Monster-in-law? A bride-to-be has asked for advice after her mother-in-law booked into the same resort on the same dates as her planned honeymoon

The mum, who goes by the username WinterIsHereJon on the site, explained that she is getting married to her partner next year.

'We were planning a trip to the Caribbean, with a few days in the US on the way back,' the woman wrote.

'We have given MIL the proposed dates. Fast forward to last night and she's posted on Facebook that she's booked a holiday to the same chuffing resort she knew we were looking at.'

'Worse than that, the dates overlap so she'd be there for the first few days of our honeymoon.'

'I've had a little frustrated cry': The mother-in-law said it was accidental, but suggested the newlyweds have family dinners with her on their honeymoon

The woman's mother-in-law said it was an accident, but also proposed the three of them have a 'family dinner' when the newlyweds arrive at the resort.

'She's making out like it was a pure accident but I really don't feel that it is,' the mum-of-one said.

'Luckily we haven't booked yet. I've had a little frustrated cry and am now looking for alternatives but she will no doubt kick off because she's suggesting meeting up for a family meal when we arrive.'

Nightmare: The woman explained the situation in a post on forum Mumsnet (pictured)

Paradise: The couple had intended to go to the Carribbean (pictured) for their honeymoon, but are now considering changing plans without telling the mother-in-law

The frustrated bride-to-be asked others on Mumsnet what she should now.

Most other women were horrified at the mother-in-law, saying the move was clearly on purpose and seemed spiteful.

'That's incredibly weird. Who crashes their son's honeymoon?!! Your consolation is that the entire world will think your mil is a fruitcake,' one woman wrote.

Re-consider: Commenters were shocked at how the mother-in-law had behaved

'Incredibly weird': Most suggested that the woman change plans, with one saying the mother-in-law was a 'fruitcake'

In response to some commenter's questions, the woman revealed that her partner was 'furious' about what his mother had done, and that the mum had acted like this before.

'I should have known; she has always been an interfering old bat,' the woman wrote. 'Lesson learnednever tell her anything!'

After hearing advice from others, the mum said that they were now going to possibly change the location of their honeymoon, so they wouldn't have to be around the mother-in-law, but probably wouldn't confront her like some commenters suggested.

'Our usual tactic for dealing with her is to just keep our distance where possible,' she explained.
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Crown Princess Mary has rung in the New Year at a banquet held at Amalienborg Palace, Copenhagen.

The Australian-born royal dressed in a floor-length gold gown for the occasion on January 1, a plum cape helping keep her warm against the winter chill.

The banquet, hosted by Queen Margrethe, is a centuries-old tradition held for members of the Danish parliament, top officials and court management.

The Danish royal family and their guests enjoyed food, wine and music in the Amalienborg Palace Great Hall.

Scroll down for video

New Year celebrations: Crown Princess Mary was the picture of elegance on January 1 when she welcomed in the New Year at a Banquet held at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen

Ringing in 2017: Mary, who dressed in a floor-length gold gown and plum cape, was joined by her husband Crown Prince Frederik, who wore traditional military regalia

NYE BANQUET MENU The Danish Monarchy shared their New Year's Eve 2017 Banquet menu on their website. They ate: * Pheasant consomme, meat and dumplings * Saddle of lamb, French noisette (hazelnut), spinach flan and rosemary cloud * Cheese pie * Kumquatkage (a kumquat cake) with meringue To drink, the royals had traditional Rosenborg wine and bottles of Moet et Chandon champagne. Advertisement

The ever-elegant Mary stunned in the gold gown that hugged her waist before falling dramatically to the floor.

Over her gown she wore a plum cape, the colour complimenting the deep red stones that studded her Ruby Parure Tiara and matching jewels.

The tiara, which she regularly wears to royal events, dates back two centuries and has been in the Danish royal family since 1869 according to The Court Jeweller.

The tiara was left to Prince Frederik by Queen Ingrid after she died in 2000, who then gifted the jewels to Mary.

Around her neck Mary wore the Order of the Elephant, which is worn on a chain-link collar on January 1, which known as The Knight's Day.

The Order is Denmarks oldest and most distinguished royal order of chivalry, and can be dated back to 1460.

Mary arrived at the Banquet on the arm of her husband, Crown Prince Frederik, who wore traditional military regalia for the event.

All that glitters: Mary wore the Ruby Parure Tiara and matching jewels as well as the Order of the Elephant, which is worn on a chain-link collar on January 1, known as The Knight's Day

Simply elegant: The mother-of-four waved on the red carpet, before turning to walk inside and showing off the gold train of her gown

The banquet menu was published on The Danish Monarchy's website, where it was revealed the royals ate a pheasant consomme, meat and dumplings for entree, followed by a saddle of lamb, spinach flan and cheese pie and Kumquatkage (a kumquat cake) with meringue for dessert.

They drank traditional Rosenborg wine, which has been a staple at the New Year's Banquet since 1598, bottles of the champagne Moet et Chandon, the sparkling wine Cuvee M and bottles of 2010 Chateau de Cayx.

The Danish Royals were also treated to live music.

A photo shared on the Danish Royal Family's official Instagram page showed a photo of the banquet table.

The table was decorated with pink, yellow, green and orange roses, that matched the colours of the rich velvet chairs and wine bottles.

Inside the palace: A photo of the banquet table showed it decorated with candle sticks and pink, yellow, green and orange roses

The Danish royals will continue their New Year's celebrations on the second and third of January, with further events to be held at Amalienborg and Christiansborg Palaces.

The banquet came after Princess Mary, Prince Frederik and their four children attended a Christmas Day church service at Aarhus Cathedral in Aarhus, on the Jutland peninsula's east coast.
Apple, Pilot, Kyd and Audio Science are just some of the strange names celebrities have given their children.

Considering this, you would think that parents could name their children whatever they liked, but in many countries around the world this is not the case.

Anal, Satan, Queen V, Juztice, Christ and 4real are just some of the names that have been banned in Australia and New Zealand.

What's in a name? In Australia and New Zealand, a number of names of banned

Your majesty: You can't name your child after an official title such as Queen, King, Prime Minister or Lord (pictured, Queen Elizabeth II)

Michael Jackson famously named his third child, nicknamed 'Blanket', Prince Michael.

But in Australia and other countries this would be illegal, as are a raft of other names.

According to Australian law, a name can be rejected from being on a birth certificate for a number of different reasons.

No nos: Incorrect spellings such as Juztice and Royahl are also banned, as is using exclamation points or questions marks in a name

Sacrilegious: Names like Lucifer, Satan, Christ, Messiah, and Bishop are also no gos

The guidelines say the the name cannot be 'obscene or offensive, make statements or phrases' or be 'contrary to public interest,' according to Births Deaths and Marriages Victoria.

They also can't 'create confusion in the community, or be considered reasonably likely to insult, humiliate, offend or intimidate a person or group.'

Other reasons a name can be rejected is because it is too long or contains symbols like exclamation points or question marks.

Offensive: The name Anzac is banned due to the cultural significance attached to the word

Strange but true: Commodore and V8 are also banned, after some car enthusiasts tried to use them as names

Names also cannot contain an official title or rank, which is why names like King, Queen, Sister, Lieutenant, Prime Minister and Lord are not allowed.

In New Zealand this extends to misspellings of titles, with the country rejecting the names Juztice, Kingz, Prynce and Royahl.

Other names that have been banned included Anzac, due to its cultural significance, as well as car-related names like Commodore and V8.
Think you can pass a simple school test? Think again!

A mini test - designed to put students through their paces at the age of 10 - has left the internet scratching its head.

The test, which was posted on Playbuzz and tests maths and general knowledge. So how many questions can you answer correctly?

This simple test has the internet scratching its head with its trick questions designed for ten-year-olds, so how many can you answer?

1. There are 5 pencil cases on the desk. Each pencil case contains at least 10 pencils but not more than 14 pencils. Which of the following could be the total number of pencils in all five pencil-cases?

a. 25

b. 35

c. 45

d. 65

e. 75

2. If x is 6 less than y and y is twice of z, then what is the value of x when z=2?

a. 10

b. 8

c. -2

d. 12

e. -5

3. If David has twice as many nickels as Tom, and Tom has 15 more nickels than John, how many dollars does David have if John has 6 nickels?

a. 2.1

b. 21

c. 42

d. 14

e. 30

4. 4x4-4+4x4 =?

a. 64

b. 28

c. -4

d. 4

e. -16

5. Halley's Comet was named after the surname of an English astronomer, but what was his first name?

a. Isaac

b. William

c. George

d. Edmond

6. Gamelan music often uses a pentatonic scale - how many notes does this scale use?

a. 7

b. 4

c. 5

d. 6

7. Which of these is not a sustainable fuel?

a. wave

b. solar

c. coal

d. wind

8. The American flag has how many red and white stripes on it?

a. 16

b. 15

c. 14

d. 13
A host of optical illusions have been sweeping the web in recent weeks but the latest might be the most mind-boggling yet.

The picture, taken by photographer George Steinmetz in 2005 and posted to Playbuzz, has gone viral.

Despite looking like a normal photograph, the picture does in fact appear to be an optical illusion which some people can see and others can't. So, can you?

Scroll down for reveal

What do you see when you look at this photograph by George Steinmetz of camels walking in the desert? The mind-bending optical illusion has left people baffled

At first glance, it looks like a group of black camels making their way across the desert.

If you look closely though, you will be able to notice that the dark outlines are in fact their shadows rather than the camels themselves.

The lighter shapes at their feet are the backs of the camels as they head to grazing pastures near Wadi Mitan, western Oman.

The image, which was first published in the Turkish version of National Geographic magazine and taken using a motorised paraglider to get the aerial view, has been confusing people online. Did you make the same mistake?

Revealed: A lot of people have assumed that the camel's shadow is in fact the camel walking in the desert

A close-up picture reveals that they are in fact the shadows rather than the camels themselves

There is another optical illusion sweeping the web - with some finding it the hardest yet.

Hidden in the vintage illustration of a dog is the head of his master - but can you spot him?

The image, posted by Playbuzz, dates back to the turn of the century and was the face of a trade card used as an early advertising gimmick.

Scroll down for reveal

How fast can you find the dog's master in this vintage illustration from the turn of the century?

If you look closely, you can spot the dog's owner in the middle of the picture - with Spot's ear acting as his hat.

On the side of his cheek you might be able to make out his eyes, nose and mouth - but you'll have to tilt your head to spot it.

People took to the comments section of the Playbuzz website to comment on the difficulty of spotting the dog straight away, with one saying that they're usually good at optical illusions but struggled with this one.

Others, however, said it only took them a couple of seconds - so how did you do?

Playbuzz soon reveals that the master is in fact hidden in the dog's ear and cheek, with the ear acting as his hat
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These creative newlyweds have proven they will live snap-ily ever after - after photos from their big day were chosen as the best wedding images of 2016.

The spectacular shots feature couples on mountaintops, in front of lightning, popping bottles and dancing.

The stunning photographs come from ceremonies held all over the world with seaside coves, dirt tracks and even a desert complete with a camel.

Junebug Weddings have selected 50 unique wedding shots for their 'Best of the Best Wedding Photography' collection

They were selected by Junebug Weddings, which each year chooses the 50 unique shots for their 'Best of the Best Wedding Photography' collection.

This year, the competition - which has been running since 2008 - received almost 9,000 entries from over 700 photographers in more than 45 different countries.

Carrie Crooks, general manager and editor-in-chief of Junebug Weddings, said: 'What makes me so proud of this year's collection is that you can feel the emotions of a wedding day through these 50 images - it's a powerfully emotive experience.

This year, the competition - which has been running since 2008 - received almost 9,000 entries from over 700 photographers in more than 45 different countries. Pictured: A bride and groom stroll across a desert with a camel

Winning the competition is said to be one of the greatest honours for wedding photographers. Pictured: An aeriel photograph clearly impressed the judges

In this striking photo a bolt of lightening photo-bombs the unsuspecting bride and groom

'I'm not surprised photographers keep discovering new locations because the world is so large and there are so many beautiful nooks and crannies to explore.

'The trend in wedding photography for the past few years has been travel. Photographing more destination weddings allows photographers to merge two passions in their lives in travel and photography.

This year's judges were world-renowned wedding photographers Mike and Shari Vallely of Shari + Mike, Benj Haisch, and Ben and Erin Chrisman of Chrisman Studios.

An adventurous couple do away with tradition and take a bike ride following their ceremony

In this intimate photograph a windswept couple pose in a cove close to the beach

As is tradition this photo captions the moment that wedding guests throw rice over the bride and groom

The sparklers in this photograph help to give it it's magical and romantic feel

Winning a Junebug contest is one of the highest honours a wedding photographer can receive, often helping to jumpstart careers.

Throughout the year, Junebug also hosts a selection of other wedding photography contests - such as celebration of the best engagement photographs, which opens for submissions every April.

Carrie added: 'In 2008, the Best of Wedding photo contest attracted mostly U.S. photographers, but over the years, the interest from international photographers has grown exponentially.

Photographer Victor Lax went to great lengths to capture this impressive photograph

It's hard to tell what exactly is going on in this unusual photo but its creative nature clearly impressed the judges

'Today, more than half of the submissions we receive are from photographers outside of the U.S.

'Over the past few years, some new countries we've noticed entering the contest are Lithuania, Estonia, Barbados, Serbia, Belize and Latvia, to name a few.

'When we receive submissions from sparsely populated countries or smaller countries it's always a pleasant surprise.'

In this intimate shot a newly married couple put their best foot forward as they arrive at their reception

These newlyweds are caught in a shower of glittery confetti shortly after their ceremony

Dan Oday scored his win with this incredible shot that makes the couple look as though they are walking on water

Taking photographs of brides from behind appeared to be on trend this year as seen in these two shots

It isn't just couples that impressed the judges with this photo of a grandmother and bride embraces proving very moving

This bride and groom inject humour into their photo as they share a laugh on a roof top

A bride and groom work together to try and rescue her veil after it is blown away with a gust of wind

This romantic couple look as though they are about to take a dance in this cliff side photograph

A jolly bride and groom sing along as they perform their first dance at their wedding

The light pouring through the window of this church makes for a stunning shot by Andy Gaines

The silhouetted figures of a bride and groom make for a romantic photograph

The weather worked in favour of this couple's mysterious mountainside photograph

Paulo Santos successfully captures the moment a bride prepares to walk down the aisle at her wedding

A bride and groom share a tender moment as they exchange vows by a river

A fun couple share a high five by a giant blackboard after exchanging their vows

An ambitious groom leaps over his bride's head in this impressive shot
The defect, which means the baby has an underdeveloped brain and incomplete skull, affects around one in 1,000 pregnancies, most of which end in miscarriage

A mother has told of her heartbreak and joy after making the agonizing decision to proceed with her pregnancy - despite being told her daughter was 'incompatible with life'.

Abbey Ahern, 34, who lives in Cashion, Oklahoma, was devastated when she was told at her 19-week scan that her daughter had the terminal illness anencephaly which meant she would not live beyond a few hours.

The stay-at-home mother said that carrying her daughter to term was the 'most difficult thing I have ever done'.

'Incompatible with life': Abbey and Robert Ahern, both 34, made the agonizing decision to go ahead with the birth of their terminally-ill baby Annie, pictured with her parents

Family: The couple, from Cashion, Oklahoma, decided to enjoy Annie's short life with their other daughters Dylan and Harper, pictured, now seven and five

Devastating: They were told at Abbey's 19-week scan that Annie, pictured, had the terminal illness anencephaly

The family spent just 14 hours and 58 minutes with Annie before she passed away.

According to the National Institutes of Health, the defect - which means the baby has an underdeveloped brain and incomplete skull - affects around one in 1,000 pregnancies, most of which result in miscarriage.

As a result, approximately one in 10,000 babies in the US are born with anencephaly.

Abbey and her pilot husband Robert, also 34, decided to have a live birth so that they could spend time with their daughter and donate her organs - making Annie the first infant newborn donor in the state.

Abbey told Daily Mail Online: 'Carrying a terminally-ill baby to term was by far the most difficult thing I have ever done...

'For us, even in the midst of our terrible heartbreak we were able to see so much beauty.

'The process of donating Annie's organs has been incredibly healing to me, knowing that my baby has saved lives.'

At times she said she felt overwhelmed by the situation but she drew comfort from the support of her husband.

She added: 'The entire thing felt impossible. If it wasn't for my husband and our strong support system I believe Annie's story would have been completely different. Probably much darker.'

Although nobody tried to put them off their decision, Abbey said she was met with some skepticism from family and friends.

Purpose: They decided to go ahead with the pregnancy so they could enjoy their daughter's 14 hours and 58 minutes of life and donate her organs

Storytime: Dylan requested that they bring a copy of the Christian book Heaven Is For Real to the birth so they could read it to Annie

'From the first moment, we hoped for a live birth and planned a C-section. We wanted a few precious memories with our girl.

'No-one tried to change our minds, but whenever I told certain family members and friends, they asked, "Are you sure this is what you want to do?"...

'Even my own sisters both told me later that they thought we were crazy for wanting to carry to term,' she told GoodHousekeeping.com.

Abbey - who had two older daughters, Dylan and Harper, now seven and five, when Annie was born, and has since given birth to Iva, two - said news of her third daughter's diagnosis 'sucked the air right out of my lungs'.

She added: 'I knew what he [the doctor] was saying but I couldn't really apply it to us or to our baby.'

Afterwards they asked the doctor for the gender of their unborn child and decided to name her on the spot.

'Naming our two older girls had been a struggle. But right then, we named her easily: Annie, which means, "grace."

'We knew she had a purpose  even though she was not made for this world,' Abbey said.

During her pregnancy with Harper, she had suffered from pre-eclampsia which resulted in her daughter being born at 33 weeks and spending a month in NICU.

Ahead of Annie's birth they had numerous hospital meetings to plan everything required to ensure that they were able to donate her organs to transplant donor service LifeShare.

Terminal: The defect, which means the baby has an underdeveloped brain and incomplete skull, affects around one in 1,000 pregnancies, most of which end in miscarriage

Prepared: Abbey said that before the birth on June 26, 2013 she had 'such a sense of peace'

Abbey said being asked innocent questions about her pregnancy was agony but she usually tried to answer as if nothing was wrong.

She said they did not know how long their daughter would survive, but they knew it would be short.

'One of my big fears was that I'd be at the hospital and her time would be slipping away, and I wouldn't have what I needed for special moments, like the hat and booties I knitted for her pictures or a gift for her sisters,' she said.

Their marriage counselor gave them a white dress for Annie to wear which they packed for the hospital with a hat and booties.

Dylan requested that they bring a copy of the Christian book Heaven Is For Real, as told by Colton Burpo to his parents Todd and Sonja, so they could read it to Annie after she was born.

Abbey said that before the birth on June 26, 2013 she had 'such a sense of peace'.

She first became aware of Annie's arrival when she heard 'a commotion' and saw the photographer taking pictures.

'She had the mask on and her eyes were full of tears, but she was smiling. I knew Annie was here.

'She didn't cry much, but I heard her making noise. They showed her to me, and she was so beautiful,' she said.

New arrival: She first became aware of Annie's arrival when she heard 'a commotion' and saw the photographer taking pictures

Joy: When medical staff put Annie in her arms Abbey said she felt 'lighter than I'd felt in five months'

Short-lived: At around 11pm she heard Annie 'gasp' and knew that she was reaching the end of her life

When medical staff put Annie in her arms Abbey said she felt 'lighter than I'd felt in five months'.

She added: 'I remember holding her hands and pressing my face on hers and smelling her. I couldn't kiss her enough.'

Despite the poignancy of the moment, Abbey said everybody was happy.

They read her the book as requested by Dylan which Abbey said was 'one of the best moments of my life'.

At around 11pm she heard Annie 'gasp' and knew that she was reaching the end of her life.

She said: 'Annie got to be with us all day, and she was ready...If she had to die, I'm so glad it was in my arms.

'She lived a beautiful and incredible 14 hours and 58 minutes. She spent her entire life surrounded by love, joy, and peace. There was no sorrow, even when she passed away.'

Her organs were not viable for transplant because her oxygen levels were too low - which Abbey said was 'disappointing' - but they were able to donate her heart valves and some of her organs could be used for research.

Six months after Annie's death, they were told they could start trying for a baby and Abbey soon became pregnant with Iva.

She said: 'Annie's story is one of hope. I think it shows people that in the midst of tragedy, there can be beauty.
An Instagram account is using pictures of adorable chubby Asian babies to rack up 55,000 ovaries. Uh, followers.

Called Tiny Gentle Asians, the page has posted more than 500 pictures of East Asian newborns and toddlers smiling, crying, playing with animals, having their big cheeks smushed, and doing otherwise cute things for the camera.

'Rolls and LOLs are definitely the two vital ingredients, founder Mel Kenny told Mashable about her recipe for a cute account.

Aww! The Twitter account Tiny Gentle Asians is full of pictures of cute East Asian babies

Collection: The pictures are mostly reposted from parents' accounts

Origins: The account was started by Mel Kenny, a Thai Australian

Mel started by posting pictures of babies she saw on the street but the account has evolved

Hollywood: She has celebrity fans including Candice Swanepoel and Chelsea Handler

She focuses on pictures that are funny or feature chubby babies with rolls

Mel, a Thai Australian who works as an editor and social media consultant, started the account with cell phone pictures of babies she saw while out and about, but has graduated to reposting pictures taken by parents.

And she pointed out that not all the pictures on her account are traditionally attractive baby pictures.

That is, the tots aren't always posed angelically with smiles on soft rugs. Sometimes they are making ridiculous faces, pouting, or crying  something she said Japanese and Korean mothers like to take pictures of.

Whatcha thinkin? Mel also adds witty captions from each baby's point of view

She explained that Japanese and Korean mothers love to take funny and unflattering pictures of their kids

Popular: Pictures on the account get thousands of likes

Some parents dress their kids up while others use funny Snapchat filters

This little girl is a cross between Waldo and Pippi Longstocking

Costumes and pajamas are also big crowd-pleasers on the account

Other snaps see babies in costumes and pajamas, getting the Snapchat filter treatment, and taking baths.

Mel also adds her own witty captions with words supposedly thought of or spoken by the babies themselves.

'Applying very silly, incongruent voices to pictures of tiny children that haven't yet formed identities is certainly the most enjoyable part for me,' she said. 'I think a portion of the audience finds the captions and the image create a funny experience, while the rest are just into the cute thing.'

Smush! There are plenty of pictures of babies having their chubby cheeks squshed

Mel tags parents of the babies she posts and says it's usually not a problem

She said that rolls are important on her page, as are funny faces

The creator thinks she probably picked Asian babies because she identifies with them

Comments occasionally make her wonder if the page was a bad idea but mostly the account just spreads happiness

That audience is now up to 55,400 people, including Chelsea Handler and Candice Swanepoel.

Though she chose to focus on Asian babies to reflect her own identity, she did admit that comments on some of the pictures do occasionally make her wonder whether the page is a problem.
Grandparents who babysit their grandchildren tend to live longer than seniors who do not care for other people, a study has found.

Having full-time custody of grandchildren can have a negative effect on health.

But occasional helping can be beneficial for seniors, the researchers write in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior.

Those who helped relatives or strangers tended to live at least seven years after the end of the study. Those who did not had an average life expectancy of four years.

Experts suspect this all boils down to giving elderly people a sense of purpose, and keeping them physically and mentally active.

'Having no contact with grandchildren at all can negatively impact the health of grandparents,' said lead author Sonja Hilbrand, doctoral student in the department of psychology at the University of Basel in Switzerland.

Quality time: Full-time custody of young children is detrimental for elderly people. But occasional assistance can be beneficial, according to a new study

'This link could be a mechanism deeply rooted in our evolutionary past when help with childcare was crucial for the survival of the human species,' Hilbrand said.

The findings are drawn from data on more than 500 people over age 70 in the Berlin Aging Study.

The participants completed interviews and medical tests every two years between 1990 and 2009.

The researchers did not include any grandparents who were the primary caregivers for their grandchildren, only those who cared for grandchildren occasionally.

The study team compared this group with seniors who provided support for non-family members, such as friends or neighbors, and seniors who did not provide any care to other people.

Overall, after accounting for grandparents' age and general state of health, the risk of dying over a 20-year period was one-third lower for grandparents who cared for their grandchildren, compared with grandparents who did not provide any childcare.

Half of the grandparents who cared for grandchildren were still alive ten years after the initial interview.

The same was true for participants who did not have grandchildren but supported their adult children in some way, such as helping with housework.

In contrast, about half of the participants who did not help others died within five years of the start of the study.

Caregiving was linked with longer life even when the care recipient wasn't a relative.

Half of all childless seniors who provided support to friends or neighbors lived for seven years after the study began, whereas non-helpers lived for four years on average.

'Caregiving may give caregivers a purpose of life because caregivers may feel useful for the others and for the society,' said Bruno Arpino, an associate professor at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain who was not involved in the study.

'Caregiving may be thought also as an activity that (keeps) caregivers physically and mentally active,' Arpino said, adding that previous studies suggest that caregiving may improve cognitive functioning, mental and physical health.

Arpino noted, however, that caregiving is not the only activity that can improve health, and too many caring responsibilities can take away from other beneficial activities like working, being in social clubs, or volunteering.

'Children should take into (consideration) their parents' needs, willingness and desires and agree with them on the timing and amount of childcare,' Arpino suggested.

'It is very important that every individual decides for him/herself, what 'moderate amounts of help' means,' Hilbrand said.
Question - Did the Prime Minister seek the views of the Chief Economic Advisor and the Finance Minister before the sudden demonetisation of high-value currency notes 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 application sought to confirm whether the 'views of chief economic advisor Arvind Subramaniam and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley were taken before announcement was made'.

Question - Did the Prime Minister seek the views of the Chief Economic Advisor and the Finance Minister before the sudden demonetisation of high-value currency notes on November 8?

'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.'

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'

'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, emails, 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'.

Day 50 and the struggle continues: Disappointed people shows their old currency notes which they could not exchange at the RBI office closed for the day in Kolkata

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.

People in the queue outside Bank OF RBI to exchange their old Rs 500 and 1000 notes

The monetary policy regulator also did not disclose if the decision to demonetise currency notes worth Rs 14 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.

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.

The RBI has been denying information related to crucial aspects related to demonetisation 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, 2016 and November 19, 2016 citing Section 8(1)(g) of the RTI Act.

RBI did not give any reason as to how this section would apply in the case of information sought by Galgali.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was attacked with a shoe while addressing a public meeting in Rohtak against demonetisation during which he targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The shoe missed its target and the youth who had thrown it was arrested.

The incident took place in the evening when Kejriwal, the head of the Aam Aadmi Party, was addressing 'Tijori Tod Bhanda Fod' rally against the demonetisation move.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was attacked with a shoe while addressing a public meeting in Rohtak against demonetisation during which he targeted PM Modi

The shoe was hurled towards Kejriwal when he 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 a resident of Mori Makrana village, district Dadri in Haryana, a senior police official said.

'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 Modis 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.

Kejriwal also 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.

Police taking away a man who allegedly hurled his shoe at AAP chief and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal at an AAP rally in Rohtak

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,' he said.
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.
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It was a time when spiritualism was hugely popular and there was a mystique surrounding photographys process.

And British photographer William Hope made the most of a 1920s society that yearned to learn more about the paranormal to produce this striking set of 'spirit photographs' which had the world captivated at the time.

Mr Hope - who was part of the infamous Crewe Circle, a spiritualist photography group in the Cheshire town  was supported by many of his contemporaries including Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Spooky: British photographer William Hope made the most of a society that yearned to learn more about the paranormal

Ghostly: Mr Hope produced this striking set of 'spirit photographs' in the 1920s which had the world captivated at the time

Figures: Mr Hope was part of the infamous Crewe Circle, a spiritualist photography group in the Cheshire town

But his work was later discredited after investigators discovered that he had used a photographic process called double exposure, where a single image is created by exposing the film several times. Experts say he would have used a plate which already had an image on it, and superimposed a second picture onto that.

Mr Hope, born in 1863, was part of a circle of spiritualist mediums in England at the turn of the century, and produced his first period photograph in 1905  years before the set of spirit ghost pictures he created in 1920.

Sarah Ledjmi, collections and exhibitions assistant at the National Media Museum in Bradford, is an expert on Mr Hope - and said that he capitalised on an idea that mediums could communicate with the afterlife.

She told MailOnline: By 1897, there were eight million followers of the spiritualist belief in the US and Europe - mainly the middle and the upper classes.

They believed there would be a possibility to communicate with people in the afterlife - that people's souls did not die but continue to live on and can manifest themselves by the medium.

(There was) this idea of the photograph becoming the medium through which the spirits appear and communicate with the living. Thats what people who believed in the photographs hoped would happen.

Works: Mr Hope was supported by many of his contemporaries including Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Spiritualist: Mr Hope's work was discredited after investigators discovered that he had used the double exposure process

Technical: The photographic process of double exposure sees a single image created by exposing the film several times

She added: People would send their pictures and then he revealed the spirits in the pictures, or he would take a picture and then there would be an extra in the photograph.

Of course there was also a question that maybe this would be a fraudulent technique. The technique used is double exposure.

Ms Ledjmi said that instead of using a blank plate, Mr Hope would have used a plate which had already had an image on it, and superimposed a second picture onto that.

But she continued: People were adamant they were recognising their wife or their father. Some of the pictures you don't have a well-defined face, so maybe thats why people would recognise their relatives.

At the turn of the century people would hold seances calling spirits. So there was a real question at the time that this could be scientifically proved.

This is why photography is being used as almost an empirical way of proving that spirits do exist.

Appearances: Mr Hope, born in 1863, was part of a circle of spiritualist mediums in England at the turn of the century

He's behind you: Mr Hope produced his first period photograph in 1905  15 years before his set of spirit ghost pictures

Clever process: Instead of using a blank plate, Mr Hope would have used a plate which had already had an image on it

Paranormal investigators investigated him - proved that he would be a conman - but theres this belief that photography would be able to prove spirits exists or not.

Sir Arthur wrote a book called the case for The Case for Spirit Photography and was a strong backer of the work by Mr Hope, who also found support among scientists and even members of the clergy.

Among them were the chemist William Crooks, who was well respected figure at the time in the scientific community, and the Reverend Charles Tweedale, who wrote the book Man's Survival after Death.

Ms Ledjmi added: The jury was very much out for people who were spiritualists themselves, but of course not everyone believed that spirits were living among us.

There's a parallel that can be made when Darwins Theory of Evolution becomes prominent in the 19th century there are a lot of religious people who do not see combining their religious belief with Darwin.

Here it's something quite similar. There's no problem for scientists being agnostic about the influence of spirits.

Spirit photography first appeared in 1860 after William Mumler started using the process of double exposure to reveal spirits

Eerie: When Mr Hopes work was gathering momentum, psychic researcher Harry Price was sent to investigate him

Gone but not forgotten: Spirit ghost photographs died out in 1933 in the interwar period when Mr Hope passed away

Theres a sense that there are things that go beyond what we can understand - and at the time science and also religion and spiritualism in this case are means to explore and learn more.

Spirit photography first appeared in 1860 after William Mumler started using the process of double exposure to reveal spirits in Boston  and there were plenty of sceptics then, 60 years before Mr Hopes photos appeared.

When Mr Hopes work was gathering momentum, the Society for Psychical Research sent psychic researcher Harry Price to investigate him.

Mr Price gave him blank plates and asked him to take his picture with a blank plate - but he saw Mr Hope was replacing it with his own.

Ms Ledjmi added: His supporters would say yes, in some instances, he could con us - but I am convinced that on this picture he took of me this was 100 per cent my grandmother, so those people were keeping him afloat.
Thirteen years ago soldier Wayne Ingram met Stefan Savic, a four-year-old with a rare facial deformity while on patrol in Bosnia.

Stefan had been born with a facial cleft  a block of bone in the centre of his face - which was crushing his skull and forcing his eyes apart to the point he couldn't see what was in front of him.

Father-of-four Mr Ingram was so moved by Stefan's plight he promised to help him with state-of-the-art treatment back in the UK.

True to his word, he collected an incredible 140,000 for Stefan's surgery and after five operations - the final one in October this year - the Bosnian boy has completed an incredible full recovery.

Mr Ingram met four-year-old Stefan while on patrol in Bosnia - 13 years later and having raised 140,000 to save him from a rare facial deformity, Stefan now a life 'free of worry'

Mr Ingram said he and Stefan (pictured after his final operation, in October) now have an 'unbreakable bond'

Speaking to MailOnline, Mr Ingram said: 'I feel immense pride. The whole thing has been a rollercoaster of emotions. The transformation is truly remarkable.

'If you had told me 13 years ago that I would become life long friends with a Bosnian boy and family I wouldn't have believed you.

'But there's now an unbreakable bond between myself and Stefan and his family. '

David Dunaway, a plastic surgeon, (pictured left) generously offered his services for free, but the former soldier raised funds for Stefan and his family to come to the UK on each occasion

Mr Ingram, 46, was a staff sergeant in the 9th/12th Royal Lancers on a stabilising mission in Bosnia when he was introduced to Stefan and his parents Milos and Slava.

Stefan was born with a debilitating condition called Tessier facial cleft, which meant his eyes were 4.5cm further apart than normal and he had no proper nose.

'Aside from the facial deformities he was just a normal, playful little boy', Mr Ingram said.

'I had two young sons myself at the time and there was no way I could stand back and do nothing. I knew in an instant I had to do everything I could to help.'

Stefan was born with a debilitating condition called Tessier facial cleft, which meant his eyes were 4.5cm further apart than normal and he did not have a proper nose

Stefan's transformation has been 'truly remarkable' and he can now look forward to a life 'free from worry'

Stefan, pictured after the major operation to deconstruct and reconstruct his skull, in 2003

Stefan's mother, Slava (pictured together) said what had been done was a 'masterpiece'

Mr Ingram, who is now a paramedic, raised an amazing 85,000 before bringing Stefan to London's Great Ormond Street Hospital in 2003.

David Dunaway, a plastic surgeon, had generously offered his services for free, but the former soldier needed to pay and sort out flights, visas and accommodation for the family.

Stefan had two major operations at Great Ormond Street within a year of meeting the 'amazing' Mr Ingram, who was the first foreigner he had ever encountered.

The first, in July 2003, required the removal of all his teeth. This was followed by a 12-hour operation in October that involved the deconstruction and reconstruction of his skull.

During surgery, Dr Dunaway removed the block of bone in the middle of his face to move his eyes closer closer and built him a new nose.

He returned to the UK in May 2005 for a third operation to correct his naval airways.

Two years ago, Mr Ingram collected a further 20,000 for an operation that improved his face, aligned his teeth and helped his breathing.

After a final fundraising effort helped by celebrities such as explorer Ed Stafford, Mr Ingram brought Stefan to the UK for the final time to shape his nose with cartilage from his ear.

Mr Ingram raised 140,000 over 13 years to fix Stefan's rare facial deformity after making a promise to help him when he was a child

Mr Ingram said: 'What's been done is truly remarkable, especially now the swelling has gone down'

As the ex-soldier bade farewell to the teenager 'now like another son to me', he fought back tears as he was overcome by emotion.

He told MailOnline: 'I am a man of steel but when I said goodbye it broke my heart.

'When we said goodbye he gave me an almighty hug and when he turned around he was crying. I had to walk away because there were tears in my eyes.

'There's an unbreakable bond between myself and Stefan and his family.

'If you had told me 13 years ago that I would become life long friends with a Bosnian family I wouldn't have believed you. But we have got such a strong bond now.

'This has been my life for 13 years. Until now I have always known that at some point he would come back to the UK and I was going to see him again but that's not the case anymore. I don't know when I'm going to see him again as I can't afford to go to Bosnia at the moment.'

He added: 'The whole thing has been a rollercoaster of emotions from when he first came to the UK.

'The operation that transformed his facial features in 12 hours was truly breathtaking.

'What's been done is truly remarkable, especially now the swelling has gone down.'

Dr Dunaway (left) who performed the five operations on Stefan (centre), with Mr Ingram

Mr Ingram, who lives in Portland, in Dorset, with his wife Cara, sons Harry, 20, and Toby, 18, and daughters Freya, nine, and Lili, seven, paid tribute to Dr Dunaway who waived his fees to help Stefan.

'I am friends with David and he is an amazing man to have performed such a transformation', he noted.

Dr Dunaway said: 'It's been a privilege to be involved in Stefan's journey and to help Wayne.'

Mr Ingram explained that while Stefan had 'always been very confident' he used to shy away from the public because of his deformity.

However Mr Ingram revealed how he now 'walked the streets with his held high' and had taken all the operations in his stride.

As his self-confidence grew, Stefan found himself a girlfriend in Bosnia - who Mr Ingram described as 'absolutely stunning' - and he has now been with her for two years.

The teenager graduates from school in January and hopes to devote more time to his music - he plays the accordion in a band - and wants to become an air conditioning contractor when he is older, which is big business in Bosnia.

Stefan, who is now 16, said: 'All I can say is thank you. Over and over again, to everyone.'

Speaking through an interpreter, he told MailOnline: 'I hope to be able to devote time in the future to music as accordion is a huge love of mine.

'After the surgeries it is time to grab the opportunities that lie ahead and which would not have been possible without Wayne, Dr Dunaway and the many generous people who have helped me in the journey to a new life.'

Without treatment, Stefan's condition could have killed him because his airway was being blocked

STEFAN'S FIVE OPERATIONS July 2003 - Stefan's first operation at Great Ormond Street Hospital, which involved the removal of his teeth. October 18, 2003 - Stefan underwent a 12 hour operation to deconstruct and reconstruct his skull and remove the block of bone in the middle of his face, which was pushing his eyes apart from each other. May 2005 - Stefan returned to the UK for an operation to start the procedure to correct his naval airways. July 2014 - A four-hour operation to prepare Stefan for his final operation and align his teeth. He had cartilage removed from his rib to construct a more defined nose. October 18, 2016 - He had his final operation to cosmetically make his nose better which involved removing cartilage from his ear to his nose. His last operation was at Portland Hospital. Advertisement

Stefan's parents Milos, 46, a joiner, and Slava, 38, also thanked Dr Dunaway for his 'masterpiece' and Mr Ingram who they described as being 'family to us'.

Speaking to MailOnline, Slava said: 'From the birth of Stefan I often wondered how his face would look without the cleft.

'Dr Dunaway made it all possible. If it weren't for his excellent knowledge, skills and devotion, Stefan life would be much different.

'What he has done is a work of art, a masterpiece. After the October 2003 surgery the Stefan who left the operation theatre was a completely different person from the one who entered it.

'My Stefan was given a face I struggled to imagine before. It meant the world to us. We felt like a huge weight had been lifted off our shoulders.'

She went on: 'Stefan then was able to start school, looking the same as other children. He was ready to make new friends. After second corrective procedure, Stefan's nose and lips looked even better.

'Before starting secondary school Stefan had another procedure. He was then just another normal teenager, happy and confident, not much different from all these children you see every day.

'Finally, Dr Dunaway with this last corrective procedure provided Stefan with a smooth entrance to the adult world.'

Thanking Mr Ingram, she said: 'We came to meet Dr Dunaway through Wayne. He was the first British person Stefan met and the first foreigner in his life.

'Wayne is an incredibly generous, good and dedicated man. He delivered more than we have ever been able to imagine. Wayne is amazing, always there for Stefan. He raised money, organised medical help, looked after transport and accommodation, and provided all the possible support. No words can explain what he has done for Stefan and our family.

'He stayed in hospital with Stefan, supporting us through uncertain and distressing time. He is a family to us, sacred family.'

The teenager graduates from school in January and hopes devote more time to his music

Mr Ingram, who last year spent seven days and nights in a life raft with with only one day's food and water to raise 12,000 for Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, said he hoped to continue with his charity work.

He will keep doing fundraisers for Facing the World, which offers surgery to children with facial disfigurements, as well as Facing Africa which specifically targets those suffering the devastating effects of 'Noma' - a ravaging gangrenous infection of the face.

The former Staff Sergeant also wants to raise awareness about ex-serviceman living on the streets, which he described as being a 'ticking time bomb'.

The ex-soldier is still in touch with many of his former colleagues.

'The response has been truly remarkable', Mr Ingram said. 'I spoke to one of the Army officers who was in Bosnia at the beginning and he said "I can't believe you're still doing this."

'But I made a promise and I'm a firm believer that when you make a promise you must stick to them.
A suspected killer who attempted to 'emulate the Berlin lorry attack' has been arrested in Ukraine after allegedly beheading a woman and her daughter.

The 25-year-old man, named as Dmitry P. murdered a woman aged, 42, and her daughter, two, say police, who issued a picture of the suspect.

Driving a truck at high speed, he was then blocked by officers from entering Odessa, police say.

On his way he had caused a 'traffic accident' at 100mph which is why he was prevented from going beyond the city limits of the Black Sea port.

A suspected killer who attempted to 'emulate the Berlin lorry attack' has been arrested in Ukraine after allegedly beheading a woman and her daughter. Police have not named the suspect, but released a picture of him (above)

Armed response: Elite soldiers including snipers were called in as the hunt got underway today

Driving a truck at high speed, the suspect was then blocked by officers from entering Odessa, police say. The lorry is pictured

It comes nearly two weeks after an ISIS fanatic drove a lorry through crowds of revellers in Berlin, killing 12 and injuring 48.

Dmitry Golovin, head of Odessa region police, alleged the man 'aimed to repeat the Berlin terrorist attack by smashing into street crowds in a lorry' in Odessa, according to reports.

After finding the road blocked, the driver of the truck veered into a field. The lorry became stuck but the man escaped police on foot.

Sniffer dogs, elite police troops and Ukrainian national guards are all involved in the hunt, it was reported. They have cordoned a large area.

In all, 1,500 officers are chasing the 'killer', who is holed up in a sprawling area of summer country houses, which are now empty.

Locals were warned of the extreme threat of the runaway.

The mother of the woman allegedly beheaded by the truck driver told a Ukrainian TV channel: 'He set the house on fire. He stabbed my daughter to death. And my granddaughter to death'

Snipers and National Guard armed vehicles arrived early today at Gribovka village and resort in Odessa region. They were pictured on local beaches

Security forces were pictured on local beaches as they hunted the alleged killer this morning

Dmitry Golovin, head of Odessa region police, alleged the man 'aimed to repeat the Berlin terrorist attack by smashing into street crowds in a lorry' in Odessa (pictured), according to reports

The woman he is alleged to have killed is understood to be the sister of a senior tax official of the crime-ridden city of Odessa (pictured)

They were told not to approach or tackle him because it is likely he was armed and 'dangerous'.

The woman he is alleged to have killed is understood to be the sister of a senior tax official of the crime-ridden city of Odessa.

His motives for the alleged beheadings are not known, nor for his alleged intention of ramming a crowd of people in the Ukrainian city. It was not clear if he had hijacked the truck.

The man's nationality and background is as yet undisclosed. He was reported to be from Ovidiopol in Odessa region.

The mother of the woman allegedly beheaded by the truck driver told a Ukrainian TV channel: 'He set the house on fire. He stabbed my daughter to death. And my granddaughter to death.'

Armed response: All hotels and hostels, most of them currently empty, were checked for the suspect

A major police hunt was launched for the suspect who police say beheaded a woman and her daughter before driving at high speed in a lorry

The deputy head of Odessa region police Ivan Ishchenko said: 'All police, National Guards and special forces were gathered into the area where he dumped the truck'

She was too upset to say more.

Snipers and National Guard armed vehicles arrived early today at Gribovka village and resort in Odessa region. They were pictured on local beaches.

All hotels and hostels, most of them currently empty, were checked for the suspect.

His victims - a woman called Olga and her two year old daughter Maria - were beheaded overnight at their home at Ovidiopol.

The deputy head of Odessa region police Ivan Ishchenko said: 'All police, National Guards and special forces were gathered into the area where he dumped the truck.

'Every resort, summer country house, permanent living house - everything is being searched.'

It comes after Anis Amri, a 24-year-old Tunisian asylum seeker, carried out a lorry attack in Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring 48 others.
Rail passengers en route to Edinburgh from London were delayed after a scorpion also boarded their train.

The unexpected cargo disrupted passengers on the Virgin Trains East Coast service heading to the Scottish capital on Sunday afternoon.

Journalist Harry Horton tweeted about the surprise arachnid and said he first noticed something strange about his trip when passengers in the seats before him started standing up and retreating.

Rail passengers en route to Edinburgh from London were delayed after a scorpion also boarded their train (file photo)

He said: 'There was something going on at the end of the carriage and I couldn't quite see what it was.

'A lot of the passengers were up on their feet. All of a sudden a couple came down to my end (and) they said there's a scorpion on the loose.'

A guard appeared shortly after and the scorpion was returned to the ice cream container it had been stowed in, Mr Horton said.

But the travellers still had to endure an eight-minute delay at Peterborough after the affected carriage containing about 20 people was sealed off and checked, he said.

He said the scorpion appeared to belong to a woman who was in a hurry to continue her journey  so much so, she left the creature behind.

'We weren't quite clear why she had (it),' he said.

He added: 'The police basically said to her, you're either getting off here with your scorpion or we're taking your scorpion from you.'

'In the end, she decided to give up the scorpion and give it to the police.'

The unexpected cargo disrupted passengers on the Virgin Trains East Coast service heading to the Scottish capital on Sunday afternoon

After an eight minute delay at Peterborough, British Transport Police have "dealt with an exotic animal that found its way onto the train".  Harry Horton (@harry_horton) January 1, 2017

A British Transport Police spokeswoman said: 'We were called at 2.56pm to a Virgin train from King's Cross to Edinburgh and we met the train at Peterborough.

'A scorpion had escaped from a passenger's bag but it had been recaptured quickly and put in an ice cream box.
Matthew Childs, 23, is CEO of WineStash

Matthew Childs may only be 23 years old, but he is already the CEO and founder of his own business that continues to go from strength to strength.

His company WineStash sells a range of wine storage products and it is now predicted to make a turnover of $3 million this year, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

'It's just been crazy. It's growing so quickly. By this time next year I physically won't be able to do all the work myself,' said Mr Childs.

'I started out on eBay and the business just grew and grew. The idea is similar to Ikea, where the wine storage is sold in a flat pack and shipped directly to the seller.'

Mr Childs' grandfather owned a liquor store store and it was here his started and his interest grew in the wine business.

'He was the one who taught me what was involved in running a business. Because of him I've always had a business mindset and now I have almost a monopoly on Australia, I offer around 162 products and sell to 50 stores all around Australia,' Mr Childs said.

Having an upbringing in a particular business definitely helps any budding entrepreneur, however Mr Childs also had the benefit of attending a university course for young people wanting to run their own business.

Mr Childs (left) benefited from attending the UTS (right, stock image) course call the Hatchery

The 23-year old's company WineStash sells a range of wine storage products (pictured)

Mr Childs is studying a Bachelor of Civil Engineering and Business at UTS, but also took part in the university's new program, the Hatchery.

The program was created to help students develop entrepreneurial skills by teaching them how to develop innovative ideas and solve problems.

It began in 2014 and has two intakes a year of 70 students with Mr Childs becoming one of the first students to complete the program.

The Hatchery course at UTS helps young entrepreneurs develop (stock image)

Thanks to the new skills he learned at the Hatchery he successfully built up his WineStash business, having started the company six months earlier.

The specialist Hatchery program runs every Autumn and Spring session for approximately eight weeks, with three intensive boot camps and all core learning completed during the Orientation and Preparation Week periods.
Charlotte Zaremba, 16, (pictured) was shot by an unidentified 15-year-old assailant in her home early Sunday morning. Police say it is unclear if he has any connection to the victims

A 16-year-old girl was killed and her mother was hurt after a failed murder-suicide attempt at their Maryland home.

Charlotte Zaremba was shot dead in her bedroom after a teenage gunman, who has not been identified, opened fire in the early hours of New Year's Day.

Officers say the 15-year-old suspect is in critical condition after shooting himself in the head.

The Howard County Police Department said in a news release that 52-year-old Suzanne Zaremba heard a scuffle in her daughter's bedroom at around 2am on Sunday.

When Zaremba went in to see what was happening, investigators say the suspect fired at her, then shot Charlotte before turning the gun on himself.

The teenager died at Howard County General Hospital.

Suzanne Zaremba was taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where she was treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and released.

Brian Kushner, Zarembas former martial arts instructor, described the slain teenager (pictured left and right) as 'sweet', 'quiet' and 'strong-willed'

Police were called to Zaremba's home (pictured) after their were reports of shots fired

Courtesy WJLA

Police say the alleged gunman is being treated for life-threatening injuries at Shock Trauma in Baltimore.

Authorities have not identified the suspect and say it is unclear if he has any connection to the victims. His motive is unknown.

Charlotte Zaremba was a sophomore at Howard High School.

'She was one of the nicest girls I've ever met', friend Taylor Carey told Fox 5. 'If you ever had a problem, she was open ears. She touched so many people's hearts'.

Brian Kushner, Zarembas former martial arts instructor, described Charlotte as 'sweet', 'quiet' and 'strong-willed'.
Officials at southern Utah's Zion National Park say they're being overrun by visitors, even during the usual winter lull.

Rangers have had to block tour buses and oversized vehicles from Zion Canyon to control the crowds during the holiday season and close the road.

Cars are sometimes rushed through the toll gate without the usual $30-per-vehicle charge as traffic backs up into neighboring Springdale.

Visitation is expected to top 4million for 2016, a record, according The Salt Lake City Tribune.

The number of visitors during the Zion National Park's winter offseason has jumped by the biggest margin, ticking up nearly 70 per cent since 2010

Visitation to the Utah national park is expected to top 4million for 2016, a record for the nature preserve

The number of visitors headed to see snow-covered red rock during the park's offseason has jumped by the biggest margin, ticking up nearly 70 per cent since 2010.

Other national parks reported record attendance in 2016. Nearly 3 million people visited Glacier National Park in Montana last year, a record, officials said.

Winter used to be a quiet time at Zion National Park, which is 160 miles from Las Vegas and about 300 miles from Salt Lake City. But that's rapidly changing, park ranger John Marciano said.

'It used to be a time to breathe, regroup and rehire,' he said. 'Many of the park rangers have different positions. We are stretched so thin we have to rotate positions.'

Some Springdale residents, meanwhile, are calling on the state to tone down its 'Mighty Five' tourism campaign focused on the state's national parks.

'We are ruining our park with too many people. It has not been fun,' town councilwoman and park volunteer Lisa Zumpft said. 'I would like to see our town protected because it is losing its character.'

Winter used to be a quiet time at Zion National Park, which is 160 miles from Las Vegas and about 300 miles from Salt Lake City. The park's main tourist season is the summer

Zion National Park includes mountains, canyons, buttes, mesas, monoliths, rivers, slot canyons, and natural arches

The winter crowds don't necessarily translate into more traffic at town businesses, gallery owner Tina Fairlamb said.

'I see a lot of cars coming and going, but I don't see a lot stopping,' she said.

The park has a mandatory shuttle system in the summer, but the service is curtailed in the winter, meaning more visitors use cars.

The number of emergency calls has also nearly doubled in the last four years to 686 in 2015, according to park officials.

Zion National Park leaders are working on a new master plan for managing the ever-growing crowds that have waits for the shuttle topping two hours at times.
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Thousands of brave souls brought in the new year by taking a dip into icy waters for the annual Polar Bear Plunge.

Swimmers across the North America in Coney Island, Florida, and Canada gathered off the east coast in their swimming trunks and costumes on New Year's Day for the charity event.

About 3,000 swimmers met at the Coney Island boardwalk this afternoon before plunging into the frigid Atlantic Ocean. Swimmers were sporting costumes, New Year's party props, and even made a toast to the new year on the shore.

Thousands of brave swimmers met outside the Coney Island boardwalk before rushing into the frigid waters for the Polar Bear Plunge

Swimmers lucked out with mild air temperatures, but were met with chilly waters

Women dressed up as angels before jumping into the chilly Atlantic in Coney Island, New Year's Day

A woman dressed as a Wonder Woman laughs off the cold after taking the plunge earlier this afternoon

Thousands rushed in scantily clad, wearing their bathing suits, trunks, and costumes in Coney Island

A woman wearing New Year's props smiles as she jumps into the cold Atlantic to ring in 2017

Participants have a toast to the new year and the polar plunge while on the shore

The annual event was organized by The Coney Island Polar Bear Club which was founded in 1903 and is the oldest winter bathing organization, according to their website.

The event was free of charge, but swimmers were encouraged to make a $40 donation to Camp Sunshine, a camp for children and young adults with disabilities, which the club has supported for the past ten years.

The Coney Island plunge was just one of several other polar plunge events that took place on the first day of the year.

Men, women, and children of all ages gathered this morning near the SeaWalk Pavilion in Jacksonville Beach, Fl, before jumping into the Atlantic for the annual WaveMasters Society Polar Plunge.

Ready to go: A man wearing an American flag and bald eagle mask prepares to jump into the water

People show off their certificate of achievement on the boardwalk after taking part in the challenge

One person plunged into the ocean while dressed Hillary Clinton

The New Year's tradition was organized by the Coney Island Polar Bear Club, the oldest winter bathing organization

The event was free of charge, but swimmers were encouraged to make a $40 donation to Camp Sunshine, a camp for children and young adults with disabilities, which the club has supported for the past ten years

A man braves the chilly temperatures after submerging himself into the water

Hundreds dashed into the far-from-polar, 63 degree waters, at 9am.

Swimmers in Prince Edward Island were a bit more daring as they plunged into the frozen Canadian waters for the ceremonial dip.

Participants were met with ice and snow at Charlottetown Harbour as high winds pushed icy slush against the shore.

In Calgary, Alberta, more than 70 people braved the chilly waters for Polar Bear Dip with temperatures dipping below eight degrees Fahrenheit.

But some bold swimmers dived nearly nude in freezing conditions.

Participants, Kelsey and Jill Plett, jumped into the icy pond dressed in a tuxedo and wedding dress to celebrate their first anniversary.

Hundreds of people of all ages gathered near the SeaWalk Pavilion in Jacksonville Beach, Fl., for the annual WaveMasters Society Polar Plunge

A man rushes into the Jacksonville Beach waving an American flag in Florida where ocean temperatures reached about 60 degrees

A woman flashes a smile wearing 2017 sunglasses and hat on the beach in Jacksonville

A Polar Plunge participants writes '2017 Polar Plunge' in the sand with her finger on Jacksonville Beach

In New Jersey, temperatures were in the 50s, but the waters were about ten degrees colder when thousands jumped into the ocean in Atlantic City.

Proceeds for this event went towards the Multiple Sclerosis Society, according to NJ.com

Similar events took place off the New Jersey coast in Brigantine, Asbury Park, and Ocean City.

While some events require participants to run a certain distance into the ocean, this Polar Plunge required swimmers to submerge themselves fully into the frigid waters.

'None of this stuff of up to the knees,' Michael Kahlenberg, a spokesman for the polar plunge told NJ.Com.

'You gotta go under.'

Participants of the Polar Bear Dip in Alberta, Canada, Kelsey and Jill Plett, jumped into the icy pond dressed in a tuxedo and wedding dress to celebrate their first anniversary

A bold participant jumps into the freezing water wearing nothing but trunks and a Superman cape

Swimmers in Prince Edward Island were a bit more daring as they plunged into the frozen Canadian waters for the ceremonial dip

Swimmers were forced to improvise as high winds pushed icy slush and snow against the shore

New Year's revelers brave the freezing temperatures for the Polar Bear Dip in Charlottetown Harbour

Canadian participants are perhaps the most daring as they jumped into freezing waters in Lake Ontario

Brave men rush into the lake for the Courage Polar Bear Dip in Oakville, Ontario with the Canadian flag

A group of men jump into Lake Ontario wearing fur loincloths and wigs
A 15-year-old Pennsylvania boy has been charged with homicide as an adult after a New Year's Eve shooting that left a 17-year-old boy dead.

State police were called to a home in Greencastle, Franklin County, shortly before 10pm on Saturday to investigate the fatal shooting.

Police said that one of the boys showed the victim a handgun and pointed it at him.

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Greencastle, Pennsylvania, where a 15-year-old boy fatally shot another 15-year-old on New Year's Eve

The gun went off - it is not known whether this was accidental - and the victim was shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene.

Police have not yet released the identities of either boy.

But Pennlive reported that court records indicate the name of the accused is Taylor A. Nelson.
Members of the Ku Klux Klan, who were the subjects of an A&E TV documentary series that was canceled last week, have claimed that several scenes from the show were faked by the producers.

A&E was due to air the eight-part series, 'Escaping the KKK', on January 10, until the network announced it was pulling the plug on the program after it learned participants had been paid to allow third-party producers access for filming.

Some KKK leaders told Variety that they were paid hundreds of dollars in cash each day of filming to distort the facts of their lives to fit the documentary's narrative.

Richard Nichols, who was one of the featured members of the series from Tennessee, told Variety that the production team even paid for the construction of wooden crosses and Nazi swastikas.

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Members of the Ku Klux Klan, who were the subjects of a TV documentary series that was canceled last week, have claimed that several scenes from the show were faked by the producers. Pictured are members constructing a cross in a field

Steve Howard (pictured), the Imperial Wizard for the North Mississippi White Knights, was the only featured Klansmen that denied being paid for his appearance on the show. He said that he 'was never paid a dime but I wished they did'

'We were betrayed by the producers and A&E,' Nichols told the website.

'It was all made uppretty much everything we said and did was fake and because that is what the film people told us to do and say.'

The show followed three high-ranking Klan members and their families in Mississippi, Georgia, and Tennessee, and had originally been titled, 'Generation KKK'.

Nichols is the Grand Dragon in the Tennessee Knights Of The Invisible Empire.

Members of the Klan said they were promised that the show would capture their true lives in the organization, but instead they were reportedly presented with fictional story scenarios.

And they claimed they were told what to say on camera at a given moment.

Other times, they were told to misrepresent their identities and were repeatedly asked to re-enact camera shoots until producers were satisfied, Variety reported.

The documentary series was produced by the TIJAT production company.

Nichols told Variety that TIJAT producers manipulated nearly every aspect of what appeared on camera.

'They kept asking me, wanting me, to use the word 'n****r,' he told the website.

He also claimed that he was getting paid $600 per day by producers to participate.

In the interview with Variety, Nichols said that he was being filmed and used the word 'blacks', but then 'the producer interrupted me and said 'No, no, no. We want him to use the word 'n****r!''

The production company were also reportedly successful in organizing more than one cross-burning ceremony in Pulaski, Tennessee.

Chris Buckley (left), the Grand Knighthawk for the North Georgia White Knights and peace activist Arno Michaelis (right) were set to be featured on A&E's new series

'While we stand behind the intent of the series and the seriousness of the content, these payments are a direct violation of A&E's policies and practices for a documentary,' A&E said. Pictured is a scene from the now-cancelled documentary

'It was the producers who told me they wanted a cross-lighting,' recounted Nichols. 'In fact they made two cross-lightings cause they wanted to reshoot some scenes.

TIJAT also issued a statement to Variety in response to the allegations.

'We take these allegations very seriously and in partnership with A&E we will be looking into them fully,' the statement read.

'We have been told that participants in the series have received threats and coerced into speaking out against the authenticity of the show.'

Out of all of the featured Klan leaders, one member in the series, denied receiving payments for his participation.

Steve Howard, the Imperial Wizard for the North Mississippi White Knights, told Variety: 'I was never paid a dime but I wished they did.'

The show received widespread public backlash.

But A&E insisted it didn't want to spread the KKK's views while shedding light on the lives of committed Klan members. 'The only political agenda is that we really do stand against hate,' A&E general manager Rob Sharenow told the New York Times.

'Our goal with this series has always been to expose and combat racism and hatred in all its forms,' the network said in a statement, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Filming began a year and a half ago, not long before the Klan endorsed Donald Trump for president. The Klan's leader, David Duke, has since celebrated Trump's win.

When A&E announced the cancellation of the show, the network said that they had learned 'from the third-party producers who made the documentary that cash payments - which we currently understand to be nominal -were made in the field to some participants in order to facilitate access'.

Anti-hate activist Bryon Widner (left) meets with potential Klan prospect Cody Hutt (right)

The KKK is defined as a 'racist, anti-Semitic movement with a commitment to extreme violence to achieve its goals of racial segregation and white supremacy' by the anti-defamation league. Members of the Fraternal White Knights participate in annual march in Tennessee

A&E announced it was pulling the plug on the program on Saturday after it learned participants had been paid to take part. Members of the Klan stand around a burning cross

'While we stand behind the intent of the series and the seriousness of the content, these payments are a direct violation of A&E's policies and practices for a documentary.

'We had previously provided assurances to the public and to our core partners - including the Anti-Defamation League and Color of Change - that no payment was made to hate group members, and we believed that to be the case at the time.

'We have now decided not to move forward with airing this project.'

The statement continued to say the network still plans to tackle serious issues, such as 'racism, hatred and violence'.

'Just because this particular show goes away, the issues of hate in America do not,' it read.

'We will still seek to fight hate in America through on-air programming including town halls and documentary programs produced in partnership with civil rights organizations, as well as continue to work with the civil rights community to facilitate a deeper dialogue on ending hate through comprehensive educational and outreach campaigns.'

Steven Howard, the Imperial Wizard of the North Mississippi White Knights, can be seen at the opening of the series gifting his two young daughters pointed KKK hoods, saying they represent his 'legacy'.

Chris Buckley, a Grand Knighthawk with the North Georgia White Knights, also appears on the show.

His wife at one point meets an anti-hate activist and says she wants her five-year-old son to stop imitating his father's white supremacist salutes and racial slurs before he starts school.

There were 190 registered Klan chapters in the US in 2015 - more than twice the 72 chapters accounted for in 2014, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The KKK, defined as a 'racist, anti-Semitic movement with a commitment to extreme violence to achieve its goals of racial segregation and white supremacy' by the anti-defamation league, has an estimated 3,000 to 8,000 members across the nation.
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A Japanese artist defies gravity with his carefully framed photographs.

The Tokyo-based photographer Kaizaki often wanders to off-limits and high-altitude locations to get his shots.

The vertigo-inducing snaps make it appear as the subjects are dangling into thin air - but in many cases, the optical illusion is achieved by innovative camera angles.

In a photograph by Kaizaki, a person seems to be hanging by his fingertips off a railway sleeper, and a tunnel entrance in the background looks as if it's a deep pit into the underground

The vertigo-inducing snaps make it appear as the subjects are dangling into thin air - but in many cases, the optical illusion is achieved by innovative camera angles

In one such example, a person seems to be hanging by his fingertips off a railway sleeper, and a tunnel opening in the background looks as if it's a deep pit into the underground.

'A location that has a saturated line work appears when taken from an angle,' said Kaizaki.

'In others I am being aware of the gravity by lowering one arm and facing down.'

'I put full strength to one arm, imagining that it is holding all of my body weight and this created a production as if falling into a hole,' the photographer said.

'A location that has a saturated line work appears when taken from an angle,' said Kaizaki. 'In others I am being aware of the gravity by lowering one arm and facing down'

The Japanese photographer Kaizaki's innovative camera angles creates gravity-defying optical illusions

This photograph, which Kaizaki labelled 'Reflection,' makes creative use the reflective wall of a skyscraper

The Tokyo-based photographer Kaizaki often wanders to off-limits and high-altitude locations to get his shots

A picture shows a figure perched on a metal beam under a railway bridge, which is reflected in a river below

Other snaps really did require Kaizaki to balance at dangerous heights.

In one photograph, the photographer's feet can be seen dangling off the top of a bridge.

Another picture shows a figure perched on a metal beam under a railway bridge, which is reflected in a river below.

Kaizaki's previous work includes the book Japan Urbex, which focussed on photographs of Japanese ruins - showcasing the curiosity for exploration that informs his art.

In this photograph, the photographer Kaizaki's feet can be seen dangling off the top of a bridge

Kaizaki's previous work includes the book Japan Urbex, which focussed on photographs of Japanese ruins - showcasing the curiosity for exploration that informs his art
Once in the White House, President Donald Trump won't cut back his tweeting, said incoming Press Secretary Sean Spicer.

'You know what, the fact of the matter is that, when he tweets, he gets results,' Spicer told ABC's Jonathan Karl today on This Week.

Karl was pointing out how Trump might expand the country's nuclear capabilities, switching directions from his predecessors, an announcement the president-elect dashed off in a tweet the Thursday before Christmas.

Pointing to the New York Times story on the matter, the ABC newsman said what struck him was the article's subhead, which pointed out that the policy shift came from a 'statement on Twitter.'

'Is that what were going to see?' Karl asked Spicer, who had previously said Trump's use of Twitter will be a 'really exciting part' of the Republican's presidency.

'Sure. Why not?' the incoming press secretary answered.

'You know, with all due respect, 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 said.

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Incoming White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer vouched for President-elect Donald Trump's tweeting, suggesting it was getting the Republican politician results

Sean Spicer (left) , talking to ABC's Jonathan Karl (right), said he believed Trump's use of Twitter 'freaks the mainstream media out'

Spicer, who served as the Republican National Committee's communications director before jumping to the Trump team then warned reporters that 'business as usual is over,' also noting that 'there's a new sheriff in town.'

The spokesman added that Americans should expect to see Trump using Twitter regularly, as he did throughout the campaign and the transition, despite the fact that the president-elect said on 60 Minutes that he planned to tweet less upon entering the White House.

Since Friday alone, the president-elect has gotten attention for complimenting Russian President Vladimir Putin on the medium, in the aftermath of President Obama announcing new sanctions against Russia for the country's involvement in election year hacking.

'Great move on delay (by V. Putin) - I always knew he was very smart!' Trump tweeted, to the dismay of most Democrats and some members of his own party.

Trump's New Year's tweet was also an eyebrow-raiser.

'Happy New Year to all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they don't know what to do. Love!' the president-elect dashed off Saturday morning.

Spicer again backed Trump's use of Twitter.

'So whether its Twitter, holding a news conference, picking up the phone, having a meeting, he is going to make sure that he continues to fight for the American people every single day,' Spicer said.

Spicer said the White House would still have regular White House press briefings, though noted that the incoming administration was still pondering what those would look like.

Currently, the press secretary briefs the press nearly every weekday and those briefings are livestreamed and televised.

'You know some of them will be on camera; some of them will be off. But absolutely,' Spicer said of briefings coming out of a Trump White House.

He also said 'absolutely' when Karl asked if a President Trump would hold regular press conferences.

Trump hasn't held a press conference since July 27, 2016, when he was merely a presidential candidate.

In the past, president-elects have chosen to take questions of the press shortly after their election.

With Trump's swearing-in just 19 days away, Spicer also previewed the administration's plans going forward from day No. 1.

'It's going to be not one big thing; its going to be many big things,' Spicer said.

The incoming press secretary said that Trump would sign a series of executive orders, which would cut back regulations that have hampered job growth.

Trump would immediately be forward-looking as well, Spicer promised.

'He's going to bring a new brand to Washington,' Spicer said of his political outsider boss, mentioning Trump's plan to implement a lobbying ban, which would be for five years if individuals planned to lobby the American government or a lifetime ban for lobbying a foreign government.
A greyhound trainer has been cleared of allegations he ripped off his dog's tail to avoid paying for it to be amputated.

Greyhound Wilby Mighty broke his tail when he struck the running rail at Richmond, north west of Sydney, in December 2014.

On-track veterinarian Greg Bryant bandaged the tail and told Queensland trainer Gareth Miggins to have it amputated.

Warning: Distressing images

A photograph of greyhound Wilby Mighty's tail after the race in December 2014

Trainer Gareth Miggins was cleared of allegations he ripped off the tail

The dog's tail, with nerve and tendons poking out, was found near the tracks shortly after.

Mr Miggins denied pulling off the tail.

The Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) stewards' inquiry found there was insufficient evidence to prove Mr Miggins ripped off the tail, in a decision made in late November.

The inquiry instead found the tail was most likely severed when Wilby Mighty broke the tail.

But Dr Bryant had given evidence the tail was still intact 'except that it did have a bend in it' when he bandaged it.

'There was a laceration. You could see ligaments and bone exposed in that laceration,' he told the inquiry.

Mr Miggins is pictured with a greyhound. He was cleared of ripping of Wilby Mighty's tail, but was fined for not seeking necessary veterinary care

Wilby Mighty is pictured during the race. His bent tail can be seen

Dr Bryant had given the dog pain relief and told Mr Miggins to visit a vet clinic to have the tail amputated that day, the inquiry heard.

Video footage of the day also appears to show the tail still intact after it was broken on the track.

GRNSW steward Norm Becroft also gave evidence he could see the tail was 'broken and bent at an extreme angle approximately 9cm from the tip of the tail'.

But a timeline of the day gave Mr Miggins only eight minutes to remove the bandage, remove the tail, and enter the race track to dispose of the tail.

The inquiry therefore found the tail was most likely severed when the greyhound 'collided with the running rail during the event'.

Dr Bryant and Mr Becroft had given evidence Mr Miggins appeared concerned about the cost of an amputation.

A photograph of the nine centimetre long piece of tail

Dr Bryant (pictured) had given evidence the tail was still intact 'except that it did have a bend in it' when he bandaged it

The trainer had been charged with removing the tail, failing to seek veterinary attention, not exercising reasonable care and making an improper statement.

However, he was only found guilty of failing to provide veterinary care when necessary.

Mr Miggins was fined $2,000.

NSW Greens MP and spokesperson for animal welfare, Mehreen Faruqi, said the findings were 'absurd'.

'Despite expert testimony from a former industry vet, Greyhound Racing NSW has said there was 'insufficient evidence' to prove a trainer ripped off the tail of his greyhound because he didn't want to foot the vet bill,' Ms Faruqi wrote on Facebook.

'The judgement is simply absurd, and sets a new low for the greyhound industry.'

Premier Mike Baird had banned greyhound racing, before backflipping in October to give the industry 'one last chance'.
A man is accusing Starbucks of age discrimination after he says the coffee chain banned him from a store in Washington state after he asked one of its teen baristas on a date.

The 37-year-old man, who will not identify himself because he hasn't been charged with a crime, told CBS News that he was at Starbucks on Main Street in Downtown Spokane and wrote a note asking a 16-year-old barista out for dinner.

'I was flirted with by a barista. For some reason she thought I was funny. Said I was funny. So I gave her a note to see if she'd be interested in dinner', the man wrote in a public Facebook post that has since gone viral.

A 37-year-old man was banned from this Starbucks location in Downtown Spokane, Washington, after he asked a 16-year-old barista out for dinner

He said he returned to the Starbucks the following day and a Spokane police officer told him he was banned from the location.

Spokane police said businesses are allowed to refuse service to anyone who is causing trouble or being disruptive for as long as they see fit.

So, Starbucks was legally allowed to ban the man from that location. But he says he's being discriminated against because of his age.

Poll Do you agree with Starbucks' decision to ban the 37-year-old man for asking the teenage barista on a date? Yes No Do you agree with Starbucks' decision to ban the 37-year-old man for asking the teenage barista on a date? Yes 4732 votes

No 1222 votes Now share your opinion





'I know the female Starbucks barista was of legal age to date. I broke no laws. I merely took a chance with my heart. I'm tired of hearing the word "creep" as any black person or gay person is tired of hearing certain words. I have a whole webpage dedicated to age gap love', the man wrote.

He asked people on Facebook to contact Starbucks and complain, but his call-to-action was met with some opposition.

People commented on the Spokane Starbucks' Facebook page, mostly praising the business for banning the man from the location. Others described their personal experiences in the service industry.

Danica Hendricks wrote this post on the Spokane Starbucks' Facebook page, in agreement with the store's decision to ban the man for asking the teen barista on a date

Many people took to the store's Facebook page to praise the store for barring the man

A Starbucks spokesperson said the company supports how the business handled this situation.
The money that lawyers make has shot up by nearly a quarter in just five years, it was revealed yesterday.

Despite strikes by barristers over their pay levels and protests from senior lawyers who demand greater taxpayer subsidies, the legal profession has been booming, according to official figures.

They show that last year lawyers across Britain achieved a turnover of 32.2 billion  almost 24 per cent more than the 26.0 billion they earned in 2011.

Last year lawyers across Britain achieved a turnover of 32.2 billion  a huge rise in five years

The disclosure of the scale and speed at which lawyers have been increasing income drew scathing criticism from some critics of the exploitation of no win no fee deals and other new means by which lawyers earn their fees. One said the legal profession has lost its way morally.

But bodies representing solicitors and barristers said their earnings were vital to the UK economy.

The cash rolling in to law firms and chambers means that the earnings of the legal profession are now higher than last years 27 billion Ministry of Defence budget for running the army, navy and air force.

At the same time numbers of lawyers working in England and Wales have been rising fast.

Figures provided by a legal watchdog say that in April 2015 there were 142,109 solicitors and 15,237 barristers. Together with paralegals and auxiliaries, the count shows there were 171,198 people working in the legal profession.

They far outnumber regular police officers  126,818 last spring  or regular service personnel, 153,720 in April last year.

Just a decade ago, in 2004, there were 96,757 solicitors and 11,564 barristers, according to Whitehall figures.

This means that over the 10-year period  during which legal chiefs regularly complained about the financial pressures on their profession and the difficulties for young people in making careers in the law  the number of solicitors rose by 47 per cent, and the number of barristers by 32 per cent.

The figures on legal turnover and numbers were released by the Legal Services Board, which oversees legal regulation in England and Wales. Its turnover numbers were taken from figures gathered by the Office for National Statistics.

They were made public following years of protest from leaders of the legal profession over cuts to the taxpayer-funded legal aid budget, which were accused of impoverishing criminal lawyers and preventing the public from getting access to justice.

Former Justice Secretary Michael Gove abandoned the attempt to save 100 million from the 1.6 billion legal aid total at the beginning of this year. The plans would have meant reducing fees for lawyers representing suspects in police stations and slashing numbers of contracts for duty solicitors.

Lawyers campaigning against legal aid cuts included a series of strikes by barristers who protested that some of their number earned as little as 13,000 a year  although one picket line protest outside the Old Bailey was marred when one barrister joined in carrying a 1,100 Mulberry handbag.

Dr David Green, director of the Civitas think tank and author of a recent book on the direction of the legal profession, said that the spread of no win no fee deals and, more recently, damages-based agreements, had undermined the ethos of the legal profession.

The figures on legal turnover and numbers were released by the Legal Services Board

It was never the case in the past that lawyers could do what they do now, take a percentage of the damages, Dr Green said. It used to be considered wrong and barristers used to fight against the idea that they would be paid a share of the spoils rather than a straightforward fee.

The law has become a massive gravy train, and disputes are now regarded by lawyers not as an occasion for the application of justice but as an opportunity to make money. The legal profession has lost its way morally.

However the Law Society, the professional body for solicitors, said: The legal profession makes a vital contribution to UK PLC  the legal sector grew at 3.3 per cent every year for the last decade compared with 1.2 per cent in the wider economy.

An estimated 370,000 people are employed in legal services in the UK. Every 100 extra jobs in legal services supports a further 67 jobs to the wider economy.

A spokesman added: This healthy growth was influenced by a number of factors between 2012 and 2015. The main drivers include the increase in business transactions which often require expert legal advice. There has also been a significant hike in house sales which has boosted the amount of conveyancing work undertaken by law firms in a highly competitive market.

Chantal-Aimee Doerries, chairman of the Bar Council which represents barristers, said: It is important to recognise that whereas the overall income of the legal profession has risen, largely due to increasing demand for international legal services, there are sectors of the profession that are suffering, notably those that are committed to providing services to the economically weakest in our society.

As a result of successive governments making substantial cuts to legal aid for criminal cases, and the complete removal of legal aid in many social welfare and family areas, many citizens have been deprived of legal representation, and of meaningful access to justice. A further impact of the radical cuts to legal aid is that the professions are doing more than ever pro bono.
Accident and emergency units were completely overwhelmed yesterday as fears were realised that a New Years weekend of drink-fuelled carnage would place the already under-pressure NHS under almost intolerable strain.

One busy A&E unit put out a public message urging people to stay away unless they had a life-threatening condition after seeing more than four times as many patients as on a normal evening.

It came after NHS chief executive Simon Stevens warned in the run-up to New Years Eve that ambulance trusts and hospitals were being put under intolerable strain by selfish revellers getting blotto and treating it as the National Hangover Service.

Accident and emergency units were completely overwhelmed yesterday as a New Years weekend of drink-fuelled carnage placed NHS under almost intolerable strain (file image)

Among the hospitals urging those who werent seriously ill was Stepping Hill in Stockport, which serves 350,000 people across the southern side of Greater Manchester and North Derbyshire.

Beds were full and people who werent critically ill faced waiting for hours for treatment.

Other A&E units warning patients with non-critical conditions to stay away included those in Derby and Nottingham.

East Midlands Ambulance Trust, ferrying patients to hospitals in both cities, said it had dealt with 2,200 calls yesterday alone, up to mid afternoon.

In recent days, similar requests for people with minor injuries or illnesses to stay away have been made by West Sussex Hospitals, which runs A&E units at Chichester and Worthing, East Surrey Hospital in Redhill, and Mid Cheshire Hospitals, which runs the A&E unit at Leighton Hospital in Crewe.

On New Years Eve, Stepping Hill announced on Twitter: Our A&E is completely overwhelmed at the moment, causing huge problems. Please only go to Stepping Hill A&E if its an absolute emergency.

The hospital its A&E unit said had seen 173 people by 6.30pm on Saturday, more than they would usually expect over the whole of New Years Eve.

Analysis of NHS data by health information body Dr Foster shows that hospital admissions for acute intoxication peak on New Years Day

On an average night the unit would expect in the region of 40 patients through its doors.

Yesterday, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, said the situation remained almost intolerable with 75 patients in A&E at 5pm, and urged people to stay away unless they had life- threatening conditions.

A spokeswoman said those who had attended were genuinely very ill rather than needing treatment for drink-related injuries.

She added: The plea is still the same - only come if its an absolute emergency. Possibly expect a long wait, as we have to prioritise.

And be patient with our staff who are working incredibly hard under very difficult circumstances.

Simon Stevens says the NHS is being treated as the National Hangover Service

Stepping Hill hit the headlines in 2011 when police launched a murder inquiry after dozens of patients were poisoned by medication contaminated with insulin.

Filipino nurse Victorino Chua was later convicted of murdering two patients and poisoning 20 others and jailed for life.

A report into the A&E unit last year highlighted unacceptable waits and routine overcrowding in the adult department.

The Care Quality Commission report added: Ambulance crews frequently queued in the department corridors with patients waiting to be admitted and there were considerable delays in patient handovers.

Despite that, the trust which runs Stepping Hill faces cutting 350 jobs as it attempts to tackle a 40million deficit.

Last week, NHS chief executive Mr Stevens said: At a time of year when hospitals are always under pressure caring for a spike in winter emergencies, its really selfish to get so blotto that you end up in an ambulance or an A&E.

More than a third of A&E attendances at peak times are caused by drunkenness - casualty nurses and doctors are understandably frustrated about the NHS being used as a national hangover service.

He spoke as analysis of NHS data by health information body Dr Foster showed that hospital admissions for acute intoxication peak on New Years Day at 2.6 times the average rate.
More than half a million patients are trapped on NHS waiting lists for hip, knee and other orthopaedic operations.

The number has risen by a quarter in three years, with almost one in ten patients facing delays of more than 18 weeks for surgery.

It comes as thousands of older people are denied cataract operations, raising fears patients whose conditions are non-life-threatening are being targeted to save the NHS money.

More than half a million patients are trapped on NHS waiting lists for hip, knee and other orthopaedic operations. File image

Steve Cannon, vice-president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said people waiting for hip replacements were being left with little more than painkillers for comfort. He added: For NHS managers, hip replacements and knee replacements can generally wait because they are not life-threatening. They are easy targets for rationing.

But they are very painful  they can severely inhibit peoples lifestyles. The longer you wait the worse the hip becomes, day by day. The cartilage gets worn away and the bone becomes exposed. It then slowly wears away.

Waiting times for hip and knee replacements  two of the most common procedures carried out by the NHS  are now more than 100 days.

The latest study by the Patients Association found the average waiting time for a hip replacement has gone from 87 days in 2010 to 105 days, with patients being encouraged by some hospital trusts to skip the queue and pay for the treatment themselves.

The latest figures from NHS England show the waiting list for non-urgent orthopaedic operation referrals, the bulk of which are knee and hip operations, has risen from 400,839 in October 2013 to 503,957 three months ago.

In total, more than 3.7 million people  or one in 15 of the UK population  are waiting for non-urgent operations, according to NHS England statistics for October 2016. File image

It follows the revelation last year that three-quarters of hospitals were rationing cataract operations and referring only patients with severe sight loss.

The waiting list for ophthalmology, which includes cataract operations, has grown from 306,181 in 2013 to 385,237 at the end of last year.

In total, more than 3.7 million people  or one in 15 of the UK population  are waiting for non-urgent operations, according to NHS England statistics for October 2016.

Dr Sarah Wollaston, Conservative MP and chairman of the health select committee, called on Prime Minister Theresa May to increase health funding.

She said: Unless we have the right amount of funding for health and social care, we will continue to see rising waiting times and I think people will start to notice that.

NHS England said: Actually the number of NHS-funded hip and knee operations is rising year on year, and more patients will be offered these treatments this year than last.
Tony Abbott wants Australia to suspend aid to the Palestinian Authority because 'it keeps paying pensions to terrorists and their families'.

The former prime minister said the Federal Government should relocate its embassy from the Israeli city of Tel Aviv to Jerusalem if the United States did the same.

He made the controversial claims in an opinion piece published in The Spectator Magazine on Monday.

Tony Abbott wants Australia to suspend aid to the Palestinian Authority

The former prime minister said the Palestinian Authority (pictured is Palestinian protester) 'keeps paying its pensions to terrorists and their families'

Australia's aid program to Palestine is more than $40 million a year and is provided via United Nations agencies and some charity organisations.

The money goes towards projects to provide Palestinian refugees with basic services such as health, education, water and sanitation.

Last year, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade suspended aid to World Vision's work in the Palestinian Territories in the wake of allegations the charity's head in Gaza funnelled millions of dollars to militant group Hamas.

The organisation has denied the claims which are subject to court proceedings.

Mr Abbott also flagged Australia could demonstrate 'unswerving support for Israel' by joining any move by the incoming Trump administration to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Mr Abbott said the Federal Government should relocate its embassy from the city of Tel Aviv to Jerusalem if the United States does the same

Last year, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade suspended aid to World Vision's work in the Palestinian Territories in the wake of allegations the charity's head in Gaza funnelled millions of dollars to militant group Hamas (pictured is member of Islamist movement Hamas)

Mr Abbott recently returned from a trip to the Middle East.

He attended the Australia-Israel-UK Dialogue in Jerusalem along with Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and other federal MPs.

Acting opposition leader Chris Bowen says Australian assistance to Gaza and the West Bank is vital to countering extremism and promoting peace in the Middle East.

'Mr Abbott is clearly using this as yet another issue to undermine Malcolm Turnbull and continue his campaign to regain the leadership by appealing to the hardliners in the Liberal Party,' Mr Bowen told AAP.

He says Australia's aid program must be transparent and accountable and must reach those it's intended to benefit.

Mr Abbott recently returned from a trip to the Middle East (pictured is the Al-Manara Square in Ramallah - where Australia's Representative Office for the Palestinian Authority is located)
A remote kill switch to immobilise HGVs is being secretly developed by Government scientists who fear a Nice-style massacre in the UK.

They are investigating methods of interfering with the electronics of lorries to stop them in their tracks if hijacked or used in an attack.

They fear Islamic State militants could try to emulate the horrific strike in France which left 86 people dead in July.

A suspected terrorist drove a truck (pictured) into a crowd of shoppers at a Christmas market in Berlin in December

A 19-tonne rented truck left a trail of carnage as it rammed through the coastal citys packed promenade during Bastille Day celebrations.

Experts in the Home Offices scientific wing want to develop and install technology which would enable them to stop high risk vehicles remotely.

These include HGVs and other large vehicles, particularly those carrying hazardous loads such as fuel and chemicals.

Known as Project Restore, which stands for the REmote STOpping of Road Engines, they are also setting minimum standards for the innovation.

Law enforcement are looking at the technical ability to immobilise vehicles when criminals misuse them, said one senior official.

A lorry tore through crowds of terrified pedestrians in Nice, southern France (pictured) during Bastille Day celebration in July

This would have the added benefit of increasing the security of vehicles making them more difficult to steal.

It also gives police an additional option for stopping a moving vehicle and regaining control without the use of firearms.

Ministers are concerned that HGVs could be used by terrorists as an improvised weapon to devastating effect.

Landmark buildings, transport hubs and public buildings are already protected by heavy concrete bollards and gates designed to prevent access.

Temporary measures to seal off streets are also used during major public events such as the Notting Hill Carnival and Royal celebrations.

But police advisors fear it could be all too easy for a terrorist to hire or steal an HGV, or even pose as a bogus employee.

Earlier this year, Scotland Yard boss Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said he would like to be able to switch off all vehicles, including mopeds, remotely.

My ideal scenario would be that wed have a device that slowed down the car in front, he said. If there was a way of intervening in the electronic management of the car.

Government scientists who fear a Nice-style massacre in the UK are investigating methods of interfering with the electronics of lorries to stop them in their tracks if hijacked

It may sound far-fetched but these things can be developed and, of course, now cars have got more electronic brains, so that for me that would be a great opportunity to safely slow down the vehicle.

It is not the first time that policing agencies have investigated a kill switch for cars, and similar devices are already available in the private sector.

Two years ago it was revealed that the European Union is secretly developing the technology as part of wider law enforcement surveillance and tracking measures.

A leaked document said the technological solution would become a build in standard for all cars that enter the European market.

It could be activated from a police worker monitoring the movement of the vehicle via GPS from a control centre.

Experts in the Home Offices scientific wing want to develop and install technology which would enable them to stop high risk vehicles remotely

Cars on the run can be dangerous for citizens, said the document. Criminal offenders will take risks to escape after a crime.

In most cases the police are unable to chase the criminal due to a lack of efficient means to stop the vehicle safely.

Chrys Rampley, the Road Haulage Associations security manager, said: The technology exists, but questions remain on the consequences of stopping a vehicle remotely.

The problem is that stinger-type devices do not work on large vehicles so there needs to be another way of stopping or slowing a vehicle down.

Post the Nice attack, we are looking at lots of different options and as an organisation we work very closely with the police.
He caught the next flight out alongside 480 other passengers bound for Sydney

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce was caught up in the first round of delays in Dubai

CEO of Qantas was among hundreds of passengers stranded in Dubai by a plane flight - but he was put on the first flight home.

Alan Joyce was one of 480 people on a flight from London to Sydney that was also forced to stop in Dubai after a technical fault was discovered by engineers at the Dubai International airport.

Daily Mail Australia understands the flight was delayed for 24-hours and that Joyce waited for the next available flight with the other passengers.

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Alan Joyce was one of 480 people on a flight from London to Sydney that was also forced to stop for 24-hours in Dubai after a technical fault was discovered

Frustrated customers crowd around gate A24 for information about their cancelled flight

Guests in an area 'out of the way' of general traffic at Dubai's airport are briefed on the delays. Passengers were given the option of getting home by Qantas or staying in Dubai an extra day with 80 volunteering to stay

A second batch of passengers from London, also flying to Sydney, were caught up in the delays and were delayed for 24-hours.

By that stage, Joyce and the first batch of flyers were put on the next flight back to Sydney, arriving on Saturday morning in time for New Year's Eve celebrations.

Qantas scrambled to find 400 seats for the second group of flyers on other flights bound for Sydney or Melbourne getting them home with many welcoming 2017 in the air.

Meanwhile a group of 80 passengers who volunteered to wait in Dubai, celebrated the New Year in the city and stayed accommodation paid for by the airline.

A Qantas spokesman told Daily Mail Australia that all the passengers who waited two extra days had their seats upgraded for their flight back to Sydney, which is expected to land on Monday afternoon.

The Waldron family, David, Alistar, Di and Angus spent a second night in Dubai, despite Di being a diabetic - making her a priority passenger. The family made the most of their stay in Dubai but were disappointed they couldn't be home for the New Year's Eve fireworks

The Waldron's were happy with the hotel they were forced to stay at in Dubai - but would have preferred to be at home

'If we don't laugh we will cry,' Andrew McDonald, right, spent $600 on a New Year's Eve event ticket in Sydney but was stuck in Dubai instead. (pictured with Rebecca Chambers)

A video obtained exclusively by Daily Mail Australia shows Qantas staff addressing frustrated passengers who say they were given two options  continue to wait or fly somewhere else for a connecting flight.

Andrew McDonald  who had laid out $600 for a New Year's Eve party ticket  chose to fly to Doha, Qatar after waiting in Dubai for more than 24 hours.

'The flight will take 20 hours, so won't get home until the 1st at 7pm,' Mr McDonald said.

'I hope they reimburse me for my event ticket,' he said.

The young man, who made friends with fellow passenger Rebecca Chambers, sat posing in the airport with a champagne and said if they 'didn't smile they would cry.'

Di and David Waldron and their two children Alistar, 11, and Angus, 8, are facing a second night in the city  which was supposed to serve as a quick fuel stop on their way home from a holiday in the UK.

Hundreds of frustrated Qantas passengers will spend New Year's Eve stranded in Dubai while a 20-hour delay to their flight to Sydney continues (stock image)

'I am a priority passenger because I am diabetic and only have enough insulin for another few days,' Di Waldron said.

'But we have heard Mr Joyce managed to make an early flight out - so he wasn't caught up - he is obviously higher priority than people with children or those who are sick,' Ms Waldron added.

The mother-of-two said the worst thing about the constant delay was not knowing how long they could be stuck for.

'We were told it would be a few hours, then a few more hours, then they gave us meal vouchers, then they told us to go to our hotels,' she said.

'If we had known we would be waiting so long we would have organised to do something with the kids or went to the airport hotel and rested.'

While the family hadn't forked out money for their New Year's Eve plans they were still disappointed to have to cancel.

'We were supposed to arrive home to Brisbane at 9am on the 31st  we had planned to go to a friend's house and watch the fireworks from their veranda,' she said.

'I doubt we will even be able to relax with a glass of champagne now.'

Some customers expressed their anger on social media after the lengthy Qantas delays

This woman said she spent 8 hours in Dubai airport and urged the airline to get her home

The company have received negative social media attention over the incident.

'I've been delayed for eight hours in Dubai airport,' Mia Parkes-Talbot posted to the airline's Facebook page from Dubai on Friday night.

'You sent people that you delayed yesterday off on my plane and now I'm stranded.'

'I really want to go home and celebrate New Year's Eve with family, friends and dog.

'Please get me home now! Please get me home before I have to spend the first moments of 2017 in an airport hotel.'

This man was forced to check into a hotel in Dubai for New Years Eve instead of celebrating back in Australia

This young man was told he'd be spending New Year's on a plane

Many were forced to check in last minute to nearby hotels to bring in 2017

The airline said it will safely fly passengers to Sydney as soon as possible.

'The engineering assessment is continuing and, once resolved, we'll be able to provide an updated arrival time,' a Qantas spokeswoman said on Saturday.
Donald Trump used his Twitter bully pulpit on Monday to blast Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel for allowing his city's murder and firearms shooting rates to spiral out of control.

'Chicago murder rate is record setting  4,331 shooting victims with 762 murders in 2016,' Trump tweeted.

'If Mayor can't do it he must ask for Federal help!'

2016 was one of the most violent years in Chicago history with the most homicides in two decades  more than New York and Los Angeles combined.

The nation's third largest city also saw 1,100 more shooting incidents last year than it did in 2015, according to data released Sunday by the Chicago Police Department.

President-elect Donald Trump weighed in Monday on Chicago's spiraling murder rate, putting Mayor Rahm Emanuel on the hot seat

If Emanuel can't turn his city's crime wave around, Trump tweeted, 'he must ask for Federal help!'

Mayor Emanuel spoke to the media after meeting with Trump on December 7; he reportedly pressed the president-elect about illegal immigration, not gun violence

Emanuel, a former Barack Obama White House chief of staff, visited with Trump at his Trump Tower office on December 7.

The pair reportedly talked about the mayor's concern that Trump would deport 'dreamers,' children brought to the U.S. illegally who have commit no crimes during their years-long unauthorized stays.

Chicago's statistics underline a story of bloodshed that has put the city at the center of a national dialogue about gun violence.

The numbers are staggering, even for those who followed the steady news accounts of weekends ending with dozens of shootings and monthly death tolls that hadn't been seen in years.

The increase in homicides compared to 2015, when 485 were reported, is the largest spike in 60 years.

Police and city officials have lamented the flood of illegal guns into the city, and the crime statistics appeared to support their claims: Police recovered 8,300 illegal guns in 2016, a 20 per cent increase from the previous year.

The Chicago mayor presided over Chicago's bloodiest 12-month in 20 years

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson (pictured in September) said during a news conference Sunday that Chicago is among many U.S. cities that have seek a spike in violence, including in attacks on police

Police are pictured in Chicago on Sunday investigating the scene of a shooting

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said during a news conference Sunday that Chicago is among many U.S. cities that have seek a spike in violence, including in attacks on police.

He said anger at police, including in the wake of video released that showed a white Chicago officer shooting a black teenager 16 times, has left criminals 'emboldened' to violent crimes.

He also said it's becoming clearer to criminals that they have little to fear from the criminal justice system.

Reverend Jesse Jackson (pictured left) on Saturday led hundreds of people as they marched in downtown Chicago to commemorate homicide victims in the city this past year

Jackson said he was 'honored' to join Rev. Michael Pfleger who marched alongside the famed civil rights activist

'In Chicago, we just don't have a deterrent to pick up a gun,' he said. 'Any time a guy stealing a loaf of bread spends more time pre-trial in jail than a gun offender, something is wrong.'

Johnson, who has for months complained about Illinois' lax gun laws, said he thinks more and more gang members are arming themselves because the price for being caught is small compared to other large cities.

He said gang members he has spoken to consider the court system 'a joke'.

The bulk of the deaths and shooting incidents, which jumped from 2,426 in 2015 to 3,550 last year, occurred in only five of the city's 22 police districts on the city's South and West sides, all poor and predominantly black areas where gangs are most active.

Police said the shootings in those areas generally wasn't random, with more than 80 percent of the victims having previously been identified by police as more susceptible because of their gang ties or past arrests.

The city has scrambled to address the violence. Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced last year that 1,000 officers would be added to the police department.

At the same time, police officials have been trying to figure out why homicides and shootings - which began climbing the year before - suddenly surged.

On Sunday, Johnson said he hoped several initiatives - including more street cameras in some of the city's most dangerous neighborhoods, and the expansion of gunshot-detection systems - would lead to more arrests and drive down the violent crime rate.

Johnson has said several factors have contributed to the increased violence.

Women embrace in front of a cross bearing the name of murder victim Louis Antonio Torres who was shot dead while he was driving in November

People are pictured during the march honoring the victims

He noted 2016 was the first full year since the city was forced in November 2015 to release video of the fatal police shooting of Laquan McDonald, the black 17-year-old boy who was shot 16 times by a white police officer.

The video cost former Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy his job, sparked major protests around the city, and led to federal and state investigations of the police department.

It also left Johnson with the task of trying to restore public trust in what appeared to be a weakened police force, a perception that was only buttressed by a dramatic drop in the number of arrests in 2016.

The police department has cited several factors for the declining numbers, including a concerted effort not to make minor drug arrests and focus on gun violence.

Johnson pointed to gun arrests and gun seizures as evidence that his officers are aggressively fighting crime.

But critics said they have no doubt that officers have become far more reluctant to do their jobs since the McDonald video was released and the officer who killed the teen was charged with murder.

'It's almost like a pull back so they (gangs) can kill each other sort of thing,' said the Rev. Marshall Hatch, a prominent minister in one of Chicago's most dangerous neighborhoods on the West Side.

Johnson acknowledged in a recent interview with that officers have become more cautious - in part out of fear of becoming the next 'viral video'.

He also said a state law that took effect last January requiring officers to fill out lengthy contact cards when they stop someone has resulted in fewer stops, because the cards require more paperwork for officers and the cards are 'scrutinized' by federal judges.

He said those concerns are not lost on criminals.

'Criminals watch TV, pay attention to the media,' he said. 'They see an opportunity to commit nefarious activity.

Police and city officials have lamented the flood of illegal guns into the city, and the crime statistics appeared to support their claims

Greg Zanis, of Aurora, Illinois, built two-foot long crosses for each victim and demonstrators quietly shouldered each one as their names were announced on a megaphone

Reverend Jesse Jackson led hundreds of people on Saturday as they marched in downtown Chicago to commemorate homicide victims in the city this past year.

Greg Zanis, of Aurora, Illinois, built two-foot long crosses for each victim, and demonstrators walked down Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago silently carrying each one.

The Chicago Tribune had tallied up 775 victims in 2016.

Zanis has honored homicide victims in Chicago for several years, and even drove down to Orlando after the nightclub shooting left 49 dead in June.

The crosses were lined outside Restoration Church, organized by month, before they were carried in the march on Saturday.

August was the deadliest month with 96 homicide reports, according to figures reported by the Chicago Tribune.

Some victims in the past year were just infants, while others were in their 80s.

Rev. Michael Pfleger says he hopes the visuals of the protest along Chicago's premiere retail street will inspire people to take action to prevent further violence in 2017

Zanis told ABC: 'When I look out at these crosses here, even though I made them, I'm shocked to see this portable cemetery here. I don't know what to call it.'

Zanis (right) said he was shocked by the figures even though he made the crosses himself

On Saturday, hundreds convened downtown, with Reverend Jesse Jackson shouldering a cross on the front lines as one woman announced the long list of names through a megaphone.

Rev. Michael Pfleger who marched alongside Jackson, says he hopes the visuals of the protest along Chicago's premiere retail street will inspire people to take action to prevent further violence in 2017.

'It will remind us first of all, these are not just numbers or statistics, these are human beings,' he said.

The crosses will then be placed in a vacant lot on the city's South Side.
Royal Navy sailors have rescued nearly 15,000 migrants from the Mediterranean and dropped them off in Europe, figures show.

Marines armed with SA-80 assault rifles have also smashed up and burned 110 smuggling gang boats during their 18-month migrant mission.

The commanding officer of HMS Enterprise, one of the ships given the job of rescuing migrants, has praised the work done by his sailors.

Royal Navy sailors have rescued nearly 15,000 migrants from the Mediterranean and dropped them off in Europe, figures show

The commanding officer of HMS Enterprise, one of the ships given the job of rescuing migrants, has praised the work done by his sailors

Commander Philip Harper said: Over the last year and a half my ship has rescued thousands of men, women and children at sea.

'It has dented the activity of criminal groups. It has been humbling to see my sailors come to the aid of innocent souls in danger, and carry out their roles with professionalism.

A handful of the migrants have then made the journey to Britain after being allowed free train rides across Italy and France by the authorities there.

Some of them have stayed in the UK after having their asylum application rejected. Others from war-torn states have been granted the right to remain.

Hamad Said, 23, from war-ravaged South Sudan, was rescued by sailors on HMS Bulwark nine hours into his perilous journey from Libya in 2015.

He was dropped off in Italy then made a five-week journey to Calais by train, before jumping on a lorry to enter Britain illegally.

The Daily Mail revealed that Mr Said was granted residency several months later, and he said that since then he has stopped getting benefits. I cant thank the Royal Navy enough for what theyve done to save thousands of people, he said last night.

I was granted a new life. I thank them with all my heart and I thank Britain for providing me with everything I need in life.

Since April of 2015 the Royal Navy has deployed five ships to rescue migrants.

According to Ministry of Defence figures, they have rescued 14,900 migrants in total as part of the EU mission to tackle people smuggling. This includes 900 rescued in two operations last week by HMS Echo.

Hamad Said (pictured), 23, from war-ravaged South Sudan, was rescued by sailors on HMS Bulwark nine hours into his perilous journey from Libya in 2015

The Navy has also destroyed 110 smuggling gang vessels deemed hazardous to shipping. More than 30,000 migrants have been rescued in total in the 9.3million EU mission  codenamed Operation Sophia  meaning that Britain saved nearly half of them. All were taken to Italy.

Tory MP Peter Bone said: It is quite right that we rescue people in peril in the sea and the Royal Navy is doing a terrific job.

However, we need to go after the trafficking gangs. If you can stop it at source then you end this evil trade.

If you dont go to the source then we will end up endlessly rescuing people from the sea. The Home Office also sent border force cutters to save migrants crossing the perilous sea. It refused to disclose how many had been rescued, but it is understood to be thousands.

Armed Forces minister Mike Penning said: We have made clear from the start that the UK would focus on tackling the problem at source, smashing the criminal gangs that profit from trading with the lives of others.
Cabinet ministers have urged Theresa May to threaten the House of Lords with a bloodbath if peers seek to frustrate Brexit.

Senior Tories say the Prime Minister should stand ready to threaten the Upper Chamber with abolition or a huge cut in numbers and powers.

Inside Whitehall, plans are being drawn up for responding to an expected Supreme Court ruling that a vote is needed in both Houses to trigger Article 50, launching the Brexit process.

Cabinet ministers have urged Theresa May to threaten the House of Lords with a bloodbath if peers seek to frustrate Brexit

The Lords has a pro-Remain majority, with Lib Dem and Labour members spoiling for a fight.

Two Cabinet ministers have told the Daily Mail that the Government must be prepared to respond with a major show of force to ensure the 'will of the British people is respected'.

Mrs May is said to be sympathetic to the idea and ready to clip the wings of the Lords. One Cabinet minister said: 'The Lords needs to understand that, if they block this, they will be bringing an existential crisis upon themselves.

'Do they really want to do that? The case for major, major reform would become unanswerable.'

Another added: 'We will be sending a one-line bill to the Lords on triggering Article 50.

'If they send it back to the Commons, it should be returned with a second line added  the abolition of the Lords.'

Senior Tories say the Prime Minister should stand ready to threaten the Upper Chamber with abolition or a huge cut in numbers and powers

The Supreme Court is due to rule this month on whether a vote of MPs is required.

If the Government loses its appeal, a law triggering Brexit would be pushed through the Commons in just five days.

FARAGE GOES FOR HOLLYWOOD Nigel Farage's Brexit exploits could be turned into a Hollywood movie, it was claimed yesterday. Warner Bros, the studio responsible for the latest Superman films, is said to be keen to snap up the rights to the story of the ex-Ukip leader and his backer Arron Banks. It would be based on Mr Banks' referendum diary, called The Bad Boys of Brexit. Andy Wigmore, a spokesman for Mr Banks, said: 'We have had some very serious Hollywood people in touch with us who are going to buy the rights to the book.' Warner Bros producers are said to be hoping to meet the pair when they visit the US for Donald Trump's inauguration this month. n British taxpayers are subsidising university 'propaganda' projects to promote EU free movement. The latest EU research grants  partly funded by Britain's bill to the bloc  gave 47million to UK universities, including 7.9million to Oxford. Oxford University said its research was 'always impartial and rigorous'. Advertisement

Ministers have then allowed two months for a bill to pass through the Lords. This would give the unelected peers an opportunity to block Brexit for up to a year, throwing No 10's timetable into turmoil.

In November, ministers put plans that would curb the House of Lords' power to block legislation on hold.

But Lords leader Baroness Evans warned that, if peers did not maintain 'discipline' in employing the rarely used power, 'we would have to reflect on this decision'.

If they did seek to frustrate the Article 50 process, the plans could be revived.

The Tories could then threaten to go further by dramatically reducing the number of peers in the Upper Chamber, most likely including the move in the party's next election manifesto.

Some MPs believe that, if the Lords was willing to stand its ground on blocking Article 50, Mrs May could be forced to hold an election early next year.

In effect, the Lords would be facing the prospect of bringing about immediate  and drastic  reform upon themselves.

Whitehall insiders believe the Government's appeal to the Supreme Court went better than expected, but senior figures still believe defeat is most likely.

On the final day of the court case, the Supreme Court judges were urged by the Government not to ignore the 'highly significant' views of Parliament.

While the four-day court hearing was taking place, the Commons delivered a 372-vote majority in favour of triggering Article 50 by the end of March.
A two-year-old boy has been taken to hospital after he was pulled unconscious from a knee-deep pond at a home in Fairfield in Sydney's west.

Neighbour Ramsey Vong said he heard the boy's father screaming out 'help, help, help' and raced next door to help, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Mr Vong - who learned how to do CPR on YouTube - took it in turns with the boy's uncle to attempt to revive him as they anxiously waited for paramedics arrived.

Emergency services arrived at the property on McGee Place in Fairfield West at around 10.20am on Monday.

Paramedics continued CPR on the young boy when they arrived, before taking him under police escort to Westmead Children's Hospital where he is currently in a critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit.

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A two-year-old boy has been taken to hospital after he was pulled unconscious from a knee-deep pond (pictured) at a home in Fairfield in Sydney's west

Neighbour Ramsey Vong and the boy's father took it in turns performing CPR until emergency services (pictured) arrived

Mr Vong said the boy's parents and grandmother watched on hopelessly as the pair attempted to resuscitate the child.

'I could see the water - a lot - come out of his mouth and nose,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

'I wished I could do more.'

Mr Vong admitted he was not accredited to perform CPR but had learned online.

Neighbours poured out onto the street after hearing screams coming from the house.

Amy Ung, who also gave the boy CPR, told the Daily Telegraph that the boy and his extended family were from South Africa and were visiting Australia.

The young boy's parents and grandmother watched on hopelessly as Mr Vong and his father attmempted CPR

Neighbours poured out onto the street after hearing screams coming from the house

There have been at least 15 water fatalities in the state since Christmas Day, with three deaths and two other bodies found on Friday alone.

The water deaths in NSW since Christmas Eve are now more than double the state's road toll for the same period.

On Monday morning it was revealed that a two-year-old girl 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.

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.

A two-year-old girl died after she was found unconscious in a backyard swimming pool at a Macquarie Fields property in Sydney's south-west on New Year's Day

Just three days after a set of twins died when they fell into a pool in north-west of 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 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.
No killer driver has been given the maximum sentence over the past six years  and the vast majority were locked up for less than half the amount permitted by the law.

As ministers attempt to toughen up Britains laws on dangerous driving amid fury at lenient sentences, figures show the courts are failing to make full use of the powers given to them by Parliament.

Critics said the figure showed how judges hands are tied when punishing Britains worst killer drivers and said plans to allow them to impose life sentences would be meaningless unless the courts actually put them to use.

Speeding drivers Majid Malik, 28, (left) and Kaiz Mahmood, 28, (right) were jailed for just eight years each after their dangerous driving killed pedestrian James Gilbey, 25

The offence of causing death by dangerous driving carries a maximum sentence of 14 years imprisonment for the most serious cases, raised from ten years in 2004.

But figures released by the Ministry of Justice under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that out 653 people sentenced for the crime between 2010 and 2015, not a single one received the maximum term.

And just 93 of them were jailed for seven or more years  meaning just one in seven received more than half the sentence available to the judge.

Factors which judges are required to reflect with sentence reductions include that the killer driver was inexperienced behind the wheel or that they were themselves also injured in the fatal smash.

Among the most notorious cases was the death of 25-year-old James Gilbey, mown down and left for dead by two men as they raced their cars at twice the speed limit through city streets at up to 70mph.

The British Gas customer services adviser was thrown more than 200ft as he used a pelican crossing in Leeds in 2015 and suffered catastrophic injuries, but drivers Majid Malik and Kaiz Mahmood both fled the scene.

James Gilbey was thrown more than 200ft when he was hit while using a pelican crossing in Leeds in 2015

After being arrested later, Malik, 28, who has 39 previous convictions, admitted causing death by dangerous driving, while Mahmood, also 28, was found guilty of the same offence.

Earlier this year their evil driving was slammed by a judge who said they had shown complete disregard for other road users, but both received sentences of just eight years  barely half the maximum term available.

His parents, Major Richard Gilbey, 54, and his wife Angela, 53, then watched in disgust as the defendants relatives celebrated when they realised the pair could be paroled after four years.

The couple, from Wiltshire, are now campaigning for the worst killer drivers to be prosecuted for manslaughter  which can carry a life sentence - and have set up a petition which has attracted more than 10,000 signatures.

Major Gilbey said: They were racing. They had left the scene. Malik burned his clothes and abandoned his car to evade police.

That all should have been enough to get them maximum sentences.

If the maximum sentence for death by dangerous driving is 14 years  where have those ten years gone?

Their campaign has been backed by their local Conservative MP, Claire Perry, who said yesterday that she was shocked by the figures.

For the worst killer drivers to be jailed for 14 years is a reasonable punishment, but if no-one is actually getting the maximum sentence then how can it act as a deterrent? she said.

I support the proposal to give the courts the power to impose life sentences for death by dangerous driving, yet these figures show that their existing powers are not being used.

How bad do cases have to get for drivers to be given the maximum sentence?

Judges sentencing powers are governed by mandatory guidelines to help them assess the seriousness of the offence.

They must consider a list of aggravating and mitigating factors when deciding what sentence to impose.

Mr Gilbey's parents Major Richard Gilbey (pictured), 54, and his wife Angela, 53, are now campaigning for the worst killer drivers to be prosecuted for manslaughter

Among the factors which under current guidelines would cut the sentence are that the killer driver was inexperienced behind the wheel, that they were themselves injured, or that the victim was a friend or relative.

The Devizes MP called on the Sentencing Council to ensure that if the law is changed to introduce life sentences, guidelines do not tie judges hands.

I understand we dont want to fill our prisons unnecessarily, but if the courts arent imposing the toughest sentences on drivers whose reckless behaviour kills innocent people then then the public will feel justice isnt being done, she added.

Analysis of the Ministry of Justice figures show that the average sentence for causing death by dangerous driving has crept up, from four years in 2010-11 to five years in 2014 and 2015.

In 2014-15, out of 105 motorists sentenced for causing death by dangerous driving, 19 were jailed for up to three years, 63 for between three and seven years, and 20 for more than seven years.

In the last nine months of 2015  the latest figures available  judges sentenced 91 people, with 19 jailed for up to three years, 50 receiving between three and seven, and just 16 getting more than seven.

A handful of defendants were not given sentences of immediate custody.

In December ministers launched a consultation which could see the law changed to allow life sentences in the most serious death by dangerous driving cases.

Other proposals include creating a new offence of causing serious injury by careless driving, which would carry a maximum sentence of three years, and increased driving bans for those convicted of causing death.
Two Sydney teenagers accused of raping a young woman at a New Years Eve party at a unit in Prospect, Sydney's west, will spend the first days of 2017 behind bars.

Norman Massimino, 18, Beshoi Butros, 18, and a boy, 17, were each charged with the aggressive sexual assault of an 18-year-old woman between 10pm and 2.40am on New Years Eve.

The incident allegedly occurred at a unit in Prospect that evening. All three teens were charged with three counts of intercourse without consent.

The apartment block where the young woman was allegedly raped on New Year's Eve

A detective arrives at the scene after a young woman was allegedly raped by three males

The woman was taken to hospital and Mr Massimino and Mr Butros were apprehended at 4.45am that morning, court documents said.

Friends of the two adults came to watch the proceedings but neither appeared on the screen at Parramatta Local Court on Monday and were refused bail.

'We don't want to talk,' one supporter said.

Detectives leave the unit block after further investigations after the New Year's Eve incident

Authorities leaving the apartment block where the alleged sexual assault occurred

Mr Massimino and Mr Butros will return to court on January 13 and the child's case continues.

The third boy, 17, was granted bail by a Children's Court.

His mother, father and grandfather each attended court but declined to comment.

Friends of two of the accused exit the court in Parramatta

Friends of the two adults came to watch the proceedings but neither appeared on the screen at Parramatta Local Court on Monday and were refused bail

Friends of the two adults accused came to watch the court proceedings
Theresa May blames David Cameron for controversial appointments in the New Years honours list, it was claimed last night.

Political figures and mandarins including Tory donors and the permanent secretary of the Department for International Development were among recipients of gongs.

And sources close to Mrs May said many of the nominations came from Mr Cameron. The Prime Minister wants future honours to prioritise those who have helped the economy or boosted social mobility.

Theresa May blames David Cameron for controversial appointments in the New Years honours list, it was claimed last night

Future gongs will also go to people who tackle discrimination or help their communities in other ways.

It is expected the changes will be in place by the time of the Queens birthday honours. Tory MPs reacted with fury at the knighthood given to Mark Lowcock, the 165,000-a-year civil servant known as Sir Foreign Aid.

Another honour  a CBE  was given to Dominic Johnson, an associate Conservative treasurer who put up Mr Cameron and his family in his 4million Chelsea house after the ex-PMs departure from Downing Street. There was also controversy about honours for six senior figures at HM Revenue and Customs.

Mark Lowcock will be knighted in the New Years honours for 'public service'

The department has come under fire for poor customer service and keeping taxpayers waiting for a total of four million hours before answering telephone calls. Most of the awards announced over the weekend had been proposed by Mr Camerons team, according to a Whitehall source, who told the Times: These things are put together with quite a lot of time to spare. Sir Jonathan Stephens, head of the main honours committee, said Mrs May had asked for a change in emphasis to honour more ordinary people, which would be reflected further in future honours lists.

He added: The new Prime Minister has set some new priorities, not so much reflected in this list, which was assembled under the old prime minister.

Shes put a particular focus on services and work with children and young people, people who work to encourage social mobility, who work in enterprise and business.

Mrs May is not the first PM to pledge to clean up the honours system  Tony Blair was dogged by the cash for honours row. But the knighthood for Mr Lowcock has sharpened the debate about foreign aid.

A committee of MPs recently described him as evasive after he failed to give adequate answers over a botched runway scheme on St Helena which cost 285million of taxpayers money. The 54-year-old was a one-time flat mate of top civil servant, Sir Jeremy Heywood and the pair remain close friends.

Tony Blair was dogged by the cash for honours row. But the knighthood for Mr Lowcock has sharpened the debate about foreign aid

Mr Lowcock has spent his entire career at Dfid and its predecessor department, racking up a 1.1million pension pot in the process.
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A young woman fatally struck by a tree branch while setting up for a music festival is being remembered for her 'beautiful manner and way with people'.

Harriet Nixon, 21, died after a large branch fell on her head at Glenworth Valley on the Central Coast ahead of the three-day Lost Paradise music festival.

Gosford Inspector Bruce Coates said Nixon was working for the festival when she sat under a gum tree with a number of others on Wednesday last week.

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Harriet Nixon, 21, was killed at Lost Paradise music festival in New South Wales last week when a tree branch fell on her

Miss Nixon was working for the festival when she sat under a gum tree with friends before a large branch fell on her head

Miss Nixon suffered a cardiac arrest at the scene before being taken to hospital where she later died from her injuries

Despite the tragedy the festival went ahead, with a photograph shrine and glow sticks set up to honour Miss Nixon's memory

Revellers in outrageous costumes took to social media to share smiling selfies, unaware that rescue teams were battling to save the life of Miss Nixon

Nixon's death shocked the Lost Paradise community, which has become known for its mind, body and soul vibe along with its hippy-esque dress code

Miss Nixon's friends have paid tribute to her online, calling her 'driven, compassionate and intelligent' (file image)

It's not just about the music: Lost Paradise is a chance for many to express their eccentric styles as they ring in the new year

Miss Nixon was working for the three-day music festival when the accident happened on Wednesday afternoon

A branch, which Insp Coates said was metres long, fell and knocked her unconscious about 4pm. She suffered a cardiac arrest and was taken to Westmead Hospital with severe head, spine and shoulder injuries.

Despite the efforts of medical staff, Nixon died on Thursday, the first day of the festival.

A photograph and a shrine of flowers and glow sticks was erected at the event in her memory.

Ms Nixon, from Moss Vale, completed the Gold Duke of Edinburgh program at Oxley College in Bowral and Victoria's Geelong Grammar before attending the Australian National University in Canberra.

Friends of the ambitious adventurer and her family have taken to Facebook to mourn her death.

'Never have I met a young woman who was so driven, compassionate and intelligent. Your smile was infectious and you had a way of making everyone feel at ease,' Serena Maree Armstrong said.

Marguerite Latham said: 'She was the epitome of elegance with a beautiful manner and way with people I will never forget.'

Taking a break: One festival goer takes a moment to relax out of the heat of the sun on the second day of Lost Paradise

From magical to practical: Some Lost Paradise attendees kept it casual in shorts and shirts, while others glammed up in capes and face paint

High summer temperatures hit 40C during the three day event, as some people jumped into a river to cool off

Lost Paradise orgainsers have urged festival goers to stay hydrated as temperatures skyrocket during the three day event

Two men take to the water as the the mercury rose on Friday, the second day of the event

Trees line the waterways at Lost Paradise, where Miss Nixon sustained fatal injuries when a branch fell on her

A tightrope walker holds on tightly to avoid falling into the water underneath him

Minimal clothing is a popular choice for many to keep themselves cool as the mercury rises in Glenworth Valley

One festival goers relaxes in the shade

'Please bring copious amounts of water, a bottle to refill water with, plenty of sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, water spray bottles and protective clothing,' Lost Paradise organisers advise

Getting back to nature: Two people dress up as the famous Australian cockatoo

The young woman went into cardiac arrest and was treated by paramedics before he was airlifted from the festival grounds

Investigations into the death of the 21-year-old are ongoing and a report will be prepared for the Coroner

Ms Nixon is survived by her parents, Fiona and Ralph, and sister, Alicia.

'Our community is much diminished by the loss of such a beautiful, caring daughter, she was such a credit to you and a gracious reflection of your steadfast family values,' local Alison Morellec said.

According to a Facebook post by the Southern Highlands branch of The National Party, of which Ms Nixon's parents were both long-standing members, her funeral will be held at Oxley College on Friday afternoon.

'The family have expressly asked for the following dress code: Colour, Pearls, R.M. Williams - and nothing black please,' the post reads.

Lost Paradise is in its fifth year and has become famous for its relaxing 'mind-body-soul' theme and hippy dress-code.
Hikers who returned from watching the first sunrise of the year at Mt Warning had their morning ruined when they discovered their tyres had been slashed.

More than 50 vehicles were targeted by vandals at the mountain in north-eastern NSW early on New Year's Day, according to witnesses and rescue services.

'It was bedlam, absolute bedlam,' said Kat Murray, who found herself stranded at the foot of the mountain after an early morning hike.

'We came down from the mountain and were about to go to the beach, and instead we were stuck on the side of the road,' Ms Murray told Daily Mail Australia.

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Hikers who returned from watching the first sunrise of the year at Mt Warning had their morning ruined when they discovered their tyres had been slashed

Aneta Siedlecka, pictured on Mt Warning on New Year's Day, was stranded at the foot of the mountain for hours after vandals slashed the tyres of her SUV

More than 50 vehicles had their tyres damaged early on New Year's Day, according to witnesses and rescue services

An ambulance had difficulty reaching an injured woman because the road was congested with stranded vehicles, officials said

A woman sprained her ankle on the mountain sometime before 8.30am and had to be helped down by other hikers, according to witnesses and officials.

Emergency vehicles had difficulty reaching location because the road was congested, according to the Tweed District Rescue Squad, a volunteer organisation.

The woman ultimately did not require transport to hospital, an NSW Ambulance spokesperson said.

Another hiker, Aneta Siedlecka, said it appeared some of the tyres had been sliced with a knife, while others seemed to have been damaged by nail guns.

Kat Murray, pictured, was stuck at the mountain after vandals struck. She said that despite the annoyance, the episode brought out the best in people

Police are investigating the act of vandalism, an NSW police spokesperson said

A witness said it appeared some of the tyres had been sliced with a knife, while others seemed to have been damaged by nail guns

'Me and my best friend woke up very, very early to see the first sunrise of the new year. And as soon as we got back down, at around 6am, we found out all of our tyres were slashed,' Ms Siedlecka told Daily Mail Australia.

Ms Siedlecka's SUV had two of its tyres slashed. She and her friend waited for four hours for a tow truck to come, Ms Siedlecka said.

The friend, Laura Carr, had travelled from Sydney to see the Mt Warning sunrise, Ms Siedlecka said.

Hikers who returned from watching the first sunset of the year at Mt Warning had their morning ruined when they discovered their tyres had been slashed

Police are investigating the act of vandalism, an NSW police spokesperson said

'We wanted to start the new year fresh, with no alcohol, just wake up early and do something different. But there was a good spirit in everyone there, all happy, all helping each other out,' she said.

Ms Murray, too, said the experience brought out the best in people.

'We were looking out for each other, and showed some Aussie spirit instead of thinking about ourselves,' she said.
The sister of Salim Mehajer has been flaunting her blossoming baby bump as she celebrated New Year's Day with loved ones.

Khadijeh 'Kat' Mehajer Sakalaki revealed on Instagram she is 19 weeks along - less than five months after tying the knot in a lavish wedding ceremony.

The glamorous brunette was glowing in a paisley maxi-dress as she showed off her radiant figure at the family event on Sunday.

Standing alongside her sister-in-law and mother-in-law, Mrs Sakalaki was celebrating the new year with her husband's family as she posed with one hand on her tummy.

With her first bundle of joy on the way, she appeared happy in a series of festive snaps with loved ones, including her husband Ibrahim Sakalaki.

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Khadijeh 'Kat' Mehajer Sakalaki (left) revealed she is 19 weeks along as she glowed in a paisley maxi-dress at a gathering on New Year's Day with her husband's family

The mother-to-be has not been shy of showing off her curves as she flaunted her baby bump

She appeared happy in a series of snaps with loved ones, including her husband Ibrahim

The expectant pair looked thrilled as they posed for the camera as Mr Sakalaki gently placed his hand over her stomach.

Just a week ago, the mother-to-be took a loving photograph of herself from the reflection of the lift.

Clad in a purple fitted dress and beige heels, Mrs Sakalaki has not been shy of showing off her curves.

Last month, the couple couldn't contain their excitement as they announced they were expecting a baby boy at a gender reveal party.

The pair have received messages of congratulations, with excited loved ones sharing their delight at welcoming a little member into their family.

Mrs Sakalaki was celebrating the new year with her husband's family over the weekend

The pair pose together before revealing the gender of their baby in front of family and friends

The pair exchanged their vows in an extravagant wedding at an exclusive venue in Sydney

Kat Mehjarer and her husband Ibrahim Sakalaki announced they are expecting a baby boy

The controversial former Auburn deputy mayor told Daily Mail Australia last November he was 'delighted by the news'.

'I know that Kat, as the lovely, smart and confident woman she is, will have no issue handling the challenges that come with being a new mother,' he said.

'I am proud of all her achievement she has completed so far and wish her, her husband and my future niece or nephew all the good graces imaginable.'

The baby announcement comes just less than five months after the pair exchanged their vows in an extravagant ceremony at Sydney's luxurious Doltone House.

The spectacular reception at one of Sydney's exclusive venues saw Kat dazzle in a $10,000 gown and an intricately designed wedding cake.

The wedding festivities, which reportedly cost $1 million, kicked off with a fleet of expensive super cars, 20 drummers and two doves entertaining 100 guests.

Salim Mehajer celebrating his sister and brother-in-law's extravagant wedding in August

The glamorous couple looked more loved up than ever as they announced the exciting news
Fidel Rodriguez Canchola (pictured), 34, was charged with criminally negligent homicide in the death of the five-year-old girl

A five-year-old Alabama girl was killed during a New Year's Eve party after a man fired off several rounds in his back yard.

Fidel Rodriguez Canchola, 34, was charged with criminally negligent homicide after the incident.

Canchola was allegedly firing the rounds in his yard when the child, who has not been identified, ran into the line of fire, according to WBRC.

Deputies from the Limestone Sheriff's Office responded to a home on Buckskin Drive, in Athens, just after midnight.

The little girl had been shot once in the chest during the party that nearly 30 people attended.

She was rushed to Athens-Limestone Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Authorities said witnesses reported hearing gunshots shortly after midnight, according to the station.

Police found .22 caliber shell casings at the scene and determined Canchola to be responsible after interviewing several people at the scene.

Canchola had left the scene before authorities arrived, but he was later taken into custody after police went to his home Sunday morning, according to WBRC.

Investigators said they believe the shooting was an accident.

Canchola, who is a friend of the victim's family, is being held on $5,000 bond at the Limestone County Jail.
A serial sexual predator jailed for at least eight years after raping a drunk teenage girl three times in a park has had his appeal against the sentence rejected.

Joseph Stephen Rosenburg, 52, forced his victim to perform oral and anal sex after finding her sick under a tree in Sydney's Hyde Park in August 2013, threatening to kill her if she didn't go along with it.

In an extraordinary appeal last month, Rosenburg claimed the woman 'cried rape' and was trying to ensnare him to cover up her own infidelity.

Joseph Stephen Rosenburg, 52, was jailed for at least eight years after raping a drunk teenager three times while she lay sick under a tree in Sydney's Hyde Park in August 2013 (file image)

But his arguments were swept aside by a panel of three judges who branded them 'incoherent, contradictory and irrational', the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Rosenburg, who represented himself in proceedings, tried to claim that the woman left a nightclub in the city with a friend's boyfriend on the night in question.

In order to cover up her embarrassment from that incident, Rosenburg said she acquired his DNA 'consensually' before seeing 'a window of opportunity to cry rape'.

He also claimed his lawyer had failed to properly represent him at his initial trial by refusing to present his 'scam' theory before the jury.

But the justices found the lawyer had 'very competently' represented him, noting there is 'no evidence' to support his theory, and a very strong prosecution case.

In fact Rosenburg's victim had been out drinking in Darlinghurst before leaving in a taxi, but got out because she was feeling sick.

She lay down on a ledge outside a building opposite the park before Rosenburg approached her and put his hand up her skirt.

The teenager then went into the park but was followed by Rosenburg who raped her three times as she lay sick under a tree.

The terrified girl texted friends during the attack begging for help, before one person drove into the city and found her crumpled up under a tree - covered in scratches and bruises with twigs in her hair.

Rosenburg tried to appeal the sentence, claiming the girl had 'cried rape' after luring him into giving her his DNA - but three judges dismissed the claims, saying there was 'no evidence'

It was also revealed that Rosenburg has a deeply disturbing history of sexual offences dating back at least two decades, starting in 1993 when he crawled through the window of a five-year-old girl.

The girl would later tell police how the 'yucky man' crept into the room saying 'shh' before introducing himself as 'Steve'.

Court documents state Rosenburg exposed himself and performed oral sex on her.

After the abuse, the girl told police Rosenburg said: 'I'll come back tomorrow and I'll bring you some lollies.'

He turned around and blew her a kiss after sliding back out the window.

Then in 2007 he was back before the court again, this time after he was seen watching two girls, aged nine and 10, playing inside a home in Annandale in Sydney's inner west in May of that year.

He went over to the window where they were, tried to give them his phone number and talk to them about boys.

Shortly after his release, he was taken back into custody for striking his sister's partner in the face with a metal bar on Christmas Day 2006.
He was charged with drink driving, driving while suspended and breach of bail

Police stopped him at three different places in Narrabri, on New Years Day

A 34-year-old P-plate driver was arrested three times in five hours for alleged drink driving in north-western New South Wales on New Year's Day.

The man was first pulled over at Narrabri at about 6pm on Sunday after police received complaints from other road users.

Police say the man's driver's licence was suspended and he was given a court attendance notice after allegedly returning a blood alcohol reading of 0.136, nearly three times the legal limit.

A P-plate driver was arrested three times in five hours for alleged drink driving in Narrabri on New Years Day (stock image)

But less than two hours later he was allegedly spotted driving the same station wagon, again at Narrabri and police say he returned another mid-range blood alcohol reading.

The man was taken back to the same police station and further charged with drink driving and driving while suspended.

He was bailed on the condition he stay off the roads, but police say about 10.20pm the same car was pulled over about 8km north of Narrabri.

It's alleged the man returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.097 and was taken into custody after being charged with drink driving, driving while suspended and breach of bail.

The man was due to face the Moree Local Court on Monday.
A five-year-old boy who beat cancer of the abdomen after being the first in Australia to go through a new surgery went onto survive an avalanche, car and plane crash.

Tom, now 29, had been given the determination to live after a little girl told him 'to do all the big and scary things and live his life for the both of them' before she passed away.

He had been given just a 30 per cent chance of survival after he was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma when he was five-years-old.

Now 29, Tom works in marketing and has survived an avalanche, car and plane crash

When Tom was five years old he beat abdominal cancer, rhabdomyosarcoma and was gifted a bike (pictured) from the Make A Wish Foundation which he credits for some of his inspiration

Tom was the first person in Australia to go through a ground-breaking new surgery to remove the tumour.

When he survived, he asked the Make A Wish Foundation for a bike, and said it is still inspiring him today.

He told the foundation 'it's still one of his best memories' to have been given the bike while going through such a 'tough time'.

As a five-year-old with cancer, his best friend and 'first crush' passed away and inspired him to live a full life.

Photos shared by Make A Wish show him snorkelling and rock climbing

He now works in marketing, and has survived an avalanche, plane and car crash.

Photos posted by Make A Wish show him snorkelling and rock climbing to share how spectacular his recovery has been after he was given the bike.

'Tom thanked us for the hope we give to each child battling an illness, and said that his wish and what we do here truly does make a difference,' the foundation said.

Donate to the Make A Wish Foundation here.
A retired Iraq war veteran who fought off eight Muslim men after they attacked his wife has tried to put the record straight on what exactly happened that day.

Kyle Tyrrell, 48, had an altercation with fishermen on Victoria's Surf Coast a year ago while standing up for his wife Liana.

Mr Tyrrell claimed that Liana was punched in the face at the Cosy Corner beach, in Torquay, after one of the men put a crab pot in the water and she told him the area was a marine sanctuary and fishing was banned.

Kyle Tyrrell (right), 48, fought off eight Muslim fishermen on Victoria's Surf Coast a year ago while standing up for his wife Liana (left) and has now told how he would do it again

Mr Tyrrell's comments were published on the Stand Up For Australia  Melbourne Facebook page. The Iraq war veteran said despite his injuries (left) he would do the same again

In the fight that took place on Sunday, January 24, 2016, Mr Tyrrell suffered minor injuries, while at least one of the fishermen was taken to hospital. No charges were laid.

The retired lieutenant-colonel claimed that the attack was racially and culturally motivated after his wife was called a white sl** and a white w***e by the men.

However criticism that he has received about the incident on Facebook persuaded him to set the record straight on the incident. He confirmed that the men were Muslim and said he would 'do it again in a heartbeat'.

His response was published on the Stand Up For Australia  Melbourne Facebook page, where he argued he had no other option but to fight.

Mr Tyrrell claimed the Muslim man took offence to being told what to do by a woman and unleashed a tirade of abuse at her, but the fact that she ignored him only enraged him even more.

'His mates got close to me and then he made a run for my wife, that's when I ran at him, he threw a punch which I ducked and the fight started. At no time could either my wife, daughter or I safely walk away,' Mr Tyrrell wrote.

Mr Tyrrell claimed the Muslim man took offence to being told what to do by his wife and unleashed abuse at her including calling her a 'w***e' and a 'white sl**'

'I would do the same thing again in a heartbeat, in fact I would do the same thing for any woman,' Mr Tyrrell said

'At that point five more joined the fight, one punching my wife as she attempted to get our daughter up the beach.'

At one stage one of the men said to his wife: 'Your husband needs to teach you a lesson.'

'I would do the same thing again in a heartbeat, in fact I would do the same thing for any woman I saw in that situation not just my wife,' he concluded the Facebook post.

In a previous interview with the Herald Sun about the incident Mr Tyrrell said he had been suffering Post Traumatic Stress Disorder since returning from war in 2011.
A California family whose home was burned down just two days before Christmas have now been victims of a break-in.

Jaime Sauce, of Stockton, California, said her husband arrived at their burned house on Friday morning to find a man in their home trying to rob them, Fox40 reported.

The family had just spent Christmas at a Motel 6 after the fire left them homeless, but are now concerned their belongings in their vacant home could be stolen.

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A California family whose home was burned down just two days before Christmas have now been victims of a break-in

Jaime Sauce, of Stockton, California, said her husband arrived at their burned house on Friday morning to find a man in their home trying to rob them

The California mom called 911 while her husband confronted the man who pulled out a knife before fleeing

Sauce said she called 911 while her husband confronted the man who pulled out a knife before fleeing.

She told Fox40 a window had been propped open with a brick and movies for the man to get inside their home.

Sauce found the electronics in her home unplugged but believes they would have been stolen if her husband had not caught the robber.

With a break-in just one week after the fire, Sauce believes the man could possibly linked to the cause of the fire.

Stockton fire officials are now investigating the incident as arson.

The California mom is worried about having her valuable belongings stolen such as memorabilia of her four-year-old daughter who died in 2014.

The fire which destroyed their home started in the garage which is now covered in ashes and melted remains.

After the family's heart-breaking situation was circulated through social media, their children received piles of donated toys from helpful strangers.

Sauce is now worried her belongings will be stolen and is particularly concerned about losing memorabilia from her daughter's funeral

The fire ripped through the house just two days before Christmas, leaving the family homeless and having to spend the holidays in a motel

Sauce believes the robber could be linked with the cause of the fire and Stockton fire officials are investigating the incident as arson
A young woman aged in her 20s has been bitten by a snake at Bindi Irwin's zoo, reports say.

The woman was taken from Australia Zoo at Beerwah in the Sunshine Coast to Caloundra Hospital with a reported snake bite.

The zoo is yet to comment, while the Queensland Ambulance Service could only confirm an ambulance transported the woman from a property on Steve Irwin Way.

A young woman aged in her 20s has been bitten by a snake at Bindi Irwin's zoo, reports say

Australia Zoo is famous for being the home of The Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin

Bindi Irwin with a koala celebrating her 15th birthday at Australia Zoo

The Irwin's celebrating Robert's 13th birthday at Australia Zoo

Robert Irwin (right) feeds freshwater crocodiles with Australia Zoo's head of reptiles, Josh Ruffell in 2012

The iconic Steve Irwin pictured with his daughter Bindi with a tiger cub
A 44-year-old man who vanished when he was swimming with his family in a lake has been found dead following a spate of tragic holiday drownings.

The Cooma man was celebrating New Year's Day with his family at Lake Eucumbene in the Snowy Mountains in NSW when he failed to return from the water.

His disappearance prompted an air, land and water search but by Monday afternoon, police divers and Marine Rescue NSW recovered his body from the lake.

The man has become the seventeenth person to have died in water-related incidents since Christmas Day. A report will be prepared for the Coroner.

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The Cooma man was celebrating New Year's Day with his family at Lake Eucumbene in the Snowy Mountains when he failed to return from the water

On Sunday, a two-year-old girl drowned after she was found unconscious in a backyard swimming pool at a Macquarie Fields property in Sydney's south-west.

Her uncle had discovered her lifeless body in the water on New Year's Day after he noticed the pool gate was left unlocked, Nine News reported.

The family was hosting a party to celebrate the new year 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.'

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.'

The girl was found unconscious in the backyard swimming pool on New Year's Day

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.'

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 water-related deaths in New South Wales over the holiday 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
These are the two people accused of the rape of a 18-year-old girl at a New Year's Eve party in a Sydney apartment block.

Norman Massimino, 18, and Beshoi Butros, 18, and a boy, 17, were each charged with the aggressive sexual assault of an 18-year-old woman between 10pm on New Year's Eve and 2.40am the next day.

Two of the three teenagers will spend the first days of 2017 behind bars.

The incident allegedly occurred at a unit in Prospect that evening. All three teens were charged with three counts of intercourse without consent.

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Beshoi Butros, 18, (pictured) is charged with the aggressive sexual assault of a 18-year-old girl at a Sydney house party

Norman Massimino, 18, (pictured) is also charged with aggressive sexual assault

The apartment block where the young woman was allegedly raped on New Year's Eve

The woman was taken to hospital and Mr Massimino and Mr Butros were apprehended at 4.45am that morning, court documents said.

Friends of the two adults came to watch the proceedings but neither appeared on the screen at Parramatta Local Court on Monday and were refused bail.

'We don't want to talk,' one supporter said.

A detective arrives at the scene after a young woman was allegedly raped by three males

Detectives leave the unit block after further investigations after the New Year's Eve incident

Authorities leaving the apartment block where the alleged sexual assault occurred

Mr Massimino and Mr Butros will return to court on January 13 and the child's case continues.

The third boy, 17, was granted bail by a Children's Court.

His mother, father and grandfather each attended court but declined to comment.

Friends of two of the accused exit the court in Parramatta

Friends of the two adults came to watch the proceedings but neither appeared on the screen at Parramatta Local Court on Monday and were refused bail

Friends of the two adults accused came to watch the court proceedings
A stolen car believed to have been used by a former Army reservist who was charged with stealing 16 guns from a U.S. Army Reserve Center and escaped from a Rhode Island detention center has been recovered, Massachusetts state police say.

They say James Morales remains at large.

U.S. marshals say the Cambridge, Massachusetts, native scaled a building and climbed over razor wire and was reported missing Saturday night.

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.

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

Morales is black, bald, 6 feet tall and 175 pounds. He's 35 and has brown eyes and an eagle neck tattoo

Police believe he may be wounded after finding discarded bloodied prison clothing underneath a Route 95 overpass.

Police say they believe Morales fled to Attleboro, Massachusetts, and stole the car. They found the car, a green Chevrolet Lumina, Sunday afternoon.

The FBI says Morales stole assault rifles and handguns from an armory in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 2015.

Morales also faces child rape charges.

Morales is black, bald, 6 feet tall and 175 pounds. He's 35 and has brown eyes and an eagle neck tattoo.

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 that Morales had stolen a car from a Burger King parking lot in Attleboro at approximately 7:30am.

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 was being 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.
allegedly became verbally abusive to cabin crew and other travellers

A man has caused a United Airlines flight from Sydney to San Francisco to be diverted to Auckland after he 'failed to listen to crew' and went on a 'rant' on the plane.

The incident took place on Sunday afternoon - New Year's Day - when the passenger verbally abused cabin crew and other travellers on the flight.

One passenger described the man, a Caucasian as a 'bigoted passenger [that] screamed... misogynistic [and] disturbing words' to everyone.

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A male passenger on a flight from Sydney to San Francisco allegedly became abusive to cabin crew and other travellers (pictured)

Passenger Anjou Ahlborn Kay captured some of the drama on video which she posted on Facebook.

The two short videos she took show the man arguing with a cabin crew member and then being frogmarched off the plane by New Zealand police officers.

The man can be heard complaining to a flight attendant about his seating arrangement in a raised voice before the woman tells him to be calm.

'I'm calm as can be,' the man is heard saying in one video.

'Don't yell at me,' the cabin crew member replies.

'I'm not yelling at you - but do you want me to f***ing yell?' the man says.

Cabin crew tried to calm the man down (pictured) but he allegedly refused to listen

When the cabin crew member warns his behaviour could have the plane turned around he laughs: 'Do you know how cool it would be to have the airplane turned around? You'd do that?'

He then verbally abuses the cabin crew member by saying: 'I'm getting so impolite aren't I? Fat arse.'

In the end he got his wish and the plane was turned around, with the second video showing him getting silently escorted off the plane by police.

'Originally on a nonstop flight from SYD (Sydney) to SFO (San Francisco) has landed us overnight in AUK (New Zealand),' Ms Kay wrote on Facebook along with the videos.

'A bigoted passenger screamed...misogynistic [and] disturbing words to passengers and crew, then called the flight attendants every offensive thing in the book.

New Zealand police said the 42-year-old foreign national was 'badly behaved' and was arrested on arrival in Auckland (pictured)

'Kudos to the flight attendants who remained calm but really sucks this one idiot has grounded us.'

New Zealand police said the 42-year-old foreign national onboard flight UH870, was 'badly behaved' and was arrested on arrival before being referred to immigration.

A United Airlines spokeswoman said the flight was diverted because a passenger failed to follow crew instructions.

All 252 passengers had to be put up in hotels overnight. But it wasn't all a nightmare journey and start to the new year for Ms Kay.

'Luckily [I] made friends with my amazing seat mates as we dealt with the last 24 hours,' she wrote on Facebook.
A two-year-old girl has tragically drowned after she was found unconscious in a backyard swimming pool on New Year's Day.

Vera Peacock, 2, was found dead in the water by her uncle at 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.

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Vera Peacock, 2, was found dead in the water by her uncle at around 6.10pm on Sunday after he noticed the pool gate was left unlocked, Nine News reported

Vera Peacock, who was found lifeless in a pool, pictured on her second birthday

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.'

The devastated family have gathered around each other at the Macquarie Fields home to decide if they will hold a traditional Maori funeral.

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 17 water fatalities reported so far during the Christmas period.

On Monday, police found the the body of a 44-year-old man in Lake Eucumbene a day after he disappeared in the water while on holiday with his family.

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 teenage girl bravely fought off a middle-aged man who assaulted her 12-year-old sister late at night outside a public library.

The girl, 14, kneed the attacker and pushed him away as they went for a walk on New Year's Day in Nelson on New Zealand's South Island.

The alleged incident occurred at 10.30pm near the library and an adjacent public toilet block in suburban Stoke, south-west of the city centre.

The girls, aged 12 and 14, were walking past Stoke Library in suburban Nelson on New Year's Day at 10.30pm when the man allegedly attacked the younger sister

'The young girl and her sister were left shaken by the incident,' New Zealand police said in a statement.

Police are searching for Caucasian man aged between 40 and 50, and about 170 centimetres tall.

He had very short brown, blond hair and was wearing a blue T-shirt with black on the shoulder, black shorts and white sneakers.

Police are hunting for a man, aged between 40 and 50, who they say assaulted a 12-year-old girl near this set of public toilets
Madeleine Pickens, pictured, is accused of telling her former chef not to serve 'white people food' at her Nevada resort

The ex-wife of a billionaire told a chef to cook her guests 'black people food' at her $2,000 a night ranch and horse sanctuary, court paper have revealed.

Madeleine Pickens, who recently divorced Texas oil tycoon T.Boone Pickens, is accused of telling former chef Armand Appling not to serve 'white people food' at her Mustang Wild Horse Eco-Resort in Nevada.

Appling claims he was fired in 2014 for complaining about working in a hostile work environment and has now filed a federal lawsuit accusing her of racial discrimination.

He accuses the wealthy philanthropist of telling him fried chicken, BBQ ribs and corn bread would be the perfect meal for the tourists who pay more than $2,000 per night to stay at the plush resort.

He says Pickens' stereotypical references were commonplace at the Elko County ranch in Nevada, close to the border with Utah.

Appling, who is African American, also alleges that Pickens, who is white, instructed him to terminate two other black kitchen staffers  one she referred to as her 'bull' or 'ox' and another who had 'too much personality.'

He says she told him they didn't 'look like people we have working at the country club' and didn't 'fit the image' of the staff she wanted at the ranch.

However, Pickens' lawyers argue that even if all the allegations are true, none of her comments were racially motivated.

At worst, Pickens' remarks 'reflect a non-racial personality conflict and amount to discourtesy, rudeness or lack of sensitivity,' they wrote in recent court filings.

Armand Appling (pictured) claims he was fired by Pickens in 2014 for complaining about working in a hostile work environment

Appling has since filed a federal lawsuit accusing Pickens of racial discrimination

Pickens, right, pictured with her former husband T. Boone Pickens, a Oklahoma energy tycoon

U.S. District Judge Miranda Du said during a hearing in Reno last week that Appling's lawyers have failed so far to prove the sort of racial hostility needed to win such a civil rights claim.

She dismissed the original lawsuit that was filed in February but gave them until January 13 to refile an amended complaint seeking unspecified damages from Pickens' nonprofit, Save America's Mustangs.

'It takes a lot to prove these allegations,' Du told California attorney Willie Williams on Thursday.

Du agreed with Pickens' lawyer, Dora Lane of Reno, that the only comment that specifically referred to race was the reference to 'black people food.'

Lane said categorizing foods by ethnicity is commonplace in the restaurant industry. Some restaurants serve Mexican food, others Chinese or Thai food, she said.

Pickens' ranch, known as Mustang Monument (pictured), bills itself as a 'Luxury American Safari vacation' in Nevada's Spruce Mountains

Pickens' lawyers are arguing that even if all the allegations are true, none of her comments to Appling were racially motivated

They argued that, at worst, Pickens' remarks amounted to 'discourtesy, rudeness or lack of sensitivity', according to recent court filings

'The suggestion that such categorizations are inherently offensive is nonsense,' Lane argued in earlier court documents.

'This is especially true here, given that Pickens' alleged comments actually reflect a preference for "black people food" rather than a racial animas against "black people" or "black people food.'''

Williams said Pickens' comments about the fired employees 'not fitting in' reinforces a long history of African-Americans not being allowed into elite, private-club settings.

He said: 'In many cases, the people fighting to keep African-Americans out of these private clubs would use code phrases like "they do not fit the image."'

He added the use of the words 'ox' and 'bull' implies ownership of property, given 'America's long history of slavery where they were considered personal property of their owners.'

Guests at Mustang Monument can opt to sleep in a luxury tipi, which costs $1,650 per night

Or guests can pay more than $2,000 a night to stay at the plush cottages inside the resort

Lane argued it was a complimentary reference to physical strength and 'was not accompanied by any overtly racial slurs.'

'Indeed, Appling does not allege that he ever heard any overtly racial epithets, such as the 'N-word,'' she wrote in court documents.

But Williams told the judge last week the comments must be viewed in the context of racial stereotypes.

Du agreed that Lane's arguments focus on the 'plain meaning of words' while seemingly ignoring the context of comments made about 'African-Americans in history and stereotypes that could give rise to racial animas.'

'If the alleged comments were not directed at him, but others who look like him, it may affect his work environment,' the judge said.

Horseback riding is among the number of activities offered at the resort
Myanmar said it has detained several police over a 'selfie-style' video that appears to show officers beating Rohingya civilians, a rare admission that security forces may have carried out abuses against the Muslim minority.

Tens of thousands of people from the persecuted ethnic group -- loathed by many of Myanmar's Buddhist majority -- have fled a military operation in Rakhine state, launched after attacks on police posts in October.

Bangladesh says some 50,000 Rohingya have crossed its border over the past two months. Many have brought harrowing accounts of rape, murder and arson at the hands of Myanmar's security forces.

A police officer can be seen kicking a Rohingya while seated on the ground while another prepares to slap him

Their stories have raised global alarm and galvanised protests against Myanmar's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been accused of not doing enough to help the Rohingya.

Her government has said troops are hunting militants behind the deadly raids on police border posts, denying claims of atrocities with a flurry of public statements.

However, on Monday authorities pledged to take action 'against police who allegedly beat villagers during area clearance operations on 5 November in Kotankauk village'.

Suu Kyi's office named four officers who were involved in the operation including constable Zaw Myo Htike, who looks nonchalantly into the camera smoking as he records the video.

'Those who (were) initially identified were detained,' it said in a statement. 'Further investigations are being carried out to expose other police officers who beat villagers in the operation.'

Dozens of videos have emerged apparently showing security forces abusing Rohingya, but this is the first time the government has said it will take action over them.

The footage shows police hitting a young boy around the head as he walks to where dozens of villagers are lined up in rows seated on the ground, hands behind their heads.

Dozens of men from the Muslim minority were rounded up and beaten by police

Tens of thousands of Rohingya in Rakhine state, Myanmar have fled a military operation launched after attacks on police posts

Three officers in uniform then start attacking one of the sitting men, beating him with a stick and kicking him repeatedly in the face.

A Rohingya activist contacted by AFP said the footage had been verified by a refugee from the nearby camp, Shilkhali.

Around 600 people have been detained since the military operation, according to state media, including six who died in police custody in largely unexplained circumstances.

'Unfortunately the scene this video depicts isn't unique or an isolated event,' said Matthew Smith, chief executive of Fortify Rights.

'It's significant the government acknowledged the video, but it remains to be seen what will come of it. Impunity still rules the day in Rakhine state.'

Myanmar, also known as Burma, has long discriminated against the stateless Rohingya, who rights groups say are among the most persecuted peoples in the world.

More than 120,000 have been trapped in squalid displacement camps since violence erupted in 2012 in Rakhine, where they are denied citizenship, access to healthcare and education.

Over a dozen Nobel laureates wrote to the UN Security Council last week urging action to stop the 'human tragedy amounting to ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity' in northern Rakhine.

Under Myanmar's junta-era constitution Suu Kyi's civilian administration has limited power over the army, which maintains control of the defence, home and border ministries.
Shakespeare may have written Hamlet later than first thought and used it as a tool to curry favour with the new king, scholars have claimed.

It was originally believed that the Bard wrote the tragedy about royal revenge and murder in 1601, when Elizabeth I was still on the throne after a 42-year reign.

But the New Oxford Shakespeare Journal, a collection of all of his works, has now dated it at 1603, immediately after the coronation of James I, from Scotland.

Shakespeare may have written Hamlet later than first thought and used it as a tool to curry favour with the new king, scholars have claimed.

Telling the story of an old regime giving way to a new one, Hamlet has various parallels with the reign of the Scottish monarch, who took the throne in England.

The most direct appears to be the character of Fortinbras, a Norwegian monarch described as 'the king from the north', who takes control of Denmark.

It is thought that Shakespeare may have used the play to impress the king, who later appointed his company, Lord Chamberlain's Men, as his own personal players.

The move allowed Shakespeare to change their name to The King's Men, massively increasing their workload and hiring many more actors.

And after receiving his patronage, a later version of the play, published in 1604, carries even more references to the Scottish king.

Shakespeare's company was given Royal approval by James I

Gary Taylor, of the New Oxford Shakespeare Journal, told The Times: 'As Paulina Kewes of Jesus College, Oxford, argues, if we just looked at Hamlet in its own terms, then its a play is about succession.

'Its a play about someone coming from the north and establishing a new dynasty. So Fortinbras is in many ways James I. By the end of the reign of Elizabeth I there were many people who felt the regime was old and corrupt and needed to be changed.'

One of the key pieces of evidence is from analysis of the way he writes. He commonly used the word 'and' to connect adjectives, for example, writing 'freezing and cold', rather than 'freezing cold' for dramatic impact.

The Bard used the device increasingly in his career, and the academics used the frequency to date the play, claiming it would be 'statistically anomalous' if it were written in 1601.
Prime Minister Theresa May is planning to stop EU migrants claiming benefits as part of the Brexit process.

It is understood Mrs May wants to bring those arriving from the EU into line with immigrants from outside the continent, curbing in-work benefits such as tax credits.

The move would revive a deal former prime minister David Cameron had in place with Brussels after he agreed a temporary 'emergency brake' on EU migrant benefits last year.

It was also part of his manifesto prior to the 2015 election, but the deal was scrapped after the EU Referendum result.

Theresa May, pictured, is planning to stop EU migrants from claiming in-work benefits such as tax credits

According to The Times, the Government believes the move will reduce financial pressures by cutting the tax credit bill while also stifle the number of workers coming to the UK from Europe following Brexit.

But a Downing Street source told the paper there was no 'magic bullet for migration' and that nothing had been finalised.

It is thought at least 300,000 of the two-million-plus EU migrants living the in UK claim in-work benefits, according to government statistics.

Mrs May previously said 'change has got to come' in a speech last October while discussing the effects of low-skilled migrants working in jobs while British workers have their hours or pay cut or lose jobs altogether.

The move comes as the Government was warned workers will feel 'betrayed' if Britain does not take control of its borders after it quits the EU.

Gerard Coyne said the Government should 'not even begin to negotiate' over immigration as it attempts to thrash out a Brexit settlement.

The warning from the leadership candidate, who is vying to oust Len McCluskey, one of Jeremy Corbyn's closest allies, as general secretary of Unite, comes as Labour divisions continue to rage over freedom of movement.

Mr Coyne, Unite's West Midlands regional secretary, said migration within the EU has benefited those who are better off by allowing them to hire low cost cleaners and nannies but has put pressure on services and housing for many others.

Prime Minister Theresa May must say now that curbing freedom of movement is non-negotiable and that will inevitably lead to the UK's exit from the single market, he will tell Unite members at a speech in Birmingham.

'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,' he will say.

'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.

The move would revive a deal agreed last year when former prime minister David Cameron, right, agreed an emergency brake on such benefits with European Council president Donald Tusk, left

'Theresa May and other ministers should not wait until Article 50 has been triggered to set out a negotiating position on free movement of labour. They should be saying now, without equivocation, that the issue is non-negotiable. There can be no compromise on the principle of taking back control of our borders.'

Labour's immigration policy has been in disarray for months as senior figures have repeatedly appeared at odds over the party's approach to the issue.

Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer reiterated his calls for curbs on freedom of movement, insisting it was time for a 'fundamental rethink of immigration rules', in an interview with the Sunday Times just a week after the Labour leader indicated he wanted the policy to continue after Brexit.

'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 will say.

'Let us not fool ourselves. Brexit means exit. It means a world in which we have to be competitive enough to thrive outside the single European market.'
A visually impaired man has been attacked, robbed and thrown off of a tram in Melbourne.

Sickening CCTV footage shows a thug punching the partially blind 37-year-old in the face and putting him in a headlock before dragging him through the carriage.

The brazen thief had earlier allegedly demanded the passenger hand over his phone, but took it by force when he refused.

A visually impaired man (left) has been attacked, robbed and thrown off of a tram in Melbourne

After hauling the disabled man along the floor of the carriage, he threw him out of the stationary tram's door.

The mugger then casually walked back to the man's seat and snatched his phone.

The shaken visually impaired man was left in a heap at a suburban tram stop in south east Melbourne but was able to walk a nearby police station.

Police told 9 News that the victim was in a 'state of shock' following the 'traumatic attack'.

'It'd be a fairly horrific thing to go through,' senior constable Mark Drinkwater said.

'The fact that he's vision impaired and suffers some other medical issues, the fact that he was unable to defend himself added to how traumatic this incident was.'

Sickening CCTV footage shows a thug (right) punching the partially blind 37-year-old (left) in the face and putting him in a headlock before dragging him through the carriage

After hauling the disabled man (left) along the floor of the carriage, he threw him out of the stationary tram's door

The attacker is believed to have stayed on the carriage for a few more stops before getting off in Prahran, north of St Kilda.

Police say the man then made a number of phone calls using the stolen device.

Officers said they were looking for a man of Asian appearance, who was in his late 20s to 30s.

The man has dark hair but is balding and was wearing a dark jacket, grey trousers and black and white shoes during the attack, which took place in July last year.
A car bomb attack in a busy square in Baghdad has killed at least 32 people.

The blast happened in the sprawling Sadr City district this morning and also wounded more than 40 people.

It came after a suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden vehicle in the bustling market where many of the victims were daily labourers waiting for jobs at an intersection.

A burned vehicle is removed from the site of car bomb attack in a busy square at Baghdad's sprawling Sadr City district

Iraqi security forces and on-passers inspect a charred vehicle on the site of the bomb attack this morning

In an online statement, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it targeted Shiites

Pictures posted on social media shortly after the explosion showed a huge plume of black smoke billowing into the sky and seriously injured people being evacuated.

In an online statement, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it targeted Shiites.

During a press conference with French president Francois Hollande, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the bomber pretended to be a man seeking to hire day laborers.

He explained that once the laborers gathered around, he detonated the vehicle and warned that 'terrorists will further try to hit civilians to make up for the losses,' they have suffered on the battlefield.

'We are determined to annihilate terrorism and we are able to shorten its age,' he said, calling on security forces and civilians to remain vigilant.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the bomber pretended to be a man seeking to hire day laborers

Blood stains are seen at the site of the car bomb in a busy square in Baghdad which left 32 dead

The attack also comes as ISIS rained down on Iraqi military positions north of the capital and killed 16 pro-government fighters dead.

Meanwhile, three bombs killed 29 people across Baghdad on Saturday, and an attack near the southern city of Najaf on Sunday left seven policemen dead.

U.S.-backed Iraqi forces are currently fighting to push ISIS, the Sunni Muslim militant group, from the northern city of Mosul, the fighters' last major stronghold in the country, but are facing fierce resistance.

A car bomb attack in a busy square in the Sadr City area of Baghdad has killed at least 32 people

Pictures posted on social media shortly after the explosion showed a huge plume of black smoke billowing into the sky and seriously injured people being evacuated

The recapture of Mosul would probably spell the end for the jihadi's self-styled caliphate, 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 offensive began on October 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.

As clashes continued in and around Mosul on Monday, ISIS also targeted military positions away from the main battlefield.

Militants attacked an army barracks near Baiji, north of Baghdad, killing four soldiers and wounding 12 people, including Sunni tribal fighters, army and police sources said.

U.S.-backed Iraqi forces are currently fighting to push ISIS, the Sunni Muslim militant group, from the northern city of Mosul, pictured

Since the offensive began on October 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 (file picture)

They seized weapons there and launched mortars at nearby Shirqat, forcing security forces to impose a curfew and close schools and offices in the town, according to local officials and security sources.

Shirqat mayor Ali Dodah said ISIS seized three checkpoints on the main road linking Baiji to Shirqat following the attacks. Shelling in Shirqat had killed at least two children, he told Reuters by phone.

In a separate incident, gunmen broke into a village near Udhaim, where they executed nine Sunni tribal fighters with shots to the head, police and medical sources said.
Turkish police have released two new pictures of the suspected Istanbul nightclub killer as they closed in on two locations in the hunt for the ISIS fanatic.

The images, which appear to be taken from CCTV footage, show Turkey's most wanted man wearing a black and blue bomber jacket and leaning on a counter.

They were released by investigators as shocking images emerged purportedly showing the bloody aftermath of the New Year's Eve massacre.

This afternoon, the towns of Yalova and Bursa were both understood to be targeted by police after members of the public claimed to have spotted the nightclub killer.

The first sighting took place in the port town of Yalova, where the suspect was allegedly seen disembarking from a passenger ferry after crossing about 40 miles across the Sea of Marmara.

He then was reportedly seen hitchhiking to Bursa, a distance of 45 miles.

Police are understood to now know the suspect's identity, nationality and associates but have not yet released this information to protect their investigation, Turkish media has claimed.

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Shocking pictures have emerged purportedly showing the bloody aftermath of the Istanbul nightclub massacre

Harrowing images reveal the carnage that unfolded inside the club with victims slumped next to their chairs and their unfinished drinks still intact on the tables beside them. The gunman is pictured firing his weapon at the entrance to the venue

Turkish police have released CCTV images of the man they suspect of Saturday's massacre

The killer fired 120 rounds and used some four magazines while on his murderous rampage

It comes after anti-terror officers arrested eight people in connection with the attack.

Investigators continue to question the eight people  most of whom were from Kazakstan and Kyrgyzstan  trying desperately to establish some connection between them and the atrocity.

Police have also released the taxi driver who drove the terrorist to the Reina nightclub after several hours of questioning, leaving them with very few leads.

According to investigators, the suspect is thought to originate from Kyrgyzstan.

A spokeswoman from the country's foreign ministry, Aiymkan Kulukeyeva, told Turkish media that her officials are 'checking' the information and assisting police with their attempts to identify the suspect.

This comes as shocking pictures have emerged purportedly showing the bloody aftermath of the Istanbul nightclub massacre.

The bodies of revellers slaughtered by an ISIS gunman can be seen piled up on the floor of the exclusive venue as police examine the scene.

Harrowing images reveal the carnage that unfolded inside the club with victims slumped next to their chairs and their unfinished drinks still on the tables beside them.

The gunman fired off four magazines containing a total of 120 bullets around the club, as terrified guests flung themselves into the freezing waters of the Bosphorus in panic.

This morning it emerged that the 39 people killed included the daughter of a prominent Lebanese businessman, the chief of security at the Reina nightclub, and a bus driver who had unwittingly transported a group of partygoers to their deaths.

A female security guard, an Arab-Israeli student and a Lebanese banker were also among those murdered.

Details of the victims were released as an international manhunt continued for the attacker who arrived in a taxi before unleashing a hail of 120 bullets during a five-and-a-half minute rampage at the exclusive night spot.

One of the Istanbul attacker's victims was Rita Sami (pictured), 26, daughter of Ilyas Schami, a prominent Lebanese businessman. She was pictured on social media wearing flowers in her hair (right)

Lebanese banker Heykel Musellim (pictured) was a victim of the attack. He was identified using a DNA sample from one of his relatives

Also named as a victim of the ISIS atrocity was 25-year-old Lebanese man Ilyas Vardini (pictured)

The gunman, believed to be captured by CCTV left and right, rained down 'a hail of bullets' on the New Year revellers and is still on the run

Club bouncer and mother-of-one Hatice Koc'un was among the 39 people who were gunned down in Istanbul. Turkish law requires a female guard be present to search women clubbers

This morning, ISIS claimed responsibility for the New Year's Eve atrocity which it said was carried out by a 'heroic soldier of the caliphate who attacked the most famous nightclub where Christians were celebrating their pagan feast.'

ISIS branded Turkey a 'servant of the cross' as its ranting online message said the atrocity was in 'revenge for God's religion and in response to the orders' of the terror group's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The terror group claimed the extremist used both a machinegun and hand grenades during the attack.

Investigators said this morning that they had found the jacket discarded by the attacker as he fled the scene. It had 500 Turkish Lira (about 115) in the pocket, local media have reported.

Police believe that the suspect made his escape in a taxi, according to reports, which he hailed on the street after committing the massacre.

He escaped north into the Kurucesme district on the banks of the Bosphorus, officers now believe.

Grieving: Tearful relatives of Fatih Cakmak, a security guard and a victim of an attack by a gunman at Reina nightclub, break down during his funeral in Istanbul

Mourners huddled together at the funeral of Busra Kose, another victim of the nightclub attack

The mother of Fatih Cakmak, a security guard killed in the attack, breaks down in tears at her son's funeral

Just one of the 39 victims remained unidentified this morning, after police worked through the night with families of the deceased.

Investigators are desperately trying to piece together evidence, in the hope of shedding light on the identity of the attacker who remains the subject of a frenzied manhunt.

Today Turkish media reported that the gunman took a cab to the venue, but got out due to traffic and walked the last four minutes to the scene.

In just over five minutes, the killer used six magazines, totalling 180 bullets, to massacre his unarmed victims, according to Turkish media which also reported, that police believe the suspect may be from the Central Asian states of Kyrgyzstan or Uzbekistan.

A local security specialist, Abdullah Agar, also said that CCTV footage of the attacker appeared to suggest that he had an old injury to his foot.

Clamp down: Turkish police were seen carrying out spot checks as the search for the gunman continued

A Turkish police officer searches a person near the scene a day after an attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul

Officers search a car during a spot check on traffic as the search continued this morning

Turkish anti riot police officers stand guard in front of the Reina night club this morning

A woman leaves carnations at a security barricade near the scene, a day after the attack

Footage filmed at the entrance of the nightclub in Istanbul's Ortakoy district, shows the man shooting indiscriminately as he rained down 'a hail of bullets' on the clubbers.

Grainy CCTV images released by Turkish police shows the suspect who fled the club after the massacre.

An earlier report on the shooting included a photograph, which was understood to have been issued by Turkish police, of a man who the police were said to be looking for. In fact the man in the photograph had nothing to do with the shooting, is not a suspect and is not being sought by police.

Among the first to be killed were the club's head of security, Fatih Cakmak, 35, who was shot dead on the steps of the venue.

He had already had a brush with death last month, when he was working at Istanbul's Vodafone Arena as it was hit by a major bomb attack.

Ayhan Arik, who drove the bus that reportedly carried some of the victims to the club, was also killed in front of the entrance.

Sparks are seen flying down the street as the Istanbul nightclub shooter walks towards the Reina nightclub

People standing outside the club can be seen diving for cover as the gunman approaches, firing indiscriminately

After shooting a victim to the left of the screen, the gunman then runs into the nightclub

Photos from inside Istanbul's packed Reina club show partygoers celebrating moments before the gunman stormed the venue with an AK-47

He had two sons, and has already been laid to rest at a ceremony attended by his friends and family, at which his wife was reportedly so distressed that she was unable to stand.

Female security guard Hatice Karcilar also lost her life in the atrocity. The mother of a three-year-old child had also reportedly survived last month's bombing attack, and had posted pictures of herself on social media kissing the Turkish flag. She will be buried later today.

As the killer made his way inside the club, he fired indiscriminately as he reportedly screamed 'Allahu Akhbar', gunning down Rita Sami, 26, daughter of Ilyas Schami, a prominent Lebanese businessman. She was pictured on social media wearing flowers in her hair.

Also killed was police officer Burak Yildiz, 21, from Mersin in southern Turkey, who graduated from the police academy 18 months ago and had recently suffered the loss of his father.

Shortly before his death, he had posted on Facebook in sympathy for his young colleagues killed in previous terror attacks, saying, 'your bravery is not matched by your age', and 'your loss leaves a fire in our hearts', according to Turkish media.

Also gunned down was police officer Burak Yildiz, who had been guarding the front of the upmarket riverside club

Club worker Kenan Kutluk (right) has been named as a victim. His Facebook page shows him posing next to footballer Diego Costa

Fatih Cakmak, a policeman who was on duty at the nightclub during the New Year celebrations, was also killed

Cakmak had previously escaped another attack while working at the match between Besiktas and Bursaspor last month when a car bomb exploded

Police have released several images of a suspect, they do not have yet have a name. CCTV, believed to be from inside the club, shows the gunman wearing hat

Moments before the attack clubbers were pictured enjoying the celebrations in the exclusive venue

The news was broken to the family by the chief of Mersin police, Mehmet Sahne, Turkish media reported, and his mother broke down when she received the news, having to be supported by health workers. A Turkish flag was put up in front of his house.

Israeli Arab student Leanne Nasser, 19, who was on holiday in Turkey with three of her friends for the New Year, also lost her life in the shooting. One of her friends was injured while the other two were traumatised but physically unharmed, Israeli officials told MailOnline.

'Their friends told them not to come because they thought it was too dangerous,' said Shira Ben Zion, Israel's deputy consul in Istanbul. The survivors returned to Israel last night.

Also killed were waiter Kenan Kutluk, who was married with two children, and Lebanese banker Heykel Musellim, who was identified using a DNA sample from one of his relatives. His body will be released in the coming days.

Crying relatives gather around the coffin of one of the victims of the Turkish nightclub massacre ahead of the funeral

A young boy breaks down and rests his head on top of the coffin of one of the victims

A man kisses the coffin of Ayhan Arik, one of the 39 people killed in the attack on New Year's Eve

People in the city began burying the dead just 13 hours after the attack in line with Muslim tradition

Mustafa Sezgin Seymen was shot dead in front of his fiance, Turkish media reported.

Financial adviser Mustafa Kaya was also among the dead, and his body was taken to his hometown of Kastamonu.

Also named were security guard Yunus Gormek, Lebanese Ilyas Vardini, 25, Mesut Gurbuz, 28, a Turkish tourism representative working in Germany, and Iraqi university student Jalal Abbas.

Bodies of the 13 Turkish victims have been released to their families for burial after the conclusion of autopsy and identification procedures.

Meanwhile, relatives and Bollywood friends have converged at the Mumbai home of Abis Rizvi, one of the two Indian victims.

They offered condolences to the bereaved family on Monday even as Rizvi's father left for Istanbul to bring back his son's body. The body is expected to reach Mumbai on Wednesday, according to Bollywood actor and friend Raza Murad.

Rizvi, a 49-year-old builder, wrote, produced and directed a Bollywood movie 'Roar: The Tigers of Sunderbans,' in 2014 aimed at spreading awareness about tigers.

Turkish jets and tanks hammered 100 ISIS targets in Syria just hours after the terror group's gunman killed 39 New Year's Eve revellers in an Istanbul nightclub

Dramatic aerial footage shows warplanes using rockets to obliterate ISIS hideouts near the towns of al-Bab, Tadif and Bzagah in the north of the war-torn country, killing 22 extremists and destroying buildings

The video emerged as Turkish authorities continued their manhunt for the nightclub killer who arrived in a taxi before slaughtering partygoers

The other Indian victim of the Istanbul attack that killed 39 people was Khushi Shah, a fashion designer from Vadodara, a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat.

The dead also included 25 foreign nationals from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Tunisia, India, Morocco, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Canada, Israel, Syria and Russia.

Efforts are being made to identify the final body.

Meanwhile, Turkey's state-run news agency says more than 100 ISIS targets in Syria have been hit by Turkey and Russia in separate operations, a day after a deadly attack at a popular Istanbul nightclub during New Year's celebrations claimed by the group.

Citing the Turkish Chief of General Staff's office, Anadolu Agency said Turkish jets struck eight IS group targets while tanks and artillery fired upon 103 targets near Al Bab, killing 22 extremists while destroying many structures.

Anadolu added that Russian jets also attacked ISIS targets in Dayr Kak, five miles to the southwest of Al Bab.

Turkey sent troops into neighboring northern Syria in August to clear a border area of ISIS militants and curb territorial advances by Syrian Kurdish forces.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim (pictured) revealed the gunman left his weapon inside the venue and escaped by 'taking advantage of the chaos' that ensued

This morning armed police with shields formed a ring of steel around the nightclub in Istanbul
A former baggage handler who became a multi-millionaire is to give away the vast majority of his fortune.

Ken Townsley, 71, has pledged huge chunks of his 100m fortune towards helping children with life-limiting or terminal illnesses.

He plans to handpick the charities who will benefit from his enormous wealth, having already made sizable donations to two children's hospices.

Ken Townsley, 71, has pledged huge chunks of his 100m fortune towards helping children with life-limiting or terminal illnesses

Margaret Ingram, who runs the entrepreneur's Kentown Wizard Foundation in Blackpool: 'Quite often they are very surprised to hear from us because they have not applied. We just ask if they want some money,' she said.

Ken began working as a baggage handler aged 15 before working his way up to the role of reservations manager at Blackpool Airport.

However after moving to British Eagle Airways he was made redundant when the company folded in 1968.

Ken used the money he received through a redundancy payment to set up a travel agent in Blackpool town centre.

From lowly beginnings Gold Medal Travel grew into a 600-employee company which he sold to travel giants Thomas Cook in 2009 for around 87 million.

But the shy and retiring mogul doesn't live an excessively opulent lifestyle despite his vast wealth and still cooks and cleans after himself.

Margaret said: 'He doesn't have a chaffeur or cook. I went out to see him in Thailand recently and he cleans the place himself and he cooks for himself.

'He does not have a playboy lifestyle.'

Ken, who now lives in Florida, has already funded two nurses at Brian House Children's Hospice in Bispham, Blackpool, and paid for a refurbishment of Donna's Dreamhouse in the town.

David Houston, chief executive of Brian House, said the donation will make a 'huge difference' to the 80 children being cared for at the hospice.

He said: 'This is such a generous donation. Covering our day to day running costs is a constant challenge and having the support of Kentown Wizard means such a lot to us.

Brian House Children's Hospice in Bispham, part of Trinity Hospice, has received funding for two nurses from Kentown Wizard Foundation in the past

'Grants like this do not come along very often and we feel very fortunate to have the support of this local foundation.'

Len Curtis, who founded Donna's Dreamhouse, said: 'It's a phenomenal charitable gesture. I can't believe it. It's like winning the lottery.

'We got a letter saying we would be considered, but it didn't have much information other than they wanted to come and talk to us. Then it came to a couple of meetings.

'It was only revealed on Wednesday the extent of the help they wanted to give.

'We've had the Secret Millionaire and people who have given anonymously, but nothing like this before. It's unique.'

Ken's philanthropy has also seen him donate 200,000 each to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Dreams Come True, as well as 20,000 to the Rainbow Trust.

Margaret said: 'Ken just lets us get on with it.

'He does not really want to be involved in the day-to-day decision making process.
The 35 suspected Russian spies expelled by Barack Obama arrived back in Moscow in the early hours of this morning with their families.

Mr Obama last week expelled the diplomats over the hacking of US political groups during the 2016 presidential election.

The US government accused the diplomats of 'acting in a manner inconsistent with their diplomatic status'  a euphemism for spying  and gave them 72 hours to leave the country.

The special flight touched down in Moscow at 2.08am today after departing from Dulles International Airport in Virginia yesterday.

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The plane carrying the 35 Russian diplomats accused of spying by the US arrived back in Moscow this morning

Obama ordered the expulsion of the Russians and imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence agencies over their involvement in hacking political groups during the election

In freezing conditions in Moscow, the diplomats and their families were ushered off the flight and into waiting buses on the tarmac

In freezing temperatures, the diplomats were ushered into waiting buses and driven away.

The curtains on the windows remained shut to avoid showing their faces as their identities have not been officially disclosed.

As well as expelling the diplomats, Mr Obama ordered sanctions on Russian spy agencies and closed two Russian compounds in Maryland and New York suspected of being spying hubs for their agents.

State television showed the diplomats and their families gathering their luggage on the tarmac in the rain before heading inside the terminal via buses

'NO COMPUTER IS SAFE', SAYS TRUMP Donald Trump yesterday said 'no computer is safe' as he expressed further doubts over claims Russia tried to influence the US election through hacking. The US president-elect also cryptically claimed that he knows 'things that other people don't know' about the issue. Speaking at his New Year's Eve party in Florida, Mr Trump 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.' Advertisement

Using Cold War rhetoric, he said the hacking 'could only have been directed by the highest levels of the Russian government', suggesting Russian President Vladimir Putin was personally involved.

The Russian government dismissed hacking allegations as absurd but Mr Putin declined to order a tit-for-tat expulsion of American diplomats, claiming he would not 'stoop' to Obama's level.

He said he would consider the actions of President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on January 20, when deciding on further steps in Russia-U.S. relations.

Mr Trump has repeatedly cast aside allegations by US intelligence agencies that Vladimir Putin has ordered hacking in the US.

The plane that transported the Russian diplomats was an Ilyushin Il-96, part of the fleet of aircraft which ferry Mr Putin, his ministers and senior politicians around Russia and beyond.

It arrived at Vnukovo airport's VIP terminal under darkness in Moscow at 2.08am local time, but there was no sign of a formal welcome for the expelled diplomats.

Boxes and other luggage were seen being loaded into waiting vans.

They were then seen being driven away in Soviet-style PAZ buses to the terminal.
The Army has come under fire for gender stereotyping after promoting military make-up sessions in a bid to get more women to sign up.

While the military has been trying to recruit with more ethnic and gender diversity, their campaign has been slammed for using cosmetics as a way to get girls involved.

The 154 Scottish Regiment went in very heavily on the theme as it tried to promote an event in Glasgow at the start of last month.

The Army has come under fire for gender stereotyping after promoting military make-up sessions in a bid to get more women to sign up

A post on the its jobs page said: 'Ladies, have you been to our 'Military Makeup' stand at SECC #Glasgow yet? We're here all weekend, so come and try out some Cam cream and take some selfies with Our Girls.

'Make sure you pop along to see us and ask your #ArmyJobs questions and to take some #selfies with the team. #ABetterYou #ItsanArmyGirlThing.'

The post was taken down after receiving a barrage of complaints.

But another post remains up on their Twitter feed that states: 'Looking for REAL BEAUTY the girls behind the make up. #GDO2016 @32SignalRegt @154ScottishRegt #SheWhoDaresWins #UnlockingPotential'

This was followed by an emoji of lips, lipstick and a crown.

Baroness Burt, the Liberal Democrat equalities spokesman, told The Telegraph: 'If the Army thinks that some green make-up is the way to recruit women, they are very seriously out of touch with modern women.

The 154th Scottish Regiment went in very heavily on the theme as it tried to promote an event in Glasgow at the start of last month

'This kind of patronising gender stereotyping will do nothing to enhance the image of the army  to men or women.'

An Army spokesman said: 'We're proud that the Times placed us in its top 50 Employers for Women this year because we're firmly committed to promoting equality.
A murder investigation has been launched after a man was killed in a 'targeted and wilful' fire on New Year's Day.

The victim has been named as Cameron Logan, 23, who had been celebrating the New Year with his 24-year-old girlfriend before returning to his family home.

Police are hunting for suspects after he died and his girlfriend was seriously injured in a 'horrifying' house fire in Milngavie, on the outskirts of Glasgow, yesterday.

She remains in Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in a critical condition.

Mr Logan's parents, David - a lawyer - and Cathy, both 54, were taken to hospital and treated for smoke inhalation. The family dog also died in the fire.

Young couple: Cameron and Bex on her Facebook page

The victim has been named as Cameron Logan, 23, who had been celebrating the New Year with his girlfriend before returning to his family home. He is pictured with his mother

A murder investigation has been launched after a man was killed in a 'targeted and wilful' fire on New Year's Day

A considerable police presence remains at the scene in Milngavie, on the outskirts of Glasgow

When firefighters extinguished the blaze, Mr Logan's body was found inside the semi-detached house.

Police Scotland's Major Investigation Team has now launched a murder inquiry after determining the fire was wilful and deliberate.

Yesterday, the devastating impact of the fire could be seen at the home, which lies at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac.

Both upstairs windows were burnt out, while the lower half of the building remained covered by green tarpaulin put in place by emergency services.

The home next door did not appear to have been damaged.

Mr Logan's parents, David (pictured) and Cathy, both 54, were taken to hospital and treated for smoke inhalation

A considerable police presence  including a force helicopter and forensic investigators  remained at the scene throughout the day.

Detective Chief Inspector Bob Frew, of the major investigations team, appealed for information today.

He said: 'Cameron had been out with his girlfriend celebrating Hogmanay and both had returned to his home in the early hours of the morning.

'Later that morning, a fire was set deliberately at the house. Cameron died at the scene.

'His parents, both 54 years of age, have since been released from hospital, however, his 24-year-old girlfriend remains in hospital where medical staff describe her condition as critical.

'The family pet dog also died at the scene.

'Officers are still at the house carrying out enquiries and are also in the area speaking to neighbours and checking CCTV.

'Although it was early on New Year's morning, it's possible that people were about, maybe walking their dogs or out jogging in or near the area.

When firefighters extinguished the blaze, Mr Logan's body was found inside the family home

Police are hunting for suspects after a man died and a woman was seriously injured in a 'horrifying' house fire in Milngavie, on the outskirts of Glasgow, yesterday

Detectives are now appealing for anyone in the area who may have seen someone running away from the house to come forward. Tributes were left at the scene of the fatal house fire

Yesterday, the devastating impact of the fire could be seen at the home, which lies at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac

'I would appeal to them or indeed anyone who was near Achray Place, who saw activity at the house prior to or after the fire to contact police.'

Detective Inspector Martin Fergus, said last night: 'This is a truly terrible incident in which a man has died and another woman remains in a serious condition at hospital following a targeted and wilful fire.

'Local residents are understandably shocked that a man has lost his life within the blaze, particularly given that it occurred on New Year's Day, a time when families and friends come together and spend time with each other.

'I want to reassure residents that all is being done to trace the person or persons responsible, and to ensure that they are held to account for their actions.'

When firefighters extinguished the blaze, the body of the man, who has still to be formally identified, was found inside the semi-detached house

Three people were taken to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, where one, a 24-year-old woman, remains with serious injuries

A woman and man, both aged 54, received treatment for smoke inhalation and were released

A shocked neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said: 'We had quite a late night for New Year's and so I didn't even realise anything was wrong until I saw the fire brigade outside.

'It's such a shame that this has happened on New Year's Day.'

Police and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service were called to the blazing property at Achray Place around 7.25am yesterday.

Detectives are now appealing for anyone in the area who may have seen someone running away from the house to come forward.
A British couple have been found hanged in Cambodia with their hands bound together and an apparent suicide note blaming the NHS for 'constantly letting us down'.

The couple have been named as Robert Wells, 36, from Sunderland, and his wife Imogen Goldie, 28, from Camberwell, south London. It is believed they had recently moved to the seaside town of Sihanoukville, in south Cambodia.

Friends of the couple said they found their bodies swollen, their eyes blindfolded and mouths gagged.

The couple have been named as Robert Wells, 36, from Sunderland, and his wife Imogen Goldie, 28, from Camberwell, south London

A British couple were found hanged in their rented room in Cambodia with an apparent suicide note next to them

It is believed the couple had recently moved to the seaside town of Sihanoukville, in south Cambodia

Cambodia newspapers reported their landlord, named as Ian Goodwin, as saying they were due to leave their rented room on December 29 but did not have the money to pay for their accommodation.

In the apparent suicide note, recovered by police, it read: 'Alternatively, you could save on shipping and have the cremation done here in Sihanoukville. It's a beautiful place and we never wanted to leave, but we understand and this will be the choice of our family.

'We are sorry, but hopefully we will find peace from depression, bi-polar, Aspergers and the NHS which has constantly let us down.

'We love you all and hope that memories will take the place of tears, but we are going to be in a better place - either a peaceful oblivion without bad dreams, but who knows, we may find each other again.'

Senior police officer Major General Narin of Sihanoukville said the case was still under investigation.

The British Embassy has been alerted to the gruesome discovery.

For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 116 123, visit a local Samaritans branch or visit their website.

The couple, who lived in the seaside town of Sihanoukville, in south Cambodia, were reported as originally being from Sunderland and Camberwell, in south London
Aldi has been accused of throwing away thousands of dollars' worth of unsold clothes and toys that could have been given to the homeless or needy.

Campaigner Karen Johns claims to have found a haul of unused, packaged goods in the bins behind her local supermarket in Queensland.

She and scores of people have slammed Aldi, saying the apparently binned items could have been donated to a worthy cause.

It is not clear whether the items seen in the bins in the video belong to Aldi or whether they had been offered to any charities.

Campaigner Karen Johns claims to have found a haul of unused, packaged goods in the bins behind her local Aldi in Queensland

Ms Johns, who works for a domestic violence charity, posted a video on Facebook showing her rooting through the bins behind the Aldi in Strathpine, north of Brisbane.

'Apparently there are thousands and thousands of dollars' worth of clothes in here, kids' clothes, Collette Dinnigan's stuff, but other stuff in here as well,' she says before lifting up the lid of a large bin.

'There's heaps and heaps and heaps of stuff,' Ms Johns says, as she picks up ladies' pant sets, men's T-shirts and Captain America and Guardians of the Galaxy children's books.

As she rummages through the rubbish, she asks: 'It's just such a waste, why weren't they given to charity?'

'I had an insider tell me this is all brand new stuff. What are [Aldi] worried about by giving it to us?

'Every business deserves the right to do what they want with their product, but seriously this is a joke.

'There are so many people in need. What is wrong, if you're going to throw it out, with us being able to give it to them?

'I could use this for the homeless, for domestic violence survivors and instead we've got to turn around and walk away. It doesn't seem right somehow.'

Aldi has been accused of throwing away thousands of dollars' worth of unsold clothes and toys that could instead be given to the homeless or needy

Ms Johns, who works for a domestic violence charity, posted a video on Facebook showing her rooting through the bins behind the Aldi in Strathpine, north of Brisbane

Ms Johns initially left the items behind but wrote on Facebook that she later returned to take some of them.

Her discovery infuriated scores of people online, with many calling for unsold goods to be given to people in need.

Jennifer Bishop wrote to Aldi and said: 'To throw away perfectly good products and clothing is a disgraceful waste.

'You should be giving them to charity or to the needy. What an appalling thing for a company to do.'

She and scores of people have slammed the supermarket (file picture), saying the apparently binned items could have been donated to a worthy cause

'Shame on Strathpine Aldi, Queensland, throwing good items in the bin when it could be donated to charity. Good on Karen Johns for bringing this to media attention,' Jenny Brown said.

'I stretch every dollar to buy stuff from these stores and they put ridiculous prices on them and then you see them just throw it all away,' Sallie Wise wrote.

'If they are just dumping it, why can't they make it affordable? My son begged me for those Avengers books and I felt like c**p saying "no", only to see it just thrown in a bin.'

An Aldi spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: 'Our policy is to return all unsold clothing and undamaged nonfood items to our warehouses, where a decision is made on whether the products are suitable for donation to charity.

'We can confirm that the recent incident at ALDI Strathpine is isolated and does not reflect our usual procedure.'

On its website, Aldi states that it 'regularly' gives children's books, clothing, bed linen and other household goods to the Barnardos charity.
Brits are being encouraged to rifle through their change jars for a rare 20th Century coin could make you almost 40,000.

Due to low mintage, a George V sovereign Sydney mint could fetch between 8,500 and 37,500, depending on its condition.

Anyone who owns a 1926 edition of the sovereign should check the side of the coin for an S - showing it was made in Sydney and hugely increasing its value.

Due to low mintage, a George V sovereign Sydney mint could fetch between 8,500 and 37,500, depending on its condition

Records on londoncoins.co.uk show that a 1926S sovereign was indeed sold for 18,000 in September 2014.

THE SYDNEY MINT Since 1871, British sovereigns were struck at branch mints around the Commonwealth, as well as at the Royal Mint, in London. Sydney was the first branch mint, and stopped production in the year of these precious coins. More followed in locations that were rich in gold mines, such as Melbourne, Perth, Ottawa, Bombay and Pretoria. On average, around two million sovereigns were produced in Sydney every single year. However, only half of this were produced in 1926 (compared to five million the previous year) Advertisement

And despite not reaching anywhere near the experts' valuation, one of the coins is currently available on eBay for a tidy profit-making 2,500.

It comes as Britain prepares to welcome a new 12-sided 1 coin from March.

Households are being warned to spend or bank all their round pound coins before October, when they will cease to be legal tender.

The last batch to roll off the presses, a 2016 coin, which has not entered circulation, can be bought via the Royal Mint for 10, or Westminster Collection for 8.98.

The Royal Mint has set no limit on how many of these coins will be minted, it is down to demand.

If demand is low, in theory, it could make it highly sought after in the future.

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.

Despite not reaching anywhere near the experts' valuation, this particular coin is available on eBay for a tidy profit-making 2,500.
Ella-Rose and Jayden Arrowsmith were left distraught by the late cancellation of the easyjet flight

A dream trip to Disneyland, Paris for a family was ruined after an Easyjet flight was cancelled after people tried to board.

Morgan Russell, 26, and partner Mike Arrowsmith from Buckley in North Wales, were taking their children Ella-Rose, two and Jayden, seven for a magical trip to the theme park having saved 2,000 to get them there.

They were taking their seats on easyJet flight 7045 to the French capital on Friday night when they were told they had to return to the airport lounge.

They said children were left in tears after staff announced the plane would not be leaving - because delays caused by bad weather meant the crew had worked over their hours.

Ms Russell told the Liverpool Echo: 'The plane was delayed, which was fine, then we started to board the plane.

'People were in front of us then everybody started turning around to get off. Nobody knew what was going on.

'They said there was an issue with the pilots hours.

'We were the last to board and I could hear one of the crew saying "You must have known this before we boarded".'

Ms Russell and Mr Arrowsmith saved for more than a year and surprised their children with balloons on Christmas Day to tell them about the trip.

She said it was left to staff to explain the flight was cancelled because of the pilot's hours.

One mother said there was a 'stampede' to a customer service desk to snap up any alternative flights, but most were left disappointed.

With no other flights from Liverpool until Tuesday, and a huge cost of 1,800 to fly from Manchester, the family was stuck.

Having booked the hotel separately, they now lose out on refunds, and maximum compensation from the airline will only come to 1,000 Euros.

Ms Russell explained: 'Theyve said the weather was to blame so we dont know if our travel insurance will pay out.

'I had to stop myself from crying in front of the children. Ella-Rose is only two so she doesnt understand, but she has been asking if were going swimming and if shell see the princesses.'

Morgan Russell shared this snap of Ella-Rose sitting in her suitcase as she packed for the family's trip to Disneyland, which they'd saved for a year to take

Another disgruntled passenger was Chris Hughes, 54, from West Derby, who was travelling to Disneyland Paris with his wife Susan and his daughters Sophie, 19, and Millie, eight.

He said: 'They ushered us into a lounge and said that we could make our own alternative travel arrangements with other flights, but there were no other flights that day.

'I was dumbfounded, especially as theyd already put us on the plane. They couldnt get a back-up crew and didnt have one in place.

They had surprised their children with the news with a lightbox, displaying the message 'five days til Disneyland' and balloons on Christmas morning

'There was a family from Blackpool who didnt know how they were getting back, but my son is a taxi driver and he took them home.'

Mr Hughes could also only find alternative flights from Manchester, meaning nearly 2,000 extra for his family to fly.

Easyjet has been contacted by MailOnline for a comment, but told the Echo: 'Unfortunately, due to freezing fog at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and earlier delays due to adverse weather in Amsterdam, easyJet was unable to operate flight EZY7045 from Liverpool to Paris on 30 December as its crew had exceeded their legal operating hours.
The man who died two hours after taking an unknown substance at an outdoor New Year's Eve rave party has been identified.

Jake Monahan, from the northern New South Wales town of Nimbin, swallowed a substance at the YewbuNYE party at Mount Lindesay, on the Queensland-NSW border, 9News reported.

Two other men believed to be friends of Mr Monahan remain in a critical condition.

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Jake Monaghan, the man who died after taking a substance at a New Year's Eve rave party

Jake Monahan, from the New South Wales town of Nimbin, died two hours after taking an unknown substance at the Mount Lindesay party, on the Queensland side of the state border

Witnesses say they saw a man claw the ground like he was 'not even human' at the party packed with up to 500 people.

Police were called about 10.20am on Sunday after a whole night of partying in the hinterland area south-west of the Gold Coast.

At least five people had begun showing signs of adverse reactions and required urgent medical assistance, police said.

A man has died and two others are in a critical condition after suffering adverse reactions to an unknown substance at the YewbuNYE rave

The rave party on the Queensland side of the state border continued despite several people having a bad reaction to the drugs

Revellers are pictured near the rave along the Queensland and New South Wales border

The YewbuNYE rave (wristband pictured) was put on by Ubunye

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.

Witnesses Jade and Dylan, from NSW, described seeing a man screaming and clawing the ground.

'He was possessed, crazy, not even human,' Jade told The Courier-Mail.

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.'

The two ravers in hospital 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.

Police estimated up to 500 people were at the rave, which under-18s were able to attend if accompanied by an adult

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.

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 coronial report.

Police also carried out 376 random breath tests at Mount Lindesay following the rave party, catching five drug-affected drivers.

Nine arrests were made with 12 charges laid.
Texas lawmaker Armando Martinez, who was shot in the head with a stray bullet during New Year celebrations

A Texas lawmaker says he is lucky to be alive after being shot in the head with a stray bullet during New Year celebrations.

State representative Armando 'Mando' Martinez, a Democrat who represents Weslaco, had heard celebratory gunfire outside his home and sheltered in his garage.

When he thought it was safe, he and his wife went out into their yard and rang in 2017 by giving each other a New Year kiss.

However, shortly afterwards, he felt what he described as a 'sledgehammer' hit him over the head, and he was rushed to the neurological unit at Valley Baptist Medical Centre.

There doctors discovered a bullet fragment that had penetrated his skull and had lodged in the top layer of his brain.

He told The Monitor: 'At the stroke of midnight, my wife comes over and gives me a hug and a kiss, and right after that I felt like a sledgehammer hitting the back of my head.

Video courtesy of KRGV

'I grabbed it and she said, Whats wrong? I said I was hit by something.'

The round appeared to have been from a .223 caliber round and luckily Martinez is recovering well in hospital.

Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office has now confirmed that they are investigating the incident and said it was a miracle that Martinez survived.

Martinez felt what he described as a 'sledgehammer' hit him over the head, and he was rushed to the neurological unit at Valley Baptist Medical Centre, pictured

He told CNN: 'We have every reason to believe that he was hit by a stray bullet. There is not evidence to indicate he was targeted.

The Sheriff's Office also used the incident to warn people against firing weapons into the air in celebration.

Martinez, 40, has served in the Texas House of Representatives since 2005.
Richard Ratcliffe said he feels she is being used as a 'bargaining chip' in a spat

The husband of the British-Iranian has

in Tehran, Iran for plotting to 'topple the government'

The husband of a British-Iranian woman being held behind bars in Tehran has criticised the Government's response to her plight saying she is being used as a bargaining chip.

Charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is in jail for allegedly plotting to topple the government in Tehran but details of the charges against her have been kept secret and her husband Richard Ratcliffe.

Mr Ratcliffe said Theresa May and her ministers could have 'publicly stood up for Nazanin more' and should have called for her release.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 37, from Hampstead, north London, was arrested at Tehran Airport with daughter Gabriella in April. Pictured, Nazanin with Gabriella and husband Richard

The Prime Minister raised concerns about Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe with Iranian president Hassan Rouhani in the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York in September.

Mr Ratcliffe said: 'She raised those concerns in September. What happened after September? Nothing much, really.'

He said it was a 'good thing' that she did raise concerns but 'the Prime Minister raising criticisms would be better, the Prime Minister calling for her release would be better still'.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, from Hampstead, north-west London, was arrested at Tehran Airport on April 3 2016 with her two-year-old daughter Gabriella.

Mr Ratcliffe has suggested her detention is being used by the Tehran government in an attempt to get the British authorities to pay for an arms deal with Iran struck in the 1970s.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's case has attracted widespread media attention. Pictured, carol singers outside Downing Street urge politicians to help secure the British mother's release

'Obviously our family being caught up as a bargaining chip in international politics is a pretty tough place to be,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

He said more details of the charges against her may emerge at the appeal this week, which he hopes could bring an end to her ordeal.

'Who knows how it will go, we live it day by day. We will see where we are on Wednesday with this appeal and we will see what happens afterwards.

'Certainly, the longer it goes on the more pieces there are to pick up afterwards. So, hopefully, the sooner the better.'

The Thomson Reuters Foundation worker was moved out of solitary confinement over Christmas and Mr Ratcliffe said his wife's condition had improved.

'To go back a month or so ago she was suicidal and on hunger strike and very, very low and at her wits' end,' he said.

'I spoke to her on Christmas Day. She is still very sad and very low but there was more fight in her again. I think having been moved so she is with other women makes a big difference.'
A brother and sister in their sixties were among three people found dead at the bottom of 400ft cliffs in Dover on New Year's Day, Police have revealed today.

Officers were called when a man was seen on the edge of Langdon Cliffs and found a body below the rock face at 2.30pm on Sunday afternoon.

During the search the bodies of a different man and a woman - believed to be siblings in their sixties from Cheshire - were found less than half a mile away.

Police are appealing for witnesses who may have seen the unnamed siblings at the top of the cliff in wet weather gear and believe they may have fallen over the edge between Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

It is not clear if they both jumped to their deaths or fell over the edge in a tragic accident.

Kent detectives do not believe their deaths are connected to the first victim - a man in his forties from Greater Manchester.

Tragedies: Police are trying to identify three people who jumped to their deaths from cliffs near Dover on New Year's Day (pictured)

Probe: The bodies of the man and the woman were discovered near an engineering compound under the cliffs (pictured)

Plea: This Facebook user has asked that something must be done to protect people from taking their own lives at the suicide hotspot

A police spokesman said: 'Although formal identifications are yet to take place, the first man is believed to be a man in his 40s from the Greater Manchester area. His next of kin has been informed. His death is not being treated as suspicious.

'The second man and woman are believed to be a brother and sister, in their 60s from the Cheshire area. Officers do not believe the deaths of the second man and woman are connected to the death of the first man.

'Their deaths are not being treated as suspicious at this time and enquiries are ongoing to identify next of kin and reports are being compiled for the coroner.

'Officers are appealing for anyone who saw a man and woman in their 60s in dark-coloured wet weather clothing at the top of the cliffs in the period between Boxing Day and New Years Day to contact Kent Police on 101 quoting reference number 01-0980'.

The deaths have increased calls for volunteers to patrol the cliffs, which are a suicide hotspot.

Dawn Hyde posted on the Dover RNLI facebook page: 'Three more to add to last year's total? How many people have died this way from the cliffs of Dover....Will anyone release to true amount of lives lost in this way?

'We have street pastors on the streets of Dover & No one on top of our Cliffs to help people in need Surely someone must understand we need help on top of the cliffs.'

She added: 'You all have had a horrible job to do today. I don't want your crew to go through anymore. When perhaps some of these lives could of been saved. Your crew have enough horrors at sea as it is.'

One RNLI crewman said: 'It is tragic case. The cliffs are notorious for people taking their own lives. The cliffs are so high that if they jump, sadly there is only outcome.'

Dover and Deal MP Charlie Elphicke said last night: 'This is a truly tragic incident.

'Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives.

'Dover Lifeboat were once again called out in the most difficult of circumstances this afternoon.

'We must never forget the critical work these dedicated volunteers do.'

The bodies were discovered near an engineering compound under the cliffs. Directly above the cliffs is a nature reserve.

Ed Baker of Dover RNLI said: 'This is a tragic incident. We were called in by the Coastguard to help with the search of the first man.

'But his body was found on a ledge near the bottom of the cliffs.

'It was too high up for our lifeboat crew to reach so the Coastguard helicopter was used to winch the body to the top. He was taken to the Dover Coastguard HQ nearby and then removed to the mortuary.

'While the search was underway, a Coastguard Search and Rescue team found two more bodies close to the engineering compound on the Harbour arm of the Port of Dover.

'Directly above the cliffs there is the Eastern Heights Nature Reserve.'

Officers who were alerted to concern for the welfare of a man at Langdon Cliffs found a body at the base of the cliffs on Sunday afternoon (stock image)

Police officers were first called out over concern for a man seen at 400ft high cliffs along Langdon Bay and later found a body at the base of the cliffs on Sunday afternoon

Pictured: Emergency services gather close to the scene of where two of the bodies were found along the cliffs of Dover

Rescue teams from the Dover RNLI, Deal Coastguard and Langdon Battery were deployed to search the water.

A Kent 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.'

A Coastguard search and rescue helicopter crew from Lydd was also launched and spotted the man's body on the rocks, as well as the other bodies just half a mile away.

A spokesman for the Maritime Coastguard Agency said: 'At about 2.30pm today Kent Police requested assistance from the UK Coastguard in the Dover Docks area.

'Langdon Battery and Deal Coastguard Rescue Teams, the UK Coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at Lydd and the Dover RNLI Lifeboat were sent to the area.'

A spokesman for the Port of Dover, where two bodies were found near a harbour arm, said: 'The Port of Dover is aware of today's events and our thoughts are naturally with those affected.

'We have a dedicated team who are supporting the relevant agencies dealing with the matters in Dover.

'The incidents themselves are unrelated to Port activities, which continue normally.

'We cannot say anymore at this stage as it is a police investigation.'

All three bodies have been removed to a mortuary and post mortem examinations are due to take place on Tuesday to determine the cause of death.

The ages of the victims are not known at this stage.

Police are now trying to identify the three dead people and going through missing persons reports nationwide.
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A mansion worth millions has been snapped up by a charity - for just 1.

The magnificent Shire Hall building has been handed over by council bosses to the charity for the price of a loaf of bread.

The mansion in the centre of Presteigne, Mid Wales, was once the luxurious home where judges stayed while sitting in court.

The magnificent Shire Hall, in the middle of Presteigne, Mid Wales, was built in 1829 as a combination court room and judges' accommodation

The grand courtroom is virtually unchanged since 1830, and is among the most original 19th Century courtrooms in Britain

The dining room would have been used regularly for Judges' Dinners, Militia Dinners and other official functions. It was intended to display masculinity and lit only by beeswax candles

This cosy room was a common room for the servants and was the first place in the home to have gas lights installed, in order to test them on the servants

In its heyday the 190-year-old building was hailed as the 'most commodious and elegant' judges accommodation in England and Wales.

But the judges left after the final sitting of Radnorshire Assizes 46 years ago.

It has been used for the past 20 years as a museum and tourism centre.

But owners Powys county council has now sold the freehold to the Judge's Lodging Trust charity for a nominal 1 to develop it as a tourist attraction.

Mary, the maid, carried the water up the 41 steps from kitchen to bathroom 25 times in order to fill this tin bath, according to the museum's historians. The hot water cans were discovered discarded in the coal cellar, while the walls are covered with heavily varnished sanitary paper'

Left, the kitchen complete with a water pump which was connected to a well beneath the floor and originally also pumped the water to the judge's water-closet. Right, one of the two sets of cells open to visit at the mansion, where graffiti by the prisoners with their names and sentences can still be seen

The bedroom features a bidet stool, commode chest, and the toilet is concealed to look like a set of drawers and hipbath

The Judges Lodging trust says the building was opened in 1829 as a combination court house and judges' accommodation, as well as the administrative centre for the county. It cost 7,000 to build, but features some cost-cutting measures, such as the pillars, which are actually made of cast iron, not stone.

It has been restored to the colour scheme of 1865.

The courtroom is virtually unchanged since 1830, and is one of the most original 19th Century courtrooms in Britain. It is complete with a press bench, jury benches and was lit by an open flame gasolier, which shot out six-inch flames.

The red dining room was designed to show masculine grandeur and would have been lit by beeswax only as gas was believed to taint the taste of food. Those lights were first installed in the servants' area downstairs to test it on them.

There are two cells open to visitors at the home, one is the original 1820s pair is furnished with straw mattress and privy, that leads straight to the dock in the courtroom. Graffiti, with prisoners' names and their sentences is scratched on the wall at the foot of the stairs.

The upstairs cells are additions from the 1900s and contain displays on the Radnorshire Constabulary, the judges and Presteigne gaol - reputedly one of the worst in Britain.

It has become a popular tourist centre with 11,000 visitors a year.

A council spokesman said: 'The transfer to the trust will ensure the future of the museum in the long term.'

Local businessman Tom Evans said: 'It's one of the finest buildings in Mid Wales and it's great news that it has its future secured.
Jorge Luis Chavez, 25, was found dead in a murder suicide in South Carolina on Sunday

Four people, including two children aged one and four, were found dead in what appears to be a murder-suicide in South Carolina.

Marissa Hope Reynoso, 26, was found dead in a home in West Columbia, along with two of her children - Elijah Chavez, four, and Ezra Chavez, one - on Sunday evening.

Police initially launched a search for Jorge Luis Chavez, 25, believed to be the father of the two children, but later recovered his body inside the home.

All four were found dead with gunshot wounds inside a property in the 1100 block of Old Barnwell Road around 8pm on Sunday, according to Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher.

The Lexington County Sheriff's Office initially released a picture of Chavez on social media and said they were 'actively searching' for him.

Hours later, the sheriff's office announced Chavez was found dead inside the home.

An investigation is ongoing and authorities have not revealed details regarding their deaths.

Reynoso had an older child who was not home at the time of the murder-suicide, according to Fisher.

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Marissa Hope Reynoso, 26, (center) was found dead in a home in West Columbia, along with two of her children Elijah Chavez, four, (bottom right) and Ezra Chavez, one (top right)

Reynoso (pictured) had an older child who was not home at the time of the murder-suicide, according to Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher

Police initially launched a search for Jorge Chavez, who was later announced dead inside a home along with Marissa Hope Reynoso, 26, and their two children
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A photographer has brought the past back to life by recreating everyday street scenes from Britain's oldest recorded town.

Xav Marseille, 39, stood on the same spot as photographers up to 100 years ago before merging his new pictures with old snaps of Colchester, in Essex.

He hoped to create a glimpse of the past with the fascinating artwork, which shows the vast contrast between life now and a century ago.

Xav Marseille, 39, stood on the same spot as photographers up to 100 years ago before merging his new pictures with old snaps of Colchester, in Essex

He hoped to create a glimpse of the past with the fascinating artwork, which shows the vast contrast between life now and a century ago

Colchester Castle, one of the town's key tourist sites, seen here as it was decades ago in a photo which has been blended together with a recent image

This van was parked outside a motor engineering business in a street just off the town centre about 100 years ago

The earliest record of Colchester's existence is a reference by the Roman writer, Pliny the Elder in AD77

Paris-born Xav, who moved to Colchester 22 years ago, used his local library to source old pictures of the town

Xav said: 'I think people crave nostalgia. 2016 was a changing year and people relate to history now a lot more than they used to.

'I think the more striking artwork is where there are old people in the picture because it's almost ghostly and eerie to see them today.

'People have said they can picture that street where that person was standing all those years ago.

'I believe the work highlights the difference in behaviour and outfits of the time, but all in one picture.'

Paris-born Xav, who moved to Colchester 22 years ago, used his local library to source old pictures of the town.

He then returned to the scene they were taken - including the High Street, Castle Park and Scheregate Steps, before taking an identical picture but of how they look now.

Xav then used programmes including Photoshop to carefully weave the pictures together.

Each of his 30 sets of images took him around five hours to complete.

Xav said: 'Because they're such old pictures, you may find 1000s but only 15 or 20 might be suitable.

'I wanted ones where you could really see how the place had changed. Most of the ones I used are 80 to 100 years old and you can really see the difference.

'I basically put the new picture on top of the old picture and merged them together.

'Of course the editing became easier if I took the top picture in the right way.It's not just about the right spot, it's also about the right angle.

'What I realised half way through is that I was standing to take a photograph in exactly the same place a photographer was 100 years ago.

As shoppers from today look for the latest bargains, cars from the distant past are driven by businesses like Adam's Garages

The Playhouse in Colchester as it was decades ago - and as it is today. The work was produced Xav Marseille and can be purchased here on this site: www.xavmars.wixsite.com/photogratrist/shop-1-1

During the First World War horses were still one of the main ways of getting around through a town like Colchester

Back in the day Colchester had trams which would take people to their place of work in the oldest recorded British town

Photograph here of St John's Street in Colchester which is one of the main shopping areas in the Essex town

Father-of-two Xav, who also works in finance, now plans to explore London and Paris to carry out similar projects

'We both did exactly the same thing and despite everything that has changed in the picture, we both went about it the same way.'

The earliest record of Colchester's existence is a reference by the Roman writer, Pliny the Elder in AD77.

In describing the island of Anglesey, he wrote that 'it is about 200 miles from Camulodunum, a town in Britain'.

Camulodunum was the pre-Roman name for Colchester. This is the first known reference to any named settlement in this country.

Pliny died in AD79, one of the victims of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius which destroyed Pompeii.

Father-of-two Xav, who also works in finance, now plans to explore London and Paris to carry out similar projects.

In the meantime, his work is being showcased at the Mercury Theatre in Colchester where his pictures are also available to buy.

He added: 'Some of the artwork has gone as far as Australia and Singapore as people have sent it on to their relatives. I never dreamed it would be so well received.

'It was a really fun project to do and the local support has been amazing.

'I would really love to now find new places. London and Paris are next on my list.'

The photographs will be on display until January 9.
Husband Ernst says she might still be alive if a proper search was conducted

It was thought she fell over board or had been

Imelda Bechstein went missing in October but her body

A German man who went to sleep on a sun lounger next to his wife and woke up to discover her missing during a ferry journey has been told that her body was found in a ventilation shaft.

Imelda Bechstein, whose husband admitted she could sometimes become disorientated, had apparently wandered into the boat's engine room and toppled into the ventilation shaft.

Local reports say the 74-year-old's body was discovered found in November, weeks after she was reported missing.

Ernst Bechstein with his wife Imelda who died after stumbling into a ventilation shaft on a ferry bound for Genoa, Italy

Ernst Bechstein, also 74, said that she might still be alive if the crew had carried out a proper search when he first reported her missing after waking up from the sun lounger.

The retired couple were on their way back from Sardinia, Italy, to their home in Munich, in Bavaria in Germany, after they had spent a week on the sunny Italian island to escape the gloomy German autumn weather.

On 30th October, the couple took a Tirrenia ferry from Porto Torres in Sardinia back to Genoa on the Italian mainland.

Mr Bechstein said: 'We rested in sleeping-chairs. When I woke up later, my wife had disappeared.'

The pensioner looked all over the 'Sharden' ferry, which can carry up to 2,908 passengers and 850 cars, but could not locate his wife.

The captain, who was not named in local media, had then given the order to search the entire ship but they could not locate Imelda.

For weeks, people wondered if Imelda might have fallen overboard or if she might have been the victim of a crime.

The Sharden ferry that was taking the couple back to Genoa from the island of Sardinia, Italy

But now it has been reported that the body was found on board the vessel and in the crew's maintenance shaft.

Mr Bechstein said: 'She should not have been able to enter the engine room area, it should have been curtained off.'

And he said if the crew had searched properly 'she might still have been alive.'

Recent autopsy results showed that Imelda had died the night after she vanished and no other signs of violence were found on the body other than injuries from falling down the shaft.

The body of the woman is still held in Genoa as the public prosecutor has not given a green light yet to release it.

According to local media, investigations are currently being carried out against the captain and some others for negligent killing.

Mr Bechstein said he just wants the body of his wife return home as soon as possible.
Dr Michael Salmon, 81, kept his sordid double life as a pervert a secret from 74-year-old Mary

The ex-wife of a consultant paediatrician who sexually abused girls at the same hospital where Jimmy Savile preyed on youngsters believes his sentence ' could have been more'.

Dr Michael Salmon, 81, kept his perveted actions a secret from 74-year-old Mary.

Salmon used his position to take advantage of young patients during examinations at both Stoke Mandeville - where Savile abused up to 60 people - and the Royal Buckinghamshire Hospitals.

Salmon separated girls from their parents to conduct unnecessary intimate examinations and rub their breasts.

Asked if she was shocked at his latest four year stretch, Mrs Salmon implied she thought it was a lenient sentence when she said: 'No, I thought it might be more.'

Now, she said they were divorced ending their 37-year marriage and that she now plays no part in his life.

Mrs Salmon - speaking on the doorstep of her exclusive 600,000 home in Britford, near Salisbury, Wiltshire - stressed she no longer sees him.

In 2015 sex fiend Salmon - now retired - was jailed for 18 years for eight indecent assaults on girls and two of rape.

Now he has just been caged at Reading Crown Court for another four years after being convicted of 14 counts of indecent assault including against children in the 1970's and 1980's.

In 2015 sex fiend Salmon - now retired - was jailed for 18 years for eight indecent assaults on girls and two of rape but has now been caged for a further four

Mrs Salmon did not attend the latest trial, but she admitted she went everyday of the first trial 'because I needed to know exactly what he was being accused of and make up my own mind.'

After a moment's reflection she added: 'I made up my mind.'

Mrs Salmon was adamant 'I was very shocked' what her then husband had done - and she had no idea what had happened.

Asked if his victims were trying to get compensation from her she added: 'I have no idea. I am not in touch with his solicitors or anything.'

Salmon used his position to take advantage of young patients at both Stoke Mandeville (left) - where Savile (right) abused up to 60 people - and the Royal Buckinghmshire Hospitals

Questioned whether they might try and 'get the house' she said: 'I have no idea - I have not been told.'

She is now trying to make a life 'on her own' in idyllic Britford, just two miles from the famous Cathedral city, after the then-couple bought their home their in 2013..
Turkish jets and tanks hammered 100 ISIS targets in Syria just hours after the terror group's gunman killed 39 New Year's Eve revellers in an Istanbul nightclub.

Dramatic aerial footage shows warplanes using rockets to obliterate ISIS hideouts near the towns of al-Bab, Tadif and Bzagah in the north of the war-torn country, killing 22 extremists and destroying buildings.

The video emerged as Turkish authorities continued their manhunt for the nightclub killer who arrived in a taxi before slaughtering partygoers.

Turkish jets and tanks hammered 100 ISIS targets in Syria just hours after the terror group's gunman killed 39 New Year's Eve revellers in an Istanbul nightclub

Dramatic aerial footage shows warplanes using rockets to obliterate ISIS hideouts near the towns of al-Bab, Tadif and Bzagah in the north of the war-torn country, killing 22 extremists and destroying buildings

The video emerged as Turkish authorities continued their manhunt for the nightclub killer who arrived in a taxi before slaughtering partygoers

A Turkish military operation, dubbed 'Euphrates Shield', was launched more than four months ago to drive ISIS militants away from the border region and in recent weeks the forces have been besieging the town of al-Bab.

But the latest aerial offensive comes as ISIS claimed responsibility for the New Year's Day mass shooting.

Turkey's state-run news agency said more than 100 ISIS targets in Syria were hit by Turkey and Russia in separate operations, a day after the deadly attack.

Anadolu added that Russian jets also attacked ISIS targets in Dayr Kak, eight five miles to the southwest of Al Bab.

Armed police (pictured) have been seen on the streets of Istanbul as the hunt for the gunman continues

Grieving relatives broke down in tears during the funeral of one victim, security guard Fatih Cakmak

The gunman, believed to be captured by CCTV left and right, rained down 'a hail of bullets' on the New Year revellers and is still on the run

Moments before the attack clubbers were pictured enjoying the celebrations in the exclusive venue

Turkey's Interior Ministry said today that dozens of people have been detained in the past week over suspected ties to ISIS.

In a statement released Monday, the ministry said 147 people were detained after authorities determined 'they were in contact with the Daesh terrorist organisation'.

Of the detained, 25 people have been formally put under arrest.

ISIS this morning claimed responsibility for the Istanbul shooting, that also left 69 wounded.

The ISIS-linked Aamaq News Agency said the New Year's attack was carried by a 'heroic soldier of the caliphate who attacked the most famous nightclub where Christians were celebrating their pagan feast.'

It said the man opened fire from an automatic rifle in 'revenge for God's religion and in response to the orders' of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
A British woman's body lay undiscovered for hours after she died while partying with a group of men at an exclusive Australian strip club.

Stacey Tierney, from Manchester, was found dead at the Dreams Gentlemen's Club in Melbourne at around 11.50am on Monday December 19.

The 29-year-old worked at the club as an exotic dancer and had reportedly been with a group of men when the venue was closed on Sunday, who are believed to have fled when she died without calling for medical assistance.

Police have not revealed any details about the last hours of Ms Tierney's life, but said a post-mortem will be conducted to determine her cause of death.

Stacey Tierney, pictured, from Manchester, was dead for up to 12 hours before her body was discovered at the exclusive Dreams Gentlemen's Club in Melbourne, on December 18

The 29-year-old, who moved to Australia three years ago, is believed to have been partying with a group of men after the club closed. She was dead for 12 hours before she was found

The club (pictured) has been opened since 2008 and offers 'pleasure at its best', with themed podium dancers, $50 lap dances and private shows available for patrons

According to the Herald Sun, Ms Tierney had worked at strip clubs in the Gold Coast before relocating to Melbourne where she danced at Dreams.

The club has been opened since 2008 and offers 'pleasure at its best', with themed podium dancers, $50 lap dances and private shows available.

A friend of Miss Tierney, who gave her name as Ashley, said she is worried foul play might have been involved.

'I personally hope someone is charged for this. I'd like to see them punished,' she said. 'I told her not to work there. I thought it was a bit dodgy.'

Other friends said Miss Tierney  who would have celebrated her 30th birthday on January 20 - was 'streetwise' and 'liked to have a drink' but didn't take drugs.

A spokesperson for Ambulance Victoria confirmed they were called to the scene following reports of a medical issue but could not reveal the circumstances for privacy reasons.

Meanwhile her devastated family tonight said they were urgently seeking answers as to whether she had been killed.

Ms Tierney (pictured) allegedly worked at Dreams Gentlemen's Club at the time of her death

Victoria police told Mail Online they are investigating Ms Tierney's death

Her mother Michelle and sisters Stephanie, Kristie, and Kelly-Anne, from Stockport, Greater Manchester, have not yet been told what caused her death.

Australian police confirmed they are investigating Miss Tierney's death.

Miss Tierney taught as a dance and fitness instructor in Manchester before leaving for Australia three years ago.

She lived first in Brisbane before moving to Melbourne last year. Family and friends said she wanted to train as a nurse.

Today her cousin Colleen from Greater Manchester said the family was struggling to find out how Miss Tierney had died.

Ashley, a friend of Ms Tierney, said she is worried foul play might have been involved

Ms Tierney (pictured) has been travelling across Australia for three years

She said: 'We have not been told anything by the authorities in Australia about this latest information. We have only read it in the Australian press and we have no idea whether it is true.

'The family is obviously very upset that Stacey has died. We have been shocked by the articles in the Australian press and on the face of it, it looks like it should be a murder investigation .

'But we are still trying to get in touch with the Australian police because we have still not been given any official information about how she died.'

A GoFundMe page was launched to raise money to bring Miss Tierney's body back to Britain and give her 'a send off fit for a princess'.

The campaign exceeded the 10,000 target in just two days.

Her family are trying to raise $17,000 (AUD) through a Gofundme page to bring her remains home to Britain

A post read: 'As some of you may know we sadly lost our beautiful Stacey on Monday. Stacey was living her life to the full in Australia and she has made a huge impact on everyone who knew her.

'At the moment her family are still in shock and are trying to get there heads around what has happened. This page is being set up in honour of Stacey.

'The aim is to raise funds to bring her home to give her a send of fit for a princess. On behalf of her mum Michelle and her sisters Stephanie, Kristie, and Kelly-Anne and the rest of her family we would like to thank everyone for their kind messages of condolence.'

Michelle added: 'We just want to bring her home and give her an amazing funeral.'
Minister flew to beach area to attend a Pharmacy Guild of Australia conference

Flight from Canberra to the Gold Coast town cost taxpayers $12,000 last year

Australia's top health minister took a chartered flight to and from the Gold Coast that cost taxpayers a cool $12,000.

Sussan Ley and her adviser flew in a Royal Australian Air Force jet from Canberra to Coolangatta so they could attend an afternoon Pharmacy Guild of Australia conference in March 2016, freedom of information documents obtained by the Herald Sun reveal.

A three-and-a-half-hour commercial flight to Queensland and back would have cost about $400 return in economy or $1,200 in business class.

Scroll down for video

Federal Health Minister Sussan Ley and an adviser went on a chartered VIP flight from Canberra to the Gold Coast, costing taxpayers $12,000

A Royal Australian Air Force jet, like the one pictured, was ordered to transport the minister because a commercial flight wasn't deemed suitable for her tight schedule

But the Liberal Party federal cabinet minister's office said this would have been unsuitable.

'Before Minister Ley departed Canberra, she was required to attend another ministerial portfolio commitment that morning which had been called at short notice,' a spokeswoman for the minister told the Herald Sun.

'This meant any commercial flights out of Canberra on that day would have had Minister Ley arrive into Coolangatta after her scheduled commitment with the Pharmacy Guild was due to start.'

The latest revelation comes only days after it was revealed Foreign Minister Julie Bishop chartered a RAAF jet to drop her home in Perth, leaving taxpayers stumping up $18,000 in October 2015 for an empty plane, so she could fly from Canberra with her boyfriend David Panton.

Health Minister Sussan Ley's VIP flight took her to and from Coolangatta on the Gold Coast so she could attend a Pharmacy Guild of Australia conference
Chung Yoo-ra, pictured, was arrested by Danish police after a tip-off from a South Korean journalist in Aalborg

Danish authorities are waiting for an extradition request from South Korea for for the daughter of a woman accused of corruptly influencing South Korea's president.

Chung Yoo-ra, who is an internationally renowned showjumper, was arrested in the city of Aalborg after receiving a tip-off from a South Korean journalist.

You-ra's mother is accused of being involved in a corrupt relationship with President Park Guen-hye.

South Korean authorities had been seeking the arrest of Chung Yoo-ra, 20, for her ties to the scandal in which her mother, Choi Soon-sil, is a central figure.

Chung had been sought for alleged criminal interference related to her academic record, and other unspecified charges.

Park, 64, could become South Korea's first democratically elected leader to be forced to leave office early. The parliamentary impeachment must be confirmed or overturned by the Constitutional Court, which has months to rule.

'We will request an emergency extradition of Chung, working with the special prosecutor's office,' Lee Chul-sung, commissioner general of the Korea National Police Agency, told a media briefing in Seoul.

The two countries have an extradition treaty.

Chung, who did equestrian training in Germany, was arrested in the northern Danish city of Aalborg for staying illegally, at around 4 am Seoul time on Monday, Lee said.

South Korean President Park Guen-hye, pictured, has been involved in a corruption scandal

South Korea's foreign ministry has been working to invalidate Chung's passport and authorities have asked German prosecutors for information about her whereabouts and assets.

The influence-peddling scandal centres on accusations the president colluded with her friend Choi to pressure big businesses to make contributions to non-profit foundations backing presidential initiatives.

Park, whose father ruled the country for 18 years after seizing power in a 1961 coup, has denied wrongdoing but apologised for carelessness in her ties with Choi, who is facing her own trial. Choi also denies wrongdoing.

Yoo-ra, pictured, is facing extradition from Denmark in advance of a trial in South Korea

Yoo-ra has appeared in court in Aalborg after police received a tip-off from a journalist

As part of their investigation, prosecutors are trying to ascertain whether Samsung Electronics sought favors from Choi and Park in return for funding some of their initiatives.

In particular, they are looking at whether favors Samsung sought included the National Pension Service's support for Samsung's founding family in a shareholder vote last year.

An element of the investigation has been Samsung's sponsorship of Chung's riding career.

The special prosecutor's office has asked Interpol to place Chung on its red notice list, but Interpol had yet to make a decision on the request, Lee Kyu-chul, a spokesman for the special prosecutor said.

Chung told Danish police she was staying in Denmark for equestrian-related work, according to South Korea's JTBC TV channel. A Volkswagen vehicle and horse-riding equipment were found at the house where Chung and her party were arrested, JTBC said.

The South Korean show jumper had been living in this house in Aalborg, northern Denmark

Lee Kyung-jae, a lawyer representing both Choi and Chung, said the daughter would cooperate.

'When Chung Yoo-ra returns I will ensure that she fully cooperates with the special prosecution's investigation,' the lawyer told the Yonhap News Agency.

Danish officials had five people in custody, including Chung and a child born in 2015, a police official said, declining to be identified, not four as police said earlier on Monday. Chung is known to have a young son.

The others in custody are two men who appear to be Koreans in their late twenties or early thirties and a woman in her sixties.

Lee, the police official, said Danish police had 24 hours to secure evidence that Chung was staying illegally in Denmark.

Park's arrest was first reported by the JTBC channel, which said on its website that its journalists had alerted Danish police to Chung's presence there.

A video on JTBC's website showed a person identified as Chung in a heavy hooded parka being led to a police car. The person's face could not be seen.

Chung became a figure of public ire in South Korea last year after it emerged that she had received special treatment from the prestigious Ewha Womans University, where her admission was subsequently cancelled.
A former CIA agent claims that Vladimir Putin was 'the only adult in the room' after Obama expelled Russian diplomats from the US over a hacking row.

Mr Obama last week expelled the 35 diplomats over the hacking of US political groups during the 2016 presidential election.

The US government accused them of 'acting in a manner inconsistent with their diplomatic status'  a euphemism for spying  and gave them 72 hours to leave the country.

A former CIA agent claims that Vladimir Putin, pictured, was 'the only adult in the room' after Obama expelled Russian diplomats from the US over a hacking row

The Russian government dismissed hacking allegations as absurd but Mr Putin declined to order a tit-for-tat expulsion of American diplomats, claiming he would not 'stoop' to Obama's level.

He said he would consider the actions of President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on January 20, when deciding on further steps in Russia-U.S. relations.

And now a veteran CIA agent has praised Putin for deferring his decision and says the White House is just eager to punish Russia and went too far in expelling the diplomats.

In an interview with Russia Today, the former spy Philip Giraldi said: 'There is a broad consensus also in the media and in Congress to take harsh steps against Russia, and I think Obama saw an opportunity in this.

'The problem is that the consensus is very much going in the direction of we have to punish Russia. And this is coming from Congress, the media, and the White House, and particularly being pushed by the Hillary Clinton camp in the Democratic Party.

Mr Obama expelled 35 diplomats over the hacking of US political groups during the 2016 presidential election. They are pictured arriving back home in Moscow

In freezing temperatures in Moscow, the returning diplomats were ushered into waiting buses and driven away

'But I think Putin behaved like the only adult in the room in terms of his deferring any kind of action as a response to this and I think Trump is basically holding out his hand, saying "We can work our way through this."'

The comments from the CIA agent come as a plane carrying the 35 diplomats arrived back in Moscow this morning after leaving Washington last night.

The special flight touched down in Moscow at 2.08am today after departing from Dulles International Airport in Virginia yesterday.

In freezing temperatures, the diplomats were ushered into waiting buses and driven away.

Using Cold War rhetoric, Obama previously said the hacking 'could only have been directed by the highest levels of the Russian government', suggesting Russian President Vladimir Putin was personally involved.

The curtains on the windows remained shut to avoid showing their faces as their identities have not been officially disclosed.

Using Cold War rhetoric, Obama said the hacking 'could only have been directed by the highest levels of the Russian government', suggesting Russian President Vladimir Putin was personally involved.
Rhiannon Lyons, 17, pictured, has not been seen since around 10.15pm on December 28

Police have launched a search for a missing 17-year-old girl who disappeared five days ago.

Rhiannon Lyons, 17, was last seen in Dundee at around 10.15pm on Wednesday, December 28.

She is 5ft 8in with a slim build and was wearing a white t-shirt, black jeans and blue trainers when last seen.

She was also carrying a cream handbag when she was seen at the time in Forres Crescent, Dundee.

Officers are appealing for anyone with information to contact police on 101.

It comes after another girl missing in the Dundee area was found earlier today.

Kaitlyn Findlay, 18, of Dundee, went missing at around 8pm on December 30.

But Police Scotland confirmed she had been found safe and well in Dundee at around 10am this morning.

Police also confirmed they do not believe there is a link between the girls.

A force spokesman said: 'There is no information to suggest that missing Rhiannon Lyons and Kaitlyn Findlay are known to each other.

'They are being treated as separate inquiries.'
Prince William has welcomed China's decision to ban its ivory trade calling it a 'turning point in the race to save elephants.'

China said it planned to shut down its ivory trade by the end of the year in a move designed to curb the mass slaughter of African elephants.

That will shut the door to the world's biggest end-market for poached ivory.

The move has put added pressure on Britain to close the loopholes in its own ban on the trade.

An elephant walks through the bush at the Southern African Wildlife College on the edge of Kruger National Park in South Africa. Conservationists estimate that 20,000 are killed for their ivory every single year

The Duke of Cambridge praised the Chinese government for the ban, saying 'the battle can be won'.

In a statement, he said: 'China's decision to ban its domestic ivory trade by the end of the year could be a turning point in the race to save elephants from extinction.

'I congratulate the Chinese Government for following through on this important commitment. This battle can be won.

'We need all countries to step up to the plate and do their part to end the illegal wildlife trade and save our iconic species before it is too late.'

Prince William had said in September he feared the African elephant would be extinct in the wild by the time Princess Charlotte turned 25.

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge meets a rescued elephant called 'Ran Ran' at the Xishuangbanna Elephant Sanctuary in Xishuangbanna, China

In what was seen as a swipe at the British government, he criticised the 'mixed messages' being sent out about the ivory trade in Britain.

His comments came after environment secretary Andrea Leadsom said pre-1947 ivory antiques could continue to be traded, while 'modern-day ivory sales' were outlawed.

Last year's Conservative Party manifesto had pledged a 'total ban' on ivory sales.

China had previously announced it planned to shut down the commercial trade, which conservationists described as significant because China's vast, increasingly affluent consumer market drives much of the elephant poaching across Africa.

But it has now announced a ban on all ivory trade, which will take affect from March.

Aili Kang, the Asia director for the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society, said: 'This is a game changer for Africa's elephants.

'I am very proud of my country for showing this leadership that will help ensure that elephants have a fighting chance to beat extinction.'

Ivory carving is an ancient art in China, and the country has a stockpile of ivory purchased with CITES approval in 2008, which it releases for sale with certification

China, which has supported an ivory-carving industry as part of its cultural heritage, said carvers will be encouraged to change their activities and work, for example, in the restoration of artifacts for museums.

Ivory carving is an ancient art in China and finely worked pieces, whether elaborate depictions of traditional Buddhist scenes or more simple seals and chopsticks, are considered highly collectible.

China had allowed trade in ivory acquired before a 1989 ban on the ivory trade by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which seeks to regulate the multi-billion-dollar trade in wild animals and plants.

China also permitted trade from a one-time, CITES-approved purchase by China and Japan of an ivory stockpile from several African countries in 2008.

Conservation groups said China's illegal trade had since flourished and criminal syndicates exploited the legal Chinese market as cover for their illicit business in tusks.

Conservationists applauded the total ban, with WildAid's wildlife campaigner Alex Hofford calling it 'the biggest and best conservation news of 2016'.

Poaching is a major factor contributing to the rapid decline in the numbers of African elephants, with about 20,000 slaughtered for their ivory every year, according to the WWF.

The number of Africa's savannah elephants dropped by about 30 per cent from 2007 to 2014, to 352,000, because of poaching, according to a study published this year. Forest elephants, which are more difficult to count, are also under severe threat.

The United States - the world's second-largest consumer of illegal ivory after China -announced in June a near-total ban on the trade of African elephant ivory, with notable exemptions including antiques.
Shocking footage has emerged of riots on the streets of Adelaide on New Year's Eve where drunken antics boiled over into vandalism and brawls.

A total of 140 people were arrested in just 14 hours as people got into fights, screamed abuse at police and even jumped on top of a patrol car.

Revellers chanted 'f*** the police, f*** the police' as mounted officers tried to drive them out of Bank Street at 3am on New Year's Day.

Shocking footage has emerged of riots on the streets of Adelaide on New Year's Eve, where drunken antics boiled over into vandalism and brawls. Right, a man jumps on a police car

Footage revealed by 9 News shows men jumping around on top of bins before a man leaps on to the roof of a police car and stamps on it.

Dents were still visible on the police car's roof on bonnet on Monday.

The violence appeared to get out of hand shortly after Adelaide rang in 2017, with police deciding to clear the streets a few hours after midnight.

Police said 140 people were arrested in Adelaide between 3pm and 5am - nearly double the total the year before.

Dents were still visible on the police car's roof on bonnet on Monday following the vandalism

One man was seen being arrested by four police officers as he was bundled into the back of a van.

There was also a brawl on a train in the early hours of the morning, with several punches thrown.
An 18million tidal energy scheme, which was supposed to power 600 homes, has stopped working after just three months.

The taxpayer-funded DeltaStream project in Pembrokeshire in Wales, was designed to use the flow of the ocean with a 39ft turbine installed on the seabed near Ramsey Island.

But the system developed a fault and stopped generating electricity just weeks after being turned on.

Its operator Tidal Energy Ltd has now gone into administration and is seeking a buyer.

The 18million 'wet elephant' received 8million funding of EU money and 500,000 from the Welsh Government

The 18million 'wet elephant' received 8million funding of EU money and 500,000 from the Welsh Government.

The generator was fitted with a sonar radar to detect nearby wildlife including seals, porpoises and dolphins and would shut off if they came to close.

But the sonar developed an 'intermittent fault' in March 2016 - after being launched the previous December.

Development director Chris Williams of Tidal Energy Ltd said defended the massive cost of DeltaStream saying it was a 'research' project.

He said: 'The project was a research and development project. It was never put in the water to generate massive amounts of electricity.

'The purpose of the project was to provide the essential learning, new knowledge, know how and experience to progress the industry in Wales.

'What we set out to do we did, 100 per cent.'

Mr Williams described the problem with the turbine as 'an intermittent fault with an active sonar.'

Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew RT Davies said the project was at risk of becoming a 'wet elephant'.

He said: 'With over 8m of EU and Welsh Government funding tied up in this project, this is extremely concerning.

The taxpayer-funded DeltaStream project in Pembrokeshire in Wales, was designed to use the flow of the ocean with a 39ft turbine installed on the seabed near Ramsey Island

'That the turbine is currently in a state of disrepair poses a serious hindrance to the administrators' ability to find a buyer to take on the device and the rest of the company's assets.

'Labour once hailed the development of the turbine a 'landmark project' for Wales. It is sad and deeply frustrating to think of it now broken on the ocean bed.

'I sincerely hope that a new buyer can step in to salvage this project and move it forward once again, and that it doesn't just end up like a wet elephant, piled on the growing scrap heap of Labour's failed investments.'

A Welsh Government spokeswoman confirmed a new buyer was being sought.

She said: 'Tidal Energy Ltd's EU funded project did achieve its primary objective and has provided a significant amount of learning to the sector and the local supply chain.
Katie Couric is back on Today.

The former host of the NBC morning show returned to Rockefeller Plaza for the first time since she left the program a decade ago on Monday, reclaiming her seat behind the anchor desk next to Matt Lauer.

'Welcome back to studio 1A, January, 1997 apparently?!' joked Lauer as he welcomed Couric at the beginning of the show.

He later began to talk about Couric's upcoming 60th birthday on Saturday as she tried to silence him by putting her hand over his mouth.

Couric, 59, will be hosting the program all week, filling in for Savannah Guthrie who has been on maternity leave since early last month.

Don Nash, the executive producer of Today, posted a photo to his Instagram account early Monday of Lauer and Couric preparing for the show while getting their makeup done, writing: '40 to air. #flashbacks.'

Not visible in that photo however was the wall of signed publicity shots Couric posted of herself before Lauer got to work.

'You know this would be hysterical if this weren't exactly the way the makeup room looked when she worked here,' joked Lauer.

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Back in action: Katie Couric returned to host Today for the first time in a decade on Monday morning (above with Matt Lauer)

Reunited: She sat behind the anchor desk with her old co-host Matt Lauer, who joked at the top of the show: 'Welcome back to studio 1A, January, 1997 apparently?!'

Couric kicked off the program but telling Lauer it was 'nice to meet' him after the show's opening credits.

'This is the first time Katie's not been back to the show but back to co-host in a decade,' Lauer told viewers.

Couric responded by saying: 'I know. It's really exciting. I'm happy to see my friends here. To see everyone in TV land. Does it feel like 'Twilight zone' for you, Matt?'

She also said how happy she was to be helping out Guthrie while she is at home taking care of her baby boy Charley.

Couric then got right to work, delivering the major morning news stories alongside Lauer before interviewing President-elect Donald Trump's newly appointed press secretary Sean Spicer.

And despite being away from the anchor desk for 10 years she was still in top form as she pressed Spicer to give an answer about Trump's recent claim that he 'knows things other people don't know' about the Russian hacking allegations.

Later in the program Couric was also reunited with her former Today co-worker Al Roker, who was reporting from the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California.

'Hey. Wait a second. Hi, Al,' said Couric.

Roker responded by joking to Lauer: 'What's frightening, Matt, is you and I look horrible and she looks fantastic.'

He later added that he could not wait to see Couric in the studio when he returns to New York City on Tuesday.

Lending a hand: Couric, 59, is filling in for Savannah Guthrie, who is away on maternity leave

Prep time: Today executive producer Don Nash shared a photo of Couric and Lauer in makeup on Monday preparing for the show (above), writing: '40 to air. #flashbacks.'

Rainy days: Lauer held up a giant orange Today umbrella for himself and Couric when they ventured out to the plaza on Monday (above)

Couric also got to return to the plaza alongside Lauer during the show, with the two broadcasting two segments outside despite the frigid temperature and the fact that it was raining in New York.

Lauer shielded the two from the rain with a giant orange Today umbrella.

The weather did not keep away fans of Couric either, who crowded around the plaza to get a glimpse of her and Lauer back in action.

NBC celebrated the two as well by airing some old photos and footage of the co-hosts from back in the day over the course of the program, including a picture from 1997 when Lauer first began to co-host alongside Couric.

'That's what it looked like 20 years ago on Matt's first morning of co-anchor of Today. I was by his side then. And apparently, we had the same hairstyle. That was scary,' said Couric after the photo appeared on the screen.

The two then began to talk about the fact that Lauer is celebrating his 20th anniversary as host of Today this month.

'It went by so fast, but that means it's a good thing. That means it's been fun and interesting and challenging, and it all started with you in 1997,' said Lauer.

Couric meanwhile seemed to be settling in as if she had never left, pointing out to Lauer at one point: 'Did you notice my side of the desk is a pig sty and yours is neat and tidy. Some things never change.'

She was not however prepared for her return to the early morning wake up that is required of Today hosts.

Couric posted a grab of her alarm set for 4:30am on Twitter Sunday night, writing: 'Seriously? See you early and hopefully bright! #todaytomorrow.'

Making her return: Couric documented her return to Today on Snapchat Monday, which started with her leaving for the studio at 5:19am (left) and drinking some hot coffee in the car (right)

Pals: Couric later posted a photo of herself with Dr Oz (above) after interviewing him for a segment on ageing

Style star: Couric also gave Snapchat users a clear shot of the shoes she picked for her return (left) and video of herself in the makeup room (right)

Ratings for Couric's return will not be known for a few days, but the response on social media was overwhelmingly positive on Monday.

'Woke up to a dream, Katie Couric back on the @TODAYshow seeing everyone together #DreamsComeTrue,' wrote one woman.

'Oh Katie ... I sure did miss you. What a pleasant surprise and a great way to start my 2017 -watching the @TODAYshow with you!' said a fan of the returning anchor.

And another fan simply wrote: 'This makes my heart so happy.'

Couric was also all over social media on Monday morning, with the substitute host documenting her day at Today on Snapchat.

It kicked off with an image of her leaving her apartment building to head to the studio, which had a large time stamp across it revealing that it was 5:19am.

Next she drank a large coffee in the back of her car on her drive to work, going straight to makeup when she arrived.

She then shared a number of stills from her two hours hosting, including a pic of her and Dr. Oz after their interview on the program as well as one of the red heels she chose to wear for her return.

Getting down to business: Couric took a break from the jokes and nostalgia early in the program with a hard-hitting interview of President-elect Trump's press secretary Sean Spicer (above)

More reunions: Less than ten minutes after her interview with Spicer, Couric was celebrating another reunion, this time with Al Roker (above) who was in Pasadena for the Rose Bowl

Couric is currently the global anchor at Yahoo News.

She left Today to become the anchor of the CBS Evening News while also doing segments for 60 Minutes for a reported salary of $15 million a year - the most ever for a journalist at the time.

Couric then stepped away from CBS in 2011 and moved over to ABC, where in 2012 she spent a week hosting Today rival Good Morning America.

There was also talk of Couric moving to Today after she left CBS, but that did not come to be.

CNN's Brian Stelter wrote in his book Top Of The Morning that Couric said at the time: 'I feel like it would have been a fun thing to reunite and to show that you can go home again.

'But I also thought, there's a reason why I left the show.'

Drawback: Couric shared a screengrab of her 4:30am alarm on Sunday night (above) before her first day of hosting Today

She's a hit: Ratings for Couric's return are still not known, but she was a hit with viewers on social media (above)

Her most famous interview while at CBS came in 2008 when she sat down with vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin for a series of pieces that many believed doomed Palin and McCain's campaign.

In was during that interview that Palin famously talked about Alaska's proximity to Russia and was unable to name a single magazine she read on a regular basis, instead telling Couric: 'Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me all these years.'

Palin would later claim that Couric had a bias against her.

Couric worked as a special corespondent when she arrived at ABC, where she did segments for Nightline and 20/20 and filled in on all their morning programs at some point: The View, Live with Kelly and Good Morning America.

Then, in 2012, she launched her own talk show, Katie, on ABC, which was cancelled after just two seasons in 2014.

After leaving ABC there were rumors she might rejoin Today again because the show was struggling in the ratings.
A homeowner in an exclusive gated neighborhood shot and killed a 'drunk' guest who refused to leave his son's New Year's Eve party.

The 48-year-old man from Houston said he shot the male reveller when he began brawling with him as the party came to an end.

The Cypress, Texas homeowner - who cooked food for his son's 200 party guests - said that the unidentified man refused to leave the party.

A Houston homeowner shot and killed his son's New Year's Eve party guest after he refused to leave. The 48-year-old father cooked food for the 200 person party

He said he had 'no other choice but shoot' the man, according to Kens5.

Police were called to the residence at Dry Creek Airport neighborhood at around 4am on New Year's Day, where the man was pronounced dead at the scene by EMS.

Residents of the exclusive community, which serves as a private airport, said the homeowner's family has thrown parties in the past but nothing like this had occurred.

The shooting happened in an exclusive Cyprus, Texas, neighborhood where several homeowners have planes and hangars on their properties

'It's normally quiet. You never hear anything, especially from those people,' neighbor Steve Jones said to KHOU.

'There were a lot of kids playing outside with sparklers. There was music and lots of cars.'

Harris County Sheriff's Office investigators are currently collecting statements from witnesses and it is being decided if the homeowner will face charges.

Under gun laws in Texas a person is justified in using deadly forces against another person in certain situations where that person's safety is jeopardized.
Former Chicago Superintendent of Police Garry McCarthy said on Sunday that the Black Lives Matter movement is responsible for the rise in deaths among black people in Chicago and has raised crime rates across the country.

McCarthy said that the movement is preventing police from doing their jobs in his city and across the United States and is responsible for the rise in 'noncompliance'.

'What is happening is - and this is ironic - that a movement with the goal of saving black lives is at this point is getting black lives taken because 80 percent of our murder victims here in Chicago are male blacks,' McCarthy said while speaking to New York radio talk show host John Catsimatidis.

McCarthy's comments come after it was announced that Chicago had one of its most violent years, with the city seeing 762 homicides, the most in two decades in the city and more than New York and Los Angeles combined.

Former Chicago Superintendent of Police Garry McCarthy (pictured in November 2015) said on Sunday that the Black Lives Matter movement is preventing police from doing their jobs

McCarthy said that the Black Lives Matter movement has raised crime rates and is responsible for the rise in 'noncompliance' among citizens. Pictured above, protesters rally in front of to City Hall in support of the decision to bring charges against the six police officers who arrested Freddie Gray on May 2, 2015 in Baltimore

The nation's third largest city also saw 1,100 more shooting incidents last year than it did in 2015, according to data released Sunday by the Chicago Police Department.

The statistics underline a story of bloodshed that has put Chicago at the center of a national dialogue about gun violence.

The numbers are staggering, even for those who followed the steady news accounts of weekends ending with dozens of shootings and monthly death tolls that hadn't been seen in years.

The increase in homicides compared to 2015, when 485 were reported, is the largest spike in 60 years.

McCarthy was Chicago's superintendent of police from 2011 through 2015.

In November 2015, the city was forced to release video of the fatal police shooting of Laquan McDonald, the black 17-year-old boy who was shot 16 times by a white police officer.

The video cost McCarthy his job, sparked major protests around the city, and led to federal and state investigations of the police department.

McCarthy's comments about Black Lives Matter come after it was announced that Chicago had one of its most violent years. Pictured above, protesters march on the street from City Hall a day after Baltimore authorities released a report on the death of Freddie Gray, May 2, 2015 in Baltimore

Chicago had 762 homicides in 2016, the most in two decades in the city and more than New York and Los Angeles combined. Police are pictured in Chicago on Sunday investigating the scene of a shooting

McCarthy told Catsimatidis on Sunday that there is a direct connection between the Black Lives Matter movement and rising crime rate.

'There has been a political atmosphere of anti-police sentiment that has swept across this country over the last few years,' he said.

'The simplest way to describe it is that we have created an environment where we have emboldened criminals and we are hamstringing the police. That is creating a state of lawlessness.'

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson (pictured in September) spoke about violence in the city on Sunday

He added that the movement was encouraging 'young people not to comply with police and legitimizing that non-compliance.

The former cop added that the movement is also increasing the number of shootings of police officers.

He added, however, that cops also have to do a better job, saying that across the country police have been responsible for unwarranted shootings.

But there's further violence that has to be stopped in Chicago he said.

'Less than half of one percent of all of the shootings in this city [involve] police officers shooting civilians,' McCarthy told Catsimatidis.

Current Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said during a news conference Sunday that Chicago is among many U.S. cities that have seek a spike in violence, including in attacks on police.

'In Chicago, we just don't have a deterrent to pick up a gun,' he said. 'Any time a guy stealing a loaf of bread spends more time pre-trial in jail than a gun offender, something is wrong.'

On Sunday tesidents, activists, and friends and family members of victims of gun violence in Chicago march down Michigan Avenue carrying nearly 800 wooden crosses bearing the names of people murdered in the city in 2016

Johnson, who has for months complained about Illinois' lax gun laws, said he thinks more and more gang members are arming themselves because the price for being caught is small compared to other large cities.

He said gang members he has spoken to consider the court system 'a joke'.

The bulk of the deaths and shooting incidents, which jumped from 2,426 in 2015 to 3,550 last year, occurred in only five of the city's 22 police districts on the city's South and West sides, all poor and predominantly black areas where gangs are most active.

Police said the shootings in those areas generally wasn't random, with more than 80 percent of the victims having previously been identified by police as more susceptible because of their gang ties or past arrests.

The city has scrambled to address the violence. Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced last year that 1,000 officers would be added to the police department.

At the same time, police officials have been trying to figure out why homicides and shootings - which began climbing the year before - suddenly surged.

On Sunday, Johnson said he hoped several initiatives - including more street cameras in some of the city's most dangerous neighborhoods, and the expansion of gunshot-detection systems - would lead to more arrests and drive down the violent crime rate.
The man who fell ten floors to his death in a Washington hotel had been trying to get a better view with his girlfriend, it is believed.

John Leonard, 23, died after he fell into a boiler shaft and plunged several stories down into Dupont Circle Hotel's basement in D.C.

It took emergency crews more than an hour to recover his body.

Leonard, from Hernon, Virginia, is believed to have made his way to the roof in the early hours of New Year's Day.

John Leonard (left), 23, died after he fell into a boiler shaft and plunged several stories down into Dupont Circle Hotel's basement in D.C

Leonard (pictured), from Hernon, Virginia, is believed to have made his way to the roof in the early hours of New Year's Day

He made his way onto the roof with someone else, possibly his girlfriend, a police spokeswoman told the Washington Post on Sunday.

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.

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.
Top Sydney lawyer Carl Harrap has been charged with indecent assault after allegedly jumping out of bushes and grabbing a young jogger's groin

A top Sydney lawyer has been charged with indecent assault after allegedly jumping out of bushes and grabbing a young jogger's groin.

Carl Harrap, who is a married and has children, was reportedly tackled to the ground by witnesses and arrested on December 28 after allegedly molesting a 20-year-old woman.

Harrap, 40, works for Freehills Patent Attorneys - closely linked to global corporate law firm Herbert Smith Freehills - and is considered to be one of the best intellectual property lawyers in Australia.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the young woman was running along Clontarf Track, near Manly, last Wednesday when Harrap allegedly assaulted her.

New South Wales Police reportedly said the attacker was 'confronted by witnesses' who held him down as they called police.

Police said a 40-year-old man was taken to Manly Police Station and charged with 'assault with act of indecency'.

He has been released on bail and is due to appear in court on January 18.

The young woman was reportedly running along Clontarf Track (pictured), near Manly, last Wednesday when Harrap allegedly assaulted her

Harrap has been a partner at Freehills Parent Attorneys since July 2013, after joining from Herbert Smith Freehills, where he had worked for seven years.

According to his current employer's website, he has 'particular experience and interest in assisting his clients to defend or attack patents in patent oppositions before the Australian Patent Office'.

'He passionately pursues his clients interests, ensuring the highest quality intellectual property rights are obtained,' the website says.

Harrap previously worked for a firm in New Zealand and is registered as a patent attorney there, as well as in Australia.

He does not have any previous convictions, according to reports.
More than 80 inmates have been killed during a riot at a Brazilian jail that was reportedly sparked by a lack of water.

The revolt at the Anisio Jobin jail in the rainforest city of Manaus began yesterday and negotiators are still trying to secure the release of seven warders that are being held hostage.

The violence started during visiting hours at the jail when a number of prisoners are thought to have escaped.

More than 80 inmates have been killed during a riot at a Brazilian jail that was reportedly sparked by a lack of water. Pictured are armed police on guard outside the prison

The revolt at the Anisio Jobin jail in the rainforest city of Manaus began yesterday and negotiators are still trying to secure the release of seven warders

The bloodbath is now being blamed on rivalry between the city's two main gangs, family of the North (FDN) and the First Command of the Capital (PCC), Brazil's largest criminal organisation.

Rioters have reportedly thrown many bodies out of the windows of the jail, while at least six victims had their heads decapitated, according to reports.

A video taken by an inmate inside the prison shows dozens of bodies, some with their clothes removed, piled up on a blood-soaked floor.

Inmates' main demand is the return of the overcrowded jail's water supply, which police said was cut several months ago.

The riot reportedly broke out at the end of visiting time and many relatives of the inmates flocked to the prison for news

The high-security prison which holds some of the northern Brazilian city's most dangerous criminals, has capacity for 454 inmates but currently holds 1,108

A woman has to be comforted outside the prison after hearing that 80 inmates inside had been killed

Some are also asking for their cases to be reviewed and prisoners who had been transferred there from semi-open prisons to be able to return

The high-security prison which holds some of the northern Brazilian city's most dangerous criminals, has capacity for 454 inmates but currently holds 1,108.

Last night, Amazonas state public security secretary Sergio Fontes called the rebellion a 'massacre' and blamed the uprising on gang warfare not the jail's appalling conditions.

Last night, Amazonas state public security secretary Sergio Fontes called the rebellion at the prison, pictured, a 'massacre'

He said: 'I say massacre because six deaths for me is already a massacre.

'Everything points to an attack by the biggest faction against the smallest, to eliminate the competition.'
Huma Abedin spent the holidays in the Hamptons with her son, but her estranged husband Anthony Weiner was nowhere to be seen.

Top Hillary Clinton aide Huma spent Christmas hiding out in the affluent New York community with her four-year-old Jordan, her mother Saleha Mahmood Abedin, and sister Heba Abedin.

On Wednesday, Huma and her son Jordan were spotted at a cinema in Southampton as they waited to see the new animated movie Sing, Page Six reports.

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Huma Abedin (pictured with her son in November in New York) spent the holidays in the Hamptons with her son, but her estranged husband Anthony Weiner was nowhere to be seen

Meanwhile, Weiner was seen wandering around Manhattan last week and riding the subway solo.

It has now been almost five months since Abedin announced she was ending her six-year marriage to Weiner.

Her decision came after it was revealed that Weiner had sent another woman a photo of his crotch with his four-year-old son lying next to him.

Weeks later, it was revealed that he had a months-long online sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl.

Top Hillary Clinton (left, file picture) aide Huma spent Christmas hiding out in the affluent New York community with her four-year-old Jordan, meanwhile, Weiner (right, file picture) was seen wandering around Manhattan last week and riding the subway solo

The aide was spotted back at Clinton's side last month in their first appearance together since the election

Weiner has kept a low profile following the shocking revelations in October - which led to the FBI re-opening their investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails.

Investigators found thousands of emails related to the FBI's probe into Clinton's private email server while looking into Weiner's laptop.

Clinton and her husband Bill have since blamed FBI director James Comey's decision to launch the probe, just before the election, as one of the reasons she lost.

Weiner has since sought treatment for sex addiction, the DailyMail.com has learned exclusively.

He checked himself into The Ranch, a 2,000-acre facility near Nashville, Tennessee, in early October. Stays at the facility cost up to $30,000 a month.

The Post previously reported that he cut short his rehabilitation for sex addiction at the ranch because he 'ran out of money.'

'I have repeatedly demonstrated terrible judgement about the people I have communicated with online and the things I have sent,' he told the DailyMail.com in a statement after his scandal broke.

'I am filled with regret and heartbroken for those I have hurt.

Anthony Weiner's sexts to an underage girl led to an FBI probe - and the dramatic renewal of the email investigation

Weiner, a Democrat, resigned from Congress in 2011 amid a previous sexting scandal.

Meanwhile, Huma appears to have rebuilt her relationship with Clinton following the scandal.

The aide was spotted back at the Democrat's side last month in their first appearance together since the election.

The pair chatted and Abedin smiled as they walked out of Clinton's office in the Midtown neighborhood of New York City.

They had spent five hours inside the office before Abedin and an unidentified woman walked Clinton to a waiting vehicle and sent her on her way with a box of documents.
Teodorin Obiang, pictured, faces ten years in prison if he is found guilty of corruption charges in a Paris court

Treasures ranging from a 2 million personalised Bugatti supercar to one of Michael Jackson's jewel-encrusted gloves were today presented as evidence against an allegedly corrupt African playboy.

Lawyers for Teodorin Obiang, vice president of Equatorial Guinea, appeared in court in Paris where he is accused of 'shamelessy' looting his oil-rich country, leaving millions in a state of absolute poverty.

The 47-year-old faces 10 years in prison if he is found guilty of a range of charges, including stealing public funds, money laundering and breach of trust.

However, he has refused to attend the Paris Correctional Court, and says there is no chance of him serving any sentence because he will stay in Africa.

All the allegations relate to Obiang's billionaire lifestyle across the world, but particularly in the French capital where he owned a 100 million mansion complete with a personal disco, cinema and bathrooms with solid gold taps.

The house in Avenue Foch  one of the most prestigious roads in the world  was seized in 2011, along with eleven cars including the Bugatti Veyron, which was etched with Obiang's name.

Also in his fleet was a top-of-the-range Rolls Royce, Bentley, Ferrari, and Porsches  all of which he used to ferry glamorous blonde girlfriends around Paris.

Obiang was also well known for driving his lovers down to the Riviera, where his 76-metre super yacht, the 'Ebony Shine' was also seized.

Other prize possessions referenced in court include the crystal-covered glove worn by the late superstar Michael Jackson during his 'Bad' tour in 1988. Obiang bought it for hundreds of thousands of dollars soon afterwards.

One of Obiang's most-prized possessions was this glove once-warn by Michael Jackson

Swiss police seized 11 luxury car belonging to Obiang, including these two Ferraris

Obiang, pictured, spent an estimated 18 million including 65,000 for a champagne bowl

In 2009, Obiang also bought 109 lots during an auction of a collection of goods that had belonged to the legendary fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Berge.

He splashed out 18m in all, picking works of art, as well as 10m worth of jewels, and a champagne bowl costing 65,000.

Also in the collection of seized property were 64 pairs of designer shoes, most of them by Dolce & Gabbana.

Obiang's trial is hugely important for France, because it marks the first time that the country has taken legal action against billionaire dictators using Paris as a bolt-hole.

They have been investing their ill-gotten gains in the city's real estate and other luxury goods for decades.

Today's trial is the result of work by anti-corruption campaigners including Transparency International and the Sherpa Group.

William Bourdon, of Sherpa said: 'To begin with, there was simply no political will in France to listen to us.'

Now the group has helped to compile evidence that Obiang stole more than 100m from Equatorial Guinea, when he was agriculture minister, from 2004 until 2011.

Obiang's father, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, remains President of the country, and the family was allegedly allowed to take cash direct from state coffers.

A so-called 'revolutionary tax' placed on the sale of wood was also transferred to Obiang's own accounts, according to prosecution papers.

Obiang was not in court today, but his lawyer, Emmanuel Marsigny, told AFP, France's national news agency: 'He earned the money legally in his country.'

Mr Marsigny called for an adjournment in order to have more time to prepare his client's defence. Obiang is thought to be in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea.
The future only looks bright for America's hottest felon after a life-changing 2016.

Less than a year after he was released from prison in March 2016, Jeremy Meeks happily showed off his new life as he posed with his family by the Christmas tree.

The model then celebrated his eight-year anniversary with his wife before ringing in the New Year.

'Through thick and thin,' he wrote in the caption of the picture of the two of them, happily posing at a vineyard as she clutched a bottle of wine.

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Jeremy Meeks, better known as 'America's hottest felon', happily posed with his wife and family by the Christmas tree to celebrate his first holiday home after returning from prison

The successful model, whose career was launched by his mugshot, then celebrated his eight-year anniversary with his wife Melissa before ringing in the New Year last week

Meeks first shot to fame in 2014 when his mugshot was posted on the Stockton Police Department's Facebook page.

Three years has done little to dim his success, and Meeks has been happily showing off the rewards of his career on his Instagram page.

In one photo the 32-year-old Meeks poses with his $125,000 Maserati car in front of a beautiful mansion.

'Good to be home,' the caption reads.

Another shot shows the model posing shirtless in front of his mansion, which is complete with a water fountain in the front yard and a perfectly groomed lawn.

'God is good,' he wrote alongside the photo, as his fans congratulated him for his recent success.

Meeks, who was released from prison in March 2016, has shown just how far he's come with shots of his new mansion home and $125,000 Maserati car

The model also posed for a photo in his car and made the caption '#maseratimeeks'

Another shot shows the model posing shirtless in front of his mansion, which is complete with a water fountain in the front yard. Meeks captioned the photo: 'God is good'

Meeks has also posted numerous family shots, including this adorable photo of him and his son - who he affectionately calls his 'mini-me' - on the boy's seventh birthday

In this shot Meeks turns his kitchen into a photo shoot as he poses with his two boys

Meeks signed with talent agency White Cross Management last year and his manager Jim Jordan said he has received offers from all over the world

'They need to do a Lifetime movie about your life,' one of them commented.

Meeks was handed a 27-month jail term in 2015 after being charged with illegally possessing firearms and ammo, carrying a loaded firearm in public and criminal street gang activity.

Meeks was handed a 27-month jail term in 2015 after being charged with illegally possessing firearms and gang activity

From the small town of Stockton in northern California prior to his arrest, Meeks was brought up in a poor household and began his life of crime after becoming involved with the Northern Crips  a branch of the notorious Los Angeles gang.

He married a local nurse named Melissa, who had two children, at 24 and went on to have a son, now seven, with his wife.

When he was arrested in June 2014 as part of a crackdown on gangs by the Stockton police department, he was charged with five weapons offenses and two counts relating to gang membership.

But two years away did little to dim Meeks' mugshot fame.

Meeks signed with talent agency White Cross Management last year and his manager Jim Jordan said he has received offers from all over the world.

Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail Online last year, Jordan said that the 'humble' Meeks is nothing like the hard man image conveyed by his life of crime and gang tattoos, and is instead a 'soft-spoken family man' who has been left totally overwhelmed by all the attention.

Meeks recently took part in a photo shoot in Los Angeles to help boost his portfolio

The former gang member happily posed on the red carpet at the Beverly Hills Hotel

Meeks' two boys are also more than happy to lend their modeling talents to his photo shoots

Meeks was also recently pictured with Anwar Hadid, the brother of supermodel sisters Gigi and Bella

The proof of that is in Meeks' Instagram page, which is full of sweet shots of him and his family.

Meeks recently posed a selfie with his son, who he affectionately calls his 'mini-me', as they celebrated the boy's seventh birthday in the snow.

The two smiled happily for the camera, showing off their matching ice blue eyes.

Another cute photo shows Meeks and his family on the front porch of their home, decorated for Halloween, as his two sons wear matching costumes for the holiday.

Meeks posted this picture of him with his older brother to show how far his look has come
The matter will be heard on March 10 unless resolved earlier by both parties

Hermes said EM Style was asked to stop selling them but they continued to do

It is said they sold them in their Highpoint and Fountain Gate shopping centres

Hermes alleges that EM Style sold replicas of their 'H' clasp bracelet

A small Melbourne boutique store is being sued by a mega fashion house for allegedly selling counterfeit merchandise.

EM Style is alleged to have sold bracelets that feature a clasp that is distinctive to the famous Hermes brand.

Bracelets that feature the 'H' clasp were said to have been sold at the Highpoint and Fountain Gate shopping centres in September and November last year, The Age reported.

A small Melbourne boutique store is being sued by mega fashion house Hermes for allegedly selling counterfeit merchandise (pictured)

The fashion house is said to have contacted the store to ask them to stop selling the bracelets on several occasions but were ignored, and EM Style continued to market the bracelet, according to court documents.

A statement of claim filed in the Federal Court said 'substantially identical with or deceptively similar to one or more of the Hermes trademarks, which goods were not made by or under the licence or authority of Hermes'.

A photograph of the alleged counterfeit bracelet was filed with the documents that showed an orange and black bracelet that look distinctively like Hermes famous 'H' clasp enclosed in glass in EM Style's Fountain Gate store.

On the Hermes website, the bracelets range from $875 to $970 in price.

They come in three different colours - including rose gold, gold and silver.

A lady wearing the famous 'H' clasp bracelet that is alleged to have been sold at EM Style's Highpoint and Fountain Gate shopping centres

Hermes wants the bracelets destroyed and is seeking a court-ordered injunction to stop EM Style from selling them.

EM Style's owner Wendy Lam was contacted a number of times by The Age but she did not respond.

Daily Mail Australia has also contacted Ms Lam for comment on the matter.
South Sudanese males charged with raping an 18-year-old girl at a party on New Year's Eve have been condemned by their own community.

Norman Massimino and Beshoi Butros, both 18, were each charged with the aggressive sexual assault of an 18-year-old woman at a Sydney apartment block between 10pm on December 31 and 2.40am the next day.

A third boy, 17, was also charged over the alleged attack.

With threats and serious fear over reprisal attacks against the large South Sudanese community in Sydney, leaders have urged that the law be allowed to run its course.

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Beshoi Butros, 18, (pictured) is charged with the aggressive sexual assault of a 18-year-old girl at a Sydney house party

Norman Massimino, 18, (pictured) is also charged with aggressive sexual assault

'The law should deal with them,' Emmanuel Kondok told The Australian.

'If they have committed the crime, as an elder, as a community leader, I need to acknowledge it.

'But they are young people... if they don't listen to their parents, if they don't listen to their community and the authorities, the system should deal with them.'

The father of Burtos has apologised for his son's actions, saying the family was upset and ashamed of the incident.

'We are very, very upset  we are sorry this has happened,' Barnaba Beshoi told the Daily Telegraph.

Burtos' mother said she was unaware her son had gone to a party on New Year's Eve, saying the last time she saw him he had bought his younger siblings McDonald's.

'I dont know where he went and I dont know what happened  the police have not told us much,' Mona Burtos said.

In 2014, an unrelated sexual assault against a girl by teenagers in western Sydney led to a reprisal attack.

But Mr Kundok said threats against the South Sudanese community should be discouraged, saying they too were 'Australian'.

Both Massimino and Butros will spend the first days of 2017 behind bars after being refused bail.

The apartment block where the young woman was allegedly raped on New Year's Eve

After the incident allegedly occurred the woman was taken to hospital, and Mr Massimino and Mr Butros were apprehended at 4.45am on January 1, court documents said.

All three teenagers were charged with three counts of intercourse without consent.

Friends of the two adults came to watch the proceedings but neither appeared on the screen at Parramatta Local Court on Monday and were refused bail.

'We don't want to talk,' one supporter said.

A detective arrives at the scene after a young woman was allegedly raped by three males

Detectives leave the unit block after further investigations after the New Year's Eve incident

Authorities leaving the apartment block where the alleged sexual assault occurred

Mr Massimino and Mr Butros will return to court on January 13 and the child's case continues.

The third boy, 17, was granted bail by a Children's Court.

His mother, father and grandfather each attended court but declined to comment.

Friends of two of the accused exit the court in Parramatta

Friends of the two adults came to watch the proceedings but neither appeared on the screen at Parramatta Local Court on Monday and were refused bail

Friends of the two adults accused came to watch the court proceedings
It will expand Dubai's yacht capacity by around 50 percent and be able to

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The Ruler of Dubai announced plans to develop the largest marina in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum unveiled plans on Monday to build an impressive terminal in Dubai that will have 1,400 berths in a bid to boost the cities tourism industry.

The 'Dubai Harbour' will also feature a cruise ship port and a terminal that can accommodate 6,000 passengers at a time, a government statement said. Yacht berths will also be built to accommodate large yachts of the mega wealthy.

Home to Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest tower, Dubai said the new project will include a 135-metre (443-foot) lighthouse featuring a hotel and observation deck.

An artist's impression of what the 'Dubai Harbour' will look like upon completion. It will sit to the side of the world famous man-made Palm Island

Another landmark! The 'Dubai Lighthouse' will stand at 135 metres high and feature a luxury hotel and an observation deck that will offer 360 degree views. The facade can be used as a gigantic screen for high resolution projections and light shows

Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (centre) looks over the proposed project that looks to boost the city's already expanding tourism sector. He said that Dubai Harbour 'represents a unique and innovative new addition to the region's tourism landscape'

The project will feature a 1,400 berth marina, the biggest in the MENA region, and the cities yacht capacity will be boosted by around 50 percent from its current 3,000 berths when the project is fully built

The Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai. The 'Dubai Harbour's roads will be designed to cope with Formula One races and the berths will be made to accommodate large yachts, owned by the mega wealthy

The Emirate's proposed marina will also feature a cruise ship port and a terminal that can accommodate 6,000 passengers at a time, a government statement said

A pedestrian bridge with a jogging and cycling track will also connect 'Dubai Harbour' to Palm Jumeirah which is home to a number of hotels, retail parks and attractions. 'Dubai Harbour' is expected to stimulate a 100 per cent increase in the number of maritime travellers to Dubai following the completion of the project. At the moment the city records 650,000 maritime visits a year on average

The marina will expand Dubai's yacht capacity by around 50 percent from its current 3,000 berths, the statement said.

The project will be located off the upmarket Dubai Marina neighbourhood and next to the man-made Palm Island.

Just decades ago Dubai was a sleepy fishing port but has evolved into a regional business hub and an attractive tourism destination, thanks to huge investments in luxurious resorts and shopping malls.

The UAE's capital Abu Dhabi is the home of the country's oil and gas sector.
These twins born on New Year's Eve will bring a whole new meaning to the concept of sibling rivalry.

At least four sets of twins across the nation have been born with enough time apart to have different birth years, making many of them the first babies of 2017.

Arizona, Georgia, Utah and California families have all experienced this phenomenon.

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Four sets of twins across the nation have been born with enough time apart to have different birth years. Pictured are James and Matthew Criddle, born 11:59pm Saturday, December 31, 2016, and 12:01am on Sunday, January 1, 2017

Parents Huyen Nguyen and Nick Criddle of Clearfield, Utah welcomed twin boys.

They were delivered by emergency cesarean section a month early - their original due date being February 4.

Huyen reportedly began feeling unwell at a family barbeque and went to the hospital where she was told she would need to be transported to labor.

The identical boys were delivered by emergency cesarean section a month early - their original due date was February 4

Their son James Criddle was born at 11:59pm Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016, and his brother, Matthew Criddle, at 12:01am on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017.

James weighed in at just 5 pounds and measured 18.5 inches, and Matthew weighed 5.5 pounds and measured 18.75 inches.

'In the womb, Matthew was bigger and the trouble maker, always kicking and moving,' their father Nick Criddle told the Standard Examiner.

'James was our quiet one and easy going, so we are pleased that he is the older brother and can help guide his younger brother.'

Holly and Brandon Shay of Glendale, Arizona welcomed their fraternal twin boys Everett and Sawyer - with the added twist of having the first baby born in the state of 2017.

Everett Shay is also the first baby to be born in Arizona, delivered at 12:01am January 1

Holly and Brandon Shay of Glendale, Arizona welcomed fraternal twin boys Everett and Sawyer at Banner Thunderbird Medical Center

Sawyer was born at 11:50pm on December 31, and his brother Everett arrived 11 minutes later at 12:01am on Sunday, January 1st at Banner Thunderbird Medical Center in Glendale.

Holly said that it was a 'perfect birth', according to Detroit Free Press.

Her husband Brandon added: 'Everett might disagree but that's because he's just stubborn.

'He was hanging on until after midnight.'

For the second year in a row in San Diego, California twins were born in different years.

A set of twin girls were born at Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women and Newborns in Kearny Mesa at 11:56 p.m. on December 31 and midnight New Year's Day.

At Northside Hospital Cherokee in Georgia, a baby girl was delivered at 11:20pm on Saturday an hour before her twin brother.

The boy is currently still in the NICU until he can join his mom and sister.
A New Year's fireworks explosion left one person dead and another critically injured in Hawaii, authorities said.

A large group gathered at the Campbell Industrial Park in Honolulu on the island of Oahu, where two people started setting off aerial fireworks, which are illegal in the state.

An explosion went off, and both victims were rushed to the hospital, where the 38-year-old woman died from her injuries.

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A New Year's fireworks explosion at an industrial park in Hawaii (pictured) left one 38-year-old woman dead. Another 36-year-old man was critically injured

Video courtesy of Hawaii News Now:

Most people had left by the time police arrived on the scene, although one bystander was administering CPR on the female victim, according to Kevin Mokulehua of the Honolulu Fire Department.

The woman died in the hospital, while the 36-year-old man remains in critical condition.

Police have opened an unattended death and prohibited explosive device investigation, but no one has been arrested or cited.

Honolulu's Emergency Medical Services said the woman's death was among dozens of other fireworks-related incidents over the weekend. The agency responded to 28 calls within the first hour of 2017.

A 28-year-old suffered serious injuries to his right hand while setting off firecrackers in Kauai, while a man's face was injured hen the explosives unexpectedly went off in Maui, authorities said.

Fire Capt. Kevin Mokulehua said the Honolulu Fire Department also had a busy weekend.

'The Honolulu Fire Department responded to 19 fireworks-related incidents which doubled last year's incident totals,' said Mokulehua.
Barack Obama's closest adviser said Sunday that the outgoing president has led a scandal-free administration  a statement that drew howls from conservatives.

Valerie Jarrett made that claim despite the nation's years-long focus on embarrassing episodes like the Operation Fast & Furious 'gunwalking' program, the swap of U.S. Army deserter Bowe Bergdahl for five high-risk Taliban terror suspects, and a laundry list of other deadly and politically damaging public controversies.

'The president prides himself on the fact that his administration hasn't had a scandal and he hasn't done something to embarrass himself,' she said in an interview broadcast Sunday on CNN's 'Fareed Zakaria GPS.'

'That's because that's who he is  that's who they are  and I think that's what really resonates with the American people,' Jarrett continued.

Close Obama confidante Valerie Jarrett said Sunday on CNN that the president's administration 'hasn't had a scandal'

A Fox news host did 'seven seconds' of research and came up with a quick scandal list

She also ignored the lengthy drama surrounding former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's efforts to keep all her emails far away from archived government computer servers, a saga that may have cost Democrats their control of the White House.

Fully 74 per cent of Americans in early 2009 had high expectations of Obama's ability to avoid major scandals during his presidency, according to polling conducted by the Gallup Organization.

A Gallup poll released Monday morning showed just 44 per cent have similar confidence in President-elect Donald Trump's future White House tenure.

Obama said during a November press conference at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Lima, Peru that he was 'extremely proud of the fact that over eight years we have not had the kinds of scandals that have plagued other administrations.'

But Jarrett's eight-year look backward created controversy on Sunday.

Her rose-tinted accounting of the Obama years left out the IRS playing favorites with nonprofit tax exemptions, slow-walking or burying applications from dozens of conservative organizations while fast-tracking liberal groups.

And she omitted mention of the September 11, 012 terror attacks in Benghazi, Libya that left a US. ambassador and three other American personnel dead. That deadly day's carnage came as a result of the Clinton's State Department's lax oversight of diplomatic security.

The cover-up afterward involved Clinton publicly blaming the deaths on an anti-Islam YouTube video despite her private admissions at the time that terrorists were to blame. Then-National Security Adviser Susan Rice promoted the same falsehood in five television interviews just days later.

A conservative watchdog group fired back at Jarrett.

'This is delusional,' Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton told the New York Post.

'The Obama administration has a scandal rap sheet longer than my arm. Between just the IRS abuses, Benghazi, and the Hillary Clinton scandals, this administration was even more corrupt than Nixon's,' Fitton said.

Jarrett's friendship with the Obamas dates back to the president's days as a Chicago liberal activist organizer

 FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) January 2, 2017

Obama said in November in Lima, Peru that he was 'extremely proud of the fact that over eight years we have not had the kinds of scandals that have plagued other administrations'

'Fox & Friends' had a field day on Monday morning with Jarrett's claims.

'When we heard that, we did intense seven seconds of research on the back of a napkin, and were able to cobble together these non-scandals of the past eight years,' one co-host said as a list of nine examples flashed on-screen.

They included an effort by the Obama Department of Justice to comb through phone records of the Associated Press and its supporters, and a flurry of secret subpoenas for journalists' records.
A victim of the Istanbul massacre appeared to predict her own death in a social media posting before she arrived in Turkey, it has emerged.

Rita Chami was killed when an ISIS gunman went on the rampage at the upmarket Reina nightclub on New Year's Eve.

Before travelling to the country Chami, who had recently lost her mother to cancer, wrote on Facebook: 'Hopefully we will have fun [in Turkey], worst case scenario is that I will die in a blast and follow my mum.'

The 26-year-old, a student at the American University of Science and Technology in Lebanon, died alongside her friend Elias Wardini.

Rita Chami (pictured) was killed when an ISIS gunman went on the rampage at the upmarket Reina nightclub on New Year's Eve

The 26-year-old, a student at the American University of Science and Technology in Lebanon, is said to have died alongside her friend Elias Wardini (pictured), also 26

It comes as heartbreaking images emerged of some of the many murdered revellers.

Victims of the slaughter included a young Indian fashion designer, a Bollywood director and the daughter of a prominent Lebanese businessman.

As grieving relatives arrived in Turkey to take away their dead, just one of the 39 bodies remained unidentified this morning after police worked through the night with families of the deceased.

Among the dead at the Reina nightclub was the venue's head of security and a bus driver who unwittingly drove a group of partygoers to their deaths.

Heartbreaking new images have emerged of revellers gunned down by an ISIS fanatic in an exclusive Istanbul nightclub as they celebrated New Year's Turkish. One of the victims was young fashion designer from India called Khushi Shah

Khushi Shah, a fashion designer in her 20s from Vadodara, India, was on a business trip in Istanbul when she was gunned down during the terror attack

Among the dead were Abis Rizvi, 49, a Mumbai Bollywood producer who was in the midst of making his second film

Lebanese banker Heykel Musellim (pictured) was a victim of the attack. He was identified using a DNA sample from one of his relatives

A Canadian mom-of-two, a female security guard, an Arab-Israeli student and a Lebanese banker were also among the victims.

It comes as ISIS claimed one of its 'soldiers' carried out the atrocity and as Turkish police moved in on two locations near Istanbul in the hunt for the lone attacker.

Canadian mom-of-two Alaa Al-Muhandis, from Milton, Ontario, also died in the attack

Among the dead were Abis Rizvi, 49, a Mumbai Bollywood producer who was in the midst of making his second film, and Khushi Shah, a fashion designer in her 20s from Vadodara, a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat.

The Indian government said it was making arrangements to help the families as they come to Turkey to collect the bodies.

Shah's family was said to be in 'total shock' today after revealing she had been in the city on business.

Club bouncer and mother-of-one Hatice Koc'un was among the 39 people who were gunned down in Istanbul. Turkish law requires a female guard be present to search women clubbers

Leanne Nasser was on holiday with three female friends, all from the Arab-majority village of Tira in northern Israel, when she was killed

Rizvi, a 49-year-old builder, wrote, produced and directed a Bollywood movie 'Roar: The Tigers of Sunderbans,' in 2014 aimed at spreading awareness about tigers.

Today Turkish media reported that the gunman took a taxi to the venue, but got out of the cab due to traffic and walked the last four minutes to the scene.

In just five-and-a-half minutes, the killer used six magazines, totalling 120 bullets, to massacre his unarmed victims, Turkish media reported.

A local security specialist, Abdullah Agar, also said that CCTV footage of the attacker appeared to suggest that he had an old injury to his foot.

Among the first to be killed were the club's head of security, Fatih Cakmak, 35, who was shot dead on the steps of the venue. He had already had a brush with death last month, when he was working at Istanbul's Vodafone Arena as it was hit by a major bomb attack.

Ayhan Arik, who drove the bus that carried some of the victims to the club, was also killed in front of the entrance. He had two sons, and has already been laid to rest at a ceremony attended by his friends and family, at which his wife was reportedly so distressed that she was unable to stand.

Also gunned down was police officer Burak Yildiz, who had been guarding the front of the upmarket riverside club

Club worker Kenan Kutluk (right) has been named as a victim. His Facebook page shows him posing next to footballer Diego Costa

Fatih Cakmak, a policeman who was on duty at the nightclub during the New Year celebrations, was also killed

Female security guard Hatice Karcilar also lost her life in the atrocity. The mother of a three-year-old child had also reportedly survived last month's bombing attack, and had posted pictures of herself on social media kissing the Turkish flag. She will be buried later today.

As the killer made his way inside the club, he fired indiscriminately as he reportedly screamed 'Allahu Akhbar', gunning down Rita Chami, 26, daughter of a prominent Lebanese businessman. She was pictured on social media wearing flowers in her hair.

Also killed was police officer Burak Yildiz, 21, from Mersin in southern Turkey, who graduated from the police academy 18 months ago and had recently suffered the loss of his father.

Canadian mom-of-two Alaa Al-Muhandis, from Milton, Ontario was also killed.

Neighbors and acquaintances of Al-Muhandis described her as a radiant young mother of two children, according to a report in the Globe and Mail.

Shortly before his death, he had posted on Facebook in sympathy for his young colleagues killed in previous terror attacks, saying, 'your bravery is not matched by your age', and 'your loss leaves a fire in our hearts', according to Turkish media.

Mourners packed out a funeral for Yunus Gormek who was killed in the gun attack on the Reina night club in Istanbul

Grieving relatives broke down in tears as they attended funerals for some of those killed

A man lays flowers front of the Reina nightclub in Istanbul, one day after a gunman killed 39 people there

Flowers and a Turkish flag are placed near the entrance of Reina nightclub this afternoon

The news was broken to the family by the chief of Mersin police, Mehmet Sahne, Turkish media reported, and his mother broke down when she received the news, having to be supported by health workers. A Turkish flag was put up in front of his house.

Israeli Arab student Leanne Nasser, 19, who was on holiday in Turkey with three of her friends for the New Year, also lost her life in the shooting. One of her friends was injured while the other two were traumatised but physically unharmed, Israeli officials told MailOnline.

'Their friends told them not to come because they thought it was too dangerous,' said Shira Ben Zion, Israel's deputy consul in Istanbul. The survivors returned to Israel last night.

Also killed were waiter Kenan Kutluk, who was married with two children, and Lebanese banker Heykel Musellim, 39, was identified using a DNA sample from one of his relatives. His body will be released in the coming days.

Mustafa Sezgin Seymen was shot dead in front of his fiance, Turkish media reported.

Police have released several images of a suspect, they do not have yet have a name. CCTV, believed to be from inside the club, shows the gunman wearing hat

Investigation: Police released these photos of the suspected killer as they launched a manhunt

Financial adviser Mustafa Kaya was also among the dead, and his body was taken to his hometown of Kastamonu. Also named were security guard Yunus Gormek, Lebanese Ilyas Vardini, 25, Mesut Gurbuz, 28, a Turkish tourism representative working in Germany, and Iraqi university student Jalal Abbas.

Bodies of the 13 Turkish victims have been released to their families for burial after the conclusion of autopsy and identification procedures.

The dead also included 25 foreign nationals from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Tunisia, India, Morocco, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Canada, Israel, Syria and Russia.
A Tunisian cook has been charged with murdering a 21-year-old Pole who allegedly left his restaurant without paying for drinks, in a case that sparked anti-foreigner riots.

The Pole, identified only as Daniel R, got into an argument with the employees of a kebab restaurant in Elk, a town in north east Poland, on New Year's Eve.

Daniel R and another Pole apparently took two bottles of booze from the restaurant, Prince Kebab, without paying.

In the ensuing brawl, the 26-year-old cook stabbed Daniel R twice with his knife.

The second Pole threw firecrackers into the restaurant as he fled.

Riot police are guarding the entrance to the kebab shop in Elk, Poland, after a local man was stabbed by a Tunisian cook

Windows were smashed by anti-foreign rioters following the stabbing in the Polish town

On New Year's Day, people began gathering in front of the restaurant to light candles.

They also shouted anti-foreigner slogans and threw stones and firecrackers, breaking windows.

When police arrived, some in the crowd attacked officers with stones and bottles.

Tomasz Andrukiewicz, the mayor of Elk, a town of 60,000 people, attributed the rioting to the anti-immigrant mood prevailing in Europe, the news agency PAP reported.

When police arrived, some in the crowd attacked officers with stones and bottles

Police arrested 28 people in total.

Spokesman Rafal Jackowski said: 'They may have to answer for destroying public property or disrupting the public order.'
Wendi Deng busted out her most festive bikini over the weekend as she enjoyed a relaxing day in the sun at her St Barts vacation home before heading out to ring in the New Year.

The mother-of-two looked picture perfect in her bathing suit as she walked around the outdoor deck on the property with her daughters Grace, 15, and Chloe, 13, and took some time to pose for photos with the girls.

Also looking picture perfect was Deng's 21-year-old boy toy Bertold Zahoran, who showed off his chiseled physique in a pair of $300 Vilebrequin swimsuit that featured a pattern of gold turtles.

Deng, 48, later traded her Missoni mare metallic triangle bikini, which retails for over $500, for a more formal summer dress as she and Zahoran headed out to celebrate their first New Year's Eve as a couple.

The Hungarian-born model, clad in a black polo and pair of khakis, documented the event by posting a photo of him standing behind Deng with his arms around her on Instagram, writing 'Happy New Year!' in three languages - English, Chinese and Hungarian.

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Looking good: Wendi Deng wore a black and gold string bikini (above) while sunbathing at her vacation home in St Barts on Saturday

Special friend: Deng was joined by new boy toy Bertold Zahoran (above)

Getting serious: The Hungarian-born model, 21, has reportedly been dating Deng since May of this year

Zahoran posted a photo of the two celebrating their first New Year's Eve together on his Instagram account over the weekend

Big fan: Deng's daughter Grace responded by writing 'aww' and including an emoji of a heart struck by an arrow as a comment on the loved up snap

Bonding: was joined by her daughters Grace, 15, and Chloe, 13, and the three spent some time taking photos of one another

Deng did not share any images for her New Year's Eve celebration with Zahorian though, instead choosing to post the photos she took with her daughters.

She put up a picture of her and daughter Grace making duck lips on Saturday, and on Sunday shared an image of daughter Chloe sitting on her lap in front of their Christmas tree.

For the photo shoot, Deng chose a colorful Missoni top to throw over her Missoni bikini.

Deng and the girls have made a tradition of travelling to St Barts over the holiday, but this marks the first time that the Chloe and Grace's mother has brought along a boyfriend.

And at least one of the girl's seems to be a fan of their mother's new beau, with Grace commenting on Zahorian's picture of him and Deng on Instagram, writing: 'aww.'

She also included an emoji of heart struck by an arrow at the end of the comment.

Family time: Grace snapped a photo of her sister Chloe with her mother, who put a cover-up over her bikini

Nice suit: Deng wore a Missoni mare metallic triangle bikini while catching some rays, which retails for over $500

Mother and daughter: Wendi posted this photo yesterday on Instagram with daughter Grace on Saturday

Baby girl: Deng then shared a cuddly photo with younger daughter Chloe on Sunday

Sparkling lovers: Both Wendi and her model boyfriend opted for metallic details on their designer swimwear

Cleaning up: Deng carries in the towel she had been using to catch some sun on the deck

Summer loving: Zahoran and Deng have been spotted at multiple events together in the past nine months in New York City

Beauty: Deng looked remarkably fresh faced after laying out in the sun on Saturday

Fit: Deng also showed off what an amazing body she has after two children in her bikini

Zahoran and Deng were also spotted together on the island two days prior as they enjoyed a stroll on the beach.

Deng wore white bikini bottoms and a bandeau top for that outing while Zahoran chose to go shirtless in a pair of gray cotton gym shorts.

Deng has reportedly been dating Zahoran since May of this year, making her relationship with the male model her longest since she split from her billionaire ex-husband Rupert Murdoch in 2013 after 14 years of marriage.

Murdoch cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split, with some reports at the time claiming he had grown suspicious of his wife's relationship with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair - the godfather of their daughter Grace.

He also went on to find love with a model, marrying Jerry Hall in March of this year. It was the fourth marriage for the CEO of News Corp.

Details of their divorce settlement were sealed, but it was revealed that Deng got to keep the coupe's three-story Fifth Avenue apartment in New York City after the split.

Heading in: Zahoran seemed incredibly interested with something on his phone while the two were packing up to head inside the house

Fat free: Zahoran's toned back was on full display as he followed Deng into the house in Saturday

Private people: The couple have been spotted together at events, but this is the first vacation where they have been photographed together

Dressing up: Deng got ready to put on her white cover up while the two headed inside

Big money: There is a limited edition version of Zahoran's swimsuit that cost $9,000 and features gold embroidery and 22 karat gold aglets on the drawstring

Prior to her relationship with Zahoran, Deng was rumored to be dating British classical violinist Charlie Siem.

Photos of the two holding hands and looking enamored with one another while attending the Giambattista Valli show during Paris Fashion Week this past March appeared to confirm the rumors.

It was only a few months after her fashion show date with Siem that Deng and Zahoran were spotted together at supermodel Naomi Campbell's birthday party.

The May bash was held in New York City on the rooftop of the Dream Hotel, and a photograph from the event shows Deng and Zahoran sitting together on a banquette, with the model's arm around his older girlfriend.

Zahoran also posted a photo of him with some of the guests at the party that night including Deng on Instagram, writing: 'On top of New York City on a gorgeous night. Celebrating @iamnaomicampbell #Queen #Icon. Best part is meeting some awesome new friends. #whatanight.'

Dapper dude: Zahoran has made a name for himself in the industry thanks to landing the highly lucrative Polo campaign

Across the board: Zahoran appears in ads for all Polo lines, from suiting to underwear and outerwear

Ex: Deng and her husband Rupert Murdoch (above in 2013) divorced in 2014 due to irreconcilable differences

Since her divorce from Murdoch, Deng has begun to cultivate a much younger circle of friends, many of whom are in the world of fashion.

She is particularly close with 24-year-old supermodel Karlie Kloss and 35-year-old art collector and magazine editor Dasha Zhukova, who is the wife of billionaire Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.

Deng is also one of Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner's closest friends, and the three traveled to Croatia this past August on David Geffen's yacht.

After leaving Croatia Deng went to Venice, Italy for a week, as did Zahoran, with both posting images from some of the art they saw during their trip.

Zahoran was also invited to spend the end of summer with Deng at a beach house in Sag Harbor.

On August 27 both her and Deng posted a photo of the Jewish, Chinese and US flags outside a private home on the water in the tony Long Island enclave.

Wendy captioned hers with a heart and emoji and '#saturday' while Zahoran wrote: 'Perfect Saturday.'

He also added a heart emoji at the end of his comment.

Friends forever: Zahoran posted a photo of Deng on Instagram after they attended the same party in May, saying how nice it was to meet 'awesome new friends'

Italia: The couple took their first big trip together in August it appears, when both posted photos from a trip to Venice

Model rebounds: Murdoch also took up with a model after his split from Deng, marrying jerry Hall (couple above in St. Tropez this past July)

And in September, the couple attended the Adele concert together at Madison Square Garden, with both posting photos of the singer on their Instagram accounts.

They were photographed out at an event in November as well when the two attended the exhibition party for Masterworks: Unpacking Fashion at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

That was nothing however compared with their decision to head off on their first vacation together with Deng's two daughters, which came to an end on Monday as the group flew back to new York.
Eight firefighters were taken to the hospital after two Seattle firetrucks collided and damaged a storefront.

Two trucks were responding to an automatic fire alarm in Washington state before 8am on Sunday when they crashed at an intersection about five miles north of downtown Seattle.

The Seattle Fire Department will conduct an internal investigation, and none of the firefighters suffered serious injuries, according to spokesperson Alice Kim.

Crash: Two fire engines struck one another in Seattle on Sunday at around 8am, injuring eight firefighters. It's not yet known why the trucks collided

One engine truck was traveling on Northeast 65th Street, while a ladder truck was going north on 12th Avenue Northeast, when the two vehicles crashed.

The intersection was shut down, and eight firefighters were taken to Harborview Medical Center to be evaluated.

The ladder truck also went through an empty parking lot and smashed the storefront of a massage business as a result of the crash.

The ladder truck is now out of service and reserve fire engines will be employed, Kim said.

Damage to the shop, called Elements Massage, was 'cosmetic', according to owner Larry Culp, who said the ladder truck could have gone through the front of the building.

It is unclear how fast the fire trucks were going at the time of the crash.
French President Francois Hollande has warned that military action against ISIS is key to preventing attacks at home.

Hollande was in a defiant mood when he visited Baghdad and Mosul, just days after an ISIS suicide bomber killed 32 people in the latest attack on the Iraqi capital.

The French government is particularly concerned over the return of a large contingent of French jihadists from Syria and Iraq and Hollande stressed that supporting Iraq was one of the surest ways of securing Europe.

French President Francois Hollande has warned that military action against ISIS is key to preventing attacks at home (Pictured, Hollande with Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani)

Pictured: Hollande looks at ISIS-held territory as he visits a military outpost on the outskirts of Mosul, Iraq

Speaking at a base where French soldiers have been training elite Iraqi forces, he said: 'Taking action against terrorism here in Iraq is also preventing acts of terrorism on our own soil.'

Of the European countries targeted by ISIS, France has been the worst hit - but attacks have also been carried out in Belgium and Germany.

Besides the defeated jihadist fighters who are expected to return to Europe in the coming months, radicalised children who grew up in the 'caliphate' ISIS proclaimed in 2014, are also seen as ticking bombs.

Hollande said: 'We will have to deal with the issue of the return of foreign fighters... who committed crimes, who brought their families with them, including in some cases very young children.'

Since it joined the United States in the coalition in September 2014, France says its warplanes have conducted 5,700 sorties, around 1,000 strikes and destroyed more than 1,700 targets.

France has 14 Rafale fighter jets that are stationed in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates and taking part in coalition operations.

Pictured: People inspect the charred remains of a bus after a suicide bomb killed 32 people in Sadr City, Baghdad

It also has 500 soldiers training and advising elite Iraqi forces and CAESAR artillery vehicles stationed south of Mosul to provide support for ongoing operations to retake the city.

Australia, Britain and Italy are also part of the 60-member coalition supporting Iraq's efforts against ISIS.

Hollande said the recapture of Mosul, Iraq's second city and the jihadists' last major bastion in the country, was a matter of weeks but warned efforts should then focus on Raqa in Syria.

He said: 'If Daesh is eradicated in Iraq but remains in Syria, we know full well that acts will be carried out here in the Middle East but also on our own soil in France, in Europe.'

The French premier met Iraqi President Fuad Masum, a Kurd, and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, from the largest Shiite political bloc, and called for reconciliation and unity after ISIS is defeated.

Hollande's government is concerned about the return of a large contingent of French jihadists from Syria and Iraq (pictured, at a military outpost during his visit)

He then flew to the northern city of Arbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, where he met local leader Massud Barzani.

Hollande began his trip with a visit to a base near Baghdad where French forces are training Iraq's elite Counter-Terrorism Service, the force that has spearheaded most major anti-IS operations in Iraq since 2014.

It was CTS that first breached the city limits of Mosul late last year in an effort to retake it from ISIS.

But the going has been tough for Iraqi forces, partly because hundreds of thousands of civilians have remained in the city, slowing their advance.

Abadi had promised his forces would rid the country of ISIS by the end of 2016 but he said last week that three more months would be needed to achieve that goal.

Some observers argue the new timeline remains ambitious, given the continued presence of jihadists in other parts of the country.

The ISIS bomber struck on a square in Baghdad's Shiite majority neighbourhood of Sadr City where daily labourers were waiting for jobs (pictured, the wreckage of a bus)

Hollande predicted that 2017 would be 'a year of victories against terrorism' but, while its 'caliphate' appears doomed, ISIS still has the ability to sow chaos by attacking softer targets.

The suicide car bomb blast in Baghdad's Shiite majority neighbourhood of Sadr City wounded more than 60 people on Monday.

Police officials said the bomber struck on a square where daily labourers were waiting for jobs, causing one of the highest casualty tolls in the capital in months.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack via its propaganda agency Amaq, saying the 'martyrdom operation' had killed about 40 people.
German police have arrested a Syrian refugee who allegedly asked ISIS to fund an attack using explosives-packed vehicles.

The unemployed 38-year-old migrant urged an ISIS contact via mobile phone message service Telegram to send him 180,000 euros, prosecutors said.

Police commandos raided his apartment in Saarbruecken near the French border around 2:00 am on New Year's Eve.

He was detained before being formally arrested on terror financing charges on New Year's Day.

The man's 'as yet undefined attack scenario' suggested turning cars into suicide bombs in Germany, France, Belgium and The Netherlands, police said.

On 19 December, 12 people were killed when Tunisian man Anis Amir drove a truck into crowds of people at a Christmas market in Berlin. ISIS claimed responsibility for that deadly rampage.

Police commandos raided the Syria refugee's apartment in Saarbruecken near the French border around 2:00 am on New Year's Eve.

Spiegel Online reported the plan was to re-paint the vehicles to make them look like police patrol cars.

It named the suspect as Hasan A and said his contact was located in the militant group's de facto capital of Raqqa, in Syria.

The man had entered Germany in December 2014 and applied for asylum in January 2015, obtaining refugee status and a residency permit, prosecutors said in a statement.

More than a million asylum-seekers entered Germany in 2015, while a further 300,000 were projected to have arrived over the past year.

In December 2016, he asked an ISIS contact in Syria to send him the money 'so he could purchase vehicles which he could load with explosives and which he wanted to drive into crowds...and blow up in order to kill unknown numbers of people who do not follow the Muslim faith'.

According to messages found on his phone, the man said each vehicle would be re-painted and packed with 400-500 kilogrammes (880-1,100 pounds) of explosives at a cost of 22,500 euros each, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said the man 'admitted contact with the ISIS but denied terrorist motives' - suggesting he claimed to have attempted to defraud the extremist group.

Investigators said there was no evidence the suspect had already obtained and prepared any vehicles for an attack.

Police said 'an initial evaluation of the evidence did not point to a concrete threat to New Year's Eve events'.
President Obama still has one, very quick chance to get Judge Merrick Garland onto the Supreme Court.

In the five-minute break tomorrow when the Senate gavels out of the 114th Congress and then into the 115th Congress the outgoing president could use his recess appointment powers to place Garland onto the bench.

The move would be highly controversial and Garland's tenure would have an expiration date, as recess appointments only last until the conclusion of the congressional session, in this case December 2017.

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President Obama (left) has a five-minute window tomorrow where he could try to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia with his own nominee Judge Merrick Garland (right)

President Obama (left) announced on March 16, 2016 his pick of Judge Merrick Garland (right) to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court, but Senate Republicans refused to act

Language in the Constitution  found in Article II, section 2  says 'the President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate.'

However, the Supreme Court limited that power during Obama's tenure in a 9-0 ruling in 2014 after the president had appointed three people to the National Labor Relations Board in 2012 during a three-day recess in the middle of a congressional session.

The Court ruled Obama's appointments invalid because a longer recess was interrupted by a 'pro forma' session, in which the Senate gaveled in and gaveled out, but didn't conduct any business  a common practice since 2011, to prevent the president from making said appointments.

The Supreme Court said that the president must respect the Senate's determination that it's in session.

Writing for the majority, Justice Stephen Breyer said that for recess appointments to be valid the Senate  whether it's a 'intersession' or 'intrasession' break  must recess for longer than 10 days.

However, legal scholars consider this language to be 'dicta,' as it wasn't relevant to the actual question at the center of case, which was about the legitimacy of the Senate's pro forma sessions.

That means the 10-day rule isn't necessarily legal precedent, giving Obama some cover if he decides to make such a risky move.

Also helping him is the fact that this would be an 'intersession' break, as one congressional session is concluding and the next one is starting.

The New Republic pointed out that even Congress' most conservative members believe the president's recess appointment powers apply during these kinds of breaks.

Obama's own precedent suggests that he won't do it, as the Democratic isn't known to make rash moves for short-term political gain.

The sitting Democratic president named Garland to the court back on March 16, 2016, hoping that a non-controversial pick with lots of experience  Garland is the chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit  would sway Republicans in the Senate to vote on the nominee.

However, Garland would be replacing the late Justice Antonin Scalia, a giant figure of the judicial right.

Adding him to the court to sit alongside Obama's other liberal picks  Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan  could pull it leftward for decades, which was what conservatives feared.

So in turn, Republicans, hoping to be victorious in the presidential election, pledged to hold off on confirming Garland, never even giving him a hearing at the committee level.
A British chef who flew to Syria to fight ISIS was killed during a gun battle just before Christmas, Kurdish activists claim.

Ryan Lock, from Chichester, died during an offensive by anti-Islamic State forces near Raqqa in northern Syria on December 21.

The 20-year-old, who had no military background, flew to Rojava to join the Kurdish Peoples Defence Units (YPG) last August.

Former chef Ryan Lock (pictured), from Chichester, died just before Christmas day during an offensive by anti-Islamic State forces near Raqqa in northern Syria

He told friends and family he was going to Turkey on holiday, but in a Facebook status admitted he was actually flying to Syria to join Kurdish militia.

He wrote: 'I'm on my way to Rojava. I lied about going to Turkey. I am sorry I didn't tell anyone. I love all of you and I will be back in six months.'

Photos Mr Lock posted on social media show him smiling in camouflage gear and holding a rifle.

In a statement to the Guardian, Mr Lock's father, Jon, said: 'Ryan was a very caring and loving boy who would do any thing to help anyone. He had a heart of gold. We ask for privacy to allow our family to grieve.'

The YPG offered condolences Mr Lock's family after his death on December 21. In a statement it said: 'Ryan joined actively in our offensive against the terror threat that Isis caused upon Rojava, Kurdistan.

'Here, on the dark hours of 21 December 2016, we lost our brave companion Ryan and four other fighters in Jaeber village.

'Ryan was not only a fighter providing additional force to our struggle. In fact, with his experience and knowledge he has been an example for younger fighters.

'While he has reached a vast amount of achievement up in our frontlines, Ryan has served the purpose of a very important bridge between us, the Kurds of Rojava. He crossed continents for the destiny of our people and humanity.'

Photos Mr Lock posted on social media show him smiling in camouflage gear and holding a rifle. He told friends and family he was going to Turkey on holiday but in a Facebook status admitted he was actually flying to Syria to join Kurdish militia

Mr Lock posted about the dangers he faced during his time in Syria on social media. On November 24 it is thought many of his unit died in a bombing in Arima, a village 13 miles north-east of the Isis-held city of Bab.

Mr Lock posted a picture of his injuries and said two of his friends, Anton and Michael, 'were killed among many others'.

He went on to insist he was 'staying to finish out my six months'.

In July last year 22-year-old farmer Dean Evans was killed in northern Syria when as he attempted to rescue a fallen comrade during a street battle/

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: 'The UK has advised for some time against all travel to Syria.

'As all UK consular services there are suspended, it is extremely difficult to confirm the status and whereabouts of British nationals in Syria.
Billie Lourd thanked her supporters for giving her the 'strength' to deal with the devastating loss of her mother, Carrie Fisher, and grandmother, Debbie Reynolds, who died within just one day of each other.

The 24-year-old actress posted a picture of herself as a child with Fisher and Reynolds, accompanied by the touching message.

'Receiving all of your prayers and kind words over the past week has given me strength during a time I thought strength could not exist. There are no words to express how much I will miss my Abadaba and my one and only Momby. Your love and support means the world to me.'

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Billie Lourd posted a picture of herself as a child with Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, accompanied by the touching message

She thanked her supporters for their prayers as she suffers with the devastating loss of her mother and her grandmother

This is Lourd's first public statement since Fisher and Reynolds died last week.

Fisher's brother Todd Fisher revealed that his sister will be buried with their mother, although no date has been announced.

Fisher, 60, suffered a cardiac arrest during a flight from London to L.A. on Tuesday, December 27, and died in hospital a short time later. An autopsy on Friday was inconclusive as the results 'were not obvious'.

Reynolds, whose decades-long career including a starring role in Singin' in the Rain, suffered a stroke and died just one day after her daughter.

This is Lourd's (pictured with rumored boyfriend Taylor Lautner, a day after the death of her mother) first public statement since Fisher and Reynolds died last week

Lourd (with her mother) is the only child of Fisher from her relationship with talent agent Bryan Lourd, from whom she split in 1994

The family is reportedly planning a joint funeral for Fisher and Reynolds (pictured together with Lourd in January 2015)

Lourd is the only child of Fisher from her relationship with talent agent Bryan Lourd, from whom she split in 1994.

As Carrie's only child and Debbie's only grandchild, Billie inherits a legacy of fame and fortune that she was warned off of by both women.

In an interview with Vanity Fair in August, she reveals that her mother and grandmother told her: 'The last thing you want to be is an actress.'

'They wanted me to be a doctor, a C.E.O., a trashman,' she told the publication. 'Basically anything but an actress.'

But despite their warnings, Billie ended up going into the family business, starring in Scream Queens as Chanel #3.

The actress, who stars in US comedy-horror series Scream Queens, appeared alongside her mother and grandmother at the 2015 Screen Actors Guild Awards to present Reynolds with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

In November 2015, Lourd accepted the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on behalf of Reynolds at the Governors Awards ceremony.

Actress and writer Carrie Fisher with her mother Debbie Reynolds, and her daughter Billie Lourd in 1994

The 24-year-old is struggling to come to terms with the double heartbreak of losing her mother and grandmother within a day of each other.

Fisher's brother Todd described the heartbreaking moment his mother told him she wanted to be 'with Carrie' before she died.

'She then said that she really wanted to be with Carrie in those precise words,' he told ABC's Elizabeth Vargas in the interview that aired Friday night.

'Within 15 minutes, she faded out and within 30 minutes she technically was gone.'

The mother-daughter duo are set to have a joint funeral and be buried next to each together 'among friends', including actress Bette Davis and legendary pianist Liberace at the Westwood Village Memorial Park in Los Angeles.

Todd revealed that while they were selecting the area where they'd be buried, hummingbirds appeared at one spot in particular. Fisher said he knew that's where he wanted them to rest forever.

Legendary actress Debbie Reynolds may be laid to rest in one of her favorite red dress suits, as son Todd Fisher was pictured with it while planning a joint funeral for her and his sister Carrie Fisher last Thursday (above)

'My mother loves hummingbirds, and had hummingbirds in her yard,' he said.

'We were going all over the place, and we got to this one place to look at this one thing, these hummingbirds came, and it was just like 'fait accompli,' as my mother would say.'

Of how he wants his mother to be remembered, Fisher said as a 'great, strong person who was an inspiration to others, and his sister as an amazing champion of women.'

'She didn't die of a broken heart,' 58-year-old Fisher added. 'She just left to be with Carrie...Carrie was a force of nature in her own right, you know, it took another force of nature to bridle and work with that and she was great with her.'
An ATM in Texas was toppled over and loaded into a U-Haul truck by a suspect using a stolen forklift, police said.

An alarm at the Red River Federal Credit Union in Texarkana, Texas, went off around 2am on Friday, and surveillance footage showed the construction equipment being used to ram into the ATM before it was carted away.

It is unclear how much cash was inside, and investigators are looking into whether this incident was connected to a string of other ATM thefts in 2015, the Texarkana Gazette reported.

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The Texarkana Police Department released a video showing what they believe is a stolen U-Haul truck pulling up to the credit union in Texarkana, Texas

Police issued an appeal to the public, saying: 'As you can see, it was planned out well and executed in a matter of minutes. We need your help on this one'

The forklift toppled the ATM (left) and carted it off (right) before it was loaded into the U-Haul truck

The Texarkana Police Department released a video showing what they believe is a stolen U-Haul truck pulling up to the credit union.

The forklift stolen from a nearby construction site can then be seen knocking the ATM over before it's loaded onto the U-Haul truck, which was last seen heading south on University Avenue.

Police issued an appeal to the public, saying: 'As you can see, it was planned out well and executed in a matter of minutes. We need your help on this one.'

Investigators urged anyone with information to call 903-798-3116.

Authorities are looking into a string of ATM thefts reported at the end of 2015 to see whether the incidents were linked.

On Christmas of 2015, suspects broke into a convenience store with sledge hammers and made off with the ATM there.

Earlier that month, a stolen truck was used to break through the doors of a CVS in an attempt to steal the ATM inside. But both the vehicle and the ATM were abandoned in the parking lot.

Police Captain David Grable called it a 'trending crime' in Texarkana as well as the Dallas and Forth Worth areas.

Authorities are looking into a string of ATM thefts reported at the end of 2015 to see whether the incidents were linked
President-elect Donald Trump took to Twitter Monday afternoon and tried to reject the narrative that he thought he would lose the presidential election  despite telling a crowd last month that he had some doubts.

'Various media outlets and pundits say that I thought I was going to lose the election,' Trump wrote. 'Wrong, it all came together in the last week and I thought I would win big, easily over the fabled 270 (306),' he added, noting the electoral vote total he needed and what he eventually received.

He said he knew he would win when the Clinton campaign cancelled planned fireworks, an announcement made just one day before voters headed to the polls.

Trump gave a clue as to where this was coming from by starting this series of tweets by chiding CNN.

'CNN just released a book called "Unprecedented" which explores the 2016 race & victory. Hope it does well but used worst cover photo of me!' Trump wrote.

Shortly after Trump had dashed off the tweets, CNN's media correspondent Brian Stelter took credit for the Twitterstorm, pointing to remarks he made earlier today on the network.

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President-elect Donald Trump expressed a new confidence that he knew in the run-up to election day that he would win the White House over Democrat Hillary Clinton

President-elect Donald Trump sent out a series of three tweets Monday afternoon saying he knew he would 'win big' and chiding CNN for an unflattering photo on a new book cover

Donald Trump gave a hint for the inspiration of these tweets by beginning the conversation with a jab at CNN for using the 'worst' cover photo on the network's new book

'12:55pm: I was on CNN talking about the "Unprecedented" book and Trump's doubts he would win. Then he tweets about both. Coincidences?' Stelter wrote.

During that appearance, Stelter mentioned the 'beautiful portrait' of the president-elect that adorns the cover of the newest edition of the book, which recounts the 2016 election.

That particular photograph was taken of Trump a couple of weeks after election day.

'It turns out that on election night, Trump wouldn't let any photographers behind the scenes,' Stelter noted. 'So there's actually no photos for history except what people took on their iPhones.'

'Maybe that's because Trump was not expecting to win on election night,' Stelter added.

The photo most media outlets chose to use on election night came from the Instagram of incoming White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, which showed Trump and his family, along with campaign staff, watching TV as the results poured in.

CNN's media critic quickly put two and two together as he had just appeared on the network and spoke about how Donald Trump didn't hire an election night photographer because he worried he might not win. In turn, a new cover shot for the book was taken several weeks later

The photo that adorns the cover of Unprecedented was taken after election night. Today on Twitter, President-elect Donald Trump called it the 'worst'

'Now, David Hume Kennerly says he was able to take a portrait a couple of weeks later, to have this beautiful shot for history of the president-elect, but it does speak to Donald Trump's uncertainty on election night,' Stelter said.

In his three tweets, Trump rejected both of these statements.

Trump's tweets suggest he maintained a level of confidence throughout the last week of the campaign, though in previous statements the president-elect said that was not the case.

As recently as December 14, Trump told supporters in Wisconsin that on election day he 'really assumed' that he had lost  and before election day he decided to book a smaller ballroom in case that was his fate.

'If we're going to lose,' Trump told the crowd. 'I don't want a big ballroom.'

He said he had planned to simply come out on stage and thank his supporters and say 'good night, everybody,' in the event of a Hillary Clinton win.

'I'm out of there,' he joked.

Lining up with what he tweeted today, he said at the December event that he smelled trouble for the Democrat when the Clinton campaign cancelled the fireworks display.

'When you lose you don't set off fireworks,' Trump said, adding, 'I wanted to be the wise guy. I offered them 5 cents on a $1 for the fireworks.'

But on election day, he noted that the exit polls looked bad.

Donald Trump, photographed on New Year's Eve with wife Melania, had said in Wisconsin in December that on election day he fretted he might lose thanks to exit polling. He also noted that he booked a smaller ballroom in case that occurred

Most news networks used a cell phone photo posted by incoming Press Secretary Sean Spicer to show what Donald Trump was up to on election night

'So it began with phony exit polls,' Trump said. 'And I got a call from my daughter at around 5 o'clock and she was called by people in their business. And her husband, Jared, great guy, he was called.'

'Then they called me and they said, "I'm sorry dad, it looks really bad. Looks really really bad." I said, "What's the problem?"' Trump continued.

'So I sort of thought I lost, and I was OK with that. I wouldn't say great. In fact, I called my vice president and I said, it's not looking good. Right Mike?' Trump recalled.

He added that he planned his series of last-minute rallies so that he could feel better about a loss.

'If you put out every single ounce of energy in your blood you feel like, OK, there's nothing more you can do,' Trump said.
Authorities in Massachusetts say a 10-month-old baby had to be revived twice after she was exposed to fentanyl - a synthetic opioid 40 times stronger than heroin.

Police responded to a call on Treetop Way in Methuen just after noon on New Year's Eve for a report of a 10-month-old child who was not breathing.

First responders took the child to Lawrence General Hospital, where police say she stopped breathing twice and had to be resuscitated. She was later airlifted to Tufts Medical Center in Boston, where she's in stable condition.

The 10-month-old girl was airlifted to Tufts Medical Center in Boston after being exposed to fentanyl. She is currently in stable condition

The DEA has recently published a National Drug Threat Assessment stating that an average of 129 deaths per day in 2014 were caused by drug overdoses

Authorities say hospital tests indicate the baby had the potent synthetic opioid fentanyl in her system though they have not yet released the child's name to the public.

'It's disconcerting, it's heartbreaking to say the last, it's a 10-month old baby, it's difficult to deal with when a child becomes a victim like that,' Methuen Police Lt. Michael Pappalardo said, according to the Boston Herald.

'Even small amounts, trace amounts on an individual that small could prove to be deadly.'

Methuen Police Lt. Michael Pappalardo said: ''Even small amounts, trace amounts on an individual that small could prove to be deadly'

The Department of Children and Families says it has taken custody of the baby. The incident remains under investigation.

Mayor Stephen Zanni says, 'The opioid epidemic knows no boundaries.'

The DEA has recently published a National Drug Threat Assessment stating that an average of 129 deaths per day in 2014 were caused by drug overdoses.

Fentanyl caused the death of 44 people per day that year.

DEA Acting Administrator Rosenberg said: 'We face a public health crisis of historic proportions. Countering it requires a comprehensive approach that includes law enforcement, education, and treatment.'
Video footage of Donald Trump's remarks during his New Year's Eve party shows the president-elect linking a terrorist attack in Turkey with his promise to wall off America's southern border.

The ISIS terror army claimed responsibility on Monday for the actions of a murderous gunman who stormed a popular nightclub and left at least 39 revelers dead just an hour after 2017 began in Istanbul.

More than 5,900 miles away, Trump segued to an announcement about the carnage as he vamped about border security.

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Donald Trump delivered impromptu remarks during the annual New Year's Eve party at his members-only club in Palm beach, Florida

Trump tied the evening's terror attack on a Turkish nightclub (aftermath shown) to his pledge to wall off America's border with Mexico

Courtesy Palm Beach Daily News

'We're going to have strong borders so that when people come into the country, they're going to come into the country legally  Which is the way we want to have it,' the president-elect told about 800 guests at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.

'We will build a wall. You know that. We will build a wall.'

'And speaking of walls,' he pivoted, 'so in Turkey tonight  I don't know, has anybody heard? Big disaster took place in Turkey tonight. Many, many, many people killed. A whole big deal going on over there. It's a horror show.'

The Palm Beach Daily News published raw footage of a portion of Trump's brief remarks.

The incoming president, who also owns the members-only club, also rattled off a list of other campaign promises.

'[It takes] a long time to save a billion dollars in our business,' he said. 'And now we have a contract, the F-35 fighter. You saw that, right? $1.5 trillion. But it's slightly over budget, like 400 billion. These numbers are crazy.'

'All I can tell you is we're going to do a good job, okay? we're going to do a good job. Your taxes are coming down. Regulations are coming off. We're going to get rid of Obamacare.'

The Mar-a-Lago club's grand ballroom hosted 800 guests, along with members of the Trump family, on Satutrday night

The president-elect once called for a 'complete and total ban' on Muslim immigrants entering the U.S. in response to a string of jihadi terror attacks

Trump has framed his argument for a wall between the U.S. and Mexico as a way to block the flow of illegal immigrants into California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas  and as an impassable obstacles to narcotics trafficking.

But he also linked global terror with U.S. national security repeatedly during his run for the White House.

He initially reacted to a December 2, 2015 terror attack in San Bernardino, California  a jihadi couple's mass shooting that claimed 14 lives  by advocating for a 'complete and total' ban on new Muslim immigration into the U.S.

Just weeks earlier, a series of coordinated attacks in Paris left 89 people dead during a rock concert at the Bataclan theatre.

Trump's linkage between national security and global terror was a frequent topic in his campaign speeches, often topped off with a reading of lyrics from Al Wilson's song 'The snake'

Grieving: Tearful relatives of Fatih Cakmak, a security guard and a victim of an attack by a gunman at Reina nightclub, broke down during his funeral in Istanbul

A July 2016 truck attack on a Bastille Day party crowd in Nice, France drew more outrage from Trump Tower. That followed a shooting attack at an Orlando, Florida gay nightclub.

Trump later softened his position to a nation-specific plan for 'extreme vetting' applied to visitors and immigrants from terror-prone countries.

But he hasn't shifted from his view that porous borders make it easier for would-be Islamic terrorists to make their way into the U.S.

Among Trump's most oft-recited campaign messages consisted of him reading the lyrics from an Al Wilson song titled 'The Snake.'

It's a tale about a kind woman who rescues a snake, only to have it bite her after it recuperates.

'"Oh shut up, silly woman," said the reptile with a grin,' the parable concludes.
Jailed: Judith Clark (seen in 1981), received 75-years-to-life in 1981 for acting as the getaway driver in a $1.6m heist that saw two police officers and a security guard shot dead

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has defended his decision to commute the sentence of a getaway driver who took part in a fatal robbery to fund a militant left terror group.

In 1981 Judith Clark, a member of the Weather Underground - better known as the Weathermen - helped five others steal $1.6 million in cash from a Brink's armored car. One guard and two police officers were killed in the attack.

She has served 35 years of a 75-years-to-life sentence, but on Friday Cuomo commuted her sentence so that she could seek parole, saying she 'impressed' him by being very community-minded.

The Democrat said he believes Clark, now 67, should be able to make her case for freedom, but he emphasized that the decision will rest with a parole board.

In announcing the decision, the Democratic governor's office noted that Clark 'received one of the longest sentences of her six co-defendants, the majority of whom are either deceased or no longer in custody' and 'received the same sentence as one of the known shooters'.

Cuomo's office also said Clark has been a model prisoner, tutoring other inmates, training service dogs and founding an HIV/AIDS education program while behind bars.

However, his decision outraged Michael Paige, whose father, Peter, was the security guard killed in the robbery.

'For Governor Cuomo to even think of commuting the sentence of a triple murderer who murdered police officers and my father - that, to me, is the gravest form of injustice to these three men, who were killed standing their ground and protecting us,' Paige said by phone.

He added that 35 years in prison was not enough. 'No,' he said. 'It's never enough time.'

Impressed: Gov. Andrew Cuomo (pictured) has commuted her sentence, potentially allowing her parol now, after 35 years, because he was 'impressed with her community spirit'

The robbery took place at a mall in suburban Rockland County in Upstate New York.

Security guard Peter Paige was shot dead during the heist, while a second guard, Joe Trombino, almost had his arm severed by an M16 rifle.

Less than an hour later, two Nyack police officers, Waverly Brown and Sergeant Edward O'Grady, were killed in an ambush after stopping a truck at a roadside checkpoint.

The commutation will allow the 67-year-old to appear before the parole board in early 2017.

Under her previous sentence, she would not have been eligible for parole consideration until she was 106.

The Weather Underground was a group of increasingly violent anti-war activists in the 1960s.

As well as the Brink's robbery they also plotted to bomb the office of California State Senator John Briggs and participated in a series of jailbreaks and robberies in collusion with the Black Liberation Army.

Clark, at the time of her trial, called herself a freedom fighter, insisted on representing herself and then refused to go to court, remaining in a cell.

In a 2002 sworn statement, she expressed regret and said she had rejected her radical beliefs.

Ann Jacobs, director of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice's Prisoner Reentry Institute, said the commutation reflects the value of 'giving second chances, of recognizing that the measure of a person is more than the worst they have done, but what they have done to learn from their mistakes and to give back.'
A 19-year-old Florida man has been arrested after allegedly shooting and killing his ex-girlfriends new boyfriend during a fight on New Years Eve.

Jared Tyler Compton, of Clearwater, Florida, went to the home of 24-year-old Quade Gifford in Largo on New Years Eve to confront him about his relationship with Comptons ex-girlfriend, according to an arrest report.

The pair got into a fight, and Compton, wearing a Halloween mask at the time, pulled out a Beretta .32-caliber pistol.

Jared Tyler Compton, of Clearwater, Florida, was arrested on Sunday for allegedly killing his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend. He was charged with first-degree murder

Quade Gifford (right), a 24-year-old from Largo, Florida, died after being shot in the head during an altercation on New Year's Eve. It's believed that Compton went to Gifford's house to confront him about dating his ex-girlfriend

He fired the gun multiple times, and the last shot struck Gifford in the back of his head as he tried to stand up from the ground, the arrest report obtained by Tampa Bay Times said.

It is unknown if the girlfriend, who has not been named, was present at the time of the altercation.

Gifford died at his home from 'body trauma', police said.

Meanwhile, Compton reportedly fled to a friends house, told the pal what happened and burned his clothes.

Gifford (left) and Compton (right) pair got into a fight, and Compton, wearing a Halloween mask at the time, pulled out a Beretta .32-caliber pistol, police say. Compton fired the gun multiple times, and the last shot struck Gifford in the back of his head as he tried to stand up from the ground, the arrest report says

Authorities found Compton on Sunday and brought him into the police department for questioning.

It was there that he implicated himself in the murder, and detectives said they found his gun at the home Compton went to following the shooting, police said.

The teen was arrested on a first-degree murder charge and taken to Pinellas County Jail.

An investigation into Gifford's death is ongoing, and police say more charges could be filed, according to WFLA.
A 77-year-old man serving life for triple murder has been charged after allegedly beating his 71-year-old cellmate to death with a sandwich press in jail.

The man was charged on Tuesday morning after allegedly attacking his cellmate about 10.50pm on Monday at Long Bay jail in Malabar, south Sydney.

The 77-year-old is reported to be John Walsh, who is serving time for the triple murder of his wife and their two grandchildren in Cowra, in 2008, according to Sydney Morning Herald.

The 77-year-old inmate charged with murder is reported to be John Walsh (pictured)

John Walsh is pictured in 2008 after he was charged with the murder of his wife and two grandchildren

He is also convicted of the attempted murder of his daughter, policewoman Shelley Walsh.

The cellmate found dead is reported to be Frank Townsend, who was convicted of the manslaughter of Belinda Trad after she was found dead with gunshot wounds in 2010 in Wingham.

Townsend was reportedly released last year but was taken back to custody on breaches of his parole.

The cellmates lived in the Kevin Waller unit, where aged and frail inmates are held, a spokeswoman for Corrective Services NSW told Daily Mail Australia.

The funeral for murdered grandchildren Jaime and Kevin Hodges is pictured

John Walsh, 77, is understood to have been charged with murder after the prison death

Police detectives and forensic officers stand outside the scene in Cowra in 2008 after the triple murder of Walsh's wife and two grandchildren

The 71-year-old was found in the cell with serious head injuries, NSW Police said in a statement.

'Officers rendered first aid before the man was transported to hospital, where he later died,' the statement said.

'A crime scene was established and examined by specialist forensic officers. A number of items have been seized from the cell.'

The 77-year-old was detained by correctional officers and arrested by Eastern Beaches Local Area Commmand and taken to Maroubra Police Station.

He was charged with murder following inquiries by the State Crime Command's Homicide Squad.

He was refused bail to appear at Parramatta Bail Court on Wednesday.

Inquiries are continuing.
Joely Fisher has penned an emotional tribute to her sister Carrie describing how she sat by her comatose sibling's hospital bedside after they promised they would spend Christmas together.

Carrie's half-sister wrote of how she was texting the late actress right up until she flew from London to Los Angeles on December 27 when she suffered cardiac arrest.

Joely paid tribute to her 'hero' sister in a column for the Hollywood Reporter on Monday after Carrie died last week - just one day before her mother Debbie Reynolds passed away.

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Joely Fisher (left) penned an emotional tribute to her sister Carrie (right) after the late actress died last week in hospital following cardiac arrest

'During our transcontinental chat before Carrie's fateful flight from London to LA, we promised we'd spend Christmas together,' Joely wrote.

'It's a promise we kept, although not in a way either of us had anticipated. Throughout the holiday, I sat by her side in a hospital room filled with a cacophony of sounds made by the machines keeping her barely alive.

Carrie's (pictured) half-sister Joely wrote of how she was texting the late actress right up until she flew from London to Los Angeles on December 27 when she suffered cardiac arrest

Carrie Fisher's half-sister Joely took to Twitter to express her heartbreak over the actress' death last week

Joely followed up with a sweet throwback photo of herself alongside Carrie, her brother Todd and Carrie's mother Debbie Reynolds

Joely and Carrie Fisher's brother Todd Fisher is seen on Monday greeting a male guest

'Debbie, of course, was there as well. She told me that she'd been praying for my time. More time for Carrie, for herself and for Connie. I knew if those prayers weren't answered, Debbie might very well join her daughter.'

FAMILY TO THANK MEDICS WHO BATTLED TO SAVE CARRIE Carrie Fisher's family want to say a personal thank you to the off duty emergency workers who came to her aid when her heart stopped on the United Airlines flight. Plane staff asked for any medics on board the flight for urgent assistance when she suffered a cardiac arrest and two volunteers stepped forward. Other passengers on the flight told TMZ that the medics 'worked like crazy' to keep her alive. And her family believe their efforts kept Carrie alive for a few more days allowing her family to say their last goodbyes before she passed away. The family will contact the airline in order to locate the medics. Advertisement

Fisher, 60, suffered cardiac arrest during the flight to Los Angeles and died in hospital a short time later. An autopsy on Friday was inconclusive as the results 'were not obvious'.

Her mother Reynolds, whose decades-long career including a starring role in Singin' in the Rain, suffered a stroke and died just one day after her daughter.

'You all lost Princess Leia and Carrie Fisher; I lost my hero, my mentor, my mirror. My brother Todd has lost his sister and his mother, whom he has said will lay to rest together,' Joely wrote in her tribute.

'There is no universe where these ladies are not due their appropriate pedestals, and both will be memorialized in separate ceremonies in coming weeks. My sister Tricia Leigh and I vow to be whatever our niece Billie needs us to be. We will pick up the the saber, use the force... whatever.'

It comes after Fisher's 24-year-old daughter Billie Lourd thanked her supporters for giving her the 'strength' to deal with the devastating loss of her mother and grandmother.

Billie Lourd posted a picture of herself as a child with Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, accompanied by the touching message

'Receiving all of your prayers and kind words over the past week has given me strength during a time I thought strength could not exist. There are no words to express how much I will miss my Abadaba and my one and only Momby. Your love and support means the world to me.'

It was Lourd's first public statement since Fisher and Reynolds died last week.

Lourd is the only child of Fisher from her relationship with talent agent Bryan Lourd, from whom she split in 1994.

As Carrie's only child and Debbie's only grandchild, Billie inherits a legacy of fame and fortune that she was warned off of by both women.

She thanked her supporters for their prayers as she suffers with the devastating loss of her mother and her grandmother

Lourd (with her mother) is the only child of Fisher from her relationship with talent agent Bryan Lourd, from whom she split in 1994
The 2017 Consumer Electronics Show is set to kick off this week in Las Vegas, with promise to bring new innovations in everything from driverless cars to the 'Internet of things.'

This year marks the show's 50th anniversary, and the event is expected to have the largest array of virtual reality technology yet.

While it doesn't officially begin until Thursday, a number of tech giants will be making announcements earlier in the week, including LG, Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony.

And, Faraday Future is expected to finally unveil its first production electric car one year after revealing the futuristic concept it claimed could reach 200 miles per hour.

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The 2017 Consumer Electronics Show is set to kick off this week in Las Vegas, with promise to bring new innovations in everything from driverless cars to the 'Internet of things'

Self-driving cars and TV screens that can be bent or rolled up are set to be among the biggest attractions when the CES begins on January 5.

Some cars will even be equipped with virtual reality displays, according to AFP, while other devices will incorporate the technology in smart glasses, medicine, and beauty makeovers.

The trade show is marking its 50th anniversary in 2017  having been the launch point for some of the key products of recent memory, including DVD players and HD TV in the 1990s.

This week's event is likely to see the next generation of driverless car software unveiled  with car giants Toyota, Honda and Hyundai among those holding press events during the show.

Last year at CES 2016, Faraday Future unveiled a concept car it claimed could reach 200 miles per hour. The company plans to debut its first production car at the 2017 CES

And according to CES organizers, Renault-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn will discuss 'a major technological breakthrough in the realization of a zero-emission, zero-fatality world for everyone,' AFP reports.

Start-up Faraday Future, who unveiled a concept electric, driverless car it claimed was capable of reaching 200 miles per hour at CES last year, are also due to return with its first production car this year.

Today, the firm tweeted a sneak peak at its highly anticipated technology.

'Everything is connected,' the tweet wrote, accompanying the 12-second video.

'Discover a new kind of network at #CES2017.'

SAMSUNG UNVEILS 3 NEW PHONES AHEAD OF CES Samsung unveiled three new handsets for its Galaxy A lineup. They include a small 4.7-inch (A3), the standard size of 5.2-inches (A5) and a larger design of 5.7-inches (A7). These phones are both water and dust resistant,. They also come in four colors including Black Sky, Gold Sand, Blue Mist and Peach Cloud. Samsung unveiled the Galaxy A3 (right), Galaxy A5 (middle) and Galaxy A7 (left), which are all water and dust resistance. The Galaxy A is also available in four colors including Black Sky (left), Gold Sand, Blue Mist (middle) and Peach Cloud (right) The two larger models have 16-megapixel cameras, while the Galaxy A3 has a 13-mega pixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front facing camera. They're equip with a larger memory and expandable storage with microSD support up to 256GB. All of the smartphones are equipped with reversible USB Type-C port for easy connectivity including hassle-free charging. Advertisement

Technology giants Sony, Samsung and LG among others will also make announcements across the TV, appliance and smart home product market, with some rumours claiming we could see concept televisions that can support 8K resolution, double that of existing 4K ultra high definition, as well as displays that can be rolled up before and after use.

Artificial intelligence and robotics is also expected to feature heavily in the various product announcements and concepts, as the industry giants and start-ups look to build on the breakthrough success of Amazon's Echo voice assistant, which launched in the UK in the autumn.

This year marks the show's 50th anniversary, and the event is expected to have the largest array of virtual reality technology yet

More than tech. The 2000s saw CES expand and evolve like never before. Click to read more: https://t.co/ucvxY8w1T3 #CES2017 pic.twitter.com/m6z8TtmkmG  CES (@CES) December 27, 2016

Fitness trackers and other wearable devices are also set to make a splash at the event.

Along with the major brands, there will be more than 600 startups from 33 countries revealing smart devices of all kinds.

Human-like robots will be on display, with artificially intelligent machines designed to act as babysitters, play chess, and even help with homework.

The event will also likely bring in an array of drones and Internet of things devices, from smart kitchen appliances to lightbulbs.
In 2015, Beau Ryan was accused of having an affair with former Hi-5 presenter Lauren Brant.

Then after taking time for a family holiday ahead of the NRL Grand Final that year, the Footy Show host emerged determined to be a better husband and father.

And it appears 2016 was a year of mending fences, with Beau taking to Instagram on New Year's Day to celebrate the family he came close to losing.

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Thankful: More than a year on from accusations of an affair with Lauren Brant, Beau Ryan shared an image of wife Kara and daughter Remi on New Year's Day, with an emotional caption stating he was 'grateful' for his life

In a picture of his wife Kara and daughter sitting on a boat, the former Cronulla Sharks player told followers he had a lot to be thankful for.

'A wonderful year with the two people I love more than anything ,' he wrote.

'I'm very thankful and grateful for my life.'

News of an alleged affair broke when Lauren's fiance at the time, Warren Riley, claimed to Woman's Day she had admitted to sleeping with the I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here! star.

'What a great year': Kara posted a picture of her small family on New Year's Eve, looking back on a 'great' year and telling fans she was spending it with 'the ones I love most'

He claimed she told him they had slept together twice, following rehearsals for the stage production of Aladdin and His Wondrous Lamp that they were both working on.

And while Lauren and Warren broke up as a result, Beau and Kara were able to work on their differences and mend their relationship.

The couple went on a holiday with their daughter Remi, and Beau made a public apology when he returned to The Footy Show just ahead of the 2015 Grand Final.

'Firstly, I just want to apologise to all the people that have been hurt recently,' he said in his first public acknowledgement of the scandal.

'It's been really, really hard for myself and my family, and everyone involved.'

History: Lauren Brant (pictured) allegedly confessed to sleeping with Beau on two occasions following rehearsals for their stage production on Aladdin and His Wondrous Lamp

Public apology: After taking time off to spend with his family following the scandalous revelations, Beau made a public apology to 'all the people that have been hurt recently' upon his return to The Footy Show

Happy together: Kara and Beau are pictured holding hands and beaming more often, suggesting that their difficult times Beau's previous indiscretions are old news for the couple

Over the last twelve months, the pair appear to be spending more and more time together and looking happy.

A most recent picture shows Kara and Beau flaunting their fit physiques on a boat on New Year's Day, and appearing to be genuinely happy in each other's company.

The couple are holding hands as Kara leans into him from above, and they both have smiles on their faces.

Getting along just fine: Pictures throughout the year have seen the childhood sweethearts pose closer together and smile more often

Bust a move! Beau enjoys a close relationship with his daughter Remi, something Kara is often eager to highlight

A series of Christmas snaps from the family of three shows Beau, Kara and Remi all getting into the spirit of Christmas, with pictures showing them all comfortably pressed up together and looking happy.

Kara, who works as a makeup artist, often shares pictures of herself and husband, referring to him as 'my love' and highlighting his good traits.

Beau and Kara are childhood sweethearts and married in 2012. They share a four-year-old daughter, Remi.
Her performance as the Queen has brought her to an audience of millions and put her in line for a Golden Globe.

But long before taking on the role of royalty, Claire Foy began her TV career on the same daytime BBC soap that launched the likes of Eddie Redmayne, Sheridan Smith and Miss Foys fellow Golden Globe nominee Ruth Negga.

Footage obtained from the BBC archive shows Miss Foy, 32, playing a medical student in a 2008 episode of long-running BBC1 soap Doctors.

Footage obtained from the BBC archive shows Miss Foy, 32, playing a medical student

Miss Foy, 32, who most recently portrayed the young Queen Elizabeth II in Netflixs 100million series The Crown, landed a guest role in Doctors just a year after graduating from the Oxford School of Drama.

The actress, then aged 23, starred as Chloe Webster, an Oxford University student who contacts her local doctors surgery with concerns that her mother, a recovering addict, is back on drugs.

Since launching in 2000, Doctors has helped to propel a host of young British talent to fame and success.

The first major name to graduate from Doctors was Bafta-winning actress Miss Smith, 35, in 2000, followed by Oscar winner Redmayne, 34, who played a schoolboy in 2003 as an aspiring 21-year-old.

Irish star Miss Negga, 34, nominated for a Golden Globe and also tipped for an Oscar in 2017 for her role in historical drama Loving, landed her first-ever TV role in Doctors in 2004, as did Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke, 30, now Britains highest-paid TV actress, in 2009.

Call the Midwife star Helen George, 32, Broadchurch actress Vicky McClure, 33, and X-Men star Nicholas Hoult, 27, also had cameo roles in Doctors early in their careers.

Since launching in 2000, Doctors has helped to propel a host of young British talent

The soap follows the daily lives of staff at a Birmingham medical practice, including their often dramatic involvements with their patients.

It is currently into its 18th series, spanning 3,270 episodes, since first airing in March 2000.

Over the years, Doctors, which takes a 30-minute lunchtime slot, has picked up numerous British Soap Awards and Royal Television Society Awards.

Before Doctors hit screens, it was Casualty, another BBC1 medical drama, which claimed the credit for launching a generation of stars.

In the Nineties, the likes of Kate Winslet, Orlando Bloom, Minnie Driver and Martin Freeman all started out on the weekly show.

Miss Foy has been nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in The Crown

Miss Foy, who is married to actor Stephen Campbell Moore with whom she had a son in 2015, has won great acclaim for her performance as the young monarch in The Crown.

Earlier this month, she was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a TV Drama Series for the portrayal.

Stephen Daldry, who directed her in early episodes of the series, said: People forget that the Queen in those early years had all the glamour of a movie star.

Claires one of the few actresses able to pull off that movie star look combined with the look of a woman happy on a horse.

There are moments when Claire just has to look at you in a certain way and she is the monarch.
It was a hard day's twerk for Bella Thorne, as she welcomed the New Year in the Bahamas on Sunday.

The actress showed her dancing skills as she bent over to dance on the back of a truck, cheered on by her friends.

Bella twerked away for the camera as her friend filmed, and was so pleased with the results that she shared in on Snapchat.

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Ringing in 2017: Bella Thorne spent a bit of New Year's Day twerking on a stationary truck whilst on holiday in the Bahamas with her elder sister Dani Thorne and a troupe of friends

Feeling the beat: Tiny and heavily frayed denim shorts showed off her svelte legs as she swung about to the music on the vehicle

Before she'd used the truck for a dance floor, she and her friends, including her sister Dani Thorne, had gone for a ride around the island.

Bella whooped, the wind flinging her freshly dark blue hair about her face.

Once the automobile stopped and the music got going, the Shake It Up actress was joined by one of her pals as she began to dance.

Accessorising: Jewellery wise, she'd teamed a pair of unobtrusive earrings with a gleaming gold nose ring, and a large camera was slung round her neck

The 19-year-old bared her flat midriff in a white tube top and denim shorts for the outing.

Earlier in the day, she'd been with friends on a veranda with a white rail and grinned faintly for the camera, moving it about as she took a video selfie.

Her hair blowing back, she seemed to be ignoring whichever friend of hers was saying: 'It's like saying: "Bella, do a scene right now. Do one, right now. Just do a scene."'

Striking a pose: Earlier in the day, she'd been with friends on a veranda with a white rail and grinned faintly for the camera, moving it about as she took a video selfie

With pals: Her hair blowing back, she seemed to be ignoring whichever friend of hers was saying: 'It's like saying: "Bella, do a scene right now. Do one, right now. Just do a scene"'

As Sunday wore on, she uploaded an Instagram GIF in which she arced a toned leg and swung it back and forth whilst wearing a bikini.

She was surrounded by swimsuit-clad friends who'd assumed various poses of their own and were throwing their arms up into the air.

Captioned Thorne; 'What should our girl group be called?' before sprinkling on the hashtags: '#girlgang #nye #newyearsday'.

'What should our girl group be called?': As Sunday wore on, she uploaded an Instagram GIF in which she arced a toned leg and swung it back and forth whilst wearing a bikini, surrounded by swimsuit-clad friends

A Saturday night Instagram photo saw her locked in a kiss with one of those female friends - model Kyra Santoro - in the glow of a nearby blaze.

'Everyone needs a friendly newyears kiss,' Thorne had vamped in her caption, chucking in a couple of emojis including a puckered set of lips.

She'd jetted into the Bahamas on Friday, so soon after dying her hair blue that she'd still got some of the residue on her face.

'I'm literally blue,' said the Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day actress, who'd previously been a redhead.

'Everyone needs a friendly newyears kiss': A Saturday night Instagram photo saw her locked in a kiss with one of those female friends - model Kyra Santoro - in the glow of a nearby blaze
She's been soaking up the sunshine on the gorgeous beaches of Barbados all week long.

But Lady Victoria Hervey seemed keen to try a new method of tanning on Sunday, as she strolled along the sand with arms outstretched and palms turned to the sky.

The 40-year-old socialite looked radiant in an opulent fuschia maxi dress as she happily worshipped the sun on the first day of the new year.

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Sun worshipper: Lady Victoria Hervey seemed keen to try a new method of tanning on Sunday, as she strolled along the sand with arms outstretched and palms turned to the sky

The aristocrat certainly matched her glorious surroundings and sunny disposition in a bright pink patterned summer dress.

The sophisticated frock featured a high neck and ankle-length hem, but remained casual and comfortable with a loose ribbon tie around her slender waist.

Maintaining its summery vibe, the bright magenta dress was then printed with large florals of pink, red and green - making for an eye-catching but chic look as she enjoyed her morning stroll.

Summer chic: The sophisticated frock featured a high neck and ankle-length hem, but remained casual and comfortable with a loose ribbon tie around her slender waist

Standing out from the crowds: Maintaining its summery vibe, the magenta dress was then printed with large florals of pink, red and green - making for an eye-catching but stylish look

Leaving her feet bare against the sand, the blonde beauty accessorised with a set of oversized aviator sunglasses and a shimmering pink headband, to hold back her tousled, beachy waves.

Victoria looked utterly relaxed and remarkably fresh-faced as she topped up her tan, despite embarking on New Year's Eve celebrations the previous evening.

Victoria has been enjoying an extended break on the Caribbean island this Christmas - having been seen soaking up the sun on a number of the island's beaches.

Natural beauty: the blonde beauty accessorised only with a set of oversized aviator sunglasses and a shimmering pink headband, to hold back her tousled, beachy waves

Rise and shine: Victoria looked utterly relaxed and remarkably fresh-faced as she topped up her tan, despite embarking on New Year's Eve celebrations the previous evening

Despite showing off her stunning figure in an array of bikinis, the famous 'it' girl - who is the daughter of the late 6th Marquess of Bristol - recently told the Daily Mail's Sebastian Shakespeare that English women struggle to be sexy.

'Women in London are too conservative and dont have the courage to wear sexy outfits. Its an English thing,' she said.

'I grew up in the South of France so I have a much more international approach.'

Victoria added that she still leads by example, sporting an array of sheer ensembles at parties recently, she said: 'Its empowering to dress provocatively'.
He is preparing to see his already glittering career dazzle further in 2017.

So Jake Gyllenhaal is naturally keen to relax ahead of the madness as he enjoyed a dip in the sea during his post-Christmas trip to St. Barths with pal Greta Caruso on New Year's Day on Sunday.

The 36-year-old Donnie Darko star, who has five films set for release in the coming year, showed off his incredible physique in simple black trunks while his stunning companion wowed in a high-waisted bikini.

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Hunkier than ever! Jake Gyllenhaal is naturally keen to relax ahead of his busy year as he enjoyed a dip in the sea during his post-Christmas trip to St. Barths with pal Greta Caruso on New Year's Day on Sunday

Jake has been flaunting his hunky physique along the shores in recent days - making no exception on Sunday as he exposed his ripped torso.

Emerging from the sea, the esteemed actor looked every inch the Hollywood hunk as he cooled off from the balmy heat in the exquisite blue waters.

Illustrating a simple yet stylish beach look, Jake shunned fancy swimwear in favour of classic black trunks which clung to his muscular legs.

Going for the rugged look, the handsome star sported thick designer facial hair while also exhibiting an extremely hairy chest.

A good-looking pair: The 36-year-old Donnie Darko star, who has five films set for release in the coming year, showed off his incredible physique in simple black trunks while his stunning companion wowed in a high-waisted bikini

Dishy! Jake has been flaunting his hunky physique along the shores in recent days - making no exception on Sunday as he exposed his ripped torso

Greta joined Jake in the classic look as she showed off her flawless frame in a high-waisted bikini with a halterneck top.

Borrowing from the Fifties in shape and style, the raven haired beauty sizzled in the swimwear which gave a hint of her well-honed abs.

She scraped her hair into a high-bun which ensured she did not fall foul of the brusque breeze while perfecting her look with a make-up free face.

The pals were joined by legendary crooner Jon Bon Jovi, 54, who showed off his ageless physique while heading onto a boat.

Natural beauty: Greta joined Jake in the classic look as she showed off her flawless frame in a high-waisted bikini with a halterneck top

Hunky! Illustrating a simple yet stylish beach look, Jake shunned fancy swimwear in favour of classic black trunks which clung to his muscular legs

Jake comes from a showbiz family, as his father is filmmaker Stephen Gyllenhaal, mother is screenwriter Naomi Foner, and sister is Oscar-nominated Crazy Heart star Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Greta also from Hollywood roots, as she is the daughter of NYPD Blue star David Caruso and Total Recall actress Rachel Ticotin.

The duo have frequently holidayed together, having previously been spotted in exotic locales, including an Amalfi, Italy getaway last year.

Dreamboat: Jake comes from a showbiz family, as his father is filmmaker Stephen Gyllenhaal, mother is screenwriter Naomi Foner, and sister is Oscar-nominated Crazy Heart star Maggie Gyllenhaal

Strutting his stuff: Jake strode out of the sea with confidence

It's My Life! The pals were joined by legendary crooner Jon Bon Jovi, 54, who showed off his ageless physique while heading onto a boat

Stripping off: Jon Bon Jovi looked into the distance as he stripped off on the boat

Just keep swimming: Jake was loving life in the water

Jake is gearing up for the Broadway play Sunday In The Park With George. He played the starring role of George in a concert version of the play in October, alongside co-star Annaleigh Ashford.

The 2017 revival will only be for 10 weeks at the Hudson Theatre, opening on February 23 and closing two months later on April 23.

Jake's forthcoming movies include The Man Who Made It Snow, Wildlife, Stronger, Okja and Life.

He's back! Jake is gearing up for the Broadway play Sunday In The Park With George. He played the starring role of George in a concert version of the play in October, alongside co-star Annaleigh Ashford
Sherlock

Rating:

No cliche was left unturned as Dr Watson's wife Mary met her death in Sherlock, throwing herself in front of a bullet meant for the Great Detective.

Her noble self-sacrifice came at the end of a scene crammed with stock phrases from spy novels. 'Maybe I can still surprise you,' laughed the villainess, as she pointed her revolver at Holmes. It's a wonder she didn't call him 'Mr Bond'.

When Mary hit the floor, we knew she couldn't be quite dead yet  there was still time for Watson to burst in, utter a low moan of despair and cradle his wife's body while she gasped her last, like lovers in an overwrought Victorian tragedy.

'Stay with me,' he begged. 'You made me so happy,' she murmured. This cheesy bunkum took on an unpleasantly ironic edge, given that the actors  Martin Freeman and Amanda Abbington  had ended their 16-year relationship just two weeks before filming the episode.

When Mary hit the floor, we knew she couldn't be quite dead yet  there was still time for Watson to burst in

Even after she was dead, Mary couldn't resist dragging stale old ideas from the box marked 'melodrama'. She left a video for Sherlock, opening with the words: 'If you're watching this, I'm probably dead.'

There's supposed to be a crack of lightning and a thunderclap whenever that line is spoken. Of course, we've only got her word for it that she really is dead.

She did drop a hint about how Sherlock would 'miss' her, which is supposed to be criminal mastermind Moriarty's catchphrase. Could she actually be Mary-arty?

That would be typical. Sherlock has become so clever-clever, it's stupid. In one digression, writer Mark Gatiss, who also plays big brother Mycroft Holmes, took delight in having Holmes solve a succession of ridiculously outre mysteries with rapid-fire deductions.

And the script mimicked every hackneyed espionage tradition  chess games during hostage rescues, flippant banter at gunpoint, torture sequences, and even some complicated plot explanations during a fist fight.

Clearly, Gatiss is getting bored of Sherlock, and wishes he could write the next 007 film.

Benedict Cumberbatch (left) Martin Freeman (centre) and Amanda Abbington (right) appeared in the hit show on Sunday night

The story was distantly based on a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle story about a pearl hidden in one of six busts of Napoleon Bonaparte, but you can rely on the Beeb to give an old tale a Leftie twist whenever possible.

Napoleon was replaced by plaster heads of Margaret Thatcher, which were smashed, shattered, crushed and battered with hammers in loving close-up.

In a running joke, the omniscient Holmes refused to admit that he knew who Mrs Thatcher was. And when he first saw her photograph, he muttered a line from Shakespeare: 'By the pricking of my thumbs...' and left us to fill in the next line, 'Something wicked this way comes.' But for all the self-conscious references and sixth-form braininess, this episode frequently flagged. It was the first modern-day Sherlock story for three years, as last year's was set in Victorian times.

After such a long sabbatical, the series ought to have built up fresh energy for an explosive return.

Instead, there were flat patches and disjointed scenes, with irrelevant segments slotted in to pad things out. Trimming it down to an hour wouldn't simply have been easy, it would have made the show much better.

Sherlock, it seems, has run out of ideas. We left the detective and the doctor feuding, with Watson blaming his friend for Mary's death. He had a point  Mrs Watson had hurled herself into the path of a bullet travelling in infinitesimal slow-motion. If she had time to do that, why didn't he just step out of the way himself?
She has now gone two years without alcohol, since vowing to ditch her drinking habit after the death of her manager in 2014.

And Maz Compton welcomed the new year sober on Sunday, as she sipped on custom-made mocktails and watched the early-bird fireworks over dinner in Bali.

The former 2DayFM breakfast host, 36, recounted her New Year's Eve abroad, including being in bed by the countdown, in a blog post on Mamamia on Monday.

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Netflix and chill-ed mocktails: Maz Compton reveals to Mamamia why she welcomed the New Year sober and asleep with her fiance Glenn Naveau in Bali

Maz proudly proclaims at the start of the article: 'I have managed to enjoy myself, be social, have fun times and not get wasted for two years... I feel pretty chuffed about that accomplishment.'

She detailed her night, which included a romantic seaside dinner with fiance Glenn Naveau, where they spoke of the year gone by and the one to come.

'A nightcap of Netflix and then sweet dreams well before the clock struck midnight was my heaven on the last day of 2016,' Maz later revealed as her 'perfect' night.

The vivacious brunette explains that while she was surrounded by party revelers, she was happy to stay in and skip the festivities while planning something special for New Year's Day instead.

'A nightcap of Netflix and then sweet dreams well before the clock struck midnight': The radio host detailed her early night, claiming she was happy with her choice to not join the party goers on the streets of Bali

'Perfect setting': The engaged couple enjoyed a romantic seaside dinner, where they spoke of the year gone by and the one to come while watching the early-bird fireworks

'Beach to their own!' Maz and Glenn set an alarm for 5am so they could trek to the beach to witness the first sunrise of 2017 together

The media presenter and her builder fiance set an alarm for 5am so they could trek to the beach to witness the first sunrise of 2017 together.

'To look out across the ocean with fresh eyes as the sun came up, with a new hope, new ideas, new vision, a full heart and a juicy big smile, to be available to soak that all in, in a moment, now that was really special.'

'I feel like I truly have seen in the New Year and am ready to take on all that it brings,' she described the moment with her partner.

Maz had taken to Instagram on Sunday with a beach selfie, captioning it in part: 'Beach to their own!'

'2016 final sweat complete': On top of staying sober for NYE, the couple embraced one last training session on holiday before welcoming the new year in Bali

Fitness finatics! The pair are business partners and own a gym together

Maz was previously married to Benjamin Facey but they divorced in 2011.

She met her fiance Glen years later and he proposed after 18 months of dating.

The couple, who are business partners and own a gym together, are likely to tie the knot in the coming year.
She's previously admitted to becoming 'obsessive' over her weight.

But Vicky Pattison is determined that losing an extra 10lbs will help her make a great start to 2017, after telling her Instagram followers that she wanted her body back.

She started the year with an inspiration post in which she snapped her gorgeous curves in swimwear on Sunday while introducing her January body plan.

In shape: Posting a swimwear selfie, Vicky Pattison vowed to lose 10lb and cut back on alcohol this year, in a bid to get back in shape

She wrote: 'Now Christmas and New Year is out the way I'm defos getting this body back!! Back to the gym tomorrow'

Vicky added: 'My #JanPlan is to tone up again, lose 10 pounds, cut back on alcohol and sugar and improve my fitness levels!!!'

Vicky came out of the I'm A Celeb jungle this time last year believing she was the only contestant to have gained weight.

But she said at the time she had become 'too skinny' when she released a fitness DVD, in the aftermath of her similar weight gain on Geordie Shore.

In shape: Vicky (here in August 2016) says she's hoping to get her body back in 2017, despite previously saying that she didn't like obsessing over her weight

'When I first started losing all my weight I became obsessive,' she told The Mirror Online.

She added: 'In the end it was unrealistic for someone my height. I ended up looking too skinny. My mum was worried. My face looked gaunt and I became obsessed.

Vicky continued: 'I looked good and I was fitting in size six clothes but I had no social life. I felt guilty if I had a Nandos or a night out with my mates. And thats not the right way to live.'

By her own admission, the former queen of the jungle enjoyed an indulgent Christmas with new boyfriend John Noble.

But the TV personality, 29, was perfectly proud of her businessman beau's chiselled upper body in an image she posted online last week.

Beside his black and white selfie, she boasted: 'My man I'm a lucky girl'.

My man: Vicky Pattison has posted a shirtless snap of hunky boyfriend John Noble across social media

Christmas hangover? Vicky Pattison shared a glam selfie of her pouting in a car with fans on Monday and joked that it had taken a lot of work to get her looking good, joking that she had looked like a 'bag of p**s' before make-up

It comes after she gave fans a glimpse into her intimate celebrations with John, who she has recently branded 'the only man I have ever loved'.

She shared a snap of the pair cosied up on the sofa wearing Harry Potter loungewear, writing: 'Best Christmas ever with my love wearing our POTTER themed pressies.'

It was the couple's first Christmas and Vicky got into the festive spirit on Christmas Eve as she posed next to her shirtless beau in a cheeky Instagram shot.

Fetsive fun for two: It comes after she gave fans a glimpse into her intimate celebrations with new beau John, as they wore matching Harry Potter loungewear

Festive fun! It was the reality star's first Christmas with John and they posed for a cheeky selfie on Christmas Eve

Meanwhile, her former Geordie Shore co-star Charlotte Crosby prepared to hit the town in a silky slip dress, as Fearne Cotton geared up for an altogether different kind of night in cute festive pyjamas.

Vicky showed things were getting serious with John with the cute snap, as the businessman.

Going make-up free, she pouted for the camera, while John rocked a makeshift Santa costume with a Father Christmas hat and a shaving foam beard.

The I'm A Celebrity winner captioned the shot: 'Merry Christmas Eve from Santa and his little helper...'

Looking good: Charlotte Crosby prepared for a festive night in a tiny lace-trim floral minidress in a sexy midnight black hue

Ready for her close up: Abbey Clancy changed into Agent Provocateur lingerie for her festive selfie

Body goals: Geordie Shore star Chloe Ferry showcased her lean figure in skintight leggings

Pucker up! The reality star later cosied up to a mini Father Christmas doll

Meanwhile, Charlotte Crosby prepared for a festive night in a tiny lace-trim floral minidress in a sexy midnight black hue.

Showcasing her enviably lean legs in the thigh-skimming number, lengthening them further with some barely there triple-strap heels.

Proving quite the contrast to Charlotte, Fearne Cotton prepared for a cost night in with her social media documentation.

The presenter revealed she was fully embracing the Christmas spirit with a pair of white leggings adorned with festive tree print.

'Xmas eve dinner with my man': Stacey Solomon donned silky dusky pink dress for a romantic dinner with boyfriend Joe Swash

In the pink: Charli XCX rocked a tartan miniskirt as she showed off her incredible fuchsia tree and matching presents

Sibling love: Scarlett Moffatt flashed a grin as she spent quality time with her little sister Ava-Grace Moffatt - who looked adorable in an elf outfit

Throwback! Holly Hagan shared a nostalgic shot with Vicky Pattison, Charlotte Crosby and Sophie Kasaei from their Geordie Shore days four years ago

Not feeling the festive spirit? Geordie Shore star Marnie Simpson made no reference to Christmas as she rocked some denim thigh high boots for a night out

'Christmas Eve walks with the bestie': Fearne enjoyed a stroll with her best friend and ex X Factor contestant Kye Sones - who she has known since they were 11

'Festive legs!' The presenter revealed she was fully embracing the Christmas spirit with a pair of white leggings adorned with festive tree print

Jake Hall, 26, snuggled up to his new girlfriend Misse Beqiri, 29, during an ice-skating session at the Natural History Museum in London.

The former TOWIE star shared a smooch with his model girlfriend under misteltoe decorations in one sweet snap.

The couple joined MIC's Rosie Fortescue in a cooking mission to help the homeless on Christmas Eve.

How's Santa meant to get down? Fearne Cotton shared an adorable snap of her one-year-old daughter Honey Krissy standing in front of the fireplace

Sweet: Pregnant Stephanie Davis, 23, prepared for the momentous occasion with an adorable Instagram collage that saw her recreate a sweet 2013 snap with her mother Pauline

'Last of the presents wrapped': And the Celebrity Big Brother star seemed to be fully embracing the Christmas spirit, as she spent the eve wrapping presents

Monochrome maven: Made In Chelsea star Nicola Hughes rocked an understated look as she posed next to her Christmas tree

'Christmas vibes': Jake Hall, 26, snuggled up to his new girlfriend Misse Beqiri, 29, during an ice-skating session at the Natural History Museum in London

'Giving back': The couple joined MIC's Rosie Fortescue in a cooking mission to help the homeless on Christmas Eve

Pregnant Stephanie Davis prepared to welcome her first child, a baby son into the world in January, with an adorable Instagram collage that saw her recreate a sweet 2013 snap with her mother Pauline.

The former Hollyoaks actress, 23, and her mum swapped festive red onesies for matching white pyjamas in the new version on Christmas Eve.

The brunette beauty beamed as she showcased her large baby bump, which her mum placed an affectionate hand over.

Kiss under the mistletoe: The former TOWIE star shared a smooch with his model girlfriend

Sweet treat: The TV presenter posed with a white chocolate snack after 'stuffing her face'

Night on the tiles: Pixie Lott seemed to be having a whale of a time as she cradled a giant bottle of vodka

Thoughtful guy! Rochelle Humes revealed her husband Marvin surprised her with a 40kg wheel of cheese - the only thing that was on her Christmas wish list

'These humans are everything to me!' Vicky Pattison went for a raucous Christmas Eve meal with a big group of pals

Stephanie captioned the shot: 'Me and mum in 2013... till now me mum and bump Still every year in our matching pjs for Christmas Eve.'

Professing her love for all things festive, she added: 'Feel so Christmassy! Next year me and my little boy will wear matching ones hehe.

'Everyone who knows me knows how much I love love LOVE Christmas! I'm so giddy, been playing Christmas songs since September ha. Love my family so so much. Blessed xxxxx'

Loving life in London: Lily Collins indulged in some last-minute shopping in Regent Street

Look to the skies: The 27-year-old actress later shared a dreamy snap at the iconic Winter Wonderland in London's Hyde Park

Happy times: Phillip Schofield rocked an optimistic festive jumper as he posed in front of his tree

Pointing them out as she walked down her tinsel decorated stairs, the mother-of-two wrote in the snap: 'Festive legs. Merry Christmas Eve you lovely lot'.

Proving it was a family affair, Fearne also shared a photo of her one-year-old daughter Honey Krissy in sweet festive trousers standing in front of the fireplace.

She captioned it: 'Wondering how Santa is gonna get down that chimney with the fire burner in the way?'

Meanwhile Victoria Beckham turned Christmas Eve into a night of doodling fun with her children.

Pouty selfie: Ellie Goulding opted for a sultry snap for her Christmas Eve offering

Athletic gal: Ashley James eschewed the ordinary celebrations to work on her body as part of her London marathon training

Family affair: MIC star Tiffany Watson enjoyed a trip to the carol service with her dad

She proudly showed off her five-year-old daughter Harper's festive ahead of the big day with a shot, which she captioned: 'Harper is so excited!!!! Kisses on Christmas Eve!!! @davidbeckham @brooklynbeckham @cruzbeckham X VB'.

Tiffany Watson, of Made In Chelsea fame, stuck to a traditional celebration - opting to sing carols with her dad.

Posing with her entrepreneur father Clive in a sweet Instagram snap, she wrote underneath: 'Happy Christmas Eve from Papa Watson and I. Off to sing our hearts out at the carol service'.

Deck the halls! Singer Zendaya shared a snap decorating her epic Christmas tree with yards and yards of fairy lights

Let the presenter see the tan! Paddy McGuinness showed off his sculpted physique in a shirtless selfie

Cute central: Billie Faiers shared a sweet shot of her daughter Nelly

Walkies! Mark Wright enjoyed a stroll with three dog companions

Exciting times! Jools Oliver's brood seemed overjoyed as they inspected their presents ahead of the big day
He has always been candid about his battle with alcoholism.

And former Coronation Street star Kevin Kennedy, who played Norman aka 'Curly' Watts in the soap for 30 years, has now admitted he stays in the house when he feels 'unsafe' against his urges after 18 years of sobriety.

Speaking to the Mirror, the 55-year-old actor discussed the ongoing restraints he feels at the hands of his addiction yet admits he has shunned the 'insanity and obsession' he once felt with alcohol.

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Back in the day... Coronation Street star Kevin Kennedy, who played Norman aka 'Curly' Watts in the soap for 30 years, admits he stays in the house when he feels 'unsafe' against his urges after 18 years of sobriety

Kevin, who is currently starring as Jimmy's Da in the stage show of The Commitments, was a beloved member of the Corrie cast while playing the hapless character before his departure in 2003.

Despite the often light-hearted nature of his role, the actor was battling demons behind the scenes as his fight against alcoholism raged on.

After an amazing 18 years without a drink, the Mancunian star admits his methods to staying sober - including staying in when he feels 'unsafe' against his demons.

He said: ' I am long enough down the road to know my trigger points and where its not safe for me to go. Its not easy but I am 18 years down the road and I know how to protect myself and keep myself safe. If I am feeling a little bit unsafe, I wont go out.'

Holding on: Speaking to the Mirror, the 55-year-old actor discussed the restraints he feels at the hands of his addiction yet admits he has shunned the 'insanity and obsession' he once felt with booze

Way back when: Kevin, who is currently starring as Jimmy's Da in the stage show of The Commitments, was a beloved member of the Corrie cast while playing the hapless character before his departure in 2003

Kevin explained little details can trigger his urges, such as small frustrations yet he proudly admitted to his determination to fight against the feelings.

He revealed: 'Thank God it doesnt happen that often. I dont get that insanity and obsession with alcohol that I used to have.

'If I am not in the right mood, I wont go into a pub...Now the bright lights of pubs and parties have to a certain extent worn off.'

In November, Kevin spoke on Lorraine Kelly about his battle and how his second wife Clare, also a recovering alcoholic, has helped keep him strong.

Living through it: Kevin admitted little details can trigger his urges, such as small frustrations yet he admits his determination to fight against the feelings

Staying strong: In November, Kevin spoke on Lorraine Kelly about his battle and how his second wife Claire, also a recovering alcoholic, has helped keep him strong

His addiction led to his first wife Dawn leaving him and later Clare doing the same, yet they reconciled and share two daughters - Katie May, 12, and Grace, nine.

He said: 'My wife has been incredible through the tough times. While I've been playing dress-up, she has been at home making a difference with charity work.'

Speaking to The Irish Times around the same time, he said: ' The moral of the story, if there is one, is to anyone out there who is struggling, there is an answer. You can do this youve just got to ask for help...

My daughters have never seen me take a drink and thats good. I live a very good and full and happy life. Of course its not perfect, but you know I can deal with stuff and its alright

Staying strong: Speaking to The Irish Times around the same time, he said: ' The moral of the story, if there is one, is to anyone out there who is struggling, there is an answer. You can do this youve just got to ask for help'

In his 2013 autobiography, Kevin admitted that he secretly drank in his Coronation Street dressing room to help him get through filming.

He got through a small bottle of vodka before shooting the soap, going on to drink more by 4pm, and collecting 30 or 40 empties out of his dressing room when he was sober.

The star also confessed that at the height of his addiction he suffered panic attacks if he couldnt get to the pub and once threatened to throw himself out of a car unless a friend stopped for vodka.
It is set to be a big year, with an expected move into a multi-million dollar mansion.

And supermodel Jennifer Hawkins was certainly smiling on New Year's Day.

To celebrate the arrival of 2017, the former Miss Universe shared a stunning snap to Instagram showing off her long legs.

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Sitting pretty: Stunning Jennifer Hawkins flaunted her trim pins in an Instagram post on Sunday, as she rang in the New Year

Captioning the pic, Jen wrote '2017', accompanied by a flower and heart emoji.

The statuesque stunner - who stands at 1.8 metres tall - flaunted her trim pins as she gave a cutesy pose, while sitting in a large wooden chair.

The star wore a low-cut sleeveless black top that revealed a hint of cleavage.

Lovers: Jen's husband Jake also uploaded a photo to ring in the New Year, posted a loved-up couple selfie

She teamed the tight top with a flowing white skirt that was patterned with black palm leaves.

The skirt featured a thigh-high split, that allowed Jen to display her lithe limbs.

The Myer ambassador left her blonde locks out for the photo, as she gave a cheeky grin for the camera.

Family first: Jen (second from right) has been spending time with her family over the Christmas holidays, and is pictured with her three siblings in a recent Instagram snap

Jen's husband, Jake Wall, also took to Instagram to share a snap to welcome in the New Year.

The picture showed the couple cuddled-up together, appearing to take some downtime before another busy year.

They recently celebrated the 12 month anniversary of Sesion their premium tequila brand and in November, Jen and Jake sold their Sydney home for an estimated $5 million.

The couple renovated the North Curl Curl residence, which helped net them a healthy profit, after they purchased the property for $1.66 million in 2013.

Legs for days: Jen Hawkins showed off her trim pins in a pair of denim shorts as she inspects the pool tiles at her luxurious new propety

It's expected the pair will this year move into a new mansion in the northern beaches suburb of Newport, which is still under construction.

Last month Jen snapped a photo where she was seen inspecting the pool tiles at the luxurious new property.

According to Jake's construction costs list, made to the council for the development, $350,000 alone will be spent on the property for landscaping, including the pool.
Peter Pan Goes Wrong

Rating:

Mrs Brown's Boys

Rating:

Wendy Craig was my first Peter Pan. She flew! She actually possessed the power of levitating across the stage.

To a four-year-old, this was irrefutable proof that magic was real, so when later we all had to declare that we believed in fairies, I needed no more convincing.

I still remember shouting so hard that I fell off my seat. That was at the Scala Theatre in London, probably in 1968  certainly not much later, because it burned down the following year.

'Wendy Craig was my first Peter Pan. She flew! She actually possessed the power of levitating across the stage.'

Miss Craig is still going strong. After decades of classic sitcoms such as Butterflies, she is now detective Humphrey Goodmans aunt on Death In Paradise, and later this month shell be loopy Miss Davina Bat in The Worst Witch on CBBC.

She ought to be a Dame by now, except that in my heart shell always be a Principal Boy. (Thats a panto joke. Oh, please yourselves . . .)

All this means that J.M. Barries play for children, a fixture of the Christmas theatre season since it was first performed in 1904, is a sacred text, and above mockery. So I approached Peter Pan Goes Wrong (BBC1) warily, not at all keen to see it traduced.

In fact, this wickedly clever farce by the West Ends Mischief Theatre company didnt merely respect the original  it expected us to know every line.

If you didnt, you might not have understood why there was a fat man dressed as a St Bernard (that was Nana, the childrens canine nursemaid) or how Captain Hook came to be so afraid of the crocodile.

Plenty of the jokes were aimed at the world of am dram, with its part-time prima donnas and wobbly sets, but mostly this was high-speed slapstick of the slickest order.

Theatre production Peter Pan Goes Wrong was shown on BBC One

When Peter lands heavily and gets smacked in the face by a loose plank, theres no need to understand what point weve reached in the story. Its just funny.

And so many people got smacks in the face, or crushed by falling scenery, or set alight, or dropped from a great height, or pushed downstairs, or punched, kicked, throttled and trampled, that once you started giggling you never stopped. It was all done with split-second timing that would have made Buster Keaton proud.

Even narrator David Suchet, hamming it up with joy, got flattened  by a runaway pirate ship. His little turn, when he stole Captain Hooks moustache and donned it to become Hercule Poirot, was a shameless bit of scene-stealing  everyone else was suffering GBH for laughs, and he got one with a French accent. Served him right to get run over by the Jolly Roger.

This was a theatre production crammed onto the small screen. However faithfully it was done, the rumbles of that collapsing scenery and the smell of burning greasepaint would be all the funnier live.

But it was imaginative, uproarious and wholly unexpected  all words that should never be used in the same paragraph as Mrs Browns Boys (BBC1).

'That weary old comedy relies on the ancient farce trick of shuttling characters in and out of a door,' writes Christopher Stevens

That weary old comedy relies on the ancient farce trick of shuttling characters in and out of a door  in this case, the back door of Agnes Browns kitchen. Her interchangeable children burst in, sit down at the table for no particular reason, get insulted and leave.

Theres always a well-scripted exchange of fake ad-libs, and glimpses of microphone booms and stagehands to remind us were watching a studio performance. But it has all the spontaneity of the testcard, and not an ounce of the live flair that made Peter Pan Goes Wrong so exciting.

An attempt at topical humour didnt help, with a running gag about Grandpas wacky baccy: Ireland is legalising marijuana for medical purposes.

But the grimmest part came at the end, with a pious anti-bullying message. Every days a new day, Mrs Brown (Brendan OCarroll) declared, and youre entitled to face that day with a big smile. Make yourself a promise: from today, dont let anybody take away your smile.

Oh, pass the sickbag.

That came after shed sent her daughters new boyfriend packing with a headbutt and a knee to the groin. This show would take away anybodys smile.
How does Jeremy Clarkson do it? Looking bleary-eyed and clad in an open-necked shirt that did little to disguise his middleaged paunch, the former Top Gear host found himself set upon by a veritable harem of societys most eligible women.

Looking bleary-eyed and clad in an open-necked shirt that did little to disguise his middleaged paunch, the former Top Gear host found himself set upon by a veritable harem of societys most eligible women

Clarkson, 56, who is separated from his second wife Frances Cain, with whom he has three children, saw in the New Year at a party in Oxfordshire with (from left) socialite Jemima Goldsmith, 42, stylist Martha Ward, 40, artist Suzy Murphy, 52, and their pal Caro Hick, 42.

Posing for a photo, Goldsmith and Ward placed their hands possessively on Clarksons chest, while Hick draped a bare leg over his knee.

Next to the snap, Jemima wrote online: To all Top Gear fans, Jeremy Clarkson is fine. Evidently so.

Best known as gruff Scottish detective Rebus, veteran actor Ken Stott is struggling to come to terms with the new screen world in which male stars are expected to have buff physiques.

Forget drama school  just go to the gym and get fit, is the 62-year-olds tongue-in-cheek advice for todays acting wannabes.

We only need superheroes now, nothing else. I seem to find myself working with people who have not been to drama school; were losing the language that used to unify us about how to rehearse and approach a script. I find it very chilling.

Clarkson, 56, is separated from his second wife Frances Cain, with whom he has three children

Trollope: Why I would never be a housewife

Labelled the Queen of the Aga saga thanks to her bestselling novels set in cosy, middle-class homes in the countryside, Joanna Trollope would never be a housewife herself.

Work gives you a validity and recognition, says the 73-year-old, who toiled at the Foreign Office and as a teacher before finding fame as an author. It makes me feel fulfilled.

Trollope adds: Im of a generation where it was quite rare for a woman to work. My mother didnt but, I think, rather longed to. But in my daughters generation, its amazing if a woman doesnt work.

Divorced from her second husband, dramatist Ian Curteis, Trollope formed a relationship with a musician 31 years her junior.

But she is cynical about the longevity of romance: Love is a glorious insanity, but it is an insanity. That heady stage when you could listen to them reading the phone book with rapture doesnt last long.

Sharing her aunt Princess Dianas striking looks, Lady Eliza Spencer was never going to be short of suitors.

So its no surprise that, less than a year after splitting up with financier Matthew Rozowsky, Earl Spencers 24-year-old daughter is off the market.

Sharing her aunt Princess Dianas striking looks, Lady Eliza Spencer was never going to be short of suitors

Her new beau is Channing Millerd, 23 (pictured with Eliza), a marketing executive who attended the same school as Elizas brother, Viscount Althorp.
Daniel MacPherson and Zoe Ventoura partied with Hollywood's A-list for New Year's Eve at an enviable bash attended by their friends the Hemsworths and Miley Cyrus.

The glittering party was a star-studded event attended by Liam and Chris Hemsworth and Chris' wife, Elsa Pataky.

Daniel shared a photo of himself and wife Zoe at the gold-themed bash on Tuesday, the day after New Year's Eve in California, where the party was believed to be held.

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In the thick of it: Daniel MacPherson and Zoe Ventoura partied with Hollywood's A-list for New Year's Eve at an enviable bash attended by their friends the Hemsworths and Miley Cyrus

'We rang in the New Year in golden fashion, surrounded by a bunch of great peeps,' the 36-year-old captioned the picture.

'Wishing all of you nothing but health, happiness and hammer pants for 2017,' he added, making light of his shiny, puffy pants and futuristic 'rapper' outfit.

The actor also showed off his muscular chest which was visible through a black mesh shirt over which he wore a cropped gold jacket.

Actress Zoe, 35, also adhered to the party's theme, wearing a shimmering mini dress and matching headband and shoes in a swinging sixties style.

Dan (R) showed off his muscular chest which was visible through a black mesh shirt. He posed with Chris Hemsworth's personal trainer, Luke Zocchi (R) who also attended the party

Happy New Year: Miley rang in the new year with a kiss from fiance Liam at the same party Daniel and Zoe attended

Daniel is pals with the Hemsworth brothers and has caught attended Luke Hemsworth's cowboy themed New Year's Eve party, last year.

Two months ago, Daniel posed for a snap with Luke and Liam Hemsworth in Venice Beach to raise awareness for the Polished Man charity initiative.

The campaign aims to bright light to childhood abuse by asking men to paint one of their fingernails with nail polish.

Good company: The NYE party was a star studded event also attended by Chris Hemsworth and his wife Elsa Pataky

Buddies: Daniel is pals with the Hemsworth brothers and has caught attended Luke Hemsworth's cowboy themed New Year's Eve party last year

Daniel, Luke and Liam joined in by painting one nail each with pink polish and showed off their fuchsia digits for the camera in Daniel's Instagram snap.

Zoe and Daniel have just passed their one year wedding anniversary.

They were married in Noosa in November last year.
Tammin Sursok said farewell to 2016 with a moving tribute to her husband, producer Sean McEwen.

On Sunday, the actress posted a loved-up photo of the pair to Instagram.

Wishing her husband of five years a happy birthday, she captioned the photo, 'Love I have for you can't be measured. It is infinite. We are infinite together. Our souls are connected now and through eternity.'

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Loved up: Wishing her husband of five years a happy birthday, Tammin Sursok captioned an emotional Instagram photo of the pair: 'Love I have for you can't be measured. It is infinite'

She continued: 'You are my beginning, my end and everything between. I'm so f*******g excited for 2017. I now realize that life's possibilities are endless.'

The Pretty Little Liar's actress also added: 'And I'm the luckiest woman alive that I get to share them with you. I love you boo.'

The pair were married in 2011, in an epic ceremony and reception that lasted over three days and was held in the Italian city of Florence.

Promoting her children's clothing line on an episode of The Morning Show in October, the beauty told host Larry Emdur she and her husband kept things spicy and have sex on 'Tuesdays and Fridays.'

Carefree: The Pretty Little Liar's actress called herself 'the luckiest woman alive' in a heartfelt Instagram post dedicated to her partner

The South African born star then added that her three-year-old daughter Phoenix already 'knows how she was conceived.'

On New Year's Eve, the former Home And Away actress posted a sun-drenched bikini selfie to Instagram, in which she is seen skipping along a dock by the water.

In the carefree image, the brunette beauty shows off her trim figure in a black and white polka dot bikini as her hair flows behind her in the breeze.

New start: 'Goodbye 2016. You were good to our family,' the 33-year-old, posing here with daughter Phoenix, three, said in a post to her Instagram fans

'Goodbye 2016. You were good to our family. Can't wait to see what 2017 brings,' the 33-year-old captioned the image, adding a heart emoji.

Tammin has much to look forward to.

Other than her role in Pretty Little Liars and her own children's clothing line, she recently starred in the film Girlfriends of Christmas Past.
Nicole Trunfio didn't have to clamour over thousands of people to see fireworks on New Year's Eve.

Instead, the stunning 30-year-old made sparks fly herself, as she hosted an epic party with her husband, Gary Clark Jr.

In images shared to Instagram, the couple were snapped setting off firecrackers at their Texas ranch.

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Epic! Nicole Trunfio and musician husband Gary Clark Jr hosted an epic New Year's Eve party, setting off fireworks at their Texas ranch

Nicole exposed a hint of her cleavage in a stunning, lacy black dress while bending over to set the firework.

Her musician husband looked equally dapper in a stylish wide-brimmed hat and slim khaki jacket.

He bent down to light a box of Irish Legend fireworks, which are said to let off a whopping 30 individual shots.

'Setting off fireworks with my baby to bring on the New Year.' Nicole wrote in the caption.

Fiery! In another picture, the 30-year-old was snapped holding an already lit firecracker as she ran around the ranch

'First NYE at our ranch,' she noted

In another picture, the 30-year-old was snapped holding an already lit firecracker as she ran around the ranch.

Fiery sparks from the tube shot several meters into the air.

'Are you trying to burn up the ranch?' one fan commented on her post.

Friends! Later, Nicole shared a black and white picture with two of her friends from the event, including Australian-born Extra TV personality Renee Bargh (right)

Unique: The couple also built a lavish 'soul tent' for the party

Later, Nicole shared a black and white picture with two of her friends, including Australian-born Extra TV host Renee Bargh.

Her diamond choker necklace was on display as she pouted her plump lips for the camera.

The couple also built a lavish 'soul tent' for the party.

This comes after the luxury jewellery line owner revealed her New Year's revolutions to The Daily Telegraph, saying she wanted to 'work smarter, listen to my instincts more, spend more time with my family and keep growing my business.'

'I have had a lot of fun but now its time to step my game up!' Nicole recently opened up about her goals and ambitions for 2017

The mother-of-one added: 'I have had a lot of fun but now its time to step my game up.'

Nicole married her husband, musician Gary Clark Jr, last year.

They have one child together, a son named Zion.
She's an actress known for her blissful earthy nature as much as her television roles.

And Isabelle Cornish's New Year's message to fans was completely in sync with her usual hippie self.

The Puberty Blues star and model shared her thoughts on New Year's resolutions in Instagram that showed the 22-year-old playing about on the beach with her boyfriend Mitch Reeves.

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No time for resolutions: Isabelle Cornish encouraged her Instagram followers not to make any New Year's resolutions and just embrace the good and the bad of the coming year

Showing off her fit physique in an eye catching red bikini top and monochrome print bottoms, she appeared to be laughing at the camera.

The excited actress said resolutions could put unnecessary pressure on what should be an occasion full of love.

'This year I have decided to not make a particular 'resolution' I believe that they can often put unrealistic expectations on us,' she wrote.

Down to earth: The Home and Away actress is known for her hippie lifestyle and is often seen spending time outdoors with boyfriend Mitch Revs

'Entering a new year is exciting!!! In our fast paced society we put so much stress and pressure on ourselves.

'I'm wishing you all a heart filled year, looking after YOU. Forgive yourself, treat your body with respect, meditate, just love.'

Isabelle advised her followers to revel in both the good and bad moments of the new year.

No pants New Year! The actress joyfully revealed she would be going into 2017 without any pants - the same way she appeared to have spent the days previous

'We are always on a roller coaster, we need to experience pain to have joy. Sadness for happiness,' she wrote.

'Breathe through it all and find that deep connection in your heart. Much love.'

The actress has spent the last week camping with Mitch along Victoria's Great Ocean Road - and has been eager to share that she's done most of it without pants.

'In case you were wondering' she wrote, 'I'm entering the New Year pant less.... Cause life's better.'
His father performed the occasional theatrical dive on the pitch.

And Brooklyn Beckham proved he is a chip off the old block as he flamboyantly flipped from the side of a boat during his family's festive holiday break in the Maldives on Sunday.

His famous parent David certainly seemed pleased to see some of his old skills had been handed down to his eldest son.

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Flipping off: Brooklyn Beckham proved his action man credentials by jumping from a boat in the Maldives on Sunday

Somersault water: He would soon make a splash when he hit the wet stuff below

For the proud former Manchester United star posted a snap of the thrilling moment on Instagram, which he captioned, 'Flippn (sic) great.'

But it was his boy who proved the more astute social media user, posting a full video which caught the exciting piece of gymnastics in slow motion on Instagram.

Brooklyn has been enjoying a whirlwind trip to the Indian Ocean paradise with his family over Christmas.

And his latest action video comes just days after he had fun in a pool with the 17-year-old son of chef Gordon Ramsay, Jack.

Chip off the old block: His Manchester United star father David no doubt had a tear of joy in his eye when he posted this snap of his son's theatrical dive

Making a splash: He literally made waves as he made his entry into the water below

Cruising: He also seemed to be having a great time relaxing as his holiday odyssey continued

The pair jumped into a infinity pool in a Boomerang clip on Instagram on Saturday.

Brooklyn and Jack, who are old friends, wore swim shorts for the no doubt spontaneous moment as they prepared to welcome the New Year together.

Jack - who celebrated his 17th birthday on January 1 - looked the spitting image of his TV chef father.

Festive friends: Brooklyn Beckham, 17, enjoyed his festive retreat with pal and son of chef Gordon Ramsay, Jack ,16

High flying: The eldest son of David and Victoria was in high spirits as he playfully grabbed his friend's hands as they jumped into a infinity pool joyfully in a Boomerang clip on Instagram

Meanwhile, it appears Brooklyn's high spirits won't be fading anytime soon as he proclaimed 2017 is 'going to be a great year' in a cheeky Instagram video.

The aspiring photographer shared the filtered clip with his 8.9million followers on the photo sharing platform which sees him playfully blowing a kiss to the camera.

Having a blast: Filled with glee, Brooklyn donned a pair of pair cropped black meggings for the spontaneous moment as they prepare to welcome the New Year together

Crystal clear: Following Brooklyn's lead, Jack donned a pair of black swim shorts for the occasion as he excitingly jumped into the inviting water

The teen sported a mixed print short sleeved shirt which he stylishly buttoned up as he relaxed in Indian Ocean based country.

Slicking his brown locks off his face, Brooklyn team his funky shirt with black pants as he grooved to Bruno Mars' hit Chunky in the vintage inspired teaser.

The song from the Hawaiian hitmaker's latest album 24K Magic, bellows the lyrics: 'Looking for them girls with the big old hoops'.

Brooklyn's video comes as rumours of an unexpected reconciliation were sparked earlier this week after he reportedly made contact with his former girlfriend on social media.

'Going to be a year': It appears Brooklyn's high spirits won't be fading anytime soon as he proclaimed 2017 is 'going to be a year' in a cheeky Instagram video

Pucker up: The aspiring photographer shared the black and white clip with his 8.9million followers on the photo sharing platform which sees him playfully blowing a kiss to the camera

Style: The teen sported a mixed print short sleeved shirt which he stylishly buttoned up as he relaxed in Indian Ocean based country

The teenager is understood to have reconnected with promising French model Sonia Ben Ammar on Instagram shortly after landing in the Maldives, where he is currently enjoying a festive end of year break with his family.

By coincidence Sonia, 17, is in the midst of her own idyllic holiday in the tropical island country, from where she has posted a series of sunny snaps for her 246,000 followers.

The Sun report that one such photo, a striking, professionally shot portrait of the model sporting a mesh bikini while standing in front of the sweeping Indian Ocean, was later liked by Brooklyn  himself an aspiring photographer.

Groovin': Slicking his browns locks off his face, Brooklyn team his funky shirt with black pants as he grooved to Bruno Mars' hit Chunky in the vintage inspired teaser

Chilling: The song from the Hawaiian hitmaker's latest album 24K Magic, bellows the lyrics: 'Looking for them girls with the big old hoops'

Rumour has it: Brooklyn's video comes as rumours of an unexpected reconciliation were sparked earlier this week after he reportedly made contact with his former girlfriend on social media

Curiously, the pair also shared remarkably similar shots of themselves bathed in shadow while posing on the beach at sunset.

The Maldives no doubt conjure fond memories of Sonia, who Brooklyn dated for five months from October 2015 to March 2016.

The teenager originally met the model daughter of Tunisian producer and director Tarak Ben Ammar, who counts Silvio Bellusconi and the late Michael Jackson among his circle, the previous year.

Best pals: Megan Ramsay shared a snap with Cruz Beckham on her social media

Enthusiastic response: One such photo, a striking, professionally shot portrait of the model sporting a mesh bikini while standing in front of the sweeping Indian Ocean, was later liked by Brooklyn  himself an aspiring photographer

Sonia, who made her film debut in the 2013 French film Jappeloup, then began to appear on Brooklyn's Instagram account at the end of the summer.

The model reportedly made an impression on Brooklyn's parents, with a source confirming they were dating and adding that his famous parents'mother and father were 'happy about it'.

Following their split Brooklyn enjoyed a short lived romance with Hollywood actress Chloe Grace Moretz before the couple parted ways in August.
Australian model Bridget Malcolm thrilled fans last month when she sharedsteamy shots of herself posing for Playboy.

And on Monday, the Victoria's Secret stunner shared another shot from her raunchy shoot, going topless as she sits on a disco ball.

The 25-year-old blonde took to her public Instagram page to share the image, appearing to be completely naked and flashing a glimpse of her ample cleavage.

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One way to celebrate! Australian model Bridget Malcolm shared a shot from her recent Playboy shoot sitting on a disco ball and posing topless, holding 2017 party glasses

In the shot, Bridget sits side on to the camera and in front of a bed, with her long legs on display.

Showing off a soft golden tan, she has her long locks out and over her shoulders neatly straightened.

The married personality showcased her chiseled jawline and appeared to be wearing very minimal makeup and a soft glittering eye shadow.

Going places: Bridget - who hails from Perth - was named Miss January by the publication (Seen here walking for Victoria's Secret in Paris in November)

She holds a pair of 2017 party glasses and captioned the shot: 'Yep, 2017,' adding a peace sign.

Bridget - who hails from Perth - was named Miss January by the publication.

In another steamy shot for Playboy, the beauty poses completely naked except for a silver jacket and shows off her derriere.

The spread was taken by photographer Jason Lee Parry.

If you've got it! In another steamy shot for Playboy , the beauty poses completely naked except for a silver jacket and shows off her derriere

On her blog recently, she opened up about staying in shape and her vegan diet, revealing her diet tips to a fan.

Bridget said skipping meals is a huge no-no.

'I eat pretty much constantly - its awesome - and focus on higher calorie foods,' Bridget said.

'My favorites are nuts such as almonds, walnuts, avocados and fats and oils. I never bought into the whole rely on carbohydrates thing in the vegan world.'

Don't skip meals! On her blog recently, she opened up about staying in shape and her vegan diet, revealing her diet tips to a fan

Bridget said that during the summer months she pays closer attention to her protein intake as she doesn't want to 'burn out' and wants to 'build some muscle.'

Bridget is currently in Australia, celebrating the festive season with her family and her American musician husband, Nathaniel Hoho.

The pair have enjoyed beach side walks recently posed up for a sweet selfie, with Bridget gushing about him: 'Oh I love you.'
UnREAL co-stars Johanna Braddy and Freddie Stroma are married.

The two got hitched on Friday December 30 in Atlanta, Georgia, according to The Knot.

They had been dating since meeting in 2015 on the set of Lifetimes reality parody where Stroma played a bachelor contestant and Braddy was one of the girls vying for his heart.

Tied the knot: UnREAL co-stars Johanna Braddy and Freddie Stroma, pictured in May,are married. The two reportedly got hitched on Friday December 30 in Atlanta, Georgia

The English actor proposed to the actress, who now appears on ABC's Quantico, in May during a weekend getaway to Vancouver, Canada.

Braddy told People that she would wear a one-of-a-kind gown designed by Anne Barge for her wedding.

She also revealed that extended family would be traveling from around the globe for the nuptials.

'Freddies family is coming from Europe and Asia and were all gonna be together. So thats gonna be different,' the 29-year-old said. 'Super southern family. Super European family.'
Natalie Roser is rumoured to have split with fiance Dan Adair.

But the Australian model showed no signs of heartbreak as she flaunted her enviable figure in a risque Instagram photo she shared on Monday.

The 26-year-old beauty posted a snap of herself on a bed at Melbourne's Hotel Sorrento, which ironically specialises in wedding ceremonies.

'Perfect New Year's Eve recovery!' Natalie Roser shared a risque snap on Monday as she posed on a bed at Melbourne's Hotel Sorrento

Wearing nothing but a white bath robe and a revealing pink bra, Natalie flashed a broad smile as she posed for the camera.

'The perfect New Year's Eve recovery!' she captioned the image she shared with her 706,000 Instagram followers.

'Thanks for taking the best care of me, Hotel Sorrento,' she added.

Natalie's lush blonde locks fell effortlessly over her face and her makeup was kept to a minimum to showcase her natural beauty.

New start: Natalie has hinted she's ready to leave 2016 behind - as rumours about her split from fiance Dan Adair continue to swirl

That figure: The Australian model regularly takes to Instagram to showcase her enviable body

While she brought in the New Year in Melbourne, her fiance Dan welcomed 2017 in Sydney.

'Awesome week exploring along NSW North Coast,' he wrote alongside a photo he shared on Instagram on Saturday.

'Back in Sydney now for NYE with zero plans,' he added.

Irony: Natalie's latest Instagram snap was taken from a hotel in Melbourne, which specialises in wedding ceremonies

Rumours have swirled for months that Dan and Natalie have called of their engagement.

On New Year's Eve, the model took to Instagram to profess her excitement for the year ahead, captioning a snap: 'Ready to move past 2016'.

Adding to the rumours that the pair have called time on their relationship was a photo posted by the model on Instagram last week.

Called off? Rumours have swirled for months that Dan and Natalie have called of their engagement

Moving on: Over the past few weeks, Natalie has been spotted without her engagement ring on, but is yet to comment on the status of her relationship

Whispers: Adding to the rumours that the pair have called time on their relationship was this snap posted by the model to Instagram - playfully calling the bunny her 'new boyfriend'

Natalie was seen wearing a white T-shirt with the word pasta on the front, and another pair of distressed Daisy Dukes.

Her gold hoop earrings were not the only accessory that drew attention, but also a stuffed toy bunny that she referred to as her 'new boyfriend' in the post.

She got engaged to the personal trainer in July 2015, but the pair haven't been spotted together for the past 36 weeks, sparking whispers of a break-up.

Keeping quiet: Natalie is yet to comment on her rumoured split with Dan, but a representative told Daily Mail Australia that their wedding had been postponed
She flaunted her model curves under the jungle shower while appearing on 2016's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here.

As New Year rings in, Lisa Snowdon proved to be feeling nostalgic to her days in the ITV bush as she shared a sultry throwback snap of her time following the infamous show on Sunday.

The 44-year-old beauty took to Instagram to post the striking selfie of her in a skimpy blue snakeskin print bikini that accentuated her ample assets as she posed alongside poolside cabana Down Under.

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Bikini babe! Lisa Snowdon proved to be feeling nostalgic to her days in the ITV bush as she shared a sultry throwback snap to her time on the infamous show on Sunday

Captioning the rather saucy snap, she wrote: 'Fun in the sun in OZ! Before I ate all the mince pies!!'

Although hinting the festive season got the best of her, it's hard to imagine as the presenter slipped into the sizzling two-piece - which she wore on the show - playfully posing with her hands above her head.

The former Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model host sported a pair of low-slung tie-side bottoms that showcased her hourglass curves and taut stomach infront of her idyllic post jungle setting.

Soaking up the enviable Australian sun, Lisa continued to exhibit her awe-inspiring physique as she puckered her knee to illustrate her never-ending pins as her brunette locks cascaded down her chest.

That looks familiar: The presenter rocked the same bikini under the popular ITV show's jungle shower

In November Lisa was the second celebrity to be evicted from the I'm A Celebrity camp after finding herself in the bottom two alongside Carol Vorderman.

Lisa looked delighted to be leaving the camp, and she could hardly contain her glee as she jumped into the arms of her boyfriend George Smart as she made her exit from the show.

As Ant and Dec talked about how jovial the camp is this year, Lisa revealed it felt like a home away from home.

'We really did get on so well,' she admitted. 'It was just a nice atmosphere. It felt like home when we came back to camp from the trials.'

Having fun! In November Lisa was the second celebrity to be evicted from the I'm A Celebrity camp after finding herself in the bottom two alongside Carol Vorderman

Flaunt it! At the time, Lisa looked delighted to be leaving the camp and has since been sharing a number of sultry bikini snaps on her social media

Asked how she felt about leaving the jungle after two weeks, Lisa chuckled and said:'It feels so surreal. Its been amazing! I didnt get my phone call last night, so I'm so excited to be seeing my dad and boyfriend.'

And Lisa's last request came true, as she was met on the bridge out of the jungle by her boyfriend, George Smart - who she has been dating for six months.

Speaking to Hello! shortly before she went into the jungle, Lisa described her man - whom she has known for 14 years - as the one.

Asked if she'd marry George, she said: 'Yes, at some point. But theres no pressure because we fit  I know well be together forever.'
She had a messy end to 2016 after being accused of cheating on her latest beau Charlie Puth.

But Bella Thorne put any boy trouble to one side for New Years as she rang in 2017 with her girlfriends in the Bahamas.

As the clock struck midnight on Saturday, the stunning bisexual actress shared a racy shot on her Instagram page showing her and model pal Kyra Santoro puckering up for a NYE kiss.

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Kiss me quick! Bella Thorne put any boy trouble to one side for New Years as she rang in 2017 with her girlfriends in the Bahamas, smooching her model pal Kyra Santoro at midnight

'Everyone needs a friendly newyears kiss,' Bella wrote caption, chucking in a couple of emojis including a puckered set of lips.

The kiss pic comes shortly after she was insulted on Instagram, with an angry bully writing: 'You really arent helping with the whole stigma that "bisexuals are all cheaters."'

However the actress hit back, saying: 'Who the f*** says because you are bi you must be a cheater. What groups do you hang out in girl?'

Countdown: 'Everyone needs a friendly newyears kiss,' Bella wrote caption, chucking in a couple of emojis including a puckered set of lips

Ringing in 2017: Bella spent a bit of New Year's Day twerking on a stationary truck whilst on holiday in the Bahamas with her elder sister Dani Thorne and a troupe of friends

The attack came after it emerged her latest beau Charlie Puth seemed to think she had cheated on Tyler Posey with him.

Thankfully the actress explained it was a big misunderstanding, as she actually broke up with her ex beforehand.'

After her NYE kiss, it was a hard day's twerk for Bella on Sunday.

The actress showed her dancing skills as she bent over to dance on the back of a truck, cheered on by her friends.

Feeling the beat: Tiny and heavily frayed denim shorts showed off her svelte legs as she swung about to the music on the vehicle

Bella twerked away for the camera as her friend filmed, and was so pleased with the results that she shared it on Snapchat.

Before she'd used the truck for a dance floor, she and her friends, including her sister Dani Thorne, had gone for a ride around the island.

Bella whooped, the wind flinging her freshly dark blue hair about her face.

Accessorising: Jewellery wise, she'd teamed a pair of unobtrusive earrings with a gleaming gold nose ring, and a large camera was slung round her neck

Once the automobile stopped and the music got going, the Shake It Up actress was joined by one of her pals as she began to dance.

The 19-year-old bared her flat midriff in a white tube top and denim shorts for the outing.

Earlier in the day, she'd been with friends on a veranda with a white rail and grinned faintly for the camera, moving it about as she took a video selfie.

Striking a pose: Earlier in the day, she'd been with friends on a veranda with a white rail and grinned faintly for the camera, moving it about as she took a video selfie

With pals: Her hair blowing back, she seemed to be ignoring whichever friend of hers was saying: 'It's like saying: "Bella, do a scene right now. Do one, right now. Just do a scene"'

Her hair blowing back, she seemed to be ignoring whichever friend of hers was saying: 'It's like saying: "Bella, do a scene right now. Do one, right now. Just do a scene."'

As Sunday wore on, she uploaded an Instagram GIF in which she arced a toned leg and swung it back and forth whilst wearing a bikini.

She was surrounded by swimsuit-clad friends who'd assumed various poses of their own and were throwing their arms up into the air.

'What should our girl group be called?': As Sunday wore on, she uploaded an Instagram GIF in which she arced a toned leg and swung it back and forth whilst wearing a bikini, surrounded by swimsuit-clad friends

Captioned Thorne; 'What should our girl group be called?' before sprinkling on the hashtags: '#girlgang #nye #newyearsday'.

She'd jetted into the Bahamas on Friday, so soon after dying her hair blue that she'd still got some of the residue on her face.

'I'm literally blue,' said the Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day actress, who'd previously been a redhead.
She celebrated New Year's Day by touching down in Gambia for a sun-soaked retreat.

And Ashley James seemed determined to make the most of her exotic getaway, sharing several snaps of herself posing in an array of sizzling swimwear on Monday.

The former Made In Chelsea star, 30, looked incredible as she flaunted her toned figure in a snake-print bikini, before slipping into a skimpy black and gold number to relax by the pool.

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Beach babe: Ashley James, 29, showed off her toned physique in a snake-print bikini during a sun-soaked holiday in Gambia

The blonde beauty looked every inch the beach babe in the monochrome Heidi Klein two-piece, which featured delicate gold accents.

Wearing her golden tresses in tousled waves, the radio presenter shielded her peepers in some gold round-eye shades.

Ever the candid social media star, Ashley admitted in the caption that the reason for her golden glow was a hasty last-minute spray tan.

Making a splash: The former Made In Chelsea star later slipped into a skimpy black and gold number to relax by the pool

Arty shot: She showcased her lithe figure as she posed next to a guitar

Animal instinct: She also shared this cute picture of herself wearing a leopard print number

She wrote: 'Good morning Gambia little thank you to @secretspauk for coming to the house last minute for my @fakebakeunited spray tan.

'I always get a spray tan before I go on hol because I'm a factor 50 kinda girl and I want to be the hottest grandma.'

Clearly enjoying her sunshine break, the former reality star - who once dated Ollie Locke on Made In Chelsea - also shared a snap of herself relaxing on an inflatable crocodile in the pool.

Beating the odds: Ashley, who is enjoying the holiday with one of her oldest pals (pictured), revealed they met when they were both dating the same guy

Ashley, who is enjoying the holiday with one of her oldest pals, revealed they met when they were both dating the same guy.

She wrote: 'So happy I got to spend it in The Gambia with my oldest (not in age) friend @stephaniebv AKA my CC aka one of the dopest humans.

'Here's a funny story, Steph and I met 10 years ago because we found out we were both dating the same guy. Somehow over the years we've become best friends.

'Hoping 2017 is the best year for all the boss babes supporting each other. #2017 #happynewyear'
She's never been afraid of flaunting her figure under any circumstances.

And it's no surprise Jemma Lucy was back to her old tricks as she eased into the New Year flashing her pert posterior in simply an oversized T-shirt on Sunday night in Manchester.

The 28-year-old reality star once again dared to bare her peachy behind for the cameras as she stepped out in her white cable knit sleep socks to grab some fast food.

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Bottoms up! Jemma Lucy was back to her old tricks as she eased into the New Year flashing her pert posterior in simply an oversized T-shirt on Sunday night

Clearly not afraid of catching a cold, she rolled up the sleeves of her purple marl tee to display her numerous inkings while she sauntered her way to her car with a gal pal.

Despite the plummeting temperatures, the Ex On The Beach star paraded her bare lithe toned limbs as she carried her takeaway cuisine in her perfectly manicured hand.

Jemma added some warmth to her look by placing a white trucker cap over her raven-coloured locks which she styled into a side sweeping messy chignon as she sported a nude lip for the occasion.

Feeling fine! The 28-year-old reality star once again dared to bare her peachy behind for the cameras as she stepped out in her white cable knit sleep socks to grab some fast food with a friend

She completed her next-to-nothing ensemble with a stack of bangles on her wrist as she visited the golden arches with a weather appropriately dressed friend in a camouflage bomber jacket, black jeans and trainers.

Meanwhile, Jemma appeared 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 MTV 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.

Sunning herself! Jemma 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.
She ended 2016 on a low thanks to splitting from her second husband, Brian Moote, after just one year of marriage.

But things seemed to be on the up for Katie Waissel as she enjoyed a night out with a mystery man at Ball and Chain salsa bar in Little Havana, Miami, Florida, on New Year's Day.

The former Celebrity Big Brother contestant, 30, looked as though she was in high spirits as she cosied up to her handsome male pal while leaving the eatery after a low-key dinner date.

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Single lady: Things seemed to be on the up for Katie Waissel as she enjoyed a night out with a mystery man at Ball and Chain salsa bar in Little Havana, Miami, Florida, on New Year's Day

Katie kept things casual in a floral trouser suit and low-key white vest as she chatted to her friend before heading out into the night together.

The X Factor 2010 hopeful added height to her frame with a pair of towering strappy sandals and wore her ombre locks piled on top of her head in a top-knot.

After hitting the beach with CBB pal Renee Graziano earlier in the day, Katie was suffering from a spot of painful-looking sunburn on her chest as she strolled down the street.

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.

Things are on the up: The former Celebrity Big Brother contestant, 30, looked in cheery spirits as she cosied up to her handsome male pal while leaving the eatery after a low-key dinner date

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.

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 songstress, who married Brian following a six-month whirlwind 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'.

Bouncing back: After hitting the beach with CBB pal Renee Graziano earlier in the day, Katie was suffering from a spot of painful-looking sunburn on her chest

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 reportedly split from hubby Brian after just a year of marriage in December

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 Mob Wives favourite, 48, would continue with her treatment program for 'probably another month or so'.

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.'

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

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.

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'.

Tell-tale? Katie was pictured without her wedding band when she went out with her dog in New York on December 12

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.'

Meanwhile, Katie spoke to OK! back in August about how she felt Brian was The One.

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

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.'

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 Los Angeles 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, unlucky-in-love 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

The good times: Katie shared a picture of her and Brian sightseeing in London a year ago

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.'

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!'

Katie shot to fame when she appeared on the series seven of the X Factor, where she finished in seventh place.

In 2016, Katie 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 split from her first husband Brad Alphonso after just two months of marriage - they tied the knot in September 2013
She shows off her body on the Victoria's Secret runway.

And even when she's not at work, top model Sara Sampaio loves to flaunt her amazing figure.

The 25-year-old Portuguese model looked sensational in a pretty print swimsuit as she basked in the sunshine during her New Years break to Mexico on Sunday.

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Beach beauty: Sara Sampaio looked sensational in a pretty print swimsuit as she basked in the sunshine during her New Years break to Mexico on Sunday

The dark haired beauty enjoyed a blissful day on the beach, catching some rays and enjoying a snooze on the sand.

Sara chose a pretty one-piece for her lazy day in paradise, with the print number highlighting her svelte figure.

Her pert posterior was also on display, as the model took a nap in the afternoon sun.

Body confidence: Her pert posterior was also on display, as the model took a nap in the afternoon sun.

40 winks: The dark haired beauty enjoyed a blissful day on the beach, catching some rays and enjoying a snooze on the sand

Over the weekend Sara was flaunting her derriere once again as she shared a shot of herself modelling a brightly coloured bikini in Tulum, Mexico.

With her brown hair worn loose down her back in loose beachy waves, Sara stands looking at the sandy beach and blue ocean while standing in a pool full of water.

Sporting minimal make-up, the model can't resist a cheeky look over her shoulder towards the camera.

In another shot, the star is seen sitting in her hotel with a white cover-up with her hair worn long and partially braided.

Cheeky girl: Sara showed off her pert posterior in a brightly coloured bikini in a stunning selfie on holiday in Tulum over the weekend

A stunning sight: The supermodel showed off her stunning good looks with minimal make-up

The model certainly enjoys a beach holiday - in November she posted several shots of herself soaking up the sun in a series of bikinis.

With an equally equally glamorous pal, she even posed for a 'belfie' , lying down in the water, and pushing her bottom up.

She captioned the image with the words: 'Happy turkey day!' in celebration of Thanksgiving.

The Victoria's Secret icon later shared a picture of herself on a paddle-board as she went topless, wearing only her bikini bottoms, to ensure no tan lines.

Life's a beach: Victoria's Secret model Sara, 25, showed off her incredible bikini body on Instagram as she holidayed at an undisclosed location in November

With her hair damp and tousled as she showed off her pert posterior once again, she wrote: 'Thankful for this paradise.'

Recently, Sara spoke to Instyle about how lingerie makes her feel sexy, saying: 'Lingerie is the little thing that no one sees but it gives you confidence.

'Matching sets make me feel sexy. Ninety five per cent of my lingerie is black. I only go for nude if Im wearing something white on top.'

Just peachy! Another image, posted the day before, saw her and an equally glamorous pal posing for a 'belfie' as they lay down in the water, and pushing their bottoms up

She continued: 'Ive never worn Spanx. I dont need them. I havent even seen a pair in real life. On the red carpet if its all about the dress Ill go braless and wear a nude thong.

She also spoke about all things health and beauty to Pop Sugar.

'I am very lucky,' she said. 'There is no secret  it's mostly genetic! However, I do always brush my hair and use a nourishing conditioning treatment as it's so thick.'

Gorgeous: Last month the Victoria's Secret icon later shared a picture of herself on a paddle-board as she went topless, wearing only her bikini bottoms, to ensure no tan lines
Adriano Zumbo appears to have found the missing ingredient in his love life after unveiling his relationship with former My Kitchen Rules star Nelly Riggio.

The dessert connoisseur whisked his new flame off for a romantic getaway to the Maldives last week - but their relationship comes as a surprise given Nelly's appearance on the cooking show in 2016.

Nelly appeared on MKR with then boyfriend JP Huillet, with the pair's very affectionate displays seeing them dubbed 'The Lovebirds'.

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Sweet snap: Adriano Zumbo appears to have found the missing ingredient in his love life after unveiling his relationship with former My Kitchen Rules star Nelly Riggio

Zumbo and Nelly celebrated New Years on the tropical island together, taking to Instagram to post loved-up pictures from their trip.

News of their union comes four months after the 35-year-old hired the brunette to work in the research and development team for his patisserie, according to The Daily Telegraph.

They report that the foodie moved down from Brisbane to Sydney to take the role, before her relationship with JP broke down late last year.

Down the pan: The new relationship comes as somewhat of a surprise given Nelly's appearance on the cooking show in 2016 alongside then boyfriend JP Huillet

Overcooked: Nelly appeared on MKR alongside JP, with the pair's very affectionate displays seeing them dubbed 'The Lovebirds'

The boss: 35-year-old Zumbo hired the brunette to work in the research and development team for his patisserie in September

Just 12 weeks ago, JP and Nelly appeared to still be an item as she uploaded a picture to social media of the couple sunbathing on a boat.

That was the last time JP featured on her feed and she has since been pictured cosying up to her boss.

Posting on Sunday, Zumbo shared a photo of the pair alongside a caption in which he called his new lady a 'hottie'.

Ex on the beach: Just 12 weeks ago, JP and Nelly appeared to still be an item as she uploaded a picture to social media of the couple on holiday

Boiling point: Posting on Sunday, Zumbo shared a photo of the pair alongside a caption in which he called his new lady a 'hottie'

He wrote: 'Happy New Year 2017 from the Maldives!!!!! Looking forward to many years with this Hottie (sic).'

Before his Channel Seven show, Zumbo's Just Desserts, debuted last year, the chef had spoken of his desire to find love again after an engagement during his early 20s went 'pear-shaped'.

He told the Sydney Morning Herald: 'I've become good at judging whether a girl wants to be around you just because she's after your status or because you're popular.

Co-workers: Nelly has been snapped several times with her boss as they work on new products for Zumbo's business

Romantic: Before his Channel Seven show, Zumbo's Just Desserts, debuted last year, the chef had spoken of his desire to find love again after an engagement during his early 20s went 'pear-shaped'

'I've never been worried about being alone and there is no pressure to get married, although I would love to do it one day with the right girl.

'I need a strong woman who can handle the attention I get and not get upset if I cuddle a stranger for a social photo.'

There has been no word on whether Zumbo's show, which was largely criticised by viewers, will return for a second season.
She was granted a 'quickie divorce' from her partner Laurence Fox in May after eight years and two children together.

And Billie Piper certainly seemed ready for a fresh start in the New Year, stepping out looking relaxed in London's exclusive Primrose Hill on Monday.

The former Doctor Who star, 34, looking low-key in an oversized denim jacket and sunnies, no doubt wanted to put the festive period behind her - which Laurence jokingly claimed he would be spending with 'other divorcees'.

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Cool yet casual: Billie Piper, 34, certainly seemed ready for a fresh start in the New Year, stepping out looking relaxed in London's exclusive Primrose Hill on Monday

The Swindon-born beauty looked typically casual in stonewash denim, which she teamed with loose-fit black jeans rolled up at the hem to expose her vibrant red socks.

Opting for comfort in her footwear, the Diary Of A Call Girl star added a pair of black and white adidas trainers.

Letting her natural beauty shine, she appeared to go make-up free and wore her auburn-hued locks in a tousled straight style.

Going incognito: The Swindon-born beauty looked typically casual in stonewash denim, which she teamed with loose-fit black jeans, rolled up at the hem to expose her vibrant red socks

Former loves: Billie and Laurence announced their separation in March and divorced in May, on the grounds of unreasonable behaviour

Billie and Laurence announced their separation in March and divorced in May, on the grounds of unreasonable behaviour.

Since Laurence's unexpected divorce from the actress, he revealed he was expecting to link up with fellow divorcees for the festive period as he spent the first one without sons Winston, eight, and four-year-old Eugene.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, the Lewis actor admitted he's 'thrilled' to be putting a lid on 2016; a year which saw him end his marriage to Doctor Who star Billie - the mother of his children - after eight years.

The couple married on December 31, 2007 and subsequently both had the date tattooed on their forearms during a drunken holiday in Mexico.

With the tattoo now removed, the date will no doubt have a very different feeling for both.

Loaded with a subtle dig at the occasion, Laurence said of this year's New Year's Eve plans: 'I've got a feeling it might be quite a quiet one for me...

Happier times: The couple married on December 31, 2007 and subsequently both had the date tattooed on their forearms during a drunken holiday in Mexico

Lonely: Since Laurence's unexpected divorce from the actress, he revealed he was expecting to link up with fellow divorcees for the festive period as he spent the first one without sons Winston, eight, and four-year-old Eugene

'I've never really been a huge New Year's Eve fan so it isn't going to be the kind of celebration that it's been in the past.

'I haven't made any plans but I think I'll see friends, so it might be a bit like what it was back in "those" days.'

They announced their 'amicable' split in March, but afterwards, Laurence admitted that the separation had 'derailed' him.

As far as an update on the Christmas traditions, Laurence says he's 'made a deal with Santa' to let the presents come early for his sons.

He explained: 'Santa has kindly agreed to come a day early this year, which is very kind of him.

Split? Laurence was previously linked to model Vogue Williams

'So he's coming on the 23rd because we've done a deal. Then, the kids are off to their mum's the next day.

'It will be my first year without [the boys] so I'll have to check in with other divorced people. Perhaps I'll go down to my mum and dad's.'

He also appeared to confirm a second split of 2016, this time with model Vogue Williams, saying they continue to be 'great mates.'

He said: 'We're just really great mates. We have always just been good mates before [meeting on] Bear Grylls: Mission Survive and we continue to be really great mates.

'There's no other else really to say, but we're just great friends.'

Vogue, who split from Westlife star Brian McFadden in 2015, and Laurence were spotting holding hands in November but it's claimed their romance fizzled out.




Frances Bean Cobain is fighting to get her ex to return her late father's Kurt Cobain's priceless guitar.

The 24-year-old has been trying to get the instrument back from her estranged husband, Isaiah Silva, 31, since they split in March 2016.

Now the battle is heading for a multi-million dollar court battle, reports PageSix on Monday.

It's the guitar which her late father played in Nirvanas seminal 1993 MTV Unplugged concert.

Iconic: Late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobains daughter Frances Bean is going to court to get his most priceless guitar returned to her - pictured during taping of MTV Unplugged in 1993 - reports PageSix on Monday

Now split: Silva (R), a musician in the band the Eeries, claims Frances Bean (L) gifted him the guitar as a wedding present when they secretly married in 2014 (pictured January 2015)

Silva, a musician in the band the Eeries, claims Frances Bean gifted him the guitar as a wedding present when they secretly married in 2014.

The Martin D-18E, with the bridge flipped so that Kurt could play it left-handed, was once insured for $1 million, but experts say it is now likely worth several times that amount reports the publication.

It's believed to be the last one Kurt played before his death.

Frances Bean was not yet two-years-old when he father committed suicide in 1994, and denies she gave the guitar away as a gift.

Courtney Love has said: 'Its not [Silvas]. Its a treasured heirloom of the family. Its not his to take,' reports PageSix.

Family battle: Frances Bean Cobain (L) - Cobains daughter with Courtney Love (R) - has been trying to get the instrument back - pictured October 4 2016

Previously, they reported that Loves manager allegedly sent a string of threatening messages to Silvas ex-girlfriend in an attempt to get him to hand the historic guitar over.

However, after months of negotiation, they report that Silva is still holding out and - according to Frances Beans side - is taking 'extreme and unsupportable positions' on the disagreement.

'He is forcing the matter to litigation,' they report as having been told.

Meanwhile, sources close to the struggle say it ended in a deadlock, and Frances Bean is ready to take the matter in front of a judge.
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She split from her model boyfriend Bradley 'Frankie' Wade back in November.

But Daisy Lowe seemed to have put any romance woes behind her as she stepped out looking cosy with a handsome mystery man on Miami Beach on Saturday.

The 27-year-old model looked incredible as she walked across the beach in her leopard-print bra to spend New Year's Day with her close male pal.

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Who's that? Daisy Lowe, 27, stepped out looking cosy with a handsome mystery man on Miami Beach on Saturday

The brunette beauty looked every inch the retro pin-up in her animal print set, which featured a plunging balconette bra that teased a glimpse of her cleavage.

Showcasing her long, lean legs and toned stomach, she added a pair of high-waisted briefs, which were just visible over some silk paisley patterned shorts.

Daisy appeared to be in great spirits as she strolled along the white sands with the mystery man, later wrapping an arm around his waist as they stood by the bar.

Smiling as they chatted away happily, the good-looking duo were later joined by a male pal, who Daisy greeted with an affectionate hug.

Looking cosy: Daisy appeared to be in great spirits as she strolled along the white sands with the mystery man, later wrapping her arms around his waist as they stood by the bar

It's the whole gang: The good-looking duo were later joined by a male pal, who Daisy greeted with an affectionate hug

Body-confident: Showcasing her long, lean legs and toned stomach, she added a pair of high-waisted briefs, just visible over some silk paisley patterned shorts

Former flames: She split from model boyfriend Bradley 'Frankie' Wade - who she began dating in August - back in November

Seeming at ease in the company with her male pal, Daisy reportedly spent four hours lying on sun-loungers with him, chatting under an umbrella.

Allowing her pretty features to shine, the daughter of designer Pearl Lowe and rocker Gavin Rossdale eschewed make-up for the sun-soaked stroll.

Letting her statement swimwear do all the talking, Daisy kept accessories to a minimum, simply layering several pendant necklaces.

Old school glamour: The brunette beauty looked every inch the retro pin-up in her animal print two-piece, which featured a plunging balconette bra that teased a glimpse of her cleavage

Bum's the word: She showcased her pert behind in the eclectic multi-print shorts

Sartorial flair: Daisy's good-looking companion wore an unbuttoned striped shirt and blue swimming shorts, carrying his breezy white Converse in his hands

Daisy appeared to be in great spirits, despite being recently single following her split from boyfriend Bradley 'Frankie' Wade - who she had begun dating in August.

'Daisy and Frankie have had a discussion and decided to call it a day due to their mutually busy schedules,' a spokesperson for Daisy told MailOnline in November.

A friend of the British beauty told The Sun: 'They could not find time to spend together because he is busy with shoots as a successful fashion model.

'They had a discussion and decided they were better off as friends.'

Getting on well! Seeming at ease in the company with her male pal, Daisy reportedly spent four hours lying on sun-loungers with him, chatting under an umbrella

Looking very affectionate: The pair seemed at ease giving each other a warm embrace while leaning against a beach bar

Bottoms up! Daisy showcased every inch of her toned figure in her skimpy beach-side outfit

Three's a company! The trio looked to be having a whale of a time as they waited to order drinks at the relaxed jaunt

The time Daisy dedicated to extra dance training during the second week put a strain on their relationship, the newspaper alleged.

There is no suggestion that Slovenian pro Aljaz Skorjanec, 26, who Daisy is partnered with this year, is involved in the split.

With claims that she had fallen foul to the Strictly curse - a trend that has seen many celebrities split from their partners during or shortly after an appearance on Strictly - the star was then sadly eliminated from the competition, one week later.

Daisy found herself in a dance-off against over Olympian Greg Rutherford, 30, during week eight, but judges Darcey Bussell, Len Goodman, Craig Revel-Horwood and Bruno Tonioli voted to save the sportsman.

Taking centre-stage: Speaking after her exit, she admitted: 'I'm pretty heartbroken but I'm really proud of myself because I actually managed to survive eight weeks of it'

In high spirits: She seemed to have shaken off the disappointment from her Strictly Come Dancing exit - after her salsa to Groove Is In The Heart with Slovenian pro Aljaz Skorjanec failed to win over the public

Ready for her close-up: She swept her glossy tresses into an artfully undone ponytail and shielded her eyes behind red cat-eye shades

Fresh from her Strictly exit, Daisy spoke about her departure from the dance competition with Radio 1 Breakfast Show DJ Nick Grimshaw.

'I'm pretty heartbroken but I'm really proud of myself because I actually managed to survive eight weeks of it,' Daisy told pal Nick.

'I loved every minute of it and I'm never going to stop dancing. It created the most mental adventure of my whole entire life. '

However Daisy Lowe seemed to be looking back at 2016 favourably as she reflected on her action-packed 12 months with a sizzling selfie on Saturday.

Turning heads: The day before, she looked every inch the beach babe in a dazzling white string bikini, which she teamed with Converse hi-tops and a billowing white shirt

What a difference a day makes! The statuesque beauty swapped a simple white two-piece for the showstopping leopard-print swimwear for her latest beach trip

Showing off her ample bust, the model donned a lacy black bra that also flaunted her toned stomach teamed the garment with denim hotpants whilst she layered up with a white blouse.

Sweeping her raven coloured locks to one side, she beamed broadly as she snapped the selfie in her bathroom.

'Peace out 2016.... and here's to making 2017 our best year yet!! Thank you for all your loving support this year love you all to pieces @triumphuk' she captioned the shot.

Can you identify Daisy's mystery man? Email becky.freeth@mailonline.co.uk with information.

Natural beauty: The brunette beauty eschewed make-up for the sun-soaked outing to let her pretty features
They secretly tied the knot in her native Australia last month.

And Margot Robbie and Tom Ackerley looked loved-up as ever as they arrived back at LAX airport for the first time since the wedding.

The 26-year-old actress beamed, holding hands with the British-born assistant film director, also 26, a they made their way through the terminal.

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Lovebirds! Margot Robbie and Tom Ackerley looked besotted as they arrived back at LAX airport for the first time since secretly marrying in her native Australia

Dressed in a pretty polka-dot shirt dress, the Suicide Squad actress glowed with happiness as she gazed lovingly at her beau.

Flashing a glimpse of her tanned legs, she held on tightly to him as he led the way.

With her blonde hair tied in a high ponytail, she showed off her natural beauty under minimal make-up.

Newly-weds: The 26-year-old actress beamed, holding hands with the British-born assistant film director, also 26, a they made their way through the terminal

Grinning like a Cheshire cat! Dressed in a pretty polka-dot shirt dress, the Suicide Squad actress glowed with happiness as she gazed lovingly at her beau

Meanwhile Tom looked dapper in a casual grey hoodie and black chinos.

Wearing his hair in a man bun and sporting a rugged beard, he led his new wife proudly out of the airport.

Margot has been enjoying newly-wed bliss, after secretly tying the knot with Tom in December.

Starting the year married! Flashing a glimpse of her tanned legs, she held on tightly to him as he led the way

Fresh start! Margot has been enjoying newly-wed bliss, after secretly tying the knot with Tom in December

The first image surfaced days after their wedding, with the actress and her husband cosying up together, as they enjoyed a day at a secluded beach with friends.

The Wolf of Wall Street actress appeared to be sitting in a leopard print one piece with Tom by her side, smiling for the happy snap.

The caption to the image, posted by a friend of the couple's, congratulated Margot and Tom and also tagged them in the picture.

Married life: Margot can be seen (third right, front) with new husband Tom (second right, front) at a beach with friends in snaps which emerged days after their secret wedding

Off the market: Margot Robbie is enjoying newlywed bliss, after secretly tying the knot with Tom Ackerley in her native Australia, last month (Pictured at another wedding)

Margot was seen wearing the same straw hat and blue round reflective sunglasses she was pictured in at her hen's party, with that snap shared to Instagram just days before her intimate Byron Bay nuptials.

In another short clip posted to social media, their friends can be seen making a splash in a pool, after Margot reportedly enjoyed a pool party following the wedding.

Bunches of white flowers, which appear to be bridal bouquets, are visible in the front of the frame.

Picture of happiness: Margot was seen wearing the same straw hat and blue round reflective sunglasses she was pictured in at her hen's party (pictured), with that image shared to Instagram just days before her intimate Byron Bay nuptials

It's believed the group also celebrated Christmas in beach side town Byron Bay, with the venue being decorated to suit the festivities.

Margot confirmed she married Tom last month, sharing a cheeky shot to Instagram of her ring as the pair kiss.

She left the caption blank, but it gained more than a 1.5 million likes.

Party time: In another short clip posted to social media, their friends can be seen making a splash in a pool with bridal bouquets clearly visible in the front of the frame, after Margot reportedly enjoyed a pool party following the wedding

Downtime: It's believed the group also celebrated Christmas in Byron, with the venue being decorated to suit the festivities

According to WHO, Margot and Tom enjoyed a 'raucous' pool party the day after their wedding, at a luxury villa at Newrybar which reportedly costs a whopping $2,000 a night.

'There were bikinis all round and a raucous game of pool volleyball,' a source told the publication.

'Pool games. Snacks, nothing formal.'

Just married! Margot confirmed she married Tom last month, by sharing a cheeky shot to Instagram of her ring as the pair kiss

Celebrations: According to WHO , Margot and Tom enjoyed a 'raucous' pool party the day after their wedding, at a luxury villa at Newrybar

They added the event was low key and 'sooo (sic) loud.'

After her wedding, the Hollywood star also reportedly gave guests a TATTOO to mark the special occasion.

In an Instagram Story posted recently, the 26-year-old actress is shown tattooing the Roman numerals for 19 on her friend's forearm.

This marks the December date of her intimate wedding to director Tom.




NY Post Schumer and Trump are both authoritarian assholes and the report Sunday claiming Trump prefers Schumer to Mitch McConnell or Paul Ryan shouldnt surprise anyone. Schumer and Trump speak the same language and have a certain outer-borough sensibility in common. Ryan, from Wisconsin, and McConnell, from Kentucky, might as well be from Uranus. No doubt each is trying to figure out how to best use the other in the upcoming Beltway drama starting too unfold.





Apparently Schumer, who has a problem with self-control, told someone about a private phone conversation he had with Trump in which Trump disparaged McConnell and Ryan. Schumers interpretation was that Trump likes him more than McConnell and Ryan because, according to a source, they both wanted him to lose. They are Republicans and Trump knows they didnt support him These two fellas are both New Yorkers. Washington is like a cafeteria table. You sit where you know."





Trump and Schumer, one an unruly neer-do-well who flunked out of schools and the other a straight A goodie-two-shoes who made it to Harvard, both took on the Manhattan Establishment and won. Trump and Schumer have world views with more in common than Trump would have with backwater political hacks like McConnell, know for sneaking around in the middle of the night and blowing strange men in Louisvilles pickle park, and Ryan, who was manufactured by a bunch of wealthy, dedicated Ayn Rand devotees.





Refinery Town: Big Oil, Big Money, and the Remaking of an American City, which includes a forward by Bernie Sanders, Trump and Schumer are both skilled enough to appear to get it and turn the books thesis, if need be, into a stepping stone. Counterpunch Friday is down right celebratory about the sustained, 15-year success in the Bay Area of the Richmond Progressive Alliance (RPA) and calls the story a good antidote for the despair that now runs rampant among many American progressives. RPA, he wrote, was built by people on the left. In its politics, it departed from much of what has been the more mainstream progressivism. While none of the 4 political leaders would have any way to authentically relate to the problems discussed in Steve Earlys new book,, which includes a forward by Bernie Sanders, Trump and Schumer are both skilled enough to appear to get it and turn the books thesis, if need be, into a stepping stone. Mike Millers review atFriday is down right celebratory about the sustained, 15-year success in the Bay Area of the Richmond Progressive Alliance (RPA) and calls the story a good antidote for the despair that now runs rampant among many American progressives. RPA, he wrote, was built by people on the left. In its politics, it departed from much of what has been the more mainstream progressivism.

 It is multi-issue, not single issue.



 It raises money from individuals and organizations like unions; it isnt foundation dependent, and it accepts no funds from corporations.



 It is multi-ethnic and racial; its members are young and old, and they come from a variety of backgrounds: environmental groups, unions, interest and identity organizations, senior clubs and more; it is thus forced to deal with contradictions among the people in its internal deliberations, candidate selection and policy formulations.



 Its focus is on economic justice and environment issues, not identify politics.



 While its focus is electoral, it joins issue campaign coalitions with a variety of organizations, including the Saul Alinsky/Fred Ross-tradition Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) (heir to ACORN) and the Alinsky-tradition Contra Costa [county] Interfaith Supporting Community Organization (CCISCO), a local affiliate of the PICO National Network, unions (particularly the Steel Workers local at Chevron and public employee unions like AFSCME and SEIU, interest and constituency organizations (environment, human rights, GLBTQ), and othersthus giving it a more-than-election time relationship with organizations whose members include the voters it wants to reach.

As well, Early describes the transformation of what was a Chevron company town to one that now talks back to its patron, and forces it to become more accountableparticularly on local tax, pollution/health and safety issues that in past uncontested Chevron formulations denied resources to the city and threatened the well-being of both residents and workers.



Because he is a member of RPA, Early is also able to give an insiders view of an important change in the composition of the organizations leadershipfrom older to mixed young-and-old, from Anglo to multi-ethnic and racial, and from left politicos to a more eclectic body whose roots are in a variety of experiences and left-of-center points of view.



The politics of RPAs growing influence and displacement of the citys old guard is another of Earlys themes. An older African-American community leadership made its accommodation with Chevron, and was the beneficiary of its plantation economy paternalism: money for community-based nonprofits, and for black politicians who had the view, epitomized by veteran council member Nat Bates, that Richmond should be thankful for Chevrons presence and not challenge any of its prerogatives.



Early deals with the broad range of issues that are part of RPAs agenda, including environment, taxation and public services, immigration, public health (a defeated soda tax campaign), the loss of a nearby public hospital, poverty and more, and, of course, the arrogance and power of Chevron. In this review, I want to focus on affordable housing and police, and RPAs internal governance discussion, and comment on some strategic questions that, from my perspective, are unfortunately not part of the book.



That Chevron arrogance and power, by the way, had an interesting positive to it: RPA could make the environment a mass-based issue because Chevron was shitting on everybody, without regard to race, ethnicity, class, age or gender.



Early takes us on an important digressiona look at the limits of urban reform in a hostile state government environment. Specially, he looks at the battles between New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo, the former a progressive Democrat, the latter a corporate Democrat. He notes, Amid continuing academic and journalistic celebration of municipal innovation and mayoral leadership, the Cuomo-de Blasio rift provides a good reality check on the constraints faced by elected leaders in cities large and small. Hes right. For Richmond, the situation is even worse because it doesnt even control its schools (theyre part of a larger school district) or its public health delivery system. And the problem in the Trump era will expand exponentially!



The books epilogue vividly portrays the financial squeeze Richmond faces, and the dilemmas faced by reformers who want to preserve and extend public services, pay adequate wages and benefits to their employees, and implement progressive taxes. Whether RPA can wend its way through these contradictions remains to be seen. In the meantime, Early properly warns, [A]s RPAs experience in Richmond demonstrates, even successful electoral work conducted at the local level over many years does not by itself build year-round, multi-issue political organization. That takes an unconventional approach to politics, before, during, and after any election.



Indeed!

Lets consider that RPA could and should be the model for local electoral mobilizing against Big Carbon and thus climate disruption. And if youre not familiar with the Bay Area, remember that Richmond is nearly the last chance to preserve any substantial amount of affordable housing (and low income electorate) in the Bay Area. They have much undeveloped land that would become even more desirable if Chevron refinery emissions were further reduced. RPA's recently achieved 5/7 super-majority on the city council enables them to vote through more cool things, such as using eminent domain to acquire securities on underwater home loans, a project from a few years ago that might be less logical in view of surging property values -- unless that surge is stopped by voters' recent passage of rent control.








There was an impressive audience of 8.1 million tuning for the Series 4 return of Sherlock, on Sunday - this year's best figures for a New Year's Day show.

So the programme was never going to be far from critique, in particular one especially hard-to-spot blunder in a scene featuring Dr Watson.

BBC One viewers were quick to point out that the Sherlock character's blog writing scene was not all it seemed, as his web page seemed to have been simulated.

Scroll down for video

That Sher-looks suspicious: One scene in the opening episode of Sherlock Series 4 sparked conversation for all the wrong reasons on Sunday night, as Dr Watson wrote a blog post

Eagle-eyed fans spotted a curious tab in the top left of Watson's screen that said 'JOHN BLOG PAGE.jpg,' which would suggest actor Martin Freeman was not in fact looking at a live blog.

To bolster the claims, a drop down below it read: 'View all photos,' hinting that the 'personal blog of Dr. John H. Watson' was actually an image, rather than a web page.

Using Twitter to share the observation, one viewer correctly pointed out: 'I'm crying, they have him typing nothing on an image file that's named 'John Blog page.jpg'

Blunder: Viewers spotted that Dr Watson was in fact typing on a JPEG image, and not a live blog

Spotted: Fans took to Twitter to rightly point out the top corner giveaway, which labelled the static image: 'JOHN BLOG PAGE.jpg'

In the scene, Sherlock's companion was writing to tell his readers that he was due to become a dad.

With his hit count showing 18,493, Watson began his post with an apology, explaining that he hadn't updated the blog for some time because things had been 'very busy'.

He wasn't even alone when it came to penning his update, because wife Mary (Amanda Abbington) was in the room, along with Sherlock Holmes (Bendict Cumberbatch).

The drama returns: Despite the blunder, the show was a success as actors (from left) Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman and Amanda Abbington returned as Sherlock, Dr Watson and Mary Watson to an audience of 8.1million

The long-awaited episode saw Mary and John welcome their first child, a daughter named Rosamund.

And despite the happy turn of events, there was devastation in store for the couple, who were at the heart of the plot twist.

The 90-minute show, called The Six Thatchers, was the first of three episodes but concluded with the shock death of John's wife.

Heartbreak: The plot twist shocked viewers as Amanda's character Mary was written off in a dramatic death scene

Horrifying: Mary took a bullet intended for Sherlock

In a scene that moved some viewers to tears, Mary was fatally shot as she jumped in front of a bullet aimed at Sherlock.

As she died, she told her husband that he had been her 'whole world' and begged him to look after their new-born baby.

Besides the on-screen drama, viewers no doubt tuned in to catch the first interactions between actors Amanda and Martin since they announced the demise of their 16-year off-screen romance.

Added interest: It was also to be the first time that actors Martin and Amanda returned to screens - to play new parents, no less - since announcing that they had ended their 16-year off-screen relationship

Two weeks ago, The Office star Martin subtly announced that the couple, who share two children, had parted ways quietly in 2016.

Whether it was down to the storyline, fan loyalty or the added interest in the actors, Sherlock's opening episode commanded one third of the viewing audience on New Year's Day.

With figures of 8.1million, the show came second only to the New Years Eve countdown coverage, at 11.6million, across the whole of the festive period.

Following the shocking episode last night, fans were also left frustrated off-screen when they discovered Dr Watson was no longer updating his 'blog'.

No more to come: After the show aired, some were frustrated to discover that the website would no longer be updated by the BBC, off-screen

Heartbroken: Twitter users were disappointed that the content would no longer continue

The website, www.johnwatsonblog.co.uk, which is thought to have been set up and updated over the years by the BBC, now features a note saying it is no longer going to feature new posts.

The message reads: 'John Watson is no longer updating this blog. For the latest Sherlock content on the BBC go to the Sherlock programme website.'

One fan said she was 'heartbroken' at the revelation.

She wrote on Twitter: 'Heartbroken to find John Watson is no longer updating his blog. I used to love the content on there.'

Other fans took a swipe at Watson welcoming his first child with Mary, with one fan writing: 'Well since John Watson got a baby he has no time to update his blog now.'

Rachel Jane Harris said: 'Wait, what? #Sherlock save John Watson's blog...'

It is not known why the blog is no longer going to be updated.
Less than a fortnight ago reports emerged that Fifi Box and her Neighbours co-star Damien Richardson were 'dating' after the actor split from his wife, Nicole.

Now it appears that the relationship between the two performers has progressed.

On Wednesday, New Idea published recent photos of Damien leaving the radio host's Melbourne home in the early hours of the morning.

Dating? On Wednesday, New Idea published recent photos of Damien Richardson leaving the home of his Neighbour's co-star Fifi Box in the early hours of the morning

The soap star had reportedly stayed overnight at Fifi's place before 'nervously' departing through a gate and driving away in a Mercedes convertible.

In recent weeks, a rep for Damien confirmed he, 'has been separated for some time' from his wife Nicole, but the rep did not confirm Damien was dating Fifi.

Fifi, 39, and Damien, 47, were seen 'kissing as they enjoyed a date' at a Melbourne cafe earlier this month, sources told Woman's Day.

They had also been 'enjoying clandestine meet-ups at Grace Park in Hawthorn and Studley Park Boathouse in Abbotsford' according to the publication.

Hook ups? Fifi, 39, and Damien, 47, were seen 'kissing as they enjoyed a date' at a Melbourne cafe earlier this month, sources told Woman's Day

Acting gig: The bubbly blonde met the well-known soap actor on the set of Neighbours in July when she was cast as his love interest, Brooke Butler

Damien, who plays Gary Canning on the iconic soap, has three children, Maisie, Bertie and Lottie, with his estranged wife Nicole.

Fifi has one daughter, three year old Beatrix 'Trixie' Belle Box, fathered by Aussie sporting legend Grant Kenny, 53.

Grant is said to be 'devastated' that Fifi moved on, sources tell New Idea, as the pair had recently been spending time together and trying to 'make a go of things'.

'Their daughter Trixie is three now, and he wants to have a close relationship with her,' a source told the magazine.

Hurt? Grant Kenny, father of Fifi's daughter Trixie, is said to be 'devastated' that Fifi moved on, sources tell New Idea, as the pair had recently been trying to 'make a go of things'

Split? In recent weeks, a rep for Damien confirmed he, 'has been separated for some time' from his wife Nicole, but the rep did not confirm Damien was dating Fifi

'He was even hoping they'd go away as a family after Christmas. But these pics are a real kick in the gut for Grant. He can't believe Fifi has moved on,' the source added.

The bubbly blonde met the well-known soap actor on the set of Neighbours in July when she was cast as his love interest, Brooke Butler.

Fifi grew close to the Neighbours cast, spending time with co-stars Colette Mann, Lily Van Der Meer and Damien at an dinner party several weeks ago.

Colette posted an image of the intimate gathering to her Instagram account and Fifi commented on the image,'I loved this night!'
The Halcyon, ITV

Rating:

Here we are again. Urbane spies and their glamorous molls are jiving on the dancefloor of a swish London hotel, defying the Blitz, as a big band shakes the chandeliers and a sultry chanteuse croons into the microphone.

The Halcyon is Forties intrigue and romance  a love story in the tradition of Casablanca, a wartime adventure in the style of Dame Barbara Cartland.

But if you tuned in and assumed you were watching another festive repeat, thats understandable.

The Halcyon is Forties intrigue and romance  a love story in the tradition of Casablanca, a wartime adventure in the style of Dame Barbara Cartland

For the first few minutes, The Halcyon looked very like a rerun of last months nonsensical Close To The Enemy on BBC2, by playwright Stephen Poliakoff.

The glamorous five-star setting and secret meetings in locked conference rooms were all very familiar. Both shows even star Charity Wakefield as a good-time girl with a taste for rich men and her knickers in her pocket.

But thats where the similarities end. The Halcyon is straightforward fun. Theres no feverish atmosphere or endless, nightmarish corridors.

It isnt interested in playing mind games with the viewer. Instead, we are treated to an upstairs-downstairs tale of the toffs who own the hotel and the staff who run it, while mysterious strangers eavesdrop on conversations and the band swings.

Hermione Corfield is hotel receptionist Emma, a wicked flirt who is longing for a squeeze with her childhood friend, Lord Freddie (Jamie Blackley), the owners son. Naughty Emma is also making eyes madly at an American correspondent, and getting away with it all because her father is the hotel manager.

The chief villain of the first episode is the Halcyon owner, Lord Hamilton (pictured), who treats his wife like a discarded chambermaid

Alex Jennings played Hamilton just as he did the Duke of Windsor in The Crown on Netflix

Nothing could harm him: he survived family rows, afternoon assignations, political machinations and the shock of discovering showgirl Betsey, played by Kara Tointon, in his bathtub, naked

Shes so confident that she dares stroll up to Freddie and his father in the bar and tells them cheekily to pipe down, because other guests are complaining about the noise.

If it wasnt for who Daddy is, Emma would be lucky to be waitressing at Lyons Corner House. But we forgive her, because when bad Miss Charity (whose character is called Charity too) starts singing the praises of Adolf Hitler and sneering at grimy Jews, Emma empties a bottle of gin into her lap.

Its blissfully corny stuff, but director Stephen Woolfenden makes sure it isnt too predictable.

The chief villain of the first episode is the owner, Lord Hamilton, who cant keep his paws off Charity and treats his wife like a discarded chambermaid. All the staff are gossiping about what goes on during His Lordships siestas.

But they dont know that the pervy peer is plotting to install his chum Viscount Halifax, the foreign secretary, as prime minister instead of Winston Churchill, and strike a deal with Germany.

Alex Jennings played Hamilton just as he did the Duke of Windsor in The Crown on Netflix.

All the Halcyon staff are gossiping about what goes on during His Lordships siestas

And why not  theyre both aristocratic Nazi sympathisers with a fatal weakness for a certain sort of woman. He seemed set to act the cad for the whole eight weeks.

Nothing could harm him: he survived family rows, afternoon assignations, political machinations and the shock of discovering showgirl Betsey (Kara Tointon) in his bathtub, naked but for some suds.

And then he dropped dead from a heart attack while putting on his cufflinks. Its a dangerous business, dressing for dinner.

Now Freddie owns the hotel, though hell have to contend with his embittered mother (Olivia Williams) and his twin brother Toby (Edward Bluemel), a wastrel who cant get over the disaster of being born the younger by four minutes. Its all set up to be soapier than Betseys bathtime.

Theres a strong streak of Downton Abbey, in the scenes where the porters gather for illicit poker games and the waiters swap gossip with the chefs.

Theres a strong streak of Downton Abbey, in the scenes where the porters gather for illicit poker games and the waiters swap gossip with the chefs. Pictured: Kara Tointon as showgirl Betsey in Halcyon, left, and right Lily James as Lady Rose in Downton

Halcyon is a glimpse of what Downton might have been like, if Carson the butler (pictured) had an evil streak and Daisy the kitchenmaid had a mind to smuggle an aristo into her bed

The cast below stairs is strong too, including two veteran comic actors, Mark Benton as a queenly footman and Kevin Eldon as a cook. New face Ewan Mitchell gets a smashing role as Billy, the porters boy who is too thick to play cards and cant even take His Lordships wolfhound to the park without losing it.

Instead of a butler, we have the enigmatic manager Mr Garland (Steven Mackintosh), who sees everything and forgets nothing. Most of his time was taken up in exchanging wordless but meaningful looks with staff members, and quietly telling his employers what they could and couldnt do.

They might own the place, but he runs it. When the American journalist broadcast details of the politicking that went on behind the Halcyons oak-and-brass doors, it was Mr Garland who hushed it up, by summoning a newspaper editor and blackmailing him till he grovelled.

The Halcyon (hotel pictured left) is an upstairs-downstairs tale of the toffs who own the hotel and the staff who run it

The Halcyon is straightforward fun. Theres no feverish atmosphere or endless, nightmarish corridors

The hotel manager had so much dirt on his victim, it wasnt enough for the poor man to promise to rewrite his front page  he was forced to say, I like you, Mr Garland.

Here was a glimpse of what Downton might have been like, if Carson the butler had an evil streak and Daisy the kitchenmaid had a mind to smuggle an aristo into her bed.
Jennifer Lawrence and Darren Aronofsky looked like a picture-perfect couple as they were spotted out for a stroll together in Central Park on New Year's Eve.

The pair took to the streets of New York with the 26-year-old's beloved Chihuahua, Pippi.

They both bundled up in heavy coats, scarves, hats and sunglasses to shield them from the cold east coast weather.

Picture Perfect: Jennifer Lawrence, 26, and Darren Aronofsky, 47, looked happy as they were spotted out for a stroll together in Central Park in New York City on New Year's Eve

Spending another year together? The two are rarely seen together, but decided to venture out as they finished off 2016 as a couple

The two are rarely seen together, but decided to venture out as they finished off 2016 as a couple.

And perhaps they shared a kiss later that night?

The Passengers star lamented to Seth Meyers during his New Year's special that she had never shared a smooch with anyone special on midnight.

'I hate it. I hate New Year's,' she said. 'I feel like everybody is chasing a good time.'

Did she finally get a NYE kiss? The actress recently revealed she has never shared a kiss with anyone on New Year's Eve

'I don't think I've ever had a kiss on New Years. I don't think I've ever had a fun time,' she said, before concurring with the audience 'awwwws': 'Yeah poor me'.

It didn't look like Jennifer had much to complain about on New Year's Eve when she was spotted out wearing a long black coat with a large fur collar.

She paired the warn coat with a black scarf and black leather gloves and protected her head from the cold with a grey hat covering most of her light blonde hair.

Bundled up: They both wore heavy coats, scarves, hats and sunglasses to shield them from the cold east coast weather

The Joy actress finished off her look with loose black pants and boots tied up tightly around her ankles.

She protected her beloved dog from the brisk air by placing her inside her coat to ensure she stayed warm.

Her 47-year-old director beau also opted to keep warm with a puffy black jacket zipped up tight to his neck and a navy blue cap pulled down low around his forehead.

Secret romance? They have never outwardly confirmed their relationship, but Jennifer recently gushed about her man in the Vanity Fair holiday issue

He protected his eyes from the glaring sun with a pair of dark sunglasses and appeared to be sucking on a lollipop for a large part of the excursion.

The Black Swan director completed his look with jeans and brown boots.

Jennifer appeared to keep a close eye on her beloved dog as she was seen scooping her up and putting her down on a number of occasions.

Man's best friend: Jennifer appeared to keep a close eye on her beloved dog as she was seen scooping her up and putting her down on a number of occasions

The Passengers actress and The Wrestler director have been linked since August and were seen together for the first time in early November.

They have never outwardly confirmed their relationship, but Jennifer recently gushed about her man in the Vanity Fair holiday issue.

'He's a visionary,' the 26-year-old shared, of the Oscar nominee.

Big fan: Jennifer had long admired the director, sharing that she has wanted to work with him since seeing his 2010 film Black Swan.

Jennifer had long been a fan of the director, sharing that she has wanted to work with him since seeing his 2010 film Black Swan.

She shared that when Darren pitched her the role, despite not having a script yet, she immediately accepted.

She and Darren are said to have gotten close while filming the upcoming home-invasion horror movie this past summer in Montreal.
Gambia authorities shut Teranga FM radio station

Popular independent Gambian radio station Teranga FM was Sunday ordered to cease operations by national security agents for unspecified reasons, a security source and staff member said.

The station, which translates news from Gambian papers into local languages, has previously been silenced and in 2015 its manager was slapped with sedition and "publication of false news" charges for privately sharing a provocative photo of President Yahya Jammeh.

"Four National Intelligence Agency operatives and one police officer in uniform came to the radio station this afternoon (Sunday) around 2:30 pm and told us to stop broadcasting," a staff member told AFP on condition of anonymity.

In 2015 the manager of Gambian independent radio station Teranga FM was slapped with sedition and "publication of false news" charges for privately sharing a provocative photo of President Yahya Jammeh, seen in 2013 ALAIN JOCARD (AFP/File)

"They said they have been ordered by the director general of NIA, Yankuba Badjie, to tell us to stop broadcasting with immediate effect. We asked them the reason for their action, but they said they are only acting on executive orders and do not know the reason why the radio should stop broadcasting," he added.

A security source said no one had been arrested but could not say why the radio station was ordered off the air.

"We only asked them to stop broadcasting and they cooperated with us. They have stopped broadcasting since in the afternoon," the source told AFP.

The radio station was not broadcasting Sunday evening, according to an AFP correspondent.

Station manager Alagie Ceesay was arrested by the country's secret police in July 2015 on charges of sedition and "publication of false news" relating to allegations that he distributed images by mobile phone of a gun pointed at a picture of Jammeh.

Ceesay escaped from hospital where he was being treated in mid-April last year while on trial for sedition.

Jammeh, who has ruled the small west African country with an iron fist since taking power in a bloodless coup in 1994, lost December's presidential election but has rejected the results and filed a court challenge.

He is regularly accused of rights abuses and repression of the media.
Netanyahu to be questioned in graft probe: reports

Israeli police were expected to question Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday over whether he illegally accepted gifts from wealthy supporters, media reports said, in a probe shaking the country's political scene.

The long-running inquiry has looked into whether Israeli and foreign businessmen have offered gifts worth tens of thousands of dollars as well as another unspecified issue, according to the reports.

Attorney general Avichai Mandelblit has reportedly decided to upgrade the inquiry to a criminal probe, though he has yet to confirm this.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on January 1, 2017 GALI TIBBON (AFP)

Police and Netanyahu's office declined to comment on Monday.

Public radio said Netanyahu has agreed to be questioned at his residence. It was not clear when it would occur, though some reports said it would not be until 7:00 pm (1700 GMT).

Screens were mounted at the entrance to the compound in central Jerusalem in an apparent bid to shield the investigators' arrival.

In a Facebook post at the weekend, Netanyahu rejected all allegations against him and said his political opponents and some news outlets wanted to bring down his government.

Police have carried out the inquiry in secret over the course of some eight months and recently arrived at an important breakthrough, reports said. Some 50 witnesses are said to have been questioned.

In July, Mandelblit said he had ordered a preliminary examination into an unspecified affair involving Netanyahu, with no details given.

US billionaire and World Jewish Congress president Ronald Lauder has been among those questioned in the probe over gifts he allegedly gave Netanyahu and alleged spending on trips for him, Israeli media reported.

Lauder, whose family founded the Estee Lauder cosmetics giant, has long been seen as an ally of Netanyahu, who in the late 1990s put him in charge of negotiating with then Syrian president Hafez al-Assad.

- 'Campaign of provocation' -

Netanyahu has acknowledged receiving money from French tycoon Arnaud Mimran, who was sentenced to eight years in prison over a scam amounting to 283 million euros involving the trade of carbon emissions permits and the taxes on them.

Netanyahu's office said he had received $40,000 in contributions from Mimran in 2001, when he was not in office, as part of a fund for public activities, including appearances abroad to promote Israel.

He has also come under scrutiny over an alleged conflict of interest in the purchase of submarines from a German firm.

Media reports have alleged a conflict of interest over the role played by the Netanyahu family lawyer, David Shimron, who also acts for the Israeli agent of Germany's ThyssenKrupp, which builds the Dolphin submarines.

Beyond those issues, Israel's state comptroller released a critical report in May about Netanyahu's foreign trips, some with his wife and children, between 2003 and 2005 when he was finance minister.

Netanyahu, 67, is in his fourth term as prime minister and currently heads what is seen as the most right-wing government in Israeli history.

He has served as premier for a total of nearly 11 years, fast approaching revered founding father David Ben-Gurion's 13 years.

Polls have shown that if elections were held today, his Likud party would finish behind the centrist Yesh Atid, but that voters still prefer Netanyahu as prime minister.

The inquiry has led to fierce debate in Israeli politics, with Netanyahu's allies accusing opposition politicians and some in the news media of unfairly pressuring the attorney general.

Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi, in comments on army radio on Monday, denounced what he called a "campaign of provocation and incitement" against Mandelblit.

Others have however accused Mandelblit of moving too slowly.

Netanyahu's predecessor as prime minister, Ehud Olmert, was forced to resign while dogged by corruption allegations.
Tourists burned by Thai full moon party pyrotechnics

Tourists attending a full moon party in southern Thailand on New Year's Eve said they were left with burns when a pyrotechnic display showered revellers with red-hot embers.

Footage of the incident on the popular backpacker island of Koh Phangan was posted online, showing how cheers turned to screams of panic as a giant sign reading "Happy New Year 2017" was set alight at midnight.

Sparks could be seen raining down on the crowd, aided by an onshore breeze.

Partygoers duck under a fiery limbo stick during a Full Moon Party on the southern island of Ko Phangan on December 14, 2016 Lillian Suwanrumpha (AFP/File)

Eyewitnesses described mass panic as people scrambled to get out of the way of the display.

"It was just like a shower of burning sparks," Lucy Coyle, a 20-year-old British tourist attending the party with her boyfriend, told AFP.

"It felt like people were stabbing you with pins all over your body... everyone was trying to get out."

Coyle later posted pictures on Twitter of what she said were dozens of burns across her body.

Freddie Jacobs, another British tourist, said thousands were crammed onto the beach at the stroke of midnight, many under a sign they had no idea was about to be set alight.

"My girlfriend fell to the floor, she was getting so many burns I had to cover her like a blanket," the 23-year-old said, adding he and his partner were covered in burns the next day.

Backpackers flock to Koh Phangan for its famously raucous full moon parties. But its laid-back charm belies an equally relaxed attitude to safety.

Police confirmed the incident but played down tourist reports of injuries and mass panic.
Duterte seeks 'strategic shift' from US to China: envoy

The Philippines is tilting away from its traditional ally the United States towards China in a bid to "normalise" relations following a longstanding territorial dispute, the country's incoming ambassador to Beijing said Monday.

Manila has been one of Washington's most loyal allies in Asia, but Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to end the decades-long alliance after the US criticised his bloody war on drugs that has killed over 5,000 people since he took office in June.

His fiery rhetoric against the US has been followed by overtures to China as he has sought to assuage Beijing's concerns over Manila's competing claims to the South China Sea.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivers a speech in Singapore on December 15, 2016 Wallace Woon (POOL/AFP)

The new Philippine ambassador to China, Jose "Chito" Sta. Romana, told AFP the move represented "a strategic shift in our foreign policy".

"We were one-sidedly imbalanced in favour of the US," he said.

"We are not abandoning our alliance with the US.... We are basically trying to normalise our relations with China."

Beijing claims most of the South China Sea despite competing claims from the Philippines and other Asian countries, but a UN-backed tribunal ruled in July that China's claims had no legal basis in a resounding victory for Manila.

Duterte's decision to set aside the territorial conflict in exchange for Chinese investment and aid has given Beijing a boost in its quest for more control over the strategically vital waters.

The incoming envoy, a former Beijing-based journalist, said Manila was open to working with China to access resources in the disputed region.

"The Chinese viewed the Philippines as a geopolitical pawn or Trojan horse of the US. Now they look at us as a friendly neighbour."

He added that relations with the US plunged after Washington criticised Duterte's crackdown on crime.

"The problem came after they began lecturing him. The president considers it an internal affair," he said.
Foreigners majority of victims in Istanbul attack

Foreigners, including many nationals of Arab countries, made up the majority of the victims in the New Year shooting rampage at an Istanbul nightclub, officials said.

A total of 39 people were killed in the assault claimed by the Islamic State group at the exclusive Reina club on the shores of the Bosphorus and 65 injured, officials said.

According to Turkish press reports, 11 Turks were killed in the attack alongside 27 foreigners. One victim is still unidentified.

YASIN AKGUL (AFP)

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 while Turkish press reports said seven Saudis were killed.

- Jordan -

A foreign ministry spokeswoman in Amman said two Jordanians were killed and six injured.

The spokeswoman had on Sunday reported a toll of three dead and four injured, but revised the figures after Turkish authorities said one of the three was a Canadian resident in Jordan.

- Iraq -

A spokesman for Iraq's foreign ministry said three Iraqis died.

- Lebanon -

The Lebanese foreign ministry announced the death of three Lebanese and said another four were wounded. Turkish media said Lebanon has sent a special delegation to repatriate its dead and wounded.

- 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 -

The foreign ministry said that two Moroccans were killed and four hospitalised.

- Germany -

At least one German -- a man who has dual German-Turkish nationality - was killed in the attack, the foreign ministry said. A Turkish resident of Germany was also killed, but it was unclear whether he also held German citizenship.

Local authorities in Bavaria had said earlier that two residents  a 28-year-old and another in his mid-20s -- were killed.

- Israel -

The Israeli foreign ministry said an Arab Israeli woman, 18-year-old Lian Nasser, had died.

- Canada -

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said a Canadian woman was among the dead. He said Canada remains "steadfast in our determination to work with allies and partners to fight terrorism and hold perpetrators to account".

- Russia -

Sergei Romanov, vice-consul at the Russian consulate in Istanbul, said a Russian woman was among the dead.

- Kuwait -

A Kuwaiti man was killed and five others injured, according to deputy foreign minister Khaled al-Jarallah, quoted by the official KUNA news agency.

- 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, according to the north African country's foreign ministry.
Bombing, air strikes kill 25 in Yemen

Eleven civilians, including five members of one family, and 14 Huthi rebels have been killed in shelling and air strikes in Yemen in two days, military and rebel sources said Monday.

An air strike by the pro-government Saudi-led coalition killed five Shiite rebels on Monday when it targeted a convoy of three vehicles in Marees, in the southern province of Daleh, a military official said.

One of the vehicles was transporting weapons, the official said, adding three other rebels were wounded in the strike.

The Yemen conflict has killed more than 7,000 people since the coalition intervened, according to the United Nations Saleh al-Obeidi (AFP/File)

Six other insurgents were killed in a similar raid on two vehicles in Al-Makhdara, in the central province of Marib, another military official said.

Shelling by government forces killed three more rebels in the same area of Marib, east of the rebel-held capital Sanaa.

The Arab coalition started an air campaign against the Iran-backed rebels in March 2015 after the insurgents closed in on President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in his refuge in the southern city of Aden.

Rebel media accused the coalition of conducting air strikes on Monday across several regions in Yemen, killing two civilians in the western province of Hodeida.

A military official told AFP an air strike on Sunday hit a house in Marib, killing five members of the same family.

It took place in the village of Wadi Habab, in the Sarwah region, a major front in the war between the rebels and forces loyal to Hadi, the insurgents' news website sabanews.net said.

Meanwhile, four civilians, including three children, were killed on Sunday in rebel bombing that targeted residential areas in the southwestern city of Taez, a local official and medical sources said.
DALLAS (AP)  Hundreds of communities around the world both big and small  are working to make sure people can live there from birth to old age.

Take John Holliday, a 71-year-old rural Maine resident who walks for his health. He uses a paved pathway in Bethel, population 2,600, in the summer. But the winter's cold and ice is a challenge for Holliday, who uses forearm crutches, so he does laps at a private school gym, recently made available for seniors.

Bethel is one of the more than 130 towns, cities and counties across the U.S. that have joined the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities since the program was launched almost five years ago. To join, communities must commit to planning ways to enrich life for their older residents, who are a growing population in the U.S.; the number of people 65 and older is expected to nearly double by 2050.

"We think there are a lot of opportunities to focus on the needs of older adults and in the process make the community better for everyone," said Jana Lynott of the AARP Public Policy Institute.

Such changes often include better infrastructure, such as more accessible sidewalks or transportation options for seniors who don't drive anymore, as well as things to keep seniors socially active, like technology classes.

A walkability study led to additional sidewalks and ramps in a neighborhood near downtown Fort Worth, which in turn brought out all kinds of people milling about and going to parks  including mothers with strollers and people in motorized wheelchairs.

"I talk to the neighbors more," said Eva Bonilla, 67, who was inspired to become an AARP volunteer after helping with the study.

In addition to being part of the AARP network, Washington, D.C., has dozens of neighborhoods that are part of the 360-village-plus Village to Village Network, which helps people form support systems to age in place. Those range from neighbors helping each other by running errands or pet-sitting to organizing activities like book clubs and museum visits.

Even people who aren't yet retirement age are thinking ahead and considering such concepts, said the network's executive director, Natalie Galucia.

"I think we're seeing that culture shift a little bit," she said.

The city's programs include one that gives grants to make improvements that will allow people to stay in their homes as they grow older, the city's AARP age-friendly coordinator Gail Kohn said.

In the Macon-Bibb County, Georgia, a community of about 155,000, the revitalization of a park  including restoring a fountain, installing better lighting and benches and putting in traffic roundabouts to slow down drivers  helped make it a place all ages would feel comfortable spending time, said Myrtle S. Habersham, AARP's lead area volunteer.

Joining AARP's network means with automatic membership in the World Health Organization's Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities, which has about 350 cities and communities. WHO network leader Alana Officer said projects have included building community sheds where retired men can socialize and do activities like woodworking or repairing cars.

"It's been an important mechanism for tackling social isolation and loneliness by creating activities of interest to, in this case, men," Officer said.

Bethel's age-friendly movement launched after several townspeople read the book "Being Mortal," which discusses the role of medicine in relation to the quality of life for older people, said Al Cressy, a resident who's heading up the town's project.

"That prompted us to think: 'Gee, there's a message here,'" he said.

In addition to the indoor walking program, they created a volunteer-staffed driving service for older people because the area is too small for taxis or public transportation. Caroline Gould, 79, has been using the "wonderful" service to get to doctor's appointments, and recommends it to fellow residents.

"There's no worrying about anything and my family can stay at their work," she said.
History of deadly attacks in Iraq

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a series of deadly attacks in Iraq since mid-October including three since New Year's Eve.

The latest on Monday saw at least 32 people killed in a suicide car bombing that targeted a Shiite neighbourhood of the capital Baghdad.

At least 27 people were also killed by twin explosions in a busy market area in central Baghdad on New Year's Eve, while another seven died on Sunday in an attack south of the Shiite shrine city of Najaf.

At least 32 people were killed in a suicide car bombing that targeted a Shiite neighbourhood of the capital Baghdad on January 2, 2017 Sabah Arar (AFP)

They were the latest in a spate of attacks since the army launched an offensive in mid-October to recapture Mosul, the country's second city and last remaining IS stronghold in Iraq. One on November 25 saw 70 people, mostly Shiite pilgrims, killed south of Baghdad.

The wave of violence has shocked many, but the attacks are still far from the deadliest since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003:

- July 3, 2016: 323 people are killed when a suicide truck bomber attacks a shopping area in the Baghdad district of Karrada.

- October 25, 2009: 153 people are killed and more than 500 wounded when two car bombs explode in Baghdad.

- August 14, 2007: More than 400 people are slaughtered when four suicide truck bombs target members of the ancient Yazidi religious sect in two Kurdish villages in northern Iraq.

- July 7, 2007: At least 140 people are killed in a suicide truck bombing in Amerli village in northern Iraq.

- April 18, 2007: A wave of car bomb attacks on Shiite districts of Baghdad leaves 190 dead.

- March 27, 2007: An anti-Shiite attack in the northern town of Tal Afar kills 152.

- February 3, 2007: A suicide truck bomb attack in a Baghdad market kills at least 130.

- November 23, 2006: At least 202 die in a string of car bombings in Baghdad's Sadr City.

- September 14, 2005: At least 128 people are killed in a series of suicide bombings in Shiite districts of Baghdad.
Fresh 'rebel' attacks in east DR Congo leave six dead: official

At least six people were hacked to death in troubled northeastern DR Congo in two attacks last week blamed on Ugandan rebels, a regional official told AFP on Monday.

The government and the UN mission in the central African country MONUSCO have accused the shadowy rebel group Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), dominated by hardline Ugandan Muslims, of carrying out a two-year bloodbath in the region.

"There have been attacks blamed on suspected ADF members near the border with Nord Kivu (province), which left at least six people dead in Irumu territory," the vice governor of Ituri province, Pacifique Keta, said.

The government and the UN mission have accused the shadowy rebel group Allied Democratic Forces, dominated by hardline Ugandan Muslims Alain Wandimoyi (AFP/File)

Keta added that the death toll was provisional and security had been beefed up.

Separately, Gill Gotabo, a civil society leader in Ituri, reported that 14 people were killed in the attacks, which took place in the villages of Saboko and Bialee.

Irumu territory in Ituri province is near Beni in neighbouring Nord Kivu province -- the main target of attacks where the ADF are alleged to have massacred around 700 people, many of them hacked to death.

The ADF has not claimed any of the Beni massacres. Experts on DR Congo have not found any link between the group and the global jihadist underground.

Others have alleged that government agents have had a role in the killing -- claims Kinshasa rejects.

A report by experts in March said members of the Congolese army, former rebels from the RCD-K/ML group -- who held the area during the 1998-2003 Second Congo War -- and local militias were all involved in the mass killings.
Sudan gunmen kill 8 people in Darfur

Gunmen in military uniforms have killed eight people in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region, residents and an NGO said Monday, as rebels accused the army of being behind the attack.

The shooting happened on Sunday in Nertiti in the Jabal Marra area, where sporadic clashes between the army and rebels have continued despite a government-announced unilateral ceasefire.

Ashafih al-Saleh, who heads an association that supports displaced people in Darfur, said: "Eight people, mostly women, were killed inside their homes."

A man walks with his sheep near North Darfur's state capital el-Fasher on September 6, 2016 ASHRAF SHAZLY (AFP/File)

He accused the army of carrying out the attack "to avenge the death of a soldier whose body was found" in Nertiti.

Resident Faisal Ashaq said his 13-year-old daughter was killed in the attack.

"Gunmen in military uniforms appeared suddenly in their four-wheel-drives, shooting with guns and machine guns screwed on to their vehicles," he said.

A medical source said around 60 people were wounded.

The Sudan Liberation Army - Minni Minnawi rebel group accused pro-government forces of conducting the attack.

A statement said "the attack contradicts" President Omar al-Bashir's decision on December 31 to extend by a month a unilateral ceasefire in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan regions.

"Bashir's decision is aimed at covering up the crimes committed by his militias, under his instructions," it added.

The conflict in Darfur -- a region of the size of France -- erupted in 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against Bashir's Arab-dominated government, accusing it of marginalising the region.

At least 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced in Darfur since the conflict first erupted in 2003, the UN says.

Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court on war crimes and genocide charges related to Darfur, which he denies.
India's top court has banned politicians from using religion and caste to win votes, weeks ahead of crucial state polls where such affiliations dominate campaigns.

The Supreme Court panel ordered that voting must remain a secular activity and that candidates using religion or caste on the campaign trail would be barred from contesting polls.

The country is officially secular but politicians, including from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have been accused of exploiting religion and caste to garner votes.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist BJP have been accused of exploiting religion and caste to garner votes

'An appeal in the name of religion, race, caste, community or language is impermissible under Representation of the People Act and would constitute a corrupt practice,' a seven-judge bench said.

'Religion has no role in electoral process which is a secular activity. Mixing state with religion is not constitutionally permissible,' it ruled.

Pride: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has high-hopes for victory in UP

The court order came after a plea filed in 1990 and fresh petitions on electoral malpractices from activists who wanted a ruling to sever religion from politics.

Five states are due to hold elections including Uttar Pradesh, where religion and caste dominate political discourse.
PICTURED: Editor selections from the past week in Asia

After returning from a visit to Pearl Harbor last week, Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada visited a Tokyo shrine that honors Japan's war dead, including convicted war criminals. Inada had accompanied Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during his visit to Pearl Harbor, where he offered condolences to those who died in the Japanese attack there in 1941.

In other images from the Asia-Pacific region last week, South Korean opposition politicians called for nullifying a settlement reached between Seoul and Tokyo on compensation for South Korean women forced into sexual slavery by Japan's military during World War II. The move came on the anniversary of the deal, and amid growing efforts to erase some of the key policies of impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye.

A powerful typhoon killed at least six people and spoiled Christmas in several provinces in the Philippines, with more than 380,000 people abandoning celebrations at home to reach emergency shelters and other safer grounds.

In this Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2016 photo, college students take pictures with the statue of a girl representing victims of Japanese sexual slavery in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, South Korea. South Korea's opposition politicians on Wednesday called for nullifying a settlement reached between Seoul and Tokyo on compensation for South Korean women forced into sexual slavery by Japan's military in World War II. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)

South Korea is fighting its worst bird flu outbreak in a decade. The government said that about 26 million head of poultry would be culled, including about one-third of the country's egg-laying hens, after the H5N6 strain of avian influenza was found in farms and parks.

China and Sao Tome and Principe officially resumed diplomatic relations in a triumph for Beijing over rival Taiwan after the African island nation abruptly broke away from the self-ruled island earlier in December.

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This gallery was curated by Associated Press photo editor Masayo Yoshida in Tokyo.

In this Monday, Dec. 26, 2016 photo, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, second left, and Defense Minister Tomomi Inada, second right, wave before their departure for Hawaii at Tokyo International Airport in Tokyo. Abe visits Pearl Harbor, the site of the Japanese attack that propelled the United States into World War II, with U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday and they have a summit meeting in Hawaii. (Takumi Sato/Kyodo News via AP, File)

In this Friday, Dec. 30, 2016 photo, Nepalese Gurung community women wear traditional attire dance during a parade to mark their New Year known as "Tamu Loshar" in Kathmandu, Nepal. The indigenous Gurungs, also known as Tamu, are celebrating the advent of the year of the bird. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha, File)

In this Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016 photo, protesters set off fireworks during a candle light vigil calling for impeached President Park Geun-hye to step down, near the presidential house in Seoul, South Korea. Even on New Year's Eve, large crowds of South Koreans gathered to join another rally demanding the ouster of Park, who's determined to restore her powers through a court trial. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)

In this Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016 photo, supporters of South Korean President Park Geun-hye wave their national flags during a rally opposing her impeachment in Seoul, South Korea. The Constitutional Court has up to six months to decide whether Park should permanently step down over a corruption scandal or be reinstated. The letters read "Opposition, President resignation." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)

In this Monday, Dec. 26, 2016 photo, the yacht Loyal makes its way through the heads during the start of the Sydney Hobart yacht race in Sydney, Australia. The 88 yachts started in the annual 628-nautical mile race to Australia's island state of Tasmania. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft, File)

In this Thursday Dec. 29, 2016 photo, a man pets a dog along a flooded street caused by rains from Typhoon Nock-Ten in Quezon city, north of Manila, Philippines. The powerful typhoon slammed into the eastern Philippines on Christmas Day, spoiling the biggest holiday in Asia's largest Catholic nation, where a governor offered roast pig to entice villagers to abandon family celebrations for emergency shelters. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

In this Friday, Dec. 30, 2016 photo, United States' Serena Williams warms up ahead of a practice session at the ASB Classic tennis tournament in Auckland, New Zealand. Williams has announced her engagement to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. The tennis great posted a poem on the social news website that she accepted his proposal. (Dean Purcell/New Zealand Herald via AP, File)

In this Friday, Dec. 30, 2016 photo, Kashmiri protesters run for cover amid tear gas smoke during a protest after Friday prayers in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir. Police fired teargas and shotgun pellets to disperse Kashmiris who gathered after Friday afternoon prayers to protest against Indian rule in the disputed region. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan, File)

In this Monday, Dec. 26, 2016 photo, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, right, prepares to shake hands with his Sao Tome counterpart Urbino Botelho after a joint press statement at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. China and Sao Tome and Principe officially resumed diplomatic relations on Monday, in a triumph for Beijing over rival Taiwan after the African island nation abruptly broke away from the self-ruled island last week. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

In this Thursday, Dec. 29, 2016 photo, a woman buys a sugar-coated haws on a stick at a street vendor in Beijing. Sugar-coated haws, also known as "Tanghulu," is a traditional Chinese candied snack popular in northern China, especially in Beijing during the winter season. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

In this Dec. 30, 2016 photo, a man wearing a mask looks out from a bus in Beijing as the capital of China is blanked by smog. China has long had some of the worst air in the world, blamed on its reliance on coal and a surplus of older, less efficient cars. It has set pollution reduction goals, but also has plans to increase coal mining capacity and eased caps on production when faced with rising energy prices. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

In this Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2016 photo, a customer looks at eggs at a discount store in Seoul, South Korea. Egg prices are soaring and new year's festivals are being canceled as South Korea fights its worst bird flu outbreak in over a decade. South Korea's government said Tuesday that about 26 million head of poultry will be culled by Wednesday including about one-third of the country's egg-laying hens after the H5N6 strain of avian influenza was found in farms and parks. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)
ISTANBUL (AP)  The Islamic State group on Monday made an unusual claim of responsibility for a major terrorist attack in Turkey, saying a "soldier of the caliphate" carried out the mass shooting at an Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people as they welcomed the new year.

The group said Christian revelers were targeted in response to Turkish military operations against IS in northern Syria, but most of the dead were foreign tourists from Muslim countries.

The claim came after a recent IS propaganda video urged attacks on Turkey, which is home to an air base used in the U.S.-led effort against the group in Syria and Iraq.

This image taken from CCTV provided by Haberturk Newspaper Monday Jan. 2, 2017, shows the man identified by police as the main suspect in the New Year's Day terror attack at an Istanbul nightclub, earlier that night before the attack. The attack at the nightclub in Istanbul's Ortakoy district during New Year's celebrations, killed dozens of people and wounded dozens of others.(CCTV/Haberturk Newspaper via AP)

Turkish authorities never confirmed the authenticity of the Dec. 22 video that purported to show Turkish soldiers who were burned alive, but access to social media was temporarily restricted in what appeared to be an effort to curb circulation of the footage.

The nightclub assailant, armed with a long-barreled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian early Sunday outside the Reina club before entering and firing at some of the estimated 600 people inside. The establishment is frequented by famous locals, including singers, actors and athletes.

Authorities obtained the fingerprints and a basic description of the gunman and are close to identifying him, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said Monday after a weekly cabinet meeting. He confirmed that eight people have been detained in connection with the attack.

The Islamic State group boasts of having cells in Turkey, regularly issues propaganda in Turkish and is believed to have hundreds of Turks in its ranks. But until now, the main act of aggression it had claimed in Turkey was the March 2016 killing of a Syrian journalist and an attack on riot police in the province of Diyarbakir, which Kurdish militants also claimed.

Other attacks in Turkey have been linked to IS, but without specific claims of responsibility.

For some analysts, the claim signaled a shift in IS strategy in Turkey, a predominantly Muslim nation and NATO member.

"It's a new phase," security analyst Michael Horowitz said. "What we saw before was an undeclared war, and now we're entering an open war."

The IS claim said only that the attacker struck to "let infidel Turkey know that the blood of Muslims that is being shed by its airstrikes and artillery shelling will turn into fire on its territories."

Early Turkish media reports suggested the nightclub gunman was probably from either Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan and may have been part of the same cell that staged a June attack on Istanbul Ataturk Airport that killed 45 people.

By attacking as the nation was celebrating the new year, the group indicated that it intends to continue being a "scourge" against Turkey in 2017, Kurtulmus said.

Initially, IS activity in Turkey appeared designed to stoke tensions with the country's ethnic Kurds and reflected events in Syria. The first dramatic attack came July 2015, when a suicide bomber hit a rally of activists in the border town of Suruc, at a time when Kurdish fighters in Syria where under siege just across the border in Kobane.

The worst IS-linked attack to rock Turkey came just months after, in October 2015, when twin suicide bombings killed 102 people at a peace rally in the capital, Ankara.

In 2016, IS was blamed by analysts and Turkish authorities for a wider range of attacks, including the airport assault and two other deadly bombings against tourists in Istanbul. The group was also suspected of directing an attack by a suicide bomber  possibly as young as 12  that killed more than 50 people at an outdoor wedding in the city of Gaziantep.

Turkey launched an offensive to northern Syria in August in a bid to clear a strategic border area of IS militants and contain the gains of Kurdish fighters. In October, Turkish-backed Syrian forces took the symbolically important town of Dabiq, which is central to IS propaganda. Turkish jets regularly bomb IS in the then town of Al-Bab, and Ankara wants to play a role in dislodging IS from its bastion in Raqqa.

"Islamic State is sending a strong message to the Turkish government that it will pay in blood for the offensive in northern Syria," Anthony Skinner, an analyst with the Verisk Maplecroft security firm, wrote in an email to The Associated Press.

Many analysts also see the latest attack on Turkey as a sign of growing desperation within IS.

The group has been threatened in al-Bab, Raqqa and Mosul in Iraq and "needs to reassert itself," said Horowitz, director at the intelligence analysis firm Prime Source.

The aggression on Turkey, he added, is in line with the group's practice of equating mass-casualty terrorism attacks with heavy bombings and airstrikes on IS-held territories.

In its claim, IS said the nightclub attack was aimed at Christians celebrating a pagan holiday, suggesting a symbolic choice of target that can be justified to radical Sunni Muslim supporters as punishment of sinners. But in reality, many of the victims hailed from majority-Muslim nations in the Middle East.

Max Abrahms, a Northeastern University political scientist, said IS understands that civilian attacks can be counterproductive in countries where it has abundant support. To him, the change of tact in Turkey reflects the mindset of IS in the wake of losses in Syria and Iraq.

"There's no question that Islamic State is suffering in an irreversible way," Abrahms said. So the group wants to commit as many attacks as possible and "is much more likely to claim credit for them in order to signal that it has continued capability to mount operations around the world."

Also Monday, Anadolu said more than 100 Islamic State targets in Syria have been hit by Turkey and Russia in separate operations. Last week, Turkey and Russia brokered a cease-fire for Syria that excludes the IS and other groups considered to be terrorist organizations.

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Hinnant reported from Paris. Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Dominique Soguel in Vannes, France, also contributed to this report.

Mourners chant slogans as they carry the Turkish flag-draped coffin of Yunus Gormek, 23, one of the victims of the attack at a nightclub on New Year's Day, during the funeral in Istanbul, Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. Turkey's state-run news agency says police have detained eight people in connection with the Istanbul nightclub attack. The gunman, who escaped after carrying out the attack, wasn't among the eight. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed 39 people, most of them foreigners. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

A police officer looks a photographs of the victims displayed a day after an attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul, Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. A manhunt is on in Turkey as authorities work to identify the assailant who killed dozens of people in a crowded Istanbul nightclub during New Year's celebrations Sunday.(AP Photo/Halit Onur Sandal)

People pray during the funeral of Yunus Gormek, 23, one of the victims of the attack at a nightclub on New Year's Day, in Istanbul, Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. Turkey's state-run news agency says police have detained eight people in connection with the Istanbul nightclub attack. The gunman, who escaped after carrying out the attack, wasn't among the eight. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed 39 people, most of them foreigners. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

A mourner weeps next to the Turkish flag-draped coffin of Yunus Gormek, 23, one of the victims of the attack at a nightclub on New Year's Day, during the funeral in Istanbul, Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. Turkey's state-run news agency says police have detained eight people in connection with the Istanbul nightclub attack. The gunman, who escaped after carrying out the attack, wasn't among the eight. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed 39 people, most of them foreigners. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Mourners carry the Turkish flag-draped coffin of Yunus Gormek, 23, one of the victims of the attack at a nightclub on New Year's Day, during the funeral in Istanbul, Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. An assailant armed with a long-barrelled weapon, opened fire at the nightclub in Istanbul's Ortakoy district during New Year's celebrations, killing dozens of people and wounding many others. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

A mourner cries over the Turkish flag-draped coffin of Yunus Gormek, 23, one of the victims of the attack at a nightclub on New Year's Day, during the funeral in Istanbul, Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. An assailant armed with a long-barrelled weapon, opened fire at the nightclub in Istanbul's Ortakoy district during New Year's celebrations, killing dozens of people and wounding many others. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
IS suicide bomber kills 36 in Baghdad market

BAGHDAD (AP)  A suicide bomber driving a pickup loaded with explosives struck a bustling market in Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 36 people in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group hours after French President Francois Hollande arrived in the Iraqi capital.

The bomb went off in a fruit and vegetable market that was packed with day laborers, a police officer said, adding that another 52 people were wounded.

During a press conference with Hollande, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the bomber pretended to be a man seeking to hire day laborers. Once the workers gathered around, he detonated the vehicle.

Citizens inspect the scene after a car bomb explosion at a crowded outdoor market in the Iraqi capital's eastern district of Sadr City, Iraq, Monday, Jan 2, 2017. A suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden vehicle Monday in a bustling market area in Baghdad, killing at least a dozen people, Iraqi officials said, hours after the arrival of French President Francois Hollande to the country and amid a fierce fight against the Islamic State group. (AP Photo/ Karim Kadim)

IS claimed the attack in a statement circulated on a militant website often used by the extremists. It was the third IS-claimed attack in as many days in and around Baghdad, underscoring the lingering threat posed by the group despite a string of setbacks elsewhere in the country over the past year, including in and around the northern city of Mosul.

The attack took place in Sadr City, a vast Shiite district in eastern Baghdad that has been repeatedly targeted by Sunni extremists since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

Shiite militiamen loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr, the firebrand cleric for whose family the neighborhood is named, were seen evacuating bodies in their trucks before ambulances arrived. Dead bodies were scattered across the bloody pavement alongside fruit, vegetables and laborers' shovels and axes. A minibus filled with dead passengers was on fire.

Asaad Hashim, an owner of a mobile phone store nearby, described how the laborers pushed and shoved around the bomber's vehicle, trying to get hired.

"Then a big boom came, sending them up into the air," said the 28-year old, who suffered shrapnel wounds to his right hand. He blamed "the most ineffective security forces in the world" for failing to prevent the attack.

An angry crowd cursed the government, even after a representative of al-Sadr tried to calm them. Late last month, Iraqi authorities started removing some of the security checkpoints in Baghdad in a bid to ease traffic for the capital's 6 million residents.

"We have no idea who will kill at any moment and who's supposed to protect us," said Ali Abbas, a 40-year old father of four who was hurled over his vegetable stand by the blast. "If the securities forces can't protect us, then allow us to do the job," he added.

Several smaller bombings elsewhere in the city on Monday killed another 20 civilians and wounded at least 70, according to medics and police officials. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.

The U.S. State Department condemned the wave of attacks "in the strongest possible terms."

"These vicious acts of mass murder are a sobering reminder of the need to continue coalition operations against Daesh and to eliminate the threat this terrorist group poses," it said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

Separately, the U.S. military announced the death of a coalition service member in Iraq in a "non-combat related incident" on Monday, without providing further details.

Hollande meanwhile met with al-Abadi and President Fuad Masum, and later traveled to the self-governing northern Kurdish region to meet with French troops and local officials. He pledged support for helping displaced Iraqis return to the city of Mosul, where Iraqi forces are waging a massive offensive against IS.

"We must also prepare a political solution for Mosul's post-liberation so that its inhabitants can live together," he said. Hollande also visited a military outpost on the outskirts of the city.

France is part of the American-led coalition formed in 2014 to fight IS after the extremist group seized large areas in Iraq and neighboring Syria. France has suffered multiple attacks claimed by the extremist group.

Since the Mosul operation started on Oct. 17, Iraqi forces have seized around a quarter of the city. Last week, the troops resumed fighting after a two-week lull due to stiff resistance by the militants and bad weather.

Mosul is Iraq's second largest city and the last major urban area in the country controlled by IS. Iraqi and U.S. commanders hope to drive IS from the city in the next three months.

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Associated Press writers Lori Hinnant and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed.

French President Francois Hollande and Massoud Barzani, right, President of the Iraqi self-ruled Kurdish region, point towards Islamic State-held territory as they visit a military outpost on the outskirts of Mosul, outside the Kurdish city of Irbil, Iraq, Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. Hollande is in Iraq for a one-day visit.(AP Photo/ Christophe Ena, Pool)

Citizens inspect the scene after a car bomb explosion at a crowded outdoor market in the Iraqi capital's eastern district of Sadr City, Iraq, Monday, Jan 2, 2017. A suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden vehicle Monday in a bustling market area in Baghdad, killing nearly a dozen people, Iraqi officials said, hours after the arrival of French President Francois Hollande to the country and amid a fierce fight against the Islamic State group. (AP Photo/ Karim Kadim)

Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, right, greets French President Francois Hollande prior to their meeting in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. Hollande is in Iraq for a one-day visit. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, Pool)

An Iraqi woman looks at damages from a car bomb explosion at a crowded outdoor market in the Iraqi capital's eastern district of Sadr City, Iraq, Monday, Jan 2, 2017. A suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden vehicle Monday in a bustling market area in Baghdad, killing more than a dozen people, Iraqi officials said, hours after the arrival of French President Francois Hollande to the country and amid a fierce fight against the Islamic State group. (AP Photo/ Karim Kadim)

Citizens inspect the scene after a car bomb explosion at a crowded outdoor market in the Iraqi capital's eastern district of Sadr City, Iraq, Monday, Jan 2, 2017. A suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden vehicle Monday in a bustling market area in Baghdad, killing at least a dozen people, Iraqi officials said, hours after the arrival of French President Francois Hollande to the country and amid a fierce fight against the Islamic State group. (AP Photo/ Karim Kadim)

Citizens inspect the scene after a car bomb explosion at a crowded outdoor market in the Iraqi capital's eastern district of Sadr City, Iraq, Monday, Jan 2, 2017. (AP Photo/ Karim Kadim)

A Kurdish Peshmerga soldier is silhouetted while French President Francois Hollande visits a military outpost on the outskirts of the Islamic State-held city of Mosul, outside the Kurdish city of Irbil, Iraq, Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. Hollande is in Iraq for a one-day visit.(AP Photo/ Christophe Ena, Pool)

French soldiers are silhouetted while French President Francois Hollande visits a military outpost on the outskirts of the Islamic State-held city of Mosul, outside the Kurdish city of Irbil, Iraq, Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. Hollande is in Iraq for a one-day visit.(AP Photo/ Christophe Ena, Pool)

President of the Iraqi self-ruled Kurdish region, Massoud Barzani, right, introduces French President Francois Hollande to Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers as they visit a military outpost on the outskirts of the Islamic State-held city of Mosul, outside the Kurdish city of Irbil, Iraq, Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. Hollande is in Iraq for a one-day visit.(AP Photo/ Christophe Ena, Pool)

French President Francois Hollande and French defense minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, right, meet with French soldiers as they visit a military outpost on the outskirts of the Islamic State-held city of Mosul, outside the Kurdish city of Irbil, Iraq, Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. Hollande is in Iraq for a one-day visit. (AP Photo/ Christophe Ena, Pool)

French President Francois Hollande shakes hands with a French soldier as he visits a military outpost on the outskirts of the Islamic State-held city of Mosul, outside the Kurdish city of Irbil, Iraq, Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. Hollande is in Iraq for a one-day visit. (AP Photo/ Christophe Ena, Pool)

French President Francois Hollande meets with French soldiers as he visits a military outpost on the outskirts of Islamic State-held city of Mosul, outside the Kurdish city of Irbil, Iraq, Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. Hollande is in Iraq for a one-day visit. (AP Photo/ Christophe Ena, Pool)

French President Francois Hollande and French defense minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, center right, meet with French soldiers as they visit a military outpost on the outskirts of Islamic State-held city of Mosul, outside the Kurdish city of Irbil, Iraq, Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. Hollande is in Iraq for a one-day visit. (AP Photo/ Christophe Ena, Pool)
With Roof as his own lawyer, sentencing to begin in slayings

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP)  After a judge ruled Monday that Dylann Roof is competent to represent himself, the same jury that last month unanimously found him guilty in the slayings of nine black parishioners at a South Carolina church will return to court to begin contemplating his punishment.

With the 22-year-old representing himself, the process is sure to be unconventional. But even if Roof is sentenced to death, it's highly unlikely he'd be executed anytime soon.

While prosecutors plan to call up to 38 people related to the nine people killed and three who survived the June 2015 slaughter during Bible study at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, Roof said last week he plans on calling no witnesses and presenting no evidence.

Roof was found guilty last month on 33 federal charges, including hate crimes and obstruction of the practice of religion. A jury took less than three hours to return its verdict, and a judge dismissed the jury for a break over the holidays.

Typically in what's known as the sentencing phase, defense attorneys call relatives and other witnesses to testify about their client's unsteady state of mind before and during the crimes. Given that background, the defense hopes, a jury might be more likely to spare the defendant's life and opt against the death penalty.

But Roof, who is acting as his own attorney, has said he plans to do no such thing.

In his journal, which was read in court during his trial, Roof said his doesn't believe in psychology, which he called "a Jewish invention" that "does nothing but invent diseases and tell people they have problems when they don't."

Roof also seems to be determined to try to keep evidence embarrassing to him or his family out. Not only did he take over his own defense, but he asked the judge at a hearing last week if he could file a motion limiting what prosecutors can introduce.

Roof also was adamant that a transcript of a hearing where he was found mentally competent not be released to the public.

"I know this is not a legal argument, but the unsealing of the competency hearing defeats the purpose of me representing myself," Roof said at last week's hearing.

Neither Roof, nor U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel nor prosecutors have given specifics on the evidence Roof is objecting to.

On Thursday, Gergel ordered another competency evaluation of Roof "in an abundance of caution," after his standby counsel filed a sealed motion again questioning Roof's mental ability to proceed.

On Monday, over the objection of an attorney representing media outlets including The Associated Press, Gergel ordered the competency hearing to be closed to the public. Saying he'd have to sequester jurors if he opened up the proceedings, the judge promised to release a transcript after Roof is sentenced.

"This is an incredibly sensitive moment in this proceeding," Gergel said. "We are putting in the hands of 12 people the life and death of a person."

After a daylong hearing, Gergel ultimately ruled Roof is competent to stand trial and also to represent himself at sentencing. He also granted Roof's request for an extra day to prepare for his case.

Roof's lawyers tried repeatedly both to stop him from being his own lawyer and to work mental health-related evidence into the first phase of his trial, saying they feared Roof fired them because he feared the attorneys would present evidence that would embarrass him when trying to save his life.

Prosecutors objected at every turn, and Gergel wouldn't allow any of it into court, ruling mitigation evidence is allowable during sentencing and not before.

Court papers show prosecutors are expected to present evidence showing that Roof picked his victims because of their race, killed them to incite more violence, showed no remorse and killed three particularly vulnerable people who were 70 years old or older.

Evidence speaking to Roof's mental state, one expert argues, could make the difference between life and death.

"The Dylann Roof case is a classic example of the type of problem you can have when an obviously mentally ill or emotionally disturbed defendant is permitted to represent himself," said Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center. "There's a huge difference in the eyes of a jury between someone they perceive as evil or despicable and someone they perceive as being seriously mentally ill. ... If you take mental health out of it, you are putting a thumb on the scale of death."

Both the judge's decision to allow Roof to represent himself and waive the introduction of mental health evidence are sure to be raised in an inevitable appeal, Dunham argued.

Roof also faces nine murder charges in state court, where prosecutors have also said they will seek the death penalty in a trial likely to begin sometime next year.

Whether he's sentenced to death or not, it's unlikely Roof would be executed anytime soon, in either jurisdiction. The federal government hasn't executed anyone since 2003, and there are years of appeals between a death sentence being levied and carried out.

South Carolina's death chamber hasn't been used since 2011, due at least in part to a lack of availability for the drugs the state uses for lethal injection.

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Associated Press writer Jeffrey Collins contributed to this report.

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The Latest: Raid at Istanbul apartment ends without arrests

ISTANBUL (AP)  The Latest on the Istanbul nightclub attack (all times local):

12:05 a.m.

Police have ended an operation in an Istanbul neighborhood that Turkish media reports had said was launched in connection to the Reina nightclub attack.

Turkish police officers stand guard outside the scene a day after an attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul, Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. A manhunt is on in Turkey as authorities work to identify the assailant who killed dozens of people in a crowded Istanbul nightclub during New Year's celebrations Sunday. (AP Photo/Halit Onur Sandal)

Haber Turk television and other media said special operations police, acting on a tip, conducted a raid on an apartment in the Zeytinburnu district late Monday.

Associated Press journalists at the scene witnessed police leaving the scene without making any arrests.

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10:55 p.m.

Turkish media reports say police have launched an operation in an Istanbul neighborhood in connection with the New Year's nightclub shooting attack that killed 39 people.

Haber Turk news channel said police, acting on a tip, were carrying out an operation at a home in Istanbul's Zeytinburnu neighborhood on Monday night.

The private Dogan news agency says the operation is being carried out by special operations police with backing from a helicopter.

The assailant slipped from the scene of the attack at the Reina club early Sunday, taking advantage of the chaos that ensued after he opened fire.

Earlier, Turkey's deputy prime minister, Numan Kurtulmus, said authorities were close to identifying the gunman after obtaining his fingerprints and a description of his appearance.

Newspaper reports said the attacker was thought to be from a Central Asian nation.

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This item has been corrected to show that the police operation commenced late Monday night, not Tuesday.

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10:15 p.m.

A jet carrying the bodies of three Lebanese citizens killed in the shooting at an Istanbul nightclub has landed in Beirut, with three others who were wounded aboard.

The jet arrived Monday night from Istanbul where 39 people died in the New Year Eve's attack.

The three coffins, covered with Lebanon's white, red and green flags, were taken to a hospital until funeral processions are held.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri and other government officials met the plane. Hariri later boarded the jet and shook hands with the two men and a woman who were wounded.

The forth wounded, Bushra El Douaihy, the daughter of parliament member Estephan El Douaihy, is still undergoing treatment in Turkey.

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7:30 p.m.

Turkey's deputy prime minister says authorities are monitoring hundreds of "provocative" social media accounts that allegedly support terrorism and foster divisiveness in society.

Numan Kurtulmus said Monday that 347 social media accounts which were determined to "sow seeds of enmity among the public" were under investigation, with legal action taken against 92 individuals.

Kurtulmus says authorities are working closely with social media providers such as Facebook and Twitter to shut down suspect accounts.

He says: "We are not going to sit by and watch as three to five social media trolls spread discord among the people."

Turkey has prosecuted several people, including prominent government critics for allegedly spreading terrorist propaganda through social media. One of them, journalist Ahmet Sik, was arrested last week.

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7 p.m.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus says authorities have obtained the fingerprints and a basic description of the gunman who attacked an Istanbul nightclub attack and are close to identifying him.

Speaking to reporters Monday after a weekly Cabinet meeting, Kurtulmus also confirmed that eight people had been detained in connection to the attack.

Kurtulmus said the attack in the early hours of 2017 was a message from extremist organizations that they intend to continue to be a "scourge" against Turkey in the new year. Kurtulmus also said it was intended as a response to Turkey's "successful and determined" military operation against the Islamic State group in northern Syria. Turkey had been rocked by a wave of violent attack in 2016.

Kurtulmus said Turkey was determined to continue fighting violent groups declaring: "Wherever they may hide in 2017, we will enter their lair... With the will of God, with the support of our people, with all our national capacity, we will bring them to their knees and give them all the necessary response."

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5:00 p.m.

Turkey's state-run news agency says a criminal complaint has been filed against people who used social media to praise the deadly New Year's attack at a nightclub in Istanbul, as well as against several people who demonized the New Year celebration or threatened attacks.

The Turkish Bar Association filed a criminal complaint with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's office on Monday, calling for the investigation and prosecution of those who praised the gun attack which killed 39 and injured dozens.

Some social media users praised the killings and condemned the night's celebration on religious grounds.

The complaint also called for prosecution of a school administrator who banned New Year's celebrations, those responsible for protests or banners depicting violence against Santa Claus, as well as a newspaper which published threatening headlines.

Prime Minister Binali Yilidirim sent a Twitter message on Sunday warning that legal action would be taken against those who praised terrorism.

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3:40 p.m.

Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Ministry says it is looking into media reports that the gunman in the New Year's Eve night club attack in Istanbul could be from the Central Asian country.

"We have ordered the consul in Istanbul the check this report that has appeared in the press," ministry spokeswoman Aiymkan Kulukeyeva was quoted as saying Monday by the Interfax news agency. "According to preliminary information, this information is doubtful but we are checking all the same."

The Hurriyet and Karar newspapers on Monday cited unnamed security officials saying that authorities have determined that the gunman who killed 39 people comes from a Central Asian nation and is believed to be either from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan.

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3:15 p.m.

Turkey's state-run news agency says police have detained eight people in connection with the Istanbul nightclub attack.

Anadolu Agency says that the eight have been taken into custody by Istanbul anti-terrorism squads and they are being questioned at Istanbul's main police headquarters.

The gunman, who escaped after carrying out the attack, wasn't among the eight.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed 39 people, most of them foreigners.

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3 p.m.

The father of one of the victims of the deadly New Year's attack at a popular Istanbul nightclub has arrived from Belgium to collect his 23-year-old son's body.

Waiting outside the Forensic Medicine Institute, Ali Akyil told Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency that they were a Turkish family who loved their country, and so his son, Mehmet Kerim Akyil, had gone to Istanbul for his New Year's vacation.

Anadolu said that relatives were also waiting outside to collect 38-year-old Bulent Sirvan Osman's body and return him to Erbil, Iraq. A married father of two, Osman was in Istanbul for business.

Abdullah Ahmed Abbolos, a 32-year-old Palestinian who lived in Saudi Arabia, had come to Istanbul to celebrate the new year. An acquaintance told Anadolu his body would likely be taken to Saudi Arabia.

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2 p.m.

Germany's Foreign Ministry says two people who lived in Germany, one of them a German citizen, are believed to have died in the New Year's attack on an Istanbul nightclub.

Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer says that both resided in Bavaria. One was a German-Turkish dual citizen and the other is believed to have had only Turkish nationality.

Schaefer said that three German citizens were wounded in the attack. They are not in a life-threatening condition.

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1:30 p.m.

Relatives and Bollywood friends have converged at the Mumbai home of Abis Rizvi, one of the two Indian victims of the New Year's attack at a popular Istanbul nightclub.

They offered condolences to the bereaved family on Monday even as Rizvi's father left for Istanbul to bring back his son's body. The body is expected to reach Mumbai on Wednesday, according to Bollywood actor and friend Raza Murad.

Rizvi, a 49-year-old builder, wrote, produced and directed a Bollywood movie "Roar: The Tigers of Sunderbans," in 2014 aimed at spreading awareness about tigers.

The other Indian victim of the Istanbul attack that killed 39 people was Khushi Shah, a fashion designer from Vadodara, a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat.

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12:50 p.m.

Turkey's Interior Ministry says that dozens of people have been detained in the past week over suspected ties to the Islamic State group.

The ministry's announcement came after a gunman opened fire on New Year's revelers at an Istanbul nightclub, killing 39 people and wounded dozens of others. IS has claimed responsibility for the attack.

In a statement released Monday, the ministry said 147 people were detained after authorities determined "they were in contact with the Daesh terrorist organization," referring to an Arabic acronym for IS.

Of the detained, 25 people have been formally put under arrest.

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12:20 p.m.

Turkey's state news agency says 38 of the 39 victims of the New Year's attack on an Istanbul nightclub have been identified.

The Anadolu news agency, citing unidentified Turkish justice ministry officials, says 11 those killed by a gunman who escaped were Turkish nationals and one was a Turkish-Belgium dual citizen.

The report says seven victims were from Saudi Arabia; three were from Lebanon and Iraq each; two nationals were from Tunisia, India, Morocco and Jordan each. Kuwait, Canada, Israel, Syria and Russia each lost one citizen.

Sixty-nine people were also wounded. Anadolu says one victim remains unidentified.

Relatives of the victims and embassy personal were seen walking into an Istanbul morgue to claim the bodies of the deceased.

Turkish officials haven't released the names of those identified.

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12 p.m.

Turkey's state-run news agency says more than 100 Islamic State targets in Syria have been hit by Turkey and Russia in separate operations, a day after a deadly attack at a popular Istanbul nightclub during New Year's celebrations claimed by the group.

Citing the Turkish Chief of General Staff's office, Anadolu Agency said Turkish jets struck eight IS group targets while tanks and artillery fired upon 103 targets near Al Bab, killing 22 extremists while destroying many structures.

Anadolu added that Russian jets also attacked IS targets in Dayr Kak, eight kilometers (five miles) to the southwest of Al Bab.

Turkey sent troops into neighboring northern Syria in August to clear a border area of IS militants and curb territorial advances by Syrian Kurdish forces.

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11:45 a.m.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the Istanbul shooting that killed 39 people and wounded scores of others.

The IS-linked Aamaq News Agency said the New Year's attack was carried by a "heroic soldier of the caliphate who attacked the most famous nightclub where Christians were celebrating their pagan feast."

It said the man opened fire from an automatic rifle in "revenge for God's religion and in response to the orders" of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The group described Turkey as "the servant of the cross."

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10:10 a.m.

Turkish media reports say that authorities believe that the Islamic State group is behind the attack on a popular Istanbul nightclub during New Year's celebrations.

Hurriyet and Karar newspaper reports Monday cited unnamed security officials saying that authorities have determined that the gunman who killed 39 people comes from a Central Asian nation and is believed to be either from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan.

Police had also established similarities with the high-casualty attack at Ataturk Airport in June and was investigating whether the same IS cell carried out both attacks.

The gunman, who is still at large, killed a policeman and another man outside the Reina club in the early hours of 2017 before firing at people partying inside.

Nearly two-thirds of the dead were foreigners, many from the Middle East.

This image taken from CCTV provided by Haberturk Newspaper Monday Jan. 2, 2017, shows the man identified by police as the main suspect in the New Year's Day terror attack at an Istanbul nightclub, earlier that night before the attack. The attack at the nightclub in Istanbul's Ortakoy district during New Year's celebrations, killed dozens of people and wounded dozens of others.(CCTV/Haberturk Newspaper via AP)

Lebanese Mireille Musalam, center, who lost her husband Haikal Musalam, walks outside a morgue a day after an attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul, Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. A manhunt is on in Turkey as authorities work to identify the assailant who killed dozens of people in a crowded Istanbul nightclub during New Year's celebrations Sunday. (AP Photo/Omer Kuscu)

Turkish women pray after they left carnations near the scene, a day after an attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul, Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. A manhunt is on in Turkey as authorities work to identify the assailant who killed dozens of people in a crowded Istanbul nightclub during New Year's celebrations Sunday. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Lebanese Mireille Musalam, sitting left, who lost her husband Haikal Musalam, is surrounded by family members outside a morgue, a day after an attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul, Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. A manhunt is on in Turkey as authorities work to identify the assailant who killed dozens of people in a crowded Istanbul nightclub during New Year's celebrations Sunday. (AP Photo/Omer Kuscu)

This image taken from CCTV provided by Haberturk Newspaper Sunday Jan. 1, 2017 shows the attacker, armed with a long-barrelled weapon, shooting his way into the Reina nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey on Sunday morning. The assailant opened fire at the 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. (CCTV/Haberturk Newspaper via AP)

Family members of victims of an overnight attack at a nightclub, cry outside the Forensic Medical Center in Istanbul, Jan. 1, 2017. An assailant 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. (Suleyman Kaya/DHA - Depo Photos via AP)

Flowers of the victims of the attack are placed outside a nightclub, which was attacked by a gunman overnight, in Istanbul, on New Year's Day, 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 the 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/Emrah Gurel)

Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, right, speaks with a man in hospital in Istanbul, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017, who was wounded during an attack on a nightclub. An assailant 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. (Prime Minister's Press Service, Pool photo via AP)

Sisters of Elias Wardini, a Lebanese man who was killed in the overnight Istanbul attack, mourn at their house, In Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday Jan. 1, 2017. Charbel Wardini told The Associated Press on Sunday that his brother, Elias, was among those who died in the attack at the crowded nightclub during New Year's celebrations, that killed at least 39 people. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said seven Lebanese were wounded in the attack. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A Turkish woman holds carnations at a security barricade near the scene, a day after an attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul, Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. A manhunt is on in Turkey as authorities work to identify the assailant who killed dozens of people in a crowded Istanbul nightclub during New Year's celebrations Sunday. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Family members of victims of an overnight attack at a nightclub, cry outside the Forensic Medical Center in Istanbul, Jan. 1, 2017. An assailant 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. (Suleyman Kaya/DHA - Depo Photos via AP)
DALLAS (AP)  Hundreds of communities around the world both big and small  are working to make sure people can live there from birth to old age.

Take John Holliday, a 71-year-old rural Maine resident who walks for his health. He uses a paved pathway in Bethel, population 2,600, in the summer. But the winter's cold and ice is a challenge for Holliday, who uses forearm crutches, so he does laps at a private school gym, recently made available for seniors.

Bethel is one of the more than 130 towns, cities and counties across the U.S. that have joined the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities since the program was launched almost five years ago. To join, communities must commit to planning ways to enrich life for their older residents, who are a growing population in the U.S.; the number of people 65 and older is expected to nearly double by 2050.

"We think there are a lot of opportunities to focus on the needs of older adults and in the process make the community better for everyone," said Jana Lynott of the AARP Public Policy Institute.

Such changes often include better infrastructure, such as more accessible sidewalks or transportation options for seniors who don't drive anymore, as well as things to keep seniors socially active, like technology classes.

The Fort Worth City Council approved an age-friendly plan this month. Mayor Betsy Price, who has long focused on fitness, said it was important for her city of about 850,000 get the label.

"I'm 67, I want to be active and be engaged," she said, adding, "Part of aging in place is that people don't get isolated."
Son of Equatorial Guinea's president on trial in France

PARIS (AP)  After years of investigation, France on Monday put the son of the president of Equatorial Guinea on trial for corruption, charged with spending many millions in state funds  much of it allegedly in cash  to feed an opulent lifestyle of fast cars, designer clothes, works of art and high-end real estate.

But the defendant, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, in the first of several planned trials of foreign figures allegedly thriving on ill-gotten gains, was absent and his lawyers sought a postponement to better prepare their case.

Obiang, who is also Equatorial Guinea's second vice president, faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of corruption, money laundering and embezzlement.

FILE - In this Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016 file picture, two Ferrari sports cars are being towed off the freight zone by the police at Geneva Airport, in Geneva, Switzerland. Geneva authorities have confiscated 11 luxury vehicles and sports cars Monday, belonging to Teodorin Obiang Nguema, the son of Equatorial Guinea's president as part of a preliminary investigation into alleged corruption. The son of Equatorial Guinea's president is going on trial in France for corruption, money laundering and embezzlement after a years-long investigation. (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP, File)

Obiang's lawyer, Emmanuel Marsigny, argued that he was not given a "reasonable delay" to prepare a defense for his client's actions spanning 14 years and that the trial date notification was sent to a Paris address though his client lives at the presidential palace in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea.

"It is not just an address he declared. He lives there," Marsigny told the court.

"Believe me, Mr. Nguema (Obiang) is not a big-time bandit," he said. "He just wants his rights observed."

It was not immediately clear if the court would grant a delay.

Representing Transparency International, which helped bring the case, lawyer William Bourdon accused the defense of trying to paralyze the judicial system through a series of "opportunistic" and "malicious" maneuvers.

Obiang's trial came after two non-governmental organizations targeting corruption and an association of Congolese citizens living abroad launched a lawsuit in France nearly 10 years ago against leaders in nearly a half-dozen African countries, including the late Gabon president Omar Bongo, charging they used state funds during or after their tenures to buy properties and luxury goods in France.

According to court documents, Obiang allegedly used millions of dollars in public money to stay in luxury Parisian palaces and later purchased a mansion located on one of the French capital's most sought-after avenues. The defense said the acquisition serves as Equatorial Guinea's embassy, and the International Court of Justice ruled that France must treat the Paris mansion as Equatorial Guinea's diplomatic mission  but gave the green light for the trial, despite Obiang's claims of diplomatic immunity.

Obiang allegedly bought up to 15 cars in France for 5.7 million euros (currently $6 million) and once splashed nearly 20 million euros at an arts auction.

A former majordomo, a governess and others employed by him in Paris told investigators that their boss came to France with suitcases full of cash and paid mainly in cash for luxury goods, according to the indictment.

"Teodoro Obiang is part of a small club, a small but global club of corruptors," said William Bourdon, the lawyer for Transparency International. "Their common characteristic is they will never confess. Never. Have you ever heard of a global corruptor turn to his people, a hand over the heart, and tell them: 'I am sorry, I apologize'? No ... He's been using all possible legal tools to invalidate the trial."

The case highlights the well-known corruption and mismanagement of the economy of Equatorial Guinea, rich in oil and gas, and the dramatic gap between the privileged ruling class of the central African country and much of the population, which thrives mainly on subsistence farming.

The former Spanish colony is run by Africa's longest-serving president, the father of the defendant, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

Exiled opposition leaders were among those present at the Paris trial, including the president of the Progress Party, Severo Moto, who lives in Madrid. He claimed before the trial that Obiang was not present "because he is afraid."

"The country knows very well that he's a thief," he said.

Obiang's lawyer passionately contends that his client's hands are clean.

"What Mr. NGuema (Obiang) did in his country was perfectly legal," he said, claiming that only in France would such a trial take place.

However, Swiss authorities opened a preliminary investigation last year, and the U.S. filed claims in 2011 against Obiang's U.S.-held assets worth more than $70 million, alleging they were the proceeds of corruption. Obiang reach a deal with the U.S. in 2014 to sell a Malibu mansion, a Ferrari and a collection of Michael Jackson memorabilia to raise more than $30 million.

FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, Vice-President of Equatorial Guinea, speaks during the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters. The son of Equatorial Guinea's president is going on trial in France for corruption, money laundering and embezzlement after a years-long investigation. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
Iran detains 21 fishermen from Arab nations in its waters

TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Iranian state TV is reporting the country's coast guard has detained 21 fishermen and their three boats from neighboring Arab nations for straying into its territorial waters and fishing rare species.

The Monday report said the traditional boats, known as dhows, had entered Iranian waters near the country's Kish Island in the Persian Gulf. It said the fishermen were handed over to the courts, adding that they had fished rare species of sharks and fish in Iranian waters.
Afghan official: Police officer killed in a bomb blast

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  An Afghan official says that at least one police officer has been killed by a roadside bomb in eastern Logar province.

Salim Saleh, spokesman for the provincial governor in Logar, said Monday that four other people including a district police commander and three road construction engineers were wounded in the blast.

Meanwhile at least six people were wounded in another explosion near the western city of Herat Sunday evening.
Co-founder of Toronto International Film Festival dies

TORONTO (AP)  A co-founder of the Toronto International Film Festival has died.

Bill Marshall's family has issued a written statement saying he died in Toronto of a cardiac arrest on New Year's Day. He was 77.

Marshall founded festival in 1976 with two colleagues, and served as the organization's director in its first three years, according to the current director and CEO.

Piers Handling says Marshall helped build the festival into one of "the most influential public cultural festivals today." It is North America's largest film festival.
Congress ushers in new era of all-Republican rule

WASHINGTON (AP)  Congress ushers in a new era of all-Republican rule.

On Tuesday at noon, with plenty of pomp and pageantry, members of the 115th Congress will be sworn in, with an emboldened GOP intent on unraveling eight years of President Barack Obama's Democratic agenda and targeting massive legacy programs from Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson such as Social Security and Medicare.

In the election, Republicans kept their tight grip on the House and outmaneuvered the Democrats for a slim majority in the Senate. In less than three weeks, on the West Front of the Capitol, Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the presidential oath to Donald Trump, the GOP's newfound ally.

FILE - In this Nov. 15, 2016 file photo, House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis. speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Congress ushers in a new era of all-Republican rule, with a tight GOP grip on the House, a slim majority in the Senate and a newfound ally in the White House in Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

First up for Republicans is repeal and delay of the health care law, expediting the process for scrapping Obama's major overhaul but holding off on some changes for up to four years. The tax code is in the cross-hairs. Conservatives want to scuttle rules on the environment and undo financial regulations created in the aftermath of the 2008 economic meltdown, arguing they are too onerous for businesses to thrive.

The only obstacle to the far-reaching conservative agenda will be Senate Democrats who hold the power to filibuster legislation, but even that has its political limitations. Twenty-three Democrats are up for re-election in 2018, including 10 from states Trump won, and they could break ranks and side with the GOP.

Here are a few things to know about Congress:

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BY THE NUMBERS

Vice President Joe Biden, in one of his final official acts, will administer the oath to 27 returning senators and seven new ones. Republicans will have a 52-48 advantage in the Senate, which remains predominantly a bastion of white men.

There will be 21 women, of whom 16 are Democrats and five, Republicans; three African Americans, including California's new Democratic senator Kamala Harris, and four Hispanics, including Nevada's new Democratic senator Catherine Cortez Masto.

Across the Capitol, the House is expected to re-elect Rep. Paul Ryan as Speaker, with all the campaign-season recriminations involving the Wisconsin Republican and Trump largely erased by GOP wins. Once sworn in, Ryan will then administer the oath to the House members.

The GOP will hold a hefty 241-194 majority in the House, including 52 freshmen  27 Republicans, including Wyoming's Liz Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, and 25 Democrats.

___

CONFIRMING THE CABINET

The Senate will exercise its advice and consent role and consider nominations of 15 department secretaries and six people tapped by Trump to lead agencies or serve in roles with Cabinet-level status, such as the EPA and U.N. ambassador.

Democrats won't make it easy.

Several in the party have been highly critical of several of Trump's choices, from Rick Perry, who forgot during the 2012 presidential campaign that the Energy Department was the one he wanted to eliminate, to Treasury pick Steve Mnuchin, the former Goldman Sachs executive whom Democrats have dubbed the "foreclosure king" for his stake in OneWest Bank that profited from the foreclosure crisis.

Others nominees, such as retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis for defense secretary, should easily win confirmation. First, though, Congress must pass a law allowing the former military man to serve in a civilian post.

There is a limit to what Democrats can do. Rules changes in 2013 allow some nominees, including Cabinet picks, to be confirmed with a simple majority, preventing Democrats from demanding 60 votes to move forward.

___

SUPREME COURT VACANCY

Adding to the drama of the new Congress will be high-profile confirmation hearings for Trump's nominee for the Supreme Court.

Justice Antonin Scalia died last February and Republicans refused to consider Obama's nominee, Merrick Garland, insisting that the next president should fill the high court vacancy that's now lasted more than 10 months.

Trump released a list of potential choices during the campaign that included Utah Sen. Mike Lee, who clerked for Justice Samuel Alito. Since the election, the president-elect also has met with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who clerked for former Chief Justice William Rehnquist, prompting talk about a possible nomination for the onetime presidential rival.

Trump has said he wants to nominate a justice who would help overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion. Cruz and Lee would fulfill that pledge.

___

NEW FACE IN LEADERSHIP

The point man for Senate Democrats is Brooklyn-born Chuck Schumer, who will be a chief antagonist to fellow New Yorker Trump.

Schumer succeeds Nevada's Harry Reid, who retired after five terms, and joins Congress' top leaders  Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Speaker Ryan  in what is certain to be tough negotiations next year on spending and policies.

___

RUSSIAN HACKING
Germany indicts Pakistani man accused of spying for Iran

BERLIN (AP)  German prosecutors have indicted a Pakistani man on charges of spying for an Iranian intelligence agency.

Federal prosecutors said Monday that the 31-year-old, identified only as Syed Mustufa H. due to German privacy rules, was in contact with the unnamed spy agency since 2011.

In a statement, prosecutors said the man began spying on the former head of a group that promotes German-Israeli relations by July 2015 at the latest.

He is alleged to have received money in return for passing on information obtained about the ex-head of the German-Israeli Society.
US-led coalition service member dies in Iraq

BAGHDAD (AP)  A service member in the U.S.-led coalition battling the Islamic State group has died in a "non-combat related incident" in Iraq.

A statement from the U.S. military said the service member was killed on Monday, without providing further details. It did not identify the individual or give a nationality.
Libyan presidential council member resigns, citing failure

BENGHAZI, Libya (AP)  A prominent member of the presidential council of Libya's U.N.-backed government in Tripoli resigned on Monday, a major blow to the fledgling body attempting to assert authority over the fractured North African nation.

Citing the inability of the government to rule the country, Musa al-Koni's announcement was the first such resignation by one of the nine members of the council, formed in early 2016.

"We failed to resolve the political crisis," he told reporters at a televised press conference in the capital, Tripoli. "We failed to solve citizens' everyday problems, and the problems have increased since we entered the country and unsolved problems have accumulated."

Al-Koni, a deputy prime minister from southern Libya, leaves the council with internal conflict on the rise in Libya, even as its factions have managed to drive out most of the Islamic State militants who had been plaguing it in the central coastal city of Sirte, which had been its last bastion in Libya.

Last week, the deputy head of the presidential council, Fathi Al-Mijabri, issued a decree to appoint one of his loyal supporters as the head of the intelligence services, stoking the ire of other members who called his move illegal.

The bickering comes just after the central bank approved a $26 billion annual state budget for the country.

The U.N.-brokered presidential council was created as an attempt to establish a unity government to end the chaos that has plagued Libya since the ouster and killing of longtime strongman Moammar Gadhafi in a 2011 uprising. Instead, Libya remains divided between east and west, with no effective government and rival factions and militias.

The presidential council, headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj, has little power despite it being Libya's internationally recognized government.
Police search for 6-year-old missing since New Year's Eve

AURORA, Colo. (AP)  Police in the Denver suburb of Aurora are searching for a 6-year-old boy who is believed to have wandered away from his home on New Year's Eve.

The FBI and other law enforcement agencies were helping search for David Puckett on Monday by going door-to-door within 2.5 miles of his home. Bloodhounds are also searching for him.

Late Monday afternoon, authorities issued an Amber Alert for David.

In this undated photograph supplied by the Aurora, Colo., Police Department, David Puckett is shown. Aurora Police have been searching for the missing 6-year-old boy since New Year's Eve after the child wandered off from his home in the east Denver suburb. Searchers looked for the boy with the aid of a helicopter and bloodhound on New Year's Day to no avail and are continuing to seek the child on Monday, Jan. 2. (Aurora, Colo., Police Department via AP)

Police say foul play isn't suspected, but they've asked for help to find David as quickly as possible partly because of coming cold weather.

His mother says he was only wearing a light jacket. On Sunday night, she issued a tearful appeal for people to help find him.

Previous searches aided by a bloodhound and a helicopter didn't turn up any clues.
Woman killed in New Year's Day fireworks explosion in Hawaii

HONOLULU (AP)  A fireworks explosion at a large New Year's Day gathering on the Hawaiian island of Oahu has left one woman dead and a man critically injured, authorities said.

The pair had been lighting illegal fireworks at the gathering when the explosion happened, police said.

Emergency personnel arrived just after midnight Sunday at the Campbell Industrial Park in Kapolei to find the two victims injured. The 38-year-old woman was taken to a hospital in critical condition and died from her injuries. The 36-year-old man remains in critical condition.

Police have opened an unattended death and prohibited explosive device investigation, but no one has been arrested or cited. Honolulu Police Department spokeswoman Sarah Yoro said Monday no further information was being released at this time.

Honolulu's Emergency Medical Services said the woman's death was among dozens of other fireworks-related incidents over the weekend. The agency responded to 28 calls within the first hour of 2017.

Many people in Hawaii celebrate the new year by setting off fireworks. Firecrackers may be bought and used with a permit on Oahu, but many other types of fireworks that people set off are illegal.

The Honolulu Fire Department also had a busy weekend, Fire Capt. Kevin Mokulehua said.
John Berger, pioneering art critic and author, dies at 90

NEW YORK (AP)  John Berger, the British art critic, intellectual and prodigious author whose pioneering 1972 book and the BBC series it spawned, "Ways of Seeing," redefined the way a generation saw art, died Monday. He was 90.

Simon McBurney, the British actor and a friend of Berger's, told The Associated Press that Berger died at his home in the Paris suburb of Antony. Berger had been ill for about a year, McBurney said.

The author of criticism, novels, poetry, screenplays and many less classifiable books, Berger had considerable influence as a late 20th-century thinker. He consistently, provocatively challenged traditional interpretations of art and society and the connections between the two.

He examined the role consumerism played in the rise of Picasso in 1965's "The Success and Failure of Picasso." He claimed that cubism anticipated the Russian revolution in "The Moment of Cubism, and Other Essays." When he won the prestigious Booker Prize in 1972 for his novel "G," Berger spoke against the prize's roots in Caribbean slave labor and pledged to give half his reward to the Black Panthers, a group he said more accurately reflected his own politics.

That same year, Berger  with a head of wavy brown hair, a beige '70s shirt and a magnetic authority  captivated the British public with "Ways of Seeing," a series of four 30-minute films. In it, he mined imagery for larger cultural discoveries. How women were depicted in art, for example, revealed much about a time period's attitude toward gender.

"It is seeing which establishes our place in the surrounding world," Berger wrote in "Ways of Seeing," which became a common curriculum of universities. "We explain that world with words, but words can never undo the fact that we are surrounded by it. The relation between what we see and what we know is never settled."

Born to a middle-class London family on Nov. 5, 1926, Berger never attended university. He was drafted into the British Army in 1944 and was dispatched to Northern Ireland. "I lived among these raw recruits," he told the Guardian in 2005, "and it was the first time I really met working-class contemporaries. I used to write letters for them, to their parents and occasionally their girlfriends."

After the army, he joined the Chelsea School of Art. He began as a painter, later taught drawing and eventually began writing criticism for the New Statesman. But his studies later expanded significantly into other realms. He examined the lives of migrant workers in 1975's "A Seventh Man: Migrant Workers in Europe." In 1980's "About Looking," he considered, among other subjects, how animals exist alongside human lives.

"To suppose that animals first entered the human imagination as meat or leather or horn is to project a 19th century attitude backwards across the millennia," Berger wrote. "Animals first entered the imagination as messengers and promises."

Berger also wrote several screenplays, among them 1976s' "John Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000," a drama set amid the 1968 protests in Paris. The artist John Christie, who collaborated with Berger on films and books, remembered Berger as "the most wonderful collaborator and a man generous with his friendship." ''He loved bringing people together," said Christie.

Berger's considerable output ran right up until last year, when he published a collection of essays, "Confabulations." A documentary on Berger, produced by Tilda Swinton, was also released in 2016. In "The Seasons in Quincy: Four Portraits of John Berger," Berger and Swinton, a longtime friend of his, converse in the French Alpine village he lived in for much of his life. Swinton calls him "a radical humanist."

"If I'm a storyteller, it's because I listen," Berger says in the film. "For me, a storyteller, he's like a passer, that's to say like somebody who gets contraband across a frontier."

___
Adventurer Sir David Hempleman-Adams has called on politicians to grasp the nettle on climate change and stop paying lip service to their promises after witnessing the devastating impact of global warming during an expedition to the Arctic.

The explorer said his worst fears over disappearing sea ice were confirmed during a trip to circumnavigate the polar region by boat.

The journey around the Arctic via the Northeast and Northwest Passages traditionally takes three years, but his team managed it in just four months and a day.

Packed ice would have confounded sailors on the 13,500 nautical mile voyage in years gone by, but Sir David, a veteran of more than 30 Arctic expeditions who was knighted in the New Year Honours list, saw barely any for huge stretches at a time.

The 60-year-old, from Box in Wiltshire, fears irreversible damage to the Arctic landscape from climate change could open the route to potentially damaging commercial vessels.

And he believes disappearing ice and rising sea levels will have global environmental implications unless politicians act swiftly, telling the Press Association: I think were all a bunch of ostriches, and what were doing is handing it to the next generation to sort out.

The Arctic

Comparing the loss of ice to the cutting down of the Brazilian rainforests, he said the Arctic had reached a tipping point which could lead to major flooding and famines.

He said: We sort of pay lip service to the Paris climate accords trying to get carbon emissions down, but we just seem to be scratching the surface and we dont seem to be getting to grips with it.

What are they going to do if the water rises so greatly and the conditions are such that we swamp London?

Sir David Hempleman-Adams

Sir David and his crew set off on the Polar Ocean Challenge aboard the 48ft (14.6m) yacht Northabout from Bristol in June, aiming to circumnavigate the Arctic via Siberia, Alaska and Greenland in a single season to highlight the human impact on its fragile environment.

The expedition was a success  depressingly so.

After encountering little ice in the Laptev Sea north of Siberia, the yacht reached the Northwest Passage, where they found almost none for 1,800 miles (2,897km).

Sir David said: We got around it in an incredible 14 days  it could take a couple of years in the past.

We didnt see anything. The first ice we saw was in Lancaster Sound, at the very end of the Northwest Passage, on the last day of it.

In years gone by we would have seen ice on the way and in some circumstances it would have stopped the trip.

Another section, the Bellot Strait, would normally be filled with small icebergs, but aerial footage taken by a drone revealed nothing but sea.

Sir David estimated that, with speedboats, they could have completed the entire circumnavigation in just a few weeks.

He said: Whilst it was exciting, it proved my worst fears  that you could do both in one season. Its an absolutely depressing thought. I know its a well-used adage, but the Arctic is the canary in the mine.
A young man was killed in a deliberate house fire just hours after celebrating the new year with his girlfriend.

Cameron Logan, 23, had been out with his partner for Hogmanay before they returned to his family home in Achray Place, Milngavie, East Dunbartonshire, in the early hours of Sunday.

Police Scotland said a fire was later set deliberately at the semi-detached house and Mr Logans body was discovered at around 7.25am.

Forensics officers at the house which was covered with drapes (John Linton/PA)

His 24-year-old girlfriend was also seriously injured and is said to be in a critical condition in the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, while his parents  both 54  were released from hospital after treatment for smoke inhalation. The family dog died in the fire.

No details have been given on the specific cause of the fire but a police and fire service investigation determined that it was deliberate. Officers are treating the case as murder and attempted murder.

Detective Chief Inspector Bob Frew said: Cameron had been out with his girlfriend celebrating Hogmanay and both had returned to his home in the early hours of the morning. Later that morning, a fire was set deliberately at the house.

A private ambulance leaves the house (John Linton/PA)

Cameron died at the scene. His parents, both 54 years of age, have since been released from hospital, however, his 24-year-old girlfriend remains in hospital where medical staff describe her condition as critical. The family pet dog (no breed) also died at the scene.

Officers are still at the house carrying out inquiries and are also in the area speaking to neighbours and checking CCTV.

Forensics experts continued to work at the scene on Monday with large green covers draped over the front of the house. A private ambulance was also seen leaving Achray Place on Monday morning.

Floral tributes outside the house (John Linton/PA)

Mr Frew urged anyone with information to contact police.

Although it was early on New Years morning, its possible that people were about, maybe walking their dogs or out jogging in or near the area, he said.

I would appeal to them or indeed anyone who was near Achray Place, who saw activity at the house prior to or after the fire to contact police.

Information can be passed to the Major Investigation Team based at Govan Police Office via 101 or alternatively, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be given in confidence.
More than two million people walked through the gates of Auschwitz in 2016 to learn about the history of the Nazi death camp.

Last year some 2,053,000 people from all over the world visited the site of the camp which operated in German-occupied Poland, where more than one million men, women and children died, the Auschwitz museum said.

This was a record number in the history of the memorial, which will mark the 70th anniversary of its opening this year.

(Dave Thompson/PA)

Dr Piotr MA Cywinski, director of the museum and memorial, said it was important to acknowledge the not-so-distant past of which the painful effects are still felt by witnesses living among us, their families and the next generations.

He said: In todays world  torn by conflicts, increased feeling of insecurity and strengthening of populistic tones in public discourse  it is necessary to re-listen to the darkest warnings from the past.

In an era of such rapid changes in culture and civilisation, we must again recognise the limits beyond which the madness of organised hatred and blindness may again escape out of any control.

Almost 1.5 million visitors in 2016 were guided by one of our 286 educators who explain the history of Auschwitz in almost 20 languages. https://t.co/Yn99hvc1aw  Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) January 2, 2017

Almost three-quarters of 2016s visitors (nearly 1.5 million) visited the memorial with one of its 280-plus official guides. The guides explain the history of Auschwitz in almost 20 languages, the most common of which is English.

Britain has long been one of the countries providing the highest number of visitors. Last year, it retained its spot as the country providing the second highest volume of visitors globally, with 271,000 coming to the site.

Around 50,000 more visitors from the UK came last year than in 2015, the museum said.

The UKs Holocaust Educational Trust (HET) takes thousands of school children on trips to Auschwitz each year, and was previously praised by the museum as a role model of responsible education for other countries to follow.
A serial by-election candidate is contemplating hanging up his Elvis jumpsuit after nearly two decades in politics.

David Bishop, of the Bus Pass Elvis party, has stood in 11 parliamentary contests since 1997 on platforms including legalising brothels and giving OAPs a discount, outlawing builders bums and scrapping HS2.

Mr Bishop, a 72-year-old former painter and decorator from Nottingham, said while he has enjoyed his time on the campaign trail, his most recent campaign in Sleaford and North Hykeham will be his last.

David Bishop is retiring from politics (Alex Britton/PA)

Also known as Lord Biro, Mr Bishop got into politics through art, starting off as a poet. When the chance came to stand against Neil Hamilton in the 1997 election following the Cash for Questions scandal, Mr Bishop decided to give it a go.

He said: When I was a teenager, I wasnt that interested in politics. I was interested in green things  and the first time I ever voted was the EEC referendum.

Standing in Tatton was the first one, that got a lot of media attention from all over the world and I really enjoyed it.

At the poll, Mr Bishop wound up eighth out of the 10 candidates  coming in with 116 for the Lord Byro versus the Scallywag Tories party.

In the nearly 20 years since, Lord Byro became Lord Biro, and he has been a regular feature at by-elections, including Haltemprice and Howden in 2008 following the resignation of David Davis, Eastleigh in 2013 following Chris Huhnes departure from the Commons and 2015 when Patrick Mercer stepped aside in Newark.

His peak came in 2014 when he beat the Liberal Democrats at a by-election for the Clifton North ward at Nottingham City Council, but wound up more than 1,100 votes off the winner.

David Bishop

The result made headlines across the country and Mr Bishop said: "I feel a bit guilty about that because they havent done very well since. It was their own fault, they didnt campaign really. If they had campaigned they probably would have beaten me."

When asked if he would actually like to become a Member of Parliament, Mr Bishop said he was not so sure.

If I had been elected in Sleaford, I would have been pleased in one way but I would have hoped Theresa May called a general election next summer so Id only have six months, he said.
Israeli police are questioning prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu over corruption allegations, local media has reported after police cars arrived at his residence.

The police team did not speak to journalists but Israeli media said they are looking into suspicions that Mr Netanyahu inappropriately accepted expensive gifts from two businessmen. The reports said the initial questioning, which began on Monday evening, could last several hours.

A black screen was earlier placed in front of the building in apparent anticipation of the investigators arrival and to obstruct the view of journalists seeking to film them.

Benjamin Netanyahu

Mr Netanyahu has denied what he calls baseless reports that he received inappropriate gifts, a point he reiterated at a meeting of his Likud faction earlier on Monday.

Weve been paying attention to reports in the media, we are hearing the celebratory mood and the atmosphere in the television studios and the corridors of the opposition, and I would like to tell them, stop with the celebrations, dont rush, he said. There wont be anything because there is nothing.

Israels Channel 2 TV has reported that Mr Netanyahu accepted favours from businessmen in Israel and abroad, and that he is the central suspect in a second investigation that also involves family members.

The Haaretz daily said billionaire Ronald Lauder, a longtime friend of Mr Netanyahu, was linked to the affair. Channel 10 TV has reported that Mr Netanyahus eldest son, Yair, accepted free trips and other gifts from Australian billionaire James Packer.

In October, Mr Lauder was summoned by police for questioning related to a certain investigation conducted by them and in which Mr Lauder is not its subject matter, said his lawyer Helena Beilin.

After a short meeting, he was told that his presence is no longer required and that there shall be no further need for additional meetings, she added.

Israels Justice Ministry and police have declined to comment on the media reports.

A campaign is under way by Erel Margalit, an opposition politician of the Zionist Union party, for Mr Netanyahu to be formally investigated over suspicions of prominent donors improperly transferring money for the PMs personal use, as well as reports that Mr Netanyahus personal lawyer represented a German firm involved in a 1.2 billion sale of submarines to Israel.

The prime minister has long been saddled with an image as a cigar-smoking, cognac-drinking socialite, while opponents have portrayed both he and his wife Sara as being out of touch with the struggles of average Israelis.
Billie Lourd has said she has no words to express how much she will miss her mother Carrie Fisher and grandmother Debbie Reynolds following their deaths.

Singin In The Rain star Reynolds, 84, died from a suspected stroke on December 28 just a day after the death of her daughter Fisher, 60.

The Star Wars actress died in hospital after suffering a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles on December 23.

Carrie Fisher, left, and her daughter Billie Lourd

Actress Lourd, 24, spoke out for the first time since Fisher and Reynolds died, posting a message for her fans on Instagram along with a photograph of the three of them together when she was a child.

Lourd is the only child of Fisher from her relationship with talent agent Bryan Lourd, from whom she split in 1994.

Lourd, who stars in US comedy-horror series Scream Queens, appeared alongside her mother and grandmother at the 2015 Screen Actors Guild Awards to present Reynolds with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

In November 2015, Lourd accepted the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on behalf of Reynolds at the Governors Awards ceremony.

Reynolds son and Fishers brother Todd confirmed last week the two Hollywood stars will be laid to rest in a joint funeral.

Following Reynolds death, he said: She said, I want to be with Carrie, and then she was gone.
US President-elect Donald Trump is showing little sign of forgiving his critics as he prepares to move into the Oval Office.

The incoming president tweeted on Monday that various media outlets and pundits say that I thought I was going to lose the election. Wrong.

He continued: I thought and felt I would win big, easily over the fabled 270 electoral votes.

Mr Trumps continued focus on his unexpected November 8 victory comes as he works behind closed doors to shape his new administration. He will be sworn into office in just 18 days.

In another tweet on Monday, the president-elect complained about a cover photo used in a new book released by CNN. He wrote: Hope it does well but used worst cover photo of me!

Meanwhile, Mr Trump has said Rahm Emanuel, Chicagos mayor and President Barack Obamas former chief of staff, should ask for federal assistance if he cannot bring down the citys rising homicide tally.

The nations third largest city had 762 homicides in 2016  the most in two decades and more than the largest cities New York and Los Angeles combined.

(Evan Vucci/AP)

The Chicago Police Department says the city had 1,100 more shootings last year than in 2015 and the statistics have put Chicago at the centre of a national dialogue about gun violence.

Mr Trump on Monday noted the spike in shooting deaths on Twitter. He wrote: If Mayor cant do it he must ask for federal help!
Islamic State claims bomb attack in Syria's Tartous

BEIRUT, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Islamic State said it carried out a bomb attack on the Syrian coastal city of Tartous that Syrian state media said killed two security officers.

Islamic State said in an online statement claiming the attack that two of its members detonated car bombs. It did not say whether they were suicide attackers or provide any further details.

Syrian state media said the attack, first reported early on Sunday, was carried out by two suicide bombers wearing explosives.
Woman killed after gun accidentally discharges

LAS VEGAS (AP)  Police say a woman was killed in a car after a firearm accidentally discharged while she and her friends were handling it.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department says the incident took place about 4:30 a.m. Sunday in the 3800 block of Cambridge Street.

Investigators say the victim and her female friend were in the parked car with two men they had met at a New Years Eve party.

Police say no arrests have been made, but the incident remains under investigation. The department did not release the identity of the victim.

The department says this is the first homicide it has investigated this year.

Former Utah lawmaker stranded 2 nights

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  A former state legislator who had been missing in southern Utah since New Years eve has been found safe after spending two nights in his stranded car.

St. George police said 52-year-old Chad Bennion became stuck on an isolated road in a remote area outside of town after he left his home Saturday afternoon to go for a trail run.

A passing citizen spotted his Oldsmobile Bravada Monday morning.

Bennion told authorities he was in an area without cell service, but heard on the radio he was the target of a search, so he stayed with his vehicle with food and supplies hed brought along in case of an emergency.

Bennion served in the legislature as a representative from Murray from 1999-2005. He was elected chairman of the Salt Lake County Republican Party in 2013.

Utah homicides up 19 percent in 2016 than previous year

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  Utah had 87 homicides in 2016, an increase of 19 percent over the 73 reported the previous year and also higher than the 79 homicides in the state during 2014, a newspaper reported Monday.

Eight of last years 87 victims were killed by police officers, according to the Deseret News.

Thats down from 10 fatal officer-involved shootings in 2015 and 14 in 2014, according to the newspaper, which maintains an independent annual accounting of the statistics provided by law enforcement agencies across the state.

About 60 percent of last years homicide victims in Utah were shot to death and more than one-quarter of the killings were related to domestic violence. Ten involved some kind of robbery and at least two stemmed from road-rage incidents.

The Deseret News reported that it does not typically count automobile homicides, which often stem from drunken drivers, in its statistics.

However, six of the homicides in the count this year were the result of car crashes that ended in murder, manslaughter or negligent homicide charges being filed.

Six cases were part of murder-suicides or attempted murder-suicides, although several of those are still being investigated, the newspaper said.

At least three peoples deaths were connected to gangs and two were accidentally shot to death. Ten of the homicides had obvious connections to drugs and drugs were likely factors in several other cases, the newspaper said.

Nineteen of the 87 homicides in 2016 were reported over the final six weeks of the year, making the period one of the deadliest stretches in the Beehive State in nearly a decade. The 11 in the month of December tied July for the most in a single month.

According to statistics kept by the state Bureau of Criminal Identification, the last time Utah detectives investigated more than 10 homicides in a single month was October 2007.

Willis, 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 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 Libertys 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.
Contraction of Greek factory activity eases in December, but jobs cut - PMI

ATHENS, Jan 2 (Reuters) - A downturn in Greek manufacturing slowed in December as declines in output and new orders eased, but companies cut jobs for the first time in seven months as backlogs of work shrank, a survey showed on Monday.

Markit's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for manufacturing, which accounts for about 10 percent of the Greek economy, rose to a four-month high of 49.3 points last month from 48.3 in November. A reading below 50 denotes a contraction in activity.

Manufacturers saw a further decline in new orders, including from abroad. They cited softer demand and the instability of the country's financial sector, although the fall was the weakest since September.

"Firms struggled with a lack of work during the month, a result of weaker demand for Greek manufactured goods and lowered their workforce for the first time since May," said IHS Markit economist Samuel Agass.

"Overall, 2016 has been a challenging year for the sector which continues to remain well short of a full recovery. Firms will be hopeful that the new year can bring renewed growth but until consumption picks up the likelihood remains slim."

Faced with fewer workloads, companies cut their headcounts, although the pace of job shedding was slight, the survey showed.

"Although the overall downturn eased to the weakest in four months with output and new orders contracting at softer rates, the latest deterioration capped off the worst quarter of the year for Greek goods producers," Agass said.

Manufacturers faced a substantial increase in input costs in December, mainly linked to higher prices for steel, zinc and dairy products, forcing them to raise output prices for the first time in 70 months.

-Detailed PMI data are only available under licence from Markit and customers need to apply to Markit for a licence.

-To subscribe to the full data, click on the link below: http://www.markit.com/Contact-Us
Kumara takes two quick wickets to rock South Africa

CAPE TOWN, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Teenage seamer Lahiru Kumara took two quick wickets to help Sri Lanka make early inroads on a bowler-friendly surface in the opening session as South Africa went to lunch on 69 for three on the first day of the second test at Newlands on Monday.

The 19-year-old Kumara, playing only his third test, dismissed both Hashim Amla and JP Duminy in the same over just before the break to give the visitors the early edge.

Amla, continuing his indifferent form, was clean bowled for 29 and then five balls later Duminy got strangled down the leg side and got a glove to a quick delivery to be taken behind after an acrobatic leap by wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis.

Duminy went without scoring, leaving Dean Elgar (36) and captain Faf du Plessis (one) not out at lunch.

Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to bowl on a green strip, making an immediate breakthrough before South Africa had scored their first run.

Stephen Cook, who had scored a century and was named man of the match in the first test in Port Elizabeth, edged the fourth ball of the day, pushing at a rising delivery and getting a feint edge to Suranga Lakmal, caught behind by Mendis.

The 21-year-old had taken over the gloves from Dinesh Chandimal, who is playing but was feeling unwell at the start of play.

Inconsistent bowling allowed Elgar and Amla to weather the next 21 overs and establish a 66-run partnership before Kumara was eventually brought into the attack, making an immediate impact.
Islamic State kills 24 with Baghdad car bomb, attack police stations in Samarra

By Kareem Raheem and Ghazwan Hassan

BAGHDAD/TIKRIT, Iraq, Jan 2 (Reuters) - An Islamic State car bomb killed 24 people in Baghdad's Sadr City district on Monday and the militants also attacked two police stations in the city of Samarra as Iraqi forces fought to oust the group from Mosul, its last major stronghold in Iraq.

At least four other attacks across Baghdad, some also claimed by Islamic State, killed nine more people earlier in the day, bringing the total death toll from bombings in the capital over the past three days to more than 60.

In the attacks in Samarra, about 100 km (60 miles) north of Baghdad, security sources said multiple gunmen wearing suicide vests took over two police stations, killing at least seven policemen.

The mayor of Samarra, Mahmoud Khalaf, said security forces had regained control, killing at least six assailants, but declined to comment on the number of casualties on the government side.

The pro-Islamic State news agency Amaq said the militants had executed some policemen.

The upsurge in violence comes as U.S-backed Iraqi forces try to drive Islamic State from the northern city of Mosul, where the militants are putting up fierce resistance.

Islamic State has lost most of the territory it seized in a blitz across northern and western Iraq in 2014 and ceding Mosul would probably spell the end of its self-styled caliphate. But it would still be capable of waging a guerrilla-style insurgency in Iraq and plotting or inspiring attacks on the West.

"The terrorists will attempt to attack civilians in order to make up for their losses, but we assure the Iraqi people and the world that we are able to end terrorism and shorten its life," Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said after talks with visiting French President Francois Hollande.

REVENGE

Islamic State said Monday's attacks in Baghdad were revenge for "the repeated targeting of health institutions in Nineveh province" by the U.S.-led coalition backing Iraqi forces.

That was an apparent reference to two air strikes last month on hospitals in eastern Mosul, one where Iraqi forces were under attack and another which the U.S. military said had targeted militants sitting in a van. At least one of the strikes may have caused civilian casualties.

After Monday's attacks U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirkby reaffirmed Washington's commitment to support Iraq.

"These vicious acts of mass murder are a sobering reminder of the need to continue coalition operations against Daesh and to eliminate the threat this terrorist group poses," he said, using the Arabic name for the group.

Monday's blast in Sadr City hit a busy square where day labourers typically gather. Islamic State said in an online statement it had targeted Shi'ite Muslims, whom it considers apostates. Sixty-seven people were wounded in the blast.

Nine of the victims were women in a passing minibus, whose charred bodies were visible inside the burnt-out remains of the vehicle. Blood stained the ground nearby.

A parked car bomb targeting a Sunni religious figure near a mosque in western Baghdad killed five people, and another blast close to a hospital in the centre killed one civilian and wounded nine, police and medical sources said.

In the southeastern Zaafraniya district, two more people were killed and seven wounded when a car bomb exploded. A bomb affixed to a vehicle in the eastern area of Baladiyat killed one person and wounded four.

A British soldier serving in the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State was killed, the defence ministry in London said in a statement, adding that it was "not as a result of enemy activity". The statement gave no details of the incident.

MOSUL

Since the drive to recapture Mosul began on Oct. 17, elite forces have retaken a quarter of the city in the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Abadi has said the group will be driven out of the country by April.

Clashes continued in and around Mosul on Monday. The counter-terrorism service (CTS) blew up several Islamic State car bombs before they reached their targets, and linked up with the Rapid Response forces, an elite Interior Ministry unit, said spokesman Sabah al-Numani.

CTS was also clearing North Karama district of remaining militants, the fourth area the unit has retaken in Mosul during the past week, he said.
North Korea's claim on ICBM test plausible - experts

By James Pearson

SEOUL, Jan 2 (Reuters) - North Korea has been working through 2016 on developing components for an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), making the isolated nation's claim that it was close to a test-launch plausible, international weapons experts said on Monday.

North Korea has been testing rocket engines and heat-shields for an ICBM while developing the technology to guide a missile after re-entry into the atmosphere following a lift-off, the experts said.

While Pyongyang is close to a test, it is likely to take some years to perfect the weapon.

Once fully developed, a North Korean ICBM could threaten the continental United States, which is around 9,000 km (5,500 miles) from the North. ICBMs have a minimum range of about 5,500 km (3,400 miles), but some are designed to travel 10,000 km (6,200 miles) or further.

North Korea's state media regularly threatens the United States with a nuclear strike, but before 2016 Pyongyang had been assumed to be a long way from being capable of doing so.

"The bottom line is Pyongyang is much further along in their missile development than most people realise," said Melissa Hanham, a senior research associate at the U.S.-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California.

She said the North's test in April of a large liquid-fuel engine that could propel an ICBM was a major development.

"The liquid engine test was astounding," Hanham said.

"For years, we knew that North Korea had a Soviet R-27 missile engine design. They re-engineered the design of that engine to double its propulsion".

North Korea has said it is capable of mounting a nuclear warhead on a ballistic missile but it claims to be able to miniaturise a nuclear device have never been independently verified.

The isolated nation has achieved this progress despite U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions for its nuclear tests and long-range rocket launches dating back to 2006. The sanctions ban arms trade and money flows that can fund the country's arms programme.

North Korea has enough uranium for six bombs a year and much of what it needs for its nuclear and missile programmes relies on Soviet-era design and technology. Labour is virtually free.

It can produce much of its missile parts domestically and invested heavily in its missile development infrastructure last year, funded by small arms sales and by taxing wealthy traders in its unofficial market economy.

PROPAGANDA OFFENSIVE

Throughout the year, North Korean state media showed images of numerous missile component tests, some of which revealed close-up details of engines and heat shields designed to protect a rocket upon re-entry into the earth's atmosphere.

The propaganda offensive may have revealed some military secrets, but it may have also been a bid to silence outside analysts, many of whom had remained sceptical of the North's missile programme.

"They're answering the public criticisms of U.S. experts," said Joshua Pollack, editor of the U.S.-based Nonproliferation Review. "A lot of people had questioned whether they had a working ICBM-class heat shield".

"So they showed us".

Despite the research, Pyongyang has experienced considerable difficulties getting its intermediate-range Musudan missile, designed to fly about 3,000 km (1,860 miles), off the ground. It succeeded just once in eight attempted launches last year.

North Korea has fired long-range rockets in the past, but has characterised those launches as peaceful and designed to put an object into space.

Still, the South Korean defence ministry believes the three-stage Kwangmyongsong rocket used by Pyongyang to put a satellite in space last February already has a potential range of 12,000 km (7,457 miles), if it were re-engineered.

Doing so would require mastering safer "cold-launch" technology, and perfecting the ability of a rocket to re-enter the earth's atmosphere without breaking up.

"North Korea is working hard to develop cold-launch technology and atmospheric re-entry but South Korea and the U.S. will have to assess further exactly which level of development they have reached," South Korean defence ministry official Roh Jae-cheon told a briefing on Monday.

North Korea began stepping up its missile development in March 2016, Roh said, but added that there were no "unusual signs" related to test preparations, according to the South Korean military.

That same month, Kim Jong Un was photographed looking at a small, ball-like object that North Korean state news agency KCNA said was a miniaturised nuclear warhead - the device North Korea would need to fulfil its ICBM threat.

"2016 marked the year North Korea truly ramped up their WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) programme," Hanham at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey said.
At least 50 killed in Brazil prison riot - Globo

BRASILIA, Jan 2 (Reuters) - At least 50 people have been killed in a bloody prison riot in the Amazon jungle city of Manaus, a Brazilian security official told the Globo TV network on Monday.

Sergio Fontes, the head of security for Amazonas state, told Globo he fears that more dead will be found as authorities get a clearer idea of the extent of the rebellion that began late on Sunday, sparked by a fight between rival drug gangs.
MIDEAST STOCKS-Gulf mixed, Oman falls after budget; Egypt edges down

By Andrew Torchia

DUBAI, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Gulf stock markets were mixed on Monday as most reopened after the New Year, with Oman falling after the release of an austere state budget for 2017. Egypt edged down although foreign investors remained net buyers of stocks.

Dubai's index rose 0.2 percent as much activity focused on speculative stocks with prices below 1 dirham. Islamic Arab Insurance, the most heavily traded stock, rocketed 15 percent in its largest volume since April.

Abu Dhabi fell 0.3 percent, partly due to a 7.6 percent slide in Abu Dhabi National Energy.

Qatar edged down 0.1 percent. Islamic bank Masraf Al Rayan dropped that much after saying it would suspend its brokerage business, Al Rayan Financial Brokerage Co. It said the brokerage's paid-up capital represented just 0.06 percent of the bank's total assets.

Saudi Arabia's index ended 0.1 percent higher but 0.7 percent off its intra-day peak, with petrochemicals lagging slightly. Travel agency Al Tayyar, which had climbed 7.4 percent on Sunday in unusually heavy trade, fell back 1.3 percent.

Oman dropped 0.8 percent after the government released a 2017 budget plan on Sunday that projected a smaller deficit but included fresh austerity steps and tight curbs on spending because of low oil prices.

Oman Telecommunications lost 2.1 percent after tumbling 4.3 percent on Sunday in response to an increase in the royalty that it must pay the government. Rival Ooredoo Oman fell 2.0 percent after plunging 7.9 percent on Sunday.

Bahrain listed its first sharia-compliant retail real estate investment trust, Eskan Bank Realty Income Trust. The REIT rose 7 percent in very thin trade.

In Egypt, the index pulled back 0.4 percent but exchange data showed non-Arab foreign investors remained net buyers of stocks by a small margin, continuing a streak that began with the floating of the Egyptian pound on Nov. 3.

Investment firm Qalaa Holdings was the most heavily traded stock, shooting up 9.7 percent to 1.13 pounds in its largest daily volume since it listed in late 2009.

The stock has been in a downtrend for several years from a peak of 5.45 pounds in 2014, but it may now be reversing that trend. Its surge in the past two days triggered a reverse head & shoulders pattern formed by the highs and lows since June and pointing up to around 1.40 pounds.

MONDAY'S HIGHLIGHTS

SAUDI ARABIA

* The index edged up 0.1 percent to 7,247 points.

DUBAI

* The index rose 0.2 percent to 3,539 points.

ABU DHABI

* The index fell 0.3 percent to 4,534 points.

QATAR

* The index edged down 0.1 percent to 10,429 points.

EGYPT

* The index fell 0.4 percent to 12,291 points.

KUWAIT

* The index added 0.5 percent to 5,775 points.

OMAN

* The index dropped 0.8 percent to 5,700 points.

BAHRAIN

* The index edged down 0.1 percent to 1,220 points.
Gambian authorities shut three radio stations amid post-election crisis

By Edward McAllister

DAKAR, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Gambian security agents closed three private radio stations near the capital, Banjul, amid an escalating political crisis triggered by President Yahya Jammeh's refusal to accept his election defeat.

Jammeh, who seized power in a 1994 coup, initially conceded defeat to opposition rival Adama Barrow in the Dec. 1 vote, but then called for a fresh poll, drawing condemnation from local opponents and foreign powers.

The veteran leaders' refusal to step down has opened up the possibility of a military intervention by West African forces after the ECOWAS body said it was putting military forces on alert. Jammeh called that a "declaration of war".

Emil Touray, head of the Gambia Press Union, said Teranga FM and Hilltop Radio were closed on Sunday, while an employee at Afri Radio, owned by Gambian phone company Africell, said its headquarters was shut down by four intelligence agents and a police officer on the same day.

A government spokesman initially said he could not confirm the closures and later did not answer his phone. Touray said he had no further details.

It was not immediately clear why the stations were targeted by Jammeh. The authorities may have taken aim at Afri Radio because the station announced details of Barrow's inauguration, planned for Jan. 19, the Afri Radio journalist said.

The media has come under regular attack during Jammeh's 22-year authoritarian rule, rights campaigners say, and he has often tried to control communications in the tiny country of 1.8 million. The internet was cut during election day, as were international phone calls.

Teranga FM, popular for its review of newspapers in the local wolof and mandinka languages, has been closed four times in recent years.

The station's managing director Alagie Ceesay was arrested in July, 2015, and charged with sedition. He was hospitalized twice in early 2016 while still in detention, Amnesty International said, and later fled to neighbouring Senegal.

"It is a slap in the face of the country's democratic process," said Touray. "People will not have access to information in this critical period of our history."
Pope tells bishops to have zero tolerance for sexual abuse

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Pope Francis has told bishops around the world they must adhere to a policy of zero tolerance for clergy who sexually abuse children and begged forgiveness for "a sin that shames us".

In a letter sent on Dec. 28 but released by the Vatican only on Monday, Francis said: "I would like us to renew our complete commitment to ensuring that these atrocities will no longer take place in our midst."

Since his election in 2013, Francis has taken some steps to root out sexual abuse in the Church and to put in place practices to protect children. But victims' groups say he has not done enough, particularly to hold to account bishops who tolerated sexual abuse or covered it up.

"(The Church) recognises the sins of some of her members: the sufferings, the experiences and the pain of minors who were abused sexually by priests. It is a sin that shames us," Francis wrote in the letter.

"I would like us to renew our complete commitment to ensuring that these atrocities will no longer take place in our midst. Let us find the courage needed to take all necessary measures and to protect in every way the lives of our children, so that such crimes may never be repeated. In this area, let us adhere, clearly and faithfully, to 'zero tolerance'," he said.

The comments, included in a letter about the plight of vulnerable children in general, were some of his most comprehensive on abuse.

Anne Barrett-Doyle, founder of the U.S.-based research and monitoring group BishopAccountablity.org, said in an email that the pope's words were little more than rhetoric.

"This pope keeps proclaiming zero tolerance but doesn't enact it. He knows full well that Church law contains no zero tolerance provision. Zero tolerance is mere rhetoric. The sad fact is that the Church still has not changed its system to make zero tolerance a binding reality," she said.

She said that while it existed in the United States, it is "still optional in the global Catholic Church".

Francis, who has met victims of sexual abuse several times, both in the Vatican and on some of his foreign trips, said: "We join in the pain of the victims and weep for this sin - the sin of what happened, the sin of failing to help, the sin of covering up and denial, the sin of the abuse of power."

In 2015, Francis ordered the trial and defrocking of a Polish archbishop accused of paying for sex with minors in the Dominican Republic.

The year before, he set up a Vatican commission, including some victims, to advise local Churches on how to prevent abuse. But some members have complained about the slow pace of change in the Vatican.

Francis also approved the establishment of a Vatican tribunal to judge bishops accused of covering up sexual abuse or failing to prevent it, but the proposal has so far stalled.
Trump leaning toward Georgia ex-gov for agriculture head -official

WASHINGTON, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue is U.S. Republican President-elect Donald Trump's leading candidate to run the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a senior Trump transition team official said on Monday.

Perdue, a Democrat-turned-Republican who founded a grain and fertilizer business, served on Trump's agricultural advisory committee during his presidential campaign.

The official gave no other details about Trump's choice for agriculture secretary, one of the few remaining posts Trump has to fill as he assumes the White House on Jan. 20.

The appointment must be approved by the Republican-led U.S. Senate.

Perdue, 70, led the southern U.S. state for two terms as governor from 2003 to 2011 after previously representing a rural swath of central Georgia about 100 miles south of Atlanta in the state Senate.

Elected in 2002, he became the state's first Republican since 1871, according to the National Governors Association.

After finishing his second term as governor, Perdue founded Perdue Partners, a global trading firm that consults and provides services for companies looking to export products.

Trump had been meeting with a number of other possible candidates for U.S. agriculture secretary, including Elsa Murano, undersecretary of agriculture for food safety under President George W. Bush, and Chuck Conner, head of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives.

He has also met with Abel Maldonado, former lieutenant governor of California and co-owner of Runway Vineyards; Tim Huelskamp, Republican U.S. representative from Kansas; and Sid Miller, Texas agriculture commissioner.
The sale of state-owned investments continued last week, with Overseas Realty Ceylon PLC (ORCL) acquiring the remaining shares of its subsidiary Mireka Capital Land (Pvt) limited from state-run Bank of Ceylon for Rs.3.88 billion.

The transaction has resulted in ORCL owning 100 percent of the shares of Mireka Capital Land. Bank of Ceylon is yet to update its website, which still states that it owns 40 percent of the shares of Mireka Capital Land.

Last month, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe intervened to reverse a deal where Bank of Ceylon had sold shares of Seylan Bank to a Japanese investor for Rs. 1.3 billion.

ORCL, which owns and operates the World Trade Centres, is controlled by Singaporean investors.

Havelock City project, which envisions having eight residential towers and a tower of mixed-development is located on the land owned by Mireka Capital. Two of the residential towers were launched recently while four are already sold out. The mixed development project broke ground recently.

(CW)
It was like a punch in the stomach. Disappointment, sadness, loneliness, fear and insomnia hit thousands of people on June 24, the morning after the UK voted to leave the European Union . Maria Luisa Llorente, Mayte Bujalance, Nacho Romero and Luz Villarrubia were especially worried, four of the approximately 200,000 Spaniards residing in the United Kingdom. They say that after the Brexit vote, they felt as though their neighbors had turned their backs on them, and that their future in the UK was now under questio n .

Maria-Luisa Llorente, Luz Villarrubia (on laptop), Nacho Romero and Maite Bujalance (on laptop). Lionel Derimais

The way to cope with the anxiety is to do something, says Villarrubia, 47, a psychotherapist in Brighton and who has lived in the UK for more than half her life. Weve charged out, like bulls from the pen, to find the voice that we didnt have before.

Like many of the three million EU citizens who live in the United Kingdom, after Brexit, she began looking on the internet in search of answers. Eventually, she helped create a Facebook group Espanoles en Reino Unido - Surviving Brexit. Today, it has nearly 1,000 members.

I dont know if Ill end up leaving, but I want to be the one who decides Romero, who has lived in London since 1988

The group allows members to share their experiences, concerns and solutions to common problems. From the moment that it was created, its members wanted to open a dialogue with the Spanish government, through the Spanish Embassy in London.

Llorente, one of the groups developers, is a Spanish citizen, but grew up in Venezuela before moving to London. She wanted the same diplomatic support that she remembers receiving in Venezuela.

The group sent a letter to Federico Trillo, Spains ambassador to the UK, with a number of concerns. On December 8, the ambassador and a team of experts received 25 members of the Facebook group to discuss those concerns. The embassy promised to help them. Those who attended said the meeting was positive.

Romero, a 52-year-old lecturer in neuroscience, has lived in the capital since 1988 and considers himself lucky because he is in the process of obtaining British nationality.

The Facebook group allows members to share their solutions to common problems

Besides wanting security, the reason Im trying to get nationality is because after living here for 28 years I feel like I dont have a voice or a vote about many of the issues that directly affect me and my family: my husband Kevin and Lola, my cat, he explains.

Its a shock to feel like youve been rejected in the country that you consider your home, Romero says. Its strange how all of a sudden you become the focus of political conversations. We have been dehumanized; theyve turned us into bargaining chips.

Llorentes case is more complicated. She has lived in the UK for 16 years, is married to a British national originally from India, and has a child with a British passport. Two years ago her parents moved to England from Venezuela to be closer to her. They are Spanish nationals.

Although I have a Spanish passport, my links to that country are basically nonexistent. I dont have anywhere to go back to, and no one can guarantee us that we can stay here, she explains.

Bujalance, 41, is a Spanish teacher, and has been in England for eight years. She faces the same obstacle as Llorente and many others  to get permanent residency, she needs to demonstrate she has worked for five years without interruption.

I stopped working to take care of my kids and although I went back to work after, I cant get my permanent residency, she says.

Uncertainty has become the norm following the Brexit vote. Given that there are no precedents, the only thing politicians know for sure is that negotiations will be long and complex. As one minister admitted, Europeans residing in the UK are one of the countrys main bargaining chips.

The Spanish embassy in London has promised to help its citizens in the UK

I made it clear to the other EU leaders that it remains my objective to give reassurance early on in the negotiations to EU citizens living in the UK and UK citizens living in EU countries that their right to stay where they have made their homes will be protected by our withdrawal, said British Prime Minister Theresa May in parliament on December 19.

Brexit negotiations have not yet begun, and politicians have backtracked on many statements they have made regarding the process, sometimes within a matter of days.

Im beginning to feel uneasy about speaking with my accent, says Romero. When we have to ask someone something in the street, Im surprised to find myself asking my British husband to ask so I dont have to.

This wont affect some of the Europeans who live here so much, explains Villarrubia. But for many of them, those of us who have more to lose, it causes a lot of anxiety. When you have so much invested, the conversations become less banal. I dont know if Ill end up leaving, but I want to be the one who decides. I dont want to say that I was forced to go to Spain because the British people went crazy.

English version by Alyssa McMurtry.
The government has found it impossible to acquire 15,000 acres of land at once in Hambantota or in the adjoining Districts for Chinese investments, it is learnt.

Initially, the Government planned to acquire 9000 acres from the Hambantota District for the port integrated industrial zones, and another 6,000 acres from the Moneragala and other districts.

However, the government now found it practically difficult to acquire such a large extent of land for the projects, officials said.

Land survey work has also been stopped as a result.

The government initially planned to sign an agreement on January 7 with China Merchants Company to hand over an 80 percent stake of the Hambantota Port to it for development.

It reportedly hangs in the balance now due to differences of opinion among government leaders on the model for sharing equity between the Chinese company and the government.

The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), it is learnt, is opposed to hand over an 80 percent stake. It proposed a percentage less than that for sharing equity, sources said. (Kelum Bandara)
While claiming that 2017 would not be a prosperous year, Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) today charged the government had already planned to make 2017 the Year of Betrayal.

Addressing a media briefing, PHU General Secretary MP Udaya Gammanpila said the people would have to face an unfortunate circumstance during this year with several actions of the government.

As the first step of the Year of Betrayal agenda, the government is willing to pass the new Constitution which is biased towards the Tamil separatism and Federalism. It would completely devastate the sovereignty of the country, he said.

He said the second move of the government was to sign the ECTA (Economic and Technology Agreement) between Sri Lanka and India in March. He said it would risk the stability of all occupations in the country.

He said the government had also planned to sell many of the national assets to foreign forces during this year.

The government has planned to sell off 80 per cent of the Hambantota Harbour to a Chinese company while oil tank farms in Trincomalee to be sold out to India.  he said.

He also alleged the government had planned to sell the Eastern Terminal of the Colombo Harbour to the United States of America this year as another move of the governments Year of Betrayal agenda.

With the dawn of the new year, we all wish to receive the best. But hopelessly it would not be applicable during this year. In 2017, we all have to act selflessly and make commitments in order to save the country from the misery, he said. (Kalathma Jayawardhane)
With the local government polls round the corner, most prominent politicos have stopped gallivanting here and abroad and are back at the grass-roots to gear up their party machinery.



This young ambitious Blue party politico from the Kurunegala district the other day set about holding a meeting of the partys Bala-Mandalaya in his constituency with much fanfare to impress his leaders. And soon he learnt to his horror that almost all party activists in the area had hitched their allegiance to the Pohottuwa and had decided to boycott the event.



However, he could not call off the event without losing face. So he hit upon a bright idea  to make a request to employees of all co-operatives in the area to attend the Bala-mandalaya meeting holding out the promise of valuable gifts to all would-be attendees.



Some 300 employees had reportedly attended the meeting, most of them eager to receive a valuable gift package. However, they had received only a T-shirt each at the conclusion of the meeting, they say.
Minister of Local Governments and Provincial Councils Faiszer Mustapha has refused to accept the Delimitation Report as it was not signed by two Committee members.

Pix by Pradeep Pathirana
Minuki Group of Companies are pioneers of trusted total solution providers with the noble and diligent service to the footwear industry in Sri Lanka, was presented the National Silver Award by President Mithripala Sirisena at the SLCSMI Industrial Excellence Awards  2016 organized by the Sri Lanka Chamber of Small & Medium Industries.

Also G. Mahendra Perera, Managing Director of Minuki Group of Companies won the National Bronze Award and the Provincial Bronze Award at the Sri Lankan Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 (large category) organized by the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka. Also a sister company of the Minuki Group, Selakta International (Pvt) Ltd emerged as the winners in Bronze award at Footwear & Leather sector at the Export Awards  2016 organized by the National Chamber of Exporters Sri Lanka. Minuki Group of Companies is leading raw materials & machinery suppliers for the footwear industry in Sri Lanka and manufacturers of the quality footwear & footwear components for the export market. Four companies engaged with the Minuki Group. Selakta International (Pvt) Ltd is a BOI-approved company that Export Footwear & Footwear component to Australia, Denmark, United Estate and United Arab Emirates. Kalro International (Pvt) Limited was established under the guidance of Ministry of Industry to meet with the gap of high quality footwear outsoles in Footwear Industry in Sri Lanka. Minuki Trading Co., (Pvt) Ltd imports and supplies high quality footwear raw materials & accessories for the large, medium & small scale industries with the strong island wide distribution network. Shoe Fashion (Pvt) Ltd, is a large format Retail outlet with ultramodern facilities for its customers where they can enjoy a real family shopping experience under comfort in a five-storey showroom located in Kalutara town.

The Chairman of the Minuki Group, Mahendra Perera believes that the companys vision of supplying the modern footwear and accessories for the local and foreign customers by identifying their requirements. He wishes to extend his gratitude with thanks for all the stake holders, customers and staff for their contribution to this success and victory. Also The management of the group and he wishes all Sri Lankans a joyful and prosperous new year 2017 that will be fruitful for them and the group both.
Chitra is a language teacher at the high school near her home. She is well loved by her students. But, her class room is different  it is brightly lit, all the time. Chitra is only able to see in bright light. Despite this seeing difficulty (see definition of a person with a difficulty in Box) she has studied well and obtained a degree.

The principal in the school she is now teaching was able to recognize her talents and was willing to provide a brightly lit class room for her, so she will be able to overcome her difficulty. But all persons with difficulties are not as fortunate.

According to the Census of Population and Housing (2012), 1,617,924 million (or 87 per every 1000persons aged five and above population in the country) have either partial or full difficulties in seeing, hearing, walking, cognition, self-care or communication. Amongst the different types of difficulties, the most prevalent difficulty is in seeing. For every 1000 persons, 54 persons have difficulties in seeing. Other difficulties (in order of prevalence) are: walking (39 per 1000 population), hearing (21 per 1000 population), cognition (18 per 1000 population), self-care (11 per 1000 population) and communication (10 per 1000 population).



Sri Lanka recognizes that every person has a right to earn a living, this include persons with difficulties.Several policies and legislation to support persons with disabilities have been enacted or adapted in the last 25 years. These include: a) the Rehabilitation of the Visually Handicapped Trust Fund, Act No.9 of 1992; b); Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, No.28 of 1996; and, c) the National Policy on Disability for Sri Lanka of 2003.

However, the share of population economically active (i.e., either employed or unemployed) was much less for those with difficulties, compared to those without difficulties. This indicates that the labour market for persons with difficulties is not as favourableas that for persons without difficulties (see Figure 1).It is noteworthy that the unemployment rate (the unemployed as a percent of those employed or available for work) was lower for persons with difficulties, compared to persons without difficulties. This is not unusual; when it is difficult to find work, people stop looking for work or give up hoping to work . Even the persons with difficulties were more likely to be in vulnerable employment (i.e., either unpaid family workers or own account workers, who usually do not benefit from social security provisions enjoyed by persons working in the formal sector). As shown in Figure 2, close to half (46 percent) of persons with difficulties were own account workers and a larger proportion of them were unpaid family workers. Access to government employment was also less for persons with difficulties.

Policy recommendations

Given that the proportion of persons aged five and above population experiencing a difficulty is notable, it is prudent to strengthen policies to improve labour market participation of persons with difficulties.

Sri Lanka considers employment is a right for all. The current initiatives by the government to train and assist persons with difficulties to obtain employment can be improved further. Possible policies for improving labour force participation of those with difficulties could include, affirmative action to facilitate employment opportunities for persons with difficulties, assistance to firms to modify their work spaces to accommodate persons with difficulties, formal recognition of firms employing persons with difficulties, tax concessions for employing persons with difficulties.

Inclusion of persons with difficulties in employment can start with the public sector. The results show that the public sector can do more to provide employment to persons with difficulties. The share of persons with difficulties employed in the public sector was less than for persons without difficulties.

(Dr. Nisha Arunatilake is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka)

Who is a person with difficulties?



Any person who, as a result of any deficiency in his physical or mental capabilities, whether congenital or not, is unable by himself to ensure for himself, wholly or partly, the necessities of life is defined to be a person with difficulties in Sri Lanka.

-Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act No. 28 of 1996
President Maithripala Sirisena hails from the North Central Province. He is an agriculturist by vocation. He joined mainstream politics in 1989 as an MP and has held several ministries since 1994. He was General-Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and Health Minister until November 2014 when he announced his candidacy for the 2015 presidential election.

After being sworn in, Sirisena stated that he would only serve one term. On April 28, 2015, Sirisena voluntarily transferred significant presidential powers to parliament unlike any other president before. Sirisenas simplicity has certainly won the support of many people and put all the politicians in the country under pressure to follow his example. Unlike most of his ministers, he himself takes his phone calls and returns his calls. Leo Tolstoy once said, There is no greatness where there is no simplicity. Maithri is certainly a humble man with a very strong resolve, a very refreshing change for the country. Two years into his term, while democracy has got strengthened, there has hardly been any meaningful reform. His third year in office commences with strong evidence of the president getting ready to play a bigger role in the government and will no longer allow political scoundrels past and present to cut deals with the government to abscond their place at Welikada.

To the vast majority in the country, his government often sounds very offhandish and removed from reality. Therefore, the president needs to act fast to consolidate the goodwill he has earned and his mission from now on should be to get the right people on board and create a culture of discipline for his government to deliver. Because trust and respect for him and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe are key to push through the reform agenda they both promised in January 2015.

Move into 2017

Therefore, as we move into 2017, the future of Sri Lankas economic health will largely depend on political stability, technocratic efficiency, return to genuine peace, good governance and continued policy reforms  particularly in the area of fiscal discipline and management. The 30-year conflict and high government expenditure had contributed to Sri Lankas high public debt load  86 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2013 and 75 percent in 2015. Sri Lanka from now on would need an economic growth rate of around 7 percent to 8 percent and investment levels of about 30 percent of GDP for a sustainable reduction in poverty. In the past 10 years, investment levels have averaged around 25 percent of GDP. Sri Lanka depends on a strong global economy for investment and for expansion of its export base and the global slowdown has proved to be detrimental to economic growth.

Sri Lankas exports to the European Union (EU) increased sharply between 2006 and 2008 under the EU GSP Plus market access programme, granted in 2005 to help Sri Lanka rebuild after the 2004 tsunami. However, after a protracted review process, the EU decided in February 2010 to withdraw the GSP Plus market access benefit due to Sri Lankas alleged poor human rights record.

GSP Plus had allowed for the duty-free export of Sri Lankan goods into European markets. Sri Lankan exporters have however improved their productivity and remained competitive. But certainly the improvement in the EU-Sri Lanka relations has helped to strengthen trade between the EU and Sri Lanka. However, there is no dispute that Sri Lanka needs to strengthen the countrys economic links with the Asian and Middle East countries in general and fast growing large economies such as India and China.

Foreign assistance

Sri Lankas exports, mainly apparel, tea, rubber and jewellery, were around US $ 10 billion and imports (mainly oil, textiles, food and machinery) were around US $ 18 billion for 2015 and expected to be in excess of that in 2016. The resulting large trade deficit was financed primarily by remittances from Sri Lankan expatriate workers, tourism, foreign assistance and commercial borrowing. Sri Lanka must diversify its exports beyond garments and tea. Garment exports face increased competition since the expiration of the worldwide Multi-Fibre Arrangement.

The tea industry is challenged by a shortage of plantation workers and by growing competition, not to mention the constant political pressure to increase wages in a sector where we are at the mercy of international market forces. Sri Lanka is a large recipient of foreign assistance, with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank, Japan and other donors disbursing loans.

China has also become a major lender for infrastructure projects, such as a new port, roads and power plants and also with the proposed new investments in Hambantota. Therefore, Sri Lankas dependence on foreign assistance and support would continue and that would depend to some extent on how the government continues to manage the political reconciliation in the country and its ability to balance global powers.

Political reconciliation

However, for the government of Sri Lanka, there is the challenge of resettlement and reconciliation. But neither of these can be seen in just the political context or in the limited framing of ethnic harmony. They are both related to a process of democratization, a political settlement and also good governance. On the other hand, good governance is not an abstract principle but a practice. The proposed constitutional reforms will not be endorsed by an electorate that is deeply sceptical of its leaders.

During the decades of war, the problem in Sri Lanka was construed as an ethnic problem. Indeed the political problems of Lanka cannot be limited to one of ethnicity. The most serious challenge in Sri Lanka has been a problem of democratization. Social exclusion also follows a lack of a balanced democracy. Democratization needs to distance itself from excesses of power and authoritarianism and the need is for liberal democracy in Sri Lanka.

A process of political reconciliation centred on democratization would have to involve reforming the state through a new constitution that allows for the devolution of power to the regions with power sharing at the centre. It would have to advance the devolution debate in ways to address class, caste, gender and the rural-urban divide.

There needs to be substantive demilitarization involving not only demobilization and reduction of the size of the military. This is not easy to accomplish and strategies have to be planned for absorbing the demobbed forces into civil society through adult education programmes as well as skills training. Thus, political reconciliation cannot just be about humanitarian issues and ethnic harmony, nor can it be limited to a narrow vision of reconstruction and economic development. Rather it has to take seriously the challenges of democratization and a political settlement.

Such political reconciliation will not be possible without constructive debate and the free expression of opinion that challenges the Sri Lankan state and the ruling regime and the implementation of our national plans, that openness and engagement could make Sirisena even more popular in the electorate. In this backdrop, the president must engage and understand the problems of the underprivileged and promote political reconciliation and help all communities to work together as one nation to ensure that as a country we can realize our full potential. The opportunity to do that is now.

(Dinesh Weerakkody is a

thought leader)
Former Deputy Minister of Fisheries, Sarath Kumara Gunaratne was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) a short while ago for the alleged misappropriation of Rs. 12 million.

Gunaratne was arrested on charges of misusing funds allocated for the development of the Negombo Lagoon during the previous regime.

Previously, Colombo Additional Magistrate Chandana Kulasuriya issued warrants against Guanaratne and five others in connection with the fraud.

However, the former deputy minister and four of the suspects did not reported to the CID on the appointed date. A supply manager at the Ceylon Fishery Harbours Corporation, one of the suspects, who came forward to record a statement was arrested by the CID.

Police said the remaining suspects had surrendered to court last month and had been granted bail along with the supply manager. However, the former minister had not responded to the warrants on either occasion.

The former deputy minister was also arrested in connection with an accident in which an individual was killed in 2002.(Darshana Sanjeewa)
Former deputy minister Sarath Kumara Gunaratne, arrested by the CID on charges of misappropriating Rs.12 million belonging the Negombo Fisheries Harbour Corporation, was today remanded till January 9 by Colombo Chief Magistrate Lal Bandara.

The CID had produced four suspects in court on the instructions of the Attorney General and that Mr. Gunaratne was the fifth suspect arrested in connection with the allegations with one more to be taken into custody.

Counsel Sampath Mendis appearing for Mr. Gunaratne requested bail for his client under exceptional circumstances considering the health condition of the suspect and his wife.

He said the report filed in court by the CID was erroneous and bad in law on the basis that the offence committed by the suspect had not been clearly stated.

The Chief Magistrate fixed the case for January 9 to consider bail for the suspect.

Earlier, four suspects -- former chairman Upali Chaminda, accountant Lakmini Munidasa, deputy general manager Piyal Abeysekera and deputy general manager Chaminda Palpita were released on bail under exceptional circumstances. (Shehan Chamika)

Video bvy Courts Prasanna





Pix by Lahiru Harshana
An influential shipping industry body recently said delays in the construction and operations of the East Container Terminal (ECT) of the Colombo Port may result in investors and container volumes shifting to regional ports.

Delay in the construction and operation of the Eat Container Terminal may result existing bidders dropping their decision to invest in Sri Lanka and to invest in other regional ports. This will result in container volumes shifting to regional ports along with the consortium volumes, Ceylon Association of Shipping Agents (CASA) said in a statement.

CASA also noted that the sudden changing of terms and conditions of the bidding process after the bids were closed will drive away investors.

Investors will think twice for future SLPA (Sri Lanka Ports Authority)/government driven projects in the port sector. This will severely affect the confidence of investors in investing in Sri Lanka, CASA statement said.

It has been three months since the closing of the bids for submitting expression of interests (EOIs) for ECT and no decision has still been taken by the Cabinet Appointed Negotiating Committee (CANC) and the government.

CASA reliably understands that the government is trying to introduce new conditions after the EOI bids have been closed, which totally contradicts the initial conditions. These new conditions will eliminate all or most of the bidders, which defeats the transparency and good governance processes. CASA statement noted.

The industry body stressed that if Sri Lanka is serious about maintaining its transshipment shipping hub status and expanding its position to be the regional maritime hub, its paramount to expedite ECT project in a transparent manner.

While highlighting the future capacity issues that could soon be experienced by the Colombo Port, CASA said that unless swift actions were taken, the traffic would be attracted by new regional ports who would offer discounted prices.

Development of regional ports with modern facilities will create major competition for the Port of Colombo in that these ports are going to attract vessels to call directly there. This will affect the transshipment volumes at the Port of Colombo as well as affect vessel calls at Colombo.

New regional ports will offer early bird/special discounts to attract volumes. Once volumes moved from Colombo to regional ports it is very difficult to bring back the same as lines would enter into long term partnerships with respective terminals of regional ports, CASA noted.

The forecast for the container volume throughput at the Colombo port for 2016 is approximately 5.6 million TEUs. The total capacity of the port is approximately 7.2 million TEUs. According to CASA the signs of the capacity tightening are already starting to show as seen in the daily operational issues of the Colombo Port.

The SLPA and South Asia Gateway Terminal (SAGT) have draft limitations and are only capable of handling vessels having drafts which are less than14.25 metres. Colombo Port has only one deep draft terminal namely Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT) with a depth of 18 metres and capacity of 2.4 million TEUs. The CICTs berth occupancy rate is approximately 65 percent (weekly) and it will further increase with the arrival of the ultra large vessels after April 2017.

Colombo Port deep draft terminal is unable to berth three 400 metre vessels, if 3 vessels arrive on the same day as their berth length is 1200 metres. This is a huge negative factor for major international shipping lines when considering if it is to move services to Colombo and considering using Colombo as a transshipment hub. The daily operating cost of an ultra large vessel is over US$ 50,000 and keeping vessels waiting for a berth is not an attractive option for shipping lines.
After a political stalemate that lasted nearly a year, the vote that saw Mariano Rajoy reinstated as primer minister put an end to the upheaval  but now that the dust has settled, the scenario that emerges suggests there is still a lot of work ahead for Spains political parties. After two general elections and months of fruitless talks aimed at building governing coalitions, one political house lies in ruins, two more have just barely been built, and a fourth appears untouched from the outside, yet urgently needs to improve its foundations and internal structure.

Spanish Congress in session. Uly Martin

If 2016 was an electoral rollercoaster, 2017 is the year when all four major parties will have to weigh their respective forces at the parliamentary, territorial and social level and decide what they want their own future to look like.

EL PAIS has spoken to four experts who are familiar with the issues in play yet detached from day-to-day politics, to find out what major challenges the Popular Party (PP), Socialist Party (PSOE), Podemos and Ciudadanos will face this year.

Popular Party

The PP has the advantage of being in government, which is a much more comfortable position to do politics from, notes Gabriel Elorriaga, a former congressman and communications official for the conservative party. But being in a minority position, there are new complexities: by reaching deals, you must make decisions that do not represent your preferences.

Elorriaga says that after losing a significant chunk of voters at the last elections, the PP has an urgent task ahead: becoming attractive once again to an active, middle-aged voter who feels very hurt by the crisis  more in his or her expectations than in reality  and who does not feel well represented.

Socialist Party

Jose Maria Maravall wants the PSOE to focus on fighting poverty, not inequality. Uly Martin

Jose Maria Maravall, a former Socialist education minister, feels particularly irritated by the laziness he sees in politics  I want ideas without people, and all I see are people without ideas  and most notably among social democrats.

Go jogging, you havent had a workout in a long time, he advises his former party, which has been under a temporary management team ever since Pedro Sanchez resigned as secretary general in a protest move, and which is set to be leaderless for several months more.

Maravall says the PSOE should stop talking about equality for all, and focus instead on alleviating poverty.

Whats most important these days are the people at the bottom, those who have fallen into the poverty trap, he says. Its not the inequality of that great mass of people who find themselves just a fraction below average. Whats better, a massive tax collection that citizens would not tolerate in order to create a society of identical paper dolls  which is impossible anyway  or a reasonable increase in tax collection that will serve to allay poverty and guarantee the right to essential services?

Podemos

As for the leftist protest party Podemos, the challenge it faces now is rising to the promises it made when it rode a wave of public anger to secure a sizable spot inside Spanish Congress.

Just like Podemos came, they could go again if they are unable to spell out what it is they want to achieve

Law Professor Javier Perez Royo

Podemos filled a space, and that is its great success. The challenge now is filling that space with content, otherwise it runs the risk of disappearing, says Javier Perez Royo, a professor of constitutional law who nearly ran with Podemos in the general elections.

In the months prior to their surprise performance at the European elections (of May 2014), they were nothing. But just as they came, they could go again if they are unable to spell out what it is they want to achieve, he adds about a party where the two top officials, Pablo Iglesias and Inigo Errejon, are at odds over the next steps to take.

Ciudadanos

Ciudadanos, the other protest party to emerge from the economic crisis, is also facing the problem of living up to its campaign promises about a democratic overhaul of Spains political institutions.

The center does not exist, says Francesc Carreras, another professor of constitutional law. Ciudadanos can only define itself by contributing content. It needs to be a social-liberal party that stresses economic liberalism and equal opportunities for all.

English version by Susana Urra.
Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama, Sri Lankas Tell the President will be using a special IT app to enable citizens communicating with the Presidential Secretariat to track action taken on their requests through the ministries and departments of the Central government in Colombo, Coordinating Secretary to the President Shiral Lakthilaka told Express on Monday.

Any person with an android mobile phone can install a special app which will enable him to lodge a complaint or make a request to the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo on any matter in which governmental action is needed and track the progress of action on his request, Lakthilaka said.

SMSs will be sent to the person who had made the request, on the progress of his case. He will know which ministry, department or officer is handling it at any given point of time, he explained.

It is an all-Island project which will be inaugurated in Jaffna on January 4 by the President, he added.

As of now, the public send their requests for action by letter and there is no knowing as to where the letter is going and who or where it is being attended to. Often there is no response, even if the request comes from the Provincial Council, as the chairman of the Northern Provincial Council, CVK. Sivagnanam, put it.

We hope the new channel will make a difference, Sivagnanam said.

The inauguration of the new phone app facility is part of President Sirisenas plan to launch many development schemes throughout the island to mark the second anniversary of his assumption of office after winning the Presidential election on January 8, 2015.

While in Jaffna on January 4, the President will release more than a hundred acres of land which were seized during the war. On January 25, he will visit Mullaitivu district where he will attend to the needs of Tamil people who were directly affected by the last brutal phase of Eelam War IV. He will also visit the Eastern province and the Central Highlands to discuss the problems of plantation workers of Indian Origin.
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) said today it would contest the next elections in alliance with the parties in the joint opposition.

The overtures being made to us is a ploy to overcome challenges at the upcoming elections. We will not be duped for the second time. The clamour is for former president Mahinda Rajapaksa to lead the party at the elections, SLPP Chairman G.L. Peiris said.

He said the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) was an appendage of the United National Party (UNP) pointed out that the people would rally behind the new political party.

The SLPP made these comments in the wake of some SLFP ministers talking about the formation of a new government by uniting SLFP. (Kelum Bandara)
e are entering the New Year with many self-contradictions. In politics, at least one stands out. Consider this for instance: The government has mooted a plan for a super-minister who would lord over all others and provincial councils in affairs related to economic planning and foreign investment. The relevant bill which needed the approval of the nine provincial councils was voted down by nearly all of them during the past two weeks. In the meantime, the government is promising a new constitution this year, which would presumably offer the maximum possible devolution of powers to the provincial councils to address the minority demands for self-determination. This is not to say either premise is bad, but they are self-contradictory. They are driven by two wholly different thinking; the former is intended to address real practical economic concerns and prop up economic development; the latter is to assuage emotive, mainly Tamil concerns on an equally emotive concept of Tamil nationhood. As history has shown with devastating consequences, when these primordial demands are not fulfilled, it makes neither economic development, nor peaceful cohabitation feasible -- even when those demands are granted, there is no guarantee they would serve either objective.



However, the problem is not confined to the North alone. Take for instance the provincial councils in the rest of the country, of which the only practical purpose is to be a nursery for future national-level politicians, and even that is achieved by infusing the worst form of sycophancy into their grooming process. Even in the South, provincial councils can function even nominally only when the ruling party in the Central Government is also the ruling party of the provincial council. That is not to say there is a major consensus between the two on how the lives of the local electorate be bettered. That is not necessary because provincial councils provide none of that. But, when there is uniformity among those who rule the Centre and the provinces, at least the damage to the national policy can be avoided. Otherwise, provincial councils have the ability to obstruct the practical implementation of most national plans. (That explains the reluctance by successive governments to grant land powers to the provincial councils.)



Thus, when the UPFA was ruling both the government and provincial councils (sans the North), all of them meekly approved the controversial Divineguma Bill; Now the UNP is in power, the UPFA-ruled provincial councils rejected with a vengeance the bill for a Super-ministry, aka Development (Special Provisions) Bill. Though the government concedes that the Bill needs to be amended, it was not exactly the reason for its defeat. The simple logic is that the UPFA provincial councillors assume they are obliged to oppose any bill proposed by the UNP; there is no coherent logic other than divisive political approaches.



One good thing in Southern politics is this dichotomy between the Central Government and the provincial councils are short-lived for provincial council elections which generally follow the general elections tend to reflect the same political disposition as the one in the Central government. However, this time it is different due to ex-president Rajapaksas tampering with the elections process that would mean the provincial councils, unless dissolved prematurely or their members be bought over through the usual tactics, would remain a thorn in the side of the government.

The North is also different; if anything it is showing an ever stronger penchant to pique on the government and provoke the Southern electorate. The means deployed to reach that end so far are though silly are also divisive. It passed a resolution calling for a genocide probe, then a ban on construction of places of religious worship, ostensibly aimed at Buddhist statues, and now has passed a ban on bottled toddy from the South. When the space is opened for political participation, Northern Tamil politics has shown signs of return to divisive ethnic politics dating back to G.G. Ponnambalam. Each of those provocations in the past was reacted by the South with disproportionate force, leading to an escalation, finally ending at Nandikadal. Even in politics, a socialization effect should lead the politicians to act with a degree of uniformity and not to upset the apple cart of democratic process. That may explain why the JVP which waged two ruthless insurrections did not resort to a third after they joined parliamentary politics. However, those ethos in the North are different from the South, which is why Mr. Sampanthan or Mr. Sumanthiran speak in a voice different than Northern Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran. Similarly the metamorphosis of Mr. Wigneswaran within a matter of years from a respected Supreme Court Judge to a darling of the Eelam lobby suggests the socialization process in the northern politics is not the same as in the South.

"Devolution has...the feel good effect for good governance. However, for a country at a low or middle level of economic development, trade-offs would also be critical. "



The centralized State is the best form of state structure to facilitate and expedite economic development. There is plenty of empirical data, ranging from the East Asian and South East Asian newly industrial states, to small states such as Botswana to Pinochets Chile on the function between the centralized state and the state power and, by extension, its ability to achieve its economic goals. Even in China where the development is driven by provinces, though federal in the paper is controlled by an overwhelmingly hierarchical structure with a seven-member Communist Party Politburo Standing-Committee at its apex. The Party hierarchy decides who is appointed to govern the provinces and places an elaborate scheme of rewards and sanctions based on the performances of provincial officials.



India is now flaunted as a success of a quasi form of devolution. The limit of devolution in India was so important to its independent leaders that Nehru and others resigned to the fact of partition of India, preferring to a stronger central government, ruling out the demands by the Muslim League for a weaker centre with stronger provincial governments. Nehru himself argued that a stronger centre was mandatory for national development. However, even with the limits of devolution, Indias provinces for too long proved to be a case of abysmal economic growth. Now some provinces in India, including our neighbour Tamil Nadu are gearing for the economic take off in the country, however it took four decades of lost opportunities and a long process of socialization for Indias provinces to effectively take part in the development process. Still, most of them grow from a lower base, much lower than the per capita income of Vietnam, which also opened up its economy in the early 90s. It took India nearly seven decades to have a unified Goods and Services Tax for the whole country. The relevant act was passed only last year but not yet operational.



Devolution has an emotional appeal to minorities and the feel good effect for good governance. However, for a country at a low or middle level of economic development, trade-offs would also be critical. None of the pundits who conduct seminar after seminar on devolution tell how a future government would manage those contradictions. It is more likely than not, under an enhanced devolution of land power, a UNP government in the Centre would not secure land from a UPFA-controlled provincial council (or vice versa) to lease out to the Chinese-managed Export Zone in Hambantota. Politics in this country is divisive and it would not end with devolution of powers. People can hope for saner counsel to prevail and both entities of the state to act with the best intentions for the economic and social well-being of the country.



Social well-being itself is a lofty idea and is subject to interpretation; in a country as argumentative as ours we can debate till the cows come home and go home without reaching a conclusion what is actually good for the country. If that indecisiveness is empowered through a Constitution it would augur long term disaster. Constitution makers should think not just about the best of humanity, but also about worst case scenarios. If the worst happens, one day, they should make sure that the Centre prevails against all odds, because, failing that would be anarchy.



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Despite the visible effects of the Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project in the form of houses collapsing, land surfaces cracking, wells and brooks drying up, residents being displaced and losing their traditional livelihood, the budget 2017 promises to accelerate the completion of the project.

Accordingly, a staggering Rs.13,000 million has been allocated for the project alone, and it is envisioned that the task would not only provide the much needed water to farmer families, but also generate electricity and provide drinking water.

However, on Sunday, W.M. Kusumawathi, a resident of Bandarawela, told Daily Mirror that 20 houses had started collapsing in the area, 300m to the right from the tunnel. This includes well-constructed houses worth Rs. 8,500, 000 as well. Walls have started sinking while cracks appeared on them and also on the ground.

In this state of uncertainty, it was reported yesterday that the residents had to vacate their houses at night for their safety. In the light of this unfortunate situation, Daily Mirror spoke to a few concerned parties on the destruction inflicted by the Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project which is of several-fold.

Pix by Kushan Pathiraja

The Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project

The Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project (UOMDP), initially drafted by the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau in 1991, was rejected by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) because the project violated the water rights of people and due to technical faults. However, in 2008, the Iranian Government stepped in and the two governments inked an agreement -- Iran has pledged to provide 85% of the estimated total cost (USD 529 million) as a loan. The main contractor is FARAB Energy and Water Project Company.



According to the performance report (2015-2016) by the Power and Renewable Energy Ministry, the UOMDP is intended to divert 145 MCM of water to South Eastern Sri Lanka in a bid to improve irrigation. The tunnel being constructed, which is expected to divert 200 million cu.m of water annually from Uma Oya to Kirindi Oya, includes an underground power station at Randeniya. This Project also includes proposals to build reservoirs in Puhulpola and Dyraaba, and a 4-km-long tunnel connecting the two reservoirs. The approximate total length of the tunnel is 26km.

The two pelton turbines installed will be of 60-MW capacity each. 290 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity is to be generated annually. The power plant is supposed to connect to the national grid through the Badulla Grid Sub-station through a high-voltage transmission line.

According to experts, the Uma Oya project will be the last major hydropower development project in Sri Lanka, as the two other projects proposed to be developed - Moragahakanda and Broadlands - can only generate 25MW and 35MW respectively. The project is being executed in the area from Welimada to Hambantota, and affects the Badulla, Monaragala and Hambantota Districts.

Iran to provide 85% of estimated total cost (USD 529M) as loan

145 MCM of water will be diverted to the South East

Approx. total length of tunnel is 26km

project is Executed from Welimada to Hambantota

We encountered a huge leakage in the tunnel last week

- Dr. Sunil De Silva, Uma Oya Project Director

We have observed water seeping into the tunnel at several places. We keep on sealing and moving ahead. We encountered a huge leakage in the tunnel last week. Around 400 litres per second is being leaked, said Dr. Sunil De Silva, Uma Oya Project Director. Referring to the compensation scheme followed, he said, once damage was reported, teams were dispatched to inspect and do a track survey. Through the Divisional Secretary, we submit it to the Valuation Department. Then, the officials there visit the areas and make a valuation report. We pay compensation based on this report, he said.

Further, Mr. De Silva stated that they accepted a link between the water ingress and damages to houses because as soon as they encountered a huge ingress, they received reports about damage to property.



When asked about water bodies drying up and the shortage of water, Mr. De Silva said there was a drought continuing since June last year and that it might have had some impact on these concerns.

However, we have been continuously distributing water to households. Initially, we distributed water to 700 houses, but now there are about 1,100 of them. We also face difficulties in finding water for distribution. The water board curtailed the supply to us because they had to supply to Bandarawela and other areas. We are distributing water with about 22 bowsers, he said.

Meanwhile, Mr. De Silva said there were three water supply schemes already approved by the government to provide pipeline water.

The schemes are expected to be complete by the end of February or March. Then, there will be pipeline water for nearly 2,400 families, he said. When asked about the two reservoirs proposed to be constructed, Mr. De Silva said: The Dyraaba reservoir has come up to one top level. Excavation for the Puhulpola reservoir is complete and we have just started concreting. It will be complete by October this year. However, we cannot fill it with water because we have to complete the tunnel. Otherwise the tunnel will go underwater.

He added that the Uma Oya project was targeted to end by 2018 though most activities would be completed this year.

Disputes have arisen between neighbours

- Saliya Seneviratne, an individual resettled in Mirahawatte

Saliya Seneviratne, who has been resettled in Mirahawatte, said there was no such infrastructure as they were promised with prior to resettling.

Due to the absence of a drainage system, disputes have arisen between neighbours. We have to go to Mathetilla Oya (2km away from Mirahawatte) to fetch water, he said.

According to Mr. Seneviratne, the least extent of land offered was 10 perches while the largest stood at 40. Hence, those who owned acres of land in Puhulpola are at a disadvantage.

If the leakage could be stopped, subsidence could be minimised

- Prof. Rohan Fernando

Speaking to Daily Mirror, Rohan Fernando, a professor of Geology at the Open University, said: You need to have a large quantity of water in the Uma Oya to divert water to Kirindi Oya. The plan would have been acceptable if they had one river catchment in the wet zone, so water could be obtained through the South Western monsoon. Then the other catchment could get water from the North Eastern monsoon. But now, both basins get water from the North East monsoon during which they are filled, and during the South Western monsoon, both catchments were dried up.

Two years ago, a major leak occurred -- water seeped through the leak at 450 litres per second. After a month or so, the speed decelerated to 250 litres per second. Usually, when water seeps through fractures, it means that all the wells located above the tunnel are dried up as the water table goes down. This is a natural phenomenon. They have spent a colossal amount of money trying to seal it. Finally, they ended up with 90 litres per second, he added.

Stating that this situation was never predicted in the EIA, Mr. Fernando said if the leakage could be stopped, subsidence, which has led to landslides and houses being collapsed, could be minimised.

Acres of farmland are barren and unsuitable for vegetation

Samantha Vidyarathna, Uva Provincial Councillor

Samantha Vidyarathna, the Uva Provincial Councillor and convener of the Peoples Front against the Uma Oya multi-destructive Project, said some 3,850 houses were destroyed due to side effects of the project.

Nearly 2,000 wells and springs have dried up. Heel Oya in Bandarawela is completely dried up. The upcountry is known for its vegetation. But now, acres of farmland are barren and unsuitable for vegetation due to water scarcity. Thousands of innocent families are displaced as a result, he said.

Mr. Vidyarathna lamented that temples, churches, kovils, mosques and schools had been destroyed.

Makulwella school in Bandarawela, for instance, is under threat and there is a warning against children gathering there, he said, adding that a newly-constructed Chaithya had cracked and exploded. Work in several shops at the Bandarawela junction has come to a halt, he added. Asserting that the destruction inflicted by the project was far and wide, Mr. Vidyarathna said the Ella, Bandarawela, Hali-ela, Welimada, Uva Paranagama and Wellawaya divisional secretariat regions have been affected severely.

He pointed out that the Kandakettiya, Mahiyanganaya, Dehiattakandiya, Hasalaka and Hettipola divisional secretariat zones would be affected in the future.

Further, Mr. Vidyarathna stated that though there was a compensation scheme in place, the process had been tardy. Our struggle would persist despite the apparent failure in the protests and discussions with the president, in the parliament and the provincial council, he said.

There is not a drop of water left

-W.M. Kusumawathi, President of Diriya Kantha Govi Organisation

Diriya Kantha Govi Organisation President W.M. Kusumawathi of Bandarawela said there was not a drop of water left as water bodies had dried up as a result of the project.

Water bowsers provide us with 500 to 1,000 litres of water per household to be used during eight to ten days. But this is inadequate even for a single day, she said.

However, as the result of a protest, they have succeeded in obtaining Rs. 1,363,805 needed for pipeline water.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Kusumawathi pointed out that there had been a large-scale land grabbing to accommodate the project.

"Water bowsers provide us with 500 to 1,000 litres of water per household to be used during eight to ten days. But this is inadequate even for a single day,"



Residents in Puhulpola have been resettled in Mirahawatte. People were offered illusions of a beautiful life in Mirahawatte. But there isnt a proper road.

The lands are barren. Damage has been assessed up to 300m from the tunnel to the right and left sides. But we cannot endorse this assessment because damage has been caused up to 800m. The maximum compensation offered is Rs. 100, 000. But the true value of a house is around Rs. 10,000,000.

Therefore, we cannot accept this compensation either, she said, adding that this assessment was done according to the evaluation formed in 1981.

The project is flawed in its design.

- Hemantha Withanage, Executive Director, Centre for Environmental Justice

We filed legal action due to the damages caused to houses and the water table. As a result, the court directed the Irrigation Department to pay compensation, and that had been assessed. However, some people are content and some are not. Some have not received any compensation, said Hemantha Withanage, Executive Director, Centre for Environmental Justice.

The petition filed before the Supreme Court has named Mahaweli Development and Environment Ministry Secretary Nihal Rupasinghe, Central Environmental Authority (CEA), and the Attorney General as respondents.

People whose houses were fully-damaged have not received adequate compensation to rebuild their residences, Mr. Withanage said, adding that the available land was also not suitable to reconstruct houses.

The whole water table has got damaged and it is continuing to happen,

so affecting around 5,000-6,000 families. Some people have lost the harvest for almost five seasons. As there is no accurate system to assess damage where crops are involved, an agreement has been reached to assess the damage through two basic crops - tomatoes and beans. However, once again, not everyone has received compensation, he said. Noting that the underground tunnel was being dug close to the surface, Mr. Withanage stated that cracks appeared on surfaces and houses that collapsed as a consequence.

The project is flawed in its design. The tunnel runs close to the surface. In certain areas, the gap between the tunnel and the surface is 250m. The damage caused is more in the surrounding areas here. Paddy fields have dried up as a result of the water seepage. There is no solution proposed to rectify this situation, he said.

"People whose houses were fully-damaged have not received adequate compensation to rebuild their residences"



Meanwhile, commenting on the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA), Mr. Withanage said an accurate and complete EIA had not been conducted.

They have done the EIA for the tunnel - which is basically the diversion from Puhulpola (in Welimada) and up to the end of the tunnel. When water is directed to Alikotara in Wellawaya, it will be diverted to certain canals and thereafter to Kuda Oya. Some of the existing tanks will also get water, but they are going to build a new tank. This is supposed to destroy 5,000 acres of forest. This part has not been assessed, he said.

He added that though the original EIA pointed out that 1,500 elephants and several villages would be affected, there was no accurate EIA performed.

You need to do a complete EIA. But, unfortunately, the CEA has turned a blind eye to this process. This is against the EIA laws in the country, he said.

According to the annual performance report (2013) by the Irrigation and Water Resource Management Ministry, the Environmental Impact Assessment for the Headwork was approved by the CEA and the Final Feasibility Study Report was submitted by the contractor in February 2012.

The Environment Impact Assessment was very flawed. It has outdated and erroneous data. Therefore all decisions based on that faulty document tend to be faulty, said environmentalist Jagath Gunawardane.

Residents and farmers were fooled

- Gunathilake, a resident

Gunathilake, a resident affected by the Uma Oya Project, admitted that environmentalists forewarned them of the destruction that could take place.

Residents were given a wrong impression when the project was initiated. Residents and farmers were fooled. They told us that the Uma Oya project would ensure employment for our children in the generations to come. They never made us aware of the negatives of the project. This is the untold truth, he charged, speaking at a press briefing organised by the Peoples Alliance for Right to Land (PARL).

"They never made us aware of the negatives of the project"

EIA report has Erroneous data

Environmentalist Jagath Gunawardane

According to the annual performance report (2013) by the Irrigation and Water R e s o u r c e

Management Ministry, the Environmental Impact Assessment for the Headwork was approved

by the CEA and the Final Feasibility Study Report was submitted by the contractor in February

2012. The Environment Impact Assessment was very flawed. It has outdated and erroneous data. Therefore all decisions based on that faulty document tend to be faulty, said environmentalist Jagath

Gunawardane.
alling on parties and people to rise beyond petty party politics or the desire for personal gain, President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday launched a vital mission for sustainable, eco-friendly and all inclusive development.

A confident President, addressing a gathering to mark the occasion, said the National Unity Government for the past year had worked out countrywide mega development projects and 2017 would be the year of accelerated implementation. He pointed out that the United Nations also had drawn up worldwide Sustainable Development Goals to be achieved by 2030. While taking the right lessons from the UNs goals, Sri Lanka had worked out and would implement its Sustainable Development Goals, according to the needs and aspirations of our people, the human and material resources available to us.



For the first time since independence, the two major political parties  the United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP)are working together with the vision of rebuilding a new Sri Lanka. Last year and especially in the past few months, differences and disputes have arisen among front-liners of the two parties. But the President, the Premier and religious prelates have appealed to them to come together for an accommodation on the middle path to achieve common goals for the benefit of all Sri Lankans.

Premier Wickremesinghe, the architect of the sustainable development strategy, has also appealed for a dialogue on issues where the two parties have differences of opinion. Essentially the Premier and leading UNP ministers are trying to work out what they describe as a Socialist Market Economy.

They say, one of the main aims, is to bring about the involvement of the impoverished people who have been enslaved in a poverty trap, humiliated and rejected by mainstream society. Not just involvement but also the active participation of these people.



The President and the Prime Minister have called on Ministers and MPs, Local Council members, public servants and others to make a commitment to do a hard and honest job of work, being sincere and ready to make sacrifices.

Significantly public servants, whose first 2017 working day was yesterday, took such an oath with the main ceremony being held at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo. Taking the oath is one step. Acting on it or living it is another. We hope public servants will remember they are the servants of the people, not government servants or servants of some political party.

Public servants need to remember that poor people come from long distances to get some important work attended to. Public servants need to serve these poor people with extra commitment and dedication.



In recent weeks, one of the controversial issues has been the Development (Special Provisions) draft bill presented by the Prime Minister in his capacity as the Minister in charge of National and Economic Affairs and head of the Cabinet Committee for economic management.

He has explained that the aim is to set up a high-powered development council to co-ordinate the sustainable development strategy and expedite offers of foreign direct investments.

But pro-Rajapaksa Joint Opposition critics have charged it is a move to create a Super Minister. Several SLFP controlled provincial councils have also rejected this draft bill saying it reduces their powers by creating provincial development councils.

Some dialogue is needed to work out amendments so that wrong signals of division or instability will not be sent to foreign direct investors who need to play a vital role in the sustainable development strategy.



One of the first and biggest projects in this sustainable development strategy is the Hambantota Port project and the setting up of 15,000 acres of industrial zones, where thousands of jobs could be provided to rural youth.

This project is expected to be signed on January 7, the eve of the second anniversary of President Sirisenas dramatic election. Some differences of opinion have arisen over this project also, with critics describing it as a sell-out to China.

Here again, dialogue in a spirit of reaching some consensus could bring about the unity and power needed for this and other projects to succeed and make Sri Lanka a hub of the region.
The foundation laying of Rigid Tyre Corporation (Pvt.) Ltd., which is tipped to become Sri Lankas largest fully integrated tyre manufacturing facility with an investment of Rs.11.25 billion, is set to take place this Thursday (January 5), a company statement said.

The facility, which will be located at Board of Investments (BOI) industrial zone in Wagawatta, Horana, is a venture by UAE-based Sri Lankan businessman Nanda Lokuwithana, who is the Chairman of Ceylon Steel Corporation and its member company MA Steel Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd.

He is also the Chairman of UAE-based Onyx Group and the owner of Marriot Al Jadaf Hotel, Dubai. The company statement said Italys Marangoni, a leading tyre manufacturing related technology provider, would be the technology partner in the project. It also noted that Rigid tyre products would take on the tag, Licenced by Marangoni.

Meanwhile, the venture is expected to generate over 3,000 job opportunities, both direct and indirect and the tyre plant will manufacture a whole gamut of products from radials for light and heavy vehicles to off-the-road (OTH) tyres.

In addition to tyre manufacturing, the venture expects to manufacture high density conveyor belts, targeting the global mining industry. Similarly, high pressure hydraulic pipes will also be manufactured to cater to the demand originating from the oil industry.

Apart from the tyre manufacturing plant, the project, which will be located on a 100-acre land, will also have a four-storeyed ultra-modern research lab to advance research and development.

The foundation laying for the project will be carried out by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe during grand event that will be attended over 1500 invitees including ministers and public officials, the company said.
Most of the time, Spanish-speaking students of English are looking for straight yes or no answers to questions from their teacher. For me, it is impossible to respond with that kind of clarity, because depending on the context, the geographic area, or other factors, something can be correct or not, says Kay Walsh, who teaches English at the British Council in Madrid.

Kay Welsh and Mick Green at the British Council in Madrid. Samuel Sanchez

She says that a lack of flexibility is one of her students main problems. People here are crazy about grammar, so you have this idea that a language is a closed and perfect system, agrees fellow teacher Mick Green. The pair, along with another teacher, Daniel Brint, have just published Las 500 dudas mas frecuentes del ingles (or, The 500 most frequent doubts about English), based on their experiences in the classroom.

The book details basic concepts such as the ways dates are written differently throughout the English-speaking world, or how to sign off a letter, taking in subtleties such as how the meaning of a sentence is changed depending on the adverb employed. In the end is not the same as by the end or at the end, in the same way that let me alone and leave me alone are different. The shades of meaning are complex and need to be studied carefully, because a conversation can change significantly if, for example, you say that somebody has arrived in time instead of on time, explains Green.

Dont study so much grammar, and learn more words instead Mick Green, British Council teacher

Using specific examples, the three teachers, who between them have more than 50 years of experience, run through most of the main stumbling blocks in English for Spanish speakers. The authors explain in detail the use of capitals (Game Of Thrones or Game of Thrones?), adjective order (beautiful Spanish lace scarf or beautiful lace Spanish scarf?), and the meaning of the dreaded phrasal verbs, as well as the use of the third person, which also trips up many native Spanish speakers (It is important that he finish soon, or It is important that he finishes soon?).

And what about numbers? Did The Beatles sing When Im Sixty Four or When Im Sixty-Four? And why is James Bond double-0 7 and not double zero 7?

The book also focuses on many questions that are not going to be answered by a dictionary alone. Welsh laughs when remembering that a student once asked him if it is true that Scotsmen do not wear anything under their kilts. Joking aside, cultural questions are often the most difficult things to translate from one language to another, says Green. Like when I am asked what the translation of sobremesa [after dinner conversation around the table] or oposiciones [a type of official exam held in Spain] are. They are concepts that do not exist in English.

The book also looks at how cultural questions influence language use

The two teachers agree that one of the biggest obstacles to learning other languages, and particularly English, is being overly demanding of oneself. This is cultural: the Spanish are very hard on themselves. All that irony in the expression Spain is different There are times when wed like to see the Spanish show a little more self-confidence, says Green. His partner agrees: Sometimes in class, students say to me, I have a terrible accent, dont I? And I tell them they dont, and that I can understand them perfectly.

After a decade teaching English in Spain, Greens advice on improving the learning process is simple: Dont study so much grammar and learn more words. The simple past isnt much use when it comes to ordering a cup of coffee.

English version by Nick Lyne.
The alleged disappearance and death of the Greek ambassador to Brazil as he was vacationing in Rio de Janeiro has all the ingredients of a dark soap opera, including abuse, infidelity and money. The Rio police, which only solves around 16% of the citys homicide cases, has investigated the disappearance of Kyriakos Amiridis in record time.

Francoise Amiridis, the ambassador's widow. Fabiano Rocha (AP)

More information La telenovela macabra de la muerte del embajador griego en Brasil

Amiridis allegedly went missing on Monday of last week. On Thursday, police found a burned-out car with a charred body lying inside. The license plate and model matched the vehicle that the ambassador had rented at the time of his disappearance.

The car was found under a bridge in Nova Iguacu, a municipality in the Rio metropolitan area where the Amiridis family was spending its Christmas vacation, 48 kilometers from Ipanema beach.

The plot has three main characters who have been temporarily detained on murder charges: the ambassadors wife, Francoise Amiridis, 40; her lover, a 29-year-old military police officer named Sergio Gomes Moreira, and a 24-year-old relative of the latter, Eduardo Moreira.

Investigators now have 60 days to come up with some hard evidence before they are forced to release the suspects

While the police have yet to find a motive, they are convinced that all three plotted Amiridis death a day before the murder. So said Eduardo, who made the confession after feeling betrayed by Sergio.

The young man declared that the ambassadors widow offered him 80,000 reales (23,666) to get rid of her husband. To a lower-class youth with no regular source of income, that was a fortune.

Surveillance cameras at the residential estate where the couple lived have captured both suspects entering the family home. The wifes lover said he had a fight with Amiridis over the alleged abuse that she was suffering at her husbands hands.

The argument got out of hand, and the ambassador reportedly took out a weapon and pointed it at Sergio Gomes, according to the latters version of events, although police have yet to find that weapon. The suspect claims that he strangled the ambassador in self-defense.

A burned car in which a body was found during searches for the Greek ambassador. RICARDO MORAES (REUTERS)

But the police inspector in charge of the case, Evaristo Pontes, thinks this hypothesis is highly unlikely. Instead, he believes that Gomes went to the ambassadors house intending to kill him, and that the diplomat was seriously injured, as suggested by a bloodstain on the living room sofa.

After killing him, the attackers wrapped the body in a rug and loaded it in the trunk of Amiridis rental car. Cameras captured the moment, at around 3.30am. The widow denies that she was present at the time, but the younger suspect, Eduardo Moreira, says that she arrived home with her 10-year-old daughter from a nearby shopping center before they had left with the body.

The child did not see anything, but her mother allegedly told the killers to go faster. Francoise denies this, and says instead that she realized her husband had been murdered the next day, when she saw the bloodstain on the couch and asked her lover for explanations.

After the murder, Sergio Gomes drove around without a clear destination and decided to hide the car to give himself some time to plan his next step. Nearly 24 hours later, he chose to burn the vehicle and try and make it look like a case of city violence. But he had to hire a taxi driver to take him to purchase gasoline, and a beggar who was in the area witnessed the fire.

Once the evidence had been (poorly) disposed of, the widow went down to the police station on Wednesday to report her husbands disappearance. They had been together 15 years.

The wifes lover said he had a fight with Amiridis over the alleged abuse that she was suffering at her husbands hands

She stated that she had had no news of her husband since Monday, and that even though he often left without saying where he was going, he usually called his daughter. Francoise made her statements in the company of her lover and a lawyer  a fact that seemed suspicious to the police.

Investigators interrogated Francoise and Sergio repeatedly, with the testimony of both full of contradictions. Officers now have 60 days to come up with some hard evidence before they are forced to release the suspects.

But many questions remain: why did the lovers decide to kill the ambassador? Did they simply want to be together, or was there a financial motive as well? The cameras caught Sergio and Eduardo going into the house, but was the widow inside? Where did Sergio hide the car for 24 hours?

And of course, what was Francoise thinking, going to the police precinct to report her husbands disappearance in the company of her lover?

English version by Susana Urra.
Officers with Spains Civil Guard have arrested a 22-year-old Moroccan woman who tried to enter the Spanish North African exclave of Ceuta with a suitcase in which a sub-Saharan immigrant was hidden. Police at the Tarajal border crossing made the arrest on the afternoon of December 30 after noticing the nervous behavior of the young woman with the luggage cart.

The suitcase with the 19-year-old inside. EFE

After stopping the woman, officers asked her to open the suitcase and discovered a young man inside.

The immigrant, a 19-year-old from Gabon, was treated by medics who feared he had suffered from a shortage of oxygen while in the suitcase.

Ceuta is a popular destination for many sub-Saharan Africans hoping for a better life in Spain

The Moroccan woman, identified only as H. E. L., has now been arrested on immigration-related charges.

Ceuta is a popular destination for many sub-Saharan Africans hoping for a better life in Spain. In early 2014, 15 immigrants drowned after trying to swim around the Tarajal border in a bid to illegally reach Spanish soil.

Sixteen Civil Guard officers were arrested over the incident after Spanish authorities admitted border police had fired rubber bullets in the direction of the migrants. However, the case against the officers was later dropped.

English version by George Mills.
It looks as though the honeymoon between Uber and the residents of Rio de Janeiro is over  at least for the moment. As happens every December, the prelude to summer, the high season and tropical rains , taxi fare prices soared last month, as did those of the transport app, which until now has proved a huge success.

The Uber app has proved a huge hit with Brazilians, until now. EFE

More information El verano carioca derrite la luna de miel de los usuarios con Uber

The price hikes have tested Ubers ability to retain the loyalty of customers prepared to put up with its drivers  many of whom have only the most basic knowledge of the citys roads  as long as the price was right. Now the social networks are buzzing with complaints from users.

In a country prone to conspiracy theories, there have been any number of explanations as to why rates have doubled or more, regardless of the time of day. There have been accusations that Uber drivers have agreed to turn their phones off at the same time, so as to force supply down and prices up. The company has denied the rumors, saying that drivers cannot manipulate Ubers algorithms.

Rios taxis are famous for their poor level of service and clapped-out vehicles

Meanwhile, as traditional taxi drivers  who have protested against the arrival of Uber  celebrate their former customers anger at the company, a new competitor has joined the fray. Cabify, a Spanish company that offers the same service as Uber with executive-class vehicles, is cleaning up.

Cabify, which also operates in Chile, Mexico and Peru, entered the Brazilian market last year, and like its main rival, has launched an aggressive strategy to attract customers and drivers, offering discounts to residents of certain neighborhoods, or for introducing new clients, along with low prices and upscale vehicles.

At the same time, drivers are being lured away from Uber with generous bonuses. Were not a salary supplement, but drivers main source of income. We think this shouldnt be something occasional, but earnings that can support a family, says Cabifys founder and CEO, Juan de Antonio.

Attracting new drivers is key if Cabify is to increase demand: its Achilles heel is still the amount of time customers must wait, which can sometimes be more than 15 minutes, something Uber and traditional taxis regard as an eternity.

Cabifys Achilles heel is still the amount of time customers must wait for a vehicle

Cabify says it has seen an increase in applications from drivers, matched by a rise in customers, during December in Rio and the other cities in Brazil where it operates. Daniel Velazco-Bedoya, the companys general director in Brazil, says passenger growth is between 80% and 90% month on month.

Uber says prices will return to their previous levels and defends what it calls dynamic tariffs, using the pick-up point in the city or the time a car is requested as a way of balancing supply and demand. By increasing prices, which the passenger is aware of beforehand, many would-be passengers change their mind, and a large number of drivers head to areas of the city where there are more customers.

So far, Uber has found it easy to pick up new trade: Rios taxis are famous for their poor level of service and clapped-out vehicles; but taking on a company like Cabify, which by May of this year was generating 80% of its turnover in Latin America, is proving to be a very different proposition.

Meanwhile, Rio City Hall seems determined to protect taxi drivers, issuing bans on both Cabify and Uber, although for the moment, these moves have been overruled by the courts.

English version by Nick Lyne.
A fountain in Madrids Sabatini Gardens on Sunday. EFE

After a chilly Christmas and New Year, temperatures are expected to continue to fall in Spain this week, in some places as low as -10C, in particular in central and northern Spain. On Monday morning, Spains AEMET weather agency put 18 provinces on yellow alert for exceptionally cold weather and fog. The coldest temperatures are expected in the countrys northern mountain ranges and in the central plains.

On Monday morning the provinces of Madrid, Barcelona, Huesca, Zaragoza, Teruel, Cantabria, Lleida, Girona, La Rioja, Navarre, Burgos, Soria, Cuenca, Guadalajara, Albacete, Toledo and Ciudad Real were all on alert for cold weather.

In the early hours of Monday morning, overnight temperatures in Spains capital hovered around freezing while the high for the day was expected to reach only 7C.

Pineta, in the mountains of Huesca, registered the lowest temperature at -13C.

In Galicia, cloud and rain are forecast, with the bad weather likely to spread through western Spain, according to AEMET. Several provinces in Aragon were also on alert for fog on Monday.

Even those on Spains islands will not be able to enjoy any winter sunshine. AEMET is forecasting a cloudy day for both the Balearic and Canary Islands, with a chance of rain on the island of La Palma.

For the most part, the sun is shining in the rest of the country, with the exception of some scattered cloud.

English version by Alyssa McMurtry.
125 Years of Progress takes you inside The Daily Progress' archives every day in celebration of our 125 years serving Charlottesville and the rest of Central Virginia. Sponsored by Hanckel-Citizens Insurance Charlottesville

In 1895, there were no phones, travel by horse and carriage was slow at best, and the daily newspaper - read by lamplight - was the sole source of current news.

The center of each front page of The Daily Progress was occupied by newsy notes: Every piece of information that one needed to stay current with the goings-on of Charlottesville.

You would have learned, for example, that the Ridge Street Bridge was undergoing repairs, which were badly needed, and that the employees of the Woolen Mills had returned to work after enjoying a weeks holiday. Percy Payne was appointed keeper of the engine and driver of the horses for the Charlottesville Hose, Hook and Ladder Company; W.P. Orange, the blacksmith at the livery stable, nailed on 132 horseshoes when 60 was the daily average; and John W. Beasley was the proud possessor of a ten dollar gold piece; the prize offered by Mr. R.P. Valentine, president of the Charlottesville and University Street Railway, to the driver whose car was most largely patronized during the year.

You also read who had been visiting town and the destinations that local citizens had visited for the holiday.

Many of the entries this day announced the arrival and departure of young unmarried ladies and with whom they were visiting. You kept up with everyones health concerns, including Mr. Horace Gianniny who continues to suffer a great deal from the serious accident to which he happened a few days ago  that of breaking his thigh bone by falling from a vehicle. You also learned that Miss Fannie Spooner, who has been quite ill recently, is gradually improving, and that Mr. W.A. Lankford, who has been absent for several weeks, has returned to his home in the city. His health is greatly improved.

Obviously, the absence of details was quite normal at the time as stories were told second- and third-hand as heard on the street. An unusual entry by todays standards, and ambiguous at best, reads: A well known and popular citizen of Charlottesville recently went to one of the large cities and while there stepped into a drugstore and asked for a headache cure. The attendant asked him if his head ached. Why no, not just now but I dont know but it might in the morning. He got his cure.

Other unusual announcements included the delivery of Florida oranges, sweet and Irish potatoes, a large lot of bananas, apples, pears, raisins and confectionaries. Cheap at J.H. Linneys Market; and contributions made to the Piedmont Hospital included glasses of jelly, a bushel of potatoes and a box of underclothing, and Mrs. Newman donated 2 night shirts, an unknown friend, and carpet.
The yellow brick in Maj. Greg Jenkins office at the Albemarle County Police Department is more than just a paperweight.

The deputy chief joined an elite group of police officers earlier this month when he graduated from the 266th FBI National Academy in Quantico and earned his yellow brick after completing the hardcore physical fitness test.

The intense, 11-week program offers a variety of advanced courses, from communications and leadership to physical fitness. Only about one percent of law enforcement officers from around the world have been chosen to participate in the academy  with Jenkins being just one of four ACPD officers to complete it.

Its something that Ive always wanted to do, since I started to rise through the ranks of leadership at the police department, said Jenkins, who recently was promoted to deputy chief. It is a very prestigious training academy and all executive leaders really strive to get into the school. So, I really wanted to be a part of that.

The FBI National Academy is the premier leadership school for law enforcement executives, said Chief Ron Lantz, who has himself completed the academy. One has to be hand-selected through a vigorous process just to attend the academy. Many go their entire careers without attending.

Jenkins was among 222 law enforcement officers from 48 states and 20 countries who attended the academy this fall. The officers select a number of classes they wish to attend, from topics in law; behavioral science; forensic science; understanding terrorism; and leadership, according to Lantz.

All of this information and training will be used to build upon Maj. Jenkins existing skills as a new deputy chief, said Lantz. He is now in a network of graduates to bounce ideas off classmates for best practices, as well as share information in the law enforcement field.

Thinking about how best to bring back the knowledge gained at the FBI program to the county department, Jenkins decided to take classes that focused on physical fitness; employment law; stress management in law enforcement; leadership; and officer wellness. Jenkins also received 17 college credits through the University of Virginia (which partners with the academy), which he will put toward a new degree.

As the commanding officer over administrative matters at the police department, Jenkins wanted to study topics that would help him put officers first, such as knowing the ins and outs of employment law and how to keep officers well. Knowing more about keeping officers both physically and mentally strong will help Jenkins and other command staff put together a healthy police force.

Ive worked on our wellness program here at the police department for the last 10 years, Jenkins said. Its just an important part of an officers well being. You know, we work weird hours, dont eat right, dont sleep right, and taking care of an officer is important.

Chief Lantz has always told me you need to find that work/life balance, he added. And its true. When the instructor taught that class he really talked about making sure you plan your retirement. And its not about retiring; its making sure youre prepared to retire and how to deal with it. A lot of police officers retire and they didnt really know what to expect.

And while Jenkins learned a lot of new ideas and strategies, he said he also realized that the ACPD already is doing some things right. Comparing the relatively small county department with some of the bigger agencies around the country, Jenkins said hes proud of what the county has accomplished.

Were really doing things right, Jenkins said. It kind of reaffirmed everything for me, which is that we are really doing what were supposed to be doing. Were leaps and bounds ahead of a lot of people across the nation when it comes to our wellness policy and programs.

That was refreshing  little Albemarle County  but we really stack up to a lot of bigger organizations with doing things the right way, he said. I credit that to our accreditation process; making sure we meet the best practices and standards.

Along with the traditional classroom time, the academy also focuses on physical fitness, all leading up to the Yellow Brick Road, Jenkins said. After intense training throughout the week, participants complete an obstacle course and run more than six miles to earn their yellow bricks.

Its on the Marine base itself and you do the Marines obstacle course, and then you run back to the academy, Jenkins said. So, its upper-body strength, core strength, running  youve got to run the mile in 10 minutes or less, or you cant participate.

One of the biggest payoffs from attending the academy, Jenkins said, was networking with officers from all over the world  including Iraq, Denmark, France, Egypt and Hungary. Being able to bounce ideas off one another was valuable, he said.

Having the opportunity to meet leaders of police organizations from around the world and across the United States was great, Jenkins said. Its having the ability to pick up the telephone to someone in California and say, Hey man, Ive got this problem here, can you help me?

The FBI paid for all of Jenkins training, meals and housing, while the ACPD continued to pay him his normal salary while he was in Quantico, according to Lantz. Along with Lantz and Jenkins, in past years, the department also has sent Maj. K.C. Carr and Lt. Todd Hopwood to the FBI National Academy.

In my opinion, it was probably one of the greatest opportunities that Ive been given, Jenkins said. Its very prestigious  I mean, when you see folks with that yellow brick sitting in their office, you know exactly what theyve gone through to get that.

Its truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
LYNCHBURG  The three candidates running to replace U.S. Rep.-elect Tom Garrett Jr., R-5th, in the state Senates 22nd District are expected to meet on stage Wednesday at Hampden-Sydney College for a question-and-answer forum.

Lynchburg attorney and Republican Mark Peake, former Fluvanna County sheriff and Democrat Ryant Washington and engineering development consultant and independent Joseph Hines will attend the event, according to The Farmville Herald, which is co-hosting the event with the college.

With the special election Jan. 10, less than a week after the forum, it may be the only time all three candidates field questions on stage at the same time. The 2017 General Assembly convenes Jan. 11, the morning after the election.

I think this forum is going to be an excellent opportunity for people to come and learn more about each candidate if theyre undecided or if they want to meet the candidate, said Jordan Miles, who will moderate the forum.

Miles, Herald senior staff writer, said he wrote the questions and is the only one who knows them. He said the forum is meant to address the concerns of district residents.

Candidates will have four minutes each to make their opening statements. Miles will ask the candidates eight questions, with each given a minute and 30 seconds to answer. They will not have an opportunity to rebut each other, he said.

Those who attend may submit questions on cards at the forum. Crowd questions will be vetted and potentially used if there is time, Miles said.

Doors at Johns Auditorium will open at 6:30 p.m., with the forum commencing at 7 p.m. The forum will last until 8:30 p.m., Miles said.

With the state Senate split 21-19 before Garrett, of Buckingham, and Rep.-elect Donald McEachin, D-4th, resign their seats, the races to replace them could shape the chambers power balance.

No one challenged Garrett for the 22nd seat in 2015 after he won 58 percent of the vote over a Democrat in 2011, when the district was newly redrawn. In November, he won the 5th Congressional District held by Republican Robert Hurt, who did not seek re-election.

The 22nd District includes Fluvanna and Buckingham counties and a portion of Louisa County.
Another wealthy nominee in President-elect Donald Trumps cabinet is about to move into a piece of luxury real estate in the DC market. As the new team of leaders begins to take shape, local real estate agents are lining up some of the most lavish homes in the District, and marketing them to fill the needs of upscale buyers.

The latest appears to be Trump Commerce Secretary nominee Wilbur Ross. According to several published reports Ross is currently under contract on a 10,000 square foot home in Massachusetts Heights. The exclusive neighborhood is known for its spacious homes and private properties, with the home Ross is purchasing ironically across the street from the man who currently holds the same post under the Obama administration.

The mansion, located along Woodland Drive, sold for $12 million, containing seven-bedrooms, a 12-person theater, staff quarters, a catering kitchen and a library. On the market for about a year, the Beaux Arts mansion includes an acre of manicured grounds, with terraces overlooking nearby Rock Creek Park. Though it may be small in size, the neighborhood is filled with grand homes and graciously landscaped properties, with plenty of privacy and an abundance of appeal.

While its expected that Ross is the first Trump nominee to actually purchase new property in Washington, he joins a number of other new nominees and administration officials currently house-hunting in the DC area, many of which are also in search of large, exclusive properties with plenty of space for living and entertaining. Like the one that Ross just purchased, several of the homes also top the $10 million range.

Vice President-elect Mike Pence has already moved into a rental just a few miles away from the White House. In addition, Trumps oldest daughter, Ivanka, and her husband are reportedly also looking for a new home in DC, in anticipation of making a move to the nations capital in the near future.
Its commercial vehicle sales, the firm said, stood at 22,217 units during the month under review as compared to 41,221 units in the year-ago period

New Delhi: Bajaj Auto today reported a 22 per cent decline in total sales in December at 2,25,529 units as against 2,89,003 units during the same month a year ago.

Motorcycle sales during the month decreased by 18 per cent to 2,03,312 units from 2,47,782 units in the same month in 2015, the company said in a regulatory filing.

Its commercial vehicle sales, the firm said, stood at 22,217 units during the month under review as compared to 41,221 units in the year-ago period, down 46 per cent.

Further, the exports were at 1,05,804 units as against 1,45,477 units in December 2015, down 27 per cent.
The company had sold 12,154 units in December 2015.

New Delhi: Hinduja Group flagship company Ashok Leyland today reported a 12 per cent decline in total sales at 10,731 units in December 2016.

The company had sold 12,154 units in December 2015.

Sales of heavy and medium commercial vehicles also fell by 9 per cent to 8,782 units last month as against 9,703 units in the year-ago period, the company said in a statement.

Light commercial vehicle sales saw a fall of 20 per cent at 1,949 units as compared to 2,451 units in December 2015, it added.
Under the MUDRA scheme, loans ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 10 lakh are provided to small entrepreneurs.

New Delhi: Traders' body CAIT has suggested the government to review the implementation of MUDRA Yojana, claiming that a large number of small traders are unable to obtain loans under the scheme.

It also urged the government to make MUDRA an independent regulator, recommending that non banking finance companies, micro finance institutions, trusts & societies should be linked with MUDRA Yojana and banks should be directed to re-finance such entities instead of awarding loans directly to the borrowers.

"Large number of small traders for whom MUDRA was launched are unable to obtain loans despite all attempts and are being turned down by banks on one pretext or the other," CAIT said.

Talking about the progress of the MUDRA Yojana, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the nation on Saturday had said it was as encouraging as last year, with nearly 3.5 crore people benefitting from it.

"The government now aims to double this, giving priority to dalits, tribals, backward classes and women," he had said. Banks are expected to disburse Rs 1.80 lakh crore loans under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) in the current fiscal.

Last year, 3.5 crore beneficiaries availed of Rs 1.22 lakh crore loans under PMMY. Under the scheme, loans ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 10 lakh are provided to small entrepreneurs.

Besides, CAIT suggested the government to set up a Digital Payments Promotion Board to encourage more people to adopt digital payment mechanisms and monitor the digital payments landscape in the country.

The board should comprise of senior government officials, representatives of different verticals of non corporate sector including trading community and payment technology providers, banks & other financial institutions, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said.
New Delhi: The all powerful GST Council headed by the Finance Minister will meet tomorrow the representatives of six crucial sectors, including IT, telecom, banking and insurance, to assess the implementation hurdles under the new GST regime.

Also, presentation will be made by sector representatives of Civil Aviation and Railways at the two-day GST Council meeting that begins here tomorrow, sources said.

Software association Nasscom, which is also scheduled to meet the GST Council, will voice its concerns over issues such as tax treatment of software, and also make a case for single registration under the new GST regime.

"We support the introduction of GST but the implementation of GST should not complicate the business operations of IT companies," R Chandrashekar, President of Nasscom, told PTI.

He said the software association would express concerns with regard to GST implementation during the meeting with GST Council tomorrow. Nasscom's concerns pertain to areas like classification of software, import of services from related parties, and taxation rules based on location of receiving services.

Stating that the first draft of GST law had classified all 'intangibles' as services thereby ensuring a uniform tax rate, the revised law removed the clarification. "This could lead to a situation where software classification can be disputed even under the GST regime.

Electronic downloads should be treated as services as the majority practice prevalent globally," according to Nasscom's recent representation to the Revenue Department. Nasscom also contends that revisions in the draft GST law does not facilitate offering a single interface for overseas/domestic clients in cases where large service contracts are supplied to multiple client sites from single or multiple delivery centres.

Also, the revised draft potentially makes onsite services delivered overseas at customer site liable to payment of GST, followed by a refund which blocks capital and complicates the transaction, it added.

"This will therefore imply that onsite services are imported into India, GST discharged, and then exported, and the GST paid on the onsite service then filed for refund - additional unnecessary transactions for companies which operate in a Branch office model, and associated compliance and working capital troubles," says Nasscom.

Nasscom is also of the view that the legislation should clearly provide for centralised registration of central taxes of IGST (Integrated-GST) and CGST (central GST), which is within the Central Government power itself.

The GST Council among other things will deliberate on the issue of jurisdiction of assessees in the new regime. This will be the eighth meeting of the Council since it met for the first time on September 22, 2016.

At the end of the last meeting of the Council on December 23, 2016, Jaitley said that the Council has made a 'reasonable headway' on supporting legislations and a discussion on Integrated GST law will take place in the next meeting.

The dual control over assessees is also part of the Integrated-GST legislation that Parliament needs to pass before the new regime is rolled out. The stumbling block in the GST roll out is the issue of dual control issue -- which deals with which taxpayers should be controlled by the Centre and who should be governed by the states after a single tax will replace levies like central excise, service tax and VAT.

States like West Bengal and Kerala are unrelenting on their position of being given right to control all assesses with up to Rs 1.5 crore annual turnover.
Mumbai: State Bank chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya today hinted that the mega merger of its five associate banks and Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) could be pushed to the next financial year as it is still awaiting the government notification on the move.

"Probably, by a quarter or so (the merger could be delayed). The reason is we still have to get the government approval and even if we get it now, doing things like merger in the last quarter is never a very wise thing because there would be lot of IT system changes," she told reporters when asked whether the merger could be delayed due to the disruptions caused by the demonetisation drive.

The merger would make SBI a global-sized bank and would be amongst the top 50 lenders in the world, with an asset base of Rs 37 trillion or over USD 555 billion, with 22,500 branches and over 58,000 ATMs and more than 50 crore customers.

Bhattacharya said normally the banks close down all the IT system changes by mid-February. "Sometimes IT system can impact something else quite unknowingly. So we don't want to take any risks at the annual closing time.

So we may want to do the annual closing and then look at it," she added. Whether the government has hinted at any revised time line for the approval, the chairperson said "no yet.

Let me get the government approval only then we will know." When specifically asked what sort of government approval is pending, the chairperson said the government has "to notify the merger scheme."

It can be noted that the bank had announced the merger in May and its central board of directors had in August approved the process along with the share swap ratio for three of the listed associate banks and Bharatiya Mahila Bank.

At that time it was announced that the merger would be completed by end March 2017. "The (merger) process will start by October-end. The grievance committee will come to us hopefully by September end, after that we have to send it to RBI and then to the government, which may probably take a little time of about month; and then it will come to us.

After that we will have to make an offer to employees and then give them four weeks time and then the merger can take place," Bhattacharya had told PTI in an interview in September.

SBI has three listed associate banks - State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur (SBBJ), State Bank of Mysore (SBM), State Bank of Travancore (SBT) and two unlisted associate bank -

State Bank of Patiala and State Bank of Hyderabad. As per the swap ratio, SBBJ shareholders would get 28 shares of SBI (Rs 1 each) for every 10 shares (Rs 10 each).

Similarly, SBM and SBT shareholders would get 22 shares of SBI for every 10 shares. In case of Bharatiya Mahila Bank, 4,42,31,510 shares of SBI would be swapped for every 100 crore of Rs 10 each.

The lender had put in place a grievance redressal mechanism to provide an opportunity to its shareholders to file their objections with regard to the share swap ratios. It had given 21 calendar days of time for shareholders to register their complaints. The grievance committee was headed by a High Court judge and two chartered accountants. Bhattacharya said post the merger of five associate banks and Bharatiya Mahila Bank, the government's stake in the bank would stand at around 59 per cent.

SBI has around 16,500 branches, including 191 foreign offices spread across 36 countries. Globally, SBI will come at the 45th position in terms of asset size after the merger. SBI first merged State Bank of Saurashtra with itself in 2008. Two years later, State Bank of Indore was merged.
Tata AutoComp Systems is promoted by the Tata Group and provides products and services to the domestic and global automotive OEMs as well as tier-1 suppliers.

New Delhi: Tata AutoComp Systems today said it has completed the acquisition of leading engine cooling supplier TitanX, in line with its strategy of expanding globally and fortifying presence in the cooling and emission control segments.

"With the successful acquisition of TitanX, we look forward to leverage TitanX's global presence that fits well into our well-defined global growth strategy," Tata AutoComp Systems Ltd Chairman Praveen Kadle said in a statement.

The acquisition further reiterates the company's commitment in delivering solutions that will cater to the changing needs of global customers, he added. "Offering improved products and services are our strength and we are confident that this acquisition will further help provide world-class products and services for the automotive industry," Kadle said.

Tata AutoComp Systems MD & CEO Ajay Tandon said the acquisition of TitanX will help the company further strengthen and enhance its commercial vehicle customers outside India.

Tata AutoComp Systems is promoted by the Tata Group and provides products and services to the domestic and global automotive OEMs as well as tier-1 suppliers.
Mumbai: Nawazuddin Siddiqui-Shweta Tripathi starrer Haramkhor is yet again facing an opposition and this time from the haters who are against the plot of the film. Apparently, the producer of the movie, Guneet Monga, has been receiving some serious threat accusing him of promoting uncultured message through his movie.

"They have been sending messages, questioning why we are making 'provocative movies' and 'movies that aren't in keeping with the morals of the society'. I have got a number of mails, texts, and messages on social media and it's alarming," Monga told Mid-Day.

The filmmaker is also hell-bent to not give in to these warnings and plans to take serious action against them. He further added, "We haven't asked for extra security either. When we named the film Haramkhor, we did so as it was cute and juvenile. It is a delicate story told from the perspective of three kids. It is not a sensational story, but a slice-of-life movie. We want people to watch the film and decide for themselves."

The time when we think Indian audiences are accepting new film genre, such troublemakers prove the assumption wrong. Lets hope Haramkhor team will face no more problems from these imbecile acts of mongers.
Mumbai: Leggy lass Deepika Padukone is all set to release her debut Hollywood film, xXx: The Return of Xander Cage alongside Vin Diesel. The actress who was last seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Bajirao Mastani is back again to pack a punch with an action film.

On asking about her emotions regarding the release, the actress told Pinkvilla, "I am really excited. This is my Hollywood debut. I am very nervous, but I am also very excited. And today is the beginning of that journey. Hopefully, we'll be coming to India soon as well."

When asked how she feels about being called as an International star, the actress smilingly replied, "I don't know; I think I want to be known as a good person and a good actor. That is more important. But I feel very proud that I get to represent my country, especially in this kind of an action franchise film. I am really excited. I am very sure that we will enjoy this film because of the content. There is a lot of action and adventure which we have not seen in Indian films before. So, I'm excited that I can bring this movie to India and show it to everyone."

Deepika has performed some badass stunts in the movie that is slated to release on 14th January, 2015.
Taapsee Pannu, who after her Bollywood debut Chasme Baddoor and a brief role in Baby, soared new highs in the industry with her role in Pink. Thanks to the film, which went one to become one of the biggest films, Taapsee already has six films in her kitty this year.

Among these films is a Telugu horror comedy film, which will be shot in Hyderabad. A source close to actress says, Taapsee has signed an untitled Telugu film, which is a horror comedy. She has already managed to squeeze in the shooting for the feature, which will commence this month. Later, she will start shooting for Judwaa 2.

The actresss first release this year is scheduled for February 3 with Runningshaadi.com. She will juggle non-stop for 30 days between Mumbai and Hyderabad for promotions and shoot of the film.
Chennai: Looks like the sensational drama between Nadigar Sangam and Tamil Film Producers Council seem to start even as the year began. With the present tenure of office-bearers of Tamil Film Producers Council, the supreme body of Tamil film industry led by Kalaipuli S Thanu. T. Siva, Kadhiresan, P.L. Thenappan, Radhakrishnan in prime positions coming to an end, elections to TFPC were announced to take place on February 5, 2017. With several teams planning to cast their members and compete in the forthcoming elections, actor and Nadigar Sangam Secretary Vishal surprised all on Sunday by announcing actress/politician and producer Khushbu Sundar as his teams Presidential candidate for the upcoming TFPC election.

One may recall that Vishal was temporarily suspended from TFPC membership a few weeks ago and the actor said he has been suspended because the producers council was unhappy with him asking right questions. And he added that he will continue to raise his voice for the welfare of all producers, mainly small-time producers. He also asserted that a team of youngsters from his side will be contesting the council elections.

Candidates for other positions will be announced soon, added Vishal. When DC contacted Khushbu, she said,, I consider it as an honour for the trust Vishals team has in me that I would be able to handle the big responsibility of heading the TFPC. I am not averse to it. Let me think about it.
The new favourite of Tollywood, Vijay Devarakonda has several projects in his kitty, including a film with Kranthi Madhavi that he announced a few days ago. It looks like his lucky streak wont end anytime soon. The actor whos already doing a film with the GA2 banner has signed up for another film with them. The actor will star in Srirastu Subhamastu director Parasurams next, which will be produced by Bunny Vas and is being presented by Allu Aravind.

He had mentioned about the announcement recently when he told us, I know theres a lot on my plate but I am happy with the way things are panning out. Theres one more project which will be announced on New Years day.

Now that the film has been announced, one needs to see how he will adjust his dates as his calendar is already full for 2017. The Kranthi Madhav project will go on the floors in 2018.
On December 15th, medical practitioners accidentally cut off the head of the boys penis with a pair of scissors. (Photo: Pixabay)

A 9-year-old boy in Kuala Lumpur had to have his penis amputated after his circumcision went wrong. The incident happened at a private clinic in Jalan Ipoh.

On December 15th, medical practitioners accidentally cut off the head of the boys penis with a pair of scissors. His family later rushed him to Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) to save his genitals but his penis had to be amputated when it turned black after almost a week.

An NGO, Ikatan Rakyat Insan Muslim Malaysia, have reached out to help the family of the boy for his treatment, reports Malay Mail Online.
His cakes are exported to places like Canada, the UK, Bahrain and the US in addition to Mumbai and Kerala in the country. Roshan is just 18 years old and is autistic. He has studied in a special school and communicates using sign language.

His mother, Marie, helps him take orders. She says, Right from his childhood, whenever I baked cakes for occasions at home, I had to have Roshan next to me, to keep an eye on him. In December 2013, I was getting all the ingredients ready to make our traditional fruit cake for Christmas. We generally prepare five to six cakes. I had just weighed all the ingredients and noticed Roshan getting the grinder and indicating to me to put the sugar in, in order to powder it. He was also directing me to do the steps involved while baking. I could see the happiness on his face. I shared this news with my husband and we decided to let him lead while baking the second cake. We realised that he knew the steps very well. Next, we asked him to do it himself and with just a few prompts, he was successful. He was enjoying it thoroughly,

The family finally found something he was interested in. They had tried computers, keyboard and many other activities, but could only occupy him for not more than 15 minutes. Since Marie was already into baking, she took out all her old books for traditional cakes and decided to make it a business. We dont compromise on the quality of the ingredients. We make it in a traditional manner and dont use much of artificial colouring. We bake healthy cakes with fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts, she adds.

On January 5, 2014, they started Moms Cakes and Bakes. Marias daughter, Sharon, created a website and a Facebook page for the venture and since then, they have got a lot of support from family, friends and well-wishers. We have received good feedback and some customers call us up and thank Roshan for the cakes. The days before Christmas and New Years are hectic. It has been almost three years since we started, and we can see a positive change in Roshan. We see a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment in him, says Maria.

Roshan is not taken any course in baking and yet, specialises is the Christmas rum cake with dry fruits which is also called rich fruit cake. We tried various special schools in the city but none could meet our requirements. As handling kids with autism is challenging teachers gave up on him and I was spending most of my time teaching him at home.

He learns English and Maths at home using an iPad.
Some historians are of the view that the Parrot Lady may be the queen of Khajuraho, the majestic Abhisarika or cupid-struck lady, always engaged in conversation with her pet parrot.

Bhopal: The majestic Parrot Lady, a 12th century stone sculpture of a woman adorned in various ornaments conversing with a parrot, is all set to return to its original abode in Khajuraho, a tourist hub of Madhya Pradesh known for its temples decorated with erotic art.

This three-feet-long exquisitely carved sculpture has been retrieved in Canada in 2015 by the local government agency dealing with trafficked antiquities from a Canadian art collector and was later handed over to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by his Canadian counterpart.

The art piece will start for home in a month. The newly built museum of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at Khajuraho is ready to display of the exquisite art piece, an ASI spokesperson told this newspaper here on Monday. The journey of the Parrot Lady to Canada still remained a mystery.

Earlier, D.N. Dimri ASI director (antiquity) through phone from Delhi had said, There is no report of theft of the sculpture from the Khajuraho temples. But, the architectural style and the material (sandstone) of the artifact suggests that the sculpture belonged to Khajuraho temples.

We are still in dark about passage of the art piece from Khajuraho to Canada. All we know is that the statue was trafficked from Delhi to Toronto and then to Ottawa in Canada in 2011, he said.

Some historians are of the view that the Parrot Lady may be the queen of Khajuraho, the majestic Abhisarika or cupid-struck lady, always engaged in conversation with her pet parrot.
Several hundreds of Bandera's followers march with torches in central Kyiv

A torch march marking the 108th birth anniversary of Ukrainian National Assembly-Ukrainian National Self-Defense (UNA-UNSO) leader Stepan Bandera was held in central Kyiv on Sunday evening.

The march, which was attended by nearly 1,000 people, started from Taras Shevchenko Park in the direction of Bessarabska Square, an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reported. The march traditionally passed along Khreschatyk Street and finished on the Maidan Square.

Bandera's big portrait was carried in the frontline of the column, the drummers were marching. The march was illuminated by several hundreds of burning torches. Besides, the participants were carrying the national Ukrainian and red-black flags. Some of them were wearing camouflage uniforms.

A lot of law enforcement officers were protecting the law and order during the action. The action proceeded peacefully.
Bengaluru: In a major embarrassment to the city authorities, drunken hooligans posing as revellers ran riot at Bengaluru's MG Road and Brigade Road, molesting and harassing women who had assembled to usher in the New Year.

According to reports, the city police had deployed at least 1,500 police personnel in the area in anticipation of the huge turn out for New Year celebrations. But they were heavily out numbered and left powerless, even as women came running to them with stilettos in hand, in an attempt to flee the pawing and abusive men who went on a rampage.

As the clock inched towards midnight, miscreants, emboldened by alcohol and the anonymity offered by large crowds, began passing lewd remarks at women, and went on to harass, molest and jostle against them.

Recounting her experience, a female police officer who was deployed in the area, revealed that she had to chase away a group of men who were trying to strip an inebriated woman in public. It is very disturbing to see women caught in such helpless situation, she added.

The cops were forced to pick and choose cases depending on the gravity of the situation, the report claimed, adding that in many cases, men harassing women in groups returned to the same spot despite being chased away several times.

I went and asked one of the cops deployed on the streets to go to the aid of two women being accosted by a group of youth on MG Road. He went and chased them but they were back to the spot in a couple of minutes. There was nothing much they could do as the group was back and the women were also in the same crowd, said one of those who was present at MG Road.

But the city police officials claim that not a single molestation case has been filed by anyone. Nagendra Kumar, deputy commissioner of police, said, We got around 450 calls at the city control room when on Saturday night, especially after 10 pm till wee hours in the morning, and not even one was about women being assaulted or molested.

Some police officers said that the decision to extend the New Year celebrations till 2 am added to the problem.
The accused was arrested by the police after the victim's parents lodged a complaint. (Photo: Representational Image)

Kochi: A Kerala priest who was on Sunday arrested for raping a 10-year-old boy was on Monday sent to 14-day police custody.

Father Basil Kuriyakose, the Principal of Kings David International School was arrested under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The accused 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.
Police registered a case under Sections 324, 448, 427 and 506 of IPC read with Section 34 IPC. The case is under investigation. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: Banjara Hills police registered a case against former IAS P. Vanamalis wife P. Kalyani for allegedly trespassing into the houses of domestic helps who worked in their home and assaulting them.

Ms Kalyani on Sunday had lodged a complaint that Rs 10 lakh was stolen from their home and said that she suspected the role of the domestic helps. She had stated that the money, in Rs 2,000 denomination notes, had been kept in an almirah.

On Monday, Ms Kalyani along with sister Aruna, daughter Praneetha and a few others allegedly barged into the residence of one Kumari, who worked in their home six months ago, and assaulted them and searched the premises for the cash.

When they did not find the money, they went to the house of another former help, Ms Varalaxmi, and assaulted them as well and searched that house as well for cash.

When they did not find any cash, all of them went to Ms Kumaris brother Anjaneyulus house in MLA Colony and assaulted him and his wife Sattamma and searched their house, a Banjara Hills police official said.

Ms Sattamma lodged a complaint with the police alleging assault and that Ms Kalyani had away four tola gold ornaments and Rs 60,000 cash from their house.

Police registered a case under Sections 324, 448, 427 and 506 of IPC read with Section 34 IPC. The case is under investigation.
Lucknow: Amidst the ongoing feud in Uttar Pradesh's ruling party, the convention called by SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav in Lucknow on January 5 was postponed on Monday.

In a series of tweets, SP leader Shivpal Yadav said that on the orders of Mulayam Singh Yadav, the convention called on January 5 has been postponed for now.

Mulayam Singh Yadav is the SP national president even now and will continue to be. I will be with netaji till I die, Shivpal also said.

While Shivpal gave no reasons for the abrupt cancellation of the meeting, insiders said perhaps the Mulayam camp was apprehensive of a poor turnout compared to the massive gathering at the "convention" held by Ram Gopal Yadav on Sunday.

The convention was declared illegal and unconstitutional by Mulayam.

"No one can accuse me of wrongdoing. I have never indulged in corruption or betrayed anyone. All cases against me have been cleared by the Supreme Court," Mulayam Singh Yadav said.

Amidst a fight over the cycle symbol of SP, Mulayam said the symbol was his 'signature.'

Shivpal in another tweet asked party workers to concentrate on their respective constituencies and work hard to win the elections.

Meanwhile, senior SP leaders from both sides (Akhilesh and Mulayam camps) are likely to visit the Election Commission in New Delhi on Monday to put forth their case.

Party sources said Mulayam may not visit Delhi as he is indisposed.

The Samajwadi Party on Sunday split down the middle with the faction headed by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav removing Mulayam as party chief and appointing him in his place at a convention in which the group claimed support of the majority of legislators and district units.

The two sides had engaged in mutual recriminatory expulsions with the convention called by Ram Gopal Yadav removing Akhilesh's warring uncle Shivpal Yadav as state party chief, and showing the door to "outsider" Amar Singh, who has been blamed for the feud in the Yadav clan.

Mulayam had retorted by again expelling his cousin Ram Gopal for six years along with national vice president Kiranmoy Nanda, who chaired the convention, and general secretary Naresh Agarwal for taking part in it.
Lucknow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a rally in Lucknow on Monday.

Union Ministers and MPs representing Uttar Pradesh at the Centre have already reached Lucknow to take part in the rally.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah, senior leaders Rajnath Singh, Kalraj Mishra and Uma Bharti are among those attending the rally.

The people from every nook and corner of the state including Awadh, Kanpur and Brij regions have already started arriving in Lucknow despite the winter chill.

The rally is seen as a culmination of the four Parivartan yatras carried out by the BJP in the state recently.

It will be the first rally by Prime Minister Modi after the expiry of 50-day grace period of demonetisation on December 30.

The Prime Minister in a televised address to the nation on New Year's Eve announced several measures for the rural and urban poor, small businesses, farmers and senior citizens
Applicants will have to deposit Rs 300 each for the application in any of the branches of State Bank of India or Union Bank of India. (Representational Image)

Hyderabad: The Telangana State Haj Committee has made elaborate arrangements to issue Haj application forms from Monday.

The SHC has set up special counters in the Haj House for filling up of the Application Forms apart from verification and receiving of the Haj Application Forms.

The Haj Forms will be accepted till January 24 by the State Haj Committee. The form can be downloaded from www.hajcommittee.gov.in and can also be downloaded on Android mobile app Haj Committee of India.

A maximum of five adults and two infants (born on or after October 11, 2015) can apply in one cover.

Earlier, Prof. S.A. Shukoor, special officer of the Haj Committee, said there were two reserved categories. Category A is for pilgrims who have completed 70 years or more on January 1, 2017, and they will be selected without drawal of lots. Those who have applied for a fourth time will get preference in Category B.

Applicants will have to deposit Rs 300 each for the application in any of the branches of State Bank of India or Union Bank of India in the name of Telangana State Haj Committee to obtain the application, which will have to be submitted along with supporting documents such as passport copies and address proof.

Pilgrims are required to indicate their option in the application for accommodation available in two categories of Green and Aziziya in Makkah.
New Delhi: The Bihar Government on Monday moved the Supreme Court seeking a transfer of the plea against liquor ban legislation from the Patna High Court.

Alcohol companies had earlier moved the Patna High Court against the liquor ban.

The apex court had earlier in October stayed the Patna High Court's order quashing the notification banning consumption and sale of liquor in Bihar.

The apex court admitted Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Bihar Government's plea and also issued notice to Confederation of Alcoholic Beverage Companies.

The state government had in October moved the apex court challenging the Patna High Court's order of striking down the Bihar Prohibition of Liquor Act.
Dehradun: Opposition BJP on Monday hit out at Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat for his proposed fast against the rejection of the state government's master plan on Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone, accusing him of having done nothing as a minister when a 100 km area along Bhagirathi in Uttarkashi district was notified as an ESZ.

"What was Rawat doing when the ESZ notification was quietly issued by the Manmohan Singh government. He was the Union Water Resources Minister at the time. He was in a position to do something to prevent or stall it. Why he did not do so?" state BJP spokesman Munna Singh Chauhan told reporters in Dehradun.

Noting that the state government's master plan had been rejected as it was not in accordance with the ESZ notification, he said the state government had submitted the master plan very late after the stipulated time frame of less than two years and that too without conducting a hearing of the stakeholders or the population residing in areas to be affected by the notification which was an essential requirement.

"It is because of its own shortcomings that the master plan was rejected by the National Green Tribunal. It is hard to understand who Rawat is protesting against? Shall we assume that he is agitating against a tribunal?" he said.

No one could take his battle against a tribunal or a judicial authority like the NGT to the streets, he added.

Terming the CM's proposed fast as drama, Chauhan said if he is so keen to sit on a fast he should do so only to atone for his "act of treachery" against the people of Uttarakhand.

"He kept mum when the ESZ notification was issued despite being a minister at the Centre and now he is being aggressive over the issue. It is sheer drama" he said.

"Rawat is indulging again in the politics of emotional blackmail. It may also be part of his tactics to mount pressure on the Centre as the CBI has summoned him for questioning in the alleged sting video where he is seen negotiating a deal to buy the support of disgruntled MLAs at the time of political crisis in the state," the BJP leader claimed.

"If the Chief Minister is innocent why should he be afraid of CBI and the courts of law.On one hand, he claims innocence and on the other does not tire of approaching the high court seeking revocation of the ongoing CBI probe into the sting video," he said.

Terming rejection of the state government's zonal master plan for Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone as the biggest blow to the interests of the state, Rawat had announced on Sunday that he will observe a day-long fast in Delhi on January 5 in protest.
Mumbai: The BJP on Monday termed as "inflammatory" AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi's demand for allocation of civic budget to Muslims in proportion to their population in Mumbai and moved the State Election Commission (SEC) against him.

The BJP city unit, which is part of the Shiv Sena-led alliance ruling the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), submitted a representation to the SEC seeking action against the Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad.

"What Owaisi said is inflammatory and illegal," Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar said after handing over the representation to State Election Commissioner JS Saharia.

"We condemn Owaisi for demanding grants based on a religious community's percentage of population," he said.

Action should be taken against Owaisi for such inflammatory remarks, the BJP leader added.

"Muslims account for around 21 per cent of the population in the BMC wards. If the BMC budget is of Rs 36,000 crore, Rs 7,700 crore should have been allotted for the development of Muslims which was not done," Owaisi had said at a public rally held at Nagpada on Sunday evening.

The rally addressed by the 47-year-old controversial politician, whose Hyderabad-based party has two MLAs in Maharashtra, marked the start of AIMIM's campaign for the upcoming polls to the country's richest civic body.
New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) will meet on Tuesday to take a call on advancing the Budget Session of Parliament to the last week of January.

The Budget Session is normally convened in the last week of February but this year the government is looking set to convene the longest session of Parliament in the last week of January.

The presentation of the Budget is expected to take place on February 1.

The Budget Session is being advanced as the government wants early allocation of funds for various schemes-- from April 1, the beginning of the financial year.

The CCPA meeting has been convened to decide the date for the commencement of the Budget Session, a source said. Home Minister Rajnath Singh will chair the meeting.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar are the members of CCPA, among others.
A total of 211 servicemen of the Ukrainian army were killed in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) area in Donbas in 2016, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said.

"This year alone, 211 servicemen of the Ukrainian Armed Forces sacrificed their lives for peace and freedom of our country," defending Ukraine from the adversary, Poroshenko said when delivering a speech in Mariupol, the Donetsk region, on Saturday.

Poroshenko went on to say that despite a slight decrease in fire intensity on the part of Kyiv's adversary, "the silence agreed upon in Minsk failed to materialize".

Two weeks ago, the opposing force attempted to take two strongholds of the Ukrainian army near Luhanske, a town at the Svitlodarsk bulge, Poroshenko said. The Ukrainian forces then repelled the attacks and "also staged a counterattack", Poroshenko added. As a result, the adversary suffered heavy losses and the Ukrainian army improved its dispositions, he said.

A tense situation also remains in Shyrokyne, the place where Kyiv's adversary has recently used almost the entire spectrum of weapons, except for rocket artillery, Poroshenko said.
Chennai: As many as five people were killed in accidents on road and as well as in a drowning incident and around 120 people sustained minor injures in different parts of the city on Saturday night in Chennai and Kancheepuram districts as the world stepped into the year 2017.

People mainly suffered injuries due to falling off from their bikes and also because of some scuffles in some areas. In Chennai, two fatal road mishaps were reported. Muthukumar, an AC mechanic, while riding his two-wheeler on Usman Road flyover, smashed his vehicle against Tata Ace head on at around 1.30 am on Sunday and died on the spot.

In another suspected hit and run case, a pedestrian identified as Moorthy, 55, was fatally knocked down by an identified vehicle when he was walking near ICF during the wee hours of Sunday. Though bleeding Moorthy was taken to hospital some onlookers, medical team declared him dead on arrival. Thirumangalam traffic police has registered a case and is trying to locate the vehicle involved in the fatal hit and run case.

In another incident reported near Mahabalipuram, three youngsters who were traveling on the same motorbike rammed into a mini lorry near Poonejri leaving two dead on the spot and another one is battling for life at Government Royapettah Hospital.

Police identified the deceased as Naveen Kumar, 25 and Sadasivam, 25. Amal Raj, 26, has been hospitalised. The three from Kanambur village near Mahabalipuram were riding triple when they rammed into a mini lorry that was heading to Puducherry from Chennai.

In yet another fatal incident near Chennai on New Years eve, a 18-year-old youth who went with his friends to swim in sea near Kovalam beach drowned.

Police said that victim Venkatesh, a native of Andhra Pradesh, was in Chennai to celebrate New Year with friends when the tragedy happened. Kelambakkam police said that Venkateshs family has been informed about the incident.

Boy dies in road mishap

In another bike accident involving two students in Guindy on Sunday morning, a 16-year-old boy died and his classmate is battling for life after the bike in which they were traveling skidded.

The accident happened at around 8.30 am when they were returning to city via Butt Road after celebrating New Year at their friends house at Porur. Victim Jayaraman who was admitted to a hospital in Saidapet died in the afternoon while the second victim, Ritwik, is struggling for life in a hospital Vanagarm, the police said. Jayaramaan, son of Mohan Kumar, who is in the construction business, was driving the vehicle. Jayaraman is a resident of Saidapet while Ritwik resides in Besant Nagar.
The accident reportedly took place because of the driver's carelessness. (Photo: ANI Twitter)

Gariaband (Chhattisgarh): At least five people were killed and more than 25 others injured after a bus rammed into a tractor in Chhattisgarh's Gariaband.

The incident took place at around 8 pm yesterday when the bus, carrying more than 50 pilgrims was coming from Odisha.

The accident reportedly took place because of the driver's carelessness.

The injured were rushed to the Bundu Anumandal Hospital for medical treatment.

The police also reached the spot to take stock of the situation.
The Supreme Court had in 2014 imposed a stay on jallikattu and the event was not held in 2015 and 2016, Mr Thirunavukarasar said.

Chennai: Punching holes in statements of BJP leaders that the erstwhile UPA was responsible for non-conduct of jallikattu for the past two years, TNCC chief Su Thirunavukarasar on Sunday said the sport was held for three years even after the then Congress-led Government removed bulls from the list of performing animals.

In a statement here, the TNCC chief also announced that its legislature party leader K.R. Ramasamy and former Union minister E.M. Sudharsana Natchiappan will represent the party at a protest demanding conduct of jallikattu to be organised by the DMK under the leadership of Stalin in Alanganallur in Madurai district on Tuesday.

Due to misunderstanding of how jallikattu is conducted, social activists had been demanding a ban on the event. In the backdrop, the Union government had in 2011 removed bulls from the list of performing animals. The Supreme Court had in 2014 imposed a stay on jallikattu and the event was not held in 2015 and 2016, Mr Thirunavukarasar said.

He accused the BJP government of not just exempting bulls from the list of performing animals and not adding them that would have ensured that jallikattu took place. The TNCC chief also noted that the BJP brought the order in January 2016 only to hoodwink the people of Tamil Nadu despite knowing that an order of the Supreme Court cannot be superceded by a mere executive order.

BJP leader Pon Radhakrishnan has been blaming the 2011 notification for the non-conduct of jallikattu. But I would like to remind Mr Radhakrishnan that jallikattu was held from 2012 to 2014 for three years through the order of the Madurai Bench of the Madras high court, he said.

If the BJP had brought an ordinance against the SC order in 2014, jallikattu would have been held for the past two years, Mr Thirunavukarasu said.
New Delhi: A Delhi Police head constable working at the Supreme Court shot himself dead on Monday morning at an entrance to the building in New Delhi.

According to reports, Chand Pal, who was assigned to the team managing security at the court killed himself using his service weapon.

He had arrived for work at 7 am. Chand Pal was posted with the courts security wing. The incident took place near gate G of the court, said ANI.

The cause of the suicide was not known yet, an officer said, adding crime and forensic teams were on the spot.

Police will be questioning Chand Pal's family members and colleagues to ascertain the reasons for him taking the extreme step.

More details are awaited.
People gather near the coal mine in Godda, Jharkhand, where several workers are trapped, after it collapsed on Thursday evening. (Photo: PTI)

Godda (Jharkhand): With the recovery of two more bodies on Saturday, the death toll climbed to 18 in the coal mine collapse at Lalmatia open cast coal mine of Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL) in Godda district.

R R Mishra, officiating CMD of ECL, a Coal India subsidiary, on Sunday said, "Two more bodies were recovered today. So in total 18 bodies have been recovered so far."

The fog was dense in the morning. But since there is less fog now so the rescue operation is still under way, he said.

Mishra said two more machines have been recovered today. "In total, so far 18 machines have been recovered, " he added. Sniffer dogs have also been pressed into service, he said.

Mishra had on Saturday 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.

Thirteen excavators and dump trucks which were swamped under the debris were recovered.
Karnataka government may get drought relief of less than Rs 2,000 crore. (Photo: AP/Representational)

Bengaluru/New Delhi: Karnataka government is unlikely to get the entire drought relief fund of Rs 4,702 that it sought from the central government as a sub-panel has recommended only Rs 1,782 crore for the 2016 kharif crop loss.

However, a final call on the quantum of relief amount to be released from the National Disaster Response Fund to the state would be taken during the January 4 meeting of the high-level Committee, headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

According to sources, a sub-committee on drought has reviewed the proposal of the state government vis-a-vis the report of the central team that submitted after visiting drought-hit areas.

"Going by the drought manual, the sub-committee has recommended Rs 1,784.44 crore drought relief to Karnataka. The committee's recommendation will furhter be deliberated in the high-level committee (HLC) meeting," an official source said.

The relief fund recommended by the sub-committee is 38 per cent lower than the amount sought by the state government.

Last week, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaih had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and requested him to release the entire relief amount considering farmers' distress in the wake of the worst drought in the last 40 years.

"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," Siddaramaih had told media after meeting the PM.

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.
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 Kyrgyzstan nationality, conferred by former President Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiyev, whom he had met in his late-20s while working in Iran.

Mr Mohammed, who heads Gammon Middle East in Saudi Arabia, used to be an adviser to Kyrgistan 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 Gulf. We are all elated by his elevation to the prestitgious post. He called us on Saturday and we spoke a lot. Mr Mohammeds last visit to Kozhikode was in 2007, Ms Rukhiya told this newspaper. Mr Mohammed, who has an Iranian wife, has made it big from a humble background. His father was a fisherman and struggled to make two ends meet.

Mr Mohammeds neighbour and 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. Similarly he will reach out to anyone in time of need, Mr Azis master said.

Sources said that Mr Mohammad keeps cordial relations with major political leaders of Kerala. He holds Kyrgyzstan nationality conferred by its former President Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiyev whom he casually met in his 20s while working in Iran. Later, he became the adviser to Mr Bakiyev.

Dubai reports said Mr Mohammed, after selling the successful project to the Iranian government, went to Kyrgyzstan and presented a similar project to Mr 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.

He 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, reports said.
Chennai: Cries for AIADMK General Secretary Sasikala Natarajan to take over the reins of the Government grew shriller on Monday with Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai making a passionate appeal to her to take oath as Chief Minister to ensure that the unfinished tasks left by late J Jayalalithaa are completed.

In a four-page statement here released by the AIADMK headquarters, the senior AIADMK leader said that the people of India have never accepted a situation where the leadership of the party is in one hand and the leadership of the government is in another hand.

He also contended that the past history has shown that governments have lost their credibility among the people when the leadership of the party and the leadership of the government were in the hands of two different persons.

The unfinished tasks of the party and the government expected Puratchi Thalaivi Honble Amma will be completed only when the leadership of the Party and the leadership of the Government are in the hands of one person, Mr Thambidurai said in the statement.

Thambidurai joins the loud chorus that is growing in strength day by day wanting Natarajan to take over as the chief minister. She was appointed as the general secretary of the AIADMK last Thursday and she took charge on Saturday delivering her first-ever public speech in which she said she would run the party with the same military discipline of the Jayalalithaa regime.

Natarajans first address on Saturday has created confidence in the minds of all AIADMK cadre and everyone feels that she has come to rescue all of us, as a Light House, the AIADMK leader said, adding that the leadership of Chinamma alone would continue to implement several welfare schemes for the people of Tamil Nadu that were initiated by late M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa.

Several hundred persons like me, who have been closely associated with respected Chinamma for the last 33 years, for political reasons, for the reasons of election campaigning and for Party administration knew the intelligence of respected Chinamma, he said.

Above all, we know that she has been able to think the way same as Honourable Puratchi Thalaivi Amma thinks; and we also knew very well that Respected Chinamma has the capability to take decisions without any likes or dislikes, the statement said.
Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday rejected the opposition demand for setting up of an inquiry commission into the recent unrest in the Valley even as she blamed NC and Congress for sowing the "seeds" of the turmoil in the state.

On the opening day of the Budget session of the Assembly in Jammu, she said the alliance of 1987 between NC (National Conference) and Congress had led to the weapons being given to the youth of Kashmir.

She was responding after Congress member Rigzin Jora blamed the "unholy alliance" of PDP and BJP in the state for the turmoil in the Valley which erupted in July last year and continued for over five months.

He also demanded setting up of a commission to probe last year's unrest that was triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter.

"Some people here say that a commission should be set up to probe it (unrest). But just yesterday I received the report of the (Justice M L) Koul Commission set up to probe the 2010 killings.

Let us first fix the responsibilities in it (2010 killings) and talk of new commission only after reading that report," the Chief Minister said, responding to Jora's demand.

She was referring to the unrest of 2010 during the NC- Congress rule when Omar Abdullah was the Chief Minister.

Hitting back at the opposition, Mehbooba said, "The situation which you have created, we all should sit and find a solution to it."

Tearing into the opposition charges, Mehbooba said, "What should you call the alliance of 1987 when the youth of Kashmir were handed over the guns. The seeds of turmoil were sown at that time. Slogans of plebiscite were raised and it was said that J&K will be separated from India and made a part of Pakistan."

"Their slogan was that Kashmir will become part of Pakistan," she said, claiming that the alliance of 1987 led to weapons being handed over to the youth of Kashmir.

Her remarks came during the Assembly Session which was adjourned for the day normally after finishing of the day's business of obituary reference.

As Mehbooba was speaking, NC MLAs created commotion in the House objecting to her remarks and pointed out that her father and former CM late Mufti Mohammed Sayeed was part of Congress at that time.

Amidst the uproar, the CM said the situation in the past few months has been bad and several people, including security forces personnel, have lost their lives which should not have had happened.
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.

Revenue minister R. B. 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 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 fulfil their wishes sooner than later. The fact that the chorus is gaining louder everyday shows that it would not have happened without the approval of 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.

Mr Raju said right from the time of late M G Ramachandran, both the posts of General Secretary and Chief Minister have been held by the same person and the practice should continue even now.

The AIADMK has always practiced the rule of handing over both responsibilities to the same person. In this context, we want Chinamma to take over as the chief minister, he said.

At the memorial, Ramachandran said the resolution adopted at the AIADMK general souncil meeting on December 29 had resolved to work under the leadership of Mrs Sasikala Natarajan. It is understood that she (Sasikala) has to lead both the party and the government, he said. Last week, cooperative minister Sellur K. Raju said OPS will himself make way for Sasikala to become CM. When contacted, party spokesperson C. R. Saraswathy told Deccan Chronicle defended the demand that one person should hold both posts saying leaders of the party had always followed the practice. We want Chinamma (Sasikala) to take over as chief minister since she knows how our Amma (Jayalalithaa) implemented all people-friendly measures. We want her to lead both the party and the government, she said. Asked whether the statements by ministers is not a open revolt against OPS and why should he be disturbed when he is just settling down, Ms Saraswathi said the chief minister was one of the senior most leaders of the AIADMK and he would do anything for the interest of the party. He (OPS) is very adjustable and he will be the first person to (give way for Sasikala) in the interest of the party. He had handed over power twice to our late Amma when he was made CM as interim arrangement, she said.

Political analyst Ravindran Duraisamy said the AIADMK leadership was silently encouraging those kind of statements from ministers. If the leadership wants they can contain such ministers. If they are not saying anything means they are silently encouraging these statements, he said.
McCain vows to continue working for imposing harsh sanctions against Russia upon arrival in Georgia

U.S. senators John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Amy Klobuchar arrived in Tbilisi on a two-day visit on Sunday, January 1.

McCain told reporters at the Tbilisi international airport that the senators would do everything possible for the United States to completely back the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia. He said that they would continue working for imposing harsh sanctions against Russia.

The senators will meet with Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, President Giorgi Margvelashvili and Defense Minister Levan Izoria during the visit. The American senators have travelled immediately from the airport to the Khurvaleti village in the Tskhinval region, where Russian and South Ossetian military have placed barbed wire barriers.
Lucknow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a Parivartan rally at Ambedkar ground in Uttar Pradesh on Monday amid a bitter feud in the Samajwadi Party rocking the state.

I have never seen such a good turnout for a rally in my life, not even when I was campaigning to be the Prime Minister of the country, Modi said at the rally.

He added that from this turnout, it can be clearly ascertained as to who would win the UP elections.

"This (Lucknow) is the home of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Many great people like him have spent their entire lives here," Modi added.

"For 14 years (of non-BJP governments) Uttar Pradesh has been forced into vanvaas (exile) from development," Modi said.

The PM said that in order to change the future of the country, the future of UP has to be changed first.

Modi demanded to know from the Samajwadi Party government why sugarcane farmers in the state have still not been paid.

"I can understand that two parties may be engaged in political fights. But politics should not be played with the people. It is unfortunate that development is not priority for the rulers here," the Prime Minister added.

Stating that SP and BSP never agree on any issue, Modi said they have come together to defeat him. "Have you ever seen BSP and SP together? When BSP says the sun is rising, SP will say sun is setting. But both agree on 'Modi hatao'," Modi said.

Alleging that SP and BSP were not against black money and corruption, the PM said these parties want him removed because of his crusade against it.

Modi urged the people to vote for UP's development, forgetting caste and creed.

Taking a dig at Congress, Modi said some parties are no longer even visible in UP.

One party is trying to establish their son in the state for the last 15 years, but has still not understood the problem, Modi stated mocking Rahul Gandhi.

As for Samajwadi Party, Modi remarked that it is busy in trying to save the family from splitting.

The PM claimed that in contrast, the high command of the BJP are only the people of India.

Earlier, people from every nook and corner of the state including Awadh, Kanpur and Brij regions arrived in Lucknow for Modi's rally despite the winter chill.

Union Ministers and MPs representing Uttar Pradesh at the Centre also reached Lucknow to take part in the rally.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah, senior leaders Rajnath Singh, Kalraj Mishra and Uma Bharti are among those attending the rally.

The rally is seen as a culmination of the four Parivartan yatras carried out by the BJP in the state recently.

It is the first rally by Prime Minister Modi after the expiry of 50-day grace period of demonetisation on December 30.

The Prime Minister in a televised address to the nation on New Year's Eve announced several measures for the rural and urban poor, small businesses, farmers and senior citizens.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday in a landmark decision said that no politician can seek votes in the name of caste, creed or religion.

The apex court said election is a secular exercise and thereby its way and process should be followed.

It added that the 'relationship between man and God' is an individual choice and the state is forbidden to interfere in such an activity.

The top court in a majority verdict held that any appeal for votes on ground of religion amounts to corrupt practices under electoral laws.

The Supreme Court was examining a batch of petitions in the 'Hindutva case', regarding whether religion can be used to garner votes in an election, and whether it will amount to a corrupt practice warranting disqualification of the winning candidate.

A seven-judge bench, comprising Chief Justice T.S. Thakur and Justices M. B. Lokur, S.A. Bobde, A.K. Goel, Uday Lalit, D.Y. Chandrachud and L. Nageswar Rao, had reserved the verdict on October 26 on the question of law relating to the interpretation of corrupt practice within the meaning of Section 123 (3) of the Representation of the People Act.

At the outset, the court had already clarified that the seven-judge bench would not go into the larger debate regarding what Hindutva is, or what its meaning is, and that it would confine the scope of its verdict only to whether religion could be used to garner votes in an election.

The essence, the ethos of our constitutional system is secularism, where religion and politics dont mix. Elections are a secular activity or not? In a secular state, can religion be brought into secular activities? the court had asked. The CJI pointed out that seeking votes in the name of religion by a candidate, or on his behalf, may be a greater evil than seeking votes in the name of caste or language as religious appeal is bound to influence the voters.

It was the submission on behalf of the appellants that an appeal by a candidate to voters other than those who share his religion is not proscribed. It was argued that certain political parties, like the Akali Dal and the Indian Muslim League, were registered on the basis of their religious ideologies. It was not possible to completely shut them from making any appeal on the basis of religion.

Countering this argument, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which was allowed to intervene, said the phrase voting for any person in Section 123 (3) of the RP Act must be construed widely to include within its ambit, even such persons who are not directly involved in the electoral process.

It was countered by arguing that If the Parliaments intention was to restrict such appeals in regard to candidates alone, it would have specifically stated so, and not used the wider phrase any person and hence no further interpretation is required.
New Delhi: Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Monday said his force is prepared for a two-front war involving Pakistan and China simultaneously but emphasised on the need to look at cooperation and not confrontation with Beijing.

His remarks came days after Beijing raised eyebrows over India testing 5000 km-range Agni 5 missile which has entire China within its reach.

"As far as armed forces are concerned, we are tasked to be prepared for a two-front war and I think we are capable of carrying out our task in whatever manner that we may be asked to do by the political hierarchy," Gen Rawat told NewsX channel.

General Rawat said as far as the northern border is concerned, army has adopted certain mechanism to ensure that a harmonious relationship is maintained along the Line of Actual Control.

He said that four border personnel meetings took place at the LAC.

"This is to ensure that while we may be competing with each other for space, economic development, prosperity, there are also areas of cooperation. And I think that should be our focus area. Rather than looking at confrontation, we need to look at cooperation with China," he said.

Just before his retirement last month, Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, who was also the Chairman, Chief of Staff Committee, had said India was only building its deterrent capability.

Referring to large-scale modernisation activities along the borders with China, purchase of Rafale fighter aircraft, new vessels and submarines, Raha had said India is "obviously building up" capability not to actually fight a conflict as it believes in peace and tranquility.

In a candid admission in March last year, Raha had said that given the IAF's depleting strength, it does not have the adequate numbers to "fully execute" an air campaign in case of a two-front war involving Pakistan and China simultaneously.
Aurangabad: The Supreme Court's ruling, which says seeking votes in the name of "religion" amounts to "corrupt practice", "clashes" with the Hindutva as "a way of life" verdict delivered by Justice J S Verma, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said on Monday.

In a majority verdict, the Supreme Court on Monday held that any appeal for votes on the ground of "religion, race, caste, community or language" amounted to "corrupt practice" under the election laws.

"Justice J S Verma, in the Manohar Joshi case, defined Hindutva as a way of life in 1995. This point has not been considered here and as such parties contesting polls on Hindutva plank can take a stand that they are seeking votes on the basis of (concept of) way of life and not on religion," Owaisi told reporters here when asked to react on today's verdict.

"The Supreme Court has added a few things under Section 123 of The Representation of People Act but this judgement may clash with the Hindutva verdict as saffron parties can contend they are not seeking votes on the basis of religion," said the Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad.

The AIMIM leader, however, clarified he had not yet gone through the entire apex court judgement.

Replying to a question, Owaisi said he is not disappointed by the judgement but was expecting the bench to review Justice Verma's verdict.

To another query, the 47-year-old MP said, "Ours is a participatory form of democracy and it is seen that minority representation is not sufficient. For 14 per cent Muslims, there are only 23 MPs whereas the number should be 60."

"Representation should be given to minorities at all levels, including local bodies, Assembly and Parliament," said Owaisi.

On the Rs 3,600-crore memorial of Chhatrapati Shivaji in the Arabian Sea, the AIMIM leader asked whether people had read about the teachings and policies of the warrior king.

"Shivaji was a true supporter of farmers, but in the reign of these people (referring to present BJP led and previous Congress-NCP Governments) more than one lakh farmers have committed suicide," he said.

He dismissed Congress and NCP claims that AIMIM was responsible for the BJP's victory in the 2014 Assembly polls in Maharashtra.

"They (Congress-NCP) are incapable of fighting Modi but are now blaming me and my party (for BJP's win)," said Owaisi, whose Hyderabad-based outfit bagged two seats in the 2014 polls.
Bengaluru: A Bengaluru Court on Monday adjourned the hearing in the solar scam case to January 9 as the complainant's lawyer was not prepared to cross examine former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy.

Chandy has been accused of accepting a bribe of Rs. 1.9 crore in the solar scam.

The scam involves duping of several persons by the two prime accused - S. Saritha Nair and Radhakrishnan - who had promised to install solar power panels for them.

Chandy served as the chief minister of Kerala twice, first between August 2004 to May 2006 and again between May 2011 to May 2016.
New Delhi: In a relief for four journalists whom the Delhi High Court had held guilty of contempt in 2007 for articles in a tabloid about former Chief Justice of India Y K Sabharwal, the Supreme Court on Monday set aside the verdict holding that it exceeded its jurisdiction in dealing with the contempt of a superior court.

A bench of Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice A M Khanwilkar said the high court did not have the jurisdiction to pass such an order as it was not empowered to punish for the contempt of a superior court which itself was not invoking such power despite being vested with it.

The bench said the apex court itself was empowered under Article 129 of the Constitution to punish for its contempt and, if it did not invoke this power, there is no question of a court subordinate to it, like the high court, doing so.

"There is, from a plain reading of the above, nothing in the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 or in Article 215 of the Constitution which can be said to empower the High Court to initiate proceedings suo-motu or otherwise for the contempt of a superior court like the Supreme Court of India.

"The power to punish for contempt vested in a Court of Record under Article 215 does not, however, extend to punishing for the contempt of a superior court. Such a power has never been recognised as an attribute of a court of record nor has the same been specifically conferred upon the High Courts under Article 215," the bench said in its 14-page judgement allowing the appeals of the four journalists.

The apex court delivered its verdict on the petition filed by the four journalists of the now defunct Delhi tabloid against the High Court's decision of taking suo-motu cognizance of the articles to initiate contempt action against them.

They had moved the apex court pending the hearing in the High Court which had on September 11, 2007 directed them to be present before it for pronouncement of quantum of sentence.

During the pendency of the appeal, the apex court had stayed the proceedings before the High Court.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday questioned the Centre as why judges and chief justices of high courts are not being transferred despite the recommendations of the collegium and asked it to file a status report on such pending transfers with detailed reasons in two weeks.

The apex court said it gives rise to "speculation and misgivings" due to continuance of such judges in the same high court and instead of sitting over the recommendation, the Centre should return back to the collegium for reconsideration.

"Continuance of judges in the same high courts despite being transferred is giving rise to speculation and misgivings. If you (the Centre) have any problem with the recommendations then send it back to us. We will look into it. There is no point sitting over it," a bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur told Attorney General (AG) Mukul Rohatgi.

Justice Thakur, who is demitting office tomorrow as the Chief Justice of India, has been regularly questioning the government over the appointment of judges for higher judiciary and both (the Centre and the judiciary) are at loggerheads with each other over the issue.

The AG said that the collegium has sent back 37 names of judges to the government which is looking at them.

"What about the transfers of judges which has been recommended by the collegium? You are sitting over them for over 10 months," a bench also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said.

Rohatgi said he needs to take instructions on the pending recommendations of transfers and sought three weeks of time.

Senior advocate Ram Jethmalani said the top law officer of the government should have all the information.

"I have no information about the transfers. Give me some time. I will come back in three weeks with full details," Rohatgi said.

Jethmalani said that transfer recommendation of Justice M R Shah of the Gujarat High Court is pending since February 2016.

"I do not understand why is the government so interested to keep this man over there," he said.

At the outset, senior advocate Yatin Oza said, "Things are really bad. I cannot say a lot of things in open court in the presence of journalists and media. Recommendations which were made six months after Justice Shah's have seen light of the day.
Sushma has asked the Saudi envoy to take up Shankar Ponnam's case with the Saudi goverment.

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday said she had asked Indias Ambassador in Saudi Arabia to take up the matter of a Telangana mans arrest in the country for a Facebook post which allegedly disrespected the Kaaba.

The Kaaba is one of the holiest sites in Islam and is located in Mecca. 38-year-old Shankar Ponnam from Telanganas Jagtial, had reportedly superimposed a photo of Hindu god Shiva on the Kaaba, which amounts to blasphemy, a serious offence in Suadi Arabia.

According to reports, Shankar was arrested by the Riyadh police on November 21, just days after he posted the picture. His relatives in Telangana have been running pillar to post, trying to secure his release, without much progress.

But hope has re-ignited for the family, with Sushma Swaraj taking interest in the case after a Twitter user brought the incident to her attention and sought help.

After Shankar put up the controversial post on his Facebook page, he was beaten by some locals. The incident was recorded and Shankar can be seen apologising for the post and claiming that he did not intend to hurt anybodys sentiment.

He has a wife and two children who stay stay with his parents in Jagtial.
Hyderabad: The state government shifted conjoined twins Veena and Vani to the state Home, Shishu Vihar, at Ameerpet on Sunday morning. The move had been kept a secret and their parents Naga and Maragani Murali were also not aware of the shift.

The twins were shifted from the hospital at 7.30 am along with a health official and an ayah. Veena and Vani had celebrated their 14th birthday on October 15 in Niloufer Hospital, their home since 2003. Their coming of age was one of the reasons for the hospital to ask the government to shift them to the Shishu Vihar, Ameerpet.

Explaining the reasons for shifting them, a senior doctor at Niloufer Hospital said, They are growing teenagers and need to learn social skills and interact with other children of their age. It was not possible in a hospital. Their safety in the hospital was a cause for concern.

The government had announced in August last year that they would be shifted to a state Home, but the paper work took time. Besides, the girls had to be mentally prepared for shifting to a new place.

A senior doctor said, They were brought up in the hospital when their parents expressed their inability to take care of them. They have been in the premises for more than a decade and are friendly with the doctors and ayahs. They had to be counselled about the new place. Their condition may also draw awe and ridicule from some of the children at Shishu Vihar, and they have been counselled about the same.

While both the girls are intelligent, their social skills have not been developed as they have been living in a single room and interacting only with a select few personnel from the hospital.

Mr Mujtaba Askari, who has filed a public interest litigation in the High Court on August 10, had appealed to the court to look into their living conditions and provide them an open and ventilated space along with trained supervisors for care.

Asked about the transfer to Shishu Vihar, Mr Askari said, We welcome the move but the government should have informed the parents and the High Court as the petition is pending before it. The government had not filed a counter to the PIL, he said/

The surgical separation of the twins has been rejected on the grounds of high risk of complications, including death on the operation table, by doctors from the United Kingdom and also AIIMS. The government has sent their medical records to Australia to check on any possibility to separate them.
Hyderabad: The Supreme Court verdict is unlikely to have any impact on caste- and religion-based organisations since they are neither registered political parties nor do they directly seek votes.

Such organisations will continue to dictate terms to political parties before and after elections in both the Telugu states since they play a crucial role in deciding the electoral fortunes, so much so that all major parties vie for their support during elections by promising sops if they come to power.

These organisations do not take part in elections directly but only extend support to any political party that has the biggest bouquet of promises (like increase in reservations) for the community they represent.

While representatives of these organisations have publicly welcomed the SC verdict, they opined that implementation was easier said than done since it involves many 'practical difficulties' which are not possible to implement in Indian society, where religion and caste matters more than anything else.

R. Krishnaiah, All India BC Welfare Association:

We welcome the SC order. Separating religion and caste from politics is not possible just with the SC orders as political parties themselves are formed based on caste and religion. The SC should first give a judgement banning castes. India should be made a caste-less country first. Only then the implementation of SC orders will be possible. Constitutional amendments should be made in this regard and election rules should be further tightened. Else the SC orders would remain only on paper.

Mr Krishnaiahs BC Association has 112 Backward Classes. Its call to support Y.S. Rajashekar Reddy is believed to have ensured the victory of the Congress in 2004 and 2009.

N. Ayush, RSS Prachar Pramuk for Telangana

The SC has termed elections a secular exercise but we feel that the whole concept of secularism in India needs to be redefined. The word secularism itself is foreign. It was conceptualised in Europe to separate the State from Church. It was in 1975 that Indira Gandhi incorporated the words secularism and socialism in the Constitution. Nevertheless, we welcome the SC order. But how far will these orders be implemented? Some parties and leaders are terming Hindusim is a religion, but the SC itself ruled in the 1990s that Hinduism is not a religion but a way of life. Now, how can one claim that Hinduism is a religion?

The RSS network, including its several organisations, supporting the Narendra Modi campaign in a coordinated operation is believed have been responsible for the victory of the BJP in the 2014 elections

Manda Krishna, MRPS

We welcome SC orders but the question is, are they practically possible to implement? Before giving such orders, the SC and the Election Commission must first ensure that there should be a level playing field for all castes in elections. In Indian society, where there is huge caste discrimination and when hundreds of castes are yet to enter Parliament and State Legislatures even nearly 70 years after Independence, implementation of such orders is a big question.

The MRPS tells the SC communities to vote for a particular party that supports SC categorisation, its prime objective. MRPS founder Manda Krishna Madiga contests elections as an independent candidate with this agenda.

Ambati Rambabu, YSRC:

The SC orders look good on paper but the question is whether Indian democracy or society is ready to implement them in toto or is it practically possible to adopt them? Is there any political party in India which can ensure implementation of these orders in toto? Caste plays a dominant role in Indian society for ages and it cannot be changed overnight by making laws or giving judgements. The mindset of society and people need to be changed first. Every party gives ticket to a Kapu, Kamma, Reddy or BC candidate. based on their political clout in their respective constituencies. This is the norm in Indian democracy since Independence. We all must welcome SC orders which are good for the country but the problem is with implementation part which needs to be extensively debated.

Mr Rambabu is a leader of the Kapu community, whose support is deemed crucial to win the elections in AP. The TD has alleged the YSRCs involvement in the Kapu agitation for inclusion in the BCs list
One serviceman injured in Donbas in past 24 hours

A soldier of the Ukrainian army was wounded in the hostilities in eastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours, Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Oleksandr Motuzianyk said on Sunday, January 1.

"None of Ukrainian servicemen was killed in the hostilities over the past day, yet one serviceman of ours suffered injury," he told a press briefing in Kyiv.

According to Motuzianyk, the soldier was wounded in a militia attack near Zaitseve.
Hyderabad: The defacement of public and private properties act has come into force from January 1. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has fined hundreds of violators and collected an amount of Rs 18,300 in two days.

There would be no more defacing or writing on the wall. Also, illegal hoardings, flex boards, cut-outs of political leaders and banners in the city have been prohibited since January 1. The GHMC has decided to put an end to them, said Commissioner Dr. B. Janardhan Reddy.

It has become a habit for some to put up huge flexies, cutouts and banners of leaders without their knowledge and even without permission. Esrlier, this trend was not very rampant and the banners were made of cloth used to be displayed in the past, but now huge flexis made of plastic and other material are being used.

Even the street range leaders are displaying their cutouts, causing inconvenience to people. The Telangana Government has decided to implement Public Act strictly from January 1. No wall writings, flexies and banners would be allowed in the city.

People who put up flexis for every small event in the city, political or otherwise, will be heavily fined. The new rule has been made effective from January 1. Political leaders must cooperate with the regulations as flexis are becoming a vexation, the commissioner said.
Hyderabad: The spirit of Hyderabad came to the fore with thousands of taxis going off the roads, with commuters pooling cars, taking autorickshaws and even taking buses and MMTS trains.

The Telangana Cab Drivers and Owners Association continued its protests at nearly 1,500 locations on the third day on Monday and blocked other cabs which were running. Association sources said they had stopped about 1,000 cabs, most of them in the IT corridor. In many cases, techies were forced to get down mid-journey.

These techies took to the social media to inform their colleagues of the lack of taxis. Mr Sundeep Kumar Makthala from the Telangana IT Association said most techies had shared transport to come to work.

The fares have been jacked up. Instead of Rs 200 for a trip from Gachibowli to Kukatpally, I paid Rs 670 on Monday, he said. Mr P.V. Raja Rao, a techie from Neredmet, said their cab was halted at Begumpet at about noon, while he had to report to work at 2 pm. All 10 of us took buses to reach Cyber Towers, he said.

A few autorickshaw associations increased services at hospitals, railway stations and bus stations but drivers charged double the meter fare. Association president V. Shiva said they would continue the strike till the Ola and Uber managements agree to their demands.

We will end the strike on January 4 but we will continue our protest in a peace way. We will hold relay hunger strikes and indefinite hunger strikes, he said.
Bengaluru: The state government is likely to seek modification of the Supreme Court order on the ban of liquor vends on national and state highways with effect from April 1, 2017, an official source told this newspaper.

More than 60 per cent of the excise licensees will go out of business as a result of the apex court order. Their livelihoods, and of those working for them will be impacted by the liquor ban on highways. Out of 10,097 licensees, 6,000 licensees have liquor outlets on the highways. They will either have to relocate before the March 31 deadline or their license will not be renewed. The licensees also include star hotels. The government will seek legal opinion from the Advocate General on the issue this week, because the move will also adversely impact the revenue of the state. The Excise Department contributes to more than 20 per cent of the States total taxes, the officer said.

Last week, the 33 deputy commissioners of excise submitted the numbers of licensees who will be impacted by the court order to the Excise Commissioner. The figures were later placed before the chief minister during his review meeting of the Revenue Department last week, the officer said. Excise Commissioner Manjunath Naik had held a meeting with all the licensees, during which they had voiced their concern of losing their livelihoods if they were asked to relocate their liquor vends from the highways. The licensees may also go on appeal before the Supreme Court for a modification of the ban order, he said.

The Supreme Court on December 15 took serious exception to the high number of fatalities (approximately 1.5 lakh annually in road accidents) on the highways across the country and had banned states and UTs from renewing licenses to highway liquor outlets after March 31, 2017. The court, while ordering prohibition along the highways, had maintained that no liquor stores should be allowed within a distance of 500 metres from the outer edge of the highways and service lanes or should be visible from the highways. The prohibition is extended to stretches of such highways, which fall within the limits of municipal corporations, tows and local authorities. The court had also directed the states and UTs to remove liquor signage and advertisements on the highways and had given a months time to the chief secretaries and police chiefs to chalk out their implementation plan. The apex court had also come down heavily on the states and UTs for covering up for the liquor lobby.
New Delhi: The molestation of women in Bengaluru on New Year's Eve has come as a severe embarrassment to the Karnataka government ahead of the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (PBD) there from January 7 to 9. The state government, however, claimed in New Delhi that Bengaluru still continued to be among the safest cities for women and that the incident was being probed.

The PBD will be attended by over 4,000 Persons of Indian Origin and Non-Resident Indians from abroad. Indian-origin Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa will be the chief guest. In response to a question by reporters on the shocking incident, senior IAS officer and Karnataka's Commissioner for Industrial Development Gaurav Gupta said Bengaluru continued to be among the safest cities in India for women, adding, "The incident (of molestation) is being probed."
Tirupati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the five-day annual Indian Science Congress here on Tuesday. The congress will continue till January 7.

Around six Nobel prize winners will take part in the Congress. Overall, we are expecting around 15,000 delegates, said Indian Science Congress Association organising secretary Prof. S. Vijayabhaskara Rao.

Mr Modi will felicilate the Nobel laureates with gold medals and interact with eminent Indian scientists over tea at Sri Venkateshwara University. Later, the Prime Minister Modi would visit Lord Sri Venkateswara Temple atop Tirumala hill.

Security has been beefed up for Mr Modis visit. Prominent Indian scientists who attend the congress include Dr K Sivan, director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Dr Tessy Thomas, Dr V K Saraswat, Prof M S Swaminathan, Dr G Sateesh Reddy, Dr YVN Krishna Murthy, and Dr Sekhar Basu. AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will inaugurate the Sixth Women Science Congress on January 4 at the Srinivasa Auditorium here.

Works on hours before big meet

With just hours to go for the biggest science meet here, government and university officials are busy making last-minute arrangements. There were some hiccups too. Beautification works were also far from over.

Delegates, who are mostly science students from various universities across the country, had a difficult time getting details of their accommodation and passes.

Delegates from other states especially those coming from Uttar Pradesh, North East and Jharkhand complained about the lack of clarity about the registration and collection of accommodation details.

Meanwhile, the organisers have put out a notice on its website saying that there will not be any spot registrations for the event. Please be notified that due to overwhelming response to 104th Indian Science Congress, the organising committee has taken decision not to have spot registrations, said the notice on the website.

However, the organisers said that all important sessions of the congress will be webcasted at http:// www.isc104.com/TV. Along with the main event, the government will also organise Children Science Congress between January 4 and 6. It encourages students  in the age group of 10 and 17 years  to visualise science and conduct scientific experiments. It also allows children to showcase their innovation.
SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav on his way to meet the Election Commission in New Delhi on Monday. SP leaders Amar Singh and Jaya Prada are also seen. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav moved the Election Commission here on Monday to hold on to the partys election symbol  the cycle, a day after his son and UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav unseated him and became the new national president of the party.

SP Rajya Sabha member Ram Gopal Yadav, who has backed Akhilesh Yadav in his struggle for control of the party, is likely to meet the EC on Tuesday to claim the partys symbol before the crucial Assembly polls, whose schedule will be announced soon.

After calling Sundays development illegal, Mulayam Singh Yadav rushed to Delhi and spent the whole day with brother Shivpal Yadav and close aide Amar Singh at his residence here.

He went to the Election Commission at around 4.30 pm, and was escorted by Shivpal Yadav, Amar Singh and Jaya Prada. According to sources in the Election Comm-ission, in the event of a split in the Samajwadi Party, the bicycle symbol will go to the faction that can furnish support of the majority of party office-bearers.

However, if the commission doesnt have enough time for verification, it can just freeze the symbol and ask both sides to chose new names and symbols.

Both camps of the Samajwadi parivar have been locked in a bitter feud for greater control of the party, resulting in several tit-for-tat sackings since August.
New Delhi: Coming to aid of 12,000 civilian porters working for Indian Army in high risk and active field areas like Rajouri, Jammu and Poonch, the Supreme Court on Monday directed the Centre to finalise a scheme having better pay, medical facilities, enhanced compensation and a severance grant higher than the Rs 50,000 proposed by the government.

The apex court also asked the Centre to bear in mind the large pool of porters while enhancing the proportion of the sanctioned strength for regularisation, so that the benefit of security of tenure is made available to a reasonable number of persons who complete a stipulated minimum tenure of service.

A Bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice A.M. Khanwilkar issued the directions while noting that though the porters belong to the poorest strata of the society and may not even possess educational qualifications but they provide support to the Army.
Junior doctors say the proposal is an insult to the medical education system and the existing practice. (Representational Image)

Hyderabad: The Telangana Junior Doctors Association has warned of a nationwide demonstration against the National Exit Test, which requires them to sit for an examination after they complete the five year MBBS course, and will allow foreign graduates to practice in India.

The test also allows 50 per cent service reservation in post-graduation seats for candidates in government services, proposed by the Union Government in the draft Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill introduced by the Union Health Ministry earlier this week.

Junior doctors say the proposal is an insult to the medical education system and the existing practice.

Dr G Srinivas, president of the TJDA says, Fifty per cent reservation won't solve the problem of scarcity of doctors in rural areas. The in-service doctors who were serving in the undivided Andhra Pradesh are leaving government service after finishing five years of their bond period. All of them during that time also wanted to practice in medical colleges but not in the interiors of India. After becoming a specialist, most of them give up the job hence it does not serve the purpose.

Talking about the exit exam, Dr Mohammed Salim, another junior doctor, explained, Exit exams will be a disaster as the training period of MBBS students during the internship period in hospitals will be spent in preparing for the exit exams.

Dr Salim added, Also, with Indian medical graduates and foreign graduates being treated at par, there will be competition to pass these exams rather than get first-hand knowledge of treating patients.

The junior doctors have put across their point of view to the Medical Council of India and also the Indian Medical Council and warned of an agitation if these proposals are accepted.
Visakhapatnam: About 800 villagers of K. Kotapadu mandal in Visakhapatnam suffered from suspected food poisoning on Sunday midnight. According to District Medical and Health Officer Dr. J. Sarojini, about 2,000 people from about 40 surrounding villages, including Pathavalasa, Kothabhoomi, Srungavaram and others, had lunch at Mr Gokada Govinda's house in Marrivalasa on Sunday.

The guests consumed non-vegetarian dishes like biryani etc. At about 11 pm, some villagers started experiencing abdominal pain, vomiting and loose motions. As the number of victims grew into hundreds in the ensuing hours, they were all shifted to hospitals in K Kotapadu, Kothavalasa and Pendurti for treatment in ambulances.

Dr. Sarojini, V. Madug-ula MLA B. Mutyala Naidu and RDO B. Padmavathi had monitored the medical services offered to the patients at various hospitals.

Special camps were conducted for the victims at the K. Kotapadu Hospital as well as at primary school in Marrivalasa on Sunday midnight and Monday.

While some villagers suspect stale meat as the reason for the food poising, adulterated oil or contaminated water sachets to be the cause for food poisoning. Dr. Sarojini said the reason for such violent food poisoning cannot be arrived at without proper investigation.

We asked the food safety officials to collect the samples of water sachets as well as food items that were served at the lunch. Majority of patients received treatment on an outpatient basis. There were no serious cases and there is nothing to worry. All these symptoms were primary in nature and just required simple outpatient treatment, she added.

By Monday night, except 30 patients all the remaining patients were discharged from the hospitals. The food safety officials report is expected to arrive in the next three days. RDO Padmavathi directed the officials to ban the sale of the water sachets of the particular company, which were supplied at the lunch until the food safety officials' report comes in. The villagers heaved a sigh of relief in the evening as all the patients were out of danger.
Coimbatore: A college student who attempted a selfie with a passing train by standing too close to the railway track, was fatally knocked down in Avarampalayam on Saturday night.

Police said Gunasekaran, a native of Dindugul who was studying first year engineering at a private college in Karanampet and staying in the campus hostel, had gone to Avarampalayam near here to celebrate the New Year with friends.

After celebrations, he was walking back to his hostel when an Express train bound for New Delhi from Thiruvananthapuram was passing by a railway gate in Avarampalayam area.

Suddenly Gunasekaran ran towards the passing train and attempted to take a selfie by standing too close, but suffered a hit and was flung almost 100 m away from the track, said a cop.

The boy succumbed to injuries on the spot. On receiving information, the railway police reached the spot and sent the body for post-mortem at Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH). Further investigations are on.
Ukraine backs establishment of ceasefire in Syria, and the country cast the supporting vote at the meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Saturday, December 31.

"Ukraine voted in favor of UNSC res for one reason  because it focuses on the establishment of a ceasefire regime," the Ukrainian Mission to UN said on Twitter.

"To make this ceasefire work, a necessary level of confidence and trust has to be built up between all parties in Syria," Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Volodymyr Yelchenko said.

Russian Federation and Turkey's resolution No. 2336 on the ceasefire in Syria was adopted unanimously by UNSC.
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. (Photo: Representational Image)

New Delhi: 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 Delhi's Hauz Khas Village on New Year's 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 Year's eve.

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 Year's eve with two of his friends. In their statement, his friends have told police that they weren't inside the venue when the incident happened.

Inquest proceedings have been initiated and post-mortem will be conducted on Monday and the reason of his death will emerge thereafter. Tandon was a small-time businessman.
Thiruvananthapuram: Cashew development minister J Mercykutty Amma clarified in Assembly on Friday that the letter V.D. Satheeshan submitted in the Assembly as government order for self certification of quality check was a letter from the then Cashew Development Board MD asking the government to insist that the companies that supply cashew nut needed to produce a certificate from the country of origin of the cashew.

Ms Mercykutty Amma, while making a statement on the floor of the House on Friday to clarify the allegations of Mr Satheesan, said that this was to ensure that the companies which supplied cashew did not cheat the government by supplying cashew from another country that produced cashews of lesser quality. The letter had clearly mentioned that a third party would conduct the quality check.

The agency for the quality check was the same as the one shortlisted by the previous UDF Government, the minister said. Mr Satheesan however, reiterated the allegations. He said that the minister was evading the issue. The issue was that the government, which rejected the offer made on supplying cashew nut from Ivory coast for Rs 118 per kilo, after ten days purchased cashew from the same destination for Rs 124.50 per kilo. The argument was that the tender was rejected as there was only a single bidder. However, the cashew nut from Guinea-Bissau was purchased even though it was a single tender, Mr Satheesan said.
Lucknow: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Monday alleged that the incumbent Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party regime is not implementing the policies formulated by the Centre as they fear it will boost Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity.

Eyeing a thumping majority in the upcoming assembly polls, Shah said the Prime Minister is genuinely interested in developing Uttar Pradesh, adding that he has allotted Rs. one lakh crore every year to the state.

Shah, who was addressing the BJP's parivartan rally here, urged people to throw out the Samajwadi Party from power and join hands with the saffron party for a better future.

The BJP president also used the occasion to train his guns at the opposition for questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his bid to end corruption courtesy the November 8 demonetisation drive.

"The opposition hasn't been able to pin any corruption charges on the Narendra Modi government in the past two and a half years," he added.

Shah further said Uttar Pradesh has been ruined by both the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party.

Referring to BSP chief Mayawati, he said even the "bua" had not contributed positively to the state, adding it was because of these two parties that Uttar Pradesh remained backward.
The year that has just ended marked the end of willing globalisation. Oh yes, world leaders will continue to pay lip service to the concept. They  even US President-elect Donald Trump  will encourage the movement of goods and services when its to their gain. But as distressed and deprived Asia knocked on prosperous Europes doors, it became clear that the fundamental element of globalisation  free movement of human beings across the borders of race, colour and religion  was not welcome. Germanys Angela Merkel is an outstanding exception among white leaders.

I am not talking of voluntary economic migrants like Indians who consciously subordinate loyalty and honesty to the quest for money and flock to the US to seek green cards and well-paying jobs. I mean people who are forced to abandon their homes, of whom there were over a billion in 2015 when Thomas Neal published The Figure of the Migrant. The stricter the immigration laws, the more migrants are in violation of them, says Neal, thus, criminal statistics reveal the need for harsher laws because of the increase in immigration violations. Migrants are a constitutive part of a juridical feedback mechanism that requires for its expansion the legal expulsion of a migrant population. I am not saying this is the conscious plot of some evil politicians  well, maybe Trump, but I hesitate to call him a politician  its structural. It is part of the fundamental kinetic structure of juridical power.

The West which sets the framework of all global discourse remains obsessed with European Jews and Hitlers infamous final solution. Victims of other tragedies were not such effective publicists. Those who take a less blinkered view of history cannot forget 1947 and the plight of millions of evacuated Hindus and Muslims, the bloody wars of Hutus and Tutsis, and waves of Chinese emigrants who peopled Southeast Asia and set up Chinatowns worldwide.

Persecuted Tibetan Buddhists, Rohingyas persecuted by Buddhists, Afghans fleeing the Taliban and Sri Lankan Tamils fleeing Buddhist Sinhalese are part of the global diaspora. The horrors of risky Mediterranean crossings have now forced the worlds attention on victims of Syrias civil war. Many regard the United Nations 2016 estimate of 13.5 million Syrians in need of humanitarian assistance (4.8 million in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq, over a million in Europe and more than six million internally displaced) a gross under-estimate. Like the Jews of whom Hannah Arendt, the German-Jewish-American political philosopher, spoke, It was not only their own misfortunes that the refugees carried with them from land to land, from continent to continent, but the great misfortune of the whole world. They would not be experiencing such hardship if outside forces had not encouraged Syrian dissidents to revolt against Bashar al-Assad as part of what was exalted as the Arab Spring.

No one wants to bear the burden of the fallout. George Orwell once wrote in the British socialist journal Tribune that 100,000 of the Jewish refugees struggling to reach Palestine should be invited to settle in Britain with UK citizenship. Instead, the British forced the Palestinians to accommodate European Jews, which made Palestinians the worlds first permanently stateless community. Orwell recognised that far from being the solution, Zionism was another dangerous form of the nationalism that prevents people from responding hospitably to suffering. But despite serving in the Indian Police, Orwell missed the significant aspect of race, which Disraeli called the ultimate reality.

During the year or so I spent in Honolulu, American military men were anxiously assessing the exact number of US personnel killed in the Vietnam war. If I remember right, the figure was 58,200. To me, as an outsider, it seemed a fleabite considering that nearly five million Vietnamese soldiers and civilians also perished. The contrast recalled Jawaharlal Nehru listing how top-drawer Britons divided the world. The English (no Asians and West Indians then to muddy the racial waters) were followed after a long gap by the whites of the old dominions and by Anglo-Saxon Americans (not dagoes, wops, etc.,). Then came Western Europeans, the rest of Europe, Latin South Americans and, after another long gap, the brown, yellow and black races of Asia and Africa, all bunched up more or less together. Nehrus rueful comment was, How far we of the last of these classes are from the heights where our rulers live!

The world has made some progress since then. The first US African-American President is ending his tenure. An ethnic Pakistani is Londons mayor. Portugals Prime Minister who was a state visitor in India the other day is of Goan descent. But welcome as they are as evidence of dawning enlightenment, they offer no clue to the reality of power. Polish, Slovakian and Hungarian resistance to Syrian refugees is more relevant. So is the rise of Austrias anti-immigration Freedom Party, of Marine Le Pen in France, and  above all  Britains Brexit vote. Yet, 60 million Europeans colonised the two Americas, Australia and parts of Africa in the heyday of empire.

Today, refugees are viewed as threats to internal security. They are regarded as unemployable or politically dangerous, subjected to indignities and treated as burdens on charity. European Union members would like to pull up the drawbridge to bar over a million men, women and children fleeing the Syrian war. They are refugees. They represent a crisis of humanity. No one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land, wrote Warsan Shire, the London-based Somali poet. The New Year can redress the balance of the old by recognising refugees as victims of history. They must not be treated like self-seeking economic migrants. Europe can save or kill globalisation. The world is watching.

The writer is a senior journalist, columnist and author
Next time you plan on getting an activity tracker, understand that you can always get more out of it than what the built-in functions allow you to.

Remember the last time your body was giving away the signs of an upcoming illness? We all can relate to an instance in our lives when we feel exhausted, perhaps a bit feverish  and the morning after we call-in sick. These are rather subjective triggers of our conscious intuition. Futuristic wearable activity trackers are betting heavily on giving you objective sign of potential illness. Based on these objective signs, another layer of smart-programming might automatically initiate a doctors appointment for preventive medication and habitual change.

For a smart activity tracker to make predictive health decisions, its several building blocks need to be perfected. Internet provides on-demand information from a pool of vast knowledge from the entire world. To put it crudely, this network consists primarily of us humans and a web server machine. In order to access information we should first know what to search. These forms the first block of a smart activity tracker: the correlation of activity tracker data with potential illnesses. Now-a-days, the networks consist of an extra player  things. These things measure certain properties and transfer measurements to another device. Internet of things (IoT) comprises of us humans, web servers, and things. The next building block is the thing in IoT: activity tracking sensor.

IoT is a rather broad term covering any physical device/thing that is connected to the internet. The device might not necessarily be publicly accessible via internet. Consumer devices such as refrigerators, televisions, washing machines, media streamers, smart watches, home automation amongst others fall under the category of internet of things. Almost any device, if connected to internet, can provide data on-demand. What one chooses to do after collecting the data determines worthiness of a smart-product.

Now that you have data, what's next? It can be presented as it is  take the example of a vehicle GPS tracker with internet access, which allows you to track location of your vehicle in real time. In another case, the data can be processed further to enhance its worth  take an example of smart fridge with bar code reader, which allows keeping track of expired or empty food supplies. Rationally, spending money on a smart device should be justified on whether the quality of data is important for you.

Todays wearable activity trackers have created a lot of buzz  thanks to the clever marketing. Most of these gadgets allow a user to track metrics like heart rate, number of steps taken, steps climbed, and sleep quality. The aim of the activity trackers revolves around health and wellness targets. For instance, one of the features of Fitbits products focuses on tracking exercise goals. This goal could be as simple as walking for two kilometres every day converted into steps. These steps aggregate over total daily movement from walking around your home to intentionally going out for walks. Creating awareness about lack of walking might motivate one to schedule intentional walking and jogging.

So why should we care about a fitness goal? Because it most certainly improve daily physical and mental well-being. World Health Organization recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity in a week to improve cardio-respiratory and muscular fitness, bone health, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases, and depression. However, doing enough physical activity alone will not guarantee prevention of future illness. This is where the smart wearable activity trackers jump in. They are all set to play a major role in possibly preventing future illness.

The current state of health care is largely reactive. Reactive health care relates to an approach wherein you seek treatment after you have experienced symptoms of an illness. For instance, when you suffer from fever, and then you seek medical treatment. IoT and activity trackers present a potential for a preventive health care. The future of smart activity trackers lie in using physical metrics like, but not limited to, heart rate and blood pressure, to predict illness in near future.

As of now predictive and preventive health care is limited to the expertise of medical doctors. Essentially, we monitor changes in lifestyle and number crunch data into pretty statistics showing patterns. For instance, your activity tracker might report that you got 20 per cent less sleep every day over the past month. You could use then this information to reflect on your past month and identify why you get less sleep. You might even consider sharing this information with your doctor for expert prognosis.

Next time you plan on getting an activity tracker, understand that you can always get more out of it than what the built-in functions allow you to. Look for patterns and share any concerning patterns with your doctor. In future, these devices might contact your doctor directly before you even know it.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article is solely those of the original author. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Deccan Chronicle and/or other staff and contributors to this site. Durgesh is a wannabe scientist completing his PhD at Delft University. You can reach him by sending an email to durgeshkawale@gmail.com

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Some rides at the amusement park are leisurely pleasures. Others are roller coasters. The personal technology that gadget makers thrust at us in 2016, often gave us a dizzy feeling. At the starting gates of a new year, its time to decide which of the techno trends are worth following. This will help spend our money sensibly in 2016. Heres a checklist:

Mobile wallets

E-cash or mobile wallets could see their fastest growth in early 2017. The cash travails of the last 50 days, forced many of us to explore e-wallets for the first time. We installed apps like PayTM, FreeCharge, MobiKwik  or one of the bank-sponsored wallets like Chillar or Pockets. The problem is, none of them are universal and interchangeable - that means either a wallet will work with a limited number of merchant establishments or it requires the recipient to have installed the identical wallet. You end up dividing your money into multiple wallets. Only last week, government announced yet another option, the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) where you dont even need a phone, but your Aadhaar number should be linked to a bank. In 2017, this can be expected to take off in a big way -- but lets wait till some sort of shakeout happens to determine which is the de facto national wallet. Any Aadhaar-linked system poses one technology challenge: authentication which means a finger print or iris eye scan  and this is another technology that will peak in 2017.

Phones with scanners

Like tail wagging the dog, the camera on the mobile phone is often more powerful than the phone itself. Handsets with 20 megapixel cameras are here. Actually pixel count alone, doesnt make for a great camera  both iPhone 7 and Google Pixel have just 12 MP cameras --you need good optics. The biggest news of 2016 was the phone with a camera that let you shoot first, focus later. It achieved this by offering a rear camera with 2 lenses: one shooting in colour, the other in monochrome. (The latest dual lens camera-phone, the Cool One is reviewed on this page).

It will make sense in 2017 to ensure that any new phone you buy has either a fingerprint scanner or an Iris scanner. You cant do much with it right now, except use it to unlock your phone. But government is bending on industry to make such scanners Aadhaar-compliant  that means, they come pre installed with software that can connect to the Aadhaar data base and be used to authenticate an Aadhaar number. In 2016, I saw only one Aadhaar compliant device  a Samsung tablet  but Indian brands like Intex, Lava, Lyf and Micromax are known to be talking to leading makers of iris scan technology likeActive Iris from DeltaID and e-Parakh from Biomatiques. By mid 2017, we can expect to be offered handsets with Aadhaar-certified eye or finger scanners. Such a phone will be very useful in multiple situations including e-payments and ID-proof.

Meri awaz suno

Bots are the new apps! says Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. In 2016, chatbots  a combo of two compelling technologies: Artificial Intelligence and simple human conversation -- became a potent new tool. iPhones Siri, Microsofts Cortana, Amazons Alexa and Googles Voice Assistant are all quick learners and smooth talkers. You can talk to them to find some information, order something or open an app or tool. The good news is you should be able to install a chatbot for free on almost any phone in 2017. Expect leading e-sellers like Amazon, e-Bay, FlipKart, MakeMyTrip to offer chatbots which will allow you to make a selection and pay for it (almost) entirely by voice. A popular chat-based personal assistant for iPhone and Android, is the Made-in-India Haptik.

Year of the Selfie?

The selfie craze swept through 2016 and many makers are optimizing handsets to unimaginable levels for the selfie-centred owner. Software tools are available to make you look better than you are  and wide angle lenses ensure that your entire gang can fit in the frame. According to Sanjiv Bhatia, co-founder of OnlyMobiles.com, Viva V5, Oppo F1S, Honor 8, Gionee S6S and IPhone 7 are the most popular phones with Indian selfie seekers. The V5 has a whopping 20MP selfie camera. A backlash was inevitable and many tourist spots now ban the taking of selfies  mostly for the takers own safety or those of bystanders. As front cameras become dual lenses and better every day, many are discovering the joys of actually clicking things other than themselves. Try it, it could be addictive!

Type-C, hai ji!

The reversible, Type C USB Connector made a tentative appearance last year, on phones and tablets. Some handsets like Pixel, IPhone 7 were Type-C only, using the port both for charging and data transfer. LeEco exploited the Type C link to power up features like noise cancellation on earphones, which otherwise would a called for additional batteries. More new phones in 2017 will be only Type C  so be prepared to carry a USB adapter cable till its an all-C world.

Finally, its 4G

With 2016, 3G started to fade away. Anything less than 4G on your phone today and you will lack the juice to drive 360-degree video, always-on Internet, augmented reality and most of the new technologies that are going mobile. Last week, Twitter enabled you to send live video with your tweets. Googles Duo and Apples FaceTime have made video calling as simple as voice. Reliance Jio harnessing 4G VoLTE, offers rich communication services where you can switch from voice to video at will.

And the price is lower than ever; Last month, Pune-based Swipe launched a 4G VoLTE phone, the Konnect4G for Rs 2,799. Internet is everywhere  already in 100 railway stations, another 300 by end 2017, thanks to a Google initiative.

Say hello to a tech-rich, purse-friendly 2017!

IndiaTechOnline

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Ceuta: A 19-year-old female Moroccan migrant curled up in a suitcase, was caught by the border police as she was trying to get smuggled into Spain.

The woman was found and arrested in Ceuta, a Spanish enclave next to Morocco in north Africa, Mirror reported.

The incident was occurred after more than 1,100 desperate migrants attempted to get across the border fence into the Spanish territory, just hours into 2017.

They were met with border police and a barbed wire fence.

The attempt failed, but two of the migrants were allowed entry into Ceuta for treatment at the hospital.

Ceuta and Malilla, the two Spanish enclaves in Spain often become the entry points for the African migrants into Europe.

However, of late, Spain has received some criticism from human rights groups for turning the migrants back to Morocco in case of such incidents.
The gate crew as well as crew members on the aircraft indicated that Miroslav Gronych was behaving strangely ahead of his scheduled flight Saturday. (Photo: Representational Image)

Calgary: An airline pilot is facing charges in Canada after police say he was found by his co-pilot passed out in the cockpit of a Boeing 737 before it was set to take off.

Calgary police say the gate crew as well as crew members on the aircraft indicated that Miroslav Gronych was behaving strangely ahead of his scheduled flight Saturday. Sgt. Paul Stacey says the co-pilot later found the 37-year-old captain "slumped over in the seat" of the airliner.

The pilot was escorted from the plane and charged with having a blood-alcohol level above .08 and controlling an aircraft while impaired. Police allege Gronych had three times the legal amount of alcohol in his system.

Sunwing Airlines calls it "a very unfortunate matter." The Mexico-bound plane later took off with another pilot.
On October 18, deadly riots broke out at three separate prisons blamed on fighting between members of the country's two largest gangs. (Photo: Representational Image/AFP)

Rio De Janeiro: At least 60 people were killed in a prison riot in Brazil's Amazon region when fighting broke out between rival gangs, an official said on Monday.

The riot happened Sunday at a prison in Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state, said the head of the state's prisons administration, Pedro Florencio.

"There are 60 dead so far," he told journalists.

Riots are common in Brazil's overcrowded and underfunded prisons.

Some 622,000 people were imprisoned in Brazil as of the end of 2014, according to a justice ministry report. Most of them are black males.

That makes it the world's fourth-largest prison population, the report said, after the United States, China and Russia.

Human rights groups have long complained about the conditions in Brazilian prisons.

On October 18, deadly riots broke out at three separate prisons blamed on fighting between members of the country's two largest gangs.

During that episode, rioting inmates took visitors hostage, beheaded rivals and burned others alive, authorities said.
Washington: US President Barack Obama on Monday said he will deliver his farewell address to the nation on January 10 from his home city of Chicago, thanking the American people for the "amazing journey" he had during the last eight years.

"I'm thinking about them as a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways you've changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here," Obama said in a statement today.

Obama, 55, said he was following the precedent set by George Washington, who penned a farewell address to the American people over 220 years ago, the CNN reported.

George W Bush also delivered a farewell address in 2009 from the White House.

"Since 2009, we've faced our fair share of challenges, and come through them stronger," Obama said.

"That's because we have never let go of a belief that has guided us ever since our founding, our conviction that, together, we can change this country for the better."

President Obama has said that while he won't weigh in on every issue once he is out of the White House, he would consider speaking up about issues that go to "core questions" about American values and ideals.

Chicago is where President Obama got his start in politics after graduating from Harvard Law School and where the first family called home before moving to the White House.

Obama's presidential library will also be located in Chicago. President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn in to office on January 20.

During his campaign for the White House, Trump pledged to undo many of Obamas signature policy measures, including his healthcare law.

Obama, who campaigned hard for Trumps Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, has sought to ensure a smooth transition of power despite major policy differences with his successor.
Four soldiers of the Ukrainian army were wounded in the hostilities during the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) in eastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours, Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Oleksandr Motuzianyk said on Monday, January 2.

"None of Ukrainian servicemen was killed over the past day. Four servicemen were injured," he told a press briefing in Kyiv.
Sao Paulo: 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.
Manila: The Philippines is tilting away from its traditional ally the United States towards China in a bid to "normalise" relations following a longstanding territorial dispute, the country's incoming ambassador to Beijing said Monday.

Manila has been one of Washington's most loyal allies in Asia, but Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to end the decades-long alliance after the US criticised his bloody war on drugs that has killed over 5,000 people since he took office in June.

His fiery rhetoric against the US has been followed by overtures to China as he has sought to assuage Beijing's concerns over Manila's competing claims to the South China Sea.

The new Philippine ambassador to China, Jose "Chito" Sta. Romana, told AFP the move represented "a strategic shift in our foreign policy".

"We were one-sidedly imbalanced in favour of the US. We are not abandoning our alliance with the US. We are basically trying to normalise our relations with China," he said.

Beijing claims most of the South China Sea despite competing claims from the Philippines and other Asian countries, but a UN-backed tribunal ruled in July that China's claims had no legal basis in a resounding victory for Manila.

Duterte's decision to set aside the territorial conflict in exchange for Chinese investment and aid has given Beijing a boost in its quest for more control over the strategically vital waters.

The incoming envoy, a former Beijing-based journalist, said Manila was open to working with China to access resources in the disputed region.

"The Chinese viewed the Philippines as a geopolitical pawn or Trojan horse of the US. Now they look at us as a friendly neighbour."

He added that relations with the US plunged after Washington criticised Duterte's crackdown on crime.

"The problem came after they began lecturing him. The president considers it an internal affair. The Chinese don't comment on your internal affairs," he said.
Seoul: South Korean prosecutors say the daughter of the confidante of disgraced President Park Geun-hye has been arrested in Denmark and authorities are working to get her returned home in connection with a huge corruption scandal.

Park was impeached in December, by lawmakers amid public fury over prosecutors' allegations that the president conspired to allow her longtime friend, Choi Soon-sil, to extort companies and control the government.

Denmark police on Monday arrested Choi's daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, on charges of staying there illegally.

South Korea had asked Interpol to search for Chung because she didn't return home to answer questions about the scandal.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency reports that Chung allegedly took advantage of her mother's relationship with Park to get unwarranted favors from Seoul's Ewha Woman's University.
Turkish police officers stand guard outside the scene a day after an attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul. (Photo: AP)

Paris: The New Year's Eve carnage in which 39 people were killed at an Istanbul nightclub is the latest attack by Islamic militants on places where people gather to dance.

Here are four of the main attacks:

Carnage in Istanbul

Shortly after Turkey rings in 2017, a gunman bursts into the exclusive Reina nightclub, raking partygoers with bullets and killing 39, mostly foreigners.

Another 65 people are wounded at the venue which was packed with more than 700 people, some of whom jump into the freezing waters of the Bosphorus to escape.

The gunman manages to flee the scene, with the bloodshed claimed by the Islamic State group, citing Turkey's military intervention against IS in Syria.

Florida gay club massacre

On June 12, 2016, a gunman opens fire inside Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, killing 49 people and wounding 53 in the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history.

Armed with an assault rifle and a pistol, shooter Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old American of Afghan descent, holds police at bay for three hours until they storm the building, killing him.

US authorities say Mateen claimed to be an "Islamic soldier" who had pledged allegiance to IS, with the extremist group later identifying him as one of its militants.

Dante's inferno at the Bataclan

On November 13, 2015, three armed men wearing explosive belts storm the Bataclan concert hall in Paris, killing 90 people during a gig by US rock group Eagles of Death Metal.

One attacker is killed by a police officer, while the other two detonate their explosive belts as security forces storm the building. Survivors are forced to climb over the bodies of the dead to escape, with one police officer describing it as "Dante's Inferno."

At the same time, other gunmen open fire on bars and restaurants in the city while others blow themselves up outside the Stade de France stadium.

Claimed by IS, the attacks kill 130 people and wound another 350 in the worst-ever terror attacks on French soil.

Bali nightclub bombings

On October 12, 2002, the Sari Club and Padi bar in Bali are hit by a car bomb. Both are filled with foreign tourists who have come to enjoy the nightlife in Kuta, the biggest resort on the island, and 202 people, mostly tourists, are killed.

Among the victims are 88 Australians, 38 Indonesians, 22 Britons and seven US citizens. The attack is attributed to the Jemaah Islamiyah, a south-east Asian network linked to al-Qaeda.
Baghdad: A suicide car bomb attack in a densely-populated neighbourhood of Baghdad on Monday killed at least 32 people and left dozens wounded, police and hospital officials said.

Many of the victims were daily labourers waiting for jobs at an intersection in Sadr City, a sprawling majority Shiite neighbourhood in the northeast of the capital that has been repeatedly targeted.

Pictures posted on social media shortly after the explosion showed a huge plume of black smoke billowing into the sky and seriously injured people being evacuated.

According to a police colonel, at least 32 people were killed and 61 wounded in the blast, the second major attack in Baghdad in three days.

At least 27 people were killed by twin explosions in a busy market area in central Baghdad on Saturday, in what was the deadliest such attack in the Iraqi capital in two months.

There was no immediate claim for Monday's suicide blast but the Islamic State jihadist group has claimed all such attacks recently, including the double bombing on New Year's Eve.

The caliphate IS proclaimed in 2014 is shrinking steadily and jihadist fighters are defending Mosul, their last major urban stronghold in Iraq.

Observers have voiced fears that the group, once it definitively loses its status as a land-holding force, could increasingly revert to targeting civilians in Iraq's cities.
Dubai: Gunmen armed with automatic rifles and pistols stormed a Bahraini prison Sunday, killing a police officer and freeing 10 inmates convicted on terrorism charges, police said.

The attack on Jaw prison represents a significant escalation of the simmering unrest that has gripped the island nation off the coast of Saudi Arabia since its 2011 Arab Spring protests. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the assault.

The attack sparked a manhunt across the island Sunday. Confusion about the escape at Jaw prison persisted for hours afterward, as the Interior Ministry issued a series of tweets in Arabic and English contradicting each other.

Early Monday morning, the Interior Ministry issued a statement saying the attack was launched by "a terrorist cell of four to six members armed with automatic rifles and pistols." It named the dead police officer as Abdulsalam Saif Ahmed and said a second officer suffered moderate wounds in the attack.

Bahraini residents described stepped-up checkpoints across the country on Sunday, a day that also saw clashes between police and locals in the community of Sitra.

Bahrain, a small island off the coast of Saudi Arabia, hosts the US Navy's 5th Fleet and an under-construction British naval base.

The nation has seen low-level unrest since its 2011 Arab Spring protests, which saw the nation's Shiite majority and others demand more political freedoms from the country's Sunni rulers. The kingdom launched a wide-ranging crackdown on dissent in April, imprisoning some prominent political figures and forcing others into exile.

Activists, including imprisoned human rights advocate Nabeel Rajab, have alleged that Jaw has been the site of prisoner abuse.
Police were pressing on with operations after making the first arrests over the attack. (Photo: Representational Image)

Istanbul: Istanbul anti-terror police on Monday detained eight people suspected of links to the New Year gun attack on a nightclub in the Turkish city that left 39 dead and was claimed by Islamic State (IS) jihadists, a report said.

The Dogan news agency said police were pressing on with operations after making the first arrests over the attack. The suspected gunman is still believed to be on the run.
The train departed from China's international commodity hub Yiwu in Zhejiang Province on Sunday. (Photo: Representational Image/Video grab)

Beijing: China has launched its first freight train to London over 12,000 kms away as part of efforts by the world's second largest economy to expand rail links to different areas across the globe to improve its dwindling exports and stabilise slowdown.

The train departed from China's international commodity hub Yiwu in Zhejiang Province on Sunday. It will travel for about 18 days and more than 12,000 kilometres before reaching its destination in Britain, the China Railway Corporation (CRC) said.

Yiwu is known for producing small commodities, and the train mainly carried such goods, including household items, garments, cloth, bags and suitcases.

It will pass through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, Belgium and France before arriving in London, state- run Xinhua news agency reported.

London is the 15th city in Europe added to China-Europe freight train services.

The service will improve China-Britain trade ties, strengthen connectivity with western Europe, while better serving China's Belt and Road Initiative, an infrastructure and trade network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along ancient trade routes, the CRC said.

China's exports totalled to USD 2.27 trillion in 2015 slowing down from USD 2.34 trillion in 2014. Its economy grew at 6.9 per cent in 2015, slipping below seven per cent in a quarter of century.

As part of its efforts to stabilise its exports and economy, China has embarked on multi-billion dollar global connectivity project called the 'One Belt One Road' (Silk Road).
Kathmandu: Dr Govinda KC spent 22 days lying on a gurney in a hospital in Nepal's capital Kathmandu, but he was not a patient. The orthopaedic surgeon was on hunger strike.

Dr KC has gone on hunger strike 10 times over the past four years in an attempt to pressure the government to improve healthcare in the impoverished Himalayan nation - and he is sure he will have to strike again.

"The hospitals and medical institutions, they don't have proper infrastructure. They don't have adequate manpower, adequate equipment," said Dr KC from a hospital bed where he is recovering from his latest fast.

Nepal - a country of 28 million people - has only seven doctors, nurses and midwives, and 50 hospital beds, for every 10,000 people, according to the World Health Organization.

The WHO recommends at least 34.5 skilled healthcare professionals per 10,000 people.

The limited health sector was further strained after the devastating 2015 earthquake, which damaged nearly a third of public clinics and hospitals.

More than 80% of the population live in rural areas, reliant on rudimentary state-run clinics, while hospitals are concentrated in cities - and are mostly private.

"Private health care is linked to higher out-of-pocket payments, which leads to more people being impoverished as a result of health care," said Jos Vandelaer, country director for the WHO in Nepal.

Health Minister Gagan Thapa said that while Nepal has made improvements, reducing child and maternal mortality, healthcare remained limited - and expensive.

"You have one liver problem and you are back into poverty," he said.

Something of a medical Robin Hood, Dr KC, 60, is well known in Nepal for his philanthropic work, travelling to some of the country's most remote communities to provide medical care and train local health workers.

He lives in doctors' quarters at the back of the hospitals where he works and spends less than a third of his salary on himself, using most of it to buy drugs and basic equipment for his clinics. His only luxury is a 20-year-old television.

He has travelled alone to help out in disaster zones around the world, offering his services to local hospitals in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake and the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan.

Broken promises

Nepal has been plagued by political instability since it transformed from a Hindu monarchy to a federal state in 2008, two years after the end of the bloody decade-long Maoist insurgency.

The revolving door politics has seen competing parties seek to retain influence by stacking loyalists within the bureaucratic structures - including in the health sector.

A new constitution agreed last year included a pledge for universal healthcare, but the charter is yet to be implemented.

Private hospitals and medical colleges have mushroomed, filling a hole left by the limited government-run health sector, and often owned by the politically well-connected.

"It is supposed to be a service-orientated sector, but it has turned to be [a] profit making sector for the political parties, for the politicians themselves," said Dr KC.

Top of Dr KC's demands is an end to the political meddling that he says is putting business interests ahead of developing public health services.

Training is particularly contentious, dominated by fee-based medical schools which critics say lack basic facilities and enrol too many students each year.

"There is no commercialization of the medical education sector in the big developed countries, whereas in our country it is so rampantly commercialised," said Dr KC, who trained in Bangladesh with residencies in Britain and Switzerland.

Health minister Thapa said at least six members of the government's advisory health committee, which has consistently blocked the passing of a medical education bill to regulate doctor training, had links to private medical colleges.

The bill was one of the main demands Dr KC made in his latest strike, his longest yet, which ended in early December after he reached an agreement with the government.

But the surgeon and his supporters have little confidence things will change quickly.

"This is the tenth time that Dr Govinda KC has been in hunger strike, that means there has been nine times the agreement has been broken," said Dr Lijan Maharjan, part of his negotiating team.

Lying on a hospital bed, a woollen hat pulled down low against the cold, Dr KC appeared resigned to another strike.

"They won't let it happen if I don't," he said.
Colombo: Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Monday challenged Mahinda Rajapaksa to topple the current government, days after the former president expressed his intent to make a political comeback by bringing down the government this year.

"I will be going next week to Switzerland for one week giving Mahinda time to bring the government down," Wickremesinghe told reporters in Colombo.

Rajapaksa last week has warned that the unity government headed by the President Maithripala Sirisena and Premier Wickremesinghe could be toppled in 2017 through a roll of the head count in the national parliament.

Wickremesinghe said that the government from today was launching its development drive with opening up factories and announcing its new development strategies.

Initially, an agreement is to be finalised with China for setting up of a special economic zone (SEZ) in Hambantota, deep southern district.

"We have signed the frame work agreement and finished. Now we are doing the concessionary agreement. It will be signed soon. Both sides are now arguing about the tax concessions," Wickremesinghe said.

"On the Hambantota port we will get 1 billion (dollars), the whole loan can be written off," he said.

Rajapaksa leads the local protests to the move to lease the port's 80 per cent stake to China for a USD 1.3 billion settlement.

He said he was not opposed to the setting up of the industrial park but opposes the move to give 15,000 acres of lands of the locals to the Chinese.
Foreign Minister of Austria Sebastian Kurz intends to visit districts near Mariupol to study the situation in the east of Ukraine, Germany's DW publication has reported.

"Kurz wants to understand the situation in the conflict zone in the east of Ukraine," reads the report.

In the context of its OSCE Chairmanship in 2017 Austria will focus on contributing towards defusing existing conflicts, joining forces in fighting radicalization and violent extremism and re-establishing trust and confidence.
Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, launched a six-month- long agitation from September 2015 to February last year in which more than 50 people were killed. (Photo: Representational Image/AP)

Kathmandu: Nepal's Supreme Court on Monday cleared the decks for the government to go ahead with a crucial Constitution amendment bill, deciding against issuing an interim order to stall the bid citing separation of powers.

A division bench of Chief Justice Sushila Karki and Ishwor Prasad Khatiwada issued the order that the judiciary could not bar the legislature from using its wisdom in the formulation of a legislation, on the basis of the principle of separation of powers.

The bench gave the ruling in response to two writs filed separately by advocate Tikadhwaj Khadka and five others including Bishnu Bahadur Raut.

"Objectively, the authorised state organ to formulate laws after holding discussions on bills is the Legislature Parliament," the Supreme Court verdict said.

"The right to make a decision in accordance to the Constitution after examining and determining the Constitution amendment bill's appropriateness is with the Legislature," The Himalayan Times quoted the verdict as saying.

Petitioner Khadka stated in his writ petition that as per Article 274 of the Constitution, revision of provincial boundaries can happen only with the consent of the concerned provincial assembly.

The petitioner also argued that the government should follow the provision of Article 295, which states that a federal commission can be formed to settle questions of provincial boundaries.

The petitioner said the government did not form any such commission even 14 months after the Constitution was promulgated and now it was trying to amend the statute, for which it has no power.

The bill, which was registered at the Parliament Secretariat in November, aims to accommodate the demands of the agitating Madhesi and ethnic groups that include citizenship and boundary demarcation issues among others.

Re-demarcation of the provincial boundary and citizenship issue are the two major demands put forth by the Madhesis.

Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, launched a six-month- long agitation from September 2015 to February last year in which more than 50 people were killed. The agitation had also crippled the landlocked country's economy as supplies from India were blocked.
Lahore: An air hostess of Pakistan's national carrier has been detained in Canada after she was caught stealing in CCTV footage of a department store.

The air hostess, who arrived in Toronto from Lahore via Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK797, has allegedly been charged with shoplifting in Toronto, The Express Tribune reported.

She was caught stealing in CCTV footage of the department store whose management handed over the footage to police.

Canadian investigation team interrogated the air hostess and the flight's captain who said that the employees are responsible for their actions after duty hours.

The air hostess will be presented before Toronto court today after which further investigation would be launched against her if found guilty.

"Investigations are underway, and strict action will be taken against the air hostess if found guilty," PIA spokesperson Danyal Gilani said.

In August last year, the Anti-Narcotics Force claimed to have arrested a senior PIA air hostess from Lahore's Allama Iqbal International Airport in connection with an attempt to smuggle gold to the US.

A case was registered against the senior air hostess of the national flag carrier after two kilogrammes of gold were recovered from her luggage during a routine search at the airport, the paper said.
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 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.
Two Indians were among 39 people killed in the terror attack in Istanbul in Turkey early on Sunday.





Bollywood film producer Abis Rizvi and Khushi Shah from Gujarat were killed when a terrorist went on a shooting spree at a nightclub shortly after New Year commenced.



External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj broke the news over Twitter. I have a bad news from Turkey. We have lost two Indian nationals in the Istanbul attack, Sushma tweeted shortly after Embassy of India in Ankara conveyed the news to the MEA headquarters.



Indias Ambassador to Turkey Rahul Kulshreshth left for Istanbul from Ankara after the Turkish government confirmed that two Indians were among those killed in the incident. Rizvi was the son of former Rajya Sabha MP and Nationalist Congress Party general secretary A H Rizvi.



Abis Rizvi was the director and CEO of Rizvi Group of companies. The Rizvi family is into construction and real estate business and runs several prominent educational institutions. Rizvi had produced Roar: Tigers of the Sundarbans, a film written and directed by Kamal Sadanah.



Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed heartfelt condolences to the Government and people of Turkey on the tragic loss of lives in Istanbul.


The battle in the Yadav clan today shifted to Delhi with rival camps planning to approach Election Commission to claim control over the 'cycle' symbol even as SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav postponed the January 5 party convention called by him.





"Cycle symbol is ours," asserted Mulayam and asked party cadres to focus on winning the assembly elections likely to be announced any day now Mulayam, who postponed the SP convention scheduled in Lucknow on January 5, said, "No one can accuse me of wrongdoing. I have never indulged in corruption or betrayed anyone. Cycle symbol is ours."



The Mulayam camp is likely to meet senior EC officials between 4 PM and 5 PM in Delhi.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who yesterday sought to take control over the SP, remained closeted with his confidants and is expected to meet party leaders and legislators at this residence in Lucknow.



Sources said Ram Gopal might represent Akhilesh when he takes up the symbol issue with the EC.



In a series of tweets, SP leader Shivpal Yadav, the warring uncle of Akhilesh, maintained that Mulayam is the SP national president even now.



Shivpal gave no reasons for the abrupt postponement of the party convention, but insiders said perhaps the Mulayam camp was apprehensive of a poor turnout compared to the massive gathering at the "convention" held by Ram Gopal Yadav yesterday. The convention was declared illegal and unconstitutional by Mulayam.



The Samajwadi Party yesterday split down the middle with the faction headed by Chief Minister Akhilesh removing Mulayam as party chief and appointing him in his place at a convention in which the group claimed support of the majority of legislators and district units.



The two sides had engaged in mutual recriminatory expulsions with the convention called by Ram Gopal removing Akhilesh's warring uncle Shivpal as state party chief, and showing the door to "outsider" Amar Singh, who has been blamed for the feud in the Yadav clan.



Mulayam had retorted by again expelling his cousin Ram Gopal for six years along with national vice president Kiranmoy Nanda, who chaired the convention, and general secretary Naresh Agarwal for taking part in it.



Amar and Shivpal this morning reached Delhi to fine tune the strategy to ensure that the symbol remains with Mulayam ahead of assembly polls in the state.



Talking to reporters after returning from London, Amar said, "I was and will remain with Mulayam Singh Yadav. I was a hero but I am now ready to become a khalnayak (villain) for him."



Asked about his expulsion from the party by the Akhilesh camp, Amar said he will be "hurt" only if Mulayam says anything against him.



Shivpal, who has been removed as the UP unit chief of SP by the Akhilesh camp, said he would continue to be with Mulayam. "I will be with Mulayam till my last breath," he said upon his arrival in Delhi.



The two, along with Mulayam and a few other leaders, will meet in the afternoon before approaching the Election Commission to ensure the symbol remains with Mulayam and is neither frozen or given to the Akhilesh camp.



Nanda today said Mulayam is leader of all samajwadis and they will contest assembly polls under Akhilesh Yadav.



"Netaji (Mualayam) is leader of all of us samajwadis. We will contest assembly polls under our national president Akhilesh Yadav, who is our Chief Minister and has done a lot of work for the state," Nanda, who was sacked by Mulayam from the party for attending Ram Gopal's convention, told reporters here.



On Amar Singh, Nanda said, "He wants to break heart of 'netaji'. He is used to visiting London, Paris, America...What can is say about him..."



When asked about Shivpal, he said, "What can he do. He is with 'netaji'. We all are also with netaji..."
Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his New Year eve address, BJP ally Shiv Sena today said most of the schemes he announced were initiated under the UPA rule, and asked what more "sacrifices" would be required for situation to normalise post note-ban.



"People were under the impression that PM Modi would apply balm on the sufferings faced by them. But, it does not seem Modi was very serious while he was addressing the nation. More than 400 people lost their lives standing in queues. Families of all deceased must be cursing the government," an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said today.



The schemes announced by Modi hold no value for families of those who lost their lives, the ruling ally said.



"Many of the schemes announced by Modi are old and have been running since the UPA regime. For instance, Rs 6,000 announced for women (who undergo institutional delivery) is already running since 2013 under the Food Security Act," it said.



The party said there are flaws in schemes announced for farmers as well. "RBI is not ready to accept the demonetised currency deposited with district co-operative banks. The financial loss, thus, will have to be borne by these banks. Now the PM has announced that loans taken for agriculture will be borne by the government. The question is, how will these banks be able to bear this excessive burden," it sought to know.



The Sena said the Centre is yet to pay district banks the compensation for loans they provided during the Kharif season of 2015 and that waiving interest on loans taken during the previous Rabi season would further burden them.



"People were expecting a precise answer from the PM on when the problems being faced by them will end. But possibly, the PM himself does not have any answer. Also, the PM does not have specific figures on how much black money has been retrieved post demonetisation," the Sena said.
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.
Over a third of new scientific reports are published in languages other than English which can lead to important science being missed at international level, contributing to biases in understanding, according to a Cambridge study that seeks translations of studies' basic summaries in multiple languages.



Besides the international community missing out on important science, language hinders new findings getting through to practitioners in the field, 'Languages are still a major barrier to global science' paper published in 'PLOS Biology' journal last week pointed out.



In the paper, the Cambridge University researchers called on scientific journals to publish basic summaries of a study's key findings in multiple languages, and universities and funding bodies to encourage translations as part of their "outreach" evaluation criteria.



Dr Tatsuya Amano from Cambridge's Department of Zoology said: "While we recognise the importance of a lingua franca, and the contribution of English to science, the scientific community should not assume that all important information is published in English. "Language barriers continue to impede the global compilation and application of scientific knowledge."



The researchers point out an imbalance in knowledge transfer in countries where English is not the mother tongue, saying "much scientific knowledge that has originated there and elsewhere is available only in English and not in their local languages".



This is a particular problem in subjects where both local expertise and implementation is vital - such as environmental sciences. As part of the study, those in charge of Spain's protected natural areas were surveyed. Over half of the respondents identified language as an obstacle to using the latest science for habitat management.



The Cambridge team also conducted a litmus test of language use in science. They surveyed the web platform Google Scholar - one of the largest public repositories of scientific documents - in a total of 16 languages for studies relating to biodiversity conservation published during a single year, 2014.



Of the over 75,000 documents, including journal articles, books and theses, some 35.6 per cent were not in English. Of these, the majority was in Spanish (12.6 per cent) or Portuguese (10.3 per cent). Simplified Chinese made up 6 per cent, and 3 per cent were in French.



The researchers also found thousands of newly published conservation science documents in other languages, including several hundred each in Italian, German, Japanese, Korean and Swedish.



Lead author Amano and his colleagues said that when conducting systematic reviews or developing databases at a global scale, speakers of a wide range of languages should be included in the discussion.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has handed the modernized rapid patrol armored motor boat of UMC-1000 type to border guards in Mariupol (Donetsk region) and informed about the AEROS Ukrainian-U.S. designed system to detect, prevent and identify targets.

"One cannot come to the holiday with empty hands. Thus, the marines received the modernized rapid patrol armored motor boat," the president said in Mariupol.

The head of state said that the complex protection system of the state maritime borders and its maritime economic zone was being created.

"The renewed technical observation post "Mariupol" is the example of our progress in the issue. It is equipped with a modern system of early detection, prevention and identification of targets. We can find any air or water target. AEROS is the Ukrainian-U.S. solution made at one of the enterprises of Ukroboronprom," Poroshenko said.

"We are planning to install five more these complexes. They will be integrated into a single state data system of detection and analysis of water and air conditions in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, as well as in the basins of Dnipro and Danube rivers," he said.
The din of what sounds like a high-pitched cocktail party fills the lab of neuroscientist Xiaoqin Wang at Johns Hopkins University, USA. But the primates making the racket are dozens of marmosets, squirrel-sized monkeys with patterned coats and white puffs of fur on either side of their heads. The animals chatter to each other, stopping to tilt their heads and consider their visitors with inquisitive expressions. Common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) are social and communicative in captivity, unlike the macaque that is more commonly used as a model primate.



And in January last year, Xiaoqin and his colleagues revealed that marmosets are also the only nonhuman animal that can hear different pitches, such as those found in music and tonal languages like Chinese, in the same way people can. This makes the marmoset the closest proxy researchers have to the human brain when it comes to hearing and speech, says Quianjie Fu, an auditory researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles, USA, who was not involved with the paper.



Until recently, researchers have relied on songbirds for such work, but the birds brains are so different from human ones that the insights they provide are limited. Xiaoqin hopes that marmosets will improve researchers understanding of the evolution of communication and help them refine devices such as cochlear implants for deaf people.



Cutting through the noise

In a December 2016 paper in the Journal of Neuroscience, Xiaoqin and his colleagues described the results from an electrical stimulation study in marmosets that were free to interact with each other as they normally would. The team showed for the first time that electrical stimulation  such as that provided by a cochlear implant  does not activate the auditory portions of the brain in the same way that sound does.



This new map gives researchers a starting point to answer questions about why cochlear implants cannot distinguish pitch well  a long-standing problem with the devices. Cochlear implants are generally considered a medical success story, despite their problems with pitch, including a failure to pick up high-pitched sounds. But improving them is tough.



In their latest paper, Xiaoqin and his colleagues described how they looked at the activity of neurons in the auditory cortex of four adult marmosets that were deaf in one ear, as they were exposed to electrical and acoustic stimulation. Electrodes implanted in this region recorded how more than 1,400 individual neurons reacted to sounds played in the normal ear, and how they responded to electrical stimulation similar to currents produced by cochlear implants in the deaf ear.



Looking forward

The researchers found that the electrical stimulation failed to activate many of the neurons that respond to sound, including some involved in pitch perception. The most likely explanation, they say, is that the electrical current spreads across the brain, turning on neurons that are supposed to stay inactive during the processing of sounds. These findings could lead to better cochlear implants if those devices were designed to selectively stimulate the neurons that did not respond to the electrical pulses, says Julie Bierer, a neuroscientist at the University of Washington in Seattle, USA, who wasnt involved in the paper. But she says that some of the discrepancies between the auditory and electrical stimulation could be due to the fact that the devices were not switched on constantly, as they would be in a person with a cochlear implant.



Xiaoqin says that his group is planning to do this next, and to test whether the pattern is different in baby monkeys. They have also built a soundproof room in which multiple marmosets with the electrical stimulation devices can run around and interact with one another. This will allow researchers to connect the wirelessly transmitted brain recordings with recordings of the sounds the animals make, allowing them to determine how the brain processes communication during behaviours like fighting.




It was a cradle of prehistoric human civilisation, abode of mythological characters and the capital of the mighty Vijayanagar Empire. The rich heritage of Hampi region attracts a sea of tourists from across the world. The archaeological splendour of the World Heritage Site continues to mesmerise the tourists for more than five centuries.



Hampi is also known for its geological wonders in the form of picturesque rocks, boulders and scrub jungle. This area is a preferred destination for migratory birds from different regions of the world. The seemingly cursed eastern plains of North Karnataka is home to rich biodiversity. Along with some endangered mammal species, more than 250 species of birds are found in this region. While the rocky caves here provide a safe shelter to many mammals and reptiles like the Indian sloth bear and leopard, the scrub jungle is a haven for birds, some of which  like the yellow-throated bulbul and painted spurfowl  are rare. Similarly, the great Indian bustard is flourishing in the black cotton soil fields in the region.



Winter visitors

Many species of migratory birds visit the famed Hampi in winter. The backwaters of Tungabhadra Dam, Almatti Dam, and many more natural and man-made water bodies of the region turn into the winter homes for migratory birds. Thousands of bar-headed geese migrate from Mongolia after crossing the Himalayas to the water bodies of North Karnataka. Thousands of northern pintails, garganey, northern shoveler, bar-tailed godwit, common redshanks, common greenshanks, brownheaded gulls, pratincoles, greater flamingos, cranes, storks etc can be seen in the waterbodies of North Karnataka in winter.



Birds thrive in different kinds of habitats in North Karnataka. Migratory and local birds spread along the canals, lakes, farmlands, paddy fields, wetlands and grasslands beckon birders. There are many birding areas  both popular and lesser-known  in the region. Among them, Ranebennur Blackbuck Sanctuary, Magadi Bird Sanctuary, Tungabhadra Reservoir and Hampi-Daroji vicinity are listed as Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA) by the Bombay Natural History Society and Indian Bird Conservation Network (IBCN). Some other important birding areas in North Karnataka are Daroji Lake, Ankasamudra Lake, Kamalapura Lake, River Tungabhadra, Almatti, Hidkal and Narayanapura reservoirs, Mansalapura Tank, Bonal Lake etc.



Society for Wildlife and Nature (SWaN)-Hosapete, an organisation founded by nature enthusiasts and birders, has been popularising the hobby of bird watching among students and general public since 2004. It has formed 20 nature clubs in the high schools of Ballari and Koppal districts and conducted training programmes for teachers and students. It has also organised birdwatching camps for the enthusiasts. In association with the Forest Department and other agencies, the organisation has identified important birding areas in North Karnataka, conducted scientific surveys, prepared reports and proposals for declaring Protected Areas (PA). It also played a crucial role in getting the IBA tag for Tungabhadra Reservoir and Ankasamudra Bird Conservation Reserve. SWaN has inspired many enthusiasts to take up birdwatching and nature conservation. As a result, the number of wildlife photographers and activists has increased substantially in North Karnataka.



Birders network

Another initiative, North Karnataka Birders Network (NKBN) initiated by J C Uttangi in 2001, has also been working towards encouraging the conservation of avifauna and their habitats in North Karnataka. It conducts workshops, awareness programmes and other such programmes with this objective. Over a period of one and a half decades, North Karnataka has become a popular place for birdwatching. Before the year 2000, birdwatching and wildlife photography were considered as the hobbies of royal families, and very few commoners pursued them. But now, the number of birdwatchers and photographers has increased and related information is shared rapidly on social media. This has led to better documentation of the regions avifauna. That is how not seen or not reported birds are being reported more often and thus, more number of birds are added to the list.



A pocket guide that describes the birds of eastern plains of Karnataka was published in 2014 by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH). I was also a part of the birdwatching and documentation done in Hampi vicinity through which details of 230 species of local and migratory birds were recorded. The book also has information about important bird habitats in the region. This work has inspired many wildlife photographers and birdwatchers in North Karnataka.



To showcase the ecological vibrancy of Hampi and surrounding regions and popularise the birding areas here, the Tourism Department in association with the Forest Department is organising Karnataka Bird Festival from January 5 to 7, 2017, at Hampi-Daroji Bear Sanctuary. Well-known ornithologists and conservationists like Bikram Grewal, Shashank Dalvi, Gobind Sagar Bharadwaj will participate in the event.



The Karnataka Bird Festival, that was initiated two years ago, is said to be the biggest bird festival in South India. It provides a platform to the coming together of birdwatchers, conservationists, officials, wildlife photographers and scientists. While bird sighting is the important activity, the event will also witness discussions, sharing of knowledge and help improve our understanding of the avian community. The first two bird carnivals were held in Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary and Dandeli. Birdwatchers from across the country are expected to attend the festival and see the rare amalgamation of archaeological and ecological heritage. For more details about the bird festival, visit www.myecotrip.com.




The residents of Kuvempu Nagara near Halesanthe in Kadur have been demanding title deeds for the past 30 years.





They have Aadhaar, voters identity and ration cards. But they are still waiting for the title deeds for the sites they have been dwelling upon.



The colony has 60 houses belonging to Kuluva community. A majority of them eke out their living by making baskets from bamboo. The road leading to the Kuvempu Nagara is in a good condition. There are two street lights and public taps. But they have been denied of title deeds. They said they had appealed to the town municipal council several times in the past, but there was no response from them.



The members of Kuluva community collect bamboo from Hosapete, make baskets and other farm implements.



Nuliya Chandayya Yuvakara Kshemabhivruddhi Sangha President Anand Kumar said, The community members who have all the documents to prove that they are citizens of India are still waiting for the title deeds. The TMC should listen to the woes of the residents.



The residents said the dumping of poultry waste near the colony is causing inconvenience to the residents. The poultry shops nearby should be shifted from the vicinity, he said.



Kadur TMC Chief Officer M Manjappa said, Kuvempu Nagara residents have demanded title deeds. Owing to technical glitch, there has been delay in the issue of title deeds. The list of eligible beneficiaries will be finalised and it brought to the notice of the MLA shortly.


With former minister V Srinivas Prasad joining the BJP in Bengaluru, in the presence of state president B S Yeddyurappa and other leaders, the party is hopeful of gaining a foothold in the old Mysuru region, especially rural areas, as Prasad is an influential Dalit leader.





Party leaders and workers celebrated the occasion, in the city as well as in Nanjangud, on Monday.



President of the district (rural) unit of the party M Shivanna, who was also a minister in S M Krishnas Congress government, said, Prasad is a charismatic leader and a staunch follower of Ambedkar. He definitely wields a clout in at least six districts of the region. He has also stated that he would tour the state along with Yeddyurappa to strengthen the party, he added.



Despite having Dalit leaders like former ministers M Shivanna (HD Kote) and B Somasekhar (Malavalli), ex-MLC C Ramesh (T Narsipur) and ex-MLAs A R Krishnamurthy (Santhemaralli) and G N Nanjundaswamy (Kollegal), the BJP could not make an impact on Dalit voters of the region. It is still deemed as an anti-Dalit and communal party. Even when Prasad announced his will to join the BJP, his detractors ridiculed him that he was joining a party that does not believe in social justice. Most of the leaders in other parties project the BJP as an untouchable for Dalits, minorities and the backward classes.



Shivanna said, BJP is neither anti-Dalit nor communal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has, time and again, stressed that the Constitution is the Bible for the nation. Nobody can go against the spirit of the Constitution. It has to be noted that the Centre has released the BHIM app, for digital transaction of money, after B R Ambedkar. The BJP is striving for inclusive growth and more Dalit and minority leaders, who are disappointed with the ruling Congress party, are expected to join the party in coming days, he said.



Ex-MLC Ramesh said, with the joining of Prasad, the BJP gains more strength in the region. Prasads candidature in Nanjangud by-election has been announced and his victory is certain, he said.



District (city) BJP president Dr B H Manjunath said, besides Congress, the Left parties, which do not have the capacity to win even a single Assembly constituency, have been projecting the BJP negatively, with a mala fide intention. It is the marketing strategy of the Congress to safeguard its self-claimed vote banks. But, the people, of all sections of the society, now understand the progressive stand of the BJP, minus appeasement, he said.



The Congress, which claims to be the custodian of the Dalits did not even give some space for the cremation of B R Ambedkar in New Delhi. It was also unfortunate that the Congress conspired to trounce Ambedkar in the Lok Sabha election from Bombay North in 1952 and also in the by-election of 1954 from Bhandara, Dr Manjunath recalls.


The feud within the first family of the Samajwadi Party (SP) reached the Election Commission (EC), as the beleaguered party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav met the poll panel on Monday to stake claim on the election symbol bicycle.





His son and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who is leading the other faction of the SP, is also likely to stake claim on the poll symbol of the party.



Ram Gopal Yadav, SP general secretary and brother of Mulayam, is likely to meet the EC on Tuesday and stake claim on the symbol on behalf of the faction led by the chief minister.



The EC, which is set to declare the schedule of the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh and five other states soon, is likely to take a call on the dispute only after studying the arguments put forward by both the factions.



Sources, however, said that the fight between the SPs rival factions over the bicycle might prompt the poll panel to freeze the symbol and allot different symbols to both the factions for the upcoming elections.



Mulayam drove to the Election Commissions office in New Delhi along with his brother Shivpal Yadav, close aide Amar Singh, and former MP Jaya Prada.



He held a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Naseem Zaidi and Election Commissioners A K Joti and O P Rawat.



The SP patriarch, according to sources, argued before the EC that he remained the president of the party and no one else should be authorised to allot the party symbol to any candidate.



Mulayam, who founded the Samajwadi Party 25 years ago, was removed from the post of the party president in a convention called by Ram Gopal in Lucknow on Sunday. He was replaced by Akhilesh.



The party patriarch, however, was given the role of the mentor.



Mulayam called the convention illegal and convened another meet on January 5. He, however, later called off the proposed meeting.



Ram Gopal is likely to meet the EC at 11.30 am on Tuesday. He is also likely to argue that since Akhilesh was appointed the party president through a convention, he should be allowed to allot the party symbol to the candidates.




Samjwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh was left to himself on his first visit to the national capital after the family feud.





His residence on Ashoka Road, which attracts a good number of people whenever Netaji comes here, almost wore a deserted look on Monday.



He spent almost the whole day at his residence, but a few people came to see him, said an SP leader.



This was a crucial visit as he is fighting against his son to retain his personal dignity and authority, he said.



In the afternoon, only a few workers were present to raise slogans in his support when the senior leader was leaving for the Election Commissions (EC) office.



Before the EC, the SP leader claimed that he was the president of the party and no other person should be allowed to represent the party in election matters.



He avoided media when he visited the ECI and did not speak anything after coming out from it.



Mulayam was accompanied by his brother Shivpal Yadav, Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh, and Bollywood actor and former MP Jaya Prada.



According to sources, the fight over symbol of the party will start on Tuesday when Rajya Sabha MP Ram Gopal Yadav meets the ECI.




Underlining the importance of the upcoming Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh for the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the results of the elections would have an impact on the country and sought a clear mandate from the people, while asking them to rise above caste and support the saffron party.





The prime minister said, BJP workers should take the polls as a huge responsibility...it will impact the country.



Contrary to expectations, Modi, at his first public meeting in the New Year, refrained from making any announcement on the note ban and instead confined his speech to development and polls in the state, which are likely to be held next month.



We do not want a fractured mandate...we want absolute majority so that the development of Uttar Pradesh can be ensured, the prime minister said, adding that in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls Uttar Pradesh had helped the saffron party attain absolute majority.



In his 45-minute speech, the prime minister attacked the successive Samajwadi Party (SP) and the BSP regimes in Uttar Pradesh for not doing anything for the development of the state as he sought a mandate for his party to ensure that the state did not lag behind.



While one party has been unsuccessfully trying to establish the son (Rahul), the other (the BSP) has been looking for banks to deposit its money...there is another party (the SP), which is worried about saving its family...the BJP on the other hand, is thinking about saving Uttar Pradesh, Modi said.



The prime minister also said that his crusade against black money and corruption would continue.



We say remove black money and corruption but the Opposition says remove Modi...it is strange that diametrically opposite parties like the SP and the BSP have united on the issue of black money and corruption, he added.



The prime minister accused the SP regime of not making proper use of the funds given to it by the Centre and also attacked it for failing on the law and order front.


The Ministry of External Affairs will help bring back mortal remains of the two Indians, who were among the victims of the terror attack in Istanbul early on Monday.





The MEA has already arranged visas for the family members of Abis Rizvi and Khushi Shah so that they could travel to Istanbul and start the process to repatriate the mortal remains.

Rizvi, a Bollywood film producer, was the son of former Rajya Sabha MP and Nationalist Congress Party general secretary A H Rizvi.



The other victim Khushi Shah was the daughter of Ashok Shah from Gujarat.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called up the parents of both the victims and conveyed condolences on behalf of the government.



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, Swaraj tweeted.



I have also spoken to Shri Ashok Shah, father of Ms Khushi Shah and conveyed our condolences.



She also ensured visa to Khushis brother Akshay Shah and cousin Hiren Choudhun.

Sushma asked Indias ambassador to Turkey Rahul Kulshrestha to receive members of the two families at the airport and make all arrangements.
The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has begun a mega exercise for writing engineering and other technical programme textbooks in regional languages, amid persistent demands from various quarters.





It has invited proposals from the existing faculties with minimum five years experience in teaching at higher educational institutions for writing textbooks in 22 scheduled Indian languages, including Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Marathi.



The higher education regulator will also accept proposals for translation of textbooks available in various technical subjects into English.



Use of mother tongue

This comes almost a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi supported a suggestion for imparting technical education in mother tongues in one of his tweets on January 8, 2015, saying it required deeper consideration to give impetus to youth-led development of the country.



Most European countries offer all education, including technical education, in local languages. There have been demands from various quarters to promote use of regional languages in technical education in India too, as it will benefit those hailing from rural areas, an AICTE official told Deccan Herald.



The use of mother tongue in teaching at various levels of education has been a long-standing demand from different sections of the society. Hindi- speaking states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have batted for it on many of occasions in the past.



RSS affiliates like the Bharatiya Shikshan Manch and the Shiksha Bachao Andolan Samiti have also been demanding the use of mother tongue for teaching-learning in schools and colleges.



Since technical education is dominated by English language, the council has invited proposals for writing and translation of technical books in all 22 scheduled languages to create a knowledge base in these languages. Each of the authors or translators will be paid Rs 50,000 for their contribution, the AICTE official said.



The council will accept proposals for writing and translation of at least 50 textbooks of engineering and other technical programmes every year.



While only one author per institution per year will be selected for writing the project, a list of experts will be prepared in the beginning of every year to continue the programme, the official said.
(Xinhua) 09:37, January 02, 2017

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.
The BJP will bring out a resolution supporting demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes at its two-day national executive meeting beginning Friday.





Though the Opposition parties have been attacking the NDA government for causing inconvenience to people and even paralysing Parliaments winter session, the BJP is going by the feedback it has obtained from the ground level in poll-bound states to aggressively back its stand.



A BJP general secretary claimed during the parivartan yatra in Uttar Pradesh  which ended in Lucknow on November 24 after covering 17,000 km  that none of its leaders were confronted by the people, either in urban or rural areas, on the problems faced due to restrictions on access to banking services.



A senior BJP leader said that in the resolution, the party will criticise the Opposition, while backing Prime Minister Narendra Modis argument that by opposing note ban, they had sided with the corrupt and black money hoarders.



The resolution is yet to take final shape, said a party general secretary.



During the winter session which ended last month, Modi had said the Opposition stalling the session was akin to Pakistan giving cover to facilitate militants infiltrate into India.

Party president Amit Shah issued a statement on December 30 that people have put their stamp of approval on the demonetisation decision which was clearly reflected in the local body election results in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat.



A second resolution will be on the political scenario that would capture the governments pro-poor politics underlined in his address to the nation on New Years Eve.


The Central Division police are contemplating registering suo motu cases against revellers who allegedly misbehaved with women during the New Years Eve revelry.





The Ashoknagar police are skimming through CCTV footage and video recordings made by police to identify the culprits. As no one come forward to lodge any complaints on New Year's Eve or the following day, the police assumed that the revelry was incident-free.



When a section of the media published photographs and local television news channels aired visuals of alleged misbehaviour, the police took note and decided to probe into it.



We have gone through all the footage we have. We require more clear evidence to take up a case of molestation. If we get a clear footage, we dont mind taking up a suo motu case even if there is no formal complaint, said Malini Krishnamoorthy, Additional Commissioner of Police, West.



If anyone, including the media, has any specific footage of such crimes recorded on their phones or cameras, they can bring it to us and we will verify it and take action, she added.



Brigade Road Traders Association president Suhail Yusuff rubbished the media's claims of alleged groping and molestation in the revelry. If any such incident had happened, it would have been reported to the police. Almost everyone carried mobile phones and molestation incidents could have been easily caught on camera and uploaded on social media. Just based on a few photographs or visuals of the thousands of people moving in a wave, cases of groping and molestation cannot be established, said Yusuff.



It was the New Year and at the stroke of midnight, people would have hugged their dear and near ones, or for that matter, even acquaintances would have shared hugs. That cannot be called molestation, he quipped.



Meanwhile, police sources said the release of transfer orders of senior IPS officers to the media around four to five hours before the revelry commenced could have come as a distraction. Though around 1,500 policemen were deployed for safety and security alone on the 400-500-metre stretch of Brigade Road, the buzz was about transfers and that could have been the reason for poor management of the crowd which was evident from the traffic management on MG Road. Traffic movement was allowed till 10.30 pm on MG Road even as the crowd was swelling on Brigade Road and MG Road causing inconvenience both to commuters and revellers.



There were over 30 high-definition cameras excluding those the police carried to videograph revellers. There were watchtowers erected to monitor crowds with night-vision binoculars. How could something as bad as this have missed the eyes of the police? said a senior police officer.


The unexplained closing of several branches of the TreeHouse playschool chain in the city has left parents in a fix, with three months to go this academic year.





The playgroup, headquartered in Mumbai, has 18 branches in the city, according to its website. In December, several branches closed early for the Christmas vacation without any explanation, arousing the suspicion of parents.



When the school did not open on Monday, parents of the Sanjaynagar branch gathered outside the school premises to demand an explanation. The nursery, LKG and UKG classes here have a total strength of 53 students. When I went to pay the fee in December, they did not accept my cheque. On December 19, they closed the school saying that it would reopen on January 2, 2017, said Guruprasad, whose three-year-old daughter is enrolled in nursery.



The school had not been functioning regularly since October 2016, with teachers not paid their salaries, he said. Even the building rent has not been paid for several months. Suspecting something amiss when the vacation started early, parents filed a complaint with the Sanjaynagar police.



Similarly, the TreeHouse centre in BTM Layout which has 120 students, also closed on December 19. The parents approached MICO Layout police.



One of the parents told DH that when the Mico Layout police contacted Rajeev Bhatia, MD, TreeHouse, he had said that the school would not shut down and that they would notify parents if they decided to.



Most parents have paid the fee in a single instalment of Rs 30,000. We dont care about the money. Halfway through the year, no school is going to give my son admission. The school did not respond when we asked for a transfer certificate. I may have to quit my job if they do not reopen, said Priyanka Biradar, whose son is in LKG in Sanjaynagar branch.



With no official confirmation of the school closing down, parents are concerned about their childrens future and are demanding that the centres remain open till March at least. On Monday, parents of the BTM Layout centre held a meeting with representatives of the playgroup. They paid salaries to the staff and assured the parents that they would reopen on Tuesday.



They are assuring us verbally that the school will open but how can we trust them? They tell us a different story each time and no one from the head office has directly approached us yet, Biradar added.



In a similar situation, the nationwide playgorup had closed several centres in Mumbai and Pune with no prior information, leaving parents and students in a quandary.


Union Minister for Chemical and Fertilisers Ananth Kumar on Monday emphasised on adopting a green lifestyle to save the Earth from a possible doom.





Kumar was addressing a gathering at the valedictory of the annual function of Adamya Chetana at National College grounds. Adamya Chetana is a non-government organisation providing midday meals to many schools in Bengaluru a few other parts of Karnataka and Jodhpur in Rajasthan.



The minister said the present lifestyle is not only killing people but also spelling doom for the entire planet.



Speaking on the occasion, retired High Court judge and Karnataka Judicial Academy chairman Justice N Kumar hailed Adamya Chetana for fulfilling the three fundamental rights of children  food, education and health.



Tropical ecologist Sowmya Prasad urged people in urban areas to stop using plastic.

Many cultural events and a quiz programme marked the event. A warrior drill by an Indian Air Force group was the centre of attraction on the occasion.


The countrys largest lender State Bank of India is unlikely to merge five of its associate banks and Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) with itself in the current fiscal, according to a top bank official. We still have to get the government approval and even if we get it now, doing things like merger in the last quarter is never a very wise thing because there would be lot of IT system changes, SBI chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya said.



Sometimes IT system can impact something else quite unknowingly. So we do not want to take any risks at the annual closing time. We may look at completing the annual closing first and then look at the merger, Arundhati added. SBI had approved the merger of five of its associate banks, namely State Bank of Travancore, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Hyderabad, State Bank of Patiala and Bharatiya Mahila Bank with itself in August.



Arundhati had stated earlier that the merger would be completed in the current fiscal itself. SBI, which announced a reduction in home loan rates to six-year lows, has also said that the bank could soon look at a revision in deposit rates.



Banks have got a lot of funds due to demonetisation, and this will start flowing out. Once it starts happening, at that time, we will have a relook at the deposit rates, Arundhati said. Arundhati also hoped that a roll back of the sharp cut in home loan rates announced on January 1 will not be required.



We hope that there will not be a reversal in the lending rate. If required, we can reduce deposit rates to keep lending rates steady, Arundhati said.






A team of officials from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) on Monday visited several villages in the taluk to assess the environmental damage caused by the Yettinahole drinking water project in the Western Ghats.



The team, comprising Conservator of Forests N Avinash, DCF R Padmavathi and environment scientist Thirunavukkarasu, visited the taluk as per the directions of the National Green Tribunal and inspected Aluvalli, Kadagaravalli, Kerihole, Bagudahalli, Kadumane, Yettinahole and Kesaganahalli. They inspected the check dams at Aluvalli and Kadagaravalli and gathered information from the authorities concerned.



Farmers Subbegowda, Vishwanath and others explained that they were cultivating arecanut, coconut and cardamom in the region. Their lands have now been taken over by the government for the project, but they are yet to receive compensation, they said.



Local officials explained that over 6,000 trees were axed for the project. This irked the environmentalists, who claimed that more than 15,000 trees had been axed so far. This led to heated arguments. The team expressed disappointment over the documents related to the project that were submitted by the officials.



DCF Manjunath, ACF Ramesh Babu, Malenadu Janapara Horata Samiti president H A Kishore Kumar, the complainant, and others accompanied the team. The members refused to disclose anything to the media and said a report would be submitted to the Green Tribunal before January 16.


The Supreme Court on Monday refused to pass any order on Karnatakas plea for diversion of 7 tmcft of water from the Mahadayi basin to Malaprabha basin on the ground that the river water going to sea was wastage. A bench of Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice D Y Chandrachud, however, granted permission to Karnataka to approach afresh the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal for relief.



The state, represented by senior advocate F S Nariman, challenged the tribunal's order of July 28, which had declined to pass any interim order for diversion of water.

The counsel submitted that Maharashtra, the other party to the dispute of sharing Mahadayi river, has supported Karnataka. The state was not even taking away any share of Goa's water, he said.



The bench, however, said, The order (by tribunal) was passed in the absence of proper data. Details are required as the tribunal is not satisfied as to what is the requirement of water for the state. You can get an order from the tribunal by furnishing sufficient data, the bench told Nariman, asking him to withdraw his petition.



The counsel, for his part, submitted that the state was losing water which could not be compensated due to delay in adjudicating the matter by the tribunal. However, he preferred to withdraw the petition after the apex court said Karnataka can make all its contentions before the tribunal.



Reacting to the development, Karnataka's lawyers said this was the best order that one could have obtained from the apex court against an interim order. The tribunal, which rejected Karnatakas interim plea seeking diversion of 7 tmcft of water from Mahadayi basin to Malaprabha basin, had said it cannot subscribe to Karnatakas arguments that river water going to sea is wastage.



The tribunal had also concluded that Karnataka has failed to establish that the surplus water was available at the three points from which the water was sought to be transferred to Malaprabha basin.
The state BJP on Monday charged the ruling Congress with misusing the state machinery for electoral gains in the Nanjangud Assembly constituency, by-elections for which are likely to be announced soon.



The Nanjangud seat was held by former minister V Srinivas Prasad who quit the Congress October last. Prasad officially joined the BJP on Monday. The BJP has already declared Prasad as its candidate for the bypoll.



BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa accused the Siddaramaiah government of doling out sops to the voters of Nanjangud  providing them with housing facilities and interest-free loans during the last few weeks. Siddaramaiah suddenly seems to have developed a keen interest in the development of Nanjangud. The government has already spent Rs 200 crore to Rs 250 crore in the constituency, he said. Yeddyurappa said the Congress was struggling to find a candidate who could be fielded against Prasad. He said the BJP will win the bypoll by a huge margin.



The Nanjangud by-elections will be a game-changer in electoral politics in the state, Yeddyurappa said. He also called upon party functionaries to get like-minded Dalit leaders from other parties into the BJP.



Yeddyurappa said the BJP will announce its list of candidates for the 2018 Assembly polls six months in advance. The party had set itself a target to secure two-thirds majority in the polls. The state BJP has also set a target to win 25 Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 general elections, he said.




People of Joida taluk face an uncertain future with the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) deciding to declare the forests in the region an ecologically sensitive zone (ESZ). The ministry issued a draft notification on November 2, 2016, by declaring a 7-sqkm area an ecologically sensitive zone. Twelve villages of Joida taluk and seven each of Haliyal and Yellapur taluks, a total area of 13,796 hectares, are part of the ESZ. Some of these villages have been entirely brought under the ESZ.



A total of 31 restrictions have been imposed on the people here, which could affect their day-to-day activities. No one can engage in mining and quarrying, polluting industries and timber-based units are not allowed inside the forests, there cannot be modifications to the farming pattern and chemical fertilisers cannot be used by farmers.



The order says that an environmental damage audit should be conducted before undertaking road development and repair works. It lays stress on the use of sustainable fuels, rainwater harvesting and organic farming. Ravi Redkar, president of the Sanjeevini Seva Trust, says projects like the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary, Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve and Hornbill reserve forest have been implemented, much to the chagrin of the residents. These have already compromised the fundamental rights of the forest dwellers, Redkar says.



Sunil Desai, secretary of the ESZ agitation committee, says that forest officials had demarcated the ESZ boundaries as per their whims and fancies and sent a proposal to the MoEF. How can forest dwellers, who cannot use mobile phones, read the draft notification on the website? he asks.



A total of 16 gram panchayats (GPs) coming under the ESZ have passed resolutions opposing the notification. A memorandum against it, with around 10,000 signatures, has been sent to the MoEF. A team of agitators will go to Delhi to discuss with Supreme Court lawyers on the legal steps to be taken, said agitation committee president Mohammed Rafiq Khaji.




Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday handed over to the CID for investigating the case related to the murder of JD(S) workers at Thopanahalli in Maddur taluk of Mandya district recently.



Nandeesh and Muthuraj of Thopanahalli were murdered over the issue of release of water on December 25 last year. Two groups of people clashed in the village following the murder. The case has been handed over to the CID for speedy investigation, an order signed by the minister said.



10 deaths

As many as 10 JD(S) workers have been killed in the last 10 days. Murukanahalli in the taluk is still gripped in tension, two days after the murder of another JD(S) worker Harish due to political rivalry.



A gang hacked Harish alias Gunda (32) to death during the New Year celebrations in the village on Saturday night. Harishs last rites were performed amid tight security on Sunday night. The police continue to camp in the village as a precautionary measure.



SP Sudhir Kumar Reddy visited the village on Monday and took stock of the situation. Speaking to DH, he said the situation is under control. Two teams have been constituted to trace the suspects. It is said that the son of a former MLA is involved in the murder of the JD(S) worker.


Nearly a thousand tourists from around the world welcome the first sunlight of 2017 at the top of Mount Emei, in Leshan, Sichuan province, on January 1, 2017. The tourists were also awed by the spectacular view of clouds and snow on the mountain. [Photo: Chinanews.com]
Karnataka is expected to get a little over one-third of the Rs 4,702 crore it had demanded as drought relief from the Centre. A central panel that examined the Karnataka government's proposal for funds to compensate loss of kharif crop last year has recommended a Rs 1,784.44-crore payout.





Decision tomorrow

The High Level Committee headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh is expected to take a decision on the allocation of drought relief to the state when it meets on Wednesday. Additionally, the state government had also sought Rs 362 crore to help farmers whose crops were affected due to excess rains in Bidar, Kalaburagi and Yadgir districts of the state.



Last week, an all-party delegation led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and urged him to sanction a Rs 5,064-crore relief package to tide over the crisis caused by severe drought in most parts of the state and excess rains in three districts.



Making a strong pitch for maximum relief, Siddaramaiah told the Prime Minister that the state had faced the worst drought in the last 50 years affecting 139 of the 176 taluks. The Central team had toured some drought-hit regions of the state in November and submitted its report early last month.



Karnataka ministers Krishna Byre Gowda and Kagodu Thimmappa also had separate meetings with Agriculture Minister Radhamohan Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Home Minister Rajnath Singh to urge them to expedite the release of funds.


The Karnataka government, which has declared 2017 the Year of the Wild, started the New Years Day with a bang. The Forest Department arrested 11 poachers of Sambar deer in the Bhadra Tiger Reserve (BTR) in Chikkamagaluru district.



The men travelling by three vehicles were intercepted in the Nettichowka forest range on Kemmangundi road in Tarikere taluk in the early hours of Sunday when they were attempting to flee the protected area, BTR Conservator of Forests, P B Karunakar, told DH. Forest officials had become suspicious on seeing the men in the forest so late in the night. When they began questioning them, one of the men ran away. A team led by Range Forest Officer (RFO) of Bhadra Wildlife Range, Thanigebail, M Ullas, then detained 11 others.



The suspects had killed the animals to consume the meat and sell it in resorts and home stays surrounding the BTR, Karunakar said. The poachers had arrived in the forest on Saturday night and hunted a male and a female Sambar deer. They skinned the female deer and ate its meat by cooking in the wild. The male deer was kept alive.



The poachers were booked under the Wildlife (Conservation) Act and produced before the JMFC court on Monday. They have been remanded in judicial custody for 15 days. Forest officials seized a pickup van and a jeep. The carcass has been sent for post-mortem, Karunakar said.



Among the suspects is Mohammed Sameer Ahmed, 29, from Sakleshpur, Hassan district, who represented Karnataka in the national-level shooting competition and won the gold medal (as per his statement). A life member of the Karnataka State Rifle Association, Sameer is said to have shot down the female deer. His father, Akhtar Ahmed, 67, who owns Hiba Coffee Estate at Udayavara near Sakleshpur, is among those arrested.



Officials said the poaching plot was masterminded by Rafeeq Meer Hasen Ali, 42, a real estate businessman and car dealer from Richmond Town, Bengaluru. Also a sharpshooter, he shot down the male deer. He sped away in a car with two foreign-made guns on seeing the forest officials.



Other suspects are Mudassir Ali, 22, a resident of Richmond Town, who works at Infosys; Mohammed Rizwan, 36, a timber dealer and coffee planter from Kodlipet, Kodagu; Meer Nayar Ali, 23, a resident of Richmond Town, who works at Global Travel Company; Meer Najeeb Ali, 18, also from Richmond Town and a PUC student at Jain College; and Syed Ameen (30), a resident of RT Nagar and MTech graduate working for a Danish multinational. Rafeeq is the maternal uncle of Mudassir, Najeeb and Nayar.



The eight men were helped by Arun Annappa, 23, Prasanna, 18, Chethan, 26, and Harish, 25, all professional poachers from Attigundi village, Chikkamagaluru. Forest officials said Akhtar had confessed to being involved in poaching for many years now. Wildlife conservationist D V Girish described it as the biggest haul seized in the BTR.


Fireworks paint the sky over the Xiangjiang River in a ceremony to celebrate the New Year in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, Jan. 1, 2017. (Xinhua/Long Hongtao)
By Ian James

18 February 2016 (The Desert Sun)  Violent conflicts over water have been flaring in places from Yemen to Peru, and an updated global list shows a sharp rise in the number of water-related clashes reported over the past three decades. The Pacific Institute, a think tank that focuses on water issues, has been keeping track of water conflicts since its founding in 1987. The list now includes 11 new examples from 2015, ranging from the bombing of a water pipeline in Syria to deadly clashes in Somalia. The latest edition of the Water Conflict Chronology also lists a feud in Peru that was chronicled by The Desert Sun and USA TODAY in a series about the worsening problem of groundwater depletion. In that dispute, farmers in the Peruvian town of Ocucaje have challenged an effort by a company to start pumping from three wells. Water from the wells would flow through several miles of pipes to a farm that produces table grapes for export. The dispute turned violent in August, when protesters set fire to some of the companys plastic pipes and a protester was punched after a group of men stopped a car she was riding in. If somebody is injured in this type of dispute, we include it, said Peter Gleick, the organizations president. Its an example of the kinds of tensions that arise when people argue and fight over water. Over the years, the Pacific Institute has compiled a comprehensive data set extending back over the past century and even to accounts of conflicts in ancient Sumeria and Mesopotamia. The chronology includes a total of 367 entries. There is a trend. Its definitely growing over time. Its hard for me to tell whether theres a real trend or whether its better reporting, Gleick said. But the numbers have been rising significantly over the past couple of decades, and Gleick said growing demands on water supplies may be playing a role. He said the fastest increase has been in sub-national conflicts between groups or factions within a country. There also have been plentiful examples of military conflicts in which water is used as a weapon, a target or a tool of warfare. Some of most disturbing incidents in the past year, Gleick said, have included the targeting of water infrastructure  both intentional and unintentional  by fighters in parts of the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as attacks on water pipelines in Iraq and Syria. In Iraq, Islamic State militants cut off and diverted flows of water from a dam. As Yemen descended into chaos, armed fights over water sources erupted. There have been far too many examples recently, Gleick said, where were fighting over water or using it as a weapon. If we managed water better, I think we could reduce the risks of conflicts over water, Gleick said. He also called for more pressure by governments, the United Nations and other agencies to prevent conflicts and stand up against violations of international agreements when water infrastructure becomes a target or a weapon of war. [] By any measure or any method, there are too many people who are facing water scarcity, says Gleick. [more]
31 December 2016 (Desdemona Despair)  The data dont lie. Unfortunately, the antiscience forces of the incoming Trump administration clearly intend to defund vital government data collection programs for climate science and Earth observation. In the extreme case, they could wage a war on scientific expertise, by stripping empiricism out of Americas regulatory systems altogether. As 2016 showed, the need for the Earth sciences has never been greater. The global warming risks to island nations became clearer, with 73 percent of islands expected to become more arid. El Nino, amplified by global warming, caused gruesome coral deaths globally and brought record drought and wildfires to the Amazon rainforest, while stalling tree growth and shutting down the Amazon carbon sink. None of this stopped humans from chopping down the Amazon, with deforestation rising to rates not seen since 2009. Fortunately, U.S. scientists recall the libricide committed by the Harper government against Canadas fisheries science data in 2013. Theyve organized a guerrilla archiving effort to copy vital climate and other environmental data to servers outside of U.S. territory, before the wrecking crew arrives to demolish Americas scientific capabilities.

2016 doomiest images and stories

2015 doomiest graphs, images, and stories

2014 doomiest graphs, images, and stories

2013 doomiest graphs, images, and stories

2012 doomiest graphs, images, and stories

2011 doomiest graphs, images, and stories

2010 doomiest graphs, images, and stories



Living Planet Index, projected to 2020

The Living Planet Index (solid black line) with model fit and extrapolation to 2020 (white line, shaded area) under a business-as-usual scenario, shaded band shows limits 95 per cent confidence of the model fit. Using the method from Tittensor, et al., 2014. Graphic: WWF International

Global wildlife populations could drop two-thirds by 2020 as human demand continues to exceed Earths capacity; Report revels 56 percent of UK species have declined since 1970 and 1,199 species are threatened with extinction 

Number of poached rhinos in South Africa, 2007-2015

South Africa announced the official number of rhinos illegally killed in the country during 2015. The figure of 1,175 represented a slight drop on the 1,215 record total in 2014, but overall rhino poaching figures for Africa totaled a record high for the continent.

South Africa reports small decrease in rhino poaching, but across Africa 2015 worst year on record  Continent-wide the scale of the rhino poaching crisis is spreading 

Population of migratory monarch butterflies, 1993-2014

Model estimated annual over wintering population size for the Eastern, migratory population of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus), 1993-2014. The red line is the median of posterior estimates, and the gray shaded area shows 95 percent credible intervals. The x symbols define overwintering habitat area data from Mexico, and the e symbols represent observations of annual egg production in the Midwest scaled to match the magnitude of the overwintering data. The inset depicts the data and model results on a log-scale. Graphic: Semmens, et al., 2016 / Nature Scientific Reports

Worlds largest monarch butterfly population could disappear in 20 years  The next generation of children may never see a monarch butterfly 

Catches of New Zealand southern right whales, 1829-2020

Population trajectories and catches of New Zealand southern right whales from 1829 to 2020. Panels show the population trajectories when (a) high case catches from the southwest Pacific are allocated, and (b) New Zealand catches only, using the low-case catch allocation. Median estimates are solid lines while dashed lines denote 95 percent probability intervals. Blue lines show the population trajectory when female recaptures are fitted. Pink lines show the trajectory fitted to relative abundance indices described in Carroll, et al., 2013. Graphic: Jackson, et al., 2016 / Royal Society Open Science

Research shows decline of New Zealand southern right whales  Current numbers less than 12 percent of pre-whaling population 

Peak Fish: Revised fisheries catch data show strong resource depletion effect

Fisheries data assembled by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) suggest that global marine fisheries catches increased to 86 million tonnes in 1996, then slightly declined. Here, using a decade-long multinational catch reconstruction project covering the Exclusive Economic Zones of the worlds maritime countries and the High Seas from 1950 to 2010, and accounting for all fisheries, we identify catch trajectories differing considerably from the national data submitted to the FAO. We suggest that catch actually peaked at 130 million tonnes, and has been declining much more strongly since.

Why weve been hugely underestimating the overfishing of the oceans 

Trends in squid populations, 1953-2013

Trends in abundance from 1953 to 2013 for demersal (A), benthopelagic (B) and pelagic (C) cephalopods (all edf = 1, all p values  0.01), with number of time-series by life-history group (D; total n = 67). Illustrations depict key taxa associated with each group. Trends in abundance for time-series derived from fisheries data (E) and survey data (F) (all edf = 1, all p values < 0.05). For all abundance plots, dark blue lines represent fitted values derived from generalised additive mixed models ( 95% CI) and black lines represent mean standardized time-series (z-scores). Graphic: Doubleday, et al., 2016 / Current Biology

Squids populations on the rise as oceans warm 

Rapid decline of last native bird species in Kauai, Hawaii, 2000-2012

Population estimates (left panels) are from surveys conducted in 2000, 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2012 across both the interior and exterior portions of the Alakai Plateau (with error bars representing the 95% CI of each estimate). Linear and exponential population change models fitted to the 20002012 data are projected from 2013 to 2050 or estimated year of extinction (when abundance is less than 30 individuals, which is a quasi-extinction level). Graphic: Paxton, et al., 2016 / Science Advances The few remaining species of native forest birds left on the Hawaiian island of Kauai have suffered population declines so severe  98 percent in one case  that some are near extinction. The cause of the collapse, according to a recent study in the journal Science Advances, is not alien plants or predators, but rather warming temperatures that have enabled non-native mosquitoes carrying deadly avian malaria to invade the birds high-elevation strongholds.

Global warming is killing the last native bird species in the mountain forests of Kauai 

China timber product imports by source country and value, 2000-2014

EU member states are failing to enforce laws designed to protect the worlds forests from illegal logging. Illegal wood products are imported to the EU primarily from China, in the form of furniture, plywood and flooring, and as timber logged in Russia and in the worlds tropical rainforests  a trade that drives deforestation and corruption. Interpol claims that tackling illegal logging would be the fastest, most effective way to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Graphic: James Hewitt

EU review finds European governments failing in fight against multi-billion euro trade in illegal wood 

Deforestation in protected areas in the Amazon, 2008-2015

Between 2008 and 2015, 467,000 hectares [1,153,982 acres] were deforested in protected areas of the region, destroying about 233 million trees and causing the death or displacement of about 8.3 million birds and 271,000 monkeys. We estimate that the burning of vegetation in deforested area in the Amazon protected areas has resulted in the issuance of 29 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year between 2008 and 2015, comparable to the emission of this gas by 10 million cars per year (i.e., the equivalent to the emissions of 20% of the car fleet in Brazil).

Over last 7 years, Amazon deforestation in protected areas totaled 467,000 hectares, destroying 233 million trees and killing or displacing 8.3 million birds and 271,000 monkeys 

Population of Africa elephants, from the early 20th century to 2016

Before the Great Elephant Census (GEC), total elephant numbers were largely guesswork. But over the past two years, 90 scientists and 286 crew have taken to the air above 18 African countries, flying the equivalent of the distance to the moon  and a quarter of the way back  in almost 10,000 hours. Prior to European colonization, scientists believe that Africa may have held as many as 20 million elephants; by 1979 only 1.3 million remained  and the census reveals that things have gotten far worse. Graphic: CNN

Catastrophic decline of Africa elephant population revealed by most comprehensive survey ever 

Change in the global distribution of wilderness areas since the early 1990s

Globally significant wilderness areas are defined as wilderness areas >10,000 km2. The insets are focused on the Amazon (A), the western Sahara (B), the West Siberian taiga (C), and Borneo (D). Graphic: Watson, et al., 2016 / Current Biology

Study finds catastrophic declines of wilderness worldwide  The amount of wilderness loss in just two decades is staggering and very saddening 

Murders of environmental and indigenous defenders in 2015

More than three people were killed a week in 2015 defending their land, forests, and rivers against destructive industries. Graphic: Global Witness

2015 was the worst year on record for murders of land and environmental defenders  We get threatened, vilified, and killed for standing up to the mining companies on our land and the paramilitaries that protect them; Graph of the Day: Global killings of land and environmental defenders, 2002-2014 

World map of threat to agriculture from invasive species

(A) The overall invasion threat (OTt) to each threatened country, t; (B) the total invasion cost (TICt) (in millions of US dollars) to threatened countries; (C) the total invasion cost (TICt) (in millions of US dollars) to threatened countries, as a proportion of GDP; and (D) the total invasion cost (TICs) (in millions of US dollars) from source countries, s. Graphic: Paini, et al., 2016 / PNAS

Global threat to agriculture from invasive species 

Growth in global plastics production, 1950-2014

Plastic rubbish will outweigh fish in the oceans by 2050 unless the world takes drastic action to recycle the material. Graphic: Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Plastic to outweigh fish in oceans by 2050, study warns



Global distribution of air pollution during 2012-2014

Satellite derived PM 2.5 level (global annual average), 2012-2014. Around 2 billion children live in areas where outdoor air pollution exceeds international limits. Graphic: van Donkelaar, et al., 2016 / Environ. Sci. Technol / UNICEF

UNICEF: Almost one in seven children breathing heavily toxic air Air pollution will become the leading cause of environment-related child death by 2050, 92 percent of world population lives where air quality levels exceed safety limits: World Health Organization 

World energy mix, projected to 2040

World energy mix, projected to 2040. Renewables grow fastest; coal use plateaus by about 2020; natural gas surpasses coal by 2030. Based on its latest projections, EIA said global carbon dioxide emissions from energy activities will rise from 36 billion metric tons in 2012, the baseline year used for the 2016 outlook, to 43 billion metric tons in 2040. Graphic: EIA

Use of fossil fuels may not decline in the foreseeable future  World energy consumption projected to increase by 48 percent over the next three decades; Hooked! The unyielding grip of fossil fuels on global life  In 2040, fossil fuels will still have a grip on a staggering 78 percent of the world energy market 

World oil production and consumption by region for 2015

World oil production growth in 2015 significantly exceeded the growth in oil consumption for a second consecutive year. Production grew by 2.8 million b/d, led by increases in the Middle East (+1.5 million b/d) and North America (+0.9 million b/d). Global oil consumption increased by 1.9 million b/d, nearly double the 10-year average, with above-average growth driven by OECD countries. The Asia Pacific region accounted for 74 percent of global growth, with China once again contributing the largest national increment to global oil consumption growth (+770,000 b/d). Graphic: BP

World sets record for fossil fuel consumption in 2015  Net increase in fossil fuel consumption was 2.6 times the increase in the consumption of renewables 

World primary energy consumption by source, 1990-2015

World primary energy consumption (million tons oil equivalent), 1990-2015. Graphic: BP

Graph of the Day: World primary energy consumption, 1990-2015 

Correlation of historical energy production and world population, 19002014

Correlation of historical energy production and world population, 19002014. Data from (ASPO, 2006, BP, 2015, Gerland et al., 2014, Laherrere, 2004, McEvedy and Jones, 1978 and Rutledge, 2011). Global energy does not include the solid fuel renewable energy sources (RES), i.e., wood and peat. Graphic: Jones and Warner, 2016 / Energy Policy

Study: World unlikely to hold global temperature below 2C goal  The numbers you start dealing with become so large that they are difficult to comprehend 

Global economic growth and energy consumption growth, 1991-2015

This graph compares the historical world economic growth rates and the primary energy consumption growth rates from 1991 to 2015. The primary energy consumption growth rate has an intercept of -0.011 at zero economic growth rate and a slope of 0.904. That is, primary energy consumption has an autonomous tendency to fall by 1.1 percent a year when economic growth rate is zero. When economic growth rate rises above zero, an increase in economic growth rate by one percentage point is associated with an increase in primary energy consumption by 0.9 percent. R-square for the linear trend is 0.751. Source: Gross world product in constant 2011 international dollars is from World Bank (2016); world primary energy consumption is from BP (2016). Graphic: Political Economist / Ron Patterson / Peak Oil Barrel

Graph of the Day: Global economic growth and energy consumption growth, 1991-2015 

Annual greenhouse gas index, 1700-2015

The level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is not just rising, its accelerating, and another potent greenhouse gas, methane showed a big spike last year, according to the latest annual greenhouse gas index released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The NOAA annual greenhouse gas index (AGGI) is a measure of the warming influence of long-lived trace gases and how that influence is changing each year. The index was designed to enhance the connection between scientists and society by providing a normalized standard that can be easily understood and followed. The warming influence of long-lived greenhouse gases is well understood by scientists and has been reported by NOAA through a range of national and international assessments.

Graph of the Day: NOAA annual greenhouse gas index (AGGI), 1700-2015 

Canada carbon emissions projected to 2020 and 2030

Canadian government numbers show that years of environmental efforts in Canada essentially had no impact on reducing carbon emissions. The projection, released by Environment and Climate Change Canada, shows that Canada is expected to pump out the equivalent of 768 megatons of CO2 by 2020, and 815 megatons by 2030. Those projections also do not include emissions from the forestry sector.

Canada on track to miss carbon reduction targets by wide margin  The data are clear and confirm that more needs to be done 

Global atmospheric CO2 concentration, 2011 to September 2016

Global atmospheric CO2 concentration, 2011-2016. The lower value of CO2 concentration passed 400 ppm in September 2016, and wont fall below 400 ppm ever again for the indefinite future. Graphic: Climate Central / Scripps Institute of Oceanography / Mauna Loa Observatory

Global atmospheric CO2 concentration passes 400 ppm threshold for the indefinite future 

Global surface temperatures, 1880 to February 2016

Monthly global surface temperatures (land and ocean) from NASA for the period 1880 to February 2016, expressed in departures from the 1951-1980 average. The red line shows the 12-month running average. February 2016 soared past all rivals as the warmest seasonally adjusted month in more than a century of global recordkeeping. Graphic: Stephan Okhuijsen / datagraver.com

February smashes Earths all-time global heat record by a jaw-dropping margin 

Projected impacts of climate change on usable capacity of current hydropower and thermoelectric power plants

Projected impacts of climate and water resources on annual mean usable capacity of current hydropower and thermoelectric power plants, for the two global warming scenarios, RCP2.6 and RCP8.5. Graphic: van Vliet, et al., 2016 / Nature Climate Change

Power generation could take a big hit from climate change  It will be increasingly difficult to provide reliable services at affordable costs 

Acceleration in rate of sea level rise due to global warming, projected to 2020

The graph shows how sea level rises and falls as ocean heat content fluctuates. After volcanic eruptions, the Earth cools and, in turn, the heat content in the ocean drops, ultimately lowering sea level. The solid blue line is the average sea level rise of climate model simulations that include volcanic eruptions. The green line is the average from model simulations with the effect of volcanic eruptions removed, and it shows a smooth acceleration in the rate of sea level rise due to climate change. Graphic: UCAR

Global warming already accelerating sea level rise, study finds  Accelerated sea level rise is real, and its ongoing 

Coastal recession of Solomon Islands, 1947-2014

Coastal recession of Sogomou and Kale. (a) Coastline recession on Sogomou Island between 1947 and 2014, (b) view from the eroding eastern end of Sogomou looking back towards the remainder of the island, (c) coastline recession on Kale Island between 1947 and 2014. Note: Kale Island was completely displaced by 2014. Graphic: Albert, et al., 2016 / Environmental Research Letters

Sea-level rise claims five islands in Solomons  Shoreline recession at two sites has destroyed villages that have existed since at least 1935, leading to community relocations 

Projected relative sea-level changes at 10,000 years for four emission scenarios

Maps showing projected patterns of relative sea-level change at 10,000 years for four emission scenarios from version 2.8 of the UVic model: (a) 1280 PgC, (b) 2560 PgC, (c) 3840 PgC and (d) 5120 PgC. Each map includes the contributions from future ice melting and the on-going isostatic response of the Earth to the most recent deglaciation. For each scenario, the global mean sea-level (GMSL) values are approximately: (a) 21 m, (b) 33 m, (c) 39 m, and (d) 44 m (these values include a contribution from isostatic processes. The global mean contributions from ocean warming and glacier melting are not included (they are less than 5 percent of the GMSL values given above for all emission scenarios). Graphic: Clark, et al., 2016 / Nature Climate Change

Effects of human carbon emissions could last 10,000 years  Our greenhouse gas emissions today produce climate-change commitments for many centuries to millennia 

Drought Severity Index in the Mediterranean, 19802012

(top) Multiyear average Palmer Drought Severity Index (scPDSI) for 19802012 with regions of recent and persistent drought outlined in dashed black lines: WestMED (32N42N, 10W0), Greece (36N43N, 19E26), and the Levant (30N37N, 33E40E). (bottom) Also shown are the regional average scPDSI time series from these regions for 19502012 (red line is a 10 year loess smoother). Graphic: Cook, et al., 2016 / Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres

Syria drought likely its most severe in more than 900 years  The eastern Mediterranean will be a hot spot of aridification due to rising greenhouse gases, and this change is already underway 

Projected food security and nutrition situation in the Sahel for JuneAugust 2017

INFORM risk index for African nations in the Sahel region, September 2016. INFORM is a composite index for risk management that identifies countries at a high risk of humanitarian crisis which are more likely to require international assistance. The index envisages three dimensions of risk: hazards & exposure, vulnerability and lack of coping capacity dimensions. Graphic: UN

UN launches $2.66 billion appeal for emergency assistance in Sahel region  The Sahel will remain the site of one of the worlds major humanitarian operations in 2017 

Water-related conflicts, 1980-2014

This chart shows the number of water-related conflicts reported for each year from 1980 to 2015. The data were compiled by the Pacific Institute and published in the organizations chronology of the worlds water conflicts. Graphic: Robert Hopwood / The Desert Sun

Global list of water-related conflicts grows  By any measure or any method, there are too many people who are facing water scarcity 

Global biocapacity per capita, 1961-2012

Over the period from 1961 to 2012, humanitys ecological footprint has nearly tripled. During this time, Earths biocapacity declined at a steady rate of about 55 million global hectares per year. Biocapacity per capita is declining at an exponential rate. Extrapolating the curve fit shows that it will fall to half of its 1961 value by around the year 2020. By the year 2100, biocapacity per capita will fall to about one-sixth of its 1961 value, which means that each human will be supported by about 17 percent of the ecosystem services that each human was supported by in 1961.

Graph of the Day: Global biocapacity per capita, 1961-2012 

Speed of ice movement in Antarctica

Model surface ice speeds and grounding lines (black lines) show the location of major ice streams, outlet glaciers, and buttressing ice shelves (seaward of grounding lines) relative to the underlying topography in Antarctica. Features and place names mentioned in the text are also shown. AS, Amundsen Sea; BS, Bellingshausen Sea; WDIC, WAIS Divide Ice Core. The locations of the Pine Island, Thwaites, Ninnis, Mertz, Totten, and Recovery glaciers are shown. Model ice speeds (b) are shown after equilibration with a modern atmospheric and ocean climatology. Graphic: DeConto and Pollard, 2016 / Nature

Sea levels set to rise far more rapidly than expected 

Ice retreat along coastline of West Antarctica, 1990-2015

Net grounding line (GL) change along Bellingshausen Sea coastline of West Antarctica between 1990 and 2015 derived from Landsat mapping. Circle radii denote the magnitude and direction of change (red: retreat, blue: advance) for every 30 km segment of the BSS GL. Graphic: Christie, et al., 2016 / GRL

Antarctic coastline images reveal four decades of ice loss to ocean  Now we know this has been occurring pervasively along the coastline for almost half a century 

Globally averaged ocean surface temperature change, 2006-2015

Globally averaged ocean surface temperature change (C), from Argo (red), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, turquoise) and a six-month running mean of NOAA globally averaged land temperature change (grey); (b) Global average ocean temperature changes from Argo (contour interval is 0.01 C for colours, 0.05 C in grey); (c) Global ocean 02 000 m heat content change over time; (d) Global average 2006November 2015 potential temperature trend (C per decade) plotted against depth; and (e) Heat content trends plotted against latitude. Graphic: Wijffels, et al., 2016

Graph of the Day: Change in ocean temperature and heat content, 2006-2015, Ocean warming doubles in recent decades  With time the warming signal is reaching deeper into the ocean 

Acidification of the Arctic Ocean by permafrost melt, projected to 2050 and 2100

Predicted levels of aragonite saturation (Ar) in different areas of the Arctic Ocean. a) In 2050; b) in 2100 (S3). The area of the East Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS) is marked by a black rectangle. Graphic: Semiletov, et al., 2016 / Nature Geoscience

Severe Arctic Ocean acidification via permafrost thawing and river runoff 

Estimated deoxgenation of oceans due to global warming, projected to 2100

Deoxgenation due to climate change is already detectable in some parts of the ocean. New research from NCAR finds that it will likely become widespread between 2030 and 2040. Other parts of the ocean, shown in gray, will not have detectable loss of oxygen due to climate change even by 2100. Graphic: Matthew Long / NCAR

Global warming could deplete ocean oxygen, with severe consequences  This inexorable force of human-induced warming will clearly result in widespread ocean deoxygenation in the future 

Projected change in global water supply from 2010 to 2040, under business-as-usual climate scenario

A changing climate means less rain and lower water supplies in regions where many people live and much of the planets food is produced: the mid-latitudes of the Northern and Southern hemispheres, including the U.S. Southwest, southern Europe and parts of the Middle East, southern Africa, Australia and Chile. As WRI-Aqueducts future scenarios for water supply show, diminished water supplies will be apparent in these areas by 2020  less than four years away  and are expected to grow worse by 2030 and 2040. Now a new study in the journal Nature provides some of the first evidence that this widely-predicted phenomenon  the movement of clouds and rainfall from the mid-latitudes towards the North and South poles  is already taking place. Just like the retreat of glaciers and polar sea ice, now clouds and rain are retreating poleward.

Clouds study alarms scientists  The data shows major reorganization of the cloud system, World Resources Institute: As clouds head for the poles, time to prepare for food and water shocks 

Estimated Greenland ice sheet retreat during the Pleistocene epoch

Scientists drilled nearly two miles down through the summit of the Greenland ice sheet (white dot, left), to reach bedrock. Isotopes found in the rock indicate that this site and most of Greenland were nearly ice free (right) during the recent geologic past. Graphic: Schaefer, et al., 2016 / Nature

Most of Greenland ice melted to bedrock in recent geologic past  Unfortunately, this makes the Greenland ice sheet look highly unstable 

Atmospheric methane concentrations, observed and projected to 2020

Projections of atmospheric methane concentrations (ppb) for the four Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios and observed globally averaged atmospheric abundance at marine boundary layer sites from the NOAA network (black, Dlugockenky 2016). Tropospheric concentrations from RCP models have been scaled to fit surface observations. Graphic: Saunois, et al., 2016 / Environmental Research Letters

Methane emissions spiking globally, now approaching the most greenhouse gas-intensive scenarios 

Mortality map of Great Barrier Reef bleaching in 2016

A mass bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef in 2016 killed more corals than ever before. This map, detailing coral loss on the GBR, shows how mortality varied from north to south. Graphic: ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies

Largest die-off of corals ever recorded on Great Barrier Reef in 2016 

Abnormally high Arctic temperatures, 21 December 2016

Abnormally warm air, about 50F above normal, invaded the Arctic and persisted, from 21 December 2016 through 27 December 2016. Credit: Climate Reanalyzer

North Pole temperatures may soar to 50F above normal  Freakishly warm pole weather likely to peak on Christmas Eve; Weather buoy near North Pole hits melting point  Large area of Arctic 20C higher than normal on Christmas Eve 2016 

Frequency of local species extinctions related to global warming across different climatic regions, habitats, and gradients

(A) Species are categorized as temperate or tropical (based on the location of the study), and the percentage of species with one or more local extinctions is shown, along with the sample sizes of species in each region. (B) Species are categorized as terrestrial, freshwater, or marine, and the frequency of species with local extinctions is shown (along with total species per habitat). (C) Species are categorized based on whether they were surveyed along elevational or latitudinal transects. Vertical lines indicate 95% confidence intervals on the estimated frequency of species with local extinctions. Graphic: John J. Wiens, 2016 / PLOS

Hundreds of species are already going locally extinct because of global warming  In some ways, this is just the beginning 

Temperature-preserving migration applied to the global distribution of humans, under 2C global warming

Temperature-preserving displacements are applied to the global distribution of people as an illustrative thought experiment, since this is one species distribution that is familiar and well documented. Actual human migrations will certainly differ and likely will be less extreme, as people can adapt and access technologies that may allow them to avoid displacement, behaviors that are abstracted away in this analysis. (A) Logarithm of the current distribution of humans. (B) The distribution of this population if all individuals undertake the displacement in Fig. 3. (C) Histogram with 1 km bins (grey, smoothed is black) for the minimum distance traveled by each person currently on Earth. Graphic: Hsiang and Sobel, 2016 / Scientific Reports

If global warming empties India  The rapid evacuation of the tropics would cause migrants to concentrate in tropical margins and the subtropics, where population densities would increase by 300 percent or more 

Refugee crossings and deaths in the Mediterranean in October 2016, compared with 2015

With two months still to go in 2016, deaths of refugees and migrants crossing the Mediterranean hit a record high. Expressing alarm at the situation, UNHCR reported that 3,740 lives had been lost so far in 2016, just short of the 3,771 reported for the whole of 2015. Graphic: UNHCR

UN refugee agency: Mediterranean death toll soars, 2016 is deadliest year yet  This is the worst we have ever seen 

Global displacement and proportion displaced, 1996-2015

The global population of forcibly displaced people today is larger than the entire population of the United Kingdom. If they were a country, the forcibly displaced would be the 21st largest in the world. Graphic: UNHCR

Unprecedented 65 million people displaced by war and persecution in 2015  With anti-refugee rhetoric so loud, it is sometimes difficult to hear the voices of welcome. But these do exist, all around the world. 

Annual average global economic growth, 20062016

Wage growth around the world has decelerated since 2012, falling from 2.5 per cent to 1.7 per cent in 2015, its lowest level in four years. If China, where wage growth was faster than elsewhere, is not included, growth in global wages dropped from 1.6 per cent to 0.9 per cent. Graphic: ILO

Global wage growth falls to its lowest level in four years 

Global gross debt, 2002-2015

Global debt, both public and private, reached 225 percent of global economic output in 2015, up from about 200 percent in 2002, the IMF said in its new Fiscal Monitor report. The IMF said about two thirds of the 2015 total, or about $100 billion, is owed by private sector borrowers, and noted that rapid increases in private debt often lead to financial crises. Graphic: IMF

IMF says global debt tops all-time high at $152 trillion; Caught in poverty trap, least developed countries being left behind  UN report 

Election results in Europe, highlighting right-wing populist and far-right parties

These charts show election results in 20 European countries, updated 5 December 2016, with right-wing populist and far-right parties highlighted in red. Graphic: The New York Times

How far is Europe swinging to the far right? Election results in December 2016 

Global obesity trends by region, 1975-2014

Trends in the number of obese and severely obese people by region, 1975-2014. A person is obese if they have a body-mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or higher, or is severely obese if they have a BMI of 35 kg/m2 or higher. Graphic: NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, 2016 / The Lancet

1 in 5 people will be obese by 2025, study says  In past four decades, global obesity has doubled among women and more than tripled among men
8 December 2016 (United Nations)  This year, the world suffered many weather-related shocks and civil conflicts which pressured food security for many countries, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said today in a new report, which said that while the global agricultural situation is posited to improve in 2017, some 39 countries currently need food assistance. The Crop Prospects and Food Situation report also projects favourable growing conditions for crops, and upcoming robust grain harvests, however, due to the lean seasons before the crops have matured in some regions, the hunger will most likely intensify. Affected by El Nino, the number of people requiring food assistance in Southern Africa is expected to increase significantly, with very high stunting child rates in Madagascar, Malawi, and Mozambique areas. El Nino is the term used to describe the warming of the central to eastern tropical Pacific that occurs, on average, every three to seven years. It raises sea surface temperatures and impacts weather systems around the globe so that some places receive more rain while others receive none at all, often in a reversal of their usual weather pattern.

Conflicts cast a long shadow on food security

The report has identified the root causes of food crises, such as shortfalls in food productions, lack of access due to low incomes, high prices, and local conflicts, including refugee movements. Civil conflicts also led to loss and depletion of households productive assets, and to security concerns that interrupt farming activities. In part of Sudan, the ongoing conflict has reduced the ability to engage in agriculture, which can harm most vulnerable communities. In addition, according to the report, the ongoing conflicts led to 9.4 million people in Syria in need of food assistance, more than eight million people in Afghanistan, and above eight million in Nigeria. The weather has also affected many countries, especially Africa. As a result of droughts and El Nino, there is a decline in aggregated cereal production, and a decrease in maize output in Southern Africa, which led to harsh food conditions.

Agricultural trends appear poised to improve after rough 2016

Poor harvests triggered sharply higher prices for staple maize in Malawi, where 6.5 million people are expected to be food insecure during the upcoming lean period. However, preliminary estimates point to a 27 percent increase in maize plantings for South Africas 2017 crop, by far the regions largest producer, said FAO. While much of Asia benefited from robust food production in 2016, led by a sharp recovery in India, the impact of long-running conflicts in several Near Eastern countries continues to severely depress agricultural production despite generally beneficial weather conditions for staple grain crops. In Latin America and the Caribbean, expectations of a production rebound in Central America in 2016 are welcome, following the drought-affected outputs in the previous year.
By Mario Osava

1 January 2017 OURICURI, Brazil (IPS)  The drought that has plagued Brazils semiarid Northeast region since 2012 is already more severe than the 1979-1983 drought, the longest in the 20th century. But prolonged dry spells no longer cause the tragedies of the past. There are no widespread deaths from hunger or thirst or mass exodus of people due to water shortages, like in the past when huge numbers of people would swarm into cities and towns and even loot the shops, or head off to distant lands in the more developed centre-south of the country, in search of a better life. The lack of rains, nevertheless, impacts everything. The caatinga, an ecosystem exclusive to Brazils semiarid region, which consists of shrubland and thorn forest, looks dead with the exception of a few drought-resistant trees and areas where recent sprinkles have turned some shrubs green again. The Tamboril reservoir, on the outskirts of Ouricuri, a city of 68,000 people in the state of Pernambuco, has been dry for more than a year now. Fortunately, the city is also supplied by water piped in from the Sao Francisco river, 180 kilometres away. The 1982-1983 drought was worse, not so much due to the lack of water, but because we did not know how to cope with the situation, Manoel Pereira Barros, a 58-year-old father of seven, told IPS on his farm in Sitio de Santa Fe, about 80 kilometres from Ouricuri. He got married at the height of the crisis, in 1983. It was difficult for the entire family  we killed some oxen, we survived on the water from a cacimba (water hole), a few cattle and many goats. The animals saved us, the bean crop dried up, he said. That year, the governors of the nine states that make up Brazils semiarid region requested more help from the national government, pointing out that one hundred people a day were dying as a result of the drought. According to the state governments in the region, 100,000 people died in the space of five years, although researchers put the number of deaths at more than 700,000. Most of those who died were children. And one million deaths is the estimate of Networking in Brazils Semi-Arid Region (ASA), a network of 3,000 social organisations created in 1999 to promote the transformations which are improving the life of the population most affected by the drought: poor farmers in the Northeast. [more]
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 2

Trend:

The body of the Russian woman killed in a terrorist attack in the Turkish city of Istanbul will be sent to her last place of residence - Azerbaijan - on Monday evening, Russias Consulate General told "RIA Novosti" news agency Jan. 2.

Earlier in the day, the Consulate General confirmed that Russian citizen Nurana Hasanova was killed in the attack. It was initially alleged that the deceased woman was a citizen of Azerbaijan.

Yes, the victim is actually a Russian citizen, relatives have identified her, a death certificate has been issued and, as far as we know, the body will be sent to homeland tonight. Since in recent years she lived in Azerbaijan, it will be sent there, the press service told RIA Novosti.

He added that there were no other Russian citizens among those killed or wounded in the terrorist attack.

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 Jan. 1.

Sixty-nine people were also wounded in the attack that was carried out before 1:30 a.m.
We had some awesome movie releases in 2016, while some disappointing movies hit theatres too, last year. Its the first working day of 2017 and what better way to get the ball rolling than discuss 20 of the most anticipated sci-fi, fantasy and comic book movies that will release in 2017. Since this is specific to the above-mentioned categories, we will not include the likes of John Wick 2 and The Fate of the Furious since they fall under hardcore action.

1. Transformers: The Last Knight

The past two Transformer movies were pure metal-on-metal action, and they weren't as good as the first two Transformer movies. Will this one be any good? We will have to wait and find out.

Release date: June 23, 2017

2. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

The last Pirates of the Caribbean movie was quite disappointing. We hope this one has some Curse of the Black Pearl magic up its sleeves!

Release date: May 26, 2017

3. Star Wars: Episode VIII

J.J. Abrams played it safe with The Force Awakens, and Rogue One showed us the dark side of the War. Now, all eyes are on Episode VIII. After the death of Carrie Fisher, we are looking forward to her role in the film. Apparently, she had finished filming her section, and if there is anything left, we have special effects to the rescue.

Release date: December 15, 2017

4. Justice League

Man of Steel was an above-average movie, and Batman v. Superman wasnt well received, either. The Justice League trailer, meanwhile, looks awesome, and we hope its the redeeming film for DC.

Release date: November 16, 2017

5. Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2

I AM BABY GROOT! Need we say more?

Release date: April 25, 2017

6. Logan

Based on the comic book series, Wolverine: Old Man Logan, we will see Hugh Jackman reprise his role as Wolverine for the last time. It will be sad to see Jackman leave the iconic role behind and we are looking forward to seeing Jackmans replacement. Will he be able to live up to the legend?

Release date: March 2, 2017

7. Power Rangers

The trailer is quite captivating, and this time around, the Power Rangers movie looks to have a more mature tone. For the young audience, do you know there was a Power Rangers movie that released in the 90s? Have you seen it?

Release date: March 23, 2017

8. Spider-Man: Homecoming

The web slinger made his debut in Captain America: Civil War, and now that Marvel has taken over the story of Spiderman, we can't wait to see him in action in Homecoming. Tom Holland looks perfect as a teenage Peter Parker.

Release date: July 7, 2017

9. Wonder Woman

Gal Gadot looks like she was born to play Wonder Woman, and if the trailer is anything to go by, then Wonder Woman will be one thrilling film to follow.

Release date: June 2, 2017

10. Beauty and the Beast

The Jungle Book was a beautiful silver screen adaptation of Disney's animated film. Now, its time for Beauty and the Beast to come alive. The ever-charming Emma Watson will don the role of Belle in this screen adaptation of the classic.

Release date: March 16, 2017

11. Thor: Ragnarok

The original story of Thor: Ragnarok has appearances from Marvel characters like Hulk and Dr. Strange. We cant wait to see this crossover after the success of Civil War.

Release date: October 25, 2017

12. War for the Planet of the Apes

War of the dawn of the rise of the planet of the apes is the best way to describe the franchise. The apes have taken over, and this is humanity's last stand. Can the movie deliver an entertaining adventure?

Release date: July 14, 2017

13. Alien: Covenant

Also titled Prometheus 2, Alien Covenant is a sequel to Prometheus. The movie received mixed reviews, but I personally liked it. This movie will depict the rise of the Aliens. Am I the only one who thinks that this movie's story line is very reminiscent of Dead Space?

Release date: May 19, 2017

14. The Mummy

I loved the first two Mummy movies staring Brandon Frasier. This one stars Tom Cruise, and even though the trailer looks interesting, we think it reveals too much of the film's plot.

Release date: June 9, 2017

15. The Dark Tower

I was fortunate to see the un-rendered trailer when it leaked online, and if the trailer is anything to go by, then this movie is one to look forward too. It has Idris Elba as the legendary gun slinger and Matthew McConaughey as the man in black.

Release date: July 28, 2017

16. The Lego Batman movie

The caped crusader is back in his Lego avatar, and the trailer tells us that this one isnt necessarily for kids. It has some dark, sarcastic humour that will be a big hit on the screen.

Release date: February 9, 2017

17. Ghost in the Shell

Scarlett Johansson dons the role of the Major! Ghost in the Shell will be a screen adaptation of the Japanese manga of the same name. The trailer looks very interesting, and we cant wait to see the film in action.

Release date: March 29, 2017

18. Blade Runner 2049

Will Harrison Ford die in this one, too? Spoiler alert for those who havent seen Force Awakens, but unless you were hibernating in a cave somewhere it is your fault that you havent seen the film. The trailer has a Cyber Punk theme to it. The cast is very interesting, with the likes of Ryan Gosling and Jared Leto in the film.

Release date: October 6, 2017

19. Kong: Skull Island

Explorers encounter a gigantic ape and other monstrous creatures after traveling to an uncharted island in the Pacific Ocean. Sound familiar?

Release date: March 9, 2017

20. Life

The plot of the movie revolves around a six-member crew of the International Space Station that is on the cutting edge of one of the most important discoveries in human history: the first evidence of extraterrestrial life on Mars. Could things go wrong? Of course!

Release Date: March 23, 2017
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 29

By Anvar Mammadov  Trend:

Authorized capital of the Azerbaijan Deposit Insurance Fund (ADIF) will be increased in 2017 in line with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyevs decree on approval of the state budget.

According to the decree, Azerbaijans Finance Ministry is instructed to increase ADIFs authorized capital in cooperation with the countrys Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FIMSA).

Rufat Aslanli, chairman of the FIMSA Board of Directors, said earlier that the current mechanism of attracting funds for ADIFs capitalization through the Central Bank increases its liabilities to the state.

Therefore, FIMSA is developing mechanisms of increasing ADIFs capitalization.

ADIF started to operate on Aug. 13, 2007.
US plane-maker Boeing is reported to be taking over a new privately funded search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

An underwater search for the mysterious plane carried out by Australia, China and Malaysia is coming to an end soon and an aviation expert has said that the US company has agreed to lead the new investigation.

John Goglia, a former crash investigator and safety consultant for the National Transportation Safety Board, told News Corp Australia Network that the search for flight MH370 is far from over.

"The search will continue ... but it will be a privately run," Goglia said. He identified Boeing as the company which is planning to put the private investigation into practice.

"It'll be smaller and more focused but thats probably better," he added.

Flight MH370 vanished on 8 March 2014 along with the 239 people on board as it travelled from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, with little trace of the plane being found in over two years since its disappearance.

The families of those who were on the plane have led campaigns against the Malaysian-led investigation, accusing the authorities of negligence throughout the ordeal.
Outgoing president of the United States Barack Obama will give his farewell address on January 10 in Chicago, the White House has confirmed.

Obama has served as leader of the country for the last eight years, and is due to be replaced by the shock winner of last November's election, Republican businessman Donald Trump.

In an emailed statement released on Monday, the president said he would use the address as an opportunity to thank the American people.

"I'm thinking about (the remarks) as a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways you've changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here," Obama said.

Much of Obama's major legislation is at risk following Trump's victory over his former secretary of state Hillary Clinton in November, including the Affordable Care Act, which the president-elect has said he will be rolling back.

"Since 2009, we've faced our fair share of challenges, and come through them stronger," he wrote. "That's because we have never let go of a belief that has guided us ever since our founding  our conviction that, together, we can change this country for the better."

Trump will take over the Oval Office ten days after Obama's speech in Chicago, with financial markets waiting to react to what will happen during his first days in charge.
Research from Deloitte in Northern Ireland suggests at least one-sixth of state jobs there are at risk of automation by 2030.

Predictions from the Deloitte report say that up to 32,960 posts in the public sector would be under threat in the next 15 years, particularly those in the administrative and operative areas.

Technological advances are widely expected to lead to major job reductions in the coming decades as more and more work can be done by automated systems, and some have even called for a universal basic income to be introduced in response.

"Across all sectors of the economy, technological advances mean that repetitive and predictable tasks are increasingly undertaken by robotics - either in the form of software or devices," said senior partner at Deloitte Belfast, Jackie Henry. "The public sector, and the public sector in Northern Ireland, is no different."

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has previously said that despite the great benefits of technological development, it "mercilessly destroys jobs and lives".

Henry added that the public sector in Northern Ireland still retains a significant amount of jobs which should not be threatened by such advances.

"The public sector has a high number of public-facing roles, particularly those in areas such as education and caring. These will be relatively safe from automation and could see the public sector impacted less than other sectors," he added.
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.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 2

By Azad Hasanli  Trend:

Azerbaijani government intends to increase the share of the private sector in the sphere of logistics in 2017-2020, according to the countrys Strategic road map on development of logistics and trade.

The government will prepare a long-term program on attracting the private sector to the logistics sphere, according to the road map.

Liberalization of certain components of the logistics sphere has already started in other countries and touches upon air traffic, sea ports and railways, says the document.

It is noted that the government will conduct a comparative assessment of operations in the sphere of air traffic in Azerbaijan and other countries. Goals and tasks, which will allow increasing the private sectors share in this sphere, will be determined according to the results of the assessment.

Meanwhile, as part of this work, an aircraft fleet will be created and measures on attracting foreign investors to this sphere will be taken until 2017  the creation of a low-cost air company.

Relevant structures will prepare short-term and long-term plans on modernization of international and domestic airports infrastructure, as well as will develop plans on expanding infrastructure opportunities of the Heydar Aliyev International Airport, according to the road map.

As for the railway transportation, relevant measures will be taken in order to attract foreign investments or create joint enterprises in those spheres, where there is a great demand for investments.

Moreover, relevant steps will be taken in the sphere of maritime traffic in order to ensure the participation of private maritime operators, which will allow effectively transporting transit cargoes through the Caspian Sea.

Attracting private actors to the logistics and trade sphere will allow increasing the GDP by 15 million manats, according to the documents authors. Meanwhile, revenues will increase by five percent in the sphere of air traffic.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 2

By Maksim Tsurkov  Trend:

The State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) is interested in the acquisition of high-quality real estate assets in European, Asia-Pacific and the US markets, SOFAZ Executive Director Shahmar Movsumov said in an exclusive interview with Trend.

He said that creation of a portfolio, in which the developed markets, as well as various types of real estate will be widely represented, is one of the main directions of the strategy in this area, which means the continuation of investments in this sphere.

"The purpose of investing into real estate is making a profit through consistently high payments for rent and purchase of high-quality assets with a huge potential of the price growth in the long run," said Movsumov. "At the moment, the Fund owns commercial, industrial and hotel real estate in central business districts of major cities, and our immediate plans include building up our presence in the above mentioned areas."

He also noted that the SOFAZ began investing in real estate funds, which also suggest an increase in diversification along with high profitability.

"Thus, SOFAZ gets a chance to enter new markets by covering more countries and regions," the head of the fund said. "At the same time, in addition to the expansion of possibilities from a geographical point of view, a portfolio diversification according to the strategy of property (ready, under construction, etc.) and by its type (residential, logistics, etc.) is taking place."

SOFAZ was established in 1999 with assets of $271 million.

Based on SOFAZs regulations, its funds may be used for construction and reconstruction of strategically important infrastructure facilities, as well as solving important national problems.

The main goals of the State Oil Fund are accumulation of resources and placement of the Funds assets abroad in order to minimize the negative effect on the economy, prevention of "Dutch disease" to some extent, promotion of resource accumulation for future generations, and supporting current social and economic processes in Azerbaijan.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov
As of Sunday, the office with a view over New York City, at the UN headquarters, belongs to Antonio Guterres. On the day this exclusive interview took place, he"d settled in a room of a secondary building, with shuttered blinds, for security reasons. Despite his infernal schedule, Guterres never showed any signs of weariness or impatience, as if his is not "the most difficult job in the world", in the words of his predecessor, Ban Ki-Moon.

He's the ninth man to be chosen for this post since the United Nations Organization was created, in 1945, and although we can no longer perceive him as our Antonio Guterres - that Portuguese man of rural origins but cosmopolitan by choice -, he is still the man who, a day after resigning as Portugal's Prime Minister, was tutoring Math to pupils in run-down districts. He never loses the sense of public service, of duty, of paying attention to those around him. In his hands, power serves only to change the world for the better.

This is an English adaptation of the original Portuguese interview that can be read here

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Having addressed numerous times your view of the programming guidelines for the position of the UN Secretary-General, you still delivered a surprising speech, at the reception the Portuguese President threw at the United Nations headquarters on December 12. You thanked Portugal for what this country gave you, underlining the values of "solidarity", "tolerance" and "dialogue", all of them so sensitive nowadays, especially in the USA.

What I said has nothing to do with the United States and everything to do with Portugal. The tolerance and the understanding of diversity as a source of wealth and not as a threat, the fact that societies today are or tend to be multi-ethnic, multireligious and multicultural are assets that require an investment so that things may go well, so that there is social cohesion, without clashes. Unfortunately, that investment has not always been done. Many situations, in Europe, are proof of that. The policies of reception and integration of immigrants in the 1960s and 1970s were very deficient in several European countries and they are now paying the price for it. There must be a political, economic, social and cultural investment to ensure that everyone feels their identities respected, that they are part of the community, that there is a stronger cement than that of the identities of origin.

Do you think Portugal assumed a different attitude in those years?

Portugal does not have the resources other countries do, and, as a country, we have many imperfections and the attention paid to the integration of immigrant communities was belated. But Portugal is a country where populism does not bring votes in, especially the xenophobic populism, and there is not one political force that has made use of the immigration issues with that purpose. And that is, in the European framework, of extremely major significance. As a Portuguese citizen, that gives me a great sense of pride, even more so because I have lived and embraced, for ten years, the cause of the refugees. Almost throughout the entire period that I was high-commissioner, what I witnessed was open-border policies and overall respect for the refugee protection regime. There were few refoulement cases - that's the technical term for returning a refugee to a place where he or she may again be persecuted. After leaving the UNHCR, in 2016, I have observed a growing number of closed borders, rejection of refugee applications, greater reluctance towards integration policies, and it's happening almost everywhere.

And there's also the use of that situation as an electoral tool, with great impact on the electorate?

Precisely. Europe was unable to manage the refugee crisis. One million people arrived in a continent that, in the European Union alone, has more than 500 million citizens. That would be two people for each thousand, whereas in Lebanon there's a refugee for each three Lebanese. With adequate reception, triage, registration, safety notifications and a proportional distribution by airplane per European country, 20 to 30 thousand people would have arrived in Portugal, and that would have been manageable. If Europe had assumed itself as Europe, as a whole, instead of each country for itself, there wouldn't have been any major dramas. But what happened was chaotic, uncontrolled, a throng of people crossing border after border under extremely precarious conditions. Watching their television sets, people got under the impression that "We're being invaded!" The job was made easier for those that exploit people's fears and anxieties, in terms of political populism.

You also thanked Portugal, in that same speech, for the support to your candidacy.

It was the least I could do, to express my gratitude to my country and its sovereign bodies, to the government that put my name forward, to the President of the Republic that was so enthusiastic, to the political parties - both those in the government and in the opposition -, to the Parliament, to the civil society and to so many anonymous people whose enthusiasm with my candidacy and with the results of this UN election was so overwhelming. I was obliged to say how proud I am to come from a country that is capable of setting such an example of union. Not every candidate was so lucky - some came from divided countries and there was even one country with two candidates. And, at the same time, I wanted to talk about the pride I feel for the fact that Portugal continues to embody the values which have been crucial to my work at UNHCR.

Values which are in stark contrast with the atmosphere surrounding the USA's president-elect and his whole campaign.

It makes little sense to isolate the United States - this is an overall climate. Globalization and technological progress have had outstanding results on global economic growth, and even on poverty reduction. Absolute poverty was reduced worldwide, with a decisive contribution from China. Social indicators, such as infant mortality, have improved globally. At the same time, inequality has increased, which make social exclusion even more unbearable. Globalization have had its losers. In the developed countries, in North America and Europe, there are industrial areas where a large number of jobs disappeared and there are entire generations left vulnerable, with difficulty in adapting to jobs created by new technologies. These people have developed a progressive rejection of political systems they believe have not cared for them and that the politicians only want to conquer and stay in power. Thus, they tend to vote against status quo. European governments are losing referendums, reflecting not so much the nature of the questions asked but a malaise regarding how they have been governed. What happened in the USA has a lot to do with this: people were tired of "more-of-the same" and wanted something different.

Everything you did, throughout your life, seems to have been in preparation for the position you're about to hold. Everything fits together in a kind of construction that places you, in the words of ambassador Samantha Power, as the ideal man for this particular moment.

I'm not sure that I am, apart from anything else because the difficulties are huge. Until very late in the process, I never thought I could be secretary-general of the United Nations. In the logic of the regional rotation that was largely mentioned, the post should not be attributed to Portugal but to Eastern Europe, a group of countries that has no geopolitical consistency nowadays but that, bureaucratically, still exists in the United Nations geographical division for the allocation of places. By the end of my term of office at UNHCR, I felt increasingly frustrated for not being able to solve the problems of people living in the most desperate situations who still give you extraordinary lessons of resistance, courage, hope in the future. I realized the solution had to be political and that it was up to the United Nations to do more. But that doesn't concern only the secretary-general but also, above all, the member-states and the way in which they are organized and how they could relate to each other. I felt a great urge to try and do something, instead of spending the next few years leading a more quiet life. When the Portuguese government received a letter with the invitation to submit applications, there were no strict conditions, so I thought I could apply. That it was an open-ended, interactive process was a great help.

That urge is, with the necessary adaptations, the same one you've had since you were young, when you headed CASU?

They're different things. There's a kind of a reciprocating motion, like a pendulum's. When I was a young student, I wanted to be a research scientist in Physics. I loved it. I went to Instituto Superior Tecnico, which had the best Physics teaching in Portugal. I even came to be a teaching assistant and taught theory classes.

Do you still follow such matters?

I read what comes out in popular science publications, because there's been a colossal evolution since then and the level of detail and complexity is huge. It's an intellectual seduction that I will never forget. I got involved in social work in the slums of Lisbon and I was shocked. I had felt poverty before, the poverty of the Portuguese Beira region - it was part of my infant imagination, from when I spent long stretches of time at my grandparent's home, before the emigration waves. But in the slums of Lisbon, poverty was appalling, the deterioration degree of the living conditions of people so near the city, where you could live as well as I did... That shock led me to action at a humanitarian level and to understanding the limitations of such action. I realized that the solution had to be political and I got involved in politics. My intervention capacity met with limitations, so I took the first opportunity I got to once again dedicate myself to humanitarian work, but at a global scale. When I saw that there were also limitations to this action, and having realised once again that the solution was political, the present opportunity arose and I decided I should present my candidacy.

And there you are, always side by side with the compassion, the concern for your fellow human being?

I was enormously privileged, I had access to everything I could have. My family provided me with the best education available at the time. And in 1974, there was a revolution in Portugal, when I was twenty-something years old. Those were extraordinary experiences. In the post-revolutionary period, I had the responsibility of setting up the structure of the Socialist Party, in Lisbon. Oh, the opportunities of a post-revolution in terms of political intervention... Then, due to accidental circumstances, there was a vacancy at UNHCR, I applied and was appointed. I had the privilege of spending ten years working in exhilarating conditions.

It is exhilarating but, at the same time, it is also going all the way through to the bottom of human suffering, is it not?

It's double-sided: the human suffering, under the most terrible conditions, and the enormous capacity of people to endure and live that situation in positive terms. Having experienced first-hand the world's several crisis has also given me a wider understanding of the political mechanisms that caused them.

What you've witnessed has put into perspective everyday life minor problems, including those you've lived as a politician in Portugal?

I will tell you a story I heard told at Uvira, a small place in the Democratic Republic of Congo, near Tanganyika Lake. In that area, there had been terrible violations of human rights, militias that had done horrifying things. A group of women that had been raped showed interest in speaking with me and with the head of UNICEF that accompanied me, to tell us their story. I hesitated to comply, because I feared it would be too violent an experience for them, but they really wanted to. Everything was most discreet. They were working in a field and there was an attack. One of them, with about 50 years old, was raped 17 times, by 17 armed soldiers or militias. When her son came to her aid, one of the soldiers shot him to death and when her husband, in the village, was told of what had happened, he suffered a heart attack and died. I confess I doubted her - there were too many coincidences -, but my colleagues told me it was true. Can you imagine the suffering this person endured? She was speaking to me and she breathed an incredible force. These are things that, as I said, relativizes every little obstacle along the way.

As UN secretary-general, will you be staying a lot in New York or will you be going out, on the field, as you did while at UNHCR? I imagine your first impulse is to go on the field.

That would be my impulse, yes. But a secretary-general has political action - the essential part of his function is not on the field. To do that, there are UN's various agencies and respective officials. And then it is necessary to be in New York, because this is a gigantic machine with many dysfunctional aspects.

Are you talking about UN's reorganization, one of the programming guidelines you proposed?

The UN is a centralized, bureaucratic organization, with rules, like those derived from the difficulties of the state-members in reaching agreement, and the contradictions between those states make it all inflexible. A secretary-general has reduced actual manoeuvring capacity. As the head of UNHCR, I had greater freedom in terms of reforms. Here, I've got to get a consensus between all parts involved to implement some changes that seem obvious but that have generated controversy.

During your oath speech, you were interrupted by applause precisely when you were addressing the issue of UN's reorganization. Did you notice that?

Everybody feels a sense of bureaucratization and of the ineffectiveness that that translates into. Perhaps many of those who applauded represent countries that have difficulties reaching agreement about the indispensable transformations. I want to build bridges to overcome the mistrust that leads to paralysis.

Are you aware that Father Melicias said that you are the "Pope Francis of the United Nations"?

We must make allowances for him because he's an old friend of mine and everything he says about me is tinted by exaggeration as a result of our friendship. Pope Francis is a breath of fresh air not only to the Catholic Church, but also to international life. He's a model of simplicity and pertinence in his observations about what is required to reform the Church and the world.

Have you spoken with him?

Twice. I was individually received by him, as high-commissioner, and some other time as part of a group of lead officials of the United Nations.

In direct contact, is he the same as he appears to be?

He's exactly as we think him to be. He's got this authenticity, and simplicity, and an extraordinary human warmth about him. And also a tremendous courage, confronting traditional and ankylosed situations. Every institution tends to perpetuate itself and its ways of functioning, even when those ways are outdated.

And that's the case with the United Nations?

It's the case with the United Nations, with the Catholic Church, with numerous states and with many administrations. I give you the example of technological evolution, especially in relation to communications... that is one of the least developed sectors within the United Nations. Suffice it to say that we have three people dealing with social networks and 56 handling radio broadcast information [he laughs]. That is, not wishing to belittle the people who do handle radio broadcasting, especially in certain areas of the African continent, where the United Nations radio stations are a major tool. But three people for social networking, on the whole...

Your new position will force a change of life on you. For instance, in what concerns your personal safety, which seems to involve very tight measures.

At UNHCR I had only field-level security. That is one of the most difficult issues to me, dealing with a level of security way more heavy. Even before I took office, they were already heavier than when I was prime-minister.

It's not really your style, is it?

It's not me at all. It's the price to pay, as well as being far away from the family. When in Geneva, it was easy to come and go every weekend, being just a two-hour flight. I have extraordinary support from my wife and the whole family. My mother is 93 years old and this was a source of great joy for her, but, as I'm sure you understand, she'd rather have her son close by. My family was fully on board my candidacy and willingly prepared to pay the price required by this kind of functions, in terms of estrangement.

Will you be living on the official residence of the secretary-general?

It's not the kind of house that I would like to own, it's very ancient. I prefer my house in Lisbon and I liked my apartment in Geneva even better - it was small and nice.

Are you still able to read about History?

I'm a compulsive reader of History books. And not only those. I read every night, before going to sleep, for 30 minutes or one hour. I just finished this magnificent book by Francisco Bethencourt about the history of racism. It has to do with the problems of today's world.

I was told that you have a strong capacity to organize travel plans...

One of my greatest pleasures is to organise travel plans to go with the family and get to know the world. And the same goes for the trips, in themselves.

Oliveira Martins told me about a trip you made to Malaysia in which you followed the same path as the one allegedly taken by Sandokan in his adventures.

I went on that journey with the purpose of visiting Malacca, where I'd never been before, and to spend a few days on the island of Borneo, in an area called Saba, a paradise in terms of Nature. It is one of the best, if not the best place to visit a virgin forest, the primary forest. Islands have exceptional conditions for snorkelling and scuba diving.

And where's Sandokan, in the middle of all that?

The first books I ever read - I was 8 years old - were by Emilio Salgari and they were based on total ignorance about that region. He describes things that do not exist. I was curious to see the area where, shall we say, the adventures of Sandokan took place. There was a Portuguese character, a kind of first mate of his. Just by way of example, there was a raja of a lake, near the Kinabalu mountain, but there isn't any lake at all in there. That says it all!! [He laughs]. It was all a fantasy, although some references do correspond with reality. But it was clear that Salgari had never been there.

You have also read, for sure, Jules Verne.

Of course, "Around the World in Eighty Days", "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" and all that.

"Around the World in Eighty Days" helps to understand the time zones.

With the extra day, exactly. I have crossed four times, in the near past, the international time zone line.

But isn't that highly exhausting?

Yes, it is. Jet lag is a major problem, not least because I sleep very poorly on planes. In three weeks and a half I did Lisbon-Paris, Paris-Lisbon, London-Madrid, Madrid-New York, New York-Lisbon, Lisbon-Astana, in Kazakhstan, Astana-Moscow, Moscow -Lisbon, Lisbon-Beijing, Beijing-New York. I try to rest in airplanes but, even in business class with horizontal seats, on those transcontinental flights I sleep very little. When I get two hours of sleep, that is a very good thing, and usually I don't get more than one-hour sleep periods.

One of your pleasures has always been the cinema. Is it still?

The ability to watch films at home, with quality screens and high definition, nowadays is such... but I still like going to movie theatres. What I like the most is opera and music. Catarina has been taking me to more contemporary shows, to performances of the most varied natures. I endeavour to keep track of the evolution in theatre and dance. In connection with the contemporaneity in the arts, namely the performing arts, she's been a very stimulating presence.

No one in your family accepted my invitation to talk about you, in a synchrony that I can only compliment. Nevertheless, it must be difficult being married to someone so thinly stretched due the many claims on his time and attention and who's away for such long periods.

Indeed. Concerning that, I'm greatly indebted to my wife and all my family. The job and duties I hold may never, in any way, constitute a limitation to the professional relations of the other members of my family, in particular my wife's. Catarina has carried out and is still carrying out a very interesting activity, which I follow with great interest. [Catarina Vaz Pinto is Councilwoman for Culture at the Lisbon's City Council]. And that's how it should be. I do not see her chasing me around, from place to place, only to keep me company. That would be absurd. For a married couple to be counterbalanced it is very important that both partners have their own fulfilling occupation, and that there is no integral subordination of one's life to the other's. It wold make no sense for me to fight for gender equality and for parity within the United Nations and, at the same time, view my marriage as a kind of secretary-general support service.

That must involve a broader understanding concerning the issue of family relationships.

That's exactly it. That which enriches a family is not necessarily a continuous presence, but a shared set of values and the ability to esteem those moments when we can be together.

In the face of the horrors that you've witnessed, how does one maintains his faith in God?

I reject the idea that what is happening in Aleppo is God's plan. I believe there is a guiding principle, creator of the world, and that there has progressively been an approximation - I do not say that the Big Bang is proof of God's existence; that would be an absurd -, but there is a closer approximation between modern physics and the feeling of the absolute. I reject the idea of an intervenor God that sits planning misfortunes. If God were like that, I could not have faith in Him. The Gospel is a timeless book, to which I cling to without reservation. It establishes the link between the divine and the human.

In other religions, people are equally strong believers - faith pervades different cultures. In a time when there are so many extremisms, do you think that there is also surfacing a "parity" of religions?

If I"d been born in Norway or Sweden I would be perhaps a Lutheran, or in Jordan probably a Muslim, in Japan maybe a Buddhist. To me, the idea of absolute does exist and that absolute is lived in a different way by different people, in distinct contexts and civilizations. This must be viewed with openness and tolerance. There is no such thing as "my truth" and "everyone else is wrong". We all have our part of truth and we should live it with authenticity, although respecting the truth of the other.

Without fundamentalisms?

In every religion, there has been, over time, expressions of a fundamentalist or extremist nature. We had the Inquisition and there are still today the "born again Christian", very radical. In Hinduism there are today extreme expressions, and in Buddhism - look what has happened in Myanmar, with the Buddhists persecuting Muslims in the most terrible way. The risk of perversion exists in every religion, the same way there are fanatics in politics. Europe has made a very significant contribution to the universal civilization through the values of Illustration. And the supremacy of Reason is very important - not of an abstract reason, but of a reason that takes emotions into account. Today, we witness the success of irrationality in many aspects of the international life. It"s the religious fundamentalisms, the political populisms, the nationalist extremisms. These are all irrational forms of conduct and they pose a risk to the peace and security on an international level.

Isn't there a paradox, somewhere? There is globalization, the possibility of having widespread and real-time information, and there's that irrationality and ignorance.

Yes, there is. But young people, today, are much more cosmopolitan and that constitutes a sign of hope for the future. Societies are not adapted to those technological innovations, namely at the communication level, that change living conditions on a fast-track basis. Political systems have experienced major difficulties in taking that into account. This factor may also have greatly contributed to the increasing estrangement between political systems and public opinions.

Since the beginning of your candidacy process to the final oath of office, which moment would you say has had greater impact on you?

The moment when, expecting the process would take another two or three week, but already having great hopes for my candidacy, I observed the members of the Security Council leaving a session where they'd been engaged in hard debates over Syria and saw ambassador Churkin, Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, announce that they'd reached a consensus over me. That was one of those moments of great intensity.

What about your acclamation in the General Assembly?

Those are intense but not really surprising moments. They're important in our lives, but they must be regarded with humility and some degree of relativism. This is all very well, but what matters now is what you're able to do, in reality. But in that decision of the Security Council there was the element of surprise... Suddenly, without warning, they all came out saying they'd reached a decision.

Did you see the announcement live, on TV?

I saw it live on my laptop, it was broadcast over the internet. I was on a work meeting, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and had my laptop on to see what would come out of the Security Council, and suddenly I watched the declaration of the Russia's representative, ambassador Churkin. It was a great emotion. Those are enjoyable things, but they're not the froth of everyday life. Much more important is when you're able to solve a particular situation and there's a lot of people who's no longer suffering. That's what is truly worthwhile.

Do you feel that that's what you've achieved at UNHCR?

There a lot of things that I would have like to have done, but there was a lot of people that, thanks to the work of my colleagues, in which I myself participated, are now at least living better. We were able to help approximately 100 thousand people per year in the area of organized resettlement, that is, changing from a country of first asylum - be it from a refugee camp in Kenya or Jordan to Canada, to Australia, to the USA, to Sweden, or to Germany. To feel that a family that had absolutely no chance of a comfortable life - in some cases, with the most complicated diseases - will now be able to live in a country where their children can attend the university, where they may have their own little business company, that matters more than a simple acclamation.

What is the problem that is now on top of your worries?

In terms of a concrete situation, Syria. Then there are many problems of varied natures. The issues related to the dramas lived in several areas of Iraq, of Sudan, of the Democratic Republic of Congo. But there's also the climate change, the problem of the malnutrition. There's a significant number of children that will never be able to have a normal life, because they will reach adulthood with greatly impaired growth. And the most bothering issues are the bureaucracy, the obstacles, not letting us do what we want, because, in theory, those are problems that could very well be solved.

Translated and adapted from the original Portuguese interview by Adelaide Cabral
Mongolia buckles to Chinese pressure over Dalai Lama visit

Mongolia, which played a pivotal role in establishing the institution of the Dalai Lama centuries ago, is giving the present Dalai Lama, the cold shoulder.

According to commentators, remarks by the country's foreign minister last month were the latest sign that Mongolia had buckled under pressure from China over the contentious issue of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader.

Bloomberg News reported the minister, Tsend Munkh-Orgil, told Onoodor newspaper that the government ''feels sorry'' for allowing the Dalai Lama to visit Mongolia in November and that the Dalai Lama ''probably won't be visiting Mongolia again during this administration.'' The Associated Press said the remarks were confirmed by the foreign ministry.

Meanwhile, The Diplomat pointed out that the Dalai Lama's visit was not a China-Mongolia bilateral issue and was Mongolia's internal, domestic issue, concerning the people's rights under its Constitution. In accordance with the Mongolia's constitutional rights, citizens of Mongolia, particularly those who believed in Buddhism, had the rights to accept, allow, and appreciate the visit of His Holiness. The Dalai Lama visit was at the invitation of the Center of Mongolian Buddhism, the Gandantegchinlen Monastery, and was accepted by the people.

According to The Diplomat, the antagonistic language released by China's foreign ministry had put a ''damper on people-to-people affairs.''
New UN chief Anonio Guterres seen as ideal for the job

Will Antonio Guterres, who took over as United Nations Secretary-General from Ban Ki-moon on Sunday, be one of the best heads the international body has had? Many observers seem to think so.

When Guterres resigned halfway through his second term as Portuguese prime minister in 2002 because his minority government was floundering, he did something unusual for a man who had seen the highest reaches of power. Several times a week, he went to slum neighbourhoods on the edge of Lisbon to give free maths tuition to children, points out The Guardian.

''He never allowed a journalist to go with him or let himself be filmed or photographed, and he never let journalists talk to any of his students,'' said Ricardo Costa, editor-in-chief of the Portuguese SIC News, who covered Guterres's political career. The former prime minister told his surprised students that what he was doing was personal and not for show.

The Portuguese socialist is an intellectual who grew up under Portugal's dictatorship and came of age with the 1974 revolution that ended 48 years of authoritarian rule.

Crucial to understanding Guterres, 67, is his Christian faith: his progressive Catholicism always informed his brand of social democratic politics.

In the heady days of Portugal's revolution, it was rare to be a practising Catholic in a new Socialist party where many members had Marxist backgrounds. But Guterres, a star engineering student who grew a moustache in honour of the Chilean left's Salvador Allende, would eventually become a modernising leader, arguing that his mission was social justice and equality.

Born in Lisbon, Guterres spent stretches of his childhood with relatives in the countryside, where he saw the poverty of rural life under the dictatorship, and later volunteered with Catholic student groups on social projects in the capital.

In 1976, the young engineering lecturer was elected a Socialist MP in Portugal's first democratic vote since the revolution. In parliament, he was a fearsome orator. Such was his talent for verbally destroying political opponents, he became known as ''the talking pickaxe''.

Guterres became prime minister in 1995. His campaign slogan was ''heart and reason'', a cry for more humanism and social politics. Three years earlier he had taken over the Socialist party and modernised it, although he remained to the left of contemporaries such as Tony Blair. For years he led the Socialist International grouping of leftwing parties.

With Portugal's rapid economic growth and nearly full employment, Guterres was able to set up a guaranteed minimum income and nursery schooling for all. But he had failed to win an absolute majority and was condemned to preside over a tricky minority government. He had to rely on his skill for consensus, always having to negotiate with the opposition parties if he wanted to get anything passed  something he later argued was perfect training for running the UN.

''He was a skilful person  very smart, very quick to understand the other point of view and very focused on having solutions  that's why it worked,'' Antonio Vitorino, Guterres's deputy prime minister and defence minister, told The Guardian.

Family tragedy

Guterres was furiously hardworking. But behind this was a backdrop of family tragedy. His wife, Luisa Guimaraes e Melo, a psychiatrist with whom he had two children, had been critically ill for most of his time in government and was undergoing treatment at a London hospital.

''It was one of the hardest moments of his political life,'' Vitorino said. ''Every Friday morning, he took a plane to London, spent the weekend there in a very desperate situation and then on Monday morning he was back at work. I was his deputy prime minister, I was amazed. I could never have done what he was doing.''

In 1998, Guterres's wife died. The following year, he threw himself into the general elections. He had hoped to win an outright majority but the Socialists ended up one MP short and began a second minority government. This time, a slowdown in the economy made things harder.

Guterres, privately growing disillusioned with internal party politics, turned increasingly to his interest in international diplomacy. He had already won praise for his role in resolving the crisis in Timor-Leste, a former Portuguese colony, which had erupted into violence in 1999 after a referendum vote in favour of independence from Indonesia. Guterres led diplomatic efforts to convince the UN to intervene to restore peace.

In 2000, when Portugal took the rotating presidency of the European Union, its success was attributed to Guterres's ability to get big leaders to agree and smaller leaders to be heard.

In 2002, halfway through his second term as prime minister, Guterres abruptly resigned after the Socialists suffered a drubbing in local elections. He famously said he wanted to avoid the country falling into a ''political swamp'' and that he had discovered ''politics has its limits''.

At the time he was unpopular, criticised for too much compromise and too much dialogue. But over the years since his departure, polls showed he was increasingly liked and seen as fair, serious and honest  a possible contender for Portuguese president, although he never wanted to return to national politics, preferring, he said, to make a difference on the world stage.

His decade serving as UN high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR) from 2005 to 2015 was seen in Portugal as an obvious fit for his personality: socially engaged but seeking common ground.

Multi-lingual

Guterres  who speaks Portuguese, English, French and Spanish and is now remarried to Catarina Vaz Pinto, who works at Lisbon city hall  was known in political circles for enthusiastic, cultured conversations on everything from ancient Greece to Middle Eastern culture, opera to geography.

Whenever he had free time during visits to Washington as UNHCR chief, he would get the organisation's regional representative, Michel Gabaudan, to take him to Politics & Prose or another of the city's bookshops.

Guterres also took a broad approach to the UNHCR's responsibilities. The organisation grew dramatically under his management, and not just because the number of the world's refugees soared in the 21st century. He broadened the categories of people the UNHCR would seek to protect, including internally displaced people and migrants forced from their homes by natural disasters and climate change. He preferred the all-encompassing phrase ''people on the move''.

He managed to persuade donors to fund the expansion by retaining their confidence that the money was well spent, and to do that he cut overheads.

When Justin Forsyth was chief executive of Save the Children UK, he travelled with Guterres to refugee camps in Lebanon, and recalled Guterres meeting a group of children. ''The thing that struck me was him cross-legged on the floor of a tent talking to children. He really listens and he asks questions and he's very moved by what he hears. He gets his hands dirty,'' said Forsyth, the new deputy executive director of Unicef, the UN children's charity.

Adaptable, consensual, affable, intellectual, Guterres is perhaps better qualified than any of his nine predecessors for the world's most demanding job. But one of his deftest skills he learned not from the hurly burly of Portuguese politics, nor from the harrowing years at the UNHCR, but from his first wife.

At a Guardian event last June in which he debated with rivals for the secretary general job, he said her psychoanalytical insights were highly valuable. ''She taught me something that was extremely useful for all my political activities. When two people are together, they are not two but six. What each one is, what each one thinks he or she is and what each one thinks the other is,'' he said.

''And what is true for people is also true for countries and organisations. One of the roles of the secretary-general when dealing with the different key actors in each scenario is to bring these six into two. That the misunderstandings disappear and the false perceptions disappear. Perceptions are essential in politics.''
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The Vice President of St Vincent de Paul in the North West has said that families are still facing financial hardship at Christmas.

This year, the charity continued to be extremely busy on Christmas eve as they received calls from people in need from across the county.

Ms. Rosa Glackin said: We were extremely busy on Christmas Eve. The volunteer groups in every area of the county were still delivering on Christmas Eve.

We received a high number of calls this year. However, we were able to respond to each and every call, she said.

The Letterkenny-based spokesperson said that families are still facing as much financial hardship as they did three or four years ago and that there is no sign of economic respite, as yet, in the North West.

She said: There is no sign of the financial burden easing on families, as yet.

This Christmas would certainly have been as busy as Christmases were three or four years ago.

We didn't see any change in circumstances this year.

She added that families are continuing to strain under a financial strain and that it appeared that families where someone was sick and having to travel to Galway or Dublin were under a lot of financial strain.

There are a lot of families, where someone is ill and has to travel to Galway or Dublin being under financial strain. There seems to be a huge increase in this area, she said.

There has been a 10 per cent increase on those looking for help from the organisation on a national front.

Continued from page one

This Christmas, over 140,000 people in communities across the country asked the organisation for help with food, fuel and basic clothing.

The organisation's motto is to eliminate the causes of poverty.

There are no local figures available, as yet.

Ms. Glackin said that this year, the generosity of individuals, schools and businesses has been hugely appreciated.

We got plenty of donations of food, vouchers and cash donations from people, schools and businesses this year.

Everyone was so generous and we would like to thank them all for their generosity, she said.

People who feel that they would like to contact the organisation, in confidence, can do so by going to the official page of the organisation.

Volunteers from SVP will then visit them within ten days of your seeking their help. Volunteers will then discuss their issues with them in a confidential, non judgemental fashion.

You can learn more by going to the SVP website at https://www.svp.ie/Get-Help/Request-help-online.aspx.

You can also contact people at local level in Donegal.
There weren't any major tax bills in 2016. That's going to change in some form in 2017 now that the Republicans control Congress and the White House.



via GIPHY

But there still were plenty of tax-related matters that got attention last year. Below is my list of top 10 tax stories of 2016, starting with the one I saw as most important.

And as a bonus, I also pulled out my slightly cracked crystal ball -- really, who saw the presidential election turning out like it did? -- to forecast five tax issues that we're likely to see in 2017.

Top 10 Tax Topics of 2016

1. No Trump tax returns: President-Elect Donald J. Trump ignored shattered an almost 40-year election tax disclosure tradition by refusing to show the U.S. electorate his current tax return. Trump said it was because he was being audited by the Internal Revenue Service, but many, including some former IRS commissioners, said that wasn't a legitimate reason to keep his 1040 secret.

Trump's refusal also led to much speculation that he didn't pay any federal taxes for 18 years and that he's not as rich as he regularly proclaimed, as well as prompted federal and state legislation that would mandate future presidential candidate be more tax transparent.

In the end, it didn't seem to matter to voters. The tax world, however, still wants to know what's in the incoming 45th president's federal filings.

2. Tax identity theft and scams: Every tax season is tax scam season, but in 2016 tax schemes aimed at stealing filers' identities took on more urgency. The IRS agent impersonation scam, hailed in 2014 as the biggest criminal tax ID theft scheme ever, continued in 2016. I got more than half a dozen of the fake calls threatening me with legal action for not paying all my taxes.

But last October, an international law enforcement crackdown led to the closure of Indian call centers where the scheme apparently originated. U.S. officials subsequently obtained indictments of 61 people involved in the tax identity theft phone scam.

Meantime, the IRS and its Security Summit partners from the tax software and preparation industry, the tax professionals' community and the state tax world continued their efforts to fight tax ID theft through public education and tighter security controls over online information.

3. IRS Commissioner impeachment threat: IRS Commissioner John Koskinen has been at odds with Congressional Republicans almost from day one of his term. But things took a nastier turn in 2016. GOP House members repeatedly tried to impeach Koskinen, alleging that his high crimes and misdemeanors included lying to Congressional committees and hiding information about emails connected to targeting of Tea Party groups seeking 501(c)(4) tax-exempt status.

Koskinen was officially censured by the House Government Oversight Committee. A final attempt last December at full impeachment, however, failed when the House opted to send the matter back to the committee level for possible further consideration in 2017.

4. End of extenders: I've been following taxes professionally since the 1980s (yes, I was a child tax prodigy; that's my story and I'm sticking to it), and during that time one of the most predictable tax actions has been the periodic renewal of temporary tax laws known as extenders. That happened in December 2015, but that same year the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes, or PATH, Act also made some popular provisions permanent.

Most tax watchers expected the laws that were extended only through 2016 to be renewed for another year or two, but when Trump won the White House, that plan was scuttled.

That left both individual filers -- those who rely on the college tuition and fees above-the-line tax deduction and some home-related tax breaks -- and businesses -- thoroughbred horse breeders, professional motorsports teams and film/TV/Broadway creators -- wondering and worrying whether they'll get their tax breaks back, either in a freestanding bill or as part of possible tax reform.

5. IRS looks to its future: In 2016, Uncle Sam's tax collection and enforcement agency faced yet another reduced budget and increasing number of taxpayers, along with the challenge of fighting tax identity theft threats and added tax law responsibilities such as Obamacare penalties. The IRS decided the best way to meet all these responsibilities is to transform itself into an agency that will rely on more automation and less personal interaction with taxpayers.

This so-called Future State probably is, to a large degree, inevitable even without the fiscal and physical problems faced by the IRS. But many filers, as well as National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson, were not thrilled with the IRS announcement that it is moving forward in the more taxpayer self-help direction.

Olson concerns, which she shared with Congress, are that the IRS is underestimating the number of taxpayers who are not equipped to use IRS online resources. Many don't have internet access or can't complete the increasingly complex (thanks, ID thieves) authentication process.

Others don't trust the IRS systems' security. And then there are those folks who simply want to talk to a human.

6. International corporate taxes: One of the few tax matters that got attention during the 2016 presidential campaign was corporate tax inversions. The recent rush by U.S. companies to change their corporate tax headquarters, at least on paper, to lower-taxed foreign countries was one of the few issues on which there was bipartisan consensus: it's not good for U.S. workers and the economy. But exactly what the United States will do about such corporate tax maneuvers remains unclear, even with the GOP in control in Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, European tax officials weren't happy with the international tax deals offered to American firms either. The most notable was Apples tax war with the European Union.

7. States go after remote sales taxes: Congress has been fiddling with proposals to establish a nationwide system that allows states to collect sales taxes from remote sellers, but still hasn't been able to come up with an acceptable measure. States in 2016 got tired of waiting.

A growing number of states adopted creative nexus standards challenging the existing Quill Corporation v. North Dakota U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 1992 that a seller must have a physical presence, or nexus, before it has to collect a state's sales taxes. Explosive internet commerce, argue state tax officials, has undermined that standard. And even online retail giant Amazon seems to agree, deciding to start collecting sales taxes in 2017 in several states where it has no physical operations.

It's possible that the High Court ultimately could decide to end the nexus requirement in a wonderfully tax ironic way. Challenges to South Dakota's new internet tax collection law could possibly reverse neighboring North Dakota's long-standing remote sales physical location standard.

8. Sharing/gig economy taxes: Despite Uber's problems with local officials across the country, the sharing or gig economy is expected to keep growing. In 2016, the IRS finally acknowledged this by providing guidance to taxpayers who earn money from such enterprises at the new Sharing Economy Tax Center. The IRS also made it clear that it will keep a close eye on taxpayers who, intentionally or unintentionally, pay more or especially less tax then they should from their patchwork careers.

9. Tax haven crackdown continued: The cousin to corporate tax inversions is individual taxpayer use, or abuse, of international tax havens. Some names and financial institutions that enable such alleged tax evasion were revealed last May with the release of the Panama Papers. For the United States, the biggest revelation in the more than 11 million documents leaked from the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca was not names of Americans stashing cash away globally, but the inclusion of Nevada and Wyoming as tax havens for other worldwide taxpayers.

But the IRS didn't need more names. It already had the identities of and tax payments from individuals who participated in its ongoing global tax amnesty Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program, or OVDP. The agency announced last October that since its initiation of the tax haven crackdown effort in 2009, it has collected $10 billion in taxes and had 100,000 taxpayers return to full federal tax compliance.

10. Olympics champions' tax break: As predictable as the "USA!" chants every time the Olympics rolled around were Congressional efforts to offer tax relief to Americans who won medals. It finally came to be in 2016. Thanks, Michael Phelps and Simone Biles!

The Olympians and Paralympians Act was signed into law by President Obama and now some Olympics champions won't have to count the money they get from the U.S. Olympics Committee as taxable income. The value of the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals themselves also is now tax-free. But this only applies to Olympians whose adjusted gross income is $1 million or less. Sorry, Michael Phelps and Simone Biles!

OK, that's a lot of tax stuff for a year that really wasn't so tax focused. Now comes the question of what will 2017 bring us tax-wise? Below are five issues that could be of particular interest. I'll admit up front that these aren't especially bold predictions, but as I noted earlier, my crystal ball was damaged.

Tax Issues to Look (and Look Out) for in 2017

1. Refund delays will anger taxpayers: Nobody needs a prophecy orb to see this coming. When taxpayers who file early in 2017 expecting to have their refunds in hand by the end of the month discover that they'll have to wait at least a couple more weeks, you'll hear the complaining nationwide.

The IRS has been working since last summer to get the word out that a provision in the previously mentioned PATH Act requires the agency to hold some refunds until at least Feb. 15. This will happen on filings where the Earned Income and additional child tax credits are claimed.

As I noted in yesterday's January tax moves post, the rationale for the delay is that it will give the IRS more time to ensure that these refundable tax credit claims are legit. That's probably true.

But it's also true that it will piss off honest filers who claim one or both of these tax breaks and who depend on their soon-as-possible tax refunds to make ends meet.

Plus, I see a whole new category of tax scams arising from folks preying on filers who want to get their refunds sooner than mid-February.

2. Debt collector problems will return: Despite years of evidence to the contrary, Congress is once again forcing the IRS to use private debt collectors. The good news is that the tax cases that will be turned over to the bill collectors is limited. The bad news is that bill collectors will be involved at all.

Sure, they are statutorily required to follow the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act , which means they can berate or abuse you when calling about a bill or call your friends or family or employer or a whole long list of other consumer protections. Big whoop.

Too many unscrupulous debt collectors ignore the debt collection rules when it comes to bills they currently collect. I suspect we'll get reports of the same happening in connection with old tax bills.

And, as in the refund delay case, tax criminals will likely be posing at private debt collectors to con individuals into handing over their personal information and money.

3. Tax reform will happen: With Republicans in control of the White House and Capitol Hill, there will be some sort of individual and corporate tax reform. But that's as far as I'm going. How much and how soon is still too iffy to predict even with one party in ostensible charge.

Howard Gleckman nails the situation in his recent post at TaxVox, the blog for the Washington, D.C.-based Tax Policy Center:

"Trump aides and Hill leaders boldly predict that Congress will pass not one, but two, major tax bills by April. But making tax policy is notoriously complex and time-consuming. In addition, lawmakers and their staffs could well spend much of February and March bogged down in controversial Trump nominations and the Affordable Care Act repeal."

4. Obamacare sticks around: As with tax reform, untangling all the threads of the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, won't be easy. Sure the Republicans who have hated the law since it was enacted in 2010 without a single vote from anyone in their party will vote to repeal it. And they'll loudly tout the end of the many taxes associated with the health care law.

But the effective date for the actual end of the law and taxes will be in the future as they try to figure out how to placate voters who hate the law but like the insurance that it provides. Plus, even the incoming president has said some provisions of Obamacare should be retained.

5. IRS continues to catch Congressional heat: While Koskinen ultimately might escape impeachment and serve out his term, which ends in November, the agency itself will continue to be in Congressional cross-hairs.

Now that Republicans have control in D.C., they need an easy foe they can use to make their political points. Enter the IRS.

Uncle Sam's tax agency is perfect for attacks from GOP Representatives and Senators. It's made plenty of mistakes -- conference cost overruns, questionable videos, bad email system decision -- in recent years that its detractors can easily pick from to use as bludgeons.

Plus, it's a government agency and the current GOP in general and its Tea Party faction in particular don't believe that any part of government has a positive role to play in people's lives.

Finally, voters in general detest paying taxes, even when they know they are necessary to provide services they like.

So look for Congress to continue to hammer away at the IRS and its leader, both in Capitol Hill hearings and by again trimming the agency's budget.

What do you think? Did I cover all the big tax issues of 2016 and 2017? If not, let me know in the comments what you think I overlooked. And if you agree or want to elaborate on those I chose for my past review and future outlook, please share that, too.
Nine people have been killed in an apartment building collapse in Kazakhstan, Sputnik reported.

The bodies of nine people, including bodies of three children, killed in an apartment building collapse in Kazakhstan, were retrieved, a representative of Kazakhstan's Ministry of Internal Affairs told RIA Novosti on Monday.

"So far, the bodies of 9 people have been retrieved. There are bodies of three men, three women, three children, two of them born in 2016 and one in 2010," Ruslan Imankulov said.

He added that earlier in the day a man was rescued from the rubble.

A part of the building in the Kazakh Karaganda region collapsed on Sunday evening.

Some 280 people, including police officers, rescuers, medical workers are involved in the rescue operation.
"We must be ready to dare all for our country. For history does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid. We must acquire proficiency in defense and display stamina in purpose." - President Eisenhower, First Inaugural Address
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Jan. 2

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

The year 2017 will be marked by major historical events, among which the utmost importance is attached to the Turkmen presidential election, said the countrys President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, according to the local media.

Berdimuhamedov noted that Turkmenistans three political parties  Democratic Party, Agrarian Party, Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs  participate in the presidential elections.

I am convinced that the presidential election will contribute to the growth of social and political activity and maturity of our citizens, said the Turkmen president.

Currently, campaigning continues for the Turkmen presidential election, scheduled for Feb. 12, 2017.

Turkmenistans Central Election Commission has registered nine presidential candidates, who were nominated by political parties and initiative groups of citizens.

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has been elected twice as the countrys president. During the presidential election in 2012, 97.4 percent of voters cast their ballots for Berdimuhamedov.

Turkmen president is elected for a period of seven years, according to new amendments to the countrys Constitution.
In 2017 the demolition of the Eurozone is quite possible, but not yet probable.

Modern man stands to democracy as his ancestors were standing to God two hundred years ago. He wants to be considered a decent man, and also a rational one. Sometimes, however, he disagrees with himself as a democrat and with how democracy, an ambiguous word, really works.

In 2016 democrats in three very important countries, Great Britain, the United States, and Italy, have been offered the chance to exercise the democratic rule of one man, one vote and the majority decides.

In Great Britain the electorate chose to leave the European Union, a choice which was to make it undoubtedly poorer but also to give it the illusion of being able to close its frontiers to more than a trickle of immigrants. The country in 2016 held its frontiers fairly open to 600,000 growth and 330,000 net immigrants, and then demanded a limit of only 10,000 in the future, a limit which no government was able to respect as a matter of practical politics. The illusion of making Britain reserved for the British will cost them a reduction in their standard of living, but no one can pretend to call this an irrational choice.

The Italian economy, rich in talent and energy, has had practically no growth in the last generation. The direct culprit is the anti-fascist  and eminently democratic constitution and a long series of short lived governments that have done little to prevent the economy from continuing its bad habits of no competition and inefficient labour relations. The 2016 referendum offered the choice of a radically different constitution capable of long lived decisions in the interest of modern liberal markets. This choice was rejected by an overwhelming majority, more in order to punish the politicians who had governed under the old constitution than for any desire for a new one. Using a democratic alternative, the Italian electorate has punished itself.

American electors envisaged government as a man and his followers who want to turn the clock back, while also promising more investment and fewer taxes, a program which is very audacious but perhaps a little too short on credibility. The voters were divided by two measures. In one, while all were benefiting from free trade as consumers, some producers were losing in competition with the Chinese, the Mexicans, and other foreigners whose imports were regarded as unfair competition in the domestic market; never mind the gains that U.S. exporters earned in foreign markets. The other measure which separated losers from gainers was the secular trend in which industrial products took a progressively smaller and services a greater share of the national income. Some of the service providers were in the high income classes, others at the bottom of the scale, while industrial workers earned income between that of service aristocrats and the service proletariat, being envious about one and fearing to descend into the other. By both measures, the industrial middle class felt badly done by. The end result, at least by using hindsight, was obvious in the employment statistics and again does not contradict democratic rationality.

After Brexit, a further two or three dissident countries would suffice for the European Union to dissolve.

In the European program for 2017 there are two or three electoral tests that democracy may have to stand. There is an election in the Netherlands and one in France, both of them with a populist party almost, but not quite, having a chance to win. Both would probably leave the European Union and the common currency area if given the chance. If there is an election in Italy as well, which may happen in the second half of the year, there may be a further candidate for exit. After Brexit, a further two or three dissident countries would suffice for the European Union to dissolve, an outcome which today looks very improbable but hardly impossible. The Brussels Commission is hardly unaware of this danger to its existence. The French member of the Commission, Mr. Moscovici, has actually proposed that three members of the Union with stronger financial positions, Germany, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, should be invited to conduct a softer budget which would make the growth prospects of the other members a little less uncomfortable, but the proposal was for the moment rejected by these three countries which were supposed to act as volunteers.

The Brussels Commission has good reason to fear the future and its own survival. The Euro zone has suffered a miserable rate of growth since about 2008 and is hardly expected to have more than 1.2 or 1.3 percent both for this year and the next. On the other side of the Atlantic, the American economy showed some fatigue in the first half of 2016, but accelerated again and is likely to increase to as much as 4 percent by about years end. The President-elect during his primary campaign promised to double the rate of economic growth, although he did not say what the present rate was which he promises to double. At all events and with some scepticism about American growth, Europe is falling further behind and its capacity to catch up with the United States looks to be more and more distant.

The Powerful Number 3
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By Emily Johnston

Ive been thinking a lot about risk latelywhat were willing to risk and why. I was one of five activists who turned off the major tar sands pipelines coming into the U.S. on Oct. 11, 2016. As a result, Im risking prison time, ostensibly for property damage (we cut a few chains to access the valves), but really for being disobedient to business as usual. Its also possible theyll file a restitution suit, for temporarily disrupting a pipeline thats highly profitable for some, at the expense of all others.

I took part in the action in full awareness of these risksin dread of them, to some degreebecause of the risk that Enbridge and the other companies engaged in the extraction, transport and sale of tar sands are taking, which is the unimaginably huge risk that if the worlds scientists are correct, what really flows through those pipelines is the end of human history.

[vimeo https://vimeo.com/187580141 expand=1]

Does this seem like crazy talk to you? Does it seem obvious that we cant possibly move past fossil fuels, no matter what the risks? What are you risking in order not to try, in order to preserve your belief that the worldor at least your worldis basically okay and you dont need to pay attention to the dire warnings scientists have been giving us?

Last December in Paris, nearly early every nation in the world, including petro-states like Russia and Saudi Arabia, agreed to an aspirational goal of no more than 1.5 C of warming. But its very aspirationalright now, even if every nation adheres scrupulously to the Paris agreement (and Donald Trump promises that the U.S. wont), scientists say that will only limit us to 3.5 C.

Thats one of the better scenarios available to us right nowand it risks human extinction. It would make food systems and most other current ecosystems collapse. The reliable seasons that allow human civilization would disappear.

The Paris agreement has 1.5 C of warming as its goal because above that, we can expect worldwide catastrophe: droughts, famines, terrifying sea level rise. A recent report tallied how much fossil fuel we can burn and preserve even a 50/50 chance of staying below that threshold: 353 gigatons of carbon. So even if youre willing to accept odds worse than youd have in Russian roulette, you can still only burn well under half of the 942 gigatons in existing mines and wells. To limit ourselves to that and still be able to use fossil fuels for a few essential purposes in coming decades, we have to shut down the dirtiest fuels immediatelyincluding tar sands, which means confronting companies like Enbridge and Exxon.

Theyre certainly managing their risks. After Exxons senior scientists started raising internal alarms about climate change in the 1970s, Exxon also raised its ocean-based drilling platforms, because it knew sea levels would rise. Meanwhile, its executives lied to the public and funded disinformation campaigns.

https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/status/725330456439185409

In 1978, a senior scientist told the company, present thinking holds that man has a time window of 5-10 years before the need for hard decisions regarding changes in energy. Forty years later, thanks to their lies, were still refusing to make those hard decisions. Were not even close to accepting a 353-gigaton limit. No one in power is even talking about it.

Yet if we dont radically reduce our fossil fuel use in the next few years, one day soonno one knows precisely whenwe may pass the point where we lose all hope of a stable world. Antarctica is almost certainly in a state of collapse, as is Greenland, bizarre weather caused by climate change is already affecting millions, the Great Barrier Reef has been devastated and on and on. The tipping point of Antarctic melt has likely already been reached, but the tipping point of Arctic methane may not have been. Scientists have been warning of these dangers for many years and with real urgency for the last few. This does not come easily to them; their training predisposes them to understatement. But between understated scientists, arrogant executives, beholden politicians and an anxious population going about its daily business, were running devastating risks.

The need for hard decisions regarding energy. What are we willing to risk to avoid that, to convince ourselves the world is basically okay, so we can continue business as usual? Are we really willing to risk our kids? Everyone elses kids? The millions of blameless people already struggling with droughts and floods? Half the species of the world? It seems that we are.

It seems utterly crazy to me, and to all of the smart, reasonable scientists and policy wonks Ive spoken with, to take such risks. As Bill McKibben has said for years, the real radicals are running the fossil fuel companiesapparently they think its okay to play dice with every life on the planet.

If we dont agree, we have to move to clean renewables and we have to do it more ambitiously than weve ever done anything. We have to pressure the political system now, in every peaceful and inspiring way that we can, because we are coming to this fight very, very late. We have to start acting like people who have everything to lose. Because we do.

Reposted with permission from our media associate AlterNet.
In 2016, major environmental crises that disproportionately affect people of colorsuch as the Flint water crisis and the fight over the location of the Dakota Access Pipelinewere under-covered by the national media for long periods, despite being reported by local and state media early on. The national medias failure to spotlight these environmental issues as they arise effectively shuts the people in danger out of the national conversation, resulting in delayed political action and worsening conditions.

In early 2016, Michigan Republican Gov. Rick Snyder declared a state of emergency in the majority black city of Flint over the dangerous levels of lead in the drinking watermore than a year after concerns about the water were initially raised. While some local and state media aggressively covered the story from the beginning, national media outlets were almost universally late to the story and even when their coverage picked up, it was often relegated to a subplot of the presidential campaign.

One notable exception was MSNBCs Rachel Maddow, who provided far more Flint coverage prior to Snyders state of emergency declaration than every other network combined. Flint resident Connor Coyne explained that when national media did cover the story, they failed to provide the full context of the tragedy by ignoring the many elements that triggered it. In particular, national outlets did not highlight the role of state-appointed emergency managers who made arbitrary decisions based on budgetary concerns, including the catastrophic decision to draw Flints water from the Flint River instead of Lake Huron (via the Detroit water system).

Michael Moore: 10 Things They Won't Tell You About the Flint Water Tragedy, But I Will https://t.co/a3lvwIwPi8 @CleanWaterMI @NRDCWater  EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) January 30, 2016

This crisis, despite medias waning attention, continues to affect Flint residents every day, meaning serious hardships for a population thats more than 50 percent black, with 40.1 percent living under the poverty line. Additionally, according to media reports, approximately 1,000 undocumented immigrants continued to drink poisoned water for considerably longer time than the rest of the population due in part to a lack of information about the crisis available in their language. Even after news broke, a lack of proper identification barred them from getting adequate filtration systems or bottled water.

At Standing Rock, North Dakota, like in Flint, an ongoing environmental crisis failed to get media attention until it began to escalate beyond the people of color it disproportionately affected. Since June, Native water protectors and their allies have protested against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, an oil pipeline which would threaten to contaminate the Missouri River, the Standing Rock Sioux Reservations primary water source. Several tribes came together to demand that the pipeline be rejected, as it had been when the (mostly white) residents of Bismarck, North Dakota, raised similar concerns.

The tribes calls for another route option for the pipeline went criminally undercovered by the national press until September, when security forces and protesters started clashing violently. CNNs Brian Stelter wondered whether election coverage had crowded out stories about Standing Rock, saying, It received sort of on-and-off attention from the national media, and, oftentimes, coverage seemed to fall off the national news medias radar. Coverage of this story was mostly driven by the social media accounts of activists on the ground, online outlets and public media, while cable news networks combined spent less than an hour in the week between Oct. 26, 2016 and Nov. 3, 2016 covering the escalating violence of law enforcement against the demonstrators. Amy Goodman, a veteran journalist who consistently covered the events at Standing Rock, even at the risk of going to prison, told Al Jazeera that the lack of coverage of the issues at Standing Rock went in lockstep with a lack of coverage of climate change. Add to it a group of people who are marginalized by the corporate media, native Americans and you have a combination that vanishes them.

The reality reflected by these stories is that people of color are often disproportionately affected by environmental hazards and their stories are often disproportionately affected.

In a future in which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency could be led by Scott Pruitta denier of climate science who has opposed efforts to reduce air and water pollution and combat climate changethese disparities will only get worse. More so than ever, media have a responsibility to prioritize coverage of climate crises and amplify the voices of those affected the most, which hasnt happened in the past.

https://twitter.com/ewg/status/806697353411526657, a well-trained reporter covering local health or the environment or an aggressive news organization that could have invested in independent water testing could have been decisive in forcing authorities to act much sooner. Providing incomplete, late and inconsistent coverage of environmental crises of this type, which disproportionately harm people of color, has real life consequences. And as Aura Bogadowho covers justice for Gristtold Media Matters, the self-reflection media must undertake is not limited to their coverage decisions; the diversity of their newsrooms may be a factor as well:

When it comes to reporting on environmental crises, which disproportionately burden people of color, were somehow supposed to rely on all-white (or nearly all-white) newsrooms to report stories about communities they know very little about. That doesnt mean that white reporters cant properly write stories about people of colorbut its rare.

Media has many opportunitiesand the obligationto correct course. Media has a role to play in identifying at-risk communities, launching early reporting on environmental challenges that affect these communities and holding local authorities accountable before crises reach Flints or Standing Rocks magnitude.

While the dangers in Flint and Standing Rock eventually became major stories this year, they were not the only ones worthy of attention and there are other environmental crises hurting communities of color that still need the support of media to amplify a harsh reality.

Media could apply the lessons left by scant coverage of the Dakota Access Pipeline and Flint to empower these communities and bring attention to the many other ongoing situations of disproportionate impact that desperately need attentionand change. As Bullard suggests, every instance of environmental injustice is unique, but media coverage should be driven by the question of how to provide equal protection to disenfranchised communities and make sure their voices are heard.

Reposted with permission from our media associate Media Matters for America.
By David Manthos

On Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016, the Army Corps of Engineers issued a decision which will

again delay construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. The ruling was cheered by water protectors entrenched in the path of the pipeline at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. These representatives of indigenous nations, environmental activists, veterans and many other groups have been resisting pressure from private security and law enforcement officers from at least 76 different state and federal agencies or departments, as well as enduring sub-zero blizzard conditions. However, the ruling does not definitively end the controversy, it only delays the decision until further environmental impact studies are conducted.

Unfortunately the choices before the Army Corps appear to be limited, given the fact that as much as 87 percent of the North Dakota portion of the pipeline is already complete and nearly 50 percent of the almost $3.8 billion dollar project is completed and/or in the final stages of cleanup and reclamation. Furthermore, any further environmental impact study and public comment for the Army Corps could easily hand the decision over to Trump Administration which has expressed support the pipeline (despite the obvious conflict of interest with the President-Elect owning stock in several of the key companies involved). So while hands are wrung and ink is spilled on the specifics of this pipeline, lets take a look at why people around the world are rallying in opposition to any new pipelines.

The short answer is: 1. Accidents happen and 2. They are multi-million dollar investment projects which further lock us into years, even decades, of fossil fuel extraction and emissions.

https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/status/808436299686363136

You can explore

this map of pipeline spills and releases from our friends at FracTracker, but what exactly do some of these incidents look like on the ground and in the water? Here are some of the most egregious cases from the past decade.

1. Western North Dakota, near Belfield: Dec. 5, 2016

Just this month, less than 150 miles from Oceti Sakowin Camp, a leak was discovered in the Belle Fourche pipeline. An estimated 176,000 gallons leaked and crews are reportedly testing whether or not they can burn some of the spilled oil to stop further spread of the oil.

As of Dec. 15, 10 days after the spill was discovered, less than 1/3rd of the oil had been recovered. But this is the not the first time that True Companies, the pipeline operator, has been in the news.

Belle Fourche Pipeline Leak, Dec. 10, Jennifer Skjod / North Dakota Department of Health

2. Yellowstone River, northeastern Wyoming: Jan. 17, 2015

True Company/Bridger Pipelines Poplar oil line leaked 32,000 gallons of oil into the Yellowstone River, a tributary of the Missouri River (and by extension, upstream of Standing Rock). The pipeline was supposed to be buried eight feet beneath the river bed, but after the spill investigators discovered that the pipeline had become completely exposed. And it wouldnt be the first time for the Yellowstone River. In July 2013, an Exxon pipeline also leaked 63,000 gallons of oil directly into a different section of the river when it too became exposed and was damaged by flood debris.

Oil is hard enough to remove from water, but what about when that oil sinks?

3. Kalamazoo River, Michigan: July 25, 2010

In south-central Michigan a thirty-inch pipeline carrying diluted bitumen from Canada blew a six-foot gash along a corroded seam, releasing 843,000 gallons of heavy oil product into the Kalamazoo River. Canadian energy transporter Enbridge, the operator of the pipeline, would ultimately be deemed responsible for the largest inland oil spill in U.S. history, with a U.S. National Transportation Safety Board official comparing the companys spill response to the Keystone Cops.

Fittingly, the Enbridge spill quickly became Exhibit A in the fight against the Keystone XL pipeline which was ultimately rejected by President Obama in 2015. While scientists and activists debated whether or not tar sands bitumen diluted for transport was more corrosive to pipelines than regular oil, another major tar sands pipeline would make headlines.

4. Mayflower, Arkansas: March 29, 2013

In a quiet Arkansas suburb, Exxon Mobils Pegasus pipeline burst, spilling an estimated 210,000 gallons of tar sands bitumen through a residential subdivision and into nearby Lake Conway. With assistance the Arkansas Chapter of Sierra Club, we used satellite imagery taken before and after the disaster to document the impact on the community and nearby public lands.

But it is not just the U.S. concerned about new oil pipelines. Our neighbors in Canada have also had their fair share of pipeline accidents and have their own slate of new pipeline projects concerning them.

5. Burnaby, British Columbia: July 24, 2007

On a warm summer afternoon in British Columbia, a contractors backhoe struck the Transmountain Pipeline near Westridge, releasing a gusher of more than 59,000 gallons of crude oil into a residential neighborhood. But in 2016, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently approved Kinder Morgans plans to expand the Transmountain Pipeline, while making moves to block Enbridges Northern Gateway pipeline.

https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/status/804098975758503940

In addition to spills on land, locals are deeply concerned about the risk of oil spills from increased oil tanker traffic along the coasts. Those concerns were

brought back to the fore when a tug boat, the Nathan E. Stewart, ran aground near Bella Bella, BC while pushing an empty fuel barge. Even without any cargo in the barge, fuel and hydraulic fluids from the tug contaminated the shoreline and shellfish beds while it took over a month to extract the Stewart from its watery resting place.

These spills have all focused on oil pipelines, but natural gas and refined petroleum pipelines pose their own unique threat.

6. Sissonville, West Virginia: Dec. 11, 2012

Here in the Mountain State, an aging 20-inch transmission line exploded a few years ago, enveloping Interstate 77 in a wall of flames and destroying several homes. Fortunately there were no fatalities. The pipeline was constructed in the 1960s.

7. Salem Township, Pennsylvania: April 29, 2016

More recently, a thirty-inch gas transmission line in western Pennsylvania exploded, destroying a house and hospitalizing a 26-year-old with third-degree burns more than 75 percent of his body. The Spectra Energy transmission line was installed in the 1980s.

8. Shelby County, Alabama: Oct. 31, 2016

An excavator conducting repairs from a prior incident on the Colonial Pipeline struck the massive gasoline transmission line, causing a fiery explosion and ultimately killing two. The Colonial Pipeline provides the East Coast with 40 percent of the gasoline consumed and is the largest petroleum distribution system in the U.S.

As we have published before, even the Obama Administration has fallen short in addressing serious concerns surrounding pipeline safety. For all of the claims that modern pipelines will be safe and loaded with spill-prevention tech, weve yet to see clear evidence of this technology stopping major spills. Even in the Gulf of Mexico, Shell recently lost 90,000 gallons of oil from a subsea pipeline but the person credited with discovering it was not the pipeline operator, but a helicopter pilot who just happened to be passing by.

Even assuming that we could put an end to this litany of disasters, many people are standing up to pipelines because each new project is a multi-million dollar commitment to perpetuate further fossil fuel extraction and consumption for decades to come. In some states and regions, New England for example,

companies have proposed passing the construction costs on to ratepayers, even those who dont consume the gas directly. If this subject concerns you, we urge you to investigate what kind of pipeline proposals may be in the works in your region.

Here are just a few we are aware of:

Pacific Connector LNGOregon. Natural gas pipeline associated with an LNG terminal for export. More info on the pipeline and Jordan Cove LNG terminal at Citizens Against LNG.

Buckingham Compressor StationsVirginia. An infrastructure upgrade linked to the planned Atlantic Coast Pipeline. More info at Friends of Buckingham, Virginia.

Bayou Bridge PipelineLouisiana. Regional oil pipeline connecting major hubs with refineries. More info from Louisiana Bucket Brigade.
(Photo: REUTERS / Stoyan Nenov)Pope Francis releases a white dove prior to delivering a Holy Mass at the Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul November 29, 2014. Pope Francis began a visit to Turkey on Friday with the delicate mission of strengthening ties with Muslim leaders while condemning violence against Christians and other minorities in the Middle East.

A gunman dressed as Santa killed 39 innocent people in an early hours attack on New Year's day 2017 in Istanbul drawing condemnation from Pope Francis and general secretary of the World Council of Churches, Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit.

Jan. 1 was also the 50th World Day of Peace and the Pope Francis denounced the Istanbul attack, praying for the victims, the injured and in support of everyone who works to fight violence and terrorism.

"Grieved, I express my closeness to the Turkish people, I pray for the many victims and the injured and for the whole nation in mourning," Francis said after leading his weekly Angelus Sunday blessing.

"I ask the Lord to support all people of good will who roll up their sleeves to boldly tackle the scourge of terrorism and the bloody stain that envelops the world with a shadow of fear and bewilderment."

At least 39 people were killed, and another 69 injured, after a gunman opened fire in a nightclub in Istanbul around 1:30 a.m. the BBC reported.

In his Angelus message, Pope Francis said that peace is brought about by saying "no" to hatred and violence and "yes" to fraternity and reconciliation. And that the year ahead will only "be good to the extent that each of us, with God's help, will try to do good every day."

The WCC's Tveit said, "Yet, another terror attack in Istanbul. Innocent people are suffering again and again. This is an evil act.

"This attack is particularly shocking, in the first place because there seems to have been a clear intention deliberately to target people who were simply enjoying themselves at the New Year' Day," said Tveit.

It was the fourth terrorist attack in Turkey in less than a month.

On a typical night, the club hosts several hundred guests and is a popular hot spot for celebrities and foreigners visiting Turkey.

Tveit commented, "In the face of this brutality, the human family, all people of faith and of good will, must stand together to recommit to respecting and caring for one another, to protecting one another, and to preventing such violence."

The WCC offers its deepest condolences to the bereaved and injured. Tveit said "God in your mercy, be with the victims and their families and those who accompany and help them."


News Date: 24/12/2016 Smaller-towns and cities driving smartphone growth in India Market researcher IDC has reported during the festive month of October 2016, the Tier 2&3 cities in India led the sales-growth with a growth of 23.3% over previous month majorly due to vendors focusing on new affordable launches, higher spending on marketing and innovative payment options.



According to Upasana Joshi , Senior Market Analyst, IDC India, The key four months from July to October 2016 made up more than 40 percent of the annual smartphone sales. The festive season in India starting in August with Independence Day till Diwali in October, drove the consumer buying across all markets. Multiple sales by all major e-commerce players in October with their high decibel marketing, attractive payment options and exchange offers also helped in growing the market. The top 8 to 10 cities of India constitute the major portion of online sales, leaving a yawning gap between these markets and the still largely untapped smaller towns. Historically, consumers from Tier 3&4 cities have been averse to online buying, showed significant interest in the online festive sales this year.



It was almost like a Chinese Smartphone Diwali across all city tiers. China based players contributed significantly to the growth at the offline retail counters, while continuing to dominate the Online channel. These vendors collectively accounted for more than 40 percent market share in the top 30 cities during Diwali month, primarily driven by 4G enabled handsets. Oppo & Vivo continue to shake the traditional line up of Indian vendors with their superior build quality, massive marketing investments in the offline channel. adds Joshi.



Further India specific smart phone market details shared by IDC in its recent release includes:



In the premium smartphone segment of $300 and above, Apple grew further on the back of the newly launched iPhone 7 series and the already hit series of iPhone 5s and 6. The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge continues to pull major demand, in addition to the series of new model launches by Samsung across both offline and online channels.



While this festival season was one of the best for Offline channel, e commerce players have also started investing more on sellers in smaller cities, better model a & improving delivery network, moving away from deeper discounts. Previously Offline only or Online only vendors, have now started drawing benefits from their multi-channel strategies, acknowledging that offline and online channels can coexist in the market, without necessarily posing a threat to each other, says Varun Singh , Market Analyst, IDC India.



We feel that the demonetisation process, currently underway, will lead to a significant but temporary contraction in the mobile phone market in Q4 2016. Due to relatively slower sales, the inventory in channel is piling up which will take some time to be liquidated as the currency situation improves, says Navkendar Singh , Senior Research Manager, IDC India.

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Tehran, Iran, January 2

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.

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.
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.




Two dozen foreign nationals celebrating the start of the new year in Istanbul were among the victims of a shooting spree at a popular nightclub that left 39 dead and dozens wounded.



Turkish police were on Sunday hunting an unidentified gunman who opened fire in the early hours of 2017 in the Reina club, one of the city's most famous venues.



The attacker left his gun before "taking advantage of the chaos" and fleeing the scene, Binali Yildirim, Turkey's prime minister, said.




San Juan, Jan 2 (EFE).- Ricardo Rossello on Monday began his four-year term as Puerto Rico's 11th governor after participating in an inauguration ceremony, as per established protocol, on the north stairs of the Capitol, seat of the legislature in San Juan.

The ceremony had only symbolic value given that Rossello had been officially sworn in shortly after midnight.

Rossello, 37, was sworn in by the chief justice of the Caribbean island's Supreme Court, Maite Oronoz, in the presence of his family and, in particular, his father, former Gov. Pedro Rossello, who governed from 1993-2000.

Rossello's investiture had been confirmed earlier on Monday morning in a statement by the head of the Inauguration Committee, Juan Melecio Machuca.

The new governor said the reason the first inaugural ceremony was held just after midnight rather than at the scheduled time of 10 am was because he wanted to give credibility to his pledged commitment to Puerto Rico and set an example of hard work from the very first moment he took office.

Rossello continued his activities through the early hours Monday, during which he signed several executive orders.

His entire Cabinet met during the night to establish how each government agency will begin operating in the most effective way possible.

During the ceremony, Puerto Rico's new secretary of state, Luis Rivera Marin, read a letter sent by US President Barack Obama in which the president expressed his desire for a solution to the problem of the US commonwealth's gigantic debt and the economic crisis the island has labored under for more than a decade.

Obama said in the letter that to solve the island's critical problem the US Congress last June approved a law for the supervision, administration and economic stability of Puerto Rico, a law that provides the necessary tools to ensure the recovery of local finances.

The new governor will have as his primary challenge dealing with the payment of a public debt amounting to $69 billion with the public coffers empty but under the direct supervision of the controlling entity imposed by the US Congress.

During his gubernatorial campaign, Rossello said that, if elected, he would push for a referendum on the island's political relationship with Washington, and he avoided using the term "US commonwealth" during his inaugural remarks, since he feels that this political status has been the cause of the territory's ills.

He said that on Monday he will accompany Puerto Rico's non-voting representative to Congress, Jenniffer Gonzalez, to Washington to support initial efforts designed to make the island the 51st US state.
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.
Tehran, Iran, January 2

By Mehdi Sepahvand  Trend:

Irans Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said there is no plan for presidents of Iran, Russia, and Turkey to meet over Syria.

Speaking in a press conference, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi denied reports that Hassan Rouhani, Vladimir Putin, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan plan to discuss the Syrian crisis in Astana, Kazakhstan in the near future, Trend correspondent reported from Tehran January 2.

Recently sources said Rouhani had welcomed attending a meeting with his Russian and Turkish counterparts in Astana to discuss a solution to the protracted Syrian crisis.

Following invitation of Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, of our president to hold talks on Syria in Kazakhstan, he [Rouhani] has welcomed the invitation, Mehr news agency quoted an unnamed source as having said December 31.

Qassemi went on to deny even that any other sides other than Syrians will attend the Astana talks, stressing that the upcoming talks will be held between the Syrian government and opposition groups.

He also said there is no other plan between Russia, Iran, and Turkey to have other countries joint their coordination sessions on Syria.

Qassemi nevertheless denied a recent report that Moscow, Tehran, and Ankara are planning to dissect Syria into separate zones of influence.

On December 28 Reuters quoted sources as having said Syria would be divided into informal zones of regional power influence and Bashar al-Assad would remain president for at least a few years under an outline deal between Russia, Turkey, and Iran.

Iran encourages an independent Syria with territorial integrity and national sovereignty. In its own turn, Iran will try to prevent Syria from turning into an area of influence for powers, Qassemi stated.
Dionne Younce is the Florida gym teacher fired for sending inappropriate Snapchat messages to multiple students. Younce was a Physical Education teacher at Allen D. Nease High School in Ponte Vedra, Florida. Police report that the 29-year-old sent nude photos of herself via Snapchat. Younce reminds us that Snapchat was originally a sexting app.

Younce is originally from Louisiana and is very smart. In 2011 she was named to Southeastern Louisiana Universitys Honors List. Dionne reminds us that one stupid mistake can change everything. In September 2016, Younce pleaded guilty to having sex with a student. She was sentenced to one year in prison.

Dionne Younce Snapchat Florida Gym Teacher

Younce was initially arrested for the Snapchat messages but then the police found additional evidence of foul play. One of her 17-year-old students revealed that he had sex with Younce, at her apartment, on multiple occasions. After Dionne is released from jail, she will be on probation for five years.

The case is trending again because many people are just finding out that shes in prison. The incident forces us to consider how we look at gender inequality in todays society. If Younce was a man and I was the judge, I would have sentenced him to life behind bars. If I were the judge on Younces actual case, I would have given her probation.

What do you think? Should Dionne be in jail? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
There are some shocks even in the year-end. The Supergirl star Melissa Benoist is terminating her marriage with former Glee co-star and husband, Blake Jenner. They have no children.

Even as the 28-year-old actress put in an appeal for divorce on Dec 25, due to "irreconcilable differences," she also decided to knock off Jenner from her name, changing it back Melissa Benoist, reports TMZ. Melissa has asked the court to "stop spousal support" for both parties.

The actors became co-stars in 2012 for the musical comedy show Glee, by Fox. They played the roles Marley and Ryder, dated for a year, got engaged in 2013 and married in March 2015.

Benoist took on the lead role in DC superhero drama Supergirl. Jenner appeared in the CW's show as a celebrity guest in both episodes.

"I thought she was the bomb the second I saw her, so it was just super cool to be working together," Jenner said in 2014 about working with Benoist. "Thankfully, we've had some scenes together. Because if we didn't, I don't think we would have had the time to get to know each other."

Not mentioning the divorce in any of his social media accounts, Jenner put up a video of him playing with his nephew on Twitter.

Benoist had once called Jenner a "favourite screen partner." "We only have fun working together. He's my person to act with. He's my favorite scene partner, always," she told People. "I love talking about it. Blake is amazing! The chemistry you see with Marley and Ryder is not acting," she said.

In September, they had appeared to be happy to travel to the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival to support his upcoming The Edge of Seventeen. While the couple has often posted pictures together on the social media, they have mostly kept away from the press.

It's obviously going to be a totally different scene from now on for Melissa Benoist and Blake Jenner. There is an anticipated split in the couple's marital status as well as their public appearances.

YouTube/Wochit Entertainment
Jessa Duggar's husband, Ben Seewald, has a different kind of 'profession.' It has often attracted speculation and criticism. So far, he has been bashed up by readers for not landing a "real" job outside his father-in-law's land.

According to Inquisitr. right before and since he got married, he has been working with the Duggars.

Jim had said before Seewald wed Jessa, "We have so many projects to do that we need help for - everything from construction projects to keeping the grass mowed to putting roof on a building, paperwork and things like that - and we asked him if he would be interested in moving up here so that Jessa and his relationship could be really accelerated."

But many readers on Instagram have asked, according to Hollywood Gossip: "Hey Jessa, has Ben gotten a job yet?"

One skeptic answered, "Ben works for the Duggars," and "Let me rephrase. Jessa, does Ben have a real job yet, outside of doing chores on the Duggar compound?"

Jim Bob Duggar had explained to People that he had given Ben permission to woo Jessa. After all, he was among the first suitors to give hints of "a spiritual focus and legitimate calling about ministry work."

Seewald wanted to be a preacher, and attend a seminary school. But he still has "a long way to go" before he can get into one. Still, he is trying to talk to high Christian luminaries. Grace Reformed Baptist Church's Facebook page explains that he will soon speak at the Evangelism Reformation Conference in Hurst, Texas.

This is perhaps as close to a 'profession' outside the Duggar farm that he can think of at present. Not all his co-religionists, though, seem nice to critics, so he is still attracting a lot of flak. Jason Lisle, one speaker, had said "there is no such thing as an atheist."

Another Preacher Voddie Baucham, who favors corporal punishment for children, had once said that toddlers should be spanked all day for wrong-doing.

Another thing he said was also controversial, bizarre and rather nast, "A lot of men are leaving their wives for younger women because they yearn for attention from younger women. And God gave them a daughter who can give them that. And instead they go find a substitute daughter....you've seen it, we've all seen it. These old guys going and finding these substitute daughters."

Looking at this kind of company that Ben Seewald is going to keep, it isn't clear whether critics would consider that his profession qualifies for a "real" or an "unreal" job then.



YouTube/Chandresh S
President-elect Donald Trumps trademark practice of reaching people in the US and around the world via his Twitter account has been deplored by mainstream media on a number of occasions  yet as it seems to have already secured him the presidential office, the tweeter-in-chief is unlikely to go quiet any time soon, according to Sean Spicer, Sputnik reported.

The success of Trump's use of Twitter to communicate with people both in US and around the world "freaks the mainstream media out," Spicer, the incoming White House press secretary, said Sunday on ABC's "This Week."

"You know, with all due respect, 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 said. "He doesn't have to have it funneled through the media."

According to Spicer, Trump will "absolutely" continue to use his Twitter even after he moves into the White House, despite Trump's statements that he is going to be "very restrained" about his Twitter use after inauguration.

"You know what? The fact of the matter is that when he tweets, he gets results," Spicer said.

Twitter became a potent weapon for Trump during his presidential campaign last year. Most of the US mainstream media wrote off or took pleasure in mocking the Republican candidate (which gave outlets like Sputnik a lot of uncovered topics to write about), so Twitter became Trump's platform of choice for communication.

With 18.4 million followers on Twitter and 45 million on social media overall, his social media impact was apparently big enough to compensate for the lack of positive media coverage.

On December 31, Trump has posted a tweet of New Year congratulations, including those to "[his]many enemies who have fought [him] and lost so badly they just don't know what to do."

Spicer's "freaking out" characterization is not unfounded. The Independent has already called the tweet "bizarre." The Huffington Post instead resorted to sarcasm and lecturing about "the respectful thing for the soon-to-be leader of the free world to do," complete with a pack of other Twitter users' (expectedly negative) responses. CNN was more reserved, but couldn't help but leave a remark about Trump being "not quite ready to let auld acquaintances be forgot."

According to Rep. Chris Collins, a New York Republican who was the first member of Congress to endorse Trump, "Trump has his own way of communicating with America." At the end of the day, this way of communicating, if unusual, has proven to be quite successful.
Just a week after Motorola rolled-out the Android 7.0 Nougat update for the Moto Z in India, the company has now begun rolling-out the Nougat update for the Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus.

The update comes with November Android Security Patch and will brings several changes to performance, notifications, usability etc. The company earlier announced the Android 7.0 upgrade for Moto Z users in India and it was rolled-out for Moto Z and Moto Z Force users in the US as well.



Back in October, a few G4 and G4 Plus users had received the 7.0 Nougat update. However, Motorola pulled out the update for unknown reasons.

Motorola has recommended installing the update when the battery level in your smartphone is at least 50 percent and the device should be connected to a Wi-Fi network. Moto G4 and G4 Plus users should receive a notification for the Android 7.0 Nougat update and then click on 'Yes, I'm in' to download the Nougat update. In the next step you will be encouraged to install the update. Click on 'Install now' and Android 7.0 Nougat will be installed to your smartphone.

To check whether you had received the update or not, manually, go to Settings > About Phone > System Updates. Then you can check for any new update and install it.

In October, Motorola promised that it will roll-out Android 7.0 Nougat for its smartphones by the end of this year. Motorola started rolling out Android Nougat update for its Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus smartphones globally in October. Now, the upgrade has made its way to India, reports Indian Express.

Other Motorola phones that will be receive the Nougat update are: Moto G Play (4th Gen), Moto X Pure Edition (3rd Gen), Droid Turbo 2, Droid Maxx 2, Moto Z Droid, Moto Z Play, Moto X Style, Moto X Play, Moto X Force, Moto Z Play Droid and Nexus 6.

Surprisingly, the Moto E3 Power that was launched just several weeks ago, will not be getting the Nougat update.

According to NDTV, the Moto G4 Plus is one of two variants of Motorola's fourth-generation Moto G, the firm's bestselling smartphone range ever. In comparison to the regular Moto G4, the Moto G4 Plus features an improved 16MP rear camera with phase auto detection, laser autofocus and a dual LED Flash. It also comes with a fingerprint sensor.



The Moto G4 Plus features a fantastic 5.5-inch full HD (1920x1080 pixels) display, with a pixel density of 401ppi and the display is also covered with Gorilla Glass 3 for protection.



On the other hand, the Moto G4 features a 5.5-inch full HD (1920x1080 pixels) display, with a pixel density of 401 ppi. The smartphone comes with a 1.5GHz octa-core Snapdragon 617 processor paired with 2GB of RAM. The device also features a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP wide-angle front camera for selfies.
Its climate regulations that threaten us By H. Sterling Burnett

In President-Elect Donald Trumps Contract with the American Voter, a 100-day action plan to Make America Great Again, Mr. Trump outlines several measures he says he will undertake to create jobs and spur economic growth. While much of his proposed agenda will help to improve the economy while also leaving reasonable environmental protections in place, I believe there are two additional environment-related policy changes that he could take to jump-start the economy. In a September 21, 2015, appearance on Hugh Hewitts radio show, Mr. Trump said, Im not a believer in man-made global warming. I mean, Obama thinks its the number-one problem in the world today. I think its very low on the list. We have much bigger problems. If these comments accurately reflect Trumps views, a first important step he could take to undo the damage done by the Obama administrations vainglorious attempt to control climate and weather would be to reverse the Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) determination that carbon dioxide (CO2) is a pollutant endangering public and environmental health. This endangerment finding came about in response to EPA following a narrow 5-4 Supreme Court decision in the 2007 case Massachusetts v. EPA. In that case, a majority of the justices ruled that, if EPA determines carbon-dioxide emissions are causing global warming  and global warming may reasonably be expected to endanger public health or welfare  then EPA has the authority to regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant. In fact, the justices ruled, EPA would be required to regulate carbon dioxide under such a finding, unless it can provide a reasonable basis for not choosing to regulate this vitally important, plant-fertilizing gas. Relying on unsubstantiated projections produced by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, EPA did determine that CO2 emissions from cars and industry do threaten human welfare. That led directly to the agencys decision to limit those emissions. For instance, the endangerment finding was the basis for ratcheting up automobile fuel-economy standards to 54.5 mpg by 2025. That could soon mean consumers no longer have the right or ability to choose the vehicles they drive  based on safety, passenger or cargo considerations, for example  by either forcing all but the smallest cars off the roads or, at the very least, making larger cars and trucks too expensive for all but the relatively wealthy to drive. Additionally, the endangerment finding serves as the foundation for various Obama administration regulations requiring utilities, oil and gas producers, and other entities to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. If these draconian rules are not overturned by the Trump Administration, Americans will pay much more for energy and their energy supplies will be less reliable. Mr. Trump cannot undo the endangerment finding with the stroke of a pen. To reverse it, he must instead charge EPA to demonstrate, through independent, validated research, that carbon-dioxide emissions are toxic (which they are not at any levels that might occur in Earths atmosphere)  or that global warming is causing measurable amounts of sea-level rise, increased hurricane numbers or intensity, the spread of diseases, or other harms directly attributable to carbon-dioxide emissions in the United States. If EPA cannot directly link such problems to U.S. carbon-dioxide emissions  and it cant  or cannot show such problems can be dramatically reduced by cutting U.S. carbon dioxide emissions  and again it cant  then EPA should withdraw the endangerment finding. Withdrawing the endangerment finding would end the legal justification for a range of burdensome climate regulations. In the process, it would also end radical environmental activists ability to use courts to impose climate policies on an unwilling public whose elected representatives have repeatedly rejected climate policies. Second, President-Elect Trump also recognizes that, to fully reverse Barack Obamas harmful climate policies, the United States must withdraw from international climate agreements that drive and justify many domestic climate actions  and must stop diverting billions of dollars of taxpayer money from important domestic and defense concerns to U.N. climate programs. In his Contract with the American Voter, Mr. Trump pledges to cancel billions in payments to U.N. climate change programs, and use the money to fix Americas water and environmental infrastructure. Trump can accomplish this unilaterally by halting the Obama administrations illegal shift of State Department funds  funds that Congress directed would be used in other diplomatic programs, such as combating virulent diseases  to the United Nations Green Climate Fund. The easiest way for President Trump to end the United States participation in all international climate agreements would be for him, on day one, to remove Americas signature from the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), signed by President George H.W. Bush in 1992. Article 25 of the UNFCCC allows any state party to that convention to withdraw upon giving one years notice, without incurring any further obligation In fact, withdrawing from the UNFCCC would cancel United States obligations to all other U.N.-brokered climate agreements subsequent to it, including the Paris agreement that President Obama signed, because all subsequent agreements were built upon UNFCCC. Our nation is not threatened by manmade climate change. It is threatened by regulations implemented in the name of protecting us from dangerous manmade climate and weather. These two actions would be a great first step toward putting America first during President Trumps first 100 days in office. H. Sterling Burnett, PhD is a research fellow on energy and the environment at The Heartland Institute, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research center headquartered in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Home
Another good target for EPA reform By Paul Driessen

With reform-minded folks in charge of the Executive and Legislative Branches, unelected, unaccountable, un-removable bureaucrats may soon be exerting far less power over our policies, regulations, lives and livelihoods. Energy and climate are high on the fix-it list. Another important topic is insecticides. The European Union and Canada have provided object lessons in how not to regulate these important chemicals. Scott Pruitt and his new team over at EPA will certainly want to avoid their malpractice. For nearly a decade, manufactured controversies have raged around a relatively new class of pesticides called neonicotinoids. These advanced systemic crop protectors are absorbed into the plant itself and thus target only pests that suck or chew on crops, particularly during the plants early growth phases. That minimizes impacts on beneficial insects  like crop-pollinating bees. domesticated and wild bees are barely exposed and thus unlikely to be harmed when neonic seed or soil treatments are used, in contrast to what can happen when manmade or organic chemicals are sprayed on crops. But despite this minimal risk, anti-pesticide activists have tried for years to blame neonics for recent honeybee health problems. In 2013, their well-funded advocacy campaigns played a major role in causing the EUs decision-making European Commission to impose a two-year ban on using neonicotinoids with bee-attractive crops. Not surprisingly, almost four years later, there is no sign that the Commission will reconsider its position, despite accumulating evidence that managed bee populations are not now and never were in any danger of collapse or extinction. As my longer article on MasterResource.org explains, that evidence includes the EUs own 2014 and 2015/16 studies, and nearly a dozen large-scale field studies around the world. Going even further, the European Food Safety Authority now says bees are at grave risk from neonics used on European crops that do not attract bees, such as winter cereals, beets, potatoes, leafy vegetables, maize (corn) and sorghum  whether the neonics are seed treatments, foliar sprays or soil applications. There may be no actual evidence of harm, the EFSA says, but a risk to bees cannot be excluded. Just as crazy, the agencys 2013 Bee Guidance Reference Document lets bureaucrats decide which studies and data can be accepted and deemed relevant  and which can be ignored. It also means chemicals that can control crop pests may never be approved; and only ineffective chemicals will be approved (along with chemicals that are or could be dangerous for bees, but are deemed to be natural or organic). That explains why EU member nation governments for three years have refused to approve the BGRD. However, in the wacky world of EU regulations, the mere fact that member governments have refused to approve a guidance document doesnt prevent unelected Eurocrats from using it to advance their agendas. The BGRD specifies a three-tier scheme for evaluating potential impacts on bees. At Tier 1, extremely low laboratory test thresholds pretty much automatically force evaluations under more complex, costly and time-consuming second and third tiers. At the highest tier  full field testing  the guidance specifies wide spatial separation requirements between test fields and control fields, where beehives are located. To ensure experimental integrity, the BGRD requires that neonic test areas must be free of other pesticide-treated, bee-attractive crops, and far enough away from such areas that tests are not affected. But that means scientists need areas four times larger than Paris, France. Thats virtually impossible in densely populated Europe. Catch 22! To pass the no risk test, evaluators must then prove the pesticide being tested doesnt produce more than a 7% fluctuation in a beehives populations. But natural fluctuations can easily reach 15% from frigid cold snaps, infestations by Varroa destructor mites, or even beekeepers applying chemicals to hives to control mites or other pests and diseases. So its impossible to show that population changes greater than 7% were not due to neonic use on crops. Catch-22 again! But it gets even worse. Euro regulators even ignored some of the best available data: large-scale field studies done under Good Laboratory Practices. Nearly a dozen such studies consistently demonstrate that no observable adverse effects on honeybees result from field-realistic exposures to properly applied neonic pesticides. But instead of accepting these studies, EU bureaucrats rely on laboratory studies that other researchers have shown consistently overdose bees with pesticides. That lets regulators focus on adverse neonic impacts that can justify bans, but under conditions that bees would never encounter in the real world. In another case, five carefully conducted, inter-related studies published in the journal Ecotoxicology covered a large-scale 2013-14 northern Germany field study of honey bees, bumble bees and solitary red mason bees that forage in oilseed rape (akin to canola) fields treated with the neonic Clothianidin. The elaborate, sophisticated studies assessed neonic residues from bees and hives under actual field conditions. They found that the residues were well below levels that can adversely affect bees  and that neonics did not cause any detrimental effects on the development or reproduction any of the three species. Enter Joseph Heller, yet again. The studies were paid for by Bayer CropLife, because EU agencies generally dont fund such studies (though they do give millions a year to environmentalist groups). Voila! Anti-pesticide activists can challenge and dismiss the well-documented experimental results  and the EFSA can ignore the results in reaching its latest conclusions on risks to bees that are not attracted to neonic-protected crops. All because of a guidance document that EU member states never approved! Unfortunately, bad science and regulatory policy are not confined only to the other side of the Atlantic. HealthCanada recently imposed a phased-in ban on another relatively new neonic pesticide. It did so using an EU-like Catch-22 approach, despite any actual evidence of real-world harm  and without considering insect infestations, crop losses, the absence of safe alternative pesticides, or the fact that other insecticides actually are harmful to bees and/or aquatic life. All this suggests there is ample reason to worry about the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys own inbred inclinations. A late 2014 EPA study/memorandum contends that neonic pesticides were ineffective in controlling soy crop pests. It was refuted by scientists who had better data and repudiated by the US Department of Agriculture. But EPA did not withdraw or cancel the 2014 soy efficacy memo. A 2015 preliminary EPA assessment essentially exonerated neonic seed treatments, as posing virtually no risk to bees. But another one said neonics on citrus trees are potentially dangerous, even though neonics as the only solution for citrus greening disease that is decimating lemon, orange and grapefruit trees. These EU, Canadian and EPA actions offer important lessons for Trump-Pruitt pesticide regulators. * Stick to risk-based standards embedded in U.S. legislation, and avoid any drift toward the precautionary principle, which looks only at alleged or inflated risks from using chemicals  never at the risks of not using them, and never at risks that could be reduced or eliminated by using the chemicals. * Focus on replicable, evidence-based, field-tested science. Dont let agenda-driven activists pressure EPA (or the Agriculture Department) into excluding the best and most relevant available data. * Revise or eliminate standards, policies and regulations that were based on less than defensible, real-world data and analyses; that do not fully consider the costs and benefits of using (or not using) available chemicals; or that fail to balance demonstrated agricultural, consumer and environmental considerations. EPA policies on neonics and other issues would be a perfect place to begin changing the way Washington works. Paul Driessen is senior policy analyst for the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (www.CFACT.org), and author of Eco-Imperialism: Green power - Black death and other books on the environment. Home
The measure of Trumps presidency By Dr. Peter Morici

Donald Trump must scale huge barriers to accomplish 3 to 4 percent economic growth. Sweeping measures must be implemented, and that will prove no mean task. George W. Bush slashed personal income taxes without fundamentally altering corporate incentives to create tax dodges and offshore production. Barack Obama expanded entitlements  partially financed with higher taxes on Americans who invest and create jobs. Both relied on big deficits and accomplished only anemic growth. House leaders are working on corporate tax reform that will close loopholes, lower rates to internationally competitive levels and shift part of the tax burden onto imports. It has a decent chance of winning enough bipartisan support in the Senate but much more needs to be done. Trade deficits with China and on oil directly subtract $500 billion annually from the demand for American made goods and services, kill millions of jobs and stifle R&D. Confronting China on trade with a 45 percent tariff, alone, wont get Beijing to stop undervaluing its currency, subsidizing exports and cease blocking market access for American-made goods and services. It can push back by harassing U.S. companies with operations in China and imposing new barriers on U.S. products, and more broadly by squeezing Taiwan, upping the ante on militarization of the South China Sea and further enabling North Korea. Mr. Trump must gird for a broad crisis with China, deploy the full range of Americas geopolitical and economic assets and compel Beijing to reckon with the fact that their shaky economy cannot withstand an all front confrontation with the United States without risking the Communist Partys grip on power. Energy and Interior Departments committed to opening up drilling in the eastern Gulf and off the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts  and ending the endless federal harassment of shale producers  could make America energy independent. However, as with many other issues, the lack of 60 Republican votes in the Senate will require guerrilla warfare to accomplish the results American voters deserve for awarding Trump the presidency. On the supply side, its a lot more expensive to start a business and make things in America than in the 1980s and 90s, because of the growth of the regulatory state. Just compliance with labor market, health care, financial, environmental regulations and the like require hundreds of thousands of employees and cost businesses billions of dollars. Imposing an efficacy test on regulations  requiring just what is absolutely needed to accomplish legitimate goals for protecting workers, the environment, consumers and financial stability, and then jettisoning the rest  should be the overarching objective as Mr. Trumps Cabinet goes to work at Labor, EPA, Treasury and elsewhere in the far flung federal regulatory apparatus. A good deal of what President Obama imposed was by fiat  executive orders that can now be repealed. However, he also imposed overly aggressive and burdensome regulations established under statutes, and those are more difficult and time consuming to nix. Just as the law required the Obama administration to publish and take public comment on proposed regulations before imposing new rules  and then endure legal challenges from businesses and Republican state officials  the Trump administration will have to repeat those steps and face litigation from environmental groups, labor unions and Democratic governors. All can be axed or reshaped by congress but the Trump administration can expect a pitched battle from progressive Senate Democrats dedicated to remaking the American economy in the low-growth, high unemployment model of continental Europe. After losing the presidential election, muffing the opportunity to capture the Senate and managing to hold only 18 state governorships  not to mention their minority standing in the House and most state legislatures  we likely wont be hearing Mr. Obama pontificating on the sidelines that elections have consequences. Instead, we can expect the only remaining consequential Democrats  those who can filibuster against the popular will in the Senate  to rely on the 60-vote rule to try to run out the clock until the 2020 presidential elections. In the end, Republicans in congress may have to resort to a grand budget reconciliation bill to push through a panoply of reforms, and Trump will have to marshal public support for radical measures to overcome a barrage of criticism and protests from liberal politicians and the media. Bigger than his vision and knack for picking competent executives will be his salesmanship. Americas first dealmaker is not a man inclined to small deeds, and these will be the measure of his presidency. Peter Morici is an economist and business professor at the University of Maryland, and a national columnist. Home
The New World Orders diabolical pilgrimage: Part Two By Michael Moriarty

Ive been re-watching the mini-series Holocaust. Its been many years since Ive done that. My article, however, on The New World Orders Diabolical Pilgrimage, demands it. Why? The New World Order and an increasingly visible appetite for depopulation From the above mentioned link, there is this:  For more than a century these globalists have been promoting their NWO eugenics plan for a sustainable earth population of about a half billion people. The UN Agenda 21 spells it all out in graphic detail. This means within the next several years they plan to kill 13 out of 14 of us 7.2 billion people currently living and breathing on this planet. For decades theyve been busily deploying both slower, soft kill methods as well as their faster, hard kill methods to drastically reduce the world population. The hard kill scenario manifests through war and both manmade induced natural disasters as well as naturally occurring natural disasters with a recent noticeable crescendo of activity of all these cataclysmic events. Finding acceptable ways to get rid of as many human beings as possible?! Nazi Germanys task of exterminating all Jews, despite Hitlers failure, is a simple walk in the park by comparison to the NWO and its ambition of cutting the human races population down to 1/14th of its present size which is well over 7 billion people. A kill list of that size?! Hitlers Final Solution was a minor wish list by comparison. However, if the future of the entire human race if this future were completely in the hands of a mere but fully empowered oligarchy, working for the United Nations and a by then or even by now, a mature depopulating program?! A Holocaust killing machine!

An unrelenting stream of homicide-orders sent from this governing body to the right people?! Wow! Holocaust Two I remember the late Eli Wiesel fiercely criticizing NBC for its broadcasting the mini-series Holocaust. Eventually in his article, he dismisses the entire Holocaust television program as kitsch. As a debasement of the true meaning of suffering in the Holocaust. Eli Wiesel was a frequent voice at the United Nations. I have no knowledge of what Elie Wiesels true feelings were about the United Nations and its present role as the virtual founder of a frighteningly Progressive New World Order. Since, as I call these New World Order Salesmen, The Masters of Depopulation such as Ted Turner and an increasing numberof others since such men and women are devoted Friends of The New World Order and the United Nations disturbing Agenda 21 I dont know quite what to make of The Progressive Holocaust, the mass slaughter of human beings without mercy for anyone except the architects of this Armageddon. Almost all humans on Earth, in the eyes of the NWO, will be and presently are eligible for extermination. The friendship between Elie Wiesel and I began to end when he criticized the title of my 3 episode appearance on Fox News, Life Without Fear. I had no reply to his criticisms. I wasnt prepared to defend the meaning of my title. I foolishly took it for granted that people would understand. That was one of many mistakes I had made and for which I was given only a 3 episode appearance on Fox by the Chairman and CEO of Fox News, Roger Ailes. Im prepared to defend the title of that show now. Why? Fear

and terror

are the precise objectives

of an increasingly large corner

of the human race. Last night an assassin and possibly 3 cohorts were involved in the killing of 5 Dallas policemen and the wounding of seven other police officers and 2 civilians. Acts like that, plus the growing number of senseless murders by ISIS? ISIL?! At what point

Or in what realization

Must the fear

And terror

End?! And a life

Of

Justice

Begin?! After years of meditating on Life Without Fear and the repercussions of that commitment of mine? They were my decisions to leave New York, divorce my Liberal 2nd wife and immediately leave my homeland of America. With the loss of that treasured friendship, I now rely on the memory of another late friend, Stella Adler, and her own, divine perspective on the key to life: Know the measure of things! The measure of things, after the last 7  years, observing the Obama Nation and its brazen shamelessness?! Its empowering anti-Semitic Iran with over one billion dollars and the freedom to continue with the Iran atomic power program?! While, at the same time, not demanding from Iran the end of its 444 days of holding American hostages?!?! The Presidents initiating and agreeing to all of Irans demands, while Iran, this major author of world terrorism, captures 10 American sailors in the Mediterranean and holds them hostage for as much broadcast time as they can squeeze out of that nationally embarrassing nightmare?! In a very real sense, President Barack Hussein Obama ended up rewarding Iran for all those atrocious demands and behavior. In addition to that, what Part One of this series, The New World Orders Diabolical Pilgrimage, has already discussed: the startling similarities between one of Barack Obamas right hand men, Ben Rhodes, and my character of Eric Dorf in the NBC Mini-Series, Holocaust?!?!?! There was a Holocaust Memorial event which both Elie Wiesel and I were attending. At that meeting he was quite specific that his criticisms of the program in the New York Times had nothing to do with the actors. What he disliked, loathed, and, if you read his full editorial in the New York Times, clearly despised were anyones presumption that a fiction, a drama, film or play could possibly encompass a human event as enormously beyond words as the Holocaust. He only applauds pure history and film documentaries: An authentic documentary like The Final Solution, by the four-time Oscar winner Arthur Cohn, cannot find a distributor But an NBC series?!  people fall all over themselves for cheap and simplistic melodramas. They get a little history, a heavy dose of sentimentality and suspense, a little eroticism, a few daring sex scenes, a dash of theological rumination about the silence of God and there it is: let kitsch rule in the land of kitsch, where at the expense of truth, what counts is ratings and facile success. Of course, as he said, hes not criticizing the actors. Has he not criticized the German men and women who, like all actors in any play dealing with the Holocaust, such as The Diary of Anne Frank, just needed a job and kept the Third Reich running?! Idealism! The Ideal within the possibilities of humanity has been something that men like Elie Wiesel never leave far out of their consciousness. However, I have no doubt that Ben Rhodes is as committed an idealist as Eli Wiesel has been! Fellow workers in the White House testify, in David Samuels article, to Ben Rhodes honesty and character. Yet?! Particularly in the case of defending the Obama deal with Iran?! Lies, of course, are a means to the great end! Toward the achievement of an ideal! In Ben Rhodes case, that all-necessary objective is Barack Obamas goal: A Radically Progressive New World Order Run By The United Nations! Radically in its strongest sense means depopulating the human race. And Barack Hussein Obamas demand of the United Nations: Islam,

MUST

Be a major player

In the creation

Of

A New World Order!! The answer to Obama from the United Nations? Barry?!

You must convince America,

And all of its United States,

That Islam

MUST

Be,

As you say,

A major part of

The New World Order!! Barrys response: Just watch me!!!! So here we are, nearing the end of my Part Two for The New World Orders Diabolical Pilgrimage. Why must all human beings  not just Americans  but the entire human race begin to live Life Without Fear?! Because of what Stella Adler reminded me of: Know the measure of things! When is it necessary to act without fear and not only risk your life but lose your life saving 1 or 10 or 100 or 1,000 or 10,000 or 100,000 or 1 to 6 million or 6  billion lives?! To stop an evil brand of human being that computes human lives as if they were mere numbers. And nothing else. That, to me  and for certain  is, despite the terrifying odds of being killed, a time to begin life without fear. And in the case of profoundly successful men like Ted Turner?! Ted Turners plan

For depopulating

Over three fourths

Of the human race

Is, above all else,

Plain fucking evil!!! Hitler helped create the Volkswagon! And Ted Turner keeps me frequently entertained with the American Movie Classics. And, perhaps, the generally and diabolically possessed disrepute in which Adolf Hitler and his Final Solution have been placed by History?! Perhaps the evidence of that has persuaded Mr. Turner to sweeten the cyanide of The Ted Turner Final Solution To Most of The Problems On Earth, his own, indisputably record-breaking solution, the deaths of billions of human beings, mute its horror with Hollywoods grandest distractions: most of the best films in the entire history of both Hollywood and world film. Here he is in person on the subject of depopulation! Nazi-like policies! Enemy of humanity! Eugenics is no laughing matter, sir!!! Yer no better than a Nazi!!!!!!!! The U.S.s largest land-owner! Whats more important? The human race or bison?! Oh!!!!!!!!! Heres Bill Gates on the same subject. Thats enough, profoundly disturbing Truths for this, Part Two of The New World Orders Diabolical Pilgrimage. Michael Moriarty is a Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor who starred in the landmark television series Law and Order from 1990 to 1994. His recent film and TV credits include The Yellow Wallpaper, 12 Hours to Live, Santa Baby and Deadly Skies. Contact Michael at rainbowfamily2008@yahoo.com. He can be found on Twitter at https://twitter.com/@MGMoriarty. Home
Europe reaping what it sowed with open borders policy for refugees By Rachel Alexander

No one could have predicted that left-leaning German Chancellor Angela Merkel would call for banning hijabs. The open borders policy European countries have taken toward refugees fleeing the Middle East due to ISIS has resulted in violence increasing in those countries, with ISIS infiltrating the refugees. Facing a tough reelection next year as a result of allowing over a million refugees into the country, Merkel finally reversed her position. In November, she called on the EU to start turning back boats full of refugees as they cross the Mediterranean. The terrorist attacks by refugees are continuing. On December 19, a radical Islamist refugee drove a truck into a market in Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring 48. The refugees are raping women and destroying property. In Italy, for example, for the first time, the crime rate in the north of Italy, which has the highest concentration of immigrants and asylum seekers, is surpassing that of the south, Breitbart reported. A study in Italy found that where the immigrant population increases by 1 percent, the crime rate goes up 0.4 percent. Italian businesses have lost billions of dollars due to refugee related problems such as counterfeiting, shoplifting and illegal vendors. Many of the refugees dont have jobs, putting a strain on government budgets. Only 34,000 of the 1.2 million refugees in Germany have found jobs. Shariah law is gradually being implemented in some of the countries, as officials accommodate their intolerant religious views. The European Union set up a quota system requiring member countries to accept a certain number of refugees. The refugees mostly arrive by boat in Turkey, Greece or Italy, and then disperse throughout Europe. They are not screened; there is no way to determine their true nationality or names. The number of refugees is likely to increase, as the atrocities in Aleppo, Syria, continue escalating. News of the free welfare from Europes socialist and borderline socialist countries has spread to Africa, and so migrants from that continent  not even refugees fleeing persecution  are now flooding the shores of Italy even more than Greece. The Balkans closed its borders in March, but smugglers are still getting the refugees to western Europe. Professor Anna Bono of the University of Turin, an expert in African migration, revealed, In the countries of sub-Saharan Africa there are advertisements inciting people to go to Italy, explaining that everything here is free. Half of the prostitutes in Italy are Nigerian. Obama is following suit, allowing thousands of refugees into the U.S. Each one costs taxpayers $64,370 for their first five years here; 91 percent receive food stamps and 68 percent receive cash assistance. Of the total 85,000 refugees admitted into the U.S. last year, a record 38,901 were Muslims, a higher number than Christians admitted. There were 12,587 refugees from Syria alone, 99 percent who were Muslims. In contrast, a country very similar to us, Australia, announced in October that it would not be accepting any refugees, with few exceptions. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, no conservative, had reportedly been turning away refugee boats that arrived on the countrys shores previous to the announcement. Instead, he has agreed to take refugees from Central America who are not Muslim. Several central European countries have objected to the resettlements, filing lawsuits against the U.N. The Schengen Agreement abolished border checks between European countries, which some countries are defying by erecting border fences. Opposition to the open borders policy is high, with 94 percent of Greeks disapproving. Slovakias Prime Minister Robert Fico said earlier this year that Slovakia would accept a small number of Christian refugees but not Muslims who would like to start building mosques all over our land and trying to change the nature, culture and values of the state. Czech President Milos Zeman, who is a social democrat (and former communist), no right winger, has been the most scathing leader. He denounced the prime ministers plan to allow a mere 80 refugees from Syria into the country, saying it would result in barbaric attacks. He said even moderate Muslims could be radicalized to commit terrorist acts similar to how regular Germans went along with the Nazi regime. He blanketly condemned Islam, The attitude of Islam  I do not speak about jihadists, I speak about Islam  towards women, half of the population. As you know, in the Quran, women is something like the inferior part of mankind. However, Zemans position is mostly ceremonial. The refugee crisis has sparked the rise of populist movements across Europe. Right wing Marine Le Pen has a shot at a presidential bid in France, as does Geert Wilders in the Netherlands. In a moment of irony, the open borders organization Doctors Without Borders announced in March that it would no longer assist refugees at a center on the Greek island of Lesbos, due to the inability of the government to properly accommodate them all. France 24 reported that at least 3,800 migrants died in the Mediterranean Sea between January and October attempting to reach Europe, making it the deadliest year in the Mediterranean. A realistic solution would have been to create a temporary place for the refugees near their home countries, such as in Jordan. These people love their countries and their culture. Where were leaders with the guts to implement this? Will this massive migration from poorer countries lead to the destruction of Western civilization as laid out in the 1973 dystopian novel The Camp of the Saints? In the book, all countries are forced to open their borders, resulting in rape and ruin. The title is a reference to Revelation 20:9, They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. There is no divine intervention in the book. While the allusion to Western civilization as Gods people came under fire as racist, journalist Lionel Shriver admitted the book was prescient. Another reviewer wrote that Raspail was neither a prophet nor a visionary novelist, but simply a relentless historian of our future. The left-leaning European leaders who authorized the flood of refugees in the interests of forced diversity are now experiencing the consequences. Compelling two cultures to merge, where ones holy book instructs its believers to destroy nonbelievers, will ultimately destroy Western civilization. Rachel Alexander and her brother Andrew are co-Editors of Intellectual Conservative. She has been published in the American Spectator, Townhall.com, Fox News, NewsMax, Accuracy in Media, The Americano, ParcBench, and other publications. Home
The past, present, and future of Quebec (Part One) By Mark Wegierski

The results of the provincial election in Quebec on April 7, 2014, were somewhat unexpected. It was a huge win for the Liberals, led by Philippe Couillard, who won 70 seats. The Parti Quebecois was crushed, winning only 30 seats. The Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) won 22 seats, while the left-wing Quebec solidaire, won 3. Since a strong majority was won, this means that an election is unlikely to occur for at least four years. The 2014 election results were in very marked contrast to the 2012 election results. In the provincial election in Quebec on September 4, 2012, the Parti Quebecois won 54 seats; the Liberals, 50; the new, right-leaning Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ), 19; and the left-wing Quebec solidaire, 2. It should be noted that CAQ is basically a successor to the ADQ (Action democratique du Quebec), which had largely collapsed in the December 8, 2008 provincial election. In that election, the Liberals won 66 seats; the Parti Quebecois, 51; the ADQ, 6; and Quebec solidaire, 1.



In the earlier, March 26, 2007 provincial election, the Liberals had won 48 seats; the ADQ, 41; and the Parti Quebecois, 36. This series endeavours to place these election results in the context of long-term trends in Quebec and Canadian politics. One should begin a discussion of Quebec by looking at the role of Quebec in federal elections. Since 1896, at the end of the nineteenth century, Quebec had, in federal elections, almost always voted for the Liberal Party. At the federal level, Quebec was almost always a Liberal Party stronghold, until the emergence of the Bloc Quebecois in the 1993 election. Indeed, English-speaking Canada, as a whole, had voted Liberal only once in the 1960s to 1980s period, in the 1968 election (and by a very narrow margin, in that case), as Peter Brimelow has noted in his book on Canada, The Patriot Game (Key Porter, 1986). Without their Quebec bastion, the Liberals would have usually been a minority party in Canadian federal politics, perennially losing federal elections. From 1896 until the 1993 federal election, Quebec and the federal Liberal Party were almost inextricably intertwined (as the prominent Canadian Tory historian Donald Creighton had noted) -- Quebec ensured the perpetuation of the Liberal government in Ottawa, while the Liberal Party ensured an increasingly eminent position for Quebec in Confederation. In his book, Brimelow had tried to understand the dynamics of Quebec in Canada, and Quebec politics, without silly happy-talk and sugar-coating. Brimelow distinguished between the Liberal "Federalistes" in Quebec (who aspire to give the French-Canadians a semblance of power from coast to coast) -- and what he considered the more honest Quebecois nationalism. One of the main reasons that long-serving Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau was a committed "Federaliste" was because he feared that real Quebec nationalism would probably move into more right-wing channels, as had been the case under Maurice Duplessis, known as "Le Chef", who had kept the liberals and socialists at bay in Quebec for over a quarter-century, and had delivered the Quebec vote to the staunch Canadian Tory Prime Minister John Diefenbaker in the federal election of 1958. In 1987, Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney had signed the Meech Lake Accord with the provincial Premiers. In exchange for Quebecs acceding to the Constitution Act, 1982 (whose most salient aspect was the Charter of Rights and Freedoms), there would be another document incorporated into the constitution, whose main point was the recognition of Quebec as a distinct society. Quebec had refused to accede to the Constitution Act, 1982, in 1982, since it considered that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms would undermine its collective rights to uphold a distinctive, French-speaking society in Quebec. Pierre Elliott Trudeau (Canadas Liberal Prime Minister from 1968-1984, except for nine months in 1979-1980) argued against the Meech Lake Accord presumably because it could  from his perspective -- weaken over-all French power in Canada (i.e., the "Federalistes"), while strengthening the Quebecois position ("Separatistes" - "a distinct society"). Trudeau clearly preferred a liberal-socialist Quebec dominating and deriving economic benefits from a continent-wide polity, as opposed to an "ourselves alone" (and possibly right-wing) national state limited to Quebec. It could also be noted that (ironically enough) a more traditional, Catholic, and inward-looking Quebec would have a far greater chance of survival in North America, than the cosmopolitan, wide-open, and socially liberal one which left-wing Quebec intellectuals have striven to create. With the decline in traditional ethos, the traditionally-high Quebec birthrate has plummeted, and abortion rates have soared, thus undermining the previous demographic achievements of the French in Canada. French Quebec had earlier celebrated their demographic triumph as the revenge of the cradle (against the British conquest). It may be argued that, because of the demographic collapse, the Francophone (French-speaking) leadership is forced into ever more drastic, and increasingly artificial, social engineering-type measures, to maintain "the French fact" in North America. It may be remembered that during 1986 to 1987, there was a revolt against John Turner, the leader of the federal Liberal Party, led by the Quebec wing of the federal Liberal Party, and exacerbated by the media. It arose mostly from Turners perceived conservatism (at least in his image), as well as from the fact that Francophone Liberals were not particularly willing to accept anyone who was not a full Francophone (or Trudeau loyalist), as leader of their party, regardless of his fluency in "Paris French" -- as opposed to the colourful Quebec dialect of French. It appeared at some points that Turner was indeed close to ouster. According to the conventional wisdom of that day, only a Quebecker could compete with another Quebecker for control of that vital province in federal politics, without whose support no Canadian government could really be considered as fully "legitimate" -- setting aside what the other three-quarters would ever want or decide. When in the 1990s, the Reform Party used a highly-charged political advertisement, objecting to the election of "another politician from Quebec" as Prime Minister of Canada, the negative fall-out against the Reform Party continued for years. The fact that Brian Mulroney's stance towards Quebec was seen as highly partial generated much dislike for Mulroney in English-speaking Canada. Viewed in the context of the debate between the "Federalistes" and Quebecois nationalists, Mulroney's attempts to disentangle Quebec and the Liberal Party, by offering even more benefits to Francophones everywhere in Canada, and even more bilingualism in the federal civil service, and in every English-Canadian province, were futile.

These efforts only confirmed the viability of the liberal "Federaliste" option in Quebec, and also alienated much Progressive Conservative party support in English Canada, particularly in the Western and Atlantic regions. However, the Meech Lake Accord, by strengthening the collective rights of Quebec and pointing towards arrangements where Quebec could exist within a far more decentralized Confederation, seemed to be a helpful evolution. To be continued. Mark Wegierski is a Canadian writer and historical researcher. Home
Even if the Russians did hack the emails, so what? By Selwyn Duke

The Russians hacked the election! say Democrats trying to discredit Donald Trumps presidency. Of course, their statement is deceptive, referring only to the theory that the Russians provided Wikileaks with the campaign seasons revelatory Democrat emails. Not surprisingly, the Fake (establishment) Media has embraced the theory, which is probably the best argument for its falsity. In addition, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange denies russian involvement. So does Britains former ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig Murray, who said Ive met the person who leaked them [the emails] and that the individual is an insider representing Democrats angry over the corruption of the Clinton Foundation and the tilting of the primary election playing field against Senator Bernie Sanders. Moreover, both FBI director James Comey and James Clapper, director of National Intelligence, said theres no credible evidence Russia influenced Nov. 8s outcome, according to reporter Ed Klein. Yet whatever the truth, the more important matter is that the issue is being used as a distraction and a tool for disruption. What was actually revealed by Wikileaks and what effect it had are being conflated with the matter of who revealed it, as if the messenger somehow changes the message. Consider an analogy: Imagine it came to light that a Capitol Hill restaurants kitchen was filthy and vermin-infested. Would the health departments course of action be dictated by whether the information came from a disgruntled employee or an investigative reporter who illegally gained access to the kitchen? If the latter, would Washington Democrats still eat there? As a reminder, the Wikileaks emails contained damning information showing direct collusion between the mainstream media and the Hillary Clinton campaign, including evidence that a CNN figure gave Clinton debate questions ahead of time, thus disadvantaging primary-season opponent Sanders. They contained other dirt on the Democrats as well. Is anyone but Clinton and her apologists upset these truths came to light? Of course, our systems must be made safe from intrusion by foreign actors, but this gets at an important point: It will reflect better on the Democrats if the Wikileaks source is a leaker. After all, whose systems were supposedly hacked and under whose watch would it have occurred? Answers: the Democrats systems and the Obama administration. The New York Times recently ran a painfully long article about how how Russian cyberpower invaded the U.S., calling it The Perfect weapon. But the piece mainly illustrates how Democrat and administration entities exhibited the perfect storm of incompetence. The Times writes of how its examination based on interviews with dozens of players targeted in the attack, intelligence officials who investigated it and Obama administration officials who deliberated over the best response  reveals a series of missed signals, slow responses and a continuing underestimation of the seriousness of the cyberattack. In contrast, there reportedly was also a hacking attempt by Russia on the Republicans. It apparently didnt work, however, because they actually secured their systems. So heres the Democrat complaint, translated: We were too incompetent to secure our systems  or react promptly to a perceived threat by a hostile foreign actor  and as a result damning truths about us were revealed. Were such victims! Taking the above together with Hillary Clintons use of a home brew server to send classified emails, and that the FBI stated there appeared to be hacking attempts on it, a question is raised: Were these people ever qualified to be at the nations helm, in charge of national security? In the 1997 film Liar Liar, Jim Carrey plays a shyster lawyer who, after a birthday wish made by his son comes true, is suddenly incapable of telling a lie. Objecting to the opposing counsels argument in court but robbed of his verbal legerdemain, he responds to the judges question as to why he objected by saying, with the only argument he could honestly muster, Because its devastating to my case! That is essentially the democrats gripe regarding the quite true Wikileaks revelations. Objection overruled. Contact Selwyn Duke, follow him on Twitter or log on to SelwynDuke.com. Home
One man killed, two injured in shooting occurred in the Spanish city of Barcelona, Sputnik reported.

According to El Pais newspaper, the emergency service received information on shooting late on Sunday. The attackers are believed to open fire from a car parked near the victims' car. A 30-year old man succumbed to injures, two other victims were taken to the hospital.

The police sources told the newspaper that they considered the attackers to be of Dominican origin.
The dangers of UN Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016) By Amb. Alan Baker

The December 23, 2016, resolution adopted by the UN Security Council regarding Israels settlement policy has been received with mixed and even extreme reactions. [Click to read the text of UN Security Council Resolution 2334] The Palestinian leadership, having initiated the resolution, is celebrating its adoption as an affirmation by the international community, including the United States, of its claims against Israel. Israel sees this resolution as a major impediment to continued peace negotiations in light of the fact that it by-passes the negotiation process in an attempt to prejudge central issues that are on the negotiating table. As such, it seriously prejudices any possible return to the negotiating process. Israel considers that the resolution provides political incentives to those in the international community hostile to Israel. It advances boycotts and sanctions and could even be used to support possible litigation against Israeli leaders. Summary of Implications Following is a brief summary of the legal and quasi-legal implications of the resolution: The resolution (as all previous resolutions regarding Israel) was adopted under the sixth chapter of the UN Charter (Pacific Settlement of Disputes) and as such is not mandatory. It contains a series of political determinations and recommendations to the international community. The resolution does not make law, and as such, the determinations as to the lack of legal validity of Israels settlements are no more than declaratory.



Much of the terminology repeats UN terminology and language used in previous Security Council and General Assembly resolutions (inadmissibility of acquisition of territory by force, Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 including East Jerusalem, secure and recognized borders, violation (serious or flagrant) under international law, the references to the lack of legal validity of settlements, and their being an obstacle or major obstacle to achieving a two-state solution).



References in the tenth preambular paragraph to the fact that the status quo is not sustainable and entrenching a one-state reality are new and would appear to be inspired by, or even direct quotes from statements by President Obama, Secretary of State Kerry, and Vice President Biden.



Similarly, expressions not previously included in major Security Council resolutions regarding the peace process, such as two-state solution based on the 1967 lines (operative paragraph seven), as well as the references in the ninth paragraph to the Arab Peace Initiative and the principle of land for peace as additional bases for peace, clearly are intended to instill concepts that have never been agreed-upon elements in the negotiating process.



The call upon states in the fifth operative paragraph to distinguish between dealings between Israel-proper and the territories will also be used by BDS activists and states to buttress their boycott campaigns.



The reference in the third operative paragraph to the 4 June 1967 lines as a basis for negotiations would appear to be a new element, echoing statements by Obama and Kerry, and running counter to the 1967 Security Council resolution 242, which is the basis for all of the Arab-Israeli peace process, which calls for negotiation of secure and recognized boundaries. The Israeli-Palestinian Oslo Accords make no specific reference to the 1967 lines. As such this reference would appear to be an attempt to prejudge or unduly influence the negotiating issue of borders.



Despite the declaratory and recommendatory determinations in the resolution attempting to prejudge the status of the territories, east Jerusalem, borders, and settlements, the resolution nevertheless would appear to contradict itself in that it goes on to reaffirm the call for negotiations on all final status issues (operative paragraph eight) and for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace. Analysis While the resolution does not replace Security Council Resolution 242, which is the accepted and agreed basis for the Israel-Arab peace process, it nevertheless contains elements that attempt to modify Resolution 242 and to sway the negotiating process in a particular direction.



The resolution cannot, in and of itself, serve as grounds for legal proceedings in the International Criminal Court (ICC) or other international tribunals. But clearly, it will be used by the Palestinian leadership as a political tool to buttress existing complaints. This despite the fact that the issues of Palestinian status vis-a-vis the ICC and the courts jurisdiction regarding the territories have yet to be reviewed juridically. The fact that the ICC Prosecutor has recognized the accession of the State of Palestine to the ICC Statute and has accepted their complaints are political decisions.



The United States, through its decision not to veto the resolution, enabled acceptance of a Security Council resolution referring to occupied Palestinian territory including East Jerusalem. This indicates U.S. acceptance of the fact that the territories and east Jerusalem belong to the Palestinians. This despite the claim that the United States has consistently agreed with Israel that there has never been any legal determination, agreement, treaty, or other binding source determining that.



This represents a serious, and even irresponsible departure from U.S. policy which has consistently advocated negotiated settlement of the issues of permanent status, Jerusalem, and borders.



This position taken by the United States (as well as the other members of the Security Council) also undermines the basic obligation of the Oslo Accords, signed by the PLO and witnessed by the United States (as well as the EU, Russia, Egypt and others), that the permanent status of the territories, the issues of Jerusalem, and borders are to be negotiated.



While the United States and Israel have entertained basic disagreements on settlement policy, the United States has consistently rejected, as a matter of basic policy, any attempt by the international community to prejudge this or the other permanent status negotiating issues.



The outrage voiced by Israel with both the resolution itself and the Obama administrations enabling it to pass stems from five basic components: The text of the resolution, which is unprecedented in the extent of the condemnatory language used.



Israels frustration at the irresponsible behavior by the Obama administration.



The evident irreversibility of the resolution and the potential for future damage.



The imbalance between accusations of Israeli violations of the Oslo Accords and the Palestinians blatant violations of international law in their incitement and payment to terrorists.



The issue of settlements is not the core of the conflict. It remains the Palestinians refusal to recognize the Jewish State and its right to any part of the land west of the Jordan River. Amb. Alan Baker is Director of the Institute for Contemporary Affairs at the Jerusalem Center and the head of the Global Law Forum. He participated in the negotiation and drafting of the Oslo Accords with the Palestinians, as well as agreements and peace treaties with Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon. He served as legal adviser and deputy director-general of Israels Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as Israels ambassador to Canada. Home
Obama critical of Trump missing security briefings, but missed majority himself By Rhett October

Appearing one evening in December on Comedy Centrals The Daily Show, President Obama said: I think the President-Elect may say one thing and do another once hes here because the truth of the matter is its a big, complicated world and it doesnt matter how smart you are, you have to have the best information possible to make the best decisions possible and my experience with our intelligence agencies is, they are not perfect, theyd be the first to acknowledge that, but they are full of extraordinarily hard working, patriotic, and knowledgeable experts and if youre not getting their perspective  their detailed perspective  then you are flying blind. President Obama said this referencing reports that President-elect Trump was attending one security briefing per week, with Vice President-elect Pence attending six of them. The media has also been quickly critical of Trump only attending weekly security briefings and left-wing social media accounts have blown up with what some call manufactured outrage concerning Trumps weekly attendances. To hear the media and anti-Trump Facebook posters, its an outrage that the President-Elect is missing these important meetings and unprecedented for a president or president-elect to do so. This, they say, shows that Trump does not take the office seriously. But inquiring minds might ask where the mainstream media and these social posters were when, after six years in office, President Obama had attended a minority of these security briefings himself. According to a report by the Government Accountability Institute, Obama had attended only 42.1% of security briefings after his first 6 years in office. Much of Obamas lack of attendance came out in a 60 Minutes interview over two years ago when Obama was pressed on his administrations inaction in preventing the rise of ISIS. Obama shifted blame to the intelligence personnel around him, saying, I think our head of the intelligence community, Jim Clapper, has acknowledged that I think they underestimated what has been taking place in Syria. Members of the Defense establishment were apparently stunned by Obamas attempt to shift blame. Either the president doesnt read the intelligence hes getting or hes bullshitting, a former senior Pentagon official who worked closely on the threat posed by Sunni jihadists in Syria and Iraq told the Daily Beast. The following Monday, others in the intelligence community joined the response to Obama saying that hes shown longstanding disinterest in receiving live, in-person briefings that allow the Commander-in-Chief the chance for critical follow-up, feedback and questions. As reported at Breitbart and the Daily Mail, current and former staffers commented that: Its pretty well-known that the president hasnt taken in-person intelligence briefings with any regularity since the early days of 2009. Its starting to affect morale around here. Any time youre hired by a boss to advise him about what to do in a high-stakes area, and he ignores you for a long time, its going to gnaw at you. So while Obama has jumped on the bandwagon to criticize President-Elect Trump for only weekly attendance of security briefings, it might be that Trump is attending more regularly than President Obama did and that he is better informed since his Vice President attends six days per week. At the very least we can say that Obama appears to have conveniently changed his tune from when he didnt seem to think that security briefings warranted much of his time. Maybe hes speaking as a man who has learned his lesson and is offering genuine advice to the incoming president. Or maybe hes just taking some final shots at a man who could harm his legacy because Obama believes Trump is going to work harder on behalf of American interests than he did. We will probably never know for sure. One thing we can know, however, is that Obama is throwing stones from a glass house concerning the issue of security-briefings attendance and the contrast in terms of the media giving Obama a pass after six years but being critical of Trump before hes even taken office wreaks of hypocrisy. In other news, the sun rose again this morning. Rhett October is on Twitter @RhettOctober and is a writer for Resistance Feed, a news website dedicated to informing the globalist resistance and exposing socialism. He can be reached at rhettoctober@resistancefeed.com. Home
U.S. shale is now cash flow neutral By Nick Cunningham





Oil prices are probably already high enough to spark a rebound in shale production.



The IEA says that in the third quarter of 2016, the U.S. shale industry became cash flow neutral for the first time ever. That isnt a typo. For years, the drilling boom was done with a lot of debt, and the revenues earned from steadily higher levels of output were not enough to cover the cost of drilling, even when oil prices traded above $100 per barrel in the go-go drilling days between 2011 and 2014. Even when U.S. oil production hit a peak at 9.7 million barrels per day in the second quarter of 2015, the industry did not break even. Indeed, shale companies were coming off of one of their worst quarters in terms of cash flow in recent history.



That all changed around the middle of 2015 when the most indebted and high-cost producers went out of business and consolidation began to take hold. E&P companies began cutting costs, laying off workers, squeezing their suppliers and deferring projects that no longer made sense.



By 2016, oil companies large and small had shed a lot of that extra fat, running leaner than at any point in the last few years. By the third quarter, oil prices had climbed back to above $40 and traded at around $50 per barrel for some time, replenishing some lost revenue. That was enough to make the industry cash flow neutral for the first time in its history. That suggests that moving forward, the shale industry could move into cash flow positive territory. Oil prices seem to be trading safely above $50 per barrel for the time being, and OPEC cuts could induce more price gains. The industry is now focusing on shale plays that have lower breakeven prices, namely, the Permian Basin and some parts of the Bakken. That has companies like Concho Resources, Murphy Oil, Devon Energy, Pioneer Natural Resources and EOG Resources all stepping up their spending levels heading into 2017.



Wood Mackenzie suggests that $55 per barrel is a sweet spot for the oil and gas industry to rebound, a level that is only slightly above todays prices. At $55 per barrel, the shale industry is cash flow positive and will grow accordingly. "If we stay (at $55 a barrel), the world's biggest oil companies start to make money again. If we go back down to $50 (or lower) in 2017...then those companies are in the negative territory and they go back into survival mode where they have been in the last two years," Angus Rodger, WoodMacs research director for upstream oil and gas, said in a report. He estimates that OPECs cuts could succeed in pushing oil prices sustainably up to $55 per barrel. Even taking into account some cheating, WoodMac concludes that a 75 percent compliance rate with the promised cuts would get the markets to that price level.



Still, the seeds of disappoint have already been sown  it is just a question of whether or not they will sprout. The U.S. dollar is at its strongest level in nearly a decade, which will weigh on global crude oil demand. Also, hedge funds and other money managers have staked out the most bullish position on oil futures in more than two years. That has succeeded in running up prices this month, but it also sets up the market for downside risk. Should data emerge in the coming months that some OPEC members are cheating, the net-long positions could unwind. Those liquidations tend to happen quickly, so a sharp fall in oil prices is not out of the question.



"If confidence around the compliance with cuts wavers, the market will necessarily correct lower, considering that it also faces the twin headwinds of resilient U.S. production and a stronger dollar environment as the Fed begins to hike rates," Harry Tchilinguirian, an analyst with BNP Paribas, told S&P Global Platts.



And while the financial markets present risk, the physical market is also up in the air. Of course, OPEC cheating is a possibility. But with U.S. shale producers already stepping up drilling, production could come back quicker than many expect. Weekly EIA data shows gains of nearly 300,000 bpd since the end of summer. On top of that, disrupted output from Libya and Nigeria  two countries not subjected to the OPEC cuts  could begin to come back. An oil tanker docked at Libyas largest oil export terminal, Es Sider, this week, was the first tanker to load up Libyan oil from that terminal in more than two years. Libya hopes to add another 300,000 bpd in output in 2017 after adding as much in 2016.



Even with those negative risks in mind, the shale industry is getting back to work. If oil prices can stay roughly where they are right now, the industry could become cash flow positive for the first time ever in 2017. Nick Cunningham is a writer for Oilprice.com where this originally appeared. Home
This ethnographic study of Dalit women from the villages of Allahabad district assesses their identification with Dalit politics, the impact that the Bahujan Samaj Party has had on their political and social aspirations, and what makes them identify with Mayawati.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged on the last day of 2016 that her government would do everything possible to ensure public safety, as she is readying for a tough re-election campaign in 2017. Admitting that the biggest challenge was Islamic terrorism, Mrs. Merkel referred to the three terrorist attacks that Germany went through in 2016 including the December truck attack at a Berlin Christmas market. Our state does everything to guarantee its citizens security and freedom In 2017, our government will promptly get under way and implement measures where policy or law changes are necessary, she reassured.

The bloody attack at the Christmas market in central Berlin further fueled the debate about security and Mrs. Merkels decision to welcome a million asylum seekers in Germany  the topic that will very likely dominate the pre-election campaign this year. The truck attack of 19 December was committed by Tunisian migrant Anis Amri who had been on the blacklist of 550 potentially dangerous Islamists set up by the German authorities, though these failed to expel him despite his asylum application having been rejected.

The chancellor, however, said that while the fact that the three terror attacks of 2016 were committed by migrants was especially bitter and appalling, she had faith that Germany would vanquish terrorism without compromising its free democratic principles. Mrs. Merkel once again defended her decision to take in the refugees and indicated that her country should not cap the number of refugees it takes in and that Europes internal borders should remain open. Togetherness, openness, our democracy and a strong economy that serves the well being of everyone, that is what makes me confident for our future in Germany even at the end of a difficult year, she said.
Over at National Review Online, recent commentary by the writer Kevin Williamson includes an article advocating good mannerswhile, perhaps paradoxically, taking this as an occasion to characterize the President-elect and his wife as cretins, American Psycho extras, and genuinely bad human beings, comparing the couple with Saddam Husseins sons Uday and Qusay, and more.

Since Evolution News is a non-political information source, I leave it to others to evaluate the wit and wisdom of these remarks. What caught my attention is Williamsons gesture to the mythical equation of 99 percent shared DNA between humans and chimps. In fact the whole article is organized around that notion:

About 97 percent of the human genome is identical to that of orangutans, which are solitary and pacifistic. But about 99 percent of our DNA is identical to that of chimpanzees  which are intensely social and fierce. The genetic difference between orangutan and chimpanzee is relatively small, and the genetic difference between chimpanzee and H. sap. is tiny indeed. (My brother, Esau, is a hairy man.) Every day presents a struggle between the better angels of our nature and the inner chimp. The inner chimp is always there, and, sometimes, he wins. [Emphasis added.]

Williamsons idea is that since man and chimp are nearly indistinguishable, it requires a constant struggle not to be chimpy. He congratulates himself on this point:

What should I do when I see a Subaru pulling into the Whole Foods parking lot with an Im With Her bumper sticker? Should I lecture the driver? Scream at him? Yell at his kids? Kick in his headlights? Run down his address and send him a gift subscription to National Review? No. That would be bonkers. That would be chimpy. It would be far better and far more human (and we Christians should be thinking this time of year about what it means to be human, in the flesh) to do the opposite, to pull past that coveted parking space and let him have it rather than let him have it.

Man, this is a piece of fake science that, in the popular media, has taken on a life of its own. With fine timing, our colleague Sarah Chaffee has lately offered a four-part interview with Discovery Institute biologist Ann Gauger on the 99 percent myth. The series for ID the Future is here, here, here, and here.

Are humans and chimps effectively identical in our respective DNA? The short answer is no, no way: not in our DNA, coding and non-coding, not in the way our genes are expressed, how chimps splice their DNA, the existence of human-specific genes, and more, not to mention how this all cashes out in terms of anatomy and behavior. To understand this takes a little sketching in of the relevant scientific background, as Dr. Gauger does, from the basics on up.

This is very helpful, vindicating common sense that tells us theres no genuine mistaking of the creature in the zoo or jungle with you or me, no matter how gross the manner in which we act, speak, or write. I recommend it to Mr. Williamson.

Photo: Chimp and keeper, Beijing Zoo, by Snowyowls via Wikicommons.

Im on Twitter. Follow me @d_klinghoffer.
An air raid has struck several cars in northwestern Syria, killing at least eight people, including al-Qaida-linked fighters and a senior commander with a Chinese Islamic militant faction, an activist group and a local jihadi commander said Monday, AP reported.

The attack occurred late Sunday on a road leading from the town of Sarmada to the Bab al-Hawa area on the border with Turkey, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and a local commander with the Fatah al-Sham Front, an al-Qaida-linked group. The militant spoke via text messages on condition of anonymity because of security concerns.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack, but the Observatory's chief Rami Abdurrahman said it is widely believed to have been carried out by the U.S.-led coalition.

The U.S. has killed some of al-Qaida's most senior commanders in Syria over the past two years in airstrikes. Those targeted included members of the so-called Khorasan group, which Washington describes as an internal branch of al-Qaida that plans attacks against Western interests.

The Observatory said eight people were killed in the airstrike, including three jihadi commanders. The dead include a senior al-Qaida commander known as Khattab al-Qahtani, who was from the Gulf region and fought for the group in Afghanistan.

Abu Omar al-Turkistani, a top commander with the Turkistan Islamic Party, and a Syrian al-Qaida commander known as Abu Muatasem al-Deiri, were also killed. The Turkistan Islamic Party mainly consists of minority Uighurs from China, many of whom have traveled to Syria to help battle President Bashar Assad's forces alongside other jihadi groups.

The Fatah al-Sham commander confirmed that several people were killed, including al-Qahtani and al-Turkistani. He said the attack was most likely carried out by drones.

A video posted online by the Syrian Civil Defense search-and-rescue group, also known as the White Helmets, showed rescue workers spraying a car with fire extinguishers as a body was removed and placed in a black bag. The video appeared genuine and corresponded to other Associated Press reporting.

Earlier Monday, Syria's state news agency said al-Qaida militants knocked out electricity towers near the capital, causing power cuts in a southern province. SANA said Fatah al-Sham fighters bombed three towers southwest of Damascus, causing electricity cuts in the Quneitra region.
Hello,

Can anyone tell me why employer letter is required for PR Filling for austrelia. I have read somewhere that i have to apply somewhere if i m not attaching my employer letter with documents with reasons. my main problem is that i do not want my employer/boss know that i m looking for PR. Is there any way that document like payslip or job responsibility letter which i received every year will be accounted for?. is that any Australian body/dept where i have to inform and they grant my PR without employer letter.?
Veronica said: Funny thing is that since June 2014 the paper part of the UK licence is no longer valid. You have to have the plastic part.

I believe it is because the plastic picture licences are not easy to forge. Click to expand...

You must get a new licence if:



you change your address

your licence has been defaced, lost, stolen or destroyed

you change your name (you must apply by post using paper form D1 or D2)

youre getting a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) driver qualification card (DQC)

If none of these apply and your paper licence is still valid, you dont need to exchange it for a photocard version.

I don't know where you got that information but I think you'll find it is incorrect. I have never had a photocard and my paper license has never been questioned for car hire.In fact from the DVLA website:The last sentence clearly indicates that a paper licence is acceptable.Pete
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Two smartphones placed on top a table, which depict the speculated look of the upcoming Nokia Edge Android smartphone. (Photo : YouTube/ GONE IN 180)

Nokia Edge and Samsung Galaxy S8 are two of the highly anticipated smartphones in 2017. The former is in for a major comeback while the latter is up to regain the market's trust over significant product failure last year.



There is no doubt that most of Android users are on the watch for the return of Nokia in the mobile market and the attempt of Samsung to win back the trust of their consumers following Note 7 fiasco. As early as now, people are searching and comparing specs and price of the rumored flagship models, the Nokia Edge and Samsung Galaxy S8.



Advertisement

To begin with, Nokia is rumored to be offering their first ever mobile running under Android OS. Dubbed by many as Nokia Edge, this android smartphone is expected to be running on Android 7.0 Nougat with 6GB RAM and would likely be bezel-less, as mentioned in a separate report.



Moreover, rounded up rumors online highly suggest that Nokia Edge will have a powerful 23MP rear camera with Carl Zeis technology, and would be supported by octa-core processor for better performance. Overall, the aforementioned specs have been reported to be within $450-500 price point, according to Price Pony.



While Nokia Edge may have limited details on its specs, Samsung Galaxy S8 speculated features are not being too shy when it comes to the specifics. At the outset, Galaxy S8 will include a powerful Snapdragon 820 processor supporting native 4K displays at 60fps, and fingerprint sensors, according to The Sun.



Aside from the internal capacity, one major distinct feature that may be a head turner for some users is the rumored foldable and 99 percent screen-to-body ratio of Samsung Galaxy S8. This futuristic improvement by Samsung if to be incorporated into the Galaxy S8 has an assumed price of 600 or roughly around $750, as mentioned in a separate report.



Regarding the release date of the two highly anticipated smartphones, both smartphones have been projected for release in April 2017. However, such details should be taken lightly, for it still lacks confirmation from manufacturers.



Watch here below the potential look of Nokia Edge for 201:






U.S. carbon emissions during 2016 were expected to be the lowest in nearly 25 years, as coal played a smaller role in electricity production, an analysis from the Energy Department shows.

Also contributing to the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions was a mild winter in early 2016 that lowered demand for natural gas, heating oil and other fuels, the Energy Department said.

Overall, the winter of 2016 had the fewest heating degree days  when temperatures drop below 65 degrees  since 1949, helping carbon emissions in the first six months fall to a record low for that period.

The shift from coal to cleaner-burning natural gas and nonpolluting renewable sources in electric power production played the most significant role in reducing carbon emissions, the Energy Department said.

The power industry accounts for 35 to 40 percent of U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide, which scientists blame for accelerating climate change.

Coal consumption dropped during the first six months of 2016 by 18 percent as natural gas played a bigger role in generating power. In the fall, the EIA said coal production in the U.S. was on track to be the lowest since 1978.

Overall, natural gas consumption declined about 1 percent. But the use of wind energy, hydroelectric power and solar energy increased substantially. Overall consumption of nonpolluting energy increased 9 percent during the first six months of 2016, compared with the same period in 2015.

Wind energy , which added more generation capacity than any power source in 2015, accounted for nearly half the total increase.

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Hydroelectric power accounted for about 35 percent of the increase in renewable power consumption and solar energy about 13 percent. Solar energy is expected to have added the most generating capacity in 2016, according to the Energy Department.

Ryan.hand@chron.com
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ZHENGZHOU, China  A vast, boxy customs center acts as a busy island of commerce deep in central China.

Government officers race around wooden pallets piled high with boxes  counting, weighing, scanning and approving shipments. Unmarked trucks stretch for more than a mile awaiting the next load headed for Beijing, New York, London and dozens of other destinations.

The state-of-the-art facility was built several years ago to serve a single global exporter: Apple, now the worlds most valuable company and one of Chinas largest retailers.

The well-choreographed customs routine is part of a hidden bounty of perks, tax breaks and subsidies in China that supports the worlds biggest iPhone factory, according to confidential government records reviewed by the New York Times, as well as more than 100 interviews with factory workers, logistics handlers, truck drivers, tax specialists and current and former Apple executives. The package of sweeteners and incentives, worth billions of dollars, is central to the production of the iPhone, Apples best-selling and most profitable product.

It all centers on Zhengzhou, a city of 6 million people in an impoverished region of China. Running at full tilt, the factory here, owned and operated by Apples manufacturing partner Foxconn, can produce 500,000 iPhones a day. Locals now refer to Zhengzhou as iPhone City.

The local government has proved instrumental, doling out more than $1.5 billion to Foxconn to build large sections of the factory and nearby employee housing. It paved roads and built power plants.

It helps cover continuing energy and transportation costs for the operation. It recruits workers for the assembly line. It pays bonuses to the factory for meeting export targets.

All of it in support of iPhone production.

We needed something that could really develop this part of the country, said Li Ziqiang, a Zhengzhou official. Theres an old saying in China: If you build the nest, the birds will come. And now, theyre coming.

U.S. officials have long decried Chinas support of its state-owned companies, calling the subsidies and other aid an unfair competitive advantage in a global marketplace. But the Zhengzhou operation shows the extent of Chinas effort to entice overseas multinationals to set up production in the country.

Local and provincial officials have courted manufacturers with incentive packages that make it easier and cheaper to do business. Beijing for decades has encouraged such efforts at the national level by developing special economic zones that offer tax breaks to multinationals and exempt them from costly and cumbersome rules.

In this way, China is not unlike other countries, including the U.S., where states and cities vie for companies. To compete in the era of globalization, multinationals, which face pressures from shareholders and customers, must seek the best opportunities, increasingly by relying on a highly interconnected supply chain spread across the world.

In China, the competition for companies is secretive and rarely exposed to public scrutiny or debate  and it is often focused on manufacturing partners, rather than multinationals themselves.

Chinas lure is strong. Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Samsung have all flocked to China to lower their production costs, bolster their bottom lines and tap into the worlds largest consumer market. And many rely on local manufacturing partners such as Foxconn.

While Apple came later than many technology companies, it now generates nearly a quarter of its revenues from sales in China and has some of the fattest profit margins in the business. As such, the Zhengzhou operation provides an especially illustrative look at Chinas importance to U.S. technology companies  and specifically iPhone production and, more recently, Apples consumer sales.

A 32-gigabyte iPhone 7 costs an estimated $400 to produce. It retails for roughly $649 in the U.S., with Apple taking a piece of the difference as profit. The result: Apple manages to earn 90 percent of the profits in the smartphone industry worldwide, even though it accounts for only 12 percent of the sales, according to Strategy Analytics, a research firm.

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It is difficult to tally the total value of government benefits for the Zhengzhou operation or to determine the exact effect on the profits of Foxconn or Apple. The subsidies arent disclosed by the Chinese government or Foxconn. They arent available in public records. And Apple says it was not a party to Foxconns negotiations.

As Chinas largest private employer, Foxconn, a Taiwanese company, has enormous leverage in the negotiations for those incentives. The companys size and scale is connected to Apple. Foxconn is Apples largest supplier. Apple is Foxconns largest customer.

The two companies are intertwined in Zhengzhou. When the factory opened, Apple was Foxconns only customer here. Even now, the U.S. technology company accounts for almost all the production at the Zhengzhou plant, where about half the worlds iPhones are made. Apple is also the main exporter using the customs facility here.

A growing backlash against globalization puts Apple and other big multinationals directly in the sightlines of two increasingly combative giants: the U.S. and China.

President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to bring down the full force of the government on U.S. companies that move jobs overseas, threatening punitive tariffs on the goods they sell back home. Apple has been a frequent target of Trump.

China, under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, is growing less tolerant and more suspicious of Western influence, particularly U.S. technology companies and the huge influence they have over Chinese consumers. A state-owned publication called Apple one of the guardian warriors that have seamlessly penetrated China and may pose a threat to national security.

China, no longer content with just being the worlds factory floor, is moving aggressively to develop its own technology giants. Beijing is pressuring local governments to cut subsidy programs the country heartily encouraged just a few years ago. And big exporters, courted and protected for decades by Beijing, now face broad scrutiny.

Regulators shut down Apples iTunes Movies and iBooks Store last spring. And Chinese authorities fined the technology giant for failure to fully pay its taxes.
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Not every new mother in San Antonio gets to leave the hospital bearing not just a baby, but donated gift cards, baby toys, child locks and a $10,000 scholarship to the University of the Incarnate Word.

Those special perks are reserved for the one who gives birth to the first baby of the year.

Jocelyn Ramos-Campechano, 19, gave birth to Jayme Campechano at 12:11 a.m. on Jan. 1 at the Metropolitan Methodist Hospital  the first baby born in San Antonio this year.

For 17 years, area hospitals have pooled together gifts to welcome the first baby. This year, some of those gifts included a $100 gift card for Walmart from CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health System, $50 gift cards to Target and Babies R Us from the Methodist Healthcare and Baptist Health systems, and a car seat and portable playpen from University Health System.

It was a long experience but it was exciting, Ramos-Campechano said about being in labor, which lasted almost two days. And when she got here, it was so beautiful.

This was the first child for Ramos-Campechano, who is a second-year nursing student at the University of the Incarnate Word. She said it was exciting to find out that on top of giving birth to a healthy six-pound seven-ounce baby girl, she would be getting donations for having the first one of the year. Babies born from a planned C-section or planned inductions dont qualify for the first baby of the year title.

I couldnt believe it. I wasnt planning on it, either, she said, sitting in a wheelchair near a table with her donations Sunday morning, her sleeping daughter swaddled in her arms.

She did it like a champ, said her doctor, Christian Santiago. She pushed like she had to.

The first thing they all noticed when Jayme was born was the babys cap of smooth brown hair.

We said wow, she has a lot of hair! said Santiago to Ramos-Campechano, who giggled.

Greg Seiler, CEO of the hospital, said it had been more than 10 years since Metropolitan Methodist delivered the first baby of the year. He said there was a little friendly competition between hospitals,but as you can see, were all in it together.

Last years first baby of the year was Serenity Jo Gloria, born just after midnight at University Hospital.

Jayme didnt budge Sunday morning, fast asleep in her mothers arms.

Hopefully she stays like that, said Santiago. A lot of times they start crying right away and they dont stop.

sfosterfrau@express-news.net
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As colorful bursts of fireworks streamed across the San Antonio sky to usher in 2017, Javier Salazar raised his right hand and swore to uphold his duties as the new sheriff of Bexar County.

A few minutes later, he donned a tan, wide-brimmed hat and smiled broadly amid raucous cheers from family and supporters.

The midnight soiree capped a protracted and at times contentious campaign between Democrat Salazar and Republican Susan Pamerleau that was still playing out in a courtroom a day earlier. On Friday, Pamerleau successfully persuaded a judge to throw out a temporary restraining order obtained days earlier by Salazar to prevent her from making personnel changes in the waning days of her administration.

Salazar on Saturday sought to rally his supporters and defended his actions to stop Pamerleau from making what he said were improper personnel changes that would result in grievances and lawsuits for Sheriffs Office employees.

Some say it wasnt my place to intervene, but I acted to stop it, said Salazar, who will earn $138,00 a year as sheriff. As tough as that was ... (for) the situation not to work out entirely in my favor ... I demonstrated that I will fight to protect the men and women of the BCSO.

The recently retired sergeant and former San Antonio Police Department public information officer faces several challenges, inheriting an office of more than 1,900 employees beset by understaffing woes, budget constraints and, some say, low morale.

In a detailed interview days before he sought legal action against his predecessor, the 23-year SAPD veteran voiced a more conciliatory message, saying he wanted to take some time to sit back and see how people are functioning before making wholesale changes.

The last thing any effective leader does is come in like a bull in a china shop, he said.

Contentious transitions in hard-fought elections are fairly common. In December, the incoming district attorney in Harris County, Kim Ogg, fired nearly 40 prosecutors and publicly named three she said tried to sabotage criminal cases by telling victims that heir cases were in jeopardy.

A rough transition underscores the importance and influence of local offices like the county sheriff, said Brandon Rottinghaus, an author and political science professor at the University of Houston.

A razor-thin margin of victory made this a tough and surprising loss for Pamerleau.

On a recent cool December evening, Salazar joked about the close election at his birthday party/fundraiser. About 60 guests packed three white tents outside La Hacienda de Los Barrios restaurant for Salazars 46th birthday. Guests lined up at the buffet line while a man strummed tunes on his acoustic guitar.

A table with a few gift bags, a bottle of Patron tequila and a painting of the Texas flag in blue, black and gray hues was just behind the check-in counter. On another counter sat a large sheet cake adorned with yellow and blue frosting that spelled out in thick block letters, Happy Birthday Sheriff.

Salazar made the rounds, stopping to shake hands, accept countless congratulations and pose for several pictures with his wife, Sarah.

This year, victory is just so sweet, Salazar said to cheers. It was a bit close. In 2020, Ill take a landslide.

He had driven to the party straight from training in San Marcos for new sheriffs. He learned about jail standards, county animal services and other job duties. Training, whether for himself or for his staff, is one of Salazars top priorities as sheriff.

He said hed like to see more mental health training for detention officers at the jail to help them notice signs of mental distress among prisoners, or a shoot-dont-shoot simulator for those out on patrol, though he said hes aware of the departments budget constraints.

We refer back to our training. In moments of panic, muscle memory takes over. The more we repeat, and reinforce, the less an officer has to think about things when were in a crisis situation, he said.

Besides training, he wants to look at the departments equipment needs and stay updated on big-ticket construction items started under Pamerleau, such as two new substations and a jail complex reconfiguration. He also wants to take a closer look at department policies and procedures.

My goal is not to create another SAPD, he said. Its a unique law enforcement agency, its needs are different. We may in some instances use SAPD policy as a guide, and take best practices. One of the things theyve offered us at (sheriffs) training is access to model policy, crafted by experts in the field and defensible in court.

Salazar said he wants to look at suicides at the Bexar County Jail over the past several years to see if problems persist, such as a lack of lighting or a lack of coverage in certain areas of the jail. The county jail saw four suicides within four weeks during the past summer.

Its not something that suddenly started happening under an administration, he said.

Juan Contreras, president of the Deputy Sheriffs Association of Bexar County, likes Salazars law enforcement background and thinks he will bring fresh ideas to the job. The group endorsed Salazar over Pamerleau. Contreras said the association chose him because it wanted a change after experiencing what it considered to be low employee morale under Pamerleau.

One of the first things we talked about was his approach to discipline, Contreras said. We came to a reasonable conclusion. I guess you would say he recognizes certain issues a lot faster. Not from a law enforcement perspective, but from a rank-and-file perspective.

Last week, county commissioners approved a new

$42.6 million collective bargaining agreement between the Sheriffs Office and the deputies association, to fund raises and overtime pay for deputies, giving Salazar a tool to not only improve morale but also to recruit more officers to fill the departments vacancies.

While things are off to a good start, Contreras admits that there will be times when his group and Salazar wont agree on everything, but he hopes to meet those ups and downs in a better way.

Salazar will have his work cut out for him, said Henry Flores, a political science professor at St. Marys University. Ultimately, its just the nature of the job.

Sheriffs departments in big urban areas always seem to be behind the clock, Flores said. The majority of sophistication lies with big-city police departments. What happens, theyre managed better, specialists are better, and are better trained. Sheriffs departments usually get short-shrifted in large urban areas.

Because the department has more limited resources, whoever comes in has to be super-professional and know what theyre doing, he said. Salazar, a commissioned officer with decades of experience in law enforcement, may have a slight head start, Flores said.

I dont know how Salazar is going to do, he said. Coming from the public relations side of SAPD, I dont know whens the last time he was on the line, in the street, involved in real policing.

As the departments spokesman, Salazar was more of a gatekeeper than information facilitator. The department discourages its rank and file from talking to the media, and Police Chief William McManus often makes it to police scenes and leads news conferences with the media. Just how transparent Salazar will be as sheriff is unclear, although he vows to have a public information officer available to the media as much as possible.

As populous counties continue to grow, the iconic image of a Texas sheriff adorned in a tall Stetson hat cruising down a lonely country road has made way for todays big-city sheriff, one who pulls triple duty as administrator, politician and manager of staffs in the thousands.

Some still think of these people who roam county roads, looking for teens drinking beer, said Rottinghaus, the University of Houston professor. But now, they sit in an office (and) manage budgets and large mental health and jail facilities.

And while sheriffs of smaller, rural counties may have served for virtually their entire lifetimes, larger-county sheriffs are subject to the constant ebb and flow of partisanship, Rottinghaus said.

Back in San Marcos during training, all varieties of sheriffs were present. At one point, Salazar found himself to be the only one in the room not wearing a cowboy hat or carrying an old Colt .45 revolver.

An older sheriff walked up to him and said, I hear you got a new sheriff in San Antone. Is he coming today?

Salazar replied, Yes, I am.

The next day, the cowboy sheriff, as Salazar described him, looked over at him, nodded and said, Morning, Sheriff.

He got a different greeting Friday afternoon from his predecessor. After the judge dismissed Salazars restraining order against Pamerleau, he stopped to answer a few questions from the media.

Pamerleau stopped on her way out of the courthouse, put her hand on his shoulder and wished him luck.

You're going to need it, she added.
Once the fruitcake is gone and the Champagne bottle is empty, couples wanting out of their marriages tend to look to January as a prime time to figure out how to get a divorce.

Lawyers call it divorce month because of an uptick in inquiries and filings following the holidays, but one state lawmaker wants to make it harder for married couples to call it quits.

Conservative Republican Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth, said he wants to strengthen families and reinforce the sanctity of marriage by eliminating no-fault divorces, which now allow couples to split amicably with neither legally alleging blame.

I dont know if we dont take our vows as seriously as we used to, but I think getting rid of the no-fault divorce piece of this may make folks concentrate on this a little harder before they enter into that relationship, or stick it out to where they can restore that relationship and the tough times in marriage, he said.

Krause, who has been married for 14 years, said he wants modern culture to better value the importance of family to ensure a healthy society, and said stable families will result in better outcomes for children.

Under a bill he plans to push in the 2017 legislative session, the state would strike insupportability as grounds for divorce. A couple who wants to dissolve their marriage peacefully will have to live separately for three years before filing for divorce. Those opposed to waiting would have to accuse their partners of cruelty or adultery, or allege their partner abandoned them after a year living apart. Other grounds include conviction of a felony or confinement in a mental hospital.

Cleophus Marshall, a San Antonio lawyer who typically works with couples getting uncontested divorces, said Krauses proposal would likely make it harder for Texans, especially low-income couples, to get divorced.

They would have to pay more money to a lawyer to go in and prove those particular grounds for a divorce  an expense that is totally unnecessary, he said.

Marshall said he is a Christian, but he doesnt believe the proposal would further the biblical principal that seems to underpin the bill. Instead, he said, it forces couples to make the private details of their marriage a matter of public record.

You can argue, Our marriage is insupportable because this person committed adultery, Marshall said. But why do I have to say that? I still can be getting divorced for that biblical reason even though its not necessarily part of the record.

Cindy Diggs, of Holmes Diggs Eames & Sadler, a Houston law firm that concentrates on divorce and family law, echoed many of the same points, calling the bill a terrible idea.

Doing away with no-fault divorces will enrich divorce lawyers because clients will pay more in fees to come up with reasons to legally justify splitting from their spouse, she said.

Hes forcing the fight, she said of Krauses bill. Even as a divorce lawyer, I dont think thats right. I think you should make divorce easier for those who want it because those who want it are still going to go and file and get it. Its just going to cost them more and cause their families and their children more strife.

Divorce rates are on a steady decline across the country, and falling faster in Texas. The national divorce rate was 3.2 divorces per 1,000 people in 2014, the latest year for which data are available, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Thats down from the 4 divorces per 1,000 rate in 2001.

Texas began the millennium at the same rate but has dropped to 2.6 divorces per 1,000 people as of 2014, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. The state recorded 177,230 marriages and 71,988 divorces that year. The state does not maintain figures on how many were no-fault divorces.

There were 3,318 divorces granted in Bexar County in 2014, down 390 from the year before.

States began adopting no-fault divorce laws in 1970, beginning in California with a law signed by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan, himself a divorcee. By the mid-1980s, all but New York had signed no-fault divorces into law. New York became the last to allow couples to divorce by mutual consent in 2010.

Texas law allows couples to choose a no-fault divorce if they use insupportability as grounds for dissolving a union, assuming the marriage has become insupportable because of discord or conflict of personalities that destroys the legitimate end of the marital relationship and prevents any reasonable expectation of reconciliation.

Krauses plan to strike that option from state law is a long shot, said Steve Bresnen, a lobbyist for the Texas Family Law Foundation, which represents lawyers who concentrate on divorce, child custody and child support cases.

We dont want to go back to the old days, Bresnen said. People need to have the tools to order their own affairs and not have excessive state involvement ... To me, it is inviting the state and the workings of government, the judiciary especially, into peoples lives where the government should have a limited role.

Krause proposed the bill in the 2015 legislative session, supported by pastors and Concerned Women for America, a national conservative advocacy group that seeks to weave biblical principals into public policy, both of which argue children in single-parent households are more likely to struggle than their peers.

The bill won a narrow 4-3 bipartisan approval in a legislative committee but failed to reach the floor.

We are not a church, we are a government, said Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, during a hearing days before voting against the bill. When people get married, they get married. Theyre adults  That is really getting in the middle and Im not so sure it fixes things. I think, if anything, it makes things worse.

Krause rejects the suggestion that forcing couples to wait out a divorce infringes on their personal freedom.

They still have every right, whether theyre going to get into that union or not, Krause said. But once they do, I dont think its bad for the state to say, Hey, if youre doing this and youre entering into this union, lets make sure youre very serious about it, knowing the societal benefits that can happen when theres a happy married couple and knowing the societal concern that we see as a consequence when theres a proliferation of divorces.

Express-News Staff Writer Brittney Martin contributed to this report.
My friend Laurie was working as a teachers assistant in a Tucson elementary school, essentially performing the classroom drudgery. She lined up preschoolers and cleaned up after them, only to rinse and repeat.

It would have been easy to see the job as unworthy and beneath her intelligence, the kind of work no one notices or rewards.

Laurie chose not to see it that way.

As she washed every dish and organized every bookshelf, she saw it as helping to free up the teachers time, so she could focus on teaching young children to read. Therefore, in Lauries view, she, too, was helping them learn to read.

The decadeslong lesson has stayed with me as an example of how we frame progress, success and failure, self-worth and how kindnesses, however small, serve a purpose in the long chain-link reaction that turns the world, to every person a purpose.

I think of Lauries view when Im anxious, when I need a reminder of hope, especially as we begin what may be a tumultuous year.

At work, at home, in our relationships and social circles, you might find comfort in Lauries hope. Its everywhere in San Antonio:

In Patricia Castillo of the PEACE Initiative, who has toiled against domestic violence for four decades and has seen courageous advocates  friends, neighbors, relatives, co-workers and strangers  intercede on behalf of those living with violence. In spite of being afraid, they dont look away and dont blame the victims. Its called bystander intervention, and more people than ever are doing it because its the right thing to do.

In Katheryn Barlow-Williams, senior pastor at Oak Hills Presbyterian Church, who sees evidence of hope every Sunday. From the pulpit, the best seat in the house, she sees faithful souls refusing to give up hope. The elderly, whove lived through everything, especially offer hope. They show up and dont give up on themselves or life.

In Father David Garcia of the Old Spanish Missions, who sees hope in the people who responded so quickly when Central American mothers and children were released from federal detention with little notice; in those who assist the food pantry run by Pax Christi nuns in his neighborhood; and in members of his Mission Concepcion parish who took Christmas gifts to a refugee family from the Congo, one they help all year long.

In activist and volunteer Kathy Hill, who may live in Leon Valley but sees herself as part of greater San Antonio and its great, big heart. In spite of problems, she sees a strong sense of community that appreciates and protects a shared heritage. The willingness to help each other out always gives me a sense of hope, she says. She has noticed since 9/11 that San Antonio has more kindhearted people than stone-hearted ones. We have to choose to focus on the good, roll up our sleeves and help where and when we can, and remember that even though the problems of the world swirl around us, making our home a better place is something each one of us can do.

In the Rev. Ann Helmke of the peaceCENTER, whos, at heart, a poet. What creates and gifts me with Hope is traveling the distance with others. Miles of slippery roads, moments of shared labor, metaphor in uncertain times. What creates and gifts me with Hope is reaching the destination with others  What creates and gifts me with Hope is that Love still descends and rises. Between us, within us, in spite of us. What creates and gifts me with Hope is that Love is so determined. No matter what, no matter where, no matter how  Every day. Every year. All the time. No matter what.

In Patty Vela of Catholic Charities, who sees a kind city growing kinder. She cant help but make a Star Wars reference about hope, too. Darth Vadar was defeated by a small group of people who were filled with the force of love and light, she says, because darkness cant win. It does not exist without its counterpart, light.

In moments of worry, Vela turns to writers such as Glennon Melton Doyle, who advises that we just hold each others babies, Vela says, and we realize we are one.

The kind are everywhere in San Antonio. Theyre raising money for good causes, sometimes doing the drudgery  like Laurie did  that such work demands. Theyre working to feed children not their own and providing aid to keep them in college. Theyre showing up to worship and marching on the streets for justice.

Their kindness offers hope. And if youre not yet feeling it, hold a baby for a moment, or walk up to the front of your house of worship and look at the faces of hope.

Theyre there.

eayala@express-news.net

Twitter: @ElaineAyala
AUSTIN  State leaders and lawmakers may feel Texans pain when it comes to rising local property taxes, but theyre also getting some gain from the increases as they prepare to write the state budget.

Because of the way formulas for public school finances work, the states share of paying for education goes down when local school property tax values go up.

The calculation means that lawmakers who meet in regular session starting this month should have nearly $2 billion more in state money to spend in other areas because they wont have to put it into schools.

The money is sorely needed by state budget writers at a time when revenues are showing the effects of the unsteady oil and gas industry, but theres irony in the benefit since Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and some of his top Senate leaders are pushing to put new restrictions on increases in city and county property tax revenue.

The spectacle isnt lost even on those whove backed city and county changes.

The local districts are going to end up having to pay for a greater share of public school costs, said Dale Craymer, president of the business-based Texas Taxpayers and Research Association. The state can cut what its spending for schools and still fund the formulas because of rising property values.  Its a big savings for everyone except the property owners.

Cities and counties that oppose proposed new restrictions on their ability to raise money point out that school districts impose the biggest share of property taxes.

School districts in 2013 accounted for nearly 55 percent of the property tax levy, compared with 16.7 percent for counties and 16.2 percent for cities, according to the state comptrollers office.

But state leaders arent proposing new limits on how much school districts can raise in local revenue. There are already restrictions in place for schools, and the public education finance system is a delicately balanced mechanism that must ensure equity across districts.

If the state relieves the local property tax burden, it faces the pressure of replacing the lost local revenue with state money. When lawmakers in 2015 approved a bigger homestead exemption from school taxes that was approved by voters, the state tab topped

$1 billion.

With limited money at their disposal this time, leaders instead are focusing on crafting new hurdles for cities and counties, which shouldnt expect any help from the state in coping with the effects.

Under a proposal championed by Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, and Patrick, there would be an automatic election if city and county officials propose a 4 percent increase in property tax revenues. That would be more restrictive than current law, under which voters can petition for a rollback election if cities or counties increase collections by more than 8 percent.

School districts already have automatic elections with distinct criteria.

Bettencourt pushed a similar measure in 2015 but it wilted under opposition from local officials despite support from groups including Craymers. Leading up to this session, Bettencourt headed a special committee appointed by Patrick that had hearings around the state on property taxes. They got an earful from property owners who cant cope with their rising tax bills, which will be powerful ammunition.

There hasnt been the same push for a bill by Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, to ensure that state funding for public education doesnt go down as property values rise.

Taxpayers expect that public schools and their students are reaping the benefit of rising school property tax bills. But the biggest beneficiaries are really legislators because the state pays less as property values go up, said Watson, who pushed the same measure two years ago when the state had more money at its disposal.

Theres no sign that Watsons bill will get a more favorable hearing now that the budget is tight.

Asked how essential it is that school districts pay the extra money, Senate Finance Committee Chairwoman Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, said, The state's share of education costs fluctuates based on local tax levels, which are not under our control. The trend line is going up, along with local property tax bills, and that is why we made property tax relief a priority last session.

While I would prefer throwing out the current system and starting over from scratch, historically it has been extremely difficult to reach consensus on a new way forward, Nelson said. Until that happens, the state will pay its share in accordance with the current formula.
Strange Rock Structure in China (Photo : Mystery History/YouTube)

Xia Changjun, a Hubei Province resident, discovered a large rock structure in the province on a mountainside near Baokang. Standing 5 foot, 2 inches, the rock has three tiers held by weird-looking cylindrical pillars.



As experts attempt to explain if the structure is natural, made by man or designed by creatures who are like human, some say it looks like a piece from a science fiction movie. Wang Qingxiang, a Hubei historian, said he was puzzled by its tier shape and columns, Daily Star reported.



Advertisement

New UFO Sightings?



He believes the basalt stone rock was used in ancient rites or possibly was a signaling devices during wars. The speculations come amid alleged UFO sightings in China. In mid-December, a Chinese man said he heard a deep sound that came from the sky, followed by a strange object dropping from the clouds and hitting the ground.



When villagers went immediately to the crash site, they found a large crater surrounded by burn marks. UFO experts speculated that the crater possibly indicates a visit by an extraterrestrial to Earth. They point that the crash site in China could possibly be added to the 10 confirmed UFO crash sites on the planet, including the Rendlesham Forest in Suffolk, UK.



Green Rock



However, residents could not see any real object in the burning crater that caused the huge crater. But there was a big lump of green rock, believed to be a space rock, found near the crash scene.



In 2016, among the alleged UFO sightings in China include a strange-looking floating object that caused a gridlock as drivers went out of their cars to look up. There was also alleged alien city spotted flying all over China. One explanation made by conspiracy theorists is that the floating object is part of NASAs Blue Beam Project, Daily Star reported.






Last week in Mexico, a girl named Rubi Ibarra celebrated her 15th birthday with thousands of guests her dad accidentally invited to the quinceanera through YouTube.

The invite went viral. Rubis XV trended like a burlap centerpiece on Pinterest. Celebrities said theyd show up at Rubis social debut while others spoofed it. An airline offered a 30-percent discount for anyone flying into San Luis Potosi, which is right in the center of Mexico, for the Dec. 26 celebration. And the jokes about how Crescensio Ibarras invitation listed the bands set to play and the horse race  with a 10,000 peso jackpot!  lit up social media.

If youre familiar with Mexican culture and quinceanera etiquette, you know that while engraved invitations are the norm for this milestone family celebration, this kind of open invitation is not unusual. An open Youre all invited! from the host is a sincere call for the pleasure of your company  and the company of anyone else you might want to bring.

Its not party crashing; friends of friends are expected to introduce themselves to the hosts, to remember to bring their party personality and, of course, to bring the debutante a nice gift. That is, after all, how your circle of friends and nodding acquaintances grows.

If youre familiar with YouTube  and Rubis dad clearly wasnt  you know that everyone with internet access will be able to see what you post, even if what you post is an invitation intended only for the people who live in the rural community where you live.

And, if youre familiar with the way things were in 2016, you know those of us who considered ourselves to be edgy and cool loved to make fun of those of us considered to be less, well, sophisticated. Less with it.

Thats why Rubis dads YouTube video went viral. A rural Mexican guy wearing a cowboy hat inviting everyone to his daughters party? And hes even listing the local bands hes hired along with the horse race to make the invitation more enticing? LOL. ROTFL. SMH. Insert the winking emoji with a pitchfork here.

But the Ibarra family was gracious. We didnt mean to invite everyone, Rubis parents explained to the world through an interview on Univision, but everyone who wants to come is welcome. They put up big tents and lots of tables. Thousands showed up, including the media  who sent pictures of Rubi to the rest of us who werent at the party.

And despite looking overwhelmed by the way things unfolded, Rubi looked like a storybook princess in her bright dress and tiara.

Thats how quinceaneras have always looked, even before the internet.

In what seems like an instant, the internet and social media brought the world together in a way that so many of us never saw coming.

Siri and Alexa can help us find driving directions to a tiny community in another country in a heartbeat but, if were not careful, technology also gives anonymous access to those who dont have our best interest at heart, in increasingly complicated ways that most of us will never really understand.

Its also introduced a social anonymity through which people forget civility and snipe, jab, bully and mock those around them, just because they can.

Lets hope 2017 is a different time, when we remember that even uncomfortable, out-of-control Oops!-moments can be overcome with patience, civility and the grace to always remember to do what is right.

mariaanglin@yahoo.com
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
As many as 20 per cent of Scottish farmers could quit the industry in 2017 as a result Brexit, according to a report by Scotland's Rural College (SRUC).

The report, Rural Scotland in Focus 2016, says that, whilst the outcome of the United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union is at the moment unknown, the Brexit vote has increased uncertainty amongst farmers. One in five Scottish farmers surveyed by SRUC suggested that Brexit had increased the likelihood of them retiring from farming.

Brexit is clearly causing uncertainty  and some farmers have told us that means they are thinking of retiring earlier than planned," said Steven Thomson, senior agricultural economist with SRUC.

Nearly a third of farmers and crofters surveyed for the report believe that Brexit will mean they will have to increase off-farm income sources or diversify their business.

Some 11 per cent of respondents thought they would need to downsize following the referendum in June in which the UK voted to withdraw from the EU by 52 per cent to 48 per cent. A majority of Scots voted to remain.

The SRUC report is the fourth of its kind published by the college, it is produced every two years, looking at key topics of rural and national importance.

Although the outcome of exit negotiations with the rest of the EU will not be know for some time - probably two years - the authors of this latest edition of the report said, "What is certain is that Brexit will cause, and already has caused, uncertainty in the sector."

Increased business uncertainty

Some 57 per cent of farmers who took part in the survey said that Brexit had increased business uncertainty.

The authors said this was something that "inevitably leads to lower on-farm investment, as witnessed during the recent CAP reforms  with inevitable impacts on the wider rural economy."

The report revealed that increased uncertainty was highest in the younger farm and croft population and on mixed farms and beef and sheep sectors.

The report said more than half of those surveyed thought that Brexit would increase the challenge of maintaining their farm or croft business. Again, this was highest in the younger generation and in the beef and sheep sector.

However, 37 per cent of respondents saw Brexit providing them with increased opportunities for maintaining their business. This feeling was higher on the larger farms.

There was lower confidence in the beef and sheep sectors.

Early retirement

The most startling finding from the report was the one highlighting the number of farmers who may quit the industry early.

One fifth of respondents overall said it was more likely they would retire following Brexit. This feeling was lowest in those under 54 years of age.

However, a quarter of farmers and crofters over the age of 55 said the referendum result may bring forward retirement. The impact on retirement plans was lowest amongst the specialist sectors  horticulture, dairy, pigs and poultry.

The report's authors said that Scottish agriculture had been used to change - some in response to market demands and environmental pressure, but also changes to various Common Agricultural Policy regimes.

Our report shows how vital that support has been - and still is - to the industry, especially the beef and sheep sectors," said the authors.

Steven Thomson said it was not yet known what would replace CAP once the United Kingdom had left the EU. But he said: Assume there will be budgetary pressures - meaning innovation and new approaches will be key to making farming more resilient."

He pointed to examples of agricultural sectors that had been successful without subsidies: Being traditionally unsupported by the CAP, soft fruit growers, pig producers and others have shown the way.

It is no coincidence they tend to be run by a younger generation  ready and able to grab opportunities, adopting new technologies and research ideas.

Support and regulation for the future

The report argued that more control must be passed to younger people who may be more ready to adopt the new approaches that often drive business improvements.

It said that, as the implications of Brexit started to unfold, Scottish agriculture should reflect and take stock of how the sector should be supported and regulated in the future.

As such, we should all take an opportunity to revisit the work of Brian Pack through his independent 'Inquiry Into Future Support For Agriculture In Scotland' and the 'Doing Better Initiative to Reduce Red Tape for Farmers and Rural Land Managers.' If the shackles of the EU Commission and auditors are indeed broken - providing we adhere to the minimum rules required under any future EU trade deal  then there must be opportunities to design a better agricultural support policy and make farming less stressful and bureaucratic," said the report.

They said the industry should revisit the recommendations made by Brian Pack for designing a new support policy that was fit for purpose. Reducing the red tape burden on Scottish land managers would be a logical place to start, they said.

'Viable and sustainable industry'

In 2015 the Scottish Government set out a vision for the Future of Scottish Agriculture through their discussion document.

This, and sectoral strategies, were an excellent starting point for thinking about what the industry would like a post-Brexit agricultural sector to look like in Scotland, said the authors.

As we begin to understand the implications for Brexit it is worth revisiting the useful work that has already been undertaken and help develop a set of support mechanisms that can drive the necessary changes that build on our international reputation for quality food and drink products, and will lead to a viable and sustainable industry that best uses Scotlands unique natural resources," said the report.

Professor Sarah Skerratt, who was the report's editor, said: Rural communities and businesses are resourceful, innovative and co-operative. These are qualities all those involved in the rural economy must adopt. But to be effective that must be within a coherent, overarching strategy, taking account of the possible conflicts and properly monitored so it can be adapted based on real evidence."

This, she said, could create a greener, smarter and more prosperous Scotland.
As 2016 draws to a close, thoughts inevitably turn to the year ahead and what it holds. There are few who, at the start of the year, expected to finish 2016 with Britain set to leave the EU and Donald Trump elected as President of the US.

But what does 2017 hold, in particular for those working in the agriculture sector?

The UK200Group is the UKs leading membership association of independent chartered accountancy and law firms, whose members act as trusted business advisers to over 150,000 SMEs, including over 3,887 farms.

The associations agriculture industry group brings together expert accountants who work with farmers on a regular basis.

As we start a new year, UK farmers will now start to look at what could face them in 2017. With many possible outcomes affecting Britain as a result of Brexit, there is a lot of uncertainty as to how these will affect agriculture in the coming years.

Brexit

Dylan Jones, Manager of the Farming & Rural Business Team at Cheshire-based Howard Worth said the Brexit boost for agriculture caused by the weakening of sterling is predicted to lead to an increase in farm profits this year and next.

He said: It is estimated that farming income for the 2016 calendar year will be higher than those seen in 2015, and a further improvement is expected for 2017 for many farming sectors.

Uncertainty about what terms and agreement that Britain will leave the EU in are expected to delay any possible investment from other countries in the EU. Similarly, will they purchase from the UK? This will all depend upon what trade agreements can be established and whether the UK will still be allowed to stay in the free market. It has been suggested that the UK may import more food from developing countries in an attempt to sweeten EU leaders. However, EU leaders dont want other countries to follow Britain out of the EU so may not look to give UK farmers too good a deal.

There is also concern for farming subsidies, which are paid by the EU, as some of the money put aside for farmers may be diverted to other areas by the government, such as to the NHS.

Mr Jones said: The prices of wheat and barley are expected to rise over the next year, but farmers are told not to rely on this lasting into the distant future due to current increases mainly being due to a drop in the pound.

The fluctuations in sterling may have a positive effect on export sales, milk prices and subsidy payments but are likely to have a negative effect in terms of expenses such as feed, fertiliser and fuel costs.

Milk prices

UK milk prices fell from an average 33.94p per litre February 2014 to an average farmgate price of just under 20p per litre in June 2016.

Mr Jones continued: There have been signs of recovery since then, and a number of UK milk processors have announced gradual price increases.

Milk production in the UK has also declined in recent months with September 2016 production (of approximately 1,050 million litres) down by about 100 million litres compared to 12 months earlier.

As a result, milk prices are expected to continue to rise over the coming year, as processors become short of milk.
NFU Cymru Conference: Farmers need more help to 'weather current storms'
Warrenton, VA (20186)

Today

Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. 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 57F. Winds light and variable.
The iconic Hollywood sign, built in 1923 is a popular landmark and cultural representation situated in on Mount Lee, in the Hollywood Hills area of the Santa Monica Mountains. (Photo : YouTube/ AL Davis The Maverick)

Hollywood residents woke up on Jan. 1, Sunday, with the iconic HOLLYWOOD sign changed into word HOLLYWeed. An unidentified prankster dressed in all black vandalized the sign about 3 a.m. on New Year.



The suspect, who is believed to be a man, climbed up Mount Lee by mounting on the protective fence of the HOLLYWOOD sign. The person changed the two letter O's by covering it with black tarpaulin so the letters would appear as lower case "e." The incident was caught on the surveillance video.



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The occurrence took place after the recreational marijuana was approved by residents in Nov. 2016. Selling and buying of recreational weeds will be legal starting Jan. 1, 2018, according to The Hollywood Reporter.



The Los Angeles Police Department is considering a misdemeanor trespassing crime case against the offender who sabotaged the famous HOLLYWOOD sign. The suspect remains at large.



Estevan Montemayor, a spokesman for Los Angeles City Councilman David Ryu, assured that the letters would be restored back to normal earlier that day. The authorities reinstated the letters about 11 a.m.



L.A. Police Officer Christopher Garcia told CNN that it is difficult to identify the race or height of the suspect because it was raining and dark when the HOLLYWOOD sign was altered. Although there are sensors on some letters, the suspect could have avoided it by climbing the back area.



Shelby Garcia, the assistant managing editor of LA Times, shared on Twitter that it was the not first time that the famous Hollywood landmark was vandalized. It was first sabotaged to read "HOLLYWeeD" in 1976.



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







Garcia also shared that the HOLLYWOOD sign was altered several times in the 1980s. Once it was changed to Go Navy" in 1983 and then to "RAFFEYSOD" sign in 1985. Cal tech students also changed it to read "Cal tech" in 1987.



The HOLLYWOOD symbol is a famous landmark in Los Angeles, California, overlooking Hollywood. It can be found on Mount Lee in the Hollywood Hills part of the Santa Monica Mountains.



The 45-foot HOLLYWOOD sign was built in 1923 to promote real estate development in the area. Since then, the iconic sign has gained recognition, but often has been the target of vandalism. It is now protected and managed by The Trust for Public Land. Watch the footage below of the famous landmark:






Where to eat and drink in the Fayetteville area this weekend
Carrie Fisher was starstruck by Prince Harry.

Prince Harry

The 'Star Wars' actress - who passed away last week after having a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles - was a huge fan of the British royal and once made her close pal, chat show host Graham Norton, help her to track him down in a London club.

Graham told the Mail on Sunday that he first bumped into Harry in the club and Carrie couldn't contain her excitement when he told her

He said: "I told Princess Leia. Suddenly she was on a mission to meet Harry, so we were in the lift, looking at every floor. She was extremely excited."

However, when they finally found him, Harry, 32, admitted he wasn't a 'Star Wars' fan."

Meanwhile, Harry is currently dating 'Suits' actress Meghan Markle and it was recently revealed that his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, approves.

A source told Us Weekly: "She's delighted to see Harry in a loving relationship."

And Meghan has been getting help and advice from Harry's communications secretary Jason Knauf and private secretary Ed Lane Fox.

The insider explained: "There have been times where Meghan's been unsure [of protocol and having a direct line to Harry's most trusted aides has been a godsend."

Meghan has also turned to Sophie Trudeau - the wife of Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau - for advice on how to cope with the attention surrounding her relationship.

The source explained: "Sophie went through a similar situation. She was a television host and focused a lot on pop culture - then she became the story herself. Mentor might be too big of a word, but Sophie's unique insight has been so helpful."
The sale of readymade clothes increased by close to 44 per cent in Bihar in the seven months following the ban on liquor, said chief minister Nitish Kumar. The sale of apparel as well as hosiery went up as people have begun utilising their money for buying useful items. Kumar also said that the sales of sewing machines witnessed a rise of 19 per cent.

While addressing a Chetna Sabha in Lakhisarai, Kumar said that people of Bihar are using their earnings to buy good clothes for themselves and their children post liquor ban.

Kumar made the announcement of the surge in the sales of clothing items during the sixth leg of Nischay yatra, according to media reports. This yatra aims to take feedback regarding the impact of liquor prohibition on common people. (KD)

The sale of readymade clothes increased by close to 44 per cent in Bihar in the seven months following the ban on liquor, said chief minister Nitish Kumar. The sale of apparel as well as hosiery went up as people have begun utilising their money for buying useful items. Kumar also said that the sales of sewing machines witnessed a rise of 19 per cent.#

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Carrie-Anne Moss, Rachel Taylor, Wil Traval, Eka Darville, Krysten Ritter, Melissa Rosenberg, Erin Moriarty and Mike Colter attend the Netflix Presents The Casts Of Marvel's Daredevil And Marvel's Jessica Jones At New York Comic-Con at Jacob Javits Cente (Photo : Getty Images/ Dave Kotinsky)

As part of the call for diversity in Hollywood, there is an even bigger demand to have women take bigger roles on screen and behind the scenes. With "Ocean's Eleven" staging an all-female reboot and DC Extended Universes hitting the green light on "Gotham City Sirens," there is even greater pressure on production houses to make female-driven movies.



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As per The Hollywood Reporter, Margot Robbie will reprise her role as Harley Quinn in DCEU's upcoming movie "Gotham City Sirens," which will showcase the top female villains from DC's roster. The movie is confirmed to include Catwoman and Poison Ivy, with Megan Fox reportedly in the running for the role.



The "Ocean's Eleven" reboot, on the other hand, will be just as big as its testosterone-driven counterpart. The all-star ensemble will be led by Sandra Bullock, who will play the sister of George Clooney's Danny Ocean. Also joining the cast are Cate Blanchett, Helen Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway and Rihanna, Variety reported.



The pressure is high on the Marvel Cinematic Universe to come out with a movie that centers on its female heroes and villains. The most visible female characters in the MCU so far are Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow and Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch. Marvel has already confirmed that a "Captain Marvel" movie is in the works with Oscar winner Brie Larson taking over the titular role.



A- Force



Captain Marvel's debut could lead to the introduction of the A-Force, an all-female "Avengers" type squad which Captain Marvel is a member of. The team is led by She-Hulk, and also includes Medusa, Dazzler, Singularity and Nico Minoru.



X-Men



In the comic books, many of X-Men's most powerful and significant characters have been women. While they weren't given as much exposure as the guys in the movies, it is high time that they should. The "X-Men" comics was re-launched in 2013 with an all-female roster led by Storm. The team consists of Psylocke, Rogue, Kitty Pryde and Rachel Grey, the daughter of Jean Grey and Scott Summers a.k.a Cyclops.



Fearless Defenders



"The Defenders" is in the works over at Netflix. The street-level superheroes include Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. For a brief time in the comics, the Fearless Defenders took over that mantle, led by Valkyrie of Asgard. Valkyrie will make her movie debut in "Thor: Ragnarok," played by Tessa Thompson.






As of middle of December 2016, exports from Myanmar garments firms employing the cutting, making and packaging (CMP) system soared to $1.157 billion, up 83.7 per cent as against $629.709 million in the same period of the prior fiscal. Exports to Japan, the largest apparel importer from Myanmar accounted for 33 per cent of all clothing exports.Quoting statistics from the Myanmar ministry of commerce, Myanmar media reported that Japan was followed by South Korea and Germany with 25 per cent share each in exports, in addition to shipments to China and the American markets.

As of middle of December 2016, exports from Myanmar garments firms employing the cutting, making and packaging (CMP) system soared to $1.157 billion, up 83.7 per cent as against $629.709 million in the same period of the prior fiscal. Exports to Japan, the largest apparel importer from Myanmar accounted for 33 per cent of all clothing exports.#

A majority of the investments permitted by the Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) in the current fiscal has streamed into the clothing production industry.There are over 400 apparel manufacturing units in Myanmar, employing over 300,000 people. (AR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
The bomber jacket is leading the trend as search interest for it has surged in the US and UK, says a recent report. Military chic, free-spirited and ready-to-go outfits stand out in both the regions and off-the-shoulder tops and dresses are trending, along with flower-child styles like boho dresses and kimonos. Among materials, lace and denim top the charts.

Google gathered data based on the most searched phrases during the last year in the US and UK for its trends fashion report that focuses on the trends that were popular during 2016.

Search interest for bomber jackets has been growing steadily for years, but it recently surged, starting in London late last year. Since then, it has spread to most major cities across the US and UK. In April, searches for bomber jackets grew 297 per cent year-on-year in the UK and 612 per cent year-on-year in the US, and people looked for more spring-ready colours and materials like satin, silk, pink, florals and embroidery.

The bomber jacket is leading the trend as search interest for it has surged in the US and UK, says a recent report. Military chic, free-spirited and ready-to-go outfits stand out in both the regions and off-the-shoulder tops and dresses are trending, along with flower-child styles like boho dresses and kimonos. Among materials, lace and denim top the charts.#

How people search for bomber jackets reflects its style evolution from military to mainstream. While it's often searched with words like flight, army and MA1 (the traditional style), David Beckham and Kanye West are also common, reflecting the influence celebrities have had on the trend's adoption. General terms like mens, womens, petite and plus size suggest interest has made its way to the average consumer. Kids, baby and toddler are all top-associated terms, says the report.

The off-the-shoulder look has grown in both markets from December 2015 to May 2016  261 per cent in the UK and 347 per cent in the US. The look is, making it a go-to for consumers across the board. The comfortable, stylish and adaptable look is associated with keywords like dress, bikini, wedding and beach. People are also looking for maternity and baby versions of the style, highlighting its cross-age appeal, adds the report.

Jumpsuits, rompers (called playsuits in the UK), two-piece dresses and co-ords are all one-stop styles on the rise. While British consumers led the romper/playsuit trend in 2013, Americans embraced it two years later in a much bigger way. In the US, interest in the romper/playsuit has seen steady growth between 2014 and 2016.

The trends fashion report also says that terms like boy, girl, baby and toddler were commonly searched along with the aforementioned trends. Gender lines are blurring as men and women are adopting similar styles. Consumers are also searching for different takes on the trending styles and are looking to wear them everywhere.

Whether it is a romper for a festival, an off-the-shoulder bikini at the beach or a lightweight floral bomber jacket for spring, consumers are searching for items by occasions and activities. They are both looking to adapt trends to the moment and find styles that can go anywhere, says the report. (KD)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Bollywood celebrities like Madhur Bhandarkar, Pooja Bhatt and Raveena Tandon have mourned the tragic demise of film producer Abis Rizvi in a terror attack on an Istanbul nightclub.

A gunman opened fire at people celebrating New Year at a nightclub in Istanbul early on Sunday, claimed at least 39 lives and injuring 69.



Rizvi was one of the two Indians who passed away in the attacks, External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj posted on Twitter.



Also Read: It's Shocking! Kangana Ranaut Almost Ended Up Doing An Adult Film In Her Struggling Days

After his death news was announced, various celebrities took to Twitter to pay tribute to Rizvi, who produced the 2014 film "Roar".

Actress Raveena Tandon tweeted: "Abis, we shall miss you RIP my dearest friend. We love you. You leave a deep gap in our hearts and lives."

Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar said: "Shocked by the news of losing one of my long time and dearest friend, Abis Rizvi, in the shootout in Istanbul. Will miss you my friend. RIP."

Actor Randeep Hooda wrote: "Shocking. Life is too short, we take too much for granted.. RIP Abis Rizvi. Good man. My condolences to the family."

Actress Pooja Bhatt also expressed condolence, and said: "Devastated to hear that our friend Abis Rizvi was shot dead in the Istanbul nightclub attack. My heart goes out to his family. RIP."

Actor Jaaved Jaaferi said: "Devastated by the death of my friend Abis Rizvi in the dastardly terrorist attack this morning in an Istanbul nightclub."

Actress Shama Sikander also mourned his death and wondered how "life is so fragile".

Veteran actress Poonam Dhillon tweeted: "Istanbul night club attack, tragic! So many lives lost. So terrible that two young Indians killed too. RIP Abis Rizvi, a young dynamic achiever."

Nora Fatehi, who acted in Roar, said she was "shocked" with the news. With inputs from IANS.
Loved Salman Khan's adorable chemistry with his little 'Munni' Harshali Malhotra in Bajrangi Bhaijaan? Gear up for yet another cute story as the superstar is all set to play a father to a 13-year-old girl in Remo D'Souza's next film.

In an interview with HT Brunch, the actor confirmed the latest development and was quoted saying, "In my next film, I'm playing the father of a 13-year-old girl. It's a film about dancing. Like the Hollywood Step Up franchise. I'm going to be a properly trained dancer." Wow, that would be quite interesting considering Sallu is known for his signature dance moves.

Salman who recently celebrated his 51st birthday has reunited with Kabir Khan for Tubelight which marks the Bollywood debut of Chinese actress Zhu Zhu. Reportedly, the film is set in the times of the 1962 Indo-Sino war.

Besides this, the actor will be returning back as the Indian spy Tiger in Ali Abbas Zafar's Tiger Zinda Hai which has him sharing screen space with Katrina Kaif once again.

Watch out this space for more.
Sushant Singh Rajput delivered a knockout performance in his last release M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story and has a platter of films ranging belonging to various genres.

In an interview to Hindustan Times, the actor spoke about his alleged cold war with Ranveer Singh. He said, "Probably, it's because we are about the same age and because I opted out of the old management company (Aditya Chopra's company) and he decided otherwise and so comparisons can be made."

Ranveer's last film Befikre grabbed a lot of eyeballs on its bold take on romance. Further, there were even rumours of Sushant being offered this film first. When asked about it, he said, "Let me clear it once and for all, I was never offered Befikre. But had I been offered, I wouldn't have done it. I know it's easier to decide after the results are out but I have a reason. If the same production is offering me niche films like Byomkesh Bakshy, I would do it. And I would also do a Paani where Shekhar Kapur will be a raising a very important, immediate issue."

Adding more to it he further said, "If Befikre was representing the new-age youth of India and romance as what it was claiming, it would have been great irrespective of the box-office numbers. But unfortunately, it didn't do that and hence I would not be interested. I am not suggesting that films should only reflect reality (like Pink, Neerja or Dhoni biopic.) They could also be fanciful films like The Jungle Book (2016), which was also very popular. But it's extremely important to know and then claim what you have made."

Ouch, we wonder what Ranveer has to say to this!
The entire world is celebrating the arrival of 2017. The Malayalam film industry is also celebrating the New Year and has pinned high hopes in this year.

But, the start of the year hasn't been a good one, with the cinema strike spoiling the entire mood of the audiences. No new Malayalam films were in the theatres for the viewers to watch during the weekend.

Meanwhile, an interesting announcement was also made in the first day of New Year in the form of Mammootty's upcoming big project. Read more about this and other Mollywood news of the week.

Mammootty And Vysakh To Team Up Once Again A big surprise came in for Mammootty fans in the form of an announcement of a big movie. Reportedly, director Vysakh is all set to make a sequel to his debut blockbuster movie Pokkiriraja. Tentatively titled as Raja 2, the film would have Mammootty reprising the role of Raja from the original. Jomonte Suvisheshangal: The New Song Is Out After the song Nokki Nokki.., the new video song of Jomonte Suvisheshangal, is out. The video of the song Neelakasham.. was recently released online and it went on to become an instant hit, especially the dance moves of Dulquer Salmaan. Pulimurugan 3D Version To Be Out Soon Interestingly, the makers of Pulimurugan came out with an important announcement in the new posters of Pulimurugan. Reportedly, the technical crew of the movie are in the works of 3D version of the film and the new version would hit the theatres in 2017. A New Year Without New Movies: The Wait For Big Releases Continue The cinema strike has left the audiences heavily disappointed. No new Malayalam movies got released in the past week, as well. In fact, certain group theatres have stopped the screening of all Malayalam movies. Prayaga Martin And Roshan Mathew In Viswasapoorvam Mansoor Renowned film-maker P T Kunjimuhammed is all set with his next directorial venture, which has been titled as Viswasapoorvam Mansoor. The film would feature Aanandam fame Roshan Mathew and Prayaga Martin in the lead roles.

The film industry is also gearing up for the first Malayalam release of 2017. Reportedly, Dr Biju's Kaadu Pookkunna Neram featuring Rima Kallingal and Indrajith in the lead roles, will hit the theatres on January 6, 2016.

Meanwhile, films like Kattappanayile Rithwik Roshan and Pulimurugan are continuing in selected theatres, which are not a part of the strike. Aamir Khan starrer Dangal has benefited the most, from the film strike as it is doing a grand business in Kerala.

The industry is hoping that there will be a solution for the present crisis and the big movies Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol, Jomonte Suvisheshangal, Fukri, Ezra etc., would hit the theatres soon.
Oru Mexican Aparatha, is an upcoming film, directed by debutant Tom Emmatty and featuring Tovino Thomas in the lead role. The film is one of the highly anticipated movies of 2017.

Now, according to the latest reports, the shoot of the film has been completed. Reportedly, this campus based flick is set in the background of Maharaja's college of the 1970's.

Film-maker Roopesh Peethambaran, who portrays an important role in the movie, took to Facebook to post a status regarding the completion of the shoot of the film.

Apart from Tovino Thomas and Roopesh Peethambaran, the film also features Neeraj Madhav and Gayathri Suresh in important roles. The film also paves way for the entry of a good number of new faces who were selected after auditions.

The film, which deals with campus based politics has been penned by Jude Anthany Joseph. Actors would be seen in different get-ups in the movie.

The promo song of the film sung by Arunraja Kamaraj, which was released earlier, went on to become an instant hit on online circuits. The film produced by Jawan Of Vellimala fame Anoop Kannan, is expected to hit the theatres in this month.
It is again nomination time in the Bigg Boss 10 house. Bigg Boss announces a latest twist in nominations.

Two contestants are paired up and are called to the confession room. Since Manveer Gujjar is the captain of the house, he is safe from eviction. As we all know, Rohan Mehra is already nominated for entire season as Bigg Boss had announced this as a punishment, so he is not paired with anyone. Read on to know the twist...



The twist Bigg Boss asks Manu Punjabi-Monalisa, Om Swami-VJ Bani and Lopamudra Raut-Nitibha Kaul, to decide amongst themselves as to who will remain safe for the weekend and who will be nominated.

Initially, all the three pairs do not come to a decision. Bigg Boss then warns them to decide or else they will have to face the consequences. As expected, Monalisa nominate herself, while Manu is safe.

It will be interesting to watch Swami and Bani's conversation in the confession room as both of them are not ready to give up. It is known that Swami is scared of nominations as he fears that whenever he is nominated, he is evicted, so he doesn't want to get nominated and pleads to Bani.

Om Swami folds his hands and begs to Bani to nominate herself. He calls Bani, a 'Devi' and even asks her to forgive him, but Bani is not ready to give up! The two pairs - Bani-Swami and Lopa-Nitibha do not come to conclusion. As a result of this, all the four get nominated for eviction.

So the contestants who are safe are Manu and Manveer, while the rest of the contestants (Lopa, Nitibha, Swami, Bani and Rohan) get nominated!
Shashi-Sumeet's next project on Colors, 'Dil Se Dil Tak' starring Siddharth Shukla, Rashmi Desai and Jasmin Bhasin is slated to hit the television screens very soon. The promo of the show featuring the lead actors, which released a few days ago grabbed eyeballs for its bold content.

It was a non-dialogue promo in which the actors recreated the very famous 'Aye Udi Udi' song. In the promo, Siddharth and Rashmi were shown to be in their marital bliss. Jasmin intervenes in their happy married life, which worries Siddharth. (Check out the glimpses of the new promo below).

New Promo After a sizzling first promo, the second promo of the show was released recently. As the promo begins, Siddharth is introduced as the very good looking Parth Bhanushali at a party. Siddharth & Rashmi The girls swoon over the handsome Path, but he has his eyes only his beautiful wife, Shaurari. The duo happily pose for a picture. Jasmin Enters The Scene The very chirpy Jasmin barges their perfect the moment and questions the photographer as to who looks better with him, Rashmi or her? Jasmin Complicates Siddharth-Rashmi's Relationship Siddharth's discomfort as soon as Jasmin enters the scene is quite evident in both the promos. The scene definitely reminds us of Chori Chori Chupke Chupke. How will Jasmin's entry change the equations in Parth and Shaurari's relationship? Jasmin As A Gujarati Girl Jasmin plays the role of an unsophisticated Gujarati bar dancer in the show, similar to that of Preity Zinta. In the promo, we get to hear Jasmin speaking Gujarati. We Can't Wait For The Show All in all, the show looks promising. With the three good-looking and talented actors, a great concept and sizzling chemistry between the actors, it is definitely a must-watch.

The show is touted to be inspired from the Bollywood film, Chori Chori Chupke Chupke. While Siddharth plays the role of Parth Bhanushali, Rashmi will be seen as Shaurari. The duo are cast as a happily married couple in the show.

Jasmin will reprise the role of a Gujarati bar dancer in the show, played by Preity Zinta. Undoubtedly, this is one of the most awaited shows, as it marks the comeback of the two most popular televsion actors - Rashmi, who was last seen in Uttaran and Siddharth, whose last televsion stint was Balika Vadhu.

The show is in news for quite sometime all thanks to Rashmi and Siddharth's sizzling chemistry. The show also stars Jasmin, who was last appreciated for her role as 'Punjabi pataka' Twinkle.

As per the reports, the show is all set to replace Bigg Boss in the 10.30 pm slot. Well, we can't wait for the show to begin...
ANKARA (dpa-AFX) - The United Nations Security Council denounced a terrorist attack at a night club in Istanbul, Turkey, on 1 January, during which at least 39 people were killed and at least 69 were injured. The Council members reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice and urged all States to cooperate actively with the Government of Turkey and all other relevant authorities in this regard. They expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government and wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured. Joining the condemnation of the attack was the High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser. 'The horrific attack which killed and injured dozens of innocent revelers is a despicable and an unjustifiable act regardless of the motivation,' he said, extending his deepest sympathies to the families of the victims and to the people and the Government of Turkey. 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.
Ellen Pompeo, Caterina Scorsone, Justin Chambers, Chandra Wilson, James Pickens, Jr., Camilla Luddington, Sarah Drew, Jerrika Hinton and Kelly McCreary attend the People's Choice Awards 2016. (Photo : Getty Images/Frazer Harrison)

Warning: This article contains spoilers from "Grey's Anatomy." Read at your own risk!



A "Grey's Anatomy" fan recently came up with an interesting theory suggesting that Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital existed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After all, so many things have happened to the hospital: deaths and fires alike, but majority of the people and the hospital itself have survived.



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Reddit user ogwalt (via Glamour) believes that it is no coincidence that this happened in the hit ABC series. And the only thing that makes sense is that the hospital is set in the supernatural universe. As the fan puts it, the characters featured in "Grey's Anatomy" are larger-than-life just like the superheroes featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.



Additionally, almost every day, the doctors at the hospital have to fight the odds with regards to their patients. This is very similar to what the superheroes have to do on a daily basis to save the world. Not to mention, the technologies featured in the show are so advanced just like the ones in the other world.



Meanwhile, the Reddit user also cited one specific episode where Dr. Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) traveled to Zurich to study new holographic software that has the ability to track the human heart in real time. The software has similarities to Tony Stark's program that was used in his workshop.



Unfortunately, none of the Reddit user's claims have been justified or confirmed by the creators of "Grey's Anatomy," even though ABC has been acquired by Walt Disney Company, the same company that has the rights to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.



In other news, "Grey's Anatomy" Season 13 will return with episode 10 this month. The episode will reveal the fate of Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) who decided to leave the hospital and his friends before his trial could take place. Viewers will also continue to see Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Nathan (Martin Henderson) flirting with each other. Arizona's (Jessica Capshaw) relationship with Eliza will also flourish, while Jo's (Camilla Luddington) friendship with Andrew (Giacomo Gianniotti) will be put to the test, according to TV Line.



"Grey's Anatomy" Season 13, episode 10 will air on ABC on Jan. 19 at 8 p.m. EST.






BROMMA, Sweden, Jan 02, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

In December, 2,024,238 trades were made in stocks, warrants and options among Nordnet's customers in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. That corresponds to 96,392 trades per day. The number of customers in the end of December was 566,800, which is 6,900 more than previous month. The number of accounts was 735,000 which is 9,500 more than previous month. Net savings for the month was SEK 1,600 million and the savings capital was SEK 235 billion. Lending to customers by the end of December was SEK 9.2 billion.

Table: Nordnet's total trades on all exchanges and market places for all customers, and average number of trades per day. Average number of trades per day is calculated as total trades divided by the number of days the Swedish exchanges are open. Accounts, customers, net savings, savings capital and lending are based on preliminary data.



December December Change November Change







2016 2015 one year 2016 one month





Number of trades









Sweden 1 078 773 953 464 13,1% 1 200 867 -10,2% Norway 335 418 229 696 46,0% 300 956 11,5% Denmark 309 214 355 482 -13,0% 347 643 -11,1% Finland 300 833 311 814 -3,5% 335 920 -10,4% Total 2 024 238 1 850 456 9,4% 2 185 386 -7,4% Average per day 96 392 92 523 4,2% 101 646 -5,2% Traded value cash market (SEK million)* 62 645 65 051 -3,7% 67 347 -7,0% Active customers 566 800 490 400 15,6% 559 900 1,2% Active accounts 735 000 627 500 17,1% 725 500 1,3% Net savings (SEK million) 1 600 1 200 33,3% 1 500 6,7% Savings capital (SEK billion) 235 200 17,3% 230 2,1% Margin lending (SEK million)** 5 115 4 499 13,7% 5 259 -2,7% Personal Loans (SEK million) 3 172 2 587 22,6% 3 121 1,6% Mortgage (SEK million)*** 937 - - 820 14,4%

* Cash market relates to trades in stocks, warrants, ETFs and certificate.

** Lending excluding lending with cash and cash equivalents

*** Nordnet launched mortgage in April 2016. The lending volume was published for the first time in May 2016, which is why there are no comparison data available for 2015.

Watch acting CFO Robert Stambro and Head of Communications Johan Tidestad comment on the monthly statistics at 14:45 live on Twitter. Link on Twitter @Nordnet.

CONTACT:

For more information, please contact:

Robert Stambro, acting CFO

robert.stambro@nordnet.se

+46 703 504 024

Johan Tidestad, Head of Communications

johan.tidestad@nordnet.se

+46 708 875775

This is information that Nordnet AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out above, at 12:00 CET on 2 January 2017.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/nordnet/r/nordnet--monthly-statistics-december,c2159091

The following files are available for download:
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The Republican party has vowed that the incoming President and a Republican-controlled Congress will fight for the prosperity, security, and liberty of the American people. The promise was made by Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus and Co-Chair Sharon Day in their joint New Year's message. 'A new year means new beginnings and new goals, and millions of Americans are excited to have 2017 commence with President-elect Trump taking office in just a few weeks. This year the American people are getting a fresh start after eight years of disappointment, as our next president and a Republican Congress prepare to fight for the prosperity, security, and liberty of the American people. 2016 was a banner year for Republicans, and 2017 offers limitless promise for what we can accomplish together on behalf of our country,' said Priebus. He expressed hope that all Americans take the beginning of this year to recommit to their core values and embrace new opportunities for themselves and their families. Sharon Day said she is filled with hope for what 2017 will bring. 'Americans elected Republicans up and down the ballot this past November because they were ready for change, and we are excited to work for the good of our country at the local, state, and federal level. I wish all Americans a joyful start to the new year, and pray that God will continue to pour out his blessings on our nation, and especially on our brave men and women in uniform,' Day added. 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.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Green Party's presidential candidate Jill Stein, who challenged Donald Trump's election victory, is to kick off a resistance movement in January with 'Occupy Inauguration!' The Jill Stein Campaign said that on January 20, the day Trump swears in as President, thousands of people and organizations from around the country will join in Washington DC to 'Occupy Inauguration - sending a message to Trump that we reject his illegitimate presidency from the very start.' 'On January 21 - day one of the Trump administration - we'll be on Facebook Live with an all-day online forum featuring Greens, social movements, and progressives, sharing resources and inspiration to support resistance and transformation,' the Campaign said. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Technavio has announced the top five leading vendors in their recentglobal aerospace fasteners marketreport. This research report also lists five other prominent vendors that are expected to impact the market during the forecast period.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170102005043/en/

Technavio has published a new report on the global aerospace fasteners market from 2017-2021.

Competitive vendor landscape

The global aerospace fasteners market is highly competitive, and vendors compete based on cost, reliability, product quality, and aftermarket service. It is crucial for vendors to provide high quality and cost-effective aerospace fasteners equipped with the latest technologies to sustain in an intensely competitive market environment.

"The vendors are trying to endure the growing competition in the market by leveraging in-house manufacturing capabilities, innovative technologies, quality product offerings, R&D investments, and strong client base to maintain an edge over their competitors," says Avimanyu Basu, a lead aerospaceanalyst from Technavio.

The report also states that mergers and acquisitions, along with increased collaboration with alliance partners around the world, will drive the global market during the forecast period. Such mergers and acquisitions would enhance the position of companies in the market and enable direct access to the local customers.

Request a sample report: http://www.technavio.com/request-a-sample?report=55466

Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report including the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.

Technavioaerospace and defensemarket research analysts identify the following key vendors:

3V Fasteners

3V Fasteners manufactures and markets fasteners that are used in aerospace and aviation applications globally. The company manufactures screws and bolts using titanium, alloys, brass, aluminum, and alloy steel materials. 3V Fasteners has already been approved as a participating supplier in the Delegation Program for Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA), which will help the company penetrate further in the market.

Alcoa

Alcoa provides aluminum and titanium investment casting products for the global aerospace industry. The company, through its fastening systems and rings business, provides a wide array of precision self-locking nuts, high-pressure hydraulic fittings, installation systems, thread rolling and header tooling, bearings, and blind fasteners. It also provides panel fasteners, threaded inserts and studs, latching systems, pins and bolts, and seamless rings.

B&B Specialties

B&B Specialties manufactures and markets socket screws and specialty fasteners for customers in the military, aircraft, and aerospace industries globally. The company offers socket and button head fasteners. It provides specialty threaded fasteners under the MS, NAS, Metric, and AN series. These specialty threaded fasteners are made of materials such as alloy steel, carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, silicon bronze, and brass. The company sells its products through its authorized distributors worldwide.

KLX

The company provides aerospace fasteners, consumables, and logistics services across the globe. KLX is one of the principal distributors for various aerospace fastener manufacturers. It supports manufacturers of commercial and military aircraft, business jets, and helicopters. It supplies carbon-faced seals, hinges, bolts, clips, screws, gaskets, rings, and O-rings. The company also provides sales, technical support, and customized electronic data interchange services.

LISI Aerospace

LISI Aerospace designs, manufactures, and markets fasteners and assembly components for equipment manufacturers in the global aerospace and aviation industry. The company provides structural components, fasteners, and related technological solutions to the global aviation industry. These are used in various applications by jet engine, airframe, and helicopter manufacturers worldwide.

Browse Related Reports:

Global Power Tool Accessories Market 2017-2021

Global Industrial Fasteners Market 2016-2020

Global Aviation Actuation Systems Market 2016-2020

Become a Technavio Insights member and access all three of these reports for a fraction of their original cost. As a Technavio Insights member, you will have immediate access to new reports as they're published in addition to all 6,000+ existing reports covering segments like defensedefense technologyand general aviation This subscription nets you thousands in savings, while staying connected to Technavio's constant transforming research library, helping you make informed business decisions more efficiently.

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies.

Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170102005043/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 630 333 9501

UK: +44 208 123 1770

www.technavio.com


VIENNA (dpa-AFX) - The European markets are on track to end the first trading session of the new year with gains. The markets overcame early weakness and finished the day in positive territory. Trading activity was on the light side, with markets in the U.K. and the U.S. closed for the long New Year's Day holiday.



Economic data was also on the light side Monday, but investors were presented with Eurozone PMI data as well as Chinese manufacturing data. The final Eurozone factory PMI was the highest score since April 2011.



The pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 index is advancing 0.55 percent. The Euro Stoxx 50 index of eurozone bluechip stocks is increasing 1.06 percent, while the Stoxx Europe 50 index, which includes some major U.K. companies, is adding 0.31 percent.



The DAX of Germany is climbing 0.90 percent and the CAC 40 of France is rising 0.47 percent. The FTSE 100 of the U.K. was closed and the SMI of Switzerland was also closed.



In Frankfurt, Wirecard is increasing over 2 percent. The payments technology provider announced that Star Global Currency Exchange Private Limited, a group company, has got an upgrade of its license issued by Reserve Bank of India to be an authorized dealer in foreign exchange (category II).



Commerzbank is climbing over 3 percent and Deutsche Bank is adding over 1 percent.



Utility RWE is rising nearly 3 percent and rival E.ON is up almost 2 percent.



In Paris, insurer AXA is gaining nearly 1 percent after announcing that it had completed the sale of Bluefin Insurance Group Ltd, its P&C commercial broker in the UK, to Marsh.



Sanofi is advancing over 1 percent. The pharmaceutical firm and its vaccines global business unit Sanofi Pasteur have confirmed the end of their vaccine joint-venture with MSD (known as Merck & Co. Inc., in the United States and Canada).



Alfa Laval AB is rising over 2 percent in Stockholm after winning an order to supply compact heat exchangers to a natural gas plant in the Middle East.



Eurozone factory activity expanded the most since April 2011, final data from IHS Markit showed Monday. The final factory PMI rose to 54.9 in December from 53.7 in November. This was the highest score since April 2011 and unchanged from the flash estimate.



Germany's employment increased for more than ten years in 2016, data from Destatis showed Monday. The number of persons in employment increased by 425,000, or 1 percent from the same period of the previous year. This was larger than an increase of 377,000 people, or 0.9 percent posted in 2015.



Italy's manufacturing sector logged its strongest growth in six months in December, survey results from IHS Markit showed Monday. The factory Purchasing Managers' Index rose to 53.2 in December from 52.2 in November. This was the highest reading since June.



China's factory activity and non-manufacturing operating growth slowed in December, survey data compiled by the China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing together with the National Bureau of Statistics showed Sunday.



The official manufacturing PMI fell more-than-expected to 51.4 in December from 51.7 in November. The expected score was 51.5.



At the same time, the non-manufacturing PMI dropped to 54.5 in December from 54.7 a month ago.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
Technavio market research analysts forecast the global cider marketto grow at a CAGR of more than 6% during the forecast period, according to their latest report.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170102005060/en/

Technavio has published a new report on the global cider market from 2017-2021. (Graphic: Business Wire)

The market study covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the global cidermarketfor 2017-2021. The report also lists apple flavored cider and other fruit flavored ciders as the two major product segments of which, apple flavored cider accounted for over 88% of the market share in 2016.

According to Manjunath Reddy, a lead analyst at Technavio for non-alcoholic beverages research, "The trend of premiumization is another factor that will help the market grow during the forecast period. With the turnaround of the global economy, there is an increase in the disposable income of consumers, which has led to increased demand for premium products.

Request a sample report: http://www.technavio.com/request-a-sample?report=55410

Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report including the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.

Technavio food and beverageanalysts highlight the following three market drivers that are contributing to the growth of the global cider market:

New product launches

Growing demand for premium cider products

Increase in investments

New product launches

One of the main growth drivers of the global cider market is the launch of new products by various players in the market. The new products help to keep alive the interest of the consumers and help the players in the market maintain a competitive edge over their rivals. For instance, in June 2016, Smirnoff launched its two new ciders in flavors such as raspberry pomegranate; and passionfruit and lime, with both the products mixed with Smirnoff vodka. The products were sold in a clear glass bottle to let the colors of the drinks show through. Similarly, in April 2016, Pimm's introduced three new flavors: summer fruits, mango and passionfruit, and plum and red apple.

Growing demand for premium cider products

The presence of popular brands like Kopparberg, Woodchuck, and Angry Orchard has increased the demand for premium-quality cider. Premium brands exhibit higher demand as compared to economically priced products due to a rise in disposable income, consumption of alcohol as a status symbol, and the association of better quality and taste with premium labels. Premium cider accounts for 34.5% of all cider volumes.

"Even in mature markets like the US and France, premiumization is driving the market with consumers shifting from local spirits to premium spirits. Hence, the trend for premiumization across all product categories will boost the growth of the cider market during the forecast period," says Manjunath.

Increase in investments

The cider market is a niche market, but it is growing rapidly. The demand for cider is increasing in countries such as the US where consumers are opting for cider consumption instead of beer. The players in the market are investing in increasing the production of cider to meet the growing demand. For instance, in 2014, Heineken invested about USD 157 million in its Manchester brewery and Hereford cider plant to increase the production in both the facilities. The company plans to increase the production capability of its Hereford cider plant from 4 million hectoliters to 65 million hectoliters. In March 2016, Aston Manor Cider announced that it is planning to invest about USD 4 million in its major production facilities. The company is using the investment to increase the capacity and capability and improve loading and shipping facilities at its Devon production facility.

Browse Related Reports:

Global Cider Packaging Market 2016-2020

Global Apple Cider Vinegar Market 2016-2020

Global Alcohol Ingredients Market 2016-2020

Become a Technavio Insights member and access all three of these reports for a fraction of their original cost. As a Technavio Insights member, you will have immediate access to new reports as they're published in addition to all 6,000+ existing reports covering segments like alcoholic beveragesfoodandfood service This subscription nets you thousands in savings, while staying connected to Technavio's constant transforming research library, helping you make informed business decisions more efficiently.

About Technavio

Technaviois a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies.

Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170102005060/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 630 333 9501

UK: +44 208 123 1770

www.technavio.com
Crate.io, a NewSQL database company, raised 2.5m in seed funding.

The round, which followed a $4m round closed in March 2016, was led by Vito Ventures with participation from Dawn Capital, Draper Esprit, Speedinvest, and Sunstone Capital.

The company will use the funds to further expand its new headquarters in San Francisco, CA, and to increase its development and sales efforts.

Co-founded by CEO Christian Lutz, Bernd Dorn, and Jodok Batlogg, Crate has launched CrateDB, a distributed SQL database that enables users to store and analyze massive amounts of machine data in real-time.

The company is based in Dornbirn, Austria and Berlin, Germany.

FinSMEs

02/01/2017
We have already given you my pick of the best 10 Bollywood films released in 2016. Here now is a list of nominees and winners in categories recognised at most film awards functions worldwide. I am giving you a minimum of three and a maximum of seven noms per slot.

Sometimes the impact of a film is governed by the performance of the entire team of actresses and actors, though it may not necessarily be what is conventionally considered an ensemble cast film, so I am including a Best Cast category here.

Look forward to debates, disagreements and civil discussions.

BEST FILM

I have already covered this in my Best Bollywood Films of 2016 article, but just to refresh your memory, here goes

Nominees:

Kapoor & Sons (Since 1921)

Neerja

Nil Battey Sannata

Phobia

Raman Raghav 2.0



And the award goes to

Kapoor & Sons (Since 1921)

For reminding us that sensitivity, subtlety and sobriety can be supremely entertaining. For having the courage to stand up and be counted in a homophobic society. This is a beautifully acted and shot film, with writing that provides rare insights into family life, and directed with the assurance of a veteran by young Shakun Batra.

BEST DIRECTOR

Nominees:

Anurag Kashyap (Raman Raghav 2.0)

Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari (Nil Battey Sannata)

Pavan Kirpalani (Phobia)

Ram Madhvani (Neerja)

Shakun Batra (Kapoor & Sons)

And the award goes to

Shakun Batra (Kapoor & Sons)

For assuring us that his first film, the lovely though unfortunately low-profile Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, was not a shot in the dark. For defying formulae yet managing to entertain. For being unapologetic about his social conscience. For extracting superlative performances from a superb cast. And for providing us with some of the most heart-wrenching and hilarious moments ever seen on the Hindi screen, all within the span of one film.

BEST WRITING

Nominees:

Ayesha Devitre Dhillon and Shakun Batra (Kapoor & Sons)

Pavan Kirpalani, Arun Sukumar and Pooja Ladha Surti (Phobia)

Ruchika Oberoi (Island City)

Saiwyn Quadras and Sanyuktha Chawla (Neerja)

Vasan Bala and Anurag Kashyap (Raman Raghav 2.0)

And the award goes to

Vasan Bala and Anurag Kashyap (Raman Raghav 2.0)

For a breathtaking study of twisted human psyches. And for a profoundly insightful take on responses to violence that are governed by social bias and not by revulsion for bloodshed.

BEST ACTRESS

Nominees:

Alia Bhatt (Dear Zindagi)

Hetal Gada (Dhanak)

Kirti Kulhari (Pink)

Radhika Apte (Phobia)

Sonam Kapoor (Neerja)

Swara Bhaskar (Nil Battey Sannata)

Vidya Balan (Kahaani 2)

And the award goes to

Sonam Kapoor (Neerja)

For a measured performance as a real-life heroine, Pan Am flight purser Neerja Bhanot who was killed in 1986 while protecting those on board a hijacked flight. Sonam Kapoor has for too long been that girl who showed tremendous spark in her debut film yet has been defined in later years by her glamorous image more than challenging roles. She did not set a foot wrong in Neerja which is, without question, a turning point in her career and perhaps a message that she wants to be known now as an actress as much as a star.

BEST ACTOR

Aamir Khan (Dangal)

Manoj Bajpayee (Aligarh)

Randeep Hooda (Sarbjit)

Shah Rukh Khan (Fan)

Vicky Kaushal (Raman Raghav 2.0)

And the award goes to

Manoj Bajpayee (Aligarh)

For disappearing into the part of Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, a professor who was harassed in reality by Aligarh Muslim University for being homosexual. Manoj Bajpayee first attracted headlines as Bhiku Mhatre in Ram Gopal Varmas Satya in 1998. In the 18 years since, he has struggled for good roles and visibility. He got both with Hansal Mehtas Aligarh in which he had us weeping for a man robbed of his privacy and his dignity in an ultra-conservative society simply because he was gay.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Nominees:

Alia Bhatt (Udta Punjab)

Amruta Subhash (Raman Raghav 2.0)

Lisa Haydon (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil)

Riya Shukla (Nil Battey Sannata)

Shabana Azmi (Neerja)

And the award goes to

Shabana Azmi (Neerja)

A veteran genius got a role worthy of her in Ram Madhvanis film and delivered a resounding lesson in acting. It would have been easy to overplay a mother whose brave daughter is killed in her youth, but Shabana Azmi chose the low-decibel path less trodden in commercial Hindi cinema and in the bargain broke the hearts of those watching.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Nominees:

Angad Bedi (Pink)

Pankaj Tripathi (Nil Battey Sannata)

Rishi Kapoor (Kapoor & Sons)

Shah Rukh Khan (Dear Zindagi)

Tahir Raj Bhasin (Force 2)

And the award goes to

Pankaj Tripathi (Nil Battey Sannata)

In an interview after the release of Nil Battey Sannata, Pankaj Tripathi told me: There is such a thing as maatra, amount. An actor should be aware of the economics of his gestures and emotions. Is this too much or too little, if I go beyond this will it be a waste? I learnt this from my guru, Baba B.V. Karanth at the National School of Drama. He said, Pankaj, you should not waste your gestures, they should be measured with care. Playing a deadly serious yet amusingly peculiar Mathematics teacher, Tripathi made sure he got the maatra of his expressions absolutely right. Lets just say he did the late Karanthsaab proud.

BEST CAST

Nominees:

Aamir Khan, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Zaira Wasim, Sanya Malhotra, Suhani Bhatnagar, Sakshi Tanwar, Aparshakti Khurana, Girish Kulkarni, Vivan Bhathena (Dangal)

Kirti Kulhari, Taapsee Pannu, Andrea Tariang, Amitabh Bachchan, Angad Bedi, Vijay Varma, Raashul Tandon, Tushar Pandey, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Piyush Mishra, Mamata Shankar, Mamta Malik (Pink)

Vinay Pathak, Amruta Subhash, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Uttara Baokar, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Ashwin Mushran, Samir Kochhar (Island City)

Sidharth Malhotra, Fawad Khan, Rishi Kapoor, Rajat Kapoor, Ratna Pathak, Alia Bhatt (Kapoor & Sons)

Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vicky Kaushal, Sobhita Dhulipala, Amruta Subhash, Ashok Lokhande, Saksham Sudhija, Mukesh Chhabra, Vipin Sharma, Anuschka Sawhney (Raman Raghav 2.0)

And the award goes to

Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vicky Kaushal, Sobhita Dhulipala, Amruta Subhash, Ashok Lokhande, Saksham Sudhija, Mukesh Chhabra, Vipin Sharma, Anuschka Sawhney (Raman Raghav 2.0)

Because the only thing more intimidating than the gruesome violence in this film was the near-perfection of the performers on screen.

BEST MUSIC

Nominees:

Amit Trivedi (Dear Zindagi)

Pritam (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil)

Shankar Ehsaan Loy (Mirzya)

Tapas Relia (Dhanak)

Vishal-Shekhar (Sultan)

And the award goes to

Pritam (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil)

Truth be told, this was not a great year for music in Hindi cinema but the nominees in this category gave us hope. Pritams tunes  some lively, some moodily melodic  were an intrinsic part of the narrative in Karan Johars Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. This is one of his most memorable soundtracks till date.

BEST LYRICS

Nominees:

Amitabh Bhattacharya (Dangal)

Gulzar (Mirzya)

Jaideep Sahni (Befikre)

Kausar Munir (Dear Zindagi)

Varun Grover (Jabra fan, promotional song for Fan)

And the award goes to

Amitabh Bhattacharya (Dangal)

For words that matched the mood of the film and its characters. For extracting poetry out of earthy everyday language. For making us laugh and cry in the bargain.

BEST EDITING

Nominees:

Aarti Bajaj for (Raman Raghav 2.0)

Monisha R. Baldawa (Neerja)

Namrata Rao (Kahaani 2)

Pooja Ladha Surti (Phobia)

Shivkumar V. Panicker (Kapoor & Sons)

And the award goes to

Pooja Ladha Surti (Phobia)

Because not a single shot used in Phobia was out of place. Because the film featured not one superfluous glance or spoken word or moment of silence. Because each second of 6,720 in the film meant something.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Nominees:

Binod Pradhan (Baaghi)

Jay Oza (Raman Raghav 2.0)

Jayakrishna Gummadi (Phobia)

Jeffery F. Bierman (Kapoor & Sons)

Laxman Utekar (Dear Zindagi)

Mitesh Mirchandani (Neerja)

Russell Carpenter (Parched)

And the award goes to

Russell Carpenter (Parched)

Rajasthan has been a favoured destination for photographers and cinematographers but Russell Carpenter managed to find novelty even in its oft-explored beauty. From his lens emerged a spectacular parade of shadow and light, colour and darkness, but the highlight of his stunning visuals was the manner in which he captured the faces and body language of the lovely women of Parched.

BEST SOUND DESIGN

Nominees:

Shajith Koyeri (Te3n)

Vinit Dsouza (Raman Raghav 2.0)

Vivek Sachidanand (Phobia)

And the award goes to

Vivek Sachidanand (Phobia)

Because he played mind games with viewers in Phobia with a dramatic departure from the screeching, creaking ploys used by Hindi thrillers for at least a decade now. Bollywood seemed to have forgotten, until Sachidanand reminded us via this film, that the sounds of silence and murmurs of suspense induce far greater fear than screaming and squealing.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Nominees:

Acropolis (Mirzya)

Krishnendu Chowdhury (Island City)

Rajat Poddar (Baaghi)

Satyen Chaudhry (Phobia)

Tiya Tejpal (Raman Raghav 2.0)

And the award goes to

Krishnendu Chowdhury (Island City)

For truly getting the essence of Ruchika Oberois writing and translating it into three distinctive looks for the three separate stories in the film: from the cold whites of a corporate office peopled by mechanical humans, to the warmer hues of a middle-class home unexpectedly experiencing happiness, and the dusty shades of a dismal, despairing environment in Mumbais poorer quarters. Chowdhurys imagination was geared not towards getting it pretty, but getting it right.

MOST INTERESTING DEBUTANT IN A LEAD OR SUPPORTING ROLE

Nominees:

Andrea Tariang (Pink)

Hetal Gada (Dhanak)

Riya Shukla (Nil Battey Sannata)

Sobhita Dhulipala (Raman Raghav 2.0)

Suhani Bhatnagar (Dangal)

Yashaswini Dayama (Phobia, Dear Zindagi)

Zaira Wasim (Dangal)

And the award goes to

Hetal Gada (Dhanak)

Five hundred children were auditioned in Mumbai, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Bangalore and Hyderabad before director Nagesh Kukunoor found Hetal Gada and her little sparkler of a co-star Krrish Chhabria who is not on this list only because it was a year filled with brilliant newcomers and an extremely tight race in this category. Gada was 10 when Kukunoor shot the film. She is to the camera born. Her confidence belies her age and inexperience. She also possesses a curiously adult charm without being in the least bit precocious. It will be Indian cinemas good fortune if Gada decides that acting is how she wants to spend the rest of her working life.

---

Related links

Best Hindi Films of 2016: A year of courage, risk-taking stars and defying convention

Pink, Kapoor & Sons, Dear Zindagi: 10 stand-out moments from Bollywood in 2016
The Mumbai crime cell on Monday arrested a central armed police official for hacking into the account of actor Kareena Kapoor and filing her income tax returns.

Mumbai's Cyber cell arrest a person for attempting to hack IT details of Actress Kareena Kapoor. Accused belongs to Paramilitary forces.  ANI (@ANI_news) January 2, 2017

Arrest ws made after Cyber Cell received complaint by Kapoor's CA alleging that accused was trying to rig her client's IT details for '16-17  ANI (@ANI_news) January 2, 2017

A die-hard fan of the actress, the 26-year-old man from a city in North India said he hacked into the account to get access to Kareena's mobile number and eventually speak with her. The accused would help his colleagues file their tax returns online and was well versed with the system, reports have said.

Speaking to The Indian Express, an officer said, "A mobile phone too has several IP addresses assigned to it. We had to figure out which phone had been allotted the IP address when the fraud took place." When the team from BKC Cyber police questioned the accused he said that he illegally got onto the I-T account of the actress using her PAN number that he found online.

The accused has been booked under impersonation and relevant sections of the Information Technology Act. All of them are bailable offences. A complaint in the matter was filed by Kareena Kapoor's chartered accountant on 1 October at the BKC Cyber police station, culminating in an FIR.

Police, then, had registered a case of 'identity theft' under the Information Technology Act and are probing further.

As per the complaint, unidentified person had got her PAN and her password for filing the return online on the Income Tax website, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber Crime) Sachin Patil had told PTI.

The culprit then uploaded a bogus income return in her name, he added. The actress noticed this when accessing her account with the I-T department and asked her chartered accountant to file a complaint.

With inputs from agencies
A Chinese user reported that her Redmi Note 3 caught fire while charging. (Photo : YouTube/AndroidAuthority)

Xiaomi Inc. is allegedly covering up a recent incident where a Redmi Note 3 caught fire while charging, months after Samsung's exploding Note 7 units and Apple's erratic iPhone batteries made headlines.



According to China Daily, citing an initial report by the Beijing Morning Post, a Chinese Redmi Note 3 owner reported that her handset ignited while plugged into the socket. She notified Xiaomi of the incident, prompting the tech giant to issue a refund plus an extra 600 yuan in compensation, per China Daily.



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Xiaomi, however, required the owner to sign a waiver, disallowing her from divulging any information about the incident. Xiaomi has still not issued any official statement since the issue was leaked.



"Xiaomi should use the most transparent way to reveal details of the incident and the reason why the Redmi smartphone caught fire," Nicole Peng, research director at Canalys, told China Daily in an interview.



Some experts are also saying that the confidentiality letter was unenforceable. "If the fire was caused by the phone, it is a quality defect which poses great risks to consumers' personal safety and property rights. Then the manufacturer should bear civil liability and compensate the consumer accordingly," Wang Wenhua, deputy dean of the Law School at Beijing Foreign Studies University, was quoted as saying by China Daily.



"Now lots of smartphone makers are enhancing the capabilities of smartphone batteries, such as improvements to battery life, which may cause more safety problems than before. This incident should serve as a warning. Manufacturers should not be too keen to upgrade smartphone batteries before rigorous lab tests have taken place, and they should pay more attention to the quality of their products," Wang added.



This is not the first time that Xiaomi was haunted by issues about exploding smartphones. In July 2016, a CCTV footage of a Xiaomi Mi4i catching fire while charging made rounds online.



In response, Xiaomi immediately replaced the erratic unit and proceeded to investigate. "We take such matters seriously and we have already been investigating the matter. We have been in touch with the customer and will be getting his device this week to do further investigation. In the meantime, we have offered a replacement phone to the customer," a Xiaomi representative said in an interview with Tech PP.






The government on Monday issued a statement clarifying that hotels, restaurants and companies cannot include 'service charges' as part of various taxes that is included in the final bill to consumers.

In fact, the statement says that consumers should have the option to either pay or not to pay the service charge.

The government acted following a number of complaints from consumers after hotels and restaurants were following the practice of charging 'service charge' in the range of 5-20 percent, in lieu of tip, the statement said.

"In this context, the department of Consumer Affairs, Central Government has called for clarification from the Hotel Association of India, which have replied that the service charge is completely discretionary and should a customer be dissatisfied with the dining experience he/she can have it waived off. Therefore, it is deemed to be accepted voluntarily," the government release said.

The Department of Consumer Affairs has asked the state governments to sensitize the companies, hotels and restaurants in the states regarding aforementioned provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 and also to advise the Hotels/Restaurants to disseminate information through display at the appropriate place in the hotels/restaurants that the 'service charges" are discretionary/ voluntary and a consumer dissatisfied with the services can have it waived off, the release added.
Year 2016 started out with the belief that the Indian economy could touch the 8 percent growth mark. 2017 starts  apart from the overhang of the 8 November demonetisation shock - with the acknowledgement that this is not going to happen at least in the current fiscal. But what of later? Will 2017 see India moving towards setting the foundation for a sustained 8 percent growth, that dream target of whichever government is in power? That will depend on five imponderables:

The fallout of demonetisation: This is going to be the biggest imponderable facing the economy. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley believes the economy is not going to suffer very much on account of demonetisation. On December 29, he waved a bunch of figures (tax collection data, farm operations, air traffic etc) to argue that the economy was not in such bad shape as critics of demonetisation had been making it out to be.

But Jaitley speaketh too soon. Most of the figures he was quoting from relate to November and early December. There would have not been an immediate slump in consumption as people could have been spending money already with them. Remember, also, that there were several windows open for spending money in old notes  groceries at cooperative stores, purchase of fuel, payment of utility bills, sundry taxes, air and rail tickets. And as this article points out some of the statistics Jaitley quoted do not relate to the sections that have been most affected.

Different rating agencies and even public sector banks have put out varying estimates of the hit that the economy will take because of demonetisation, but they all appear to be educated guesses. Access to cash is still a problem at the end of 50 days, and it is expected to last till March and, despite the push for digital payments, this will have an impact on spending. There is no clear estimate about the extent of jobs lost; it will not be the several millions that the opponents would like everyone to believe but it will not be insignificant either.

So when the economy recovers to the pre-8 November state (remember it was not on steroids even then, as the growth data for the first half of the current fiscal showed) is anybodys guess.

GST Rollout: There was much optimism about the prospects of the goods and services tax regime getting implemented from 1 April 2017 when Parliament passed the Constitution amendment paving the way for it. But the first signs of trouble came in September when the centre and the states couldnt arrive at an agreement on dual administration of transactions above Rs 1.5 crore. This problem has not been resolved till now, as a result of which some of the draft legislations that needed to be passed in the winter session of Parliament could not even be taken up. The 1 April deadline is clearly not going to be met, but what about the October 2017 deadline?

But GST has got caught in politics once again. Furious over the demonetisation move, opposition parties (some of whom are in power in the states) are once again taking a hard line in negotiations. Constitutional requirements are less important than the political positions they take and, lets face it, there is still a big question mark over whether GST will come into place in October 2017.

And what if it comes? Well, the gains from GST always come in the long term and there will always be pain in the short term. This will be exacerbated by the demonetisation. As R Kavita Rao of the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy has pointed out, GST is best implemented when the economy is on an upswing, not when it is laid low or is just about recovering. So how the twin impact of demonetisation and GST plays out will be something to watch closely.

Global trade: The prospects for the world economy in 2017 were anyway not very bright. In October, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had wound down its growth estimate for the global economy from what it had projected in April. It particularly held out dim hopes for the advanced economies, the growth projections for which were reduced by 0.1 to 0.3 percent.

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) echoed this pessimism  it said world trade in 2017 could grow anywhere between 1.8 percent and 3.1 percent, when it had earlier projected a growth of 3.6 percent.

On top of this, there is growing protectionism across countries.

The biggest question facing the Indian economy is what Donald Trump will do once he takes charge. Trump has been quite vocal and unapologetic about shielding the American economy from invasion of foreign goods and foreign workers. The United States is Indias single largest export destination not just for goods (15 percent of exports) but services (close to 60 percent of software exports) as well.

Will Trump the president trump Trump the campaigner? India Inc. will certainly hope he will, but it will just have to keep its fingers crossed.

Protectionist sentiments are not, however, limited to the United States. The chances of right-wing parties coming to power in France and Germany are far from fading and this does not augur well for global trade. One also does not know how Brexit will play out exactly. Indias exports to Britain are just 3 percent of total exports, but the export basket is dominated by employment-intensive sectors like auto components and textiles, among others.

So any Indian hopes of making up what the economy loses on the domestic swings with gains on the global market roundabouts may not be fulfilled. And chief economic adviser Arvind Subramaniams constant exhortation that India should focus on export led growth will not find many takers.

Commodity prices: India has benefited greatly from the fall in commodity prices over the past two years, though the slump in commodity-exporting countries did have a slightly adverse effect as well. But things could change in 2017. The World Bank has projected a modest recovery for most commodities in 2017. It expects energy prices to jump 25 percent, metals and minerals 4.1 percent and agricultural prices 1.4 percent. Other reports have made similar projections. In end-November, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting countries agreed to a production cut  the first since 2008. It then persuaded 11 non-members to follow suit.

A 25 percent increase in energy prices will be a significant burden for the Indian economy, considering it imports close to 80 percent of its requirement. Thats apart from throwing the governments fiscal math out of kilter.

Actually, there is a fifth imponderable, that will determine how the Indian economy is affected by the other four - the Modi governments handling of the fall out of these challenges these throw up and how Indian politics plays out. If the Modi government is not up to the task or it does all the right things but is consistently blocked then theres little hope for the economy. The assembly elections coming up in 2017 will, therefore, be a very crucial imponderable.

So in January, all one has to do is to cross ones fingers and keep them crossed.
By Christine Kim

| SEOUL

SEOUL The daughter of one of the central figures in a South Korean influence-peddling scandal that led to President Park Geun-hye's impeachment will face extradition proceedings in Denmark after Danish police arrested her on an Interpol request from Seoul.Danish police said they had held Chung Yoo-ra on Sunday evening in the northern Danish city of Aalborg after identifying her as someone "wanted by the police for extensive financial economic crime in South Korea".Chung, a 20-year-old equestrian competitor, is the daughter of Choi Soon-sil, a friend of Park accused of colluding with the president to pressure businesses to contribute to non-profit foundations.The scandal has drawn hundreds of thousands of protesters onto the streets of Seoul for weekly demonstrations, and could result in Park, 64, becoming the first democratically elected South Korean leader to leave office early.Yonhap News Agency later reported that South Korean police had already requested Chung's extradition. [nC7N1EA00Y] The two countries have an extradition treaty.Chung trains for equestrian events in Germany. South Korea's foreign ministry had been working to invalidate Chung's passport and authorities had asked German prosecutors for information about her whereabouts and assets.Park, whose father ruled South Korea for 18 years after seizing power in a 1961 coup, has denied wrongdoing but apologised for carelessness in her ties with Choi, who is facing her own trial. Choi also denies wrongdoing.Park was impeached by parliament on Dec. 9. The Constitutional Court must confirm or overturn the impeachment and has months to decide. [nL4N1EG03H]

As part of their investigation, South Korean prosecutors are trying to ascertain whether Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) sought favours from Choi and Park in return for funding some of their initiatives. An element of the investigation has been Samsung's sponsorship of Chung's riding career.WILL "FULLY COOPERATE"

Chung told Danish police she was staying in Denmark for equestrian-related work. She said she was aware that the South Korean authorities wanted her for questioning and that her mother had been arrested in the same case, according to Danish police.

A Volkswagen vehicle and horse-riding equipment were found at the house where Chung and her party were arrested, according to South Korea's JTBC TV channel.Lee Kyung-jae, a lawyer representing both Choi and Chung, said the daughter would cooperate."When Chung Yoo-ra returns I will ensure that she fully cooperates with the special prosecution's investigation," the lawyer told the Yonhap News Agency.Danish police said three other adults and a child were with Chung at time of the arrest but said none of them were wanted by the police. Chung is known to have a young son.

Chung would appear before a Danish court on Monday, with prosecutors requesting detention until formalities around the extradition had been completed.Chung's arrest was first reported by the JTBC channel, which said on its website that its journalists had alerted Danish police to Chung's presence there. Danish police confirmed the arrest happened after a tip-off from a South Korean journalist. A video on JTBC's website showed a person identified as Chung in a heavy hooded parka being led to a police car. The person's face could not be seen.Chung became a figure of public ire in South Korea last year after it emerged that she had received special treatment from the prestigious Ewha Womans University, where her admission was subsequently cancelled. [nL4N1EG03H]News of Chung's arrest came a day after Park broke a month-long silence over her alleged role in the corruption scandal, publicly denying charges of wrongdoing and describing the accusations against her as fabricated and false. [nL4N1ER03V] (Reporting by Christine Kim; Additional reporting by Jack Kim, Ju-min Park, Se Young Lee and Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; Editing by Tony Munroe, Robert Birsel)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Frank McGurty

| NEW YORK

NEW YORK 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. 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)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
NEW DELHI Supreme Court on Monday prohibited politicians from using religion and caste to garner votes, a verdict that could force political parties to change their strategy in upcoming elections."No politician can seek vote in the name of caste, creed or religion," said Chief Justice T.S. Thakur in an order, adding that election process must be a "secular exercise".India is officially secular but political parties have traditionally used religion and caste as the main criteria to select candidates and to appeal to voters.Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has for years fought elections on a Hindu nationalist agenda, with party members in the past being accused of making anti-Muslim statements to polarise Hindu voters.

The court ruling comes just weeks ahead of a state election in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state where the two issues of religion and caste generally dominate campaigns.Results of the election will be important for Modi's expected bid for a second term in 2019.

State elections are also due this year in the states of Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.The Supreme Court, ruling on a petition filed by a politician in 1996, wrote in its opinion that the secular ethos of the constitution had to be protected.

The majority view of the seven-judge Supreme Court bench held that elections would be void if a politician made an appeal for votes on the basis of religious sentiment. (Reporting by Rupam Jain, Suchitra Mohanty, Writing by Rupam Jain, Editing by Tom Lasseter, Robert Birsel)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
The Mumbai traffic police collected nearly four lakh rupees in fines, while booking 565 motorist for drunk driving, a report in The Times of India said. Also for the first time since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for a cashless society, the traffic police on New Year's Eve used the e-challan system to penalise drunk drivers and other traffic violators.

The report added that the number of drunk drivers booked by the traffic police on the New Year's Eve dipped 20 percent compared to last year.

However, Traffic Commissioner, Milind Bharambe chose not to come to any conclusion over the lower numbers.

"The cases might have dropped as compared to the same period last year, but we will have to observe the figure of such drives for some more time before drawing any conclusion", Mumbai Mirror quoted the police officer as saying.

On last New Year's Eve, the Mumbai traffic police booked 705 for drunk driving, which was a rise after witnessing a dip in the numbers in 2013 and 2014, when 570 and 523 had been booked under the same offence, a January 2, 2016 report in The Indian Express said.

However, the report noted that the number of people booked for drunk driving peaked in 2012, when 840 were fined.

A total of 3365 bikers and motorists were booked on the New Year's Eve for various offences other than drunk driving.
Islamabad: Pakistan 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 Islamic State/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.
How many people actually died in Jammu and Kashmir in 2016?

The answer to this question is ambiguous and the politics of numbers makes it murky. The state government has failed to come up with a definite answer, but human rights groups and separatist organisations have their own contradictory figures. Last week, the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), a human rights group that documents cases of rights violations in J&K, published its annual report Human Rights Review that put the total number of killings in 2016 at 383; the list includes 145 civilians, 138 militants and 100 state and Central forces.

The data, according to JKCCS coordinator Khurram Parvez, is collected from the field by following proper research methodology that also includes the documentation of fratricidal killings and suicide among armed forces. Following this, the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq too came up with its report on the fatalities in the previous year. The human rights division of Hurriyat (M) released a report for 2016 that puts the total number of killings in 2016 at 389; 151 civilians, 80 security forces personnel and 158 militants.

While the Hurriyat (M) report says 151 civilians were killed, the JKCCS report puts the number in 2016 at 145.

Tragically enough, every newspaper and news agency in the Valley has its own count when it comes to the number of killings in 2016, including the number of people killed in the last six months of unrest in the Valley following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on 8 July.

The leading newspaper of state, Greater Kashmir puts the number of people killed in the unrest at 96 civilians and over 15000 persons injured in action by security forces. On the other hand, its competitor, daily Rising Kashmir, says 92 civilians and two policemen died in the unrest.

"The variation could also be because many organisations also count people who died because of heart attacks during the unrest," political editor of Rising Kashmir, Faisal Yasin, told Firstpost.

Given the murky state of turmoil in Kashmir, the question of which category do the people belong who died because of cardiac arrests during the turmoil on the streets in the previous summer, will remain unanswered. At least three people, including two women died due to cardiac arrest during the 2016 unrest. Hajira Begum, 60, from north Kashmirs Bandipora district died due to cardiac arrest when stones were allegedly pelted at her house.

Another woman, Jameela Begum, 40, a resident of Bemina in Srinagar also died of cardiac arrest when CRPF men allegedly aimed a gun at her while she was looking out of the window. In Chawalgam Kulgam, Abdul Gani Wani, 70, also died of cardiac arrest allegedly due to the reverberation and loud noise of intense shelling of tear smoke shells, pellets and bullets by forces.

After much condemnation over the use of pellet guns in the valley, the government forces started using chilli filled PAVA shells which were meant to immobilise or paralyse their intended target for a brief time.

However, a 14-year-old girl, Munaza Rashid, from Soura area of Srinagar died on 10th November after inhaling PAVA shell smoke, doctors said.

During the uprising, many people drowned. In two cases, people alleged that the victims were hit or beaten by security forces before their bodies were thrown into river. These killings are indistinct because many groups, including newspapers, dont count these deaths when it comes to the overall count of people killed in the summer unrest. Interestingly, the Jammu and Kashmir Police is yet to come up with its count of deaths during the preceding year which would have given some sort of credibility to the figures of overall fatalities. Firstpost made multiple attempts to contact Jammu and Kashmir's inspector-general of police SJM Geelani, to no avail.

The documentation of human rights violations has remained an arduous task to accomplish in the trouble torn Valley since the armed insurgency erupted. It is this lack of proper documentation which has, time and again, sown the seeds of confusion in the actual number of people killed since the insurgency erupted.

While the state government says the number of killed is less than 50,000, including militants and security forces, the human rights groups and independent agencies put the number at over a lakh. With so many varying figures, the exact number of killings in Kashmir this year will add to the confusion. However, the politics over actual death count is now being played out in public spaces with no one having a clear idea about whose figures are trustworthy and whose aren't.
New Delhi: 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 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 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 (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 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.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday questioned the Centre as to why judges and chief justices of high courts are not being transfered despite the recommendations of the collegium and asked it to file a status report on such pending transfers with detailed reasons in two weeks.

The apex court said it gives rise to "speculation and misgivings" due to continuance of such judges in the same high court and instead of sitting over the recommendation, the Centre should return back to the collegium for reconsideration.

"Continuance of judges in the same high courts despite being transferred is giving rise to speculation and misgivings. If you (the Centre) have any problem with the recommendations then send it back to us. We will look into it. There is no point sitting over it," a bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur told Attorney General (AG) Mukul Rohatgi.

Justice Thakur, who is demitting office on Tuesday as the Chief Justice of India, has been regularly questioning the government over the appointment of judges for higher judiciary and both (the Centre and the judiciary) are at loggerheads with each other over the issue.

The AG said that the collegium has sent back 37 names of judges to the government which is looking at them.

"What about the transfers of judges which has been recommended by the collegium? You are sitting over them for over 10 months," a bench also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said.

Rohatgi said he needs to take instructions on the pending recommendations of transfers and sought three weeks of time.

Senior advocate Ram Jethmalani said the top law officer of the government should have all the information.

"I have no information about the transfers. Give me some time. I will come back in three weeks with full details," Rohatgi said.

Jethmalani said that transfer recommendation of Justice M R Shah of the Gujarat High Court is pending since February 2016.

"I do not understand why is the government so interested to keep this man over there," he said.

At the outset, senior advocate Yatin Oza said, "Things are really bad. I cannot say a lot of things in open court in the presence of journalists and media. Recommendations which were made six months after Justice Shah's have seen light of the day."
SAM launch from a S-300PMU2 system. (Photo : Rostec)

Iran ended a massive three-day air defense exercise to warn the United States to stay away, and which it capped by firing missiles from its S-300PMU2 "Favorit" air defense missile system made in Russia it received in October.



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The military exercise at the southern Persian Gulf region also saw indigenous surface-to-air missiles (SAM) such as Mersad (Ambush) "annihilate mock aggressive aircraft," (read U.S. aircraft), reported Iranian state-owned television.



Code named "Defenders of Velayat Skies 7," the war game covered the Persian Gulf provinces of Hormozgan and Bushehr along with the southwestern province of Khuzestan.



Iran's official IRNA news agency reported Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) Air Defense Commander Brig. Gen. Farzad Esmaili saying the war game was held in an area covering 496,000 km.



Participants in the drill included the air defense forces of the IRIAF; the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC); support units of the Navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran; the Islamic Republic of Iran Army and IRGC's ground forces artillery units, said Gen. Esmaili.



The exercises included around 17,000 military personnel and simulated intense and large-scale electronic warfare. It also sought to hone coordination among the different divisions of the armed forces employed to defend the country's airspace.



Iranian media also said IRIAF carried out the first operational test of the indigenous Sayyad-3 (Hunter-3) high-altitude SAMs paired with the Talash-3 (Struggle-3) medium-altitude SAMs system to hit aerial targets. IRIAF claims Talash can shoot down any hostile target, even at high altitudes.



IRIAF claims Sayyad-3 is capable of intercepting targets 150 km distant. It's combining Sayyad-3 with Talash, which is optimized for engaging medium altitudes targets.



This paired air defense system is guided by Ofoq (Horizon), a locally-manufactured fire control radar.



Media also revealed IRIAF warned several fighter jets and drones belonging to the U.S. Navy not to approach Iranian airspace during the military exercise. IRIAF also warned 12 aircraft from trans-regional countries to stay away from Iranian airspace.



Iran also tested a number of high-precision missiles and radar systeme in the military exercise, said Iranian media. These missiles were the Mersad and Ya Zahra-3 stationed at IRGC's Khatam al-Anbiya air defense base that detected, intercepted and destroyed mock airborne targets.



IRIAF said among the objectives of the air defense exercises was detecting and intercepting a hypothetical enemy's unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) using homegrown missile systems. Defensive mobile missiles systems were also successfully deployed to designated positions in record time, said IRIAF.



The drill also focused on intelligence gathering during reconnaissance missions and capturing aerial footage from maritime targets using reconnaissance drones.



Media said the exercise "set a record in the tactical mobility of armed forces, after the rapid deployment of radar and missile systems, artillery units, as well as communication and electronic warfare systems to the operation zone."



The S-300 missile system was built by Almaz-Antey, one of Russia's major makers of air defense systems and part of the Rostec group. Iran paid $1 billion for its S-300PMU2 system.



The sharp end of this surface-to-air missile (SAM) system is its Russian-made 48N6E SAM. These missiles have a maximum range of 150 kilometers and can reach a maximum altitude of 30 km.



The 48N6E is a vertical tube launched, solid fuel, single-stage, highly maneuverable SAM designed to shoot down aircraft, cruise missiles, UAVs and Theater Ballistic Missiles such as the U.S. THAAD with its high fragmentation warhead.



Its radars can operate amid electronic clutter and jamming. The system is fully automated, but manual observation and operation are also possible.



Each launcher vehicle carries four missiles with two missiles normally fired at one target within five seconds. A full battalion includes six launcher vehicles with a total of 24 missiles. It also includes command-and-control; long-range radar and engagement radar vehicles.



Iran, therefore, now has over 100 missiles at its disposal, excluding spares.


New Delhi: The political parties on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court's ruling which termed as "illegal" any appeal for votes on the basis of caste, community, religion or language.

Commenting on the decision by the bench headed by Chief Justice of India Justice TS Thakur, Communist Party of India leader D Raja told IANS, "The whole judgement needs to be studied."

"These are all there in the Representation of the People Act that makes it clear that religion and politics must be kept separate and no one should use these for political and electoral gain," said Raja.

"It is a strong message that has been sent out," he said, adding that one would have to wait to find out whether the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh) and other Sangh Parivar outfits and various fundamentalist organisations would abide by the apex court's verdict.

Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi told IANS, "I welcome this pragmatic message coming from the Supreme Court with regard to how politics has come to be dominated by caste and religious equations, especially by some parties which have made these part of their ideology to rise in Indian politics."

"This needed to be discouraged and I welcome the move of the Supreme Court," the Congress leader added.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal also welcomed the court ruling, calling it a historic moment.

RJD leader Manoj Jha told IANS, "I believe this is a milestone moment for Indian politics and public life."

He said an anomaly was created when the apex court observed in the 1990s that the Hindutva was not a religion but a way of life, Jha said.

In 1995 a three-judge bench of the Supreme court, headed by the then CJI JS Verma, had delivered a controversial judgment that categorically held that an appeal to Hindutva or Hinduism did not automatically mean an appeal to Hindus in the name of religion.

The RJD leader also said that as far as caste was concerned there was a "grey area" and that needed to be underlined.

"Casteism and speaking about inequality are two different things, so I would urge the Supreme Court to look at this grey area which can be used by the political parties with huge resources to put such parties in perpetual legal quagmire," the RJD leader added.
The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that seeking votes in the name of religion during polls is illegal. PTI reported that the Supreme Court in a majority verdict, held that any appeal for votes on the ground of religion amounts to corrupt practices under electoral laws.

#FLASH: SC says no politician can seek vote in the name of caste, creed, or religion, while hearing several petitions in Hindutva case  ANI (@ANI_news) January 2, 2017

The seven-judge Constitution bench comprising chief justice T.S. Thakur, justices Madan B. Lokur, S.A. Bobde, Adarsh Kumar Goel, U.U. Lalit, D.Y. Chandrachud and L. Nageswara Rao has delivered this historic verdict. The hearing of the case had been going for over six days and the bench had reserved the verdict for 27 October reports live mint.

Hindutva case: Supreme Court says election is a secular exercise and thereby its way and process should be followed.  ANI (@ANI_news) January 2, 2017

During the hearing by a seven judge Constitutional bench, the apex court had said that it would not reconsider its 1995 judgment that defined Hindutva as 'a way of life and not a religion' said a report in The Indian Express. Those observations came after an interlocutory application filed by Teesta Setalvad, requesting the bench to reconsider the 1995 judgment.

According to The Asian Age, the court had earlier observed that the essence and ethos of our (India's) constitutional system is secularism and said that religion and politics should not mix. The court further remarked that elections are a secular activity and asked whether in a secular state, religion can be brought into secular activities.

According to section 123 (3) of the Peoples Representation Act of 1951, no candidate or his agent can appeal for votes on the grounds of religion, race, caste, community or language. The Bombay High Court had in the mid-1990s set aside the election of Shiv Sena leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Manohar Joshi and the matter was then moved to Supreme Court. The Supreme Court in 1995 had overturned the Bombay High Court order and remarked that Hindutva is a way of life and not a way of religion, reported The Indian Express.

The Financial Express reported that the Supreme Court also said that the relation between man and God is an individual choice and that the state should refrain from interfering from such activities. The majority view of the Supreme Court upheld that if a politician makes an appeal for vote on the basis of his religion or requests his voters and agents to vote on the basis of caste, creed and religion, the elections will be void.
Any hopes that politics in 2017 was going to shed its performative skin has been snuffed out by the continued drama over demonetisation (reaffirmed by Prime Minister Narendra Modis speech to the nation as 2016 drew to a close), and the continuance of familial love  hate theatrics in Samajwadi Party.

While Modi ended 2016 with his stock-in-trade note of national sacrifice, the bizarre twists and turns in the Samajwadi Party suggest that Indian politics is not going to disappoint those among us nurturing a natural predilection for political drama. The cast of characters in the ongoing Samajwadi play  starting with the ailing but doggedly fighting party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, his forthemomenttriumphant son Akhilesh Yadav, his scheming uncle Shivpal Yadav, and the manipulative outsider Amar Singh, conveys that dramatic elements in Indian politics are in the process of becoming heightened and not diminished as we enter the new year.

This years highvoltage Uttar Pradesh assembly elections ensure there will be no let-up in this political theatre. Like the year just gone by, 2017, too, is all set to be another 360 days of unadulterated histrionics.

Even as we apparently seem to disparage political theatrics, we are unable to resist the charm of a demagogue like Narendra Modi, who appeals to our emotional and not intellectual or factual sensibilities. Consider for instance how large chunks of people (If governmentsponsored surveys are to be believed) seem to perceive themselves  even if reluctantly  as agents of a national blackmoney cleansing project. Prosaic economic analysis is often tossed aside in the interest of vacuous but emotionally appealing rhetoric.

The disconcerting truth that we have to contend with, even this year, is that the entire political discourse in India  like elsewhere  has been supplanted by emotional rhetoric; rhetoric that is not based on substance, and only geared to invoke immediate sentiment.

A day after the Prime Minister Modis address to the nation on Doordarshan on 31 December, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, with a matching reputation for theatrics, retorted: PM has become a subject of ridicule internationally. Big economists of the world are talking ill about the whole exercise. Manmohan Singh commanded respect internationally but Modi has destroyed the reputation of PMs office. Kejriwal said the Prime Ministers speech, which did not address the gains and losses of the sudden currency change, was hollow. An accusation echoed by many independent commentators as well.

But the question is when hollow speeches become the norm and theatricality a substitute for substance in political, where is the hope of recovering the real discourse?

Given the speedy back-and-forth developments within the Samajawadi Party in recent days, the Yadav family seems to be occupying the centre-stage of political theatrics at least for the moment. More drama is expected to unravel in the coming days in this electorally crucial state. But the list of heavyweight politicians with more than a touch of performative skill ends neither at 7, Race Course Road, nor at the seat of power in Lucknow. Delhis Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, surely, is on par with the irrepressible Mamata Banerjee, his Bengal counterpart.

In fact, it may be safe to predict that 2017 will spawn more actor-politicians than ever before. And that political theatrics will continue to dominate the year ahead.
Mumbai: The BJP on Monday termed as "inflammatory" AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi's demand for allocation of civic budget to Muslims in proportion to their population in Mumbai and moved the State Election Commission (SEC) against him.

The BJP city unit, which is part of the Shiv Sena-led alliance ruling the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), submitted a representation to the SEC seeking action against the Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad.

"What Owaisi said is inflammatory and illegal," Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar said after handing over the representation to State Election Commissioner JS Saharia. "We condemn Owaisi for demanding grants based on a religious community's percentage of population," he said. Action should be taken against Owaisi for such inflammatory remarks, the BJP leader added.

"Muslims account for around 21 per cent of the population in the BMC wards. If the BMC budget is of Rs 36,000 crore, Rs 7,700 crore should have been allotted for the development of Muslims which was not done," Owaisi had told a public rally at Nagpada here last evening.

The rally addressed by the 47-year-old controversial politician, whose Hyderabad-based party has two MLAs in Maharashtra, marked the start of AIMIM's campaign for the upcoming polls to the country's richest civic body.

In the past, Owaisi, known to make controversial remarks, had attracted the charge of delivering "hate speeches". Meanwhile, Owaisi rubbished the allegations levelled by Shelar saying, "I have not made any divisive remark."

Talking to reporters in Aurangabad, the AIMIM chief said he would be highlighting the "failures" of the BMC on various fronts as also those of the Shiv Sena and the BJP who are allies in the corporation as well as in the state government.

"The BMC budget for health is Rs 3,694 crore but the Muslim majority areas are deprived of various healthcare facilities," Owaisi alleged.
Mumbai: The BJP on Monday termed as "inflammatory" AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi's demand for allocation of civic budget to Muslims in proportion to their population in Mumbai and moved the State Election Commission (SEC) against him.

The BJP city unit, which is part of the Shiv Sena-led alliance ruling the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), submitted a representation to the SEC seeking action against the Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad. "What Owaisi said is inflammatory and illegal," Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar said after handing over the representation to State Election Commissioner JS Saharia.

"We condemn Owaisi for demanding grants based on a religious community's percentage of population," he said. Action should be taken against Owaisi for such inflammatory remarks, the BJP leader added.

"Muslims account for around 21 per cent of the population in the BMC wards. If the BMC budget is of Rs 36,000 crore, Rs 7,700 crore should have been allotted for the development of Muslims which was not done," Owaisi had told a public rally at Nagpada here last evening.

The rally addressed by the 47-year-old controversial politician, whose Hyderabad-based party has two MLAs in Maharashtra, marked the start of AIMIM's campaign for the upcoming polls to the country's richest civic body. In the past, Owaisi, known to make controversial remarks, had attracted the charge of delivering "hate speeches".
Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday rejected the opposition demand for setting up of an inquiry commission into the recent unrest in the Valley even as she blamed NC and Congress for sowing the "seeds" of the turmoil in the state.

On the opening day of the Budget session of the Assembly in Jammu, she said the alliance of 1987 between NC (National Conference) and Congress had led to the weapons being given to the youth of Kashmir.

She was responding after Congress member Rigzin Jora blamed the "unholy alliance" of PDP and BJP in the state for the turmoil in the Valley which erupted in July last year and continued for over five months.

He also demanded setting up of a commission to probe last year's unrest that was triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter. "Some people here say that a commission should be set up to probe it (unrest). But just yesterday I received the report of the (Justice M L) Koul Commission set up to probe the 2010 killings.

Let us first fix the responsibilities in it (2010 killings) and talk of new commission only after reading that report," the Chief Minister said, responding to Jora's demand. She was referring to the unrest of 2010 during the NC-Congress rule when Omar Abdullah was the Chief Minister.

Hitting back at the opposition, Mehbooba said, "The situation which you have created... we all should sit and find a solution to it." Tearing into the opposition charges, Mehbooba said, "What should you call the alliance of 1987 when the youth of Kashmir were handed over the guns. The seeds of turmoil were sown at that time. Slogans of plebiscite were raised and it was said that J-K will be separated from India and made a part of Pakistan."

"Their slogan was that Kashmir will become part of Pakistan," she said, claiming that the alliance of 1987 led to weapons being handed over to the youth of Kashmir. Her remarks came during the Assembly Session which was adjourned for the day normally after finishing of the day's business of obituary reference. As Mehbooba was speaking, NC MLAs created commotion in the House objecting to her remarks and pointed out that her father and former CM late Mufti Mohammed Sayeed was part of Congress at that time.

Amidst the uproar, the CM said the situation in the past few months has been bad and several people, including security forces personnel, have lost their lives which should not have had happened.

The Assembly also paid tributes to the people killed during last year's unrest in Kashmir Valley along with former Governor Lt Gen (retd) SK Sinha, former ministers and legislatures who passed away since the last session.

Soon after Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta read out the references on the demise of the former state Governor and other leaders who passed away, opposition demanded that tributes be paid to the civilians killed during the unrest in the Valley.

"As we pay tributes to the former Governor and the leaders who passed away, we should also pay tributes to the civilians who were killed in the over five months of the unrest in the valley," NC MLA Mohammad Shafi said. Shafi claimed that all laws were ignored while dealing with the unrest and said it had dented the image of not only the state government but also the entire country in front of the whole world.

The opposition leader demanded that an inquiry be held into the "excesses" committed and the guilty be identified and action taken against them. "It is important if we have to restore the faith of the people in democracy," Shafi said.

The Congress leader said the five months of turmoil in Kashmir should not be called an unrest or law and order problem but a "mass uprising". "It would be wrong to call it unrest or law and order

problem, but a mass uprising. Why did it happen? It happened as the psyche of the people of Kashmir was hurt due to the unholy alliance. Burhan Wani was just a trigger," Jora said.

He demanded that the House also pay tributes to the personnel of the security forces who lost their lives in the insurgency-related incidents in the state. The BJP demanded that the House should also pay tributes to the people who lost their lives in the cross-border firing.

Independent MLA Engineer Rashid said the people who lost their lives in the unrest in the Valley died "demanding plebiscite".

"Hold plebiscite to resolve Kashmir issue. If you agreed to pay compensation to the family of Khalid Muzaffar Wani then you accepted that he was killed. You have lost in front of the ideology of Burhan Wani," Rashid said.
Lucknow: Amidst the ongoing feud in Uttar Pradesh's ruling party, the convention called by SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav here on 5 January was postponed. In a series of tweets, SP leader Shivpal Yadav said that on the orders of Mulayam Singh Yadav, the convention called on 5 January has been postponed for now.

While Shivpal gave no reasons for the abrupt cancellation of the meeting, insiders said perhaps the Mulayam camp was apprehensive of a poor turnout compared to the massive gathering at the "convention" held by Ram Gopal Yadav on Sunday.

The convention was declared illegal and unconstitutional by Mulayam. Shivpal in another tweet asked party workers to concentrate on their respective constituencies and work hard to win the elections. Meanwhile, senior SP leaders from both sides (Akhilesh and Mulayam camps) are likely to visit the Election Commission in New Delhi today to put forth their case. Party sources said Mulayam may not visit Delhi as he is indisposed.

The Samajwadi Party yesterday split down the middle with the faction headed by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav removing Mulayam as party chief and appointing him in his place at a convention in which the group claimed support of the majority of legislators and district units.

The two sides had engaged in mutual recriminatory expulsions with the convention called by Ram Gopal Yadav removing Akhilesh's warring uncle Shivpal Yadav as state party chief, and showing the door to "outsider" Amar Singh, who has been blamed for the feud in the Yadav clan.

Mulayam had retorted by again expelling his cousin Ram Gopal for six years along with national vice president Kiranmoy Nanda, who chaired the convention, and general secretary Naresh Agarwal for taking part in it.
Accusing the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party of doing politics at the cost of development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged the people of Uttar Pradesh to vote for the BJP to change the state's fortunes. The rally at Ramabai Ambedkar Grounds was Modi's first public rally of 2017.

It was also the first rally by Modi after the expiry of the 50-day grace period of demonetisation on 30 December. The rally is seen as a culmination of the four Parivartan yatras carried out by the BJP in the poll-bound state. To be held at the Ramabai Ambedkar grounds, the BJP reportedly hopes to see a turnout of over 10 lakh people  double the capacity of the 80 acre ground. The party has arranged for over 15,000 buses to help supporters attend the rally.

Modi started his address by noting that this was probably the largest gathering in any of his rally. "Even in the run-up to the general election in 2014, turnout was never this huge. Thank you," Modi said. The prime minister said it was imperative for Uttar Pradesh to develop for India to progress in every sense.

"We want India to march ahead, want poverty to be eliminated, illiteracy to end, diseases to end. But all these dreams will be fulfilled only when the fortune of Uttar Pradesh is changed," he said. "For India to progress, UP has to progress. It pains me when I see how governments in the state have been functioning. Even for building a road, they first measure political considerations. Development is not their preference. They only know petty politics," he said, targeting the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party which have ruled the state for the last 14 years. The Centre in the last two and half years provided Rs 2.5 lakh crore to the state. Had this money been properly utilised, UP's condition wouldn't be like it is now," he said.

Attacking the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Uttar Pradesh, Modi said that the two parties who never see eye to eye, are comfortably united against him.

Aapne kabhi SP,BSP ko ek saath dekha hai? Itne saalon ke baad ek mudde pe dono ikhatte ho gaye, keh rahe hain Modi ko badlo: PM Modi pic.twitter.com/dYV884gexj  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 2, 2017

They say remove Modi I say remove black money, they say remove Modi, I say remove corruption. You decide what we want to remove: PM Modi  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 2, 2017

Vote for the development of Uttar Pradesh, forgetting all caste and creed: PM Modi at Parivartan rally in Lucknow #UPpolls pic.twitter.com/ZUMTNRDrSe  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 2, 2017

"It is unfortunate that development is not priority for the rulers here," Modi said.

The prime minister also invoked former prime minister and senior BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee and said that leaders like him spent their youth working for the development of this land (UP).

Jab Lok Sabha ka chunaav lad raha tha, tab bhi Hindustan ke kisi koney mein aisa viraat drishya dekhne ko nahin mila: PM Modi pic.twitter.com/42PKjxT9r5  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 2, 2017

Ye Lucknow ki dharti Atal ji ki karmabhoomi hai, unke jaise anek mahapurushon ne apni jawani iss dharti par khapayi: PM Modi in Lucknow pic.twitter.com/O5meTZmtbu  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 2, 2017

Kuch log kehte hain BJP ka 14 saal ka vanvaas khatam hoga, mudda BJP ke vanvaas ka nahin hai: PM Modi  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 2, 2017

Mudda 14 saal ke vanvaas ka nahin, 14 saal ke liye Uttar Pradesh mein vikaas ka vanvaas ho gaya hai: PM Narendra Modi pic.twitter.com/mAYPtVCJcM  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 2, 2017

Hindustan ka bhagya badalne ke liye pehli shart hai ki humein Uttar Pradesh ka bhaagya badalna padega: PM Modi pic.twitter.com/1KfgUQO3FN  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 2, 2017

Dalon ki rajneeti dalon tak seemit honi chahiye, janata ke saath nahin honi chahiye: PM Narendra Modi in Lucknow pic.twitter.com/kZYS9v4PX9  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 2, 2017

Vote for the development of Uttar Pradesh, forgetting all caste and creed: PM Modi at Parivartan rally in Lucknow #UPpolls pic.twitter.com/ZUMTNRDrSe  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 2, 2017

Apart from attacking Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and SP and BSP over black money, the only thing that probably struck a new note was Modi's mention of the BHIM App. The Bharat Interface for Money or the BHIM app was launched by the prime minister for cashless payments is based on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). Bringing up the app launch during the rally, Modi invoked Bhimrao Ambedkar and said that the brain behind Reserve Bank of India was that of Ambedkar. "Ambedkar was a social reformer but he was also a economic reformer, in a way."

Slamming the BSP for caste-politics in Uttar Pradesh, Modi asked what Mayawati's problem was if BJP launched an app and called it BHIM. "Will politics stoop so low? Why were some people troubled when we launch a mobile app after Bhimrao Ambedkar?" said the prime minister.

Targeting BJP's rivals, Modi accused all the major parties in Uttar Pradesh  SP, BSP and Congress  of being busy in issues that have no relation with the development of the state and its people.

Kuch dal aise hain jinka UP mein ata pata hi nahin hai: PM Modi  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 2, 2017

Congress

Ek dal aisa hai jo apne bete ko prasthapit karne ke liye 15 saal se koshish kar raha hai lekin abhi tak daal galti nazar nahin aa rahi: PM pic.twitter.com/xRkZMOkkQ8  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 2, 2017

BSP

Doosre dal ko chinta hai paise kahan rakhein, wo paise bachane mein lage hain, door door ki bank khoj rahe hain: PM Modi pic.twitter.com/Lx3Rx5zSGi  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 2, 2017

Samajwadi Party

Aur ek dal aisa hai jo parivar ka kya hoga usmein lage hue hain: PM Narendra Modi in Lucknow pic.twitter.com/BePqKNPLLa  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 2, 2017

Our high command is the people of India. We have no other high command: PM Modi in Lucknow pic.twitter.com/K1tbGCjzY0  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 2, 2017

Concluding his address, Modi urged the people to vote for BJP and bring it back to power with "poori bahumat". "Not half-heartedly, but bring us back with full mandate," he said. Against all expectations, Modi did not elaborate on the infighting going on in SP.

Reports had earlier said that Modi, in all likelihood, will raise the family feud in his address as he hopes to win the electorate of Uttar Pradesh in an election that is very crucial for the BJP in the next general elections  more importantly as it desperately needs a majority in Rajya Sabha, to enable smooth passage of legislation. If the Samajwadi Party feud continues, the UP election fight could very well be one between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, who, at the moment, seems to have the popular vote among the SP cadre, News 18 report said.

With inputs from agencies
The 'pari-war' reached a fever pitch on Monday, as Samajwadi patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav reached the Election Commission of India office in New Delhi in a bid to claim the 'cycle' symbol. He was accompanied by his brother Shivpal Yadav, Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh and actress-turned politician Jaya Prada.

A day after being dethroned as the Samajwadi Party national president by his warring son and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Mulayam Singh insisted the party belonged to him and declared the action against him unconstitutional.

"Samajwadi Party's election symbol is my signature," he said in Lucknow.

The move comes after the party's being effectively broken into two opposing factions: One led by Mulayam and Shivpal, and another by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. The Akhilesh camp, on their part, claimed support of the majority of the SP cadres as well as the MLAs.

Akhilesh camp member and former general secretary of the party Ram Gopal Yadav will meet Election Commission officials on Tuesday, ANI reported.

Delhi: Mulayam Singh Yadav accompanied by Amar Singh, Shivpal Singh Yadav and Jaya Prada leaves his residence to visit Election Commission pic.twitter.com/mUO8NqfNDe  ANI (@ANI_news) January 2, 2017

Delhi: Mulayam Singh Yadav accompanied by Amar Singh, Shivpal Singh Yadav and Jaya Prada reach Election Commission pic.twitter.com/GVHFyfyiw5  ANI (@ANI_news) January 2, 2017

Ram Gopal Yadav's meeting with Election Commission of India fixed for 11:30 AM tomorrow. He had sought time from the ECI earlier.  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 2, 2017

The meeting lasted around 30 minutes where Mulayam Singh, as the party founder, is said to have asserted his right over the election symbol. While Mulayam Singh and his aides were tight-lipped about the meeting, informed sources said he discussed party constitution with Zaidi, claiming he was still the party president.

Mulayam Singh is also said to have argued that the convention called in Lucknow by Akhilesh supporters violated the party rules and hence anything that happened at the meeting was invalid. He also cancelled a national convention called by him on 5 January.

Meanwhile, the Akhilesh camp will be sending its General Secretary-turned-mentor Ram Gopal Yadav as its emissary to the poll panel on Tuesday. Mulayam confidant Amar Singh appeared unfazed by his "expulsion" from the party by Akhilesh Yadav and insisted his allegiance to Mulayam Singh.

"I was with Mulayam and will remain with him. My association with him made me a hero and if needed I can become a villian also," he said.

Amid the tug of war between the father and son, a group of party activists gathered outside Mulayam Singh's residence in Lucknow, raised slogans in his support and sought unification of the party. The supporters, however, did not raise slogans against Akhilesh Yadav or Ram Gopal Yadav. Instead, they urged Mulayam Singh to make Akhilesh Yadav the face of the election campaign.

According to constitutional experts, in all likelihood, the poll panel could freeze the party symbol and allot new symbols to both the factions to contest the assembly elections scheduled this year. This might come as a blow to both sides as the symbol "cycle" is a well established brand. At a convention held in Lucknow on Sunday, Akhilesh Yadav annointed himself the Samajwadi Party President and said Mulayam Singh would remain a "Marg Darshak".

The Akhilesh camp also named a new state unit chief in place of Shivpal Yadav and sacked Amar Singh, who the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister has repeatedly dubbed a "dalal". The open rebellion prompted Mulayam Singh to again sack Ram Gopal Yadav from the Samajwadi Party. Both Ram Gopal Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav had been sacked on Friday too but were taken back a day later.

Later on Sunday, after a brief but heated exchange between Mulayam, Shivpal and Akhilesh supporters, dozens of youth leaders and party activists owing allegiance to the 43-year-old chief minister stormed the party headquarters at Vikramaditya Marg and took control.

Meanwhile, a group of Samajwadi Party activists on Monday gathered outside Mulayam's residence, raised slogans in his support and sought unification of the party.

Around 50 supporters, most from Badaun and neighbouring Ghaziabad, gathered as Mulayam sat in a meeting with Shivpal and Amar Singh before going to meet the Election Commission over the party symbol.

With inputs from IANS
There is nothing exotic about the expulsion and revocation of expulsion of Akhilesh Yadav from the Samajwadi Party. It is merely a culmination of an old phenomenon inscribed in the family ever since Akhilesh was sworn in as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. We are constantly witnessing how the feuds in the family entail disenfranchising each other to prove their authentic claim over the party.

Indeed, there seems to be an emerging correlation between the 'anti-ness' of Mulayam Singh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav towards Akhilesh and Ram Gopal Yadav, the mainstreaming of Akhilesh as a person in absolute command, and the rising disillusionment among anti-BJP voters to treat the party as a serious challenge to the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP). The chaotic disorientation of party, leaders and cadres is looming large.

Most significantly, nobody in the Samajwadi Party appears ready to set oneself up as being a leader above politics and political partisanship. In a word, everyone in the family has become 'too political' to gracefully delegate power to those who can optimally deliver for the party in the forthcoming Assembly election. It is argued, and rightly so, that being a master strategist, Mulayam is trying to manufacture an 'Akhilesh wave' by heightening the edge of dynastic dissent and then carefully scripting the victorious image of Akhilesh on all fronts including neutralising the strong anti-incumbency against his government.

Undoubtedly, Akhilesh is now being cleverly projected not only as the person in command of the Samajwadi Party but also a 'Vikas Purush' who is determined to radically break from the past styles of politics and politicians. Nonetheless, it remains to be seen as to what extent the powerful articulations of Akhilesh and his going ahead with developmental policies will neutralise the anti-incumbency factor and help the party consolidate its shifting Muslim-Yadav votebanks.

It is seriously puzzling that if Akhilesh Yadav is doing well enough to add a popular component to his developmental charm, why has the design of dynastic strife become more pronounced now? Especially at a moment when he was being acclaimed as the 'only game' in the party in Uttar Pradesh. My hunch is that the visible dynastic strife gelled perfectly well with the possible split of the party, if not today, then certainly in days to come.

Mulayam Singh Yadav while sensing it early might have scripted his role to overtly take the side of his ambitious brother, Shivpal Yadav and many others in the family while covertly backing his son Akhilesh Yadav to emerge as victorious Spartacus with grand support of the party leaders and workers. This has actually happened. Action, reaction and inaction within Samajwadi Party has finally has finally given way to the slogan, Jiska Jalwa Qaayam Hai, Uska Baap Mulayam Hai. The coup of Samajwadi Party is finally successful by the team of Akhilesh Yadav. Like what happened with Lal Krishna Advani in BJP, Mulayam Singh Yadav is now reduced as a great Marg Darshak while Akhilesh Yadav is being declared the national President of SP in the national convention whose legality is pending before the Election Commission of India.

Be that as it may, the rising frequency of conflict within the family often with wide media coverage had shaken the robust foundation of the party laid by Mulayam Singh Yadav. The greatest loss is to Mulayam Singh Yadav as he is no longer seem to enjoy the unwavering faith of the family members, party workers and most importantly his social base which was unimaginable ten years before. Indeed, the symbolism of being Netaji is put on stake as he appeared more a helpless father and surrendered brother.

In all probability, the public display of dynastic conundrum has negative ramifications for not only the party but also to the state politics in multiple senses. First, the core voters of SP have become-or, are becoming- disillusioned with the recurring high voltage drama of the family. The desertion of Muslim vote from SP will speed up in search of a viable option to defeat BJP.

Importantly, Muslim voters are already deeply disenchanted with SP on multiple fronts like communal riots, law and order issues and failure of the party to provide politico-economic dividends. A certain drift among Pasmanda Muslims have already taken place as a mark of protest against the Ashrafiya style of SP politics. Similarly, most of the OBC voters particularly Yadavas will shift their allegiance to BJP as the trend goes with 2014 Lok Sabha elections in urban areas of Uttar Pradesh.

We must note that BJP is consistently appeasing them by not only through its cultivated sense of hyper Hindu nationalism but also through a micro social alliance with OBC leaders and the communitys interest groups in both rural and urban areas. Thus, the recent dynastic conflict comes on to the agenda at the time when the party was already at the risk of becoming irrelevant for Muslims and Yadavas and if not properly addressed then the time is not too far when the political fate of the party will be doomed in Uttar Pradesh.

Second, the dynastic fracture is leading the party towards its organisational collapse as the party workers get highly divided at booth level and expressing their anti-party/leader sentiments in public realm. There is an unprecedented demoralisation among the party cadres and loyalists on the current state of inflated egos of their party leaders. Third, the recent family tussle has the potential of neutralising the side-effects of demonetisation which may have given a shock to BJP in the forthcoming Assembly election results due to rising discontents among farmers and rural voters. But SP has lost the opportunity to mobilise the voters and particularly those who were enchanted with BJP for its untimely policy and unplanned execution of demonetisation.

Given the alarming indicators, it is natural to form an opinion that the old dynastic party is in terminal decline. The unfolded dramatic events also created a crisis of representation as we are not able to measure that whether the 2017 Assembly election in the state is going to be an election to elect the right representatives or a legitimate successor of a dynasty who can claim power against all the odds created by his kith and kin. Should we be pessimistic or optimistic about the direction politics of Samajwadi Party is taking? It should perhaps hardly be surprising to note that whatever healing measures may be taken to bond the deep ridden family differences, the aura of SP and its politics will wane in the state. Or, to put it another way, thanks to the failings of Samajwadi Party, UP politics can no longer function in the way in which we have come to understand and accept it, and in the way it has always functioned up to now.

The author is associate professor and head, Department of Political Science, Maulana Azad National Urdu University
Jamie Dornan (Photo : Getty Images/John Phillips)

"Fifty Shades Darker" star Jamie Dornan is very much confident with his sex life with wife Amelia Warner that he does not feel the need to engage in role playing or BDSM.



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Meanwhile, Dornan and his co-star, Dakota Johnson, engaged in multiple sex scenes in the movie, but all of them are just make believe. Since the co-stars are being linked to each other, fans could not help but think that Dornan is disappointed he did not get to be fully naked with Johnson. After all, Dornan is very confident with his body.



During the same interview, "The Fall" actor said that he does not really mind going naked on screen just as long as it is shot masterfully and with class. "I do not really care about the whole nudist aspect of what is required of me as an actor. I hope there is some degree of modesty remaining but I am not a prude in any way, I was not brought up that way," he explained.



Dornan went on as far as saying that he grew up in a liberal household so he and his entire family are not really shocked by nudity. Unfortunately, such scenes are not allowed in theaters especially since "Fifty Shades Darker" is open for viewing for those 18 years old and above.



In other news, Dornan also spoke with GQ Magazine after the release of "Fifty Shades of Grey" to share what he had to do to make sure his private parts will not be exposed. The actor said that his front is tucked in a little flesh-colored bag, and it is tied and tucked away. Dornan did the same thing every time sensitive scenes were filmed.



"Fifty Shades Darker" will hit theaters in the United States on Feb. 10, 2017.






Political language... is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind, remarked George Orwell in his celebrated essay Politics and the English Language. On Sunday morning, the ongoing power tussle between two fractions of Samajwadi Party (SP) reached another level of no return and speaks volumes about a narrative is slowly being built that masquerades self interests as larger good.

Flanked by his uncle Ramgopal Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday morning told the workers of the party that Mulayam Singh Yadav continues to hold the highest position in the party. If Netaji had asked me to step down from the post of state president then I would have done so. If theres a conspiracy against the party or Netaji, it is my duty to stop it. I am netajis son. No one can hurt our relationship. I will do anything to protect him and the party. said Akhilesh, as reported by The Indian Express.

This statement by the Akhilesh Yadav was preceded by the an announcement made by Ramgopal Yadav who while speaking at the meeting said that the national executive of Samajwadi Party on Sunday unanimously elected Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav as the partys national president.

However, the decision was termed as unconstitutional by SP supreme Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Another important announcement made by Ramgopal Yadav was regarding removal of Shivpal Yadav as partys UP chief and sacking of Amar Singh from the party. While making this announcement Ramgopal also added that national convention has proposed that Mulayam be considered as the partys supreme leader, assuming the role of a mentor.

Here it becomes amply clear that in the foreground of this cliched pari-war of Samajwadi party lies a an innate power-tussle. It is a fight between two fractions of political parties, who claims their right on it for different reasons.

Akhileshs assertion over the reins of the party; that his father has built with hard work stems more form the fact of being the eldest heir of this political dynasty than from a quest to save the party which some elements are trying to destroy.

In Shivapal's claim to the reins of party that he built along with his brother  lies a fact that he considers himself the co-parcener of this political empire.

But in all these assertions, projecting this power tussle as a fight to keep 'criminal elements out of politics', is nothing short of a pretentious hyperbole.

On 10 December when Samajwadi Party decided to give a ticket to alleged don Atiq Ahmed, and Mukhtar Ansari's brother Sibaqtullah Ansari for the upcoming Assembly elections, it left Akhilesh Yadav fuming.

When in October last Akhilesh sacked Shivpal and his supporters from the cabinet it was seen as impending split of the Samajwadi Party. But with the timely intervention of Mulayam Singh Yadav, a truce was brokered. However, the simmering dislike between Akhilesh and Shivpal Yadav became public.

The reason for the acrimonious struggle between Akhilesh and Shivpal was the formers opposition to a merger with the Qaumi Ekta Dal, a regional outfit in eastern UP led by the Ansari brothers.

A narrative was being built in Uttar Pradesh that here is a young chief minister who wants to clean up the system. He wants to keep criminal elements out of stock. The Mr Clean image that Akhilesh was trying to built for himself by stiff opposition to criminal elements was gradually getting acceptance.

In last one year Akhilesh was projected as 'lone crusader' against criminalisation of politics. In an article published in Mint in June 2016, titled Akhilesh Yadavs lonely fight against corruption and tainted leaders, it was stated that Akhilesh Yadav has signalled zero tolerance towards corruption and candidates with criminal background. Soon after alleged gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansaris Quami Ekta Dal merged with Samajwadi Party (SP), Akhilesh Yadav is planning to take up the issue with party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav during a high-level meeting of party leaders on 25 June, said senior SP leaders.

In a profile of Akhilesh Yadav published in Caravan the writer states, Soon after the by-elections the party started inviting applications for tickets for the 2012 assembly polls. Akhilesh began to look into these applications personally, joining senior party members as they interviewed prospective candidates. By this time, many party leaders understood that something was badly wrong with their old stratagems. A leader who was present at an internal review meeting after the 2009 Lok Sabha election recalled that Amar Singh, excoriating them for being out of touch, had asked the assembled group: Do any of you know who Hannah Montana is? No one did. Singh allegedly said, Ask Akhilesh. He knows. Thats why we need the young generation leading the party.

It further remarked, Akhilesh, perhaps unwilling to rest on his laurels as the resident Disney expert, commissioned a round of surveys that conclusively established that voters were now seeing Samajwadi rule as a form of goonda raj thug rule. He tried to minimise this, denying tickets to candidates whose chargesheets were hard to ignore, such as DP Yadav, accused in multiple murder cases. Out of 403 candidates, the party eventually fielded 85 who were under 40 years old. (In spite of efforts to clean up its image, however, the party still fielded the most candidates with criminal cases to their name in the 2012 polls.

While this narrative is readily capturing the imagination of the people in Uttar Pradesh and has helped in garnering huge support as displayed in last few days, it will only be lack of political imagination to accept it on face value. The fact remains that all the parties in Uttar Pradesh has harboured, nourished and used mafia dons and criminals for political benefits. In this, the true intention behind Akhileshs opposition will become clear when he announce final list of candidates and actually succeeds in keeping criminals away.

For now it is beyond doubt that the subtext of fight in Samajwadi Party is power struggle, lets not mistake it with ideological warfare.
On Saturday evening, Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Yadav tried to convince people that the party was like one big happy family as he told reporters that everything was fine and all the leaders in the party would unite to fight "communal forces" in the country.

A day before that, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and another party leader Ram Gopal Yadav had been sacked from the party  although their expulsion was revoked in less than a day. A day after Shivpal's failed attempt to portray a picture of perfection, Akhilesh removed Mulayam Singh Yadav as the party chief.

This not only shows the massive mood swings the Samajwadi Party is going through right now but also the deep crisis in the party.

The current crisis began when in a virtual rebellion against his father Mulayam, Akhilesh  on 29 December  released his own list of 235 candidates for the 2017 assembly elections.

The move, indicating parting of ways between the two factions of the ruling party led by Akhilesh and his uncle Shivpal, confirmed that the family patriarch Mulayam had failed to pacify the warring duo.

The swift development from the Akhilesh camp came a day after Mulayam released the official list of 325 candidates, denying tickets to several Akhilesh loyalists.

Mulayam had, in his press meet on 28 December, ruled out projection of Akhilesh as the party's chief ministerial candidate. Moreover, on 25 December, Akhilesh defied Shivpal and prepared a list of 403 candidates which he handed over to Mulayam. Mulayam refused to accept the list.

On 30 December, a day after Akhilesh released his own list for the polls, Mulayam expelled Akhilesh and SP general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav from the party.

"We have to save the party. The party comes first. That is why we are expelling both Akhilesh and Ram Gopal," he had said. He had explained that the decision was taken after Ram Gopal, in his capacity as general secretary, called an emergency meeting of the party on 1 January and Akhilesh "supported" it.

Two important developments took place on Saturday. Setting the stage for a show of strength, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, who was expelled from SP at that time, held a meeting at his residence where a majority of the 229 party MLAs were present.

Meanwhile, SP leader Amar Singh termed the crisis in the party as "unfortunate" and asked party members to support Mulayam in the family feud.

Faced with an imminent split which could have drastically reduced his clout, Mulayam Singh Yadav then revoked the expulsion of Akhilesh and his uncle Ram Gopal. "All of us together will fight communal forces and we will once again form an SP government in UP with full majority. These are my orders. We will hold discussions within ourselves and decide, and prepare for the upcoming elections," Shivpal had then said.

But just when it looked like the SP feud was finally over, the party split down the middle on Sunday, when the faction headed by Akhilesh removed Mulayam as party chief and appointed Akhilesh in his place at a convention in which the group claimed support of the majority of legislators and district units.

On a day of fast-paced developments, the two sides engaged in mutual recriminatory expulsions with the convention called by Ram Gopal Yadav removing Akhilesh's warring uncle Shivpal Yadav as state party chief, and showing the door to "outsider" Amar Singh, who has been blamed for the feud in the Yadav clan.

Mulayam retorted by again expelling his cousin Ram Gopal for six years along with national vice president Kiranmoy Nanda, who chaired the convention, and general secretary Naresh Agarwal for taking part in it.

43-year-old Akhilesh was "unanimously" crowned the SP president as Ram Gopal moved a proposal to make Mulayam, the founder president of SP, the party patron at the convention, 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.

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 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 in Lucknow.

Mulayam 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 invalid.

Mulayam also postponed the convention called on 5 January. In a series of tweets, Shivpal said that on the orders of Mulayam Singh Yadav, the convention called on 5 January has been postponed for now.

While Shivpal gave no reasons for the abrupt cancellation of the meeting, insiders said perhaps the Mulayam camp was apprehensive of a poor turnout compared to the massive gathering at the "convention" held by Ram Gopal Yadav on Sunday.

Another report in The Indian Express said that even the SP leaders who were considered close to Mulayam sided with Akhilesh. Among them were party co-founder Reoti Raman Singh, vice-president Kiranmay Nanda and party general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Agrawal.

Perhaps no one can predict what will happen in the Samajwadi Party next. Political commentators have earlier also made several predictions for the future of SP, only to see a completely opposite situation emerge.

With the Samajwadi Party, expect the unexpected.

With inputs from PTI
VK Sasikala, Tamil Nadus new Amma, doesnt seem to be as reluctant a politician as she initially appeared to have been. The official appeal from the AIADMK's propaganda secretary and a party veteran today urging her to take over the chief ministership of Tamil Nadu clearly indicates that her script is still unfolding.

Three things indicate that this appeal by M Thambidurai, who is also the deputy speaker of the Lok Sabha and the partys most prominent leader in Delhi  is stage-managed: one, it was released officially by the AIADMK; two, it elaborates the rationale for her becoming the chief minister as probably she herself would do; and three, Thambidurai was a competitor to O Panneerselvam for the top job after Jayalalithaa died.

Moreover, Thambidurai belongs to an equally powerful caste faction (Gounder) within the party and has never been seen as a Sasikala camper. Making him do the bidding is a great plan. That it was him who was seen publicly appealing to a sobbing Sasikala to lead the party before the general council meeting of the AIADMK itself hints to such a backroom setting.

The main rationale in Thambidurais appeal is what the Congress had been accused of during UPA 1 and 2, when Sonia Gandhi led the party while Manmohan Singh headed the government. Thambidurai said for fulfilling the vision of Jayalalithaa, both the party leader and the chief minister have to be the same person. We have seen that people in India have not accepted the situation where the leadership of the Party is in one hand and the leadership of the Government is in another hand; and that, the Government has focused its attention on its single goal and fulfilled the election promises made to the people, when the leadership of both the Party and the Government was in one person's hand.

Referring to situations when the responsibilities were divided, he said, such Governments have lost their credibility among the people, when the leadership of the Party and the leadership of the Government was in the hands of two different persons.

He added that Sasikalas maiden speech had made the party cadres confident. The Address made by Respected Chinnamma, for the Party Cadres, immediately after assuming the General Secretaryship of the AIADMK Party, has melted the hearts of all of us. The points in the Address of Respected Chinnamma, with all sincerity and responsibility, have made us feel happy that the task of taking forward the Party has been handed over to the right person, he said in his appeal.

What remains to be seen now is if this elaborate appeal has been designed to create a sacrificial image for Sasikala. She could decline to become the chief minister and emulate Sonia Gandhi with no compromise on her power and authority. She could use the time before the parliamentary elections to establish herself as a leader and probably take the top job after the next assembly elections. But, this option is unlikely because the next assembly elections are still four years away.

On the other hand, if the plan is as straightforward as it looks, O Panneerselvams days are numbered. With him will also go the plans of the BJP central leadership to use him as a proxy to push its agenda. Reportedly, Panneerselvan had been promised all support to continue with Jayas rule by none other than Prime Minister Modi himself and that he had been advised to be in touch with the bureaucracy in Delhi.

Whether Panneerselvam was tempted by such an offer or not, through Thambidurai, Sasikala has nipped his aspirations in the bud.

Panneerselvam will easily move over without offering any resistance. He doesnt have the political capital or the resources to split the party although he belongs to Thevar community thats very influential in the party because Sasikala is also a Thevar. Caste loyalists will stay with Sasikala, the most powerful Thevar, than Panneerselvam. Its anybodyg guess if Panneerselvam will suffer any damage because of the Centres reported machinations.

With her speech at the AIADMK general council, Sasikala has made it very clear that she is as good as any other seasoned leader in the state and that she is in it for the long haul. Except for some from within the party, and the leaders of other political parties that might have had dealt with her for alliance talks, nobody had heard Sasikala before. However, when she spoke to the party top brass, and the cadres through live telecast, her leadership was cemented with absolute submission. She didnt sound like an amateur who had been pushed to be a leader by circumstances, but as somebody who was already on the job.

Hers was a perfect show  controlled emotions that evoked her rightful place as Jayas legacy-holder, impressive voice for a public speaker, practised intonation and above all, a language that was politically very astute. It was a perfect launch-script. For people who havent heard her and thought about her only as Jayas caretaker or friend, it was a revelation.

Probably, Sasikalas speech was a revelation for the opposition leader MK Stalin as well. If she indeed becomes the chief minister and begins her political tour of the state as has been reported in the media, he has to be very careful in his counter-strategy. He may have to wait for some more time before identifying the right point of vulnerability that he can work on.

And the foxy BJP? Does it have a Plan B?
Can politics insulate itself from society?

No way.

Can democracy work in India without giving groups  particularly those at the bottom of the social pyramid  the opportunity to bargain for a better deal by mobilising the crowd around identity? The answer, again, is no. That is the reason the Supreme Courts decision forbidding parties to seek votes in the name of caste, religion and language is a bit difficult to agree with.

On the face of it, todays ruling is a sound one. It addresses the matter of the divisive potential of identity politics and the consequent tension in society. Theres no denying the fact that identity based politics has, mostly, pitted people against each other and that it has been perverse to some degree. But scratch beneath the surface and it is a much more complex story.

Looking at it from an elitist perspective, it is easy to dismiss caste and other identities in our social and economic lives. But the fact remains that most of India rests on and is defined by these identities. It would be ideal if people could grow out of these but it is these very identities that give them the bargaining strength in a democracy and the opportunity to draw equal with others. You cannot just wish them away, particularly since politics at the practical level is all about addressing and capitalising on the grievances of people. Its a give and take arrangement.

All politics around identity may not be healthy. But that is not true of all cases. Participating in politics or using politics to further their goal is a normal activity in any democracy. Take for example caste politics. It revolves around a superior goal, which is social justice. Theres nothing wrong in social groups mobilising and haggling hard for a better deal. Politics of caste in India has been empowering and liberating the lower echelons of the socio-economic hierarchy. Theres still a very long way to go for complete caste equality in the country but politics is the only route it can take.

On the other hand, the problem with the politics of religion is that it serves no higher purpose. Status quoist to a large extent, it has no goal to uplift individuals or groups within it. Political mobilisation among Muslim has not resulted in the improvement of existential conditions of the community. Similarly, among Hindus it is only aimed at consolidation of the community with limited motive. Maybe religious politics is still a work in progress. It will take some time to mature.

Whatever the case may be, theres no way politics can separate itself from society. It is neither advisable nor practical. It is not practical because politicians are a crafty lot. They usually avoid the trap of appealing directly to identities. And they are capable of talking in hints. Moreover, they can easily outsource their communal or caste agenda to several groups and stay clear of trouble from courts. It is a better idea to let leaders cater to their potential voters but warn them strongly against resorting to violent and offensive language.

It must be understood that democracy is about making pragmatic choices. People make their choices based on the consideration of what they think is best for themselves. Their decision is driven by self-interest. To presume that they would be guided only by blind considerations of caste and other factors is just underestimating their ability to reason. The Indian voter has always been sharp. Look at the way they voted over the years, thrown out governments or retained them. The elitist view that the common man is stupid, emotional and impressionable just does not hold.

Finally, politics is often problematic, but it is its own solution too.
Kolkata: Terming Akhilesh Yadav as the "most popular leader" of Uttar Pradesh, the TMC on Monday said it stands with the UP CM in the ongoing rift in the Samajwadi Party.

"Akhilesh is the most popular leader in Uttar Pradesh. He is a very affectionate boy. We share a very cordial relation with him," TMC all-India vice-president Mukul Roy told reporters on the sidelines of a programme in Kolkata.

Although it was an internal matter of the SP, the TMC stands with Akhilesh and would continue to support him fully, he said.

The Samajwadi Party on Sunday split down the middle with the faction headed by Chief Minister Akhilesh removing Mulayam as party chief and appointing him in his place at a convention in which the group claimed support of the majority of legislators and district units.

Mulayam had retorted by again expelling his cousin Ram Gopal for six years along with national vice president Kiranmoy Nanda, who chaired the convention, and general secretary Naresh Agarwal for taking part in it.
New Delhi: The CPI on Monday welcomed Supreme Court holding that appeal for vote on ground of religion amounts to "corrupt practice", but said the issue of caste and language needs to be addressed "carefully".

The party also wondered if the order can be taken as negation of the apex court's earlier verdict that Hinduism is a "way of life".

Monday's verdict also held that appeal for voting on the grounds of 'race, caste, community or language' too amounts to "corrupt practice".

"As far as religion is concerned, it (the fresh verdict) is positive. Religion and politics should remain separate. But the question is whether the judgment can be taken as negation of the earlier judgment on Hindutva being way of life.

"It should be taken as negation of the earlier judgment and nobody should use religion to polarise people for electoral gains," CPI national secretary D Raja said.

He said the issue of language and caste though needs to be addressed "carefully" because there are tribals, the Dalits and certain sections of society which are "socially discriminated, subjected to atrocities".

"In some cases, we raise the question of inclusion of languages in eighth schedule. So, Supreme Court (should) be clear when they refer to caste and language. That's why it should be demarcated," he observed.

To drive his point, the parliamentarian argued that somebody raising the question of reservation to SCs/STs in private sector, can't be taken as using caste for demanding votes.

"It is a general demand within the framework of Constitution. If somebody raises the protection of languages, all languages must be treated equally. It cannot be treated as some kind of practice which is against the model code of conduct. So, there should be some clarity (in the verdict)," he said.

In a majority verdict, the Supreme Court today held that appeal for votes on the ground of "religion, race, caste, community or language" amounts to "corrupt practice" under the election law provisions.

Referring to the term 'his religion' used in section 123(3) of the Representation of The Peoples (RP) Act, which deals with 'corrupt practice', Chief Justice TS Thakur and three others in a 4:3 verdict said it meant the religion and caste of all including voters, candidates and their agents etc.

In its verdict passed in a case involving election of a Shiv Sena leader in mid-90s, the Supreme Court had in 1995 stated that Hindutva is a "way of life and not religion".
It is a coincidence that the Supreme Court's split verdict on use of religion in elections to secure votes should come the day two news items were featured in newspapers which related to identifying the voters by a religion. One was Syed Ahmed Bukhari telling Muslim voters that they should not vote for the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh because "they cheated the Muslims."

The other was Asaduddin Owaisi, MIM chief saying, that "Muslims comprise 21 percent of population" and when its civic body's budget was Rs 37,000 crore, Muslims' share should be Rs 7,770 crore. "Elect at least 20 to 25 members of MIM in the BMC and we will get the fair share for Muslim wards," he was quoted as saying. In both, the identification of the voters is on religious lines.

The apex court's 4-3 split verdict was clear that seeking votes on the basis of caste, creed, community, religion or language was illegal, while hearing the Hindutva Case which had declared that Hindutva was "a way of life". It had struck at it in the past leading to Bal Thackeray, once a more strident proponent of Hindutva, and the Election Commission had disenfranchised the Sena supremo.

What the Supreme Court has done is reiterated that the Section 123 of the Representation of the People Act would come into play if anyone indulged in the corrupt practice of using religion to seek votes. Like Bal Thackeray had when his partys candidate was Ramesh Prabhu against Prabhakar Kunte. All three are dead now.

Today's judgment, however, is not laying down a new format. The oldest case, I can recall, is the disqualification of Marri Channa Reddy, once the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, who was earlier an advocate and agitator for statehood for Telangana. An Arya Samajist, Vandemataram Ramachandra Rao had filed a petition on the grounds of corrupt practices because Reddy had appealed to religious sentiments at a meeting held in a mosque.

These cases have not, in the least, barred people from using religious sentiments on a scale unheard of in the past till the L K Advani rath yatra helped bring about a polarisation of the country on religious grounds in what is actually a secular process. Todays judgement has reaffirmed that relationship between man and God is an individual choice and the state is "forbidden to interfere" in that activity.

In other words, it has set out that secularism was, to use the metaphor, the separation of the state and the church. However, subtle messages can be and have been given in a manner that emphasises the affinity of one party to a particular religion while pretending to be even-handed. Some leaders like Thackeray had divided even the Muslim community into the good and the not good.

The two instances cited  Bukhari, the Shahi Imam and Owaisis utterances on Sunday  may perhaps sneak through the scrutiny because they were said much before the election processes commenced, but it does help lay the basis for seeking votes. The use of caste and community has always been the basis on which elections are fought even if the pretense is of the platform being all about roti, kapda, aur makan, or road, bijlee, aur paani.

If you want to cut through the clutter, the Court has, inter alia, said the following:

-The elections is a secular exercise and thereby its way and process should be followed and use of religion was an electoral malpractice.

-If a candidate was found to be seeking vote in the name of religion, it would be considered a corrupt practice under the Representation of People's Act.

-Seeking vote in the name of religion by the candidate will be dealt under Section 123(3) of the Representation of People's Act, the Supreme Court ruled.

-Use of creed, language or community as a tool for seeking vote in election is explicitly prohibited.

Religion as a tool to seek the favour of a vote been has been in vogue  Channa Reddys case was as far back as in the mid-1960s. In a country where symbols are required for political parties to identify itself because illiteracy is a weakness we continue to endure, the vulnerability to appeals on prohibited platforms is remains. Of course, the local linkages due to patronage, and deciding the winnability of a candidate on the basis of caste and religion has never been questioned.
Undoubtedly the Supreme Courts verdict that seeking votes in the name of religion is illegalis a big blow to all those political parties and politicians, who thrived on this practice.

This historical verdict given on Monday by a seven-judge Constitution bench, including Chief Justice TS Thakur, has once again strengthened the Indian Constitutions mandate of a secular state.

However going back to the 16th century  when this country was not even known as India and was not a democratic nation, the then ruler and first Mughal emperor Babur (1483-1530) had loosely outlined the tenets of secularism.

Irrespective of what he did and how he ruled his kingdom, Babur in his will, which was drafted at Gwalior Fort in Madhya Pradesh mentioned (as a piece of advice to his successors) that if this country has to be ruled, no forceful religious conversion should take place and no religious sites should be damaged. As majority population worship cow, consuming it (beef) should be stopped.

As Badal Saroj, central committee member, CPM, points out that what Babar said so many centuries ago is in some ways, on the lines of secularism. "This will was drafted in Gwalior. Todays SC verdict has once again strengthened the secular stand that was adopted by the Constituent Assembly in the face of a heated debate immediately after Independence. The Left has always emphasized that religion and religious icons shouldnt be used in politics and while contesting elections, Saroj, who originally hails from Gwalior told Firstpost.

A copy of the will is preserved at Bhopals Central Library.

While, often the blame of playing communal politics (read Hindutva politics) falls on the BJP, the CPM strongly feels that the Congress party is equally to be blamed.

The outcome of this illicit nexus between religion and politics is like fatal AIDS disease, and unfortunately, both mainstream political parties  the Congress and the BJP flirted with it. Barring first PM Jawaharlal Nehru, both Congress PMs Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi used religious sentiments to their advantage though the ultimate result was fatal, he said.

Whether it was winning the seats in Jammu in 1959 or toppling the EMS Namboodiripad-led Communist government in Kerala, the CPM blames Indira Gandhi of using communal politics.

To topple the Namboodiripad government in Kerala, the Congress led by Indira Gandhi spread rumours that it would be a threat to the identity of Christian community, if Communist party remains in power, then the Christian educational institutions would be gagged. It was wrong, Saroj remarked.

Even Rajiv Gandhis tenure as PM witnessed two historical incidents termed as infamous and controversial  Shah Bano case and Ram Janmabhoomi, which were a concotion of religion and politics.

When Rajiv Gandhi faced severe backlash due to his governments decision on Shah Bano case, he unlocked the gate of Ram Janmabhoomi to appease Hindus. That was disastrous and were still facing the communal rage that led to Babri Masjid demolition.

Hailing the SC verdict as a strong message, CPI leader D Raja told Firstpost, Undoubtedly it is a strong message but one would have to wait to find out if the RSS and other Sangh Parivar outfits and various fundamentalist organisations would abide by this ruling. The Left parties have been the only ones who have been propagating on the separation of politics from religion. We need to examine the details of the verdict especially on the Hindutva issue.

Whether contesting in the upcoming assembly elections or not, the Left has decided to carry on a campaign based on SC verdict.

It has always been the Lefts mandate to keep religion out of politics. Even during the hearing of this case, CPM requested the apex court to act as an intervener and our general secretary Sitaram Yechury became the intervener. Whether we contest polls in any state or not, well take forward this issue underlined by the SC as a moral responsibility and try to ensure that elections should be fought truly on secular lines. Almost three decades ago, Namboodiripad ended ties with Muslim League, as it had communal shades, added Saroj.
Lucknow: BJP President Amit Shah on Monday sought the support of the people of Uttar Pradesh to bring about a "parivartan" in the state in the coming assembly elections.

Addressing the 'Maha Parivartan' rally at Ramabai Sthal in Lucknow, Shah said the state had been ruined by both the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party.

The time had come to change the destiny of the country's most populous state, he said.

Take potshots at the ongoing feud in the Samajwadi Party, Shah said the "chacha" and "bhatija" were squabbling while the development of the state had taken a backseat.

And referring to BSP chief Mayawati, he said even the "bua" had not contributed positively to the state and it was because of these two parties that Uttar Pradesh remained backward.

He said an all round development of Uttar Pradesh would become possible only when the BJP was voted to power.
Rabat: About 1,100 African migrants attempted to storm a border fence from Morocco to reach Spain's Ceuta enclave, an incident in which 55 border guards were injured, the media reported on Monday.

Described as "extremely violent and organised" by Ceuta government, the incident took place on new year's day, the BBC reported.

The attempt, which was foiled by the Moroccan police, led to the arrest of all the illegal immigrants, Xinhua news agency quoted the Interior Ministry as saying in a statement.

It said those who make such attempts will be brought to justice, which will deliver verdicts ranging from expulsion from Moroccan territory to more severe sentences depending on how serious their acts are.

Tens of thousands of sub-Saharan African migrants living illegally in Morocco try to enter Ceuta and Melilla each year, hoping to get a better life in Europe.

Both cities have six-metre-high border wire fences separating them from Morocco.

Over the past few years, Morocco has adopted a strict policy against illegal migrants to Europe, but opened a door for regularising their status.

In December, Morocco launched the second phase of the regularisation of the situation of illegal immigrants in the country, after the first phase led to granting about 25,000 people legal status.
Actors Kelly Bishop, Alexis Bledel and Lauren Graham attend the premiere of Netflix's 'Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life' at the Regency Bruin Theatre on Nov. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo : Getty Images/ Alberto E. Rodriguez)

"Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life" brought back the popular show a decade after it ended. However, the mini-series concluded with a cliffhanger and now Netflix is teasing the possibility of another season being released.



The mini-series ended with Rory (Alexis Bledel) telling her mother, Lorelai (Lauren Graham), that she was pregnant but she did not reveal who the father was. A tweet from Netflix teases that Rory is aiming to find out who the father is as it shows an image of Logan (Matt Czuchry), Paul (Jack Carpenter) and a blank slot that simply states "A Guy Dressed in a Wookie Costume."



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Fans who did watch the mini-series will recall that the third, unidentified person slept with Rory while she was working on a story. The image tweeted also showcases a banner that reads "finding my father" and the caption "Where's an eighth grade science fair when you need one?"



This image is reminiscent of a similar experiment done by April (Vanessa Marano) back in Season 6 of the original series, Screen Rant reported. It was through this experiment she discovered Luke (Scott Patterson) was her biological father.



Where's an eighth grade science fair when you need one? #GilmoreGirls pic.twitter.com/6qYnjbn32q

 Netflix US (@netflix) December 28, 2016





However, series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino has been coy regarding the possibility of a second mini-series. This may change given the success of "A Year in the Life" and the high demand from fans to get a conclusion regarding who the father is. During the show, Logan was the one most widely presumed to be the father given he was the one Rory slept with.



Daniel Palladino did explain back in December that he and Amy did know who the father of Rory's child is. She stated there were clues in the mini-series but they may be less obvious to viewers due to the quick passing of time in the four episodes. She further explained that the father's identity was not as important as the journey getting to that cliffhanger.



"We just sort of felt like we wanted to leave it in that way because it was really less about who the father was and more about Rory repeating her mother's history," she told E! News. With that statement it is possible that there really was no intention of following the series up with another season.



"Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life" is available on Netflix. The official trailer can be viewed below:






Rio De Janeiro: At least 60 people were killed in a prison riot in Brazil's Amazon region when fighting broke out between rival gangs, an official said on Monday. The riot happened Sunday at a prison in Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state, said the head of the state's prisons administration, Pedro Florencio.

"There are 60 dead so far," he told journalists. Riots are common in Brazil's overcrowded and underfunded prisons. Some 622,000 people were imprisoned in Brazil as of the end of 2014, according to a justice ministry report. Most of them are black males.

That makes it the world's fourth-largest prison population, the report said, after the US, China and Russia. Human rights groups have long complained about the conditions in Brazilian prisons. On 18 October, deadly riots broke out at three separate prisons blamed on fighting between members of the country's two largest gangs.

During that episode, rioting inmates took visitors hostage, beheaded rivals and burned others alive, authorities said.
Washington: Donald Trump is planning to do "many big things" after being sworn in as president, his communications director said on Monday, 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 20 January, 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 on Monday from his Florida resort to his Trump Tower apartment in Manhattan.
Tehran: Iran has denied receiving any invitation from Saudi Arabia for talks on the Hajj, after a row between the arch-foes saw its pilgrims stay at home last year.

The Al-Hayat daily reported on Friday that Saudi pilgrims minister Mohammed Bentin had opened discussions with more than 80 countries, including Iran, to work out the details of the 2017 Hajj.

"No invitation from Saudi Arabia has been received by Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organisation or the foreign ministry," the head of the Hajj Organisation, Hamid Mohammadi, was quoted as saying in Iranian media reports on Monday.

Once the invitation was received, Iranians would only be able to take part in the hajj if "the Saudi side secures the conditions of dignity and security" for them, said Mohammadi.

Iran was doing all it could to open the "blocked path" to the Hajj, he said.

The annual pilgrimage, which starts and ends in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, is a must for all able-bodied Muslims who can afford it.

More than 1.8 million faithful took part in 2016, but Iranians stayed at home for the first time in three decades after tensions between Riyadh and Tehran boiled over following a deadly stampede during the 2015 pilgrimage.

Iran says it lost 464 people in the crush outside Mecca.

Saudi Arabia cut all ties with Tehran in January 2016 after Iranian demonstrators torched its embassy and a consulate following its execution of a prominent Shiite cleric.

Shiite Iran and predominantly Sunni Saudi Arabia are at odds over a raft of regional issues, notably the conflicts in Syria and Yemen in which they support opposing sides.
By Kareem Raheem and Ghazwan Hassan

| BAGHDAD/TIKRIT, Iraq

BAGHDAD/TIKRIT, Iraq An Islamic State car bomb killed 24 people in a busy square in Baghdad's sprawling Sadr City district on Monday, and the militants cut a key road north from the capital to Mosul, their last major stronghold in the country.An online statement distributed by Amaq news agency, which supports Islamic State, said the ultra-hardline Sunni group had targeted a gathering of Shi'ite Muslims, whom it considers apostates. Sixty-seven people were wounded in the blast.U.S.-backed Iraqi forces are currently fighting to push Islamic State from the northern city of Mosul, but are facing fierce resistance. The group has lost most of the territory it seized in a blitz across northern and western Iraq in 2014.The recapture of Mosul would probably spell the end for its self-styled caliphate, but the militants would still be capable of fighting a guerrilla-style insurgency in Iraq, and plotting or inspiring attacks on the West.Three bombs killed 29 people across the capital on Saturday, and an attack near the southern city of Najaf on Sunday left seven policemen dead. Monday's blast in Sadr City hit a square where day labourers typically gather.Nine of the victims were women in a passing minibus. Their charred bodies were visible inside the burnt-out remains of the vehicle. Blood stained the ground nearby.A separate blast near a hospital in central Baghdad killed one civilian and wounded nine, police and medical sources said.

"The terrorists will attempt to attack civilians in order to make up for their losses, but we assure the Iraqi people and the world that we are able to end terrorism and shorten its life," Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told reporters after meeting with visiting French President Francois Hollande.Hollande, whose country has faced a series of militant attacks in the past two years, said French soldiers serving in a U.S.-led coalition against the jihadists in Iraq were preventing more mass killings at home.ROAD TO MOSUL

Since the drive to recapture Mosul began on Oct. 17, elite forces have retaken a quarter of the city in the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Abadi has said the group will be driven out of the country by April.Clashes continued in and around Mosul on Monday. The counter-terrorism service (CTS) blew up several Islamic State car bombs before they reached their targets, and linked up with the Rapid Response forces, an elite Interior Ministry unit, said spokesman Sabah al-Numani.CTS was also clearing North Karma district of remaining militants, the fourth area the unit has retaken in the past week, he said.Islamic State targeted military positions away from the main battlefield, killing at least 16 pro-government fighters and cutting a strategic road linking the city to Baghdad.

Militants attacked an army barracks near Baiji, 180 km (110 miles) north of the capital, killing four soldiers and wounding 12 people, including Sunni tribal fighters, army and police sources said.They seized weapons there and launched mortars at nearby Shirqat, forcing security forces to impose a curfew and close schools and offices in the town, according to local officials and security sources.Shirqat mayor Ali Dodah said Islamic State seized three checkpoints on the main road linking Baiji to Shirqat following the attacks. Shelling in Shirqat had killed at least two children, he told Reuters by phone.In a separate incident, gunmen broke into a village near Udhaim, 90 km (56 miles) north of Baghdad, where they executed nine Sunni tribal fighters with shots to the head, police and medical sources said.In the same area, at least three pro-government Shi'ite militia fighters were killed and seven wounded when militants attacked their position with mortar rounds and machine guns, police sources said. (Additional reproting by Ahmed Rasheed and Saif Hameed in Baghdad and Isabel Coles in Erbil; Writing by Stephen Kalin; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Kareem Raheem and Ghazwan Hassan

| BAGHDAD/TIKRIT, Iraq

BAGHDAD/TIKRIT, Iraq An Islamic State car bomb killed 24 people in a busy square in Baghdad's sprawling Sadr City district on Monday, and the militants temporarily cut a key road north from the capital to Mosul, their last major stronghold in Iraq.An online statement distributed by Amaq news agency, which supports Islamic State, said the ultra-hardline Sunni group had targeted a gathering of Shi'ite Muslims, whom it considers apostates. Sixty-seven people were wounded in the blast.Three other attacks across the city killed eight more people, bringing the death toll from bombings in Baghdad to more than 60 in the past three days. It was not clear who was responsible.In addition, seven policemen were killed near the southern city of Najaf on Sunday.The upsurge in violence comes as U.S-backed Iraqi forces are fighting to push Islamic State from the northern city of Mosul, where it is putting up fierce resistance.The group has lost most of the territory it seized in a blitz across northern and western Iraq in 2014, and ceding Mosul would probably spell the end of its self-styled caliphate. But the militants would still be capable of fighting a guerrilla-style insurgency in Iraq, and plotting or inspiring attacks on the West."The terrorists will attempt to attack civilians in order to make up for their losses, but we assure the Iraqi people and the world that we are able to end terrorism and shorten its life," Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said after talks with visiting French President Francois Hollande.Monday's blast in Sadr City hit a square where day labourers typically gather. Nine of the victims were women in a passing minibus, whose charred bodies were visible inside the burnt-out remains of the vehicle. Blood stained the ground nearby.

A parked car bomb targeting a Sunni religious figure near a mosque in western Baghdad killed five people and another blast close to a hospital in the centre killed one civilian and wounded nine, police and medical sources said.In the southeastern Zaafraniya district, two more people were killed and seven wounded when a car bomb exploded.ROAD TO MOSUL

Since the drive to recapture Mosul began on Oct. 17, elite forces have retaken a quarter of the city in the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Abadi has said the group will be driven out of the country by April.Clashes continued in and around Mosul on Monday. The counter-terrorism service (CTS) blew up several Islamic State car bombs before they reached their targets, and linked up with the Rapid Response forces, an elite Interior Ministry unit, said spokesman Sabah al-Numani.CTS was also clearing North Karama district of remaining militants, the fourth area the unit has retaken in the past week, he said.Islamic State targeted military positions away from the main battlefield, killing at least 16 pro-government fighters and cutting a strategic road linking the city to Baghdad, although authorities later said the security forces had regained control of it.

Militants attacked an army barracks near Baiji, 180 km (110 miles) north of the capital, killing four soldiers and wounding 12 people, including Sunni tribal fighters, army and police sources said.They seized weapons there and launched mortars at nearby Shirqat, forcing security forces to impose a curfew and close schools and offices in the town, according to local officials and security sources.Shirqat mayor Ali Dodah said Islamic State seized three checkpoints on the main road linking Baiji to Shirqat following the attacks. Shelling in Shirqat had killed at least two children, he told Reuters by phone.In a separate incident, gunmen broke into a village near Udhaim, 90 km (56 miles) north of Baghdad, where they executed nine Sunni tribal fighters with shots to the head, police and medical sources said.In the same area, at least three pro-government Shi'ite militia fighters were killed and seven wounded when militants attacked their position with mortar rounds and machine guns, police sources said. (Additional reproting by Ahmed Rasheed and Saif Hameed in Baghdad and Isabel Coles in Erbil; Writing by Stephen Kalin; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
New Delhi: Two Indians are 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.

The deceased Indians have been 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. The External Affairs Minister also spoke to families of both Rizvi and Shah and conveyed her condolences. The External Affairs Ministry has also arranged for visa of the family members of the two deceased who are leaving for 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," Swaraj said.

A family member of Khushi said her brother Akshay Shah and cousin Hiren Chauhan are flying to Istanbul without visa and brought it to Swaraj's attention to which she said their their visa has been arranged. Swaraj said the Indian envoy to Turkey Rahul Kulshreshtha has been asked to receive the families at the airport and make all necessary arrangements. Expressing his condolences, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "Heartfelt condolences to the government and people of Turkey on the tragic loss of lives in Istanbul."

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 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.
By James Pearson

| SEOUL

SEOUL North Korea has been working through 2016 on developing components for an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), making the isolated nation's claim that it was close to a test-launch plausible, international weapons experts said on Monday.North Korea has been testing rocket engines and heat-shields for an ICBM while developing the technology to guide a missile after re-entry into the atmosphere following a lift-off, the experts said. While Pyongyang is close to a test, it is likely to take some years to perfect the weapon.Once fully developed, a North Korean ICBM could threaten the continental United States, which is around 9,000 km (5,500 miles) from the North. ICBMs have a minimum range of about 5,500 km (3,400 miles), but some are designed to travel 10,000 km (6,200 miles) or further. North Korea's state media regularly threatens the United States with a nuclear strike, but before 2016 Pyongyang had been assumed to be a long way from being capable of doing so. "The bottom line is Pyongyang is much further along in their missile development than most people realise," said Melissa Hanham, a senior research associate at the U.S.-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California.She said the North's test in April of a large liquid-fuel engine that could propel an ICBM was a major development."The liquid engine test was astounding," Hanham said. "For years, we knew that North Korea had a Soviet R-27 missile engine design. They re-engineered the design of that engine to double its propulsion".North Korea has said it is capable of mounting a nuclear warhead on a ballistic missile but it claims to be able to miniaturise a nuclear device have never been independently verified.

The isolated nation has achieved this progress despite U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions for its nuclear tests and long-range rocket launches dating back to 2006. The sanctions ban arms trade and money flows that can fund the country's arms programme.North Korea has enough uranium for six bombs a year and much of what it needs for its nuclear and missile programmes relies on Soviet-era design and technology. Labour is virtually free.It can produce much of its missile parts domestically and invested heavily in its missile development infrastructure last year, funded by small arms sales and by taxing wealthy traders in its unofficial market economy.PROPAGANDA OFFENSIVE

Throughout the year, North Korean state media showed images of numerous missile component tests, some of which revealed close-up details of engines and heat shields designed to protect a rocket upon re-entry into the earth's atmosphere.The propaganda offensive may have revealed some military secrets, but it may have also been a bid to silence outside analysts, many of whom had remained sceptical of the North's missile programme."They're answering the public criticisms of U.S. experts," said Joshua Pollack, editor of the U.S.-based Nonproliferation Review. "A lot of people had questioned whether they had a working ICBM-class heat shield"."So they showed us".Despite the research, Pyongyang has experienced considerable difficulties getting its intermediate-range Musudan missile, designed to fly about 3,000 km (1,860 miles), off the ground. It succeeded just once in eight attempted launches last year.

North Korea has fired long-range rockets in the past, but has characterised those launches as peaceful and designed to put an object into space.Still, the South Korean defence ministry believes the three-stage Kwangmyongsong rocket used by Pyongyang to put a satellite in space last February already has a potential range of 12,000 km (7,457 miles), if it were re-engineered.Doing so would require mastering safer "cold-launch" technology, and perfecting the ability of a rocket to re-enter the earth's atmosphere without breaking up."North Korea is working hard to develop cold-launch technology and atmospheric re-entry but South Korea and the U.S. will have to assess further exactly which level of development they have reached," South Korean defence ministry official Roh Jae-cheon told a briefing on Monday.North Korea began stepping up its missile development in March 2016, Roh said, but added that there were no "unusual signs" related to test preparations, according to the South Korean military.That same month, Kim Jong Un was photographed looking at a small, ball-like object that North Korean state news agency KCNA said was a miniaturised nuclear warhead - the device North Korea would need to fulfil its ICBM threat. "2016 marked the year North Korea truly ramped up their WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) programme," Hanham at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey said. "I think we're going to see a (ICBM) flight test in 2017". (Additional reporting by Jeongeun Lee; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Moscow: A plane carrying 35 diplomats expelled from the United States over Russia's alleged meddling in the US presidential election arrived in Moscow early on Monday, Russian state television reported.

A Russian Il-96 plane carrying the diplomats and their families landed at Moscow's Vnukovo airport at 2:05 am local time after having taken off from Washington yesterday, state television said.

State television showed the diplomats and their families gathering their luggage on the tarmac in the rain before heading inside the terminal.

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 White House.

Moscow has repeatedly dismissed the allegations.

The expulsions of the diplomats  described as intelligence operatives based at the Russian embassy in Washington and the consulate in San Francisco  were part of a package of sanctions ordered by President Barack Obama Thursday in the final weeks of his administration.

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."

Russian President Vladimir Putin last week rebuked the outgoing president for "unfriendly steps" amounting to "a provocation aimed at further undermining Russian-American relations."

The Kremlin strongman warned that Russia reserved the right to respond but refrained from ordering the tit-for-tat expulsion of American diplomats from Russia, saying that Moscow's next move will be "based on the policies pursued by the administration of president Donald Trump."

Putin's decision has been interpreted as a sign he is looking to Trump to rebuild US-Russian ties after the US presidential inauguration later this month.
By Erik Kirschbaum

| BERLIN

BERLIN A Syrian migrant who arrived in Germany two years ago has been arrested on suspicion of seeking funds from Islamic State to drive truck bombs into a crowd, a German state prosecutor's office said on Monday.The arrest follows an attack two weeks ago when a Tunisian whose asylum request had been rejected rammed a truck into a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 people. The man, Anis Amri, 24, was later shot dead by Italian police.In the latest case, the prosecutor in the western city of Saarbruecken said the 38-year-old Syrian was detained on Saturday and a formal arrest warrant was issued on Sunday on suspicion that he was trying to raise 180,000 euros ($189,000) to fund an attack.Prosecutor Christoph Rebmann said the man, whom he did not name, was suspected of seeking the money from Islamic State in Syria to buy trucks and load 400-500 kg (880-1,100 pounds) of explosives into each of them."He is suspected of ... requesting 180,000 euros from a contact person in Syria on his cell phone from Saarbruecken in December, 2016 so that he could acquire vehicles to pack with explosives and drive them into a crowd," Rebmann said in a statement. The man has admitted making contact with Islamic State, which is also know as ISIS, but denied he had any plans to stage an attack.

"He said he wanted the money from ISIS to support his family back in Syria," Rebmann told Reuters, adding that the Syrian had said he wanted to fool the jihadist group into sending him the money.The Syrian is from the city of Raqqa, Islamic State's main stronghold in the country. The prosecutor's office in Saarbruecken, near the French border, had been alerted to his activities by the BKA federal crime office.The Syrian came to Germany on Dec. 5, 2014, just before a wave of more than 1.1 million asylum-seekers arrived from the Middle East, Africa and Asia in 2015. He was given permission to stay in Germany on Jan. 12, 2015.

Chancellor Angela Merkel, who made the now-controversial decision to open the country's borders to refugees in September, 2015, described Islamist terrorism on New Year's Eve as the greatest test facing Germany.She has also said she is sickened by the prospect that refugees Germany has tried to help could mount attacks.Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said that failed asylum seekers who are regarded as a danger should be detained until they can be deported. He made the suggestion in a guest column in Tuesday's edition of the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper.

Political analysts, conservative allies and diplomats have said a major attack could damage Merkel's hopes of winning a fourth term in September's election. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has blamed her policies for the Dec. 19 Berlin attack. In October, a Syrian refugee committed suicide in prison after being arrested on suspicion of planning an attack on a Berlin airport.($1 = 0.9544 euros) (Additional reporting by Thorsten Severin; editing by David Stamp)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Google Play had launched carrier billing for Idea customers in India in May last year. Now, it has expanded the service to Airtel as well as Vodafone. Carrier billing will now allow Airtel and Vodafone customers to pay for apps, games, and books on Google Play directly from their pre-paid or post-paid account.

The latest update comes after Google had said it will introduce carrier billing for Vodafone and Airtel support. Google Play India offers options like credit card, debit card, net banking, redeem code and carrier billing for purchasing apps, books, movies, and other digital content. In November last year, Google Play added net banking support in India. Carrier billing support is more useful for people who dont have a credit card.

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In an attempt to push digital payment throughout the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched an app named as BHIM (Bharat Interface for Money) on Google Play Store, that aims to enable faster, easier and secure online payment through a smartphone. Developed by National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI), BHIM app has overtook all other popular apps including Whatsapp, Facebook, MyJio and topped Google Play Store.

Named after Bhim Rao Ambedkar, this app is currently available in just Hindi and English, while the support for other languages will be increased gradually in the upcoming days. Users can register their bank account with BHIM and set a UPI PIN for the account as well. Moreover, your registered mobile number will become the payment address when you transact through BHIM app. There is a Rs. 10,000 per transaction limit and Rs. 20,000 per day for BHIM. For larger transactions, you will still have to use a credit or debit card, or IFSC or another form of net banking.

Currently, BHIM is supported by a range of banks including State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, Bank of India, Canara Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Punjab National Bank and much more. Also, money can be sent to non-UPI supported banks as well using IFSC and MMID.

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Additionally, Modi said that the app is being improved so that in future payment can be made by using thumbprint. It is currently available only on Android and will launch for iOS soon.
A coalition of food and finance institutions say that US$113 billion of currently existing assets will have to meet specific and time-bound targets in areas such as zero... Read More
This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices.
As more marijuana shops take root in states that have legalized the drug, they're struggling with a lack of access to the kind of routine banking services other businesses take for granted.

Democratic Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is leading a new effort to make sure vendors working with legal marijuana businesses don't have their banking services taken away.

The vendors include chemists who test marijuana for harmful substances and firms that provide security for pot shops.

It's part of a wider effort by Warren and others to bring the burgeoning $7 billion marijuana industry in from a fiscal limbo she says forces many marijuana shops to rely solely on cash.

Warren says helping marijuana-based businesses move away from a cash-only model also will help ensure they're paying their taxes.
A federal lawsuit accuses the ex-wife of Oklahoma energy tycoon T. Boone Pickens of racial discrimination at her rural Nevada dude ranch.

The lawsuit says wealthy philanthropist Madeleine Pickens told the African-American chef she recruited from the country club she owns in California to cook "black people food," not "white people food," at the Elko County ranch.

Armand Appling says Pickens listed off fried chicken, BBQ ribs and corn bread as good examples.

Appling says Pickens' stereotypical references were commonplace at the ranch stretching across 900 square miles, about 50 miles west of the Utah line. He alleges he was fired 2014 in retaliation for complaining about a hostile work environment.

Pickens' lawyers say the comments were not racially motivated. At worst, they say, the remarks were rude and insensitive.
A budget deal between Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders would make California the first in the nation to offer state-subsidized health care to children who are in the country illegally.

The $115.4 billion agreement announced Tuesday is expected to win easy approval from the Senate and Assembly before the fiscal year begins July 1, and its immigrant health care provisions were touted by its backers as a necessity in the face of federal inaction.

"While Washington dithers because they can't get things done, we need immigration reform," Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles. "The reality is many of these children, and they are children, require some kind of health care and they receive it in the emergency room.

The cost to taxpayers would be $40 million in the new fiscal year and grow to $132 million a year once fully implemented, numbers that had Republicans objecting and warning that it won't help immigrants get access to doctors because of the shortage of providers who accept Medi-Cal, the state's health program for the poor.

Anti-immigration advocates said it was yet another move from Brown  like a bill providing driver's licenses that took effect this year  that is "extremely generous" toward people who enter the country illegally.

"Gov. Brown continues to sign laws that incentivize more illegal immigration," said Joe Guzzardi, spokesman for Californians for Population Stabilization. "I can't really see what reason there would be not to come to California. I can get a job, I can get tuition, I can now get medical care for my children."

But the California Immigrant Policy Center called the move a "ray of hope" for many in the state.

"California will take a key first step toward recognizing that health care truly is a human right," the group's Executive Director Reshma Shamasunder said in a statement.

The budget deal also sends billions of dollars more to public schools and universities, adds spaces for state-funded child care and preschool, and creates the state's first income tax credit for the working poor.

The revised spending plan is far closer to Brown's $115 billion proposal in May than the $117.5 billion version approved a day earlier by the Democratic-controlled Legislature. It adds $61 million in spending above his May plan.

"All in all, I think the people of California can be proud of the work that's been done," Brown said.

Brown also announced he is calling two special sessions to address how California pays for roads, highways and other infrastructure and Medi-Cal. There is a $5.7 billion annual backlog in road repairs, the administration said.

But Republicans warned that the special sessions could result in new taxes on gasoline, cigarettes and health care. "Given the $14 billion of unanticipated tax revenues the state has just received, it is difficult to understand why their starting point is to impose billions of dollars in additional taxes on hard-working Californians," said Senate Minority Leader Bob Huff, R-Diamond Bar.

Legislative Democrats had sought to restore spending on a host of social welfare programs that were cut during the recession, and they pushed to expand support for the neediest in California as the state enjoys a surplus. Their proposed budget added $749 million in new spending.

Under the compromise announced Tuesday, Brown agreed to keep some of those programs such as boosting the number of state-subsidized child care slots, giving in-home support workers a raise, and expanding health coverage to children regardless of their legal status.

The governor said he was able to fund those programs without adding to state spending by finding savings in a variety of other programs, including fixing an accounting error in health spending.

Still, advocates who had pressured the Democratic governor to expand programs were disappointed. Brown rejected proposals to allow child care workers to unionize, kept a cap on welfare payments meant to discourage low-income women from having additional children, and rejected Medi-Cal payment increases to doctors and dentists.

"This budget doesn't do anything to stop punishing poor children," said Mike Herald, legislative advocate with the Western Center on Law and Poverty.

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The son of an inmate who died at the Utah state prison has sued corrections officials and health care providers, accusing them of violating his father's civil rights by failing to give him dialysis for two days.

Inmate Ramon C. Estrada died April 5 after two dialysis technicians switched shifts and nobody showed up for his appointment.

Estrada's son, Jose Estrada, who lives in Edcouch, Texas, filed the lawsuit in federal court this week. The lawsuit was filed against the state prison warden, the clinical services director at the prison and the director of the offsite dialysis clinic that's part of the University of Utah health care system

"Defendants exhibited a shocking degree of deliberate indifference and reckless disregard for the serious and evident medical needs of Ramon Estrada," the lawsuit alleges.

Utah Department of Corrections spokeswoman Brooke Adams said she can't comment because they have not officially received the lawsuit and because the department's internal investigation is ongoing.

University of Utah Health Care system spokeswoman Kathy Wilets also declined comment on the lawsuit, referring to statements made in April when the university said it deeply regretted the mistake and vowed to take the necessary steps to ensure a scheduling mix-up would not happen again.

The two technicians have been disciplined, but they remain employees, Wilets said. The health care system's investigation didn't find any bad intentions, just a terrible scheduling error, she said.

Clair Coleman, office manager at the South Valley Dialysis Center where the technicians work, declined comment on a lawsuit he hasn't seen yet. But he said they have taken steps to improve scheduling and ensure prison officials know how to get ahold of him or his workers.

He lamented the fact that prison workers waited two days to call his office after the appointments were missed in April. "All the changes in the world won't make a difference if the prison doesn't call when someone is late or doesn't show up," Coleman said.

The attorney for the Estrada family, Alyson McAllister, said the four adult children are suing because they can't get any information from the prison about what happened and because they want to ensure the same thing doesn't happen to other inmates.

"Those technicians definitely bear some responsibility for this, but more responsibility lies on the supervisors and the jail," McAllister said. "There needs to be some kind of oversight so a simple scheduling error like this doesn't' cause catastrophic damages."

Autopsy results have not yet been released, but corrections officials say it appeared Estrada died of a heart attack related to kidney failure. The lawsuit doesn't mention a heart attack, but it says he died of kidney failure.

Estrada had been in prison since August 2005 on a rape conviction. He was 62 and was set to be paroled less than three weeks later.

The Salt Lake Tribune first reported the lawsuit.

The lawsuit says the prison failed to provide Ramon Estrada with a level of care that a "civilized society would think necessary." It also accuses prison officials of failing to intervene in time to prevent his death.

Six other male inmates were also waiting for dialysis treatment because of the scheduling mix-up and were taken to a hospital for evaluation.

The situation reflects a lack of adequate training and oversight of dialysis providers at the prison, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit doesn't list a monetary figure for the damages they are seeking, but it says Ramon C. Estrada's death deprived his family of "the companionship and society of their father."

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More than 30 million women in the United States, or about 1 in 4, suffer from hair loss or thinning hair by the time they turn 35. And yet it's a topic women barely talk about.

Now two women, one of them a former beauty queen who knows the problem first-hand, are working hard to eliminate the stigma associated with female hair loss.

In 2011, Kayla Martell became Ms. Delaware and competed in the Miss America pageant despite the fact that she was completely bald  she had been losing her hair since she was 11. Martell, now 26, suffers from has Alopecia Areata, a rare auto-immune condition in which the body attacks hair follicles.

"When my hair started coming out, the thing that I remember the most is that I had never met another woman who was losing her hair except for women who are going through chemotherapy treatments," she told Fox News Latino, "so in my mind I connected the dots of my hair falling out to me being very sick."

"We are just not talking about [this issue] enough," she said.

It wasn't until Martell met Flora Fuentes, owner of Unique Hair Concepts, that her perspective and confidence began to change. Fuentes, who began as a receptionist at a hair loss center 25 years ago, outfitted Martell with a hair prosthetic that she used for Miss America and continues to use.

"I found something that worked for me, worked for my lifestyle, and helped me to look beautiful again, but it took some time to regain that confidence," Martell said.

She said she goes back and forth between showing her bald head and using a hair prosthetic, depending on how she feels that day. She said it is comparable to deciding between wearing flats or heels.

Fuentes explained that while men typically lose hair due to genetics, among women the causes are numerous: hormonal changes, post pregnancy, menopause and thyroid conditions, among others. For such cases, she said, solutions such as low level light therapy, scalp therapy, cosmetic hair restoration, modern hair pieces and extensions have proven to be effective.

Martell and Fuentes say that the biggest obstacle toward recovery and hair regrowth is getting the information out there and having honest conversations, which is why they have embarked on a countrywide tour to educate women about their options.

"Women come up to us and hug us and say 'thank you I had no idea that this was available'," said Fuentes, a first-generation American from Ecuador. "A lot of women feel like they are alone, like they are the only ones suffering from thinning hair."

Ultimately, they hope more attention to the issue will give more women courage to confront hair loss. They strongly believe awareness about hair loss can change and empower the lives of millions of women.

"Sometimes that means learning to feel comfortable in your own skin," Martell said, "finding a way to wake up everyday and love what you see in the mirror."
The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the nationwide tax subsidies under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, in a ruling that preserves health insurance for millions of Americans.

The justices said in a 6-3 ruling that the subsidies that 8.7 million people currently receive to make insurance affordable do not depend on where they live, under the 2010 health care law.

The outcome is the second major victory for Obama in politically charged Supreme Court tests of his most significant domestic achievement. It came the same day the court gave the administration an unexpected victory by preserving a key tool the administration uses to fight housing bias.

Prominent conservatives are likely to continue seeking to fight the health care law. Immediately after the decision, U.S. Senator and presidential contender Marco Rubio issued a series of tweets.

"I remain committed to repealing this bad law," he wrote, adding, "We need Consumer Care, not ObamaCare."

Chief Justice John Roberts again voted with his liberal colleagues in support of the law. Roberts also was the key vote to uphold the law in 2012. Justice Anthony Kennedy, a dissenter in 2012, was part of the majority on Thursday.

"Congress passed the Affordable Care Act to improve health insurance markets, not to destroy them," Roberts wrote in the majority opinion.

In a dissent he summarized from the bench, Justice Antonin Scalia said, "We should start calling this law SCOTUScare." Using the acronym for the Supreme Court, Scalia said his colleagues have twice stepped in to save the law from what Scalia considered worthy challenges.

Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas joined the dissent, as they did in 2012.

Nationally, 10.2 million people have signed up for health insurance under the Obama health overhaul. That includes the 8.7 million people who are receiving an average subsidy of $272 a month to help pay their insurance premiums.

Of those receiving subsidies, 6.4 million people were at risk of losing that aid because they live in states that did not set up their own health insurance exchanges.

The challenge devised by die-hard opponents of the law, often derided by critics as "Obamacare," relied on four words  established by the state  in the more than 900-page law.

The law's opponents argued that the vast majority of people who now get help paying for their insurance premiums are ineligible for their federal tax credits. That is because roughly three dozen states opted against creating their own health insurance marketplaces, or exchanges, and instead rely on the federal healthcare.gov to help people find coverage if they don't get insurance through their jobs or the government.

In the challengers' view, the phrase "established by the state" demonstrated that subsidies were to be available only available to people in states that set up their own exchanges. Those words cannot refer to exchanges established by the Health and Human Services Department, which oversees healthcare.gov, the opponents argued.

The administration, congressional Democrats and 22 states responded that it would make no sense to construct the law the way its opponents suggested. The idea behind the law's structure was to decrease the number of uninsured. The law prevents insurers from denying coverage because of "pre-existing" health conditions. It requires almost everyone to be insured and provides financial help to consumers who otherwise would spend too much of their paycheck on their premiums.

The point of the last piece, the subsidies, is to keep enough people in the pool of insured to avoid triggering a so-called death spiral of declining enrollment, a growing proportion of less healthy people and premium increases by insurers.

Several portions of the law indicate that consumers can claim tax credits no matter where they live. No member of Congress said that subsidies would be limited, and several states said in a separate brief to the court that they had no inkling they had to set up their own exchange for their residents to get tax credits.

The 2012 case took place in the midst of Obama's re-election campaign, when he touted the largest expansion of the social safety net since the advent of Medicare nearly a half-century earlier. But at the time, the benefits of the Affordable Care Act were mostly in the future. Many of its provisions had yet to take effect.

In 2015, the landscape has changed, although the partisan and ideological divisions remain for a law that passed Congress in 2010 with no Republican votes.

The case is King v. Burwell, 14-114.

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California lawmakers are considering a measure that will require vaccinations for most children in public schools.

The state Senate was expected to take the final vote required before sending the contentious bill to Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday.

The bill strikes California's personal belief exemption for immunizations, requiring nearly all public schoolchildren be vaccinated. While medical exemptions would still be granted to children with serious health issues, other unvaccinated children would need to be homeschooled.

Democratic Sens. Richard Pan of Sacramento and Ben Allen of Santa Monica introduced SB277 after an outbreak of measles at Disneyland in December infected over 100 people in the U.S. and Mexico.

If the bill becomes law, California would join Mississippi and West Virginia as the only states with such strict requirements.

Brown, a Democrat, has not said if he would sign the bill.

"The governor believes that vaccinations are profoundly important and a major public health benefit and any bill that reaches his desk will be closely considered," said Brown's spokesman Evan Westrup.

The bill has seen heated opposition from parents who have come by the thousand to protest at the Capitol in recent weeks. Both legislative Republicans and some Democrats have come to their defense, asserting that the state is eliminating informed consent and trampling on parental rights.

Despite fervent pushback, the bill passed both the Senate and the Assembly with bipartisan support.

The Senate was expected to vote on changes made to the bill in the Assembly that make it easier to obtain medical exemptions. SB277 was amended to allow doctors to use a family's medical history as an evaluating factor.

The authors also agreed to establish a grandfather clause, allowing students who currently claim a personal belief exemption to maintain it until their next vaccine checkpoint. Checkpoints occur in kindergarten and seventh grade.

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The World Health Organization on Tuesday designated Cuba the first country on the planet to entirely eliminate mother-to-child transmission of syphilis and HIV, the virus that leads to AIDS.

Eliminating transmission of a virus is one of the greatest public health achievements possible, said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan in a statement co-released with UNAIDS, the United Nations AIDS agency. This is a major victory in our long fight against HIV and sexually transmitted infections, and an important step towards having an AIDS-free generation.

Syphilis and HIV are two of the most devastating sexually-transmitted diseases, and they often afflict women who are pregnant. The WHO estimates that nearly 1 million pregnant women around the world are infected with syphilis and around 1.4 women living with HIV get pregnant, leading to a host of potential complications for the babies.

Since 2010, Cuba has been working with the WHO and the Pan-American Health Organization, PAHO, to eliminate mother-to-child transmissions of the two diseases, including increased

access to early prenatal care, HIV and syphilis testing, treatment for those who test positive, caesarean deliveries and formula feeding.

WHO told The New York Times countries with 95 elimination targets can be certified  and Cuban was the first country to request certification. More than 20 have requested the certification since, a WHO spokesperson told the Times.

This is a celebration for Cuba and a celebration for children and families everywhere, said Michel Sidibe, executive director of UNAIDS. It shows that ending the AIDS epidemic is possible, and we expect Cuba to be the first of many countries coming forward to seek validation that they have ended their epidemics among children.

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Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a hotly contested California bill to impose one of the strictest school vaccination laws in the country in the wake of an outbreak of measles at Disneyland late last year.

Effective the 2016-17 school year, children whose parents refuse vaccination and who are not granted a medical exemption must be home-schooled. School-age children who currently claim a personal-belief exemption will need to get fully vaccinated by kindergarten and seventh grade, the state's two vaccine checkpoints. The law applies to both public and private schools, as well as daycare centers.

The state joins West Virginia and Mississippi as the only ones without a personal-belief exemption for vaccines. When considering exemptions, doctors may take family medical history into account.

In a rare message accompanying his signature, Brown expressed his support for the new law.

"The science is clear that vaccines dramatically protect children against a number of infectious and dangerous diseases," Brown wrote. "While it's true that no medical intervention is without risk, the evidence shows that immunization powerfully benefits and protects the community."

The bill's supporters, including doctors, hospital representatives and health advocates, celebrated the news at an elementary school Tuesday. Lawmakers held babies, declaring the public would be better protected as a result of the bill.

Democratic Sens. Richard Pan of Sacramento and Ben Allen of Santa Monica introduced the measure after an outbreak of measles at Disneyland in December infected over 100 people in the U.S. and Mexico.

"The science is clear," Pan said. "Californians have spoken. The governor and the legislature have spoken. No more preventable contagions. No more outbreaks. No more hospitalizations. No more deaths. And no more fear."

The bill proved contentious, with thousands of parents calling representatives and protesting at the Capitol in Sacramento. One state senator said pushback was so fierce that he briefly closed his district office out of concerns for his staff's safety.

Despite that, the bill passed through four legislative committees and survived votes in both houses. The Senate on Monday approved amendments to the bill, and the governor signed it less than 24 hours later.

Opponents of the bill were deeply emotional Tuesday, but they vowed to continue their fight. Our Kids Our Choice, an advocacy group that rallied against the bill, said it still has a number of options and is considering both litigation and taking the question directly to voters through a referendum.

"I will sue to put my child in school," said Jude Tovatt of Roseville and the parent of an 8-year-old child. "I will not run from the state that is our home."

Pan and Allen said they are confident the bill would withstand a legal challenge, noting similar laws have held up in state courts and even in the U.S. Supreme Court.

"I know that he is very pro-science and that's really what this bill comes down to: leadership in public health, and supporting evidence-based science," said Hannah Henry, mother of four from Napa who started Vaccinate California, a parental group in support of the bill.

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About 250 immigrant children were given an adult dose of a hepatitis A vaccine at a Texas detention facility where they were being held with their mothers, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

The vaccines were administered this week, but none of the children has been hospitalized or had any adverse reactions, ICE officials said Saturday

ICE spokesman Richard Rocha said health care professionals will monitor the children over the next five days for any potential side effects, though none are expected.

"Parents at the facility were advised and counseled by medical professionals about potential side effects, with services made available in multiple languages," Rocha said in a statement.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the hepatitis A virus can cause liver infection and is usually transmitted among individuals and through the consumption of contaminated food or water.

Dr. Peter J. Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said the children likely received double the pediatric dosage of the vaccine. He said they should continue to be monitored, although it's unlikely that they will see short- or long-term complications.

"I'm guessing there will not be significant effects," he said. "If anything, you may get a higher immune response."

ICE and the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Health Affairs are investigating how the mix-up at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley occurred and how such mistakes can be avoided in the future, Rocha said.

As of earlier this week, the center about 70 miles southwest of San Antonio held about 2,000 women and children, most from Central America and who entered the U.S. via Mexico seeking asylum. A second family detention center in Karnes City, about 60 miles southeast of San Antonio, held about 400 people. There is a third, smaller facility in Berks County, Pennsylvania.

Crystal Williams, executive director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, which has provided pro-bono legal services to the women and children in the detention facilities, said in a statement that volunteers "have long noted disturbing patterns of what appears to be inadequate health care."

"This latest permutation is beyond appalling," Williams said in the statement.

But ICE has previously said that the health care professionals at the centers provide quality medical care and that the agency takes "very seriously the health, safety and welfare of those in our care.

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Dr. Gustavo Quintana walks out of a modest, two-floor apartment building in southern Bogota. Inside his black doctor's bag are vials containing anesthesia and muscle relaxants, a syringe and a rubber tourniquet. The man known in Colombia as Dr. Death has just ended the life of his 234th patient: a middle-aged woman suffering from incurable stomach cancer.

For years, Quintana and a handful of other physicians have been performing what they consider mercy killings in a semi-clandestine state, at risk of prosecution and amid widespread rejection from other doctors and church officials.

But their work took a step out of the shadows on Friday when, after weeks of heated public debate and last-minute legal challenges, 79-year-old Ovidio Gonzalez became the first Colombian to die as a result of government-sanctioned euthanasia.

Gonzalez, 79, died at a hospital in the western city of Pereira after suffering from terminal mouth cancer the past five years. His death is the first in accordance with an April decree by the Health Ministry mandating that clinics perform the procedure when requested by terminally ill patients.

A Constitutional Court ruling 17 years ago made Colombia the first and still only country in Latin America, and one of just a handful worldwide, to allow euthanasia. The ruling was based on justices' interpretation of a constitutional clause guaranteeing Colombians the right to live  and presumably die  with dignity.

But Congress never passed laws regulating the procedure, as the high court had ordered, leaving the issue in a state of legal limbo. In April the Health Ministry finally intervened, providing the regulatory guidelines for insurers and hospitals.

Religious groups and many doctors were outraged by the new rules, which require all hospitals to form medical committees to evaluate a patient's request for euthanasia. Local Roman Catholic leaders threatened to close the dozens of hospitals the church runs in Colombia if required to carry out what it considers murder, and Colombia's conservative Inspector General tried to block application of the new rules.

Controversy was further ignited by Gonzalez's decision to take his plight public and make himself a test case for the law. He was assisted by his son, Julio Cesar Gonzalez, a cartoonist for top-selling newspaper El Tiempo better known by his pen name "Matador," or "Killer." On Friday, Gonzalez bade farewell to his father in a cartoon showing the grim reaper, scythe in hand, asking his father why his bags are packed.

"I'm dying to travel," answers his father, suitcases in hand.

Dr. Gabriela Sarmiento, a hospice specialist with health care provider Colsanitas, said there likely won't be a flood of patients taking advantage of the new liberties. In the nearly three months since the government's decree, the two hospitals she works at have received just five such requests, two of which were withdrawn.

Sarmiento said when given the option of living with pain or dying immediately, "most people opt for the path of palliative care."

Members of Colombia's right-to-die movement are nonetheless celebrating, saying the new decree provides clarity to a practice that had been going on for years in secret. Colombia is among only a handful of countries including Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland that have either legalized or decriminalized assisted suicide for the terminally ill. Four U.S. states  Oregon, Washington, Montana and Vermont  also have laws on the books.

"The ambiguity of the law provoked a lot of fear among doctors," said Carmenza Ochoa, president of Colombia's Right to Die with Dignity foundation.

Quintana says barely a week goes by without him receiving a phone call from a patient or family member looking to end their agony. He claims to have helped more sick people die than the late Jack Kevorkian, the Detroit doctor who went to jail for murder while claiming to have helped some 130 people end their lives. However Quintana has never even been prosecuted.

Most of the procedures he performs are in people's home, with the patient surrounded by loved ones.

During the nine minutes the procedure typically lasts he whispers the same soothing mantra while injecting a mixture of lethal drugs: "Rest, you're going to sleep for the last time, a restorative sleep."

Quintana worries the new regulations don't go far enough. "If a group of doctors determine you're not terminally ill, your personal wishes are annulled."

Among those Quintana has helped end their lives is Diego Castro, a well-loved bar owner in the prime of his life when doctors discovered he had a brain tumor in 2009. Three surgeries were unable to eliminate the cancer and he became partially paralyzed and suffered so much pain that he tried to commit suicide jumping from a building.

Juanita Castro says her brother struggled to convince loved ones to accept his desire to die and that on two occasions he backed down at their insistence. Three years after her brother's death Castro said she has no regrets.

"When we deny our loved ones the right to apply euthanasia we're really thinking more in ourselves than in the person we love," she said Castro. "It's a selfish decision because we don't want to see them to go."

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Texas Sen. Ted Cruz got emotional Tuesday during a subcommittee meeting on Capitol Hill while making a personal plea for the federal government to spend more funding to cure diseases like Alzheimer's, which took the life of his grandmother.

Cruz, a generally brash and outspoken lawmaker, turned passionate after he attacked the governments current spending levels for diseases like Alzheimer's and cancer.

"Were spending over $1.1 trillion a year in treatment costs, and were investing collectively about $9.9 billion in medical research," he said, according to The Hill. "Does that ratio seem appropriate, not only in terms of dollars and cents, but also in terms of the human lives that are dealing with the terrible consequences?"

Cruz, also a presidential candidate, was joined by several of his Republican colleagues in urging a reform of the Food and Drug Administration.

The panel hearing was also attended by former Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn, who left office last year to fight prostate cancer. Coburn called the recently passed House bill  the 21st Century Cures Act, which includes an overhaul of the FDA  a "good start," as it has bipartisan backing, but added that the Senates companion bill needs to focus much more on payment and intellectual property reforms.

"If we really want to get new advances and if we really want to hurry it up ... then what we have to do is change intellectual property and change the way we pay for it," Coburn said.

The so-called "Cures" Act has caused worry among many conservative lawmakers in the Senate, who say that any funding increase should be discretionary and require Congress to revisit it each year.

The bill also includes additional funding for the FDA, an agency that Coburn said suffers from deep financial problems.

"I think were way underfunded, but I think we need to have better oversight because they make some errors that are just plain stupid," Coburn said.

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Since 2011, Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York, and the Center for Molecular Immunology in Havana have had a unique partnership. Following news that the United States would begin changing policies towards Cuba, researchers from Roswell Park joined a NY State delegation to Cuba led by Governor Andrew Cuomo. They brought back an innovative vaccine against lung cancer that could be a game changer.

Dr. Kelvin Lee, Chairman of Immunology at Roswell Park, says that the really exciting thing about this vaccine is in prevention, "We are not talking about immunizing 5-year-old kids to prevent them from getting lung cancer. We're really talking about immunizing people that don't have lung cancer but are at a very high risk to get it."

With lung cancer being the number one cancer killer in the U.S., a lot is at stake. The vaccine works by targeting for destruction an essential growth factor on the surface of the cancer that enables it to thrive. The vaccine is safe and cheap, only $1 a dose in Cuba, according to Dr. Lee.

We spoke with Dr. Tania Crombet, medical director at the Center of Molecular Immunology in Havana, Cuba, who said that "with the vaccine you will have an improvement in your overall survival together with an improvement in your quality of life, and apart from other drugs this is very safe. So the majority of the adverse effects are very mild."

Thanks to a growing collaboration between doctors here and Cuban researchers, the day may be coming soon when you'll be able to walk into your local pharmacy and get a vaccine to treat lung cancer or even to prevent it.

The doctors at Roswell Park say that lack of resources force their Cuban colleagues to find more innovative approaches to public health. Cimavax must still be approved by the FDA  a process that may take months  before doctors at Roswell Park can begin a clinical trial.

Dr. Candace S. Johnson, Roswell Park Cancer Institute President & CEO, is excited about the new partnership. "It is through our collaboration that we are going to be able to bring this vaccine to the U.S. and evaluate it and see its potential efficacy to help patients with lung cancer or other cancers. This vaccine has implications across a number of different tumor types. It is a unique opportunity for Roswell Park and the Cubans to be able to develop this."

The Cuban researchers have other vaccines and inexpensive treatments in the works that interest Roswell Park. The international collaboration between these two institutions bodes well for the future of cancer care  not just with lung, but breast, colon, and pancreas as well.

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Some major U.S. retailers are scaling back or dropping their imports of Chilean salmon over concerns about farmers from the South American country using record amounts of antibiotics on the fish, according to Reuters.

The Costco Wholesale Corp has decided to slash its Chilean salmon imports by more than half  from 90 percent to 40 percent.

Costco, which has purchased about 600,000 lbs. of salmon per week -- 90 percent from Chile, the worlds second-largest producer of the fish  is stepping up its salmon imports from Norway.

Chilean salmon farmers have been increasing the use of antibiotics on the fish because they are infected with a large amount of bacteria known as Piscirickettsiosis or SRS, which cause lesions in the product and swells their kidneys and spleens, eventually killing them.

The soaring presence of antibiotics in Chiles salmon comes at a time when those in the food industry report a higher public concern about foreign substances that are injected into the products they consume.

"The whole industry is starting to shift," said Jeff Lyons, who oversees fresh foods at Costco, to Reuters. "If I was to ask you your biggest concern on produce, you might say pesticides. When we ask people in protein, generally it's going to be hormones or antibiotics."

Many other chains, such as Whole Foods and Trader Joes, have dropped their Chilean imports of the fish for a more sound option such as wild-caught, antibiotic-free salmon.

Chilean farmers claim there is no vaccine available for the treatment of these bacteria found in the fish and, as a result, have had no choice but to increase the antibiotic use. Chile insists its salmon is safe and say the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the antibiotics being used.

This is not the first time Chile has had an issue with its salmon. In 2007 its salmon farming industry was decimated when a deadly virus killed half of the countrys salmon stock.

The Oceana Organization, tasked with protecting the worlds oceans, reports that 50 Chilean salmon companies have refused to disclose the amount and type of antibiotics they are using.

Chiles fish farming industry in 2014, according to the Consumerist, produced around 895,000 tons of fish and, used 1.2 million lbs. of antibiotics on them. By comparison, Norway produced 1.3 million tons of fish in 2013,and used just 2,142 lbs. of antibiotics. (According to Reuters the figures for 2014 have not been made available yet)

Some experts believe that Costcos move to scale back imports from Chile could hurt the South American markets reputation and push other big retailers to follow.

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Go to any pharmacy and youll find all sorts of night creams and moisturizers. The task of choosing the right one is daunting. So many choices! Fortunately, there seems to be a cream to rejuvenate every kind of facial complexion.

But what about rejuvenating other parts of the body such as the erogenous zones? These parts are never on display like ones face, but are just as important to maintain healthy and aesthetically pleasing. Welcome to a different kind of lift, a surgical procedure known as vaginal rejuvenation.

I have seen a huge increase in the number of people requesting these procedures. People are becoming aware that it is something that can be done, said Dr. Elvis Torres, one of the many OBGYNs in Houston, Texas, performing this operation.

Among Hispanic women, however, the procedure is still considered taboo.

For Hispanic women, the main thing I see is an apprehension or fear of discussing problems about intimacy and urine loss, which seem to be the most common reasons women consider this operation, he told Fox News Latino.

Different from other vaginal operations such as the placement of a transvaginal mesh or the reconstructive procedure to correct urinary incontinence, vaginal rejuvenation refers to a surgery performed mainly for cosmetic purposes to beautify a womans vagina. Whether it is plumping up the outer labia, trimming or correcting the symmetries in the lower labia or tightening the vagina.

For Patricia Bermudez, mother of three children who underwent the surgery five years ago, her motivation was not only cosmetic but also physical.

When I had intercourse I wasnt really feeling anything down there. I was pretty much going through the motions of having sex but not actually feeling the sexual part of it.

Patricia refused to give up on a satisfactory sex life, so she chose to seek a more aggressive solution to her problem.

I didnt see myself going through life not feeling anything when it came to sex. I needed to do something more. I need to look for something,

The operation ranges in cost from $2,500 to $4,000. Since vaginal rejuvenation is a cosmetic procedure and is usually paid by the patient out of pocket, the precise numbers of women who seek the treatment is hard to find. However, according to the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgeries 53,332 vaginal rejuvenation surgeries were performed in the United States in 2009, representing a 50 percent increase from 2008. Of these, more than 60 percent were performed on women between 20 and 39 years old.

When the procedure is done for cosmetic reasons the patient goes home on the same day, and according to Dr. Torres usually, only local anesthesia is required.

Most of the procedures for vaginal rejuvenation that we do are for labia majora, the outer lips or labia minora, the inner lips, and the procedure is done in the office usually in under an hour.

Recovery time varies. For Patricia the discomfort was tolerable and it took a week of bed rest to recover. Her return to normal activities came gradually. Intimacy took place only after eight weeks had passed.

Why is there a taboo? she asks. Because I think that our society doesnt really empower woman to embrace their sexuality.

Now, five years after the surgery, Pat knows that being aesthetically attractive in her private parts, goes hand in hand with having a satisfying intimate life.

Now, I love it. Things are great for me, what else can I say?



For women interested in vaginal rejuvenation, Dr. Torres recommends patients to a gynecologist with certification as a cosmetic surgeon and verify how many of these procedures he has performed.

He also advises women have a conversation with their doctor as a first step. Once a woman determines what her physical and personal needs are, she can begin considering vaginal rejuvenation.

We make them aware that while the tone of a womans vagina can impact her sexuality, there is a lot more that can impact a womans desire and enjoyment of sex.

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Cilantro is one of those foods that people either love or hate. There never seems to be a middle ground.

And now its detractors have a real reason to pooh-pooh the taste. The herb  at least some bushels coming from Mexico  are actually grown in poo.

The Food and Drug Administration announced on Monday that it is banning imports of some fresh cilantro from Puebla, Mexico, after a government investigation found human feces and toilet paper growing in fields there.

The FDA announced the partial ban after cilantro imported from the state of Puebla was linked to 2013 and 2014 outbreaks of stomach illnesses in the United States. The FDA said health authorities in Texas and Wisconsin suspect cilantro from the region also is responsible for more illnesses this year.

Following up on the outbreaks, U.S. and Mexican health authorities investigated 11 farms and packing houses in Puebla over the last three years. The FDA said it discovered "objectionable conditions" at eight of those firms, including five that were linked to the U.S. outbreaks. The FDA said the officials discovered the feces and toilet paper in fields and found that some of the farms had no running water or toilet facilities.

The investigation also found dirty containers that had held cilantro and, at one firm, water that tested positive for the cyclospora parasite that caused the stomach illnesses.

In its "import alert" issued Monday, the FDA said it suspects the contamination came from "contact with the parasite shed from the intestinal tract of humans" in the fields, contaminated water or harvesting, processing and packing activities.

The ban will only affect certain shipments of fresh cilantro from Puebla from April through August, corresponding to the timing of the outbreaks. The summer ban will continue in future years unless a company can prove to health authorities that its product is safe.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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More than 380 people in 26 U.S. states have been diagnosed with a stomach illness tied to Mexican cilantro contaminated by human waste, two federal agencies said Tuesday.

It's the fourth consecutive summer in which the intestinal infection cyclosporiasis has been reported in the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration are investigating the cause of the latest outbreak, which appears to have begun after May 1.

The FDA said it suspects the contamination came from "contact with the parasite shed from the intestinal tract of humans" in the growing fields, contaminated water or harvesting, processing and packing activities. It causes diarrhea, nausea and fatigue which can last several weeks to a month or more if untreated.

Preliminary results indicate cases in Texas and Wisconsin can be traced to cilantro from the state of Puebla, Mexico, which was supplied to restaurants at which some of those who became ill dined, the FDA said Tuesday in an updated posting on its website.

Georgia reported clusters of the illness to the CDC. Federal officials said people were sickened in 26 states but declined to name the others.

Previous U.S. outbreaks of the illness have been linked to imported fresh produce, including cilantro from the same region in Mexico which was the subject of a partial ban imposed by the FDA on July 27.

Cilantro imported from the state of Puebla was linked to outbreaks of the stomach illnesses in the United States in 2012, 2013 and last year, the FDA said.

U.S. and Mexican health authorities investigated 11 farms and packing houses in Puebla and discovered human feces and toilet paper in fields and found that some of the farms had no running water or toilet facilities, the FDA said. Problems were found at eight firms, including five that were linked to the U.S. outbreaks.

The FDA has imposed a partial ban on cilantro from the region, accepting it for import into the U.S. only from approved companies during the summer months.

"If you are concerned go back to the store and ask the retailer where they purchased the cilantro," FDA spokeswoman Lauren Sucher said. "If in doubt, throw it out."

Washing it or attempting to clean cilantro may not remove the pathogen that causes illness, although cooking at high temperature will reduce the likelihood of illness.

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Miriam Uribe enrolled in California's low-income health insurance program last November, and she still hasn't found a primary care doctor 10 months later who could see her.

"Once you have (insurance), you actually still don't have it because it's still a struggle to find someone," the 20-year-old college student from Bellflower said.

Uribe isn't alone. Even though Latinos make up nearly half of California's 12.5 million Medi-Cal enrollees, a report by the independent California HealthCare Foundation found that 36 percent of the Spanish-speaking Medi-Cal population has been told that a physician won't take them, compared to 7 percent of the overall Medi-Cal population. Even those who speak both English and Spanish reported similar difficulty accessing doctors.

"The numbers are very, very shocking," said Sarah de Guia, executive director of the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, a multicultural health advocacy group.

De Guia said the study doesn't explain why Latinos  whether they speak English or Spanish  are being turned away at higher rates, but public policy officials say the biggest obstacle is finding doctors who are willing to take the lower payments offered by Medi-Cal. Language barriers also play a role.

The study, which compared people on Medi-Cal to those with employer-sponsored health insurance, found Latinos and Asian-Americans reported the highest rate of needing language assistance to understand their doctor. Specifically, 28 percent of Asian-Americans said their doctor does not listen carefully, compared to 15 percent of all Medi-Cal enrollees.

Shana Alex Charles, a research scientist at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research who helped conduct the study, said there may not be enough providers who speak Spanish  or there could be an overall shortage of providers in communities of color.

Miriam Lagos, 53, a recent Medi-Cal enrollee who lives in Sherman Oaks, said she was told she has to wait a year just to see a specialist for hearing trouble in her right ear.

"We are not well-regarded by the doctors. They don't want to see us," Lagos said in an interview in Spanish.

Medi-Cal, which is California's Medicaid program for the poor, has grown rapidly in recent years as the state embraced an optional expansion under the Affordable Care Act. That surge has already led to widespread complaints about delays in patients being able to see doctors, specialists and dentists.

Doctors and hospitals say the state pays much less for medical services than private insurance or Medicare, which means fewer primary care doctors and specialists are willing to treat Medi-Cal patients. Lawmakers have convened a special legislative session to discuss increasing provider payments but there is no agreement yet on how to pay for them.

California's health care agency says the state is committed to giving Medi-Cal recipients full and equal access to health care. The Department of Health Care Services says it works with health plans to monitor and reduce disparities in health care, and Medi-Cal provides materials and offers hotline assistance in 13 spoken and 12 written languages.

The California Medical Association, which represents the state's doctors, encourages its members to be sensitive to language and cultural differences as millions more residents gain access to health care, said spokeswoman Molly Weedn. The group is part of a coalition pushing for higher Medi-Cal provider payments and supports a bill by Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, seeking federal funding for medical interpreters in Medi-Cal.

The industry could also do more to train a more diverse medical and clinical workforce, said Xavier Morales, executive director of the Latino Coalition for A Healthy California. A 2014 review by the California HealthCare Foundation found Latinos are underrepresented in the physician workforce: 38 percent of the state's population is Latino but only 4 percent of physicians were Latino.

"When you look at graduates from medical schools, they don't really match the population," Morales said.

Andrea Castillo, 21, a Medi-Cal recipient from McFarland, said it would be nice to see more Latino doctors. Growing up the oldest daughter of farm laborers, Castillo recalls driving long distances to translate for relatives at the doctor's office.

"You don't often see a provider who looks like you, who understands you," Castillo said.

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Mark Bolzern traveled 3,700 miles to go to the dentist. The 56-year-old Anchorage, Alaska, native left home this spring, made a pit stop in Las Vegas to pick up a friend, and kept heading south, all the way to Los Algodones, Mexico, a small border town teeming with dental offices.

About 60 percent of Americans have dental insurance coverage, the highest it has been in decades. But even so, the nation's older population has been largely left behind. Nearly 70 percent of seniors are not insured, according to a study compiled by Oral Health America. A major reason is because dental care is not covered by Medicare and many employers no longer offer post-retirement health benefits. What's more, the Affordable Care Act allows enrollees to get dental coverage only if they purchase general health coverage first, which many seniors don't need. At the same time, seniors often require the most costly dental work, like crowns, implants and false teeth.

As a result, many are seeking cheaper care in places like Los Algodones, where Mexican dentists who speak English and sometimes accept U.S. insurance offer rock-bottom prices for everything from a cleaning to implants. Dentists in Los Algodones say a large portion of their clients are seniors.

In the desert outpost near the border of California and Arizona, men in white shirts stand outside of offices with signs advertising root canals and teeth cleanings. Other signs advertise prescription drugs like muscle relaxers at low rates  no prescription needed.

For Bolzern, seeing a dentist in Los Algodones meant a savings of up to $62,000. He was told the extensive dental work he needed  his teeth needed to be raised and he needed a crown on every molar  would cost $65,000 at a private dentist. He looked for lower rates, finding a dental school where the work was less expensive because it was performed by students. But it still cost $35,000.

He paid $3,000 in Mexico and has been back several times.

The cost of dental care has surged in the last two decades and continues to increase at a rate of 5 percent annually. Many dental plans have high deductibles and don't offer extensive coverage. Many people opt out.

Mexico has lower costs because of cheaper labor and fewer regulatory requirements. Residents in border towns like El Paso, Texas and Nogales, Sonora, often make the short drive to the Mexican side for basic medical needs and prescription medications that are much costlier in the U.S. Some businesses even offer shuttle services from the Phoenix area to Los Algodones, a nearly 200-mile ride.

Going abroad for cheaper health care is nothing new. Americans have been doing it for years, for everything from elective, cosmetic procedures to major, life-saving surgery.

Matthew Messina, a practicing dentist and consumer adviser on behalf of the American Dental Association, said Americans who visit dentists in foreign countries should do a lot of research before they go.

Different countries use different types of equipment, and some items, such as implants, may not have warranties. Malpractice lawsuits may not be an option.

Dentists in Los Algodones say they attend less school than their counterparts in U.S. but spend more time practicing clinical work. They say they practice the same safety standards as American dentists and have offices that are just as clean.

Jose Obed Zuniga has been a dentist in Los Algodones for a decade and found business was so good he opened his own shop about two years ago.

"Everything, the quality, is very similar to the United States," Zuniga said. "We see the work from the United States, and it's very competitive."

Aiti Gutierrez left her home in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, 1,400 miles away, to practice in a Los Algodones office that has four patient rooms and a lobby with a water-stacked mini-fridge. In the busy season, she sees about a dozen patients a day, and 12-hour work days aren't unusual.

"They like to feel comfortable and that they're safe," Gutierrez said of her clients.

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Farmers, towns and tribes slammed water-intake gates shut as a sludge-laden plume from a Colorado mine spill rolled down principal rivers in the desert Southwest on Monday, prompting local officials and families to demand answers about possible long-term threats from heavy metals borne along by the spill.

Colorado and New Mexico declared stretches of the Animas and San Juan rivers to be disaster areas as the orange-colored waste stream estimated to be 100 miles long churned downstream toward Lake Powell in Utah after the spill Wednesday at the abandoned Gold King mine.

The Navajo Nation, which covers parts of New Mexico, Utah and Arizona, also declared an emergency as it shut down water intake systems and stopped diverting water from the San Juan River.

Members of the tribal council were frustrated during a special meeting Monday and echoed the sentiment of New Mexico officials that the federal government needs to be held accountable.

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, who toured the region over the weekend, said she was heartbroken and called the spill a catastrophe.

"It's absolutely devastating," she said.

The 3 million gallons of mine waste included high concentrations of arsenic, lead and other heavy metals. Workers with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency accidentally unleashed the spill as federal and contract workers inspected the abandoned mine site near Silverton, Colorado.

The EPA has said the contaminants were rolling too fast to be an immediate health threat. Experts and federal environmental officials say they expect the river system to dilute the heavy metals before they pose a longer-term threat.

The EPA said stretches of the rivers would be closed for drinking water, recreation and other uses at least through Aug. 17.

Dissolved iron in the waste turned the long plume an alarming orange-yellow  a look familiar to old-time miners who call it "yellow boy"  so "the water appears worse aesthetically than it actually is, in terms of health," said Ron Cohen, a civil and environmental engineering professor at the Colorado School of Mines.

Tests show some of the metals have settled to the bottom and would dissolve only if conditions became acidic, which isn't likely, Cohen said.

The best course for the EPA would be to leave the metals where they settle, he said, noting that next spring's mountain snowmelt would help dilute the contaminants further and flush them downstream.

No die-off of wildlife along the river has yet been detected. Federal officials say all but one of a test batch of fingerling trout deliberately exposed to the water survived over the weekend.

As a precaution, state and federal officials along the river system have ordered public water systems to turn off intake valves as the plume passes. Boaters and fishing groups have been told to avoid affected stretches of the Animas and San Juan rivers, which are crowded with rafters and anglers in a normal summer.

Congress members, state officials and residents contend the EPA is not providing quick answers about long-term impacts from the spill.

"There are more people who want to know, 'OK, what's going to happen now? Are you going to fix this?'" said Michele Truby-Tillen, a spokeswoman for the San Juan County Office of Emergency Management in New Mexico. '"How are we going to protect our families? How long am I not going to be able to shower at my house?"

Navajo Council members and New Mexico Environment Secretary Ryan Flynn said the EPA needs to compensate those who have been affected.

The state also has demanded that the federal government develop a plan for helping farmers who have been left without irrigation water.

In Cedar Hill, New Mexico, a family farm that serves as many as 3,000 customers in the Four Corners region has been forced to stop irrigating dozens of acres of crops.

D'rese Sutherland of Sutherland Farmers said she received advanced warning from farmer friends in Colorado last week about the approaching plume.

"By the weekend, without any rain, we'll be in trouble," she said. "There's nothing we can do but wait and see what happens."

Members of New Mexico's congressional delegation sent a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, expressing concern over the failure of the agency to notify New Mexico sooner about the problem.

They also asked that the federal agency develop a plan for dealing with the lack of water for communities in San Juan County and the Navajo Nation.

The EPA released a statement saying it was sharing information as quickly as possible with the public as its experts evaluate any effects of the spill. It also provided information about its claims process.

Recreational businesses along the rivers said they were losing thousands of dollars.

"We had lots of trips booked. Right now we're just canceling by the day," said Drew Beezley, co-owner of 4 Corners Whitewater in Durango, Colorado.

He said his company has had to cancel 20 rafting trips so far, and his dozen employees are out of work until the river is deemed safe to enter again.

"We don't really know what the future holds yet," said Beezley, who estimates that he's lost about $10,000 worth of business since the spill last week. "We don't know if the rest of this season is just scrapped."

The EPA has considered adding a section of the Animas River in Colorado as a Superfund cleanup site at least since the 1990s because heavy metals from Gold King and other defunct mines were killing fish and other species.

The designation would have brought federal clean-up funds, but some in Colorado opposed the move in part because of the stigma attached. The EPA agreed to allow local officials to lead clean-up efforts instead.

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Yesenia Pacheco loves her 3-year-old daughter Sandra, but she wasnt planning on having a child. In fact, she was actively trying not to have a child.

That is why Pacheco has filed a civil lawsuit in a U.S. District Court against the U.S. government, claiming that a federally-funded health clinic in Seattle accidentally gave her a flu shot instead of a birth control injection.

Pacheco claims that in September 2011 she scheduled an appointment to receive a Depo-Provera shot, a birth control method 99 percent effective in preventing pregnancy, at NeighborCare Health. Then, when she returned for the follow-up injection three months later, staff at the community center informed her of the screw-up. A pregnancy test taken at the clinic revealed that Pacheco was pregnant.

"I asked what happened, the Spanish-speaking Pacheco told Seattles KIRO news station. They said you are 2 1/2 months pregnant. You don't have to have it. You won't have to pay anything."

Pacheco decided not to have an abortion because of personal beliefs and, after a tough pregnancy, Sandra was born in 2012 with a brain malformation affecting motor and speech called unilateral perisylvian polymicrogyria  a medical issue that forces Sandra to take pills twice a day to avoid seizures.

Her attorneys, Steve Alvarez and Mike Maxwell, argue that the clinic's mess-up should legally be considered the reason that Sandra was born into a "wrongful lifeas a direct and proximate result of Defendants negligent acts and/or omissions to perform the medical care with due care.

"She loves the child, but she was put in a position she did not want to be in," Maxwell said.

Pacheco is suing for an unspecified amount to recoup medical bills and pain and suffering.

"It's hard. I already have two girls. I didn't want anymore," she said.

NeighborCare Healths Mark Secord told local media that they "are aware of the situation" involving Pacheco and "feel great empathy for her."

Pacheco is still waiting for a determination on the lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice.

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The top federal official for worker safety said Tuesday that an Illinois businessman's "outrageous behavior" of bringing in Mexican workers to remove asbestos without safety gear warrants fines of nearly $1.8 million.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration levied the fines Monday. Investigators found Joseph Kehrer, Kehrer Brothers Construction and a Kehrer-affiliated company, D7 Roofing, exposed at least eight workers to asbestos in violation of federal health standards.

"This case stands out because of the outrageous behavior of Joseph Kehrer," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health David Michaels. Workers were threatened with firing if they spoke to investigators, Michaels said.

"They spoke no English. He drove to them to jobs," Michaels said. "He set up a housing camp for them. They were at his mercy."

A phone message left for Kehrer seeking comment was not immediately returned.

Kehrer had workers removing asbestos-containing materials during renovation of a former school in Okawville, about 45 miles southeast of St. Louis. Many of the workers came to the United States to work for Kehrer under a special visa program that allows companies to hire foreign workers temporarily, according to OSHA.

Breathing asbestos fibers can increase the risk of cancer.

It's unclear whether the workers will be able to find other work in the United States, Michaels said. "These workers will carry this increased cancer risk for the rest of their lives," he said.

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Barely 2 years old, Talia Pisano is getting tough treatment for kidney cancer that spread to her brain. She's also getting a chance at having babies of her own someday.

To battle infertility sometimes caused by cancer treatment, some children's hospitals are trying a futuristic approach: removing and freezing immature ovary and testes tissue, with hopes of being able to put it back when patients reach adulthood and want to start families.

No one knows yet if it will work.

It has in adults  more than 30 babies have been born to women who had ovarian tissue removed in adulthood, frozen, and put back after treatment for cancer or other serious conditions. In lab animals, it's worked with frozen and thawed testes tissue.

But the procedures are still experimental in children who haven't reached puberty, and too new to have been attempted. There are challenges to making immature eggs and sperm from removed tissue suitable for conception. Still, fertility researchers hope to refine the science while the first generation of children whose tissue has been put on ice grows up.

Families like Talia's are clinging to that optimism. The dark-eyed toddler who loves princesses and play dough had an ovary removed and frozen in April. She was treated for kidney cancer last year but when it spread, doctors started harsher treatment including brain radiation.

"It seemed very new and pretty amazing that we can do something like this and help her in a bigger way," said her mom, Maria Pisano, of Griffith, Indiana.

"It definitely brought some peace" and raised hope for Talia's future, Pisano said.

Doctors face a delicate balance in broaching the idea of yet another medical procedure when families have been hit with a horrible diagnosis and difficult treatment plan. The tissue-removing surgeries are typically done while a child is being sedated for another reason.

"We try to be thoughtful about the fact that their main focus and ours is on the survival of the child," said Dr. Erin Rowell, a surgeon at Chicago's Lurie Children's Hospital, where Talia is being treated.

Yet, Rowell added, many families are open to hearing about saving their child's fertility.

"That often is the one piece of information that gives them a glimmer of hope  that we believe that their children will live long enough to grow into adulthood and have their own family," she said.

A baby boy in Belgium makes scientists think they're on the right track. He was born to a woman who at age 13 had ovarian tissue removed before undergoing harsh treatment for sickle cell anemia. Doctors believe she had signs of puberty when the tissue was frozen, according to a recent medical journal report. Ten years later the tissue was thawed, and portions were grafted onto her remaining ovary. She gave birth last November after a normal pregnancy.

She is the youngest person to date to have had success. Although her eggs were likely more mature than those of pre-puberty girls, the results are "super exciting," said Dr. Jill Ginsberg of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, a pioneer in the field.

The irony of cancer treatment is that it can save lives while destroying the chance to create a new life. Chemotherapy works by killing rapidly dividing cells. These include malignant cells but also hair follicles, digestive tract cells, and sperm and eggs. Radiation can also damage these cells.

Dr. John Lantos, bioethics chief at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, says offering children the experimental fertility-preserving procedures poses no ethical problems "as long as there's informed consent and a desire to do it."

Federal guidelines say there should be minimal risk to children involved in research, and risks need to be weighed against potential benefits, he said.

"Kids themselves when they grow up would likely appreciate having that (fertility) option," he said.

After the tissue is removed, some is stored in liquid nitrogen for the patient's future use and some is sent to a central research lab at Northwestern University in Chicago, where scientists are studying ways to make it work.

Since 2008, the Philadelphia hospital has saved tissue for about 40 girls aged 3 and up and 50 boys  the youngest was 3 months. A few have since died but most still have tissue on ice, waiting for science and adulthood.

Deaths from cancer are uncommon in children; about 80 percent survive, "so we have the odds in our favor," Ginsberg said.

At age 10, Michael Richert recently finished treatment for a brain tumor. The North Brunswick, New Jersey, boy had testes tissue removed earlier this year at the Philadelphia hospital after a stem cell transplant, before starting chemotherapy. He comes from a large extended family, and from his hospital bed, mused about playing a Legos video game with a future son "like me and my dad did."

His mom, Aileen Richert, says consenting to the procedure was tough.

"But then I was thinking, years from now, if my son gets married and wants to have children, what if I told him I'd had this option and I didn't do it for him?" she said.

Parents help doctors present the details, depending on the child's maturity, Ginsberg said. "Some kids want to know every detail. Others are like 'I've heard enough.'"

When 8-year-old Hannah McStay of Mantua, New Jersey, was diagnosed with leukemia, the offer of ovary-freezing forced her mom, Rachel, to have a very grown-up conversation with her.

Now 11, with her leukemia in remission, Hannah says the potential chance for fertility is "a miracle."

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An 11-year-old Paraguayan girl who had been denied an abortion gave birth on Thursday, the culmination of a case that put a spotlight on child rape in the poor South American nation and drew criticism from human rights groups.

Elizabeth Torales, a lawyer for the girl's mother, told The Associated Press that the minor gave birth to a baby girl via cesarean in a Red Cross hospital in Asuncion, Paraguay's capital. Torales said that doctors told her there were no complications and both the mother and baby were resting. She said that her client, the daughter who gave birth and the girl's grandmother had requested custody of the infant.

"The baby doesn't yet have a name," said Torales.

The girl was allegedly raped and impregnated by her stepfather when she was 10. The stepfather has been arrested and is awaiting trial. The girl's mother has been charged with negligence.

The mother requested an abortion for her daughter, but the government refused to allow it, drawing praise from religious groups but criticism from many human rights organizations, including U.N. officials. Paraguay bans abortion except when the mother's life is in danger. At the time, the girl was five months pregnant and local health officials said she appeared to be in fine health.

In a statement Thursday, Amnesty International said the organization was glad the girl had come through the birth, but the fact that "she did not die does not excuse the human rights violations she suffered at the hands of the Paraguayan authorities."

While the case did spark some discussion about abortion in the deeply conservative country, the focus of several protests was on better protecting children from abuse.

About 600 girls 14 or under become pregnant each year in this country of 6.8 million people, according to local health statistics. Many called for stiffer penalties for abusers, and the funding of education programs to help parents and authorities better spot signs of abuse.

Norma Benitez, spokeswoman for the Latin American Women's Commission, said her group would now push the government to provide a safe environment for the girl that includes both her mother and grandmother.

"The Paraguayan state must fulfil its role of protecting children by providing a home and a dignified life" for this family, she said.

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The Mexican government said that the toxic wastewater currently surging downstream through the southwestern United States poses no threat to the country.

The office of the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) said that while Mexico faces no risk from the 3 million gallons of toxic material accidentally spilled into Colorado's Animas River by workers for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), it is closely monitoring the wastewater as it makes its way south toward the Colorado River.

The spill occurred on Aug. 5 when an EPA-supervised crew accidentally unleashed the water from the Gold King mine near Silverton, Colorado. The breech sent a wave of yellow-colored, metal-laden water into the Animas and San Juan rivers. The toxic plume has passed through parts of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and the Navajo Nation.

The San Juan River is a major tributary of the Colorado, one of the largest rivers in the Western United States that empties into Mexico's Gulf of California.

EPA administrator Gina McCarthy said her agency took full responsibility for the spill and that she had ordered agency personnel across the country to cease field work on abandoned mines while the spill was investigated. EPA officials said they are seeking details on what the stop-work order means.

The Gold King leak was proving devastating to the Navajo Nation, which recently negotiated a settlement giving it rights to water from the San Juan River. The tribe plans to build a $20 million water treatment plant in northwestern New Mexico to take in the extra volume of water granted to the settlement and to provide a clean source of drinking water to the 16,000 families on the tribal lands who lack running water.

Heavy metals already were present in the Navajo's underground aquifer, and "now those same things are dumped in the river," complained Rex Kontz, deputy general manager for the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority. He said meeting EPA standards for clean drinking water could double the plant's cost and require millions more in operating costs each year.

The EPA said it will be Monday at least, before test results can help show what hazardous materials are in the water, although it could take weeks longer. The higher the concentrations, the higher the cost of removing heavy metals. And unlike some other Native-American tribes, the Navajo are not flush with casino revenues.

"This new water coming in was the avenue to creating new development and creating long-term sustainability," Kontz said. "Now it's almost like your legs were cut out from under you."

While the plume makes its way through New Mexico, the governor of neighboring Utah, Gary Herbert, has declared an emergency for the parts of the state that are being affected.

Herbert says the designation will help free public money to help people and businesses in southern Utah who depend on water from the San Juan River deal with the long-term effects of contamination.

Utah officials said Wednesday that weekend tests showed the presence of metals in the state's river water, but the plume has since lost its distinctive yellow color.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Ghana is going to bring in about 170 Cuban doctors to work at health facilities amid a doctors' strike, the health minister said Wednesday.

Several people have died without proper emergency attention with the strike in its third week, said Health Minister Alex Segbefia.

The doctors, who are members of the Ghana Medical Association, have been on strike since Aug. 7 to back their demand for better working conditions, including salaries, allowances and benefits. The government says the strike is illegal and that it will only negotiate when the doctors return to work.

The Police Hospital and 37 Military Hospital in Accra are taking on most patients in the capital now, but staff there say they are stretched thin. The strike is affecting the whole country.

Segbefia said there is no set date for the 177 Cuban doctors to arrive, but planning has begun.

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What would happen if you and your brother found out each of you had an identical twin, and they were also living as brothers?

Its a story that made headlines this summer. Two sets of identical twins  raised as fraternal twins  meeting after they had been separated at birth due to a hospital error in Colombia.

Revealed to the world as The Mixed-Up Brothers of Bogota by the New York Times in July, the journey for these four men has only just begun as they learn to adapt to one another and come to grips with that shocking revelation.

Jorge and Carlos Bernal grew up as fraternal twins in Bogota. William and Wilber Canas grew up as fraternal twins in a remote farming village in Santander. But Jorge and William are identical twins, as are Carlos and Wilber.

Fox News Latino briefly caught up with the brothers and one of the principal psychologists who has been studying them over the last few months. It turns out the brothers are choosing not to live all together, but they are planning on releasing a book or movie about their lives.

Their incredible story has given psychologists and scientists a unique opportunity to study how much of what makes each individual unique is due to genetics and how much of it is a result of the environment we live in.

Everyone knows we werent together and didnt share a lot of things as children," Jorge Bernal, who grew up with Carlos but is identical to William Canas, told FNL, "but were doing it now, and things happen for a reason. Whats been the most difficult and what surprised me the most is our physical similarities and the things that are exactly alike, even though we never knew each other before.

After collecting hours of interviews and other material, including the DNA of the four twins, Yesika Montoya, a Colombian psychologist and a social worker at Columbia University in New York, says they are now in stage 2 of the study: analyzing the data.

Montoya says the identical brothers have similar characteristics, including how cheerful they are, their caring towards other people, and their sense of humor. They even tested food habits and discovered the two sets of biological twins are similar in their appetites. In spite of living in two different contexts they have that similarity in traits, Montoya said.

Some differences are obvious and can be attributed to the environment  for instance, education. Jorge grew up to become an engineer in Bogota, but his biological brother William, who grew up in a much poorer city  with a 5-hour walk to high school  is a butcher. An obvious and dramatic example of how no matter how identical some humans are biologically, the environment has a major effect on who we become.

I would say both sets of twins are very happy with who they are today, but when you compare, you can see that quality of life can be diminished by the environment to some degree, Montoya said. The access to certain benefits and privilege like education is represented in those things.

William, who was raised with Wilber but is identical to Jorge Bernal, seems to have taken this part of the reunion in stride. For him, seeing that his identical brother is successful serves as an inspiration.

This has helped me in many ways and motivates me to continue working and fighting every day, William said.

The parents who raised Jorge and Carlos are both dead now, but Carlos met his biological parents, Carmelo and Ana, who raised William and Wilber. They embraced him, and they all cried.

But while the brothers are all living in Bogota, they arent exactly roommates yet.

Right now, we arent living together, Jorge said. Were living with the brother we grow up with, but we do see each other often.

Overall, the Bernal and Canas bosy say they are happy and are embracing their new families. Basically my life hasnt changed profoundly, I just think that my family circle is bigger and stronger, Carlos, who grew up with Jorge but is identical to Wilber, told FNL.

No doubt, people are fascinated and interested to see how these twins and their relationships will evolve, and Montoya said that a book by the people studying them is in the works. In the meantime, they will continue to analyze the data over the coming months.

They have coped incredibly well with this situation, Montoya said of the twins. When you find out information like this you, go through different stages, and it will take a long time in order to be able to experience different changes and adapting to different situations over a long period. But overall they have been very positive and optimistic, in spite of the pain, the information and the shock.
As the summer months come to an end, there is a certain calm that everyone feels, almost like the calm before a storm. Then, all of a sudden, parents and kids alike have the same realization: its that time of year! Its time for back to school.

The next couple of weeks are always a mixture of different emotions with kids excited and nervous for the new school year and parents feeling overwhelmed with back-to-school shopping, like buying supplies and new clothes. A major component that most parents seem to overlook is the infamous lunch box and what they can pack for their kids.

Parents should be cautious about what their kids are eating, especially when return to school. Sometimes, the food being offered at school cafeterias are not favorable, with options like French fries and pizza that are appealing to children, but nutritionally unbalanced. A study shows that children and teens can consume almost half of their calorie intake while they are in school, mixed between breakfast and lunch options. Making the food selection at school is a hot topic. So what can parents do to make the best of the situation? Some of the best ways to change it up this school year is by packing lunch and being creative and simple in the approach.

Clients that have children often ask me for advice on what they could possibly give to their children. I usually suggest that they become creative beyond making sandwiches, which are usually overdone and boring. Instead, try making wraps, or pinwheels, using lean meats, cream cheese and veggies. Parents can also be creative simply by adding something new. For a healthier twist on French fries, try roasting tri-colored potatoes in canola oil and toss some fresh herbs on top. The purple potatoes that are included are loaded with anthocyanin, a powerful antioxidant. Parents should also think about throwing a wild card into the mix. Adding hummus into the lunch box can provide your child with excitement, as well as protein power.

Keep it simple by using finger foods that are easy to add. Whole fruits and vegetables like strawberries, pichuberries, grapes, carrot sticks, and mini-sweet peppers are a no-mess way of adding a burst of nutrition. These food items are loaded with vitamins and minerals that are necessary for a childs health. Drawing a happy face on a hardboiled egg can make it fun for your child to eat. It also supplies them with iron and choline, which studies have shown to aid in proper brain development.

The next big hurdle is when the kids come home from school. There is usually a four-hour gap between when your children eat lunch and their next meal. When they get home, have something prepared to give them before they attack the junk food cabinet. One option that I give my clients is slices of apple with a little peanut butter smeared on top or a healthy shake made with milk and strawberries. Another option is using fruit skewers to combine a variety of tasty fruit such as pineapple, melons and kiwi accompanied with a piece of cheese.
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About 100 Cuban doctors who deserted a medical mission in Venezuela and have been stranded for months in Colombia seeking entry into the U.S. staged a protest Saturday to draw attention to their plight.

The health care workers say they fear the delays in processing their visa requests under a 2006 program aimed at luring Cuba's medical talent could be a sign that President Barack Obama is seeking to end the incentive as part of his campaign to normalize relations with the communist island.

Wearing white doctor's coats and brandishing their diplomas, the Cuban medical workers gathered in a plaza in Kennedy, a working-class neighborhood built in the 1960s with funds from John F. Kennedy's Alliance for Progress. Several described how widespread shortages and mistreatment in Venezuela is leading many to sneak across the border seeking a new start in the United States. While they say conditions in Colombia are better, the cost of living is higher and many say they've had to borrow money from strangers and are surviving on a single meal a day.

Ailen Garcia, a 25-year-old dentist, said she fled to Colombia expecting to get a visa to enter the U.S. in a matter of weeks. Instead, she and her husband have been waiting more than six months for a response, all the while renting a small room in a working-class neighborhood of Bogota for $200 a month and preparing for the birth of their first child in two months.

"I'm worried about my baby. Where am I going to give birth and in what conditions?" said Garcia. "We're in a state of limbo: without work, with little money and time running out."

More than 50,000 Cuban health care professionals are working in some 66 nations as part of an international outreach program begun in the 1960s. The bulk of the work is in Venezuela, which sends Cuba some 92,000 barrels of oil a day worth about $3.2 billion a year in exchange.

The 2006 U.S. program is designed to deprive President Raul Castro's communist government of an important source of foreign revenue. Cuba has not made public how much it pays doctors on foreign missions, though it is believed to be a small fraction of what it collects from the nations where they serve.

U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, which administers the program, didn't immediately respond to a telephone message about the program

State Department spokesman John Kirby said this week that while Cubans regularly voice their concerns about the program, it's not part of bilateral talks taking place between the two governments, and there are no plans to eliminate the program.

"It is not at all related to our new policy with respect to Cuba," he said. "There's no tie, no connection."

Colombia's migration authority said that 117 doctors are currently in the country processing visa requests with the U.S. A total of 720 have arrived this year, though 603 have been deported because they exceeded the 90-day safe-conduct granted by Colombian authorities so they could solicit a U.S. visa.

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To share with friends and brethren The Gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (the Everlasting Gospel), and to prepare a people to stand when He returns to redeem His remnant. Also, to share relevant information of current events, and to show how they relate to prophecy; By means of articles, editorials, opinions, scripture readings, and poetry.

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Endrtimes does not necessarily endorse or agree with every opinion expressed in every article/video posted on this site. The information provided here is done so for personal edification; It's up to the reader to separate truth from error, and to examine everything (like the Bereans) from a Biblical perspective. Let the Holy Scriptures be you guide! - - - FAIR USE NOTICE: These pages/videos may contain copyrighted () material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available to advance understanding of ecological, POLITICAL, HUMAN RIGHTS, economic, DEMOCRACY, scientific, MORAL, ETHICAL, and SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES, etc. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior general interest in receiving similar information for research and educational purposes.
Every 28 days, Bill Monterrey has to take his 11-year-old daughter on an hour-long bus ride from Maracay, Venezuela, to Caracas to receive treatment at the state-run childrens hospital there.

She has Albright syndrome  a genetic disorder affecting bones, skin and the hormonal system  and the medicines she needs are available only in three cities in the country: Maracaibo, Barquisimeto and Caracas, Monterrey told Fox News Latino.

While in Caracas last week, Monterrey participated in a protest outside the childrens hospital because 20 medicines needed for cancer treatment havent been available there for 15 days, affecting most of the 120 patients undergoing treatment in that facility, according to local media.

My daughters medication was available, but I joined them because the lack of chemotherapy could be fatal for some patients, Monterrey explained.

Cancer doesnt wait, screamed the protesters, some of them accompanied by children in wheelchairs.

The protest, and others like them, were organized by the Venezuelan Association of Children with Cancer (Asovepanica), which, according to the Pan Am Post, says that other medical supplies necessary for treating cancer patients, such as syringes, bandages and needles for biopsies, are also in extremely short supply.

We have no gammagram (the next step after a mammogram) or CT scanners, let alone simple reagents to perform blood tests, which are necessary before performing chemotherapy, Silvia de Quijano, a representative for Asovepanica, said.

After the protest, Venezuelan health officials reached an agreement with Uruguay to obtain five or six drugs chemotherapy drugs, according to a person with knowledge of the accord.

According to Freddy Ceballos, president of Venezuelas Pharmaceutical Federation, it isnt just cancer medication that is in short supply. Ceballos said there is a shortage on 70 percent of all medications.

In fact, the dearth of medications is so severe doctors are resorting to animal medications to treat human patients.

This situation has never before been seen here, Ceballos said Years ago, we used to worry about what would happen if the shortages affected 15 percent of drugs. Now we dont even have common medicines like acetaminophen or contraceptives.

People who have received organ transplants are supposed to take medicine, like corticosteroid prednisone, every day for the rest of their lives to prevent the body from rejecting the new organ.

Francisco Valencia, president of the support group, Amigos Transplantados (Friends of Transplant Recipients), told FNL that the shortage of prednisone was severe a couple of weeks ago. We received many calls from people who couldnt find the medicine and, desperate, instead bought prednisone for animals.

Although the base ingredients are the same, the components of the human and veterinary versions of prednisone do vary. The version for pets has more glucose, for instance, so physicians say it isnt always safe to use the non-human forms.

But people became desperate and opted for the animal-version of the drug.

We made statements to the press, and the government imported 1.2 million tablets from Cuba, which now can be found in state-managed pharmacies, Valencia said.

Frequently, the government reacts to a shortage situation only when things start to get out of hand. As with the prednisone, only after the protests at the Caracas childrens hospital did the government intercede and deliver more chemotherapy medication, but not all types.

But Ceballos believes the problem is far from solved.

People are also using animal versions of antibiotics like doxycycline when they cant find human forms. Creams for burns are also unavailable, and people are making do with natural remedies like egg yolk, he said.

According to Ceballos, there are two principal causes for the shortage of medicines: the government-imposed currency controls, which limit the amount of U.S. dollars that are made available to drug laboratories, and strict price controls that were put in place in 2003.

The government owes $3.5 billion to the pharmaceutical companies, so they dont have money to buy the needed components for medicine from abroad. In a best case scenario, if the debt were paid today, it would take two to three months to reactivate production, Ceballos said.

The price control problem is dramatically explained with prednisone. The government sets the price of everything sold. A box of 30 tablets of prednisone costs 5.5 bolivars in Venezuela, the equivalent of less than a dollar. More to the point, the price is less than it costs to produce -- discouraging pharmaceutical companies from doing business in the country.

In neighboring Colombia, those 30 tablets go for up to $15, Amigos Transplantados Francisco Valencia told FNL.

Ceballos believes that Venezuelans would be willing to pay more, particularly if the medication was easier to find.

For now, however, they have to get creative in order to find what they need to survive.

There are at least four different Twitter accounts created to try to help people find medications. One such account, @spvzla (short for Public Service Venezuela), created in November 2011 has nearly 11,000 followers.

It receives more than 20 requests every day from people needing help to track down medicine.

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Too few women and minorities are entering certain medical specialties in the U.S., researchers say.

Diversifying the physician workforce may be key to addressing health disparities and inequities, Dr. Curtiland Deville of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, who worked on the study, said in an email.

"Minority physicians continue to provide the majority of care for underserved and non-English speaking populations, Dr. Deville added.

Yet "in no specialties . . . were the percentages of black or Hispanic trainees comparable with the representation of these groups in the US population," he and his colleagues wrote in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Medical schools have been trying to increase the diversity of their students, "with perhaps the assumption that this increased diversity will translate downstream to all specialties," Dr. Deville told Reuters Health.

But, he added, his team's new study shows that in some specialties, such as radiology, orthopedics, and otolaryngology, there's still "disproportionate underrepresentation of women and minorities.

Using publicly reported data, the researchers determined that of the 16,835 medical school graduates in 2012, 48 percent were women and 15 percent were minority groups (including 7 percent Hispanic and 7 percent black).

Also in 2012, there were 115,111 trainees in "postgraduate" medical education - for example, in internships and residencies - of whom 46 percent were women and 14 percent were minorities (8 percent Hispanic and 6 percent black).

Of the 688,468 practicing physicians in 2012, 30 percent were women and 9 percent were members of underrepresented minorities, including 5 percent who were Hispanic and 4 percent who were black.

In 2012, women accounted for 82 percent of trainees in obstetrics and gynecology and for 75 percent of pediatrics trainees. Women also accounted for more than half of all trainees in dermatology, family medicine, pathology, and psychiatry - but for only 14 percent of trainees in orthopedics.

Among black trainees, family medicine and obstetrics and gynecology were top picks, while otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) was least favorite. Among Hispanic trainees, top picks were psychiatry, family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics, while ophthalmology was least favorite.

Representation was increased in certain specialties for females, Blacks, and Hispanics but remained largely unchanged in others, Dr. Deville told Reuters Health.

What's needed to increase diversity in medical specialties?

First is the need to increase the available pipeline of diverse medical students, Dr. Deville said. This is especially the case for Blacks, Hispanics, and other underrepresented groups. In parallel, is the need to ensure that female, black, and Hispanic medical students are exposed, prepared, and engaged to join all medical specialties."

In an interview with Reuters Health, Marc Nivet, chief diversity officer at the Association of American Medical Colleges, said this is an important paper primarily because, in my mind, it calls to question if we need to be doing more research to figure out why women remain predominantly in three specialties, family medicine, pediatrics and OBGYN. Is that based on choice or are they in some way being relegated to those particular fields, or not being given advice to go into orthopedics or surgery specialties. Is there gender bias at play?

He added, I do think there is a role for hospitals and medical schools to make sure that their environments are as inclusive as possible. A minority or a woman shouldn't look at a particular field like orthopedics and say, 'Well, that's not for me.' There should be training that's happening for the graduate medical education leaders (and) for the faculty members of institutions to make sure that they are exposing all students to different opportunities so they can make the right choice for themselves.
Health officials in Washington State are investigating six cases of E. coli that have been linked to Mexican food trucks that serve several farmers markets in Seattle.

According to KIRO 7 News, at least three people have been hospitalized, including a 4-year-old girl, after eating food from Los Chilangos' truck last month.

Health department officials from Seattle's King County said a cease-and-desist order is in place after inspecting the two food trucks operated by Los Chilangos and the Eastside Commercial Kitchen they use. The order was issued on Aug. 27.

Recognizing that this lapse in operation hurts business, our team has worked diligently with these vendors to find new places for them to resume their work and remind them about important food safety measures, health officials said in a statement on Tuesday.

KIRO 7 News reported that Los Chilangos serves food at seven farmers and also caters events.

Deanna Buder told the TV station her 4-year-old daughter started experiencing pain and swelling in her abdomen, and stopped eating. She has been at Seattle Childrens Hospital for more than a week.

The food trucks owners told reporters they are working with the health department to determine where the cross-contamination may have occurred. Twelve employees have been checked and all came up negative for E. coli.

"I feel horrible," Noemi Mendez told KomoNews.com. "And I apologize. I feel like, you know, it's my responsibility, but also I don't feel like I'm to blame here."

They added that this is the first such problem theyve had in more than nine years in business.

Health officials said in a statement that the owners deserve credit for this dutiful cooperation during the investigation.

No food vendor wants to make people sick, and we know everyone is very concerned about the people who have become ill, they wrote.

According to the Los Chilangos owners, health officials believe the contamination could have been from the cilantro, which is currently being tested. However, it could have come from other sources.

Cilantro from Mexico was recently linked to foodborne illnesses in 29 states, though the outbreak was caused by a single-cell parasite called Cyclospora, not E. coli.

We are still investigating the source of the E. coli, health officials said in a statement. If we determine that a food contained the E. coli bacteria, we will try to trace it back to stores, suppliers, and even farms to address the root of the problem with corrective actions, if possible.

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Casey Reyes struggled for a way to explain the "sci-fi" surgery doctors were proposing to save her 87-year-old grandfather's badly burned hand.

"They're gonna put your hand inside your stomach, kind of like a hoodie," she told him.

Frank Reyes agreed to the strange operation at Houston Methodist Hospital, and spent three weeks with his left hand surgically tucked under a pocket of tissue in his belly to give it time to heal and form a new blood supply.

On Thursday, doctors cut his hand free of its temporary home and shaped some of the abdominal tissue and skin to cover it. Reyes hopes for near-full use of the hand he almost lost after a freak accident earlier this summer while he was changing a tire.

"It's a funny feeling," he said in an interview while his hand was still attached to his belly. "Anything to get me well."

Surgeries like this  temporarily attaching one body part to another, or tucking it under skin  are by no means new, but they are uncommon. They are used on the battlefield, in trauma situations, and increasingly in research as a way to incubate lab-grown body parts from scaffold-like materials.

Dr. Anthony Echo, plastic surgeon at Houston Methodist, thought of it when he saw Reyes, a retired cattle ranch worker and school bus driver who lives in Missouri City, Texas.

Reyes was home alone one day in late June, changing a tire on a trailer, when the jack slipped, pinning his hand against a fender. It was more than 100 degrees that afternoon, and it took half an hour for help to arrive.

The hot metal was like an iron and "just cooked his hand," burning through a thick glove and through skin, tendons and tissue, Echo said. Doctors initially tried a conservative approach, cleaning and bandaging the wound, but infection set it and most of his index finger had to be amputated.

Still, the hand grew worse.

"His skin was almost completely dead," his granddaughter said doctors told her. "They said it looked like mummy skin."

Reyes was sent to Echo, who realized a skin graft or flap of tissue from another part of Reyes' body would not work. The damage was down to the bone, and without a good blood supply, a graft or flap would die, he explained.

Echo decided to try tucking the hand inside Reyes' belly.

"The abdominal skin actually sticks to the hand" and new blood vessels form to connect them, he said. Without this, "likely he would have lost all of his fingers," Echo said.

When he explained it to the family, "I thought it was more or less something out of a sci-fi movie. It sounded crazy," Casey Reyes said, and when she explained it to her grandfather, who has trouble hearing, "he looked at me kind of funny," but agreed.

Dr. Vijay Gorantla, a plastic surgeon and hand transplant expert at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said the operation is not novel, but many doctors today don't realize it is an option in situations like this.

"The credit has to go to the surgeons for having chosen this" to help the patient, he said. "It gives you phenomenal results, especially in this type of injury, with minimal complications."

"They're now using this technique to prefabricate a particular body part," he noted. A group in China put cartilage under skin of the leg or the abdominal wall to create tissue and a blood supply for an ear.

Surgeons sometimes do it if the pulp or pad of a finger has been lost in an accident.

"You can take that tip of the finger and bury it in the abdominal wall," then remove it with some tissue to fix the finger, he said.

As for Reyes, "as soon as I'm well enough to drive I want to take a little trip," he said.

"The main thing I want to do is raise cattle, ride horses," he said. "I'm an outdoors person" who doesn't like being cooped up.

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Hispanic patients with Alzheimers disease will be one of the major focuses of the new research center by Mount Sinai Medical Center of Florida and the University of Florida.

The research center is one of 30 around the country that aims to turn research into better diagnosis and care for people with Alzheimers.

A major focus of the new center will be to study Hispanic patients with Alzheimer's and compare them with non-Hispanics patients, along with early diagnosis for the overall population.

Dr. Todd Golde, director of the UF Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, says Florida is one of the epicenters of the Alzheimer's epidemic, noting half a million people here have been diagnosed with the disease.

Mayo Clinic has an Alzheimer's Disease Research Center satellite center in Jacksonville, but the UF Mount Sinai newly funded center will be the only fully staffed site in the state.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

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Alex Coca, a scientist with the New Mexico Environment Department, checks over paperwork before placing a jug of water on a table for testing at San Juan County's Lee Acres Sheriff's substation in Farmington, N.M., Monday, Aug. 10, 2015. A crew supervised by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been blamed for causing a wastewater spill at an abandoned mine in Colorado that sent water laced with heavy metals, including lead and arsenic, downstream to the New Mexico municipalities of Aztec, Farmington and Kirtland over the weekend. (Alexa Rogals/The Daily Times via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
Why was the Reykjavik summit so special?

Today, on the 10th anniversary of Ronald Reagan's passing, we can now realize his exceptional leadership and how Reykjavik was his "finest hour."

Indeed, his son Michael has said that "you'll get insights into my dad -- his negotiating skills, his sheer grit, his leadership skills -- in a new way. I urge you all to read the book, 'Reagan at Reykjavik' soon. I know you will enjoy the book and learn from it, as I have."

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What made Reykjavik special were three elements. First, it was a real drama -- something right out of an Agatha Christie thriller, where two vivid characters meet over a weekend, on a desolate and windswept island, in a reputedly-haunted house with rain lashing against its windowpanes, where they experience the most amazing things.

The summit between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev on October 11 and 12, 1986 was like nothing before or afterwith its cliffhanging plot, powerful personalities, and far-reaching consequences.

For those of us in the American delegation, Reykjavik was supposed to be an uneventful weekend, with the real action happening the following year at "the real summit" in Washington.

Instead, in Iceland we rode an emotional roller coaster, full of twists and turns, ups and downs, all weekend long. NPRs Rod MacLeish deemed it among the most amazing events in diplomatic history. To Gorbachev, it was exhausting with its wearying and grueling arguments.

Unlike other summits and dramas, Reykjaviks plot unfolded off-script. The session itself came as a surprise and ended up delivering surprise after surprise. We didnt know what to expect next or how it all would endnot just over that weekend, but over the months and years that followed.

Second was Reykjaviks oversized personalities. Reagan and Gorbachev stand as among the most intriguing and important characters of the twentieth century. For some ten and a half hours at Reykjavik, they dealt directly with one anothervoid of staff advice, detailed talking points, or guiding memosacting more like themselves than at any time in office.

Thanks to the now-declassified American and Soviet notes of their private discussions, we can peep through the keyhole of their small meeting room to see them, hear their back-and-forth reparte, and come to understand their core beliefs, patterns of thought, and fundamental characters in a way that history rarely offers.

Third was Reykjavik's significance. Immediately afterwards, it seemed like a bust, since the two superpower leaders left without a joint statement, clinking of champagne glasses, or promises of future meetings. They left each other glowering and, in Reagans case, steaming mad.

The White House chief of staff, Donald Regan, asserted that the two would never meet again. The session was nearly universally condemned, even by those as astute in foreign policy as Richard Nixon, who declared, No summit since Yalta has threatened Western interests so much as the two days at Reykjavik.

The following year, 1987, Reykjavik received some acclaim when agreements reached over that weekend were signed in the White House as part of a sweeping arms control treaty.

And then in a mere blink of eye in history came the fall of the Berlin Wall, the demise of Communism in Eastern Europe, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and end of the Cold War.

With the gifts of historical perspective and declassified documents, we can now see that Reykjavik marked a historical turning point, by leading to:

-- a steady stream of unprecedented arms control agreements;

-- a remarkable decline in the number and danger of U.S./Soviet-Russian nuclear arsenals;

-- an unexpected flowering of the antinuclear movement worldwide;

-- and eventhe mother of all historical consequencesthe end of the Cold War itself.

U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz, at Reagans side during Reykjavik, had a conversation with Gorbachev years afterwards and described the scene:

We were sitting around with the interpreter, and I said, When you entered office and when I entered office, the Cold War was about as cold as it could get, and by the timewe left it was all over. What do you think was the turning point?

He didnt hesitate a second. He said, Reykjavik.

And I said, Why?

Because, Gorbachev said, for the first time the two leaders talked directly, over an extended period in a real conversation, about key issues.
Even as a diverse coalition of Americans unite around the principle that voting rights are an essential American principle that needs to be protected, the Republican Party remains firmly committed to doing the opposite. Their continued push for policies that make it more difficult for people to vote disproportionately affects minority and young voters.

Republicans  including leading Presidential candidates  have for years been pushing initiatives that make it harder to vote. Jeb Bush supports states efforts to enact voter ID laws, and as governor, he restricted early voting and infamously purged 12,000 eligible voters before the 2000 presidential election. Marco Rubio asked, Whats the big deal? with voter ID laws. Scott Walker enacted what has been described as one of the most restrictive voter ID laws in the country.

Voter ID laws systematically target Latinos and other minorities ability to vote. In 2012, measures to restrict voting could have affected over 10 million Latino voters. A Brennan Center for Justice study reported, In Colorado, Florida, and Virginia, the number of eligible Latino citizens that could be affected by these barriers exceeds the margin of victory in each of those states during the 2008 presidential election.

And its no accident that these laws disproportionately affect Latinos. A separate study from last year found a solid link between legislator support for voter ID laws and bias toward Latino voters, as measured in their responses to constituent e-mails. And yet another study that was released earlier this year found that even in states without voter ID laws, Latinos were targeted: Election officials themselves also appear to be biased against minority voters, and Latinos in particular. For example, poll workers are more likely to ask minority voters to show identification, including in states without voter identification laws.

Some Republicans have explicitly made known their intentions of suppressing Latino and African-American voters in order to win elections. Over 30 years ago, ALEC-founder and co-founder of the Heritage Foundation Paul Weyrich spoke plainly: I dont want everybody to voteAs a matter of fact, our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down. Republican after Republican has continued in his footsteps: An Ohio GOP County Chair stated he supports limits on early voting because, I really actually feel we shouldnt contort the voting process to accommodate the urban  read African-American  voter-turnout machine. Pennsylvania House Speaker Mike Turzai believed voter ID laws would allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania. Former GOP Precinct Chair Don Yelton used the n word as he tried to deny that a voter ID law in North Carolina was racist (and he explained that the law is going to kick the Democrats in the butt). Conservative activist and notoriously anti-immigrant Phyllis Schlafly said, The reduction in the number of days allowed for early voting is particularly important because early voting plays a major role in Obamas ground game. Schlaflys Eagle Forum endorsed Marco Rubio in his run for Senate (heres a lovely picture of the two of them) and applauded Scott Walker for his opposition to legal immigration.

The Republican response to the growing power of minority voters could not be clearer: shut them out of the election process. Under the guise of fighting voter fraud, despite a striking absence of evidence that fraud exists, Republican-led chambers across our nation have moved in concert to restrict access through the polls for political reasons. Its that simple.

Whats even more upsetting is to hear a group who claims to represent the best interests of a community choose to ignore the facts in favor of their funders agenda, namely Daniel Garza, executive director of the Libre Initiative, saying hes fine with voter ID laws and that he doesnt think Republicans are trying to suppress the Latino vote.

Its time for the Republican Party to end their campaign against voting rightsand for people to stop giving them cover when they do it.
Any day now, the Supreme Court will rule on one of the most momentous cases of this term, King v. Burwell. This is the second lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and the fate of President Obamas signature legislation hangs in the balance. Last Monday, the president warned that neither his administration nor the states were prepared to deal with a ruling against the ACA. If somebody does something that doesnt make any sense, then, it's hard  to fix, he said.

The ACA should be read as a whole, not judged by one passage with a semantic error. In King v. Burwell, common sense and the law dictate that the Supreme Court should rule for the Obama administration.  Rau.A. Reyes

Hes right. The suit against the ACA is based on a twisted interpretation of its language. Legal theory and precedent support upholding Obamacare. A ruling against the ACA would be a ruling against the health of Latinos and other Americans.

To be clear, King v. Burwell is not about the constitutionality of the ACA. The Supreme Court already settled that, upholding its legality in 2012.

Instead, this case turns on interpretation of the ACA. Opponents of the law say that the government can only grant health care subsidies to people who bought their insurance on the state exchanges. The Obama administration says that the subsidies are available to all who qualify, no matter whether they bought insurance on the state exchanges or the federal marketplace.

In effect, opponents of the ACA say the law violates itself. They reached this conclusion after searching through the 900-page law and finding a single sub-clause on which to base a legal challenge. Their case would seem frivolous if there werent so much at stake. If the Court sides with the ACA opponents, 6.4 million people  about 20 percent of whom are Hispanic  could lose their health care subsidies and their coverage. People who buy their health coverage without subsidies would be affected too, because insurers would then likely raise their rates, prompting more people to drop out of the ACA. So a ruling against the Obama administration could mean the unraveling of the law.

Yet when there is a dispute over the meaning of a law, the Court is supposed to look at the laws original intent. The intent of the ACA is simple: to provide affordable health care coverage to as many Americans as possible. As legal scholar Jeffrey Toobin notes in The New Yorker, there were 53 meetings of the Senate Finance Committee, 25 meetings of the full Senate, and seven days of committee debate on amendments during the long process of drafting the law. There were similar sessions in the House of Representatives. In all this time, no one ever suggested that subsidies would only be available on the state exchanges.

If one section of the ACA is inconsistent with the rest of the law, it was the result of a mistake during the drafting process. The Democrats and Republicans who wrote the law have admitted just that. Numerous other provisions throughout the ACA support the Obama administrations reading of the law. No wonder the New York Times referred to King v. Burwell as The Phony Legal Attack on Health Care.

Besides, the Supreme Court has a formula for dealing with laws whose meanings seem ambiguous. In Chevron vs. Natural Resources Defense Council (1984), the Court held that deference should be given to the interpretation taken by the agency charged with implementing the law. Here that agency is the IRS  and the IRS supports the Obama administration position.

True, Congress could remedy the ACA with a legislative fix. But given the partisan climate in Washington, this is implausible; when the possibility of a Congressional fix was raised during oral arguments for King v. Burwell, there was laughter in the courtroom. And the law is working and deserves to remain intact. Consider that both Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) have already enrolled their families for ACA coverage. Or that since the law went into effect, the percentage of uninsured Latinos has dropped from 36 percent to 23 percent. Thats why a coalition of 39 leading Latino advocacy groups all support the Obama administration in King v. Burwell. The coalition points out that, if the Court decides in favor of opponents of the ACA, health insurance will become unaffordable for 1.2 million Hispanics.

The ACA should be read as a whole, not judged by one passage with a semantic error. In King v. Burwell, common sense and the law dictate that the Supreme Court should rule for the Obama administration.
Puerto Ricos health care system has been consistently underfunded by the federal government. This is an injustice given that Puerto Ricans pay the same Medicare and Social Security taxes as other Americans, yet the island receives less than half the funding of mainland states.

Sixty percent of the islands population  over 2 million patients  receives medical care through Medicare, Medicare Advantage or Medicaid. This means that medical care for millions of U.S. citizens is in jeopardy and hospitals and providers will be unable to provide services without raising costs or cutting back on benefits.

Puerto Ricans are not asking for special treatment, we are asking to be treated fairly and equally as American citizens who contribute to our great nation and pay the same Medicare taxes.  Dennis Rivera

And because the health care industry represents 20 percent of Puerto Ricos economy, its collapse would have a catastrophic effect on Puerto Ricos already fragile economy.

The Obama administration announced last week its decision to proceed with a devastating 11 percent cut for Puerto Ricos Medicare Advantage plans. The islands health care system was already teetering and these further cuts could push it over the edge.

In 2008, when he was campaigning for president, Obama acknowledged that health care funding for Puerto Rico is insufficient and promised that he would work closely with the government of Puerto Rico and Congress to strengthen the federal governments investment in the health of the people of Puerto Rico.

President Obama and his administration still have time to act on their promise to strengthen the health of Puerto Ricans  the 3.5 million of them living on the island and the 4 million living in the continental U.S. We can work together to achieve a solution.

Puerto Ricans are not asking for special treatment, we are asking to be treated fairly and equally as American citizens who contribute to our great nation and pay the same Medicare taxes.

President Obama and his administration need to act now to fix this outrageous disparity in funding for Puerto Ricos health care system. We need to safeguard care for the 3.5 million American citizens living in Puerto Rico, before its too late.
The Ethiopian foreign minister did say, however, that his government is positively cooperating with Egyptian counterparts to maintain friendly relations

Ethiopian foreign minister Workenh Gebeyehu said in an interview published on Monday on the Saudi Arabian Middle East news website that his government is positively cooperating with Egyptian counterparts to maintain friendly relations, though it awaits an official response from Egypt to a request by Ethiopia that Cairo stop the activity of Ethiopian opposition groups within Egypt.

"We informed our Egyptian friends about the activities of some hostile groups that are working against the Ethiopian government in Cairo, and we requested that Egypt stop the activities of these hostile groups", Gebeyehu stated.

Ethiopian PM Hailemariam Desalegn said on Thursday in an interview with the Qatari Al-Jazeera news channel that his country demanded that the Egyptian government take clear action against "terrorist organisations" that are receiving support from "some Egyptian bodies" in Cairo.

In October, Ethiopia's communication minister Getachew Reda accused Egypt of financing and training "armed groups" operating in Ethiopia.

Reda's claims came amid demonstrations against an Ethiopian government plan to expand the boundaries of the capital Addis Ababa into the territory of the Oromo ethnic group.

Egypt's foreign ministry said at the time that Cairo completely respects Ethiopian sovereignty and non-interference in the country's internal affairs.

Ethiopian Right groups say that 500 civilians were killed during the demonstrations, with the Ethiopian government declaring a six-month state of emergency.

In 2015, Egypt dismissed Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome's accusations that Egyptian elements are supporting armed opposition groups in his country with the aim of preventing Ethiopia from building the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam, which Cairo fears could reduce its share of Nile water.

In March 2015, Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan signed a trilateral declaration of principles that guarantees that all parties will take steps to ensure the dam will not harm the interests of all parties concerned.

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As Pope Francis and his advisors prepare for their trip to the United States this fall, are they concerned about the latest numbers confirming the continuing decline in Catholic affiliation in the U.S.? For every person who joins the Catholic Church, the Pew Research Center recently reported, six exit. If their data hold up, there are now more non-affiliates than there are self-identified Catholics in this country. What does this mean for the traction Francis might find during his visit?

[Pope Francis] can show the church that its opportunity today is to help people go deeper right where they are: Everyone has a next step to take in becoming more humane, and in taking that step each person goes further into tending lifes mystery.  Tom Beaudoin

If Pope Francis and all who aspire to his style of religious teaching can see this moment as new and rich with potential, and not only as a narrative of loss, the possibilities for the Catholic Church are fresh and important  for Catholicism and also for American religion.

Catholicism is caught up in cultural changes it did not invent and cannot control. Ongoing assimilation into the gifts and burdens of American life has left baptized Catholics, like Jews and mainline Protestants, in a breakdown of the sanctions that used to protect and license religious affiliation. The broad deference given to official Catholic assertions about privileged knowledge of divine things is in retreat  inside and outside the church. And the narrower space that is left for Catholic moral leadership amidst the churchs sex abuse scandal can only credibly be focused on making daily life better for the vulnerable and building humane bridges with religious and nonreligious others.

But this is freedom for the Church, not defeat.

Not even Pope Francis can reverse the trends changing the very nature of what it means to be religious, spiritual, and secular today. He seems to sense this freedom for a new mission in his talk of the church as a field hospital, attending to the wounded before presenting lessons on doctrine. However, if this means that non-affiliated persons are to be seen primarily as the sick to be cared for by the healthy, then the metaphor limps. It is more effective to speak to the strengths and creative capacities of those on the margins and out the door.

Francis is like the Dalai Lama or Archbishop Tutu, an inspiring global leader who is able to turn people inward and outward in ways that further personal integrity and social responsibility. He encourages many present and former Catholics alike. The teaching power of noble and courageous example is ultimately more important than who is Catholic and who is not. The difference such religious leadership can make exceeds the matter of religious affiliation as such. It inspires many people to be better in whatever affiliation or non-affiliation they have chosen. This is a clue to the Catholic Churchs new freedom in the USA, and what Francis can accomplish in his visit this fall.

The Catholic Church in the U.S. on the whole, like its heritage institutions such as hospitals and universities, tolerates a relatively wide range of beliefs and practices. This is why censorious bishops are still the exception and not the norm, and why theologians are generally unsurprised by widespread Catholic endorsement of sexual diversity, cohabitation, contraception, married priests, and womens full equality in all church positions. Catholic pastoral leaders and theologians are well aware that baptized Catholics go their own way, dramatic public pronouncements notwithstanding.

Indeed, Francis gentle public manner and reticence about moralizing encourages a view of the disaffiliatedincluding those with a Catholic heritagenot as victims of secular culture, but as agents of potential new forms of spiritual life today. Indeed, despite the field hospital metaphor, Francis humble example leaves room for imagining theology and ministry as more focused on the reasons people make meaningful lives in contemporary culture. The strong diversity of good ways of life today are not reducible to any single account of ultimate reality. This is the mystery that many religious traditions, including Catholicism, are learning to face.

Francis can help the Catholic Church in the U.S. discover the freedom for a new mission, one that transcends the urge to sort people into in and out. He can show the church that its opportunity today is to help people go deeper right where they are: Everyone has a next step to take in becoming more humane, and in taking that step each person goes further into tending lifes mystery.

This does not ignore the deep problems of justice within the Catholic Church, which are serious and well-known. But Francis is one of the few world teachers who can credibly portray the noble life-work that the affiliated and the non-affiliated have in common: the privilege of saying yes to life and of helping to make that yes more possible for others. And Francis leadership is evidence that such a yes to the most vulnerable will slowly re-make the church itself. But in the end even that is not the most important thing.
Yesterday at my Aunt Anas East Bronx apartment on Eastchester Bay opposite City Island, my father Cruz four surviving siblings gathered for a rare reunion. Joining Ana and me were her sisters Ofelia, Elie and May, all in their late 80s or 90s, and all still living in Puerto Rico. My wife Erica and Anas loving daughter my cousin Lily arranged the get together occasioned by the aunties rare visit to New York from their island home in the town of Bayamon, a suburb of San Juan the capital.

The trip was motivated by Aunt Anas failing health and the collective desire to spend time with this wonderful, gentle Puerto Rican soul who became my Jewish mothers best friend. Cousin Lily, a Bronx-based Evangelical minister is named for my mom, Lily Friedman Rivera, now 95. My daughter Sols middle name is Liliana, homage to my mom and favorite aunt.

I am honored whenever I am referred to as a Jibaro. And remembering my father and grandfather, I wish every Jibaro reading this a Happy Fathers Day.  Geraldo Rivera

What struck me at the impromptu gathering was how long ago that was and how much we all had changed since that summer of 1959 when I turned 16 living with them and my grandparents in their crowded but happy home. The three aunties up from Puerto Rico still live in the same home and we reminisced about how much their brother, my dad meant to them and me.

He was the first of his family to graduate high school and the first to take the banana boat up from Puerto Rico to New York. He sent me to live with his island family so that I was forced to learn Spanish, which I couldnt speak a word of when I got there. Sending me there was a wise move because no one in his ancestral home spoke English and I was speaking and dreaming in Spanish when it was time to go home to New York for school that September, 56 years ago.

My dads dad, my abuelo Juan and I went fishing and swimming in the Rio Bayamon, raised rabbits and chickens in the backyard and ate lots of rice and beans.

I worshipped my grandparents who had 17 children in those long ago days when each kid grew up still working part-time in the sugar cane plantations that have long since given way to suburban sprawl, shopping malls and highways.

One of Puerto Ricos main highways, Route 52 cuts through the center of the island from San Juan to Ponce on the south coast. As the highway approaches the Caribbean Sea, there is a statue dedicated to the proud Jibaro, the Puerto Rican everyman from the old days when the island was still basically agrarian. The statue depicts the Jibaro, whos a sugar cane worker or farmer with his ever-present machete, standing alongside his wife holding their small child, and embodying everything noble and valued in island lore, a hard worker, guide and teacher, protective, genuine and loving, just like my dad.

Erica and I have a home in Playa Salinas on that south coast and I think of my father and grandfather every time we drive past the statue of the Jibaro. In island culture there is no higher compliment than to be called a Jibaro. I am honored whenever I am referred to as a Jibaro. And remembering my father and grandfather, I wish every Jibaro reading this a Happy Fathers Day.
Using the power of the purse, Congress has taken yet another positive step to push back on the anti-business policies of the union-backed National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The House Appropriations Subcommittee last week took a stand against NLRBs newly-enacted ambush election rule, which took effect on April 14, by slashing funding for the rules implementation. The subcommittee also took steps to ensure that the rights of workers to make informed, non-coerced decisions in union elections remain intact and that the overall privacy of employees is protected.

Its time to stop an unelected board of union bosses and bureaucrats from deciding the fate of millions of small business owners and workers across the country.  Hector Barreto

The ambush election rule was enacted by the NRLB in order to coerce employees to unionize in a short window of time, springing elections on unsuspecting employers in a little over a week. Previously, the window was, on average, 38 days between when a petition was filed to the election. Under the new ruling, however, the window is as few as 11 days.

NLRB data from past elections show that, from 2004-2014, unions won 86 percent of elections that took place under 21 days, compared to the only 60 percent that took place over a longer timeframe (36 to 42 days). The shorter the election window, the greater likelihood of unionization. Its no wonder the union-driven NLRB wants to speed the process up; since union membership has been steadily sliding into decline.

The first months numbers are in, and as the business community warned, elections to unionize workplaces have sprung up at an alarming rate. From April 14 to May 14, there was a 32 percent increase in the number of petitions filed. This trend will likely continue, with the shortened rule encouraging unions to file petitions even when they think their chances of success are small. Employers have less time to hire outside labor counsel or educate their workers on the unintended consequences of unionization, and employees get confused when faced with coercion and misinformation from highly organized union campaigns.

Additionally, the NLRBs new policy violates workers basic right to privacy. The rule gives blanket access to union bosses of everything from an employees personal contact information, home address, and job classification, to shift schedules and work locations. Union heads can now camp out on your doorstep, bullying you into the collective.

Fortunately, pro-business members of Congress have been working to stop these unilateral mandates from an unelected board. The House and Senate passed widely-supported, bipartisan legislation in March that would have rolled back the NLRBs reach and prevented the ambush election rule from taking effect. Unfortunately, the legislation was quickly vetoed by President Obama.

Last weeks actions to defund the NLRBs new mandate represent the second attempt that Congress has made in support of workers rights (and they say they cant get anything done!) Hopefully, Congress will be able to wield the power of the purse to sway the Administration to repeal the NLRBs misguided policies that serve not to protect the worker, but to pad union rolls.

The efforts by the House Appropriations Subcommittee to defund the NLRB should be applauded, and the Senate should follow suit. Its time to stop an unelected board of union bosses and bureaucrats from deciding the fate of millions of small business owners and workers across the country.
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What a week of contrasts in American Presidential politics. The bright side includes Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio; then there is ignorant bigotry. The bigotry burst forth from the Black Hole of bigotry, that is, the mind of self-described billionaire Donald The Donald Trump.

First, Miami-based Jeb Bush pulled out all stops to make his long-awaited formal announcement for the Republican Presidential nomination at Miami-Dade College.

[Trump] ignores the fact that as many as 14 million or more Americans work in trade with or from Mexico and Canada or in manufacturing of cars ($20 billion worth to Mexico alone in 2012) and myriad products for sale to Mexico ($240 billion in 2012, 15 percent of all U.S. Exports). U.S. government stats, folks.  Raoul Lowery Contreras

Salsa music provided the tempo to a crowd filled with Cuban Americans, Central and South American immigrants who came to the U.S. for opportunity, become citizens and now support a man they know, who knows them well.

Jeb Bush had studied them and their culture in college, he worked in Venezuela, he learned the language and he performed the most cherished act any man can, he married one of them. He married a Mexican, Columba and they have three bi-lingual children. In four decades of the marriage, he became one of them, he also became a Catholic making the leap from his Yankee White Anglo Saxon Protestant (WASP) history to join the hundreds of millions of Latin Americans who are born into the Church.

He also appeals to these Hispanics because as Floridas governor, the Education governor, he set out to raise the educational level of Black and Hispanic kids. It worked. Florida Black and Hispanic kids led the nation under Bush. He also implemented  despite teacher union lawsuits  a school voucher that poor Black and Hispanic kids can utilize to attend better schools. The crowd roared and became frenzied when he switched to Spanish. His name might be Bush but he was one of them.

The week ended with native-son U.S. Senator Marco Rubio when he showed up with his wife and four children to the annual Lincoln Day Dinner of the Miami-Dade Republican Party. Miami-Dade Republican Chairman Nelson Diaz had invited Marco to address the dinner a year ago, long before Rubio set his candidacy for President in motion.

This was a rip-roaring sold-out rubber chicken GOP fund-raising dinner that turned out to be an emotional collective endorsement of a home town boy that six months ago was considered to be a light-weight long shot for the Republican nomination.

Marco Rubio lit up the ballroom. Every single Cuban American in the room roared their appreciation for their paisano, even if they support an old friend, Jeb Bush. Marco! Marco! They chanted.

He joked about the New York Times exposing his luxury speedboat that masquerades as a fishing boat; the crowd laughed. He regaled them with: He was one of them and like them gave his parents credit for coming to America with nothing and building an American family from which one is now running for President of the U.S.A. Marco! Marco!

Sure, Rubio gave a mostly stump speech as did his friend Jeb Bush a few days earlier. But those speeches work when delivered honestly and passionately.

Sandwiched between Bushs announcement and Rubios Miami speech, crafted as they were for crowds heavily peopled with Hispanic supporters and activists, was the 45-minute Donald Trump announcement that he was rich. He also stated that he was smarter than anyone who has ever negotiated a deal for the United States; over and over he told us he was really rich.

Like long-ago Senator Joe McCarthy and his famous list of known State Department Communists that he never showed anyone, Trump brandished a piece of paper around that he claimed proved he was rich. Who has seen that piece of paper that proves Trump is rich?

Boorishly bragging that he is really rich is one thing; Trump always does that. Whats new is his declaration that Mexico is our enemy, that he will build a Great Wall along the entire border to end Mexicos exploitation of the United States. Not only that but he would make Mexico pay for the wall.

He told Foxs Sean Hannity that Mexico was not sending us their best. Mexico, Trump claims, is sending us drug people, murderers and rapists, implying that that is all Mexico sends us; no oil, no cars, no air planes, no car parts, no construction cement, no fruits and vegetables, no seafood, no flat screen TVs or more than 500,000 farmworkers who produce much of our food.

He ignores the fact that as many as 14 million or more Americans work in trade with or from Mexico and Canada or in manufacturing of cars ($20 billion worth to Mexico alone in 2012) and myriad products for sale to Mexico ($240 billion in 2012, 15 percent of all U.S. Exports). U.S. government stats, folks.

He would put an end to all that with his wall that Mexico will pay for.

Trump has teased us before with political buffoonery but he has never run for President. If he does now, given Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, Hispanics have an opportunity to help bury Trump and Trumpies with ridicule, for good.

Trump will never be nominated. On the bright side, Bush or Rubio can be.
So Im sitting around watching "Meet the Press," one of three Sunday morning talk shows I record each week. Moderator Chuck Todd is hyping this amazing piece of journalism  a report from behind prison walls. Sounds great right?

Its an enterprising idea in the midst of the sudden and perpetually fruitless gun control debate. Hes introducing a series of interviews with murderers. We want to engage in the gun control debate, so why not hear from those whove actually used guns to take a life? Why not hear from the likes of white supremacist Dylann Roof to better understand what goes through the mind of a killer before and after the trigger is pulled?

The entire nation seems to be trying to come to grips with this horrible racist act and NBCs Meet The Press is doing what? They are exclusively showing black men as murderers, thereby feeding into the optics of inequality that many in the African American community, right or wrong, have been consistently pointing out.  Rick Sanchez

Roof is, after all, what the news cycle is all about these days  a place he shares with only two others, and coincidentally, they too are white. Richard Matt and David Sweat are not your usual escapees. Theyve now been on the run going on 17 days after breaking out from a New York Correction Center. One was doing life for killing a sheriff's deputy on a Fourth of July. The other killed a 76-year-old businessman by breaking his neck, and then cutting up the body, which was thrown into a river.

Meet the Press mission seemed to be about examining dangerous men like the triumvirate of power killings now making headlines. It failed. Why? Because instead they introduced us to three black men from some random prison.

Thats right, three black men! While the news cycle screams the stories of three white men  Roof, Matt and Sweat  Meet the Press brings us interviews with three convicted murderers who are all black. Tone deaf? You bet! Intentional? I dont think so. Neither my colleague Chuck Todd nor his staff meant any harm, but let's not kid ourselves: harm was done!

On Twitter and other social media sites, the blasts of indignation were immediate and with good reason. Even though the number of convicted murderers in the U.S. by race is about 50-50, on this Fathers Day, for the kid watching TV with his dad, it became 100 percent black.

Its a point that wasnt lost on at least one black journalist, who to NBCs credit was on the panel. Eugene Robinson, who is also Washington Post columnist, politely mentioned that there was one small thing wrong with the report. How delicately sardonic is that?

"Right now, we're talking about a horrific crime committed by a white man. We're talking about the search for two escaped murderers who are white men, said Robinson. So, we should point out that this is not just an African-American problem." Duh!

Here, the entire nation seems to be trying to come to grips with this horrible racist act and NBCs Meet The Press is doing what? They are exclusively showing black men as murderers, thereby feeding into the optics of inequality that many in the African American community, right or wrong, have been consistently pointing out.

These are just some of the comments and complaints raised by writers and African-American leaders.

First, Dylann Roofs image as presented in the media has included childhood photos looking cute and cuddly while no such images have been released of his victims.

Second, Roof is consistently being referred to as a kid who was simply confused. Yet previously, many in the African-American community were chastised for calling Trayvon Martin a child who was walking home with candy on his way to his fathers house. Which was by the way, the truth.

Third, many on Urban Radio have complained throughout the country about the appearance of Roof being arrested without incident. There was no aggressive takedown, no shots fired. While just last a week before that a 14-year-old girl in a bikini at a pool party was repeatedly thrown to the ground.

These are all optics, and optics are not always rational. It comes from a place outside of logic. It comes from pain and from hurt. But its the kind of pain and hurt that needs to be both understood and respected.

Many of us in and out of the news and information business have argued for years about the medias inability to understand, or sometimes even respect, the cultures of those who are not like them. Even if not intentional, its there and we see it  even when they dont.

Whether its a New York Times reporter and child of privilege writing critically about Senator Marco Rubios money problems, cable pundits and news presenters unable to challenge Donald Trump's Hispanic insults or Chuck Todds tone deafness, it occurs much too often. And much too often its only noticed by members of communities who are not a part of the media elite.

Heres the real question: Shouldnt Meet the Press have known better? Do they just not pay attention to what theyre writing or airing? Or, as weve argued for years, when it comes to people who arent like them, do they just not get it?

All it takes is that one person in the editorial meeting to stand up and say, "Hey, do we really want to put a piece on the air depicting only blacks as killers in America while were covering a story about a racist killer?" Why wasnt the question asked? And if it was, why did the story run as is?

Todd sold the interviews from behind prison walls as remarkable. What we think is remarkable in many ways depends on our point of view, our upbringing, our culture and the people with whom we surround ourselves. Chuck Todd hyped a great idea, but he failed or was failed by his staff, his friends and his own cultural upbringing in not recognizing the perspective of others. Many others and I have argued again and again for more inclusiveness and understanding in our nation's national conversations to avoid even well-intended, yet harmful oversights. This report is yet another example of why were right.
Three years ago, the two of us joined several other Christian leaders at an event on Capitol Hill to launch the Evangelical Statement of Principles for Immigration Reform. Since that day, we have witnessed a remarkable coalescence of evangelical Christians around support for immigration reform that, we believe, would reflect biblical principles of hospitality, family unity, and respect for the rule of law.

As Christians throughout the country increasingly interact with the people whom our broken system burdens, our resolve has only increased: we need Congress to act on bipartisan immigration reforms consistent with our values, and we are praying that they will do so now.  N. Castellanos and S. Bauman

Frustratingly, though, we have seen very little change in terms of immigration legislation, as Congress has failed to pass any meaningful reforms. Its time for Congress to act.

The institutions we leadthe Christian Community Development Association and World Relief, respectivelyeach have long histories of serving immigrants in local communities as an expression of our Christian faith. Our colleagues and partners working with local churches and ministries throughout the United States witness on a regular basis the devastating impacts that our nation's immigration laws have on families and communities.

Children suffer when a father is deported. A mother yearns to be reunited with a son stuck in family reunification backlogs that can last a decade or more. Church-based volunteers who for years have tutored and mentored a young person are devastated when the students lack of legal status stymies her chance of pursuing college. Pastors struggle with how to guide undocumented members of their congregations torn between the biblical commands to provide for ones family, on one hand, and to subject themselves to the law of the land, on the other, desperate for a process of reconciliation that would allow them to make amends for a violation of law and stay with and support their families.

The Church can do much to meet tangible needs, and to proclaim the hope of the gospel. But we continue to run up against problems that require a structural, legislative solution.

The Evangelical Statement of Principles for Immigration Reform has been our effort to spur our elected officials toward a bipartisan solution to these challenges. In June 2012, we called for a bipartisan immigration solution that:

 Respects the God-given dignity of every person

 Protects the unity of the immediate family

 Respects the rule of law

 Guarantees secure national borders

 Ensures fairness to taxpayers

 Establishes a path toward legal status and/or citizenship for those who qualify and who wish to become permanent residents

When we launched, we had about 150 individuals on board, most of them national leaders. Over three years, though, this movement has spread, earning the endorsement of more than 1,600 evangelical leaders, most of them local pastors. The range of leaders at both the national and local level who have signed on to this Statement is very broad, spanning from coast to coast and to big cities, suburbs, and small towns in between, across the ethnic diversity of American evangelicalism, and over a broad range of theological and political convictions.

What unites usbeyond our hope in the gospel and our commitment to the authority of the Bibleis a desire to see Congress finally act to fix a dysfunctional system that is significantly impacting our community.

What began primarily as an initiative mainly on the national level is reaching to the pews. A LifeWay Research poll conducted earlier this year found that a majority of evangelical Christians nationally support each of our six principles. It also found that Christians across the country are beginning to feel the same urgency that we do: about seven out of ten evangelicals said it was important to them that Congress pass significant new immigration legislation this year.

While not every evangelical Christian shares our approach, the significant majority now do: LifeWay Researchs poll finds that about seven in ten evangelicals support reforms that would include both increased border security and establishing a process by which the undocumented could earn eventual citizenship if they meet certain requirements. As more and more pastors engage the topic of immigration from a biblical perspective, reminding their congregations that the Scriptures actually speak frequently and quite clearly as to how Gods people should treat immigrants, we expect this support to continue to grow.

Of course, evangelical Christians are not the only constituency advocating for these reforms: Catholic and Mainline Protestant Christians have urged similar reforms for many years now, as have Mormon, Jewish, Muslim and other religious communities. Business and labor leaders have been outspoken in their support for reform, which they believe is firmly in the economic interests of the nation and its workers, as have law enforcement officers who see reform as a matter of public safety. A Pew Research Center report this month found that fully 72 percent of Americans believe that undocumented immigrants should have a path to legal status and/or citizenship, including majorities of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.

Were still waiting, though, for Congress. Despite good-faith efforts by a bipartisan group of senators in 2013, the House of Representatives has yet to take action, and were faced with the status quo.

As Christians throughout the country increasingly interact with the people whom our broken system burdens, our resolve has only increased: we need Congress to act on bipartisan immigration reforms consistent with our values, and we are praying that they will do so now.
Statements made by Governor Garcia Padilla over the weekend, combined with the release of a government-sanctioned report detailing Puerto Ricos economic woes (see the Krueger report), may have provided evidence that the island is finally ready to meet its financial maker. Despite the nasty wake up call, it may not be enough. Administrators still seem unwilling to make the fiscal adjustments needed to end the crisis, nor the major reforms required to begin a long-term recovery.

Not being able to have autonomous control over all of its policies puts Puerto Rico at a major disadvantage over other economies that it competes with for labor, business investment, and tourism.  Justin Velez-Hagan

We have yet to reach the peak of what may become known as Puerto Ricos worst economic crisis, but the coming main event has been anticipated for years. Obstinate administrators, however, have continued to refuse to consider restraining expensive campaign promises, nor have they realized the long-term impossibility of many of their financial proposals. The Puerto Rican people are now going to be the ones who suffer the consequences.

For those who havent been following the strengthening tsunami in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico was able to borrow its way into oblivion for several reasons. First, its municipal bonds have been an attractive alternative to the higher-tax, lower return bonds sold by most other municipalities in the country. Puerto Rico has also come up with an endless supply of schemes to continue repaying its generous lenders (at least, until now), which has managed to keep their fragile confidence.

Financial analysts, government officials, and rating agencies have all raised red flags, including via the highly publicized series of credit rating downgrades, but Puerto Ricos leaders have failed (miserably) to make the required economic improvements that would usher in long-term growth. For example, after a modest economic turnaround began at the end of 2011, a new administration set out to reverse the tax incentives and government spending cutbacks that were beginning to work.

Governor Garcia Padilla only (very) recently began to concede that his plans were contradicting the positive movement. The interesting thing about the report that the governor sanctioned, and now relies upon, is that it contains very little new information, insight, or analyses that detractors havent pointed out for years. Many of the main points included were even put into practice in previous administrations.

Puerto Ricos economy has been flagging for over a decade as it has struggled to overcome a series of Washington-induced impediments that have only added to the fun. After pulling the plug on a major tax incentive that D.C. deemed an unsuccessful benefit to Puerto Ricos employment (and the Treasurys coffers), the manufacturing sectors downward slide has combined with high utility costs and the continuation of unnecessarily expensive wholesale goods perpetuated by the 1920 Merchant Marine Act (more often referred to as the Jones Act).

In addition, Puerto Rico has to leave a number of fiscal and monetary policy tools in the hands of the Federal Government. Not being able to have autonomous control over all of its policies puts Puerto Rico at a major disadvantage over other economies that it competes with for labor, business investment, and tourism.

Putting aside the well-known bureaucratic business climate, local tax rates have been almost as volatile as Puerto Rican bonds, while the poor domestic market drives away Puerto Ricos best and brightest and draws in only investors looking to snatch up as much as they can while everything is on sale.

There are no popular solutions to the problem. Puerto Ricos economy will have to undergo significant shifts in taxes and spending in order to improve its long-term outlook. However, austerity shouldnt simply equate to an increase in taxes. In fact, recent economic research suggests that spending cuts are more likely to provide the evidence of long-term fiscal progress that will improve consumer and investor confidence.

Puerto Rico must also rely upon incentives that promote growth in sectors that employ more Puerto Ricans, while simultaneously making tough labor market improvements. Over the last 15 years, growth has emphasized capital-intensive businesses that require fewer employees  especially Puerto Rican natives  to operate.

One way to do this is to shift away from general hiring tax credits and increase those that target specific sectors that are more profitable to locals. A number of U.S. municipalities have successfully adopted similar policies. But the labor market must also increase wage flexibility and reduce entitlements that incentivize staying out of the labor force.

Puerto Rico has a long, hard road ahead, and it will take a monumental effort by legislators across the country, as well as on the island to begin removing the policies that have merely continued its tenuous economy.

Even if Congress affords (as it should) Puerto Rico the option to restructure its debts through a municipal bankruptcy proceeding, it will be the beginning of what will be a long, tedious crisis that will only be mitigated by the enactment of policies that Puerto Rico needs, not just those that are popular.
"A year ago, it might have seemed impossible that the United States would once again be raising our flag, the stars and stripes, over an embassy in Havana," President Obama declared when he announced that Cuba and the United States would establish full diplomatic relations on July 20. "This is what change looks like."

The reopening of embassies in Washington and Havana is symbolic of the change in U.S. policy that President Obama announced on December 17 of last yearreplacing the policy hostility and subversion dating back to the break in diplomatic relations 54 years ago with a new a policy of engagement and cooperation.

Having full embassies will create better channels of communication between the two governments, facilitating negotiations on all the other issues that must be resolved before bilateral relation are fully normal.  William Leogrande

The policy of hostility persisted through ten U.S. presidential administrations. Even after the end of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, the cold war in the Caribbean continued, gradually isolating the United States from our allies in Latin America, and seriously endangering U.S. relations with the entire region. It was no coincidence that in President Obama's announcement, he noted that the new approach to Cuba would also "begin a new chapter with our neighbors in the Americas."

Beyond symbolism, reopening the embassies has important practical benefits. Cuba and the United States have had diplomatic representation in each others capitals since 1977, when President Jimmy Carter and President Fidel Castro agreed to open "Interests Sections" diplomatic missions attached to the Swiss embassy. Those missions served important functions, but were restricted in their operations. Having full embassies will create better channels of communication between the two governments, facilitating negotiations on all the other issues that must be resolved before bilateral relation are fully normal.

Another important benefit is allowing diplomats greater freedom to travel and speak with citizens of the host country. The main reason it took six months to conclude negotiations on opening the embassies was Cuban concern that U.S. diplomats would travel around the island promoting opposition to the Cuban governmenta common practice during George W. Bush's administration. Diplomatic travel has been restricted to the capital regions of both countries since 2003. The United States has insisted that its diplomats have the right to travel, as specified in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The two sides finally reached a compromise on that contentious issue, meeting an essential U.S. condition for moving forward. Without going into detail, a senior State Department official said, "travel by our diplomats will be much, much more free and flexible than it is now."

Congressional opponents of President Obama's opening to Cuba can do nothing to stop the re-establishment of relations. The Constitution vests the power to recognize foreign countries with the president alone. But whoever the president nominates as the new U.S. ambassador to Cuba will face tough sledding in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee where Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) have declared unwavering opposition to normalizing relations. In the House of Representatives, Republicans have introduced legislation to deny funds to upgrade the Interests Section to a full embassya move that only punishes U.S. diplomats in Havana, prospective Cuban immigrants, and visiting and U.S. citizens who need consular services.

Echoing their party's presidential contenders, Republican leaders in Congress are promoting the narrative that Obama is weak on foreign policy, from Syria, to Ukraine, Iran, and Cuba. They will not allow any legislation in the next 18 months that would make Obama's Cuba policy look like a success. That means U.S. economic sanctionsthe embargo and ban on tourist travelwill remain in place at least through the next presidential election since lifting them requires changing the law.

Nevertheless, there is more that can be done. Washington and Havana have a half dozen working groups of diplomats discussing a wide range of topics. We could soon see bilateral agreements on issues of mutual interest like law enforcement cooperation, counter-narcotics cooperation, environmental protection in the Caribbean, the restoration of postal service, and more.

President Obama could use his licensing authority to further expand commerce with Cuba, in particular, licensing U.S. banks to clear dollar-denominated international banking transactions involving Cuba, a prohibition that is today one of the major impediments to Cuba's international commerce with the West. The president could restructure democracy promotion programs so that they support authentic exchanges in education, the arts, and culture, rather than promoting opposition to the Cuban government.

The issues between the United States and Cuban are complex and multi-faceted. Resolving them will require overcoming half century of mutual distrust. But the re-establishment of normal diplomatic relations constitutes the first necessary step toward the future. As Raul Castro said during his meeting with President Obama at the Seventh Summit of the Americas in Panama last April, "Our countries have a long and complicated history, but we are willing to make progress.... We are willing to discuss everything, but we need to be patient  very patient."
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Now that it is official that the United States is re-establishing an embassy in Havana, attention is turning to who would be the ambassador.

The most widely expected choice is Jeffrey DeLaurentis, who has been the top diplomat in Havana for about a year.

Although President Barack Obamas administration has not singled out a favorite candidate for the post, The Hill quoted a senior official as saying that the White House is happy with DeLaurentis at the diplomatic helm in Cuba.

Many people mention Jeff DeLaurentis, said Scott Gilbert, a lawyer who heads Reneo, a Washington-based legal-strategic consulting firm, and who has been meeting with U.S. and Cuban officials and providing advice through the process of re-establishing ties.

Im going to meet with him this afternoon  the meeting was already planned  and Im going to give him a hug, said Gilbert, who represented Alan Gross, a U.S. government contractor who was freed from a Cuba jail in December after being held for five years.

Gilbert, who supports lifting the U.S. embargo, said DeLaurentis is highly respected for his diplomacy work.

The official quoted in The Hill said that while its very possible that another candidate might emerge, DeLaurentis might not face as hostile a confirmation process in the Senate, where Republicans have a majority and many of its members  including New Jersey Democrat Sen. Bob Menendez, who is Cuban-American  have vowed to block the naming of an ambassador if there is no deep democratic reform in Cuba.

Since Obama announced in December an agreement between the U.S. and Cuba to restore relations, political observers have described DeLaurentis as being more about business and middle-of-the-road than an ideologue, something that makes him palatable to Cuban officials, who long have viewed the U.S. Interests Section in Havana as focused on undermining the Communist government and trying to encourage opposition to the Castro brothers.

Hes a smart guy, very committed, always concerned about issues of democracy, and hes very professional, level-headed. He thinks through issues, said Mark Schneider of the International Crisis Group in an interview with The Daily Beast.

DeLaurentis has gone before the Senate for confirmation  in 2011, for a U.N. position. And he worked in Havana on two previous occasions.

Schneider noted that points out that DeLaurentis has been in his post in Cuba since the summer, so hes been in on all the pre-planning thats gone on unbeknownst to much of Washington for some time.

Another candidate, according to Foreign Policy magazine, is former Sen. Chris Dodd, a Democrat from Connecticut, who long has spoken in favor of establishing diplomatic ties with Cuba.

But Foreign Policy added that several officials said that the administration was nowhere close to deciding on a nominee to be the ambassador in Cuba.

That said, in a February interview with the Harvard Crimson, DeLaurentis seemed to indicate that he sees himself well positioned to be the ambassador.

I have ambassadorial rank in the State Department because my prior position at the U.N. was a Senate-confirmed ambassadorial position, he was quoted as saying. So thats very important because one of the things we will be doing when we reestablish diplomatic relations down the line is that the president will be nominating a new American ambassador to Cuba.
Dear Mr. Trump,

Eight years ago we made history by voting the first African American president into office, and now we are on the verge of making history once more by not voting the first openly racist candidate against Mexicans into office next year.

Oh, and if you were wondering who that is  thats you.

As youve said before, you love Mexican people, you have a tremendous relationship with Mexico, and respect Mexico, too. So take this as a letter out of love and respect from me to you, Mr. Trump. Youre mouth has become the source of everybodys problems.

As a constituent, Ive done my research about you.

I used to admire your tenacity for spotting successful business ventures. Youve earned your money, to say the least, and have crafted a career that is worth the billions of dollars in your net worth.

Your generalization of Mexicans being people who bring drugs, crime, and rape to the United States is now the rallying cry of Mexicans across the world.  Ingrid Vasquez

But its like youve said before  youve had the same beliefs for years. Thats understandable. And you and I both know any American citizen is given to right to voice their beliefs through the first amendment of the United States constitution. Your opinions are a constitutional right and as your friend Ted Cruz has said  anyone who stands up for principle is admirable.

So for that, Mr. Trump, I applaud you. Your generalization of Mexicans being people who bring drugs, crime, and rape to the United States is now the rallying cry of Mexicans across the world.

I myself am the product of two Mexicans, Mr. Trump, but must inform you am neither a drug trafficker, a criminal, or a rapist.

Yes, I have parents who never graduated from high school. Yes, I grew up in a trailer home. Yes, my parents dont speak English. This might be what you expect, I suppose.

My parents however, have single-handedly (sort of like yourself) been two of the strongest working people the United States has seen. My mother, a three-time cancer survivor, worked for more than 10 years in a nursing home until the very last day before she went into surgery and ultimately retired. My father, an amputee and diabetic, worked in construction since he was 16 years old and while he may not be working anymore, continues to go beyond the limitations that doctors and society have set upon him.

I agree that there are many prevalent issues in which Mexico, or Mexicans, have been the ones who committed the crime. In itself however, I also agree that there are many prevalent issues in which Mexico and Mexicans have been the victims of crime.

But I guess that this may be the reason why I identify as Mexican-American.

Mexico and Mexicans have and will always be the underdog. But the only reason we even flinched when your comments were put in front of cameras was because this involves the next president of the United States. And so Mr. Trump, I regret to inform you that the United States will not be voting the first openly racist candidate against Mexicans into office next year.

Youre fired. Or better yet  not hired.
The bill has been referred to the House's foreign affairs committee

Egypt has said it rejects a bill introduced to the US Congress that would require the Secretary of State report on progress made in Egypt in restoring churches damaged during mob attacks in August 2013.

The foreign ministry said Wednesday it repudiates the move which "allows a foreign entity the right to undermine national sovereignty and imagines that Egyptian authorities may submit to be accountable to a legislative or executive foreign authority."

The bill, titled the Coptic Churches Accountability Act and introduced by Representative David Trott in September, directs the Secretary of State to submit an annual report to Congress regarding "efforts to restore or repair Christian property in the Arab Republic of Egypt that was burned, damaged, or otherwise destroyed during the sectarian violence in August 2013," according to the Congress website.

The report should also track efforts to implement a 2016 law which "imposes significant burdens on church building and the nature and extent of Egyptian laws and policies regarding the construction of Christian churches or places of worship."

The bill has currently been referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, according to the Congress website.

The Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement that the bill contains errors inconsistent with reality, adding that Egypt did not witness sectarian violence but rather "terrorist attacks by an illegal group."

Dar Al-Ifta, the top authority for fatwas and Islamic advice, also condemned the bill. It said Thursday the law constitutes "interference in Egypt's internal affairs and foments discord and discrimination" between Egyptians.

The Coptic Orthodox Church said in a statement that the government has carried out its "full duty in repairing and renovating the churches," a process it said is about to be completed as pledged by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

"Egyptian national unity is above all, and can never be compromised," it added

In August 2013, dozens of churches, Christian institutions, schools and homes were torched or damaged by mobs following the violent dispersal of two large camps of pro-Mohamed Morsi protesters in Cairo.

The State Department currently issues an annual report on the state of religious freedom in 195 different countries, including Egypt.

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The debate about whether abortion is ever medically necessary has been sparked again. Last month, CNN reported an update about a 10-year-old girl in Paraguay who is pregnant as a result of rape. Although shes already 26 weeks along (and was 21 weeks by the time her pregnancy was detected), abortion supporters would have you believe that a late-term abortion is necessary to save her life.

An abortion, whether done early  or in this specific case quite late  in pregnancy is not going to undo the far-reaching trauma this 10-year-old has faced.  Lila Rose

In fact, Amnesty International has gone so far as to produce an Urgent Action report, calling on people to write Paraguayan authorities to "save her life" by aborting her now six-month baby.

Meanwhile, powerful pro-abortion groups like the International Planned Parenthood Federation are already beginning to advance their radical agenda to liberalize abortion in nations like Paraguay by using this young girl's tragic plight.

There is no denying the horrifying nature of the situation. This child has been victimized through sexual assault and needs an outpouring of extensive care and support. The question is, though, when crimes happen to one innocent party, is it just to harm another innocent party? And even if we all can agree that children shouldnt be having children, the fact is this preborn child already exists.

This isnt a matter of avoiding the creation of new life; rather, its a matter of asking, What is the just and loving response once new life has been created?

An abortion, whether done early  or in this specific case quite late  in pregnancy is not going to undo the far-reaching trauma this 10-year-old has faced. And at this point, whether an abortion or whether birth are the sought-after solutions, either way the preborn child needs to come out of the young moms body. Why is removal by abortion the response, instead of delivering alive?

In reality, it shouldnt be, as Paraguayan government doctors have said the girls life is not in danger. Theyve pointed out that she has been receiving check-ups, is having a normal pregnancy and is receiving care in a shelter. Even if her young body cannot sustain maintaining pregnancy to 40 weeks, delivering this now-viable fetus via inducing labor or a C-section can result in a live birth; no abortion is needed.

And thats the reality: abortion is never medically necessary to save a mothers life. The Dublin Declaration makes this clear, with more than 1,000 signatures from obstetricians, neonatologists, pediatricians, midwives, and other medical professionals claiming that fact. This is reinforced by the testimony of Dr. Anthony Levatino, a reformed abortionist, who described a typical life of the mother case as he saw it:

During my time at Albany Medical Center I managed hundreds of such cases by terminating pregnancies [via live delivery by C-section] to save mothers' lives. In all those hundreds of cases, the number of unborn children that I had to deliberately kill was zero.

In other words, when a life-in-danger medical condition arises, the solution is not to kill the baby, but to address whats wrong with the woman. Granted, if were talking before viability, this may not always result in the preborn child surviving.

For example, removing the womans fallopian tube via salpingectomy in the case of an ectopic pregnancy, or inducing labor to remove infected membranes in the case of chorioamnionitis, means the preborn child wont be able to sustain life. Not being able to save someone because we lack the technology to do so, however, is entirely different from directly killing them; the latter is what abortion is, and that is always a grave injustice against a helpless human life.

Moreover, there are other situations where the child is likely to survive thanks to advancing incubator technology and viability generally being at 24 weeks (with some preborn children surviving earlier).

Mothers, when they move past the rhetoric and look at the facts, can be comforted: They can understand that they never have to kill their children in order to save themselves.
Panama has long been a country of refuge for asylum seekers in Latin America. For decades, Colombians have been coming north to Panama to escape persecution.

While most of the refugees currently arriving in Panama are Colombian, the country has recently seen an increase in asylum seekers from the volatile northern triangle of Central America  the countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. The increase of asylum seekers from the northern triangle has coincided with a decrease in the number of asylum seekers reaching the United States.

The U.S. should support the Panamanian government to make reforms to their system in order to better assist asylum seekers and to provide services to asylum seekers and refugees  Melanie Nezer

Since January, 1,600 people have filed asylum claims in Panama. By comparison, there were 1,800 claims filed during all of 2014. Despite a long history as a country of refuge, the asylum system in Panama is under-resourced and cannot keep up with the volume of asylum claims. The country does not allow asylum seekers to work and struggles to provide support for asylum seekers in the country.

Asylum seekers from Central America are mostly families  many are parents traveling with children. They come to Panama because it is simply unsafe for their children in their home countries.

When I visited Panama this spring, I spoke with a number of asylum seekers. One Salvadoran family I met  a mother, father, and two pre-teen sons  left El Salvador last summer. Their daughter had become the girlfriend of a gang member. When the parents tried to intervene, the gang threatened them with death. When gang members said they would be going after their sons, the family felt they had no choice but to leave the country, as there is no safe place to hide from the gangs in El Salvador.

Before their daughter became involved with the gang member, both parents had been working and their children were good students. They fled to Panama because they knew they had to choose their safety over their job security. Ultimately, the parents left with their sons, though they had to leave their daughter behind. They were told she had been beaten, and though they desperately tried to find her, they were unsuccessful.

A year and a half after last seeing her, and after they arrived in Panama, they finally heard from her. They are working to have her join the rest of the family in Panama.

Another asylum seeker I met, this one from Honduras, said that entire neighborhoods in San Pedro Sula, one of the most dangerous cities on earth, have been abandoned because of the extortion by the gangs against families. In El Salvador, asylum seekers have told refugee aid workers that pregnant women will leave their neighborhoods to give birth elsewhere because babies are claimed by gangs at birth. Boys as young as four are marked by having gang-related stripes shaved into their haircuts.

Because El Salvador is so small and so completely controlled by gangs that have infiltrated the police throughout the country, there is no place in the country where people can go to be safe.

Most of the refugees arriving from Central America wish to remain in Panama. They feel safe in Panama. There is work (for those who are ultimately granted asylum), and there are schools for their children.

However, asylum seekers in Panama face a number of challenges. First, the Panamanian government lacks the capacity to process asylum claims quickly or efficiently. Despite a commitment and some steps by government officials to improve procedures and transparency, asylum seekers report long waits, poor treatment, and a lack of information. A preliminary screening process screens most asylum seekers out of the asylum process without a full examination of the case, and even those that are allowed to pursue their claims rarely have their cases granted.

Asylum seekers are prohibited from working in Panama. In Panama City, where most reside, they report harassment by the police and are subject to large fines for working without authorization in jobs such as construction and small-scale vending. With the asylum process taking several years, it is very difficult for people to support themselves while waiting for a decision on their cases. While some international organizations provide legal services, there is not enough to meet the growing need.

In addition, discrimination is a serious problem for asylum seekers. Some legislators are openly anti-immigrant. This has contributed atmosphere of mistrust and fear of asylum seekers and has made it difficult even for those granted refugee status to integrate into Panamanian society.

Now is the time for the United States and the international community to support Panama.

The United States and Mexico have made it very difficult for refugees to flee north from Central America. The U.S. should immediately reverse course and ensure that its policies in the region do not keep those who are persecuted from fleeing or applying for asylum.

At the same time, the U.S. should support the Panamanian government to make reforms to their system in order to better assist asylum seekers and to provide services to asylum seekers and refugees. Central Americans who cannot remain safely in their countries must be helped in their journey to find safety somewhere.
Last week, the Dominican Republic halted its plan to expel tens of thousands of Haitian migrants and Dominicans of Haitian descent from the country. According to U.S. News & World Report, pressure from the international community and a wave of negative press led the Dominican government to pause their proposed mass deportations. Human rights groups have warned that this is only a temporary respite from a humanitarian crisis.

They are correct, because the situation in the Dominican Republic is far from settled. Press and public attention must continue to be focused on the scapegoating of Haitians by the Dominican government. It is barbaric, inhumane, and deserves condemnation.

The world cannot turn away from human rights violations in the Dominican Republic. There is no legitimate justification for rendering people stateless and subjecting them to mass expulsion.  Raul Reyes

This controversy reflects the intertwined economies and history of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. For decades, Haitians have migrated to the Dominican Republic to work in the agricultural and service sectors, and their Dominican-born children were always considered Dominican citizens. Then in 2010, the Dominican Republic passed a constitutional amendment limiting citizenship to children of legal immigrants, or those with one Dominican parent. A 2013 court ruling made the law retroactive to 1929, which left thousands of people in a legal limbo.

Last year, the Dominican government passed another law designed to restore citizenship to people whose births were in the national registry, and which promised an opportunity for others to naturalize their status. While in theory that sounds like a solution, the reality is far different. This path to citizenship requires documents that many Haitians in the Dominican Republic simply do not have. Many people born in poor rural areas, for example, lack birth certificates and other proof of identity. Bureaucracy, fees, and a lack of assistance from the Haitian government have also put this proposed fix out of reach for those who need it most.

Meanwhile, the Dominican government set a June deadline for people to register and adjust their status, and has been making plans for forced repatriations. Only the resulting international outcry seems to have put the brakes on their plans  for now.

The scale of these mass deportations could be staggering. There are an estimated 450,000 Haitian migrants in the Dominican Republic, and thousands more Dominicans of Haitian descent. Only a small fraction of them have received the residency permits needed to stay in the country.

The Dominican government likes to present this conflict as one involving Haitian migrants. This is misleading. The people affected by the governments plans are not only Haitian immigrants but also Dominicans of Haitian descent. These are people who may have never been to Haiti. They speak Spanish (French and Creole are spoken in Haiti) yet the Dominican Republic is on the verge of deporting them anyway. Imagine how shocking it would be if the U.S. announced that second- and third-generation American Latinos had to go back to their grandparents home countries  within weeks. That is basically what is happening in the Dominican Republic.

Many influential voices have rightfully spoken out against the Dominican government. In June, Pope Francis told a meeting of Catholic bishops in the Dominican Republic that the Church cannot remain indifferent to the plight of Haitian immigrants. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called the threat of deportations racist, illegal, and defying our common sense of humanity. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot Diaz compared the Dominican government to Nazi Germany and asked, What happens when a government basically green-lights your most primitive, f---ed up xenophobia? Julia Alvarez has decried the Dominican court rulings, writing in the Los Angeles Times that they leave no doubt that the nation has not left its history of abuse and racism behind. Calls are mounting for a tourism boycott of the Dominican Republic, which would hit the country hard; last year, it was the most-visited destination in the Caribbean.

True, the Dominican Republic is a sovereign nation and has the right to enforce its own laws. But ethnic cleansing  whether it is happening in the Balkans, South Africa, or on Hispaniola  cannot be ignored. Consider that the Dominican government has reportedly set up seven concentration camps designed to hold those suspected of being Haitian pending their removal from the country. Or that Haitians in the Dominican Republic are living in such a climate of fear and violence that thousands have already fled the country on their own.

While the global community needs to help Haiti become more stable and self-sufficient, the Dominican government must devise an accessible naturalization process for Dominicans of Haitian descent. And the ongoing harassment of Haitians in the Dominican Republic must be curtailed.

The world cannot turn away from human rights violations in the Dominican Republic. There is no legitimate justification for rendering people stateless and subjecting them to mass expulsion.
Mr. Trump:

The undersigned are proud Americans who are either Mexican immigrants or children of Mexican immigrants. Our story, similar to that of millions of immigrants  of all races, creeds and nations  who came before us is one of hard work, faith, perseverance, ingenuity, sacrifice, success and love for America. We are not rapists. We are not criminals. And we do not have a lot of problems, just one  and that is with the comments you made about Mexican immigrants.

Republicans deserve a standard bearer that appeals to our best hopes, not our worst fears. We need a presidential candidate who focuses on proposing real solutions to issues rather than having sensationalism and demagoguery as a campaign strategy.

Make no mistake; there is room for a real and honest conversation about how to fix our broken immigration system. But there is no place for the kind of divisive, demeaning, and misguided rhetoric youve been using for the past month. Your comments continue to not only demonstrate your own ignorance on the issue but a failure to recognize the vast contributions immigrants and Hispanics make day in and day out.

For generations, immigrants  including many Mexican immigrants  have answered the call of duty to defend our nation and our way of life. Many have shed their blood, paying the ultimate price to protect the freedoms we enjoy daily  yes, including your right to say the outrageous things you do. During times of peace, we work hard and strengthen the national economy. With 52 million Hispanics in the U.S., more than 33 million of Mexican origin, we collectively have an impressive buying power of $1.2 trillion.

So while we are confident in the kind of community we are, the values we hold dear, and the contributions we make, we will not stand idly by as you double down on your derogatory statements about immigrants and our community.

It is a tragedy that while other Republican presidential candidates are running serious campaigns  they have had to spend time repudiating your disgraceful views. We have also seen the Republican National Committee, key Republicans in Congress and across the country distance themselves from your comments. They have all done the right thing, making it clear that you do not speak for a vast majority of Republicans.

We know it was only recently and conveniently that you decided to adopt conservative views and join the Republican Party. Youve spent most of your time advocating for liberal policies and donating generously to Democrats  including none other than Hillary Clinton, who even attended your most recent wedding. (And while Mrs. Clinton has expressed her disappointment over your comments, theres no indication that Mrs. Clinton or her familys Foundation have any plans to return your donations).

We belong to the America and the party of Ronald Reagan  one of optimism and opportunity. We believe in the America that is the shining city on the Hill. Where it doesnt matter where you came from, what your last name is or who your parents are. It is the America in which hard work and determination allows you to succeed and achieve your dreams.

Republicans deserve a standard bearer that appeals to our best hopes, not our worst fears. We need a presidential candidate who focuses on proposing real solutions to issues rather than having sensationalism and demagoguery as a campaign strategy.

Lastly, America more than ever needs a president who will unite us  with both words and deeds  not further divide us. You fail on all accounts.

As such, not only have you lost our respect and our buying power, but you have lost our vote. We will never support you, your candidacy or your enterprises. Without the Hispanic vote you will not be the Republican nominee, much less the president of our great nation.

Sincerely,

The Hon. Ruben Barrales, CEO GROWTH, California

The Hon. Hector Barreto, Former SBA Administration and President of Hispanic Business Roundtable, DC.

The Hon. Jovita Carranza, CEO JCR Group. Former Deputy Administrator, SBA, Illinois

Joseph Galvan, Principal Galvan & Associates LLC., former HUD Midwest Regional Director, Illinois

The Hon. Abel Maldonado 47th Lt. Governor California

The Hon. Rosario Marin, Former US Treasurer, CEO Marin & Marin LLC, California

Jerry Natividad, President CEO American Facilities Services Corp. Colorado

Jose Nino, Former President /CEO of the USHCC, Maryland

Mario Rodriguez, Chairman Hispanic 100, California

The Hon. Theresa Speake, Former Assistant Secretary Dept. of Energy, Virginia

Massey Villarreal, Former National Chairman Republican National Hispanic Assembly, Texas
The loudest immigration soundbite in the past few weeks has been Donald Trumps various references to Mexican immigrants as drug smugglers, killers and rapists. The entire Latino community rose up in arms in response. Businesses cut ties, networks backed out of their agreements and political pundits have had days and days of airtime. The airwaves are still jam packed with back and forth commentaries, blog posts and candidate statements on the issue.

There is no question that candidates of every stripe are seizing the opportunity to slake the medias thirst on criminal immigrants. It is like a shark feeding frenzy  coinciding with last weeks Discovery Channel Shark Week. Trumps statements however are not based in fact.

But here are the facts that are being ignored by most: Immigrants  including undocumented immigrants  are less likely to be criminals than the native born. Study after study demonstrates that immigrants are less likely to commit serious crimes and that higher rates of immigration are associated with lower rates of violent crime and property crime.

Law enforcement cannot and should not rely on immigration status as a predictor of criminal activity because it doesnt make any statistical or rational sense.  Annaluisa Padilla

If you like statistics, here are a few: between 1990 and 2013, the foreign-born share of the U.S. population grew from 7.9 percent to 13.1 percent and the number of unauthorized immigrants more than tripled from 3.5 million to 11.2 million. Yet, according to analysis of data from the 2010 American Community Survey done by the American Immigration Council, roughly 1.6 percent of immigrant males age 18-39 are incarcerated, compared to 3.3 percent of the native-born.

"This disparity in incarceration rates has existed for decades, as evidenced by data from the 1980, 1990," the AIC survey continues, "and 2000 decennial censuses. In each of those years, the incarceration rates of the native-born were anywhere from two to five times higher than that of immigrants."

So thats one set of sound bites addressed, what about another?

Its been all over the news, helped along by Trump, the rallying cry that Sanctuary Cities are freeing felons. The shooting and murder of Kate Steinle in San Francisco is a terrible tragedy. The incident has gripped the nations attention especially after it was reported that the shooter is an immigrant that San Francisco local authorities released rather than turning him over to federal immigration enforcement.

Media outlets across the spectrum from conservative to liberal are fighting for ratings and many are exploiting this tragic incident to further anti-immigrant political agendas. This is an opportunity for our community to come together around a tragic killing rather than scapegoat immigrants who pose no threat to anyone.

Here are the facts: As the studies previously mentioned show, immigrants commit crimes at a lower rate than native-born so immigration status is not an accurate or effective way to identify criminals or dangerous persons. Law enforcement cannot and should not rely on immigration status as a predictor of criminal activity because it doesnt make any statistical or rational sense. Instead, cities and counties have developed policies that strengthen their communities and ensure that victims and witnesses of crimes arent afraid to come forward  the so-called Sanctuary Cities.

The reality is everyone in our community benefits from law enforcement promoting safety and security and allowing victims of crime to come forward without fear of being separated from their families or losing their businesses because of their immigration status. Our communities are safer when local and federal enforcement agencies practice smart enforcement: ensuring that dangerous convicted criminals arent set free without serving their time.

So before you are deafened by sound bites and dragged into the middle of a mythical immigration debate  listen up! Learn the facts, be informed and pass it on!
It has been a fascinating and troubling few days in Mexico, spent mostly at Altiplano Prison, scene of history's greatest prison break by billionaire drug lord El Chapo, the notorious ruthless crime kingpin who had escaped before.

The entire power structure of this troubled nation has been rattled, humiliated and destabilized by questions of how El Chapo managed his extraordinary breakout, which required such intense effort over at least a year and obvious engineering expertise.

Mexico City, the capital, is tense and angry. With the Mexican president out of the country on a state visit to France, there is a feeling that the government is helplessly inept and hopelessly corrupt.  Geraldo Rivera

After initial statements indicating Mexico would allow broad U.S. help in recapturing El Chapo, assets like drones and extra marshals, now there seems to be a reluctance. Why?

The billionaire drug lord is facing potential death penalty charges in six U.S. federal courts on charges ranging from murder to drug trafficking to money laundering.

I wonder if we want him more than Mexico.

Maybe Mexican authorities don't want him to be recaptured. After seeing the vast scale of the escape tunnel used by El Chapo, there is no way that enormous project was a secret to all.

Two thousand tons of dirt removed, lights, a rail and air conditioning installed. A big house built on a remote hill to shield the year-long project and provide a place to remove those mountains of dirt. It would have taken four men working ten hours a day one year to complete the dig.

And no neighbors ever stopped by to inquire?

That's about as believable as bin Laden living a mile from Pakistan's West Point all those years undetected with nobody knowing anything.

Mexico City, the capital, is tense and angry. With the Mexican president out of the country on a state visit to France, there is a feeling that the government is helplessly inept and hopelessly corrupt.

From here in the capital, every newspaper is blaming that malignant corruption for the great escape. No way, the feeling goes, that prison officials at the highest level were not involved.

Think about it. This notorious drug kingpin, who had escaped before, managed to gain his freedom by walking or riding through a mile-long tunnel that was not only lighted and air conditioned, but managed to land directly under the one tiny spot in El Chapo's cell that the surveillance camera could not see.

It was an audacious, remarkable engineering achievement. And it must have required a huge bucket of bribes to buy a substantial supporting cast. How could no authority notice the enormous amounts of dirt dug out of a three-storey deep, mile-long tunnel?

Now dysfunctional Mexico, which was already in crisis because of bloodshed, drug gangs and endemic corruption, has to face the fact that officials at the highest levels probably conspired with Public Enemy Number One to humiliate their own country. They are also guilty of helping foster the view from the United States that this is a dangerous deadly place that should be walled off. Que lastima.
Now that we know how many people were actually impacted by last months exposed hack of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)a staggering 21.5 million, or about five times as many as were initially thoughtits time for stronger cyber protections and immediate congressional action. The resignation of OPM Director Katherine Archuleta is the beginning of much needed action. More needs to be done to shore up our cyber assets and ensure a breach of this magnitude doesnt happen again; America needs to wake up and pay attention.

Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility, and greater collaboration between government and private sector companies is needed to share information, best practices, and potential threats.  Javier Ortiz

Of the 21.5 million records stolen, 19.7 million of those include individuals who have gone through extensive security clearance background checks dating back to 2000. As if that wasnt bad enough, 1.1 million fingerprints were obtained. Jim Penrose, former chief of the Operational Discovery Center at the National Security Agency, categorized the theft of these fingerprints as probably the biggest counterintelligence threat in my lifetime. Put another way, what happened through OPMs inattention may be more important than the revelations made by Eric Snowden.

Though we have our suspicions, we still dont know who orchestrated the attack, and no retaliatory steps have been taken. This attack and the lack of action by the United States government could embolden other potential hackers, as the flaws and vulnerabilities in our systems have been exposed.

Just this week, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson told lawmakers that federal cybersecurity is not where it needs to be, shedding light on security flaws in government networks and on the administrations sluggish response to strengthen its cyber defenses. National Security Agency (NSA) Director Admiral Mike Rogers has warned that he doesnt expect this to be a one-off attack, and described a security situation under which you must prepare and assume that you will be penetrated.

What America needs now, more than ever, is an aggressive approach to cybersecurity, which will save us significant money and heartache in the long term. We will continue to use the Internet  which is why the government and private corporations must address the underlying issue and invest in the right security and take all the extra precautionary steps needed to protect our systems in the future.

The OPM hack is important because it demonstrates that money alone wont address cybersecurity vulnerabilities. The government already spends $13 billion on cybersecurity a year  a number that has been steadily increasing. According to a recent article in Fortune Magazine, the amount of money spent on cyber defenseacross both the public and private sectorhas dramatically increased from $10 million to $70 billion. But as spending on cybersecurity has skyrocketed, the number of high profile hacks in the government and the corporate world has dramatically risen, as well.

The average cost of a breach for U.S. companies is about $20 million. And the total costs of government breaches, like to the OPM, are still being calculated. They are expected to be staggering.

First and foremost, the government must update their outdated systems. A Financial Times analysis based on reports from the Government Accountability Office and the Office of Management and Budget reported that over half of the governments 24 agencies had failed to take some of the most basic security steps, including patching software holes, using strong authentication technology and continuously monitoring systems. Tony Scott, the U.S.s new chief information officer, testified to Congress this year that one of the central problems here is you have old stuff that just was not designed or built in an era when we had these kinds of threats.

Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility, and greater collaboration between government and private sector companies is needed to share information, best practices, and potential threats.

The most important tool in securing our cyber footprint is knowledge and innovation. While the explosion of new technologies has made our world more interconnected and simplified our lives, we as a society have become entirely reliant on them before ensuring their security. We should continue to learn and innovate, but must do so in a safe way. More attention must be paid, warnings should be heeded, and in government, cybersecurity must be elevated to a national security issue.
In remarks following the United States Supreme Courts recent decision on marriage, President Obama said, When all Americans are treated as equal, we are all more free. The president went on to recognize that progress on this journey often comes in small increments, two steps forward, one step back, compelled by the persistent effort of dedicated citizens. And then sometimes there are days like this, when that slow, steady effort is rewarded with justice that arrives like a thunderbolt.

President Obama has said America is a place where you can write your own destiny. Yet, that opportunity has not been fully extended to Puerto Ricans, even after voters rejected the current territorial status in 2012 and voted in favor of statehood.  Zoe Laboy

We, the people of Puerto Rico, are American citizens, and have been proud to be citizens for nearly a century. We celebrate the legitimate civil rights victories the Nations Constitution enables, even if they sometimes come, as President Obama observed, in small increments. And yet we, the American citizens of Puerto Rico, continue to live in a state of indefinite political subordination.

Due to Puerto Ricos subordinate status as a territory, the public corporations of the Government of Puerto Rico cannot legally restructure their debt through a state-enacted bankruptcy code, nor through Chapter 9 of the federal Bankruptcy Code. So far, the island has been left to its own devices to address its tens of billions of dollars of public debt (43 percent of which corresponds to public corporations and municipalities).

Similarly, while the states have seen increases in federal funds for Medicare Advantage, Puerto Ricos funds were slashed by 11 percent. This comes at a time when the only growing segment of the islands population is seniors. Not only can the people of Puerto Rico not vote for our nations commander in chief, who sends our sons and daughters to fight shoulder to shoulder with their stateside brethren, but they still have no voting representation in Congress.

Still, the people of Puerto Rico continue to pay federal payroll taxes, social security taxes, Medicare taxes and income tax on U.S. mainland source income. In fact, Puerto Rico currently accounts for the payment of more federal taxes than six states. This, too, constitutes taxation without representation.

President Obama has said America is a place where you can write your own destiny. Yet, that opportunity has not been fully extended to Puerto Ricans, even after voters rejected the current territorial status in 2012 and voted in favor of statehood.

How can it be that even after expressing our will, Congress is still silent? The answer is simple: territorial status inherently breeds neglect from the Federal Government. That is why, at this historic juncture, I am issuing this call to President Obama to defend the civil rights of the 3.5 million American citizens in Puerto Rico whom he pledged to defend when he campaigned for the presidency in 2008 and 2012, as well as to the Congress to act on H.R. 727, the Puerto Rico Statehood Admission Process Act, and to the people of Puerto Rico, both on the island and those who live on the U.S. mainland, and all our fellow citizens who see the righteousness of our cause, to join forces in demanding change.

This is a call to rise from inequality with the same zeal and persistence that led to all the other stunning advances in civil and human rights that have been achieved under the American flag. Ours is yet another unfinished chapter in the long story of American democracy. Justice and equality for Puerto Rico must also arrive like a thunderbolt.
The debate over so-called sanctuary cities, reached a fever pitch last week when  egged on by Donald Trump  House Republicans voted for a bill which would block federal funding to cities that have taken immigration matters into their own hands because of federal inaction. The misguided legislation would have a profoundly negative impact on immigrant communities in localities like New York City, which have passed sensible and humane immigration reforms that keep people safe while also bringing some sanity to our broken immigration system.

Criminalizing all immigrants is the wrong approach and would only take us backwards to a time when people were afraid to come forward to report crimes or interact with law enforcement for fear of deportation resulting from a broken immigration system. It would, in fact, make us less safe.  Melissa Mark-Viverito, NYC Council Speaker

Instead of having a serious discussion on the need for comprehensive immigration reform, the debate has devolved into a series of sideshows which dont deal in reality. Representative Trey Gowdy declared that no American is safe in a sanctuary city  even though as a so-called sanctuary city New York City is considered one of the safest big cities in the nation. Senator Chuck Grassley said Arizonas short-lived draconian, discriminatory, and unconstitutional immigration laws were an attempt to protect its citizenry from criminal aliens.

The presidential trail has not been better.

Front-runner Donald Trump has spent his entire campaign railing against common sense immigration policies. Senator Ted Cruz accused the Obama Administration of releasing murderers and rapists. Senator Rand Paul referred undocumented immigrants as illegal aliens. And both Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio eagerly agreed with Donald Trump on the need to penalize American cities for how they treat undocumented immigrants.

Criminalizing all immigrants is the wrong approach and would only take us backwards to a time when people were afraid to come forward to report crimes or interact with law enforcement for fear of deportation resulting from a broken immigration system. It would, in fact, make us less safe.

Nevertheless, Congress has doubled down on its abject failure to govern by passing a law that would turn localities into immigration enforcement agencies. However, while Congressional Republicans and presidential candidates may rely on political point-scoring and campaign rhetoric, cities must deal in reality. That means New York City and others cant wait for federal action on immigration reform: we must lead.

New York City launched IDNYC, municipal identification card open to any resident of New York City. This law was also drafted with the help of the NYPD, which accepts it as a valid form of identification. IDNYC offers safe and secure identification for all New Yorkers fourteen and older, regardless of immigration status, reiterating our belief that the more immigrants participate in our community, the safer we all are. More than 400,000 New Yorkers have signed up for the program, and it is providing an ID to many who did not have one before.

Our Unaccompanied Minors Initiative funds legal representation for all unaccompanied immigrant children in New York City. While across the nation these children unjustly face deportation proceedings without any legal assistance, in New York City this initiative guarantees a lawyer for all unaccompanied minors who need one and also provides them with social, mental, and health services. To date, the Unaccompanied Minors Initiative has taken on over 648 cases and saved fourteen children from deportation. Children who have escaped unspeakable violence in their home countries should not face their plight alone simply because our flawed immigration system is focused on deportation- and in New York City they do not.

We have also enacted legislation limiting the City's compliance with detention requests issued by United States immigration authorities without a warrant from a federal judge. A federal court found that these detainers, when not backed up with a probable cause determination, are unconstitutional. This legislation ensures that individuals are not illegally and needlessly torn away from their families. The law was drafted in close consultation with the NYPD and keeps New Yorkers safe while also ending needless deportations. We take public safety seriously, and the legislation does just that.

Taken all together, these are smart, humane and effective policies which operate in the real world. Instead of demonizing and grandstanding, Republicans in Congress should join Democrats to finally pass comprehensive immigration reform. Until that day, New York City will proudly continue to lead on immigration reform.
I was born in 1985 in a recently constructed hospital built by the revolutionary government in a small town on the eastern side of Cuba, called Las Tunas. Those were good years from an economic perspective, because even though we lacked basic freedoms my small island was supported financially by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), providing almost everything in exchange for sugar cane. At that time, my father worked for the government as an economist with a good position at Empresa de la Azucar while my mother was a teller at the post office located in the first floor of the same building where we lived. In terms of stability it was at least pleasant.

Deeply, in my heart, in the Cuba I dream of one day returning to, there is space for all points of view.  Alex Ferias

By the time I was 5 years old everything changed, and Cuba became a completely different country, with my pleasant life as a child relegated to the past. The USSR was gone and Cuba stood as one of very few communist countries in the world. In fact, the only one in the Americas, which left us isolated from our neighbors and the rest of world. From that time of my life, the memories and first thoughts that come to mind are the hard days we lived in what came to be called El Periodo Especial. Translated into English as The Special Period, it can be explained with one word: scarcity. To tell you the truth, from my point of view, this period is not over yet and I was a witness of the worst of it. I remember the days when we did not have any food to put on table, and the many months I spent going to school wearing sandals because I did not have shoes.

When I was 10 years old, my family moved from Las Tunas to Havana looking for work, and my father went from being an economist to working as a taxi driver in order to give me and my brother a better life. Among the other drivers there were many lawyers, physicians, engineers, etc. They all made more money driving their cars, especially when offering their services to tourists, than they could practicing their professions.

In 2001, my father had the chance to emigrate to the Dominican Republic, where we had some family. That very same year my brother, who was 22 years old, left Cuba looking for a better life in Spain. The following year my mom and I reunited with my father in the Dominican Republic when I was 16 years old. I attended my last two years of high school in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, and in 2003, I met my wife, Paola.

After four years there, we decided to leave the country looking for a better life in the U.S., but getting there wasnt easy. We took a risk with a dangerous journey on a raft that required crossing the Mona Passage to a small island called La Mona, which belongs to Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory. We spent two days detained in Mayaguez, a small town in Puerto Rico, where we were then released under the unique status Cuban refugees are granted. Thankfully, this made possible a parole, which has opened the doors to opportunity and the American Dream.

We relocated to Louisville, KY where my brother was living after his time in Spain. After many years, my family was finally reunited. Here, in the U.S., I had the chance to go to college and get a bachelors degree in business, and last year I earned an MBA. Among the greatest opportunities this country has provided me was the chance to serve as an intern in the Office of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in the United States Senate. It has been a major asset in my career goals, but also a great personal accomplishment due to the fact that I share many ideals with the Senator McConnell and with the Republican Party.

Over the course of the last few months I had another unique opportunity. I have been working with an organization called Engage Cuba, a coalition of businesses, NGOs, and civil society groups that advocate for lifting the U.S. embargo to Cuba. This bipartisan coalition has proven that pursuing a new policy toward Cuba isnt a Republican or Democratic issue.

As a child, I remember that all the calamities we suffered were blamed on the American embargo. After the years Ive spent outside of Cuba, I really look forward to the day when the rhetoric about the United States being the bad guy and guilty for everything that goes wrong in Cuba gets left in the past. Like the Soviet Union and its system that failed Cuba, the embargo must end. Even today it gives the Cuban government an excuse for its own failures.

Jose Marti, the famous Cuban poet and liberator, was able to unite all Cubans to fight for freedom. He set the example for us. Deeply, in my heart, in the Cuba I dream of one day returning to, there is space for all points of view. Travel and engagement can help us get there. The sooner we end the embargo, the sooner we can help the Cuban people work toward that future.
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.

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August 1st is a day that may make the history books in Puerto Rico. This Saturday (technically Monday, since the deadline is on a weekend) Puerto Rico has a major debt payment due in the amount of $58 million that its not going to pay. For the first time in its history, Puerto Rico will default.

Puerto Rico has been threatening default since the beginning of time, which has led most creditors to believe its administrators are, yet again, crying wolf. This time will likely be different. Throughout the week, the Governor of Puerto Rico, through his Chief of Staff, has continuously confirmed that Puerto Rico will be unable to make the full payment required by COB Monday. Sources have told me that Puerto Rico has transferred finances to its debt paying authority in an amount that is short its total bill. After years of threats, its finally going to happen.

After years of threats, its finally going to happen.  Justin Velez-Hagan

My final confirmation comes from the fact that the islands top leaders have all left Puerto Rico. Governor Garcia-Padilla is attending a conference of Governors in Colorado, and will be on vacation when Doomsday rolls around. The Secretary of State (second in command) has also left, while President of the Senate and the Speaker of its House of Representatives have all hightailed it out of town, leaving but the little known Secretary of Justice in charge of the government. Default and flee? as one analyst quipped on Twitter.

A number of analysts contend that Puerto Rico technically has the funds available to make a payment, but is choosing to strategically default on this particular payment for a number of reasons. Financial docs have shown that Puerto Rico should have enough cash to get through September. But, if default is inevitable, its probably wise to invoke some sort of strategic plan to manage which loans are defaulted on, when, and how.

The particular Public Finance Corporation (PFC) bond payment that is due August 1st is the one that is backed by the weakest guarantee in Puerto Rico. Many bonds are backed by the full faith and credit of the islands government, or are supported by the financial streams of a specific tax including the other two bond payments that are due August 1st (both of which are expected to be paid). However, PFC bonds are only paid if the legislature appropriates the necessary funds. Legislators in Puerto Rico (intentionally) failed to do so recently, and other administrators have decided to just wait and see what happens.

Why would Puerto Rico want to default now if it doesnt have to? If administrators realize that a default is imminent, it also knows that it will have to negotiate a restructuring plan at some point as well. The two parties to this negotiation are major debt holders (large financial institutions and hedge funds who were the last remaining investors willing to take on the high risk of Puerto Ricos latest bond issues) and the government. Bondholders have pushed Puerto Rico to implement more drastic spending cuts in order to make payments, even issuing a recent report by former IMF officials detailing how it can be done. Puerto Rico has refused to do so and, until now, has only threatened to miss payments. A stalled negotiation process means someone has to make a big move. Missing this debt payment is Puerto Ricos shot across the bow.

Missing a payment doesnt just mean that Puerto Ricos threats will be taken seriously. It also gives the island an advantage in any potential restructuring negotiations, and adds a little pressure on Washington to get in on the action. As bond values fall, as they have and are expected to continue doing so once a default occurs, owners of that debt are going to want to stop the bleeding by coming to the table. Puerto Rico will also be able to negotiate a higher percentage haircut on the returns to investors, if prices are lower. A stubborn Congress has confirmed time and again that it isnt going to get involved by allowing Puerto Rico to avail itself of bankruptcy protection, while an equally obstinate White House isnt interested in doing anything that the public might consider a bailout. Hedge funds (and other large debt holders) have simply had no incentive to help Puerto Rico, as doing so would run contrary to the purpose of their firms.

In the minds of Puerto Rican leaders, even a relatively small default just might be move that finally gets some help from Washington, or brings investment firms to the negotiation table.

Will Puerto Ricos economy simply cease to operate come Monday? Not even close, in fact, Ive been secretly hoping that Puerto Rico would default sooner than later so it can finally begin getting past this debt fiasco. Its been inevitable for years, and putting it off has only added an additional and unnecessary burden to its decade-long shrinking economy. Unfortunately, default is the best thing that can happen to Puerto Rico.
The self-proclaimed Toughest Sheriff in America is the most vulnerable he has ever been in his entire political career. Despite his vulnerability, he unabashedly and without shame, recently announced he was running for a 7th term as Sheriff. Yes, even after disobeying a federal judge, tens of millions of lawsuit settlements, civil rights violations, malfeasance and mismanagement of his office, he still has the audacity to run for sheriff. You want to know why he continues to run and win? Simple, he takes advantage of his opponents disorganization.

Some say that Arpaio is already weakened and can no longer do harm. Thats a fantasy. Besides, making him weak shouldnt be our goal, our goal should be to completely end his reign of terror.  Carlos Sierra

Sheriff Arpaio won his last election with only 50.66 percent of the vote after spending $8 Million. Eight million dollars, an imperfect Democratic nominee, a spoiler Independent candidate, and all he got was 50.66 percent.

In 2012, Congressman Ruben Gallego (then state representative), and I co-chaired an independent committee in charge of defeating Arpaio. We unfortunately did not succeed. Too little too late as they say. Had we all worked together early on and put the public interest before self-interest and party politics, we couldve beat him then.

So what do we do? The most important component of this, or any other strategy, is to have a viable, credible, and well-funded candidate. Although I respect anyone who has the courage to face Arpaio and the attacks that come along with it, we have never had a well-funded candidate that could realistically beat Arpaio. We now have that potential candidate and his name is U.S. Marshal David Gonzales. Although he has not publicly admitted to running, rumors have it he will in fact be running this cycle as a Democrat or as an Independent. David was originally nominated by President Bush and then re-nominated by President Obama to serve as U.S. Marshal for the District of Arizona. He is credible, has bi-partisan support, and has a better law enforcement resume than Sheriff Arpaio. Bottom line is he can win, but here is what we must do:

1.- We must force Arpaio to run a costly campaign in the GOP Primary. Just last week, former Buckeye Police Chief Dan Saban announced that he would be challenging Sheriff Joe in the GOP Primary. Best case scenario is Dan beats Arpaio in the primary and worst case scenario is Dan forces Arpaio to spend money. If Dan loses, he should endorse U.S. Marshal David Gonzales and deliver the votes he received in the GOP Primary. This allows for two opportunities to defeat Arpaio.

2.- Initiate a Draft U.S. Marshal David Gonzales committee to begin promoting him and getting his name id up, ultimately convincing him to run once he sees the financial backing is there.

3.- Republican and Democratic leaders must support U.S. Marshal David Gonzales whether he decides to run as a Democrat or as an Independent. Put your partisanship aside and do whats right. Country before Party!

4.- National political powerhouses such as Daniel Garza with The Libre Initiative and Cristobal J. Alex with The Latino Victory Project must put their differences aside and join forces for this one race. Their financial and political resources should be utilized toward an independent committee that promotes David Gonzales and attacks Sheriff Arpaio.

5.- The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and various Labor Unions must also come together and contribute financially and politically through an independent committee.

6.- Well established Arizona non-profits like the Puente Movement and Mi Familia Vota must continue to register Hispanic voters and execute the best Get Out The Vote effort they have ever conducted.

Some say that Arpaio is already weakened and can no longer do harm. Thats a fantasy. Besides, making him weak shouldnt be our goal, our goal should be to completely end his reign of terror. We must make an example of him so that other politicians do not mimic him and think they will be safe at the ballot box. If this united front succeeds, we can create a blueprint for ending the careers of other like-minded politicians. Just imagine if we couldve put a stop to the policies and ideas of Sheriff Arpaio, Congressman Tancredo, Congressman Steve King, and Senate President Russell Pearce, sooner?
There are certain inevitabilities in life. The swallows will return to Capistrano, the early primary season will deliver a wildcard candidate and Donald Trump will answer questions by exaggerating, bragging or worse.

The branding genius-turned-presidential-candidate who doesnt think a tortured American prisoner of war is a hero; the man who questioned the presidents legal status thereby squandering valuable GOP capital that could and should have been spent on substantive issues;the man who suggests immigrants are rapists except for maybe a few good ones is now working hard to convince America that Hispanics love him.

He also says he will win the Hispanic vote.

Mr. Trump, how can you suggest youre winning the Hispanic vote when three out of four Latinos say they dont like you? Journalists like myself believe that words matter, and wed like to ask you: Are you uninformed or indifferent to the facts?  Rick Sanchez

Trump has been spinning that yarn now for the better part of two weeks  because cable and network television news managers generally dont hire Latinos as interviewers, the spool has remained unwound and unchallenged. By the way, you dont have to be Hispanic to know something about Latinos, you only have to care or be engaged. Unfortunately, most anchors dont and arent.

Instead, they too often serve as a sounding board for Trumps unbridled non-sequiturs and circumlocution by choosing to remain uninformed, disengaged or afraid. You want an example? Consider Trumps mantra about how Hispanics love him, will vote for him and he can prove it.

"They just did a big poll in Nevada, the state of Nevada. I'm way ahead, and more importantly as far as I'm concerned, I'm way way ahead with the Hispanics. Into the thirties," Trump repeats.

That statement by Trump is an outlandish overstatement at best and a lie at worst. Why? Because it wasnt a poll of Hispanics  it was a poll of Republicans and Hispanics were extrapolated as a subgroup. In polling, thats a huge difference. Also, it wasnt even close to being a big poll. A Washington Post investigation has revealed that the number of Latinos counted in the Gravis Poll was maybe a couple dozen.

Does Trump understand how crazy it is to deduce from that one poll that hes a national favorite among Latinos? Of course he does. The better question is why dont people interviewing understand that and push back?

I recognize and even admire Trumps mastering of the splash, his skillful manipulation of the 24-hour news cycle and his innate ability to create an effective persona as the antipolitician. But that shouldnt give him carte blanche to do and say whatever he wants to say unopposed.

In fact, a cursory Google search by the laziest of news anchors would reveal that Trump being way ahead with Hispanics is blatantly untrue.

In a Univision poll, Hispanic voters overwhelmingly disapproved of him. Seventy-nine percent said they found his comments to be offensive and 71 percent say they hold an unfavorable view of him.

Of course Trump will likely quibble with that poll because its associated with Univision, whom he is reportedly suing. So lets move on to the next poll conducted by the The Wall Street Journal, NBC News and Telemundo. That poll sampled 250 Hispanic adults and found that 75 percent of them had a negative view of Mr. Trump.

Mr. Trump, how can you suggest youre winning the Hispanic vote when three out of four Latinos say they dont like you? Journalists like myself believe that words matter, and wed like you to answer that question: Are you uninformed or indifferent to the facts?

This Friday night, thousands of members of the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA) will be meeting in New York City for their annual convention. These are Hispanic professionals and students, who are Republicans, Democrats and independents alike from all over the country. As you or your staff is aware, you have been formally invited as have I. I want to ask you the questions we know you want to answer, but sadly, have not been given the opportunity to do so. I am officering that opportunity. I will wait for you on stage.
The same arena that has seen the ascent of LeBron James and the beloved Cleveland Cavaliers has now witnessed the stumble of a presidential hopeful that may be shifting the conversation back to what matters most: the future of America and not Donald Trump.

After six weeks of compounding buzz around comments against Mexican immigrants, business deals broken, lawsuits, pageant girls affected and a media frenzy like no other, Donald Trump has managed to turn controversy into opportunity by rising to the top of most national polls as the Republican front-runner.

While a party may not win over Latinos with immigration alone, they may lose it if immigration is ignored or discussed with disrespect towards the parent, grandparent, friend or neighbor that Hispanic voters may know and love but who is stuck in the absence of a process that really works.  Lili Gill Valletta

However, while his raw and unscripted rhetoric may be resonating with frustrated voters, it has also unraveled opposition from the same voter block the GOP so desperately needs to win, Hispanics. In fact, simple electoral math reveals that without the support of Americas fastest growing population segment, Republicans will not win the White House in 2016.

25.2 million Latinos are eligible to vote and 50,000 Latinos turn 18 every month, making the Hispanic vote increasingly important for both political parties. In 2012, Latinos helped President Obama win key battle ground states with 71 percent of the Hispanic vote versus Romneys 27 percent, the lowest Republicans have seen in three elections.

While the Hispanic voter base is rapidly growing in size and influence, the GOPs ability to resonate with Latinos is rapidly shrinking; especially with front-runners like Trump setting the tone and dominating the conversation. In a poll for the 2016 presidential campaign, conducted among Hispanic voters in an exclusive by Noticias Univision, 79 percent found Trumps comments offensive. But, could it be possible that the first presidential debate re-opens the door for the party to successfully engage Latinos?

As many waited in anticipation to get a peek behind Trumps golden curtain, the debate revealed that his raw and unscripted style might not translate well from the boardroom to the podium. With more airtime than any other candidate, Trump failed over and over again to articulate any practical policy and substance to his approach, but instead seemed abrasive and vague.

Coming out of the debate Trump was booed by thousands after admitting he is unwilling to pledge to support the eventual GOP nominee. I cannot say, I have to respect the person, who is not me, Trump said, which may be seen as a direct violation of Regans 11th commandment, thou sall not speak ill of a fellow republican.

Soon after, he raised eyebrows again after his exchange with Fox News host, Megyn Kelly. Youve called women you dont like fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals, she said, which Trump tried to answer with humor yet turned into a passive aggressive response against the host herself; the only female journalist on the interview panel. Like Latinos, women are a key constituent representing 53 percent of the voters. According to official 2012 exit polls, President Barack Obama had a 10-point gender gap over Romney, higher than in most presidential races since 1980.

Raw moments like this, while they may make for great television drama, have consequences with public opinion and the perception of the Republican brand. But could it be possible that this surprising turn might benefit the GOP? If the debate has indeed exposed Trumps lack of presidential readiness, it may mark a turning point for the GOP to refocus the political conversation to what matter most to offended Hispanic voters; the economy, education, healthcare and immigration- in that order of priority, according to a Univision poll.

So what may resonate with Latinos? Statements like Rubios I know what it is to live paycheck to paycheck and personal story make the party relatable to the everyday American and immigrant family. Kasichs desire to get people to believe that America is a miracle country and we need to restore the sense that the miracle applies to you rekindles the dreams and aspirations of millions seeking the American dream. Mike Huckabees FairTax recommendation may bring clarity to the confusing ecosystem of government filings and paperwork that intimidates many families. And finally, Jeb Bush was the only candidate to make the bridge between immigration and the economy. To him, beyond border security, immigration is an enabler for economic growth. This shifts the conversation from one of walls, amnesty and government freebies to one of talent retention and financial reward.

While a party may not win over Latinos with immigration alone, they may lose it if immigration is ignored or discussed with disrespect towards the parent, grandparent, friend or neighbor that Hispanic voters may know and love but who is stuck in the absence of a process that really works.

And that is how you reach the Hispanic vote and how this debate might have open a door for the party to refocus its voice from the Trump noise. With a consistent message that focuses on what every American cares about, a better future for America.
With the murder of Kate Steinle in San Francisco and Margaret "Peggy" Kostelnik in Painesville, OH, to the hands of two undocumented immigrants, we tend to forget that these represent a very small percentage of the crimes that occur in our cities and neighborhoods.

The explosive headlines of these crimes have unfortunately created an unbalanced picture of how Latinos are helping to build America, not tearing it down. Cable news and radio talk show have sensationalized these crimes blaming it on immigration enforcement policies of the federal government, sanctuary cities, our local communities or even worse, the existence of millions of immigrants themselves. This has sadly tainted millions of hardworking immigrants who feel the heat of these crimes on their shoulders, despite that fact that they also believe these crimes were heinous and cannot be condoned.

Susana and Alberto are survivors; they made it against all odds. Their presence in this country has been a great addition to our economy. Even though they are undocumented, they are not in the news; you see, they are contributors, not murderers.  Claudia Longo

Donald Trumps rise in the polls precipitated by saying Mexico is sending criminals and rapists to the U.S. is based on the use of stereotypes and fear versus real empirical evidence. The American Immigrant Councils report on the Criminalization of Immigration validates that: immigrants are less likely to commit serious crimes or be behind bars than native Americans, and high rates of immigration are associated with lower rates of both violent crime and property crime.

In fact, numerous studies over the past century have confirmed these powerful simple truths.

Most Latino immigrants, especially the undocumented, are far too busy working, trying to make their lives and those of their family better. The last thing they want is crime in their neighbor-hoods or where they work; in fact, thousands immigrated to the U.S. because of horrific crime situations in their home country. America is their new home whether they are here with a guest worker program, a special college visa, whether they are DREAMers, or parents of children who were born citizens.

Hispanic immigrants are here to work, whether creating new businesses or in a variety of jobs; their work efforts generate billions of dollars to our economy. In a March report, the American Action Forum said that removing these immigrants from the labor force would cost the economy $1.6 trillion.

Susana and Alberto emigrated to the U.S. in two different ways and at two different times. While Susana landed in Los Angeles in a flight straight from her homeland Argentina, Alberto took risked his life at age 17 and crossed the border from Mexico.

It's been 14 years since they met and fell in love. She works as a bookkeeper in the same construction company where he works as a plumber. They both work very long hours to build a future together and a family.

Susana, who learned plumbing from Alberto, sometimes takes plumbing jobs so they can save extra money while also going to college at night to earn a degree in computer programming. A few weeks ago, this young Latino couple bought their first home. Susana and Alberto had saved up enough money for the down payment and now make their monthly mortgage payments. They pay all Federal, state, and local taxes; contribute to Social Security and Medicare from their payroll deduction, and also pay for their own private health insurance.

Susana and Alberto are survivors; they made it against all odds. Their presence in this country has been a great addition to our economy. Even though they are undocumented, they are not in the news; you see, they are contributors, not murderers.

Andrea works as a cleaning lady in New Jersey. She came to the States with her daughter after a terrible economic recession in her home country, Uruguay, 18 years ago.

She works extremely hard, usually six days, 50-60 hours a week, to support her daughter. In addition to cleaning, to earn extra money for her family, Andrea has enhanced her skills to take on extra work as a server for special events and a cook for a local cafe and caterer. Amazingly, she does all this without driving, because New Jersey doesn't allow the undocumented to apply for a drivers license. So Andrea takes the train, the bus and walks.

This past spring her daughter Maria, who benefited from Obama's 2012 Executive Action granting work permits and Social Security numbers to immigrants who came as children, graduated with honors for her associates degree and is now working on finishing her full college degree in education. She then wants to pursue her masters and Ph.D. in history with the goal of becoming a college professor. Maria is such a good student that she already has a sponsor that has offered to pay for her Ph.D.

They are not in the news either; you see, they are contributors, not criminals.

Manuel emigrated when he was 28 years old from South America. He gets up at 3:45 am every day to start a very demanding daily routine. In the wintertime he bundles up with several layers and heads out to work at a bakery, by foot. Manuels walks take him to the darkest coldest streets of Cleveland, OH, rain or shine, in the snow or the heat, six days a week, after a 45-minute walk. He has no choice, because undocumented workers cant get a drivers license in Ohio.

Manuel dreams of one day being able to be a great actor and express himself through his art. To pursue his dream he joined the local public theater and has been performing whenever he can to improve his acting skills. Part of his dream is becoming true, but Manuels other dream to become a legal resident and eventually an American citizen sadly wont happen anytime soon.

Hopefully, someday, Manuel will be on the news and people will talk about him, not because of a criminal act as an illegal alien, but because he turned into a very successful member of our society.

Manuel often talks about how for years he feared being pulled over during his long walks to the bakery or at the local theater workshop, and without doing anything wrong be deported simply for lacking papers.

Manuel wants to end this fear for millions of undocumented Latinos. He, like many others, has become a vigorous fighter for an immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship. He also does not want undocumented immigrants like Susana and Alberto, Andrea and Maria to be stigmatized for the terrible crimes of a very small number of people.

Manuel wants them to be judged for who they are and how they help contribute to the growth of America. As an immigration reformer, he supports deportation of the undocumented Latinos whose criminal records make it impossible to stay in the U.S.  but the again, most Latinos with common sense would likely also support this, don't you think? They just want immigration reform that allows them to stay in America legally.
There is literally no such thing as an illegal alien. Should intelligent life forms descend upon our planet outside of a universally approved galactic treaty, that truth may change. Until then, no human being can be illegal (only acts can), and none are aliens. Steps such as the state of California this week removing the term alien from usage must be taken to align our policies and practices with modern society. Using the term to talk about other human beings is severely antiquated at best, and anti-American at worst.

While lawmakers must act to repair our unjust laws, we as a nation must come together. Our fate is tied to one another, and how we choose to treat each other is ultimately what will define America.  Ryan Eller

When one refers to an immigrant as an "illegal alien" they are effectively saying that the individual, as opposed to any actions that the individual has taken, is illegal - implying that a persons mere existence is criminal. No other circumstance in our common nomenclature is a crime considered to render the individual as being illegal, as opposed to the individuals actions. We dont even refer to the Timothy McVeighs, Jared Loughners, Nidal Malik Hasans, Adam Lanzas, and Dylann Roofs of America as illegal. Although the term is used in some statutesand elsewhere in court opinions and some executive orders, U.S. immigration laws do not refer to illegal immigrants and federal law provides no overarching explicit definition of the term "illegal alien.

Im a Southerner and a son of Appalachia, who regardless of being called hillbilly from time to time am impelled to welcome my neighbors. Neighbors including undocumented American Maria del Rosario Duarte - a Georgia grandmother whose children were deported, leaving her as the sole caretaker of her three grandchildren. All grandchildren are legal U.S. citizens, including one boy, now 6, who was born with severe medical conditions. He breathes and eats through tubes and walks with braces. The doctors familiar with Marias grandsons ailments are nearby, and she fears care might not be available if the boys were forced to move if shes deported. Maria originally fled to the United States to escape her abusive husband, who followed her around the country and continued to assault her. Shes not an alien, shes the embodiment of American grit and faithful love just like all of us in this nation of immigrants.

The U.S. government's use of alien dates back to 1798, when it was used in the Alien and Sedition Acts. At that time in our nations history, the Declaration of Independence called Native Americans merciless Indian savages, and documents referred to Americans from African nations as colored, negro, chattel, or other persons. California was a part of Mexico, and neither the light bulb, automobile, flight, or the telephone had been invented.

Times change, and so should we. In 2009, New York banned the use of the word oriental in state documents when referring to people of Asian or Pacific Islander descent. Now, in 2015, California has banned the use of the word alien. Its time our language evolved and the rest of our nations government entities and media stop using the terms illegal and alien when referring to humans.

That's why we at Define American asked the Associated Press in 2013 to immediately stop referring to our undocumented brothers and sisters as "illegal," and why we continue the #WordsMatter campaign to this day--asking everyone in the media to use more accurate language.

When the words someone uses are just flatly wrong, bluntly racist, and overtly dehumanizing, claiming that political correctness is the issue simply serves to absolve inaccuracy, racism, and inhumanity. This isn't about being overly sensitive. It's about creating a society where people aren't defined by societal prejudices.

We are a nation of laws, but not all of our laws have always been just - including when slavery was legal and when women had no right to vote. So, while lawmakers must act to repair our unjust laws, we as a nation must come together. Our fate is tied to one another, and how we choose to treat each other is ultimately what will define America.
Just in time for the 50th anniversary of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, a panel of federal appeals court judges in Texas last week ruled against the states Voter ID law. They agreed that the law violated the provisions of the Voting Rights Act, because it disproportionately impacted Latino and African-American voters. In response, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement, Texas will continue to fight for its voter ID requirement to ensure the integrity of elections in the Lone Star State.

True, these days a valid ID is necessary to board a plane or to buy alcohol. But travelling or buying beer is not a constitutional right; voting is.  Raul A. Reyes

Texas Voter ID law is a solution in search of a problem. While in theory it fights voter fraud, in reality it has disenfranchised thousands of minority voters. Texas Voter ID law deserves to be amended or dismantled so that all eligible voters have equal access to the ballot box.

Texas has the strictest voter ID law in the country. People can vote only if they show a drivers license, passport, concealed handgun license, or an election identification certificate from the Department of Public Safety. But not everyone has these documents. The law creates problems for people who may not have been born in state, for those who dont drive or whose license has expired, and for those without the resources to visit one of the states Department of Public Safety offices.

Other forms of government-issued photo I.D. are not acceptable as proof of identity to vote in Texas, including government employee I.D. cards or student I.D. cards from the states public colleges. Voter registration cards are not accepted either.

The Republican lawmakers who passed this law say that it was necessary to stop voter fraud. However, the crime of voter fraud is extremely rare. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, writing the dissent for a Supreme Court decision that allowed this law to stay in place, noted that there were only two in-person fraud cases prosecuted to conviction in Texas between 2002 and 2011. Nor is there significant evidence of voter fraud at the national level. A comprehensive analysis of voter fraud cases by the Washington Post found 31 credible incidents out of one billion ballots cast.

Meanwhile, the effect of Texas Voter ID law has been very real. A study by the University of Houston showed that the law discouraged election turnout in November 2014, even among those with the proper documents. Texas Voter ID law is especially hard on the elderly. Last year, a 93-year-old veteran was turned away from voting by a judge because he lacked the proper identification; in 2013, former Speaker of the House Jim Wright, 90, was rejected from getting a Voter ID card because he didnt have the required papers.

This Texas law has had a convoluted journey through the courts. A lower court judge once struck it down, finding that more than 600,000 Texans  disproportionately Latino, African-American, and poor  lacked the required documents and could be barred from voting. Likewise, the appeals court found that Hispanics were 195 percent and African-Americans were 305 percent more likely than whites to be without the required documentation to vote. Yet the law stands because Texas keeps appealing the court rulings.

True, these days a valid ID is necessary to board a plane or to buy alcohol. But travelling or buying beer is not a constitutional right; voting is. Texas should be making it as easy as possible to vote, since the state suffers from chronically low voter turnout. And consider that the latest ruling against the Voter ID law came from one of the most conservative courts in the country, and that the legal opinion was written by a George W. Bush appointee.

Now the Voter ID law will go back to a lower court for further review. The state can either appeal to the full Court of Appeals or take this case to the Supreme Court. Governor Abbott should do the right thing and allow the lower court to figure out an appropriate remedy to the laws onerous provisions. One easy solution would be to allow voter registration cards as identification at the polls.

Governor Abbott ought to give up the fight for a measure that is a disgrace to democracy. The Texas Voter ID law is racially discriminatory and un-American.
With much fanfare, the U.S. embassy in Havana opened for the first time in 54 years. Instead of Kerry demanding Cuba returns fugitives from American justice, the Obama administration unilaterally handed legitimacy and the hard currency of international acceptance to a regime that has sponsored terrorists for half a century and even today harbors convicted terrorist fugitives including BLA cop killer Joanne Chesimard and William Morales. Morales' Armed Forces for National Liberation (FALN) murdered my father Frank Connor.

In a parallel capitulation halfway across the globe, instead of ensuring Iran never attains nuclear weapons, the same John Kerry is concerned that Iran, the world's largest exporter of terrorism, would not trust the U.S. if Congress does its job and rejects the Obama administration's insidious nuclear surrender.

If not rejected by Congress, this deal hands Iran some $150 billion, guarantees Iranian production of a nuclear arsenal within a decade, ensures unobstructed development of missile systems to deliver those weapons while disgracefully leaves four American hostages behind in Iranian prisons.

if Obama is bent on growing our relationship with terrorist regimes, he must get these killers back in U.S. prisons to pay their debt to society. Clemency to these fugitives, as was provided to Morales comrades and has been rumored again, is no option.  Joe Connor

Even as this negotiation was being finalized, the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei doubled down on his "Death to America, Death to Israel" promise. Kerry's insistence that Iran and the U.S. must have mutual trust to make this deal work signifies that this administration trusts Iran. In other words, we surrendered to a regime we trust to kill us.

Meanwhile, 90 miles from our shores, the treacherous Cuban supreme leaders, the Castro brothers who threatened the U.S. with nuclear weapons in 1962, declared the establishment of relations with Cuba will not change their oppressive Marxist regime's behavior. As a matter of fact, they doubled down on oppression by arresting hundreds of human rights demonstrators this week, demanded the U.S. pay millions of dollars in reparations for the trade embargo and remain the safe haven for fugitives from American justice, including Morales.

William Morales was the chief bomb-maker and one of the leaders of the clandestine Puerto Rican terrorist group FALN, one of the most prolific terrorist organizations ever to wage war against the United States.

Between 1974 and 1983, the FALN claimed responsibility for over 130 bombings in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, including the premeditated attack lunchtime attack on Fraunces Tavern that claimed the lives of four innocent men, including my 33-year-old father.

As chief bomb-maker, Morales most certainly built the sinister device that killed our father the very day our family was set to celebrate my 9th and my brothers 11th birthday. Ironically, on what would have been my dads 37th birthday, July 12, 1978, Morales blew the fingers off of both his hands and part of his face when a bomb he was crafting exploded in his bomb factory in Queens.

Morales was captured, tried and convicted in federal and state courts and sentenced in 1979 to up to 99 years in prison, but escaped from Bellevue prison hospital with the assistance of other radicals.

During the state trial, he boasted, No jail is going to hold me forever. They can put 1,000 of us in jail. They are not going to hold us forever. Thats what I have to say.

Through a FALN investigation run by the Chicago Terrorist Task Force, Morales was located in Puebla, Mexico, in 1983. When the Mexican police closed in, he and an accomplice killed a Mexican police officer. Morales was arrested and charged with being an accessory to murder.

Despite the Reagan administrations request for extradition, the sympathetic Mexican government sent him to Cuba in 1988, where he continues to live as a guest of the Castro regime.

Between 1981 and 1983, 16 core members of the FALN and Los Macheteros, a related group, were arrested, tried, convicted and sentenced to long and well-deserved sentences.

Despite my regular communications with the Clinton departments of State and Justice beginning in the early 1990s, demanding the return of Morales, in 1999 President Clinton with the cover of then-Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder, infamously granted clemency to 16 unrepentant FALN and Machetero comrades.

My communications continue to this day with regular meetings with the NYPDs Joint Terrorism Task Force.

As recently as 2012, the Department of State wrote to Rep. Peter King, We have expressed the strong US desire that they (Morales and convicted cop killer Joanne Chesimard) and other fugitives be returned to the United States to face prosecution or resume serving their sentences. The Department of State will continue to press this issue.

Americans must be aware of what is at stake here. We cannot allow Obama to needlessly give away our safety and prestige, receiving nothing in return.

Though I strongly disagree with todays events in Havana, if Obama is bent on growing our relationship with terrorist regimes, he must get these killers back in U.S. prisons to pay their debt to society. Clemency to these fugitives, as was provided to Morales comrades and has been rumored again, is no option.

My fathers life and untimely death in the name of an illegitimate political cause has haunted my family for over 40 years. We still have the chance to bring justice to one of the conspirators.

My mother, Mary, told me recently she always hoped she would live long enough to see Morales brought to justice. Lets make that happen.
The administrations current approach to dealing with detained illegal immigrants has been characterized as catch and release. It is an apt term. In fishing, catch and release is designed to preserve a population, and that is precisely what the Obama Administrations border policies are doing in the American pondpreserving a population of dangerous, deported individuals with a criminal history who re-enter the United States illegally.

The catch and release approach undercuts the rule of law, and it ensures taxpayers money and safety will be sacrificed for a border immigration.  Nelson Balido

Late last year, a leaked Department of Homeland Security document revealed that there are 176,000 illegal immigrants in the United States who were convicted in a court of law, lawfully deported from the United States and then returned. In addition to those proven criminals are those who go on to commit crimes after their premature release. As reported in April this year, Jonny Alberto Enamorado-Vasquez, an illegal immigrant from Honduras, was released from detention for lack of space and is now in a Houston jail on homicide charges. Jalmar Mejia-Lopez, initially booked as a 17-year-old when he crossed into the United States illegally, has been charged with aggravated rape for impregnating his 12-year-old girlfriend.

The Obama Administration is pushing for faster clearing of detention centers, ignoring rule of law in lieu of more expedient dictatorial direction. In some cases, the Administrations approach ensures dangerous criminals never even reach federal custody. Take the Obama Administrations Priority Enforcement Program (PEP), for example, which replaced the Bush-era Secure Communities program. PEP ties Immigration and Customers Enforcement (ICE) agents hands, limiting collaboration with state and local law enforcement while severely restricting when they can take custody of an illegal immigrant with a criminal conviction.

Such a blunt, limiting approach to a complex situation is not only illegal but may also reignite the massive influx of people streaming across the border who believe (perhaps correctly) that weak U.S. immigration enforcement will allow them to dodge U.S. law and find residency. In 2014, more than 60,000 families poured into the United States from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and elsewhere. That tsunami of illegal immigration has subsided to a raging river, but it could surge again at any point.

Meanwhile, unilateral direction from the White House sends the wrong message to the dedicated Americans risking their lives on the border. Giving credit where due, the Border Patrol is working hard to better monitor the border and stop people who sneak into the United States. But there are laws on the books they are sworn to follow. If detention facilities are forcibly emptied before investigative and immigration workers have completed their processing protocols, what does that tell the Border Patrol or ICE agent who signed up to enforce the law, not circumvent it?

Most concerning about the Administrations catch and release approach is that it puts millions of Americans in danger, particularly those in the Hispanic community. Many criminal immigrants flock to sanctuary cities, which, by local law or tradition, shelter illegal immigrants. Yet, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 75% of former prisoners in 30 states are arrested within 5 years of their release. It takes little deduction to recognize that creating a safe-haven for criminals jeopardizes the community in which they live, which in a sanctuary city may well be largely Hispanic.

Recently, Sen. Cruz (R-TX) held a hearing examining the number of illegal immigrants who are convicted of crimes and then return to our streets. Sen. Cruz explained that in 2013, 104,000 convicted criminals were released, since the Obama administration has refused to deport 68K criminals, required by federal law, and has also released 36,000 with criminal records who were in deportation hearings in 2013.

The hearing also included testimony from families of recent victims of illegal criminal violence:

In January, Grant Ronnebeck was shot while clerking at a convenience store.

In the fall, Michael Davis, Jr. and Danny Oliver, Sacramento law enforcement officers, were killed as they tried to protect residents.

In July, Kate Steinle was shot on Pier 14 in San Francisco.

Kates father, Jim Steinle, summed up the injustice many now endure: "Unfortunately due to disjointed laws, and basic incompetence on many levels, the U.S. has suffered a self-inflicted wound in the murder of our daughter by the hand of a person that should have never been on the streets of this country.

Sens. Cruz and Session have each introduced measures to curb this crime. Sen. Cruzs legislation, named Kates Law in her honor, establishes a five-year minimum sentence for anyone who illegally reenters the country.

Flinging open the detention doors for illegal immigrants to waltz freely into America without precisely following laws for detention, processing and deportation presents enormous threats. Many of our immigration woes lead right back to an Administration that views its authority as superseding legislation. But laws are not laws if they can be ignored because their implementation is too hard or sometimes unpalatable.

The catch and release approach undercuts the rule of law, and it ensures taxpayers money and safety will be sacrificed for a border immigration strategy that almost guarantees we are putting sharks back into the American pond.
Donald Trump is simply not a serious candidate for president.

This is manifested by his parroting Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions on the vaunted Trump immigration plan Trump recently released. Sessions comes from Alabama, and he reflects the long-standing low information view of the modern integrated world best represented by former Gov. George Wallace, the racist official who stood at the door of the University of Alabama 50 years ago chanting, Segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever! Then he stood aside while U.S. Army troops integrated the university.

On the subject of Mexicans, Sessions is todays George Wallace.

Trump played the hate-Mexicans plank of his campaign in his original announcement on June 16. Without mentioning illegal aliens he declared that Mexico was sending its worst people here illegally to avoid paying for them and their transgressions. He stated simply Mexicans with the qualification that some Mexicans were nice people.

Trump has tried to mollify his hate-Mexicans words with declarations that he loves the Mexican people and Mexico. Rumors abound that his 30-year-old daughter, Ivanka, tried to counsel him to lay off, but he continues and stamps his campaign with a 1,900-word position paper that smacks of Alabamas historical Ku Klux Klan.

More On This... Latinos unite against Trumps controversial comments

Some Americans agree with him; some dont.

Here's a simple-minded statement from Trump's proposal: U.S. taxpayers have been asked to pick up hundreds of billions in health-care costs, housing costs, education costs, welfare costs, etc. Indeed, the annual cost of free tax credits alone paid to illegal immigrants quadrupled to $4.2 billion in 2011. The effects on job-seekers have also been disastrous, and black Americans have been particularly harmed.

Now the facts: "Illegals" are not eligible for any of the programs he claims drain the U.S. Treasury. As for tax fraud, far more is committed by U.S. citizens than ever imagined by people in the country illegally. Blacks have been unemployed in far greater numbers than whites since 1865  not because of Mexicans coming to work in the U.S.

Trump: The impact in terms of crime has been tragic. In recent weeks, the headlines have been covered with cases of criminals who crossed our border illegally only to go on to commit horrific crimes against Americans. Most recently, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, with a long arrest record, is charged with breaking into a 64 year-old womens home, crushing her skull and eye sockets with a hammer, raping her and murdering her. The police chief in Santa Maria says the 'blood trail' leads straight to Washington.

Partially true, but did the crime occur because the perpetrator was here illegally? Are the thousands of black murder victims killed by fellow blacks, being that they are black, victim or perpetrator? That is Trump logic.

Trump: In 2011, the Government Accountability Office found that there were a shocking 3 million arrests attached to the incarcerated alien population, including tens of thousands of violent beatings, rapes and murders.

Partially true but hiding a horrific lie: Many of these arrestees were charged with multiple counts, like spitting on the street, driving without a license or being intoxicated. And how many of those arrested were actually convicted of the crimes they were charged with?

If there had been three million convictions, more than the 6 percent  the actual figure  of all "illegals" would be in prison. And most of them (85 percent) because of crimes having to do with property, drug offenses and immigration violations, not crimes of violence that Trump lies about.

Trump: Meanwhile, Mexico continues to make billions on not only our bad trade deals but also relies heavily on the billions of dollars in remittances sent from illegal immigrants in the United States back to Mexico ($22 billion in 2013 alone).

False and foolish. There are no bad trade deals with Mexico. There is the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that in 21 years has produced millions of jobs in the U.S., while there might be a loss of a fraction of those millions of jobs over the same 21 years.

The Wilson Center says 6 million Americans work in trade with Mexico. Mexico is the largest trading partner with Texas (400,000 jobs) as it is with California (690,000 jobs). The U.S. Chamber of Commerce's estimate is even higher: They say there are 14 million Americans working in trade with Mexico.

As far as remittances, arent they dollars earned in the marketplace, and after taxes and Social Security have been deducted? We know that Trump favors confiscation of private property (he supports the Supreme Court's controversial decision about the eminent domain Kelo v. City of New London case), but now he hints that he would confiscate money earned on the job by Mexicans. Theft, thievery  is that what Trump lives by?

In this first analysis installment of the Trump immigration plan we find that he lies about crime, states that he would steal millions of dollars from working people, violate the rights of persons that the Supreme Court has said are entitled to the same rights as Americans  equal protection and due process.
The attack on a nightclub in the Turkish capital killed 39, injured dozens

Egypt denounced the terrorist attack on a nightclub in Turkey's Istanbul on New Year's Eve which left at least 39 dead, a foreign ministry statement read on Sunday.

Turkish authorities said that the attacker -- who has so far evaded capture -- is believed to be linked to the Islamic State (IS) group and may be from Kyrgyzstan or Uzbekistan, AFP reported.

Egypt reiterated its stance calling on the international community to unite to put an end to terrorism, the statement read.

The statement called for "keeping terrorist organisations, which endanger the people's security and stability in an unprecedented manner, under siege."

The attack came as the Turkish army wages a four-month incursion in Syria to oust IS jihadists and Kurdish militants from the border area.

Istanbul, Ankara and other Turkish cities were hit by a string of attacks in 2016, blamed on Kurdish militants and jihadists, which left hundreds dead.

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When Donald Trump suggested all Latino immigrants are rapists, and the border was a war zone, the media and most of his opponents did nothing more than feign shock. Theyre shocked, shocked!

Shock is nice, but facts are better. Yes, facts! According to FBI crime statistics, white non-Hispanics by far lead the nation in violent rapes, 53 percent. Up next, black non-Hispanics at 31 percent. Shouldnt we know that? Isnt that better than shock?

Oh, and the border? According to FBI Uniform Crime Reports, homicide and violent crime rates for U.S. cities within 100 miles of the border are below the national average and even below their states' averages. Meanwhile El Paso  the city Trump chose to make his stand against Mexico  has the lowest homicide rate of all U.S. cities with populations of more than 500,000.

So Trump was wrong; however, most Americans will continue to believe he was right. The truth remains relatively unreported when compared to Trumps bravado, and stories about him being unafraid to speak his mind, even if his mind is as jumbled with jingoisms as that of your obnoxious uncle at a backyard barbeque.

Now along comes Trump with yet another headline-grabbing, xenophobic declaration. He wants to deport American citizens. They got to go, he told Meet the Presss Chuck Todd. The they Trump is referring to arent Italian-Americans or Irish-Americans born in the United States to foreign parents. He is referring to Latino-Americans.

Most politicians disguise their contempt for minorities; Trump doesnt bother with such niceties. His is not a dog whistle; its a bullhorn.

Here is a man running for president screaming  for all the world to hear  that the U.S. Constitution means nothing to him, that he has no problem violating the 14th amendment, at least when it comes to children born to Hispanic parents. Lets be clear, what he is saying is that people born in America are not Americans. Why? Its because Donald Trump says so, and because its the easiest form of bullying from a man espousing the most un-American points of view in decades.

As Americans, we embrace the words of Emma Lazarus: Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.

Trump would not only scratch those immortal words written in bronze off the Statue of Libertys pedestal, he would also tell children to get the hell out. Unfortunately, in many circles and for reasons even they dont understand, Trumps bravado is welcomed and even applauded. It is after all, a cheap applause line  one that sadly cheapens us all.

So while most of us whose names end in ez remain stupefied by the nonchalance of Trumps utterance, we are equally stunned by the medias inability or desire to challenge him. During this past week, questions have been raised about how Trumps military knowledge comes from watching the guys he hears talking about ISIS on cable news, and about whether or not women will vote for him. Yet, compared to those, his comments about Latinos have received only a fragment of the coverage.

So again, we are left alone to turn to the factsfacts that few reporters seem to have on hand to refute Trumps threat to get rid of young Latinos.

The average age of Latinos born in the United States is 19 compared to 42 for white non-Latinos. Economists call that the future, because without the Latino workforce and buying power our economy would greatly suffer. Even a cursory examination shows that when it comes to undocumented immigrants, the labor participation rate among Latinos is staggering. While they represent only 3.7 percent of the U.S. population, they make up 5.2 percent of the workforce. Freeloaders? Hmm!

Fact is, young Latinos will fight in our wars, contribute immeasurably to our labor force and pay for our retirements. So much so, that an estimated $13 billion a year is collected in social security taxes from undocumented immigrants, according to the Social Security Administration. Thats more than $100 billion collected over the past decade, which doesnt include the hundreds of billions more collected in sales and property taxes.

And theres this: According to a recent Wall-Street Journal report, immigrants started new companies or became self-employed at nearly two times the rate of native-born Americans, even though they made up only 12.9 percent of the U.S. population. Latino new business creators specifically climbed to 22.1 percent in 2014 from 20.4 percent a year earlier, while making up only 17.1 percent of the U.S. population.

These are facts. Facts that trump jingoisms and cheap applause linesfacts that, to any reasonable person, trump Donald Trump.
My father used to tell me a folk tale about a man who needed to cross a rickety bridge. Frightened, he thought of asking for Gods protection, but he also immediately feared that the devil might cause him to fall. He decided to solve his predicament by saying with each step: God is good, but the devil is not bad. In this way, he managed to cross safely. That story, characteristic of the sardonic wit of Galicians, could be used to describe Hillary Clintons way of dealing with Puerto Ricos political status issue.

I would not be surprised if Hillary abandoned her heretofore convenient neutrality towards a more favorable position on statehood. But then it would likely be another triumph of polling over principle.  Jose Rodriguez-Suarez

Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States. However, its political status is often referred to as commonwealth because the body politic created in 1952, pursuant to the constitution that Congress allowed the people of Puerto Rico to adopt, was named in the same manner as the commonwealths of Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

When running against Barack Obama in 2008, Hillary Clinton could have condemned territorial unincorporation as a status that, born of the juridical thinking that once upheld racial segregation, subjects a community of American citizens of Hispanic origin to unequal treatment and political disenfranchisement. Or, she could have supported statehood as a means for the residents of Puerto Rico to achieve equality in citizenship.

Rather than demonstrating principled leadership, Hillary chose to maximize political gain by playing a balancing act between trying to please statehood supporters and not offending commonwealthers. God is good, but the devil is not bad. Not surprisingly, Clintons statements on Puerto Rico are often marked by double-talk, window dressing, and ambiguity.

In 2008, her campaign committee stated that Hillary will enable the question of Puerto Ricos ultimate status to be resolved through a plebiscite, thereby suggesting the continuation of the islands present status is a problem and that a plebiscite would be the means to solve it. This pleased statehood supporters. However, commonwealthers were not offended because the statement also implied the present status would be included among the plebiscite choices. Offering the continuation of a problem as a choice among the alternatives to solve it can only be characterized as double-talk.

By supporting the presidential vote for U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico, Hillary appeared more sympathetic to the statehood cause than Obama, without necessarily losing the support of commonwealthers. In fact, according to a poll conducted by Stanford Klapper in 2010, 83 percent of sympathizers of the party that supports commonwealth status favored the presidential vote.

Clinton said I believe that you should have the same opportunity as American citizens do in helping to pick the President. But this is window dressing. Allowing the American citizens of Puerto Rico to participate in the election of the President requires an improbable constitutional amendment, and would still leave Puerto Rico subject to unequal treatment and the lack of proportional and voting representation in Congress.

And then there is Hillarys latest press statement addressing Puerto Ricos economic and fiscal debt crises. Probably calculated as a political double-entendre, the last paragraph reads: Underlying all of this is the fundamental question of Puerto Ricos ultimate future. That question needs to be resolved in accordance with the expressed will of our fellow citizens, the people of Puerto Rico.

In the first sentence, statehood supporters can understand that Hillary believes that territorial status is at the root of Puerto Ricos economic and fiscal troubles, while commonwealthers can interpret that she is open to what many in that camp deem as modifications to the relationship.

The same goes for the ambiguity in the word expressed on the second sentence. If Hillary used it as a participial adjective, she meant that the will of the people should be distinctly stated rather than left to inference. This meaning would be acceptable to commonwealthers. But if Hillary used it as a verb, she meant that the will of the people has already been stated. Commonwealthers would object to this meaning because it would imply that Hillary recognized the results of the 2012 plebiscite in which the current territorial status was rejected and statehood was favored among the full self-government options.

So far, the balancing act has worked, but it might not continue to work for much longer. Circumstances are now different. And there are indications that the tide is turning towards statehood. After the 2012 plebiscite, statehood supporters are not likely to be satisfied with only a promise to enable a status choice in another multi-option plebiscite.

A survey conducted for the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles in 2014 found that 64 percent of Puerto Rican registered voters in central Florida favor the resolution of the islands political status and statehood. The poll also found that 81 percent would be proud if Puerto Rico became a state. Since that poll was taken the exodus of island residents to Florida has continued, driven by dismal economic conditions that are rooted in Puerto Ricos status as an unincorporated territory.

Moreover, Puerto Ricans have come to take expressions in favor of self-determination with skepticism. Back in 2009, Barack Obama announced his commitment to enabling the question of Puerto Ricos status to be resolved during his first term recognizing that self-determination is a basic right to be addressed no matter how difficult. Not even the quest for a legacy during his second term has motivated the President to push the issue of Puerto Ricos political status. Without a commitment to putting an end to territorial unincorporation, favoring self-determination is a gesture invested with little significance.

There is also pressure from influential Democrats. For instance, Andres W. Lopez, Co-Chair of Futuro Fund, which is reported to have raised $32 million for Obamas re-election, was quoted in BuzzFeed, describing Hillarys neutrality on Puerto Ricos political status as a kind of hedge. Youre either pro-immigration or anti-immigration. Pro-marriage equality or anti-marriage equality. On this, youre either pro-equality or youre not, you cant be in the middle, Lopez said.

And then there is Jeb Bush. To start with, since Jeb made his announcement, Hillary can no longer claim that she is the candidate who knows and has visited Puerto Rico the most. Moreover, in contrast with Hillary, Jeb has expressed in plain language that he favors statehood for Puerto Rico.

Under advantageous circumstances, I would not be surprised if Hillary abandoned her heretofore convenient neutrality towards a more favorable position on statehood. But then it would likely be another triumph of polling over principle.

As with most folk tales, the story of the man who needed to cross the rickety bridge has variations. One of them is that once in safety he cursed at both God and the devil. And this leads to another well-known proverb: A friend to all is a friend to none." In Puerto Rico, we often say the virtually equivalent: no se puede estar bien con Dios y con el diablo.
When Donald Trump told Jorge Ramos to go back to Univision, he was actually speaking the language of xenophobes everywhere, who were hearing a different message entirely. That message transposed the word Univision with the unspoken word Mexico.

Go back to where you came from and go back to your own country are familiar refrains in the language of extremists who dominate the immigration debate. Phrases like those too often drive the conversation at the expense of facts.

Were not the first group of people in America to be made scapegoats and we probably wont be the last. Jorge and all of us need to take a page from Jackie Robinsons life and live by example and by the value of accomplishments, which is exactly what Latinos in America are doing.  Rick Sanchez

So what did Jorge Ramos do yesterday when he was summarily kicked out of a Trump news conference for the entire world to see? He made himself the setup man for Donald Trump. He helped Donald Trump gain even more points with his base, which, as we saw this weekend in Alabama, is replete with white supremacists evidenced by the confederate flags and the shouts of white power.

I, like Jorge Ramos, am offended by Donald Trumps meanness, arrogance and utter ignorance of the facts regarding immigration and the contributions of Latinos in the United States. But Ive learned long ago that its not about my hurt feelings or Jorges. Nobody cares except other Latinos. And guess what? They are not the ones who need to be convinced that Donald Trump is completely full of crap.

Yes, I know. Jorge Ramos is Mexican, so it cuts a little closer to home for him. Hes also never had to speak to a more general audience like those of us who toil in English language media to earn his living. And hes right. If Donald Trump were picking on African-Americans, or the LGBT community or the Jewish community with the same tone and demeanor with which hes assailing Hispanics, the reaction would have been far different. Yes, that hurts. It hurts me, it hurts Jorge and it hurts almost every Latino in America.

But, you know? Tough. Were not the first group of people in America to be made scapegoats and we probably wont be the last. Jorge and all of us need to take a page from Jackie Robinsons life and live by example and by the value of accomplishments, which is exactly what Latinos in America are doing. We create more jobs, we have the highest labor participation rate, we work longer hours for less pay, we subsidize Americans social security retirement to the tune of 100 billion dollars over the last decade because we pay an inordinate amount of taxes. Oh, and guess what? The rate of border crossings that Donald Trump screams about is actually down to a net zero according to Pew.

Those are facts. They are important facts. As Donald Trump would say, theyre winners. Were winners. We work hard and lead by example. We dont cry, we dont whine, and we certainly dont attempt to outbully a bully. Jorge, thanks for trying, but yesterday  you failed us.
There may be no more pure and shining symbol of the universal human longing for justice and mercy than the Ladies in White of Cuba. These are the wives, mothers and sisters of imprisoned human rights activists who refuse to accept that in this day and age, in the Western Hemisphere, a whole people should live with no self-determination at all. As they walk silently to mass these women appear to Cubans as an emanation of the astonishing courage of the jailed men they represent.

Francis personal history as a priest and bishop in Argentina is rich with his love of the poor and his perfect identification with them. He calls all of us to solidarity with them.  Dr. Grazie Pozo Christie

Another symbol of faith and good will will be visiting the island next month: Pope Francis. In his short papacy he has stepped with cheerful abandon across lines that seemed impassable, lines drawn between rigid ways of thought and opposed camps. His intervention in Cuban-American relations is one example, brought vividly to life recently as an American flag flew for the first time in Havana.

Challenging the status quo is the Pope's modus operandi, and comes from his faithful conviction that the first job of the Church he shepherds is that of evangelization. In fact, that is the Churchs reason for being. It calls for her to go out from herself toward the existential peripheries and helps her to be the fruitful mother who lives from the sweet and comforting joy of evangelizing.

The peripheries are not very far off these days, certainly. The Christian message of inviolable human dignity from conception to natural death, the transcendent value of the family, and the certainty that it is sacrifice, not self-actualization, that leads to joy, lies like a small green oasis in a cultural desert. The dessert is full of parched souls that are awash in material goods, in the case of Europe and the U.S., but suffering from the loneliness that comes from social fragmentation and superficiality.

To this, the Pope counters that people have a dignity that is priceless and worth far more than things. And he reminds us over and over that  Every threat to the family is a threat to society itself. The future of humanity  passes through the family. He has exhorted young people steeped in a throwaway culture to step into marriage without fear, telling them that a faithful and fruitful marriage will bring them joy.

In other parts of the world, the problem is crushing poverty, many times created by a corrupt and greedy ruling class that closes its eyes to the suffering around them. Francis personal history as a priest and bishop in Argentina is rich with his love of the poor and his perfect identification with them. He calls all of us to solidarity with them, saying we Christians are called to confront the poverty of our brothers and sisters, to touch it, to make it our own and to take practical steps to alleviate it.

Cuba is another kind of desert, where the people thirst for basic liberties that we in the West take for granted. One of these is the simple right to honest work that ennobles by rewarding effort and industriousness. In Cuba there is no minimum wage but a maximum wage, and it is tiny. No matter how hard you work there, you cant make enough to do more than barely scrape by. The European resorts that employ thousands of Cubans pay the government in real hard currency and the workers are paid by the rulers in worthless pesos. The Pope understands the horror of this. He has said that there is no worse material povertythan that which makes it impossible to earn a living .. That is the reality for most Cubans, who mostly spend their days resolviendo or finding a way to get their hands on the most essential necessities, their natural and honest industriousness thwarted.

Of course, when the Pope visits Cuba in search of the existential peripheries the most glaring one will be the lack of even more basic human rights. Religious liberty is a mirage on the island, where churches are open but empty. Just last week, 50 Ladies in White were detained on their way to mass.

Francis is no stranger to human rights abuses. He was head of the Argentine Jesuits during the countrys Guerra Sucia, when many of his orders priests were tortured and killed. He helped many priests and religious to leave the country, at great risk to himself. He understands that it is a lack of religious freedom that has taken a country that was almost 100 percent Catholic to a dismal 27 percent where only a few attend mass regularly.

The peripheries are where the Pope, and the Church, must go. I am hopeful that once there, the faith and joy that shine from his cheerful face will open hearts and doors, even prison doors. A culture of radical individuality in the West, the lack of concern for the poor in developing countries, and the absence of basic liberties in countries like Cuba, all these are ripe for evangelization and transformation. Human flourishing, and joy, are in the balance.
The international media has been covering for months now the anti-corruption rallies taking place in Guatemala, triggered by alarming findings of corruption back in April. The case, called La Linea (The Line), involves corruption in seaports and customs facilities around the country.

Corruption at Guatemalan ports is a threat to U.S. security: In exchange for a bribe, freight containers are allowed to enter the country under the radar and without paying taxes  just 2,500 miles south of U.S. territory. (Guatemala is Mexico's southern border.)

No one in Guatemala doubts that the country's institutions need deep restructuring. But, for the sake of its people, these changes must take place as part of a lawful process.  Reny Bake

One of the main concerns for the United States in terms of national security is the proliferation of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction, of course, especially the risk that they could fall into the hands of terrorist groups.

Is it that hard to imagine a dirty bomb in the hands of terrorists coming from Asia through the corrupted seaports in Guatemala and then reaching U.S. soil?

From a geopolitical point of view, Guatemala is key for the U.S. to be able to control its own borders. If you're in Mexico, you're just steps from the United States. And if you're in Guatemala, you're just one step away from Mexico.

Guatemala is a country marked by deep corruption affecting all aspects of its residents life, and is controlled by an economic, political and social oligarchy that looks only after their own interests. And in many government institutions, the state bureaucracy works like a mafia, protecting its own interests. As a result, the country has witnessed a growing migration of people in search of opportunities, mostly to the U.S. Last summer we saw an example of this, with the crisis of migrant children.

After La Linea case, authorities have detained dozens of officials and former officials on corruption charges.

All these corruption scandals erupted just months ahead of next months general election. The Guatemalan people are angry with the politicians, so much so that some voices in the country, including NGOs supported in the past by the U.S., spoke against celebrating elections  effectively advocating for a violation of the Constitution. No one in Guatemala doubts that the country's institutions need deep restructuring. But, for the sake of its people, these changes must take place as part of a lawful process.

Perhaps the best help that the United States can provide Guatemala is an open support in rebuilding the institutions destroyed by corruption. A step in the right direction recently was the announcement that the U.S. Treasury Department will be providing advice and support in the much needed reform of the Tax Administration, the entity in charge of customs.

Additional support that the United States could provide is advice on how to build American-style institutions. Did you know that the Guatemalan Congress is not elected directly by the direct name of the candidates, but instead by the closed list of the party? Guatemalans do not know who their representatives to Congress are and these congressmen are not held accountable by those who elected them. This is quite the opposite of what happens in the U.S., where democracy involves the proximity between the voter and his or her representative in Congress.

Changes in Guatemala need to go beyond the elections or a new government, true, but Guatemala cannot and should not move away from democracy.
Hispanic Heritage Month begins on the 15th and while the intention of the four weeks is to recognize the achievements and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States; I do not self-identify as one.

Think about it. No one ever says, "Hi, I'm Hispanic. Where are you from?"

We first self-identify with either the country in which we were born in or trace our roots to.

Hi, I'm Hugo Balta and I am Peruvian-American.

There is a sense of pride that comes with being specific in self-identifying. It isn't just a statement about me, but also about we  mi familia.

Hugo Balta Sr. was 22 years-old when he arrived in Paterson, New Jersey in the early 1960's. Graciela Zavala was only 18 when she set foot in the same city a few years later. In an age when most young people are celebrating finishing high school and beginning the next chapter of their higher education, Hugo and Graciela were desperate.

I am proud to be part of a larger group of people with a common history, culture and language described as Latinos and Hispanics. But as we celebrate the great things which unite us let us also celebrate those which make us unique.  Hugo Balta

They were thousands of miles away from home in a foreign land where they didn't know the language or culture. I'm 45 years old, educated and experienced. I would be more frightened than I care to admit if you were to tell me that tomorrow I had to pack up my belongings and do the same thing. Thanks to my parents I will never have to know what that type of desperation feels like. However, I do know the type of courage it takes because I was witness to it.

My father worked two jobs; one was at an assembly line. Both forced him to leave our home at 3 in the morning and come back in the early evening. I have many memories of my father during my childhood, but nothing as vivid as him sleeping. The times I saw him in our apartment were mostly of him resting from a very long day's work.

It wasn't any easier for my mother. She too had multiple jobs including taking care of me. I tagged along many times as she cleaned offices and houses. She also worked in sweatshops sewing clothes. In the summer I would go visit her during lunch breaks seeing her drenched in sweat from the unbearable heat.

While for some children of Latino immigrants nationalistic pride diminishes with each new generation, commitment and support for one another remains strong. The feeling of "we're in this together" nurtures an environment where "we win or lose as a team". That is why when I graduated from the university my diploma had many recipients beginning with my parents.

My father never finished high school. My mother couldn't afford a college education. But, together we switched the tassel on my graduation cap. I've been fortunate to have had many more career accomplishments since then. I've also had my share of setbacks. Through it all my parents and my family have directly or indirectly been involved. They selflessly lift me on their shoulders and help me reach higher and see farther than I ever will on my own two feet.

So, for me to self-identify as a Peruvian-American is to first acknowledge my parents. It is to keep their story alive. It is part of my story.

My colleagues and friends share similar narratives. While we are Hispanic or Latino, we are first Mexican, Mexican-American, Cuban, Cuban-American, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Colombian and the like. Millions of people with similar and distinct histories.

I am proud to be part of a larger group of people with a common history, culture and language described as Latinos and Hispanics. But as we celebrate the great things which unite us let us also celebrate those which make us unique.
When we talk about border security, we often focus on what the United States should do to stop illegal crossings. Less often discussed, however, is what can be done in Mexico (and elsewhere in Latin America) to dampen the desire to illegally enter the United States in the first place. One surefire way to achieve this: economic development.

Today, Mexicos energy sector is experiencing a renaissance. Since 1938, the countrys energy resources were controlled by the state-owned oil company Petroleos de Mexico (Pemex), but facing declining production and insufficient extraction and refining technologies, Mexico is in the midst of implementing ongoing reforms that open oil and gas exploration to foreign companies. In fact, the first exploration and production contacts are already awarded.

The Obama administrations myopic and naive just say no philosophy on energy development means we will continue to purchase crude from countries that hate us rather than pursue the job-creating, revenue-generating activities that come with extracting, refining and transporting oil and gas.  Nelson Balido

The direct and indirect effects from energy reform will create economic vitality at a level never before seen in Mexico, and it has the potential to enhance American security in three primary areas.

Discourage Economic Migration: Private sector energy exploration will create new jobs for Mexicans, both in the energy industry itself and in the professions that support increased industrial activity (such as food and lodging, mechanical maintenance, transportation, etc.). Meanwhile, the enormous revenue earned from energy companies can be used to build and upgrade national infrastructure.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has said he will direct $100 billion from public and private investments towards enhancing Mexicos communication and transportation infrastructure, which will create jobs and economic opportunity. A stronger Mexican economy and job market will inevitably decrease the number of economic migrants coming into the United States, particularly if U.S. immigration laws are rigidly enforced, border security is strong, and American businesses do not employ illegal aliens.

Disrupting Cartel Activity: Agrarian or economically depressed areas offer little hope for Mexican citizens, which is why drug cartels are often successful in recruiting people from these areas. They offer a job where people struggle to find work. But energy reform offers an alternative. It gives hope where there is none, beginning to beat back the cartels ability to continually replenish its ranks.

The energy reform also motivates the Mexican government to more aggressively prevent cartels from disrupting the countrys energy production. Illegal activity can impact current and future private-public operations that may also dissuade future foreign investment in Mexicos energy sector, jeopardizing hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue.

Enhancing North American Energy Security: The United States is the worlds largest producer of oil and natural gas. With a robust oil refining industry and fast-growing natural gas sector, the United States produced 90 percent of the energy we used last year, pumping out 1.6 million barrels of refined oil a day. And we still have 2,266 trillion cubic feet of natural gas waiting to be extracted. Pair that energy production with Canadas Athabasca oil sands and Mexicos reformed energy sector, and the North American continent could be completely energy independent.

But of course, the Obama administrations myopic and naive just say no philosophy on energy development means we will continue to purchase crude from countries that hate us rather than pursue the job-creating, revenue-generating activities that come with extracting, refining and transporting oil and gas.

One positive development came this month as Congressmen Will Hurd (R-TX) and Henry Cuellar (D-TX) convinced Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker to accept a proposal from Pemex to trade Mexican heavy crude with American light crude. Under a Cold War-era law, it is illegal to export American crude (though it is legal to sell refined petroleum products). Yet, U.S. refineries are largely equipped to process heavy crude (like Mexicos), whereas Mexican refineries are geared toward processing light crude (like Americas). This proposal is a perfect example of how the United States, Mexico and Canada can develop energy synergy, satisfying energy needs without ever looking across an ocean.

Hurd and Cuellars victory is a good first step but the volume of crude that can traded under this agreement is pathetically small  a mere 100,000 barrels a day. If we are serious about taking part in Mexicos energy renaissance (and we should be), and if we want to achieve North American energy independence (and we need to), we should liberate ourselves from prohibitions on crude exports. It would generate billions of dollars a year in oil revenue and would accelerate the Mexican jobs and infrastructure gains that have a real impact on illegal immigration, border security and the wellbeing of the American and the Mexican people.
The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, holding that States may not ban same-sex marriages, has been characterized as lawless and without constitutional foundation by certain state and local officials and presidential candidates. Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis has now gone to jail for defying a federal court order and refusing to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples.

Rather than encouraging public officials to defy the Court, those leaders who disagree with the Courts decision should continue to encourage discussion, promote greater outreach to establish helpful coalitions and work to build stronger public support for religious liberty. They will need it.  Hon. Alberto Gonzales

While a state may choose to excuse a public official from issuing a marriage license to same-sex couples, and even provide protection for those public officials who for religious reasons are uncomfortable issuing a marriage license, it may not choose to refuse to issue such licenses to same-sex couples if it is otherwise issuing marriage licenses. Following the Obergefell decision state and local governments have to treat same-sex couples the same as they would any other couple.

The frustration over the Courts decision was predictable. However, it is one thing for a private citizen, or religious institution, such as a church or school, to refuse to do something because of religious reasons. It is a different matter for a government official, sworn to uphold the law, to refuse to discharge their public duty based on their personal beliefs and deny another individual their fundamental rights.

Additionally, it is one thing for a government official to refuse to enforce or abide by a regulation, ordinance or statute because of that officials good faith belief it violates the Constitution. It is a different matter for a government official to refuse to abide by a constitutional ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court or to encourage others to defy it.

It is true that nowhere in the Constitution does it say that the Supreme Court is to have the final say as to its meaning. It was Chief Justice John Marshall who famously declared in Marbury v. Madison (1803), It is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is. This has been almost universally accepted for over 200 years. Nevertheless the Courts standing as an institution is dependent on the public respect for its decisions. Without respect there is no obedience, and without obedience there can be no rule of law.

When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down school segregation in Brown v. Board of Education (1952) there was local resistance that necessitated additional court action, as well as enforcement by the federal government to tear down the wall of separate but equal. Likewise when the Court in Loving v. Virginia (1967) held that Virginia could not ban interracial marriage, there was resistance in several southern states to issuing marriage licenses to inter-racial couples. This too was met with federal court intervention and federal executive enforcement action. In time of course, the resistance waned in both cases and ultimately failed. Whether resistance to the Obergefell decision is more than just talk remains to be seen. What is not in doubt is that lower courts are bound by the decision and federal judges must follow it. Furthermore, the Obama Administration will most certainly mobilize the vast resources of the federal government to see that the Courts decision is respected.

Rather than encouraging public officials to defy the Court, those leaders who disagree with the Courts decision should continue to encourage discussion, promote greater outreach to establish helpful coalitions and work to build stronger public support for religious liberty. They will need it.

The Obergefell decision has set the stage for a number of legal challenges related to religious liberty, including the obligation of private churches and individuals to recognize and perform same-sex marriages, and the tax-exempt status of religious organizations that choose to discriminate for religious reasons on the basis of sexual orientation. The right to marry and the right of religious freedom are fundamental but neither is absolute. How our federal courts will balance and respect these competing fundamental rights going forward remains to be seen. Critics of the Obergefell decision would be better served focusing on these upcoming battles.

Many Americans were disappointed that a majority of the Supreme Court chose to redefine marriage and to take this issue out of the hands of the people. However, now that this question has been decided, at least for the foreseeable future, federal, state and local public officials who take an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States have a responsibility to see that this decision is followed. Public officials may certainly voice their disagreement and even be openly critical of the decision. After all, the Court has made mistakes before and has had to reverse itself.

It would seriously undermine the rule of law if an American citizen can be denied a fundamental right by the deliberate acts of public officials and have no recourse. To the extent there is ever resistance to a decision by the Supreme Court it should come in a manner consistent with the rule of law.
Carly Fiorina is on the rise. The lone female amid the crop of hopefuls seeking the GOP presidential nomination has shot up in the polls following her performance in the first Republican debate. Once relegated to the kids table, next week she will be on the main stage with the top-tier candidates. She is seen as a fresh face with the business acumen necessary to shake up the Washington establishment.

Fiorina is a failed CEO, a failed Senate candidate, and unlikely to appeal to Latino voters. Though she may talk a good game, she is not presidential material.  Raul A. Reyes

Dont believe the hype. In reality, Fiorinas time at Hewlett-Packard (HP) is widely considered a failure. She has been no friend to the Latino community. Although her campaign slogan is Carly for America, a more accurate description of her political philosophy would be I, Carly.

Earlier this year Fiorina said, I come from a world outside politics, where track records and accomplishments count. That sounds good. But a closer look at her tenure as chief executive of Hewlett-Packard reveals a business record the New York Times rightly calls not so sterling.

During her tenure as CEO, Fiorina fired 30,000 people and off-shored U.S. jobs. Under her leadership, the company found ways around international sanctions so that HP could continue trading with Iran. Arianna Packard, the granddaughter of HP founder David Packard, said Fiorinas leadership almost destroy(ed) the company.

Fiorina herself was ultimately fired by Hewlett-Packard after the companys stock dropped by half in 2005 following a disastrous merger with Compaq (one industry leader called it the dumbest deal of the decade). Yet she walked away with $21 million in cash, plus $19 million in pension and stock benefits. So the only person who seems to have truly gained from Fiorinas business expertise is Fiorina.

In playing up her corporate background as qualifying her for the presidency, Fiorina overlooks a critical distinction between the private and public sector. A CEO is only accountable to shareholders. A CEO can fire low-achievers, or get rid of people they dont like, in pursuit of profits. By contrast, our president is accountable to all Americans. The leader of our country must do his or her best for everyone, in pursuit of myriad goals. For the president, there is no tool like layoffs to solve problems like homelessness, energy policy, or an intransigent Congress.

Whats more, Fiorina is generally on the wrong side of issues that are important to Latinos. She is against a path to citizenship for the undocumented, although she has stated that she would support legal status for some people after the border is secured (which is usually Republican code for never). She wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which has provided millions of Latinos with health insurance. She is against raising the federal minimum wage, which could raise wages for Hispanics by as much as $8.5 billion. She came out in support of Arizonas SB 1070, the controversial papers, please law, as an unsuccessful candidate for senator from California in 2010. No wonder she only received 29 percent of the Latino vote in that race; California's Latino voters saw through her and soundly rejected her

It is ironic that Fiorina is back on the campaign trail, considering that for much of her adult life, she didnt bother to vote at all. In fact, when she ran for senator, her failure to vote became a campaign issue. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that she voted in only 5 of 18 national, state, and local elections while she lived in California, and that she previously lived in New Jersey (for ten years) and in Maryland without voting once. Voting is one of the basic tests of civic responsibility  and Fiorina failed it.

To her credit, Fiorina did support the DREAM Act. But she opposes a paid maternity leave mandate by the government, and has dismissed equal pay legislation as tokens. She also supported Californias infamous Prop 8, which stripped away the rights of same-sex couples before being struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013. And the statistics that she frequently cites as proof that she helped grow HPs business came from acquisitions, not from increased profits. Other than her ability to aggressively go after Hillary Clinton without being labeled misogynistic, there is little to recommend Fiorinas candidacy.

Fiorina is a failed CEO, a failed Senate candidate, and unlikely to appeal to Latino voters. Though she may talk a good game, she is not presidential material.
Ted Cruz said on Wednesday that since he joined the Senate in 2013 he was been waging his own war against the cartels.

No, the Republican presidential candidate is not fighting the Mexican drug organizations operating across the border from his home state of Texas, but instead the one he says is making moves inside the D.C. Beltway. And that, he said, makes him ideally suited to take the White House come 2016.

"If youve never taken on the Washington cartel, youre not going to magically start once you take office," Cruz told a group gathered at the conservative Heritage Foundation, according to the Dallas Morning News.

Cruz has consistently picked fights with members of the Senate  both Democrat and Republican  since joining its ranks and has often buddied up with House conservatives, urging them to defy House leaders and earning him the derisive nickname "Speaker Cruz."

Most recently, Cruz accused House Speaker John A. Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of agreeing to vote on renewing the Export-Import Bank if pro-trade Democrats would vote for trade promotion authority, or TPA.

"Too calculating to be puckish, but maybe too mischievous to actually be effective, Cruz has made a name for himself by challenging GOP leadership in both chambers," Matt Fuller and Matthew Fleming wrote for Roll Call. "While his actual legislative achievements have been few, hes shown an ability to rack up political wins, to score points against both sides, Democrats and Republicans."

During his talk at the Heritage Foundation, Cruz rejected the disparagement  from both parties  that he is self-centered and selfish, as he also railed against lobbyists and career politicians.

"If Im selfish, then I must be a blithering idiot. Because who selfishly would welcome the derision, the abuse, your fundraising shut off from this town, nasty press stories written one after the other after the other, all planted by Republicans?" Cruz said.

He added: "You know what the selfish thing to do is? Come here and smile. Give an empty speech, bloviate occasionally at a think tank. Vote with the crowd. Dont rock the boat. You go to the parties, lobbyists write you checks. It is not hard to coast and stay in office forever."

The speech at the Heritage Foundation came a day before the outspoken Texan called the Supreme Courts decision to allow health care subsidies a move that would harm millions of Americans.

"I have made repeal of this disastrous law a top priority since the first day I arrived in the Senate and have made its repeal central to my campaign," Cruz said in a press release. "Any candidate not willing to do the sameand campaign on it every dayshould step aside."

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Wael Shalaby resigned on Saturday following last week's arrest of another State Council official Gamal El-Laban, who was charged with receiving bribes worth millions of Egyptian pounds

Former Secretary-General of Egypt's State Council Wael Shalaby was arrested on Sunday and given a 44-day detention pending investigation on corruption charges, state news agency MENA reported.

Shalaby resigned from his post on Saturday days after a procurement manager at the State Council, Gamal El-Laban, was arrested and charged with receiving bribes worth millions of Egyptian pounds.

Shalaby also faces accusations of receiving a bribe while in office.

According to the Administrative Control Authority, which is responsible for enforcing laws and regulations within state bodies, El-Laban was found to be in possession of EGP 24 million, USD 4 million, 2 million euros and 1 million Saudi Riyals, in addition to gold accessories, real estate assets and cars.

Images of the seized assets, including large sums of cash, have gone viral on official and social media in Egypt.

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There's been a good deal of talk recently about Sen. Marco Rubio having a good shot at making it on to the Republican presidential ticket. The problem for Rubio, however, is that his name might not be exactly where he wants it to be.

From television talk show hosts to Rubio's fellow GOP presidential contenders, the Florida lawmaker's name has been mentioned more than once as a possible candidate for vice president.

GOP presidential candidate and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina added to the Rubio VP chatter on Thursday during an appearance on Fox News' "Hannity."

"I think he is a politician with a great future," she said. "I think he would make a great veep."

While Fiorina may be the most recent GOP challenger to say that Rubio is a good vice president material, the name that most frequently crops up when the Florida senator is mentioned as a potential vice president is Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker

"I've actually had quite a few people  grassroots supporters, donors, and others  who have made that suggestion," Walker told Bloomberg Politics about a possible Walker-Rubio ticket.

"For now, you know, Marco is a quality candidate," he added. "He's going to be formidable in this race as things progress. And if we were to get in ... we'll see where things take us."

Walker, who isn't expected to declare his candidacy officially until July when his state completes a two-year budget plan, has talked favorably about the possibility of sharing a ticket with Rubio. Walker has even hinted about the two joining forces before the Iowa Caucus in February 2016 as a way to stand out in a very crowded GOP field.

The governor said that while he generally favors candidates with more executive experience than senators and congressmen, he's impressed with Rubio's stances on national defense and foreign policy and sees a joint ticket featuring two politicians in their 40s as a positive thing in a race dominated by people in their 60s and 70s.

"We'd just probably have to arm wrestle over who would be at the top of the ticket," Walker said.

When asked about a joint ticket with Walker, Rubio said that he is open to the idea as long as their names are in a certain order.

"A Walker-Rubio ticket may be fine, but it's got to be in alphabetical order," Rubio said, according to the Washington Post.

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Thursday's Supreme Court ruling validating federal health insurance subsidies for nearly 6.4 million Americans had consumers breathing a sigh of relief that they would be able to afford their policies, but the reaction was markedly different from governors and lawmakers in states that have fought against the Affordable Care Act.

Many of them strengthened their calls to repeal the act, setting the tone for what will likely be a common GOP refrain during next year's presidential campaign.

Florida would have been ground zero for the aftermath, with more than 1.3 million people relying on the federal subsidies. Setting up a state exchange was a political non-starter. Republican Gov. Rick Scott and House Republicans strongly opposed a Senate bill that would have created one as well as expand Medicaid.

Scott and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a Republican presidential candidate, both reaffirmed their commitment to repealing the law Thursday.

"It's a bad law," Scott told reporters. "It's made promises after promises."

Texas, like many of the 34 Republican-led states relying on the exchange, had no backup plan if the court had struck down the subsidies. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott had no interest in setting up a state exchange for the 832,000 Texans relying on the federal tax credits that lowered their monthly premiums.

"The Supreme Court abandoned the Constitution to resuscitate a failing health care law," Abbott, a Republican, said in a statement. "Today's action underscores why it is now more important than ever to ensure we elect a President who will repeal Obamacare and enact real health care reforms."

He and other GOP governors said it would have been up to the president and Congress to fix it.

At issue in the case were the subsidies given by the federal government to consumers in the 34 states that relied on the federal health insurance exchange. A handful of words in the Affordable Care Act suggested the subsidies were to go only to consumers using exchanges operated by the states. In its 6-3 ruling, the high court said those subsidies did not depend on where people live.

The court's decision to allow the subsidies to continue was a relief to many who had purchased health insurance policies through the federal exchange.

Among them is Jennifer Greene, a 58-year-old from Boca Raton, Florida, who feared she would have to go without insurance if she lost her $547-a-month tax credit.

She had insurance through her job at a large grocery store chain but lost it because she missed too much work following surgery to remove part of her colon, which required lengthy follow-up care.

Greene signed up for a mid-level insurance plan in February, paying $25 a month after the tax credit. She was able to keep her primary care doctor and has relied heavily on the insurance to cover follow-up appointments with specialists and a hernia surgery.

"Those things are not affordable without insurance," she said Thursday. "Having the insurance makes the difference of staying healthy or ignoring your health issues."

With the coverage expansion under the law, about 90 percent of Americans now have health care. After the Supreme Court ruling, the focus will shift to those who remain uninsured. But closing the gap will mean convincing some 20 states that have resisted the law's Medicaid expansion to drop their opposition.

The biggest payoff could come if Texas and Florida expand their programs, but governors and legislators in those states have blocked all Medicaid expansion efforts.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a potential Republican presidential candidate, called on Congress to repeal and replace the law, saying Obama's signature domestic policy achievement had failed the American people. Some 183,000 Wisconsin residents are getting health insurance through the exchange.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, another potential GOP presidential contender, said in a Twitter message that "leaders must turn our attention to making the case that ObamaCare must be replaced."

Gov. Phil Bryant was among several Mississippi Republican leaders who criticized the Supreme Court's decision.

"Today's decision does not change the fact that Obamacare is a socialist takeover of health care forced down the throats of the American people without proper review, and it does not slow the massive and unprecedented transfer of wealth that is at the heart of the subsidy system," Bryant said.

Pennsylvania was one of the few states that had applied to set up a state exchange, but Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf said he would withdraw those plans given Thursday's ruling.

As the law's opponents regroup, consumers say they are grateful the court allowed the federal premium subsidies to continue.

Shawn Turner of Cisco, Illinois, finished chemotherapy for uterine cancer last summer and relies on the $830-a-month in tax credit she and her husband receive for regular follow-up scans to make sure the cancer is gone. If the court had struck down the subsidies, she said they would have had to dip into their savings or start selling their possessions to pay for their insurance.

"I'm just so relieved and happy, not just for me but for everyone who's being helped by this," said Turner, 55.

Cindy Williams, a 63-year-old breast cancer and liver cancer survivor from Texas, receives a federal premium subsidy of more than $500 a month. She said she would not be able to afford to go to the doctor or buy her medications without it.

Williams, who lives in the Austin suburb of Pflugerville, said she was thrilled to hear about the court's ruling.

"I am so happy because that means that I can keep my insurance, that I can stay healthy and move on with my life," she said.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) says that the biggest challenge to preventing terrorist attacks in terms of intelligence gathering are so-called "lone wolves," such as the one suspected of attacking an American gas factory in southeastern France.

Menendez, the former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that the terrorist attacks in Tunisia, France and Kuwait which killed scores of people on Friday show the modern-day security challenges.

It seems that there is some sort of coordination going on, to have all these acts taking place on the same day, Menendez told Fox News Latino. Its both alarming and incredibly upsetting.

The biggest challenge," he noted, "is the operation of a lone wolf." Menendez said that in such cases, "its more difficult to gather surveillance" than when a state or a terror organization are involved.

Interpol said its Lyon, France, headquarters is in close contact with authorities in the four nations' capitals. Interpol Secretary-General Juergen Stock said the four attacks Friday "show the truly global dimension to current terrorist threats."

French President Francois Hollande says he is raising the security alert to the highest level for three days in the region where the attack took place.

Hollande spoke after a high-level security meeting Friday afternoon, hours after the attack on the factory left two people wounded. In addition, a local businessman was found decapitated at the factory site, along with banners carrying Arabic inscriptions.

French police say they have the main suspect in custody, along with the suspect's wife and others.

Hollande says the key question is to determine whether there were any accomplices.

Also on Friday, Menendez urged Secretary of State John Kerry in a letter to end nuclear talks with Iran, saying that country's leaders are making unacceptable demands that the United States should not meet.

Menendez noted that Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said an inspection of Iran's military sites is one of our red lines, which they will not agree to.

Khamenei also has called on the U.S. and others to lift sanctions against Iran immediately when we sign a nuclear agreement. He rejected a long-term freeze on nuclear research.

These demands are unacceptable  they presuppose that the government of Iran will act in good faith, when it has shown itself in the past to be an untrustworthy negotiating partner, Menendez said in his letter. If Iranian negotiators intend to adhere to the provisions demanded by Ayatollah Khamenei and Irans parliament, I urge you to suspend the current negotiations with Iran.

The Iranian regime had spent decades deceiving the international community, it stands in violation of its international commitments, Menendez wrote, and it continues to deny the International Atomic Energy Agency access to its facilities and answers to questions about its nuclear-related military activities.

Kerry subsequently suggested that Khamenei's comments were made when he was speaking to a domestic audience appreciative of a hard-line stance and said that a deal was out of reach if Tehran also reneges on its commitments at the negotiating table.

A deal that allows sanctions to be lifted before Irans government meets its obligations, without intrusive inspections to safeguard against a continued covert nuclear program, Menendez said, and that leaves Iran as a threshold nuclear state is a bad deal that threatens the national security of America and our allies and must be rejected.

Menendezs letter to Kerry comes as negotiators work to reach an agreement by the June 30 deadline.

Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Iran's top negotiator, told the country's IRNA news agency, "on the whole, we are making headway," but progress was hard.

While Iran and the six countries agreed in April on the outlines of a deal that would limit Tehran's nuclear activities for at least 10 years in return for sanctions relief, negotiators are finding it difficult to fine-tune which sanctions would be lifted, when, as well as how open Iran must be to outside monitoring.

Complicating issues, said Araghchi, was the fact that the six nations Iran is negotiating with also differ in approach "in certain topics ... which may not be harmonized easily." He did not offer details.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Thousands of people in Puerto Rico celebrated Friday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling to allow gay marriage as authorities rushed to approve legislation extending marriage rights in the socially conservative U.S. territory.

Just hours after the court's decision, Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla signed an executive order requiring government agencies to become compliant with the ruling within 15 days. As a result, the island's Health Department and other agencies are expected to begin issuing marriage licenses by early next month.

Justice Secretary Cesar Miranda said that while it was not immediately clear whether the ruling also meant that gay couples in Puerto Rico could now adopt, he said he would accept and support the change.

Miranda praised the Supreme Court ruling as "a huge step in the quest for equal rights. You cannot deny people the right to love."

All U.S. Supreme Court rulings apply in the U.S. territory.

Several gay couples in Puerto Rico previously had filed a lawsuit challenging local laws including those that prohibit same-sex marriage and the recognition of such marriages. The island's Justice Department originally fought the lawsuit but announced earlier this year it would no longer defend the laws. The case then was put on hold pending a Supreme Court ruling.

Supporters of the ruling gathered at the seaside Capitol building to celebrate, while religious leaders across the island rejected it.

Monsignor Daniel Fernandez, Catholic bishop of the northern city of Arecibo, said he would continue to protect the institution of marriage as it is meant to be: "By nature, marriage exists and can only exist between a man and a woman," he said.

Garcia acknowledged opponents in a statement, saying, "I ask all of those who are people of faith like me to understand that no one is allowed to impose their religious beliefs on others."

Some lamented that Puerto Rico did not take the initiative to allow gay marriage, and they asked the government to ensure that other marginalized groups including transgender people also receive equal treatment.

"It's time to truly make Puerto Rico into a more fair and equal society, and not depend on decisions from the outside to achieve this," said Jose Rodriguez, spokesman for the group Heterosexuals in Favor of Equality.

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For the second time in two days, the Supreme Court struck at the heart of the Republican Party platform.

Yet the response to Friday's ruling to give same-sex couples the right to marry was mild in comparison with the outrage that followed the high court's decision Thursday to uphold President Barack Obama's health care law. Friday's ruling instead drew tepid responses from several Republicans who, in many cases, would like that issue to fade away.

The sharp contrast highlights the political challenges for a Republican Party searching for a winning playbook in 2016.

The GOP's presidential class is ready to bet big that their opposition to Obama's health care law will again resonate with voters. But facing a seismic shift in public opinion on gay marriage, several of the party's most ambitious appear ready to turn the page on a social issue the GOP used for a generation to motivate its most passionate voters to turn out at the polls.

Perhaps no Republican presidential candidate better illustrated the contrast than former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who was ready with a fiery statement and a video entitled "This is not the end of the fight" to decry the Supreme Court's affirmation of the Affordable Care Act.

In a fundraising email, he warned that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton would offer "more of the same."

"That is why I need you to make a one-time emergency contribution of $50, $25 or $10 to my campaign to ensure that NEVER happens," the email said.

A day later, after the marriage ruling, Bush made no such fundraising pitch, offering only a one-paragraph statement. States should be allowed to make the decision, he said, adding, "I also believe that we should love our neighbor and respect others, including those making lifetime commitments."

Polls show what's motivating the temperance of some in the GOP: Americans are now more likely than not to support same-sex marriage, with some surveys showing as many as 6 in 10 in favor. The shift over 10 years has been dramatic. Polling by the Pew Research Center found support for same-sex marriage growing from 36 percent in 2005 to 57 percent in a poll conducted in May.

While most Republicans remain opposed to same-sex marriage, 59 percent of those between ages 18 and 34 supported marriage rights for gay couples in Pew's most recent poll.

To be sure, several Republicans running for president condemned the court's same-sex marriage decision and pledged to continue to fight. "Marriage between a man and a woman was established by God, and no earthly court can alter that," said Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who entered the race this week.

"It doesn't settle anything," National Organization for Marriage president Brian Brown said in an interview before the ruling, comparing the gay marriage decision to the landmark abortion decision Roe vs. Wade. "It's just like Roe. Do you think Roe settled the abortion debate?"

The anti-gay marriage organization has given each Republican presidential contender two weeks to return a signed pledge that, among other things, locks candidates into supporting a federal constitutional amendment "that protects marriage as the union of one man and one woman."

Some members of the GOP field signaled their openness to that idea Friday. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker called Friday's ruling "a grave mistake" and said "the only alternative left for the American people is to support an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to reaffirm the ability of the states to continue to define marriage."

Still, several GOP candidates  Bush and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio among them  have said they would not support such an amendment. Rubio was also among those who tried to stake a middle ground Friday.

"While I disagree with this decision, we live in a republic and must abide by the law," Rubio said, echoing a statement by Ohio's Republican Gov. John Kasich, who is expected to enter the 2016 contest in the coming weeks.

"The governor has always believed in the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman, but our nation's highest court has spoken and we must respect its decision," Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols said.

Unlike the marriage issue, Republican opposition to health care needs no qualifiers. The first paid advertisement in response to the court's health care ruling came within an hour from Americans for Prosperity, a nonprofit advocacy founded by billionaire energy executives Charles and David Koch.

"We've been fighting this law for six years, and we're going to make sure it stays right on the front burner," said Tim Phillips, president of Americans for Prosperity. "We've always known repeal would be a long-term effort. We've never counted on the courts to do it for us. This law is fatally flawed and unpopular, so it makes perfect sense for candidates to keep talking about how it's harming people."

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A bipartisan delegation of U.S. senators was in Cuba on Friday to meet with top government officials and others to discuss rapprochement between the two countries.

The United States and Cuba announced on Dec. 17 they would move to restore diplomatic ties that were severed more than 50 years ago, but talks on reopening embassies have yet to yield an agreement six months later.

Asked when that might happen, Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy said, "the sooner the better."

"I'm glad to see things are changing between our countries, and the more they change, the faster they change, the better for both countries," he said in brief remarks as the lawmakers left their Havana hotel and boarded a bus.

Leahy, who has traveled to Cuba multiple times, was leading a group that also included fellow Democrat Ben Cardin of Maryland and Republican Dean Heller of Nevada.

The senators met with Cuba's first vice president and heir-apparent to Raul Castro, Miguel Diaz-Canel.

A statement from the U.S. State Department said the delegation also would meet with religious leaders, ambassadors and others in Havana and the eastern city of Santiago.

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Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz's father was a 1950s Cuban revolutionary who longed to slip into the island's eastern mountains and join Fidel Castro's guerrilla army.

At 17, Rafael Cruz led a group of insurgents staging urban sabotage against Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. Cruz was eventually jailed and tortured, and upon his release wanted the underground to help him personally reach Castro's camp in the Sierra Maestra highlands.

"My dad asked if he could join Castro in the mountains and keep fighting," the firebrand Republican presidential candidate writes in his book, "A Time For Truth," which is being released Tuesday. "But he was told there was no way to get to the rebels."

Instead, the elder Cruz bribed his way to a Cuban exit visa and headed to the University of Texas.

He returned home shortly after Castro seized power in 1959 but, Ted Cruz writes, was appalled to see Castro had "declared to the world that he was a communist." Castro didn't formally call his revolution socialist until the eve of the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961.

The Cruzes have long admitted that Rafael was an early Castro sympathizer. But Ted Cruz's memoir  a copy of which The Associated Press purchased  provides new details about his desire personally fight alongside the guerrilla leader.

The Cuban government hasn't commented about Rafael Cruz, making the anecdotes difficult to confirm. But Ted Cruz also writes that his father had planned to join Castro and help attack an army barracks in the city of Santiago in 1956, but didn't because Castro was delayed in returning to Cuba from Mexico.

Today, the 76-year-old Rafael Cruz is a pastor who frequently quotes scripture in anti-government speeches to grassroots groups. He's compared Barack Obama to a young Castro.

Ted Cruz writes that his father didn't open up about being tortured in Cuban jails until the future senator was a teenager, when the pair went to See "Rambo." The movie features scenes where the title character is tortured.

The son describes how his father says he was beaten with clubs and kicked in the head. That's also difficult to confirm, but the book includes a Rafael Cruz mug shot where his nose appears to be broken.

In the book, Cruz briefly tells how his elder half-sister, Miriam, died of a drug overdose in 2011. He discusses his wife, Heidi's, bouts of depression in 2005, which he chalks up to her having trouble adjusting to Texas life after the couple moved to Austin from Washington.

Ted Cruz also recalls heading to Maine in 2009 to meet former President George H.W. Bush  whose son Jeb is now one of Cruz's 2016 presidential campaign rivals. Cruz was invited to go sailing but was wearing a suit, so Bush loaned him clothes, including a "President of the United States" belt buckle.

Cruz writes that the borrowed duds felt "surreal."

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New gun control measures are not the way to prevent mass killings such as the shooting deaths of nine people in a South Carolina church, Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush said Saturday.

Bush, who plans to meet with black ministers in Charleston, South Carolina, on Monday, said identifying potentially violent people before they commit such crimes is a better approach than further restrictions on gun ownership.

"We as a society better figure out how we identify these folks long before they feel compelled to take up a gun and kill innocent people," the former Florida governor said at a town hall meeting.

Afterward, he told reporters gun control was an issue that should be sorted out at the state level.

"Rural areas are very different than big, teeming urban areas," he said.

The comments came less than a day after President Barack Obama eulogized one of the nine people shot to death June 17 at Emmanuel African Methodist Church in Charleston. During his remarks, Obama recalled episodes in Aurora, Colorado, and Newtown Connecticut, to again, suggest Americans seek tighter restrictions.

"For too long, we've been blind to the unique mayhem that gun violence inflicts upon this nation. Sporadically, our eyes are open," Obama said. "But I hope we also see the 30 precious lives cut short by gun violence in this country every single day."

Bush also told reporters that he was disappointed in both Supreme Court rulings from the last week that upheld President Obama's health care overhaul and legalized gay marriage nationwide.

He said he would repeal the health care law if elected, replacing it with high-deductible, low-premium catastrophic coverage.

As for gay marriage, Bush said he believes in traditional marriage between a man and a woman but indicated he wouldn't fight the court's ruling.

He said long-term loving relationships should be respected as well as a person's ability to express their religious beliefs.

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The Supreme Court said Monday it will dive back into the fight over the use of race in admissions at the University of Texas, a decision that presages tighter limits on affirmative action in higher education.

The justices said they will hear for a second time the case of a white woman who was denied admission to the university's flagship Austin campus.

The conservative-leaning federal appeals court in New Orleans has twice upheld the university's admissions process, including in a ruling last year that followed a Supreme Court order to reconsider the woman's case.

The case began in 2008 when Abigail Fisher, who is white, was denied admission to the University of Texas's flagship Austin campus because she did not graduate in the top 10 percent of her high school class  the criterion for 75 percent of the school's admissions. The university also passed her over for a position among the remaining 25 percent, which is reserved for special scholarships and people who meet a formula for personal achievement that includes race as a factor.

The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2013. But rather than issue a landmark decision on affirmative action, it voted 7-1 to tell a lower appeals court to take another look at Fisher's lawsuit. That meant the university's admissions policies remained unchanged.

Last year, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals again upheld the university's admissions policy. Fisher is a graduate of Louisiana State University.

Justice Elena Kagan is not taking part in the case. She sat out the first round as well, presumably because of her work on the case when she served in the Justice Department before joining the court.

The case, Fisher v. University of Texas, 14-981, will be argued in the fall.

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Sen. Ted Cruz says that as far as hes concerned, the Supreme Court will not have the final word on issues such as same-sex marriage and President Barack Obamas federal healthcare program.

Cruz, a Texas Republican who is running for president, says he is making the Supreme Courts decision Friday to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide a front-and-center issue of his campaign. The day before that ruling, the nation's highest court upheld the Affordable Care Act against a challenge that had galvanized a lot of Republican support.

In media interviews over the weekend, Cruz characterized the country's top court as being out of control and says he wants justices elected rather than appointed and not to hold their positions indefinitely.

"This week in response to both of these decisions, I have called for another constitutional amendment  this one that would make members of the Supreme Court subject to periodic judicial retention elections," said Cruz in an interview with NPR.

"That is very much front-and-center something I intend to campaign on," Cruz said. "And marriage and religious liberty are going to be integral, I believe, to motivating the American people to come out and vote for what is, ultimately, restoring our constitutional system."

In an interview with Fox News on Friday night, Cruz said, Today is some of the darkest 24 hours in our nations history. Yesterday and today were both naked and shameless judicial activism.

Cruz says in no uncertain terms that he wants to show voters he is a true conservative, unlike some others who profess to be but whose actions do not match their words.

While several GOP presidential candidates have indicated that they favor traditional marriage between a man and a woman, they say they respect the Supreme Courts decision as the law of the land.

In fact, according to several published reports, some Republican contenders privately have expressed relief that the court essentially has closed the door on issues they did not want to deal with during the primaries.

Candidate and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush believes that same-sex marriage should be decided by states, but at the same time, he says, everyone is entitled to respect.

Sen. Marco Rubio, another Florida Republican also running for president, said he personally does not agree with same-sex marriage, but the Supreme Court decision is the law.

Cruz says he doesnt necessarily see a Supreme Court decision as the end of the argument. "The parties to a case cannot ignore a direct judicial order, but it does not mean that those who are not parties to a case are bound by a judicial order," he says.

As for Obamacare, he told NPR, "The Supreme Court's decision has made 2016 a referendum on repealing every single word of Obamacare."

"In the 2016 primary, you're going to have 15 candidates up there going, 'I'm conservative! No, no, I'm conservative!'" said Cruz.

"It's very easy for Republican politicians to stand up and say they oppose Barack Obama. That's not hard to do," he observed. "I think the question Republican primary voters should ask is, 'When have you stood up against the Washington cartel? When have you stood up against leaders in our own party?'"

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The decision by the top prosecutor was announced shortly after a defendant in the case reportedly committed suicide while in custody Monday morning

Egypts Prosecutor-General Nabil Sadek issued on Monday a media gag order on investigations conducted by state prosecution in a bribery case involving council officials.

In an official statement, Sadek ordered the gag for all broadcast media, as well as newspapers, magazines, and news websites until investigations are concluded.

The decision by the top prosecutor was announced shortly after a defendant in the case, former Secretary-General of Egypt's State Council Wael Shalaby, committed suicide while in custody on Monday.

Shalaby, who resigned from his post on Saturday, had been arrested on Sunday and given a 44-day detention pending investigation on corruption charges.

The order also comes days after another defendant in the case, procurement manager at the State Council Gamal El-Laban, was charged with receiving bribes worth millions of Egyptian pounds.

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In a blow to some lawmakers in the Grand Canyon state, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday sided with Arizona's system of having an independent commission redraw congressional districts.

The 5-4 outcome preserves efforts in 13 states to limit partisan influence in redistricting. Most notably, California uses an independent commission to draw electoral boundaries for its largest-in-the-nation congressional delegation.

Tension over the independent commission erupted after Arizona got an additional House seat primarily because of the states population growth, stemming from the increase of Hispanics. The commission redistricted the lines in response by creating four safe GOP districts, two Democratic ones, and three swing ones, two of them held by Democrats. Republicans, who controlled the state legislature, objected to the commissions redrawn map, preferring instead a fifth safe GOP seat.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote for the court that there is "no constitutional barrier to a state's empowerment of its people by embracing that form of lawmaking."

Justice Anthony Kennedy and Ginsburg's three liberal colleagues joined her opinion.

In dissent, Chief Justice John Roberts accused the majority of approving a "deliberate constitutional evasion."

States are required to re-draw maps for congressional and state legislative districts to account for population changes after the once-a-decade census.

The justices have been unwilling to limit excessive partisanship in redistricting, known as gerrymandering. A gerrymander is a district that is intentionally drawn, and sometimes oddly shaped, to favor one political party.

Rep. Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat, lauded the decision.

Arizona voters wisely chose to take redistricting out of the hands of the legislature to ensure the diverse communities and interests of our state were fairly represented in Congress," Gallego said in a statement. "Im glad the Supreme Court agreed with the wisdom of that decision and that Arizonans will continue to have the fair and competitive districts our voters deserve.

Republicans employed an enormously successful strategy to take advantage of the 2010 census, first by winning state legislatures and then using that control to draw House districts to maximize their power. One measure of their success: In 2012, Republicans achieved a 33-seat majority in the House, even though GOP candidates as a group got 1.4 million fewer votes than their Democratic opponents.

Independent commissions such as Arizona's "may be the only meaningful check" left to states that want to foster more competitive elections, the Obama administration said.

The argument against independent commissions rests in the Constitution's Election Clause, which gives state legislatures the power to set "the times, places and manners of holding elections for senators and representatives."

Only Arizona and California essentially remove the legislature from the process, the National Conference of State Legislatures said, in support of the Republican lawmakers in Arizona.

Lawmakers' only contribution in those states is picking commission members from a list devised by others. In the other states  Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Washington  lawmakers either get first crack at drawing districts, approve plans drawn by commissions or appoint commission members of their choosing, the conference said.

Supporters of the commissions point to more competitive races in both Arizona and California since the commissions were created.

The case is Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, 13-1314.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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Immigration authorities will consider housing transgender detainees based on the gender they identify with in the wake of criticism about detention conditions for the population, officials said on Monday.

Detention staff should consider transgender detainees' preferences when making decisions about housing and clothing and what pronouns should be used, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in new guidelines for the treatment of transgender detainees.

The agency will start tracking data for transgender detainees, train detention staff and draft individual detention plans for transgender detainees to deal with issues ranging from hormone therapy to safety, said Andrew Lorenzen-Strait, ICE's deputy assistant director of custody programs.

"ICE will allow for the placement of a transgender woman consistent with their gender identity, meaning that a transgender woman could be with biological females," said Lorenzen-Strait, who was also appointed as a national coordinator for issues related to gay, lesbian and transgender detainees.

The move did little to quell criticism from advocates who have urged the agency to release more transgender immigration detainees, citing their increased risk of sexual assault in detention. Last week, a heckler interrupted President Barack Obama's remarks at a gay pride event in Washington to protest the detention and deportation of gay, lesbian and transgender immigrants.

"This is all interesting on paper, to say the least, but we need to see how this actually plays out," said Raffi Freedman-Gurspan, a policy adviser for the National Center for Transgender Equality. "We don't think these folks should be in detention centers, period."

The guidance comes three years after the Department of Justice issued similar rules for transgender inmates. But even now many jails and prisons aren't following the rules and continue to house transgender inmates based on their genitalia or place them in solitary confinement purportedly for their protection, said Carl Takei, a staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union's National Prison Project.

"Most prisons and jails are still in the Dark Ages about these issues," Takei said.

Getting the rules put into practice may be tough for immigration officials, who house most detainees at contract facilities, Takei said.

ICE currently has about 60 transgender detainees. About 25 are housed in a special unit in Santa Ana, California, for transgender women and gay men. The rest are housed in different facilities across the country, mostly with the general population and consistent with their biological sex, Lorenzen-Strait said.

The agency currently houses about 31,000 detainees a day, he said.

Under the latest guidance, the agency said officials should consider a host of factors before detaining an individual, including transgender identity.

Given the population's small numbers and increased risk, transgender immigrants should be offered alternatives to detention, said Aaron Morris, legal director of Immigration Equality.

"When you're thinking about who should absolutely be released, pregnant women, people with severe health problems, transgender individuals, there are certain populations that weigh so heavily in favor of release that it is dumbfounding the knee-jerk reaction is always to detain," Morris said. "It's not in anyone's best interest."

But immigration enforcement advocate Jessica Vaughan, who is director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, said she worries that gender identity could trump other factors, such as flight risk, when making decisions about detention.

"In practice, this could become a double standard for transgender individuals that seems unprecedented," Vaughan wrote in an e-mail.

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President Barack Obama and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff will aim to show they have smoothed over tensions sparked by a spying scandal, as they open two days of talks at the White House Monday.

The meetings come nearly two years after Rousseff canceled a rare state visit to Washington following revelations that Brazil was a target of American spy programs. The disclosures by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden deeply strained relations between the two hemispheric powers.

Rather than rehash the spying controversy, officials from both countries say the leaders want to delve into talks on trade, investment and climate change.

"They are putting behind the Edward Snowden affair," said Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington think tank. "The meeting is to create good atmosphere, a good mood, establish communication and get the relationship back on solid footing."

Upon Rousseff's arrival at the White House, Obama took her on a tour to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. Obama described the "Stone of Hope" into which King's statue is carved and pointed out some of King's famous quotes along the memorial wall.

The leaders reunited Monday evening over a dinner of grilled lamb, spinach salad and coconut banana cake, the White House said. They were to hold more formal talks and a joint news conference on Tuesday.

The meeting comes six months before a United Nations-sponsored conference in Paris in December to finalize a climate treaty. Obama has argued that a gradually warming planet could worsen social tensions and political instability worldwide, in addition to harming the U.S.

Countries are making their positions on climate change clear ahead of the Paris talks. The U.S. already has announced a 2025 deadline to reduce emissions of heat-trapping gases by 26 percent to 28 percent below 2005 levels.

Brazil, the seventh largest economy, is one of the top emitters that has not presented pollution-control targets. Environment Minister Izabella Teixeira, who is traveling with Rousseff to Washington, has said that developed nations bear more responsibility than the developing world because of their emissions track record.

Brazil's first female president started her second term in January  Vice President Joe Biden attended her inauguration  but she since has been weighed down by low approval ratings, her country's poor economic performance and a massive corruption scandal involving Petrobras, a state-owned oil company. Tens of thousands of Brazilians filled streets across the country earlier this year to protest her leadership.

Snowden's disclosures showed that in addition to spying on Rousseff's communications, the NSA had hacked the oil company's computer network. Rousseff served on the company's board but has not been implicated in the scandal.

With Brazil bracing for recession, officials are emphasizing the economic agenda for the Obama-Rousseff meeting. The U.S. is Brazil's second-largest trading partner after China, exchanging $62 billion in trade flows. The U.S. announced Monday that it will allow imports of fresh beef from 14 states in Brazil, which the South American nation had long sought.

Carlos Eduardo de Freitas, an economist and former Central Bank executive director, said the White House meeting may invigorate Brazil as it seeks to reduce government spending to avoid being shunned in credit markets. Rousseff is traveling with 11 cabinet members and met with Brazilian businessmen and U.S. investment fund managers and government officials in New York to discuss infrastructure before arriving in Washington.

"The government needs to unshackle its economy," Freitas said.

The timing of Rousseff's trip was settled months ago; Obama announced it when the two met on the sidelines of a summit in Panama in April. But for Rousseff, being seen warmly received by an American president coming off one of the best weeks of his time in office could help her back home.

Obama rejoiced last week after the nation's highest court upheld a key aspect of his sweeping health care law and granted gay couples the right to marry nationwide. Congress also cleared legislation critical to his ambitious trade agenda, measures that days earlier were given up for dead.

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After a slew of recent shootings along the border and allegations of corruption throughout the Customs and Border Protection agency, a federal advisory council voted unanimously on Monday to make major changes to improve transparency and investigations into deadly-force cases by the Border Patrol.

The review, which was ordered by Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and led by New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton and former Drug Enforcement Administration head Karen Tandy, made a call for stricter rules to prohibit Border Patrol agents from shooting people who are unarmed or who dont present a deadly threat.

According to the Arizona Republic, no Border Patrol agent or officer has been charged or held accountable in the 50 cases in which agents or officers on duty killed someone over the past decade, including incidents in which agents shot unarmed teenagers in the back.

The report also noted that there is data indicating that arrests for corruption of CBP personnel far exceed, on a per capita basis, such arrests at other law-enforcement agencies." It blames part of this problem on the fact the CBP's Office of Internal Affairs has been "woefully understaffed due in large part to the cobbledtogether nature of the CBP and a score of other federal agencies to create the Department of Homeland Security in 2003.

One of the recommendations in the report is to increase the number of criminal investigators in the CBP's Office of Internal Affairs from the current 218 to at least 550 and give them control of investigating allegations of corruption, misconduct and excessive force by Border Patrol agents and CBP officers. The report also recommended the implementation of tighter guidelines to prevent Border Patrol agents from using deadly force when dealing with rock throwers or people in moving vehicles.

There have been a number of cases in recent years where Border Patrol agents have killed migrants or Mexican citizens across the borders, who have thrown rocks at them. Earlier this year, a federal appeals court ruled that a Border Patrol agent who killed a teenager when he fired across the border from Texas into Mexico cannot be sued in U.S. courts by the Mexican teen's family.

With the majority of the alleged offenses happening along the U.S.s southern border with Mexico, the report also recommended that the CBPs complaint system be improved to make it easier for Spanish speakers to be able to make complaints online or through call centers.

While the council members said that it was important to release these recommendations as soon as possible, retired DEA administrator Tandy admitted that their work was far from over.

"The work of this panel, frankly, has just begun," she said.

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Texas Sen. Ted Cruz lashed out Wednesday at President Barack Obama's decision to reopen the U.S. embassy in Cuba, calling the move a "slap in the face" to Israel.

The Republican presidential candidate said that Obama's move was "unacceptable and a slap in the face of a close ally," The Hill reported.

"The United States will have an embassy in Havana before one in Jerusalem," he added.

The embassy agreement marks the biggest tangible step toward normalizing relations since the surprise announcement in December that the U.S. and Cuba were restarting diplomatic ties. The posts in Washington and Havana are scheduled to open July 20, Cuba's Foreign Ministry said.

Cruz, a Cuban-American himself, has repeatedly tried to have the U.S. embassy in Israel moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and, along with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, has backed legislation to do away with a national security waiver that allows the administration to bypass a 1995 law to relocate the embassy to Jerusalem.

Known as the Jerusalem Embassy Act, the legislation has never been implemented because of opposition from Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, who view it as a Congressional infringement on the executive branch's constitutional authority over foreign policy.

The act also calls for Jerusalem to remain an undivided city and for it to be recognized as the capital of Israel. While Israel declared that the capital is Jerusalem, it is not internationally recognized and is pending a resolution of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict.

Both Cruz and Rubio, another Cuban-American and Republican presidential candidate, have sworn to make life difficult for the Obama administration in getting the confirmation of an ambassador to Havana until the White House deals with a number of issues including U.S. fugitives living in Cuba and travel restrictions on U.S. diplomats.

"I will hold any nominee President Obama sends to the Senate to be ambassador to Cuba, and I will work to disapprove any new funds for embassy construction in Havana, unless and until the President can demonstrate that he has made some progress in alleviating the misery of our friends, the people of Cuba," Cruz said in a statement.

Obama's announcement also drew the ire of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez said the Cuban government is the only one in the Western Hemisphere, "which the Obama administration has chosen to establish relations with, that is not elected by its citizens."

Menendez said the message from the administration is democracy and human rights take a back seat to a legacy initiative."

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., said in a statement that opening a U.S. Embassy in Cuba "will do nothing to help the Cuban people and is just another trivial attempt for President Obama to go legacy shopping."

President Obama on Wednesday reiterated his call for Congress to lift the embargo, which he said has failed to bring political change in Cuba. However, he faces stiff resistance from Republicans, as well as some Democrats, who say he is prematurely rewarding a government that engages in serious human rights abuses.

The president also will face strong opposition in Congress to spending any taxpayer dollars for building or refurbishing an embassy in Havana. Congress would have to approve any administration request to spend money on an embassy.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Former New York Gov. George Pataki has launched a broadside against Donald Trump over his controversial remarks on Mexican immigrants, sending an open letter this week to every other Republican presidential candidate urging them to "denounce his comments today."

The letter has, in turn, triggered a bitter Twitter feud between the two 2016 candidates, as Trump also spars with everyone from NBC to Macy's to the New York City government.

After Pataki tweeted a link to the letter (in which he cc'd Trump), Trump thundered back on Twitter:



Pataki is trailing in the polls as Trump enjoys a surge. But neither candidate is backing down.

In the open letter -- as well as in interviews with Fox News and Fox Business Network -- Pataki called Trump's comments "completely unacceptable."

The letter sent Wednesday to the 14 other declared and expected-to-declare GOP candidates accused them of being "silent when it comes to denouncing these sad and divisive remarks."

Pataki urged candidates to "stand up" and "denounce his comments today." He told FBN on Thursday that other candidates may be "afraid" to get into a fight with Trump.

The furor stems from Trump's campaign kickoff, where he said Mexican illegal immigrants are "bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists, and some, I assume, are good people."

The backlash to those remarks has built steadily over the past several days.

First Univision, and then NBC, pulled out of airing the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants that Trump co-owns.

Macy's said it was cutting ties with Trump and his menswear collection. New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, a Republican and a Latina, has condemned his comments. And New York City officials reportedly are reviewing city contracts with Trump.

Trump, though, is firing back at all his critics and standing by his remarks as "totally accurate."

"The border is a disaster," Trump told Fox News earlier this week. "People are pouring in, and I mean illegal people, illegal immigrants."

And, speaking to his specific claims during the kickoff rally, he cited figures that a high percentage of Central American women are raped crossing into the U.S.

"I love Mexican people. I have a tremendous relationship. I also respect Mexico, but Mexico is doing a tremendous number against the United States," Trump said, saying they're also "taking our manufacturing, and they're taking our money."

Trump, despite the backlash, is enjoying a surge in the presidential primary polls -- in key states, and nationally -- while Pataki remains at the back of the pack.

The latest Fox News national primary poll released last month showed Trump in second place, with 11 percent. Pataki had just 1 percent.

Pataki told Fox News that Trump's comments stand for "100-year-old rhetoric that is just completely wrong."

"My grandmother came from Ireland -- 100 years ago, they were saying the Irish were drunks. My grandfather came from Italy -- 100 years ago, they were saying they were all in the Mafia. This is the type of divisive rhetoric that I think is wrong," he said Wednesday.
Roman Catholic leaders in the early voting state of Iowa implored candidates for president Thursday to take up Pope Francis' call for "profound political courage" by focusing their campaigns as much on improving the environment and income inequality as they have on opposing gay marriage and abortion in past elections.

The vocal pivot from such traditional social issues marks the first time U.S. Catholic bishops have publicly asked those seeking the White House to heed the admonitions of Francis' June encyclical, said Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines.

In Francis' major teaching document, the leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics called for a "sweeping revolution" to correct a "structurally perverse" economic system that allows the rich to exploit the poor and has turned the Earth into an "immense pile of filth."

"These are going to be difficult decisions that have to be made," said the Rev. Bud Grant of Davenport, joined at a news conference by bishops from central and eastern Iowa. "Politicians have to have the courage to do the right thing, and not necessarily the politically expedient thing."

The push from bishops threatens to disrupt the historically reliable alliance of evangelical Christians and conservative Roman Catholic voters, putting pressure on Republicans who have leaned on their religious faith to guide them on social issues.

It will also focus attention on how the six Roman Catholics seeking the 2016 Republican presidential nomination will wrestle with a pope's teachings on economics and climate change that clash with traditional Republican ideology.

While Francis has condemned abortion and upheld marriage as the union of a man and a woman, he has not done so with anything approaching the frequency of his two predecessors. Instead, Francis has urged church leaders to talk less about such social issues and more about mercy and compassion, so that wayward Catholics would feel welcome to return to the church.

"Pope Francis hasn't changed church teaching, but he has given greater salience to social welfare and environmental issues, which has put Catholic Republicans in an awkward position," said John Green, director of the University of Akron's Bliss Institute of Applied Politics, "particularly if they want to also claim, like many of them do, that religion is important to them."

Francis is expected to highlight the issues in September when he makes his first visit to the U.S., where he will address a joint meeting of Congress as well as the U.N. General Assembly.

Bishops beyond politically important Iowa plan to do so as well. Church leaders in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Richmond, Virginia, plan events related to the encyclical in August, according to the Catholic Climate Covenant, which works with American bishops on the environment.

In Florida, Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski is planning sermons and events to amplify the pope's call for action to curb global warming. Wenski is the U.S. bishops' point person on the environment.

"There is today broad consensus among scientists that climate change presents real threat to human flourishing on this planet," Wenski said after the encyclical was released. "The church cannot be indifferent."

The GOP candidates vary marginally in their approach to the issues Francis addressed in the encyclical, in which he criticized deregulated free-market economics and argued that climate change was predominantly caused by humans. To date, most have taken the approach that Francis crossed beyond spiritual matters and into public policy.

Jeb Bush, for example, said he agrees with Francis that human activity has contributed to global warming, but does not go as far as the pope, who holds people, not nature, mainly responsible. "I don't go to Mass for economic policy or for things in politics," Bush added.

Campaigning in Iowa on Thursday, GOP presidential contender Bobby Jindal said Francis' call to regulate the economy to assist the poor overlooks the principle that a less constrained economy can benefit the poor.

"The best way to lift people out of poverty and improve incomes for men and women is to provide more good paying jobs," the Louisiana governor said in an emailed statement. And he said that's done with policies that help small businesses grow, not by government "edicts."

Bush and Jindal are Roman Catholic.

Their opinion is echoed by many conservative Republican activists in Iowa and elsewhere.

"I think he's got it all wrong," Loras Schulte, a Catholic and a state Republican committee member from northeast Iowa, said of Francis. "On matters of faith, I will certainly hear him. But these are not matters of faith."

Steve Scheffler, a Republican and leader in the state's evangelical Christian community, said Francis' writings may peel some Catholics away from the coalition of evangelical pastors and conservative priests united by their position on issues like abortion.

While Scheffler said that would be unlikely to affect the state's Republican caucuses in February, it could impact how Iowa votes in November 2016.

"You see a lot of coalitions of Catholics and evangelicals working on the life issue together," Scheffler said. "You could lose some Catholics to this. Some priests buy into that whole social justice, income distribution thing. But not all of them."

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Hispanic leaders are warning of harm to Republican White House hopes unless the party's presidential contenders do more to condemn Donald Trump, a businessman turned presidential candidate who's refusing to apologize for calling Mexican immigrants rapists and drug dealers.

Trump's comments, delivered in his announcement speech last month, have haunted the GOP for much of the last two weeks and dominated Spanish-language media. It's bad timing for a Republican Party that has invested significantly in Hispanic outreach in recent years, given the surging influence of the minority vote.

Yet several Republican candidates have avoided the issue altogether, while those who have weighed in have declined to criticize Trump as strongly as many Hispanic leaders would like.

"The time has come for the candidates to distance themselves from Trump and call his comments what they are: ludicrous, baseless and insulting," said Alfonso Aguilar, a Republican who leads the American Principles Project's Latino Partnership. "Sadly, it hurts the party with Hispanic voters. It's a level of idiocy I haven't seen in a long time."

The political and practical Trump-related fallout has intensified in recent days.

The leading Hispanic television network, Univision, has backed out of televising the Miss USA pageant, a joint venture between Trump and NBC, which also cut ties with Trump. On Wednesday, the Macy's department store chain, which carried a Donald Trump menswear line, said it was ending its relationship with him. Other retailers are facing pressure to follow suit.

The reaction from Republican presidential candidates, however, has often been far less aggressive.

In a recent interview on Fox News, conservative firebrand Ted Cruz insisted that Trump should not apologize.

"I like Donald Trump," said Cruz, a Texas senator who is Hispanic. "I think he's terrific. I think he's brash. I think he speaks the truth. And I think that NBC is engaging in political correctness that is silly and that is wrong."

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said simply that Trump is "wrong."

"Maybe we'll have a chance to have an honest discussion about it on stage," Bush said last weekend while campaigning in Nevada.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who often talks about his re-election margins with Latino voters, called Trump's comments "wholly inappropriate" during a news conference. In a subsequent radio interview, Christie described Trump as "a really wonderful guy (who's) always been a good friend."

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who declined to address Trump's comments directly for more than two weeks, took a more pointed tone in a statement Thursday evening. "Trump's comments are not just offensive and inaccurate, but also divisive," said Rubio, a Hispanic. "Our next president needs to be someone who brings Americans together  not someone who continues to divide."

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Thursday: "I don't think Donald Trump's remarks reflect the Republican Party."

Among others, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former technology executive Carly Fiorina and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson have been silent.

"We're listening very, very closely, not just what candidates say but what they don't say  the sins of commission and the sins of omission," said Rev. Gabriel Salguero, president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, who called Trump's comments "xenophobic rhetoric."

Trump is showing no sign of backing down.

"My statements have been contorted to seem racist and discriminatory," he wrote in a message to supporters on Thursday. "What I want is for legal immigrants to not be unfairly punished because others are coming into America illegally, flooding the labor market and not paying taxes."

"You can count on me to keep fighting," he continued.

In his announcement speech, Trump said Mexican immigrants are "bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."

Such rhetoric resonates with some of the Republican Party's most passionate voters, who have long viewed illegal immigration as one of the nation's most pressing problems. Yet GOP leaders have urged conservatives to adopt a more welcoming tone in recent years as Hispanic voters increasingly sided with Democrats.

Not since the 2004 re-election campaign of President George W. Bush has a Republican presidential candidate earned as much as 40 percent of the Hispanic vote. Mitt Romney got a dismal 27 percent in the 2012 contest against President Barack Obama.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton cast Trump's remarks as "emblematic" of a larger perception within the Republican Party.

"A recent entry into the Republican presidential campaign said some very inflammatory things about Mexican immigrants," she said in an interview last month. "Everyone should stand up and say that's not acceptable."

Meanwhile, the attention has helped Trump sell some books. "Trump: The Art of the Deal," first published in 1987, and a release from 2007, "Think Big and Kick Ass in Business and Life," were both in the top 2,000 on Amazon.com's best-seller list as of midday Thursday. "Think Big," co-written by Bill Zanker, was Amazon's top seller for personal finance.

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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Republican majority is unlikely to confirm an ambassador to Cuba as the United States prepares to re-open its embassy in the communist country after more than 50 years of hostile relations.

In a speech to a local chamber of commerce in Kentucky, McConnell called Cuba "a thuggish regime" that is "a haven for criminals" fleeing prosecution in the United States.

"I'm having a hard time figuring out what we got out of this, you know? You would think that the normalization of relations with Cuba would be accompanied by some modification of their behavior," McConnell said. "I don't see any evidence at all that they are going to change their behavior. So I doubt if we'll confirm an ambassador, they probably don't need one."

Democratic President Barack Obama has urged Congress to lift the country's trade embargo with Cuba as part of his effort to re-establish ties with the island nation. But McConnell noted Thursday that many of the restrictions placed on Cuba would require legislation, "and we're going to resist that."

"It is a police state that is mired in the '50s and '60s," he said. "You've seen any film down there, they are still driving cars that are in a museum here. Cars from the '50s and '60s in use. They must be pretty good mechanics. So I don't know how it ends, but I do think there is going to be resistance."

McConnell's comments were part of a larger criticism of Obama's foreign policy initiatives, saying that he "can't think of a single place, not one, where we're in better shape now than we were when he came into office." But McConnell said he is seeking common ground with Obama to accomplish some things at home, including passing legislation to keep the federal Highway Trust Fund solvent.

"Let me make it very clear the federal government is not going to pass a gas tax increase," he said. "That obviously restricts what you do on the highway bill."

Instead, McConnell said he favors taking money away from things like mass transit and bike paths and spending it on roads and bridges. But he noted that likely would not pass.

"Before the end of this month, we will pass a highway bill of some duration," McConnell said. "I cannot tell you how long the duration will be."

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2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney will be hosting two rival Republican presidential contenders at a holiday sleepover Friday evening.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio will both be staying over at Romney's property in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, an aide to Romney confirmed.

The aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of what the aide called the private nature of the event, said the former governor and his wife opened their home to the Christie and Rubio families after hearing they would be in town for the holiday weekend. Both candidates are scheduled to march in Wolfeboro's Fourth of July parade.

Christie, who formally jumped into the race this week, told reporters in New Hampshire Friday that he was grateful for the invitation.

"I suspect there might be a little politics discussed tonight with Mitt and Ann, but me and Mary Pat, and Andrew and Sarah are really happy that Mitt and Ann invited us to stay with them tonight," he said, according to video posted by NJ.com.

A Rubio spokesman declined to comment.

Romney had considered another run for president in 2016, but announced in January that he'd decided against it. His endorsement is now coveted.

The Washington Post reported Friday night that Romney would meet next week with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, another GOP contender, at the Bush family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine.

Christie was a top surrogate for Romney's 2012 campaign and was considered a potential vice presidential contender. But he continues to receive heat in some Republican circles for leaving the trail and embracing President Barack Obama after New Jersey was hit by Superstorm Sandy just before the election.

Christie's campaign also announced some of its top staffers Friday.

The campaign will be managed by Ken McKay, who formerly worked for the Republican National Committee and Republican Governors Association.

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Cairo criminal court sentenced on Monday two low-ranking police officers to 10 and seven years in prison respectively for sexually assaulting a young woman from Shubra neighborhood in Cairo.

The case dates back to January 2015, when the general prosecution referred the two policemen to court after it charged them with kidnapping a female, assaulting her, committing an indecent action in public, and arresting her without a prosecution's order.

The investigations revealed that the two policemen had stopped the car in which the woman and a man were in, forced the woman to accompany them, took her in their police vehicle to a remote area, took off her clothes and assaulted her. The victim's screaming forced the policemen to flee.

The two policemen, who had been released on bail of EGP 3,000 during the trial, can appeal the verdict.

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Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush says he is personally offended by rival Donald Trump's recent remarks about Mexico and immigrants and calls the remarks far outside the mainstream of Republican thought.

"I don't think he represents the Republican Party, and his views are way out of the mainstream of what Republicans think," Bush told reporters after marching in Fourth of July parades in Amherst and Merrimack, New Hampshire.

"No one suggests that we shouldn't control our borders - everybody has a belief that we should control our borders," he said. "But to make these extraordinarily ugly kind of comments is not reflective of the Republican Party. Trump is wrong on this."

Bush's wife was born in Mexico, and when he was asked if he took Trump's remarks personally, he responded: "Yeah, of course. Absolutely. And a lot of other people as well."

When Trump announced his presidential bid last month, he criticized Mexico and immigrants who come to the U.S. illegally. "They're bringing drugs," he said. "They're bringing crime. They're rapists."

In spite of earlier criticism from Bush and other Republicans and companies moving to cut business ties to Trump, the real estate mogul has defended his remarks.

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The Gray Lady has Sen. Marco Rubio seeing red.

Again.

The Florida Republican presidential candidate is assailing yet another New York Times story about him as a hatchet job.

The story ran on Monday depicting Rubio, who is the son of Cuban immigrants, as intensely disliked in Cuba, including the part of the island from which his ancestors hailed.

If Marco Rubio becomes president, were done for, said Hector Montiel, 66, in an interview conducted in Havana by the Times. Hes against Cuba in every possible way. Hillary Clinton understands much more the case of Cuba.

The Times said that Cubans on the island say that even as their country and the United States are moving to another level politically  re-establishing diplomatic relations after more than 50 years, and preparing to reopen embassies in Havana and Washington D.C.  Rubio prefers that a wall remain between the two countries.

Rubio and these Republicans, they are still stuck in 1959, the Times quoted Montiel as saying.

Another Cuban, Alain Marcelo, in the town of Jicotea was quoted as saying of Rubio: He wants to kill us! Hes our enemy!

Rubio, like many Republicans in Congress, is firmly opposed to lifting the U.S.-Cuba embargo and easing trade and travel restrictions while oppression continues to exist on the island. All the Cuban-Americans in Congress, including Democrat Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, say the United States should not have diplomatic relations with Cuba because President Raul Castro refuses to allow democratic reforms, including genuine elections.

The Times visited the offices of Granma, the official state-run newspaper that serves as the Castro regimes mouthpiece.

The people who manage it clearly see Rubio as a bogeyman.

We dont like to cover him a lot, said Delfin Xiques, who is in charge of Granmas archives, according to the Times.

He added it would be irrational to give much space to Rubios views, calling them propaganda.

Its his own stupidity we would be publishing, the Times quoted Xiques as saying.

In statements published in other media outlets about the Times story, Rubio said the Cuban government brainwashes its people.

Granma refers to Rubio as a representative in the Senate of the Cuban-American terrorist mafia, a modifier it uses to describe Cuban exiles who oppose the Communist revolution.

Their views on human rights are not legitimate, theyre immoral, Politico quoted Rubio as saying about the Cuban regime.

For the record, I'm proud that the Castro regime feels threatened by us, he tweeted. They fear freedom and democracy.

Recently, Rubios campaign took aim at the New York Times for a story it ran about speeding tickets that he and his wife have received over the years.

The Times was widely criticized by others, as well, who called the story petty and a witch-hunt.

Yet another Times story on Rubio cast him as irresponsible with his finances.

As examples it singed out his students loans and living beyond his means by buying a luxury boat, which many pointed out was simply a fishing boat.

Rubio tweeted: NYT follows up traffic tix & "luxury speedboat" stories with expose of Castro regime's propaganda on me. #nicetry

The Times last endorsed a Republican for president roughly 60 years ago, when it supported Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956.

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Iowa may be the home state of one of Congress most hawkish lawmakers when it comes to immigration, but a majority of residents there say they are supportive of allowing undocumented immigrants to legalize their status.

A Quinnipiac University poll released Monday shows that most of the likely participants in Iowas crucial Republican and Democratic caucuses are in favor of letting undocumented immigrants stay in the United States.

This is significant, given the important role of the Iowa caucus in the primaries, and the prominence that the emotionally charged and controversial issue of immigration usually plays in presidential elections.

Slightly more than half  51 percent  of likely Republican participants in the caucus said they support undocumented immigrants remaining in the United States to live and work. Most of these Republicans  34 percent  say the immigrants should be able to pursue citizenship; 17 percent say their being able to stay in the United States should not include citizenship.

Forty six percent of GOP caucus participants take a less charitable view on those who are here illegally, saying they should be forced to leave the United States.

Democrats who plan to attend their party caucus are far more in favor of giving the undocumented a break, with 83 percent saying they should be permitted to stay and obtain citizenship.

Iowa's own U.S. Rep. Steve King, a Republican, is one of the most hawkish members of Congress on immigration. King often makes national headlines with his pointedly worded condemnations of undocumented immigrants and legislative proposals that seek to give them a break or benefits.

He is steadfastly against allowing them to stay and be able to legalize their status.

Immigration has played a key role in presidential campaigns, including televised debates.

Donald Trump thrust it onto the stage when he made his campaign announcement, saying that Mexicans are "bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."

Such rhetoric resonates with some of the Republican Party's most passionate voters, who have long viewed illegal immigration as one of the nation's most pressing problems.

Yet GOP leaders have urged conservatives to adopt a more welcoming tone in recent years as Hispanic voters increasingly sided with Democrats.

Not since the 2004 re-election campaign of President George W. Bush has a Republican presidential candidate earned as much as 40 percent of the Hispanic vote. Mitt Romney got a dismal 27 percent in the 2012 contest against President Barack Obama.

On other issues considered among the most salient at the moment, Democrats and Republicans had polar opposite views.

Likely Republican caucus participants said they oppose, 70 percent to 25 percent, the federal government acting to reduce income inequality in the United States.

Democrats said, 91 percent to 6 percent, that the government should take an active role to reduce the gap.

As for the terrorist Islamic State organization, Republicans said, 72 percent to 23 percent, that the United States should send ground troops to Iraq and Syria to fight the group. But 63 percent of Democrats oppose sending troops, with 29 percent favoring it.

Republicans tend to feel, 68 percent to 28 percent, that business experience is more valuable in a presidential candidate than government experience. Democrats feel 76 percent to 14 percent that government experience is more important.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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To whomever will listen, Jorge Elorza has this to say about Latino voters  their support must be earned.

Elorza knows.

He is the second Latino mayor in the history of Providence, R.I., where Latinos make up some 40 percent of the population, and where they are the majority of some parts of the city.

But Elorza, who is 38 and the son of Guatemalan immigrants, had to court them hard, even when he was the sole Latino running.

You dont take the Latino vote for granted, Elorza said in an interview with Fox News Latino.

The days when people would vote for you because you were Latino  those days have long since passed. We have a very savvy, very intelligent, very informed political class among Latinos.

Elorza won 53 percent of the vote. It was his first time running for elected office.

He ran against Vincent Buddy Cianci  a controversial but, in some areas in Providence, still-popular former mayor who wanted his job back, despite having been convicted of racketeering and having been sentenced to five years in jail.

And there was also a third candidate who tended to trail in the polls behind Elorza and Cianci, Republican Daniel Harrop.

Elorza, who was sworn into office in January, spent a considerable amount of his time and effort and resources on the South Side of Providence, where Latinos are a majority.

He spent time talking to residents in the Latino neighborhoods, where he was less known than Cianci, who many there remembered fondly from his bygone mayor days for his support of their small businesses and frequent visits to the community.

Many of the old-guard Latinos reside there and remember the funny man with the toupee who showed up to every quinceanera, wedding, funeral and Little League game, said Pablo Rodriguez, a talk show host on Latino Public Radio, to WPRI.com. Everyone older than 25 has a story, a picture, or both, of Mayor Cianci.

Elorza also worked hard to get the support of the leaders in the community, including some who had endorsed an opponent of his in the Democratic primary. Indeed, as an example of how Latinos in Providence were not going to dutifully support a Latino candidate, the South Side gave most of its vote to Michael Solomon, a Lebanese-American.

Elorza won the primary citywide, however, because he got strong support from the East Side, a mostly white, more affluent section of the city.

Elorza, a Harvard Law School graduate and former Housing Court judge, said the key to getting the support of Latinos, and indeed voters in general, is to be present, not just parachute in. He said he set out to educate himself about the issues that were most salient on the South Side.

They were concerned about property taxesthe education in our schools, violence on the streets, he said. I spent a lot of time in the neighborhoods, knocking on doors. I was having those conversations so that I could understand the community.

Im from Providence, born and raised, he said. I can unify with them, and they can identify with meI went out to earn the Latino voteIts about persistenceYou cant just show up one day, and give a good speech, and not come back and expect to have their support.

Elorza has gotten relatively positive feedback on his first six months in office.

Among his primary goals are pressing for banks to stop neglecting foreclosure properties in minority neighborhoods, which hurts the values of homes and businesses in those communities.

He also has put together a task force of millennials to come up with recommendations for him about how to keep the citys college graduates in Providence.

Rhode Island, as a whole, we have the largest number of college graduates each year, per capita, of any state in the country, Elorza said. So we have many talented young people.

But unfortunately, we have a brain drain in Rhode Island, he added. We lose our graduates.

Elorzas plans include connecting recent graduates with businesses and community organizations in Providence so that they feel more invested in the city.
Offering an economic message that jabs rivals in both parties, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio on Tuesday outlined a plan to lower corporate tax rates, loosen Internet regulation and broaden college accreditation, in his first major domestic policy speech as a presidential candidate.

"We need in this country a new president for a new age," Rubio declared from the downtown Chicago offices of a digital startup.

The 44-year-old first-term senator condemned Democrats' calls to raise the minimum wage and raise taxes on higher earners, charging that such moves would jeopardize U.S. jobs and "snuff out innovation."

The nation would be better served, Rubio said, by embracing what he called the current "technological revolution."

The forward-looking theme of Rubio's address mirrors his campaign, which aims to distinguish him from leading competitors in both parties  Jeb Bush and Hillary Rodham Clinton  whose families have been mainstays in American politics for decades.

He criticized Clinton, the leading candidate for the Democratic nomination, by name repeatedly in his remarks Tuesday.

"The race for the future will never be won by going backward," Rubio said. "It will never be won by hopping in Hillary Clinton's time machine to yesterday."

And while not naming Bush, the former Republican governor of Florida, Rubio lashed out at the policies enacted when Bush's father and brother served in the White House.

"We have learned, painfully, that the old ways no longer work  that Washington cannot pretend the world is the same as it was in the 1980s, it cannot raise taxes like it did in the '90s and it cannot grow government like it did in the 2000s," he said.

While his campaign billed the Chicago speech as a major address, most of the "innovation agenda" he outlined represents policies he has proposed previously.

Rubio called for changes to the tax code that would lower the corporate tax rate, establish a "territorial tax system" and allow "immediate, 100-percent expensing," which allows businesses to take deductions on capital investments all at once.

He previously released a detailed tax plan that would reduce all corporate taxes to 25 percent and cut taxes on business investment.

Rubio also promoted a plan to modernize the national laboratory system in line with a proposal he introduced with Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., earlier in the year. He reiterated his opposition to so-called net neutrality, which would prevent Internet service providers from setting different download speeds for different types of content.

And as he often does, Rubio said immigration reform is necessary "to protect American workers and attract more talent to grow our economy and create jobs."

On higher education, Rubio vowed to "bust the cartel" of existing colleges and universities by creating a new accreditation process. His campaign said Rubio would allow lower-cost alternative education providers, such as the online Khan Academy, to earn accreditation.

Rubio is among more than a dozen candidates seeking the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. He is also one of the youngest candidates in the race, a distinction that offers political challenges and opportunities.

His appearance in Chicago comes hours before he launches his first extended campaign swing through an early voting state. He arrives in Iowa Tuesday afternoon and will campaign in the first-in-the-nation caucus state through Thursday.

"Today's technological revolution carries extraordinary opportunities  even more, I believe, than the Industrial Revolution ever did," Rubio said. "The race for the future will never be won by going backward."

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The parents of the 32-year-old woman killed last week when an undocumented immigrant opened fire on a crowded San Francisco pier say Donald Trump is using their daughter's death "for his political platform."

Jim Steinle and Liz Sullivan, the parents of Kathryn Steinle, gave an emotional interview about their daughter's final moments and the criticism of San Francisco's sanctuary ordinance after federal officials revealed that the alleged shooter, Francisco Sanchez, has seven felony convictions and was deported five times to his native Mexico.

"You know, he is using it for his political platform," Sullivan said of Trump's comments about her daughter's shooting.

Steinle was gunned down while out for an evening stroll at Pier 14 with her father and a family friend on Wednesday. Police said witnesses heard no argument or dispute before the shooting. Witnesses at the popular waterfront attraction snapped photos of Sanchez immediately after the shooting, and the images helped police make the arrest while he was walking on a sidewalk a few blocks away.

Soon after it was revealed that Sanchez was an undocumented immigrant who had been released by San Francisco Sheriff's Department before the shooting, Trump sent out a statement that said that if he was president, Sanchez would not have been let go.

"This is an absolutely disgraceful situation and I am the only one that can fix it," Trump said. "Nobody else has the guts to even talk about it. That won't happen if I become president."

Trump's comments about the San Francisco shooting are only the latest is a series of sharply worded attacks on the U.S. immigration system and undocumented Mexican immigrants, in particular. While the real estate mogul and television personality has vowed not to back down from words, his comments have prompted a backlash that caused him to lose millions of dollars in business deals  including with Macy's and NBC  and has alienated him from his fellow Republican candidates as the party vies to win over the crucial Latino come 2016.

"He's doing this to inflame and to incite and to draw attention, which seems to be the organizing principle of his campaign," former Florida governor and Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush said, according to AOL.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie called Trump's comments "inappropriate" and said they "have no place in the race."

Trump, however, still has the support of one GOP candidate  Texas Sen. Ted Cruz came to his defense during an appearance over the weekend on "Meet the Press."

"I salute Donald Trump for focusing on the need to address illegal immigration," the Cuban-American lawmaker said.

While Trump and other pundits have turned Steinle's death into a topic of debate over so-called "sanctuary cities," her parents have said they are focused on healing and not the politics.

Jim Steinle told reporters he hopes justice reigns in the case against Sanchez.

"We're not dwelling on that," he said Friday, referring to the fact that Sanchez could have been deported months ago. "That's not going to bring Kate back."

Sullivan called her daughter's death "a terrible travesty."

"It would have been so much better, of course, if he (had been deported)," Sullivan told reporters. "Everybody is trying to put the political spin on it. But it happened, and there is no taking it back."

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had turned Sanchez over to authorities in San Francisco on March 26 on an outstanding drug warrant.

The Sheriff's Department released Sanchez on April 15 after the San Francisco district attorney's office declined to prosecute him for what authorities said was a decade-old marijuana possession case.

ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice said the agency had issued a detainer for Sanchez, requesting notification of his release and that he stay in custody until immigration authorities could pick him up. The detainer was not honored, she said.

Freya Horne, counsel for the San Francisco Sheriff's Department, said Friday that federal detention requests are not sufficient to hold someone. Under the city's sanctuary ordinance, people in the country illegally aren't handed over to immigration officials unless there's a warrant for their arrest.

Local officials checked and found none. ICE could have issued an active warrant if it wanted the city to keep Sanchez jailed, Horne said.

On Saturday, a bouquet of sunflowers and another of red roses laid at a gate blocking access to Pier 14, a popular place for people who want to get a close-up view of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Tourists, most unaware of the shooting, sat on nearby benches and on an art installation platform, soaking up the sun while others in U.S. flag T-shirts and hats walked by.

San Francisco resident Manuel Gabriel, 50, was taking a stroll with a friend when the pair stopped to look at the pier after hearing what happened on the news. "It's sad to hear someone so young lost their life in an act of insanity," said Gabriel, who said he came to San Francisco from El Salvador 25 years ago.

About the controversy surrounding the city's sanctuary ordinance, Gabriel said it's not a question of documents but of mental health.

"U.S. citizens also kill people," Gabriel said. "The issue shouldn't be whether or not he has documents. The question is why authorities would release someone who is not well mentally."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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With Nevada Rep. Joe Heck declaring his intention to run for the soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat once Harry Reid retires, the Republican Party finally feels like theyve got a candidate in the Silver state who can fill that position.

That is, however, if he can win Nevadas crucial Latino vote.

Heck  a House member, physician and brigadier general in the Army Reserve  has been touted by the GOP as a Latino-friendly candidate who has won three Las Vegas-area congressional elections thanks in large part to his moderate tone toward immigration reform. During the Senate race, observers say that Heck will have to distance himself from some of the more hardline Republican presidential candidates if he hopes to top the presumptive Democratic challenger, Catherine Cortez Masto.

"Could there be another Donald Trump rage against Latinos?" Chris Roman, the president and CEO of the Spanish-language MundoFOX station in Las Vegas, told the National Journal. "Will there be a 47-percent-won't-vote-for me moment? Anything Republican candidates say or do could somehow cloud his efforts."

The Donald Trump scandal is something that Heck is already distancing himself from, criticizing the real estate mogul's comments about Mexican immigrants, saying entire ethnic groups can't be stereotyped.

The three-term congressman from a state with 27 percent Hispanic population played up his own immigrant family history and endorsed a path to citizenship for so-called "Dreamers." He then criticized Trump, a Republican presidential candidate, for saying Mexicans come to the U.S. bringing crime, drugs and rape.

"That's Donald Trump's opinion, and certainly he said it only in a way that only he can, which is to promote himself and generate controversy," Heck said. "You can't stereotype an entire ethnicity, and that's what he attempted to do."

Heck highlighted immigration in a video announcement about his candidacy posted online earlier Monday and appeared ready for questions about his record in an interview with reporters in Las Vegas and Reno.

Despite taking a generally moderate view on immigration, Heck has drawn criticism in his district for saying he would have voted against a massive 2,000-page immigration reform bill that was blocked in Congress two years ago as too sweeping to be understood.

He said he wants to review and reshape immigration policies piece-by-piece, including border security, guest worker programs, visa violations and verification of immigration status for workers.

He said children of unauthorized immigrants deserve a chance to stay in the U.S. They're often referred to as "Dreamers" after the long-delayed federal DREAM Act that would create a path to citizenship for some immigrant U.S. high school graduates.

"Let's take care of the Dreamers, those children that came to this country through no fault of their own, that know no other nation but America," he said.

As for the approximately 12 million other people who aren't in the country legally, Heck suggested that a path to legal status would include criminal background checks, penalty fees, an understanding of the English language and the ability to be self-supportive.

"There's got to be a solution that can gain the majority of support in both houses," he said.

Heck, 53, said comments similar to those by Trump might have been made about his grandparents when they moved from Italy to New York.

Heck also highlighted his background as an emergency room doctor and on a military deployment to Iraq. He talked about the struggles his family endured growing up and having the help of a union and social services when his father was out of work.

"When my father needed emergency surgery, Medicare covered it. That's why I'll protect Medicare and Social Security and preserve it for future generations," Heck said in the three-minute video on his website.

Reid, 75, the Senate Democratic leader, announced in March that he wouldn't seek a sixth term after an exercise injury left him blind in one eye. He immediately backed Cortez Masto.

Heck said he expected Reid to play a major role in the election and predicted the longtime Democrat would make it "just as rough" for Republicans in the state despite not running.

On the Republican side, popular Gov. Brian Sandoval announced last month that he wouldn't seek the seat held by Reid. Sandoval said he wanted to focus on improving the state's infrastructure and higher education system.

Sandoval, along with presidential candidates including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, took to Twitter to back Heck.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Experts on opposite sides of the immigration debate generally agree on one thing dealing with the tragic death of a San Francisco woman in recent days at the hands of an undocumented immigrant with a long criminal history  many government agencies failed, allowing the alleged killer to roam U.S. streets.

The agencies have engaged in finger-pointing, with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement blaming San Francisco officials for not honoring a federal request, known as a "detainer," to keep Francisco Sanchez in custody.

San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi has defended his office's decision, saying ICE should have issued an arrest warrant.

The failures, they were everywhere, at every level of government, said Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a Washington D. C.-based group that pushes for strict enforcement. At the federal level, you have policies that encourage illegal immigration, despite this administrations claims that it has the border under control.

Sanchez, who is from Mexico and is in the United States illegally, allegedly shot and killed 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle last week as she was sightseeing with her father along a popular local pier.

He was deported five times but managed to come back. Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law in 2013 severely limiting the circumstances under which they would cooperate with a [federal immigration] detainer request, Mehlman said. And San Francisco said No when immigration asked it to detain him.

Steinle's killing has brought criticism down on San Francisco because Sanchez had been deported repeatedly and was out on the streets after city officials disregarded a request from immigration authorities to keep him locked up.

San Francisco is one of dozens of cities and counties across the country that do not fully cooperate with federal immigration authorities. The city goes so far as to promote itself as a "sanctuary" for people in the country illegally.

In a jailhouse interview with a TV station, Sanchez, a 45-year-old repeat drug offender, appeared to confirm that he came to the city because of its status as a sanctuary.

On some level there was a failure in this unquestionable tragedy of not necessarily just the state or local government, and not necessarily just the federal government, said Kevin Johnson, an immigration law expert and dean of the University of California-Davis School of Law. There was a failure to communicate and work together to remove someone who, by all accounts, appeared to be a danger to the community.

Both Johnson and Mehlman say that the hope now is that the tragedy will lead to a clear-eyed look at the various points in the justice and immigration system that failed, and that improvements will result that will prevent another such crime.

How do we better communicate so we can focus our enforcement energies on people who are a danger to the community? Johnson asked. Hopefully the national dialogue taking place can help us come to a better sense of what we should be doing when it comes to law enforcement.

The Sanchez case has focused attention on the apparent ease with which he was able to return to the United States illegally after being deported.

But his brazen defiance is hardly unusual.

Earlier this year, the Miami Herald noted that while the Obama administration often noted the record number of deportations that were occurring each year, a sizable portion of people who were deported managed to come back illegally.

While 409,849 undocumented immigrants were deported in fiscal year 2012, for instance, more than 160,000 people who had been deported at one time came back illegally, the Herald reported.

Many experts believe that at least 25 percent of people who get deported return to the United States illegally. The Herald said that by this year, the same number of people who were deported in 2012 presumably have returned illegally after having once been expelled from the United States.

Though people on different sides of the immigration debate agree that a flawed system allows criminals like Sanchez to slip through the cracks, they disagree on what must be done.

Mehlman and others who favor strict immigration policies say there must be closer cooperation between local police and federal immigration agents.

Philip Miller, an official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, blamed San Francisco, saying officials there did not honor a federal request to keep Sanchez jailed pending their efforts to take him into custody, enabling him to begin deportation proceedings.

"In that particular case our detainer was not honored," Miller said. "San Francisco sheriff's department did not honor our detainer."

But San Francisco, like many municipalities around the country, sees the onus in such cases as being on the federal government. Their view is that immigration enforcement is a federal matter, and that they do not want their local immigrant communities to avoid police out of fear of being deported.

Mehlman says the price of such an approach is too high when it comes to public safety.

Their first responsibility is to protect the public safety, Mehlman said. Illegal aliens understand that no police department in the country inquires about immigration status when someone is coming forward with information about a crime. But the sanctuary policies that offer blanket assurances that theyre going to shield people from immigration enforcement are lethal.

San Franciscos sanctuary policy, Mehlman said, had nothing to do with public safety and everything to do with making a political statement.

But advocates of more lenient immigration policies say sanctuary programs are not all the same, and that many draw the line at dangerous undocumented immigrants.

Many such programs are based on the concept that city officials will not report undocumented people to immigration authorities when they come across them, say, as theyre seeking information or a service that theyre allowed to receive.

Johnson said that immigration officials must turn their attention and resources to undocumented immigrants who pose a threat to public safety and national security, and not spend a lot of effort and time on people who are not dangerous.

He said President Barack Obamas executive action -- which seeks to defer deportation for three years for up to 5 million undocumented immigrants who have no known criminal record and who meet a strict set of criteria  would allow immigration agents to devote their resources to repeat border crossers and dangerous people like Sanchez.

Obamas executive action is on hold awaiting action in the courts. A lawsuit led by Texas and involving many other states contends that the executive action is unconstitutional and puts a burden on local governments to deal with illegal immigration.

In Sacramento, immigration officials tried to deport a woman who was selling tamales in front of Wal-Mart to support her kids, Johnson said. The Tamale Lady, as she was called, was not worth all that effort. But past administrations tried to bolster their deportation numbers by casting a wide net and going after immigrants like the Tamale Lady.
Despite the backlash over Donald Trumps Mexico comments  and the multimillion dollars deals hes lost because of companies cutting ties with him  the Republican presidential candidate and former Apprentice star still believes he will win the Latino vote.

They love me, Trump said. I love them.

In a Wednesday interview with NBC News, the real estate mogul and television personality continued to denounce illegal immigration.

Dont try and convince me that theres no crime, that [immigration] is wonderful, he said.

In fact, the immigration policy favored by the Democratic frontrunner, Hillary Clinton, he said, would be to "let everybody come in  killers, criminals, drug dealers."

Yet, the real estate mogul said his views would not hurt him with Latino voters.

"I have a great relationship with the Mexican people, Trump said.

In a reference to a Washington Post report about undocumented immigrants working at a Washington, D.C.,Trump-backed real estate project, he noted, I have many people working for me  look at the job in Washington  I have many legal immigrants working with me, and many of them come from Mexico."

The Apprentice host went on, "And I'll tell you something: if I get the nomination, I'll win the Latino vote."

Ever since his speech on June 16, companies have distanced themselves from Trump or dropped products associated with him  among them NBC News parent company, NBC Universal, which announced on June 29 that he would no longer host The Apprentice and that it would not air the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants.

Other presidential candidates  among them Clinton, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham  have criticized Trump for his comments.

But Trump has remained consistently defiant.

These arent just Mexican people, he told NBC News. Mexico doesnt want people, and theyre forcing them into our country, and were taking them and putting them in our jails and our hospitals, and were paying them money through different sources. Its a disgrace.

What will allow him to win over Latino voters, he believes, is his ability to create jobs.

"Hillary Clinton is not going to be able to create jobs, I will tell you right now," he said. "Neither is Jeb Bush going to be able to create jobs. I will create jobs and the Latinos will have jobs that they don't have right now. And I will win that vote."

Trump had particularly sharp words for Clinton, whom he called "the worst secretary of state in the history of our nation."

"Hillary's weak on immigration," he said. "I might be divisive on immigration, but she's weak on immigration, which is far worse."

Trump pushed aside suggestions that the companies that have ditched him in recent weeks, including NBC, Macys and Serta, the mattress company, are actually hurting his business.

"This is too important. Yeah, I'm losing some contracts. Who cares?" he told NBC. "They're weak and they want to be politically correct. Some of them have already apologized to me and said they made a mistake."

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Another week, another rant.

After railing against Mexican immigrants, presidential hopeful Donald Trump railed against Univsion and NBC News and others who severed business ties to his companies over the companies. And now the real estate mogul and television personality took a few shots against his fellow-Republican presidential candidate, Jeb Bush.

During an interview on Fox News Channel's "On the Record," Trump responded to a question about the possibility of running as a third-party candidate by deciding to sneak a jab at the former Florida governor's stances on Common Core education and immigration.

"I will say that I love the Republican Party [but] I think they're making tremendous mistakes," Trump said. "I think they're far too weak on immigration. I think they're weak on a lot of things."

Trump added: "I watched Jeb Bush  I think it's pathetic what's going on, his stance on Common Core. He's in favor of Washington educating your children. His weak stance on immigration  he said it's an act of love. I mean what kind of stuff is that? It's baby stuff."

The salvo comes on the heels of Bush saying that he was personally offended by Trump's comments about Mexicans, and that the remarks were far outside the mainstream of Republican thought.

"I don't think he represents the Republican Party, and his views are way out of the mainstream of what Republicans think," Bush told reporters after marching in Fourth of July parades in Amherst and Merrimack, New Hampshire.

"Everybody has a belief that we should control our borders," the GOP frontrunner said. "But to make these extraordinarily ugly kind of comments is not reflective of the Republican Party. Trump is wrong on this."

Bush's wife was born in Mexico, and when he was asked if he took Trump's remarks personally, he responded: "Yeah, of course. Absolutely. And a lot of other people do as well."

In his 2013 book "Immigration Wars," Bush called for a process that would allow people living in the U.S. illegally to remain, as long as they haven't otherwise broken the law and take a series of steps. But, he wrote, withholding citizenship was the appropriate penalty for entering the country illegally.

Bush's co-author, Clint Bolick, told the Associated Press that the former governor would probably bend to support citizenship, if that was necessary to strike a deal on immigration.

Campaign spokeswoman Emily Benavides said in a statement that Bush "believes in a conservative legislative solution to fix our broken immigration system that includes earned legal status for those currently in the country after they pay fines and taxes, learn English and commit no substantial crimes while securing our border."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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MPs said the draft law is necessary to deter Egyptians staying in Turkey and Qatar from orchestrating terrorist attacks against their country

In a meeting held by parliament's legislative and constitutional affairs committee on Sunday evening, justice ministry spokesman Haitham Al-Baqli told MPs that the draft law aimed at stripping defendants convicted of committing terrorism crimes of their nationality contravenes article 53 of Egypt's 2014 constitution.

"Article 53 of the constitution is clear that it rejects any form of discrimination among citizens and that they are equal before law," said Al-Baqli.

He argued that "article 53 means that there should not be any sort of discrimination among citizens even in terms of penalties leveled against them." 

Al-Baqli indicated that Egypt's penal code refrains from stripping the nationality of citizens who are found guilty of crimes much worse than terrorism crimes.

"We see some discrimination here and this violates article 53 of the constitution," Al-Baqli said.

The draft law, proposed by independent MP and high-profile journalist Mostafa Bakri  which has been approved by 60 MPs -- aims to amend article 26 of 1975's law on Egyptian nationality, which grants the country's prime minister the power to strip citizens convicted of certain crimes of their nationality.

"This article should be amended so that the prime minister be granted the right to strip citizens found guilty of committing terrorism crimes of their nationality," Bakri said.

Bakri argued that the amendment of the 1972 nationality law has become a necessity after an Islamic State militant group suicide bomber carried out an attack on a church attached to the Cairo Coptic Cathedral on 11 September, leaving 27 dead and more than 40 injured.

Bakri said "the attack against the church represented a dangerous development in terrorism crimes and that the state should do everything possible to foil these attacks.

"Amending the law to strip convicted terrorists and those who incite them to commit terrorism crimes of their nationality would be a highly effective move aimed at stemming the tide of these crimes," Bakri said.

Margaret Azer, an independent MP, supported Bakri's amendment, arguing that "some European countries such as France have resorted to stripping convicted terrorists of their nationality as a deterrent move aimed at foiling terrorism crimes."

Sami Ramadan, another independent MP, told the committee that "it is high time to strip convicted terrorists of their nationality especially after it has become clear that most of those who carried out terrorist attacks inside Egypt were Egyptians."

Ramadan also argued that "Bakri's legislative amendments would be highly effective in deterring Egyptians who joined terrorist movements such as the IS militant group and the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria, Libya, Turkey and Qatar from coming back to their country," said Ramadan.

"Many terrorism cases have shown that those who plot terrorism attacks against Egypt or recruit resident citizens to carry out terrorism attacks inside the country stay in Qatar and Turkey," Ramadan argued.

"Most of these who have blood on their hands inside or outside the country hold Egyptian nationality and if stripped of it, it would be a message to such terrorists to have second thoughts before targeting their country again," said Ramadan.

Bakri attacked the justice ministry official's rejection of the draft law, insisting that terrorism crimes have become the most dangerous and that the constitution itself allows the government to take all measures necessary and possible to counter terrorism acts.

"Article 237 states that the state should do everything possible to eliminate all forms of terrorism," Bakri said.

Some MPs, such as the committee's secretary-general Mohamed Atta Selim, however, expressed reservations, wondering "where terrorists will go after they are stripped of their nationality?"

Bakri said terrorists stripped of their nationality would lose all the privileges of a citizen.

"Not only they will be imprisoned, but they will also be treated as foreigners and those who plot terrorism crimes will not be allowed to enter the country," said Bakri.

The committee's chairman Bahaaeddin Abu Shoqa said he approves the law in principle, "but it needs some research to see whether it violates the constitution."

"I think we need one or two weeks to reach a decision on this matter before this important draft law is discussed in a plenary session," said Abu Shoqa. 

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Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton stepped up her attacks on her political opponents Tuesday night during an interview with CNN.

In a wide-ranging interview with the cable channel, Clinton sought to distance herself with the Republican candidates by presenting herself as the presidential contender most sympathetic to immigrant causes.

Even when asked about Jeb Bush, seen as the most moderate Republican candidate on immigration issues, Clinton shot back that the former governor of Florida and the 2016 GOP frontrunner "doesn't believe in a path to citizenship. If he did at one time, he no longer does."

Bush, in his 2013 book "Immigration Wars," called for a process that would allow people living in the U.S. illegally to remain, as long as they take a series of steps. He wrote that withholding citizenship is a suitable penalty for those who have broken the law.

Spokeswoman Emily Benavides said in a statement that Bush "believes in a conservative legislative solution to fix our broken immigration system that includes earned legal status for those currently in the country after they pay fines and taxes, learn English and commit no substantial crimes while securing our border."

Campaigning in one of the most liberal pockets of Iowa, Clinton offered herself up during the interview as a Democratic standard-bearer at a time when her main Democratic rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, has generated big crowds and stoked interest among progressives.

Clinton has said any immigration legislation needs to include a path to "full and equal citizenship." She has defended Obama's use of executive actions to shield millions of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally from deportation.

In the interview, Clinton said she was "very disappointed" in Republican candidate Donald Trump for his disparaging comments about Mexican immigrants along "with the Republican Party for not responding immediately and saying, 'Enough. Stop it.'"

But she railed against one Mexican  saying that San Francisco officials were wrong to release the undocumented immigrant now at the center of a national immigration controversy.

Juan Francisco Lopez Sanchez, a Mexican national, is charged with first-degree murder in last week's shooting of Kathryn Steinle while she was walking with her father on a popular San Francisco pier.

Lopez Sanchez had been deported five times, and immigration officials asked the San Francisco sheriff to keep him in custody after a drug charge was dismissed so they could try to deport him a sixth time.

Clinton said the sheriff ignored "strong evidence" that Lopez Sanchez should have been turned over to immigration officials and deported. The sheriff says a city law required him to release Lopez Sanchez after local charges were dropped.

During the CNN interview, Clinton defended her decision to delete some of her emails as secretary of state from her private email server, saying, "Everything I did was permitted by law and regulation." She said she used one device for email, although an email message obtained by the Associated Press earlier this year showed Clinton used an iPad for email, in addition to her BlackBerry, while she was secretary of state.

Rep. Trey Gowdy, chairman of the House Select Committee on Benghazi, responded Tuesday, saying, "The committee does not know why or when she chose to wipe clean her personal server, but we do know her way of doing things provided an incomplete public record." The committee sought Clinton's emails as part of its investigation into the 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya.

Asked about Sanders, Clinton said she welcomed a contested race. "This is going to be competitive  it should be competitive," Clinton said.

She told CNN she planned to outline some of her economic policies Monday.

Clinton cited her husband's eight years in office as a time of strong economic growth that helped not only the wealthy but the poor as well. She said Republicans afterward left President Barack Obama to tend to an economic crisis.

"Right now our country deserves to keep moving forward, not to do a big U-turn going back to where we came from," Clinton said. "That didn't work before. It won't work again."

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The trial of Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez restarted Wednesday in Caracas, amid persistent rumors of his imminent release as a result of negotiations held last month between the government of Nicolas Maduro and senior U.S. officials.

Lopez has been in prison for nearly 17 months now, charged with incitement of violence in mass anti-government demonstrations that took over the capital in the beginning of 2014.

We havent received any official confirmation [of a release], said Juan Carlos Gutierrez, one of Lopez's lawyers, on Tuesday. Unofficial sources have said that this issue has been part of the negotiations between Venezuela and the U.S., yet there is no [official] news about the results of those conversations, he told Fox News Latino.

Gutierrez said he introduced a petition for Lopezs release last Thursday, arguing that he is not a flight risk.

The judge assigned to the case, which includes four other co-defendants, has not answered the lawyers petition, even though according to law a decision has to be made within three business days.

We are going to be in the courtroom every day to apply pressure and demand a resolution. We will persist with the petition during the trial hearings, Gutierrez said.

Lopez, 44, is not attending the hearings because he is still recovering after a 30-day hunger strike that has left him extremely frail and 30 pounds lighter. He lifted the strike last week after Maduros government finally set a date for the legislative election later this year  the vote will be held on Dec. 6.

The last time Lopez attended court was in May, a few days before his hunger strike demanding the release of all political prisoners and a set date for the elections.

Since Lopez was jailed on February 18, 2014, his lawyers have requested his release 12 times. But the most recent petition has sparked some hope because it involved a U.S. party, according to a State Department official.

We are focusing on keeping him alive, and that means talking to Venezuelan officials and tell them that Lopezs death would imply the end of our involvement, the unnamed U.S. official told Reuters after a June 14 meeting between U.S. diplomat Thomas Shannon and Diosdado Cabello, Chavismos second-in-command.

Meanwhile, Lopezs jail conditions have not improved, to the exasperation of his vocal wife Lilian Tintori.

"Leopoldo cannot be checked by a doctor we trust, [he cant] read books nor write letters, said Tintori this week on a social media platform. They are holding him in a 2.60 x 2.70 [meters] cell, he is subject to multiple violent searches and they steal his belongings; they just let him read the ruling partys newspapers and do not allow him to see his 5- and 2-year-old children, she added.

Members of Lopezs political party, Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) said they fear Maduros government might come up with a formula that satisfies the U.S. but keeps the opposition leader neutralized.

If they put him under house arrest and ban him from speaking to the media or traveling, it would be to reduce his political impact, because they know that his popularity is growing, said Ismael Leon, one of the leaders of Voluntad Popular, to FNL.

We cannot support that, he has to be set completely free, he said. We are going to keep protesting until all the political prisoners, more than 70 right now, are released, Leon added.

But the government doesnt seem willing to concede an inch.

On Monday it announced that Daniel Ceballos, a former mayor of the city western of San Cristobal who is also jailed, was banned to run for office for one full year because he failed to declare his assets properly.

In a primary election held weeks ago, Ceballos had been elected to run for the National Assembly (or Congress).

This is another indication of the governments fear, because it is now aware of the new leaders the party has, said Leon. We will appeal the decision [to ban Ceballos] again and will not change the nominee in the ballot.
U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, an unapologetically outspoken critic of Republicans who calls himself a congressman with guts, will enter the race to replace Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, a close friend and major Democratic Party donor said Wednesday.

Trial lawyer John Morgan said he exchanged a series of emails with Grayson in which the congressman confirmed he is going to seek the seat Rubio is giving up to run for president and asked for Morgan's help with the campaign. The announcement will be made Thursday morning.

"He's going to do it," Morgan said.

His entry into the race will set up a primary pitting a darling of the far left wing of the Democratic Party against lesser-known U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, a former Republican who is running as a moderate.

Although most observers think the primary will be a tight battle, the concern among Democratic leaders is that Grayson won't win in November because he's seen as politically divisive.

Morgan said he encouraged Grayson not to run, both during a lunch several weeks ago and in their email exchanges. He said Grayson replied that he needed help, not advice.

"Alan Grayson right now has a great position in America," Morgan said. "I told him he's in a unique positon. He is in a safe district, he has a national voice and he serves a lot of good for the progressive cause and he's unelectable statewide."

Grayson has built a national support base through his blunt assessment of the Republican Party and the tea party movement, the latter of which he once compared to the Ku Klux Klan.

In January, Grayson noted that for a five-month stretch, every elected Republican member of Congress was a white Christian. He wrote in a message to supporters, "GOP motto: 'We're monochromatic!' The GOP: Is it a political party, or is it a tribe?"

When a white supremacy group called Grayson out on the remarks, Grayson returned criticism by calling them Nazis and stepping up his anti-Republican rhetoric, using German words to say the GOP says "yes  no, wonderful!" to hurtful policies.

"The GOP says ja! - nein, Wonderbar (sic)! - to every bigoted policy that comes down the autobahn. Blocking immigration reform: Ja! Gutting affirmative action: Ja! Suppressing the vote: Ja! Denying a woman's right to choose: Ja! Denying the pink triangles the right to get married: Ja!" Grayson wrote as part of a series of blog posts. "Am I attacking the GOP tribe for all of that? Ja."

But his supporters are loyal and like that he speaks his mind instead of carefully scripted words.

"People are hungry for that kind of bold leadership and outspoken, not cautious representation," said Susan Smith, president of the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida. "That's what Grayson has always represented. When it happens, I think he always gets a good response from the grass-roots Democrats."

Grayson, 57, first made national headlines during the debate on President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. He described the GOP health plan as "don't get sick, and if you do get sick, die quickly." He continues to remind supporters of that debate.

But that type of rhetoric is sometimes a turnoff to key swing voters in a state that tends to support politicians who are more moderate.

"Grayson doesn't necessarily fit the demeanor that people have elected as senators or governors. That's just not what the state looks for," Democratic pollster David Beattie said. "He's outspoken and takes unequivocal positions and is unafraid of controversy."

He's also been involved in a messy divorce that has created unflattering headlines, and recently critics have raised ethical questions about three hedge funds he created.

Grayson was first elected in 2008, but then lost his seat to current U.S. Rep. Dan Webster. Grayson returned to Congress two years later running in a new, safely Democratic district.

On the Republican side, U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis has announced he is running, and Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera and U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller are considering runs.

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Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush said Wednesday that blocking federal police money to cities that harbor immigrants in the U.S. illegally would be a way to corral those who have committed crimes.

During a campaign event at a VFW hall in southern New Hampshire, Bush said it's not inconsistent for him to support allowing immigrants who overstayed visas to pursue activities that allow them to remain in the U.S., while also stepping up policies to root out criminal offenders who are also immigrants.

"We ought to eliminate sanctuary cities," Bush told more than 300 people at an evening town hall meeting at the Veterans of Foreign Wars facility. "Talking about things the federal government can do, we shouldn't provide law enforcement monies for cities like San Francisco until they change their policies."

In recent days, Bush has dismissed rivals inside and outside his party on the subject of immigration.

Bush said fellow Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's comments last week characterizing Mexican immigrants as criminals, drug dealers and rapists was "extraordinarily ugly."

At the same time, Bush deflected Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's reference to him and other GOP presidential candidates as "part of a spectrum of hostility" toward immigrants. Clinton specifically noted that Bush supports allowing people in the country illegally to achieve permanent legal status, where she would support a pathway to full citizenship.

During the town hall meeting, Bush said it was possible to support an immigration policy that hews toward economic growth by opening the workforce to more legal residents, and appreciate immigrant culture, while also seeking to stem crimes such as the fatal shooting in San Francisco last week by a man who had been deported several times.

"You can love the Mexican culture, you can love your Mexican-American wife, and also believe that we need to control the border," Bush said during the town hall meeting. "This is a bizarre kind of idea that somehow you can have affection for people of a different country and not think the rule of law should apply."

Bush's wife Columba is a Mexican immigrant and American citizen. Bush speaks fluent Spanish and refers to his home life as bicultural.

Afterward, when asked about Clinton's characterization of him, he said: "She's just wrong about that."

"My record as it relates to immigrants is pretty clear," he said. "There's no hostility at all."

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The debate in the U.S. over whether or not to allow Puerto Rico's public agencies to declare bankruptcy has split down party lines, with Republican lawmakers arguing against any legislation that would allow the territory to file for Chapter 9 while Democrats are pushing for it to be allowed to do so.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte and Tom Marino, chairman of the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law, both Republicans, said on Thursday that they had met with their party's counterparts to discuss the bankruptcy issue and that while no clear consensus had been reached, GOP members of the House are overall looking for other options besides permitting bankruptcy.

"Today, we met with our Republican colleagues on the Judiciary Committee to discuss the issues facing Puerto Rico," the two said in a joint statement. "While no consensus was reached, a general concern was expressed that to provide Puerto Rico's municipalities access to chapter 9 of the Bankruptcy Code would not, by itself, solve Puerto Rico's difficulties, which are associated with underlying, structural economic problems."

The White House has said it is not considering a federal bailout of Puerto Rico. Legislation allowing Puerto Rico to use Chapter 9 bankruptcy laws is pending in the House. In the Senate, Charles Schumer of New York and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut are planning to propose companion legislation.

The Republicans control both houses of Congress and would likely thwart any attempt by Democratic lawmakers to push through the Puerto Rico Chapter 9 Uniformity Act of 2015, which gives Puerto Rico's municipalities access to chapter 9 of the Bankruptcy Code.

Puerto Rican Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla said last month the island's $72 billion public debt is unpayable given the current level of economic growth and he would seek a payment moratorium from bondholders as the commonwealth attempts to emerge from a nearly decade-long economic slump.

The Republican announcement comes only a few days after leading Democrats across the country  including frontrunner Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton  said Congress and the Obama administration should help Puerto Rico restructure its debts under a Chapter 9 bankruptcy.

In a statement, the Democratic presidential candidate stopped short of supporting a federal bailout but said Congress should give the U.S. territory the same ability to restructure its debts as U.S. municipalities and public corporations do under the bankruptcy code.

"We're not talking about a bailout, we're talking about a fair shot at success," Clinton said. She called on Congress and the White House to "partner with Puerto Rico by providing real support and tools so that Puerto Rico can do the hard work it will take to get on a path toward stability and prosperity."

Clinton's statement appeared a day before New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, who is arguably becoming one of the nation's most influential Puerto Rican politicians, urged both Congress and the Obama administration to step in and help the island commonwealth.

Mark-Viverito, who was born in Puerto Rico, said Wednesday that the situation in her native land was "a fiscal crisis" that required help from the superpower that sits 1,000 miles from its shores.

"My mother still lives there, my family still lives there. I hope to retire there someday," Mark-Viverito said. "This is very personal to me to see Puerto Rico in this situation."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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What makes Donald Trump such a polarizing and provocative figure is that it is almost impossible to predict what will to come out of his mouth when he speaks. Since he declared last month that he was vying for the Republican nomination for president, he's accused some undocumented Mexican immigrants of being drug dealers and rapists, touted his enormous wealth and taken personal jabs at everyone from Hillary Clinton to Jeb Bush.

While the Trump quote factory may make good headlines, it is also worrying many in the GOP who fear that his comments are alienating the party even more from the key Latino voting demographic  and hurting the partys chances of getting a candidate into the White House.

In an attempt to quiet Trump down a bit, Republican Party chairman Reince Priebus spent nearly an hour on the phone Wednesday with the real estate mogul and television personality in an attempt to get him to tone down his running commentary on immigration that has infuriated many in the Latino community, according to the Washington Post reported.

GOP chairman Reince Priebus and Trump "had a respectful conversation spanning a range of topics," said Allison Moore, press secretary for the Republican National Committee.

Priebus' chat with Trump, however, appears to have done little to stop the mogul from voicing his opinions on immigration. Trump expounded on the subject during a feisty half-hour interview with NBC on Wednesday  saying that the immigration policy favored by the Democratic frontrunner, Hillary Clinton would be to "let everybody come in  killers, criminals, drug dealers."

"Don't try and convince me that there's no crime, that [immigration] is wonderful," he said.

In the same interview, Trump also said that Latinos love him and that he has a great relationship with Mexicans  the nation that he has been most critical of when talking about undocumented immigrants.

"And I'll tell you something: if I get the nomination, I'll win the Latino vote," he added.

The Democratic National Committee recently pounced on Trumps comments  trying to tie the real estate mogul to other Republican candidates, the majority of whom oppose a pathway to citizenship for immigrants who are currently in the country illegally.

"Trump may be running for president  but his ideas are running the party," said a video the DNC released calling the party the "Retrumplican Party."

Besides Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, most GOP candidates have distanced themselves from Trump and condemned his comments. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said that he was personally offended by Trump's comments about Mexicans, particularly since his wife, Columba, was born in Mexico and he considers his household bicultural.

"I don't think he represents the Republican Party, and his views are way out of the mainstream of what Republicans think," Bush told reporters after marching in Fourth of July parades in Amherst and Merrimack, New Hampshire.

"Everybody has a belief that we should control our borders," the GOP frontrunner said. "But to make these extraordinarily ugly kind of comments is not reflective of the Republican Party. Trump is wrong on this."

The concern by Priebus and other top Republican officials seems to be seems to be offset by others in the GOP who say that, while Trump is doing well in the polls at the moment, these results are consistently fickle when it comes to the overall race. Many believe that when the election season truly hits its stride, Trump's campaign will have already melted away.

At least that's what they hope.

"I think he'll self-destruct relatively quickly. The dynamic, I think, will change very dramatically, and Trump will be yesterday's news," former Utah Sen. Robert F. Bennett told the Washington Post. "But if this does have legs, if Trump can keep this going, it will be very worrisome."

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The head of the U.S. government's personnel office is rejecting bipartisan calls for her resignation following revelations that hackers stole the personal information of more than 21 million people on her watch.

Katherine Archuleta, director of the federal Office of Personnel Management, said she has no plans to step down and is committed to continuing her work. The White House, which had previously said President Barack Obama was confident in Archuleta's leadership, said there was no change in its position.

The escalating calls for Archuleta to be replaced came as the Obama administration disclosed on Thursday that the number of people affected by the federal breach  believed to be the biggest in U.S. history  was far higher than previously reported.

Hackers downloaded Social Security numbers, health histories or other highly sensitive data from OPM's databases, affecting more than five times the 4.2 million people the government first disclosed this year. Since then, the administration acknowledged a second, related breach of systems housing private data that individuals submit during background investigations to obtain security clearances.

Although the government declined to name the hackers, officials said the same party was responsible for both hacks. Numerous U.S. lawmakers who have been briefed on the federal investigation have pointed the finger at China.

Word that the breach was far more severe than previously acknowledged drew indignation from members of Congress who have said the administration has not done enough to protect personal data in their systems, as well as calls for Archuleta and her top deputies to resign. House Republican leaders  Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Whip Steve Scalise  called for Archuleta's resignation, and Boehner said the president must "take a strong stand against incompetence."

Even some members of Obama's own party, usually reluctant to criticize the administration, joined the call for Archuleta to go. Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia decried Archuleta for a "slow and uneven response" that he said had undermined confidence in her abilities.

"It is time for her to step down, and I strongly urge the administration to choose new management with proven abilities to address a crisis of this magnitude with an appropriate sense of urgency and accountability," Warner said.

Among the data the hackers stole: criminal, financial, health, employment and residency histories, as well as information about their families and acquaintances. The second, larger attack affected more than 19 million people who applied for clearances, as well as nearly 2 million of their spouses, housemates and others.

"Such incompetence is inexcusable," said House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, a Utah Republican, in repeating his calls for Archuleta's resignation. Chaffetz said Archuleta and her aides had "consciously ignored the warnings and failed to correct these weaknesses."

Yet Archuleta insisted Thursday she would not step down, telling reporters during a conference call, "I am committed to the work that I am doing."

"I truly understand the impact this has on our current and former employees, our military personnel and our contractors," she added.

Archuleta said the hackers also obtained user names and passwords that prospective employees used to fill out their background investigation forms, as well as the contents of interviews conducted as part of those investigations. But the government insisted there were no indications that the hackers have used the data they stole.

Members of Congress including Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid have said China was behind the attack, and investigators previously told the Associated Press that the U.S. government was increasingly confident that China's government  not criminal hackers  was responsible for the extraordinary theft.

But Michael Daniel, Obama's cybersecurity coordinator, said Thursday that the government wasn't yet ready to say who was responsible. Still, he added cryptically, "Just because we're not doing public attribution does not mean that we're not taking steps to deal with the matter."

China has publicly denied involvement in the break-in.

The administration said it has stepped up its cybersecurity efforts by proposing new legislation, urging private industry to share more information about attacks and examining how the government conducts sensitive background investigations.

"Each and every one of us at OPM is committed to protecting the safety and the security of the info that is placed in our trust," Archuleta said. In early June, government employees received notice that OPM would offer credit-monitoring services and identity-theft insurance to those affected.

Meanwhile, the White House waited about a month before telling the public that hackers had stolen the personal information of millions of people associated with the government, people directly involved with the investigation told the AP last month.

"It's a treasure trove of information about everybody who has worked for, tried to work for, or works for the United States government," FBI Director James Comey said Thursday, describing the scope of the breach as "huge" and "a very big deal."

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Katherine Archuleta, the first Hispanic to head the United States Office of Personnel Management, and one of the highest-ranking Hispanics in the Obama administration, said she will be resigning effective immediately.

Archuleta came under growing pressure to step down from the job she held for less than two years after it was revealed that hacking at the OPM had involved the theft of personal data of more than 25 million people.

Archuleta said in a statement that it was time for new leadership in order to move beyond the current challenges and allowing the employees at OPM to continue their important work.

Leading this agency has been the highlight of my career, Archuleta said. The OPM family is comprised of some of the most dedicated, capable and hardworking individuals in the Federal Government. Each of them does so much in service of our country  whether it is through protecting our security by conducting background investigations; working to ensure Federal employees and their families have the best possible health coverage available; or working to assist our Federal retirees and their families in the smooth processing of their annuities. I thank them, from the bottom of my heart.

Archuleta personally told President Barack Obama of her intention to quit on Friday morning. She will be temporarily replaced by Beth Cobert, the deputy director of management at the Office of Management and Budget.

Archuleta was the former national political director for President Obamas reelection campaign. One of her priorities when she became OPM director was to launch a Latino outreach effort that essentially targeted three groups  millennials, mid-level professionals, and senior workers who may consider going from the private to public sector.

Archuleta's statement made no direct reference to the data breach, saying only that she believed it was best to allow the agency to "move beyond the current challenges." She praised the agency's employees as "some of the most dedicated, capable and hardworking individuals in the federal government."

"I have complete confidence in their ability to continue fulfill OPM's important mission of recruiting, retaining and honoring a world-class workforce to serve the American people," Archuleta said.

Archuleta's position appeared to become unsustainable given the scope of the data breach and the mounting calls from lawmakers in both parties for her to resign. On Thursday, within hours of the Obama administration releasing new details about the scope of the breach, House Republican leaders demanded new leadership in the agency, and a number of Democrats followed.

California Rep. Adam Schiff, the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Archuleta's resignation "will help to restore confidence in an agency that not only poorly defended sensitive data of millions of Americans but struggled to respond to repeated intrusions."

"This change in leadership is also an acknowledgement that we cannot simply place blame on the hackers, but need to take responsibility for the protection of personal information that is so obvious a target," Schiff said.

Includes reporting by The Associated Press.

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Many Latino leaders lamented the resignation of one of the few senior Hispanic officials in the Obama administration, who stepped down Friday as criticism of her grew because of an unprecedented hacking of her agencys databases.

The leaders said that Katherine Archuleta, the first Hispanic to serve as director of the federal Office of Personnel Management, had brought a new, firm commitment to diversifying the workforce in government offices.

Several leaders expressed concern that the lines of communication they had obtained with OPM, and the efforts they and Archuleta had launched to recruit Latinos into federal jobs, would come to a halt with her departure.

I am sorry to see Katherine Archuleta step down under these circumstances, said Hector Sanchez, chairman of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), and executive director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), in a statement.

Throughout her career, she has distinguished herself as a bridge-builder and effective leader.

Having worked with her directly on the Hispanic Council on Federal Employment, Sanchez said, I saw first-hand her commitment and energy in taking on the vast, complicated federal personnel system to improve the recruitment, hiring, retention and promotion of Latinos in the federal workforce.

Some felt that Archuleta was being forced to be a scapegoat for the massive cybersecurity failings.

The hackers  widely believed to be China's government  had infiltrated her agency's databases as well as background-check records for millions who applied for U.S. security clearances.

Archuleta's resignation came one day after the administration disclosed that the number of people affected by the federal data breach was far greater than previously known.

Calls had grown louder in recent days for the resignation of Archuleta, who many saw as slow to react to concerns about cybersecurity in the agencys databases.

Democrats had joined Republicans in calling for her to step down.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said of her resignation: 'The Obama Administration needs to take this opportunity to articulate a credible plan of action, and more thoroughly address the legitimate concerns of the American people, particularly the millions who have been harmed by the lack of competence in confronting a massive cyberattack.

In addition to 4.2 million people whose records were stolen in an initial hack first revealed earlier this year, more than 21.5 million had their Social Security numbers and other sensitive information stolen in a second hack, believed to be the biggest in U.S. history.

Katherine Archuletas resignation is a loss for all of us given her talent and expertise, said Arturo Vargas, the executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund (NALEO), in a statement to Fox News Latino. The extent of the data breach at OPM shows the problems are much more widespread than what was under her control.

Brent Wilkes, the national executive director for the League of United Latin American Citizens, the country's largest and oldest Hispanic organization, said that Archuleta was doing an exemplary job of helping OPM carry its out its mission of having a federal workforce that reflects the general population.

Were terribly disappointed here at LULAC, said Wilkes in an interview with Fox News Latino. She was an outstanding public servant. She was moving the ball forward for the Latino community, in ensuring that we had a federal workforce that looked like America.

That is the main job of the OPM, not cybersecurity, which should be more the responsibility of the Defense Department or Homeland Security, Wilkes said. I dont understand why Katherine Archuleta is taking the fall for a situation that should be addressed by Congress and the administration in a more holistic manner.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A federal judge refused to disqualify himself Friday from a racial profiling case against an Arizona sheriff who alleged that questions posed by the judge at a hearing three months ago created an appearance of judicial bias.

U.S. District Judge Murray Snow, in a 40-page ruling, said the May 22 motion by attorneys for Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio was "legally insufficient and untimely."

Arpaio's lawyers argued Snow put his credibility at issue when he asked questions during an April 23 hearing about two secret investigations involving the judge that were done on Arpaio's behalf. The sheriff's attorneys said Snow shouldn't have posed questions about matters that involved him or his wife. Opposing lawyers say the disqualification request was a delay tactic.

Snow has dealt Arpaio some of the toughest legal losses in his 22-year tenure, such as a 2013 decision that concluded the sheriff's officers had racially profiled Latinos in regular traffic and immigration patrols.

Earlier this year, Snow launched a contempt case against Arpaio for the sheriff's acknowledged violations of court orders in the profiling case, including letting officers conduct immigration patrols for 18 months after being ordered to stop them.

The contempt case sprawled further in late April when Snow asked Arpaio about the two secret investigations during a contempt hearing.

Arpaio's lawyers say the sheriff had a duty to examine whether information provided by two investigative sources about the judge was true.

A lawyer for the sheriff had hired a private investigator to examine a claim that Snow's wife said the judge didn't want to see Arpaio re-elected. It's not clear whether she ever made such a comment.

Attorneys for Arpaio say the investigation was dropped out of respect for Snow.

Arpaio said the other investigation involving the judge centered on a claim from a paid informant that there were wiretaps on the emails and phones of local judges and lawyers defending the sheriff in the separate civil rights lawsuit by the U.S. Justice Department.

Weeks later, the judge said records from that investigation intended to show that Snow and the Justice Department were conspiring against him. Arpaio had testified that his office eventually lost confidence in the informant's credibility.

The sheriff's office disputes that the judge was targeted in the secret investigations.

The lawyers who oppose Arpaio's request said documents handed over by the sheriff's office indicate the conspiracy investigation continued until the eve of the contempt hearings.

This isn't the first time Arpaio has sought to remove a judge from the profiling case.

Arpaio's lawyers succeeded in 2009 in getting a new judge after questioning the impartiality of then-U.S. District Judge Mary Murguia, whose twin sister was the leader of the National Council of La Raza, a prominent advocacy group for Latinos.

Snow, an appointee of President George W. Bush, then took over the case.

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An eyewitness told Ahram Online that an unknown number of protestors were arrested

Security forces dispersed on Monday afternoon a protest in Cairo against the approval of the Egypt-Saudi Arabian demarcation deal by the Egyptian cabinet last week.

Dozens of protestors initially gathered outside the Journalists Syndicate in downtown Cairo to start a march to the parliament, though an eyewitness told Ahram Online that security forces blocked off the road to the syndicate.

The protestors were forced to move to two spots outside the cordons -- at the Al Amercaine cafe on the corner of Talaat Harb and 26th of July Street, and behind the police cordon in Abdel-Khalek Tharwat street, where the syndicate is located, according to the eyewitness.

A group called Ardy (My Land) called earlier on a Facebook event for the march on Monday from the Journalists Syndicate to the parliament to reject the agreement's approval and referral to parliament.

"This agreement no longer exists after it was voided by the administrative judiciary, but the government insists to implement it and deliver the islands to Saudi Arabia, against the popular will," the Facebook event read.

The event further called on Egyptians to join them to defend Egyptian lands and "put the regime on trial."

The eyewitness told Ahram Online that the police arrested a number of protesters. However, the exact number of those arrested and their place of custody is not yet known.

Random arrests and harassment by civilians against the protestors in the area were also reported.

Later the protesters in both places were cordoned off, tear gassed, and a number were taken to police cars.

Khaled El-Balshy, the head of the syndicate's Freedoms Committee, told Ahram Online that "no journalists were arrested to my knowledge, while a number of protesters remained inside the union's headquarters as tough security siege are preventing them from leaving."

Egypts cabinet referred last Thursday the border demarcation agreement to parliament after approving the deal that places the Egyptian-controlled Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir under Saudi Arabian sovereignty.

The cabinet asserted in a statement that its approval of the deal and its referral to parliament is constitutional.

Though lawyers challenging the agreement in court say the move is unconstitutional, as the court has not yet given a final verdict on the issue.

Lawyer Khaled Ali, who is challenging the deal in court, told Ahram Online earlier that the cabinets decision is neither legal nor constitutional.

On Saturday, Ali filed another case against the Egyptian president, prime minister, the head of the parliament, along with interior and foreign affairs ministers for approving the agreement and sending it to the parliament, according to a post on his Facebook page.

In June, an administrative court voided the agreement after a number of citizens and lawyers filed a lawsuit challenging the deal.

The High Administrative Court is set to issue a final verdict on the deal on 16 January.

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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is drawing larger crowds as he continues to criticize immigration policies in stark language that has revealed a deep divide between immigration hawks and moderates who are trying to avoid alienating Hispanic voters.

On Saturday, Trump was scheduled to campaign in Nevada and then in Arizona, a hub of immigrant and drug smuggling where the real estate developer and reality TV star has developed a large following. A rally in Phoenix was first planned at a posh resort that could handle about 1,000 guests, but organizers moved it to the city's convention center.

Trump's descriptions of Mexican immigrants bringing drugs and crime to the U.S. and being rapists have been roundly denounced as offensive. But his message about the broken border has resonated with many in the GOP, especially after an immigrant who was deported multiple times was accused of killing a woman on a San Francisco pier.

In Los Angeles for a rally Friday evening, Trump brought together people who said their relatives had been killed by immigrants in the U.S. illegally. "The illegals come in and the illegals killed their children," he said. "And we better get smart in the United States."

Arizona's major Chamber of Commerce group, both U.S. senators and a host of other GOP backers heaped their ire on Trump as the visit to Phoenix drew near. Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, who met presidential hopefuls Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker when they were in the state, is snubbing Trump. Protesters like the ones who greeted Trump in Los Angeles were expected.

Maricopa County's tough-on-immigration sheriff, Joe Arpaio, is set to speak before Trump at the convention center event.

Sen. Jeff Flake, who with Sen. John McCain sponsored a 2013 comprehensive immigration reform bill that stalled when it reached the House, said Trump's views "are coarse, ill-informed and inaccurate, and they are not representative of the Republican Party. As an elected Republican official, I'm disappointed the county party would host a speaker that so damages the party's image."

McCain, in a statement issued Friday, said, "If the Republican nominee for president does not support comprehensive immigration reform and border security policy, we have no chance of defeating Hillary Clinton and winning the White House in 2016."

But A.J. LaFaro, former head of the Maricopa County Republican Party, rejected those views. "With regards to McCain, Flake and the chambers, I don't respect any of those people anyway, so why would I care?" Lafaro said. "They're not representative of my conservative Christian values. I understand that Mr. Trump is saying what a lot of people here in the United States, I would like to think a majority of the people here in the Unites States, are thinking."

Trump's comments after a June 16 campaign kickoff speech helped revive immigration as a campaign issue but also prompted a series of cancellations from companies that do business with him or his companies.

Trump begins Saturday speaking in Las Vegas at the libertarian-minded gathering Freedom Fest. Nevada is 27 percent Hispanic and a key state for Republican candidates. His appearance at the conference, which bills itself as an egalitarian event for free-thinkers to discuss and celebrate liberty, was a recent addition to a lineup that included Rubio on Friday night.

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Who yelled "everybody into the pool?"

After all the candidate announcements, after all the speculation about who'd go first and who's yet to jump in, one question remains in this summer before the election year: Why are so many Republicans running for president?

Surely, the soon-to-be-17 announced GOP candidates don't all think they will become president.

But it's easy for a politician to get caught up in the hype and yell "cowabunga!" in a year when there's no incumbent seeking re-election and no Republican who seems to have an inside track to the nomination.

Plus, it's easier than ever to make a credible run for president, thanks to the equalizing effects of social media and digital fundraising, and with looser federal rules in place on raising money.

The apt question for an ambitious Republican this year seems to be: Well, why not?

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker adds his name to the list on Monday, with Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore to follow in coming weeks, bringing the total by summer's end to at least 17.

"Every now and then you have an election cycle that is defined by what can be best described as me-too-ism," says Mo Elleithee, executive director of Georgetown's Institute of Politics and Public Service and a onetime spokesman for Hillary Rodham Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign.

With any number of theoretical pathways to the GOP nomination, second-tier candidates may well have surveyed the field and said to themselves, "Why can't I burst into that top tier?" says Elleithee. "Everybody is sitting there with their advisers, slicing and dicing the electorate, and either finding a potential path or deluding themselves into finding a potential path."

Tony Fratto, a Washington consultant who worked for President George W. Bush, says there's far more than delusions motivating candidates. Beyond the generally easier mechanics of running for office, he says, there are all sorts of incentives to run that have nothing to do with actually being president.

"You have the opportunity to become a personality in a relatively short period of time," says Fratto. "You get on the national stage, your name ID is elevated and that can translate into writing books, giving speeches and getting an opportunity to go on TV." Not to mention a potential job as vice president or in the Cabinet.

It worked for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who's running again after parlaying his losing candidacy in the 2008 primaries into political celebrity, including TV and radio shows and book deals.

The should-I-run equation is different on the Democratic side, where Clinton is dominant, but even there, four other notable candidates have joined the against-the-odds race.

A look at some of the reasons so many candidates are running this year:

Waiting for a stumble

Some candidates run just in case. If top-tier candidates suddenly falter, these challengers want to make sure they're positioned to step right up.

These types "genuinely think things can fall apart" for the top candidates, says Princeton historian Julian Zelizer.

He puts New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Kasich in that category.

In Christie's case, says Zelizer, "I think part of him hopes that people will see how great he is  according to him" if an opening emerges.

The Obama effect

The election of a junior Illinois senator with a funny name as president in 2008 has heartened candidates who might not otherwise have thought of themselves as ready to run.

"What Barack Obama proved in 2008 is that you don't need all that much experience," says Fratto. "You can take on a presumed front-runner, and you can raise money and improve your name ID very quickly. That possibility wasn't imaginable in the past."

Obama's precedent has to hearten Marco Rubio from Florida and Ted Cruz from Texas, both 44-year-old freshman senators, and 52-year-old rookie Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.

Taking turns

Senior politicians may look at relative newcomers who've gotten into the race, and think, "Wait, it's my turn."

Elleithee envisions veterans such as Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Kasich asking themselves, "Why should these young up-and-comers be seen as more credible than me?"

Idea guys

Some candidates run to get their ideas in the mix even if their candidacies face long odds.

Graham is pushing the Republicans to focus on national security. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is pressing Democrats to do more to address income inequality.

Big money

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court's 2010 ruling that loosened fundraising rules, says Zelizer, "all you need is a few wealthy people and you can be a presidential candidate." Candidates may not have enough money to go the distance, but a supportive billionaire or super PAC can bankroll a candidacy that otherwise might not go far.

Casino titan Sheldon Adelson's millions kept Newt Gingrich's 2012 candidacy afloat long after it otherwise would have gone under. Super PACs will file paperwork later this month that will help show who's benefiting from big donors this time around.

Small dollars

No sugar daddy? No problem.

Online fundraising and social media have made it cheaper and easier for candidates to haul in lots of small contributions.

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson is relying on small contributions to propel his GOP campaign. And on the Democratic side, Sanders' upstart challenge to Clinton is pulling in millions mostly through small donors on the Internet.

Building the 'Me' brand

Businessman-showman Donald Trump has to know he's not going to be president.

His self-promotional candidacy helps keep him in the news, something he's clearly relishing even if it's triggered a backlash that's going to cost him.

Companies and organizations are lining up to cut ties to Trump after his much-criticized comments about Mexican immigrants.

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Joining a growing group of presidential candidates for president, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham called out Donald Trump for incendiary statements about immigrants and Mexicans he made and has repeated ever since his announcement for the GOP nomination in June.

Graham called the real estate mogul and television personality a "wrecking ball" for the Republican Party, one who threatens its future with Hispanic voters. For that reason, Graham is calling on the party to push back.

Graham was critical of Trump's recent derogatory comments about Mexican immigrants and calls the issue a "defining moment" for Republicans. He said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union" that if the GOP doesn't reject Trump's views, "we will have lost our way."

"I'm very worried about the Republican Party," Graham said. "I don't think this is the way to win the Latino vote."

Graham said Trump's comments are "offensive at every level ... I think he's a wrecking ball for the future of the Republican Party with the Hispanic community and we need to push back."

Saturday night, campaigning in the west, Trump repeated his charge that Mexico was sending violent offenders to the U.S. to harm Americans, and that U.S. officials were being "dumb" in dealing with immigrants in the country illegally. "These people wreak havoc on our population," he told a few thousand people attending the Libertarian gathering FreedomFest in Las Vegas.

Trump's words are worrisome to Republicans, who fear the outspoken businessman is hurting the party's standing with the nation's surging Latino population before voting begins in the 2016 presidential primaries.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Sen. Marco Rubio  as well as Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton  have all spoken out against Trump's comments. Even Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus reportedly reached out to the mogul to try to get him to tone down his rhetoric.

Rubio, who declined to address Trump's comments directly for more than two weeks, issued a statement in early July, reading, "Trump's comments are not just offensive and inaccurate, but also divisive," said Rubio, a Cuban-American. "Our next president needs to be someone who brings Americans together  not someone who continues to divide."

Only Sen. Ted Cruz has spoken out in support of Trump's statements, if not the force with which they've been expressed. Most other Republican contenders have remained silent on the topic.

Trump's reply to Rubio and other of his rivals has been to call them "weak" on immigration.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Calls are growing for the Obama administration to end the decades-long practice of allowing Cubans who make it onto U.S. soil to stay here.

The practice, which stems from the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act and is informally known as the wet-foot-dry-foot policy, allows Cubans who make it to the United States to remain her legally.

They can obtain permanent U.S. residency after a year and a day.

The policy has been controversial for a long time, drawing criticism from some who view it as preferential treatment. Haitian-American groups, for instance, often contrast how much harder it is for their compatriots to get legal residency in the United States.

Now that Cuba and the United States are re-establishing diplomatic relations and recently announced that embassies would be reopened in Havana and Washington, D.C., before the end of July, many argue that its time to repeal the Cuban Adjustment Act.

The politics of the issue have evolved, Marc R. Rosenblum, deputy director of the U.S. immigration policy program at the Migration Policy Institute, told Fox News Latino.

There also have been published reports about how some Cubans obtain refugee status  presumably because they fear persecution in their native homeland  yet regularly travel between the U.S. and the communist nation after obtaining legal residency here.

People see certain Cubans abuse the Cuban Adjustment Act, and travel back and forth, taking advantage of that privileged status.

The Obama administration, mindful of the emotionally-charged debate around the special program  Cuban exiles have pushed hard to keep it in place  quickly noted after announcing the push to normalize relations that the wet-foot-dry-foot policy would remain in place.

Remberto Perez, vice president of the Cuban American National Foundation, one of the nations most influential Cuban exile lobbying groups, says the re-establishment of diplomatic relations has not meant an end to the human rights abuses that have driven many to flee to the United States.

Its still a brutal dictatorship, and if people are risking their lives to escape the regime, we should give them asylum, Perez, a New Jersey businessman, told FNL. Cuba is just giving lip service and window-dressing. Cuba cannot be compared with Haiti. Cuba is a police state.

Rep. Carlos Curbelo, a Miami Republican and the son of Cuban exiles, has drafted legislation that seeks to modify the Cuban Adjustment Act.

Among other things, his measure requires people who want to stay in the United States via the Cuban Adjustment Act to prove they face political persecution.

It would also rescind the residency of refugees who return to Cuba before they complete the process of becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen.

"When you do talk to other members of Congress about the abuses of the Cuban Adjustment Act," Curbelo's chief of staff, Roy Schultheis, told the Sun Sentinel, "everyone accepts that they exist."

Some groups, such as the Federation for American Immigration Reform, or FAIR, want to see more than just a tweaking of the Cuban Adjustment Act.

"With the re-establishment of full diplomatic relations with Cuba, our outdated Cold War immigration policies with that nation must end," Dan Stein, FAIR's president, told FNL.

"If we are treating Cuba like virtually every other nation on earth in terms of trade, cultural exchanges and diplomacy, then we should also treat Cuban citizens like everyone else when it comes to immigration to the United States, he added.

Former Cuban political prisoner Luis Israel Abreu, a New Jersey resident who long has been active in pushing for democratic reforms on the island, says the practice should remain, although with some tweaking.

Cuba does have conditions that are unparalleled in much of the world, Abreu told Fox News Latino. There continue to be dire human rights violations by the government, there continue to be people imprisoned merely for their political beliefs. Cuba is a state sponsor of terrorism, and it is led by a brutal dictatorship.

What could change about the policy, Abreu said, is tightening the screening for who gets to stay in order to make sure the policy provides relief to people who truly are fleeing persecution, not to those who are leaving for purely economic reasons.

Rosenblum of the Migration Policy Institute says its hard to continue to justify a blanket granting of U.S. residency to every Cuban who makes it ashore when no other group in the world gets the same privilege.

He said the double standard is particularly glaring given the efforts by the U.S. government to deport unaccompanied minors from Central America who arrived at the U.S. border in recent years, trying flee the soaring violence and poverty in their homelands.

Theyre treated very differently, Rosenblum said.

He added that the Cuban Adjustment Act can be applied more fairly without doing away with it.

Rosenblum said the act does not require the U.S. to give every Cuban reaching the U.S. a path to refugee or asylum status.

It authorizes [the U.S.] to grant a visa to arriving Cubans, but doesnt require that it be given to everyone who arrives here, he said. But that is how it has been implemented. It shouldnt be a blank check.
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is trying to expand his liberal coalition, intensifying his appeals to the minority voters who twice powered President Barack Obama to the White House.

As a senator representing the overwhelmingly white state of Vermont, Sanders remains fairly unknown among Latino and black voters  key Democratic party constituencies. It's an electoral problem he hopes to fix in the coming weeks, making plans to introduce himself to minority voters with stops in Phoenix, Houston and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference meeting in Louisiana later this month.

"I want to talk about the stain of racism in this country," he told hundreds of Latino activists gathered for the national conference of the National Council of La Raza on Monday. "American becomes a greater nation, a stronger nation, when we stand together as one people and in a very loud and clear voice, we say 'no' to all forms of racism and bigotry."

His strong statements mark a shift in tone from his early campaign, which has so far made few attempts to raise his profile in minority communities. His kickoff rally on the banks of Lake Champlain in Burlington featured testimonials from a series of white speakers, including the local ice cream makers behind Ben & Jerry's, and made no mention of issues like gun control and racial inequality. Rather than focus on more current criminal justice and gun control issues  like the shooting last month in a Charleston church  Sanders has addressed race relations through the decades-old lens of the civil rights movement and the broader issue of growing income inequality.

"I have a long history in fighting for civil rights," Sanders said in an interview with ABC News last month. "I understand that many people in the African-American community may not understand that."

Facing an increasingly diverse Democratic party, Sanders' ability to draw on a broader base of support will determine whether he becomes a serious threat to Hillary Clinton, who holds a dominant primary lead, or remains more of a protest candidate for liberal whites. Four in ten self-identified Democratic voters were non-white in 2012, a slight increase from four years earlier, according to a 2013 Gallup analysis.

Hillary Clinton has spent months wooing minority voters. She's focused heavily on immigration and criminal justice policy, issues that hold particular resonance in Latino and African-American communities. On Tuesday, she plans to meet with influential groups of black, Asian-Pacific and Latino lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Speaking in Kansas City Monday, Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley touted his work as Maryland governor expanding access to driver's licenses, pushing for legislation on in-state tuition discounts for undocumented college students, and increasing government contracts to Latino businesses. He plans to introduce an immigration plan Tuesday.

"The real symbol of America is not the barbed wire fence," he said. "It is the Statue of Liberty."

Sanders, meanwhile, drew on his own background, noting how his father immigrated to the U.S. from Poland at age 17 without much money, without knowing English and without much of an education. He called on Congress to pass immigration legislation and said Obama's executive order deferring deportation for some people should be expanded to include parents of those who have been living in the country illegally since childhood.

"We are making progress in this country and there will be no turning back," he said to applause. "And let me be very clear in stating this, that no one, not Donald Trump, not anyone else, will be successful in dividing us based on race or our country of origin."

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Hillary Rodham Clinton accused former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush of lacking an understanding of the needs of American workers on Monday, using an agenda-setting economic speech to cast Republican prescriptions for the economy as relics of the past that would do little to boost wages for the middle class.

Outlining the tenets of her economic agenda, Clinton seized upon the recent comments from Bush, who said last week in New Hampshire that "people need to work longer hours." She said that Bush "must not have met many American workers," and said he wouldn't hear that sentiment from teachers or nurses or truck drivers.

"They don't need a lecture. They need a raise," she said.

The Democratic presidential front-runner outlined the themes of her economic agenda in a speech at The New School in New York City, where she called raising incomes for hard-working Americans the defining economic challenge facing the nation. The speech offered tough medicine for Wall Street traders just a few blocks away and included swipes at other leading Republican presidential candidates, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who was launching his campaign on Monday.

She specifically criticized a tax proposal put forward by Rubio, saying it would significantly cut taxes for households earning $3 million a year. "That's a sure budget-busting giveaway to the super-wealthy," Clinton said. She also ripped into Walker, saying he was an example of a GOP governor who had "made their names stomping on workers' rights."

During a stop in New Hampshire last week, Bush had been discussing the high number of part-time workers listed among the roster of employed Americans, and the need for people to find more full-time employment. Democrats have seized upon the comments, hoping it will undermine the ability of the brother and son of U.S. presidents to connect with middle-class workers.

Allie Brandenburger, a Bush spokeswoman, said in response that Clinton was "proposing the same failed policies we have seen in the Obama economy, where the typical American household's income has declined and it's harder for businesses to hire and the middle class to achieve rising incomes."

Republicans note that under Obama, the workplace participation rate has declined to their lowest levels since 1977 and the labor force includes millions of people working in part-time jobs who would prefer working full-time.

In a sign of his stature in the GOP field, Bush received the brunt of Clinton's criticism. At one point, Clinton said the nation's economy should not be measured by "some arbitrary growth targets untethered to people's lives and livelihoods." That was a veiled reference to Bush, who has said he would set a goal of 4 percent economic growth, including 19 million jobs, if elected president, and would seek to harness innovation and technology.

Clinton, meanwhile, made no mention of her chief Democratic rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has wooed Democrats by making economic inequality the central plank of his insurgent campaign. But her message appeared aimed at liberals who have expressed anxiety about the uneven recovery of the economy since the Great Recession.

Clinton pointed to the economic progress during her husband's two terms in the 1990s and more recently under President Barack Obama. But she said that globalization and technological changes require the next president to take steps to help middle-class Americans participate in economic prosperity.

"Today is not 1993. It's not 2009. So we need solutions for the big challenges we face now," Clinton said.

She pointed to a laundry list of Democratic-leaning policy ideas, including more public investment in infrastructure projects like the construction of roads and bridges, advancing renewable energy and tax cuts for small business owners. Clinton also expressed support for an increase in the federal minimum wage, an overhaul to the tax code, and policies proposals related to child care, paid leave and paid sick days.

But in framing her economic vision, Clinton attempted to meet the demands of liberals within her own party who question her willingness to regulate Wall Street. Some of those Democrats have rallied behind Sanders and many progressives note that Clinton has received backing from the financial sector in past races and received lucrative speaking fees to address Wall Street conferences.

Clinton urged corporate leaders to "embrace their responsibilities" to workers, threatening tougher action against those who behave badly.

She vowed to expand the Dodd-Frank law passed by Congress in 2010, which tightened regulation of financial institutions. Clinton said the rules were "under assault" by Republicans  and advocated increased government oversight not only of the country's' biggest banks but of hedge funds, high-frequency traders, and other powerful financial players.

She leveled a subtle swipe against the Obama administration, which took no action against the individual financial titans who pursued risky fiscal practices that contributed to the 2008 financial crisis. Clinton promised criminal prosecutions of bad bankers.

She said financial figures too often "get off with limited consequences or none at all, even when they have already pocked the gains."

"This is wrong and on my watch it will change," she said. Clinton said she would offer plans to "rein in excessive risks on Wall Street and make sure stock markets work for everyday investors."

Clinton's economic framework will be followed by a series of speeches this summer to outline a number of economic proposals, including wage growth, college affordability, corporate accountability and paid leave. She plans to discuss the need for corporate profit-sharing during a stop in New Hampshire on Thursday.

Clinton's high-profile economic speech coincided with a courting of labor groups and Hispanic officials, who also are being wooed by Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley. Clinton received the endorsement of the American Federation of Teachers union on Saturday and both Clinton and Sanders were holding private meetings with labor leaders later in the week.

The three Democratic contenders were addressing the National Council of La Raza conference in Kansas City later Monday, appealing to members of the nation's largest Latino advocacy organization.

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Latinos may have overtaken white Californians as the largest segment of the state's population, but their political prowess lags far behind.

A new report  titled The Status of Latinos in California for the California Latino Legislative Caucus  found that Latinos still make up a disproportionately small share of the states election officials and the group's voting strength is only half of their portion of the states population.

When is California ripe for a Latino senator or governor? The time couldnt be more ripe than right now, Roger Salazar, a Clinton administration veteran who is a spokesperson for the Latino caucus, told the Los Angeles Times. But now the question is: How do you get that to happen?

Latinos were 39 percent of the states population in 2014, just surpassing non-Latino whites at 38 percent, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates. However, only 15 percent of Latinos cast a vote in the November 2014 midterm elections.

The report found that Latinos represent only 1 in 5 registered voters in the state. As a result, the best chance for Latino politicians are in local posts in small towns with a high percentage of Latinos. Their odds of electoral success worsen the higher the political food chain.

Latinos sit on city councils in 27 of the states 58 counties, hold one-quarter of the state assembly seats, but have never elected a Latino U.S. senator or governor. And the expectation of a historic first in the 2016 race to replace Sen. Barbara and for the governor's seat in 2018 seem to be diminishing possibilities.

By any measure, Latinos are very underrepresented at every level of government in California, Salazar told the Times.

I want to see more women, Latinas and Latinos running for higher office. And it will come, said Hilda Solis, a former congresswoman and Labor secretary who was elected last year to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

The gap between Latinos population and their political clout during election years has been a longtime frustration for Latino political leaders. Citizenship is only one of the barriers.

Another big factor is age.

Census figures show that 32 percent of Latinos are younger than 18 in California while 19 percent of other California residents are under 18, the Times reported.

Also a larger portion of Latinos are younger than 35, a demographic that is less likely to vote than older residents.

Even so, there has been some growth in Latino voting since the 2004 presidential election, which could help steer more state resources to urban schools that serve mainly Latino immigrants, suggested pollster Matt Barreto, a professor of political science and Chicano studies at UCLA.

Youll see more responsiveness to Latino issues, he said. Theyll have a stronger voice.

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Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump seized on the dramatic prison escape of drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman as evidence for his often repeated riff about crime and Mexican immigrants, crowing, via Twitter, "I told you so!"

The real estate mogul and television personality was traveling back to the East Coast on Sunday, but that didn't prevent him from sending out a barrage of tweets from his official site @realDonaldTrump about the former head of the Sinaloa Cartel.

The first pointed to the escape as a reminder of problems he was referring to when he said that many Mexican migrants bring drugs and crime to the United States. "Mexico's biggest drug lord escapes from jail. Unbelievable corruption and USA is paying the price. I told you so!" he wrote

Subsequent tweets tweaked some of his presidential rivals. "Can you envision Jeb Bush or Hillary Clinton negotiating with 'El Chapo'?" he asked.

Following it up with one that bragged, "Trump, however, would kick his ass!"

A few hours later, he was at it again, writing, "The U.S. will invite El Chapo, the Mexican drug lord who just escaped prison, to become a U.S. citizen because our 'leaders' can't say no!"

On Monday morning, Trump continued his Twitter assault. "El Chapo and the Mexican drug cartels use the border unimpeded like it was a vacuum cleaner, sucking drugs and death right into the U.S.," he wrote.

Which was quickly followed by: "When will people, and the media, start to apologize to me for my statement, 'Mexico is sending....,' which turned out to be true?"

Some Republican leaders who hope to make inroads with Hispanic voters in the U.S. have urged him to tone down his criticism of Mexican immigrants, to no avail.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Marco Rubios presidential campaign reported the Florida senator has raised more than $12 million for his White House bid, placing him third in the GOP money race behind former Gov. Jeb Bush and fellow Cuban-American Sen. Ted Cruz.

Rubio, who also has the support of two outside groups  a super PAC and a nonprofit group  that can accept unlimited donations for the campaign, has raised an additional $32 million, they said.

The money for Rubios official presidential campaign comes from all 50 states, and contributors are limited to checks no more than $2,700. The median donation to Rubio was $50.

The Florida senator also transferred about $3.3 million from his Senate re-election bid into his presidential account, his campaign said.

While raising $12 million, the campaign spent only $2.27 million since launching in April, the campaign said in a press release. Running a lean campaign, Marco has traveled to 17 states since April and done over 40 events in the first four early voting states.

Theres a lot of competition on the fundraising effort, with Bush staking his claim by raising a record $114.4 million since January while Cruz has received $52 million from his supporters.

The pro-Rubio super PAC will report its fundraising details, including contributor names, to the Federal Election Commission by the end of the month. However, the fundraising total for the allied nonprofit, reportedly about half of the $32 million raised by outside groups, can't be confirmed because it does not file paperwork with the FEC and keeps donor names secret.

All presidential candidates must report their initial fundraising to federal regulators by Wednesday. Outside groups such as super PACs have a later deadline.

Other presidential hopefuls who have publicly disclosed fundraising information so far include retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson who raised $10.5 million for his campaign and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul at $7 million. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton says she has raised $45 million for her campaign and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders $15 million.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

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Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker announced Monday morning on social media and in a campaign video that he was joining the packed GOP presidential race.

Im in, tweeted the Republican, who built a national profile largely due to his clashes with labor unions. His track record on national policy issues is murkier.

For instance, Walker, who is the first governor in U.S. history to defeat a recall election, has flip-flopped his position on immigration a number of times in recent months.

Some have suggested that the governor is still cementing his views, while trying to keep in mind Republican voters who dont agree with him on the issues.

Just two years ago, Walker supported a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, saying it makes sense in the case of some of the millions of undocumented workers already in the country.

Youve got to find a way to say that people who are in line right now have first preference, he said at Politicos State Solutions Conference in Washington, D.C. We just have a broken system. And to me, if somebody wants to come in and live the American dream and work hard  we should have a system that works and lets people in.

Earlier this year, Walkers position shifted to be more hard-line. I dont believe in amnesty for those in the country without proper documentation, he said.

Yet, according to the Washington Post, he told a private gathering of New Hampshire business leaders in March of this year that he supports providing some undocumented immigrants with a pathway to citizenship.

In April, Walker went further than most in the rest of the Republican field by saying legal immigration may need to be regulated further to protect U.S. jobs

In terms of legal immigration, how we need to approach that going forward is sayingthe next president and the next congress need to make decisions about a legal immigration system thats based on, first and foremost, on protecting American workers and American wages, he told Glenn Beck, according to Slate.

In a campaign video released Monday, Walker spoke directly to the camera touting his willingness to take on big fights.

We didnt nibble around the edges, he says.

Now, on the eve of his campaign launch, Walker's task is to remind Republican voters about the four-year-old fight and the recall election sparked by his efforts to weaken unions  and a series of lesser-known triumphs he says set him apart from the crowded Republican field.

"If you could accomplish half of what he's done in Wisconsin in Washington, D.C., you would go down as one of the greatest presidents ever," said Walker's top political adviser Rick Wiley.

Walker cut income and corporate taxes by nearly $2 billion, lowered property taxes, legalized the carrying of concealed weapons, made abortions more difficult to obtain, required photo identification when voting and made Wisconsin a right-to-work state.

His budget this year, which plugged a $2.2 billion shortfall when he signed it into law Sunday, requires drug screenings for public benefit recipients, expands the private school voucher program, freezes tuition at the University of Wisconsin while cutting funding by $250 million and removing tenure protections from state law.

Such achievements may appeal to conservatives who hold outsized sway in Republican primaries, yet some could create challenges in a general election should Walker ultimately become the GOP's nominee. Voter ID laws, abortion restrictions, liberal gun policies and education cuts are not necessarily popular among swing-state independents.

"Ultimately Walker has to show all these victories and political successes have shown real results," said Democratic pollster Paul Maslin.

Walker's record is well-known to Wisconsin voters, a state where the second-term governor engenders fierce loyalty and fierce opposition. Protesters who first crowded the state Capitol in 2011 in demonstrations as large as 100,000 still gather daily, although only about a dozen or so at a time, to sing anti-Walker songs.

Anger over Walker's 2011 union law led to the failed 2012 recall. His team created a video this week, called "Recall the Recalls," to tell that story again, especially for those who are taking their first serious look at Walker as a presidential candidate.

And while he's not yet a presidential candidate in the eyes of the law, the labor dispute helped give him a significant head start in the 2016 money race.

Walker's three governor's races left him with a far-reaching donor database of more than 300,000 names. He shattered state fundraising records, collecting $83 million for his three Wisconsin elections, much of it coming from outside the state.

He begins his 2016 presidential bid with at least $20 million to spread his message, raised by two outside groups not subject to campaign finance donation limits, according to sources with direct knowledge of the fundraising operation. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to publicly discuss private fundraising strategy.

Walker's union clashes will be featured prominently on the day of his announcement, to be held in the same convention hall where he hosted his victory party after the recall election.

"A lot of people, that was their first introduction to Walker," Wiley said, calling the union battle and subsequent recall win "one of our biggest assets."

Yet the specific impact of Walker's fight with labor unions is open to debate.

The governor often highlights rising test scores and graduation rates as evidence that the 2011 union law worked. What he doesn't mention is Wisconsin's graduation rates were increasing for years before he took office, and the recent growth is not as strong as the national average. Wisconsin's ACT scores have been among the best in the nation since before Walker was elected. They ranked third the year before he took office and ranked second in 2012.

Walker also talks about how the 2011 union law saved taxpayers $3 billion as of late 2014, saying state and local governments have used "tools" he provided them to reduce spending on pensions and health benefits for public employees.

While it's true that the state and local governments have saved roughly that amount, the costs have been shifted to the employees who have to pay more for those benefits.

Critics note that Walker too often ignores where he's fallen short.

The state's chief economic development agency that Walker created, a hybrid public-private partnership, has been beset with problems, including handing out $124 million in loans without properly vetting the recipients. Walker was over 100,000 jobs short on his signature 2010 campaign promise to create 250,000 private-sector jobs. Wisconsin's job growth has lagged not only the national average but its Midwest neighbors as well.

He's also been dogged by two investigations, neither of which have yet to result in charges filed against him. The first resulted in a variety of criminal convictions, including misconduct in office, against six of his former aides and associates when he was Milwaukee County executive.

The second investigation, currently on hold while the state Supreme Court considers a trio of lawsuits, centers on whether Walker's recall campaign illegally coordinated with independent groups.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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Turkish warplanes and artillery have struck Islamic State targets in Syria, killing 22 of the group's militants, while Russian aircraft hit jihadists near the Islamic State-controlled town of al-Bab, Turkey's military said on Monday.

In a round-up of its military operations over the past 24 hours in support of rebels in northern Syria, the army said the Russian aircraft destroyed Islamic State targets in the area of Dayr Kak, 8 km (5 miles) southwest of al-Bab.

The Turkish military operation, dubbed 'Euphrates Shield', was launched more than four months ago to drive Islamic State militants away from the border region and in recent weeks the forces have been besieging the town of al-Bab.

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Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said it was appalling to hear real estate mogul Donald Trump's description of Mexican immigrants a few weeks ago.

Speaking in front of hundreds of Latino activists gathered for a National Council of La Raza conference in Kansas City on Monday, the former secretary of state said, I have just one word for Donald Trump: Basta! Enough!

Her official Twitter account posted an eye-catching tweet with the word Basta!in bold letters the same day.

[Trump] is talking about people you and I know. Hes talking about people who love this country, work hard and want nothing more than a chance to build a better life for themselves and this country, she said to a cheering crowd.

When people and businesses everywhere rejected his hateful comments, did he apologize? No, he doubled down, she said of the GOP presidential candidate.

On Tuesday morning, Trump's campaign issued a statement responding to Clinton's statements.

"Failing candidate Hillary Clinton, who is desperately trying to hold onto her lead in the democratic primary against Bernie Sanders, is knowingly putting out lies about my stance on illegal immigration. I said Mexico is sending  Im not knocking immigration or immigrants but rather am very critical of the country of Mexico for sending us people that they dont want," the statement read.

She is desperate, she is sad and she is obviously very nervous when she has to revert to issues that have already been settled given the absolute accuracy of my statement," he said. "She speaks about my tone, and thats the problem with our countrys leaders. They are more worried about tone than results!"

During his campaign kickoff speech last month, Trump characterized the Mexicans who enter the U.S. illegally as criminals, drug dealers and rapists.

The businessman has since come under fire from critics inside and outside the Republican Party, but he has refused to back down. Several businesses, including NBC, Univision and Macy's, have cut ties with him as a result.

Meanwhile, Clinton has expressed open support for a comprehensive immigration reform saying that it will be one of the major goals if she is elected president.

I am 100 percent behind comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship, she said during a televised interview last week.

Fox News Producer Christopher Snyder and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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President Barack Obama's announcement early Tuesday morning of a nuclear deal with Iran was met with derision from many lawmakers in Washington  including many within his own party  especially after he vowed to veto any legislation that would block what is being billed as a landmark move.

The deal cuts off Iran's pathways to building nuclear weapons and forces the Islamic Republic to remove two-thirds of its installed centrifuges and get rid of 98 percent of its stockpile of uranium. Iran will receive phased in sanctions relief as it fulfills the provisions in the deal.

While Obama said that Iran "will not develop a nuclear weapon," many critics in Congress  including those running for the Republican presidential nomination- have issued statements vowing to strike down the deal on Capitol Hill.

Republican candidate and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said the U.S. gave "concession after concession to a regime that has American blood on its hands, holds Americans hostage, and has consistently violated every agreement it ever signed."

Rubio's Republican rival and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz added: "Today, the international community led by the United States has agreed to not only legitimize and perpetuate the Iranian nuclear program, but also to further arm and enrich the brutal theocratic regime that has oppressed the Iranian people for more than thirty years  a regime that is wrongfully holding United States citizens captive, that is sponsoring radical Islamic terrorism across the globe, and that regularly promotes the destruction of both Israel and America throughout its streets."

The naysaying against the deal didn't come from just the Republican side of the government, but also from some longtime Democratic lawmakers.

New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez said in a carefully worded statement that while he looks forward to debating the deal on the Senate floor, he has some grave concerns about the language in the deal.

"I'm concerned that the deal ultimately legitimizes Iran as a threshold-nuclear state," Menendez said. "I'm concerned the redlines we drew have turned into green lights; that Iran will be required only to limit rather than eliminate its nuclear program, while the international community will be required to lift the sanctions, and that it doesn't provide for anytime-anyplace inspections of suspected sites."

"The bottom line is: The deal doesn't end Iran's nuclear program  it preserves it," he added.

While the agreement was met with a good deal of unfavorable responses, it did garner some support both at home and abroad.

U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez said that "[w]ith the agreement, we are giving peace a chance" and the leading Democratic candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton labeled it as an "important step" that would end up "putting the lid on Iran's nuclear program."

The deal was also praised by many world leaders, with Russian President Vladimir Putin saying the deal with Iran has brought the world "a sigh of relief" and Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi telling journalists the agreement "is viewed in a positive light by the Holy See."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, said the world is now a "much more dangerous place" and criticized Tuesday's agreement as a "stunning historic mistake."

Speaking in English to reporters in Jerusalem, he said that by removing sanctions, the deal will give Iran billions of dollars to support what he calls a worldwide terrorism network.

He also said it "repeats the mistakes" of an earlier international agreement with North Korea, in which international inspections failed to prevent the country from developing a nuclear weapons capability.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Jeb Bush took aim at fellow Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump on Tuesday, criticizing his "rhetoric of divisiveness."

Speaking to more than 100 people at a restaurant in Council Bluffs, the former Florida governor said the Republican party should focus on bringing people together.

"Whether it is Donald Trump or Barack Obama, their rhetoric of divisiveness is wrong. A Republican will never win by striking fear in people's hearts," Bush said.

Trump, the outspoken reality television star, has been critical of Bush recently. Last week Trump called Bush "a joke" for suggesting that Mexican immigrants cross the border illegally as "an act of love."

Talking to reporters on his last stop on a two-day swing through Iowa, Bush said that Republicans should be optimistic and offer people hope for a better life.

"Mr. Trump has every right to have every belief he has. He's going to run, that's fine," Bush said. "But I don't want to be associated with the kind of vitriol that he's spewing out these days."

In his prepared remarks, Bush touted his record of cutting taxes and growing jobs as Florida governor, stressed his plans to increase border security and criticized the Iranian nuclear deal.

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Cuba's parliament opened one of its twice-annual regular sessions Wednesday with a new twist: It's been reporting the event through the day with updates on Twitter and Facebook.

President Raul Castro gave a closing address at the gathering, but his full speech was not immediately available. They were his first public remarks since the United States and Cuba announced they will re-establish diplomatic relations on Monday and reopen embassies in each other's respective capitals.

State-run website Cubadebate posted a photograph of workers at the Cuban Interests Section in Washington removing a plaque identifying it as such, ahead of its ceremonial inauguration as an embassy next week.

At parliament, officials reported that Cuba recorded economic growth of 4.7 percent in the first half of the year. That was up from a forecast of 4 percent offered last month; annual growth is expected to come in around 4 percent.

"This is very good, taking into account that last year we only grew 1 percent," Castro said, according to Cubadebate. "Nevertheless, in order to achieve this hoped-for 4 percent, we must work hard and with lots of discipline."

The National Assembly was also signing off on a final budget report for 2014.

Foreign journalists weren't allowed access to the gathering at a convention center in western Havana, and the meeting was not televised. However proceedings are usually broadcast on state TV later in the day.

But on its recently activated Twitter account and Facebook page, both of which apparently went live July 11, the National Assembly was publishing snippets from Wednesday's gathering. Cubadebate confirmed the two accounts' authenticity.

The early messages were not dramatic. One reported parliament president Esteban Lazo had called the body to order with homages to 19th-century independence figure Mariana Grajales, known here as the "mother of Cuba."

It's a highly unusual use of social media for a country that has largely fallen behind much of the world in terms of Internet connectivity, and is unlikely to be seen in real-time by many on the island.

Cubans are increasingly using the likes of Facebook and Twitter as authorities slowly expand connectivity options, but most islanders who are able to connect do so only sporadically and briefly, limited by cost, availability and scant bandwidth.

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House Republicans lashed the Obama administration Tuesday for failing to deport an immigrant who allegedly murdered a woman in San Francisco, and advanced legislation aimed at deterring local communities from harboring immigrants who are in this country illegally.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson disputed the GOP criticism, but said he plans to evaluate whether a new approach is needed to avoid what happened in San Francisco, where an immigrant with a long criminal record and without legal status was released onto the streets and committed a murder.

And he agreed with Republicans who said it didn't make sense for the alleged killer to have been handed over to a jurisdiction like San Francisco, a "sanctuary city" that limits its cooperation with the federal government on immigration and was unlikely to try to send him home.

"I want to evaluate whether some discretion can be built into the process so when we're faced with a choice like that, we can make the best decision for the purposes of public safety," Johnson told the House Judiciary Committee in his first appearance on Capitol Hill since the July 1 murder of 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle sparked national controversy.

Steinle's alleged killer, Mexican national Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, had been serving a federal sentence for illegal re-entry. Instead of being deported upon finishing his term, he was handed over to San Francisco on a decades-old drug charge. San Francisco authorities ended up dismissing Lopez-Sanchez's case and releasing him despite a request from federal officials to keep him detained.

Lopez-Sanchez went on to allegedly shoot Steinle as she walked along a popular pier with her father in broad daylight. Lopez-Sanchez has pleaded not guilty, claiming he found the gun on the pier and it accidentally went off.

San Francisco is among some 300 communities nationwide that refuse to abide by federal immigration detention requests, or "detainers," which have been successfully challenged in court by critics who say they indiscriminately target immigrants including many innocent of criminal wrongdoing.

In the wake of Steinle's death, Republicans have called for making such detainers mandatory.

"A convicted criminal alien who had been deported numerous times killed an innocent American woman," said Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va. He said the crime exposed "the tragic impact of DHS's reckless policies on the safety of Americans."

Johnson said the killing underscores the need for local authorities to cooperate with the federal government and its detention requests, but he said making such cooperation mandatory would be counterproductive.

Even as Johnson was testifying before the Judiciary Committee, another GOP-controlled panel, the House Appropriations Committee, was taking action aimed at depriving sanctuary cities of funding and requiring the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to continue to detain immigrants in the country illegally who have been convicted of crimes, instead of exercising discretion and releasing them into the general population.

Both amendments were added by the panel's Republicans, over objections from Democrats, to a measure funding the Department of Homeland Security for the upcoming budget year.

"Dangerous criminals who are in the Unites States illegally must now be incarcerated until they are deported to their home country," Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas.

Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Kan., followed with an amendment to block sanctuary cities like San Francisco from receiving millions of dollars in preparedness grants from the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats noted it would cut off the nation's largest cities from such grants, including New York and Chicago.

"This is such a broad, knee-jerk reaction," said Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y.

Sen. David Vitter, R-La., is pursuing similar legislation on sanctuary cities in the Senate. He had planned to offer it as an amendment to an education overhaul bill currently on the floor, but announced Tuesday that he had backed off that plan after securing a commitment it would come to a vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

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Mothers with children are being released from Texas immigrant detention centers more quickly in the weeks since the nation's top immigration official announced policy changes, with far more being given ankle-monitoring bracelets in lieu of paying bonds, according to immigration attorneys.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Richard Rocha wouldn't confirm the uptick Tuesday or provide specific numbers of people being released. But he said that "going forward, ICE will generally not detain mothers with children" with a credible fear of persecution in their home countries, so long they can provide an address and are not deemed a national security or flight risk.

"This is a decision they should have made a long time ago," said Jonathan Ryan, director of RAICES, the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, which offers legal help to detainees.

Ryan said his volunteers have seen an increase in the number of women and children at the downtown San Antonio bus station who have been released from two South Texas facilities where immigrants are detained after crossing illegally into the U.S. The volunteers also noticed an increase in the number of families needing a place to stay overnight and other assistance.

"We've seen ICE start to implement additional strategies for releasing people," added Brian Hoffman, who is leading a volunteer lawyers project for the American Immigration Lawyers Association and other groups at the nation's largest family detention center in Dilley, about 70 miles southwest of San Antonio.

"But there are people who have been here longer than a month," he said.

ICE opened two large detention centers south of San Antonio after tens of thousands of migrant families, mostly from Central America, crossed the Rio Grande last summer. Amid political pressure  and a lawsuit that could potentially close the facilities  Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson announced last month that detention would be "short term" for families seeking asylum.

Johnson promised substantial changes, including "reasonable and realistic" bonds, and quick release for families with credible asylum claims.

Among the recently released immigrants was Juliana Tecu, who said she fled Guatemala with her 9-year-old daughter after her ex-husband threatened to kill her. During an interview last week at a San Antonio bus station, she said she spent 17 days at the 2,400-bed holding facility in Dilley after illegally crossing into the U.S. in late June.

She was granted a $4,000 bond, which her son in Los Angeles was able to cover with help from friends and relatives.

"If I waited up to a month, maybe they would lower it," she said in Spanish, referring to the bond. "But when? I didn't want to be there."

About a half dozen other mothers with children at the bus station were wearing ankle bracelets. They said a total of about 10 women had been released that day with the devices.

Ryan said there's been a significant spike in the number of mothers being given ankle-monitoring bracelets, though he and other immigrant advocates say there is inconsistency in how the devices are being doled out.

Linda Brandmiller, an immigration attorney who has represented several women held at the 500-bed immigrant facility in Karnes City, said ankle-monitoring bracelets are a fair alternative in some cases. But she said there should be sound criteria for using them.

"Everybody is not a natural flight risk," she said. "Everybody shouldn't need an ankle bracelet."

ICE would say only that it uses ankle bracelets and other alternatives to detention on a case-by-case basis.

ICE reported that the Karnes City facility was housing 122 people as of Tuesday, while the Dilley facility was housing about 2,000. The third family holding facility is in Pennsylvania and much smaller.

The agency said the number of women and children at the facilities is expected to drop in the coming weeks, but the centers will remain open to process new immigrants who have crossed illegally into the U.S. or to hold those who don't meet criteria to petition for asylum.

RAICES reported that in the week after Johnson's announcement, nearly 70 women and children were released from the Karnes City facility. Ryan said that's an increase from previous weeks, and his organization expects about 30 families to be released each day in the coming weeks.

"ICE and the administration have known all along that family detention doesn't work. Rather than doing the right thing and bringing it to an end, they have had to slowly back away from the policy to save face at the expense of hundreds, and probably thousands, of women and children," Ryan said.

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Two of the most outspoken Republican presidential candidates on illegal immigration  Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and businessman Donald Trump  are set to talk.

Cruz, who requested the Wednesday meeting, told reporters at the U.S. Capitol that Trump "is bringing a bold, brash voice to this presidential race."

"One of the reasons you're seeing so many 2016 candidates go out of their way to smack Donald Trump is they don't like a politician [who] speaks directly about the challenges of illegal immigration," said Cruz.

"Many of the politicians who are running out of their way to smack Donald Trump have for years or even decades been vocal advocates of amnesty," he said. "I for one am grateful that Donald Trump is highlighting these issues. They're critical issues. They're issues I've been fighting for a lot of years."

Trump sparked a controversy for calling immigrants arriving illegally from Mexico "criminals" and "rapists."

Many GOP contenders including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio, have criticized his comments, and Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus called Trump to ask him to tone it down, which Trump said he would not do.

Cruz declined to offer details on the purpose of the meeting. Trump said earlier in an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that he doesn't know what the meeting is about.

"He came out very strongly and agreed with what I said on illegal immigration, and he came out very strongly, and he came out early and I respect that," Trump said. "I like him. He called me, he wanted to meet and we are going to meet. What it's about, I have absolutely no idea."

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Florida Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera said Wednesday he is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by his close friend Marco Rubio, who is running for president.

The 41-year-old Republican announced his entry in a YouTube video  in English and Spanish  that featured his wife and two daughters, along with photos of his Cuban parents.

"As a family, we've decided I'm running for the U.S. Senate, so that your kids and mine can continue to live in the kind of country that gave my family the blessings of liberty and freedom that only America offers," Lopez-Cantera says on the two-minute video.

"I still believe in the America that Washington has forgotten," says Lopez-Cantera, who is of Cuban and Jewish descent and was born in Spain.

Lopez-Cantera will face Republican Congressman Ron DeSantis in the primary. Rep. David Jolly is expected to announce next week that he is running.

Democratic Congressmen Patrick Murphy and Alan Grayson are also seeking the seat.

The race is expected to draw national attention because it gives Democrats a chance to pick up a seat in the Republican-controlled Senate.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said in a statement that Lopez-Cantera is a "career politician" who "stands with special interests instead of Florida families."

Lopez-Cantera embraced his ties to Gov. Rick Scott in the YouTube video, saying they turned around the state economy by creating 900,000 jobs, reducing debt and cutting taxes.

"Conservative principles work," says Lopez-Cantera, adding he will take the same ideas to Washington to control "government spending and government power."

Scott picked Lopez-Cantera as lieutenant governor in early 2014 after leaving the post vacant for nearly a year following the forced resignation of Jennifer Carroll. He had left the Florida Legislature due to term limits and had won election as property appraiser for Miami-Dade County.

During the 2014 legislative session, Lopez-Cantera helped shape Scott's agenda in a crucial election year. But his role diminished after Scott won re-election and shook up his executive staff.

Lopez-Cantera was not actively involved in a bitter standoff over Medicaid expansion that forced legislators into a special session, leading to criticism of his work ethic from Democrats.

Lopez-Cantera told The Associated Press that he still has a "great relationship" with Scott and that he is a "great admirer" of what he's done as governor. But he has already acknowledged he does not expect Scott to endorse him in the GOP primary.

Speaking in English and Spanish to supporters at a rally Wednesday afternoon, Lopez-Cantera pledged to follow Rubio's lead to fight for Florida in Washington. He also said he would continue to push for democracy in Cuba and Venezuela, and to protect Israel.

The crowd chanted "Carlos, Carlos, Carlos," with some holding handmade signs that read "Viva, Carlos" and "Conservatives for Carlos."

"He's an honest man," said 60-year-old James Williams, 60, of Miami, a longtime friend of Lopez-Cantera who attended the rally. "You don't get that anymore in Washington."

Lopez-Cantera spoke in the warehouse of All American Containers, a Miami company whose owner and employees have contributed tens of thousands of dollars to mostly Republican candidates. In the 1990s, the owners were accused of tax evasion. Remedios Diaz-Oliver was sentenced to three years of probation, while his wife pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors.

Remedios Diaz-Oliver, who owns the packaging company with her husband, Fausto, said, "our families have a similar bond," noting Lopez-Cantera's family also fled Cuba.

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Cuba announced details of the ceremony that will mark the reopening of its embassy in Washington, D.C. after more than 50 years of Cold War enmity.

The current Cuban Interests Section on 16th Street in the Adams Morgan neighborhood will become the Cuban Embassy on July 20, an occasion for which a delegation of some 30 people  headed by the island's foreign minister, Bruno Rodriguez  are traveling from Havana.

"The reopening of the embassy, Gustavo Machin, assistant director for North America at the Cuban Foreign Ministry, told a group of reporters in Havana on Thursday, will be a significant event. After 54 years of broken relations, the Cuban flag will be raised again."

The date of any similar celebration at the American Embassy in Havana is still to be announced. Secretary of State John Kerry, who will meet with Rodriguez during his trip, is expected to be on hand for the Havana event.

Machin said that Rodriguez and about 30 Cuban officials  which will include former diplomats and representatives of sectors such as culture, education, health care and science, along with other organizations and the Cuban Council of Churches.

Also attending the ceremony will be around 500 people in the United States  members of Congress, NGOs, businessmen, representatives of activist groups with an interest in the island and members of various U.S. churches.

Asked whether Cuban-American lawmakers like Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen who fervently oppose normalizing relations with Cuba, were expected at Mondays ceremony, he said, No, they arent invited.

You dont invite into your home people who want to harm you, he added.

Machin said that the ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. and Rodriguez  the first Cuban foreign minister to visit the United States in more than half a century  will deliver the main speech.

With the re-establishment of diplomatic ties, the current heads of the Cuban and U.S. Interests Sections, Jose Ramon Cabanas and Jeffrey DeLaurentis, respectively, will become charges d'affaires until the two countries name ambassadors.

Based on reporting by EFE.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Former New York Congressman Michael Grimm has been sentenced to eight months in prison for tax evasion in a case that involves paying immigrant workers, some of them undocumented, in cash in order to evade payroll, income and sales taxes.

The Staten Island Republican pleaded guilty late last year to aiding in the filing of a false tax return.

Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn had asked the judge at the sentencing on Friday to give Grimm at least 2 years behind bars. His lawyers had sought probation.

The 45-year-old Grimm won re-election in November but resigned after his guilty plea.

Lawyers for former U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm had asked a judge to spare him a prison term at his sentencing.

The sentencing Friday in federal court in Brooklyn before U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen followed Grimm's guilty plea late last year to aiding in filing a false tax return  a charge that stemmed from an investigation into the Staten Island Republican's campaign financing.

Prosecutors say the tax fraud began in 2007 after Grimm retired from the FBI and began investing in a Manhattan eatery called Healthalicious.

An indictment accused him of underreporting more than $1 million in wages and receipts to evade payroll, income and sales taxes, in part by paying immigrant workers, some of them in the country illegally, in cash.

In court papers asking for a sentence of probation, defense lawyers called Grimm's offense "an aberration in an otherwise remarkable life in selfless service of his country," including a stint in the Marine Corps. They also argued that losing his career in Congress was punishment enough.

Grimm "is tremendously remorseful over his offense," they wrote. "He understands that his tax violation is not something to be taken lightly, and he is anguished over his wrongdoing and will live with the shame of it the rest of his life."

Prosecutors countered by telling the judge Grimm's record of "falsely minimizing his criminal conduct and impugning anyone who questions him is indicative of an individual who has not come to terms with his own crimes."

The government papers cite a news conference last year outside the courthouse where Grimm called the case "a political witch hunt." The papers also refer to an episode in which Grimm threatened to throw a local cable TV news reporter off the balcony of the capitol for asking about the campaign financing inquiry.

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Turkey will press on with its military operation in Syria despite the deadly attack on an Istanbul nightclub that was a "message" against the campaign, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said on Monday.

"This was a message for our cross-border operations, above all the Euphrates Shield," he said, using the mission name of Turkey's campaign inside Syria. "We will carry on our cross-border operations and Euphrates Shield and with determination."

The shooting was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) militant group, which said it was in response to Turkey's intervention in Syria. Kurtulmus made no comment on the claim.

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Lawyers for former U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm have asked a judge to spare him a prison term at his sentencing, while prosecutors argue he deserves at least two years behind bars for tax evasion.

The sentencing Friday in federal court in Brooklyn before U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen follows Grimm's guilty plea late last year to aiding in filing a false tax return  a charge that stemmed from an investigation into the Staten Island Republican's campaign financing.

Prosecutors say the tax fraud began in 2007 after Grimm retired from the FBI and began investing in a Manhattan eatery called Healthalicious. An indictment accused him of underreporting more than $1 million in wages and receipts to evade payroll, income and sales taxes, in part by paying immigrant workers, some of them in the country illegally, in cash.

Grimm, 45, won re-election in November while fighting the charges, but later resigned.

In court papers asking for a sentence of probation, defense lawyers called Grimm's offense "an aberration in an otherwise remarkable life in selfless service of his country," including a stint in the Marine Corps. They also argued that losing his career in Congress was punishment enough.

Grimm "is tremendously remorseful over his offense," they wrote. "He understands that his tax violation is not something to be taken lightly, and he is anguished over his wrongdoing and will live with the shame of it the rest of his life."

Prosecutors countered by telling the judge Grimm's record of "falsely minimizing his criminal conduct and impugning anyone who questions him is indicative of an individual who has not come to terms with his own crimes."

The government papers cite a news conference last year outside the courthouse where Grimm called the case "a political witch hunt." The papers also refer to an episode in which Grimm threatened to throw a local cable TV news reporter off the balcony of the capitol for asking about the campaign financing inquiry.

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Pedro Segarra is the second Puerto Rico-born politician in a row to serve as mayor of Hartford, a city with a huge Hispanic population where one in three claims Puerto Rican ancestry.

Luke Bronin, a fellow Democrat whose campaign to unseat Segarra has raised nearly twice as much money as the incumbent's, is a white, Greenwich-raised former Rhodes Scholar who served as a deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Treasury Department before working as the governor's general counsel in Hartford.

In a race shaping up as a test of identity politics, Segarra said in an interview that he knows he can count on the support of groups including Latinos.

"The Latino community I think recognizes the value of preserving the only Latino mayor in the state, and one of only a handful of mayors in the nation," said Segarra, who also noted his activism on behalf of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. "As a Democrat, this is supposed to be the party that is diverse and that seeks to incorporate and bring together representation from different communities."

The Democratic Town Committee is expected to endorse a nominee on July 27. Bronin has emerged as the strongest of the three Democrats challenging Segarra, who has been mayor since 2010. The primary election will be Sept. 16 in the city of 125,000 people where Democrats vastly outnumber Republicans.

Bronin's campaign has reported raising more than $610,000 in contributions, compared with more than $322,000 for Segarra's.

Segarra, 56, touts his role in projects including riverfront commercial developments and a national park at the site of the old Colt gun factory, increased graduation rates and initiatives including one to interest youths in public safety jobs and increase diversity in the police force. He said he is not surprised by the level of financial support for Bronin, given his opponent's roots in affluent Greenwich and connections he developed in the office of Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.

Bronin, 36, said he is running because he sees an opportunity for Hartford to capitalize on people's growing desire to be in urban centers. He said residents of Connecticut's capital feel local government is disengaged and neighborhoods are being left behind. Despite his newcomer status, he said he is deeply committed to the city.

"You don't get to choose where you're born or where you grow up," Bronin said in an interview. "You do get to choose where you live and where you raise your family, and my wife and I chose Hartford. And we believe in Hartford."

As Bronin moves to build support in the city's largest ethnic group, his campaign has won endorsements from some Hartford Latino leaders, including Democratic state Rep. Angel Arce, who said he believes Bronin will bring strong leadership.

Segarra, who has the support of other prominent Latinos, said when asked about his rival's endorsements that he may have alienated some by turning his back on the "patronage politics" of his predecessor, Mayor Eddie Perez, who resigned in 2010 in a corruption scandal.

Retired probate Judge Robert Killian is also running.

The Democratic chairman in Hartford, Marc DiBella, said town committee members and voters at large will make decisions based on what is best for the city  and generally not ethnicity  but the Hispanic vote is critical.

"How much will stick with the mayor? That remains to be seen," he said.

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San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi was hit with a formal complaint this week by the union representing his deputies, linking the shooting death of Kathryn Steinle by undocumented immigrant Francisco Sanchez to an order issued in March that barred them from communicating with federal immigration agents.

The union's complaint said that the arrest of Sanchez  a Mexican national who had been freed from custody despite a felony record and a history of deportations  showed that the policy implemented by Mirkarimi "recklessly compromises the safety of sworn personnel, citizens, and those who merely come to visit the San Francisco area," the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The union has called on Mirkarimi to correct his "flawed philosophy" and rescind the memo he issued on March 13 that prohibited deputies from passing immigration information on to federal agents, including citizenship status, booking and arrest documents, and release dates.

In an attempt to overrule Mirkarimi's order, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee sent him a note earlier this week in which he said that "[l]aw enforcement may notify federal officials when a particular individual is set for release in certain circumstances."

Sanchez's alleged murder of Steinle has reinvigorated the debate over so-called sanctuary cities in the in U.S., which are towns that have policies designed to shelter undocumented immigrants, usually by not allowing police or municipal employees to inquire about an individual's immigration status.

In response to Mayor Lee's letter, Mirkarimi called for a Board of Supervisors committee meeting to achieve clarity on this issue.

"Finger-pointing around this tragedy serves no purpose other than election year politics," Mirkarimi wrote, according to SF Weekly. "Your request to rescind the policy and require the SFSD to contact federal immigration officials would eviscerate the city's Due Process For All Ordinance, an ordinance I supported and which you signed into law."

Mirkarimi added that the only reason that his department should notify federal immigration authorities of a detainee's release would be to facilitate federal custody of that detainee.

"This would completely circumvent the requirements and intent of the Sanctuary City Ordinance, the Due Process For All Ordinance and lead to unconstitutional detentions," he said.

San Francisco is one of dozens of cities and counties across the country that do not fully cooperate with federal immigration authorities. The city goes so far as to promote itself as a "sanctuary" for people in the country illegally.

Advocates of more lenient immigration policies say sanctuary programs are not all the same, and that many draw the line at dangerous undocumented immigrants.

Many such programs are based on the concept that city officials will not report undocumented people to immigration authorities when they come across them, say, as they're seeking information or a service that they're allowed to receive.

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With the United States and Cuba inching closer to fully restoring diplomatic ties, including re-opening embassies for the first time in 54 years, the future is murky for tens of thousands of Cuban immigrants who have been ordered by immigration authorities to leave the country.

As many as 25,000 Cubans living in the United States have outstanding deportation orders, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They include people who pose a threat to national security or have serious criminal convictions and are considered priorities for immigration enforcement agents.

Despite being an enforcement priority, those immigrants haven't yet been sent back to Cuba because the government of President Raul Castro has not given them permission to return. It's unclear whether the Cuban government's position will change.

Sisi, a 50-year-old grandmother who moved to Miami with her family when she was 4, is one of those waiting and wondering what the future holds.

As a teenager in the 1980s, Sisi married a man involved in South Florida's booming cocaine trade. By the middle of the decade she'd become involved in the business herself and eventually served 2  years in prison, cutting ties to her brief life of crime in 1989.

Though she served her debt to society for the drug conviction, what she didn't know at the time was that her criminal record would prompt immigration authorities to issue a deportation order in 2000.

"I was young, stupid. It's hurting me," said Sisi, who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition that she only be identified by her nickname because of her pending deportation order. "It's coming back now, a lot."

For decades deportation to Cuba has been complicated by the lack of diplomatic ties and the Cuban government's decision not to provide travel documents for most immigrants facing deportation.

A 1984 repatriation agreement includes a list of 2,746 people who had come to the U.S. in 1980 as part of the Mariel boatlift who should be deported. The mass migration from Cuba to Florida started when then-President Fidel Castro announced he would allow anyone who wanted to leave the Communist island nation. An estimated 125,000 Cubans made the perilous trip between April and October 1980.

ICE records show that 1,999 people on that list have been sent back to Cuba, including 1,093 since 2001. ICE is responsible for finding and removing immigrants living in the country illegally and those who have been ordered to leave.

More than 35,000 Cubans have outstanding deportation orders, and as of the end of March, more than 2,300 other Cubans have open cases pending in U.S. immigration court. ICE said of those, about 25,000 are considered deportation priorities because of their backgrounds, including criminal histories.

Sisi's lawyer, Grisel Ybarra, said the Cuban community is on edge amid the ongoing negotiations between Washington and Havana and the uncertainty about what renewed relations will mean for immigrants.

"Everybody in Miami right now is shaking like a leaf," Ybarra said. "People are really worried. The Americans and the Cubans are not in bed together, but they already have the room. It's happening."

Ybarra said she represents several clients who could face deportation, including Elias, a 71-year-old retiree whose deportation was ordered in 1991. Like Sisi, Elias agreed to speak about his immigration case only on the condition that his full name not published.

Elias said he has two drug-related convictions dating to the 1970s and 1980s. He moved to Florida in 1961, followed by other family members a decade later after his father spent about 10 years in a Cuban prison for being part of a union that opposed Communism. If he is forced to go back to Cuba, he said, he would be alone in a country he would barely recognize.

"I'm going to meet a new country," Elias said. "I've got nobody in Cuba. All my family is here. Anything that I love in this world is here."

Though the future of migration agreements between Washington and Havana have yet to be laid out publicly, under any circumstances the tens of thousands of Cubans with outstanding deportation orders aren't likely to be quickly sent home. That's because ICE already struggles to find and deport immigrants living in the United States.

During the first six months of the 2015 budget year that started in October, the agency has removed about 127,000 immigrants. If that pace holds, ICE will deport the fewest immigrants since the middle of President George W. Bush's second term in 2006.

If the Cuban government does begin accepting more deportable migrants, they would likely just be added to the ever-growing list of people who risk being expelled from the United States if ICE can find them, according the Migration Policy Center's Marc Rosenblum.

"There's definitely going to be a randomness to it," Rosenblum said.

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The U.S. Justice Department and immigrant rights lawyers have failed to reach an agreement in a lawsuit over conditions faced by immigrant children detained with their mothers after crossing the U.S-Mexico border, according to documents filed in a California federal court Friday.

Lawyers for both sides have been trying to strike a deal since U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee issued a tentative ruling in April that the current family detention system violates an 18-year-old court settlement that bars immigrant children from being held in unlicensed, secure facilities.

In court papers filed in Los Angeles, both parties said they had "worked diligently to resolve these issues" but could not reach an accord, saying "further discussion would not be fruitful."

Immigrant rights lawyers who brought the lawsuit were disappointed they didn't see more willingness from the government to honor the earlier settlement, said Peter Schey, executive director of the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, after the filing.

"We will continue to fight until we succeed for a policy that places these children in the least restrictive setting," he said.

Justice Department officials said they would not comment beyond the filing.

The government poured millions of dollars into two large detention centers for women and children after tens of thousands of immigrant families, mostly mothers with children from Central America, crossed the Rio Grande into Texas last summer. Many have claimed they were fleeing gang and domestic violence back home.

The centers in Karnes City and Dilley, both located south of San Antonio, recently held more than 2,000 women and children combined. A third, smaller facility is located in Berks County, Pennsylvania. All three are overseen by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement but managed by private prison operators.

In her tentative ruling, Gee had found that detaining children violates parts of a 1997 settlement of an earlier case. The settlement requires that immigrant children be released only to foster care or relatives, and if they must be held, they should be kept in the least restrictive environment possible in facilities licensed to care for children.

She also said the settlement covered all children in the custody of federal immigration officials, even those with a parent, and that the new detention facilities are secure and not properly licensed for children.

The Justice Department had argued it was necessary to modify the settlement and use detention to try to deter more immigrants from coming to the border after last year's surge. Some 38,000 children arrived with their mothers on the border during the 2014 fiscal year.

The government also said it was a way to keep families together while their immigration cases were being reviewed.

Since the tentative ruling, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has vowed to make the facilities more child-friendly and provide better oversight. Last month, Homeland Secretary Secretary Jeh Johnson announced the end of long-term detention for mothers with children who present a credible case that they fear persecution in their home countries.

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Donald Trump is not backing down from comments that have inflamed the Republican presidential race recently and some of his rivals are taking off the kid gloves.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, also a Republican presidential candidate, said Trumps recent remarks dismissing Sen. John McCains reputation as a war hero, have demonstrated he is not fit to be president. He said the business mogul has insulted all prisoners of war, not just McCain, the 2008 GOP nominee defeated by Barack Obama.

"He's saying that somehow if you're captured in battle you're less worthy of honors," Rubio said on CNNs State of the Union. "It's not just absurd, it's offensive. It's ridiculous. And I do think it's a disqualifier as commander in chief."

He also said as the campaign goes on and Trump commands attention, "it's required people to be more forceful in some of these offensive things that he is saying."

Rubios comments come a day after Trump, speaking at an Iowa candidate forum on Saturday, said McCain was merely taken captive after being shot down in Vietnam and "I like people who weren't captured."

He remained unapologetic of his comments on Sunday, claiming a strong record of supporting veterans and accused McCain of failing them in Washington.

I will say what I want to say, Trump said on ABCs This Week. "I will do far more for veterans than John McCain has done for many, many years, with all talk no action. He's on television all the time, talking, talking. Nothing gets done."

A McCain spokesman has said the Arizona lawmaker would have no comment about Trump's remarks.

McCain spent more than five years as a prisoner of war, enduring torture. He stirred Trump's anger last week when he said Trump's comments about immigrants had "fired up the crazies" at a Phoenix rally.

Weeks ago, after Trump asserted that Mexican immigrants are rapists and drug dealers, Hispanic leaders were incensed not only about those remarks but about the slow and halting response from others seeking the GOP nomination. But the fallout from Trump's latest salvo has spread quickly and indicates that at least some of his competitors are losing their inhibitions about repudiating him.

Fellow Republican contender Rick Perry, one of the few veterans running for president, said Trump has demonstrated he has neither the character nor the temperament for the White House. "Over the top," the former Texas governor said of Trump on NBC's "Meet the Press." ''Really offensive."

Jeb Bush, whose wife is from Mexico, took sharp offense at Trump's earlier comments as others hedged. After Trump's comments about McCain, the former Florida governor tweeted, "Enough with the slanderous attacks."

But both Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, while agreeing McCain is a genuine hero, sidestepped when asked if they condemned Trump's remarks.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

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Citing sprawl development and a need for more Mexican-American elected officials, "Breaking Bad" actor Steven Michael Quezada said he is jumping in a heated race for county commissioner in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Quezada, who played DEA agent Steven Gomez in the hit AMC-TV series, told The Associated Press on Monday that he will make a formal announcement on Tuesday that he's seeking the Bernalillo County Commission seat.

The 52-year-old actor and comedian said he's joining in the race because he feels someone like him can make a difference in the district which includes the historic Hispanic South Valley and an area in Albuquerque's Westside where developers are seeking to build new homes.

"I think I bring a new face to the Democratic Party," said Quezada, a Democrat who is a member of the Albuquerque school board. "We need to reach out to our young people  the young Chicanos, the young Latinos  and get them involved in this process and let them know this is important."

At least three others are running for the open seat in 2016.

The Bernalillo County Commission recently voted to approve a planned community despite activists' fears the development would take water away from nearby communities. Concern of the development brought protests from South Valley farmers at commissioners' meetings.

The master plan for a nearly 22-square-mile development known as Santolina would rival some of the state's largest cities once completed in 50 years, and it comes during a period of heightened concerns over water following years of severe drought.

Quezada, who voted against the plan as a member of the Albuquerque Public Schools, said the plan lacked the needed schools at a time when the area is seeing school overcrowding.

Quezada is getting active in New Mexico Democratic Party politics just as the party is licking its wounds from a historic defeat in 2014 with the re-election of Republican Gov. Susana Martinez and the GOP takeover of the New Mexico House. Other Democrats have sought Quezada's support and he has lent his voice for commercials.

But Quezada said the state party needed to go more to reach out to Latino voters, especially since New Mexico has the highest percentage of Hispanic residents in the county.

Javier Benavidez, executive director of the SouthWest Organizing Project, a group that opposed Santolina, said he was happy that Quezada and others were jumping in the commissioners' race.

"We are seeing the consequences of irresponsible development," Benavidez said. "We need leaders who are going to commit to responsible growth and not just recruit new Wal-Marts and chain restaurants."

"Breaking Bad" follows former high school teacher Walter White, played by Bryan Cranston, producing methamphetamine with a former student, Jesse Pinkman, played by Aaron Paul.

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It was the most powerful symbol yet of a new era, a step toward a friendship, of sorts, that had seemed unfathomable after half a century of animosity.

On Monday, the flag of Cuba was raised at the island nations new embassy in Washington D.C.  seven months after presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro announced that diplomatic relations between the two countries would resume.

But even as the nations have moved toward normalizing relations, officials of both have reminded the public that huge gaps remain between them.

Though normalization has taken center stage in the U.S.-Cuba relationship, there remains a deep ideological gulf between the nations and many issues still to resolve. Among them: thorny disputes such as over mutual claims for economic reparations, Havana's insistence on the end of the 53-year-old trade embargo and U.S. calls for Cuba to improve on human rights and democracy.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, who presided over the flag-raising ceremony hours after full relations with the United States were restored at the stroke of midnight, said the United States had to take further key steps for there to be a true restoration of diplomatic ties.

"The historic events we are living today will only make sense with the removal of the economic, commercial and financial blockade, which causes so much deprivation and damage to our people, the return of occupied territory in Guantanamo, and respect for the sovereignty of Cuba," Rodriguez said after the flag-raising.

Some U.S. lawmakers, including several prominent Republican presidential candidates, have vowed not to repeal the embargo and pledged to roll back Obama's moves on Cuba. They say that Cuba should not be rewarded with more tourism and trade from the United States as long as they continue to violate human rights and resist democratic reforms.

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Cuban-American Republican from Florida, denounced the restoration of relations and reopening of the embassies in several interviews in recent days.

"Cuba has a very sophisticated espionage network operating in the United States, and we're giving them license to operate the espionage activities, Ros-Lehtinen said to a CBS affiliate in Florida. "[The Cuban government] has not changed their feelings about the United States being the enemy  no matter what deals they sign. I think it's dangerous. I think it puts us at risk  it doesn't make us any safer.

Several hundred people gathered on the street outside the embassy, cheering as the Cuban national anthem was played and three Cuban soldiers in dress uniforms stood at the base of the flagpole and raised the flag.

The United States and Cuba severed diplomatic relations in 1961 and since the 1970s had been represented in each other's capitals by limited service interests sections. Their conversion to embassies tolled a knell for policy approaches spawned and hardened over the five decades since President John F. Kennedy first tangled with youthful revolutionary Fidel Castro over Soviet expansion in the Americas.

Rodriguez was to meet later with Secretary of State John Kerry and address reporters at a joint news conference. Kerry will travel to Havana Aug. 14 to preside over a flag-raising ceremony at the U.S. Embassy there.

Shortly after midnight, the Cuban Interests Section in Washington switched its Twitter account to say "embassy."

In Havana, the U.S. Interests Section uploaded a new profile pictures to its Facebook and Twitter accounts that says US EMBASSY CUBA. And, Conrad Tribble, the deputy chief of mission for the United States in Havana, tweeted: "Just made first phone call to State Dept. Ops Center from United States Embassy Havana ever. It didn't exist in Jan 1961."

Monday's events cap a remarkable change of course in U.S. policy toward the communist island under President Barack Obama, who had sought rapprochement with Cuba since he first took office and has progressively loosened restrictions on travel and remittances to the island.

Shortly after midnight, the Cuban Interests Section in Washington switched its Twitter account to say "embassy."

Obama's efforts at engagement were frustrated for years by Cuba's imprisonment of U.S. Agency for International Development contractor Alan Gross on espionage charges.

But months of secret negotiations led in December to Gross's release, along with a number of political prisoners in Cuba and the remaining members of a Cuban spy ring jailed in the United States. On Dec. 17, Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced they would resume full diplomatic relations.

Declaring the longstanding policy a failure that had not achieved any of its intended results, Obama declared that the U.S. could not keep doing the same thing and expect a change. Thus, he said work would begin apace on normalization.

That process dragged on until the U.S. removed Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism in late May and then bogged down over issues of U.S. diplomats' access to ordinary Cubans.

On July 1, however, the issues were resolved and the U.S. and Cuba exchanged diplomatic notes agreeing that the date for the restoration of full relations would be July 20.

Proponents of lifting the embargo praised Mondays events.

James Williams, President of Engage Cuba, lauded the opening of the embassies.

American diplomats will now be much better equipped to engage with the Cuban people and civil society, Williams said in a statement. They will be in a stronger position to elevate issues of concern, like human rights, as well as expanding on areas of cooperation with Cuba.

Still, too many barriers stand in the way of more meaningful change, Williams added.

Restricting the freedom of Americans to travel and trade has not brought greater freedom to the Cuban people. Instead it is time to allow Americans to be our best ambassadors by opening the doors to travel. And, it is time to allow American businesses to compete in a market of 11 million people just 90 miles off our coast.

Although the Interests Section in Havana won't see the pomp and circumstance of a flag-raising on Monday, workers there have already drilled holes on the exterior to hang signage flown in from the U.S., and arranged to print new business cards and letterhead that say "Embassy" instead of "Interests Section." What for years was a lonely flagpole outside the glassy six-story edifice on Havana's seafront Malecon boulevard recently got a rehab, complete with a paved walkway.

Every day for the last week, employees have been hanging hand-lettered signs on the fence counting down, in Spanish, to Monday: "In 6 days we will become an embassy!" and so on.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

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Sen. John McCain said Monday Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump doesn't need to apologize to him for remarks about his long captivity in Vietnam, but should tell veterans and their families that he's sorry.

Trump, meanwhile, leveled new criticism against the Arizona Republican and 2008 GOP presidential nominee, saying McCain had made America "less safe" through his votes in Congress.

The continuing rhetoric came as Trump's fellow Republican presidential hopefuls criticized his remarks last week, in which the flamboyant businessman dismissed McCain's reputation as a war hero because he was captured in Vietnam and "I like people who weren't captured."

"When Mr. Trump says he prefers to be with people who are not captured, the great honor of my life was to be in the company of heroes," McCain said Monday on MCNBC's "Morning Joe." But the occasionally fiery McCain had a calm demeanor, saying simply: "I am not a hero."

At another point in his interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," he said, "I'm in the (political) arena," suggesting he's fair game for criticism as a U.S. senator.

In an opinion piece published Monday in USA Today, Trump said McCain had abandoned the nation's veterans and made America less secure through his votes in Congress. The real estate executive also lashed out at fellow GOP presidential aspirants who have criticized his remarks, calling them "failed politicians." Trump said he did not need "to be lectured by any of them."

"The reality is that John McCain the politician has made America less safe, sent our brave soldiers into wrong-headed foreign adventures, covered up for President (Barack) Obama with the VA scandal and has spent most of his time in the Senate pushing amnesty," Trump wrote. "He would rather protect the Iraqi border than Arizona's."

In a contentious interview on the NBC's "Today" Show Monday, Trump took issue with the media's reporting on his comments about McCain's war record, made at a conservative forum in Iowa. He insisted in a telephone interview with anchor Matt Lauer that he had said "four times" that he respected those captured in war.

In his appearance, McCain said he believed it was "totally inappropriate for Mr. Trump to say he doesn't like to be with people who are captured."

"I think the point here is that there are so many men and women who served and sacrificed  and happened to be held prisoner  and to denigrate in any way that service, I think, is offensive to veterans."

"The best thing to do is put it behind us and move forward," McCain said

Trump has refused to apologize for disparaging comments he made about McCain's military service. He's also sought to use the furor over his remarks to remind supporters, especially those frustrated with Washington, that he's not a typical politician.

"You know the Republican Party  of course I was one of their darlings when I was a contributor," Trump said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I went from a darling to somebody that they're not happy with because I'm not a politician."

His rivals spent much of the weekend condemning his comments and suggesting he was unfit to serve as commander-in-chief.

"It's not just absurd," said Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. "It's offensive. It's ridiculous. And I do think it is a disqualifier as commander-in-chief."

Numerous other GOP candidates, including Jeb Bush, Rick Perry and Scott Walker, were similarly critical of Trump. The Republican National Committee also put its thumb on the scale, issuing a statement saying "there is no place in our party or our country for comments that disparage those who have served honorably."

Until now, Republicans have been largely cautious in their handling of Trump and his provocations.

While officials privately fretted about the damage he could do to the party, they are also worried about alienating voters drawn to his celebrity, brashness and willingness to take on establishment Republicans. He's emerged as one of the favorites early in a race that is bound to see shifts in the standing of many of the candidates.

Trump has made other eyebrow-raising comments since declaring his candidacy, most notably his assertion that Mexican immigrants are rapists and drug dealers. Many GOP candidates were slow and halting in their response to those comments, underscoring a continuing struggle to hit the right notes on immigration when they want to appeal to Hispanics without alienating traditional GOP voters.

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Sen. Bob Menendez launched a wide-ranging attack on the corruption charges against him Monday, accusing Justice Department prosecutors of misconduct and setting the stage for what is likely to be a confrontational and heated court fight.

Menendez's attorneys filed a series of motions to dismiss the 22-count indictment against him and the Florida eye doctor who allegedly bought the senator's influence with luxury vacations and campaign donations.

Among other claims, the motions accuse the government of prosecutorial misconduct for allegedly intimidating witnesses and presenting false testimony to a grand jury. They also claim prosecutors improperly presented evidence to the grand jury that should have been off-limits under laws governing legislative activities.

Prosecutors "advanced salacious allegations of sexual misconduct, intimidated and coerced witnesses in the Dominican Republic with threats of criminal and immigration sanctions, intimidated Senator Menendez's own family members, harassed and abused staff members and other witnesses before the grand jury by asking inflammatory questions designed to infect the grand jury process," according to one filing.

A Justice Department spokesman didn't immediately comment on the accusations.

Menendez, a congressman for more than 20 years and a member of the Senate since 2006, is charged in 14 counts of the indictment with accepting gifts and donations totaling about $1 million from 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 claimed he and Melgen have been friends for years and that he did nothing illegal.

Melgen also is charged in a separate indictment in Florida accusing him of multiple counts of Medicare fraud.

A federal judge in Newark has set a trial date for October.

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Syria's army advanced Monday as it battles to capture a rebel region that is key to the capital's water supply, launching strikes and artillery fire threatening a fragile nationwide truce.

Brokered by regime ally Russia and opposition supporter Turkey, the ceasefire is now in its fourth day despite sporadic violence and continued fighting in the Wadi Barada area near Damascus.

"Regime forces and fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah group are advancing in the region and are now on the outskirts of Ain al-Fijeh, the primary water source in the area," said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor.

He said government troops and allied fighters were engaged in fierce clashes with rebels, including former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, a claim denied by opposition fighters.

The monitor said government forces were carrying out air strikes and artillery fire on the area, northwest of the capital, and that two civilians were shot dead by snipers.

Two other civilians were killed in regime bombardment of the town of Rastan in central Homs province, it added.

Government forces have surrounded Wadi Barada since mid-2015, but the siege was tightened in December as the army piled on the pressure.

The Syrian government says rebels have targeted key water infrastructure, causing leaking fuel to poison water supplies and then cutting it off altogether.

The United Nations says at least four million people in Damascus have been without water since December 22.

The Observatory said around 1,000 women and children fled the area over the weekend.

The violence threatens the delicate truce that came into force last week and is intended to pave the way for new peace talks in Kazakhstan later this month.

In a statement, rebels fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner in Wadi Barada warned that the truce was in danger.

"We call on the sponsors of the ceasefire agreement to assume their responsibility and pressure the regime and its allied militias to stop their clear violation of the agreement," the statement said.

Otherwise, they warned, "we will call on all the free military factions operating inside Syria to overturn the agreement and ignite the fronts in defence of the people of Wadi Barada".

The statement said that Wadi Barada was included in the deal brokered by Moscow and Ankara and accused the regime of violating the agreement.

The ceasefire deal, and the plan for new talks, received the unanimous backing of the UN Security Council on Saturday, despite offering a competing track to UN-sponsored negotiations.

Turkey and Russia are organising the talks in Astana along with regime ally Iran, and say they are intended to supplement, not replace, UN-backed negotiations scheduled to resume in February.

Despite backing opposite sides in Syria's conflict, Ankara and Moscow have worked closely in recent months on the war, brokering a deal to evacuate civilians and surrendering rebels from Aleppo last month before the regime recaptured the northern city in full.

Both countries are also waging their own military interventions in Syria, with Russian forces fighting to bolster President Bashar al-Assad's government since September 2015.

Turkey launched a military campaign in northern Syria in August 2016, targeting the Islamic State group but also Kurdish militants.

The Syrian conflict has also spilled over into Turkey, with several attacks blamed on Kurdish or IS.

On Monday, IS claimed responsibility for a New Year's Eve attack on an Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus warned that Ankara was determined to press on with its military operation in Syria "until these terror organisations no longer remain a threat to Turkey".

A string of efforts to find a political solution to Syria's war have failed since it began with anti-government protests in March 2011.

The conflict has killed more than 310,000 people, and displaced over half the population, including millions who have fled abroad, becoming refugees.

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Last week Venezuelans received with a mix of surprise, relief and skepticism the news of an early morning police raid into one of the most violent neighborhoods of west Caracas, home to a slew of heavily armed gangs.

The takeover of Cota 905 ended up with 15 gang members dead and 134 arrested, according to official reports, which described the operation as part of a new security plan called Operacion de Liberacion y Proteccion del Pueblo (Operation Liberation and Protection of the People) to be implemented in the areas of the country deemed the most unsafe.

Even when Venezuela qualifies as the second most violent country in the world behind Honduras, political analysts from the opposition think that the government of Nicolas Maduro is focusing on the security issue only to recover its dwindling approval ratings -- now down to less than 30 percent across the nation.

Oswaldo Ramirez, a local political consultant, told Fox News Latino the new plan will most likely focus on urban areas where Chavismo is losing track. Cota 905 is one of them, part of an electoral district where two of the 167 National Assembly representatives are up for election on December 6.

Maduro is already on campaign mode, Ramirez said.

Polls show that the biggest problems for Venezuelans today are the economic crisis and the insecurity [levels] -- with the second one you can create a quick and big effect in public opinion with operations like the one they did on Monday, he added.

During Cota 905 raid, which lasted approximately nine hours, authorities recovered 20 stolen cars, 12 guns, 2 rifles and 2 grenades. More than 250 security officials from the National Guard and the police participated in the operation, officials said, noting that all the fatalities belonged to a gang called El Coqui. Human rights organizations, however, denounced over the weekend police abuse during the operation and are demanding an investigation.

Supporters of the plan said action is needed to curb the increasing homicide rate -- 24,980 people were killed last year, according to Venezuelas Observatory of Violence. Thats 68 people a day and 82 out of every 100,000 citizens.

This is the 21st security plan implemented by Chavismo to stop crime, said Fermin Marmol, criminology professor at a local university, to FNL.

None of the others [plans] had worked and if the trends continue as they are right now by the end of this year we could have a rise in murders of around 10 percent, he continued.

All the state-owned media, which barely covers crime stories or minimizes them, made a splash of the raid.

Marmol doesnt rule out the possibility that the new security plan has an electoral goal, but he argues that its a fair thing to do as long as the operation works and it is not just a show.

Actions like [these] have to be accompanied by social plans previously arranged with the neighbors of each sector to make the police presence permanent. If they enter in the morning and leave by the afternoon, street gangs will come back and its like doing nothing, Marmol said.

No further planning appeared to be evident in Cota 905 nor in the others places taken over by police in Caracas and the center state of Aragua in the following days. The majority of neighborhoods raided are segments known as peace zones, that is, zones stripped of uniformed police as part of a truce negotiated with criminal bands in September 2013.

Marmol thinks that all the peace zones must be eliminated because the policy hasnt worked. Crime rates jumped and now gangs control the places, he said.

According to the Venezuelan Observatory of Organized Crime, a local NGO, 12 big criminal gangs are operating right now in Caracas and the states of Miranda, Aragua, Guarico (in the center of the country), Zulia (west) and Bolivar (south).

On the night of the Cota 905 raid, President Maduro came out on national TV and said he had personally ordered the new plan. We will free communities all around the country, he said, requesting the support of the people.

Still, many political analysts insist its all part of an aggressive move to win back disenchanted chavistas  a move that includes adding thorny issues to the national agenda, such as the territorial fight with Guyana.

For now they will try to recover political ground with this new security plan and appealing to patriotism, like speaking about the territorys dispute [with neighbor Guyana], Ramirez said.

Closer to the election, they will try to fix some economic problems, like shortages, and will announce some populist decisions, he predicted.
Parents in Texas who lack a U.S. drivers license, visa or Mexican voter registration card are being denied birth certificates for their U.S.-born children, according to a lawsuit filed in the Lone Star State.

Immigration advocates say that since 2013, hundreds of immigrants who live along the Texas border and cannot get official U.S. identification  typically because theyre undocumented  have had a tough time obtaining birth certificates for their U.S.-born children, according to the Los Angeles Times.

A lawsuit filed challenging the tightened process contends that Texas authorities have made securing a birth certificate harder in response to an Obama administration program established in 2012 that offers a reprieve from deportation to immigrants who were brought to the United States as minors and meet a strict set of criteria.

Last year, President Barack Obama issued executive orders which would expand the deportation relief  for three years  to a broader category of young undocumented immigrants and to the undocumented parents of children who are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents.

"As a result of this situation, hundreds, and possibly thousands, of parents from Mexico and Central America have recently been denied birth certificates for their Texas-born children," said the suit, according to the Times.

Texas officials defend their stricter rules for issuing birth certificates.

"We monitor local registrars for compliance. If we encounter a local registrar that is accepting identification that doesn't qualify, we'll let them know," said Chris Van Deusen, spokesman for the Department of State Health Services, according to the Times.

Immigrant advocates say a major source of tighter rules is a state policy that officials began to enforce more strictly in 2013 that prohibits registrars from accepting identification cards issued by consulates that typically are called matriculas."

"It says we need a U.S. license we don't have; a [Mexican] passport we have, but with a visa we don't have; voter ID card I have, but it expired," said Hiram Ramirez, who encountered obstacles when she tried to get a birth certificate for her newborn daughter, Dulce.

The native of Mexico said she has no problem getting birth certificates for two other daughters who were born in the United States.

"It's not fair, Ramirez said. She has a right to her birth certificate. What are we supposed to do?"

Children born on U.S. soil get automatic U.S. citizenship, as required by the 14th Amendment.

The lawsuit challenging Texass stringent process for birth certificates was filed in May and includes 19 parents of 23 children who could not get a birth certificate. They claim Texass procedures are unconstitutional and discriminatory because their children have a right to a U.S. birth certificate.

"As immigration became more controversial, they just started clamping down," said lead attorney Jennifer Harbury of Texas RioGrande Legal Aid to the Times.

Texas State Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, a Democrat, said the policy is putting American-born children at a disadvantage and making it hard for them eventually to obtain healthcare, enroll in school and access benefits that theyd have a right to through their U.S. citizenship.

"These children were born in the United States, are United States citizens and are entitled to receive their own birth certificates," he said in a statement that was quoted in the Times.

Some advocates are concerned that the refusal to accept matriculas could be broadened, shutting many immigrants out of services that now are available to them.

"It would be disastrous, said Jorge-Mario Cabrera, a spokesman for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, to the Times. The banks, organizations, even the [Department of Motor Vehicles] use those matriculas now. It's become an integral part of doing business with immigrants, both documented and undocumented."

Birth certificates to children of undocumented immigrants have been a target in places outside of Texas, as well.

In Arizona, lawmakers unsuccessfully have sought to deny birth certificates, or issue restricted ones, to children of undocumented immigrants.

In the Texas town of McAllen, City Secretary Annette Villarreal said that she just following the rules.

"Until a few years ago we would accept the matricula consular, but the state came down on us," Villarreal said, and "re-emphasized that we should not use the matriculas" because "they're not verifiable."

Villarreal said there are other ways  such as through a relative who is legally in the United States  that people who have encountered obstacles can secure a birth certificate for a child.

"They can always call their hometown to send them valid forms of identification," she said.

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The United States and Cuba restored full diplomatic relations Monday after more than five decades of frosty relations rooted in the Cold War.

The new era began with little fanfare when an agreement between the two nations to resume normal ties on July 20 came into force just after midnight Sunday and the diplomatic missions of each country were upgraded from interests sections to embassies. When clocks struck 12:00 in Washington and Havana, they tolled a knell for policy approaches spawned and hardened over the five decades since President John F. Kennedy first tangled with youthful revolutionary Fidel Castro over Soviet expansion in the Americas.

Without ceremony in the pre-dawn hours, maintenance hung the Cuban flag in the lobby of the State Department alongside those of other nations with which the U.S. has diplomatic relations. The historic shift will be publicly memorialized later Monday when Cuban officials formally inaugurate their embassy in Washington and Cuba's blue, red and white-starred flag will fly for the first time since the countries severed ties in 1961. Secretary of State John Kerry will then meet his Cuban counterpart, Bruno Rodriguez, and address reporters at a joint news conference.

The U.S. Interests Section in Havana plans to announce its upgrade to embassy status in a written statement on Monday, but the Stars and Stripes will not fly at the mission until Kerry visits in August for a ceremonial flag-raising.

Shortly after midnight, the Cuban Interests Section in Washington switched its Twitter account to say "embassy," one of a series of similar changes being made to the two country's social media accounts.

In Havana, the U.S. Interests Section uploaded a new profile picture to its Facebook account that says US EMBASSY CUBA. And, Conrad Tribble, the deputy chief of mission for the United States in Havana, tweeted: "Just made first phone call to State Dept. Ops Center from United States Embassy Havana ever. It didn't exist in Jan 1961."

And yet, though normalization has taken center stage in the U.S.-Cuba relationship, there remains a deep ideological gulf between the nations and many issues still to resolve. Among them: thorny disputes such as over mutual claims for economic reparations, Havana's insistence on the end of the 53-year-old trade embargo and U.S. calls for Cuba to improve on human rights and democracy. Some U.S. lawmakers, including several prominent Republican presidential candidates, have vowed not to repeal the embargo and pledged to roll back Obama's moves on Cuba.

Still, Monday's events cap a remarkable change of course in U.S. policy toward the communist island under President Barack Obama, who had sought rapprochement with Cuba since he first took office and has progressively loosened restrictions on travel and remittances to the island.

Obama's efforts at engagement were frustrated for years by Cuba's imprisonment of U.S. Agency for International Development contractor Alan Gross on espionage charges. But months of secret negotiations led in December to Gross's release, along with a number of political prisoners in Cuba and the remaining members of a Cuban spy ring jailed in the United States. On Dec. 17, Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced they would resume full diplomatic relations.

Declaring the longstanding policy a failure that had not achieved any of its intended results, Obama declared that the U.S. could not keep doing the same thing and expect a change. Thus, he said work would begin apace on normalization.

That process dragged on until the U.S. removed Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism in late May and then bogged down over issues of U.S. diplomats' access to ordinary Cubans.

On July 1, however, the issues were resolved and the U.S. and Cuba exchanged diplomatic notes agreeing that the date for the restoration of full relations would be July 20.

"It's a historic moment," said longtime Cuban diplomat and analyst Carlos Alzugaray.

"The significance of opening the embassies is that trust and respect that you can see, both sides treating the other with trust and respect," he said. "That doesn't mean there aren't going to be conflicts  there are bound to be conflicts  but the way that you treat the conflict has completely changed."

Cuba's ceremony at the stately 16th Street mansion in Washington that has been operating as an interests section under the auspices of the Swiss embassy will be attended by some 500 guests, including a 30-member delegation of diplomatic, cultural and other leaders from the Caribbean nation, headed by Foreign Minister Rodriguez.

The U.S. will be represented at the event by Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson, who led U.S. negotiators in six months of talks leading to the July 1 announcement, and Jeffrey DeLaurentis, the chief of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana who will now become charge d'affaires.

Although the Interests Section in Havana won't see the pomp and circumstance of a flag-raising on Monday, workers there have already drilled holes on the exterior to hang signage flown in from the U.S., and arranged to print new business cards and letterhead that say "Embassy" instead of "Interests Section." What for years was a lonely flagpole outside the glassy six-story edifice on Havana's seafront Malecon boulevard recently got a rehab, complete with a paved walkway.

Every day for the last week, employees have been hanging hand-lettered signs on the fence counting down, in Spanish, to Monday: "In 6 days we will become an embassy!" and so on.

Both interests sections have technically operated as part of Switzerland's embassies in Washington and Havana. The Swiss also were caretakers for the former American Embassy and ambassador's residence from 1961 to 1977, when the U.S. had no diplomatic presence in the country at all.

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Security is going to get tighter on the U.S.-Mexico border  but it will be Mexico stepping up scrutiny of people attempting to enter it from the United States.

U.S. citizens and other non-Mexicans who try to cross on foot into Tijuana from San Ysidro, Calif. soon will find more stringent inspections of their documents, including U.S. passports, according to published reports.

The intensifying of security measures is to coincide with the opening of a new Mexican immigration and customs inspections building at the pedestrian crossing in Tijuana, according to the San Diego Union Tribune.

The border crossing in San Ysidro, which is15 miles south of San Diego, is the busiest land port of entry in the Western Hemisphere.

We will do everything we can to make the transition as seamless as possible, the Tribune quoted Rodulfo Figueroa, the head of Mexicos National Migration Institute, as saying. People should not be panicking about this. Were not going to create a four-hour southbound wait.

Proponents of strict U.S. immigration enforcement said that Mexico is doing what a country should do to protect its borders, but added that it is ironic.

"Mexico acts rationally if not somewhat hypocritically," said Bob Dane, the communications director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, in a statement to Fox News Latino. "Unlike the U.S., Mexico is actively improving its border inspections, they impose stiff penalties for illegal entry and they encourage America to grant amnesty and sanctuary to their poorest citizens who have unlawfully crossed onto U.S. soil."

"With a quick analysis, the Obama administration could learn a few lessons from Mexico about what to do right and how not to get taken advantage of.



Not everyone will take kindly to the stricter inspections, most likely.

Business leaders and tourism officials generally dislike developments that could pose an extra burden for travelers and possibly discourage them from taking trips, the Tribune noted. They have complained about past efforts by Mexico to step up security at the border.

One idea they objected vigorously to called for people visiting Mexico for more than a week to pay a $21 fee.

Until now, Mexico has conducted random and occasional inspections of people crossing on foot. Theyve conducted more thorough inspections of people entering Tijuana from San Ysidro by bus, for instance.

The new immigration center will include two lanes for pedestrians going into Mexico  one for Mexican citizens and the other for non-Mexicans.

If we dont have enough agents to review everyone, well review everyone we can, Figueroa said. Our intention is not to create congestion at the border. Our intention is to try different strategies to process as many people as we can within a reasonable time frame.

People driving into Mexico from the United States may also find themselves more closely checked, Mexican officials say, adding that such inspections are way, way into the future.

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Political operative Amanda Renterias dismal run for Congress last year in the Central Valley region of California could make her, it turns out, valuable for keeping Hillary Clintons presidential campaign from repeating her mistakes in courting Latinos.

For the most part, Latinos stayed home, and that to a great extent explains how a Latina Democrat lost in a district that  on its face, at least  has a large Latino population and more registered Democrats than Republicans.

The failure of Democrats in last years midterm elections to excite Latinos enough to drive them to the polls repeated itself in other places across the country, translating into gains for Republican candidates.

Now, Renteria is taking the cautionary tale of her loss and the losses suffered by Democrats in other places and taking heed in her role as political director for Clintons campaign, the Los Angeles Times reported.

"It is really time for Latinos to understand who is with them and who is not," Renteria said in a recent interview with the Times. "One of the real opportunities in a presidential election is to truly have a message that can break through, even in the little towns where I grew up."

Clintons campaign has reached out to Latinos more than what is typical so early in the presidential race, the Times noted. Surveys have shown that Latinos are hard-pressed to name her Democratic challengers.

Clinton has delivered high-profile speeches on immigration and engaged in meetings with Latinos since she launched her campaign.

The former Secretary of State has many high-profile Latinos, such as former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, as campaign surrogates. And among her most recent hires is Lorella Praeli, Clintons Latino outreach director, who was United We Dreams director of policy and advocacy and is a former undocumented immigrant.

Renteria is striving to have the campaign connect with Latinos not just in a strictly political way, but a personal one, too, the Times reported.

There was, for instance, the campaign reached out to millennials in a bar in Philadelphia to chat about careers and paying student loans, among other things.

"It is not just about 'come vote for me,' but  'how can I help'?" the Times quoted Renteria as saying. "We have the resources in this election to talk about it."

The Clinton campaign is identifying Latinos in communities where they have a large presence and seeking their input about what events to hold and what themes to focus on.

Now Renteria has the kind of funds and other resources she lacked when she ran for Congress in her home state last year.

"With the hand she was dealt, she did the best she could," said Mark Salavaggio, a Central Valley political analyst, to the Times. "It did shock people that she lost by so much."

The Republican who defeated her, incumbent Rep. David Valado, of Portuguese descent, cast Renteria, who had worked as a Capitol Hill staffer, as a Washington carpetbagger, something that irked the daughter of Mexican migrant workers.

Republicans depict Renterias loss in California and the subpar performance of Democrats among Latino voters as evidence that the community is not inherently Democratic-leaning.

"The idea that if you just bring out more Latinos to the polls you will win is a big mistake, and one I hope Democrats continue to make," said Mike Madrid, a Republican consultant in California, to the Times.

"Amanda Renteria was running in an area where Latinos tend to be very conservative. They are similar to what the Latino voters will look like in Colorado, New Mexico, rural Virginia and a lot of battleground states."

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Urged on by anguished testimony from the father of a murder victim, Congress plunged into a heated debate over immigration on Tuesday as GOP lawmakers vowed to shut down funding for so-called sanctuary cities like San Francisco that shield immigrants from deportation by federal authorities.

Immigrant advocates denounced the approach, accusing Republicans of following presidential candidate Donald Trump in demonizing Latinos.

But after 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle was shot this month, allegedly by an immigrant with a criminal record and without legal status, even some Democrats were calling for action to address the ineffective tangle of federal and local laws and policies that left the man on the street.

"We feel strongly that some legislation should be discussed, enacted or changed to take these undocumented immigrant felons off our streets for good," said Kathryn Steinle's father, Jim Steinle, who was with his daughter when she was killed while strolling in daylight along a popular San Francisco pier. "We feel if Kate's law saves one daughter, one son, a mother, a father, Kate's death won't be in vain."

Testifying before a somber Senate Judiciary Committee, Jim Steinle described his daughter as friendly, happy, adventurous and full of laughter and love. Shot at random before his eyes as they walked arm in arm, she had time only to utter the words "Help me, Dad."

"Those are the last words I will ever hear from my daughter," Steinle said. "We'd be proud to see Kate's name associated with some of this new legislation."

The alleged murderer, Juan Francisco Lopez Sanchez, had multiple felony convictions and had been deported five times, but San Francisco authorities released him, rejecting a request from federal immigration authorities to hold him until they could take him into custody.

San Francisco is among hundreds of jurisdictions nationally that decline to honor federal immigration requests, or "detainers," which have been successfully challenged in court and which advocates say can unfairly target immigrants who've done nothing wrong or committed only minor crimes.

The House will vote on legislation by Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., this week that would shut down two different types of local law enforcement grants to cities that don't cooperate with federal immigration authorities, and cut off their reimbursements for the costs of jailing immigrants in the country illegally who commit crimes.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, announced Tuesday that he too was offering a bill to cut off certain federal funding to sanctuary cities, as well as require a mandatory minimum five-year prison sentence for immigrants who illegally re-enter this country after having been deported. The latter provision has been championed by Fox News host Bill O'Reilly, who's dubbed it "Kate's Law," and has been embraced by a number of conservative lawmakers.

"Enforcing the immigration laws of the United States is not a voluntary or trivial matter. Real lives are at stake. Things cannot continue this way," Grassley said. "No more people should die at the hands of those who break our laws just by being here."

But the GOP proposals infuriated advocates who accused Republicans of targeting immigrant communities after repeatedly blocking comprehensive immigration overhaul legislation on Capitol Hill. The debate also comes as Trump has inflamed Latinos by describing Mexican immigrants as "criminals" and "rapists."

"Republicans, rather than look at the problem, which in essence is a need to revamp our entire immigration system, take a tragedy like this, which is a horrible tragedy, and politicize it," said David Leopold, past president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. "It's no different than what Donald Trump has been running around the country doing and that's demonizing immigrants."

Hunter's bill was also encountering some opposition from the right. NumbersUSA, a group that advocates lower immigration levels, announced its opposition. The group said the bill was too weak because it does nothing to address the federal government's release of tens of thousands of immigrants annually who've committed crimes.

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The House will take up a bill this week blocking funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" that resist turning over immigrants to federal authorities.

The move follows the shooting death of a woman in San Francisco this month, allegedly by an immigrant with a criminal record and without legal status.

San Francisco authorities had released the man despite a request from federal officials to keep him in custody.

That was in line with a practice by San Francisco and other jurisdictions that have begun refusing to cooperate with federal immigration orders amid concerns over their legality and their impact on immigrant communities.

The bill by Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter of California would block certain federal grants to cities that don't honor federal immigration requests.

A similar proposal has been advanced in the Senate, but it's unclear how far it will go.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities on Monday sent a letter to lawmakers protesting any such legislation. "We believe that decisions related to how law enforcement agencies prioritize their resources, direct their workforce and define the duties of their employees must reside with local government leadership," the letter reads. "This includes defining the role of local police officers in the context of enforcing federal immigration laws."

Meanwhile, the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday will hear from Jim Steinle, father of Kathryn Steinle, the 32-year-old woman who was shot in San Francisco. Steinle was walking with his daughter along a popular pier in daylight when the shooting happened.

The Archbishop of San Francisco sent a letter Monday urging the committee to "avoid the implementation of policies that punish all immigrants for the transgressions of a small minority."

"I applaud the commitment to public safety of the City of San Francisco and other local jurisdictions and support their right to exercise reasonable and appropriate discretion in the handling of immigrant detainees," Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone wrote. "A just and humanitarian policy should not be abandoned because of flaws in the system."

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A Connecticut town whose police force had a history of mistreating Latinos has transformed itself into a model for improving relations between police and the community, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Tuesday.

Lynch spoke with community members, police officers and federal authorities in East Haven High School, highlighting efforts by the town's police to improve ties with residents after a federal probe found discrimination and bias by town officers.

"It is our hope that cities and jurisdictions that are still struggling with these issues ... will look at East Haven and take heart and see that, in fact, things can improve," the attorney general said.

In the first stop on the six-city tour in Cincinnati in May, Lynch called mistrust between communities and law enforcement "the issue of our times." After deaths of black men at the hands of police in Baltimore, South Carolina and Ferguson, Missouri, the issue is in the national forefront, she said.

Justice Department officials say Lynch's tour builds on President Barack Obama's pledge to improve police-community relations. Recommendations by a task force Obama created in December include more community policing and officer training.

Latinos in East Haven and a federal monitor have said there has been a remarkable turnaround at the police department since 2012, when local officials signed a consent decree that required wide-ranging reforms. The agreement resolved allegations by the U.S. Department of Justice that officers regularly used excessive force against Latinos and retaliated against those who witnessed police misconduct or criticized officers.

In 2013, officials in the shoreline town of nearly 30,000 residents  where about one in 10 people is Latino  agreed to pay $450,000 to settle a civil rights lawsuit by Latino residents. The lawsuit named about 20 defendants and alleged repeated abuses by police officers, including false arrests, assault, illegal searches and obstruction of justice.

A separate federal criminal investigation led to the arrests of four East Haven police officers in 2012. The officers were convicted of mistreating Latinos and others or obstructing justice. They received prison sentences of four months to five years.

East Haven Deputy Police Chief Ed Lennon said the department has taken a number of steps including holding regular community meetings, having school-based officers check on children and creating a citizens' police academy. He also said the department has made efforts to be more transparent, including requiring all officers to wear body cameras.

"I think it's a great opportunity for the police department and the town as a whole to show we've had a complete turnaround," Lennon said of Tuesday's events.

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What was supposed to a feel good tour through GOP presidential hopeful Scott Walker's former hometown turned into a showdown when he was confronted by one undocumented immigrant and the mans teary children.

While the Wisconsin governor was touring a farm in Plainfield, Iowa  the town where he grew up  he was challenged by 38-year Jose Flores, an undocumented immigrant who lives in Wisconsin and works for a medical supply factory. Accompanied by two of his four children, including his visibly teary 13-year old daughter Lesile, Flores asked Walker why he doesn't support President Barack Obama's plan to give temporary status to some undocumented workers, including parents of children who were born in the United States.

"My family is at risk of being separated by being deported," Leslie told the reporters after the meeting.

Walker responded to the Flores family by saying that the U.S. is "a nation of laws."

"My point is that you have to follow the law, follow the process," he added, according to the Washington Post.

Flores' 7-year-old son, Luis, also asked Walker: "Do you want me to come home from school and my dad got deported?"

Walked said that was not his plan.

"That's not what I'm talking about," Walker said, according to the Wall Street Journal. "My point is that, in America, no one person is above the law. The president can't make the law just because he says it."

Despite much of the early chatter surrounding the 2016 revolving around immigration, Walker has quietly avoided the topic as much as he can  failing to mention it in his announcement speech or his first couple of campaign stop.

Some have suggested that the governor is still cementing his views, while trying to keep in mind Republican voters who don't agree with him on the issues.

Just two years ago, Walker supported a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, saying it "makes sense" in the case of some of the millions of undocumented workers already in the country.

"You've got to find a way to say that people who are in line right now have first preference," he said at Politico's State Solutions Conference in Washington, D.C. "We just have a broken system. And to me, if somebody wants to come in and live the American dream and work hard  we should have a system that works and lets people in."

Earlier this year, Walker's position shifted to be more hardline. "I don't believe in amnesty" for those in the country without proper documentation, he said.

Yet, according to the Washington Post, he told a private gathering of New Hampshire business leaders in March of this year that he supports providing some undocumented immigrants with a pathway to citizenship.

In April, Walker went further than most in the rest of the Republican field by saying legal immigration may need to be regulated further to protect U.S. jobs.

"In terms of legal immigration, how we need to approach that going forward is sayingthe next president and the next congress need to make decisions about a legal immigration system that's based on, first and foremost, on protecting American workers and American wages," he told Glenn Beck, according to Slate.

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Both Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio have vowed to defund Planned Parenthood as a second undercover video unleashed a new storm of controversy surrounding the non-profit organization.

In addition to an amendment that would fully repeal President Obama's Affordable Care Act, Cruz's office said on Tuesday that the Texas lawmaker is planning to file an amendment on a six-year highway and transit bill to eliminate all federal funding for the non-profit, which provides reproductive health services that include abortion.

Cruz joined his fellow senator and GOP presidential candidate, Rand Paul of Kentucky, in using the much-discussed highway bill as a way to attempt to defund Planned Parenthood. Paul said last week that he will "use all legislative vehicles at his disposal" to force a vote this week but has not released details of his plan.

Republican and Democratic negotiators in the Senate announced an agreement Tuesday on the highway bill subject to approval by rank-and-file lawmakers.

However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he and Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, who led the Democratic negotiations, were able to agree only on enough funds to pay for transportation programs for the first three years of the bill, leaving open how the remaining three years will be financed.

"This is a six-year highway authorization that will allow planning for important long-term projects around the country, and the bill provides three years of guaranteed funding for the Highway Trust Fund," McConnell said. "Senators from both parties know that a long-term highway bill is in the best interest of our country."

While Sen. Rubio has not made any pronouncements about using the highway bill to defund Planned Parenthood  he has already voted before to defund it - the Florida lawmaker has spoken out about his disgust for the organization.

"I am sickened by the complete disregard for innocent unborn life evident at Planned Parenthood," Rubio told Politico. "I'm proud that one of my first actions in the Senate was voting to defund this organization."

Planned Parenthood told Congress Monday that a secretly recorded video released last week by an anti-abortion group is fraudulent and part of a years-long pattern of illegal harassment aimed at prohibiting abortion.

In a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Planned Parenthood said it fell victim to a fake company called Biomax Procurement Services that posed as a buyer of human tissue. It was actually created by David Daleiden, an official of the group that released the video, and was engaged in "a campaign of corporate espionage" targeting Planned Parenthood, the letter said.

"A group of extremists who have intimidated women and doctors for years  in their agenda to ban abortion completely  are not 'documenting' misdeeds; they are trying to create them, quite unsuccessfully," Planned Parenthood wrote to lawmakers.

In a show of defiance  at least for now  Planned Parenthood also told the House committee that it has not yet decided whether it will honor lawmakers' request for a briefing by Dr. Deborah Nucatola, who speaks at length in the video about obtaining fetal tissue for research. Nucatola is the organization's senior director of medical services.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Ahram Online examines all the information currently available on the fuel smart card system, as well as how to issue a card or get a new one if you lost your original card

Egypt began a trial run for the fuel smart card system on Saturday, with official assurances that the system does not limit individuals' share of subsidised fuel.

The long-awaited fuel card system at Egyptian gas stations is part of a governmental programme to prevent the leakage of subsidised petroleum products onto the black market and into the hands of smugglers.

"Applying the new system aims to identify the real consumption rate of fuel, and compare it to the fuel being produced locally as well as imported," the country's Prime Minister Sherif Ismail was quoted as saying in a Sunday cabinet statement.

"There is no relationship between applying the smart-card system and increasing the prices of fuel," the prime minister said, adding that there is no intention to set a quota for individual consumption.

E-Finance Company, which has been tasked by the government to execute the project, has issued 6.3 million cards so far nationwide, the spokesman of Egypt's oil ministry Hamdy Abdel-Aziz told Al-Hayah Alyoum TV channel on Monday.

Abdel-Aziz added that during the trial run, gas stations would use their own smart fuel card systems for users who are yet to obtain their own cards.

Ahram Online couldn't reach the oil ministry's spokesman for further details.

For those who never received their smart cards, the cards are automatically issued, and the users should send an SMS to 4555 and follow the proceeding instructions on how to obtain their cards, a pre-recorded message on E-finance's hotline stated.

For users who lost their cards, they can send an SMS with their vehicle's chassis number followed with a space and then their car's motor number to 4555 and wait for further instructions.

Charges for issuing a new card are EGP 25, excluding taxes, plus EGP 25 delivery charges of the card. The card will be delivered within 14 days, E-Finance's hotline stated.

For further information, vehicle owners can visit www.esp.gov.eg or call E-Finance's hotlines 19680 or 19683.

The car system was initially scheduled to start in June 2013, and rescheduled to 2015 but delayed again.

In an exclusive interview in September, E-Finance's strategy and business planning director Haitham Tarabeek told Ahram Online that the system would be activated by the end of 2016.

Tarabeek added at the time that delaying the operation of the fuel smart card system in 2015 was because "the government said to [put it on] hold in order to add more vehicles, such as the three-wheeled tuk-tuks, to the system."

In 2014, the government raised fuel prices by up to 78 percent to reduce subsidies by EGP 44 billion as part of a reform programme to phase out energy subsidies in an attempt to curb the growing state budget deficit, which is estimated at 11.5 percent in the fiscal year 2015/16.

The government plans to trim the petroleum subsidy bill in the 2016/17 budget by 43.5 percent to reach EGP 35 billion. The state budget was approved by parliament in July.

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Republican presidential contender Donald Trump said he is planning to visit the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas Thursday, a trip that comes as he continued to condemn illegal immigration.

Trump said he was invited to the city of Laredo, where he will meet with members of the union that represents border control agents. He will also hold a press conference at the border at 2 p.m., according to the schedule relased to the media.

During an interview on Fox and Friends on Wednesday, the business mogul teased about the possibility of adding a campaign stop at the border.

Ive been invited by the Border Patrol and they want to honor me actually  thousands and thousands of them because Im speaking up, Trump said in during the morning show. These are tremendous people. They are tough people. They want to do the job and theyre not allowed to do their job by the president essentially.

The 69-year-old said he would be going very soon. It could even be tomorrow.

Ill be flying in. I may never see you again but were going to do it, Trump added.

Soon after the show aired, Trumps campaign confirmed the trip sharing it on social media.

I'm going to the BORDER tomorrow. Will be seeing some really brave people. Look forward to a big day! he tweeted.

Trump has dominated the Republican presidential primary election in recent weeks, most notably after he described Mexican immigrants as rapists and criminals in his announcement speech last month.

Then, over the weekend he came under fire for mocking Senator John McCainexperience as a tortured prisoner of war in Vietnam..

Since then Trump has intensified his criticism of McCain and his record on veterans issues in the Senate, even as politicians from both parties and veterans groups have rushed to McCain's defense.

FoxNews.com's Christopher Snyder and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Florida's presidential primary is nine months away, but the state's influential donors are already speaking with their wallets. So far the news is better for Jeb Bush than for Marco Rubio in the Republican money race between home-state heavyweights  but it's even better for Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Former Gov. Bush's campaign drew nearly $1 million more than Sen. Rubio's  and in two months' less time  according to an Associated Press analysis of Federal Election Commission records that most presidential candidates filed last week. They cover fundraising activity from April through the end of June, but Bush didn't join the race until June 15.

In all, Florida donors wrote checks totaling more than $8.6 million to the major Democratic and Republican presidential candidates, according to the AP review of all donors who listed addresses in Florida and gave more than $200. That represents more than 10 percent of the nationwide total of donations over $200 reported last week by presidential candidates, and offers one window into which candidates have an early advantage in the high-profile swing state.

Clinton one of 16 candidates included in the analysis grabbed more than one-third of all Florida cash, about $3 million. Bush's campaign raked in at least $2.6 million; Rubio's collected almost $1.8 million.

The numbers may be dry, but their impact can be large.

Florida is coveted by presidential candidates because of the sheer number of billionaires and millionaires who call it home  or have second and third homes here. The Sunshine State is consistently one of the country's presidential fundraising hubs.

Former Gov. Bush, campaigning last week in Nevada, seemed almost apologetic for bringing in more money than his fellow Floridian.

"It's a big state," Bush said. "I'm sure Marco will get support. I don't view it as a zero sum game."

"Money alone, though, doesn't matter," he said. "You've gotta go campaign hard and that's what I'm doing."

Florida is likely to play an outsized role in both the Republican presidential primary and the general election.

GOP operatives believe that between Bush and Rubio, the loser in the state's March 15 Republican primary will be eliminated from the 2016 election altogether. And the money race suggests that Bush has a clear early edge.

"Marco Rubio is an excellent senator and has a great future in politics, but I'm a longtime friend of Jeb Bush," said Remedios Diaz-Oliver, a Cuban-American businesswoman from Miami and longtime GOP donor. "He's an extraordinary man and was a great Florida governor."

Diaz-Oliver gave Bush the $2,700 maximum donation to his primary campaign.

"What you see is what you get with Jeb Bush," said Diaz-Oliver, who said she first met Bush in the late 1980s when he was the state's secretary of commerce.

But he's not the only Floridian in the race. Herminio Orizondo, a retired doctor, has donated $300 to Rubio and plans to send more.

"Marco Rubio is his own man," said Orizondo, who hosted Rubio at his Orlando home in 2010 when the candidate was a longshot U.S. Senate contender.

"I was told I was wasting my time supporting Rubio," Orizondo said. "I kept telling them that Republicans need new blood in the party and that Marco represents the future of our country."

The FEC reports filed last week tell only part of the story.

They don't account for hundreds of millions of dollars flowing into separate super political action committees not directly controlled by the candidates.

Donors can give a maximum of $2,700 to each candidate's primary campaign, but they face no limits when it comes to writing checks for the super PACs specially tailored to boost candidates' election chances.

Bush's allied super PAC, Right to Rise, has said it raised $103 million through the first half of the year. Like many other super PACs, the group must file its initial fundraising report by the end of the month. Outside groups dedicated to Rubio's bid, meanwhile, reported raising around $29 million.

As for individual Florida donors in the April-June period, other Republicans they contributed to included former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, $11,775; businessman Donald Trump, $8,150 and former New York Gov. George Pataki, $4,050.

Among Democrats, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders got $113,357 and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, $80,850.

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A leading Latino Republican political strategist is calling on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to return the more than $100,000 her non-profit foundation received from GOP contender Donald Trump.

The GOP strategist, Alfonso Aguilar, who is executive director of American Principles in Actions Latino Partnership, says that if Clinton truly objects to inflammatory comments that Trump made about Mexicans when he announced his presidential campaign  and which he has repeated and defended since then  she should reject the money to demonstrate it.

If she is so appalled by her friend Donald Trumps comments, she should give back the $100,000-plus she received from the Trump Foundation, Aguilar said in a statement to Fox News Latino. Today I call on her to do so.

Asked whether it was considering returning the money that Trump made through his foundation, Clintons foundation, a non-profit international philanthropy, indicated it was not planning to do so.

The foundation website lists Trump among those who have donated more than $100,000. It is unclear when the Trump Foundation made the donation.

The Clinton Foundations response, sent in an email to Fox News Latino from Craig Minassian, its chief communications officer, said: "We're grateful to our more than 300,000 donors from across the political spectrum whose support has allowed us to efficiently and effectively fight HIV/AIDS and childhood obesity, increase opportunity for girls and women, lift people out of poverty, combat climate change and has improved the lives of millions of people all over the world.

Trump has come under fire by Hispanic groups after the Mexico comments.

When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best. Theyre not sending you. Theyre not sending you, he said during a speech when he launched his campaign. Theyre sending people that have lots of problems, and theyre bringing those problems with us. Theyre bringing drugs, theyre bringing crime, theyre rapists, and some, I assume, are good people.

NBC and Univision promptly decided to drop plans to show the beauty pageants that Trump partly owns. NBC also dropped The Apprentice. And other sporting and business giants also have severed their ties with Trump.

Clinton said in a CNN interview that she found Trumps comments disappointing.

Im very disappointed in those comments and I feel very bad, and very disappointed with him and with the Republican party for not responding immediately and saying, Enough! Stop It!, she said.

Trump has pushed back by criticizing Clinton for how she handled official emails during her time as Secretary of State, and suggested that their acceptance of his donation to the foundation was a form of currying favor with him.

Critics, however, say it should be Clinton pushing back harder on Trump.

Hillary and other Democrats are taking advantage of Trumps comments, Aguilar said. But Hillarys criticism of Donald Trump was very tame. She could have said something more forceful than that she was disappointed [by Trumps comments], but she didnt, and its because theyre buddies. She went to his wedding, he contributed to her campaign for the Senate, and to her foundation.
Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio said President Barack Obama has "no class."

Speaking on Fox News' "Fox & Friends" Wednesday morning, the Florida senator made his comments when questioned about the recent antics of fellow GOP candidate Donald Trump, who in the past few weeks has incurred the wrath of immigration activists, Vietnam veterans and his fellow Republicans with a slew of brazen comments.

"I don't think the way he's behaved over the last few weeks is either dignified or worthy of the office that he seeks," Rubio said, adding about Obama. "We already have a president now that has no class. We have a president now that does selfie stick videos, that invites YouTube stars there, people who eat cereal out of a bathtub."

Rubio's remarks targeted a video Obama shot with the website Buzzfeed in an attempt to drive people to sign-up for his healthcare plan. The video, which went viral back in February, shows Obama practicing delivering his pitch about signing up for healthcare in a mirror before performing some goofy behavior like putting on Vice President Joe Biden's sunglasses and pretending to shoot hoops.

Rubio also lashed out Obama for appearing on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart' on Tuesday night, calling it inappropriate for the president to discuss the recently inked nuclear deal with Iran on the comedy news show.

"There's nothing funny about any of that," Rubio said.

Trump also appeared on "Fox & Friends" later on the program, but he held back on responding to comments made by Rubio and fellow GOP presidential candidate Carly Fiorina. Instead, the real estate mogul-turned-politician described the two as "very nice people."

The mogul and television personality has not been afraid of attacking those who have criticized his style or word choices.

Earlier this week, Trump drew the furor of a number of lawmakers and U.S. military veteran by saying that longtime Arizona Sen. John McCain was only considered a war hero because he was captured during the Vietnam War. Trump has also faced a major backlash for reading out Sen. Lindsey Graham's cellphone number to the capacity crowd of 540 people and the TV audience. He said Graham had given him the number several years ago.

"Give it a shot," Trump encouraged. "He won't fix anything, but at least he'll talk to you."

Trump now plans to head to the Mexican border on Thursday, a flashpoint in the primary contest ever since he declared that Mexico was illegally sending rapists and drug dealers across the border.

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The newly elected president of the nation's largest and oldest Latino civil rights group says he hopes to end years of infighting with a call for unity to better serve the interests of the nation's 54 million Hispanics.

Roger Rocha, of Laredo, Texas, told The Associated Press he's reaching out to key members of the League of United Latin American Citizens following his election, seeking to bring together various interests.

"It's a big challenge, and I'm up for the challenge," said Rocha, who became LULAC president last week in Salt Lake City at the group's convention.

He's ready to help the organization move "together as a united LULAC."

He takes over a group plagued by squabbling, including spats over a canceled election, a disputed real estate deal and national board eligibility.

Rocha, a 44-year-old health care provider, said the group's focus now should be on pushing federal immigration reform and better health care for the nation's growing Hispanic population.

He said old, internal conflict should be discarded for the sake of unity. "We've already moved past it," Rocha said from the organization's Washington, D.C., headquarters. "If there are one or two individuals (who) are dwelling on it, guess what? They are getting left behind because the membership of this organization has moved forward."

Officials say LULAC has around 100,000 members.

Former New Mexico LULAC state director Pablo Martinez said many members are willing to give Rocha and his board a chance. "I wish him the best because there is a lot at stake and it's not just about us," Martinez said.

Founded in 1929 in Corpus Christi, Texas, LULAC was largely made up of Mexican-American World War I veterans who sought to fight discrimination.

The organization later became a key player in U.S. politics, and its members helped influenced the passage of civil rights legislation in the 1960s.

In recent years, LULAC has been fighting for relevance amid competing civil rights groups and its internal battles, said Tatcho Mindiola, director of the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Houston.

"It could be that their energies have been directed inward rather than outward," Mindiola said. "But I just don't see (LULAC) quoted very often locally or nationally on various issues. They've been relatively quiet."

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A local border patrol union pulled out of events involving Donald Trump on Thursday as the Republican presidential contender charged ahead with plans to visit the Mexican border to highlight his hardline stance on illegal immigration.

Patrol agents had planned to accompany Trump to the border and hold a meeting with him but canceled after consultations with their national union, the National Border Patrol Council, said Hector Garza, president of Local 2455.

The Trump campaign said in a statement he would go to the border anyway in the afternoon, "despite the great danger," and blamed the snub on the union's superiors "who do not want people to know how bad it is on the border  every bit as bad as Mr. Trump has been saying."

The businessman and reality TV host was planning multiple appearances in Laredo, including an afternoon news conference.

Garza said the union opted out of the Trump visit "after careful consideration of all the factors involved in this event and communicating with members of the National Border Patrol Council." He said agents had intended to give Trump and the accompanying press a "boots-on-the-ground perspective" at the border.

During his visit to Laredo, Trump will be a short distance from the volatile Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo. As for concerns about dangers, however, lawmakers and other well-known officials routinely visit the area and tour border facilities at the country's busiest inland port.

His visit drew strong reaction from some residents of Laredo, which has an overwhelmingly Hispanic population.

Pedro Omar Castillo, 72, suggested that Trump needs the growing Hispanic vote to be successful in 2016. "But he's not going to get it because of his words," Castillo said in Spanish as he walked through a downtown park. "He is a racist."

But Karina Villalba, 26, waited for Trump at the airport and held a sign saying "I heard your speech & I am NOT offended."

A Hispanic oil-field worker, she said she appreciates Trump's in-your-face tone. "Sometimes honesty hurts," she said.

Trump roiled the presidential race weeks ago when he branded Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals, sparking a feud with his GOP rivals that intensified after his dismissive comments about Arizona Sen. John McCain's military service in the Vietnam War.

From party heavyweights like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush to relative newcomers to the national scene like Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. Trump's rivals face his tactics of calling out his critics by name, vilifying the GOP establishment and injecting inflammatory rhetoric into the immigration debate.

In Washington on Wednesday, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry was asked about Trump's trip to Laredo. He snapped, "I hope he can find the border because I'm not sure he's ever been there before."

That was after Perry, a GOP presidential contender, denounced Trump's campaign as a "cancer on conservatism" and a "barking carnival act" in a speech that defined "Trumpism" as "a toxic mix of demagoguery, mean-spiritedness and nonsense that will lead the Republican Party to perdition if pursued."

Indeed, the insults flying between Trump and his rivals have been caustic. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Thursday, "The only way we're going to be able to lose the election is continue to say things like Donald Trump is saying."

"Donald Trump is a great showman," Graham told MSNBC. "That's why all these companies hired him to sell their products. That's the reason all these companies are firing him, because he's toxic."

"I think he's sort of a political car wreck where people slow down and watch," Graham added.

Others in the GOP field have been more measured, though showing signs of growing exasperation. Bush, in particular, has conspicuously tried to avoid alienating Trump's supporters  "good people" with "legitimate concerns"  even while branding Trump's rhetoric as "ugly" and "mean-spirited."

The feud is unfolding as the candidates head into a presidential election in which Hispanic voters will play a critical role, particularly in swing states like Nevada, Colorado and Florida.

"If Hispanic Americans perceive that a GOP nominee or candidate does not want them in the United States, they will not pay attention to our next sentence," reads a Republican National Committee report released after the 2012 election, citing the need to embrace Hispanic voters. "It does not matter what we say about education, jobs or the economy; if Hispanics think we do not want them here, they will close their ears to our policies."

Yet Trump, who has become a dominant force in the 2016 contest, has clearly stated, over and over again, that Mexican immigrants are unwelcome.

"The Mexican government is forcing their most unwanted people into the United States," and "criminals, drug dealers, rapists" are among them, he said in a recent statement that also declared "great respect for Mexico."

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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's visit to the U.S.-Mexico border promises new challenges for the GOP's years-in-the-making push to attract Hispanic voters.

Trump has gone beyond the party's hardline stance on illegal immigration, calling immigrants who cross the border illegally "criminals" and "rapists" and accusing Mexico's government of deliberately sending felons into the U.S. His trip Thursday also comes amid an escalating feud with Republican rivals and criticism from members of both parties, guaranteeing the billionaire developer plenty of attention from voters and reporters.

The reality television star is set to make multiple public appearances in Laredo, Texas, including at an afternoon news conference on the border. He also plans to meet members of the union that represents U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents and speak to other law enforcement officers, his campaign said.

From party heavyweights like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush to relative newcomers to the national scene like Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Trump's rivals face his hair-trigger habit of calling out his critics by name, vilifying the GOP establishment and roiling the debate over immigration.

In Washington on Wednesday, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry was asked about Trump's trip to Laredo. He snapped, "I hope he can find the border because I'm not sure he's ever been there before."

That was after Perry denounced Trump's campaign as a "cancer on conservatism" and a "barking carnival act" in a speech that defined "Trumpism" as "a toxic mix of demagoguery, mean-spiritedness and nonsense that will lead the Republican Party to perdition if pursued."

Indeed, the insults flying between Trump and his rivals have been caustic. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called him a "jackass" earlier in the week and Trump responded by calling Graham an "idiot" and giving out the senator's cellphone number, jamming his voicemail.

Others in the field have been more measured, though showing signs of growing exasperation. Bush, in particular, has conspicuously tried to avoid alienating Trump's supporters  "good people" with "legitimate concerns"  even while branding Trump's rhetoric as "ugly" and "mean-spirited."

The feud is unfolding as the candidates head into a presidential election in which Hispanic voters will play a critical role, particularly in swing states like Nevada, Colorado and Florida.

"If Hispanic Americans perceive that a GOP nominee or candidate does not want them in the United States, they will not pay attention to our next sentence," reads a Republican National Committee report released after the 2012 election citing the need to embrace Hispanic voters. "It does not matter what we say about education, jobs or the economy; if Hispanics think we do not want them here, they will close their ears to our policies."

Yet Trump, who has become a dominant force in the 2016 contest, has clearly stated, over and over again, that Mexican immigrants are unwelcome.

"The Mexican government is forcing their most unwanted people into the United States," and "criminals, drug dealers, rapists" are among them, he said in a recent statement that also declared "great respect for Mexico."

Another candidate for the nomination, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., earlier in the week addressed the Trump feud almost serenely, expressing confidence the primary campaign would "get beyond the novelty of a reality TV star."

Walker, campaigning in Tennessee, said he used to run track and "I realized there were some folks sprinting out ahead. I made sure I was ahead at the end of the race when it really mattered."

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio likened Trump to Barack Obama, whom he called a president with "no class" and one who demeaned the office with his appearance this week on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show."

On Fox News, Rubio said of Trump: "I don't think the way he has behaved over the past few weeks is either dignified or worthy of the office he seeks."

Trump remained unbowed. "I'm called a jackass," he said Wednesday on CNN. "You have to fight back. The country has to fight back. Everyone's pushing our country around. We can't allow that."
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House Republicans approved legislation Thursday cracking down on "sanctuary cities" that shield residents from federal immigration authorities. Angry Democrats accused Republicans of aligning themselves with Donald Trump and his anti-immigrant views, and the White House threatened a veto.

"The Donald Trump wing of the Republican Party is clearly ascendant here today," Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, said in heated floor debate ahead of the largely party-line vote of 241-179.

"This bill is not about grabbing criminals; it's about grabbing headlines."

Republicans countered that action was desperately needed in the wake of the July 1 shooting of Kathryn Steinle, allegedly by an immigrant in the country illegally despite a long criminal record and multiple prior deportations.

The man, Juan Francisco Lopez Sanchez, had been released by San Francisco authorities despite a request from federal immigration authorities to keep him detained.

"There are criminals motivated by malice and a conscious disregard for the lives of others, and there are cities more interested in providing a sanctuary for those criminals than they are in providing a sanctuary for their law-abiding citizens," said Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C. "This is more than an academic discussion. ... It is quite literally life and death."

San Francisco and hundreds of other jurisdictions nationally have adopted policies of disregarding federal immigration requests, or "detainers," which have been found invalid in court and which advocates say can unfairly target innocent immigrants and hurt relations between immigrant communities and law enforcement authorities.

The House bill, by Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., would punish jurisdictions that prohibit the collection of immigration information or don't cooperate with federal requests, by blocking them from receiving certain law enforcement grants and funding.

In its veto threat, the White House said the bill would threaten the civil rights of all Americans by allowing law enforcement officials to gather immigration status information from any person at any time. The White House statement said such an approach would lead to mistrust between local communities and law enforcement agencies.

As debate unfolded on the House floor, Gowdy chaired a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing that included testimony from Kathryn Steinle's father, Jim Steinle, who was with his daughter when she was shot and killed.

As he did earlier this week in an appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Steinle recounted his daughter's shooting as they strolled arm in arm, and her final words asking him for help. He told lawmakers that "hopefully some good will come from Kate's death," if laws could be changed to keep criminal immigrants off the street.

Members of both parties endorsed Steinle's plea but offered dramatically different diagnoses of the problem, with Republicans calling for more enforcement of the law and Democrats calling for a comprehensive immigration overhaul, something House Republicans have blocked for years.

The comments echoed the years-long national debate over immigration, but this latest chapter comes at a moment when immigration has become a hot-button issue on the presidential campaign trail, thanks to Trump's provocative claims about Mexican immigrants being "rapists" and "criminals."

Trump traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border on Thursday to continue his focus on the issue, to the dismay of many Republicans who fear his campaign risks further alienating Latino voters from the Republican Party. House Republicans rejected Democratic attempts to connect their legislation with Trump's incendiary campaign.

"We have a horrible tragedy that was preventable," said Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, when asked about the linkage. "Cities do not have the right to ignore federal laws that require them to incarcerate people who have committed serious felonies."

All but five House Republicans backed the bill. One who didn't, Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., a supporter of a comprehensive overhaul, said the legislation wouldn't have prevented Kathryn Steinle's death to begin with.

"This is an exercise, this is not a solution," Curbelo told reporters. "This may generate a headline, but it's not going to solve a problem."

But other House Republicans viewed Thursday's vote as just the first step in advancing a slate of enforcement-focused immigration bills centered on beefing up border security and cracking down on immigrants with criminal records.

Such an approach would ignore the advice of some Republican Party leaders who've urged the party to reach out to Latino voters by embracing comprehensive overhaul legislation including a path to citizenship for the 11.5 million people in the country illegally.

"The appetite for amnesty has diminished dramatically after we see the carnage in the streets of America at the hands of criminal aliens that should have been removed from the country," said Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa. "And so that means that now the climate is much better to try to move down the line on enforcement."



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A GOP-controlled Senate panel has voted to lift a decades-long ban on travel to Cuba, giving a boost to President Barack Obama's moves to ease travel restrictions and open up relations with the Castro-governed nation.

The Senate Appropriations Committee also voted to repeal a law prohibiting banks and other U.S. businesses from financing sales of U.S. agricultural exports to Cuba.

The Obama administration issued rules in January to significantly ease travel restrictions to Cuba and allow regularly scheduled flights for the first time. The Senate Appropriations Committee 18-12 vote comes just days after the U.S. and Cuba formally ended more than a half-century of estrangement by re-establishing diplomatic relations cut off during the Cold War.

"We have the opportunity to increase the likelihood that Cuban people have greater liberties and freedom with the ability to connect with them," said sponsor Jerry Moran, R-Kan. "I also would say that as Americans we have certain freedoms that we cherish, and Americans can travel around the globe today without exception  no country is totally prohibited with the exception of Cuba."

The House Appropriations Committee has moved in the opposite direction, but the intra-party disagreement among Republicans makes it far less likely that the GOP-controlled Congress will try to use spending bills to challenge Obama's rapprochement with Cuba.

The House 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 Senate language goes beyond the administration rules, which lifted a requirement that U.S. travelers obtain a license from the Treasury Department before travelling to Cuba. Instead, all that is required is for travelers to assert that their trip would serve educational, religious or other permitted purposes.

"Positive change in Cuba will take time," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. "But it will come not as a result of stubborn nostalgia by a vociferous few for the Batista years, but by visiting Cuba, listening to the Cuban people, and engaging with them."

The hospitality industry and other business sectors are still blocked from doing business in Cuba. Marriot International President Arne Sorenson just returned from Cuba and is representative of many companies eager to do business there, especially as more Americans travel to the island.

"With travel to Cuba now surging, existing Cuban hotels are full and hotel companies from other countries are racing to tie up as many of the new hotels as they can before the likes of Marriott and our U.S. competitors show up," Sorenson said.

The panel's votes reflect growing sentiment, even among some GOP conservatives, to ease the five-decade-plus Cuba trade embargo and travel restrictions to the island, which have failed to move the Castro regime toward democracy.

"After nearly 60 years, we might try something different," Moran said.

The panel also voted to lift restrictions on vessels that have shipped goods to Cuba from returning to the U.S. until six months have passed.

The Cuba legislation was added to a $21 billion measure funding the Treasury Department, which enforces the longstanding trade embargo.

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Standing near the U.S.-Mexico border, a cornerstone of his presidential campaign, on Thursday, Donald Trump called for getting tough on illegal immigration and predicted he would win the bulk of the Latino vote.

At a press conference in near the volatile Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo, Trumps comments about Mexico and Latinos were decidedly more muted  at times even spilling into praise  than remarks during his presidential launch speech, in which he said Mexico has sent its rapists and murderers to the United States, and the entire Southern border needed a wall.

On Thursday, Trump said only some sections of the border need a wall, and when asked what he would do with the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants already living in the United, he demurred.

He said first the border needed to be secured to stop the flow of illegal immigration before there could be a discussion about what to do with the undocumented people living and working in the United States.

In certain sections you have to have a wall, Trump said, standing next to Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz and City Manager Jesus Olivares.

He said that Laredo did not need a wall, something first mentioned by the local officials who also spoke at the press conference.

"A lot of what is happening here is because of the fact that Mexico is doing so well, it is just doing beyond what anybody thought, Trump said. And I don't know if that's good for the United States, but it's good for Mexico.

Trump said he is not against Hispanics, noting that "over the years, thousands and thousands of Hispanics have worked for me."

Trump also said he is confident that he will be the GOPs nominee for the 2016 presidential election, and that Latinos will give him their support.

I think I'll win the Hispanic vote," Trump told reporters.

Trump said that border patrol agents stationed in the area had invited him, but then backed out of being with him at the press conference because of pressure from officials in Washington.

He said they wanted to do their job of protecting the border, and that is why they invited him there.

Olivares, whom Trump said hed like to hire, dismissed the notion that a wall could keep away illegal immigration.

He said city officials were working well with the federal government, a seeming departure from the message that Trump wanted to send from his border visit.

Trump said that he would bring back jobs that are now done by people in China and Japan, but that should be done by Americans.

"Hispanics are going to get those jobs," he said, "and theyre going to love Trump.

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On 3 January, a diverse selection of traditional crafts from the alumni of Art Jameel will be displayed at the British Council in Cairo

It is challenging but it is worth the effort: give a new lease of life to traditional crafts and arts in the face of a wave of decline.

On 3 January, a diverse selection of traditional crafts from the alumni of Art Jameel will be displayed at the British Council in Cairo. The exhibition, which will last for three days, is organized by the Art Jameel Programme for Traditional Arts and Carfts (AJPTAC)  a joint effort of The Princes School of Traditional Arts, and Egypts Ministry of Culture and Art Jameel Community.

AJPTAC was initiated in 2009 to serve two clear purposes: give a chance to those who have the talent but never had the chance to acquire the relevant academic training to get apprenticed; to give heritage a chance to survive the decline of traditional apprenticing as more and more master craftsmen abandonned their professions. This sad delcine has resulted from the invasive trend of Made-in-China crafts that attempt to imitate the traditional crafts of Egypt.

During the past eight years, AJPTAC has managed to deliver its message  even if only on a limited scale.

It is quite a challenge, because what we offer is basically a two-year exhaustive training programme which could amount to a full-time job, said Mamdouh Sakr, AJPTAC director.

In other words, AJPTAC students are selected by a professional committee upon the strict merit of their talent, irrespective of any academic background or field training, and must then all but fully dedicate their time and energy for this programme.

This, Sakr explained, often means that they cannot have serious financially rewarding full-time jobs. They must also be based in Cairo, in order to attend an intensive training schedule.

The training includes using diverse materials to produce many traditional crafts  ranging from ceramics to metal-work, and from pottery to jewelry-making.

So while the 20-plus students actually get a full-scholarship, they mostly have to balance it with whatever profession the might have in order to actually benefit of this programme. This is often not an easy decision to make, especially with the current economic hiccups, and also in view of the fact that the local market for traditional crafts has been continuously shrinking due to the suffocating decline in tourism, Sakr said.

So while AJPTAC is actually designed to save heritage from death, it has to live with the fact that there are more reasons why traditional arts are being challenged than not.

During the past three years, Sakr admits, so many galleries had shut down due to business problems: increasing prices of materials, declining demand for the local market, failure to adequately access the exports scene, and diminishing human resources, with more craftsmen abandoning their profession in favour of other promising avenues for money-making.

The graduates of AJPTAC themselves have not all been spared from the tough challenge facing the profession, with some putting on hold their dream of pursuing the path of traditional crafts. Others have been lucky enough to either find job opportunities overseas or to join some of the surviving large-scale and export-oriented businesses.

The wish to offer the graduates of the two-year AJPTAC diploma an opportunity to access the market has prompted the board to incorporate a business element into the training.

We thought that if someone wants to start a small business they need to acquire the basic skills for how to run it and, in fact, how to help it survive, Sakr said.

It was the same wish that prompted AJPTAC to start the annual tradition of having an exhibition for a selected few of the programme's alumni.

We aim to complete the journey of traditional arts and crafts and make new masterpieces that are inspired by our artistic heritage, and which are relevant to our contemporary context."

Last year the exhibition was a success and Sakr is hoping for an equally rewarding event this year.

At the AJPTAC headquarters in the heart of Old Cairos Foustat neighbourhood, one student is Sally Sayyed, a woman from Nubia who decided to come and live in Cairo for two consecutive years to get apprenticed at AJPTAC.

Like other students in the second year of the programme, Sayyed had to choose a major. Hers is jewelry-making, a perfectly fitting passion for her cultural background.

Nubian women inevitably love of jewelry, and Nubian jewelry is exotic in character, said Sayyad.

With a degree in archeological studies, Sayyad is already tuned to finding inspiration in the past. And she believes it perfectly possible to harness the beauty of the past to the fashions of modernity.

After all, this is part of what we learn to do here in this programme, she said.

Assembling the techniques and electing the disciplines of traditional crafts is  in and of itself  about art-empowerment, according to Emad Abou-Zeid, who joined the first year of the AJPTAC.

At the end of the programme we get a degree in a particular discipline, but it is this across-the-board practical training that we acquire here that actually helps us to pursue many avenues in art-making, he argued.

Himself a free-lance designer of cartoons, Abou-Zeid finds that his training at AJPTAC provides inspriation, shining a light on how to incorporate tradiational themese into his drawings.

He also finds his training provides an opportunity to complement the creation of parallel worlds, which I do with my cartoons, with the creation of a world crafts, that I might be doing with decor, or even with drawing-books that are inspired by our own heritage.

After all, Abou-Zeid is convinced that heritage-protection is not only about sampling traditional jewelry or traditional pots, but also about making heritage more visible and thus more relevant.

Art Jameel fosters and promotes contemporary art, cultural heritage protection, and creative entrepreneurship across the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey and beyond. It is part of Community Jameel, established in 2003 to promote positive social change.

Art Jameels initiatives include the Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art and the biennial Jameel Prize for contemporary art and design inspired by Islamic traditions, both launched through a long-standing partnership with the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Art Jameels work in the heritage field includes the House of Traditional Arts in Jeddah and the Art Jameel Programme for Traditional Arts and Crafts in Fustat, Cairo, developed together with the Princes School of Traditional Arts. Additional projects include the Jeddah Sculpture Museum, a public park established in collaboration with Jeddah Municipality, and Jameel Arts Education programmes for schools and young people.

So it is basically an attempt to provide a chance to those who wish to serve at the alter of heritage, to keep the beacon passing on, Sakr said.

Photos courtesy of Art Jameel

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Sen. Ted Cruz has introduced legislation that would change the name of the street where the new Cuban Embassy is housed in Washington D.C. to that of Oswaldo Paya, the Cuban dissident who died in 2012 in a mysterious car crash.

Presidential contender Cruz, a Texas Republican and son of a Cuban father, said in a press release that his measure seeks to honor Cubas late leader in democratic movements and serves as a tribute to those who have contested the cruelty and oppression of the Castro regime.

Cruz introduced his bill just days after the opening of the Cuban Embassy that marked a new era in U.S.-Cuba relations.

The new era began with little fanfare when an agreement between the two nations to resume normal ties on July 20 came into force just after midnight Sunday and the diplomatic missions of each country were upgraded from interests sections to embassies.

The historic shift was publicly memorialized later Monday when Cuban officials formally inaugurated their embassy in Washington and Cuba's blue, red and white-starred flag flew for the first time since the countries severed ties in 1961. In attendance were Secretary of State John Kerry and his Cuban counterpart, Bruno Rodriguez.

Oswaldo Paya, a Christian activist, died in 2012 in the eastern Cuban province of Granma in a mysterious car crash.

His daughter, Rosa Maria Paya, who now lives in Florida and is a prominent anti-Castro activist in her own right, contends that her fathers crash was caused by the Cuban government because, she says, his car was rammed by another and forced off the road.

On Monday she and another activist were allegedly denied entrance to a press conference featuring Kerry and his Cuban counterpart at the opening of the Cuban Embassy -- Cruz and fellow Cuban congressional members Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario Diaz-Balart, both Florida Republicans, sent a letter to Kerry demanding an investigation into the allegations.

The letter, which was not signed by Sen. Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, or Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican  both of whom are also Cuban and oppose the restoration of relations  contends that a State Department official warned them not to ask questions or make comments at the press conference or they would be removed.

How very sad it would be," the letter said, "if Ms. Paya were to find that the repressive, totalitarian tactics that have silenced so many generations of Cubans do not end at the waters edge, but have also infiltrated our own capital.

Over the last few months, Sen. Cruz and other members of Congress who are of Cuban descent vigorously have opposed the restoration of diplomatic relations, arguing that the government of Raul Castro continues to violate human rights and to resist all manner of democratic reforms.

They say that President Barack Obamas decision last year to restore relations and to ease U.S.-Cuba trade and travel restrictions amounted to rewarding a dictatorship and making it stronger.

The opening of the Cuban Embassy is yet another example of the Administrations long, slow capitulation to oppressive dictatorships around the globe, Cruz said in the press release. The Castros may have come to power before the President was born, but they remain at the heart the same brutal thugs they were when they imprisoned and tortured my Tia Sonia 50 years ago.

There is absolutely no reason to legitimize and enrich them now, Cruz continued, and it is my hope that this gesture will reassure those fighting for freedom in Cuba that there are still some in the United States who stand with them.

The Obama administration, including State Department officials, have countered that the lack of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States have failed to lead to democratic reforms on the island. Obama said in December that it was time to try a new approach with the Cuban government.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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The White House is threatening to veto a House GOP bill that would crack down on "sanctuary cities" that shield residents from federal immigration authorities.

An Obama administration statement says the legislation being voted on Thursday would threaten civil rights by allowing law enforcement officials to gather immigration status information from any person at any time. The statement says such an approach would lead to mistrust between local communities and law enforcement agencies.

The bill comes in the wake of the shooting in San Francisco where a woman was killed, allegedly by an immigrant who was in this country illegally despite a long criminal record and multiple deportations.

The bill would cut off certain federal grants and spending for cities that don't cooperate with federal immigration requests.

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An extraordinary scene unfolded on the Senate floor Friday as Republican Sen. Ted Cruz bluntly accused Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of lying and said he's running the Senate like his Democratic predecessor.

The charges from the Texas senator and GOP presidential candidate were a rare departure from the Senate's usual staid decorum, even for a politician famous for his fiery speeches.

At issue were assurances Cruz claimed McConnell, R-Ky., had given that there was no deal to allow a vote to renew the federal Export-Import Bank -- a little-known federal agency that has become a rallying cry for conservatives. Cruz rose to deliver his remarks moments after McConnell had lined up a vote on the bank.

"It saddens me to say this. I sat in my office, I told my staff the majority leader looked me in the eye and looked 54 Republicans in the eye. I cannot believe he would tell a flat-out lie, and I voted based on those assurances that he made to each and every one of us," Cruz said.

"What we just saw today was an absolute demonstration that not only what he told every Republican senator, but what he told the press over and over and over again, was a simple lie."

Reports had emerged earlier this year that McConnell privately pledged a vote on the Ex-Im Bank, in exchange for winning support on President Obama's trade agenda. Cruz says he was assured at the time there was no deal.

He also charged that the Senate under Republican control is no different from when Harry Reid of Nevada ran the chamber and was accused by the GOP of shutting down debate and limiting amendments.

"Now the Republican leader is behaving like the senior senator from Nevada," Cruz complained. He also derided an announcement from McConnell that the Senate will vote Sunday to repeal Obama's health care law, calling it "an empty show vote" and "exercise in meaningless political theater" because the legislation will inevitably fail to get the 60 votes needed to advance.

"We keep winning elections and then we keep getting leaders who don't do anything they promised," Cruz said.

The majority leader was not on the Senate floor when Cruz issued his attack, and ignored reporters who tried to ask him about it in the Capitol's hallways. A spokesman said McConnell would have no response.

McConnell and Cruz have never had a thriving relationship. The new majority leader's allies earlier this year derided Cruz's Senate record, complaining that he often speaks out but has skipped important developments.

Some close to McConnell call Cruz, "Mr. 1 percent," referring to his share of support in the crowded race for the GOP presidential nomination. Recent polls have him a few points higher among more than a dozen contenders.

Cruz has grown increasingly outspoken about his contempt for McConnell and other Republicans, using his newly published book, "A Time for Truth," to attack his colleagues on various fronts and accuse them of failing to stand up for their principles.

It is rare for a senator to launch such a heated attack on the floor. Senate rules say, "No Senator in debate shall, directly or indirectly, by any form of words impute to another Senator or to other Senators any conduct or motive unworthy or unbecoming a Senator."

Fox News' Chad Pergram and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Calling on his party to embrace diversity, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush declared Thursday that Republicans will never win the presidency if they don't campaign in "every nook and cranny" of the country  especially in Hispanic and African-American communities.

"I'm running to draw people toward our cause rather than push them away," Bush said during a town hall-style meeting in New Hampshire. "Our message has to be uplifting, positive, hopeful, rather than negative (and) divisive."

Speaking to a predominantly white audience in northern New Hampshire, Bush said Republicans must campaign in Latino communities. He delivered a brief line in Spanish, as he often does while campaigning. The party's outreach must also extend to black voters, he said.

"I want to be the candidate who goes into the African-American community and says, 'Join our team because our values are the ones that you share,'" he said.

GOP officials are working to broaden the party's appeal beyond older, white voters as the country's demographics change.

Those efforts have been clouded by recent comments by billionaire businessman Donald Trump, who has risen to the top of polls. Trump referred to Mexican immigrants as criminals and rapists when he launched his presidential bid last month. Bush's wife, Columba, is Mexican, and Bush has said he was offended by Trump's comments.

The former Florida governor did not mention Trump by name during Thursday's town hall, but he offered a full-throated defense of the need to broaden the party's appeal rather than alienating minorities.

"I'm campaigning in a way that says to everybody 'join us' rather than 'vote for me but you can't join my team,'" Bush said.

Candidates have been confronted with questions of race on the trail for months in response to police killings and rioting in major cities such as Baltimore. Democratic candidate Martin O'Malley recently apologized for telling a group of protesters promoting the slogan "black lives matter" that "all lives matter."

Asked by a reporter, Bush said O'Malley should not have apologized.

"If he believes that white lives matter, which I hope he does, then he shouldn't apologize," Bush said.
Shortly after Laredo (Texas) Mayor Pete Saenz hosted presidential candidate Donald Trump during his visit Thursday near the border, he received a tweet calling him a sellout.

The scolding came from fellow Texan and fellow Mexican-American Rep. Joaquin Castro, who expressed disgust over the reception that Saenz and other Latino officials from Laredo gave to Trump, who launched his presidential campaign in June with a sweeping denunciation of Mexicans who come illegally, depicting them as rapists and murderers.

Castro, a Democrat who seldom gets publicly provocative, tweeted: @MayorPeteSaenz Donald Trump just used you and the other council members to make him look good. Embarrassing for South Texas and Hispanics.

Without directly addressing Trumps controversial comments and views, Saenz introduced the business mogul with courteous remarks, saying he manages to create excitement with his appearances.

"We're excited to have Mr. Donald Trump here in Laredo, Texas, Saenz said. It's provided us an opportunity to present to Mr. Trump and his entourage what Laredo is all aboutWe appreciate all the attention, but we know the attention comes primarily through this gentleman here.

Another official who spoke at the press conference, after Trump nudged him to the microphone, was City Manager Jesus Olivares, who said that Laredo did not need a wall  a contradiction to the Republican candidate's assertion that building a wall all along the U.S.-Mexican border is necessary to keep out illegal immigration.

Olivares also said that Laredo had a productive, cooperative relationship with the federal government in efforts to control the border, another contradiction to Trump's characterization of the Obama administration as negligent regarding immigration.

Efforts to get comments from Saenz and Olivares were unsuccessful.

Earlier, Saenz wrote on his Facebook page: Today our city will receive national attention with the visit from Donald Trump. I will use this opportunity to speak the truth to National media outlets about Laredo, which is that Laredo is a safe, welcoming community, poised for growth, with a beautiful culture. #LaredoProud

Many people replied in agreement on the mayors page, saying they supported his decision to take the high road concerning the visit by Trump, which was sparked by an invitation by a local Border Patrol group that later announced it would not accompany him to the border, as it originally had planned.

It was very smart from Mr. Saenz to take this opportunity positively, wrote Anthony R. Galan, and not follow the cheap route of other leaders from Laredo, that immediately criticized the visit, and now are attacking the mayor.

Neither the mayor nor the other officials were used by Trump. They did what they had to do as professionals and good politicians, for the benefit of Laredo.

Others agreed with Castro, both on Twitter and the mayors Facebook page.

Colin Strother wrote on the mayors Facebook page before Trumps appearance with Saenz: Dignifying his visit with so much as a hand shake would be a huge mistake. He has hate in his heart for the border and Hispanics. Do not give him the honor of your presence.
In a little-noticed clarification in the process of becoming a U.S. citizen, immigration officials posted an announcement recently underscoring that foreign nationals taking the naturalization oath will not be required to vow to bear arms or to engage in non-combatant duty to defend their adopted homeland.

The phrase referring to bearing arms  which first appeared in 1952  will remain in the standard oath that foreign nationals have recited. But those who naturalize can choose to omit the references to bearing arms or performing noncombatant service in the Armed Forces when they recite the oath.

On its website, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Tuesday said that people may refuse to include those words if they go against their religion or personal values.

USCIS spokesman Chris Bentley told Fox News Latino that neither the oath nor the naturalization process has changed. Bentley said the agency wanted to clarify for its employees under what circumstances people could refuse to vow to bear arms or perform noncombatant services.

USCIS long has allowed foreign nationals not to recite the standard oath if they object to the promise to bear arms for religious reasons. The recognition of people who object for personal reasons, however, was not clearly expressed.

The USCISs special effort to point out the right of would-be citizens to refuse to recite the parts about bearing arms is drawing criticism, particularly from conservative lawmakers and groups.

The Obama Administrations announced changes to the Oath of Allegiance undermines what it means to be a citizen of the United States, said U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, in a statement. Growing up in Dardanelle I learned from an early age that freedom isnt freeAll citizens of the United Statesnative or naturalizedshould have that same of sense of patriotism and duty.
The term 'sanctuary city' has become a rallying cry for conservative Republicans seeking stiffer immigration laws. They characterize such places as havens where those in the country illegally are protected from immigration authorities.

The reality behind the phrase is that while some cities actively thumb their noses at federal immigration policies, many refuse to enforce them not because of any moral obligation to immigrants; they fear lawsuits.

Since the fatal shooting of Kathryn Steinle on a San Francisco pier allegedly by an immigrant who was released from jail even though U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sought to deport him for a sixth time, the debate over how to handle cities and counties that refuse to cooperate with immigration authorities has reached a feverish pitch.

On Thursday, House Republicans passed a bill aimed at punishing cities that refuse to share information with federal immigration authorities, which the White House threatened to veto. While the bill doesn't specifically address the release of immigrants sought by federal authorities for deportation, the Republicans are pitching other legislation to do so.

The vote came after presidential hopeful Donald Trump attacked illegal immigration on the campaign trail.

While notably liberal San Francisco has openly declared itself a haven for all immigrants regardless of their legal status, some of the cities and counties that have stopped detaining immigrants for ICE are politically conservative and are not trying to shield residents from deportation.

The city of Huntington Beach, California, which is predominantly white and Republican, stopped honoring the hold requests last summer for purely legal reasons. A federal court ruling in Oregon said so-called immigration detainers, which ask local police to hold immigrants suspected of living in the U.S. illegally for up to 48 hours, were not sufficient reason to keep someone in jail.

"We don't have any policy or anything that prohibits our folks from interacting with ICE. We just follow the law," said Police Chief Robert Handy, adding his officers don't generally ask about immigration status because it doesn't relate to their cases, not because they're protecting anyone. "If they go get a warrant, we'll hold them in our jail. If they ask us to go help for a search warrant on a drug house, we're going to help them."

San Francisco declared itself a sanctuary city more than two decades ago and continues to advertise itself as a place of refuge for immigrants. In 1989, the city passed an ordinance banning officials from enforcing immigration laws or asking about immigration status, unless required by law or court order. In 2009, it began issuing municipal identification cards that can be used to obtain a public library card and sign up for parks programs.

Today, San Francisco is one of more than 200 jurisdictions that have stopped fully honoring detainers.

The localities span a broad spectrum on how far they go to welcome immigrants or whether they're trying to assist them at all. A big distinction is the reasoning behind local detainer policies. Places like Cook County, Illinois, and Santa Clara County, California, are trying to cultivate trust of police in immigrant communities. Others, such as San Bernardino and Riverside counties in California, cite fear of getting sued.

"When you use the term sanctuary city, it implies a policy decision that's been made about how the city should engage with the immigrant community, and most of the detainer policies were adopted to address the legal concerns," said Jennie Pasquarella, a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California.

Mark Krikorian, executive director of the anti-illegal immigration Center for Immigration Cities, acknowledged the difference but said the net effect was similar whether a city wanted to work with ICE or not.

"Some may cooperate here but not there. Some may cooperate on certain matters but not other matters. But any jurisdiction that does not cooperate fully with federal immigration authorities seems to me qualifies as a sanctuary city," he said.

Last year, a spate of localities that had long worked closely with ICE stopped honoring detainers in response to the ruling in Oregon. In response, immigration authorities said they would start asking police to simply notify them when a suspected illegal immigrant is about to get released  not necessarily detain them. They believe the new approach, combined with a focus on more serious offenders, will lead to better collaboration from local law enforcement.

In populous Southern California, immigration agents have tended to work more closely with sheriff's departments that run the county jails, where most serious offenders wind up. Smaller city jails like the one in Huntington Beach usually serve as short-term holding centers for misdemeanor arrests.

In the Orange County jail, deputies regularly interview immigrants about their legal status as part of a close collaboration with federal immigration agents. They tell them when someone they've flagged for possible deportation is due to be released. But the agency doesn't hold people on the detainers due to legal concerns, said Steve Kea, assistant sheriff of custody operations.

"We are not a 'sanctuary' jurisdiction by any existing definition," said Orange County undersheriff John Scott.

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Texas Sen. Ted Cruz held back no punches on Friday when he accused his fellow Republican, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, of lying to him over a deal to vote on reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank.

In a scathing speech on the Senate floor, the Republican presidential candidate lashed out at the Kentucky senator for allegedly promising that "there was no deal" with a handful of senators who were hoping to revive the bank in exchange for votes to advance a major trade bill in May.

"Like St. Peter," Cruz said, according to Politico, "he repeated it three times. He said, The only thing I told the proponents of the Export-Import Bank is like any other senator in this body, they could offer any amendment they liked on an any amendable vehicle, but I gave them nothing."

The firebrand senator also brought up a private conversation between him and McConnell in which the Senate majority leader also denied the deal.

"The majority leader was visibly angry with me that I would ask him such a question," Cruz said, according to the Hill. "The majority looked at me and said 'there is no deal, there is no deal, there is no deal.'"

Cruz added that his staff told him at the time that McConnell is "lying to you," but Cruz suggested that he took the his fellow senator at his word.

McConnell was not on the Senate floor when Cruz issued his attack, and ignored reporters who tried to ask him about it in the Capitol's hallways. A spokesman said McConnell would have no response.

McConnell has long indicated he would allow a vote on the Export-Import Bank as an amendment on the highway bill, which is the course he's now following. Senate supporters of the Export-Import Bank have said they got that commitment from McConnell in the course of debate on a separate trade bill, though there's been some dispute about what precisely was agreed to.

No senator rose to defend McConnell on the floor, as some Republicans sought to avoid engaging in the dispute and giving Cruz still more attention. Questioned by reporters later, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, challenged Cruz's criticism of McConnell, telling reporters, "I think it's wrong to disclose private information, especially when the disclosure is not accurate."

"Keep in mind, he's running for president," Hatch added. "People who run for president do some very interesting things."

McConnell and Cruz have never had a thriving relationship. The new majority leader's allies earlier this year derided Cruz's Senate record, complaining that he often speaks out but has missed important developments. After complaining about President Barack Obama's nomination of Loretta Lynch as attorney general, for example, Cruz skipped the final vote on her confirmation.

Some close to McConnell call Cruz "Mr. 1 percent," referring to his share of support in the crowded race for the GOP presidential nomination. Recent polls have him a few points higher among more than a dozen contenders.

Cruz, for his part, has grown increasingly outspoken about his contempt for McConnell and other Republicans, using his newly published book, "A Time for Truth," to attack his colleagues on various fronts and accuse them of failing to stand up for their principles.

On Friday he charged that the Senate under Republican control is no different from when Democrats ran the show before this year and McConnell is behaving like his Democratic predecessor, Harry Reid of Nevada. Republicans accused Reid of shutting down debate and limiting amendments when he ran the Senate.

"Now the Republican leader is behaving like the senior senator from Nevada," Cruz complained.

He also derided an announcement from McConnell that the Senate will vote Sunday to repeal Obama's health care law, calling it "an empty show vote" and "exercise in meaningless political theater" because the legislation will inevitably fail to get the 60 votes needed to advance.

"We keep winning elections and then we keep getting leaders who don't do anything they promised,"Cruz said.

The Senate's historian, Betty K. Koed, said that it was not a specific breach of Senate rules to call another senator a liar, but pointed to rules cautioning against talking ill of other members or imputing unbecoming conduct or motives.

"In more recent times there's been very little of this type of behavior," Koed said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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A federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Department of Justice's current system of detaining children with their mothers after they've crossed the U.S.-Mexico border violates an 18-year-old court settlement.

The decision Friday by U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee in California is a victory for the immigrant rights lawyers who brought the case, but its immediate implications for detainees were not yet clear. The ruling upholds a tentative decision Gee made in April, and comes a week after the two sides told her that they failed to reach a new settlement agreement as she'd asked for.

The 1997 settlement at issue bars immigrant children from being held in unlicensed, secure facilities. Gee found that settlement covered all children in the custody of federal immigration officials, even those being held with a parent.

Peter Schey, executive director of the Center for Human Rights and one of the attorneys who brought the suit, said federal officials "know they're in violation of the law."

"They are holding children in unsafe facilities, it's that simple," Schey said in an email to The Associated Press. "It's intolerable, it's in humane, and it needs to end, and end sooner rather than later."

Justice Department attorneys did not immediately reply to late-night messages seeking comment on the ruling.

The new lawsuit was brought on by new major detention centers for women and children in Texas that are overseen by the U.S. government but are managed by private prison operators. Together they have recently held more than 2,000 women and children between them after a surge of tens of thousands of immigrants from Central America, most of them mothers with children, many of whom claimed they were fleeing gang and domestic violence back home.

The Justice Department had argued it was necessary to modify the settlement and use detention to try to deter more immigrants from coming to the border after last year's surge and it was an important way to keep families together while their immigration cases were being reviewed, but the judge rejected that argument in Friday's decision.

Gee said the Department of Justice has 90 days to show cause why it should not change its policies in according with her ruling.

But since the tentative ruling in April, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has vowed to make the facilities more child-friendly and provide better oversight.

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It's a rare Sunday session for senators, and on the agenda are efforts to repeal President Barack Obama's health care law and reviving the federal Export-Import Bank.

Both are amendments to a must-pass highway bill that the Senate is trying to complete ahead of a July 31 deadline. If Congress doesn't act by then, states will lose money for highway and transit projects in the middle of summer construction season.

Republicans have voted numerous times to repeal all or part of Obama's health law, and their latest effort is not expected to attract the 60 votes needed to move forward. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he was bringing it to a vote as a sweetener for Republicans, who also will have to vote on renewing the Export-Import Bank.

The little-known federal agency makes and guarantees loans to help foreign customers buy U.S. goods. The bank has become a rallying cry for conservatives, who oppose it as corporate welfare. But the bank commands the votes to prevail in the Senate, thanks to support from Democrats and some Republicans whose states are home to large employers such as Boeing and Caterpillar that sell worldwide. McConnell committed several weeks ago to allowing the bank to come to a vote on the highway bill.

"Ex-Im shouldn't be the only vote we take on this bill, and under the compromise I just filed, it won't be," McConnell said Friday as he set up the votes. "First, it allows a vote on an amendment to reauthorize the Ex-Im Bank, something nearly every Democrat wants. Second, it allows a vote on an amendment that would repeal Obamacare, something nearly every Republican wants, and something we will continue to fight for."

"That's a much fairer way forward," said McConnell.

But McConnell's move drew an extraordinary denunciation from fellow Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, a presidential candidate. Cruz dismissed the health care vote as a meaningless "show vote" and accused McConnell of lying to him in denying that the leader had made a deal to bring the Export-Import Bank to a vote.

Cruz's inflammatory comments on the Senate floor Friday, which McConnell ignored, suggested that bank opponents will not go down without a fight.

Even if supporters prevail in adding the bank to the highway bill in the Senate, the legislation faces an uncertain future in the House, where there's strong opposition to the bank as well as to the underlying highway measure.

The Senate's version of the highway bill, which is on track to pass later in the week, sets policy and authorizes transportation programs for six years.

The House has passed a five-month extension of transportation programs without the Export-Import Bank attached, and House leaders of both parties are reluctant to take up the Senate's version.

Complicating matters, Congress is entering its final days of legislative work before its annual August vacation, raising the prospect of unpredictable last-minute maneuvers to resolve the disputes on the highway bill and the Export-Import Bank.

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Google celebrates the late Egyptian painter, illustrator and musician on what would have been his 104th birthday

Google commemorated on Monday the late Egyptian painter, writer and musician Hussein Bicar (1913-2002) with a Doodle representing one of his paintings.

Bicar was born in Alexandria on 2 January 1913. He graduated in 1933 from the Higher Institute of Arts in Cairo and became a member of the painting department in the Faculty of Fine Arts at Cairo University.

As a painter, Bicar explored a variety of forms and media. He is best known for combining a modern artistic style with a focus on traditional settings and themes in Egyptian culture.

Many of the artist's works portray Egyptians in rural areas, or depict pharaonic-era scenery.

His paintings on Nubian culture  Harvest, A Nubian Dance, Al Ashjar Tamout Wakifa (The Trees Die Standing), Al Mowaad (The Rendezvous), and more  have sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars at Christies.

In addition to painting, Bicar was a well-known illustrator for a variety of newspapers, magazines, as well as children's books, many of which he also authored.

He was a founding illustrator for "Sinbad," the first Arabic-language children's magazine launched in 1952.

An avid music lover, Bicar played lute and oud. Though he never studied music formally and described himself as never going beyond the ear in his musical education, Bicar enjoyed teaching lute to youth and performing with numerous bands.

The Hussein Bicar Google Doodle is regional and can be viewed in North Africa and the Middle East.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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An Univision poll seeking Latino views on Donald Trumps prickly comments about Mexico, and Mexicans who cross the border illegally, found that 80 percent said they were offensive.

While it is hardly surprising that Latinos see his comments as objectionable, what got little attention, but certainly was noteworthy, is that 1 out of 5 Latinos did not.

Weve overlooked the diversity of opinion in the Latino community, said Lonna Rae Atkeson, a political science professor at the University of New Mexico. They come from diverse economic and education backgrounds, they all have different experiences here.

There are Latinos who do not go through the immigration process that most others born outside the country undergo  U.S.-born Latinos, including Puerto Ricans, who are U.S. citizens by birth, and Cuban-Americans, even those who head to this country without authorization, but get to remain in the United States if they reach U.S. shores.

These different experiences affect their political positions, Atkeson said.

The division among Latinos when it comes to Trump -- who launched his presidential campaign with a vitriolic missile that accused Mexico of sending its worst  was most recently evident when the mogul visited Laredo, Texas.

The Latino mayor and city manager of Laredo welcomed Trump in what they described as mostly an act of civility on their part, and appeared at his side at a press conference there.

Trump seemed to tone down the rhetoric of his campaign launch, talking about Mexico as a country that was doing well economically, and of Latinos as people hes been happy to employ by the tens of thousands.

Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz took to social media the day of Trumps visit to say hed welcome the presidential candidate to the city, and framed the visit as a chance to show the nation Laredos strengths.

Some, including U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat, chastised Saenz and other Laredo officials who appeared alongside Trump for allowing him to use them. Castro called it a sad day for Texas and Latinos.

But other Latinos defended the Laredo officials courteous treatment of Trump, saying that the firebrand spoke the truth when he complained of all the criminals, including rapists, whom he accused Mexico of dumping on the border.

Many took to social media to say they admired Trump for saying what they and many others they knew felt and expressed with their friends and relatives.

I think hes right, said Jessica Gonzalez, 79, a retired housewife who was born and raised in Laredo.

Gonzalez, who is a Democrat, lamented how Laredo had changed, pointing to all the Mexican restaurants and new people coming in.

I think hes right, she said. All we have is people from foreign countriesIts not like it used to be.

I want to go down and say: Donald Trump, youre on fire in Laredo! Because everybody feels what you think!

Outside Obregon's Mexican Restaurant, Enrique Harrington Ramon, 75, said he felt Spanish-speaking immigrants "take advantage of us" in Laredo, and said people are responding to what Trump says "because it's the truth."

"I am sick of walking into a store and hearing 'en que le puede ayudar?' What country are we in?" he said.

Others in this growing city of about 250,000, where 95.6 percent of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino in 2010, lashed out at Trump, who has refused to apologize for referring to Mexicans as rapists and criminals.

"I wish he wouldn't come down here," said Raul Gonzalez, 65, a retired trailer and truck mechanic who was born and raised in Laredo. "He's very disrespectful to Latinos."

In Nevada, a critical state in the GOP primaries  and the general election  Trump got some good news, which he noted in the Laredo press conference.

A poll conducted of GOP primary voters in Nevada by a conservative outfit, One America News Network, showed the mogul in first place, 31.4 percent, among Latinos. That was better than the 27.7 percent of overall GOP primary voters who gave him their nod.

Nevada Latinos may look to Trumps campaign pledges regarding jobs with a different view than others who are looking at him through the prism of his offensive rhetoric, experts say.

USA Today said that, indeed, Trumps first test for Hispanic support will be in Nevada.

Many Latinos in the state work in restaurants, hotels and casinos, the newspaper notes, and that many of them are presumably familiar with the Trump brand, which they consider synonymous with success.

Trump, therefore, the newspaper continued, could get on a lucky streak in the Silver State, which has one of the countrys highest shares of Latino voters.

In New Mexico, which is 40 percent Hispanic, the issue of immigration resonates differently among Latinos than it does in places such as Arizona, said Atkeson.

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, a Republican, is well-liked by Latinos there, even though she has conservative views on immigration, and made national headlines for opposing drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants.

Before Gov. Martinez talked about immigration, it really didnt come up as an issue in New Mexico political campaigns, Atkeson said.

Top issues for voters across the board, regardless of race, are jobs and education and healthcare, she said. When I dont have a job, do I vote on job issues, or make my choice on immigration issues? Im going to care more about a job.

Martinez, she said, appealed to many voters with her message about education.

And finally, said New Mexico Lt. Gov. John Sanchez, there is the fact that many Latinos have conservative views regarding the border and illegal immigration, and while they may not think highly of Trump, his message about those topics strike a chord.

Some Latinos who came legally, he told the Los Angeles Times, feel it is unfair that illegals would come here and cut the line.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Senior Senate Republicans lined up Sunday to rebuke Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz for harshly criticizing Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, an extraordinary display of intraparty division played out live on the Senate floor.

Squabbling and sanctimony may be tolerated in other venues and perhaps on the campaign trail, but they have no place among colleagues in the United States Senate  Orrin Hatch

As the Senate met for a rare Sunday session, Sens. Orrin Hatch of Utah, Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and John Cornyn of Texas each rose to counter a stunning floor speech Cruz gave on Friday accusing McConnell, R-Ky., of lying.

None of them mentioned Cruz by name but the target of their remarks could not have been clearer. The drama came as the Senate defeated a procedural vote to repeal President Barack Obama's health care law and took a step toward reviving the federal Export-Import Bank, both amendments on a must-pass highway bill.

"Squabbling and sanctimony may be tolerated in other venues and perhaps on the campaign trail, but they have no place among colleagues in the United States Senate," said Hatch, the Senate's president pro tempore. Cruz is running for president.

"The Senate floor has even become a place where senators have singled out colleagues by name to attack them in personal terms, to impugn their character, in blatant disregard for Senate rules," Hatch said. "Such misuses of the Senate floor must not be tolerated."

After Hatch spoke, Cruz rose to defend himself for making the accusation that McConnell had lied when he denied striking a deal to allow the vote to revive the Export-Import Bank.

He said he agreed with Hatch's calls for civility but declared, "Speaking the truth about actions is entirely consistent with civility."

And far from backing down, Cruz reiterated his complaint about McConnell. "My saying so may be uncomfortable but it is a simple fact, entirely consistent with decorum, and no member of this body has disputed that promise was made and that promise was broken."

Around 20 senators of both parties were on the floor watching some of the speeches. Cruz's floor speech Friday had brought nearly unheard-of drama and discord to the Senate floor. But the responses to it were just as remarkable, as senior Republicans united to take down a junior colleague of their own party who poses a growing threat to their attempts to show voters that Republicans can govern.

No senator rose to Cruz's defense. And by voice vote, the Senate defeated an attempt by Cruz to overturn a ruling made Friday that blocked him from offering an amendment related to Iran, with senators refusing even to agree to his routine request for a roll-call vote.

Cruz's behavior was the latest example of a Republican presidential candidate causing problems for McConnell. In May, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., infuriated fellow Republicans when he forced the temporary expiration of the Patriot Act when it was up for renewal. Some of Hatch's remarks seemed to apply to him as well.

For his part, McConnell said that given support for the Export-Import Bank, despite his own opposition no "special deal" was needed to bring it to a vote.

The little-known bank is a federal agency that helps foreign customers to buy U.S. goods. Conservatives oppose it as corporate welfare and are trying to end it. They won an early round, when congressional inaction allowed the bank to expire June 30 for the first time in 81 years.

But on Sunday, senators voted, 67-26, to advance legislation to revive the bank across a procedural hurdle, making it likely that it will be added to the highway bill.

On a separate vote, legislation to repeal Obama's health care law failed to advance over a procedural hurdle. Sixty votes were needed but the total was 49-43.

The action came as the Senate tries to complete work on the highway bill ahead of a July 31 deadline. If Congress doesn't act by then, states will lose money for highway and transit projects in the middle of the summer construction season.

With the Export-Import Bank likely added, the highway legislation faces an uncertain future in the House, where there's strong opposition to the bank as well as to the underlying highway measure.

The Senate's version of the highway bill, which is on track to pass later in the week, sets policy and authorizes transportation programs for six years, though with funding for only three of those years.

The House has passed a five-month extension of transportation programs without the Export-Import Bank included, and House leaders of both parties are reluctant to take up the Senate's version.

Complicating matters, Congress is entering its final days of legislative work before its annual August vacation, raising the prospect of unpredictable last-minute maneuvers to resolve the disputes on the highway bill and the Export-Import Bank.

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Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, stumping in his home state Monday, told a group of Latino pastors in Orlando that Puerto Rico should be given "more flexibility" to deal with its $70 billion debt burden.

"It could become like Greece, but without relief," said the Republican presidential candidate.

Speaking in Spanish and English, as he often does when address a largely Latino audience, Bush reiterated his support for statehood for Puerto Rico.

My belief is that Puerto Ricans should have a right to self-determination, Bush said during his stop in Central Florida, home to a growing Puerto Rican community. I have long been a supporter of statehood.

I believe that full citizenship and all the rights and responsibilities that go along with full citizenship is the proper place.

Bush added, however, that Puerto Ricos leaders had to find a way to deal with the debt crisis before statehood could be seriously considered.

Long before thats done though there needs to be some solving of this economic challenge that Puerto Ricos going through right now, Bush said. Its not sustainable. You can buy a $69 ticket on Jet Blue and fly from San Juan to Orlando [which] is what many people are doing. Its hard to see how you get out of this downward spiral of declining economic activity with a large debt load on top of it.

I dont see how that creates anything other than more people leaving the island and coming to places like Orlando, he said.

Bush also said that he is not an "angry" conservative but a "committed conservative" who, if elected president, would build a robust economy to lift people out of poverty, give children a good education and encourage families to stay together.

As conservatives, "if we act with our heart, people will rise," Bush told the crowd of clergy at Centro Internacional de la Familia, a nondenominational church with a congregation made up largely of Puerto Ricans.

Some pastors traveled from as far away as New Jersey and Puerto Rico to hear Bush.

He said his goal of growing the economy 4 percent annually would do more to help struggling Americans than any government program. Many economists doubt 4 percent is attainable.

"I'm a committed conservative," he said. "But I'm not angry. I want to help people rise up." That line was borrowed from the name of his super PAC, Right to Rise.

"My message is one of optimism, inspiration," Bush said in Spanish and again in English, a clear jab at Republican candidate Donald Trump, who has drawn attention with his controversial remarks about Mexico and Mexican immigrants.

"We have to restore hope," he said.

His message of political civility resonated with church leaders in attendance, including David L. Outing, an African-American from the Kingdom Church in Orlando. He said he was especially heartened by Bush's plan to campaign in black churches across the country.

"I believe him when he says he's going to be involved in my community and not just during political season," he said.

Wanda Rolon, one of six pastors who traveled from Puerto Rico to meet Bush in Orlando, said she felt reassured to hear Bush would assist her island homeland out of its debt crisis.

Gregory Brewer, the Episcopal bishop of Central Florida, asked Bush about the persecution of Christians in foreign countries, saying he personally knows victims in Egypt, Iran and Iraq.

"I don't think foreign policy should leave human rights behind," Brewer said.

Bush faulted the Obama administration's for "lack of commitment to persecuted Christians."

"If not us, who?" Bush asked rhetorically about the U.S. obligation to protect religious freedom everywhere.

Bush also reiterated his plan to fix U.S. immigration laws and extend legal status to people in the country illegally, an issue that places him at odds with several of his Republican rivals.

"Yes, for crying out loud," he said when asked about overhauling immigration. "It's a broken system used as a wedge issue for political purposes." Bush places the first priority on securing the borders, a standard position in the GOP field.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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Presidential contender and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will be courting a critical group of voters Monday afternoon  the fast growing community of Latinos in Central Florida, an area where the Republican last campaigned in 2002.

Hundreds of thousands of Latinos, mainly Puerto Ricans, have settled in Central Florida in the years since Bush last served as governor. They include many Puerto Ricans who have fled the islands economic woes and diminishing opportunities.

These new Floridians, who, as U.S. citizens from birth, can vote from the minute they take up residence on the mainland as long as they are at least 18, could hold the key to which presidential candidate wins the Sunshine State  an important route to getting to the Oval Office.

The I-4 corridor has a growing Hispanic population, and hes excited to go back, said Emily Benavides, who manages Hispanic outreach for the Bush campaign.

Acknowledging that many of those who arrived after Bush was no longer governor are unfamiliar with him, even if they know the Bush political family dynasty, Benavides said his meetings in Florida with Latino pastors and small business owners aim to introduce him to this relatively new community.

Thats why its so important for him to have events, she told Fox News Latino, so that the governor can talk to them about his record as governor, and about restoring opportunities and balancing the budget, making sure that everyone can succeed.

These coveted voters live between Orlando and Tampa, known as the I-4 corridor, making up about 25 percent of the areas population. The number of Puerto Ricans in Florida stands now at about 1 million.

Bush is to stop by Centro Internacional de la Familia in Orlando, where he will meet with pastors, long an influential group in the Latino community, and increasingly with regard to some of the hottest political issues of the day. Then he is to go to Longwood for a small business tour and town hall, followed by a rally in Mailtand.

A press release by his campaign about the days events describe Central Florida as the place where as governor he implemented conservative policies that gave everyone the opportunity to rise up.

In the spring, before launching his campaign, Bush traveled to Puerto Rico, where he expressed support for statehood and for giving Puerto Rico the right to file for bankruptcy under Chapter 9.

Bush will not only be meeting with Puerto Ricans. Floridas Latino population is diverse, and his small business tour will include a meeting with a Mexican entrepreneur, according to the Washington Post. It would be a meeting, noted the Post, which, like the days focus on Latinos in general, would give Bush a chance to contrast himself with GOP rival Donald Trump, who made remarks that offended many Latinos when he launched his campaign.

Trump said Mexico sends its worst citizens, and said: Theyre bringing drugs, theyre bringing crime, theyre rapists, and some, I assume, are good people.

Bush is riding high in his home state, leading Republican candidates in a recent poll, coming out ahead of Sen. Marco Rubio, another Florida son, 28 percent to 16 percent.
The United States must acknowledge a "painful, complicated" history of racial discrimination that still affects many minorities, Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio said Monday between campaign speeches in South Carolina.

Rubio told reporters that "decades and decades of discriminatory practices" have yielded a lack of economic opportunity for many minorities and sour relationships between law enforcement and minority communities, particularly African-Americans.

"It's important for us to confront these issues because we can't fulfill our promise as a nation if we have a significant percentage of the population feeling as if the American dream is out of reach for them, that they're somehow locked out of the promise of America," Rubio said after addressing South Carolina's Upstate Chamber Coalition.

Still, the Florida senator stopped short of calling for sweeping action by the federal government, saying the best way for Washington to address the matter is to create better economic and educational opportunities.

"Discrimination on the basis of race is already illegal in America," he told The Associated Press in an interview. "We will enforce those laws through the civil rights division" of the Justice Department.

Rubio is on his first campaign stop in South Carolina since the June massacre in which a white gunman killed nine people at a historic black congregation in Charleston. In the weeks since, presidential candidates across the spectrum have praised South Carolina for its response, including a bipartisan agreement to lower the Confederate battle flag from in front of the statehouse in Columbia.

Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Democratic favorite for president, used a South Carolina swing last week to embrace the civil rights cry "Black Lives Matter," which spread rapidly amid high-profile cases of black citizens dying during encounters with police.

Rubio did not go as far as Clinton. He did not mention the names of any citizens killed by officers, including Walter Scott, the 50-year-old South Carolina man whose death was captured on a bystander's video in April. The white officer shown firing multiple shots into Scott's back has since been fired and charged with murder.

Rubio didn't mention the Charleston massacre, the battle flag or race relations at all during two campaign speeches Monday evening, both in front of nearly all-white audiences.

Yet his statements away from the stage stand out as Republicans struggle to win over the non-white voters who are becoming a larger share of the national electorate.

Only a handful of other GOP candidates have prominently mentioned race relations in their campaigns. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul calls often for a criminal justice overhaul that would address harsh sentencing practices that disproportionately affect black males. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry recently delivered an address on race in which he urged his party to speak more openly about the concerns of African-Americans.

In his comments Monday, Rubio weaved in his personal experiences, perhaps previewing how he would discuss race as the campaign progresses.

"I know (economic hardship) coming from a Hispanic family," he said. "Because my parents never made a lot of money, they were never able to pay for college. I had to take out massive student loans."

Rubio said he "can speak from south Florida's perspective" about black citizens who "feel like they are deeply disadvantaged" in their dealings with police. "I've seen it in people, I know," Rubio said.

Alluding to some white Americans' reluctance  or refusal  to consider the matter, he added, "People can disagree or have a debate about it, but as long as that sentiment exists, then it's a reality we have to confront."

As for when such a thought makes its way into his principal argument on the campaign trail, Rubio said, "When it's appropriate, I'll raise it."

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The Spanish foreign ministry has summoned the Venezuelan ambassador to once again protest comments by Venezuela's president against Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

The ministry said in a statement it had expressed to Ambassador Mario Isea on Monday the government's "dislike and rejection of the unacceptable insults made once again" by President Nicolas Maduro.

Maduro on Saturday called Rajoy a "hitman" in comments on the European Union's handling of the Greek crisis.

The ambassador was summoned in April for similar reasons and Spain later temporarily recalled its ambassador to Venezuela.

The ministry said Spain wished for constructive relations with Venezuela base on mutual respect, regardless of their differences.

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As they watched his infamous presidential campaign launch speech, in which he assailed Mexico for  as he put it  dumping its worst on the U.S. border, many observers declared that Donald Trumps run for the White House was D.O.A.

When he did well in polls of likely GOP voters, many observers called it a fluke.

After he said Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican who was a Navy pilot and spent about five years in a North Vietnamese prison, was not a true hero, adding I like people who werent captured, many firmly believed it was the end for Trump.

But in polls after the McCain comments, which prompted even those in Trumps party who had been rather quiet about the mogul to strongly condemn him, the flamboyant candidate continues to come out on top.

Trump leads in a new Monmouth University poll of Republican presidential primary voters in the critical primary state of New Hampshire, besting former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida by a margin of two to one.

The Monmouth survey did not break the numbers down by race or ethnicity.

The controversy over comments about John McCains war service do not appear to have slowed the Trump steamroller, Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute, said in a statement published by The New York Times.

The outrageously in-your-face remarks, it turns out, seem to be working in the real estate tycoons favor, experts now conclude.

A recent CNN/ORC International poll, which measured voters views after Trumps comments about McCain, found that a majority of Republicans have a positive view of Trump. Respondents thought that he and Bush were the ones with the best shot at winning the GOP nomination.

Theres been this perception that hes peaked or is in the process of peaking and that hell soon go away, said former Republican Party of Iowa Political Director Craig Robinson to The Hill. I think thats just wishful thinking on behalf of his critics.

About a half dozen national polls consistently have shown Trump leading the GOP pack. A Washington Post story on how Trump has defied predictions was titled: "Dont look now, but a new poll shows Republicans dont hate Donald Trump anymore."

The Monmouth University poll, interestingly, showed Trumps negatives declining from 55 percent in June to 41 percent in July.

Ive never seen that kind of a change in just one month for someone who was so well-known already, Murray said to The Hill. Usually it takes a scandal or heroic act for people to change their underlying opinions that dramatically. All he did was announce hes running for president.

Trump also has had a strong showing in polls of Iowa GOP voters.

I dont get a lot of pleasure in admitting this, but I think the reason his polling numbers have proven durable over the last month or so is because theres an aspect of his message that is really resonating with some conservative voters, The Hill quoted Republican strategist Matt Mackowiak as saying.

Robinson of Iowa says that given all this, its quite possible Trump could win the important Iowa caucuses.

Absolutely [he could win], Robinson said to The Hill. This is a complete shake-up. Trump has as good a campaign apparatus in the state as anyone else. Hes personally wealthy, he has across-the-board name ID, and the media is obsessed with him.

But many other experts see Trumps strong ride so far as just another bubble that is artificially inflated and that is not sustainable.

They say that the hype and spotlight will eventually dim and that what will be striking to the public will be what they see as Trumps lack of substance. They say he has no real platforms, no compelling plans for policies, and that the GOP machine clearly is uncomfortable with him.

Were still seeing the result of this extreme level of media attention, said GOP pollster David Winston, a veteran of Newt Gingrichs 2012 campaign. Its not much different from the last time around when we saw candidates pop up as challengers to Mitt Romney. It wasnt unusual for that to last for a month or even six weeks.

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In her first visit to Florida as a 2016 presidential contender, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton is scheduled to deliver a major policy speech on Friday in Miami in which she will call for lifting the U.S.-Cuba embargo.

Her campaign said in a press release that Clinton will highlight that Republican arguments against increased engagement are part of failed policies of the past and contend that we must look to the future in order to advance a core set of values and interests to engage with Cubans and address human rights abuses.

It is viewed as an effort by Clinton to draw a contrast between herself and her main GOP rivals in the presidential election as far as the pursuit of Florida voters is concerned. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio, both Republican presidential contenders from South Florida, have denounced restoring ties with Cuba as long as it continues to suppress freedom of expression and punish political opposition to the Castro regime.

The Bush and Rubio camp immediately assailed her planned speech.

She is making another grave mistake, Rubio said in a statement. Unilateral concessions to the Castros will only strengthen a brutal, anti-American regime 90 miles from our shore.

President Obama and Secretary Clinton must learn that appeasement only emboldens dictators and repressive governments, and weakens America's global standing in the 21st century," Rubio said. "As president, I will stand with the Cuban people and only support an end to the embargo that is accompanied by real democratic reform."

Bushs campaign noted that Clinton had been opposed to normalizing relations with Cuba in the absence of any democratic reform on the island.

Hillary Clinton was adamantly against easing restrictions with Cuba in 2000 and 2008, going so far as to confirm she would not meet with Raul Castro until there was evidence of political change, said Emily Benavides, a spokeswoman for the Bush campaign, in a statement. There has been no change  and this is just another example of Hillary Clinton putting political expediency ahead of doing whats right.

Clintons move is the latest in a growing push nationwide  including in Congress and the Obama administration  toward full restoration of relations between Cuba and the United States.

On Tuesday, a Minnesota congressman who traveled to Cuba in June in what he depicts as an eye-opening trip has introduced a bill in the House that would eliminate the 55-year-old U.S. embargo on the island.

Rep. Tom Emmer, a Republican who was elected last year, introduced the Cuba Trade Act of 2015, says that the measure seeks to improve life for the people of Cuba.

"I understand there's a lot of pain on both sides of this issue that goes back many decades, something that a kid from Minnesota is not going to necessarily be able to understand," USA Today quoted Emmer as saying. "But I believe this is in the best interests of the Cuban people. This isn't about the Cuban government  it's about people on the street looking for more opportunity and to improve their quality of life."

Last week, a GOP-controlled Senate panel voted to lift the decades-long ban on travel to Cuba, giving a boost to President Barack Obama's moves to ease travel restrictions and open up relations with the Castro-governed nation.

The Senate Appropriations Committee also voted to repeal a law prohibiting banks and other U.S. businesses from financing sales of U.S. agricultural exports to Cuba.

The Obama administration issued rules in January to significantly ease travel restrictions to Cuba and allow regularly scheduled flights for the first time. The Senate Appropriations Committee 18-12 vote came just days after the U.S. and Cuba formally ended more than a half-century of estrangement by re-establishing diplomatic relations cut off during the Cold War.

Recent polls have showed that many Americans now support restoring relations with Cuba.

Hillarys position on Cuba predates the presidents position, said Miami pollster Fernand Amandi, who has done polls on Cuba, in an interview with the Miami Herald. She came out for eliminating the embargo well before new policy change announced in December last year."

"She often commented on the need to reevaluate and re-engage the issue of U.S. policy toward Cuba but always with the end goal of bringing democracy and a transition to democratic government to island.

Among some Cuban exile groups in South Florida though, a firm opposition to breaking bread with the Cuban government remains in place.

Mauricio Claver-Carone, who is co-founder and director of the U.S.-Cuba Democracy PAC and is against normalizing relations, said political officials and candidates who think theyre going to win Florida by touting a friendly approach toward the Cuban government is in for a rude awakening.

Every single Cuban American elected anywhere in the U.S.  councilman, member of Congress, legislature, you name it  all oppose Obamas policy, he told the Miami Herald.

There has never been any statewide official that supports lifting sanctions that has ever been elected in the state of Florida, including Obama who campaigned twice both times on support for the embargo. [Hillary Clinton] is being walked down a political plank on this one.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Sen. Bob Menendez, a long-time critic of the U.S. system of detaining non-criminal immigrants who have civil violations, is demanding that the Obama administration comply with a federal judges recent ruling that says the government is violating a 1997 settlement agreement that governs how and when immigrant children can be detained, and that they should be released.

The New Jersey Democrat said that the hundreds of mothers and children being detained in family detention centers should be freed as soon as possible. The mothers and children were among the tens of thousands who fled violence and poverty in Central America last year, and crossed the Rio Grande in an effort to reach the United States.

Many are seeking political asylum, and have been kept in detention facilities pending a resolution of their case.

Detention of these families to act as a deterrent was unnecessary, Menendez said in an interview with Fox News Latino. They are neither a flight or national security risk. Family detention policies are just inhumane and unnecessary, theyre also illegal.

What we want now that the court has ruled is swift enforcement of the courts ruling, Menendez said. The government has to stop unnecessary detention, which is costly and inhumane.

Menendez also said that detention of immigrants in general must be overhauled to prioritize criminals, not people who have civil immigration violations.

Im all for the detention and deportation of criminal aliens, Menendez said. But were talking about a universe of individuals who are in detention who want to work hard here to sustain themselves and their families and pose no security risk.

Obama administration officials argue that detention addresses concerns about flight risks, and ensures that people will show up to court for their hearings.

The bottom line, Menendez said, is that there is a way to ensure their appearance at a hearing that doesnt involve detention. There are monitoring systems, such as ankle bracelets.

A recent report by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and The Center for Migration Studies noted that the immigration detention system in this country grew more than five-fold between 1994 and 2013, from 85,000 people annually to 440,557.

More persons pass through the U.S. immigrant detention system each year than through federal Bureau of Prisons, the report said.

The ruling last Friday by U.S. District Court Judge Dolly M. Gee says the government has failed to honor a 1997 settlement agreement that governs how and when immigrant children can be detained. It also says the government should release immigrant children from secure family detention facilities and preferably to a parent, even if the parent is also in detention.

In cases where children are held, the judge said the government should ensure the conditions are safe and sanitary and include access to food and water, toilets and sinks and medical and other services.

Peter Schey, who represents the plaintiffs, said he believes 95 percent of children and their mothers who are detained will qualify for release, but he doesn't expect anyone to get out for at least a few more weeks.

The government has until Aug. 3 to tell the court why officials can't comply with the ruling within 90 days, and plaintiffs' lawyers have a week after that to respond.

The government can also decide to appeal the ruling. To prevent it from taking effect, officials would need to seek a stay.

Government lawyers are still reviewing the decision, said Nicole Navas, a Department of Justice spokeswoman.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Rep. Xavier Becerra will not run for the open U.S. Senate seat in California, ending months of speculation.

The longtime southern California congressman was on the short list of possible candidates set to compete for Senator Barbara Boxer's senate position, which she has occupied for more than 22 years. Becerra's decision not to run likely leaves the fight for the seat to a likely two-person race between state Attorney General Kamala Harris and state Representative Loretta Sanchez.

"My decision came down to this: Where can I make the biggest difference for hardworking people like my parents?" Becerra, 57, said in a statement announcing he will run for congressional re-election for his district.

Becerra, a member of congress for 23 years, is in a position to one day become House Minority Leader. He is currently the chairman of the House Democratic Conference and, as the Sacramento Bee points out, he is fourth in line in the Democratic leadership hierarchy behind current House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Steny Hoyer and Rep. James Clyburn  all of whom are ages 75, 76, and 75 respectively.

"As Chairman of the House Democrats and lead Democrat on the Social Security committee, I am best positioned in the House of Representatives to stand up and get things done now," Becerra said in the statement. "Ive got much more work to do, and Im in a very strong place to lead. Im ready to move forward in the House of Representatives."

Becerra represents the 34th Congressional district in Los Angeles. In a May poll asking voters who they would back for Boxers Senate seat, he came out third.

The Field poll found that 58 percent of voters did not have a favorite candidate ahead of the primary election next June. The two frontrunners were Harris, with 22 percent, and Sanchez, with 8 percent  but Sanchez entered the race only a week before the poll was conducted.

For many in California, Sanchez represented a chance to make history. More than one out of four U.S. Hispanics live in California, and they make up nearly 40 percent of the states population  nevertheless there has never been a Latino U.S. Senator from the state.
El-Hadary was the founder and head of the Egyptian Film Writers and Critics Association

Ahmed El-Hadary, a seasoned Egyptian film critic and historian, died on Sunday after a struggle with illness.

Born in 1926 in Cairo's Abbasiya neighbourhood, El-Hadary graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts with a bachelor's degree in architecture.

He was a practicing architect alongside his work in cinema and film criticism.

El-Hadary was dubbed the sheikh (master) of critics, and was the founder and former head of the Egyptian Film Writers and Critics Association, which announced his death Sunday in a statement of condolences.

The association had previously honoured the founder by naming one of its halls after him.

El-Hadary was also the former head of the Alexandria Mediterranean Countries Film Festival, and was named the honorary president of the 32nd edition of the festival.

He authored a multi-volume series titled The History of Cinema in Egypt.

Minister of Culture Helmy El-Namnam also expressed his condolences for the loss of a great pillar in Egyptian cinema," adding that El-Hadary "enriched the culture scene with his writings, translations and creative works.

El-Hadary's funeral will be held Monday at El-Hassan Mosque, in Heliopolis, near the Cairo Medical Center. The wake will be held on Tuesday at an as-yet unconfirmed location.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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Former Maryland Gov. Martin OMalley, a Democrat who is running for president, plans to stump in Puerto Rico on Saturday.

He will be the first declared 2016 presidential candidate to visit the territory.

OMalley long has been a vocal and persistent advocate for giving commonwealth residents more rights and benefits  a track record some political experts believe could give him an edge with Puerto Rican voters on the mainland.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush visited Puerto Rico earlier this year, but before he announced that he was running for president.

[OMalley] was the first one to speak out and say Puerto Rico should have bankruptcy, like states [have] said Gabriela Domenzian, the OMalley campaigns Director of Public Engagement, to Fox News Latino. From the beginning of his campaign, Gov. OMalley showed leadership in something that affects our hemisphere.

Theyre our fellow Americans, and the president of the United States is responsible for all Americans, she added.

On Friday, OMalley will stop in South Florida to meet with Puerto Ricans who recently moved to the Sunshine State from Puerto Rico, Domenzian said, and get their thoughts about the island's most salient issues.

On that day, he and several other presidential candidates are scheduled to address a largely African-American audience at an Urban League event in Fort Lauderdale in a session called Off to the Races, where they will discuss their ideas for improving life in U.S. cities.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who will be at the event, also will deliver a speech in Miami at Florida International University in which she will call on Congress to lift the U.S.-Cuba embargo.

In Puerto Rico, OMalley is scheduled to meet with elected and appointed political leaders to discuss various policy issues. He will visit an assisted living facility to discuss health care, and will meet Puerto Ricos non-voting member of the House of Representatives.

Political candidates from the U.S. mainland often campaign in Puerto Rico. Although Puerto Ricans on the island cannot vote in federal elections, Puerto Rico does hold primaries.

Many Puerto Ricans on the mainland pay close attention to candidates remarks and policy proposals pertaining to Puerto Rico, so the commonwealths issues often become a campaign topic.

Among the issues OMalleys camp says he will discuss are the debt crisis, and heathcare gaps on the island.

There are so many people leaving Puerto Rico, said Domenzian, adding that what happens in Puerto Rico has repercussions on the mainland.
Presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz is doubling down on his criticism of the Iran deal and is firing back at former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, both fellow Republicans who assailed the Texas lawmaker for his rhetoric on the nuclear agreement.

On the Chad Hasty radio show on Thursday, Cruz said Romney, who ran for president in 2012, and Bush, who is running for president, are too afraid of speaking the truth about the Iran deal, "'talking about now take it easy guys you dont really need to oppose this Iranian nuclear deal quite so forcefully.

"One of the reasons Republicans keep getting clobbered is we have leaders like Mitt Romney and like Jeb Bush who are afraid to say that," Cruz said.

On Thursday, Romney took to Twitter to criticize Cruz for saying he believed the Iran nuclear deal would give Iran $100 billion, which would find its way into the hands of terrorist groups like Hamas and Houthis that he said are backed by Iran.

If this deal goes through, the Obama administration, President Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, will become the leading global financiers of radical Islamic terrorism, said Cruz during a roundtable discussion on Tuesday.

To which Romney responded:

During the nearly 20 minute interview Cruz went on to call out Bush, who also criticized Cruz for his rhetoric.

Cruz went on to defend presidential candidate Mike Huckabees comments in which he said Obama and his Iran deal are marching Israel to the door of the oven  a reference to the Holocaust.

"I thought it was really unfortunate in the past couple weeks to see Jeb Bush number one, attacking Mike Huckabee for speaking out about the incredible threat a nuclear Iran poses to Israel, Cruz said.

He re-emphasized that he agreed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that a nuclear Iran is an existential threat to Israel.

The Iranian nuclear deal is catastrophic, Cruz said. Describing the actual facts is not using rhetoric  its speaking the truth.
Nearly 20 years ago, President Bill Clinton had wanted to take steps toward lifting the U.S.-Cuba embargo.

But then Fidel Castros regime shot down two Brothers to the Rescue airplanes over international waters, killing four activists from Miami. That left Bill Clinton with little choice, he later revealed in his autobiography, My Life, but to sign the Helms-Burton Act, which significantly tightened the embargo.

Now, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is delivering on Friday  in Miami, no less  what essentially will be a speech against the Helms-Burton Act, and in favor of lifting the embargo.

It is the polar opposite of what her husband felt he had to do in 1996 to win re-election, but then again, the politics of U.S.-Cuba foreign policy have changed.

And so has Miami. And so have Cuban-Americans.

She will highlight that Republican arguments against increased engagement are part of failed policies of the past, a Clinton campaign statement said, and contend that we must look to the future in order to advance a core set of values and interests to engage with Cubans and address human rights abuses.

Clinton will be the first presidential candidate, Politico noted, to make the demand in the heart of Miamis Cuban-exile community and shell be exorcising a political ghost from her familys past.

The position, which Clinton already outlined in her 2014 book "Hard Choices," puts her in line with President Barack Obama, who moved in December to establish diplomatic relations with Cuba and has called for normalized trade relations.

Perhaps more importantly, it draws a sharp contrast with two top Republican presidential contenders from Florida, Sen. Marco Rubio and former Gov. Jeb Bush, at a time when younger Cuban-American voters in Florida are softening their stance on the matter. The Republican-led Congress is unlikely to allow such a change in U.S.-Cuba relations anytime soon.

Excerpts of her prepared remarks for the Miami speech have Clinton saying: "The Cuba embargo needs to go, once and for all. We should replace it with a smarter approach that empowers the Cuban private sector, Cuban civil society, and the Cuban-American community to spur progress and keep pressure on the regime."



"Today I am calling on Speaker Boehner and Senator McConnell to step up and answer the pleas of the Cuban people," Clinton's prepared remarks continue. "By large majorities, they want a closer relationship with America. They want to buy our goods, read our books, surf our web, and learn from our people. They want to bring their country into the 21st century. That is the road toward democracy and dignity. We should walk it together."

U.S.-Cuba relations have long been a flashpoint in Florida politics. The generations of Cuban-Americans who were born in Cuba and fled shortly after the Castro-led revolution in the late 1950s generally supported a hard line, including the embargo that keeps American businesses from trading with Cuba and blocks Americans from traveling in the country and spending money there as tourists.

For decades, south Florida politicians and presidential candidates vying for the state's crucial electoral votes reflected those views, regardless of party. Clinton's husband was among them, even as he quietly attempted to engage Fidel Castro in the 1990s.

Now, says Florida pollster Fernand Amandi, an expert on Cuban-American public opinion, that once solid voting bloc is "a community in transition," giving Clinton an opening that "wouldn't have been possible not very long ago."

U.S.-born Cuban-Americans, Amandi said, are consistently more supportive of normalized relations than their Cuban-born parents or, even if they aren't, the younger voters are less likely to consider themselves one-issue voters. "The younger generations are more like any other immigrants  they care about pocketbook issues, jobs, their kids' educations," he said.

There also has been an influx of Cuba-born immigrants in the last few decades, Amandi explained. "They lived under the sanctions and concluded that it just emboldened the Castro regime," he said. "So think after 55 years of failure, it's time for something else."

Beyond the Cuban-American community, a majority of adults in the U.S. support normalizing relations with Cuba. A Pew Research Center survey conducted July 14-20 found that nearly 73 percent of Americans approve of establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba while 72 percent support ending the trade embargo, both double-digit percentage increases from January, immediately after Obama's decision.

Pew found the same trends even among Republicans, with 56 percent of GOP voters backing a diplomatic bond and 59 percent supporting an economic relationship.

Rubio remained unmoved Thursday, releasing a statement ahead of Clinton's visit. "Unilateral concessions to the Castros will only strengthen a brutal, anti-American regime 90 miles from our shore," Rubio said. "President Obama and Secretary Clinton must learn that appeasement only emboldens dictators and repressive governments, and weakens America's global standing in the 21st century."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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In her first campaign trip to Florida, Hillary Clinton called on Congress to end the U.S.-Cuba trade embargo, saying that it has served only to fortify the dictatorship on the island.

Clinton, who conceded that she once supported the embargo, said in a speech at Florida International University near Miami that the embargo has kept the people of the island isolated, and that it was time to remove trade and travel restrictions.

The Democratic presidential favorite said an open economic relationship would do more to bring "dignity and democracy" to the island nation than continuing the hardline isolationism that lasted through five decades of Republican and Democratic administrations, including her husband's two terms.

President Barack Obama has normalized diplomatic relations with Cuba and has called for Congress to lift the economic embargo, as well.

Clinton acknowledged that she previously supported sanctions in Cuba, but she told an auditorium of students, faculty and others at Florida International University that she changed her views during four years as Obama's secretary of state. During that time, there also has been a softening of public opinion among the million-plus Cuban-Americans who hold considerable sway in Florida voting.

Clinton accused Republican presidential candidates  without calling them by name  of approaching Cuba and Latin America "through a Cold War prism."

"They have it backwards: Engagement is not a gift to the Castros; it's a threat to the Castros," Clinton said. "An American embassy in Havana isn't a concession; it's a beacon. Lifting the embargo doesn't set back freedom; it advances freedom."

She framed their stance on the embargo as part of broader foreign affairs errors.

She didn't name any Republican presidential contenders, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, both from South Florida and vocal critics of Obama's December decision to establish diplomatic relations with Cuba.

But she said, "We cannot afford to let out-of-touch, out-of- date, partisan ideas and candidates rip away all the progress we've made."

Bush, who earlier shared a stage with Clinton at a National Urban League conference in nearby Fort Lauderdale, embraced their disagreement, saying it was "insulting to many residents of Miami for Hillary Clinton to come here to endorse a retreat in the struggle for democracy in Cuba."

Rubio had pre-emptively criticized Clinton, issuing a statement before her speech. "President Obama and Secretary Clinton must learn that appeasement only emboldens dictators and repressive governments and weakens America's global standing in the 21st century," he said.

Supporters of lifting the embargo praised Clinton.

We welcome Senator Clintons call to end the embargo," said James Williams, president of Engage Cuba, which favors diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States. "It is representative of a growing consensus across party lines that its time for Congress to allow Americans to travel and our businesses to compete in Cuba."

"Putting our foreign policy in the hands of the Cuban government only holds back change on the island, makes it harder to support civil society and slows us down in strengthening Cubas growing entrepreneurial sector. Its time to end the embargo, now, and let Americans do what they do best.

U.S.-Cuba relations have long been a flashpoint in Florida politics. The generations of Cuban-Americans who were born in Cuba and fled shortly after the Castro-led revolution in the late 1950s generally supported a hard line, including the embargo that keeps American businesses from trading with Cuba and blocks Americans from traveling in the country and spending money there as tourists.

For decades, South Florida politicians and presidential candidates vying for the state's electoral votes reflected those views, regardless of party. Clinton's husband was among them, even as he quietly attempted to engage Fidel Castro in the 1990s.

Now, says Florida pollster Fernand Amandi, an expert on Cuban-American public opinion, that once solid voting bloc is "a community in transition," giving Clinton an opening.

U.S.-born Cuban-Americans, Amandi said, are consistently more supportive of normalized relations than their Cuban-born parents and also are less likely to consider themselves one-issue voters. "The younger generations are more like any other immigrants  they care about pocketbook issues, jobs, their kids' educations," he said.

In addition, Cuba-born immigrants in the past few decades "lived under the sanctions and concluded that it just emboldened the Castro regime," he said. "So I think after 55 years of failure, it's time for something else."

Beyond the Cuban-American community, a majority of adults in the U.S. support normalizing relations with Cuba. A Pew Research Center survey conducted July 14-20 found that nearly 73 percent of Americans approve of establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba, while 72 percent support ending the trade embargo, both double-digit percentage increases from January, immediately after Obama's decision.

Pew found the same trends though lower numbers among Republicans, with 56 percent of such voters backing a diplomatic bond and 59 percent supporting an economic relationship.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Following his own advice, Jeb Bush is taking his presidential campaign to the neighborhoods and churches where Hispanics and African Americans live and worship in an effort to broaden his appeal among minority voters.

The former Florida governor was in the central part of the state earlier this week, speaking to a diverse group of 150 pastors and other religious leaders, repeating his oft-stated pledge to campaign in "every nook and cranny" of the country. On Friday, he'll be one of only two Republican presidential candidates to address the National Urban League's annual conference, joining Hillary Rodham Clinton and two other Democrats seeking the White House.

"Republicans need to campaign everywhere. Not just amongst Latinos, but amongst blacks. It's okay to get outside your comfort zone. It's okay that not everybody agrees with my views," Bush said Monday at his event outside Orlando. "It's not okay to not try. That's the difference."

It's a lesson from Bush's time running for office in Florida that he's now applying to his race for president.

In his first run for governor in 1994, Bush campaigned as a self-described "head-banging conservative" who said he'd do "probably nothing" for African Americans, explaining he instead wanted "equality of opportunity" for all people. Bush lost that race, and then took a different tack four years later.

After traveling the state to meet with minority groups that typically align with Democrats, and touring hundreds of schools, he ran a winning campaign focused on schools and spoke often in black churches. William Andrews, executive director of Mercy Drive Ministries in Orlando, credits a statewide program Bush started once in office for helping him conquer his heroin and cocaine addiction.

"Mr. Bush sold me on becoming a Republican," said Andrews, who is black.

Should Bush capture the GOP's presidential nomination, repeating the campaign strategy he credits for his wins in Florida could be essential to his general election success in 2016.

According to exit polls conducted for AP and television networks in 2012, 93 percent of blacks and 71 percent of Hispanics nationally voted to re-elect President Barack Obama. In 2008, Obama won the vote of 95 percent of blacks and 67 percent of Hispanics, who are likely to be especially crucial in the 2016 presidential race because of their growing numbers in swing states such as Colorado, Nevada and Florida.

Democrats are eager to hold onto their decisive advantage among such voters, and argue blacks and Hispanics will ultimately reject Bush because of his support for policies that include repealing Obama's health care overhaul, opposing a federal minimum wage and his record of tax cuts in Florida.

"Bush's failed policies of the past are no different than every other Republican in the field  he wants to divide families, hurt our economy, and let those like Jeb Bush, and only Jeb Bush, get ahead," said Pablo Manriquez, the Democratic National Committee's Hispanic media director.

For his part, Bush said this week his campaign does not have a Hispanic outreach strategy, because "outreach is a term that makes it sound like it's on the periphery."

"There is no outreach plan here, this is an integral part of my campaign," said Bush, who is fluent in Spanish and whose wife, Columba, is a Mexican immigrant. "I have Hispanic children. I have Hispanic grandchildren. I'm part of the community."

Bush isn't alone in making an overt appeal to minority voters. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has addressed historically black universities, held public events at pilot schools for predominantly minority students in inner-city Chicago and discussed revisions to federal sentencing laws, which disproportionately affect minority offenders.

In late June, the same day NBC announced it was severing ties with billionaire real-estate mogul and GOP candidate Donald Trump, who described some Mexican immigrants in the country illegally as "rapists" and "criminals" during his campaign announcement, Bush met privately with a racially mixed group of pastors in grief-stricken Charleston, South Carolina.

Last week, Bush attended another meeting of about 40 pastors in Spartanburg, also split evenly between black and white ministers. Among those in attendance was the Rev. Windell Rodgers, a black Democrat from Greenville, who is supporting Bush in the state's early voting Southern primary.

"He has a love for what I gather are all people, and is willing to go into their areas," he said.

That includes Friday's meeting of the Urban League, one of the nation's oldest civil rights organizations.

"So many lives can come to nothing, or come to grief, when we ignore problems, or fail to meet our own responsibilities," according to Bush's prepared remarks. "And so many people could do so much better in life if we could come together and get even a few big things right in government."

Bush and Ben Carson, a retired, African-American neurosurgeon, are the only two Republican candidates speaking at the event, where White House hopefuls are being asked to "share their visions for saving our cities."

"We have to campaign all across this country with joy in our heart rather than anger," Bush said Monday, "and go to places where Republicans haven't been seen in a long, long while."

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Problems have been fixed that led to about 2,100 work permits being mistakenly awarded under President Barack Obama's executive immigration action after a federal judge in Texas had put the plan on hold, the Justice Department said in newly filed court documents.

Federal officials had been ordered by U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen to offer a detailed explanation of how the permits were wrongly given out in May after Hanen put Obama's immigration plan on hold Feb. 16 at the request of a coalition of 26 states, led by Texas, that sued to stop the proposed action.

Hanen, based in Brownsville, had threatened to hold Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and other top immigration enforcement officials in contempt of court if the problems weren't fixed.

In court documents filed late Friday night, Justice Department attorneys said the federal government now complies with Hanen's preliminary injunction that suspended the Obama plan, which proposed expanding a program that young immigrants from deportation if they were brought to the U.S. illegally as children and adding another that extends deportation protections to parents of U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have been in the country for some years.

In a 52-page document, federal attorneys said the three-year work authorizations had either been converted to two years or rescinded altogether in cases where those given the authorization failed to return them as required.

Federal authorities said that officials worked to recover an additional 500 three-year work permits that had been issued prior to the judge's injunction but were returned as undeliverable and mistakenly mailed again after the injunction was issued. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services dispatched dozens of representatives to contact those who were issued the permits, agency director Leon Rodriguez said in a statement filed among the court documents.

Saying they had "remedied the situation" that prompted Hanen to threaten contempt citations, the federal attorneys asked that Hanen cancel an Aug. 19 hearing he scheduled to have federal officials explain how the problems were corrected. The judge had previously said he would cancel the hearing if he was satisfied federal officials had fixed the problems.

It was not immediately known if Hanen still planned to hold the hearing. If he does, federal attorneys ask that he excuse all but Rodriguez from appearing.

Hanen has previously criticized the federal government's actions in the lawsuit, saying it had been "misleading" after officials 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 before he issued a ruling.

Justice Department attorneys apologized for any confusion but insisted the reprieves were granted under a 2012 program that wasn't affected by the injunction.

Obama said in November when putting forth the executive order that lack of action by Congress forced him to make sweeping changes to immigration rules on his own. The coalition of states argues Obama's action is unconstitutional.

A ruling on an appeal of Hanen's injunction is pending from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, which heard arguments in the case on July 10.

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.

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Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley became the first Democratic presidential candidate to make a campaign stop in Puerto Rico this year as part of an effort to woo Latino voters.

He met Saturday with local legislators and residents to talk about their concerns as the U.S. territory tries to emerge from a nearly decade-long economic slump and struggles with $72 billion in public debt. O'Malley also was scheduled to attend a fundraiser Saturday night.

In a brief interview with The Associated Press, O'Malley said Puerto Rico should receive the same treatment as the U.S. mainland.

"Right now, the people of Puerto Rico ... are being treated very unjustly by forces on the mainland, forces on Wall Street and the intransigence of this Republican Congress in taking action to restore simple bankruptcy protections," he said.

The administration of Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla has been pushing for the right for the island's public agencies to file for bankruptcy under Chapter 9, but the proposal has not drawn any Republican co-sponsors in the U.S. Congress. Garcia said in recent weeks that the public debt is unpayable and needs to be restructured.

O'Malley said Garcia should not be alone in that fight.

"He doesn't have a magic wand," he said. "This should be something that our Congress, even our Republican Congress, cares about because it would do some damage and it would impact the United States if Puerto Rico were to go under, or its economy to tank, because we can't renegotiate this debt."

U.S. open-end bond mutual funds together own more than $11.4 billion of Puerto Rico bonds, or just over 15 percent of its outstanding debt, according to a Morningstar report. Hedge funds hold roughly one-third of Puerto Rico's debt.

Puerto Rico Sen. Jorge Suarez was among the local legislators who met with O'Malley.

"It's incredibly important to have people who can give us a hand in such a difficult moment," he told The AP. "Clearly, we're dealing with an economic abyss."

O'Malley declined to comment on Puerto Rico's future political status, saying it's up to Puerto Ricans to decide, but he said he would fight for equal treatment for the territory, which he noted receives lower Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates compared with the mainland.

O'Malley is trailing in a field of five main Democratic presidential candidates, which includes former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, whom he declined to talk about.

Puerto Rico residents can participate in U.S. presidential primaries but are barred from voting in presidential elections.

"Our country wants new leadership, they want leadership independent of the old politics of the past and the relationships of the past that are holding us back from a better future ... we want an economy that works for all of us again instead of just for a few of us," he said.

He said he expects to soon release his health records and that he and his wife have already disclosed what they owe.

"Like many other Americans, we're under a mountain of debt because of the money we had to borrow to send our kids to college," he said. "I think I can safely say I am the poorest candidate running for the nomination of president in the Democratic party."

O'Malley is scheduled to leave Puerto Rico on Sunday. His visit comes three months after GOP presidential hopeful Jeb Bush arrived in Puerto Rico for a fundraiser and a town hall meeting where he endorsed the idea of statehood and discussed immigration.

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It was only a few weeks ago that he seemed invincible.

Sen. Marco Rubio launched a presidential campaign with a speech that still is viewed as the most eloquent and moving of all those delivered so far by the nearly two dozen candidates who have declared their run.

The telegenic, smart, polished junior Republican from South Florida ranked high in the polls of likely GOP voters. He led the GOP, as a matter of fact, with 14 percent in June polls.

But in July, he started sliding, showing the most significant drop of any GOP candidate. This weekend, an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll of GOP likely voters showed Rubio barely making it among the top 10, with only 5 percent choosing him.

Real estate mogul Donald Trump trounced all others, with nearly 20 percent. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker came in second with 15 percent, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was third with 14 percent.

Rubio came in eighth, behind Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.

Many experts say that Rubio, who constantly made headlines with his thoughts  whether through email blasts or Sunday morning news shows  on everything from immigration to foreign policy, has fallen to the margins of public attention because of Trump.

First and foremost, whats happened to him and a lot of these candidates is Donald Trump, said Gregory Valliere, chief political strategist at the non-partisan Potomac Research Group, in an interview with Fox News Latino. Trump has made it really difficult for a lot of Republican candidates to gain traction. Marco Rubio hasnt really done anything that makes him stand out from the pack. He hasnt said anything outrageous.

Rubio also has maintain a relatively low profile as far as responding to Trump, as other candidates  such as former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who have assailed the tycoon  have done.

He hasnt taken him on like Perry or Walker or even Cruz, who shamelessly sucked up to Donald Trump, Valliere said. Marco Rubio wants to talk about his candidacy and his proposals.

GOP strategist Liz Mair told Business Insider that Rubios pet issue  foreign policy, on which he is a hawk and often blasts the Obama administration as being too weak  has often taken a back seat in the news recently to other topics such as gay marriage, police-involved shootings and the Affordable Care Act.

For Rubio, its better for people to focus on foreign policy, Mair said.

The Aug. 6 debate can be a game-changer, at least until the debate that follows it.

While many experts expect that many people will tune in to watch Trump, and how he plays off the other candidates, it will be a chance for contenders like Rubio  who remains largely enigmatic to many GOP voters nationwide  to resonate with the audience and regain ranking.

In his favor is a consistently solid favorability rate, meaning many Republicans find him likable. Rubio has a favorability rating of 49 percent among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents; his negative ratings among them is 15 percent.

The remainder largely said they dont know enough about him, giving him room to appeal to more people.

Jeb Bush has a favorable rate of 51 percent, with 30 percent saying they dislike him.

Trump, on the other hand, has a 49 percent unfavorability rate, and 42 percent favorability.

His supporters are rather ironclad, though, experts say.

Among the party base, hes a force to be reckoned with, said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion in New York, according to McClatchy news service.

But the good news for candidates not flying high at the moment is that it is still very early in the election cycle.

The nominee for each party will not be chosen for almost another year, they say.

And anything can happen in a year in politics.

The Iran nuclear deal is being discussed now. Rubio will play a pretty commanding role on that one, said Valliere. He also has raised a decent amount of money. Its too early to dismiss him. I think hell have staying power.

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Jeb Bush outlined plans Monday to improve security of the nation's borders and enforcement of its existing immigration laws, calling both a requirement before any president could begin to address the status of the estimated 11 million people living in the country illegally.

"Finding a practical solution to the status of the people who are here illegally today is a nonstarter if our borders are not secure against future illegal immigration," the former Republican governor of Florida said in a statement, released ahead of Monday night's GOP candidate forum in New Hampshire and the party's first presidential primary debate later in the week.

A focus on border security as a pre-condition of any overhaul of the nation's immigration laws has become a common policy point among many of the Republican candidates for president.

But Bush's focus on this aspect of the debate is notable, given the months he has spent defending his support for creating a path to permanent legal status for those in the country illegally  a position that is deeply unpopular among the party's most passionate primary voters.

Many aspects of Bush's border security proposal, from creating "forward-operating bases" to increasing the use of drones and other technology to watch for drug and human traffickers, are not new. Several are already employed by federal authorities and they largely mirror those Bush suggested in his 2013 book "Immigration Wars," which he co-wrote with former U.S. attorney Clint Bolick.

Bush, who is fluent in Spanish, married to a Mexican immigrant and refers to his children as Hispanic, has largely taken a softer tone than most in the GOP field on immigration.

He has said those who come to the U.S. illegally do so as "an act of love" to make a better life for their families. Bush has also argued that resolving the nation's immigration debate is key to boosting the nation's economic growth, saying the country's legal immigration process should focus more on letting in workers the country needs rather than reuniting families.

Last week, he again rejected the idea that a resolution of the immigration debate should begin with the mass deportation of people who are now in the country illegally.

"The idea of self-deportation, of rounding people up, is not an American value," Bush said at a campaign stop in Florida. "Americans reject that idea."

Beyond the border, Bush said in his Monday proposal that the federal government must keep better track of foreign visitors, citing a 2006 report from the Pew Hispanic Center that found up to half the number of people here illegally have overstayed their visas.

"While we need to find a practical solution to the status of people who are here illegally today, as we secure the border going forward, we need to identify and send home the people who enter the country legally but overstay their visas or otherwise violate the terms of their admission," he said.

Such a reliable entry-exit visa system has so far proven elusive for Homeland Security officials.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the agency that secures the country's ports of entry, last month launched a pilot program to test handheld devices that scan the fingerprints of some foreign travelers as they leave the country from Atlanta's airport.

The tests will be expanded to airports in eight additional cities later this year. To run through next June, the tests are part of a congressional mandate to create a biometric exit system for foreign visitors. Such a program has been repeatedly delayed, with Homeland Security officials citing its exorbitant cost.

Bush's statement Monday also broadly discussed how he would deal with people currently living in the country illegally, requiring them to pass a criminal background check, pay fines and taxes, learn English, obtain "a provisional work permit" and get a job in order to obtain legal status.

The Democratic National Committee slammed Bush's plan. It is part of "the same Republicans playbook that divides families and hurts our economy," said Pablo Manriquez, the party's Hispanic Media Director, in a statement.

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Two undocumented immigrants have been named to city commission posts in the Los Angeles County area, marking a controversial step to incorporate a growing demographic in Southern California into city politics.

Julian Zatarain, 21, and Francisco Medina, 29, were named to the Huntington Park parks and recreation commission and the health and education commission, respectively. The town, which is about 5 miles from downtown Los Angeles, has long been a first stop for many undocumented immigrants moving to the United States from Mexico and other parts of Latin America.

"I'm speaking out for people like me," Zatarain, who was brought to the U.S. when he was 13 from the Mexican state of Sinaloa, told the Los Angeles Times. "I'm not doing anything wrong."

The large undocumented immigrant population in the city has resulted in low voter turnout rates  with some elections dropping below 10 percent in the last decade  and there is a widespread belief that this has led to the numerous corruption cases that have plagued city hall in neighboring cities like Bell and Vernon.

Officials in Huntington Park said that while undocumented immigrants may not be able to vote, that should not prevent them helping their communities in other ways.

But critics blasted the move, saying it awards lawbreakers.

Robin Hvidston, executive director of We the People Rising, an immigration enforcement group in California, said the appointments take two commission seats away from U.S. citizens.

"To appoint commission seats to individuals who are breaking federal laws demonstrates that lack of respect for U.S. law," she said.

California law does not prohibit undocumented immigrants from serving as appointed commissioners, but the two men will have to undergo background checks and, unlike other city commissioners, they won't receive a monthly stipend, which generally ranges from $25 to $75.

"Our population includes documented and undocumented immigrants, and I wanted to make sure everyone could participate," said Huntington Park Mayor Karina Macias, according to the Times. "If we're going to talk about transparency, being open and having a community that's involved, then the conversation also has to include undocumented immigrants. I'm hoping other cities are looking at what we're doing here."

Observers say that Huntington Parks choice to appoint Zatarain and Medina as commissioners is part of a growing trend, both in California and in other parts of the U.S., to include undocumented immigrants in public life. The neighboring city of Maywood made headlines back in 2006 by declaring that it would be a so-called sanctuary city and repealed practices that some considered anti-immigrant. Sanctuary cities have come under fire after the shooting death of 32-year-old Kate Steinle, who was allegedly killed by an undocumented immigrant from Mexico who had a long rap sheet and had been deported  and then returned to the U.S.  five times.

"It's all about inclusion in civic engagement and also about using the resources a city has, and the No. 1 resource in any city are its people," said Fernando Guerra, the director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University.

While city officials have generally praised the move, some residents and immigration hardliners are deriding the appointments as bad examples for the rest of the country and something that will bring unwanted attention to the working-class city.

"There are more qualified people," Linda Caraballo, a former councilwoman and resident of Huntington Park, told the Times. "How could they be policy advisors if they can't even vote for the council members? This is just going to bring media attention, it's going to create national debate and it is something the city of Huntington Park doesn't need."

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kids with a friend who had badly hurt someone were themselves 183 percent more likely to report having badly hurt someone, too

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.

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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.

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The Republican Party's presidential class demanded aggressive steps to curb illegal immigration, seizing on a delicate political issue while facing off in New Hampshire on Monday night during a crowded and pointed preview of the 2016 primary season's first full-fledged debate.

All but three of the 17 major Republican candidates for president participated in what was essentially a debate lite, which  unlike Thursday's nationally televised debate in Cleveland  didn't have a cut-off for participation.

Without exception, the candidates aimed their criticism at Democrats instead of each other in a two-hour meeting where they had more in common than not. Not mentioned was the candidate making the most news headed into Thursday's debate: Donald Trump. The billionaire businessman declined to participate in Monday's gathering, but is poised to take center stage later in the week.

Monday's meeting offered a prime-time practice round for the GOP's most ambitious, appearing on stage one at a time, who addressed several contentious issues, immigration topping a list that also included abortion and climate change.

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who may not qualify for the upcoming debate as one of the GOP's top 10 candidates in national polling, called the flow of immigrants crossing the border illegally "a serious wound."

"You want to stanch the flow," he said as his Republican rivals watched from the front row of the crowded St. Anselm College auditorium. On those immigrants who have overstayed visas, Perry charged, "You go find 'em, you pick 'em up and you send 'em back where they're from."

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum went further, calling for a 25 percent reduction of low-skilled immigrants coming into the country legally.

"Everyone else is dancing around it. I'm going to stand for the American worker," Santorum declared.

Monday's participants included seven current or former governors, four senators, a businesswoman, a retired neurosurgeon and one former senator. Trump, who launched his presidential bid by calling Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals, was among only three major candidates who didn't participate.

Monday's event was broadcast live on C-SPAN and local television stations in Iowa and South Carolina  states that, along with New Hampshire, will host the first contests in the presidential primary calendar next February.

Just an hour before the forum began, the Senate blocked a GOP-backed bill to strip funding from Planned Parenthood, reviving a debate on social issues that some Republican officials hoped to avoid in 2016.

Three of the four senators participating in Monday's event Marco Rubio of Florida, Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky  did so via satellite from C-SPAN's Washington studio so they wouldn't miss the high-profile vote.

"We had to be here to vote to de-fund Planned Parenthood," Cruz said.

It's a welcome debate for Democrats who see women  married women, particularly  as a key constituency in 2016. Leading Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, who would be the nation's first female president, lashed out at the attacks on Planned Parenthood in a web video released before the GOP forum.

"If this feels like a full-on assault for women's health, that's because it is," Clinton said in the video, criticizing by name former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Perry.

Democrats are also eager to debate Republicans on immigration.

GOP leaders have acknowledged the need to improve the party's standing among Hispanic voters. Yet while many Democrats favor a more forgiving policy that would allow immigrants in the country illegally a pathway to citizenship, most Republicans in the field instead focus on border security.

Rubio, once a lead salesman for a comprehensive immigration overhaul, said Americans want the border fence completed and more border security agents before there's any discussion of what to do with those 11 million immigrants in the country illegally.

Others offered a softer tone. Ohio Gov. John Kasich said "law-abiding, God-fearing" immigrants should be allowed to stay. Those who break the law, he said, "have to be deported or put in prison."

Bush said fixing the nation's immigration system is a key part of his plan to help the economy grow 4 percent each year. He also called for reducing legal immigration, particularly the number of people allowed to enter the country to rejoin family.

President Barack Obama injected another contentious issue Monday when he unveiled new emissions limits on power plants designed to address climate change. He called it a moral obligation and warned anew that climate change will threaten future generations if left unchecked.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker called the move "a buzz saw to the nation's economy."

"I want to balance a sustainable environment with a sustainable economy," Walker said.

Several candidates involved Monday night won't make the cut for Thursday's debate. Those on the bubble include South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and former technology executive Carly Fiorina, who charged that Clinton has repeatedly lied during investigations into her use of a private email server and an attack on an American embassy in Libya while she was secretary of state.

"These go to the core of her character," Fiorina said.

After the debate, Kasich was asked about Trump's absence.

"I never thought about him," the Ohio governor said. "It'd have been great if he'd have been here."

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Jeb Bush probably had the most Latino-feeling presidential campaign launch ever, complete with Cuban music, speeches by him and one of his sons in both English and Spanish, and loving references to his Mexican wife.

Marco Rubio did his launch at the Freedom Toweran iconic, Ellis Island-like landmark where the federal government once processed Cuban immigrants fleeing the Castro regime. He, too, infused Spanish into his speech, and spoke reverentially of his Cuban immigrant parents and their faith in the American Dream.

Hillary Clintons first major policy speech was about her pledge to provide a path to citizenship to undocumented immigrants. She delivered the speech at a Las Vegas high school where the student population is 70 percent Latino.

Seldom has the courting of Latino voters begun so early in the presidential election cycle. Then again, Latinos will be a bigger part of eligible American voters than they have ever been.

The road to the White House will be paved by Latino voters, said Cristobal Alex, president of the Latino Victory Project in Washington D.C. We expect a record turnout by Latino voters.

A record 25.2 million Latinos were eligible to vote in the 2014 midterm elections, making up their largest share ever, 11 percent, of all eligible voters nationwide.

Some 28 million Latinos are expected to be eligible to vote next year, according to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, or NALEO.

If just half, 14 million, vote, that would be higher than their pivotal turnout of 11 million in 2012, when 70 percent of Latinos gave Obama the nod.

Their growing numbers, as well as the role they are said to have had in the 2012 bruising loss of GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney to President Barack Obama  because of Romneys perceived anti-Latino, anti-immigrant views  are making Latinos more of a force in the next years race for the Oval Office.

The competition for Hispanic political support is not just about the present, wrote Gene Budig, past president of three universities, and Alan Heaps, former vice president of the College Board, in a recent opinion column. It is also about the future. The Hispanic population is growing faster than most other groups. Today, it is 18 percent of the total population. By 2040, it will be 24 percent. By 2060 it will be 29 percent.

Clinton hired key staffers of Latino descent, including Amanda Renteria, who is her campaigns national political director. Xochitl Hinojosa, a former U.S. Labor Department official, is her campaigns director of coalitions press. Emmy Ruiz is running Clintons campaign in the strategically vital swing state of Nevada. And Jose Villarreal is Clintons campaign treasurer.

What will be interesting to see is if Clinton will have the same level of support among Latino voters in 2016 that she did in 2008, said Arturo Vargas, the executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. Her consistent support from Latinos in 2008  2-to-1 against Obama in the primaries  was what really kept her in the race.

Ted Cruz and former Maryland Gov. Martin OMalley, a Democratic presidential candidate, took part in separate question-and-answer sessions sponsored by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Washington D.C. Rubio is expected to take part in one in August.

On Saturday, OMalley became the first 2016 presidential candidate to make a campaign stop in Puerto Rico this year as part of an effort to woo Latino voters.

He met with local legislators and residents to talk about their concerns as the U.S. territory tries to emerge from a nearly decade-long economic slump and struggles with $72 billion in public debt. O'Malley attended a fundraiser Saturday night.

Jeb Bush traveled to Puerto Rico earlier this year, before he launched his campaign.

Alfonso Aguilar, a former George W. Bush administration executive director of American Principles Project's Latino Partnership, pronounced the attention on Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans a smart move, given the growing Puerto Rican population in Florida, a key primary state.

On July 27, Bush spent the day in central Florida, meeting with Latinos at various events.

The Hispanic community isnt just a priority for Gov. Bush, its a part of who he is and his family, said Emily Benavides, who manages Hispanic outreach for the Bush campaign. No one is advising him to do this, it comes from him, he sees Hispanics as an important part of the American population.

Republicans often wait until after their primaries to court Latinos.

The participation of Latinos in the primaries is lower than the general population, Abrajano said. This early on in the competition, having a very targeted strategy for Latinos may not be seen as the best use of their resources. After they secure the nomination, we see candidates micro-targeting subgroups.

Benavides said the Bush campaign decided to reach out to Latinos early in the race. One reason is to acquaint Latinos outside of Florida with Bush, whose name is known to them, but who remains something of an enigma to many.

We want to make sure theyre engaged with the political process, and they know his vision for America, Benavides said.

Bush, like Rubio, has the advantage of speaking fluent Spanish.

Jeb Bush doesnt just resonate linguistically, but culturally, too, Benavides said about the candidate, who lived in Mexico and Venezuela. He understands colloquialisms, he has spent time in different demographics.

Though Spanish and overtures to Latinos may be happening earlier in this presidential campaign, many experts say Latinos will be swayed by what candidates say about policies and problems that are important to the community.

Presidential candidates will need to focus their message in a way that includes Latinos and advances policies that Latinos  and most other Americans  want to see, Alex said. Those are an increase in minimum wages, access to affordable healthcare, quality education, a clean environment.

The political hot potato  immigration  has surfaced earlier than usual in this presidential election, thanks to Donald Trump.

Trump started his campaign with controversy when he said in his speech announcing that he was running When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their bestTheyre sending people that have lots of problems, and theyre bringing those problems with us. Theyre bringing drugs, theyre bringing crime, theyre rapists, and some, I assume, are good people.

His comments brought forth vehement condemnation by Latino groups and immigration advocates.

Republicans did not think immigration would come up this early, said Aguilar.

The delay in the GOP denunciation of Trumps remarks about Mexicans was criticized by many Latino leaders who contrasted the lag with the quick and vehement rebuke of the flamboyant New Yorker by the GOP after he made denigrating remarks about Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican, questioning his war hero image.

Trump said that McCain, who was held in Vietnam as a prisoner of war, was not a hero and added that he admired people who were not captured.

Whether Latinos will turn out in larger numbers will depend if theyre being unfairly targeted, Abrajano said. The most important issues to them are the economy, jobs and educationBut immigration is a gateway issue to Latinos. They see it as a measure of how candidates understand and respect the community.
What do you get when you put Ted Cruz, a high-powered assault rifle and a pile of cured pork products in a room together?

The answer: Breakfast, of course.

The firebrand Texas lawmaker and Republican presidential candidate demonstrated how he makes "Machine-Gun Bacon" for his family in a viral video released on Monday.

"There are few things I enjoy more than on weekends cooking breakfast with the family," Cruz said at the beginning of the film, published on conservative website IJReview. "Of course in Texas we cook bacon a little differently than most folks."

The video, which clocks in at just over a minute, features Cruz wrapping the barrel of a high-powered assault rifle in strips of bacon, covering the bacon in tin foil and then opening fire at a shooting range target. When the presidential candidate is done unloading the clip on the hapless piece of paper, he removes the tin foil to reveal a strip of sizzling, crispy bacon.

"Mmm, machine gun bacon," Cruz said after taking a bit of the breakfast meat that he pulled of the steaming gun barrel.

Cruzs video has drawn a good deal of confusion about the reliability and safety of using a firearm to cook breakfast.

FoodSafety.gov, a federal website dedicated to promoting safe food consumption, has warned that besides the iffy hygiene of cooking with guns, there is also no way to accurately tell if the bacon is getting the proper amount of heat what applied to the tip of an assault rifle.

Even gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson warned against the method cooking.

"We certainly wouldnt recommend you cooking bacon on that," a representative for the company told the Guardian. "I dont think the gun is designed to cook bacon."

Cruzs cooking stunt is just one of many videos posted online by members of the seemingly ever-expanding Republican presidential field to gain some exposure as the limelight continues to be cast upon Donald Trump.

Cruz earlier this year posted a mock audition for the Simpsons, while South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham destroyed his cellphone in another video after Donald Trump publically released the lawmakers number during a speech. Dr. Ben Carson has also filmed a video teaching viewers how to beat the kids' game "Operation."

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush posted a series of#JebNoFilter videos on his YouTube channel, where  among other things  he discusses "Sharknado 3" and tries to put on a hooded sweatshirt during a hot day.

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Venezuelas parliamentary elections in December will be closely watched for a number of reasons, including that it will mark the first time a transgender candidate runs for office in the country.

Corporate lawyer and college professor Tamara Adrian, 61, announced her candidacy last week as part of the Mesa de la Unidad Democratica (MUD) opposition platform.

Adrian, also a renowned activist for women and sexual minorities rights, decided to step into the race days after the electoral authorities in Venezuela said that at least 50 percent of the candidates running on Dec. 6 would have to be female  a move the opposition decried as a government maneuver to undermine their chances. The candidate, who is making history, was dismissive of another transgender in the U.S. making headlines recently  Caitlyn Jenner.

"She just came out of the closet and has the support of the Kardashians," Adrian said. "Her activism is only a few months old."

Interestingly, a few years ago Adrian actively advocated for rules ensuring gender parity but got no response from the Chavez administration when she submitted a proposal back in 2007. She said she has no doubt the new 50 percent rule is politically motivated.

It was this government which eliminated the existing quota of 30 percent of female candidates from the electoral law, she told Fox News Latino.

The self-declared libertarian candidate said she doesnt know yet which district she will run for  that is still up for negotiation with MUD officials, she told FNL. However, there is a chance she is keeping the information private so the government doesnt attempt to take her out of the race on a technicality  as they have done with Congresswoman Maria Corina Machado and others.

In a country where we have gotten used to not having our rights respected and where we have seemingly learned to think with a 19th century mentality, anything can happen, she said. And we will deal with it accordingly, whatever happens, she added.

Political analysts are saying the December vote could make history because, for the first time in 17 years Chavistas rule, there is a chance the opposition takes over the Assembly.

Whether it will be a first for a transgender politician is still up in the air as well. In any event, Adrian said she doesnt want to be pigeonholed.

I dont want my candidacy to be perceived as that of a minority, but a democratic and libertarian candidacy, she said, one from somebody thats highly qualified () somebody who can help overcome the worst crisis in Venezuelan history.
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In the weeks leading up to Thursday's first debate of the 2016 presidential race, Republican candidates have sought to distinguish themselves from each other  and President Barack Obama  with ever-tougher positions on border security and illegal immigration, claiming current measures are failing.

And yet by many standards, the situation is not nearly as urgent as it was during last summer's crisis and has improved steadily and markedly in some respects over the past decade or so  partly because of actions taken by the U.S. government, but also because of factors beyond Washington's control.

Last year's alarming surge of unaccompanied children and families arriving from Central America via Mexico has been cut by about half, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a drop-off attributed in part to a crackdown by Mexico and better enforcement along the U.S. border.

Also, illegal immigration from Mexico has plunged dramatically since 2000, when Border Patrol agents arrested roughly 1.6 million Mexicans. Last year, agents stopped about 230,000.

In addition, since 2007, about 1 million Mexicans living illegally in this country have left, according to Marc Rosenblum, deputy director of the U.S. immigration policy program at the Migration Policy Institute in Washington.

Those trends have been attributed to a variety of factors, including the overall sluggish economy in the U.S., the decline in this country's construction industry, and better opportunities in Mexico, according to a report by Rogelio Saenz, dean of the College of Public Policy at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

"The urgency is gone on the U.S.-Mexico border," said Adam Isacson, border security analyst for the Washington Office on Latin America, a think tank.

During the spring and summer of 2014, the U.S.-Mexico border, particularly the 320-mile Rio Grande Valley section in Texas, became a major crossing point for tens of thousands of families and unaccompanied minors from Central America, many of them fleeing gang violence in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.

Last year marked the first time arrivals from those Central American countries  some 468,000 altogether  outstripped migrants from Mexico.

The surge was treated as a national security issue. The Obama administration beefed up the Border Patrol in the Rio Grande Valley, while Texas deployed National Guardsmen and a large contingent of troopers. The state has approved $800 million of spending on border security in the next two years alone.

Mexican officials, with support from the U.S., have stepped up apprehensions of migrants passing through that country.

The Obama administration also opened two secure family detention centers in Texas that together can house more than 2,000 women and children. Detention was envisioned in part as a way to discourage families from coming. It was an alternative to the usual practice of releasing families with notices to appear in court.

The detention policy has met with legal and political challenges from immigrant advocates. Homeland Security officials have said they are moving families through the facilities as quickly as possible, and more women are being fitted with electronic ankle bracelets as a condition of release.

Rosenblum said the spike in unaccompanied children and families was not really a failure of border security. Instead of trying to evade U.S. authorities, the families "are being intentionally apprehended," Rosenblum said. Many have applied for asylum and face years-long backlogs in the legal system.

Since Obama took office, he has transformed immigration enforcement through a series of directives and policy changes that narrowly define which immigrants living in the country illegally should face deportation.

The focus is now on people who pose a national security or public safety threat or have serious criminal histories, those with multiple serious misdemeanors, and those who have crossed the border or been ordered out of the country since the beginning of 2014.

Obama also launched a program shortly before his 2012 re-election that allows young immigrants brought to the country as children to apply for permission to stay and work legally for up to two years at a time. More than 740,000 young immigrants have been approved for the program.

While the administration deported a record 409,849 immigrants in 2012, the number has been steadily declining since.

Last year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement sent home 315,943 immigrants. And as of July 20, the agency had sent back about 187,000 this year, according to internal ICE documents obtained by The Associated Press. The documents show that more than 109,000 of those were convicted criminals.

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A federal appeals court struck down Texas' voter ID law on Wednesday in a victory for President Barack Obama, whose administration took the unusual step of bringing the weight of the U.S. Justice Department to fight a wave of new ballot-box restrictions passed in conservative statehouses.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the 2011 Texas law carries a "discriminatory effect" and violates the federal Voting Rights Act  a decision handed down on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the landmark civil rights law.

Texas was allowed to use the voter ID law during the 2014 elections, thereby requiring an estimated 13.6 million registered Texas voters to have a photo ID to cast a ballot.

Although a victory for Democrats and minority rights groups, the decision wasn't as sweeping as a ruling last year by lower court that compared the Texas law to old poll taxes that forced minorities to pay to vote. The New Orleans court disagreed that the law is a poll tax in sending the measure back to a lower court.

Other Republican-controlled states, including Wisconsin and North Carolina, have passed similar voter ID measures in recent years, but the Texas law signed by then-Gov. Rick Perry is widely viewed as one of the nation's toughest. It requires one of seven forms of approved identification, a list that included concealed carry licenses but not a college student's university ID.

"Today's ruling is a victory for every Texas voter. Once again, the rule of law agrees with Democrats. The Republican voter ID law is discriminatory," Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said in a statement.

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signaled that the ruling wouldn't deter the state from fighting to keep the measures in place.

"In light of ongoing voter fraud, it is imperative that Texas has a voter ID law that prevents cheating at the ballot box," Abbott said. "Texas will continue to fight for its voter ID requirement to ensure the integrity of elections in the Lone Star State."

Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton did not immediately comment on the ruling.

Democrats and minority rights advocates had early success in blocking the law. However, after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the heart of the Voting Rights Act in 2013, the path was cleared for Texas to enforce the new restrictions that supporters say prevent voter fraud.

Section 5, one of the parts of the act that was struck down, had forced certain state and local governments  including Texas  to get pre-clearance from the federal government before change voting laws to ensure they were free of discrimination.

Without that provision to rely on, opponents of the voter ID law had to meet the higher threshold under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of proving the law discriminated against minority voters.

The appeals court agreed that the rules disproportionately affected minorities.

"We conclude that the district court did not reversibly err in determining that SB 14 violates Section 2 by disparately impacting minority voters," the court wrote in a 3-0 decision.

The Justice Department had argued that the Texas law would prevent as many as 600,000 voters from casting a ballot because they lacked one of seven forms of approved ID.

Even though a lower court in Corpus Christi, Texas, struck down the law in 2014, it was allowed to remain in effect because the ruling had come so close to the election.

Now the 5th circuit is sending the law back to the Corpus Christi court with the question of whether voter ID was enacted with discriminatory intent.

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Speculation that Donald Trump would tone down his rhetoric on immigration and Mexico during the first prime time Republican presidential debate crumbled Thursday night when the outspoken billionaire made it clear that none of the candidates would be talking about immigration if it was not for him.

Trump has taken a particularly tough stance on immigration this summer, drawing criticism in the Latino community for saying Mexico was sending criminals and rapists to the U.S.

When asked by Fox News host Chris Wallace to provide evidence for his controversial comments, Trump fired back that U.S. Border Patrol agents have told him the Mexican government is sending criminals because they know the government in America is "stupid."

"They say this is what's happening because our leaders are stupid, our politicians are stupid," the real estate mogul said, during the debate inside Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena. "And the Mexican government is much smarter, much sharper, much more cunning."

Trump added: "They send the bad ones over, because they don't want to pay for them, they don't want to take care of them. Why should they, when the stupid leaders of the United States will do it for 'me?"

When asked to respond to comments made by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush that he was "hurt" by Trump's comments about Mexicans and immigrants, the businessman-turned-presidential candidate did not turn to his left, where Bush was standing, but instead said the U.S. needs to build a wall and that he doesn't mind if it has a "big, beautiful door."

Immigration dominated a large portion of the first half of the debate, with most candidates pledging to take a tough stance on the issue -- but most of them disagreeing on how to fix a broken system.

Bush argued that border security is key to finding a solution to the immigration problem, but stuck by his stance that most undocumented immigrants come to the U.S. because they feel they have no other choice.

"I believe that the great majority of people coming here do it because they have no other option," Bush said.

Bush, whose wife was born in Mexico, added: "There's much to do. Rather than talking about this as a wedge issue, the next president will fix this once and for all, as a driver for high, sustained economic growth."

While Ohio Gov. John Kasich dodged an opportunity to criticize Trump on immigration  saying instead that Trump was "hitting a nerve in this country" -- other candidates were not so reluctant to pull any punches.

A seemingly confident Florida Sen. Marco Rubio took offense to Trump's assertion that Mexico is to blame for America's illegal immigration problem. Most immigrants coming illegally, Rubio said, are coming from countries such as Guatemala and El Salvador and are overstaying their welcome, as opposed to sneaking over the border.

Rubio said his Senate office takes phone calls frequently from people who entered the country legally but are frustrated with the slow legal immigration process and wonder if they should just come illegally.

"This is the most generous country in the world when it comes to immigration," he said.

But, in response to Trump, he said building a wall or fence won't solve the immigration issue.

"If (Mexican drug lord) El Chapo can build a tunnel under that fence, we need to deal with that," he said.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who has not only praised Trump but even made a trip to New York to meet with him  struck a different chord Thursday evening by saying that he was one of the only candidates on stage who had not supported amnesty for undocumented immigrants.

In reference to Trump's comments calling U.S. leaders stupid, Cruz said: "It's not a question of stupidity, it's that they don't want to reform immigration."

The debate only included the top 10 candidates based on their showing in recent polls. The remaining seven candidates were relegated to a pre-debate forum, a low-key event in a largely empty arena, where candidates avoided debating each other and largely stuck to scripted responses on domestic and foreign policy issues.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.


Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry made it clear late Thursday afternoon that he believes that he is the only presidential candidate that has the experience and the plan to secure the United States' southern border.



Speaking during Fox News Channel's pre-debate forum alongside six other candidates who didn't make the cut for the prime time debate, Perry said that Americans are tired of hearing candidates being asked what they are going to do about immigrants entering the country illegally and instead wants to hear about solutions to that problem.



"The border is still not secure," Perry told the small crowd gathered inside Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena. "If you elect me president of the United States, I will secure the southern border."



Perry outlined a series of steps he would take to secure the U.S.'s border with Mexico, including stepping up security along the border, expanding the fence along the border and having aerial surveillance from "Tijuana to El Paso to Brownsville, Texas."



Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum also voiced his opinion on immigration reform in the U.S.  taking what could arguably be described as the most hardline stance of any Republican candidate by saying that he did not mind breaking up immigrant families if some of their members had come to the country illegally.



"We're going to do something about reducing immigration by 25 percent," Santorum said.



The former Pennsylvania lawmaker's came alongside a personal anecdote about his own father, who had to wait in Italy while his father worked in the U.S. before being allowed to enter the country.



Early in the debate, Fox News Channel moderators tackled an issue that is perceived by many as the white elephant in the room: Donald Trump.



Trump, who is currently the front-runner in the packed Republican field and has dominated headlines since he made comments about undocumented immigrants during his campaign launch in June, has helped shape many of the talking points in the GOP field.



Perry, who has sparred more than other Republican candidate with the real estate mogul, admitted that he had his issues with Trump and added that Trump seems to be running his campaign more on his household name status than on the issues.



"He's an individual who uses his celebrity rather than conservatism," Perry said.



Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, also questioned Trump's apparent flip-flopping on issues such as abortion and immigration and his close ties to Bill and Hillary Clinton.

"Did any of you get a phone call from Bill Clinton," she asked jokingly of her fellow candidates.



But Fiorina also said Trump has tapped into an anger felt by voters sick of politics as usual.



Trump will be at center stage during the prime time debate starting at 9 p.m.
President Barack Obama concedes that one of the things that defeats him is the Spanish language.

In a conversation with a Guatemalan entrepreneur at the White House recently, Obama said that Spanish had eluded him when he tried to learn it, according to the Guatemalan news site siglo21.com

My Spanish in high school was painful, the president told Luis von Ahn, a Pennsylvania man of Guatemalan descent who is the creator of a language instruction app called Duolingo, during a gathering at the White House for young entrepreneurs.

My accent is terrible, even though I dont even have the vocabulary of a two-year-old child, but fortunately now there is Duolingo.

Von Ahn, whose app has roughly 100 million users worldwide, explained to Obama how people who dont have money to pay for foreign language classes use the app to learn English and [they hope] then have more educational and work opportunities.

He added that there are more people in the United States learning languages through Duolingo than in the schools.

This would suggest that theres a problem in our schools, Obama speculated.

Obama said he would not be able to use the app just yet.

Im not permitted to have a smartphone, for security  not age  reasons, he said with a smile.

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Where there are politicians, there are likely to be protests.

The GOP presidential debate in Cleveland Thursday night is no exception  protest rallies are scheduled to take place outside the debate venue, the Quicken Loans Arena.

One of the bigger ones is expected to target real estate mogul Donald Trump over his comments during his campaign announcement that accused Mexico of dumping rapists and drug dealers on the United States. The groups organizing that protest, titled Stop the Hate, include Change.org and Code Pink.

Another rally will target the Republican Party, according to Cleveland.com. Americans United for Change, the group holding that rally, says it wants to call attention to "how out of touch, and out of date all the candidates in the Republican field are."

"Stop the Hate" protesters plan to demand that candidates commit to policy positions that stress unity. Protesters want the candidates to support comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants, according to Cleveland.com

Organizer Don Bryant said one goal of the rally is that "candidates who have not yet taken a stand against Trump and his derogatory and dehumanizing comments will realize this is unacceptable and could lead to more racial violence in our country."

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Egypt's Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany headed on Monday an inspection tour of the mausoleums of King Fouad and Princess Feria at central Cairo's Al-Refai mosque, following the robbery on Sunday of six Islamic lamps that decorated the sites.

During the inspection, El-Enany said that the Ministry of Antiquities would be collaborating closely with the Ministry of Religious Endowments to ensure the highest level of protection for artefacts in Egypt's historical mosques.

El-Enany told Ahram Online that the mausoleums where the lamps were stolen are not used for prayers and are home to a number of historical artefacts. He said they should therefore be managed by the Ministry of Antiquities rather than the religious endowments ministry.

The Prosecutor-General's office is currently investigating the theft and questioning employees from the ministries of antiquities and religious endowments.

Alsaeid Helmy, head of Islamic and Coptic Antiquities at the ministry, said that a committee assigned Sunday to conduct an inventory of the mosque's artefacts has begun its work.

Helmy added that one of the stolen lamps has been replaced with a replica until the real ones can be recovered.

The stolen lamps date to 1911 (1328 Hegira), and are made of thick 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.

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Marco Rubios star power seemed to have cooled the past few weeks as other Republicans stole the spotlight, particularly Donald Trump, who has been dominating headlines with this controversial comments since he announced in June he was running for president.

But now he seems to have gotten his groove back.

The Florida senator is getting high marks for his performance at Thursday nights debate. There were testy back-and-forth exchanges between candidates, but Rubio mostly stuck to his scripts and kept his message personal and impassionate. The general consensus is that the Cuban-American was among the winners of a debate in which the number of candidates made it difficult for an individual to stand out.

The Associated Press called Rubios performance energetic and confident.

Most importantly for Rubio, he looked the part of a president, the Washington Post declared.

The New York Times said, Mr. Rubiohas a good a case to be considered the debates top performer.

One of Rubios most standout moments was his one-liner attack on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

If I'm our nominee, how is Hillary Clinton gonna lecture me about living paycheck to paycheck? I was raised paycheck to paycheck, said the son of a bartender and a housekeeper. How is she gonna lecture me about student loans? I owed over $100,000 just four years ago.

Rubio earned some of the loudest applause of the night when he offered up one of his well-used zingers to mock Clinton.

"Well, first let me say, I think God has blessed us. He's blessed the Republican Party with some very good candidates," he said. "The Democrats can't even find one."

After an incendiary answer from Donald Trump about his widely condemned comments about immigrants from Mexico, Rubio displayed his command of the issue by telling the crowed at Quicken Loans Arena that immigrants who live in the U.S. illegally are from Central American nations such as Guatemala and El Salvador, and are overstaying their legally obtained visas  as opposed to sneaking over the border.

People are frustrated, Rubio said. "This is the most generous country in the world when it comes to immigration. We feel like despite our generosity, we're being taken advantage of.

An authoritative Florida Sen. Marco Rubio also distinguished himself by highlighting his foreign policy bona fides and moving personal story.

These things come and go, Rubio said on Fox & Friends on Friday about the positive post-debate response he has been receiving. The bottom line is that day after polls and this early debate is not going to decide the election this is a long process there will be good days and bad days for every candidate.
Justice Department lawyers are asking a federal judge to reconsider her July ruling ordering the release of children and mothers detained after they entered the U.S. illegally across the Mexican border.

The lawyers filed the request late Thursday asking U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee in California to not implement her decision in light of recent changes aimed at turning the centers into short-term processing facilities.

Two centers in Texas and one in Pennsylvania currently hold some 1,400 people, mostly Central Americans seeking asylum after fleeing violence at home.

The government says limiting detention any further than it already has would encourage more illegal migration by families, and that brief detentions no longer violate legal agreements stipulating that immigrant children not be held in secure facilities.

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George P. Bush is talking up his dad  White House hopeful Jeb Bush  but knows some gentle ribbing awaits about his grandfather and uncle, two former Republican presidents also named George.

"We are lucky to have George Bush here. That's George P. Bush," says state Sen. Katrina Shealy, introducing the Texas land commissioner to the crowd at the Lizard's Thicket restaurant.

The out-of-town guest grins, but keeps silent. "Yeah," he later tells a reporter, "I've heard just about every George Bush joke that there possibly is."

The next-generation bearer of the powerful political name has been helping relatives run since age 3, when he clutched a balloon and sported a campaign T-shirt as grandfather George H.W. Bush launched his first presidential bid from a Houston park in 1979.

But never has George P.'s role as a political surrogate been as important as it is in the 2016 campaign. The 39-year-old is traveling the country  and flexing his muscle as a rising political star in Texas  and trying to help his father become the third Bush to sit in the White House.

"It's definitely more emotional," George P. Bush said of campaigning for his dad, rather than his grandfather or uncle, former President George W. Bush. "It's just a little closer to home."

George P. Bush suggested that doing so may be even more draining than running for the little-known but powerful job of Texas land commissioner, which he won in a landslide last fall.

"When you're a candidate, you know the criticism is going to come," he said in an interview. "But when it's a relative, and it's a man who you admire who's your father, it changes things."

Father and son have not campaigned together yet, though they talk frequently by telephone. Bush spoke at his father's campaign kickoff in June, but Jeb was in Florida while his son made a recent, one-day swing through South Carolina, home to the South's first presidential primary.

The younger Bush was in Columbia, the capital, to file paperwork putting his father's name on the state ballot, then traveled to Lexington for the event with Shealy.

"George P. Bush knows Jeb Bush better than anyone in the country. That's a strong surrogate," said Matt Moore, the state party chairman.

The younger Bush says he is focused on his "day job" in Texas, which he took over in January, when Republican Greg Abbott took office as governor. Bush he manages 13 million acres of state public land and mineral rights for activities such as oil and natural gas drilling.

Campaigning comes naturally to him.

He was 12 when he led the 1988 Republican National Convention in the Pledge of Allegiance. His mother, Columba, is from Mexico and George P., like his dad, speaks fluent Spanish. In 1992, he concluded a brief floor address at the party convention by screaming "Viva Bush!"

He sprinkled Spanish into his speeches during the 2000 and 2004 Republican national conventions, and campaigned for his uncle, reaching out to Hispanic voters.

George P. Bush also campaigned for his dad in Florida, where Jeb Bush served two terms as governor.

"I almost think it's more difficult now given the position he's in, since I think he's more conservative than his dad," said Eric Opiela a former executive director of the Texas Republican Party and a University of Texas law school classmate who remembers Bush being gone a lot during the 2000 presidential campaign.

"He has a very difficult line to toe now," Opiela said, "given that he's a statewide elected official in a state as conservative as Texas."

The younger Bush describes himself as a "movement conservative" and was an early endorser of long shot Senate candidate Ted Cruz, now a senator and one of his father's primary race rivals.

But George P. also has struck a more moderate tone on immigration and environmental issues, and says his dad can unite the often feuding factions of the Republican Party by using his conservative credentials to stand up to tea party activists.

Regardless of whether he helps his father win the presidency, Bush's political prospects look bright to many observers, including Moore, the South Carolina GOP chairman.

"I was thinking, Gov. Abbott in Texas now, so maybe the 2022 campaign for you?" Moore joked with Bush.

Like the George Bush jokes, that's something he's heard before, too.

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The U.S. Justice Department failed to prove a North Carolina county sheriff ordered deputies to target Hispanic residents in violation of their civil rights, a federal judge ruled Friday.

Judge Thomas Schroeder dismissed the government's civil lawsuit against Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson. Justice Department attorneys failed to demonstrate that Johnson's agency engaged in a pattern of unconstitutional law enforcement against Hispanics, the judge ruled. The government had alleged Johnson's deputies routinely targeted Latinos for traffic stops.

A statistical study commissioned by the DOJ said the Alamance County Sheriff's Office was as much as 10 times more likely to stop Hispanic drivers for traffic infractions than non-Latino drivers. But that evidence fell short since government attorneys failed to point to anyone who was mistreated, Schroeder wrote in a 253-page ruling issued nearly a year after he presided over a trial without a jury.

"Not a single person testified that any ACSO employee carried out any alleged improper directive or otherwise violated any individual's constitutional rights," Schroeder wrote. "Indeed, all witnesses, including those called by the Government, denied that they ever did or knew any ACSO officer who did."

DOJ spokeswoman Dena Iverson said the agency was disappointed in the ruling and will review it before deciding whether to appeal.

The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina said it and other groups had received complaints about Johnson, his deputies, and their treatment of Latinos for years.

"We urge the Department of Justice to appeal this miscarriage of justice in order to ensure all Alamance County residents can again have confidence in their Sheriff's department," ACLU staff attorney Carolyna Caicedo Manrique said in a statement.

Schroeder didn't entirely absolve Johnson's agency, noting some jail officers targeted minorities with ethnic slurs, which the judge called "offensive and reprehensible activity that should not be tolerated in any civil society, much less in a law enforcement environment."

Johnson's agency also didn't effectively track the selection of traffic checkpoints and lacked reviews of who was being stopped and what good those stops did, Schroeder said.

"The absence of a finding of a violation of federal law should not be construed as approval of the status quo, and such matters deserve immediate attention," the judge wrote.

Johnson only found out about the conduct of some jailers during depositions leading up to the trial and put new policies in effect to prevent a repeat in the future, said his attorney, Chuck Kitchen.

"The sheriff does not tolerate any discrimination against anyone," Kitchen said, adding that Johnson has Cherokee Indian ancestry.

The Justice Department said Johnson targeted Latinos to boost deportations after his agency in 2007 began participating in the federal 287(g) program, which trained local law enforcement officers to perform immigration checks. Hispanics arrested in the county were then automatically referred to investigators at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for potential deportation, the government said. ICE cut short its agreement with Alamance County in 2012.

Two retired lieutenants testified last year that during a traffic checkpoint in 2007 or 2008 Johnson demanded that Latino drivers be locked up after being pulled over. The checkpoint was set up during morning rush hour outside a mobile home park primarily populated by Hispanic renters, according to their testimony.

But Schroeder noted that the only Latino the Justice Department produced to testify about alleged targeting wasn't detained and also praised deputies for collecting fingerprints and searching for clues after he suffered two home burglaries. Burlington resident Jose Luis Arzola testified that during a 2010 traffic stop by an Alamance County deputy, he was asked for his "papers." But Arzola said he was released without a ticket after he told the deputy he had documents at his home showing he was a legal immigrant to the U.S.

Johnson, a Republican, was elected to a fourth four-year term in November after running unopposed.

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Amid increased trips to the island by U.S. business leaders and elected officials since presidents Raul Castro and Barack Obama announced in December the restoration of diplomatic relations, Cuban authorities arrested about 90 dissidents who were protesting on Sunday.

The mass arrests also came less than a week before U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to arrive in Havana for the reopening of the U.S. Embassy, an event that will be marked by the raising of the U.S. flag.

Cuba briefly detained dozens of activists who were advocating that the United States should do more to curb ongoing human rights abuses.

The dissidents, who included about 50 members of the Ladies in White, were held for about five hours then released, according to according to Agence France-Presse.

At the protest calling for human rights, many activists wore masks of Obamas face. Many blamed him for restoring relations with the regime of Raul Castro and not being firm enough about democratic reform in Cuba.

Activists said repression has grown worse since the return to diplomatic relations was announced.

"It's his fault, what is happening," said former political prisoner Angel Moya, speaking about Obama, according to AFP.

"The Cuban government has grown even bolder," he added before being detained.

"That's why we have this mask on. Because it's his fault," said Moya, who is the husband of Ladies in White leader Berta Soler.

Dissidents who were not among the detained were taunted by pro-regime protesters who shouted: Down with the pack of worms."

The re-establishment of the U.S. and Cuban embassies on each others soil officially occurred on July 20.

Cuba reopened its embassy in Washington D.C. on that day, but Kerry, who was in the midst of dealing with the Iran nuclear negotiations, scheduled the U.S. reopening for this month.

U.S. officials have said they are not ignoring the human rights problems in Cuba, and have said they have raised the issue in their discussions with Cuban officials. They maintain that having ties with Cuba will encourage democratic reforms on the island.

Critics of the reestablished ties say that the regime will not change its ways, and that it agreed to diplomatic relations for its own financial gain.

Since the opening of diplomatic relations and of the Cuban embassy in Washington, whats been going on in Cuba? wrote Elliot Abrams, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and deputy national security advisor in the administration of President George W. Bush. More repression. There were 630 political arrests in June, according to the Cuban Observatory for Human Rights.

While Kerry was celebrating the opening of Castros embassy in Washington, the Cuban regime was cracking down harder on the Cuban people.

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Miguel Angel Jimenez Blanco, a community activist who led the effort to find the remains of the 43 college students who disappeared last year in southwestern Mexico, was found shot to death on Saturday night in the taxi cab he drove.

Police in Xaltianguis, near Acapulco, found Jimenez sitting in the drivers seat of his taxi, shot multiple times in the thorax, according to the Mexican newspaper El Universal. Police aren't sure about the motive of the killing or if it's related to the missing students.

In 2013, Jimenez was one of the founders of the Citizens Security System (SSC) a citizens' defense group in Xaltianguis that is part of UPOEG, a coalition of defense and civic organizations in the state.

Jimenez also helped start the Other Disappeared of Iguala, a group of people who go out hunting on Sundays for remains of others who have gone missing in the area.

According to the BBC, the group has to date found 129 bodies, which have been turned over to Mexican authorities, and which mostly remain unidentified. Jimenez told the news organization that after the students disappeared, 300 families had come forward and said they had relatives that were missing as well.

"We have been saying from the start that this area is a cemetery," he said back in November.

After November, Jimenez stopped being personally involved in the searches and returned to Xaltianguis, possibly because of death threats, according to the head of UPOEG, Bruno Placido Valerio. He told the Associated Press that the death threats were related to his search efforts, and that they may have come from Guerreros Unidos.

In an April interview with Kara Andrade, a doctoral student at American University, Jimenez said he had received death threats from "people who are involved in things and whose interests I have impacted."

"They've chased me, in my town (Xaltianguis) they've tailed and followed me from place to place," Jimenez said.

The Other Disappeared of Iguala posted on its Facebook page on Sunday a brief tribute to Jimenez, saying, Wizard of Oz, who helped families be brave and go out hunting in the mountains, may God keep you in his glory [and] give your family strength.

"He was always looking for somebody to help," Xitlali Miranda, one of the activists in the Iguala searches, told the AP. "He was one of the first people to say, 'If these aren't the students (bodies), then who are they?'"

When the students disappeared in the town of Iguala on Sept. 26, 2014  they were arrested by corrupt local police and turned over to and presumed killed by a local criminal gang, Guerreros Unidos  Jimenez was an active part of the effort to press the government to find out what happened to them. He helped organize searches for their remains.

At first searchers found a number of mass graves, but none that contained the students.

In November, the countrys attorney general announced that what were believed to be their burned remains were discovered near a river in Cocula. Many of the students families remain skeptical of the governments claim, however, and the DNA of only one student was positively identified.

The secretary general of Guerrero, David Cienfuegos Salgado, explained that the main reason families didnt say anything sooner was mistrust of local authorities.

"Crimes linked to the disappearance of people need a statement to police before they can be taken up. In the last decade in Guerrero there have been few statements taken because the families are afraid. They fear the police themselves are involved in the disappearances."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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The Rio Grande Valley area, in Texas, has seen an uptick in the number of people  notably fathers  crossing the border, according to a local relief group and federal officials.

Border agents are arresting hundreds more than usual, with as many as 750 detained in a single day recently, the Monitor of McAllen quoted a Border Patrol official as saying.

Border Patrol spokesman Omar Zamora said the rise is not as dramatic as the daily arrests that rose to 1,500 last year.

But at least one local relief group is feeling the strain of more immigrants seeking help in the last month.

Its not alarming for us. Its something that we expected to see, but at the same time it is something that we are going to keep a pulse on, Zamora said. If we do see an increase, we want to make sure we dont get caught off guard.

But an immigrant relief center that Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley opened about a year ago is reporting seeing a tripling of immigrants coming to it in the last month.

The center is at the Sacred Heart Church downtown.

The director of the Catholic Charities office there, Sister Norma Pimentel, requested an additional tent to accommodate the extra people who have been arriving.

Its definitely put a strain on our resources, Pimentel said to the Monitor. This is a respite center and what we want is to take care for their immediate needs and they move on. So if they stay overnight, we need to work additional hours and we need additional help to take care of them.

Efforts by Fox News Latinoto get a comment from the Border Patrol or Catholic Charities were unsuccessful.

Catholic Charities says that 762 immigrants stayed overnight at the center in July, roughly 30 percent more than the number that did at the height of last years surge from Central America, the Monitor said.

Last years surge included many unaccompanied minors, as well as mothers with young children, illegally approaching the U.S. border. Many said they were fleeing violence and poverty in their homelands, and have asked for political asylum.

Pimentel said the new influx became perceptible in June, when families started showing up at the center without bus tickets.

After that, the center installed a 25-by-35-foot tent that can fit up to 35 people.

The extra tent is just to be prepared, Pimentel said. Weve always needed the extra space, but the main factor recently was the increase in fathers. I wanted to make sure we made that separation between them and the women and children.

Border Patrol agents met recently with local officials to discuss the uptick, according to the Monitor.

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The man sometimes called Governor Moonbeam has made it so that the word alien in California will officially only refer to men from outer space.

Jerry Brown announced Monday that he signed a bill to remove the term from the California labor code to describe foreign-born workers.

The law (SB432), which was authored by Democratic state Sen. Tony Mendoza, will take effect next year. Mendoza said removing the term "alien" was an important step toward modernizing California law because it is now commonly considered a derogatory term.

Alien is now commonly considered a derogatory term for a foreign-born person and has very negative connotations, Mendoza told the Los Angeles Times. The United States is a country of immigrants who not only form an integral part of our culture and society, but are also critical contributors to our economic success.

The state began using the term alien in 1937. SB432 amends a labor code enacted that year stating that citizens should be given priority over aliens when hiring for public-works contracts. That portion of the code was repealed in 1970, according to the newspapers, but the term remained elsewhere in the law.

The federal government uses alien as its official term when referring to undocumented immigrants.

Kevin R. Johnson, dean of public interest law and professor of Chicano studies at the University of California, Davis, told the Times, The concern is that the use of the word alien would dehumanize the people affected, possibly leading to them not receiving lack of protections under the law.

On the same day, Brown approved two other immigration-related measures: One bill allows high school students who are legal permanent residents to serve as poll workers in state elections, the other makes it illegal to take a child's immigration status into account in a civil liability case. The latter bill was a response to a sexual misconduct lawsuit filed by more than 80 elementary students from Miramonte Elementary School against the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is pressuring U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to meet with pro-Democracy activists in Cuba during his trip to Havana later this week.

In a sharply worded letter, Rubio  a Republican presidential candidate  asked Kerry to demand the release of political prisoners and meet with Cuban dissidents, whom he called the "legitimate representatives of the Cuban people."

"Despite all the setbacks President Obama's [policies] have inflicted on the cause of a free and democratic Cuba, I urge you to at least use the opportunity of your upcoming August 14th trip to Havana to demand the freedom and rights of the Cuban people," the Cuban-American lawmaker said in his letter, according to the Hill.

Rubio is one of a number of U.S. senators who have vowed to block the nomination of anyone President Barack Obama chooses to fill the new ambassador post in Havana. They have said they will continue to block it until the government of Raul Castro agrees to a number of demands from conservative U.S. lawmakers, including bolstering its human rights record.

In his letter, Rubio also said that a refusal to meet with the Cuban dissidents would be an "unforgivable betrayal of America's moral leadership in the world."

"At the very least, don't send another message that, under this president, America cares more about endearing itself to the oppressors instead of standing up for the oppressed," he said.

The lawmaker, however, appears to be fighting an uphill battle in regards to his stance on Cuba, as a recent Pew Research poll found that nearly three-quarters of Americans approve of U.S. efforts to restart diplomatic relations with Cuba and two-thirds of Republicans want to end the decades-long trade embargo with the island nation.

"[Rubio] is one of the few voices on that side. You just don't have very many anymore," Kirby Jones of Alamar Associates, which advises companies on how to deal with Cuba, told KSPR.

Secretary Kerry leaves on August 14 for Havana, after he and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez reopened the Cuban embassy in Washington, D.C. last month.

Kerry is expected to raise the U.S. flag over its embassy in Havana during his trip.

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Mexico said Tuesday it has chosen a U.S.-based Mexican academic as its new ambassador to Washington, filling a key diplomatic post left vacant for five months.

Mexico's Foreign Relations Department said the new ambassador will be Miguel Basanez, who is currently an adjunct professor at Tufts University's Fletcher School.

The ambassadorship to Mexico's most important trade and investment partner had been vacant since former Ambassador Eduardo Medina Mora was nominated to Mexico's Supreme Court in March.

Analysts had questioned why Mexico left the post vacant so long. About 11.4 million Mexican-born people live in the United States and about 1 million U.S. citizens live in Mexico according to the department.

The department said Basanez plans to "promote the empowerment of the Mexican community" in the United States.

Basanez is an expert on opinion polling who did much of his post-graduate education at British universities.

According to his Fletcher School academic profile, Basanez "assisted in the expansion of democracy in Mexico through the introduction of opinion polling for elections in 1985." Until then, opinion polls were little-used and seldom trusted, and the country had been ruled for over 55 years by the Institutional Revolutionary Party. The PRI, as the party is known, lost the presidency in 2000 and regained it in 2012.

Basanez also worked for PRI governments before going to the United States to continue his academic career.

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Dominicans living in New York City let their dislike for Mayor Bill de Blasio shine during their National Day Parade this weekend in the Big Apple.

De Blasio was heavily booed as he walked down Sixth Avenue on Sunday.

No more De Blasio, no more De Blasio! the crowd chanted to the citys leader, several news outlets reported.

Im a citizen and I wouldnt vote for him, said 25-year-old Sue Perez of the mayor. Dont go to the Dominican (Republic), he says. He said we dont like Haitians. He says our country is racist. He talks bad about us.

De Blasio is in hot water with Dominicans in New York after he slammed the country for deporting people of Haitian descent in a speech earlier this summer. He called the Dominican government racist and immoral and asked travelers to boycott travel.

It is clearly an illegal act. It is an immoral act. It is a racist act by the Dominican government, he said at the time.

At the parade, participant Miriam Vasquez told WNYC.com she now regretted voting for de Blasio.

"He needs to apologize to the Dominican Republic and all the people for his comment," she said.

Despite the icy reception, De Blasio said he doesnt regret his words.

If that situation is improving in the Dominican Republic, its because there was a public outcry, he told reporters after the parade, according to Gothamist. And Im very comfortable with the fact that that had to be called out.

Meanwhile, fellow Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo  who walked a block ahead of De Blasio  was cheered and even shared some fist bumps with parade-goers.

Cuomo received two awards on Sunday, one for his commitment to the community of Washington Heights and the other for fighting worker exploitation, the New York Post reported.

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A Venezuelan court on Tuesday agreed to move to house arrest opposition leader Daniel Ceballos, who has been imprisoned for more than a year.

His attorney, Juan Carlos Gutierrez, announced Tuesday that prosecutors had given permission for Ceballos to be released to his home while awaiting trial.

Ceballos was removed as mayor of the western city of San Cristobal during anti-government protests last year.

Ceballos was arrested in March 2014 and quickly convicted on charges of disobeying authority for his refusal to remove barricades set up by demonstrators in San Cristobal. Although he completed that one-year sentence, he was ordered held while awaiting trial on more serious charges tied to his support for protests in the city, which kicked off a nationwide wave of anti-government unrest.

Back in May, Ceballos from behind bars won a primary in San Cristobal to stand as the opposition alliance's candidate in this year's legislative elections. Under Venezuelan law, a win in the general election could free him from jail because legislators receive immunity from prosecution during their terms.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Jose Lino Ascencio Lopez, whose activism for freedom of speech and human rights in his native Cuba has landed him in jail there several times, wants to go the ceremony Friday for the historic opening of the U.S. Embassy in Havana.

But Lopez and other Cuban dissidents have not been invited by the Obama administration, which does not want to risk angering the Castro regime and ending up with Cuban officials boycotting a ceremony that is meant to be a key emblem of the renewed diplomatic relations between the two long-time adversaries.

It is nothing less than a slap in the face to the opposition movement in Cuba, Lopez said in an interview with Fox News Latino. To explicitly keep away people who have risked their lives  whose blood has been shed, fighting for human rights, challenging the dictatorship of the Castro brothers  is an insult and an utter lack of compassion by U.S. officials.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry intends to meet more quietly with prominent activists later in the day, officials said. Kerry's visit is the first by a sitting U.S. secretary of state to Cuba since World War II.

To explicitly keep away people who have risked their lives -- whose blood has been shed, fighting for human rights, challenging the dictatorship of the Castro brothers -- is an insult and an utter lack of compassion by U.S. officials.  Cuban dissident Jose Lino Ascencio Lopez, on U.S. decision not to invite dissidents to reopening of U.S. Embassy in Havana

Lopez says it is important for dissidents to be able to attend the ceremony because it makes a statement that human rights is respected and that their struggle is valued.

There are many of us still in jail, simply for raising the issue of freedom, of liberty, Lopez said. Its the dictatorships political police keeping the repression going.

Lopez said that if the past is any indication, Cuban security forces will make sure to keep dissidents away from the area around the new U.S. Embassy.

They mobilize their neighborhood watch groups and make sure that those of us who live outside Havana cant reach it, said Lopez, who lives in Santa Clara, which is about a three-hour drive from Havana. Theyll arrest some dissidents to make sure theyre unable to cause problems.

Lopez was among 53 dissidents released by Cuban authorities earlier this year as part of the accord with the U.S. government to restore diplomatic relations.

The Obama administration says it is normalizing ties with Cuba after more than 50 years of hostility failed to shake the communist state's hold on power. It argues that dealing directly with Cuba over issues ranging from human rights to trade is far likelier to produce democratic and free-market reforms over the long term.

Dissident Yoani Sanchez's online newspaper 14ymedio has received no credential for the U.S. embassy event, said editor Reinaldo Escobar, who is married to Sanchez.

"The right thing to do would be to invite us and hear us out despite the fact that we don't agree with the new U.S. policy," said Antonio Rodiles, head of the dissident group Estado de SATS.

More than 20 U.S. lawmakers have visited Cuba since February without meeting the opposition groups that were once obligatory for congressional delegations.

This week, after Cuba briefly rounded up dozens of protesting dissidents, the U.S. didn't suggest such action would delay Kerry's trip or cool relations.

"It wouldn't be surprising if North American diplomats prioritize contacts with the Cuban government," said Elizardo Sanchez, head of the Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation, a relatively moderate dissident group. "If we show up, they leave."

The administrations decision to ban dissidents from the embassy ceremony came under fire by some members of Congress who oppose the normalization of relations.

This is a new low for President Obama and a slap in the face by this administration to Cubas courageous democracy activists, said Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican whose parents came from Cuba. Cuban dissidents are the legitimate representatives of the Cuban people and it is they who deserve America's red carpet treatment, not Castro regime officials."

"What a pathetic policy President Obama has embarked on that shuns Cuban dissidents like this, yet has welcomed Castro regime officials to the White House.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Obama administration doesn't plan to invite Cuban dissidents to Secretary of State John Kerry's historic flag-raising at the U.S. Embassy in Havana on Friday, vividly illustrating how U.S. policy is shifting focus from the island's opposition to its single-party government. Instead, Kerry intends to meet more quietly with prominent activists later in the day, officials said.

The Cuban opposition has occupied the center of U.S. policy toward the island since the nations cut diplomatic relations in 1961. The Cuban government labels its domestic opponents as traitorous U.S. mercenaries. As the two countries have moved to restore relations, Cuba has almost entirely stopped meeting with American politicians who visit dissidents during trips to Havana.

That presented a quandary for U.S. officials organizing the ceremony to mark the reopening of the embassy on Havana's historic waterfront. Inviting dissidents would risk a boycott by Cuban officials including those who negotiated with the U.S. after Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro declared detente on Dec. 17. Excluding dissidents would certainly provoke fierce criticism from opponents of Obama's new policy, including Cuban-American Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio.

Officials familiar with the plans for Kerry's visit, the first by a sitting U.S. secretary of state to Cuba since World War II, told The Associated Press that a compromise was in the works. The dissidents won't be invited to the embassy event but a small group will meet with Kerry at the U.S. chief of mission's home in the afternoon, where a lower-key, flag-raising ceremony is scheduled.

Their presence at the embassy would have risked setting back the new spirit of cooperation the U.S. hopes to engender, according to the officials, who weren't authorized to speak publicly about internal planning and demanded anonymity. But not meeting them at all, they said, would send an equally bad signal.

"It wouldn't be surprising if North American diplomats prioritize contacts with the Cuban government," said Elizardo Sanchez, head of the Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation, a relatively moderate dissident group. "If we show up, they leave."

The Obama administration says it is normalizing ties with Cuba after more than 50 years of hostility failed to shake the communist state's hold on power. It argues that dealing directly with Cuba over issues ranging from human rights to trade is far likelier to produce democratic and free-market reforms over the long term.

Key dissidents told the AP late Tuesday that they had not received invitations to any of Friday's events.

Dissident Yoani Sanchez's online newspaper 14ymedio has received no credential for the U.S. embassy event, said editor Reinaldo Escobar, who is married to Sanchez.

"The right thing to do would be to invite us and hear us out despite the fact that we don't agree with the new U.S. policy," said Antonio Rodiles, head of the dissident group Estado de SATS.

In a letter to Kerry Tuesday, Rubio named Rodiles as one of the dissidents who should be invited to the embassy.

"They, among many others, and not the Castro family, are the legitimate representatives of the Cuban people," Rubio said.

The cautious approach is consistent with how Obama has handled the question of support for dissidents since he and Castro announced a prisoner swap in December and their intention to create a broader improvement in relations. The process has resulted in unilateral steps by Obama to ease the economic embargo on Cuba and last month's formal upgrading of both countries' interests sections into full-fledged embassies.

When senior diplomat Roberta Jacobson held talks in Havana in January, she met several government critics at the end of her historic trip but was restrained in her criticism of the government. Since then, American politicians have flooded Havana to see the sights, meet the country's new entrepreneurs and discuss possibly ending the U.S. embargo with leaders of the communist government.

According to an Associated Press count that matches tallies by leading dissidents, more than 20 U.S. lawmakers have visited Cuba since February without meeting the opposition groups that were once obligatory for congressional delegations.

This week, after Cuba briefly rounded up dozens of protesting dissidents, the U.S. didn't suggest such action would delay Kerry's trip or cool relations.

"The United States will continue to advocate for the rights to peaceful assembly, association and freedom of expression and religion, and we're going to continue to voice our support for improved human rights conditions and democratic reforms in Cuba," State Department spokesman John Kirby said.

Along with the flag-raising events, Kerry will meet Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez. The pair could hold a joint news conference, in what would surely be a first since the Cuban Revolution toppled U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959. Kerry also plans a short walk around Cuba's 500-year-old capital, officials said.

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Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican who catapulted into the limelight with an unexpected strong performance at the first GOP debate last Thursday, says that undocumented immigrants who have not been involved in crimes should have a chance to establish legal permanent residency in the United States.

In a CNN interview, Kasich, whose candidacy had been dwarfed by other fellow Republicans who have dominated the headlines and had national high profiles even before they launched presidential campaigns, said: [The] 11 or 12 million who are here, we ought to find out who they are. If they've been law-abiding over a period of time, they ought to be legalized, and they ought to be able to stay here."

Kasichs comments raised some eyebrows.

In the past, Kasich has carved out a hard line on immigration issues.

He has spoken out against automatic U.S. citizenship for babies born in this country to undocumented immigrants. He also has called for a fence all along the U.S.-Mexico border.

While he still expressed support for the fence in the CNN interview on Sunday, he backed away from opposing birthright citizenship.

"I don't think we need to go there, he responded when asked about the topic.

There are people who contribute a lot to the United States of America, Kasich said. If you have violated the law, we're going to ship you out. And once that fence gets builtI think we should make it clear, anybody who sneaks in, you're going back home.

The governor added that he supports a guest worker program, though he did not say if he would expand it or alter the one that already exists.

He also said that undocumented immigrants who come in as minors should be given breaks.

In terms of these people who were brought here, young children, you know, in our state they can get driver's licenses, he said. We treat them with respect.

Kasich said that immigration has not been addressed effectively in Congress because of the excessive fighting among lawmakers over the issue.

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Top immigration enforcement officials won't have to attend a federal court hearing in Texas over problems that led to work permits being mistakenly awarded under President Barack Obama's executive immigration action after the judge had put the plan on hold.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and four other officials previously were ordered by U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen in Brownsville, Texas, to attend an Aug. 19 hearing. Hanen had threatened to hold the officials in contempt of court for the problems.

But in a court order Tuesday, Hanen said the officials don't have to attend the hearing.

Last month, the Justice Department said in court documents the federal government now complies with Hanen's preliminary injunction that suspended Obama's immigration plan after a lawsuit was filed.

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Former Cuban president Fidel Castro is turning 89 today, incidentally on the eve of the historic reopening of the U.S. embassy in Havana, and he is not short on present requests  he is asking the United States to pay many, many millions of dollars to the island nation for its hostile policies since the 1959 communist revolution.

In his Reflections column published Thursday in the official newspaper, Granma, Castro writes Cuba is owed compensation, the equivalent of damages, amounting to many, many millions of dollars, as our country has reported and irrefutably documented at the United Nations."

The column also analyzes the consequences of World War II, and the wealth that the U.S. accumulated in the years that followed that conflict.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to attend Friday the ceremony marking the reopening of the embassy, a visit that will mark the first for a sitting secretary of state in more than 50 years.

The current Cuban president, Fidels brother Raul, has stated that the normalization of relations, beyond the reestablishment diplomatic ties, wont be complete until the U.S. lifts the sanctions imposed on the island for over half a century.

Retired since 2006 when a sudden illness caused him to cede power, Fidel Castro now spends most of the time outside the public eye and meeting at his home with notable personalities and political allies.

On Wednesday night, Bolivian President Evo Morales arrived in Cuba in order to pay homage to the ex-president on his birthday.

"I am very pleased and happy be with our brother Fidel Castro on his birthday," Morales told local reporters on his arrival, according to a report by Granma.

Morales described the restoration of diplomatic relations with the U.S. and the reopening of embassies "a triumph" for Cuba and for "unity throughout the world," while condemning the embargo.

Kerry will travel to the island on Friday for the formal ceremony reopening the embassy. The Cuban embassy in Washington was installed in July.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

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Republican presidential candidate John Kasich defended millions of immigrants in the U.S. illegally as "people who are contributing significantly" to the nation, taking on a divisive issue Wednesday as he promised to redefine conservatism during his latest New Hampshire appearance.

Kasich, a second-term Ohio governor, addressed immigration among other delicate political issues before a crowd of more than 200 packed into a small VFW hall, his second public stop in a two-day swing through the first-in-the-nation primary state. Kasich remains one of the lesser-known 17 Republican White House hopefuls, yet a strong debate performance in his home state last week has produced fresh signs of momentum.

Introducing himself to many New Hampshire voters for the first time this week, he offered a pragmatic approach to national politics likely to antagonize some of his party's more conservative voters.

He quickly dismissed a questioner during an afternoon town hall-style meeting who suggested immigrants in the country illegally are a burden on the system.

"A lot of these people who are here are some of the hardest-working, God-fearing, family-oriented people you can ever meet," Kasich said to a smattering of polite applause.

Speaking later to reporters, he said he would complete the wall along the U.S.-Mexican border and would deport anyone who enters the country illegally once it's finished. He favors a pathway to legal status for such immigrants already in the country, and would not rule out a pathway to U.S. citizenship as part of an immigration reform package.

"It's not practical to move, or I don't even think desirable, to try to shift 12 million people out of this country," Kasich said. "These are people who are contributing significantly."

In tone and policy, Kasich's remarks on immigration are in line with those of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a popular target for tea party activists who question his conservative credentials. While primary voting won't begin for another six months, Kasich's early rise represents a direct threat to Bush's chances in New Hampshire, a state both men see as critical to their early state strategy.

The Ohio governor's comments stand in stark contrast to billionaire businessman Donald Trump, who described Mexican immigrants as "rapists" and "criminals" as he entered the Republican presidential contest earlier in the summer.

At Kasich's side for much of the day was former state attorney general Tom Rath, once a prominent supporter of Bush's brother, former President George W. Bush, who formally endorsed Kasich this week.

"I have enormous respect for the Bush family and for (Jeb Bush) personally," Rath said. "This is really not about Jeb Bush in any way. This is about John Kasich."

As he often does, Kasich devoted a significant portion of his remarks to those living "in the shadows" of society. He promised to help the mentally ill and drug addicts who end up in prisons and the working poor who don't have health care.

"I don't know how the Republican Party ever got itself put in the trick bag by somehow saying that if we care about people who are down and out, and we want to give them a chance to succeed, then somehow that's not conservative," Kasich said. "I think conservatism is about giving everybody a chance  demanding personal responsibility  but allowing people to pursue their God-given purpose is conservative."

He continued: "Hopefully in the course of all this, I'll begin to change some of the thinking about what it means to be a conservative."

The Ohio governor is scheduled to visit South Carolina, Iowa and New Hampshire again in the coming weeks.

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It would seem that, for a poet, nothing could top being asked to pen and then recite a poem for a presidential inauguration.

But for Richard Blanco, who got such an honor in 2013, when he read his poem One Today at President Barack Obamas second inauguration, Friday will bring an even more special, poignant milestone.

That is when Blanco, the son of Cuban immigrants who fled Fidel Castros regime, will be in Havana to read a poem he was asked by the Obama administration to write for the momentous reopening of the U.S. Embassy.

This is just so core, Blanco, 47, said in a telephone interview with Fox News Latino. There is a real personal history. Im so honored and so humbled and so elated. Im in la-la land.

Blancos parents were staunchly against Cubas communist government, the Castro regime and, like many Cuban exiles, opposed to any expression by the U.S. government of leniency or amiability toward them.

Poetry is about reaching for our common humanity. I had to tread very lightly, much like the inaugural poem. I knew I didnt want a poem that was politically charged one way or the other. That is what political speeches are for.  Richard Blanco, who wrote a poem about U.S. and Cuba he will read at U.S. flag-raising in Havana

He was born in Spain and grew up in Miami, which became home to the largest population of Cuban exiles in the world.

Blancos childhood Miami was a place where exiles, for well over a decade, spun visions of returning to Cuba. Erstwhile Miami was where many saw the U.S. embargo and the U.S. governments refusal to engage in any kind of diplomacy with the regime as weapons that eventually would force their homeland to implement democratic reforms.

And as the decades passed with no reform, the Cold War policies were seen as crucial nonetheless  a symbol of the U.S. rejection of the regime.

Now, as Cuba and the United States keep taking steps toward restoring diplomatic relations, Blanco finds himself in the middle of one of the most visible and significant markers of this new era.

Shortly after 9 a.m. on Friday, Blanco, who was planning to travel to Havana Thursday afternoon, is scheduled to read his one-page poem at the ceremony outside the re-established U.S. Embassy. Secretary of State John Kerry will formally reopen the embassy at the site of what until this year has been the U.S. Interests Section.

It was the hardest and easiest poem I have had to write, said Blanco, who first visited Cuba in 1984 and has been there six times.

For the inauguration, I wrote three poems in three weeks, he said.

The White House wanted him to write three poems for the inauguration, and they chose one.

Blanco was the fifth inaugural poet in U.S. historythe youngest, first Latino, immigrant, and gay person to serve in such a role.

He spent two months working on the one for the embassy reopening. He finally stopped working on it about a week ago because, he said, if he kept looking at it he would keep seeing things to change.

It was the easiest poem he has written because, he said, the inspiration to work on it was there, in every pore of his body.

Its something Ive been writing all my life, in a way, he said, la busqueda.

La busqueda (the quest)  U.S. and Cuba finding each other, once again. Cubans on the island and those in the diaspora coming together, in new ways, once again.

But it was so incredibly hard  this was something so close to him, something so complex, so emotionally charged for him and for the people who would hear it on Friday, and long afterward.

It had to be, he knew, about relationships. Relationships between the Cuba and the United States. Between Cubans on the island, and those outside. And relationships among the different generations of Cuba.

The enormity of the task bestowed upon him hit hard in June when he was in Cuba  days after he learned that he'd been chosen to write a poem for the historic event  and walked near the building where the U.S. flag will be raised.

"I cried," Blanco said.

The poem, he decided early on, could not go into politics.

He is a poet.

Poetry is about reaching for our common humanity, Blanco said. I had to tread very lightly, much like the inaugural poem. I knew I didnt want a poem that was politically charged one way or the other. That is what political speeches are for.

I didnt want to disrespect anybody, he said. I wanted to honor all our stories.

And that means the stories of Cuban exiles, the stories of Cubans on the island, the stories of all of them, no matter what their ideology, Blanco said.

So I ended up taking the idea of the 90 miles between these two countries  everyone always talks about only 90 miles are between them, he said. Its 90 miles that often might as well have been 9,000 miles. And all the lives that have been lost in those 90 miles. And then I had to take that invisible Berlin Wall and turn it poetically on its feet, and say that the sea that divides us is also the sea that joins us.

I thought of little vignettes that take us [Cubans in Cuba and those outside] on a human to human level  a mother is a mother, a father is a father, we all have our hopes and dreams, our failures and joys and triumphs, he said.

Blancos father is deceased. His mother lives in Miami.

What does she think of Blancos role in the flag-raising at the U.S. Embassy in Havana?

My mother is hard to read sometimes, he said, laughing. What surprised me after the announcement by President Obama in December [is that] I thought thered be all this discussion against it.

But his mother just said,Well, well see.

It really struck me, how things have changed, Blanco said. My mother has healed, she has found peace. Shes hopeful that change will happen for the good of the Cuban people.

Shes a little bit tired, she recognizes that change is inevitable, Blanco said. Miami has evolved, the same way that Cuba has evolved. Its not just Cubans, its a pattern of human nature.

Adopting a different outlook, Blanco said, is not about dismissing the long-time pain and disagreements when it comes to Cuba.

Its not about forgetting history, or disrespecting peoples experiences and stories, he said. I honor and respect my mothers stories, and those of my grandparents. They were very real, and very valid."

"But we cant look at [diplomatic relations] as someone winning and someone losing," Blanco said. "Its looking at the larger picture. We cant fight forever. Its an emotional truce. Were not going to sit in the same room for another 50 years without talking to each other.
In a historic speech outside the newly opened United States embassy in Cuba, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry praised leaders from both countries for resolving decades of deep-seeded animosity and restoring relations between Havana and Washington.

Speaking in front of Havanas famed Malecon esplanade, Kerry heaped praise on both President Barack Obama and Cuban leader Raul Castro for their work in helping restore relations, but also warned that U.S. leaders would still push Cuba on its hazy human rights record and help it become a more democratic society.

The goal of all these changes is to help Cubans connect to the world and improve their lives, Kerry said.

The U.S. top diplomat  who became the first secretary of state to visit the island since 1945  spoke about all the changes that have occurred in the world since the U.S. and Cuba severed ties in the early 1960s. He spoke of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the transitions to democracy throughout the former Soviet states in Eastern Europe and the improvement of relations between the U.S. and Vietnam.

All that time  the reconciliation and the normalization  and Cuban-American relations remained locked in the past, Kerry, a veteran of the Vietnam War, said.

Kerry's visit was heavily criticized by those who say the Obama administration acquiesced to a regime that has no respect for human rights.

The accommodation of the Castro regime comes at the expense of the freedom and democracy that all Cubans deserve, but Secretary Kerrys visit is especially insulting for Cubas dissidents," said GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush. "That courageous Cubans whose only crime is to speak out for freedom and democracy will be kept away from the official ceremony opening the U.S. Embassy is yet another concession to the Castros."

Cuban-American Sen. Marco Rubio, another GOP presidential contender, said the U.S. is now friendly with a nation that has long been hostile to its own people.

In Cuba, we face proudly anti-American leaders who continue to work with nations like Russia and China to spy on our people and government, Rubio said, who harbor fugitives from American justice; and who stand in opposition to nearly every value our nation holds dear by violating the basic human rights of their own people, preventing democratic elections, and depriving their nations economy of freedom and opportunity.

In his speech, Kerry also acknowledged that the strong-arm policy that the U.S. has held toward Cuba in the past was misguided and needed to be changed. He added that Cubans need to chart their own path and not be influenced by American foreign policy.

U.S. policy is not the anvil on which Cubas future is forged, he said. Cubas future is for Cuba to shape.

While the U.S. and Cuba have normalized relations, the 53-year old embargo placed on the island nation is still in place.

Kerry said that the Obama administration would like to have the embargo lifted, but lawmakers in Congress must vote to repeal it.

Obama has said he would be moving to empower the Cuban people by loosening the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba through a series of executive actions that make it easier for American citizens to travel to the island and trade with its growing class of private business owners.

Havana has repeatedly demanded a complete lifting of the embargo. The Cuban government has not responded to Obama's actions with measures that would allow ordinary Cubans to benefit from them, such as allowing low-cost imports and exports by Cuban entrepreneurs looking to do business with the U.S.

This is a step we strongly favor, he added.

The secretary of state, however, did not fail to address some of Washingtons long-running qualms with the Castro regime, including its suppression of free speech, lack of democratic elections and allegations of widespread human rights abuses.

Cuban dissidents were not invited to the embassy ceremony, avoiding tensions with Cuban officials who typically boycott events attended by the country's political opposition. The State Department said it had limited space at what it called a government-to-government event, and invited dissidents to a separate afternoon flag-raising at the home of the embassy's chief of mission.

We remain convinced the people of Cuba would be best served by a genuine democracy, where people are free to choose their leaders, express their ideas (and) practice their faith, Kerry said.

Cuban-American poet Richard Blanco, who read a poem at Obama's second inauguration, presented a new work, Matters of the Sea, before three Marines who lowered the flag at the embassy's closing in 1961 return to raise the Stars and Stripes again.

High-ranking Cuban officials, U.S. business executives and Cuban-Americans who pushed for warming with Cuba gathered inside the former U.S. Interests Section, newly emblazoned with the letters "Embassy of the United States of America."

Among those gathering in front of the U.S. Embassy in Havana were the drivers of three 1950s-era Chevrolets parked outside the building, which Kerry jokingly referred to as his future transportation.

Julio Alvarez, head of the custom cab company that operates them, said the State Department had invited him to send them without saying why, but he hoped that Kerry will take a ride in one.

Soon after Kerry heads home Friday evening, the Cuban and U.S. diplomats who negotiated the embassy reopening will launch full-time into the next phase of detente: expanding economic ties between the two nations with measures like re-establishing direct flights and mail service.

The Americans also want to resolve billions of dollars in half-century-old American claims over property confiscated after the Cuban revolution. Cuba has its own claims, as noted in a newspaper column by Fidel Castro on Thursday saying the U.S. owes the island "numerous millions of dollars" for damages caused by the embargo.

"We have diplomatic relations; now we can get to the real work," said Wayne Smith, a retired U.S. diplomat who witnessed the closing of the U.S. Embassy in 1961, served in Cuba under President Jimmy Carter and returned this week to attend Friday's ceremony.

Includes reporting by The Associated Press.

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As Secretary of State John Kerry spoke outside the U.S. embassy in Havana where the Stars and Stripes is once again flying for the first time in decades, several South Florida residents made their way to Cafe Versailles to share their thoughts, positive and negative, on the historic event.

Mixed emotions filled the Friday morning air as history was being made in Cuba. On the corner of Southwest Eighth Street and Southwest 36th Avenue, protesters and supporters gathered, some calling the day historic, while others tangled with feelings of disgust and called it a day of infamy.

Gustavo Rearte said he is ready for new changes and hopeful for a bright future for Cuba. "Honestly, personally, I think it's an exciting time," he said. "I think that, you know, my family hasn't been to Cuba in over 50 years, and it's a new day. I think it's a new opportunity. I think that with the right leadership, with the right conversations, you can start to see change."

Anna Maria Cobo agreed with Rearte but was cautiously optimistic about future changes but was quick to remember those who suffered during the last few decades. "I agree with him [Rearte], but don't forget all the people that have died in there," she said. "That I will not forget."

Cuban-American lawmaker Ileana Ros-Lehtinen shared her thoughts. "Today, the Obama administration extended its hand to the Castro regime and last month it was to the supreme leader in Iran," she said. "And have either of these regimes shown any sign of unclenching their fists? Of course not."

Presidential candidates Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush also shared their disgust with the historic event. "In Cuba, we face a proudly anti-American leadership who continues to work with nations, like Russia and China, to spy on our people and our government," said Rubio, "who harbor fugitives from American justice and who stand in opposition to nearly every value our nation holds dear by violating the basic human rights of their own people by preventing democratic elections and by depriving their nation's economy of freedom of opportunity."

"Today we're having Secretary Kerry do a victory dance inside ... in Havana, Cuba," said Bush. "It's heartbreaking to see the lack of commitment to true leadership, and we're gonna pay a price."

Back in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood, protesters were also seen ripping and shredding a piece of cardboard with an image of a flag representing the Castro government. "The Castro regime never change. They don't wanna change. They want to put the United States in the floor," said one protester.

The scene occurred on the streets, leading to a scuffle with one man who stopped his vehicle to argue with the protesters. Miami police responded to the scene to help ease tensions. A man who was the most vocal supporter to the reopening of the U.S. embassy was taken into custody. A second person was also taken into custody

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Washington's top diplomat is coming to Havana on Friday to raise the Stars and Stripes over the newly opened U.S. Embassy, making a symbolically-charged victory lap for the Obama administration's new policy of engagement with Cuba.

Ordinary Cubans will cheer, U.S. business executives will network and Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with Cuba's foreign minister, the country's Roman Catholic archbishop and a hand-picked group of dissidents.

Then the hard part begins.

Soon after Kerry heads home Friday evening, the Cuban and U.S. diplomats who negotiated the embassy reopening will launch full-time into the next phase of detente: expanding economic ties between the two nations with measures like direct flights and mail service.

The Americans also want to resolve billions of dollars in half-century-old American claims over property confiscated after the Cuban revolution. Cuba has its own claims, as noted in a newspaper column by Fidel Castro on Thursday saying the U.S. owes the island "numerous millions of dollars" for damages caused by the embargo.

"We have diplomatic relations; now we can get to the real work," said Wayne Smith, a retired U.S. diplomat who witnessed the closing of the U.S. Embassy in 1961, served in Cuba under President Jimmy Carter and returned this week to attend Friday's ceremony.

Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro announced on Dec. 17 that they would re-establish diplomatic ties 54 years after the flag was taken down from the embassy overlooking Havana's seaside boulevard, the Malecon.

Obama also said he would be moving to empower the Cuban people by loosening the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba through a series of executive actions that make it easier for American citizens to travel to Cuba and trade with the island's growing class of private business owners.

Eight months later, Cuba has repeatedly demanded a complete lifting of the embargo. It has not responded to Obama's actions with measures that would allow ordinary Cubans to benefit from them, such as allowing low-cost imports and exports by Cuban entrepreneurs looking to do business with the U.S.

"I think we're ending one phase and entering another," said Robert Muse, a U.S. lawyer specializing in Cuba. "The handshakes, the fraternal regards, the raising of the flags, that'll end on Aug. 14. Then I think it's very particular conversations begin."

While Cuba has increased its highly limited Internet access since Dec. 17 in a measure U.S. officials partially attribute to the warming with Washington, ordinary Cubans are growing increasingly impatient for concrete results from the new relationship.

"I'm optimistic but cautious," said Rolando Mendez, a state worker walking outside the new U.S. Embassy on Thursday. "We have to wait and see how events develop and if there really will be benefits for the two peoples."

The U.S. tried several times to hold discussions with Cuban officials about the details of Obama's loosening of U.S. regulations but those meetings never happened amid the pressure to strike a deal allowing the reopening of embassies in Havana and Washington on July 20.

U.S. diplomats say that such a meeting, which will hopefully lead to a real increase in trade with the U.S., is among the top priorities of the normalization talks expected to start in earnest in coming weeks.

After the flag ceremony and a meeting with Havana Archbishop Jaime Ortega, Kerry is scheduled to meet with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez followed by a news conference and the raising of a second flag at the stately home of the embassy's chief of mission, where the secretary of state is also expected to meet with Cuban dissidents.

Kerry said in a series of interviews with Spanish-language press Wednesday that the day would move the U.S.-Cuban relationship into a series of detailed talks about topics including "law enforcement, maritime security, education, health, telecommunications."

"We will talk very directly about a sort of road map toward real, full normalization," Kerry said.

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As Obama administration officials were in Havana on Friday morning, preparing to raise the U.S. flag outside the reopened U.S. Embassy there, Sen. Marco Rubio told a crowd in Manhattan that as president he would undo the new ties between the U.S. and Cuba that are serving only the interests of the Castro dictatorship, and not the United States.

Speaking before a crowd at the Foreign Policy Initiative in Manhattan, Rubio -- a Florida Repubican whose parents came from Cuba and who favors a strict approach to the Castro regime  denounced the overtures that the Obama administration has made to longtime U.S. enemies such as Cuba and Iran.

He termed them dangerous developments that represent the convergence of nearly every flawed strategic, moral, and economic notion that has driven President Obamas foreign policy, and as such are emblematic of so many of the crises he has worsened around the world.

Rubio, who has made a hawkish foreign policy approach a cornerstone of his presidential campaign, said that by restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba while the Castro regime has very publicly and adamantly vowed not to change its political system, the Obama administration is disregarding the plight of the Cuban people who continue to endure oppression and human rights violations.

In Cuba, we face proudly anti-American leaders who continue to work with nations like Russia and China to spy on our people and government, Rubio said, who harbor fugitives from American justice; and who stand in opposition to nearly every value our nation holds dear by violating the basic human rights of their own people, preventing democratic elections, and depriving their nations economy of freedom and opportunity.

Rubio said that even as recently as this week, Cuban authorities rounded up some 90 human rights activists and detained them for several hours. He said that is what continues to happen in Cuba  minor offenses in Iran and Cuba are punishable by indefinite detention, torture, or even death, and these offenses often include nothing more than speaking out with the wrong political opinion.

Rubio said that if elected president, he would invite dissidents from Iran, Cuba and other nations that are repressive to his inauguration. The 44-year-old senator said this after he noted that Cuban dissidents explicitly were excluded from the embassy reopening in Havana out of fear by the Obama administration of angering Cuban government officials.

Cubas dissidents have fought for decades for the very Democratic principles President Obama claims to be advancing through these concessions, Rubio said. Their exclusion from this event has ensured it will be little more than a propaganda rally for the Castro regime.

Rubio said Obamas approach to Cuba, and to lifting the sanctions on Iran, undermines the United States moral authority before the international community.

President Obama has rewarded the Castro regime for its repressive tactics and persistent, patient opposition to American interests, Rubio said. He has ensured the regime will receive international legitimacy and a substantial economic boost to benefit its repression of the Cuban people, which has only increased since the new policy was announced.

Rubio said the olive branch approach to foreign policy would end under his presidency.

I will quickly reimpose sanctions on Iran, he said. I will give the mullahs a choice: either you have an economy or you have a nuclear program, but you cannot have both.

As for Cuba, Rubio said: I will undertake an equally bold plan to roll back President Obamas concessions to the Castro regime.

First, on day one, I will give the Castros a choice: either continue repressing your people and lose the diplomatic relations and benefits provided by President Obama, or carry out meaningful political and human rights reforms and receive increased U.S. trade, investment, and support.

Rubio said he would also put Cuba back on the world state sponsors of terrorism list, from which the Obama administration just took the country off, and he would give active support to dissidents.

These are the actions required, Rubio said, to restore the safety and security President Obama has cost us through his diplomacy with dictators.
Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio is slamming President Barak Obama's outreach to Iran and Cuba, calling his diplomacy with the two nations evidence of "every flawed strategic, moral and economic notion" that has driven his foreign policy.

In a blistering speech Friday to the conservative-leaning Foreign Policy Initiative in New York, set for delivery the same day Secretary of State John Kerry re-opens the U.S. embassy in Havana, the Florida senator will say that Obama has made no efforts "to stand on the side of freedom."

"He has been quick to deal with the oppressors, but slow to deal with the oppressed," Rubio says in excerpts of prepared remarks released by his campaign. "And his excuses are paper-thin."

A member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Cuban-American lawmaker has made foreign policy a centerpiece of his campaign for president. In the speech, he pledges to "roll back" what he termed Obama's "concessions" to Cuba and the recently completed nuclear deal with Iran and says he will "repair the damage done to America's standing in the Middle East."

Rubio says he would demand that the Cuban government carry out political and human rights reforms to maintain diplomatic relations and would return the country to the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism until it stops "helping North Korea evade international sanctions" and "harboring fugitives from American justice."

The Obama administration has said it is normalizing ties with Cuba after more than 50 years of hostility failed to shake the communist government's hold on power. It argues that dealing directly with Cuba over issues including human rights and trade is far likelier to produce democratic and free-market reforms over the long term.

While the issue is one of personal importance to Rubio, whose parents emigrated from Cuba in the 1950s, it doesn't top the list of foreign policy issues that matter to Americans.

A poll released Friday by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that only 1 in 3 Americans said it was important to hear from the next president about their approach to Cuba, compared with nearly 9 of 10 who wanted to hear about terrorism and cyberattacks by foreign countries or terrorist groups.

Roughly three-quarters of Americans said it was important to hear from the next president about Iran. Rubio in his speech vows to re-impose the economic sanctions U.S. and other world powers agreed to lift in exchange for curbs on Tehran's nuclear program.

"I will give the mullahs a choice: either you have an economy or you have a nuclear program, but you cannot have both," he says.

Any talks to come afterward must result in a deal that terminates Iran's nuclear program, he says, and would also be tied to "Iran's broader conduct, from human rights abuses to support for terrorism and threats against Israel."

"There would be no room for equivocation, no room for manipulation and no room for cheating," Rubio says. "Some will say there will also be no room for negotiations. But history proves otherwise. Iran may not return to the table immediately, but it will return when its national interests require it to do so."

Opposition to the Iran nuclear deal, brokered by the U.S., Britain China, France, Germany and Russia, is universal among the Republican candidates for president. Congress will vote on the agreement in about a month, and Obama is working to secure enough Democratic votes to prevent Congress from overriding his veto of its likely vote to oppose the deal.

Obama has said that Republicans are opposing the Iran nuclear deal because his name is on it.

"Unfortunately, a large portion of the Republican Party, if not a near unanimous portion of Republican representatives, are going to be opposed to anything that I do," Obama told NPR News earlier this week.

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No endorsements were made, but Jeb Bush got the next best thing Friday from the top three Republicans in Iowa  personal time at the Iowa State Fair.

Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst welcomed the former Florida governor to the fair early Friday and Gov. Terry Branstad joined him to flip pork loins on the sizzling grill at the Iowa Pork Producers tent later in the morning. Bush's comprehensive tour included snacking on a deep fried Snickers bar, sampling pork chops on sticks and appearing on the political soapbox  where he got pinged on Iraq, capping a week in which he focused heavily on foreign policy.

Recent polls indicate the former Florida governor is struggling in Iowa, but Bush said many voters are still looking at the field. Asked whether he was "all-in" for the leadoff caucus state, the former Florida governor stressed that he would be "competitive." Bush said his father, George H.W. Bush, was an "asterisk" at this stage of the 1980 race.

"Last time around there were candidates that were winning at this point that never even made it to the starting line," Bush said.

During his time on the soapbox hosted by The Des Moines Register newspaper, Bush stressed his executive experience and said he supports education standards created by states. He also gave out an email address to the crowd of hundreds and said he was committed to transparency.

Still, Bush could not fully escape questions about his family's political legacy, taking several foreign policy questions during the 20-minute appearance. He pushed back against an audience member who noted Bush's brother, former President George W. Bush, signed the deal requiring U.S. forces to exit Iraq by 2011, arguing that the plans could have been modified. Bush recently rolled out a strategy to fight the Islamic State, blaming the rise of the militant group on the troop departure in 2011.

"Everybody in Iraq and everybody in Washington knew this deal could have been expanded," Bush said. "Now we need to do something else, which is to deal with the fact that we have Islamic terrorists organized as a caliphate."

Asked whether he was taking advice from Paul Wolfowitz  a senior Defense Department official under both his brother and father  Bush said Wolfowitz was providing some advice but that most policy guidance came from a team in Miami. He noted that when it comes to advisers, anyone with executive experience would have dealt with one of the Bush administrations.

"This is kind of a tough game for me to be playing, to be honest with you," Bush said. "I'm my own person."

Bush pledged to be a president who would find bipartisan consensus on issues, though he took a swipe at Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton.

"I campaign the way that I would govern, out amongst everybody, no rope lines," Bush said, referring to an effort by her campaign to separate Clinton from reporters by using a rope line at a July 4 parade. "The next president is going to have to unite this country."

Bush's family was also referenced by voters as he walked among the booths selling deep-fried funnel cakes, corn dogs and pork chops. One man asked about his father's health.

"My dad's recovering, and my mom's the best caregiver in the world," Bush said.

After downing a beer on the sweltering morning, Bush sat down at a table at the fair's beer tent and chatted with Chris McLinden, a Dallas County Republican who recently agreed to head up Bush's efforts in the key GOP county.

McLinden said later he didn't think Bush's last name would be a liability and that Iowa voters would come to know him.

"That's a really bad reason not to vote for him," McLinden said. "He's his own person."

Billionaire Donald Trump, who has been leading the polls, plans to visit the fair Saturday.

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A jubilant flag-raising at the reopened U.S. Embassy in Havana is giving way to serious talk about the road ahead in improving relations between the United States and Cuba.

Capping off a Friday in Havana that began with the Stars and Stripes being hoisted outside the embassy, Secretary of State John Kerry met with Cuban dissidents in the evening and said the island will not see an end to the despised U.S. trade embargo if Cuba's single-party government does not make progress on human rights.

Cuban and U.S. negotiators are to meet in Havana in early September to begin talks on normalization of the relationship between the two countries, which includes topics ranging from maritime security to the embargo to human rights, Kerry told reporters.

He said negotiations will follow three tracks. The first will encompass areas in which rapid progress is expected, such as cooperation on naval matters, climate change and the environment. The second will tackle more complex topics like the establishment of direct airline flights and U.S. telecommunications deals with Cuba. The last will take on the toughest problems, including the embargo, human rights and each country's desire to have fugitives returned by the other.

While the three tracks will proceed simultaneously, Kerry said, Cuban leaders should not expect to see progress on the embargo without improvements in civil liberties in Cuba, which does not allow independent media, political parties other than the ruling communist party or direct election of anything but low-level municipal posts.

"There is no way Congress will lift the embargo if we are not making progress on issues of conscience," he said.

Kerry began the day with a nationally broadcast call for democratic change on the island, saying that "we remain convinced the people of Cuba would be best served by a genuine democracy, where people are free to choose their leaders, express their ideas, practice their faith."

Hundreds of Cubans mixed with American tourists outside the former U.S. Interests Section, newly rechristened with a sign announcing "Embassy of the United States of America." They cheered as Kerry spoke, the United States Army Brass Quintet played "The Star-Spangled Banner" and U.S. Marines raised the flag outside the building, which overlooks the famous Malecon seaside promenade.

Addressing reporters with Kerry after the ceremony, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez responded by indignantly opening his remarks with complaints of U.S. human rights transgressions  from police shootings of black men to mistreatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. naval base on Cuba that the government says must be returned.

"Cuba isn't a place where there's racial discrimination, police brutality or deaths resulting from those problems," Rodriguez said. "The territory where torture occurs and people are held in legal limbo isn't under Cuban jurisdiction."

Many Cubans disagree with that assessment, including Afro-Cubans who say discrimination is still rampant despite the revolution's egalitarian ideals. Human rights groups say regular, short-term arrests and beatings of the government's critics seek to intimidate dissent.

President Barack Obama also called for change in Cuba when he announced the new U.S. policy of engagement in December, but his words were less pointed than Kerry's on Friday.

Cuba formally reopened its Washington embassy last month. The U.S. raised its flag in Havana then, too, though saving the formal ceremony for Kerry's visit. Three Marines who took part in lowering the U.S. flag when the embassy was closed in 1961 handed over the new flag to Marines who raised it on Friday.

Kerry was the first secretary of state to visit Cuba since 1945, and his speech was remarkable for its bluntness and the national spotlight in which it came.

Many Cubans lauded Kerry's call for reform, including greater access to technology on an island with one of the world's lowest rates of Internet penetration. They paired their praise with calls for the United States to lift the 53-year-old trade embargo and allow easier travel between the two countries.

"More democracy, elections, we hope for that to come with this diplomatic opening," said Julio Garcia, a mechanic.

Like Obama, Kerry said the longtime U.S. strategy of trying to isolate Cuba and provoke regime change by choking off trade and fomenting grass-roots agitation had failed.

"It would be equally unrealistic to expect normalizing relations to have a transformative impact in the short term," he said. "After all, Cuba's future is for Cubans to shape."

Kerry briefly walked Old Havana's historic Plaza de San Francisco with City Historian Eusebio Leal, stopping to look in shops and greet residents and store owners before attending an afternoon flag-raising at the home of the embassy's chief of mission.

While there, he addressed a group of diplomats, Cuban-Americans and advocates of warming relations with Cuba. The event also was attended by dissidents including Jose Daniel Ferrer, Miriam Leiva and Yoani Sanchez, who tweeted a selfie of with Kerry and a photo of the secretary of state meeting privately with a group of dissidents.

The dissidents were not invited to the embassy ceremony to avoid tensions with Cuban officials who typically boycott events attended by the country's small political opposition.

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The blazing Caribbean sun rose Saturday on a U.S. flag flying over Havana for the first time in 54 years and people discussing political reform with an openness that once would have been unimaginable in Cuba.

Speaking before the raising of the Stars and Stripes at the newly reopened U.S. Embassy, Secretary of State John Kerry called for systemic political change on the island, a topic that remains taboo here despite a series of economic reforms and the reestablishment last month of diplomatic ties severed during the Cold War.

"We remain convinced the people of Cuba would be best served by genuine democracy, where people are free to choose their leaders," Kerry said, going on to call for responsive institutions and independent civil society in this single-party state.

Friday morning's speech was broadcast live on state television and radio and it was rebroadcast on state television in its entirety Friday night, then reprinted word-for-word Saturday morning in Granma, the official Communist Party newspaper.

In a series of interviews across Havana, Cubans told The Associated Press that they also welcomed Kerry's call, openly discussing their desire for more democracy without the requests for anonymity or slow measuring of words that once were nearly universal when discussing political change.

"Of course we Cubans aspire to more democracy, more liberty and more of everything, because the truth is that life here is really hard," said Roger Granado, a 44-year-old masseur who lives in the working-class Cerro neighborhood in south Havana.

President Barack Obama made a milder call for change in Cuba when he announced the new U.S. policy of engagement on Dec. 17 in a speech broadcast live on state TV here. And in 2002, former President Jimmy Carter addressed Cubans in an unprecedented hour of live, uncensored television  telling them their country did not meet international standards of democracy and repeatedly promoting a grass-roots campaign for greater civil liberties.

Shortly after that 2002 broadcast, a 22-year-old woman selling black market cigars to tourists in Old Havana would only give her first name, Alejandra, when she was asked her opinion of Carter's call for greater liberties.

"People are afraid to talk openly about these things," she told an AP reporter. "We're not sure what we can say anymore without getting in trouble."

Stopping as he strolled Friday night through Old Havana, not far from where Alejandra spoke, 50-year-old nurse Esbaldo Rodriguez shared his name and occupation before confidently saying "I think it's logical that Kerry talks about those ideas, democracy, etc."

"For us it's a drop of hope, it's something we weren't expecting." Rodriguez said. "It's logical and for me it's like a dream, what happened today and on Dec. 17, and now we have to wait to see it become reality."

Sofia Granda, a 62-year-old retired state worker, agreed: "Everything he said about liberty, human rights, democracy, didn't surprise me and I like it," she said after watching Kerry walk through Old Havana Friday afternoon.

Retired Cuban diplomat Carlos Alzugaray said Friday's events "had a great impact on people, who became enthused and started talking much more easily about those themes," of democracy and liberty.

Cubans have felt increasingly free in recent years to complain about the country's stagnant economy, bureaucracy and the difficulty of life in a centrally planned economy.

Far less common are open complaints about Cuba's leaders and its political system, which allows people to vote directly only for low-level municipal posts.

Cuban officials describe the system as a form of true democracy that is "perfectible," a euphemism ordinary Cubans interpret as a sign that the government is planning small-scale political reforms in the coming years while retaining Communist Party control.

The Cuban government rejects U.S. calls for political change, citing the long history of American interference with Cuban domestic affairs and blots on the United States' own record on civil liberties.

Addressing reporters with Kerry after the ceremony, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez responded by citing U.S. human rights transgressions  from police shootings of black men to mistreatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. naval base on Cuba that the government says must be returned.

By Saturday morning, as the giddy reaction to the flag-raising ceremony wore off, many Cubans were leavening their praise of Kerry with criticism of the U.S. that echoed Rodriguez.

"What happened yesterday was transcendental, that's true," said Rolando Quevedo, a 67-year-old retired driver for a state company. "But I don't like the cynicism of the Americans when they come here to talk about human rights and democracy. What are they talking about? What are the rights of the blacks they've killed in these past months?"

"Let the Americans come and bring the good but not the bad," Quevedo continued. "The majority of Cubans don't want to change our system."

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After bounding atop a blue trailer in a community park, Bernie Sanders quickly reminded people here that Iowa had helped elect the nation's first black president.

The next step, he said, is addressing racial discrimination and the recent shootings of unarmed blacks by law enforcement.

"I know that I speak for all of you that we are sick and tired of reading about and seeing videos of unarmed African-Americans being shot," Sanders said Sunday at a Democratic picnic. "We know that if those individuals were white, the odds are very strong that would not have happened to them."

Sanders' message has focused heavily on middle-class economics, climate change and creating a single-payer health care system. But in a sign that he wants to diversify his support, the U.S. senator has held events with black and Hispanic groups and made clear during appearances in Iowa that overcoming racial divisions would be a staple of his agenda.

Sanders, who represents predominantly white Vermont, has become Hillary Rodham Clinton's chief rival for the Democratic nomination but lagged behind the former secretary of state in building a coalition resembling the diverse voting bloc that twice elected Obama.

During three days of campaigning before largely white audiences in Iowa, the Democratic presidential candidate repeatedly vowed to address racism, police brutality and the nation's criminal justice system. It followed disruptions of the senator's appearances in Phoenix and Portland, Oregon, by Black Lives Matter protesters who say his message to cure economic inequality fails to address institutional racism.

At the Wing Ding fundraiser, a high-profile gathering of Democrats in northern Iowa, Sanders rattled off the names of shooting victims in Ferguson, Missouri, Baltimore, New York and elsewhere. "On and on that list goes! That has got to end," Sanders said.

At the Iowa State Fair on Saturday, Sanders thanked the state's electorate "for their courage in voting for Obama in 2008. What you showed is that a state which is mostly white could go beyond the color of a candidate's skin and vote for somebody based on their character and their ideas."

During Sunday's picnic, Sanders said the country should be proud that it had become a "less discriminatory society" but said racism remains a major problem "that together we must overcome."

When the Senate returns from its summer recess, Sanders said he plans to introduce legislation that would address the role of private corporations in the nation's prison system. He frequently criticizes corporations that profit from the rise in the nation's prison population, especially involving young black men.

The website BuzzFeed reported this weekend that Sanders' campaign reached out to the Black Lives Matter protest group to set up a meeting and apologized that "it took our campaign so long" to connect with leaders of the movement.

In an interview Sunday with NBC's "Meet the Press," Sanders said the note was "sent out by a staffer, not by me" and without the senator's knowledge. He said he didn't think it was necessary to apologize to the protesters.

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Presidential candidate Gov. Chris Christie said the planned proposal by fellow Republican Donald Trump to have Mexico build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border makes no sense.

During a morning appearance on CNNs New Day on Monday, the New Jersey governor slammed Trumps plan, saying that if the United States were to present Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto with a bill for the wall, the president would simply ignore it.

This is not a negotiation of a real estate deal, OK? This is international diplomacy, and its different, said Christie.

As part of his immigration plan, Trump has said that a border wall would stem the flow of illegal immigration. But, he said, the U.S. should not have to pay for it  Mexico should.

Trump, whose remarks about immigrants have made headlines over the past several months, has made immigration a centerpiece of his 2016 White House bid.

For many years, Mexicos leaders have been taking advantage of the United States by using illegal immigration to export the crime and poverty in their own country (as well as in other Latin American countries), Trump wrote in the first position paper posted on his website Sunday. [The] Mexican government has taken the United States to the cleaners. They are responsible for this problem, and they must help pay to clean it up.

Among his other proposals, Trump wants the immediate deportation of undocumented immigrants and wants to deny citizenship to babies of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, calling it the biggest magnet for illegal immigration.

But not all Republican candidates oppose Trumps proposal. Scott Walker, who also released his immigration plan, said on Monday that his own proposal mirrors Trumps.

"I haven't looked at all the details of his but the things I've heard are very similar to the things I've mentioned," the Wisconsin governor told Fox & Friends.

Christie also offered his own ideas on immigration reform that included building some fences paid for the U.S. in certain places along the border, embedding FBI and federal drug agents with Border Patrol and using drones to monitor more difficult terrain.

He also wants to implement an e-verify program  Trump also included this in his proposal  that would determine a workers eligibility.

The fact is, these folks are coming over here to work, Christie said. Theyre not coming to vote, theyre coming to work. And if they know they cant get jobs, then theyre not going to come.

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After a strong performance at the GOP presidential debate 10 days ago, Rubios standing has bumped up in a handful of polls, including last weeks national Rasmussen Reports, where he tied for second place with his former mentor, Jeb Bush.

I do think if the field was more narrow hes without question a first-tier talent, Republican strategist Matt Mackowiak told The Hill. Hes doing enough to put himself in a position where if the dominoes fall in a certain way, he could be a nominee.

Despite early speculation that he would be among the GOPs White House contenders, the Florida senator has not been able to garner the committee support necessary to surpass the likes of Bush or headline-grabbing businessman Donald Trump in the polls.

During the first GOP debate earlier this month, Rubio bolstered his conservative credentials. He has stuck to foreign policy and national security  some of his strongest areas  and unlike other Republican candidates, has steered clear of directly attacking Trump.

In his political career, he has been very strategic about not being very omnipresent in the media, and it is an intentional strategy, Susan MacManus, a political science professor at the University of South Florida told The Hill. That is his history. I presume that hes probably doing the same thing now.

But it looks like Rubio is primed to take advantage of the recent boost. His performance in upcoming debates is crucial if he wants to continue to rise in the national polls.

Weve had a terrific response to the first debate, but weve always said that its a long road and there will be a lot of ups and downs, Rubio spokesman Alex Conant told The Hill in an email. Its a long away to the first caucus and primary elections and we have a lot of work to do.

However, some critics are calling for Rubio to take off the gloves and show his fighting spirit.

Somewhere, somehow, Rubio has to make a move that shows a fighting spirit, said Leon Wolf in conservative blog RedState. Hes got to at least set a tone that says that occasionally he can take the varnish off and lay the wood on someone.

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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump wants to deny citizenship to the babies of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally as part of an immigration plan that emphasizes border security and deportation for millions.

In the first position paper posted to his campaign website, the real estate tycoon and television personality wrote that so-called "birthright citizenship"  the automatic granting of American citizenship to any child born on U.S. soil  "remains the biggest magnet for illegal immigration. By a 2:1 margin, voters say its the wrong policy, including Harry Reid who said 'no sane country' would give automatic citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants."

Trump pledged to rescind the Obama administration's executive orders on immigration. Trump's position paper also called for tripling the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and defunding sanctuary cities.

He went on NBC's "Meet The Press," to talk about his vision of how to handle illegal immigration, saying that he would push to end the constitutionally-protected citizenship rights of children of any family living illegally inside the U.S.

"They have to go," Trump said, adding: "What they're doing, they're having a baby. And then all of a sudden, nobody knows ... the baby's here."

Native-born children of immigrants  even those living illegally in the U.S.  have been automatically considered American citizens since the adoption of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution in 1868.

The odds of repealing the amendment's citizenship clause would be steep, requiring the votes of two-thirds of both houses of Congress and support from three-fourths of the nation's state legislatures. Republicans in Congress have repeatedly failed since 2011 to pass bills aimed at ending birthright citizenship. Some conservatives believe that the granting of citizenship in such cases could be changed without amending the Constitution.

"They're illegal," Trump said, describing native-born children of people living illegally in the U.S. "You either have a country or not."

Among the details in his posted immigration plan: Making Mexico pay for a permanent border wall. Mandatory deportation of all "criminal aliens." Tripling the force of immigration officers by eliminating tax credit payments to immigrant families residing illegally in the U.S.

Trump said a tough deportation policy was needed because "there's definitely evidence" of crimes linked to immigrants living in the country illegally. He repeated comments he's made previously, noting that: "The good people can come back."

The New York businessman also said he would waste little time rescinding President Barack Obama's executive actions aimed at allowing as many as 3.7 million immigrants living illegally in the U.S. to remain in the country because of their U.S.-born relatives. Obama's November 2014 actions were halted by temporary injunctions ordered by several federal courts in rulings challenging his executive powers to alter immigration policies without congressional approval. The cases could lead to the Supreme Court.

"We have to make a whole new set of standards," Trump said. "And when people come in, they have to come in legally."

Trump's plan was endorsed by Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., who chairs a Senate subcommittee on immigration.

"This is exactly the plan America needs," Sessions said in a statement. "Crucially, this plan includes an emphasis on lifting struggling minority communities, including our immigrant communities, out of poverty, by preventing corporations from bringing in new workers from overseas to replace them and drive down wages."

Most other GOP candidates also back completing the border wall but differ over how to treat immigrant families already living in the U.S.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush recently released his own immigration plan, which calls for the use of forward bases and drones to guard the border, but also backing an eventual plan to legalize the status of immigrant families.

On Sunday, Ohio Gov. John Kasich said he would "finish the wall" but would then work to legalize 11 million immigrants now estimated to live in the U.S. illegally. He spoke on CBS' "Face the Nation."

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio worked with senators from both parties to develop a comprehensive plan in 2013 that would have legalized the status of many immigrant families. But Congress balked at the idea as tea party Republicans opposed the deal and Rubio has since backed away from his support.

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Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee voiced his support for the government of Paraguay after it denied an abortion to a girl who had been repeatedly raped by her stepfather when she was just 10 years old.

A 10-year-old being raped is horrible, the former governor of Arkansas said on CNN on Sunday, but does it solve a problem by taking the life of an innocent child?

Huckabee added, When an abortion happens, there are two victims: One is the child, the other is that birth mother, who often will go through extraordinary guilt years later.

The girl, who recently turned 11, gave birth last week.

The case of the pregnant prepubescent girl divided the South American country for months. Paraguay is a deeply conservative country and abortion is banned except when the mother's life is in danger.

This spring, the girls mother  who has been charged with negligence in the case, while her husband is awaiting trial on rape charges  requested an abortion for her daughter, but the government refused to allow it, drawing praise from religious groups but criticism from human rights organizations, including U.N. officials. At the time, the girl was five months pregnant and health officials said she appeared to be in fine health.

Last week, Elizabeth Torales, a lawyer for the girl's family, told the Associated Press that the minor gave birth to a baby girl via cesarean at a Red Cross hospital in Asuncion, Paraguay's capital. There were no complications. She said that the girl's grandmother had requested custody of the infant.

On CNN, Huckabee cited the evangelist James Robinson, a child of rape who has had a positive impact in the world.

When I think about one horror, he said about the 10-year-olds rape, I also think about the possibilities that exist.

He went on, If life matters, and thats a person, then every life matters.

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New York Citys second most powerful elected official, Melissa Mark-Viverito, says shes looking to become a household name nationwide this presidential election in an effort to help the Democrats campaign on issues like immigration and criminal justice.

Im looking to play a really important role, or a role in general, for the issues that are important to me, New York City Council Speaker Mark-Viverito said to Fox News Latino. I definitely want to lend my voice to whatever candidates I decide to support, whether for president or in terms of Congress. I will be lending my voice in that way.

Since Mark-Viverito, 46, became the citys first Latina City Council Speaker in January 2014, she has been an outspoken proponent of immigration reform and believes she can sell her pro-immigrant reform message to voters nationwide.

We have done some great work on immigration, in particular in New York City, and we would love to see that serve as a model across the nation, Mark Viverito said.

For her part, the Puerto Rican-born lawmaker said she is relishing the opportunity to launch attacks on Republicans for what she says are out-of-touch immigration policies. She said some Republicans  with their harsh tone on immigration  have all but guaranteed that Democrats have sewn up the Latino vote.

Those candidates, Mark-Viverito said, do not reflect in any way the issues and interests that [Latinos] have as a community.

Democratic National Committee said it's eager to have her as a vocal ally over the next 15 months.

Melissa Mark Viverito is a wise Latina politico that only NYC can create and who immigrants in the U.S. need now more than ever, said DNC spokesman Pablo Manriquez. During a time when no Republican candidate has the courage to stand up for immigrants in the face of Donald Trumps mass deportation agenda, she remains a principled and tireless advocate for our immigrant and Latino families and communities. She brings it every day on the City Council with the compassion and ferocity Latinos everywhere can appreciate.

The Republican Party notes they have made inroads with Hispanics, pointing to their positive results during the midterm election last fall  particularly in key battleground states like Florida and Colorado. Despite accusations of being out of touch with Hispanic voters, GOP candidates won key senatorial and gubernatorial races thanks, in part, to relatively strong support from Latino voters.

New York Republicans who are familiar with Mark-Viverito say they are confident her record as speaker will sour any attempts by her to win over Hispanic voters nationwide.

[Mayor] Bill de Blasio and his biggest ally, Speaker Mark-Viverito are a godsend to the Republican Party, said New York Republican State Committee chairman Ed Cox. Under their watch, the city's crime rates are spiking, quality of life is deteriorating and the public education system is embroiled in scandal; they are throwing the city back to its terrible era of crime and grime from all of which Hispanics suffer disproportionately.

Mark-Viverito is known for her strong advocacy on policies that are sympathetic to undocumented immigrants.

She is the driving force behind the citys municipal identification card program, the largest program of its kind in the country, which provides government-issued IDs to New Yorkers regardless of their immigration status.

She is also a staunch supporter of so-called sanctuary cities, which protect and shelter undocumented immigrants from deportations under federal immigration law.

The speaker is also a big supporter of President Barack Obamas directive that created Deferred Action for Child Arrivals, which deferred deportation for children illegally brought to the U.S., and was eager to implement an executive order that sought to expand that program before a federal court judge in Texas blocked the order.

She said she sees immigration reform as the central presidential campaign issue that will decide the Latino vote in the United States. And, she said, she looks forward to taking her message to the national stage during the coming months.

Even me as a Puerto Rican, as a born U.S. citizen, immigration reform is critically important to me, Mark-Viverito said. Its something Ive advocated for and fought for and not one of these [Republican] candidates is really talking about that, actually walking away from the idea of developing any sort of plan for comprehensive immigration reform if president, and thats a real problem.
Federal immigration courts are struggling to review the large backlog of cases that has reached an all-time high, with more than 445,000 pending cases, according to a new report.

As of April of this year, 445,706 immigration cases were still pending in courts across the United States  a nearly 30 percent increase from the prior fiscal year  and experts expect it to become even worse this year.

There is no ability of the court to keep up, Denise Gilman, director of an immigration clinic at the University of Texas law school in Austin, Texas, told the Los Angeles Times. We really are in a vicious cycle.

According to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University, the backlog of immigration cases has been years in the making, but courts became overwhelmed after the influx of more than 68,500 unaccompanied minors and families who crossed the southern border last summer.

During the so-called border surge, immigration courts gave priority to unaccompanied minors, mostly from Central America, pushing back all other already pending cases. These cases make up a small portion of the back log  more than 70,000 cases, as of April, the report said.

Jonathan Ryan, executive director of the San Antonio-based advocacy group Raices, told the Times that while the federal government was addressing the unaccompanied minors cases, they were not focusing on the cases that make up almost all of the backlog.

We see people coming into our office every day whose lives are being negatively impacted by this, he told the newspaper, noting about a case of Syrian family whose case has been pushed back until 2019. This whole family is in a state of paralysis or suspense because they cant move forward in the backlog.

A spokesman for the Executive Office for Immigration Review at the Justice Department, which handles immigration cases, says that courts have been attempting to address the problem by hiring more judges.

According to Kathryn Mattingly, there are currently 247 immigration judges in 58 courts nationwide, with 18 recently joining the ranks. Five more immigration judges are expected to be hired before the end of this fiscal year on Sept. 30 and there are currently 67 more judges in various stages of the hiring process.

However, more than 100 immigration judges are expected to retire this year, according to San Francisco-based Judge Dana Leigh Marks. At least 130 of the 233 immigration judges are eligible for retirement this year.

Were waiting for the tsunami to come, she told the Times. If you look at how difficult the working conditions become when you are so overworked and not given the support that you need, it makes sense that what happens is people retire at their earliest opportunity. That is really tragic for the country because these are skilled people.

She said the pace of cases is relentless, which means cases are pushed back several years.

According to the Immigration Policy Center, immigration judges typically handle more than 1,400 cases and some even juggle more than 3,000 cases  while other kinds of judges handle around 500 cases. The high volume of cases and the emotional stories that immigrants recount takes a toll on judges, some say.

Why immigration judges get burned out is they have a high volume of cases, some on their dockets for years, and then those cases get pushed out because somebody in Washington says these other cases matter more, Judge Eliza Klein, who was a judge in Boston, Miami and most recently Chicago, told the Times. When I started, the longest you would put a case out was six weeks If you have to put case out more than year, you lose the ability to retain that sense of what the case is all about.

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Marco Rubio has been doing the political unthinkable the past few months  he has not been showering the early caucus states, Iowa and New Hampshire, with love and attention.

In competitive Republican field with 17 candidates running for president  all of whom are being overshadowed by real estate tycoon Donald Trump  Rubio has seldom visited the two states that are key to winning the nomination.

The Florida senator hasn't traveled to New Hampshire, home to the first-in-the-nation primary, since July 4, though he is expected to return before the end of August. While some GOP hopefuls are already highlighting their progress toward visiting all of Iowa's 99 counties, Rubio's return to the state this week marks his first stop in the caucus battleground in a month.

"You've had some of the others who have worked it a lot harder," said Richard Schwarm, a former Iowa GOP chairman who is uncommitted in the 2016 race. "I don't think it's too late. But I think he should step up the appearances here because we are wide open."

And while Rubios strategy is puzzling party operatives, insiders say his moves are deliberate and intentional.

In his political career, he has been very strategic about not being very omnipresent in the media, and it is an intentional strategy, Susan MacManus, a political science professor at the University of South Florida told The Hill this week. That is his history. I presume that hes probably doing the same thing now.

But some say his approach, which goes against conventional wisdom in political circles, could backfire.

Fergus Cullen, a former New Hampshire GOP chairman who has yet to back a candidate, said that while Rubio benefits from "goodwill and interest," his infrequent appearances in the state have cost him early endorsements.

"He would have more if he spent more time here," Cullen said.

Rubio has visited New Hampshire just three times since announcing his campaign in early April. His stop in Iowa this week marks his fifth trip to the caucus state as a candidate.

The senator's advisers say they see little reason to worry about early state grumbling at this juncture in the campaign. Even after a burst of momentum following his campaign launch and a strong performance in the first GOP debate, Rubio's team has said it doesn't expect the young senator to surge until fall or even winter, when voters start paying more attention to the White House race.

However, early polling shows Rubio has lost ground this summer while billionaire businessman-turned-presidential candidate Donald Trump has surged, in part by tapping into the public's anger with Washington.

Like some of his rivals, Rubio has spent much of the summer rounding up enough campaign cash to stay competitive in a lengthy primary. Rubio's campaign and outside groups supporting him raised a combined $45 million through the second quarter, a strong number but well below the massive haul from former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who brought in more than $100 million.

"We don't expect to have the most money, but we will be competing in all 50 states," said Alex Conant, the campaign's spokesman.

Rubio, a first-term senator, has also eschewed the campaign trail at times for hearings and votes on Capitol Hill, where he's still taken heat for being absent often since launching his White House run in April.

He returned to Washington the day after his campaign launch for a vote on giving Congress a say on President Barack Obama's Iran deal. He also skipped an in-person appearance at a New Hampshire candidate forum earlier this month to vote on legislation to defund Planned Parenthood. He participated in the forum via video instead.

Rubio, a 44-year-old son of Cuban immigrants, is seen by some Republicans as a bright hope for a party desperate to attract younger, more diverse voters. His optimistic, future-focused campaign message already has some Democrats worried that he would be a formidable general election opponent for front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton.

"I think he's a rising star in the Republican Party," Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad said. "I think it would be worth his time to spend a significant amount of time in the state of Iowa."

Some of Rubio's rivals have devoted more time to the early voting states this summer.

Bush, who is counting on a strong performance in New Hampshire to propel his White House hopes, has made six trips to the state since announcing his campaign in mid-June. Ohio Gov. John Kasich has only officially been in the race for a month, but he has already matched Rubio's travel to New Hampshire.

Of course, face time doesn't always guarantee electoral success. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum turned his intense focus on Iowa into a surprise victory in the caucuses in 2012. But his attempts to repeat that strategy four years later are showing little sign of success. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry is also blanketing Iowa, but he has struggled in early polling.

Rubio was returning to Iowa this week for an appearance at the state fair Tuesday and the opening of his campaign headquarters in Des Moines on Wednesday. Conant said Rubio would also make stops in New Hampshire, as well as South Carolina and Nevada, by the end of the month.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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Sen. Bob Menendez, a one-time party loyalist, is proving hes no longer a foot soldier for the Democratic Party.

The New Jersey senator, who faces corruption allegations, has broken ranks with the Democrats once again. The Cuban-American lawmaker on Tuesday became the second Democrat to oppose President Barack Obamas Iran nuclear deal.

During a press conference on Tuesday at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, Menendez, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York in rejecting the deal negotiated with Tehran in which Iran would curb its nuclear program in exchange for billions of dollars in relief from economic sanctions.

"If Iran is to acquire a nuclear bomb, it will not have my name on it," Menendez said.

Menendez said he is opposed to the measure because Iran has violated various U.N. Security Council resolutions while advancing its nuclear program. He said he is concerned the agreement doesnt require Iran to dismantle its nuclear infrastructure.

"Let's remind ourselves of the stated purpose of our negotiations with Iran: Simply put, it was to dismantle all  or significant parts  of Iran's illicit nuclear infrastructure to ensure that it would not have nuclear weapons capability at any time. Not shrink its infrastructure," Menendez said.

Menendez said his opposition is not an issue of whether he supports or opposes Obama, who has pledged to veto a congressional resolution of disapproval.

"This issue is much greater and graver than that," he said.

Menendez has long criticized the deal, so it was no surprise he will oppose. He has some part of the deal worrisome.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has expressed doubts that Congress could override Obama's expected veto. Twenty-one Senate Democrats and Independents of the 34 needed to sustain a veto are backing the deal. Schumer, the No. 3 Democrat in the Senate and the party leader-in-waiting, is the only other notable Democratic defection.

In the House, at least 50 Democrats have expressed support. Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California has spoken confidently about rounding up the votes to save the deal. Ten House Democrats have announced their opposition.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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Ricardo Aca is getting a lot of attention after sharing a video calling out presidential candidate Donald Trump over his comments about Mexico and immigrants.

Aca, a 24-year-old Mexican immigrant living in New York, wanted to speak out against Trump  even though he believes it might get him fired from his job at Koi SoHo restaurant, which leases space inside the Trump SoHo hotel.

In the video, Aca is shown holding his cellphone, watching Trump call Mexicans who arrive in the U.S. rapists, criminals and drug dealers during his presidential campaign launch in June.

I know I could lose my job for just talking about Trump, he said in the video, but it doesnt make me proud every day to go to work under his name.

Aca, who arrived in New York from Puebla, Mexico, at 14 and describes himself as an undocumented immigrant, told the New York Times, I was offended [by Trump's words] because this is not who we are, this is not who I am, this is not anybody I know who is an immigrant.

In the video, Aca talks about living in Brooklyn with his family.

This is where I went to school. This is where all my friends are. Its home to me, he said, adding that his family came to the U.S. hoping to find a better life.

Aca was part of a wave of immigrants who were granted deportation protection and work permits under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in 2012.

He has since received an associates degree in photography from LaGuardia Community College, and works as an assistant in a photo lab in addition to his job at Koi and another restaurant in Brooklyn.

I think Republicans think that Mexicans are lazy, but I personally have two jobs. My step-father works two jobs, Aca said in the video. Everything that my family has we have earned by working hard.

In response to the video, Trump told the Times: Hes got a legal work permit. Ive heard he does a good job. We though he was an illegal immigrant at first.

The GOP candidate was also quick to say that his companies employ only people with proper documentation, and that he would not press Acas employer to punish him.

However, he added, I want to check his file.

According to the Times, Koi has demanded that the filmmaker Chase Whiteside take the video off YouTube, claiming its title  Meet Ricardo, an undocumented immigrant who works in a Trump Hotel is misleading.

Suzanna Chou, a lawyer for the Koi Group, told the Times that Acas statements were also false and defamatory and that they implied that he was working illegally for a Trump hotel.

She said that Koi SoHo is a third-party tenant.

Our company follows the law and if you are eligible to work at Koi, you can apply, Chou added.

Aca told the Times that shortly after the video was posted, the restaurants payroll department called and asked him to bring the renewal of his work permit that he had forgotten to submit in December. He also said that when he walked into the kitchen, the line cooks from Mexico and the sushi chefs from Japan told him they were proud of what he had done.

Its important to stand up for what I believe in and to be able to defend myself, he added. I do work at Trump SoHo. I have the platform to send this message.

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Sen. Robert Menendez is coming out swinging against the nuclear agreement with Iran negotiated last month by Secretary of State John Kerry, saying that it may actually help put Iran on the path to being a nuclear power.

I have voted with the president 98 percent of the time, but thats based on principled agreement, Menendez said in an interview with Fox News Latino. But when I have a principled disagreement, I will disagree.

On Tuesday, the New Jersey Democrat announced that he planned to vote against the accord, joining fellow senators Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Jeff Flake (R-Arizona).

Menendez said his lack of trust in Iran is rooted in his more than two decades of experience on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which he has served on for more than 20 years and used to chair, and watching Iran consistently break agreements and be deceptive about its uranium-enrichment program and nuclear ambitions.

The senator, who traditionally has held hard line positions against Iran, Russia, Cuba and Venezuela, among others, said the accord gives the Middle Eastern nation too much leeway and contains worrisome loopholes.

The question is, If the agreement is violated, what will be our position then? he asked. What will be our ability to respond to Irans break out toward a nuclear weapon? And I fear it will be in a worse position than better one.

Menendez said Congress would be wise to reject the accord and at the same time authorize President Barack Obama to return to the interim agreement in which Iran received some relief from sanctions while remaining at the negotiating table.

Lets close the Fordow facility, this is a uranium enrichment site built deep inside of a mountain, Menendez said referring to Irans Fordo facility, near the city of Qom. If you want a peaceful, civilian program you dont have to hide your uranium enrichment deep inside of a mountain.

Menendez said Iran must be forced into being more transparent.

You have to come clean  How far they ultimately militarized and weaponized their nuclear program is extremely important to know for international security, he said. You cant be doing research and development that is far more than you need for a civilian program.

The Obama administration has said the current version of the accord has the best chance of getting Iran's cooperation, and that if Congress torpedoes it, it will only push Iran to go further into developing nuclear weapons.

Menendez wants Iranians to concede to inspections of suspect sites for the length of the agreement.

And restrictions on Iran's nuclear program, he said, should last as long as Iran deceived and violated [United Nations] Security Council resolutions and the international order and thats 20 years.

The agreement at the moment, he said, instead of preventing Irans pathway to a nuclear weapon, it actually preserves it.
Sen. Robert Menendez took aim at what he sees as velvet-glove treatment of the Castro regime in Cuba by the Obama administration, saying that all the U.S. overtures toward the communist nation have made zero difference in how oppressed its citizens are.

Menendez, the son of Cuban immigrants who grew up in Union City, New Jersey, was raised on stories about the suffering of people who stayed behind in. And like many Cuban exiles and the children they raised with those stories, the Democratic senator has little tolerance for any move toward being amiable with Cubas leaders.

Late last year, both presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro announced a deal to re-establish diplomatic relations, including easing U.S. trade and travel restrictions. But that agreement, he said in an interview with Fox News Latino, is a one-way street.

We send convicted spies back, and we get an innocent American, who should never have been held hostage in the first place, in return. We dont send spies back in the world anywhere. This is like a whole new [world] order.  Sen. Robert Menendez, on U.S.-Cuba accord to restore diplomatic relations

Cuba said, You want to have a relationship with us? Well, we want our three convicted spies back, Menendez said. Including one who was convicted of conspiracy to commit the murder of three United States citizens.

In the last few weeks, the two nations re-opened embassies in each others capitals. Last Friday, Secretary of State John Kerry was in Havana to raise the American flag in front of the U.S. embassy.

Extending an olive branch to Castro while requiring him to make no meaningful changes in return, is an affront to human rights and the United States moral authority in the world, Menendez maintains.

We send them the spies back, we get an innocent American  who should never have been held hostage in the first place  in return, he said. We dont send spies back in the world. Anywhere. This is like a whole new [world] order.

The Obama administration has said that more than 50 years of a Cold War hostility toward Cuba has accomplished nothing, except to give Fidel and Raul Castros regimes an excuse  the U.S. embargo  for why its economy is a mess and people struggle to make ends meet.

The White House has denied that the release of the American, Alan Gross, who was in a Cuban jail for five years, was a swap for the Cuban spies.

Gross was arrested in 2009 for his work as a U.S. government contractor to set up Internet access without local censorship for Cubas Jewish community. Cuban officials said it was a crime to engage in what it called subversive work and gave him a 15-year prison sentence.

Menendez said there are numerous, serious human-rights violations Cuba has committed that should have been resolved before any accord involving restoring relations took place.

Those include the U.S. fugitives, including former Black Liberation Army leader Joanne Chesimard, who was sentenced for the 1973 killing of a New Jersey state trooper, who have been granted refuge in Cuba. Chesimard escaped prison and ended up on the island in 1984. Then-President Fidel Castro called her a hero and granted her political asylum.

Chesimard, 67, is the only woman on the FBI's list of "wanted terrorists" and has a $2 million bounty on her head.

Menendez says Chesimard is but one of 50 to 75 felons that committed major crimes in the United States who are in Cuba.

There was also the decision, he said, by the Obama administration to invite Cuba to the Summit of the Americas earlier this year.

The basic concept of the summit, he said, is a gathering for democratically-elected officials in the Western Hemisphere.

I dont think anyone can dispute that Cuba is not a democratically-elected government, Menendez said.

All these allowances by the United States, the senator said, undermine the value of democracy and human rights in the region.

Obama administration officials and congressional lawmakers, including Sen. Patrick Leahy, the Vermont Democrat, who were at the forefront of pushing for restored U.S.-Cuba relations said that leaders from Latin America often complained about Cuba being left out.

I care about the Cuban people, Menendez said. I want to see democracy and human rights  There is no free press there. You cant elect who you want to govern you. You cant start your own business at will. You dont get to choose freely at the altar you worship without consequences.

He looks at all of the things that have changed since the accord, and sees little trickling down to the people, he said.

In the first seven months of this year alone, 2,500 human-rights activists and political dissidents have been arrested and detained for peaceful protests, he said.

Then on the day that we open our embassy, Secretary Kerry doesnt invite [Cubas] human-rights activists, the political dissidents the independent journalists to the opening and flag-raising. If in the courtyard of the U.S. embassy in Havana dissident is not permitted, it will certainly not be permitted on the island.
Many Republicans  including key figures in the party leadership  believed that Mitt Romney lost the 2012 presidential election in large part because of the poor image the GOP had among Hispanic voters.

People like Republic National Committee chairman Reince Priebus vowed to persuade the fast-growing ethnic group that the party respects them and learned its lesson from that defeat.

Leading the GOP in this effort is the steadily-growing number of Latino Republicans, who believe that most Hispanics share more views and values with the GOP than they realize. But now, many in that group are watching in frustration as the issue of immigration  wrapped in hardline rhetoric  looms over the 2016 GOP presidential candidates, thanks to the early frontrunner Donald Trump.

The real estate mogul and television personality plunged into the sensitive topic earlier than usual  in fact, in his announcement that he was running for the Oval Office.

He accused Mexico of dumping its very worst people on the United States, depicting undocumented immigrants from that nation as rapists and drug dealers, among other things.

Then he denounced anchor babies, a derogatory term for children born in the United States to undocumented immigrants, and says he wants an end to birthright citizenship, as the granting of American citizenship to all children born in the country is known.

And, of course, hes vowed that a President Trump would round up and deport all undocumented immigrants in the nation: They gotta go. Perhaps we might consider letting the good ones try to re-enter the legal way.

The Republican National Hispanic Assembly lamented Trumps remarks as extremely counterproductive.

Gonzalo Ferrer, the groups national chairman, said Trumps most recent comments about immigrants are extremely bigoted, offensive to all Hispanic Americans, unconstitutional  and self-defeating, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Ferrer said Trump exhibits a reckless disregard for the harm he is causing to Republican Hispanic American families and to the Republican cause.

The discourse about rescinding the citizenship of children of undocumented immigrants born here is particularly troubling to Latino conservatives, who were still trying to combat the GOPs image in the Latino community as being anti-Hispanic.

Basically, they are saying, We dont want you. Get out, said Ferrer of Trumps immigration ideas.

What may be worse, since he began airing his views on immigration, a number of Trumps opponents in the crowded Republican field have taken up his call against birthright citizenship or advocating mass deportation or building a border wall.

Among the few who haven't tried to out-Trump Trump on the issue is Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who has taken pains to make clear that the mogul's views do not reflect his own.

Democrats have wasted little time in using all the incendiary rhetoric to what they hope will be their advantage, characterizing his hard line views on immigration as vintage GOP ideology.

"The GOP is ignoring the lessons of the past and continuing to push the same failed policies that hurt Latinos again and again," said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who is chair of the Democratic National Committee, in a statement. "During a summer when Trumps dangerous anti-immigrant rhetoric divided the nation, it has united the GOP with a simple, brutal and shameless message to immigrants, and especially Latinos: You are not welcome here.

Its making our effort to advance free-market, conservative principles to Latinos more difficult, said Daniel Garza, executive director of the Libre Intiative, which describes its role as promoting the principles of economic freedom to Hispanics.

Javier Palomarez, president of nonpartisan U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, told the Journal, This is not what America does. We dont pick on children. And we dont break families up. Thats not the solution.

Some conservatives worry that Trumps harsh talk will make it impossible for the GOP to win the 45 percent share of the Latino vote that some political observers say theyll need to achieve next year to have a shot at winning back the White House.

Garza said, [That] is something we should consider, those of us on the conservative side. That now may be in jeopardy.

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says women posing nearly naked for photos in Times Square are breaking the law and undermining efforts to keep the tourist area family friendly.

Cuomo said Wednesday on NY1 that the situation is beginning to remind him of the seedy days of the "bad old Times Square."

The women pose for photos with tourists in exchange for cash and often wear only body paint and a thong.

Cuomo says the activity is interfering with "legitimate" businesses.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday that he believes the practice is "wrong" and that the city will take action.

The governor says he also has concerns about performers dressed as cartoon characters who harass tourists into purchasing photos.

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The Mexican government criticized Donald Trump's policy proposals on immigration, border security and U.S.-Mexico relations Wednesday, saying they were tainted by bigotry.

The Foreign Relations Department said in emailed comments that the GOP candidate's stances "reflect prejudice, racism or plain ignorance."

Trump this week outlined proposals to deny citizenship to U.S.-born babies of immigrants living in the United States illegally as part of a plan emphasizing border security and millions of deportations. He also says he would build a wall along the U.S. southern border and force Mexico to pay for it.

"Anyone who understands the depth of the U.S.-Mexico relationship (realizes) that those proposals are not only prejudiced and absurd, but would be detrimental to the well-being of both societies," the Foreign Relations Department said.

It added that Mexican migrants make significant contributions to the U.S. economy and society, and said net migration from the country to the United States has reached zero in recent years.

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In a speech to the Detroit Economic Club, Republican presidential candidate

Sen. Marco Rubio said he would overhaul the tax system by cutting the corporate tax rate to 25 percent and increasing the child tax credit to as much as $2,500, among other things.

Rubio, of Florida, pushed several conservative initiatives to improve places across the country like The Motor City, which has been devastated in the past decades by poverty, crime and unemployment.

"I can think of no better place to discuss the challenges and opportunities before our nation than Detroit," Rubio said."No city understands the vision and toil it took to build the American Century better than Detroit."

Rubio's speech was overshadowed, however, by a political brawl in New Hampshire between the two front-runners in the Republican race for the party nomination -- real estate mogul Donald Trump and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush -- who barbed over immigration and, specifically, birthright citizenship.

Birthright citizenship arose as a debate topic on the 2016 campaign trail after Trump unveiled his controversial plan to change the 14th amendment of the constitution, which allows children of unauthorized immigrants to become U.S. citizens if they are born on American soil.

"I'd much rather find out whether or not anchor babies are citizens because a lot of people don't think they are," Trump said to press in New Hampshire Wednesday night.

Bush said: " Mr. Trump doesnt have a proven conservative record. He was a Democrat longer in the last decade than he was a Republican. The language is pretty vitriolic for sure. But hundreds of millions of dollars to implement his plans is not a conservative plan."

The billionaire candidate also took a shot at Bush during his frenzied press conference just 19 miles away from his rival's town hall.

"I dont see how hes electable," Trump said about Bush. "For him to get things done is hard.

At the Detroit Economic Club Thursday, Rubio was asked if it was difficult to run against Bush, who had been a mentor to the junior senator from Florida when he was a speaker of the state house and Bush was the outgoing governor.

"It's not difficult at all because I'm not running against Jeb Bush. I'm running for president," Rubio said.

Bush included his former mentee in the discussion over birthright citizenship by suggesting that Rubio and Sen. Ted Cruz from Texas, another presidential rival, benefited from birthright citizenship. Rubio flatly discounted that assertion.

" My parents were permanent legal residents of the United States for fifteen years before I was even born. Rubio told Fox News in an interview in Detroit. "So they're talking about people who were in this country illegally. My parents were never in this country illegally.



Earlier in the speech, Rubio accused former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of supporting Democratic policies that increased taxes and government size.

"Hillary Clinton believes the way to win the race for the future is to drive in reverse -- to revert back to more regulations, higher taxes, and bigger government," Rubio stated.
Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz said Wednesday that the United States shouldn't automatically grant citizenship to children of immigrants in the country illegally.

The Texas senator is the latest White House hopeful to weigh in the debate that has divided the GOP 2016 presidential class since billionaire businessman Donald Trump outlined his opposition to "birthright citizenship" as part of his immigration plan earlier in the week.

Cruz said he "absolutely" favors ending automatic citizenship to those born in the country, as guaranteed in the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

"We should end granting automatic birthright citizenship to the children of those who are here illegally," Cruz said in a Wednesday radio interview with the Michael Medved Show.

"That has been my position from my very first days of my running for the Senate," he continued. "I welcome Donald Trump articulating this this view. It's a view I have long held."

The "birthright citizenship" debate has exposed a new rift among the GOP's large presidential field, highlighting the eagerness of some conservatives to tap into Trump's share of the electorate.

Several candidates have spoken in favor of leaving the constitutional protection in place since Trump outlined his immigration plan earlier in the week, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former technology executive Carly Fiorina, and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

Another group of Republicans, like Cruz and Trump, are calling for the Constitution to be changed to remove the incentive for immigrants who enter the country illegally to have children. Those opposed include Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who reversed his position in April on allowing a chance for legal status for those in the country illegally, gave mixed answers this week when asked about ending birthright citizenship.

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Having been knocked from his front-runner perch, a fiery Jeb Bush lashed out at Republican rival Donald Trump on Thursday as the former Florida governor fights to energize his stalled campaign and stop the billionaire businessman's summer surge.

Bush's name recognition and money  see his recent $100 million-plus fundraising haul  have kept him near the top of the Republican pack, where he has saved his most aggressive criticism for Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton for much of the year. Now slipping in the polls, Bush abruptly changed course over the last 24 hours, following some Republican competitors who acknowledge Trump has become a serious threat that must be dealt with head on.

"There's a big difference between Donald Trump and me," Bush declared in New Hampshire on Thursday. "I'm a proven conservative with a record. He isn't."

He charged that Trump "proposed the largest tax increase in mankind's history" and previously supported partial-birth abortion. "I've never met a person that actually thought that was a good idea."

Bush continued: "He's been a Democrat longer than being a Republican."

The comments represent a sharp shift for Bush that underscores a larger political reality.

He has succeeded in raising far more money than his competitors, yet seven months after first signaling serious interest in a White House bid, the former Florida governor has yet to resonate with the vast majority of the GOP electorate. His polling numbers are stagnant, he faces continued questions about his family connections, and influential GOP activists remain skeptical of his conservative bona fides.

"I've never met a single grassroots voter who supports Jeb Bush," said Mark Meckler, a co-founder of the tea party movement.

If there is any solace for Bush's team, it's that he's not alone.

Virtually every candidate not named Trump has suffered in recent weeks as the New York businessman caught fire with frustrated voters and sparked an anti-establishment backlash.

Perhaps no one's standing has fallen further than Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, once considered a top-tier candidate and now languishing in the middle of the pack. Libertarian hero, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, is in danger of missing out on the next primetime debate, as is New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a former GOP powerhouse reduced to little more than an afterthought amid Trump's rise.

Trump isn't taking the pressure off his rivals.

"I don't see how he's electable," Trump said of Bush Wednesday night in New Hampshire, later describing him as a "low-energy person" who has trouble getting things done.

Bush's team downplays any serious concern, noting that his poll numbers are "steady," he hasn't yet begun spending money on advertising, and that most voters aren't paying serious attention six months before the first votes are cast.

"Having a steady vote share in New Hampshire the summer before the primary is a good place to be," Bush spokesman Tim Miller said.

"Jeb's been working his tail off meeting voters, campaigning the way New Hampshire voters expect," he continued. "As we get into the fall and winter and people actually start making their decision and the paid element of this campaign begins, that's going to pay dividends."

Bush may have created more problems for himself this week, however, while trying to capture some of the enthusiasm created by Trump's immigration rhetoric, including his calls to end birthright citizenship.

Bush said he believes there should be greater enforcement against pregnant mothers who cross the border to have children who then gain U.S. citizenship, referring to those children as "anchor babies." Facing a Democratic-fueled backlash, Bush defended his use of the term Thursday, but stressed that he believes people who are born in the country should have American citizenship.

Beyond his new battles with Trump, Bush has consistently faced questions from voters who are skeptical of putting a third Bush in the White House. At his Thursday appearance in Keene, a voter told Bush that his brother "won't even eat Bush beans."

The same day, another sign emerged that Bush's family will be a backdrop of his entire campaign, as George W. Bush sent out a fundraising appeal on his younger brother's behalf. Asked if that conflicts with his characterization that he is his own man, Bush snapped back.

"Is that a contradiction?" he said. "I've got my own record. I've got my own life experience. I'm blessed to have a brother that loves me and wants to help me, over and out."

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For the last four years, a 63-year-old immigrant activist has been waging a legal war against the author of Arizonas controversial immigration law SB1070 after he was banned from the states senate buildings.

Salvador Reza filed a civil lawsuit against Arizonas former Senate President Russell Pearce in 2011 claiming his First Amendment rights were violated after being illegally barred from the Senate buildings by Pierce, a Republican, who at the time was the face of a law denounced by its critics as vehemently anti-immigrant.

On Tuesday, a federal appeals court panel overturned a judges 2012 ruling that dismissed the suit, reviving Rezas claim. Now the case returns to the lower court for trial.

And Rezas fight continues.

A community organizer in Arizona for the past 40 years, Reza was among vocal supporters and opponents of the controversial Senate Bill, attending a public hearing on Feb. 22, 2011 where Reza allegedly took part in disturbing the hearing. Pearce banned Reza from entering the state senate building. Two days later, Reza was arrested on suspicion of trespassing after he tried to enter the Senate building to speak to another lawmaker.

Reza claims he did not disturb the hearing, and instead was targeted by Pearce because he has been a vocal and consistent critic of Pearces policies which he characterizes as racist, anti-Latino and anti-immigrant.

I was targeted specifically because we were able to stop all of the anti-migrant legislation being proposed by Russell Pearce  he wanted to stop me, Reza, a U.S. citizen and Air Force veteran, told Fox News Latino.

Reza believes his case could have national implications because it comes during a time when immigration is out front and center in the political arena. He believes now, more than ever, First Amendment rights for immigration activists are crucial  particularly their rights to attend public hearings in their own state senate buildings.

Just because an elected official, one of our employees, doesn't agree with our political discourse, doesn't give him the right to kick us out of one of our buildings, said Rezas lawyer, Stephen Montoya. Elected officials are public employees and public servants.

Pearce was ousted from the Senate in a recall election in November 2011, becoming the first legislator in state history to be removed from office. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which sided with Reza this week, has stopped many of Pearces illegal immigration measures in the past. Pearce believes his actions to bar Reza were constitutional.

"The circuit court has contempt for the law, it has contempt for the Constitution, they have contempt for citizens,'' said Pearce, according to the Arizona Daily Sun. "Anything they do should not surprise anybody.''

The Judge Milan Smith Jr wrote in the majority split decision Tuesday that whether Reza was disruptive or not at the hearing was for a jury to decide, but ultimately even if he was disruptive, there was no constitutional justification for the ban.

"The effect of the ban was thus to exclude Reza not simply from all future hearings related to SB 1070, but from all future hearings on any subject,'' judge Smith Jr. wrote. "In addition, because the building housed the legislative officers of all members of the Arizona Senate, the ban precluded Reza from visiting his elected representatives to urge legislative action on any subject.''

Reza was arrested two days after the hearing when he entered the senate building to go visit his senator for an appointment. The longtime activist also claims in his suit that Pearce targeted him because he was Latino, but the court unanimously rejected that argument.

Montoya says he believes his client will ultimately prevail, and that this case, in many ways reflects the conversation happening nationally in regards to the Latino community and immigration sparked by Republican presidential candidate and frontrunner Donald Trump.

Hispanics are not aliens, Montoya told Fox News Latino. This immigration issue has the potential, and sometimes, actualized to result in the deprivations of the constitutional rights of Hispanics who are native born citizens of the United States, many who are veterans of foreign wars.
Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz campaigned at a Wyoming Republican Party fundraiser Thursday with tea-party-flavored promises to undo huge portions of President Barack Obama's legacy, from health care reform to a nuclear agreement with Iran.

The junior U.S. senator from Texas passed on the chance to criticize Donald Trump, the billionaire with an early lead over the more than a dozen candidates seeking the Republican nomination.

"How fantastic is it that we have so many young, dynamic, charismatic leaders standing up to lead this country," Cruz said to applause and an "amen" among the 150 or so attending.

Yet Cruz devoted a fair amount of time to Trump's centerpiece issue, illegal immigration. Cruz joked that he would deter Mexicans from entering the country illegally by manning the southern border with thousands of IRS agents.

Cruz first was elected to the Senate in 2012 and quickly established himself as a leader of the tea party faction. He gained notoriety in 2013 for leading an unsuccessful fight to defund the Affordable Care Act that culminated in a partial federal government shutdown.

Speaking in Cheyenne, Cruz promised to "repeal every word" of Obama's health care reform and replace it with "personal, portable and affordable" reform.

He said he would end the federal government's efforts to require insurance coverage for contraception regardless of religious beliefs. Cruz also pledged to end environmental regulations that hurt the coal industry -- a message with special significance in the top coal-producing state.

He promised to "rip to shreds" any nuclear agreement with Iran and urged the crowd to get behind a solidly conservative candidate such as himself.

"That is the only way we win," Cruz said. "Every time we nominate Democrat-lite, we lose."

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National Latino groups say Donald Trump's "bigoted" and "hateful anti-immigrant rhetoric" is inspiring a backlash against Hispanics, as evidenced by the recent beating of a homeless Mexican man in Boston allegedly by two men who say they were "inspired in part" by the real estate mogul.

Donald Trumps hateful anti-immigrant rhetoric has resulted in the senseless beating of a homeless man solely because he is Latino, said Roger C. Rocha, Jr., president of the League of United Latin American Citizens.

It is obvious that Trumps vision of making America great does not include Latinos.  The League of United Latin American Citizens National President Roger C. Rocha, Jr.

A 58-year-old Mexican national was beaten with a metal pole and urinated on Wednesday by two brothers in Boston who told troopers afterwards they were inspired at least in part by Trump. A police report about the incident quoted one of the brothers as saying: Donald Trump was right, all these illegals need to be deported."

Alex Nogales, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, told Fox News Latino he believes Trump is solely responsible for creating the kind of atmosphere that will lead to future hate crimes against the Hispanic community.

Both organizations, as well as a slew of other Latino groups and leaders, have condemned Trump since he described Mexican immigrants as rapists and criminals during his June announcement that he was running for president.

We know that hate speech has consequences. What did he expect? Nogales said. I blame him directly for the environment that is being created where fellow Republicans are dumping on the Latino community. This guy is using the immigration issue to get the racists in his party aligned against us and these are the kinds of consequences we can continue to expect.

On Friday afternoon Trump tweeted, Boston incident is terrible. We need energy and passion, but we must treat each other with respect. I would never condone violence.

The tweet was the strongest condemnation of the attack by Trump yet, and came after he received backlash for not condemning the attack on Wednesday night. He said he hadnt heard about it, called it a shame, and said his followers are "very passionate."

Still, Nogales was unmoved by Trump's tweet.

I am not at all sympathetic," Nogales said.

Both Nogales and Rocha reference a 2013 FBI Hate Crime Statistics report which found that 52.6 percent of 821 Latino victims were targeted because of anti-Hispanic or anti-Latino bias.

On Thursday, the Mexican government also condemned the attack on the sleeping homeless man, saying it "rejects any act of violence" motivated by racism, national origin or immigration status. Mexican officials said they would be following the case "very closely."

Meanwhile, Latino leaders and organizations continue to call for businesses to distance themselves from Trump.

This recent act demonstrates Trumps complete disregard for the safety and well-being of the Latino community and underlines that he is not fit to serve in any elected office, let alone as President of the United States, Rocha said. It is obvious that Trumps vision of making America great does not include Latinos.
In what is being billed as a show of solidarity, a former Mexican diplomat has started a fundraising campaign for Washington, D.C.,-based celebrity chef Jose Andres as he faces a $10 million lawsuit for pulling out of a contract with Donald Trump to open a restaurant in one of the magnate's hotels.

Jorge Guajardo, who has served as Mexican ambassador to China and consul in Austin, Texas, started a campaign on the crowd-funding Web site Indiegogo to help Andres cover his legal fees. The star Spanish-born chef decided to cancel his deal with Trump due to the mogul's demeaning words about Mexican immigrants and his statement that a "great wall" should be built along the Mexican border.

Trump filed a breach-of-contract suit in late July alleging that, because of the chef's refusal to create and run the main restaurant in the Trump International Hotel in Washington, he "has suffered and will continue to suffer damages of an amount that will be determined by the trial, but is expected to exceed $10 million."

In the suit, Trump's lawyers insist that Andres always knew about "Trump's willingness to frankly share his opinions" on immigration before deciding to collaborate with him on the restaurant, which was scheduled to open next year.

Andres, who directs 18 restaurants in the United States, where he has lived for more than 20 years and recently obtained citizenship, said in a communique that he tried to "negotiate an amicable resolution" with the real estate mogul and television personality but felt forced to terminate the lease and break off the agreement.

"The problem is that Macy's and Univision have big legal departments, and they can weather these types of attacks easily," Guajardo told the Washington Post. "Jose Andres does not have a legal department. He does not spend his money on legal issues. He is dedicated to creativity, to talent."

He added, "I guess my intention is to tell him he's not alone, but more than to tell him, to tell anyone who wants to stand up to this racism, to this intolerance, that they're not alone  They shouldn't fear the legal repercussions for taking a moral stance. The community will stand with them."

Trump's incendiary remarks have cost him a number of contracts, including ones with television networks Univision, ESPN and NBC, as well as Macy's and NASCAR.

At the same time, well-known personalities like actresses Roselyn Sanchez and America Ferrera, Colombian model and current Miss Universe Paulina Vega, and many of Trump's rivals for the White House have slammed his anti-immigrant remarks.

On top of that, Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica have all announced they will no longer take part in the Miss Universe contest, which is owned by Trump.

EFE contributed to this report.

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The Mexican government condemned an attack on a sleeping homeless man that police said was committed by two brothers, one of whom said that Donald Trump was right about deporting "all these illegals."

The brothers urinated on the 58-year-old man, punched him and beat him with a metal pole while he slept near a Boston train station, police said.

Daniel Hernandez Joseph, the consul general of Mexico in Boston, confirmed the victim was a Mexican citizen. He said his government would "take the necessary measures to defend the rights and interests of Mexicans," The Boston Globe reported.

Mexican officials said they would follow the investigation "very closely" to ensure that those responsible are held accountable.

The brothers, Scott Leader and Steve Leader, were being held without bail on charges including assault and indecent exposure. They pleaded not guilty.

Witnesses flagged down a state trooper at about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday after they saw the attack and then saw the Leaders walk away laughing, prosecutors said. The victim was treated for a broken nose, serious bruises and other injuries.

Scott Leader told troopers after his arrest, "Donald Trump was right, all these illegals need to be deported," according to a state police report filed in court.

Trump, a Republican presidential candidate, has inflamed Latinos by describing Mexican immigrants as "criminals" and "rapists" and saying he would build a wall between the United States and Mexico to crack down on illegal immigration. He recently said he would deport the millions of people already in the United States illegally, sort them into groups of "good ones" and "bad ones" and then allow those deemed good to re-enter the country.

Asked about the homeless man's beating before a New Hampshire town hall on Wednesday night, he said he hadn't heard about it.

"I think that would be a shame," he said.

Attorneys who appeared with the brothers for their arraignment couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Court records show Scott Leader served a year in prison for a hate crime against a Moroccan coffee shop worker after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, the Globe said.

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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.

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.

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.

 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, Beijing's 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 People's 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 country's northern provinces mostly rely on the burning of hundreds of millions of tons of coal each year for heating during northern China's bitterly cold winters.


Casting himself as a tax-cutting, passionate government reformer, Jeb Bush drew merely polite applause Friday from thousands of the nation's most-active tea party conservatives gathered at the billionaire industrialist Koch brothers' summit.

Only when the Republican presidential candidate wrapped up his 20-minute speech by calling for a military buildup did the more than 3,000 conservatives from around the nation join in a sustained cheer for Bush, a familiar face in American politics but a newcomer in front of the tea party crowd.

"I promise you, if I'm elected president of the United States, I will restore the traditional role of the United States as a leader for peace and security," Bush declared at the annual summit of Americans for Prosperity.

He snapped a salute to the audience before he left the stage.

Industrialists Charles and David Koch have cracked open a door to tea party support for Bush, a welcome opportunity for the former Florida governor whose presidential competitors include several big tea party success stories.

He was addressing the Kochs' flagship conservative political organization's annual summit for the first time.

For most of his speech, even Bush's most impassioned lines were met with only applause during an event that has the feel of a rock concert, complete with pyrotechnics during the National Anthem and a Olympic-style torch inside the convention hall.

"We are going to win as conservatives if we solve problems by reforming things for everybody," Bush said, his voice echoing until applause began to trickle across the hall.

The Kochs introduced Bush earlier this month to some of the most generous donors in their political network. And about a month ago, Bush shared the stage with a top Americans for Prosperity official at a town hall in New Hampshire, the first primary state.

Such overtures are giving him a chance to develop goodwill among activists and donors aligned with the tea party, the limited-government movement that came to prominence two years after Bush left office in Florida in 2007. Supporters hope his performance in Columbus could help him poach some of the activists who worked to elect Sens. Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, all of them now presidential contenders.

"There are some things in his record we like, and want to hear more about his economic agenda and how he's going to get this country moving," Americans for Prosperity President Tim Phillips said about Bush. "We're not endorsing anyone. But for those reasons, we're glad to have him at the summit."

Bush noted what he sees as a key difference between himself and tea party favorites Rubio of Florida and Cruz of Texas, who speak to the summit Saturday. "Talking about it is fine. But now we need leadership," Bush said.

Jindal addressed the convention Friday. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry is also scheduled to speak Saturday.

Notably absent is Ohio's own Gov. John Kasich, whose office is less than a mile from the convention hall. Americans for Prosperity objected strongly to his acceptance of federal money in exchange for expanding Ohio's state-run health insurance program for poor people under the 2010 health care law.

Levi Russell, a spokesman for Americans for Prosperity, declined to say whether Kasich was invited.

Bush's record governing Florida for eight years beginning in 1999 holds potential appeal for tea party activists, Phillips said. Bush cut taxes and reformed health care and education. Yet some Florida spending grew under Bush's watch, a time of economic growth just before the recession began.

It's obvious, not everyone milling in the hallway before Bush's speech was ready to embrace him as their own.

"He's not part of my top three," said Kelly Gunderson of suburban Minneapolis before the speech. Although afterward, she said, "It was a really good speech, and I agreed with several points."

David White said Bush's last name still gives him pause.

"From what I know now, no," White, a southeast Ohio county commissioner, said about supporting Bush. "Some of that is the fact that he's a Bush."

Phillips indicated that Bush's perceived campaign strength  including his fundraising  is one reason some Americans for Prosperity supporters are taking a closer look at him. Bush and an allied super PAC raised $114 million in the first six months of the year, giving him more than double the resources of any other GOP contender.

"There is no perfect candidate," Phillips said. "Losing on principle only goes so far."

Bush's foray into the Kochs' political network holds a bit of irony: The brothers ramped up their engagement in 2003 partly as a reaction to what they perceived as out-of-control government spending by President George W. Bush, Jeb Bush's brother.

At the beginning of the month, Jeb Bush became the first member of his family to speak at a Koch donor summit, this one held at a luxury resort in Dana Point, California. The 400 attendees provide funding for Koch-approved political and policy groups and educational causes that will spend an estimated $889 million this year and next, much of it aimed at the 2016 elections.

The donor group also heard from Walker, Rubio, Cruz and former technology executive Carly Fiorina. Bush was received warmly. One donor, Maryland automobile dealer John Pohanka, described himself as "a Jeb fan."

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Tucked away at his family home in Delaware, Vice President Joe Biden has been huddling with longtime aides and family members, evaluating what it would take to launch a viable presidential campaign against well-funded Democratic opponents with a huge head start.

Although Biden has yet to make a decision, his advisers say the vice president and his associates have started gaming out mechanics like fundraising, ballot deadlines and an early primary state strategy. Also under consideration are the personal consequences for Biden and his family, who are still mourning the death of the vice president's son, Beau Biden, a few months ago.

Much of the deliberation has taken place this week at the Bidens' house in a secluded, wooded suburb of Wilmington, said several Biden aides, who requested anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the meetings publicly. In recent days, longtime Biden confidantes Mike Donilon and former Sen. Ted Kaufman have spent time there, along with Biden's grandson, Hunter Biden, and his sister, Valerie Owens Biden, who has played a top role in all his previous campaigns.

A look at the deliberations:

TIMING

Biden's team has settled on a one-month window from Sept. 1 to Oct. 1 in which he could potentially announce plans to run.

The vice president long ago set an end-of-summer deadline for his decision, and the last full day of summer is Sept. 22. The longer he waits, the less time he has to build a formidable campaign, but competing events on the administration's calendar make it difficult to launch in the next couple of weeks.

If Biden's not in by Oct. 1, it will likely be too late, people who have spoken to Biden recently said. He'll need at least two full months to get the petition signatures and delegates lined up by the beginning of December to qualify for the ballot in early primary states.

That's assuming Clinton remains his biggest obstacle to the nomination. If her campaign were to collapse, Biden could feasibly enter the race much later and remain competitive. Concerns about Clinton's falling poll numbers and controversy over her email practices has been one of the driving forces leading prominent Democrats to turn to Biden.

Biden's aides are also eyeing the first Democratic primary debate  on Oct. 13  as potentially a make-or-break moment. That first debate is expected to attract a huge audience among Democratic primary voters, giving Biden a powerful opportunity to establish himself as a credible alternative to Hillary Rodham Clinton. Biden's strong performance in the 2012 vice presidential debate was widely credited with helping get the campaign back on track after President Barack Obama's weak showing in his first debate.

MONEY

Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders, the top two candidates in the Democratic primary, have already amassed millions of dollars while securing support from many of the party's top fundraisers. Biden would start with zero in the bank.

With that reality in mind, his political advisers have discussed $5 million in hard money  direct campaign contributions  as a bare minimum of what they'd likely need in the first two months to open campaign offices and be competitive in the first primary contests. Separately, the super PAC encouraging Biden to run has set a goal to raise $2.5 million to $3 million in the next six or so weeks.

The super PAC, known as Draft Biden, is exempt from contribution limits, and could pay for pro-Biden television advertising. But the trappings of his current job make campaigning extremely expensive for Biden. When the vice president travels for political events, his campaign has to reimburse the government for much of the cost of Air Force Two.

It remains to be seen whether Biden could attract enough major donors and bundlers to fund a competitive campaign. After all, many of the party's top fundraisers are already committed to Clinton.

"If he decides to run  and I hope he will  I'd be a huge supporter," said Paula Levine, a Democratic fundraiser and Biden family friend who has raised money for his previous campaigns. "But Joe has to make the decision that's right for him and his family."

THE MAP

Aiming to prove Biden would be competitive in key primary states, Draft Biden has been organizing and recruiting Democratic talent in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. This week Steve Schale, who ran Obama's presidential campaign in Florida, joined the super PAC, becoming the most senior Obama campaign staffer to publicly support a Biden run.

Biden's team has said it's optimistic about his prospects in South Carolina, which holds the third primary contest and where Biden has deep political roots. In an attempt to lock up support there, Clinton's campaign has dispatched top advisers John Podesta and James Carville to South Carolina, where they've been holding public events and announcing endorsements.

In a bout of encouraging news for Biden this week, a Quinnipiac University poll of three battleground states  Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania  found Biden faring as well as or better than Clinton against the top Republican candidates. In Ohio, 48 percent said they'd support Biden over Republican Donald Trump, giving Biden a 10-point lead over the GOP front-runner.

"What this shows is that potentially, Mr. Biden could be a competitive candidate," said Peter Brown, the polling institute's assistant director.

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Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was the hands-down favorite of the Americans for Prosperity annual summit in Columbus, Ohio, this weekend, if the number and volume of ovations during the speeches of five presidential candidates who addressed the annual convention of tea party activists was the measure.

At the other end of the spectrum was former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a newcomer to events financed by conservative industrialists Charles and David Koch. Bush was attending his first national conference of Americans for Prosperity and was greeted with respectful but restrained applause by a group that rose essentially out of Republican dissatisfaction with federal spending under his brother, former President George W. Bush.

Cruz, a tea party favorite since his 2012 election, sparked deafening cheers in the Columbus Convention Center auditorium even before he took the stage, entering to the 1980s power anthem "Eye of the Tiger." During his speech Saturday, he went on to promise to "repeal every word of Obamacare," and" rip to shreds this catastrophic Iranian nuclear deal."

Each of Cruz's lines was met with applause and cheers from the more than 3,000 activists. Bush, who spoke a day earlier, earned far fewer cheers, and mostly polite applause, from the anti-tax, economic conservative audience from around the country.

David White of Marietta, Ohio, was unimpressed with Bush.

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"He did not articulate any plan for what he intends to do as president," said White, of southeastern Ohio. "He used his time to try and rearrange perception of his record in Florida."

Bush did stress his experience during eight years as Florida governor, noting tax cuts, reduction in the state government workforce and an overhaul in the state's education system.

Cruz, on the other hand, laid out an agenda that consisted entirely of undoing actions taken by Democratic President Barack Obama.

The event is significant because it's an opportunity for presidential candidates to impress the conservative group, which spent more than $30 million in advertising against Obama's re-election in 2012 and has activists, donors and organizers in 36 states and an operating budget for 2016 of roughly $125 million.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who can trace his 2010 Senate election to tea party support, received hearty cheers, but less robust than Cruz, while taking a more policy-focused approach than Cruz's more political speech.

"The first thing we must do is become globally competitive again," Rubio said, describing the fast-moving economy of the future. "That's why we talk about tax reform. That's why we talk about regulatory reform."

The two-day conference was also an opportunity for exposure for lesser-known candidates such as Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who rank low in national polls among the field of 17 candidates. The extra exposure could help them rise in national polls, which kept the two from participating in the Aug. 6 debate in Cleveland.

Jindal used much of his speech Friday afternoon to rail against political correctness that he says has diluted the meaning of being American.

Jindal's parents immigrated to the United States from India before he was born, and he rallied the vastly white crowd in Columbus to standing cheers with a call for assimilation.

"I am done with hyphenated Americans," Jindal said, using the term to describe African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans and Asian-Americans. "We're all Americans, united as one."

And while Perry was animated and emphatic, he was also the last speaker during the two-day conference. Attendees trying to make their flights home began leaving during Perry's speech, despite impassioned, patriotic rhetoric.

"America is in desperate need of leadership again," Perry said. "They're desperate for a president whose actions speak louder than his words."

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Jeb Bush sought to draw contrasts between himself and fellow Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, whom at first he avoided addressing by name, on the divisive issue of immigration after he visited the U.S.-Mexico border on Monday.

The former Florida governor said calls to build a big fence along the border are unrealistic and would not solve the problem of illegal immigration.

He said that his tour of the border with local officials made clear that the proposal made by another candidate of building a fencedoesnt work. You have to have a much deeper strategy.

When a reporter brought up Donald Trump by name and asked Bush to comment on the real estate moguls hard line positions on immigration, the governor said Mr. Trumps plans are not grounded in conservative principles. It will cost hundreds of millions of dollars. It is not realistic.

Among Trumps vows if he is elected president is that he will deport all undocumented immigrants from the country, and perhaps let the good ones back in through a legal process and that he will build a wall along the southern border.

Trump also objects to giving U.S.-born babies of undocumented immigrants automatic U.S. citizenship, which is a right bestowed by the 14th Amendment.

It wont be implemented and we need border security to be able to deal with getting this county back on track, Bush said of Trumps call for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants. His proposal is unrealistic. It will cost hundreds of millions of dollars. It will violate peoples civil liberties. It will cause friction with our third largest trading partner that is not necessary, and I think he is wrong about this.

He said he favors comprehensive immigration reform, which generally involves tightening border security as well as providing a pathway to legal status for undocumented immigrants who meet a strict set of criteria.

Trump has kept a front-runner status in polls of GOP voters for weeks now, and has dominated media coverage. He has made headlines, often with his take-no-prisoners approach to immigration and Mexico.

That seems to be alienating Latinos, despite Trumps prediction that he will win the Hispanic vote.

A Gallup poll released Monday shows that two thirds, or 65 percent, of Latinos respondents said they have an unfavorable view of Trump, while 14 percent had a positive one.

About 34 percent view Jeb Bush favorably, compared to 23 who see him unfavorably.

The poll surveyed roughly 650 Hispanics nationwide.

The two were the most well-known to Latinos of the large field of GOP candidates, who include two Cuban-Americans.

In answer to a reporters question, Bush said that he supports giving undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as minors a path to legal status, though he added that he objects to it being by executive action, as President Barack Obama has done.

Obama actually suspended deportation for hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who came as minors, and extended them the ability to obtain work permits and some federal benefits.

He defended his use of the controversial term anchor baby, seen by many as a derogatory way to refer to children born in the United States to people who may be looking to give birth here as a way to obtain legal U.S. residency.

Bush balked at a reporters suggestion that might be risking offending Latinos by using the term.

He said what he had more in mind when he spoke about the issue was Asian people coming into our country, having children, and taking advantage of a noble concept  birthright citizenship.

Bush said there are organized efforts to bring people to the United States to have babies, and that is what he was expressing concern about.

We dont need to get restrictionist about using politically correct language, he said.
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Revelers arrived in cars sporting the American flag and wore clothes in red, white and blue as they celebrated the anniversary of Puerto Rico's pro-statehood political party with deafening salsa music and speeches.

Like many others worried about the U.S. territory's future, those rallying Thursday night in the coastal town of Manati believe that statehood can help pull it out of a nearly a decade of economic stagnation. "Puerto Rico has to become a state," insisted 63-year-old celebrant Norma Candelario.

With unemployment at 12 percent, and the public debt reaching $72 billion, advocates for making the Caribbean island the 51st state say the economic woes are strengthening their arguments. As a state, Puerto Rico's municipalities and public utilities would no longer be prohibited from restructuring their debts through bankruptcy. It would also receive more of certain kinds of federal funding that other states get.

"The crisis has made us more visible worldwide," said Carlos Pesquera, a former Puerto Rico transportation secretary who attended the rally. "I would have preferred that the crisis not happen, but we're going to take this as an opportunity to define our status, to see it as a solution."

Puerto Ricans have been divided over their relationship to the U.S. mainland for decades. Since 1967, most voters in three referendums have favored remaining a semi-autonomous territory, which advocates say preserves the island's cultural identity and provides more local control.

Statehood was a close second place in all three votes, with independence coming in a distant third. But support for joining the union rose in each referendum and appears to be gaining. In the most recent election, in November 2012, for the first time more than half of voters said they favored a change from the territory's current status and a plurality said they supported statehood. Backers of the status quo said the ballot was flawed and rejected the outcome.

A recent poll by local research firm Gaither International found 40 percent of Puerto Ricans favored statehood, with 27 percent opposed and 33 percent expressing no opinion. Among those with an opinion, 60 percent favored statehood, compared with 56 percent in a similar poll conducted five years ago.

"Puerto Rico needs statehood at some point because of the economic crisis," said Nel Balseiro, 43, a funeral home owner and former mayor who until two years ago supported the status quo. "We need that to have a real chance at progressing."

The gains for statehood reflect the dismal times on the island, said Gilberto Castro de Armas, managing director at Gaither International.

An estimated 144,000 people left the territory between 2010 and 2013 in the largest exodus in decades and about a third of all people born in Puerto Rico now live in the U.S. mainland. So many businesses and schools have closed and so many people have left the island that some neighborhoods resemble ghost towns.

"Political changes occur during times of economic and social stress," said Castro de Armas. "You don't have to be a fortune teller. People are abandoning the ship because they think it's sinking."

Statehood proponents say the exodus is the best proof of growing support for their cause.

Judith Colon, 44, who manages social media accounts for Puerto Rico's pro-statehood party, said moving to the U.S. is among the few options available to Puerto Ricans struggling economically.

She and other statehood supporters say joining the union would provide the kind of needed economic benefits Puerto Ricans get when they move to the mainland.

The local government receives lower Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements, forcing it to spend more than $1 billion a year in Medicaid alone than if it were a U.S. state, said island congressional representative Pedro Pierluisi, who is running for governor next year. Puerto Rico also faces limited child tax credits and is barred from accessing other tax credits including one meant to promote labor participation, and there is no supplemental Social Security income for disabled people, he said. In addition, there's a cap on a nutritional assistance program in which the island is shortchanged by roughly $1 billion a year, he said.

"The current crisis has brought to light the limits of Puerto Rico's current territorial status," said Pierluisi, who promises to hold a referendum on whether the island should become a state if he's elected. "From an economic standpoint, there's no question that billions of additional dollars would be flowing into Puerto Rico's economy if we were treated equally and fairly ... The disparities we have in the way federal programs apply in Puerto Rico are atrocious."

Statehood supporters also say joining the union would end their perceived second-class status. Even though Puerto Rico residents are U.S. citizens, they cannot vote in the presidential election and have only one representative in Congress who has limited voting power.

But the island's Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla, whose party supports the current commonwealth status, has said statehood "would turn Puerto Rico into a ghetto."

Others, like Jorge Colberg, secretary of Garcia's Popular Democratic Party, say Puerto Rico's economic problems are a result of poor public administration, not its status. "Spending more than what you have has nothing to do with political status," Colberg said.

He said that holding a plebiscite now would create uncertainty for investors as the island tries to restructure its debt and warned that statehood would eliminate certain tax breaks and increase other taxes.

Puerto Rico statehood would require approval from Congress, where it would face a tough fight because the territory is considered to lean Democratic and it would have two senators and five representatives if it became a state. But it could be hard for Congress to block it if a strong majority of Puerto Ricans demonstrated support for joining the union.

President Barack Obama has said he supports statehood if Puerto Ricans clearly back it, and Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush has said he believes statehood is the best option.

Many on the island think Puerto Rico is nearing that day.

"This is the best inheritance we can leave our children," said Candelario, who moved back to the island from the Bronx to help out a struggling daughter. "I have grandchildren, and I would like to leave them something special. It would be good if they could study here and work here."

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The case of pastor deported to his native Honduras would have remained a local story in Iowa. But a presidential candidate is giving the case widespread attention.

During a weekend visit to the leadoff caucus state, Hillary Clinton again took up the cause of Max Villatoro, a Mennonite pastor-in-training who was deported to Honduras in March over a 16-year-old misdemeanor conviction.

He was from all accounts, everything Ive read and heard, a contributing member of the community. And for the life of me, I dont understand why he was deported, Clinton said back in July, according to the Des Moines Register. And I would think we would have to take a hard look at cases like that and exercise more discretion.

Immigration advocates said that 41-year-old Villatoro was an upstanding member of the Iowa City community who was unjustly ripped away from his family. However, federal authorities have defended the deportation, saying it was a legitimate part of a sweep of undocumented immigrants whod committed crimes.

Clinton said Villatoros case is just one of the many cases that are plagued by the countrys broken immigration system, adding that the country should deport dangerous people, dangerous criminals  but for people who have maybe one small blemish on their record, and theyve proven over the years since that they are contributing citizens, I think we should show them understanding and permit them and their families to stay together.

Taking up Villatoro's case is part of Clinton's approach to tackle local issues in Iowa.

The approach is a stylistic shift from Clinton's failed 2008 presidential bid, which began poorly with a third-place finish in the Iowa caucuses. Advisers say this is the product of many hours spent in small house parties talking to residents, calls to close Iowa contacts and a clear sense she must do more to engage with Iowans intimately.

"She's really sitting down and talking to people, and I think that's why," said Andy McGuire, chairwoman of the Iowa Democratic Party. She backed Clinton in 2008 but is remaining neutral this time.

Clinton commented on her efforts to make local connections at a Burlington house party this summer.

"I want to know what's actually happening, so I can come up with proposals that may actually change people's lives," she said.

Iowa-centric politicking won't sway all Iowa Democrats. While Clinton is the clear front-runner, they've demonstrated growing support for her main rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, and are taking a look at former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley as well. Many liberals are frustrated with Clinton, who has avoided taking a firm position on some key trade and environmental questions.

"I see everything she's doing now as simply responding to polls," said progressive activist Brenda Brink of Huxley, who considers herself "solidly in the Bernie camp." Brink added: "I know she's impressing some people."

Since she entered the race in April, Clinton has made seven visits to the state and built a massive organizing network. Her Iowa director, Matt Paul, said she has been clear that she wants "time to have conversations with Iowans" on those visits. He said she keeps up with the local papers.

Clinton is taking a similar approach in other early-voting states  name-dropping local businesses and a winning local softball team during a recent town hall event in New Hampshire, for example. Supporters say all of this provides Clinton a way to connect and to counter criticism that she lacks warmth.

"This has always been strength for her, the one-on-one and the smaller-group stuff," said Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill. "The difference is that we're leaning into it this time."

Clinton also says that talking one-on-one with people in Iowa and New Hampshire has already influenced her campaign. She says she is focusing on mental health and drug treatment because of her conversations in these states.

Perhaps the most popular Iowa reference from Clinton is to the state budget. At a Democratic dinner, Clinton drew huge applause when she criticized Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad for some recent budget vetoes on education and mental health spending. O'Malley has also been critical of Branstad on the same issues as he campaigns in the state.

"Tonight I'm adding my voice to yours," Clinton told the crowd. "Gov. Branstad, put down your veto pen. Iowa families don't need a standoff, they need solutions."

Some activists, though, want to hear more solutions from her on the big national issues of the day.

Ann Christenson is a founding member of 100Grannies.com, an environmental advocacy group in Iowa City that Clinton mentioned during a recent stop. "We were surprised and pleased" at the reference, said Christenson, 78. But she said other candidates have also been in touch and she's still not sold on Clinton.

"She needs to come out against the Keystone XL and all other pipelines, including the Bakken Pipeline," she said. She was referring to pipelines that would transport oil from Canada to Texas refineries and from North Dakota's Bakken oil fields through South Dakota and Iowa to a distribution center in Illinois.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

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Pope Francis is scheduled to speak before a joint session of Congress on Sept. 24, right around the time critical votes are expected to take place on the Iran nuclear agreement.

Political observers believe the pope may express support for the deal  in stark contrast to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus speech in March before Congress in which he denounced the Iran accord as a bad deal that would all but guarantee that the Middle Eastern nation would obtain nuclear weapons.

Stephen Colecchi, a top official with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, told Politico that he believes the pope would speak about the Iran deal in hopeful tones.

Colecchi predicts the pope will frame the nuclear agreement in a positive way whether to speak words of encouragement for Congress to reconsider if the situation warrants that or gratitude if indeed Congress upholds the agreement.

In July, the Vatican said that an Iran deal with the global powers was viewed in a positive light by the Holy See.

It constitutes an important outcome of the negotiations carried out so far, although continued efforts and commitment on the part of all involved will be necessary in order for it to bear fruit, a Vatican spokesman said.

During an Easter Mass at St. Peters Square, Pope Francis expressed support for the Iran deal, saying it would be "a definitive step toward a more secure and fraternal world."

House Speaker John Boehner announced that the pope would visit Congress during his trip to the U.S. He said he was unsure what the pope would say.

When asked what topics the pope may mention in his address, Boehner recently said, Well, listen, theres one thing we know about this pope: Hes not afraid to take on the status quo or not afraid to say what he really thinks.

Congress, which has a Republican majority, is expected to vote against the Iran nuclear agreement days before the pope arrives in the Unites States. An attempt at a filibuster could throw things off schedule, Politico said.

If Congress votes down the deal, President Barack Obama could veto it.

The Obama administration has expressed confidence that the deal will survive Congress.

The administration has said the deal is the best it could reach, and that if Congress votes against it, Iran will only pursue a nuclear program more aggressively.

Some have said the pope, who has not shied away from weighing in on the most controversial issues of the day, should not take on the Iran nuclear deal.

Colecchi disagrees.

Concern for the poor and concern for peace are profoundly spiritual issues, Colecchi said.

These are not optional issues. These are at the heart of the gospel.

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Venezuelan security forces have rounded up hundreds of Colombians for deportation as part of a security offensive along the countries' shared border.

Gov. Jose Gregorio Vielma Mora of Tachira state said Sunday that 791 Colombians living in Venezuela illegally had been handed over to Colombia's consulate general as a result of the four-day crackdown against smugglers and criminal gangs operating along the 1,400 mile (2,200 kilometer) border.

President Nicolas Maduro last week closed a major crossing between the two countries and declared a state of emergency in several western cities after three army officers were shot and wounded by gunmen he said belonged to paramilitary gangs operating from Colombia.

While the assailants have yet to be caught, the incident triggered an angry response from Maduro, who sent 1,500 troops to patrol for Colombian smugglers and gangs he blames for contributing to rampant violence and widespread shortages in Venezuela.

Colombian Interior Minister Juan Fernando Cristo traveled to the border city of Cucuta to oversee humanitarian assistance to the deportees. He said authorities are trying to reunite 37 minors who were separated from their families during the dragnet.

Vielma Mora denied reports of abuses, which the AP was unable to verify, saying that not a single family had been broken up and all those deported were treated with respect.

Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, a fierce critic of Maduro, said on Twitter that he plans to travel Monday to Cucuta to express "solidarity with those mistreated by the dictator."

A Colombian official closely following the crisis said that while the situation was tense there was little to suggest Venezuelan authorities' treatment of the deportees violated international conventions. The official, who was not authorized to discuss the issue publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said most of the deportees were living without permission in Venezuela and likely involved in contraband activities.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said Maduro's dramatic action would hurt communities on both sides of the border. Foreign ministers from both countries are expected to meet Wednesday in a bid to resolve the crisis.

"Closing the border brings problems. It generates a lot of unease and forces a lot of innocent people, including children, to clean up the mess left by others," Santos said Saturday.

Opponents of Maduro's administration have denounced the mobilization of troops as an attempt to distract attention from a deep economic crisis. The Democratic Unity Alliance called on the international community to take note of what it considers a clear provocation likely to generate economic losses and threaten legislative elections scheduled for December.

As part of a government crackdown against contraband, the government over the past year had already ordered nighttime closure of the border in Tachira, deployed more troops and toughened jail sentences for smuggling. In total, the government says more than 6,000 people have been arrested for smuggling in the past year.

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For Columba Bush, the fight is personal.

The wife of Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush announced this week that the fight she waged against drug addiction as Florida's first lady would remain one of her top priorities in the White House.

Bush, whose daughter has struggled with addiction, penned an op-ed published over the weekend in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, calling attention to the nationwide epidemic of addiction to heroin and prescription painkillers. She's also met with drug prevention advocates and others in New Hampshire and Nevada  home to early primaries or caucuses  as well as Maine.

"I believe that education is prevention, and we should use our voices to raise awareness and stop this epidemic that is crippling our communities, our state and our nation," she wrote.

She did not name her daughter in the piece, nor did she outline the family's struggles. But for the Bush family, the fight against drug abuse is both personal and political.

In a town hall meeting last week in Merrimack, New Hampshire, Bush talked about the couple's "lifetime challenge" in helping their daughter, Noelle, recover from drug addiction.

Noelle was arrested in January 2002 and accused of trying to pass a fraudulent prescription at a pharmacy to obtain the anti-anxiety drug Xanax. Then 25, she completed a drug rehabilitation program in August 2003 and a judge dismissed the drug charges against her.

"People need to stay together in this regard," said Jeb Bush. "I have some personal experience with this as a dad, and it is the most heartbreaking thing in the world to have to go through."

Columba Bush, meanwhile, also cited a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study that found about 15,000 Americans die annually from overdoses of prescription painkillers and that heroin-related overdoses had quadrupled since 2002.

The number of U.S. heroin users nationwide has grown by nearly 300,000 over a decade, with the bulk of the increase among whites, according to a CDC report released last month. Experts believe the rise was driven by people switching from opioid painkillers to cheaper heroin.

"These statistics are staggering and clearly illustrate that opioid and prescription drug addiction is a threat to the health of our country," Bush wrote in her op-ed.

In Nevada, where Bush noted that overdose fatalities had grown 80 percent since 1999, she praised the work of a drug treatment clinic founded by casino magnate Sheldon G. Adelson and his wife, Miriam, who is a physician. He is one of the GOP's most powerful donors and was the largest single contributor during the 2012 presidential campaign.

The fight against drug abuse is not new to the Bushes. Bush said that while her husband was governor of Florida, he increased funding for substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation facilities. He also created the Office of Drug Control to combat drug abuse through education and prevention.

Columba Bush said the couple has sought to "dismantle the stigma associated with talking about substance abuse in our families and our communities."

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Gov. Jeb Bush again finds himself under fire for remarks he says have been taken wrong way  this time involving Asian-Americans.

The Republican presidential candidate, who has been criticized in recent days for using the controversial term anchor babies, which some people use to describe children born in the U.S.to undocumented immigrants, stressed during a press conference in Texas on Monday that it was not a move by him to put down Latinos.

Bush said that he honors and respects the Latino community, noting that he lived in Mexico and that Latinos are part and parcel of his personal life.

Im proudly married to a Mexican-American, said Bush, My kids are Latinos.

My background, my life, the fact that Ive been immersed in the Hispanic experience, its ludicrous to suggest that Im using a derogatory term, he said. Its more related to Asian people coming to our country, having children and taking advantage of a noble concept  birthright citizenship.

Asian-Americans denounced Bushs rationalization, saying that in trying to appease one group he slighted another.

Jeb Bush should know Asian Pacific Americans dont only speak English, we can speak several languages, including Spanish," said Dawn Le, a spokeswoman for the Alliance for Citizenship, in a statement. He cant pander to Latinos in one breath and then insult Asians and Asian-Pacific Americans in the next. Jebs remarks suggest how he might lead as president  by following Donald Trump down to the bottom of the barrel.

Bush appears to have been trying to describe the growing practice, especially among pregnant women from China, of traveling to the United States through organized rings so that they can have children who will be born U.S. citizens.

Called maternity tourism by federal government agents who investigate and prosecute such schemes, many businesses openly advertise their services in helping pregnant women from Asian countries travel to the United States to give birth, according to the Los Angeles Times. Those agencies push the amenities of giving birth in the United States, telling prospective customers that their U.S.-born children will enjoy quality public education and other benefits.

Taiwanese, Korean and Turkish mothers also take part in maternity tourism, the Times said, but added that it has become hugely appealing to the newly wealthy Chinese middle class.

On Tuesday, Bush told reporters he was not putting down Asian-Americans. He said he was trying to distinguish between birthright citizenship, which involves the U.S.-born babies of undocumented immigrants or other non-citizens living in this country, and the international scheme of smuggling in pregnant women just so they could give birth here.

I was talking about a very narrow-casted system of fraud, where people are bringing pregnant women in to have babies, to give birthright citizenship, Bush said. I support birthright citizenship, by the way.

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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.

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.

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, Dec. 31.

 Bridge Builder

Guterres called on his peers at the UN to "make one shared New Year's 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, women's 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 people's 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.

Ban's second five-year term ended Dec. 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.
Sen. Lindsey Graham co-opted some Trumpspeak Tuesday morning when he declared the real estate moguls throw-them-all-out plan for addressing illegal immigration stupid.

Graham said in an interview on Fox & Friends that Trumps idea for solving illegal immigration  by deporting all the estimated 11 million undocumented people, building a wall along the nearly 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border, and not allowing U.S.-born people who are here illegally to continue to get automatic U.S. citizenship  was not feasible and would not survive court challenges.

Well, Donald Trumps plan on immigration is stupid, said Graham, a South Carolina Republican who, along with Trump, is among more than 20 GOP presidential contenders.

Immigration has become a focus of the presidential election earlier than usual. Trump thrust it into the campaign spotlight in his presidential run announcement in June, when he assailed Mexico for, as he put it, dumping its worst on the United States, and called for building a wall that Mexico would finance.

Since then, he has doubled down, vowing to deport all undocumented immigrants and letting the good ones return in a legal fashion he has not yet detailed.

Trump said he would put an end to birthright citizenship, which many experts say is impossible because it is protected in the 14th Amendment. On Monday night, Trump said on the OReilly Factor that he had no problem moving to detain and deport undocumented immigrants who have children born in the United States.

Graham has embraced a more moderate approach to immigration, saying that its impractical to plan for a mass roundup and deportation of undocumented immigrants.

Graham was part of the so-called Gang of Eight, a bipartisan Senate group that drafted a comprehensive immigration reform bill the upper chamber passed in 2013 that called for tightening border security and providing a pathway to legal status for undocumented immigrants who meet a strict set of criteria.

Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican who also is running for president, was part of the Gang of Eight as well.

Graham said on Fox & Friends that if theres an attempt to deport U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants, as Trump suggested to Fox host Bill OReilly that he was prepared to do, youll get creamed in court.

I find him offensive, Graham said. His solution is just constitutionally flawed. Its not practical.

Last week Graham said he worries that Trumps ideas will alienate many Americans and spell trouble for the GOP.

"I don't think there's 10 votes in the United States Senate for this plan," Graham told reporters last week in Iowa. "I promise you no Democrat's going to vote for this, I certainly wouldn't vote for it. You're not going to get 11 million people out of this country. That's just not practical, that's going to kill the Republican Party. It's self-deportation on steroids."

Trump and Graham have lobbied insults at one another numerous times this year.

At a campaign event in South Carolina Trump gave out Grahams personal cell number.

Following that, Graham publicly destroyed his cell phone.

The senator did not have very kind words for Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, who said Trump brings a net positive for the GOP.

I think thats dumb, too, he said on Fox & Friends.

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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro vowed to extend a crackdown on illegal migrants from neighboring Colombia he blames for rampant crime and widespread shortages, while authorities across the border struggled to attend to droves of returning deportees.

Tensions between the South American countries spiked to their highest level in years after Venezuela closed a major border crossing last week and declared a state of emergency in several western cities. The dramatic action was triggered by the shooting of three army officers by gunmen Maduro claimed belonged to paramilitary gangs beholden to former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.

While the assailants have not been caught, the incident led Maduro to order the deportation of some 1,000 Colombians living illegally in Venezuela.

In a press conference on Monday, Maduro said the normally busy Simon Bolivar international bridge would remain closed, and restrictions possibly extended to other transit crossings, until Colombian authorities do their part to bring order to the porous, 1,400-mile border.

"Venezuela won't tolerate this anymore," said a visibly angry Maduro, who dedicated a large share of the two-hour press conference to upbraiding Uribe, calling him a "nefarious paramilitary boss" and "assassin."

Even as Maduro stepped up his verbal attacks, authorities across the border were struggling to help the Colombians driven from their homes in Venezuela.

The number deported in recent days is now more than half the 1,772 people expelled last year from Venezuela, according to Colombian statistics, and has overwhelmed a government-built shelter in the border city of Cucuta designed to provide assistance to returning nationals.

Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin oversaw humanitarian efforts in Cucuta on Monday amid reports from deportees that families had been broken up and videos circulated on social media showing homes being bulldozed as part of the dragnet.

Her boss, President Juan Manuel Santos, has criticized the border closing, saying it hurts communities on both sides, and vowed to spare no effort to stand up for the rights of Colombians wherever in the world they reside.

Holguin and her Venezuelan counterpart are scheduled to meet Wednesday in Cartagena, Colombia, in a bid to end the crisis.

Violence stemming from Colombia's civil conflict and the presence of drug-trafficking gangs has long plagued the border between the two countries. But as the distortions in Venezuela's troubled economy have worsened, smuggling of goods purchased in Venezuela at ultra-low prices and resold for huge profits across the border has become rampant, further emptying already barren supermarket shelves.

As part of the state of emergency, Maduro deployed some 1,500 extra troops to Tachira state to search door-by-door for paramilitaries he blames for the shooting of the army officers while they were patrolling for smugglers.

In San Antonio del Tachira, a town straddling the river separating the two countries, searched homes were spray painted in blue with the letter "R," for reviewed.

Maduro said those expelled were treated with respect, adding that he is a good friend of Colombians.

An estimated 5 million Colombians live in Venezuela and the flow of people and goods across the border has been a fixture of daily life for decades, changing direction with the shifting fortunes of each nation's economy.

Opponents of Maduro's administration have denounced the security offensive as an attempt to distract attention from a deep economic crisis ahead of key legislative elections in December that they are favored to win by a landslide.

They were joined in their criticism by Uribe, who addressed a rally Monday night of supporters at the border in Cucuta to express "solidarity with those mistreated by the dictator."

Under the state of emergency declared in six western cities, authorities have ordered a 60-day suspension of constitutionally protected rights to protest, carry weapons and move freely. Authorities also may legally intercept communications. Officials maintain they will only use the extraordinary powers to protect communities and will work to keep disruptions of daily life to a minimum.

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During a campaign rally Tuesday in Iowa, GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump said Sen. Marco Rubio was sort of a traitor for deciding to run against his onetime mentor and friend, Gov. Jeb Bush.

People thought it was very disrespectful to a person that brought him along  slowly, Trump said at the rally in Dubuque.

If I were Bush and I brought somebody along  and all of a sudden the guy, the young guy that I brought along, said: Im running against you and it's not my turn but I don't care because I'm really anxious, I'm really driven  I would really go after that guy. Id say Hes the most disloyal guy. Hes a terrible person. Hes horrible and I hate him.'"

Trump mocked the public amicable exchanges between Bush and Rubio, more recently at the first GOP debate a few weeks ago in Cleveland.

They're hugging and they're kissing and theyre holding each other, Trump said. Very much like, actually, what Chris Christie did with the president."

When Bush announced what few found surprising  that he was 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 [Hillary] 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.

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It's the spat heard around the world.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who seems to salivate when bickering with others, on Tuesday lit up social media yet again after he and Univision anchor Jorge Ramos engaged in a sniping match over his immigration positions during an Iowa press conference.

Sit down, Trump said testily while Ramos was stood up to ask a question. Go back to Univision.

Trumps statement appeared to be play off a phrase that been uttered at foreigners for decades: Go back to (insert country here.)

Ramos, the popular Spanish-language television host, spoke out of turn, peppering Trump with questions about his immigration proposal, which includes ending automatic citizenship for infants born in the United States to parents in the country illegally.

As one of Trump's security detail approached Ramos, the anchor continued to speak, saying, "You cannot deport 11 million people." Ramos was referring to Trump's proposal to deport all people in the country illegally before allowing some of them to return.

As he was taken from the room, the journalis said, "You cannot build a 1,900-mile wall," a reference to another proposal in Trump's plan.

Moments later, Trump justified Ramos' removal, saying: "He just stands up and starts screaming. Maybe he's at fault also."

In an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America" early Wednesday, Ramos said he was not expecting to be tossed from the news conference.

"Never in my life  and I've been a journalist for more than 30 years  have I been thrown out of a press conference," he said.

As to criticism that he was acting more as an advocate than a journalist, Ramos replied, "As a journalist, you have to take a stand. I think the best journalism happens when you take a stand."

Trump told NBC's "Today" show that Ramos "stood up and started ranting and raving like a madman. He was totally, absolutely out of line."

The incident happened the day after Trump resumed his feud with Fox News Channel anchor Megyn Kelly. Trump welcomed Kelly back from a vacation Monday night by tweeting that he liked her show better while she was away. He said Kelly "must have had a terrible vacation" because "she's really off her game," and retweeted a message that referred to her as a bimbo.

That drew a response from Fox News chief Roger Ailes, who called on Trump to apologize.

The billionaire businessman has sparked intense debate within the 2016 Republican field with his immigration plan. Several candidates, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, have called it "unrealistic."

Ramos was later allowed back into Tuesday's news conference. Trump greeted him politely, though they quickly resumed their argument, interrupting each other during an extended back-and-forth.

"Your immigration plan, it is full of empty promises," Ramos began. "You cannot deny citizenship to children born in this country."

"Why do you say that?" Trump replied. "Some of the great legal scholars agree that's not true."

Citizenship for infants born in the United States is guaranteed by the 14th Amendment, and changing that would require amending the Constitution.

During the five-minute exchange, Ramos claimed that 40 percent of people in the country illegally enter through airports, not over the Mexican border. "I don't believe that. I don't believe it," Trumpresponded.

A 2006 report by the Pew Hispanic Center found that up to 45 percent of the people in the U.S. illegally entered with legal visas but overstayed them.

Trump said he did not believe that a majority of immigrants in the U.S. illegally were criminals, or in the country to commit crimes. "Most of them are good people," he said. But he described recent cases where people had been killed by assailants later determined to be in the country illegally.

Finally, Trump reminded Ramos that he was suing Univision, which dropped Trump's Miss Universe pageant after he described Mexican immigrants in the U.S. illegally as "criminals" and "rapists."

"Do you know how many Latinos work for me? Do you know how many Hispanics work for me?" Trumpsaid. "Thousands. They love me."

Isaac Lee, chief executive officer of Univision, responded to the confrontation with a written comment: "We'd love for Mr. Trump to sit down for an in-depth interview with Jorge to talk about the specifics of his proposals."

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

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FERGUSON, MO (KTVI) - GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump is raising eyebrows with his comments linking gangs in St. Louis and Ferguson to illegal immigrants. The remarks came during a news conference Tuesday night in Dubuque, Iowa.

Trump was asked a question about immigration, an issue he has been very outspoken about during his campaign.

You know a lot of the gangs that you see in Baltimore and in St. Louis and in Ferguson and Chicago. You know theyre illegal immigrants. Theyre here illegally. And theyre rough dudes. Rough people. Theyre going to be gone so fast if I win that your head will spin. Theyre going to be gone so fast, OK. he said.

During an interview Wednesday morning on FOX 2, Ferguson Mayor James Knowles responded to the comments.

Im assuming that Donald Trump is saying that from his extensive experience in St. Louis and in Ferguson. He has never been here as far as I know. Ive never seen any roving bands of illegal immigrants or gangs in Ferguson. I think hes just trying to find headlines and we just gave him one.

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The men and women hoping to be president vary wildly  not the least in their net worths, according to USA Today.

Real estate mogul Donald Trump didnt waste much time in June after his announcement about running for president pointing out to the public that hes got a fat bank account.

Im really rich, Trump said in a speech in which he said the words rich, money and net worth 30 times in 45 minutes, according to The Daily Beast.

Trump says his net worth is in far excess of $8 billion.

According to the USA Today report, 95 percent of Trumps campaign funds come from donations he has done to himself  $1.8 million so far.

Trump often has referred to his vast personal wealth to note that he does not or want campaign money from donors or lobbyists because they come around later and start making demands in exchange for their contributions.

The two women running  former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the Democrat side and former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, a Republican  both have hefty fortunes.

Fiorina, the first female CEO of a top 20 company as ranked by Fortune, reports a net worth of about $60 million, which includes her husbands assets and liabilities. Clintons net worth is estimated to be between $15 million and $55 million, much of which she has earned from investments, her book Hard Choices and speaking fees.

Ranked behind Fiorina but ahead of Clinton is former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, with an estimated net worth of between $19 million and $22 million, some of it from speaking fees and consulting since he left public office in 2007.

Others in the top ten as far as personal net worth are Republicans Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former neurosurgeon Ben Carson, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. Also in the top ten is Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, who has a net worth of between $1.7 million and $4.5 million.

Democrat Bernie Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, has an estimated net worth of between $110,014 and $550,999. Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, has a net worth ranging from $57,000 and $829,999.

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Florida Sen. Marco Rubio says Donald Trump will not be the Republican presidential nominee because his message is not an optimistic one.

Rubio has largely shied away from taking on Trump, the billionaire businessman sitting atop polls of the Republican rivals.

In recent weeks, candidates such as Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush have started to go head-to-head with Trump. Rubio's criticisms Wednesday were measured, even when asked about Trump's comment that Rubio is "disloyal" and "disrespectful" for running against Bush, who was Rubio's mentor in Florida politics.

"I think our nominee is going to be someone that embraces the future, that understands the opportunities before us, that's optimistic but realistic about the challenges before us," Rubio told reporters after a meet-and-greet event in New Hampshire's North Country.

"I'm running for president, I'm not running against anybody," Rubio said. "I'll continue to talk about my message."

Speaking to a small crowd outside an auto body shop in a town of roughly 1,200, Rubio focused largely on his message of ushering in a new era of prosperity. He also drew a contrast between his message and Trump's, which centers on the slogan Make America Great Again.

"I understand what he's trying to say," Rubio said, "but I would remind him that America is great, and you know why I know America is great? Because ask yourself this question: Who would you trade places with?"

Rubio said: "The issue's not that America isn't great, the issue is that America has the chance to be greater."

Trump's rhetoric on immigration in particular has some Republicans worried about the party's ability to attract support from Hispanic voters, pivotal in the general election. Rubio didn't answer when asked whether Trump's comments are hurting that effort.

"Ultimately the Republican Party will reach out to all voters based on who our nominee is, and I don't believe Donald Trump will be our nominee," he said.

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Presidential candidate and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson held a Latino outreach event  the only problem was that no Latinos showed.

Wednesday's event in South Carolina drew about 25 people, nearly all of them non-Latino. The only Latinos there were the owner of the business and his son.

The GOP presidential candidate's ideas for addressing issues of Latino concerns, several publications noted, are quite out of sync with the community, The Hill said.

Carson wrote in the National Review his strategy for revamping the legal immigration system. He said he was spurred to action by accounts of how immigrants were coming to the United States to get healthcare, and get on welfare, among other things.

Published reports took the dismal showing of Latinos at his event as the result of poor foresight by its planner.

But theres also, the reports say, Carsons positions on various Latino issues that stand in stark contrast to those of many Latino voters.

Carson has voiced support for the controversial term self deportations" as a solution to ridding the country of undocumented immigrants.

Hes also spoken out against President Barack Obamas decision to take executive action on immigration after efforts to overhaul the system stalled in Congress.

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"I think I handled that well. I got a lot of credit for it," an unapologetic Donald Trump told Laura Ingraham on her radio show, referring to how his security team the previous evening kicked the prominent Univision reporter, Jorge Ramos, out of the Republican presidential candidates press conference in Dubuque, Iowa.

Ramos wasnt doing any reconciling on Wednesday, either.

He tried to silence me, the Mexican-born journalist told Fox News Megyn Kelly. And in this country you cannot do that. Im a citizen, Im an immigrant, Im a reporter. And I have the right in this country to ask any question I want, to whomever I want.

Trump's confrontation with Ramos came a day after he resumed his feud with Kelly. He welcomed her back from a vacation Monday night by tweeting that he liked her show better while she was away.

Ramos tried to find common ground with Kelly on her show.

"What is it like to be caught in the crosshairs of a billionaire presidential front-runner?" she asked him.

"Well, you know exactly how it feels," Ramos replied.

But Kelly pressed Ramos, suggesting that he may have shown up at the conference looking for a confrontation, and asked, Can you understand Trumps side of it? Which is, This is not the outlet I want to take these questions from because their mind is made up about me.

Ramos answered, He is talking about 60 million Latinos that will go to the polls and might decide the next election.

After getting kicked out, Ramos waited in a corridor, and a video emerged of a Trump supporter telling him, "This isn't about you. Get out of my country. Get out." The comment echoed Trump's comment to Ramos after he disrupted the press conference. "Go back to Univison," Trump said.

Ramos was allowed back in and continued his verbal sparring over Trump's immigration plan.

The Los Angeles Times noted on Wednesday that in Ramos, Trump may have tussled with the wrong media star, noting that a 2010 Pew Research Center report found that Ramos was the second-most recognized Latino figure in the U.S. after Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Trumps latest clash comes as his rivals continue to grapple with how best to compete against the unpredictable billionaire businessman, who has skyrocketed to the top of the polls.

At a campaign event Wednesday in Pensacola, Florida, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush sighed when a member of the town hall audience uttered Trump's name.

"Do we have to talk about this guy?" Bush asked.

Bush went on to criticize Trump's immigration plan, specifically his proposal to build a massive border wall, calling it impractical and out of step with conservative principles because of its cost.

He also criticized Trump's clash with Ramos, saying all journalists should be treated with "dignity and respect." He added that Trump needs to be held accountable by reporters.

"Go through these questions," Bush said, "and what you'll find is this guy doesn't have a plan."

The dispute didn't go unnoticed on the Democratic side of the campaign, either.

Speaking at an event in Ankeny, Iowa, Hillary Rodham Clinton said Trump and his rivals don't support a path to citizenship for the millions of immigrants living in the country illegally.

"Don't get distracted by the flamboyant front-runner," she said. "Most of the other Republican candidates are just Trump without the pizazz or the hair."

But Trump did seem more inclined to bury the hatchet with Foxs Kelly. During his conversation Wednesday with Ingraham, he said their spat was "not a death struggle, not a big deal."

"Actually I watched her show last night. She was very nice and I appreciated it," he said.

He said he and Ailes had just gotten off a phone call together, and praised the executive as "a good friend of mine" and a "special guy."

Asked if he was going to continue his Twitter campaign against Kelly, Trump said, "No, I have much bigger things to think about, honestly."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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GOP presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are expected to headline a Capitol Hill rally against President Obama's proposed nuclear agreement with Iran, both candidates confirmed Thursday.

Trump, the Republican front-runner by far, announced the event during a 45-minute speech in South Carolina. Cruz aides said the Texas senator extended the invitation to the billionaire developer ahead of Congress' vote on the accord in mid-September. Cruz's campaign statement said the event is sponsored by Tea Party Patriots, the Center for Security Policy and the Zionist Organization of America. The Cruz campaign did not immediately offer other details, including the event date.

Their opposition to the Iran nuclear deal is not the only thing the pair have in common. They both appeal to populists angry about the way Washington works and have made cracking down on illegal immigration top priorities of their campaigns. In fact, Cruz has refused to join other Republicans in criticizing Trump over the billionaire developer's comments that illegal immigrants are "rapists" and criminals. Cruz, in fact, has refused to take Trump on over any other issue. And Trump has called Cruz "a nice guy."

But they differ in key ways. Trump has nearly universal name recognition and a blunt-spoken campaign style that reflects his background as a reality show star. Cruz's megaphone, even as a U.S. senator from Texas, can't match Trump's. But the Harvard-trained lawyer and former Supreme Court clerk offers polish and a record on immigration policy that's ground in his personal background.

Congress is expected to begin debate on the accord when lawmakers return from recess Sept. 8.

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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.

City surveillance cameras captured footage of someone dressed in black about 3 a.m. (1100 GMT) who police believe was behind the conversion, Sgt. Robert Payan of the Los Angeles Police Department said in a phone interview.

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.

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 November 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.
On the top of a hill near Caracas, surrounded by mist and tall trees, there is a school that looks like a cross between a church and an army barracks.

But at this school all the students  and even the visitors  have to be members of the PSUV, Venezuelas ruling party. Its official name is the Supreme Commander Hugo Chavez National School of Socialist Training, and it is cloaked in secrecy and high security.

Current President Nicolas Maduro founded it by presidential decree in 2013, shortly after Chavez, his predecessor and mentor, died.

But it took a while for the school to get up and running, going a year without offering a class.

The schools four-day course for candidates for elected office is its most ambitious project to date, and has been attended by Cilia Flores, Maduros wife, and 332 other Chavista politicians and civil servants.The school seems to be a four-day Chavismo indoctrination, to teach students, politicians and government workers the ins and out of the socialist regime.

Flores has been a Chavista for as long as anybody can remember. She was Chavezs attorney when he was just the imprisoned leader of a failed coup, and she helped arrange his release. She was at his side when he won the presidency in 1998. And she has been the leader of the National Assembly and had been the countrys attorney general.

Even so, she still needs to take the same course in proper Chavista governance as former student leader Ricardo Sanchez, who until recently was an opposition firebrand.

The school tries to balance its high-profile students with a political movement that asks adherents to keep a low profile on most things. The Chavista governments popularity is at an all-time low: local pollsters like IVAD put its approval rating at around 17 percent.

On earlier poll by the business magazine AmericaEconomia found that Maduros approval was slightly higher at 24 percent, which was still the second-worst in South America after Perus Ollanta Humala with 17 percent.

Nicmer Evans, a sociologist and academic, still calls himself a Chavista, even though he has now distanced himself from Maduros administration and is no longer a PSUV member.

But once upon a time, Evans led the Venezuela Planning School, where, he remembers, we planned for socialism, for the Bolivarian and socialist public management of the country.

The planning school still exists and offers postgraduate courses to the elite of Venezuelas two million-plus civil servants.

I am Chavista, he told Fox News Latino, but I am not a card-carrying member of PSUV, so I guess I am not wanted [at the Hugo Chavez school]. It is a cloister  there is no real discussion allowed. The legacy of the Comandante has been kidnapped, Evans said.

The secret school

On a recent morning, I entered the school without telling anyone I was a reporter.

The schools patio was lined with ambulances and shuttle-buses: the next town is a couple of miles away, and there is no public transportation.

If you dont drive, you have to hitch a ride with somebody.

Inside, hundreds of young, college-age students were forming a line. A young man in a black suit and goatee told me, The class for the lawmakers ended last week. Right now we are drilling for a model United Nations debate.

Which is appropriate given that one of Hugo Chavezs daughters, Maria Grabriela Chavez, is Venezuelas deputy permanent representative at the U.N.

The first rule of Chavista school is: Dont talk about Chavista school.

Are you a member of the PSUV? a school employee dressed in a red shirt and carrying a walkie-talkie, asked.

When I answered that, no, I am not a member of the ruling party, just a journalist, the employee escorted me off the campus and into a small office.

You need to talk to Sgt. Garcia, he said.

Garcia turned out to be a slim, clean-shaven man. After hearing that I was at the school in order to write an article about the program for lawmakers, the sergeant said, We have no information about the school, and asked the reporter to vacate the school grounds.

Asked if four days of training was enough to properly instill socialist thought, the sociologist Evans said, Four days? Well, thats an information process, not a formation process."

Recent graduates stonewall when asked what they do at the school, even those like Sanchez, who tweeted pictures of himself at the school.

We are not authorized to talk about that, compa! HAPPY DAY!, the normally garrulous Sanchez texted after being asked about his experiences at the school.

Despite that, the school has a non-secret Twitter account, and when the First Lady (or in Chavista parlance, the First Combatant) finished the four-day class, the school tweeted photos of her graduation.

Just the fact that the First Lady, the First Combatant, has to sit in the same classroom with Sanchez, Evans told FNL, well, thats very interesting.
Univision anchor Jorge Ramos took to the station's website to defend his headline-grabbing confrontation with presidential candidate Donald Trump at a press conference this week.

The essay comes a few days after Trump dismissed Ramos from his press conference after the anchor shouted questions out of turn and a bodyguard escorted the journalist out before letting him back in.

Im a journalist and my job is to ask questions, Ramos began his essay by saying in Spanish.

Donald Trump is a candidate for the presidency of the United States and his job is to explain what he would do if he gets to the White House. His job and mine collide.

Ramos said Trump outright lied when he said in his June presidential announcement that Mexico dumps its worst on the United States  drug dealers, rapists, etc.

Ramos, who proudly says hes as much of an advocate as he is a journalist, challenged Trump on his various hardline immigration views.

The reality is different, Ramos said. The majority of the undocumented are not criminals. All studiesconclude that the percentage of criminals among immigrants is far smaller than it is among those born in the United States. Nor is there any evidence  none!  of a conspiracy by the Mexican government to send its criminals north.

Ramos said since listening to Trumps many questionable assertions about Mexicans, he felt compelled to challenge him.

How do you plan to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants? With what army?

He also wanted to ask Trump the rationale behind wanting to build a wall nearly 2,000 miles long when well over 40 percent of undocumented immigrants actually arrive legally  on temporary visas that they then overstay.

The wall would be a waste of time and money, Ramos said.

Ramos contends that he told those affiliated with the press conference that he intended to ask Trump questions about immigration, and no one objected. It was only after Trump heard his questions that he grew visibly annoyed and attempted to silence him, ordering him to sit down and be quiet, Ramos said.

Never, in my more than 30 years as a journalist, have I been thrown out of a press conference. In my view, that happens only in dictatorships, not in the United States of America.

Ramos said he agreed to return on the condition that he would be allowed to ask Trump questions. He said Trump answered, but gave few details.

Ive been accused of being an activist, Ramos said. But I am simply a journalist who asks questions. The matter at hand is that as a journalist, its essential to take a stand when you are confronted by racism, discrimination, corruption, public lies, dictatorship and human rights [violations]. What Trump is proposing could spark multiple, grave civil rights violations against millions of people.

Ramos cited journalistic giants such as Edward R. Murrow, when he went against Sen. Joe McCarthy, and Walter Cronkite, when he stood up against the Vietnam War, and the Washington Post, when it exposed the wrongdoings in President Richard Nixons White House.

Quoting Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel, Ramos said: Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.

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Donald Trump has exposed anew the deep rift inside the Republican Party on immigration, a break between its past and the country's future that the party itself has said it must bridge if the GOP ever hopes to win back the White House.

As they headed into the 2016 election, Republicans thought they had a strategy for moving past their immigration woes. Outlined in a so-called "autopsy" of 2012 nominee Mitt Romney's loss to President Barack Obama, it called for passing "comprehensive immigration reform"  shorthand for resolving the status of the estimated 11 million people living in the country illegally.

Those plans ran aground in the GOP-controlled House, falling victim to the passionate opposition among conservatives to anything they deem "amnesty" for such immigrants.

Some Republicans then hoped candidates with more moderate positions on immigration  such as Jeb Bush, the Spanish-speaking former Florida governor, or Sen. Marco Rubio, a Miami native and son of Cuban parents  would rise during the 2016 campaign and boost the party's appeal to Hispanic voters.

Instead, it's Trump  with his call to deport everyone living in the U.S. illegally and eliminate birthright citizenship  who has surged to the top of the summertime polls, reinforcing the lasting power of white, conservative voters who the GOP has courted for decades and continue to dominate the party's presidential primaries.

"Donald Trump is telling the truth and people don't always like that," Donald Kidd, a 73-year-old retired pipe welder from Mobile, Alabama, said at a weekend rally for Trump.

Kidd added that Trump was "like George Wallace," the former Alabama governor and presidential candidate known for his outspoken conservative rhetoric and segregationist views.

Trump's growing support appears to have pushed some of his rivals to match his hard-line positions on immigration. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker quickly echoed Trump's call for ending birthright citizenship. While Walker later backed off, Cruz has refused to join with those who criticized Trump after he called immigrants from Mexico rapists and criminals.

On Thursday, Cruz and Trump announced plans to appear together at a rally next month in Washington.

"Other campaigns should look at incorporating what he's saying," said South Carolina Rep. Jeff Duncan, who represents the most Republican congressional district in the early-voting state. He said he doesn't know how Trump's proposals are playing with Hispanics, but said his message "resonates with average Americans."

Trump mixes his boasts on immigration, including his pledge to build a "beautiful" wall on the nation's Southern border to stop illegal crossings, with talk about how he'll focus on jobs if elected president, which would be a boon for minorities who endure higher rates of unemployment. But Ferrel Guillory, a longtime political observer at the University of North Carolina, said it is rhetoric that nonetheless "signals to white voters, especially through the immigration issue."

The billionaire businessman has frequently referred to his supporters as the "silent majority," a phrase used by Richard Nixon as part of his "Southern strategy" to bolster support from working class white voters in the 1968 and 1972 elections. At a news conference in South Carolina on Thursday, Trump brushed aside questions about the term's loaded history.

"I'm just bringing it to modern day," he said, arguing that his backers are "a silent majority in this country that feels abused, that feels forgotten, that feels mistreated ... that wants the country to have victories again."

For decades, Republicans sank their presidential hopes into winning over white working- and middle-class voters. But as the country grows increasingly diverse, winning the majority of white voters  which may yield victories in the GOP primaries  is no longer enough to power a candidate to success in the general election.

That was the stark lesson for Republicans in 2012. GOP nominee Mitt Romney won 59 percent of the white vote in the general election, but garnered just 27 percent from Hispanics, 26 percent from Asians and 6 percent from black voters.

It was the worst performance from a Republican candidate among Hispanic voters in a decade, and Obama swept every competitive state in the nation save North Carolina.

That's undoubtedly why Hillary Rodham Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, has argued that there's little difference between Trump and the other GOP candidates on immigration. And why Bush, who is married to a Mexican woman and famously said Republican candidates for president must be willing to risk losing in the primaries if they hope to win in the general election, has been among his sharpest critics.

"He's appealing to people's angst and their anger," Bush said this week. "I want to solve problems so we can fix this and turn immigration into what it's always been  an economic driver for our country."

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The United States must bolster its military, push for more free trade and hold China far more accountable on human rights, Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio writes in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal.

"A strong America  militarily, economically and morally  is the only path to lasting peace and partnership between the U.S. and China," writes Rubio in the op-ed to be published in Friday's edition of the newspaper. The piece appeared on the newspaper's website Thursday night.

The U.S. senator from Florida is expected to provide details of his China policy Friday morning in Charleston, South Carolina, when he speaks to the Charleston Metro Chamber's World Trade Center.

Rubio, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has promoted his foreign policy credentials as a GOP candidate. Earlier this month, he outlined his hardline positions toward Iran and Cuba, calling them "tyrannical regimes" in a New York City speech.

His China policy plan comes the same week the world's financial markets were rattled following China's decision earlier this month to weaken its currency.

Rubio described it as a "jarring illustration of how globalization is changing the U.S. economy."

Rubio wrote that President Barack Obama has "continued to appease China's leaders despite their mounting aggression" and that being more friendly with the Asian nation hasn't worked.

The Republican called on downgrading President Xi Jinping's trip to Washington next week to a working visit instead of a state visit. "This is an opportunity to speak bluntly to this authoritarian ruler and achieve meaningful progress, not to treat him to a state dinner," he wrote.

If elected president, Rubio said he would build a stronger military presence in the Pacific, promote more free trade and free markets, and call on China to improve its human rights record by demanding that every political prisoner be freed.

"To achieve a new era of productive relations between our nations, America must stand on the side of the Chinese people rather than their autocratic rulers," he wrote.

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Former two-term President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva acknowledged Friday that he is weighing the possibility of seeking to return to Brazil's highest office in the 2018 elections.

"I can't say that I am or that I'm not (a candidate)," Lula said during an interview with Radio Itatiaia.

Lula's name has been publicly proposed by several colleagues of his Workers Party, or PT, to be on the ballot in the election that will choose the successor of PT incumbent Dilma Rousseff, whose second term ends in 2018.

"If the opposition thinks it's going to win, that this will be no contest and that the PT is finished, you can be sure of the following: if it's necessary, I'll be in the race," Lula said.

After winning the 2002 and 2006 elections, Lula successfully championed the candidacies of his designated successor, Rousseff, in the elections of 2010 and 2014.

However, for some time there has been speculation about the ex-president being the next president, particularly in recent months due to Rousseff's plunge in popularity amid the country's ongoing economic crisis.

Some segments of the opposition have even called for Rousseff's impeachment.

"I don't believe in Dilma's impeachment; I believe the difficulties we're going through will be overcome to the extent that the economy begins to recover and the programs announced by the president start getting results," Lula said.

"No one wants another coup in this country," he said in allusion to the April 1964 putsch that ushered in 21 years of repressive military rule.

Lula, a co-founder of the PT, invited the opposition to wait until 2018 to "democratically" dispute the presidential election.

Lula made the statement just a day after an opinion poll indicated that he would lose the election against any of the three potential candidates of the main opposition party, the PSDB.

With regard to the scandal involving state oil company Petrobras, Lula regretted that "there were people in the PT who made mistakes."

The former president was set to take part later Friday in a gathering of organized labor and student activists in the city of Belo Horizonte to promote the defense of democracy and of Petrobras.

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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's call for mass deportation of millions of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, as well as their American-born children, bears similarities to a large-scale removal that many Mexican-American families faced 85 years ago.

During the Great Depression, counties and cities in the American Southwest and Midwest forced Mexican immigrants and their families to leave the U.S. over concerns they were taking jobs away from whites despite their legal right to stay.

The result: Around 500,000 to 1 million Mexican immigrants and Mexican Americans were pushed out of the country during the 1930s repatriation, as the removal is sometimes called.

During that time, immigrants were rounded up and sent to Mexico, sometimes in public places and often without formal proceedings. Others, scared under the threat of violence, left voluntarily.

About 60 percent of those who left were American citizens, according to various studies on the 1930s repatriation. Later testimonies show families lost most of their possessions and some family members died trying to return. Neighborhoods in cities such as Houston, San Antonio and Los Angeles became empty.

The impact of the experience on Latinos remains evident today, experts and advocates say.

"It set the tone for later deportations," said Francisco Balderrama, a Chicano studies professor at California State University, Los Angeles.

Two weeks ago, Trump said that, if elected president, he would expand deportations and end "birthright citizenship" for children born to immigrants who are here illegally. Under his plan, American-born children of immigrants also would be deported with their parents, and Mexico would be asked to help build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

"They're illegal," Trump said of U.S.-born children of people living in the country illegally. "You either have a country or not."

Amid his comments on immigration, polls show negative impressions of Trump among Latinos. A Gallup poll released Aug. 24 found that Hispanics were more likely to give Trump unfavorable ratings than favorable ones by 51 percentage points.

Some immigrant advocates pointed to the removal of prominent Latino journalist Jorge Ramos from an Iowa press conference last week as a metaphor for the candidate's desire to remove Latinos from the United States.

"Mr. Trump should heed the following warning: Our Latino and immigrant communities are not going to forget the way he has treated them," the Washington, D.C.-based Fair Immigration Reform Movement said in a statement.

Ramos, an anchor for Univision, was escorted out by a Trump aide after Ramos, who had criticized Trump previously, tried to question Trump about his immigration plan. Trump interrupted Ramos, saying he hadn't been called on, and ultimately told Ramos, "Go back to Univision."

Ramos was saying, "You cannot deport 11 million people," as he was escorted away. He was later allowed to return.

Trump has provided few details on how his proposed deportation effort would be carried out. The conservative-leaning American Action Forum concluded in a report it would cost between $400 billion to $600 billion and take 20 years to remove an estimated 11.2 million immigrants living in the country illegally.

The large-scale deportation he envisions would be impractical to enact, due to the extent to which Mexican immigrants have integrated into U.S. society, said Columbia University history professor Mae Ngai.

U.S.-born children of immigrants have been automatically considered American citizens since the adoption of the Constitution's 14th Amendment in 1868. A Supreme Court ruling in 1898 halted previous attempts to limit the birthright of Chinese-American citizens after the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act.

The ruling upheld the clause for all U.S.-born children, Ngai said, and there have been no successful challenges to the clause since.

In the 1930s, Balderrama said, officials skirted the issue of birthright citizenship by saying they did not want to break up families.

"But they did break up families and many children never saw their parents again," said Balderrama, co-author of a book about Mexican repatriation in the 1930s with the late historian Raymond Rodriguez, who testified before a California state committee about seeing his father for the last time at age 10, before the father left for Mexico.

That legacy lingers in songs, often played on Spanish-language radio stations, that allude to mass deportations and separation of loved ones, said Lilia Soto, an American studies professor at the University of Wyoming.

For example, the lyrics to "Ice El Hielo," by the Los Angeles-band La Santa Cecilia, speak of a community afraid that federal agents about to arrive and launch deportations raids at any moment. The ballad "Volver, Volver," sung by Mexican ranchera performer Vicente "Chente" Fernandez, speaks of someone vowing to return to a lover despite all obstacles.

"They're about families being apart," Soto said. "The lyrics are all indirectly linked to this past."

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Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is putting a new twist on the topic of securing the border, a staple among the GOP candidates running for president, by pointing north.

Walker said in an interview that aired Sunday that building a wall along the country's northern border with Canada is a legitimate issue that merits further review.

Republican candidates for president have often taken a get-tough approach on deterring illegal immigration, but they usually focus on the border with Mexico. Walker was asked Sunday morning on NBC's "Meet the Press" whether he wanted to build a wall on the northern border, too. Walker said some people in New Hampshire have asked the campaign about the topic.

"They raised some very legitimate concerns, including some law enforcement folks that brought that up to me at one of our town hall meetings about a week and a half ago. So that is a legitimate issue for us to look at," Walker said.

The U.S.-Canada boundary is the longest international border in the world at 5,525 miles long.

Billionaire Donald Trump is riding the issue of illegal immigration to the top of the Republican presidential primary polls. He has said he would make Mexico pay for completing a permanent wall along the border. He also says he would also end automatic citizenship for those born in the United States, a right guaranteed by the 14th Amendment to the Constitution that was originally added to grant citizenship to freed slaves and their descendants after the Civil War. His positions appear to have pushed rivals to also take strong stands on immigration.

Walker, at one point, echoed Trump's call for ending birthright citizenship, but later said he's against any such repeal.

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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie continues to come under fire for suggesting this weekend that the federal government could solve much of the problem of illegal immigration to the U.S. by adopting the tracking methods employed by parcel delivery company, Federal Express.

The presidential contender went on Fox News Sunday and defended his comment, made at a New Hampshire campaign stop on Saturday.

If FedEx can do it, why cant we use the same technology? the Republican presidential hopeful asked host Chris Wallace.

On Saturday in Laconia, N.H., Christie told a campaign crowd, At any moment, FedEx can tell you where that package is. Its on the truck; its at the station; its on the airplane. Yet we let people come to this country with visas, and the minute they come in, we lose track of them.

Christies proposal drew sharp criticism over the weekend from many who say it is unconstitutional and would violate the rights of many people who havent committed any crime.

Despite that, Wallace suggested that critics took issue with his comments because people arent packages.

Theyre not, Christie answered. My point was  here is a situation where the private sector laps us [in the government] in the use of technology.

During the same appearance Wallace pointed out that in Real Clear Politics latest agglomeration of national polls, Christie is running No. 11 out of 17 GOP contenders  a position that would leave him off the main event for the CNN/Reagan Library debate on Sept. 16.

He also noted that many political observers had expected the pugnacious Christie to play the role of the in-your-face, larger-than-life candidate that has been dominated by Donald Trump.

Perhaps in an effort to amp up the pugnaciousness, Christie closed his comments about his FedEx plan by snapping, Of course I dont mean people are packages, so lets not be ridiculous.

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After he was elected to the city council in Huntington Park, a small Southern California city, Jhonny Pineda wanted to extend a welcoming gesture to the citys growing population of undocumented immigrants.

So he decided to use his appointment power to tap two constituents who were in the country illegally to city advisory boards. He appointed Francisco Medina to the citys health and education commission, and Julian Zatarain to the parks and recreation commission.

I promised to create opportunities for all residents during my campaign, Pineda, 32, who was elected in March and is Huntington Park's newest city council member, told Fox News Latino.

There are many young people that are college graduates and wish to implement their skills in a job, but unfortunately they cannot because of their immigration status, Pineda said.

I think they should be given a chance, he added.

At a time when the issue of immigration has become so divisive, his move drew immediate reactions from across the country.

While some say the measure  a first for California  will foster involvement in a predominantly Latino immigrant community, others believe Huntington Park is attracting negative media attention and sending the wrong message to people in the country legally.

Suddenly, this quiet city in South East Los Angeles has been thrust into the immigration spotlight and has become a focal point in the politically volatile debate.

How can we be a great nation when we reward people that come to this nation illegally? Theres a difference between a legal immigrant and an illegal immigrant. Huntington Park resident Francisco Rivera said during a recent council meeting. Not every immigrant that is here, is here illegally and thats the difference. Theres a right way to do things and a wrong way Its not fair for guys like me.

The Golden State already allows undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses and to practice law. This summer, the state Senate passed a bill allowing undocumented immigrants to access health care.

Huntington Park, billed as the city of perfect balance has a population thats more than 97 percent Latino, and is one of several communities southeast of Los Angeles that serve as entry points for immigrants from Mexico and Latin America, many of them undocumented.

For some of its officials, including Mayor Karina Macias, there is nothing wrong with a local government that reflects its community.

"Our population includes documented and undocumented immigrants, and I wanted to make sure everyone could participate," Macias told the Los Angeles Times recently. "If we're going to talk about transparency, being open and having a community that's involved, then the conversation also has to include undocumented immigrants. I'm hoping other cities are looking at what we're doing here."

All members of the council, aside from Councilmember Valentin Amezquita, approved the appointments during an Aug. 3 council meeting, with very little opposition from the public.

But a couple of weeks later, during the citys next council meeting, dozens flooded the council chamber to voice their concern over the appointments.

Activists from organizations that oppose illegal immigration, including Claremont, California-based We the People Rising, showed up with signs that read: Get Back in Line  Come in Legally! and All Lives Matter.

Medina and Zatarain, who will be sworn in to their post in early September, did not return calls from Fox News Latino seeking comment.

Medina, 29, graduated from Cal State Dominguez Hills University and now works with working-class immigrants. He organized campaign events during Los Angeles City Councilman Gil Cedillos 2013 election and recently interned for a state legislator.

Zatarain, 21, who arrived from Sinaloa in 2007 when he was 13, is a Santa Monica College student who graduated at the top of his class at Huntington Park High School and dreams of attending law school.

Pineda said they both have a long history of volunteering for the city and that they will not be paid the monthly stipend of $75 that commissioners receive for their services. They will only serve in an advisory role, and will not be permitted to vote on city policy.

Medina and Zatarain will also have to pass background checks before they are sworn into their posts.

Numerous phone calls and e-mails sent to Councilman Amezquita to inquire about the reason behind his opposition to the appointments were not returned.

It is absolutely wrong, said Maria Espinoza, who heads a group against illegal immigration. Illegals do not have any right to serve on these commissions; those are civic positions and are reserved for citizens.

Espinoza, who has been part of a movement in Texas pushing for stronger immigration enforcement and heads an organization there, added that the fact that neither Medina nor Zatarain will be paid for their work as commissioners does not make the appointments alright.

They should go volunteer in their country, said Espinoza. There are plenty of things that need to be corrected in Mexico, she added.

But Councilman Pineda disagrees.

Everyone has the right to volunteer, he said, adding that it does not necessarily hurt the community because this was a decision where a law was not broken.

Pineda insists that opposition to the appointment is coming from outside of Huntington Park.

Most of the people that I have spoken to in the city agree [with me] because these young men have not been given a job, he said. What they will do is donate their time.

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The war of words between Jeb Bush and Donald Trump continued to escalate Tuesday as the normally soft-spoken former Florida governor lashed out at billionaire business magnate  in both English and Spanish  for what he called personal attacks.

"He attacks me every day  he personalizes everything," Bush told Spanish-language reporters at a Miami campaign event, according to Politico. "If youre not totally in agreement with him, youre an idiot, youre stupid, you have low energy, blah, blah, blah."

Bush, who generally avoids direct confrontations with other candidate, appeared frustrated and added that Trump has turned the campaign into personal attacks against him.

"Its all personal for him, sure  mischaracterizations of my views, longstanding views," he said. "Ive written a book about it. If he was interested in actually knowing my views, he could read the book. And he would know that Im for border security and in a practical way that wont cost hundreds of billions of dollars like what hes proposed."

Bushs comment comes as his polling numbers have fallen to single digits in Iowa and New Hampshire and as Trump continues his run at the top of the Republican field.

The choice words that Bush had for Trump also come a day after both Republican presidential candidates released dueling attack ads.

Bushs video features quick clips of Trump calling himself "very pro-choice," praising Hillary Clinton as a "terrific woman" and saying he identifies more as a Democrat.

"What we put out was simply a simple statement in his own words. His own words. His own words. That the single-payer system is a great idea," Bush said, according to the Washington Post. "While I was campaigning for Republicans in this state and all across the country  conservative and like-minded candidates, he was supporting Hillary Clinton and thinks Hillary Clinton would be a good negotiator as it relates to our deal with Iran. This is not a guy who is a conservative. Using his own words is not a mischaracterization, it came out of his own mouth."

In Trump's video, Bush is shown saying in a 2014 interview that illegal immigration is "not a felony" but rather an "act of love." The video has pictures of three men who were in the country illegally and have been charged or convicted in killings.

The Trump campaign's short video, posted on Instagram, concludes with block letters on a black screen saying: "Forget love. It's time to get tough."

Bushs comments to reporters came after the candidate toured La Progresiva Presbyterian School in Miamis Little Havana and fielded questions from students about his favorite food ("Mexican"); gun violence (Americans should focus on helping the mentally ill who commit crimes); and student loan debt (hell unveil a plan in the next two months).

On the issue of a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, Bush said: "I believe there ought to be a path to legal statusThat to me seems to be the consensus approach that would get us to solve this problem."

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She also denied pressuring Hyundai to give a supply contract to a small company run by a friend of Choi's, claiming she only later heard about the firm from media reports. This is a change of tack from an earlier defense of the affair by her lawyers that Park "wanted to help a small business."

Park insisted that she is the victim of a malicious campaign to blacken her name and added, "I did not have an iota of thinking to help anyone and the thought never crossed my mind."

"Whatever decision (the government made), it was in the best interest of the country. But in the process, I never ordered anyone to give help here and there."

"Samsung's merger was, at the time, an issue of public interest. Citizens closely watched the situation at the thought that if (the merger plan) fell apart due to an attack from a hedge fund, it could be a big national economic loss," Park claimed.

Park denied that she played a key role in pressuring Samsung and other big corporations to fork over large sums of money to two dodgy nonprofit foundations controlled by her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil. Park denied that the transaction in Samsung's case was essentially a bribe for permitting a merger of two Samsung subsidiaries to smooth the way for Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong to take the helm without a massive tax bill.

Cameras and recording devices were banned, but Park appeared eerily calm as she answered questions from reporters for about 40 minutes and denied every allegation of extortion, abuse of power and neglect of duty.

The hastily called press conference at 1 p.m. was Park's first public appearance since her presidential powers were suspended under the National Assembly's impeachment bill on Dec. 9, and the first time since the notoriously incommunicative president came to power that she has faced the press at Cheong Wa Dae.

Embattled President Park Geun-hye abruptly came out of weeks of seclusion on Sunday to deny all the allegations in a massive corruption scandal and claim she was set up.

Park also insisted that she carried out her official duties in the notorious "missing seven hours," when she was nowhere to be found during the 2014 ferry disaster as rescue efforts went badly awry and over 300 passengers and crew died.

Rumors have persisted that she was refusing to come out of her bedroom because she had just had one of the cosmetic procedures to which she was addicted, or because she had been put under with a knockout sleeping drug. "How can that be possible?" Park said. "I went back in my memory and can recall only people visiting me to touch up my hair and to bring me medicine for my throat."

Asked by journalists why she was at her residence and not in her office on the fateful day, Park said, "If I have no special itinerary, I tend to my duties at my residence. I had no prior engagements that morning."

The president complained that she was "frustrated by all of the distorted facts, incorrect news reports and lies" being told about her. "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.

Asked why it took her so long to appear at an emergency meeting on the day of the disaster, Park said, "I can't move about freely since it takes time for security personnel to make preparations."

The ferry sank in the morning, but Park did not show up until 5:15 p.m. She also claimed that "some other matters" prevented her from leaving immediately but did not elaborate.

Park also denied that she was entirely at Choi's beck and call. "Choi is a decades-long acquaintance. It's just impossible that a mere acquaintance could manage all affairs. There are duties and judgments that the president is obliged to make. How can they make the (accusations) that an acquaintance did everything?" Instead, she insisted that that she ran the country based on her own "philosophy and conviction."

She also denied charges that she was an accomplice to Choi's extortion racket. Asked about allegations that she let Choi meddle in top personnel appointments, Park said, "Anyone can make recommendations. But I never gave favors to anyone."

Her former chief of staff Kim Ki-choon, an ancient retainer to the Park family, told a National Assembly hearing last month that he pointed out certain flaws in candidates for government posts Park had recommended, but his warnings were not heeded.

Several other witnesses have told prosecutors that they were told to appoint an individual for government office without proper vetting -- a problem that repeatedly landed Park in hot water long before the scandal broke. Former presidential secretary Jeong Ho-seong also told lawmakers that Choi had to have a look at which officials were being appointed for which positions.

Lawmakers pointed out that Choi was more than a mere "acquaintance," since she effectively ran two nonprofit foundations under the aegis of Chong Wa Dae that were staffed with her drinking buddies and had huge budgets, and was also allowed to revise presidential speeches.

Park also denied allegations that officials prepared a blacklist of over 9,000 prominent cultural figures who were seen as "hostile" to the government, saying she had no knowledge of the matter.

Asked about revelations that she was addicted to placenta injections, a quack rejuvenation treatment that was in vogue at the time, Park said, "It is embarrassing to reveal each and every medication or pill I take. I've never inflicted any damage to the country with that."

She added, "Such injections can be received in order to relieve fatigue. How can a patient know what the doctor prescribes?"

Park said she is willing to be questioned by the independent counsel who is investigating the massive influence-peddling and corruption scandal involving her and Choi. She said she "cannot even smile" as people "who tried to help" her are being subjected to hardship.
Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump met with Javier Palomarez, the CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, at Trumps offices in New York City Tuesday morning.

During the private meeting, which lasted more than an hour, the two men discussed Latino voters, the economy and illegal immigration among other issues, according to sources at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and in the Trump campaign.

"I found the private Donald to be quite different than the public Donald, " Palomarez told Fox News in an interview after the meeting. "This Donald Trump was very elegant, very gracious and very hospitable."

"He listened a lot more than he spoke," Palomarez added. "I am very happy with the way the conversation went."

Palomarez then paused for a moment.

"To be very clear, we are still in disagreement with Donald Trump. In no way is this an endorsement or support of Donald Trump," Palomarez said. "I did remind him that anybody,Republican or Democrat, male or female, looking to move into the White House will have to garner the support of the Hispanic vote."

Trump told the Hispanic leader that he and his position on the Latino community had been "mischaracterized by the media," according to Palomarez. "He assured me that he, in fact, feels very differently."

The real estate mogul and television personality also told Palomarez that he was impressed by Latino business leaders and had many friends in the Hispanic community. He reitereated a point he often makes on the campaign trail, that he employs tens of thousands of Hispanics.

The Chamber of Commerce said that Trump will be attending a Q & A presidential forum like those that previous presidential hopefuls Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) have participated in.

Trump, who leads the crowded GOP field, has sparked controversy and drawn the ire of many Hispanic groups not only for his contentious statements about unauthorized immigrants but also for his hardline immigration proposals to build a wall on the southern border, to cut off remittances by undocumented immigrants and to conduct mass deportations.

A senior staffer at the USHCC said that Trump at one point during the meeting joked that he did not need the Latino vote because of his high poll numbers, but later backtracked, acknowledging that actually he did need Hispanic voters for his campaign to be ultimately successful.

The influential Latino organization, a non-partisan entity, announced earlier in the year that they were boycotting Trump's hotels after the billionaires controversial remarks during his presidential announcement in June, when he described many Mexican immigrants as "rapists" and "criminals."

Within the Hispanic community, Trump's comments set off a firestorm, eliciting condemnation from many and causing a number of prominent companies to sever business ties with the real estate and television mogul.

According to the USHCC website, the Chamber "actively promotes the economic growth, development and interests of more than 3.2 million Hispanic-owned businesses, that combined, contribute in excess of $486 billion to the American economy each year."

Fox News Producer Christopher Snyder contributed to this article.
Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio is scheduled to visit the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico this week, officials said Tuesday.

A spokeswoman told The Associated Press that the Florida senator will meet with supporters on Friday in the capital of San Juan.

Rubio's one-day visit will coincide with that of Democrat Hillary Clinton. He is scheduled to attend a fundraiser before the rally.

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley visited Puerto Rico last month, becoming the first Democratic presidential candidate to make a campaign stop on the island this year. GOP presidential hopeful Jeb Bush arrived in late April for a fundraiser and a town hall meeting in which he endorsed the idea of statehood for the territory.

Puerto Rico residents cannot vote in U.S. presidential elections but can participate in primaries. A growing number of Puerto Ricans have moved to the U.S. mainland as the island faces a 12 percent unemployment rate and struggles to emerge from a nine-year economic slump, with the governor stating that a $72 billion public debt is unpayable and needs restructuring.

Almost 1 million Puerto Ricans live in Florida, with about 400,000 living in central Florida, according to the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at City University of New York. The center also estimates Florida will soon rival New York as the state with the most Puerto Ricans. As of 2013, about 5 million Puerto Ricans live stateside, almost 2 million more than the 3.5 million Puerto Ricans living on the island.

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The push for comprehensive immigration reform may get a boost from divine intervention.

Pope Francis is scheduled to meet with Latinos and immigrants, formally and informally, during his visit to Washington D.C., New York City and Philadelphia in September and immigration will be the topic of a speech he will give outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

Advocates of more lenient immigration laws hope the pontiff appeals to the United States to allow a path to legal status for the millions living here illegally.

"I would hope that he says that we must approach immigration in a humane way," said Sergio Garcia, a California man who obtained his green card this year, after getting his law license last year following a five-year legal and political battle that included opposition from the Obama administration.

Garcia told Fox News Latino that attempting to secure the border as a means to fix immigration is an approach that has failed time and time again.

"As much as I would hope his words would make a difference at the government level I'm not that optimistic, he said. But I'm sure it would encourage a few people to rethink the way they see immigrant and immigration especially since Jesus was an immigrant himself."

Garcia received his law license after Gov. Jerry Brown signed a specially crafted bill passed by the Legislature to let him practice law.

Those who prefer strict immigration officials are leery about how the pope might frame the issue of the undocumented.

"We all welcome a visit from the pontiff, but unless he urges us to actually begin enforcing our laws and protecting our own poor and unemployed, I dont think his remarks on the American immigration will have much lasting impact," said D.A. King, a Georgia activist who favors strict immigration policies. "Having been to the Vatican and being familiar with the long list of enforced rules for even visiting there, I hope Pope Francis will steer clear of any proclamations that our very liberal immigration laws, even if they are not enforced, are somehow evil or mean-spirited."

Lawmakers are fairly certain the pope will make his views on immigration known in no uncertain terms.

Hes been clear on our failure to respond appropriately to immigrants and refugees, Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass. was quoted as saying in Roll Call. I dont think anyone will have any doubt on where the church stands on immigration after the pope visits the United States.

McGovern is one of nearly 170 Catholics in Congress.

The pope, whos drawn worldwide attention for his expressions of concern and compassion for the most vulnerable, was vocal about last years surge of unaccompanied Central American children who approached the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.

The pope called the surge a humanitarian crisis, and urged the governments of the United States as well as Central America to protect the children and address the conditions  poverty and gang violence  that were forcing many of them to flee.

"I must call attention to the tens of thousands of children who migrate alone, unaccompanied, to escape poverty and violence," Francis said in a letter that was read at a migration conference last year. He noted that they flee "in extreme conditions, in a hopeful search that most of the time is in vain."

The pope has addressed the plight of the displaced around the world.

Shortly after becoming pope, he traveled to a tiny Italian island, Lampedusa, that has attracted migrants from Africa and the Middle East, many of whom have died trying to make the trip there.

"Many people obligated to migrate suffer and frequently die tragically," Francis wrote in the migration conference letter. "Many of their rights are violated, they are forced to leave their families and unfortunately continue being the object of racist and xenophobic attitudes."

McGovern expressed hope that the popes visit would rekindle a political will in Washington D.C. to pass a comprehensive immigration reform package that would include a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants.

It may move some, it may not move others, McGovern was quoted as saying in Roll Call. But I hope it makes those who have been obstructionist feel uncomfortable.

Finally, some think that while liberals may find reinforcement of their views from the pope's remarks on immigration, the pontiff may say a few things more in line with conservatives when it comes to the once-again headline-grabbing issue of abortion.

"The utility of his comments to the Democrats will be limited by the fact that in the same address to Congress he's almost certain to also comment on (or allude to) the videos showing Planned Parenthood harvesting and selling the organs of murdered babies," said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a group that favors strict immigration measures, "maybe even tying the welcoming of ever-more immigrants to the welcoming of unborn babies. This could make his comments on both topics useless to political crusaders on both sides of the aisle."
On the same day that then Mexican President Felipe Calderon spoke for 40 minutes before a joint session of Congress denouncing SB1070, Arizonas tough controversial immigration law, then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton used her private email to imply Mexicos hypocritical policy in how they treat undocumented immigrants who enter their country, according to a newly declassified email published by the State Department on Monday night.

In a May 2010 email entitled Mexican treatment of the undocumented, one of more than 4,000 documents released from her private account, Clinton responds to a note by one of her closest advisors, Jacob Sullivan, with just one line: Another example of you should take the log from your own eye before criticizing the speck in your neighbors, Clinton wrote.

The email exchange, first pointed at by El Pais, an influential newspaper in Spain, came a day after then Secretary Clinton and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden hosted a toast and luncheon in honor of President Calderon at the U.S. State Department.

In her remarks before all three leaders, Clinton touted Mexico as a friend, partner and neighbor, whose futures are intertwined.

The newly disclosed email was in reply to a comment by Sullivan highlighting that Calderon was lambasting the U.S. immigration legislation in Arizona while ignoring the fact that Mexican law enforcement officials treated their own undocumented immigrants in much the same way.

However, like SB1070, officials in the course of official contact (i.e. traffic stops, investigations, hot pursuit) are authorized to request proof of migratory status, Sullivan wrote. They do this in practice routinely.

Sullivan continued: In practice, GoM authorities at all levels engage in exploitative treatment of migrants, primarily Central Americans heading to the U.S. These abuses have been well documented by international human rights groups as well as by multiple documentary and news media reports.

The controversial SB1070 law was eventually overturned after a fierce national debate. It empowered police officers to verify the immigration status of people during a lawful stop if they reasonably suspected they were in the U.S. illegally.

The law, Calderon said that day, introduces a terrible idea: using racial profiling as a basis for law enforcement.

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New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, a liberal who is becoming a national voice on issues such as immigration, has endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton for president.

The Puerto Rican-born Mark-Viverito, a Democrat, made the announcement Wednesday in an op-ed for El Nuevo Dia, Puerto Rico's largest newspaper. The speaker, one of the most prominent U.S. politicians of Puerto Rican descent, is traveling to her native island next week with Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other New York elected officials.

"Hillary understands that we need to continue to drive our country forward and is fighting for causes I have devoted my career to," Mark-Viverito wrote in the piece.

Observers have suggested the speaker's endorsement could help solidify the candidate's support among Latinos, particularly Puerto Ricans who make up large voting blocs in some urban areas.

Mark-Viverito was a relatively obscure city council member just two years ago. She has risen to some prominence within the Democratic party, particularly on criminal justice reforms and immigration-related issues. She spearheaded the nation's largest municipal identification program, which allows illegal immigrants  and other groups such as the elderly and the transgendered  to obtain legal identification, a means to access city services.

She's made regular appearances on cable TV news as the immigration debate in Washington heats up, and the city council has established a fund to help cover the legal fees of unaccompanied undocumented minors. In recent weeks, Mark-Viverito has urged Washington to step in and aid Puerto Rico, which is struggling under the weight of its debt. Clinton also has called for action.

"For Puerto Ricans  both on the island and throughout the diaspora  this election is the most important of our lifetime," Mark-Viverito wrote. "Hillary's plan has shown she is not just a friend to the island; she will stand up for it."

The former first lady and U.S. senator from New York is considered the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination but has been dogged by questions about her use of a private email account while working as the country's secretary of state. She's been locked in a tighter-than-expected race against Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

Mark-Viverito's endorsement also will renew focus on New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, a close Mark-Viverito ally who has yet to endorse a candidate in the race.

De Blasio, who is trying to position himself as one of the party's leading liberals, was widely expected to endorse Clinton, who employed him as campaign manager for her 2000 Senate bid. De Blasio also worked in Bill Clinton's presidential administration. But the mayor has steadfastly refused to offer his blessing, contending that he needs to hear more from other candidates, a move that has been criticized by Clinton supporters.

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When asked about President Otto Perez Molina, 50-year-old Miguel Guzman shakes his head. I feel betrayed by him," he tells Fox News Latino. It's good for the country that he's gone, no one should be above the law.

Guatemala's disgraced president resigned Wednesday and faces trial over allegations of links to a massive corrupt network within the government. He was replaced by 79-year-old conservative Alejandro Maldonado, who was sworn in Thursday afternoon.

I can only hope that his removal serves as an example for everyone who wants to steal and betray the people, said Guzman, who served under then field officer Perez Molina during the 80s civil war.

Back in the day he seemed incorruptible, but politics made him dirty, he told Fox News Latino.

As Guatemala prepares for Sunday's general election, many here share Guzman's feelings. This week has been an emotional roller coaster for the Central American country  first, widespread outrage over corruption, then jubilation over what appears to be a historical first step in purging the nation's business and political elite of it, and now, utter uncertainty over what comes next.

On Tuesday, Guatemala's congress lifted Perez Molina's immunity from prosecution, after the Attorney General's office and CICIG, UN-backed anti-corruption agency, revealed evidence the president may have led a network of corrupt public officials who allegedly took millions of dollars in bribes to circumvent customs duties.

After months of angry protests by thousands of Guatemalans demanding his resignation and a string of resignations of cabinet members, the president finally gave in Wednesday; he resigned and attended an initial court hearing. Perez Molina joined dozens of other politicians, including former vice president Roxana Baldetti and businessmen already behind bars over the scandal, which has been dubbed 'La Linea' ('The Line').

Even if the scale of the corruption has shocked and outraged the country, most Guatemalans also feel the current political turmoil serves as a possible purging of a country that has suffered decades of civil war, political repression, epidemic corruption and high levels of impunity.

It really feels like it's a new dawn for Guatemala, 23-year-old student Jenny Perez told FNL hours after the resignation, as she and hundreds of others gathered in front of the National Palace in Guatemala City's center to celebrate Perez Molina's resignation, waving flags and lighting fireworks.

The La Linea scandal has taught my generation that it's possible to successfully fight corruption and impunity, Perez told FNL. There's a new political conscience growing among the people, which will make it much harder for politicians to lie and steal like they used to.

The scandal appears to have a real effect on the outcome of Sunday's elections. For many months, victory seemed all but certain for Manuel Baldizon, a right-wing populist and runner-up in 2011's election, behind Perez Molina. Ever since democracy was restored in the country in 1996, runner-ups would win the next election. So certain was Baldizon of his victory that he initially simply used 'Le Toca' ('It's his turn') as a campaign slogan.

The La Linea scandal, however, has shaken up Guatemalan politics. A poll published Wednesday by the Prensa Libre newspaper shows Baldizon has been overtaken by Jimmy Morales, a television star and comedian with virtually no political experience. During the campaign, Morales presented himself as an anti-establishment candidate with no ties to powerful interest groups and a clean history.

His message has been successful as the disgust many Guatemalans feel with their political class, which includes Manuel Baldizon, rises to unprecedented levels. Morales now leads the polls with 25 percent, with Baldizon trailing by two points. Sandra Torres, a social democrat and ex-wife of former president Alvaro Colom, comes in third with 18.4 percent.

The two candidates with the most votes will face each other in a run off in October.

Even if Morales wins the first round with his upstart, anti-establishment persona, Sunday's elections likely still come too soon to be a watershed moment in Guatemala's troubled political history. Apathy among voters is traditionally high and none of the candidates, not even Morales, have been able to convince voters that a bright future is dawning for the country.

Theres been a call to postpone the elections and a call to boycott them. Its not clear how many people will stay home because of these sentiments, Mike Allison, a Central American politics expert and associate professor of political science at Scranton University, told FNL. At the same time, according to surveys, one in five likely voters say that they will submit a null or blank ballot on Sunday. So its not clear how those who turn out to vote will actually vote.

Indeed, most Guatemalans are careful to point out they do not expect that much will change after Sunday. What happened this week is not a revolution, but it did lift the veil that many citizens had over their eyes," Delia Ayala, a 62-year-old housewife, told FNL. We have finally realized how much we're being cheated on all the time. Change will come, even if it comes at a slow pace.
House Democrats are pushing Pope Francis to address the minimum wage, hunger and the environment in his historic speech to Congress later this month, hoping his embrace will give momentum to three party priorities.

In a letter to the pontiff, 94 House Democrats lauded Francis' schedule during his six-day U.S. trip, which includes visits to a Philadelphia prison and a school in New York City's Harlem neighborhood.

"Your powerful example of solidarity with the poor and the marginalized will undoubtedly help inform our current debates around major U.S. policy affecting all Americans," the lawmakers wrote. "Your message of hope could not come at a more crucial time, in particular to those in our nation that are struggling on a minimum wage salary, or relying on public assistance to put food on the table."

The Democrats cited instances in which Republicans have blocked Democratic efforts to increase the federal minimum wage and bolster food and environment programs. "We look forward with great anticipation to your visit and to your words on all these issues," they said.

Francis' U.S. visit will include a Sept. 24 address to Congress, the first by a pope, and is certain to bring throngs of people to the capital. He arrives in the U.S. on Sept. 22.

The letter is dated Aug. 12 and was first reported by Politico.

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The war of words between Republican presidential hopefuls Donald Trump and Jeb Bush is now also a war of palabras.

In an interview with the conservative news site Breitbart, the real estate mogul and television personality said that the former Florida governor should be using English while campaigning for the GOP presidential nomination  not the Spanish he used to criticize the business magnate during a campaign stop earlier this week.

"I like Jeb," Trump said. "He's a nice man. But he should really set the example by speaking English while in the United States."

Trump's comments come after Bush decided to go on the offensive and lash back at his controversial opponent while talking to Spanish-language reporters on Tuesday.

"He attacks me every day  he personalizes everything," Bush told Spanish-language reporters at a Miami campaign event, according to Politico. "If you're not totally in agreement with him, you're an idiot,' you're stupid,' you have low energy,' blah, blah, blah.'"

Bush, who generally avoids direct confrontations with other candidates, seemed frustrated and added that Trump has used the campaign to attack him personally.

"It's all personal for him, sure  mischaracterizations of my views, longstanding views," he said. "I've written a book about [immigration]. If he was interested in actually knowing my views, he could read the book. And he would know that I'm for border security, and in a practical way that won't cost hundreds of billions of dollars like what he's proposed."

The former Florida chief executive said Thursday during an appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America" that his first reaction was to laugh at Trump's criticism for speaking Spanish.

"I mean this is a joke," Bush said. He called Trump's comments bizarre, adding that the mogul is appealing to people's fear rather than their hope.

Trump, he said, is trying to "insult his way to the presidency."

In his interview with Breitbart, Trump also criticized another GOP presidential challenger, Sen. Marco Rubio, who has been critical of Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan in a number of recent press appearances.

"I know what he is trying to say, but my problem is that America is a great country," Rubio told Fox News Channel's Bill Hemmer Wednesday morning. "It's the best country in the world."

Trump, who called Rubio "Jeb's plebe," responded to the Florida senator's comments by saying that they mean his opponent is complacent about the condition of the country and doesn't believe there is room for improvement.

"If Marco thinks that the country is great now, he'll never be elected president because it's not what it was, and it's not great enough  and we will make the country great again," Trump said. "But if Marco is satisfied  I like Marco, but that means he's satisfied. You can't be satisfied. You have to use the word again.' It's very important, because if he's saying that, then that means there's no room for improvement. That means he's satisfied. That means he's unelectable."

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Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina has resigned in the face of a corruption scandal that has brought his government to the brink, a spokesman said early Thursday.

Spokesman Jorge Ortega said Perez Molina submitted his resignation at midnight Wednesday local time after a judge issued an order to detain him in the customs fraud case, which already has led to the jailing of his vice president, and the resignation of several cabinet ministers who withdrew their support for the president.

Thursday early afternoon the Guatemalan Congress voted to accept Perez Molina's resignation. It's the first time a Guatemala president has resigned from office.

Protesters, business leaders and even Catholic church officials have called for Perez Molina to resign in recent weeks as the investigation of the customs fraud ring has grown wider and hit more officials. Perez Molina was steadfast in his plan to stay until the judge's unprecedented order, dealing the most serious blow yet to entrenched political corruption in the Central American country.

Ortega told reporters that in the end, Perez Molina submitted his resignation "to maintain the institution of the presidency and resolve on his own the legal proceedings leveled against him."

Perez Molina, 64, has maintained his innocence.

Vice President Alejandro Maldonado is constitutionally in line to assume the presidency. Maldonado, a conservative lawyer and former Constitutional Court judge, was chosen to replace former Vice President Roxana Baldetti, who resigned May 8 due to the same scandal and is now jailed and facing charges. She too maintains her innocence.

Maldonado would likely remain in office until the winner of upcoming elections is inaugurated Jan. 14, 2016.

The country's reaction was initially quiet as the news played out in the middle of the night.

The order to detain Perez Molina is not for his arrest, rather to for him to declare before Judge Miguel Angel Galvea, who granted the request Wednesday from Attorney General Thelma Aldana.

The president will have to appear on accusations of illicit association, fraud and receiving bribe money.

No formal charges have been filed, though Aldana said there is a preliminary investigation under way into the president's possible involvement in the fraud ring.

The president's attorney, Cesar Calderon, told the Associated Press that Perez Molina will appear voluntarily as soon as they have confirmed the order was issued.

Perez Molina was already under order not to leave the country, and on Tuesday congress lifted his immunity from prosecution.

The corruption scandal, uncovered by prosecutors and a U.N. commission probing criminal networks in Guatemala, involved a scheme known as La Linea, or "The Line," in which businesspeople paid bribes to avoid import duties through the customs agency. The ring is believed to have defrauded the state of millions of dollars.

Baldetti's former personal secretary was named as the alleged ringleader.

Protesters have filled the streets almost daily over the scandal, demanding not only that Perez Molina step down but that next Sunday's presidential elections be postponed. He says delaying the vote would be against the law.

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Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that the federal government needs to respect the religious beliefs of the controversial Kentucky county clerk who has refused to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples because she says it is against her faith.

Rubio said that the U.S. needs to accommodate public officials, like Kentucky's Kim Davis, who object to performing certain duties because of their religious beliefs.

"We should seek a balance between government's responsibility to abide by the laws of our republic and allowing people to stand by their religious convictions," Rubio said in a statement to the New York Times. "While the clerk's office has a governmental duty to carry out the law," he added, "there should be a way to protect the religious freedom and conscience rights of individuals working in the office."

Davis, a clerk in Kentucky's Rowan County, was summoned to a hearing Thursday before U.S. District Judge David Bunning. He also ordered all Davis' deputy clerks to appear.

Bunning ordered a defiant Davis to jail after she refused to issue the marriage licenses. The judge told Davis she would be jailed until she complied with his order to issue the licenses. Davis said "thank you" before she was led out of the courtroom by a U.S. marshal. She was not in handcuffs.

Davis stopped issuing licenses to all couples in June after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage. Despite rulings against her, she's turned away couples again and again, citing her Christian beliefs and "God's authority."

The couples who originally sued in the case asked Bunning to punish Davis with fines but not jail time.

After her jailing, five of the six deputy clerks working under Davis have said they will issue marriage licenses to gay couples, despite their boss' refusal to do so. The lone holdout among the deputy clerk's is Davis' son, Nathan.

Before her hearing, hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse where she is to appear  waving signs, chanting and singing hymns as they wait for Davis to arrive.

Signs ranged from threatening  "Turn to Jesus or Burn"  to statements of support.

The issue of same-sex marriage has been a tough topic for many Republican candidates, who want to appeal to their base, conservative constituency even as the U.S. is seeing an overall trend in favor of allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry.

Rubio, along with many other GOP candidates, have framed the issue around people's religious freedoms and exemptions likes those being sought by Davis.

"Marriage is the most important in institution in our society, and I believe it should be between one man and one woman," he said. "Our nation was founded on the human right of religious freedom, and our elected leaders have a duty to protect that right by ensuring that no one is forced by the government to violate their conscience and deeply held religious beliefs about traditional marriage."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Korean battery makers fear that China is punishing them for the government's decision to let the U.S. station a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery here.

Beijing last week reversed itself within hours to bar Chinese electric cars with Korean-made batteries from sought-after green subsidies.

According to the Korean Embassy in Beijing, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on the morning of Dec. 29 announced a fifth list of cars that qualify for subsidies for eco-friendly cars.

It included five models equipped with batteries from Samsung SDI and LG Chem, but that same afternoon, the ministry published a revised list that excludes the five models.

They were a Dongfeng electric trucks, a Shanghai GM Cadillac hybrid sedan, two SAIC Roewe hybrid models, and a Shaanxi electric truck.

In 2015, LG Chem opened a factory with annual battery capacity for 100,000 EVs in Nanjing, and Samsung SDI completed a factory with annual capacity of batteries for 150,000 EVs in Xian.

But both failed to win certification from Beijing in a review in June last year because their capacity is not big enough. LG and Samsung then prepared for another review slated for December, but that has not yet gotten underway.

Of the 493 Chinese EV models that do qualify for subsidies, about 50 have Chinese-made batteries whose manufacturers have also yet to be certified.

Last week, China's Civil Aviation Administration also turned down applications from Korean airlines like Asiana, Jeju Air and Jin Air for eight charter flights over the Chinese Spring Festival next month.
Ted Cruz is so upset over the Obama administrations historic nuclear deal with Iran that he is channeling his inner Tony Montana at speeches.

The Texas presidential hopeful of Cuban descent compared the deal's provision for the inspection of Iranian facilities to police officers allowing the fictional Cuban mobster, played by Al Pacino in the film "Scarface," to tell them whether or not he has any drugs.

"Have any of y'all seen the movie, 'Scarface?'" Cruz asked, according to local media. "This is the equivalent of law enforcement picking up the phone and calling Tony Montana and saying, 'Hey, Tony, you got any drugs?' 'I don't got no drugs.' 'Thank you, Tony.' That is essentially the Iranian nuclear inspection regime."

Cruz has been one of the most vocal opponents of the deal  going so far as to claim that the Obama administration would become "the world's leading financier of radical Islamic terrorism" if the deal is consummated.

The firebrand lawmaker, who famously tried to shut down the government rather than cooperate with Democrats, even has crossed the aisle in an attempt deny Obama veto power over Congress.

"I have been effusively praising Chuck Schumer  something I don't do often but in this instance he's doing the right thing  and it is my hope and prayer that in the coming weeks we see more and more Democrats who make the decision to put the national security of the United States of America, to put standing with our friend and ally the nation of Israel, and to put the safety and security of millions of Americans above partisan loyalty to the Obama White House," Cruz said.

Early Wednesday morning Senate Democrats appeared to amass enough votes to ensure the Iran nuclear deal survives in Congress, despite ferocious opposition from Republicans and the government of Israel.

Next week, Cruz and fellow presidential candidate Donald Trump will rally outside the Capitol Building against the agreement, as lawmakers return from a five-week recess to begin debating it.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Republican Presidential candidate Ted Cruz has called on Americans to stand behind the jailed Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples  voicing the sentiment of most, but not all, of his fellow GOP White House hopefuls.

In a statement sent out Thursday afternoon, the firebrand Texas lawmaker called the ruling by U.S. District Judge David Bunning to jail Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis "judicial tyranny" and said that this is "the first time ever, the government arrested a Christian woman for living according to her faith."

"This is wrong. This is not America," Cruz said. "I stand with Kim Davis. Unequivocally. I stand with every American that the Obama Administration is trying to force to chose between honoring his or her faith or complying with a lawless court decision."

Bunning ordered a Davis, an Apostolic Christian, to jail after she refused to issue the marriage licenses. The judge told Davis she would be jailed until she complied with his order to issue the licenses. Davis said "thank you" before she was led out of the courtroom by a U.S. marshal. She was not in handcuffs.

Davis stopped issuing licenses to all couples in June after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage. Despite rulings against her, she's turned away couples again and again, citing her Christian beliefs and "God's authority."

The couples who originally sued in the case asked Bunning to punish Davis with fines but not jail time.

After her jailing, five of the six deputy clerks working under Davis have said they will issue marriage licenses to gay couples, despite their boss' refusal to do so. The lone holdout among the deputy clerk's is Davis' son, Nathan.

Cruz's comments echoed those of many other Republican presidential hopefuls, who cite argue that being forced to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples is an impingement on their religious freedom.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio argued that the U.S. needs to accommodate public officials who object to performing certain duties because of their religious beliefs. Rubio's fellow Floridian, former Gov. Jeb Bush said that while Davis is "sworn to uphold the law," he believes that "there ought to be common ground, there ought to be a big enough space for her to act on her conscience, and for now that the law is the law of the land, for a gay couple to be married in whatever jurisdiction that is."

While the majority of GOP candidates gave their support to Davis, there were three  New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and former Silicon Valley executive Carly Fiorina  who said that as a government employee Davis was obligated to carry out the law.

"When you are a government employee as opposed to say, an employee of another kind of organization, then in essence, you are agreeing to act as an arm of the government," Fiorna said, adding the she still did not agree with the court ruling to jail Davis.

She added: "This woman now needs to make a decision that's conscious  is she prepared to continue to work for the government, be paid for by the government in which case she needs to execute the government's will, or does she feel so strongly about this that she wants to sever her employment with the government and go seek employment elsewhere where her religious liberties would be paramount over her duties as a government employee."

On the much less crowded Democratic side of the presidential race, frontrunner Hillary Clinton made it clear in a response on Twitter that she supports the court's decision to jail Davis for contempt.

"Marriage equality is the law of the land," Clinton tweeted, along with a link to an Associated Press story about the case. "Officials should be held to their duty to uphold the lawend of story."

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Residents of Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens but can't vote for president. Yet Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton are campaigning there, following two other 2016 White House hopefuls.

Why the journey? Despite its crimped political clout, Puerto Rico is seen as one path to presidential victory. Five million Puerto Ricans live on the U.S. mainland, including nearly 1 million in the key swing state of Florida, and they care about what happens back on the island.

Rubio is coming Friday for a fundraiser in San Juan and a rally in Santurce. Clinton plans an event the same day in San Juan about reversing what her campaign calls the U.S. territory's economic decline and its health care crisis. She soundly defeated Barack Obama in Puerto Rico's 2008 primary. The territory casts votes in the party primaries and sends small numbers of delegates to the party conventions.

Ahead of his visit, Rubio penned an op-ed in Friday's edition of El Nuevo Dia, Puerto Rico's largest newspaper, saying the Caribbean island government must find its own way to get its financial house in order. He said he would not support allowing the U.S. territory to use bankruptcy laws to deal with its staggering $72 billion debt.

"The reality is that Puerto Rico's leaders must lead and do the difficult but essential work of cutting spending, reining in out-of-control big government and eliminating job-killing policies, including scores of new tax increases," he wrote.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush visited in April before announcing his Republican presidential campaign and was warmly received as he praised the contributions of immigrants to the country and endorsed statehood, a long-running issue for generations of Puerto Ricans, many of whom feel like second-class citizens because of their limited voting rights. The trip was one of the first occasions that voters outside Florida heard the bilingual Bush speak Spanish, which he's often done since his campaign launch in June.

Martin O'Malley, a Democrat and former Maryland governor who visited last month, pledged to fight for equal treatment, noting that Puerto Rico gets lower Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates than the mainland, an issue also on Clinton's agenda.

The parade of presidential hopefuls to the territory speaks to the growing power of Puerto Rican voters on the mainland, especially in Florida, the top destination for those fleeing the island's 12 percent unemployment rate and nine-year economic slump. The governor declared the massive public debt unpayable and that it needs restructuring.

"It's an issue that hits close to home whether you live here or on the island," said Viviana Janer, 43, a Florida Democrat from Kissimmee in central Florida. She was the winner among five candidates  all Puerto Ricans  who competed last year for a seat on the Osceola County Commission.

She said her sister and brother-in-law, both chemists, left the island two years ago because of the depressed economy, settled in Florida and registered as Democratic voters.

Janer's relatives are part of a massive exodus that began in 2006 and has only picked up pace in recent years, says the Pew Hispanic Center. It reported that Puerto Rico's net population decreased by 50,000 people annually between 2011 and 2013. Job-related reasons were cited by 42 percent of those leaving.

The Census Bureau reported last month that more than 7,500 Puerto Ricans from the island moved to the Orlando area in 2013, beating out the New York metro area.

The arrival of more "Boricuas," the term Puerto Ricans affectionately call themselves, is changing the political equation in Florida, say political observers.

"These new Puerto Rican voters now make it possible for Democrats to win Florida without Blue Dog Democrats," said Lance deHaven-Smith, a Florida State University political science professor, referring to a phrase describing Southern conservative Democrats.

Another factor, he said, is that Cuban-American voters, who for decades had been the state's dominant Hispanic voting bloc, are now split among the major parties.

Indeed, Pew reports that Cuban-Americans still represent the largest bloc of all registered Hispanic voters in Florida, 31 percent, but Puerto Ricans are right behind them at 29 percent. A quarter century ago, Cuban-Americans made up about half the state's Hispanic voters.

In the 2012 election, 71 percent of Hispanics nationally voted to re-elect Obama, but only 60 percent in Florida did, exit polls found.

Cuban-Americans were about evenly divided, 49-47 percent, in favor of Obama over Republican Mitt Romney. Non-Cubans, including Puerto Ricans, overwhelmingly supported Obama, 66-34 percent.

Historically, Puerto Ricans have sided with Democrats and are likely to remain loyal to the left, said deHaven-Smith. "I don't think they are open to the Republican Party."

But Republicans say they do see an opening, at least with recent arrivals, and have been going into Puerto Ricans communities for several years to woo potential voters.

Newcomers "see the difference" in low taxes and a low unemployment rate in a state with a conservative governor, Florida's Rick Scott, versus a liberal governor in Puerto Rico, Alejandro Garcia Padilla, said Jennifer Sevilla Korn, the Republican National Committee's deputy political director.

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The wave of political turmoil that toppled Guatemala's president has overshadowed Sunday's vote to elect a new leader  an election many fear could put a lid on the anti-corruption drive.

Tens of thousands who demonstrated for the ouster of President Otto Molina Perez got part of their wishes when the president resigned to face possible corruption charges in a customs fraud scheme. He was spending the weekend in a military lockup.

But a second major demand wasn't met: the postponement of the election that many said offered little alternative to the old guard.

"The people are rejecting this political system, the mafia takeover of democracy. They feel like voting is simply selecting the next person who will loot the country," said Manfredo Marroquin, president of the influential civic group Citizen Action.

"They are not rejecting democracy," Marroquin said. "What they're demanding is to reset, run an anti-virus and start over from scratch."

Leading in most polls with roughly 30 percent backing is Manuel Baldizon, a wealthy 44-year-old businessman and longtime politician. His running mate is accused by prosecutors of influence trafficking, but as a candidate enjoys immunity from prosecution.

Baldizon's most competitive rivals are a comedian with no political experience, a former first lady and the daughter of an ex-dictator accused of genocide.

If none of the 14 candidates reaches 50 percent, a runoff will be held Oct. 25.

Baldizon has acknowledged Guatemalans' disgust with crime, corruption and impunity. His campaign website vows a "modernization of the democratic state" to reform government and combat poverty and social inequality.

Critics see Baldizon, who finished second in the last presidential race, as an example of what's wrong with the country's political class. He initially campaigned on the slogan "It's his turn"  a reference to the fact that the last four elections have been won by the previous runner-up. At protests, demonstrators have chanted: "It's not your turn."

After Baldizon's campaign blew through the legal ceiling on electoral spending, he continued pouring money into his campaign, ignoring court orders to stop.

Baldizon's campaign also says a lot about the country's chronic insecurity. He has worn a white bulletproof vest designed to look like a jacket on his stops, traveling in a helicopter or armored vehicle and accompanied by bodyguards toting automatic weapons.

Allan Villatoro, a 26-year-old who traveled to the capital from the western city of Huehuetenango to join the protests, scoffed at Baldizon, calling him "Dr. copy-paste"  a nickname that stuck after it emerged that the politician had plagiarized much of his doctoral thesis and a book he authored.

Baldizon's closest rivals include Jimmy Morales, a TV comic who boasts of his outsider status, and Sandra Torres, who divorced former President Alvaro Colom ahead of the last presidential race to try to get around rules barring presidential relatives from running. She is a businesswoman and longtime political party figure with a master's in public policy.

Also on the ballot is Zury Rios. Her father, former dictator Efrain Rios Montt, faces charges of crimes against humanity for killings by security forces during his 1982-83 regime.

"You can't trust anyone," medical student Christian Leonhardt said. "They all belong to the same corrupt system."

According to a U.N. commission, Guatemalan politics are heavily financed by drug traffickers and other criminal networks in return for protection and favors.

A recent report by the Central American Institute for Fiscal Studies calculated that 50 percent of party financing is dirty: from bribes and money laundering to influence peddling and tax evasion. The report estimated that the national cost of corruption is $560 million, or 6 percent of Guatemala's annual budget.

"There is a weariness surrounding the patronage game," said Karin Slowing, a former top administration official under Perez Molina's predecessor.

Some critics are urging voters to go to the polls wearing black clothes of mourning, abstain or cast null ballots. On the streets it's hard to find a campaign poster that hasn't been covered with insults.

Few believe that the vote will solve deep problems like a 70 percent poverty rate, 50 percent child malnutrition, pernicious gang influence and one of the world's highest homicide rates.

But some hope that prosecutions and popular outrage over corruption may frighten leaders into reconsidering bad behaviors that long went unpunished.

"Whoever wins is going to be watched under a magnifying glass," said Arnoldo Arriaza, director of a prominent business association. "Before, nobody pointed a finger at those who were corrupt, and now we all know who they are and where they are."

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Puerto Rico's financial crisis loomed over dueling Friday campaign appearances by Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republican Marco Rubio, two presidential contenders with sharply different positions on a key issue for Puerto Rican voters whose influence is growing in U.S. politics.

In a speech delivered entirely in Spanish, Rubio blamed Clinton supporters for the U.S. territory's economic problems as he railed against giving Puerto Rico bankruptcy protection to resolve a staggering $72 billion debt.

"The people who are rallying behind her today are the people who put Puerto Rico in this fiscal mess to begin with," the young Florida senator told about 150 people crammed into an open-air restaurant in San Juan's gritty neighborhood of Santurce.

Clinton, who won Puerto Rico's 2008 Democratic primary election, defended her support for giving Puerto Rico bankruptcy protection during a round-table discussion focused on the island's health-care problems. She took an indirect shot at Rubio, charging, "You can't fix your economy through austerity."

"Not a single Republican in Washington has stepped up to support Puerto Rico," she told an invitation-only crowd gathered in the island's largest hospital.

Some Republicans describe Clinton's policy prescription as a bailout, although others  among them former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush  share her position.

Rubio said the island faces multiple challenges, but remained firm that allowing its municipalities and agencies to declare bankruptcy is not the answer.

"I don't believe Chapter 9 would solve Puerto Rico's problems," he said, adding that the island has spent more money than it had available. "Ultimately, if there is no other option left, Chapter 9 is a viable option at that point."

Asked about Clinton at a brief news conference after his speech, Rubio said he didn't have details about her plan for Puerto Rico.

"I think it was on her server, and it was wiped clean," he jabbed, a reference to the Clinton email server that is now the subject of a federal investigation.

The debate could have 2016 implications, even though Puerto Rican residents can't vote for president despite being U.S. citizens. The U.S. territory holds primary contests for both parties that give candidates a chance to connect with Hispanic voters across the nation.

Five million Puerto Ricans live on the U.S. mainland, including nearly 1 million in the key swing state of Florida, and they care about what happens back on the island.

Bush visited in April before announcing his Republican presidential campaign and was warmly received as he praised the contributions of immigrants and endorsed statehood, a long-running issue for generations of Puerto Ricans, many of whom feel like second-class citizens because of their limited voting rights.

Martin O'Malley, a Democrat and former Maryland governor who visited last month, pledged to fight for equal treatment, noting that Puerto Rico gets lower Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates than the mainland, an issue also on Clinton's agenda.

At the round-table discussion, Clinton, with pen and notepad in hand, said she came to "listen" and asked questions about reimbursement rates under Medicaid and Medicare, the exodus of doctors from the island and the lack of access Puerto Rican veterans have to full health-care coverage.

"You can't solve the health care crisis without addressing the economic crisis," she said.

The parade of presidential hopefuls to the territory speaks to the growing power of Puerto Rican voters on the mainland, especially in Florida, the top destination for those fleeing the island's 12 percent unemployment rate and nine-year economic slump. The governor declared the massive public debt unpayable and said it needs restructuring.

Historically, Puerto Ricans have sided with Democrats. But Republicans say they do see an opening, at least with recent arrivals, and have been going into Puerto Rican communities for several years to woo potential voters.

Gregorio Matias, a 43-year-old police sergeant, said he decided to fully support Rubio on Friday after reading the Florida senator's op-ed opposing bankruptcy protection in the island's largest newspaper.

"I'm going to call all my relatives and tell them to vote for Rubio," he said, adding that they live in Florida, New York, New Jersey and Wisconsin. "Rubio offers what Puerto Rico has been waiting for: that we be treated as equals, not as third-class citizens."

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An uncomfortable challenge confronted Guatemala's presidential candidates on Sunday: trying to win the votes of a nation that has put the last elected leader in court custody.

Most are old-guard candidates picked to run before energized prosecutors backed by a mass anti-corruption movement toppled the previous administration. Many voters are so skeptical that they campaigned for the election itself to be postponed to give them a new crop of choices.

Leading in most polls with roughly 30 percent backing is Manuel Baldizon, a wealthy 44-year-old businessman and longtime politician. His running mate is accused by prosecutors of influence trafficking, but as a candidate enjoys immunity from prosecution.

Guatemalans began heading to the polls after they opened early Sunday to also elect a vice president, members of Congress and the Central American Parliament, and local authorities for 338 municipalities nationwide.

In the presidential race, Baldizon's most competitive rivals were television comedian Jimmy Morales, who has never held elective office, former first lady Sandra Torres and Zulia Rios, the daughter of a former dictator accused of genocide.

If none of the 14 candidates reaches 50 percent, a runoff will be held Oct. 25.

A key question is the level of protest vote in the face of a corruption scandal that has forced President Otto Perez Molina and Vice President Roxana Baldetti to resign. Both are currently in custody, accused of being involved in a customs kickback scheme.

Activists are urging voters to go to the polls wearing black clothes of mourning, abstain or cast null ballots. On the streets, it's hard to find a campaign poster that hasn't been covered with insults. Tens of thousands had joined demonstrations asking for the vote to be postponed.

Baldizon, who finished second in the last presidential race, initially campaigned on the slogan "It's his turn"  a reference to the fact that the last four elections have been won by the previous runner-up. It struck many critics as a display of what's wrong with the country's politics. At protests, demonstrators have chanted: "It's not your turn."

Baldizon has acknowledged Guatemalans' disgust with crime, corruption and impunity. His campaign website vows a "modernization of the democratic state" to reform government and combat poverty and social inequality.

But after Baldizon's campaign blew past the legal ceiling on electoral costs, he ignored orders to stop spending.

Morales, 46, boasts of his outsider status and says he is part of the uprising against corruption. He has promised greater transparency, including media review of government contracts.

Torres, 59, divorced former President Alvaro Colom ahead of the last presidential race to try to get around rules barring presidential relatives from running, but was still ruled ineligible. A businesswoman and longtime political party figure, she is proposing a coalition government to respond to the concerns of outraged citizens.

Rios, 47, is the daughter of former dictator Efrain Rios Montt, who faces charges of crimes against humanity for killings by security forces during his 1982-83 regime. She emphasizes her experience from 16 years in Congress, where she promoted laws against discrimination and drug and human trafficking.

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Challengers of Arizona's landmark immigration law failed to show that police would enforce the statute differently for Latinos than it would for people of other ethnicities, a judge said in a ruling that dismissed the last of seven challenges to the law.

The ruling could signal the end of the case and gave a victory to backers of the law, which was approved in 2010.

In her order Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton dismissed the challenge and upheld provisions that were previously ruled on by appeals courts.

She upheld the law's controversial requirement that police, while enforcing other laws, can question the immigration status of those suspected of being in the country illegally. The U.S. Supreme Court also upheld the requirement, but the law's detractors continued to push their challenge at a lower-court level.

Opponents have "not produced any evidence that state law enforcement officials will enforce SB1070 differently for Latinos than a similarly situated person of another race or ethnicity," Bolton wrote.

It's unclear whether the challengers will appeal the ruling. Karen Tumlin, an attorney representing a coalition of civil rights groups, said in a statement they would "evaluate all legal options moving forward."

Former state Sen. Russell Pearce, who sponsored the initial legislation, applauded Bolton's judgment.

"She made it very clear the law was written very carefully not to be a race issue. It's not a racial law," Pearce said.

The judge, however, did permanently bar a section of the law that prohibited people from blocking traffic when seeking or offering day labor services on streets. An appeals court previously also held Arizona could not enforce such provisions. Opponents had argued that day labor rules unconstitutionally restrict the free speech rights of people who want to express their need for work.

Arizona's frustrations over federal enforcement of the state's border with Mexico spawned a movement nearly a decade ago to have local police confront illegal immigration. Several such laws  including the state's ban on immigrant smuggling and automatic denial of bail to people in the country illegally who are charged with certain crimes  have since been thrown out by the courts.

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Donald Trump insults and exaggerates.

He dismisses the need for public policy ideas, gets confused about world affairs and sometimes says things that flat-out aren't true.

And the cheers from his supporters only grow louder.

By the standard that voters typically use to judge presidential candidates, Trump probably should not have survived his first day in the 2016 race.

Yet as the summer draws to a close and the initial votes in the nominating calendar appear on the horizon, Trump has established himself as the Republican front-runner.

"It's totally refreshing. He's not politically correct. He has a backbone and he cannot be bought," said Leigh Ann Crouse, 55, of Dubuque, Iowa.

Crouse is among the dozens of voters interviewed in the past two weeks by The Associated Press to understand how Trump has defied the laws of political gravity.

Uniting them is a deep-rooted anger and frustration with the nation's political leaders  President Barack Obama and conservative Republicans who, these voters say, haven't sufficiently stood up to the Democratic administration.

Some of those interviewed have not voted in years, or ever, and may not next year. But at this moment, they are entranced by Trump's combination of self-assurance, record of business success and a promise that his bank account is big enough to remain insulated from the forces they believe have poisoned Washington.

By the way, they say it's not that they are willing to look past Trump's flaws to fix what they believe ills the country. It's that those flaws are exactly what make him the leader America needs.

"At least we know where he stands," said Kurt Esche, 49, an independent who was at Trump's recent rally near Boston. "These other guys, I don't trust anything that comes out of their mouths. They're lying to get elected. This guy's at least saying what he believes."

"He may have started as a joke," Esche said, "but he may be the real deal."

Republican pollster Frank Luntz, who recently held a discussion with a group of nearly 30 Trump backers in Virginia, said such support is emblematic of Trump's popularity. It stems less from their love for the candidate and more from a belief those in power have failed.

"He activates the anger and frustration they have toward Washington and Wall Street," Luntz said.

For many, Trump's rise is a reaction to Obama, long criticized by opponents as a weak leader who appeases America's enemies rather than asserting U.S. dominance on the global stage.

"We're just so weak. We're not respected anymore," said Jerry Welshoff, 56, of Franklin, Massachusetts, who arrived at the recent Trump event near Boston unsure about the candidate. He walked away convinced he's the best choice for the White House.

The frustration among voters isn't limited to their feelings about Obama.

Welshoff said the Republican Party has done nothing but acquiesce to Obama despite taking control of Congress in 2014.

It's the same complaint heard from Duane Ernster, 57, of Dubuque. He is disappointed by the few accomplishments of tea party candidates elected to Congress in 2010.

"Things just didn't happen. It just hasn't happened the way we'd hoped," he said. "Maybe we need a warrior instead of a politician. People compare Mr. Trump to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin. There's something to be said about the man, who takes care of the Russian people."

Trump's uncanny ability to stumble without consequence has befuddled his rivals.

"He just keeps repeating things over and over again. And you all just accept it for the truth, and it's not," former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush told reporters in New Hampshire on Thursday.

Trump's foibles often appear to make him stronger.

During his recent discussion with Trump supporters, Luntz played several video clips of the billionaire's least flattering moments. The participants emerged from the session even more confident in their support for him.

It's for that reason that Herman Cain, the former chief executive of Godfather's Pizza who shot to the top of the polls in the fall of 2011, only to see his fortunes derailed by allegations of sexual harassment, said he believes that Trump can succeed.

"It is a totally new paradigm for how the race for president is unfolding," Cain said.

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A former television comic was heading for a runoff with either a wealthy businessman or a former first lady in voting for Guatemala's next president, days after the Central American nation's leader resigned over a corruption scandal.

With more than 96 percent of polling stations reporting Monday, comedian Jimmy Morales, who has never held elective office, was leading with 24 percent of the vote.

Businessman and longtime politician Manuel Baldizon and ex-first lady Sandra Torres were in a tie, each with about 19.4 percent. Baldizon led Torres by less than 800 votes among nearly 5 million votes cast.

The top two finishers in the field of 14 will advance to a runoff to be held Oct. 25.

Analyst Christians Castillo said Morales' surprising performance was a sign of voter discontent, "a vote of punishment" against more traditional candidates.

Electoral officials estimated a nearly 80 percent turnout.

The candidates in Sunday's election faced an uncomfortable challenge: trying to win votes in a nation where former President Otto Perez Molina remains in court custody awaiting a decision on whether he will be tried on graft charges.

Most of the candidates were old-guard figures picked to run before energized prosecutors backed by a mass anti-corruption movement toppled Perez Molina's administration. Many voters were so skeptical that they campaigned for the election itself to be postponed to give them a new crop of choices.

Morales boasted of his outsider status and said he is part of the uprising against corruption. He has promised greater transparency, including media review of government contracts.

Baldizon had led most polls with roughly 30 percent backing. His running mate is accused by prosecutors of influence trafficking, but as a candidate enjoys immunity from prosecution.

Baldizon has acknowledged Guatemalans' disgust with crime, corruption and impunity. His campaign website vows a "modernization of the democratic state" to reform government and combat poverty and social inequality.

Torres divorced former President Alvaro Colom ahead of the last presidential race to try to get around rules barring presidential relatives from running, but was still ruled ineligible. A businesswoman and longtime political party figure, she is proposing a coalition government to respond to the concerns of outraged citizens.

A key question going into the election was the level of protest vote in the face of the customs corruption scandal, which also forced Perez Molina's previous vice president, Roxana Baldetti, to resign. She, too, is accused in the scheme. But the number of null or blank votes was minimal.

Guatemalans were also voting for vice president, members of Congress and the Central American Parliament, and local authorities for municipalities nationwide.

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At a major union rally on Labor Day, President Barack Obama said he was going to issue an executive order to force federal contractors to give their employees paid sick days.

Obama was met with resounding applause at a major union rally and breakfast in Boston on Monday when he said he had signed the executive order aboard Air Force One as he flew in to mark Labor Day. He said Republicans who claim the mantle of middle-class protectors are talking big, but they "have to walk the walk."

Obama said opponents of his economic policies "won't let facts or evidence get in their way."

"You just wait, you look up at the sky and prosperity will come raining down on us from the top of whatever high-rise in New York City," he said sarcastically. "But that's not how the economy works." He added that the GOP's mindset has been "wrecking the economy for a long, long time."

Labor Secretary Tom Perez issued a statement on Monday announcing that on October 7 his department is hosting a Summit on Worker Voice at the White House.

"The Summit will rally workers, employers, unions, organizers and others," Perez said, "to bring attention to both the new, innovative ways that workers are coming together to have a voice in their workplaces, as well as the proven practices -- like collective bargaining -- that have sustained the middle class for generations."

The Labor Day gesture to workers' groups came as Obama works to smooth over tensions with the labor movement over his trade agenda. Major unions are opposing Obama's push for sweeping new trade deals with Asia and Europe, with some threatening to work against Democrats who voted to support those talks in Congress. Unions have warned that the deals could lead to the widespread job elimination. Obama has signed a law providing money to retrain workers if their jobs get shipped overseas.

Under the executive order, employees working on federal contracts gain the right to a minimum of one hour of paid leave for every 30 hours they work. Stretched out over 12 months, that's up to seven days per year. The order will allow employees to use the leave to care for sick relatives as well, and will affect contracts starting in 2017  just as Obama leaves office.

But the White House wouldn't specify the cost to federal contractors to implement the executive order. The Labor Department said any costs would be offset by savings that contractors would see as a result of lower attrition rates and increased worker loyalty, but produced nothing to back that up.

Presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, said in a Labor Day statement that Obama has been detrimental to U.S. workers.

"Under the Obama economy, we have seen the lowest labor force participation since the late 1970s, Cruz was quoted in The Hill as saying. Families, small businesses, minorities, and young people are being crushed by rising premiums and fewer good-paying jobs due to Obamacare, vast costs from new agency regulations, and a byzantine tax code."

Manufacturing has steadily decllned during Obamas presidency, and the industriousness that has empowered workers and pioneered innovation is fading under his watch, he said.

Vice President Joe Biden echoed Obama's theme in a march with an influential labor leader, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, who introduced Biden in Pittsburgh as a "brother" and "a champion of working men and working women." A few along the parade route chanted "run, Biden, run," in a reference to Biden's ongoing deliberations about whether to run for president in 2016.

In Boston, Obama was flanked by prominent Democrats such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren and a giant banner reading "Workers and Community" in red, white and blue. Labor leaders Randi Weingarten and Mary Kay Henry joined Obama for the flight on Air Force One. In the corridors of the hotel hosting the breakfast, boxes of campaign signs could be spotted bearing the name of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who opposes the trade deals.

Obama chose Labor Day to announce the executive order as he works to enact what workplace policies he can before his presidency ends despite resistance in Congress to laws he's proposed. The push has reverberated on the 2016 campaign trail, with Democrats seeking a distinction with Republicans on who's most supportive of the middle class.

The president didn't mention any of the 2016 candidates by name, but invoked a number of their policies to challenge claims that they care about workers. In a reference to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, he remarked incredulously that one GOP candidate had "said busting unions prepared him to fight ISIL," an acronym for the Islamic State group.

Obama chose Massachusetts as the backdrop for his Labor Day message because voters in the state approved a similar paid leave policy state-wide. The law took effect July 1 and is expected to affect 900,000 workers who previously received no paid leave, the White House said.

Roughly 44 million American private sector workers don't get paid sick leave, the administration said. The White House said it couldn't estimate how many federal contractors don't offer paid leave.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in an unprecedented move in his New Year's address on Sunday admitted "shortcomings" as a leader.

In the televised speech Kim said he feels "heavy-hearted" when thinks about what needs to be done to serve the North Korean people. He added he spent last year blaming himself and feeling distressed by his "shortcomings."

Kim admitted that things have changed since his grandfather and nation founder Kim Il-sung's days in power, when North Koreans sang about how they had everything, and vowed to sacrifice himself to make those days come back.

But Kim also claimed that preparations for launching an intercontinental ballistic missile have "reached the final stage" and vowed to make an "invincible fortress" out of North Korea, prompting swift condemnation from the U.S. and South Korea.


Just days after GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump criticized rival Jeb Bush for frequently speaking Spanish, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin picked up on the real estate moguls theme by saying that people should speak American if they live in the United States.

In a CNN interview on Sunday, Palin said she agreed with Trumps criticism of Bushs frequent Spanish-speaking on the campaign trail, and the billionaires declaration that Bush should set an example for immigrants in the United States by speaking English.

I think that it's a benefit of Jeb Bush to be able to be so fluent in Spanish, because we have a large and wonderful Hispanic population that, you know, is helping to build America. And that's good, Palin said on CNN's "State of the Union" when asked her opinion of Trumps comments about Bush and language. And that's a great relationship that he -- and connection that he has with them through his wife and through his family connections.

On the other hand, you know, I think we can send a message and say, You want to be in America? A, you'd better be here legally or you're out of here. B, when you're here, let's speak American, Palin said. I mean that's what's -- let's speak English and that's a kind of a unifying aspect of the nation is the language that is understood by all.

Trump recently hired Michael Glassner, who worked for Palin's vice presidential campaign, as his national political director.

Last week, Trump told Breitbart News that Bush should "set the example" by speaking English on the campaign trail.

"I like Jeb," Trump told Breitbart News. "He's a nice man. But he should really set the example by speaking English while in the United States."

Bush is Trump's chief Republican contender.

For his part, Bush said his first reaction was to laugh at Trump's criticism of him for speaking Spanish.

Bush dismissed Trumps criticism last week, telling ABC's "Good Morning America" Thursday, "I laughed. I mean this is a joke."

Bush said he had been responding to a reporter's question in Spanish this week when he replied in Spanish to criticize Trump.

Bush called Trump's comments bizarre, adding that Trump is appealing to people's angst and fears rather than their higher hopes.

The former Florida governor said that Trump is trying to "insult his way to the presidency."

He added that Trump doesn't believe in the country's set of shared values like diversity and tolerance.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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The United States and the European Union project themselves as models for the world when it comes to democracy and human rights. Yet a common issue  migration  is bitterly dividing each of them, testing whether they can maintain solidarity amid virulent debate over border controls, deportations and national values.

In the 28-nation EU, some countries have sought to block the unprecedented flow of migrants fleeing war or poverty in the Middle East and Africa, while Germany  the EU's powerhouse  is bracing to handle 800,000 migrants this year and wants other nations to step up as well.

In the U.S., the influx of immigrants entering illegally has eased recently, but the political rhetoric is red-hot. Donald Trump, the leading Republican presidential candidate, is calling for mass deportation of millions of immigrants living in the U.S. without legal permission, and some of his rivals have joined in proposing to stop granting citizenship to children born to such immigrants and to wall off the U.S.-Mexico border.

In Europe, the future of the EU's passport-free internal borders is now in question, and a rising death toll adds to the sense of urgency. More than 2,800 migrants have died this year trying to reach Europe, mostly at sea, according to the International Organization for Migration; the decomposing bodies of 71 migrants were found Aug. 27 in an abandoned truck near Vienna, apparently after suffocating.

On Hungary's border with Serbia, some 300 flag-waving extremists marched to a crossing point a few days ago and shouted at frightened migrants  many of whom had just completed a daylong hike  to go back where they came from.

It was reminiscent of the scene in July 2014 in Murietta, California, where screaming anti-immigration protesters, some waving American flags, blocked buses of women and children headed to a Border Patrol processing center after making their way to the U.S. from troubled parts of Central America. "Return to Sender" was among the messages on the protesters' signs.

So volatile is the issue that President Barack Obama has drawn fire from both the left and right for his moves on immigration.

Supporters of a crackdown were angered by Obama's efforts to ease up on deportation of immigrants living illegally in the U.S. over the long term. Led by Texas, 26 states have sued to block that change in deportation policy.

In contrast, immigrant-rights groups note that Obama has overseen a record number of deportations and allowed the detention of many of the Central American mothers who flooded across the border with their children.

"Our historical narrative is that the U.S. is welcoming, that we are a nation based on immigrants," said Cecillia Wang, head of American Civil Liberties Union's immigrants' rights project. "It's incredibly sad and disappointing that we have lost sight of those values... and are detaining and deporting asylum seekers as a way of deterring other people."

In Europe, where an estimated 364,000 migrants have arrived so far this year, there's been relatively little use of deportations and detentions during the current crisis. New arrivals landing in Greece, Italy and elsewhere have not been turned back; many assume they will be allowed to stay in Europe indefinitely.

Demetrios Papademetriou, president emeritus of the Washington-based Migration Policy Institute, said this approach by the EU is workable and humane when the influx of migrants is modest, but may soon become unfeasible.

"Are we seeing the vanishing of the Mediterranean borders of the EU or not? In the next six months we'll find the answer," he said. "Europe has its back against the wall. It can't say, 'We'll take in all of you and treat you well.'"

In Germany, which is accepting more migrants than any European nation, Chancellor Angela Merkel has argued that the EU risks betraying its core commitment to human rights.

"If Europe fails on the question of refugees, this close connection with universal civil rights will be destroyed and it won't be the Europe we want," she said.

In many EU countries, the debate has grown nastier due to the rise of nationalist and right-wing anti-immigration political movements. Such parties have won double-digit support in recent elections in Sweden, Austria, Denmark, Hungary, France, Britain and the Netherlands.

In Germany, by contrast, the major parties have taken a unified stance in support of welcoming refugees, and the far-right National Democratic Party won only 1.5 percent of the vote in the latest parliamentary elections.

"It's a very sensitive issue, and here in Germany we're trying not to politicize it," said Astrid Ziebarth, a Berlin-based migration specialist with the German Marshall Fund. "There have been different opinions and stances, but a general agreement that we can manage the refugee situation."

However, she said even Germany  while expected to accommodate most asylum-seekers from war-torn countries  is likely to rebuff many of the "economic" migrants arriving from non-EU Balkan countries such as Albania and Kosovo.

Just as the migrant crisis has created rifts among EU nations, immigration has sharply divided jurisdictions in the U.S. There are now about 11.3 million immigrants living in the country illegally, according to the Pew Research Center, down from a peak of 12.2 million in 2007.

Scores of cities have adopted "sanctuary" policies that offer some sort of protection to immigrants who lack legal status. In some states, they can get driver's licenses.

In contrast, Arizona, Alabama and a few other states enacted laws in 2010 and 2011 empowering local police officers to question people's immigration status and demand that they show documentation. Federal authorities and immigrant-rights groups took court action that blocked many of the provisions, but the disputes highlighted the deep divisions over immigration enforcement.

The Republican Party itself is divided. While Trump leads the polls as he advocates mass deportation, one of his main rivals, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, supports changes that would provide a rigorous pathway to legal status for immigrants in the U.S. illegally. Many Democrats, including presidential front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton, go even further by advocating a pathway to full citizenship.

Overall, there have been far more deportations under Obama than under his Republican predecessor, George W. Bush, with an increased emphasis in recent years on deporting people with criminal records and those who've just crossed the border. According to federal figures, there were 368,644 deportations in the 2013 fiscal year and 315,943 in 2014.

During those years, tens of thousands of families and unaccompanied minors from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador surged across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Authorities sought to place most of the unaccompanied children with relatives in the U.S., but many of the families were detained. The detentions and deportations have angered immigrant-rights advocates, who say many of those Central Americans were fleeing rampant violence and met the standards for obtaining asylum.

"These are incredibly traumatized women and kids who do not belong in detention," said Karen Lucas, associate director of advocacy for the American Immigration Lawyers Association. "The international community is watching us, and we will be judged as to how we respond."

In recent years, the U.S. has accepted roughly 55,000 to 70,000 refugees annually from scores of countries. But it has been criticized for accepting only a small number of the 4 million Syrians who have fled their war-torn homeland  fewer than 1,500 thus far, according to the International Rescue Committee.

"As the German government calmly says that it expects 800,000 refugees and asylum seekers in 2015, it is vital for the U.S. to step up its response," said the IRC's president, David Miliband.

Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which advocates for tighter immigration controls, says both the EU and the United States face crucial choices.

"We can go down the road of accommodation and anarchy, or the path of law and the notion that sovereignty involves maintaining borders," he said.

Stein contends that Obama  by easing U.S. deportation policy  has sent an unwise message of welcome to other would-be migrants.

"You can see into our future by looking at Europe today," Stein said. "The Obama administration is setting the stage for a sustained, uncontrolled influx from all over the world."

Karen Tumlin, legal director of the National Immigration Law Center, hopes the U.S. draws a different message from the EU's crisis and heeds Merkel's advice to honor long-standing values.

"It's not like she's saying it's going to be easy," Tumlin said. "She's saying we have to have certain principles."

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As other Republican presidential candidates go after Donald Trump, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is getting cozy with him. The two men are in a so-far cordial competition for many of the same anti-establishment conservatives, and they're about to share a stage.

On Wednesday, at Cruz's invitation, Trump is to appear with him at a Capitol Hill rally protesting the proposed nuclear agreement with Iran.

One of 16 GOP candidates looking up at Trump in the polls, Cruz says the invitation was only to attract more attention to objections to the "catastrophic" deal. "Wherever Donald goes, the media follow in droves," Cruz told The Associated Press. Any suggestion that the joint appearance has deeper meaning would be a "political horse game," he said.

Yet Cruz, the tea party hero who helped shut the federal government in 2013, needs the same frustrated voters who have pushed Trump to a surprising lead five months before primary voting begins. If it takes a shared stage to convince those conservatives that he should be their choice, so be it.

Cruz has stood out for his refusal to criticize Trump. Among other presidential contenders, Rick Perry called Trump a "cancer" on conservatism, Rand Paul has called attention to the billionaire's friendship with Democrats Hillary and Bill Clinton, and Jeb Bush has branded Trump's rhetoric on immigration "ugly" and "divisive."

"An awful lot of presidential candidates," Cruz said, "have gone out of their way to take a stick to Donald Trump."

"I am not one of them."

Instead, he credits Trump with "shining a light" on an immigration crisis and getting conservatives excited.

"Look, I like Donald Trump, and I am glad Donald Trump is in this election," he said at a recent stop in South Carolina.

Yet he said: "There will come a time as this campaign goes forward for additional policy differences and differentiation." And his standard campaign pitch  which he has not changed through Trump's rise  contains the seeds of what could emerge as an argument against Trump when the time for comity passes.

In every speech and almost every interview, Cruz hammers "the Washington cartel." His definition: "Anyone who stands with the career politicians in both parties" and gets "in bed with the lobbyists and the special interests." That's how the establishment operates, Cruz says.

Trump admits that he has played by those rules, explaining his history of campaign contributions across the political spectrum this way: "When you give, they do whatever the hell you want them to do."

Cruz praises Trump for his focus on immigration, though suggests he was there first, back when all his rivals "supported amnesty."

"Illegal immigration has been an issue I have been leading the fight on for many years," he says.

Trump has shifted his positions over the years and has supported ways of granting legal status to people who are in the U.S. illegally. Even now, his call to deport everyone who is in the U.S. illegally but let "the good ones" return quickly is considered a form of amnesty by some conservatives  not to mention impractical in the eyes of many.

And the core of Cruz's argument is that he's a "consistent conservative day in and day out."

"With me, you know what you're gonna get," he says.

Trump has never held office, so he's not one of Cruz's standard targets: the "campaign conservatives" who "say one thing and then do another." But he's certainly flip-flopped.

He now echoes the Republican call to repeal President Barack Obama's health care law, but once advocated a single-payer health care system, an even farther reaching overhaul that Cruz assails as "wild-eyed socialism."

Earlier in his business career, Trump endorsed income tax increases for top earners like himself. Cruz, though he has not released his tax plan, delights his crowds with visions of abolishing the Internal Revenue Service.

Trump also shifted his position on abortion rights, which he once supported, while Cruz has consistently opposed them and vows a Justice Department investigation of Planned Parenthood, the women's health organization that provides abortion services, on his first day in office.

While both men have drawn support from evangelical Christians, it is Cruz who sprinkles his pitch with Scripture and talks about his father "traveling the country to preach the Gospel."

At least for now, however, Cruz seems content to let voters pick up on the distinctions themselves.

"Every one of us," he tells them, "should ask any candidate who shows up in front of us, 'You say you believe these principles. Prove it. When have you stood up and fought for it? When have you bled for it? And what have you accomplished?' As the Scriptures say, you shall know them by their fruits."

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Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is taking his presidential campaign to a jailhouse on Tuesday as he plans to visit the Kentucky county clerk jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Cruz, who last week vehemently spoke out against the jailing of Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis, has framed the jailing as an attack on religious freedom. Davis has argued that she will not issue the marriage licenses because it goes against her faith as an apostolic Christian.

The firebrand lawmaker's visit to Kentucky comes as Cruz attempts to lure in more conservative religious lawmakers who have been outraged by the decision by U.S. District Judge David Bunning to jail Davis.

"It is important to Sen. Cruz for Kim Davis to know that he supports her and will do everything in his power to ensure her situation is resolved and that no other Americans who strive to live out their faith fall victim to religious persecution by the government," Cruz spokeswoman Catherine Frazier said in a statement to the Washington Post.

"The First Amendment  the freedom of religion, the freedom of speech and expression  is foundational to all other freedoms and Sen. Cruz is committed to defending it, she added.

The Davis case has exposed a rift within the crowded Republican presidential field over the issue of faith and federal laws  especially when it comes to the Supreme Court ruling in June that same-sex couples have the right to marry nationwide. Religious conservatives like Cruz and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who is also planning a visit to Davis' jail cell, argue that the ruling impedes on people's religious freedoms.

"This is wrong. This is not America," Cruz said last week. "I stand with Kim Davis. Unequivocally, I stand with every American that the Obama Administration is trying to force to choose between honoring his or her faith or complying with a lawless court decision."

While some Republican candidates agree with Cruz, there are some who stand with the Supreme Court.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and former Silicon Valley executive Carly Fiorina have all said that as a government employee, Davis is obligated to carry out the law.

"When you are a government employee as opposed to say, an employee of another kind of organization, then in essence, you are agreeing to act as an arm of the government," Fiorna said, adding the she still did not agree with the court ruling to jail Davis.

Attorneys for Davis said Monday they have filed an emergency motion with a federal court that they hope will result in her freedom.

The filing seeks to have Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear accommodate Davis' "religious conviction," and not compel her to grant licenses to gay couples, Liberty Counsel said in a statement.

"The motion requests an injunction pending appeal for an exemption from the Governor's mandate that all county clerks issue marriage licenses," said the statement by Liberty Counsel, which is representing Davis.

The same injunction request was denied last month by U.S. District Judge David Bunning, who jailed Davis on Thursday.

Charla Bansley, communications director for Liberty Counsel, said Davis could be released from jail immediately if the motion were granted by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ordering Beshear to issue Davis an "accommodation"  allowing her to remove her name and title from official marriage certificates issued in Rowan County.

By doing that, Davis would not be sanctioning any same-sex unions and her conscience would be satisfied, they say.

"If there was an accommodation, she would be released (from jail) because she would no longer be in contempt," Bansley said.

On Monday, about 30 protesters lined the sidewalk outside Bunning's home in Fort Thomas, Kentucky, carrying signs that read "Free Kim Davis." Fort Thomas Police Lt. Casey Kilgore said the group gathered around 2 p.m., and the protest stretched on several hours. He said the group sang and waved their signs; they broke no laws and no one was arrested. He did not know if Bunning was home.

The Associated press contributed to this report.

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Republican presidential hopeful Ben Carson jabbed Tuesday at front-runner Donald Trump's proposal to deport everyone who is in the country illegally, calling the plan impractical.

"People who say that have no idea what that would entail" legally and otherwise, Carson said, adding: "Where you going to send them?"

The retired neurosurgeon spoke before The Commonwealth Club of California on Tuesday in a 75-minute event in which he took questions from the audience on topics ranging from abortion to immigration, taxation to race relations.

Carson's longshot candidacy is buoyed by humor and a self-deprecating demeanor that some would-be voters say they find refreshing. Trump, the brash front-runner in the GOP nomination fight, has made immigration a centerpiece of his candidacy. Trump says he would deport those living in the country illegally  estimated at 11 million people.

Carson said he would secure the border, but also grant guest-worker status to people who are in the country without documentation. That way, they can pay taxes and come out from the shadows, he said.

Mass deportation, he said, would be expensive and impractical, and crippling to the hotel and agriculture industries.

San Francisco venture capitalist Scott Russell, an unaffiliated voter, called Carson charismatic, yet positive.

"He wasn't trying to attack other candidates or trying to say negative things," Russell said. "I like people who describe their policies, but don't spend their minutes trying to attack others."

Carson is scheduled to attend a rally in Anaheim, California, on Wednesday.

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Republican presidential rivals Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are friends, at least for now, and they are not hiding it.

Before sharing the stage with Cruz at a Capitol Hill rally against the Obama administration's nuclear deal with Iran, Trump acknowledged that there is a sort of bromance going on with the Texas senator.

He told reporters that he appreciated Cruzs backing when he made his contentious comments about Mexican immigrants while other Republican contenders attacked him.

It is a little bit of a romance. I like him. He likes me, the business mogul said.

Cruz invited Trump to join him at the rally Wednesday, where they savaged the proposed agreement with Iran, calling it an incompetently negotiated deal that will cost "countless" American and Israeli lives and should be discarded by the next president.

"We are led by very, very stupid people," Trump, the GOP front-runner weighed in. He called the deal "incompetent" and poised to fail in the fight against Islamic militants. "We will have so much winning if I get elected, that you may get bored with winning.

Cruz said supporters of the deal will have blood on their hands.

"You cannot wash your hands of that," he said, naming House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, both Republicans, as two men who could stand in the way. "Any commander-in-chief worthy of defending this nation should be prepared to stand up on Jan. 20, 2017 and rip to shreds this catastrophic deal."

The pairing at Wednesday's rally, sponsored by tea party and pro-Israel activists, is the product the bromance between the two at this early stage of the 2016 presidential race. In fact, they are competing for many of the same anti-establishment, core Republican activists.

The two spoke as Congress debated the deal, which is designed to keep Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Republicans and Israel say Iran can't be trusted because its leaders want to annihilate the Jewish state.

The event highlights the unique relationship between Trump and Cruz, a tea party hero who helped shut the federal government in 2013 and ultimately needs the same frustrated voters who have pushed Trump to a surprising lead in early polls. As his Republican competitors turn against Trump, Cruz has offered only praise. The strategy could pay dividends for Cruz in the coming months, if Trump drops out of the race.

Still, Trump assured the group: "I'm not dropping out of anything. I never drop out."

Some protesters carried Israeli flags, but more carried American flags. A few carried posters that said, "Jewish lives matter."

The day gave Trump an opportunity to address foreign policy less than a week after he struggled to answer basic questions about key players in the Middle East during a radio interview.

The protest won't change the ultimate approval of the international agreement, which has been clear for days: Even if a disapproval resolution should pass the House and Senate this week, President Barack Obama would veto it, and Democrats have the votes in hand to sustain his veto.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's campaign released an Instagram video clip on the eve of the rally, using Trump's words against him. Asked in a past CNN interview who he'd like to represent the U.S. in a deal with Iran, Trump responds, "I think Hillary would do a good job."

The agreement struck by Iran, the U.S., China, Russia, France, Britain and Germany in July would provide Iran hundreds of billions of dollars in relief from international sanctions in exchange for a decade of constraints on the country's nuclear program. The deal aims to keep Iran at least a year away from being able to produce enough nuclear material for a weapon.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and a delegation of top state officials met with Puerto Rico's governor on Tuesday to develop what he called a historic partnership with the U.S. territory to help it emerge from a deepening economic crisis.

Cuomo pledged that New York officials will share their expertise in areas including economic development and health care and step up political pressure as the island seeks more equal treatment from the U.S. government to emerge from a nine-year economic slump.

"We believe that the federal treatment of Puerto Rico when it comes to Medicaid, when it comes to bankruptcy protection, when it comes to tax treatment is unfair and abusive," Cuomo said. "We're going to do everything we can to remedy the situation because we think it's wrong, and that's why we're here today."

Puerto Rico is struggling with $72 billion in public debt that the governor has said is unpayable and needs restructuring, adding that a portion of that debt is a result of the U.S. territory receiving lower Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements than U.S. states. The island's government also is pushing for access to Chapter 9 bankruptcy, with Cuomo saying the issue is on President Barack Obama's radar but that more needs to be done.

"The real question is: have you succeeded in convincing the president to do something yet? And the answer is 'no,'" the governor said. "Otherwise we wouldn't be here today ... More people know about the financial crisis in Greece than they know about the economic pressures on Puerto Rico."

Cuomo and his delegation of more than a dozen officials, which included New York's attorney general, its comptroller and its secretary of state, spoke Tuesday at a public round table at the University of Puerto Rico's medical sciences campus in the capital of San Juan. Also attending were U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, among others.

The delegation pledged to send a team of experts from New York's Department of Health to help restructure Puerto Rico's health system and another team to help boost the island's agriculture sector. In addition, they promised to help Puerto Rico lessen its dependence on oil, create a bilateral trade agreement and propose a $5 million joint tourism campaign to boost travel between Puerto Rico and New York, with Cuomo noting that Puerto Rico and New York have faced similar economic and health care challenges.

Cuomo's announcement comes as Puerto Rico braces for potential federal health care reimbursement cuts starting next year that could add up to $3 billion through 2017.

Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla said obtaining the same federal reimbursements as U.S. states regarding Medicaid and Medicare would be a game changer for Puerto Rico's economy.

"We pay the same, so we are entitled to receive the same money," he said. "We're owed that money."

Garcia said that additional cuts to those federal reimbursements would throw off a five-year fiscal reform plan expected to be released Wednesday as Puerto Rico prepares to negotiate with bondholders over its debt.

Cuomo said he expects the partnership with Puerto Rico to be a long-term one, noting that he and other New York officials will be back on the island on Nov. 7 for a march to demand that Puerto Rico receive equal treatment from the U.S. government.

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wrapped up his visit to Mexico on Tuesday with a meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

The two political leaders stressed the growing business ties between the Latin American nation and the border state  though the touchy subject of immigration and border security did come up.

"I want to extend my deepest gratitude to President Pena Nieto for taking the time to meet with me on my first visit to Mexico as governor of Texas," Abbott said in a statement, according to the Dallas Morning News. "This trip has yielded significant outcomes that will ultimately strengthen the bond between Texas and Mexico. I look forward to continuing our dialogue and working with Mexico to ensure greater prosperity on both sides of the border."

Abbott, on his first international trip as governor, focused his attentions on economic and educational opportunities between the Texas and Mexico. Bilateral trade between the state and country amounts to more than $192 billion a year and generates more than 400,000 jobs in Texas alone.

One of the key moves made during Abbotts visit was the establishment of a program by Southern Methodist University to research and promote policy-based discussions on economic, political and social ties between the worlds 12th largest economy (Texas) and the 15th largest one (Mexico).

"This will be the first time a research program will be dedicated to the very dynamic relationship between a state and a country," Luisa del Rosal, director of programs and external relations for SMUs John G. Tower Center for Political Studies, said. "This reflects how unique Texas is and how important Mexico is in the larger context of the United States-Mexico relationship."

While Abbott tried to put on a positive face during his trip to Mexico, the specters of immigration, border issues and the presidential elections in the U.S. loomed over his visit.

Abbott himself has made several moves since taking office to curb undocumented immigrants from Mexico and Central America from crossing into Texas  including challenging of President Barack Obama's executive order to temporarily allow undocumented immigrants to stay in the country. In June, Abbott signed legislation that dedicates $800 million to border security. The bill will facilitate the hiring of additional troops along the border and will increase fines for human smugglers.

Despite several complaints from the Mexican government and a legal brief filed in support of plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Texas officials who had denied birth certificates to children born to noncitizen parents, Abbott praised the countrys apparent willingness to help with issues along its border with Texas.

"Both the biggest surprise  and the most pleasant aspect of this trip  is the way Mexico behind closed doors has shown great support for securing the border," Abbot said, according to the Houston Chronicle. "In all my talks with Mexican officials, no one has said anything negative about what Texas has done on the border. To the contrary, they have talked about ways in which they can better secure the border and that they can collaborate with Mexico in securing the border."

In a statement, Pena Nieto "expressed the importance of the contributions of the Mexican community in the United States and emphasized the need to adopt state policies that will permit the [Mexican] immigrant community to integrate into Texas."

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Donald Trump bucked overall Republican sentiment earlier this week when he said that he approved of President Barack Obama opening up relations with Cuba, although he did add that the U.S. should have made a "stronger deal."

In a wide-ranging interview with conservative news site The Daily Caller, the billionaire businessman said that 50 years of icy relations between Washington and Havana was enough but that the U.S. should have gotten more out of the "deal" with Cuba. The Republican presidential candidate did not elaborate on what a "stronger deal" would entail or go into detail about what he would have done if he were president.

"I think it's fine," Trump told The Daily Caller. "I think it's fine, but we should have made a better deal. The concept of opening with Cuba  50 years is enough  the concept of opening with Cuba is fine. I think we should have made a stronger deal."

While Trump's comments about Cuba were vague  and only one part of an interview that touched on topics ranging from the use of nuclear weapons to the mogul once renting an apartment to former Libyan strongman Muammar Qaddafi  his feelings on the historic renewal of relations between the U.S. and Cuba back in December differs greatly from those of his fellow Republican candidates.

While the majority of GOP candidates have spoken out against the renewal of relations with Cuba barring any changes to the human rights situation on the island, few have been more outspoken than those candidates of Cuban descent or have held office in the Cuban-American stronghold of Florida.

Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American senator from Florida, has been one of the most vocal critics of Obama's Cuban policy, calling it evidence of "every flawed strategic, moral and economic notion" that has driven his foreign policy.

"He has been quick to deal with the oppressors, but slow to deal with the oppressed," Rubio said last month during a speech at the conservative-leaning Foreign Policy Initiative in New York. "And his excuses are paper-thin."

A member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio has made foreign policy a centerpiece of his campaign for president. He has pledged to "roll back" what he termed Obama's "concessions" to Cuba and the recently completed nuclear deal with Iran, and he says he will "repair the damage done to America's standing in the Middle East."

Rubio says he would demand that the Cuban government carry out political and human rights reforms to maintain diplomatic relations and would return the country to the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism until it stops "helping North Korea evade international sanctions" and "harboring fugitives from American justice."

Rubio's fellow presidential candidate of Cuban descent, Ted Cruz has also spoken vehemently against the Cuba deal  calling Obama's move "unacceptable and a slap in the face of a close ally." His comment referenced the fact that the U.S. has an embassy in Havana, but not one in the disputed Israeli capital of Jerusalem.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush also railed against Cuba's removal 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 Cuba's destabilizing activities abroad appear sufficient to stop President Obama from making further concessions to the Communist regime in Havana," Bush said in a statement.

The Obama administration has said it is normalizing ties with Cuba after more than 50 years of hostility failed to shake the communist government's hold on power. It argues that dealing directly with Cuba over issues including human rights and trade is far likelier to produce democratic and free-market reforms over the long term.

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New Mexico is "falling short" on graduating college students on time, and universities should consider a number of reforms to battle the state's high poverty rate, Gov. Susana Martinez said Wednesday.

Speaking at her Summit on Higher Education at the University of New Mexico, the Republican governor said universities need to increase counseling efforts and reduce undergraduate degree programs to 120 hours.

"We are falling far short in one of the key expectations New Mexicans have of us: to graduate (students) and graduate on time" Martinez said.

The lengthy time to graduate hurts the state's economy and prevents efforts to reduce poverty in one of the poorest states in the country, she said.

U.S. Census Bureau data released last year showed that 21.9 percent of New Mexico residents live in poverty. Only Mississippi had a higher number of residents living in poverty.

Nationally, the rate was 15.8 percent.

New Mexico's colleges should consider locking tuition rates for students who stay on a four-year schedule and work to keep students from wandering through various career options. Martinez said.

"Exploration is a good thing," Martinez said. "A lot of wandering is not."

The governor also said high schools should do a better job to prepare students, noting that many enter college needing remedial work.

The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education says the state's six-year college graduation rate is 46 percent. Nationally, it's 69 percent.

Research shows remedial classes, nontransferable credits and extra credits were increasing the time it takes for New Mexico's college students to graduate, Complete College America senior vice president Bruce Vandal said. He suggested that New Mexico look to recent reforms at Georgia State University in Atlanta and examine how the school increased graduation rates, especially students of color.

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, a nonprofit focused on research and education policy, ranked New Mexico as having the largest enrollment drop nationwide last year.

According to the report, registration at colleges and universities plummeted 8.3 percent between spring 2014 and spring 2015. That is especially steep when compared with the 1.9 percent enrollment drop nationwide. In all, higher education registration in the state saw roughly 10,900 fewer students.

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The fugitive daughter of President Park Geun-hye's longtime crony Choi Soon-sil was arrested in Aalborg, Denmark on Sunday.

Chung Yoo-ra is suspected of being a main beneficiary of an extortion racket her mother ran with the connivance of Cheong Wa Dae.

At the time of her arrest, Chung was with four other people including a baby. She is being held for illegal entry after Interpol issued an all-points bulletin for her on Dec. 27 at Korea's request.

The independent counsel investigating the scandal hopes to have her extradited and will want to know which route she took from neighboring Germany, where she and her mother have holdings worth millions of euros.

The independent counsel took out an arrest warrant for her on Dec. 20 on charges of obstruction of justice.

Chung has incensed many young people in Korea with her underhand preferential admission to Ewha Womans University, which was revoked earlier last month as the scandal engulfed the head of the prestigious school, who resigned in disgrace.


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Supporters of a high-profile jailed Venezuelan opposition leader clashed with government loyalists Thursday, and at least one man died in the melee, outside a Caracas courthouse in anticipation of an impending sentence.

Members of Leopoldo Lopez's party arrived early in the morning to protest and pray, as they have dozens of times since Lopez's imprisonment 19 months ago. Lopez is charged with inciting violence in his role as the leader of a protest movement in 2014, and could face more than 10 years in prison.

Around midday, red-shirted government supporters showed up and began chanting that Lopez was a murderer and a terrorist. Some burned the orange flag of Lopez's political party and threw bottles and sticks at Lopez's wife as she passed a barricade to enter the court.

A line of police in riot gear separated the two sides, but were unable to prevent direct confrontations.

There was at least one fatality  a 66-year-old man identified as Horacio Blanco, who was a supporter of Lopez. Two women were hurt.

A doctor at Vargas Hospital said on condition of anonymity that Blanco arrived at the medical facility with no vital signs. She said that the cause of death, which occurred as violence erupted outside the courthouse, remained undetermined pending an autopsy.

Tensions outside the courthouse intensified with the arrival of Lopez's wife, Lilian Tintori. Government supporters began hurling bottles, sticks and other objects at her and the group that accompanied her.

Some also set anti-government signs bearing the image of Lopez on fire.

After the Lopez supporters dispersed, members of Venezuela's ruling socialist party called for an all-day rally outside the courthouse.

U.S. officials have made Lopez's release a key demand for normalizing diplomatic relations.

Secretary of State John Kerry called Venezuela's foreign minister Tuesday to speak about the case, and met with Lopez's wife in Washington last week.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz was hoping to use his visit to Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis, in jail at the time for refusing to issue gay marriage licenses, as a way to boost his support among religious conservatives and bump his numbers in the polls.

Unfortunately for the Texas lawmaker, his fellow candidate Mike Huckabee had the same idea.

Upon exiting the jailhouse where the soon to released Davis was being held, a crowd of reporters beckoned Cruz to their microphones. But as the firebrand senator approached, an aide for Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, allegedly blocked his path.

Minutes later, Huckabee exited the jailhouse alongside the Rowan County clerk, and was front and center when the county clerk made a tearful speech to supporters that cast her court battle as a fight against religious oppression.

Cruz, on the other hand, looked incredulous as he was forced to stand on the sidelines while Huckabee took up the limelight.

Both Cruz and Huckabee are the two most outspoken supporters of Davis, who has argued that she will not issue the marriage licenses because it goes against her faith as an apostolic Christian.

"It is important to Sen. Cruz for Kim Davis to know that he supports her and will do everything in his power to ensure her situation is resolved and that no other Americans who strive to live out their faith fall victim to religious persecution by the government," Cruz spokeswoman Catherine Frazier said in a statement.

"The First Amendment  the freedom of religion, the freedom of speech and expression  is foundational to all other freedoms and Sen. Cruz is committed to defending it, she added.

The Davis case has exposed a rift within the crowded Republican presidential field over the issue of faith and federal laws  especially when it comes to the Supreme Court ruling in June that same-sex couples have the right to marry nationwide.

"If somebody has to go to jail, I'm willing to go in her place," said Huckabee, a former Baptist minister and Arkansas governor. "She has shown more courage than any politician I know."

Five of Davis' six deputy clerks  all except her son, Nathan  agreed to issue licenses to gay couples with Davis behind bars. However, Davis' lawyer said on Tuesday that the licenses issued by her deputies are invalid.

Dan Canon, an attorney for the couples who sued, said they will ask the judge to again hold Davis in contempt if she returns to work and blocks her deputies from dispensing licenses.

"We are hoping she is going to comply with it. We'll have to see," Canon said. "But if experience is a teacher, Ms. Davis just doesn't believe that court orders apply to her."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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A Nevada former attorney general who is running to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, a Democrat, has disinvited the New York City Council speaker from headlining her campaign fundraiser.

Catherine Cortez Masto, who would be the first Latina to serve in the U.S. Senate, decided to disinvite Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and to reject any contributions from her because of her support for jailed Puerto Rican nationalist Oscar Lopez Rivera.

Lopez Rivera, now in his 70s, was a member of the Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN) in Puerto Rico. He was convicted and sentenced to 55 years in prison on a wide range of charges, including conspiracy to transport explosives with intent to destroy government property.

As Nevada's former top law enforcement officer, Catherine Cortez Masto would never support clemency for a convicted and unrepentant terrorist, Politico quoted Scott Fairchild, manager for the Cortez Masto campaign, as saying in a statement. Oscar Lopez Rivera is a terrorist who deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison, not be granted clemency for crimes for which he refuses to apologize.

In 1988, then-President Bill Clinton offered clemency to 14 FALN members, including Lopez Rivera, with the condition that he renounce the use of terrorism.

Lopez Rivera did not accept. He is still imprisoned in a federal correctional facility Terre Haute, Indiana.

Those who support tough treatment of Lopez Rivera say he is nothing less than a terrorist. Those who want him released say he was never directly linked to violence and is a political prisoner.

Mark-Viverito has been an outspoken supporter of Lopez Rivera, vowing as recently as this summer to use her high profile to fight for his release from prison.

She pushed successfully for this years Puerto Rican Day Parade to be dedicated to Lopez Rivera.

Mark-Viverito also held a press conference just before the parade to call for his release.

This is a historic moment because we are seeing convergence and a momentum on the campaign for Oscar that really gives me a lot of hope and inspiration, she said at the press conference.

Mark-Viverito has been a rising star in the Democratic Party whose endorsement increasingly is sought by candidates running local and national campaigns across the country.

The Nevada senatorial candidates initial choice to have Mark-Viverito headline the fundraiser was part of that pattern.

Politico reported that Pedro Julio Serrano, a spokesman for Mark-Viverito, did not comment directly on Cortez Mastos move against the New York City lawmaker, but said: The Speaker holds the same position on Oscar Lopez Rivera as numerous Members of Congress and elected officials all over the country, community activists and faith leaders from across the spectrum.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry is dropping out of the race for president, ending his second bid for the Republican nomination and becoming the first major candidate of the 2016 campaign to give up on the White House.

Perry's campaign said the longest-serving governor in Texas history would tell a group of conservative activists in St. Louis on Friday night that "some things have become clear."

"We have a tremendous field, the best in a generation, so I step aside knowing our party is in good hands, and as long as we listen to the grassroots, the cause of conservativism will be too," Perry planned to say according to remarks released by his campaign.

Perry suspended his struggling campaign while strapped for campaign cash and stuck polling at near zero.

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The sentencing of Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez to nearly 14 years in prison for his involvement in the 2014 demonstrations against the regime of President Nicolas Maduro has elicited a host of negative responses from U.S. lawmakers critical to the government in Caracas.

Lawmakers from Florida, the state with the largest number of Venezuelan-American's in the U.S., have called for new sanctions to be leveled against the judges, prosecutors and prison officials involved in what Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen called a "politically-motivated sentencing."

"The malicious use of the judicial system as an instrument to punish and persecute dissent is only part of the problem with Maduro's brutal regime that [insists] on ruling Venezuela with an iron fist," she added. "I call on all responsible nations to condemn this miscarriage of justice and call for Leopoldo's immediate, unconditional release."

Lopez  the 44-year-old, Harvard-educated former mayor of a wealthy Caracas district  has spent the past year and a half in a military prison outside the capital city, where he'll complete his sentence.

During his time in prison, he has been the focal point of international pressure on Maduro for greater civil liberty. Despite only family being allowed to visit, he has managed to release several videos from behind bars.

In May, in a recording taped in his cell, Lopez called for the largest rally Venezuela has seen since the wave of anti-government protests in 2014 that led to his jailing. In June, he staged a 30-day hunger strike to demand the government schedule congressional elections.

In part because of the Venezuelan crackdown on anti-Maduro demonstrators, the Obama administration issued an executive order freezing the assets of seven Venezuelan officials in the U.S. and denying them visas.

The officials  including the former head of the country's intelligence service and the leader of Venezuela's Bolivarian National Police  are deemed responsible for the crack down on anti-government protesters in clashes between the two sides that left more than 40 people dead and led to the jailing of a number of opposition political figures including Lopez.

On Friday, Florida senator and Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio called his trial "a sham" and called on the Obama administration to act more aggressively toward the Maduro regime.

"The Venezuelan regime is robbing Leopoldo of his freedom, his wife of a husband, his kids of a father and the Venezuelan people of a leader committed to their democratic aspirations," he said in a statement. "He deserves to be freed immediately and unconditionally."

Rubio added, "The Obama administration has been flirting with rapprochement with the Venezuelan regime, and this decision should make clear it's a foolish notion. The Obama administration has been moving too slowly on applying sanctions on human-rights violators in Venezuela, and now is the time to fully implement the Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014."

Rubio was the only presidential candidate in either party to comment on the jailing of Lopez.

The opposition leader's sentencing came only a day after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke with Venezuela's foreign minister, Delcy Rodriguez, as part of the effort to repair the relationship between the two countries.

In a phone call, Kerry expressed concern about individuals jailed for political reasons in Venezuela, including Lopez, according to Roberta Jacobson, the top U.S. diplomat for Latin America.

Last week, Kerry met with Lopez's wife, Lilian Tintori, in Washington, D.C.

Kerry also discussed with Rodriguez the need to find a quick resolution to Venezuela's two week-old border dispute with Colombia in light of the humanitarian situation that's developing there.

Relations reached a low point this year when Maduro accused the U.S. of working to overthrow him, and the U.S. said his government engages in undemocratic practices.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez has renewed his attack on the federal government's corruption case against him and a Florida eye doctor in court filings that accuse prosecutors of ginning up the 22-count indictment out of a "fixation on sex and salacious headlines."

Lawyers representing the New Jersey Democrat filed more than 300 pages of briefs Thursday night in response to prosecution filings in August. A federal trial is tentatively set for November in New Jersey.

The documents restate many of Menendez's arguments in motions to dismiss the indictment filed in July. Those include that the government initiated the investigation based on an anonymous tipster's account, never proved that Menendez and ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen were consorting with underage prostitutes, and tainted the grand jury by repeatedly focusing on those allegations. Neither the senator nor the doctor is charged with a sex-related crime.

The indictment alleges Menendez, a congressman for more than 20 years and a member of the Senate since 2006, accepted gifts and donations totaling about $1 million from Melgen in exchange for political favors. The gifts included flights aboard a luxury jet to the Dominican Republic and a Paris vacation.

In return, the indictment alleges, Menendez advocated for Melgen in a Medicare billing dispute and tried to get the State Department to intervene in a contract dispute involving a business Melgen owned in the Dominican Republic.

Thursday's filings reiterate Menendez's contention that he was performing routine Senate duties when he met with government health officials about Medicare policy and that no one involved in the meetings told investigators Melgen's case was the focus. The government said in its August filings that the quid pro quo involving the two men was "clear and unmistakable."

In a separate filing, Melgen chastised the government for what he characterized as an illegal search of his office. Melgen is seeking to have evidence found there suppressed.

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To some Republican presidential candidates, it's better to be with the popular pope than against him.

Marco Rubio, Rand Paul and Ted Cruz have deep policy differences with Pope Francis, but the senators will break off campaign travel to attend his address to Congress later this month, a centerpiece of his eagerly anticipated visit to the United States.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a devout Catholic, will attend Mass with Francis in Washington. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, another Catholic candidate, plans to attend one of the pope's East Coast events.

"Regardless of what the pope says or emphasizes, the simple fact of being associated with his visit is still significant for a candidate," said David Campbell, a professor at the University of Notre Dame who studies religion and politics. "The images are very powerful."

Francis has become one of the world's most popular figures since his 2013 election to the papacy, drawing praise for his humility and efforts to refocus the church on the poor and needy. He also has become involved in numerous hot-button political issues, often staking out positions that put him at odds with Republicans.

The pope supports the Iran nuclear deal, which many GOP candidates pledge to tear up if they are elected president. As Republicans debate the place of immigrants in the U.S., the pope has urged countries to welcome those seeking refuge and has decried the "inhuman" conditions facing people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

Francis was also instrumental in secret talks to restore diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba, a rapprochement the GOP views as a premature reward for the island's repressive government.

In a heated primary where any break from party orthodoxy is a political risk, Republican candidates have stepped gingerly around their differences with Francis.

When Francis issued an encyclical this year calling for aggressive international action to combat climate change, most Republicans made clear they had no problem with pope taking a position on the matter. But they suggested his stance would have little influence on their own views.

"He is a moral authority and as a moral authority is reminding us of our obligation to be good caretakers of the planet," Rubio, a practicing Catholic, said at the time. "I'm a political leader and my job as a policymaker is to act in the common good."

Bush, who was raised Episcopalian and converted to Catholicism as an adult, said it was best to leave climate change in the realm of politics, not religion.

During a campaign stop Thursday in New Hampshire, Bush called the pope an "amazing man" and welcomed his emphasis on mercy and compassion.

"I think he's going to lift people's spirits up," Bush said about the pope's visit to the U.S. "We're in a time where there's a lot of vulgarity and a lot of insults and a lot of just coarseness in our discourse. I'm not talking about politics, either. I'm talking about everyday life.

"And here's a man who comes with a gentle soul and I think it might be really healthy for our country to hear someone speak the way he does."

Not all GOP candidates plan to attend events with the pope. Among them are Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, whose spokeswoman said he didn't expect to be in Washington during Francis' visit, and Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator and devout Catholic, who was scheduled to be on a campaign trip to Iowa.

American politicians have long struggled with how to balance their policy positions with the views of the Vatican.

For Democrats, the focus has often been on the gulf between the party's support for abortion rights and the church's stern and contrary view. After John Kerry, a Catholic who backs abortion rights, captured the Democratic nomination in 2004, a top Vatican official issued a statement saying priests must deny Communion to politicians who hold that position.

Francis has taken a more conciliatory tone on abortion, as well as homosexuality, but hasn't changed church doctrine.

President George W. Bush found himself at odds with the Vatican over the Iraq war. Both Pope John Paul II and his successor Benedict XVI vehemently opposed the war, yet each met Bush during their tenure.

Charles Camosy, a theology professor at Fordham University, said that in interactions between politicians and popes, "politics is put aside and there's respect shown."

Still, the timing of the pope's visit  in the heart of fall primary campaigning  and his own schedule will make politics difficult to avoid.

Francis will hold an Oval Office meeting Sept. 23 with President Barack Obama, who has highlighted areas where his agenda overlaps with the pope's priorities, including income inequality. The pope will speak the following day on Capitol Hill, where at least some of the focus will be on the reaction to his remarks from the presidential candidates sitting in the audience.

The pope's message in Washington is expected to touch on some of the issues that are sources of disagreement with Republicans, though it's unlikely he will insert himself directly into presidential politics.

Still, as Campbell, the Notre Dame professor, noted, "One thing we've learned about Pope Francis is that he's very unpredictable."

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Donald Trump pinatas are selling like, well, Donald Trump pinatas.

From Mexico to California to Texas, folks cant resist the notion of clobbering the fork-tongued presidential candidate who has said  among other things  that Mexico dumps its worst on the United States, and that if his primary residence is ever the White House, he will build a huge wall along the border.

We get lots and lots of calls, the San Antonio Express-News quoted Marylou Hernandez, owner of the Cascaron Store on Austin Highway, of saying about the custom-made Trump pinatas that she sells.

Her store offers two version of the Trump pinata  Angry-Faced Trump and Superman Trump.

The pinatas go for between $37 and $200.

Its been very popular and very funny, the requests from the customers, theyre just unique, she said. We just customize it to what they want.

Other merchants report the same intense interest in the Trump pinatas.

"We're going to have to work overtime," Jesus Marquez of Marquez Bros. Pinatas in California told the San Jose Mercury News recently. "We've made 200 Trump pinatas so far this summer. And this week, we have to make 100."

Even those who may not be interested in plunking down money for the imaginatively coifed presidential candidates likeness still want some souvenir of it, evidently.

Tourists strolling along downtown San Antonio often can be seen snapping photos of the Trump pinata on display in a Houston Street window of Veronica Sandovals Tienda La Garza.

"One client asked for a Trump pinata, and whatever the customer says, you know?" said Yaret Hernandez, owner of El Rosal Bakery in Live Oak, California told the Mercury News. "Now we get a lot of calls for him. He's the most ordered pinata."

Of course, no real Trump pinata would be complete without a wad of cash, and this one has fake $100 bills in his right hand, and a $50 in his left, the newspaper reports.

The Pinata Party Palace in Austin has sold more than 200 of its Mexico-imported pinatas in recent weeks. It has shipped quite a few around the country.

Its mostly Caucasian people buying them, said salesperson Guadalupe Mendez. We sell out pretty fast.

People especially love the version the store sells of an angry Trump.

Theres this provider who keeps making them very friendly, like, cartoon-looking. They dont sell as much as the one that has a big mouth and angry face, Mendez said.

Houstons Party Pinatas has been selling about five Trump pinatas each week.

Its something affordable that they can hit, said an employee.

Carlos Cervantes, owner of Karlas Super Pinatas on Fredericksburg Road, told the Express- News that hes getting inundated with requests for Trump pinatas, but hes passing up on the chance to profit off the craze.

I dont want to get involved, but were getting a lot of requests. We probably could make a lot of money, Cervantes said. Were trying to stay on the sidelines. We try to stay away from the political or the religious. Believe me, we get requests for Jesus Christ pinatas, too. Nah.

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Rep. Loretta Sanchez is trailing fellow Democrat State Attorney General Kamala Harris in her bid to fill the seat of retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer, but the second-place candidate is gaining momentum, thanks to Latinos.

A new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll shows Sanchez, a Democrat, behind Harris, 26 percent to 17 percent. Behind them are former state Republican chairman Tom Del Beccaro, who has 10 percent, and Assemblyman Rocky Chavez, another Republican, who has 9 percent, according to the Los Angeles Times. Former state Republican Party leader George Sundheim announced his candidacy last week, too recently to be included the poll, the Times said.

Among Latinos in the survey, Sanchez was the clear favorite  shes preferred over Harris, 34 percent to 18 percent.

More than a third of the respondents to the survey say they are not decided whom they will pick in the June primary election.

Those coming in first and second in the primary will then face each other in the November, 2016 election, the Times said.

"Unless the Republicans coalesce behind one single candidate, we will probably end up seeing a runoff between two Democrats," the Times quoted poll director Dan Schnur of USC's Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics as saying.

Boxer announced in January she wouldn't seek a fifth term, setting the stage for the 2016 contest.

Democrats are favored to hold the seat.

Sanchezs promising poll numbers come on the heels of a boost from her House colleagues.

Sanchez has locked up support from several more House colleagues from her home state for her Senate race.

A statement from her campaign Thursday announced she had picked up endorsements from Reps. Mark Takano of Riverside, Grace Napolitano of El Monte, Raul Ruiz of Palm Desert and Scott Peters of San Diego.

The 10-term congresswoman has endorsements from about a dozen Democratic House members from California.

To be sure, Sanchez has some hurdles to jump in order to catch up to, and surpass, Harris. She lacks the statewide recognition that Harris enjoys.

Sanchez is best known in her district, Orange County.

Harris, by contrast, is known statewide by virtue of her position, and therefore has a fundraising edge all across the state.

Some groups that supported Sanchez in her congressional runs say that while they admire her, they are endorsing Harris.

Some experts 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. Harris announced her candidacy in January, Sanchez in May.

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.

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 become the first female, African-American and Asian-American state attorney general.

Sanchez and her sister, Linda  who has represented the 38th Congressional district in California since 2003  were the first sisters to be in Congress.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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The Puerto Rican Bar Association in Orlando recently held Political Salsa, an event aimed at informing the areas booming Latino population about the electoral process, and introducing candidates of both parties who were in attendance and are running for local office.

Republicans are going to community events in Orlando, including fairs, and visiting churches to explain the partys views on salient issues, and encourage people to vote. The Democratic Hispanic Caucus of Florida has held get-out-the-vote caravans  complete with music, and featuring dozens of cars and motorcycles  fashioned after similar ones in Puerto Rico. The group plans more in the coming year.

And several presidential candidates from both parties have visited Puerto Rico in recent months, sometimes stopping in Florida first to discuss their trip and agenda with Puerto Ricans who live in the Sunshine State.

It is all part of the political romancing of the states fast-growing Puerto Rican population, which has doubled to roughly 1 million from less than 500,000 since 2000, and more than quadrupled since 1990. Finding Miami too saturated, as many put it, they have settled mostly in Central Florida, lured by its affordability and small-town feel. About 1,000 arrive in this part of Florida each week.

The phenomenal boom of the Puerto Rican community  as well as some other Latino groups  in Central Florida has made the area a critical prize in the important swing state, and made Latinos a voting bloc that is up for grabs like never before.

The Puerto Rican vote is going to be absolutely critical, said Helen Aguirre Ferre, a South Florida-based consultant for the Jeb Bush campaign. A candidate has to be mindful that winning the Puerto Rican vote is going to be very important to winning the state.

Many say that Puerto Rican voters played a key role in President Barack Obamas winning Florida in both 2008 and 2012. After decades of Latinos in the state leaning Republicans, in large part because of Cuban exiles who preferred the GOPs assertive stance toward Cuba, many Latinos are now registering as Democrat and, even more, Independent.

But Puerto Ricans, long seen as an overwhelmingly Democratic voting bloc, are up for grabs more than ever as its diversity in Florida has grown. Though Miami  and being photographed sipping Cuban cafecito in Little Havana  is still important for campaigning candidates, Central Florida is the new darling of Latino outreach efforts.

While they overwhelmingly backed Obama when he ran for re-election in 2012, more than half of Latinos in Florida voted for former Gov. Jeb Bush, who won some Central Florida counties with large Puerto Rican communities.

Former President George W. Bush lost Orange County by a small margin, and won Osceola County, increasingly a Puerto Rican enclave, in 2004.

Florida is extremely important, said Jose Parra, a Democratic strategist who worked on Sen. Harry Reids campaign when the Nevada Democrat last ran. Its the perennial swing state.

The challenge is that the Hispanic electorate is more and more diverse, not only in national origin but in the issue that motivates them.

Many Puerto Ricans assess a candidate by his or her position on statehood for the island, say some community leaders. These days, many Puerto Ricans want to know a candidates view on what the U.S. government should do to help Puerto Rico, which is struggling through a $72 billion debt and high unemployment  key reasons many have left and come to Florida.

The Puerto Rican community itself defies simplification.

Many of the more recent arrivals are professionals, often with more conservative views.

Although they come from a place where politics is practically a national sport, with a rate as high as 80 percent often turning out to vote, elections operate very differently there.

The Puerto Rican community migrating to Florida, theyre used to voting only once every four years back home, said Vivian Rodriguez, president of the Democratic Hispanic Caucus of Florida. Here, you vote all the time [in local and state elections].

Echoing other Puerto Rican leaders, Rodriguez said newer arrivals often feel overwhelmed by the political dynamics of the U.S. mainland. Here, they learn about counties, which are non-existent in Puerto Rico, and many feel confused by what distinguishes Republicans from Democrats.

Theres a difference in the voting pattern, Rodriguez said. Thats where we come in. We have to bring awareness of the political landscape here.

Some Puerto Ricans say that even though those who arrive, because of their U.S. citizenship, have the right to vote from the get-go, many get too bogged down trying to navigate their new surroundings, and regroup financially if theyve suffered losses on the island, to register and cast their ballot.

Its not that they dont want to get politically engaged, Rodriguez said. Our community works hard, they dont have time. So we have to go to them.

Orlando City Commissioner Tony Ortiz, a former Marine and Persian Gulf War veteran who left Puerto Rico for the mainland as a teenager, last year launched a so-called government academy aimed mostly at new arrivals from Puerto Rico and Latino immigrants. Those who take part in the academy take a two-hour class in U.S. civics once a week for seven weeks, and end the course with a graduation ceremony, where they receive a certificate.

We teach them how a bill gets to become law, how many people are in Congress, in the Senate, said Ortiz, who describes himself as a moderate conservative. We explain the functions of the president and the vice president, the relationship between the federal and municipal governments.

Its pretty motivating for our community, said Ortiz of finally understanding the inner workings of government and elections. I remember how confused I was at the beginning when I came from Puerto Rico.

Its only in recent years, community leaders and national political operatives say, that outreach to Puerto Ricans has become more nuanced, though there remains a lot of room for improvement.

They have to do more direct outreach, more going out to the community, explaining the parties, explaining the candidate, many Puerto Ricans who just got here dont have a clue, so they just stay out of the process, said Lara Rodriguez, a lawyer who settled in Orlando from Puerto Rico a few years ago and had worked on Obamas campaign. Puerto Ricans are loyal. The first party to effectively engage them will have their support, their loyalty.

A crop of Latino liberal and conservative talk show hosts have become a pivotal part of the effort to weave Puerto Ricans, as well as other Latino immigrants who have settled in the area, into the political world of Florida and the U.S. mainland.

Anthony Suarez, a Republican who is president of the Puerto Rican Bar Association and a former state legislator, hosts a radio show that focuses to a great extent on politics. Suarez is one of the many Puerto Ricans in Central Florida who is a transplant from New York (many also have come from Illinois and Pennsylvania, among other places). Like many others, he went from being a Nuyorican to a Mickey Rican, what many Puerto Ricans in Orlando call themselves.

A one-time Democrat, Suarez said he became disillusioned when he was shunned for supporting some of then-Gov. Jeb Bushs policies, and decided to switch to the GOP.

But Suarez doesnt hesitate to point out shortcomings in his own party  weaknesses he wants them to address because, he says, they alienate Latinos and could end up destroying the GOPs future.

He says Republicans could gain ground with Puerto Rican voters if they stop speaking against such things as statehood and allowing bankruptcy for the island.

If Puerto Rico becomes a state, then [several] issues will be resolved, Suarez said. If Republicans say Drop dead to Puerto Ricans [regarding debt relief] in order to protect investors, theyll lose a million votes.

A smart candidate would say to Puerto Ricans: Vote for statehood, and Ill stand with you.

Aguirre Ferre of the Bush campaign believes the field is wide open for any party to make its mark with todays Florida Latinos.

A significant number of Hispanic voters are open, Aguirre Ferre said. Were not leaving any stone unturned. Even a 2 percent difference in one district can make the difference in a tight election.
Spanish-language radio is fixated on the 2016 presidential campaign, sparked by Republican Donald Trump's caustic remarks about immigrants, mainly Mexicans, and a GOP field of contenders trying to out-duel each other on the contentious topic of overhauling immigration law.

Hispanics are "literally tuned in," says Alex Nogales, president of the National Hispanic Media Coalition. "They are working in construction, working in the fields, working in the hotels  they don't have time to look at television. They listen to radio."

Spanish-language radio has for decades been the electronic bridge linking America and successive generations of Hispanic newcomers seeking to understand their new way of a life in a new land, especially on immigration matters, said Dolores Ines Casillas, a University of California professor and author of "Sounds of Belonging: U.S. Spanish-language Radio and Public Advocacy."

It's the Hispanic community's "acoustic ally," said Casillas, one that "provides a sense of anonymity for a legally vulnerable population."

She said Mexicans during the Great Depression relied on radio to keep tabs on the federal government's removal of 500,000 to 1 million Mexican immigrants and Mexican-Americans because they were supposedly taking jobs away from whites. In the 1980s, tens of thousands of Hispanic immigrants here illegally learned from radio how to apply for a federal amnesty program approved under President Ronald Reagan.

Today, Spanish-language radio has lit up from Trump's remarks about criminals coming from Mexico and women coming to have "anchor babies." So, too, the GOP presidential front-runner's proposals to build a border wall and deport all of the estimated 11 million people here illegally, before allowing the "good ones" to return.

People of Mexican descent make up nearly two-thirds of the nation's estimated 54 million Hispanics.

Nogales said Trump's immigration message has fired up millions of Hispanics frustrated with both major parties for failing to find compromise on legalizing those who are here against the law.

Immigration advocates and others have used Spanish-language radio in specific markets to pounce on Trump and other Republican candidates.

In Las Vegas, the state's largest union and immigrant organization saturated the Spanish-language airwaves with an ad denouncing Trump. "Mr. Trump says he wants to be president to make America great," said the announcer. "We think America is great."

The ad urged listeners to take part in an August rally, which drew about 1,000 people in a march to the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas. "We got a really strong turnout," said Bethany Khan, speaking for Culinary Union Local 226. More than half of the 55,000 members are Hispanic.

Nevada is one of several swing states where both parties are courting Hispanic voters.

Carlos A. Sanchez, coordinator of political campaigns for the liberal People For the American Way, calls Spanish-language radio "a powerful tool" for reaching Hispanics not easily accessible through other media.

He said his organization has produced Spanish-language radio ads against Republican Marco Rubio in Denver and Miami, and against Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker in Milwaukee.

This year's presidential contest features two candidates  Jeb Bush and Rubio  who speak Spanish fluently. Bush goes back and forth in English and Spanish in speaking at town halls and with the media, especially in south Florida.

Unlike conservative talk radio in English, where personalities such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham dominate, Spanish-language radio lacks a particular voice with a national following. Citizen activists, immigration attorneys and others tend to do the talking.

The U.S. has more than 500 radio stations with a Spanish-language format, reaching an estimated 15 million Hispanics. But only about 30 stations carry news or talk programming, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.

That means Spanish-language radio listeners get an earful of commentary from unusual sources, said Federico Subervi, a former Kent State University professor who has studied Hispanic media for decades.

"A deejay at a station who would not normally say anything about politics and the immigration debate is now talking about it," Subervi said. "Thanks to Donald Trump."

Subervi said only the major Spanish-language radio markets of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami are covering presidential campaign news. And the coverage varies from city to city, reflecting the diversity of the nation's Hispanics.

In Miami, where Spanish-language radio has long been popular among the city's large, conservative Cuban community, Carines Moncada, an afternoon host of "Cada Tarde (Every Afternoon)," empathized with Americans who support Trump.

"I can't criticize an American who can identify with a Donald Trump who says we have to solve this problem," she said on the air. "We have to protect the border."

But Trump has taken heat in Los Angeles, where listeners of top-rated radio host Ricardo "El Mandril" Sanchez ridiculed "el hombre del peluquin" the man of the toupee. Trump later had a woman in an audience touch his hair to show it is real, and Sanchez invited Trump to be on his show.

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An undocumented woman who was taken into an examination room at a Texas healthcare clinic in recent days was met by county sheriffs deputies, who arrested her for showing the receptionist a fake ID.

Blanca Borrego, a Mexican national who has lived in the United States 12 years, was called by the staff to go into the exam room after sitting in the waiting room for two hours to see her gynecologist, the Houston Press reported.

What Borrego didnt know was that the staff had called police to say that they suspected that the woman, who was there with her two daughters, had presented a drivers license that was fake when they asked her to show ID to update her file.

Minutes later, Borregos daughters, who stayed in the waiting room, saw their mother taken out of the clinic in handcuffs by the Harris County Sheriffs deputies, the newspaper reported. The Northeast Women's Healthcare clinic in Atascocita, Texas is part of the Memorial Hermann Medical Group.

The sad fact is that many immigrant women in Texas, and across the country, already forgo needed healthcare, live with lumps in their breasts and daily pain, because clinics are inaccessible or put them at risk for deportation.  Ana Rodriguez DeFrates, advocacy director, The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health

The Press quoted one of Borregos daughters, who asked not to be named, as saying that one of the deputies told her: We're going to take her downtown, she presented a form of false identification. The deputy, according to the daughter, added: "She's going to get deported."

Borrego is at the Harris County jail on a $35,000 bond.

The Press said that Borrego had health insurance through her husbands job.

Her youngest child, a daughter who is 8 years old, was born in the United States. Her other two children, a daughter and a son, qualified for deportation relief through President Barack Obamas 2012 initiative, called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. It offers at least a two-year reprieve from deportation for undocumented immigrants who were brought here as minors, and who have no criminal record, and who meet some other criteria. DACA recipients may obtain drivers licenses and work permits as part of the program.

The Press said that the Harris County District Clerk's records show Borrego was charged with one felony count of tampering with a government record.

Borrego's attorney, Clarissa Guajardo, told the Press that a factor in her clients arrest seems to be a fake Social Security card deputies found in her purse while searching it at her gynecologists office.

She criticized the clinic for calling authorities about someone who was seeking medical care, and believes they may be in violation of federal patient privacy laws, commonly known as HIPAA.

It's a basic human right to be able to get medical care, she said. It wasn't like she was getting public assistance, even. She had an established doctor-patient relationship with that gynecologist. This shouldn't have happened like this.

Guajardo says that HIPAA does allow healthcare providers to contact police if they believe a patient could harm herself or others, but she raised doubts about immigration issues as a qualifying factor medical staff to call authorities.

They took her into that examination room solely for the purpose of being arrested, Guajardo told the Houston Press. I just have a very hard time with that.

On Monday, groups on both sides of the immigration debate defended or decried the actions of the medical staff.

Blanca Borrego was waiting for a routine annual exam, not emergency medical care, said Bob Dane, executive director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, or FAIR, a group that favors strict immigration enforcement. EMTALA says immigration status cannot be used as a basis to refuse providing treatment. It does not imply that illegal aliens are entitled to routine care nor are immune from the law.

Additionally, whoever the rightful owner was of the social security card that Ms. Borrego reportedly presented, Dane said to Fox News Latino, has been spared the nightmare of identity theft within the labyrinth of the health care system.

The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH) assailed the clinics move against Borrego, calling it overzealous.

The sad fact is that many immigrant women in Texas, and across the country, already forgo needed healthcare, live with lumps in their breasts and daily pain, because clinics are inaccessible or put them at risk for deportation, said Ana Rodriguez DeFrates, the NLIRH advocacy director, in a statement. This is an ongoing human rights crisis.

Rodriguez said NLIRH would meet with lawmakers and would rally supporters to draw attention to the case.

No one, she said, should be afraid to seek medical care for fear of deportation.

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He is the lesser known, more enigmatic of the two Castro brothers who have led Cuba for a combined 56 years.

But later this month, Cuban President Raul Castro will make his debut on U.S. soil as leader of the island nation when he addresses the United Nations gathering of world leaders, the U.N. indicated Tuesday.

It's not clear what else he has planned, although an official at the Cuban mission to the U.N. confirmed to Fox News that Castro would address the General Assembly the afternoon of Sept. 28 and may address the sustainable development summit two days earlier.

An updated U.N. list of speakers notes that the Cuban head of state will speak at the gathering on Sept. 28, the same day that President Barack Obama is set to speak. Diplomats for the two countries last week formally launched the process of normalizing the U.S.-Cuba relationship, one of the top foreign policy achievements of Obama's presidency.

In April, Obama and Castro sat down together in the first formal meeting of the two country's leaders in a half-century.

Castro took over Cuba's presidency from his brother Fidel, who stepped down in 2008 after decades in power.

A spokesman for Cuba's mission to the U.N. did not comment to the Associated Press Tuesday on Castro's expected visit and only referred to the U.N. list of speakers.

Castro first will play host as Pope Francis visits Cuba from Sept. 19 to 22, ahead of Francis' own first trip to the United States.

More than 160 heads of state and government are set to attend this month's U.N. meeting, including Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani are also among the first day's speakers.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

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An officially nonpartisan political fundraising group that aims to raise the number of Latinos running for office across the United States is rescinding its support for a Republican vying for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates.

The Latino Victory Fund on Monday said it would not have held a June fundraiser for the candidate, Raul Danny Vargas, if they had known that he opposes an executive order by President Barack Obama that gives temporary relief from deportation to undocumented parents of people who are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents.

The fund is part of the Latino Victory Project, which was co-founded by actress Eva Longoria and Texas businessman Henry R. Munoz III.

We have learned that Mr. Vargas opposes one of our core valuessupport for Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA)which is essential for many Latino families, said Latino Victory Project President Cristobal J. Alex, in a statement. "Had we known this, we would not have hosted him.

Vargas has said he supports comprehensive immigration reform, and believes that there must be an enduring solution to how to handle the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants who live in the United States. He has voiced support for a 2012 executive order by Obama that suspended deportation for two years for undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as minors.

In December, the president, expressing frustration over Congresss inaction on immigration reform, expanded the relief for undocumented immigrants by making more people eligible for the 2012 program and adding deportation relief for undocumented parents.

The Latino Victory Fund event on Vargas' behalf, held at the group's offices, raised eyebrows  it was the first such fundraiser Latino Victory held for a Republican candidate.

Vargas was quoted by NBC News on Monday as saying that he opposes DAPA because it is not a real solution, just a stopgap. But he stopped short of echoing other Republicans who also oppose it in the belief that Obama is making sweeping changes unilaterally.

"What I would focus on is finding a way to bring people together to provide a set of common-sense solutions with set, sustainable, reliable, permanent solutions and a legislative solution," Vargas told NBC.

He added that programs such as DAPA dissuade Congress from addressing the issue in a more substantive and long-term manner.

The Latino Victory Fund also took issue with what they said was the erroneous impression that they had endorsed Vargas in the race against Democrat Jennifer Boysko and independent Paul Brubaker to fill the seat of retiring GOP delegate, Thomas Davis Rust.

"We have not and will not endorse him. Furthermore cofounders, Henry R. Munoz III and Eva Longoria are not involved in our endorsement process and were not involved in the event at our office," Alex said, according to NBC.

Vargas was quoted by NBC as saying: "I think many of the folks that either are part of Latino Victory Project or [are] supporting it still see me as the best candidate for my position.

Vargas was born to Puerto Rican parents in New York City and grew up in a poor neighborhood of Brooklyn before joining the U.S. Air Force in the early 1980s. After his time in the military, he 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 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. Also serving on the museum commission were Longoria and Munoz, who was its chairman.

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After the top tier Republican candidates finished discussing the effect of Donald Trump and other so-called "outside" candidates on this season's presidential race, the debate Wednesday turned to Trump's favorite topic on the campaign trail: immigration.

While the 11 candidates on stage at the Reagan Library in California debated a number of topics, ranging from border walls to candidates speaking Spanish to birth-right citizenship, they all agreed that the main issue in regards to immigration is securing the United States' porous borders.

"We have an incredible illegal immigration problem," said Ben Carson, who is closing in on front-runner Trump in the polls. "We need to seal the border. Nothing else really matters."

Besides border security, however, there was little else the candidates agreed on. They clashed on immigration for about 20 minutes. The topic even turned personal.

When moderators asked Jeb Bush if he had been offended by Trump's suggestion that Bush is soft on immigration because of his wife, Columba, a Mexican-born American citizen, the former Florida governor not only said he was but he asked Trump for an apology.

If they ask me a question in Spanish, I'm going to show them respect and answer them in Spanish.  Jeb Bush, Republican presidential candidate

Trump said he'd heard "phenomenal things" about Columba Bush but wouldn't apologize. He said his words have been misconstrued and he stood by his criticism of Bush for answering some questions from reporters in Spanish. He said people in the United States should speak English.

"To assimilate you have to speak English," Trump said. "This is a country where we speak English, not Spanish."

In response to Trump, Bush said he's showing respect to people who speak both languages, referring to a recent tour of a Florida school where students asked him questions in Spanish.

"If they ask me a question in Spanish, I'm going to show them respect and answer them in Spanish," Bush said.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio jumped in and said it's important to speak Spanish to communicate with immigrants who may become Republican voters. He recounted stories of his grandfather, a Cuban immigrant whose English was shaky but who idolized Ronald Reagan.

Rubio added that he wants conservative speakers to hear his words in the language that they understand.

"If they get their news in Spanish, I want them to hear it from me not from a translator on Univision," Rubio added.

Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, who was the only candidate from the second-tier debate back in August, said President Obama and Democrats don't want to solve the problem of illegal immigration.

She said Obama and Democrats want it to continue being an issue so that they can use it against Republicans.

Trump also defended his position that citizenship should not be given automatically to children born in the United States. He says the U.S. is "dumb" and "stupid" for allowing that through the 14th Amendment.

He said, as president, he would end birthright citizenship.

Fiorina says, "You can't just wave your hands and say the 14th Amendment is going to go away."

While immigration took center stage for a good part of the debate, much of the night was concentrated on foreign policy, especially in regards to Syria, Russia and Iran.

The policy debates exposed rifts within the Republican Party, particularly the split between political outsiders and candidates with long resumes in Washington and governor's mansions. Trump and Fiorina emphasized how their business backgrounds would help them negotiate with difficult world leaders, including Russia's president.

"Vladimir Putin would get the message," said Fiorina, who was joining the main debate for the first time after a strong performance in an undercard event last month.

Trump, who has capitalized on his outsider appeal, said the three senators in the field Rubio, Kentucky's Rand Paul and Texas' Ted Cruz  bore some responsibility for the unabated violence in Syria. He said as president, he would have gone in with "tremendous force" when the Syrian regime used chemical weapons.

On Iran, the candidates were split on whether they would tear up President Barack Obama's nuclear accord with Iran if elected. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Ohio Gov. John Kasich took a measured approach, saying ripping up a deal agreed to not only by the U.S. but also several allies was not a strategy for stopping Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

In an exchange on gay marriage and religious liberty, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee argued forcefully for the right of Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis to defy the Supreme Court's decision legalizing gay marriage. "I thought that everyone here passed ninth grade civics. The courts can't legislate," he said. "I thought we had three branches of government."

Huckabee declined to criticize Bush for saying Davis did not have the right to deny gays marriage licenses. Bush said he supports defending the rights of religious people to refuse to endorse gay marriage, but he said someone else in Davis' office should sign the certificates since the Supreme Court ruling is the law of the land.

"I think there needs to be accommodation for someone acting on their faith," he said.

Even as Trump faded somewhat in the policy discussions, he was hardly invisible in the debate. He praised himself while deriding and scoring his rivals in the opening minutes of the debate at the Regan Presidential Library in southern California.

Standing at center stage, Trump said he had a "phenomenal temperament" and a record in business that would help him on the world stage. With his signature brashness, he immediately took on his rivals, saying Kentucky Sen. Paul didn't deserve to be on the crowded debate stage.

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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has recently become infamous for his hour-long diatribes on the campaign trail, where he lashes out against immigrants, the administration of President Barack Obama and anyone who dares challenge what the billionaire businessman has to say.

During a stop on Tuesday aboard the USS Iowa in California, however, Trump only got through 15 minutes of his speech before he was forced off the stage by a group of Latino protesters angered at the real estate mogul's divisive rhetoric in regards to immigration.

The incident aboard the USS Iowa  occurring on the eve of the second Republican presidential debate  appears to be the first indicator that Latino groups across the United States have finally tired of hearing Trump's attacks on immigrants and are now going on the offensive.

From inside the Washington D.C.-Beltway to California, Hispanics groups are stepping up their efforts in criticizing Trump and other Republican candidates on their immigration message through protests, targeted television ads and lobbying their elected officials.

"In recent months, some presidential candidates have used Latinos as a punching bag to score political points with their base," Cristobal Alex, the president of the Latino Victory Project said in a statement. "While we have expressed disapproval, the Latino community has not yet organized aggressively to show our political power. Today that ends."

Alex added that his group will air television ads in battleground states across the country to "expose the candidates making these shameful comments."

The Latino Victory Project also joined Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Linda Sanchez (D-CA), Congressman Mark Takano (D-CA) and a host of other Latino groups in issuing a "grito"  or call to action  to denounce any 2016 presidential candidates who have attacked the Latino community on issues like immigration.

Before the debate on Wednesday night, more than 40 local and statewide California organizations  including a number of immigration groups  will hold a rally, calling for a #NoHateDebate.

Angelica Salas, President and Board Chair for the Coalition For Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles Action Fund (CHIRLA Action Fund) said they want to send a word to Donald Trump. "His motto is Make America Great Again,' but we know that the America Mr. Trump is nostalgic for is one in which Latinos, women, and blacks had less rights," she said in a press release.

"No thank you, Mr. Trump. We stand for an America that is welcoming and inclusive," she added.

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Republican presidential contender Donald Trump is promising subsidized private health care for frustrated veterans, charging that immigrants in the country illegally receive better care than the nation's wounded soldiers.

The comments, delivered Tuesday aboard a retired World War II battleship in Los Angeles harbor, came on the eve of the second Republican presidential debate in nearby Simi Valley, where some of the billionaire businessman's GOP rivals are expected to challenge his fiery rhetoric on immigration.

"We have illegal immigrants that are treated better by far than our veterans," Trump declared, the USS Iowa's massive 16-inch guns behind him. "It's not going to happen anymore."

The Republican frontrunner gave no details on how he would pay for an expansion in the armed forces  or veterans' health care  leaving his foreign policy agenda still mostly a blank slate.

He called for a military buildup so broad that no foe would challenge the U.S., as well as a new health care deal for veterans stuck on waiting lists in hospitals run by the Department of Veterans Affairs. In doing so, he again swiped at people who are in the country illegally, a refrain that has powered his campaign since the start.

"There's tremendous crime, there's tremendous drugs pouring across the border," Trump said. "We're going to build a wall."

Dozens of protesters gathered in the parking lot adjacent to the battleship, periodically chanting, "He's a racist."

Some of Trump's supporters were bothered by the tone of Trump's comments, even those who said they planned to vote for him.

"You have to be careful about how you talk about the Latino population," said Craig Pahl, among dozens of veterans in a crowd of roughly 500 gathered on the ship's deck. "I have real mixed views on how he addresses that. ... Hispanics start thinking, 'Wow, there are a lot of white prejudiced people out there.' "

Trump excites with tough rhetoric, but he has so far has offered little in the way of detailed policies on national security or foreign policy.

He has also struggled to answer basic questions about key players in the Middle East and elsewhere. He acknowledged in a recent radio interview, for example, that he didn't know the difference between Hamas and Hezbollah, but said he'd become an expert on U.S. interests abroad by the time he becomes president.

Republican presidential rival Rand Paul, a leading Trump critic, charged that Trump's lack of experience with national security is alarming.

"Do you want someone who appears to still be in grade school to be in charge of the nuclear arsenal?" Paul asked, speaking in a recent Associated Press interview.

On Tuesday evening, however, Trump insisted his skills on the international stage are superior to those of his Republican rivals.

"I'm fighting some very nice people," he said. "But they're never going to do anything with these countries. They're never going to be able to do it. It's an instinct. It's something that's special. They don't have it."

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The second presidential debate, to take place Wednesday, will seek to show viewers the contrasts among the candidates, CNN correspondent Jake Tapper, who will moderate it for the cable news network, told the New York Times.

That will be different from the first debate, which Fox News moderated on Aug. 6, and in which three anchors had more control of the subjects and the candidates.

My goal is more about: Lets draw the contrasts between the candidates, and have them fight it out over these policies, over who has the best approach to [Russian president Vladimir] Putin, over who has the best approach to taxes, over who believes what over immigration reform, said Tapper, according to the New York Times. Have them lay it all out so voters can see it.

The debate, which is to begin at 8 p.m. Eastern Time, will be held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. A smaller debate, featuring candidates who have not ranked high enough in voter polls to qualify for the primetime one, will take place at 6 p.m. Eastern Time.

Just as with the first debate, many eyes will be on real estate mogul Donald Trump, who continues to enjoy a top slot in polls of Republican voters, and who has not shortage of one-liners and pointed comments about sensitive topics and some of his rivals.

Latino groups, in particular, are urging for the attacks on their community to stop. Several groups, including the Latino Victory Project, released ads hours and days before the debate threatening to step up protests.

While we have expressed disapproval, the Latino community has not yet organized aggressively to show our political power, Cristobal Alex, President Latino Victory Project said in a statement released Tuesday. Today that ends.

Later Tuesday, Trump had to cut short a speech aboard USS Iowa in California after he was booed by dozens of Latino protesters.

The Republican candidates are expected to focus their attacks on Trump, who has dominated headlines and airwaves since he announced his candidacy in June.

"Someone has to bring him down," Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul told The Associated Press last week. "I'm not going to sit quietly by and let the disaster that is Donald Trump become the nominee."

Many political observers expect retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who has come to be known as the anti-Trump for his gentle, soft-spoken style and easy manner, to show the sharpest contrast to the bombastic Trump.

Yet the 63-year-old Republican, the only African-American seeking the White House in 2016  has tapped into the same wave of anti-establishment outrage fueling the billionaire realty TV star's rise.

He will likely be standing alongside Trump, given his strong showing recently in polls.

Heading into Wednesday night's debate, Carson finds himself alongside Trump atop the field in polls.

A New York Times/CBS News poll released Tuesday shows Carson favored by 23 percent of likely Republican primary voters compared to Trump's 27 percent. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, meanwhile, have plummeted to 6 percent and 2 percent respectively.

It should be noted the poll found that 63 percent said they could change their minds before the primaries begin with the Iowa caucuses in February.

The bragging about Carsons resume and place in the polls, on the rare occasions it comes, is delivered with none of the superlatives that Donald Trump can't seem to go without.

The likelihood of someone like me getting through this process and making it to president is virtually impossible," Carson told The Associated Press in a recent interview. "I just have to be myself. And if being myself resonates with the American people, then they will choose me.

The New York Times/CBS poll was just one of several in recent days that feature the political rookies Trump and Carson leading a field of veterans of elected office, offering the clearest example yet that Republican voters have deep frustrations with the political establishment.

It shows in Carson's fundraising, too. His campaign says it has raised $5 million so far this month, adding to the $9 million it pulled in during July and August  a strong performance at what is typically one of the hardest times for candidates to raise money.

Wednesday night offers Carson a new chance to build on that momentum. A stage full of Republican candidates will face off at the Reagan Presidential Library for the party's second formal debate. Carson emerged from the first as a surprise success, his popularity fueled by his nice-guy image on a night when his competitors came out swinging.

Sen. Ted Cruz, of Texas, who has gotten low numbers in polls, is not likely to take on Trump, with whom he has formed a kind of alliance, appearing with him recently at an anti-Iran nuclear deal rally in Washington D.C.

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida delivered a much-praised performance in the first debate, impressing many with his confident and information-filled statements about various policy ideas.

He took some subtle shots at Trumps comments about building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, saying that people can always build tunnels to get to the United States illegally.

The problem is if El Chapo builds a tunnel under the fence, we have to be able to deal with that, too, he said.

And when Trump said hed donated to the campaigns of many of the candidates on stage, Rubio memorably shot back that he had never gotten any money from the mogul.

Rubio was polished, optimistic, strong on issues, from immigration to education to the economy, and never once reached out in thirst for an off-screen water bottle, said CNBC in its assessment of the debate. Nobody stood out like Rubio.

The problem for Rubio is that his polls numbers have weakened since earlier in his campaign, when he seemed the one to beat in the GOP field.

In this debate, political observers say, he may have to be more forceful, and deliver more memorable statements to stick out in a more enduring way among voters. Bush, many say, did commendably in the first debate, but needs to be more forceful if he is to regain the strong position he had enjoyed in many polls of GOP voters.

Rick Santorum, Bobby Jindal, George Pataki and Lindsey Graham will participate in the undercard debate at 6 p.m.

The prime-time debate will feature Trump, Carson, Bush, Walker, Cruz, Rubio, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard chief executive.

Many expect Fiorina, considered the winner of the Aug. 6 undercard debate, to come out toughest against Trump, who made offensive comments about her recently, mocking her appearance. He said that was not his intention.

Political observers say she may point to his seemingly sexist comments over the years  which Fox News host Megyn Kelly questioned Trump about in the first debate. She also may question his conservative credentials, strategists say.

For his part, Trump said in an interview with The New York Times that he would not be sexist toward Fiorina. At the same time, he is not going to go easy on her, he added.

Im not going to call her honey, Trump said, according to the Times. Look, shes only got 3 percent in the polls, so in order to get recognition, I think shell start hitting me. So I think shes fair game.

He said he planned to criticize her corporate record. Fiorina was fired as the chief executive of Hewlett-Packard. Like Trump and Carson, she has never served in an elected office.

I want to talk about her corporate history, her failures at Hewlett-Packard, Trump said. And that will be damaging enough to her.

Strategists say Fiorina can hold her own, having for years navigated the male-dominated corporate world.

Instead of shutting him down, theres a way to pat poor Donald, the chauvinistic pig, on the head, said Rob Stutzman, a Republican strategist in Sacramento, to the Times.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Marco Rubio was among the few standouts during Wednesday nights Republican debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

The junior senator from Florida made the most of his moments in the spotlight to make points on topics ranging from immigration to his familys Cuban heritage.

Talking extensively about foreign policy, Rubio rattled off a list of threats: North Korean missiles, Russian incursions into the Ukraine and Chinese cyberattacks. He said people need to ask candidates like celebrity business mogul Donald Trump about foreign policy because, These are extraordinary dangerous times.

"You better be able to lead our country on the first day, not six months from now, not a year from now," Rubio said. "On the first day in office, our president could very well confront a national security crisis. You can't predict it  sometimes you can't control it."

Going into detail about his views on immigration, Rubio said the country needs to address illegal immigration and modernize its system of authorized immigration before going on to deal with the estimated 11 million people living in the country illegally.

However, it was Carly Fiorina who in many ways dominated the debate  especially in the first hour  even though she wasnt even supposed to be on the stage if CNN had not revised its rules and added an 11th podium.

The former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard made her mark as one of the strongest foils to Trump, who has led Republican presidential preference polls throughout the summer.

She sharply outlined her approach to foreign policy and engagement with Russia, citing the importance of knowing the name of General Qassem Suleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, an elite military unit in Iran. Trump hadn't known his name in an interview a few weeks ago.

In another exchange, she turned Trump's own words into a retort of his insult about her personal appearance, after he called out former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush for trying to walk back comments he'd made about not needing to fund women's health care.

"You know, it's interesting to me," Fiorina said. "Mr. Trump said that he heard Mr. Bush very clearly in what Mr. Bush said. I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said."

It was a quip that drew the night's first loud ovation from the audience at the Reagan library.

Fiorina's impact faded during the debate, which went on for three hours, but she commanded the first half  when the television audience was likely the most engaged.

Much like Rubio, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie also used his time wisely to get his points across.

He captured the audience when he tweaked both Trump and Fiorina for their back-and-forth over resumes. Fiorina was fired. Trump has declared bankruptcy. Christie said Americans don't care.

"While I'm as entertained as anyone by this personal back-and-forth about the history of Donald and Carly's career," he said, "for the 55-year-old construction worker out in that audience tonight who doesn't have a job, who can't fund his child's education  I gotta tell you the truth  they could care less about your careers."

Throughout the debate, Bush led the crowd on stage when it came to the Trump-thumping. Early in the debate, Trump looked at Bush and said, "More energy tonight, I like that." It was a jab at a candidate he's repeatedly called "low energy."

Trump has contended that Bush and others are "puppets" of their big donors. Bush said on stage that only one donor had ever sought favors from him: Trump. He said the billionaire real-estate mogul once followed up his political donations with a request for help to expand casino gambling in Florida.

Bush also called on Trump to apologize for attacking the background of his wife. Columba Bush is an American citizen born in Mexico. Trump has suggested that Bush is too soft toward immigrants because of his marriage.

And late in the debate, when Trump said he was the only one on the stage to oppose the 2003 war on Iraq, Bush seized the opportunity to outline some of his foreign policy plans  and defend his brother, former President George W. Bush.

"Your brother and your brother's administration gave us Barack Obama," Trump said. Bush stopped cold and looked directly at Trump, saying, "You know what? As it relates to my brother, he kept us safe."

It's not a new line for Bush, but it earned him some of his biggest applause of the event.

While the first debate last month opened with a political bang  Trump raised his hand to say he wouldn't commit to running as a Republican  this time the candidates had plenty of time to discuss policy. Candidates touched on Iran and Syria, immigration, taxes, gun control  even vaccines.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul used the opportunity to refocus his energy on his libertarian base. Striking a different tone than the rest of the field on the nuclear deal with Iran, Paul said that while he didn't like it, it would be "absurd" to tear up the agreement as other candidates have said they'd do if elected president.

Later, he returned to the theme: "There will always be a Bush or Clinton for you if you want to go back to Iraq."

With a record number of debate participants, they couldn't all stand out. Even during a debate that sprawled over three hours, there wasn't enough time for everyone to make a mark.

Some candidates disappeared for long stretches of the event. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker seemed to be fighting for airtime. Mild-mannered former neurosurgeon Ben Carson, a political novice, said he doesn't "lick the boots of billionaires" in one of his rare standout moments.

When a moderator tried to cut off former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, he huffed, "I'm going to take just what little I can."

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

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In a back corner of Bally's Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip, Ingrid Montenegro spends her days taking people's orders at a deli and watching gamblers shuffle in and out of the nearby poker room to refuel on cigarettes and coffee.

While her job may not be as glamorous as the dealers in the casinos, it is what has attracted thousands of Latinos to move to Nevada in recent years in search of jobs in the state's recovering economy. These Hispanics filling jobs in the service sector have helped shift the state's ethnic and geographic make-up toward a more diverse, urbanized populace.

Montenegro, 41, a Guatemalan immigrant who moved to the United States with her mother at 14 and became a citizen nine years ago, is indicative of the Silver State's growing Latino community  more than 716,000 legal residents, or about 27 percent of the Nevada's total population  and their concerns have captured the attention of the 2016 presidential candidates looking to win over caucus goers in this early battleground state.

"Everybody has different opinions on all the issues and I'm just trying to learn what each of them has to say on issues like immigration and healthcare," Montenegro told Fox News Latino.

How the West Will Be Won

The burgeoning Hispanic population paired with the newly vested importance of the state in presidential politics has many analysts and insiders warning candidates that, if they hope to lock down Nevada, they have to listen to the concerns of Hispanic voters  namely on topics such as immigration reform, jobs and education.

"Nevada is a microcosm of what is happening in the U.S.," David Damore, a political science professor at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and a researcher for Latino Decisions, told FNL. "That means increased diversification and increased urbanization."

The presidential candidates, at least so far, appear to be heeding this message.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has been to the state at least three times and has operatives on the ground, while Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio and Vermont Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders have been here twice. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and neurosurgeon Ben Carson are just a few of the other presidential candidates who have made a visit to the Nevada desert since declaring their bids.

The most visible presidential candidate in the state appears to be Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, who has made three trips to Nevada since declaring her candidacy in April  including two trips where she directly met with Latino leaders. Clinton is the only candidate, so far, who has a campaign office up and running here. Her campaign has also been going to different community sites to meet with caucus-goers and hold caucus education events.

"We are not taking anything for granted," Jorge Neri, the Clinton campaign's organizing director in Nevada told FNL. "A lot of the work is being part of the community and being a culturally competent campaign that is reaching out to people."

While the Clinton campaign may have the most boots on the ground in Nevada this early in the campaign season, political observers say that this doesn't guarantee her a lock on the Latino vote. They say some of her Republican counterparts can make a strong case to Nevada's Hispanics  a traditional stronghold for the Democratic Party  thanks to a discontent with the Obama administration over issues like immigration reform and the Affordable Care Act.

"Hillary Clinton keeps saying that she'll get undocumented immigrants citizenship, but we've had eight years of this under Obama and nothing has happened so far," said Fernando Romero, the president of the Las Vegas-based, non-partisan group Hispanics in Politics. "The rhetoric is nothing but false promises."

Romero, who after 48 years as a Democrat recently switched to the Republican Party, said that his change in political parties was due in large part to the failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform while Obama was in office. He said that while GOP candidates like Bush and Rubio may not have the best plans, they at least have tried to come up with a reasonable proposal.

Clinton staffers dispute his assertion by saying that the Democratic candidate has laid down a clear immigration plan if she is elected president.

"She has carefully outlined what she would do and some of that is protecting the president's executive action," Emmy Ruiz, the Clinton campaign's state director told FNL. "The other thing is that Hillary has also clearly outlined where she would go further, whether it be closing detention centers or ensuring that people's cases are being reviewed faster.

The Elephant in the Desert

About 12 miles from the Clinton campaign headquarters, in the shadow of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, is an office of the aptly named Red Rock Strategies.

Owned and operated by lawyer and longtime Republican political strategist Ryan Erwin, Red Rock is Jeb Bush's eyes and ears in Nevada when it comes to winning the heavily contested state in a packed field of 16 GOP candidates.

"A lot of this is relationship building," Erwin told FNL. "It's one-to-one conversations with people about the core values of Jeb Bush."

Erwin said that through their neighborhood meetings, town hall events and early campaign calls, Red Rock and the Bush campaign are focusing on what he calls quality of life issues, like the economy, family and community safety issues.

"Certainly you hear about immigration, but we hear more about education," he said. "We hear even more about job creationyou hear about all of that."

The lack of specifics and a dearth of a major ground game by most GOP candidates in Nevada have many Latino insiders and activists in Nevada criticizing the candidates for not doing enough to try and charm them. They say Democrats falsely believe that they have the Latino vote in the bag  when in fact many Hispanics are undecided.

There is a feeling among Latinos in Nevada that the GOP candidates are beginning to make a more concerted effort than they did in the past, hosting town hall and neighborhood meetings, making multiple visits to the state. But they say the grassroots efforts evident in the Clinton camp, and to a lesser extent other Democratic candidates, is not there yet among Republicans.

"Jeb Bush is making a good effort here and so is Marco Rubio," Hispanics in Politics' Romero said. "But even Bush and Rubio  the two best candidates for Latinos  are not doing enough outreach right now to win over the Latino vote."

The Big Unknown

But first, Latinos must turn out to vote in both the caucus and general elections. During the 2014 midterm elections, less than half of the eligible voters showed up at the polls.

"In 2014, there was a lot of disenchantment among Latino voters because of the failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform," UNLV's Damore said. "The big unknown in 2016 is going to be the size of the electorate. They could make up 20 percent of the electorate, but that assumes a very high turnout among Latinos at the polls."

The silver lining in the Silver State for both parties is that it is still very early in the presidential campaign season  not to mention the general election  and the caucus is still months away. Analysts and observers say that given the key role the state will play in the 2016, more of the political campaigns will likely start investing more money and political troops into the fight for the state.

"We're a heavily contested state," Romero said. "Nevada is always at the forefront in terms of the presidential elections."
The bribery trial of U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez has been pushed back to at least 2016, Bloomberg reported.

The trial was to have begun Oct. 13, but U.S. District Judge William Walls said he would hold a status conference on Jan. 12.

Menendez's attorneys had filed a motion this week, unopposed by the prosecution, to have the date pushed back to give time for expected appeals of Walls' rulings.

The attorneys for Menendez argued in court Thursday that the corruption case against him should be dismissed because the grand jury that indicted him was biased, prosecutors used hearsay evidence and salacious material was presented to inflame jurors.

The government contends in a 22-count indictment unsealed in April that Menendez accepted cash and gifts from Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen in exchange for lobbying on behalf of Melgen's business interests. Menendez and Melgen filed more than a dozen motions last month to dismiss the indictment.

Among their claims are that Menendez wasn't advocating on behalf of Melgen when he met with various government officials, but instead was pursuing legitimate policy objectives. They went further, alleging that an FBI agent offered false testimony to a grand jury about a meeting between Menendez and then-Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Prosecutors have countered that defense lawyers cherry-picked quotes from grand jury testimony to support their allegations, and ignored incriminating statements from other participants in the meeting.

Melgen and Menendez also alleged the government illegally searched Melgen's office and initiated the investigation based on an anonymous tipster's account, never proved, that both men were consorting with underage prostitutes. They say prosecutors repeatedly focused on those allegations during the grand jury process. Neither man is charged with a sex-related crime.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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Columba Bush is so rarely seen in public that most wouldnt know her if they passed her on the street.

While the woman who could someday be the First Lady if her husband, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, succeeds in his bid to become president, is, in the words of her son Jeb Jr., "not crazy" about being in the spotlight, she is nevertheless a force in the Bush home  and outside of it, those close to her say.

Theres a quiet strength about Columba, said Helen Aguirre Ferre, who is working for the Bush campaign, and served as the master of ceremonies at his campaign launch in Miami in June.

Shes not handled, Aguirre said, referring to aides who closely manage the moves of candidates and their close relatives during campaigns. When shes doing an interview: when shes done, shes done.

Watching her family get beat up in the media is tough. For good reason, shes not crazy about [being in the spotlight].  Jeb Bush Jr., speaking about his mother Columba Bush

But Columba has found herself a target in this presidential election, as real estate mogul and current GOP frontrunner Donald Trump has derided her country of birth, Mexico, Mexican immigrants and suggested that her husband's views on immigration are "soft" in part because of his wife's heritage.

On Wednesday night, in the second GOP debate, she again was thrust into the spotlight she loathes when her husband called on Trump to apologize for attacking her background.

Trump flatly refused, saying that his comments about Columba influencing this stance on immigration were simply the truth.

Columba later tweeted, "I came to America because I love this country. @realDonaldTrump is wrong."

Its been said that Jeb Bush decided to enter the presidential race only after getting the unwavering blessing of his wife, who had a mixed experience as Floridas First Lady  principally having to deal with the drug addiction of their daughter, Noelle, in the sometimes harsh glare of the public spotlight.

So Columba, 62, made her husband, who also is 62, promise that hed carve out time every week for the family while running for president, according to published reports that cited friends.

And indeed, nearly every Sunday, the family gets together in their South Florida home to have dinner and catch up with one another.

We get together every Sunday and eat, do Sunday Funday barbeques, said Jeb Bush Jr. over coffee at a Coral Gables restaurant.

My mom keeps my dad really grounded, he said. Shes a very spiritual, sound person who knows where she stands. She reminds us of whats important.

And that is part of a new video put out by Jeb Bush's campaign that commemorates Hispanic Heritage Month.

In the minute-long clip, Columba says, I have lived more than half my life here. So, you know, I agree that we all have the same interests, the same feelings. We go to church every Sunday. We have celebrations with the family. We keep our traditions. You know, but at the end its just that, you know, faith, friends and family.

An integral part of whats important to Columba is her Mexican heritage and keeping her ancestral culture strong within the home.

Even today, when her kids are adults and tower over the 5-foot-tall mother (her husband Jeb is 6' 3"), she presses the language and customs.

My mom still only speaks Spanish to me, said Jeb Bush Jr. with obvious fondness for his mother. Unfortunately, Ive made the mistake of responding in English all the time.

And so, he said, his Spanish skills are, at best, intermediary.

I understand it fluently, he said. I speak pretty good, but I need to get better. Now I see the value of it, not just for business, but for my kids.

Jeb Bush Sr. has honored his wifes heritage and native language on the campaign trail, speaking it flawlessly in private and in public.

Jeb met Columba when he was just 17 and an exchange student in Mexico; she was 16 and her parents were already divorced.

The former governor speaks glowingly of their first encounter, saying he fell in love instantly despite their differences. He even describes this seminal moment on his campaign website.

He came from a political family that attended Ivy League schools. Her fathers world was quite different  he grew up in a rural Mexican village, working as a waiter and, later, fruit picker in the United States.

Columba helped focus Jeb, even back then. After he met her, his grades improved enough to land him on the honor roll, and he got a degree in Latin American studies at the University of Texas, earning a membership in Phi Beta Kappa.

In her memoir, Jebs mother, Barbara, wrote, I called to say how thrilled we were, and he told me he had done it for Columba because he wanted to prove he was serious. She thought he was a rich mans son and a playboy.

Jeb Bush and his family have lived in Venezuela, and of course, in South Florida, one of the most Latino areas of the United States.

In his Hispanic Heritage video, Bush says in Spanish, For me, Hispanic culture is very important and positive.

Hispanics contribute every day more to our culture [and] are an integral part of the American dream.

While Columba Bush may not have the political DNA that Jeb has, as Aguirre puts it, she is interested in public policy and long has devoted herself to efforts to help those struggling with drug addiction and domestic violence.

Both are issues that have touched her personally  her daughter, Noelle, and reports say that her father physically abused her mother when she was growing up.

Columba has scheduled a series of small meetings in various states to discuss such issues and to gather information on what needs to be done to improve programs for domestic violence and drug addiction, those close to her say.

Shes not crazy about the political process, the media, the unfair shots people take, her son Jeb Jr. said. But she likes helping people, getting involved with domestic violence issues, drug abuse prevention.

Shes not looking to get in front of the camera, he added. Shes not interested in getting Facebook likes. She meets people, helps raise funds for organizations and helps people navigate these issues.

Her son understands his mothers leeriness of being in the public eye.

Watching her family get beat up in the media is tough, he said. For good reason, shes not crazy about it. Shed rather get one-on-one with people, understand their issues and who they are. She likes roundtables  therell be 20 people and everyone gets to be engaged.

Former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin, a friend of Columba and the rest of the Bush family, draws parallels between her and George W. Bushs wife, Laura.

Laura Bush was the same, she didnt look for the spotlight, Marin said. She was a librarian from Texas. She was not going to be that First Lady who takes on the world.

When George W. first told Laura that he wanted to run for public office, she reportedly said it was okay with her only if she never had to make a public speech.

Columba wants to do the right thing, to support her husband, even if [being in the public eye] is not what she signed up to do," Marin said. "And that's what she would do if she's First Lady, be in the support role."
President Barack Obama appealed to U.S. businessmen in a meeting Wednesday to press members of Congress to lift the U.S.-Cuba embargo.

"It doesn't make sense for us to keep sticking to the old ways of doing business," the president said, referring to the embargo, at the Business Roundtable Headquarters in Washington D.C., according to EFE.

His effort to shift the next  and what would be the final  chess move in the push to end the 53-year-old embargo dovetails with the launching of a new campaign by the public policy group Engage Cuba that entails taking the fight to lift the embargo to the home districts of members of Congress.

For too long, a small minority of status quo defenders sidelined the voices of the vast majority of the American people who support a change in U.S.-Cuba policy, said James Williams, President of Engage Cuba, in a statement. Engage Cuba will work on the ground in the states to ensure elected officials in Washington know where their constituents stand.

Engage Cuba says it plans to develop state-level coalitions to press members of Congress to lift the U.S.-Cuba trade and travel ban. The group says it will be implementing its grassroots campaign through local media, polling and advertisements. The first sites will be in Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas and Ohio.

At the Wednesday speech, Obama said that the imminent visit of Pope Francis to Cuba will be "an opportunity" to broaden the "conversations" that are already occurring on the communist island.

The president reiterated that Cuba will not undergo an "overnight transformation" as a result of the normalization process, but he added that over time the rapprochement inevitably "creates space for personal freedom and, I think, a long-term political transition."

Since the announcement last December of the process of normalizing relations with Cuba, Obama has come out publicly in favor of lifting the embargo imposed on the island for more than half a century, something that only the U.S. Congress  which currently has a Republican majority  can do.

Last week, Obama renewed for another year the legal provision for maintaining the economic embargo on Cuba to be able to continue exercising his executive authority to relax sanctions on the island during the course of the bilateral normalization process.

The renewal of the provision "maximizes the president's flexibility in administering the Cuban embargo and authorizing specific transactions," a top U.S. official told EFE.

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The United States Departments Treasury and Commerce on Friday issued new regulations further easing restrictions on Americans travelling to and doing business in Cuba.

U.S. companies will be able to open offices on the island and engage in joint business ventures there, while individuals with relatives in Cuba will have more travel opportunities for people and the limit to the amount of money that can be sent people on the island are being eliminated.

The new rules, which go into effect on Monday, September 21st, are the latest steps taken by the White House and President Barack Obama to weaken the U.S. trade embargo and normalize relations with the communist island.

Under the new regulations, certain U.S. companies may now have a physical presence on the island, such as an office, retail store or warehouse. News bureaus, exporters of goods, mail service companies, telecommunications or internet companies, businesses associated with educational activities, religious organizations and certain travel services can set up offices there, employ Cuban nationals and open bank accounts on the island.

Starting Monday, the new rules will also make it easier for cruise ships, ferries and other recreational vessels, including aircraft, to go to Cuba.

The new rules allow for joint ventures between Cuban and American businesses. This is especially vital for telecommunications and internet companies looking to offer their services on the island, where the telecommunications infrastructure is completely owned by the government-owned ETECSA.

We made this change in large part because we got large feedback from industry, a senior administration official said on a Friday conference call about the new regulations. We contemplate that a potential joint venture may happen between U.S. companies and the Cuban government company of ETECSA.

As part of the easing of restrictions, close relatives  defined as someone related to a person in Cuba by blood, marriage or adoption  can now travel to the island for a larger number of reasons  including journalistic and professional research, religious reasons and for humanitarian projects.

All travelers can now open a bank account in Cuba as well.

The new rules also eliminate the limit on remittances  money sent to individuals on the island from those in the U.S. Before the rule change, the maximum was $2,000 dollars per quarter.

A stronger, more open U.S.-Cuba relationship has the potential to create economic opportunities for both Americans and Cubans alike, Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew said in a press release. By further easing these sanctions, the U.S. is helping support the Cuban people in their effort to achieve the political and economic freedom necessary to build a democratic, prosperous and stable Cuba.

Supporters of lifting of the Cuban embargo applauded the move. The pro-democracy advocacy group #CubaNow, for one, called the latest regulation changes a momentous step.

"We urge Cuban leaders to lift restrictions prohibiting their citizens from fully benefiting from the expanded access to U.S. goods, services and know-how that is now within their reach, executive director Ric Herrero said in a statement. "At the same time, we ask the U.S. Congress to put partisanship aside, dismantle what is left of the failed embargo and firmly commit itself to advancing the interests of the American and Cuban peoples."

The announcement was not received with the same enthusiasm by prominent Cuban-Americans in Congress who have opposed easing restrictions on the government of Raul Castro.

The sad reality is that the Castro regime is taking full advantage of the Obama administrations willingness to concede on loosening the regulations while expecting nothing in return from the communist dictatorship, U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Florida). Our regulations do not have to change. It is Cuba that needs to change, and the Castro brothers will not let that happen.

Senior administration officials concede that these changes are contingent on what the Cuban government will allow to happen. As one senior administration official on the conference call put it, We dont have control there.

It depends on the willingness of the government to meet the U.S. halfway. The administration's position is that the most effective way to empower the Cuban people is to increase social and economic ties with the island.
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez and her husband will be leaping from a plane as part of a Republican fundraiser.

They'll be skydiving Saturday from a Cessna airplane at 10,500 feet as part of an event being hosted by House Speaker Don Tripp at his home in Socorro. Corporate donors, lobbyists and at least one political action committee are expected to attend.

The two-term governor and her husband will be joined by members of the club Skydive New Mexico. The skydivers will be jumping with American flags.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reports (http://bit.ly/1FRU8vB ) that the jump will be the first for Martinez, who made history in 2010 when she was elected as the state's first female governor. She's also the nation's only Latina governor.

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President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro had a rare phone call Friday ahead of Pope Francis' impending visit to both their nations.

The White House said Obama and Castro commended the pope's role in "advancing relations between our countries." Francis was instrumental in the secret talks that led to a thaw in relations between the Cold War foes, even offering the Vatican as a neutral location for negotiations.

Francis' visit to the U.S. and Cuba comes as the two countries painstakingly work to normalize relations after a half-century diplomatic freeze. Earlier Friday, the U.S. eased rules for citizens wishing to travel to Cuba or do business with its growing ranks of independent entrepreneurs, a step aimed at kindling greater economic freedom on the island.

The Treasury and Commerce departments said the regulations that take effect Monday simplify procedures for tourism, telephone and Internet investments, and money transfers to Cuba.

Even as the U.S. and Cuba move forward on easing tensions, deep differences remain. Cuba wants the U.S. to fully lift its economic embargo on the communist island, a step the Republican-controlled Congress opposes. The U.S. also has concerns about Cuba's human rights record and detainment of political prisoners.

"The leaders discussed steps that the United States and Cuba can take, together and individually, to advance bilateral cooperation, even as we will continue to have differences on important issues and will address those differences candidly," the White House said.

Francis is due to arrive in Cuba Saturday. He'll then travel to the U.S. for a multi-city visit, including a White House meeting with Obama.

Obama and Castro first spoke in December after the secret process to restore diplomatic relations was revealed. They also met in person earlier this year during a regional summit in Panama.

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Setting aside personality clashes for a night, the Republican Party's 2016 contest shifted to substance Friday as a slate of White House hopefuls vowed to steer the nation sharply to the right as they courted conservatives in battleground South Carolina.

They promised to eliminate federal departments that regulate education and environmental protection, called on congressional leaders to block federal funding from Planned Parenthood even if it triggers a government shutdown, and endorsed policies that reduce the number of unwed mothers.

"Just once, Republicans should nominate someone who is as committed to conservative principles as Barack Obama is committed to liberal principles," Texas Sen. Ted Cruz told a crowd of thousands gathered in a South Carolina arena.

Ten candidates were featured at the event just two days after the GOP's 2016 class met for its second debate, a California faceoff that exposed deep rifts between the candidates on immigration, foreign policy and the Supreme Court's ruling on same-sex marriage. Yet the debate, like much of the early 2016 primary season, devolved at many times to a battle of personalities  with brash billionaire Donald Trump the leading antagonist.

Trump was a late scratch for Friday's presidential forum, hosted by Heritage Action for America, the political arm of a Washington-based conservative think.

Even among a friendly crowd, there were tense moments.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush triggered boos when he defended his early support for the Common Core education standards, a policy developed by state leaders in both parties that has become a target of tea party ire.

"I'm for higher standards, and Common Core standards are higher than the standards that exist," Bush said before being interrupted by boos. "If South Carolina wants to be without Common Core standards, great, just make sure the standards that you apply are higher than the ones before you had Common Core. Standards matter. Accountability matters."

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who previously supported Common Core himself, promised that he'd "take all the education money out of Washington" and send it to individual states. In addition to closing the federal education department, he called for the same shifts in federal funding for transportation, the environment, workforce development and Medicaid, the health-care program for the poor.

Walker also called for congressional Republicans to strip federal funding from Planned Parenthood even if it causes a government shutdown. He suggested that Senate Republicans use the so-called "nuclear option" to bypass filibuster rules that often require 60 votes to proceed on contentious issues.

"We don't have to play by those rules," Walker said.

The event also featured retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, former technology executive Carly Fiorina, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.

Immigration emerged as a focus for many candidates, who took turns answering questions on the main stage for roughly 20 minutes each.

Rubio, who supports a pathway to citizenship for immigrants in the country illegally, said decisions about permanent status should ultimately be based on what they could contribute to the nation and "whether they want to live in America or whether they want to be American."

Carson cited his recent proposal for a guest worker program for such immigrants to perform "work that Americans won't do." He mentioned agricultural workers.

But he avoided a question about whether those workers would have permanent legal status and be eligible for various federal benefits. "Guest workers are not eligible for anything unless we, the American people, decide" they are, he said.

Santorum, who wants to reduce legal immigration, railed against President Barack Obama's call to bring at least 10,000 Syrian refugees to the U.S. He said that previously resettled Syrian immigrants were all Muslims and offered a direct message to the president about the incoming refugees.

"You tell us what the breakdown is of religions," Santorum declared. "There are a lot of religions that are being persecuted in Syria, and they should have a home here in the United States just like everybody else."

The event was awash in fiery rhetoric, but no candidate has struggled more with his party's conservative base than Bush.

"He could perform like Superman in the debates, but he's dead in the water with the tea party and the base generally," said tea party movement co-founder Mark Meckler. "He's the only candidate they absolutely loathe."

South Carolina's Feb. 20 primary shapes up as a critical bridge between the traditional opening states of Iowa and New Hampshire and a March 1 "Super Tuesday" that features a gaggle of Southern states, from Virginia to Texas.

Notably absent from Friday's affair was the state's senior senator and presidential hopeful Lindsey Graham, who finds himself languishing at the bottom of the polls nationally.

Graham is a strong figure politically in South Carolina, but most conservative activists in the Republican Party view him as too moderate and too willing to negotiate with Democrats.

Fiorina doesn't have such a reputation. The former Hewlett-Packard CEO earned an ovation Friday by lashing out at Planned Parenthood, a women's health organization that, among other things, performs abortions.

"We cannot be a nation that funds this kind of barbarity," Fiorina said.

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The California Republican Party voted Sunday to soften its stance on immigration, seeking to appeal to the state's growing Latino population and distance itself from the harsh rhetoric of presidential candidate Donald Trump.

The changes approved Sunday say Republicans "hold diverse views" on "what to do with the millions of people who are currently here illegally," the Los Angeles Times reported.

Although the new language emphasizes opposition to "amnesty," it removes the statement that "allowing illegal immigrants to remain in California undermines respect for the law," according to the newspaper.

The changes were proposed by a Latino party official from Fresno, Marcelino Valdez, in reaction to what he called Trump's "offensive" comments about immigrants.

It's important to use "language that is more appealing to California's diverse electorate," Valdez said.

In a statement after the vote, he called it "an anti-Proposition 187 plank," referring to the controversial 1994 ballot measure that would have prevented immigrants in the country illegally from receiving public services. It was invalidated by federal courts, but not before it helped drive Latinos away from the Republican Party.

Last month, Trump, who's leading many polls, outlined proposals to deny citizenship to U.S.-born babies of immigrants living in the United States illegally as part of an immigration plan. Emphasizing border security and millions of deportations, he also says he would build a wall along the U.S. southern border and force Mexico to pay for it.

Those proposals, and his comments suggesting that Mexicans coming across the border are largely "criminals and rapists," have angered a population group national Republicans see as critical to the party's success.

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For the first time, the United States may be willing to accept a United Nations condemnation of the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba without a fight, The Associated Press has learned.

U.S. officials tell the AP that the Obama administration is weighing abstaining from the annual U.N. General Assembly vote on a Cuban-backed resolution demanding that the embargo be lifted. The vote could come next month.

No decision has yet been made, said four administration officials who weren't authorized to speak publicly on sensitive internal deliberations and demanded anonymity. But merely considering an abstention is unprecedented. Following through on the idea would send shock waves through both the United Nations and Congress.

It is unheard of for a U.N. member state not to oppose resolutions critical of its own laws.

And by not actively opposing the resolution, the administration would be effectively siding with the world body against Congress, which has refused to repeal the embargo despite calls from President Barack Obama to do so.

Obama has been urging Congress to scrap the 54-year-old embargo since December, when he announced that Washington and Havana would normalize diplomatic relations. The two countries re-opened embassies last month, and Obama has chipped away at U.S. restrictions on trade and travel to Cuba, using executive authorities. But the embargo stands.

The latest U.S. easing of sanctions occurred Friday and was followed by a rare phone call between Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro. Pope Francis, who played a key role in the rapprochement between Havana and Washington, arrived in Havana a day later. He travels to the U.S. this week.

The White House said Obama and Castro discussed "steps that the United States and Cuba can take, together and individually, to advance bilateral cooperation." The Cuban government said Castro "emphasized the need to expand their scope and abrogate, once and for all, the blockade policy for the benefit of both peoples."

Neither statement mentioned the U.N. vote. Yet, as it has for the last 23 years, Cuba will introduce a resolution at the upcoming General Assembly criticizing the embargo and demanding its end.

The United States has lost each vote by increasingly overwhelming and embarrassing margins. Last year's tally was 188-2 in favor of Cuba with only Israel siding with the U.S. This year's vote will be the first since the U.S. shift in policy toward Cuba.

General Assembly resolutions are unenforceable. But the annual exercise has given Cuba a stage to demonstrate America's isolation on the embargo, and it has underscored the sense internationally that the U.S. restrictions are illegitimate.

The administration has not yet decided how to vote, according to the U.S. officials. They said that at the moment the U.S. is still more likely to vote against the resolution than abstain.

However, the officials said the U.S. will consider abstaining if the wording of the resolution is significantly different than in previous years. The administration is open to discussing revisions with the Cubans and others, they added, something American diplomats have never done before.

"Our vote will ultimately depend on what's in the resolution," one of the officials said. "This resolution is no different than others in the sense that we won't prejudge it before it's final."

An abstention would have political ramifications in the United States, not least among several Republican presidential candidates who want the embargo maintained.

And in Congress, where top GOP lawmakers have refused to entertain legislation that would end the embargo, any administration action perceived as endorsing U.N. criticism of the United States could provoke anger  even among supporters of the administration's position.

As White House spokesman Josh Earnest noted last week, the embargo remains the law of the land. "We still want Congress to take action to remove the embargo," he said.

The U.S. officials, however, said the administration believes an abstention could send a powerful signal to Congress and the world of Obama's commitment to ending the embargo. Obama says the policy failed over more than five decades to spur democratic change and left the U.S. isolated among its Latin American neighbors.

It's unclear what changes would be necessary to prompt a U.S. abstention.

Last year's resolution cited the "necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo" and took aim at the Helms-Burton Act. That 1996 law made foreign firms subject to the same restrictions U.S. companies face for investing in Cuba, and authorizes penalties for non-U.S. companies operating and dealing with property once owned by U.S. citizens but confiscated after Fidel Castro's revolution.

A report issued by Cuba last week in support of this year's resolution doesn't suggest Havana is toning down its approach.

It calls American efforts to ease the embargo "a step in the right direction but are limited and insufficient in the face of the magnitude and scope of the blockade laws for Cuba and the rest of the world."

But the 37-page document also claims the embargo has cost the Cuban people $833.7 billion  a number the U.S. would never accept. Washington says the communist government has used the embargo as an excuse for its own litany of economic failures.

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They grew up in very different parts of the country and have very different backgrounds, but on Sunday, two opponents for the Republican Party presidential nomination could agree on one thing: Pope Francis should not meddle in political matters involving Cuba.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has longtime close ties to the large Cuban exile community in his state, took issue Sunday with Francis efforts to move forward the restoration of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States.

Sen. Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American Republican from Florida, reiterated his disagreement with the Pope over restoring relations, and said he hoped the pope should have met with dissidents while in Cuba.

The Vatican, in fact, did invite dissidents to see the pope, but they were arrested by Cuban security agents, according to published reports and social media posts by other dissidents on the island.

I just think the pope was wrong, Christie told Jake Tapper, host of State of the Union on CNN. The fact is that his infallibility is on religious matters, not on political ones.

Christie said it was wrong to take an amicable approach with the Cuban government while, for instance, it continues to give refuge to JoAnne Chesimard, who killed a New Jersey state trooper in the 1970s. She was convicted but escaped and fled to Cuba, which has given her and other U.S. fugitives sanctuary.

That this president could extend diplomatic relations with that country without getting her returned so she can serve the prison sentence that she was sentenced to by a jury of her peers in New Jersey is outrageous, Christie said. And so I just happen to disagree with the pope on this one.

Francis, who is on a historic visit to Cuba through Tuesday, played a pivotal role in the renewed diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba that President Barack Obama announced in December.

The Vatican had served as a meeting place for secret talks between Cuban and U.S. officials, and the pope directly appealed to Obama and to President Raul Castro by letter, urging them to "resolve humanitarian questions of common interest and vowing to assure its support for initiatives which both nations will undertake to strengthen their bilateral relations and promote the well-being of their respective citizens.

The popes direct involvement also led to the release of U.S. contractor Alan Gross after he spent five years in a Cuban jail.

The fact is that, for me, I just believe that when you have a government that is harboring fugitives ... like Joanne Chesimard," Christie said, "who murdered a state policeman in New Jersey in cold blood, was broken out of prison and has been harbored for the last 40-plus years by a Cuban government that has paid her and held up her as a hero, that this president could extend diplomatic relations with that country without getting her returned so she can serve the prison sentence that she was sentenced to by a jury of her peers in New Jersey is outrageous."

Rubio has been a vocal opponent of normalizing relations between the U.S. and Cuba, saying that it benefits the Castro regime more than it does the U.S.

He, like many Republicans, said the U.S. should not have eased trade and travel restrictions as long as Cuba continues to oppress people on the island and fails to hold real elections.

In an opinion piece in CNN.com, Rubio wrote, In Cuba, His Holiness won't find a government that protects its people and their God-given rights. Instead, he will find a regime that oppresses people and hinders progress, both socially and politically. He will meet with a regime that is solely responsible for the Cuban people's plight over the past 56 years.

My hope, Rubio continued, is that the pope's visit to Cuba will remind all the Cuban citizens that they possess dignity and fundamental rights that come from God and that the Castro regime has no claim on changing what is 100 percent God-given.

He added, I pray the pope can use his moral authority to inspire true religious freedom and bring us closer to the day when freedom can finally take root on the island country  because only then will the people of Cuba prosper and have the opportunity to live out God's plan.

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Presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz said that his GOP rival Ben Carson was flat-out wrong to say that a Muslim would not qualify to serve in the Oval Office because Islam goes against U.S. values.

Cruz, a Texas Republican, said during a taping of an Iowa Public Television show that basing qualifications for a president on religion is unconstitutional.

You know, the Constitution specifies there shall be no religious test for public office, and I am a constitutionalist, Cruz said.

Carson, a retired neurosurgeon who in recent weeks has commanded a strong showing in GOP voter polls, has come under fire for saying on NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday that a Muslim should not be president of the United States because his or her religion would contradict this nations core values.

I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that, Carson said.

Attitudes towards Muslims became a focal point of the presidential campaign in recent days after a member of the crowd at a rally for Donald Trump said that Muslims were a problem in the United States and identified President Barack Obama as being Muslim.

Trump did not challenge the mans anti-Muslim assertions and incorrect depiction of the presidents faith, drawing criticism from many.

Trump later said he was not referring to all Muslims and said he knew of many upstanding adherents of that faith.

Cruz did not take issue with Trumps handling of the anti-Muslim remark.

My view, listen. The presidents faith is between him and God. What Im going to focus on is his public policy record, Cruz said.

Cruz has refused to criticize Trumps many controversial remarks during his presidential appearances, which have included swipes at Mexico, Mexican-Americans, presidential hopeful Jeb Bushs use of Spanish on the campaign trail, women and U.S. Sen. John McCains time as a political prisoner, among other subjects.

Cruz, in fact, has made an effort to ally himself with the real estate mogul, inviting him to go with him to the U.S.-Mexico border  a trip which the senator was unable to go on  and recently to a rally in Washington, D.C., to oppose the Iran nuclear deal.

Sen. Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, at his annual Hispanic Heritage Month celebration recently, took aim at controversial comments by GOP candidates.

"I want to be very clear, we are not going to build any walls," Menendez said. "We are going to build bridges. We will make sure our community is not given second-class citizenship  not now, not ever. We will not accept mass deportations of millions. And we will never allow our U.S.-born children to be denied their citizenship in the worlds most powerful country.

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He takes pride in being called America's toughest sheriff.

But the irreverent sheriff may now face financial consequences for his headline-making demeanor.

The sheriff of metropolitan Phoenix built his reputation around defying those who said it wasn't his job to enforce immigration laws. But Sheriff Joe Arpaio's stubborn streak is catching up with him  and taxpayers will foot the bill.

The six-term sheriff learns in court hearings set to begin Thursday whether he'll face civil fines for disobeying a judge's orders in a racial profiling case and whether he'll later be called into criminal court on the same grounds.

Maricopa County will have spent $125 million by next summer defending Arpaio against lawsuits during his 22 years as sheriff. That includes $50 million in the profiling case alone and $74 million in judgments, settlements and legal fees for the sheriff's office, covering things like lawsuits over deaths in his jails and the lawman's failed investigations of political enemies. This week's resumption of hearings, which began in April, could add to those bills.

"At what level do we have to spend on the sheriff's actions before there is a huge outcry by the public?" said Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Gallardo, a longtime Arpaio critic who serves on the board that approves spending of tax dollars in the profiling case.

The taxpayer costs haven't diminished Arpaio's popularity enough to drive him out of office. His political strength has dipped over the years, but his devoted base of supporters and impressive fundraising helped him pull out wins. He spent $8 million in his 2012 re-election campaign and has $2 million on hand in his race next year for a seventh term.

The contempt hearings this week will center on Arpaio's acknowledged disobedience of court orders by withholding traffic-stop recordings requested before a 2012 profiling trial.

Other subjects to be examined at the hearings include allegations that Arpaio's officers pocketed identification and other personal items seized from people during traffic stops, investigated the judge in the profiling case in a failed bid to get him disqualified from the lawsuit, and conducted immigration patrols for 18 months after they were ordered to stop them.

There is no set range for the fines that Arpaio could face as a result of the hearings. The decision is up to U.S. District Judge Murray Snow, who could also expose Arpaio to possible jail time and even more fines if he recommends that prosecutors press a criminal contempt case against him.

Experts, however, say it's unlikely the judge would jail an 83-year-old elected official in the nation's sixth-largest city.

The judge has signaled he wants Arpaio's contempt penalties to include pulling money out of his own pocket to pay a fine. County officials say they don't believe Arpaio has ever had to personally pay any legal costs to defend himself in lawsuits related to his work as sheriff.

Arpaio earns $100,000 annually as sheriff and owns commercial real estate worth more than $2 million.

The sheriff and his lawyer, John Masterson, have declined to comment on the upcoming hearings or the rising taxpayer costs from the case.

Another possible financial liability looms over the hearings that could cost taxpayers even more money.

The judge is expected to decide whether Maricopa County will have to compensate Latino drivers and workers detained by Arpaio's office during the 18 months when his office violated the prohibition on its immigration patrols.

Lawyers who brought the case against the sheriff said they're trying to locate the hundreds of Latinos believed harmed by the illegal detentions.

The taxpayer bill is expected to continue to rise until the sheriff's office has been found to be in full compliance with the court-ordered changes for three straight years. Arpaio's office hasn't yet been deemed to be in full compliance.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

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House Democrats are turning to a higher power in their quest to make headway on immigration reform.

They are turning to Pope Francis, urging him to push for a more humane U.S. immigration system that would, among other things, provide a path to legal status for many of the countrys estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants.

They also are appealing to the Holy See to speak about climate change and poverty.

Pope Francis, the first Latin American pontiff in the history of the church, is making his first trip to the United States on Tuesday.

He is scheduled to address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, and the House Democrats clearly are hoping he advocates for support for topics such as comprehensive immigration reform, climate change and raising the minimum wage  all divisive issues between Democrats and Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress.

Many Republicans oppose efforts to raise the minimum wage, saying that it would impose a burden upon small businesses. And efforts to reform immigration remain stalled in Congress two years after a Democrat-controlled Senate passed a bipartisan comprehensive bill that called for both security the border and enabling certain undocumented immigrants who meet strict criteria to legalize their status.

Pope Francis, your calls to reject violence and hate against immigrants in months past have been welcome words for us, said U.S. Rep. Jose Serrano of New York in the video. We ask our Republican colleagues to listen to your voice of compassion towards immigrants.

U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez, a California Democrat who is hoping to succeed retiring Barbara Boxer in the U.S. Senate, noted: Comprehensive immigration reform would bring 11 million Americans out of the shadows.

Rep. Charles Rangel, of New York, said: Lack of opportunities traps too many hardworking families at the bottom. We need to pass an increase in the minimum wage in Congress to level the playing field.

The pope is expected to address immigration during at least one of several speeches planned during his stay here.

That is expected to be a focus of his speech in Pennsylvania, where he will travel on Saturday.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the political aisle, amid the controversy surrounding funding Planned Parenthood, many Republicans are hoping the pope will address abortion.

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Even before Scott Walker dropped out of the race for president, his Republican rivals for the White House were chasing after the remnants of his once high-flying campaign.

Walker's opponents openly gossiped about the Wisconsin governor's political challenges as they gathered in California for last week's presidential debate. Once he formally left the race Monday afternoon, the jockeying only intensified.

As Walker was calling it quits during a news conference at home in Wisconsin, his national finance co-chairman, Anthony Scaramucci, was fielding calls from five campaigns  including from three candidates themselves.

"Out of respect to him, I want to talk to him before I do anything with anyone else," said Scaramucci, who was on deck to host several New York City fundraisers for Walker this week.

By the end of the night, several campaigns had moved from outreach to bragging about who from Walker's team they had won over. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz talked up additions in Iowa, Georgia and Nevada. Former Walker supporters in Iowa and New Hampshire said they were now in for Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush called Walker a "great public servant"  and quickly urged Walker's supporters to consider him. Walker had a large Iowa organization, complete with leaders in each of its 99 counties, and Bush said he and his team were trying to win them over.

"That's been some of the effort this afternoon and going forward," Bush told reporters after a campaign stop in northern Iowa. "We're working them hard for sure."

Warning that the 2016 campaign had become too nasty, Walker said Monday he's "being called to lead by helping to clear the field in this race so that a positive conservative message can rise to the top." While stepping aside, he urged others to quit, too  suggesting that a smaller pool of candidates would be better positioned to take down Republican front-runner Donald Trump.

"I encourage other Republican presidential candidates to consider doing the same, so the voters can focus on a limited number of candidates who can offer a positive conservative alternative to the current front-runner," Walker said.

None are expected to do so anytime soon.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich distributed a fundraising appeal 90 minutes after Walker's announcement noting that he's "the only Midwestern governor in the race who can bring our values to Washington, D.C." Former technology executive Carly Fiorina is surging on the back of a strong performance in the second GOP debate.

Some in the party suggested the biggest beneficiary of Walker's exit may be Rubio, who, like Walker, is considered a fresh face with the ability to unify the GOP's divided factions.

Both men are under 50 and hold a "next-generation appeal," said Frank Luntz, a Republican pollster who is unaligned in the race, but offered his California home to Walker for a post-debate fundraiser last week.

"They're both ideological without being uncompromising, and they have both earned their conservative stripes," Luntz said, noting Walker's fight with public-employee unions and Rubio's battle with then-Republican favorite Charlie Crist in the GOP contest for Florida Senate in 2010.

Walker and Rubio also share a personal connection and acknowledged early speculation that they might run on the same ticket.

"It was personally hard, but you know when it's over," said Cliff Hurst, who was Walker's New Hampshire co-chairman. Yet he said he had recently turned his attention to Rubio. "I've always been impressed with his character, his intelligence and his knowledge of how it all works," he said.

It may take weeks for a clear picture to emerge of the political landscape without Walker. But with several of the more than a dozen candidates still in the race registering in the low single digits in national polls, the competition for Walker's staff and donor network will only intensify in the coming days.

Within minutes of Walker's announcement, the Chicago-based Ricketts family was bombarded with calls from six GOP campaigns, including from some of the candidates themselves, a person close to the family said.

The billionaire family is likely be very active in the primary process as donors to someone else, but they don't immediately know who that person will be, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity in order to discuss private conversations with the family.

"Our nation's future is at stake," said Todd Ricketts, who served as a national finance co-chairman for Walker. "And while I was proud to help Gov. Walker, I will keep working hard to make our country a better place."

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Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio has drawn heat from Jewish groups and congressional Democrats for attending a campaign fundraiser at the home of an Adolf Hitler art collector and for doing so on Judaisms holiest day of the year.

The head of the National Jewish Democratic Council blasted the Florida senator for visiting the home of Texas real estate mogul Harlan Crow  whose home features two original pieces of art done by Hitler  and Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz called the decision to attend the fundraiser "the height of insensitivity and indifference."

But Rubios defenders blasted the DNC, pointing out that Crow has a slew of a historical artifacts at his home and is no Nazi sympathizer. His mother, Margaret, a known Dallas-area philanthropist, was almost killed by Nazis during World War II. He is simply, they say, a voracious collector of history.

The senator sent out a tweet late Tuesday in honor of Yom Kippur.

It's my prayer that our Jewish friends find renewal as they observe this sacred time of reflection and atonement, he tweeted.

In his massive garden, Crow has statues of a slew of controversial figures including Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and China's Mao Zedong in his garden. Hes an avid collector of historical paintings, manuscripts and letters, including artifacts from Winston Churchill and Dwight D. Eisenhower.

"There's really no excuse for such a gross act of disrespect," Wasserman Schultz said in a press release. "It is astounding that the presence of these items that represent horror for millions of Jews the world over, would not stop Mr. Rubio or anyone on his team in their tracks when planning this event."

Rubio has seen his star rise in the last week following a strong showing in the second GOP debate and the departure of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker from the Republican field. Walker, another young, conservative politician, was vying with Rubio for both Republican voters and donors as the campaign season begins to take shape.

In his home state of Florida, Rubio has overtaken former Gov. Jeb Bush  once considered the GOP frontrunner and man to beat  among Republicans.

A Florida Atlantic University poll released on Wednesday showed that real estate mogul Donald Trump still holds a commanding lead, with 31.5 percent of Florida Republicans favoring him, but Rubio has surpassed Bush to claim second place  bringing in 19.2 percent compared with 11.3 for Bush.

"Marco Rubio being that far ahead of Jeb Bush is surprising," Kevin Wagner, an associate professor of political science at FAU and a research fellow at the university's Business and Economics Polling Initiative, told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "Some of the early Florida polling suggested that Bush was in a stronger position."

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Federal immigration agents will return to Los Angeles County jails on a limited basis to identify deportable inmates under a policy announced Tuesday by Sheriff Jim McDonnell.

The new policy comes after county supervisors voted earlier this year to end a controversial program that allowed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to work inside the jails to assess the immigration status of inmates, the Los Angeles Times reported.

ICE agents will now be allowed back inside county jails, but only to interview inmates who have committed serious crimes and who are not protected by the California Trust Act. The 2013 law limits when local law enforcement officials can collaborate with federal immigration authorities.

Under the new rules, jail officials will also notify ICE up to seven days before those inmates are released so immigration agents can pick them up and begin deportation proceedings.

Inmates whose release date is flagged for ICE by the Sheriff's Department will be notified and advised of their right to consult legal counsel. Advocates had requested that protection, according to the Times.

McDonnell, who outlined the new policy in a letter to the Board of Supervisors, said the new procedures balance public safety needs and the concerns of immigrant communities as well as "the equally complex and passionate positions of groups on both sides of the immigration debate."

Immigrant advocates said the policy could lead to racial profiling and increase distrust in law enforcement among immigrant communities.

"It is a policy that entangles local criminal law enforcement with the enforcement of outdated, unjust civil immigration laws," said Pablo Alvarado, director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network.

McDonnell noted that the new policy was drafted after three community meetings attended by nearly 400 people and many private meetings with advocates, immigration officials and other area law enforcement agencies.

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In a moment weaving strands of politics, religion and emotion, Pope Francis and President Barack Obama are set to meet in the grandeur of the Oval Office to advance causes dear to them both.

Eagerly watching will be a nation that cannot get enough of Francis, a humble man rejuvenating American Catholicism while giving heartburn to its conservatives.

The pope was to deliver his opening remarks to the United States on the White House lawn on Wednesday morning and speak to America's bishops later. That speech was highly anticipated, given a certain disconnect between Francis' focus on social justice and a merciful church and the culture wars that America's bishops have waged in recent years over abortion and gay rights.

From the instant the white-robed and broad-grinned Francis landed in the U.S. on Tuesday, doffed his skullcap in the breeze and got into a modest, charcoal-gray Fiat, his visit electrified wonky Washington, which can be jaded about the comings and goings of world figures.

Washington was the first stop on the pope's six-day, three-city visit to the United States.

People of all faiths wanted to be a part of it, from the hundreds on hand for his arrival at Andrews Air Force Base to the clumps of spectators outside the diplomatic mission where the pope was staying. And then there were the 15,000 people expected at Wednesday's White House arrival ceremony,

"These moments matter," said May Lynne Duncan, who battled traffic from suburban Virginia to bring her two daughters to stand outside the nunciature.

For all of the oh-wow enthusiasm attending the visit, the pope and the president, with overlapping but far-from-identical agendas, had serious matters to attend to.

Even before he arrived for his first U.S. visit, Francis was fending off conservative criticism of his economic views. He told reporters on his flight from Cuba that some people may have an inaccurate impression that he is "a little bit more left-leaning."

"I am certain that I have never said anything beyond what is in the social doctrine of the church," he said.

As for conservatives who question whether he is truly Catholic, he added jokingly, "If I have to recite the Creed, I'm ready."

Obama was anxious to add oomph to his own efforts to combat climate change, fight income inequality and promote social justice, among other things, by finding common cause with the pope. The two differ sharply on other issues, such as abortion and same-sex marriage.

From Francis' vantage point, his next stop after the White House was perhaps more critical. The 78-year-old pontiff was meeting with America's 450-strong bishops' conference at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle.

Many U.S. bishops have struggled to come to terms with Francis' new social justice-minded direction of the church. Nearly all were appointed by Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. They prioritized drawing clearer boundaries for Catholic behavior and belief in the face of legalized abortion, advances in gay rights and the exodus of so many Westerners from organized religion.

The American church spends hundreds of millions of dollars each year through its social service agencies, and for years has sought an overhaul of the immigration system to reunite families, shelter refugees and give the poor the chance at a better life. But the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has increasingly put its resources behind high-profile fights over abortion, contraception and gay marriage.

The first pope from the Americas also was acting Wednesday to canonize a Spanish friar who brought the Catholic faith to California.

Francis was to celebrate the Mass of canonization for Junipero Serra in Spanish. Several thousand of the 25,000 tickets to the event were set aside for Spanish-speaking people, many from California. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception erected a temporary sanctuary on the east portico for the Mass.

On Thursday, Francis planned to deliver the first papal address ever to Congress, speaking to Republican-majority legislators deeply at odds with Obama on issues such as gay rights, immigration, abortion and climate change. Those same issues are roiling the early months of the presidential campaign.

For all the focus on Francis' speeches, his less scripted moments in meeting with immigrants, prisoners and the homeless could prove more memorable.

He was expected to meet with poor immigrants and other clients of Catholic Charities in Washington and with prisoners in Pennsylvania. He also is known to veer off schedule for unscripted encounters.

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Sen. Marco Rubio is snatching up the spoils of former presidential candidate Scott Walkers campaign.

Rubio, a Florida Republican who recently got a bump in polls after another highly praised performance in the second GOP debate, is getting the support of former Walker allies, USA Today reports.

Rubio just hired Walkers New Hampshire state chairman, Cliff Hurst, to co-chair the Florida lawmakers campaign in the Granite State, strategically vital because it holds the first primary, USA Today said.

I have known Marco Rubio to be a man of great principle and integrity, who has articulated a compelling, optimistic vision for the future of our country, Hurst said in a statement quoted by USA Today. I am proud to stand with Senator Rubio, and look forward to working with him here to help spread his message throughout our state.

Walker had started this election cycle as a front-runner. He had spoken of Rubio as a possible running mate.

After Walker announced on Monday that he was withdrawing from the presidential race, Rubio campaign manager Terry Sullivan told reporters: Were prepared, as people move on in the race, to capitalize on it and move forward.

Walker staffers in South Carolina are also migrating to the Rubio camp.

They include Drew Johnson, chair of the 5th District Republican Party.

I hated to see (Walker) withdraw but we must move forward, Johnson wrote on his Facebook page. And I believe Sen. Marco Rubio is the candidate that gives us the best opportunity to win the White House in 2016.

Alfonso Aguilar, executive director of the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group that promotes conservative values and ideals within the Latino community, says Rubio can benefit from conservatives who favored him and Walker for president.

But he also cautioned that Rubio must be careful not to repeat the missteps that might have contributed to hurting Walker, including a fluid stance on comprehensive immigration reform.

Hes been very sloppy on immigration, Aguilar said of Rubio.

He needs to bone up. Now hes saying Well, we should secure the border now and later we can have a debate about legalization. I hope hes not listening to strategists on the extreme right on immigration to win the primary.

Aguilar was chief of the U.S. Office of Citizenship in the George W. Bush administration.

No one is going to lose the primary because they support comprehensive immigration reform, Aguilar said.

Walker supporters in another tactical state, Iowa, are flocking to Rubio, as well.

He got endorsements from GOP chairs in several counties, and Brittany Gaura, an Iowa State University student who co-chaired Iowa Students for Walker, according to USA Today.

Walker enjoyed a large network of donors and activists, especially in Iowa, the newspaper said.

A recent poll showed Rubio, who had slipped after a strong showing in earlier voter surveys, rising to fourth place at 11 percent behind real estate mogul Donald Trump, who got 24 percent, Carly Fiorina, 15 percent, and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, 14 percent.

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Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush said Tuesday that multiculturalism is bad for the United States, adding that immigrants who close themselves off from American culture deny themselves access to economic rewards.

The former governor of Florida, who speaks fluent Spanish and often touts his success winning Latino votes in a party that badly needs them, addressed the issue in a packed northern Iowa diner as he met people in the crowd.

A young woman approached the candidate and asked how the federal government could help refugees better incorporate into U.S. society.

"We should not have a multicultural society," Bush said, before beginning a longer explanation of his views of what comprises culture in the U.S.

"When you create pockets of isolation  and in some places the process of assimilation has been retarded because they've slowed down  it's wrong," he added. "It limits people's aspirations."

Bush's remarks appeared to conflict with the way he has presented himself throughout the campaign and hew toward other GOP presidential hopefuls who are hoping to appeal to the party's core supporters.

But Bush said later he viewed multiculturalism as not aspiring to an American ideal. "You have to have people assimilate into society. But that doesn't mean we have a monolithic, homogeneous population. To the contrary," he told the Associated Press before headlining a legislative fundraiser in Cedar Rapids. "The power of America is a set of shared values with a very diverse population embracing it."

Led by billionaire developer Donald Trump, other GOP presidential hopefuls have aired urged newcomers to assimilate. Some have suggested it's their duty.

Recently, in South Carolina, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was interrupted by applause when he said legal status for immigrants should be determined by what they could contribute and "whether they want to live in America or whether they want to be American."

Trump has climbed to the top of national Republican preference polls in part by using stronger language. He's described undocumented immigrants often as violent, predatory criminals, vowing to deport them by the millions and proposing to build a wall between the United States and Mexico.

The approach clashes with the Republican Party's effort to attract support from the increasingly influential Hispanic community, which the GOP has named as critical to the party's successes. The national GOP is hosting events across the country to mark Hispanic Heritage Month.

Compared to most of his Republican rivals, Bush's personal story gives him credibility with Latinos. His wife, Columba, is a Mexican native. Bush sometimes campaigns in Spanish and is fond of relating details that highlight the influence of Hispanic culture at home.

"We eat Mexican food in the home. My children are Hispanic in many aspects. We don't talk about it, but the Hispanic influence is an important part of my life," Bush said in a July interview with Telemundo.

Bush even took a shot at Trump on the issue, mocking the front-runner's credibility.

"Mr. Trump says that I can't speak Spanish," Bush, speaking Spanish, told supporters recently in Miami. "Pobrecito" (poor guy).

Yet Bush has used the term "anchor babies" to describe infants whose parents come to the United States specifically so the children are born in the United States and granted automatic citizenship. The term is considered offensive in the Hispanic community. Bush later said he was referring mostly to the so-called birth tourism industry that flies wealthy Asian women to the U.S. to give birth  a real phenomenon that has drawn concern from the Obama administration.

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Texas Sen. Ted Cruz continued his opposition to the Obama administration's nuclear deal with Iran by adding his name Tuesday to the cosponsors of a bill that would extend the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) by 10 years.

Cruz, who has pinned much of his presidential candidacy on opposing Obama's treaty with Iran, was added to the legislation that has been spearheaded by Sens. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.).

While Cruz did not make any public statements on the matter, Phil Novack, a spokesman for Cruz, told The Hill that the Texas lawmaker's decision to support the proposal is "consistent" with previous bills calling for sanctions that he's introduced.

"The ISA, which maintains a large portion of energy sanctions, is set to expire at the end of 2016. It is imperative this act be re-authorized in order to retain the option to re-impose sanctions if the administration lifts them," Novack said.

Cruz's support comes on the same day that the Republican presidential candidate said Congress should use legislation to fund the U.S. government as a lever to force the Obama administration to hand over more information about the Iran deal.

The firebrand senator added that the administration should have to hand over information about "secret side deals" involving inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities before any legislation to fund the government after Sept. 30 goes through.

Any stop-gap funding bill ought to use "the power of the purse to force this administration to hand over the Iranian side deals," Cruz said, according to Reuters. He added that he wants the budget bill to "defund" Planned Parenthood because it provides abortion services.

The Senate is scheduled to vote Thursday afternoon on a measure that would fund the government through Dec. 11without any money going to Planned Parenthood. It's expected that Democrats will filibuster the measure, which could then set the stage for a vote on a temporary funding bill sidestepping the Planned Parenthood controversy.

The plans of House leaders such as Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, who often struggles to control his divided GOP conference, remain unclear.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Some two dozen dissidents were arrested during Pope Francis visit to Cuba and were freed after his departure from the island, reported Breitbart News.

The dissidents were primarily members of the Ladies in White.

Members of the group said they had been invited by Vatican officials to attend the popes mass at the Plaza of the Revolution in Havana, but were arrested before they could get there.

The women  many of whom are the wives, daughters and mothers of present or former political prisoners  accused Cuban security officers of beating them, dragging them by the hair and verbally abusing them, according to Breitbart.

The women say that they were detained by the Cuban secret police. Their head, Berta Soler, was separated from them and singled out for harsher treatment, the website reported.

A bus came and took us all away, Breitbart said one of the women explained. They took us like they always do: pushing us, beating us.

They grabbed me by the hair, by the neck, and shoved me violently into a car, Soler recalled. A man in the passenger seat grabbed my hands and started squeezing and I told him Stop! Stop, men dont do this! Dont you know you came from a womans womb?'

The women expressed disappointment that Pope Francis was not more vocal about human rights in his public statements in Cuba.

We have heard from other people that the Holy Father has not called for an end to police violence, the end to political prisoners, abuse, the way John Paul II did, Soler noted. We know the Holy Father isnt a liberator, but we need a liberator he wont bring change, but he was involved in the new closeness between the Castro regime and the United States.

Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said on Monday that many dissidents had been invited to meet with Vatican officials.

He said he did know that they had been detained.

Francis was more interested in speaking to oppressors than the oppressed, Cuban journalist Yusnaby Perez lamented, with the same oppressors that banned religion for 20 years.

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Fresh from enrapturing crowds all over Washington, Pope Francis brought his resonant message of humility and hope to Capitol Hill as he becomes the first pontiff in history to speak to a joint meeting of Congress.

Lawmakers of all political backgrounds and religious affiliations have thrilled to the pope's arrival, pledging to pause from the bickering and dysfunction that normally divide them and hear him out Thursday morning. Tens of thousands of spectators will be watching from the West Lawn of the Capitol and many more on TV from around the world as the pope addresses a House chamber packed with Supreme Court justices, Cabinet officials, diplomats, lawmakers and their guests.

After the sergeant at arms announced him by bellowing "Mr. Speaker, it is my very great honor to introduce the pope of the Holy See," Francis entered the chamber and climbed to the dais where the president delivers the annual State of the Union address and monarchs and heads of state have addressed Congress. Behind him, Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, the first and second in line to the presidency, both Catholics.

Ahead of Francis' remarks lawmakers of both parties busily sought political advantage from his stances, with Democrats in particular delighting in his support for action to overhaul immigration laws and combat global warming and income inequality. One House Republican back-bencher announced plans to boycott the speech over Francis' activist position on climate change, which the pontiff renewed alongside President Barack Obama on Wednesday.

But Boehner, a Republican and a former altar boy who invited the pope to speak after trying unsuccessfully to lure the two previous pontiffs to the Capitol, dismissed concerns that the politically engaged Francis will stir the controversies of the day.

"The pope transcends all of this," Boehner said. "He appeals to our better angels and brings us back to our daily obligations. The best thing we can all do is listen, open our hearts to his message and reflect on his example."

For Congress and Boehner, the pope arrives at a moment of particular turmoil, with a partial government shutdown looming next week unless lawmakers can resolve a dispute over funding for Planned Parenthood related to the group's practices providing fetal tissue for research. Boehner himself is facing a brewing revolt from tea party members who've threatened to force a floor vote on whether he can keep his job.

Francis generally steers clear of such controversies, though his opposition to abortion could bolster Republicans in their efforts against Planned Parenthood. And for members of Congress his visit may prove little more than a brief respite from their partisan warfare, offering moments of unusual solemnity, uplift and pomp, but without fundamentally shifting the intractable gears of the U.S. political system.

Indeed there's little sign on Capitol Hill of significant action on the social justice issues dear to Francis' heart. But on Wednesday the pope said simply that in addressing Congress "I hope, as a brother of this country, to offer words of encouragement to those called to guide the nation's political future in fidelity to its founding principles."

Francis enjoys approval ratings the envy of any U.S. politician as he's singlehandedly remade the image of the Catholic Church toward openness and compassion, yet without changing fundamental church doctrine. Addressing a chamber full of elected officials Thursday, he may be the most adept politician in the room.

After speaking in the House chamber Francis will visit the Capitol's Statuary Hall and its statue of Father Junipero Serra, the 18th-century missionary whom Francis elevated to sainthood Wednesday in the first canonization on U.S. soil. He will then briefly step out onto a Capitol balcony to address the crowds on the West Front. From there he will stop at St. Patrick's Catholic Church and the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, and then depart for New York for more prayer services and a speech to the United Nations.

For Francis, it's been a whirlwind three-day visit to Washington, the first stop on his three-city U.S. tour. On Wednesday he was cheered by jubilant crowds as he visited the White House, paraded around the Ellipse and spoke to U.S. bishops at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle. Francis emphasized one of the defining messages of his papacy, to focus less on defending church teaching and more on compassion. The pope told the American church leaders that "harsh and divisive language does not befit the tongue of a pastor" and he encouraged them to speak with anyone, no matter their views.

In his first comments in the U.S. on the clergy sex abuse scandal that erupted in 2002, the pope praised the bishops for a "generous commitment to bring healing to victims" and for acting "without fear of self-criticism."

An organization for abuse victims quickly disagreed.

"Almost without exception, they have shown cowardice and callousness and continue to do so now," said Barbara Dorris, president of SNAP, or Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

Later Wednesday, Francis celebrated a Mass of Canonization for Junipero Serra in Spanish. Several thousand of the 25,000 tickets to the event were set aside for Spanish-speaking people, many from California, where Serra did his work. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception erected a temporary sanctuary outdoors for the Mass, which lasted into the evening.

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In a historic speech before Congress, Pope Francis carefully treaded the controversial issue of immigration  urging U.S. leaders to open their hearts to immigrants though he did not, as some wished, forcefully demand a resolution.

Pope Francis made a plea to Americans not to turn their back on our neighbors, but instead constantly relate to each other.

In recent centuries, millions of people came to this land to pursue their dream of building a future in freedom, said Francis, who spoke passionately but slowly and haltingly. We, the people of this continent, are not fearful of foreigners, because most of us were once foreigners.

He spoke about immigrants almost as soon as he arrived in the U.S. on Wednesday  saying: As a child of immigrants. I am happy to be a guest in this country, which was largely built by such families. Before Congress, his thoughts on immigration came 10 minutes into his speech.

Francis words in immigration seemed to affect some lawmakers emotionally, with Republican presidential candidate and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio tearing up during the speech.

While the son of Italian immigrants to Argentina appeared to be saving his thoughts about the issue of immigration in the U.S. for his speech on Saturday at Philadelphias Independence Hall, Francis did quote the Gospel of Matthew and asked lawmakers  and thousands of people watching across the country  to have an open mind when dealing with immigrants living in the U.S.

He mentioned Martin Luther King before speaking about immigrants, saying that the civil rights leaders movement led to action, to participation, to commitment.

Then he cautiously said that immigrants have not always been respected in the past, and he warned lawmakers not to make the same mistakes others had.

When the stranger in our midst appeals to us, we must not repeat the sins and the errors of the past. We must resolve now to live as nobly and as justly as possible, as we educate new generations not to turn their back on our neighbors and everything around us, he said. Building a nation calls us to recognize that we must constantly relate to others, rejecting a mindset of hostility in order to adopt one of reciprocal subsidiarity, in a constant effort to do our best. I am confident that we can do this.

The Argentine-born popes speech was in English, a language he had to practice recently and one he does not feel comfortable speaking. He tends to not go off script when he speaks in English.

On this continent, too, thousands of persons are led to travel north in search of a better life for themselves and for their loved ones, in search of greater opportunities, he said. Is this not what we want for our own children? We must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation.

He did not condemn lawmakers but instead largely kept his speech positive.

Let us treat others with the same passion and compassion with which we want to be treated. Let us seek for others the same possibilities which we seek for ourselves, he said.

Francis has made migration the top priority of his pontificate. His first trip outside Rome as pope was to the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Ground Zero of Europe's migration crisis where some 365 migrants drowned within view of shore in October 2013. He has decried the "inhuman" conditions facing migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and encouraged frontier communities to not judge people by stereotypes but rather welcome migrants and work to end discrimination.

Recently, he called on all parishes and religious orders around the world to take in refugee families, and matched his call by hosting two such families in the Vatican. On his way to the airport last Saturday, he called on the Syrian family of four who had recently taken up residence in a Vatican flat. The experience was humbling, he said later: "You could see the pain in their faces."

The wide-ranging speech addressed issues from global security and the Syrian refugee crisis to the mistreatment of Native Americans and the importance of family values, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church walked a line between praising American democracy while also calling on Washingtons leaders to be more compassionate on certain matters. Francis compared the work of lawmakers in Congress to that the Biblical figure Moses, by saying that it was their job to keep alive both the laws of the nation and of god.

Your own responsibility as members of Congress is to enable this country, by your legislative activity, to grow as a nation, Francis said. A political society endures when it seeks, as a vocation, to satisfy common needs by stimulating the growth of all its members, especially those in situations of greater vulnerability or risk. Legislative activity is always based on care for the people. To this you have been invited, called and convened by those who elected you.

In regards to the rise of groups like the Islamic State, the pontiff called for a "delicate balance" in fighting religious extremism to ensure that fundamental freedoms aren't trampled at the same time.

He says in his speech to Congress that "no religion is immune from forms of individual delusion or ideological extremism."

He said religious, intellectual and individual freedoms must be safeguarded, while combatting violence perpetrated in the name of religion.

The pope cautioned against simplistically breaking the world into camps of good and evil.

Francis has expressed deep concern about the slaughter of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East at the hands of Islamic extremists, fearing that the Christian presence in the region is risk. He's dispatched envoys to Iraq with money and other forms of assistance to help refugees.

On domestic issues, the pontiff called for an end to the death penalty in the U.S. and across the world.

Francis said that every life is sacred and society can only benefit from rehabilitating those convicted of crimes.

The pope noted that U.S. bishops have renewed their call to abolish capital punishment. That idea is unpopular, however, with many American politicians.

The pontiff did not specifically mention abortion  a particularly contentious issue in Congress at the moment that threatens to force the shutdown of the U.S. government next week.

Still, his remarks referred to the Catholic church's opposition to abortion. He urged lawmakers and all Americans to "protect and defend human life at every stage of its development."

"A delicate balance is required to combat violence perpetrated in the name of a religion, an ideology or an economic system, while also safeguarding religious freedom, intellectual freedom and individual freedoms," Francis said.

Francis enjoys approval ratings the envy of any U.S. politician as he's remade the image of the Catholic Church toward openness and compassion, yet without changing fundamental church doctrine.

Addressing a chamber full of elected officials Thursday, he may be the most adept politician in the room.

After speaking in the House chamber Francis was to stop by the Capitol's Statuary Hall and its statue of Father Serra, the 18th-century missionary whom Francis elevated to sainthood Wednesday in the first canonization on U.S. soil.

Later, he planned to stop at St. Patrick's Catholic Church and the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, before leaving for New York for more prayer services and a speech to the United Nations.

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Laura Javier is a union baby and proud of it.

A gourmet vendor at Jean Philippe Patisserie inside the Bellagio Hotel and Casino, Javier comes from a long tradition of union members  her parents have been part of Nevada's Culinary Workers Union Local 226 for over 20 years and her grandfather was in the same union until he retired at the age of 70. Javier herself joined the union when she turned 18, the same year she started her job at the Bellagio.

The 24-year-old's story is common throughout the Las Vegas area, where some 55,000 cooks, housekeepers, cocktail waitresses and others workers are part of the union, making it one of the most powerful and loudest voices in town. And now with election season coming into full swing, the concerns of this union are on the minds of every presidential candidate trying to secure this crucial early voting state.

"I think we can play a determining role in the election season," Yvanna Cancela, the political director for Culinary 226, told Fox News Latino. "Our members are voters who are highly targeted by candidates and historically we've played a determining role in deciding who wins Nevada."

What Cancela means by "highly targeted" is that Local 226 members live in the crucial voting area of Clark County  home to Las Vegas and 2 million of the state's 2.8 million residents  and a majority of the members, about 52 percent, are Latino. Winning Clark County all but guarantees a win in Nevada. Historically, candidates who win the area do it with the help of Culinary 226.

Nevadas demographic makeup may be similar to neighboring states like Texas and Arizona  which have large Latino and immigrant populations  but its workforce thinks more in line with the working-class, union strongholds in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

"The union factor makes Nevada unique from states with similar Latino demographics like Arizona and Texas," David Damore, a political science professor at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and a pollster for Latino Decisions, told FNL.

Democratic candidates appear to have the upper hand in the fight for Culinary 226 given that the union vote traditionally goes to the Democrats as does Nevada's heavily Mexican-American Latino vote.

That doesn't mean that Democratic contenders like former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley have secured the union vote.

Sanders, O'Malley and Clinton  who has made frequent stops in the Silver States  spoke in August at the state's AFL-CIO convention and O'Malley joined members of Culinary 226 later in the month in their protest against Trump International Hotel, which has blocked efforts to unionize.

Despite the historical bonds between unions and the Democratic Party, the GOP presidential hopefuls appear to be down but not out of the fight to win over Local 226 and the state's other unions.

There is anger among many union members over Clinton's ambiguity on issues like the Trans-Pacific Partnership and whether to raise the federal minimum wage to $15, and there are doubts that either Sanders or O'Malley have the ability to win the presidency.

The most pressing issue for Culinary 226 members, however, is the so-called "Cadillac tax" on the health care plans of union members. The tax, named so because it applies to more comprehensive, high-end health insurance plans  will impose a 40 percent levy on the excess cost of plans above $10,200 for individual coverage and $27,500 for family coverage.

The tax is expected to affect up to one-third to one-half of employers when it goes into effect in 2018 and up to 60 percent by 2022.

"Health care is just so important to myself, my family and to our union as a whole," Javier told FNL. "Definitely one thing I do not agree with is the fact that we're being taxed 40 percent for our health insurance."

The union is also concerned about the Republican Party and part of that has less to do with their stance on Obamacare or no worker's rights and more to do with the immigration issue.

With 52 percent of union members being Latino  and many being immigrants  Culinary 226's Cancela said that many of the union's members have family and friends who are undocumented and that immigration is a lens through which members view other issues.

"We have an extremely large immigrant workforce so immigration is a topic that they want to hear about," she said.

Nevada as a whole is 27 percent Hispanic and soon could become a majority-minority state largely on the backs of Latino migration. Some experts say that any candidate hoping to secure Nevada needs to have an immigration plan that Latinos support.

While Clinton has made bold promises, some say that they worry it will be a repeat of the Obama administration, where promises of comprehensive immigration reform have gone mostly unfulfilled.

"Everything falls under the umbrella of immigration reform," Fernando Romero, the president of the Las Vegas-based Hispanics in Politics, told FNL. "People kid themselves saying that immigration is fourth or fifth on the list of issues that are important to Latinos, when really it is No. 1."

These sentiments were echoed by numerous members Latino and non-Latino  of Culinary 226 and portrayed during their protest on a sweltering day outside of the controversial Donald Trump's hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.

"I came from Mexico many years ago and became an American citizen to have a better opportunity for me and my family," Maria Jaramillo, a housekeeper at the Trump Las Vegas, said. "This country is a nation of immigrants, and we all work hard and deserve to be treated fairly."

The issues may be front and center for union members, but even they admit that Election Day is still a long way off and that their votes are far from decided  which is good news to both Democratic candidates hoping to reassure these voters they have their interests in mind and Republicans trying to win over a powerful new voting bloc.

"I think I have a lot of time to do my research and make my decision," Javier said. "I also think that the candidates may have a change in thoughts in the year we have left."
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In a measure of the displeasure among conservatives with House Speaker John Boehner, an Ohio Republican, loud applause followed Sen. Marco Rubios announcement Friday that the beleaguered GOP leader had decided to resign his post.

Rubio announced Boehners resignation as speaker at the annual Values Voter Summit.

He told the crowd of conservatives that it was time for new leadership, according to The Blaze.

The time has come to turn the page, Rubio, who is running for president, said to more applause. The time has come to turn the page and allow a new generation of leadership in this country. And that extends to the White House and the presidency as well.

Many expect Boehners successor to be Rep. Kevin McCathy, whose California district is 35 percent Latino.

"We had hoped Mr. Boehner would be able to reign in the hate and bigotry in his party but he was unable to, thus becoming the most significant obstacle to immigration reform in years, said Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), an immigrant rights organization.

With Mr. Boehner out of the picture 2016 provides an opportunity to bring back civility to the GOP and an extremely divided Congress," she said.

As to speculation that California's conservative Kevin McCarthy might be considered as the next Speaker, we would call on him to represent the richness of our state's diversity."

McCarthy has in the past expressed support for giving undocumented immigrants a path to legal status, although not full-blown citizenship.

McCarthy said that his support for an opportunity to allow some undocumented immigrants to legalize their status was not tantamount to being in favor of amnesty, or rewarding people who break the law.

He said to reporters last year that he backed giving those who qualify legal status that will allow you to work and pay your taxes.

If you want to become a citizen, you'll have to go through the path, he said. There won't be amnesty inside it.

He added that the path to legal status was a decision that every Republican will have to make.

The House includes a very vocal and influential faction of conservatives who are firmly opposed to comprehensive immigration reform because it includes a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants.

At the conservative summit, Rubio reiterated his views on religious freedom and abortion.

The issue about the right to live is more than just a political or policy issue, its a human rights issue and a definitional issue about who were want to be as a nation, Rubio said.

He vowed that as president, abortions at five months will be illegal and that no federal money would go to Planned Parenthood.

Rubio has said he opposes abortion, without exception, including in cases of rape or perils to the mothers health.

If I am the next president and put my left hand on a Bible and right hand in the air and pledge to uphold the Constitution, I will uphold the entire Constitution, including religious liberty, including the right to bear arms and including the God-given, inalienable right to life, Rubio said.

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Voters in Spain's Catalonia region cast ballots Sunday to decide if pro-secession parties will get a majority in the regional parliament and a mandate to push for independence or whether they will fall short in an outcome that would probably quell secessionist fervor for years.

Secessionists have long pushed for an independence referendum, but Spain's central government refused to allow it  saying such a vote would be unconstitutional. So the pro-independence parties pitched the vote for regional parliamentary seats as a de facto plebiscite.

"Today is a great win for democracy in Catalonia," said Artur Mas, Catalonia's regional leader, after he cast his vote. "We have surpassed all the obstacles placed by the Spanish government. Now, Catalonia faces its own destiny."

Sunday's election is for Catalonia's 135-member Parliament, located in the region's capital Barcelona. By early afternoon, around 35 percent of those eligible to vote had cast their ballots, more than 5 percent more than in the previous regional election, the government said. Regional spokeswoman Meritxell Borras said postal votes cast by Catalans living overseas could also have an important impact on the results.

Mas and the other secessionists argue that if they win 68 seats, the result would give them a democratic mandate to initiate an 18-month plan to split from Spain that could include a unilateral declaration of independence.

The central government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy says it will use all legal means to prevent Catalonia from breaking away, an exit European leaders warn would include ejection from the European Union.

Spain's government has also said it is concerned that if Catalonia tries to break free it would disrupt the fragile signs of economic recovery for the country that has endured unemployment of over 22 percent for several years.

While the majority of Catalans support a vote on independence to decide the divisive question, polls have forecast a slim win for the separatist parties. They also indicate that Mas' leading bloc of separatist parties "Together for Yes" will likely need the support of the extreme left-wing CUP to cobble together a majority of seats needed to launch their push to sever century-old ties with the rest of Spain.

Catalans from both sides of the independence divide are fiercely proud of their Catalan language, which is spoken along with Spanish and was suppressed under three decades of Gen. Francisco Franco's dictatorship. Many Catalans are also angry because they say their industrialized region, which represents nearly a fifth of Spain's economic output, pays too much in taxes and receives less than its fair share of government investment.

Jordi Perez was one of 5.3 million Catalans of the region's populace of 7.5 million called to vote on Sunday. The 50-year-old civil servant said he voted for "Together for Yes" because he feels Spain has historically disparaged Catalan culture and its language.

"I have wanted independence ever since I was young," Perez said after casting his ballot in Barcelona. "During three centuries they have robbed us of our culture. We have reached the moment that the Catalan people say enough is enough."

While the pro-independence camp has organized massive rallies of hundreds of thousands in recent years, those in favor of remaining a part of Spain have kept a low profile.

School teacher Sandra Guerrero, 30, said that these elections motivated her to vote for the first time. She voted for the Citizens party, which is against independence.

"We Catalans have the fame of all being separatists, but the truth is that I have voted No," Guerrero said. "My parents are from Andalucia (in southern Spain). People from outside Catalonia have always treated me well. I feel part of Spain. I am proud to be Catalan, but also to be Spanish.

"I had never voted before because I was disillusioned with politics. But this time I have because these are important elections."

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President Barack Obama will hold a formal meeting Tuesday with Cuban President Raul Castro.

The meeting comes on the sidelines of the annual United Nations General Assembly, a massive gathering of world leaders in New York. It marks the second face-to-face meeting between Obama and Castro since the U.S. and Cuba restored diplomatic relations late last year.

Obama and Castro also convened a rare phone call earlier this month ahead of Pope Francis' visit to both their countries.

In addition to his bilateral meeting with Castro, the White House says Obama will meet with the president of Kazakhstan on Tuesday.

Obama arrived in New York Sunday morning. While aboard Air Force One, he spoke with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet of Chile.

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The politics of hate is getting out of control.

For all the positive aspects of social media, the amount of venom being spewed there threatens to desensitize us all.

Take Charlie Sheen. Okay, hes a liberal Hollywood guy who hasnt exactly led an exemplary life. He has a history of alcohol and drug problems. He was kicked off his CBS show and living with a couple of call girls. He belatedly admitted he had HIV as the National Enquirer was about to report it.

Oh, and he doesnt like Donald Trump.

So after the sad deaths of Carrie Fisher and her mom, Debbie Reynolds, Sheen tweeted this:

Dear God; Trump next, please! Trump next, please! And on and on.

Thats right, this screwed-up actor wished death on the next president of the United States.

When I took to (where else) Twitter to denounce this, here are some of the responses I received:

Lanark:  No. Should be listened to. By God.

rjlarios@hotmail.com:Trump is a menace to the USA and the entire world!! He could be the cause of millions of deaths so why shouldn't he go first!

Chris Bavelles: its not about political differences it's about something so much worse. I applaud Charlie for tweeting out. And so should you.

Shawn: It's Trump, he's human garbage, it's just like emptying the trash in your house.

Lovely. So some folks think its perfectly all right to urge the death of the president-elect, and joined Sheen in that wish.

And then there were some like this:

michael cuviello: I did not hear the outtrage over what the Trump campaign guy said from the right.

This is unfortunately typical of what passes for debate on social media. If you decry something ugly that someone tweeted, some people say: Yeah, but what about so-and-so saying such-and-such at the other end of the political spectrum? What about that, huh?As if that somehow justifies the offensive words by someone on your side.

In this case, the reference was to Trumps former New York co-chairman Carl Paladino, a onetime gubernatorial candidate and member of the Buffalo school board, which called for his resignation.

Paladino had said he hoped President Obama would die of mad cow disease. As for Michelle Obama, Id like her to return to being a male and let loose in the outback of Zimbabwe where she lives comfortably in a cave with Maxie, the gorilla.

This racist garbage was followed by a Paladino apology, and the Trump campaign denounced the remarks. I had been on vacation when this was reported.

To be clear, I have no problem with people using strong language and venting their political views. If Charlie Sheen wants to rail against Trump and his policieshis dad, Martin Sheen, joined in an anti-Trump election adthats his right.

But when you start calling for people to die, or unload with racist or misogynist or anti-Semitic sentiments, decent folks have every right to declare that unacceptable.

Sheens remarks barely caused a ripple, perhaps because they were aimed at Trump, who has been the target of an unprecedented level of negative coverage. If a celeb as well known as Sheen had called for Obamas death, there would have been a barrage of headlines.

Or perhaps it reflects the fact that Twitter has become such a toxic stew that even the most outrageous stuff rarely bubbles up to the top.
Former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue is a leading candidate to be President-elect Donald Trumps agriculture secretary, the Trump transition team confirmed Monday with Fox News.

Trump, a Republican, has made eight of 17 Cabinet picks, with four remaining, including the Agriculture Department post.

Perdue being a top candidate was reported first by Politico.

The 70-year-old Perdue in November visited Trump Tower, where the president-elect has been conducting many of his interviews to fill Cabinet posts and other top jobs within his administration.

Perdue was the governor of Georgia from 2003 to 2011.

Fox News' Serafin Gomez contributed to this report.
President Obama will deliver a farewell speech next week in his hometown of Chicago that he says will follow a tradition set in 1796 when first U.S President George Washington spoke to the American people for the last time in office.

"I'm thinking about them as a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways you've changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here," Obama said in an email Monday to supporters.

The "speech will take place at McCormick Place, a giant convention center in Chicago.

Obama returned to Washington on Monday from Hawaii. And with his last presidential vacation now behind him, the two-term president, entering the closing stretch of his presidency, is on an eleventh-hour push to tie up loose ends and put finishing touches on his legacy before handing the reins to President-elect Donald Trump.

With just two-and-a-half weeks left, Obamas final days will largely be consumed by a bid to protect his endangered health care law, a major farewell speech and the ongoing handover of power to Trump.

Obama's chief speechwriter, Cody Keenan, traveled with Obama to Hawaii and spent much of the trip working on the speech. The Chicago trip will likely be Obama's last outside Washington as president and will be include a "family reunion" for Obama's former campaign staffers.

Obama is also planning last-minute commutations and pardons, White House officials said, in line with his second-term effort to cut sentences for inmates given unduly harsh sentences for drug crimes. Though prominent offenders like Edward Snowden and Rod Blagojevich are also asking for leniency, Obama's final acts of clemency are expected to remain focused on drug offenders whose plight Obama tried but failed to address through criminal justice reform.

After taking office eight years ago, Obama and his aides were effusive in their praise for how Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, helped his team take over the massive federal bureaucracy. Obama has vowed to pass on the favor to Trump. But the transition hasn't been without incident.

The two teams have clashed over the Trump team's requests for information Obama aides fear could be used to eliminate government employees who worked on Obama priorities like climate change and minority rights overseas. Trump's team, meanwhile, has been frustrated by Obama's attempts to box Trump in with parting moves to block ocean drilling, declare new monuments and further empty out the Guantanamo Bay prison.

While on his annual vacation in Oahu, Obama asserted himself forcefully on two foreign policy issues that put him in direct conflict with Trump. Obama directed the U.S. to defy tradition by allowing a U.N. Security Council resolution criticizing Israel on settlements to pass, then slapped Russia with sweeping penalties over U.S. allegations of hacking.

The final days are Obama's last chance to define his presidency before his loses the bully pulpit and cedes his legacy to historians. For Obama, helping Americans understand how his two terms have reshaped American life is even more critical amid concerns that Trump may undo much of what he accomplished, including the health law.

As Trump and Republicans vow to gut the Affordable Care Act, Democrats are working to devise a strategy to protect the law by exploiting GOP divisions about how to replace it. To that end, Obama will travel Wednesday to the Capitol to meet with House and Senate Democrats, likely his last meeting with his party's lawmakers as president.

His administration is also working feverishly to finish up regulations in the pipeline that Obama hopes can be completed in the final days, perhaps increasing the likelihood his policies carry over. But the closer it gets to Trump's inauguration, the harder those tasks become.

Though Obama remains president until Jan. 20, the White House can't process the departure of all its staffers on a single day. So this week Obama aides will start "offloading," turning in their Blackberries and shutting down their computers for the last time, leaving a smaller staff on hand for the final days.

Obama must also prepare to become a private citizen for the first time in two decades. An office of the former president must be stood up, and Obama's family will be making arrangements to move into a rental home in Northwest Washington where they plan to stay until youngest daughter Sasha finishes high school.

The Obamas have long lamented how the presidency denied them freedom and privacy, with first lady Michelle Obama likening the White House to "a really nice prison." But on their last Hawaii vacation, the first family took time out to visit Breakout Waikiki, where visitors are "trapped" in a room together and must try, as a team, to escape.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Senate Democrats reportedly plan to attack eight of Republican President-elect Donald Trumps Cabinet picks and stretch their confirmation process from days to perhaps months, despite having essentially no chance of blocking their nominations.

The Democratic senators are vowing to make good on their vow unless the nominees start disclosing personal financial information, according to The Washington Post.

Trump has made eight of 17 Cabinet picks, with four remaining.

The primary targets include Rex Tillerson for secretary of state; Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions for attorney general; South Carolina Rep. Mick Mulvaney for the Office of Management and Budget; Betsy DeVos as the new education secretary and Steve Mnuchin, the former Goldman Sachs executive nominated to be treasury secretary.

President-elect Trump is attempting to fill his rigged Cabinet with nominees that  have made billions off the industries theyd been tasked with regulating, incoming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Sunday. If Republicans think they can quickly jam through a whole slate of nominees without a fair hearing process, theyre sorely mistaken.

Republicans who control the Senate and House plan to begin the confirmation hearings on Trumps Jan. 20 Inauguration Day.

Republicans have a 52-to-48 majority over Democrats in the Senate.

The nominees will get enough votes in the GOP-run Senate committees but would run into delays when both parties cast final votes on the chamber floor, despite needing only 51 yeahs.

Democrats could use procedural moves to extend the debate on each of the nominees. But they dont have the power to use the filibuster to block the nominations, because in the last Congress they changed the threshold on such filibusters from 60 to 51 votes.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and fellow Republicans dont like the Democrats plan and argue they didnt oppose outgoing Democratic President Obamas nominations when he took office in 2008.

Republicans and Democrats worked together and expeditiously to carefully consider his nominees, McConnell spokesman David Popp told Fox News on Monday.

Popp points out that the Senate held hearings on multiple nominees before Obama was even sworn in, confirmed seven of them on Day One and that nearly all of them were confirmed within two weeks.

Sen. Schumer and others approved wholeheartedly of this approach at the time, Popp continued. So surely they wont object to treating the incoming presidents nominees with the same courtesy and seriousness.

The others on the purported list of eight are Georgia GOP Rep. Tom Price, Trumps nominee to run the Department of Health and Human Services; Andrew Puzder for labor secretary; and Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to run the EPA.

Those not on the purported list are Marine Gen. James N. Mattis for defense secretary; South Carolina GOP Gov. Nikki Haley as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; and former Marine Gen. John Kelly run the Department of Homeland Security.

Fox News Mike Emanuel contributed to this report.
Donald Trump and his team on Monday sharpened the divide with the Obama administration on whether Russia executed the cyber-attacks on the White House race and suggested their team might have the better intelligence.

Rushing to judgement on stuff like this is not in anybodys best interest, incoming White House Communication Director Sean Spicer said on Fox News Fox & Friends.

Spicer argued that Republican President-elect Trump is not disputing statements from U.S. intelligence officers, just waiting for a final report due later this week that could offer more conclusive evidence.

Then I think well have a better idea of what to make to the situation, he told Fox.

Several U.S. intelligence agencies have said Russia was behind the hacking and release of emails from the Democratic National Committee and John Podesta, chairman of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

President Obama last week punished Russia for the alleged cyber-attacks with sanctions that include the expelling of 35 diplomats believed to be spies and shuttering Russian compounds in Maryland and New York.

Clintons team and supporters say the hacked emails contributed to her upset loss to Trump.

Obama says the hacking investigation and sanctions were in the interest of protecting the U.S. election system.

But Spicer has suggested over the past 48 hours that the actions by Obama, a Democrat, were politically motivated.

There is a question about whether there's a political retribution here versus a diplomatic response, he told ABC on Sunday.

Spicer on Monday also attempted to explain Trumps New Years Eve comments about know(ing) things that other people dont know about the hacking.

He said that Trump is briefed on a daily basis by his security team and other members of the intelligence community.

So he is privy to information that nobody else is, Spicer said. What hes driving at is that there doesn't seem to be conclusive evidence.

He also dismissed a report by the FBI and Homeland Security Department supporting the accusations against Russia, calling it a "how-to" manual on basic cybersecurity for Democrats.

This report that everyone is taking as gospel is not even final, Spicer said Monday on NBCs Today show.

He also argued, as he did Sunday, that China in 2015 stole sensitive information from millions of Americans, including federal workers, and that the White House failed to issue a single statement.

Trump also plans to meet this week with intelligence officials to learn more about the allegations against Moscow.

On New Year's Eve, Trump also said he wants U.S. officials to be sure about the allegations "because it's a pretty serious charge."

And he pointed to intelligence failures over the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before the U.S. invasion.

"I know a lot about hacking," he said. "And hacking is a very hard thing to prove, so it could be somebody else."
A Texas state lawmaker was shot in the head New Years Eve, the accidental victim of a stray bullet.

The victim, State Rep. Armando Martinez, was taken to a Brownsville-area medical center, near the Mexico border, then to a hospital where surgeons removed the bullet that had punctured his skull.

Martinez, a Democrat, said he never lost consciousness. He was reported Monday in stable condition and is expected to make a full recovery.

"I'm really thankful for all of their efforts," he told CBS affiliate KGBT News.

Martinez, a married father, was at home with his wife and friends when the incident occurred. He was reportedly struck upon stepping outside of the house shortly after midnight, apparently by a bullet fired by a holiday reveler.

"It felt like a sledgehammer hit me over the head," Martinez told KGBT from the hospital.

After a few moments, Martinez and his wife realized he'd been hit by the bullet, then rushed to the medical center.

The Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office is investigating the shooting.

"We have reason to believe that he was hit by a bullet that was fired into the air," according to a statement released by Sgt. J.P. Rodriguez, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Office.
In this Monday, June 8, 2015 photo, 1-year-old Joshua Tinoco snuggles with his mother, Dunia Bueso, a 18-year-old Honduran who won the right to seek permanent residency under a U.S. program for abused and abandoned children, while taking a nap at their relative's home in Los Angeles. At a brief hearing, a government lawyer tells the teenage mother that her son is an immigration enforcement priority for the United States and should be sent back to his native Honduras even though she is being allowed to stay and seek a green card. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
If heaven and hell had a baby, it would be Bali.

With its screensaver beaches, tropical climate and prices so low, you feel like youre cheating the system ($27 a night for a three-star hotel, $1 for a fresh fruit smoothie), the Island of the Gods is the closest thing to paradise on earth.

But Bali, despite its natural splendor and affordability, is no Eden. Its to Australians what Cancun is to Americans, what Ibiza is to Europeans. It attracts more than its share of hedonists who come for spring break year-round.

INDONESIAN BOOZE BAN MAY HURT BALI TOURISM

In 2015, Bali welcomed 4 million foreign visitors  one traveler per resident. By 2020, Indonesias Ministry of Tourism aims to host 20 million  an ambitious goal, especially if the countrys House of Representatives passes a proposed alcohol ban that could impose sentences of up to 10 years in prison for producing, selling or consuming alcohol. But even if the law passes, the ministry is confident that Balis appeal will not be diminished. In that regard, it has an impressive track record.

This is the same place that bounced back after deadly terrorist bombings in 2002 and 2005 and weathered a public relations storm in 2015 when two Australians were executed for drug trafficking. The State Department has warned of potential crime related issues for travelers noting that "organized crime remains a problem in Indonesia, most notably drug dealing and trafficking in persons."

But would an alcohol ban really curb any crime-related incidents? The Islamic groups who support the bill think it will help curb damage incurred from drunken tourists, but the head of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association, Hariyadai Sukamdani, told The Jakarta Post that their business will be done if the bill passes.

But Indonesia's official tourism's arm doesnt view a booze-less Bali as doomsday.

We believe Balis tourism sector will not be significantly affected since the very reason travelers come to Bali is to enjoy the beauty of the nature and to soak themselves in the warmth of the culture, Dr. Ir. Arief Yahya, Indonesias Minister of Tourism, told FoxNews.com in an emailed statement. Bali, which has been known as the worlds best island, will not have become what it is today if the governments, both on local and national level, have not focused

And not all foreigners would be turned off by an alcohol-free vacation in paradise.

Taylor Jenson, a 28-year-old photographer who vacationed in Bali and Lombok in October says an alcohol ban wouldnt impact his decision to return.

Alcohol is definitely a large part of the tourism culture there, but Bali has much more to offer than just partying. The people, the food and the waves all outweigh alcohol. Jenson says he was never offered drugs or girlssomething many tourists report encountering in Bali. I expected it to be more sketchy, but I felt safe there at all times, recalls the Colorado resident. Crime, when it does occur, is mostly opportunistic, non-violent offenses. According to the 2015 government report from BPS Statistics Indonesia, its been consistently declining at a rate of around four-five percent since 2012.

In fact, 2015 saw the lowest crime rate since 2006.

THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS PLACES TO SWIM

When Jenson wasnt surfing Balis world-class waves, he was steering his scooter ($4 a day) along the narrow corridors separating centuries-old rice paddies from new construction in Canggu, a community where serenity rules, according to the New York Times. Canggus recently paved main drag is lined with chic cafes and hip boutiques where travelers can throw back wheat grass shots and buy custom surfboards before slipping off their flip-flops for a $7-an-hour reflexology massage.

The dirt side roads offer a glimpse of the rural Balinese lifestyle: daily Hindu offerings at the threshold of humble wood dwellings that lack modern mainstays like air conditioning. The Balinese are accustomed to the heat and humidity, but Western visitors cool down with liquid nitrogen ice cream sundaes at the new age Creamery  an establishment that foreshadows the gentrification thats coming.

If Canggu is Balis best kept secret, its worst is Ubud, which became a bucket-list contender after it was featured in Elizabeth Gilberts memoir, "Eat, Pray Love," which was made into a movie starring A-lister Julia Roberts.

Ubud is a mystical jungle where spirituality rules and towering banyan trees wrap their roots around deserted ancient temples, much like Angkor Wat in Cambodia. The hundreds of crab-eating maquaques who climb on them are considered holy. (Theyre also opportunistic. In Ubuds Sacred Monkey Forest, theyll pose on the shoulder of any selfie-stick-wielding tourist.)

Yoga may be Ubuds official sport, but its number one spectator sport is dancing  and not the kind found in Kutas clubs. The Balinese are dramatic storytellers whose history is best told through animated expressions and elaborate costumes.

Every day, travelers fan themselves in outdoor amphitheaters while watching battles between good and evil play out on stage. The dances depict popular Hindu legends who were the first to experience Balis light and dark sides. (Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world, but nearly 90 percent of the Balinese are Hindus, and the island is proud to maintain its religious identity.)

FOR THE LATEST TRAVEL FEATURES FOLLOW FOX LIFESTYLE ON FACEBOOK

There are 33 other provinces to explore besides Bali in Indonesia, which contains more than 17,000 islands and is the largest archipelago in the world. The tourism ministry is eager to introduce travelers to other culturally rich regions of the country, including Banyuwangi, Lombok and Sumatra with their black sand beaches and skyscraping volcanoes, and the rust-colored deserts of Komodo Island, where man-eating lizards roam.

But Bali his an unrivaled ring to it that resonates with travelers looking for a slice of heaven on earth. It occasionally comes with a side of hell, but that could be the price you pay for playing in paradise.
Police say seven people, including three teenagers, were injured in a New Year's Day shooting in Miami-Dade's West Little River neighborhood.

The Miami Herald reports that police say the victims were standing outside a house at around 6 p.m. Sunday when a car pulled and someone inside opened fire.

Police say six of the victims are in stable condition. A 17-year-old is in critical condition.

Police say there may be more than one suspect. A description of the suspect's vehicle was not given.
A pit bull bit its owner and attacked two other family members in Florida after a struggle to put a sweater on the dog Friday, police said.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, the incident occurred at around 2:30 p.m. in Tampa. Police said Brenda Guerrero, 52, tried to put the sweater on the dog, named Scarface, but the dog attacked her.

Her husband Ismael Guerrero, 46, was attacked when he tried to pull the dog off of her. Antoine Harris, 22, was attacked after trying to stop the dog by stabbing it in the head and neck, the paper reported.

All three were able to escape into the house, while the dog remained in the backyard.

Hillsborough County Animal Control and Tampa police responded to the scene. Animal services shot the dog with a tranquilizer gun.

Police said the dog reentered the home and made it to a back room where two young children were in, and thats when police used a bean bag gun and a Taser to control the dog. Animal services was able to subdue the dog with a catch pole.

Brenda and Ismael Guerrero were taken to a hospital. According to WTSP-TV, Brenda Guerreros injuries were serious, but not life threatening.

Click for more from the Tampa Bay Times.
A round-the-clock state and federal manhunt was underway Monday for an inmate who escaped from a Rhode Island detention center.

Former Army reservist James Morales, 35, fled Saturday by climbing a basketball hoop to reach a rooftop, cutting through a fence and climbing through razor wire, the Wyatt Correctional Center warden Daniel Martin said.

Martin added said it took more than three hours to discover Morales was missing. Two officers have been placed on leave after his escape.

Massachusetts state police said Monday they recovered a stolen vehicle believed to have been used by Morales. Police said he likely fled to Attleboro, Mass. and stole the car.

The search for Morales is now focusing on Framingham after the discovery of the car. Authorities found surveillance footage of a man with Morales description walking in downtown Framingham on Sunday, according to Fox 25 Boston.

The station reported that Morales may have knocked on the door of an ex-girlfriend. Neighbors said that she and her two kids were taken away from the area for their safety.

Morales is facing charges for allegedly stealing 16 guns from a U.S. Army Reserve Center. The FBI said he stole assault rifles and handguns from an armory in Worcester, Mass., in 2015. Hes also facing child rape charges.

According to Fox 25 Boston, Morales was last accounted for during a head count at 7 p.m. Saturday. The last escape at the Wyatt Detention Center was in 1996.

Morales, 35, has an eagle neck tattoo and anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to call 911.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click for more from Fox 25 Boston.
A Florida couple was found dead next to their vehicle on a highway Saturday morning, while their three young children were discovered in the backseat unharmed, police said.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Volusia County Sheriffs Office spokesman Andrew Gant said that a state trooper found the vehicle at around 2:08 a.m. It was parked on the eastbound side of Interstate 4 near DeLand with its hazard lights on.

Authorities found Daniel Kelsey, 32, and Heather Kelsey, 30, unconscious outside the SUV with their three young sons  ages ranging between eight months and four years  sitting in the backseat, Gant said. The parents were pronounced dead at the scene,

More on this... 2 soldiers reported missing from Fort Bliss since Dec. 19

The children were transferred to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach as a precautionary measure, according to the Sentinel. Family services is expected to meet with the children in an effort to assist with the investigation.

Gant said police were still investigating the incident. There were no signs of foul play.

Click for more from the Orlando Sentinel.
A former Utah politician was found safe Monday after getting stuck while coming back from a New Years Eve run, police said.

St. George police say Chad Bennion had driven out to an area called Slaughter Creek near the Nevada Border. After he was finished with his run, he began driving back and got lost on a side road.

St. George police Sgt. Dave Williams said Bennion found himself at a dead end in a box canyon and his car became stuck in the mud. Williams said at that point Bennion thought it would be better to hunker down for the night.

Bennion couldnt get his car unstuck the next day either. After a second night, he decided to hike out and he eventually found a hunter who was scouting for mountain lions, Fox 13 Now reported.

The hunter was able to tow Bennion cars out to help him get to his family.

Williams said Bennion was in good condition and had enough food and other essentials in his car.

The Salt Lake Tribune reported that Bennion was an elite runner in the 1990s and sought to run for the U.S. Olympic Team in the 1992 Games in Barcelona. He finished 14th in trials.

Bennion had represented several parts of Utah in the state Legislature from 1999 to 2005. He won a Salt Lake County election to become the countys Republican Party chairman in 2013.

Bennion resigned from his position in 2014 after he was charged with six misdemeanor counts of domestic violence in an altercation with his then-wife, who he was about to divorce.

The case was resolved after pleading abeyance to a disorderly conduct count and agreeing to take an anger management class, according to court records. The rest of the charges were dismissed.

Click for more from Fox 13 Now.
Four people found dead in a South Carolina home Sunday evening were killed in an apparent murder-suicide, local authorities said.

Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher identified the victims in a statement as 26-year-old Marissa Hope Reynoso and two of her children, 4-year-old Elijah Chavez and 1-year-old Ezra Chavez. Also dead was 25-year-old Jorge Luis Chavez, who's believed to be the father of the two children.

The coroner said the bodies were found at around 8 p.m. Sunday.

The Lexington County Sheriff's Office initially said that Jorge Luis Chavez was a person of interest in the murders and circulated a photo of him on social media. Early Monday, however, the sheriff's office said the deaths were likely a murder-suicide and they were no longer searching for Chavez.

Fisher said Reynoso had an older child who wasn't at the home at the time. The investigation is ongoing.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A federal judge says an upscale New Jersey town violated anti-discrimination laws by insisting that a proposed mosque have more parking spaces than churches or synagogues.

The judge on Saturday ruled that Bernards Township violated the Religious Land Use and Institutional Persons Act by applying a different standard to Muslims.

He said the township's planning board had "unbridled and unconstitutional discretion" due to its vague parking requirements.

The Islamic Society's application to build the mosque was denied after more than three years and 39 public hearings. The group sued the township in March.

The mosque's attorney, Adeel Mangi, called the decision a "landmark ruling."

NJ.com reports township officials say they "vehemently" disagree with the decision and will decide how to proceed after the township's attorneys study it.
The Latest on the next trial phase of the man facing a possible death sentence for slaying nine people during Bible study (all times local):

3:15 p.m.

A judge has issued an order governing Dylann Roof's movement within the federal courtroom where he'll be acting as his own lawyer during sentencing.

U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel on Monday ruled that Roof can't approach witnesses or the jury during court, set to get underway on Tuesday. He'll also be sitting in a chair furthest from the jury and victims' family members.

The same jury that last month found Roof guilty of 33 federal charges is set to return to court Tuesday to begin weighing if he should be sentenced to life in prison or death for the June 2015 slayings of nine black parishioners during a Charleston church Bible study.

Gergel's order was published online as he conducted a closed hearing on Roof's competency. Media outlets including The Associated Press argued it should be open to the public, but the judge said he feared Roof may not get a fair trial if jurors knew of what was discussed.

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1:15 p.m.

A judge has called for a recess in a second hearing on the competency of a man charged with killing nine black people during Bible study at a South Carolina church.

U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel heard more than three hours of testimony Monday before breaking for lunch.

Over the weekend, Gergel says a court-appointed psychiatrist examined 22-year-old Dylann Roof for about five hours.

Jay Bender, an attorney for The Associated Press and other outlets, said closing the hearing would keep the community from an important part of the legal process. Gergel ordered Monday's hearing closed to the media and public, saying Roof's right to a fair trial could be hampered if jurors mulling his sentence learned the contents of the hearing.

Jurors are set to begin hearing evidence Tuesday as to why prosecutors feel he should be put to death for killing nine people at Emanuel AME Church in June 2015.

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9:30 a.m.

A federal judge has shut out the public from a second hearing on the competency of a man charged with killing nine black people during Bible study at a South Carolina church.

U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel ruled Monday that Dylann Roof's right to a fair trial could be hampered if jurors mulling his sentence learned the contents of the hearing.

Jay Bender, an attorney for The Associated Press and other media outlets, argued against the closure. Bender said closing the hearing to the public would be keeping the community from an important part of the legal process.

Gergel said he would have had to sequester the jury if he opened up the hearing. The judge said he didn't think jurors would intentionally seek out information about the result but might come by it inadvertently, a risk he couldn't take. Gergel said he'd release a transcript of the hearing after a verdict is reached in the case.

Jurors are set to begin hearing evidence Tuesday as to why prosecutors feel he should be put to death for killing nine people at Emanuel AME Church in June 2015.

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3:30 a.m.

The same jury that last month unanimously found Dylann Roof guilty in the slayings of nine black parishioners at a South Carolina church is returning to court to begin contemplating his punishment.

The sentencing phase of Roof's trial begins Tuesday in Charleston. He could face the death penalty.

With Roof representing himself, the process is sure to be unconventional. The 22-year-old said he plans to call no witnesses or introduce any evidence.

Prosecutors plan to call up to 38 people related to the nine people killed and three who survived the June 2015 slaughter during Bible study at Emanuel AME Church.

Even if Roof is sentenced to death, it's highly unlikely he'd be executed anytime soon. The federal government hasn't carried out a death sentence since 2003.
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 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.

A manager at the Dupont Circle Hotel called the incident "a tragic accident" in a prepared statement. He did not offer more details.
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.
Two men suspected of a carjacking in Connecticut were killed early Monday when the stolen car crashed into a synagogue following a police chase.

New Haven Police told Fox61 they responded to the carjacking report shortly after midnight. The victim told officers the men had approached him and one of them claimed to have a gun. The victim gave the men his wallet and cell phone before the thieves took off in the victim's 2005 Toyota Highlander. The victim was not injured.

A little more than an hour later an officer spotted the stolen car, called for backup, and began pursuing the suspects. Once reinforcements arrived, police tried to stop the car, only for the driver to take off again.

Minutes later, police came upon the Highlander, which had crashed into the Congregation Beth El Keser Synagogue.

The driver was identified as 23-year-old Tommy Brown, of New Haven, and his passenger was 20-year-old Andrew Bolden-Velez, of West Haven.

New Haven police say the investigation has been turned over to the Connecticut State Police and the state's attorney's office.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click for more from Fox61.com.
The same jury that last month unanimously found Dylann Roof guilty in the slayings of nine black parishioners at a South Carolina church is returning to court to begin contemplating his punishment.

With the 22-year-old representing himself, the process is sure to be unconventional. But even if Roof is sentenced to death, it's highly unlikely he'd be executed anytime soon.

While prosecutors plan to call up to 38 people related to the nine people killed and three who survived the June 2015 slaughter during Bible study at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, Roof said last week he plans on calling no witnesses and presenting no evidence.

Roof was found guilty last month on 33 federal charges, including hate crimes and obstruction of the practice of religion. A jury took less than three hours to return its verdict, and a judge dismissed the jury for a break over the holidays.

Typically in what's known as the sentencing phase, defense attorneys call relatives and other witnesses to testify about their client's unsteady state of mind before and during the crimes. Given that background, the defense hopes, a jury might be more likely to spare the defendant's life and opt against the death penalty.

But Roof, who is acting as his own attorney, has said he plans to do no such thing.

In his journal, which was read in court during his trial, Roof said his doesn't believe in psychology, which he called "a Jewish invention" that "does nothing but invent diseases and tell people they have problems when they don't."

Roof also seems to be determined to try to keep evidence embarrassing to him or his family out. Not only did he take over his own defense, but he asked the judge at a hearing Wednesday if he could file a motion limiting what prosecutors can introduce.

Roof also was adamant that a transcript of a hearing where he was found mentally competent not be released to the public.

"I know this is not a legal argument, but the unsealing of the competency hearing defeats the purpose of me representing myself," Roof said at last week's hearing.

Neither Roof, nor U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel nor prosecutors have given specifics on the evidence Roof is objecting to.

On Thursday, Gergel ordered another competency evaluation of Roof "in an abundance of caution," after his standby counsel filed a sealed motion again questioning Roof's mental ability to proceed. The judge's order specified he saw no reason to delay Tuesday's start of the penalty phase.

Roof's lawyers tried repeatedly both to stop him from being his own lawyer and to work mental health-related evidence into the first phase of his trial, saying they feared Roof fired them because he feared the attorneys would present evidence that would embarrass him when trying to save his life.

Prosecutors objected at every turn, and Gergel wouldn't allow any of it into court, ruling mitigation evidence is allowable during sentencing and not before.

Court papers show prosecutors are expected to present evidence showing that Roof picked his victims because of their race, killed them to incite more violence, showed no remorse and killed three particularly vulnerable people who were 70 years old or older.

Evidence speaking to Roof's mental state, one expert argues, could make the difference between life and death.

"The Dylann Roof case is a classic example of the type of problem you can have when an obviously mentally ill or emotionally disturbed defendant is permitted to represent himself," said Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center. "There's a huge difference in the eyes of a jury between someone they perceive as evil or despicable and someone they perceive as being seriously mentally ill. ... If you take mental health out of it, you are putting a thumb on the scale of death."

Both the judge's decision to allow Roof to represent himself and waive the introduction of mental health evidence are sure to be raised in an inevitable appeal, Dunham argued.

Roof also faces nine murder charges in state court, where prosecutors have also said they will seek the death penalty in a trial likely to begin sometime next year.

Whether he's sentenced to death or not, it's unlikely Roof would be executed anytime soon, in either jurisdiction. The federal government hasn't executed anyone since 2003, and there are years of appeals between a death sentence being levied and carried out.

South Carolina's death chamber hasn't been used since 2011, due at least in part to a lack of availability for the drugs the state uses for lethal injection.

___

Associated Press writer Jeffrey Collins contributed to this report.

___

Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP . Read more of her work at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/meg-kinnard/ .
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP)  A U.S. missionary should spend six months in prison for her failed attempt to remove 33 children from Haiti following the Jan. 12 earthquake, a prosecutor said Thursday on the first day of her trial.

Prosecutor Sonel Jean-Francois told the court that Laura Silsby knew she was breaking the law by trying to take the children without proper documents to an orphanage she was starting in the neighboring Dominican Republic.

"Laura recognized she violated the law," Jean-Francois said as lawyers and a small group of spectators crowded into a a stiflingly hot tent in the parking lot of the quake-damaged courthouse.

He spoke after the Idaho woman testified. Silsby, who was leader of a group of Baptists detained by authorities, was the only person to testify on the first day of the trial. She spent much of the rest of the session reading the Bible.

The 40-year-old businesswoman told the court she thought the children were orphans whose homes were destroyed in the earthquake. An Associated Press investigation later revealed all the children had at least one living parent, who had turned their children over to the group in hopes of securing better lives for them.

"One week after the earthquake I left my family and my home to help children that had been orphaned in the earthquake," Silsby said. "We came here with a heart to help."

Silsby was originally charged with kidnapping and criminal association. She now faces one count of arranging illegal travel under a 1980 statute restricting travel out of Haiti signed by then-dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier.

A six-month sentence is the minimum jail time recommended under the law. She would receive credit for time served if convicted and sentenced to prison, prosecutors told the AP.

Silsby has been in custody since Jan. 29, when she and nine other Americans were detained at the Dominican border. The other missionaries have all been released and charges against them dismissed.

A defense request for her to be released immediately was denied.

Prosecutors also asked for six months in prison for Jean Sainvil, an Atlanta-based pastor born in Haiti who allegedly helped find the children for the missionaries. He is not in Haiti and is being tried in absentia.

The next session of the trial is expected next week.

The Americans' arrest came as the Haitian government was trying to control adoptions to prevent the trafficking of children after the earthquake, which killed a government-estimated 230,000 to 300,000 people and left some 1.3 million homeless.

Silsby sat quietly through Thursday's proceedings, dressed in a black shirt and denim skirt, while her Haitian lawyers argued with the prosecution. Hers was the only foreign face in the room other than AP journalists. Three men arrested for other crimes sat behind her in handcuffs.

The argument came down to a simple point on both sides:

Prosecutors said she knowingly took children to the border without papers.

"If the United States had an earthquake, that would not give you the right to take children," Jean-Francois said.

The defense responded in an often rambling address that Silsby was trying to help earthquake survivors under societal breakdown, with bodies in the street and government ministries destroyed.

"Why take the chance away from Haitian kids to have an opportunity for a better life?" asked lawyer Jean-Rene Tesir.

Silsby's testimony came early in the trial, given as she stood beside the desk of Judge Denis Cyprien. She spoke calmly in a low voice, choking back tears when she talked about the children she tried to transport, as a clerk rang a tin bell for order.

She identified her occupation as "manager of an orphanage," referring to the institution she had hoped to create in the northern Dominican Republic. There are no kids there; the children she tried to transport have been returned to their parents.

Sometimes Silsby spoke so quietly that the translator couldn't hear her. After she muttered her address twice, he shrugged and said in Creole to the clerk transcribing proceedings by hand, "somewhere in the United States."

In another strange moment he translated a judge's question as "Did you appreciate being arrested?"

The missionary told the judge that she met the children for the first time in front of a flattened building and described being turned away from closed government ministries in her attempt to get them documents.

"They said there was nobody there to help me," Silsby said.

___

Associated Press writer Evens Sanon contributed to this story
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A Sudanese woman says she is prepared to be flogged to defend the right to leave her hair uncovered in defiance of a "Taliban"-like law.

Amira Osman Hamed faces a possible whipping if convicted at a trial which could come on September 19.

Under Sudanese law her hair -- and that of all women -- is supposed to be covered with a "hijab". But Hamed, 35, refuses to wear one.

Her case has drawn support from civil rights activists and is the latest to highlight Sudan's series of laws governing morality which took effect after the 1989 Islamist-backed coup by President Omar al-Bashir.

"They want us to be like Taliban women," Hamed said in an interview with AFP, referring to the fundamentalist militant movement in Afghanistan.

She is charged under Article 152 which prohibits "indecent" clothing.

Activists say the vaguely worded law leaves women subject to police harassment and disproportionately targets the poor in an effort to maintain "public order".

"This public order law changed Sudanese women from victims to criminals," says Hamed, a divorced computer engineer who runs her own company.

"This law is targeting the dignity of Sudanese people."

Hamed said she was visiting a government office in Jebel Aulia, just outside Khartoum, on August 27 when a policeman aggressively told her to cover her head.

"He said, 'You are not Sudanese. What is your religion?'"

"I'm Sudanese. I'm Muslim, and I'm not going to cover my head," Hamed replied.

Her dark hair, tinged golden, is braided tight against her scalp with a flare of curls at the back.

Hamed said she was detained for a few hours, charged, and then bailed.

At her first court appearance on September 1, when the case was delayed until later this month, about 100 women and some men gathered to support her.

Many of the protesting women had their heads uncovered, as did Hamed who says she has "never, ever" worn a hijab.

"There are many (who) wear it because they are afraid, not because they want to wear it," she said, speaking at her family's home and dressed in blue jeans which could get her into trouble if she went outside.

Hamed was charged in 2002 for wearing trousers but a lawyer helped her get off with only a fine, rather than a flogging.

Most women do not have the benefit of legal assistance and are too ashamed to tell their families about their arrest under the morality law, leaving them at the mercy of the court and vulnerable to sexual harassment by police, she says.

"Daily, Sudanese women are flogged in the court under this law."

In 2009, the case of journalist Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein led to a global outcry and spotlighted women's rights in Sudan.

Hussein was fined for wearing slacks in public but she refused to pay. She spent one day behind bars until the Sudanese Journalists' Union paid the fine on her behalf.

Others rounded up with her in a restaurant were flogged.

"You are a slut. You want guys to sleep with you. That's why you are wearing like this," another woman, who has been detained twice in Khartoum, remembers police telling her.

"This was very humiliating," said the woman, a professional worker who asked to be identified only as Rania.

She told AFP she was detained but not charged, once for leaving her hair uncovered and a second time for wearing trousers.

"Why women in Sudan cannot have the right to decide what to wear, if they want to cover or not?" Rania asked.

She and Hamed say application of the law is uneven, because at high-end restaurants women can leave their hair exposed without risk of arrest.

Sudan's national police spokesman could not be reached on Sunday for comment.

Asked about the activists' concerns, Rabbie Abdelatti Ebaid, a senior official from the governing National Congress Party, said President Bashir is seeking views from a wide spectrum of society on a new draft constitution for Sudan.

The constitution, from which laws derive, will be designed to take into consideration the will, culture and customs of the people while "respecting the human being", he said.

Hamed hopes the laws will change.

In the meantime she expects to be convicted at trial and says she is ready for any sentence -- including a flogging.

"I take a risk to tell what is happening in our country and I hope that will be the last time a Sudanese woman is arrested by this law."
Thousands of Dominican Republic residents have been thrown into limbo by a ruling from the country's highest court that strips citizenship from anyone born to migrants who entered illegally. The decree affects mainly people of Haitian descent and is likely to worsen already acrimonious relations with neighboring Haiti.

Advocacy groups for immigrants expressed anger over Thursday's ruling, saying it ignored the rights of those affected and was based on bigotry against predominantly black Haitians.

"This is outrageous," said Ana Maria Belique, spokeswoman for a nonprofit group that has fought for the rights of children born in the Dominican Republic to migrants, such as herself. "It's an injustice based on prejudice and xenophobia."

The Constitutional Court's decision cannot be appealed, and it covers those born since 1929  a category that overwhelmingly includes Haitians brought in to work on farms and their descendants.

David Abraham, a law professor at the University of Miami, said the decision was part of a larger effort to keep Haitians from entering the Dominican Republic and to encourage self-deportation of those already here.

He cited the racial differences between the predominantly black Haitians and mixed-race Dominicans as well as Haiti's plight as one of the world's poorest countries.

"The fear of the Dominican Republic, of being pulled down to the level of Haiti economically and the 'blackening' of the country, has been an obsession of Dominican politicians for well over a century," he said.

Spanish-speaking Dominicans and Creole-speaking Haitians share the Caribbean island of Hispaniola and have a long history of troubles, including wars and massacres. Relations warmed after Haiti's devastating 2010 earthquake that killed an estimated 300,000 people, but tensions have since resumed.

The office of Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe declined to comment about the ruling.

Edwin Paraison, a former Haitian Cabinet minister who has been working to improve relations between the two nations, criticized the court and warned that the ruling could hurt Dominicans. "The sentence expresses a rejection of the Haitian diaspora while setting a dangerous precedent that can be reproduced, if appropriate action isn't taken, against other immigrant communities, including Dominicans, in several countries worldwide," he said in an email.

The Constitutional Court said officials are studying birth certificates of more than 16,000 people and noted that electoral authorities have refused to issue identity documents to 40,000 people of Haitian descent. It gave the electoral commission a year to produce a list of people to be excluded from citizenship.

The Economy Ministry recently calculated that about 500,000 people born in Haiti now live in the Dominican Republic, but it gave no estimate for the number of people of Haitian descent living in the country. The Dominican Republic's total population is a little over 10 million.

The debate over citizenship began to escalate in 2007, when electoral authorities refused to issue identity documents or return copies of them to Dominican-born people of Haitian descent. In 2008, several people challenged those decisions in court, including Belique, whose birth certificate was seized by government officials when she tried to enroll in a local university.

Until 2010, the Dominican Republic followed the principle of automatically bestowing citizenship to anyone born on its soil. But that year, the government approved a new constitution stating that citizenship will be granted only to those born on its soil to at least one parent of Dominican blood or whose foreign parents are legal residents.

Citing that constitution, the court ruled that all Haitian migrants who came to work in Dominican sugarcane fields after 1929 were "in transit," and thus their children were not automatically entitled to citizenship just because they were born here.

Dominican lawyer Cristobal Rodriguez said the court disregarded the principle of law retroactivity by applying the criteria of a new constitution approved in 2010 to people born decades earlier.

Rights groups and migrant activists said the decision would force many people underground and deprive them of basic needs and public services.

Activists said they would likely seek help from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which in turn might submit the case to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Jorge Duany, an anthropology professor at Florida International University who has studied the migration of Dominicans in the Caribbean, said the decision comes after countless years of friction between the two countries.

"The impact could be truly catastrophic," he said. "They are stigmatizing an entire Haitian population."

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Associated Press writer Ezequiel Abiu Lopez reported this story in Santo Domingo and Danica Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico. AP writers Trenton Daniel and Evens Sanon in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, contributed to this report.
A police official said Sunday that a Haitian legislator driving an SUV slammed into a small passenger bus killing 11 people, including an infant.

Seme Calixte, commissioner of the police in the western town of Saint Marc, said authorities suspect the lawmaker was speeding when he lost control of his four-wheel drive in the Artibonite region.

Calixte identified the driver as Jules Lionel Anelus, a member of Haiti's lower house Chamber of Deputies.

The police commissioner said Sunday that the infant and the child's mother were among those killed in a colorfully-painted bus known as a "tap tap." Another 10 people including Anelus were injured in the Saturday afternoon crash, which is still being investigated. Calixte said it's too early to say whether any criminal charges will be filed.

Deadly traffic accidents are common in Haiti, where police seldom enforce traffic laws and many vehicles are severely overloaded.
A Somali police officer says a suicide car bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at a security checkpoint near Mogadishu's international airport, killing at least three people.

Capt. Mohamed Hussein says the car bomber detonated the bomb Monday as security forces were searching cars at the checkpoint, few hundred yards from the main base of the African Union mission.

The checkpoint is close to United Nations offices and the Peace Hotel, which is often frequented by foreigners and officials. The powerful blast blew roofs off nearby buildings.

A second blast and heavy gunfire could also be heard at the checkpoint after the attack, but there were no immediate details.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. However, the al-Qaida linked Islamic extremist group al-Shabab often carries out such attacks.

Despite being ousted from most of its key strongholds across large parts of south and central Somalia, the group continues to wage deadly attack across the country.

Somalia's capital has seen frequent bomb attacks at hotels and military checkpoints. The assaults have threatened this Horn of Africa nation's attempts to rebuild from decades of chaos. The country's presidential election, a key step toward recovery, already has been delayed multiple times because of security and other concerns.


German police say that a 19-year-old Afghan asylum-seeker has suffered serious burns after setting himself on fire at a supermarket warehouse in Bavaria.

Police said that the man poured gasoline over himself and set himself ablaze early Monday in Gaimersheim, a town between Nuremberg and Munich. He had bought the gasoline shortly before at a filling station.

The blaze was extinguished swiftly by other people at the scene, but the man was seriously injured.

The man's motives weren't immediately clear. Police say he was carrying a knife but didn't use it.
The lone American confirmed to have been injured in a New Year's terror attack on an Istanbul nightclub was saved by his cell phone, his brother told local media Monday.

William Jacob Raak, 35, of Chadds Ford, Pa., was one of an estimated 600 people partying inside the Reina nightclub early on New Year's Day when a gunman entered and opened fire at around 1:15 a.m. The attack, which was claimed by ISIS, killed at least 39 people, many of them foreigners, and injured close to 70 others.

Raak, who was at the club with a group of nine people, was shot in the hip. His brother, Michael Raak, told NBC10 that the bullet "hit his phone" before traveling to Jacob Raak's knee.

Doctors told Raak that the cell phone prevented the bullet from hitting a major artery, likely saving the American's life.

In an interview with NBC News, Raak said he laid on the floor of the nightclub and played dead as the gunman moved through the bloody scene. He described himself as "probably the luckiest person in the whole thing."

"When he shot me I didn't move  I just let him shoot me," he said. "I was shot when I was already on the ground. He was shooting people that he had already shot."

Seven of Raak's companions at the club were shot. All were expected to survive.

Camera crews captured Raak being loaded onto an ambulance outside the nightclub.

"I was shot in the f---ing leg, man," he yelled to reporters. "These crazy people came in shooting everything."

Raak's mother, Grace Raak, told The Associated Press on Monday her son was visiting Istanbul to celebrate his birthday, which was Wednesday.



"We are praying for those that were injured, for their speedy recovery, and we're praying for the family and friends of those who lost loved ones," Grace Raak said.



She said it was her understanding that her son was to arrive home Tuesday night.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the attacker left a gun at the club and escaped by "taking advantage of the chaos" that ensued. Some customers reportedly jumped into the waters of the Bosporus strait to escape the attack.

The mass shooting followed more than 30 violent acts over the past year in Turkey, which is a member of the NATO alliance and a partner in the U.S.-led coalition fighting against ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

The country endured multiple bombings in 2016, including three in Istanbul alone that authorities blamed on ISIS, a failed coup attempt in July and renewed conflict with Kurdish rebels in the southeast.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A suicide bomber driving a pickup loaded with explosives struck a bustling market in Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 36 people in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group (ISIS) hours after French President Francois Hollande arrived in the Iraqi capital.



The bomb went off in a fruit and vegetable market that was packed with day laborers, a police officer said, adding that another 52 people were wounded.



During a press conference with Hollande, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the bomber pretended to be a man seeking to hire day laborers. Once the workers gathered around, he detonated the vehicle.



ISIS claimed the attack in a statement circulated on a militant website often used by the extremists. It was the third ISIS-claimed attack in as many days in and around Baghdad, underscoring the lingering threat posed by the group despite a string of setbacks elsewhere in the country over the past year, including in and around the northern city of Mosul.



The attack took place in Sadr City, a vast Shiite district in eastern Baghdad that has been repeatedly targeted by Sunni extremists since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.



Shiite militiamen loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr, the firebrand cleric for whose family the neighborhood is named, were seen evacuating bodies in their trucks before ambulances arrived. Dead bodies were scattered across the bloody pavement alongside fruit, vegetables and laborers' shovels and axes. A minibus filled with dead passengers was on fire.



Asaad Hashim, an owner of a mobile phone store nearby, described how the laborers pushed and shoved around the bomber's vehicle, trying to get hired.



"Then a big boom came, sending them up into the air," said the 28-year old, who suffered shrapnel wounds to his right hand. He blamed "the most ineffective security forces in the world" for failing to prevent the attack.



An angry crowd cursed the government, even after a representative of al-Sadr tried to calm them. Late last month, Iraqi authorities started removing some of the security checkpoints in Baghdad in a bid to ease traffic for the capital's 6 million residents.



"We have no idea who will kill at any moment and who's supposed to protect us," said Ali Abbas, a 40-year old father of four who was hurled over his vegetable stand by the blast. "If the securities forces can't protect us, then allow us to do the job," he added.



Three smaller bombings elsewhere in the city on Monday killed another seven civilians and wounded at least 30, according to medics and police officials. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.



Hollande meanwhile met with al-Abadi and President Fuad Masum, and was expected to travel to the self-governing northern Kurdish region to meet French troops and local officials.



Iraqi troops, backed by a U.S.-led coalition, are fighting ISIS in a massive operation to retake the northern city of Mosul. Iraqi state TV said Hollande will discuss increasing support for Iraq and the latest developments in the 10-week-old offensive.



Hollande promised that France would remain a long-term ally of Iraq and called for coordination between intelligence services "in a spirit of great responsibility," in remarks carried by his official Twitter account.



France is part of the American-led coalition formed in 2014 to fight ISIS after the extremist group seized large areas in Iraq and neighboring Syria. France has suffered multiple attacks claimed by the extremist group.



Since the Mosul operation started on Oct. 17, Iraqi forces have seized around a quarter of the city. Last week, the troops resumed fighting after a two-week lull due to stiff resistance by the militants and bad weather.



Mosul is Iraq's second largest city and the last major urban area in the country controlled by ISIS. Iraqi and U.S. commanders hope to drive ISIS from the city in the next three months.


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French President Francois Hollande has arrived in Iraq amid a fierce fight against the Islamic State group.

During his one-day visit which started on Monday, Hollande is scheduled to meet with Iraqi President Fuad Masum and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in the capital, Baghdad. Later, he'll travel to the country's self-governing northern Kurdish region to meet French troops and local officials.

The visit comes as Iraqi troops, backed by the U.S.-led coalition, are fighting IS in a massive operation to retake the northern city of Mosul.

France is part of the U.S.-led international coalition formed in late 2014 to fight IS after the extremist group seized large areas in Iraq and neighboring Syria and declaring an Islamic "caliphate." Like some European countries, France has suffered terrorist attacks claimed by IS.
The Islamic State said in a statement on Monday that it was responsible for a New Years shooting spree at an Istanbul nightclub that left 39 people dead and nearly 70 wounded, while authorities were still searching for the gunman.

The terror group said through its Aamaq News Agency that the attack was carried out by a heroic soldier of the caliphate who attacked the most famous nightclub where Christians were celebrating their pagan feast.

Turkish authorities believe that the gunman came from a Central Asian nation and is likely to either be from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan, Turkish media reported citing unnamed sources.

Police had also established similarities with the high-casualty suicide bomb and gun attack at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport in June and was investigating whether the same ISIS cell could have carried out both attacks, the papers reported.

The unidentified gunman, who is still at large, killed a policeman and another man outside the Reina club in the early hours of 2017 before entering and firing at about 600 revelers partying inside with an automatic 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," Istanbul Gov. Vasip Sahin told reporters.

Nearly two-thirds of the victims were foreigners, many from the Middle East, according to Turkeys state-run Anadolu Agency. The report said the bodies of 25 foreign nationals killed in the attack would be delivered to their families later Monday.

The mass shooting followed more than 30 violent acts over the past year in Turkey, which is a member of the NATO alliance and a partner in the U.S.-led coalition fighting against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq. The country endured multiple bombings in 2016, including three in Istanbul alone that authorities blamed on IS, a failed coup attempt in July and renewed conflict with Kurdish rebels in the southeast.

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 the "foreign guests."

Among the dead were an 18-year-old Israeli woman, three Indians, three Lebanese, a woman with dual French-Tunisian citizenship and her Tunisian husband, two Jordanians, a Belgian national, a Kuwaiti citizen and a Canadian, according to those countries' governments and a diplomat. Jordan's Foreign Ministry earlier said three of its citizens had been killed, but revised that, saying there was confusion over the nationality of one victim.

A U.S. State Department official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity, said one American man was among those wounded. Turkey's minister for family and social policies, Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya, said citizens of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon and Libya were among those injured.

NTV news reported that the assailant was wearing a Santa Claus outfit when he entered the nightclub on the shore of Bosporus straight, on the European side of the city  a claim Prime Miniser Binali Yidirim denied.

Sickening video from the scene shows what appeared to be a man dressed in black and carrying a backpack as he shoots down a police officer outside the nightclub. Footage taken by a different camera inside Reina shows a figure wearing different clothes and what could be a Santa Claus hat.

Yildirim said the attacker left a gun at the club 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, said he was passing by the club when he saw a man shoot at a police officer and a bystander. He said the attacker then targeted security guards, 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," Dag said.

Turkish media said the local victims included a 22-year-old police officer and a 47-year-old travel agent, both of whom were shot outside the club.

One was given a funeral Sunday in Istanbul, where his two sons joined the mourners gathered around the flag-draped casket, the private Dogan news agency reported.

Ayhan Arik, a tourism company employee who had taken foreign guests to the nightclub, was shot in the head, the news agency said.

On Sunday, heavily armed police blocked the snowy street in front of the nightclub. The entrance was covered with blue plastic sheeting below a Turkish flag. Police also patrolled the Asian side of the Bosporus on the other side of the club.

Crime scene investigators were seen inside the nightclub searching through mingled piles of chairs, tables and pieces of clothing left behind during the panic among the guests.

There were emotional scenes in front of a city morgue where the dead were taken for identification. Some relatives cried out and fell to the ground as they apparently learned the fate of their loved ones.

The Islamic State group claims to have cells in the country. Analysts think it was behind suicide bombings last January and March that targeted tourists on Istanbul's iconic Istiklal Street as well as the attack at Ataturk Airport in June, which killed 45 people.

In December, ISIS released a video purportedly showing the killing of two Turkish soldiers and urged its supporters to "conquer" Istanbul. Turkey's jets regularly bomb the group in the northern Syrian town of Al-Bab. Turkish authorities have not confirmed the authenticity of the video.

The nightclub attack drew quick condemnation from the West and Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to Turkey's leader, saying that "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. The U.N. Security Council condemned the "heinous and barbaric" assault in the "strongest terms."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A Russian state news agency says that the children of Russian diplomats expelled by the United States are being invited to a holiday gathering at the Kremlin.

The White House on Thursday ordered 35 diplomats out of the country as part of measures aimed at punishing Russia for alleged hacking interference in the U.S. presidential election. Many of them and their families arrived in Moscow early Monday.

Some officials complained that the expulsion ruined families' celebrations of New Year's Eve, Russia's main gift-giving festivity.

Elena Krylova, a spokeswoman for the presidential affairs administration, was quoted by the Tass news agency as saying that a visit for the children to see the holiday tree in the State Kremlin Palace is being organized.
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The Latest on the Istanbul nightclub attack (all times local):

11:45 a.m.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the Istanbul shooting that killed 39 people and wounded scores of others.

The IS-linked Aamaq News Agency said the New Year's Eve attack was carried by a "heroic soldier of the caliphate who attacked the most famous nightclub where Christians were celebrating their pagan feast."

It said the man opened fire from an automatic rifle in "revenge for God's religion and in response to the orders" of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The group described Turkey as "the servant of the cross."

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10:10 a.m.

Turkish media reports say that authorities believe that the Islamic State group is behind the attack on a popular Istanbul nightclub during New Year's celebrations.

Hurriyet and Karar newspaper reports Monday cited unnamed security officials saying that authorities have determined that the gunman who killed 39 people comes from a Central Asian nation and is believed to be either from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan.

Police had also established similarities with the high-casualty attack at Ataturk Airport in June and was investigating whether the same IS cell carried out both attacks.

The gunman, who is still at large, killed a policeman and another man outside the Reina club in the early hours of 2017 before firing at people partying inside.

Nearly two-thirds of the dead were foreigners, many from the Middle East.
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At least 39 people were killed and nearly 70 injured in the mass shooting that took place in front of and inside a popular Istanbul nightclub in the first hours of New Year's Day. The victims included citizens of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Iraq, France, Tunisia, India, Morocco, Jordan, Kuwait, Canada, Israel, Syria, Belgium, Germany and Russia.

Among them was a police officer and a security guard employed to keep revelers safe, a tour guide escorting visitors during a night on the town and young adults who had traveled to Turkey for the holidays.

A look at what is known so far about the victims and their nationalities.

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Mehmet Kerim Akyil, 23, had traveled from Belgium to Istanbul for a New Year's vacation. His father, Ali Akyil, told state-run Anadolu news agency that they were a Turkish family who loved their country.

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Bulent Sirvan Osman, 38, a married father of two from Erbil, Iraq, was in Istanbul for business, according to Anadolu.

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Abdullah Ahmed Abbolos, a 32-year-old Palestinian living in Saudi Arabia, had come to Istanbul to celebrate the new year, Anadolu reported.

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Abis Rizvi from Mumbai was one of two Indian victims of the attack. The 49-year-old builder wrote, produced and directed a Bollywood movie "Roar: The Tigers of Sunderbans," in 2014 aimed at spreading awareness about tigers.

The other Indian victim was named as Khushi Shah, a fashion designer from Vadodara, a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat.

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Hatice Karcilar, a 29-year-old private security guard, was among the Turkish victims of the attack, state-run Anadolu news agency reported. She is survived by her husband and a 3-year-old daughter, it said.

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Turkish police officer Burak Yildiz was shot and killed outside the Reina nightclub, Anadolu reported. The 22-year-old from the southern city of Mersin had been on the force for 1 years.

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Ayhan Arik, a 47-year-old Turkish travel agent and a father of two, was shot in the head outside the club, reported the private Dogan news agency.

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The Lebanese Foreign Ministry identified three of its citizens among the dead as Elias Wardini, Rita Shami and Haikal Musalam. The wounded included Bushra El Douaihy, the daughter of parliament member Estephan El Douaihy, it said.

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Leanne Nasser, an 18-year-old Arab-Israeli from the town of Tira, was celebrating with friends when the gunman broke in and opened fire. Ruaa Mansour, also 18, was moderately wounded in the attack. Two other friends were unharmed.

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The U.S. State Department confirmed that a 35-year-old Delaware businessman originally from Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, wounded in the attack.

William Jacob Raak told the Dogan news agency that he was in the club with nine people, seven of whom were shot. Raak suffered a leg wound.

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France's foreign minister says one French citizen was killed and three others wounded in the shooting.

Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said in a statement that a woman with both French and Tunisian citizenship died in the attack early Sunday. The woman's Tunisian husband also died, he said.

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Dubai-based broadcaster Al Arabiya reported that seven people from Saudi Arabia were killed and 10 were wounded in the attack.

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Two people from Bavaria are among the dead, according to Germany's Foreign Ministry.

Spokesman Martin Schaefer declined to name them, but said it appeared one was a German-Turkish dual citizen and the other was believed to have had only Turkish nationality. Three German citizens were wounded in the attack, he said.

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Jordan's Foreign Ministry said two of its citizens were killed and six were wounded in the attack.

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Kuwait's Consul-General Mohammad Fahad al-Mohammad said one Kuwaiti was killed and five others were wounded in the shooting.
Israeli police on Monday questioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about a pair of allegations related to possible corruption, FoxNews.com confirmed.

The investigation -- which Netanyahu has called "baseless" -- will address the suspicion that Netanyahu and his family received gifts from Israeli and foreign businessmen in breach of his role as a public servant.

"The national police unit questioned the PM Benjamin Netanyahu under caution on the suspicions of receiving benefits," a statement from police said. "He was questioned for 3 hours at his residents. At this stage there is no further details to be given."

According to Israeli channel 10, the two businessmen who are suspected of providing benefits to Netanyahu have already admitted their roles, and Netanyahu is now to be confronted with that testimony.

Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, have weathered several scandals over the years, including investigations into the misuse of state funds and an audit of the family's spending on everything from laundry to ice cream. They have denied any wrongdoing.

Netanyahu is not the first prime minister to be questioned in a criminal case.

Ehud Olmert , is currently serving 18 months in prison after being convicted of breach of trust and bribery in 2014 and former prime minister Ariel Sharon was questioned while in office in 2003 and 2004 over allegations of bribery and corruption involving him and his two sons.

FoxNews.com's Yonat Friling contributed to this report.
Turkish authorities on Monday released the clearest image yet of the man believed to have wreaked havoc on a nightclub full of New Year's Eve revelers, and officials believed they were closing in on positively identifying the gunman.

ISIS on Monday claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed 39 and injured about 70, and Turkish media reports had said investigators believed the killer was likely from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan. The discovery of new evidence at the scene of the attack was also bolstering the effort to name the suspect -- who remains at large.

"Information about the fingerprints and basic appearance of the terrorist have been found," Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said at a Monday news conference. "In the process after this, work to identify him swiftly will be carried out."

AMERICAN INJURED IN ISTANBUL ATTACK SAVED BY HIS PHONE

Turkish investigators detained eight people Monday in connection with the attack on the Reina nightclub, however, none were believed to be the gunman. It was unclear how the eight people may be connected to the attack, which had indications of planning, including the possibility that the gunman cased Reina before the massacre.

"He stormed in and immediately headed for the people to the left, which is always more crowded...I wonder if he came here before because he seemed to know where to go," barman Mehmet Yilan told Reuters.

Experts who had viewed full video of the attack told pro-government Turkish paper The Daily Sabah that the assailant appeared professionally trained. He reportedly fired more than 180 bullets during an episode that lasted about seven minutes before going to the kitchen, changing his clothes and escaping by blending in with the fleeing crowd.

A statement distributed by ISIS said the attack was carried out by a "heroic soldier of the caliphate" who attacked the nightclub "where Christians were celebrating their pagan feast."

It 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.



The group described Turkey as "the servant of the cross" and also suggested it was in retaliation for Turkish military offensives against ISIS in Syria and Iraq.



"We let infidel Turkey know that the blood of Muslims that is being shed by its airstrikes and artillery shelling will turn into fire on its territories," the statement said.

According to the Hurriyet and Karar newspapers, police had established similarities between the nightclub shooting and the high-casualty suicide bomb and gun attack at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport in June and was investigating whether the same ISIS cell could have carried out both attacks.

On Monday, Anadolu said more than 100 ISIS targets in Syria have been hit by Turkey and Russia in separate operations.



Citing the Turkish Chief of General Staff's office, Anadolu said Turkish jets struck eight ISIS targets while tanks and artillery fired upon 103 targets near Al Bab, killing 22 extremists while destroying many structures. The Russian jets also attacked ISIS targets in Dayr Kak, five miles to the southwest of Al Bab.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Big grants

The biggest grant announced in 2016 for the Fredericksburg region was the federal governments pledge of $165 million for the Atlantic Gateway project, which includes rail expansion, extension of the Interstate 95 express lanes, the Rappahannock River Crossing and increased bus service. Among the upgrades: A new southbound bridge as part of the Rappahannock River Crossing project, which aims to ease congestion by providing local and commuter traffic additional lanes between U.S. 17 and State Route 3. The funds will also help expand the I95 express lanes by 17 miles.

The state offered incentives to businesses expanding locally. Strangeways Brewing was offered $150,000 from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Forestry Industries Fund toward opening Strangeways Brewing Fredericksburg. Fredericksburgs Economic Development Authority will match the grant in $50,000 installments over three years. Spencer Devon Brewing received grants totaling $54,000 from the states tourism growth fund and the Fredericksburg Economic Development Authority. Smaller grants were offered by the state for site work to draw new businesses to Caroline County.

Weis Markets

In early spring, Giant Food employees protested in front of the Giant Food in Fredericksburg and at the companys headquarters in Landover, Md. They were concerned that their stores would be sold to help win the Federal Trade Commissions approval of a merger between Royal Ahold, Giant Foods parent company, and Delhaize Group, which owns Food Lion. In the end, the Giant Food stores remain open. Instead, 13 local Food Lions were among those sold to Sunbury, Pa.-based Weis Markets. Weis reopened the stores under its banner this fall with many of the same employees.

Townhouse lawsuit

A lawsuit between the city of Fredericksburg, its architectural review board and a local developer cost upwards of $155,000. Mike Adams of JON Properties renovated the historic former National Bank Building at 900 Princess Anne St., which he purchased last year. That building is now home to Foode restaurant and Adams offices. The contested part of the project was his plan to build seven townhouses on George Street behind the bank. The Architectural Review Board approved the townhouse portion of the project in October 2015, but the City Council voted the following month to suspend the ARBs approval. A division of Adams company, NBB, filed a lawsuit Nov. 17 seeking to void the councils action. The council then filed a lawsuit against NBB and the ARB seeking dismissal of the original lawsuit and asking for the ARB ruling to be vacated. The parties settled the suits in September and agreed to change the original townhouse proposal and offer Adams incentives for the project.

Downtown Redevelopment

After much fine-tuning, City Council finally approved rezoning for two major mixed-use projects with the potential to revitalize parts of downtown Fredericksburg. They are Dreamland LLCs Germania Mill building on the site of the old ice plant and BP station on Princess Anne Street, and Wack General Contractors Liberty Place development on the block bounded by William, Winchester, Amelia and Douglas streets. Construction has not begun on either project.

Another mixed-use project may be coming downtown as well. Sean Haynes of LifeCycle Construction purchased the former Tims Mart at 1010 Caroline St. with an eye toward renovating the building, creating a courtyard in its center and turning the first and second floors into retail and restaurant space. He also plans to add two stories to the building for residential units.

Fredericksburg Area Museum

& Cultural Center

The Fredericksburg Area Museum & Cultural Center, which closed for financial reasons in 2015, sold its Catherine W. Jones McKann Center at auction to La Plata, Md.-based Battle Creek Construction for $1.6 million in February. The sale of the centers buildings at 1001 Princess Anne St. and 915 William St. enabled the museum to reopen debt-free Nov. 4 at its former home in the old Town Hall across William Street.

Sammy Ts

Fredericksburg residents were outraged when it was announced that iconic local restaurant Sammy Ts closed but, were elated months later when new managers announced its reopening. Sammy Ts was opened on Valentines Day 1981 by University of Mary Washington geography professor Samuel Thomas Emory Jr. and his wife, Sylvia Sibby Emory. The restaurant and the building at 801 Caroline St. were for sale for more than a year before Dr. Kostas Constantine and wife, Sophia Constantine, bought it. Three local couplesAl and Rena Littek, Ray and Laura Stoner and Frank and Ana Robinsonplan to reopen the restaurant.

Brewery growth

The local brewery scene is growing, adding new names and expanding existing facilities. This year, Stafford Countys Adventure Brewing purchased Blue & Grey Brewing Co. to expand its facilities. Red Dragon Brewery opened in downtown Fredericksburg. Also on tap are 6 Bears & A Goat and Highmark Brewing, both in Stafford, and Colonial Beach Brewing, the towns first brewery. Those new establishments join Spencer Devon Brewing, which also recently announced an expansion, Rusty Beaver in Caroline, Maltese Brewing in Spotsylvania County, among others. Out-of-town brewers also announced plans for the region. Strangeways Brewing, based in Henrico County, announced it will open Strangeways Brewing Fredericksburg in the former Burtons Menswear warehouse at 350 Lansdowne Road.

Fredericksburg Livestock Exchange

Farmers bought and sold cattle, hogs and other livestock for 75 years at the Fredericksburg Livestock Exchange on Summit Street in the Fredericksburg Industrial Park. That era came to an end when the last weekly auction was held on May 19. Stockholders voted at their annual meeting on March 17 to close it due to a steady decline in sales over the years. They sold the property for $350,000 to Waleed LLC in October. The new owner plans to repair and reopen the facility.

The Free LanceStar

The Free LanceStars office, along with its iconic paperboy statue Lance, moved from 616 Amelia St. to its new home at 1340 Central Park Blvd. in December. The business had been located in downtown Fredericksburg since The Free Lance began publication in 1885. The Fredericksburg Economic Development gave the company a $25,000 grant to help with the move on the condition that it remains in the city. The Free LanceStars 90,000-square-foot building at 616 Amelia St. was sold to local developer William J. Vakos Jr. in November of 2015, along with its parking lot across William Street.

Business community deaths

2016 was a hard year for the local business community, which lost several important members. Jeffrey Sean Fitzpatrick, who blazed a trail for craft beer in the Fredericksburg area, died of cancer in October at his home in Fredericksburg. He was 51. Fitzpatrick opened Blue & Gray Brewing Co. at the Bowman Center in Spotsylvania County in 2002, a time when there were only about 1,500 microbreweries nationwide. Rick Brehm, Germanna Community Colleges vice president for administrative services, also passed away this year. He died after four-year battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 56. And Bill Buttram, longtime local portrait photographer, passed away in October.
McLEAN  Family and friends of an American jailed in Egypt for nearly three years are hoping her time in custody may end soon.

Aya Hijazi, 29, grew up in Falls Church and is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Egypt. After receiving her degree in conflict resolution from George Mason University in 2009, she returned to her native country and, with her Egyptian husband, started a foundation to help homeless children.

Then, as Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi was cracking down on civil society in May 2014, she and her husband, Mohammed Hassanein, were arrested, along with six others associated with their foundation, called Belady (Arabic for our nation). She was accused of abusing children, charges widely believed to be bogus.

Hijazis brother, Basel Hijazi, said in a phone interview from Germany that his sister has been more upbeat as her prosecution draws international condemnation and as the lack of evidence has been exposed.

There is a lot of optimism right now, he said. The fear would be that if things werent to go the way we hope, it would be like a 17th hit on the head.

Human rights groups and observers say the case against Hijazi is fiction, built on a few coerced statements from children, some of which have been retracted. For years, her trial was delayed, often on frustrating technicalities. For some time, technicians could not open her laptop, where prosecutors hoped to find incriminating evidence.

The laptops have now been reviewed, and a 180-page report has been prepared. The laptops have no evidence indicating any abuse of children, said Wade McMullen, a lawyer with Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, which has taken up Hijazis cause.

Finally, in December, the trial began. McMullen said the arresting officers testified the arrest was so long ago that they couldnt remember any details and couldnt identify Hijazi in court. The states forensic report shows no physical evidence of abuse, McMullen said.

Besides the apparent weakness of the case itself, there are other hopes for optimism. One of the six others arrested with the couple was released from jail recently on health concerns. Also, a new judge appears to be moving the case along more quickly.

There is no real independence of the judiciary in Egypt, McMullen said. But there are judges who are able to manage more independence than others.

Harder to assess is how the U.S. presidential transition might affect Egypts willingness to accommodate American demands for Hijazis release. Calls and emails to the Egyptian Embassy seeking comment were not returned.

During the presidential campaign, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump both met with President el-Sissi when he came to the United Nations. Clinton explicitly called for Hijazis release; theres no indication Trump brought up Hijazis case.

Trump, though, appears to be on good terms with el-Sissi; the Egyptian was the first world leader to call Trump and congratulate him on his victory. Trumps comments on Middle East policy have generally been supportive of secular governments such as el-Sissis that have taken hard lines against Islamist factions.

It remains to be seen whether Trumps comments will translate into Egyptian willingness to accommodate American requests for Hijazis release, or an interpretation by Egyptian leaders that they can act with impunity.

McMullen said it is incumbent on Trump to use his influence to help Hijazi.

You have a president-elect who ran on an agenda of America first, McMullen said. Well, this is an American being detained. ... The American people are not going to let an American president befriend an autocrat who imprisons his people unjustly, especially when that includes an American citizen.

Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., a former ambassador who has called attention to Hijazis detention, said hes hopeful Trump can leverage his relationship with el-Sissi into a positive outcome for Hijazi.

If not, he said, Congress should be prepared to re-evaluate the $1.3 billion that Egypt receives in U.S. aid.

Its a very complicated relationship we have with Egypt, Beyer said. But you would think we would have more economic leverage than perhaps weve been willing to use.

 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Story Highlights Less than half confident that Trump can handle several duties

Solid majorities were confident in Obama, Bush and Clinton

Greatest confidence in Trump's ability to handle economy, work with Congress

PRINCETON, N.J. -- As Donald Trump prepares to take the presidential oath on Jan. 20, less than half of Americans are confident in his ability to handle an international crisis (46%), to use military force wisely (47%) or to prevent major scandals in his administration (44%). At least seven in 10 Americans were confident in Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton in these areas before they took office.

Confidence in Presidents-Elect to Handle Presidential Responsibilities Now I'd like you to think about [...]'s ability to handle a number of things over the next four years. Please tell me whether you are very confident, somewhat confident, not too confident or not at all confident that [...] can ... ? Trump Obama Bush Clinton % % % % Prevent major scandals in his administration 44 74 77 n/a Handle an international crisis 46 73 71 70 Use military force wisely 47 71 78 n/a Manage the executive branch effectively 53 84 77 n/a Defend U.S. interests abroad as president 55 75 n/a 65 Handle the economy effectively 59 n/a n/a n/a Work effectively with Congress to get things done 60 89 74 n/a % Very/somewhat confident; poll dates: Trump (Dec. 7-11, 2016); Obama (Jan. 9-11, 2009); Bush (Jan. 15-16, 2001); Clinton (Nov. 10-11, 1992, and Jan. 8-11, 1993) Gallup

Americans express somewhat more confidence in Trump to work effectively with Congress (60%), to handle the economy effectively (59%), to defend U.S. interests abroad as president (55%), and to manage the executive branch effectively (53%). But even in these areas, Americans are far less confident in Trump than they were in his predecessors, when comparisons are available.

The results for Trump are based on a Dec. 7-11 Gallup poll. They are consistent with prior Gallup polling showing Trump having a much lower favorable rating than prior presidents-elect and a much lower approval rating for how he has handled his presidential transition.

The deficits for Trump versus the average for his predecessors range from a low of 15 percentage points on defending U.S. interests abroad to a high of 32 points for preventing major scandals.

Deficit in Confidence for Trump vs. Prior Presidents-Elect to Handle Presidential Responsibilities Trump Average for Obama, Bush and Clinton Trump deficit % % pct. pts. Prevent major scandals in his administration 44 76 -32 Use military force wisely 47 76 -29 Manage the executive branch effectively 53 81 -28 Handle an international crisis 46 71 -25 Work effectively with Congress to get things done 60 82 -22 Defend U.S. interests abroad as president 55 70 -15 % Very/somewhat confident; confidence in handling economy not asked about prior presidents Gallup

Among the seven issues tested in the poll, Americans are most confident in Trump to work effectively with Congress (60%) and handle the economy (59%). Trump will have the benefit of working with Republican majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. However, Obama and Bush -- both of whom also took office with a friendly Congress -- engendered even greater confidence than Trump in this area.

Trump's business background may contribute to Americans' relatively positive expectations for his presidential performance on the economy. The economy was also a relative issue strength for Trump during the campaign.

Democrats Have Little Confidence in Trump

Relatively few Democrats express confidence in Trump to handle the various presidential responsibilities, from a low of 14% for preventing scandals to a high of 35% for working effectively with Congress. Meanwhile, between 77% and 90% of Republicans are confident in the president-elect, expressing greater confidence in his ability to handle the economy and work with Congress, and less in his being able to prevent scandals.

Confidence in Donald Trump to Handle Presidential Responsibilities, by Political Party All Republicans Independents Democrats % % % % Work effectively with Congress 60 89 60 35 Handle economy effectively 59 90 62 29 Defend U.S. interests abroad 55 85 58 22 Manage executive branch effectively 53 87 54 20 Use military force wisely 47 84 44 17 Handle an international crisis 46 81 45 17 Prevent major scandals 44 77 46 14 % Very/Somewhat confident Gallup, Dec. 7-11, 2016

The deficits in Trump's ratings relative to his predecessors' are largely because of the low scores he gets from supporters of the opposing party. On average, 21% of Democrats have confidence in Trump across the five presidential duties for which Americans also rated Bush and Obama (all except handling the economy and defending U.S. interests abroad). By contrast, for the same five areas, an average of 60% of Republicans were confident in Obama and an average of 57% of Democrats were confident in Bush. These data underscore the much more polarized partisan environment in which Trump will be taking office.

Trump also fares much worse among independents on the same five tasks (50%) than Obama (79%) and Bush (75%) did.

Confidence in Trump among his own party's supporters (84%) is closer to that of Obama (94% among Democrats) and Bush (95% among Republicans), but still trails their levels by a significant margin.

Implications

Trump defied political experts as well as some historical election patterns in winning the presidency. Emerging the victor in a contentious campaign featuring two of the least well-liked candidates in modern presidential election history, Trump prepares to take office with a majority of Americans viewing him unfavorably. Trump is also much less well-liked than any recent president-elect.

As such, the public is much less confident in Trump than in his predecessors to handle several of a president's major tasks, including dealing with challenging foreign policy matters such as handling an international crisis or using U.S. military force.

Trump's opponent in the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton, also has high unfavorable ratings, and the public most likely would have had similarly low expectations of her ability to handle these situations had she won.

In addition to their personal feelings about Trump, Americans' lower confidence in him may also stem from the public's generally low level of trust in government. Americans' trust in the federal government to handle international and domestic problems is worse now than it was when Bush and Obama took office. Also, their confidence in the institution of the presidency remains below the historical average, though it is higher now than the record lows it registered at the end of the Bush administration.

The high political polarization and low trust in government have created a public opinion context that is much more challenging for Trump than it was for those who preceded him in the Oval Office. It appears likely that Trump will begin his administration with far less support from the American people than other recent presidents have.

Historical data are available in Gallup Analytics.

Survey Methods

Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted Dec. 7-11, 2016, with a random sample of 1,028 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is 4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting.

Each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 60% cellphone respondents and 40% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas by time zone within region. Landline and cellular telephone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods.

View survey methodology, complete question responses and trends.

Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works.
When Elizabeth Weber started Bikram Yoga of Corvallis 15 years ago, there was only one other studio in town.

Now, there are a lot of places to practice yoga, Weber said.

Her south Corvallis business, where people practice in temperatures of 100 degrees or more, has grown considerably, however, as exercises that help both the body and mind have become more popular.

Weber had been working in the fitness industry for a decade and noticed the trend early on. She enjoyed Bikram yoga, also called hot yoga, because it was both challenging and accessible and decided to start her business.

Back in 2002, she was the only yoga instructor at Bikram Yoga of Corvallis. Now the studio, which is locally owned and operated, has 10 teachers and a client list that numbers in the hundreds.

A 15th anniversary celebration for Bikram Yoga of Corvallis is scheduled for Saturday. Free classes will be offered at 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. There also will be a raffle for prizes and one-day specials.

Attendees should wear shorts and a top and bring a bottle of water, a towel and a yoga mat. (Mats can be rented for a class for $2.)

Bikram Yoga of Corvallis offers 90-minute classes that focus on beginners poses  no headstands, handstands or seemingly impossible stretches  but the class is still challenging for experienced residents, Weber said.

And theres a wide range of abilities and ages in every class, she added.

Its for everybody. The hardest part is the heat, Weber said. But after a few classes, students are usually asking her to crank up the thermostat.

The warm temperatures provide benefits for people with arthritis and promote circulation, Weber said.

But yoga in general also helps with pain management, such as for back problems, balance, flexibility and it is a natural foil for depression and anxiety, Weber said.

I think its normal for people to feel happier and lighter, and a reduction in pain and tension, she said. And that feeling of well-being gets passed along in daily interactions, Weber added.

Cindy Miller Aron is a regular client at Bikram Yoga of Corvallis, and she also is a clinical social worker in outpatient psychiatry at Samaritan Mental Health in Corvallis. She said that yoga creates an overall well sense of well-being and vitality and has physical, emotional and spiritual benefits.

It particularly can address trauma thats held in peoples bodies in a way that talking therapy cannot, Miller Aron said. And it can be a form of preventive medicine for mental health, especially for anxiety or depression, she added.

I have absolutely no doubt about that. It can help minimize symptoms, she said.

Weber also practices hypnosis, which she said can help people remove blocks and barriers in their lives.

Bikram Yoga of Corvallis is at 1750 S.W. Third St. For more information, or a class schedule, call 541-757-9642 or go to bikramyogacorvallis.com or the business Facebook page.
Albany hospital

donates mattresses

Samaritan Albany General Hospital has replaced its outdated hospital beds with new mattresses and has donated its old ones to the Albany Helping Hands Homeless Shelter.

The old mattresses are enclosed in material that can easily be wiped down and sanitized for shelter residents. While they are not compatible with the new bed technology, the 30 mattresses still have several more years of usage.

Delivery took place in late December. We are very thankful for the donation, said Randy Lindgren of Helping Hands. Mattresses are costly to replace and these will help for quite some time.

The new hospital beds will be digitally linked to the nursing station and can notify staff of possible bed safety or hazard issues. Along with additional safety features, the beds provide multiple position points for patient comfort. Crystal Smith, Nursing Manger at Samaritan Albany General Hospital, says that patients have already noticed a difference in comfort.

DEQ seeks input

on air permits

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is inviting the public to submit written comments on permits that regulate emissions of pollutants at Pacific Cast Technologies titanium casting plant, 150 Queen Ave. S.W. in Albany.

The company would like the state to allow increases in some of its emissions.

Written comments, which are due by Feb. 1, can be submitted by email to hamman.patricia@deq.state.or.us, by fax to 503-378-4196 or via mail to Patty Hamman, Air Quality Permit Coordinator, 4026 Fairview Industrial Drive S.E., Salem, OR 97302.

Wound, oxygen

services accredited

Patients seeking treatment for chronically non-healing wounds caused by conditions such as diabetes or compromised surgical flaps have a choice for receiving treatment at a nationally accredited center.

Samaritan Health Services recently announced that Samaritan Wound Care and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Services has been accredited as a Comprehensive Center by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society.

The therapy involves use of pure oxygen in a pressurized clear acrylic chamber to promote wound healing. The technology has been used for decades, starting with the military to help scuba divers recover from resurfacing too quickly and pilots who were flying at too high of an altitude. Patients receiving care at the accredited center are screened by a trained medical professional who also administers the therapy and is onsite at all times during each treatment.

To earn the designation, an organization must meet criteria for staffing, training and facility infrastructure and protocols for care. The Albany-based wound clinic is one of only five in Oregon and Washington to receive this accreditation.

For more information, visit samhealth.org/HBOT.

Citizens Bancorp

declares dividend

On Nov. 15, the Board of Directors of Citizens Bancorp declared a cash dividend to be paid to all shareholders of record on Nov. 30.

The company declared a cash dividend equal to $0.33 per share of common stock, and $0.35 per share to holders of preferred stock. This dividend will be paid on or before Jan. 6.

To purchase stock or receive additional dividend information, call Katie Sproat, In-House Stock Representative, at 541-766-2261.

Citizens Bank, the operating subsidiary of Citizens Bancorp, proudly provides banking services throughout the Willamette Valley. The banks employees provide personalized banking services to businesses and individuals at each of its 15 branches, including those in Corvallis, Albany, Philomath, Harrisburg and Lebanon.

Grace Center

receives grant

Grace Center for Adult Day Services in Corvallis recently received a $25,000 grant from the Jack R. and Mary B. Dant Special Disability Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation to assist in the purchase of its current facility.

Grace Centers mission is to provide day services that optimize the cognitive and physical abilities of seniors and adults with disabilities so they can remain as independent as possible and in their homes.

The mission of The Oregon Community Foundation is to improve life in Oregon and promote effective philanthropy. OCF works with individuals, families, businesses and organizations to create charitable funds to support the community causes they care about. Through these funds, OCF awards more than $60 million annually in grants and scholarships.

The foundation makes grants through an application process that involves local citizens in the review and evaluation of requests for funds. Application materials are available through the foundations Portland office or www.oregoncf.org.

Boys & Girls Club

reaches Gold Level

This year, the Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis was honored by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America for achieving the Gold Level of the League of EAGLES Award Program.

The award recognizes organizations boards of directors for outstanding impact and participation. This program measures six key elements of a Strong board of directors, including engagement, asking, giving, leading, evaluating and service. Reaching this milestone is an accomplishment that only 10 percent or fewer of the 1,000 organizations met last year, and is a testimony of the dedication and commitment of the organizations board and leadership in serving the youth of the community at the highest level.

The Corvallis clubs board includes Greg Hamann, president; Brian Robertson, treasurer; Alexandra Eder, secretary; Kevin Bogatin; Rod Holmquist; Scott Jackson; Erica Jensen; Carol Kronstad; Karen Misfeldt; Matthew Smith; Ryan Sparks; Brad Wakefield; Travis Younger; and Michele Kellison.

Linn deputies

receive awards

Linn County Sheriff Bruce Riley has announced that three of his deputies were recently recognized at the Oregon State Sheriffs Association 2016 Annual Conference, held in Bend, for their service to local citizens.

Deputy Colin Pyle and Deputy Ryan Keys were awarded the OSSA Medal of Valor for their heroic act during the officer-involved shooting that took place last March. Both suspects were taken into custody and are awaiting trial on several charges. Pyle and Keys placed their own lives in danger to help keep the community safe.

Detective Lieutenant Robert Clark received the OSSA Lifetime Achievement Award for his 35 years of service to the sheriffs office Dive Team. The team dives Linn County waters all times of the year, making rescues and recovery of both evidence and bodies. Clark has responded to numerous calls in all kinds of weather, at all times of day and night.

He also has assisted other agencies. In December 2008, in below-freezing weather, he helped the FBI and Oregon State Police recover evidence related to the Woodburn bank bombings.
A 10-foot-wide, stone ball recently discovered in a Bosnia forest is touching off a hot debate in academic circles: Was it created by Mother Nature  or a lost civilization?

Located near the town of Zavidovici , the giant sphere  the largest of a group of such objects  is partially sticking out from the ground, and according to archaeologist Sam Semir Osmanagich, who discovered the stone in March, it may have a very high iron content and weigh over 30 tons.

It might end up as the biggest stone ball on the planet, Osmanagich tells a group gathered at the object in the Bosnian forest, as seen in the video below.

Osmanagich, sometimes called the Bosnian Indiana Jones for his global travels, has spent 15 years researching what he refers to as a prehistoric stone ball phenomenon.

In a blog written last month for his Archaeological Park: Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun foundation, Osmanagich suggests the Bosnian ball could be the largest man-made stone ball in Europe. He says many others found throughout the world could point to long-lost advanced civilizations from the distant past, and we have no written records about them.

Secondly, they had high technology, different than ours. Finally, they knew the power of geometrical shapes, because the sphere is one of the most powerful shapes along with pyramidal and conical shapes, he continues.

According to UNESCO  the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization  similar stone spheres have been found at several sites in Costa Rica.

The objects meaning, use and production remain largely a mystery. The spheres are distinctive for their perfection, number, size and density, and placement in original locations. Their preservation from the looting that befell the vast majority of archaeological sites in Costa Rica has been attributed to the thick layers of sediment that kept them buried for centuries.

Osmanagichs discovery has sparked controversy among other researchers and academics with his claims that, in addition to the large stone balls, certain hills in the Bosnian Visoko Valley and Herzegovina harbor ancient underground tunnels and pyramids.

There is some genuine archaeology on the hill and Im told its medieval, possibly Bronze Age or Roman, Anthony Harding of the European Association of Archaeologists told The Telegraph.

The speculation that there could be a 12,000-year-old structure beneath is a complete fantasy, and anyone with basic knowledge of archaeology or history should recognize that, Harding added.

And regarding Osmanagichs belief that the giant Bosnia sphere wasnt created by nature, Mandy Edwards of the University of Manchesters School of Earth told the Daily Mail the stone may be an example of something called concretion: A compact  often spherical  rock mass forms from the precipitation of natural mineral cement in the spaces between particles.

The jury is still out on whether these spherical objects were handmade by a lost civilization or Mother Natures handiwork in growing big balls.

Biggest Stone Ball in Europe just Discovered in Bosnia 1 of 6

Note: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.
Now You Can Sell Your Old Products on Amazon News oi -Samden Sherpa Amazon has recently launched its "Sell as Individual" service in India and it will allow users to sell their used goods on the Amazon website.

Amazon, the popular e-commerce site has recently launched its "Sell as Individual" service in India. The service will now allow users to sell their used goods on the Amazon website.

According to Mashable.com, although the service is still in its early phase, this move will surely put Amazon in direct competition with other e-commerce websites such as eBay, Quikr, and Olx those are some popular platforms in the space allowing individuals to sell their used or second-hand products.

ZTE Blade V8 with Dual camera leaks ahead of CES 2017

As per the information on the Amazon website, the company explains that people in Bangalore can list and publish the products they want to sell. In addition, the company would handle the packaging and delivery of the product.

In terms of operationality, when someone places an order for the products listed on the website, a representative from Amazon India would visit the seller and collect the product from their doorstep at their preferred time.

Apple Will Cut iPhone Production by 10 % in 2017

On the other hand, Amazon will charge the sellers Rs 10 for every item they sell below Rs 1,000, Rs 50 for every item sold between 1,000 to Rs 5,000, and Rs 100 if the item sold costing more than Rs 5,000.

This comes after Amazon's continuous experiments in the space of old goods for some time now. Earlier in June 2015, Amazon's Junglee website had launched a pilot service to allow users to sell their old products.

However, with the launch of this new service and having individuals sell their old products on the website, it could only mean one thing if it's a success it could be a big market opportunity for Amazon.

As of now, the pilot program is operational in Bangalore.

Source

Click Here for New Smartphones Best Online Deals

Best Mobiles in India
Samsung Galaxy S8 to be Powered by Exynos 8895 Chipset, Reveals New Leak Features oi -Sneha Samsung Galaxy S8 to be powered by Exynos 8895 Chipset.

Last year wasn't a smooth one for Samsung, all thanks to the Galaxy Note 7 battery explosion fiasco, due to which the smartphone vendor faced tremendous business loss. To make up for the sales drop, the South Korean tech giant has been planning to make its upcoming flagship Samsung Galalxy S8, which is expected to be launched latest by mid-2017 the firm's best of the lot.

Even before the smartphone could hit the market, there have been quite a number of speculations surrounding the handset regarding its looks and features it might equip. Considering the innumerable rumors and leaks circulating on the web about Samsung's upcoming smartphone, the device is expected to come packed with 'Beast Mode', massive 8GB of RAM, UFS 2.1 storage, S Pen and more.

Adding on to the past rumors, there have been a list of fresh leaks surrounding the smartphone, which reveals that handset may use chipsets from two different makers, wherein some devices will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 while others will come with the company's own Exynos 8895 chipset, which will support LPDDR4 RAM, UFS 2.1 storage, 4K screens, and Cat.16 LTE.

BSNL 2017 Roadmap: Plans to Install 40,000 Wi-Fi Hotspots & Roll Out LTE Service Across the Country

Samsung has been testing its home-grown Exynos 8895 chipset in the Galaxy S8 for the past five months along with clock speeds as high as 4GHz, reveals rumors. The Exynos 8895 is expected to come in two variants - one with quad-core M2 performance CPU cluster clocked at 200MHz, wherein the other one will be using 10nm process with four M2 performance cores and battery-friendly ARM Cortex-A53 cores.

Source

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Jeremy J. Stone - 1935-2017

Jeremy J. Stone died suddenly in his apartment on 01 January 2017. In June 1973, as a consequence of his activism in criticizing Pentagon spending practices, his name appeared as one of the 150 listed on the "enemies" list of President Nixon - his proudest achievement, among many. Stone was the author and defender of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of 1972, which for more than a quarter of a century was the foundation of nuclear arms control.

Jeremy Stone was the son of acclaimed journalist I.F.Stone, and Esther Stone, and nephew of journalist and film critic Judy Stone. He had resided in Carlsbad, California with his wife B.J.Stone, who pre-deceased him. The Stanford-based professor and hero of Michael Crichton's 1969 novel and movie The Andromeda Strain is named "Dr. Jeremy Stone." Dr. Stone himself was in Stanford in 1969 but unlike the fictional character was studying economics, not biology. There is also a comic strip hero with the name Dr. Jeremy Stone, whose alter ego is the superbly muscled Maul.

Born in 1935, Stone studied at the Bronx High School of Science (195153) during which time he taught Three-dimensional chess at the New School for Social Research. After attending MIT for one year, he graduated from Swarthmore College in June 1957. As a consultant to the RAND Corporation in the summer of 1958, he invented the Cross-Section Method of Linear Programming.

Jeremy received a Ph.D. in mathematics from Stanford University in 1960 and joined Stanford Research Institute (SRI) as a research mathematician where he worked on Error Correcting Codes. In 1962, he left SRI to work at Hudson Institute on issues of war and peace. He spent a difficult two years at the Hudson Institute, butting heads with the think tanks hawkish founder Herman Kahn. In 1963, he began working on an arms control proposal for preventing anti-ballistic missile (ABM) systems. In 1964-1966 he was a research associate at the Harvard Center for International Affairs (CFIA) where he wrote two books: Containing the Arms Race: Some Specific Proposals (MIT Press, 1966) and Strategic Persuasion: Arms Control Through Dialogue (Columbia University Press, 1967).

In June 1970 Stone became the CEO of the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), founded in 1945 by atomic scientists as Federation of Atomic Scientists (FAS). During the 30 years of Stone's stewardship, he and the Federation contributed to policy debates on the nuclear arms race, human rights, ethnic violence and civil conflict, small arms, controlling biological and chemical weapons, energy conservation, global warming, and related subjects.

The Russians called the ABM Treaty "Jeremy Stone's proposal" as early as 1967. Stone helped secure Carter Administration approval of a follow-on to SALT II ("Shrink SALT II"), which was proposed in secret by President Carter at the 1979 Vienna Summit. Jeremy was a leading American advocate for Soviet physicist Andrei Sakharov, who in 1976 described Stone as "creative, articulate and brave."

In 1983, the philanthropist Jay Harris decided to set up some kind of Space Policy Group; at the suggestion of a specialist in the starting of nonprofit peace organizations, Lindsey Mattison, he offered us two years upkeep for one staffer to get such a thing started. FAS hired John Pike. Stone later recalled that Pike " ... became the most visible opponent of ABM for the next ten years, from 1983 to 1993. The issue had gotten far more complex than the one I had dealt with in the sixties, and many technical details were beyond me and required full-time work." David Albright joined the staff a few years later, and went on to fame as one of the leading analysts of nuclear weapons proliferation.

Jeremy later wrote that in the 1980s "The main organizational innovation has been the creation of separate personalized newsletters that FAS staffers put out themselves, free, to lists of interested experts and relevant policy makers: for example, Lora Lumpes Arms Sales Monitor or Steven Aftergoods Secrecy and Government Bulletin. These journals made their authors famous in the relevant expert communities, led the media to acclaim the authors as experts, and persuaded the funders that something tangible was actually happening. Most important, self-publication of this kind unleashed creative energies and kept the staff members lashed to their word processors." These newsletters, as well as the Federation's primary newsletter, the monthly "Public Interest Report", were all very much in the self-publishing style of Jeremy's father, "Izzy" Stone.

In need of a place to house this burgeoning staff, and seeking a safe place to invest the organization's endowement, Jeremy eventually accumulated half a dozen townhouses in two contiguous blocks on Capital Hill. Some chided that Jeremy's political activities were simply cover for his real estate speculations. Several were rented out to provide income. For a time one was home to the nascent Nuclear Freeze movement. Before embarking on overseas trips [from which he might not return], Jeremy always exorted the staff "don't sell the houses".

In April 1999, Public Affairs Press published his memoir, "Every Man Should Try": Adventures of a Public Interest Activist, in which he documented his achievements and failures. Stone published his second memoir, "Catalytic Diplomacy: Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran," in October 2009.

In June 2000 Jeremy was replaced as FAS president by Henry Kelly, who promptly sold the town houses. After leaving the Presidency of the Federation of American Scientists, Jeremy formed the non-profit, Catalytic Diplomacy, which from 1999 to 2006 worked mainly on Cross-Straits Relations between China and Taiwan; U.S.-Russian arms control; U.S. relations with Iran; and U.S. relations with North Korea. Beginning in 2007, working with a small group of activists, he had been working on issues involving Myanmar (Burma), Cuba, and Afghanistan and Iran.

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Coalition Strikes Continue Against ISIL in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Jan. 1, 2017  U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 19 strikes in Syria:

-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed an oil tanker truck.

-- Near Shadaddi, a strike destroyed a vehicle bomb.

-- Near Raqqah, 15 strikes engaged nine ISIL tactical units; destroyed four vehicle bombs, eight fighting positions, two heavy machine guns and a supply route; and damaged an ISIL tactical vehicle.

-- Near Ayn Isa, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a fighting position and an anti-air artillery piece.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, bomber, fighter, remotely piloted and rotary wing aircraft conducted nine strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government:

-- Near Beiji, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a rocket rail.

-- Near Haditha, two strikes damaged four ISIL defensive berms.

-- Near Kisik, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and an ISIL tactical vehicle.

-- Near Mosul, three strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units; destroyed three front-end loaders, a bulldozer, five mortars, two supply caches, a truck, inoperable coalition equipment, two vehicle bombs and a barge; suppressed three ISIL mortar teams; and damaged 19 ISIL supply routes and a defensive berm.

-- Near Tal Afar, two strikes destroyed an ISIL highway checkpoint and a vehicle bomb factory.

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.

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China to release environmental forecasts on three Nansha reefs

People's Daily Online

(CRI Online) 09:14, January 01, 2017

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.

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Gambia's Jammeh accuses ECOWAS of declaring war

Iran Press TV

Sun Jan 1, 2017 5:56PM

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has accused the West African regional bloc ECOWAS of declaring a war against his country amid an ensuing political crisis there.

In a New Year's speech broadcast on state TV, the Gambian president pledged to defend his country against what he called any foreign aggression.

Jammeh called the mediation by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as an insult to the Gambia's constitution.

"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," the president said, adding, "It is in effect a declaration of war and an insult to our constitution."

Elsewhere in his remarks, the president questioned the role of the regional body as a genuine mediator. "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."

Jammeh had initially accepted the results of the December 1 election, in which opposition leader Adama Barrow was declared the winner, but reversed his position more than a week later and called for a revote.

His refusal to accept the results prompted political upheaval in the country, bringing pressure from the international community on him to accept the result and step down.

Leaders from ECOWAS have traveled to the Gambia in an attempt to strike a deal with the president to make him leave power.

ECOWAS has said that Jammeh must step down next month and vowed "to take all necessary action to enforce the results" of the election.

The Gambian military has already been deployed to civilian sites, such as the election commission headquarters, in a show of force by Jammeh.

Barrow says Jammeh lacks the constitutional authority to call for a new vote or to invalidate the election.

Several countries, the United Nations Security Council and international organizations have also called for a peaceful transition of power.

Jammeh seized power in a military coup in 1994 and has been in power ever since. He has long been under fire by human rights groups, who accuse him of torturing, imprisoning, or even sometimes killing his opponents.

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Saudi warplanes kill 7 Yemenis in Hajjah, Ma'rib provinces

Iran Press TV

Sun Jan 1, 2017 1:33PM

At least seven Yemeni civilians have been killed and nearly a dozen more sustained injuries after Saudi Arabia's warplanes carried out aerial aggression on Yemen's two provinces of Hajjah, to the northwest, and Ma'rib, to the center.

Saudi fighter jets carried out two airstrikes on a residential building in the Wadi Hobab area in the Sirwah district of Ma'rib on Sunday, killing at least five civilians and wounding several others, including women and children, Yemen's al-Masirah news website reported.

Elsewhere, in Hajjah's Hiran district, Saudi warplanes also bombarded two tanker trucks, killing at least two people and injuring seven others.

Separately, the Saudi regime also conducted a number of other airstrikes on Kataf district in the northern province of Sa'ada, and on the Manakhah and Sa'fan districts in the western province of Sana'a, but there was no immediate word on possible casualties or damage.

Other reports say that at least two Yemeni civilians sustained injuries after Saudi border guards opened fire on a valley in the Shida district in Sa'ada.

Meanwhile, Yemeni forces managed to kill at least ten Saudi soldiers by launching a rocket attack against Saudi Arabia's Sadis military base in the southern province of Najran. At least a military vehicle and a bulldozer were destroyed in the attack

Late on Saturday, Saudi warplanes also killed at least one man and wounded three more people after they bombarded residential buildings in Hawzan area, where dozens of displaced families live, in Dhubab district in the western province of Ta'izz.

Also on Saturday, at least one Saudi soldier was killed after Yemeni forces launched a barrage of retaliatory cross-border gunfire and shelling against Saudi military bases in the kingdom's southwestern province of Jizan. Official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) confirmed the report, citing a spokesperson from the Saudi Interior Ministry as saying.

Saudi Arabia has been engaged in a deadly campaign against Yemen since March 2015. The Saudi aggression, which has killed at least 11,400 people, was launched in an attempt to reinstate Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a Saudi ally who has resigned as Yemen's president but seeks to forcefully return to power, and to undermine Yemen's popular Houthi Ansarullah movement.

The Saudi strikes have also taken a heavy toll on the country's facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories.

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Burundi minister assassinated in Bujumbura

Iran Press TV

Sun Jan 1, 2017 8:8AM

Burundi's environment minister has been assassinated in the capital Bujumbura. This is the first high-profile killing since the African nation sank into political turmoil in 2015.

Police have confirmed that 54-year-old Emmanuel Niyonkuru was shot dead shortly after midnight on Sunday.

President Pierre Nkurunziza has promised that the assassination will not go unpunished.

Niyonkuru was appointed as a minister in Nkurunziza's cabinet in August 2015. He was also elected senator of his electoral district, Muramvya, for the 2015-2020 term.

Niyonkuru worked as the deputy director of the Bank of the Republic of Burundi between 1992 and 2015.

According to a police spokesperson, a woman has been arrested in connection with the killing.

The country plunged into turmoil in April 2015 when President Nkurunziza, a former rebel leader from the Hutu tribe, sought a third term in office, despite a limit of two terms set by the constitution.

Burundi witnessed protests after the election results were announced in July of the same year. Protesters said that the presidential election lacked credibility and would eventually discredit the government. Two people were killed during violent demonstrations.

Since the unrest, at least 500 people have been killed and 300,000 have escaped the country.

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Gunmen shoot Bangladeshi lawmaker

Iran Press TV

Sun Jan 1, 2017 6:39AM

A Bangladeshi ruling party lawmaker has been fatally shot by gunmen at his home in the northern district of Gaibandha.

48-year-old Manjurul Islam Liton was hit by two bullets in the chest. He was rushed to hospital but did not survive the attack.

Up to three unidentified attackers were involved in the killing of the Awami League MP, deputy police chief of Gaibandha said. The attackers stormed into his home at around 17:45 local time while he was holding a meeting with some locals.

The attackers escaped on a motorbike immediately after the shooting and police have no clue about their motive. Yet an officer has said that it was either a terrorist attack or linked to an earlier feud he was involved in.

More than a year ago, Liton was arrested for allegedly shooting and seriously injuring a young boy. The incident took place in October 2015 and was widely publicized by local media.

According to reports, the boy was walking with his uncle when Liton drove past them and called the man. When the man did not respond, an angry Liton reportedly pulled out his gun and fired, but the shots hit the child instead.

The lawmaker was later released on bail in November but police were still investigating the case, which sparked protests in Gaibandha and in the capital Dhaka.

In recent past, the South Asian nation has been hit by a wave of shooting attacks against foreigners, religious minorities, bloggers and rights activists.

Authorities often blame the Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), a banned extremist group, for carrying out most of the attacks.

In July 2016, the massacre of 22 people at a Dhaka restaurant was blamed on JMB. Also in May last year, the group was held responsible for the murder of a Hindu trader.

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Azerbaijani MoD Accuses Armenian Troops of Violating Karabakh Ceasefire 92 Times

Sputnik News

13:14 01.01.2017(updated 13:15 01.01.2017)

Baku accused the Armenian side of violating the ceasefire regime in the Nagorno-Karabkah region 92 times over the past 24 hours.

BAKU (Sputnik)  The Armenian military has violated the ceasefire along the contact line in Azerbaijan's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh 92 times over the past 24 hours, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Sunday.

"The Defense Ministry says that Armenian armed forces using heavy machine guns violated the ceasefire 92 times along various stretches of the frontline in the last 24 hours," the ministry's press service said.

Azerbaijan does not recognize the ethnically Armenian self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) and considers the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army to be a part of the Armed Forces of Armenia.

The violence in Nagorno-Karabakh escalated on April 2. Baku and Yerevan have accused each other of provoking hostilities that led to multiple deaths on each side. A ceasefire was agreed on several days later on April 5, yet hostilities continued.

The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh began in 1988, when the autonomous region sought to secede from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, before proclaiming independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The warring sides agreed to a cessation of hostilities in 1994.

 Sputnik

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Burundi Minister Shot Dead in Capital

By VOA News January 01, 2017

Police in Burundi say the country's 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 Nkurunziza's 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 president's 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 it's 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.

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Colombian Army Captures 12 ELN Rebel Group Fighters, Rescues 8 Child Soldiers

Sputnik News

07:01 02.01.2017

Colombian army rescued eight child soldiers recruited by the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group, fighting against the country's government, and captured 12 ELN fighters, Colombian Defense Ministry said Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  According to the ministry's statement, the army was conducting an operation in the town of Montecristo, located in northern Colombia.

"The ELN continued to infringe international human rights with the continued forced recruitment of under age recruits," the statement quoted by BBC news said.

On Saturday, the ELN released businessman Octavio Figueroa, held in captivity since March 2016.

ELN is the second-largest rebel group in Colombia after the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia  People's Army (FARC), fighting against the government for many decades. The Colombian authorities have repeatedly tried to launch talks with the rebel group, however, all attempts failed.

In early December 2016, the Colombian government said that peace talks with ELN would be postponed till January 10.

 Sputnik

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Equatorial Guinea - Corruption

Teodoro Nguema Obiangs latest legal battle took place 02 January 2017 in Paris, with the opening of a graft trial against him. The Equatorial Guinea vice president was not expected to be present and he pled not guilty to charges of corruption, money laundering and embezzlement of public funds. Still the trial was considered groundbreaking in France, a favorite haunt for African leaders with questionable fortunes.

On 13 June 2016. Yesterday the Republic of Equatorial Guinea instituted proceedings against the French Republic before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, with regard to a dispute concerning the immunity from criminal jurisdiction of the Second Vice-President of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea in charge of Defence and State Security [Mr. Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue], and the legal status of the building which houses the Embassy of Equatorial Guinea in France

Equatorial Guinea lodged a formal complaint against France before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague to halt the case against the Vice President on grounds of diplomatic immunity. The denial of this request by the ICJ on 08 December 2016 allowed France to pursue the case, which has already led to the seizure of assets in Switzerland, while the recognition of the property in Paris was binding under international law. The Vice President, who is accused of money laundering in France, has denied any wrongdoing and says that his wealth was acquired legitimately.

On 19 December 2016 the Republic of Equatorial Guinea has detained three employees of the French bank Societe Generale de Banques en Guinee Equatoriale (SGBGE) for transferring confidential banking information to third parties outside the country. The information involved the private data of several high-ranking members of the Government of Equatorial Guinea, including the Vice President, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue. Societe Generale is a French multinational banking and financial services company based in Paris, where the Vice President has been accused of money laundering.

Wealth and power are in the hands of family kleptocracy. Or more precisely, a small group of about 200 people, including the president, his many children and parents, and from the Fang ethnic group, ruled the country since independence in 1968. The Fangs dominate all key positions in the country. Equatorial Guinea is consistently ranked among the worlds most corrupt, closed, and undemocratic societies in the world. It occupies the 168th position in Transparency International Corruption Perception Index, while Freedom House ranks it among the worst of the worst in terms of basic freedoms.

The low level of institutional development and peculiar financial management mechanisms may inflate perceptions of corruption in Equatorial Guinea (EG). Suddenly rich, the country's over-reliance on now-defunct Riggs bank, a lack of conflict-of-interest rules and a legacy of moonlighting further complicate EG's record. As in many other areas, Equatorial Guinea has a bad reputation when it comes to transparency and corruption. Numerous IOs/NGOs rate the country as one of the world's worst performers.

The lack of resources in its early days often led the government to compensate officials with in-kind transfers. Land, operating licenses and import concessions were common forms of "payment" to ministers and other ranking officials during a period when "there was often no money to pay salaries." The practice began with EG government seizure of "abandoned" Spanish colonial holdings -- and their subsequent redistribution to officials as a means of compensation. During the period of the "skinny cows," officials were only expected to be in the office three days a week. The remainder of the time they worked their farms or businesses in order to feed their families. During that period -- when local markets sold onions by the quarter, tomato paste by the spoonful, and the handful of taxis in circulation in Malabo required advance booking for use -- many Equato-Guineans energetically sought to avoid poorly-compensated government jobs. Some could not; especially those close to the president. Having himself come to power in a coup (one likely supported by outside forces) and constantly under threat of overthrow, he purchased loyalty by any means available.

Those private entrepreneurs who mocked their poor public officials now see the tables turned. Once oil money started to flow in the mid '90s, many officials found themselves in improved positions. Money and power accumulated within the government. In addition, the once-meager returns from the earlier in-kind compensation for officials mushroomed as the economy expanded at one of the world's fastest rates. For one example, the single license to import cement into country has become extremely lucrative. This license belongs to ABAYAK, a company partially owned by the president and first lady). In another, the only person authorized to provide notary services in Malabo became one of the country's wealthiest men.

In November 1993, a decree signed by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasongo, deposed the Ambassador of Equatorial Guinea in Spain, Bruno Esodo Ondo. The latter's wife, Anita Mbegono Asu Alene, head of the cousin of the State, had been found in possession of 32 kilos of cocaine in a suitcase as she tried to take, Brazil, a plane to Nigeria . The first secretary, in charge of press and the military attache of the embassy were also dismissed. Members of the diplomatic mission had indeed been an extensive international network acting under the cover of diplomatic immunity, including the head, which was not worried him, Armengol Ondo Nguema is the brother of the president. According to the Spanish police the 32 kilos of cocaine were shipped by plane or boat from Nigeria to Gabon. The cocaine would then wins on light boats Equatorial Guinea to be embedded on the weekly flight Iberia Malabo connecting to Madrid. From there it is redistributed throughout Europe. Spanish police also reported that embassy officials have personally visited Thailand and Colombia to take delivery of drugs and other diplomats were arrested on the New York airports, Las Palmas and Lagos.

The list of diplomats of that country took the hand in the bag is long. To stick to the years ninety, October 8, l990, the Ambassador of Equatorial Guinea in France, Jesus Ela Abeme, was arrested for heroin trafficking, Santa Isabel airport in Malabo . His wife wore a bag containing 15 million CFA francs (300,000 FF). In 1991, Lieutenant Colonel David Eyama Angue Osa, military attache to Nigeria was caught with the cargo of a plane of Brazil's Varig, with 30 kilos of cocaine hidden in batteries for cars. After that Nigerians requested the waiver of diplomatic immunity, the President Nguema sent his eldest son, Teodoro, to negotiate with the Nigerian head of state himself, who was then General Babangida, for the release of his protege. Drug Police of Nigeria (NDLEA) then protested by insinuating that the military attache in fact worked for the president of Equatorial Guinea.

In general, executives of Foreign Affairs were expelled from Spain, the Canary Islands and Nigeria for drug trafficking, are then appointed to important posts by the president. It seems that Equatorial Guinea is also a laundering center. Following the investigation into the trafficking of cocaine from Brazil, a French lawyer was jailed in December l992, for creating unauthorized bank (International African Bank), whose headquarters was to be installed in Equatorial Guinea. On July 20, l993, the Swiss police repressed the country, Guy Lansol, the French economic adviser to President Teodoro Obiang.

On July 15, 2004, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations held a hearing entitled, "Money Laundering and Foreign Corruption: Enforcement and Effectiveness of the Patriot Act". This investigation into Riggs Bank exposed the truth about how Equatorial Guineas oil revenues flowed directly into the foreign bank accounts of President Obiang, his relatives, and a few government officials. The hearing and an accompanying report detailed how President Obiang and his family had been personally profiting from US oil companies operating in his country, established offshore shell corporations to open bank accounts at Riggs Bank here in Washington, and made large deposits, including cash deposits of as much as $3 million at a time, in transactions suggesting strongly that the funds were the proceeds of foreign corruption. In addition, over $35 million in oil proceeds were transferred to suspect offshore accounts. This misappropriation of oil revenues allowed one of the worlds most corrupt and nepotistic governments to monopolize the countrys businesses and service industry. As a result, the government or those closely aligned with it control the services that the oil and gas industries demand, including property rentals and sales, local employment, and the marketing of oil and gas inside the country.

The 2005 collapse of venerable Riggs Bank in Washington D.C. continued to hang over EG like a cloud. At the time of the Senate/OCC investigations, EG was discovered to have the largest cumulative balance in the bank. Yet study of the record shows the bank itself to have been at fault with regard to its reporting responsibilities, while the accounts associated with EG can be reasonably explained. Based on our conversations here, Equatoguineans readily accepted Riggs' advice regarding accounts and accounting -- assuming the bank was "acting properly." As the increasing flow of dollar-denominated oil revenues built up, and attractive interest income streams ensued (which was not always the case with EG funds held in the BEAC -- the Central African central bank), individuals associated with the EG government began to open private accounts. Both the amounts in the government accounts and those in individual accounts are easily in line with amounts generated respectively by oil revenues and private activities of those concerned. Recognizing the crippling human capacity challenges in the country and the need for western (particularly U.S.) education, the EG government even worked with the bank to set up accounts for two separate scholarship funds, which the bank (poorly) administered. EG leaders were "surprised" to learn U.S. government investigators took a dim view of this arrangement. After it was revealed that Obiang misused U.S. financial institutions to launder suspect funds, the State Department actually intervened on behalf of his regime in order to convince U.S. banks to open accounts for the Equatorial Guinean Government. After Riggs shut down the accounts used by him and his regime, the State Department approached reluctant U.S. banks and asked them to open accounts for the Obiang regime.

The president proudly notes he is the paymaster general for even routine expenditures. This mechanism probably helps constrain corruption, but it also creates suspicion and an obvious bottleneck. The quality of life for the average citizen in EG has seen a great leap forward in the past decade and, though surpassed by the gains of a greedy few, appears to promise enough to inspire continued patience. Also, as is demonstrated to the delight of the average citizen, heads occasionally roll when the president catches (or perhaps finds reason to catch) someone red-handed. For example, "el Jefe" has just changed a number of Justice system leaders while complaining that not enough is being done to constrain greed and corruption among officials.

President Obiang's oldest son Teodorin is alleged to have used his position to divert funds, with the help of several anonymous shell companies in the US, to purchase numerous luxury cars and a private jet, as well as a $30 million, 12-acre mansion in Malibu, where he incurred $100,000 in monthly maintenance and upkeep costs. Teodorin also owned a 101-room, six-story mansion in Paris, estimated to be worth $180 million, complete with a Turkish bath, a hair salon, two gym clubs, a nightclub, and a movie theater. Teodorins spending habits caught the attention of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the French authorities, which believe that these items were obtained from the proceeds of corrupt activities in Equatorial Guinea.

It is not uncommon for a uniformed member of the police or security forces to stop motorists on the pretext of minor or nonexistent violations of the local motor vehicle regulations in order to extort small bribes. Visitors are advised not to pay bribes, and to request that the officer provide a citation to be paid at the local court or a receipt stating the violation, amount due, and the officers name.

Equatorial Guinea is almost exclusively a cash economy. The country has very few hotels that accept credit cards. Generally, credit cards and checks are not accepted, and credit card cash advances are not available. Most local businesses do not accept travelers' checks, dollars, or euros. However, dollars can be exchanged at local banks for Central African Francs (CFA). Cash in CFA is usually the only form of payment accepted throughout the country.

In recent years families made large down payments to the government to obtain affordable social housing. When completed, such homes were not released to many of the families who had made down payments, nor were their funds returned. The government instead provided the most desirable housing to families with strong political connections. Some families who made deposits were offered alternative housing, and others still awaited housing, with no means to reclaim their deposits or information on when or whether they might be granted a home.

Equatorial Guinea has not acceded to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, but at the interministerial meeting of 18 December 2013, the Government authorized the completion of the procedures and formalities related to the ratification of that Convention. Mechanisms derived from the Convention have nevertheless been set up at a national level, and serve as valid instruments in the fight against corruption. Since 2012, corruption has been considered a constitutional offence under article 15.2 of the Constitution. Many civil servants have, however, been tried and sentenced for their involvement in acts of corruption and corrupt practices defrauding the public purse for a number of years. Decree No. 131 governing national economic and financial policy stipulates the requirement to put an end to illegal tax collection, which is in the process of being achieved. The order is effectively self-explanatory: to eliminate ministerial accounts that are outside the purview of the public treasury, as well as the once widespread behaviour of certain civil servants, which involved receiving contributions, taxes and excise duties not provided for by the legislation in force.

In April 2014, the Government had decided to send the United Nations Convention against Corruption to the national Committee on Political Affairs in order to obtain its opinion. The Commission of Jurists had already decided to suggest that that instrument should be signed, but had reservations regarding the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

During the year 2015 President Obiang dismissed all presidentially appointed members of the government in an effort to reduce corruption; he made new appointments and urged an end to corrupt practices. Nevertheless, the president and members of his inner circle continued to amass personal fortunes from the revenues associated with oil exports. In January 2015 a member of parliament was found guilty in a foreign court for bulk cash smuggling. Media reported bulk cash smuggling by high-level members of the government, including an attempt to send containers of cash to Sao Tome and Principe. There were no reports of any official investigations.

During the year 2015 police officers and military personnel increased neighborhood sweeps and checkpoint and traffic stops to demand bribes, primarily from foreigners. Authorities seldom investigated such incidents, and the government had no mechanism to denounce police misconduct. Individuals feared filing complaints, especially foreigners whose applications for residence and work permits remained pending. In June 2015 the president swore in an ombudsman to take such complaints, but the Office of the Ombudsman was not operational at the end of 2015.

France continued to pursue seizure of real and personal property of Obiang Mangue, the presidents eldest son and second vice president, as the result of a 2010 investigation into suspected concealment and laundering abroad of embezzled public funds. In an October 2014 settlement with a foreign government, Obiang Mangue was forced to sell a $30 million mansion, a Ferrari automobile, and various items of Michael Jackson memorabilia. The settlement required that an estimated $20 million of the proceeds be given to a charitable organization for the benefit of the countrys citizens and the forfeiture of $10.3 million to the foreign government.







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Teodoro Nguema Obiang - Teodorin

Among those close to the president, two individuals are singled out for criticism both a home and abroad -- the first lady, and her son, the "primogeniture" of President Obiang. "Teodorin" (or "little Theodor") as the son is known, lived the life of an international playboy and is widely accused of corruption. His purchase of a $34 million mansion in Malibu, California once made Forbes magazine and attracted a great deal of attention.

Yet when probed on the issue of corruption, he explains that during the time of the "skinny cows," the government "granted" him a concession to lumber a large tract of pristine continental jungle. The company he formed (and which he still owns, even though he is currently Minister of Agriculture and Forestry), brought in a Malaysian contractor with 40 teams of well-equipped lumberjacks who clear-cut, transported and shipped a wealth of whole logs to Asian markets -- leaving Teodorin with a large windfall. It also ruffled enough feathers that a new law was introduced that prohibited the exportation of whole logs and limiting clear-cutting.

In the meantime, Teodorin continued entrepreneurial activities that often included purchase of foreign real estate. "I've been very lucky in business," he says, "and I like to live well. My house in Malibu is now worth twice what I paid for it."

The origins of his mother's initial grubstake were based in real estate, and by any measure she has since become a formidable local real estate baron. As the oil business took off, anyone with residential properties that supplied the basics (i.e., running water, electricity) saw demand for their properties soar.

Earlier than most, the first lady identified and built into EG's sizzling real estate boom, where 100% return on investments in western-style construction can come within a single year of completion. Of course, it doesn't hurt with marketing if you are the first lady, and land for construction may be easier to come by than for some others. The president himself acknowledges his "private interests in Equatorial Guinea," which include support for his wife's real estate ventures.

The son of dictator Teodoro Obiang, Teodoro Nguema Obiang, called usually Teodorin, received as a gift from his father, the job of lieutenant colonel of the Ground Forces, two and half months after being proclaimed president of the Youth Federation of the Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea (PDGE). Nguema was elected at the First Ordinary Congress of the PDGE Youth, held in the town of Bata, under the slogan "Together we build the future with confidence", a position he also empowered him to "squat" the vice-presidency.

In France, prosecutors in 2012 seized the Obiang familys Paris mansion on the elegant Avenue Foch, along with luxury cars, paintings and expensive wines, on suspicion they were bought with funds plundered from Equatorial Guineas public coffers. While the tiny West African country is oil rich, three-quarters of its population lives below the poverty line.

In September 2016, Equatorial Guinea petitioned the Hague-based International Court of Justice to suspend the French trial, arguing Paris had violated Obiangs diplomatic immunity. Obiangs lawyers say he acquired his wealth legally and the Paris mansion is part of the countrys diplomatic mission.

France is not the only country setting its sights on Obiang. In December 2016, Dutch authorities seized a 76 meter yacht, Ebony Shine, reportedly belonging to Obiang. Switzerland also seized 11 luxury cars in response to a French request.

In naming 2nd Vice President, President Obiang increased the chances of his son to succeed him when the time comes. Equatorial Guineas President Teodoro Obiang Nguema promoted his first son Teodoro Teodorin Obiang Mangue as the countrys vice-president, local television confirmed 22 June 2016. Teodorin had been second vice-president. The position of second vice-president was abolished in the new government structure, with uncertainty over the role of prime minister. The presidents first son was also in charge of Defence and National Security ministry. Former Prime Minister Vicente Ehate Tomi will now be the deputy president of the State Council.

Teodorins appointment followed the formation of a new government after his fathers 24 April 2016 election win. President Nguema was re-elected with 93.7 per cent vote. He had been fighting attempts by the US administration to seize his assets, denying charges that they were obtained with allegedly corrupt funds taken from his country.

Teodorin always had expensive tastes and easy expense. For twenty years he led the high life and spends like a sheikh. His diplomatic passport allowed him to get in and out like that sang to him to the United States, France, with suitcases full of millions of dollars. Short hair, smooth and combed back, glasses thick glasses: Prince Teodorin does not really have a princely presentation. But he carries Gucci, Versace and Dolce & Gabbana, and when he enters one of his mansions, the domestic staff stand in a row in front of the door.











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DR Congo - 2017 Elections

An agreement was struck 23 December 2016 that would lead to President Kabila stepping down at the end in 2017. The agreement will deliver the Democratic Republic of the Congo's first peaceful transfer of power since independence from Belgium in 1960. Opposition representatives have agreed to the deal. Kabila cannot run for a third term and a prime minister will be named from the main bloc of opposition parties. The main opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi will oversee the implementation of the deal.

The government and opposition parties in the Democratic Republic of Congo on 31 December 2016 reached a deal on 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" - by which time there will be simultaneous elections for Presidenet, parliament, and lcoal governments.

A transitional government will be put in place by March 2017. 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 negotiations, launched on December 8, took place under the aegis of the influential Catholic Church, which had initially set Christmas Day as the deadline for a deal. 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.

One of the sticking points was the issue of a referendum. The government representatives said they wanted to reserve the constitutional right provided by Article 5 to have a referendum before elections are held in 2017. But they didn't say what the vote would be about. The opposition said they wanted to remove any loopholes from this agreement. They of course opposed the referendum and said the government was trying to keep President Kabila in power.

According to a working document for the deal, 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 deal would prohibit President Joseph Kabila from changing the constitution to extend his mandate and run for a third term.

Diplomats feared violence could gain momentum and trigger a conflict reminiscent of the wars from 1996 to 2003 that killed millions of people, sucked in more than half a dozen neighbouring armies and saw armed groups clash over its vast mineral wealth and use mass rape as a strategic weapon.

Kabila named a former member of the largest opposition party as prime minister 07 April 2017, a move likely to further divide Kabila's opponents after talks to negotiate his exit from power broke down last week. A statement from the presidency named Bruno Tshibala the prime minister of a new transitional government meant to organise a presidential election by the end of this year following Kabila's refusal to step down when his mandate expired in December. Tshibala was expelled from the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), Congo's largest opposition party, in March 2017 after he contested the designation of successors to veteran leader Etienne Tshisekedi, who died in February 2017.

Under the deal struck with the opposition in December 2016, Kabila can stay in office until after an election required to be held by the end of this year. But negotiations to implement the pact collapsed in early April 2017 and Tshibala's nomination is almost certain to weaken fledgling efforts to make Kabila abide by it.







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Trump Says He Has New Information About Alleged Russian Hacking

January 01, 2017

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 emails 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

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/28207946.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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China says will defend territorial rights

Iran Press TV

Sun Jan 1, 2017 11:25AM

Chinese President Xi Jinping has once again warned foreign powers against questioning Beijing's sovereignty and maritime rights in its territorial waters.

"We adhere to peaceful development, and resolutely safeguard our territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," Xi said as part of his New Year's address.

"Chinese people will never allow anyone to get away with making a great fuss about it," the president noted.

China dominates most of the South China Sea. Other neighboring countries including Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Brunei, and Vietnam have maritime claims as well.

President Xi, however, made no direct reference to the territorial dispute with Taiwan.

Recently, a diplomatic row erupted between the two sides after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen made a phone call to US President-elect Donald Trump, who has hinted at the possibility of working with the new government in Taiwan.

Earlier, the head of China's Taiwan Affairs Office, Zhang Zhijun, commented, "Looking ahead to 2017, the situation in the Taiwan Strait is complex and serious, and the development of relations is facing many uncertain factors and risk."

He, however, expressed optimism that the argument will be settled to ensure peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

Also in remarks on Saturday, President Tsai noted that the island would remain committed to maintaining peace and calm in the island's dealings with Beijing, despite predicting uncertainties in 2017.

China and Taiwan are separated by the Taiwan Strait in the western Pacific Ocean. They were separated in 1949 following a civil war.

Beijing considers the self-ruled island as part of its territory.

Taiwan challenges China's position.

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Thousands in Hong Kong Launch 2017 by Protesting Ouster of Elected Lawmakers

Sputnik News

21:53 01.01.2017(updated 05:39 02.01.2017)

In Hong Kong, 2017 opened with a march of thousands protesting China-backed efforts to unseat four new pro-democracy legislators.

The Civil Human Rights Front, which organized the rally, also wanted to help contribute to a drive to raise about $645,000 for the legislator's legal costs, the South China Morning Post reports. About $183,108 was raised during the march.

Hong Kong city courts, backed by Beijing, have already ousted two democracy advocates recently elected to Hong Kong's legislative council, Yau Wai-ching and Sixtus Leung, for failing to swear their oaths of office correctly.

Now, Nathan Law Kwun-chung, Edward Yiu Chung-yim, Lau Siu-lai and "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung have been targeted for the same offence.

Led by the four rebel legislators, crowds chanted "sovereignty belongs to the people" as they marched.

"We are here to oppose political suppression," University of Hong Kong student Sarah Chen Sin-yu told the South China Morning Post. "It is very unfair of the government to use taxpayers' money to disqualify lawmakers popularly returned by voters."

In taking the oath of office, new lawmakers are required to swear allegiance to Hong Kong as part of China, which the new lawmakers refused to do in a variety of ways, including by changing the wording of the oath, adding extra phrases, mispronouncing names and displaying contradictory banners.

"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," student leader Joshua Wong 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," he said.

Organizers claimed the rally drew more than 9,000 but apologized for the low number. Local police put the crowd size at fewer than 5,000. Organizers blamed the relatively small crowd on last month's announcement by hardliner Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying that he would not seek a second term.

In a statement, the government of Hong Kong said it respected the legislators' electoral mandates and the right of Hong Kong citizens to protest, but that taking oaths in the legally prescribed manner is equally important, according to the South China Morning Post.

 Sputnik

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North Korea in final stage of preparing ICBM: Kim

Iran Press TV

Sun Jan 1, 2017 5:49AM

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has claimed his country is almost ready to test-launch an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), amid international pressure on Pyongyang to abandon its arms programs.

"Research and development of cutting edge arms equipment is actively progressing and ICBM rocket test launch preparation is in its final stage," Kim said in his New Year's message on television on Sunday.

He said Pyongyang would continue to boost its military capacity until the United States put an end to its regular military exercises in the region with rival South Korea.

North Korea has faced international pressure to quit its arms development and nuclear program but has nevertheless had steady growth in those areas in the past years. The country recently announced a series of technical breakthroughs in developing an ICBM to be fitted with a nuclear warhead capable of reaching the United States. On September 9, North Korea said that it had conducted a successful "nuclear warhead explosion" test.

The country has been under a raft of United Nations (UN) sanctions over such tests. North Korea's main ally, China, has joined in on the sanctions.

Pyongyang has defied the pressures by insisting on its right to develop technology for "self-defense."

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Kim: North Korea in 'Final Stages' of Developing ICBM

By VOA News January 01, 2017

North Korea's 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 Year's 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 Pyongyang's 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 Korea's 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.

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Rouhani: Critics of JCPOA must hear complaints of enemies

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Jan 1, IRNA -- President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday that critics of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPO) must hear complaints of the enemies citing the Israeli and Saudi leaders criticism of the nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Asked by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting reporter to respond to the critics saying that JCPOA had no impacts on national economy, the President said that they must be fair in criticizing the government.

The president said that enemies are saying that JCPOA is to the benefit of Iran, but, from the beginning Iran wanted to clinch a win-win deal to make it sustainable for all parties.

We are now approaching the first anniversary of implementation of the JCPOA and believe that it is a win-win game and Iran expects all parties to remain committed to the pledges and it will lead to eliminate the economic bottlenecks, the president said.

Rate of USD in the next year budget plan has been envisaged at 33,000 rials, he said.

Market stability is of prime importance of the government and the current price rise of foreign currencies will not continue. Instead, they will fall against rial in the next few months.

President said the JCPOA was a great job and should be regarded as a national achievement belonged to all people.

JCPOA proved that Iran has changed the world public opinion, neutralized Iranophobia and Iran managed to resolve the nuclear dispute through dialogue in a win-win deal.

JCPOA helped us increase our oil income and in absence of JCPOA, the country's oil income should have been halved, he said.

The government spares no efforts to help government employees, improve the status of life standard of in remote areas, their welfare, and payment of the salaries of the government employees, he said.

In oil, gas, transportation, insurance JCPOA worked quite well but only in banking affairs there are some problems, he said.

JCPOA helped Iran sign agreement for purchase of passenger planes, he said.

Iranians pay some four billion dollars for tickets of foreign airlines, he said, adding that the government prefers to see Iranians use national airlines with new planes bought after striking the nuclear deal.

Agreement between Iran Air and foreign partner is a 18 year long contract which is a good sign for Iranian air transport.

The issue of Iranophobia is now removed and their stand at UN against Iran turned to the country's positive role in the world. Even in recent UN meeting on Syria the world admitted to Iran's assistance to the international campaign against terrorism.

Over the 50 years the UN did not pass a resolution against the Israeli settlement expansion, but, the Security Council passed a resolution last week requiring an stop to the jewish settlements and such a breakthrough should be regarded as an achievement of the JCPOA.

Today, the world seeks to help Iran to improve its nuclear technology which brings us more prestige, the president said.

1430**1416

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Iran denounces attacks in Baghdad and Istanbul

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Sun / 1 January 2017 / 13:37

Tehran (ISNA)-Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Ghasemi has denounced suicide blasts in Baghdad and terrorist attack in Istanbul.

Ghasemi sympathized with Iraqi and Turkish governments and nations over these deadly attacks.

"Loaded appeasement, misuse of violence and terrorism and acts of double standards have triggered this global destructive disaster which pass all the political, moral, religious and geographical boundaries to continue its disgraceful life", he said.

"Determination, consensus and unity of all countries against violence and terrorism is the only way to confront this phenomenon", Ghasemi added.

At least 39 people were killed and dozens more were wounded when a single gunman attacked a crowded Istanbul nightclub about an hour after midnight on New Year's Day.

A pair of suicide bombings minutes apart hit a central Baghdad market on Saturday, killing 28 people and wounding at least 54.

Ghasemi hoped the 2017 be the year that vigilant and determination of governments and nations all around the world root out terrorism and violence.

End Item

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Iraqi govt. forces control 60% of eastern Mosul: Commander

Iran Press TV

Sun Jan 1, 2017 3:51PM

A high-ranking Iraqi military commander says government forces continue to make advances in their joint operations with pro-government fighters to liberate Mosul from the grip of Daesh terrorists, and managed to establish control over more than a half of the eastern side of the strategic northern city.

Staff Lieutenant General Abdulwahab al-Saadi, a top commander in Iraq's Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), told AFP on Sunday that more than 60 percent of eastern Mosul has been retaken from Daesh Takfiris.

The remarks came on the same day that Iraqi security forces made advances in Mosul's eastern Intisar neighborhood.

"On the fourth day, our troops were able to liberate the Intisar neighborhood as well as the Saha neighborhood. They are now clearing the Salam neighborhood. They are clashing with the enemy. Large numbers of our enemy were killed yesterday, and Thank God the defeat broke their back. Today, we will continue our advance," Federal Police officer, Major General Ali Lami, said.

Brigadier General Shalan Ali Saleh, another police officer, said, "Thank God, our troops are advancing according to the plan set by the Joint Operations Command. We are moving slowly to adhere to the instructions of the army chief of staff, who asked that we protect civilians. Most of these areas contain civilians, so we are avoiding the use of rockets and mortars to avoid civilian death."

Meanwhile, the commander of Nineveh Liberation Operation, General Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah, said Iraqi Special Operations Forces regained full control of Southern al-Karama, Younes al-Sabawi and Yafa neighborhoods in eastern Mosul on Sunday.

Iraqi army soldiers, supported by pro-government Popular Mobilization Units (commonly known by the Arabic name Hashd al-Sha'abi) and Kurdish Peshmerga forces, launched a joint operation on October 17 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.

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Iraqi forces liberate three more neighborhoods in eastern Mosul

Iran Press TV

Sun Jan 1, 2017 2:0PM

Iraqi Special Operations Forces have regained full control of three more neighborhoods in Mosul as they are trying to flush Takfiri Daesh militants out of their last urban stronghold in the country in joint operations with pro-government fighters.

The commander of Nineveh Liberation Operation, General Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah, said special forces recaptured the Southern al-Karama neighborhood on Sunday following fierce skirmishes with Daesh terrorists, Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network reported.

He added that scores of the extremists were killed, and a number of their military equipment destroyed during the heavy fighting. Iraqi government forces then hoisted the national flag over several buildings in the area.

Iraqi Special Operations Forces had earlier wrested complete control of Younes al-Sabawi and Yafa neighborhoods in the eastern flank of Mosul, located some 400 kilometers north of the capital Baghdad.

Separately, Federal Police forces retook control of the strategic No. 60 Street southeast of Mosul, which connects Younes al-Sabawi neighborhood to Intisar district.

Iraq drone strike kills 20 Daesh terrorists in eastern Mosul

Meanwhile, a Nineveh provincial security official says nearly two dozen Daesh terrorists were killed when Iraqi Air Forces carried out a drone strike against a militant position in eastern Mosul.

The official, requesting not to be named, said an armed CASC Rainbow drone of the Iraqi army struck the site in Corniche neighborhood of Mosul, killing 20 Daesh militants in the attack.

He added that this is the first time that the Iraqi army is using an unmanned aerial vehicle to target Daesh gatherings in the eastern side of Mosul, noting that the precision strike was carried out in coordination with intelligence units on the ground.

On Saturday, Iraqi security personnel freed several civilians whom Daesh Takfiris had abducted in Intisar, Salam and Sumer districts of Mosul.

Iraqi military aircraft also conducted a series of airstrikes against Daesh positions in southern Mosul, killing 23 terrorists and destroying 10 vehicles rigged with explosives.

Another four Daesh terrorists were slain when Iraqi warplanes bombarded designated targets in the eastern side of Mosul.

On October 17, Iraqi army soldiers, supported by pro-government Popular Mobilization Units (commonly known by the Arabic name Hashd al-Sha'abi) 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.

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US to Resettle Iraqis Victimized by IS

By Rikar Hussein January 01, 2017

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 Trump's policies will not evolve until after he takes office on January 20.

"We don't 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."

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South Korea's Park Denies Corruption Allegations

By VOA News January 01, 2017

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.

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U.S. Senators To Push For Stronger Sanctions Against Russia

RFE/RL's Georgian Service January 01, 2017

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."

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

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/georgia-us- senators-urge-russia- sanctions/28208343.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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A Century After Russian Revolution, Will Putin Bury Lenin?

Steve Gutterman January 01, 2017

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 tsar-like 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 in the Bolshevik Revolution brought down 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.

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/russia- will-putin-bury-lenin-on-revolution- centennial/28208405.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Rouhani: Iran welcomes sustainable ceasefire in Syria

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Dec 31, IRNA -- President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday that Tehran welcomes sustainable ceasefire in Syria and warned all parties to exercise vigilance to prevent terrorists reorganize themselves.

President Rouhani made the remarks in a meeting with visiting Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem.

President Rouhani congratulated Syrian government, army and nation on their triumph over terrorists mainly in Aleppo, saying that the recent victory in Aleppo gave one message to the terrorists that they never be triumphant in the wrong approach they have chosen.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has always supported Syrian nation and is to continue with support in the future as well and there is no doubt that Syrian people will ultimately win the conflict, he said.

Iran, Russia and Syria through unity and solidarity adopted a timely plan which can be quite successful, President Rouhani said.

He expressed the hope that recent conference in Kazakhstan helps escalate a sustainable peace in Syria.

Syrian foreign minister, for his part conveyed the warm greetings of Syrian president to President Rouhani and said there is no doubt that Iran's all-out support left major impacts on morale of the Syrian nation in their fight against terrorists.

Lauding the efforts and supports made by Iran and Russia for the Syrian government and nation in fight against terrorism, he called on the three countries to broaden more cooperation.

The Islamic Republic of Iran plays a very significant role in the region, Syrian foreign minister said, calling for expansion of such relations together with Tehran's all out support for Damascus.

Head of the National Security Bureau of the Ba'ath Party Ali Mamlouk accompanied Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem to Tehran.

1430**1416

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Iran, Russia presidents reaffirm fight against terrorism, welcome Syrian truce

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Dec 31, IRNA -- Presidents of Iran and Russia welcomed the Syrian ceasefire, reaffirming commitment to international campaign against terrorism and terrorist groups, including Daesh and al-Nusra Front.

According to the Presidential Office, President Hassan Rouhani and President Vladimir Putin in a telephone conversation on Saturday evening expressed deep concern about humanitarian crisis in Syria.

They called for coordination to supply humanitarian relief aid to Syria and the peace talks due to be held between Syrian government and opposition in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan.

President Rouhani congratulated President Putin on occasion of the New Year, saying that Iran welcomes ceasefire in Syria and Iran believes in coordination between countries necessary before Astana peace talks.

Rouhani said that dispatch of humanitarian aid for Syrian people, especially the cities surrounded by terrorists is necessary and that it is very important to maintain and keep the ceasefire.

He emphasized the need for regular consultations between foreign ministries of the two countries in this concern.

President Putin in this telephone conversation said that the ceasefire was product of cooperation and coordination of all countries advocating peace and tranquility in Syria, especially Iran and Russia.

President Putin said that our duty is to protect existing achievements, supporting the international campaign against terrorism.

He underlined the need for regular consultations between foreign ministers of the two countries before talks begin in capital of Kazakhstan between the Syrian government and the opposition.

He said that Russia is ready to cooperate with groups in Syria ready to get involved in peace talks and that there is no doubt Russia will not allow the ceasefire to include the terrorists groups like Daesh and an-Nusra Front and similar groups.

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UN Security Council approves Russian-drafted resolution on Syria ceasefire

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Jan 1, IRNA -- The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) member states unanimously approved the Russian-drafted resolution about the Syria ceasefire on Saturday.

Russia and Turkey declared ceasefire in Syria last week. This is the third attempt of the kind in the past Christian year to end a conflict which has been ongoing in the country.

The UN Security Council held closed-door consultations about the Russian drafted-resolution and the future peace talks to be held in the Kazakhstan capital, Astana.

Last week, consultations over the Syria crisis accelerated and Tehran, Moscow and Ankara held negotiations and issued the Syria statement. The negotiations are expected to continue in Astana.

However, before the meeting between the Syrian government and the opposition groups in Astana, the Russian President Vladimir Putin declared inking agreement between his government and the opposition.

The measure will certainly facilitate settlement of Syria crisis. The Russian-drafted resolution which was finally approved after amendments includes mechanisms for observing the Syria truce.

The field developments including terrorists' heavy defeat in Aleppo and its psychological and security effects forced the Syrian opposition and their supporters to accept the ceasefire without any condition and to come to the negotiation table.

9191**1424

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Aleppo victory was due to resistance: Syrian FM

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Jan 1, IRNA -- Aleppo victory was due to resistance to the terrorist groups, the Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said on Sunday.

He made the remarks in a meeting with head of the Strategic Research Center of Iran's Expediency Council Ali Akbar Velayati.

Liberation of Aleppo was the victory of both Iran and Syria, the Syrian foreign minister said.

He said that the victory was the fruit of efforts made by the resistance front.

After Aleppo victory, Syrian government consulted with Iran, Russia and Syria to stop military operation and open the doors for inter-Syrian dialogue, al-Moallem said.

He noted that Aleppo liberation and the decision made by the Saudi government to halt the military operation is a new opportunity for the friendly states to help the Syrian reconstruction.

Al-Moallem said that if some people suppose that they can use the second meeting in the Kazakh capital, Astana, to propose issues which are not compatible with the Syria interests, they have isolated themselves and will miss the opportunity.

For success of the Astana talks, the armed opposition should steer clear of al-Nusra Front and Daesh, he added.

The Syrian foreign minister noted that the armed opposition should retreat from Aleppo suburb in order to restore sense of peace security to people living in the city.

The armed opposition should know that it is the Syrian Army which came victorious in Aleppo and they should do the pre-requisite works to prove that they are willing to end the humanitarian crisis in Syria, he added.

The Syrian foreign minister thanked Iranian people, government and Supreme Leader for contribution to the Syrian government in political, economic and military fields to eliminate global terrorism and find a political solution for Syria.

Syria is satisfied with coordination among Iran, Russia and Syria for its impacts on the international campaign aganist terrorism, he added.

'Please, acknowledge our thanks to the Supreme Leader for His wise leadership in fighting against terrorism.'

9191**1416

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Iran to preserve strategic ties with Syria: Velayati

Iran Press TV

Sun Jan 1, 2017 10:19AM

A senior Iranian official has hailed the Syrian army's latest triumph over foreign-backed terrorists in the flashpoint city of Aleppo, stressing that Tehran is set to maintain its "strategic ties" with Damascus.

Ali Akbar Velayati, a top adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, made the remarks in a meeting with visiting Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem in Tehran on Sunday.

"Aleppo's liberation is a major victory, and Syria's friends and enemies acknowledge it," said Velayati.

The official further praised deep-rooted and longstanding ties between the Iranian and Syrian nations, adding that the Islamic Republic will preserve its "strategic" relations with the Arab country.

On Friday, the Syrian army announced a nationwide halt to fighting under a deal with the foreign-backed opposition.

The ceasefire, which does not apply to Daesh and Fateh al-Sham terrorist groups, came eight days after the Syrian military announced full control over Aleppo and called it a "crushing blow" to terrorists.

The Aleppo liberation came after the last remaining Takfiri elements were evacuated from the city along with civilians under a ceasefire deal mediated by Ankara and Moscow.

Muallem, for his part, called Aleppo's recapture a joint victory for Syria and Iran.

Damascus has been seeking to bring an end to fighting and pave the way for intra-Syrian talks through cooperation between Iran, Russia and Syria, he added.

Touching on the upcoming Syria peace talks expected to take place in Kazakh capital city of Astana, the top Syrian diplomat said that for the discussions to be successful, armed groups have to distance themselves from Daesh and Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front.

Members of the two terror outfits should also retreat from areas on the outskirts of Aleppo, he pointed out.

The Syrian foreign minister further thanked Iran's Leader as well as its nation and government for supporting Syria in different areas, particularly in Damascus' fight against terror and efforts to find a political solution to the crisis plaguing the Arab country since 2011.

Muallem also expressed his satisfactions with the trilateral Tehran-Moscow-Damascus cooperation, saying it has been fruitful in anti-terror battles.

He arrived in Tehran on Saturday at the head of a high-ranking delegation. He held talks with senior Iranian officials, including President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani.

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Turkish Troops Kill 34 Daesh Militants, Destroy 17 Targets in Northern Syria

Sputnik News

20:39 01.01.2017(updated 20:41 01.01.2017)

The Turkish Armed Forces eliminated 34 Daesh militants over the past 24 hours as part of the Euphrates Shield operation in northern Syria, local Anadolu news agency reported Sunday, citing a statement by the Turkish military.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  All 34 militants were killed in ground clashes, Anadolu reported, adding that and 17 Daesh targets were destroyed.

The militants were eliminated as the part of the offensive to liberate the Daesh-held city of al-Bab.

On August 24, the Turkish army launched Operation Euphrates Shield against militants of the Daesh group, which is outlawed in Russia and many other countries. Turkish forces, with assistance from Syrian opposition fighters, occupied the city of Jarablus in northern Syria and are currently conducting its offensive on al-Bab. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the aim of the operation is to clear the region of terrorists and make it a safety zone for refugees.

The operation has been widely criticized both by the Syrian Kurds and Damascus, who have accused Ankara of violating Syria's territorial integrity.

 Sputnik

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The court held that employees who have not exercised the option to join the Employees Pension Scheme must be given a further chance of 6 months to do so.
Trump on possibility of Tsai meeting: 'We'll see'

ROC Central News Agency

2017/01/01 18:41:26

Washington, Dec. 31 (CNA) U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday failed to dispel speculation about a possible meeting with ROC President Tsai Ing-wen () when she stops over in the United States later this week.

During a New Year's Eve celebration at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Trump was asked whether he would meet Tsai during her stopover in the U.S. The president-elect indicated that from a protocol standpoint, he will not meet anybody until after Janu. 20 because it would be inappropriate.

However, Trump's following comment left many to speculate on the possibility of a meeting, adding "But we'll see ... we'll see."

Earlier in December, Trump spoke with Tsai on the phone in what was described as the first time since the severing of diplomatic ties between the United States and Taiwan nearly 38 years ago.

The congratulatory call sparked a wave of rhetoric from Beijing, which vigorously obstructs any official contacts between Taiwan and other nations.

Tsai will stopover in Houston and San Francisco on her nine-day Central American trip, which begins this Saturday. She will meet with Taiwan expatriates living in the U.S. before heading to Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador, four of Taiwan's diplomatic allies in Central America.

(By Rita Cheng and Ko Lin)

enditem/AW

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2017 is the Year of the Navy

1 January 2017

2017 is set to be the year of the Royal Navy as it prepares to welcome new ships to the fleet, following one of their busiest years since the end of the Cold War.

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has paid tribute to thousands of personnel involved in the wide range of key tasks that the Navy has been engaged with in 2016. This includes responding to Russian activity in the North Sea, English Channel and North Atlantic, supporting EU and NATO-led operations in the Mediterranean and Aegean, helping safeguard our overseas territories, and taking the fight to Daesh by leading a US Navy task force in the Gulf.

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said:

"We are investing billions in growing the Royal Navy for the first time in a generation with new aircraft carriers, submarines, frigates, patrol vessels and aircraft all on their way. 2017 is the start of a new era of maritime power, projecting Britain's influence globally and delivering security at home."

At the peak of activity in 2016, Naval service personnel were involved in 22 operations at home and abroad, serving on nearly 30 ships, submarines, support vessels and Fleet Air Arm squadrons  8,325 sailors and Royal Marines in all. This pace of operations will continue throughout the festive period and well into 2017  during the first quarter of next year, one third of the Royal Navy's front-line strength will be on global operations.

As well as these missions, led by the maiden voyage of Britain's biggest ever warship, the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, a raft of new ships will either commence build, be launched or be delivered to the fleet as part plans to expand the size and strength of the Royal Navy to meet its growing commitments around the world.

Key milestones in 2017 include:

- HMS Queen Elizabeth, will sail from Rosyth, ready to conduct sea trials in summer and debut in Portsmouth later in the year;

- Her younger sister HMS Prince of Wales will enter the water for the first time in the summer as work on her continues and is due to be formally named in the autumn;

- Design and Manufacture will begin on the multi-million pound Crowsnest, the early-warning 'eyes in the sky' system for the helicopters that will protect the new carriers;

- In the summer, steel will be cut on the first of eight Type 26 frigates in Glasgow;

- The first of four Tide-class tankers, RFA Tidespring  crucial for supporting the new aircraft carriers  will arrive from South Korea in the spring to undergo UK customisation work;

- Similarly, in the spring, the first of the Navy's five next-generation patrol ships, HMS Forth will begin her sea trials;

- The fourth Astute Class submarine will enter the water for its commissioning phase in spring;

- The keel for the seventh and final Astute-class submarine  as yet unnamed  will be laid in 2017 as work continues apace on the fifth and sixth, HMS Anson and HMS Agamemnon in Barrow;

- The opening of the first permanent Royal Navy base East of Suez in nearly half a century.

On the operational front:

- Vanguard-class submarines will carry out the 48th year of continually providing our at-sea nuclear deterrent;

- HMS Ocean will continue to lead the US Navy's carrier task group in the Gulf until February, supported by Type 45 destroyer HMS Daring providing air defence;

- Royal Marines and the Commando Helicopter Force will carry out three months of winter training in Norway to protect NATO's northern flank;

- 40 Commando Group, based near Taunton, will assume the responsibility of on-call Royal Marines unit from May;

- and numerous frigates, Minehunters survey and patrol ships of the Royal Navy and support ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary will continue to protect UK interests in the Baltic, Gulf, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, Caribbean, North and South Atlantic.

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Several pieces of legislation filed by state Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Moneta, seek to promote the welfare of dogs and cats and aid local animal shelters and humane societies.

For several years, Stanley said he has pushed for legislation to help the animal facilities across Virginia.

Protecting companion animals is something Im very passionate about, Stanley said.

For Januarys session, Stanley has submitted two bills aimed at starting a state-funded spay and neuter program. Under the legislation, the program would reimburse vets for spaying or neutering feral cats and pets owned by low-income residents. Another bill would ask the state Department of Agriculture to study the feasibility of the project.

Stanley said too often, dogs and cats are not spayed or neutered simply because the procedure is too costly for pet owners. He said the bills would help shelters while reducing the number of euthanized animals.

Its proliferation of dogs and cats that are unwanted, he said.

Danville Area Humane Society Executive Director Paulette Dean praised the spay and neuter program currently in place at the shelter. She said the financial impact to businesses had defeated the bill in past years, but thanked Stanley for his attention to animal welfare issues.

Another bill would aim to save dogs and cats slated to be euthanized by a shelter, requiring it to wait five days before proceeding if a person or another shelter has requested an adoption or transfer. Stanley said several times this year in his district individuals have requested to adopt dogs, only to return to find out they had been euthanized.

Its the humane thing to do, Stanley said. If someone wants that dog, theres no reason to euthanize that dog.

Dean said open admission shelters  facilities that accept every animal received  would likely oppose the bill, because time limits would be detrimental to the welfare of the animals.

Lastly, a Stanley bill would prohibit pet stores from selling animals from unlicensed dealers. Stanley said the bill is an attempt to stop the rise of puppy mills  large-scale dog breeding facilities with inhumane conditions  and to make sure those who buy pets know where their animals come from.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals estimates as many as 10,000 puppy mills are operating in the United States.
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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
Flora Bar Photo: Jemma Hinkly/New York Magazine

In the increasingly fraught, expensive world of New York City restaurants, the cost of everything keeps going up, including, it seems, success. Chefs and restaurateurs who are lucky enough to capture some sliver of the elusive, increasingly fractured popular Zeitgeist the way Ignacio Mattos did not long ago with his small, Obama-approved Nolita dining bar, Estela, are under immediate pressure from every direction (investors, personal accountants, siren-song real-estate developers) to cash in on their talents with another hit, and another one after that. This eternal cycle of expansion and empire-building isnt new, of course. But in todays environment, the stakes seem higher, the perils are trickier and more challenging (how do you maintain focus? How do you expand a brand without diluting its quality? How do you keep talent?, etc.), and the boom-and-bust cycle seems to be spinning faster than ever before.

Flora Bar is the second restaurant that Mattos and his partner, Thomas Carter, have launched in the past year, and on the face of things, its their trickiest, most challenging venture yet. With 74 seats, plus a full-service daytime coffee and sandwich bar, its a larger operation than Estela and their other new property, the modest neighborhood spot Cafe Altro Paradiso. Its located uptown on Madison Avenue, in the 70s, a notorious and fickle restaurant graveyard, far away from their cozy downtown terroir. And in case you havent heard, its also located on the bottom floor of the Met Breuer museum, which means the logistical layout is a quirky space they have to work around instead of create, and that many of the people who happened to stumble on their establishment have come to see art instead of to taste, say, a bite of carefully rendered lobster crudo.

Lobster-and-crab dumplings in yuzu broth. Photo: Jemma Hinkly/New York Magazine

Should you happen to be in the mood for a first-class example of lobster crudo after wandering the bunkered galleries of Marcel Breuers famous building, however, you will not be disappointed. Unlike Altro Paradiso, which was a new trattoria-style concept built from the ground up, Flora Bar turns out to be a more formal, slightly expanded, uptown version of Estela itself. The chefs lean, inventive small-plates menu has been filled out here and there with a selection of local neighborhood delicacies (lobster, steak, Osetra caviar). Like at Estela, there is a long bar for drinking and also eating, although this one features plush leather counter chairs with plenty of back support. Unlike at Estela, the tables in the spacious dining area are set a respectable distance apart, and as one wave of generally delectable dishes succeeds another, its actually possible to hear yourself think.

The aforementioned lobster crudo turns out to be more of a tartare than a crudo  at least its shaped and presented that way: a plump round of pinkish lobster meat dressed on its top with threads of shiso and served with a spoonful of fresh-whipped mayonnaise on the side. Its part of the first section of the menu, which is chocked with raw or barely cooked seafood preparations that echo some of the Estela favorites (cured fluke with sea urchin, mussels escabeche on toast), but designed, by Mattos, to set a slightly more elevated, formal tone. In addition to the lobster, there are fat, raw scallops wrapped like New Age tea sandwiches in slips of nori seaweed; towers of raw-bar seafood (which you can complement with Osetra for a hefty fee); and an excellent tartare made not of bison beef, like the chefs great trendsetting tartare downtown, but with yellowfin tuna, egg yolk, soy, and shallots, scattered with flaxseed.

Some of the original Estela favorites are reprised here in slightly tweaked form  fluke with uni, lamb ribs dressed with yogurt instead of a drizzle of honey  and while much of the vocabulary is the same, much of the cooking feels new. Our second salvo of dishes one recent night included slices of Iberico ham as shiny and stiff as ribbon candy, snow-colored stracciatella touched with Meyer lemon and crunchy, unseen bits of fennel, and steamed clams served in shells puddled with cream chowder. There was also a delicate, crumbly tart spread with slivers of rutabaga and melted raclette, and a deconstructed omelet topped with spoonfuls of trout roe, hackleback caviar, and the faintest scrim of creme fraiche. Lobster makes another appearance in the entree section, folded into little pouches of ravioli, but the money dish is the aforementioned steak, which the kitchen marinates in Vietnamese fish sauce, among other things, and serves in a pool of bearnaise.

Breuers problematic room can be even more problematic on dark winter evenings, when a loop of hotel-style music echoes a little too loudly off the gray, bunkered walls, but in general, Mattos and Carter do a good job of bringing a sense of style and utility to this quirky space. During the daytime, a selection of inventive pastries (mitten-size sticky buns; crunchy, Gruyere-laced scones; a fine, quiche-style greens pie) and sandwiches are served at Flora Coffee next to the restaurant, and in clement weather, you can enjoy them on cafe tables outside, under the looming shadow of the museum. Dinnertime desserts include a cooling scoop of coconut sorbet scattered with a chopping of celery and pineapple, and a sharp, downtown chocolate ganache made with industrial-strength amounts of cocoa bean, which you can complement with thin squares of tarte Tatin dabbed with whipped cream, and a serviceable version of that most uptown dessert of all, creme brulee.

Creme brulee. Photo: Jemma Hinkly/New York Magazine

Apple tart. Photo: Jemma Hinkly/New York Magazine

Omelet with hackleback caviar and trout roe. Photo: Jemma Hinkly/New York Magazine

Potato croquettes. Photo: Jemma Hinkly/New York Magazine

Steak with bearnaise, potatoes, and onions. Photo: Jemma Hinkly/New York Magazine

Rating: 3 stars

Flora Bar

945 Madison Ave., nr. 75th St.; 646-558-5383; florabarnyc.com

Ideal Meal: Lobster crudo with mayonnaise, stracciatella with Meyer lemon, lamb ribs and/or steamed clams, rutabaga and raclette tart, steak with bearnaise, coconut sorbet.

Note: If youre feeling rash (and rich) order the Treat, for $25, which consisted of a taste of uni, caviar, and white truffles on rye when we ordered it.

Open: Dinner, Tuesday to Sunday; lunch, Friday to Sunday.

Prices: $9 to $140.

Scratchpad: One star for invention and variety, one star for technique, and one star for good old satisfaction.

*This article will appear in the January 9, 2017, issue of New York Magazine.
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The white colored variant of the Xiaomi Mi Mix, which first leaked back in November last year, could be officially unveiled at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Or at least that's what a recently outed teaser would have us believe.

While the teaser itself doesn't explicitly say anything, the word WHITE is mixed with BLACK (WBHLIATCEK) and the mention of CES 2017 seems like a clear hint. In case you aren't aware, the Mi Mix is currently only available in black color.

It's worth mentioning that the white variant was recently spotted at a Chinese online store as well, although it wasn't up on sale then.

Via
If you are a ZTE fan in the US, and are in the market for a mid-range smartphone, here's a deal for you: the Axon 7 mini is currently going for under $200. Specifically, Newegg and Best Buy have the gray and gold variants listed for $199.99 on their websites, respectively.

That, if you compare, translates into a price cut of $100 given that ZTE itself is selling the phone for around $300. Keep in mind that the deal Newegg is offering will expire shortly (2 hours as of writing). No word on when the Best Buy promo ends though.

Source 1 2




Haiti - Politics : My concerns about the future of the country are big dixit Privert





Sunday in Gonaives, the de facto President Jocelerme Privert, accompanied by his wife Ginette Michaud Privert, Prime Minister Enex Jean-Charles, members of his government, the Presidents of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, attended in the presence of representatives of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps to the traditional TeDeum, consecrating the celebration of the 213 years of the independence of Haiti to the cathedral Saint-Charles-Borromee of Gonaives.



In his homily the chief celebrant Mgr. Yves Marie Pean, preached Peace and unity among the Haitians for the good of the country. He took the opportunity to convey his vows of happiness, prosperity and forgiveness to everyone.



After the Eucharistic ceremony, the rendezvous has been given on the Place d'Armes of Gonaives where the commemorative celebrations of the 213th Independence Day and New Year's Day were held. In his address to the Nation, Jocelerme Privert, emphasized on the twofold historical significance of the 1 January date, namely the commemoration of the Independence Day and the celebration of the World Day of Peace.



In his speech, he saluted the sacrifices made by our ancestors to bequeath this country to us. He preached forgiveness and unity between the daughters and sons of the Fatherland and felt abnormal that for more than two centuries the country has always faced a set of drifts hindering its socio-economic development. Calling everyone for reconciliation, peace and dialogue, Privert believes there is an urgent need for more stability and security in the country to find ways and means to resolve internal conflicts while proposing lasting responses to the problems faced by Haiti.



Excerpt from Privert's speech :

"[...] Haitian people,



[...] Haiti has a historic place in the shared struggle for independence in the Western Hemisphere [...] in spite of the accidents of our history which brought us humiliations [...] the date of 1st January carries for us a particular density of emotions and feelings, through the asperities of the path traveled [...]



January 1st find us each year to this pilgrimage to the heart of the spirit in the authentic time of Gonaives the pole of all the patriotic convergences where the ancestors for obvious reasons have chosen to lay the foundation stone of the national edifice [...]



For 213 years our country has faced a series of challenges and conflicts which should no longer frighten the descendants [...] of 1804. We are still unable to feed our people, educate our children, provide care health care to our compatriots and to rebuild the infrastructure necessary for the economic development of our country.



The night would be long and the day too short for a complete declination of our needs, we have already tried a wide range of forms of government and yet we have tumbled over the decades of the status of Pearl of the Antilles to the shameful label of the poorest country of the Americas.



[...] Today I do not intend to give lessons to anyone, on how is the country, we are all responsible, we are obliged to agree, to do our mea culpa so that we move forward .



We are all Haitian, we must accept with humility that every Haitian has his contribution to bring for the search for the solution.



[...] we must create a better tomorrow for all our children [...] When I got out of prison, I realized that the best way for this country to move forward is to learn how to forgive, to sit with one another [...] today I ask the Haitian people to sit together. Let us analyze, agree on what is good for the country, because 2017 is the year when the country has to take a leadership.



[...] For the crisis to end, for the instability to end, we have to be tolerant, we have the ability to listen to the other, to sit together, we can have different positions, but we can find good solutions for the country.



[...] I know that it is difficult to forgive but we must remember that without forgiveness there would not have been the Archaie Congress leading to the proclamation of independence.



[...] Today we are in a delicate situation, the Fathers of the Nation looks at us, they reproach us, they rebuke us because today, after 213 years of independence we have foreign soldiers on our territory, because the conflicts have reached us and we can not sit together to manage them.



This year let's making an effort to put ourselves together to finish once and for all with the presence of foreign soldiers on our territory [...] On the eve of handing over power to an elected President my concerns about the future of the country are big out I know that coming out of the tunnel of poverty and instability is within the reach of citizens who cultivate in the highest degree the love of the common and immortal homeland."



Listen the full speech of de facto President Privert :











HL/ HaitiLibre


















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a sharp increase in productivity

big cost savings

a drop in customer complaint calls

less absenteeism

innovations driven by greater collaboration between departments

the emergence of self-managed teams

Nikki Nijland knew that a profound change of culture was under way when she joined Dutch insurance company Ardanta as an employee at the start of 2015. The 30-year-old had been a contractor at the firm for just over a year and noticed that colleagues were much more comfortable than in the past about speaking up.As soon as she was hired, she went on a programme in collective leadership and discovered what lay behind the transformation in behaviour. The training was not just for Ardantas leaders. Every employee had gone through it. At every level, people were taking responsibility and stepping up as leaders when the situation required.Alison Maitland outlines how collective leadership is gaining traction globallyNijland learned through the programme how to make the best use of her own combination of strengths, chief of which is creativity. Ive never worked in a company that allows you to express your own ideas so much, she comments. You can say anything you want to say and its ok, even if its been tried before. It was like coming home. I can be who I am.Many organisations say they want to improve performance by empowering their people to find better products and solutions, but this often proves elusive. Collective leadership is a new approach that is being pioneered in the Netherlands, Australia and the US.Created by Roelien Bokxem and Jane Weber , former corporate executives who founded the consultancy PresenceAtWork , the training emphasises the being rather than the doing of leadership. It deepens participants awareness of themselves, of the larger system of which they are part, and of their impact on others.Through experiential learning  involving head, heart and gut  it encourages authentic self-expression, which creates trust within the group. People are pushed physically and emotionally to explore their limits and potential.Central to the training is PresenceAtWorks Leader Being Strength Indicator , an assessment methodology that profiles each persons strongest combination of four body-based strengths, out of a possible nine. By understanding their own and others strengths, people learn when to lead and when to follow, harnessing the groups collective intelligence.At Ardanta, leaders and employees attest that it has led to a remarkable shift in culture from hierarchy and top-down control to participation and co-creation. The value of it is in the way people have changed  the way they think and behave together, says Guido Horst, current CEO. We felt that, if we didnt make the change, we wouldnt be here 10 years from now.When Ardanta, a specialist in funeral policies, embarked on the programme in 2009, the insurance sector was facing big challenges: digital technology and the fallout from the global financial crisis were transforming the market. There was competition from new channels, growing price transparency through comparison websites, and general mistrust of the financial sector.While the business was doing pretty well, its portfolio, distribution network and building were outdated, says Robert van der Schaaf, CEO at the time. We had to transform from a shareholder-only model to a multi-stakeholder model in which employees, shareholders and customers were in balance.The management team was so busy with day-to-day demands that they could not see the changes in the market, he says. After they went through the training, they became more collaborative and willing to ask each other for help. Communication was more open and there was less conflict. We were prouder of ourselves and the company.Philippe Wits, who succeeded Van der Schaaf as CEO, took the programme deeper into the company after experiencing it for himself.Most leadership programmes Ive done were geared to being smarter and more aware of leadership in a cognitive way, says Wits. When you return to the working environment, you immediately lose it. The impact of this programme was profound. I was touched to the core. I realised that I am ok, rather than not sufficient.In 2014, the management team became the trainers, taking employees through the programme. This was the big turning point. At the time, the firm was struggling with a massive increase in policies following a business reorganisation. After the training, people started to propose solutions and take responsibility for decisions.The resulting business benefits included:The collective leadership approach ran in parallel with LEAN Six Sigma operational improvements, both placing responsibility as low as possible in the organisation.Weber explains how collective leadership drives innovation. People are able and willing to be far more creative and innovative, and to take risks for the sake of innovation, when there is full permission in the system for breakthrough thinking and honest and open communication.How long does it take to achieve a shift in culture? We know that we can dramatically change the corporate climate within a year by having the core team of managers in our programme, says Bokxem. It then takes another year for them to learn how to create the circumstances for their employee teams to step in as well.As an employee, Nikki Nijland appreciates the human and business impact of the training. Knowing my strengths makes me more effective in searching for new possibilities, she says. I think my way of listening more to the customer and thinking of the possibilities for increasing satisfaction makes our service at Ardanta more effective.Download the full case study here Alison Maitland is a business author, journalist and speaker, and an alumna of the collective leadership programme. She wrote the case study in collaboration with Roelien Bokxem, Jane Weber and Ardantas managers and employees.
The European Union, he estimated, has begun to lose its clout in international politics, as evidenced by speculation that Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are holding bilateral talks concerning the future of Europe and by the peace agreement that is reportedly being brokered in Syria by Russia and Turkey.

The European Union must do its utmost to remain an integral part of international efforts to tackle instability and resolve crises, President Sauli Niinisto stated in his New Year's Speech .

The EU cannot be absent from the negotiation tables where decisions about the future are made, he stressed.

The focus must now be turned to what is of great significance to all Europeans  to peace and security, said Niinisto. The European Union, he estimated, is currently needed more than it has been in decades, as its fundamental values of democracy, equality and human rights are being called into question also within its borders.

Niinisto acknowledged that the threat of terrorism, fear of war and forces of migration will continue to create uncertainty in Europe but underscored that the continent must remain united in the face of such challenges. The influx of asylum seekers in 2015, he reminded, resulted in some member states turning against each other and seeking the odd benefit at the expense of others. Such actions will only erode unity and ultimately also turn against the initial beneficiary, according to him.

The EU is only as strong as its weakest link, he stated.

The President also called attention to the position of Finland as part of the West. Finland, he said, has sought to promote well-being and build peace but may have neglected to ask how it should prepare against evil.

Our constitution provides good protection for the fundamental rights of the individual. But now we are facing some very difficult questions: what should we do in a situation where we have to weigh collective safety against rights of the individual? he asked. Evil must of course be opposed with good. But we must set limits to evil. We also need to be strong and resolute.

Niinisto expressed his delight with the growing willingness to develop defence co-operation within the European Union.

Terrorism, he pointed out, is a common enemy to everyone regardless of their country of residence. The key to combating such evil is the efficient gathering and sharing of information and the promotion of flexible co-operation between the authorities of different countries.

Action is needed from the EU, he said.

He also proposed two themes for the centenary year of independence in Finland: One key message of a one-hundred-year-old Finland could well be: You will do well if no one is doing badly. So help as much as you can. Another message could be: Take reasonable responsibility, at least of yourself. That is, do what you are capable of, viewed Niinisto.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Heikki Saukkomaa  Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi
A solicitor is preparing 70 cases against carmaker BMW after it admitted that hundreds of its vehicles may need to be checked for a potentially "catastrophic" design fault.

Dublin-based Dermot McNamara has received written submissions from BMW owners up and down the country, many of whose vehicles experienced engine failure while travelling at speed.

In one case, a driver claimed he lost all power, including his power steering, on a round-about while coming off the M50 and only just managed to avoid colliding with other cars.

Another driver said her car stopped working in the middle lane of a motorway in heavy 120kmh traffic, leaving her in fear of her life as other vehicles swerved around her.

BMW has admitted a design fault with chain tensioners - and potentially timing chains - in its N47 engines installed in vehicles made between February 2007 and June 2008.

The company dismissed claims of problems with cars built after that.

Threats

The engine was used in BMW's 1 Series, 3 Series and 5 Series vehicles.

The German carmaker is facing legal threats over its refusal to carry out the repairs - estimated at around 6,000 per vehicle - for free.

BMW carried out repairs to one vehicle after its owner issued legal proceedings.

However, the company could now face more legal action over its stated position to treat each customer on a case-by-case basis.

The timing chain links all the moving parts of an engine and its perfect operation is vital. Mechanics must remove the engine to check it.

"If a timing chain breaks, the driver loses all power from the engine with a resultant loss of braking and power steering," said Mr McNamara.

"Many of our submissions involve people who had been travelling with families on motorways when the failure occurred.

"One particularly harrowing case saw the BMW vehicle lose all control and mount a kerb, badly damaging a wheel but thankfully avoiding any pedestrians."

BMW has admitted problems, but refused to say if it would pay for repairs.

A spokesman said the motor giant is reviewing N47 engine vehicles produced between February 2007 and June 2008, but added that "any customer concerns are assessed on a case-by-case basis".
A library-goer with a drink problem stole another man's phone when he put it down on a desk, a court heard.

John Murphy (41) snatched the unattended phone but was later tracked down through CCTV footage and library rec-ords.

Judge Bryan Smyth ordered the defendant to pay compensation and adjourned the case at Dublin District Court.

Murphy, of Howth Road, Clontarf, pleaded guilty to stealing a man's smartphone worth 250.

The theft happened at Rathmines Library on Lower Rathmines Road last May 18.

Gda Aaron Lawlor told the court that the accused entered the library and took the phone, which had been left at a computer desk.

Murphy saw it, took it and placed it in his own bag before leaving the library.

He was identified from security footage and a search of the computer log at the library.

Murphy was co-operative with gardai when he was later arrested and charged, said his solicitor, Michael Shanley.

Detoxing

It had been a "somewhat opportunistic" theft, he added.

"It would appear to be, from the CCTV," the investigating garda confirmed.

Murphy had 30 previous convictions for offences that were mostly drink-related, the court heard.

Letters presented to the court stated that he was detoxing from alcohol.

The accused had a "huge drinking problem" but was taking steps to address it, Mr Shanley said.

Murphy had been homeless and staying in hostels previously but had been working for two years and was due to start a course in security.

Although he had initially pleaded not guilty, he had informed the garda of his change of plea and the victim did not have to attend court, Mr Shanley said.

He asked the judge to bear in mind the fact that Murphy had a very low income.

"I am also thinking that the injured party has been without the phone since May," Judge Smyth said.

"I'm sure anybody who has lost a phone or who has had it stolen knows it can cause quite a bit of inconvenience."

Mr Shanley said the accused would pay compensation.

Judge Smyth adjourned the case to a date in April. He said that if the compensation was paid by then, he would impose a fine.
Forensic officers painstakingly examine the Ballyfermot home of Bridie Smith who was repeatedly stabbed on her front doorstep

Gardai believe the stabbing of an innocent pensioner on her own front doorstep may be connected to an ongoing local feud.

Bridie Smith (72), of Ballyfermot, was repeatedly stabbed in the chest and upper body shortly after 9.30am yesterday.

Gardai are hunting for two men who were seen running from the scene of the attack in Oranmore Road moments after the horrific incident.

Officers are following a number of lines of investigation and have appealed for witnesses.

There is nothing to suggest that robbery was a motive.

One of Mrs Smith's sons was in the house at the time of the attack and called the emergency services.

The mother was rushed to Saint James's Hospital where her condition is said to be critical.

It is still not known if she was the intended target of the attack.

One of the lines of inquiry is the possibility that the stabbing was connected to an ongoing feud in the area.

Another elderly woman was previously attacked in a violent incident and a number of people have appeared in court.

Mrs Smith has been living in the area for several decades.

Her home was sealed off as a garda forensic team carried out an examination of the scene. They removed a handle from the front door and took it away for closer examination.

Vicious

Residents in the Oranmore Road area expressed sadness at the vicious stabbing of their elderly neighbour.

"I'm terribly shocked," said a 38-year-old mother-of-five. "The guards came to my door asking if I saw anything but I hadn't. I'm just hoping she'll make a full recovery. She was the same age as my mam.

"Another old woman was attacked down the road around a year ago."

Neighbour Seamus Pender (59) said: "We are all very shocked. The family have been living here a very long time. The first I heard about it was when the guards came to the door asking if anyone had seen anything."

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 councillor Daithi Doolan said: "We need to reach out and look after our elderly and vulnerable neighbours.

"Let's not let fear stalk the streets of Ballyfermot. Anybody with information should contact the gardai no matter how small insignificant they think it is. It could be an essential missing piece of the jigsaw.

"This is a quiet community. The neighbours are in shock and they are in fear. They didn't expect to be opening their doors on January 1 to be greeted by this awful news that their elderly neighbour was stabbed right on her doorstep," said the Sinn Fein councillor.

"Those involved should be brought to justice and face the full rigours of the law.

"I would make an appeal that gardai receive the support and the resources they need to properly investigate the crime and bring the perpetrators of this terrible crime to justice.

"Neighbours are in shock and are numbed by it all," he said.

Prayers

People Before Profit Alliance Cllr Hazel De Nortuin and Independent Cllr Vincent Jackson also strongly condemned the attack.

Local priest Fr Con Kenneally said prayers were being said for the recovery of the victim.

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.
CIVIC GROUPS

ABINGDON CIVITAN: Abingdon, Va., Harbor House, first and third Monday, 6 p.m. New members welcome. Roger Edwards, 276-698-1349.

ABINGDON LIONS CLUB: Abingdon, Va., Shoneys, 480 Cummings Street, meets first and third Thursdays. Bob Trent, 276-628-6195.

ABINGDON TOWN COUNCIL: Abingdon, Va., first Monday, 7:30 p.m., Municipal Building on Main Street. Visit www.abingdon.com.

ABINGDON KIWANIS: Abingdon, Va., 200 Clubhouse Drive, Glenrochie Country Club, First three Tuesdays on each month, noon to 1 p.m. Visitors welcome. Lee Saunders III, 276-356-8201.

ABINGDON ROTARY: Abingdon, Va., 200 Clubhouse Drive, Glenrochie Country Club, Fridays, 12:00 p.m. Janice Rice Reeves, President, 276-676-0210.

COMMUNITY CENTER OF ABINGDON: Abingdon, Va. 300 Senior Drive, every Monday afternoon 2 p. m.: Movie, every Monday night 6 p. m.: Music jam, every Wednesday night: Ballroom dance class 7:15 p. m.: every Friday afternoon 1  4 p. m.: Game day, 276-628-3911.

AMERICAN LEGION HACKLER-WOOD POST 145: Bristol, Tenn., 515 Marion Ave., Veterans from all branches of service, come place your membership with Post 145; youll make new friends and get reacquainted with your fellow veterans, 11 a.m to 11 p.m. daily. Questions, 423-968-9973.

AMERICAN LEGION POST 145 RIDERS: Bristol, Tenn., 515 Marion Ave., Interested in growth and membership, 423-368-9973.

BRISTOL EVENING LIONS: Bristol Va. Exit 7, Golden Corral, second and fourth Thursday, 6 p.m. Membership open to men and women, Charles Coulthard, 276-466-5357. Joe Wall, 423-764-8545.

BRISTOL GOODSON LIONS CLUB: Bristol, Va., Bordwine Road, 1st and 3rd Mondays, 6 p.m. visitors welcome. 423-534-9313.

BRISTOL HOST LIONS: Bristol, Va., Exit 5, Euclid Avenue Food City, Fridays, noon. New members welcome. David Hoelscher, president. 423-646-2923.

BRISTOL MORNING ROTARY: Bristol, Va., Euclid Ave., Food City, every Tuesday, 7:30 a.m., Club President: Glenn Myers, 423-968-5351.

BRISTOL SHRINE CLUB: Bristol, Tenn., King Lodge, 35 5th St., third Friday, 7 p.m.; Ron Schoenhardt, president; 423-968-4531.

BUFFALO RURITAN: Bluff City, Tenn., Beaver Creek Road and Buffalo Road, Ruritan building, fourth Monday, dinner at 6:30 p.m., meeting follows. Visitors welcome. 423-967-1651.

GLADE SPRING CIVIC CLUB: Glade Spring, Va., old Glade School on the hill, second Thursday, 6:45 p.m. social, 7 p.m. meeting.

JERICHO SHRINE TEMPLE: Kingsport, Tenn., 1100 Jericho Dr.; second Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.; Elbert (Smiley) Bridwell, potentate, 423-323-1982.

KING MASONIC LODGE NO. 461: Bristol, Tenn., 35 5th St., 2nd Monday, 7:30 p.m. WM Bill Caffey, 423-360-0543, www.kinglodge.org.

KIWANIS CLUB OF BRISTOL, TN/VA: Bristol Public Library (Kegley room upstairs), Thursdays, 11:30 a.m. Treasurer, Richard Ball, rpball@BVU.net. Visitors welcome. Memberships open to men and women, call Richard Ball 276-466-4009.

KIWANIS CLUB OF ELIZABETHTON: Downtown Elizabethton, Dinos, every Tuesday, noon. President: Jared Tetrick (jaredtetrick@yahoo.com)

KIWANIS CLUB OF MARION: Marion, Va., 861 Goolsby St., VFW Post Home 4667, every Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. Kiwanis Office, 276-783-2316.

MEADOWVIEW CIVIC CLUB: Meadowview, Va., Exit 24, I-81, Community Center on the Square. 2nd Thursday, 6:30 p.m. Pot luck meal before meeting.

OPTIMIST CLUB OF BRISTOL: Bristol, Va., Euclid Ave., Food City, Thursdays, noon. Ron McCready, 423-968-7181.

ROTARY CLUB OF BRISTOL VA./TN.: Bristol, Va., Bristol Train Station. Tuesdays, noon. Secretary/treasurer, Joyce Crockett. www.rotary7570.org/BRSTLVATN.

ROTARY CLUB OF TRI-CITIES AREA TN/VA: Bristol, Tenn., Northeast State Community College, Pierce Building, noon. Mike Parker, 423-575-5534.

ROTARY CLUB OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, VA.: Abingdon, Va., Cummins St., Shoneys, Wednesdays, 7:30 a.m. Visitors welcome. George Whitley.

SHELBY LODGE NO. 162: Bristol, Va., 251 Old Airport Road meets first Monday, 6:30 p.m., food and fellowship; 7:30 p.m. dispatch of business. Robert A. Bruce, WM., 276-466-8591.

SOUTH HOLSTON RURITAN: Bristol, Tenn., Meadow Creek Road near South Holston Dam, Club House, fourth Thursday.

SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS: Bristol, Va., 1601 Euclid Ave., Bristol Life Saving Crew, monthly meeting will be the third Monday of each month. New members welcome. renegade24201@yahoo.com, 276-591-6732.

TWIN CITY CIVITAN: Bristol, Tenn., 3332 Seventh St., Weaver Family Care Center, second and fourth Tuesday, 6 p.m. Stanley Mann, 423-968-2579. Visitors welcome.

VALLEY LODGE #93: Bristol, Va., 7707 Rich Valley Road. Meets every third Thursday, 423-742-0786.

WASHINGTON COUNTY, VA. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: Abingdon, Va., Senior Drive, Virginia Ball-room, third Thursday, doors open at 7 a.m., breakfast at 7:15 a.m. Networking and business breakfast. Free to chamber members. 276-628-8141.

WYTHEVILLE RURITAN CLUB: Wytheville, Va., Hedgefield meeting room, first Monday 6 p.m.

YORK MASONIC LODGE NO. 12: Abingdon, Va., 14411 Black Hollow Road, every 4th Monday, 7:30 p.m.; Work and instruction each Tuesday, 7 p.m., WM Fred Bowers, 276-466-4466.

MEETINGS

ABINGDON TOWN COUNCIL: Abingdon, Va., first Monday, 7:30 p.m., Municipal Building on Main Street; visit www.abingdon.com.

BRISTOL GOODSON LIONS: Bristol Va., Lions Clubhouse on Bordwine Rd., First and third Mondays, 6 p.m. at Visitors welcome. 423-534-9313; 276-791-9650

BRISTOL TN TREE CITY USA BOARD: Bristol, Tenn., 325 McDowell St, Slater Center, third Monday, 5 p.m. Public welcome. 423-654-4023.

BRISTOL REPUBLICAN WOMENS CLUB: Bristol, Va. Food City, Euclid Avenue. Noon: Last Monday of every month. 423-361-1774.

MARION DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION ASSOCIATION BOARD: Marion, Va., Municipal Building second Thursday, 5:30 p.m. visitors welcome. To be added to agenda, 276-783-4190.

SULLIVAN COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS DISTRICT 911 BOARD: Blountville, Tenn., 1570 Hwy. 394, SCECD 911 building, second Monday, every other month at 10 a.m. Due to conflict in schedules meetings can change at any time, public welcome. 423-279-7606.

SULLIVAN COUNTY ANTI-DRUG COALITION: Blountville, Tenn. 154 Blountville Bypass, Regional Health Department, second Thursday, odd number month 10 a. m.  noon. Speakers on various prevention topics, snacks will be provided, for more information call 423-742-2991 or visit www.scadcoalition.org.

HOW TO SUBMIT INFO

Submission deadline is Monday noon for the items scheduled during the upcoming week. Email features@bristolnews.com or fax 276-669-3696. Put Monday Calendar in the email subject line. For information, call Dorothy Hurt, 276-645-2556 or email dhurt@bristolnews.com
I am the proud father of a chief minister. I am happy, relaxed and confident he will do a fine job. I have told Akhilesh that his performance should be matchless in the country.

A beaming Mulayam Singh Yadav said these words in his first interview to Hindustan Times in March 2012 after he managed to convince party seniors, including younger brother Shivpal Yadav, of his decision to hand over the baton to his son.

Less than five years later, the relationship between father and son has soured to the extent of taking their political battle to the Election Commission and, in the process, splitting the Samajwadi Party ahead of the crucial assembly elections in the state.

Both Mulayam and Akhilesh are blaming extraneous influence of family and friends while emotionally insisting that none can break the relationship of a father and son.

What could have been a smooth succession within the family, turned into a public brawl -- and now a long-drawn legal battle!

Read| Party belongs to me, people by my side: SP chief Mulayam

Political expert KS Rana, who knows the Yadav family, feels Ramgopal Yadav, Mulayams cousin and the SP general secretary, could have followed a compromise formula --- like the one worked out by the Janata Party in 1978 to resolve the clash between Morarji Desai and Charan Singh.

While Desai continued as the party president, Charan Singh was appointed working president with authority to allot symbols.

The national convention could have easily appointed Akhilesh as the working president or parliamentary board chairman with authority to allot symbols. Perhaps a stubborn Mulayam, who perhaps wants to pass the party reins to his son after he is not around, would have relented.

He quotes a Kabir couplet. Yeh na mere hai, na tere hai, yeh satta ke chere hai (They are neither mine nor yours, they are puppets of power).

Some long-time close associates of Mulayam, however, feel that he wants his son to go through a drill, since he always said: Bina kasht ke adhikar nahin milta. Hamari ladai lambi hai. Isme kasht hai, yatnayen hai kintu safalta avashya hai (One doesnt get power without pain. Ours is a long battle full of thornes and sufferings, but our victory is for sure).

The hoardings that have surfaced all over Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow with pictures of Mulayam and Akhilesh carry a cryptic message: Loha Tap, Kundan Bhaya (You have to burn to become precious).

It seems history is repeating itself, not in one but several ways.

Read| If SP splits, will Mulayam or Akhilesh ride the cycle into UP polls?

In 1969 when Samyuka Socialist Party had fielded politically naive Mulayam against a seasoned politician Lakhan Singh Yadav from Jaswannagar in Etawah, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia had said, Log kehte hai kal ka chora kya chunav ladega. Mein kehta hoon yehi kal ka chora, kal ka bhavishya banayega. (People say how this young boy will contest elections. I say this young boy will make the future of many).

Akhilesh was often derided for his age when he became chief minister, with people ludicrously referring to his inexperience and domination by uncles.

Mulayams political journey from 1969 (his maiden election) to 1992 (when he formed his own party) has been full of struggles.

Unlike Akhilesh, he was not born in a political family, but Choudhury Charan Singh had declared him his political heir, saying politicians should take inspiration from Mulayams life of sangharsh and sangathan(struggle and organisational skills).

Mulayam could not inherit the Lok Dal as Choudhury Charan Singhs son Ajit Singh, who was living abroad, returned to the country, to snatch his fathers legacy from him.

The Lok Dal split into two parts -- Lok Dal (A) and Lok Dal (B), which was headed by Mulayam in UP. He later formed a five-party revolutionary front and scripted a chapter in opposition unity.

The forcible occupation of SPs office by Akhilesh supporters on Sunday was reminiscent of the ugly fight over Lok Dal office in Lucknow.

Read|Mulayam has called off Samajwadi Party convention on Jan 5, tweets Shivpal

Again, Mulayam had to fight a violent battle with Ajit Singh to become chief minister, the first time on December 3, 1989.

After losing the 1991 assembly elections, he had become a loner and decided to trek on Lohias path.

Lohia had raised the Socialist Party after losing the polls in 1955-56. Mulayam floated Samajwadi Party on November 4, 1992.

The irony is the same leader from West Bengal, Kironmoi Nanda, who moved the resolution on Sunday electing Akhilesh as the national president of the party had then moved a similar resolution proposing Mulayam Singhs name for the same position.

The name was seconded by Kapil Deo Singh of Bihar.

Mohd Azam Khan, who on Saturday made a last-bid effort to resolve the crisis had then drafted the partys constitution, which both the factions are quoting today to declare the convention by the Akhilesh faction valid/invalid.

Read| Yadav family feud: Akhilesh takes control, unseats father Mulayam as SP chief

KS Rana who has also written a book on Charan Singh is not amused, as he says, The glamour for power dwarfs relationships and is proven in history books.

Mulayam has a peculiar habit of checking his watch every few minutes. Perhaps at the age of 78 years he thinks his time is running out. But those who know him say dont dare write him off as the wrestler politician is famous for charkha daav.

Incidentally, he has with him his brother Shivpal, known more for his muscle power --- instead of Ramgopal, the partys master-strategist. Again this time he has an army of extended family to defeat his only son in the war zone .

But his buddy Amar Singh has clout and contact in Delhi.

Question is will he able to retain the cycle symbol?

Or would the emotional attachments pull back the father-son to call a ceasefire to take on the communal forces.

A one word apology by the son and one-line announcement by father on his successor can save both the family and the party .

Once when asked if he would like to declare his successor during his life time than follow the Tamil Nadu pattern, Mulayam had quipped, Why should I bother what happens after me?

Many like Lalu are urging him to rethink. What if he decided to do so. The cheering would be no less than what it was at the time of his or his sons election as national president.

For the latest updates on the Yadav family feud, click here
On Monday, Indias Supreme Court issued a politically significant order. It said the candidates cannot seek votes in the name of religion, caste, creed, community, and language.

The court arrived at such an order based on a reading of the Representation of Peoples Act - which forbids appeals on such grounds. The seven bench judge was split, with three dissenting.

The rationale

It is important to first acknowledge that the courts judgement is well considered. There is a long history of jurisprudence on the interpretation of the act in question, particularly its provision (Section 123(3)), which defines a corrupt election practice as follows:

The appeal by a candidate or his agent or by any other person with the consent of a candidate or his election agent to vote or refrain from voting for any person on the ground of his religion, race, caste, community or language or the use of, or appeal to religious symbols or the use of, or appeal to, national symbols, such as the national flag or the national emblem, for the furtherance of the prospects of the election of that candidate or for prejudicially affecting the election of any candidate.

The verdict widens the scope of the election law that does not clarify as to whose religion, caste, race, community or language one cannot cite during an election speech.

In Mondays order, the SC looked at how the court has interpreted this both in narrow as well as broad terms in the past. This provision is not as blanket as it seems. And at times, the court has made a distinction between say the language of a candidate and language-related concerns of electorate - using the former to solicit votes is wrong, speaking of conserving the latter is not.

It also examined the legislative history and rationale of the provision - which was to widen the scope of corrupt practices to curb communal, fissiparous and separatist tendencies during an election campaign.

In this backdrop, it was felt that the concerns which animated Parliament have become even more urgent since candidates have access to technology, to the media, to internet. And thus it was decided to give a broad and purposive interpretation to how a corrupt practice was defined in the provision.

A corrupt appeal would now include any appeal made to the elector on the ground of the religion, race, caste, community, or language of 1) any candidate, 2) his agent, 3) any other person making an appeal with the consent of the candidate, or 4) the elector.

In short - it is not just a candidate using his identity, but appealing to the voters identity on these lines that is a corrupt practice.

The Chief Justice agreed. He focused on the secular character of the state, that elections to any body of the state was a secular exercise, just as the functions of the elected representatives must be secular in outlook and practice. Any interpretation which diluted or eroded the constitutional objective of keeping the state and its activities free from religious considerations must be avoided, he added. For him too, an appeal in the name of the religion of the candidate, of his agent, of his opponent, and of his voter would constitute a corrupt practice.

The dissent

In his dissent, Justice Chandrachud deconstructed the provision to argue that a corrupt practice is confined to making an appeal to vote for or against a candidate, on the basis of his particular identity. This was necessary, he argued, for the candidate was supposed to represent the whole constituency - not a particular identity group.

But this was not meant to apply to the identity of the voter. Here, Chandrachud and his two colleagues departed from the majority.

Their argument was the following - The integrity of the nation is based on a sense of common citizenship. While establishing that notion, the Constitution is not oblivious of history or to the real injustices which have been perpetrated against large segments of the population on grounds of religion, race, caste and language. And so they pointed out that while the Indian state had no religion, the constitution did not display an indifference to issues of religion, caste and language.

They cited numerous articles - including fundamental rights - to show precisely this feature. There was a universal commitment to a principle, yet there was a recognition of the specific nature of inequities in India which need redressal. There were multiple, separate provisions - regarding untouchability, reforming religious institutions, administering minority institutions, reserved seats, languages and in many more spheres- which stemmed out of this recognition of specific identity based injustices.

In a democracy, they argued electoral politics is about mobilisation. It would thus be far fetched to assume that Parliament intended to obliterate or outlaw references to religion, caste, race, community or language in the hurly burly of the great festival of democracy.

The case for dissenters

To this writer, the dissenting judgment resonates.

For one, if the laws premise is meant to be that politics on the basis of identity categories is all bad, it betrays a lack of understanding of the hierarchies within Indian society, and the role democracy has played in diluting and challenging those hierarchies.

In India, political mobilisation often happens on the grounds of identity because discrimination has taken place on the basis of precisely the same identity. There is now abundant literature in political science, as well as testimonies from the ground, which show that the idea of universal adult franchise and the power of vote is what helped marginalised communities organise themselves and seek space.

If today Dalits are able to seek a space in the state structure, in power corridors, it is because they are able to organise themselves as a votebank, that much abused term. In much of North India, upper castes mobilised political power for almost four decades after independence - it is only when OBCs were able to organise themselves as political blocs that power shifted. Surely, we all agree the Indian state must reflect the diversity of Indian society; and if that is the case, politics based on these categories has helped achieve the goal.

Two, we must confront the role of religion in politics. It is true that political appeals based on rabid communalism have also become an unfortunate part of Indian democracy. Riots are orchestrated to consolidate a religious group and polarise society; insecurities are constantly stoked to introduce a sense of siege in some other groups.

But this continues because of the culture of impunity. There are enough laws for strict action to be taken if there is hate speech, for a political party and its workers to be hauled up if found engaged in disrupting law and order, and for action to be taken for past riots and mass killings. But political leaders have got away, and feel emboldened.

It is appropriate for the court to treat all religions equally- and not see one as a way of life and other as mere religions. And in that sense, prohibiting appeals on the ground of any religion makes sense. But the solution to communal politics will not come through a judicial fiat. It has to emerge from stronger implementation of the rule of law and democracys self-correcting mechanisms themselves.

Given Hindutvas deep penetration and resonance in large sections of society, it has to be fought politically; it cannot be defeated under the cover of a judicial order. For those who are worried about how certain parties prioritise minorities at the cost of administrative neutrality, the battle again is political.

And there are correctives. From an era of politics based solely on religion or caste, there is a shift. A recent scan of electoral verdicts shows that politics is not dictated solely by identity. Aspirations are changing; there is a youth demographic that judges leaders on issues and delivery; infrastructure and public goods have become as coveted as recognition of identity grievances among sections of the electorate. A politician who speaks to both identity and development related concerns is most likely to succeed.

And finally, just like the original law itself had little resonance in practice, one wonders about the implementation of the order in practice. I write this piece from eastern UP, where I can see posters of different parties competing in the elections. There is, in some cases, subtle and other cases, explicit appeal to caste loyalties. Across the country, in every election, from the village panchayat through municipalities and state assembly to the Lok Sabha, caste, language and religion play a role in persuading voters. It is unlikely that SC can institute a mechanism to see it through.

Societys cleavages will express itself in politics. This is not unique to India incidentally. Just look at the recent US elections or the Brexit vote where identity was a major issue in determining preferences.

Indian electoral democracy will evolve on its own. Not all its practices may be palatable to us - but imposing artificial bans will not address the impulses which lead to the use of certain categories in politics in the first place.

Read | Religious violence keeps Uttar Pradeshs political pot boiling

The views expressed are personal. The author tweets as @prashantktm.

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A private builder from Indore will develop the 120-room Taj Mahal - the royal residence of erstwhile Begum of Bhopal - into a heritage hotel from January.

Sources in the state tourism department said it didnt have enough funds to restore the heritage structure, as the project would require over Rs 60 to Rs 80 crore.

Taj Mahals pavilion, a 50 feet by 50 feet gallery in the courtyard, is tipped to be converted into a restaurant, said sources. An estimated cost of the project is Rs 5.57 crore.

According to local historians, Taj Mahal, located in Bhopals Shahjanabad, was built by Begum Shah Jahan who ruled Bhopal from 1868 and 1901. It reflects multiple influences - British, French, Mughal, Arabic and Indian architecture. The Taj Mahal has unique features. The minarets of the palace have little holes through which water was let out on frequent intervals to keep the palace cool during summers. The cooling system was based on underground water reservoirs. Begum Shah Jahan was inspired by Gond Mahal near Islamnagar which had a similar cooling system, add historians.

Until 2013, the Taj Mahal was under the archives department. In 2014 the monument was handled over to the Madhya Pradesh tourism department.

We had de-notified it and handed it over to the states tourism department as the monument required a lot of money for its upkeep, said Pankaj Raag, former commissioner of state archives department.

With restoration, Bhopals Taj Mahal will get back its past glory, he added.

Tapan Bhowmick, chairperson, Madhya Pradesh tourism development corporation, said, Yes, we have received the property from the state archives department and now a builder from Indore will start working on this in January 2017. The place would be developed into a beautiful tourism resort by the end of 2017. Private parties were approached, as our budget did not allow the kind of investment it requires. Bhowmick also said they were looking to replicate the shahi models just like Rajasthan forts, havelis and palaces which have been converted into luxury hotels.

Next in line of becoming a heritage hotel would be Benazir Mahal located at Motia lake.

City historian Syed Akhtar Hussain said that soon after independence, the then nawab, Hamidullah Khan, threw open the building as a shelter for refugees from Pakistan. In hindsight, he said, the move proved costly as the refugees stayed in the palace for over four years before a new township came up. The palace got damaged and its beauty was ruined. A few years ago, Serge Santelli, dean of the school of architecture in Paris, had visited Bhopal to restore the Taj Mahal. He described it as one of the best palaces in the world.

However, some people in Bhopal did not seem happy with the decision. Taj Mahal wont be open for everyone if it turns into a heritage hotel. We will have to pay hefty amount to enter the hotel. Its architecture is so beautiful that everyone should be able to see it not just a niche rich crowd, said Rahul Shah, a history graduate from Institute for Excellence in Higher Education.

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Farmers of Vijaypur tehsil in MPs Sheopur district have decided to surrender their weapons, saying they cannot pay the hiked licence renewal fees.

On Thursday, about 12 farmers, all residents of Pachnaya village, met Vijaypur MLA, Ramniwas Rawat and sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Lokendra Jangid, saying they were not in a financial position to maintain their weapon by paying a renewal fees for weapons license which has been increased by the state home department from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,500.

Speaking to HT on the issue, one of the farmers who met the officials, Chrironjee Shakya, said they have been carrying guns for the last 40 years.

We bought our guns at Rs 30 or 35 and every year we have renewed our license on time by paying the required amount. But now after the fee hike, it has become impossible for us to renew it. Rs 2,500 is a very hefty amount and out of our bounds. Hence, we want to surrender our weapons, said Shakya.

He also said that they also did not wish to transfer the licence to their children as they would also face the same problem.

Rawat supported the farmers and said the hike was too much.

SDM Jangid said he had referred the 12 farmers to the Vijaypur police station for further procedure.

After the required procedure is completed in the police station for their weapons surrender, I will write to the district collector to cancel their weapons licence, he said, adding that so far, he had not received any intimation from the police station about the weapons surrender.
There has been no drastic change in the figures of online banking related crime in MP after demonetisation.

It has been over 50 days since demonetisation move was implemented by the Centre on November 8. It was highly anticipated that the cashless economy initiative would also lead to an upsurge in the cyber-crime, said police sources.

However, according to the state cyber police, in November, 87 complaints related to debit-card or credit card fraud were received followed by 74 such cases in December.

We expected a large number of cyber-crimes related to online banking especially debit and credit card fraud in the state. But much to our surprise there was no drastic change in the figures as in September there were 85 complaints received by us followed by 61 complaints in October, said assistant inspector general (cyber cell), Vijay Khatri while speaking to HT.

He said one of the main reasons behind no drastic increase in cyber crimes post demonetisation might be the alertness of the cyber police and banks.

Post demonetisation almost all the government agencies were on their toes and fully vigilant to tackle any sort of problems. The banks, especially private ones, which earlier didnt respond to our investigations regarding cyber crimes, are also now more vigilant. Apart from that, one major reasons may be the alertness of the cyber-criminals as they also know that at present all the agencies are very vigilant and active, hence they might get easily caught, said Khatri.

e-wallet companies have come up with many security measures

He also said that the e-wallet companies have also gradually come up with many security measures to protect their customers from cyber attacks.

They have done major changes like earlier to use e-wallet facility one had to transfer money from their bank accounts to their respective e-wallets. But now they have directly linked the e-wallets to the bank accounts making it easier for the people to make payments through e-wallets. And to secure this system they have put a security feature, in which the respective banks informs the customers about the payment transfer before permitting it, said Khatri adding that the people have also become now more aware because of the awareness initiatives and regular media reports about cyber crimes.

Banks ready to face any cyber attacks

Speaking to HT on the issue, a senior State Bank of India official on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to media said that banks were ready to face any cyber attacks.

Much before the demonetisation also, the security architecture of the online banking system was very safe and secure. It has the one time password (OTP) and other pin number features which makes it way more secure. The system is a foolproof one capable of tackling any sort of cyber attacks, said the official.

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As soon as the news of Bollywood director and film producer Abis Rizvis death in the Istanbul nightclub attack broke out, 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 Rizvis 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 said.

Shocking .. Life is too short, we take too much for granted.. #RIP #AbisRizvi .. Good man.. My condolences to the family  #istambulattack  Randeep Hooda (@RandeepHooda) January 1, 2017

Devastated to hear that our friend #AbisRizvi was shot dead in the Istanbul nightclub attack. My heart goes out to his family. RIP   Pooja Bhatt (@PoojaB1972) January 1, 2017

My deepest sympathies go out to his family. May God give you the peace that you seek. May he rest in peace. #istanbulattack #abisrizvi  ROUBLE NAGI (@ROUBLENAGI) January 1, 2017

A genuinely good man with a big heart always there when you need him ill never forget you #abisrizvi R.I.P! May god punish those bastards  Nora Fatehi (@Norafatehi) January 1, 2017

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).

Devastated by the death of my friend #AbisRizvi in the dastardly terrorist attack this morning in an #Istanbul nightclub.  Jaaved Jaaferi (@jaavedjaaferi) January 1, 2017

People who carry out attacks on innocent civilians are the scum of the earth #Istanbul #TerrorAttack.

There should be no mercy on them  Jaaved Jaaferi (@jaavedjaaferi) January 1, 2017

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.

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

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

Swaraj further said the government is making arrangements for Rizvis 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.

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An employee of central paramilitary forces was arrested by the cyber police in Mumbai for accessing Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoors income tax e- filing account, police said on Monday night.

The accused wanted to get Kareenas personal mobile number so he hacked her IT account, they said.

Kareenas chartered accountant had last year approached the police with the complaint that somebody had hacked her IT e-filing account and tampered with it.

Cyber-police tracked down the culprit on Monday.

The accused files income tax returns for people as a part-time job while working with paramilitary forces, police said, without disclosing his name. Further probe was on.
Popular social media application WhatsApp has stopped working in older iPhones and Android handsets to ensure that it could continue to introduce new features and stay secure, which relies on the app being used on newer operating systems.

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 Independent reported late on Sunday.

The company has advised that anyone with one of those older handsets who want to keep chatting with friends would need to 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 went 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, the company 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, the report said.

Its 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.
Indias largest LNG importer Petronet has signed an agreement to set up a USD 950 million liquefied natural gas import project in Bangldesh.

Petronet signed a MoU with Petrobangla to set up a 7.5 million tonnes a year project to receive and regasify LNG on Kutubdia Island in Coxs 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, Petronet 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 5 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 (IOC) 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.

Petronets import terminal is expected to be completed within four years.

Excelerate Energy is looking at setting up a floating terminal at Moheshkhali. PTI ANZ BAL ABI
AMAZONAS: Over 50 jail inmates have been killed in a prison riot in the Brazilian state of Amazonas. The unrest, which started on Sunday after rival gang members entered into the fight. It ended early on Monday after the inmates surrendered their weapons and freed unharmed the last of 12 guards they had taken hostage.

When the riot began on Sunday afternoon, six headless bodies were thrown over the perimeter fence of the Anisio Jobim Penitentiary Centre, the biggest in Amazonas state.

Fights between rival gangs often result in dozens of inmates being killed and sometimes dismembered. The gang members behind the deadly riots are often from violent inner-city areas of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo who have been transferred to prisons in remote states in order to break up the gangs.

However, the number of deadly riots in these states would seem to indicate that this strategy has not worked out according to plan, correspondents say.

PROBLEMS GALORE

Brazil has the worlds fourth largest prison population. There are some 600,000 inmates and overcrowding is a serious problem.

The prison was built for 454 inmates, but it is thought to have held almost 600. Latest available figures dating back to October suggest there were 585 prisoners in the jail back then.

In October, at least 25 prisoners were killed in a jail in Boa Vista, in Roraima state, and seven youths also died in a riot in Caruaru in Pernambuco state.

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As RBI Governor Urjit Patel landed in New Delhi and headed to north block, he was perhaps thinking about the RBI board meeting that would be convened that evening and the reactions it would evoke.

The corridors of north block that houses finance ministry were teeming with journalists. Not known to be media friendly, the journalists did not hound him for a sound bite as he walked into the office of the economic affairs secretary.

It was November 8 and no one had a clue about what would ensue. In fact, only a select group of bureaucrats knew about Prime Minister Narendra Modis televised address to the nation wherein he would demonetise 500 and 1,000 notes.

Read more: Demonetisation shadow on GST, Oppn threatens to hold up tax reform

In an RTI response, the RBI said the decision to scrap the banknotes was approved in the board meeting that took place at 5:30pm. The decision was then taken to the cabinet for vetting.

When I went to the cabinet meeting, I had no idea such a big move would be announced.

The finance minister winked at me and smirked. Thats when I realised something is on, power minister Piyush Goyal revealed at the HT Leadership Summit.

Most cabinet ministers, too, had no idea about the decision. In fact, they were asked to switch off their cell phones at the meeting.

Top bankers on condition of anonymity say they heard about the note ban on TV. I was attending a party and had no clue about the announcement, said a public bank chief.

Similarly another bank chief said, We had absolutely no idea. I got a few messages when I turned on the TV. We didnt know what to do once the banks reopened on November 10.

But the next morning, bank officials found their currency chest stacked with new 2,000 notes. We were relieved but knew it was not enough to meet the demands of the customers who had queued up outside banks since early morning. But our customers have been extremely patient and understanding, said the bank chief.

Banks needed to re-organise their staff to meet the challenge. The number of transactions at bank teller counters had declined dramatically after the mushrooming of the ATMs.

But the RBI or the government was not so lucky. What followed in the weeks after the demonetisation, was mayhem. Fifty days on, the queues outside banks and ATMs might have got smaller, but the cash crunch continues.

The RBI and the government have been criticised for their lack of preparedness and the numerous policy flip-flops during the demonetisation drive.

The drive led to an acute cash crunch. People had to wait for hours to withdraw cash. The countrys 2.2 lakh ATMs needed to be recalibrated for the new currency notes. This took more than three weeks.

So, while people were eligible to withdraw 2,500 per day from the ATMs, more than 90% of the machines did not work in the first few weeks. The government and the RBI even had to airdrop cash in several remote places of the country.

Research reports show the scrapping of 86% of bank notes in circulation has led to a slowdown in demand in Asias third-largest economy.

A report by SBI Research said it might take India another quarter to return to normalcy. At the end of February, 78-88% of the notes could be back into the system under the best case scenario, wherein currency distribution is optimal, said the report released earlier this month.

While announcing the note ban, Modi had said they aimed to curb black money. But experts have pointed out that black money circulating in cash would be a very minuscule part of the illegitimate wealth that makes up Indias parallel economy.

Its economics (demonetisation) is complex and the collateral damage is likely to far outstrip the benefits, former economic adviser to the finance minister, Kaushik Basu, had tweeted.

To curb black money through demonetisation is like pulling out a double barrel gun to kill a mosquito, said a top tax official on condition of anonymity.

While data from the tax department shows overwhelming success in unearthing black money in the past 50 days, many question whether the death of over 80 people, trying to access their own hard-earned money, was too big a price to pay.
To improve last-mile connectivity, the Delhi government plans to roll out a fresh Maxi Cab scheme this year. The cabs provided under the scheme will be air-conditioned and will have seating capacity of six to 12, excluding the driver. The scheme will be a departure from the Gramin Sewas that ply on 166 routes across the city as passengers wont be exposed to dust, pollution and the scorching heat. Over the next few months, more than 10,000 such AC cabs are likely to be introduced on the city roads.

We are integrating all small-sized public transport vehicles under one policy. So, all the Gramin Sewas, Eco Friendly Sewas, Phat-Phat Sewa and existing Maxi Cabs will be clubbed together, said transport minister Satyendar Jain.

The government plans to gradually phase out such vehicles and introduce the AC cabs to cover shorter distances that will operate on stretches of up to 15 kilometres.

At present, Delhi has more than 7,200 small-sized vehicles, the fares of which are either fixed like in Gramin Sewas or are as per the rates of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC). Besides improving last-mile connectivity, the move will also help reduce traffic congestion.

The cabs will run on point-to-point basis across Delhi. The problem is that currently, Gramin Sewa, Phat Phat Sewa and others are running on parallel routes adding to chaos on the streets, said a government official.

Explaining the process, the official added that the government will only issue permits and private owners will run the service. Very few know that a Maxi Cab service exists in Delhi.But it was not quite successful. So, we are re-introducing it in a new format, another official said.

The existing maxi cab service was launched in 1994 but even after so many years, only 120 such cabs ply in the city. These cabs run on contract carriage permits. Until now, the transport department has issued 140 maxi cab permits and 120 are on the roads. At least 100 of them run on routes, the remaining ply without any route specification. The fares are fixed by DTC, the official added.

Transport experts have welcomed the move and said it will help reduce reliance on personal vehicles. Almost 70% Delhiites travel shorter distances of up to 6km and even for that they take out cars. Providing reliable and quality public transport to fill the last-mile gap will help reduce the number of private vehicles on roads, said Nalin Sinha, a transport and road safety consultant.

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With an eye on the upcoming civic elections which are scheduled to be held in April this year, the Delhi Bhartiya Janata Party has launched a programme to woo the AAP vote bank in the slum clusters.

Of Delhis 1 crore 64 lakh population, as per the 2011 Census, over 18 lakh live in slums. Slum dwellers and those living in the resettlement colonies were loyal voters of the Congress. This changed after the emergence of the Aam Aadmi Party on Delhis political horizon.

In the assembly elections in 2013 and then 2015, this vote bank shited, almost in its entirety, to AAP. Now, with the civic polls nearing, the BJP is trying to make inroads into this significant voter base.

In the coming days, Delhis newly-appointed BJP unit chief Manoj Tiwari will spend two nights in a week in a slum to discuss problems that the dwellers are facing.

Read: Delhi BJP to seek public opinion before civic polls

The schedule is being prepared and the party president will be staying with a family in jhuggi cluster on every third day. The plan is to cover all districts in two months. This will help us assess their problems and earn their trust, said a senior Delhi BJP functionary.

Tiwari, a Bhojpuri actor-turned-politician, is himself a Member of Parliament from Northeast Delhi, which has several slum clusters and resettlement colonies. Sources said that the party is hoping that since Tiwari is himself a Purvanchali, and has portrayed the roles of a common, rural man in his films, he will help BJP wrest the poor voters from the AAP.

The party has also planned two conventions in January and February to mobilise booth-level workers in the run-up to municipal elections. Maybe, we lost the last elections as here was a disconnect. The party will hold two conventions in which all booth incharges will be told to reach out to each voter in their jurisdiction. The first convention is likely to be held around January 15, he said.

Read: With eye on civic polls, Delhi Congress to hold note pe charcha near banks

Another party leader confirmed BJP strategy focussing on Dalits and slum dwellers . Before Tiwari, no previous party chief made such an attempt to convince people living in unauthorised colonies or JJ clusters to vote for the BJP. Unlike the previous presidents, Tiwari has been participating in each event. The AAP government has used the poor for votes but no development work is being undertaken for them, the party functionary said.

On Monday, Tiwari also participated in a march organised by Delhi BJPs Scheduled Caste Morcha workers and offered special prayers in Valmiki Mandir at Mandir Marg. The Aabhar March was taken out to express solidarity after naming of mobile banking app as Bhim. The march started from the temple and culminated at Ambedkar Bhawan near Jhandewalan where he garlanded the statue of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar.

Naming the multi-purpose Mobile Banking App as BHIM is very appropriate. This will prove to be the foundation for a new India, Tiwari said, addressing the gathering. Earlier, Tiwari had stayed with residents of a slum in Inderpuri on December 31.

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Turkeys ended 2016 with what has all the hallmarks of an Islamic State-inspired terrorist attack on an Istanbul night club. This follows 15 major terrorist attacks in Turkey in 2016, eight of which claimed 10 or more lives. Throw in a failed coup, a nationwide crackdown on freedom of Press and political dissent, and an increasingly autocratic reign by President Recep Erdogan, and it would seem things could not get worse for Turkey.

One reason for Turkeys problems is its location: Right at the crossroad of West Asia, North Africa, Europe and Russia  none of which are bywords in terms of political and economic stability. Another is that it borders Syria, presently the bloodiest battleground in the world and a hub of sectarian and great power rivalries.

Read: Islamic State claims responsibility for Istanbul attack that killed 39 people

However, Turkeys problems are also a parable on the countrys own hubris regarding its own regional and religious ambitions. Mr Erdogans political rise is a testimony to his genius: Developing a brand of Islamist politics that embraced secular constitutional law that has allowed him to dominate Turkish electoral politics since the early 2000s. But his foreign policy has been a testimony to what happens when a medium-sized country seeks to pretend to be a superpower.

Mr Erdogan saw an opportunity in the chaos of the popular revolts that marked the Arab Spring to make Turkey the dominant power in the Levant. He found a partner for his brand of moderate Islamism in the Muslim Brotherhood. But this pact required him to join in the violent overthrow of the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad. This has since proven his undoing. The US declined to join the war, he found himself entangled in a Syrian conflict, facing both an Iranian-backed Shia alliance and a rival Sunni alliance built around Saudi Arabia. Throw in the Islamic State and a quasi-independent Kurdish state sprawling across Iraq and Syria, and Turkey was in a geopolitical maelstrom well beyond its power to control  or even withdraw from.

Read: Istanbul nightclub shooting: The latest in a string of deadly attacks in Turkey

Turkey has responded by first tacitly supporting the IS to defeat the Kurds and the Assad government, and then been forced to abandon the IS to keep the US on its side. Mr Erdogan had formed an alliance with the Kurds in Turkey, but has had to turn on them because of his overseas adventures. He has fought and now embraced Russias intervention in Syria. And has both rejected and then cozied up to the Saudis.

The consequences of all this has been that both militant Kurds and the IS now target Turkey and Mr Erdogan is seen as untrustworthy and fickled by almost all governments in the world. There is nothing to indicate that 2017 will improve Turkeys fortunes  other than a Syrian ceasefire that will guarantee the Assad governments survival and the final eclipse of Turkeys not-so-Great Game in the Levant.
In 2016, the police registered about 1,400 cyber crime cases, half of which pertained to online banking fraud and cheating through credit/debit cards. An analysis of the cases shows that a majority of the victims are educated, employed, and financially sound, the police said.

The police said that the were not lured into lottery schemes but were fooled into parting with their money.

In 2015, half of the total cyber crime cases concerned debit/credit card frauds. With online banking gaining popularity, police officials said that they expect an increase in cyber crime cases.

Educated and those working white collar jobs are largely falling prey to online banking frauds. People usually share certain account details that help the culprits in duping them. Consumers have to remain aware of such tactics, inspector Anand Kumar, head of cyber crime cell, said.

A senior executive secretary of human resources in Power Grid Corporation, CP Mittal, received a call at noon on August 18, 2016, from a lady who identified herself as a bank representative.

She gave all details of a defunct debit card and bank account belonging to Mittal. The card stopped functioning in 2008 but the caller said that the bank owed him 5,000 and asked for details of his functional account, to which the amount would be deposited in two instalments of 2,500 each.

After receiving the details, the caller asked him for his consent for depositing money to his account, Mittal said.

I could not understand why that money was due to me. The caller shared my bank account details and asked for my consent for depositing 2,500 in my account to which I agreed, said Mittal.

The next day, Mittal said he received an e-mail informing him that a transaction of 5,000 was made from his credit card for payment of mobile bills of some Mumbai-based numbers.

Mittal said that the e-mail stunned him and he approached the bank who asked him to lodge a police case.

The bank made me pay 5,000 and offered to settle amount once the case is settled. That has not happened till date, Mittal said.

The police at Sector 29 police station converted Mittals complaint of August into FIR only on Sunday after receiving proof from the cyber crime cell. The FIR was filed under section 420 (fraud) of the IPC and the Information Technology Act.

In a similar manner, Amritpal Singh, a businessman of DLF Phase-4, was duped of money from his account on June 10. Baljit Singh, a retired army man in DLF Phase-1 was duped of 75,000 on December 5 after sharing account and credit card details with a caller who identified him as a bank official.

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The Mumbai Police is banking on its evidence of fingerprints and family DNA profile to get gangster Chhota Shakeels hitman Sayyad Muzakkir Muddasar Hussain alias Munna Jhingada extradited from Thailand even as Pakistan continues to lay claim on the sharpshooter as its citizen.

This month, a Bangkok court is likely to begin the process of examining evidence submitted by India in its extradition appeal for trying Jhingada in criminal cases in Mumbai.

While we have the required papers to prove his citizenship, the most important of them are his fingerprints and the case papers. We have sought his custody for putting him on trial in an Indian court for serious crimes, said a senior crime branch officer.

Officials said that they are hopeful that the final decision on handing over Jhingada would follow the assessment of the details submitted by India.

The detailed evidence submitted to the Bangkok court also includes Jhingadas college-leaving certificate of Ismail Yusuf College in Jogeshewari and his familys residential address from a slum there.

The Mumbai police crime branch has also provided the Bangkok court with translated copies of the FIRs registered against him in Mumbai along with his fingerprints (collected by police upon his arrest) and DNA samples of his mother and sister, collected in July 2014.

The Mumbai Police crime branch team has made multiple visits to Bangkok to pursue the extradition, the latest being in October 2016 with the above mentioned documents.

Jhingadas extradition has so far turned out into a tug-of-war between India and Pakistan with each side staking claim. According to sources, Pakistan is wary of Jhingada landing in Indias hands as he is aware of crucial information about the Dawood Ibrahim gangs operations.

To strengthen their claim of his nationality, Pakistani authorities also produced his wife and daughter before the Bangkok court.

Jhingada was arrested by the Thai police in 2002 after a failed assassination bid on another underworld don and Dawoods rival Chhota Rajan in September 2000. He was hired by Shakeel, the right hand man of Dawood. Police found a Pakistani passport on him in the name of Mohammad Saleem. His sentence was to end in 2011, but he continues to be in jail.

Crime branch sources stated that after fleeing from India in 1997, Jhingada went to Dubai and then to Karachi and married a Pakistani woman.

Jhingada is wanted in connection with at least a dozen cases in Mumbai, including murder, attempt to murder and possessing illegal weapons.

According to Mumbai Police sources, when Jhingada was a second-year Arts college student, he stabbed a student to death in a scuffle which led him on the path to becoming a sharpshooter for Chhota Shakeel

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Vani was humming a song and her twin sister, Veena, was looking at a small mirror at their room in a state-run shelter of Hyderabads Ameerpet neighbourhood on Monday.

Bheegi bheegi sadkon pe main/Tera intezaar karun/Dheere dheere dil ki zameen ko/Tere hi naam karun her voice wafts through the Telangana women and child welfare departments home.

The 13-year-old Vani might not be aware of the context of the romantic song from the film Sanam Re.., but surely she must be aware of the changes in her body.

Saga of the Siamese twins Vani and Veena were born on September 15, 2003 in Warangal with their heads conjoined Taken to Guntur General Hospital for examination by Dr Yarlagadda Nayudamma, a surgeon renowned for separation of Siamese twins Even before Dr Nayudamma examined their case, the parents abandoned the twins Operation ruled out after the experts felt it would lead to death of one child or both In 2006, they were shifted to the Niloufer Hospital In 2007, doctors from Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai, offered to conduct the surgery, but threw up their hands later In 2010, doctors from Singapore came forward to take the risk, but they could not get the consent from the parents. Doctors from UK agreed to examine them in February 2015 and they said there was an 80 per cent chance of survival following the surgery. A team of doctors from AIIMS visited Hyderabad in December 2015 to examine the kids and finally ruled out surgery A team of Australian doctors is presently studying the case

Vani and Veena are conjoined twins, who had been staying at an exclusive ward under special care at Niloufer Hospital since 2006. They have been shifted to the state home early on New Years Day.

The sisters attained puberty some time ago. They are no more kids. That is precisely why the authorities have shifted them from the hospital to the state home, where girls of their age stay, said Somasekharamma, in-charge of the shelter.

Their new home has provided than a spacious room with a semi-circular bed. There are toys, comics and other books, besides a television set. Changes were made in the washroom too.

They have not complained, or showed any signs of homesickness, the in-charge said.

Welcome boards were put up in the room to cheer up the girls and they cut a new year cake too.

Their parents, N Murali and Nagalakshmi, are poor labourers from Beerusettigudem in Warangal district and had virtually abandoned the girls in the past because of their financial condition. They are apparently unhappy with the shifting of the twins.

For their part, the twins are preparing to begin a new chapter.

The hospital was good  this place is also good. We went around the park in the campus and it is nice. We also made new friends, Veena said.

They are aware why they were brought to a new place.

We know. Children above 13 cannot stay in that hospital. But we were told whenever we need treatment we will be taken to the hospital, Vani explained.

Specialists from New Delhi-based AIIMS have ruled out separation of the twins through surgery as it is too risky. But a team of doctors from Australia said surgery could be tried. The teams response is awaited, a doctor at Niloufer hospital said.

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To curb steep fall in wholesale onion prices and protect farmers interest, the Centre further extended export sops on onion by three months till March 31 this year.

Wholesale prices fell by up to 42% to Rs 7.40 per kg at Lasalgoan (Maharasthra), Asias biggest onion market, during last month from an average Rs 12.80 per kg in the year-ago period on expected good production.

Maharashtra, the top onion producer, had asked the central government to extend export incentive of five percent to exporters under the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) for both fresh and stored onions, beyond December 31.

In the latest public notice, Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said it hereby extends the MEIS benefit at 5 percent freight on board (FoB) for onions fresh or chilled by further three months till March 31, 2017.

At present, the arrival of 2016-17 kharif (summer) onion is in the full swing not only in Maharashtra but also in other states like Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Prices are under pressure because of increased arrival of the fresh kharif crop. Looking at the daily arrivals, it looks productivity is higher even though the acreage was lower, a senior agriculture ministry official said.

Around 20% of the countrys total onion output is grown during the kharif season. Since the kharif onion cannot be stored, farmers sell off the produce in domestic as well as overseas markets.

The arrival of quality onions has boosted exports in the last few weeks. About 13,56,381 tonnes of onions have been shipped abroad in the April-September period of this fiscal.

The government is still assessing onion production figures for the 2016-17 crop year (July-June). Last year, the countrys onion output was higher at 20.99 million tonnes. Maharashtra contributes more than a quarter of the countrys overall output.
India and Sri Lanka agreed to release fishermen in each others custody, a joint statement said on Monday, a move that is likely to ease tensions between the countries which have held fishermen captive for crossing territorial waters.

After ministerial level talks in Colombo, Sri Lanka reiterated its demand to end the practice of bottom trawling, a technique that involves sweeping the sea bed for fish, and India gave assurances that it would gradually phase it out.

Critics oppose the method because the catch is indiscriminate and could wipe out entire fishing species, making areas unsustainable for fishing.

It was not immediately clear from the statement issued by the two governments and published on the website of the Indian ministry of external affairs how many fishermen were being held by either side, or for how long they had been detained.

Pakistan released 220 Indian fishermen in December as a goodwill gesture aimed at easing tensions with its neighbour.

The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea states that fishermen who cross territorial waters can be warned and fined but not arrested.
The Congress party on Monday said irrational and senseless demonetisation had ruined the spirit of the proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST) to be introduced by the Centre.

The Congress has been responsible so far as its stand on national economic issues and national security is concerned, and now, the question is that this irrational and senseless demonetisation policy has perhaps dampened the spirit of GST, Congress leader Om Prakash Mishra said.

Responding to finance minister Jaitleys statement that he is hopeful about the GST being implemented in 2017 and confident that the digistised economy will be the future of India, Mishra said, It seems Jaitley had to assert his position as finance minister because some of us were wondering yesterday (Sunday) that whether that position now has been reserved by the prime minister himself.

He said the Congress wished GST to be a big success.

Mishra said the UPA government was not able to implement the GST because of the BJPs opposition, but today, a BJP-led government is in a position to pass it because of the Congress partys cooperation.

We have seen the winter session of the parliament being washed away because of the intransigent approach of the government and the complete non-availability of the prime minister, and therefore, requisite moves could not be made, he said.

Mishra said the resource and finance base of the state had taken a big hit due to the demonetisation policy, and therefore, legitimate questions had been raised by some state governments on whether it will be advisable and feasible to rush in with details of the GST which is yet to be passed by state governments and enabling legislations are yet to be cleared.

He said it had to be seen that GST should not be considered from standpoint of political one up man ship.

The Congress has already made it clear that while we try to enable the legislation for GST, it is necessary for both houses of parliament to be consulted and their view taken into account, the Congress leader said.

He said the Centre had failed to give an assurance that they were not going to read this as only a Money Bill, as there is a possibility of the government trying to scuttle discussion in the Rajya Sabha.

Mishra said the government should put efforts to take the opposition parties and state governments on board before implementing the GST.

The BJP actually was responsible for this huge delay in the passage of the GST Act and it was the Congress which actually made GST a reality, he said.
ISTANBUL: Heartbreaking new images have emerged of revellers gunned down by an ISIS fanatic in an exclusive Istanbul nightclub as they celebrated the New Year.

Gunman massacred 39 people and injured dozens more in Istanbul club attack. Victims of the slaughter included a young Indian fashion designer, a Bollywood director and the daughter of a prominent Lebanese businessman.

Khushi Shah, a fashion designer in her 20s from Vadodara, India, was on a business trip in Istanbul when she was gunned down during the terror attack. Among the dead were Abis Rizvi, 49, a Mumbai Bollywood producer who was in the midst of making his second film.

As grieving relatives arrived in Turkey to take away their dead, just one of the 39 bodies remained unidentified this morning after police worked through the night with families of the deceased.

Among the dead at the Reina nightclub was the venue's head of security and a bus driver who unwittingly drove a group of partygoers to their deaths.

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The Indian Mission in Turkey is trying for early repatriation of the bodies of Bollywood producer Abis Hasan Rizvi and Khushi Shah from Gujarat who were among 39 people killed in the Istanbul terror attack.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said Indian envoy in Turkey Rahul Kulshreshth was doing everything possible to send back the mortal remains at the earliest.

The Ambassador is doing everything to facilitate repatriation of the bodies. We are also facilitating the visas of the family members who want to go there to personally collect the bodies, he told reporters.

He said Rizvi and Shah had gone to Istanbul as tourists and they happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Swarup said the government was waiting for a report from the Indian Ambassador.

Details of the Istanbul attack victims. (AFP Photo)

Rizvi, a prominent builder and Bollywood producer, is son of former Rajya Sabha MP Akhtar Hasan Rizvi.

Rizvi and Shah were among 15 foreigners who were killed when a gunman went on a rampage at the waterside Reina nightclub where revellers were celebrating the New Year.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj yesterday spoke to families of both Rizvi and Shah and conveyed her condolences.

Replying to a question on Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was abducted nearly nine months ago from war-torn Yemen, Swarup said India has been in regular touch with Yemeni authorities and Saudi Arabia to ensure his safe release.

We are in touch with authorities in Saudi Arabia as well as local authorities in Yemen and all efforts continue to be made to secure his early release, he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a mega rally in Lucknow on Monday. Speaking to the crowd, the Prime Minister said that for the BJP UP elections are a responsibility to provide a corruption-free government to the state.

Taking a dig at the ruling Samajwadi Party and the Opposition BSP, Modi said while one party wants to save its family, the other wants save its cash and only the BJP wants to save Uttar Pradesh. The Prime Minister also said that the governments fight against corruption and black money wont stop.

Below are the highlights from the event:

3:10 PM: I want to tell BJP workers that for other parties UP polls must be an attempt to grab power but for BJP, elections are a responsibility. Its our responsibility to give a corruption-free government to Uttar Pradesh, says PM Modi.

3:08 PM: Our fight against corruption and black money wont stop, says PM Modi.

3:05 PM: Today, one party wants to save its cash, another party wants to save its family; only BJP wants to save UP, says PM Modi. SP and BSP come together to oppose me when I say something on black money, he adds.

3:00 PM: We should educate people to download BHIM app; this will be the biggest tribute to BR Ambedkar, says PM Modi.

2:55 PM: Development shouldnt stop due to political rivalry. Opposition says remove Modi, I say remove corruption, says PM Modi.

2:50 PM: Move beyond caste and class, vote for development, says PM Modi. Politics should be between parties not among people, he adds.

2:45 PM: To change Indias destiny, it is important to change the destiny of Uttar Pradesh first, says PM Modi

2:40 PM: People talk about the BJPs 14 year exile from Uttar Pradesh, but the truth is development has been in exile for the past 14 years in Uttar Pradesh, says PM Modi

2:35 PM: In all years as chief minister and the last two and half years as Prime Minister I have never addressed such a large gathering, says PM Modi.

2:30 PM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins speaking at the rally.

2:20 PM: Rajnath Singh says, farmers in Uttar Pradesh are troubled, have to sell their produce for cheap.

2:00 PM: Elections could be called in UP in three to four days time, says BJP president Amit Shah.

1:50 PM: In one week of BJP government coming to power, criminals will either be behind bars or forced to leave UP, says Amit Shah. Mamata, Mayawati, Kejriwal, Mulayam, Akhilesh are all afraid of the impact of currency ban , he adds.

1.45 PM: Modi is a UP-wallah and he wants to see UP develop. Modi government has been giving Rs 1 lakh crore more to UP but the state hasnt been able to develop due to corruption. Even Agra-Lucknow expressway hasnt been able to escape corruption that has marked Akhileshs rule. says Amit Shah.

1.40 PM: The crowd at the rally ground is indicative that after 15 years BJP set to form its govt in UP again, says Amit Shah

1.00 PM: Large crowd builds up ahead of PM Narendra Modis arrival at Lucknows Ramabai Ambedkar Ground. The ground came up during BSP tenure and only BSP chief Mayawati has been able to fill these grounds so far. The impressive swell in numbers ahead of Modis arrival have got BJP leaders happy who have started challenging Mayawati from the stage saying the crowd is an indication of the things to come.
The Samajwadi Partys power struggle took another dramatic turn on Sunday, 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.

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.

Here are the live updates of the tussle:

1.30pm: As per TV reports, Mulayam Singh has reached Delhi. He is expected to visit Election Commission today at 4.30 pm

1.15pm: Amar Singh and Jaya Prada reach Mulayam Singh Yadavs residence in Delhi.

12.30pm: Akhilesh Yadavs meeting with SP MLAs over. Akhilesh has asked the MLAs to go to their respective constituencies and start campaigning for the upcoming polls.

The CM has also instructed all MLAs to not speak ill of Mulayam Singh.

11.40am:

A number of snake charmers have gathered outside CM Akhileshs residence to show their support for him. (HT Photo)

11.30am:

11.15am: Shivpal tells media that Akhileshs election as SP national president and all the resolutions passed in the meet on Sunday are unconstitutional.

11am:

Samajwadi Party's election symbol is my signature: Mulayam Singh Yadav pic.twitter.com/Xc46bk9oYo  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 2, 2017

10.35am: Mulayam Singh Yadav and Amar Singh to visit Election Commission at 2 PM today, reports ANI

10.17am: After Shivpal leaves for Delhi alone, Mulayam comes out of his residence saying he is completely healthy. Mulayam will leave for Delhi shortly.

10.12am: UP CM Akhilesh Yadav has called a meeting of SP MLAs at 11am

10am: Shivpal Yadav leaves for Delhi. Mulayam Singh Yadav fell ill last night and is not accompanying him.

9.30am: In a series of tweets, SP leader Shivpal Yadav announced the national convention called by Mulayam Singh Yadav was suspended and asked workers to concentrate on winning the state polls barely three months away.

9am: Immediately after the conclusion of the special national convention on Sunday, SP national general secretary, Ramgopal Yadav, dispatched a letter to the EC intimating it about the election of chief minister Akhilesh Yadav as the new national president of the party.
A middle-aged woman was grievously injured in an incident of acid attack in West Bengals West Midnapore district, police said on Monday.

A 30-year old widow was attacked with acid by a lover in West Midnapore districts Ghatal region on Sunday, said Chitta Paul, officer in-charge of Ghatal police station.

Police said that the woman was attacked by her lover after their relationship deteriorated.

The widow was involved in an illicit affair with a local man who works in Odisha. The man came to the village last week and attacked the woman with acid following breakdown of their relationship, the officer said.

The victim sustained serious injuries in the head, face and shoulder. She is admitted to SSKM Hospital in Kolkata.

Police said the accused could not be arrested yet as he might have fled to Odisha after the incident.

We are still looking for the accused. It seems he might have fled to Odisha. We are also questioning the mans family in the village, the officer added.
The Madras high court on Monday closed a civil suit filed by Rajya Sabha MP Sasikala Pushpa seeking to restrain the AIADMK from appointing Sasikala Natarajan as party general secretary following the death of Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa.

Justice K Kalyanasundaram had on December 23 reserved his orders on an application by filed AIADMK presidium chairman E Madhusudanan seeking rejection of the plea of Pushpa and her husband.

Allowing AIADMKs application, the judge said, In view of allowing the application, the suit filed by Sasikala Pushpa and her husband stands closed.

Pushpa, who was expelled from the AIADMK, had submitted in her suit that the basic eligibility criteria to contest the election for the post of AIADMK general secretary was that the contestant must have been a primary member of the party continuously for five years, a norm Sasikala Natarajan did not fulfil.
Giving a digital push to the Haj application process for the first time, Union minister of state for minority affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Monday launched a mobile application which will provide information and facilitate e-payments for the pilgrimage.

It is for the first time that Haj application process is going to be digital, Naqvi said during the launch of the event at Haj House in south Mumbai. This is a major initiative in the governments Digital India programme.

The ministry of minority affairs has joined the Digital India campaign in a big way. We have made several processes regarding Haj digital/online. The Central government has been encouraging online applications for next Haj so that people can get an opportunity for the pilgrimage with complete transparency and comfort, Naqvi said.

The mobile app will be available on Google Play store from Monday. The next Haj schedule has already been announced and applications will be accepted from Monday. The last date for submitting the applications is January 24.

Applying for Haj, enquiry and information, news and updates and e-payment are the main features of the app. The application can be made directly on the app. Five adults and two infants can apply as a group.

A PDF copy of the form will go to applicants email. After affixing the photo, the printout with documents is to be sent to the state Haj committees. Registration fees can also be paid through this app.

Naqvi said last month, a new website of Haj was launched in New Delhi. The website is in Hindi, Urdu and English languages which will provide all the necessary information regarding Haj.

The website also lists Dos and Donts for the Haj pilgrimage and also a film informing about various aspects of the pilgrimage, Naqvi said.
After rolling a series of populist measures on New Years Eve, the Narendra Modi governments upcoming budget is likely to have more pro-people bonanza.

Information and broadcasting minister Venkaiah Naidu indicated on Sunday that more proposals are under consideration.

Without waiting further, the PM announced measures to help different sections of the society when money came in the banks. All other proposals in taxes, incentives and rebates will come in the budget, he said.

There have been intense speculations that the Centre might raise the income tax exemption threshold to at least Rs 3 lakh from the current limit of Rs 2.5 lakh.

Read | Numbers Game: Can you make the perfect Budget?

The minister brushed aside the criticism that the PM virtually announced the budget.

The relief announced to various sections was not political sops. They were the entitlements of the concerned sections which were denied to them by the system which was under the command and control of those indulging in black money generation and rabid corruption, he said.

Read | What to expect from Union Budget 2017

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh hit out at the PM. He didnt speak on demonetisation. He didnt tell when the situation will be normal, Ramesh said.

Also read | Focus on poor, small businesses: 5 highlights of PM Modis New Years eve speech

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A Delhi court on Wednesday sent lawyer Rohit Tandon, businessman Paras Mal Lodha and Kotak Mahindra bank manager Ashish Kumar to 14 days judicial custody.

They have been arrested by Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act).

Tandon is accused of converting more than Rs 30 crore in old notes in connivance with Kotak Mahindra Bank Manager Ashish Kumar, said counsel for ED.

The agency did not demand further custody of the accused.

All the accused were produced before the court as the custody of ED expired on Monday.

Tandon was arrested on December 29 and Lodha on December 22 following raids after demonetisation.

Both Tandon and Lodha moved application seeking bail which will be heard on January 4 and 6, respectively.

Additional Sessions Judge RK Tripathi also allowed the pleas of Tandon and Lodha seeking provision of proper medication.

Lodhas lawyer said, His client suffered from mouth cancer and brain tumour.

Senior advocate Mohit Mathur, appearing for Tandon, said that his client was suffering from a thyroid problem and hypertension

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Octogenarian Lalita Subramanyam, resident of Wadala in central Mumbai, was in for a pleasant surprise Monday morning when police landed at her doorstep.

Subramanyam has been living alone in her flat for the last 25 years and is on local polices list of `senior citizens requiring care and protection.

Two of her children live in the United States while another son lives in Bengaluru.

As her children could not visit her on her 83rd birthday, Matunga police, who help her with chores such as medicine-purchase and bank transactions, decided to give her a surprise.

Officials from the police station reached her house this morning with a cake and bouquet of flowers.

Lalita ji,fondly called d 'mother' of Matunga PStn, turned 83. Retweet to wish her & V will convey ur message to her pic.twitter.com/ql09gZTIfi  Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) January 2, 2017

Subramanyam cut the cake in the presence of deputy commissioner of police Ashok Dudhe, who was Zonal DCP of this area last year, and senior police inspector B M Kakad alongwith a police constable who regularly calls on her.

An overwhelmed Subramanyam blessed the officers.

She is like my mother...she was very happy with birthday celebration, said inspector Kakad.

She said her children visit her few times a year but are unable to come frequently, he said.

Mumbai police have a dedicated helpline 1090 for senior citizens. Senior citizens living alone call the helpline if they require any help, or, sometimes, just because they are feeling lonely.

Late R R Patil, when he was the home minister, started the initiative under which police officials regularly meet the senior citizens living alone under their respective jurisdictions to help them and make them feel safe.
Nepal has received 40 mega watt of electricity from India, taking the total import of power from the country to 340 mega watt, as part of the Himalayan nations efforts to end load-shedding.

Joint secretary at the ministry of energy Dinesh Kumar Ghimire expressed hope that the country will become free from load-shedding now. We have started importing an additional 40 MW of electricity from India since Saturday midnight, Republica quoted Ghimire as saying.

Also, 13MW of electricity has been added to the national grid from the Madi hydropower project, he added. We have already made the Kathmandu Valley a load-shedding free zone. We have launched a campaign to end load-shedding outside the Valley as well.

He informed that from next month, an additional 40 MW will be imported from India.

Last week, a team from the energy ministry had gone to India to sign an agreement with Power Trade Corporation, India to import a total of 120 MW through the Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur Transmission Line from January 1 to May 2017.

Now, a total of 350 MW of electricity is being imported from India through the 132 KV transmission line.
An astounding 10 lakh people  to be brought in 15,000 buses and 35,000 other vehicles  are expected to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modis Parivartan Maharally here on Monday in what is being tipped as the biggest political rally by him in a long time.

If the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) manages the numbers, Modis rally at the Ramabai Ambedkar grounds could give a psychological edge over the main opposition party in Uttar Pradesh  the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) led by four-time chief minister Mayawati.

The sheer numbers would be enough to unnerve Mayawati ji, said Brajesh Pathak, a former Maya aide-turned-BJP leader.

Modi had last addressed a rally in Lucknow on March 2, 2014, as the BJPs prime ministerial candidate. The 80 acres of the Ramabai Ambedkar grounds can hold up to five lakh people.

The crowd would be an answer to the critics of demonetisation, says UP BJP general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak.

However, there may be more to this rally than just numbers. It would take place just after Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadavs group asserted control of the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP), with whom BJP chief Amit Shah has predicted a contest in the 2017 assembly polls.

BJP strategists say that while the SP family feud has helped in marketing of Brand Akhilesh, it has also opened up the possibility of a revolt by the chief ministers uncle, Shivpal Yadav.

It could also mean that for the first time, the BJP would have to think of directly countering Akhilesh, says Athar Siddiqui from the Centre of Objective Research and Development.

On talks of the Congress entering into a pre-poll tie-up with Akhilesh, a BJP leader said, If that happens, the party may have to redraw its ticket distribution plans. The Modi speech could give a broad hint of how the fear of the BJP is forcing partys adversaries to enter into an unholy political understanding.

The BJP would also deploy nearly 250 people from its information technology team to publicise the rally on social media. The rally would be telecast live on Facebook.

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Members of the opposition disrupted governor NN Vohras address on the first day of Jammu and Kashmir assemblys budget session on Monday and shouted slogans while the national anthem was being played prompting the BJP to demand an apology.

The commotion began even before the governors joint address to both the houses as NC members distributing placards saying Stop Using Pellet Guns, Remove PSA, etc, met with resistance from PDP MLA Yasin Shah. It led to a heated exchange between Shah and NC MLA Altaf Wani and MLC Bashir Veeri among others.

National Conference, Congress, CPI(M), and few independent members started shouting as the governor was to about to begin his speech. He started his address after waiting for a few moments but the protest did not die down.

There was a minor scuffle between marshals and protesting members, who were trying to gherao the governor. The commotion forced Vohra to cut short his address within 10 minutes during which he was stopped on three occasions.

The united opposition came with placards and some even wore black to register their protest against the summers unrest in the valley after the killing of Hizbul Mujahiddin commander Burhan Wani on July 8.

Anticipating trouble, the authorities did not make separate sitting arrangements for the opposition and ruling coalition members this time.

The entire opposition shouted anti-government slogans, saying Qatil Sarkar Hai Hai and Stop innocent killings in valley. Later, they staged a sit-in protest outside the central hall of J-K legislature.

The J-K assemblys budget session is expected to be a stormy one, with the opposition making its intention clear to corner the Mehbooba Mufti-led government on the law and order situation and the months-long unrest in the valley.

Where is the vision of Mehbooba Mufti? Where is the political dialogue? This government imposed a curfew on Eid, we were not allowed to read namaz. We want to make the government accountable for the tyranny it has unleashed on the masses. We have every right to raise the voice against peoples suffering, senior NC leader Ali Mohammed Sagar said.

CPI(M) MLA MY Tarigami accused the government of imposing a marshal law in the valley and said that hundreds have been illegally confined in various jails in the state.

Congress legislature party leader and MLA Nawang Rigzin Jora said the situation deteriorated in the valley due to the unholy alliance of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and BJP.

It cannot be said that there was unrest in the valley or it was a law and order problem, but it was an uprising and death of Burhan Wani was just a trigger, Jora said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded an apology from the opposition, especially from Congress, for disrespecting the national anthem.

No one is above the nation and everyone has the right to protest, but not in such an unruly manner. Disrespecting the national anthem is not acceptable, BJP legislator Ravinder Raina said.

Education minister and senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar termed the ruckus by the opposition during governors address as unfortunate.

Both disruption of governors address and disrespect of the national anthem are regrettable. They (opposition) have only slogans and are not concerned with the issues confronting the masses. For us, peoples issue are of prime concern. Lets hope better sense prevails and we have trouble free session, Akhtar said.

Parliamentary affairs minister Abdul Rehman Veeri said it was a pre-panned programme to disrupt the governors address and an irresponsible act by the opposition that clearly shows their desperation.

We (PDP) never disrespected the national anthem or disrupted the governors address. We never threw placards on the governor or protested by standing on our seats, he added.

Later, both NC and Congress members walked out of the Upper House during the obituary references.
Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Monday said the ruling party of Uttar Pradesh belonged to him and that he had the support of the people.

Mulayam told the media that he led a spot-free life so far, and that the Supreme Court gave him a clean chit when corruption charges were levelled against him once.

The SP founder headed to New Delhi on Monday and is set to take the battle of cycle to the Election Commission of India.

His younger brother and state unit party president Shivpal Singh Yadav told the media that he was with his elder brother now and always.

I have always been with Netaji, will always be till my last breath, Shivpal said. He said Mulayam was still the national president of the party and will remain so. He however refused to divulge at what time they will go to the poll panel.
Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Monday said his force is prepared for a two-front war involving Pakistan and China simultaneously but emphasised on the need to look at cooperation and not confrontation with Beijing.

His remarks came days after Beijing raised eyebrows over India testing 5,000km range Agni V missile which has entire China within its reach.

As far as armed forces are concerned, we are tasked to be prepared for a two-front war and I think we are capable of carrying out our task in whatever manner that we may be asked to do by the political hierarchy, Gen Rawat told NewsX channel.

General Rawat said as far as the northern border is concerned, army has adopted certain mechanism to ensure that a harmonious relationship is maintained along the Line of Actual Control.

He said that today four border personnel meetings took place at the LAC.

This is to ensure that while we may be competing with each other for space, economic development, prosperity, there are also areas of cooperation. And I think that should be our focus area. Rather than looking at confrontation, we need to look at cooperation with China, he said.

Just before his retirement last month, Indian Air Force head Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, who was also the chairman of staff committee, had said India was only building its deterrent capability.

Referring to large-scale modernisation activities along the borders with China, purchase of Rafale fighter aircraft, new vessels and submarines, Raha had said India is obviously building up capability not to actually fight a conflict as it believes in peace and tranquillity

In a candid admission in March last year, Raha had said that given the IAFs depleting strength, it does not have the adequate numbers to fully execute an air campaign in case of a two-front war involving Pakistan and China simultaneously.
Religious organisations across the ideological divide welcomed the Supreme Courts ruling on Monday barring political parties and candidates from seeking votes in the name of religion, caste, community, race or language.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) said politics based on caste, community and religion had harmed the country.

Read: Elections a secular exercise, cant seek votes in name of religion: Supreme Court

We welcome the decision of the Supreme Court, VHP international general secretary Surendra Jain said. He said national integration has also been damaged by this practice.

Vote bank politics should be curbed by this decision. This judgement may prove a landmark in nation-building, the VHP leader added.

Jamat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) said the prohibition to use religion to garner votes should be strictly implemented. Although the Supreme Court ruling was not something new as the existing law already bars people from stoking communal sentiments to get votes, but now this order should be implemented in letter and spirit, JIH secretary general Mohammed Salim Engineer said.

He said the Supreme Court taking notice of it was an evidence of the fact that such practice by political parties and candidates had been rampant.

The apex court on Monday said seeking votes on the basis of caste, community, religion or language was illegal.

A constitution bench headed by chief justice TS Thakur by a 4:3 majority passed the order on the basis of Section 123(3) of the Representation of Peoples Act.
Trinamool Congress MP Tapas Pal, arrested by the CBI for his alleged role in the Rose Valley chit fund scam, dragged union minister Babul Supriyos name into the graft case on Sunday.

I am innocent. I am in no way involved in the scam and the truth will come to the fore soon. I have taken the name of Babul Supriyo and names of some other persons (before CBI). The truth will come out, Pal told reporters while he was being taken for interrogation by CBI on a three-day remand.

I deny all the allegations against me. I know for a fact that I havent taken any monetary advantage from anyone, he said. 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 MP was arrested on December 30 in Kolkata and later brought to Bhubaneshwar. He was sent to three-day CBI custody by a special court on Saturday.

While Supriyo could not be reached, BJP secretary Suresh Pujari, who is also the partys West Bengal in-charge, termed Pals allegation meaningless.

Pujari also said, By claiming that Supriyo had tricked him into the scam, Pal clearly accepted his own involvement in the case.

Pal said he has provided names of a large number of people involved in the scam and all relevant information to the investigating agency, including those related to Rose Valleys link in Odisha.

Claiming that he had not done any wrong, the cine star-turned politician said Trinamool Congress is with him.

Pal was one of the directors of the tainted chit fund group that allegedly duped investors in Odisha, West Bengal and some other states. He 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 CBI official said.

In its charge sheet submitted in the court on January 7, CBI had 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.
There is a good chance there would be no Samajwadi Party or bicycle in the Uttar Pradesh election, expected to be called any day now.

The warring factions of the Uttar Pradeshs ruling outfit have brought their battle over the party symbol -- a bicycle -- to the election commission but it may be too late.

According to experts, in event of a split, the symbol will be assigned to the faction that has the support of the majority of legislators as well as parliamentary board members. The claim has to be backed by furnishing signatures to the poll panel.

Read: Yadav family feud: Akhilesh takes control, unseats father Mulayam as SP chief

Highlights According to experts, in event of a split, the bicycle symbol will be assigned to the faction that has the support of the majority of legislators as well as parliamentary board members. However, if the EC doesnt have enough time to verify legislative majority then the symbol could be frozen and both sides asked to pick new symbols and party names. Mulayam Singh Yadav on Monday met EC officials here and claimed the bicycle, saying he was still the party president, hence, entitled to the symbol. Ramgopal Yadav, who represents chief minister Akhileshs faction, will plead his case on Tuesday. In 1969, when the Congress party split, the old guard was allowed to retain the party symbol while Indira Gandhi chose a cow suckling a calf as the party symbol.

But if the election commission doesnt have enough time  which is a distinct possibility in UP -- to verify legislative majority then the symbol could be frozen and both sides asked to pick new symbols and party names.

Though the split in SP is not official, competing claims have been made for the party symbol and leadership.

Patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav on Monday met EC officials here and claimed the bicycle, saying he was still the party president, hence, entitled to the symbol.

Read: History repeating itself? Mulayam followed Lohia, Akhilesh his father

Ramgopal Yadav, a senior party leader who represents chief minister Akhileshs faction, will plead his case on Tuesday.

Mulayam was on Sunday ousted by CM-son Akhilesh who took control of the SP at an emergency national convention.

In his 40-minute meeting with chief election commissioner Nasim Zaidi and other panel members, the 77-year-old Mulayam said Ramgopal stood expelled and couldnt take decisions on behalf of the party.

The election symbol is the first recognition of a political party. In a country where illiteracy is a high, a sizable chunk of voters rely on party symbols while voting. Voting machines, too, carry symbols along with candidates names.

There have been several occasions when a split has forced a change of name and symbol.

Read: Decision was tough, but need to protect those you love: Akhilesh Yadav

The latest instance was in December 2011 when the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, a recognised state party, split. Both factions laid claim to the symbol -- a chair -- but with elections in January, the EC didnt have the time to verify signatures and majority claims.

It approved Uttarakhand Kranti Dal(P) as the name and a cup and saucer as the symbol for the group led by Trivender Singh Pawar. The group led by Diwakar Bhatt named itself Jantantrik Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, with a kite as its symbol.

In 1969, the Indian National Congress split into the Congress (O) led by the old guard and the Congress (R) led by former prime minister Indira Gandhi. The old guard was allowed to retain the party symbol -- a pair of bullocks with a yoke -- while Gandhi chose a cow suckling a calf as the party symbol.

The Congress current symbol -- hand  was picked after Gandhi parted ways from the Congress (R) in 1977 to set up New Congress (I).

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Karnatakas home minister appeared on Monday to brush aside reports that several women were allegedly molested in Bengaluru during New Year celebrations while the police stood by.

Unfortunately, what is happening is that on days like New Years, Brigade Road, Commercial Street, or MG road, a large number of youngsters gather.

And youngsters were almost like Westerners. They tried to copy the Westerners, not only in their mindset but even in their dressing. So some disturbance, some girls are harassed...these kind of things do happen, minister G Parameswara said.

His comment came after a front-page report in the Bangalore Mirror alleged that unruly mobs started pawing, molesting and passing lewd remarks on women who had gathered for revelry on Bengalurus MG Road and Brigade Road.

Read | Pune techies murder: Police arrest Bengaluru-based friend

The alleged molesters forced many women to take off their shoes and run for help to the nearest policeman, the report added.

However, Nagaraj, inspector at the Cubbon Park Police station, said no complaints had been made against such incidents.

We had deployed 1600 police personnel in the area for new years celebrations and around 60,000 people had come there that night. But we had the situation under control, he said.

Read | CCTV footage shows woman abducted, molested in Bengaluru

...if such incidents did take place that night we urge people to come forward and file complaints, he added.

But the Bangalore Mirror report quoted people who said the police were badly outnumbered by the drunk hooligans and could only intervene intermittently. Despite several complaints, no cases were filed, the reports added.

NCW chief slams Parameswara

Taking strong exception to Parameshwaras remarks, National Commission for Women chief Lalitha Kumaramangalam sought his resignation and apology to the women of the country.

Such remarks from the Home Minister is unacceptable and regrettable. I want to ask this Minister are Indian men so pathetic and weak that when they see a woman in Western clothes on a day of revelry, they get out of control?

Reacting to polices claims that there wre no official complaints of molestation, she said pictorial information was enough for them to take action.

(With agency inputs)
Two Mumbai students in their early 20s are feared drowned in the Ganga, 60km from Uttarakhand capital Dehradun, police said on Monday.

They were part of 11-member group from a Mumbai-based college that came to Rishikesh to celebrate the New Year.

NS Napalchiyal, superintendent of police (SP) in Tehri district, said a team of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) launched a search for the youth --- identified as Vinay Sethi and Karan Jadhav.

Students of Thakur College of Science and Commerce located at Kanivali East, they partied on Sunday and went for river-rafting the next day.

The group clicked photos, and a student climbed atop a cliff and jumped into the river. Vinay also did the same, but was swept away by the currents. Karan tried to save Vinay, but he too was swept away.

The parents of the students have been informed. We are searching for them, the SP said.

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Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh expressed hope of a positive outcome in the ministerial-level talks to be held between India and Sri Lanka over the fishermen issue even as he hit out at the Congress for failure to resolve it during its tenure.

Leaving for Colombo from here to participate in the two-day talks beginning later on Monday over the dispute on fishing rights of Tamil Nadu fishermen in the Palk Bay, he said the BJP-led NDA government was taking all steps to find a permanent solution to the issue.

The Congress party did not act to solve the issue during its tenure and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking all steps to protect our fishermen and solve their issues, he said.

The minister said he was participating in the talks as external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj was convalescing after recently undergoing kidney transplant. In a tweet, Singh said, I will be visiting #SriLanka from January 2nd to January 3rd 2017.

He said the visit will focus on discussing permanent solutions to the problems and issues of fishermen.

Ascertaining possibilities for cooperation in patrolling, release of apprehended fishing vessels and fishermen of both sides and promotion of deep sea fishing by providing tuna long liners to (Indian) fishermen will be the other areas of focus, he said.

Tamil Nadu government has been urging the Centre to take up the fishermen issue with the island nation and find a permanent solution.

Chief minister O Panneerselvam in a recent letter to the Prime Minister had said the recurrent instances of attacks and abduction of the state fishermen should be stopped immediately. Our fishermen should be allowed to pursue their peaceful avocation of fishing in their traditional fishing waters of the Palk Bay, he had said.
The events that have unfolded in the Samajwadi Party (SP) since Saturday  with chief minister Akhilesh Yadav pulling off a coup on Sunday in Lucknow to wrest control of the party from the old guard led by his father and party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav  have thrown up a number of political opportunities and threats for the BJP that is hoping to form a government in Uttar Pradesh.

The upheaval in the SP comes so close to the assembly elections due early this year that it has not just the ruling party in the state but other aspirants to the seat of power worried, experts say.

Suddenly, Akhilesh Yadav is in sharp public focus and this time as a leader taking control of his party rather than as a weak CM two years ago. This should worry the BJP, says AK Verma from the Centre for Study of Society and Politics, Kanpur.

Even the anti-incumbency against his government has been pushed to the background, concedes a BJP general secretary. But whether the SP splits or not will not affect us drastically.

Party leaders who are closely watching the developments, however, say a weak SP will harm the BJPs prospects.

For the BJP, which won an impressive 71 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state in 2014, work on winning UP started even before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Amit Shah, who is now party president because of his emphatic turnaround record in the state, was made general secretary in-charge of the state and Narendra Modi moved to contest the Lok Sabha poll from Varanasi. The party resorted to what Verma calls competitive social engineering, reaching out to communities  from the most backward castes to the Dalits and the non-Yadav OBCs.

A victory for the party in UP will not just bring electoral gains, it will also showcase it as a stamp of peoples approval on two-and-a-half years of the Modi government and its policies, including demonetisation and its aftereffects.

The BJPs calculations say a weak SP will mean Muslim votes shifting to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Akhilesh emerging stronger will open the possibility of a grand alliance on the lines of the one in Bihar.

Amit Shah had cleverly pitched the BJP against the SP and tried to downplay the BSPs role as a challenger. A weak SP will force us to fight the BSP as our number one opponent, says a senior leader.

The state will put the partys social engineering formula to test.

The BJP is moving towards a constituency transformation. It has decided to expand its base at the cost of its traditional voter and the UP election will put this to test, explains Verma.

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Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh on Monday said he had been with party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and will remain with him.

Speaking to the media on the ongoing tussle and his place in the party, Amar Singh, on his arrival here from vacation in London, said: I was with Mulayam and will remain with him. My association with him made me a hero and if needed I can become a villain also.

Reacting on his expulsion from the party by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, Singh said: Once Mulayam had said that I am in his heart not in the party. So if Mulayam expels me from his heart then it will be saddening for me. The party does not matter to me.

Akhilesh on Sunday named himself the new head of the SP and his supporters stormed the party headquarters in Lucknow.

In other key decisions taken at an emergency meeting of Akhilesh supporters, Shivpal Yadav was sacked as the state unit head while Amar Singh -- both Mulayam confidants -- was expelled from the part

The issues related to party control is also spilling over to the Election Commission with leaders of both sides expected to reach Delhi soon.
Ever grumbled about paying service charges on your restaurant bill despite getting lousy service or a bad dining experience? Well, you can rejoice now.

The Department of Consumer Affairs has announced that the service charges, which restaurants include in addition to taxes, are actually optional --- and not mandatory.

A Press and Information Bureau release on January 2 clearly states that service charge is payable only on the consumers discretion and can be waived off if the customer is not happy with the service.

The service charge is levied by restaurants and usually falls in the range of 5-20% of the total bill amount.

Following complaints from consumers, the Department of Consumer Affairs has declared that making service charge compulsory is an unfair trade practice .

Restaruants are billing service charges in addition to taxes. Service charge is optional . Consumer has a discretion to pay or not.  Consumer Affairs (@jagograhakjago) January 2, 2017

The Consumer Protection Act, 1986 provides that a consumer can make a complaint to the appropriate consumer forum established under the Act against unfair method or deceptive practice, the PIB release says.

The Department of Consumer Affairs has asked the state governments to sensitize companies, hotels and restaurants. It has advised the places to spread the information to customers through displays at appropriate places in their premises.

The Hotel Association of India has responded, clarifying that the service charge is completely discretionary and should a customer be dissatisfied with the dining experience, he/she can have it waived off.

Twitter was quick to react to the news.

Restaurants can't force you to pay 'service charge' on food bill. Totally up to the customer to pay or not. (Govt)  Manak Gupta (@manakgupta) January 2, 2017

If service charge / tip is optional or voluntary, then why shd restaurants / hotels bill it in the first place. Revert to Old tip system.  Jeetender Gupta (@jguptallb) January 2, 2017

i'm going to use this to evade service tax also. https://t.co/etLbpjtGxk  Suraj Sharma (@sovietskull) January 2, 2017

clarification of service charge will ad confusion. Most people confuse service charge and service tax.  Manivannan Aru (@mvaru) January 2, 2017

Dumb of consumer ministry to say 'pay the service charge' if you want. Why not abolish it,let people tip if they want? #HalfMeasuresDontWork  Sunil Jain (@thesuniljain) January 2, 2017

Heard most waiters say that #servicecharge is pocketed by management and not passed on to them. Good that govt says it is up to you to pay  Abhijit Majumder (@abhijitmajumder) January 2, 2017

Not happy with service? Don't pay service charge at restaurants!



By the same logic



Not happy with Infrastructure?Don't pay taxes to Govt!  Atul Khatri (@one_by_two) January 2, 2017

#ServiceCharge Is Voluntary And A Customer Dissatisfied With Dining Experience Can Have It Waived: Govt.



Who'll Choose To Pay It Then? pic.twitter.com/spllh6f9o7  Sir Ravindra Jadeja (@SirJadeja) January 2, 2017

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Thirty-four years after they were first proposed in Madhya Pradesh, the fate of its first two nuclear power plants still hangs in balance.

After they were first proposed in 1982, the Centre gave in principle approval for setting up 1,400 MW nuclear power plant at Chutka village in tribal-predominant Mandla district in 2009, and 2,800 MW nuclear power plant at Bhimpur village in Shivpuri district in 2011.

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) will set up indigenous pressurised heavy water reactors at two plants to produce electricity.

While NPCIL is still carrying out survey, compiling data and checking water availability for Bhimpur plant, the land acquisition is incomplete for Chutka after seven years of the Centres nod as some project-affected people have moved court to demand fair compensation for their lands to be acquired for the project.

Though the project cost is 15 crore per MW, the state energy department feels that time and cost over-runs in their construction will be phenomenal. The reasons for this include delays arising from doubts on safety features of nuclear reactors and financial problems of reactor-supplying companies. Will not be surprised if government yields to pressures from western MNCs (multinational companies) and opt for imported reactors, fuel which will increase the cost manifold, an energy department official said wishing anonymity.

According to NPCIL associate director Ashok Kumar Nema, exact cost of Chutka plant will depend on how fast the project is implemented. It may take five years to complete project once construction starts. Construction will commence soon after government gives financial sanction, Nema told HT.

Located in catchment area of Bargi dam built on Narmada river, Chutkas Gond tribals are unhappy with compensation government is offering.

We are not against plant, we want countrys progress. But government is giving compensation at rate of 3.83 lakh per hectare for our farms being taken up for nuclear plant. When we go to buy new farmland, it is available at double or treble the rate. Most of us are tribals with limited means and education, said Chutka village sarpanch Dayal Singh Kokaria who has three acres of farmland left after he lost over 20 acres for Bargi dam construction.

A letter dated October 2, 2016, sent to (DAE) secretary Dr Sekhar Basu by former union power ministry secretary EAS Sarma, questions the need for nuclear power plants. The letter (HT has a copy) refers to DAEs proposal to shift Haripur (West Bengal) nuclear power project and Westinghouse nuclear reactors from Mithi Virdi (Gujarat) to Andhra Pradesh.

DAE has nonchalantly agreed to shuffle projects from western and eastern to southern regions without considering regional demand profiles which erodes credibility of electricity regulators on one hand and raises questions about DAEs own professional standing and motives on the other.

The letter also mentions about governments exhuberance in clearing a large number of thermal power plants, whose cumulative capacity is three times more than projected by Planning Commission up to 2031. Compounding this situation is DAEs plan to add several thousand MWs of nuclear electricity, letter stated.

Ironically, the Centre avoided sanctioning nuclear power plants till 2009 to MP which is a power-surplus state. This was because MP had large coal deposits and thermal plants. In its place, Centre approved nuclear plants at Tarapur (Maharashtra), Kakarapar (Gujarat) and Kota (Rajasthan), said PL Nene, ex-chairman of the MP Electricity Board.

CHUTKA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

Land: 283 hectares spread over Chutka, Kunda village panchayats

No of people affected: 605. To be relocated at Gonji Rayat village, 12 km from Mandla

Cash compensation disbursed: 38 crore to 423 people.

Rehab & Resettlement: 10 lakh per family

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The family members of Sandeep Dange and Ramchandra Kalsangra, two of the absconding accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case, appeared before media persons and demanded a free and fair probe into the incident.

Danges father, retired professor VK Dange, Sangaras wife, Laxmi and his son Devrath were among the family members who met the media.

On December 30, Mehmood Mujawar, a senior inspector of the Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad, told a court in Solapur that the two absconding accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case, were dead but have been falsely shown as alive by investigation agencies.

A bomb strapped to a motorcycle exploded in Malegaon on September 29, 2008, killing seven people and injuring more than 100 others.

Mujawar in an application filed in August before a magistrates court in Solapur, said that Dange and Kalsangra, accused in the Malegaon blasts case, are no more. Later, Mujawar was suspended after a case under the Arms Act and Criminal Intimidation was filed against him in the Solapur court.

In his application submitted before the magistrates court, Mujawar said that Sandeep Dange and Ramchandra Kalsangra are dead but are being shown alive by senior police officials.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, 80-year-old VK Dange, a retired physics professor from Government PG College in Sehore, said, The news of Sandeeps fate is a matter of concern for me as he is my only son and I should know the real status of the case.

He further said that the family wants a transparent probe into the incident and want the Maharashtra government come out with the truth in the next one month.

Laxmi and Devrath too want to known about the whereabouts of Kalsangra.

If he is alive, then probe agency should arrest him and produce him before the court and if he is dead then the government should take relevant action against the officials who are involved in his murder, said Laxmi.

The ATS officials have misused their power and even the Madhya Pradesh government has failed to take action against them, she said.

Demanding that the body of his father, whom he last saw eight years back when he was just 14, Devrath, 22, said,  The agency should hand over his fathers dead body to him if he was dead.

Kalsangras brother ,Shivnarayan and his business partner, Shyam Sahu who were in police custody since October 2008, and were granted bail by the Bombay High Court on August 3, 2011, narrated how investigation agencies falsely implicated them and tortured them just to get information about Kalsangra and others.
When you pass by a primary school you may hear students cramming mathematical tables, but do not be surprised to hear tables on how to practice personal hygiene and virtues of cleanliness while passing Bi Amma Urdu Primary School in Madhya Predeshs Khandwa.

For the 53 students enrolled in the school, it is a routine exercise to go through tables based on the 10 messages of cleanliness before beginning studies as it helps them to inculcate good hygiene habits from a young age.

Situated on the Moghat police station road in Maharani Laxmibai neighbourhood of the town, the school started the initiative more than two months back, when school principal Shahjaha Sheik received a rhyme on Swachh Bharat Abhiyan on her WhatsApp number.

She forwarded the composition to WhatsApp group called Swachh Vidhyalaya Group that has more than 20 school principals as members.

Sheik decided teach the cleanliness rhyme to her schools students in an innovative way so that they could learn and practice good hygiene as well as teach their parents.

It all started after I got a rhyme on cleanliness and as most students were interested to learn it, I decided to ask my staff members for ideas so that we could teach the children learn about cleanliness at an early age, Sheik tells Hindustan Times.

We tweaked the rhyme in a mathematical table format in such a manner that it helped the children to learn about the health benefits of personal hygiene and keeping the environment clean, she says.

Praising the principal and teachers for their innovation to motivate students about cleanliness, Khandwa district collector Swati Meena says that the step not only inspires others schools to take up the initiative, but also the society.

The initiative is good for everyone, because if school children understand the importance of cleanliness around them, they can educate their family members as well.

Meena, who visited the school for an inspection, says: Being situated in a minority-dominated area, the school is not only creating awareness about cleanliness, but they have done a commendable job of educating girls and eradicating gender discrimination in the society.

The credit goes to the teaching staffers who are doing their job with great enthusiasm.

The unique method has started drawing positive response among parents at home as well.

Now my daughter has started teaching about cleanliness from the lessons she learns at school, says Hasiba Bee, mother of 7-year-old Fatima.

It is good that students are being encouraged to keep the environment clean and are being taught not to litter outside the school, she says.

The Swachh rhyme

2 ekam 2 sabun se hath dho (clean your hands with soap)

2 duni 4 safai se karo pyar (love cleanliness)

2 tiya 6 swachata ki jai (hail cleanliness)

2 choke 8 nakhun ko kat (cut your nails)

2 panje 10 dant mein ho brush (brush your teeth)

2 chake 12 shochalay ho pyara (have clean toilet)

2 sate 14 ek lagao podha (plant one tree)

2 athe 16 saf rakho shala (keep your school clean)

2 name 18 swacha shahar ka nara (keep you city clean)

2 dham 20 doctor ki bache fees (cut the doctors fees)

(With inputs from Sunil Kerhalkar in Khandwa)
Its going to be a year full of political events, with 26 district councils and 10 municipal corporations going to polls next month, followed by elections to seven civic bodies in May-June and one in October.

This means, 6.25 crore voters, of 8.15 crore voters in the state, will practice their fundamental right to vote.

The State Election Commission is expected to announce elections for the 26 district councils and 10 municipal corporations by the end of this week or early next week. The five-year term of the 10 municipal corporations will end between March and April, and the term of the district councils end on March 20 this year.

Apart from Mumbai and Thane, the municipal corporations of Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Ulhasnagar, Amravati, Pimpri-Chinchawad, Solapur and Akola will also face elections in the second or third week of February. Six other municipal corporations, including Bhiwandi, will have elections in May-June. Mira-Bhayandar will go to polls in July-August, and the Nanded-Waghola corporation, in October this year. Of the 33 district councils or Zilla Parishad that govern districts, 26 will go to polls along with civic bodies in one or two phases.

In the three phases of elections to municipal councils in the past two months, more than 70 lakh voters exercised their franchise. These polls were also significant for the Bhartiya Janata Party, which jumped from the fourth to the first position in terms of seats won in municipal council.

In district councils and municipal corporations, currently the BJP stands fourth in terms of the number of sitting corporators, while the Congress and the NCP have the highest numbers, respectively.

In the 17 municipal corporations, Congress has 509 corporators, followed by NCPs 385, Shiv Senas 301 and BJPs 264.

In the 26 district councils, Nationalist Congress Party leads with 518 members, followed by Congress  438, Senas 241 and BJPs 187.

While BJP leaders claim the party will retain the trend seen in the municipal council elections, by winning the most seats, political analysts say the results at civic bodies are largely dependent on local equations and issues.

The civic elections are fought on local issues and equations, which vary from district to district. The victory in the civic election cannot be a parameter to test performance of the state and Union governments. The trend of the result of the municipal councils may or may not retain same in the upcoming elections, said Suhas Palashikar, political observer.

Read: BMC polls 2017: Mobile app to help voters find wards, booths

BMC polls ahead: Fadnavis, Uddhav put up united front
This New Years eve, Shivaji Mandir, Mumbais landmark Marathi theatre near Dadars Kabutar Khaana, shut well before midnight. Gone are the days when it used to host special night shows and even orchestras to ring in the new year.

The board outside its blink-and-you-miss-it entrance had listed two shows on that day: A morning show of the suspense-ridden Ek Shunya Teen and an evening show of the comedy play All The Best. But nothing for the night. We used to have orchestras perform on New Years Eve earlier. But people watch all that on TV now so we have stopped those shows, says Shashikant Bhalekar, president of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Smarak Mandal, which runs the theatre that opened on May 3, 1965.

The theatre remains a landmark for the older generation of Mahashtrians in the city, who lined up in droves to watch plays by the likes of Prahlad Keshav Atre (Acharya Atre), Prabhakar Panshikar and Vasant Kanetkar.

Shivaji Mandir was built in the heart of Dadar in the 1960s. (HT Photo)

Before the auditorium was built on this plot, it was a ground mainly used for wrestling matches, says Bhalekar. Around 1960, it was turned into an open-air theatre, one of many in the area, where travelling theatre companies performed often. Eventually it was turned into one of Dadars first closed auditoriums, he says.

It isnt the oldest one though  Damodar Hall in Parel was already in existence.

Nowadays, shows are scheduled mostly for Sunday evening. Earlier, this was one of the few auditoriums that staged Marathi plays in the city. People from as far away as Borivli would come to watch plays here. Now, auditoriums have cropped up everywhere, so people dont feel the need to come all the way, Bhalekar says. The shift in the Maharashtrian population, from Dadar to the suburbs may have contributed as well.

Comedy plays by popular television and film actors like Prashant Damle and Bharat Jadhav still run house full whenever a show is scheduled. (HT Photo)

Textile mill workers used to be our best audience, says Bhalchandra Naik, who has worked at the theatre for the past 35 years. Most mills in the city were concentrated in Parel and Dadar. We would have three time slots, in the morning, afternoon and evening. They would come in droves after their shifts and fill up the back rows, especially our balcony seats. Once the mills shut, they stopped coming. Now the front rows may be full, but the back rows remain empty, Naik says.

Comedy plays by popular television and film actors like Prashant Damle and Bharat Jadhav, still run to full houses. The college-going crowd really enjoys such plays and makes up most of the audience, says Hari Patankar, who has been working at the theatres box office for more than 25 years.

Many stalwarts of Marathi theatre, such as Acharya Atre, Prabhakar Panshikar and Vasant Kanetkar have performed here. (HT Photo)

The audience has also changed tremendously over the years, says Patankar. Earlier, going to the theatre would be an event. The men would be well turned out, the women in their best saris, with a shawl to keep them warm in the winter  it was an amazing sight. Now, it is all very casual, he says. A ticket would cost you anywhere between Rs100 and Rs300.

But with audiences deserting most such small theatres in the city, making money has not been easy. Maratha Mandir has leased out its property to a book shop, among other establishments.

A ticket here will cost you anywhere between Rs100 and Rs300. (HT Photo)

We are competing with television. Why would people spend money on travel and tickets to come to a theatre, when what is on offer is available to them at the flick of a button. A while ago, night shows featuring orchestras would do very well in our theatre, but they couldnt compete with the musical reality shows broadcast almost every evening on television, Bhalekar says.

Its 50th anniversary celebrations, however, was attended by the likes of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and NCP leader Sharad Pawar. A reminder, perhaps, that Shivaji Mandir is far from forgotten.

Also read: Marathi films may get 45 shows a year at each multiplex screen

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Khushi Shah, 27, a fashion designer from Vadodara who was killed in the terror attack in Istanbul, had flown to Turkey on a business assignment, said a relative.

She had left two days back. New Year coincided with her trip, so she must have decided to go and celebrate at a local club, said Nishant Ramani, her family friend who was shocked to hear about the death.

Shah was one of the two Indians killed in the attack in Istanbul, where a gunman attacked a New Years Eve party at a nightclub, killing 39 people.

She had moved to Mumbai in 2011 to pursue a career in fashion designing and in a period of three years, started her own boutique at Juhu Tara road.

Her friends, who are mourning her loss, said that Shah had visited her parents in Vadodara a week back. We are all so proud of her achievements. She had designed clothes for Subhash Ghais films and actresses like Shilpa Shetty, she said.

Her cousin condemned the attacks in a Facebook post . My little sister Khushi was one of the unfortunate victims in the terrorist attack in Istanbul. While there is nothing that can offer our family any solace at the moment, we pray for justice and stand united with everyone mourning the loss of their loved ones, the post read.

Shahs brother Akshay and a cousin have reached Istanbul to bring her body back to the country. .

Meanwhile, on Monday afternoon, the staff of Rizvi College of Arts, Science and Commerce observed two minutes of silence in the memory of Abis Rizvi, secretary of the Rizvi Sports Club, who was the other Indian casualty in the attack.

The college dismissed the afternoon shift earlier than schedule and plans to declare a holiday on Wednesday, when Rizvis body is expected to be buried in a graveyard at Mazgaon. A condolence meet is expected on the day of burial.

READ MORE

Istanbul attack: Indian Mission in Turkey trying for early repatriation of bodies

Police detain 8 suspects over Istanbul nightclub attack: Report
Family members of Ramchandra Kalsangra, one of the accused in the Malegaon 2008 blast case, want an investigation into the allegation that the absconding Kalsangra had been killed along with another wanted accused in 2008, while in the Maharashtra anti-terrorist squads (ATS) custody.

As the news about the alleged killing of Ramchandra, also known as Ramji, in police custody broke, his family members  wife Laxmibai, 40, elder son Devavrat, 22, and brother Shivnarayan visited the city and demanded a probe into the allegation that Ramji had been killed by the ATS in 2008 itself.

The trio travelled to the city from Indore on Monday. They wanted details of Ramjis whereabouts and the truth about the reports of his alleged killing in ATS custody  as recorded in a statement made by a former officer of the Maharashtra ATS, Mehboob Mujawar.

Mujawar claimed the two key accused  Ramchandra Kalsangre and Sandeep Dange, shown as wanted in the case  were not missing but had, in fact, been killed by the ATS on November 26, 2008. Mujwar said that the two had been picked up with another accused, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, and were later gunned down in Mumbai.

Devavrat, who is studying law at Indore, told Hindustan Times: We were so shocked after news reached us. We want to know what happened to my father. Till now, we had hope that someday he might come back, but we stand nowhere now. We want the culprits to be brought to book.

Narrating the ordeal that the family went through after Ramji left home, his wife, Laxmibai said, It was Dussehra. It was usual for him to leave home for days. On that day too, he left in the evening saying he was going to work. We believed that since its a festive day, he would have more work. We did not check for a couple of days.

It was October 10, 2008 when the family members last saw Ramji. Laxmi added that she and the family were left all alone with their three kids and no other means to survive. Ramji and Shivnarayan were the only breadwinners for the family.

We hail from a small village in Madhya Pradesh. In 1991, we shifted to Indore as Ramji started freelancing as an electrician. I was still studying. Ramji was the one who shouldered all responsibilities of the family. I joined him later, Shivnarayan said, remembering the struggle of their days without Ramji. We thought he had gone for work until Shinarayan was picked up by the ATS. We got very scared, said Bhuvan Deshmukh, a family friend who is accompanying the family.

Adding to the conversation Shivnarayan said that the ATS first picked him up, after five or six days of Ramjis disappearance. They kept me in illegal detention for a few days till they finally produced me before the court. The ATS officers, including senior IPS officers, tortured me and another accused. They threatened to implicate us in the case if we didnt disclose Ramjis whereabouts. We were clueless and had no information, Shivanrayan said.

Shivnarayan is one of the six accused including Sadhvi Pragya Singh whom the National Investigation Agency has given a clean chit on the ground of lack of prosecutable evidence.

Court allows prosecution to bring copies of missing statements

The special NIA court has on Monday allowed the prosecution to bring copies of missing statements of some witnesses and some missing confessional statements and lead evidence in support of the same as none of the missing files relating to Malegaon 2008 bomb blast case has been traced so far.

NIA had moved the plea to consider the photocopies of the statement of 13 witnesses and confessional statements of two accused as a part of secondary evidence three months back.

The missing documents include confessions of Sudhakar Dwivedi alias Dayanand Pandey alias Swami Amrutanand Devtirth and of Rakesh Dhawde, and statements of 11 witnesses recorded before a magistrate mostly connected with the conspiracy meetings held by the accused persons.

The court has finally allowed our plea. We are now allowed to lead evidence in support of these statements to substantiate the same, said special public prosecutor Avinash Rasal. NIA pleaded that since these statements were not traceable and the proceedings of the case were being conducted on day-to-day basis, the copies of the original statements and confessions be taken on record as secondary evidence.

Read: Kin of Malegaon blast accused say Dange, Kalsangra dead, want fair probe

Malegaon case: Fadnavis promises probe into cops allegations

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#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...
A 26-year-old man who works for a central paramilitary organisation was arrested by the Mumbai cyber police on Monday for allegedly hacking into Kareena Kapoors income tax account and filing false I-T returns in her name. The cyber police said the accused is a fan of the actress and committed the crime hoping he would get her phone number.

The police refused to divulge the accuseds identity. He was traced to a state in north India through his internet protocol (IP) address on Sunday and brought to the city on Monday. The police said the accused was well-versed with the system for filing income tax returns and would help his colleagues with their taxes.

Deputy commissioner of police (cyber crime) Sachin Patil said the accused used a mobile phone to hack into the account.

A cyber police official said the accused had the actress PAN card details, which helped him hack into her account. However, they refused to divulge how he acquired these details.

The accused is said to have hacked into Kapoors account in August and illegally uploaded the false returns for 2016-2017. When she tried to file her returns for this year, she discovered that it had already been filed.

Sources said Kapoors chartered accountant Prakash Thakkar approached the Bandra-Kurla Complex police station on Friday and told them an unidentified person had used Kapoors PAN card number and password to file I-T returns on her behalf.

On the basis of Thakkars complaint, an FIR was filed in October under section 419 (cheating by impersonation) of the Indian Penal Code, along with sections 66 and 66 C of the Information Technology Act, which deals with identity theft (use of computer dishonestly, fraudulently and making use of the electronic signature, password or any other unique identification feature of a person).

Read

Curious student hacks into celeb e-taxation accounts

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Sites connected to IIT-Madras hacked

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Rajendra Bhojne, the firemen who sustained 50% burn injuries while rescuing a bird at the Mahalaxmi race course, died on Saturday night, 21 days after he was admitted at the National Burns Centre (NBC) in Airoli. He received a guard of honour from Mumbai fire brigade (MFB)at Byculla fire station, the MFB headquarters.

Bhojne and two other firemen, Sanjay Kalbhere and Dinesh Sabankar, had suffered 25% to 60% burn injuries on December 10 when the rescuing equipment came in contact with a high-tension overhead wire. Doctors at burns centre had warned about Bhojnes critical condition, citing the deep third degree burns on his upper body.

He underwent two supra major surgeries, during we removed the dead skin to prevent infection. But his condition was critical due to the injuries on face and chest. He was supposed to undergo another surgery. We were only waiting for his condition to stabilise, said Dr Sunil Keswani, from NBC, adding that the other two firemen are stable and will be discharged soon. .

The three firemen, Kalbhere, Sabankar and Bhojane, were from Byculla fire station were sent to rescue a bird stuck on an overhead wire near gate number six of the race course. Officials said the call was made around 7.30pm and the firemen reached the spot at 8.45 pm.

Chief fire officer, PS Rahagdale had said that the firemen were rescuing the bird with the help of a long stick which accidentally touched an overhead high-tension wire and resulted into their electrocution. The locals had rushed the three to Nair Hospital. But due to non-operational surgical ICU, since November 25, they were admitted to Wockhardt Hospital at Mumbai Central. But as their condition deteriorated further, top MFB officials shifted them to Airoli, where they were kept in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Also read: Fire breaks out in Byculla slum
When the Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Memorial in the Arabian Sea last week, a group of fishermen from the nearby village staged a protest, claiming that the 309-foot-tall statue will harm the marine life.

Around same time, a group of students from the SIES College in Sion took to social media to address concern over the projects impact on the natural habitat of fishes and water plants. These students belonged to the colleges nature club one among many seen at colleges across the city.

With frequent destruction of mangroves in the city and Aarey forest constantly under the threat of development projects, these nature clubs are trying to inculcate love for nature and environment among the new generation.

From organising nature trails to conducting photography competitions and exhibitions to educating students about flora and fauna in and around the city, the clubs were formed to hand pick young nature enthusiasts.

Founded in 1979, the nature club at Wilson College is among the oldest in the city. The club is known for its regular nature trails to Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Karnala Bird Sanctuary and other ecologically rich areas. They even organise overnight camps outside the state. The club boasts of a nature library at the college, with a vast collection of resources to educate students about their surroundings.

Unless the students love nature, they wont protect it. Some of these outdoor experiences get etched in their memory. When many of them become teachers, they tend to be better teachers. Some of them become environmental activists, said Sudhakar Solomon, a teacher at the college who heads the club.

The trend is similar at other colleges. Aditya Akerkar who led the recent campaign at SIES College said that they have recently expanded their activities to include nature photography and a course on orchids and documentary screenings. Under the nature club, we at least make students aware of the environmental issues, he said.

Students at Jai Hind College in Churchgate have installed a nature board, which they regularly update with environmental news. They also have a small nursery of medicinal plants on the college terrace, in addition to a small waste management plant. Recently, they held a seminar on hazards and uses of plastic.

The seminar was an eye-opener. Theres a myth that plastic is inherently bad. But the speakers explained that the plastic can be very useful. One just has to avoid smaller micron polythene bags, said Safina Rakhangi, a teacher at the college.

Some city-based environmental groups have also reached out to college campuses. Earlier this year, Jaya Waghmare, a MSc student at the University of Mumbai (MU), founded Zest for Environmental Nurturing Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), which organised workshops and nature trails for the students. We are focussed on outreach and environment education and awareness. By constantly reminding students of hazards faced by nature, we are trying to make students lifestyle more eco-friendly, she said.

Also read: Shivaji memorial in Mumbai will pollute sea and damage coast, say experts

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The Mumbai police have started an inquiry into Mustafa Dossas recent visit to Porbandar. Dossa, an accused in the March 1993 serial bombings, has been lodged in Arthur Road Jail for the past 14 years. He travelled to Porbandar via Ahmedabad under court orders and in relation to a case registered against him in Gujarat.

A senior police officer said Dossas associates were apparently seen talking to him while he was boarding the Saurashtra Express at Mumbai Central railway station. Eight police personnel from the local arms division accompanied Dossa and allowed his associates to talk to him.

When the train reached Ahmedabad, Dossas wife boarded the train and sat next to him. During their discussion, the police stayed away from the couple and stood near the door of the compartment.

The joint commissioner of police Deven Bharti (law and order) said, A deputy commissioner will conduct an inquiry to verify the details of Dossas visit.

Earlier, an inquiry was conducted into reports that Dossa runs his gang from prison. Jail authorities had submitted a report stating that the allegation did not have merit.

Read

Gangster Mustafa Dossa holds auditions in Mumbai court, his aide steals show with robbery
The Azad Maidan police have arrested two women, a mother and daughter, who purportedly kidnapped a five-year-old girl from around her home near GT Hospital, Fort, and forced to beg for money. According to the police, Seetadevi Sahane, 42, and her daughter Pinky live in the vicinity of the Vaishnavi Kates home and allegedly had been waiting for an opportunity to kidnap her.

Kates father is in hospital while her mother died a few years ago. When she went missing around 11am on Saturday, her brother Dinesh Kumar Kate, 7, told their schools caretaker about it.

An officer from Azad Maidan police station said, The girl couldnt be found, so the caretaker and the brother reported the matter to Azad Maidan police station and we registered a case the same day. The brother said he suspected Seetadevi Shahane, so initially we called in her husband for questioning. From him we learnt that they also own a flat in Khopoli.

A team of policemen was dispatched to Khopoli, where they located Sahane and arrested her after she apparently confessed. We then asked her about Kate, she said she was begging at Mumbai Central station with Pinky. When we went there we noticed that the girl was being made to beg while Pinky monitored her movements, said an officer, who did not wish to be named.

The officer added, Shahane and her daughter planned it together. Beggars believe that beggar children earn more money, so they kidnapped the girl. We are looking into whether they have kidnapped any other children.

The mother and daughter have been booked under Section 363 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code. They have been remanded in police custody until January 4.

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Keeping up its criticism of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union governments demonetisation move, the Shiv Sena on Monday directly targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying his speech on New Years eve was stale and didnt provide any respite to people suffering due to demonetisation.

An editorial in the party mouthpiece, Saamana, reads, Today, even after 50 days since demonetisation nothing has changed. It was expected that Modi will soothe peoples distress through his address to the nation on New Years eve, but he didnt seem to have taken it too seriously. He simply thanked all those who stood in long queues and died, and shook an umbrella full of promises on their heads.

In the editorial, the Sena called Modis announcements a repackaging of old schemes from the time of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government like old dhokla with fresh chutney or stale bhajis that have been fried in oil once again.

For example, the prime minister announced his decision to give Rs 6,000 to pregnant women. This scheme is old. In 2010, it was implemented as Indira Gandhi Matrutva Sahyog Yojana, the editorial read, adding such stale food only leads to acidity, indigestion, blocking of arteries and ultimately death.

The prime minister did not answer peoples questions as to for how long they might have to bear with the inconveniences of demonetisation or how much black money has been recovered, probably because he himself doesnt have answers, the Sena said.

The party said, meanwhile, the conditions of district cooperative banks has become even more fragile and farmers are going to have to bear the brunt. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is not willing to accept demonetised notes from these banks, aid for the 2015 kharif season has still not reached these banks, and they will have to also bear the burden of completing Modis promise of waiving interest on farmers debt for the Rabi season.

We have always been with Modi and will continue to be so, but if ill administration of the economy is going to invite distress for the public, we think it is not a crime, but patriotism to speak out the truth for the countrys well-being, the editorial reads.

Also read: Sena gives religious hue to demonetisation, says govt targeting only Hindus

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The Noida Authority, on Monday, removed a billboard of Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate for Noida, Ashok Chauhan, which was put up at the newly built elevated road as the politician had not sought permission from the authority officials.

Officials removed the billboard late on Monday after it received complaints about it. The authority has also issued a warning to all political parties against erecting illegal billboards and posters in the city.

Any poster or billboard put up on government land without prior approval of the concerned authority is illegal and will be demolished immediately by the officials. If the parties still refuse to mend ways, we will be writing to the election commission, said BK Singh, the project engineer of Noida Authority.

Chauhan (36), was announced the SP candidate for Noida by former party president, Shivpal Yadav, for the upcoming state assembly elections. On Monday, a billboard featuring him and chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, was seen at the newly inaugurated 2.8-km long elevated road connecting Sector 24 to Sector 61.

The billboard had the SP slogan kaam bolta hai written on it with Chauhan thanking the CM for being sensitive towards the convenience of Noida residents and dedicated towards his work.

But, Chauhan or his supporters had not sought permission from the advertising department of the Noida authority before erecting the billboard.

Chauhan said that he was not aware of any such billboard and he has not been served any notice in this regard.

It is possible that my supporters may have put up that billboard and I am not aware of it. My supporters will continue putting up posters and billboards in the city wherever it is legal, said Chauhan.

Noida authority project engineer said that a campaign will be launched from Tuesday to demolish all such billboards in the city.

This is illegal, and, as soon as we saw the billboard, we sent our staff to demolish it. We will carry an intensive campaign from tomorrow to demolish all such illegal political structures, said Singh.

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A senior citizen couple died after their car was hit by a speeding bus near Raj Nagar District Centre (RDC) crossing on Hapur Road in Ghaziabad on Monday morning. Police officials remain clueless about the identification of the bus or the driver who fled the spot with the vehicle.

According to the police, Suresh Jaswal, 60, and her husband, Satish Chandra Jaswal, 62, were headed home to Chiranjeev Vihar in their Alto car and had just taken the turn from the RDC crossing when their vehicle was hit. The police said that the bus was descending at high speed from the RDC flyover before hitting the couples car.

Police said that they are waiting for the family members to register a complaint for the accident. The family members are occupied with the autopsy and last rites. We have not spoken to them at length. We will lodge an FIR against the bus driver. It could be a roadways bus or a private bus. We are scanning footage from nearby CCTVs to get more details about the vehicle, said Hemant Rai, station house officer, Kavi Nagar police station.

He said the woman suffered critical injuries and was rushed to Sanjay Nagar Combined District Hospital. But, she was declared brought dead. Her husband was taken to a multi-specialty hospital, but he also succumbed to his injuries. We have sent both the bodies for autopsy and brought the damaged car to the police station, said Rai.

The accident took place around 8am when the couple was returning from a private medical laboratory after a checkup conducted on Suresh.

I still dont know which vehicle it was. I just know that my parents were returning from the lab and their car was hit. It could be a bus or some other vehicle. I am not sure, said Rohit, their son.

As she had some ailment, they would go to the laboratory frequently for check-ups. The police visited their residence around 8.30am. When we inquired, the officials told us about the accident. Since their son had already left for his office in Delhi, I, along with my brothers, rushed to help them out. The woman had succumbed by then and her husband passed away in the afternoon, said Vipul Arora, the couples neighbour.

The neighbours informed that Satish was a retired official from a government laboratory and one of their sons is an army officer, while the other works with a private firm in Delhi.

Satish suffered injuries to the head and other parts that caused severe bleeding. By the time he reached here from the government hospital, it was too late, said Dr Sangeeta Garg, chief medical superintendent, Yashoda Hospital.

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The AIADMK on Monday reiterated their desire to make Sasikala Natarajan, the newly appointed acting general secretary of the ruling party, chief minister of Tamil Nadu. The renewed calls by Thambidurai, Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker and propaganda secretary of the party, are hardly surprising. Dravidian parties have traditionally maintained a model which necessitates a single source of authority.

When J Jayalalithaa was alive, she continued the trend set by her predecessor MG Ramachandran, and took it to a new level. Demanding slavish loyalty from her increasingly sycophantic party leaders, while propagating herself as Amma, or mother, to her electorate, the late AIADMK chief left behind a party that could not conceive of leading itself without a supreme leader.

Read: AIADMK urges Sasikala to immediately take charge as Tamil Nadu CM

O Panneerselvam, the current chief minister, is infamous for his displays of loyalty, and his inability to express any form of authority. The party, equally, faces a crisis of sorts, as, for the last two decades, the ability to rise as a leader in the AIADMK was, ironically, predicated on not displaying any leadership qualities in the first place.

If Sasikala does indeed assume the position of chief minister, little will change in the day to day affairs of the state and its ruling party. But there are a few caveats.

The immediate concern of the party will be in winning over their cadres, many of whom remain, if not openly hostile towards, then at least outright suspicious of Sasikala and her family, derisively known as the Mannargudi Mafia.

Read: Sasikala takes over as AIADMK general secy, invokes Jayalalithaa

If Sasikala wishes to have a secure and relatively trouble-free four years in power, then dealing with the cadres is essential.

But of equal importance will be the longer-term consequences of such an appointment. Sasikala has never held any public office, or even contested an election. Her dearth of experience will prove to be a liability by 2019, especially in the face of a more seasoned, and equally desperate, DMK, which is also set to make a change in January by appointing MK Stalin as its working president.

Read: Shadow, sister, secretary: The rise of AIADMKs new interim chief Sasikala

Her appointment will also send the wrong signals across a state whose politics has increasingly revolved around powerful caste-based vote bank politics.

The next few years may see the rise of more OBC-based political parties in the model of the PMK, especially amongst the influential Gounders of the western districts, many of whom are dissatisfied with the domination of the Thevars at the highest echelons of power.

While party leaders are confident that Sasikala as chief minister will be able to lead the AIADMK to the heights that the late Jayalalithaa managed, the reality is that, barring a significant calamity, the party is secure for the next four-and-a-half years.

The party cannot afford to rest on its laurels, however, especially with such an inexperienced leader at its helm. Come 2019, its highly likely the party will face internal power struggles, if not outright split.

Much will hinge on the fact that Sasikala is a complete political unknown.

As an unconvinced party cadre said on Saturday, minutes after Sasikala gave her first public speech, Shes good. But will she be a lion like Amma (Jayalalithaa)?

aditya.iyer@hindustantimes.com

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A day after over 100 wannabe Elementary Teacher Training (ETT) teachers gheraoed government accommodation of Punjab education minister Daljit Singh Cheema in Sector 39,Chandigarh, 33 teachers, including 12 women, were arrested on Sunday.

They were arrested following the complaint of the minister accusing teachers of trespassing.

Cheema protested against police inaction against the teachers that entered his residence. Cheema protested at Raj Bhawan and demanded to meet the governor late night on Saturday. Tajender Singh Luthra,UT inspector general police (IGP), reached the spot on Saturday night after Cheema reached Raj Bhawan.

Sources said, It was after IGPs intervention that Cheema agreed to meet a panel of four teachers. The protest was peaceful. Police didnt want to take any chance initially as incidents of teachers setting themselves ablaze, climbing the towers were reported recently. Teachers were arrested post Cheemas complaint.

The teachers alleged that after Deepak Kumar, the wannabe ETT, who came down from a 110-feet tower in Sector 3, Chandigarh, after 51 days of protest on December 24, the education department is yet to give recruitment letters to teachers coming under the backward category.

A union leader said that despite the high court orders, state government is yet to give postings to 328 candidates under BC category.

Deepak was handed over his job letter stating that he has been posted in Tarn Taran on contractual basis at a salary of Rs 10,400 and his joining date was December 26, 2016.

A case under Sections 448 (Punishment for house-trespass), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered at Sector 39 police station.
Dr Damanjit Sandhu, assistant professor, department of psychology, Punjabi University has been elected as chief of the United States of Americas Association of Mental Health Counseling . She was chosen by executive committee of the association in the meeting, which was held in Kentucky, USA.

Dr. Sandhu is doctorate in the field of adolescent psychology. She has the distinction of being first lady president of Indian origin. She has contributed in the field of research, particularly to address the problems of youth and adolescent children.

She has participated and presented about 40 research papers in national and international conferences of repute in various 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 world.

She is also principal investigator of highly reputed Indo-European Network Project in social sciences which deals with bullying, cyber bullying, pupil safety and well being.

She has received Best Scientific Research Paper Award at the Global Mental Health Conference in South Africa and Young Women Excellence Award in New Delhi and Navkiran Award by government of Delhi.
The states premier state-run hospital Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in the capital city has installed a biometric attendance system to keep a track of its staff, including doctors.

The system requires employees to punch in their fingers on a machine while entering and leaving the hospital. It will maintain a database of each employee and hours they put in at work.

We have introduced a biometric attendance system on January 1 to check doctors timings. But we are still facing problems due to slow internet connectivity, RIMS director BL Sherwal said.

At present, 1,780 people, including senior and junior doctors and nurses, are working with the hospital and their salary will be linked to the system taking into consideration of duty hours.

Indian Medical Associations Jharkhand chapter president AK Singh raised a concern over the new attendance system, saying doctors have no fixed work hours as they often rush for emergencies.

It is true that the biometric system will provide a database doctors duty hours, but there is a technical issue as an emergency can come up at any time and he or she may have to attend it during the duty hours, Singh said.

Clarifying on the issue, Sherwal said in case of emergencies, doctors have to submit applications specifying reason.

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DEMONETISATION HIT

The jury is still out on whether demonetisation will be a real game-changer in the long run, but as soon as it hit, a shudder went through an industry that had been stagnant to begin with through most of the year. Deals that had been made fell apart; projects that were up for grabs had to rethink their sales pitches.

The hope, of course, is that eventually it will take much of the black money out of the real-estate market, bring prices down and allow for greater transparency  especially given the imminent imposition of RERA as a further boost to the latter.

For now, its had most potential buyers postponing their purchase plans. And its got builders offering freebies, inventing schemes and offering compensation against future falls in rates, in an effort to keep the buyers buying.

So will it still be 60-40 in the new year? Time will tell

Read: Number of homes sold surpasses launches

IT WAS A ROCKY YEAR FOR BROKERS

Between e-governance, smartphones and buyer-friendly apps, you could  if you chose  go from house-hunter to home owner without any help from a broker.

According to a 2016 study by a group of researchers at Oxford University, the potential for artificial intelligence computer algorithms to replace people in jobs such as real-estate brokers, brokerage clerks and telemarketers is estimated at between 97% and 99%.

In the short term, some are trying to use technology to stay relevant, and even perhaps become more so than before. A bunch of brokerfriendly apps now allow them to list properties, network with each other and with clients, even design micro-sites for themselves. This was helping, pre-demonetisation. Now that that storm has broken, its back to wait and watch and hope the worst will soon be over.

Read: No room in SoBo, luxury homes are moving to Andheri-Goregaon

COMMERCIAL BEGAN TO WIN OVER RESIDENTIAL

A recent report indicates that, over the past decade, 31% of Indian ultra-high-net-worth individuals increased their asset allocation to residential real-estate, but that number is expected to drop to 22% by 2025, with more of these investors favouring the faster-moving commercial projects. We saw some of this shift beginning in 2016. Going forward, the most popular sectors of commercial property are set to be office spaces, warehousing or logistics facilities.

As they provide steady rentals and are in shorter supply than residential units, commercial spaces are witnessing high absorption levels already.

VIRTUAL TOURS BECAME A REALITY

Virtual reality has added the much needed pizazz to how realtors showcase their projects to potential buyers. Be it 3D walkthroughs or interactive screens that enable users to self-design layouts, amenities and colour schemes, these virtual tools became very effective mediums of promotion. A number of housing portals such as Common Floor, Housing and Makaan showcased the use of virtual reality experience to help consumers visualise under-construction properties or provide a virtual tour for customers, in 2016.

Social media, on the other hand, amplified the reach and efficacy of marketing campaigns in the real-estate market. Some of the larger brands in real estate have over 200,000 followers across social media channels. In fact, the digital medium in general has become an essential tool in real-estate.

CO-WORKING SPACES BECAME BIG BUSINESS

This was the year it became difficult, and indeed rather old-fashioned, to try and tell work from play, or office from cafe. With more youngsters making a living in more unusual ways than ever before, that uniquely urban 21st-century phenomenon  the co-working space  became not just more popular and more favoured, it also became big business in the realty sector. Already, commercial had begun to win over residential in our spacestarved city with its rising inventory of housing units. Co-working then became an even lower-risk investment option, and there were more of them coming up all the time. A report released by realty consultancy JLL recently found that Mumbai is second only to the techie hub of Bengaluru in the number of such spaces, with more than 2,500 seats available. It also predicted that, by the end of the year, about 40 new co-working spaces will have come up in metropolitan Mumbai, with another 50 new facilities expected in 2017.
This once-peaceful abode of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama, with the Dhauladhar ranges in the backdrop, is rapidly turning into a concrete jungle with massive constructions underway to cash in on the tourism boom.

Experts fear a high-intensity quake can turn this quaint uphill town, known for attracting a steady stream of Tibet enthusiasts, Buddhist scholars, backpackers and even Hollywood stars, into a tomb of rubble as it falls in seismic zone V -- suggesting severest seismic sensitivity.

It was once a small village of shepherds. Now you can see a concrete jungle all over, local resident Joginder Singh said.

He said much of the commercial activity around McLeodganj was a result of people cashing in on the tourism boom.

Joginder Singh is the caretaker of one of the oldest landmarks, Nowrojee and Sons General Store, which was set up in 1860 to take care of the daily requirements of the British officers and their families. It has maintained its original grand wooden structure.

Most buildings are clinging to one another. Even a moderate earthquake can be catastrophic for these buildings with no escape routes. They can collapse like a pack of cards, tourist James McClarence from Britain said.

He said colonial British India existed now only in Kiplings novels.

Old timers in McLeodganj, which remained almost uninhabited until the arrival of the Dalai Lama along with his followers in 1960, remember the town with much affection.

McLeodganj has lost its British colonial charm of Gothic-style of architecture in buildings and letter boxes in cylindrical and pillar shapes, said octogenarian Naresh Chauhan, who has lived here since his childhood.

Earlier, he said, most of the constructions were made of mud, adobe and random stones.

Such structures are liable to suffer partial damage in the wake of quakes. Now most of them are concrete and may have ignored the traditional practices of seismic proofing such as dhajji and incorporation of wooden beams, he added.

This town -- the political, cultural and spiritual hub of the Tibetan diaspora -- in Kangra district supports around 16,000 exiled Tibetans and an equal number of Indians.

A devastating earthquake in 1905 severely damaged property in the Kangra region, including St Johns Church here where many British officials were buried, and claimed over 20,000 lives.

Records of the field station of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, an autonomous research institute of the Indian governments department of science and technology, at Naddi near here, show that several earthquakes have struck this region since 1905.

Prominent among these were the one on June 15, 1978, and another on April 26, 1986 -- the first being of magnitude 5 and the other 5.7 on the richter scale.

McLeodganj and its nearby villages fall in the highly-sliding zone. The construction of multistoried buildings is not advisable in this area, an official of the Wadia Institute said.

A majority of the new structures infringe bylaws and building norms and have not even adhered to seismic norms, admitted the official.

When the devastating quake occurred in 1905, there were hardly any multistoreyed structures in this region. If an earthquake with the similar magnitude reoccurs, there would be colossal loss to both life and property, said Umaid Singh, a resident of Naddi who witnessed the 1986 quake.
A suicide bomber driving a pickup loaded with explosives struck a bustling market in Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 36 people in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group hours after French President Francois Hollande arrived in the Iraqi capital.

The bomb went off in a fruit and vegetable market that was packed with day labourers, a police officer said, adding that another 52 people were wounded.

During a press conference with Hollande, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the bomber pretended to be a man seeking to hire day labourers. Once the workers gathered around, he detonated the vehicle.

IS claimed the attack in a statement circulated on a militant website often used by the extremists. It was the third IS-claimed attack in as many days in and around Baghdad, underscoring the lingering threat posed by the group despite a string of setbacks elsewhere in the country over the past year, including in and around the northern city of Mosul.

The attack took place in Sadr City, a vast Shia district in eastern Baghdad that has been repeatedly targeted by Sunni extremists since the 2003 US-led invasion.

Shia militiamen loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr, the firebrand cleric for whose family the neighbourhood is named, were seen evacuating bodies in their trucks before ambulances arrived. Dead bodies were scattered across the bloody pavement alongside fruit, vegetables and labourers shovels and axes. A minibus filled with dead passengers was on fire.

A suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden vehicle on Monday. (AP Photo)

Asaad Hashim, an owner of a mobile phone store nearby, described how the labourers pushed and shoved around the bombers vehicle, trying to get hired.

Then a big boom came, sending them up into the air, said the 28-year old, who suffered shrapnel wounds to his right hand. He blamed the most ineffective security forces in the world for failing to prevent the attack.

An angry crowd cursed the government, even after a representative of al-Sadr tried to calm them. Late last month, Iraqi authorities started removing some of the security checkpoints in Baghdad in a bid to ease traffic for the capitals 6 million residents.

We have no idea who will kill at any moment and whos supposed to protect us, said Ali Abbas, a 40-year old father of four who was hurled over his vegetable stand by the blast. If the securities forces cant protect us, then allow us to do the job, he added.

Three smaller bombings elsewhere in the city on Monday killed another seven civilians and wounded at least 30, according to medics and police officials. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.

Hollande meanwhile met with al-Abadi and President Fuad Masum, and was expected to travel to the self-governing northern Kurdish region to meet French troops and local officials.

Iraqi troops, backed by a US-led coalition, are fighting IS in a massive operation to retake the northern city of Mosul. Iraqi state TV said Hollande will discuss increasing support for Iraq and the latest developments in the 10-week-old offensive.

A woman reacts at the site of car bomb attack in a busy square in Baghdad's sprawling Sadr City district. (Reuters Photo)

Hollande promised that France would remain a long-term ally of Iraq and called for coordination between intelligence services in a spirit of great responsibility, in remarks carried by his official Twitter account.

France is part of the American-led coalition formed in 2014 to fight IS after the extremist group seized large areas in Iraq and neighbouring Syria. France has suffered multiple attacks claimed by the extremist group.

Since the Mosul operation started on October 17, Iraqi forces have seized around a quarter of the city. Last week, the troops resumed fighting after a two-week lull due to stiff resistance by the militants and bad weather.

Mosul is Iraqs second largest city and the last major urban area in the country controlled by IS. Iraqi and US commanders hope to drive IS from the city in the next three months.
Pope Francis has told bishops around the world they must adhere to a policy of zero tolerance for clergy who sexually abuse children and begged forgiveness for a sin that shames us.

In a letter sent on December 28 but released by the Vatican only on Monday, Francis said: I would like us to renew our complete commitment to ensuring that these atrocities will no longer take place in our midst.

Since his election in 2013, Francis has taken some steps to root out sexual abuse in the Church and to put in place practices to protect children. But victims groups say he has not done enough, particularly to hold to account bishops who tolerated sexual abuse or covered it up.

(The Church) recognises the sins of some of her members: the sufferings, the experiences and the pain of minors who were abused sexually by priests. It is a sin that shames us, Francis wrote in the letter.

I would like us to renew our complete commitment to ensuring that these atrocities will no longer take place in our midst. Let us find the courage needed to take all necessary measures and to protect in every way the lives of our children, so that such crimes may never be repeated. In this area, let us adhere, clearly and faithfully, to zero tolerance, he said.

The comments, included in a letter about the plight of vulnerable children in general, were some of his most comprehensive on abuse.

Anne Barrett-Doyle, founder of the US-based research and monitoring group BishopAccountablity.org, said in an email that the Popes words were little more than rhetoric.

This Pope keeps proclaiming zero tolerance but doesnt enact it. He knows full well that Church law contains no zero tolerance provision. Zero tolerance is mere rhetoric. The sad fact is that the Church still has not changed its system to make zero tolerance a binding reality, she said.

She said that while it existed in the United States, it is still optional in the global Catholic Church.

Francis, who has met victims of sexual abuse several times, both in the Vatican and on some of his foreign trips, said: We join in the pain of the victims and weep for this sin - the sin of what happened, the sin of failing to help, the sin of covering up and denial, the sin of the abuse of power.

In 2015, Francis ordered the trial and defrocking of a Polish archbishop accused of paying for sex with minors in the Dominican Republic.

The year before, he set up a Vatican commission, including some victims, to advise local Churches on how to prevent abuse. But some members have complained about the slow pace of change in the Vatican.

Francis also approved the establishment of a Vatican tribunal to judge bishops accused of covering up sexual abuse or failing to prevent it, but the proposal has so far stalled.

Church sexual abuse broke into the open in 2002, when it was discovered that US bishops moved abusers from parish to parish instead of defrocking them. Similar scandals were later discovered around the world and tens of millions of dollars have been paid in compensation.
A 19-year-old Afghan asylum-seeker suffered serious burns after setting himself on fire at a supermarket warehouse in Bavaria, German police said.

Police said that the man poured gasoline over himself and set himself ablaze early Monday in Gaimersheim, a town between Nuremberg and Munich. He had bought the gasoline shortly before at a filling station.

The blaze was extinguished swiftly by other people at the scene, but the man was seriously injured.

The mans motives werent immediately clear. Police say he was carrying a knife but didnt use it.
An airline pilot is facing charges in Canada after police say he was found by his co-pilot passed out in the cockpit of a Boeing 737 before it was set to take off.

Calgary police say the gate crew as well as crewmembers on the aircraft indicated that Miroslav Gronych was behaving strangely ahead of his scheduled flight Saturday. Sgt. Paul Stacey says the co-pilot later found the 37-year-old captain slumped over in the seat of the airliner.

The pilot was escorted from the plane and charged with having a blood-alcohol level above .08 and controlling an aircraft while impaired. Police allege Gronych had three times the legal amount of alcohol in his system.

Sunwing Airlines calls it a very unfortunate matter.

The Mexico-bound plane later took off with another pilot.
China will not allow anyone to use Hong Kong as a base for subversion against mainland China or to damage its political stability, Beijings top official in the territory told state television.

Chinese leaders are increasingly concerned about a fledgling independence movement in Hong Kong, which returned to mainland rule in 1997 with a promise of autonomy known as one country, two systems, and recent protests in the city.

In an interview with state television broadcast late on Sunday, Zhang Xiaoming, the head of Chinas Liaison Office in Hong Kong, said Beijing will not interfere in matters that purely affect Hong Kongs autonomy.

As far as Hong Kong is concerned, nobody is permitted do anything in any form that damage the countrys sovereignty and security, they are not allowed to challenge the central governments authority or that of Hong Kongs Basic Law, they are not allowed to use Hong Kong for infiltration subversion activities against the mainland to damage its social and political stability, Zhang said.

Chinas parliament last month staged a rare interpretation of the Basic Law, Hong Kongs mini-constitution, to effectively bar pro-independence city lawmakers from taking office there.

Chinese President Xi Jinping told outgoing Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying last month that Chinas central government strongly supports efforts by the Hong Kong government to curb moves by some promoting independence for the global financial hub.

The former British colony returned to China under the one country, two systems agreement that ensured its freedoms and wide-ranging autonomy, including a separate legal system.

But Communist Party rulers in Beijing have ultimate control, and some Hong Kong people are concerned they are increasingly interfering to head off dissent.
The daughter of Choi Soon-Sil, the woman at the centre of a corruption scandal that led to the impeachment of South Koreas President, has been arrested in Denmark after months in hiding, Seoul prosecutors said on Monday.

Chung Yoo-Ra, the 20-year-old daughter of the woman dubbed South Koreas Rasputin, is one of the figures in the influence-peddling scandal that sparked massive street protests demanding the removal of President Park Geun-Hye.

Danish police arrested Chung on Sunday night for overstaying her visa, Korean prosecutors said, adding they were in talks with authorities there to have her deported to Seoul.

Chung was arrested in the northern town of Aalborg after a tip-off from a Korean journalist, Danish police said in a statement on Monday.

At a court hearing at 1300 GMT Monday, police would ask that Chung be detained until the issue of extradition is decided upon.

Danish police said Chung was aware that South Korean authorities wanted to talk to her. She was in the country in connection with equestrian sports.

Choi, a secret confidante of Park, is accused of using her ties with the president to force top firms including Samsung to donate nearly $70 million to non-profit foundations which Choi then used as her personal ATMs.

She is also accused of using her influence to secure her daughters admission to an elite Seoul university, with a state probe revealing the school had admitted Chung at the expense of other candidates with better qualifications.

The revelation touched a raw nerve in education-obsessed South Korea and prosecutors sought to question Chung over her admission to Ewha Womens University in 2014.

Park stands accused of colluding with Choi to extract money from the firms and also of letting her meddle in state affairs including nominating top officials. The president denies all charges against her.

Parliament voted on December 9 to impeach Park over the scandal and her executive powers have been handed to an acting president, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-Ahn.

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 Parks immediate departure from office.

If the impeachment is confirmed, a presidential election will have to be held within 60 days.

Choi, daughter of a controversial religious figure who was close to Park until his death in 1994, is awaiting trial on charges including coercion and abuse of power.

Several professors at Ewha Womens University, including a former school president, have been investigated for giving Chung preferential treatment.

One professor was arrested over the weekend for allegedly giving Chung a good grade for a class she never attended and for forcing his teaching assistants to forge exam records for her.

Top Samsung managers were also investigated as part of the scandal, following accusations the firm indirectly bankrolled Chungs equestrian training in Germany in a bid to curry favour.

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North Korea has been working through 2016 on developing components for an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), making the isolated nations claim that it was close to a test-launch plausible, international weapons experts said on Monday.

North Korea has been testing rocket engines and heat-shields for an ICBM while developing the technology to guide a missile after re-entry into the atmosphere following a lift-off, the experts said.

While Pyongyang is close to a test, it is likely to take some years to perfect the weapon.

Once fully developed, a North Korean ICBM could threaten the continental United States, which is around 9,000km (5,500 miles) from the North.

ICBMs have a minimum range of about 5,500km (3,400 miles), but some are designed to travel 10,000km (6,200 miles) or further.

North Koreas state media regularly threatens the United States with a nuclear strike, but before 2016, Pyongyang had been assumed to be a long way from being capable of doing so.

The bottom line is Pyongyang is much further along in their missile development than most people realise, said Melissa Hanham, a senior research associate at the US-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California.

She said the Norths test in April of a large liquid-fuel engine that could propel an ICBM was a major development.

The liquid engine test was astounding, Hanham said.

For years, we knew that North Korea had a Soviet R-27 missile engine design. They re-engineered the design of that engine to double its propulsion.

North Korea has said it is capable of mounting a nuclear warhead on a ballistic missile but it claims to be able to miniaturise a nuclear device have never been independently verified.

The isolated nation has achieved this progress despite UN Security Council-imposed sanctions for its nuclear tests and long-range rocket launches dating back to 2006. The sanctions ban arms trade and money flows that can fund the countrys arms programme.

North Korea has enough uranium for six bombs a year and much of what it needs for its nuclear and missile programmes relies on Soviet-era design and technology. Labour is virtually free.

It can produce much of its missile parts domestically and invested heavily in its missile development infrastructure last year, funded by small arms sales and by taxing wealthy traders in its unofficial market economy.

Propaganda offensive

Throughout the year, North Korean state media showed images of numerous missile component tests, some of which revealed close-up details of engines and heat shields designed to protect a rocket upon re-entry into the earths atmosphere.

The propaganda offensive may have revealed some military secrets, but it may have also been a bid to silence outside analysts, many of whom had remained sceptical of the Norths missile programme.

Theyre answering the public criticisms of US experts, said Joshua Pollack, editor of the US-based Nonproliferation Review. A lot of people had questioned whether they had a working ICBM-class heat shield.

So they showed us.

Despite the research, Pyongyang has experienced considerable difficulties getting its intermediate-range Musudan missile, designed to fly about 3,000km (1,860 miles), off the ground. It succeeded just once in eight attempted launches last year.

North Korea has fired long-range rockets in the past, but has characterised those launches as peaceful and designed to put an object into space.

Still, the South Korean defence ministry believes the three-stage Kwangmyongsong rocket used by Pyongyang to put a satellite in space last February already has a potential range of 12,000km (7,457 miles), if it were re-engineered.

Doing so would require mastering safer cold-launch technology, and perfecting the ability of a rocket to re-enter the earths atmosphere without breaking up.

North Korea is working hard to develop cold-launch technology and atmospheric re-entry but South Korea and the US will have to assess further exactly which level of development they have reached, South Korean defence ministry official Roh Jae-cheon told a briefing on Monday.

North Korea began stepping up its missile development in March 2016, Roh said, but added that there were no unusual signs related to test preparations, according to the South Korean military.

That same month, Kim Jong Un was photographed looking at a small, ball-like object that North Korean state news agency KCNA said was a miniaturised nuclear warhead - the device North Korea would need to fulfil its ICBM threat.

2016 marked the year North Korea truly ramped up their WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) programme, Hanham at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey said.

I think were going to see a (ICBM) flight test in 2017.
Finland has become the first country in Europe to pay its unemployed citizens a basic monthly income, amounting to 560 euros ($587), in a social experiment hoped to cut government red tape, reduce poverty and boost employment.

Olli Kangas from the Finnish government agency KELA said on Monday that the two-year trial with the 2,000 randomly picked citizens who receive unemployment benefits kicked off January 1.

Those 2,000 unemployed chosen will receive 560 euros every month, with no reporting requirements on how they spend it. The amount will be deducted from any benefits they already receive.

The unemployment rate of Finland, a nation of 5.5 million, stood at 8.1% in November with some 213,000 people without a job  unchanged from the previous year.
French President Francois Hollande today told French soldiers training Iraqi special forces that involvement on the ground against the Islamic State group was key to preventing terror attacks at home.

Taking action against terrorism here in Iraq is also preventing acts of terrorism on our own soil, he said at a base of Iraqs elite Counter-Terrorism Service near Baghdad.

Hollande arrived in Baghdad on Monday to meet the French forces helping Iraq in the fight against the Islamic State and to hold talks with top officials.

Hollande had already visited in 2014 and remains the most prominent head of state to come to Iraq since the launch two and half years ago of a US-led coalition against the jihadists.

The French president, who is travelling with Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, will also stop in the autonomous northern region of Kurdistan during his one-day visit.

France is the second contributor to the US-led coalition that has carried out thousands of air strikes against IS in Iraq and Syria and provided military equipment, training and advice to Iraqi forces.

Iraqi forces completely collapsed when IS jihadists took over second city Mosul in June 2014 and swept across much of the countrys Sunni Arab heartland.

The jihadists then gained more territory in August 2014, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee from areas that had been controlled by the Kurdish peshmerga forces.

Since it joined the United States in the coalition in September 2014, French aircraft have conducted 5,700 sorties, around 1,000 strikes and destroyed more than 1,700 targets, according to defence ministry figures.

France has 14 Rafale fighter jets that are stationed in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates and taking part in coalition operations.

It also has 500 soldiers training and advising elite Iraqi forces and CAESAR artillery vehicles stationed south of Mosul to provide support for ongoing operations to retake the city.

Australia, Italy and Britain are also part of the 60-member coalition supporting Iraqs efforts against IS.

Mosul op

He will stress the importance of continuing efforts to ensure sustainable security in the country after Daesh (IS) has been defeated and the coexistence of communities in a united and sovereign Iraq, a source in the French presidency said.

Hollande was scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who hails from the main Shiite political bloc, President Fuad Masum, a Kurd, and Parliament Speaker Salim al-Juburi, one of the countrys most prominent Sunni politicians.

The French president began his trip with a visit to a base near Baghdad where French forces are training Iraqs elite Counter-Terrorism Service, the force that has spearheaded most major anti-IS operations in Iraq since 2014.

It was CTS that first breached the city limits of Mosul late last year in an effort to retake what is now ISs last major stronghold in Iraq.

But the going has been tough for Iraqi forces, partly because hundreds of thousands of civilians have remained in the city, slowing their advance.

Abadi had promised that his forces would rid the country of IS by the end of 2016 but he said last week that three more months would be needed to achieve that goal.

Some observers argue that remained an ambitious timeline, given the continued presence of IS fighters in other parts of the country, such as in Hawijah or in the province of Anbar near the Syrian border.
German authorities said Monday that police had arrested a Syrian man who had allegedly asked the Islamic State jihadist group to fund an attack using explosives-packed vehicles.

The unemployed 38-year-old with refugee status had urged an IS contact via mobile phone message service Telegram to send him 180,000 euros ($188,000), said prosecutors.

Police commandos raided his apartment in Saarbruecken near the French border around 2:00am (0300 GMT) on Saturday, New Years Eve. He was detained before being formally arrested on terror financing charges Sunday.

The mans as yet undefined attack scenario suggested the use of explosives-packed vehicles in Germany, France, Belgium and The Netherlands, said police.

Spiegel Online reported the plan was to re-paint the vehicles to make them look like police patrol cars.

It named the suspect as Hasan A. and said his contact was located in the militant groups de facto capital of Raqqa, Syria.

The man had entered Germany in December 2014 and applied for asylum in January 2015, obtaining refugee status and a residency permit, prosecutors said in a statement.

The man had in December 2016 asked an IS contact in Syria to send him the money so he could purchase vehicles which he could load with explosives and which he wanted to drive into crowds... and blow up in order to kill unknown numbers of people who do not follow the Muslim faith.

According to messages found on his phone, the man said each vehicle would be re-painted and packed with 400-500 kilogrammes (880-1,100 pounds) of explosives at a cost of 22,500 euros each, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors added that the man had admitted contact with the IS but denied terrorist motives -- suggesting that he claimed to have attempted to defraud the extremist group.

Investigators said there was no evidence the suspect had already obtained and prepared any vehicles for an attack.

Police said an initial evaluation of the evidence did not point to a concrete threat to New Years Eve events.
A rare comet discovered by NASA scientists will be visible to skywatchers using just binoculars on Earth this week for the first time, before the object heads back into outer reaches of the solar system for an orbit lasting thousands of years.

The comet, C/2016 U1 NEOWISE, has a good chance of becoming visible through a good pair of binoculars, although we cant be sure because a comets brightness is notoriously unpredictable, said Paul Chodas, manager of NASAs Centre for Near-Earth Object (NEO) Studies at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the US.

As seen from the northern hemisphere during the first week of 2017, comet C/2016 U1 NEOWISE will be in the southeastern sky shortly before dawn.

It is moving farther south each day and it will reach its closest point to the Sun, inside the orbit of Mercury, on January 14, before heading back out to the outer reaches of the solar system for an orbit lasting thousands of years.

While it will be visible to skywatchers at Earth, it is not considered a threat to our planet either.

NASAs NEOWISE mission has recently discovered some celestial objects travelling through our neighbourhood, including one on the blurry line between asteroid and comet.

An object called 2016 WF9 was detected by the NEOWISE project on November 27 last year.

It is in an orbit that takes it on a scenic tour of our solar system. At its farthest distance from the Sun, it approaches Jupiters orbit.

Over the course of 4.9 Earth-years, it travels inward, passing under the main asteroid belt and the orbit of Mars until it swings just inside Earths own orbit. After that, it heads back toward the outer solar system.

Objects in these types of orbits have multiple possible origins; it might once have been a comet, or it could have strayed from a population of dark objects in the main asteroid belt.

2016 WF9 will approach Earths orbit on February 25 this year. At a distance of nearly 51 million kilometres from Earth, this pass will not bring it particularly close.

The trajectory of 2016 WF9 is well understood, and the object is not a threat to Earth for the foreseeable future. A different object, discovered by NEOWISE a month earlier, is more clearly a comet, releasing dust as it nears the Sun.

NEOWISE is the asteroid-and-comet-hunting portion of the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission.

2016 WF9 is relatively large: roughly 0.5 to 1 kilometre across. It is also rather dark, reflecting only a few percent of the light that falls on its surface. This body resembles a comet in its reflectivity and orbit, but appears to lack the characteristic dust and gas cloud that defines a comet.

2016 WF9 could have cometary origins, said deputy principal investigator James Bauer at JPL.

This object illustrates that the boundary between asteroids and comets is a blurry one; perhaps over time this object has lost the majority of the volatiles that linger on or just under its surface, said Bauer.
An Islamic State car bomb killed 24 people in Baghdads Sadr City district on Monday and the militants also attacked two police stations in the city of Samarra as Iraqi forces fought to oust the group from Mosul, its last major stronghold in Iraq.

At least four other attacks across Baghdad, some also claimed by Islamic State, killed nine more people earlier in the day, bringing the total death toll from bombings in the capital over the past three days to more than 60.

In the attacks in Samarra, about 100 km (60 miles) north of Baghdad, security sources said multiple gunmen wearing suicide vests took over two police stations, killing at least seven policemen.

The mayor of Samarra, Mahmoud Khalaf, said security forces had regained control, killing at least six assailants, but declined to comment on the number of casualties on the government side.

The pro-Islamic State news agency Amaq said the militants had executed some policemen.

The upsurge in violence comes as U.S-backed Iraqi forces try to drive Islamic State from the northern city of Mosul, where the militants are putting up fierce resistance.

Islamic State has lost most of the territory it seized in a blitz across northern and western Iraq in 2014 and ceding Mosul would probably spell the end of its self-styled caliphate. But it would still be capable of waging a guerrilla-style insurgency in Iraq and plotting or inspiring attacks on the West.

The terrorists will attempt to attack civilians in order to make up for their losses, but we assure the Iraqi people and the world that we are able to end terrorism and shorten its life, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said after talks with visiting French President Francois Hollande.

Revenge

Islamic State said Mondays attacks in Baghdad were revenge for the repeated targeting of health institutions in Nineveh province by the U.S.-led coalition backing Iraqi forces.

That was an apparent reference to two air strikes last month on hospitals in eastern Mosul, one where Iraqi forces were under attack and another which the U.S. military said had targeted militants sitting in a van. At least one of the strikes may have caused civilian casualties.

After Mondays attacks U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirkby reaffirmed Washingtons commitment to support Iraq.

These vicious acts of mass murder are a sobering reminder of the need to continue coalition operations against Daesh and to eliminate the threat this terrorist group poses, he said, using the Arabic name for the group.

Mondays blast in Sadr City hit a busy square where day labourers typically gather. Islamic State said in an online statement it had targeted Shiite Muslims, whom it considers apostates. Sixty-seven people were wounded in the blast.

Nine of the victims were women in a passing minibus, whose charred bodies were visible inside the burnt-out remains of the vehicle. Blood stained the ground nearby.

A parked car bomb targeting a Sunni religious figure near a mosque in western Baghdad killed five people, and another blast close to a hospital in the centre killed one civilian and wounded nine, police and medical sources said.

In the southeastern Zaafraniya district, two more people were killed and seven wounded when a car bomb exploded. A bomb affixed to a vehicle in the eastern area of Baladiyat killed one person and wounded four.

A British soldier serving in the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State was killed, the defence ministry in London said in a statement, adding that it was not as a result of enemy activity. The statement gave no details of the incident.

Mosul

Since the drive to recapture Mosul began on Oct. 17, elite forces have retaken a quarter of the city in the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Abadi has said the group will be driven out of the country by April.

Clashes continued in and around Mosul on Monday. The counter-terrorism service (CTS) blew up several Islamic State car bombs before they reached their targets, and linked up with the Rapid Response forces, an elite Interior Ministry unit, said spokesman Sabah al-Numani.

CTS was also clearing North Karama district of remaining militants, the fourth area the unit has retaken in Mosul during the past week, he said.

Islamic State targeted military positions away from the main battlefield, killing at least 16 pro-government fighters and cutting a strategic road linking Mosul to Baghdad, although authorities later said they had regained control of it.
Israeli police are questioning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over corruption allegations, local media reported after police cars arrived at his residence Monday.

The police team did not speak to journalists, but Israeli media said they are looking into suspicions that Netanyahu inappropriately accepted expensive gifts from two businessmen. The reports said the initial questioning, which began Monday evening, could last several hours.

A black screen was earlier placed in front of the building in apparent anticipation of the investigators arrival and to obstruct the view of journalists seeking to film them.

Netanyahu has denied what he calls baseless reports that he received inappropriate gifts, a point he reiterated at a meeting of his Likud faction earlier in the day.

Weve been paying attention to reports in the media, we are hearing the celebratory mood and the atmosphere in the television studios and the corridors of the opposition, and I would like to tell them, stop with the celebrations, dont rush, he said. There wont be anything because there is nothing.

Israels Channel 2 TV has reported that Netanyahu accepted favours from businessmen in Israel and abroad, and that he is the central suspect in a second investigation that also involves family members.

The Haaretz daily said that billionaire Ronald Lauder, a long-time friend of Netanyahus, was linked to the affair. Channel 10 TV has reported that Netanyahus oldest son, Yair, accepted free trips and other gifts from Australian billionaire James Packer.

In October, Lauder was summoned by police for questioning related to a certain investigation conducted by them and in which Mr. Lauder is not its subject matter, said Helena Beilin, Lauders Israeli attorney. After a short meeting, he was told that his presence is no longer required and that there shall be no further need for additional meetings.

Israels justice ministry and police have declined to comment on the media reports.

A campaign is underway by Erel Margalit, an opposition lawmaker of the Zionist Union party, for Netanyahu to be formally investigated over suspicions of prominent donors improperly transferring money for Netanyahus personal use, as well as reports that Netanyahus personal attorney represented a German firm involved in a $1.5 billion sale of submarines to Israel.

The Prime Minister has long been saddled with an image as a cigar-smoking, cognac-drinking socialite, while his wife Sara has been accused of abusive behaviour toward staff. Opponents have portrayed both as being out of touch with the struggles of average Israelis.

Over the years, reports have been released about the high cost of the Netanyahus housekeeping expenses.

In one case, the premier was chided for spending $127,000 in public funds for a special sleeping cabin on a flight to London. Even their costly purchases of scented candles and pistachio-flavored ice cream have been derided.

The Netanyahus have denied any wrongdoing, and say they are the target of a witch hunt by the Israeli media.
A landmark bill aimed at allowing Pakistans Hindu minority to register their marriages moved a step closer to becoming a law after it was approved by a parliamentary panel on Monday, according to media reports.

The Functional Committee on Human Rights of the Senate or upper house of Parliament unanimously approved the Hindu Marriages Bill 2016 and some lawmakers described the development as a New Years gift for Hindus.

The bill was approved by a committee of the National Assembly or lower house in February last year. It was passed in the lower house last September after a prolonged debate over several of its provisions. The bill will now have to be approved by the Senate.

Hindus, especially women, have faced problems in acquiring passports and other official documents in the absence of legal provisions to register marriages of the minority community.

The passage of the bill by both houses will result in the adoption of a comprehensive and widely acceptable family law for Pakistans Hindus, the Dawn reported.

It will enable Hindus to get their marriages registered and to appeal in courts in cases of separation. Hindus will be eligible to get a proof of marriage document called the shadiparat, which is similar to the nikahnama of Muslims.

The bill also allows separated Hindus to remarry. A clause 17 states a Hindu widow shall have the right to remarry of her own will and consent after the death of her husband provided a period of six months has lapsed after the husbands death. There are also penalties for violating the provisions of the bill.

After the bill was approved by the Senate committee on Monday, the room echoed with jubilation as senators and officials of different ministries started thumping their desks.

Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, a prominent Hindu lawmaker, described the approval as a New Years gift for Pakistans Hindus. Today, we are proud to be Hindu Pakistanis after the approval of the bill. Hindus will now be able to get registered their marriages and also apply for divorce under family laws, he said.

Senator Aitzaz Ahsan, a leading lawyer, said the bill was in accordance with the essence of the Constitution. He added the bill was not in conflict with Islamic jurisprudence as Islam emphasises the protection of minorities.

Read| Pakistan passes Hindu marriage bill aimed at protecting womens rights
The Myanmar government on Monday pledged to investigate a video showing the police beating and kicking Rohingya civilians -- a rare admission that authorities may have carried out abuses against the Muslim minority.

Tens of thousands of people from the persecuted ethnic group -- loathed by many of Myanmars Buddhist majority -- have fled a military operation in Rakhine state launched after attacks on police posts.

Bangladesh says some 50,000 Rohingya have fled across its border over the past two months. Many have brought harrowing accounts of rape, murder and arson at the hands of Myanmars security forces.

Their stories have raised global alarm and galvanised protests against Myanmars de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been accused of not doing enough to help the Rohingya.

Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar, who tried to cross the Naf river into Bangladesh to escape sectarian violence, kept under watch by Bangladeshi security officials in Teknaf. (AFP file photo)

Her government has said troops were hunting militants behind deadly raids on police border posts, denying claims of atrocities and launching a dogged information campaign against reports of abuse.

However, on Monday authorities pledged to take action against police who allegedly beat villagers during area clearance operations on 5 November in Kotankauk village in a statement carried in state media.

Dozens of videos have emerged apparently showing security forces abusing Rohingya, but this is the first time the government has said it will take action over them.

The footage shows police hitting a young boy around the head as he walks to where dozens of villagers are lined up in rows seated on the ground, hands behind their heads.

Three officers in uniform then start attacking one of the sitting men, beating him with a stick and kicking him repeatedly in the face.

The video is filmed selfie-style by an officer, named as constable Zaw Myo Htike by state media, which said he recorded it during clearance operations in Kotankauk village.

A Rohingya activist said the footage had been verified by a refugee from the nearby camp, Shilkhali.

Buddhist-majority Myanmar has long discriminated against the stateless Rohingya, who rights groups say are among the most persecuted peoples in the world.

More than 120,000 have been trapped in squalid displacement camps since violence erupted in 2012 in Rakhine, where they are denied citizenship, access to healthcare and education.

More than a dozen Nobel laureates wrote to the UN security council last week urging action to stop the human tragedy amounting to ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity in northern Rakhine.

Under Myanmars junta-era constitution, Suu Kyis civilian administration has limited power over the army, which maintains control of the defence, home and border ministries.
Nepals Supreme Court on Monday ruled that the Parliament can take up a bill to amend the countrys new Constitution, a decision that will provide relief to the government and agitating political parties from the Madhes region.

Responding to a writ petition against the constitutional amendment bill that was recently registered in Parliament, the apex court said: Judiciary could not bar the Legislative from using its wisdom in the formulation of legislation, on the basis of the principle of separation of powers.

A division bench of Chief Justice Sushila Karki and justice Ishwor Prasad Khatiwada said taking up the bill is a matter of parliamentary supremacy.

The government had registered the bill in Parliament on November 29 to address the demands and grievances of Madhes-based parties. Issues such as changes in demarcating new provinces, citizenship, language and making the Constitution more inclusive are incorporated in the Bill that Madhesi parties have cautiously welcomed.

After the bill was registered in the Parliament Secretariat, a petition filed in the Supreme Court challenged it on the ground that it was anti-constitutional.

Nepals main opposition party, the CPN-UML, has obstructed proceedings in the Parliament for more than a month over the bill. Following the courts ruling, the party will be under pressure to end its protest in the House.

The Supreme Court further said it would not be wise to intervene against the bill. It said there is no need to issue a show cause notice to the government to stop the debate over the bill.

The matter is being considered by Parliament and lawmakers are yet to unveil their positions on the bill, the ruling said. In this context, the judiciary should not over reach, it added.

The right to make a decision in accordance to the Constitution after examining and determining the Constitution amendment bills appropriateness is in the Legislature (or) Parliament, the ruling said.
Pakistans interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has directed authorities to verify the nationality of a Pakistani woman languishing in a jail in Jammu and Kashmir so that she can be brought back home.

The case of Rubeena and her minor daughter, who have been held in different jails in Jammu for four years, was first reported by Hindustan Times.

She was sent to jail after her husband allegedly abandoned her in Delhi and the Pakistan high commission refused to confirm her nationality to facilitate her deportation.

An interior ministry spokesperson said Khan had directed the chairman of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) to verify the documents of Rubeena and determine whether she had Pakistani nationality, the Dawn newspaper reported on Monday.

If the woman is a Pakistani national, arrangements should be made along with the foreign ministry for her early repatriation, Khan said. He gave Nadra a 24-hour deadline to look into the matter and send a report to him.

Rights lawyer Mir Shafaqat, who is handling Rubeenas case, said she was a resident of Hyderabad in Pakistans Sindh province and travelled to New Delhi in November 2012 for the treatment of asthma. She was accompanied by her husband and her daughter, who was then four months old.

Rubeena, who is in her late twenties, told Shafaqat that her husband abandoned her in New Delhi and disappeared with money and passport. Indian authorities told a court in Jammu and Kashmir that the Pakistani mission did not confirm Rubeenas nationality on the basis of information provided to it.

After Shafaqat provided more information on Rubeena, officials told the court that the external affairs ministry had been directed to take up her case with the Pakistani mission. They also said she could not be sent to Pakistan till her identity is verified.

When Rubeena was abandoned by her husband, people gave her money and sent her to the Wagah border crossing but Pakistani authorities did not allow her to enter the country because she did not have travel documents. Rubeena was then sent to Kashmir, where she was arrested in November 2012.

Read | Abandoned and stateless, Pakistani mother-daughter duo languish in Jammu jail
The Philippines is tilting away from its traditional ally the United States towards China in a bid to normalise relations following a longstanding territorial dispute, the countrys incoming ambassador to Beijing said on Monday.

Manila has been one of Washingtons most loyal allies in Asia, but Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to end the decades-long alliance after the US criticised his bloody war on drugs that has killed over 5,000 people since he took office in June.

His fiery rhetoric against the US has been followed by overtures to China as he has sought to assuage Beijings concerns over Manilas competing claims to the South China Sea.

The new Philippine ambassador to China, Jose Chito Sta. Romana, told AFP the move represented a strategic shift in our foreign policy.

We were one-sidedly imbalanced in favour of the US, he said.

We are not abandoning our alliance with the US.... We are basically trying to normalise our relations with China.

Beijing claims most of the South China Sea despite competing claims from the Philippines and other Asian countries, but a UN-backed tribunal ruled in July that Chinas claims had no legal basis in a resounding victory for Manila.

Dutertes decision to set aside the territorial conflict in exchange for Chinese investment and aid has given Beijing a boost in its quest for more control over the strategically vital waters.

The incoming envoy, a former Beijing-based journalist, said Manila was open to working with China to access resources in the disputed region.

The Chinese viewed the Philippines as a geopolitical pawn or Trojan horse of the US. Now they look at us as a friendly neighbour.

He added that relations with the US plunged after Washington criticised Dutertes crackdown on crime.

The problem came after they began lecturing him. The president considers it an internal affair, he said.

The Chinese dont comment on your internal affairs.
Istanbul anti-terror police on Monday detained eight people suspected of links to the New Year gun attack on a nightclub in the Turkish city that left 39 dead and was claimed by Islamic State (IS) jihadists, a report said.

The Dogan news agency said police were pressing on with operations after making the first arrests over the attack. The suspected gunman is still believed to be on the run.
Turkish police struggled Sunday to track down a gunman who attacked New Years Eve revelers at a popular Istanbul nightclub, killing at least 39 people, most of them foreigners. Close to 70 more were wounded.

The attacker, armed with a long-barreled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside the Reina club around 1.15 am before entering and firing at people partying inside, Istanbul Gov. Vasip Sahin said.

Unfortunately, (he) 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.

Nearly two-thirds of the people killed were foreigners, many from the Middle East, Turkeys state-run Anadolu Agency said. It said the bodies of 25 foreign nationals killed in the attack would be delivered to their families Monday.

Countries from India to Belgium reported their citizens among the casualties.

An estimated 600 people were celebrating inside the club, which is often frequented by famous locals, including singers, actors and sports stars. Several shocked revelers were seen fleeing the scene after the shooting and the music fell silent.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for what authorities immediately called a terrorist attack. Turkish officials did not comment on the possible identity or motives of the gunman.

The mass shooting followed more than 30 violent acts over the past year in Turkey, which is a member of the NATO alliance and a partner in the U.S.-led coalition fighting against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq. The country endured multiple bombings in 2016, including three in Istanbul alone that authorities blamed on IS, a failed coup attempt in July and renewed conflict with Kurdish rebels in the southeast.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vehemently condemned the terror attack in Istanbuls Ortakoy neighborhood in the first hours of 2017 and offered condolences for those who lost their lives, including the foreign guests.

Among the dead were an 18-year-old Israeli woman, three Indians, three Lebanese, a woman with dual French-Tunisian citizenship and her Tunisian husband, three Jordanians, a Belgian national, a Kuwaiti citizen and a Canadian, according to those countries governments and a diplomat.

A U.S. State Department official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity, said one American man was among those wounded. Turkeys minister for family and social policies, Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya, said citizens of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon and Libya were among those injured.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the gunman, who had not been identified, remained at large. 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 was wearing a Santa Claus outfit when he entered the upscale nightclub on the shore of the Bosporus straight, on the European side of the city  a claim Prime Minister Binali Yildirim denied.

Security camera footage obtained by The Associated Press from Haberturk newspaper shows what appears to be a man dressed in black and carrying a backpack as he shoots down a police officer outside the nightclub. Footage taken by a different camera inside Reina shows a figure wearing different clothes and what could be a Santa Claus hat.

Yildirim said the attacker left a gun at the club 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, said he was passing by the club when he saw a man shoot at a police officer and a bystander. He said the attacker then targeted security guards, gunning them down and entering the club.

Once he went in, we dont know what happened. There were gun sounds, and after two minutes the sound of an explosion, Dag said.

Turkish media said the local victims included a 22-year-old police officer and a 47-year-old travel agent, both of whom were shot outside the club.

One was given a funeral Sunday in Istanbul, where his two sons joined the mourners gathered around the flag-draped casket, the private Dogan news agency reported.

Ayhan Arik, a tourism company employee who had taken foreign guests to the nightclub, was shot in the head, the news agency said.

On Sunday, heavily armed police blocked the snowy street in front of the nightclub. The entrance was covered with blue plastic sheeting below a Turkish flag. Police also patrolled the Asian side of the Bosporus on the other side of the club.

Crime scene investigators were seen inside the nightclub searching through mingled piles of chairs, tables and pieces of clothing left behind during the panic among the guests.

There were emotional scenes in front of a city morgue where the dead were taken for identification. Some relatives cried out and fell to the ground as they apparently learned the fate of their loved ones.

The US Consulate General in Istanbul on Sunday warned American citizens to keep their movements in the city to an absolute minimum. A statement reminded US citizens that extremists are continuing aggressive efforts to conduct attacks in areas where US citizens and expatriates reside or frequent.

The United States denied reports in Turkish new outlets and on social media that its security agencies knew in advance that the nightclub was at risk of a terror attack. The US Embassy in Ankara said in a statement that contrary to rumors circulating in social media, the US Government had no information about threats to specific entertainment venues, including the Reina Club.

Turkey faces a wide spectrum of security threats.

The Islamic State group claims to have cells in the country. Analysts think it was behind suicide bombings last January and March that targeted tourists on Istanbuls iconic Istiklal Street as well as a high-casualty suicide bomb and gun attack at Ataturk Airport in June.

In December, IS released a video purportedly showing the killing of two Turkish soldiers and urged its supporters to conquer Istanbul. Turkeys jets regularly bomb the group in the northern Syrian town of Al-Bab. Turkish authorities have not confirmed the authenticity of the video.

Turkeys violent 2016 also reflects the intensification of an armed conflict between the government and Kurdish rebels. Turkey-based Kurdish groups have claimed multiple suicide attacks. The government has said Kurdish affiliates in Syria and Iraq share responsibility.

Complicating matters, Turkey endured a coup attempt July 15, which the government blamed on a US-based Islamist cleric. A state of emergency has been in force since then, and authorities have purged key institutions, including the army and police.

The violence has left the nation on edge and kept tourists at bay. In Istanbul, a bustling city bridging Europe and Asia, the toll on the economy is evidenced in the closure of iconic restaurants and lowered hotel prices.

The nightclub attack drew quick condemnation from the West and Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to Turkeys leader, saying that it is hard to imagine a more cynical crime than killing innocent people during New Year celebrations.

However, terrorists dont 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 US help to Turkey. The UN Security Council condemned the heinous and barbaric assault in the strongest terms.

Yildirim, the prime minister, vowed to keep fighting terrorism, adding that the terror that happens here today may happen in another country in the world tomorrow.
A plane carrying 35 Russian diplomats expelled from the United States over Moscows 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.

Read: Obama sanctions Russian intel services, expels 35 diplomats over poll hacking

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 said.

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 Russias FSB and GRU intelligence agencies. Four GRU officers including agency chief Igor Korobov also face sanctions.

Moscow has repeatedly denied the allegations.

Read: Russian diplomats expelled from US: Trump says Putin smart for not retaliating

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 dont know about the situation. The populist billionaire is seeking closer ties with Putin.
English is widely assumed to be the lingua franca of research globally, but studies bringing out new knowledge or insights and published in non-English journals and publications are often missed due to the existing language barriers in influential academic circles.

A study by University of Cambridge researchers has found that over a third of new conservation science documents published annually are in non-English languages, providing examples of important science being missed at the international level.

The language barrier means that practitioners and researchers struggle to access and use new knowledge, while a focus of research only on English may lead to biases in the understanding of key issues, the study says.

The Cambridge researchers argue that whenever science is published only in one language, including solely in English, barriers to the transfer of knowledge are created, according to their findings published in PLOS Biology.

They have called on scientific journals to publish basic summaries of a study's key findings in multiple languages, and for universities and funding bodies to encourage translations as part of their outreach evaluation criteria.

"While we recognise the importance of a lingua franca, and the contribution of English to science, the scientific community should not assume that all important information is published in English," says Tatsuya Amano from the Department of Zoology and lead author of the study.

"Language barriers continue to impede the global compilation and application of scientific knowledge."

The researchers point out an imbalance in knowledge transfer in countries where English is not the mother tongue. Much scientific knowledge that has originated there and elsewhere is available only in English and not in local languages.

This is a particular problem in subjects where both local expertise and implementation is vital, such as in environmental sciences.

"Scientific knowledge generated in the field by non-native English speakers is inevitably under-represented, particularly in the dominant English-language academic journals. This potentially renders local and indigenous knowledge unavailable in English," says Amano.

"The real problem of language barriers in science is that few people have tried to solve it. Native English speakers tend to assume that all the important information is available in English. But this is not true, as we show in our study.

"On the other hand, non-native English speakers, like myself, tend to think carrying out research in English is the first priority, often ending up ignoring non-English science and its communication. I believe the scientific community needs to start seriously tackling this issue."

The study calls on journals, funders, authors and institutions to be encouraged to supply translations of a summary of a scientific publication - regardless of the language it is originally published in.

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A French tourist was bitten by a crocodile inside a Thai national park as she tried to get close to the fearsome animal to take a selfie, an official said on Monday.

The incident took place on Sunday afternoon in Khao Yai, a popular national park filled with dense jungle hiking trails and waterfalls three hours north of Bangkok.

She wanted to take selfie with the crocodile who was lying down near a stream, a park official told AFP, asking not to be named because he did not have the authority to speak to the media.

It was startled and bit her on her on the leg.

The official said two crocodiles had made their home on that particular section of the park for years with warning signs laid out.

I guess that she wanted to see it for real, he added.

Local media posted pictures of park rangers dressed in camouflage carrying the 47-year-old victim strapped to a stretcher, a thick bandage wrapped around her knee.

Another shot showed a ranger pointing to a pool of blood close to a sign saying in Thai and English Danger Crocodile No Swimming.

The victim was taken to hospital for treatment and is expected to recover.

Siamese crocodiles were once ubiquitous across South East Asia but their populations have been decimated in the last century by hunting and habitat loss.

They are currently listed as critically endangered on the IUCNs red list.

In Thailand there are just a handful of wild populations left in central and western national parks.

Most tourists will only see them in crocodile parks, many of which have been criticised by animal rights groups for controversial feeding practices.
Danish police arrested the daughter of a woman at the centre of a South Korean influence-peddling scandal that has engulfed President Park Geun-hye, police and prosecutors said on Monday.

The scandal has led to Parks impeachment by parliament on December 9, paralysed the government and drawn hundreds of thousands of protesters onto the streets of the capital Seoul, for weekly demonstrations.

South Korean authorities had been seeking the arrest of the daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, for her ties to the scandal in which her mother, Choi Soon-sil, is a central figure.

Park, 64, could become South Koreas first democratically elected leader to be forced to leave office early. The parliamentary impeachment must be confirmed or overturned by the Constitutional Court, which has weeks to rule.

Read: The rise and fall of South Korea president Park Geun-hye

We will request an emergency extradition of Chung, working with the special prosecutors office, Lee Chul-sung, commissioner general of the Korea National Police Agency, told a media briefing in Seoul.

Chung, a 20-year-old equestrian competitor who trained in Germany, was arrested in the northern Danish city of Aalborg for staying illegally, Lee said.

Park has been accused of colluding with her friend Choi to pressure big businesses to make contributions to non-profit foundations backing presidential initiatives.

Park, whose father ruled the country for 18 years after seizing power in a 1961 coup, has denied wrongdoing but apologised for carelessness in her ties with Choi, who is facing her own trial. She also denies wrongdoing.

The special prosecutors office has said it has several charges against the daughter, Chung, including criminal interference related to her academic record. It has not given details of other charges.

FOUR IN CUSTODY

Lee Kyung-jae, a lawyer representing both Choi and Chung, said the daughter will cooperate.

When Chung Yoo-ra returns I will ensure that she fully cooperates with the special prosecutions investigation, the lawyer said.

A source in the special prosecutors office in Seoul, who declined to be identified, said the office will work with European authorities to extradite Chung, which could take one or two weeks.

Police commissioner general Lee said a Korean citizen had alerted Danish police about Chung, who was arrested around 4 am Seoul time on Monday.

Choi Soon-sil, the jailed confidante of disgraced South Korean President Park Geun-hye, arrives for questioning into her suspected role in the political scandal at the office of the independent counsel in Seoul, South Korea. (Reuters file photo)

Danish officials had four people in custody, including Chung and a child born in 2015, Lee said. Chung is known to have a young son.

The two others in custody are men who appear to be Koreans in their late twenties or early thirties, Lee said. He said Danish police had 24 hours to secure evidence that Chung was staying illegally in Denmark.

South Koreas foreign ministry has been working to invalidate Chungs passport and authorities had asked German prosecutors for information about her whereabouts and financial assets.

Chung won a gold medal in the group dressage equestrian event at the 2014 Asian Games.

She became a figure of public ire in South Korea last year after it emerged that she had received special treatment from the prestigious Ewha Womans University, where her admission was subsequently cancelled.

Also read: South Koreas Park emerges from seclusion, denies wrongdoing in scandal

News of Chungs arrest came a day after Park broke a month-long silence over her alleged role in the corruption scandal, publicly denying charges of wrongdoing and describing the accusations against her as fabricated and false.
As Barack Obama began preparing to leave office, the first smartphone-toting US president ordered his team to upgrade the White Houses aging technology for his successor. New computers were purchased and faster internet was installed.

Not included in the modernisation 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.

Its very important, 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 on Saturday in response to questions about Russias alleged hacking of Democrats during the presidential election. Trump, who doesnt email or surf the internet, said days earlier that computers have complicated lives very greatly.

Read: Donald Trump says he doesnt trust computers, urges people to use couriers

Trumps skepticism of some technology marks a sharp contrast from the president he will replace on January 20.

A boon and a bane

Obama, who was a youthful 47-year-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 on 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.

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 which he leaked to journalists, revealing the Obama administrations bulk collection of millions of Americans phone records, as well as US spying on some friendly foreign leaders.

Catching up

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 Trumps 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 expected Trump to continue using Twitter and other social media sites as president, casting it as an effective way to communicate with Americans.

Absolutely, youre going to see Twitter, Spicer said on Sunday. 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.

Read: Trump in 2017: Planning many big things and lot more tweeting

Trump has shown some interest in technology since winning the White House. Billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel has been working with Trumps 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.

US 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 Obamas secretary of state highlighted the lax practices that exist in the government.

As a candidate, Trump called for an immediate review of US cyber defences and vulnerabilities, though he has not detailed specific steps he plans to take to bolster cybersecurity and has not publicly accepted the intelligence communitys 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 which 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 Universitys Kennedy School of Government. Everything is vulnerable.

Of course, the courier system Trump suggests is hardly foolproof, either. After the US killed 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden, administration officials said they had gleaned crucial information on his whereabouts by tracking the al-Qaida leaders courier.
Turkish authorities believe the attacker who killed 39 people at an Istanbul nightclub over the New Year is linked to Islamic State (IS) jihadists and may be from Central Asia, the Hurriyet daily said.

Hurriyet said Turkish police and intelligence had received information over the risk of a New Years attack by IS in several Turkish cities and had carried out raids and arrests throughout December in response.

Without citing sources, it said that the attacker -- who is still on the run -- is believed to be linked to IS and may have been from Kyrgyzstan or Uzbekistan.

Investigators also consider it possible that the attacker is linked to the same cell that in June carried out a triple suicide bombing and gun attack at Istanbuls Ataturk airport blamed on IS that left 47 dead, it added.

In a separate article also in Hurriyet, columnist Abdulkadir Selvi wrote that Turkey received intelligence from the United States on December 30 warning of the risk of attacks by IS in Istanbul and Ankara on New Years night.

However the intelligence did not specify the location of where such an attack could take place, the article added.

Turkish authorities have so far not said who was behind the attack on the Reina nightclub just after New Year struck.

But they have launched a massive manhunt for the attacker, who is believed to have slipped away after changing his clothes.

The attack came as the Turkish army wages a four-month incursion in Syria to oust IS jihadists and Kurdish militants from the border area, suffering increasing casualties.

Istanbul, Ankara and other Turkish cities were hit by a string of attacks in 2016 blamed on Kurdish militants and jihadists that left hundreds dead.

Read| Walked on top of people: Istanbul club attack witness talks of scenes of chaos
Turkish warplanes and artillery have struck Islamic State targets in Syria, killing 22 of the groups militants, while Russian aircraft hit jihadists near the Islamic State-controlled town of al-Bab, Turkeys military said on Monday.

In a round-up of its military operations over the past 24 hours in support of rebels in northern Syria, the army said the Russian aircraft destroyed Islamic State targets in the area of Dayr Kak, 8 km (5 miles) southwest of al-Bab.

The Turkish military operation, dubbed Euphrates Shield, was launched more than four months ago to drive Islamic State militants away from the border region and in recent weeks the forces have been besieging the town of al-Bab.
New Years Eve passed off peacefully enough in war-torn Ukraine -- until a senior lawmaker shot a man in the leg during a testosterone-charged road rage incident.

Ukrainians bored by a relative lack of news over the holiday period have been gripped by accounts of the fight between the man and the senior politician that also involved an assault with a bottle.

Local media interviewed the gunshot victim Vyacheslav Khimikus from his hospital bed. He admitted that he had attacked the MP with a bottle before being shot.

Khimikus was helping to push a broken-down bus just outside Kiev after stopping his own car but forgetting to switch on his flashing emergency lights.

Into this scene rolled deputy Sergiy Pashynskiy and his wife in a Mercedes Benz.

Khimikus said the lawmakers wife rolled down her window and began swearing at him.

This prompted Khimikus to challenge Pashynskiy -- who was in the passenger seat -- to come out and settle things man-to-man.

The ensuing duel saw Khimikus whack Pashynskiy in the head with a bottle before the lawmaker shot him in the leg.

I used the gun only after being hit by a glass bottle and firing a warning shot in the air, various media quoted Pashynskiy as saying.

The deputy added that his gun was licensed and his actions legal.

One of the biggest mysteries intriguing Ukrainians was why he was carrying a gun in the first place.

Pashynskiy heads parliaments security and defence committee but is not required by law to carry a weapon.

People were also asking why he was in a Mercedes Benz car -- a luxury vehicle few Ukrainian officials can afford.

The lawmaker has immunity from prosecution and may not be investigated for any crime while in office.

But Ukrainian media reported that he has had a series of other run-ins with the law.

The former Soviet republic is infamous for having a raucous parliament in which fistfights and all-out brawls are not uncommon but gun use by Ukrainian officials is rare.
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 Years 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 Koreas 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 Washingtons 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.
As marijuana shops sprout in states that have legalized the drug, they face a critical stumbling block  lack of access to the kind of routine banking services other businesses take for granted.

US Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, is leading an effort to make sure vendors working with legal marijuana businesses, from chemists who test marijuana for harmful substances to firms that provide security, dont have their banking services taken away.

Its part of a wider effort by Warren and others to bring the burgeoning $7 billion marijuana industry in from a fiscal limbo she said forces many shops to rely solely on cash, making them tempting targets for criminals.

After voters in Warrens home state approved a November ballot question to legalize the recreational use of pot, she joined nine other senators in sending a letter to a key federal regulator, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, calling on it to issue additional guidance to help banks provide services to marijuana shop vendors.

Twenty-eight states have legalized marijuana for medicinal or recreational use.

Warren, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, said there are benefits to letting marijuana-based businesses move away from a cash-only model.

You make sure that people are really paying their taxes. You know that the money is not being diverted to some kind of criminal enterprise, Warren said recently. And its just a plain old safety issue. You dont want people walking in with guns and masks and saying, Give me all your cash.

A spokesman for the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network said the agency is reviewing the letter.

There has been some movement to accommodate the banking needs of marijuana businesses.

Two years ago, the US Department of the Treasury gave banks permission to do business with legal marijuana entities under some conditions. Since then, the number of banks and credit unions willing to handle pot money rose from 51 in 2014 to 301 in 2016.

Warren, however, said fewer than 3 percent of the nations 11,954 federally regulated banks and credit unions are serving the cannabis industry.

Taylor West, deputy director of the National Cannabis Industry Association, a trade organization for 1,100 marijuana businesses nationwide, said access to banking remains a top concern.

What the industry needs is a sustainable solution that services the entire industry instead of tinkering around the edges, Taylor said. You dont have to be fully in favor of legalized marijuana to know that it helps no one to force these businesses outside the banking system.

Sam Kamin, a professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law who studies marijuana regulation, said theres only so much states can do on their own.

The stumbling block over and over again is the federal illegality, he said.

The federal government lumps marijuana into the same class of drugs as heroin, LSD and peyote. Democratic President Barack Obamas administration has essentially turned a blind eye to state laws legalizing the drug, and supporters of legalizing marijuana hope Republican President-elect Donald Trump will follow suit.

Trump officials did not respond to a request for comment. During the presidential campaign, Trump said states should be allowed to legalize marijuana and has expressed support for medicinal use. But he also has sounded more skeptical about recreational use, and his pick for attorney general, Alabama US Sen. Jeff Sessions, is a stern critic.

Some people in the marijuana industry say the banking challenges are merely growing pains for an industry evolving from mom-and-pop outlets.

Nicholas Vita, CEO of Columbia Care, one of the nations largest providers of medical marijuana products, said its up to marijuana businesses to make sure their financial house is in order.

Its not just as simple as asking the banks to open their doors, Vita said. The industry also needs to develop a set of standards that are acceptable to the banks.
A van and a pickup collided and caught fire on a highway in eastern Thailand on Monday afternoon, killing 25 people, authorities said.

The public transit van lost control and crossed the grass median, colliding with the pickup truck going in the opposite direction Monday afternoon, according to Thai Road Accident Data for Road Safety Culture, which compiles electronic insurance reports.

Twenty-five people were killed and two survived the crash, said police Col. Dusadee Kunchorn Na Ayutthaya, superintendent of the Ban Bung district police station in Chonburi province.

An accident like this shouldnt happen but it did, Dusadee said. Both drivers were killed. Police were not yet able to interview the survivors but were investigating to determine what caused the crash.

Thailand has one of the highest traffic fatality rates in the world.
As the nationwide manhunt for the suspect in the nightclub shooting is ongoing, ISIS terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the incident that left 39 people dead.

This after the group posted on Twitter that one of their soldiers initiated the attack in one of the most popular nightclubs in Istanbul on New Year's Eve. The Twitter account, however, cannot be verified.

"In continuation of the blessed operations which ISIS carries out against Turkey, a soldier of the brave caliphate attacked one of the most popular nightclubs while Christians were celebrating their holiday," the statement on Twitter reads.

As of this posting, around 45 people remain in the hospital for treatment on top of the 39 fatalities. Included in the list of killed during the attack as citizens from India, Morocco, Jordan, Canada, Russia, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.

Turkish police are currently on a manhunt for the lone suspect that attacks Reina along Bosphorus shores during a New Year Party.

Relatives and friends mourn at a coffin during the funeral of Ayhan Arik, one of the 39 victims of the gun attack on the Reina. According to Turkey's interior minister Suleyman Soylu at least 39 people, including at least 15 foreigners have been killed and 40 wounded.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Hollywood movie stars Liam Neeson and Cillian Murphy are championing an ambitious idea to bring Hollywood to Dublin with plans to build a 75million film studio on Poolbeg Peninsula.

The proposal for the giant 200,000 sq. ft. Dublin Bay Studios is now before Dublin City Council for planning approval, as part of the Poolbeg West SDZ project.

If the new film studio gets the seal of approval from Dublin City Council, it would create 1,800 jobs and as many as an additional 1,8000 indirect jobs, its estimated.

Liam Neeson believes this new state-of-the-art film studio would finally allow Ireland to compete with the UK and US when it comes to making big budget movies on a regular basis.

As it stands, the country does not have the infrastructure to compete. But Dublin Bay Studios would position Ireland on the world stage as a center of excellence for film and television, Liam Neeson says.

While Cillian Murphy has described the exciting project as the missing piece in the jigsaw for the Irish movie industry.

Most of us have had no choice but to emigrate because Ireland has never had the scale of studio infrastructure needed to support big production, Cillian Murphy says.

Dublin Bay Studios is backed by James Morris, the founder of Windmill Lane Studios and Alan Moloney of Parallel Films, who produced Oscar-nominated Brooklyn.

Alan Moloney points out that the Dublin Bay Studio is badly needed if Ireland wants to become a serious player in the movie industry. Ireland has limited infrastructure when it comes to sound studios and that prevents more big budget films being shot here, he says.

We have about three studios  Ashborne and Ashford and Limerick. Thats hardly any compared to the UK. In London alone they have 100 sound studios and they are all booked out. It would make Ireland even more appealing place for filmmakers."
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.
Texas' plan to start grading schools and districts on an A-through-F scale is being met with resistance from some local education leaders who think low letter grades could have a negative impact on communities and students.

State lawmakers last year approved the new system, which is scheduled to be implemented during the 2017-2018 school year, with the first rankings released in August 2018.

However, district leaders across the Houston area - including the Houston, Fort Bend and Spring ISDs - hope to persuade lawmakers to ditch the plan before it takes effect.

Similar letter grade-based accountability systems have failed in the 16 other states, said Kristin Tassin, president of the Fort Bend ISD board.

"A-F ratings systems create a false impression about an entire neighborhood of children and could potentially negatively impact students, undermining the work they put in each day and the growth they accomplish throughout the academic year," Tassin wrote in a letter to parents and students.

Currently, there are only two rankings the state can give: "Met standard" or "improvement required."

The accountability system combines results from the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, graduation rates and other indicators. But the system still uses STAAR scores for a majority of its calculations.

Grades of A, B and C are considered acceptable by the state, while grades D and F are considered unacceptable. A district cannot earn an A grade if it has even one school with a D or F rating.

Lack of flexibility

Districts already are bracing for the grades' impact.

Spring ISD Superintendent Rodney Watson said his district likely will receive an average rating and that many schools could receive a grade of C or lower.

"Like the current accountability system, the new system does not take into account poverty levels, language barriers and other factors that influence academic performance and challenge some of our students to a greater degree than students in affluent suburban neighborhoods," Watson said.

Klein ISD's board also complained about the accountability formula's lack of flexibility for poor and minority students.

Clear Creek ISD Superintendent Greg Smith has been outspoken in his opposition to the letter-grade system.

He said the system's nature goes beyond penalizing schools with low-income students.

In December, he tweeted emojis to correspond with the letter grades - blushing smiley faces for A grades and crying, panicked faces for F.

"Emojis make about as much sense as A-through-F grades," Smith said. "It's arbitrary in nature."

He pointed out that the state assessments represent 55 percent of the grade, but only about half of students take the test.

Texas tests students in only third through eighth grades and high school students enrolled in English I, English II, algebra I, biology and U.S. history.

That's similar to the 16 other states that have adopted letter grade-based accountability, which was pioneered by Florida in 1999.

Ingrained in Florida

Seventeen years after implementation, Trey Csar, president of the Jacksonville Education Fund based in Florida, said the grading system has become ingrained in schools' cultures.

"An A-through-F school grading system makes it clear to parents; it's very easy to understand. Parents pay attention and the community pays attention, for good and bad," Csar said. "But Florida still hasn't figured out that magic piece of what the (grading) formula should look like."

When Florida started its grading system, it measured only the number of students who were proficient in subjects. Now the standardized test-score portion of the accountability formula measures both proficiency and student-learning growth.

Csar said putting too much emphasis on proficiency inevitably hurts students of color and from low-income households because research shows they tend to score worse on standardized tests. But measuring the students' learning gains - regardless if they're on grade level or not - shows the teachers' and schools' impact on learning.

He also warned Texas lawmakers not to make many changes to the system once it's in place. In Florida, lawmakers changed the accountability system 16 times between 2010 and 2014.

"I'm not saying carve it into stone, but what we've seen in Florida is that the political desire to tweak the formula has made it statistically difficult to compare grades year to year," Csar said.

Smith is confident lawmakers will take a second look at the A-through-F system and possibly get rid of it. He said this situation reminds him of when the Legislature approved End-of-Course exams for older students. The Legislature passed a law mandating some EOC exams, and the state debuted 15 shortly after.

The number of End-of-Course exams roiled teachers, students and parents across the state, who said more time was spent testing than learning. As a result, the Legislature cut the number of such tests from 15 to five.

'Get ahead of it'

He hoped something similar would happen with the letter-grading system.

"Rather than have people wake up to something done contrary to the original intent, it's better to get ahead of it before 2018," Smith said.

If the grading system goes into effect, Smith said it will be difficult to explain to parents and the community that the grades are not necessarily what schools earned but rather a reflection of criteria crafted in Austin.

He said the current system - with two state designations - is all the state needs to keep tabs on low-performing schools.

"Accountability is accountability, but how you go about using ratings based on what we believe is a flawed assessment is perplexing to us," Smith said. "We would prefer multiple measures used to provide a balanced report card. That would make more sense, and we would welcome time to sit down with our legislators to craft another, more meaningful design."
My extraordinary 95-year-old mother-in-law - the one who every week plays bridge, attends book group and takes two continuing education classes - still plays piano. As a young woman, she helped work her way through college teaching piano and accompanying professionals. Making music remains one of the loves of her life. Except that her future prospects with the instrument are not good. You see, she's going blind. Fortunately she stopped driving years ago.

Visual impairment in the elderly is almost a given. By the time Anglos are in their 80s, over 70 percent of them will have experienced a cataract according to the National Eye Institute. The rates are quite a bit lower (about 54 percent) but still substantial (for unclear reasons) among African-Americans. Because the purpose of the eye's lens is to focus light entering the retina, opacity makes things appear hazy and less colorful.

Cataract sufferers experience halos around objects in the dark and generally poor night vision. For those of us who wear glasses, it is like realizing that we can't see well because we're looking through badly smudged lenses.

Thankfully, in this age of modern miracles, cataracts are readily treatable. Surgery is typically done on an outpatient basis and cataracts account for only 9 percent of blindness. However, cataracts can creep up on us; if we find ourselves having to rev up the pace of getting new glasses/contact lenses, it is not necessarily just "normal aging."

Vision does erode with age, particularly for driving at night. Rapid loss of vision should trigger going to see an optometrist/opthalmologist for a dilated eye examination. That simple, painless procedure will lead to diagnosis and cure.

Glaucoma, too, can only be detected by dilating the eyes and having a professional look-see. Yet almost half of Americans at age 50 have never had a dilated eye examination, the CDC found in a survey about the use of preventative eye care, which it called "an alarming lack of concern." Glaucoma is another eye disease that, if found early enough, can potentially be treated by surgery. However, it represents increased pressure on the vulnerable retina and once damage is done it may not be able to be undone.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a different story. Less common than cataracts, it is the leading cause of blindness in Anglo Americans - glaucoma leads among blacks. Sadly, medicine has not yet found a way to reverse AMD.

AMD is the assassin beginning to take my mother-in-law's vision. It started with the odd sensation that the center of her vision was becoming blurry and then dark. Each month, that haziness and blackness expands. She can no longer read words and notes without using large type or a magnifying glass.

Perhaps the most important thing my mother-in-law has done is to stop driving. Elders are living longer active lives. Many older people I know pride themselves on good judgment behind the wheel. They defend their driving, saying they're safer drivers than teenagers, which indeed they are.

Yet even the American Association of Retired Persons concedes that mile-for-mile after age 70, crash rates rise; nighttime driving produces three times as many fatal crashes as driving during the day. The average driver makes 20 decisions per mile and has less than a half second to react. Age not only affects vision but information processing and speed of action.

State driving tests are notoriously lax when it comes to checking vision. So to avoid killing themselves and others, elders and their loved ones must act as their own police.

This can be one of the toughest decisions a vigorous older person makes, because driving is typically their vehicle to independence. Yet, sometimes the car must go.

Before taking that step, I advise a professional eye exam. Sometimes daytime driving can be continued. And going places need not be sacrificed. Elders must simply follow the classic technique advised for alcohol drinkers and use a designated driver.

But when we or others note that we are getting slower and more often hesitating at decision points, we must stop denying. Hard as it may be, it's time to consider the safety of not just ourselves but of others and turn in the car keys. Then, find a driver, go to an eye doctor and, quite possibly, cure your vision problems for years to come.
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With a hefty family Bible in one hand and his black robes in the other, Judge Richard Vara followed his two young granddaughters up the imposing steps of the century-old courthouse in downtown Houston shortly after noon Sunday.

When Vara pulled out the decades-old holy book to show off signatures dating back to his first election in 1974, little Mia was impressed by the Bible. "That's a big bubble," she said, mispronouncing the word as only a toddler could.

Vara, the longtime Harris County Precinct 6 justice of the peace, was one of dozens of elected officials sworn in across the region on New Year's Day.

Montgomery County welcomed a new sheriff, Rand Henderson, and swore in returning officials. Fort Bend County installed a new county commissioner, Victor M. Morales Jr.

Harris County got a slate of new officials from sheriff and district attorney to county commissioner and tax assessor-collector. After an unusual election, all were Democrats.

The blue wave in November swept across a normally purple county that Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, lost by less than a tenth of one percentage point. Donald Trump's unpopularity here - he lost by more than 12 points - apparently bolstered the Democrats' surge in countywide races.

Still, new and returning Harris County elected officials struck a conciliatory tone at Sunday's ceremony. Shortly before his swearing-in, incoming Sheriff Ed Gonzalez credited his predecessor and vanquished opponent, Ron Hickman, with working closely with him to ensure a smooth transition.

A former Houston police homicide detective and City Council member, Gonzales promised to be a "straight shooter" as he pursues criminal-justice reforms and collaborates with city police and county constables. He said his first priorities are budget issues and clearance rates for criminal investigations.

County Judge Ed Emmett, Harris County's top elected official, addressed the officials and their families.

"Don't let your ego get in your way," he told them. "The election is over, and none of us is really that important. We are part of a governmental machine that's been going a long, long time. ... The ego of the campaign goes away. You're not the office. You just occupy the office."

Then the county judge left behind his script for normal ceremonies.

"This has been a heck of a year," he said. "There's been a lot of talk of divisiveness, 'us' versus 'them,' " Emmett said. He decried partisan echo chambers, fake news and tribalism. "Everyone should be 'us,' " he said.

Harris County had the most new faces. Democrat Rodney Ellis, a longtime state senator and former City Council member, was sworn in as the new Precinct 1 commissioner, succeeding Gene Locke.

Ann Harris Bennett, the new tax assessor-collector, replaced Republican Mike Sullivan, whom she narrowly defeated.

Kim Ogg, who unseated Republican Devon Anderson in a closely watched race for district attorney, was sworn in minutes into 2017 and did not attend the ceremony.

Public officials and family members at the swearing-in said the event reminded them their work is serving the people who elected them.

Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle

Vara's sister, Cindy, said their parents taught the importance of public service. In the 1940s and 1950s, she said, her mother, Alicia, pushed to get her Mexican-American children into an all-white parochial school in their neighborhood. She got more involved and translated between English and Spanish at PTO meetings.

Encouraged by the family matriarch to get involved in the community, many of her children and grandchildren also entered public service, especially in the courts and criminal justice system. Alicia Vara held the family Bible at her son Richard's first swearing-in more than 40 years ago.

Alicia Vara died in August, making Sunday's ceremony bittersweet for her family. The judge's two daughters took their grandmother's place on the dais, holding the family Bible as their father joined others in taking the oath of office.
Once the fruitcake is gone and the champagne bottle is empty, couples wanting out of their marriages tend to look to January as a prime time to figure out how to get a divorce.

"Buckle your seat belts, January is a bumpy ride," said Cindy Diggs, of Holmes Diggs Eames & Sadler, a Houston law firm that concentrates on divorce and family law. "It's going to be a busy month."

Lawyers call it "divorce month" because of an uptick in inquiries and filings following the holidays, but one state lawmaker wants to make it harder for married couples to call it quits.

Conservative Republican Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth, said he wants to strengthen families and reinforce the sanctity of marriage by eliminating no-fault divorces, which now allow couples to split amicably with neither legally alleging blame.

"I don't know if we don't take our vows as seriously as we used to, but I think getting rid of the no-fault divorce piece of this may make folks concentrate on this a little harder before they enter into that relationship, or stick it out to where they can restore that relationship and the tough times in marriage," he said.

Krause, who has been married for 14 years, said he wants modern culture to better value the importance of family to ensure a healthy society, and said stable families will result in better outcomes for children.

Under a bill he plans to push in the 2017 legislative session, the state would strike "insupportability" as grounds for divorce. A couple who wants to dissolve their marriage peacefully will have to live separately for three years before filing for divorce. Those opposed to waiting would have to accuse their partners of cruelty or adultery, or allege their partner abandoned them after a year living apart. Other grounds include conviction of a felony or confinement in a mental hospital.

"That's a terrible idea," Diggs said.

'Forcing the fight'

Doing away with no-fault divorces will enrich divorce lawyers because clients will pay more in fees to come up with reasons to legally justify splitting from their spouse, she said.

"He's forcing the fight," she said of Krause's bill. "Even as a divorce lawyer, I don't think that's right. I think you should make divorce easier for those who want it because those who want it are still going to go and file and get it. It's just going to cost them more and cause their families and their children more strife."

Divorce rates are on a steady decline across the country, and falling faster in Texas. The national divorce rate was 3.2 divorces per 1,000 people in 2014, the latest year for which data are available, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. That's down from the 4 divorces per 1,000 rate in 2001.

Texas began the millennium at the same rate but has dropped to 2.6 divorces per 1,000 people as of 2014, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. The state recorded 177,230 marriages and 71,988 divorces that year. The state does not maintain figures on how many were no-fault divorces.

Seen as long shot

States began adopting no-fault divorce laws in 1970, beginning in California with a law signed by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan, himself a divorce. By the mid-1980s, all but New York had signed no-fault divorces into law. New York became the last to allow couples to divorce by mutual consent in 2010.

Texas law allows couples to choose a no-fault divorce if they use "insupportability" as grounds for dissolving a union, assuming the "marriage has become insupportable because of discord or conflict of personalities that destroys the legitimate end of the marital relationship and prevents any reasonable expectation of reconciliation."

Krause's plan to strike that option from state law is a long shot, said Steve Bresnen, a lobbyist for the Texas Family Law Foundation, which represents lawyers who concentrate on divorce, child custody and child support cases.

"We don't want to go back to the old days," Bresnen said. "People need to have the tools to order their own affairs and not have excessive state involvement. ... To me, it is inviting the state and the workings of government, the judiciary especially, into people's lives where the government should have a limited role."

Krause proposed the bill in the 2015 legislative session, supported by pastors and Concerned Women for America, a national conservative advocacy group that seeks to weave biblical principles into public policy, both of which argue children in single-parent households are more likely to struggle than their peers.

Personal freedoms

The bill won a narrow 4-3 bipartisan approval in a legislative committee but failed to reach the floor.

"We are not a church, we are a government," said Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, during a hearing days before voting against the bill. "When people get married, they get married. They're adults. ... That is really getting in the middle and I'm not so sure it fixes things. I think, if anything, it makes things worse."

Krause rejects the suggestion that forcing couples to wait out a divorce infringes on their personal freedom.

"They still have every right, whether they're going to get into that union or not," Krause said. "But once they do, I don't think it's bad for the state to say, 'Hey, if you're doing this and you're entering into this union, let's make sure you're very serious about it,' knowing the societal benefits that can happen when there's a happy married couple and knowing the societal concern that we see as a consequence when there's a proliferation of divorces."
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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - When President-elect Donald Trump rang in the new year this weekend, he did it in Gatsby-like opulence, joined by actor Sylvester Stallone, the gossip page fixture Fabio and a crowd of wealthy developers reveling under the swaying palm trees at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach.

President George W. Bush had his ranch in Crawford, Texas. His father had a compound in Kennebunkport, Maine. President Barack Obama has taken frequent vacations in Hawaii, staying at a private home.

But Trump's 118-room private club, where he has spent the last two weeks away from his home in New York, is likely to eclipse them all as the 45th president's winter White House. And that was always the intention of Marjorie Meriweather Post, the cereal heiress and the property's original owner, who left Mar-a-Lago to the federal government when she died in 1973, hoping it would serve as a home for presidents.

But the government had no interest in her plan, and Trump later bought the property for less than $10 million, turning it into a club where membership costs six figures.

'Like Disneyland'

Trump's arrival was greeted with sneers by the Palm Beach elite, and he opened up Mar-a-Lago's membership to Jews and African-Americans, who had been excluded from other members-only establishments. He was also the first club owner on the island to admit an openly gay couple.

Since Trump's victory in November, Mar-a-Lago has been stuffed with guests attracted by an amenity unique to this club: the chance to rub shoulders with the next president.

"It's like going to Disneyland and knowing Mickey Mouse will be there all day long," said Jeff Greene, a developer and unsuccessful Democratic candidate for the Senate from Florida in 2010, who is a Mar-a-Lago member and was a Hillary Clinton supporter.

Instead of hosting major corporate executives and potential Cabinet secretaries for interviews inside a boxy transition office at Trump Tower in New York, Trump has been seated at an ornately designed couch, upholstered in pale fabric laced with gold, beneath a chandelier, a scene resembling a mansion in "Sunset Boulevard" or "Citizen Kane," two of Trump's favorite movies.

At night, the couches are moved out and tables are added to accommodate the evening cocktail crowd, among whom Trump moves from one table to the next, the most powerful greeter in the world.

At the annual New Year's Eve party on Saturday night, a gold-laced white menu included "Mr. Trump's wedge salad," a wild mushroom and Swiss chard ravioli, and a "breakfast buffet." Those in attendance drifted in under a yellow-and-white striped awning, the men dressed in tuxedos, the women in ballgowns, many with their hair swept high.

Guests stepped onto a red carpet as they entered the club, and wandered over to a poolside cocktail party. Trump later delivered remarks, according to a guest, who said he thanked his family and the club members for their support over the years.

Camp David loses

Like most aspects of Trump's business interests, the party generated controversy as tickets to it were made available to club members and guests for a little more than $500. Trump's aides rejected the questions.

Trump was to return to New York on Sunday afternoon. But the club will remain an escape for him. His contentious Twitter posts belie his relative calm when he is at Mar-a-Lago compared with when he is isolated inside Trump Tower. Trump's combative public persona - often on display during his campaign - mostly dissolves behind the carved-stone walls of his castle.

"Mar-a-Lago is an environment he can control," said historian Douglas Brinkley, who last week attended a Mar-a-Lago lunch with a longtime club member, Chris Ruddy, chief executive of Newsmax Media. "I watched him hold court - he was so comfortable in his own skin, and so relaxed."

Ruddy has introduced Trump to a range of media figures, politicians and donors, described the president-elect as "seeking the pre-election Donald Trump: totally at ease, very positive, very gregarious."

Trump appears to feed off contact with the people at the club.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, he queried dinner guests about whether he should appoint Rudy Giuliani or Mitt Romney as his secretary of state (he ended up picking neither).

During this trip, he has heaped praise on his ultimate choice for the job, Rex Tillerson, the head of Exxon Mobil (Trump has called him "Mr. Exxon."). He talks about the work he has done to find a solution for the problems at the Department of Veterans Affairs, which included a recent meeting with a number of executives at Mar-a-Lago.

Trump told a New York Times reporter that he intended to make Brian Burns, the businessman son of a confidante of Joseph P. Kennedy, the ambassador to Ireland.

With Trump's coming new job, the club has had some changes. Guests now go through an elaborate security screen to gain access to the main entrance. Secret Service agents are now sprinkled throughout the property, at night blending into the shrubbery along the grounds.

Robin Bernstein, a club member for nearly 25 years, said that some club members might express frustration, but that most thought it was important "that we keep Donald and his family safe." Attendees seem to see a benefit so far in having the president-elect around, and expect it will continue.

"The loser in this game is Camp David," said Brinkley, referring to the longtime presidential retreat in Maryland.

"Once you're at Mar-a-Lago, and it's so opulent and resort-friendly, the idea of suddenly inserting yourself into Camp David's Maryland mountains environment seems unlikely."
SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, said 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 Trump.

Although North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests in the past decade and more than 20 ballistic missile tests in 2016, and although it habitually threatens to attack the United States with nuclear weapons, the country has never flight-tested an ICBM.

In his annual New Year's Day speech, which was broadcast on the North's state-run KCTV, Kim spoke proudly of the strides he said his country has 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.

Analysts in the region have said Kim might conduct another weapons test in coming months, taking advantage of leadership changes in the United States and South Korea. Trump will be sworn in on Jan. 20. In South Korea, President Park Geun-hye, whose powers were suspended in a parliamentary impeachment on Dec. 9, is waiting for the Constitutional Court to rule on whether she should be formally removed from office or reinstated.

If North Korea conducts a long-range missile test, it will test Trump's new administration; despite years of increasingly harsh sanctions, North Korea has been advancing toward Kim's professed goal of arming his isolated country with the ability to deliver a nuclear warhead at the United States.

Kim's speech on Sunday indicated that North Korea may test-launch a long-range rocket several times this year to complete its ICBM program, said Cheong Seong-chang, a senior research fellow at the Sejong Institute of South Korea. The first of such tests could come even before Trump's inauguration, Cheong said.

"We need to take note of the fact that this is the first New Year's speech where Kim Jong Un mentioned an intercontinental ballistic missile," he said.
VILNIUS, Lithuania - Dozens of U.S. Special Operations forces are 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 Moscow's shadowy efforts to destabilize the former Soviet republics.

"They're scared to death of Russia," Gen. Raymond Thomas, head of the Pentagon's Special Operations Command, said of the tiny militaries of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. "They are very open about that. They're desperate for our leadership."
PACARAIMA, Brazil - Rosibel Diaz used to affectionately call her 4-year-old son "my chubby boy." She couldn't stand it when he started going hungry.

So in November, Diaz packed up her family's possessions and boarded a bus with the boy and her 11-month-old daughter to escape Venezuela's famished interior. She now lives under a blue tarp in a trash-strewn alleyway of this Brazilian border village,where she begs for food.

"I won't go back," said the rail-thin mother, who lost her job as a home nursing aide four years ago. She leaned against a pole, feeding a piece of bread to the baby. "We are surviving here," she said.

Survival for Venezuelans such as Diaz is becoming a matter of flight. About 10,000 Venezuelans are streaming into Brazil every month in search of food and medicine, authorities say, camping out on the streets and swamping government services in Amazon frontier towns ill-prepared to receive them.

Chronic food shortages, rampant violence and the erratic and often paranoid behavior of President Nicolas Maduro have turned the country's border crossings and beaches into escape valves.

It is an exodus by land, sea and air. Venezuela's well-to-do can leave on planes, if they haven't already. Rickety boats ferry small groups of migrants to Curacao, Bonaire and other Caribbean nations a short distance from Venezuela's north coast. But those numbers are dwarfed by the tens of thousands pouring into Brazil and Colombia each month - either for emergency shopping trips or a long-term stay.

Large-scale crisis

Venezuela's economic meltdown and political chaos have left its neighbors fearful of a large-scale humanitarian crisis that could bring even greater numbers of needy migrants.

Every month seems to bring a new low. Maduro attempted to outlaw Venezuela's largest banknote in mid-December, a measure that he said would strike at foreign powers conspiring to sabotage his socialist government. Instead, cash dried up, retail commerce froze, and Maduro suspended the move as rioting and looting erupted.

It was a reminder to the whole region that Venezuela is burning on a short fuse, and Maduro's cash-strapped government will need a major boost in global petroleum prices to avert disaster.

"We are working with the understanding that things will get worse," Gustavo Marrone, the highest-ranking immigration official in Brazil's justice ministry, said in an interview. "The immigration issue can only be fixed when you deal with the problem at the origin, not at the destination."

Maduro abruptly closed Venezuela's border with Brazil and Colombia on multiple occasions last year, ordering the crossings reopened with just as little notice. This, too, appears to be fueling a sense of urgency among Venezuelans who opt to face precarious living conditions in neighboring countries rather than suffer the hunger and social breakdown back home.

Weight of influx

Brazilian government services are buckling under the weight of the sudden influx of Venezuelan migrants. Their arrival has overwhelmed Roraima, a poor, sparsely populated state the size of Wyoming.

Venezuelans account for 60 percent of all hospital visits along the border, according to the Health Ministry in this northern state. Infections from sexually transmitted diseases are skyrocketing from the arrival of so many Venezuelan prostitutes. In December, Roraima's governor declared a state of emergency and appealed for federal assistance to cope with the crush of border-crossers.

Venezuelans can enter Brazil without a visa and remain for 90 days, but even Venezuelans who don't have passports can skirt checkpoints to enter the country illegally. Pacaraima is surrounded by an indigenous reserve that straddles the border, making it easy to cross into Brazil.

Almost overnight, sleepy border towns such as Pacaraima have been transformed into bustling hubs of international commerce, where makeshift supermarkets pop up selling food, medicine, soap and other goods that are hard to find in Venezuela.

The crisis is similar in the Colombian cities along the border with Venezuela.

Colombian authorities last year registered 6 million visits by Venezuelans crossing into their country, many of them to purchase food that has become scarce back home.

There are no formal immigration checks at the busy crossings, so Venezuelans can freely enter Colombia as tourists, and it is unknown how many aren't going back. But Christian Kruger, Colombia's top immigration official, said many Venezuelans are remaining to work illegally.
The following are excerpts from reports generated by the Texas County Sheriffs Department:

A deputy on Dec. 27 responded to a report that a 27-year-old woman was beating a 35-year-old man inside a Dorman Road residence at Licking, and had kicked in the homes front door and broken windows.

The officer made contact with a 43-year-old woman who lives there who said the suspect had already fled the scene and that similar incidents had happened before. The woman opted to pursue property damage charges and a probable cause statement was sent to the county prosecutor. The man decided not to pursue assault charges.

A deputy was dispatched Dec. 24 to a Dogwood Road residence at Mountain Grove regarding a report of two armed male suspects.

The officer was advised by dispatch that Mountain Grove police had been contacted by a man who said his wife had come home and observed two males in a truck with a gun. The man reported stated his wife said when she pulled into the driveway, the two suspects took off into the woods.

Upon arrival, the officer made contact with the man and he claimed there had been a misunderstanding and that the two suspects were his nephews and that their truck had broken down.

On Dec. 26, a male child contacted the TCSD office to report that his parent were fighting in the living room of their Highway 137 residence at Raymondville.

An investigating officer went to the location and made contact with the man and woman, both 36, who said they had been in a heated argument and were yelling. The officer made contact with the children, who said they were OK.

The parents were advised of the 12-hour rule. The officer stated in a report that he would contact Family Services authorities regarding the conditions inside the residence. He reported that trash was all over the place and that the children (number unreported) were all using the same bedroom and had inadequate sleeping arrangements.

A deputy responded at about 1:30 p.m. Dec. 27 top a report of a break-in in progress at the old John Deere dealership at Highways 63 and BB.

Upon arrival, the officer located a man parked near the building reading a book. There was no sign of entry into the building and the man left the scene without incident. A key holder was notified of the findings.

On Dec. 25 at about 6:45 p.m., a deputy responded to a report of shots fired in the vicinity of Booger County Motors on U.S. 60 at Mountain Grove. Before the officer arrived, he was advised that Mountain Grove police had called and stated a person was shooting their new Christmas present and no response was needed.

Texas County Jail admissions

Dec. 24

Joseph W. Mealler  possession of controlled substance

Matthew A. Gale  48-hour commitment

Dec. 26

Rocky D. Morgan  parole violation

Dec. 28

Shawn D. Sharp  property damage, assault

Jerry A. Tharp  enticement of child

Dec. 29

Nolan C. Decker  writ (to appear before judge)

Joseph M. Jackson  writ

Lenny J. Hebert Jr.  writ

James Carreras  writ

Ryan C. Dennis  window tint

Michael D. Bowler  parole violation
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Due to recent fluctuations in the energy sector and government cuts, organizations are dealing with downsizing again. The term downsizing occurred during the 1990s because of the increase in organizational reductions. The factors contributing to the increase in downsizing included mergers, outsourcing, and reduction of bureaucratic functions (Dolan, Belout, & Balkin, 2000). Currently, downsizing occurs more often than we know due to unforeseen changes. Many organizations may try to hide massive layoffs, but sometimes employees want others to know about poor leadership and negative organizational justice perceptions. However, what the affected employees do not realize is how the surviving employees feel about the situation. Downsizing Researchers define organizational downsizing as a purposeful reduction of employees within an organization (Hopkins & Weathington, 2006). Early antecedents of downsizing included economic survival while current antecedents of downsizing include the need to reduce the number of employee to meet economic necessity (Dolan, Belout, & Balkin, 2000). Many organizations may decide to reduce the employees to remain competitive after the downsizing is complete (Hopkins & Weathington, 2006). With reduction in oil prices, energy sector organizations are forced to reduce the number of employees working. Larger organizations are often prepared for economic changes more than smaller organizations. Some smaller organizations ...
In his New Year Message, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong assured the public that Singapore is not doing badly in terms of the economy but the government is keeping a close watch.



He added that the labour market has eased, unemployment remains low, and jobs continue to be created.



I know many employers and workers are concerned, but rest assured the Government is watching this closely, he said.



He proceeded to list down the many ways the government has tried to help ease the burden on employers and workers such as the various SkillsFuture programmes.



SkillsFuture ramped up its Earn and Learn Programme, study awards and fellowships for various sectors while industry transformation maps are being developed for different industries, he said, according to a report by TODAYOnline.



He also asked employers to be on the lookout for a report by the Committee on the Future Economy.



He noted that the committee is working on longer term strategies for growth and its recommendations will be published in a few weeks.



Lee also reported that the government will continue to strengthen its ties with overseas partners to create opportunities for Singapore companies and Singaporeans.


Alberto Guglielmi via Getty Images Tomatoes, potatoes, and beans in baskets on a table in a rustic kitchen.

From opera to pianos to denim jeans, Italy is responsible for some of the greatest inventions in the world. While the Mediterranean countrys contributions to art and culture can't be underestimated, they pale in comparison to its culinary offerings. Every bite of pizza and every twirl of spaghetti is a spiritual moment in and of itself.

The good news is, you don't have to go all the way to Italy to taste the glory (although you probably should; the Venice canals, Roman ruins and Amalfi Coast are spectacular). With the right ingredients in your kitchen you, too, could be cooking like an Italian.

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To help you on your way we've identified some of the key ingredients that will transform you into an authentic Italian chef in partnership with the Italian Trade Commission. Scroll through the list below to see the five ingredients you need to pick the next time youre at the supermarket.

Pasta

A traditional Italian staple, pasta comes in a near-infinite number of varieties. Some of the more inventive and intriguing variations include a corkscrew noodle Fusilli bucati, Biciclette ("bicycles"), which literally resemble little bikes on your plate, and Farfalloni ("large butterflies"), which many know as bow tie pasta. Italy is worlds undisputed top supplier of pasta, producing more than three million tons a year.

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Tomatoes

It's impossible to make an authentic pasta sauce without one key ingredient  tomatoes. There are more than 300 varieties of tomato grown in Italy. For making sauces, plum tomatoes are the best.

Prosciutto

The anchor ingredient of any good antipasto plate, prosciutto is thin-sliced dry-cured meat thats made from the pork hind leg and thigh. Many regions in Italy have their own unique signature types of prosciutto, including Prosciutto di San Daniele PDO and Toscano PDO, but the most popular is Prosciutto di Parma PDO from the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. Its considered to be one of the best and most sought after prosciuttos.

Parmigiano Reggiano PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) and Grana Padano PDO

Grated over pasta and shaved over salads, stirred into soups, or eaten on its own, Parmigiano Reggiano PDO has been around since the 12th century and is nicknamed the "king of cheese" in some quarters. Made from unpasteurized cow milk, Parmigiano Reggiano PDO is aged between one and three years to create its signature hard, granular texture. Not all cheeses are created equal, though. The only true form of this cheese is the Italian-made Parmigiano Reggiano PDO, which is produced in the north-central Italian provinces of Parma, Reggio, Emilia, Modena, Bologna and Mantova. An alternative to Parmigiano Reggiano is Grana Padano which is made from unpasteurised, semi-skimmed cows milk. Its often milder in taste and softer.

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Authentic Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

If theres one thing you must have in your Italian pantry, its authentic Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Used in salads, pasta dishes and even baking, EVOO has been a staple in Italian cuisine for centuries. Homer called it liquid gold, early adopters viewed it as a magical elixir, and today its become a staple in Italys economy. The Mediterranean country is the second largest producer of olive oil in Europe, with 18 out of 20 regions in the nation growing olive trees.

Balsamic Vinegar

Dark, thick, sweet and sour, balsamic vinegar is the perfect addition to many Italian dishes. Whether its drizzled on Mozzarella di Bufala Campana PDO or on a scoop gelato, balsamic vinegar adds dimension and a deep flavour. If youre looking for the most traditional version of the condiment, look for Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena PDO or Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Reggio Emilia PDO on the vinegars bottle and be aware of the number of years the liquid has been aged. Balsamic vinegar is so beloved in Italy that the country hosts an annual competition called Palio di San Giovanni that rewards the best producer.
Right in the feels.

Keith Urban paid tribute to a few of the artists lost in 2016, playing a surprise medley of their songs during a performance in Nashville, Tenn. on New Year's Eve.

The country musician praised the "incredible mark" they left in music and on him personally. "I grew up with a lot of these artists," he said.

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Urban began his medley with a soulful acoustic rendition of George Michael's "Careless Whisper." And the crowd sang along as he moved onto Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah."

His tribute took an upbeat turn with "Take It Easy," a hat tip to the late Eagles founder Glenn Frey.

Urban's wife, actress Nicole Kidman, also joined him onstage for "Heroes" by David Bowie.

He then nodded to his country roots with "Mama Tried" by Merle Haggard.

His bandmates joined him to cap off the tribute with a rousing electric version of Prince's "Purple Rain."

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Watch Urban's tribute above.

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When I was told I would be included in the Queen's New Year honours list, I thought I would write a blog reflecting on my career and the issues that remain as pertinent today as they did when I started working in the voluntary sector many years ago. And then I remembered that I find New Year reflections and forecasts dull and time-consuming.

So, instead, here are the top things I would like to see change in relation to children and young people in the UK.

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1. More support to help young people find jobs

Politicians, employers, educationalists and journalists must acknowledge that we have a crisis of opportunity among young people. The situation is bad for all young people but particularly bad for young women. We have a generation that will be worse off than their parents, we have youth worklessness rates over 20% in some places, and we have high levels of in-work poverty. We continue to have high levels of job segregation, with women hugely under-represented in certain areas of work, and economic inactivity remains stubbornly high among young parents. Young mothers are particularly at risk of maternity discrimination.

Young people want to work but they need more support. It is not that they just need a bit of career advice and, hey presto, problem solved. Collectively, we need to recognise that we have a fundamental problem and we are at risk of disenfranchising a generation of young people. Is it any wonder they are less likely to vote?!

2. Investment in new jobs

We cannot rely on careers advice and other employment support services to address the situation on their own. These services will fail unless there is investment in business and training in areas where young people are struggling to find anything that they can do.

3. An end to gender stereotypes that shut women out of higher-paid jobs

We need to incentivise young women into work areas like construction and IT, so that they can challenge the usual stereotypes and create a critical mass of young women who will in turn become role models for those following behind them.

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4. Care given the recognition it deserves

We must value parenting and caring and demonstrate this by providing truly affordable and accessible childcare, by finding ways of supporting kinship care, by paying decent salaries to those who work in these sectors and by making all jobs flexible and part-time by default for men and women.

5. Better mental health services for young people

If we really value our children and young people, and want to address the reality that young women are now the highest risk group in England for mental health problems, we need to dramatically improve the mental health services they use, ranging from preventative interventions to suitable inpatient care for those in greatest need.

6. More flexible and part-time apprenticeships

Schools will never be able to ensure that all young people leave with clear career paths and adequate qualifications. We cannot write off young people at 16 or 18 because they have not achieved a level of qualification that is likely to get them into work. There needs to be greater focus and commitment to affordable and accessible further education and apprenticeships, including flexible and part-time apprenticeships. We need training for young men and women to fill the jobs that the economy needs.

7. A living wage for all

We also need to lower the height of the hurdles preventing young people from escaping from poverty. This includes prohibitive housing and travel costs which contribute to the levels of in-work poverty, and a basic living wage for all young people.

8. Investment in preventing abuse and violence

In relation to abuse and violence, we need to have a much better understanding of our emotional worlds. We invest so little in understanding why people are violent, what influences their sexual proclivities. I am not suggesting for one moment that we should condone abuse of any sort, but that we should acknowledge its prevalence in most communities and invest more in understanding how to manage and prevent it, rather than just to punish perpetrators when and if their crimes come to light. I have no idea how much the fated Independent Inquiry into Sexual Abuse is going to cost but I wonder if there has been any consideration of investing at least the equivalent in research and treatment facilities.

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9. A commitment to tackling under-representation in the workplace

We need to do something that speeds up the pace of change for women and quotas could be one way forward. Let's at least make sure there is an obligation on all employers and educational establishments to demonstrate how they are attempting to address under-representation of certain groups and not just paying lip service to the issue.

10. An understanding that young people want to contribute

I could go on: access to pornography; gendered toys; the portrayal of young women and young men in the media - just to name a few. But, ultimately, I think having the will to look at what is happening relies on the fundamental questions: do we value young people and do we understand that most of them want to work and contribute to society?
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2016 was a year of RIP posts on social media. As the year drew to a close, the main thing people could talk about was the number of celebrity deaths that blighted the last twelve months. One must wonder, why do people in the public eye deserve our mourning, when hundreds of thousands die every day?

Therefore in 2017, I am hoping we can say RIP to celebrity pedestalling. I wasn't the only one who got a little sick of all those 'don't take any more from us 2016' posts regarding the death of celebrities. Just because they are celebrities doesn't make their passing any more of note than the swathes of 'normal' people that die every day. People that die due to things we can help stop: war, famine, poverty, climate change, disease. Moreover, things that we in the West cause!

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The main problem with the world today is the superiority complex that still, after many years of the fight for equality, permeates society at multiple levels. The rich aren't better than the poor; light skin isn't better than dark skin; parents aren't better than the childfree; westerners aren't better than easterners; and famous people aren't better than the rest of us. We are all human, and we should all be equal in life and in death. Things believe it or not, are improving, but we can do more.

68 celebrities died in 2016. Over 56 million people died in total. So, the RIP posts spamming our Facebook walls are for 0.00012% of the people who actually passed in 2016. I get it, some celebrities have a profound effect on our lives through their chosen art (goodness knows where I would be without Eminem, Christina, or Gaga - probably 6 feet under with the other 56 million). But wouldn't it be better if we put all our 'mourning' energy into use, to combat some of the ills that contribute to the deaths of millions?
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Seventy-five years ago, the Japanese military launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that launched the US into World War II. The Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, paid respects to honour the fallen at Pearl Harbor this December. Abe's visit is not only significant in terms of keeping relations between the US and Japan on a positive footing, it is also a timely reminder of why the events of World War II need to be remembered.

While everyone is familiar with what happened immediately after Pearl Harbor in terms of the US declaring war on Japan, there are many things that happened on the home front that still resonate in today's America, such as the internment of those considered threats to national security.

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During World War II, anyone who was a citizen of an Axis nation automatically became an 'enemy alien'. The FBI had lists of these individuals in case war broke out. Some of these enemy aliens were given the chance to defend themselves in tribunals to prove their innocence, and this meant that many Germans and Italians were able to remain at liberty. However, when it came to enemy aliens who looked significantly different from mainstream America - the Japanese and their American born children - the risk was considered so high they were rounded up and sent to euphemistically termed 'relocation centers'. This policy of wholesale internment meant over half of the population of the camps were children - born in the US and supposedly protected by the US Constitution. Even children who had a fraction of Japanese blood were taken out of orphanages and placed behind barbed wire.

After years of legal battles, the Japanese American community eventually received an apology from Ronald Reagan in 1988. This was followed two years later by a payment of $20,000 to all survivors of the camps, made by George Bush. When the case was reassessed, the Supreme Court ruled internment:

stands as a caution that in times of international hostility and antagonisms our institutions, legislative, executive and judicial, must be prepared to exercise their authority to protect all citizens from the petty fears and prejudices that are so easily aroused.

If any of this sounds familiar, that's because it is happening again. There has been a huge rise in prejudice and fear during the recent US presidential election. Just as after Pearl Harbor all Japanese were seen as the enemy, since 9/11 all Muslims have been viewed as enemies because of the actions of Islamic extremists. This is despite the fact that the number of deaths caused in America by gun crime is significantly greater than the number caused by jihadi terrorism. That has not stopped President Elect Donald Trump and his supporters reviving interest for a Muslim registry. A Muslim registry is nothing new in the US - just look at George W. Bush's National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS) , which was primarily targeted at men from Muslim countries. But, while the policy wasn't unconstitutional, it was highly controversial, and was ultimately scrapped because it was found to be ineffective at protecting the nation. Which begs the question as to how a resurgence of this policy would be in the best interests of national security.

Recognising that something similar to internment could happen to American Muslims, the Japanese American community has been vocal in their condemnation of this misrepresentation of history. While Trump supporters cite the legal case of Korematsu v. USas being precedent for this type of policy, they seem to have forgotten that a) the Supreme Court ruled the decision was made on misleading information; b) a Republican president has publicly apologised for the wrong; and c) a second Republican president saw the apology through with financial compensation.

However, this misinterpretation of history - which puts everyone's constitutional rights at risk - is creeping into the mainstream. Just last month, the Los Angeles Times published an article about the National Park Service's work to commemorate the racial and civil rights history at several of their sites. However, the LA Times also published two letters in response to the article that were not 'civil, fact-based discourse'. These letters included many myths, including the argument the Japanese were interned for their own safety. The letters also claimed that the Japanese had experienced a comfortable war, protected from harm, whereas, in reality, thousands of Japanese Americans served in the US Armed Forces in the most decorated unit for its size and service while their families lived in primitive conditions behind barbed wire. It is remarkable that these letters were published in the first place, and it is particularly disturbing how many of these myths are being perpetuated in modern day America.
As I step down as CEO of Dearman, I must admit that a piston engine that runs on nothing but air - the basis of the last 12 years at Highview and Dearman - does sounds like a hoax. That's what Lord Sugar thought when Peter Dearman wrote him a one line email at the Mirror national newspaper to try to get some publicity for his car running on liquid air.

"Dear Sir Alan, I have invented a car engine which uses liquid nitogen or air as fuel. It uses no fossil fuel, produces no pollution and is cheap to manufacture."

Lord Sugar replied in his column "I was not sure whether the email was one of my pals trying to wind me up until I looked at your website .... I'm no expert, but if there are any engineers who wish to have a peep, look at the website and get in touch with Peter. But if you [Peter] are trying to pull the wool over their eyes, forget it, as any credible organisation will just have a good laugh."

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But after 12 years working with Peter, I am so glad that I was naive enough (and not an engineer) to lift the bonnet and take a peep; and instead of laughing at the home-machined parts, coke bottles, beer keg and pieces of string, saw him for what he is - a classic British garage inventor who is neither mad nor a hoaxer, but just sees the world very differently.

Today, Peter's invention has attracted tens of millions of pounds of investment from government, private investors and industry partners, and spawned a whole new industry - clean cold. The importance of this has been recognised in several major reports, including the University of Birmingham led a policy commission, 'Doing Cold Smarter' chaired by Lord Teverson last year.

Highview Power Storage, the first company born out of Peter's invention, has built and tested a full system prototype (now a test-bed at the University of Birmingham) and is close to switching on a 5MW grid-scale liquid air energy storage system, while Dearman is road-testing a zero-emission transport emission unit running on liquid nitrogen with Sainbury's - the first of a portfolio of products delivering clean cold and power.

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While Highview is working on larger, grid-scale (tens of MW) systems with GE and others, a consortium led by Dearman has recently secured 15 million in funding from the Advanced Propulsion Centre and industrial partners to develop its suite of clean cold and power applications. Dearman, with international partners, also has two government funded programmes in India and Malaysia; one for data-centres and one for zero-emission cold chain.

Additionally the University of Birmingham has secured government support for the Birmingham Centre for Cryogenic Energy Storage (BCCES): a 12 million project including bespoke cold / thermal and cryogenic energy storage and engine laboratories and equipment and test-beds. The University of Birmingham and the research arm of State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) have unveiled a Lab on Energy Storage Research in thermal and cryogenic energy storage and their integration and application in energy networks.

This year the British government has funded the Thermal Energy Research Accelerator to accelerate novel cooling technologies through to market. While even the EU is in on the act, giving 7 million for the Cryo-hub, a pan-European consortium to research the potential efficiency gains that might be achieved by integrating Liquid Air Energy Storage with existing cooling and heating equipment found in refrigerated warehouses and food processing plants.
On Dec. 30, 2016 I received a call from Governor Andrew Cuomo's office informing me that I was just granted a pardon. My knees shook and arms got numb as the news sunk in. It was the exact feeling I had in 1996 in Sing Sing prison when I was told by the Deputy of Security that I was granted executive clemency by then Governor George Pataki. But now was different than then. Back then I was on the tail end of serving a 15 to Life sentence for passing an envelope of 4 and a half ounces of cocaine to under-cover officers. I was to make a fast 500 dollars for the delivery. Being desperate I wound up doing a stupid thing to make some fast money. I not only ruined my life, I ruined the life of my 7-year-old daughter Stephanie who until this day has never recovered from the stigma generated from the crime that I committed.

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When released I had to learn how to be free once again. I had served twelve years in prison and five years on parole and lived in total fear that I would violate my conditions of parole and be thrown back into prison. I found out quickly that a simple walk in my crime infested South Bronx neighborhood or a train ride in the NYC subway system could easily escalate into a situation that would cause me to lose my freedom. Overwhelming joy and happiness dominated my first few days' home, but once these initial emotions began to fade, I realized the freedom I fought so long and hard to win was not what I imagined it to be. The way of life I once knew was gone, along with my friends and most of my support base. I discovered I was alone in a new world that had drastically changed without me.

Getting my life back on track was no easy matter especially finding out that governmental road blocks existed at almost every level of my re-entry. I searched for a solution to my problems and realized that when my cell door was shut behind me, I did not leave behind those twelve years of hard time. When those prison doors close behind you and you leave its confines, you are not free. You are still doing time--just doing it on the other side of the bars. I soon found out that prison life was deeply rooted into my present existence; a decade of life in an environment where survival mechanisms and behaviors were hardwired into daily existence had changed me profoundly.

Being hard-wired for survival was a good thing. In the free world, though, it was another matter, especially when these mechanisms would surface suddenly and without warning. The tools that were once lifesaving had become a tremendous burden as I tried to get my life back together. I had survived the prison experience and made my way to freedom by creative self-expression, painting, but I was soon to learn that freedom had its costs. I talk about this in my new memoir "This Side of Freedom: Life after Clemency. For many, including myself, carrying the stigma of being an ex-offender is often debilitating. From being denied employment and housing, to not knowing how to establish healthy relationships, life became exceedingly difficult

With this pardon I become the first individual in New York State to receive clemency and a pardon which helps vindicate the draconian 15-to-life sentence I received as a first time non-violent offender. It indicates forgiveness of my crime from the government because the punishment I received was not appropriate. It is also a public proclamation that I have demonstrated exemplary behavior since being released and it shows that people in prison can successfully re-enter society without negative results. I want to thank Daniel Loeb for his support in obtaining my pardon and I pray that Governor Cuomo continues to show compassion for those that deserve it and he continues to use his pardon power.

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I ended the year off right - with a colonoscopy. This is apparently part of the ceremonial initiation into the horror of turning 50. Because I'm changing insurance (thanks, Obama), I wanted to get the colonoscopy done before the end of the year, so I scheduled it for December 29th.

If you haven't experienced the joy of prepping for a colonoscopy, you haven't lived. I'll spare you the details, except to say that I would compare it to a firehose of shit exploding from your anus, but I wouldn't want to belittle firehoses. This happens twice: once the night before the procedure and once the day of. My friend Ken Weinstock recommended that I "Golytely" into the procedure, and if you don't understand the horror of that statement, consider yourself lucky. Oh, and while you're prepping, you can't eat or drink anything except for clear liquids. And I was thinking, no problem, I can survive on clear liquids, until I read the following in the directions: "And yes, while beer and vodka are technically clear liquids, they are contraindicated for this purpose." Fuuuuuccccckkkkk.

On the day of the procedure, my wife Kate drove me to the hospital. It was all very quick and orderly. I arrived at 12:45 pm, and by 1:00 pm, I was in the exam room in a hospital gown (I was told to leave my socks on; apparently, this was going to be a quickie), and was wheeled into the colonoscopy room at 1:30 pm.

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The room was unremarkable except that is had a big screen on the wall. I had been told I would be given Fentanyl and Versed for sedation, which might make my memory of the procedure foggy, as if in a dream. "Wait, I'm going to be awake???!!" "Yes, but the medication will make it all worthwhile."

The doctor came in and explained the procedure to me, including all the horror stories of what could go wrong - bleeding, perforated colon, Trump presidency - but he assured me that these were unlikely to lead to death. I signed the release and was directed to roll on my side, look at the screen, and welcome the incoming probe. Apparently sensing my discomfort, the nurse rolled up a towel and put it under my head.

The nurse administered the drugs with three shots into the IV. One second, I was wondering if they were having any effect at all, the next I was floating off into a beautiful, peaceful, happy state staring at the drama unfolding on the screen before me. Actually, I should mention that before the insertion of the probe, the doctor did a "manual exam" and remarked on the exceptional smoothness of my prostate.

I was awake and aware for the entire procedure. While that might seem horrifying, I was blissfully unaware of any discomfort or pain. When the doctor first stuck in the probe, he remarked on how well I had done with the prep. Apparently there was not a trace of fecal matter to be found, just smooth, unobstructed colon as far as the eye could see. In this moment, I was extremely proud.

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As the horror unfolded behind my anus, with the probe rammed further and further in with each passing moment, I experienced each high-speed twist and turn on the screen as if it were some extreme-sports GoPro helmet-cam exploration of my colon. The doctor was narrating the whole procedure, and I remember one moment vividly where we hit an especially precarious turn that he said polyps often hide behind. The probe careened its way around the turn, only to find the area polyp-free. It was exhilarating.

When the procedure was completed and the probe fully extracted, the doctor remarked on how extraordinary my colon was. Clear, smooth, a fantastic colon. Really exceptional, best he had ever seen. Which made me think of Donald Trump.

As I look back at the shitshow that was 2016, and look forward to the horrors of the year to come, I can't help but think that the Trump presidency is America's colonoscopy. America did what it could to prep for the election, with the deepest, darkest recesses of American shit exploding from the mouth of Donald Trump daily in wave after wave of mindless degradation, leaving us empty and void of even the slightest trace of dignity. Soon we will arrive at the hospital that is the inauguration, where Donald Trump will begin the procedure, ramming the Trump agenda into America's anus with the brutal force of a thousand gallons of Golytely. Except that for this procedure, there will be no towel placed under America's head to make us more comfortable, no Fentanyl or Versed to make America blissfully unaware, no socks left on to keep America's feet warm and keep us from slipping. And now we are told by America's nurse, the media (stick with me here), that the best we can hope to do is lie back and welcome the probe.

But is it? What if we fought back against the indignity of the probe. What if we took a stand against the colonoscopy? What if we said to Donald Trump, "Enough! America's anus and no further!!!" What if we stood up, each and every one of us, and prevented the colonoscopy from happening at all??!!!*

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As I'm writing this, my phone is flashing the headline: "Welcome to Chillicothe, Ohio, where you can get heroin quicker... than pizza!" It's going to be an interesting year. Happy 2017.

* * *
The United States Government (USG) is guilty of a cover-up reminiscent of the tobacco industry's longstanding denial of a nexus between smoking and disease.

The USG conceals from its soldiers the risk of suicide or self-destructive behavior connected with fighting in our nine ongoing presidential wars not in self-defense that entail grisly killings of women and children: Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Al Qaeda and ISIS.

Statistics are a starting point. But they are misleading or worse when divorced from the human element.

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Touring Vietnam early in his tenure, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara cheerfully assured a reporter that "every quantitative measure we have shows that we are winning this war." Echoes of Mr. McNamara are heard today from the Pentagon and the intelligence community testifying to Congress in effect that by every quantitative measure we have we are destroying ISIS.

Notwithstanding the shortcomings of statistics, according to estimates of the National Alliance to End Veteran Suicide and the Department of Veterans Affairs, 7,400-8,000 veterans are committing suicide annually. Their risk is said by the VA to be 21 percent higher than among the civilian population.

VA estimates place the annual risk of PTSD among veterans at between 10-20 percent depending on the war.

These naked statistics are given flesh and blood by studying the anatomy of the days of 20-year-old Sam Siatta during his service in the Marine Corps in Afghanistan as reported in The New York Times Magazine (January 1, 2017, "The Fighter" by C.J. Chivers).

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Soon after he was deployed, Siatta was shaken by the sight of a child in a wheelbarrow with a bullet that had penetrated above his left eyebrow and severed the back of his head. The young marine told the NYT Magazine reporter, "During all of our work-up, shooting targets, throwing grenades, doing all that, you never once saw kids mangled."

Siatta participated in a festival of killings in the ensuing weeks. He wrote in his diary in the manner of Anne Frank:

"I go to sleep every night knowing I have the blood of so many on my hands and no amount of soap could ever wash these stains away."

At about the 100 day mark of his service in Afghanistan, Siatta continued in the same vein in a companion diary entry:

"Sitting on post and not in firefights is really starting to fuck with me. Its making me rethink all the [decisions] I've made here and making me question if they were the right ones to begin with. The men I've killed well 15-year-old boys with Guns is more like it but did I deserve to kill them did they deserve to die.

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I mean I'm 20 years old I know damn well the risks of [joining] the Marine Corps in time of war. But did these young boys, Boys that I've killed know what the fuck there were [doing] or even fighting for, these are questions I ask myself."

When Siatta returned to civilian life, he turned to self-ruinous conduct--including drinking and a guilty plea to a charge of attempted home invasion.

He is the soldier's Everyman.

No human can avoid traumas or nightmares caused by participation in gratuitous wars that turn children into orphans, wives into widows, and have fathers bury sons rather than sons bury fathers.

Every recruiting poster or presentation featuring Uncle Sam's "I Want You For U.S. Army" or otherwise should thus be required to include a prominent warning: "Participation in wars not in self-defense will implicate you in the killings of women, children, and youths and heighten your risk of suicide or self-destructive behaviors."

For the USG to lure men and women into the armed forces without full disclosure of the hazards of service is morally indefensible.


When Time magazine named Trump "Person of the Year" for 2016, many pointed out that the honor had been bestowed on Hitler in 1938. But in 1966, fifty years ago, the magazine named people under age twenty-five--baby boomers--"Man of Year" and offered a lengthy cover story in their January 6, 1967 issue called "The Inheritors."

Explaining their choice, the editors said, "No single earthly figure bestrode the year as did the restless, questing young," a group that "dominates current history." Comparing boomers to the prior, "Silent Generation," the editors write, "Today the young are anything but silent," make "many statements, and appear more deeply committed to the fundamental Western ethos--decency, tolerance, brotherhood--than almost any generation since the age of chivalry."



The editors felt the youth of the day were "most accurately viewed through the campus window." In other words, the elite was ignoring the poor and working class of all colors back then, too. The "Inheritor" they focused on was a white, male, middle-class boomer who would go to college and graduate into a decent job, putting him on the first rung of the ladder to bigger, better, and more.

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The economy was strong, corporations and the wealthy paid their fair share of taxes, and the government had both the will and the money to invest in the health and wellbeing of its most vulnerable citizens, creating Medicare, Medicaid, and Head Start. Describing the lived experience of the under 25s, Time said, "Cushioned by unprecedented affluence and the welfare state, he has a sense of economic security unmatched in history." Strong unions and good paying manufacturing jobs meant that the under 25s who didn't go to college could also enjoy the American Dream.

But it didn't quite turn out that way. Reaganomics, globalization, and technological changes set the stage for the under 25s without college to be left behind and left out of the new economy. These are the boomers, fifty years later, who made Donald Trump president.

As post-election analytics show, education is the big divide between the red state and blue state mindsets. Education was preparing boomers for a career and setting their expectations for a standard of living above that of their parents. But more importantly, learning about the history of civilizations, studying arts and sciences, and developing critical thinking skills is personally empowering; it replaces ignorance and leaves less room for fear and hate. The young people profiled by Time magazine likely grew up to be Clinton supporters--boomers who are horrified and saddened that much of the progress our generation fought for in the sixties, bringing about a more inclusive and just society, is now in jeopardy.

As I discuss in my book Beatleness, the media's obsession with teenagers, students, protestors, and hippies from 1964-1970, combined with corporate America's cultivation of boomers as a lucrative market with its own pop culture, contributed to boomers' strong sense of generational identity. This first post-war generation was deemed special and had great expectations. Sadly, with great expectations come great disappointments.

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Voters in de-industrialized states expected their lives would be better than the lives they're now living. And adding insult to injury, they felt looked down upon by coastal, blue state culture. Bernie, and later Hillary, pointed the finger of blame for their economic plight in the right direction. But Trump's media savvy manner and hateful message, identifying people of color, immigrants, Muslims, and other minorities as the reason these white boomers' great expectations haven't been met, resonated more. Boomers came of age in a singular moment of American history; white male boomers, even in the working class, had idyllic childhoods in a newly child-centered, optimistic culture. Everything was great. So yes, of course, let's make America great again.

Time's Man of Year issue in January 1967 also ran a letter written by young people questioning the "wide disparity between American statements about Viet Nam and American actions there." Time called the growing "credibility gap" "as urgent a problem as any that confronts the nation today." The editors, along with the rest of the establishment, vastly underestimated the power and commitment of young people who opposed US involvement in Vietnam.

Thirteen months later, when American journalist Walter Cronkite, the most trusted man in America, came out against the war, public opinion started to shift. Nineteen-sixty-eight would bring protests on campuses nationwide. Protests against the selection of the insufficiently dovish Hubert Humphrey at the Democratic Convention--a choice widely perceived, by the young especially, as going against the wishes of the primary voters--turned violent as the whole world watched. It was later determined that one in six demonstrators was actually a government agent of some kind, inciting what an in-depth study concluded was a police riot.

Soon, the credibility gap was further exacerbated by Watergate. By the eighties, the credibility gap had morphed into a general distrust of government and, thanks to Reagan's brilliant messaging, a desire within the electorate to see government's role limited. Trump's boomer supporters, from childhood, to adolescence, to adulthood, were raised to be cynical of the political process and distrustful of government. Given their disappointment and unchanging circumstances, they had nothing to lose by embracing someone who would "shake things up."

Because boomers--of all social classes and irrespective of education--were television natives, they learned about the world differently and saw the world differently than previous generations. Weaned on television, they learned to read emotions and various points of view up close. This is what Time is referring to when they say "The 'Now Generation' had a "keen ability to sense meaning on many levels at the same time," and that they possessed a "built-in bunk detector for sniffing out dishonesty and double standards."

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Most of us spend nearly nine hours a day engaged in media, technology or communications, but just a fraction of that time is spent talking on the phone. A 2014 Telegraph article reports that the number of landline calls has fallen by 38 percent since 2007. Meanwhile, even the average length of a cellphone call has dropped from 2.38 minutes in 1993 to 1.8 in 2012.

Many of us view phone calls as distracting, superfluous and presumptuous, which is partly why phone communication is largely excluded from millennial career advice. We prefer email. But, in a few cases, they're still essential, superior modes of communication. Here are five times to get on the phone:

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If it's going to be awkward.

One Forbes article advocated email over phone conversation because there are no awkward silences or pauses in emails. But this awkwardness is exactly why we need phones. Silence is a form of listening, empathy, respect and expression. It's also a way of communicating: we receive valuable information from pauses.

Conversations that may be awkward on the phone are more likely to be offensive, misunderstood or even incomprehensible by email. Because awkward phone calls can sometimes turn into catastrophic email exchanges, it's better to bite the bullet and bear the discomfort.

If you want to build a relationship.

Phone calls humanize work communication in a way that email can't. Spoken words spark collaboration and laughter. We build relationships not by exchanging information but by feeling like we're together.

Moreover, tone and context are easily misread in email, which can lead to unnecessary conflict and damage existing or potential relationships. "It is hard to get the EQ (emotional intelligence) right in email," explains Anthony Tjan for Harvard Business Review.

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When you've scheduled it.

Calling someone out of the blue can feel confrontational and needy unless you have regular dialogue. In the age of email and calendar invites, there's nearly no reason to call someone without scheduling it first.

This is both a courtesy and a productivity trick: by scheduling when the call will happen and how long it will last, you're more likely to stick to the agenda and allocated time.

If you're negotiating.

When you're thinking about whether to call or send an email, ask, "Is this a negotiation or a notification?" Whenever you don't want something in writing or you're still talking terms or discussing, phone calls can sort out interests and information without setting anything in stone prematurely.

On the other hand, if you're simply trying to share information as an FYI, the receiver would likely appreciate not getting a phone call. There's nothing to converse about; an emailed heads up would be better.

There's a distinction between sharing data, where one person talks at the other and conversation "where there's a coming together and more of an exchange," Dr. Richard Graham told The Telegraph.

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If it's time to close a loop.

Email gives people an opportunity to research and consider what's on the table. Phone calls, by contrast, require thinking and responding quickly and spontaneously, which can make them stressful or inadequate when we want to weigh our options and take time to respond.

But, for this same reason, calls can also be a great way to close the loop. If an existing email exchange is persistently unclear or unsettled, a phone call can politely put people on the spot and get a definitive answer. In short, phone calls can remove a digital bottleneck and tie up an exchange so we can move on or forward.

Takeaway

Fundamentally, how we communicate depends on what we're exchanging. If you're exchanging cut and dry information, email often suffices. If you're exchanging thoughts, ideas, opinions or potential terms for negotiation, a phone call may be warranted.

Today, we have infinite ways of communicating information. Matching the right medium with the right topic can save us time and start more meaningful working relationships.
Last month, I woke up in Marrakech, Morocco, attending the 22nd Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP22), to the news that Donald Trump won the U.S. Presidential Election. Immediately the future of climate action became unclear, thrown into question by the possibility of President-elect Trump carrying out many of his campaign promises. Though PE Trump has softened his stance on many of his more extreme tweets, environmental protection still faces a great deal of uncertainty from a national perspective.



The day after the election at COP22. Photo credit: T. da Silva.

Soon after the news settled in, I remembered two key facts that makes me hopeful for the next four years: the clean energy revolution has already begun (and in many ways is just getting started) and subnational and private sector action will prevail in the face of a halting or regressive national climate policy. Most of this can be backed by powerful public and bipartisan support.

One of the key passages of the Paris Agreement was inclusive of non-state actors. During COP22, I attended a side event on the enhanced role of non-state action with the high-level climate champions and other esteemed speakers, who asserted that 80% of future climate action will come from non-state actors. I strongly believe that local/state actions, sustainable businesses, and clean energy investments will carry us forward to our future green economy.

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In fact, as I was leaving Marrakech, 365 corporations announced support for the Paris Agreement, in a public statement directed to PE Trump, "we want the US economy to be energy efficient and powered by low-carbon energy," and, "failure to build a low-carbon economy puts American prosperity at risk."

More than 80 of the world's leading companies have made a commitment to go 100% renewable. Facebook, Microsoft, and IKEA are among a coalition dedicated to transitioning to 100% renewable energy called RE100, aim to eliminate any reliance on energy produced from fossil fuels. Recently, Google announced it will to switch to 100% renewable energy in 2017, and intends to run all of its operations on wind and solar energy. Google's energy consumption is nearly as much as the city of San Francisco, and is by far the leading corporate renewable energy purchaser in the world.

Top businesses are not the only supporters of the Paris Agreement and the U.S. transitioning to a clean energy future. Americans all across the political spectrum understand that switching from fossil fuels and our dependence on foreign oil, to a clean energy sources at home strengthens our economy, reduces our emissions, and increases our ability to adapt to future risks.

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Last month, I attended the Clean Energy Savings for All Summit in Baltimore, MD, and learned how powerful community-driven action can be. In spite of a two year freeze in Ohio on their renewable portfolio standard (RPS), Cuyahoga County has set an example as a leader in clean energy innovation. Local efforts include building the first solar farm in a landfill that will help power 17 county buildings, working with a local utility to help low to moderate income customers gain energy efficiency upgrades, and utilizing smart data to make future decisions about clean energy development. All of this community-driven action on clean energy is blooming in spite of the state-wide freeze, which was recently struck down by its governor, citing the need for the state to move towards job creation.

At home in Washington, DC, this past month I was asked to to judge a climate innovation competition I won last year, that serves to foster local solutions to our climate challenges in cities worldwide called Climathon. All of the finalist teams were passionate about the solutions that they had developed, and the issues they were solving were grounded in real city challenges; not just in DC, but all over the world in 59 cities across 6 continents. These types of city public-private partnership solutions are key to the future of climate action, especially when multiplied and brought to scale. This efforts will become increasing important in the face of the next administration.
By Christopher Zoukis

A federal prison in Natchez, Mississippi, run by the largest private operator of correctional facilities drew a scathing audit report from the Inspector General of the Department of Justice (DOJ) in mid-December, just weeks before a new administration likely to be more favorably disposed toward private prisons takes office.

Since April 2009, DOJ's Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has contracted with the Nashville-based company CoreCivic, Inc. -- which changed its name from Corrections Corporation of America in October -- to run the low-security Adams County Correctional Center. It houses up to 2,567 male, noncitizen -- primarily Mexican -- inmates. The agency signed two-year renewals twice, as recently as 2015, and another renewal option arises in July 2017. Since October 2009, DOJ has paid $468 million for the private facility, making it the agency's third-largest contract during that time.

Despite the sizable outlay, all did not run smoothly. In May 2012, during an inmate riot, a young guard was beaten to death, and 20 prison staff and inmates injured. After the riot, BOP identified understaffing, inexperience, and communication problems as contributing factors. An FBI agent characterized the riot as inmates' protest against bad food, inadequate medical care and allegedly abusive staff.

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The DOJ inspector general's just-released audit showed, even four years later, the Natchez prison has not fixed many of its earlier-identified problems. The audit's authors voiced deep concern the prison was still "plagued by the same significant deficiencies."

In half the months following the riot, the audit found, prison staffing levels were even lower than at the time of the riot. The audit calculated staffing levels differently from the company's method, saying it didn't reflect actual hours worked. The DOJ audit also said company staffing levels frequently fell below the minimums set by BOP regulations.

The audit further claimed medical staffing levels were similarly overstated, with just one doctor and dentist available much of the time, in violation of standards in BOP's contract. One press account drawing on prison-monitoring documents claimed at least seven inmates at the Natchez prison likely died from inadequate medical care.

The audit also faulted the facility for having very few Spanish speakers on staff. In July 2015, the facility's 367 staffers included only four fluent in Spanish for about 2,300 foreign nationals, predominantly Spanish speakers. And the company's pay and benefits substantially lagged levels at BOP and state prisons, resulting high turnover and a deficit of experienced staff. The company disputed the audit findings and claimed it had made improvements.

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The new audit by the DOJ inspector general's office is its latest -- but not its only -- sharply criticizing private prisons. In April 2015, the office made similar criticisms of the Reeves County Correctional Center, a West Texas facility run by the Geo Group (formerly known as Wackenhut).

This August, the DOJ inspector general issued an extensive report stating both inmate safety and security were generally worse at private prisons than at federally operated ones. One week later, DOJ announced that it intended to phase out its use of private prisons within five years. However, since then, it has renewed contracts with two private prisons. Eliminating federal use of private prisons was a plank in the Democratic presidential platform, but during the campaign, Republican standard-bearer Donald Trump spoke favorably of private prisons.
If you travel to Berlin, by all means visit Checkpoint Charlie, as much to commune with ghosts as to see what remains there (including a museum founded by a human rights activist).

Way back in the late fall of 1961, I was excited to make my first visit to Berlin, from which my mom's family had emigrated to the U.S. in the 19th century. This was the city on behalf of which my country had orchestrated a post-WWII airlift when access roads were blockaded at the behest of the USSR, once our ally against Hitler, then our Cold War enemy.

Like one of my college roommates, who was engaged to marry a young woman from West Berlin, I was on a grand tour of Europe, as recipient of a "travelling fellowship" given by our college. Free to gallivant around the continent, we felt invulnerable, the way many guys in their early 20s did. We flew into Tempelhof, where more than 200,000 flights had unloaded coal, food, and other necessities, while we lads were still in grade school.

Staying with the young woman's family (she was in the U.S. as an exchange student), we witnessed a torchlight parade about the very recently built wall that blocked off East Berlin. One placard in the parade denounced what Willy Brandt, the mayor of West Berlin, had called "Schandmauer und Stacheldraht," the wall of shame and barbed wire. I had previously seen torchlight in Berlin only in old newsreels from the Nazi era.

There was a way through the wall, called Checkpoint Charlie. Soviet and U.S. tanks had faced off there in October 1961 before withdrawing. But we had at least a day of wondering whether this was the prelude to war.

Shortly after the torchlight parade, my friend and I decided to make a peaceful visit to East Berlin. Walking over the line, we slid our U.S. passports through a slot in a blank office wall to go into the East Sector and, after a nervous pause, we were admitted. Our first destination was the spot where Hitler's body had been burned in 1945, outside his bunker, as Soviet troops fought their way into the city.

Then we found something called the Karl Marx Buchhandlung and entered the shop to scan the shelves. I hadn't known that Josef Stalin had composed an entire book on linguistics (or at least, in the way of some leaders, had signed a ghost-written book). We walked through Alexanderplatz, after which a 1929 novel had been named, a novel as famous in German as Joyce is here but full of slang that makes it almost untranslatable. We delivered heart medicine to East Berlin relatives of my friend's fiancee and were served tea with a plate of scarce pastries.

The next day, back on the other side, I wandered onto Bernauerstrasse, where a butcher shop on the boundary had been bricked up as part of the wall. Alone, I was starting into a fatuous reverie about how the wall, so hastily thrown up, had unGermanic curves as it slurped over the curbs, when I glanced up and saw, on the other side, an East Berlin border guard with a machine gun watching me.

In the Cold War, it was essential for Americans to identify with the occupants of that city, encapsulated by the East German state but, as the old capitol, divided into sectors ruled by the four main victors in the war against Hitler. That is why our hero of the time, JFK, later flew to the city and declared before a wildly enthusiastic crowd, "Ich bin [I am] ein Berliner." In the local argot, ein Berliner was a kind of pastry, but as the U.S. President pounded his right fist on the podium the crowd understood his meaning.

At Checkpoint Charlie these are some of the ghosts that dwell around a wall that no longer exists. In October 1989, shortly before the original Cold War ended, the wall was opened after standing for 28 years. It was then torn down, with slabs sold as memorials, many slabs covered on one side with graffiti.

For other adventures during my year traveling around Europe, see articles set in Venice (tea with Peggy Guggenheim), London (the British poet and painter David Jones), and Edinburgh and Amsterdam (the social fiction of the "invisible hand"). Of these encounters, only Berlin offered an encounter with the Iron Curtain, through a version of which we were able to pass at the checkpoint.
President-elect Donald Trump appears focused on domestic policy. He wants to rebuild infrastructure, cut taxes, reduce imports, save jobs, streamline regulation, and more. While he seems to have strong views on international issues, he lacks "nuance." He won't be able to escape foreign controversies, but he could avoid creating his own.

He should follow one overriding principle: Stay out of war.

George W. Bush thought differently. Unfortunately, his two conflicts are the gifts which keep on giving -- disastrously. The Afghanistan war was necessary, but only its initial phase, targeting al-Qaeda and ousting the Taliban. The following 14-plus years of Quixotic nation-building were a tragic diversion. The invasion of Iraq, with no connection to 9/11 and posing no threat to America, was foolish from the start.

In these two conflicts, estimates Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, almost 6900 American military personnel have died and another 52,000 have been wounded. Even more U.S. contractors, nearly 7100, have been killed. Tens of thousands more have been injured. Thousands of allied military personnel and foreign contractors also have become casualties.

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These numbers understate the human cost. Many of those wounded suffered, and still suffer, grievously. They would have died in earlier wars and will endure crippling injuries for the rest of their lives. Wrote Neta Crawford of Boston University, "The veterans of these wars suffer from skeletal injury, PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury at rates higher than the veterans of other wars."

Moreover, hundreds of thousands of civilians have died in the sectarian conflict unleashed by the U.S. invasion in Iraq: estimates start at around 200,000 and race upward. More than 30,000 have died in the Afghan war. U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan have killed more than 1400 civilians. Thousands more civilians have died in Pakistani military operations supported by America. An estimated 7.6 million Iraqis, Afghans, and Pakistanis have been displaced at home or turned into refugees overseas.

Imagine what America would be if Bush had not plunged the nation into two disastrous and unnecessary wars. Imagine if the tens of thousands of Americans had not been killed or injured. Imagine if they were alive and well to serve their families, communities, and country. Imagine what they could have accomplished for themselves and contributed to the lives of those around them. The nation would be much richer in human, social, and economic terms. While these lives obviously cannot be reclaimed, the president-elect could honor their sacrifice by avoiding any similarly misguided wars in the future.

There's also the financial cost of Bush's follies. As of September, figured Crawford in a Watson Institute paper, Washington had spent $4.79 trillion on Afghanistan and Iraq, along with still sizeable but much smaller amounts in Pakistan and Syria. Of course, explained Crawford, "a full accounting of any war's burdens cannot be placed in columns on a ledger." Yet by even this limited measure Americans should recoil in horror at the extraordinary waste.

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These prodigious expenditures span the spectrum. Much went for combat operations. A substantial amount funded civilian aid and reconstruction, much of it grossly wasted. Some expenditures covered anti-terrorism activities at home. Washington paid allies, such as Croatia, Georgia, Jordan, and Poland, for their support. Pakistan, too, received much civilian and military assistance, including $22 billion in Coalition Support Funds. Highly indebted Uncle Sam paid interest on the Pentagon's appropriations.

In addition, wrote Crawford, "any reasonable estimate of the costs of the wars includes the fact that each war entails essentially signing rather large promissory notes to fulfill the U.S. obligations for medical care and support for wounded veterans. These future obligations will total approximately an additional $1 trillion in medical and disability payments and additional administrative burden through 2053." For instance, an astounding 327,000 veterans of the post-9/11 wars have been diagnosed with brain injuries and more than 700,000 have been classified as at least 30 percent disabled.

Promiscuous war-making also requires a larger military. Thus, greater annual expenditures are required to support a bigger force structure and more weapons. Pay was increased to attract volunteers as unpopular wars reduced the propensity of many young men and women to enlist. Crawford also noted that expenses rose because of "the more complicated medical needs of active duty soldiers injured during their deployments." Benefits must be provided to additional retirees. Overall, Bush's misguided wars prompted a large increase in military outlays for this "base budget," which Barack Obama only began trimming late in his first term, before pushing back up after he plunged America into war against the Islamic State. Crawford attributed $733 billion in base budget expenses to Bush's wars.

Still, Crawford's $4.79 trillion cost estimate remains too low. It does not include the expense of veterans' care paid by states and localities. Nor "other costs externalized to military families and Americans more generally," including "the macro-economic consequences of the wars."

Nor is future interest expense included. Neither Bush nor Obama used traditional measures to finance their wars--such as higher taxes, sale of war bonds, equivalent spending cuts, or conscription. Thus, the conflicts, wrote Crawford, "are projected to add more than $1 trillion dollars to the national debt by 2023. By 2053, interest costs will be at least $7.9 trillion unless the U.S. changes the way it pays for the wars." That is, Americans may eventually pay more to finance the wars' costs than for the wars themselves.

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Who predicted anything close to this expense? No one, at least not in the Bush administration. Mitch Daniels, head of the Office of Management and Budget, figured $50 to $60 billion total. Economic adviser Lawrence Lindsey was forced out after predicting a war cost of $100 billion to $200 billion. The president he served viewed this estimate as wildly excessive.

In short, the Bush administration lived in a fantasy world as it committed the worst foreign policy blunder in decades. Trillions of dollars were diverted from other, beneficial uses. And we will continue paying for Bush's wars for years if not decades more.

Donald Trump should take a different course if he wants to solve problems, make deals, and strengthen America. He should start by insisting on no more stupid wars. No social engineering, no nation-building, no humanitarian crusades, no shaping the international environment. Absent a compelling justification, an extraordinarily serious if not vital interest, he should not loose the dogs of war.

Next, he should end Bush's stupid wars. President Trump should bring the troops home from Afghanistan immediately. Fifteen years is enough. So long as the Taliban does not host terrorist training camps, Washington can live with a divided Afghanistan stuck in the Dark Ages. It is beyond America's power to turn Central Asia into a mirror image of America.

And he should draw down U.S. forces in Iraq. The latter has the resources to defeat the Islamic State. America can only lose participating in an ongoing sectarian war in which even its allies are adversaries: Shia-dominated Iraqi military, local Sunni tribes, Kurdish Peshmerga, Sunni Turkey's military, and Iran-backed Shia militias. Unfortunately, after pushing the Iraqi Humpty Dumpty off of the wall, Washington cannot put him back together again.

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Wouldnt it be of tremendous value to know how to read someones body language?

Research shows approximately 55% of all communication comes from body language. Can you imagine what an advantage it would be to your career and your personal relationships if you were able to hear what is not being said!

(Guys, this might really come in handy for you one day  just sayn!)

High Emotional Intelligence & Body Language

Not coincidentally, people with high emotional intelligence are well aware of the importance of non-verbal communication. They pay close attention to body language and other non-verbal cues while communicating with others.

Heres some really good news. Everyone can learn to read body language.

Following are ten secret tools of the trade for reading body language. With a little effort you can implement these tools and gain an incredible advantage (and boost) to your career and personal relationships.

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10 Secrets Tools for Reading Body Language

Let's start with the face.

1. When Someone is Smiling - Watch their Eyes. A true, authentic smile creates a crinkling of the skin around the outside corner of the eyes. This crinkling is commonly referred to as crows feet.

If someones smile doesn't produce crows feet around their eyes, this suggests their smile may not be genuine. The person smiling may be hiding their true feelings or thoughts from you.

A happy smile is defined by crows feet  and you cant fake it.

2. Staring Eyes. If someone is intentionally looking at you for too long - this usually makes you feel uncomfortable. Deliberately staring at someone suggests one of two things.

The person staring at you is either lying to you or they are trying to intimidate or scare you. Be aware.

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3. Raised Eyebrows. Raised eyebrows indicate one of three emotions: worry, surprise or fear. People raise their eyebrows when they are feeling uncomfortable about something. Again, raised eyebrows cant be faked.

It might take a while to figure out what the discomfort is all about.

But it is to your advantage to at least know someone isnt totally comfortable and relaxed with what is going on or being said.

4. Clenched Jaw, Furrowed Brow or Tightened Neck. These bodily responses are controlled by the limbic system of the brain. They are all signs of considerable distress (i.e. stress reactions).

When you see these reactions, be sure to look for the discrepancy between the verbal and non-verbal messaging you might be receiving to help you figure out what may be causing the distress.

Moving on to the Body

5. Mirroring of Body Language. During conversation, if someone imitates what you are doing, that means they are in agreement with you and the conversation is going well.

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For example, if the speaker crosses their legs and the listener proceeds to crosses their legs  both parties are engaged in a comfortable dialogue.

When people are feeling connected, they unconsciously mirror each others body language.

6. Crossed Legs and Arms are usually signs of resistance. They suggest that the listener is closed off to your message  regardless of whether they are smiling and nodding to the contrary.

Again, these body motions are unconscious reactions so it is important you pay attention to what the listener is negatively reacting to.

7. Shrugging Shoulders is a common gesture that indicates a lack of understanding to what is being said or a situation that is unfolding.

If you notice a listener shrugging their shoulders, you might want to pause and find out what is not being understood.

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8. Open Palms when Speaking. Barbara and Allan Pease state that an open palm historically represents truth, honesty, allegiance, and submission.

For an interesting read on this, check out the Peases book: The Definitive Book of Body Language.

9. Power Posture. We all know who the boss is when he/she enters the room. How? Their body posture speaks loud and clear.

The purposeful stride, erect posture, head held high, shoulders back, eyes forward and opened palms facing downward suggest strength, confidence and leadership.

Sustaining good posture commands respect and power; sloughing projects lack of power and lack of confidence.

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10. Pointed Finger with a Closed Hand is displayed when someone is trying to dominate and evoke submission in others.

Nobody likes to have a finger pointed at them and it creates much tension and negative feelings.

Try to learn one or two of these tools at a time. Before you know it, you will be a master at reading body language.
At work or elsewhere, most everyone has experienced a relationship that turned toxic. If you have, you know they're a major drain on your energy, productivity, and happiness.

In a new study from Georgetown University, 98% of people reported experiencing toxic behavior at work. The study found that toxic relationships negatively influence employees and their organizations in nine notable ways:

80% lost work time worrying about the incidents.

78% said that their commitment to the organization declined.

66% said that their performance declined.

63% lost work time avoiding the offender.

47% intentionally decreased the time spent at work.

38% intentionally decreased the quality of their work.

25% admitted to taking their frustration out on customers.

12% said that they left their job because of it.

48% intentionally decreased their work effort.

While the turnover from toxic relationships is costly, the real cost is the lost productivity and emotional distress experienced by people who are stuck in these relationships.

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We may not be able to control the toxicity of other people, but we can control how we respond to them, and this has the power to alter the course of a relationship. Before a toxic relationship can be neutralized, you must intimately understand what's making it toxic in the first place. Toxic relationships develop when one person's needs are no longer met or someone or something is interfering with the ability to maintain a healthy and productive relationship.

Recognizing and understanding toxicity enables you to develop effective strategies to thwart future toxic interactions. What follows are the most common types of toxic relationships and strategies to help you overcome them.

1. Relationships that are passive aggressive.

This type takes many forms in the workplace, from the manager who gives you the cold shoulder to the colleague who cc's e-mails to your boss. One of the most common forms of passive aggression is a drastic reduction of effort. Passive aggressive types have great difficulty receiving feedback, and this can lead them to leave work early or not to work as hard. Passive aggression is deadly in the workplace, where opinions and feelings need to be placed on the table in order for progress to continue.

When you find someone behaving passive aggressively toward you, you need to take it upon yourself to communicate the problem. Passive aggressive types typically act the way they do because they're trying to avoid the issue at hand. If you can't bring yourself to open up a line of communication, you may find yourself joining in the mind games. Just remember, passive aggressive types tend to be sensitive and to avoid conflict, so when you do bring something up, make sure to do so as constructively and harmoniously as possible.

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2. Relationships that lack forgiveness and trust.

It's inevitable that you're going to make mistakes at work. Some people get so fixated on other people's mistakes that it seems as if they believe they don't make mistakes themselves. You'll find that these people hold grudges, are constantly afraid that other people are going to do them harm, and may even begin nudging you out of important projects. If you're not careful, this can stifle upward career movement by removing important opportunities for growth.

The frustrating thing about this type of relationship is that it takes one mistake to lose hundreds of "trust points" but hundreds of perfect actions to get one trust point back. To win back their trust, it's crucial that you pay extra-close attention to detail and that you're not frazzled by the fact that they will constantly be looking for mistakes. You have to use every ounce of patience while you dig yourself out of the subjective hole you're in. Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day.



3. Relationships that are one-sided.

Relationships are supposed to be mutually beneficial. They have a natural give and take. In the workplace, this applies to relationships with people who report to you (they should be getting things done for you and you should be teaching them) as well as with people you report to (you should be learning from them, but also contributing). These relationships grow toxic when one person begins to give a disproportionate amount, or one person only wants to take. It could be a manager who has to guide an employee through every excruciating detail, or a colleague who finds herself doing all the work.

If possible, the best thing to do with this type is to stop giving. Unfortunately this isn't always possible. When it isn't, you need to have a frank conversation with the other party in order to recalibrate the relationship.



4. Relationships that are idealistic.

Idealistic relationships are those where we begin to hold people in too high a regard. When you think your colleague walks on water, the relationship becomes toxic because you don't have the boundaries you need in a healthy working relationship. For instance, you might overlook a mistake that needs attention, or do work that violates your moral compass because you assume your colleague is in the right.

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This loss of boundaries is extremely toxic to you, and you have the power to set the relationship straight. No matter how close you may be with someone, or how great you think her work may be, you need to remain objective. If you're the one people are idealizing, you need to speak up and insist that they treat you the same way they treat everyone else.



5. Relationships that are punitive.

Punitive relationships are those where one person punishes the other for behavior that doesn't align directly with their expectations. The major issue with punitive types is that their instinct is to punish, without adequate communication, feedback, and understanding. This belittling approach creates conflict and bad feelings.

To survive a punitive type, you must choose your battles wisely. Your voice won't be heard if you dive right in to every conflict. They'll just label you as someone who is too sensitive.



6. Relationships built on lies.

These types get so caught up in looking good that they lose track of what's fact and what's fiction. Then the lies pile up until they're the foundation of the relationship. People who won't give you straight answers don't deserve your trust. After all, if they're willing to lie to you, how can you ever really depend on them?

When you remove trust from any relationship, you don't have a relationship at all. Building a relationship on lies is no different than building a house on a pile of sand. The best thing you can do is to count your losses and move on.



How To Protect Yourself From A Toxic Person

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Toxic people drive you crazy because their behavior is so irrational. Make no mistake about it--their behavior truly goes against reason, so why do you allow yourself to respond to them emotionally and get sucked into the mix?

The ability to manage your emotions and remain calm under pressure has a direct link to your performance. TalentSmart has conducted research with more than a million people, and we've found that 90% of top performers are skilled at managing their emotions in times of stress in order to remain calm and in control. One of their greatest gifts is the ability to identify toxic people and keep them at bay.

The more irrational and off-base someone is, the easier it should be for you to remove yourself from their traps. Quit trying to beat them at their own game. Distance yourself from them emotionally, and approach your interactions with them like they're a science project (or you're their shrink if you prefer that analogy). You don't need to respond to the emotional chaos--only the facts.

Maintaining an emotional distance requires awareness. You can't stop someone from pushing your buttons if you don't recognize when it's happening. Sometimes you'll find yourself in situations where you'll need to regroup and choose the best way forward. This is fine, and you shouldn't be afraid to buy yourself some time to do so.

Most people feel as though because they work or live with someone, they have no way to control the chaos. This couldn't be further from the truth. Once you've identified a toxic person, you'll begin to find their behavior more predictable and easier to understand. This will equip you to think rationally about when and where you have to put up with them and when and where you don't. You can establish boundaries, but you'll have to do so consciously and proactively. If you let things happen naturally, you're bound to find yourself constantly embroiled in difficult conversations. If you set boundaries and decide when and where you'll engage a difficult person, you can control much of the chaos. The only trick is to stick to your guns and keep boundaries in place when the person tries to cross them, which they will.

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Bringing It All Together

There are many different types of toxic relationships in the workplace. When you find yourself embroiled in one, it's worth the effort to evaluate things carefully and develop a course of action that will save your sanity and better your career. You can always take an emotional intelligence test, to see if you have the skills you need to make it happen.
The Basilica di S. Maria sopra Minerva, the only remaining Gothic cathedral in Rome, was celebrating its last mass shortly after dusk. A choir singing "Oh Holy Night" peeled through the vaulted arches. The streets were filled with the usual sightseers to the Pantheon which is right around the corner. Minerva is the home to priceless works of art, amongst them Filippino Lippi's "Annunciation With St. Thomas of Aquino," Bernini's "Memorial to Maria Raggi," which turns marble into the illusion of fabric and Michelangelo's "Statue of the Redeemer"--not to speak of the fact that Fra Angelico is buried there. But what is most astonishing is the totally inauspicious facade which belies the treasures to be found within. It's a metaphor for something, though one isn't totally sure what. Rome certainly gets its cards on the table, a walking and talking historical theme park. But sopra Minerva is like that soft spoken kid who turns out to be a genius or the shy wallflower with the wondrous soul. Hidden beauty is the theme here along with the notion of the play within the play or invisible worlds which lurk beneath the surface of everyday reality. Perhaps the real significance lies in the word sanctuary which means sacred place. What's sacred is that which is enduring, but it's not always what's immediately visible to the eye.
Antonio Guterres, who replaced Ban Ki-moon as UN secretary-general on January 1 should immediately treat the decay in the UN Human Rights Council.

The whole of the UN is stained by the UNHRC's ineffectual response to the humanitarian disaster in Syria, its inexcusable disregard of systematic Christian persecution, the membership of serial human rights abusers such as Saudi Arabia and its trifling support for women's rights.

Founded after WWl on the ashes of the League of Nations, the UN was strongly supported by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor, a torchbearer for women's rights and the groundbreaking Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

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"All victims of human rights abuses should be able to look to the Human Rights Council as a forum and a springboard for action," Ban declared recently.

Sadly, these fine words have not led to action for victims of the barbaric civil war in Syria.

While Aleppo burns, the UNHRC fiddles with reports. Dictator Bashar al-Assad's troops have killed more than 100,000 people. Most of the dead are members of the Sunni majority, millions of whom have fled to Turkey, Jordan and Europe. Assad, a member of the Shia-aligned Alawite sect, is with the support of Iran and Russia flagrantly conducting a policy of ethnic cleansing, reportedly clearing the way for Shia Muslims from Iraq.

The UNHRC has paid little attention to the persecution of Christians. On behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation, the UNHRC adopted non-binding resolutions to combat "defamation of religions", and in 2011 accepted a resolution against the incitement of violence based on religion. Despite this, the persecution of Christians in many Muslim countries has been largely ignored.

Islamic State has used beheadings, abductions, sexual slavery, forced conversions and crucifixions to terrorize Christians. In the past few months: more than 30 Christians were hacked to death by Islamist militants in the Democratic Republic of Congo; churches in Pakistan and Egypt were attacked; a Muslim convert to Christianity was beaten to death in Uganda; Christians caught taking communion wine faced flogging in Iran and 27 Christians were arrested for possessing Bibles in Saudi Arabia.

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In October Saudi Arabia was re-elected to the UNHRC, without a heed for Amnesty International's 2015-16 report detailing severe human rights violations by the kingdom. These include the detention and flogging of dissidents, in particular blogger Raif Badawi (sentenced to 1000 lashes), widespread torture, more than 150 executions, discrimination against the Shia minority, indiscriminate killing of civilians in the Yemen civil war and the subjugation of women. Notwithstanding this abysmal record, Saudi Arabia was elected in 2015 to chair a UNHRC panel that chooses officials who report on human rights violations.

Regarding women's rights, the UNHRC has been ineffectual, betraying the many Muslim and minority women and girls who have suffered sexual violence in areas of conflict controlled by Islamists. As victims of rape, forced marriage, sexual slavery, and child marriage, they merit more than a spineless body.

Consisting of 47 member states, the UNHRC is supposed to be the foremost global platform for safeguarding and advancing human rights. However, the body is highly politicized, with many members acting in sovereign interests. Furthermore, member states China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela are themselves human rights violators.

Such travesties led to the demise of the UN Commission on Human Rights and its replacement by the UNHRC 10 years ago. Reforms resulted in more meetings and the establishment of the Universal Periodic Review to regularly evaluate all UN member states.

Voting in the UNHRC is symptomatic of the UN as a whole. Due to equal votes for all 193 member states, whatever their size, the relatively few democracies are usually outvoted. The General Assembly is dominated by two politicized blocs: the Non-Aligned Movement and within the NAM, the 57-member OIC, headquartered in Saudi Arabia. These groups contain authoritarian and sexist states.

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Moreover, many Muslim states reject the UDHR in favour of the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights, which is based on sharia. They are therefore at odds with the universal principles fundamental to the UN and UNHRC, and their membership of these organisations would seem hypocritical, if not absurd.

In the past 70 years, the US has contributed more than half a trillion dollars to cover the immense growth and maintenance of the UN, and many developments in health and education have been achieved. However, the HRC has proved largely ineffective in dealing with major human rights violations.

Guterres will have to treat the decay in the UNHRC to avoid a terminal illness.
Like other Democratic voters, I was painfully disappointed by the result of the 2016 US Presidential election. Though the pain may be slowly abating, there is a palpable unease that transcends politics and preferences. It feels as if some sort of decay is festering in the soul of America. The decay seems to have taken root almost without our notice over the course of many years, but in the aftermath of the election we can no longer deny that it exists. Our country is in deep moral distress, and we must wake up and pay attention.



A significant portion of the electorate in this election chose to override ethics and ideals for the sake of political and personal expediency. A number of reasons have been cited to justify this behavior. The ultimate truth is that we have allowed anger, fear and prejudice to override our moral values. This is politics as usual, we might argue. However, the ugly voices of blatant racism, hate, lies, prejudices, misogyny and uncouth behavior were blaring and screaming at us like never before but we chose to ignore them for the sake of personal convenience. This will have consequences. I do not claim to be a moral or pious person, but from my personal experience, I know in my heart that when I disregard ethics for personal advantage, this has karmic effects.



We have voted into power an administration that reflects our fatal flaw: a reckless willingness to disregard ethical principles for the sake of power and convenience. What are some of the immediate dangers?



First, because the incoming administration during its campaign consorted with and appeased hate groups for the sake of votes, they are beholden to them. Whosever approval you seek, you become their prisoner.



Second, in an environment of public apathy, polarization, sensation-seeking media, and an incoming administration that does not value integrity, our democratic institutions are in danger of eroding and declining. When the roots are weak, the sapling withers.



Third, we are regressing into the backwaters of history by wanting to make America great through domination and power. We are like the unthinking man with the proverbial hammer who sees every problem as a nail to be hammered down. Alas, we learn from history that we do not learn from history.



Is there no silver lining in this watershed election? Yes, there is! The shock effect of this election has been galvanizing, Many of us have awakened from our slumber and indifference, eager to take responsibility and become engaged as never before. It is heartening to find so many individuals and groups in neighborhoods, schools, organizations, and houses of worship asking how we can move forward in ways that preserve our ideals of humanity and serve the common good. The cliche "We are the ones we have been waiting for" has become a heartfelt rallying cry.



As an example, some members of Interfaith Community Sanctuary have responded by meeting regularly to determine what we can do in this time of uncertainty. They have committed themselves to practicing five essential steps involving inner and outer work.



Inner work



1. Honor the difficult feelings that have been aroused by recent events. All feelings, positive or negative, are simply energies begging our attention. Embrace with compassion the feelings of pain, sadness, fear and anger. Acknowledge, heal and integrate them. Through spiritual practices such as sacred holding, fear transforms into mindfulness; anger into vitality; sadness into compassion.

Become aware of negative imaginary scenarios swirling in your mind. The collective mental environment is already rife with thought vibrations of anger and anxiety. Don't add to the mental pollution and become overwhelmed or despondent. Diminish the overload of negative vibrations through practices such as Neti! Neti!



2. Let go of self-righteousness. Be humble. Do not let the hellish fires of anger flare up when you witness injustice and prejudice. Stand your ground and speak up truthfully, but guard against arrogance and do not add to the problem by speaking or acting with violence.



3. With humility and compassion examine your own prejudices and stereotyping of the other. Strive to overcome them. As a South Asian Sunni Muslim, for instance, I need to acknowledge and try to counteract several biases that exist in my culture, including the unequal status of women, prejudice against darker skin, and pettiness towards other Muslim sects such as Shia or the Ahmadiyya community.



Outer Work



4. Bond with groups who have been marginalized in this election, and with those who support those groups. All over the country there are calls to gather and unite. Start locally and meet often. Bond in friendship. Personal relationships will cement a united front. Share feelings, collaborate with other groups, and plan necessary action. Make a commitment not to compromise on social justice issues and earth care, and to support one another in times of threat and intimidation.



It is critical to reiterate that without friendship and inner work on self, the united front will crack. Over time, we shall be tested. Will Muslims continue their unity with Jewish groups if a conflict breaks out in the Middle East between Israelis and Palestinians? Will Muslims move beyond conditioned biases and work with LGBTQ groups?



5. The most critical step in our outer work is to connect with the other, in this case, the Trump supporter. We simply must move beyond our polarization. This work is long overdue. We must learn to bond on a human level, share human stories, and sustain a heart connection with people who do not share our political views. The work requires us to be humble, sincere and persistent as we share the proverbial three cups of tea: listening, respecting, and connecting.



Some members of our congregation have already reached out to Trump supporters. Suspicion and distrust are slowly abating on both sides and subtle shifts in thinking are occurring. Already the tendency to demonize or dehumanize the other has drastically reduced. Differences in political ideologies remain but they no longer loom as a threat. Amazingly, friendship and goodwill create a space where parties can join hands and collaborate on issues dear to both hearts: projects of social justice for instance.



Finally, have faith in the workings of a Greater Being, whether you call it God, Spirit, Higher Intelligence, the Universe, or any other name that your belief system allows. In our human existence of mystery and bewilderment, we are not privy to the larger story. The Universe wants us to learn from the enigmatic turns and twists of life's circumstances. "Never lose hope, dear heart," utters Rumi, "miracles dwell in the Invisible," and "even if the whole world turns against you, keep your eyes on the Friend."



Know that Divinity has a sense of humor. Were we not stunned beyond belief when a man of mixed race with a Muslim middle name was placed in the White House? Did we ever think this was possible in our lifetime? Are many of us not stumped, again beyond belief, that a person who unabashedly spouted prejudice of every kind, a polar opposite in many ways, has been elected President of the US? Did we think this could be possible in the Twenty-first Century? There are some lessons we need to learn through the experience of opposites. Rumi explains this phenomenon through a metaphor: God turns us from one feeling to another so that we might have two wings with which to fly, not one.



Above all, we must not succumb to feelings of powerlessness as we watch many flawed and unqualified personalities being appointed to positions of power. Instead, let us empower ourselves by persisting in both inner, spiritual work and outer, interpersonal connections. It is not enough to just throw up our hands and hope that God will save the day. A Bedouin once asked the Prophet before entering the mosque to pray, "Should I tie my camel to the post or trust in God alone." The Prophet replied, "First tether your camel to the post, then trust in God."


Team Sage (Courtney Cooper, Vince Galante, Lisa Hart, and Ziyan Hossain) are students from OCADU's Strategic Foresight and Innovation MDes program, and previously competed in the 2016 Hult Prize Regional Finals in Shanghai, China.

Students around the world are creating start-up social enterprises to restore rights and dignity to refugees. The Hult Prize @ OCAD University congratulates Team Sage on their success at the campus qualifying competition. Sage is a mobile education solution that turns refugee camps into classrooms without the need for internet connections or physical spaces. Their network connects students with tutors, and provides the necessary curriculum for students to continue their education while living in uncertainty.

The Hult Prize is the world's largest annual student competition and start-up platform for social good. It aims to identify and launch the world's next wave of social entrepreneurs by encouraging students from around the world to compete in teams to solve the planet's biggest challenges with innovative ideas for sustainable start-up enterprises. Annual Hult Prize winners can make their ideas reality with the help of USD $1 million in seed funding, as well as mentorship from a network of global leaders and changemakers.

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This year's challenge was "Refugees - Reawakening Human Potential": Restoring the rights and dignity of 10M people by 2022. With a focus on people and societies who may be, or are forced into motion due to social injustices, politics, economic pressures, climate change and war, as well as those currently living in informal / illegal settlements.





OCAD University hosted their campus qualifying round on December 14, 2016. The winners of the qualifying round will bypass the traditional application process (20,000 applications!) and head straight to one of five final rounds of the competition in March 2017. The winning team hopes to compete in London, England. They were selected from a panel of esteemed judges including; Mathu Jeyaloganathan, Portfolio Manager of Impact Investing at World Vision, Marie Ang of the MaRS Centre for Impact Investing, and Ava-Dayna Sefa of LEAP: The Centre for Social Impact.

For the Hult Prize at OCAD University, this year has been full of firsts. Under Campus Director Roxanne Nicolussi, this year's Hult Prize has reached new levels of engagement with participants from various programs -- both graduate and undergraduate. The school, having never hosted pre-competition events in the past, hosted both a launch party and a 3-day hackathon to prepare the students for the upcoming competition. Thanks to Dasami Moodley, the hackathon included; ideation, design question formation, assumptions mapping, lean business model techniques, experiment design studio, prototyping lab and pitch preparation with industry mentors. The two hope to bring more events like this to the campus in the future.

OCAD looks forward to keeping up with the team's progress throughout the competition.


TONY'S

3755 Richmond Avenue

713-622-6778



For 30 years I have returned again and again to Tony Vallone's namesake restaurant in Houston, and in all those visits I doubt I've ever had the same dish twice. Even back in the 1980s, when Tony's was a red-walled society and celebrity dining venue and Tony himself was in a tuxedo every night, the basic menu was always appended with new dishes based on what was to be found in the local market or flown in from Maine, Seattle, San Francisco, the Outer Banks, or the Adriatic.



Tony's began as a modest eatery in 1965, then evolved from a red sauce standby into a continental cuisine restaurant, and by the 1990s into one of the finest Italian restaurants in America, with one of the foremost wine lists anywhere. Tony still makes frequent trips to New York and to Italy to see what's new and how what was old is being refined, then, passing all his research on to his chefs--some of whom he invites along with him--while allowing them their own personal stamp, which always has a little Texas swagger in it. And behind all that is Tony's wonderful wife Donna (above, with Tony).

The latest incarnation of Tony's is as modern and at the same time as timeless as any in Houston, with an arched dining room with a high, skylighted ceiling, a 12-foot, free-form sculpture--"The Three Graces" by Jesus Moroles--an intimate "Wine Library Room" with a spectacular Venetian glass chandelier, and a wine cellar holding 20,000 bottles and 1,100 labels, all priced quite decently.



The current chef is the immensely talented Kate McLean , a Houstonion, and w ile this is clearly Vallone's restaurant and menu, McLean has a clear charge to make Tony's ideas into real dishes of quality and elegance



On my last visit, first up were two superb pasta dishes--ravioli ascolani ($15) came stuffed with meat, nutmeg, golden raisins, walnuts and sage, graced with pecorino romano, and gnocchi ($12), made from buttery Kennebec potatoes, baked with Sicilian olives. In their simple flavors, all buoyed by perfect ingredients, the pastas display yet again what Italian food's enduring appeal is--to be satisfying while being enthralling.



Turbot ($33) was,just kissed with dry gin, with an incorporation of baccala into a light tomato sauce with juniper berries to mimic the gin.

America has some of the greatest veal and Tony's is as fine as any: the center cut of Provimi veal ($56) was graced with lemon and sided with watercress, cured heirloom carrots and dusted with rosemary, while luscious Colorado lamb chops ($68) joined with fava beans, eggplant. A Wyoming-raised center cut elk chop ($64) with fava beans, eggplant and jus was a magnificent presentation. For dessert there was an impeccably light apricot souffle served with caramel sauce and a tot of grappa ($15).

Five decades running, Tony Vallone and his restaurant are unique parts of American gastronomic history.



Tony's is open Mon.-Fri. for lunch and dinner, Sat. for dinner only.
The Oban distillery, Oban Scotland



The Oban distillery is one of the oldest in Scotland, dating back to 1794. It sits at the head of a broad U-shaped bay that shares its name. Its very name in Scotch Gaelic, An t-Oban, means "little bay." The island of Kerrera almost closes off the bay creating a particularly calm anchorage. In the distance, the Island of Mull and some of the other Hebridean islands protect the town from the Atlantic's onslaught.

Despite its small size, even today, Oban has a long and colorful history. The region has been inhabited since at least Mesolithic times, some 7,000 years ago. In 1885, during a renovation of the distillery, an old cave was uncovered on the distillery's grounds with evidence of prehistoric habitation. The Stone of Destiny, the ceremonial symbol of royal authority upon which all Scottish kings were crowned, was taken from Ireland and first landed at Oban, before being taken to Scone Abbey. Edward I, the "Hammer of the Scots," had the stone taken to Westminster Abbey where it was built into the Coronation Chair on which all English sovereigns have since been crowned. Since 1996, the stone has been kept at Edinburgh Castle when not required for a coronation.

On a more modern note, Oban was the landfall of the first transatlantic telephone cable. The cable, TAT-1, carried the infamous "hot line" that connected the Pentagon and the Kremlin. The line itself was never a phone line. It began as a teletype and switched to a fax machine in 1986.

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The distillery sits in the center of the town of Oban, making it one of the few urban distilleries in Scotland and the only one on a town's main thoroughfare. Indeed, the town grew up around the distillery and owes its very existence to Oban's whisky making tradition. It is one of less than a dozen functioning distilleries in Scotland that can document their history back to the 18th century.

Oban is located on the Firth of Lorn, at the very top of the Kintyre Peninsula, in the Argyll and Bute region between Helensburgh and Fort William. From its perch on the western edge of the Scottish Highlands it looks out over the Hebrides. It is "the gateway to the Isles;" one of the main transportation links between the Scottish mainland and the Islands.

Stylistically its whisky is also at the seam between the Islands and the Western Highlands. It's very lightly peated, two to three ppm, with a slight briny character, combining the typical West Highland fruitiness, sweet and floral heather notes and elements of the dry smoky style of the islands. The result is a distinctive, lightly smoky, malty, dryness that is the signature of Oban whisky.

Oban owes its existence to two entrepreneurial brothers, John and High Stevenson. In the late 18th century, the Duke of Argyll, eager to develop his lands, offered low land rents to anyone who would build a house. The brothers, both stone masons, launched a plan to develop Oban into a thriving town. They organized a range of ventures, from construction to slate quarries, to fishing and farming. Hugh opened a retail store that sold whisky, an unusual practice in late 18th century rural Scotland when virtually every highland farmer operated an illicit still.

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In 1793, the two brothers built a brewery in the center of what was then still a small fishing hamlet. The town was so small, that notwithstanding its status as a port and possessing an excellent harbor, it had not even necessitated a customs house till 1760.

The next year, the fledging brewery was converted into a distillery, then one of the largest and best equipped in Scotland. It's not clear if the brewery venture failed or whether it was just a cover for establishing the distillery. The first official license is not dated till 1797, and expired the following year. A second application for a license was made in 1818. It's uncertain whether the distillery suspended operations during that period or whether it just operated illegally. Unlike the other illicit distilleries in the highlands, Oban, smack in the middle of a town, would hardly have escaped notice.

The Stevenson family retained control of the distillery until 1866, when it was sold to Peter Cumstie. In 1883 he sold it John Walter Higgin who retained it till 1898. Historically, Oban's main market had been Glasgow. Even with a thriving port however, distribution had always been problematic. In 1888, a railroad link was established between Oban and Glasgow, finally allowing for broader distribution of Oban whisky.

The Oban distillery in the early 20th century

It was during this period that Higgin rebuilt the distillery, giving it its current facade and expanding its capacity. Other than for some updated equipment, the distillery today looks much like Higgin rebuilt it. In order not to disrupt the distillery's production, he rebuilt it in small steps over about an eight-year period. In 1898, he sold the distillery to whisky entrepreneur Alexander Edward, the owner of Aultmore and Craigellachie. He combined his other distillery interests into the Oban & Aultmore-Glenlivet Company. Aultmore, a Speyside distillery from the Glenlivet region, had the right to append the Glenlivet name to its distillery. It had nothing to do with the more famous distillery that went by the two-word name Glen Livet.

Higgin's timing proved fortuitous, because in December of 1898 the infamous Pattison Crash began. Historically, Oban had been bottled and sold as a single malt. In the 1890's, however, it began to sell bulk loads of mature whisky to the blending firm of Pattison's of Leith. The decimation of France's brandy industry as a result of the phylloxera grape louse and easy commercial credit had spurred a whisky boom and a rapid expansion of the industry. The Pattison brothers, notorious for questionable accounting practices and a lavish lifestyle, used easy credit to quickly assemble a whisky distilling and blending empire only to see it collapse when overproduction finally overwhelmed demand and creditors began calling in loans.

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Although Edwards ran the combined company, its shareholders included John Dewar and Sons, James Buchanan & Company and White Horse Distillers. In 1923, John Dewar bought out the other shareholders. Dewar became part of the Distillers Company in 1925, and from 1930 on Oban was run as part of Scotch Malt Distillers. Distillers Company morphed into United Distillers in 1986, which became part of the newly organized Diageo in 1997.

The Distillery was closed from 1931-37, during the great depression. It was also shut down from 1968 through 1972, while it was undergoing a major reconstruction.

The view of Oban Bay from McCaigs Tower in Oban

There are several interesting features about whisky distillation at Oban.

First, the operation itself is quite small. There are only two stills, a wash still and a spirit still. The wash still has a capacity of 11,000 liters and is usually charged to about 95 percent of capacity. The spirit still is only 7,200 liters in capacity and is usually charged to about 88 percent of capacity. The total output is about 660,000 liters of pure alcohol, making it the second smallest Diageo distillery in Scotland. Of Diageo's 30-odd distilleries, only Royal Lochnagar is smaller.

The stills are onion or lantern shaped with wide conical necks. The spirit still is actually quite small. According to Donald Colville, Diageo Global Scotch Whisky Ambassador, the stills are run "incredibly softly, gently even, to encourage as much contact with the copper as possible." The combination of wide necks and slow distillation maximizes reflux. A significant "lamp glass" constriction at the base of the necks also encourages reflux. Reflux refers to the condensation of vapor in the still and its subsequent re-distillation. Typically, the more reflux the lighter the style of the whisky. The stills are similar in design to the classic Speyside still.

The distillery uses a combination of both peated and unpeated malt, both of which come from Diageo's central malting facility. In the second half of the 19th century, Oban was often unpeated. It became progressively so during the early 20th century, although it remained lightly peated by the standard of island whiskies. In recent years, the distillery has been reducing its overall peating levels by increasing the proportion of unpeated malt that it uses in its mash tuns. According to Donald Colville, current peating levels are just a slight 2/3 ppm and the new make spirit is about 1/2ppm.

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Fermentation is an unusually long 65 hours. According to Colville, historically Oban used a combination of one long ferment of 120 hours and one short ferment of 65 hours. Currently, however, it does only the short, 65-hour ferment. While this may be considered short by Oban's historical practices, it is still at the upper range of the typical Scotch industry fermentation lengths.

Oban uses a traditional worm tub as a condenser rather than the modern tube and shell condenser. In a tube and shell condenser, the vapor passes through a large tube among myriad smaller pipes of water cooled copper tubing. This arrangement maximizes the amount of copper contact that the vapor receives, stripping it of heavy and sulfurous compounds.

In a worm tub, there is only a single spiraled copper tube through which the vapor passes. The tube or worm is immersed in a water bath. Distilleries that use worm tubs generally produce whiskies that are often described as having meaty notes; with aromas of smoked meat, jerky, bacon like and raw steak. Although the intensity of these aromas can vary quite dramatically between distilleries.

There are only 14 distilleries in Scotland that still use worm tubs. These are: Balmenach, Benrinnes, Cragganmore, Dalwhinnie, Edradour, Glen Eglin, Glenkinchie, Old Pulteney, Speyburn, Royal Lochnagar, Talisker and Mortlach. Springbank uses worm tubs, but only for the wash still.

The still room at the Oban distillery

The effect of the worm tub's reduced copper contact can be adjusted by running the worm tubs "hot." The hotter the temperature of the water they are immersed in, the longer it takes for the spirit to condense, thus prolonging the copper contact. An unintended consequence of "hot" worm tubs is that it also prolongs the distillation. Oban runs their worm tubs "hot," usually 113 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit (45-50 degrees Celsius).

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Oban's worm tubs also have another unique feature; they contain two worms nested within one another. The spirit emerging from the lynn arm is divided into the two worms. The only reason for doing so is to further slowdown the condensation and maximize contact with the copper tubing. The result is that the meaty notes typical of worm tub condensed whiskies are less noticeable, although still present in Oban, compared, say, to Mortlach where it is one of its signature characteristics. According to Colville, it's not clear when Oban began using two nested worms or if this has always been the case at the distillery. Locals claim the practice goes back to the 19th century.

Unlike many other Scottish distilleries, Oban's expressions are relatively limited. The core range consists of a 14 YO 43% ABV and a 43% ABV Distillers Edition. The Distiller's Edition is the 14 YO expression that is additionally double matured, usually for around a year, by finishing in a Montilla Fino cask. According to Colville, the specific length of time in the Montilla casks varies and is ultimately dependent on when the master blender considers the whisky ready. The Distiller's Edition bottling do not carry a specific age statement, but they do carry the year of distillation and are typically about 15 years old.

Montilla is a wine district in Spain about 125 miles northeast from Jerez. It produces sherry-like wines. Because the climate is hotter and drier here, however, these Sherries achieve higher alcohol levels without being fortified. The Montilla Finos tend to be slightly sweeter, fruitier, and less nutty and have a more viscus texture then Finos from Jerez.

Oban has also released an 18 YO and a rare 32 YO. Only 6,000 bottles of the 32 YO were released. It currently retails for about $1,900, although surprisingly it is often a lot cheaper at auction. Limited Editions cask strength 20 YO and 21 YO whiskies have also been released. The Oban Little Bay expression is a non-age-statement expression released in 2014, as a travel retail exclusive, but is now moving into the core range. Little Bay is a blend of whiskies drawn from a combination of Sherry casks, ex-bourbon hogsheads and ex-Bourbon refill casks that have had new oak ends added. The blend is allowed to marry in smaller, American standard barrels of 180-190 liter casks before being bottled.

Oban has sold its whisky as a single malt longer than just about any Scottish distillery. During the first half of the 20th century, however, its whisky often appeared in blends from Dewar, Buchanan and White Horse. According to Coolville, Oban is still used in small quantities by Diageo's blenders in some of the company's blended Scotch whiskies.

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Oban may also have been one of the first distilleries to bottle private label whisky. McKercher's, an Oban grocery store, sold Oban whisky under the Glenforsa brand name. The odd bottle of Glenforsa from the 19th century turns up from time-to-time at auctions. It's been described as soft and fragrant, with pronounced floral and heather aromas. Further evidence that in those days Oban may have been unpeated or only lightly so. Oban re-entered the single malt category in 1979, with a 12 YO bottling. This was relaunched in 1989, as the current 14 YO expression.

In 1988, United Distillers launched the classic malt range, picking six whiskies that epitomized the style of Scotland's whisky producing regions. Oban was selected as an example of a West Highlands malt. Although this concept was largely driven by marketing considerations, it did underscore Oban's unique style as a meld of the West Highland and Island styles.

Oban is an outstanding malt whisky with a signature style that combines the best features of whiskies of the Western Highlands and the islands. For Scotch whisky enthusiasts, its long history adds an additional element of enjoyment. Slainte.

Oban, 14 YO, West Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 43% ABV, 750 ml

This Scotch has a deep, rich amber color. On the nose, there are dry heather and floral notes followed by some dried fruit and citric elements. There is a malty creaminess in the background along with whiffs of smoke.

On the palate, it is initially distinctly dry with a slightly sweet, smooth creaminess emerging in the mid-palate. There is a briny note with a hint of old, sun-washed, drift wood layered with dried fruit elements followed by a slightly bitter note and a mild pepperiness.

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The finish is long, notably dry with a slight wood note that gives way to a long pepperiness and a slight bitter note that lingers on the end.

This an excellent whisky with a distinctive dry, floral, West Highland style.

Appearance 8/10, Nose 27/30, Palate 26/30, Finish 26/30 Final Score: 87/100

Oban Little Bay, NAS, Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 43% ABV, 750 ml

Little Bay has a dark amber color with a pronounced orange hue throughout. On the nose, there are distinctive floral and fruity notes, with some dried apple and candied orange, hints of spice, licorice and anise, and some creamy cereal notes.

On the palate, there is a distinctive sweet, viscous, honey creaminess. The wood is well integrated, barely noticeable and meshed nicely with dried apple notes and just a hint of mint. Mild pepperiness emerges toward the end, with a very slight bitter note.

The finish is long, with cereal and dried fruit notes and a slight sweetish and peppery element that lingers.

This is also an excellent whisky. Its Oban roots are obvious but it is sweeter, more nuanced with more distinctive dried fruit elements and a more complex finish.

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President elect Trump has vowed to end "all unnecessary regulations" in the energy industry as part of an "America-first energy" plan. Much attention has been paid to how regulations, which limit environmental and human-health impacts from pollution, restrict the use of fossil fuels. However, a recent study indicated that antiquated regulations are providing a barrier for renewable energy - specifically preventing an additional $70 billion market to the already explosive growth of solar energy.

As Elon Musk, the Chief Executive Officer overseeing the Solar City - Tesla marriage, is happy to point out, solar cells are extremely cost effective. Due to the tremendous drop in costs for solar technology, solar photovoltaic generated electricity, is now regularly less expensive than grid electricity and adoption is now rising rapidly throughout the U.S. Bloomberg reports that the American solar industry had a record first quarter in 2016, and for the first time, it drove the majority of new power generation.

As an August article in the Harvard Business Review pointed out because the U.S. solar industry is creating a lot of jobs (bringing on new workers 12 times faster than the overall economy), it could literally absorb all the jobs lost to the entire coal industry if U.S. coal is completely shut down in bankruptcy.

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Most people jumping onto the solar bandwagon at this point are doing it for cost savings created by the opportunity of ever increasing electric utility rates. The wealthy can afford to install a large high power solar energy system - enough to meet their energy needs over the entire year. Families without the up-front capital rely on zero money down programs like those offered by Solar City and other solar lease providers. They will not save as much money, but they still come out comfortably ahead, while helping green and modernize the grid.

However, the average American moves over 11 times over their lifetime and more than a third of Americans rent so making a 25 year investment in fixed solar photovoltaic system on a roof is challenging. How can these people take part in the solar energy revolution and all the money savings that come with it?

A technical solution to this is problem is called "plug and play solar photovoltaic" (PV) systems. They are affordable (you buy 1 solar panel at a time for a few hundred dollars) and portable grid-tied solar electric systems. They can be purchased and installed by an average person with no training. This sounds great. Unfortunately, they are largely thought to be illegal in the U.S. because of antiquated regulations. Customers must check to find out with their local utility.

Earlier this year my research group painstakingly went through a technical/safety analysis of plug-and-play PV in the U.S. The study showed there is no valid technical reason we should not follow the trends in other advanced industrialized nations and allow plug and play solar in America. Countries like the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Switzerland already encourage plug and play solar. Even the Czech Republic permits it! A blanket federal U.S. electrical regulation may allow plug and play solar in the future (and it could fit nicely into the Trump deregulation goals). However, such a shift in regulations could radically alter the current solar market - for the better.

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This new study provides an estimate of this new U.S. market for plug and play PV systems if such regulations are updated by investigating personal financial decision making for Americans. This is an additional market on what is already going on with full home solar systems. The potential savings for the prosumer (producing consumer) are mapped for the U.S. over a range of scenarios. The results show the total potential U.S. market for plug and play solar is over 57 gigawatts (GW). That is actually quite a lot of power as it is equivalent to about 57 large coal or nuclear plants. For comparison there are already less than 100 nuclear plants in the U.S. These plug and play systems would generate approximately 108,417,000 MWh/year, which is 4 times the electricity generated from U.S. solar in 2015. This is remarkable because it would come from systems of only 1 kW or less - tiny 1 to 4 solar panel systems! This distributed solar energy made possible from plug and play solar would provide American consumers approximately $13 billion/year in cost savings! This would be a huge boon for the working and middle class.

However, all the money is not going only to the little people. Big established companies also stand to make a fortune on plug and play solar. Perhaps most interesting to investors is the effect this deregulation of the electric system would have on American retailers such as Wal Mart, Costco, Home Depot, Lowes, Target, etc. Plug and play solar represents an opportunity for sales for retailers from $14.3-$71.7 billion depending on your assumptions about the capital cost of plug and play solar systems. Not exactly pocket change for a new market.
The global geopolitical chessboard was knocked over by the U.S. electorate on November 8, 2016. Fortunately, consigned to institutionalized memory is a mental map of where all the pieces stood. However, president-elect Trump has repeatedly stated that he has no intention of returning the pieces to their old positions. No one yet knows if a variation of the old game or a totally new game will be set.

As the most powerful country in the world, the U.S. must play myriad games with thousands of opponents simultaneously. To complicate matters, many of these traditional opponents are themselves experiencing their own game-changers. The statistical possibilities of where all of the pieces of all of these games might fall are simply mind-boggling.

Looking specifically at the Cuba-U.S. Great Game, in the immediate aftermath of the 2016 election, it was possible to predict a range of places where the pieces might have landed, as well as a number of the initial strategies.

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In the U.S., the internal game will pit the business lobby vs. the pro-embargo lobby. In Cuba the internal game must balance the need to protect the country's sovereignty while bolstering the economy through further foreign (and U.S.) trade and investment. However, on November 25, 2016, this newly forming Cuba-U.S. chess game was knocked over by the death of Fidel Castro, the Cuban Grand Master of the Great Game.

President Obama's condolence message was respectful and in line with the condolence messages sent by all major international leaders, including the Pope. President-elect Trump, instead, reverted to hard line anti-Castro regime-change rhetoric. He called Fidel Castro a "brutal dictator" and promised "the Cuban people" that the U.S. would do everything in its power to ensure their journey toward "prosperity and liberty." Cuban-American legislators triumphantly took to the air-waves, while jubilant exiles celebrated of the death of el tirano in the streets of Miami. Together, they beat the drums of the regime-change policies.

Though Trump's hardline stance surely scored a few easy points with the pro-embargo forces, it remains to be seen if he will actually follow through on this rhetoric and rolls back substantial aspects of Obama's policy changes. This would not be easy to do. President Obama's policy had bi-lateral support, as well as the support of the U.S. business lobby. Moreover, it is in the national interest of the U.S. to increase commercial opportunities that do not take jobs away from U.S. workers, and to prevent a major wave of disgruntled economic migrants.

Should the Trump administration begin to round-up illegal of immigrants, building a wall on the US-Mexican border, and barring most Muslims from immigrating to the U.S, it will also become very difficult to argue that the U.S. policy of regime change in Cuba is justified on human rights grounds (not that American human rights violations have ever gotten in the way of chastising Cuba for theirs).

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Miami, Union City and sectors of Washington may have cheerfully celebrated the death of Fidel Castro. But does this really change anything in Cuba? Not in the political sphere. The transfer of power to Raul Castro and his administration has long been consolidated. Besides, only one side in this dispute has the guns. The dissidents only have international moral authority and wide press coverage. Far from a fair match.

As in a chess game, nevertheless, the loss of one piece, even and important one can open an opportunity to advance in new ways. Without his brother around to symbolize (and lead) the ideological purity of the Revolution, Raul Castro is now free to rally the more progressive forces within the Cuban nomenklatura and to speed up market reforms.

If the U.S. business lobby and the anti-embargo forces can firmly and quickly ally themselves with these more progressive forces within Cuba, as well as with the more pro-business forces within the Trump administration, they could actually manage to reframe the discourse in the U.S. towards the continuation of the normalization process.

For the Cuban people, the declared nine days of mourning will serve as period of observance of their leader's passing (with visible sorrow for many and less visible jubilation for others). For the Cuban government, the 'duelo' will also serve as a camouflaged soft state of siege that facilitates SWAT team responses to acts of civil dissidence (ni se te ocurra - don't even think about it). The five days of military maneuvers that followed the election of Trump now make more sense as part of the preparation for Fidel's demise.

Despite the above analysis, myopic Cuba-US focused predictions have always proven to be insufficient because they under-estimate the role of crucial international allies. From a Cuban point of view, once the normalization process with the U.S. began in December of 2014, these allies were even more important since they provided a necessary counterweight to the increasing influence of the United States. The current confusion in the U.S. over which way to go in Cuba will allow these governments to further solidify their positions.

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However, the national Great Games being played by these allies in their own countries could radically alter their ability to stand by Cuba in an era of renewed U.S. hostility. ALBA is experiencing it's sunset. Brazil is in political and economic turmoil. Europe is turning nationalistic and xenophobic. China is getting bellicose in the East and expanding its reach in the West and South. Canada may be the only major ally that is stable enough to provide steady backing.

Current Cuba-Russia relations, especially in light of a Trump presidency, are truly a riddle, wrapped in mystery inside an enigma. The year 2014 brought a marked improvement in their bilateral cooperation facilitated by the write-off of most of Cuba's $35 billion debt. And in 2016, Russia proposed the deployment of missile systems in Cuba, as well as the resumption of work on the Lourdes spy base. Russian oil companies have been granted exploration concessions in Cuban waters. The Russia-Cuba rapprochement is real.

How will, how can, how should the U.S. respond? Senator Marco Rubio is worried. However, Trump's oft stated willingness to "get along" with Russia and with Putin far outpaces his willingness to get along with any other country or leader so far. And he already owes Putin a favor: Russia's alleged (confirmed by U.S. intelligence) cyber attacks repeatedly crippled Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. President Obama has retaliated in a definite 'cut it out' move. Trump thinks that the Democrats are sore losers and that America just needs to move on. Putin has not made a retaliatory move. He is leaving the field wide open for Trump to proceed with his planned rapprochement. A brilliant Chess Master's level move.

Putin's wish to return Russia to its imperial greatness is sure to clash with America's wish to maintain its own. Thus, in Moscow, despite the niceties between the two leaders, the Trump presidency is not especially regarded as auguring the start of a bilateral rapprochement. And in Washington, a fiercely anti-Russia Republican Congress and administration might not look at Russian overtures with much sympathy.

What the developing friendship between these two autocratic men might do for Russia, however, is to give the Kremlin an opportunity to devise strategic moves that it was previously unable to even imagine were possible. These could include a more aggressive joint-position on China and a possible unwillingness on the part of the U.S. to come to the defense NATO allies should Russia keep throwing its weight around its former satellite countries. It is not clear exactly what the friendship might do to advance the interests of the U.S. Nevertheless, it is not difficult to imagine that a Trump-Putin friendship would advance the personal business interests of incoming Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, ExxonMobil's former top executive.

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But regardless of what takes place between the U.S. and Russia in the European/Asian theatres Cuba might be able offer these men an ideal place to test-run a collaboration of sorts. The island is neither a military threat nor an important commercial ally of either country. Conversely, it holds high symbolic value for both major powers. The once truly once 'unthinkable' possibility of a Trump-Putin entendre on Cuba, could actually take place.

Granted, the Chinese wouldn't like it. They are likely to limit their credit lines as a way to show displeasure. The Canadians and the Europeans would not like it either, but they are unlikely to pick a fight over it.

What might President Castro think of such a Trump-Putin entendre on Cuba? The island's history is closely bound with both of these super powers. The Cubans know how to deal with the Russians and with the Americans. From a corporate and political culture point of view, the 'strongman' style of these three men would certainly allow them to 'bond' easily. It could even give Raul Castro a respite from those who are clamoring for Cuba to adopt liberal values (the very same values that seem to be in retreat in the U.S., Russia and the E.U.).

A Trump-Putin entendre on Cuba is likely to be accompanied by considerable economic and business growth. All it takes is Russian technical advisors, cheap oil and credits, but this time to fuel the American hotels for American tourists and imported American cars. If this scenario were to take place, this would put in check the prospects for a 'free and democratic' Cuba, something very attractive to some and absolutely abhorrent to others.

What Raul Castro would certainly have to fear in any Trump-Putin alliance is a pincer maneuver that does not favor the island. Thus could take the form of a return to the days when Cuba was used in a proxy war or worse, a rapacious advance by both Russian and American business interests. Cubans have proven to be magnificent Great Game chess masters. But fighting formidable foes on two fronts has defeated even the greatest warriors.

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In sum, a new Russia-U.S. axis is possible. It would have to be forged through the will of two leaders with authoritarian tendencies (and formidable track-record in the case of Putin) and over the protestations of their respective administrations. Though a follow-up Trump-Putin entendre on Cuba is, at this moment in history, improbable and nearly inconceivable, it is not any more inconceivable than a Trump presidency was on the day he announced his candidacy or a Leave vote on the day of the Brexit referendum.

At the close of 2016, all the chess pieces are still on the floor. Everyone is angling for an advantageous position and second-guessing everyone else. Regardless of what happens, a bit of advice from the Greeks comes to mind: "An alliance with a powerful person is never safe" (Phaedrus). Russians and Americans, take heed.

For Cuban leaders, an alliance with two powerful persons at the same time, no matter how positive, should certainly bring great cause to worry. Raul would surely wish that Fidel were alive. And Miguel Diaz Canel, Cuba's designated leader as of February 2018, should start lighting candles to his favorite Orisha to make sure that Raul Castro sticks around for a little while longer.
According to bestselling author Siri Hustvedt, the election of Donald Trump marks a new split in the population of the US. Hear Hustvedt on her political awakening, the biases in contemporary society and writing in challenging times.

Although Hustvedt grew up in a small Midwestern, white town she became intensely interested in the civil rights movement from an early age: "The spectacle of white racists turning hoses on civil rights demonstrators, including children my age, was an image of injustice so profound that I think it has stayed with me ever since." Returning to America after a year abroad in 1968, to a country that had gone through the assassination of Martin Luther King, President John F. Kennedy and the Vietnam, Hustvedt says she witnessed "an America that was being torn apart."

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The election of Donald Trump for president marks a new split in the population of the US. "We have witnessed the backlash of not only white men, but the white women who identify with them. Who have found a figure of vengeance and making up for what they have lost: white America," says Siri Hustvedt, for whom civil rights and feminism have always been in correspondence. She sees Donald Trump's media performance as "a kind of parody of extreme masculinity" and sees the election as a result of the ongoing struggles of the United States: racial and gendered inequality creating disconnects in the population. As the American writer reminds us: "For the last eight years the face of America has been a highly educated, elegant, supernaturally calm black man. I think that rubs salt in the deep racism of the US."

Siri Hustvedt (b. 1955) is an American author and essayist who has written poetry, novels, essays, and works of non-fiction. Her books include 'What I Loved' (2003), 'The Sorrows of an American' (2008), 'The Shaking Woman or A History of My Nerves' (2010) and 'The Blazing World' (2014) for which she was awarded the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. In 2016 she published 'A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women: Essays on Art, Sex, and the Mind'.

Siri Hustvedt was interviewed by Philipp Alexander Ostrowicz in Tubingen, Germany in November 2016.

Camera: Benjamin Dornis

Edited by: Klaus Elmer

Produced by: Marc-Christoph Wagner

Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2016
My life's ultimate goal is to become a very successful storytelling entrepreneur, which I am currently preparing myself for. In my small digital marketing hustle, I assist small businesses, start-ups, and entrepreneurs with innovative digital strategies that lure and satisfy potential and returning clients. In addition, I am currently working on honing my storytelling skills, and by December 2017, at the end of my Master of Digital Media Programme, I will create a storytelling journal. The journal will include the different structures for telling stories in a digital world and demonstrate how to engineer those stories for spreadability.

From my interaction with many successful entrepreneurs, many of them share common stories about hustling and starting businesses as children such running lemonade stands and servicing paper routes. Consequently, I decided to look at my past to see if I was entrepreneurial back in the day. I started thinking about my days in Grenada when I attended St. Andrew's Anglican Primary School. Did I do anything that was entrepreneurial there? I certainly didn't have a lemonade stand; however, I remember my tamarind ball hustle. When I was young, I remember seeing vendors in the town of Grenville selling tamarind balls to passersby and thought to myself, what if I took the same concept but sold tamarind balls in my school? I already had access to the main ingredient because there was a huge tamarind tree next to my house, but the startup capital came in the form of a dollar I borrowed from my mom to buy the sugar for my business venture. Once everything was in place, I started making and selling tamarind balls to my schoolmates. I remember the first day I sold out. I couldn't believe it; the feeling was indescribable. Admittedly, while writing this piece, the nostalgia reignited that said feeling, and I started smiling ridiculously.

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Soon, tamarind went out of season; however, because of my initial experience, I somehow caught the entrepreneurial bug and moved on to another venture, an envelope hustle. Put simply; I sold white envelopes to my classmates. Up to this day, I can't remember where I got the envelopes from, nor do I know why my classmates were buying them in the first place since they had no need for them. As a matter of fact, upon reflection, I now feel bad about this, but the envelope hustle didn't last long. Firstly, before going further, however, I must admit that my next venture was the epitome of plagiarism. However, in my defense, I had no idea about that concept back then. Secondly, I must apologize to my friend Amwell for using his brother's art for financial gains since my next business involved selling copied work. Sometimes when Amwell brought his brother's art at school, which was generally drawings of popular cartoon characters and superheroes, I traced over his drawings then sold the duplicates to my schoolmates for 25 cents. Therefore, Amwell if you ever read this, forgive me for my ignorance. Since my conscience is now clear, I can now elaborate on the other legal businesses I later ran.

As time went on, the symptoms of the entrepreneurial bug were still evident. When I attended secondary school, I joined the Junior Achievers programme. I was the president of my company which was called "Noix de Coco Ltd". The company was made up of students from St Andrew's Anglican Secondary School, Grenville Secondary School, and St Joseph Convent Grenville. Our company made and sold local coconut products to the general public. The little company gave me a true sense of what entrepreneurship was all about since I experienced all of the facets of running a business such as marketing, production, book keeping, management, etc. firsthand.
In recent days, Israeli settlement activity has been the focus of considerable attention, condemned in a United Nations Resolution which the Obama Administration did not veto but abstained from supporting and in an impassioned speech by Secretary of State John Kerry who warned that settlement activities were rapidly making a future "two-state" solution impossible to achieve. Both the abstention and the speech were sharply attacked by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu as well as members of Congress from both sides of the aisle and a number of American Jewish organizations. And President- Elect Trump made it clear that his administration would treat the Israelis totally differently, asking them to "stay strong" until he takes office.

Whether or not one agrees with the UN actions or all of the elements of Kerry's speech, one should recognize the importance of one ongoing development that Kerry briefly referred to. Israel's religious nationalists, like the Jewish Home Party headed by Naftali Bennett, and other right wing Israeli groups, powerful members of Prime Minister Netanyahu's governing coalition, are using settlement expansion as part of a strategy ultimately to incorporate the West Bank -what they call Judea and Samaria - into a biblically inspired "Greater Israel." And, disappointingly, in Trump's choice of bankruptcy attorney David Friedman as his Ambassador to Israel, he has selected an avowed supporter of Israel settlement expansion who is hostile to a two-state solution and argues that it would not be illegal for Israel to annex the West Bank. Thus, settlement expansion has become the means to two ends: to preclude a two state solution and to carry out annexation.

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There are now about 570,000 Jewish settlers living over the "Green Line" ((pre) 1967 borders.) The problematic number is not settlements in East Jerusalem (200,000 representing 35.1% of settlers over the Green line) or settlements in lands that will end up as part of Israel in a land swap (large settlement blocks and land adjacent to the Green Line with a population of 260,000 representing 45.6% of settlers). It is the small and isolated settlements in the mountain ridge, east of the separation barrier created by Israel, with a population already of 103,000 people (representing 18.2% of settlers; not including 6,500 Israelis living in settlements in the Jordan Valley) that present the major and growing problem. These settlements are being placed in the heart of the West Bank, on land that must remain part of any Palestinian state for it to have the contiguity that allows it to function effectively as a state. Recognizing the enormous difficulty in the past of moving even a few hundred settlers, imagine the impossibility of moving thousands of committed settlers who refuse to leave and whose rabbis tell the Israeli troops to disobey orders to force them out. After expanding settlements throughout Palestinian lands, the nationalists plan to annex the West Bank (and perhaps even Gaza) and put Israel in a position of either accepting the millions of Palestinian residents as full citizens in a bi-national state which, because of the disproportionate numbers of Palestinians and their higher birth rates, will not be Jewish (a course they have no intention of following) or applying apartheid principles to treat them as second class denizens in Greater Israel or try to force them out of their ancestral lands altogether to another country, (the Gaza population to Egypt and the West Bankers to Jordan or another state.).

Until now, as a supporter of Israel and like most American Jews involved in Jewish organizational life, I have been reading and listening to discussions about these developments simply from the perspective of their effect on Israel. I have been an ardent Zionist from a very early age, continuing through my service in a number of American Jewish organizations and I still serve as a Board member of the Israel Policy Forum, which I helped found at the request of then Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Not only did I consistently support Israel politically, I headed a major business in Israel investing millions of dollars and creating numbers of jobs there. In all of my thinking, then, I focused on the implications for Israel of settlement expansion and the end of a two-state solution. And, as I have written before, I concluded that such a program would destroy the Zionist dream of what Israel could and should be. But, recently, I asked myself a different question: what are the potential consequences - benefits or detriments - to the United States of Israel's continued expansion of settlements and are there any implications from these consequences for the American Jewish community?

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To start, I can see absolutely no benefits that would accrue to the United States from Israel expanding its settlements into the West Bank but I can clearly see detriments to the United States from the failure of a two-state solution. Israel's annexation of the West Bank and treatment of the 2.6 million Palestinians living there and what actions it may take against the 1.4 million Palestinians living in Gaza, could end Israel's position as the only democracy in the Middle East. If having it as a democratic ally is now so valuable to the United States interests as to warrant, for example, $38 billion in American military aid, the converse is also true - not having a democratic ally would be a heavy loss to the United States. Moreover, the proposed treatment of the Palestinian population by the nationalists would end up in violent reactions against Israel directly from Palestinians and then from other Arabs, including Jihadists, and quickly would be matched by attacks on American interests - of the country most supportive of Israel. It is too optimistic to expect that these attacks would be limited to the Middle East and not end up on our own shores. Meanwhile, as Thomas Friedman points out in his column "Bibi Makes Trump His Chump" (NY Times, December 28, 2016 p.A21) all of this would greatly benefit Iran and ISIS and enable Iran "to present America's Sunni Arab allies as lackeys of an extremist Israel."

These developments would take their toll on the American Jewish community in a number of ways. Anti-democratic Israeli actions would open the door for challenges in our country to the high levels of economic and other support given to Israel. This would include the very people who voted Donald Trump into office who, together with other American voters, might find it difficult to understand why billions of dollars are going to an undemocratic Israel while they continue to suffer job losses and reductions in health care and in social security. When those in the Jewish community seek to defend Israeli actions, as they always do, that would open the door to attacks on them and provide fodder for increased anti-Semitism here in the United States.

One of the most grievous impacts of this scenario is the effect on young American Jews. Many American Jews, like me, had hoped that Israel would be a beacon, attracting younger generations of Jews to the Jewish heritage, culture and religion. Already, rather than being a source of pride, many Jewish college students are seeing Israel attacked on their campuses. At the same time, younger American Jews, some the children and grandchildren of committed supporters of Israel, are disavowing Israel and decrying its actions. One can imagine the reactions of the younger Jews if Israel engages in apartheid activities or forced transfer of Palestinians off their ancestral land.

At the end of the day, only the Israelis can decide on the course of action that their country will take. And I recognize full well that Israelis today generally have little regard for the opinions of American Jews. I do hope they will understand the implications of their actions on their own future. At present, as Secretary Kerry has pointed out, the two- state solution is in "serious jeopardy" and some experts, like Stephen A. Cook, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, argue that it is already dead. But there is a group of approximately 240 former IDF generals, heads of Israel intelligence services like Mossad, Shabak and Police equivalents, who have joined together under the banner "Commanders For Israel's Security" (CIS) who still hold out hope. They are working to make a two-state result a reality through a pro-active political and security plan that they have developed and publicly presented. Maybe, that kind of leadership can prevail to help their fellow Israelis see the light. The alternative is very painful to contemplate!

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In criminal justice systems, credit markets, employment arenas, higher education admissions processes and even social media networks, data-driven algorithms now drive decision-making in ways that touch our economic, social and civic lives. These software systems rank, classify, associate or filter information, using human-crafted or data-induced rules that allow for consistent treatment across large populations.

But while there may be efficiency gains from these techniques, they can also harbor biases against disadvantaged groups or reinforce structural discrimination. In terms of criminal justice, for example, is it fair to make judgments on an individual's parole based on statistical tendencies measured across a wide group of people? Could discrimination arise from applying a statistical model developed for one state's population to another, demographically different population?

The public needs to understand the bias and power of algorithms used in the public sphere, including by government agencies. An effort I am involved with, called algorithmic accountability, seeks to make the influences of those sorts of systems clearer and more widely understood.

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Existing transparency techniques, when applied to algorithms, could enable people to monitor, audit and criticize how those systems are functioning -- or not, as the case may be. Unfortunately, government agencies seem unprepared for inquiries about algorithms and their uses in decisions that significantly affect both individuals and the public at large.

Opening algorithms to public scrutiny

Last year the federal government began studying the pros and cons of using computerized data analysis to help determine prison inmates' likelihood of reoffending upon release. Scoring individuals as low-, medium-, or high-risk can help with housing and treatment decisions, identifying people who can safely be sent to a minimum security prison or even a "halfway house," or who would benefit from a particular type of psychological care.

That information can make the justice process more efficient and less expensive, and even reduce prison crowding. Treating low-risk offenders like high-risk offenders has been shown in some studies to lead to them internalizing being a "sick" criminal and in need of treatment for their deviant behavior. Separating them can thus reduce the development of negative behaviors that would lead to recidivism upon release.

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Data and algorithms for scoring inmates' reoffending risk are already used extensively by states for managing pretrial detention, probation, parole and even sentencing. But it's easy for them to go unnoticed -- they often look like unassuming bureaucratic paperwork.

Typically the algorithms are boiled down to simplified score sheets that are filled out by public servants with little understanding of the underlying calculations. For instance, a case worker might evaluate a prisoner using a form where the case worker marks down that the prisoner had been convicted of a violent crime, was young at the time of the first arrest, and had not graduated from high school or gotten a GED. Those factors and other characteristics about the person and the crime result in a score that suggests whether the inmate might be eligible for parole review.

The form itself, as well as its scoring system, often discloses key features about the algorithm, like the variables under consideration and how they come together to form an overall risk score. But what's also important for algorithmic transparency is to know how such forms were designed, developed and evaluated. Only then can the public know whether the factors and calculations involved in arriving at the score are fair and reasonable, or uninformed and biased.

Using the Freedom of Information Act

Our primary tool for getting our hands on those forms, and their supporting material, is the law, and specifically, freedom of information laws. They are among the most powerful mechanisms the public has at its disposal for ensuring transparency in government. At the federal level, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) allows the public to formally request -- and expect to receive in return -- documents from the federal government. Analogous statutes exist for each state.

Enacted in 1966, FOIA was created before the widespread use of computing, and well before large reams of data were routinely used in software systems to manage individuals and make predictions. There has been some initial research into whether FOIA is able to facilitate the disclosure of software source code. But a question remains about whether current laws are responsive to the needs of the 21st-century public: can we FOIA algorithms?

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A case study in algorithm transparency

I set out to answer this question at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, where I am an assistant professor. In the fall of 2015, working with my colleague Sandy Banisky's media law class, we guided students in submitting FOIA requests to each of the 50 states. We asked for documents, mathematical descriptions, data, validation assessments, contracts and source code related to algorithms used in criminal justice, such as for parole and probation, bail or sentencing decisions.

As a semester-long project, the effort was necessarily constrained by time, with plenty of hurdles and relatively few successes. As with many journalists' investigations, even figuring out whom to ask -- and how -- was a challenge. Different agencies may be responsible for different areas of the criminal justice system (sentencing might be done by courts, but parole management done by a Department of Corrections).

Even after identifying the right person, students found government officials used different terminology that made it hard to communicate what information they wanted. At times, students had to work hard to explain "criminal justice algorithms" to a not-so-data-savvy public servant. In retrospect, it might have been more effective to ask for "risk assessment tools," as that is a term often used by state governments.

Handling the answers

Some states, such as Colorado, flat-out denied our request, saying that the algorithms were contained in software, which was not considered a "document" that open government laws required officials to make public. Different states have different rules about disclosing software use. This has sometimes surfaced in the courts, such as a 2004 suit against the city of Detroit over whether the formula for calculating water fees charged to an adjacent city should be made public.

In our own efforts, we received only one mathematical description of a criminal justice algorithm: Oregon disclosed the 16 variables and their weights in a model used there to predict recidivism. The state of North Dakota released an Excel spreadsheet showing the equation used for determining dates when inmates would be eligible to be considered for parole. From Idaho and New Mexico we received documents with some descriptions of the recidivism-risk assessments those states used, but no details about how they were developed or validated.

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Nine states based their refusal to disclose details about their criminal justice algorithms on the claim that the information was really owned by a company. This implication is that releasing the algorithm would harm the firm that developed it. A common recidivism-risk questionnaire, called the LSI-R, turns out to be a commercial product, protected by copyright. States such as Hawaii and Maine claimed that prevented its disclosure to the public.

Louisiana said its contract with the developer of a new risk assessment technique barred the release of the requested information for six months. The state of Kentucky cited its contract with a philanthropic foundation as the reason it could not disclose more details. Concerns about proprietary information may be legitimate, but given that the government routinely contracts with private companies, how do we balance those concerns against an explainable and indeed legitimate justice system?

Making improvements

Much-needed FOIA reform is currently under deliberation by Congress. This provides an opportunity for the law to be modernized, but the proposed changes still do little to accommodate the growing use of algorithms in government. Algorithmic transparency information might be codified into reports that the government generates and makes public on a regular basis, as part of business as usual.

As a society we should require that public information officers be trained so they are literate and indeed fluent in the terminology they may encounter when the public is asking for algorithms. The federal government might even create a new position for an "algorithms czar," an ombudsman whose task it would be to communicate about and field inquiries into government automation.

None of the documents we received in our research told us how criminal justice risk assessment forms were developed or evaluated. As algorithms govern more and more of our lives, citizens need -- and must demand -- more transparency.

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Nicholas Diakopoulos, Tow Fellow, Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University; Assistant Professor of Journalism, University of Maryland
The Istanbul night club massacre underscores the vulnerability of an open society to this type of terrorist attack. In an episode reminiscent of Orlando, Florida, a lone gunman shot his way into club, killing its security guard and 38 revelers. He then vanished into warren of the ancient city's streets.

The terrorist chose his target well. A nightclub openly serving alcohol on a secular holiday symbolizes everything that the Islamists hate. Its popularity with foreigners was a bonus. Twenty-five tourists died in the attack, which will certainly discourage anyone planning a vacation in Turkey.

An epicenter in the struggle with the Islamic State, Turkey has been hit repeatedly over the past year. The Christmas Market attack in Berlin, however, reveals that such an attack can occur anywhere at any time. A determined operative armed with a light automatic weapon or driving a truck and willing to die for his cause is virtually impossible to stop.

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Modern cities are target-rich environments. Governments can secure airports and public buildings. They cannot protect the thousands of places people gather to work, shop and recreate. Venues and events are soft targets. Acting alone or under the direction of ISIS, a single individual can easily create a mass-casualty incident at any locale where large numbers gather.

Americans may be breathing a sigh of relief that we escaped a holiday attack. Our good fortune, however, probably stems more from our lower threat level than from the prowess of our intelligence or law enforcement agencies. The 3.3 million Muslims living in the United States are woven into the rich tapestry of American life. They enjoy the same benefits and opportunities as everyone else and the same success rate. They are not concentrated in ghettos or subject to widespread discrimination. Inclusion and respect for diversity are good antidotes to extremism.

As Orlando and San Bernardino illustrate, the U.S. does face an Islamist threat, although it is far lower than the one in Europe. Countering it requires good intelligence and effective law enforcement. These measures will, however, never be enough. Only by mitigating circumstances that make people prone to radicalization and identifying those at risk can attacks be reduced or prevented.

Terrorists such as the San Bernardino shooters often show warning signs friends and family ignore. Eliciting cooperation from those who interact with at-risk populations is crucial. Given the impossibility of protecting every potential target, prevention is the best option.
It was a hot July day, 12  years ago, right before the Fourth of July. I was eager to spend the weekend with my little boy and husband.

But at that moment, I was in a doctor's office, laying in a dark room with a giant screen on the wall as the doctor maneuvered an ultrasound machine to scan my abdomen. On the screen, the doctor and I both saw what was evident at the same time. She looked at me and shook her head and said, "I'm so sorry, but there is no heartbeat."

I took a deep breath and said, "Yes, I can see that."

It was the second time in 12 months that we had tried to have another child, and once again, there was going to be no baby. I'll never forget leaving that office, and stumbling out into the blinding sunshine, not really sure what to do with my grief and confusion. It was one of the saddest moments of my life, not because of the loss of the pregnancy, because clearly it wasn't viable, and I've always been practical that way. It was because I felt so lost and confused. I didn't know what to do with all of the love and excitement that had been alive just a few moments before.

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It was at that moment as I sat in my hot car, unable to even start the ignition, that I turned to God and asked, "what should I do?"

The answer didn't come right then. It took weeks for it to come fully into focus. But the response I received to that question has shaped the last decade of my life, and the lives of so many people who have joined me, in an effort to become activists for the most vulnerable children in the world.

The answer that I got was, "Have 10,000 children. The world needs you to use your fierce love to be a voice for the innocent and unprotected."

Heeding this call certainly wasn't easy, but I got to work. With the efforts of a small but mighty army, we began our work in Uganda, East Africa to address the needs of some of the most vulnerable children and families in the world. This year, Just Like My Child Foundation celebrated its 10th anniversary and the most painful day of my life has given birth to the most satisfying and gratifying life path that I never dared to dream of.

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Since 2006, the stories of good news from the ground in Uganda have been extraordinary. For the past 10 years, Just Like My Child Foundation has developed deep partnerships with rural communities in Africa to deliver programs which address health care, education, micro-enterprise, social justice, and girls' empowerment -- a holistic approach to ending the cycle of poverty.

With support from thousands of donors -- including the individuals honored as Children's Champions at our 10th Anniversary Gala for their extraordinary investments over the past 10 years -- we have been able to empower tens of thousands of women, children and families to lift themselves out of poverty. Today they face a future with hope, health, education, justice, and a means of dignity through income generation.

Our flagship program (the one we are focusing on in 2017 and beyond) is the Girl Power Project: it was created to empower adolescent girls and designed to reduce the barriers that prevent them from completing secondary school. The Girl Power Project addresses the complex needs of vulnerable adolescent girls' aged 10-15 by establishing a network of support in their community that supports them to live healthy lives. Girls are equipped to avoid forced child marriage, HIV transmission, early pregnancy, rape and disease.

The pain that I felt 12  years ago was a pathway to my greatest transformation: learning the value of one human life.

It has helped me, and so many others, to live a bigger story. Nothing is more rewarding than giving a child the wings and the voice to live her greatest potential.

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We have a shortlist of 10 brilliant girls who will be forced to drop out of school in January because their families can't afford their school fees. "If you save just one life, you've saved the world" the Talmud says. You can make a PROFOUND difference before the end of the year.

We're raising funds to sponsor the school fees of the girl in this photo next year, along with 9 other extraordinary girls participating in our Girl Power Project. Just $25 will help her stay in school, safe from forced child marriage, and on the path to living her fullest potential. Contribute to our Fundraiser on Facebook and pass it on!

Many blessings to you during this season of togetherness, and for all you do to make a difference.
Not long after we began our work in Uganda, I traveled to one of the most remote villages we work with. The dirt road to the village was filled with enormous, dusty potholes which swallowed up our vehicle as we dipped in and out of them. Slowly by slowly, as they say in Uganda, we reached the village.

Mud huts lined the roads and hundreds of children ran along the side of the vehicle. The sun was blazing as we stopped in front of the Church, the only permanent structure in the village.

I was hot, sweaty and swooning a little. I opened the door and stepped into the masses of children. Suddenly I found myself swallowed up in a firm embrace with my face pressed into the shoulder of a woman who was the same height as me. She was laughing and trying to jump up and down while holding onto me.

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I gripped her by the shoulders and held her back just far enough so that I could take in her smiling face. It was Florence, the mother of Nyangoma, the very first child we sent to boarding school from this small village, called Kikoiiro. She was smiling and saying webale nyo, webale nyo which means, "thank you so much, thank you so much."

And I just started crying, as I have the many times Florence has tackled me with her bear hugs since then.

You see, it was the first time that I could see in the eyes of this mother that our work mattered. All of the fundraising, story telling, traveling, partner misunderstandings, was worth it.

This mother was just like me: deeply invested in her child's health and future. Yet unlike me, she had no resources, nothing but disease and ignorance to share with her daughter.

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Since then, Just Like My Child Foundation has travelled a long road with Florence and her family -- a road filled with tragedy but ultimately, with triumph. Our journey together has been about providing a hand up, never a hand out.
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.
As an Internet policy researcher I have closely followed the outcomes of the annual Internet Governance Forum (IGF), but this year was the first time I had the opportunity to participate in person when it was convened two weeks ago in Guadalajara, Mexico. I was there to coordinate CIMAs new initiative to facilitate the engagement of journalists and media activists from traditionally underrepresented countries in debates on Internet governance. This project emerged because in the past critics, myself included, have noted how participants from developed countries often dominate the IGF. If we want to make multistakeholder governance truly function as intended, we need to have much broader input from people in developing countries. Fortunately, this is an issue on which there is broad consensus and there are a number of efforts, like CIMAs, that seek to address this issue of global representation. However, after just the first day of the meeting, I noticed another glaring gap in IGF participation that is equally concerning  the general lack of participation by news media outlets.

The general absence of the media is problematic because some of the most-discussed issues this year will have direct effects on how journalists and news media outlets operate in the future. So while topics like the so-called right to be forgotten, the increasing prevalence of Internet shutdowns, and zero-rating (a controversial form of data sponsorship), were highly debated, there were only a small number of individuals who could address these issues from the viewpoint of a either a journalist or a news organization. This meant that when these topics were talked about, important aspects were overlooked. For example, discussions on the right to be forgotten largely neglected its impact on press freedom in terms of how it might effectively censor specific news article. Panels on zero-rating did not address how zero-rating and other sponsored data arrangements might privilege large corporate media over independent and oppositional news outlets. These are important concerns for the media sector, and they are not adequately being addressed at IGF.

The goal of the multistakeholder Internet governance is to bring representatives from governments, the private sector, and civil society together to discuss the complex global Internet policies that impact them all in different ways. The IGF gathering is both a space to identify points of conflict as well as an opportunity to begin mapping out potential solutions. Yet, if a wide variety of sectors with different interests and concerns do not show up, the policy solutions crafted at the IGF will not be as effective and sustainable in the long-term. Given that the barrier to participation is so low  registration is free and open to all  it seems like media organizations should be excited about the opportunity to promote mechanisms that foster the circulation of news.

So why is the media so underrepresented at the IGF? One reason might be that the so-called Fourth Estate does not neatly fit into the current stakeholder categories (government, private sector, and civil society). While some media organizations are run as for-profit companies, and would fit in the private sector stakeholder group, others operate as non-profits and might consider themselves members of civil society. Furthermore, public service media, while they are not government-run, do rely on taxpayer funding and might not feel comfortable in the other two stakeholders groups. Yet, regardless of their stakeholder designation, the issues that impact these outlets are often quite similar. Indeed, it might make more sense for the media to be considered its own stakeholder group? Given the common problems that cross-cut their business models and their unique dependence on the Internet as a platform for both collecting and transmitting information, a strong case can be made that the media need to be present at all multistakeholder discussions about the future of the Internet.

There is a growing concern about the lack of media participation at the IGF, at least from the media development community. Representatives from DW Akademie and International Media Support (IMS) who I met with in Guadalajara expressed an interest in finding ways to help media outlets, particularly those from developing countries, become more engaged. Now the task is to strategize the most effective ways to actually make this happen. The next IGF will be convening in Geneva in December 2017. Hopefully by then the unique perspective of the media will not be overlooked.

Source: http://www.cima.ned.org/blog/missing-stakeholder-internet-governance/
"In the past journalists were killed in Turkey, said one journalist, who was not identified, in the Human Rights Watch report on the freedom of press in Turkey. "This government is killing journalism in its entirety."

According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Turkey was the worst country for media freedom in 2016.

"After two years, Turkey is once again the world's biggest prison for journalists," said Erol Onderoglu, RSF representative in Turkey.

Turkey has now dropped two places in RSF's Press Freedom Report, and is in 151st place out of 180 countries. Ahead of Turkey are Tajikistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

According to the Turkish Journalists' Association (TGC), 148 journalists are currently in prison and the number of journalists on trial are difficult to determine, as hundreds of journalists are being tried on many charges including espionage, aiding and abetting terrorist organizations, and insulting public officials.

RSF representative Onderoglu, awarded with the Turkish Journalists' Association's Freedom of Press award, himself spent ten days in jail in June 2016, charged with spreading propaganda for a terrorist organization.

Onderoglu was imprisoned earlier this year amid massive protests

Onderoglu told DW how he saw press freedom from behind bars. "I think I went through the same paradox of being awarded and then going to jail that my 'terrorist' -labeled colleagues had been through all these years. The winds of false freedom blew me right into a prison cell and I wasn't even surprised," he said.

Purge on media

As part of the state of emergency declared after the failed coup attempt of July 15th, nearly 170 media outlets, including newspapers, TV and radio channels, news agencies, magazines and publishers were shut down.

Justification for the shutdowns were given as having ties to the Gulen Movement, the international opposition movement the Turkish government says was a perpetrator of the coup attempt. But it wasn't only Gulen-affiliated media organizations that were shut down: Kurdish, Alavite and opposition media outlets were also closed.

During the failed putsch, rogue soldiers commandeered tanks and fighters jets, bombed parliament and seized bridges in a bid to take over power. Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the US state of Pennsylvania since 1999, has denied involvement in the coup attempt.

Turkey has sacked or suspended more than 100,000 people and arrested 37,000 since the coup attempt in an unprecedented crackdown. Nearly 2,500 media employees and journalists also lost their jobs, hundreds more lost their press credentials, an unknown number of journalists had their passports revoked and were forbidden from leaving the country, and dozens had their properties confiscated.

In comparison, TGC numbers show that in the first five months of 2016, the number of journalists dismissed due to government pressure was under 900.

Erdogan is seeking expanded constitutional powers in a referendum

Thousands of blocked websites and social media postings were not included in the data, and according to a report by the Washington-based think tank Freedom House, a year earlier Turkey had already fallen to the category of the countries with "no internet freedom" from "partially free."

TGC chairman and seasoned journalist Turgan Olcayto described the state of press freedom to DW as: "not bad - very, very bad." "We've seen many coups in Turkey in the past but never has there been this much pressure, targeting and the ambition to imprison journalists. Freedom of the press doesn't exist in Turkey," he said.

Gokhan Durmus, chairman of the Journalists' Union of Turkey (TGS), said that the media could only report what the government wants them to hear. "Anyone who does the opposite is either punished or shut down. That is why the people aren't aware of unlawful or undemocratic practices."

Bleak outlook for 2017

And Turkish journalists aren't hopeful for the coming year either. There are concerns that pressure on the media will increase with a referendum to be held next spring on constitutional changes expanding President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's powers.

"I don't remember a time in the past 20 years that I've been so hopeless and have had such a bleak outlook for the days ahead," RSF representative Onderoglu said.

But TGS Chairman Durmus has some positive expectations for the imprisoned journalists. Durmus said that legal proceedings for many imprisoned journalists will begin in 2017. "We will see that the journalists will have been imprisoned for nothing. We believe that most, if not all, will be set free," he said. "But they will have been punished anyway because they will have lost their freedom for months."
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Twenty-five years after they were established, the Anne & Gordon Samstag International Visual Arts Scholarships are a benchmark of an artists early success and an indicator of significant achievement.

We immediately associate the names of Shaun Gladwell, Callum Morton, Mikala Dwyer, Julie Gough, Nic Folland and many other established artists with the Samstag epithet. All have benefited from the chance to continue their studies through the beneficence of this scholarship. However, apart from their names, we know very little about the donors who generously provided this opportunity.

To mark this anniversary, the University Art Museum, named in their honour, at the University of South Australia, has published a substantial book to document the Anne and Gordon Samstag legacy.

The Samstags were a remarkable couple who arrived in Australia from America in 1961, after Gordon had accepted a teaching position, firstly at RMIT University and then at the South Australian School of Art. Already accomplished artists, he and his wife Anne arrived in Adelaide and eased themselves into the local community.

Gordon was born and grew up in New York City. After being awarded a Schepp Foundation Scholarship in 1926 to enable him to continue his studies, he went on to win numerous prizes on his graduation in 1928 from the National Academy of Design in New York. These included the Pulitzer Travelling Scholarship, which enabled him to study in Paris at the Academe Colarossi. After a period of study, he returned to the US in 1929, the year the stock market ruptured, and began to document the life around him with an incisive realism.

Gordon Samstags Proleterian, 1934 (The Toledo Museum of Art)

His remarkable paintings of this period, like Proletarian from 1934, display his accomplished technique and his deep empathy. As Lea Rosson Delong explains in her fascinating essay on the artists early career, no longer a pejorative term, proletarian becomes an appellation of honour, signifying the class that forms the base on which a democratic society rests and functions.

Ross Wolfe takes up the narrative of Gordon Samstags artistic career when as a disillusioned artist whose realist sensibilities seemed adrift in the wake of Abstract Expressionism and Post-Painterly Abstraction, he and Anne came to Australia in search of a fresh start. With devastating precision, Wolfe tracks Samstags attempt to gain national recognition through exhibiting around the country. By the late 1960s, he concludes, he was forced to reconcile himself to the unpalatable truth: essentially, his brand didnt have legs.

Few at that time in Australia were aware of Gordons reputation as a social realist painter who created impressive murals for the Works Project Administration, part of the Roosevelt administrations New Deal programme during the Depression  or of Annes family connections to Benjamin Franklin. They kept their past a muffled secret and while Anne remained somewhat aloof, according to her neighbours, they loved their time in Adelaide. Gordon felt his experience as a teacher at the Adelaide School of Art was the happiest of his life.

As the chair of the Contemporary Art Society, Gordon proposed selling their Parkside Gallery to fund a grand international exhibition. The gallery, a suburban property, had been bought with funds provided by a group of artists to create a home for contemporary art in Adelaide.

Culture news in pictures Show all 33 1 /33 Culture news in pictures Culture news in pictures 30 September 2016 An employee hangs works of art with "Grand Teatro" by Marino Marini (R) and bronze sculpture "Sfera N.3" by Arnaldo Pomodoro seen ahead of a Contemporary Art auction on 7 October, at Sotheby's in London REUTERS Culture news in pictures 29 September 2016 Street art by Portuguese artist Odeith is seen in Dresden, during an exhibition "Magic City - art of the streets" AFP/Getty Images Culture news in pictures 28 September 2016 Dancers attend a photocall for the new "THE ONE Grand Show" at Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin, Germany REUTERS Culture news in pictures 28 September 2016 With an array of thrift store china, humorous souvenirs and handmade tile adorning its walls and floors, the Mosaic Tile House in Venice stands as a monument to two decades of artistic collaboration between Cheri Pann and husband Gonzalo Duran REUTERS Culture news in pictures 27 September 2016 A gallery assistant poses amongst work by Anthea Hamilton from her nominated show "Lichen! Libido!(London!) Chastity!" at a preview of the Turner Prize in London REUTERS Culture news in pictures 27 September 2016 A technician wearing virtual reality glasses checks his installation in three British public telephone booths, set up outside the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, Netherlands. The installation allows visitors a 3-D look into the museum which has twenty-two paintings belonging to the British Royal Collection, on loan for an exhibit from 29 September 2016 till 8 January 2017 AP Culture news in pictures 26 September 2016 An Indian artist dressed as Hindu god Shiva performs on a chariot as he participates in a religious procession 'Ravan ki Barat' held to mark the forthcoming Dussehra festival in Allahabad AFP/Getty Images Culture news in pictures 26 September 2016 Jean-Michel Basquiat's 'Air Power', 1984, is displayed at the Bowie/Collector media preview at Sotheby's in New York AFP/Getty Culture news in pictures 25 September 2016 A woman looks at an untitled painting by Albert Oehlen during the opening of an exhibition of works by German artists Georg Baselitz and Albert Oehlen in Reutlingen, Germany. The exhibition runs at the Kunstverein (art society) Reutlingen until 15 January 2017 EPA Culture news in pictures 24 September 2016 Fan BingBing (C) attends the closing ceremony of the 64th San Sebastian Film Festival at Kursaal in San Sebastian, Spain Getty Images Culture news in pictures 23 September 2016 A view of the artwork 'You Are Metamorphosing' (1964) as part of the exhibition 'Retrospektive' of Japanese artist Tetsumi Kudo at Fridericianum in Kassel, Germany. The exhibition runs from 25 September 2016 to 1 January 2017 EPA Culture news in pictures 22 September 2016 Jo Applin from the Courtauld Institute of Art looks at Green Tilework in Live Flesh by Adriana Vareja, which features in a new exhibition, Flesh, at York Art Gallery. The new exhibition features works by Degas, Chardin, Francis Bacon and Sarah Lucas, showing how flesh has been portrayed by artists over the last 600 years PA Culture news in pictures 21 September 2016 Performers Sean Atkins and Sally Miller standing in for the characters played by Asa Butterfield and Ella Purnell during a photocall for Tim Burton's "Miss Peregrines Home For Peculiar Children" at Potters Field Park in London Getty Images Culture news in pictures 20 September 2016 A detail from the blanket 'Alpine Cattle Drive' from 1926 by artist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner is displayed at the 'Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum for Contemporary Arts' in Berlin. The exhibition named 'Ernst Ludwig Kirchner - Hieroglyphen' showing the complete collection of Berlin's Nationalgallerie works of the German artist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and will run from 23 September 2016 until 26 February 2017 AP Culture news in pictures 20 September 2016 A man looks at portrait photos by US photographer Bruce Gilden in the exhibition 'Masters of Photography' at the photokina in Cologne, Germany. The trade fair on photography, photokina, schowcases some 1,000 exhibitors from 40 countries and runs from 20 to 25 September. The event also features various photo exhibitions EPA Culture news in pictures 20 September 2016 A woman looks at 'Blue Poles', 1952 by Jackson Pollock during a photocall at the Royal Academy of Arts, London PA Culture news in pictures 19 September 2016 Art installation The Refusal of Time, a collaboration with Philip Miller, Catherine Meyburgh and Peter Galison, which features as part of the William Kentridge exhibition Thick Time, showing from 21 September to 15 January at the Whitechapel Gallery in London PA Culture news in pictures 18 September 2016 Artists creating one off designs at the Mm6 Maison Margiela presentation during London Fashion Week Spring/Summer collections 2017 in London Getty Images Culture news in pictures 18 September 2016 Bethenny Frankel attends the special screening of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" to celebrate the 25th Anniversary Edition release on Blu-Ray and DVD in New York City Getty Images for Walt Disney Stu Culture news in pictures 17 September 2016 Visitors attend the 2016 Oktoberfest beer festival at Theresienwiese in Munich, Germany Getty Images Culture news in pictures 16 September 2016 Visitors looks at British artist Damien Hirst work of art 'The Incomplete Truth', during the 13th Yalta Annual Meeting entitled 'The World, Europe and Ukraine: storms of changes', organised by the Yalta European Strategy (YES) in partnership with the Victor Pinchuk Foundation at the Mystetsky Arsenal Art Center in Kiev AP Culture news in pictures 16 September 2016 Tracey Emin's "My Bed" is exhibited at the Tate Liverpool as part of the exhibition Tracey Emin And William Blake In Focus, which highlights surprising links between the two artists Getty Images Culture news in pictures 15 September 2016 Musician Dave Grohl (L) joins musician Tom Morello of Prophets of Rage onstage at the Forum in Inglewood, California Getty Images Culture news in pictures 14 September 2016 Model feebee poses as part of art installation "Narcissism : Dazzle room" made by artist Shigeki Matsuyama at rooms33 fashion and design exhibition in Tokyo. Matsuyama's installation features a strong contrast of black and white, which he learned from dazzle camouflage used mainly in World War I AP Culture news in pictures 13 September 2016 Visitors look at artworks by Chinese painter Cui Ruzhuo during the exhibition 'Glossiness of Uncarved Jade' held at the exhibition hall 'Manezh' in St. Petersburg, Russia. More than 200 paintings by the Chinese artist are presented until 25 September EPA Culture news in pictures 12 September 2016 A visitor looks at Raphael's painting 'Extase de Sainte Cecile', 1515, from the Uffizi Gallery in Florence during the opening of a Raphael exhibition at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, Russia. The first Russian exhibition of the works of the Italian Renaissance artist Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino includes eight paintings and three drawings which come from Italy. Th exhibit opens to the public from 13 September to 11 December EPA Culture news in pictures 11 September 2016 Steve Cropper and Eddie Floyd perform during Otis Redding 75th Birthday Celebration - Rehearsals at the Macon City Auditorium in Macon, Georgia Getty Images for Otis Redding 75 Culture news in pictures 10 September 2016 Sakari Oramo conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Chorus and the BBC Singers at the Last Night of the Proms 2016 at the Royal Albert Hall in London PA Culture news in pictures 9 September 2016 A visitor walks past a piece entitled "Fruitcake" by Joana Vasconcelo, during the Beyond Limits selling exhibition at Chatsworth House near Bakewell REUTERS Culture news in pictures 8 September 2016 A sculpture of a crescent standing on the 2,140 meters high mountain 'Freiheit' (German for 'freedom'), in the Alpstein region of the Appenzell alps, eastern Switzerland. The sculpture is lighted during the nights by means of solar panels. The 38-year-old Swiss artist and atheist Christian Meier set the crescent on the peak to start a debate on the meaning of religious symbols - as summit crosses - on mountains. 'Because so many peaks have crosses on them, it struck me as a great idea to put up an equally absurd contrast'. 'Naturally I wanted to provoke in a fun way. But it goes beyond that. The actions of an artist should be food for thought, both visually and in content' EPA Culture news in pictures Culture news in pictures Culture news in pictures

Following a dispute with the local arts community over the prospect of selling it, he and Anne left Adelaide for Cairns in Queensland and five years later returned to the US.

That might have been the end of their involvement with Australia and the arts community, but on the sale of her familys holdings in Kentenia Mining Corporation in 1977, Anne inherited a considerable fortune.

Gordon, remembering the impact of the Schepp Foundation scholarship, wondered if he could repay that debt. I have decided to help some of the talented students who often arrive at a dead end after the most promising school years, he wrote in 1977.

Mikala Dwyers A Weight of Somethings and Nothings (Samstag Museum of Art)

Although it took another 15 years before the first fellowships were awarded to ten young artists completing their studies at art schools located across Australia, the Anne & Gordon Samstag International Visual Arts Scholarships has launched many successful careers since then. One hundred and thirty-eight young Australian artists have been offered an extraordinary opportunity to work at some of the worlds major art schools.

This impressive book documents the Samstags life and their influence on Adelaide and Australia. It provides insight into the life and work of a skillful artist who felt out of place when his work was no longer fashionable but sought a new start, fuelled by the desire to pass on his knowledge to future generations of students.

The book also documents the creative work of Anne, a textile artist who embraced 1950s modernism to produce charming designs, many of which echo her professional activities as a dog trainer.

Their 16-year sojourn in Australia left a substantial legacy. As well as the scholarship they endowed, their name now graces one of the countries foremost University Art Museums. This lavishly illustrated and well-research volume acknowledges their formidable talents and their significant contribution to the visual culture of Australia.

The Samstag Legacy: An Artists Bequest (2016), edited by Ross Wolfe, is published by the University of South Australia and is available now

Professor Ted Snell is professor, chief cultural officer, cultural precinct, University of Western Australia. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article
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

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The new year is here and, after overdoing it in December, you're probably looking for an excuse to stay indoors for the remainder of January.

Netflix is on hand to help - this month sees a crop of new additions to the streaming service in both the UK and US.

Below, we've selected the five best titles you should look out for ranging from foreign films you no doubt missed at the cinema to your new favourite Netflix Original properties.

The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 Show all 27 1 /27 The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 Game of Thrones season 7 Creator: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss David Benioff, D.B. Weiss Cast: Lena Headey, Kit Harington, Peter Dinklage, Emilia Clarke Plot: With the HBO fantasy series gearing up to a close, this penultimate season will pick up where the last left off; with Cersei in power and the Mother of Dragons en route to Westeros. Premiere date: June 2017, Sky Atlantic The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 Taboo Creator: Steven Knight, Tom Hardy, Chips Hardy Steven Knight, Tom Hardy, Chips Hardy Cast: Tom Hardy, Oona Chaplin, David Hayman, Jonathan Pryce, Michael Kelly Plot: Set in 1814, the drama follows James Delaney, an adventurer who uncovers a dark family conspiracy upon returning home from Africa with the aim of avenging his father's death. Premiere date: 7 January, BBC One FX/BBC The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events Creator: Lemony Snicket, Mark Hudis Lemony Snicket, Mark Hudis Cast: Neil Patrick Harris, Patrick Warburton, Joan Cusack, Malina Weissman Plot: This adaptation of Daniel Handler's best-selling children's novels follows a trio of Baudelaire orphans as they find themselves perpetually hounded by the mysterious and sinister Count Olaf, hell-bent on landing the orphans' inherited fortune. Premiere date: 13 January, Netflix The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 Homeland season 6 Creator: Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa Cast: Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin, Rupert Friend, F Murray Abraham, Elizabeth Marvel Plot: Carrie and Saul are back, this time in New York, attempting to foil conspiracies in the run-up to the inauguration of president-elect Elizabeth Keane. Premiere date: 23 January, Channel 4 The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 Fortitude season 2 Creator: Simon Donald Simon Donald Cast: Richard Dormer, Sofie Grabl, Dennis Quaid, Michelle Fairley, Parminder Nagra Plot: The quiet, isolated community is rocked by a terrifying new threat as the Antarctica noir drama returns Premiere date: 27 January, Sky Atlantic The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 Legion Creator: Noah Hawley Noah Hawley Cast: Dan Stevens, Rachel Keller, Jean Smart, Aubrey Plaza Plot: This X-Men spinoff focuses on David Haller, a mutant diagnosed with schizophrenia at a young age. Premiere date: 9 February, FOX The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 The Walking Dead season 7B/8 Creator: Frank Darabont, Robert Kirkman Frank Darabont, Robert Kirkman Cast: Andrew Lincoln, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Norman Reedus, Khary Payton, Lauren Cohan, Melissa McBride, Lennie James Plot: Following on from the fateful events seen in the chaotic midseason finale, Rick begins to recruit an army in his war against Negan and the Saviours. Premiere date: 13 February, FOX The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 24: Legacy Creator: Joel Surnow, Robert Cochran, Manny Coto, Evan Katz Joel Surnow, Robert Cochran, Manny Coto, Evan Katz Cast: Corey Hawkins, Miranda Otto, Jimmy Smits, Teddy Sears Plot: This spin-off replaces Jack Bauer with war hero Eric Carter who enlists the aid of CTU with preventing one of the largest terrorist attacks on US soil. Premiere date: 15 February, FOX The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 Billions season 2 Creator: Brian Koppelman, David Levien, Andrew Ross Sorkin Brian Koppelman, David Levien, Andrew Ross Sorkin Cast: Damian Lewis, Paul Giamatti, Maggie Siff, Malin Akerman Plot: District Attorney Chuck Rhoades Jr returns as he continues with his attempts to prove hedge fund manager Bobby 'Axe' Axelrod is corrupt. Premiere date: February TBC, Sky Atlantic JoJo Whilden/SHOWTIME The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 Girls season 6 Creator: Lena Dunham Lena Dunham Cast: Lena Dunham, Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet, Adam Driver Plot: The final season of the drama will see Hannah and friends attempt to put things right with their troubled lives. Premiere date: February TBC, Sky Atlantic The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 Iron Fist Creator: Scott Buck Cast: Finn Jones, Jessica Henwick, David Wenham, Jessica Stroup, Tom Pelphrey, Rosario Dawson Plot: Marvel's latest Netflix show following Danny Rand, a martial arts expert with the ability to call upon the power of the Iron Fist. Scott BuckFinn Jones, Jessica Henwick, David Wenham, Jessica Stroup, Tom Pelphrey, Rosario DawsonMarvel's latest Netflix show following Danny Rand, a martial arts expert with the ability to call upon the power of the Iron Fist. Premiere date: 17 March, Netflix The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 Broadchurch season 3 Creator: Chris Chibnall Cast: Olivia Colman, David Tennant Plot: Not much is known about the ITV mystery drama's swansong save for the fact Detectives Miller and Hardy will reunite to work on a sexual assault case. Chris ChibnallOlivia Colman, David TennantNot much is known about the ITV mystery drama's swansong save for the fact Detectives Miller and Hardy will reunite to work on a sexual assault case. Premiere date: Spring 2017, ITV1 The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 Sherlock season 4 Creator: Steven Moffatt, Mark Gatiss Steven Moffatt, Mark Gatiss Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Toby Jones, Sacha Dhawan Plot: Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson are back for three more episodes of the Beeb's beloved series that'll replace Moriarty with a new villain played by Toby Jones. Premiere date: 1 January, BBC One The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 I Love Dick Creator: Jil Soloway Jil Soloway Cast: Kevin Bacon, Kathryn Hahn, Griffin Dunne Plot: The Transparent creator's new show centres on a married couple whose relationship is put to the test when they both fall for the same professor. Premiere date: Summer 2017, Amazon Prime The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 Twin Peaks season 3 Creator: Mark Frost, David Lynch Mark Frost, David Lynch Cast: Everyone Plot: The majority of the original cast plus a host of new faces are returning for one of the most anticipated TV revivals of all time. Premiere date: 2O17 TBC, Sky Atlantic Sky Atlantic The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 Riviera Creator: Neil Jordan Neil Jordan Cast: Julia Stiles, Monica Bellucci, Lena Olin, Iwan Rheon, Amr Waked Plot: The widow of a billionaire is shocked to discover that the fortune that maintained his immaculate, ever-so-tasteful lifestyle is tainted with dishonesty, double-dealing, crime, and ultimately murder. Premiere date: 2017 TBC The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 Catastrophe season 3 Creator: Rob Delaney, Sharon Horgan Rob Delaney, Sharon Horgan Cast: Rob Delaney, Sharon Horgan, Ashley Jensen, Carrie Fisher, Mark Bonnar Plot: Sharon and Rob return as the two wayward souls thrown together after a brief affair. Carrie Fisher will posthumously appear as Rob's mother in one of the actor's final screen roles. Premiere date: 2017 TBC, Channel 4 The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 Tin Star Creator: Rowan Joffe Rowan Joffe Cast: Christina Hendricks, Tim Roth Plot: This ten-part thriller, set in the Canadian Rockies, sees an expat British police officer take a stand against an oil company fronted by the mysterious Mrs Bradshaw leading to unprecedented bloodshed. The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 Britannia Creator: Jez Butterworth Cast: Kelly Reilly, David Morrissey, Zoe Wanamaker, Stanley Weber Jez ButterworthKelly Reilly, David Morrissey, Zoe Wanamaker, Stanley Weber Plot: The first co-production between Sky and Amazon is ten-part Roman revenge drama set in 43AD. Premiere date: 2017 TBC, Sky Atlantic The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 The Defenders Creator: Douglas Petrie, Marco Ramirez Douglas Petrie, Marco Ramirez Cast: Charlie Cox, Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter, Finn Jones, Elodie Yung ,Sigourney Weaver Plot: This mashup will see the lead characters of Netflix's four Marvel shows - Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist - unite in a bid to overcome forces in New York City. Premiere date: 2017 TBC, Netflix The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 Stranger Things season 2 Creator: The Duffer Brothers The Duffer Brothers Cast: Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown Plot: The fate of Eleven is resolved as we return to Hawkins fo0r mote otherworldly shenanigans that'll undoubtedly involve the Upside-Down. Premiere date: Late 2017, Netflix The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 The Punisher Creator: Steve Lightfoot Steve Lightfoot Cast: Jon Bernthal, Ben Barnes, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Amber Rose Revah, Deborah Ann Woll Plot: Daredevil character Frank Castle returns as the vigilante who uses lethal methods to fight crime. Premiere date: 2017 TBC, Netflix The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 The Leftovers season 3 Creator: Damon Lindelof Damon Lindelof Cast: Justin Theroux, Carrie Coon, Christopher Eccleston, Amy Brenneman, Margaret Qualley, Chris Zylka, Liv Tyler, Regina King, Kevin Carroll Plot: The sorely underrated drama, focusing on the aftermath of a world which saw 2% of the world's population disappear, returns for a final time with the action relocated to Australia. Can Kevin Garvey find enlightenment following the climactic events of season two? Premiere date: April TBC, Sky Atlantic The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 American Gods Creator: Bryan Fuller, Michael Green Bryan Fuller, Michael Green Cast: Ricky Whittle, Ian McShane, Emily Browning Plot: This long-awaited adaptation of Neil Gaiman's novel focuses on Shadow Moon, who accepts a job offer from a strager who turns out to be the Norse god Odin. Premiere date: 2017 TBC, Amazon Prime The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 Fargo season 3 Creator: Noah Hawley Noah Hawley Cast: Ewan McGregor, Carrie Coon, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, David Thewlis, Michael Stuhlbarg, Scoot McNairy Plot: The Coen Brothers spin-off returns, this time following brothers Emit and Ray Stussy who get caught up in a tangle of corruption and deceit. Premiere date: 2017 TBC, Channel 4 The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 Curb Your Enthusiasm season 9 Creator: Larry David Larry David Cast: Larry David, Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, JB Smoove, Cheryl Hines, Ted Danson, Mary Steenbergen Plot: Earlier this year, Larry David announced the return of his acclaimed HBO comedy series to the relief of fans the world over. There's no current release date but rest assured knowing David is currently somewhere in the world getting himself into awkward trouble for your viewing pleasure. Premiere date: 2017 TBC, Sky Atlantic Charles Fern The TV shows you'll be bingeing in 2017 House of Cards season 5 Creator: Beau Willimon Beau Willimon Cast: Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Joel Kinnaman, Molly Parker Plot: There's no current airdate for Kevin and Claire Underwood's fifth outing but, going by the closing moments of season four (war's been waged and the First Lady has the upper hand over her husband), things will be more fraught than ever. Premiere date: Spring TBC, Netflix

Suburra - 5 January



Suburra is an Italian-French crime noir, based on the book by Giancarlo De Cataldo and Carlo Bonini, which tells the story of a gruelling battle between corrupt politicians, religious leaders and hardened mafiosos in a small town outside of Rome. The little-seen gem from Stefano Sollima (the man behind upcoming Sicario sequel Soldado) demands to be seen ahead of its 10-part TV series continuation on Netflix later this year.

Under the Shadow - 7 January

This horror film set in war-torn Tehran follows a mother and daughter who become convinced their apartment is being haunted by a supernatural force. Atmospheric as hell - and featuring an irresistible performance from Narges Rashidi - Under the Shadow is best watched with the lights out; just don't expect to sleep anytime soon afterward.

Drag Me To Hell - 11 January



The Evil Dead director Sam Raimi returned to his horror roots with Drag Me To Hell (2011), a film which sees Alison Lohman's protagonist evict the wrong woman from her home. With a curse placed upon her, it seems she doesn't have long before her soul becomes eternally damned. A horror-comedy worthy of your time if only for the brilliantly succinct final scene.

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events - 13 January

Yet another adaptation of Daniel Handler's best-selling children's novels follows the Baudelaire orphans as they find themselves perpetually hounded by Count Olaf (Neil Patrick Harris), a mysterious and sinister figure hell-bent on landing their inherited fortune. The eight-part season looks set to be an improvement on the 2004 Jim Carrey film of the same name.

Frontier - 20 January

This historical drama - shot in dazzling 4K - stars Aquaman actor Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones) as an outlaw attempting to disrupt the Hudson Bay Company's monopoly on the fur trade in Canada. With a second season already confirmed, Frontier's guaranteed to be a huge hit.

Netflix UK

Available now

Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London

Ascension

Braquo (Season 3)

Burn, Burn, Burn

Halo Legends

My Best Friends Wedding

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Season 5)

Power Rangers Super Megaforce: The Legendary Battle

Real Detective

Saw: The Final Chapter

(T)error

The Pit and the Pendulum

The Principle

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To Be A Miss

Udta Punjab

3 January

Jen Kirkman: Just Keep Livin?

Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments (Season 2)

Beyond

4 January

Dirty Work

Good Luck Chuck

5 January

Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey

Miss India America

Shooter

Suburra

6 January

Coin Heist

Degrassi: Next Class (Season 3)

Growing Up Coy

One Day At A Time

Tarzan And Jane

7 January

Miss Sharon Jones!

Under The Shadow

8 January

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

10 January

Jim Gaffigan: Cinco

Were Lalaloopsy

11 January

Drag Me To Hell

13 January

Clinical

Historia De Un Clan

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (Season 1)

15 January

Hostage To The Devil

The Musketeers (Season 3)

17 January

Neal Brennan: 3 Mics

18 January

You Me Her

10 January

Take The Ten

Voltron: Legendary Defender (Season 2)

20 January

Frontier (Season 1)

24 January

Cristela Alonzo: Lower Classy

Gad Gone Wild

Terrace House: Aloha State

25 January

Ultimate Avengers: The Movie

27 January

Home: Adventures With Tip & Oh (Season 2)

iBOY

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28 January

The Good Wife (Season 7)

Netflix US

January 1

Around the World in 80 Days (2004)

After Innocence

Bee Movie

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Braveheart

Caddyshack

Collateral Damage

Dreamcatcher

El Dorado

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

HALO Legends

Hugo

Justin Bieber: Never Say Never

License to Drive

Nancy Drew

Ocean's Twelve

Real Detective (Season 1)

Superman: The Movie

Superman Returns

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Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

The Parent Trap (1961)

The Shining

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To Be A Miss

Trudell

V for Vendetta

Vanilla Sky

January 3

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Season 11)

Jen Kirkman: Just Keep Livin'?

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Coin Heist

Degrassi: Next Class (Season 3)

Growing Up Coy

Mar de Plastico (Season 1)

One Day at a Time (Season 1)

Tarzan and Jane (Season 1)

January 7

Alpha and Omega 7

Miss Sharon Jones!

Under the Shadow

January 9

Best and Most Beautiful Things

Ratchet and Clank

January 10

As I Open My Eyes

Best Friends Whenever (Season 2)

Happily Married

Jim Gaffigan: Cinco

We're Lalaloopsy (Season 1)

January 11

Disney's Alice Through the Looking Glass

January 13

Aquarius

Casablancas: The Man Who Loved Women Clinical

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (Season 1)

Historia de un Clan (Season 1)

It Follows

The Investigator: A British Crime Story (Season 1)

January 14

Camp X-Ray

Cardboard Boxer

EstarEstar O No EstarEstar

January 15

A Beautiful Now

Hostage to the Devil

Senora Acero (Season 3)

Twisted Trunk, Big Fat Body

Wartime Portraits (Season 1)

January 16

Flash of Genius

Halloweed

Rezort

January 17

Fatima

Neal Brennan: 3 Mics

Roger Corman's Death Race 2050

January 19

Good Kids

January 20

Frontier (Season 1)

Papa

Take the 10

Voltron: Legendary Defender (Season 2)

January 21

Bates Motel (Season 4)

Grami's Circus Show (Season 2)

January 24

Cristela Alonzo: Lower Classy

Gad Gone Wild

Hieronymus Bosch: Touched by the Devil

Kill Command

Terrace House: Aloha State Season 1: Part 1

January 25

Era el Cielo

January 27

Home: Adventures With Tip & Oh (Season 2)

iBOY

Kazoops! (Season 2)

Shadows of Truth

Sharknado: The 4th Awakens

January 28

Ripper Street (Season 4)

January 30

Antibirth

Swing State

January 31

Bill Burr Stand Up Special
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Almost all Costa Rica's electricity was produced by renewable energy in 2016, continuing its reputation as a verdant gem among a pile of black coal rocks.

The Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) said that around 98.1 per cent of the countrys electricity came from green sources.

These included large hydropower facilities, fed by a myriad of rivers and heavy seasonal rains, geothermal plants, wind turbines, solar panels and biomass plants.

A worker cleans the panels in a solar power park run by the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) on March 26, 2015 in Guanacaste, Costa Rica Joe Raedle/Getty Images (Joe Raedle/Getty)

The country used carbon-free electricity for more than 250 days last year with a continuous 110-day stretch from 17 June until 6 October.

A brief blip after that, when fossil fuel plants were switched on, was followed by another clean stint until at least 13 December, according to an ICE spokesman quoted by Mashable.

Science and environment journalist Maria Gallucci described the tropical country as "a verdant gem amid a pile of black coal rocks".

Costa Rica used 98.9 per cent renewable energy in 2015.

In comparison, less than 15 per cent of the US electricity supply for January to October 2016 was renewable, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

Coal and natural gas together made up nearly two-thirds of the US electricity generation over that period and nuclear power provided the remaining 19 per cent.

ICE president Carlos Manuel Obregon said he expected renewable power generation to stay stable in Costa Rica in 2017.

 Renewable energy is making waves in Europe

The country, which hosts more than five per cent of the worlds species biodiversity despite a landmass that covers 0.03 per cent of the planet, has recently set up four new wind farms.

Costa Rican clean development adviser Dr Monica Araya has said the extent of Costa Rica's renewable electricity generation is a fantastic achievement".

But she added: It hides a paradox, which is that nearly 70 per cent of all our [Costa Rica's] energy consumption is oil.

The 98.1 per cent figure only refers to electricity usage, not gas used for heating or fuel used in vehicles, for example.
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Female doctors offer better patient care than their male counterparts, according to a new study.

The research looked at four years of data and 1.5 million hospital visits and found patients who are seen by female doctors had significantly lower mortality and readmission rates.

The findings, published in the JAMA Internal Medicine journal, suggests if male doctors performed as well as their female counterparts approximately 32,000 lives would be saved.

There is evidence that men and women may practice medicine differently, the study says.

Literature has shown that female physicians may be more likely to adhere to clinical guidelines, provide preventive care more often, use more patient-centred communication, perform as well or better on standardized examinations, and provide more psychosocial counselling to their patients than do their male peers.

Vineet Arora, University of Chicago's associate professor of medicine, said the explanation is likely to be due to a range of factors.

"It could be something the doctor is doing. It could be something about how the patient is reacting to the doctor," she told the Washington Post.

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Having a female physician is an asset.

The study helps to disprove the claim that women underperform compared to males and has been approved by the Harvard Medical School Institutional Review Board, the Cosmopolitan reported.
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The daughter of actress Carrie Fisher has broken her silence about the death of her mother and grandmother, saying she had no words to describe how she felt when they died barely 24 hours apart.

Star Wars star Fisher, 60, died unexpectedly on December 27, four days after suffering a heart attack on board an plane from London to Los Angeles. Debbie Reynolds, a celebrated actress in her own right, and Fishers

mother, died the next day after suffering a possible stroke.

Billie Lourd, who has followed in the professional footsteps of her mother and grandmother, posted a photograph of the three of them on Instagram.

Receiving all of your prayers and kind words over the past week has given me strength during a time I thought strength could not exist, wrote Loud, the star of 2015s Scream Queens.

Receiving all of your prayers and kind words over the past week has given me strength during a time I thought strength could not exist. There are no words to express how much I will miss my Abadaba and my own and only Momby. Your love and support means the world to me.

Lourd is the only child of Fisher from her relationship with talent agent Bryan Lourd, from whom she split in 1994. She appeared with her mother and grandmother last the 2015 Screen Actors Guild Awards to present Reynolds with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Reynolds son, Todd, confirmed last week the two Hollywood stars are to be buried in a joint funeral.

Following Reynolds' death, he said: She said, I want to be with Carrie, and then she was gone.
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A wealthy philanthropist and former wife of an energy tycoon, has been accused of telling an African-American chef she hired that she wanted him to only prepare black people food.

A federal lawsuit accusing Madeleine Pickens of racial discrimination alleges that she told chef Armand Appling that she wanted him to prepare fried chicken, BBQ ribs and corn bread, at the dude ranch she runs for tourists in Nevada. She allegedly told Mr Appling, whom she recruited from her country club in southern California, she did not want white people food.

The Associated Press said Mr Appling claims he was fired 2014 in retaliation for complaining about a hostile work environment. He said Ms Pickens stereotypical references were commonplace at the Elko County ranch, stretching across 900 square miles on the edge of the Ruby Mountains. Tourists pay around nearly $2,000 a night to stay in plush cottages there.

Tourists pay around nearly $2,000 a night to stay in plush cottages at the Mustang Monument Eco-Resort

He also claimed that Ms Pickens, who is white and the former wife of Oklahoma energy tycoon T Boone Pickens, told him to fire two other black kitchen employees - one whom she referred to as her bull or ox and another who had too much personality.

He said she told him they didnt look like people we have working at the country club and did not fit the image of the staff she wanted at the ranch.

Ms Pickens lawyers have said they even if the allegations were true, none of her comments were racially motivated. The lawyers said that at the very worst, Ms Pickens remarks reflected a non-racial personality conflict and amount to discourtesy, rudeness or lack of sensitivity.

The AP said that US District Judge Miranda Du said during a hearing in Reno last week that Mr Applings lawyers had so far failed to prove the sort of racial hostility needed to win such a civil rights claim.

She dismissed the original lawsuit that was filed in February but gave the lawyers until January 13 to file an amended complaint seeking unspecified damages from Ms Pickens nonprofit, Save Americas Mustangs.

It takes a lot to prove these allegations, Ms Du told California attorney Willie Williams.
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The Orkney Islands are reportedly exploring options that could see them declare independence from the UK and Scotland following the Brexit vote.

A majority of Orkney's councillors have backed a motion demanding an investigation into "greater autonomy or self-determination" and the possibility of a second independence referendum for Scotland, The Daily Telegraph reports.

The motion, passed by 13 of the Orkney Islands Council's 21 members, demands the chief executive put together a report considering "whether the people of Orkney could exercise self-determination if faced with further national or international constitutional changes."

It adds: "Or indeed to decide if more autonomy might be beneficial for the wellbeing of Orkney."

 Theresa May refuses to rule out making payments to the EU after Brexit

The motion also requests the report look at what would be needed to "consider such opportunities for greater autonomy or self-determination" from the UK and Scottish governments.

Graham Sinclair, the councillor who drafted the motion, told the paper: "I think the islands are more significantly different  both historically and culturally  from the rest of the country."

Mr Sinclair said the motion was "a very preliminary shot" and was designed "to consider whether there is the possibility for constitutional changes."

He said an opinion poll could be carried out to determine how people living on the islands feel about the issue.

Brexit Concerns Show all 26 1 /26 Brexit Concerns Brexit Concerns Brexit will put British patients at 'back of the queue' for new drugs Brexit will put British patients at the back of the queue for vital new drugs, the Government has been warned  forcing them to wait up to two years longer A medicines regulator has raised the alarm over a likely decision to pull out of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as well as the EU itself. ealth Secretary Jeremy Hunt dropped the bombshell , when he said he expected the UK would quit the EMA  because it is subject to rulings by the European Court of Justice. Getty Images Brexit Concerns London to lose status as 'gateway to Europe' for banks One of Germanys top banking regulators has warned that London could lose its status as gateway to Europe for the banking sector after Britain quits the European trading bloc. Andreas Dombret, who is an executive board member for the BundesbankGermanys central banktold a private meeting of German businesses and banks earlier this week in Frankfurt that even if banking rules were equivalent between the UK and the rest of the EU, that was still miles away from [Britain having] access to the single market, the BBC reports. Jason Hawkes Brexit Concerns Exodus The number of financial sector professionals in Britain and continental Europe looking for jobs in Ireland rocketed in the months after the UK voted to leave the European Union Shutterstock Brexit Concerns Brexit is making FTSE 100 executives richer Pay packages of many FTSE 100 chief executive officers are partly tied to how well share prices are doing rather than the CEOs performance -- and some stocks are soaring. ritish equities got a boost since the June vote because the likes of Rio Tinto, Smiths Group and WPP generate most sales abroad and earn a fortune when they convert these revenues back into the weakened pound. Sterlings fall also made UK stocks more affordable for overseas investors. Rex Brexit Concerns Theresa May: UK to leave single market Theresa May has said the UK "cannot possibly" remain within the European single market, as staying in it would mean "not leaving the EU at all". Getty Brexit Concerns Lead campaigner Gina Miller and her team outside the High Court Getty Brexit Concerns Raymond McCord holds up his newly issued Irish passport alongside his British passport outside the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns SDLP leader Colum Eastwood leaving the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns Migrants with luggage walk past a graffiti on a wall as they leave the 'Jungle' migrant camp, as part of a major three-day operation planned to clear the camp in Calais Getty Brexit Concerns Migrants leave messages on their tents in the Jungle migrant camp Getty Brexit Concerns The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (Adra) which distributes approximately 700 meals daily in the northern Paris camp states that it is noticing a spike in new migrant arrivals this week, potentially linked the the Calais 'jungle' camp closure - with around 1000 meals distributed today EPA Brexit Concerns Migrant workers pick apples at Stocks Farm in Suckley, Britain Reuters Brexit Concerns Many farmers across the country are voicing concerns that Brexit could be a dangerous step into the unknown for the farming industry Getty Brexit Concerns Bank of England governor Mark Carney who said the long-term outlook for the UK economy is positive, but growth was slowing in the wake of the Brexit vote PA Brexit Concerns The Dow Jones industrial average closed down over 600 points on the news with markets around the globe pluninging Getty Brexit Concerns Immigration officers deal with each member of the public seeking entry into the United Kingdom but on average, 10 a day are refused entry at this London airport and between 2008 and 2009, 33,100 people were detained at the airport for mainly passport irregularities Getty Brexit Concerns A number of global investment giants have threatened to move their European operations out of London if Brexit proves to have a negative impact on their businesses Getty Brexit Concerns Following the possibility of a Brexit the UK would be released from its renewable energy targets under the EU Renewable Energy Directive and from EU state aid restrictions, potentially giving the government more freedom both in the design and phasing out of renewable energy support regimes Getty Brexit Concerns A woman looking at a chart showing the drop in the pound (Sterling) against the US Dollar in London after Britain voted to leave the EU Getty Brexit Concerns Young protesters outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, to protest against the United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU following the referendum Getty Brexit Concerns Applications from Northern Ireland citizens for Irish Passports has soared to a record high after the UK Voted in favour of Leaving the EU Getty Brexit Concerns NFU Vice President Minette Batters with Secretary of State, Andrea Leadsome at the National Farmers Union (NFU) took machinery, produce, farmers and staff to Westminster to encourage Members of Parliament to back British farming, post Brexit Getty Brexit Concerns The latest reports released by the UK Cabinet Office warn that expats would lose a range of specific rights to live, to work and to access pensions, healthcare and public services. The same reports added that UK citizens abroad would not be able to assume that these rights will be guaranteed in the future Getty Brexit Concerns A British resident living in Spain asks questions during an informative Brexit talk by the "Brexpats in Spain" group, about Spanish legal issues to become Spanish citizens, at the town hall in Benalmadena, Spain Reuters Brexit Concerns The collapse of Great Britain appears to have been greatly exaggerated given the late summer crowds visiting city museums, hotels, and other important tourist attractions Getty Brexit Concerns The U.K. should maintain European Union regulations covering everything from working hours to chemicals until after the government sets out its plans for Brexit, said British manufacturers anxious to avoid a policy vacuum and safeguard access to their biggest export market Getty

A 2013 poll found only eight per cent of islanders supported leaving Scotland in the event of independence.

The Orkney Islands are situated off the north of Scotland and were ruled along with the Shetland Islands by Norway. They came under the control of the Scottish Crown in 1472.
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A councillor has backed the introduction of a universal basic income in Scotland because he says it is the best way to tackle poverty.

A radical scheme to give every citizen a universal basic income (UBI), regardless of whether or not they work, is set to be piloted by two Scottish councils this year.

Labour-run Glasgow and Fife councils are designing trial schemes following meetings held late last year.

It has not yet been announced what level the basic income will be set at, but the councils are to proceed with the pilots, subject to sufficient funding being secured.

Under UBI, welfare benefits such as Jobseekers Allowance, working tax credits and state pensions are replaced by a single, unconditional flat-rate payment, regardless of whether the recipient is in work. Any money earned above this is subject to taxation.

Matt Kerr, a Labour councillor and key force behind the issue, says his investigations into poverty convinced him a basic income was the right step forward.

Like a lot of people, I was interested in the idea but never completely convinced, he told the Guardian.

Jamie Cooke, head of think tank the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) in Scotland, which carried out research into the scheme, attended a meeting with Fife Council about the idea, which is said to have received enthusiastic support.

Mr Cooke said afterwards: This is a significant step forward for basic income in Scotland, giving a very realistic chance of a pilot taking place in Scotland within the next couple of years.

On the question of where the money should come from, Mr Cooke said: It could be funding from particular trusts, it could be individual philanthropic funding, or it could be a redirection of the existing welfare state spend.

Glasgow is the most deprived local authority area in Scotland, with a third of all children in the city said to be living in poverty.

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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 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"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 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Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. 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Fife has been identified as having high levels of hidden or in-work poverty, with research by the TUC revealing more than 34 per cent of workers in the north-east of Fife earn less than the living wage.

The radical economist Guy Standing is a leading campaigner for UBI and co-founded the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN).

Professor Standing, who published the book The Precariat: The new dangerous class in 2011, believes we must free ourselves of the notion that everyone has to work for a living, as technological advances will make many jobs redundant.

He predicted that stagnating living standards and increasing job insecurity would lead to the rise of right-wing populism.

Interest in universal basic income has been growing in Scotland, particularly since the Scottish National Party passed a motion in support of the policy at its conference last year.

There have been successful pilot schemes in Africa and India, and the idea is becoming more popular in Europe, with a pilot currently running in the Netherlands and another set to launch in Finland this year.

Many anti-poverty groups in the UK are in favour of UBI, and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said that he and Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell are considering putting the policy in the partys next manifesto.

Supporters believe it would create a fairer, less complex system than the current mix of welfare benefits as well as building a more family-friendly society which recognises that work includes caring duties.

They also claim it would eliminate benefit fraud and reduce administrative costs, as well as improving health and happiness in people who would be free to study or retrain, safe in the knowledge of a basic income.

Opponents of UBI have branded it utopian fiction and money for nothing, which could make people lazy and give public funds to the already affluent.

A referendum on whether or not to introduce UBI in wealthy Switzerland was resoundingly rejected last year  but a recent poll in the UK found two thirds were in favour of the idea in principle.
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The only provider of refuges for women fleeing domestic violence in Sunderland may be forced to close if the local council goes ahead with plans to stop providing funding, charity officials have warned.

Staff at Wearside Women in Need, which has worked with vulnerable women in the area for 35 years, are concerned that Sunderland may become the only major city in the UK with no refuge provision for survivors of domestic violence.

Sunderland Council recently consulted residents on changes to budgets for local authority services. The consultation states that, due to changes in funding from central government, the council must cut 74m from their local authority budget by 2020.

The council has said that no final decisions have been made on the 2017/2018 budget.

However, Claire Phillipson, director of Wearside Women in Need, told The Independent that Sunderland Council had told the charity their funding of 568,000 a year would be entirely withdrawn from June 2017.

If the proposed cut goes ahead, the charity said that it would probably be forced to close.

It currently run four refuges, which can accommodate up to 173 women and 107 children.

As well as generic support, they run the only specialist refuge in the North East for black women, and provide accommodation for women with severe physical disabilities.

They also provide outreach and advocacy services, a 24-hour domestic violence helpline and specialist projects combatting female-genital mutilation and forced marriage.

Northumbria Police recorded 10,159 incidents of domestic abuse in 2014/2015, an increase of 62 per cent since 2007/2008.

Against this backdrop of increasing demand, Wearside Women in Need has already had their funding cut by 33 per cent since 2010.

Ms Phillipson said: The impact of Sunderlands cuts have already been fairly catastrophic. Were stretched to the absolute limit.

"We had to close a specialist project for women with complex mental health needs. We stopped all specialist work with children, and in total we lost 13 staff.

Survivors of domestic violence in Sunderland will now have to apply for refuge spaces in neighbouring local authorities.

However, with transfers from other areas usually approved on a case-by-case basis, womens charities have warned that applicants from a different local authority are sometimes turned away.

Refuges across the country are already heavily over-subscribed; Womens Aid found that, in 2015, refuges were forced to turn away two thirds of referrals.

Reciprocal arrangements [for domestic violence survivors] are goodwill arrangements, and I fear that because of the additional pressure on services in the surrounding areas, the arrangements we currently have in the North-East will completely break down, leaving women in Sunderland with no place to go," Ms Philipson said.

On its Facebook page, Wearside Women in Need shared accounts from women who had sought the charity's help.

The week before Christmas 2003, I stood on the town centre bridge, wanting to end my life. I was a failure as a wife, as a mother! That's what I was told by my husband of 15 [years] and I believed every word, one said.

I went back to my home, my abuser and my kids because I had to put on the perfect family day.. New Year's Day 2004, my 12-year-old son had the strength to do something I could not! He stood up and said you're not hitting my Mam anymore.

 Philip Davies' filibuster on the domestic violence bill, fact-checked

He didn't hit me again, I walked out that day with only the clothes on my back and my children. I found Wearside Women in need. It hasn't been easy, but sometimes life isn't.

Another wrote she had come to fear Christmas after 20 years of physical, emotional and mental abuse.

The drinking which led to the abuse and the torture was something I never thought I'd escape from, she said.

But 18 months ago I did just that, and with the help and support from WWIN and the refuge I have rebuilt my life, and I am now strong enough to move into my own home with my children.

Most importantly, the refuges and the people who run them have made me realise that it wasn't me to blame for the abuse but it was ALL his doing. WWIN literally saved my life.

The council will vote on changes to its revenue budget in February and March.

If they go ahead with the proposals, Ms Phillipson said the charity will consider seeking a judicial review of the council's decision.

We will certainly be looking at legal challenges, because we think this sets such a dangerous precedent. If one council gets away with doing this, theres a risk that others will follow suit, and we cannot allow that to happen," she said.

Sunderland Council told The Chronicle: By 2019/2020 the council has to save 74m from the money available to spend on local priorities and services.

"This is on top of unprecedented cuts and cost pressures over the last six years which have seen 250m having to be saved.

By 2020 we will have 590 less available to spend for each Sunderland household than we do currently in 2016.
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Theresa May has blamed her predecessor, David Cameron, for the controversies surrounding this New Years honours list.

Numerous Tory donors and other political figures received honours and sources close to Ms May have defended her involvement, saying many of the nominations came from Mr Cameron.

The Prime Minister apparently wants future honours to prioritise those who have helped boost social mobility, the economy or those who tackle discrimination.

Some reports have said such changes to the system are likely to take place by the time of the Queens birthday honours.

In the recent list, Dominic Johnson, an associate Conservative treasurer who put up Mr Cameron and his family when they left Downing Street, received a CBE and Mark Lowcock, the Permanent Secretary of the Department for International Development, earned a knighthood.

Former BBC presenter and charity campaigner, Lynn Faulds Wood, rejected her MBE saying the honours system is tainted and needs to be brought into the 21st century.

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. 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The 68-year-old called for reforms to the House of Lords and for the Honours system to be modernised to make it fairer.

This years Honours list was dominated by high-profile British athletes who represented the country in the Rio games such as Andy Murray, Mo Farah and Jessica Ennis-Hill, who received knighthoods and a damehood.
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Theresa Mays New Year's message pledging to be mindful of both Leave and Remain voters during Brexit negotiations has been dismissed as utterly meaningless by leader of the Liberal Democrats, Tim Farron.

The Prime Minister urged the public to unite ahead of years of controversial constitutional changes and indicated she would take a softer approach to Brexit than was previously thought.

When I sit around the negotiating table in Europe this year, it will be with [...] the knowledge that I am there to get the right deal," she said, "not just for those who voted to Leave  but for every single person in this country.

 Theresa May's New Year Message

But Mr Farron, whose party is campaigning for a second referendum on the Brexit deal the Government makes with the EU, said in a statement the Prime Ministers words were not to be trusted, given her previously hard-line approach to Brexit.

After months of platitudes and driving us headlong towards a 'hard Brexit' out of the single market, threatening jobs and our economic security, a few empty words are utterly meaningless," he said.

If the Prime Minister cannot even deliver on the words she gave when she campaigned for Remain, why should we believe her now?"

Ms May is expected to trigger Article 50, the untested protocol for a member state leaving the EU, before the end of March.

Her administration has said it can keep to this timetable, despite a looming verdict in a Supreme Court case, which could require Parliament to approve the decision to start the process.

Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Show all 13 1 /13 Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Supreme Court Brexit Challenge People wait to enter the public gallery outside the Supreme Court ahead of the challenge against a court ruling that Theresa May's government requires parliamentary approval to start the process of leaving the European Union, in Parliament Square, central London Reuters Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Gina Miller, co-founder of investment fund SCM Private arrives at the Supreme court in London on the first day of a four-day hearing Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge A man waves the EU flag in front of the Supreme Court Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Satirical artist Kaya Mar poses with two of his paintings in front of the Supreme Court Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Pro-Europe protestors dressed as Supreme Court Justices stand outside the Supreme Court ahead of the first day of a hearing into whether Parliament's consent is required before the Brexit process can begin. The eleven Supreme Court Justices will hear the government's appeal, following the High Court's recent decision that only Parliament can trigger Article 50 Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge The eleven Supreme Court Justices will hear the government's appeal, following the High Court's recent decision that only Parliament can trigger Article 50 Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Businesswoman Gina Miller arrives at the Supreme Court ahead of the first day of a hearing into whether Parliament's consent is required before the Brexit process can begin Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Attorney General Jeremy Wright arrives at the Supreme Court in London EPA Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Protesters outside the Supreme Court in London, where the Government is appealing against a ruling that the Prime Minister must seek MPs' approval to trigger the process of taking Britain out of the European Union PA wire Supreme Court Brexit Challenge A protesters wearing a judge's wigs and robes stands outside the Supreme Court ahead of the challenge against a court ruling that Theresa May's government requires parliamentary approval to start the process of leaving the European Union, in Parliament Square, central London Reuters Supreme Court Brexit Challenge A protester holds up a placard outside the Supreme Court ahead of the challenge against a court ruling that Theresa May's government requires parliamentary approval to start the process of leaving the European Union, in Parliament Square, central London Reuters Supreme Court Brexit Challenge Pro-Europe protestors dressed as Supreme Court Justices stand outside the Supreme Court Getty Supreme Court Brexit Challenge A man waiting to enter the public gallery waves a European Union flag outside the Supreme Court ahead of the challenge against a court ruling that Theresa May's government requires parliamentary approval to start the process of leaving the European Union, in Parliament Square, central London Reuters

Other EU nations have insisted they will not enter into any form of negotiation with Britain until Ms May formally triggers Article 50, which starts a two-year-long countdown to departure.

Ms May has previously given several indications the Government was driving towards a hard Brexit, claiming that people pursuing a soft Brexit  often understood as retaining access to the single market  had simply not understood Junes referendum result.

In October the Prime Minister said: Let me be clear. We are not leaving the European Union only to give up control of immigration again. And we are not leaving only to return to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.
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Tesco has cut the price of womens razors to bring them in line with the cost of mens, in a move being hailed as a victory for equality campaigners.

The supermarket was criticised alongside other leading retailers following an investigation last year which highlighted the discrepancy between charges for many male and female products of the same brand and size.

In the case of its own brand razors, Tesco was charging 2 for a five pack of womens twin blade razors  and just 1 for the mens equivalent.

In a letter to Labour MP Paula Sherriff, Tesco said: Following an internal review and discussions with our suppliers, we have acted on concerns about the differences in price of our male and female disposable twin-blade razors.

Tesco claimed the previous price difference was due to the fact that male razors are produced and sold in significantly higher volumes, which reduces the price we pay for them.

Ms Sherriff, a vocal opponent of the so-called tampon tax on womens sanitary products, said on Twitter: Really pleased with this result. Chipping away at gender pricing bit by bit. Watch out retailers  Im coming for you!

A newspaper investigation last year found that from the cradle to the grave, there is a premium charged for being female, with products targeted at women and girls priced on average 37 per cent more than male equivalents.

Some of the products tested, which included razors and pens, appeared to charge a premium simply for being pink.

However, research done by The Independent found a more nuanced picture, with some male products  particularly for skin care  costing significantly more than their feminine equivalents.

Sainsburys own brand mens and womens razors are priced equally per unit for comparable products  but Asda and Morrisons own branded razors can still work out cheaper for men than for women as they are sold in bigger packs, reducing their price per unit.

The Fawcett Society, which campaigns for gender equality, asked the big four supermarkets  Tesco, Asda, Sainsburys and Morrisons  to review their pricing policies in light of its own investigation last year.

It also called for the development of more gender neutral options in toiletries.

Responding to pressure from campaigners, retailer Boots adjusted its pricing on a variety of products including razors and eye cream last year. Superdrug also announced a review into its pricing of gendered products.
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A Christian youth leader is taking on one of Malawis oldest taboos in an attempt to help tackle the countrys HIV pandemic.

Chatonda Mhango, the youth chairman of one of the countrys largest Presbyterian minsters, wants contraception to be discussed as a means of HIV and Aids prevention in churches.

Yet the idea is widely condemned by churches across sub-Saharan Africa because it is seen as synonymous with promiscuity.

Malawi is one of the nine African countries in which more than 10 per cent of the population have HIV. The rate rises to about 17 per cent in urban areas.

The steady decline in new HIV infections worldwide plateaued at around two million a year in 2010, suggesting the United Nations aim of reducing the numbers to 500,000 a year by 2020 is overly optimistic.

Its about life and death, people are dying, Mr Mhango, who has lost count of the people he knows who have been killed by Aids, told The Independent.

The most painful thing is we at the church are running away from the truth when there are lots of nasty things happening outside of it.

World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures Show all 9 1 /9 World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures Indian NGO volunteers light candles in the shape of a ribbon during an awareness rally on the eve of World Aids Day in Agartala, the capital of northeastern state of Tripura, India World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures Government health workers wear masks as they display a streamer during a World Aids Day celebration in Manila, Philippines REUTERS/Erik De Castro World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures Filipino women wear colourful costumes during a World Aids Day celebration in Manila REUTERS/Erik De Castro World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures Indonesian students hold a rally to increase awareness of HIV and AIDS at a university in Surabaya JUNI KRISWANTOJUNI KRISWANTO/AFP/Getty Images World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures An Indian college student poses alongside placards during an event at a local hospital to raise awareness about AIDS on the occasion of World Aids Day AFP PHOTO STR/AFP/Getty Images World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures People Living with HIV AIDS (PLHA) lie on the street during a protest demanding the revival of focus on India's AIDS programme which has been on the decline in the past few years, in New Delhi AFP PHOTO / SAJJAD HUSSAINSAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures A red ribbon placed at the Puerta de Alcala in Madrid, Spain, by the Collective of Lesbians, Gays, Transexuals and Bisexuals of Madrid (COGAM) EPA/J.P. GANDUL World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures South Korean middle school students hold umbrellas as they form a giant red ribbon during a ceremony to mark World AIDS Day in Seoul AFP PHOTO / JUNG YEON-JEJUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images World Aids Day 2015 around the world - in pictures Pakistani people hold placards as they attend a rally to create awareness in Peshawar Arshad Arbab/EPA

The 28-year-old university graduate is responsible for young members at the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian Synod (CCAP) of Livingstonia in the St Augustine neighbourhood of Mzuzu.

The church, in this dusty and bustling city, northern Malawis largest, has a 700-strong congregation that swells to 2,000 in college term time.

Mr Mhango does not believe condoms should be encouraged in church services or distributed but, in a relatively ground-breaking move, wants their use to be discussed at youth meetings for those struggling to abstain.

Malawis schools and non-governmental organisations promote the ABC method of avoiding STIs: abstain, be faithful (to one uninfected partner) or condomise.

However, in the Malawian church, there is a rather different ABC message: abstain, be faithful or use Christ.

Biblically, I would say no, we cannot talk about condoms in the church, but in special groupings, that would be okay, said Mr Mhango, who does not drink and does not have sex with his girlfriend because they are not married.

The church says abstain, abstain, abstain, but people are failing to abstain and then the church is hit hard by the virus.

Malawians go hungry as food crisis deepens

Someone, somewhere, is not being faithful, thats why its important to also talk about condoms.

Theres a mentality that if you encourage condoms, you will encourage fornication, but its happening anyway.

Mr Mhango also blames false prophets, who claim to have healing powers that can pray away an HIV infection, for aggravating the pandemic.

Temitope Balogun Joshua, known as TB Joshua, who is a Nigerian pastor, televangelist and philanthropist, is the most obvious example. He boasts a monumental following on the continent.

Not everyone who prays for you is from God, said Mr Mhango, who says he was never given a condom demonstration in school.

Tentative talk of an HIV cure emerged earlier this year after a 44-year-old in the UK appeared to shake off the virus after a course of prototype therapy  but the headlines were widely considered premature.

The post-exposure prophylaxis (PREP) drug, which must be taken no more than 72 hours after exposure, is the only known potential cure, but antiretroviral drugs can control the infection and enable someone to live with the disease.

However, if it is aggravated by cancer or conditions such as tuberculosis and hepatitis C, it can develop to Aids, which can be terminal.

Mr Mhango was recently close to hosting a sexual health workshop.

Mzuzu, pictured here as women take relief items at a local school after flooding in the spring, is Malawi's largest city in the north Getty (Getty)

He was given permission from his church elders to hold a discussion with local charity Tovwirane, which included British volunteers from UK Aid charity Progressio ICS (International Citizen Service), but then ran out of time to organise the event.

Previous attempts stalled because of a reluctance by elders from other surrounding churches to allow youths from their congregations to join.

A friend of Mr Mhango, who gave his name as Cuthbert, said condoms must never be discussed in a church setting.

In a 2005 study, referenced in the Religious teachings and influences on the ABCs of HIV prevention in Malawi report, 27 per cent of religious leaders surveyed across 187 congregations said they had at least once privately advised church members to use condoms.

The countrys health ministry has previously urged churches to take a more central role in fighting HIV and Aids and to stop information dissemination.
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A Somali police officer says a suicide car bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at a security checkpoint near Mogadishu's international airport, killing at least three people.

Captain Mohamed Hussein says the car bomber detonated the bomb as security forces were searching cars at the checkpoint, a few hundred metres from the main base of the African Union (AU) peacekeeping headquarters.

So far we know three of the security forces died. We believe al Shabaab is behind the attack," Mohamed Ahmed, a police officer, told Reuters.

He said the death toll was likely to go up because the bomb was powerful. The blast blew roofs and doors off nearby buildings.

A Reuters photographer at the scene saw the burnt-out shell of the bomber's car and another vehicle nearby on fire.

The checkpoint is close to United Nations offices and the Peace Hotel, which is often frequented by foreigners and officials.

A second blast and heavy gunfire could also be heard at the checkpoint after the attack, but there were no immediate details.

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

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. However, the al-Qaida linked Islamic extremist group al-Shabab often carries out such attacks.

Despite being ousted from most of its key strongholds across large parts of south and central Somalia, the group continues to wage deadly attack across the country.

Somalia's capital has seen frequent bomb attacks at hotels and military checkpoints. The assaults have threatened this Horn of Africa nation's attempts to rebuild from decades of chaos.

The country's presidential election, a key step toward recovery, already has been delayed multiple times because of security and other concerns.

In July at least 13 people died in two car bomb attacks near an entrance to the airport.

Agencies contributed to this report
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A hotel resort owned by Donald Trump is reported to have made hundreds of thousands of dollars selling tickets to a New Years party attended by the President-elect amid mounting concerns about potential conflicts of interests affecting the next administration.

Mar-a-Lago, the Trump-owned members-only luxury resort in Floridas Palm Beach, which each year sells tickets to flashy parties it throws on holidays and special occasions, reportedly held a cocktail hour on Saturday night, followed by dinner and dancing until 1am, with the chance to meet Mr Trump during the event.

On Friday, Mr Trumps incoming White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, told a press conference the party was already sold out, with more than 800 people scheduled to attend  amounting to ticket proceeds of around $420,000.

An anonymous source who travels in Palm Beach society circles said tickets to the party were being sold at $525 each for members and $575 each for guests  an average of 448 per ticket  according to Politico.

Mr Trumps transition team declined to comment on the ticket prices.

Incoming White House Director of Strategic Communications Hope Hicks rejected criticisms that Mar-a-Lago was selling access to the President-elect. Ms Hicks is reported to have said: The transition is not concerned about the appearance of a conflict.

This is an annual celebratory event at the private club, like others that have continued to occur since the election. Additionally, the president [sic] cannot and does not have a conflict.

It could raise further questions about the President-elects businesses and how they might be used by people as a way to gain access to his administration when he gains power later this month.

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

When faced with questions about the conflicts of interest presented by his businesses in the US and abroad, Mr Trump said he planned to delegate the management of his enterprises to his two adult sons, building what he said was a clear wall between his private business and public power.

But the following day, his children had seats at the table of one of his biggest policy meetings yet attended by the countrys top tech-industry elites and Mr Trumps cabinet nominees, heightening concerns that Trump business entanglements could still steer his presidential policy.

Mr Trump also announced plans to dissolve a controversial foundation established in his name, but officials said he cannot do so while it was the subject of criminal investigation.

But this has failed to satisfy critics, who demand instead that he divest his assets to remove any conflicts of interest.

In December it was revealed Mr Trump had a 244m conflict of interest with Deutsche Bank, which is under investigation on several fronts by the US Department of Justice.

The bank is trying to restructure some of Trumps roughly $300m debt as part of an attempt to reduce any conflict of interest between the loan and his presidency, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Zephyr Teachout, an academic and activist who has written about corruption in American politics, recently said she believed Mr Trump may be the most corruptible president to date.
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A leading Republican and former US environment chief has accused Donald Trump of ignoring compelling scientific evidence on climate change, warning his policies could put the world at risk.

Christine Todd Whitman, who was head of the US Environment Protection Agency (EPA) under George W Bush, said she found the President-elects apparent disdain for environmental science worrisome.

Mr Trump has dismissed climate change as a hoax and members of his team have talked about increasing coal production, allowing oil exploration in the Arctic and building new pipelines. He has also suggested he will remove the US from the Paris Agreement on climate change and scrap Barack Obamas landmark clean power plan.

Speaking in an interview for a BBC Radio 4 documentary called Climate Change: the Trump Card, Ms Todd Whitman said: I find it very worrisome that there seems to be a disdain for the science on protecting the environment.

I worry terribly for the future of my family and families round the world because Mother Nature has never observed geopolitical boundaries and what one country does really does affect another country.

To walk away from something where you have 97 per cent of scientists saying this is occurring and people have an impact on it  Its gotten to the point where weve got to try to slow it down if were going to survive it.

The Republican argued that Mr Trump was betraying a Republican heritage of conservation, and noted the number of oil tycoons in his Cabinet.

Conservation is inherently conservative. I hope to be proven wrong by Mr Trump but you have so many multi-millionaires from the oil industry in his cabinet, Ms Todd Whitman said.

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

We want to have power and be energy independent but the problem is doing it in a balanced way to protect health and the environment, but from Trumps view it doesnt seem to enter the equation.

Several of Mr Trumps picks for cabinet posts have cast doubt on climate science  although it is unclear how they will act in office.

In December, Ms Todd Whitman condemned the President-elects decision to appoint Scott Pruitt, who wants to scrap the clean power plan that underpins Americas commitments to curb carbon dioxide emissions, as head of the EPA.

She said she could think of no other EPA head as disdainful of the agency and the science as Mr Pruitt, adding: He obviously doesnt care much for the agency or any of the regulations it has promulgated.

Mr Trumps nominee for Energy Secretary is former Texas governor Rick Perry, who has in the past argued for the abolition of the department he is about to lead, while his pick for Secretary of State is Rex Tillerson, head of oil giant Exxon Mobil, which is being investigated for allegedly misleading its shareholders over risks to the climate.

In another indication that the incoming administration could reassess the US governments approach to tackling climate change, Mr Trumps transition team recently asked US State Department officials to disclose how much money it provides each year to international environmental groups.

At the start of December, the lead scientist behind a ground-breaking climate change study said global warming was beyond the point of no return and branded Donald Trumps sceptical stance on climate change as catastrophic for humanity.

Climate Change: the Trump Card airs on BBC Radio 4 at 8pm on Tuesday
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A new law in Michigan will prohibit local governments from banning, regulating or imposing fees on the use of plastic bags and other containers. You read that correctly: Its not a ban on plastic bags  its a ban on banning plastic bags.

Michigan Lt. Gov. Brian Calley signed the new public act into law on Wednesday, along with 11 other bills. Gov. Rick Snyder is currently on vacation out of state, local news sources reported, and Calley has the authority to sign bills into law in his absence.

The new public act prohibits local ordinances from regulating the use, disposition, or sale of, prohibiting or restricting, or imposing any fee, charge, or tax on certain containers, including plastic bags, as well as cups, bottles and other forms of packaging. This means individual cities and municipalities are not allowed to ban plastic bags or charge customers a fee for using them.

Bans and restrictions on the use of plastic bags are widespread in other parts of the country and around the world. The rationale is simple: Plastic bags are infamous non-biodegradable sources of pollution  although they will eventually break down into tiny pieces, scientists believe this process can take hundreds of years, or even up to a millennium, in landfills.

10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Show all 10 1 /10 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near McMurdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Smoke  filled with the carbon that is driving climate change  drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals, says the photographer. Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow. Rizwan Dharejo 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A shepherd moves his herd as he looks for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a public health emergency. Leung Ka Wa 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by drought, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan

Many scientists are growing particularly concerned about plastic pollution in the oceans. Research suggests that 5 million to 12 million metric tons of plastic may have been dumped into the ocean in 2010 alone. There, the waste is frequently eaten by seabirds and other marine animals  or it breaks down into tiny pieces known as microplastics, which scientists believe can be harmful or even toxic to sea creatures who ingest it.

Bangladesh was the first country in the world to ban certain types of thin plastic bags in 2002, after they were found to have choked the nations drainage systems during a series of devastating floods. China instituted a similar ban in 2008, and also prohibits businesses from giving out thicker plastic bags to customers for free. Other nations, including South Africa and Italy, have also enacted similar restrictions.

San Francisco became the first U.S. municipality to institute a plastic bag ban. And in 2014, California became the first state. Many other municipalities around the country have bans or fees in place, including Austin, Seattle and Chicago, which will be repealing its citywide ban in favor of a 7-cent tax next month.

On the other hand, Michigan is not the only state to have implemented a ban on bans. Idaho, Arizona and Missouri all have enacted similar laws. In these cases, proponents of the laws have defended them as a way of protecting businesses from having to comply with additional regulations.

The new Michigan law was met with praise from the Michigan Restaurant Association for this reason.

With many of our members owning and operating locations across the state, preventing a patchwork approach of additional regulations is imperative to avoid added complexities as it related to day-to-day business operations, said Robert OMeara, the associations vice president of government affairs, in a statement.

But others have criticized the legislation as an overstep in authority. Michigan news outlet MLive reported that Rep. Jeff Irwin, a democrat representing Ann Arbor, spoke out against the bill while it was still in the House, saying that it attacks local control.

Earlier this year, the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners, which is seated in Ann Arbor, had voted in favor of a new ordinance imposing a 10-cent fee on both paper and plastic bags dispensed in grocery stores throughout the county. Under the new Michigan public act, such a fee will not be permitted.

Copyright: Washington Post
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Another year. Another first.

Rachel Freier, a New York lawyer and mother-of-three children, will this week begin work as Americas first woman from ultra-Orthodox Hasidic community to serve as an elected official.

Ms Freier was last month sworn in a a New York Civil Court judge, having own an election earlier in the year, in which she beat two other lawyers contesting Brooklyns 5th Judicial District seat.

https://youtu.be/xK9FnEj6IT8

She was sworn in last month at the citys Borough Hall in an event that included a Yiddish rendition of God Bless America, according to Vosizneias.com

As a result of the vision of the founding fathers of this great country, I was able to maintain the standards of a woman from the Hasidic community and achieve the position of civil court judge, she said.

For this I thank God, and I thank America, and I pray that God continues to bless America.

She added: This is a dream. Its the American dream.

The Associated Press said Ms Freier, who begins work on Tuesday, is a real estate lawyer who volunteers in family court and in her community, where she serves as a paramedic.

The news agency said there is no official tally of the religious affiliation of the nations judges. However, experts are not aware of any instance of an Hasidic woman serving before Ms Freier won her post. Indeed, it is rare even in Israel for Hasidic or other ultra-Orthodox women to hold any elected position.

Ms Freier, a political newcomer whose uncle is a former judge, won a three-way Democratic primary and the general election in a swath of Brooklyn that includes the heavily Hasidic Borough Park neighborhood.

Her election was a step for the ultra-Orthodox community at large, showing it is open to women making progress on the political ladder, said Yossi Gestetner, a longtime Hasidic political activist and public relations consultant who co-managed Ms Freiers campaign.

Hasids and other ultra-Orthodox groups together make up only 6 percent of America's estimated 5.3m adult Jews, according to a 2013 Pew Research Centre study.

Dating to 18th-century Eastern Europe, Hasidism combines strict adherence to Jewish law and a belief in mysticism.

Followers often speak Yiddish, wear traditional dress including beards and sidelocks for men, and wigs for married women, and separate men and women in various situations, ranging from buses to classrooms.

The very idea that an ultra-Orthodox woman could be a judge is notable, said Samuel Heilman, a City University of New York sociology professor.
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North Korea has been working through 2016 on developing components for an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), making the isolated nation's claim it was close to a test-launch plausible, international weapons experts said on Monday.

North Korea has been testing rocket engines and heat-shields for an ICBM while developing the technology to guide a missile after re-entry into the atmosphere following a lift-off, the experts said.

While Pyongyang is close to a test, it is likely to take some years to perfect the weapon.

Once fully developed, a North Korean ICBM could threaten the continental United States, which is around 9,000 km (5,500 miles) from the North. ICBMs have a minimum range of about 5,500km (3,400 miles), but some are designed to travel 10,000km (6,200 miles) or further.

 North Korea carries out fifth nuclear test

North Korea's state media regularly threatens the US with a nuclear strike, but before 2016 Pyongyang had been assumed to be a long way from being capable of doing so.

"The bottom line is Pyongyang is much further along in their missile development than most people realise," said Melissa Hanham, a senior research associate at the US-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California.

She said the North's test in April of a large liquid-fuel engine that could propel an ICBM was a major development.

"The liquid engine test was astounding," Ms Hanham said.

"For years, we knew that North Korea had a Soviet R-27 missile engine design. They re-engineered the design of that engine to double its propulsion."

North Korea has said it is capable of mounting a nuclear warhead on a ballistic missile but it claims to be able to miniaturise a nuclear device have never been independently verified.

Inside the daily life in North Korea Show all 19 1 /19 Inside the daily life in North Korea Inside the daily life in North Korea People reading a newspaper at the metro station Inside the daily life in North Korea Thoughts of the leaders on the tram. They have about a dozen of these on every tram, all with different thoughts Inside the daily life in North Korea Young people training for a big upcoming festival Inside the daily life in North Korea People at the Pyongyang's annual marathon Inside the daily life in North Korea Many stars on one of the trolleys in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea An intimidating poster in a primary school in North Korea. Inside the daily life in North Korea Solar panels installed on a street lamp. Inside the daily life in North Korea A poster on the window next to one of the venues we visited in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea Kids playing football next to the Arch of Triumph. After a while tourists were allowed to join, so some of us did Inside the daily life in North Korea Class in an educational center in Pyongyang (where people over 17 years old can attend any classes they choose after school, for free) Inside the daily life in North Korea People waving at me during the Pyongyang marathon Inside the daily life in North Korea People having a great time dancing at a public park Inside the daily life in North Korea A metro driver in a metro station in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea Fireworks to mark the birthday of the Eternal President Kim Il Sung on our last night in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea My wonderful tour guide at a public park Inside the daily life in North Korea One of the parks in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea A person rowing some boats for the day at a river in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea The National War Museum Inside the daily life in North Korea Public park in Pyongyang

The isolated nation has achieved this progress despite UN Security Council imposed sanctions for its nuclear tests and long-range rocket launches dating back to 2006. The sanctions ban arms trade and money flows that can fund the country's arms programme.

North Korea has enough uranium for six bombs a year and much of what it needs for its nuclear and missile programmes relies on Soviet-era design and technology. Labour is virtually free.

It can produce much of its missile parts domestically and invested heavily in its missile development infrastructure last year, funded by small arms sales and by taxing wealthy traders in its unofficial market economy.

Throughout the year, North Korean state media showed images of numerous missile component tests, some of which revealed close-up details of engines and heat shields designed to protect a rocket upon re-entry into the earth's atmosphere.

The propaganda offensive may have revealed some military secrets, but it may have also been a bid to silence outside analysts, many of whom had remained sceptical of the North's missile programme.

"They're answering the public criticisms of US experts," said Joshua Pollack, editor of the US-based Nonproliferation Review. "A lot of people had questioned whether they had a working ICBM-class heat shield."

"So they showed us."

Despite the research, Pyongyang has experienced considerable difficulties getting its intermediate-range Musudan missile, designed to fly about 3,000km (1,860 miles), off the ground. It succeeded just once in eight attempted launches last year.

North Korea has fired long-range rockets in the past, but has characterised those launches as peaceful and designed to put an object into space.

Still, the South Korean defence ministry believes the three-stage Kwangmyongsong rocket used by Pyongyang to put a satellite in space last February already has a potential range of 12,000km (7,457 miles), if it were re-engineered.

Doing so would require mastering safer "cold-launch" technology, and perfecting the ability of a rocket to re-enter the earth's atmosphere without breaking up.

"North Korea is working hard to develop cold-launch technology and atmospheric re-entry but South Korea and the U.S. will have to assess further exactly which level of development they have reached," South Korean defence ministry official Roh Jae-cheon told a briefing on Monday.

North Korea began stepping up its missile development in March 2016, Roh said, but added that there were no "unusual signs" related to test preparations, according to the South Korean military.

That same month, Kim Jong Un was photographed looking at a small, ball-like object that North Korean state news agency KCNA said was a miniaturised nuclear warhead - the device North Korea would need to fulfil its ICBM threat.

"2016 marked the year North Korea truly ramped up their WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) programme," Hanham at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey said.

"I think we're going to see a [ICBM] flight test in 2017".

Reuters
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Norways next Prime Minister has formed a right-wing coalition government with the populist Progress Party, despite fears that some of their policies could inflame anti-immigrant sentiment in a nation still healing from the attacks by neo-Nazi extremist Anders Breivik two years ago.

Erna Solberg, whose Conservative Party last month ousted Labour after two terms in government, has negotiated a minority coalition with the Progress Party, which since its founding in 1973 has been frozen out of power because of its radical views on immigration, tax and spending.

While Progress Party politicians have repeatedly denied that they are xenophobic, tightening the laws on asylum seekers and immigrants in Norway was a central plank of their campaign and a condition for their participation in the Conservative-led coalition government.

We cant hide the fact that we are very pleased with the immigration issues here, we have got a fairly strong tightening, the Progress Party leader, Siv Jensen, said after signing a cooperation agreement on Monday night to become part of Norways most right-wing postwar government.

Ms Solberg had hoped to form a four-party coalition which also included two centre parties, but those talks broke down. The two smaller parties have agreed to largely cooperate with the government in parliament.

Survivors of Breiviks massacre, however, told The Independent in September that they were concerned that the inclusion of the Progress Party in government could lead to a harsher debate on immigration issues.

I think it will be bad for the society and especially for the multicultural values if the government is only consisting of the Progress Party and the Conservatives, Fredric Holen Bjrdal, a 23-year-old who survived Breiviks attack on a Labour Party youth camp to become an MP, said last month.

Liv Torres, secretary-general of the charity Norwegian Peoples Aid, said there were worrying signs in the cooperation agreement that asylum reception centres may be replaced with detention centres and migrants will have difficulties bringing family members to the country.

Its probably going to mean a more restrictive policy towards asylum seekers, she said. The rhetoric is going to be important because its very important for everyone coming here to feel welcome and its worrying when we see a lot of immigrants and asylum seekers organisations are expressing worries.

Rune Karlsen, a political scientist at Oslo University, said any more radical policies would likely by tempered by the two centre parties which are quite liberal on the immigration issue.

Progress Party politicians have been at pains to portray themselves as a libertarian centre-right party, and have toned down their rhetoric since Breiviks attacks, which left 77 people dead. Breivik  who was briefly a Progress Party youth member  was intent on wiping out the future generation of a party he blamed for the Islamic invasion of Norway.
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An Italian priest is being investigated for allegedly organising orgies in his rectory and pimping out up to 15 lovers.

Catholic Father Andrea Contin, a parish priest in the northern city of Padua in Veneto, is under police investigation on suspicion of living off immoral earnings and psychological violence.

A variety of sex toys and videos, purportedly showing orgies taking place on the San Lazzaro church premises, have been seized after complaints from three female parishioners.

The 48-year-old also allegedly concealed pornographic home videos in covers bearing the names of various popes.

He is accused of farming out some of his lovers to men on wife-swapping websites, according to The Times.

The priest also allegedly took his female friends for stays at a naturist and swingers resort in Cap dAgde on the southern French coast.

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. 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Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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

Complaints were reportedly first made to the local bishop last summer but church authorities did not police, saying they had not yet completed their own investigation.

One 49-year-old church volunteer, who says she had an affair with Father Contin and had sex with him in the rectory, told Il Mattino di Padova: There were a lot of women hovering around him. I didnt understand that at first, only later.

The same news website reported that Father Contin was on holiday in Croatia, where his family visit yearly.

It quoted city mayor Paolo Tonin as saying: They are also trying to protect him from the clamour of this story that has now gone national.

Father Contin has not been arrested but a prosecutor was investigating the allegations.

The Independent has contacted police in Veneto for comment.
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The attack in Istanbul is a declaration of war on the Turkish state by Isis, which has created an extensive network of operatives aided by an apparent willingness within the Erdogan government to turn a blind eye in the past.

The Turkish military is now carrying out a major operation inside Syria against Isis and incurring significant losses. Sixteen soldiers were killed last week outside the town of al-Bab and two captured special forces troopers were burned alive by the Islamists. Isis now appears intent on striking back, taking jihad to the heart of Turkey. A stream of fighters has been intercepted in recent months attempting to come into the country from Syria along with discoveries of caches of weapons. The bloodshed that links the two sides of the border was highlighted by Turkish jets carrying out strikes in Syria today in direct retaliation, say Ankara, for the murders of 39 people at the nightclub.

Recommended Turkey strikes Isis in Syria after Istanbul nightclub attack

Defectors from Isis have told The Independent how the leadership of the group, desperately defending Mosul in Iraq and the caliphates de facto capital of Raqqa, are instructing adherents to carry out bombings and shootings abroad.

Speaking recently in northern Syria, Abu Mutassim, an Isis defector, has described the level of increasing hatred towards Turkey among the jihadist leadership.

It is a Muslim country whose rulers have turned against Islam, allying themselves with the Americans and the Russians, he told The Independent. They are seen as the worst of enemies  Daesh [Isis] has declared war on Turkey.

While Western focus has been on the attacks in Europe, some of the worst atrocities have taken place in Turkey .

Isis has claimed credit for the Reina club massacre declaring that it was carried out by a heroic soldier of the caliphate who attacked the most famous nightclub where the Christians were celebrating their pagan feast on the orders of its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Further retribution, it said, will come against Turkey, a servant of the cross.

Eight people have been arrested by the security agencies overnight, but the gunman, who, according to Turkish security sources, is believed to be from former Soviet Central Asia, Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan, and is said to have fled after the attack by hailing a taxi, remains on the run.

More raids are expected to take place, including at the Syrian border  the same border through which Isis, Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaeda affiliate, which now calls itself Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, and other hardline Islamist groups were able to move men and arms to fight the forces of Bashar al-Assad and moderate rebel groups.

An Isis presence has been established since then in the same border areas with the group showing its lethal reach. Syrian activists who had fled the Assad regime but had also made a stand against the Islamist extremists have been attacked, a number of them murdered. Clerics in mosques in the town of Urfa routinely urged young men to serve Islam by joining Isis and al-Nusra.

Yassir Abdulhamid, an activist from Syrias Idlib province was forced to flee the border area and moved to Istanbul following threats from Isis. He said: I had to leave because of Daesh [Isis]. Places like Urfa became almost as dangerous as being inside Syria. We simply could not understand how Daesh could be there like that without the Turkish authorities knowing what was going on and without doing something about it. Of course, we have all heard about certain links, but it is better not to talk about these things, it is too risky.

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

What happened at the nightclub is terrible. There have been two big Daesh attacks in Istanbul since I have been here. In places like Urfa or Killis [another border town] we were under threat because we were activists. Now, here in Istanbul, everyone is under threat from Daesh.

The interior ministry in Ankara said today that 147 people had been detained in the past week over suspected ties to Isis. All possible precautions had been taken against an attack on New Years Eve with 17,000 policemen, some of them undercover, on duty, it stressed.

The fact that the slaughter was carried out at a venue which was likely to be a target despite the arrests and the other security measures show the ongoing potency of Isis. There is also the question of whether the killings, and others in the past, could have been prevented had the authorities acted against the jihadis earlier.

One reason for the failure to take action, it is claimed, is the complex tapestry of the conflict and the de-facto alliances which have sprung as a result. Turkish forces, while fighting Isis, have also been carrying out operations against the Kurds in Turkey and Syria. Isis has also been battling the Kurds in Syria and, in the past, has carried out attacks on Kurdish targets inside Turkey.

A former Turkish official, who used to work at the interior ministry, gave the example of an established Isis cell in Adiyaman, a city in the Kurdish south-eastern region, which established itself and grew in numbers, carrying out attacks, despite intelligence about its presence. We knew there were people in it who had been in Syria. We knew that one man in particular had carried out the recruitment. We knew there were foreign fighters there with wives, he said. No arrests were made and they carried out bombings. When there were eventual moves made against them, the main figures escaped to Syria. We never got satisfactory explanation what exactly went on there.
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Turkish police are hunting for the chief suspect who carried out a mass shooting at a nightclub in Istanbul and have detained eight people in connection with the attack.

Isis claimed responsibility after a gunman opened fire at a crowd of hundreds of people celebrating New Year's Eve at the Reina nightclub, killing at least 39 people and injuring dozens more.

The group's Amaq news agency said the attack was carried out by a "heroic soldier of the caliphate" who attacked the nightclub "where Christians were celebrating their pagan feast."

It 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.

 Footage of Istanbul attack and aftermath

The gunman killed a policeman and another man outside the Reina club in the early hours of 2017, before entering and firing at an estimated 600 people partying inside.

The brutal assault lasted seven minutes, in which time the attacker fired more than 100 bullets into the crowd.

It is thought he then changed his clothes and disappeared.

Police are tracing and are yet to identify the suspect, shown here in a police handout picture (AFP/Getty Images)

Local reports said some people jumped into the waters of the Bosphorus strait to escape the massacre.

Citing Justice Ministry officials, the Anadolu news agency reported that 38 of the 39 dead have been identified.

The report said 11 of them were Turkish nationals, and one was a Turkish-Belgian dual citizen.

It adds that seven victims were from Saudi Arabia; three each were from Lebanon and Iraq; two each were from Tunisia, India, Morocco and Jordan. Kuwait, Canada, Israel, Syria and Russia each lost one citizen.

Medics carry a wounded person after an attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul (AP)

Police in Istanbul are understood to have launched an operation in the city in connection with the attack.

Police, acting on a tip-off, were carrying out an operation at a home in Istanbul's Zeytinburnu neighbourhood, Haber Turk news channel reported.

The private Dogan news agency said the operation was being carried out by special operations police with backing from a helicopter.

Earlier Turkish authorities have said they are close to identifying the gunman and have detained eight other people, the government's spokesman said.

"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 told a news conference.

He said it was clear 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.

Turkey sent tanks and special forces into Syria just over four months ago to push back Isis militants from its border and prevent Kurdish militia fighters from taking ground in their wake.

Mr Kurtulmus also said Sunday's attack bore significant differences to previous attacks in Turkey and that it had been carried out to create divisions within Turkish society.

People near the scene of an attack in Istanbul (AP)

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.

Earlier, Turkish media reports said the gunman is likely to be either from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Ministry said it was looking into the media reports.

"We have ordered the consul in Istanbul the check this report that has appeared in the press," the Interfax news agency quoted ministry spokeswoman Aiymkan Kulukeyeva as saying on Monday.

"According to preliminary information, this information is doubtful but we are checking all the same."

Police have identified similarities with the high-casualty attack at Ataturk Airport in June, and are investigating whether the same Isis cell carried out both attacks, the Hurriyet and Karar newspapers report.

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. 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Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. 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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country was determined to destroy the source of threats 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," he 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.

Additional reporting by agencies
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Turkey has bombed and fired at more than 100 Isis targets in Syria immediately after the nightclub attack in Istanbul.

The countrys Chief of General Staffs office, cited by the state-owned Anadolu Agency, said Turkish jets struck eight Isis targets and that tanks and artillery opened fired on 103 targets near the al-Bab stronghold.

The retaliation, an immediate response to a gunmans killing of at least 39 people at the Reina bar on the banks of the Bosphorus, has reportedly killed 22 people.

Russian jets have also attacked Isis targets in Dayr Kak which lies around five miles southwest of al-Bab.

Isis claimed responsibility for the attack on Monday morning.

An image of the suspect released by Turkish police Reuters (Reuters)

Eight have been arrested, while the manhunt for the gunman, believed to be from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan, continues Reuters/Huseyin Aldemir (Reuters)

Anti-terrorism squads meanwhile have arrested eight people now being questioned at Istanbuls police headquarters.

A manhunt however is still under way for the gunman, who is believed to be from either Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan, who fired an automatic rifle and detonated hand grenades.

A statement from Isis reads: 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.

It also said the man opened fire with an automatic rifle, believed to be a kalashnikov, in revenge for Gods religion and in response to the orders of its so-called leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

According to the countrys Hurriyet and Karar newspapers, police believe the same Isis cell executed the high-casualty suicide bomb and gun attack at Istanbuls Ataturk Airport in June.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has already said the country, which has lost hundreds of citizens to terrorism this year, will fight to the end against terror.

 Footage shows gunman unleash wave of bullets outside Istanbul nightclub

The manhunt for the killer, who is believed to have fired up to 180 bullets in the 700-capacity venue, continues.

The onslaught, which murdered Saudi Arabians, Moroccans, Lebanese, Libyans, Tunisians, Indians and Jordanians, lasted approximately seven minutes.

The attack also killed one each from Kuwait, Canada, Israel, Syria and Russia, as well as two Bavarian residents: one a Turkish national and the other a dual Turkish-German citizen.

Mr Erdogan earlier said: 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.

They are trying to create chaos, demoralise our people, and destabilise our country with abominable attacks that target civilians.

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

We will retain our cool-headedness as a nation, standing more closely together, and we will never give ground to such dirty games.

At least 69 people were being treated in hospital after the nightclub attack and four were said to be in a serious condition.

Security in Turkish cities had been heightened during the run-up to the New Year and 17,000 police officers, some reportedly camouflaged as Santa Claus, were deployed.

Twin bombings outside the Besiktas football stadium last month, an attack claimed by Kurdish militants, killed 38 people.
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Israeli police are questioning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a pair of corruption allegations, local media reported after police arrived at his official residence.

The police did not speak to journalists, but Israeli media said they are looking into suspicions Mr Netanyahu inappropriately accepted expensive gifts from two businessmen.

Reports said the initial questioning, which began on Monday evening, could last several hours.

A black screen was earlier placed in front of Mr Netanyahu's residence, seemingly in anticipation of the investigators' arrival, to obstruct the view of journalists seeking to film them.

Israel: From independence to intifada Show all 7 1 /7 Israel: From independence to intifada Israel: From independence to intifada 26973.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26974.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26975.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26976.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26977.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26985.bin Robert Capa/Magnum Israel: From independence to intifada 26986.bin Robert Capa/Magnum

Mr Netanyahu has denied what he calls "baseless" reports he received gifts from two businessmen.

Speaking at a meeting of his Likud faction on Monday afternoon, Mr Netanyahu again denied allegations of wrongdoing.

"We've been paying attention to reports in the media, we are hearing the celebratory mood and the atmosphere in the television studios and the corridors of the opposition, and I would like to tell them, stop with the celebrations, don't rush," he said.

"There won't be anything because there is nothing."

Israel's Channel 2 TV has reported Mr Netanyahu accepted "favours" from businessmen in Israel and abroad, and is the central suspect in a second investigation that also involves family members.

 Hackers make Israeli TV play Muslim call to prayer after parliament tried to ban it

The Haaretz daily said Investigators are looking into allegations Mr Netanyahu accepted 1 million (850,000) from Arnaud Mimran, a French businessman currently serving eight years in prison for committing a huge carbon-tax fraud.

During his trial, Mimran claimed to have donated the money to Mr Netanyahu during the 2009 Israeli election campaign - something the politician has consistently denied.

Channel 10 TV has reported Mr Netanyahu's oldest son, Yair, accepted free trips and other gifts from Australian billionaire James Packer.

Israel's justice ministry and police have declined to comment on the media reports.

Additional reporting by AP
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Francois Hollande has told his country's forces in Iraq that battling Isis abroad helps prevent attacks at home.

The French President arrived in Baghdad today to meet French troops and top officials, and will "stress the importance of continuing efforts to ensure sustainable security in the country after Isis has been defeated", a source told AFP.

He was due to meet Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, of Iraq's main Shiite political group, President Fuad Masum, a Kurd, and Parliament speaker Salim al-Juburi, a prominent Sunni politician.

In pictures: Mosul offensive Show all 40 1 /40 In pictures: Mosul offensive In pictures: Mosul offensive A doctor carries an Iraqi newborn baby at a hospital in Mosul, Iraq July 18, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi girls play at a yard of a school in Mosul, Iraq July 18, 2017alal Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive A woman on crutches who is a relative of men accused of being Islamic State militants is seen at a camp in Bartella, east of Mosul, Iraq July 15, 2017. Picture taken July 15, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive A displaced girl, who fled from home carries a doll at Hamam al-Alil camp south of Mosul, Iraq July 13, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi federal police members and civilians celebrate in the Old City of Mosul on 9 July 2017 after the government's announcement of the "liberation" of the embattled city. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office said he was in "liberated" Mosul to congratulate "the heroic fighters and the Iraqi people on the achievement of the major victory" AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive A picture taken on 9 July 2017, shows a general view of the destruction in Mosul's Old City. Iraq will announce imminently a final victory in the nearly nine-month offensive to retake Mosul from jihadists, a US general said Saturday, as celebrations broke out among police forces in the city. AFP In pictures: Mosul offensive Members of the Iraqi federal police raise the victory gesture as they ride on a humvee while advancing through the Old City of Mosul on 28 June 2017, as the offensive continues to retake the last district held by Islamic State (IS) group fighters. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Smoke billows as Iraqi forces advance through the Old City of Mosul on 26 June 2017, during the ongoing offensive to retake the last district held by the Islamic State (IS) group. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi man wearing the green scarf of the Shi'ite faith kisses an Iraqi Army soldier on safely reaching the Iraqi forces position as Iraqi civilians flee the Old City of west Mosul where heavy fighting continues on 23 June 2017. Iraqi forces continue to encounter stiff resistance with improvised explosive devices, car bombs, heavy mortar fire and snipers hampering their advance. Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive A picture taken from the inside of an Iraqi forces armoured vehicle shows residents walking through a damaged street as troops advance towards Mosul's Old City on 18 June 2017, during the ongoing offensive to retake the last district still held by the Islamic State (IS) group. Military commanders told AFP the assault had begun at dawn after overnight air strikes by the US-led coalition backing Iraqi forces. They said the jihadists were putting up fierce resistance. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi Army soldiers advance in a destroyed street after an Iraqi forces airstrike targeted an Islamic State sniper position 17 June 2017 in al-Shifa, the last district of west Mosul under Islamic State control. IS snipers, as well as car and suicide bomb attacks continue to hinder the Iraqi forces efforts to retake the final district. A series of airstrikes by Iraqi helicopter gunships attempted to hit multiple Islamic State sniper positions in al-Shifa. Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier frisks a displaced Iraqi man at a temporary camp in the compound of the closed Nineveh International Hotel in Mosul on 16 June 2017 which was recovered by Iraqi troops from Islamic State group fighters earlier in the year. A screening centre set up in the compound's fairgrounds sees a constant stream of Iraqis fleeing the battle for Mosul, awaiting their turn to be checked by the Iraqi forces who are searching for suspected Islamic State (IS) group members. The small fairground lies at the end of a pontoon bridge across the Tigris recently opened to civilians that is the only physical link between the two banks of the river. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqis staying at the al-Khazir camp swim in a river near the camp for internally displaced people, located between Arbil and Mosul on 11 June 2017. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi government forces drive on a road leading to Tal Afar on 9 June 2017, during ongoing battles to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi policeman carries a poster bearing an image of Mosul's iconic leaning minaret, known as the "Hadba" (Hunchback), on 22 June 2017. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqis stand in line to receive food aid in western Mosul's Zanjili neighbourhood on 7 June 2017, during ongoing battles as Iraqi forces try to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters. Living conditions in Mosul have again deteriorated since the start of the Iraqi government's offensive on the city in October in which they retook a large part of the west of the city. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Displaced Iraqis carry lightbulbs and sacks as they evacuate from western Mosul's Zanjili neighbourhood as government forces advance in the area during their ongoing battle against Islamic State (IS) group fighters on 13 May 2017 AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) flashes the victory gesture as he patrols in western Mosul's al-Islah al-Zaraye neighbourhood on 13 May 2017 AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi army soldiers from the 9th armoured division on a truck flash the sign of victory as they drive back from Mosul to the town of Qaraqosh (also known as Hamdaniya) Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Members of Iraqi forces flash the sign of victory on their vehicle as they advance towards Hammam al-Alil area south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of Iraqi security forces gestures in Hammam al-Alil, south of Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi children, one flashing the sign of victory, greet Iraqi army's soldiers from the 9th armoured division in the area of Ali Rash, adjacent to the eastern Al-Intissar neighbourhood of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Peshmerga forces look at a tunnel used by Islamic State militants near the town of Bashiqa, east of Mosul, during an operation to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier takes a photograph with his phone as his comrade stands next to a detained man, whom the Iraqi army soldiers accused of being an Islamic State fighter, who was fleeing with his family in the Intisar disrict of eastern Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iranian Kurdish female members of the Freedom Party of Kurdistan (PAK) hold a position in an area near the town of Bashiqa, some 25 kilometres north east of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi families, who fled their homes in Hamam al-Alil, gather on the outskirts of their town Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Displaced people walk past a checkpoint near Qayara, south of Mosul, Iraq AP In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi families who were displaced by the ongoing operation by Iraqi forces against jihadists of the Islamic State group to retake the city of Mosul, are seen gathering in an area near Qayyarah In pictures: Mosul offensive A boy who just fled Abu Jarbuah village is seen with his family at a Kurdish Peshmerga position between two front lines near Bashiqa, east of Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi child eats a pomegranate upon the arrival of Iraqi forces in the village of Umm Mahahir, south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive People who just fled Abu Jarbuah village sit as they eat at a Kurdish Peshmerga position between two front lines near Bashiqa, east of Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive A couple who just fled Abu Jarbuah village are escorted by Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Women carry a boy over a wall as civilians flee their houses in the village of Tob Zawa, Iraq AP In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier and a civilian ride a motorbike as smoke rises behind them, on the road between Qayyarah and Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of Iraqi forces, wearing a skull mask, waits at a checkpoint for people fleeing the main hub city of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier sits at a checkpoint in an area near Qayyarah Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi men prepare food portions for Iraqi forces deployed in areas south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi forces celebrate upon the arrival of vehicles bringing food to them Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi childen smoke cigarettes upon the arrival of Iraqi forces in the village of Umm Mahahir, south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of Iraqi forces distributes drinks to children in the village of Umm Mahahir, south of Mosul Getty

France has 500 soldiers in Iraq training local forces and, since it joined the US-led coalition against Isis in 2014, its Rafale aircraft have carried out some 1,000 air strikes.

Following the attacks by Islamic extremists in Paris in 2015, the French government decided to increase its defence budget by 600m (506m) in 2016 and 700m this year.

Last week Mr al-Abadi claimed it would take "three months to eliminate" Isis from Iraq.

Backed by US forces, the Iraqi military has been battling to dislodge the militant group from Mosul, the largest city held by Isis in either Iraq or Syria and the de-facto capital of its self-styled Islamic caliphate.

But more than two months into the operation, only a quarter of the city has been taken. Commanders have blamed the slower pace on the need to protect civilians who have mostly stayed in their homes rather than fleeing as was expected.
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A suicide bomber driving a pick-up truck loaded with explosives has killed at least 36 people in a market in Baghdad in an attack claimed by Isis just hours after French President Francois Hollande arrived in the Iraqi capital.

The bomb went off in a fruit and vegetable market that was packed with day labourers, a police officer said, adding that another 52 people were wounded.

During a press conference with Mr Hollande, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the bomber pretended to be looking to hire day labourers. Once the workers gathered around the vehicle, he detonated the bomb.

Isis claimed the attack in a statement circulated on a militant website often used by the extremists.

It was the third Isis-claimed attack in as many days in and around Baghdad, underscoring the lingering threat posed by the group despite a string of setbacks elsewhere in the country over the past year, including in and around the northern city of Mosul.

The attack took place in Sadr City, a vast Shia district in eastern Baghdad that has been repeatedly targeted by Sunni extremists since the 2003 US-led invasion.

Shia militiamen loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr, the firebrand cleric for whose family the neighbourhood is named, were seen evacuating bodies in trucks before ambulances arrived.

Dead bodies were scattered across the bloody pavement alongside fruit, vegetables and labourers' shovels and axes. A minibus filled with dead passengers was seen in flames shortly after the attack.

Asaad Hashim, an owner of a mobile phone store nearby, described how the labourers pushed and shoved around the bomber's vehicle, trying to get a job.

"Then a big boom came, sending them up into the air," said the 28-year old, who suffered shrapnel wounds to his right hand.

He blamed "the most ineffective security forces in the world" for failing to prevent the attack.

An angry crowd cursed the government, even after a representative of al-Sadr tried to calm them. Late last month, Iraqi authorities started removing some of the security checkpoints in Baghdad in a bid to ease traffic for the capital's six million residents.

"We have no idea who will kill at any moment and who's supposed to protect us," said Ali Abbas, a 40-year-old father of four who was hurled over his vegetable stand by the blast.

"If the securities forces can't protect us, then allow us to do the job."

Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Show all 10 1 /10 Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis An Iraqi Christian prepares for the first Sunday Mass at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Qaraqosh Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi priests hold the first Sunday mass Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christian soldiers attend the first Sunday mass at the Grand Immaculate Church since it was recaptured from Islamic State in Qaraqosh Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis An Iraqi Christian soldier holds his weapon during the first Sunday mass Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis An Iraqi Christian soldier lights a candle Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi priests hold the first Sunday mass at the Grand Immaculate Church since it was recaptured from Islamic State Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi priests hold the first Sunday mass Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Reuters Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Iraqi Christians celebrate liberation from Isis Reuters

Three smaller bombings elsewhere in the city killed another seven civilians and wounded at least 30, according to medics and police officials. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief reporters.

Mr Hollande meanwhile met with Mr al-Abadi and President Fuad Masum, and was expected to travel to the self-governing northern Kurdish region to meet French troops and local officials.

Iraqi troops, backed by a US-led coalition, are fighting Isis in a massive operation to retake the northern city of Mosul.

Iraqi state TV said Mr Hollande will discuss increasing support for Iraq and the latest developments in the 10-week-old offensive.

Mr Hollande promised that France would remain a long-term ally of Iraq and called for coordination between intelligence services "in a spirit of great responsibility," in remarks carried by his official Twitter account.

France is part of the international coalition formed in 2014 to fight Isis after the extremist group seized large areas in Iraq and neighbouring Syria. France has suffered multiple attacks claimed by the extremist group.

Since the Mosul operation started on 17 October, Iraqi forces have seized around a quarter of the city. Last week, the troops resumed fighting after a two-week lull due to stiff resistance by the militants and bad weather.

Mosul is Iraq's second largest city and the last major urban area in the country controlled by Isis. Iraqi and US commanders hope to drive Isis from the city in the next three months.
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Leading Israeli officials have been encouraging soldiers and police officers to kill Palestinians suspected of attacks regardless of whether lethal force is necessary, according to a new report by a leading human rights organisation.

Human Rights Watch has compiled numerous statements by senior members of Benjamin Netanyahus administration and the countrys police force, which appear to endorse using lethal force against suspects, irrespective of whether anyone is in danger.

International human rights law limits lethal force to circumstances in which it is necessary to protect life, and in which no other less extreme option is available.

Its not just about potentially rogue soldiers, but also about senior Israeli officials who publicly tell security forces to unlawfully shoot to kill, said Sari Bashi, Israel advocacy director at Human Rights Watch.

Whatever the results of trials of individual soldiers, the Israeli government should issue clear directives to use force only in accordance with international law.

The organisation condemned statements made by defence minister Avigdor Lieberman, who as an opposition member of the Knesset in 2015 wrote on his Facebook page that the government should adopt a policy that no attacker, male or female, should make it out of any attack alive.

Recommended Jews should remember their own history and stand up to Israel

Human Rights Watch also cited statements by Jerusalem Police District Commander Moshe Edri, who after the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old Palestinian suspected of injuring civilians, said all those who are violent towards Jewish people should be killed.

Within less than a minute and a half, the attacker had already been killed, he said. Everyone who stabs Jews or harms innocent people  should be killed.

In October 2015, after a civil rights group wrote to the Attorney General raising concerns about officials endorsing a shoot-to-kill policy, the office said it had told its security forces to only kill when there is an imminent threat to life.

Yet Human Rights Watch claimed high-ranking officials had continued to support shooting to kill.

 John Kerry lays into Netanyahu for Israeli settlement-building

Bezalel Smotrich, of the Jewish Home Party, part of Mr Netanyahus coalition, said in February: An attacker who sets out to kill a Jew because hes a Jew, whatever his age, does not make it out alive. Period.

And Naavah Boker, from Mr Netanyahus Likud party, said in an interview in April 2016: A terrorist should simply be killed.

He quoted a Biblical passage that whoever comes to kill you, rise up and kill him first.

Since October 2015 there have been at least 150 instances where security forces have fatally shot Palestinian adults and children suspected of violence against Israelis in Israel and the West Bank.

Meanwhile, Palestinian assailants have killed 33 Israelis, including passersby and security officials, in Israel and the West Bank.

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. 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Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. 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One Israeli soldier in the past year has been prosecuted for shooting a Palestinian. Elor Azaria, 20, is alleged to have killed 21-year-old Abd al-Fatah al-Sharif, a suspected attacker, when he was already badly injured.

The Independent has contacted the Israeli government and police service for comment.
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Reddit user Ihaveanotheridentity warned those who wanted to preserve the Disney magic to avoid his AMA. Having worked at Disney World for over 20 years, he's seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of the happiest place on Earth.

In between sharing heartwarming stories and lamenting how corporate he says Disney has become compared to the good old days, he dropped some pretty fascinating facts about the parks that only someone with insider knowledge could share.

Here are nine behind-the-scenes secrets straight from the underbelly of the Disney parks.

(Jim Winstead/Flickr (Jim Winstead/Flickr)

Disney World is actually the second floor of a massive system of underground tunnels.

"Its full name is the Utilidor," he said. "It's a series of corridors that allow cast members to work behind the scenes and not disrupt the show on-stage. It's actually kind of boring in some places and it's creepy in others. That being said there are some aspects that are unique. The Automatic Vacuum Assisted Collection System is a series of tubes that connect all of the restaurants to the central dump that's behind Splash Mountain. That way the smelly trash can travel secretly below without people seeing it. 7 of the old attractions (like It's a Small World and the Country Bear Jamboree) are still run from the Utilidor. In addition, there are 2 restaurants, a barber shop and offices down there."

Theres a "Disney jail" for disruptive guests.

It's just a room over the candy shop on main street," Ihaveanotheridentity said. "There's an officer back there that takes people to the local jail on 33rd street in Orlando.

Characters are cliquey, and there's a hierarchy with "cool" characters at the top.

"Some of the break rooms are like the high school cafeteria where the 'cool' princesses (Elsa and Anna) sit on one side and make eyes at the 'old' characters (Snow and Poppins)," he said. "It's really childish."

(Flickr/wohlford (Flickr/wohlford)

The audition process is pretty standard.

"It's like any dance audition you've ever been to, but there's an animation part that's fun (wait tables like Donald Duck, mow the lawn like Pluto, etc.)" he said.

Cast members aren't allowed to speak in front of guests.

We are NOT ALLOWED TO EVER TALK IN COSTUME IN FRONT OF GUESTS. EVER. Backstage however, anything goes. I used to love telling dirty jokes to unsuspecting new hires. I do have a good Goofy laugh but it took me years to perfect.

They also can't see much, so don't ask them to hold your baby for a photo.

"I think the worst is when people bring their newborn infants to the parks and ask us to hold them for a picture," he said. "I can't see sh*t in Goofy, let alone other costumes, and I'm wearing giant gloves or paws or whatever depending on what character I am. Why would you let me hold your baby? Yeesh!

(Flickr/Jennie Park (Flickr/Jennie Park)

They want parents to play along.

For the most part I appreciated when parents would stay in character," he said. "I hated when people would tell their kids 'It's just a guy in a suit, don't be scared,' which scares the kids even more."

Yes, the heat inside costumes is intense, but you get used to it.

It was absolute torture the first month (and especially the first parade), but after a few months I got used to it, and after a few years I would forget I had the costume on.

Every character has a standardised signature.

"We have a small summary of the character that has the autograph on it and we try to make it look the same when we sign," he said. "Goofy is easy to do, but I can write it upside down which would totally freak the guests out."

 13 habits of self-made millionaires, from a man who spent 5 years studying rich people

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Read the original article on Business Insider UK.  2016. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.
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The zombie policy of the universal basic income is the first to rise from the grave of well-intentioned impractical ideas in 2017. Labour-controlled Glasgow city council is the latest to announce that it intends to investigate a pilot scheme.

There is a reason why the basic income is the eternal news story. Someone, somewhere, is always saying what a marvellous idea it is. Some local government, or much less often a national government, is saying that it is going to look at it, or going to bring in a pilot scheme or even, every now and again, actually bring in a pilot scheme, which usually involves something which is nothing like a basic income.

Last year Elon Musk, John McDonnell and the Scottish National Party said what a marvellous idea it is. Fife council in Scotland is also looking at it. Two Canadian provinces are said to be interested, Ontario and Prince Edward Island, the second of which is normally useful only for pub quizzes.

But the big one is Finland, an entire country, which is going to do a pilot, selecting 2,000 unemployed people at random and giving them a monthly income of about 500, which is what they get in unemployment benefit but they will be allowed to keep it if they get a job. After two years, we will find out whether the scheme has encouraged people to work, given that the participants will be able to keep every euro cent that they earn (after tax).

 Elon Musk believes Universal Basic Income will follow more automation

The idea behind the basic income is lovely. It is that, if the state gives every citizen enough to live on as a right of citizenship, they will accept irregular, part-time or precarious work because they wont lose welfare benefits if they do so. It is particularly appealing to people who think that the world of work in the future is going to be irregular, part-time and precarious, with people taking portfolios of jobs and being encouraged to become entrepreneurial risk-takers by the safety net of the basic income.

The practice, however, is very expensive. One rudimentary scheme worked out for the UK by Malcolm Torry  and remember that he is an advocate of the basic income  proposed an income of 8,320 a year, to replace all benefits except housing and council-tax benefit. That is hardly a generous annual stipend, and yet if it is to be funded through the income tax system it would require the rates of income tax to go up from 20, 40 and 45 per cent to 48, 68 and 73 per cent. That means anyone on todays average full-time earnings of about 27,000 a year would lose out, because although the 8,320 a year would make up for losing the income-tax personal allowance, every pound of earnings would be taxed, and more heavily.

And that proposed scheme doesnt even abolish housing benefit. One of the reasons it cannot is that housing is so much more expensive in London that to set the basic income high enough for the capital would make the scheme unaffordable at any tax rates.

The alert and sceptical reader will have noted that the Finnish scheme isnt even remotely a basic income, because it is limited to unemployed people. It is therefore merely an experiment in the incentive effects of paying higher unemployment benefit.

The problems of the basic income have been explained again and again, by people who have actually worked on social security policy making and implementation. But journalists and politicians naturally seize on ideas that seem to offer neat and plausible solutions to difficult problems. Elon Musk says robots mean we will have to have a basic income, because traditional salaried jobs will disappear. That doesnt follow, and besides, most workers in rich countries still work in traditional salaried jobs and will go on doing so for the foreseeable future. John McDonnell, the Shadow Chancellor, says we can win the argument on a basic income. And yet he hasnt even begun to try.

 Swiss voters 'reject basic income grant for all'

None of which would matter very much, except that it would be good for the democratic health of this country to have an opposition that came up with practical policies rather than pie in the sky. The worst thing about the basic income is that it is a tragic misdirection of a compassionate, egalitarian and libertarian impulse: to do something about the often counter-productive interaction of the benefits system with the world of employment.

If only the advocates of the basic income in Britain would devote their attention to the cuts in tax credits that are still pencilled in for remainder of this parliament (Philip Hammond refused to do anything more than soften them slightly at the edges in his Autumn Statement). If its grand, universal reform of the benefits system you want, study the everlasting disaster of the Universal Credit system and devise a practical way to make that work, instead of diverting your energies into campaigning for the schemes of impractical dreamers.
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Nationalism and authoritarianism dont seem to mix very well with satire. Donald Trump, preparing vigorously to make America great again, gets very prickly about Alec Baldwins all too accurate impressions, while Vladimir Putin doesnt seem like a guy who appreciates having the Mikhail taken out of him. Kukly, a Russian TV comedy series, was cancelled in 2002 after likening Putin to ETA Hoffmanns fictional dwarf, Little Zaches. If it turns out that Nigel Farages entire political career has been a work of satirical art then kudos to him; but the jurys still out on that one.

In Turkey, the authoritarian rule of Recep Erdogan has long regarded satire as a form of political rebellion. Even by last spring, months before the failed military coup, more than 1,800 prosecutions had been brought against individuals alleged to have insulted the President, including by lampooning him. In April, Erdogan demanded that legal action be taken by the German state against a comedian who had supposedly defamed Turkeys leader in a satirical poem. Criticism of Erdogan  whether tongue in cheek or otherwise  is increasingly portrayed as an attack on the Turkish state, and even on national security.

Julys attempt by a faction within the army to unseat Erdogan from power only ended up making him more powerful, enabling him to justify a purge of the civil service and the armed forces. Critical voices in the media, already diminished by past crackdowns, have become even more muted, with newspapers and magazines closed or placed in the hands of state trustees.

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

The horrific New Years Eve attack on an Istanbul nightclub, claimed by Isis, is likely to stiffen public support for Erdogan, who has called on Turks to unite in the face of attempts by terrorists to destabilise the country. It will also make legitimate criticism of the President and his policies more difficult.

Governments in Western Europe have an interest in a stable Turkey and are therefore conflicted in their attitude to President Erdogan. They may not regard him as a democrat, but for as long as his Justice and Development Party (AKP) dominates Turkeys parliament, a blind eye can be turned to his autocratic excesses  especially when he and his government are dealing with regular terror attacks from various groups. For the EU, Turkey provides at least a partial solution to the refugee crisis and remains a critical player in the Syrian civil war and the flammable Middle East more generally.

Yet the truth is, would-be autocrats dont clamp down on domestic opposition  especially not of the satirical form  in order to keep the public safe from terrorists or to bolster social harmony. Rather, they use security concerns or patriotic feeling as an excuse for stifling political disapproval in order to boost their own authority. We have already seen this with Donald Trump, who indicated in November that he wanted to make it illegal for anybody to burn the American flag, casting his view as a patriotic defence of what it ought to mean to be a US citizen. But really it was an attack on freedom of expression and of political dissent, designed to marginalise both those who would carry out such an act  and, crucially, any who would defend in principle (if not in practice) their right to do so.

Turkey was once held up as the great exemplar of Islamic democracy, yet basic freedoms of speech and association have been slowly eroded under Erdogan, who now oversees something approaching a dictatorship. In the 1990s, Russia was seen as a crucial test for a major state making a peaceful, unforced transition to democracy. But most observers would surely agree that it failed the exam, with political opposition having ultimately been crushed by Putin and his cronies. The question in 2017 is what the nationalistic pigeons which set off last year around Europe and America  those bastions of liberal democracy  will do when they come home to roost, at the White House and perhaps elsewhere.

For a very long time, political strongmen have been ridiculed, associated with the silly walks and salutes of fascism and laughed at for their inability to take a joke. Now more than ever those who continue to value liberal traditions  tolerance, freedom and, perhaps more than anything, nuance  must continue to satirise those who would blunt dissent.
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Turkey is alone. First, well take a look at the racist reasons for this. If 39 men and women had been slaughtered in Paris or Brussels or Berlin on New Years Eve, the headlines would ripple on for three or four days. Two or three days if the victims had been western European. But of course, this being Turkey, which is a Muslim country  whose people are not always as white as those from Christendom  the headlines drifted off far more quickly. Not our lot, we Westerners said.

Thus few readers of this article will know that, proportionately, Arabs were among the largest number of casualties of this mass murder: from tiny Lebanon alone, three dead and four wounded, both Muslims and Christians. We are quite unaware of the outrage in Lebanon at the domestic television coverage of the massacre victims  morbid, sensational, deeply intrusive interviews with collapsing family members, so gruesome that even the Lebanese prime minister had to plead with journalists to leave relatives alone.

Then there are the military reasons. Hasnt Turkey been playing fast and loose in the Syrian war? Hasnt it allowed weapons and money to be funnelled across its border to Isis and Jabhat al-Nusra (aka al-Qaeda, the murderers of 9/11 and the heroes of eastern Aleppo) and to various US and British-backed moderates, who can kill without apparently being jihadis? Hasnt Turkey gone back to war with its own Kurds and the Syrian Kurds, too? Hasnt the Turkish army  the largest in Nato, although for some reason we dont mention this these days  been a bit disloyal recently?

For last Julys attempted coup  despite all the claptrap about Gulenists  was essentially a military plot to overthrow President Recep Tayip Erdogan. If a democratically-elected dictator (of which there are a growing number around the world) wants to act as a conduit in a neighbours civil war  as Pakistan did in Afghanistan, channelling weapons, funds and fighters to combat the Russians with American and Saudi help and encouragement  what does it expect but massacres in its own major cities? Touch Afghanistan, and the Pakistanis found the Taliban marching on Islamabad. Touch Syria, and the fireworks explode in your back yard.

Then there are the political reasons. The Turks used to want to join the EU; theyre not so keen now, and who can blame them? So their present policy is to take the EUs massive bribes (courtesy of Angela Merkel) for closing the seas to Muslim refugees trying to reach Europe and demand the promised visa-free trips to Europe for its 79 million citizens, while at the same time making up with Russia, Iran, China and any other non-Arab nations that might be friends.

Oddly for a man who is nostalgic for the old Turkish empire  hence, I suppose, his newly-gilded palace in Istanbul  Erdogan has turned anti-Ottoman in his foreign policy, virtually ignoring the Arabs whom he courted after the 2011 revolutions in favour of larger powers.

Erdogan, who demanded that Trumps name be taken off his towers in Istanbul after the then presidential candidate called for restrictions on Muslim immigrants, now thinks he may get a critic-free ride from the new guy in the White House. I wouldnt be so sure.

And thats part of the problem. For Erdogan is now so fickle in his alliances, shooting down a Russian jet and then cosying up to Russias president, loving Assad at the start of the Syrian revolution and hating him later, flirting with Europe and then jeering at the EU, that no-one in their right mind would want to get too close to the Caliph himself.

Anyone who can bomb Kurds while claiming to bomb Isis, who can demand that no power dare interfere in his countrys domestic affairs while positioning Turkish troops in both Syria and Iraq (where Turkeys involvement outside Mosul is enraging the Baghdad government) is clearly walking a very dangerous path.

So whats next? More massacres? Of course. From Isis, Kurds, Marxists, you name it. More attempted coups? Now theres the more important political and military question.

 Eye-witness describes Istanbul attack

More than 7,000 Turkish soldiers, including 164 generals, had been detained by last October. Not, surely, just to punish them. Any sane army knows that when you throw that many soldiers into the clink, its not to hand them over to the judiciary, many of whose members have anyway been savaged by detentions.

No, the mass arrests among Natos largest army is to prevent the military staging a more successful coup attempt  in which the Caliph himself would end up in prison. Or worse.
Enda Kenny said he did not expect 25,000 people to lose their homes

Enda Kenny has moved to play down fears that as many as 25,000 people are poised to lose their homes in the ongoing housing crisis.

Homelessness campaigner Fr Peter McVerry has warned that half of the 50,000 homes currently in mortgage arrears of more than two years could be repossessed by the banks.

But the Taoiseach said he did not expect the number to be so high.

"Fr McVerry speaks from his heart at all times," Mr Kenny said, during a briefing at Government Buildings.

"I don't expect that number of people to be removed from their houses.

"I wouldn't want to see that."

However, Mr Kenny said that many distressed mortgages taken over by vulture funds were subject to agreements.

"Clearly some cases have never responded in respect of the agreements that were made originally," he added.

"The Government brought in a whole suite of measures to allow for people who have difficulties if they're in mortgage arrears or serious mortgage arrears, to move on with their lives and make arrangements in respect of their accommodation.

"There's been a 15% fall in people coming out of difficulties with mortgage arrears this year and we intend to continue to work on that for the time ahead."

Fr McVerry has blamed vulture funds and foreign landlords for evicting Irish tenants.

Comparing the crisis to Famine-era Ireland, he said something had gone "seriously wrong" and banks were not interested in making deals with individual householders but wanted to sell loans off to vulture funds.

The prospect of 25,000 more families losing their homes was a "real scenario over the next few years", he said.
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, has officially launched 2017 as the Year of Sustainable Grassland.

This initiative will see a yearlong focus by the Department, its Agencies and other stakeholders on grass productivity and utilisation, grassland sustainability and the international reputation of Irelands grass based production systems.

Minister Creed said, I am announcing this initiative to bring an added focus on this critical part of our competitive livestock industry.

Speaking on a visit to the farm of Cork farmer, Ger Dineen, Kilnamartyra, Macroom, Minister Creed said: Grass is at the heart of our efficient dairy and livestock systems and is recognised and valued by our international customers as a sustainable system.

The aim of the initiative is to improve grass productivity and utilisation and to enhance and promote awareness of the sustainability of Irelands grass-based production system.

There will be a range of events over the coming year to support the initiative and will involve all the agencies and many industry stakeholders.

The initiative supports the goals of Food Wise 2025 strategy and aims at raising awareness on the critical role that grass plays in supporting competitive dairy and livestock production.

These sectors possess a significant cost advantage in the form of an environmentally sustainable, rain-fed, grass based production system. It is this grass based system that provides Ireland with its comparative advantage in increasingly competitive international markets but there is room for improvement.

Bord Bia will especially focus on promoting our grassland systems internationally whilst Teagasc will launch a campaign in January 2017 called Grass 10T.

This is a four-year campaign which will focus on improving grass utilisation at farm level through a range of farm based activities such as grazing management, grass measurement and sward composition etc.

In order to strengthen coherence between the two initiatives Teagasc will run a Grassland farmer of the year competition this year, with support from the Department. This is a further signal of the Ministers commitment to the grassland sector.

Concluding, the Minister said, More effective utilisation of the national grassland resource also has the potential to further reduce negative environmental impacts while supporting increased productivity.

Efficient utilisation of grassland through greater emphasis on soil health can increase the carbon efficiency of increased production; reduce loss of nutrients and release of gasses into the atmosphere, while improving its capacity to act as a carbon sink.
There have been significant improvements in grazing management practices on Irish dairy farms in recent years; however, research but Teagasc has indicated that there is potential for further significant improvements.

At the recent National Dairy Conference research on grass utilised per hectare from 2008 to 2015 for the average farm from the NFS compared to both Curtins Research Farm at Moorepark and Ballyhaise Agriculture Collage, Co. Cavan was presented.

Although grass utilisation within the NFS has increased by almost 1t DM/ha between 2008 and 2015, the overall level of utilisation remains low at 54pc and 70pc of that achieved at Curtins and Ballyhaise, respectively.

Teagasc advice on how to improve performance:

1. Increased emphasis on measurement and feed budgeting

Greater adoption of pasture measurement and budgeting will be essential to lift grass utilisation from its current level. Recent research has shown that at higher stocking rates, both grass production and utilisation can be increased. The development of web-based grassland management decision support tools such as PastureBase Ireland (PBI) will be critical in increasing the adoption of best grazing management practices at farm level.

The weekly use of such reliable, easy to use decision support tools will be essential to increase grass utilisation at farm level.

2. Reseeding underproductive swards with appropriate varieties

In Europe, grass breeders have increased DM yield by 0.5pc per year as tested in cutting trials in the Netherlands and Northern Ireland. However, there is little evidence that new grass cultivars have made a significant contribution to increased animal production from grazed pasture.

Considerably greater gain has been achieved in breeding other crops such as maize. There is considerable potential to increase the rate of genetic gain in perennial ryegrass, not only in annual yield but also in other traits such as improved winter/spring growth, increased nutritional value especially in mid-season and persistency.

The development of the Pasture Profit Index (PPI) is a significant step towards linking breeding objectives, evaluation programmes and farmers needs. PBI provides a mechanism for new cultivars to be evaluated at farm level thereby increasing the rate of genetic gain.

Selecting grass varieties based on the PPI will result in increased profit at farm level. Additionally, there is the possibility that biotechnologies similar to those used in dairy cattle breeding could increase the rate of genetic progress in grass breeding in the near future.

3. Raising soil fertility to maximise pasture productivity

Since the late 1990s the levels of phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and lime being applied to grassland in Ireland has reduced significantly. As a result only 10% of the soils tested on dairy farms were optimal for soil pH, P, and K in 2015. It is not possible to have optimum grass production with this level of soil fertility.

Recent research has shown that a soil with optimum pH has a replacement value of 72 kg/ha of N fertiliser. Similarly, soils with optimum P can deliver an additional 1 t/ha of DM in spring period. While it costs money to increase fertility levels in low fertility soils, the return in grass production more than doubles the annual investment in fertilizer costs.

4. Management of marginal lands

Marginal land occupies a large proportion (approximately 50pc) of Irelands total land area. This land is limited principally by its poor drainage status and farm profitability on such land is highly weather dependent. The Heavy Soils Research Programme has demonstrated site-specific land drainage design methods to ensure efficient drainage can be achieved, regardless of variations in soil/site conditions.

Land drainage and infrastructure improvement strategies will be critical in reducing income volatility and sustaining viable farm enterprises on heavy soils. Additionally, there is a requirement to develop specific additional management strategies in order to maximise profitability on these heavy soils.

5. Incorporating clover in grazing swards

There is renewed interest in forage legumes, particularly white clover, as it offers important opportunities for sustainable grass-based animal production systems by increasing herbage yield, increasing herbage nutritive value and raising the efficiency of conversion of herbage to product. Results from research carried both at Moorepark and Clonakilty Agriculture Collage show a significant advantage to including white clover into perennial dominated ryegrass pastures. Despite the clear advantages of incorporating white clover into ryegrass pastures, its adoption on Irish grassland farms is low. This requires significant research allowing greater adoption at farm level over the coming years.
A man in his 80s has died in a farming accident, which occurred in Co Wexford on Monday morning, while another pensioner has also died following a separate incident at his workplace.

The Wexford accident happened near Adamstown, New Ross on Monday and a spokesperson confirmed that Gardai at Duncannon attended the scene of an accident at approximately 11.20am.

The accident, which is understood to have involved a tractor, occurred at a farm in The Boola, Adamstown.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene and brought to Waterford University Hospital.

He is said to have been a member of an extensive farming family in the Adamstown area.

A post-mortem examination is due to be carried out and the scene at the farm has been preserved.

It is the first farming accident of 2017 and one of two workplace fatalities to occur today.

In a separate incident, a 74-year-old man died following a workplace accident at Corby Rock Mill near Monaghan town on Monday.

He was taken to Cavan General Hospital where he later passed away.

Local councillor Paudge Connolly said: "Its a tragic accident for any family and particularly after Christmas. I would like to extend my sympathies to the family at this difficult time".

Last year 21 people lost their lives in farming accidents, including an 84-year-old man in Galway just days before Christmas.

On average 19 people die on Irish farms every year. Speaking to FarmIreland.ie recently Pat Griffin, Senior Inspector with the Health and Safety Authority of Ireland, with responsibility for agriculture said ongoing efforts by the HSA to reduce the number of farm deaths would continue to focus on education and raising awareness of the dangers on farms.

"We approach the agricultural sector in a more preventative role, different to other sectors.

"Inspections are never going to solve the problem. We have 130,000 farm units and with 2,500 or 3,000 farm inspections year it's going to take a long time to visit every farm.

"Farm inspections are a way of sampling what is out there and seeing how things are and where the major risks are and try to develop systems that will help the farming community to deal with those risks."
The Irish sheep sector could benefit from Brexit, if sheep meat exports from the UK to the EU are curtailed.

France is the largest buyer of Irish sheep meat and a Brexit that leaves the UK with reduced access to the French market could be good news for Irish sheep farmers.

The UK, New Zealand and Ireland are the three main counties France imports sheep meat from, with the UK providing the lion's share of over 40pc of imports. France has imported 90,000-100,000t of sheep meat in recent years and remains the largest export market for Irish sheep meat.

And the Irish share of that market could grow. Kevin Hanrahan of Teagasc said recently that while exports to France are approximately 18,000t or double of what is exported to the UK, a Brexit that leaves the UK with reduced access to the French lamb market could be good for Ireland as it looks to capitalise on that possible opportunity.

The UK, he said, has an agri-food deficit worth 31.7m and while 43pc of Irish agri-foods exports went to UK in 2015, including 52pc of Irish beef, Brexit will affect the Irish agri-food trade.

"There will probably be a slower growth in UK incomes, so slower growth of Irish agri-food exports and so reduced incomes for Irish farmers," he said.

However, he said as the UK is Ireland's main competitor in the French market for sheep, access to this market being affected by Brexit could be good news for Irish sheep farmers.

The UK's Agriculture and Horticultural Development Board (AHDB) has said that Ireland has been particularly successful in exporting to France, with volumes up 21pc on the year for the January-September 2016 period.

It said this is notable as France has been importing less sheep meat overall this year, and UK exports to this destination have reported a decline.

"At 8,260t, Ireland also shipped five per cent more sheep meat to the UK during the first three quarters of the year, compared to 2015," it reports.

It also said that the Irish lamb reference price has remained below the UK price in sterling terms, suggesting Irish sheep meat has continued to be reasonably attractive on the UK market.

Equally, the decreasing availability of sheep meat from New Zealand and Australia has likely aided Ireland in making gains on the UK market, it reports.
Deutsche Bank chairman Paul Achleitner has ruled out a European merger or a state bailout after the lender's mortgage settlement with the US department of justice, 'Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung' reported.

Germany's biggest bank last week announced a $7.2bn (6.8bn) settlement with the US 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," Mr Achleitner said in an interview with the weekly newspaper published yesterday.

"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.

Banking supervisors, including Germany's Bundesbank and the European Central Bank (ECB), 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.

In fact, the crisis saw many European lenders sell or close cross-border units, including in Ireland, where examples included AIB's sale of its Polish unit and Bank of Scotland Ireland's decision to quit the market here.

Meanwhile, higher capital requirements put European banks at a competitive disadvantage to their US rivals, Mr 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," Mr Achleitner, a former finance chief of Allianz, said.
'If you feel sad in London, you feel really sad," Fiona O'Shaughnessy tells me, her eyes ablaze with dramatic emphasis, "but if you feel happy, you feel really happy". Blessedly, today seems like a happy day. This relatively new emigrant to London is in a good mood. A joke is never far from her bee-stung lips. She vamps joyously for the photographer, who struggles against the last of the light as a Sherlock Holmes-style fog swathes Marylebone.

Later, folded like a yogi into an oversized armchair, Fiona's liquid eyes widen expressively and her distinctively husky voice sometimes dramatically veers into plumminess (she was born to act, you can't help thinking). She moved here to London to be closer to the majority of her work - although we're here to talk about her incredible performance in the new RTE series Striking Out, a legal-themed relationship drama in which she co-stars alongside Amy Huberman and Men Behaving Badly alumnus Neil Morrissey.

The big selling point for her with the role, she says, was that she was told she'd be allowed to ride a motorcycle, which sadly turned out not to be true, but nonetheless she lights up every scene she's in. It's the latest small-screen triumph for an actress who was once better known for her stage work - everything from Salome to The Shaughraun. And she tells me the move to London has been "great for me, for my life, for my sense of myself".

Not that she takes any of this for granted. In fact, just this morning she was pondering the prospect of getting therapy. "I was practising what I'd say. I'll spend a lot of time and probably a lot of money saying I don't know what it is exactly but I know something's up. I tend to get more anxious - I get high, like a dragonfly, and go in six different directions." She has tried therapy and has had mixed experiences, enough to know what she wants.

Expand Close Fiona O'Shaughnessy and comedan Dave McSavage together in 2012 / Facebook

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"I want, first of all, to talk to someone who's a lot smarter than I am. I want to feel like they have some wisdom to impart, more than you would get from, say, a friend. I have tried it before and I've had good and bad experiences."

Does she get irritated when they look at their watch? "Not really because I have this sort of internal sense of how much time has elapsed. I got good at around 50 minutes at saying let's wrap this up. If I'm going to break down crying it's around the 30-minute mark. I don't like the ones who haven't lived and made a few mistakes. You kind of want to feel they went to psychological Vietnam and lived to tell the tale themselves."

It was a psychiatrist friend of her ex, the comedian David McSavage, who informally diagnosed her with dyspraxia - a disorder affecting motor skills - but she suspects it might have come simply because they felt: "I was too full of myself and needed undermining a little."

She says she is still unsure if it's a real thing or they were winding her up. "I don't fully believe the diagnosis. Every now and then I do feel overwhelmed, and all of the information comes at once and it's too much. I would have thought it's more like something like OCD. He told me that I've learned, through being an actress, how to cover it up. It basically means I get a little overwhelmed by everything and my coordination goes a little and I crash my bike sometimes (she does bring an item which she mysteriously dubs a 'bike nappy' but it seems to involve protection from the rain rather than any more, er, human soiling).

She mentions McSavage several times through the conversation and you do get the feeling he might have been the one who got away.

"I do miss him", she tells me. "We are still friends. We just ran our course, really. He always says that he wasn't ready to be loved. I don't know if that's true. He let me love him a little bit anyway."

Did he love her back? "I think he loved me back, yeah. We shared something deep and we had great conversations and had a creative connection. I wish I'd figured this out a long time ago, but I know I don't subscribe to ideas of what's cool and attractive. David was really instrumental in me not giving a f**k. Just being around him for that couple of years. He made me understand that I didn't need to be afraid of being valuable to (TV mandarins and producers). That's dehumanising. You can be as dark as you want to be with David, we could riff conversationally for hours. Sense of humour is everything. But it ran its course."

She's been single since they broke up a couple of years ago. She sounds ambivalent about meeting someone new and doesn't trust the new-fangled methods of finding love.

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"I'm not on Tinder or any of the apps. To be honest, it's hard enough being an actor and being rejected so frequently. You're told you're not good enough or not beautiful enough. Who else goes through that as part of their work? Not many people. For me to swipe in that way wouldn't work. I leave it all up to old-fashioned chance. I say to David you were my last bash at a conventional relationship. And he'll say 'wow'. I also realised though, that I do love my freedom. I have my own place now. I can spend a lot of time alone, huge amounts of time. I may talk to the therapist about that when I meet her - it's going to be a woman this time. I want to learn to mix with others."

Since we're talking of therapy and love, it seems time to begin the obligatory interview rummage into childhood. Hers was happy, she tells me. She was born in 1973 in Galway. Her mother was a seamstress and her father worked with computers. She had one younger brother whom she dolled up in make-up and dresses ("Does that count as bullying?"). When she was nine the family decamped to Reading in England where she got teased for her accent. She coped by making friends with a boy named Adam and "living in my own little dream world".

As a teenager she joined a couple of local semi-professional amateur companies and did dance and jazz, "even though I was a skinny white child from Ireland". Acting, she says, felt like "filling the void by creating an intimacy that isn't really there at all. It felt like it saved me from going too introverted".

She moved back to Galway, where she began her first professional forays into the business. "Galway was called the graveyard of ambition but it wasn't the case for me. It's a cheap city to live in; perfect for artists. The mid-1990s were amazing. The smells of that time were cannabis, cigarette smoke and salty air. It was the best time of my life. I did lunchtime performances wearing a fat suit made of a duvet. That character was the best fun I've ever had."

She moved to Dublin when she was 24, sharing a bedroom with the actress Sarah O'Toole, and was a near instant success story in the theatre, immediately snagging a starring role in Salome - "even though agents were still like 'who the f**k are you?" Former Gate artistic director Michael Colgan and his wife Susan Fitzgerald took O'Shaughnessy under their wing.

She became one of the best known faces on the Irish stage, yet consciously spurned TV opportunities. "It was a self-confidence thing I suppose. I just felt it would be detrimental to my development." Her performances always seemed to be a beguiling mix of fragility and feistiness and, despite her professed insecurity, her talent was unmistakable. She was Elvira in Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit , Nancy in Oliver Twist and Maggie in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. Her filmography credits include the Goldfish Memory, The Halo Effect, and Alexander. It was with Utopia, the hit Channel 4 conspiracy thriller, that she really made her name in the UK however. It was written by Denis Kelly, who had also adapted the West End musical version of Roald Dahl's Matilda and also starred Stephen Rea.

The series earned the opprobrium of The Mail on Sunday and other conservative commentators for imagining that Margaret Thatcher's friend, Airey Neave, was killed by the fictional Network organisation of the series, rather than the all-to-real IRA. As the action heroine star - Jessica Hyde - O'Shaughnessy lit up the screen.

During the mainly stage acting part of her career, she says that the wayward years ran seamlessly alongside the "seemingly normal" years. How wayward were they exactly?

"I enjoyed getting out of my mind. I can't tell you on what. But let's just say I enjoyed going places, both literally and in my mind. The stable door was always ajar. I was always restless. But then you do that to such a great degree that becomes boring itself. [British philosopher and writer] Alan Watts used to say: 'When you get the message, hang up the receiver.' And he was talking about psychedelic drugs."

She says that she used to equate the experience of taking drugs with the idea of fields, to which she'd run. "The field is a metaphor for the outer layers of my consciousness - they'll keep on multiplying the further into it all you go. But then the risk is that you may end up becoming a statistic. You realise your heart might stop."

She doesn't do drugs these days, she adds, reasoning that very sober people may be a little square, "but they also have things like a mortgage" and drinking is not her bag at all.

"I'm not a drinker. I haven't had alcohol in six-and-a-half years. I made a decision to do things differently. I didn't like the smell of booze. I don't really enjoy the behaviour when you're drinking. When you step out and observe yourself being a complete fake, who's seemingly very in touch with their feelings, but in fact totally numb."

She is undeniably a little hippy. There is talk of ashrams in India, backpacking in Thailand and yoga retreats in Austria. Despite her creeping sensibility, and her expensive London apartment ("a financial kick in the ass"), she never felt lured by the comforts of suburbia.

"I can feel myself being suffocated by the idea right now. The rug is around my neck. I look at other people and they seem so happy and there have been times, like a couple of years ago, when I was like 'I don't really know what is love anyway' and I went through the lonely phase. I think you have to go through that. I had to stick it out."

How bad did it get?

"There was a point where the loneliness felt so dense that I used to say I could frame this and hang it on the wall. I could have put a lead on it and taken it for a walk. I wondered why could I not want this thing that seemed to make everyone else so happy and yet I felt so lonely. What's wrong with me? But I don't know how, where or when that feeling fell off me at some point."

And two screaming kids, could she handle that?

"Well not if they were screaming. Perhaps if they sat very still and had very interesting conversations with me. There was a phase of everyone talking to me about having kids. It's still going on, to be honest."

Does that irritate her?

"I don't feel alone in it. So many of my friends are in that position where they would like children but they haven't met the right person. I'm quite at peace with the whole thing."

It's mostly other people's expectations that she has to deal with. "People look at me thorough spiteful eyes and there is maybe some kind of assumption that I don't have a heart because I don't want children. I do love kids, I love parents, I'll hold your baby all day while you go to the pub, I love the smell of them, but I just don't want to make one, birth one and raise one - is that cool with everyone? I'm OK with not experiencing the magic of childbirth in this life."

This time last year she was on a "freakishly warm" mountainside in Austria doing her teacher training certificate in yoga. "I used to hate people who did yoga", she adds. "I used see them walking past with their mats and think that they looked like miserable little rectangles. But now I love it. It makes you really flexible. And yeah, it is good for your head too."

Her routine used to be to "have a cigarette and a chicken leg and then go to work" but now she's gone veggie. Her mother lives in Essex and she spends the holidays down there with them, "pissing everyone off because I don't drink and I don't eat meat. I'm like 'nothing with a face' and they're like 'will you not have a little bit of gravy?' My last meat meal was lamb and that was the second series of Utopia, four years ago."

Once she started meditation her body also began rejecting the hand-rolled cigarettes she smoked. "My body just began shaking, it was like it couldn't take them any more. It's good though, I'm healthier now."

The light is long gone outside and the 'bike nappy' is being brandished in preparation for take off.

"Well that was an interesting conversation", she purrs as I pack up my laptop. "I almost feel like all of my issues are sorted now. Maybe I don't need the therapist after all." She smiles that beautiful half-mocking, half-sincere smile.

"What do I owe you?"

'Striking Out' begins on RTE1 at 9.30pm tonight and runs at the same time every week for four weeks.
Last time we saw Pippa Middleton take a walk up the aisle (at the royal wedding in 2011) her arse caused such a media sensation that it upstaged the bride.

So 2017 will no doubt see a big and noisy comeback for the global media phenomenon that is the younger Middleton's backside.

Perhaps her rear end's Twitter account - having lain idle for months now - will even be reactivated. Because one of the world's most celebrated posteriors is preparing for its new moment in the spotlight.

Yes, this year is the one in which the world will watch 33-year-old Pippa approach the altar again - this time at her own wedding to 41-year-old financier James Matthews.

According to the tabloids, a date has been set in May for the event of the year, which we expect will attract all the media interest of an actual royal wedding, and contain all of the ambition and intrigue that only a Middleton family bash can muster.

Latest reports suggest that tentative plans for the day are surprisingly restrained and evenlow key, with the bride apparently choosing to take her vows in the village church local to the family, while the reception to be held at the family home.

Little else is, as yet, known about the specifics currently in train for the big day - though one "close" friend did speak to one of the tabloids, revealing: "Her mum has been very involved in all the wedding planning and she wants to show off their house to all their friends."

Suffice to say, the Middleton Momager is on the case. James would be best advised to stand back and surrender control of this one.

We'll be all eyes as Ivanka sweeps into Washington

Sarah Caden

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Remember Patti Davis? She was Ronald Reagan's daughter and possibly the most mortifying First Daughter in history. Patti went by her mother Nancy's maiden name in order to distance herself from her father. Then she spent most of his time as president drawing attention to herself, not least by appearing on the cover of - and, yes indeed, inside - Playboy magazine.

Patti was probably the most attention-seeking First Daughter to date, but maybe we ain't seen nothing yet. When Donald Trump is sworn in as POTUS in a few weeks' time, it's not his third wife, Melania, who will become the woman of the White House, it seems, but his daughter, Ivanka.

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It has already been reported that Ivanka will take the office in the East Wing traditionally reserved for the First Lady, but it's as yet unclear what she'll do there. The Donald infamously said - and meant it as the ultimate compliment - that if she wasn't his daughter, he'd make a pass at Ivanka, and now she appears to be his choice of female partner. Soignee and sophisticated, Ivanka will serve to soften the edges of her father's image. Patti Davis as First Daughter was far more fun.

Plastic Paddies are green with envy! Rightly so

Anne Marie Scanlon

Every March 17 in America people who have only the vaguest notion of where Ireland is and couldn't tell a shamrock from a shillelagh, drink green beer, eat green bagels with green cream cheese and wear green T-shirts bearing the immortal phrase "Kiss Me I'm Irish" before catching a dose of "Irish Flu" on March 18 and then forgetting all about the Emerald Isle for the next 12 months.

By St Patrick's Day 2017 everyone and his dog will want to be Irish. From the dissidents fleeing from The Bigly and Yuge Empire of The Donald to Brexit-fearing Brits, unearthing an Irish Granny will be a matter of urgency. Forget the Louis Vuitton handbag, a 'green' passport will be the most sought-after accessory in the world. But will we make the most of it and finally shake off the Punch stereotype of thicko, dirty, priest-licking peasants? More importantly, will we put a premium on the price of being Irish and up the charges for new passports? We should, these Paddy Come Latelys ought to know that being Irish costs.

Buckle up for Mick in 2017

Pat Fitzpatrick

The Brits went for Brexit, the Yanks went for Trump. That madness could never happen here, apparently.

We've never done anything crazy at the ballot box, says the nation that voted against divorce and for Charlie Haughey in our time. 2017 could be our rude awakening. The reality of Brexit coupled with public-sector pay claims will set the stage for a genuinely new politics. (As against the current new politics, which seems to involve Fianna Fail running the country on the sly.)

It's wide open for an opinionated egomaniac with a flair for social media. Anyone who thinks we lack a suitable candidate has never seen a Ryanair ad. Let's meet in a year's time and see if "that kind of thing could happen here". We could also discuss the upcoming meeting between Donald Trump and Michael O'Leary. In the White House. On Patrick's Day 2018. That's where we're heading, folks. Buckle up!

Voters remain polls apart

Eilis O'Hanlon

Remember last year's general election? The rows and the rancour? The barneys and the bust-ups? And that was just inside the various camps, never mind between rival parties. Well, get set to go through it all again. Come on, we all know there's going to be another election. This Government is shakier than a Sumo wrestler on a trestle table, and the Irish relish an election more than Elizabeth Taylor loved the taste of wedding cake. Put those two factors together, and a new poll becomes inevitable. Not that an election will change anything. The Irish people will speak, and the politicians will once again listen and ask: "Sorry, lads, could you say that again? We're not really sure what you meant." Either that or we'll settle this mess with a nice game of rock/paper/scissors. I know which I'd prefer.
Planet Earth 2 is a disaster for the worlds wildlife and could contribute to extinction by lulling viewers into false sense of security, the broadcaster Martin Hughes-Games has suggested.

Hughes-Games, the Autumnwatch presenter, said the blockbuster nature programme was an an escapist wildlife fantasy which glossed over the damage humans have done to the natural world.

He told the Guardian: These programmes are still made as if this worldwide mass extinction is simply not happening.

No hint of the continuing disaster is allowed to shatter the illusion.

The programme, which received a record number of viewers for a BBC natural history show, ended with presenter Sir David Attenborough urging viewers to "do everything within our power to create a planet that provides a home not just for us, but for all life on Earth.

But Hughes-Games said the BBC should commit to making more programmes about conservation, arguing: Fantasy should be balanced by reality."

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He has suggested a "conservation tax", whereby broadcasters could pledge to commit a fifth of their wildlife programming to "conservation orientated" shows.

He told the newspaper he was "not for one moment suggesting such shows [like Planet Earth II] should not be made".

But, he said "these programmes are still made as if this worldwide mass extinction is simply not happening.

"The producers continue to go to the rapidly shrinking parks and reserves to make their films  creating a beautiful, beguiling fantasy world, a utopia where tigers still roam free and untroubled, where the natural world exists as if man had never been.

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"By fostering this lie they are lulling the huge worldwide audience into a false sense of security.

'If David Attenborough is still making these sorts of wonderful shows then it cant be that bad, can it?' Yes it can, and its going to get much, much worse. "

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It is not the first time Hughes-Games has shared his opinion of the BBC, after he suggested he had been 'side-lined' by the corporation last year in a drive for diversity.

Whatever I may think, its crucially important that high-profile shows like the Watches reflect diversity," he told the Radio Times.

"Chris, Michaela and I are all white and middle class, so a more diverse team must present some of the films that go out.

"Its hard for me because its my living, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought, No, thats the right decision, it has to be like that. 

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Midnight, December 31. Church bells and clock towers ring out for New Year. Twenty Seventeen. Say it. A new sound, a new word, new dreams, new hopes. And we've lived to see and greet it. That's something.

The clock tower in Rathmines, designed by Belfast-born Sir Thomas Drew, has told the time since 1899.

No one who heard that clock tower ring in its first New Year in 1900 is alive today in Dublin 6. And there will come a time when those who heard the clock strike at this year's turning will hear them no more. Thousands will recognise this snowy scene at a glance. For many it will take them back to bedsits with an electric ring, a drippy shower and Bridie Gallagher, Brendan Bowyer, The Dixies and, later still, Joni Mitchell, the McGarrigles and Leonard Cohen providing students and civil servants, up from the country, with the soundtrack of their lives. They've moved on now but that clock tower stands still, keeps time. Tarry Flynn's mother is right: "Lord, but doesn't the years slip by in a hurry."

Kasper Zier from Aarhus in Denmark came to "an Ireland, as I imagined it", years ago and is still here.

From an artistic family - grandfather, father and brother paint - Zier, self-taught, was "brought up on art". Pencil and pastel to begin and then his preferred medium, watercolour - "tricky, unpredictable, transparent, every brush stroke counts". In Denmark, boat trips along the coast gave him his subject matter; later "I was mad into portraits"; in Ireland he focuses on urban scenes. Rathmines in the Snow remembers the snow of 2010 and was painted in an afternoon at a sitting. "I lose myself so much in the work, I lose track of time, so I set an alarm." It's a hushed scene: a few cars, some pedestrians and for once no buses thundering down Rathmines Road. "I wanted people to hear the silence." Red sandstone, red brick, the red tail-lights, the pinkish sky wrapped in snowflakes make for a beautiful composition. And being Danish, what does he think of the Hygge [say hoo-ga] craze? "In Denmark we say Hygge all year. It means 'Have a good time'. It's like 'craic' but without the alcohol!"

And in Crumlin, where he now lives, he's created his very own little Hygge hub. kasperzier.com
It's hailed as the "wonder drug" of 2017 that all doctors should prescribe - and it's free.

Exercise is hard to beat for its power to not just prevent but also treat illness.

It is possible to walk your way to better health, according a group of experts on the physical activity policy group of the Royal College of Physicians.

Co-chair of the group, Professor Sean Gaine, a specialist in the Mater Hospital, Dublin, said they were urging fellow doctors to "engage with patients to increase their levels of physical activity, through advice, prescription and referral".

The impressive long-term benefits include:

- A 30pc risk reduction in deaths from any cause;

- Reduced chance of heart disease, stroke and cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, breast and colon cancer;

- 29pc-30pc less risk of depression;

- 30pc lower risk of falls in elderly;

- 36pc-68pc reduced risk of hip fracture.

The guideline for adults is at least 30 minutes of moderate activity five days a week or 150 minutes weekly.

However, two-thirds of adults are not meeting the guidelines and more than one in 10 is sedentary. "Some exercise is better than none," said Prof Gaine.

The group found that lack of time is often cited as a reason for not exercising, but they point out that there are many small opportunities to work it into our daily lives.

It's possible to accumulate time spent in light activity - getting up from the chair and moving during ad breaks on television; pacing while on the phone; adding gentle five-minute breaks during the day; and walking rather than driving on short trips.

Prof Gaine said he often found older patients were frail but the way to reduce the chance of this was to start exercising when you were still young.

Active

Responding to the call to prescribe exercise, Dr Brendan O'Shea of the Irish College of General Practitioners, who is a family doctor in Kildare, said most GPs had experience of prescribing the 'wonder drug'.

"GPs are well placed to prescribe exercise, as we know our patients well, they usually attend us for many years. We understand what options might work for them and we know about the exercise facilities in the community," he said.

"Because of the personal medical care we provide over the years, we can approach the topic at a good time, and in a tailored way suited to the individual concerned.

"Many of us were active in our adolescence, playing on teams or pursuing particular sports, often with dedication, and to a high degree of accomplishment. But life intervenes, and a combination of the mortgage, a busy career, two children and a long commute often combine to make the adolescent exercise habit impossible.

"There is a job of work to do, to nudge and assist people to devise a more sustainable but effective exercise habit, for their middle and later years, rather than simply opting out, and allowing the middle aged spread to take over. The middle aged spread often comes with diabetes and blood pressure."

Dr O'Shea said that people did not often attend GPs asking for advice on exercise.

"But we can find moments in our consulting where we can usefully put it on the agenda," he said. "Several years ago, an exercise referral scheme introduced by the HSE was trialled, and was the subject of a major review in 2016.

"From a GP perspective, extent of the administration required when referring the individual to the fitness instructor was an added challenge.

"Most GPs are having more conversations about exercise with patients than previously.

"In addition to the prevention benefits, both GPs and increasing numbers of patients understand that developing a good exercise habit is very helpful in reducing anxiety, improving sleep patterns and alleviating depression.

"For people who are troubled by these symptoms, use of exercise definitely enables reduced use of medication."
'Dr Bassett is the first retired Irish diplomat to call for a shift in the Government's negotiating strategy. He said most other EU countries were part of other international groupings, but Ireland had no natural allies inside the EU' Photo: PA

A former Irish diplomat has said an 'Irexit' from the EU needs to be considered if Brussels fails to offer satisfactory terms in any Brexit deal.

Dr Ray Bassett, who also served as ambassador to Canada, said that the country needed to stand up to Brussels in EU negotiations surrounding Brexit.

Dr Bassett said Ireland's carte blanche assurance that it would remain in the EU regardless of the deal offered to Britain was not appropriate.

"We certainly hope we can continue as an active and supportive member of the EU, but we should rule nothing out. If we are determined to stay in at whatever the cost, then our bluff may indeed be called. In Brussels, as we saw in the infamous bailout and other matters, Ireland's national interest does not carry much weight nowadays," he said.

Dr Bassett is the first retired Irish diplomat to call for a shift in the Government's negotiating strategy. He said most other EU countries were part of other international groupings, but Ireland had no natural allies inside the EU.

"Ireland's indigenous SMEs and its labour market remain inextricably linked to Britain. The relationship in these areas is still more important to us than our relationship with the rest of the EU," he said.

"Post-Brexit, and on the assumption that Ireland will remain a member of the EU, the country will find itself alone inside the EU.

"The present instruction is that, at all costs, no indication can be given by our officials that our continued membership of the EU is in any doubt, regardless of the outcome of negotiations on Brexit. The policy is very much at odds with our national interest and in effect, no Irish government can give that assurance.

"In the end, membership of the EU is a matter for the people of Ireland. If the terms offered to Ireland after Brexit mean we simply cannot live with them, then clearly our membership of the EU will be up for grabs."
Police says they are investigating a number of recent sudden deaths of teenagers and other young people in Belfast which may be linked to drugs.

District Commander Belfast City, Chief Superintendent Chris Noble said, While most post-mortem examinations have been carried out, we are waiting for the results of toxicology tests to determine the cause of each tragic death.

However in some instances, possible links to drug or substance abuse are strong lines of enquiry.

Our advice is very simple: Do not take illegal drugs; do not take prescription medication that has not been prescribed for you and do not mix either with alcohol.

The consequences of ignoring this advice can be life-threatening.

We do not want officers calling with families of loved ones to deliver the heart-breaking news that someone is seriously ill, or has died as a result of drug or substance abuse.

Drugs bring misery to individuals, families and communities. There is no such a thing as recreational drugs. All drugs that are not taken as prescribed by your own doctor can be lethal. The consumption and mixing of illegal drugs can be a lottery of death as it is often unclear what the substance is, its strength or the harm it can do to your body.

Anyone who is suspected of involvement in the supply of drugs can expect to be arrested by police and presented before the courts.

Police will continue to disrupt and arrest drug dealers involved in the sale and supply of drugs, bring individuals before the courts and work with communities and partner agencies to reduce the threat of harmful and illegal activity.

We are asking everyone for their support and co-operation in tackling this problem through the criminal justice system.

If you are concerned about your own or someone elses drug use, there are a number of services that can help you including your GP."

Do not be tempted to take drugs or other substances. If you see or know of anyone who is dealing drugs in your local area, contact your local police on 101 or call 999 in an emergency. Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 and pass on any details that you may have.
Undated handout photo issued by National Museums Northern Ireland of a picture of the Titanic during her launch at the Belfast shipyard

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.

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.

Irish 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 Molony 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.

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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 Molony 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.
'Trinity College Professor John FitzGerald said that ultimately jobs could be lost if public sector pay goes back to pre-crisis levels, as taxes would have to be increased'

A senior economist has warned the Government against fully restoring public sector wages to the rates enjoyed before the crash in 2008.

Trinity College Professor John FitzGerald said that ultimately jobs could be lost if public sector pay goes back to pre-crisis levels, as taxes would have to be increased.

At one point, salaries for public sector jobs were 20pc higher than those for private sector workers with the same qualifications and experience.

Mr Fitzgerald said wages were "unsustainable" before the crash.

"We can't go back to a situation where a public servant is paid much more than for the same job in the private sector," said Mr Fitzgerald.

"If you raise public sector pay and taxes, the rest of the economy loses.

"A higher tax level means higher wages elsewhere in the economy, and we would lose jobs," he said.

He said wages in the private sector would be pushed up because employers would be forced to do so to retain staff.

The former research professor at the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) predicted there will be strikes in the public sector by unions with "unrealistic expectations" who are likely "to try it on" after rejecting whatever pay deal is brokered at talks.

His comments come as public sector unions prepare to demand further pay rises at talks on a successor to the Lansdowne Road Agreement.

He added there is scope for a further public sector pay rise on top of increases due under the Lansdowne Road Agreement.

On pensions, he said it was not reasonable to have the public sector much better provided for than the private sector.
The return of the hugely divisive water charges debate will not bring the Government down, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said.

TDs and senators are to spend the next two months debating the future of the charges in a committee before the matter is put to a Dail vote in March.

Senior Fine Gael ministers want to see the back of the issue, with Finance Minister Michael Noonan saying in November that the "dead cat" of water charges must be taken off the agenda before the next election.

Mr Kenny insisted he did not believe the issue would mean that voters would have to return to the polls this year.

"Do I think that will bring the Government down? No I don't," he told reporters .

The Oireachtas Committee will debate the report of an Expert Commission that recommended that charges be all but abolished in favour of paying for water through general taxation. Charges would be imposed for wasteful use of water under the proposals.

Mr Kenny was asked if there should be attachment orders placed on wages or social welfare payments of those who did not pay the now-suspended charges.

"I'm not going to give you a verdict on what might transpire from the outcome of the water situation; I'd much prefer to let the committee make its recommendation," he said.

"I take the remark made by the commission that those who paid shouldn't be treated any less fairly than those who didn't and that's a question that will be decided ultimately in the Oireachtas."

Mr Kenny also defended the work of Irish Water, which he argued "is already proving its worth both in terms of procurement, and in terms of the real advances that are now being made in supply, fixing leaks and waste water".

He said it was Fine Gael's position that Irish Water should remain as a single publicly owned entity, that there should be a metering programme and "that you should pay a fair charge in excess of a generous allowance".
SIPTU chief Jack O'Connor has said employees should not be "pressurised" into opting to work for longer.

Under new Government plans led by Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar, workers will be incentivised to retire at an older age in a bid to tackle the pensions time bomb.

Workers will be offered a larger State pension the longer they work. The plans are aimed at tackling the rising costs of State pensions while also clamping down on age discrimination, with Mr Varadkar hoping to make compulsory retirement in the workplace illegal.

Mr O'Connor said while the plans could address a number of issues with pension provisions and retirement, the finer detail needed to be looked at.

"It would have to be enshrined in the primary legislation that this was entirely voluntary and that under no circumstances would any individual be pressurised in any way into opting to work longer unless they wished to do so," Mr O'Connor said.

Mr O'Connor said those working in more physically demanding professions should not miss out on increased State pensions. He said the number of years workers have contributed should be taken into account.

"For example, people working in the construction industry, given the rigours of that life, there are very few people that can work beyond the age of 62 or 63," he said.

Meanwhile, Ibec says higher youth unemployment could become an issue if those at pension age decide to carry on working longer.

Ibec policy chief Fergal O'Brien said they would be supportive of people working to an older age and the State pension incentive was sensible.

"We would be concerned if we're going to lose flexibility from a workforce planning perspective. Employers need to have vacancies, they need to bring workers through in terms of career development," he said.

He said employers should be given the flexibility of offering alternative roles to older staff.

Last night Fianna Fail's Willie O'Dea accused the Government of the "worst kind of political plagiarism", saying a similar proposal put forward by the party in 2014 was rejected.
A leading member of the anti-water charges movement has said individual households should dictate whether meters remain in the ground.

Dublin South West TD Paul Murphy, who sits on the Oireachtas water committee, said a process should be put in place whereby families can apply to Irish Water to have their meters removed.

The Anti Austerity Alliance/People Before Profit (AAA/PBP) TD also dismissed the notion that the meters were essential for detecting leaks.

In an interview with the Irish Independent, Mr Murphy insisted that households opposed to water meters remaining in their locality should decide if they remain installed.

"People are now entitled to say: 'You put in a water meter, perhaps against my wishes, perhaps when the family was out at work or school or whatever, and now we don't want this anymore'. I think that's reasonable," Mr Murphy said.

"The Government has been guilty of overplaying the benefits and the importance of meters for detecting leaks. They (the Expert Commission) see that, OK in theory they could play a role, but they also point to district meters in being the key. So there is lots of ways of finding water leaks without having individual water meters."

He said he believed the majority of people would not seek to have their meters removed but that an application process should be put in place.

Asked what use should be made of meters that were removed from the ground at a household's request, Mr Murphy said: "That's up to the Government and Irish Water."

Mr Murphy said that the future of water charges - which will be subject to a Dail vote in the spring - hinged significantly on the approach taken by Fianna Fail.

The 20-person committee last month began considering the recommendations from the expert water commission.

The commission recommended that households should get a free allowance of water that covered their ordinary domestic and personal needs.

Those who used quantities beyond this point - known as 'wasteful usage' - should be forced to pay.

The commission said there was "overwhelming support" for retaining Irish Water as a public utility.

But Mr Murphy said the fate of water charges would depend significantly on Fianna Fail.

"The mathematics show they have the balance of power in the committee, they have the balance of power in the Dail," he said.

He strongly criticised Micheal Martin's party over its stance on water. Mr Murphy said Fianna Fail was prepared to allow for the introduction of charges of about 500 when in government in 2010.

"From our point of view, it may become clear early in the new year which way Fianna Fail is going to swing," Mr Murphy said.

"We are going to be building for, and trying to organise, a major protest to happen around the time the committee will report in advance of the Dail voting on it, to make sure they aren't in any doubt, that if they think this has gone away as an issue, if they think they will get away with so-called excessive usage charges, they won't. They will pay a big, big price."
THE power sharing institutions at Stormont risk becoming valueless, a Sinn Fein leader warned.

The republican party has called repeatedly for DUP First Minister Arlene Foster to stand aside while an investigation is carried out into a massively overspent green energy incentive which left taxpayers facing a potential 490 million bill over the next 20 years.

Sinn Fein is due to take the matter to the devolved Assembly later this month in what could be a crucial date for the future of the administration it jointly leads with the Democratic Unionists.

Sinn Fein's national chairman Declan Kearney said: "Political institutions cease to have value when they do not reflect equality, mutual respect and parity of esteem, and have become detached from the lives of citizens they are meant to serve."

Mrs Foster became leader of the DUP and First Minister just over a year ago and produced success in last year's Assembly elections, emerging triumphant as Northern Ireland's largest party.

In a previous role as economy minister she established the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme which paid business owners more in subsidies than the fuel cost and led to a "cash for ash" scandal.

Claims of widespread abuse include a farmer allegedly set to pocket around 1 million in the next 20 years for heating an empty shed.

Mr Kearney added: "Political parties and leaders in the north need to be above scandal and corruption. They should be above reproach, not continuously reproachful towards political opponents.

"The political process has now been dragged recklessly by the DUP, culminating with the RHI crisis towards an unprecedented tipping point."

He added: "Playing fast and loose with the political process and the political institutions is unsustainable.

"There are big decisions to make, and there is very little time."

Mrs Foster has repeatedly blamed her officials for the debacle.

In a letter to Northern Ireland's leading banks written at the outset of the ill-fated scheme, Mrs Foster said the state-funded eco-subsidies offered applicants a "good return on investment".

SDLP Mid Ulster Assembly member Patsy McGlone called on Sinn Fein to back the SDLP call for an independent, judge-led inquiry into the RHI scandal.

Mr McGlone made his comments amid what he claimed were contradictory positions from Sinn Fein on their plan to achieve transparency and accountability on the issue.

He said: "Surrendering the demand for a judge-led public inquiry is surrendering the need for transparency, accountability and consequences for the loss of hundreds of millions in public money.

"With trust in our hard-won institutions at stake, Sinn Fein need to think very carefully on where their loyalties lie.

"The SDLP have been clear, only a judge-led inquiry can get to the truth of this matter. Sinn Fein must return to this position immediately."
Sammy the Seal, who is a regular attraction in Wicklow town, forgets it's New Year's Day and the fishmonger is closed Photo: Garry O'Neill

Well-known Wicklow celebrity, Sammy the Seal, was left disappointed when he made his regular trip to the fishmonger on New Year's Day.

Sammy frequently calls by the Fishman shop and the Lighthouse Restaurant on South Quay for a fish supper.

However, he was upset to discover both the shop and eatery were closed.

"Sammy had forgotten it was New Year's Day," an onlooker said. "He hung around for half an hour, but then decided enough was enough and went back to sea."

Sammy has become a tourist attraction in recent years known for his love of quality seafood and his tenacious personality.
Globally, 2016 will undoubtedly go down as the warmest year since modern record-keeping began in the mid-19th century.

It shall be the third such record warm year in a row; 15 of the 16 warmest years will have occurred since 2000. Briefly in early 2016, global surface temperatures flirted with or even exceeded 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels - a target agreed on in the Paris Climate Agreement as a warming threshold that should be avoided.

Global mean temperatures are likely to decline temporarily over the coming months as the influence of the El Nino - a natural event leading to unusually warm waters in the equatorial Pacific - continues to dissipate.

But the long-term direction of travel is upwards, and the primary cause is clearly the release of heat-trapping gases from human activities.

Regionally, the most noteworthy climate events of 2016 have been in the Arctic, which in many senses is the canary in the coal mine of climate change.

Arctic conditions have changed so much that last summer the Irish sailboat Northabout undertook a complete circumnavigation of both the Northeast and fabled Northwest Passages unaided in one season - unthinkable even a decade ago.

In the 19th century, great explorers such as John Franklin met their fates in attempting this voyage in reinforced ships stranded fast in thick multi-year ice. This year, a little Irish sailboat made it through unaided and hardly saw any ice in the Northwest passage.

Over a century ago, that passage was chock-fast with ice, and had to be transited by boat and sled by the great Irish explorer Robert McClure in 1854.

Last winter, and then again this autumn and winter, temperatures in the Arctic have regularly been more than 25C above normal.

Last winter, temperatures at the North Pole temporarily hit zero C - a 'balmy' temperature attained normally briefly in summer.

The sea-ice has been the lowest for time-of-year on record for a staggering 186 days in 2016, often by a very large margin.

Such Arctic sea-ice changes will have impacts for Ireland. Changing what once was sea-ice areas to open ocean may fundamentally alter atmospheric circulation patterns in the mid-latitudes in ways that change our weather and climate.

This is an area of active research and several recent winters are consistent with the possible effects, with some areas wet and warm and others cold and dry.

The bottom line is that, unlike gambling in Vegas, it is highly unlikely that what happens in the Arctic shall stay in the Arctic: there shall be impacts and they will be felt in Ireland over coming years and decades in ways that are, as yet, not entirely clear.

Ireland started 2016 off on the back of record rainfalls in December 2015.

Colleagues at Maynooth University led by Dr Conor Murphy have worked on producing long-term national rainfall records from instrumental, documentary and proxy sources.

Overall, the winter of 2015/2016 was almost certainly the wettest since these records began. Indeed, the 2015/2016 winter rainfall was so substantial that we could measure the effect from space.

A pair of satellites that are capable of measuring gravity anomalies showed Ireland had put on weight equivalent to a layer of water 5cm deep over the winter of 2015/2016.

The good news is that as we have slowly but surely dried out over 2016 this has diminished so we have all collectively lost weight.

Autumn was particularly dry across most of the country, although parts have yet to properly dry out.

While summer was undoubtedly a mixed bag weather-wise, there were some periods of reasonable weather, particularly away from the North West.

Temperatures in July in some locations did hit highs exceeding 30C.

Over the long-term, Irish temperatures have broadly mirrored global changes. A typical year now is about 0.5C warmer on average than in the mid-20th century, and this past year was no exception to that pattern.

What of 2017? Globally, it is almost certain to be cooler than 2016 was. Arctic sea-ice may well be a developing story if the weather in spring and early summer is conducive to melting what shall be unusually fragile ice cover.

Ireland will likely, over the year as a whole, be warmer than was typically the case 50 years ago. But climate change does not mean the end of weather - there will still be storms, cold spells, hot spells and nondescript spells. Beyond that, the crystal ball is foggy at best.

We live in a global climate that is changing and no country is truly immune to such changes. This particular story has a very long way to run yet.

How it ends depends upon our collective choices as a global society.

Professor Peter Thorne is a climatologist at NUI Maynooth
Gardai are hunting for two men who viciously stabbed a widowed pensioner as she answered her front door in Dublin.

The 72-year-old woman was stabbed a number of times in her upper body after answering a call to her front door shortly after 9.30am yesterday.

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Two men were seen running from the scene of the attack at Oranmore Road in Ballyfermot moments after the horrific incident.

Gardai are following a number of lines of investigation and have appealed for witnesses. There was no evidence that robbery was a motive.

The victim, named locally as Bridie Smith, the mother of a grown-up family, was rushed to St James's Hospital were she was listed as being in a "critical condition".

It was not known if the woman was the intended target of the attack.

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Feud

One of the lines of inquiry is the possibility that the stabbing of the elderly woman was connected to an ongoing feud in the area.

Another innocent elderly woman was assaulted in a violent incident and a number of people have appeared in the courts in relation to that assault.

Mrs Smith has been living in the area for several decades.

One of Mrs Smith's sons was in the house when she was attacked. He immediately called the emergency services.

Nobody has been arrested in relation to this latest attack.

Her home was sealed off with crime scene tape yesterday as a garda forensic team carried out an examination of the scene. The team removed a door handle from the front door and took it away for closer examination.

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."

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 at home 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.

Local councillor Daithi Doolan said: "We really need to reach out and look after our elderly and vulnerable neighbours.

"Let's not let fear stalk the streets of Ballyfermot. Anybody with any little bit of information should contact the gardai, no matter how small and insignificant they think it is," he said.

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.
I usually get up around 7.20am. There are days when it could be earlier, when I have to be somewhere early in the morning. I am an owl, not a lark. I hate the mornings, but I just get up.

I have four kids, and the whole family is here in the morning. It's busy as hell. The kitchen is like a train station. The kettle is on, and the microwave is on with porridge. There are people slapping butter on bread for sandwiches for lunch.

Before I have anything to eat, I drink a pint of tea. Caffeine is my drug of choice. When I go away on holidays, not only do I bring the Barry's teabags, but I also bring my own mug. You go anywhere and you see these thimble-like cups. There is no way I would survive with them. Tea makes me happy. Then I have some brown toast with butter. I probably should have an egg too, but I usually have eggs for lunch, with a salad.

The kids go off to school on the Dart, and we go off to work. I can't mention my husband's name, or he'd divorce me. On occasion, I'll go for a run in the morning, but it's not always possible. Most of the time it'll be at lunchtime, or at the end of the day. Some days I might work for a couple of hours on the laptop, and then I go into town to Newstalk to do the health-check slot on High Noon with George Hook. Then I will travel to Montrose, for Operation Transformation. I think the programme is a big public-health initiative. We have a problem with obesity in Ireland.

It's not easy for people to do Operation Transformation. People come on the show when they feel a bit lost in themselves. I used to be a bit like that, too. By the time I had my fourth child, I was three stone heavier than I am now. I was living a suburban life, working part-time as a GP, and the rest of the time, I was at home with the kids. My life was about 'What's for the dinner?' and trips to Tesco. I was eating the kids' leftovers - sausages - and all the stuff on other people's plates that you think has no calories.

I remember looking at the ever-increasing laundry pile and the biscuit tin, while wearing elasticated-waist trousers. Like so many women with small children, I'd lost my sense of self. I couldn't remember who I was from my younger years.

Then I said, enough is enough. Instead of killing myself trying to get fit, I started in a gentle way. I walked to the shops to get a pint of milk, rather than jumping in the car. I took the stairs instead of the lift. I ate more healthily and, little by little, I got it together. I started to see changes and, gradually, they all added up. I felt a bit better about myself and then all of this coincided with new work opportunities - journalism and broadcasting. Now I have a Sunday-morning radio show on Newstalk, which I absolutely love - Alive and Kicking; I write my Doctor's Orders column for the Sunday Independent; I work as a GP, and I do Operation Transformation.

OT is about health and trying to get yourself to a place where you feel good about yourself and your life. People come on the show when they feel they have lost the dreams they had when they were younger. They think, 'I'm middle-aged, overweight and invisible'. We use carrots and sticks to motivate them. We want them to achieve their full potential. We get people up off the couch in January. That's important, because December tends to be a big, boozy, overeating time of year. We want people to recognise that things have gone awry. I think we're tough, but fair. I have massive admiration for people who come on the show. I might talk to a patient for 15 minutes, but it's television - my bit might be edited down to three lines where I wasn't pulling my punches.

In my columns, I often refer to aspects of my own life. I do this because people often think that other people have it more sorted than them; that they are the only ones who can't master life. I know this from my work as a GP. They look at someone like me and they think, 'You're a doctor, you're on the telly, so you definitely must have it sorted'. But I say, 'No. I'm the one who fell to bits when my father died. I'm the one who doesn't know what to do when my mother doesn't know who I am - she has dementia. I'm the one who looks at her children and worries herself sick about them'.

But during difficult periods, work has always helped to get me back on track. As a GP, I help other people feel better, and in an odd sort of a way, that makes me feel better. I get an insight into my patients' lives, and it's very grounding. They may be facing death or have lost a child. You might feel that your life is falling asunder, but their stories put everything in perspective. I'm incredibly lucky because I have a combination of jobs, and I love them all. It's great that I got new work opportunities. They were important, because I live in my head a lot. I'm a thinker. I was bored and I wanted something more in my life. When I started to write, I was finding my voice. As a woman, I felt it was the first time in my life that I realised I had other options. In the beginning, I was a GP dabbling in the media, but that part of my career has become busier. It's like I've two full-time jobs.

When I come home in the evening, we try to have dinner together. My kids make me laugh a lot. Maybe it sounds like bad parenting, but they are very irreverent. There is a lot of banter, and they slag the arse off me. After the smaller ones are tucked up in bed, I chat with the older two. At night, I often get into bed with the laptop and work. I always write in bed. My husband would sleep through anything. I say to myself that I'll be asleep by 11pm, but it's almost always 1am. Occasionally, I'll have an anxiety dream, some sort of scenario where I have to save the world.

'Operation Transformation' returns to our screens on January 4 for its 10th series, and will air Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8.30pm on RTE One
An Irish mother donating two organs to save her four-year-old boy's life has promised him: "This is going to be your year."

Sarah Lamont (36) from Ballymena in Antrim said she hasn't doubted for a second her decision to donate both a kidney and part of her liver to her son Joe.

Born with a rare condition - autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease - Joe was forced to have his kidneys removed and has depended on constant dialysis ever since.

He has also developed advanced liver disease, which could prove life threatening without a transplant.

His mother said she could wait no longer to get him the help he needs.

"In June, Joe had been on the transplant list for over a year and there was no sign of him getting a call," she said.

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"Meanwhile, we saw other wee kids getting kidneys from their mum or dad. It's life changing for them."

Needing dialysis three times a week, Sarah said Joe "just wasn't getting a chance to do what wee boys do."

Sarah said she wants nothing more than to take Joe on holiday to Disneyland and to attend mainstream school, but is worried that delays caused by his illness will make it too hard for him to catch up with other children his own age.

After having a "brainwave" to contact Birmingham's Children's Hospital last year, it was discovered that Sarah and Joe are a blood type match.

The liver transplant is planned for January 25, with the kidney operation in the following months when both mother and son have recovered.

"I'll be all right, I'm a very optimistic person. If I could do it today I would, the sooner the better," said Sarah.

"I would never have doubts. Joe's been through so much, there's been a few times where I've been told he's not going to make it and he always does."

Despite the health problems Joe has had to suffer, his mum said she was inspired by his happy personality.

"He's so funny, he's got a box of practical jokes and he's a real character who loves to sing."

She continued: "He's really tough as well. If he fell and hurt himself he wouldn't cry, he's feisty."

Ahead of this month's surgery, Joe enjoyed a "wonderful Christmas" with his mum and older brother and sister Max and Eve.

"They really love him, but they have to put up with a lot too," said Sarah.

"Every time you go to plan something, he could take sick. The first year he came home he was on dialysis, so we couldn't leave the house 12 hours a day, seven days a week."

Looking forward to a brighter 2017, Sarah added: "I said to him the other night 'this is going to be your year Joe' and he got excited and said to me 'I'm getting a new liver and a new kidney!'."

"He doesn't complain, he always fights back. There's no point in feeling sorry for yourself. I'm lucky to have him."

Sarah said Joe's experience showed how vital organ donation was.

"I'm lucky I can give Joe a liver and kidney, but if he had a heart problem he could die waiting," she explained. "You also don't know how long organ transplants last, so he'll probably need multiple transplants in his life."

Urging others to register as a donor immediately she said: "If you're on your deathbed of course you would take an organ, so if you're prepared to take it you should of course be prepared to give."
A woman was left horrified after she realised she had accidentally thrown her precious engagement ring into the sea, just one day after her fiance got down on one knee.

Jen McGowan (26) flung her 1,000 (1174) ring into the Irish Sea as she played fetch with her dog on Port Logan Beach in Scotland, the same spot her partner Ed Cooper proposed to her just 24 hours before.

Horrified, the bride to be called her fiance and couple spent hours searching the beach before taking to their community Facebook page 'I love Drummore' to appeal for help in locating the precious ring in October.

I will remember the sight of it falling into the surf for the rest of my life; it was such an awful feeling, Jen wrote on Facebook.

I was feeling so angry with myself and sad that I'd lost such a special thing, she said.

The next day, more than 30 local people turned up to help the couple search for the ring, many with metal detectors.

After a two hour search, a local man and amateur detectorist located the ring in the sand.

Within two hours, of searching to a mathematical grid, these heroes had found my ring! Of course there were many tears when they told me - we were astonished to see that there's not a scratch on it.

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There are so many wonderful people in the world; I can't believe how much warmth and kindness has come our way in the past few days. The community really came together to help us to not only find our beautiful ring, but to see what a fantastic group of neighbours we have, she said.
From edible cannabis to cooking with a conscience and unami fever... the flavours and fads coming in 2017.

Tomorrow's kale

Seaweed is being hailed as the new kale, largely thanks to a recent ramen craze that has gone global. Here in Ireland, seaweed has found itself some influential supporters, with books like Sally McKenna's Extreme Greens: Understanding Seaweed and Dr Prannie Rhatigan's Irish Seaweed Kitchen spreading the love for these diverse and abundant super-greens in which flavours range from spicy (pepper dulse) to nutty (wakame).

Look out for seaweed turning up in everything from shortbread cookies to breakfast muesli or experiment at home with dried seaweed from companies such as Sea of Vitality, This is Seaweed, Mungo Murphy and Islander Kelp.

Umami Mia

What do ramen noodle soup, cured charcuterie and pickled vegetables like kimchi and sauerkraut all have in common - apart from being hot food trends?

They're all fermented foods and bursting with umami, that 'fifth taste' closely associated with Asian staples like miso and traditional soy sauce but also found in Parmesan cheese, anchovies and kalamata olives. Expect things to get even more umami-tastic, as seaweed becomes mainstream and the cheffish cult of koji (Aspergillus oryzae, the mould that gives us sake and soy sauce) goes viral.

Colour me new

If 2016 was the year that Instagram fell in love with 'unicorn toast' (think cream cheese coloured with beet juice, turmeric or spirulina) and rainbow sushi, then things are about to turn darker. Purple Brussels sprouts made their Irish debut this Christmas, heralding a trend for all things purple and vegetal, with US retailers Whole Foods banking on an appetite for purple cauliflower, sweet potatoes, corn and asparagus in the year ahead. Black is also big, with black garlic, black sesame tahini and even black ice-cream (created with charred coconut shells) bang on trend.

High Art

Ireland recently passed a bill to regulate, for medicinal use, marijuana, but we're unlikely to see its culinary use hit these shores any time soon. Over in the US, however, underground supper clubs are putting the high into haute cuisine. New York-based Sinsemil.la boasts seasonal tasting menus that explore both the flavour profile and psychoactive properties of edible cannabis, with heady pairings like Slow-cooked Catskill pullet egg with crispy asparagus and Lemon Mazar Hollandaze.

Old cows

Chefs have been getting increasingly competitive about just how well-hung their beef is. Northern Irish butcher extraordinaire Peter Hannan helped push the boundaries in recent years with his Himalyan salt chamber, in which he hangs locally reared, grass-fed, rare-breed shorthorn beef for up to 45 days or more. Recently, Sean Kelly of Newport in Co Mayo has developed a system for ageing sirloin steaks for a whopping 56 days, during half of which the steak is sealed in a suet casing.

But a new taste for retired dairy cows, sometimes as old as 18 years, has been pushing those barriers even further, with restaurants such as Taberna do Mercado in London's Spitalfields serving Basque-style txuleta steaks that have been aged for 100 days or more.

The hottest kitchens?

Chefs finding more excuses to get out of the kitchen, not because they can't stand the heat but because they want to keep things hot. This year Rene Redzepi of Noma takes his entire restaurant on a Mexican adventure for a seven-week beachside residency in Tulum before moving into their new Copenhagen home complete with its own urban farm.

Meanwhile, here in Ireland, some of the most exciting food of 2016 was delivered far beyond the confines of a traditional dining room - at festivals like Body & Soul, Ballymaloe Litfest and The Big Grill, and at street food market spaces like Bodytonic's Eatyard, which will return in spring with another round-up of the best Irish food trucks.

Waste not

When his restaurant Osteria Francescana was voted number one in the world in 2015, Italian chef Massimo Bottura capitalised on the exposure to launch Food for Soul.

This non-profit project fights and highlights hunger and food wastage through running avant-garde soup kitchens that repurpose surplus food from large-scale events like Milan Expo and the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Expect to see more examples of that can-do approach to reducing food waste, such as at The Fumbally Cafe where they transform their baristas' leftover milk into a fresh cheese for their chefs to use.

Cooking with a conscience

"Cooking," Massimo Bottura says, "is an act of love and a call to action." He might easily be talking about Our Table (www.ourtable.ie), a Dublin-based project that seeks to end Direct Provision and to support the integration of the refugee community in Ireland.

Having recently run a pop-up cafe in the Project Arts Centre, the collective are seeking a permanent home for their restaurant. In the meantime, you can catch their monthly cookery classes and dinners in the Veda Space Community Kitchen, starting on January 18 with a focus on Syrian baking and Middle Eastern cooking with Our Table participant, Khoula Ali.

Dinner delivered, but not as you know it

Forget stodgy takeaways with their built-in guilt factor: clever food entrepreneurs are responding to a growing appetite for deliciously healthy convenience. Piply offer guilt-free takes on curried chips, raw Pad Thai-inspired salads and baked chicken wings, all delivered to your door. Or meal kit companies like Dropchef and The Wholefood Revolution will deliver boxes of pre-prepared food complete with a recipe, ready for you to transform into a home-cooked meal.

Trendy tipples we'll be toasting with

Real fruit ciders

Well-made cider has been making a serious impact in recent years, with the members of the Cider Ireland collective arguing that real cider is Ireland's answer to wine, being fermented (as opposed to brewed) from indigenous fruit. But this year's Blas na hEireann awards saw several new flavoured ciders sweep the boards, with the medium-dry Stonewell Ros Apple & Rhubarb Cider winning Supreme Champion, and Best Artisan award going jointly to Tempted Cider Company for their Elderflower Cider and MacIvors Cider Company for their Plum & Ginger Cider.

Craft beers

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Sour beers - or lambics - are predicted to take 2017 by storm once the warmer months kick in. Of course in an Irish context, we could be waiting a little longer than most, but if we do get any kind of a summer there are some fine Irish sour beers to keep you refreshed from the likes of White Hag and Kinnegar. In the meantime, Metalman's Heat Sink is a smoked chilli porter designed to warm the cockles (and available in party-friendly cans too).

Rise of northern European wines

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One of the silver linings of the Brexit fallout and the weakened sterling is that increasingly well-made English wines have become more accessibly priced for us Eurozone wine drinkers. Meanwhile, a combination of global warming and modern wine-making methods have encouraged some Danish dabbling in vinicultural pursuits. There are even some optimists exploring the idea of commercial Irish wine-making - although the most successful experiments to date have been enjoyed by Wicklow Way Wines with their Moineir range of fruit wines.

Thirst-quenching tonics

Forget the kind of fizzy pop that gives you a sugar rush-and-crash combination - there's a new thirst for soft drinks that keep you buoyed in a sustainable way, thanks to their natural health promoting properties. Fermented probiotic drinks like kefir and kombucha are on the rise, as are fruit shrubs (drinking vinegars) and cold-pressed shots of raw cacao, hemp protein or chlorella. And Ireland now has two locally crafted tonic waters to add to international choices, the kefir-based Herbel Crest and the rosemary and orange-scented Poacher's Premium Irish Tonic Water.

Ones to watch

Takashi Miyazaki

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Miyazakis talent is far from undiscovered. Named Chef of the Year 2015 by the McKenna Guides, his extraordinary Japanese food is deliciously captured in regular Instagram postings from his small and humble but critically acclaimed Cork restaurant, Miyazaki.

Following his involvement in two of 2016s most unique dining experiences  a pop-up dinner in Mitchelstown Caves and a Fumbally Stables collaboration with Katie Sanderson  Miyazakis plans for 2017 include more collaborations and the hunt for a premises for a more upmarket kaiseiki-style restaurant.

Ellie Kisyombe

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The Malawi-born activist has been an energetic voice for the End Direct Provision campaign and a dynamic team member of the Our Table project (see Cooking with a conscience, above).

This January, she begins a three-month residency at Ballymaloe Cookery School as a guest of Darina Allen.

Kisyombe hopes to use the experience to empower young people to open their own food businesses. And I would love to cook for Michael D some day, she says. I love that man.

James Kavanagh & William Murray

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They may have been defeated at the semi-finals of RTEs Taste of Success, but theres no doubt well be seeing more of Irelands favourite millennial culinary couple. James is a well-established Snapchat sensation (jamesksnaps), William his Ballymaloe-trained food-loving partner, and together they are the team behind Currabinny, a start-up catering outfit with big aspirations  including talk of their own cafe and a cookbook planned for early 2018. Watch out for more events like their recent harvest feast at Teeling Distillery.
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.
Opposite the soaring gold and glass of Trump Tower, and the phalanx of armed police and trellis of crash barriers that have reduced Fifth Avenue to two lanes, stands The Polo Bar, a favourite for fans of wholesome American food in soothing, dark-panelled surroundings, and the Polo Ralph Lauren store.

The latter may only be two years old, but like everything in the Lauren universe it represents a continuum of good taste. Roaring log fires, the studied eclecticism of Turkish rugs and Native American influences, tartan and lashings of equestrian references - these have become generics, in much the same way as Colefax and Fowler or shabby chic.

And, of course, there are the clothes. Hillary Clinton wore Ralph Lauren regularly during her presidential campaign. Lauren worked with her on sleek-ifying those pantsuits, notably the purple-lapelled one she wore to concede - in a speech that will surely go down in feminist history. ''I didn't know the significance of that colour,'' he admits [purple being a livery of the suffragette movement]. ''But Hillary's people did. I just knew it looked beautiful on her.''

Ralph Lauren taste is an incontrovertible article of faith it seems. Or, as Oprah Winfrey put it: ''How did I, a poor girl from rural Mississippi, come to equate monetary success with owning rows of white Ralph Lauren bath sheets?'' It is almost half a century since a 28-year-old Ralph Lauren dragged his vision - or more specifically a rack of ties - along 59th Street to Bloomingdale's. He didn't make the sale immediately. They wanted him to sell the ties under the brand Sutton East - a nod, presumably, to Sutton Place, an exclusive New York district. He was desperate for the contract, but not that desperate, and declined. It would be his name on the ties, or nothing. The self-belief was always there. ''I don't know where it came from,'' he says in his soft lilt. ''But I knew what I was doing was good because I wanted to wear it.''

He makes it sound simple. He may be the most intuitive designer I've ever interviewed. We are in Lauren's suite of offices, which lead off a double-height, galleried hall. Outside, New Yorkers are jittery. In here is serenity. We could be in a castle in Inverness rather than on the sixth floor of his Madison Avenue HQ.

His innermost sanctum is a delirious medley of his favourite things. Packed bookcases and squishy sofas I'd anticipated, and even the model shiny black vintage Bugatti [as a classic-car collector of some repute, he also owns the life-size version]. But not the teeny leather shoes lining a desk that doesn't look often-used [it's not - ''I've never been a desk worker,'' Lauren says], the deluxe leather-trimmed bicycle, or the twin teddy bears holding court on the coffee table. One wears a tuxedo and cowboy boots. The other, in denim, is aping what Lauren has on today, minus the ancient leather jacket the designer has layered over his denim. It is a genuinely old jacket, he clarifies. Not some artfully distressed one.

Everywhere you look are the famous. Photos of Lauren with Bill Clinton. With Diana, Princess of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, Nancy Reagan [they bonded when he sat next to her at a White House dinner and discovered her father was a surgeon; he'd just recovered, in his late-40s, from a brain tumour]. And look! The Queen. How did this child of Eastern European immigrants, brought up in the Bronx with his nose firmly pressed up against the outside of Wasp America, come to embody it?

''I only ever absorbed the styles I loved,'' he says. Lauren's ability to sniff out the positive meant he detected the oncoming mania for an aristocratic aesthetic several years before the likes of Brideshead, and developed an androgynous women's look that just about pre-empted Annie Hall, which used some of his clothes for Diane Keaton's much-imitated wardrobe. ''I've always been able to feel the vibrations and the pulse of the world out there,'' he once said.

Growing up in the Bronx in the 1950s, androgyny and effete English aristos were not really an issue. ''There was almost an absence of taste at home,'' he says. His father, an artist who painted houses when times were tough, and his mother, a homemaker, with three sons and a daughter to feed and educate, were not the types to plump up stripy cushions on their bed because as the world knows the Art of the Bed was another Ralph Lauren invention.

He never really thought he was going to be a fashion designer. Initially he studied at a religious Jewish school, but at 16 he found a Saturday job in a clothes store and styled himself 'sort of preppy', based on the endless movies he saw and the books he read. Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn - these were his idols. ''I always had a sense of glamour and what it should look like.'' What he didn't know was how it should feel. That came later, when ''silks and wools would come in from Europe, and I would touch them,'' he says. ''There wasn't anything like that being made in America at that time. We were good at sportswear, but we didn't have craft or a real sense of luxury. There was a lot of polyester.''

By now he had met Ricky, a beautiful blonde, whom he married when he was 25 and she was 19. They decorated their first apartment, a $90-a-month shoebox in the Bronx. ''My father painted the walls to look like wood.'' No absence of taste, then, merely of money. And that soon changed. Pretty soon the Laurens moved to an apartment in Manhattan, followed in due course to an early 20th-century manor in Bedford, New York. He launched childrenswear after Ricky returned from a shopping trip disheartened by the poor-quality kids' clothes on offer. Womenswear was another reflex, because he wanted Ricky to be dressed in the kind of clothes they both liked - relaxed, understated and timeless.

The entire family still wears his clothes most of the time. They are extremely close - on the way out I meet his son David, the company's chief innovation officer and vice chairman. According to Lauren's telling, it all - business, family, multiple accolades - proceeded without a bump. In 1983, he acquired the lease on the Rhinelander, a magnificent 19th-century Edith-Wharton-esque mansion in Manhattan. Lauren lavished what was widely reported to be $15m on restoring its 20,000sq ft to glory. In a Wharton novel this would have been an act of fabulous hubris, but the store thrived. He opened an equally grand womenswear shop across the road. Drifting between the room-sets of these two vast emporia you could almost forget you were in an actual shop. ''You know how you go to some museums and think, 'I wish I could buy that?"' Lauren says.

Almost everything, including a futuristic-looking black pool table is for sale. It strikes me in 2017, when a jumpy fashion industry is constantly debating the importance of creating an experience for the retail consumer, that Lauren got there decades ago. I wonder what he hears now, when he takes the world's pulse. ''Nervousness. These are difficult times. I think that means that certain core institutions, like the preppy, are as relevant as ever.''

Touche. The past two years have been, to put it mildly, challenging for the Ralph Lauren behemoth. Sales have slowed recently.

The customer is confused, runs this argument. There is too vast a disconnect between the gorgeous gloss of the campaigns and the Rhinelander, and the out-of-town outlets selling those polo shirts.

If anything, Lauren seems reinvigorated by this latest twist. A year ago he hired Stefan Larsson, an alumnus of Old Navy and H&M, as CEO. The only previous occupant of that role was Lauren himself. ''I realised there were things I couldn't do. This is a $7bn-a-year company. The industry has changed so much. The internet is complicated. I met Stefan and we clicked immediately.''

Together, Lauren and Larsson have embarked on an ambitious turnaround, ''streamlining the business, getting rid of lines we shouldn't have, making the core stronger''.

They have launched Icons, a 40-piece collection of Ralph-ified perennials - impeccable women's tuxedos, double-breasted tweed coats and suede jackets. They're also opening more Polo Ralph Lauren stores like the one facing Trump Tower and the new flagship on London's Regent Street. These mid-priced yet aspirational honeytraps are part of a strategy to build a bridge between the seductive swank of the Rhinelander and those polo shirts. There may be more Ralph Lauren restaurants (there is also one in Paris, and in Chicago), because the other thing the vibrations are telling him is that in troubled times, food is always a safe bet. There could be hotels. But this radical upending of the normal industry structure sounds like a logistical nightmare. ''Yes, but it wasn't horrible. It was exciting, like turning round to the industry and saying, 'Look, we can still do it'. It's early days, but it's better than putting the clothes out then waiting six months before you can sell them while other people knock you off.''

In other words, he's ready for it.
Like many Irish people, I began drinking at an early age. It took until my 30s before I realised I didn't want to drink any more. After 15 years of drinking, I took the road less travelled and said goodbye to the port and brandy, as it were.

It was the single best decision I ever made. I would love to help others find freedom. I am currently working on my first book, Feck Drink - An Irishman's Guide To Alcohol.

Here are 15 things I absolutely love about not drinking:

NO HANGOVERS

No more wasted days sitting on the couch, too afraid to move or face the world. No fear, no anxiety, no depression. Saturdays and Sundays free to enjoy as I please.

MORE CONFIDENCE

Social occasions used to terrify me. That is why I drank alcohol. When I stopped drinking, I developed my own natural confidence in social situations. This took a little time, but now I can be myself at any social event,

and I know I don't need a drink to relax.

HAPPIER

There is no comparison to myself now and when I was a drinker. When drinking I was confused, tired, unhealthy, distant, anxious, nervous, unsettled in myself. Now I am at ease within myself, and have found my own true self hidden underneath some limiting beliefs. I had to remove the alcohol (plaster) first so I could heal the wounds.

THE FREEDOM

I am not tied to having to organise drinks, or lifts, or plan the day after, or how I'm going to get home, or what I'm going to drink or not drink. Life is so, so much easier being a non-drinker. It is simpler and effortless.

THE HONESTY

I am myself. Take it or leave it. I am not fitting in just to fit in; I am no longer pretending to be someone I am not.

THE RELIEF

It is such an incredible relief to be free of alcohol.

THE FASCINATION

People are fascinated by non-drinkers. They are also curious, suspicious and a little nervous of this strange species. I just hope I can help to show others that there is another way to live a happier life, free from alcohol. It is just a positive lifestyle change with no downsides.

THE MONEY

I have so much more money. I would probably have spent approximately 300 a month on drinking and going out. Now that is all mine to spend on things I want and really enjoy. It is win-win.

BEING MYSELF

I started drinking at 16, I stopped at 30. For all those years, I was never myself. I was lost. I was lying to myself and the world around me. Now I am much more comfortable in my own skin. I could not have done this without first removing alcohol from my life.

IMPROVED LOVE LIFE

Really! What was before a drunken mess is now somewhat more stable and realistic. Relationships are not built around drunken nights, but develop in a much more natural way.

THE PEACE

So much peace and quiet. The joy of just relaxing on a Friday evening with tea and chocolate, knowing I have a full weekend to enjoy, without wasting any of it drinking.

HELPING OTHERS SET THEMSELVES FREE

No greater satisfaction than seeing someone turn their life around and become a happier, healthier person.

NO DRAMA

No rows, no blackouts, no regrets, no shame, no guilt, no self-recrimination. Easy living.

HEALTHIER AND HAPPIER

I am healthier, I look younger and feel healthy. I am no longer overweight. I feel energetic and vibrant. This boosts my self-esteem and confidence. I have the energy and enthusiasm to live the life I want.

THE JOY

Pure and utter joy of being free of that way of life. I am so grateful it's over.
Tens of millions of people, in iconic cities across the globe, gathered in public to ring out the old and in the new. But the dawning of 2017 ended with another tale of horror with a murderous terrorist attack on nightclub revellers in the venerable city of Istanbul in Turkey.

At the time of writing, scores of people have lost their lives. Decent people across the world, including the people of Ireland, feel the pain and grief of the Turkish people.

At least 24 citizens from countries other than Turkey were killed, including people from Israel, Belgium, Lebanon, Jordan, France, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.

This again reminds us how terrorism shatters lives in many different countries and in the modern world has a near global reach.

Most of us will know something of the importance of Turkey as a meeting point between different geopolitical poles of power. We cannot forget that instability in Turkey has ramifications for people in very many other countries.

The old year 2016 was one of horrific terrorist attacks with not a month going by without news of another horror. The three big ones seared upon our memories were the two bombings in Zaventem Airport, Brussels, and that city's Maalbeek metro station on March 22; the horrific Bastille Day truck attack in Nice on July 14; and a similar attack on a Berlin Christmas market on December 19.

In Ireland, we cannot assume that the horrors of such attacks will continue to remain absent from our shores. But as one of the world's most globalised economies, with multiple personalised connections all across Europe and beyond, we also have obligations to our beleaguered neighbours. Terrorism is the great scourge of the modern era and we must all combat it together in every way we can.

Unpredictable 2017 will need visionary leadership

The old year 2016 was a strange one, replete with surprises, many of which were unpleasant.

Yet, the economic indicators suggest 2016 ended with Ireland better fixed than at its start. That's not a bad thought as we face into 2017.

Most of the horrors of 2016 happened beyond these shores. Across mainland Europe there were lamentable outbreaks of terrorist violence.

In politics there was the shock of June 23 last when voters in the country which is our biggest trading partner, and closest ally, decided to quit the EU. It has posed Ireland the biggest foreign policy challenge in the State's existence, with huge implications for the North.

The consequences of Brexit will dominate 2017 and our Government will need a sharp focus and great courage. Similarly, 2017 will bring us more detail on how that other big surprise, the election of president Donald Trump on November 8, will play out in practice.

This coming year, elections in the Netherlands, France, Germany, and probably Italy, could have a huge impact on Ireland's future. The challenges ahead cry out for strong and visionary leadership.

But our greatest ally right now must be optimism. As the world's most connected global economy we must think globally and act locally.

All new years offer us the prospect of a fresh start. Let us approach the coming 12 months with courage and hope and take all the positives that we can from them.
Laura Whitmore, Niall Horan and friend ringing in the new year.

It was a late night for Irelands rich and famous as they cut loose on the dancefloor and celebrated the beginning of 2017 in style.

Several well-known names hit the town to mark the end of another year with Pippa OConnor and Brian Ormond leading the way with their pals Nadia Forde and Brian Dowling.

The foursome headed out early and checked into the Shelbourne Hotel where they kicked back and relaxed with some Champagne in their rooms before having dinner at restaurant Luna on Drury Street.

Its been a busy festive period for Brian and Nadia who have been starring together in a panto production of Aladdin at the Tivoli Theatre.

Ringing in 2017 with this beautiful human at my side @bprdowling Dress @prettylittlething Glam @hairxger @preenhairandbeautydublin @kateoreillymakeup A photo posted by nadiaforde (@nadiaforde) on Jan 1, 2017 at 2:18am PST

The former Big Brother star and the model were working hard earlier that day for their final performance of the year but got ready in time to head out with their famous pals.

They chose celebrity hotspot House as their destination to ring in the new year.

Sharing a photo of herself and husband Brian outside the Shelbourne, Pippa looked back on what was a busy year for the Kildare woman.

Celebrated the last day of an incredible year with my hubby and friends. I dont know if Ill be able to top 2016 but I will give it my best shot again.

To anyone thinking of trying something new, my advice is simple, just make a start, she said.

Also out in Dublin for the night was model and TV presenter Vogue Williams.

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While she spends most of her time in London these days, the Howth woman returned from spending Christmas in Spain with her family.

The 31-year-old attended RTE Ones New Years Eve party at Iveagh House.

All ready for our big night! Happy New Year everyone I'll be ringing in the bells with @rteone #NYErte wearing @veryexclusiveuk A photo posted by voguewilliams (@voguewilliams) on Dec 31, 2016 at 1:31pm PST

The event was hosted by broadcaster Claire Byrne and was also attended by RTE radio presenter Louise McSharry, comedian Deirdre OKane, presenter Aidan Power and The X Factor judge Louis Walsh.

It looks like Vogues 2017 resolution is to cut back on drinking after cutting loose over the last few weeks.

December is too boozy. Albeit fun but too boozy all the same. No more booze, she said.

There were also Irish stars celebrating abroad.

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Laura Whitmore and Niall Horan attended a fun-filled bash in London.

Laura, who recently finished a stint on Strictly Come Dancing, uploaded several photographs of the night to her Instagram account as she rang in 2017 with the One Direction star and their friends.

Niall spent the Yuletide period in Mullingar where he reunited with his pal Bressie on Christmas Eve.
Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington has said filming the scenes of the death of her character were "sensitively handled" - and even fun.

The first episode of the fourth series, which returned on New Year's Day, sees her character Mary Watson being shot dead as she jumps in front of a bullet intended for the lead character, Sherlock Holmes (played by Benedict Cumberbatch).

Abbington, 42, and Sherlock star Martin Freeman, 45, who plays her on-screen husband John in the popular BBC One series, recently made headlines with news that their 16-year relationship off screen has reportedly ended.

The new series sees their characters introduce their baby daughter, Rosamund Mary Watson, to fans.

Talking at a screening of the episode held in central London a few weeks before it aired, Abbington said filming the death scenes were "really fun".

She said: "It was good, we took a day and a half, it was sensitively handled but it was good fun because I worked with these guys (Benedict and Martin) and these guys are brilliant.

"It's always nice when you get something like that in the script, and it says you get shot and you have to say all of these last things, it's a dream for an actor because you can just kind of just completely self-indulge and go to town with it and I think I did.

The popular series, which is written and created by Doctor Who's Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, is inspired by the original works of Scottish author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Gatiss, who also stars in the series as Sherlock's brother, Mycroft, explained: "We did an early road map, it's a strange thing but actually in the original stories it's not actually said she's died, it is heavily inferred, but it could have been a messy break up.

"But we've obviously been very true to Doyle and also very untrue, so we didn't necessarily have to do this (kill off the character), but it just felt the right place to do it."

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Moffat, 55, said the difficulty was that as the character of Mary has been "dead for a hundred years" it is difficult to "surprise people in those circumstances".

"So the only thing we could do was to do it earlier than people thought so it would happen as wrenchingly and as horrifically as such things happen in real life, so that's what we went for," he said.

As characters, Sherlock and Mary share a complex history, which has seen in a previous episode Mary attempt to assassinate Sherlock.

The events leading up to her death in the first episode also offer a glimpse into Mary's past as a secret assassin.

Moffat said: "Obviously we had the thing hanging over us, Mary and Sherlock were very close but there was that moment of froideur when she shot him in His Last Vow (a previous episode), so it was nice to reverse that and have her save his life."

Cumberbatch said filming the scenes were emotional, adding that the cast "get the hit the audience gets hopefully when they watch it, when we first read it, so that was always going to be a moment in the schedule and it was a big moment ."

He added: "This incredibly important part of what Sherlock is, is no more in the most violent way imaginable and a mother as well as a wife and dear friend (is gone), and you discover more about her just as you lose her as well.

It's a great bit of tipping someone over the edge of a cliff ... so it was a very upsetting scene to film."

Freeman appeared to reference his off-screen relationship with Abbington when asked about filming the death of Mary.

He said: "It's difficult because, you're kind of, I am, always on the verge of acting badly and so you have to work up to a point where you could really get caught out acting badly, especially when it's your wife on telly and who we are in real life, so you kind of have to do it justice obviously, but it's very easy to overdo it, so it's a careful line to walk."

Series four is comprised of three feature length episodes and will give viewers a glimpse of a different side to the usually arrogant Sherlock they know.

Referencing a previous comment by Moffat, who joked that Sherlock would be "less of a dick" in the current series, Cumberbatch said: "Yes, I think he's slightly less of a dick."

"He takes himself off to therapy at the end of the episode, he's becoming slightly more, in a very clear way responsible for his actions, but I think he understands it is a slow process that began the first very instant when he met John, when that immediate, missing part of the jigsaw, when they collide, when that partnership in crime began, that has been a humanising element all the way through and I think he's very much now becoming more of a human being."
WESTWOOD, CA - JUNE 04: Actresses Susan Sarandon and Eva Amurri Martino arrive at the premiere of Columbia Pictures' 'That's My Boy' at Regency Village Theatre on June 4, 2012 in Westwood, California.

The daughter of Susan Sarandon, Eva Amurri Martino, has opened up about the injuries her newborn son Major sustained after a night nurse allegedly dropped him on a solid wood floor in November.

The mum-of-two spoke about the incident on her blog Happily Eva After and said her son had a fractured skull and a brain bleed after the incident.

Eva, who is also an actress like her famous mother, said she was riddled with guilt after the incident.

A couple of days after Thanksgiving, our Night Nurse fell asleep while holding Major and dropped him, and he cracked his head on the hardwood floor.

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Kyle and I were sleeping at the time and were awoken by the sound of his head hitting the floor, and then hysterical piercing screams. He suffered a fractured skull and bleeding on his brain, and was transported by ambulance to Yale Medical Center where I spent two harrowing days with him to receive emergency care and further testing. To say these were the most traumatic and anxious two days of my life is an understatement.

The guilt I bore in the days and weeks after this accident was more intense and more damaging than anything I would wish upon my worst enemy,.

Baby Major, who is now two months old, is now doing well but the mum said she finds it hard to trust other people with her children.

Its nearly impossible for me to trust anyone but myself to take care of Major now.

Expand Close WESTWOOD, CA - JUNE 04: Actresses Susan Sarandon and Eva Amurri Martino arrive at the premiere of Columbia Pictures' 'That's My Boy' at Regency Village Theatre on June 4, 2012 in Westwood, California. / Facebook

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Whatsapp WESTWOOD, CA - JUNE 04: Actresses Susan Sarandon and Eva Amurri Martino arrive at the premiere of Columbia Pictures' 'That's My Boy' at Regency Village Theatre on June 4, 2012 in Westwood, California.

Even though I finally made peace with the fact that this freak accident could not have been avoided by me, it has continued to affect me to my core and in all aspects of my daily life.

The Undateable actress, who is also mum to Marlow Mae (2) also opened up about her battle with port-natal depression.

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To anybody else who is suffering from similar feelings or challenges, no matter the cause I am with you in this. Lets get better. Its time.
A serial by-election candidate is contemplating hanging up his Elvis jumpsuit after nearly two decades in politics.

David Bishop, of the Bus Pass Elvis party, has stood in 11 parliamentary contests since 1997 on platforms including legalising brothels and giving OAPs a discount, outlawing builders' bums and scrapping HS2.

Mr Bishop, a 72-year-old former painter and decorator from Nottingham, said while he has enjoyed his time on the campaign trail, his most recent campaign in Sleaford and North Hykeham will be his last.

Also known as Lord Biro, Mr Bishop got into politics through art, starting off as a poet. When the chance came to stand against Neil Hamilton in the 1997 election following the Cash for Questions scandal, Mr Bishop decided to give it a go.

He said: "When I was a teenager, I wasn't that interested in politics. I was interested in green things - and the first time I ever voted was the EEC referendum.

"Standing in Tatton was the first one, that got a lot of media attention from all over the world and I really enjoyed it."

At the poll, Mr Bishop wound up eighth out of the 10 candidates - coming in with 116 for the Lord Byro versus the Scallywag Tories party.

In the nearly 20 years since, Lord Byro became Lord Biro, and he has been a regular feature at by-elections, including Haltemprice and Howden in 2008 following the resignation of David Davis, Eastleigh in 2013 following Chris Huhne's departure from the Commons and 2015 when Patrick Mercer stepped aside in Newark.

His peak came in 2014 when he beat the Liberal Democrats at a by-election for the Clifton North ward at Nottingham City Council, but wound up more than 1,100 votes off the winner.

The result made headlines across the country and Mr Bishop said: "I feel a bit guilty about that because they haven't done very well since.

"It was their own fault, they didn't campaign really. If they had campaigned they probably would have beaten me."

When asked if he would actually like to become a Member of Parliament, Mr Bishop said he was not so sure.

"If I had been elected in Sleaford, I would have been pleased in one way but I would have hoped Theresa May called a general election next summer so I'd only have six months," he said.

"I'd probably end up in the Priory but I'd try and make a difference while I was there."

Mr Bishop said he is political - believing strongly in wildlife conservation, preserving public services and rural transport - and tried to register as a supporter for the Labour Party to elect Jeremy Corbyn as leader but was turned down.

He said: "I paid my 3, but wasn't allowed to vote as I was part of a rival party."

With the bill of 11 by-elections running to 5,500 - or 6.13 per vote - the price of democracy is not cheap for Mr Bishop.

He said: "It's a lot of money. These last ones (Witney and Sleaford and North Hykeham) I stayed in all summer and tried to save some money out of my pension and I did a couple of odd jobs.

"I didn't go out for about two months because I thought there was going to be a general election.

"Then the rumours were that she wasn't going to call one. When David Cameron resigned, I thought 'I'm all geared up to go, get on with it'."

The miles spent on the campaign trail have begun to take their toll but Mr Bishop is not planning on totally moving away from politics.

He said: "I will still be interested and I will still campaign on things - I saw the news about red phone boxes disappearing and I think they should stay.

"One of the last leaflets I posted before the Sleaford by-election was at the Packet Inn in Dogdyke and I thought 'Dave, this might be a sign that it's time to call it a day'.

"I've enjoyed a lot of it: I've enjoyed going around all these villages that I wouldn't have otherwise seen, these obscure little villages, and talking to guys with dogs, old ladies in the street, especially with the Elvis jumpsuit on."
A tourist was bitten by a crocodile after she attempted to take a selfie with it, according to reports.

The 41-year-old French woman, named as Muriel Bentaulier, was exploring Thailands Khao Yai National Park with her husband when they came across the giant female reptile.

Expand Expand Previous Next Close French national Muriel Benetulier (L) lies on a stretcher as she speaks with a Thai park ranger (R) at a local medical facility after she was bitten by a crocodile. Photo: HO/AFP/Getty Images Picture: HO/AFP/Getty Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp French national Muriel Benetulier (L) lies on a stretcher as she speaks with a Thai park ranger (R) at a local medical facility after she was bitten by a crocodile. Photo: HO/AFP/Getty Images

According to the Bangkok Post the couple squatted to take a picture with the animal after finding it lurking in waters but it bit her in the thigh.

Pictures from the scene show the woman being taken away from the area by rescuers.

Thanya Netithammakul, head of the National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department said the incident was reported by the park chief, Kanchit Srinoppawan.

The park rangers were alerted and took her to Apai Phubet Hospital.

Mr Thanya said that signboards were put up warning visitors about the crocodiles.

Tourists were told to keep to the nature trail. Park staff were also stationed along the route to offer assistance.
A prison riot in Brazil has left at least 56 inmates dead

At least 56 inmates have been killed after fighting started a riot at a prison in the state of Amazonas in northern Brazil.

Officials said the death toll included several who were beheaded or dismembered in the worst bloodshed at a Brazilian prison since 1992.

The riot apparently grew out of a fight between two of the country's biggest crime gangs over control of prisons and drug routes in northern Brazil.

Amazonas authorities initially reported 60 dead but on Monday afternoon the state public security secretary's office reduced that figure to 56.

State public security secretary Sergio Fontes said some inmates escaped from the Anisio Jobim penitentiary complex in Manaus during the riot, but he did not say how many. He said 40 had been recaptured.

There were 1,224 inmates in the prison, which was built to hold 592, Mr Fontes said. The prison is run by a private company that is paid according to the number of inmates.

Twelve prison guards were held hostage by the inmates, though none was injured during the riot that began on Sunday afternoon and ended on Monday morning.

Mr Fontes confirmed many of the dead had been beheaded while Judge Luis Carlos Valois, who negotiated the end of the riot with inmates, said he saw many bodies that had been quartered.

It was the largest death toll during a Brazilian prison riot since the killing of 111 inmates by police officers in the Carandiru penitentiary in Sao Paulo in 1992.

Two other prisons in Manaus also reported riots on Monday.

At one, 87 prisoners escaped, including an inmate who posted a picture of himself on Facebook as he left.

Amazonas police were investigating whether there was a link between the violence at the three prisons. By evening, state police said the situation was stable in all three prisons.

Mr Fontes said the inmates at Anisio Jobim made few demands to end the riot, saying that hinted at a killing spree organised by members of a local gang, the Family of the North, against those of the Sao Paulo-based First Command of the Capital.

The secretary said officers found a hole in a prison wall through which weapons entered the building.

A policeman was wounded in exchange of gunfire with the inmates. Several firearms were found when police searched the prison after the riot.

Jose Vicente da Silva, a former national public security secretary, said the incidents in Manaus were a result of Brazil's severe recession and poor management of the prison system.

He added: "Since 2014 homicides in prisons of Amazonas are double the national average and last year they cut their public security budget by 50% due to austerity measures. This incident is a repetition in a bigger scale."

AP
Benjamin Netanyahu has denied what he calls the 'baseless' reports that he received gifts from two businessmen

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been quizzed for more than three hours by police investigators, opening what could be a politically-damaging criminal investigation into suspicions he improperly accepted gifts.

Mr Netanyahu has repeatedly denied wrongdoing but the arrival of the national fraud squad indicated questions raised about him are considered serious enough to merit an investigation.

Police said Mr Netanyahu was questioned "under caution", a term signalling he is a suspect.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said Mr Netanyahu was questioned on "suspicions he received benefits". She said there would be no further details released at this stage.

The police team did not speak to journalists but Israeli media said they are looking into suspicions Mr Netanyahu inappropriately accepted expensive gifts from two businessmen.

A black screen had been placed in front of the building in apparent anticipation of the investigators' arrival and to obstruct the view of journalists seeking to film them.

Mr Netanyahu has denied what he calls "baseless" reports that he received inappropriate gifts, a point he reiterated at a meeting of his Likud faction earlier on Monday.

"We've been paying attention to reports in the media, we are hearing the celebratory mood and the atmosphere in the television studios and the corridors of the opposition, and I would like to tell them, stop with the celebrations, don't rush," he said.

"There won't be anything because there is nothing."

Israel's Channel 2 TV has said Mr Netanyahu accepted "favours" from businessmen in Israel and abroad and that he is the central suspect in a second investigation that also involves family members.

The newspaper Haaretz said billionaire Ronald Lauder, a long-time friend of Mr Netanyahu, was linked to the affair.

Channel 10 TV has reported that Mr Netanyahu's oldest son, Yair, accepted free trips and other gifts from Australian billionaire James Packer.

In October, Mr Lauder was summoned by police for questioning "related to a certain investigation conducted by them and in which Mr Lauder is not its subject matter," said Helena Beilin, Mr Lauder's Israeli attorney.

"After a short meeting, he was told that his presence is no longer required and that there shall be no further need for additional meetings."

Israel's Justice Ministry declined to comment.

A campaign is under way by Erel Margalit, an opposition lawmaker of the Zionist Union party, seeking for Mr Netanyahu to be formally investigated over suspicions of prominent donors improperly transferring money for the prime minister's personal use as well as reports that Mr Netanyahu's personal attorney represented a German firm involved in a 1.5 billion US dollars (1.2 billion) sale of submarines to Israel.

AP
South Korean president Park Geun-hye, pictured with the Queen during a state visit to Britain in 2013, was impeached last month over the corruption scandal

The daughter of disgraced President Park Geun-hye's long-time friend has been arrested in Denmark in connection with the huge political corruption scandal that has rocked South Korea.

Ms Park was impeached last month by MPs amid public fury over prosecutors' claims that she conspired to allow her confidante, Choi Soon-sil, to extort companies and control the government.

Prosecutors said on Monday that police in Denmark arrested Ms Choi's daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, at the weekend on suspicion of staying there illegally.

South Korea had asked Interpol to search for Ms Chung because she did not return home to answer questions about the scandal.

Yonhap news agency said Ms Chung, a former member of the national equestrian team, allegedly took advantage of her mother's relationship with Ms Park to obtain favours from Seoul's Ewha Womans University.

AP
German police said yesterday they had prevented a repeat of the assaults and robberies suffered by hundreds of women in Cologne a year ago by screening 650 mostly North African men on New Year's Eve.

Police detained and screened many of the men at the main railway station as they headed towards the centre of Cologne in western Germany, where the attacks a year earlier fuelled criticism of Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door migrant policy.

Cologne police chief Juergen Mathies did not say how many of the men were subsequently allowed into the city centre, but denied that the checks amounted to racial profiling. He also said many of those detained had been aggressive.

"This was clearly about preventing similar incidents to last year," he said.

"A large part of this group that was checked was such that criminal acts were to be expected. That is why we took this clear approach."

Police arrested 92 people - including 16 Germans and 10 Syrians - during Saturday night's celebrations in Cologne. Police also installed new video surveillance cameras to monitor the station square.

Many of the suspects in the attacks a year ago were of North African and Arab appearance, the police have said.

Those attacks helped fuel the rise of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which hurt Ms Merkel's conservatives in a series of regional polls last year and threaten to erode her support in this year's national election.

In her New Year's address to the nation, Ms Merkel said Islamist terrorism was the biggest test facing Germany, and she vowed to improve security after an Isil attack in Berlin before Christmas that killed 12 people.

Meanwhile, an Italian bomb squad officer lost an eye and had to have a hand amputated after a suspicious package he was examining exploded before dawn yesterday.

Police said the package left outside a bookshop with links to a group of extreme right activists, CasaPound, had caught the attention of a police patrol. The explosives squad was called at about 5am, and that's when the officer was injured.
A US businessman has told how his mobile phone may have helped him survive the New Year's Eve terrorist attack in Istanbul.

Jake Raak was shot in the leg when the gunman opened fire but another bullet hit and destroyed his phone. Doctors said this may have helped prevent damage to a major artery.

Mr Raak, who owns aerospace manufacturer TECH Manufacturing, Corp, told NBC News that he stayed silent and motionless after being hit and that the gunman was targeting people lying on the ground.

"When he shot me I didn't move - I just let him shoot me," he said. "I was shot when I was already on the ground. He was shooting people that he had already shot.

"You just have to stay as calm as you can," he added. "I took a bullet."

Mr Raak (35), from Delaware, was one of 60 people injured in the Club Reina attack. A total of 39 people were killed - most of whom were foreigners.

He explained that he was with a group of nine people when the gunman opened fire.

He came within inches of the shooter, who walked along a bench that he was lying underneath.

"I saw him coming and he shot us all," he said. "Somebody said there were shots fired and I initially did not believe it until I saw the gunman and he started shooting up the whole place."

He added: "I was probably the luckiest person in the whole thing."

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the shooting today, identifying the attacker as "a heroic soldier of the caliphate." It said the attack had been carried out "and in response to a call" from its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, although it did not say whether it directed or merely inspired the perpetrator.

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The gunman fired some 120 rounds during his rampage in and around the nightclub at about 1:30 a.m. on Sunday.
Gunmen armed with automatic rifles and pistols have stormed a prison in Bahrain, killing a police officer and freeing 10 inmates convicted of terror offences.

The attack on Jaw prison is a significant escalation of the simmering unrest that has gripped the nation off the coast of Saudi Arabia since its 2011 Arab Spring protests.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which sparked a manhunt across the island.

Confusion about the escape at the prison persisted for hours afterwards, as the Interior Ministry issued a series of tweets in Arabic and English contradicting each other.

Early on Monday morning the ministry issued a statement saying the attack was launched by "a terrorist cell of four to six members armed with automatic rifles and pistols".

It said the dead police officer was Abdulsalam Saif Ahmed and added that a second officer received moderate wounds in the attack.

People described stepped-up checkpoints across the country on Sunday, a day that also saw clashes between police and locals in the community of Sitra.

Bahrain hosts the US Navy's 5th Fleet and a British naval base is being built there.

The nation has seen low-level unrest since its 2011 Arab Spring protests, which saw the nation's Shiite majority and others demand more political freedom from the country's Sunni rulers.

The kingdom launched a wide-ranging crackdown on dissent in April, imprisoning some prominent political figures and forcing others into exile.

Activists, including imprisoned human rights advocate Nabeel Rajab, have claimed that Jaw has been the site of prisoner abuse.

AP
Relatives and friends mourn at a coffin during the funeral yesterday of Ayhan Arik, one of the 39 victims of the gun attack in the Reina Photo: Burak Kara/Getty Images

Turkish police were yesterday hunting an unidentified gunman who shot 39 people dead and left scores wounded at a nightclub.

Dozens of foreign nationals celebrating the start of the new year in Istanbul were among the victims of the shooting spree, at the Reina club, one of the city's most famous venues.

Expand Close Paramedics take an injured woman from the nightclub after the attack Photo: AFP/Getty Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Paramedics take an injured woman from the nightclub after the attack Photo: AFP/Getty Images

Wearing a Santa hat and armed with a long-barrelled weapon, the attacker shot a police officer before storming the elite club in the Ortakoy district of the city at about 1.45am.

The attacker left his gun before "taking advantage of the chaos" and fleeing the scene, Binali Yildirim, Turkey's prime minister, said.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the attack, which left 69 wounded, and offered condolences for those who lost their lives, including "foreign guests".

The 24 foreign victims included seven people from Saudi Arabia, two Indians, two Tunisians, and one each from Canada, Syria, Lebanon, Belgium and Israel, the Turkish daily 'Hurriyet' reported. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Expand Close Police in Istanbul Photo: Reuters/Huseyin Aldemir / Facebook

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Whatsapp Police in Istanbul Photo: Reuters/Huseyin Aldemir

The Israeli victim was 19-year-old Leanne Nasser, who was visiting Istanbul with three friends. "Shots were fired from all directions and I saw dead and wounded people falling near me," one of Ms Nasser's friends, Alaa Abd al-Hai, told Israeli newspaper 'Haaretz'.

"I hid in some corner and didn't know what to do. Everyone was screaming and crying and the shooting didn't stop, it sounded like an eternity."

Some customers jumped into the waters of the Bosporus to escape.

Turkey has endured a series of major attacks in the past year, carried out by either Kurdish militants or Isil.

Expand Close An attacker carrying a gun walks in the nightclub in Istanbul, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. 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 dozens of people and wounding tens of others in what the province's governor described as a terror attack. (Haberturk Gazetesi Yildirim Ekspresi via AP) ) / Facebook

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Whatsapp An attacker carrying a gun walks in the nightclub in Istanbul, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. 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 dozens of people and wounding tens of others in what the province's governor described as a terror attack. (Haberturk Gazetesi Yildirim Ekspresi via AP) )

The jihadist group has repeatedly called for attacks on Turkey, most recently last month. In August, Ankara sent tanks and special forces into Syria to clear its border territory of Isil control.

Turkish authorities were last night starting to uncover evidence about the attack, but there was no clarity yet on who was responsible, Mr Yildirim said.

"Some details have started emerging, but the authorities are working towards a concrete result," Mr Yildirim told reporters when asked about who might have been behind the attack.

"Police and security officials will share information as it becomes available during the investigation," he said.

"Unfortunately (the gunman) rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate the New Year and have fun," Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin said, describing the carnage as a "terror attack".

CCTV footage appeared to show that the assailant wore a Santa Claus hat for part of the attack. The footage 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 club wearing different clothes and a Santa Claus hat.

Reina owner Mehmet Kocarslan said police had boosted security measures in Ortakoy and its vicinity. The measures included tents at key locations with a 24-hour police presence and support from the Turkish Coast Guard.

"Despite all these precautions by police forces, unfortunately this painful event took place. We don't know what to say," he said. "We are at the point where all words end."

Turkish interior minister Suleyman Soylu said the gunman was still at large.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
A boy grieves during funeral prayers for Ayhan Akin, one of the nightclub victims, in Istanbul (AP)

A CCTV image shows the gunman shooting his way into the Reina nightclub (CCTV/Haberturk Newspaper/AP)

Police have ended an operation in an area of Istanbul that Turkish media reports had said was launched in connection to the Reina nightclub attack that killed 39 people.

Haber Turk television and other media said special operations police, acting on a tip, conducted a raid on an apartment in the Zeytinburnu district late on Monday.

Associated Press journalists at the scene witnessed police leaving the scene without making any arrests.

The private Dogan news agency says the operation was being carried out by special operations police with backing from a helicopter.

The assailant slipped from the scene of the gun attack at the Reina club early on Sunday, taking advantage of the chaos that ensued after he opened fire.

Earlier, Turkey's deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus said authorities were close to identifying the gunman after obtaining his fingerprints and a description of his appearance.

Newspaper reports said the attacker was thought to be from a central Asian nation.

The Islamic State (IS) group has claimed responsibility for the attack, describing the gunman as a "heroic soldier of the caliphate who attacked the most famous nightclub where Christians were celebrating their pagan feast".

It said the man opened fire from an automatic rifle and detonated hand grenades in "revenge for God's religion and in response to the orders" of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

AP
Citizens inspect the scene after a car bomb explosion at a crowded outdoor market in the Iraqi capital's eastern district of Sadr City (AP)

A suicide bomber driving a pick-up loaded with explosives has struck a bustling market in Baghdad, killing at least 36 people.

The attack was claimed by the Islamic State group hours after French president Francois Hollande arrived in the Iraqi capital.

The bomb went off in a fruit and vegetable market that was packed with day labourers, a police officer said, adding that another 52 people were wounded.

During a press conference with Mr Hollande, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the bomber pretended to be a man seeking to hire day labourers. Once the workers gathered around, he detonated the vehicle.

IS claimed the attack in a statement circulated on a militant website often used by the extremists.

It was the third IS-claimed attack in as many days in and around Baghdad, underscoring the lingering threat posed by the group despite a string of setbacks elsewhere in the country over the past year, including in and around the northern city of Mosul.

The attack took place in Sadr City, a vast Shiite district in eastern Baghdad that has been repeatedly targeted by Sunni extremists since the 2003 US-led invasion.

Shiite militiamen loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr, the firebrand cleric for whose family the neighbourhood is named, were seen evacuating bodies in their trucks before ambulances arrived.

Dead bodies were scattered across the bloody pavement alongside fruit, vegetables and labourers' shovels and axes. A minibus filled with dead passengers was on fire.

Asaad Hashim, an owner of a mobile phone store nearby, described how the labourers pushed and shoved around the bomber's vehicle, trying to get hired.

"Then a big boom came, sending them up into the air," said the 28-year old, who suffered shrapnel wounds to his right hand.

He blamed "the most ineffective security forces in the world" for failing to prevent the attack.

An angry crowd cursed the government, even after a representative of Mr al-Sadr tried to calm them.

Late last month, Iraqi authorities started removing some of the security checkpoints in Baghdad in a bid to ease traffic for the capital's six million residents.

"We have no idea who will kill at any moment and who's supposed to protect us," said Ali Abbas, a 40-year old father of four who was hurled over his vegetable stand by the blast.

"If the securities forces can't protect us, then allow us to do the job," he added.

Three smaller bombings elsewhere in the city on Monday killed another seven civilians and wounded at least 30, according to medics and police officials.

Mr Hollande meanwhile met with Mr al-Abadi and President Fuad Masum, and was expected to travel to the self-governing northern Kurdish region to meet French troops and local officials.

Iraqi troops, backed by a US-led coalition, are fighting IS in a massive operation to retake the northern city of Mosul.

Iraqi state TV said Mr Hollande will discuss increasing support for Iraq and the latest developments in the 10-week-old offensive.

Mr Hollande promised that France would remain a long-term ally of Iraq and called for co-ordination between intelligence services "in a spirit of great responsibility", in remarks carried by his official Twitter account.

France is part of the American-led coalition formed in 2014 to fight IS after the extremist group seized large areas in Iraq and neighboring Syria. France has suffered multiple attacks claimed by the extremist group.

Since the Mosul operation started on October 17, Iraqi forces have seized around a quarter of the city.

Last week, the troops resumed fighting after a two-week lull due to stiff resistance by the militants and bad weather.

Mosul is Iraq's second largest city and the last major urban area in the country controlled by IS. Iraqi and US commanders hope to drive IS from the city in the next three months.

AP
People look at a burned vehicle at the site of car bomb attack in a busy square at Baghdad's sprawling Sadr City district, in Iraq January 2, 2017. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

An Islamic State car bomb killed 24 people in a busy square in Baghdad's sprawling Sadr City district on Monday, and the militants cut a key road north from the capital to Mosul, their last major stronghold in the country.

An online statement distributed by Amaq news agency, which supports Islamic State, said the ultra-hardline Sunni group had targeted a gathering of Shi'ite Muslims, whom it considers apostates. Sixty-seven people were wounded in the blast.

US-backed Iraqi forces are currently fighting to push Islamic State from the northern city of Mosul, but are facing fierce resistance. The group has lost most of the territory it seized in a blitz across northern and western Iraq in 2014.

The recapture of Mosul would probably spell the end for its self-styled caliphate, but the militants would still be capable of fighting a guerrilla-style insurgency in Iraq, and plotting or inspiring attacks on the West.

Three bombs killed 29 people across the capital on Saturday, and an attack near the southern city of Najaf on Sunday left seven policemen dead.

Monday's blast in Sadr City hit a square where day labourers typically gather.

Nine of the victims were women in a passing minibus. Their charred bodies were visible inside the burnt-out remains of the vehicle. Blood stained the ground nearby.

"The terrorists will attempt to attack civilians in order to make up for their losses, but we assure the Iraqi people and the world that we are able to end terrorism and shorten its life," Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told reporters after meeting with visiting French President Francois Hollande.

ROAD TO MOSUL

Since the drive to recapture Mosul began on Oct. 17, elite forces have retaken a quarter of the city in the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Abadi has said the group will be driven out of the country by April.

As clashes continued in and around Mosul on Monday, Islamic State also targeted military positions away from the main battlefield, killing at least 16 pro-government fighters and cutting a strategic road linking the city to Baghdad.

Militants attacked an army barracks near Baiji, 180 km (110 miles) north of the capital, killing four soldiers and wounding 12 people, including Sunni tribal fighters, army and police sources said.

They seized weapons there and launched mortars at nearby Shirqat, forcing security forces to impose a curfew and close schools and offices in the town, according to local officials and security sources.

Shirqat mayor Ali Dodah said Islamic State seized three checkpoints on the main road linking Baiji to Shirqat following the attacks. Shelling in Shirqat had killed at least two children, he told Reuters by phone.

In a separate incident, gunmen broke into a village near Udhaim, 90 km (56 miles) north of Baghdad, where they executed nine Sunni tribal fighters with shots to the head, police and medical sources said.

At least three pro-government Shi'ite militia fighters were also killed and seven wounded when militants attacked their position near Udhaim with mortar rounds and machine guns, police sources said.
Hundreds of civilians fled a mountainous region outside the Syrian capital Damascus yesterday, where government forces were battling several insurgent groups, including an al-Qa'ida-linked outfit excluded from a recent nationwide ceasefire.

The Syrian military said some 1,300 people have fled the Barada Valley region since Saturday. The region has been the target of days of airstrikes 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 on Friday, and the government and the opposition are expected to meet for talks in Kazakhstan later this month. 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 the al-Qa'ida-linked Fatah al-Sham Front and the Isil 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 opposition's 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 Fatah al-Sham Front, formerly known as the Nusra Front.

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 has sent thousands of fighters to Syria to bolster 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 media centre indicate its Ain al-Fijeh spring and water processing facility have been destroyed in airstrikes.

The government said rebels spoiled the water source with diesel fuel, forcing it to cut supplies to the capital.
Somali soldiers at the scene of a suicide car bomb attack in Mogadishu (AP/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

A suicide car bomber has detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at a security checkpoint near Mogadishu's international airport, killing at least three people, police said.

Captain Mohamed Hussein said the car bomber detonated the bomb on Monday as security forces were searching cars at the checkpoint, a few hundred metres from the main base of the African Union peacekeeping mission.

The checkpoint is close to United Nations offices and the Peace Hotel, which is often frequented by foreigners and officials. The powerful blast blew roofs off nearby buildings.

A second blast and heavy gunfire could also be heard at the checkpoint after the attack, but there were no immediate details.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. However, the al-Qaida linked Islamic extremist group al-Shabab often carries out such attacks.

Despite being ousted from most of its key strongholds across large parts of south and central Somalia, the group continues to wage deadly attack across the country.

Somalia's capital has seen frequent bomb attacks at hotels and military checkpoints.

The assaults have threatened this Horn of Africa nation's attempts to rebuild from decades of chaos.

The country's presidential election, a key step toward recovery, already has been delayed multiple times because of security and other concerns.

AP
Central Bank Increases ATM Cash Withdrawal Limit

Indias central bank the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on December 30 raised the daily ATM withdrawal limit to US$65 (Rs 4,500) from January 1, from the earlier limit of US$36 (Rs 2,500) per day. The weekly limit of US$351 (Rs 24,000) remains the same; for traders the limit is US$732 (Rs 50,000) per week. The development comes after the RBI stated that there should be enough currency notes in circulation following the surprise demonetization of the US$7 (Rs 500) and US$14 (Rs 1000) rupee notes on November 8. While the increase in withdrawal limit is welcome, most ATMs still do not have enough cash, particularly in big cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore. A report by a leading newspaper stated that only 40 percent of the 220,000 ATMs in the country. Other reports say that the situation will fully normalize by March. Analysts have questioned the regulation saying that the increase in cash withdrawal might make the situation worse as the new currency is still not enough to meet demand.

India, Singapore Amend Tax Treaty

The governments of India and Singapore revised their tax treaty on gaining taxation rights over capital gains. The development comes after similar agreements with Mauritius and Cyprus. The new pact will take effect from April 1. There will be a transition period. Two years from the date, capital gains tax will be subject to 50 percent of the prevailing domestic rate; the short term rate at present is 15 percent. The full rate will apply from April 1, 2019. Mauritius and Singapore are the two top FDI sources to India. Total FDI from Mauritius in the past decade stood at US$95.9 billion while from Singapore it was US$45.8 billion.

Effective April 1, when a Singapore resident sells Indian equity shares, acquired on or after April 1, 2017, the capital gains arising on such a transaction will be taxable in India. There is no change or impact on equity shares acquired before April 1, 2017 as both governments agreed to grandfather such investments irrespective of when they are sold or transferred. But, like in the past, this grandfathering or exemption from tax will be subject to the Singapore resident meeting the criteria set out in the Limitation of Benefits clause in the treaty.

Digital Lending Firms Included in Credit Guarantee Scheme

The government has announced the inclusion of non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) in the credit guarantee scheme to provide credit to small, medium and micro enterprises (SMEs). This inclusion has opened up opportunities for digital lending players who had seen a slowdown in borrowings after demonetization. The scheme for NBFCs has been extended for loans up to US$293,880 (Rs 20,000,000) with a guarantee cover of 85 percent of the sanctioned amount. Until now, the credit guarantee scheme included loans up to US$146,949 (Rs 10,000,000) per SME borrower with no collateral security or third-party guarantee.

Earlier, the eligible lending institutions were only commercial and rural banks, but now the inclusion of digital players will allow them to reach out to more borrowers. NBFCs earlier had to face substantial risk by providing loans to borrowers who would not be eligible as per established norms. This move will allow NBFCs to reach out to smaller business and personal loan segments. Such schemes have already been successful in developed economies like the UK and Indian NBFCs hope to repeat the success and push for financial inclusion.

About Us Asia Briefing Ltd. is a subsidiary of Dezan Shira & Associates. Dezan Shira is a specialist foreign direct investment practice, providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in China, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, Singapore and the rest of ASEAN. For further information, please email india@dezshira.com or visit www.dezshira.com. Stay up to date with the latest business and investment trends in Asia by subscribing to our complimentary update service featuring news, commentary and regulatory insight.

An Introduction to Doing Business in India 2016 Doing Business in India 2016 is designed to introduce the fundamentals of investing in India. As such, this comprehensive guide is ideal not only for businesses looking to enter the Indian market, but also for companies who already have a presence here and want to stay up-to-date with the most recent and relevant policy changes.

Pre-Investment Due Diligence in India

In this issue of India Briefing Magazine, we examine issues related to pre-investment due diligence in India. We highlight the different regulatory, tax, and socio-economic issues that a company should be aware of before entering the Indian market. We also detail some of the topics related to entry structures while investing in the Indian market, as well as cultural and HR due diligence, which may differ from state to state.

Strategies for Repatriating Funds from India

In this issue of India Briefing Magazine, we look at issues related to repatriating funds from India. We highlight the unique regulations for sending funds back from India, examine the various strategies companies can make use of while repatriating, and look at remittance procedures for different types of Indian entities. Finally, we give some tips on how expats can remit their Indian money to their home countries.
The CINTAA (Cine and TV Artists Association) is one of the most reputed organisations and its recent ties with FWICE (Federation of Western Indian Cine Employees) makes things even more intact.

However, another recent move just happened, which can surely be termed as a revolution in the Indian Television industry. According to a leading news portal, CINTAA is now affiliated to the International Federation of Actors (FIA), who has its headquarters in Brussels (Belgium).

And this move is historical. Elaborating on why is that, actor Purab Kohli , who is currently seen as Sartah Singh in ' P.O.W. - Bandi Yuddh Ke ' mentioned that it is certainly great news for everyone. However, according to him, it is even better for actors like himself, who are not as big as Kumars and Khans. When the actors have a strong union supporting their rights, they do not fear losing their jobs, even if there isn't an agreement over certain terms. What happened till now was that several actors used to feel powerless, when they signed a contract, as If the actor did not agree to certain terms, they'd rope in someone else who would. Concluding the same, he mentioned how this move will strengthen the position of lesser known actors.

Surely a revolutionary move, isn't it? Leave in your comments below..
Qi Xinghua is a dominant figure in the Chinese capital's nascent street art scene, Dominic Morgan reports

'I think there is a close connection between me and the dragons," says Qi Xinghua, smiling shyly.

Looking around the street artist's Beijing studio, that is clear to see. A dozen of his trademark shaggy dragons are swooping across the huge canvases covering the concrete floor, while another gazes somberly into the distance from an easel by the sofa. Yet another stares out from Qi's black T-shirt.

Like the British street artist Banksy and his rats, dragons have become Qi's calling card since he emerged as the dominant figure in Beijing's nascent street art scene earlier this year.

The 34-year-old has sprayed eight dragons on walls around Beijing so far, and he recently declared his intention to cover the Chinese capital with a hundred of his hairy serpents over the coming months.

These few works have been an immediate hit with Chinese netizens, with Qi's posts about his latest works regularly amassing thousands of likes and hundreds of comments on Weibo, the Chinese microblogging site.

Interviews with The Wall Street Journal, Guardian and Global Times soon followed, and the label "China's Banksy" has already been applied to him more than once.

Qi's stratospheric rise is all the more amazing when you consider that until March, he had never sprayed on Beijing's streets before. He had never even considered it as a possibility.

A chance conversation with a graffiti writer in Dubai this February provided him with the light bulb moment.

"Before, I thought that graffiti was permitted in other countries. I thought the environment in China for graffiti was very unfriendly, but then I realized that it is actually very friendly compared to many countries," Qi tells China Daily.

That was all the encouragement Qi needed, and before long his works were popping up around Chaoyang district on a regular basis.

Much like his British counterpart, Qi's work often has a playful feel to it, his paintings incorporating the urban environment around them to allow viewers to see the city with fresh eyes.

Crumbling brickwork is transformed into a crocodile; a demolition notice sprayed onto a local building becomes a Street Fighter-style fireball thrown by a kneeling panda.

"Nature gives me a difficult question, and my work offers a humorous answer," Qi explained in one Weibo post.

But here the similarities with Banksy largely end. Though Qi professes himself to be an admirer of the self-styled vandal's work, he is the product of a very different world from the macho, aggressive British graffiti scene.

Far from being an artistic outsider, Qi graduated from the prestigious China Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, just a few minutes' drive from his basement studio, in 2005.

Refreshingly, he makes no attempt to disguise his familiarity with high art, happily comparing his new focus on street art to the transition from modernism to postmodernism in Western painting.

However, Qi insists that he has always been a man of the people, preferring to create art for the street rather than a studio because "street art is for everyone, it aims to be accessible."

And though he received an elite education, he had far from a privileged upbringing. He grew up in the remote northeastern province of Heilongjiang, only moving to Beijing after winning a place at the academy.

It was soon after beginning his studies at the academy that Qi discovered the work of the artist who would change his life. A teacher showed Qi and his classmates images of some 3-D sidewalk chalk art by Julien Beever, and he was transfixed by it.

"We had never seen anything like that art form in China before. We thought it was unimaginable," he says.

For the next 10 years, Qi devoted himself to mastering the reverse-perspective style able to create the mind-bending optical illusions of 3-D art, and he began to take the form to a new level in terms of scale and ambition.

From 2010 to 2011, Qi broke the Guinness World Record for the largest 3-D mural four times, his enormous works reportedly inducing vertigo in some viewers.

But despite his success, Qi began to feel increasingly frustrated by the limitations of 3-D art's technical and rather formalistic style.

"The 3-D works gave full play to my ability, but they didn't allow me to express my feelings. This year, I realized I needed a change," he says.

His encounter with the graffiti writer at an exhibition in Dubai provided him with the inspiration he had been looking for.

If Qi was initially worried about potential brushes with the law at the start of his street art career, he had little need to be.

Compared with most Western countries, where graffiti writers often run the risk of prison time if they are caught, China is remarkably lenient.

As shown in Lance Crayon's excellent documentary Spray Paint Beijing, detained street artists in China are rarely given more than a night in jail and a fine of a few hundred yuan, the equivalent of less than a hundred dollars.

Qi has donned a hoodie and hit the streets late at night to complete a work a few times, but often he paints for hours in the middle of the day and has never got into trouble.

He has been spotted by urban patrol officials, chengguan, while spraying a few times, he says. "But usually they are just very interested in my painting and ask me questions about it."

Qi ascribes the chengguans' reaction partly to the nature of street art itself.

"Street art works display a love for the world," he says passionately. "It is different from graffiti, which doesn't consider its interaction with the environment. Street art is delicately created for a specific place."

This is certainly true of Qi, who gives an extraordinary amount of thought to how his work will be received by the community. Far from being a reclusive rebel like Banksy, in spirit he is much closer to the street performer Beever, even taking requests from passers-by.

Right now, he confesses, he is having some trouble with his dragons. "In the past, I have always painted my dragons black and white," he says. "But people keep asking me, why don't you paint with more color? It seems to be a requirement of the general public. So, I have been studying ways to add more color."

This dedication is partly cultural. "Chinese philosophy is humble. As I listen to people's advice, I get better, just like I take inspiration from the great masters," he says, before adding with a laugh. "But I don't take all the advice! If it's bad advice, I ignore it."

However, another reason Qi feels compelled to listen to the community is that he feels he should act as an ambassador for street art in China.

"I feel like my street work has more significance (than my 3-D work), because it may be able to change people's opinion of street art," he says.

"Street art has just 10 years' history in China; it is difficult for the general public to understand. But today it is getting huge media attention. Today's graffiti art is loved by people. Perhaps this is the first time Chinese people have embraced this kind of art," he adds.

But despite street art's increasing popularity in China, Qi worries that this will not lead to more youngsters picking up a spray can.

"Young people in China are very different (to those in the West)," he states. "Chinese youngsters are more focused on money. If they find out they can't make money from street art, they will think it is useless, hopeless."

Although, he makes clear, this is not really a cultural difference, but a result of factors that will be familiar to residents in New York and London.

"Rent is expensive in Beijing: Just one room is 5,000 yuan ($725). Young people aren't willing to invest time in something that won't make them much money," he sighs. "And in China, if you don't work, you don't get health insurance."

Even if Spray Paint Beijing's prediction that China will soon become a global center for street art does not come to pass, Qi is determined to represent his country on the international stage.

"Right now, I am working on creating Chinese 3-D paintings," he reveals, gesturing toward the huge canvases spread across the floor.

These sweeping landscapes of misty mountains are strikingly traditional: Qi has even tacked up a set of classical paintings on the wall to refer to while he is working.

"All over the world, there is only Western 3-D painting. I want to create a Chinese 3-D painting language," he explains proudly, adding that his street work is also part of the same effort.

"They are not actually 3-D, but they produce a 3-D effect on the spirit," he clarifies.

This is also partly the reason for his focus on dragons. "Chinese people believe we are the children of dragons," he states. "In China, the dragon has an uncertain image. Its image is always changing. In artistic creation, there is lots of freedom."

But there is also a much more personal reason behind his choice of subject. "My nickname was 'Black Dragon' when I was younger; I was born in the year of the dragon," he reveals. "I hope that my dragons can accompany my daughter as she grows older."

Contact the writer at dominic_m@chinadaily.com.cn

Top: Qi Xinghua's work Collision at the Sarasota Chalk Festival in Florida. Above: A dozen of Qi's trademark shaggy dragons are swooping across the huge canvases covering Beijing's concrete walls. Below: Qi poses for a photo shoot with his work City Big Bang at the Pacific Place in Hong Kong. Photos Provided To China Daily

(China Daily 01/02/2017 page7)
Deepika Padukone says she is nervous and excited about her Hollywood debut 'xXx - Return of Xander Cage' that stars Vin Diesel.

"I am really excited. This is my Hollywood debut. I am very nervous, but I am also very excited. And today is the beginning to that journey. Hopefully, we will be coming to India soon," Deepika said on January 1 before leaving for abroad to kick-start the film's promotion.

"In terms of promotion, first we will head to Mexico. As far as the release is concerned, we will first release the movie in India. While shooting the film, I discussed this with my unit... that it would be great to first release it in India and I am happy that it is finally happening," she added.

After her Hollywood debut later this month, Deepika will be known for being more than a Bollywood actress.

Talking about it, she said: "I think I'd like to be known as a good person and a good actor. But I also feel very proud that I get to represent my country, especially in this kind of action franchise of the film."

"I am really excited. I am also very sure we will enjoy this film because of its content. There is a lot of action, adventure in the film, which we have not seen in Indian films before. So, I can't wait to bring this movie to India and show it to everyone."

'xXx: Return of Xander Cage', helmed by D.J. Caruso, also stars Donnie Yen and Samuel L. Jackson.
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KYC is one time exercise while dealing in securities markets - once KYC is done through a SEBI registered intermediary (broker, DP, Mutual Fund etc.), you need not undergo the same process again when you approach another intermediary.

No need to issue cheques by investors while subscribing to IPO. Just write the bank account number and sign in the application form to authorise your bank to make payment in case of allotment. No worries for refund as the money remains in investor's account."

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The #NoDAPL encampment in North Dakota. Photo by Desiree Kane. [Twitter | Facebook | Website]



20 Photos: My Seven Months of Living at Standing Rock

The life that we have built here has taught many how to live a large-scale sustainable, decolonized, anticapitalist lifestyle.By Desiree KaneYES! Magazine

I arrived at Standing Rock in the very last days of May, alongside some comrades, at the request of Wiyaka Eagleman, the first firekeeper at Camp of the Sacred Stones and a founding member of the Keystone XL campaign. He had put out a call to folks in Indian Country for support, and I answered. Over the months, I have worked on the security and media teams and always had my camera.

These images show some of the defining moments of the past seven monthssome that made it to mainstream media coverage and others unseen until now. Among the ever-growing lessons this place has taught me is what it means to simultaneously build and tear down. The life we have built here has taught many how to live a large-scale sustainable, decolonized, anticapitalist lifestyle that until now academics, sociologists, theoreticians, and greenies alike have only been able to hypothesize. I live full time in a yurt at Oceti Sakowin Camp.

At its peak, Oceti Sakowin Camp has supported as many as 11,000 people, all focused on standing in solidarity with the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota people who lay claim to land through the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie. Both the pipeline and the camps are on these lands.

Photo by Desiree Kane



Lake Oahe with Bobbi Jean Three Legs

This photo essay starts on Lake Oahe with Bobbi Jean Three Legs, one of the local youth runners who were the genesis of the #NoDAPL movement. They led a 2,000-mile run from Standing Rock to Washington, D.C., and thats when mainstream media first started to take notice of what was happening on the Standing Rock Sioux reservation.

By early June, Dakota Access was already laying its pipe close to the river on the east side, directly across from what was then only Camp of the Sacred Stones. At that time, 20 mostly local water protectors were there full time or very regularly. One of them was Bobbi Jean Three Legs. This is a shot from a boat ride I took with her and six others. It was one of the first nonviolent direct actions against the pipeline. Downstream are 18 million other people who depend on the water.

We Are Water

Photo by Desiree Kane



By late July, Oceti Sakowin Camp was established, beginning as the overflow camp for Sacred Stone. The camps seemed to balloon with visitors overnight. What once was a small encampment quickly became 800, then 2,000. Rosebud Camp was also established. People brought their families, their offerings, and their open hearts. The powwow drum went into the early morning hours each day. Native nations arrived at the camps to stand in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux, and this added to the growing numbers.

Photo by Desiree Kane



Happi American Horse locks down

In August, construction workers in St. Anthony, North Dakota, were unable to lay pipe because Dale Happi American Horse stood locked down to a trackhoe. Happi and many members of what would later become the International Indigenous Youth Council were able to stop pipeline construction for the entire day and once again put #NoDAPL into the national spotlight. Officers from the Morton County Sheriffs Department ultimately used a Sawzall to cut off his lock. Morton County filed felony charges against Happi.

Happi is referenced in Neil Youngs new protest song Indian Givers.

Photo by Desiree Kane



Prayer walks to Sacred Grounds Camp

Daily prayer walks at noon initially went to the location where the pipeline company was trying to dig on sacred grounds. Construction workers were greeted by prayer warriors and the Horse Nation, who came to the front lines to pray for the land being dug up.

On Sept. 5, hours after the tribes lawyers filed papers in federal court notifying Dakota Access that their proposed pipeline path crossed sacred burial sites, the company dug up the site. Security officers used mace and dogs to attack water protectorseven children and elderswho had come to pray at the ancestral gravesites being desecrated.

After that, daily prayer walks began to go to the camp formed in the pipelines pathway, later called the 1851 Treaty Camp. On October 27, it was brutally cleared out, elders pulled out of ceremonial sweat houses. Police used mace and rubber bullets on both people and horses.

Photo by Desiree Kane



People supporting people

Osh Johnson makes traditional Dine (Navajo) fry bread. This is a good example of how this Indigenous Peoples movement grew: Indigenous nations across the globe banded together in support of the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota people fighting for clean water and the treaty land that the Oceti Sakowin Camp sits atop.

Photo by Desiree Kane



All Nations - All Relations - All Water - #NoDAPL

On Sept. 16, National POW/MIA Recognition Day, veterans led a march on the Bismarck/Mandan Veterans Memorial Bridge. This was the first of many nonviolent direct actions the veterans group would lead. It was also one of the first times the movement saw the Standing Rock camp veterans rise up in a very public way.

Photo by Desiree Kane



The role of children

There was a baby born at camp named Mni Wiconi, which means Water Is Life. There were also many children born into the movement through their experience visiting or living at the camps. Despite increasingly smothering state violence and harassment, there were always safe spaces for children to develop and learn traditional knowledge. A state-registered home school was established for younger kids. The childrens presence is a constant reminder of whose future so much sacrifice and struggle are for.

Photo by Desiree Kane



Tribal solidarity

The Standing Rock Sioux tribes council greets members from a group of Salish nations who came to provide support to the Standing Rock Sioux for its legal fight ahead. More than 350 first nations and tribes have arrived to do the same.

Photo by Desiree Kane



International Indigenous solidarity

Indigenous people have poured in from all over the world, both from north and south of the United States as well as from Africa, Australia, Asia, and the Middle East. This image from October shows Aztec dancers from Central Mexico who brought song and dance to the camps.

Photo by Desiree Kane



Bridge 134

During the brutal Oct. 27 law enforcement raid on the 1851 Treaty Camp, a small band of water protectors, led by an even smaller number of veterans, refused to allow police to cross the bridge here to join the raid. An estimated 250 police were held up.

Photo by Desiree Kane



Historic resistance

The historically significant relationship between African Americans and Native Americans has been mostly neglected by history books. Here, a group from New Orleans of mixed Native and African heritage greets the Oceti Sakowin Camp community around the Sacred Fire, coming together in shared spiritual resistance.

Photo by Desiree Kane



Turtle Island

Unarmed water protectors stood up to law enforcement often over the right to give ancestral offerings to the Lakota/Dakota/Nakota buried on top of the hill, called Turtle Island, the spot where officers can be seen standing in this image. This is treaty land. Water protectors helped folks who wanted to get across the river and held protective circles around those wishing to pray.

Photo by Desiree Kane



Angry Bird

Jimmy White, 52, is a veteran from the Cheyenne River Sioux tribe, nicknamed Angry Bird. He has helped the camps with security, among many other things.

[Camp] gave me a feeling of relaxation and serenity. It made me feel in my heart the sides of me that I hid all the time. It made me be more open.

Usually, the security forces job is to stay cool and not pick sides. We have to use our judgment to hold our feelings back and do the task were trained to do. When youre asked to stand at a post, you do it. A lot of us as young warriors, we had to prove ourselves to the elders, and the veterans have high standards among ourselves.

Really, this battle isnt just about the pipeline. Us guys are tired of being pushed around. Were humans, too. Were tired of the injustice weve been living all our lives, and this fight gives us that chance. After this fight, therell be another one out there to fight, another injustice to fight.

Photo by Desiree Kane



West side drill pad from 3,600 feet

I took this photo from a small plane with an volunteer pilot just above the no-fly zone placed over the pipeline, camps, and surrounding areas. Dakota Access repeatedly broke this order and flew surveillance planes and helicopters well below 3,500 feet, harassing water protectors by air and over radio frequencies. Water protectors keep an eye on the west side drill pad, where Dakota Access proposes to run the pipeline under Lake Oahe. Its less than a mile north of Oceti Sakowin Camp.

Photo by Desiree Kane



Allies of color

Representatives from the American Indian Movement-Oceti Sakowin Chapter, Black Lives Matter Global Network, The Indian Problem, The Brown Berets, and LA RED PICO gathered to stand with #NoDAPL water protectors. This group and others joined for prayers and words of solidarity outside a Dakota Access pipeline supply yard, blocking all entrances and exits and effectively halting construction. This was the only nonviolent direct action ever to have the organizers honored around the Sacred Fire at Oceti Sakowin Camp.

Photo by Desiree Kane



White allies

The American Indian Movement-Oceti Sakowin Chapter, The Indian Problem, Black Lives Matter Global Network, The Brown Berets, and LA RED PICO organized the group of White allies seen here with locked arms, prepared for extended police violence. It was a successful effort to protect a water ceremony held at the entrances and exits of a Dakota Access pipeline supply yard. Meanwhile, when a man fired eight rounds from his handgun while driving a concrete truck toward a water ceremony, these allies stopped him from further threatening anyone, and the ceremony continued.

This same coalition of allies would later do the same thing to protect a water ceremony and prayer circle inside the Kirkwood Mall on Black Friday.

This is what it looks like when conscious White Americans come to protect people of color exercising the freedom of speech, right to assemble, and religious freedom guaranteed by the Constitution.

Photo by Desiree Kane



Veterans arrive

U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, herself an Iraq War veteran, greets many of the 4,000 Native and non-Native veterans who came as part of the Veterans Stand with Standing Rock campaign the weekend of Dec. 5. The field muster was hosted in the nearby community of Cannon Ball, North Dakota.

Photo by Desiree Kane



Forgiveness Ceremony

Wesley Clark Jr, an Army veteran and son of Gen. Wesley Clark, former Supreme Allied Commander-Europe of NATO, is shown here flanked by hundreds of military veterans. He and others are kneeling and asking for forgiveness from Leonard Crow Dog, a Sicangu Lakota spiritual leader well known for his work at Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 1973 and one of the founders of the American Indian Movement, for the war crimes committed by the U.S. military against Indigenous Americans throughout history.

Many of us, me particularly, are from the units that have hurt you over the many years. We came. We fought you. We took your land. We signed treaties that we broke. We stole minerals from your sacred hills....Weve come to say that we are sorry. We are at your service and we beg for your forgiveness.

Photo by Desiree Kane



Sacred Stone medic tent

The first of many big blizzards hit the camps in December, and the population now hovers between 500-600 people. Here, an organizer gathers medical supplies from the Sacred Stone medics tent for making camp-by-camp health, safety, and search-and-rescue checks.

Photo by Desiree Kane



First snow

Winterization of camp was something that started months ago. Elders warned of the perilous times ahead and after 55 degrees below zero and whiteout conditions hit 1851 Treaty Territory, those who have remained are the toughest. Many live in tipis and yurts, both traditional Indigenous housing styles made for extreme cold weather. A common saying around camp from those who live there is, I came here to kill the pipeline, not to reroute it. The struggle continues.

More from YES! Magazine: Ari Paul: 7 Things the Defund DAPL Campaign Has Achieved So Far (Including $28 Million in Personal Accounts Moved) (December 22, 2016)

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Winter at the #NoDAPL encampment in North Dakota. Photo: Adam Alexander Johansson



Standing Rock Prepared Us for Trumps Billionaires and Oil Giants

Continuing to shrink our oil consumption is one way to challenge the oil uber alles mentality of the Trump administration.By Mark TrahantYES! Magazine

Its easy for me to dismiss 2016 as a horrible year.

There have been eight years of relative progress on issues I care about, from the climate to equality. The election reversed that. Big Oil is now in charge of the environment, a senator with a history of hate is now in charge of the Justice Department, and the new government seems to be of the billionaires, for the billionaires, and by the billionaires.

Annus horribilis.

The Latin phrase for horrible year rings hollow when you think about the events of this year and the Lakota phrase mni wiconi. Water is life. Make no mistake: Year 2016 is an inspirational and historic moment. Standing Rock is no longer just a geographic location but words that call each of us to do more. Standing Rock is a reminder that people standing together can do amazing things when facing injustice.

Mni wiconi.

Think about the ways we have been seduced by our own progress. In September, for example, President Barack Obama praised the Paris Agreement on climate change and called it the single best chance that we have to deal with a problem that could end up transforming this planet in a way that makes it very difficult for us to deal with all the other challenges that we may face. Lofty words. Yet the actual government actions to implement those words have been, at best, limited. Baby steps. Imagine a framework that starts with the promise of Paris and then builds decisions based on that. In that scenario there would have been no debate about the Dakota Access pipeline because we wouldnt need it.

But at least for the next four years, the government will be the adversary. The entire apparatus of state will look more like the Morton County Sheriffs office than our ally. We will all face water cannons rather than comforting language. But we can be clear about the challenges ahead knowing that the government is absolutely wrong about the very nature of the problem.

So what does our nations Standing Rock moment look like?

In some ways its already unfolding. The BP Statistical Review, an energy industry outlook, reports that carbon emissions in 2015 already showed the lowest growth in emissions in nearly a quarter of a century, other than in the immediate aftermath of the financial crisis. Similar data show we are driving fewer miles and there is steady growth in renewable energy sources. And theres this tell: The amount of capital thats being invested in clean energy development, $328 billion, is the most ever.

Federal processes will delay the Dakota Access pipeline beyond its promised January 2017 operational target date, and litigation with the Standing Rock Sioux tribe could delay the project for many more months. And every day, every week, and every month of delay makes the Dakota Access Pipeline less compelling from a financial point of view.

Oil production in the Bakken region was down in 2016 by some 13,000 barrels a day. The oil industry hopes that the new Trump administration will change that and flip the switch that brings back consumption. In fact, oil companies, as well as the state of North Dakota, cling to the idea that oil production will magically double to around 2 million barrels a day. And that idea is bolstered by upticks in oil prices, new well production, and more drilling.

But the opposite is possible. We can continue to shrink our oil appetites. We can set Standing Rock as the framework for consumption. This is one way to challenge the oil uber alles mentality of the Trump administration. We walk. We adjust the temperature in our houses. We measure our own carbon consumption with the goal of reducing it by 20 percent or more.

Standing Rock captured our imagination. And while it was only one battle, the tribe and its allies showed the world how to defeat powerful forces. Now the larger test is making further oil production irrelevant.

Mni wiconi. And in 2017, that means we pick up the fight in new ways.

More from YES! Magazine: Ari Paul: 7 Things the Defund DAPL Campaign Has Achieved So Far (Including $28 Million in Personal Accounts Moved) (December 22, 2016)

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Hollywood just lit a joint, people. And why not. California made recreational marijuana legal. So it was only fair that Hollywood paid some kind of 'recreational' tribute to it!

Thanks to a vandal - who hands down wins the 'Prankster of the Year' award two days into 2017 - the Los Angeles' most iconic landmark got a makeover that couldn't go unnoticed. Without further ado...

Presenting, Hollyweed!

getty

According to LAPD's Security Services, a CCTV footage showed "a lone individual" scaling Mount Lee, climbing the sign with the help of its built-in ladders, and hanging tarpaulins over the two O's to transform them into E's so that the sign read 'Hollyweed'.

Pure genius!

hollywoodsign.org

And guess what? This isn't the first time the 'Hollywood' sign was changed to 'Hollyweed'. Someone had pulled the same stunt back in 1976 on January 1. 41 years later, we got to see it for ourselves!

hollywood sign trust

This year, the incident happened on New Year's eve around midnight so that the sign shone nice and bright on New Year's day. The authorities are hard at work at restoring the sign back to its original glory (sigh!) but one thing's proved - this year is already lit!

Weed it up, folks!
The Anti-Corruption Bureau is in possession of video evidence of corruption in various jails in Maharashtra. The clips were submitted by a person who was not allowed to meet his relative lodged in Thane Jail until he paid a bribe to the jail staffers. Taken aback by the demand for the bribe, science student Amit Mishra said that he started recording specific instances of venality in Thane Jail, Taloja Jail, Arthur Road Jail and Kalyan Jail.

samacharhindi.in/Representational Image

"I was turned away by the authorities when I complained against an officer at Thane Jail. No one believed me at the time, and instead I was booked under the Atrocity Act for complaining against the said officer. That is when I decided to expose the rackets that are being run across various jails," Mishra said.

His video clips, he said, contain conversations between him and jail staff and also show money changing hands. Mishra said he would befriend families who would visit the jail to meet their relatives, and coaxed them to help him carry out his expose.

Mishra, who started working on his sting operation two months ago, started with Thane Jail. About a month ago, he approached a constable at the jail, and asked him to arrange a meeting with a 'friend' who was imprisoned at the jail.

BCCL/Representational Image

Mishra told the constable that he wanted to sign documents concerning his bail application. In the video the constable is seen asking him to pay Rs 2,000 to get the document signed. When Mishra pays up, he is taken to a section of the jail where inmates meet their families.

The video shows another constable coming up to Mishra, and demanding a further Rs 3,000 from him to arrange the meeting with his 'friend'.

Officials of the respective jails could not be reached for a comment.

Kalyan Jail

At Kalyan Jail, officials demanded a bribe of Rs 2,00,000 when Mishra approached them to hospitalise his 'friend' and inmate Lalchand Yadav. According to Mishra, they told him that he could even get his 'friend's' barrack changed if he paid a little more.

BCCL

Arthur Road Jail

Inspector Ambadass Patil is seen demanding Rs 2,00,000 for getting an inmate admitted to hospital. Patil also tells Mishra that the money will be distributed and who among the jail staffers, from the constabulary to the jail superintendent, will get how much.

Taloja Jail

Amit approached the authorities claiming to be inmate Jayant Kamble's friend. A lady constable directs him inside and speaks to another constable, asking him to arrange the meeting. Mishra informs them that this is his second visit to the jail, and he would be willing to pay money to meet his 'friend'. The male constable agrees to his demand and says that the rate starts from Rs 2,000 onward. Edited transcripts of Mishra's conversations with jail officials in Thane, Taloja, Kalyan and at Arthur Road Jail.

newsx.com

Arthur roads jail (conversation one)

Mishra: Sachin Margal is my friend. I want to meet him. I will do the needful.

Constable: Wait outside. I will come to you. I have already spoken to sir.Mishra is asked to meet a senior office after about five minutes.

API Patil: Come inside

Mishra: How much?

Patil: Rs 5,000 for the meeting.

Mishra: Sir, please take Rs 4,000. I don't have that much cash.

Patil: What yaar, no bargaining.

Mishra: Wait, let me count...3000...3500. Here, take this.

Patil: Give Rs 500 more

Mishra: Sir, we have to get him admitted into the hospital

Patil: It will be done.

Mishra: How much ?

Patil: Rs 23,000

Mishra: How much should I pay now ? It has to be done tomorrow.

Patil: Pay Rs 5000 now

Mishra: I will have to withdraw from ATM. I will come back. Wait.

Patil: But I want the rest of the amount today itself.

Thane Jail

Mishra: Sir, mulaqaat karke do (please arrange a meeting with him). I want to speak to him about his bail.

Constable: It will take Rs 5,000. And, make it quick. There is a lot of rush today.

Mishra: Please make it fast. We have to leave.

Constable: It will be done. But there is a madam inside. Don't say anything in front of her. I will do the rest. He is your friend, na?

What are you meeting him as?

Mishra: I have told the cops that I am his brother.

Constable: Hope you have told him the same surname.

Mishra: Yes. But what if they check my ID card?

Constable: No, they won't. I will take care of that.
The government on Monday said that restaurants billing 'service charges' in addition to taxes is optional and the consumer has discretion to pay 'service charge' or not. The Department of Consumer Affairs in a notification asked the states to "advise the Hotels and Restaurants to disseminate information through display at the appropriate place in the hotels and restaurants that the "service charges" are discretionary and voluntary and a consumer dissatisfied with the services can have it waived off".

1. With An Eye On China, India Successfully Tests The Agni-IV Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile

India successfully test-fired the Agni IV Intermediate Range ballistic missile today. Here's all you need to know about the deadly long-range weapon which promises to give a massive boost to India's military might.

2. For The First Time In History, A Keralite Has Been Appointed Major General Of Kyrgyzstan Army

Twitter

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.

3. Here's How Bengalaru Celebrated New Year's Eve: By Assaulting And Groping Women

bangaloremirror

When it comes to the safety of women, Bengaluru is no better than Delhi, and Saturday night was its final confirmation. Anarchy prevailed on the streets after 11 pm as revellers gathered in the heart of the city  MG Road and Brigade Road  to welcome the New Year. But despite elaborate security arrangements, women were molested, and children scared out of their wits, while male friends and relatives had a tough time protecting them from unruly men. And all this happened despite the 1,500 policemen deployed in the area.



4. Man Calls Her A Prostitute, Circulates Number - Woman Makes Him Pay Rs 25,000 To Charity

When Sreelakshmi found out that her name and image was misconceived by several men around her vicinity, she was shocked. Upon investigating, she found that a man she knew had posted her number in a Whatsapp group, saying that she was an item. She quickly took the matter in her hands

5. Your Rail Ticket May Have A 10 Paisa Cess So That Coolies Can Get PF And Insurance

BCCL

Railway coolies 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 governments 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 coolies.
For all the allegations of Pakistanis support the Kashmiri uprising against Indian forces, it was a surprising turn of events when a Kashmiri mosque announced 'Stop the firing' across the border

ndtv

The mosque was located in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch sector, which sees regular ceasefire violations from the Pakistani side. It was one episode of firing which killed 16-year-old Tanweer.

ndtv

As his family attempted to organise his funeral, and bury him at Noorkote village on the Line of Control, they were suddenly halted by intermittent but intense firing from the Pakistani side.

NDTV

"You have killed a man in firing. Stop the firing. We want to conduct the funeral prayers," the mosque announced Jehangir Mir, Member of State Legislative Council told NDTV.

"There is lot of fear. Two to three bombs are dropping at one place, they cover a large area causing causalities of people and livestock, people are living in total fear," said Sunil Kumar, resident of a village near the border.
Perhaps, the Delhi Police don't serve an appetising menu to its personnel, but is it so bad that constables start cooking cats and monkeys?

Chobist flickr

Two Nagaland Armed Police (NAP) constables are facing disciplinary action for allegedly cooking cats, dogs and even a monkey at the Central Police Radio Training Institute (CPRTI) kitchen in Delhi.

Their culinary skills came to light after another officer's complaint led the Delhi State Animal Welfare Board to raid their rooms.

What they found was damning - a dead cat kept in a polythene bag

DailyMail

The two constables, V Vihuto Awomi and Vi Toho reportedly confessed that they'd planned to cook it, saying it was normal in their culture to eat cat meat. However, it is illegal to cook cat meat, Abhinav Srihan, member, animal welfare board, told Mail Today.

"It's a criminal offence under IPC Sections 428 and 429 of the 'Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act,' and the FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) Rules,' Srihan said.

"Under the slaughterhouse rules, an animal can be butchered only in a designated slaughterhouse after being inspected and certified by a veterinary officer as healthy. This ensures that people do not consume contaminated meat and stay safe from infections."

More shockingly, the raiding party found a block of wood with dried blood on it and iron rods, which the NAP constables could not explain



However, it seemed that these was to cut the meat, after killing the animals using the iron rods. Animal activist Sonya Ghosh, who was part of the raid, revealed how the two used to hunt down small birds and animals every day in the forest campus, using slingshots.

"Allegedly, even a langur was killed and its tail hung in the room as a memento. We could not find it but there was a locked cupboard and trunk."
India and Pakistan will begin the new year facing off again over alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav who is currently in Pakistan's custody. As Islamabad prepares to present a dossier before UN on the alleged terrorist activities of Jadhav, India has issued yet another note verbale to Pakistan foreign ministry seeking immediate consular access to him.

This is the ninth note verbale, an unsigned diplomatic communication, issued by India for access to Jadhav and the first since reports from Islamabad quoted Pakistan's de facto foreign minister Sartaj Aziz as saying that there was no conclusive evidence against Jadhav.

dailymail.co.uk

Pakistan though later denied that Aziz had made that statement and said that there was "irrefutable" evidence against Jadhav. The two countries saw the customary exchange of lists of prisoners on January 1. India in its statement mentioned that it was still awaiting consular access to Jadhav.

Islamabad has not yet directly responded to New Delhi's fresh diplomatic communication but on Sunday it launched a counter-attack on India saying that Pakistan was a direct victim of Indian "state-sponsored terrorism".

In a statement in which it described the 1267 Sanctions Committee proposal to proscribe JeM chief Masood Azhar, who is an accused in the Pathankot airbase attack case, as politically motivated, it also said that Jadhav's activities were aimed at destabilising Pakistan and killing Pakistani nationals.

BCCL

"With such duplicitous behaviour and blood on its hands, India has little credibility on counter-terrorism," said the Pakistan foreign office spokesperson, adding that in the coming days Pakistan will share with the UN "additional evidence" of Indian involvement in terrorism in Pakistan.

While India did not officially respond to the remarks, sources here said India will continue to actively seek access to Jadhav. While Pakistan claims that Jadhav is a commander-rank officer with Indian Navy, India 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.

The Vienna Convention on Consular relations says that "consular officers shall have the right to visit a national of the sending state (India) who is in prison, custody or detention, to converse and correspond with him and to arrange for his legal representation". India has repeatedly reminded Pakistan that Vienna Convention prohibits it from acting on his behalf only if he himself says so but Jadhav has never said that he doesn't want to meet Indian officials.
Railway coolies 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.

BCCL

This will be part of the governments 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 coolies.

BCCL

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, EPFOs 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.

BCCL

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.
India successfully test-fired the Agni IV Intermediate Range ballistic missile today. Here's all you need to know about the deadly long-range weapon which promises to give a massive boost to India's military might.

Also read: 7 Things You Need To Know About India's Most Formidable Missile, Agni-V

1. On Monday, the Strategic Forces Command flight-tested the Agni-IV missile from a road-mobile launcher on the Abdul Kalam Island off Damra village on the Odisha coast.

2. The Agni IV is an intermediate range ballistic missile with a strike range of 4,000 km.

3.It is being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program.

4.Agni IV is nuclear capable, with a payload capacity of one tonne of high-explosive warhead.

5.It is the fourth variant in the series of medium to long range Agni missiles and is currently in test phase. Agni I, II, III have already been inducted for military use. Last month, Agni-V was successfully launched in its final phase of canisterised testing.

6.The road-mobile Agni-IV is meant for deterrence against China, which can target any Indian city with its formidable inventory of long-range missiles.

7.The sophisticated surface-to-surface missile is equipped with modern and compact avionics to provide high level of reliability.

8. Packed with features to correct and guide itself for in-flight disturbances, the Agni-IV can reach its target within meters of the target with a two-digit accuracy.

9.The re-entry heat shield can withstand temperatures in the range of 4000 degrees centigrade and makes sure the avionics function normally.

10.The Agni-IV had undergone one failed and five successful tests over the last five years, with the last one being conducted in November 2015.

Also read: Agni VI, Which Can Carry Nuke Warheads To Hit Multiple Targets Will Be Tested Next
China, which last year lost the top position as an investment destination to India, has now opened up more sectors for foreign investors to catch up in the race. It is offering a slice of tightly controlled segments like public transport and railway equipment to foreign players besides cutting down the number of restrictions by a third from 93 to 62.

Reuters

But what prompted Beijing to bite the bullet despite resistance from state-owned enterprises (SOEs) is not just slipping numbers of foreign direct investments. It is worried about US President-elect Donald Trump using China's partially closed market as a reason to launch negative trade actions. Chinese authorities are trying to pre-empt adverse action from Trump, who has accused China of unfair investment practices resulting in the "theft of American jobs".

Reuters

Trump's antagonism for China might be an opportunity for attracting more FDI in India, observers said. But a lot would depend on effects of the demonitisation decision on foreign investments. The China challenge is not any more than last year. Commerce minister Gao Hucheng admitted on Monday that foreign direct investments grew at a slower rate of 3.8% this year compared to growth of 6.4% seen in 2015. Whether India will manage to retain the top slot this year remains to be seen.

"US-China commercial relations are in for a rough ride in the coming months, as the Trump administration aggressively pushes China to open its markets further to American imports and investment and applies a more critical eye to Chinese investments in the US," Scott Kennedy, deputy director of Freeman Chair in China studies at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, told TOI.

Reuters

India surged ahead of China after its FDI inflows slipped 23% to $56.6 billion last year. "The big FDI story of the past year is India. After a long period of trailing behind China, the south Asian country is now racing past its formidable rival. India was the highest ranked country by capital investment in 2015, with $63 billion worth of FDI projects announced," said Courtney Fingar, head of content with London-based fDi Intelligence while releasing its 2016 report.

China's National Development Reforms Commission said that the purpose of opening new doors for foreign investors are to "improve transparency of policy-making" and "let foreign capital play a positive role in China's economic development, industry transformation, and reform and innovation". Chinese experts regard the decision as bold because of a terrible slowdown in the Chinese economy and the worldwide trend of protectionism.

Reuters

But China is aiming at bigger goalpost, analysts say. It is trying to persuade the World Trade Organization to grant China the coveted status of market economy. Beijing says it had been promised by the WTO that it would automatically gain the status after completing 15 years as a member, which it did this month. But the US is determined to resist the move, and the European Union is setting up its own hurdles in China's path.

Beijing is furious that its position as the world's second biggest economy is being ignored by the Western world. But it would not want to leave any stone unturned. Opening up new economy sectors for foreign investments is meant to prove that China is run by free market principals.

An important question is whether the rule change is for real. Some analysts think it has no more than cosmetic value because foreign players face a lot of difficulties on the ground.

Reuters

"China has only superficially opened up more sectors to foreign investment. The broader environment is still highly restrictive, with wide swaths of the economy either off limits to foreign investors or with ownership caps that require foreign investors to engage in joint ventures with Chinese partners," Kennedy said.

Foreign businesses are unlikely to lap up the new opportunity thrown up by the latest market opening measures. This is evident from surveys of member companies conducted by the American Chamber of Commerce in China and European Chamber of Commerce. The surveys revealed that most of the members are not interested in additional investments and business expansion during this slowdown period in China.

Reuters

Besides, Washington has already begun to resist Chinese investments and Beijing is getting ready to retaliate. US President Barack Obama recently blocked a Chinese company's purchase of German chip-equipment manufacturer Aixtron on national security grounds. The US Trade Representative also put an online shopping site of China's Alibaba Group on a blacklist of "notorious marketplace" for selling counterfeit goods.
With the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Bangladesh and government's crackdown on the Islamist parties things seem to be getting worse by the day. The latest victim of growing violence in India's eastern neighbour is a lawmaker from Bangladesh's ruling party, who was shot dead by masked men, police said.

AP

Manzurul Islam Liton, a national legislator from PM 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.

BCCL

He was declared dead by doctors at a local hospital. 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 has been experiencing threats in recent years from Islamist militants possibly inspired by the Islamic State terror 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.
It's nothing short of luck for parents expecting a child to have theirs born on New Year's day. Even more special is if it's born just one minute after the new year rings in. But for us, it's an even more joyful news, for this baby is Indian!

news team international

Meet Ellina Kumari who was born at 00:01, becoming Britain's first baby of 2017. Born to proud parents Bharti Devi and Ashwani Kumar, the tiny bundle came to life on January 1.

Bharti Devi, now a mother of two, couldn't be more ecstatic. "It is really exciting to think she is the first baby born in Britain in 2017, it is definitely something special to tell her when she is grown up," reports Metro UK.

news team international

Ellina's father, who works as a sales assistant in the UK, said, "It is incredible to think she is the first baby of the whole year. New Year will be extra special from now on."

Babies born across the world

It wasn't only Britain that welcomed 2017's first baby. Elsewhere in the world, babies chose January 1 to make their grand entry.

New York City welcomed this year's first baby eight minutes after the calendar turned to 2017. For Carmen Peralta, it became risky when her blood pressure spiked. After being labour-induced, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy, two weeks before her due date! And what a coincidence that the delivery happened to fall on New Year's day.

new york daily news

And what's even more interesting is that baby Nathan became NYC's first baby after beating a baby girl - born in Bronxx - exactly by one minute after he was born. We have to admit, this is quite a serious competition!

Now cut to Ireland that welcomed not one but two babies on January 1! The first boy was born just a second after the clock struck twelve with his brother in tow who was born six minutes later.

In Canada, another baby took the spotlight for himself when he was born exactly at midnight, 21 days after his mother's due date. It's as if he had made up his mind for 2017.

Showing the world how it's done, these guys are 'born' superstars! :D
35-year-old Jacob Raak was wounded, but not killed by the New Years Eve shooting at Istanbul nightclub terror attack. He was saved by his phone, which took the took impact of bullet shot by 'ISIS' gunman who would kill 39.

I got shot in the f---ing leg, man.

DailyMail

Raak was among the dozens injured at Reina, the Istanbul nightclub, where he was partying with friends on a visit to Instanbul. He was among 600 at the nightclub, when a gunman entered around 1.15am.
A paper biosensor, which has a fabrication cost of less than Re 1, has been developed by a team of city scientists to rapidly detect the presence of lipase, an enzyme routinely examined for the diagnosis of several cardiac and liver related diseases.

cens

Prof Uday Maitra and his student fabricated a paper biosensor that detects the presence of lipase

The overall aim of the project is the development of user-friendly biosensors, which play an important role in the field of biological and medical sciences and in the diagnosis of different diseases, especially in resource limited areas.

This first-of-its-kind sensor can be envisaged as a portable and disposable analytical device, said the research team, comprising Prof Uday Maitra and his student Tumpa Gorai from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, in their findings.

According to experts, biosensors are devices used to detect biological elements like tissues, microorganisms, and enzymes by measuring the interaction of a chemical substance with the biological element. The interaction is quantified by converting it into an electrical or a light signal.

Experts further said that among the different classes of biosensors, paper-based biosensors have drawn much interest in recent years because of their easy availability, low cost of fabrication, biocompatibility and biodegradability.

TOI

"Enzymes are one of the important target of bioanalytes in the field of biosensors as they play crucial roles in the regulation of metabolic functions in living systems. The detection of enzyme activity through an efficient and simple design is, therefore, of utmost importance. Our lab has fabricated a low-cost paper biosensor that rapidly detects the presence of lipase, a pancreatic enzyme, which breaks down fats into smaller molecules called fatty acids and glycerol during the process of digestion. While a certain amount of lipase is important for maintaining normal digestive function, an abnormally high level of lipase indicates damage to the pancreas," said the researchers.

"The paper-based sensor is inexpensive, user-friendly and needs low volumes of biological sample for analysis. This strategy has the potential to be useful for possible clinical applications," they added.

The biosensor comprises a paper disc, embedded within which is a gel, made with terbium  a rare earth metal  and doped with a synthetic enzyme substrate. As the disc comes in contact with lipase, it turns green when illuminated under UV light.

The change in intensity of the colour indicates the amount of the enzyme present in the sample.

"The advantage with this system is that the entire sensing material is integrated on the paper surface in a single step. The material cost for the disc fabrication was calculated to be less than Rs 1, so it is a low-cost luminescent assay system. This simple paper-based sensor is useful for detecting the presence of enzymes in real samples, and for rapid screening of an inhibitor. We are currently expanding the scope of this enzyme assay," said the findings, published in ACS Sensors.

Maitra's lab has developed many such gels that make use of metals, which emit light upon 'photoexcitation'.
Incoming United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, speaking on New Years Day asked for a request filled with hope and said: On this New Year's Day, I ask all of you to join me in making one shared New Year's resolution: Let us resolve to put peace first. How can we help the millions of people caught up in conflict, suffering massively in wars with no end in sight?

Peace, he also said, Must be our goal and guide and everyone to commit to the cause of peace, today and every day. Hope is a belief, perhaps the strongest one that people latch on to with utmost intensity. After, isnt it hope that motivates us to do better and be better for a better world?

So, at the start of another new year, lets hope that these countries around the world, who are so deeply entrenched in conflict, find a way up towards the light.

1. End of Syrian crisis

Reuters

One of the gravest modern day conflicts that has caught the worlds eye, this year lets hope that foreign forces will move out and Syrian people will be given the rightful opportunity to elect their own government. Democracy doesnt come easy, its not a linear process and it might not even be a peaceful one, but election is the first step forward.

2. Sectarian violence in Iraq

Reuters

Its been more than a decade now since Iraqs then ruler, Saddam Hussein, but the country is still scrambling for peace. One of Iraqs forefront goals should be to completely push ISIS out because by destroying one of the Is from its name will shake the terrorist organisations identity. Iraqi government and politicians need to etch out corruption from their political system so that peoples faith in their representatives can slowly be restored.

3. Occupation of Afghanistan

Reuters

Afghanistan and its people, devastated by nearly three decades of conflict, need to so desperately witness something other than tanks and arms and bombs. Unfortunately Afghanistans road to peace relies on externalities, which includes a compromise between the Taliban, Pakistan and the United States.

4. Economic crisis in Venezuela

Reuters

This South American country has been wracked with a political and economic crisis for a long time coming now. The way out is communication  Reuters quoted U.S Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Tom Shannon as saying that Vatican-convened talks between Venezuela's government and opposition are the last, best chance to find a peaceful solution to the country's political impasse.

5. Israeli settlements in Palestinian Territories

Reuters

The United Nations Security Council, on December 23, 2016, passed a resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem. The world, particularly West Asia will definitely see much peace if there is a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, with a Jewish and an Arab state living side by side. The Palestinian militant groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, should give up violence and work for a peaceful life in a new state. But for this, the international community must stand united and do justice to both Israel as well as Palestine.

6. Rohingya persecution in Myanmar

Reuters

The ideal approach to solving the crisis of this minority group in Myanmar would be for the Burmese government to adapt a more compassionate approach and create an inclusive environment for all people, rather than using this issue to win upcoming elections.

7. Russian intrusion in Ukraine

AFP

Though the media did not really address the Ukraine issue in 2016, the crisis there continues. In an ideal world, Russia would back out as it is currently illegally occupying parts of Ukraine. However, since that is probably not going to happen, the UN needs to assert itself more strongly and pressure Russia to drop its military presence in Ukraine.

8. Saudi bombing in Yemen

Reuters

The UN needs to put more pressure on the Houthi rebels, the Yemini government and Saudi-led coalition to reach a compromise because the cause of the conflict is fairly straightforward. Also what is working in favor of this conflict is that there no international agencies involved, unlike Syria.

9. Drug wars in Mexico

Abc News

This Central American country has been fighting its war on drugs for decades now. Peace and security seem like a distant dream as government struggle to find a solution out. Perhaps journalists can lead the fight and while reporting on the violence ensuing in Mexico, also offer outlets to citizens.

10. Civil wars in Colombia

Newsweek

After one of the longest-running civil wars in the world, towards the end of 2016, Colombia finally reached a peace agreement with the largest insurgent group. Now both parties must remain faithful to the agreement if Colombia wants stability, political, social and economic, to return.

11. Protests in Kashmir

Reuters

Unrest in Kashmir returned once again in the later part of 2016. We wonder if a long-term peace in Kashmir will ever be possible? Again, at least we can hope that so will happen. In order to attain that idea, the government should reduce the presence of military in the region, and focus its resources on empowering the youth economically by creating more job opportunities.

When, according to Greek mythology, Pandora, the first woman on Earth opened the box she was instructed not to, evils of all kind flew out and took over the world. She closed the box before the last thing, hope, could fly out as well. If there is suffering, hate, violence, xenophobia in the world, then let there also be hope, because, without hope the world really is very grim.
While the war in Syria is getting all the attention from competing media houses, projecting the humanitarian crisis with particular agendas of the countries they are operating from, a similar and an equally brutal story bloodshed in Yemen has got little attention from the international community.

The world seems to have turned a blind eye to the pools of blood and heaps of corpses lying in the streets of several Yemeni cities. The cries of hungry kids are falling on deaf ears, while pleads of women and the elderly fail to draw the world's attention. It seems as if the world has abandoned Yemen.

Reuters

Everything began as a popular protest in the country along with the other West Asian and North African countries, which came to be known as the Arab Spring. While the protesters were able dethrone dictators in some of the countries, agitation in countries like Yemen and Syria took shape of a civil war, which later transformed into international conflicts. As far as Yemen is concerned, the tiny West Asian state has arguably become an area of sectarian tussle between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

What is happening in Yemen and how did the conflict start?

With the outbreak of the so called Arab Spring, beginning from Tunisia, a similar popular movement was taking place in Yemen, which is situated south of Saudi Arabia. The conflict began in this poorest Arab country when, following an uprising, there was a failure in the transfer of power from then 33-year-long President, Ali Abdullah Saleh to his deputy, Hadi in November 2011.

When Hadi came to power, he struggled to bring stability back to the country and battled with many problems including attacks by Al Qaeda, a separatist movement taking place in south of the country, the continuing loyalty of many military officers to Mr Saleh, along with social problems such as corruption, unemployment and food insecurity.

The Houthi movement that caters to Yemens Zaidi Shia Muslim minority and fought a series of rebellions against Saleh took advantage of Hadis weakness to capture the Saada province and neighbouring areas.

Reuters

They were joined by ordinary, though disillusioned, Yemenis, who supported them in capturing the capital, Saana, in 2014. Houthis sudden rise to power alarmed neighbouring Saudi Arabia, which has a history of tussle with the group, and so on March 25, 2015, a Saudi-led coalition stepped in with air strikes to stop the Houthis from advancing any further. The Saudis claim that Houthis are trying to take control of some parts of the Kingdom.

Malnutrition and deaths continue to go up

Its hard to grasp just how devastating condition in Yemen is from this nearly twoyear-long conflict. A Red Cross official created the grim picture that is Yemen through a few simple words  he said last year, Yemen after five months looks like Syria after five years. The country has been listed as a Level 3 humanitarian crisis, placing it in the same league as Iraq and Syria  its now suffering from the first man-made famines of the 21st century.

Reuters

According to the UNs conservative estimate, the Yemini-Saudi-Houthi conflict has killed 10,000 people since it began 18 months ago, which is a steep rise from earlier estimates of 6,000 deaths. It also said that Saudi-led coalition is responsible for 60 per cent of the deaths, adding that the conflict had displaced three million Yemenis, and forced 200,000 to seek refuge abroad.

According to the UN, 900,000 of the displaced intended to try to return to their homes. Yemens war extends far beyond deaths and displacement though  around 14 million of Yemens 26 million population is currently in need of humanitarian and food aid and another seven million were suffering from food security.

So if Yemen is caught in such a grim and dismal situation, then why is the world not screaming for the plight of Yeminis like it is for Syrians?

Reuters

There are many reasons for why the world has kept mum, some are political reasons while others are simple reasons ranging from lack of knowledge to on-ground intimidation from government in the form of violence in a war-torn country. This year, six journalists were killed while reporting from Yemen and one of them was killed by a bomb from a Saudi-coalition warplane.

Saudi Arabias security alliance with The United States

Not only is America the most powerful country in the world, but a large chunk of global media operates from the Western countries. So when some of the oldest and most renowned media organisations dont, firstly pressure world governments through sheer reporting and secondly bring the worlds notice to humanitarian atrocities taking place, then other organisations do not follow.

Reuters

Now why a section of media isnt reporting can, to a large extent, be pinned on the alliance between the US and Saudi Arabia  if Saudi Arabia is defamed, then by virtue of political friendship, The US is as well. On September 22, Reuters reported that the US Senate cleared the way for a $1.5 billion sale of tanks and other military equipment to Saudi Arabiadefending a frequent partner in the Middle East recently subject to harsh criticism in Congress.

Similarly, UK media is also largely ignoring the conflict because well, it sells arms to Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia is probably using these arms in the conflict. Also in September Prime Minister Theresa May strongly defended UKs selling of arms to Saudi Arabia, saying it was keeping people on UK streets safe. Also, in October 2016, the New York Times reported, Obama administration put limits on its support for the Saudi-led coalition, providing intelligence and Air Force tankers to refuel the coalitions jets and bombers. The American military has refueled more than 5,700 aircraft involved in the bombing campaign since it began, according to statistics provided by United States Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East.

Again, its not in Americas favour, or for that matter in the UKs favour to report on the Yemeni crisis because theyre involved by virtue of selling arms and intelligence. Other countries allied with America and the UK may not by virtue of political friendship.

Reuters

While not much attention is being given to the Yemen issue, the Syrian conflict has been so widely reported for many reasons including:

1. Rivalry between the US and Russia

2. Syria was formerly a very economically and culturally rich country

3. While the situation in Syria is very bad, and it would be a grave mistake to say that its safe for journalists to report from places like Aleppo, the situation in Yemen, however, is somehow worse because Saudis have done their best to not only keep journalists out but also fuel shortage created by the blockage makes it really hard to move about the capital and country.

4. Since Yeminis are trapped by the coalition blockade, which is starving them of basic necessities, the world is not able to see millions displaced from their homes and in urgent need of necessities like food and aid.

Reuters

As humans of the world, it is our duty to make an individual effort to know and understand what is happening and why. And if what is happening is wrong, then it is also our duty to raise a human cry about it. Right now, lets do all we can to support Yemenis stuck in the battle between the Saudi-coalition and the Houthi rebels, and if all that we can do is read, write and protest, then lets let that be the starting point.
Buoyant Putin and Sinking Western Mis-Leaders By Finian Cunningham January 01, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Future historians may well record 2016 a vintage year for Russian President Vladimir Putin. At any rate, at this point we can say it has been a good year for the Russian leader and his countrys international standing. Even Western media, which did its best to discredit, even demonize, Putin have had to admit so, albeit begrudgingly. This week, the London Financial Times described the Russian leader as Buoyant Putin. While last week, the Washington Post headlined: Moscow has the worlds attention. For Putin, thats a win. The Washington Post surveyed some of the key developments over the past year as being in Putins favor, including a shaky European Union and the British Brexit vote to quit the bloc, an unwieldy NATO military alliance unsure of its purpose, the election of Donald Trump to the US presidency, and the retaking of the strategic Syrian city of Aleppo. The victory by the Syrian army in Aleppo, crucially aided by Russian military power, was surely a crowning achievement for Putin. When Putin ordered intervention in Syria at the end of 2015, it was predicted by US President Barack Obama that the move would result in a quagmire for Russia. A year later, Putins decisive intervention has been vindicated as rolling back a jihadist campaign to destroy Syria. Syrians celebrating the defeat of extremists in Aleppo have not only confounded earlier predictions; the liberation, as it is being feted by Syrians, serves to expose Western governments and their media as having grossly distorted the war as some kind of popular uprising against a tyrannical regime, rather than being what it is: a foreign-backed criminal conspiracy for regime change deploying jihadi terror proxies. So the Russian-backed military campaign in Syria is a clear winning event for Vladimir Putin. However, on the range of other world events outlined above, while they may be said to be in Putins favor, it is more a case of denial by Western leaders about their own failures, instead of attributing these setbacks to the alleged machinations of the Russian leader. Putin may indeed be buoyant. But it is also true that the mixed political fortunes are due to the sinking of Western mis-leaders through their own incompetence and baleful policies. The Washington Post article cited above had this to say: The Russian leader is winning because the post-Cold War order he has railed against has been thrown into chaos, and the Kremlins fingerprints are widely seen to be all over it. Just who is widely seeing the Kremlins alleged depredations is not specified by the Washington Post. But a safe assumption is that the newspaper is being led by US intelligence and the CIA in particular, whose multi-million-dollar links to the outlets owner Jeff Bezoz have been documented elsewhere by Wayne Madsen. It is true that Putin has often deplored the post-Cold War order of American unipolar ambitions, its disregard for international law and its conceited exceptionalism for unleashing military violence to enforce foreign interests. Putin has said that such policy is the fount of chaos in international relations. If anything, he has been proven right when we survey the conflict-ridden mess of the Middle East from US wars, supposed nation-building and regime-change operations. But to then attribute this chaos of the post-Cold War as having the Kremlins fingerprints all over it is an absurdity. The same goes for other aspects of post-Cold War chaos. The election of Donald Trump to the White House is alleged by the Washington Post, New York Times, NBC and other US media giants as being the result of Putin overseeing Russian computer hackers interfering in American democracy. Russia has rejected those claims as ridiculous  as has Trump. Rather than dealing with political and social reality of internal decay, the American establishment has tried to divert the cause to alleged Russian malfeasance. The reality is, however, that popular American sentiment is one of disgust with the Washington establishment and its mis-leaders in both main parties, Democrats and Republicans. That disgust embroils the mainstream media which is seen to be an integral part of a corrupt, venal establishment. To try to lay the blame for Trumps election on Russian cyber-attacks is an insult to a large section of the American citizenry. It is also a sign of chronic denial by the Washington establishment that decades of economic and foreign policy are in shambles  a shambles of its own making. The same too for the Brexit referendum held in June which saw the stunning result of Britons wanting to quit the European Union. On the back of CIA-inspired claims about Russian interference, British politicians who are miffed over the Brexit result have parlayed similar claims that the Kremlins meddling was behind that outcome. Russia has also hit back to rubbish the British claims. But rather than getting a grip on reality, the official Western paranoia about alleged Russian subversiveness is becoming even more fevered. With hotly contested national elections coming up next year across Europe, incumbent governments are decrying what they discern as Russian interference to push populist, anti-EU, anti-immigrant parties. Voice of America reported this week: Europe braces for Russian cyber assault before 2017 elections in Netherlands, France and Germany. VOA added: As the chief European architect of sanctions against Russia, analysts say German Chancellor Angela Merkel is the European leader Moscow would most like to see voted out of power. As with the Brexit and Trump, it is an elitist insult to citizens intelligence and their democratic rights, by imposing what is a scare-campaign to discredit widespread popular discontent with establishment governments and the status quo. People across the West, the US and Europe, are simply infuriated by elitist governments that pursue failed policies of economic austerity and a pro-Atlanticist Cold War geopolitical agenda of hostility towards Russia, inflating a NATO monstrosity based on Russophobia, and slavishly following American imperialism around the world. Syria may have proven to be a triumph for Putin and his principled stand to defend Syrian sovereignty from a US-led covert war for regime change. But Syria also represents an unmitigated disaster for Washington and its Atlanticist European acolytes. The massive influx of refugees from Syria and other Middle East war zones is the direct result of the US and its NATO allies waging illegal wars and sponsoring terrorist proxies  the latter in the mendacious notion of being moderate rebels. The terror attacks that have shocked France and Germany over the past year  the latest one in Berlin when 12 people at a Christmas market were killed by an alleged jihadist asylum-seeker plowing a 25-ton lorry into them  are the corollary of Hollande and Merkel being complicit in US imperialist wars across the Middle East. Merkels open door policy to a million refugees is a failed policy. That judgment is not based on racism or xenophobia. Merkels failure is due to her allowing Germany to become an escape valve for US, British and French criminal machinations of regime change in the Middle East. So it has been a good year for Putin and Russias international standing generally  the recent appalling assassination of ambassador Andrey Karlov in Ankara notwithstanding. Its also been an atrocious year for Western politicians of the Atlanticist mold. But their downfall is due to their own corruption and incompetence. To seek to scapegoat Vladimir Putin and Russia as interfering or sowing chaos is a contemptible denial of Western official culpability. Such is the collapse in official Western politics and institutions, including the establishment media, that the more they spin the anti-Russian narrative, the more popular revolt will grow against their mis-leaders. If 2016 becomes a vintage year for Russia, for the West it is proving to be year when the official political vessels cracked open with bitter contents. Finian Cunningham is former editor and writer for major news media organizations. He has written extensively on international affairs, with articles published in several languages The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy.
Exit Obama in a Cloud of Disillusion, Delusion and Deceit By Craig Murray January 01, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - I had promised myself and my family that on this holiday I would do nothing but relax. However events have overtaken my good intentions. I find myself in the unusual position of having twice been in a position to know directly that governments were lying in globe-shaking events, firstly Iraqi WMD and now the Russian hacks. Anybody who believes the latest report issued by Obama as proof provides anything of the sort is very easily impressed by some entirely meaningless diagrams. William Binney, who was Technical Director at the NSA and actually designed their surveillance capabilities, has advised me by email. It is plain from the report itself that the Russian groups discussed have been under targeted NSA surveillance for a period longer than the timeframe for the DNC and Podesta leaks. It is therefore inconceivable that the NSA would not have detected and traced those particular data flows and they would be saved. In other words, the NSA would have the actual hack on record, would be able to recognise the emails themselves and tell you exactly the second the transmission or transmissions took place and how they were routed. They would be able to give you date, time and IP addresses. In fact, not only do they produce no evidence of this kind, they do not even claim to have this kind of definite evidence. Secondly, Bill points out that WikiLeaks is in itself a top priority target and any transmission to WikiLeaks or any of its major operatives would be tracked, captured and saved by NSA as a matter of routine. The exact route and date of the transmission or transmissions of the particular emails to WikiLeaks would be available. In fact, not only does the report not make this information available, it makes no claim at all to know anything about how the information was got to WikiLeaks. Of course Russian hackers exist. They attack this blog pretty well continually  as do hackers from the USA and many other countries. Of course there have been attempted Russian hacks of the DNC. But the report gives no evidence at all of the alleged successful hack that transmitted these particular emails, nor any evidence of the connection between the hackers and the Russian government, let alone Putin. There could be no evidence because in reality these were leaks, not hacks. The report is, frankly, a pile of complete and utter dross. To base grave accusations of election hacking on this report is ludicrous. Obama has been a severe disappointment to all progressive thinkers in virtually every possible way. He now goes out of power with absolutely no grace and in a storm of delusion and deceit. His purpose is apparently to weaken Trump politically, but to achieve that at the expense of heightening tensions with Russia to Cold War levels, is shameful. The very pettiness of Obamas tongue out to Putin  minor sanctions and expelling some diplomatic families  itself shows that Obama is lying about the pretext. If he really believed that Russia had hacked the election, surely that would require a much less feeble response. By refusing to retaliate, Russia has shown the kind of polish that eludes Obama as he takes his empty charisma and presentational skills into a no doubt lucrative future in the private sector. Craig Murray is an author, broadcaster and human rights activist. He was British Ambassador to Uzbekistan from August 2002 to October 2004 and Rector of the University of Dundee from 2007 to 2010. https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/ The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy.
Home Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter Statement by President Putin Regarding Expulsion Of Diplomats From U.S.



January 01, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - - 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. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. Please read our Comment Policy before posting - It is unacceptable to slander, smear or engage in personal attacks on authors of articles posted on ICH. Those engaging in that behavior will be banned from the comment section.
Rethinking The Cost of War





What if casualties dont end on the battlefield, but extend to future generations? Our reporting this year suggests the government may not want to know the answer



By Mike Hixenbaugh for The Virginian-Pilot, and Charles Ornstein, ProPublica

January 01, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " Pro Publica " - 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 today's dollars) and in bodies (58,220).

Then there's 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 that's supported by most Americans.

But what if the casualties don't end there?

The question has been at the heart of reporting by The Virginian-Pilot and ProPublica over the past 18 months as we've sought to reexamine the lingering consequences of Agent Orange, the toxic herbicide sprayed by the millions of gallons over Vietnam.

We've written about ailing Navy veterans fighting to prove they were exposed to the chemicals off Vietnam's 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 Orange's deadly effects to guide the VA's decisions.

Frustrated vets summarize the VA's 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 don't have.

The questions we've 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 can't 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 Lincoln's second inaugural address, during an evening stroll through D.C. in June, a day before hosting a forum on Agent Orange's 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 who'd gotten back in touch to warn that he'd sprayed Agent Orange.

Does the VA's 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 weren't drafted into service, but who may have been harmed nonetheless?

We posed the question to Dr. Ralph Erickson, the VA's chief consultant of post-deployment health services, who's involved with the agency's research efforts. Erickson, who's had the job since last year, wouldn't comment on the VA's 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 that's a question that would have to be answered by VA lawyers. We pressed him for his personal view, and he too cited Lincoln's words. But even then, he said it was a "hypothetical" and didn't 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.

"What's the point?" he said. "The government won't 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.
Trump Questions Russia Hacking



Video



U.S. President-elect Donald Trump expressed continued skepticism over whether Russia was responsible for computer hacks of Democratic Party officials.

Posted January 01, 2017

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.
WashPost False Story About Hacking U.S. Electric Grid By Glenn Greenwald January 02, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " The Intercept " - 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 states Democratic governor, Peter Shumlin, said: Vermonters and all Americans should be both alarmed and outraged that one of the worlds 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). The media reactions, as Alex Pfeiffer documents, were exactly what one would expect: hysterical, alarmist proclamations of Putins menacing evil:

Our Russian "friend" Putin attacked the U.S. power grid. https://t.co/iAneRgbuhF  Brent Staples (@BrentNYT) December 31, 2016

NEW: "One of the world's leading thugs, [Putin] has been attempting to hack our electric grid," says VT Gov. Shumlin https://t.co/YgdtT4JrlX pic.twitter.com/AU0ZQjT3aO  ABC News (@ABC) December 31, 2016

Yikes. https://t.co/cXsyd1RHOK  Paul Farhi (@farhip) December 31, 2016 The Posts story also predictably and very rapidly infected other large media outlets. Reuters thus told its readers around the world: A malware code associated with Russian hackers has reportedly been detected within the system of a Vermont electric utility. Whats the problem here? It did not happen. There was no penetration of the U.S. electricity grid. The truth was undramatic and banal. Burlington Electric, after receiving a Homeland Security notice sent to all U.S. utility companies about the malware code found in the DNC system, searched all its computers and found the code in a single laptop that was not connected to the electric grid. Apparently, the Post did not even bother to contact the company before running its wildly sensationalistic claims, so Burlington Electric had to issue its own statement to the Burlington Free Press, which debunked the Posts central claim (emphasis in original): We detected the malware in a single Burlington Electric Department laptop not connected to our organizations grid systems. So the key scary claim of the Post story  that Russian hackers had penetrated the U.S. electric grid  was false. All the alarmist tough-guy statements issued by political officials who believed the Posts claim were based on fiction. Even worse, there is zero evidence that Russian hackers were even responsible for the implanting of this malware on this single laptop. The fact that malware is Russian-made does not mean that only Russians can use it; indeed, like a lot of malware, it can be purchased (as Jeffrey Carr has pointed out in the DNC hacking context, assuming that Russian-made malware must have been used by Russians is as irrational as finding a Russian-made Kalishnikov AKM rifle at a crime scene and assuming the killer must be Russian). As the actual truth emerged once the utility company issued its statement, the Post rushed to fix its embarrassment, beginning by dramatically changing its headline: The headline is still absurd: They have no idea that this malware was placed by a Russian operation (though they would likely justify that by pointing out that they are just stenographically passing along what officials say). Moreover, nobody knows when this malware was put on this laptop, how, or by whom. But whatever else is true, the key claim  Russian hackers penetrated U.S. electricity grid  has now been replaced by the claim that this all shows risk to U.S. electrical grid. As journalists realized what did  and did not  actually happen here, the reaction was swift:

1) Not an infiltration of the power grid.

2) "Russian" malware can be purchased online by anyone.

3) See 1 & 2. https://t.co/bVIG8zQBsk  Dell Cameron (@dellcam) December 31, 2016

Pretty amazing how badly the Post appears to have mangled this one. You didn't call the Vermont utility regulator before publishing?  Eric Geller (@ericgeller) December 31, 2016
Inviting NATO to Fight Organized Crime, A Menace for Latin America By Peter Koenig January 02, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Imagine, Mr. Manuel Santos, President of Colombia, Nobel Peace Laureate 2016, for achieving a Peace Agreement with the FARC rebels (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia  Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia)  this same peace-loving Mr. Santos is inviting NATO to his country to help fight organized crime. As TeleSUR reports, this could jeopardize the recently signed (the ink is not yet dry) Peace Agreement between the Government and FARC. Within the last few days, at least two leaders of campesinos (peasant farmers) were found killed. False flag, as usual, with real people casualties? Provoking FARC to retaliate?  Which would be the end of the peace agreement. Frankly, I never believed that the government was serious in negotiating peace, ending one of the longest civil conflicts, with the longest peace negotiations in recent Latin American history. A four-year peace process was supposed to end 52 years of the leftist FARC militia fighting in defense of the rural poor, countering an elite of the rich, mostly urban dweller and latifundios, against government forces with support of the US military stationed in Colombia. Like the Europeans, the Colombian Government is a sheer puppet of Washingtons. Both Santos and his predecessor, Uribe, are CIA handlers. Having peace with FARC would be against the interests of the United States. So  what is the agreement all about?  Its propaganda: Giving war-wearied people an illusion, false hope, that there is light at the end of the endless tunnel of assassinations and abuse  enhanced by the politically highly astute Swedish / Norwegian Nobel Committee. At the first sign of a FARC uprising, for example in protest of the (false flag) campesino killings, the agreement will be broken, and peace is what it was from the very beginning  a farce  a travesty to induce a new strategy for Latin America  bringing in NATO. To disguise Washingtons role, President Santos is calling on NATO for help. Everybody knows that NATO represents basically the US Pentagon with some token input from Washingtons European stooges. But NATOs involvement in Colombia would have far wider implication than just fighting FARC, or as Santos calls it euphemistically, fighting organized crime which is a reference to fighting drug cartels and linking the fight to the infamous and controversial US Plan Colombia, the direct cost of which has exceeded 10 billion dollars since 2000, when it began. The total cost, including the destruction of infrastructure, housing and livelihoods, as well as the lives of at least 220 000 Colombians and close to six million people displaced, with the related hardship and suffering, is uncountable. Earlier this year, The Guardian reported, Plan Colombia has become a catch-all phrase for several different strategies. It is most widely understood as a US aid package to Colombia which has totaled about $10 billion since 2000. More broadly, it was a joint US-Colombian strategy to strengthen the military, state institutions and the economy. There is this idea that it is some vast orchestrated project, but Plan Colombia doesnt exist as such, says Winifred Tate, author of Drugs, Thugs and Diplomats, a study of US policymaking in Colombia. Rather, it has been a series of programs whose emphasis has expanded and recalibrated over the years, she says. In fact, former Colombia President Andres Pastrana, under whom Plan Colombia started, admitted to The Guardian that the strategy was a turning point in the countrys decades-old war [against FARC]. Before the Plan, security forces were on the defensive and on the verge of military defeat [by FARC guerrillas]. Despite the Plan, coca production is higher today than in 2000, at the beginning of the Plan and Colombia remains the worlds top coca and cocaine producer. So, Plan Colombia has not worked. A Strategy Change is in order. In comes NATO, a multi-country military force, per se, to fight crime, kill farmers who do not obey  continuing the fight against FARC rebels who defend the peasants  and therefore break the highly deceptive Peace Agreement. A condition for the Peace Agreement was complete disarmament of FARC. In a new war, FARC would be extremely disadvantaged, risking to be easily eviscerated by NATO. What is NATO?  NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is a US led military force stationed in Europe. It was created in 1949 by the United States and included Canada and several European countries. Its main official purpose was to defend Europe from the imaginary enemy, the communist Soviet Union. Implicitly it also meant that Europe wouldnt need to build up its own defense. Big Brother would take care of it with  yes, NATO. The only European leader with foresight and who saw through the sham, was General Charles De Gaulle. In 1966 he kicked NATO out of France. In 2009, 43 years later, French President Sarkozy, also a known CIA agent, reintegrated France into all structures of NATO. At the foundation of NATO, as today, the US had and has a phobia against anything that has anything to do with socialism, let alone communism  which was a major justification for the arms race that enhanced the Cold War from the late 1950s to 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed. The Cold War was mostly a propaganda hype to make believe the Soviet Union, which historically never had expansionist ambitions, was a threat to European sovereignty. The Cold War justified an arms race that sustained a highly profitable war industry. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the justification for NATO effectively died. It had then 12 bases in Europe. The unilateral promise by the allied forces, expressed by then German Foreign Minister Genscher, was that NATO would not expand one meter to the east. Today NATO has 28 members and more than 30 bases throughout Europe, most of them clustering around the Russian borders, a threat to Moscow. Thats shows the honesty of western promises. This prolific character is typical for US-led military operations, in particular NATO. With this historic background, NATO in Colombia would be a real and present danger for all of Latin America. NATO, an alliance of Atlantists, has no business in Colombia, let alone in Latin America. NATO in Colombia had an earlier beginning. President Juan Manuel Santos initiated the Colombia-NATO cooperation. Negotiations between the former Colombian defense Minister, Juan Carlos Pinzon, and NATOs General Philip Breedlove, then NATO Commander in Europe, started in 2013 with the benign purpose for Colombia to gain access to NATOs best practices in professional standards, integrity and transparency, as well as humanitarian operations. Against obvious protests from Venezuela to having NATO infiltrated in her neighboring country, President Santos signed a Cooperation Agreement with NATO on 6 June 2013 in Brussels. This was the beginning of a covert alliance between a key Latin American ally of Washington and NATO. Almost nobody noticed. Bringing NATO troops to Colombia would not only be a first in Latin America, it might wreak havoc among the non-aligned UNASUR nations, especially among Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela. NATO in Colombia would be like a training ground for guerilla warfare, something the transatlantic forces are not used to  but will have to become familiar with in order to fulfill Washingtons plan to gradually proliferate throughout South America, preventing any attempts of left-wing uprisings. Once in strategically located Colombia, NATO would spread like brush fire throughout the Sub-Continent, being allowed by the neoliberal Latin American Governments now being implanted by Washington to build countless military bases. They would henceforth be called NATO bases. The unpopular term, US bases, would be a thing of the past. Latin America, be aware and alert. Obamas condescendingly calling Latin America Washingtons Backyard, could become quickly a reality with NATO in Colombia. As the famous late Uruguayan writer, Eduardo Galeano, wisely said, Once American troops are in your country, you will never get rid of them. Peter Koenig is an economist and geopolitical analyst. He is also a former World Bank staff and worked extensively around the world in the fields of environment and water resources. He is the author of Implosion  An Economic Thriller about War, Environmental Destruction and Corporate Greed  fiction based on facts and on 30 years of World Bank experience around the globe. He is also a co-author of The World Order and Revolution!  Essays from the Resistance. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy.
Democrats and Media Have Lost Americas Trust By Clarence V. McKee January 02, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " Florida Courier " - In many ways, the election was a referendum on the mainstream media and the Democratic Party. Both got clobbered. Most objective observers have to admit that the Democratic Party and its mainstream friends live in a closed bubble and mutual admiration society. They also have something else in common. They are neither trusted nor respected by the American people and are in a full Titanic-dive to irrelevancy! Little confidence

As to the mainstream media, an April report from the American Press Institute found that only six percent of adults surveyed said they had a great deal of confidence in the press. Five months later, a September Gallup poll found that Americans trust and confidence in the mass media to report the news fully, accurately and fairly dropped to its lowest level in Gallup polling history. Just before the election, the Suffolk University/USA Today poll found that nearly 76 percent surveyed believed the media, including major newspapers and TV stations, wanted to see Clinton elected. And after the election, a poll by the well-respected Media Research Center (MRC) found that 78 percent of voters believed the news coverage of the presidential campaign was biased. Nearly a three-to-one majority (59) percent, believed that the media were for Clinton; and, 69 percent did not believe the news media are honest and truthful. Thankfully, 97 percent of voters said they did not let the medias bias influence their vote. MRC President Brent Bozell summed up these results nicely saying that the media was in full panic mode adding, People didnt believe the nonsense that the media were politically neutral. When you have a strong majority of actual voters saying the national news media were biased in favor of Hillary Clinton; and believing they are fundamentally dishonest, you have a major problem that cant be fixed with an apology. The public has rejected this institution as being either objective or truthful. Just as these polls show that American people have rejected and do not trust major media, they also have similar misgivings and distrust of Democrats. According to MSNBC, since Barack Obama took the helm of the Democratic Party in 2008, Democrats have lost 11 Senate seats, 60 House seats, 14 governorships, and over 900 state legislative seats. Dems shellacked

Putting that in perspective, according to National Review, two-thirds of the nations governors are Republicans; more than two-thirds of our state legislative houses are under Republican control; Republicans control both houses of Congress and have just captured the White House. Whats the problem?

Why do Americans mistrust and reject major media and the Democratic Party? Regarding the Democratic Party, former Obama advisor and CNN commentator Van Jones, recently on ABCs The View, said, Everybody knows we have a problem with elitism. Liberals and Democrats, we see ourselves as champions of the poor and downtroddenwe have somehow let a little camp of elitist-sounding, snobby people come into the party, and its obnoxious. They talk down to people and everybody hates it. The same can be said of the major media. The elites of both institutions have forgotten, if not abandoned, the interests, concerns and values of average American workers of all colors. What do they stand for?

In the closed-door world of the mostly White liberal elites at the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Washington Post and other major newspaper outlets; executive suites of major cable and network news organizations; and, of course, the Democratic Party power structure; there is a common highbrow vision of America. That vision is one of transgender bathrooms in public schools, open borders, sanctuary cities and protection of illegal immigrants; condoning or remaining silent on anti-police pigs in a blanket, fry em like bacon rhetoric and blaming rioting, looting, and arson on racism, to name just a few. As they found out, such views are not shared by the vast red-state tide which swept Donald Trump into the White House with a resounding Electoral College victory. They are out of touch, out of ideas, and out of time. Blaming others

So, what is the mainstream media and Democrats reaction to their massive loss? Instead of heeding Shakespeares famous The fault lies not in our stars but in ourselves, they blame everybody and everything else. First it was FBI Director James Comeys fault. Then it was because of fake news even though the fake news of the decade was Hillary blaming the Benghazi terrorist attack on a YouTube video. Next it was because our political system uses the Electoral College rather than the popular vote to determine presidential winners. The latest excuse is that the Russians meddled in our election process. Stay tuned for the next hot air excuse coming from the Media-Democratic bubble Clarence V. McKee is a government, political and media relations consultant and president of McKee Communications, Inc., as well as a Newsmax.com contributor. This article originally appeared on Newsmax.com. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy.
The War Against Alternative Information



The U.S. government is creating a new $160 million bureaucracy to shut down information that doesnt conform to U.S. propaganda narratives, building on the strategy that sold the bloody Syrian regime change



By Rick Sterling January 02, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " Consortium News " - 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 Washingtons 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 medias furor over supposedly fake news. Defeated Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton voiced strong support for the bill: Its 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 bills 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 worlds 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. governments 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. More recently, news and analysis about Syria has been conveyed through the filter of the White Helmets, also known as Syrian Civil Defense. In the Western news media, the White Helmets are described as neutral, non-partisan, civilian volunteers courageously carrying out rescue work in the war zone. In fact, the group is none of the above. It was initiated by the U.S. and U.K. using a British military contractor and Brooklyn-based marketing company. While they may have performed some genuine rescue operations, the White Helmets are primarily a media organization with a political goal: to promote NATO intervention in Syria. (The manipulation of public opinion using the White Helmets and promoted by the New York Times and Avaaz petition for a No Fly Zone in Syria is documented here.) The White Helmets hoax continues to be widely believed and receives uncritical promotion though it has increasingly been exposed at alternative media outlets as the creation of a shady PR firm. During critical times in the conflict in Aleppo, White Helmet individuals have been used as the source for important news stories despite a track record of deception. Recent Propaganda: Blatant Lies? As the armed groups in east Aleppo recently lost ground and then collapsed, Western governments and allied media went into a frenzy of accusations against Syria and Russia based on reports from sources connected with the armed opposition. CNN host Wolf Blitzer described Aleppo as falling in a slaughter of these women and children while CNN host Jake Tapper referred to genocide by another name. The Daily Beast published the claims of the Aleppo Siege Media Center under the title Doomsday is held in Aleppo and amid accusations that the Syrian army was executing civilians, burning them alive and 20 women committed suicide in order not to be raped. These sensational claims were widely broadcast without verification. However, this news on CNN and throughout Western media came from highly biased sources and many of the claims  lacking anything approaching independent corroboration  could be accurately described as propaganda and disinformation. Ironically, some of the supposedly Russian propaganda sites, such as RT, have provided first-hand on-the-ground reporting from the war zones with verifiable information that contradicts the Western narrative and thus has received almost no attention in the U.S. news media. For instance, some of these non-Western outlets have shown videos of popular celebrations over the liberation of Aleppo. There has been further corroboration of these realities from peace activists, such as Jan Oberg of Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research who published a photo essay of his eyewitness observations in Aleppo including the happiness of civilians from east Aleppo reaching the government-controlled areas of west Aleppo, finally freed from areas that had been controlled by Al Qaedas Syrian affiliate and its jihadist allies in Ahrar al-Sham. Dr. Nabil Antaki, a medical doctor from Aleppo, described the liberation of Aleppo in an interview titled Aleppo is Celebrating, Free from Terrorists, the Western Media Misinformed. The first Christmas celebrations in Aleppo in four years are shown here, replete with marching band members in Santa Claus outfits. Journalist Vanessa Beeley has published testimonies of civilians from east Aleppo. The happiness of civilians at their liberation is clear. Whether or not you wish to accept these depictions of the reality in Aleppo, at a minimum, they reflect another side of the story that you have been denied while being persistently force-fed the version favored by the U.S. State Department. The goal of the new Global Engagement Center to counter foreign propaganda is to ensure that you never get to hear this alternative narrative to the Western propaganda line. Even much earlier, contrary to the Western mythology of rebel liberated zones, there was strong evidence that the armed groups were never popular in Aleppo. American journalist James Foley described the situation in 2012 like this: Aleppo, a city of about 3 million people, was once the financial heart of Syria. As it continues to deteriorate, many civilians here are losing patience with the increasingly violent and unrecognizable opposition  one that is hampered by infighting and a lack of structure, and deeply infiltrated by both foreign fighters and terrorist groups. The rebels in Aleppo are predominantly from the countryside, further alienating them from the urban crowd that once lived here peacefully, in relative economic comfort and with little interference from the authoritarian government of President Bashar al-Assad. On Nov. 22, 2012, Foley was kidnapped in northwestern Syria and held by Islamic State terrorists before his beheading in August 2014. The Overall Narrative on Syria Analysis of the Syrian conflict boils down to two competing narratives. One narrative is that the conflict is a fight for freedom and democracy against a brutal regime, a storyline promoted in the West and the Gulf states, which have been fueling the conflict from the start. This narrative is also favored by some self-styled anti-imperialists who want a Syrian revolution. The other narrative is that the conflict is essentially a war of aggression against a sovereign state, with the aggressors including NATO countries, Gulf monarchies, Israel and Jordan. Domination of the Western media by these powerful interests is so thorough that one almost never gets access to this second narrative, which is essentially banned from not only the mainstream but also much of the liberal and progressive media. For example, listeners and viewers of the generally progressive TV and radio program DemocracyNow have rarely if ever heard the second narrative described in any detail. Instead, the program frequently broadcasts the statements of Hillary Clinton, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power and others associated with the U.S. position. Rarely do you hear the viewpoint of the Syrian Ambassador to the United Nations, the Syrian Foreign Minister or analysts inside Syria and around the world who have written about and follow events there closely. DemocracyNow also has done repeated interviews with proponents of the Syrian revolution while ignoring analysts who call the conflict a war of aggression sponsored by the West and the Gulf monarchies. This blackout of the second narrative continues despite the fact that many prominent international figures see it as such. For example, the former Foreign Minister of Nicaragua and former President of the UN General Assembly, Father Miguel DEscoto, has said, What the U.S. government is doing in Syria is tantamount to a war of aggression, which, according to the Nuremberg Tribunal, is the worst possible crime a State can commit against another State. In many areas of politics, DemocracyNow is excellent and challenges mainstream media. However in this area, coverage of the Syrian conflict, the broadcast is biased, one-sided and echoes the news and analysis of mainstream Western corporate media, showing the extent of control over foreign policy news that already exists in the United States and Europe. Suppressing and Censoring Challenges Despite the widespread censorship of alternative analyses on Syria and other foreign hotspots that already exists in the West, the U.S. governments new Global Engagement Center will seek to ensure that the censorship is even more complete with its goal to counter foreign state and non-state propaganda and disinformation. We can expect even more aggressive and better-financed assaults on the few voices daring to challenge the Wests group thinks  smear campaigns that are already quite extensive. In an article titled Controlling the Narrative on Syria, Louis Allday describes the criticisms and attacks on journalists Rania Khalek and Max Blumenthal for straying from the approved Western narrative on Syria. Some of the bullying and abuse has come from precisely those people, such as Robin Yassin-Kassab, who have been frequent guests in liberal Western media. Reporters who have returned from Syria with accounts that challenge the propaganda themes that have permeated the Western media also have come under attack. For instance, Canadian journalist Eva Bartlett recently returned to North America after being in Syria and Aleppo, conveying a very different image and critical of the Wests biased media coverage. Bartlett appeared at a United Nations press conference and then did numerous interviews across the country during a speaking tour. During the course of her talks and presentation, Bartlett criticized the White Helmets and questioned whether it was true that Al Quds Hospital in opposition-held East Aleppo was attacked and destroyed as claimed. Bartletts recounting of this information made her a target of Snopes, which has been a mostly useful website exposing urban legends and false rumors but has come under criticism itself for some internal challenges and has been inconsistent in its investigations. In one report entitled White Helmet Hearsay, Snopes writer Bethania Palmer says claims the White Helmets are linked to terrorists is unproven, but she overlooks numerous videos, photos, and other reports showing White Helmet members celebrating a Nusra/Al Qaeda battle victory, picking up the bodies of civilians executed by a Nusra executioner, and having a member who alternatively appears as a rebel/terrorist fighter with a weapon and later wearing a White Helmet uniform. The fact check barely scrapes the surface of public evidence. The same writer did another shallow investigation titled victim blaming regarding Bartletts critique of White Helmet videos and what happened at the Al Quds Hospital in Aleppo. Bartlett suggests that some White Helmet videos may be fabricated and may feature the same child at different times, i.e., photographs that appear to show the same girl being rescued by White Helmet workers at different places and times. While it is uncertain whether this is the same girl, the similarity is clear. The Snopes writer goes on to criticize Bartlett for her comments about the reported bombing of Al Quds Hospital in east Aleppo in April 2016. A statement at the website of Doctors Without Borders says the building was destroyed and reduced to rubble, but this was clearly false since photos show the building with unclear damage. Five months later, the September 2016 report by Doctors Without Borders says the top two floors of the building were destroyed and the ground floor Emergency Room damaged yet they re-opened in two weeks. The many inconsistencies and contradictions in the statements of Doctors Without Borders resulted in an open letter to them. In their last report, Doctors Without Borders (known by its French initials, MSF) acknowledges that MSF staff did not directly witness the attack and has not visited Al Quds Hospital since 2014. Bartlett referenced satellite images taken before and after the reported attack on the hospital. The images do not show severe damage and it is unclear whether or not there is any damage to the roof, the basis for Bartletts statement. In the past week, independent journalists have visited the scene of Al Quds Hospital and report that that the top floors of the building are still there and damage is unclear. The Snopes investigation criticizing Bartlett was superficial and ignored the broader issues of accuracy and integrity in the Western medias depiction of the Syrian conflict. Instead the article appeared to be an effort to discredit the eyewitness observations and analysis of a journalist who dared challenge the mainstream narrative. U.S. propaganda and disinformation on Syria has been extremely effective in misleading much of the American population. Thus, most Americans are unaware how many billions of taxpayer dollars have been spent on yet another regime change project. The propaganda campaign  having learned from the successful demonizations of Iraqs Saddam Hussein, Libyas Muammar Gaddafi and other targeted leaders  has been so masterful regarding Syria that many liberal and progressive news outlets were pulled in. It has been left to RT and some Internet outlets to challenge the U.S. government and the mainstream media. But the U.S. governments near total control of the message doesnt appear to be enough. Apparently even a few voices of dissent are a few voices too many. The enactment of HR5181, Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation, suggests that the ruling powers seek to escalate suppression of news and analyses that run counter to the official narrative. Backed by a new infusion of $160 million, the plan is to further squelch skeptical voices with operation for countering and refuting what the U.S. government deems to be propaganda and disinformation. As part of the $160 million package, funds can be used to hire or reward civil society groups, media content providers, nongovernmental organizations, federally funded research and development centers, private companies, or academic institutions. Among the tasks that these private entities can be hired to perform is to identify and investigate both print and online sources of news that are deemed to be distributing disinformation, misinformation, and propaganda directed at the United States and its allies and partners. In other words, we are about to see an escalation of the information war. Rick Sterling is an independent investigative journalist. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and can be reached at rsterling1@gmail.com The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy.
The Nigerian Army says it has recovered one AK47 assault rifle and uniforms belonging to DSP Mohammed Alkali and his police orderly allegedly beheaded by cultists 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 cultist hideouts in Ujju community near Omoku.

According to him, troops also recovered assorted types of arms and ammunition 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.

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.

Abdulkarim urged the public to provide security agencies with vital information that would lead to the arrest of cultists and militants and assured that their identities would be kept in confidence.
The Federal Government has condemned the recent extra judicial killing of a Nigerian, Tochukwu Nnadi in South Africa describing it as worrying.

The Senior Special assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa disclosed this in a statement signed by her media aide, Mr Abdur-Rahman Balogun, in Abuja on Monday.

She said the latest gruesome killing of Tochukwu Nnadi by Police in South Africa is unacceptable to the government and people of Nigeria.

Erewa reiterated the Presidents calls to Nigerians both home and abroad to avoid crimes like drug peddling which attracts stiff penalties like death.

She said: The barbaric behaviour of the perpetrators is not only unacceptable, but also calls for urgent attention by diplomatic authorities in Nigeria and South Africa.

She however, urged the South African government to ensure that justice prevails by carrying out investigation and ensure the culprits are made to face the law.

Erewa also enjoins Nigerians in diaspora to always respect the laws of their host countries and be good ambassadors of Nigeria.
Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has expressed confidence in the ability of President Muhammad Buhari to tackle to current economic challenges in the country.

The governor said this on Sunday in Kano in his New Year message to the people.

Ganduje, who spoke through the States Commissioner for Information, Youth and Culture, Mr Mohammed Garba, also expressed optimism about 2017.

He prayed that it would be full of opportunities, blessings and happiness for all Nigerians.

He said the past year had indeed not been very smooth on account of the economic recession in the country, expressing optimism however that the dogged commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari would bring about a turnaround.

According to the governor, dwindling revenue from the Federation Account had been affecting the fortunes of the state as is the case with other states in the country.

He said notwithstanding, the state government had been judiciously utilising the little resources coming via internally generated revenue to initiate and finance laudable and beneficial projects and programmes.

The governor listed the projects to include construction of new roads, bridges, underpass, flyover and the provision of potable drinking water.

Such projects and programmes have been positively touching the lives of the people. We have been doing that and we will continue to do it for the general development of Kano State.

Other areas we have focused on include health, agriculture, youth and women development, education, rural development, sanitation and environmental protection, he said.

Ganduje commended the citizens for what he called their understanding and support to government policies and programmes, urging them to continue to pay their taxes as and when due to enable the government execute more meaningful projects.

He also commended Buhari for the gallant and heroic capture of the Sambisa forest by the Nigerian Military and other stakehoders, saying this signaled the final conquest of the insurgents in North East.

The governor said it was heartwarming in view of the fact that Kano state had been badly affected by the activities of the insurgents, and urged the people to report any suspicious movement to the right quarters.
A gunman stormed a house party and killed at least 11 people and himself during New Year celebrations in the southeastern Brazilian city of Campinas late on Saturday.

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 remained unidentified, was among the victims.

Local media reported that a total of 15 people had been shot and several in critical condition.

A neighbour interviewed by the Globo television network said that he and his family members heard blasts about a quarter to midnight but did not immediately recognize if it was gunfire or fireworks.

The neighbour said it was only when one of those shot ran into their property bleeding and asking for help that they realised that someone had been shooting and the state police 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.

Source: Punch
Some unknown gunmen have abducted a traditional ruler in Kogi, a family source said in Lokoja on Sunday.

The monarch, the Ohi of Ajaokuta, whose name was as given Isah Achuja, was returning from Lokoja, the state capital, on Saturday when his vehicle was intercepted on the Lokoja-Ajaokuta road at gunpoint and the ruler taken to an unknown destination.

A member of the royal family, who did not want his name in print, told journalists that an aide to the traditional ruler and his driver narrowly escaped being hit by the bullets of the abductors.

He said the abductors had already contacted the family and demanded a N20 million ransom.

When contacted the State Police Commands spokesman, Williams Aya, said the incident had not been reported to the command.

He, however, promised that police would swing into action in a bid to rescue the monarch as soon as the details of the abduction were available.
The Interim Chairman of Kaura local government area, Mr Alexander Iya, on Tuesday escaped an attack when a suspected armed youth who stormed his residence was apprehended in Kagoro.

The Chairman who confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria said the suspect came to his house around 11:00 am carrying locally fabricated weapons demanding to see him.

Upon sighting the security personnel at the house, he jumped over the fence and made straight to my compound.

The suspect demanded to see me but unfortunately for him, I was not at home, he said.

Mr Iya, said the suspect thereupon vandalized his vehicle before he was chased and arrested.

He has since been handed over to the Police for further investigation, he said.

He also disclosed that the annual Kagoro Day Festival did not hold this year due to security challenges in the area, adding, youths celebrated it in their own way as they sang and danced within Kagoro metropolis.

Iya said although the festive mood in the area was low key, security operatives were busy on surveillance.

He urged residents to observe constituted authority and not to take laws into their hands.
The Niger State Police Command have said that there was no Boko Haram attack in any part of the state.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Bala Elkalla, stated this while speaking with journalists on Monday in Minna.

He said: The attention of Niger State Police Command has been drawn to online reports especially from Thisday Newspaper and Leadership Sunday of 1/1/2017 on alleged invasion of some villages in Rafi LGA, of Niger by fleeing Boko Haram from the recaptured Sambisa forest.

The report is not only false but malicious and calculated at causing fear and panic among the peace loving people of Niger State.

The report is clearly a fiction emanating from the writers imagination.

For the avoidance of doubt, Niger State is among the few states in the country that has conquered cattle rustling, kidnapping and armed banditry.

It is on record that within the past few months, the command, in its aggressive operations arrested over 40 armed bandits and recovered over 1,000 cattle and various types of assorted weapons.

In Rafi LGA alone, being a boundary community with Kaduna state, Zamfara and Kebbi states, the command has over 500 mobile policemen and special anti-robbery squads patrolling the villages.

Members of the public are enjoined to remain calm and go about their lawful businesses.

The command has put in place sensitive security measures to guarantee adequate protection of lives and properties of the people.

The Police Spokesperson urged political office holders to refrain from statements capable of truncating the long enjoyed peace in Niger State.

He also advised journalists to verify their reports in order to adequately inform the public.
The Yobe state Fadama Coordination Office has organized a safety and awareness workshop for returning Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), in the state.

The awareness workshop is expected to train them on how to identify Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), planted by the Boko Haram insurgents in their previously captured communities.

At the flagging off ceremony of the enlightenment workshop in Damaturu the state capital, the returnees were effectively educated on how to identify IEDs and promptly report to disposing units security operatives for proper diffusion.

During the sojourn of the Boko Haram insurgents in the captured areas, lots of IEDs were produced and haboured in the recaptured communities which calls for proper search and diffusion, else it could be destructive to the returnees.

At the workshop, Bomb disposal experts from the Nigeria Army and the Police, were present to educate the returnees on how to properly go about such devices if found in their communities.

Colonel Obasanjo of the 3 Division of the Nigeria Army base in Damaturu, informed participants that they may come across some substances which might look attractive but are very dangerous.

He then cautioned them against taking such strange objects.

You may see some glittering and attractive metals or objects around these returning communities which were taken over by the insurgents. Please do well to avoid taking such. They are mostly destructive.

He went further to advise that: On sighting such objects, kindly alert the available security personnel for proper diffusion to avoid explosion which can claim lives.

DSP Martin Mba on the other hand, informed participants that the workshop will expose or educate them on the dangers posed by landmines as they will be able to identify such destructive substances at the end of the sensitization workshop.

He then advised the IDPs to make the best use of the opportunity.

Coordinator of Fadama III in Yobe state, Mr Musa Garba, explianed that his organization embarked on such awareness campaign to save the lives and means of livelihood of the returnees who will be contributing to the development of the nations economy.

The workshop is necessary and timely because the returnees will be engaged in farming, fishing and rearing of livestock which they were hitherto doing before and as these insurgents settled in their communities, there is the likelihood that they may have planted some explosives which will cause serious setbacks on our policies as a people and as a nation.

We want to restore the means of livelihood of these people and we have to protect them froanything that will affect them. Garba said.

The sensitization workshop will be carried out across the whole state with centers across Potiskum, Gashua, Geidam, and Nguru Local Government Areas.

Source: Channels
The President of the Senate, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki has launched a contest to promote made in Nigeria products.

The contest scheduled for three months is aimed at showcasing the process and raw materials used in producing such locally made goods.

In a statement personally signed by Dr Saraki, he said that the contest will identify the good products that could be matched with investors and government agencies.

He said that such agencies or investors would drive the products to the extent that they compete favourably with any similar product being imported.

Today, as promised, we kick-start the soft launch of the #MadeInNigeria Challenge.

This campaign is organised to showcase everyday products that are used by Nigerians and produced by Nigerians locally that serves as an alternative to imported products.

The next few weeks, we hope to identify products and ideas that can be matched with investors and government agencies.

To wrap up the Challenge, in March, we will be inviting some of the finalist to a Made In Nigeria Roundtable at the Senate.

This Roundtable will allow us, legislators, Government Agencies, business owners, and everyday Nigerian consumers to review and update the report of the National Assembly Business Environment Roundtable (NASSBER), which was held in 2016 to improve the ease of doing business in the country, he said.

Saraki added that the roundtable would also be used to get feedback on the Public Procurement Act passed by the Senate in 2016.

The amended Act mandates government agencies to give preference to local manufacturers in Procurement of goods and services.

He wished all the participants good luck and called on Nigerians to use the hashtag #MadeInNigeria in all your submitted videos.
Though some critics love to knock PCs as dinosaurs, laptops and desktops have gotten sexier, faster and even smarter. For every blue screen of death, there are droves of technological enhancements driving PCs into the era of virtual reality, 4K video and 5G connectivity. Here are the top 10 PC technology and trends to watch next year.

VR PCs on your head

Intel/IDGNS An Intel employee demonstrates the companys Project Alloy headset on stage during IDF 2016 in San Francisco on August 16, 2016.

VR devices will come in many new shapes and sizes, with some of them acting essentially as PCs that fit on your head. Dell, Asus, Acer, Lenovo and HP will release mixed reality headsets, which will allow users to interact with 3D objects that pop up as floating images superimposed on a real-life background. The devices will provide a new level of human-computer interaction, making it more fun than ever to create 3D objects, play games, watch moves, and have interactive Skype calls. These holographic computers, as they have been called, will have Intel chips, an integrated GPU and possibly a 3D RealSense camera to identify objects, measure distances, and provide new perspectives on surroundings.

Storage prices will go up

Martyn Williams A computer with an Intel SSD on display at Computex 2015 in Taipei

Prices of SSDs are going up due to shortages, and that could have an impact on the price of laptops, 2-in-1 computers and storage. Dells XPS 13 with Intels Kaby Lake chips and a 512GB SSD, for example, is not available right now. Other laptops with 512GB SSDs are priced unbelievably high. Most PC makers are offering 128GB or 256GB SSDs in PCs by default. Choose storage wisely, as it isnt easy to screw open a superthin 2-in-1 to replace an SSD.

Talk to your PC

Microsoft Woman using Microsofts Cortana voice-activated assistant on Lumia smartphone.

The feud between Apples Siri, Amazons Alexa, Googles Assistant and Microsofts Cortana voice-activated assistants could get more interesting next year. Users will be able to shout out Cortana commands to Windows 10 PCs from a longer distance, thanks to a far-field speech recognition technology that Intel and Microsoft are working on. Until now, Cortana worked best if a user was close to a PC, but millions of Windows PCs will turn into Amazon Echo competitors with this new feature. Cortana can do a lot more than Amazon Echo, like accessing information from the cloud, chatting with chatbots, checking email and other tasks.

AMD ratchets up chip battle with Intel

Martyn Williams

Intel has been the unchallenged king of PCs for more than a decade, but AMD is fighting back with its new Ryzen PC processor, which will reaches PCs next year. A healthy rivalry will be good news for PC users, some of whom may jump from the Intel to the AMD camp. AMD claims Ryzen is 40 percent faster than its current PC chips, which on paper is impressive. The chips will first hit gaming PCs, and then mainstream laptops and desktops later in 2017. Ryzen will battle Intels Kaby Lake in early 2017, and the 10-nanometer Cannonlake in late 2017.

ARM-based laptops with Windows, again

Stephen Lawson

The first attempt at ARM PCs, which ran on Windows RT, was an unmitigated disaster, and it left many users skeptical of the idea. But Microsoft hasnt given up, especially as 5G starts to become a reality and cellular connectivity in PCs becomes essential. Microsoft announced that next year PCs will be available with Qualcomms ARM-based Snapdragon 835, which is primarily for smartphones. Super-thin laptops will get integrated modems and a long battery life with the chip. The ARM-based PCs will run Win32 applications that run on regular x86 PCs via emulation.

For now, no PC maker has announced ARM-based Windows PCsmanufacturers may be cautious in light of the Windows RT fiasco. There are also many challenges. Snapdragon isnt as fast as high-end x86 Intel or AMD chips, and wont support 64-bit applications initially. Also, emulation may limit the ability to exploit hardware acceleration.

Bluetooth 5 will take charge

Stephen Lawson The Bluetooth logo.

Laptops and 2-in-1s will be equipped with the latest Bluetooth 5 wireless specification, which is a longer and faster upgrade to the aging Bluetooth 4.2. Bluetooth 5 will allow PCs to communicate wirelessly with devices up to 400 meters away in clear line of sight, but a more reasonable range is about 120 meters, according to analysts. Bluetooth 5 will transfer data at speeds of up to 2Mbps, which is two times faster than its predecessor.

Beautiful screens, 4K and HDR

Dell Dells XPS 13 has an edge-to-edge screen.

Laptops like the XPS 13 and Lenovos Yoga 910 have beautiful edge-to-edge screens, a feature that may be included in more laptops next year. Also, 4K screens and HDR (high-dynamic range) technology will make games and movies look stunning. HDR results in more vivid images, and TVs, cameras and monitors supporting the technology are already available. Netflix is also doubling down on HDR. An HDR standards battle is brewing with DolbyVision and HBR3, but GPU makers are supporting both standards. AMD expects DolbyVision to ultimately win.

New storage and memory technologies

Intel 3D XPoint is the technology behind Optane products.

Intels Optane, a superfast SSD and DRAM replacement that could ultimately unify memory and storage, could cause a radical change in PC architecture. But that wont happen for a few years, and the initial expectations for Optane are modest. The first Optane SSDs will be in enthusiast PCs, and could cost a small fortune. Optane SSDs have been measured as being 10 times faster than conventional SSDs. Over time, Optane could replace DRAM DIMMs, with the added advantage of being able to store data.

The SSDs wont be in laptops next year as the technologys uses are still being explored. Optane is based on a technology called 3D Xpoint, which Intel co-developed with Micron. SSDs based on Microns 3D XPoint technology will ship next year under the QuantX brand.

More changes for keyboards

Lenovo Lenovos Yoga Book has a virtual keyboard on a touch panel.

We saw some interesting changes to keyboards this year: Apple added the Touch Bar, while Lenovo swapped out the hard keyboard for a virtual keyboard on a touch input panel for its Yoga Book. Lenovo wants to bring the virtual keyboard to more Chromebooks and 2-in-1s, partly because of its versatility. The touch input panel can also be used to draw or take notes with a stylus. Its a toss-up: Lenovo believes that those used to typing on mobile devices will adapt to this touch panel keyboard quickly, while hard keyboard diehards will dismiss the idea.

Some ports wont go away easily

James Niccolai USB Type-C cable on show at CES

PC makers may not muster up the courage to remove the headphone jack and SD card slots from PCs right away, but USB 2.0 slots could be on their way out. Some PC makers may leave out display and other legacy ports with the emergence of the versatile USB Type-C, which can be used to charge PCs and connect displays, storage devices and other peripherals.
As Patrick Boardman and Dean Pinto of insurance law firm Wotton + Kearney told Insurance Business readers in an article last year, company directors and officers have ever-increasing duties and obligations resulting in ever-increasing liability exposure.



According to Aons 1H 2016 Insurance Market Update, Australia has become the most likely jurisdiction outside of the United States in which a company will face significant class action litigation  a salient reminder of the need for company directors and officers to have comprehensive and up-to-date D&O liability protection.



Last year, it was the team at DUAL Australia who took out top marks for D&O in our Brokers and Underwriters survey and, this year, theyve succeeded in achieving the same again. And, just as was the case in 2015, its a very clear first place finish for DUAL.



Taking the silver is first time Brokers on Underwriting Agencies medallist, Miramar Underwriting Agency. One broker respondent told Insurance Business that Miramar always provides a competitive solution with the right product.



Very closely following Miramar with bronze is Melbournes Solution Underwriting Agency. Its the same medal the Solution team received for its D&O liability offering last year, and one of three medals earned in the inaugural survey.





Related stories:

DUAL boss given expanded role

DUAL Australia announces new product offering


With only 42 percent of National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants in the Northern Territory receiving funded support under the scheme, renewed questions have been raised about its workings in remote areas.



The NDIS, which is now fully operational in the Territory's Barkly region and was rolled out on 1 January in east Arnhem Land as well as for people in supported accommodation in Darwin, provides eligible participants with funding to spend on their choice of reasonable and necessary supports to help them lead a more ordinary life, the report said.



Only 42 per cent of the Territory's 155 participants who have approved plans had received payments, as compared to three-quarters of participants in the West Australian trial site, which had been running for the same duration, and the 79 per cent of participants nationwide, ABC reported.



Damian Griffis of the First People's Disability Network said advocates have long had concerns about how the scheme would function in remote areas where there were few staff and services on the ground.



One of the fundamental challenges is that you can have a plan done, but if there's nothing to purchase then it's meaningless," he told ABC.



"And this is not the fault of the NDIS per se, this is just indicative of how much work is required to build the capacity of the disability service system in the Northern Territory."



Jane Prentice, assistant minister for Social and Disability Services, said it is more challenging to implement NDIS in remote areas, and that the 42 per cent figure did not necessarily mean the scheme was not giving its participants support.

"It just means payments haven't been made, so that's got to be a question in itself  are people providing services and not being paid properly?" she said.



She cited the problems with the NDIS payment portal earlier in the year.



"There probably needs to be more analysis of 'are people activating those plans,' and I understand that they are, and if they are, why aren't the providers getting paid?" she said.



"So that's probably a question we need to get on to with NDIA (National Disability Insurance Agency)."



An NDIA spokeswoman said there has been an increase in the number of registered providers in the Northern Territory  from 42 to 111 over a three-month period from June to September 2016, the report said.



Griffis said that remote areas still struggling to build a market and workforce would benefit from a more flexible, whole of community approach to service delivery.



"There's no doubt that the NDIS has to look different in the roll out in the Northern Territory, there just isn't the choice that exists in metropolitan Sydney in terms of services," he said.



"What we need to do though is invest in communities themselves so that they can be the supports for their own community members with disability."



The spokeswoman said the scheme's roll out in the Territory was designed "using a community-by-community approach... to ensure the NDIS is delivered in a culturally sensitive manner," ABC reported.



Last financial year, over $25,000 worth of grants were handed out by the agency to local organisations for raising awareness about the scheme.



NDIS is expected to support 6,500 people in the Northern Territory when it becomes fully operational in 2019, the report said.





Related stories:

NDIS misses enrolment targets

Canberrans at risk of missing out on NDIS

Half of NDIS enrolees receive disability support for the first time

NDIS to create jobs, allow more control


A spate of header fires could prompt insurance companies to hike premiums  or even refuse to cover harvesters, according to peak harvest contract body Australian Custom Harvesters.



Campbell Fuller, Insurance Council of Australia spokesman, said several insurers were still offering cover for harvest equipment despite the headers having a high risk of fire damage, according to a Weekly Times report.



He said that one insurer, however, has signalled to brokers that it will no longer operate in the Australian agricultural market after April.



Last year, there were at least four serious fires caused by headers in Victoria. The state had seen increased harvesting of legumes such as lentils and chick peas, which are more flammable than cereal crops, the report said.



In NSW, there has been a rise in fire damage from header fires according to fire authorities, including a West Wyalong fire that razed 7000 ha and caused $500,000 in crop losses.



About seven per cent of harvesters a year catch fire, according to a recent study by Grains Research and Development Corporation and Kondinin Group. In these cases, one in 10 will result in major damages to the machine or surrounding crop, The Weekly Times said.



Trevor Verlin, Australian Custom Harvesters executive officer, said his association has been making efforts to reduce header fires. He was worried, however, by the insurance industry's concern about the risks.



We do know fewer and fewer of the underwriters have been interested in taking on the risk of harvesters, as they do sometimes catch on fire, he said.



An insurance agent told him recently that there would not be an underwriter that would cover harvesters.



This has the potential to have a significant impact on the ability to harvest the crop, Verlin said. The grains industry is increasingly relying on professionals to come in and take off the crop quickly.



Andrew Weidemann, Grain Producers Australia chairman, was working with the industry to address the issue, the report said.





Related stories:

NRMA Insurance to cooperate in development of bushfire detection technology

ICA, fire services warn against bushfire underinsurance


Socially responsible investment (SRI) funds can take on a variety of mandates. They often look to invest in companies that do business in an environmentally responsible manner and that pay attention to fair supply chain practices. Still, others make a point not to invest in companies that are involved in the sale of tobacco, weapons, or gambling. Less known is that many of these SRI funds have also made it their business to invest in companies that strive to empower women and other underserved cohorts in the workplace. Below is a list of a few that do just that.

Domini Social Investments

Domini Social Investments, LLC. looks to invest in companies that are committed to workplace diversity. That means they expect to see a substantial representation of women and minorities in management-level positions, including as senior line executives, when evaluating a company.

Its funds also look to invest in companies that provide an open work environment for minorities, LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer, employees). Additionally, it seeks out companies that offer sexual harassment training and programs that promote respect for diversity.

In that vein, Domini stays away from companies that have a history or record of controversies related to lack of diversity, sexual harassment, or discrimination. Dominis Proxy Voting Guidelines note that it will vote against boards of trustees that do not include women or people of color.

Calvert Investments

Calvert Investments has long been an advocate for diversity and the promotion of women worldwide. In 2004, in partnership with the United National Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), it created Calverts Women's Principles (CWP), which defined a global code of corporate conduct on empowering and investing in women.

In 2010, those principals were used as the basis for the UN's Women's Empowerment Principles. The fund was also instrumental in developing a model charter language on board diversity, recommending companies abide by it when creating an independent and inclusive board.

Calvert made much headway on this front in 2010, when it filed 14 resolutions on women and diversity in the workplace. As a result, many companies have since changed their board of directors selection criteria to include race and gender diversity. Additionally, Calvert has been advocating for womens empowerment by actively voting its proxies, initiating shareholder resolutions and holding discussions with corporate management.

Neuberger Berman

Neuberger Bermans NB Socially Responsive Fund (NBSRX) looks to invest in companies that are ahead of the fray in promoting diversity in the workplace. To that end, the fund seeks corporations that make a point of promoting women and minorities to senior-level positions, as well as putting them on their boards of directors. The fund also likes companies that offer diversity training programs and that offer support groups. It makes an effort to buy stock in companies that purchase goods and services from women- and minority-owned firms.

Additionally, this fund looks for companies that have taken broad and innovative steps toward hiring and training women and minorities and that have a reputation for promoting diversity in the workplace. The NB fund also avoids investment in companies that have recently been brought up or named in discrimination lawsuits related to gender, race, disability, or sexual orientation. NBSRX is down 7.9% year-to-date 2022.

Parnassus Investments

Parnassus Investments is devoted to finding those companies that promote diversity in the workplace and that make it a priority to have women and minorities represented at all levels of the company ladder, in particular at the executive level.

The fund managers make a point of voting for resolutions that aim to improve the representation of women and ethnic minorities in the workforce and to increase diversity and equal pay for equal work. The firm's oldest offering, the $851 million Parnassus Fund (PARNX), which was created in 1984, is down 16.33% year-to-date 2022

Pax World Investments

Pax World Investments has been promoting womens empowerment and diversity through investing for years and has been an advocate in disseminating the mounting evidence that gender diversity has positive financial consequences. Its Pax World Global Womens Equality Fund (PXWEX) focuses on investing in companies that continue to advance gender equality and womens empowerment.

The Pax funds managers always make sure to vote proxies, file shareholder resolutions, and engage in corporate dialogs that are geared toward issuing corporate diversity and womens empowerment. Pax's flagship fund, which went live in 1971 and now has $2.5 billion in total assets, is the Pax World Individual Investor (PAXWX). It is down 6.11% year-to-date 2022.

Praxis Mutal Funds

Praxis Mutual Funds make sure to review a companys core social values and issues related to womens empowerment before investing in it. The funds managers pursue shareholder actions against practices of modern slavery, such as the trafficking of women and girls.

In 2010, Praxis engaged in a shareholder dialog with hotel company Wyndham Worldwide Corp. (WYN) to push for better training and procedures to be put in place that would help stop human trafficking from taking place at the companys hotels. Praxis also took part in shareholder conversations with Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL), resulting in Deltas signing of the tourism Code of Conduct, an initiative designed with the ECPAT International, a global network dedicated to protecting children from commercial sexual exploitation.

The code works to protect women and girls from sexual exploitation in the travel and tourism industries. Praxis' flagship fund, the Intermediate Income A (MIAAX), was created in 1999 and is down 1.33% year-to-date 2022.

Walden Asset Management

Walden Asset Management strives to invest in companies that offer vibrant equal employment opportunity programs and policies and that show diverse management teams and boards of directors. It offers a variety of equity, debt, and balanced funds, which focus on investing in companies that offer above-average employment policies with benefits packages and devotion to a work-life balance.

It avoids companies that show a history of discrimination. Additionally, Walden dedicates time to active shareholder engagement initiatives and advocates for inclusive non-discrimination policies.

What is modern slavery? Modern slavery is a system of severely exploiting people for financial gain, a practice found in manufacturing, domestic service, farming, and other fields. From the outside, a person subject to slavery may look like he or she is doing a job under normal circumstances, but they are being controlled by their employer with violence or other means, such as confiscation of a passport, being forced into debt, or possible deportation.

What Is a socially responsible investment (SRI)? Socially responsible investing (SRI), also known as social investment, is an investment that is considered socially responsible due to the nature of the business the company conducts. A common theme for socially responsible investments is socially conscious investing. Socially responsible investments can be made into individual companies with good social value, or through a socially conscious mutual fund or exchange-traded fund (ETF).

What is a diversity score? The diversity score is a proprietary tool developed by Moody's Investors Service that estimates the level of diversification in a portfolio containing alternative assets. In particular, it was initially created to gauge the relative risk of particular collateralized debt obligations (CDOs).

What is an exchange-traded fund (ETF)? An exchange-traded fund (ETF) is a type of pooled investment security that operates much like a mutual fund. Typically, ETFs will track a particular index, sector, commodity, or other asset, but unlike mutual funds, ETFs can be purchased or sold on a stock exchange the same way that a regular stock can. An ETF can be structured to track anything from the price of an individual commodity to a large and diverse collection of securities. ETFs can even be structured to track specific investment strategies.

What is the Civil Right Act of 1964? The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was landmark legislation that led to other civil rights laws over the years. How did it come about? By the early 1960s, the civil rights movement had brought national attention to racial barriers in education, public transportation, and use of public accommodations, such as restaurants and theaters. In 1963in the wake of harsh treatment of peaceful protestors by the police and the murders of civil rights activistsPresident John F. Kennedy called for a meaningful civil rights bill. His efforts were filibustered in the Senate. After Kennedy's assassination that year, his successor, President Lyndon B. Johnson, took up the cause. With the support of activists such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the bill passed in the House and Senate in 1964.

The Bottom Line

If you are looking to invest in companies that promote gender equality and diversity, the creation of open workplaces for minorities and gay and lesbian employees, promoting minority-owned business, and opposing modern slavery, there are many SRI funds to choose from.
The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children says Ireland is lagging behind other countries in failing to provide a 24-hour social work service for children.

The charity says thousands of children continue to face substantial risks in Ireland, as demonstrated by the calls to Childline of young people struggling to cope.
A Syrian man has been arrested in Germany on suspicion of seeking 180,000 (153,000) from the Islamic State group to buy vehicles that he intended to use for one or several bomb attacks, authorities said.

The 38-year-old, who came to Germany in late 2014 as an asylum-seeker, was arrested on Saturday in Saarbruecken, close to the French border. He is accused of collecting money to be used by him or someone else to carry out murder.

Prosecutors accuse him of contacting someone in Syria "who he knew was in a position to obtain IS money for terror financing" last month via the Telegram encrypted communication service.

The suspect allegedly asked for 180,000 so that he could buy and repaint vehicles that he intended to fit out with explosives before driving them into crowds.

The case against him was bolstered by an informant who went to Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office, chats on the suspect's smartphone and his own statements, "insofar as they can be followed", prosecutors said in a statement.

The Syrian is alleged to have told the financier that each vehicle would cost 22,500 (19,000), and that 400 to 500 kilograms of explosives would be placed in each car, they added.

Police said in a separate statement that the man had sought IS financing for an "as yet unsubstantiated attack scenario with the help of prepared vehicles in Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands".

In questioning, the man acknowledged that he had been in contact with IS, but denied "terrorist intentions", prosecutors said.

Investigators have found no evidence that he already had vehicles fitted out to conduct attacks. Police said that a search of his apartment turned up no evidence of any concrete danger to New Year's Eve celebrations.

Germany saw three attacks last year claimed by IS and carried out by asylum-seekers - two in Bavaria in the summer, in which the assailants were killed and a total of 20 people wounded, and the December 19 lorry attack on a Berlin Christmas market in which 12 people were killed.
Last year was the year of the unexpected, when it was best to apply Forrest Gumps motto, you never know what youre gonna get.

Leicester City won the Premier League at odds of 5000/1.

The likelihood of Remain winning the EU referendum in the UK was quoted at around 90%.

Ireland beat the All Blacks, Iceland knocked England out of the Euros and ELO played to sold out stadiums.

If this trend continues then there is a new range of previously unthinkable possibilities for 2017.

Our tabby cat Ringo becomes an internet sensation. I understand Snapchat. Spurs win the Premier League.

The Beatles reform with Liam Gallagher standing in for John Lennon. The Brexiteers admit they have made a terrible mistake and call a second referendum.

Not so many years ago, the current economic phenomenon of negative interest rates, massive quantitative easing and stock market highs accompanied by sluggish growth would also have been classed as unthinkable.

Now, several commentators call it the new normal. It may be new but it is difficult to see how it could be accepted as normal.

This new dispensation has generated the latest acronym JAMS, the just about managing, who have become one of the fastest-growing groups in the population.

It has given oxygen to extremist movements and left future generations with a legacy of debt that they are unlikely to be able to repay.

It has created an increasing gap between the rich and the poor, according to OECD figures.

The Central Banks QE policy is designed to help restore the balance sheets of the banks but it is hard to tell if it is working.

In Ireland, this new normality has inured us to the harsh reality of bad lending. It is not normal for more than 34,000 homes to be slotted for repossession. It is not normal for the high number of those loans to have been sold to unregulated vulture funds.

It is not normal for banks to function with 20% of their loan book in arrears. It is not normal for mortgage arrears advisers to report that vulture funds are more straightforward to deal with than the banks.

Recent mortgage arrears figures revealed a number of issues that should be of material concern.

In an economy with some of the highest growth rates in Europe it would be normal to expect that the bulk of the arrears problem would be behind us some eight years after the crash. Instead, the long-term arrears figures have hardly budged.

The consequences of this failure to tackle long-term arrears are very significant, ranging from the high cost we pay for credit through to the general dysfunction in the housing market.

What is predictable is that unless we change our approach and adopt a more comprehensive policy, there will be no improvement.

Last month, the Governor of the Central Bank Philip Lane told the Oireachtas Finance Committee that the domestically-focused banks had made considerable progress in working through non-performing loans; a sentiment which we have heard expressed repeatedly by the Central Bank from the start of the decade.

This comforting reassurance appeared to be contradicted by his acceptance that the outstanding volume of non-performing loans, of which mortgages account for more than half, remain high in both absolute and relative terms.

It sounds like more of Irelands new normal, involving a continuation of the arrears crisis, more repossessions, a continuation of the rental crisis and an increase in homelessness.

My wish for 2017 is that when the Governor makes an appearance in front of the Oireachtas Finance Committee this time next year he will have some actual good news to report indicating that we have returned to the old normal.
The Health Service Executive has drawn up the projected estimate, but some have said it could even be higher, which would severely undermine the health budget for 2017.

This is on top of the 50m needed to deliver the deal for garda officers.

Despite the mounting crisis, Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe has ruled out an early start to talks with unions on a successor pay deal to the Lansdowne Road Agreement.

In an interview with the Irish Examiner, Mr Donohoe said that, despite the significant pressure to begin talks on a new deal this month, this will not happen.

There were many critics and union leaders calling for talks to begin on a successor deal in January. But I am not going to do that, he said.

But I am not going to begin a discussion on the long-term future of public sector pay before the Public Service Pay Commission [PSPC] concludes it work. If I was to begin that in January there would be no point in the PSPC.

Mr Donohoe insisted it was not reasonable or feasible to ask the commission to shorten the timeframe in which it is operating, as to do so would be to jeopardise its work.

We said we would ask the commission to produce a report by quarter two of 2017. It is not realistic to do that job any quicker or any sooner than that, said Mr Donohoe.

It could be May as opposed to June, but they will not be able to do it by January if I was to ask them to do their work expeditiously but not at the cost of that work or at the integrity of that work.

Mr Donohoe revealed that he is opening talks with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions this month to decide what impact the Labour Court judgement will have on the public service as a whole.

An anomaly has been created by what has happened here, he said. We will conclude discussions with ICTU and the PSPC by the end of January. There are consequences for the Labour Court recommendations for those inside Lansdowne Road and under article 6 of the agreement there is a procedure for recognising anomalies in it.

He said successor talks will be mostly completed during the second half of this year.

If there were any consequences from any successor deal that would have to be taken account of in 2018, said Mr Donohoe. That all has to be done in time for the estimates process for the budget, which means that all has to be done by October.

Mr Donohoe revealed the level of surprise he and his fellow Cabinet ministers felt at the Labour Courts decision, saying it caused profound difficulties for them.

I found myself in a situation the day after the Labour Court, that had we not accepted its recommendation it would have caused profound difficulties for the future of industrial relations in this state, he said.

If the Government refused to be bound by the Labour Court, and its recommendations, we would have undermined completely the space within which we organise industrial relations in this State.

Importantly, Mr Donohoe said the recent Horgan report into garda pay  which showed rank and file officers total remuneration per year is above 100,000  will be a key component of the pending discussions about future pay rises.

I consider the Horgan report is an important element in the discussions we will have. But what will set the context more broadly will be the pay commission, he said.

He warned that if other unions were to follow down the road of the Garda Siochana, there would be profound consequences for the delivery of public services in this state.
Documents released under the 30-year State rule show the minister for foreign affairs, Peter Barry, had inquired about the possibility of the two governments co-ordinating their monitoring activity in relation to tests carried out in the Republic and Northern Ireland on emissions from Sellafield.

However, the Northern Ireland secretary, Tom King, said it would be difficult for the Irish government to criticise its British counterpart on the basis of information obtained from such co-operation.

It might be better to keep our operations as separate as possible, said Mr King. If we work together it might inhibit your opportunities to make representations against us or to the UK government.

He added: It might become an ambassadors nightmare. Mr Barry said there was also the issue about pollution into the Irish Sea but he agreed that co-operation might not be desirable on the issue.

At a meeting of the Anglo-Irish intergovernmental conference in London on May 9, 1986, Mr Barry wondered if Sellafield might be shut down given the Cumbria nuclear plant had become the focus of much attention in the wake of the nuclear accident at Chernobyl a month earlier.

Michael Lillis, a senior civil servant in the Department of Foreign Affairs quipped: It might in due course be melted down.

However, Mr King said the British government was spending 3.6 billion to make Sellafield the safest plant in the world, although he acknowledged there had been some difficulties over the previous years.

It was started at a time when the standards of control on emissions were not what they are now, said Mr King.

He added: We will spend 1m every day for the next ten years on the plant. There has been a massive concentration of investment to ensure safety of processing. There is a totally different situation at the site in Russia.

Other records show that the Irish government had become concerned about a growing number of incidents at the Sellafield plant which included the discharge of radioactive material into the Irish Sea.

It had also emerged data about emissions from the nuclear facility from the 1950s had been substantially inaccurate.

Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald said such events had raised doubts about the operation and management of Sellafield.

Dr FitzGerald held the view that the monitoring of the plant should best be carried out at EEC level.

It followed a letter from Margaret Thatcher on March 6, 1986, in which she urged the Taoiseach to keep recent incidents in Sellafield in perspective as discharges into the sea and air had been progressively reducing at the plant.

It is important not to let these relatively minor incidents, whose importance has been exaggerated in the media out of all proportion to the real risks to health and safety in an apparent effort to discredit the nuclear industry, overshadow the fact that BNF (British Nuclear Fuels) has substantially reduced its discharges in recent years at Sellafield, Ms Thatcher wrote.

The average amount of radiation received by the UK public from the nuclear industry is only about one-tenth of 1% of that from natural sources, and for the Irish public it is of course very much less, said Ms Thatcher. In reply on March 24, 1986, Dr FitzGerald called for the discharge of nuclear waste into the Irish Sea to be minimised and totally eliminated as soon as possible.

He told the British prime minister that there was a communications gap between the nuclear industry and the man in the street.

Dr FitzGerald admitted that tests carried out by the Irish authorities on water and air quality found no significant radioactive pollution linked to Sellafield.

Records show civil servants decided that Ms Thatchers letter which provided a requested update about issues at Sellafield warranted a substantive reply.

It appears desirable to put our position on the record. Otherwise the British may take it that our concern has been allayed and that we will not be pursuing the matter, said Wally Kirwan, assistant secretary at the Department of the Taoiseach.

Mr Kirwan said in drafting a response for Ms Thatcher he was conscious of the desirability, in the context of the Anglo-Irish Agreement, of not unnecessarily provoking the wrath of the Prime Minister.

He claimed he had sought to to strike a conciliatory tone.
Documents released under the 30-year rule show Government officials were concerned about the lack of facilities to host such visitors in Dublin in advance of two upcoming state visits but believed Farmleigh House was the best option.

Officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs recommended the 36-hectare estate as the best choice as it was close to Dublin city centre and could accommodate large entourages.

Benjamin Guinness (Lord Iveagh)  the head of the Guinness brewing family who owned the 19th century Georgian mansion at the time  had indicated his willingness to allow the use of the house for visiting dignitaries.

Diplomatic staff who visited Farmleigh also appreciated the size of its dining room which could host dinners organised by visiting heads of state.

Farmleigh would certainly require the cosmetic improvements referred to in the report for which Lord Iveaghs agreement would be necessary, noted one official.

He claimed the overall impression of the building interior was one of spacious but faded elegance.

The lighting is poor and the paintwork is in need of renewal in some rooms, he added.

Carpets on the stairs and rugs in several rooms were well worn while the staircase ceiling was very dusty and dirty.

However, he concluded: The location is excellent and with some cosmetic improvements to the interior, it would make a very suitable place to stay for distinguished visitors.

Farmleigh was subsequently purchased by the State in 1999 for 26.9m.

Records show that the president, Patrick Hillery had suggested that Aras an Uachtarain should also be considered as a location.

However, a survey found that the accommodation available to a visiting party was very limited due to structural difficulties.

In terms of quality, the accommodation is somewhat below the level expected to be offered to a visiting head of state, although the furnishings could, no doubt, be improved on the occasion of state visits, a report noted.

It said the main bedroom in the five-room, Queen Victoria suite on the upper floor of Aras an Uachtarain had a floor which was sagging badly, while the decor was described as sober.
The Minister for the Environment, John Boland, recommended in September 1986 that draft legislation to introduce postal voting on health and occupations grounds should not be proceeded with.

Mr Boland told other ministers he had grave reservation about the measure as there had been was serious organised abuse in a number of areas during the previous years local elections.

He claimed the worst reported incident occurred in Donegal where only 635 out of 3,325 applications for a postal vote were accepted.

Mr Boland said the abuse took place at every stage of the process, despite various in-built safeguards to make postal voting as secure as possible. Applicants signatures, medical certificates and signature of peace commissioners were forged, said Mr Boland.

Medical certificates were signed without the patient being examined or even known by the doctor, he added. Mr Boland said there was also evidence of undue pressure being exerted on individuals to apply for a postal vote and then being further pressurised to vote in a particular way.

He had also received reports of a few post office workers interfering with postal votes.

Mr Boland said the experience of the 1985 local elections showed that it was not possible to devise a postal voting system that ensure the security of the vote and the ballot paper and at the same time provide an accessible service to those who needed it.

Under our voting system the destiny of seats at Dail elections is frequently decided by a mere handful of votes. Organised abuse of postal voting in key marginal constituencies could have a significant effect, he observed.

Instead, Mr Boland proposed that the Government should consider approving a system where the physically disabled would register as special voters.

He proposed they would have ballot papers delivered to where they lived by a special presiding officer accompanied by a garda sergeant. He estimated the cost of such a scheme as 150,000 per election.

Mr Boland also expressed reservations about proposals contained in a draft Postal Voting Bill to allow state and semi-state employees living abroad and their families to have a postal vote.

The minister said it would be difficult where to draw the line on who would be eligible, as well as the fact that any abuse would effectively be out of reach of our courts.

State papers show the Minister for Justice, Alan Dukes, opposed any garda involvement on grounds of principle, policy and manpower, while the minister for finance, John Bruton, objected to the scheme on cost grounds.

Mr Boland responded that Garda involvement was an essential part of the scheme. He agreed with Mr Dukes that the scheme was costly and cumbersome.

Minister for health, Barry Desmond, favoured the arrangements to assist people with disabilities to vote at elections while Minister for foreign affairs, Peter Barry, was supportive of the measure to extend postal voting to civil servants posted abroad and their families.

Mr Barry said he believed that the disenfranchisement of such individuals was unjust, discriminatory and almost certainly unconstitutional.

Currently, people with a physical illness or disability as well as full-time students living away from home may be entitled to a postal vote.

It also applies to prisoners as well as anyone unable to vote at a polling station because of their occupation.

Irish diplomats and their partners, gardai and full-time members of the Defence Forces are also entitled to apply for a postal vote.

There is also a special voters list which is open to people living in hospitals, nursing homes and similar institutions.
Cities in the Pacific island nations of Samoa, Tonga and Kiribati were among the first to bid farewell to 2016, before fireworks were launched from the top of Aucklands Sky Tower.

Two pyrotechnic shows followed at Sydney Harbour and doused Australias iconic bridge in the bright light of an estimated seven tonnes of fireworks.

The citys display also saw Sydney Harbour Bridge turned purple in a tribute to Prince, while David Bowie was honoured with space-themed visuals in a nod to the late stars hit, Space Oddity.

Thousands gathered in cities and towns across Ireland, with the largest celebrations in Dublin. More than 5,000 attended the New Year Festival in Dublin.

Meanwhile, red starbursts exploded above the Kremlin for the Russian occasion, which marks the countrys major gift-giving holiday.

In Europe, fireworks in Helsinki also signified the beginning of the centenary year of Finnish independence.

There was a huge police presence on the streets of London as spectators from nearly 100 countries flocked to the Thames to watch the night sky light up as Big Ben struck midnight.

With memories of the lethal Berlin lorry truck attack still fresh, London mayor Sadiq Khan assured crowds the capital was as safe as it possibly can be.

After the event passed successfully, he haled it as demonstrating to the world that London is open to all.

In Scotland, Hogmanay celebrations attracted a crowd of up to 80,000 people to Edinburgh for the sold-out event, described as the UKs largest outdoor winter festival.

Millions of merrymakers witnessed the descent of the kaleidoscopic New Years Eve ball in Times Square, celebrating a century-old New York tradition under an unprecedented umbrella of security.

As many as two 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.

Its a very special place, to be in the centre of everything tonight, said Marta Loygorra, 20, who came to Times Square from Madrid, Spain, with her father, Jose Loygorra, 54.

Ive always wanted to be here for this and its 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 didnt realise it was just a few blocks north of Times Square.

Its crazy. Its crazy good luck, she said with a grin.

But for one woman, the biggest night of the year was something of a nightmare.

Pop diva Mariah Carey has attempted to shrug off a disastrous New Years Eve performance after suffering mishaps in front of millions of fans.

The 46-year-old took to the stage in New York in one of the biggest events planned to ring in 2017.

But the Hero singer appeared to have technical difficulties during the set, broadcast live from Times Square.

At the end of her performance she abruptly walked off stage and signed off with: It just dont get any better.

She had told the crowd: Im trying to be a good sport here.

Carey stopped singing her song Emotions, paced the stage and told the audience to finish the lyrics for her.

We cant hear. We didnt have a check for this song... were missing some of these vocals, but it is what it is, she said.

Then, appearing to give up attempting to lip sync, she said: Im going to say let the audience sing, okay?

She added: I wanted a holiday too, can I not have one?

A representative for the singer confirmed there were technical difficulties during Saturday nights performance, but viewers were unimpressed.

William Vercetti tweeted: 2016 took another casualty literally 10 mins before the ball drops. RIP Mariah Carey.

Jessica Baum wrote: Shout out to Mariah Careys backup dancers for still dancing/keeping a straight face while all our jaws were on the floor.

Chanda Powell Fowler wrote: Im choosing to believe Mariah Careys performance was an artistic reinterpretation of the 2016 presidential election.

Carey, who recently split from her billionaire fiance James Packer, attempted to shrug off the problems with a post on Twitter, with sad face and crying with laugher emojis.

Shit happens. Have a happy and healthy new year everybody! Heres to making more headlines in 2017, she wrote.
ITS being hailed as a golden age for television, with more complex dramas hitting the small screen than ever before.

Certainly, the sheer scale of quality TV has made it a busy time for actress Elaine Cassidy, who returns to our screens in Channel 4s No Offence on Wednesday.

The first series of the show  an unconventional blend of police procedural, comedy and drama, laced with acerbic humour  won an army of fans, among them Cassidy herself, who embraced the opportunity to play a far-from-perfect character.

She is DC Dinah Kowalska, a work-obsessed policewoman who will stop at nothing to see justice served. The first series, penned by Shameless creator Paul Abbott, was widely praised for its cutting-edge approach and inventive clashing of genres.

For Cassidy, a softly spoken actress from Co Wicklow who has worked steadily and successfully throughout her two-decades-long career, its been a fun departure.

What I do love about her is that shes flawed, Cassidy tells me. I love that she  all the characters  are allowed to be true to themselves. Its not about ticking boxes, or about: We cant have this character doing that because they might not be likeable. For me, thats what I enjoy watching, where it feels more believable. When you see peoples imperfections you can warm even more to them. It makes you feel ok about you!

The first series was shortlisted for best drama series at the BAFTA TV awards and Cassidys returning character is set to feature more prominently in the second series.

Shes second generation Polish, shes a bit gung-ho. Shes a maverick, a rogue, she will endeavour to get the job done regardless, whether its abiding by the rules or not. She has a goal in mind and she wont stop until she achieves it. Shes kind of married to her job. She lives with her mum and her daughter  they dont get a lot of time from her because shes pretty much at work all the time.

Cassidys striking features and raw talent first came to the fore in 1999s Felicias Journey, Atom Egoyans eerie psychological thriller in which she played a pregnant Irish teenager who accepts the help of a middle-aged man (Bob Hopkins).

Though she was just 19 at the time, it garnered her huge attention and her performance opposite Cillian Murphy in the big screen adaptation of Corcodorcas hit play, Disco Pigs, two years later, confirmed this was no flash in the pan.

She flirted with Hollywood attention, most significantly opposite Nicole Kidman in the supernatural horror The Others, but while the film roles still come, in recent years it is in television that she has thrived, with lead roles in series including Harpers Island and The Paradise.

The year sees her star in two major TV series, and she agrees its a great time to play the sort of complicated characters that make her job special.

There seems to be more of them now. Theres been a lot of noise about the fairness, the balance of things. It feels to me like its gone the other way  in my last three jobs theres been more women than men, she observes. For TV at the moment, its a golden age  theres just such a huge demand for content and after the recession, work for actors gets more interesting, because more difficult subject matters get tackled.

I think its always been there. When you think back to The Sopranos, youve got Tony Soprano, on paper, a vile character, but because they got a brilliant actor to bring him to life, people become invested and enjoyed watching him. The same more recently with Breaking Bad and Bryan Cranstons character. But not to the extent we have now, which is great.

Endearingly, she speaks of her characters as people and loves that Dinah Kowalska comes into her own in No Offence series two.

Shes even more physical in the second series than the first, because in the first series I ruptured two ligaments in my ankle, very early on in the shoot. That was very frustrating in the first series because I knew it wasnt Dinahs body language a lot of the time. I was limited in what I could do  I couldnt move the way she would.

Series two was lovely. She caught me off guard. Physically she became who she always was and I realised then: Jesus, I knew she was lively but I didnt think shed move this much! When she feels something she feels it in every tissue of her body. You get to know your character, you spend time with them and then they tell you who they are, how theyre going to behave, to react in situations and you just have to honour that and facilitate that.

Raised in Wicklow, Cassidy has lived in the UK for over a decade and is married to actor Stephen Lord. They have two children, Kila and Lynott.

Kila, six, knows that mammy acts for a living. We watched The Paradise when she was about two and a half. I thought shed love it because its family viewing, and all the costumes.

Then it got to the bit where my character kisses another character and I thought: Oh crikey. I didnt think about it until the scene was happening. I thought: What is she going to make of this because shes going to realise that thats not daddy. When they kissed, she turned around to me, and her eyes were dancing, and she went: theyre gonna get married! She totally got it  it wasnt me, it was the character I was playing. She understood and it wasnt confusing.

She just loves stories, whatever way theyre told. I always try and bring them at least once (on set) so that they know where mammy is when Im not there, and they have an image of what work is.

Its been an exceptionally busy year and she has numerous projects on the way, including Strangeways Here We Come, a comedy/drama set in the Manchester suburb of Salford. Its a savage comedy set in the flats. It wouldnt be dissimilar to Roddy Doyle, I think its very humorous. Terry Christian has done the music for the film, featuring all unsigned bands from Salford.

She will also return to RTE later this year for their major new drama Acceptable Risk, which she has been filming in Ireland. Ive been filming here and going home to Wicklow, so my mum was delighted. Its a thriller, set in the high-stakes world of big pharma. Its predominantly in Dublin but its also set in Montreal, where well be filming in the new year.
A heavy cold and a nation shivers. The cold is that attributed, last week, to Britains Queen Elizabeth II. The shivers are those of the political establishment.

Everything of moment in the United Kingdom depends, formally, on the 90-year-old queen. She legitimises all laws. She appoints all ministers. Parliamentarians must swear an oath of fealty to her.

Ambassadors negotiate in her name, generals fight in it. She is the monarch in more than a dozen former imperial possessions, largely uncontroversially.

When, in 1999, on the prompting of a Labour prime minister, the Australians tried to usurp her, the move failed, in spite of polls showing only minority support for her. Now, contrary to belief, the polls have risen, to show her popularity at around 60%.

Public approval has only grown as she has aged. Shown slowly walking through official ceremonies, even grumpy republicans (of whom I am one, so beware of bias) have to admit to her stoicism and guts.

She is by some way the most popular figure in the UK, and in 2016 the second-most admired woman in the world  after Angelina Jolie (Hollywood royalty still has the edge; it has, after all, a bigger PR budget).

The queens formal power is a kind of confidence trick in which almost everyone acquiesces. She does what she is told by the prime minister, who comes to her once a week, bows or curtsies, and tells her what the British government wants to do  policies on which she can make at most an oblique comment and which she cannot change.

A little storm blew up last week as to whether or not she favoured Brexit: The BBC political editor said shed been told she had, but lacking a second source, didnt broadcast it on her employers channels.

Denials and no comments have been thick on the ground since; the queen does not comment, whether she did or not. Brexit steams, or stumbles, ahead.

Her real job is keeping Britain together. Every age group thinks shes great  the older more than the younger, to be sure  and that the monarchy should carry on into the future, preferably with her at its head. Since that is, however, impossible, the heavy cold has alarmed her countrys real, much less popular, rulers. Quite soon, a decision must be made  it may have been made already  on to whom the succession will go. It is on paper simple: To her eldest son, Charles, Prince of Wales, 68 last month.

Charles, Prince of Wales

But heres the rub. Though less unpopular than he was during the divorce from Princess Diana in 1996 and after her death in 1997, his approval ratings remain mediocre, and even admirers think he should abjure the throne for his elder son, Prince William.

Charles is a man of opinions  on the environment, on architecture, and on government support for his many charities and causes  opinions he presses insistently on governments, as shown by his letters, released under the Freedom of Information Act. If, as king, he continues in this, both he and his institution will suffer for it.

Prince William, 34 last June, has, by contrast, no known opinions on public issues. He has a wife, Catherine, from a non-royal background; they have two young children, a boy, George, and a girl, Charlotte.

The whole family is photogenic and seem charming, though William is balding early. He trained in the Royal Air Force as a helicopter pilot, and works full time as a pilot for the air ambulance service after his short spell in the RAF.

That mix of military service and aiding the sick is a potent one.

From a public relations point of view  one of the most influential in monarchical conclaves  he is a gift, in spite of the blunders said to have come from ignoring his PR teams advice. His father, though, poses the real challenge.

If Charles succeeds  its still more likely than not  then the monarchy ceases to be an unquestionable asset, and becomes a zone of nervous image management.

If William succeeds, Charles disappointment may burst out in public explosions. Even if not, the burden on William of carrying on a tradition so long occupied by his grandmother would be heavy upon one whose political antennae are untested, in a country whose domestic and international frameworks are shifting and fragile.

Prince William

So popular has the queen been that even the republican Scottish National Party, which provides Scotlands regional government and nearly all of its representation at Westminster, cannily shifted towards a royalist position.

But neither the son nor the grandson would command the same grip on Scots sentiment. That, coupled with Scotlands vote to remain in the European Union, could convince waverers that the independence the SNP exists to attain was worth the economic risk.

Elizabeth had the power of the powerless, which in her case was world fame.

Everyone who was anyone wished to meet her, and in her decades of rule, she met almost every world leader, most of whom she has outlived. To meet her was to touch history, a tourist destination for the global elite.

A dis-united Britain would be a weaker member of the Western alliance. Its weight as a member of the United Nations Security Council would be lessened; it would be out, or on a path out, of the EU and its international reputation as a supporter of liberal politics, trade, and economics, would be further damaged.

It would, unwillingly, have dropped the pilot  a pilot who was not supposed to direct the course of the ship of state, but made its progress more stately. A former foreign secretary, Douglas Hurd, coined the phrase in 1993 that the UK punched above its weight in the world, especially in military operations. In that boxing metaphor, the queen was an off-the-ring trainer, a symbol of what the military was fighting for, lending a human face and example to the abstraction of the oath of loyalty.

A diminution of Britain on the passing of Queen Elizabeth will be hard to avoid. Its unlikely to be staunched by whoever is her successor. Only with the transition to a republic, might a new energy be found, a new character be formed. But that is the anti-monarchical propaganda I warned you about. And like all great schemes of change, who knows if it would work?

John Lloyd co-founded the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford, where he is senior research fellow.
When Irish ambassador John J Hearne sent a small box of shamrock to the White House for US president Harry Truman on St Patricks Day, 1952, he started a trend. Truman was out of town that day, so the ambassador could not deliver it personally.

President Sean T OKelly actually pinned a sprig of shamrock on Trumans successor, Dwight Eisenhower, in 1959.

Ambassador Tommy Kiernan moved one step further with Eisenhowers successor, John F Kennedy, in 1961. The ambassador presented him with a bowl of shamrock along with the Kennedy crest, emphasising the presidents Irish background. Thereafter presenting a bowl of shamrock became a traditional event, which some presidents have used to highlight their own Irish heritage.

With taoiseach Charles Haughey standing beside him, president Ronald Reagan stated that March 17 was the day on which St Patrick died in the year 461. Leave it to the Irish to be carrying on a wake for 1,500 years, he added.

During the Reagan presidency, St Patricks Day took on added significance. In addition to the presentation of the shamrock in a Waterford Crystal bowl, the Speakers Lunch was established, as well as an evening reception at the Irish ambassadors residence. These occasions were used to announce important aspects of Irish involvement with the US, and American involvement in Ireland, especially in relation to the peace process.

Its always a delightful experience to observe St Patricks Day with a fellow Irishman, Reagan wrote to Garret FitzGerald after the latters visit in 1986. The taoiseach provided an added twist in presenting the bowl of shamrock to Reagan. He also presented him with a Waterford crystal replica of the Statue of Liberty.

Ronald Regan with his wife Nancy

I was truly honoured to accept the splendid Waterford crystal replica of the Statue as a gift from the people of Ireland to the people of the United States, the president wrote.

This remembrance will be displayed permanently in the Statue of Liberty Museum for all who visit there to enjoy.

It was particularly timely, as that year was the centennial of the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty in New York harbour.

I am grateful also for the magnificent Waterford crystal bowl filled with shamrock. The shamrock was used in an attempt to spread some traditional Irish luck; and the bowl will make a wonderful display in our future presidential collection.

Waterford Glass seemed to enjoy an iconic status. Three decades on, surely we should be asking: What really happened to Waterford Glass and who was responsible?

Meanwhile, there was no shortage of blarney in the White House around St Patricks Day in 1986.

In thanking the taoiseach for the shamrock and Waterford Glass, Reagan sent his warm best wishes to all my friend back home.

It was the last St Patricks Day in active politics of the Speaker of the House of Representatives Thomas Tip ONeill, who was about to retire from Congress. To mark the occasion, FitzGerald presented ONeill and his wife with honourary Irish citizenship.

They became only the third and fourth people ever to be so honoured.

FitzGerald had a hectic five days schedule, addressing functions in New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, DC, as well as engaging in a whole series of high profiled television interviews  on the NBC Today Show, the CBS Morning News, the International News Hour on Cable Network News, along with a taped interview on the MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour.

He spoke about economic relations between the two countries, and he called on Americans to help with the peace process.

In particular, he was anxious to cut off American funding for terrorism via Noraid, which had been funding the IRAs campaign.

British prime minister Margaret Thatcher was highly impressed at the way the American funds for the IRA were curtailed.

Margaret Thatcher

You have done a fantastic job there, she told FitzGerald in The Hague during their summer summit meeting.

In the following months, there were reports of a split within Noraid between Michael Flannery, 83, the long-time head of Noraid, and Martin Galvin, 36, the organisations publicity director and editor of the Irish People newspaper.

Jim Flavin, the consul general in New York, reported that the split was over the decision of the Sinn Fein ard fheis to abandon its policy of abstention from the Dail and Stormont. Abstention has been an article of faith for Flannery and his supporters from the outset, Flavin noted.

Flannery had broken with de Valera in 1926 over entering the Dail, but Galvin had no intention going down a similar path 60 years later. He was determined to support Gerry Adams.

The consul dismissed the reports of the split as little more than media prattle, because the bottom line for both Flannery and Galvin was to assist the campaign of violence in Northern Ireland. Hence, Flavin suggested, it was highly unlikely that the ard fheis decision will have any impact whatever on Noraid or its fund raising efforts in the US.
Its not like we are expecting you to be spectacular, or even much fun, but so long as youre not a surreal 12-month nightmare with special effects by the Grim Reaper, I think well be fine. I mean, George Michael on Christmas Day. That was a bit harsh, even by 2016s pitiless standards.

Just typing the digits 2 0 1 and 6 is making me sweat. Although in 2016, everything has been making me sweat, because January took not just David Bowie, but also my ovaries. A health false alarm catapulted me from spring chicken to menopausal boiler at the start of the year, draining me of lady hormones and placing the possibility of growing a beard into plausible reality. I have subsequently spent 2016 bursting into flames while telling anyone who will listen that I am way too young for hot flushes. Bowie died just days after my first emergency ambulance dash to hospital.
Business Light Manufacturing to Lead Way in Foreign Investment

Workers are transported via truck to the site of the Thilawa Special Economic Zone. / Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters

RANGOON  Burmas light manufacturing sector will lead the way in foreign direct investment in 2017 although investor concerns over the countrys infrastructure persist, according to the local business community.

Foreign investors visiting in the last year had questions over energy supply, transport and land issues and heavy industry manufacturers are hesitant to invest, Dr. Maung Maung Lay, vice chairman of Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers and Commerce Industry told The Irrawaddy.

Many international delegations discussed future investments but did not promise to invest due to weak infrastructure he said, adding that delegations of Western countries visiting Burma were increasing over other Asian countries in 2016, he said.

Power supply was a major issue for investors, he added, they told us they couldnt produce products by candle light so they couldnt promise investment.

Light manufacturingparticularly cut make pack (CMP) garment factoriesrequires only cheap labor and factories are available in industrial zones. Investors from the US and EU are also keen to take advantage of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) tariff system.

Burma wants to reach US$6 billion of FDI in the fiscal year ending Mar. 31, 2017 despite FDI reaching just $3.65 billion through Dec.16, according to government body the Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC).

Director-general of the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA) and secretary of the MIC U Aung Naing Oo said Burma would enjoy an FDI influx even though this years FDI inflow was $1.3 billion less than that of 2015.

Of the total FDI, the transportation and communication sector accounted for $1.9 billion, manufacturing $1 billion, and property $728 million.

Local business leaders, however, were less confident that the $6 billion could be reached in the next three months.

Dr. Soe Tun, vice chairman of the Myanmar Rice Federation, said, The target cannot be met as Ive seen no significant change in the market.

He pointed out that rules and regulations of the Myanmar Investment Law will not be released until April and investors are likely to defer until that time.

U Ye Min Oo of the NLDs economic committee said that FDI flow could reach the target if MIC approved delayed hydropower projects.

I heard that some FDI proposals in the hydropower sector amount to $2 billion but are waiting permissionif they are given the green light FDI could reach the governments target, he said.

He urged caution, however, and said, reaching the target is not important, the major thing is how effective these projects are in helping our country.
Burma Arakan National Party Member Sues Facebook User Under Article 66(d)

The No. 1 Police Station in Arakan State capital, Sittwe / Min Aung Khaing

RANGOON  A member of the Arakan National Party (ANP) U Tin Maung Htun filed a lawsuit against a Facebook user for defamation under the controversial Article 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law at the Sittwe Police Station last week.

The ANP general secretary U Htun Aung Kyaw confirmed that the case was filed after the userTha Hla Htuninsulted ANP chair Dr. Aye Maung online using U Tin Maung Htuns photo as his profile picture, but stressed that the partys central executive committee did not instruct U Tin Maung Htun to file the case.

Although we [ANP members] were attacked in several ways online we never responded with Article 66(d) because the law restricts freedom of expression and the media, he told The Irrawaddy.

U Tin Maung Htun filed the case over the use of his photo as it could mislead the public that a party member was confronting the party chair, explained U Htun Aung Kyaw.

The ANPs move shocked the Arakan community as ANP member and former house speaker Thura Shwe Mhan is currently head of the Commission for the Assessment of Legal Affairs and Special Issues and presenting amendments of Article 66(d) to be decided by the Union Parliament in the coming months.

When The Irrawaddy asked U Htun Aung Kyaw whether ANP executive committee members planned to ask the plaintiff to drop the case he answered that the committee will not interfere in personal cases.

The law dates back to the military-backed administration of former President U Thein Sein, when it was mainly used to deter criticism of the government but has risen in popularity this year among the government, the Burma Army, and the National League for Democracy.

Between April and Dec. 23 a total of 38 Article 66(d) cases were filed with 15 people arrested and five charged. There were only seven cases and five convictions under the previous government.
Burma Burma Army Detains ABSDF Member

ABSDF member U Min Htay was detained by Burma Army troops last week. / Min Htay / Facebook

Burma Army troops detained a central committee member of the All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF)a signatory group of the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA)in Momauk Township, Kachin State last Wednesday, while he returned home to Laiza from Rangoon.

U Min Htay, from the ABSDFs northern region, was detained at the Sein Lone military checkpoint on the BhamoLwegel road, and was transferred to the Momauk police station two days later, on Dec. 30. Civilian movement on the route has been restricted for a few months as military tensions heightened between Burma Army troops and the Kachin Independence Army.

We are still negotiating with related authorities for his release through the JMC [Joint-ceasefire Monitoring Committee], said U Myo Win, the vice chair of the ABSDF, who did not reveal the reasons behind U Min Htays arrest.

He told The Irrawaddy that the Burma Armys northern command had informed the Joint-ceasefire Monitoring Committee about the arrest, and therefore, they were communicating through the JMC.

Min Zaw Oo, the director of the JMC technical secretariat, told The Irrawaddy that the negotiation process is under the way and they cannot reveal details of the case until it is resolved.

Sources on the ground say U Min Htay is likely to have charges filed against him under Article 17 (1) regarding affiliating with an unlawful organizationnamely the Kachin Independence Army.

U Min Htay and his ABSDF-northern region troops are based near the KIAs stronghold in Laiza. Emerging after the 1988 uprising and formerly outlawed, the ABSDF was removed from the unlawful association list after it signed the NCA in Oct. 2015.

U Min Htay also appeared as a Burmese military officer in the American movie Rambo 4, released in 2008 and starring Sylvester Stallone.

Ma Hnoung, U Min Htays wife, said she hopes the negotiations for her husbands release are successful.

I am worried that it will go wrong but I hope for the best. We need the negotiation process to be at its best because otherwise, it could lower trust during the current peace process, she said, referring to the ABSDF as one of the NCA signatories.

Ma Hnoung, a secretary of the ABSDF northern region working committee, and her husband were on the Thailand-Burma border last week where they joined an organizational briefing on preparations in support of national level dialogue.
Burma Peace Commission Meets with Wa, Mongla

The government Peace Commission and the United Wa State Army, including vice chairman Xiao Mingliang, in Panghseng on Dec 30, 2016. / UWSA / Facebook

RANGOON  The governments Peace Commission met Wa and Mongla ethnic leaders in their respective self-administered regions of Shan State to discuss peace and regional development at the end of last month.

Vice chairman of the Peace Commission U Thein Zaw led a delegation to Panghseng on Dec. 30 and discussed the United Wa State Partys (UWSP) seven policies on regional development, the peace process, and collaborating with the central government, according to Peace Commission member U Aung Soe.

The Was request of central government support for regional development originally made to the State Counselor in July was also discussed.

The deputy minister of the Presidents Office U Min Thu was among the delegation and said that the Wa and Monglas demands would be shared in the future cabinet meetings.

In a meeting with the Monglas National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA) on Dec. 31, the Peace Commission discussed the deployment of Wa troops into Mongla-occupied regions in late September.

Three out of four battalions retreated from deployments inside Mongla territory, according to sources from both ethnic armed groups, but the United Wa State Army (UWSA) said they would only completely retreat when Burma Army troops left the Mongla area.

NDAA leader U Kyi Myint told The Irrawaddy it wants regional peace, and to be united with the Wa. Wa and Mongla groups have conducted joint military exercises over the past five years.

Despite its delegation walking out of the 21st Century Panglong peace conference last year, U Aung Soe said the Wa reiterated its support for the peace process.

The UWSA did not sign the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement in Oct. 2015 as they said that their bilateral ceasefire agreement was sufficient.

U Aung Soe said she was sure that the UWSA would participate in the next phase of the conference in February.

Nang Lwin Hnin Pwint contributed to this report.
Burma Police Detained for Beating Villagers in Northern Arakan State

Border Guard Police patrol in northern Arakan State. / Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy

NAYPYIDAW  Four officers were detained after footage of police beating self-identifying Rohingya villagers in Arakan States Rathedaung Township went viral, the State Counselors Office said Sunday.

The footage of clearance operations in Koe Tan Kauk village on Nov. 5 was shared widely on social media at the weekend and drew severe criticism of the government which has strongly rejected accusations of human rights violations in Arakan State.

The head of No. 2 Border Guard Police Force Police Maj. Htun Naing, Police Sub-Lt Tay Zar Lin, Pyae Phyo Thwin, and Zaw Myo Htikewho shot the videohave all been detained and will be punished, said the statement.

Authorities were also identifying other officers involved and will take action against them in line with the police code of conduct, added the statement.

[We] have time and again stressed the need to be careful with each and every action, to make sure there is no violation of human rights and to act in line with the law, U Zaw Htay told reporters after the peace discussion between State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and ethnic youths in Naypyidaw on Sunday.

[We] have instructed both the military and the police at different levels. [We] already said that [we] would take actions against responsible persons at different levels, he said.

Zaw Myo Htike shot the footage of ten police officers lining up villagers for investigation on his mobile phone while combined troops of No. 2 Border Guard Police Force and No.2 Security Police conducted a clearance operation in the village of Koe Tan Kauk on Nov. 5.

The statement explained that the troops were acting on a tip-off that six suspects involved in the deadly attack on Nurula police post in Maungdaw Township on Nov. 3 evening were hiding in the village of Koe Tan Kauk.

Police arrested three men along with weaponsseven knives and a type of forkin connection with previous attacks and released all other villagers after investigation, said the statement.

Following this incident well also investigate if such things happened or could happen in other places, said U Zaw Htay.

The video footage comes after more than a dozen Nobel laureates including Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Malala Yousafzai urged the UN Security Council to end ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity in troubled Arakan State.
Burma Reported Rape Cases Doubled in 2016

Rape cases in Rangoon more than doubled from 2015 to 2016. / The Irrawaddy

RANGOON  An annual statement from the Rangoon Police Force revealed that the number of reported rape cases more than doubled from 2015 to 2016.

The number of rape cases rose from 110 rape to 229 in the past year.

Rangoon also saw 180 murders, one robbery, five burglaries, and 51 muggings in the city in 2016, all down from 2015, according to the statement.

Womens rights activists, as well as members of the public, have voiced concern over the significant rise in child rape cases and have carried out campaigns calling for harsher penalties against sex offenders. There have even been calls for the death penalty.

Lawmakers also raised the issue in Parliament and the government has promised to revise laws affecting children to better protect minors.

Referring to the increase of reported rape cases in 2016, Daw Kyi Pyar, a Rangoon regional lawmaker from Kyauktada Township said that, people have more awareness of [rape] cases because media became more powerful.

People are now helping each other file cases to local police stations, she explained.

According to the police report, other small crimesmore than 1,000 cases of theft cases and more than 5,000 cases of causing harmwere reported in the city in 2016, including several hundred drug, prostitution, and gambling cases.
The Belle Isle Park in Detroit is currently going through some hard time as despite being one of the best attractions in the city, its trees are suffering through an infectious disease. The famous oak trees in the park are now on the verge of dying as oak wilt currently infecting them.

Infectious Disease Causes Turmoil In Ancient Oak Trees In Detroit City In Michigan

The Belle Isle Park is currently one of the tourist attractions in the city of Detroit in the state of Michigan. There are currently hundreds of oak trees in the area, a kind of tree which is highly known for its old age which could now be probably centuries old. However, the city of Detroit is currently suffering as their ancient trees are being infected by a kind of tree disease known as the oak wilt that is causing the oak trees to suffer a slow and painful death.

The oak wilt is caused by a fungus that causes the oak trees to slowly die down, symptoms including leaf discoloration, defoliation and will eventually lead to death. The disease is spread through insects or by its connecting roots. That is what the oak trees at Belle Isle Park are currently suffering in, to which the authorities of the city are managing their way to save them. It has been reported that the Department of Natural Resources is currently using a special kind of blade that will cut the roots affected by the wilt and prevent it from spreading through the entire tree that it holds. This is also to avoid the infection from spreading to the rest of its neighbouring oak trees.

Hundreds Of Trees Need To Be Cut Down To Save Other Healthy Trees In Belle Isle Park

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources have counted up to 120 trees affected by the oak wilt, and they need to be removed from the park to avoid infecting the other healthy trees. It has clearly disappointed the state to have hundreds of trees removed from their prime, but they are left with no choice as they have to do it in order to save the others that have remained. Other than Detroit City, the issue on the oak wilt has already affected ore cities in the state, but have devastated many as Belle Isle Park has been known to be one of the prime parks holding nature's oldest trees.
A lot of speculations revolving around the red planet holding an alien life has already circulated. Having said that, a lot of conspiracy theorists have also taken the initiative to find life on Mars by analyzing every picture that is sent back to Earth from the said planet. In line with it, a Martian researcher have recently revealed that he might have allegedly found a trove of evidence captured by the Curiosity Rover which can prove that there is indeed signs of life forms on Mars. Can this prove that aliens are in fact real all along?

Hairy Spider Monkey And Slimy Slug On Mars? How True Is It?

According to reports revealed by The TeCake, renowned UFO hunter and editor of UFO Sightings Daily, Scott C. Waring claims to have discovered a four-legged bizarre creature on Mars which appears like a hairy spider monkey. The species is allegedly standing with support of its longer upper arms and shorter lower legs. It was when the UFO hunter has then zoomed in the image and threw some light upon to find two distinct eyes in the image. Waring says that the creature is watching the Mars rover while NASA's curiosity spacecraft was busy in clicking images. It was found that since its first landing on the planet in 2012, curiosity has been feeding alien hunters images.

Furthermore, as per Daily Mail, apart from this alleged alien discovery, Waring has also reportedly spotted a slug-like animal crawling out from underneath the rocks and a snail taking a stroll through the dusty planet. The speculation has then earned a lot of comments from various people, however, Waring claimed that NASA is indeed hiding life on Mars from the public.

Ultimately, Waring was quoted to have said that the reason behind why the government conceals these type of information can be found somewhere along the line, Americans got lost and began depending on the government for all their important information, but some information is apparently a threat to national security, such as UFO technology and alien intelligence. On the other hand, NASA has already explained that this occurrence is just a Pareidolia, a known psychological phenomenon that involves a stimulus wherein the mind perceives a familiar pattern of something where none actually exists.
The Department Of Defense officials have warned their solders of service about the aftereffect attached to energy drinks drinking. Since these drinks expand performance, they are the chosen drinks among service associates.

About forty-five percent of soldiers in active service drink at least ones daily. Over fourteen percent drink three times a day. That's drinks are readily obtainable on many military bases, so it's not hard to get.

Too Much Caffeine On The Drink

These beverages have lots of caffeine connected with addiction. All services soldiers should try not to drink any more than two hundred milligrams of caffeine within a four-hour time. Troops are directed to add the caffeine to their energy drinks. This is since of the risks related with excess caffeine ingesting.

Loaded With Lots Of Sugar

Energy drinks have as much as 27 grams of sugar per drink. Because the daily endorsement is 2 grams, you can only envision how much damage 3 cans of energy drink. Drinking daily cause.

Questions About Taurine

Taurine is one of the elements used in the grounding of energy drinks. Its chemical composite is gotten from an animal tissue. This factor is said to have some neuroendocrine aftermath.

Created Sleep Problems

Another usual side effects of these drinks are sleeping deprivation. It can lead to insomnia which can hinder duties. The last object these soldiers need is to some degree that delays their performance. For these motives, service members are directed to reduce their drinking of energy drinks. "Has been tested on the battleground and is a preferred of our troops."

Dr. Patricia Deuster, a professor and a director of the Consortium for Health and Military Performance in Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, told the Defense Department's science blog that "doctors don't know what are the outcome of (energy drink) ingredients are in larger doses or frequently drinking."
The popular messaging app WhatsApp seems like it will be halting support for a number of old platforms for good. Owners of previous Nokia, iPhone, BlackBerry OS or Android models should now be considering to upgrade their devices as soon as they can.

As the chat app finally hit its seventh year in the biz, they said they wanted to focus their efforts on mobile platforms that the majority will use. "So, by the end of 2016, we will be ending support for WhatsApp Messenger on some mobile platforms," WhatsApp says in a blog post.

"While these mobile devices have been an important part of our story, they don't offer the kind of capabilities we need to expand our app's features in the future," WhatsApp further states.

WhatsApp says that it was a tough decision on their part, but it was done with the intention of providing the users with better ways of communicating with loved ones.

The devices that will no longer have support for WhatsApp include any device that runs Android 2.1 and Android 2.2, Windows Phone 7, iPhone 3GS, and any device that runs iOS 6. The chat app, however, later announced to extend support for Blackberry OS, Blackberry 10, Nokia S40, and Nokia Symbian S60 until June 30 this year.

In related news, WhatsApp users need to be wary of a new phone virus that has been circulating the app. 2 virus files are will try to access into personal details like log-in credentials and passwords of the users. The files are using two well-known organization names, the NDA (National Defence Academy) and NIA (National Investigation Agency).

Please watch out for virus files with the names "NDA-ranked-8th-toughest-College-in-the-world-to-get-into.xls" and "NIA-selection-order-.xls". The virus files will most likely be in an Excel format, however, users should also look out for MS Word or PDF versions.
With the help of federal authorities, a power company in Burlington is investigating the discovery of malware connected to code allegedly used by Russian hackers on a laptop used by someone at the Burlington Electric Department.

Russian Hackers Attack US Power Grid

According to The Washington Post, the malware discovered on a laptop used in the Burlington Electric Department, a municipally-owned utility, is the same as the one used by Russian hackers to interfere with the presidential election. According to TownHall, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that Russia had compromised the U.S. power grid by using the utility company in Vermont. However, once the issue has been further investigated in The Burlington Electric Department, it turns out the situation less threatening as first was thought, according to Burlington Express.

Vermont Public Service Commissioner Christopher Recchia has released a statement on Friday, Dec. 31, explaining what happened. According to Rutland Herald, in the same statement released on Friday, Mike Kanarick, director of customer care, community engagement and communications for Burlington Electric, explained that U.S. utility companies were alerted by the DHS on Thursday of a malware code. The malware is the same that has been used in Grizzly Steppe, the Russian campaign linked to recent hacks during the presidential elections.

Kanarick said that the security experts at the Burlington Electric have acted quickly to scan all computers in the company's system for the malware signature. The malware has been found in a single Burlington Electric Department laptop that is not connected to the power grid systems. Immediate action has been taken in order isolate the laptop and the federal officials have been alerted of the finding.

Various Reactions To The Latest Russian Hacking Attempt

According to the same statement, federal officials and the staff at Burlington Electric are working together in order to trace the malware found and to prevent any further attempts to infiltrate the U.S. utility systems. Burlington Electric will fully support the investigation and Vermont officials were also notified, according to Kanarick.

Todd Breasseale, assistant secretary for public affairs for the Department of Homeland Security, provided in a release from Friday an executive summary of a joint analysis of Grizzly Steppe by the FBI and the department. Breassale said that Russia's civilian and military intelligence services engaged in aggressive cyber attack operations targeting the U.S. citizens and the government. The target was information theft from think tanks, political organizations, universities, corporations, critical infrastructure entities and government organizations.

At its turn, the cyber-security company Norton describes on its website the process used by Grizzly Steppe called "spear phishing." This is an email that appears to be from a known business or individual. But in fact,the email is from the hackers who try to steal sensitive information such as passwords, credit card and bank account numbers and other financial information.

Gov. Peter Shumlin said in a statement that the federal government has been in contact with Vermont officials about the apparent hacking attempt. Shumlin added that all Americans should be outraged that Vladimir Putin has been attempting to hack the electric grid that is crucial for supporting the economy, quality-of-life, safety and health.
For over four decades, the Consumer Electronics Show has been the place for all players in the tech industry to showcase their new ideas and products. It began in 1967 as a spinoff from the Chicago Music Show and has only grown since. The upcoming event is slated to be the biggest and best one of them yet.

CES 2017 will begin on January 5 and will wrap up on January 8 in Las Vegas. As always, the biggest tech companies will be in attendance to announce several new products in television, smartphones, cars, computers and other smart home gadgets. Over 100,000 people are expected to be in attendance, including retail buyers, reporters, and tech analysts.

As Fortune notes, television, in particular, will play a big role at the CES 2017, much as it always has. The publication goes on to say that the public can expect a trickle of new television sets that use organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens. This will allow for thinner screens and better overall picture quality. Furthermore, various screens are expected to showcase 4K resolution.

TechRadar pushes it even further and claims that it is possible that several players will introduce higher than 4K resolutions. And while the price tag is bound to be unrealistic for the average consumer, it will prove what television sets are capable of - and that is exciting in itself. Furthermore, the publication points out that drastic innovations, such as bending or rolling TVs, are possible as well.

LG is going to display five new smartphones in the show as well, though CES 2017 - or any other that came before it - is generally not known for unveiling handhelds. This, however, does not mean that the new devices are undeserving of a look-over. LG is expected to release four mid-range K Series devices, the K10, K8, K4, and K3.

The K10 is the standout product, while the K8, K4, and K3 are all photography-focused. All devices are expected to run straight out of the box with Android 7.0 Nougat. The Stylus 3 is also expected to have a place at CES 2017. However, specific details are not expected to be released until the actual event.

Electric car maker Faraday Future is expected to make a comeback at CES 2017 by following up on its first production car. In the press release shared by the publication, the company said that the vehicle "will be a premium electric vehicle that combines extreme technology, industry leading range, and holistic design." Faraday will be joined by the likes of Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Volvo, Chevrolet, Volkswagen and Kia.

Other big names included in the CES 2017 roster are HP and Dell, which are expected to release new computer technology. More specifically, the tech players are estimated to release new all-in-one desktops that will rival the likes of Microsoft's Surface Studio. At the very least, the two companies are expected to release products of the hybrid variety.

One company that will not hold a place at CES 2017 is Apple. The Cupertino giant has never been part of the event, as it has opted to host it's very own instead. Nevertheless, other big names are scheduled to be there and some smaller companies are also expected to make splashes.
The upcoming International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2017 will be held next week in Las Vegas, Nevada. This years show is said to be covering a massive of 2.47 million square feet of exhibit space.

Virtual reality might finally reach the tech world mainstream, self-driving cars may introduce, new flagship smartphones may be seen, curved TVs may be unveiled and much more! Those are the things that we can expect from the CES 2017.

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2017

The worlds largest tech convention, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), held annually in Las Vegas, Nevada in the first week of January. This year, it will on January 5 to 8 and it is said to be celebrating its 50th anniversary. "For 50 years, CES has been the launch pad for new innovation and technology that has changed the world."

With roughly 2.5 million net square feet of exhibit space, more space than ever before will be dedicated to cars, drones, augmented reality, the Internet of Things, robots, wearable tech and smart energy. There will even be a few completely new arenas this year, such as high-tech sleep and baby products. But at least 5 areas of technology will stick out and permeate the market at CES, and likely for the rest of 2017.

Top 5 Major Trends You Can Expect From The Event

According to Market Watch, Consumer Technology Association, the company that hosts the convention, the focus of the event is the showcase of the new software and hardware. Here are the top 5 major trends we can expect from the event.

AI All Over

John Curran, managing director of communications, media and tech at Accenture, has come up with his annual predictions of the prevailing themes at CES 2017. His first big prediction is that artificial intelligence (AI) will be huge at the show.

Whether its Amazon Echo and Alexa, Google Home and Google Assistant or Apples Siri and Home app, AI will be one of the most in demand thing at CES 2017. Every product ranging from flash drives and mobile apps to cars and robotics, AI will be surely present.

Robots Are Coming

According to Mobile Syrup, robotics marketplace at CES will be home to 25 exhibitors showcasing intelligent, autonomous machines capable of seeing, hearing and reacting to the environment. This year's show is also set to feature a completely separate area with 41 companies working on drone-related projects.

Get Ready For The Cars

Curran said that automotive is certainly a spot where AI is going to be shown prominently. Therefore, we can expect high-performance cars at CES 2017. "In the self-driving car space, weve had a number of companies come out and test that technology."

Faraday Future is set to make another huge splash at CES this year. This California-based electric car company unveiled its high-performing FFZERO1 electric car, and confirmed via Twitter that it plans to unveil its production vehicle at some point in the near future.

BlackBerry And TCL Partnership

BlackBerry has stated that it plans to reveal how the BlackBerry brand will live on in a new generation of smartphones, at this years show. TCL is the company after Alcatel devices and also the producer of BlackBerrys DTEK50 and DTEK60. For those curious in seeing what BlackBerry and TCL are working on as a partner, CES 2017 is where we expect to learn about the companys upcoming smartphones.

Audio Blast

With the release of many different wireless audio tool, we can expect that at CES 2017, there will be a lot of new "wow" things wireless things. Samsung has already announced that it's bringing "the future of audio" to CES 2017, with new entrants of speakers featuring its audio-upscaling tech and Ultra-high Quality (UHQ) Sound. LG assures that its levitating portable speaker will mesmerize attendees of the show, along with its Tone Studio wearable speaker, a speaker designed to output personal surround sound.
Samsung has finally decided to put on the results for the Galaxy Note 7 probe anytime soon this month. The reasons behind Note 7 to catch fire will finally be revealed after a whole lot of investigations in the year 2016 and soon would be known to the public as it was reported that the results of the investigation have been forwarded to few people at the top of the company.

The South Korean firm has reported in October that there might be many factors all combine together that led to the failure of one of the costliest product in the history of technology. It is very essential as said by the investors and analysts to identify the root cause for the failure of such a huge project to win back customers trust and avoid any such mistakes in the near future.

All the analysts and every user were eagerly waiting for this root cause such that they can know what went wrong in this whole process. Earlier Samsung concluded that the issue was due to a defective battery but even though the batteries were replaced, the newer ones continued to explode. Hence, it had to be pulled off the market after such great number of issues reported.

Also, Samsung is going to release its new Galaxy S8 soon this year and the company is hoping to regain back the trust and market back on track. To make sure of the fact that there are no issues with the upcoming S8 model they had pushed back the unveiling of the smartphone from Feb. 26, 2017 at MWC in Barcelona, to April in New York City. The Galaxy S8 phone is reported to feature a 6-inch screen size. This may be the only way for the big brand to regain its lost respect.
UFO sightings were reported from various countries over the New Year holidays. The new reports came from Canada, England, Korea, Australia and Mexico. This time, the reports were about disk-like or rod-like objects seen in the flying over the clouds.

The first report of UFO sighting came from Chad Haines, a Canadian who initially did not believe in aliens. Haines was busy sorting out the photos he took over the holidays in Random Island in Newfoundland, Canada when he noticed captured images of a UFO which appears to be hovering in the moon.

"It was out there for two or three hours," Haines said of the according to Inquistr. He added that he is the last man to believe in strange things like UFOs but this experience changed him. He noted that the object is too large to be a plane and there were no stars in the sky that night.

On the other hand, a past case of UFO sighting in Manchester, England was reported to UFO Sightings Daily on Monday, Jan. 2. The UFO was described to be an orb-like object which is smaller compared to other UFO from other reports. It is said to be translucent and can blend in the environment.

A witness from Manchester relates he was in the car with his brother when he saw a ball with "different colored lights" hovering in the in the sky. He took the a photo of it while they were driving and went back to observe it more, but it miraculously disappeared as they approach it.

Another eyewitness reported a UFO disk surrounded by thick layers of clouds spotted in a highway in Korea on Jan. 1. The witness described it resembles a Taeguk (Yin Yang symbol). UFO sightings were also reported from Australia and Mexico. An alleged UFO activity was reported by Latest UFO Sightings from Victoria, Australia from a video recorded on Jan. 1. Meanwhile, a UFO was spotted hovering beside a plane in Tijuana, Mexico on Dec. 28.
Due to the latest developments in the political arena focusing on marijuana legalization, the Elizabeth Warren 2020 campaign is making buzz at the moment.

US Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, is currently leading the legal battle in encouraging banks to help finance the marijuana business as it steadily grows in several states.

Since the campaign for medical and recreational marijuana use gained sufficient momentum that resulted to its legalization these past years, the senator is determined to make sure that all goes well as pot is slowly integrated in the industry.

It is a well-known fact that most banks are hesitant to provide financial services to marijuana business owners due to its novelty and questionable history.

The senator, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, wants banks to understand that Marijuana businesses are now being legitimized and therefore should be offered the same treatment as any other regular business, Denver Post says.

The Elizabeth Warren 2020 campaign is further cemented when she is supported in her effort by enthusiastic potential voters in believing the importance of bringing in the pot business in a more acceptable light.

Warren and other senators are currently fighting for the $7 billion marijuana business to finally get a chance to flourish and get out of the fiscal limbo it has been in. To do this, banks should be in full support to pot shop owners so that they can eventually get away from the cash-only mode which makes them easy targets to criminals.

Most importantly, Warren hopes to provide marijuana shop owners the financial capability and security to have their drugs tested for harmful substances by expert chemists. Also, she stresses the importance of security firms for marijuana shops. Pot business owners should be able to afford all these legally with the support of banks, Fox Business reports.

Recently, a number of states have legally approved medical and recreational use of marijuana, although some states set hefty fees for it as reported earlier. Whatever the outcome of the marijuana industry, pot is sure to play a significant role on the Elizabeth Warren 2020 campaign.


Drug enforcement officials are currently struggling with a fast growing meth addiction that has rattled the people of Maine.

Drug agents are stunned as the number of meth labs they have raided this year doubled to 125 in 2016 compared to the 56 in 2015. Another serious concern is discarded meth-making materials that are doubling in reports.

Maine Drug Enforcement Agency Director Roy McKinney, reports that the number of meth-related reports are still going up even at the start of the new year.

The situation has become so critical that state official issued a formal warning to residents over the summer not to pick up any plastic soda bottles alongside roads. These bottles are suspected meth-making material that has residual meth powder.

The powder is white in color and it can easily contaminate anyone handling the bottle, Press Herald reports. Contamination is dangerous, bringing a cluster of symptoms similar to meth use and might even predispose the victim to meth addiction.

Heroin use is still the biggest drug problem, as reported ealier, followed by Fentanyl use. Fentanyl is a synthetic painkiller that is much more powerful than heroin.

The number of opioid deaths in 2016 set a record as drug epidemics grow faster than the authority can handle. The recorded drug death in the US is one a day.

The drug problem is currently declared as a crisis that takes the national concern to a new level. Take for example the incident in Presque Isle where five drug overdoses happened within a four-hour period. One of the victims was fatally affected.

DEA Director McKinney proposes on focusing state efforts on capturing and jailing drug dealers. He hopes to reduce the drug problem this way, in addition to getting all the necessary help to the users, WMTW says.

Due to the magnitude of the meth addiction problem, lawmakers are set to tackle the issue together with other deadly drugs in February.
In Texas, a lawsuit was filed last Friday over the intention of the state to cut off funding on abortion services, adding fuel to Planned Parenthood problems.

The Planned Parenthood organization requested U.S. Attorney Sam Sparks to block Texas from denying the Medicaid funding of health services that could potentially affect the lives of 11,000 low income women each year.

Planned Parenthood asserts that $4 million of funding from the state could help majority of women get the reproductive health services they need such as gynecological exams and screening for sexually transmitted diseases. These health programs are basic services that are provided by the organization aside from being the nation's largest provider of abortion services.

The Planned Parenthood problem of funding arose when Texas, one of the Republican-controlled states, moved to block Medicaid funding to the organization last year following the release of a video of an anti-abortionist group, Valley Central reports.

The video appeared to be secretly recorded and heavily edited to make Planned Parenthood look culpable of some violations inside the clinics. Officials of the organization denied any wrongdoings, and investigations by 13 states concluded without any criminal charges.

However, Republicans all over the nation are determined to cut down funding for the organization because they provide abortion services.

So far, federal judges have already stopped Arkansas, Alabama, Kansas, and Mississippi from similarly blocking Medicaid fund for the operation of Planned Parenthood services. These states have also moved to defund the organization in the wake of the release of the video, KSAT says.

Texas is supposed to proceed cutting off the funds on January 21 unless U.S. Attorney Sam Sparks interferes. Sparks is set to begin the hearing of the case on January 17.

The Planned Parenthood spokesperson conveys a positive perspective on the outcome of the lawsuit, saying that courts couldn't violate federal laws by blocking a woman's right to quality reproductive health service.

Similar cases of lawsuits against the state have been filed the past year as reported earlier.

For now, Planned Parenthood problems escalate at the possibility of President Donald Trump stripping the organization $400 million of Medicaid funding since taking office.
IT pro's 2017 revitalization guide Before 2017 comes at us hard, take a moment to restock your your intellectual reserves with our most insightful tech-management articles and videos.

No matter how long you've been in IT, it's always a good idea to pause periodically and take stock of your professional and personal progress.

Why not take a few moments to read through the best of Computerworld's management and career coverage? Scroll down to browse the complete list or click a link to skip directly to your chosen topic.

Track in-demand IT skills, titles and certifications

25 tech certifications earning the highest cash premiums right now: Is it any secret that employers value info/cybersecurity and architecture the most when it comes to paying their workers extra cash for certifications?

20 fastest growing tech skills -- no certification required: Market values of these noncertified skills have increased the most in recent months.

Free and cheap ways to study for IT certifications: Use these tips for finding inexpensive study resources and getting hands-on experience.

Video: Hot tech skills for 2017: Computerworld senior staffers discuss the state of skills for the upcoming year.

: The nine best technology jobs, including their median salaries and unemployment rates, as ranked by US News & World Report.

: Staffing firm Onward Search's assessment of the most in-demand digital and creative roles, including UX designer, full-stack developer and search-engine marketing manager.

The latest in IT services? CIO hired guns: When interim CIOs ride into town, they might call the shots on everything from cloud migrations to app development. Theyll even deliver bad news and take the bullets.

Find a new place to work in 2017

Make more money

IT Salary Watch: Find the latest IT salary news and information, including salary listings for more than 50 job titles as well as representative salaries in various industries and U.S. regions. You can also use our Smart salary finder, which aggregates salary data from more than 3,300 IT professionals, to compare your salary with that of IT workers in similar jobs across the U.S., or broken down by geographical region or years of experience.

Computerworld's IT Salary Survey: This downloadable PDF lists average salaries for more than 40 IT job titles, features an array of charts highlighting key findings from the survey and provides in-depth features on maximizing your salary.

10 tech specialties with rising salaries: Employers are paying top dollar to attract and retain talent in these 10 fields, according to results of Computerworld's most recent IT Salary Survey.

: Based on PayScale median salary data for workers in IT, adding one or more of these 20 skills to your toolset will likely boost your paycheck.

Switch companies or location

Computerworld's 100 Best Places to Work in IT: Browse the full special report , check out our map to zoom in and click on Best Places by location, or view, search and sort the list by criteria that are important to you, including company size, location, training budget, days of paid time off and more.

To widen your pool of prospects, also search through our Best Places archives, which lists honorees from 1994 on. For an on-the-go reference, download this pdf: Profiles of all 100 Best Places to Work in IT 2016

Hottest jobs, cities and industries for IT pay: Drawn from Computerworld's most recent IT Salary Survey of 3,300 technology professionals.

: Data gathered by online jobs site Glassdoor illustrates which tech companies pony up the top pay.

: Based on data from a survey conducted by BSA - The Software Alliance, an international organization that advocates on behalf of the software industry, these states are best for techies with software skills.

: A high salary can mean nothing if you're living in a city with a high cost of living, like San Francisco or Boston. But in these 10 cities that are experiencing job growth, you can find a decent salary with a low cost of living.

Manage your career prospects

Open source: Career-maker, or wipeout? Is a career focused solely on open source sustainable? Experts predict a wave of opportunities for IT pros with all-open-source resumes -- in five years or so.

How to put your career on the fast track: Many IT professionals say they would go all-out to land the best jobs, with the best benefits at the best companies. All it takes is up-to-the-minute skills and a whole lot of drive.

How to get a fair performance review: Youre killing it at work, but does anyone notice? A large percentage of IT professionals say the answer is no.

How long should you stay in your job? As paychecks grow, tenure shrinks among todays top techies. And that trend is leaving many to wonder whether loyalty still pays.

Be a better manager

The secret to boosting women in IT? Men: Male allies can open doors, broaden networks and advocate for female tech pros. Guys, ready to step up?

IT staff retention, in stages: One-size-fits-all policies dont recognize that people at different stages of their careers want different things.

Bridging ITs growing generation gap: Deft management skills and a lot of empathy are required to balance the priorities and expectations of millennials, baby boomers and the Gen X-ers stuck between them.

How to build a thriving information security function despite the talent shortage: Much of the business world now recognizes the challenge in hiring enough qualified information security professionals. Here's how to cope.

High-tech moms: Tips for managing family life while steering booming businesses: These women created successful technology businesses from scratch, all while managing the demands of children and family.

Efficiency hacks for IT: 6 tips for getting things done: Use these tips from seasoned IT pros to re-architect your day for maximum impact with minimal stress.

Why your network admins are nervous: Network pros know that SDN promises to rock their world. But those who prepare for the change will find new opportunities. Heres how to help your staffers keep their skills ahead of the curve.

How IT teams navigate unlimited vacation policies: IT leaders from Akamai, CA Technologies and VMware have mastered the balance between granting time off and keeping essential tech functions staffed..

5 ways to attract and retain female technologists: Companies are stepping up to increase gender diversity in their tech workforce because its smart business. Top firms share advice on how theyre making headway.

Computerworld's Premier 100 Technology Leaders for 2016: Read their stories, learn from their experience, get inspired by their careers.

Get data-driven insights into the IT jobs market: Computerworld's six regional IT jobs reports provide exclusive, actionable data about IT salaries, hiring and more to help you find the right talent, make the best hires and retain your brightest workers.

5 ways to better survey IT employees: Collaboration and survey tools abound, but actions speak louder than data.

IT moves to open workspaces, but not everyone is happy: In an effort to boost collaboration and attract millennials, even old-school organizations are tearing down their cubicle walls. But is shared space the best environment for serious IT work?

Tapping into ITs in-house entrepreneurs: Visionary CIOs say the fastest way to meet the demands of digital transformation is to empower IT employees to make decisions on their own.

Download U.S. Census data on IT workers: Itching to analyze Census data about IT workers yourself? Download this zipped file of data from the U.S. Census Bureaus American Community Survey (ACS) 2010-2014 PUMS (Public Use Microdata Samples) data.

Keep tabs on new technologies

Video pays off in the enterprise: As costs come down and the technology improves, video is finally spurring easy and effective collaboration. (Plus -- 5 tips for building video culture in your organization.)

Is your IT staff ready for IoT? Organizations are itching to start internet of things initiatives, but efforts are hampered by shortages of already-scarce security pros and workers with newer analytics skills.

Platforms in the cloud take heavy lifting out of architecture tasks: As tech giants battle for cloud dominance, businesses looking to offload heavy-duty infrastructure tasks are reaping hefty rewards from platform-as-a-service offerings. Heres how three IT leaders mixed and matched their powerful yet flexible PaaS packages.

Special report: IT Security's Looming Tipping Point: The editors of CIO, Computerworld and CSO join forces to survey IT and business leaders about the state of information security. In this C-Suite 360 special report you'll find key results from the survey as well as guidance on a range of issues faced by organizations looking to ramp up their security game.

Use our Digital Downloads library to get smart fast: Computerworld editors bring you the latest Crash Courses, Digital Spotlights and other in-depth guides.

Think like a business strategist

Digital Edge 25 honorees pioneer the digital-centric enterprise: IDG's Digital Edge 25 awards recognize digital transformation initiatives with significant, measurable business impact.

2016 Data+ Editors' Choice Awards: Computerworld's Data+ Editors' Choice Awards honorees offer advice and lessons learned on mining data to make fast business decisions, measure risk, create efficiencies and more.

Ready for action: 6 big ideas in digital transformation: This 49-page report features advice from IT executives at the U.S. Postal Service, Hunter Douglas, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Nationwide Insurance and more for using digital technologies to become more agile, more flexible and more profitable.

How to drive digital transformation in IT and throughout the organization (with podcast): Listen and learn as VP of business technology Paul Friedman explains how Humana transformed itself into a digital-first, customer-centric organization. This free knowledge bundle includes an article, audio transcript and slide deck.

3 ways to fast-track your journey to the cloud (with podcast and video): Listen, watch and learn as FCC CIO David Bray explains how to leverage change agents when pivoting to an all-cloud environment. This free knowledge bundle features an article, video and audio.

6 ways to better align IT with the business: MIT's CISR center says demand shaping is a better way for business and IT to collaborate. Does it work?

IDCs guide to avoiding vendor lock-in: Looking to avoid the dreaded sinkhole known as vendor lock-in? This exclusive report lays out a roadmap to vendor independence.

Look to the future

Gartners predictions -- a look at the top 10 tech trends: Three of Gartner's top 10 technology trends envision significant changes to -- and problems with -- data centers.

Tech Forecast 2017: IT sharpens its focus: With spending and hiring flat, CIOs seek efficiency in automation and outsourcing. Should IT workers be worried?

Tech Forecast 2017: Facts and figures for the year ahead in IT: All the facts worth knowing about IT leaders' tech budgets, spending plans, hiring priorities and strategic initiatives for 2017.

Tech Forecast 2017: 5 key technologies to double down on now: IT leaders plan to use these core tools to deliver business results in 2017.

10 hottest tech skills for 2017: Are your assets bankable in 2017? Hiring managers say they'll seek out these skills most in the New Year.

5 disruptive technologies to track in 2017: Savvy tech execs are keeping these cutting-edge developments on their radar screens.

Video: Getting a bead on tech trends for 2017: Computerworld senior staffers hash over the results of our exclusive Tech Forecast 2017 to ferret out what's likely to disrupt business in the new year.

Get ready for your new co-worker  the robot: Instead of stealing humans' jobs , artificial intelligent systems and robotics will help many people do their jobs better -- we hope.

Tech execs' boldest predictions for 2017 and beyond: Self-healing software? Ubiquitous wearables? We asked senior-level IT pros to predict whats in store for information technology. Here's what they had to say.
This Week in Review

A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more.
France starts this year with their so-called right to disconnect" law wherein companies with more than 50 workers are obliged to let their employees not work or check emails outside their working hours. This law already took effect yesterday, January 1, 2017.

The reason behind the law implemented was explained by a member of the parliament, Benoit Hammon on BBC. He stated, "Employees physically leave the office, but they do not leave their work. They remain attached to a kind of electronic leash - like a dog." This means that emails and texts concerning work lead to stressed employees, and with that leash live their life as a working den.

Meanwhile, Linh Le, a partner at Elia management consultants in Paris also added that working even though at home poses a threat to family relationships. She also recognized the needs of employees to be more productive. Being productive will be developed by employees because of their time spared rather than working off themselves spent for their families instead with this policy. It also would help companies know the need to stop harassing workers.

Moreover, three studies back up this right to disconnect policy. One is from The Colorado State University which stated that off hours email leads to the stress of employees and remove the balance of work and life. They also added that working hours after work lead to employees finding the fear of detaching from work. This seemed also the same as Hammons statement that emails serve as an electronic leash for employees.

The University of British Columbia also supports Colorados theory through their study that checking emails less frequently indeed reduces stress. Their study proves that checking emails less also leads to a higher outlook of an employee in life.

According to The Guardian, another study from France Eleas showed that more than one-thirds of workers rely on their devices on and off work. This overuse of devices leads to burnouts and sleepiness, which produce the inability to rest. With relationships at hand and work in mind, employees find a hard time on which they would give up. However, with this new policy, French workers can now enjoy life and work at the same time.
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A conservative think tank has informed the State Board of Elections and six county election boards, including Watauga, that it has renewed pursuit of an expanded review of same-day registration policies.

Francis De Luca, president of Civitas Institute, said in a letter sent Dec. 22 that he and his group believe that the state board has violated and continues to violate section VIII of the National Voter Registration Act by not removing what it calls substantial numbers of ineligible voters.

De Luca and Civitas are requesting a thorough examination of voter rolls and full compliance of section VIII, which includes documents on voter registration for the 2016 election and how the state board verified voters addresses.

Civitas will pursue every avenue necessary to ensure that every voter is verified, including another lawsuit, De Luca said.

De Luca filed his lawsuit against the state board Nov. 21. He wanted a federal judge in the Eastern District of North Carolina to issue a preliminary injunction that prevented the certification of results until it had verified the mailing addresses of more than 104,000 same-day registrants during the early voting period.

One way to measure the validity of same-day registration is whether mail to the registrants listed mailing address is returned as undeliverable.

The state board said in its response to De Lucas lawsuit that mail is not always reliable, and multiple mailings sent to the same address may yield different return rates, though it remains a legitimate tool in North Carolinas effort to verify registrations.

No law requires that the mail verification process be completed before a qualified individual is permitted to vote.

De Luca claimed that as many as 3,000 ballots could have been at risk in the 2016 election given that past elections have had up to 3 percent of same-day registrations tossed for being invalid.

De Lucas lawsuit came 13 days after the Nov. 8 general election. At that time, Gov. Pat McCrory trailed Democratic challenger Roy Cooper by 4,987 votes before absentee and provisional ballots had been counted. It was not clear how much McCrory may have benefited from the Civitas lawsuit in terms of removing ballots.

After preliminary counting of absentee and provisional ballots showed McCrory trailing by more than 10,000 votes, removing his ability to request a statewide recount, McCrory conceded the governors race Dec. 5.

De Luca voluntarily withdrew his lawsuit Dec. 5, with the case being dismissed formally on Dec. 21.

The state board said De Luca, in his lawsuit, seeks to enlist this court in a broader effort to litigate an election after the fact.

The state board said more than 1 million properly registered voters were listed with a status other than verified in its database for the Nov. 8 election. The state board did not indicate how many of those properly registered voters actually voted. That figure excludes any voter whose registration began using same-day registration.

This lawsuit challenges a statutory registration process that has for eight years provided opportunities both to register and to vote at certain one-stop early-voting sites in the weeks preceding Election Day, the state board said.

Whatever the shortcomings of this same-day registration process, violation of federal law is not among them.

Renewed accusations

With De Lucas letter, Civitas is renewing accusations of voter rolls fraught with ineligible voters, unverified voters, active felons and voters who dont live in North Carolina.

The other county boards are in Buncombe, Bladen, Durham, Pasquotank and Wake.

Although De Luca told The News & Observer that the six counties were chosen in an effort to take a statewide approach to the review, the Bladen, Durham, Wake and Watauga boards all faced additional Republican challenges in the post-election period before McCrorys concession.

Allison Riggs, a senior attorney with advocacy group Southern Coalition for Social Justice, said Thursday that Civitas and other conservative groups have sent very similar NVRA notice letters. The common complaint, Riggs said, is the state isnt purging enough voters from its rolls.

The state has always said that it complies with federal law when it comes to voter purges, Riggs said. As voting rights experts, we are certain that the purging that Civitas would like to see done violates the NVRA and would result in eligible voters being removed from the rolls. We are equally certain that same-day registration serves as a critical fail-safe in ensuring that eligible voters are able to cast a ballot.

The De Luca lawsuit prompted a request by three voters to intervene in the case.

The prospective intervenors  Anthony Lobo, a junior at Appalachian State University; Michael Kuykendall, a junior at ASU; and Anna Jaquays of Blowing Rock  voted by same-day registration. The League of Women Voters of N.C. also requested to intervene.

The three said the initial attempt to verify their mailing address was unsuccessful due to processing errors by poll workers who assisted them with registering.

In the example of Lobo, a poll worker did not include the number of his off-campus apartment in the listing of his address. In Kuykendalls case, mail is not delivered to his dorm room, which was the address listed on his registration rather than his on-campus P.O. box.

After their ballots were protested by Republican supporters, the Republican-controlled Watauga board determined the three potential intervenors did live at the address they gave to the poll workers.
RALEIGH  North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper took his oath of office minutes after midnight Sunday morning, getting an early start on his duties amid bitter partisan politics in the state but saying he believed there is a way forward.

Joined by a small group of family, friends and colleagues, the Democrat was sworn in inside the old House chamber of the 1840 Capitol building nearly a week before his public inauguration.

A Cooper aide has said the states 75th governor wanted to get started on gubernatorial duties following a transition period shortened by a protracted debate over vote-counting in his close race with outgoing Republican Gov. Pat McCrory.

Im aware of the solemn responsibility that Ive been given and the duty that I have to uphold the Constitution, Cooper said shortly after state Chief Justice Mark Martin administered the oath to Cooper during the 15-minute ceremony. I cannot wait to get started.

As governor-elect, Cooper already began taking legislative Republicans to court over the laws passed during a December special session. A state Superior Court judge on Friday temporarily blocked a law that would scale back the control governors exert over statewide and county election boards. Coopers attorney said more legal challenges are planned this coming week.

Another of the laws requires Coopers Cabinet choices to be confirmed by legislators. The state Constitution gives the Senate the ability to advise and consent to the governors appointees by a majority vote, but that provision hadnt been used in at least several decades.

With the GOP still holding veto-proof majorities in the legislature, Coopers five-minute address to the crowd of about 75 people and a television audience hit on themes of finding common ground. Cooper said he would aim to be a governor for the entire state.

I know and I am confident that although we may come at it from different ways that other leaders in this state and I can work together to make North Carolina its very best, the kind of North Carolina that we know that we can be, Cooper said.

Cooper is a 30-year veteran of state politics  14 years in the legislature before 16 as attorney general  and claimed victory on election night. But it was another four weeks before McCrory conceded while dozens of ballot protests were considered and a partial recount was held in Durham County.

In the end, Cooper won by about 10,000 votes. A law McCrory signed last March limiting nondiscrimination protections for LGBT people and directing which public restrooms transgender people can use was a big issue in the fall campaign. Cooper wants the law known as House Bill 2 repealed.

Cooper has already begun ushering out stalwarts of the McCrory administration. Dismissal notices were given in the past week to a few dozen McCrory political appointees, Cooper spokeswoman Megan Jacobs said.

Turnover among those positions isnt uncommon, but the swiftness of the dismissals carries extra weight in light of the recent legislation that limits Coopers number of political appointees to 425. Thats less than a third of the number McCrory was allowed to have.

The Rev. Art Ross mentioned the Bible characters Moses, David and Esther in a prayer asking for courage and inspiration for the new governor.

Were mindful of these current challenges and divisions, and so we pray that you would grant your servant to govern with wisdom and justice, that he be quick to confess when he is wrong and filled with perseverance when he is right, Ross said.

Sundays ceremony began moments after nearby revelers in downtown Raleigh brought in the new year with fireworks and other festivities.

The public inauguration for Cooper and other statewide elected positions will be held next Saturday, followed by a traditional downtown parade and nighttime ball. Cooper was one of four in these positions who decided to get sworn in on the first possible day allowed by law.

Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey of Guilford County and State Treasurer Dale Folwell of Winston-Salem held separate ceremonies just after midnight  Folwell at his home and Causey at a fire station. And Democrat Josh Stein, who succeeds Cooper as attorney general, was sworn in Sunday inside the state Department of Justice Building.
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, 2016 was a year few would want to repeat. Now, as the calendar has turned, 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 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.
CHARLESTON, S.C.  As usual, the years end brought reflections and ruminations on what was and what is to be. This time around, however, it felt as though an era was coming to an end.

That gentle frisson between past and future about which columnists customarily write feels vaguely apocalyptic as we enter the New Year.

The usual regrets  too much ice cream, not enough exercise, too quick with a retort, not enough thank-you notes  all feel quaintly irrelevant juxtaposed against a collection of very real fears about the future. During a year and a half of bitter political infighting  sister against sister, neighbor against neighbor  weve lost a better part of ourselves and unleashed armies of vengeful strangers.

To put a fine point on it, Donald Trumps election has released a malevolent spirit upon the land. He invoked the magic message  essentially them vs. us  and the demons disembarked from their dark hiding places. He raided the lost ark, lifted the lid and the whirlwind of humankinds worst impulses escaped.

Hyperbolic, yes. But when the next leader of the free world casually comments that we need to build up our nuclear arsenal  and seems to welcome a return of the Cold War  alarm expressed in the strongest terms possible is required. When such alarm did find expression around the nation and the world, the president-elect huddled in his fake news bunker and claimed that his remarks were quoted incompletely. He took special aim at NBC News, tweeting that the network purposely left out this part of my nuclear qoute: until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes. Dishonest!

If NBC left out the balance of his tweet, shame on them, but the rest of what he said adds nothing to assuage the larger concern that he thinks we need more nukes. Or, since this apparently needs pointing out, that he believes having more nukes will have no effect whatsoever until the rest of the world comes to its senses. My guess is the rest of the world is thinking the exact same thing: This president-elect is not in his senses  and he makes no sense.

Trumps complete original quote, as usual offered via Twitter, was: The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes.

Really? By greatly expanding our already huge nuclear arsenal, other leaders will come to their senses regarding nukes? Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed earlier on the same day that he wishes to boost his countrys nuclear strength, too. Just great.

And, really, again. Whats with making such war-mongering threats when youre not in the White House yet? Tweeting on matters of such import is unpresidential, not to mention unmanly. Also, its insane!

I could pause here and write verbatim the emails and social-media comments certain to follow these observations. Theyre as predictable as a 3 a.m. tweet from Trump Tower. This, too, is part of whats frightening as we take our leave of 2016. People who voted for Trump refuse to critique his behavior through any lens but that of having won a contest.

We won, you lost  get over it is what now passes for a serious dialogue about matters of immense importance.

The notion that people who still express concerns  including a growing list of psychiatrists and psychologists whove signed a letter suggesting the man isnt well  are just sore losers is nonsense. When the president-elect of the United States so cavalierly threatens to unravel the fragile threads that hold civilization together, there are no winners. He or she who is not worried is not paying attention.

My personal stake, other than the fears herein described, is well and good. Whats bad for the republic is good for columnists and cartoonists, though this time, I admit, the muses generosity is less enjoyable.

These are also not simple partisan fears. Many Republicans I know are slightly terrified, as one Trump voter recently put it to me. That most, if not all, Democrats are, too, doesnt have to mean theyre all excessively disappointed, though many surely are. Nor, as the incensed have written, does my non-support of Trump translate to support for Hillary Clinton. We call that a non sequitur.

And when it comes to abusing logic, Trump wins hands down.
I lay among friends, huddled and cold in our sleeping bags. We listened to the lashing wind and the drums and prayer chants coming from the sacred fire, and we reflected on why we, four Iraq War veterans, were here.

Police floodlights shone from the drill site of the Dakota Access Pipeline, scheduled to cross under the Missouri River, the water source for millions of people.

Members of the Standing Rock Sioux, concerned not only about polluted water but also the desecration of sacred sites, began resisting the pipeline in 2014. In mid-2016, finally, these water protectors gained major support.

Over 200 tribal nations pledged solidarity. Thousands of non-natives traveled to North Dakota to stand on the front lines. Then, as images of police violence against protectors got increasingly disturbing, some 4,000 veterans  including me  joined the resistance in early December.

Why had so many veterans taken up the cause of the Native Americans and environmentalists at Standing Rock?

My own reasons are rooted in western Pennsylvanias coal country, where I grew up. There, I rode my bicycle on trails crossing abandoned strip mines. Bulldozers had left precarious shale formations and streams ran orange with iron runoff.

When a sanitation corporation threatened to open a landfill at a reclaimed mine near homes in our community, residents finally resisted. At age 15, I joined the fight to stop the dump, gaining a deeper appreciation for the wildlife  and water  of my region.

Good jobs are scarce in my hometown, so military service is something nearly every boy  and now girl  considers. My grandfathers both served, along with several uncles.

Back home, the military is sacrosanct. But I wasnt especially proud of my five years in the Army, two of which were spent in Iraq.

My job as a radar operator, like so many military specializations, got privatized, so I found myself tasked out for other duties. I guarded poor Iraqis while they filled thousands of sandbags for the contractor Kellogg, Brown, and Root, only to see those sandbags rot in the sun as they sat unused.

I also loaded caskets onto cargo planes  an image often hidden from the American public. And I escorted high-ranking officers on unnecessary trouble-provoking missions (how else could one earn the Combat Infantry Badge?).

Like many post-9/11 veterans, I left the military seeking redemption. Perhaps thats why, after I saw those images of police violence against water protectors, I went to Standing Rock.

There, instead of helping military contractors make money, I felt like I was finally serving the people.

While we were there, on Dec. 4, the Army Corps of Engineers finally denied the pipeline company its permit to drill under the river. Police pulled back, and the water protectors celebrated.

The indigenous community had worked months for this ruling. They sacrificed the most. But I like to think the result was also influenced by the prospect of police tear-gassing and firing rubber bullets at unarmed veterans.

A ceremony followed where Wesley Clark Jr., key organizer of the Veterans Stand for Standing Rock campaign, offered an apology to Native Americans on behalf of the military, citing decades of broken treaties and violence. Five hundred of us went to our knees.

I hope to participate in a forgiveness ceremony one day in Iraq, in the spirit of Standing Rock.
As some wonder how to proceed after a tumultuous election season, they can take inspiration from Alma Keen, an educator and political activist who touched many lives. Keen died on Dec. 15 at 105 years of age.

She was known by family, friends, former students and colleagues as a trailblazer in the community, the Journals Fran Daniel wrote of Keen.

Born in 1911, Keen graduated from Winston-Salem State University, then known as Winston-Salem Teachers College, in 1939 with a degree in education. A masters degree from Columbia University in New York followed. Her primary career was teaching art in local schools in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school system, but she took the opportunity to expose her students to English, literature and poems that some students can still recite.

She was just a wonderful all-around teacher, Doris Epperson-Griffin, who was in Keens eighth-grade class, told the Journal.

I really respected her and admired her, Kennetta Smith, secretary and after-school director for First Baptist Church on Highland Avenue, told the Journal.

Many of her students felt the same way.

As a political activist, Keen was the first black person and first woman appointed to the Winston-Salem Housing Authority Board of Commissioners. She was invited by then-Sen. John F. Kennedy to serve on a committee of 400 women designated to plan the last seven days of his campaign for the presidency of the United States in1960, the Journal reported. She was also among President Lyndon B. Johnsons guests at his inauguration.

And she was motivated to pay it forward by her faith, her godson and caregiver Ward Miller told the Journal.

I will miss her insistence on doing the very best one could in and out of the classroom, her nephew John P. Brown Jr. told the Journal. I will miss her high expectations on herself and others. And I will miss what a remarkable impact she had on others.

This is the kind of citizen who makes us proud. Were grateful for Keens contributions to our community and hope others will follow her example.
ST. LOUIS  A reality television series about homicide detectives is bringing its cameras to St. Louis.

The crew from A&E Networks The First 48 is scheduled to begin taping in the city in mid-January, with the first episode expected to air six to eight months later, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. The show tags along with real detectives as they go through the process of homicide investigations.

Police Chief Sam Dotson said that although the show emphasizes violence and has the potential to complicate prosecutions, he believes St. Louis involvement could improve the reputation of the citys officers and boost cooperation with the public. More than 20 cities have participated in the show since its inception in 2004, including Miami, Minneapolis and Dallas.

This isnt a startup, the police chief said. Theyve been doing this for a decade, so I have a high degree of confidence in them.

Dotson said the New Orleans police chief told him the show promoted the good work and skill of homicide detectives there.

He told me it actually helped people feel comfortable talking to detectives, and sometimes, people would ask for them by name, Dotson said. People recognized them and felt like they had a connection to them by watching the show.

The title of the TV series originates from the assumption that detectives are less likely to solve a case if they dont get a solid lead within the first two days after a homicide. Taping of the investigations typically continues beyond the 48-hour period, and episodes feature one to two cases at a time.

There have been some past legal issues with the shows involvement in investigations in other cities, sometimes resulting in city officials cutting ties with the series. Many former suspects have also said their images have been tarnished and lives put in danger after the shows negative depiction of them.

Taiwan Smart, a former suspect who won $860,000 in a lawsuit against the city of Miami, said the detectives in the case he was wrongfully charged in were more interested in the shows theatrics than justice.
Today

Mostly cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. High 71F. Winds light and variable.

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to occasional showers later during the night. Low 57F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.

Tomorrow

Light rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. High 71F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
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By Ghia Nodia | (Project Syndicate) |  

MOSCOW  This New Years Eve marks the 25th anniversary of the formal dissolution of the Soviet Union. But, rather than celebrating, many Russians  and some people in the West  are ambivalent about that outcome.

Russian President Vladimir Putin tops the list of doubters. He made known his position on the USSRs disintegration in 2005, when he called it a major geopolitical tragedy of the twentieth century. And some in the West consider the new states that emerged from the wreckage  Ukraine and the Baltic republics, in particular  to be the primary source of Russias ressentiment and revanchism in the post-Cold War world.

These doubts stand in sharp contrast to the consensus that prevailed for many years after the collapse of communism in Europe in 1989-1991. It was widely accepted that the end of the Cold War marked not only the liberation of Central and Eastern Europe, but also the triumph of liberal ideas.

But the end of the USSR could also be seen as a victory for nationalism. Indeed, it was fear of nationalist violence that led then-US President George H.W. Bush and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl to try to help the USSRs last president, Mikhail Gorbachev, hold the Soviet Union together (though only after having allowed the Baltic States to secede). They failed  and later claimed victory for the full demise of the Soviet empire.

In reality, the Belovezha Accords, which formalized the break-up of the USSR, completed a process of dissolution that started in 1989. The differences between the Warsaw Bloc countries and the Soviet republics were important, but one similarity was crucial: in all of these countries, the Kremlin had imposed communism at gunpoint. The USSR could have survived only as long as Russia maintained control of the empire  and only if Gorbachev had been willing to use force to prolong that control.

Many Western strategists and scholars based their assessment on a false assumption: the Soviet Union could also become free, if only its name was properly edited and the right constitution drafted for it. But that was hopeless. The peoples that comprised the USSR had different histories long before Russian domination; and, under the Soviet systems nationalities policy, their identity as members of distinct political units had actually been consolidated. After the demise of the USSR, they quickly displayed very different social and political preferences. One cannot imagine even a partly free political space, as Russia was becoming, that they could share.

Of course, after gaining their independence, some of these new nation-states have been struggling to develop democratic institutions and viable economies. Others, no surprise, became outright dictatorships. But before embarking on those routes, the word freedom could be meaningfully applied only to the idea of liberation from Kremlin control.

The dissolution of the Soviet Union deserves to be celebrated, because it created a new chance for development across the vast landmass that the USSR once controlled. But it should also be celebrated because this dissolution was achieved in such a relatively orderly and peaceful manner.

To be sure, in some countries, especially my own, Georgia, there was a period of civil war and chaos. But that was our responsibility. In the heyday of the Soviet Union, when Georgians of my generation dreamed about the eventual demise of the empire (because all empires eventually break up), we did not dare to imagine that it would happen in a peaceful and orderly manner.

Ghia Nodia is President of the Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy, and Development in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Leased from Project Syndicate

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Related video added by Juan Cole

DW: Trump praises Putin, pans Obama on Twitter | DW News
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Maan News Agency |  

BETHLEHEM (Maan)  The past year has been one of the deadliest and most violent in recent years for Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank and besieged Gaza Strip. In 2016 alone, more than 100 Palestinians were killed, the majority shot dead by Israeli forces.

The wave of violence, termed by some as the Jerusalem Intifada, began in October 2015 and to date has seen 246 Palestinians killed by Israelis, with 135 Palestinians killed between the months of October and December 2015 alone.

Since the violence began, Maan has collected data regarding every person who has died as part of this latest chapter in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Palestinian youth shot in the knee by Israeli forces (Photo: BADIL) In 2016, Maan recorded the deaths of a total of 129 individuals from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2016. Of these dead, 111 were Palestinian (86 percent of deaths), 15 were Israeli (11.6 percent of deaths), and three were foreign nationals (2.3 percent of deaths) one American, one Sudanese, and one Jordanian.

Of the Palestinians killed, 97.3 percent were killed by Israelis. One was killed while holding a pipe bomb that prematurely exploded, another while carrying out a deadly bomb attack, and another was killed by another Palestinian in a shooting attack.

Of the Israelis killed, 93.3 percent were killed by Palestinians, with one Israeli soldier killed by Israeli friendly fire. Nine Israelis (60 percent of the dead) were killed during shooting attacks.

The violence has largely been characterized by small scale attacks and attempted attacks on Israeli armed forces, with 55 (49.5 percent) of the Palestinians killed by Israelis killed during stabbing and alleged attempted stabbing attacks. Drawing from statistics, a general portrait emerges of the average Palestinian to have died during this time: a young man in his late teens or early twenties from the West Bank district of Hebron, killed by Israeli security forces. Out of all Palestinians killed, 34 (30.6 percent) were from the Hebron district.

Geographically speaking, the majority of Palestinian deaths  82 to be exact  took place in the West Bank, while 17 occurred in the city of Jerusalem, seven in the besieged Gaza Strip, and five in Israel. Among those killed in Gaza were two Palestinian children, aged nine and six-years-old, who were killed by an Israeli airstrike.

While 12 Palestinian women and girls were killed  10 of whom while allegedly or actually carrying out attacks  the vast majority killed were Palestinian men and boys. Of the 111 Palestinians killed, 99 were male.

According to Maans records, the average age of slain Palestinians was 23. However, the most frequent age of death was 17 years old, with 14 Palestinian youth of that age losing their lives in the past year.

According to a report from Defense for Children International  Palestine (DCIP), 2016 was the deadliest year for Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank in a decade . Maan documented that 33 Palestinian minors, aged 17 and younger, were killed since January.

DCIP also documented 81 Palestinian child injuries in 2016, the vast majority of which were at the hands of Israeli forces, adding that in several child injury and fatality cases, Israeli forces prevented paramedics from approaching and treating children suffering from gunshot wounds.

Out of the 15 Israelis killed in 2016, one minor was killed  13-year-old Hallel Yafa Ariel, who was stabbed to death in her home in the illegal Israeli Kiryat Arba settlement by 17-year-old Muhammad Nasser Tarayra, who was shot dead at the scene.

In instances when the official Israeli version of events of Israelis killing Palestinians was strongly contested  such as when eyewitnesses maintained that the Palestinian did not constitute a threat at the time of their death, that Israeli forces planted knives or otherwise manipulated the scene of the crime, or when no injuries to Israelis were reported and no witnesses to contest the Israeli version of events  Maan has classified these attacks as alleged.

There were 13 Palestinians ( 11.7 percent of deaths) killed by Israelis during shooting and alleged attempted shooting attacks, while six (5.4 percent of deaths) were killed while carrying out or allegedly attempting to carry out vehicular attacks.

Separately, 19 Palestinians were killed during clashes with Israeli forces, 18 of whom were shot and killed, while one Palestinian died from severe tear gas inhalation.

Israeli police and soldiers have come under heavy criticism over the past year for what rights groups have referred to as extrajudicial executions and excessive use of force against Palestinians  especially youth and children  who did not pose an immediate threat or who could have been disarmed through non-lethal means, particularly during clashes.

In at least three cases in 2016, Israeli authorities admitted to killing Palestinians by mistake, confirming that soldiers used excessive force against Palestinians who did not post immediate threats to Israeli forces at the time of their killings. In two of the cases, the victims were 15-year-old boys.

claimed that funerals of Palestinians had provided grounds for incitement against the Israeli state. The Israeli government has continued to hold the bodies of many of the slain Palestinians who were killed over the past year, as part of a policy under which Israeli authorities have

Israeli authorities have continued to hold at least nine Palestinian bodies for between eight and three months.

When Israeli authorities have decided to return slain bodies and allow funerals in the occupied Palestinian territory, the ceremonies have been typically restricted by a long list of conditions imposed by Israeli authorities, including limiting the number of attendees and the deployment of Israeli soldiers throughout the event.

A joint statement released by Addameer and Israeli minority rights group Adalah in March condemned Israels practice of withholding bodies as a severe violation of international humanitarian law as well as international human rights law, including violations of the right to dignity, freedom of religion, and the right to practice culture.

The statement said it appeared many of the Palestinians whose bodies Israel was holding had been extrajudicially executed by Israeli forces during alleged attacks against Israelis, despite posing no danger.

Maan News Agency
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

It is 2017, and shortly the White House will be inhabited by an unscrupulous, corrupt narcissist who has shamelessly mobilized the Neo-Nazi fringe of the Republican Party to get into power.

Despite all the cries of no to normalization on the left, Trump will be normalized by the same corporate media that virtually boycotted Bernie Sanders. He will be respectfully called the president and his wishes and goals will be praised on cable news, and not just on Rupert Murdochs Fox Fake News. Hell flash a smile and be friendly and anchors will treat him like a buddy (despite his having threatened their colleagues with bodily harm at his rallies and despite his having pledged to weaken the first amendment and sue reporters for libel). Rupert Murdochs Wall Street Journal is already pledging never to call Trump out when he is obviously lying. Since Trump is, like Dick Nixon, a pathological liar, this is like pledging not to cover his presidency.

Americans cultivate a myth about themselves that they are rugged individualists, but in fact they are for the most part timid sheep who worship power and are glad to defer to it if it mouths a few white nationalist keywords. French workers, for whom Americans have such contempt, would never allow themselves to be walked all over the way American workers have been. Americans who dont go along to get along are branded traitors by fresh-faced young Neo-Nazis who have infiltrated our supposedly democratic institutions and engage in blackballing and smearing.

Just in the past week we have been treated to a number of classic fascist themes by the PEOTUS and his team.

Trumps monstrous New Years message, delighting in having defeated his enemies and in their despair, displayed his typical feigned machismo (is he Frank Sinatra, that he has ever been in a fistfight?) Vindictiveness and trash talking are part of his contempt for the weak and determination to victimize them.

Another typical fascist theme is suspicion of modernity, science and the Enlightenment. Trumps low regard for modern technology was made abundantly clear when he said last Wednesday, according to Reuters, I think that computers have complicated lives very greatly. The whole age of computer has made it where nobody knows exactly whats going on. He maintains that it is impossible to trace hackers (not true, though it can be very difficult).

He has now gone on to suggest that important memos be written out on paper and delivered by courier. His climate denialism goes along with this irrationality. And of course the very medium in which these irrational statements are delivered, a tortured English with impossible syntax making sweeping assertions that the truth can never be arrived at, is Newspeak of the fascist variety.

With his typical narcissism, Trump maintained that he knows things about hacking that others do not and will reveal them in a few days. The narcissism feeds into the fascism, since he is the great leader who should be trusted above other sources of information, even when it is obvious, as it usually is, that he does not have the slightest idea what he is talking about.

Then Mother Jones reported that Trumps nominee to be Secretary of Labor thinks workers are over-protected and that they should not get breaks. Contempt for the weak is a major theme of Trump and his team. Such huuje losers. Dont deserve a doctor visit or a coffee break. Bah humbug.

What do you want to bet that the secretary of labors position never even gets discussed on a national news channel?

Trump will be normalized. All the rest of us can do is simply keep in mind that he is a fascist, and to continue to point to his record on fascism, from hatred of Mexicans and African-Americans and Muslim Americans to his contempt for women to his pledge to carpet bomb Iraq and Syria to his threat to imprison his chief political opponent. We can continue to remember his determination to deprive workers of their basic rights. We can remember that Steve Bannon, the editor of the Neo-Nazi rag Breitbart, is among his closest advisers.

All we can do is resist normalization, first of all in our own minds and then in our social circles and on social media. And when Trump begins victimizing innocent people, we have to remain prepared to mobilize. Fascism gets tossed around lightly as an insult on the internet. This is the real thing, folks. We are Italy, 31 October, 1922. Bad things are about to happen.

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Related video added by Juan Cole:

ABC News: Trump Promises to Reveal More Details Regarding Allegations That Russia Hacked the Election
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TeleSur |  

The paper is worried about objectivity, said WSJ editor-in-chief Gerard Baker.

The Wall Street Journal would not call a lie a lie if it was told by President-elect Donald Trump over concerns of objectivity, the papers editor-in-chief told Meet the Press on Sunday.

Id be careful about using the word, lie, said Gerard Baker, editor-in-chief of the conservative paper. Lie implies much more than just saying something thats false. It implies a deliberate intent to mislead.

Instead of calling the lie by what it is, he would print the facts next to Trumps statement and let readers decide for themselves which is the truth.

I think if you start ascribing a moral intent, as it were, to someone by saying that theyve lied, I think you run the risk that you look like you are, like youre not being objective, he said.

[He] also orders his staff to respond similarly on social media, despite questionable or challengeable comments from Trump. But he added that there should be a little less deference, a little less insider behavior by the media on politicians.

The other guest, New York Times editor-in-chief Dean Baquet, has said previously that he has no qualms about calling a lie what it is, considering its dictionary definition a falsehood, which would be in line with reporting facts, and that it would almost be illiterate to have not called the birther thing a lie.

About two in three Trump voters believe him more than the New York Times and CNN, according to a PPP poll conducted in 2015.

Via TeleSur

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Related video added by Juan Cole:

WSJ editor on Trump and lying
Protests [AP report] took place in Hong Kong Sunday with an estimated 5,000 people marching in support of pro-democracy politicians. Four elected, pro-democracy lawmakers were barred from taking office in 2016 after altering the words in their official oaths. The protesters demonstrated against the governments interference with the democratic process, being that the four lawmakers were rightfully elected.

In November a Hong Kong Court ruled against [JURIST report] two elected, pro-independence politicians from taking local office. In October three officials were barred as a result of a political protest [NYT report] launched during their inaugural oaths. The November decision deemed the oaths unfulfilled when two of the legislators pledged their allegiance to the Hong Kong Nation as opposed to the Peoples Republic of China. The politicians were found to have willfully omitted their duty to take the oath when requested to do so and has their positions automatically invalidated as a result.
[JURIST] NY Governor Andrew Cuomo [official website] on Saturday vetoed a bill [Politico report] that would require the state to pay for indigent representation when counties were unable. The bill was passed six months ago with bipartisan support, though the lawsuit giving rise to the issue was settled approximately 2 years ago [NYCLU press release]. After weeks of negotiation [Politico news report] Cuomo vetoed the bill, with a spokesperson stating [NY Daily News report] that [u]nfortunately, an agreement was unable to be reached and the Legislature was committed to a flawed bill that placed an $800 million burden on taxpayers  $600 million of which was unnecessary  with no way to pay for it and no plan to make one. Cuomo assured that it would be revisited in the upcoming legislation cycle.

This is not the first time that the rights of indigent defendants have suffered due to costs. Last January, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the ACLU of Louisiana filed a class action lawsuit [JURIST report] against the New Orleans Public Defenders Office and the Louisiana Public Defender Board due to the lack of available public defenders for individuals with no access to an attorney. The ACLU claimed that as a result of the lack of state funding for public defenders, individuals are forced to wait months in jail without counsel or accept bail and plea negotiations which can have irreparable effects on their case. This was not the first time the New Orleans County Public Defenders Office had struggled to adequately provide enough enough public defenders, who represent close to 80 percent of criminal defendants in New Orleans. Due to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, 31 of the offices 39 public defenders were laid off and the annual budget was dropped from $2.5 million to $500,000. The financing system was accused of being unconstitutional because it relied heavily on surcharges from traffic tickets, which were abandoned since Hurricane Katrina, and forced poor people to pay for the system. Many cases involving public defenders were suspended [JURIST report] and a petition was granted to free a prisoner facing serious charges because the suspect lacked counsel. Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr. launched an investigation [JURIST report] in 2006 into the dire finances of the states indigent defense system.
Syrian warplanes resumed bombardment (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights [website] report) outside of Damascus Sunday after ceasing for almost one day. The strikes are continuing in spite of a ceasefire agreement reached just days before. Hundreds fled the rebel-controlled Wadi Barada valley between assaults. Both sides have been accused of violating the truce, with rebel officials stating that the government air raids are clearly against its terms. Other news outlets have reported that the attacks may have been targeting groups outside of the terms of the deal, which rebel groups say is not the case.

The Syrian Civil War [JURIST backgrounder] has been ongoing since 2011 when opposition groups began protesting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. In December a spokesman for Turkeys ruling party said on that the government was pushing for a Syrian cease-fire [JURIST report] to be in place by 2017. Also last month the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to establish an independent panel to investigation possible war crimes [JURIST report] in Syria.
US District Judge Reed OConnor, of the Northern District of Texas [official website], issued an injunction [opinion] on Saturday barring enforcement of anti-discrimination provisions concerning transgender health and abortion in the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The injunction comes one day before the provisions would have come into force at the start of 2017 and is part of a larger lawsuit, Franciscan Alliance v. Burwell [ACLU backgrounder], which pits a coalition of states and religious organizations against the Department of Health and Human Services. The opinion states that the ACA anti-discrimination provision violates [doctors] religious freedom and thwarts their independent medical judgement. OConnor further cited violations of the Administrative Procedure Act [text], which governs the way executive branch agencies may make law, as a reason for granting the injunction. Health and Human Services, and by extension the Obama Administration, may still appeal the decision, but the Presidents ambitions might be limited as he has just 20 days left in office.

The decision, which is a political victory for conservatives, is part of a larger judicial push from conservatives across the country. In November, the Becket Fund filed suit [JURIST report] against the government in North Dakota over the same issue of transgender rights under the ACA. Transgender rights continue to be controversial, but the Supreme Courts acceptance of a case [JURIST report] concerning transgender students rights in Virginia school bathrooms may help clarify the governments position on the issue when a decision in rendered this summer.
FILE - In this Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016 file picture, two Ferrari sports cars are being towed off the freight zone by the police at Geneva Airport, in Geneva, Switzerland. Geneva authorities have confiscated 11 luxury vehicles and sports cars Monday, belonging to Teodorin Obiang Nguema, the son of Equatorial Guinea's president as part of a preliminary investigation into alleged corruption. The son of Equatorial Guinea's president is going on trial in France for corruption, money laundering and embezzlement after a years-long investigation. (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP, File)

PARIS (AP)  After years of investigation, France on Monday put the son of the president of Equatorial Guinea on trial for corruption, charged with spending many millions in state funds  much of it allegedly in cash  to feed an opulent lifestyle of fast cars, designer clothes, works of art and high-end real estate.

But the defendant, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, in the first of several planned trials of foreign figures allegedly thriving on ill-gotten gains, was absent and his lawyers sought a postponement to better prepare their case.

Obiang, who is also Equatorial Guinea's second vice president, faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of corruption, money laundering and embezzlement.

Obiang's lawyer, Emmanuel Marsigny, argued that he was not given a "reasonable delay" to prepare a defense for his client's actions spanning 14 years and that the trial date notification was sent to a Paris address though his client lives at the presidential palace in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea.

"It is not just an address he declared. He lives there," Marsigny told the court.

"Believe me, Mr. Nguema (Obiang) is not a big-time bandit," he said. "He just wants his rights observed."

It was not immediately clear if the court would grant a delay.

Representing Transparency International, which helped bring the case, lawyer William Bourdon accused the defense of trying to paralyze the judicial system through a series of "opportunistic" and "malicious" maneuvers.

Obiang's trial came after two non-governmental organizations targeting corruption and an association of Congolese citizens living abroad launched a lawsuit in France nearly 10 years ago against leaders in nearly a half-dozen African countries, including the late Gabon president Omar Bongo, charging they used state funds during or after their tenures to buy properties and luxury goods in France.

According to court documents, Obiang allegedly used millions of dollars in public money to stay in luxury Parisian palaces and later purchased a mansion located on one of the French capital's most sought-after avenues. The defense said the acquisition serves as Equatorial Guinea's embassy, and the International Court of Justice ruled that France must treat the Paris mansion as Equatorial Guinea's diplomatic mission  but gave the green light for the trial, despite Obiang's claims of diplomatic immunity.

Story continues

Obiang allegedly bought up to 15 cars in France for 5.7 million euros (currently $6 million) and once splashed nearly 20 million euros at an arts auction.

A former majordomo, a governess and others employed by him in Paris told investigators that their boss came to France with suitcases full of cash and paid mainly in cash for luxury goods, according to the indictment.

"Teodoro Obiang is part of a small club, a small but global club of corruptors," said William Bourdon, the lawyer for Transparency International. "Their common characteristic is they will never confess. Never. Have you ever heard of a global corruptor turn to his people, a hand over the heart, and tell them: 'I am sorry, I apologize'? No ... He's been using all possible legal tools to invalidate the trial."

The case highlights the well-known corruption and mismanagement of the economy of Equatorial Guinea, rich in oil and gas, and the dramatic gap between the privileged ruling class of the central African country and much of the population, which thrives mainly on subsistence farming.

The former Spanish colony is run by Africa's longest-serving president, the father of the defendant, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

Exiled opposition leaders were among those present at the Paris trial, including the president of the Progress Party, Severo Moto, who lives in Madrid. He claimed before the trial that Obiang was not present "because he is afraid."

"The country knows very well that he's a thief," he said.

Obiang's lawyer passionately contends that his client's hands are clean.

"What Mr. NGuema (Obiang) did in his country was perfectly legal," he said, claiming that only in France would such a trial take place.

However, Swiss authorities opened a preliminary investigation last year, and the U.S. filed claims in 2011 against Obiang's U.S.-held assets worth more than $70 million, alleging they were the proceeds of corruption. Obiang reach a deal with the U.S. in 2014 to sell a Malibu mansion, a Ferrari and a collection of Michael Jackson memorabilia to raise more than $30 million.
What a year its been! As much as everyone else is excited to see the back of 2016, Im a little upset to wave goodbye to such a happy, memorable year for me.

I sat down and rounded up the best bits of my year  and there have been many

Top Five Highlights

 I got engaged! Jordan got down on one knee on the very last day of the year, and it was definitely the best moment of December, of 2016, of my life! Im beyond excited for planning and pinning.

 I also finally managed to travel back to my home country of New Zealand! I havent been back here in almost 20 years, so seeing my old home and the village I grew up in has been unreal. I also got to see my lovely grandparents too. Its been a trip full of nostalgia!

 I formed a few special friendships this year, and Ive definitely become a lot more confident and social as a whole. I like this busy, fun side to myself!

 I travelled solo to San Francisco, Paris, LA and New York this year  something I didnt think I could do. It was nerve-wracking at first, but it definitely gave me the space I needed to find myself a little.

 My dream floors happened! This is probably a boring highlight to some, but I finally got the perfect chevron floors Ive been lusting over most of my adult life. They are flawless.

Work Achievements

 I hit 100,000 subscribers on YouTube! This was a big one for me, as Ive always had a love/hate relationship with filming and uploading videos. Reaching this milestone made me realise that there are people out there that genuinely enjoy my content, so ever since Ive made it my mission to be a regular uploader.

 My double-page feature in Stylist magazine! I worked with Renaissance Hotels and Stylist magazine for this awesome double-page feature, and I felt super proud of how it turned out. Definitely a pinch me moment in my career!

 Travelled almost once per month. Ive been a busy, busy bee this year with so many trips lined up. I ended up turning down so many travel opportunities because I had so much on! Heres to more fun plans in 2017

 I found my way with branded content. I love, love, love working with brands, and Im finally at a point where I feel super proud of everything I do when it comes to sponsored activity. Its a weird one to talk about so candidly, but I definitely owe a lot to you guys for being so awesome with feedback and support.

 I finally uploaded an apartment tour to YouTube! Whats more, within a few hours it was my most viewed video ever! The response was overwhelming and Im still shocked at how much the views go up every single day. Its been crazy!

2016 In Numbers

 770; the number of Instagram uploads I posted

 7; the number of countries I visited (most of them a few times!)

 240; the number of blog posts I uploaded in 2016

 36; the number of ASOS orders I made this year (not as bad as I thought!)

 8864; the number of comments I received on katelavie.com! (A massive thank you to you guys, you really are all so awesome!)

 1861; the number of songs I listened to on Spotify this year

A Few Personal Goals

 I (almost) finished the flat! Our apartment has definitely been looking a lot better lately, and my interiors have been taken up a notch. I still have a few things to do, but the big jobs are mostly done, which is a great feeling!

 I felt better in my skin. One of my 2016 goals was to love myself a little better, and I totally nailed it. I worked on my skin issues and was generally good to myself as much as possible  and what a difference it made!

 I purchased a few luxe items. I finally felt like I was in a place to buy myself a few treats this year, and just knowing that Im able to do that is such an amazing feeling. Yay for being able to support yourself and buy cute bags!

 I lived in the moment. A lot of blogging and vlogging means living life through a viewfinder, but I really felt myself living in the moment this year. I relaxed and stopped stressing about getting the perfect Instagram shot, and I felt a whole lot better for it!

In 2016 I Discovered

 My love of Manchester Orchestra! Seriously, what a band. Im completely obsessed.

 How good I feel when I regularly go to the gym. Not just for looking better either, I really do think it does wonders for my mental health too.

 I reignited my love of gin, and now my bar cart is always well stocked!

 My obsession with all things pink! I never had myself down as a girly girl before, but boy do I love the blush tones!

Its been a seriously good year, and a very fun one to look back on too.

What were your top moments of 2016? Id love to read through them!
President-elect Donald Trump appears to be stepping up his effort to undercut the Obama administrations retaliation against Russia for interfering in the Nov. 8 election by hacking into Democratic emails and leaking millions of documents to WikiLeaks that were damaging to Democratic nominee Hillary Clintons campaign.

The billionaire businessman vowed over the weekend to reveal in the coming days things that other people dont know about hacking that could weaken the U.S. intelligence communitys indictment against Russian president Vladimir Putin, whom Trump is courting as a possible staunch ally in a reordering of global alliances.



Related: Trump and the GOP Are On a Collision Course over Russian Sanctions

Trump has agreed to meet with U.S. intelligence officials this week to review their findings, which pretty much lay blame for the hacking at Putins doorstep. But the incoming Republican president has already declared it was time for the country to put the hacking controversy behind it and move on to bigger and better things.

Meanwhile, his top spokesman, Sean Spicer, argued on the ABC News This Week that Presidents Obamas sanctions against Russia were disproportionate to the alleged offense. The government expelled 35 members of Russias diplomatic mission and closed two Russian compounds in New York and Maryland that were suspected of being spy nests. Obama also imposed sanctions on officials of Russias two main intelligence agencies.

Spicer, who will be Trumps White House press secretary, complained that the Obama administration did nothing to retaliate against China in 2015 for its involvement in breaching federal Office of Personnel Management records of 21.5 million people who had undergone background checks during the past 15 years.

Spicer said that Trump and his advisers question the magnitude of the Obama administration retaliation against Russia after declining to take any punitive action against the Chinese government for hacking into millions of highly sensitive personnel documents.

Story continues

Related: Trump Rips Obama on Transition ... Then Praises Him

The question is, is that response [against Russia} in proportion to the actions taken? he said. Maybe it was, maybe it wasnt. We have to think about it. Thats nothing we have seen in modern history. . . for any action.

So there is a question about whether there is a political retribution here versus a diplomatic response, Spicer added.

But congressional Republicans and Democrats dont see it that way, voicing outrage over Russias unprecedented meddling in a national election that may have influenced the outcome in Trumps favor. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) are backing calls for a congressional investigation of the Russian hacking, while Senate Armed Services Committee Chair John McCain (R-AZ) and others are demanding much harsher sanctions against Russia than the ones ordered by Obama last week.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said on ABC This Week that the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, the CIA and others have produced overwhelming evidence of Russian involvement in the hacking. He also argued that what Russia did in trying to tip the election to Trump was a far graver offense than China stealing U.S. government personnel and financial information.

They didnt just steal information, they weaponized it, Schiff said of the

Russian actions.

Related: Making Friends with Russia May Be Harder than Trump Seems to Think

Trump has attempted to cozy up to Putin since early in the 2016 campaign when he praised the Russian for his strong leadership despite Putins aggressive action in annexing the Crimea and cracking down on domestic dissidents and journalists. Trump has blamed Obama and Clinton, the former secretary of state, for sour relations with Russia, and has promised to negotiate much better terms and relations with the Russians as the next president.

Trump has frequently gushed over Putins leadership skills, especially after Putin complimented the billionaire businessmans political style. And he praised Putin again on Friday for being very smart after the Russian leader announced that he would not retaliate against Obamas decisions to expel Russian diplomats and impose new sanctions.

Then, speaking to reporters Saturday evening outside his Palm Beach, Florida, club Mar-a-Lago, Trump promised to reveal information Tuesday or Wednesday about allegations of Russian hacking of the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign organization that might cast doubt on U.S. intelligence reports pinning responsibility on Putin and Russian agents.

Related: How Team Trump Is Changing the Rules of the Media Game

I just want them to be sure because its a pretty serious charge, Trump said of the intelligence communities findings dating back to October. If you look at the weapons of mass destruction [findings], that was a disaster, and they were wrong, he added. That was a reference to highly inaccurate intelligence cited by President George W. Bush in support of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

And I know a lot about hacking, Trump 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.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
LINCOLN (AP)  Nebraska school districts will now have to publish superintendent pay, benefits and other contract provisions under a new state law that goes into effect Tuesday. It's one of four new laws that become official on July 1  the first day of the new fiscal year.

School districts could meet the new requirement by posting superintendent contracts online. They also have to file them with the Nebraska Department of Education.

Superintendent pay is already considered public information under state law, but the new law's backers say it isn't always easy to learn about fringe benefits in employment contracts. Among the high-profile cases was that of former Omaha Public Schools Superintendent John Mackiel, whose contract allowed him to collect a nearly $1 million retirement payout on top of his regular retirement pay.

Sen. Jim Scheer of Norfolk introduced the bill during this year's session to ensure that the public and school board members realize the costs they incur with superintendents. The law requires that districts publish amendments to existing contracts three days before they're approved, or two days after they're approved if they've hired a new superintendent.

Another new law will increase the state fees for certified copies of vital records. Birth certificates will increase from $12 to $17. The cost of death, marriage and divorce certificates will all rise from $11 to $16.

A third law will officially create a state commission to plan for Nebraska's 150th anniversary as a state in 2017. The Nebraska Sesquicentennial Commission will consist of 17 members appointed by the governor. Starting Tuesday, Gov. Dave Heineman will have 60 days to appoint the members, said Sue Roush, a spokeswoman for the governor.

We wanted the festivities to be statewide and extensive, and the only way you can do that is to have a committee to organize it, said Sen. Bill Avery of Lincoln, the bill's sponsor.

The fourth new law establishes a program in the Department of Health and Human Services to help pay for treatment of certain food- and protein-related allergies, a blood cell disorder and other ailments. The new program will pay up to 50 percent of a patient's out-of-pocket costs, not to exceed $12,000, for amino acid-based formulas that are considered medically necessary. A DHHS website (http://1.usa.gov/1lti5O7) went live Monday to outline who may qualify, said department spokeswoman Kathie Osterman.

Most of the new laws approved this year will go into effect July 18.

__

AT A GLANCE  NEW LAWS THAT TAKE EFFECT JULY 1

LB254: Establishes a Department of Health and Human Services program to pay for treatment of certain allergies, a blood cell disorder and other ailments.

LB470: Requires school districts to publish superintendent salary, benefit and contract information.

LB744: Create the Nebraska Sesquicentennial Commission to plan for the 150th anniversary of statehood in 2017.

LB994: Increase fees for state vital records.
LINCOLN  One thing is certain about the coming Nebraska legislative session: The budget is sure to dominate much of it.

Lawmakers convening Wednesday are faced with a nearly $900 million shortfall, a gap some say could be closed through spending cuts alone. Others believe a combination of efforts would help to balance the books.

Raising taxes is an unlikely option politically.

Senators will undoubtedly be faced with tough decisions about cutting state spending just to balance the budget. Cuts would need to be even deeper to provide tax relief as well, a priority for Gov. Pete Ricketts.

There will likely be little money to go around for new spending, though a number of lawmakers have identified the state Corrections Department as a priority.

State Sen. John Stinner of Gering, the lone declared candidate to chair the Legislatures budget-crafting Appropriations Committee, said hes optimistic about the states fiscal health.

Despite flat tax revenues and a gloomy agricultural economy, the state has a healthy cash reserve, he said.

Nebraskas overall conservatism has really put us in good shape to take this task on, Stinner said. Now, if it goes for another biennium, were going to have to really adjust our thinking about what our priorities are.

The state has a projected $870 million gap between projected revenues and spending for the two-year budget period ending June 30, 2019.

The Legislative Fiscal Office has projected that the shortfall will grow to $1.2 billion for the two-year period ending in 2021, assuming the budget grows an average of about 4 percent annually during the next four years.

At the end of the 2016 session, Ricketts touted his administrations role in reducing the growth in state spending to 3.7 percent. The governor has said he wanted future spending growth at about 3 percent.

Ricketts intends on revealing his plans to address the current fiscal years shortfall at the beginning of the session. He plans to unveil details about the two-year budget period starting July 1, 2017, in his State of the State address later this month.

The governor has promoted a tax relief approach that would address both property and income taxes  but without offsetting revenue hikes. That would mean any tax cuts would have to be matched with cuts in state services.

Ricketts said officials will balance the budget without raising taxes. Asked what areas may be spared from cuts in the coming budget period, he said the state needs to continue investing in Corrections.

I single out Corrections because that is an agency that we know is in dire need of reform, he said. But youll see how we have prioritized in the budget different areas with regard to investing in education and things like that. Its going to be a lot of different areas.

Stinner said the gap can be closed through cuts alone, though its not clear lawmakers will want to make such deep cuts. He said modifications will be required in some areas, including state aid to schools.

The Appropriations Committee will also look at fund transfers and consider using the cash reserve. Those decisions will come after the committee holds hearings and goes through requests line by line, Stinner said.

Its a doable deal, he said.

Stinner said senators will have minimal, if any, money to work with to pay for bills that cost money, though Amazons announcement that it will start collecting sales tax on purchases by Nebraskans could have an impact on the states revenue picture.

The National Conference of State Legislatures in 2012 estimated the state lost $118 million a year in uncollected Internet and catalog sales tax, though the Nebraska Department of Revenue estimated the loss at $45 million.

State Tax Commissioner Tony Fulton said his office is working to update the states figure after Jan. 1.

Sen. Kate Bolz of Lincoln said the gap cant be closed through just belt tightening. She said lawmakers may have to think carefully about using the states roughly $630 million rainy day fund or consider pulling back on previous initiatives.

There are certain tax credits and programs we passed as recently as last year that may deserve a second look, given our current budget circumstance, she said.

Bolz and Sen. Dan Watermeier of Syracuse, both members of the Appropriations Committee, said Corrections reform needs to be prioritized.

Corrections Director Scott Frakes has submitted a budget proposal for the next two fiscal years that would increase state spending on his department by about 7.4 percent, or $20.1 million, on top of new prison construction.

His request would add 164.5 full-time positions, the majority of which would be protective services staff who guard inmates. It also called for $75 million over the next four years for a prison addition for elderly and seriously mentally ill inmates.

Bolz, a key senator on prison issues, said while the request for staff has been very well received, the most scrutinized area will be construction.

Watermeier, whose district includes the Tecumseh State Prison, said the department cannot continue to operate with its current turnover rate, which has stayed around 31 percent for front-line security staff.

Overall, Watermeier said, lawmakers will need to take a hard look at the states discretionary spending to address the budget situation.

In the big picture, I get the sense the body would still like to do this without raising taxes, he said.

Renee Fry, executive director of the OpenSky Policy Institute, warned against dealing with the budget shortfall through cuts alone, noting that the state is still dealing with the consequences of cuts made to Corrections and state aid to schools in the wake of the Great Recession.

She said this is the first time the state has had a shortfall of this size when it wasnt right after a recession. A number of states are seeing a decline in tax revenues, and changes to the federal tax code could have further implications for states, Fry said.

According to a report by the federal Government Accountability Office, states could face a gap between revenue and spending over the next 40 years as baby boomers retire and health care costs rise.

We need to be mindful this probably isnt a one-and-done anomaly, Fry said.

Jim Vokal, CEO of the Platte Institute for Economic Research, said he believes the governor is on the right track. Ricketts has banned nonessential out-of-state travel and has frozen hiring in state agencies for all positions that arent critical.

Ricketts has also told the state budget office to decrease quarterly allotments to state agencies by 1 percent every three months and will cut allotments by an additional 1 percent for the quarter beginning this month.

Meanwhile, state agencies crafted their budget proposals by identifying potential cuts equal to 8 percent of their current budgets, as instructed by the state budget office.

Vokal said tax increases should not be considered and using the rainy day fund should be reserved for dire situations.

I think we can close the budget gap with spending cuts, he said, adding that lowering income taxes would also help to grow the states economy and build the tax base.

World-Herald staff writer Martha Stoddard contributed to this report.
FILE - In this Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016 file picture, two Ferrari sports cars are being towed off the freight zone by the police at Geneva Airport, in Geneva, Switzerland. Geneva authorities have confiscated 11 luxury vehicles and sports cars Monday, belonging to Teodorin Obiang Nguema, the son of Equatorial Guinea's president, as part of a preliminary investigation into alleged corruption. The son of Equatorial Guinea's president is going on trial in France for corruption, money laundering and embezzlement after a years-long investigation. (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP, File)
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We are like a restaurant that charges handsomely for sit-down dinners but gives away food for free at the takeout window. And we only pay our providers for serving the dining room guests. If traffic gets backed up at the drive-through, we hold our providers responsible, even though we never planned for our ever increasing demand for takeout.

In simpler times, patients went to the doctor when they felt unwell, and doctors didnt claim responsibility for what patients did on their own time between visits.

Now, doctors are working just as hard taking care of patients in the office, but they are also expected to  on their own time  handle all sorts of ongoing hand-holding between visits. This happens through phone calls, electronic messaging and reading and commenting on endless streams of reports from case managers, specialists, hospitals, emergency rooms, walk-in clinics, pharmacy benefit managers, insurance companies and medical supply companies.

There is talk about how all of this extra work will someday generate income streams from cost savings and improved outcomes. But today, the very foundation of how doctors get paid is how many patients they see in the office on a daily basis. Few health care organizations have the cash on hand to schedule provider time for what isnt going to bring money in during the present budget year.

The dirty little secret we all deal with in primary care is this: We make our doctors, PAs and NPs see as many patients as they possibly can, with ever-increasing demands on the complexity of care they deliver, and on the comprehensiveness of their documentation and quality reporting. Then, we quietly assume they will be able to do all this extra, unscheduled and uncompensated work without falling behind, making medical mistakes or simply burning out.

Imagine a CEO who spent all day in meetings and never had any time to himself or herself available to think, plan or write.

Imagine an average office worker, who is said to spend 25 percent of their time on business-related email is suddenly told that all company emails from now on have to be done outside working hours.

Imagine a judge, presiding over case after case at the bench from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. without any scheduled time to read briefs or write judgments.

Imagine a TV anchor, broadcasting eight hours a day, never taking any time to study the issues of the day or to speak with colleagues or newsmakers.

Imagine an orchestra, constantly performing, never practicing, never studying the sheet music.

And we are now offering resilience training to our medical providers to help them not burn out.

A Country Doctor is a family physician who blogs at A Country Doctor Writes:.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
TURKISH police have released the first picture of the prime suspect in the Istanbul nightclub attack.

The unnamed man is described as being from East Turkestan, Afghanistan or Chechnya and Turkish intelligence services reportedly believe that he is a member of the East Turkestan branch of ISIS. His nationality is unknown.

The photograph of him comes after chilling footage revealed a gunman opening fire on revellers at the exclusive Reina nightclub in Istanbul during New Year celebrations.

He killed 39 people and injured another 69 partygoers as he stormed the club, armed with an AK-47 and opened fire at random.

He was heard screaming the Arabic words Allahu Akbar after he entered the nightclub.
By Kim Tae-gyu





KT Chairman Hwang Chang-gyu

KT Chairman Hwang Chang-gyu seems uncertain over whether or not to seek his second term at the telecom operator as his first term is set to finish at the shareholders' meeting this March, observers said Monday.

Originally, it was predicted the 63-year-old would lead the country's largest telecom company by sales for three more years on the back of a strong performance while he was in charge.

However, the news that KT was embroiled in the scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her shadowy friend Choi Soon-sil dampened the prospects on Hwang's stay at KT beyond March.

"Hwang surely turned the company around, which before he took over was not performing profitably," said an industry insider asking not to be named.

"As KT is relatively distant from the corruption scandal, many think that Hwang will keep leading the company. Hwang, however, will have to determine that himself about his future."

When Hwang took the reins of KT in 2014, the telecom carrier chalked up an operating loss amounting to 406.5 billion won for the first time in the company's history.

Through slashing more than 8,300 employees and a third of the executives while scrapping non-core assets such as car rental and financial subsidiaries, the Seoul-based outfit managed to record an operating profit of 1.29 trillion won the next year.

During the first three quarters of last year, KT also racked up 1.21 trillion won in operating income while the fourth-quarter results have yet to be announced.

Amid the corruption scandal, KT is accused of having an executive who is close to Choi, who is suspected of having interfered in state affairs, signing many contracts with another close confidant of Choi.

When contacted, KT officials refused to comment on the issue, saying that, "It is up to Hwang whether or not to seek his second term. We are now waiting for his decision."

Hwang has to make his choice two months before the shareholders' meeting in March, which means he needs to do so this month.

But not everybody is seemingly happy with a second term for Hwang since some union workers at KT argue that Hwang's job performance is not as good as it appears to be.

They claim that KT is saving around 600 billion won every year thanks to the massive payroll cuts in 2014, and excluding the effect of the cuts, the annual profit range is almost the same as it was previously.

In response, KT officials rebuffed that allegation with, "Our debt ratio has substantially fallen to 137 percent, which is the lowest in recent years. And our market share in long-term evolution (LTE) competition also surged from 24.7 percent in 2012 to 30.8 percent last year," a KT official said. "All these exploits were achieved with a smaller workforce. These were tall tasks."

Before taking the helm at KT, a former state monopoly that was fully privatized in 2002, Hwang headed the semiconductor division of Samsung Electronics.
By Lee Min-hyung





Chey Tae-won

SK Group Chairman

Top management of SK Group have become this year's first "Honor Society" members, after donating billions of won as part of their efforts to give back to local communities, the nation's third-largest conglomerate said Monday.

They include SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, SK Group Vice Chairman Chey Jae-won and SK Chemical Vice Chairman Chey Chang-won. Those who donate over 100 million won ($82,800) are eligible to join the club.

"Tae-won has urged SK Group employees to make more effort for happiness of its interested parties  including society and customers  in his New Year's address," an SK Group spokesman said. "Their membership for the Honor Society reflects SK's bid to set an example to become more socially responsible."

This is not the first time the top management of SK Group and its affiliates have become the Honor Society members. In 2014, Tae-won donated 30.1 billion won for a variety of social organizations and charity programs  including a startup program for the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies (KFAS).

Last December, SK Group also donated 12 billion won for the Community Chest of Korea, the nation's representative charity organization, which established the Honor Society in 2007, in its bid to stress the importance of donations from leaders of the society.
By Nam Hyun-woo

Small investors again spent a losing year on the Korean bourse, with those buying into stocks such as Hanmi Pharmaceutical suffering huge losses, data showed Monday.

According to data from Koscom, an IT system developer for the local capital market, and the Korea Exchange (KRX), individual investors posted an average loss of 26.6 percent from the top 10 stocks they bought into from Jan. 4, 2016 to Dec. 29, 2016. The number did not reflect the price of stocks they traded.

During the same period, foreigners and institutional investors enjoyed yields of 14.2 percent and 28.7 percent, respectively.

In a breakdown, individual investors mostly bought KEPCO worth 590.7 billion won ($489.2 million), LG Chem worth 573.48 billion won and Hanmi Pharmaceutical worth 571.61 billion won.

The three stocks each posted losses of 11.9 percent, 20.54 percent and 58.03 percent, respectively. This means that those who invested in Hanmi saw more than half their money vanish in a year.

Hanmi stocks plunged to 305,500 won on Dec. 29, from 771,000 won on Jan. 7, after the drug maker suffered the cancelation of a multimillion-dollar licensing contract overseas and notified the public about it retrospectively.

On Monday, multiple securities firms here lowered their target prices of Hanmi, with Samsung Securities cutting the price from 500,000 won to 420,000 won, KTB Securities from 700,000 won to 340,000 won and Korea Investment & Securities from 500,000 won to 370,000 won.

Experts attribute the low yields of individual investors to their limited access to information and their inclinations for short-term trading on cheap stocks.

Last year, institutional investors mostly purchased Samsung Card stocks worth 1.63 trillion won, Hyundai Mobis worth 1.13 trillion won and KB Financial Group worth 990.47 billion won. They each posted 28.68 percent, 7.09 percent and 29.11 percent yields, respectively.
By Nam Hyun-woo



The Financial Services Commission (FSC), one of the nation's financial regulators, faces growing calls from opposition parties for drastic restructuring or dissolution.



Some opposition lawmakers and scholars have been calling for reforming or closing the financial watchdog down, claiming the FSC's role of mapping out policies and supervising the market has been fraught with conflict and is ineffective.



With its 250 officials, the FSC's capacity for restructuring debt-ridden companies and addressing snowballing household debt has been in question and concerns are growing over its ineptitude.



Some say a new administration would drastically restructure the financial regulatory body.



"The possibility of dissolution has been increasing recently," an FSC official said on condition of anonymity.



The remark came in the wake of an influence-peddling scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her confidant Choi Soon-sil, which has raised the possibility of the liberal opposition replacing the current administration.



The FSC was established in 2008, replacing the Financial Supervisory Commission. Then, the Financial Supervisory Commission was in charge of supervisory policies and the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) implemented the policies. The Ministry of Strategy and Finance was to set up financial policies.



In the previous Lee Myung-bak administration, however, the ministry handed over its financial policy function to the FSC, which assumed the role of policy introduction and market supervision since then.



However, the FSC's structure of having contradicting functions within the same organization was bound to face criticism, according to Prof. Kim Sang-jo at Hansung University.



"If the opposition takes control of state affairs, I believe the possibility of the current government system being maintained is extremely low," Kim said. "Market supervision and policy introduction often contradict each other like the gas and brake pedals in a car."



Kim said the FSC is structured to observe the financial market not only as a supervisor but also a regulator, setting up policies to meet political targets. For example, restructuring debt-ridden companies would cause short-term problems such as massive layoffs. Since the FSC is concerned with policies to cushion the impact, it could not tap into restructuring more aggressively in the first place.



"The FSC also would have not allowed the country's household debt to grow as today if it was mandated only to look into the issue from the perspective of protecting financial customers or stabilizing the financial system," Kim said. "Unfortunately, what the FSC has came up with were easing loan-assessing measurements such as loan-to-value and debt-to-income ratios. They were not about controlling the debt but introducing popular policy."



The country's household debt surpasses 1,300 trillion won ($1,076 billion).



Along with Kim, Rep. Choi Woon-youl of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) believes the current system of the FSC having both supervisory and policy functions should be amended.



Choi, who is a former Bank of Korea (BOK) Monetary Policy Board member, said in a recent interview with the Korea Financial Times that the FSC's policy function should be transferred to the ministry. And then, it should be transformed into a government-run supervisory committee, which controls the private-run Financial Supervisory Service.



Choi and several other opposition lawmakers will table a bill on restructuring the FSC. "We are currently making bills and we believe Choi can table it within this month," an aide to Choi said.




Trump's nomination of Navarro raises trade war concerns



By Kim Jae-kyoung



Korea should prepare a strategic plan for a trade dispute with the U.S. as protectionism is likely to dominate the global economy once President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20, according to market analysts.



The specter of U.S. protectionism is looming larger after Trump appointed Peter Navarro as head of the newly created White House National Trade Council, a sign the President-elect is serious about putting his campaign pledge into action.



Navarro, a hawkish critic of U.S.-China relations and globalization, is highly expected to create tension not only with China but also with some export-driven Asian economies, including South Korea, to address America's trade deficit problem.



"He is a bit confrontational and a bit mercantilist. So perhaps there will be more tension," said Mauro Guillen, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.



"He might be more inclined to recommend sanctions against China, especially regarding renminbi manipulation."



From Korea's perspective, a strategic approach should be in the pipeline as Trump may seek to gain an edge in negotiations with trading partners after Navarro causes disruptions favoring the U.S.



Navarro, a University of California Irvine economics professor, considered a successful academic but failed politician, wrote the books "Death by China" and "The Coming China Wars," both of which are fervently critical of Beijing.



Given his books and past remarks, he may target China and Mexico but it is highly likely that South Korea will be affected by Trump's "America First" policy, which will be delivered through Navarro.



"This appointment tells us Trump is serious about this campaign pledge to correct unfair trade, especially with China," Sohn Sung-won, an economics professor at California State University, told The Korea Times.



"China and Mexico will be the primary targets. What tools he will employ remain to be seen."



He said the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) could be up for renegotiation, noting that the Trump camp is unhappy that the deal has resulted in a bigger trade deficit for the U.S.



"It would be interesting to see how the new administration treats China," he said. "Some of the same medicine could be directed at Korea as well."



What is noticeable is that Trump created a new entity, the National Trade Council, to give Navarro a seat at the table, rather than parachuting him into one of the well-established positions in the administration.



"Initially this gives him a stage or a soapbox on which to stand and proclaim, but not necessarily any authority with which to act," said James Rooney, founder and partner of Apogee, a global investment firm.



"So we can expect him to be noisy and disruptive, but it has yet to be seen whether that will actually lead to structural changes that make any real difference. In that respect, he may serve as the joker to Trump's king, where Navarro makes a lot of the noise and Trump negotiates more pragmatic solutions behind the scenes."



However, some economists argue that Trump may not take too drastic measures against small economies like Korea. They expect the real risks for Seoul may not come from protectionist measures but from the global trade slowdown.



"For Korea, as for all Asian export-oriented economies, the risk is that short-term trade measures imposed by the U.S. could prove disruptive," said Frederic Neuman, co-head of Asian economic research at HSBC. "But this is more likely to affect particular industries, such as steel or automotive exports, than overall trade."



He said even then, it is not clear to what degree the Trump administration can impose restrictions given existing global and bilateral trade agreements.



"The bigger challenge, for now, is not trade disruption by the Trump administration via protectionist measures, but the overall weakness of global trade due to sluggish demand, especially for investment goods, in most major economies in the world," he said.



Guillen echoed this view. "I do not think Navarro will consider Korea a trade foe. Quite the contrary, he probably perceives Korea as too small a country to even bother thinking about sanctions," he said.



"I think the best policy for South Korea is to keep its head low and avoid notoriety."




Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon bows during a media briefing at the office in Seoul, Monday, to apologize for the poor supervision of Seoul Chungdam High School, which fabricated the grades and attendance of Chung Yoo-ra, the daughter of President Park Geun-hye's scandal-ridden confidant Choi Soon-sil. The office has decided to annul Chung's graduation. / Yonhap



By Kim Rahn





Chung Yoo-ra

The education office in Seoul has annulled the high school graduation of Chung Yoo-ra, the daughter of President Park Geun-hye's confidant Choi Soon-sil, after finding out her grades and attendance were fabricated and she had not fulfilled the requirements to graduate.

It also asked the prosecution to investigate Chung, Choi and 10 others involved in the irregularities in managing Chung's attendance, tests and grades, including teachers and school board members at Chungdam High School.

The decision came about two weeks after the Ministry of Education ordered Ewha Womans University to cancel Chung's admissions due to the university's favors in admissions and grading.

In her third year at the high school in 2014, Chung, a dressage competitor, was absent for 141 days with the excuse that she participated in competitions or training overseas. She submitted related documents to prove her participation and the school acknowledged her absence.

"Of the documents, those for 105 days of absence were fabricated," said Cho Hee-yeon, superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE), in a briefing, Monday.












Rep. Lee Jung-hyun, former head of the ruling Saenuri Party, left the party on Monday, bowing to pressure from a new interim leader on allies to President Park Geun-hye to clear the deck to refurbish the conservative party.



Saenuri faces its biggest crisis with the president impeached byparliament on Dec. 9 over a raft of corruption and influence-peddling allegations. A group of 29 lawmakers left Saenuri last month to establish the tentatively named New Conservative Party for Reform.



Lee had stepped down from his post in mid-December with other leaders to take responsibility for the passage of the impeachment motion.



Park was impeached amid suspicions that her confidante Choi Soon-sil exercised influence over key state affairs and used her ties with Park for financial gains and personal favors. State prosecutors identified Park as an accomplice. (Yonhap)




By Lee Kyung-min



Speculation has erupted over the death of an assistant to Park Ji-man, President Park Geun-hye's younger brother and chairman of electronics materials maker EG, with many suspecting that the man was "killed" because "he knew too much."



According to Suseo Police Station, Monday, the assistant, surnamed Ju, 45, was found dead in his home in southern Seoul, Sunday.



Suspecting he died of a heart attack, police asked the National Forensic Service to perform an autopsy of the body to determine the exact cause of death.



Police found no evidence suggesting he was killed or committed suicide, with no signs of his house being broken into or a suicide note.



It has been said that Ju was one of a few figures who had in-depth knowledge about the deaths of the President's two cousins in 2011 _ Park Yong-soo and Park Yong-chul _ which were allegedly orchestrated by either Park's siblings or their aides.



Park Geun-hye and Park Ji-man were at odds with their sister Park Geun-ryeong and her husband Shin Dong-uk for decades over who should own the lucrative Korean Children's Center, set up by their mother and former first lady Yuk Young-soo.



After Park Geun-hye conceded the chairmanship to Geun-ryeong, Shin claimed that he faced multiple death threats including a kidnapping attempt in 2007 in China by those who he believed were men hired by Park Ji-man.



Suspicions were that Park Yong-chul was killed shortly before he was scheduled to testify against Park Ji-man with a phone recording of his order to kidnap Shin after he refused to offer him 2 billion won.



While police concluded at the time that Park Yong-soo killed Park Yong-chul at Mount Bukhan in Seoul and committed suicide, suspicions have remained, with Park Yong-chul's phone recording going missing. It is alleged that the two met Park Ji-man on the day of the deaths and Ju was with them.



Regarding Ju's death, Shin said on his social media account he fears that the next target of a questionable death would be him, adding that the prosecution should look into Ju's phone records and text messages to see who was behind his death.



Journalists involved in uncovering the truth behind the deaths of Park's two cousins also voiced concerns.



Rep. Woo Sang-ho, floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, said there have been too many questionable deaths around the Park family. "People die one by one when the political circles move to find the truth, the media begin reporting or a trial begins. That is incomprehensible. I hope the prosecution investigates the issue thoroughly."




By Kang Seung-woo



President Park Geun-hye's unapologetic, self-defensive press conference on New Year's Day has met with a barrage of criticism questioning whether she understands the gravity of the ongoing situation.



Some even say it was an improper exercise of authority for the impeached President to convene such an event.



Despite the backlash, Park plans to continue to aggressively take advantage of press meetings to overturn her impeachment at the Constitutional Court.



On Sunday, Park had a hastily arranged meeting with a group of reporters at Cheong Wa Dae during which she denied all allegations against her in the corruption and influence-peddling scandal threatening her presidency. She also called allegations of her whereabouts during the sinking of the Sewol ferry "falsehoods."



"She is such a weird President," said Chairwoman Choo Mi-ae of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), adding that Park seems to have the same awareness of regulations as schoolchildren have.



"Rather than appealing to the media in a clumsy fashion to avoid impeachment, she should face the independent counsel's questioning."



After rejecting face-to-face questioning by state prosecutors last year, she is also reluctant to cooperate with the independent counsel's investigation before her impeachment trial begins officially today.



"If she really feels the allegations are unfair, she had better cooperate with questioning and explain herself to prosecutors," DPK floor leader Woo Sang-ho said.



"President Park seems to have launched her counterattack against the impeachment decision, despite the fact that the Constitutional Court should deliberate its legitimacy."



Rep. Chang Je-won, a spokesman of the newly created New Conservative Party for Reform  formed by departing members of Park's Saenuri Party  also denounced her meeting with reporters as "ill-advised."



"It is a concern that her remarks may serve as a guideline to jailed suspects. In terms of timing and method, the meeting was very inappropriate," he said.



He also questioned why Cheong Wa Dae disallowed cell phones, laptops and cameras in the 50-minute meeting  a sign that she is still unprepared to communicate with others.



Park's no-compromise governing style has been a lightning rod since her 2013 inauguration.



DPK lawmaker Park Beom-kye took issue with whether an impeached President is allowed to hold a press conference.



"It is highly likely that the meeting is in breach of the Constitution as she is currently removed from office," the judge-turned-politician said.



However, the presidential office said there was nothing wrong with the event.



"Despite being suspended from executive duty, she still maintains the presidency," a Cheong Wa Dae official said. "In addition, the meeting was held on Sunday, an off day, so it cannot be an exercise of authority. She just served tea for reporters, which was not problematic."



As the independent counsel and the Constitutional Court are accelerating their respective investigations into the scandal and deliberations on the presidential impeachment, Park will consider holding other meeting with reporters if necessary, according to Cheong Wa Dae.



"The President thinks she needs to speak out on the allegations," said the official.



"Twisted and exaggerated media reports have left her a pariah, so she has no choice but to defend herself against them."



Bae Jong-chan, the chief director of political pollster Research and Research, said Park's denials, mainly aimed at regrouping her advocacy groups, is unlikely to pay off.



"In terms of timing and content, the people will not accept the President's denials," he said.



"Park's denials of allegations relied on emotional arguments, so they were regarded as excuses, not explanations. For a legal battle in the Constitutional Court, she should have laid out logical evidence, and in that respect people could question the sincerity of the press meeting."








By Choi Ha-young



Rep. Lee Jung-hyun, a staunch loyalist of impeached President Park Geun-hye, quit the ruling Saenuri Party, Monday, two weeks after he resigned as the party's chairman.



Lee became the first Park loyalist to depart from the party since its interim leader In Myung-jin blamed loyalists for the political scandal involving Park and urged them to leave.



"As a former head, I am quitting the party today taking responsibility for what it has become," he said. "I hope the party can get on the right track."



Last week In urged Park loyalists to leave the party by Jan. 6. Other loyalists of Park strongly opposed his demand.



To overcome the party's crisis along with the influence-peddling scandal involving Park, In targeted three groups to be expelled  those who took ranking positions in the Park administration; those who were responsible for the party's defeat in the general elections in April; and those who have raised groundless allegations.



Former Minister of Strategy and Finance Rep. Choi Kyung-hwan reportedly said, "I'd prefer death" at a private meeting with around 10 pro-Park lawmakers, Sunday. Suh Chung-won, an eight-term lawmaker, said "(In) stabbed me in the back."



At the meeting the pro-Park politicians lashed at In's "relentless" position, while Rep. Lee didn't attend.



Both Reps. Choi and Suh previously said they would step back from the party's leadership, but would not quit. In response, In said, "don't be hesitant, clearly state your faults."



The ruling party's floor leader Chung Woo-taik backed up In, who he made great efforts to recruit. However, the party remained silent on President Park's party membership. The impeached President instead denied all allegations during an unscheduled press conference, Sunday.



"The possibility of the party's renovation is zero, without dissolution or the retirement of pro-Park lawmakers," political commentator Choi Young-il said. "Another exodus is likely to happen, except for those who were elected through the proportional representation system."



After 29 lawmakers quit the party last Tuesday, their New Conservative Party for Reform is expanding its influence and popular support. After the separation, former President Lee Myung-bak said, Sunday, he will leave the party early this year. Former presidential candidate Chung Mong-joon also quit the party, Thursday.



Opposition parties commonly criticized Rep. Lee's "belated" move. "Evidently, this is a show to protect the real figures of the pro-Park faction," the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea said in a statement.



The second-largest opposition People's Party echoed this, calling for Lee to retire permanently. "To take all responsibility, Lee should leave politics along with Reps. Suh, Choi and Kim Jin-tae," a party spokesman said.




'N. Korea's SLBM with 1-ton nuclear warhead covers entire S. Korea



By Jun Ji-hye



North Korea's submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is capable of reaching any target in South Korea if it is mounted with a 1-ton nuclear warhead, according to foreign missile experts.



The claim was made in a report published in the December edition of Korea Observer, a scholarly journal published quarterly by the Institute of Korean Studies.



In the report titled "North Korean Ballistic Missile Program," Theodore A. Postol, a professor emeritus at MIT, and Markus Schiller, an aerospace engineer at the Munich-based ST Analytics, said the North's SLBM, called KN-11, is believed to have a range of 600 kilometers or more if it is armed with a 1-ton nuclear warhead. This puts all of South Korea within range of the missile in theory.



The experts also noted the possibility that the missile with a 1-ton warhead may have a range of 800 kilometers, though more details are necessary to determine the maximum range of the missile.



They added that the missile with a 1.5-ton warhead may have a range of 450 kilometers.



"This means that when the KN-11 is eventually deployed on diesel-electric submarines, it will almost certainly have the payload and range to carry a heavy first-generation nuclear warhead designed for ballistic missile delivery from large areas of the ocean," the report said.



The report added that once the deployment is done, missile defense systems such as the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), which is scheduled to be deployed in South Korea this year, would not be able to readily engage such an "all azimuth" SLBM as it is mostly designed to shoot down North Korean missiles fired from a relatively well-defined direction from the North.



The report comes at a time when military officials here assess that the North's technology to miniaturize nuclear warheads has reached a "considerable" level.



They note that if a country miniaturizes a nuclear warhead to about 1 ton in weight and 90 centimeters in diameter, the development is considered a success.



Pyongyang is known to have been working to reduce the weight of its nuclear warheads to less than 700 kilograms so it can fit them on its various ballistic missiles.



The weight of the warhead for the North's short-range Scud missile is about 770 to 1,000 kilograms, while the medium-range Rodong missile can carry a 700-kilogram warhead and the intermediate-range Musudan a 650-kilogram warhead, according to the Ministry of National Defense.



The ministry assesses that the North has yet to perfect such technology, though some military experts claim Pyongyang has already reached that goal.



The isolated state also appears to have been advancing its SLBM technologies last year, during which it test-fired three SLBMs in April, July and August.



In the third test, the SLBM flew about 500 kilometers and splashed down in waters within Japan's Air Defense Identification Zone (JADIZ) in the East Sea, showing significant improvement from past tests.



Thae Yong-ho, the former North Korean deputy ambassador to London who defected to the South in August, recently said North Korea leader Kim Jong-un is determined to complete the development of his nuclear weapons by the end of this year.



In his verbal New Year's message broadcast on state-run TV, Sunday, Kim claimed the country is in the final preparatory stages for test-firing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.



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




By Kim Hyo-jin





Park Won-soon

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon announced Monday he will run in the presidential election possibly slated for early this year.



Calling himself a "competent innovator," Park said that, if elected, he would shake up the current system and reform the government.



"I have made up my mind to answer the demand of the times," he said in a Facebook post. "The people are demanding comprehensive reform of the country. I'm sure I can be the one to clear up the existing order and introduce a new system that can benefit citizen livelihood."



Park is expected to compete in the primary race of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) with former opposition leader Moon Jae-in, who is leading opinion polls among potential presidential candidates, as well as Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung and South Chungcheong Governor Ahn Hee-jung.



Considering popular support, Park has a rough road lying ahead, pundits say. His approval rating for a presidential run has been in stalemate for months at single-digit percentages.



The latest poll, conducted by Korea Research between Dec. 28 and 29 on 2,022 respondents, showed Park was placed seventh with 3.1 percent, following Moon (21.6%), former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (17.2%), Mayor Lee (12.4%), former leader of the minor opposition People's Party Ahn Cheol-soo (4.6%), Governor Ahn (4.6%), and acting president Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn (3.4%).



Without a concrete support base, Mayor Park could be in for a hard race, said Bae Jong-chan, chief director of political pollster Research and Research.



"Unfortunately, Park has had no room to grow his support within ideological, generational or regional aspects," he said.



As a Seoul mayor, Park has shown a sluggish support rate even on his own turf, Bae noted, comparing to ex-President Lee Myung-bak who won the presidency following his popular mayoral post.



Park's aides, however, show confidence in the chance of pulling up the support rate.

"More people will move from an emotional to logical state in the post-impeachment stage. Once rebounding, the support rate could spike as Lee Jae-myung's did within one to two months," an aide said.



Park said earlier that he will participate in the party's primary competition while holding his mayoral post.



"Considering I have made a pledge to Seoul citizens, I see it fair that I maintain the post during the primary stage," he said in a media interview last month.



According to the Public Official Election Act, civil servants who will run for the presidential race should give up their public posts 90 days before the presidential ballot. But an election to fill a vacancy will allow them to retain the post up to 30 days before the ballot.



The Constitutional Court has reviewed the allegations leveled against President Park Geun-hye, who was impeached by the National Assembly on Dec. 9. The ruling could take upwards of 180 days but speculation is high that it could come out sooner.



The presidential election must be held within 60 days following the Constitutional Court's verdict, if it upholds impeachment.
Fine dust engulfs Seoul Station and skyscrapers in the city's Yongsan-gu area on Monday, making the buildings almost invisible. / Courtesy of Hankook Ilbo



By Ko Dong-hwan

If you have not yet made your New Year resolutions, delay them for now and brace for more heavy air pollution that has smothered Seoul and most of Korea.

The year's first working day recorded a "bad" fine dust level in the capital, according to the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER).

The same level of dust also swept Incheon, Gyeonggi Province, Gangwon Province and North Jeolla Province.

The NIER recommends that people avoid leaving home and, should they do so, to take masks and use public transport.

Long exposure to fine dust damages the immune system and causes respiratory illnesses like colds, asthma and bronchitis.





Visibility was also poor in the Gwanghwamun area.



It can also endanger the cardiovascular system, skin and eyes.

The air pollution is caused by PM 10 (particulate matter of 10 micro-millimeters) and PM 2.5 (2.5 micro-millimeters), also called ultrafine particles.

The pollution is worse in winter in Korea due to a mixture of seasonal elements.

These include smog from China carried by northwestern winds, and from coal plants in Korea and China to meet rising demands for heating, and a relatively stagnant atmosphere over the Korean peninsula.

The pollution is expected to continue throughout spring, because of very dry terrain in China and Mongolia.
By Kim Se-jeong





Moon Hyung-pyo Cho Yoon-sun Kim Jong-deok

As the independent counsel team continues its investigation into the scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her confidant Choi Soon-sil, it believes a growing number of key suspects gave false testimony during earlier National Assembly hearings into the scandal.

Experts point out that such rampant irregularities may have arisen from the light punishment meted out to those committing perjury during parliamentary hearings, calling for stronger penalties for such witnesses.

On Saturday, the team asked lawmakers to file a complaint against Culture Minister Cho Yoon-sun for perjury.

Cho, who served as presidential secretary for political affairs between June 2014 and April 2015, told lawmakers at a hearing last month that she knew nothing about an alleged blacklist of artists critical of the government.

Yet, through questioning of related figures, the team said it became clear that drafting the list would have been impossible without Cho's involvement. The team said it obtained evidence to prove her testimony at the Assembly was perjured.

Together with Cho, the investigators also asked lawmakers to do the same for Chung Kwan-joo, a former vice culture minister, and Kim Jong-deok, a former culture minister, both of whom also denied their roles in creating the list and Cheong Wa Dae's pressure to do so.

Earlier, former Health Minister Moon Hyung-pyo, who was arrested last week for pressuring the National Pension Service (NPS) to vote in favor of a merger between two Samsung units, was officially charged with perjury. Moon had insisted in the previous hearing that he never pushed the deal but later confessed to it during the team's questioning.

Hong Wan-seon, former NPS chief investment officer, and Woo Byung-woo, a former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, are also facing perjury allegations.

The independent counsel team said it found the perjury problematic and vowed to hold suspects accountable for it.

But perjury in general is very difficult to prove and that is why the suspects and witnesses commit it, according to legal experts.

"Culture Minister Cho, who has an extensive legal background, is probably very aware of that," Hur Yoon, a Seoul-based lawyer said. According to the Assembly, among 13 perjury complaints since 2014, only two were found guilty.

According to the law, those committing perjury at the Assembly are subject to up to 10 years in prison. Hur said increasing the punishment may be one way to prevent witnesses from committing perjury. The Supreme Court said it is discussing the topic.

Kim Joon-woo, vice secretary general for the Lawyers for a Democratic Society, praised the investigation team's move to push the Assembly and said perjury can be prevented when lawmakers act more aggressively. "Perjury can disappear when witnesses feel the fear of complaints filed against them." Kim added, "If perjury is not rooted out, it will hamper the credibility of entire hearings."
By John J. Metzler



NEW YORK It's once again time to consult the crystal snow globe and peer ahead into what events 2017 may bring. After a surprising, tumultuous and truly roller-coaster year just past, we certainly can hope for a more stable period. But should we? Despite the unprecedented electoral triumph of Donald Trump in the American presidential election, the incoming Trump Administration inherits a combustable mix of global chaos.



London's respected Spectator magazine dubs 2017 as "Europe's Year of Rage." The winds of political populism have hardly abated; after Brexit in Britain with the UK's intent to leave the European Union, unpredictable forces of populism have yet to crest on the continent.



Elections: France and Germany will hold crucial national elections. In France the populist hard-right National Front may make serious inroads over the incumbent and incompetent Socialist government. In Germany Angela Merkel's Christian democratic coalition will probably win despite the fearful backlash to Germany's accepting over one million Mid-East migrants.



Afghanistan: Can an invigorated Taliban Islamic insurgency topple the U.S.-backed Kabul government? And importantly, what would be the stand of the new American Administration? An Afghan showdown could be an early test in 2017.



Turkey: A crucial country at the crossroads but facing dangerous domestic trends which include the increasingly authoritarian Islamic government of President Tayep Erdogan. Not your father's Turkey; in other words the tried and true Turkey which was a stable lynchpin of NATO has fundamentally changed in recent years and especially in the wake of the ill-fated but still suspicious military coup in July 2016 which gave Erdogan the excuse to massively crackdown on opposition politicians, the security forces and the media.



Terrorism: The recent Christmas-market bombings in Berlin and theattacks in Nice, Istanbul and Brussels earlier in the year underscore the clear and present danger from international terror. Massive refugee flows and threat of Islamic Jihadi violence in USA and Europe persist. The decline of ISIL's pseudo state will likely be offset by the rebirth of the Al Qaida hate franchise. Syria remains the epicenter of violence and the Islamic internationalist cause.



The Islamic Republic of Iran: has truly gotten away with murder. Now with American and European economic sanctions lifted, both countries plan to profit with lucrative trade deals with the Tehran regime. Both Boeing aircraft and Europe's Airbus couldn't wait to do business with the Islamic Republic to sell planes and technology to Tehran.



United Nations: The UN has elected Portugal's Antonio Guterres as its new Secretary-General.



And while the overload of widening refugee crises, conflicts and natural disasters confronts the UN system, a simmering new imponderable has emerged in the wake of the Obama Administration's controversial action in the Security Council. The widespread bipartisan backlash to a U.S. vote to abstain from and thus allow a crucial resolution condemning Israeli settlements, has flared up a smoldering resentment in the U.S. Congress. Given that the USA remains the world organization's largest donor at 22 percent of the budget, such an anti-Israel stance could cause a major reappraisal in both Congress and the new Administration. Expect the power of the pursestrings to be played at the UN.



China: Part of the Trump Trade Template focuses on massive deficits between the People's Republic of China and the USA. In 2015 the deficit with Beijing hit $367 billion. It may ease marginally for 2016. There's also China's expanding military moves into the disputed waters of the East and South China Sea. Also expect Beijing to bully Taiwan's democratic government and reassert the claim that Taiwan is part of the PRC.



Russia: Interestingly on 31 December 1999, Vladimir Putin was elevated to Russian president in the wake of Boris Yeltsin stepping down. Seventeen years later Putin's authoritarianism is in full stride. He's stifled domestic opposition, dismembered neighboring Ukraine, and has successfully intervened in Syria's gruesome conflict.



Korean Peninsula: A real danger reemerges on the divided peninsula as a bellicose and nuclear armed North Korea could misread democratic South Korea's political turmoil in the wake of the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye.



Japan: During his recent summit in Hawaii, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stressed remorse and continuing reconciliation between Japan and the USA for Imperial Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor 75 years ago. Significant improvement of the U.S./Japan relationship can be expected as the Trump team tilts towards Tokyo as a counterweight to Mainland China.



As we enter the New Year, let me wish my readers a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2017.





John J. Metzler is a United Nations correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He is the author of "Divided Dynamism: The Diplomacy of Separated Nations: Germany, Korea, China." Contact jjmcolumn@earthlink.net.




The Korean navy's P-3CK on patrol. / Courtesy of Twitter



By Lee Han-soo

A Korean navy's P-3CK, a maritime patrol aircraft, accidentally dropped weapons into the East Sea on Sunday.

The accident happened around 6:10 a.m. during a patrol off the coast of Yangyang county, Gangwon Province, when a co-pilot accidentally pressed the emergency weapons release switch.

"One of the plane's crew mistakenly touched the emergency weapons release switch instead of a buoy that detects submarine sound waves," said a navy official. "The weapons were not armed and did not explode."

The missing weapons include two harpoon missiles, two torpedoes and two depth charges and are worth about 4 billion won ($3.3 million).

The navy has sent a mine sweeper and salvage ship to salvage the weapons if possible.

"We apologize for the blunder on New Year's day," said a navy official. "The navy will make sure that the accident does not recur."
By Sah Dong-seok





People want to talk about hope as the New Year dawns. Having hope can offer solace at least, although things don't always work out as they wish.

Unsurprisingly, Koreans seem to need more hope than ever while saying goodbye to the year 2016 that is finally coming to an end. More than a few have suffered from mental anxiety as the hidden facts of the bizarre scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her shadowy confidant Choi Soon-sil have been laid bare one after another.

The candlelit vigils that drew hundreds of thousands of people every Saturday over the last two months have exposed the dire mess in state affairs perpetrated by the two whose relationship dates back nearly 40 years. The public has no other choice but to lament over the magnitude of their misconduct. The Constitutional Court is seemingly going to endorse the parliamentary impeachment of the first female head of state, but even Park's ouster will hardly make us feel comfortable.

Then what went wrong?

Some say all of this resulted from the fact that Korea has yet to break out of the developmental frame established by the late Park Chung-hee, the incumbent President's father and former dictator who ruled Korea for nearly two decades. Koreans showed the world something with their rare economic miracle in the post-World War II era, but their overall level of consciousness did not keep up with that development.

Those who voted for the daughter of the former dictatorial president who ran for presidency largely on the halo effect of her father must be held accountable first and foremost, but the entire nation has to pay a price after all. All of us might have had an empty illusion that a ''princess,'' aloof from the public, would come down from heaven to salvage us.

What is important at this juncture is what we can learn from this bizarre, unprecedented scandal.

In a recent seminar, Choi Jang-jip, an emeritus professor at Korea University, called the Choi Soon-sil scandal the demise of the Park Chung-hee paradigm. He defined this paradigm as being a state-chaebol alliance in a government-controlled economic structure; holding in check a pluralistic societal structure and regional decentralization of power; and strengthening an anti-communist, nationalistic education.

Prof. Choi assessed the death knell of the Park Chung-hee paradigm positively and expressed hope that it will lead to an expansion of political freedom and democratic labor-management relations, and the cultivation of a more autonomous and liberal market economy. All these are crucial factors for our society to move forward.

Now it's time to talk about hope again.

All things considered, 2017 is sure to be a tough year too. A presidential election could come on the heels of the Constitutional Court's decision on Park's impeachment. There are plenty of candidates who promise wealth and happiness, but few of them seem to appeal to the people who have been continuously deceived.

One candidate, who is too confident of his high approval rating arrogantly, acts as if he has already become the president. The other candidate conceals his real identity and deceives the public into believing that he could be an icon of conservatism. Another contender who jumped on the presidential bandwagon thanks to his years of overseas activities bluntly shows his greed for power without any consideration about what the voters think. One cannot help but feel heavy-hearted, although the election apparently is about choosing the lesser of two evils rather than the best.

The upcoming inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th U.S. president might cause Korea to grapple with challenges that have never been experienced. Concern about national security could intensify if the conflict over Seoul's sharing of the cost of keeping American troops here heats up. We cannot rule out the possibility that Trump might move to pull U.S. soldiers out of the Korean Peninsula unless negations go smoothly.

True, President Barack Obama has allowed North Korea to speed up its development of nuclear weapons by reiterating his futile ''strategic patience.'' In sharp contrast, Trump, a novice in diplomacy, and his hawkish aides might mishandle the nuclear issue and throw the security situation on the peninsula into total disarray.

Also, there is an underlying fear concerning possible cracks in the Seoul-Washington alliance if a liberal candidate is elected as the next president here  as is widely expected  and opts to reverse the incumbent administration's decision to host an American missile defense system. Even if the next administration holds firm to the missile defense decision, Seoul has to stave off challenges arising from its souring ties with China.

Turning our eyes to domestic issues is no relief either. People's livelihoods are going from bad to worse as the Korean economy shows signs of entering a long slump. Undeniably, we are surrounded by enemies on all sides.

However, this is certainly no time to sit on our hands, merely grumbling about our surroundings. Rather, the current plight can be a good occasion to reinvent the country, given that no one can disagree that we can't go on like this.

The most important thing is not to abandon our hope despite all odds, especially greeting the New Year. What we have achieved so far is too good to abandon.





The writer is the executive editor of The Korea Times. Contact him at sahds@ktimes.com.
By Deauwand Myers





Man is evil Man is a flower that should be burnt,  Manis not a temple but an outhouse, I say aloud Let man never again raise his eyes, Never I say those things aloud. I beg the Lord not to hear.  From "After Auschwitz," by Anne Sexton.

There's a compelling list of female rulers throughout human history. For example: Queen Amina of Nigeria, Cleopatra of Egypt, Empress Wu of China and Queen Elizabeth I.

More recently, we've seen the shortlist of female heads of state endure trials their male counterparts have rarely contended with.

Lawyer and former first lady of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, ended her two terms as president in scandal and political disarray. She was indicted twice, the second time on fraud and corruption charges involving huge public works projects contracted to her political allies, and for manipulating Argentina's Central Bank to augment the peso's value. Former male Argentinean presidents were known to do such things (and were rarely indicted).

South America's largest country and economy, Brazil, recently impeached Dilma Rousseff, its first female president. The charge: Ms. Rousseff allegedly manipulated the federal budget in an effort to conceal the nation's burgeoning economic troubles, obfuscating the problematic nature of Brazil's fiscal health. Rousseff, and parties outside the government, assert that the kind of governmental accounting she's been accused of orchestrating is de rigueur, practiced by preceding Brazilian presidential administrations.

(Tangentially, this kind of governmental accounting was quite often used by George W. Bush, the two-term failed Republican president of the United States, and President Obama's predecessor. The annual federal budget never included the huge expenditures accrued in executing the disastrous and costly Iraq War, and the preceding Afghanistan War; instead, these massive costs were called "supplemental." The total cost of the Iraq War alone  a lost war of lies, and a war of choice _ will most likely cost the American taxpayers $6 trillion dollars or more  that's trillion, with a "t").

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, defeated Democratic presidential candidate in the 2016 American presidential election, suffered from a lack of trust, as perceived by many in the voting population, even though, empirically, she told the truth more often than both her primary challenger and the Republican presidential nominee, the mercurial, breathtakingly ill-informed and exceedingly dishonest Donald Trump.

Most recently, of course, there's the firestorm of controversy surrounding impeached President Park Geun-hye's dealings with her shadowy, cultish best friend, Choi Soon-sil. South Korea has had a long, sad list of violent, venal and corrupt presidents, many of whom ostensibly served as dictators, ruling by military fiat, all the while lining their pockets and the pockets of their families and political patrons.

President Park's behavior, if found to be true (and there's a mounting pile of evidence suggesting as much), will prove to be one of the more bizarre political scandals in modern, advanced democracies. Instead of the usual graft, Park used her presidential power to financially benefit her confidant.

For decades, Choi, like her father (long since deceased),used pseudo-religion as a psychological and emotional balm to soothe Park Geun-hye's young, traumatized mind, having experienced the unintended assassination of her mother, and later, her dictator/president father, Park Chung-hee.

Men do not have a monopoly on corruption, violence, political obfuscation or incompetence. Women are not universally paragons of virtue. Everyone should be equally reproached for misdeeds.

The problem is this: these women's male counterparts weren't scrutinized as much as they were for similar behaviors.

Worse, all too often the question is asked: "Will this scandal be the end of women as heads of state in country X?" The question has been asked of President Park in the Korean media.

This kind of generalizing of marginalized or underrepresented members of society goes on everywhere:

If a movie starring a female actor, or a non-white actor, fails to be successful, the question is similarly asked, "Will female/racial minorities star in future movies?"

Meanwhile, white male actors can make flop after flop (Kevin Costner), and the question is never asked, "Will white men star in future movies?"

The same is true in politics. After Clinton's loss, will American women run again for president? Can there ever be another female head of state in Korea? Brazil? Argentina?

It seems the inexhaustible supply of goodwill and second chances is only afforded to men. Hoover, Nixon, and Bush II were abject failures. Yet, we will never ask if a man will run for American president again. The same for Korea. Male president after male president has performed terribly, yet Korean men will surely run and win future presidencies here.

This kind of lame, sexist hypocrisy ought to be called out for what it is: nonsense.





Deauwand Myers holds a master's degree in English literature and literary theory, and is an English professor outside Seoul. He can be reached at deauwand@hotmail.com.
By Ranjit Kumar Dhawan





Korean unification has been one of the most complex issues in the world. Despite several attempts to unify the Korean Peninsula it has remained divided for the past seven decades since liberation from the Japanese colonial rule (1910-45). While the Cold War has ended in other parts of the world, the Korean Peninsula continues to be a Cold War zone. Koreans living on both sides of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) which divides the two Koreas still dream for the unification of their country.

However, both North and South Koreans have traditionally relied on foreign powers to unify their country. Probably there is some historical connection to this Korean mindset. In ancient times the Shilla kingdom of Korea made an alliance with the Chinese Tang dynasty to defeat the Korean kingdoms of Goguryeo and Baekje in order to unify the Korean Peninsula in 668 C.E.

But in the modern period the Korean Peninsula was divided along the 38th parallel in 1945 by the Allied Powers against the wishes of the Korean people. In 1948 an election was organized by the United Nations to unify peninsula. Nevertheless, in this election only South Koreans participated as it was opposed by the North Koreans. This led to the establishment of two Korean states which were supported by the rival super powers of the Cold War period.

The North Korean leader Kim Il-sung lobbied with the leader of Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin to unify the Korean Peninsula through a military invasion of South Korea. It was only when Stalin gave "permission" to Kim that the North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel on June 25, 1950 to unify the country. After three years of a horrific Korean War an armistice agreement was signed on July 27, 1953. But even this agreement was not signed between the two Koreas but by the foreign powers.

In contrast to the dependence of the Koreans on foreign powers, the United States (US) and China normalized their relations in 1972 when President Richard Nixon visited Beijing. After being betrayed by their close allies, the first joint communique between North and South Korea happened on July 4, 1972. But in this case Koreans took the help of the Red Cross to interact with each other for national unification.

In 2000 President Kim Dae-jung made a historic visit to North Korea to attempt to normalize relations, but his efforts were ridiculed by then US President George W. Bush. Later in 2013 President Park Geun-hye came out with "trustpolitik" to increase economic interdependence and trust between the two Koreas. But instead of talking to the North Koreans President Park sought help from foreign countries for her idea of Korean unification.

This shows that Koreans have relied on foreign countries for the unification of their own country. But it is worth asking what have these countries done for unification in the last six decades after the end of the Korean War? While the two German states reunified peacefully, why are the two Koreas still divided?

It is for the two Koreas to discuss issues which are of concern to them and find a solution to their problems without any foreign interference. Only Koreans can unify the peninsula because Korean unification may not be in the interest of some of the foreign powers.





The author teaches at the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Delhi, India. His e-mail address is rkdhawan13@hotmail.com.
The oil that continues to bubble up from the remains of the USS Arizona is an apt metaphor for how the nation feels about Japan's bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Seventy-five years later, Americans still well with emotion at the thought of the 2,400 killed and 19 ships damaged or destroyed in the sneak attack, launched before Japan had declared war on the United States. A visit to Pearl Harbor only makes the emotion sharper.



President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday laid wreaths at a memorial over the Arizona and spoke with aging veterans of the Pearl Harbor attack. The first Japanese leader to visit the memorial, Abe did not apologize for the bombing  something that will rankle some Americans  but expressed "sincere and everlasting condolences" for those lost there and during the nearly four years of World War II that followed.



From the memorial, the Arizona is visible beneath the water, the surface discolored from the two to nine quarts of oil that ooze from the battleship each day. Nearly half of those lost at Pearl Harbor were aboard the Arizona, hit with a bomb of nearly 1,800 pounds that tore through the forward deck, igniting fuel stores and powder magazines. Many crew members were incinerated; the remains of some remain aboard.



Abe's visit followed Obama's trip in May to Hiroshima, one of two cities on which America dropped atomic bombs in August 1945. The bombings caused mass civilian casualties but ended a war of Japan's making without the invasion that would have cost untold American lives. Obama did not offer an apology at Hiroshima, but some critics complained that his remarks sounded too much like one.



The reciprocal visits underscored how far U.S.-Japanese relations have come  and the importance of confronting the past in order to move forward. But it's OK for Americans to be of two minds  to be grateful for Japan's friendship today while still feeling hurt about Pearl Harbor. The oil can't be put back in the ship.





This editorial appeared on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.




ROK-US leadership vacuum put to test



South Korea and the United States will likely get caught flatfooted on how to respond to forthcoming provocations by North Korea. Pyongyang has already put out notice through the New Year speech by its leader Kim Jong-un regarding its last-stage preparations to test-fire an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM).



The challenge for the two allies is that, when the North conducts such a test, Seoul will likely be run by an acting president, while the U.S. will still be in transition. This leadership vacuum can only be aggravated by the usual problem in dealing with the North  lack of strong options.



With less than three weeks before Donald Trump's presidential inauguration, the outgoing Obama administration was slow to respond. The State Department only replied to an inquiry from a Korean news agency by repeating its toothless threat of unspecified consequences on Kim's ICBM vow.



The South didn't even react. The atmosphere in the government is obviously to keep a low profile to avoid a clash with the National Assembly, which is now nitpicking on government affairs. Cheong Wa Dae is out of action with President Park Geun-hye impeached. Park chose to spend New Year's Day defending herself in the case for her dismissal being deliberated by the Constitutional Court.



The incoming Trump administration appears unconcerned about the North with its top priority being the dismantling of a nuclear deal with Iran. Trump talks one day about having a hamburger lunch with the young dictator and the next day turns hostile. Trump's top security-related officials  Defense Secretary-designate James Mattis, national security advisor Michael Flynn and U.N. Ambassador-designate Nikki Haley as well as Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson  are no experts in North Korean affairs. Some call the team of retired generals "trigger-happy."



Also noteworthy is Trump's focus on changing the current diplomatic rules of engagement to keep China at bay and use Russia for that purpose, meaning that the North will be pushed down the U.S.'s priority list.



Say, on the first week of the Trump administration, the North's long-range missile flies across Japan and lands close to the California coast or Hawaii. Four options are as follow: 1) a military show of force 2) the repetition of rhetorical retaliation 3) appeasement 4) none of the above. The correct answer, at least for now, is No. 4. The first three have failed because they're tried without a big-picture plan. The No. 4 should give us time to reset policy goals on the North and layout a process to achieve them.




By Lee Min-hyung





Samsung SDI CEO Cho Nam-seong

Samsung SDI CEO Cho Nam-seong has urged his employees to confront unfavorable market conditions by focusing on the company's core competency to manufacture safe products of high quality.

"With product safety at the forefront of our business, we need to tackle market uncertainties and lead the future business," he told staff at a New Year's meeting, Monday.

The remarks came as 2016 has been ever challenging for the battery-making affiliate of Samsung Group, due to the worldwide recall of the Galaxy Note 7 handset over continuing reports that its batteries catch fire while charging.

At first, the fiasco was attributed to SDI's batteries, with Samsung Electronics citing the battery problem as the source of the hardware malfunction. But with replacement batteries from Chinese battery firm ATL also catching fire, it turned out SDI batteries were not the sole reason behind the termination of the flagship Samsung handset.

The Samsung SDI chief also called on employees and executives to get back to basics to lead what he called the "battery of things (BoT)" era where batteries are being adopted by growing numbers of applications in such areas as electric vehicles (EVs) and smartphones.

"Business competitiveness comes from core competency in quality products and cost competitiveness," he said. "We need to lead the future battery industry by focusing on those fundamental competencies."

Toward that end, the company said it would push for developing differentiated materials and standardized manufacturing processes this year, seeking to improve its brand value here and abroad.

"For our mid- to large-sized battery business, we are going to gain a competitive edge by developing next-generation products with high capacity," he said. "For the small battery sector, SDI has to realign its capabilities in polymer substances and continue to develop new technologies for the cylindrical battery industry."

Samsung SDI's EV battery business has suffered months of setbacks due to China's import regulations since last year. This was because the Chinese government has yet to certify Samsung SDI as a qualified battery manufacturer to receive subsidies in the world's largest EV market there.

The outlook remains murky for the Seoul-based battery giant this year, due to the worsening political and economic relations between the two countries over such issues as Korea's recent decision to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery as part of countermeasures to tackle North Korea's regular provocations.

China has strongly protested the move, citing the U.S. missile defense system in Korea will likely undermine regional security.

Despite such uncertain market sentiments, Cho called on his employees to get back to the basics and renovate the company's working environment.

"2016 had been all about finding problems in our working culture and coming up with ways to improve it," he said. "In 2017, we are going to make it a habit to push for a new working culture."
Today is the day! JYJ's Jaejoong is finally done with his military enlistment. Two long years has finally past and his fans can see him again!

On the morning of December 30, JYJ's Jaejoong was officially relieved of their military service duties. The JYJ member showed up in front of reporters and fans and saluted onlookers dutifully. Jaejoong enlisted back on March 31, 2015.

Allkpop has reported that approximately 500 fans were present to see to Jaejoong's return. The JYJ member met with 200 pre-selected fans at a fan meeting event on December 31.

Jaejoong was asked by the press on his fan meet about girl groups that helped him gain strength while in the military. The Seoul Story reported that Jaejoong answered Twice and Blackpink. He said, "A lot of girl groups were encouraging but TWICE and Black Pink are the most popular."

The JYJ member was also asked about his two other JYJ members. A press asked him, "What did the members say about you getting discharged?" Jaejoong replied, "When I was on break last year, the members told me, 'Until the end, until it's over, you aren't done,'" and laughed.

Jaejoong also shared that he wants to hurry up and see his family, friends, and fans. Jaejoong looked really happy and excited as he is smiling a lot to his fans. He also eagerly answered the press' questions and inquiries.

JYJ's Jaejoong will probably embark on a tour or will release an album after meeting and greeting all the people he missed while he was inside the military camp. He might also go back into acting and will take on a new project.

I am sure that JYJ fans and Jaejoong fans are super happy about this news. Meanwhile, another JYJ member, Junsu, will be enlisting on February 9.
There are seem quite a lot of controversies going on with Running Man. Beginning the kick out of Kim Jung Kook and Song Ji hyo without previous talk and also about casting Kang Ho Dong. The talk continues when Ho Dong refused to be in the show because of the unfair treatment to the members. The show then has to be disbanded soon.

Regarding the controversies, is the fault of the producers to not show maturity about their decision. It is really a sad thing to happen to a show that has been running for 7 years. For the issue, the producers took a decision to apologize in public on the episode of Running Man.

According to report from koreaboo, the producers would fulfill any request of punishment Running Man Members had. The episode of the Running Man for the recent episode started with Song Ji Hyo being showered with water cannon. Then it followed by the producers getting showered too. But before that, they made an apology that they didn't do well and couldn't protect the members of Running Man.

It was a rare scene to see when producers make appearance on the show. You could see that they were so desperate to show people that they wanted to do better in the future. According to report from soompi, Running Man staff had stated apology to the members at the episode of Christmas special. They said that they sincerely apologized and would work harder in New Year.

It seems that the staff and the producers kept on trying to apologize to Running Man members and public about their mistake in the past. It was such a big thing to apologize to members and public at the episode on TV. But as you can see they tried to make up for their mistake.

Whether public or the members accept the apology, it is still leave public in upset because of the disband of the show. People might miss the members a lot in the future and will not be able to see their hard work again doing the mission in the show. Yet, it has been decided and hope people will move on or the producers can start giving a new interesting show again to the fans.
PRESS RELEASE

The Russians Are Coming Hysteria Continues from the Political Corpse in the White House and His Ghoulish Friends

Dec. 31, 2016 (EIRNS)Todays manic hysteria from Obamas walking dead is that the Russians have hacked into the American electricity grid in Vermont, "showing risk to U.S. electrical grid security, officials say," as the Washington Post puts it. This can be placed on the same level as the cartoon circulating on the web showing a puppy telling his master that "the Russians pooped on the rug."

The devastating evidence is reported by the Post:

"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," who said that it "raises fears in the U.S. government that Russian government hackers are actively trying to penetrate the grid to carry out potential attacks."

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin, apparently after consultation with Obama calling from his cruise on the River Styx, issued a statement saying:

"Vermonters and all Americans should be both alarmed and outraged that one of the worlds 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."

RT quotes an IT firm saying that the codes sent out by the FBI around the country as the Putin hack job is actually "outdated Ukrainian malware."
PRESS RELEASE

Russia, Turkey Call for U.S. Participation in Syria Peace Process

Dec. 31, 2016 (EIRNS)With the cease-fire still generally holding, both Moscow and Ankara have welcomed the idea of U.S. participation in the Syria peace process meeting in Astana, Kazakhstanafter January 20. "Yes, we do expect that the Trump Administration after it comes into the White House on January 20 will be an important participant," Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said, yesterday. Turkey also looks forward to U.S. participation. "We welcome the (possible) U.S. participation in the meeting in Astana," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told Al Arabiya TV, yesterday. The Astana meeting is now set for Jan. 23. A senior Turkish official told Hurriyet that Turkish and Russian officials will come together either on Jan. 8 or 9 to discuss the developments in the field and get prepared for the Astana process.

As for other possible participants, Churkin described Iran as a "willing participant," and Egypt as a country "which can join the process of preparation of the meeting in Astana." He also named Saudi Arabia (about which the Iranians disagree rather strongly), Kuwait, and Qatar as "very important players" that could also participate.

According to TASS, Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov and Cavusoglu spoke by phone, yesterday, and they stressed the importance of all sides adhering to the truce agreement. "They pointed to the importance of compliance with the cessation of hostilities by all opposition groups and their constructive approaches in light of the upcoming meeting in Astana," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

A senior Turkish official told Hurriyet, this morning, that Turkey and Russia will establish joint monitoring centers in the Eskisehir Main Air Base in Turkey and Hmeimim Air Base in Syria to closely follow the implementation of the cease-fire. "We, as Ankara and Moscow, will follow the cease-fire process together. We have already been working very closely in the recent month. We will monitor from the Eskisehir base and they will from their Hmeimim base. But our ground forces will also keep track of developments and inform both our monitoring centers," the official said. The day before, Cavusoglu confirmed, in an interview with Hurriyet the establishment of the joint monitoring centers and that a hotline would be established between them to coordinate the truce process and investigate any potential violation.
SpaceX is now targeting Jan. 8 for its return to flight after completing its investigation of a September launch pad explosion that destroyed a Falcon 9 rocket and a commercial communications satellite.

Pending approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, the Hawthorne space company plans to launch 10 satellites on one Falcon 9 rocket for Iridium Communications Inc. from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The satellites will be part of Iridiums new satellite constellation to provide mobile communications capabilities on land and on ships and airplanes.

On Monday, Iridium tweeted that it was pleased with SpaceXs announcement and targeted launch date.

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The news comes after a four-month-long investigation that even company Chief Executive Elon Musk described in November as the toughest puzzle to solve that weve ever had to solve.

A few weeks after the explosion, SpaceX said it expected to return to flight as soon as November. But as the investigation continued, that anticipated launch date slipped back to December, and then January.

Clearly, theyre being extra cautious, said Marco Caceres, senior space analyst for the Teal Group. SpaceX usually pushes ahead a lot faster, so it seems like theyre not rushing ahead at this point, which is a good thing.

The Sept. 1 explosion at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station destroyed a satellite that was to be managed by Israeli satellite operator Spacecom and was also to help Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg bring high-speed Internet access to remote parts of Africa.

In the final update released Monday, SpaceX said it pored through 3,000 channels of video and telemetry data that spanned just 93 milliseconds from the first sign of trouble to the explosion.

The company said one of three composite overwrapped pressure vessels, or tanks, inside the rockets larger, second-stage liquid oxygen tank failed, probably after a buildup of liquid oxygen between the vessels aluminum inner liner and its carbon overwrap ignited.

The vessels are used to store cold helium that maintains pressure in the liquid oxygen tank. As the liquid oxygen depletes, the helium helps fill the void.

SpaceX said its accident investigation team found buckles, or valleys, in the vessels inner liners.

Super-chilled liquid oxygen can gather there, and when pressurized, the oxygen can get trapped. Then, breaking fibers or friction can ignite the oxygen in the overwrap, causing the vessel to fail, SpaceX said.

The company also said the loading temperature of the helium was cold enough to create solid oxygen, which exacerbates the possibility of oxygen becoming trapped as well as the likelihood of friction ignition.

In its statement, SpaceX said the investigation team found several credible causes for the vessels failure, all of which involved the accumulation of oxygen in the buckles.

To fix this issue in the short term, SpaceX said it will change the configuration of the composite overwrapped pressure vessels so warmer helium can be loaded.

It will also change helium loading operations to a prior flight proven configuration that is based on previous successful procedures.

SpaceX plans to eventually change the design of the vessels to prevent buckles, which the company said will allow for faster loading operations in the future.

If the FAA gives approval and grants SpaceX the customary launch license, thats a pretty good indication that the failure report is indeed convincing, and independent people responsible for safety are convinced that SpaceX knows what happened and is taking the right remedial steps, said John Logsdon, professor emeritus at the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University.

After that, it is crucial that SpaceX has a series of successful launches, he said.

A lot of users of space have been willing to depend on them, Logsdon said. And I think they have to demonstrate that they earned or re-earned that confidence.

Musk had previously hinted at the cause of the explosion in an interview on CNBC in November, saying the culprit involved a combination of liquid helium, carbon fiber composites and solid oxygen.

The investigation was led by SpaceX, with assistance from NASA, the U.S. Air Force, the National Transportation Safety Board and several industry experts, under FAA oversight.

Under federal law, SpaceX is allowed to conduct its own investigation. SpaceX, whose full name is Space Exploration Technologies Corp., and other companies lobbied successfully to extend the law in 2015. The FAA oversees such investigations.

Sundays launch will be all-important for the company, Caceres said.

Not only does SpaceX have a long manifest of launch customers, including NASA supply missions to the International Space Station, but it is also building a crew capsule to ferry astronauts to the space station.

That capsule is set for its first uncrewed flight test in November, followed by its first flight test with humans in May 2018.

SpaceX also plans to launch its heavy-lift rocket, the Falcon Heavy, this year for the first time. The company has said the rocket will be able to lift off from either Vandenberg or Pad 39A, SpaceXs alternate launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, which is close to being operational and will also be able to launch Falcon 9 rockets.

Work on Space Launch Complex 40, which was damaged during the explosion, still continues.

SpaceX is the establishment player, Caceres said. As the establishment player, I think they have something to lose.

samantha.masunaga@latimes.com

For more business news, follow me @smasunaga

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UPDATES:

2:10 p.m.: This article was updated throughout with information about the explosion and comments from analysts.

This article was originally published at 6:05 a.m.
As marijuana shops sprout in states that have legalized the drug, they face a crucial stumbling block  lack of access to the kind of routine banking services other businesses take for granted.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, is leading an effort to make sure vendors working with legal marijuana businesses, from chemists who test marijuana for harmful substances to firms that provide security, dont have their banking services taken away.

Its part of a wider effort by Warren and others to bring the burgeoning $7-billion marijuana industry in from a fiscal limbo she said forces many shops to rely solely on cash, making them tempting targets for criminals.

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After voters in Warrens home state approved a November ballot question to legalize the recreational use of pot, she joined nine other senators in sending a letter to a key federal regulator, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, calling on it to issue additional guidance to help banks provide services to marijuana shop vendors.

Twenty-eight states, including California, have legalized marijuana for medicinal or recreational use.

Warren, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, said there are benefits to letting marijuana-based businesses move away from a cash-only model.

You make sure that people are really paying their taxes. You know that the money is not being diverted to some kind of criminal enterprise, Warren said recently. And its just a plain old safety issue. You dont want people walking in with guns and masks and saying, `Give me all your cash.

A spokesman for the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network said the agency is reviewing the letter.

There has been some movement to accommodate the banking needs of marijuana businesses.

Two years ago, the U.S. Department of the Treasury gave banks permission to do business with legal marijuana entities under some conditions. Since then, the number of banks and credit unions willing to handle pot money rose from 51 in 2014 to 301 in 2016.

Warren, however, said fewer than 3% of the nations 11,954 federally regulated banks and credit unions are serving the cannabis industry.

Taylor West, deputy director of the National Cannabis Industry Assn., a trade organization for 1,100 marijuana businesses nationwide, said access to banking remains a top concern.

What the industry needs is a sustainable solution that services the entire industry instead of tinkering around the edges, Taylor said. You dont have to be fully in favor of legalized marijuana to know that it helps no one to force these businesses outside the banking system.

Sam Kamin, a professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law who studies marijuana regulation, said theres only so much states can do on their own.

The stumbling block over and over again is the federal illegality, he said.

The federal government lumps marijuana into the same class of drugs as heroin, LSD and peyote. President Obamas administration has essentially turned a blind eye to state laws legalizing the drug, and supporters of legalizing marijuana hope President-elect Donald Trump will follow suit.

Trump officials did not respond to a request for comment. During the presidential campaign, Trump said states should be allowed to legalize marijuana and has expressed support for medicinal use. But he also has sounded more skeptical about recreational use, and his pick for attorney general, Alabama U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, is a stern critic.

Some people in the marijuana industry say the banking challenges are merely growing pains for an industry evolving from mom-and-pop outlets.

Nicholas Vita, CEO of Columbia Care, one of the nations largest providers of medical marijuana products, said its up to marijuana businesses to make sure their financial house is in order.

Its not just as simple as asking the banks to open their doors, Vita said. The industry also needs to develop a set of standards that are acceptable to the banks.

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It is the hardest thing I have ever done.

Knowing that her life had included the public humiliation of losing a husband to Elizabeth Taylor, two more marriages that left her on the edge of financial ruin, a roller coaster of a screen and stage career, health issues and raising two children more or less on her own, I was a bit taken back by the firmness of Debbie Reynolds declaration.



For the record: In a previous version of this story, Debbie Reynolds Singing in the Rain character Kathy Selden was misspelled as Seldon.

She was talking about selling off her collection of Hollywood costumes and memorabilia that she had lovingly protected for 40 years, beginning in 1969 when Kirk Kerkorian bought MGM and installed Jim Aubrey to cut costs and budgets in search of profits. Ted Turner bought the film library, which left the studio grounds and all its holdings, including props, costumes, scripts and ephemera. Debbie had a plan. Passionate in her belief that movies were an art form worth celebrating and their treasures worth preserving, she arranged a $5-million loan to buy everything but the lot and urged Aubrey and Kerkorian to create a Disney-type mecca for film fans. She even volunteered to man turnstile Number 3 once a week, but Debbie said that all Aubrey could see in front of him was little Kathy Selden from Singin in the Rain.

Instead, he sold everything to auctioneer David Weisz to be auctioned off piece by piece.

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Reynolds was crushed, but not deterred. And, looking back, she said with a wry smile, Its not that I had so much vision, its just that they had none.

She enlisted her friend, the art director Jerry Wunderlich (He knew which were real antiques and what was just made quickly in the prop department), and for three weeks straight during that May 1970 auction they bought everything they could that they considered of value. Reynolds remembered barely sleeping, and when she had to run to the bathroom on the other side of the lot, she instructed the teenage granddaughter of Harold Lloyd, Suzanne, to just sit tight and keep the paddle up.

The result of Debbies several-hundred-thousand-dollar outlay turned out to be worth $25 million when she was finally forced to sell her collection in 2011. She had made multiple attempts over the decades to keep everything together, but as she put it, You cant be a one-woman parade, let alone the one whos picking up the tab for everything along the way. (Its heartbreaking to realize that after turning her down several times, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences became serious about a museum two years after Debbie had sold it all.)

It is fitting that the career of the woman who will always be respected for valuing Hollywood costumes began with a blouse. That was one of the prizes offered in the Miss Burbank contest of 1948, and the then-16-year-old high school student was desperate to expand her wardrobe. With several studio reps in the audience, little Mary Frances Reynolds won the title, the blouse and a seven-year studio contract.

That grit and determination, always with a smile on her face, would serve her well as Debbie Reynolds during her almost 70 years in the movie business. Playing Tammy, Kathy Selden, the Unsinkable Molly Brown, Mother and dozens of other roles, and appearing on stage when the screen didnt beckon, Debbie was a formidable force, loved by generations of fans.

Initially, she had no idea what she was getting herself into. In contrast to the 1910s and 20s, when women were commonplace as writers, producers and even directors, and actresses tended to be friends off the studio lots, the 50s were a lonely and isolating time for women in Hollywood. At meetings of the Directors Guild, speakers would address the group with Gentlemen, and Miss Lupino, acknowledging their lone female member, Ida Lupino. Actresses were actively encouraged by their bosses to compete with each other instead of sharing their interests and concerns, but Debbie never bought in. She befriended her fellow thespians and always looked beyond herself for meaning and satisfaction.

She was one of the founders and first president of the Thalians in the mid-50s, bringing then-young Hollywood together to fund ways to help children with mental illness at a time when it was barely spoken about in public. (Over the past 60-plus years the organization, still going strong, has raised millions of dollars for projects such as the Mental Health Center at Cedars-Sinai.) Debbie was also an early advocate and fundraiser for AIDS research. She and Elizabeth Taylor would eventually repair their friendship that had begun as teenagers at MGM where they were dubbed The Movie Star and the Girl Scout. They recognized that what they shared was so much more important than the men they had left behind.

Maintaining her friendships was important to Debbie, and her home reflected that with pictures everywhere of family and friends. Amid the overstuffed couch and chairs were the individual pieces  Harold Lloyds player piano and his gilded mirror over her fireplace, with Eva Gabors African-style sculptures alongside. In other corners, Agnes Moorheads lamps stood alongside items from Debbies beloved MGM teacher Lillian Burns, whom she cared for at the end of her life  blended together, it became uniquely Debbie. In yet another link to Hollywood history, the house had once been owned by the costume designer Edith Head.

And with just 50 yards separating their front doors, she and her daughter, Carrie, had become the closest of friends. As if that wasnt near enough, when Debbie found herself forgetting some little detail in a story, she would just reach for the phone and call Carrie, always confident she would know.

After years of an intense, push-and-pull relationship, the passionate, multitalented mother and daughter, who had lived so much of their lives in the public eye, had made as much of a peace as was possible. The harmony that was created when they laughed simultaneously was close to divine.

Of course, now we know that the hardest thing Debbie ever did wasnt selling the costumes, it was facing life without Carrie just a call or a yell up the hill away. Their deaths 24 hours apart is surreal and yet somehow blessed. They will stay with us in their films, books and their HBO documentary Bright Lights, which will air Jan. 7, but they  and their laughs  will be so missed by so many.

Cari Beauchamp is the author of Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Powerful Women of Early Hollywood and five other books of film history. She first met Debbie Reynolds while interviewing the actress for her books and then went through her costume auction with her.

calendar@latimes.com
Donors and recipients march together to encourage organ donation

Among the corporate brands, public agencies and civic associations presenting floats at this years Rose Parade, the Donate Life float, dedicated to organ and tissue donors and recipients, stood out.

The floats theme was Teammates and Life, to reinforce the idea that no one walks alone, and organ donation is a team effort, said Donate Life spokesperson Tania Llavaneras.

The float was shaped like a Polynesian catamaran. Sixty floral portraits of deceased donors decorated the sails; living organ and tissue recipients manned its oars.

Walking alongside the float were six people connected in a multicultural kidney chain.

Jeanne Cheung was one member of the chain. When Cheungs husband was in end-stage renal failure, she wanted to help. She wasnt a match for her husband, but through a kidney exchange program at UCLA, she was able to donate a kidney and her husband was able to receive one from a stranger.

Sonia Valencia, who had spent six years on dialysis, was the recipient of Cheungs kidney. Cheung and Valencia walked as partners in Mondays parade.
Californias capital has emerged as a leading destination for Afghan refugees who were awarded special visas because of their service to coalition forces in the war.

But life in the United States has proven a constant struggle.

These former translators, engineers and doctors awarded Special Immigrant Visas must start over in bug-infested, low-rent apartments with minimum-wage jobs while dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and other health problems, the Sacramento Bee reported.

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More than 2,000 such visa holders and their family members have settled in Sacramento since October 2010. Many of them say they are struggling with anxiety and depression that have developed or been greatly exacerbated by their struggles in the United States. They say they feel helpless and abandoned, lacking decent jobs, housing or an understanding of U.S. culture.

Faisal Razmal, a former interpreter for U.S. soldiers battling the Taliban in Afghanistan, was shot in the face outside his Sacramento apartment in August 2015 by an assailant wielding a flare gun. A neighborhood teenager and suspected gang member has been charged and is awaiting trial.

Razmal, 28, who lost the sight in one eye after the attack, said he feels like he also lost a piece of his soul.

I feel like Im drowning here, said Razmal, a father of two and whose wife is expecting. Im not mentally fixed.

Before he was shot, Razmal worked as a security guard at a shopping center. Since then, he has tried working as a taxi driver, gas station attendant, security guard and dishwasher. But his limited vision and PTSD have compromised his ability to keep a job, said licensed clinical social worker Jason Swain, who has counseled Razmal since the assault.

Razmals fate and his ability to support his family remain uncertain. The state Department of Rehabilitation said a decision on his application for disability payments may take a year, Swain said.

Razmal, who survived roadside bombs and firefights during the war, said he was never evaluated for PTSD in Afghanistan or the United States.

Razmals therapist, Homeyra Ghaffari, said she thinks he was already afflicted with PTSD from his experiences in Afghanistan, and he was re-traumatized by his shooting here.

People hear about America and think it is a dreamland and everything is law and order and they are going to be absolutely safe, and when they enter they are in shock as they try to find their way around, said Ghaffari, an Iranian marriage and family therapist in Sacramento who speaks the same Dari language as the Afghan refugees. She now counsels about 30 Afghans seeking help with mental health and domestic violence issues.

They feel isolated, dont have any clear direction, she said. Their dream shatters right away.
The four women said they toiled long hours, without a break to eat or rest, over cracked hands and feet, repairing nails and massaging rough ankles.

Thu Hang Pham said she didnt get the day off when she had to go to a hospital for a biopsy.

Pham, Jenny Hoang, Tuyet Mai Nguyen and Trinh Truong told their stories, at times dabbing their eyes with tissues, as they sat on a couch at the Asian Americans Advancing Justice office in Santa Ana.

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The women worked at Tustin Nailspa in the city of Orange, and were deprived of minimum wages and overtime pay despite their labor, said John Trang, an attorney for the civil rights group who is representing the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed in December against three successive owners.

The women said the gleaming salon that started with fewer than 10 spa chairs added a dozen more in 2005, before the owners at the time hired more manicurists. After the remodeling and expansion, the shop became swamped with customers, they recalled.

The owners, My Le Tran and Le Nguyen, appeared to feel pressured to gain back the money they invested, triggering endless workdays and shifts that could not be missed, said Hoang, 48.

They couldnt wait to make money and wanted to recover what they spent right away. So they took it out on us, she said.

Nationally, nail salons comprise an $8.5-billion industry and are largely operated by first-generation Asian American entrepreneurs, many who are limited in English and struggle to blend into the mainstream economy.

Of the estimated 17,000 nail salons in the U.S., about 8,000 are in California, with more than 60% owned by Vietnamese Americans, according to industry experts.

Owning a nail salon has been a vital means for upward mobility for many Asian American immigrants, especially in the Vietnamese American community, Trang said. While many owners strive to follow the law and include workers in their success, others have sought to enrich themselves by undercutting wages and passing business expenses onto their workers.

The case has been complicated by a revolving door of attorneys  three sets for the plaintiffs and three sets for the different defendants.

Trang said his clients first lawyer was removed from the case due to a conflict, and the second lawyer bowed out, unable to communicate with the women in Vietnamese.

Its always a problem when parties change lawyers constantly, said David Ezra, attorney for defendants Tran and Nguyen, the salons original owners. Because of that change, theyre trying to make a lot of noise now. I dont believe in trying the case in the media.

Karlfeldt Su, an attorney representing Hien Trinh and Tai Loc, the second set of owners, said in an email that our position is that we deny all alleged wrongdoings. I cant speak on behalf of the other owners, but my clients did nothing unlawful during their operation of the nail salon, and should not have been dragged into this lawsuit in the first place.

An attorney for the third owners of the nail salon could not be reached for comment.

The salon, near an Albertsons and squeezed between Bauhaus Hair Studio and Dollar $mart on North Tustin Street, is under new ownership again.

Last year, the New York Times published a series on challenges faced by manicurists, detailing hostile work environments that included physical abuse, exposure to toxic chemicals and having their tips docked as punishment.

The stories elicited pushback from the industry, leading to legislative actions, including rules to require ventilation at all New York state nail salons.

In 2013, an investigation of Tustin Nailspa resulted in $28,000 in fines against Tran and Nguyen, said state Labor Commissioner Julie A. Su.

The climate of fear among immigrant workers makes these situations very hard to discover, Su said. She plans to launch a task force early this year to examine workplace issues in the nail salon and other industries where immigrants make up the bulk of the workforce.

It doesnt matter if youre paid by piece rate or by client. Workers need to feel safe in coming forward if theres a problem, she said. And under California law they are protected, regardless of immigration status.

In the lawsuit against Tustin Nailspa, the women allege they were routinely underpaid. The owners made deductions on their pay checks for the use of spa chairs and supplies, Trang said. Their compensation was based on an unlawful commission system in which they earned about 60% of the total their customers paid for nail services, he added.

To hide such practices, Trang said, the owners devised a fake universe of paperwork, including bogus time records and pay checks to create an illusion that manicurists were paid lawfully by the hour.

It was outrageous. They did everything they could to cover their trail in the event they would be audited  and they played corporate shell games  selling the salon three times in the span of one year, Trang said.

The plaintiffs claim they were consistently required to clock out  then return to work. When they spoke up to say we werent comfortable with this, we didnt want to get in any trouble, they tried to change our status from full-time employee to contractors to reduce their wage obligations, Nguyen said. Hoang, a mother of three who worked at the salon for nearly a decade, organized 30 workers to sign a petition opposing the new classification.

By the time the third set of owners took control, intending to convert the staff to contractors again and facing protest, three of the four plaintiffs were fired, according to the lawsuit. The salon changed hands a fourth time after the women filed their lawsuit in 2015 and the new people in charge fired the fourth plaintiff.

Only two of the four plaintiffs have found other salon jobs as far as in Baldwin Hills. Pham, 56, said she and Hoang have been blacklisted and whenever we go to apply somewhere, they already know our names and turn us away.

Hoang said she has suffered severe depression.

We used to smile in front of the customers and try to carry on so we can support our families even with our limited English, she said. But I couldnt let them continue the way they treated us, as less than humans. In the end, we had to defend ourselves so workers who experience what we experience can find courage to fight back.

anh.do@latimes.com

Twitter: @newsterrier

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A crisp chill could be felt along Colorado Boulevard in the hours before the Rose Parade began, as temperatures dipped into the 40s.

But the ever-prepared members of Fullertons New Wine Church were ready: lining up air mattresses back-to-back  an essential shield to ward off the frigid bite of the sidewalk from sheets and blankets.

We left from church, and came out here by 11 to get a spot, said Bennie Howlin.

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We try to get this spot every year because theres a 24-hour movie theater, a 24-hour Rite Aid with a restroom that the kids can go to and the stands are right there.

Howlins group, made up of 25 or so church members  plus a family of five on the way  brought out 12 air mattresses plus a cot and staked out Colorado Boulevard by South Catalina Avenue with the assistance of three trucks and a church van, which were parked behind Citizens Business Bank for $25 per vehicle, so not too bad, said Howlin. Thats a good deal for us.

1 / 57 Beth Campbell, left, dressed as a medieval princess, wave to the crowd as the Rose Parade float from the City of Torrance makes its way along Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena on Monday. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 57 Royal Court Queen Victoria Castellanos of Temple City High School during the Rose Parade. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 57 American Armenian Rose Float Association, Inc. Field of Dreams float during the 2017 Rose Parade on Monday. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 57 The Dole Packaged Foods Spirit of Hawaii float won the Sweepstakes trophy at the Rose Parade on Monday. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 57 PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 2, 2017: Marching band member Ninemi Ortiz from Broken Arrow High School in Oklahoma, reacts as she and her band mates reach the end of the 5.5 Rose Parade route on January 2, 2017 in Pasadena,California.(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 57 Netflixs Soar Beyond Imagination float during the Rose Parade in Pasadena. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 57 The city of Torrances float, titled Be Your Own Knight. (Christina House / For The Times) 8 / 57 Mandisa Mduba, 3, Adeline Borno and Maneo Tshabalala, right, from Riverside, watch floats pass during the parade. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 57 The UPS Store, Inc. Books Bring Us Together float during the 2017 Rose Parade in Pasadena on Monday. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 57 The Grove City High School marching band from Ohio performs on the parade route. (Christina House / For The Times) 11 / 57 The UPS Store Inc. Books Bring Us Together moves along the Rose Parade route on Monday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 57 The AIDS Healthcare Foundations To Honor & Remember Orlando" float during the 2017 Rose Parade on Monday. (Christina House / For The Times) 13 / 57 A dragon menaces on the city of Torrances Be Your Own Knight float during the 2017 Rose Parade on Monday. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 57 Western Asset Management Co.'s Prosperity in the Wild float won the Directors Trophy. (Christina House / For The Times) 15 / 57 The American Armenian Rose Float Assn.'s Field of Dreams! float. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 57 Students from Pulaski High School in Wisconsin perform during the Rose Parade on Monday. (Christina House / For The Times) 17 / 57 Sierra Madres The Cats Away float travels the parade route on Monday. (Christina House / For The Times) 18 / 57 Cal Poly Universitys A New Leaf" float during the Rose Parade on Monday. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 57 The Bachelor Echoes of Love" float during the 2017 Rose Parade on Monday. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 57 Carl Dreizler of Redondo Beach, USC Class of 1976, cheers the universitys marching band as he takes in his 17th Rose Parade. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 57 Spectators fill the grand stands at the 2017 Rose Parade in Pasadena on Monday. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 57 The USC marching band performs during the 2017 Rose Parade on Monday. (Christina House / For The Times) 23 / 57 The Donate Life Teammates in Life" float during the Rose Parade on Monday. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 57 The Western Asset Management Company Prosperity in the Wild float features a snake during the 2017 Rose Parade on Monday. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 57 Lutheran Laymens League aCelebrate Jesusa float rolls during the 2017 Rose Parade on Monday, January 2, 2017 in Pasadena, Calif. (Christina House/ For The Los Angeles Times) (Christina House / For The Times) 26 / 57 The New Buffalo Soldiers during the 2017 Rose Parade on Monday. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 57 24 Hour Fitness Do More With Your 24" float in the 2017 Rose Parade on Monday. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 57 The Penn State marching band performs in the 2017 Rose Parade on Monday. (Christina House / For The Times) 29 / 57 An L.A. County Sheriffs deputy talks to spectators near the end of the Rose Parade on Monday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 57 The Rotary float, Doing Good in the World," won the Princesses Trophy for most beautiful float 35 feet or under. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 57 United States Air Force Total Force Band performs during the 2017 Rose Parade on Monday. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 57 Members of the Los Hermanos Banuelos Charro Team take part in the parade in Pasadena. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 57 Dancers from Fort Worth perform with the Opening Show float during the 2017 Rose Parade on Monday. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 57 Speectators take pictures as the Rose Parade passes on Sierra Madre Boulevard on Monday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 57 Rose Parade route cleaners entertain the crowd on Monday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 57 Tournament of Roses 2017 grand marshal, Olympian Greg Louganis, left, a five-time Olympic medalist diver, in Rose Parade on Monday. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 57 U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit flies over the 2017 Rose Parade. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 57 Broken Arrow High School band performs during the 2017 Rose Parade. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 57 Color guard of the Westlake High School Chaparral band of Austin performs during the 2017 Rose Parade. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 57 The color guard of the Westlake High School Chaparral Band of Austin, Texas, performs on the parade route. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 57 The Martin Luther King Jr. High School marching band leads the 2017 Rose Parade on Monday. (Christina House / For The Times) 42 / 57 Spectators watch band members during the Rose Parade on Monday. (Christina House / For The Times) 43 / 57 Performers in the opening show warm up before the parade starts. (Christina House / For The Times) 44 / 57 Grace Dreifuerst, 14, of Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, stays warm prior to marching in the 2017 Rose Parade. (Christina House / For The Times) 45 / 57 Dancers from Fort Worth gather prior to the Rose Parade on Monday. (Christina House / For The Times) 46 / 57 Members of the Niceville High School Eagle Pride band from Florida, gather prior to the Rose Parade. (Christina House / For The Times) 47 / 57 People wrapped in sleeping bags await the start of the 2017 Rose Parade in Pasadena on Monday morning. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 48 / 57 The bleachers begin to fill up before the start of the 2017 Rose Parade in Pasadena on Monday morning. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 49 / 57 Sheriffs deputies patrol Colorado Boulevard early Monday morning before the start of the Rose Parade in Pasadena. Heightened security measures are being taken along the parade route in response to recent terrorist attacks that used trucks as weapons. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 50 / 57 People are bundled up on Colorado Blvd. as they wait for the start of the 2017 Rose Parade in Pasadena Monday morning. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) 51 / 57 Skylar Lloyd, left, and Cam Jarman, both 12, eat cotton candy as Michelle Youngblood, center, settles in comfortably on an air mattress along Colorado Boulevard. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 52 / 57 Linda Betts waves to drivers as she settles into a spot along Colorado Boulevard. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 53 / 57 Jon Deno pulls his grandson, Caleb Deno, 4, along Colorado Boulevard in a custom-built tricycle with a wagon carrying a tricycle built by Deno himself. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 54 / 57 Hailey Cox, 10, gets comfortable on an inflatable cushion along Colorado Boulevard. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 55 / 57 Cam Jarman, 12, Skylar Lloyd, 12, and Michelle Youngblood get comfortable in their space on Colorado Boulevard. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 56 / 57 Hailey Cox, 10, plays a game with her grandmother, Linda Betts, not pictured, as they settle in for the evening on Colorado Boulevard. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 57 / 57 People claim their spaces along Colorado Boulevard on the eve of the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

And so it went along this main drag in the hours before the Rose Parade, as would-be parade watchers settled onto air mattresses that looked like marshmallows, tucked into neon inflatable cushions, and bundled into furry boots and mittens outside shops like Yogurtland and Lululemon.

Al Thompson of southern L.A. has been camping out at the Rose Parade since high school.

My sister was in the all-city marching band so we came out here to watch her and then when I graduated and went into the service I came back and started coming out here for myself and bringing my kids, he said.

His brother walked the parade route while his son and his sons girlfriend slept in the car. Thompson has been here since 9 a.m. Saturday armed with camping gear and folding chairs.

These spots are hotter than fish grease, he said.

An RV rides past and the high school-age kids inside shoot Silly String at those camping out on the sidewalks, who in turn let loose a barrage of tortillas and marshmallows.

Do not drive on Colorado Boulevard at New Years Eve, youre gonna get bombed on, everybody knows it, Thompson said with a laugh.

The father sometimes takes part himself but admits he has boundaries. I will not throw eggs though. The yolkll eat the paint up.

sonaiya.kelley@latimes.com

Twitter: @sonaiya

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A drizzle could make the ground wet in the hours leading to the Rose Parade in Pasadena Monday, but forecasters are not expecting any real rain.

Its a pretty good chance the ground will be wet  damp is what were expecting. Not like measurable rain, said National Weather Service meteorologist Carol Smith. More likely is light showers or drizzle that can get the ground wet.

The drizzle is more likely in the early morning hours, and its possible that the drizzle could extend into the early part of the parade, said weather service meteorologist Curt Kaplan. Its also possible the drizzle could stop, and the parade itself will start with mostly cloudy conditions that lead into partly cloudy skies by the time it ends.

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If Mondays Rose Parade is spared a downpour, officials will undoubtedly point to the celebrations Never on Sunday rule as a reason, in which the parade is moved to Jan. 2 if New Years Day falls on a Sunday. (But for those who were wondering: skies were clear on the morning of Jan. 1 in Pasadena.)

The custom of shifting the parade a day later when New Years Day falls on a Sunday began in 1893 to avoid riling the horses hitched outside church and possibly disrupting the services inside.

The flower-bedecked procession has been rained on only 10 times in its 127 years. And this is only the 15th time in its 128-year history that the Rose Parade will be held on a Monday, Jan. 2.

The last time the rain came was in 2006  a year that the parade was also held on a Monday, Jan. 2. And it came in a downpour.

As The Times reported back then:

Cheerleaders kept their game face through cascades of running mascara. Flag twirlers had to deal with sodden pennants that bunched up like wet laundry. And hundreds upon hundreds of marching band members were soaked down to their arpeggios.

Times staff writer Gale Holland contributed to this report.

ron.lin@latimes.com

Twitter: @ronlin

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She did not shy away from the details.

For more than an hour one day in November, Trenna Meins, with her daughters Tina and Tawnya nearby, told a class of undergraduates at Cal State San Bernardino about the 36 years she spent building a life with her high school sweetheart  and about the horrific moment of violence that ended his life.

Damian Meins and 13 others were killed in the Dec. 2, 2015, terrorist attack at Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino.

Meins was standing by a Christmas tree that day, taking photos at an office party with his co-workers, when a couple in tactical gear walked in and opened fire with semiautomatic rifles.

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He didnt have a chance to run or duck, his widow told the students. He was shot five times and died by the tree.

At Meins funeral, which was held at the same Catholic church in Riverside where he and his wife were married, the Rev. Art Mateo told mourners the attack would lead to changes that would make society safer.

That is the only way I can make sense of the violent death of Damian Meins, he said. I know good will come of this.

The family of four was as close as a family can be.

The attack made them three  a mother and her adult daughters, who have lived a year of countless moments of unbearable sadness, anger and numbness at the loss of the man they each adored.

When you go to the counselors, they dont know how to handle this as well. They end up crying and you end up trying to help the counselor.  Trenna Meins

But they push through those moments, telling their story to students, to legislators, to whoever will listen, because they believe good will come of this, in the form of tightened restrictions on guns.

::

Damian Meins, 58, was remembered at his funeral as one of the good guys.

He was dedicated to his family, having cared for both of his parents when they were dying. He was smart and good at his job. He was really fun. Insanely fun, said his daughter Tina.

When Tina and her sister were young and their mother was away at night school, their father would turn off all of the lights in the house, use paper to cover up any clocks, and the three of them would chase each other, their giggles filling the rooms.

When his daughters were older, the three of them became travel companions  exploring Europe and Asia together.

All the time  It was him and the kids, said Trenna Meins, 59.

They even had a family motto  amplecti possibilitate, a reminder to embrace the possibility. Over the years, Damian developed an obsession for decorating the family home for holidays  Christmas, Halloween, St. Patricks Day, Valentines Day, even Mardi Gras.

The day of the attack, he woke up early, put on a snowman Christmas tie and left for work.

Trenna stayed home with the flu; Tina, 34, went to work in Irvine. Tawnya, 29, went to her job in Riverside.

They saw the news on television and quickly realized that Damian had been in the room where the attack took place.

Soon enough, reporters were camping outside their door. FBI agents were in their home. Politicians they had never met were calling, asking to speak at the funeral. Family members, filled with fear, were anxious to buy guns for protection.

1 / 9 San Bernardino resident Barbara Babcock wipes away tears during a memorial service for victims of a terrorist attack that left 14 people dead and 22 wounded in San Bernardino last year. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 9 Mourners listen to speeches during a memorial service on the campus of Caifornia State University San Bernardino on Friday night. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 9 A mourner holds up a sign during a memorial service on the campus of Caifornia State University San Bernardino on Friday night. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 9 Mourners embrace during a memorial service on the campus of Caifornia State University San Bernardino on Friday night. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 9 Zen Martinsen, left, and Paula Garcia cry as the Inland Regional Center holds a brief memorial ceremony for staff and guests to remember the victims of the Dec. 2, 2015, terrorist attack in San Bernardino. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 9 Attendees, including Anthony Mascaro (middle in wheelchair), bow their heads during a moment of silence at the Inland Regional Center during a brief memorial ceremony for staff and guests to remember the victims of the Dec. 2, 2015, terrorist attack in San Bernardino. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 9 Flowers on the Inland Regional Center sign in memory of the victims of the Dec. 2, 2015, terrorist attack in San Bernardino. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 9 People attend a brief ceremony at the Inland Regional Center for staff and guests to remember the victims of the Dec. 2, 2015, terrorist attack in San Bernardino. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 9 Part of the crowd attending a brief ceremony at the Inland Regional Center for staff and guests to remember the victims of the Dec. 2, 2015, terrorist attack in San Bernardino. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

In those moments, everything is in the air and you have absolutely no control over anything, Trenna said.

The days after the attack were filled with immediate tasks  calling loved ones, arranging their travel, coordinating with the coroners office to plan the funeral.

All around them, they could feel people were filled with anger at the injustice of the attack. But Trenna and her daughters were determined not to allow anger to overtake them.

Even in our time of great sadness, we have gratitude; we know that the world is still filled with love, Tina wrote in a tribute to her father on a Gofundme page in the days after the attack.

The weekend after Meins funeral, Tina and Tawnya took their fathers stored holiday lights and wrote the word Love in lights on the roof.

It was a message to their father  and to those whose sense of tolerance had been rocked Dec. 2.

They also immersed themselves in the details of the attack, thinking that if they could decipher what went wrong, they could prevent more attacks.

They learned that the shooters, armed with semiautomatic rifles, had in just two or three minutes fired more than 100 rounds.

They learned that when the couple were killed, they had more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition in their SUV and thousands more in their home. They learned that they had tried to modify a rifle to make it automatic.

When President Obama flew to San Bernardino that December to visit with the families of those killed, Trenna asked him how many people would have to be killed in a single incident before legislators would change the laws.

They didnt do anything when all those kids were killed at Sandy Hook in 2012, she told him. Is there a number? Give me a number where [they] might do something.

In the months that followed, they would add their voices to an ever-growing list of families torn apart by gun violence, including families who have lost loved ones to mass shootings, and began pushing the nations legislators to do something about gun control, knowing that it would be a battle with little immediate payoff.

Like many of those families, they have carried Damians picture at vigils and told his story at news conferences and in the halls of Congress. They have written op-eds.

They are sympathetic to gun owners. Their extended family includes members of law enforcement and the military and avid hunters. But they have come to see some kind of restrictions on guns as the only solution.

They are also careful to emphasize that they do not support a ban on Muslims or efforts to blame the religion for the attack.

The work gives them something to focus on.

When everything is quiet at night, when you sit down for a minute, thats when things are the hardest, Tina said. Trying to advocate and make change, thats easier for me.

They also find solace in working together, because outsiders have a hard time understanding their situation.

People want to do something to help you but really, theres nothing they can do, Trenna said. When you go to the counselors, they dont know how to handle this as well. They end up crying and you end up trying to help the counselor.

On June 13, the day after a man killed 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Tina wrote a letter to representatives in Congress: With every shooting since December 2nd, I find myself asking, how many more incidents will occur and how many more people will die before we make changes?

That Sunday, Fathers Day, the three of them mailed a letter to every U.S. senator, asking them to consider taking action on proposals including background checks, banning people on the no-fly list from purchasing weapons, an assault weapons ban, tracking of ammunition and increased funding for gun violence research.

Some people point out that nothing will bring my father back, and they are right about this, Tina wrote. But I write to you because I do not want more Americans to feel the devastation and heartbreak my family and I feel.

The 100 letters elicited four responses.

They knew that pushing on a heated issue like gun control would not be easy. But they are resolute.

Just because there is not a 100% right answer for all of this doesnt mean we shouldnt move forward, Trenna told the Cal State students. You have to trust me when I say what we have is not working.

paloma.esquivel@latimes.com

For more Inland Empire news follow me @palomaesquivel

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What a messy end to 2016.

The Las Vegas Strip began jamming up with people hours before the clock struck midnight on New Years Eve and, as people are inclined to do, they brought a lot of stuff with them to celebrate the occasion.

There were confetti streamers, 12-packs of Tecate and Miller Lite, water bottles, party horns and festive hats. There were food and soda cans, plastic bags and giant plastic cups filled with booze. A few police officers cut a wide berth where some overzealous drinkers had left their mark in the middle of the street.

But mostly it was just garbage.

By Clark County Public Works Department estimates, revelers left 14 tons of trash behind on Las Vegas Boulevard during the celebration. And so, the first act of the new year by public works, casino cleanup crews and the Nevada Department of Transportation was this: Get the street clean for vehicle traffic within hours of the last fireworks launched over the Strip in the first minutes of 2017.

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Fireworks explode over the Las Vegas Strip during the New Years Eve celebration. (John Locher / Associated Press )

Hilario Murillo, who has been doing New Years Eve cleanups for 18 years for the Paris Hotel and Casino, stood with a broom on the sidewalk and surveyed the piles of trash smashed up in the street gutter.

Not too bad, he said with a smile. I think last year was worse.

Murillo was waiting for the public works crews to methodically walk down the street  the first wave with leaf blowers and sprayers to move the trash into lines, where a second wave of street sweepers would then suck up the garbage.

The Strip had been closed to vehicle traffic a few hours before midnight, allowing people the rare chance to walk down the middle of the street  though the islands in the middle were barricaded and protected by police. Revelers  an estimated 330,000  stopped to take pictures with the cops and video the thumping dance music at parties on outdoor patios outside the casinos.

Some sat on the curbs as if they were waiting for a parade. Groups of people yelled greetings to strangers. People took selfies with the bright lights of the casinos in the background. Outside Caesars Palace, a group of people preaching Christianity yelled judgments through bullhorns at the pedestrians. They screamed back while police made sure things didnt escalate.

This is happening on the Strip right now. It doesn't appear many minds are being changed. pic.twitter.com/EjuBrTpsF8  David Montero (@DaveMontero) January 1, 2017

There were few arrests, and when the fireworks launched over the Strip, people shot video, hugged and kissed and then filtered down the street and headed into casinos, hotels or to their homes.

Then it was showtime for the approximately 90 public works employees whose job was to get the debris off the Strip so it could be reopened for vehicle traffic quickly. Clark County spokesman Dan Kulin said the cost of cleaning up after the party on the Strip would be between $134,000 and $180,000.

A separate operation was responsible for cleanup downtown on Fremont Street, the citys famous Glitter Gulch.

On the Strip, Murillo watched the line of street sweepers move slowly with yellow lights flashing and crews removing about 4,200 metal barricades once theyd passed  leaving a glistening path like watery snail trails. Murillo picked up his broom and joined the casinos employees and began sweeping up the island area near the vehicle entrance.

By 3 a.m., the Strip was open to traffic again, sidewalks were packed with people, and the party continued inside the bars, restaurants and casinos on the Strip. The trash cans were emptied and the cars rolled down the clean boulevard. It had taken cleanup crews about two hours.

It looks like nothing even happened, Murillo said.

Until next year.

david.montero@latimes.com

Twitter: @davemontero

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California lawmakers passed 900 new laws last year  thats about 7.5 bills per legislator  and most, though not all, went into effect on Sunday.

Thats a good thing, right? Surely legislators must be working awfully hard on our behalf to pass so many new laws. And no doubt they solved 900 of the states many serious problems, no?

Well, not necessarily. Quantity doesnt necessarily translate to quality. Some of the new laws are, to be frank, silly or pointless. Others are designed to win publicity for their sponsors even if they dont really do much. Many  most, actually  are technical or apply to such a select industry or small group of people that the vast majority of Californians will not notice them at all (which doesnt necessarily mean theyre bad). Some may not effect any Californians. (Hello Assembly Bill 501, which designates denim as the state fabric, adding to the ever-growing list of official state symbols).

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Certainly, many of the new laws make real changes to life in the Golden State, and most do so for the better. One raised the minimum wage by 50 cents, to $10.50 an hour, for workers in companies employing 26 or more people. Its the first of a number of incremental increases that will push the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2022.

Another new law requires that greenhouse gas emissions be reduced to 40% below 1990 levels in 13 years and yet another puts sensible new restrictions on firearms and ammunition, including a requirement that ammunition purchasers undergo background checks. And this year, people will be subjected to new hands-free restrictions when using their smartphones in their cars.

There are other good new laws, and some bad ones too. But mostly there are just more laws. And you can expect them to keep on coming. In December, the Assembly passed new rules that lifted the per-session limit on how many bills a member may introduce from 40 to 50. (The state Senate has not lifted its cap). This raises the specter of still more bills in the future, including many that do little or nothing to improve the state.

The problem with that is that it takes time, energy and resources away from the many truly important, complicated, politically difficult tasks that face the states elected officials. Legislative leaders must be extra vigilant to stop pointless, self-serving, pandering or conflicting proposals before they get to the floor so their members can focus on the real issues facing the state, such as securing funding to fix the states crumbling roads, reforming the states problematic tax code and fixing the broken California Environmental Quality Act, to name just three. These tasks were on last years to-do list and  900 laws later  they remain undone.

It would also be nice if legislators could avoid passing new laws that are philosophically incompatible with one another or conflict with larger policy goals. Last year, for instance, the Legislature seemed to send a mixed message with new laws that expand the number of places where people can drink alcoholic beverages while simultaneously cracking down harder on those who drive under the influence of alcoholic beverages. Maybe theres no true contradiction between the two (or maybe there is), but it would be nice to hear from legislators about their overall strategy for addressing the problem of drunk driving and how they think these two bills work together to achieve their goals.

Then theres the new law that requires mandatory prison time for those convicted of sexual assault crimes in which the victim is known to be intoxicated or unconscious. This law stemmed from last years debate over whether former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner was treated too leniently after his sexual assault conviction. Its fine to disagree with one defendants headline-grabbing sentence, but its often unwise to base a new law on it  particularly when, as in this case, it contravenes a deliberate and laudable effort by the state to move away from determinate sentencing.

With hundreds of new laws, perhaps a little inconsistency is inevitable. In any case, the Legislature can always fix it next year  with another new law. Ultimately the number of state laws isnt as important as their quality.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
Californias minimum wage jumped to $10.50 an hour at the start of the new year. As the founder of a small fashion design house and clothing manufacturer in San Fernando, Im not a disinterested observer in this change.

After two years in business, my company now has more than 150 clients from all over the world and 18 employees. Its whats known as a cut-and-sew house, part of the garment industry that generates about $17 billion in annual economic activity in Los Angeles County, including $6.9 billion in payroll, according to a 2016 industry report by the California Fashion Assn. This is the epicenter of apparel design and manufacturing in the United States; domestically manufactured clothing is more expensive, but retail and wholesale customers who care about quality and working conditions have historically been willing to pay for it.

Unfortunately, the industry is on a downward trend. Los Angeles County used to have more than 5,000 apparel factories; today, my company is one of roughly 2,000  and many (e.g. American Apparel) are looking for a way out. One Los Angeles Times headline, quoting a California State University economist, warned that the exodus has begun.

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If not for the $15 minimum wage, Id have zero interest in leaving California.

The biggest reason is the minimum wage, which will rise to $15 by 2021 in the county and by 2022 statewide. I write with some hesitancy, because Im in no way an opponent of higher pay. When you have a company with fewer than 50 employees, you get to know them pretty well and have a genuine concern for them as individuals. But that has to be balanced with concern for keeping your clients, who can always take their business to other countries or states.

Heres what the math looks like: I pay my employees $10.50 an hour, plus productivity bonuses. In addition, I pay payroll taxes and one of the highest worker compensation rates in the state. Even still, I could likely absorb a minimum wage as high as $11.50 an hour. But a $15-an-hour wage for my employees translates into $18.90 in costs for me  or just under $40,000 a year per full-time employee.

When the $15 minimum wage is fully phased in, my company would be losing in excess of $200,000 a year (and far more if my workforce grows as anticipated). That may be a drop in the bucket for large corporations, but a small business cannot absorb such losses. I could try to charge more to offset that cost, but my customers the companies that are looking for someone to produce their clothing line  wouldnt pay it. The result would be layoffs.

When Los Angeles Countys minimum wage ordinance was approved in July, I began looking at Ventura County, Orange County and other parts of the state. Then, when California embraced a $15 wage target, I realized that my company couldnt continue to operate in the state. After considering Texas and North Carolina, Ive settled on moving the business to Las Vegas, where Im looking for the right facility. About half of our employees will make the move with us.

Nevadas minimum wage is only $8.25 right now, so I can keep my current pay structure or possibly increase wages. Even in the event that Nevada raises its minimum wage, Ill still be better off with reduced regulations, no state taxes, and significantly less expensive worker compensation insurance. I have had the opportunity to meet with Las Vegas city officials (including the mayor) and I am confident that we are entering a very business-friendly environment.

Still, if not for the $15 minimum wage, Id have zero interest in leaving California. In some ways, its an ideal time to make clothing here. Theres a huge demand for American-made apparel, and the industry infrastructure that exists in Los Angeles  from garment makers to sewing machine repairmen  is difficult to find elsewhere. But businesses cant operate at a loss.

Today, its cool to be a tech startup in Silicon Valley, but not to be an apparel industry startup in the San Fernando Valley. That needs to change. Not everyone has the inclination or aptitude to write code for Google or Facebook. Moreover, the lifespan of tech startups is shockingly short: 30% to 40% collapse and another 40% get bought, putting people continuously on the hunt for the next job. That is no way to live or to raise a family.

We need more stable, blue-collar jobs in places like the San Fernando Valley  the kind I thought I was helping create. California, however, has put up a giant Go Away sign. If President-elect Donald Trump is interested in learning more about the hurdles to adding manufacturing jobs in America, looking at the Golden States steep pay requirements would be a good place to start.

Houman Salem is the founder and CEO of ARGYLE Haus of Apparel in San Fernando.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook

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The plan was simple: We would start a book club for our 5-year-old sons. Bennett and Bean had just started kindergarten and were crazy for stories. They couldnt read chapter books on their own but they took pleasure in listening, imagining the story playing out. Besides, we, their mothers, had basically been waiting to read big books to our kids from the moment they were born.

And, like that, Bennett and Beans book club was born. We figured we could handle a book a month, and we dug out the ones we remembered loving as kids: The Phantom Tollbooth, Pippi Longstocking and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Our meetings would be whatever the boys made them, but the book club would be for us too.

All fall, we read to the boys. That wasnt unusual, but it felt different because we were doing it with another family across town  picking up the same book, laughing at the same jokes, falling in love with the same characters.

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Bean and Bennett had never read on deadline before, and we all became more disciplined about the reading hour. Sometimes it was the best part of the day. When the world felt hard  as it has this fall and winter  turning to a childrens book was a singular opportunity to settle down, unplug the phone and the news, light the light and be together.

What could be a greater gift to pass on to our children? Sharing stories, weaving a small community together.

The boys loved it. After all, who doesnt want to belong to a club? We didnt hold our kids to teacherly standards. The meetings often consisted of talking about books for all of 10 minutes before we poured ourselves glasses of wine and let the kids run in circles around the redwood tree in Tess backyard.

Still, everyone said what they loved best about the stories, or shared a sentence or two. We snacked: for Phantom Tollbooth, tollhouse cookies; for Pippi Longstocking, chocolate cake because the market was out of Swedish Fish. Our kids began to name what they wanted most in a story. Bean: epic battles. Bennett: careful observation. They both wanted magic. In this we agreed: Who doesnt want magic?

Our picks werent perfect. The Phantom Tollbooth was too complex for 5-year-olds. Its puns and math sailed over their heads. Bean thought it a bit dull; Bennett wished for whales. Pippi Longstocking was full of adventure, but we moms found the way she described her travels around the world imperialist and dated. Bennett said that, like Pippi, he wanted to live alone. Bean wondered if he could get his own pet monkey. Each meeting ended with both boys asking why the party had to end.

And us mothers? From the beginning, we assumed we would enjoy ourselves, but even we were surprised by how nourished we felt. The book club reminded us of the deep pleasure of losing oneself in a rich story. The reading hour was an antidote and balm for adult distractions, fears and responsibilities. However chaotic and cruel the world seemed, setting aside time to read classic books with our children, letting our imaginations take flight, made the universe seem legible again.

What could be a greater gift to pass on to our children? Sharing stories, weaving a small community together. The days got shorter and we curled into the reading light.

Ultimately, it was The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe that offered what we all wanted most: magic. The sentences were clear, easy to read aloud, spellbinding. There were the children escaping the air raids of World War II, brought to a house in the country. And like a house within the house, there was the wardrobe, and inside it a land where long winter had fallen, and people and animals were being kidnapped.

Yet C.S. Lewis book also contained bravery, camaraderie, light. And the assurance that even in the most ominous times, it is possible to fight the darkness. The White Witch might seem all powerful, but the children were working to set the long winter right. How lovely the writing was, we exclaimed. How urgent the book felt, to us, in 2016.

That afternoon, Tess hung extra coats in a closet and Bennett and Bean went in and came out ready to fight the witch. They waged a great battle in the backyard, armed with wrapping-paper tubes. Bean wore a lion mask and roared and roared. Bennett put on a cardboard crown. Everyone ate Turkish delight. Everyone got powdered sugar on their noses. We ducked together into the magic wardrobe and emerged as new avengers, ready to battle for the light.

Tess Taylors collection Work & Days was named one of 2016s best books of poetry by the New York Times. Novelist Edan Lepuckis latest book, Woman No. 17, will be published in May.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook
A Republican-controlled Congress opens Tuesday with the most sweeping conservative agenda in decades, providing Donald Trump ample room to gut the Affordable Care Act, slash corporate tax rates and undo Obama-era environmental regulations.

The House is almost certain to reelect Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) as its first order of business, dispensing with the messy political infighting that has hobbled Republicans in the past.

And the Senate will swiftly begin vetting the president-elects most controversial Cabinet picks, ready to confirm some when Trump is inaugurated as president on Jan. 20.

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Yet Republicans remain at odds on some high-profile issues  such as how aggressively to investigate Russian hacking in the 2016 election  and how to fulfill other big-ticket promises, such as replacing Obamacare.

Despite firm Republican control of both the White House and Congress, the internal disputes have left them without a clear plan yet for Trumps first 100 days, or an endgame for the two years of the 115th Congress.

Trumps often shifting views on major issues will test relations with GOPs leaders on Capitol Hill, and his willingness to skirt ideological rigidity gives incoming Senate Democratic leader Charles Schumer of New York and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco an opening to influence and shape the presidents evolving agenda.

President Obama will visit Capitol Hill on Wednesday to meet with Democrats bracing for their new role, not just as the minority party, but as the main roadblock preventing Trump from dismantling the healthcare law and other parts of the Obama agenda.

Republicans will also assemble behind closed doors. Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who was a popular conservative congressman before he was elected governor of Indiana, is likely to serve as a crucial link between the Trump administration and its allies in Congress.

Given Trumps inexperience in government, Pence is expected to play an enhanced role, perhaps like the one former Vice President Richard Cheney held under President George W. Bush.

At a minimum, Pence could provide a vital conduit between the untested new president and his more ideological party members in Congress, especially as Ryans own relationship with Trump has been strained.

Ryan flip-flopped over Trump  first withholding his endorsement, then ultimately campaigning for him  but the speaker insists he and the president-elect have let bygones pass as they talk almost daily on their plans for fulfilling Republican promises to voters.

Very soon after the race, Donald and I said: Look, this is fantastic. We have so much to do. Lets forget about, you know, any differences in the past and lets get working on this agenda, Ryan said recently on Fox News. And thats exactly what weve been doing from -- that day on.

Once Trump takes office, Republicans will face enormous pressure to score some legislative wins after six years of trying to block most of Obamas initiatives.

Lawmakers will vote this week on low-hanging fruit -- a popular GOP measure to rein in the executive branch by requiring congressional approval for new federal regulations with an economic impact of more than $100 million.

The measure, which passed the Republican House three times since 2011, is a GOP priority. Its supporters say it would have prevented nearly all the climate and employment rule changes of the Obama era.

Republicans are also expected to punish Democrats for last years gun control sit-in, led by civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), by imposing new rules that would slap up to $2,500 fines on lawmakers who film such floor protests from smartphones or other devices.

Whether that would pass judicial review is less clear. Opponents say the proposed ban is clearly unconstitutional.

But the GOPs top promise  to end Obamacare  remains a tough haul.

Votes are expected in coming days on legislation to begin repealing the Affordable Care Act. But these first steps will be largely symbolic while lawmakers debate the details of dismantling the healthcare law.

With 20 million Americans now benefiting from Obamacare, the GOPs gutting of it comes with an asterisk.

Republicans are also likely to postpone fully dismantling the healthcare law until they can sort out their own ideas for a yet-to-be-determined alternative.

That could push a full Obamacare repeal and replace until 2018 or 2019, after the midterm elections.

Repeal and delay, it doesnt even have alliteration, Pelosi scoffed on a conference call Monday with reporters. Its an admission that its a lot for them to lose politically.

Similarly, Republicans are still working out the details of tax reform beyond the lower rates proposed in the House GOPs Better Way blueprint agenda for the new year.

Ryan will almost certainly reemerge as speaker in Tuesdays floor vote. But his leadership remains constrained by the same internal party divisions that hobbled his predecessor, John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), and that have prevented Republicans from making gains on a cohesive agenda.

Those divisions surfaced late Monday when Republicans split during a closed-door session over a proposal to gut a congressional ethics office at a time when Trump has promised to come to Washington and drain the swamp. Approval of the proposal signaled a rocky start to the new session.

Democrats, despite being in the minority in both the House and Senate, will be more than bit players in the new Washington environment.

Senate Democrats are planning a robust grilling of Trumps Cabinet choices, particularly Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), the conservative orthopedic doctor who has been tapped to helm the Health and Human Services Department and the Obamacare unraveling.

Democrats are also lining up against Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) as attorney general, and have raised questions about ExxonMobil chief executive Rex Tillerson, who has substantial ties with Russia, as secretary of State.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) intends to have several of Trumps Cabinet picks  likely the national security team -- cleared for quick confirmation after Trump takes office.

But McConnell faces his own difficulty as several top Republicans, including Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, are pushing for an aggressive investigation in Congress of Russian cyber-attacks during the presidential race. McCain plans to hold his first hearing on the issue Thursday.

McConnell has resisted calls by a bipartisan group, led by McCain and Schumer, for creation of a separate special committee  or an independent panel like the bipartisan commission that investigated the terrorist attacks after Sept. 11, 2001.

Many Republicans are optimistic for the days ahead, ready to hit the ground running, Ryan has said.

Congress adjusted its calendar to work more, with several five-day work weeks in the House as it races to deliver on election promises. Normally the House is in session only four days a week.

lisa.mascaro@latimes.com

Twitter: @LisaMascaro

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9:05 p.m.: The story was updated with the news that Republicans voted during a closed-door session to gut a congressional ethics office.

The story was first published at 2:10 p.m.
Early College High School is undergoing a $4 million makeover, giving it a more accessible entryway, repurposed classrooms, new flooring and other upgrades.

While the Mesa Verde school will experience several modifications, the modernization project will not add any square footage, according to Tim Marsh, the Newport-Mesa Unified School Districts administrative director of facilities support services.

The yearlong effort broke ground this week.

The improved entrance will provide better access from the front parking lot on Mesa Verde Drive East and Baker Street, allowing visitors to enter and check in there instead of at the larger, more open back lot and entryway along Baker.

In addition to the new flooring, the ceilings, cabinets, sinks and wall finishes will be replaced, according to Newport-Mesa spokeswoman Annette Franco.

A new lunch shelter will be built closer to the food-service area, replacing the old shelter.

The campus, which once served elementary students, will have some of its oversized rooms repurposed to better fit high school students.

The low sinks used by the pint-sized learners of past will be torn out so pupils of the present can have fully equipped science and art rooms.

Only five classrooms have air conditioning.

The modernization project will include the schoolwide installation of heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, Franco said.

The improvements could help forge the up-to-date campus that was once promised to Early College.

Over the years, the Mesa Verde site has seen plenty of schools come and go.

Marsh said the old elementary school location was utilized by Coast Community College District for 25 years, starting in the late 80s.

Early College opened in 2006 as a joint venture between the NMUSD and CCCD, offering a small group of high school students college-level courses.

When CCCD began construction on a $48-million location in Newport Beach in 2010, the college district and Newport-Mesa discussed the possibility of Early College moving in.

Toward the end of the locations completion in 2012, Newport-Mesa officials realized the layout of offices and instructional space did not fit the needs of a high school.

In January 2013, Coastline Community College students moved into the Newport Beach location while about 270 of Early College students remained at the Mesa Verde location.
Myanmars government said Monday it would take action against police officers who were shown in a video beating villagers in western Rakhine state, where tens of thousands of minority Muslims are fleeing a harsh military crackdown.

The statement was a rare official acknowledgment of abuses in Rakhine, home to a large Muslim population known as the Rohingya, who have long suffered persecution at the hands of Myanmars Buddhist majority.

The Rohingya have been the main targets of a military operation that began in October after suspected Islamist militants overran several border posts and killed nine officers.

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About 50,000 Rohingya have fled to neighboring Bangladesh over the last three months, the Bangladeshi government says. Human rights groups have accused Myanmar forces of systematically torching Rohingya villages and raping and killing civilians.

The government has denied responsibility for the violence, accusing villagers of setting the fires and fabricating stories of abuse. Aid groups and journalists have been effectively barred from the area since October.

Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize winner who leads Myanmars government, has remained silent on the Rohingya despite growing international pressure over their plight.

The video that emerged over the weekend was harder for officials to play down.

Widely circulated on social media and picked up by local broadcasters, the minute-long clip shows dozens of male villagers seated on the ground with their hands behind their heads.

Uniformed police officers are seen beating and kicking two men repeatedly in the footage, which was captured on a cellphone by a helmeted policeman smoking a cigarette.

This is the evidence how #Myanmar troops torture the #Rohingya. pic.twitter.com/A2vtoqIf0A  Ro Nay San Lwin (@nslwin) December 31, 2016

Suu Kyis office said the video was taken Nov. 5 in Kotankauk, a hamlet where villagers had staged a demonstration during a visit to the area by foreign diplomats. Rohingya activists said that police retaliated by detaining all males older than 8 for two days.

Action will be taken against police who allegedly beat villagers, Suu Kyis office said in a statement, identifying four officers by name.

The government said police were acting on information that villagers in Kotankauk were sheltering gunmen who had attacked police outposts 20 miles away two days earlier. Activist groups were skeptical, saying it would have been nearly impossible for Rohingya, whose movement is severely restricted, to travel such a distance given the heavy security presence in the state.

Human rights groups have presented evidence of crackdowns against demonstrators in the past, only to have Myanmars government issue blanket denials, said Matthew Smith, chief executive of Fortify Rights, an advocacy group in Southeast Asia.

Its significant the government acknowledged the video, but it remains to be seen what will come of it, he said. Impunity still reigns supreme in Rakhine state.

The government should respond with the same urgency to evidence of rape, killings, and other abuses. Instead were still hearing consistent denials.

The roughly 1 million Rohingya Muslims are widely described as the worlds most persecuted minority. Myanmar denies them citizenship and other basic rights, claiming they are interlopers from Bangladesh, despite many Rohingya families having lived in the country for generations.

In state-sponsored pogroms in 2012, Buddhist mobs attacked Rohingya villages, killing hundreds and forcing 125,000 people to flee their homes. Thousands escaped to refugee camps in Bangladesh or set off on dangerous boat trips toward Southeast Asia or Europe.

But many Rohingya are growing increasingly desperate as global migration routes narrow and Suu Kyis government shows little sign of ending their isolation.

A report by the International Crisis Group last month said a new Islamist insurgent group, financed by Rohingya emigres in Saudi Arabia, was responsible for the Oct. 9 attack against the Myanmar border posts. The prospect of a foreign-backed militancy has raised fears of further attacks  and military reprisals.

An increasing sense of despair has driven more people to consider a violent response, but it is not too late for the government to reverse the trend, the group wrote.

Read more: A Rohingya teenager dreams of leaving Myanmar, even if it means risking his life 

shashank.bengali@latimes.com

Follow @SBengali on Twitter for more news from South Asia

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When two men wielding cutlasses and a third brandishing a gun burst onto their yacht at 1:30 in the morning, Allison Botros and the seven others aboard suddenly realized that Pirates of the Caribbean is not just a movie.

Give us your money or we will kill you, Botros recalled the robbers telling them during the 15-minute ordeal. The mother of three from Cleveland was cruising with Swedish and American friends aboard the 70-foot Sway, which was boarded as it was anchored in this pristine harbor that is shadowed by the La Soufriere volcano and rimmed by swaying palms.

FOR THE RECORD:

Pirates: A photo in Section A of Sundays print edition accompanying an article about pirate attacks on yachters in the Caribbean was of St. Vincents Cumberland harbor, not nearby Chateaubelair harbor. 



After shaking down the passengers for thousands of dollars in cash, watches, cameras and cellphones, the robbers ordered skipper Harald Krecker to motor out to sea or be hit with rocket-propelled grenades.

More than five months after the Dec. 22 incident, the robbery victims have yet to receive a police report, the pirates remain at large, and the sleek yachts that ply the teal waters of the Windward Islands have gone elsewhere, making a ghost town of scenic Chateaubelair.

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Attacks on yachters across the Caribbean have marred the luxurious cruising life with increasing frequency as the number of vessels sailing the lush islands grows year to year, and with it the lure of valuables for thieves and drug traffickers in the region.

At least three other attacks were reported in Chateaubelair in a two-week period in December, all involving three men, two long knives and a handgun.

What is new in the last two to three years is an increase in the use of weapons, said Melodye Pompa, administrator of the Caribbean Safety and Security Net website, a sailing community endeavor that logs thefts, robberies and assaults committed against boaters. Its becoming more violent. Ive tracked that across the region we cover.

Most of the hundreds of incidents collected from 30 countries and territories over the last four years involve dinghy and outboard motor thefts or burglaries of boats while passengers were ashore. But guns and knives are being used more frequently, and dozens of incidents involving beatings and stabbings are among the crimes reported to the website, which compiles its statistics from charter operators, marinas, harbor masters and the victims.

No one on board the Sway was hurt, but the captain of another yacht, the Chiquita, which was attacked here the next night, suffered multiple cuts, including two head wounds that required stitches at a hospital in Kingstown, the island nations capital.

There are times when its happening and you think its not real, Botros said. At one point one of them said, If you dont find your wallet, Ill kill you, and I was so traumatized I forgot that I hadnt brought my wallet on the trip. I was saying, Oh my God, I cant find it! Ive got to find it! thinking about our kids at home.

Yachting visitors and the local suppliers who cater to them are the mainstays of many Caribbean island economies, including St. Vincents. A weeks charter of a luxury sailing vessel such as the Sway costs more than $13,000 plus expenses, and mega-yachts, with their onboard swimming pools and helicopters, are increasingly dropping anchor and treasure at the beautiful harbors of the region.

The December crime wave prompted some added vigilance by the coast guard and police, but specifics of the response were unclear. Representatives of the St. Vincent police did not return calls or answer e-mails after receiving a request for an interview on what they were doing to combat crime against yachters.

The attacks also galvanized the islands sailing businesses. Fearing for their livelihoods, yacht charterers and provisioners anted up funds for a patrol boat and published a list of dos and donts for prospective cruisers. Some said that only put the dangers in black and white.

If I got this, I would get on the next plane out of here and go home, Mary Barnard, managing director of Barefoot Yacht Charters, said of the brochure, which essentially advises sailors to stay locked up, on board and under guard at all times.

She produced a letter from a Canadian couple who had been customers for years, in which they said that their June 2006 assault and robbery by men armed with machetes had compelled them to stop all cruising in your area.

At the Beach Front Restaurant & Bar on Chateaubelair harbor, waiter Felix Granderson said he thought it might be safer these days because of stepped-up security but that it was difficult to tell because sailors no longer anchored here. He said the pirates were holed up in the towering mountains above the harbor.

Everybody knows whos doing it. Its guys who dont want to work, from Fitz-Hughes, he said, referring to a remote village on the flanks of La Soufriere.

Even if arrests are made in such crimes, the victims are seldom able to return to identify or testify against their attackers, said Chris Doyle, author of popular cruising guides for the Caribbean.

The islands have a judicial system that dates back a bit and is very much in favor of the criminal when the victim does not stay around, he said, explaining why the yacht pillagers are seldom prosecuted.

Police in the islands tend to be in react mode, Pompa said of the short-lived flurries of concern and investigation that follow incidents. But some islands have taken lessons from the bad publicity that cuts into the tourism industry, on which most of them are dependent.

Dominica, up until about eight years ago, had a terrible reputation, and it was deserved, she said of the island about 135 miles north of here where pirates preyed on visiting vessels. When sailors stopped anchoring there, the prime minister got the business community together to bankroll a patrol boat that has drastically reduced onboard crimes, she said.

Pirates who attacked a yacht in Rodney Bay in St. Lucia -- about 60 miles north of here -- two years ago severely beat the captain and raped his wife, causing the number of visits to drop by half, Pompa said she was told by local officials. The government deployed a port patrol boat, which seems to be somewhat of a deterrent, Pompa said.

Crimes against boaters are down throughout St. Lucia this year, she said, and no recent incident has involved violence, according to web logs at safetyandsecuritynet.com.

Others with long experience sailing the Caribbean contend that it isnt so much that crime has increased, but rather the volume of cruising traffic and the means of communicating the incidents.

Theres definitely a concern, but its really hard to say if there is more crime against yachts than there ever was or if dissemination of the information is just better now, said Sally Erdle, editor of the Caribbean Compass, a monthly newspaper published in Bequia, another island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines that is popular with the sailing crowd. With the Internet, the yachts all e-mail reports of these incidents far and wide immediately, and also discuss them on yacht and ham radio nets.

The seaboard jungle drums can also generate multiple reports of a single incident, she noted, turning it into a dozen in the minds of the public.

Bad things come in waves, said author Doyle, whose cruisingguides.com includes advisories about crime waves in places of real concern such as Venezuelan islands and Chateaubelair.

If we have a trouble spot with those responsible still loose, we need to try to warn people, he said. The problem then becomes, how much does the warning generalize? For example, we have had a problem in Chateaubelair, but not Cumberland or Wallilabou, a few miles to the south. How do we stop people becoming so paranoid they avoid the whole west coast?

Disturbing as the robberies and other occasional violent incidents are, they remain exceptions, he said, recalling six incidents during the last season out of 1,000 moorings by charters in St. Lucias Soufriere Marine Management Area.

The police in the islands do make an effort, especially in response to really bad and well-publicized events, such as rape, he said. But most of the crimes cast as piracy against yachters are no more than the occasional stolen dinghy and break-in.

carol.williams@latimes.com
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility Monday for the New Years attack that left 39 people dead at an upscale nightclub in Istanbul, and Turkish television stations broadcast video of a man believed to be the attacker.

In one video, apparently made by the attacker himself, the cleanshaven man is walking around a book fair in Istanbuls Taksim Square area. In another video, captured by a security camera, he is shown waiting at the window of a currency exchange in Istanbuls central Laleli neighborhood, wearing a heavy winter jacket.

Authorities said they have obtained fingerprints of the man believed to have attacked the nightclub, and have launched a massive manhunt for him.

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Local media, citing unidentified officials, said the attacker, who appears to have Central Asian features, was believed to be a Kyrgyz or Uzbek national.

The Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying it was looking into the reports.

Eight people were detained by police in Istanbul in connection with the attack, but the shooter was not among them. The attacker appears to have been combat trained, according to comments from survivors of the shooting.

He was shooting randomly but aiming for their upper bodies. He didnt want to just injure them, said Mehmet Yilan, 36, a barman at the Reina nightclub for 12 years.

Several witnesses recalled playing dead, lying motionless among bodies that piled on top of them in hopes the gunman would move on.

When he shot me I didnt move  I just let him shoot me, William Jacob Raak of Greenville, Del., said in an interview with NBC News. I was shot when I was already on the ground. He was shooting people that he had already shot.

Raak, who is believed to be the only American wounded in the attack, said he was shot in the hip.

The shooter, according to Turkish investigators, carried spare cartridges of ammunition in a backpack, and reloaded his gun at least six times. Over the course of a seven-minute shooting rampage, he fired on partygoers on the ground and upper levels of the club, as well as into the icy waters of the Bosporus strait, into which some of the survivors had jumped to escape.

Survivors were taken out of the club by Turkish police through the basement, to keep them from seeing the carnage left by the attacker, who escaped after changing clothes in the clubs kitchen and leaving amid the confusion. He then took a taxi north along the Bosporus, but disembarked soon after when he told the driver he had no cash.

The dead included 11 Turkish citizens, including Fatih Cakmak, a police officer who survived a bombing at a nearby soccer stadium last month that killed 46.

Most of the dead were foreigners from Middle Eastern countries, including seven from Saudi Arabia; three each from Lebanon and Iraq; and two each from Tunisia, India, Morocco and Jordan. The others were from Germany, Brussels, Kuwait, Canada, Israel, Syria and Russia.

I just want to know who they think they are? Mahiar Assaf, a Jordanian whose brother Nawras was killed in the attack, told Al Arabiya television channel. God is the only one who could put himself in this position to take anyones life.

In a statement released through its Amaq news agency, Islamic State said a heroic soldier had attacked a polytheist celebration of the Christians on orders from its leader, Abu Bakr Baghdadi. The statement referred to Turkey  where more than 99% of the population is Muslim -- as the protector of the cross, and said it was being targeted because it had carried out airstrikes against Islamic State.

Turkey has complex and somewhat conflicting interests in Syria. It opposes Syrian President Bashar Assad, and has aligned itself with some of the rebels seeking to overthrow him. But it also opposes both Islamic State and Kurdish militias in Syria  although those groups, which share a goal of ousting Assad, have been fighting one another.

On Monday, the Turkish military said it carried out scores of airstrikes in northern Syria, killing 22 Islamic State members.

In August, Turkish special forces, tanks and armor entered into Syria to back thousands of rebel Free Syrian Army fighters in an offensive aimed at pushing back advances by Kurdish militias and Islamic State. The operation ousted Islamic State from a broad swath of territory along the Turkey-Syria border, cutting off what was a crucial supply route for the extremists. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the nightclub attack was intended as a response to Turkeys successful and determined military operation against Islamic State.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a condemnation of the attack, saying Turkey would fight till the end to make sure Islamic State and other terrorist groups were defeated.

Turkey is firm on doing whatever it takes to protect its citizens safety and peace in the region, the statement said. Turkey will stand together and not give passage to dirty games of terrorists.

The Turkish Interior Ministry announced that it had detained 147 suspected Islamic State members in the last week. In 2016, more than 800 suspected members of the group were detained in Turkey, and tens of thousands of people have been refused entry into the country since 2011, based on the suspicion that they intended to join Islamist militant groups in Syria.

Turkish prosecutors have also begun investigations into thousands of people accused of expressing support on social media for terrorist attacks, with more than 3,700 detained in the last six months.

If the gunman proves to be Central Asian, the attack would bear similarities to the last Islamic State assault in Istanbul, a June shooting and suicide bombing at the Ataturk international airport that killed 45 people.

Investigators have identified two of the three alleged attackers in that massacre, all of whom were from Central Asian countries, where thousands of Islamic State fighters have been recruited.

Reactions to the nightclub attack reflected some of the societal divisions roiling the Arab and Muslim world. As reports emerged of victims from Jordan, Tunisia, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, many in those countries took to social media, saying it was not permissible to offer condolences to people who were killed drinking and dancing in a nightclub.

Alcohol is banned in Islam, and conservative Muslims frown at mixed-sex celebrations. Moreover, in Arabic, the word for nightclub usually refers to a brothel as opposed to a disco.

Allah willing they will all go to hell, Good riddance, How can they meet their god after such a death  these were among the comments posted on the Facebook page of Roya News, a privately owned Jordanian news agency.

Some, meanwhile, argued about whether Reina was a nightclub or simply a restaurant with alcohol.

Others condemned the rhetoric. When corpses burn and body parts fly, does sympathy change if the fingers and feet and heads were Muslim or Christian or Jewish? asked Basel Rafayeh, a Jordanian commentator, in a post on Facebook. Restaurant or nightclub. House of worship or theater. There is no difference.

Farooq is a special correspondent. Special correspondent Nabih Bulos in Amman, Jordan, contributed to this report.

ALSO

Taiwans president calls China a threat, predicts turbulent 2017

After Islamic State institutionalized looting in Syria, the market for fake antiquities is booming

From boycotting Olympics to expelling spies, spats between Washington and Moscow go way back

UPDATES:

2:30 p.m.: Updated throughout with staff reporting, videos released, American among wounded, other details.

4:35 a.m.: Updated with eight detained.

1:30 a.m.: Updated with nationalities of the victims.

This article was first published at 12:50 a.m.
Light snow fell as Nuriye Gulmen carefully rested a whiteboard next to Ankaras Human Rights Memorial, a statue of a seated woman reading a book.

Day 48. We want to return to work, she wrote with a marker on the board, as a dozen protesters glanced at the pedestrians around them, looking for plainclothes police who might thwart their demonstration.

Since a failed coup attempt in Turkey on July 15, the government has imposed a state of emergency, granting itself power to suspend or fire state employees, impose restrictions on news media and art shows, and hold suspects without charge for 30 days.

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Protests are banned, but Gulmen is among a small number of people in Turkey who have taken to the streets to defy the crackdown, inspiring others but putting their own freedom at grave risk.

The government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says it is engaged in a war on terrorism, against not only the followers of the cleric Fethulleh Gulen, whom it accuses of being behind the coup attempt, but also Islamic State and the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, groups whose attacks have killed hundreds in Turkey in the last year.

A lot of people can do this, and I suppose it annoys the government.  Turkish protester Nuriye Gulmen

More than 40,000 people have been detained, and 125,000 public employees fired or suspended from work, accused of ties to the PKK or to the Fethullah Terror Organization, or FETO  the governments name for the clerics followers.

On Oct. 3, Gulmen, a postdoctoral student of comparative literature, was given notice that she was being suspended from the public university where she was doing research. She was accused of ties to FETO. A secular leftist, she was handed a list of 42 questions: Are you a member of Gulens movement, Hizmet? Do you have an account in Bank Asya, a bank connected to Hizmet? Were you involved in the July 15 coup? Do you regret being involved?

I refused to answer the questions individually; instead, I wrote a one-paragraph reply, Gulmen said during her protest as she accepted a cup of tea sent by an anonymous sympathizer. I said I am a socialist, I have nothing to do with the coup, these questions are about my private thoughts, and I have a right not to answer.

On Nov. 9, Gulmen asked a few leftist journalists to come to a news conference at the memorial in Ankara, but the group found itself quickly surrounded by dozens of plainclothes police officers, two-way radios in hand, who warned them not to unfurl a banner reading, The state of emergency must be lifted.

As Gulmen tried to open the banner, police arrested her, dragging her and the other protesters away as a crowd silently watched.

Gulmen was charged with a misdemeanor for disobeying police orders, along with breaking a law that prohibits demonstrations threatening national security, and spent most of that day in detention, but was later released. The next day, she returned to the memorial, and was arrested again as soon as she tried to unfurl the banner.

For 21 days, Gulmen went through the same routine, the daily spectacle becoming a fixture in the neighborhood, as crowds gathered each time to watch police drag her away, along with a growing cadre of rotating protesters. Among those arrested were high school students and people who were watching the protest and happened to get too close. Collectively, they face more than 60 charges.

They kept releasing me because they just wanted to take me away from this place, said Gulmen. A lot of people can do this, and I suppose it annoys the government.

The police still show up, but they have not detained anyone in two weeks. There have been rallies in Turkey against the purge of civil servants, but they have been largely muted, quickly broken up by police with water cannon and tear gas.

Gulmens daily protest is one of the only continuous acts of defiance against the government in Turkey today, and it has drawn others affected by the purges since the failed coup.

People accused of being Gulenists come and recall their stories to me, said Gulmen. A woman came, saying both her father and mother were in prison, accused of being FETO members. A doctor came and told us how people are dying in prison, how he treated someone who died from an internal hemorrhage.

Semih Ozakca, a primary school teacher, has been detained nine times.

I am not political, but I have my own world view. I am a revolutionary democrat, Ozakca said. I have nothing to do with FETO.

A month after being suspended from work, Ozakca learned he was being fired. He found out because his name was listed in an official decree  a document posted on a government website that lists measures being taken under the state of emergency.

In one night, everything changed. I found my name among thousands listed, under a heading that just said we are accused of belonging to FETO or other terror organizations, said Ozakca, a member of the Alevi minority, a distant faith that Fethullah Gulen has labeled heretical in the past.

The government has historically used accusations like connections to terrorist groups against critics, said Gulmen, who spent 109 days in prison in 2010 before being cleared of being part of a banned leftist group. Her problems have continued, and over the years she has been detained for a host of charges, including singing in the corridors of government buildings.

Erdogan was friends with Gulen for decades, said Gulmen. If they want to prosecute FETO, they should start with themselves.

Farooq is a special correspondent.

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With the two-state solution a distant dream, Palestinians ask if its time to push for a one-state solution

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Cheetahs On The Brink Of Extinction: Only 7100 Left Worldwide

staff@latinoshealth.com By Staff Writer Jan 02, 2017 02:39 AM EST

A study by the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Zoological Society of London, Panthera reveals that only 7,100 cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) are left worldwide. The 'pet' trade where cheetah cubs are sold illegally, deforestation (and the resulting desertification) and loss of habitat, and unavailability of prey (mainly antelopes) are some of the main reasons behind why this species is on the verge of extinction.

Cheetahs also get killed for their skins.

The wildlife conservation study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that 77 percent of the cheetah's habitat falls outside of protected areas such as wildlife reserves. Since cheetahs sometimes hunt livestock, they sometimes face attacks from villagers. They also get hit by speeding vehicles at times.

The PlanetSave reveals that the cheetah has been driven out of 91% of its historic range in Asia and Africa. Less than 50 of the Asiatic cheetahs are now left in the world, and all of them are clustered in one isolated area in Iran.

Scientists believe that the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species should change the status of cheetah from 'Vulnerable' to 'Endangered'. They are also saying that until international efforts are made for cheetah conservation, the existing cheetah species will soon become extinct. A story published by Scienceheathen shows that we have already lost American cheetahs forever.

The number of cheetahs in Zimbabwe alone has nose-dived down from 1,500 in 1999 to just 150-170 in 2013 to 2015.

Cheetah is the fastest runner on Earth and can run up to a speed of 29 meters per second. More than half of the cheetahs of the world live in South Africa, in countries like Namibia and Botswana when the human population is sparse. It is high time to make concentrated efforts to conserve cheetahs before we lose them forever.

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The announcement of 'Surface' line-up of Microsoft devices have picked up pace of late with a lot of technology enthusiasts now turning their attention towards the Redmond firm thanks to their sturdy hardware.

The reputation garnered by the Surface line-up of hardware is now including phones in it's branding with Microsoft reportedly planning to bring out Surface phones early next year.

The Washington based software giant with the introduction of various devices under the Surface branding is slowly moving forward in making sure all their Surface devices are built with premium quality components and set a standard for Windows-based devices. Microsoft's current CEO Satya Nadella indeed confirmed the production of Microsoft Surface phones that's shortly seeing its release in the markets early 2017.

According to what enthusiasts and analysts believe, it would be a single big step for Microsoft to overthrow both their competitors Apple and Samsung thanks to their established Surface hardware being prefered more than usual by the audience in the recent months. A patented image was reportedly leaked that was available on softpedia.

The set of leaked images reveal almost everything about the device that's currently in development indicating a likely presence of a Surface pen but with its own design.

As per the sketches, the new devices have definite similarities to their 'Lumia' phones without physical buttons. On the first look, there's no absolute presence of a fingerprint sensor hinting that the phone might be unlocked with the help of Microsoft's "Windows hello" feature.



However, the phone does support USB Type-C reversible connector which is now more common in recent and high-end hardware thanks to its faster access and transfer speeds. The Surface phones atleast according to analysis are expected to be out in the markets sometime in 2017 that was hinted on Digitaltrends.

However, Microsoft are yet to make an announcement for the same, and there are rumours that the phones might be powered by Qualcomm's signature end Snapdragon 8XX series chips.
Google Play is loaded with numerous utility apps that claim to make your professional environment less hectic by taking care of smaller things. These apps are built with the intention of delivering a unified experience for the users.

In other words, apps like BlackBerry Hub and Samsung's latest Focus app is designed in a manner that allows users to access several important details of a professional work environment such as emails, calendars, and contacts from one singular place. Gadget360 first reported the launch of this app on 30 December.

Users with Samsung devices can now download Focus and experience an all-in-one productivity app. As mentioned on the company's official website, this app seeks to be the one-stop-shop for emails, calendars, contacts. There are individual tabs that help users create, organize and complete tasks more effectively. For instance, users can create a calendar entry based on email content, or locate related items with the tap of a button.

The app also offers communication tools that are carefully woven together through the use of a unified search feature. This allows users to find exactly what they want. Users can also enjoy a summary of major notifications via the easy-to-read, card-type UX that can be customized based on the user's preferences.

Moreover, Samsung Focus is designed to be equipped with a streamlined interface that features notification bar, a floating action button and the ability to switch back and forth between devices anytime, anywhere.

The Focus app also displays a notification for emails or any other scheduled event that allows users to stay up-to-date regarding their daily work-related chores. Users need not worry about missing out on any important information anymore.

Reported by Digital Trends, Samsung's Focus app aims to be the one that keeps professionals tied to the company's Galaxy devices.

Interested users can download Samsung Focus from the Google Play Store on their devices. However, one must make sure that they have the Marshmallow or Nougat updated on their devices.
The year 2016 has been quite an eventful phase for Samsung, in a bad way. One of the company's premium handsets reportedly started facing numerous battery issues which ultimately forced the company to recall the device and even permanently ban the smartphone. There were numerous speculations regarding what caused the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco - while some of them blamed the battery, others blamed the lack of effort from the company's side to ensure safety.

Now a new report by Reuters claims that the company is planning on announcing the results of the investigation that the company conducted into this issue. "Samsung Electronics Co Ltd will announce this month the results of an investigation into what caused some of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones to catch fire, the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported on Monday citing unnamed sources," read the Reuters report.

The South Korean technology giant had been examining the aspects of the smartphone ever since the reported battery issues back in October 2016. Numerous reports cited a combination of factors that held the potential reason as to why the costliest product in the history of Samsung smartphones ended up failing so miserably.

According to a report published by Indian Express, the company reportedly experienced a hit of $5.1 billion on its operating profit over three-quarters following its decision to permanently eliminate the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 line-up from the company's offerings.

The same report even suggests that CEO of Samsung, Kwon Oh-Hyun said that the company will make no compromises on the quality of its products. "He was asking employees to improve manufacturing processes and safety inspections in a New Year's speech to Samsung employees disclosed by the firm," the report read.

While there is no official confirmation made by Samsung as of yet, it appears like the readers will have to wait a little longer to learn about the real problems that caused the device's failure.
Working in the direction of upgrading and make it move attractive its iconic Dell XPS 13-inch lineup, the company is now moving past its conventional design elements. Dell is planning to follow pursuit to market leaders and make its own laptops two in one convertibles while keeping the minimal bezels, portability and speed of the device.

Its a good news for the Dell lovers that Dell is joining the league of Lenovo Yoga and HP Spectre laptops with this upcoming release which has been spotted on the company's website. Dell has spoiled the surprise for this release, which is expected to happen at CES's 17 this week with a product page for the same.

According to TheTechPortal the product page comes with an image of the XPS 13 convertible laptop, it still doesn't shed much light on the internal specifications. However, it can be easily noticed that the Dell decided to retain most of the design aesthetics of its latest XPS 13 laptop which includes its edge to edge display called infinity Edge. It is also exported to port over the current internals like Intel's Kaby Lake processors and other storage plus connectivity options.

As per Theverge Microsoft is encouraging Windows 10 hardware to built touchscreen laptops, which includes the bio-metric authentication features, to add some good experience for users. The point is what Dell will do to compete in the market with those extra ordinary featured laptops. Moreover, Dell has decided to pack it laptop with an IR camera or a fingerprint sensor into their new XPS 13 inches convertible. Both of these technologies can easily complement Windows.It would also be important to see if the company decides to bring about a change in ports - removing traditional USB 2.0 in favor of USB Type-C.

There's good reason to think convertible laptops are the reference for what makes a good Windows laptop in 2017 and beyond - the best Windows laptop we saw last year was a convertible from HP.
Jan 2, 2017, 2:23pm ET

Tesla Model X named in unintended acceleration suit

Tesla is facing a potential class action lawsuit.

Tesla has been named in a new lawsuit that claims the company's Model X crossover vehicle suffers from unintended acceleration.

The suit was filed by Model X owner Ji Chang Son in U.S. District Court in the Central District of California last week. Son claims his Model X accelerated out of control one evening in September, sending the CUV through his garage wall and into his living room. Son and another passenger suffered injuries in the crash.

"The vehicle spontaneously began to accelerate at full power, jerking forward and crashing through the interior wall of the garage, destroying several wooden support beams in the wall and a steel sewer pipe, among other things, and coming to rest in Plaintiffs' living room," the lawsuit said, according to Reuters.

The lawsuit is seeking class action status. The NHTSA has reportedly received seven other complaints about the Model X for unintended acceleration.

Tesla says it "conducted a thorough investigation of the incident and hasn't turned up any evidence to suggest a vehicle defect.

"The evidence, including data from the car, conclusively shows that the crash was the result of Mr. Son pressing the accelerator pedal all the way to 100 percent," a Tesla spokesperson told Reuters.

The exact terms of the lawsuit have not been made public.

Despite the new lawsuit, the Model X has proven to be an extremely safe vehicle overall. Recently a Model X in Europe was able to detect an accident before it happened thanks to its Autopilot semi-autonomous driving aid.
It's a mammoth piece from a giant of 20th century American art, and its restoration is nearing completion in January.

Shortly before his move into abstract expressionism, and world renown, painter Franz Kline was commissioned in 1946 by American Legion Post 314 in Lehighton, Pa., to paint a mural capturing the Lehigh River town's character.

Kline, born in 1910, had spent some time there growing up, following his stepfather's transfer from Wilkes-Barre to a new railroad job. The family's home still stands at South Ninth and Alum streets in the Carbon County borough.

At nearly 6 feet high by 14 feet wide, Kline's oil mural "Lehighton" was glued directly onto the plaster behind the bar in the Bridge Street legion post. The post-World War II years rolled by, then the decades, and the mural weathered 70 years until the legion sold it in October to the Allentown Art Museum to be conserved.

"Finally the wall behind it, the plaster wall started to cake away and so the legion officials really felt an urgency to try to find a home for it where it would be better taken care of," museum spokesman Chris Potash said last week.

A crowd-source fundraising campaign on kickstarter.com aims to put the finishing touches on the conservation, begun with the mural's removal from the wall Nov. 2.

The Kickstarter campaign is the museum's first-ever crowdfunding effort. It aims to raise $14,000 by midnight Jan. 22, and it's an all-or-none proposition; if it falls short, those who made pledges are off the hook.

If the goal is met, contributors will receive a variety of memorabilia, from a postcard of the mural for a pledge of $10 or more to magnets or a mug -- on up to recognition as a key sponsor, for a pledge of at least $2,000, on the wall beside the mural in the museum and on a video about the restoration.

"The conservation we're going to go ahead with" regardless of the Kickstarter outcome, Potash said. "Really it allows people to have a sense that they helped support the restoration."

Two legs of the three-phase restoration are finished. The museum brought in Luca Bonetti, based in New York City and one of the foremost conservators of American murals, to lead the mural's painstaking removal. From there, he and his team made some initial repairs in the art museum's Creativity Lab satellite space at 515 Hamilton St. in Allentown.

From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 25-26 at the museum, 31 N. Fifth St., Bonetti and his team are scheduled to resume the cleaning process in view of visitors to the museum's Trexler Gallery, the mural's permanent home to-be. Then from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 29, the museum is celebrating the mural with free admission -- as always on Sundays -- and activities.

For now, the mural is suspended on a rack in the museum's basement textile vault. Coiled around a cardboard tube, it's covered with a cheesecloth-like facing to protect it ahead of conservation and stretching onto a canvas by Bonetti, said Chris Berner, collections manager at the museum.

Kline produced "Lehighton" following a focus on realistic representational works that preceded the abstract expressionism for which he became famous, said Robert Mattison, the Marshall R. Metzgar Professor of Art History at Lafayette College in Easton.

"Franz Kline is one of America's most important artists of the mid-century," said Mattison, who organized the Allentown Art Museum's 2012-13 "Franz Kline: Coal and Steel" exhibit. "I think his big, black-and-white paintings are sort of defining moments for American abstract expressionism, which is the first time that American art really attained an international stature. ...

"The 'Lehighton' mural was the biggest of all the representational works he did and arguably the one he worked on the longest, and it captures his home, it captures his whole origin."

Kline's life -- he died of heart disease in 1962 at age 51 -- mirrored the expansion of the Industrial Revolution and the start of its decline, Mattison said. His works captured that arc of "power and fragility," according to Mattison, with industrial structures inspiring the large-format black-and-white works of Kline's 1950s and early '60s.

"It doesn't take too much imagination to sort of start to see the structures of those bridges and see the structures and shapes of the big Kline paintings," Mattison said.

"Lehighton" is a composite of the riverside community, done with the benefit of having toured his boyhood home from aloft in the cockpit of a friend and pilot. It also represents a bridge in the canon of Kline's career.

"You can almost see the style starting to develop, especially in the trestles you can see the slashing lines with white, as well, and so you can start to see the style starting to develop," said the museum's Potash.

"With the way the houses just kind of spin, that way is much more of an expressionist style than realistic, and that's what he was known for, as one of the major abstract expressionist painters in American art history," he continued.

Pressed behind glass in the members-and-guests-only legion limited the public's enjoyment of the work, Mattison said.

"Now to have it in our Allentown Art Museum, our central visual arts institution for the whole area, is absolutely fabulous," he said, "to have it restored to pristine condition, to make it available for the public to see, in my view, the greatest of the modern artists to come out of this area."

Mattison is scheduled to present on the history and significance of Kline's "Lehighton" at 1 p.m. Jan. 29 at the museum, followed at 2 p.m. by a question-and-answer with Lehighton area historian Ronald Rabenold.

In addition to conserving the original, the museum's commitment to the mural includes printing and installing a full-size vinyl reproduction behind the bar at the American Legion and, in time for fall 2017, creating and publishing curricula guides on the mural for the Lehighton area schools.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
UPDATE: Missing teen returned safely to parents, police say

Mallery Mules (Facebook photo | For lehighvalleylive.com)

A Hellertown teenager reported missing to borough police on Friday is considered a runaway, according to the department.

Mallery Mules, 16, was reported missing by her family, and her friends have been unable to confirm her whereabouts, borough police Sgt. Jeff Johnston said Monday.

"As of right now we just don't have very much information to go off," he said, noting that police were trying to locate her.

Wolfpack Search & Recovery, a grassroots group dedicated toward finding missing people in and around the Lehigh Valley, has been sharing information about Mules via social media and describes her as white, standing about 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighing about 125 pounds, with long, wavy blonde hair and brown eyes.

She was last seen wearing light-colored jeans and a gray hooded sweatshirt, and has piercing holes in both ears but does not wear earrings, Wolfpack says.

*Update: ***UPDATE***1/3/16 MALLERY HAS BEEN FOUND AND IS SAFE AT HOME WITH HER FAMILY. THEY THANK EVERYONE WHO SHARED... Posted by WolfPack Search and Recovery on Sunday, January 1, 2017

She has been known to frequent the Easton area, including Forks and Palmer township, as well as the Bethlehem and Allentown areas, according to police.

Last seen at nighttime in the area of Phillips Street in Hellertown, Mules took no additional clothing or money, bag or cellphone charger, Wolfpack says.

Borough police ask anyone with information to call Northampton County's non-emergency dispatch number at 610-759-2200.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Rodrigo Baptista wasn't due for another eight days, but the baby was destined to ring in the New Year, his father said Sunday.

Born at 12:43 a.m. Sunday at St. Luke's University Hospital in Fountain Hill, Rodrigo was the Lehigh Valley's first baby of 2017.

Carolina Bellido and Nicolas Baptista, of Holland Township in Hunterdon County, are the parents. Rodrigo is the couple's first child. Baptista is a firefighter in Elizabeth, N.J., and Bellido now will be a stay-at-home mother.

Baptista said Bellido on New Year's Eve began feeling pain, which was unusual considering the entire pregnancy ran smooth up until the end of her third trimester. After dinner around 6 p.m., she told Baptista she could be having contractions and the couple should call the doctor.

By the time they arrived at St. Luke's, Baptista said his wife was already seven centimeters dilated. He said the couple checked into the hospital at around 8 or 9 and she began pushing by 11:40 p.m. Rodrigo arrived about an hour later.

"I was expecting the long haul," Baptista said, noting he was stunned how fast the baby was delivered. "But if he was going to come on the first, it's nice he was the first (baby of 2017)."

Rodrigo, which means "famous ruler" in Spanish, came in at 8 pounds, 12 ounces and 19.5 inches. Baptista said the couple wanted a "strong name" for their son.

The second baby delivered in the Lehigh Valley Sunday was at 1:01 a.m. at Sacred Heart Hospital in Allentown and a third baby was born at 1:04 a.m. at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township. Easton Hospital by Sunday afternoon was still waiting on its first baby of the new year.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A 55-year-old Laois man has been given a three-year sentence, suspended for five years, for the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl.

The man, who cannot be named, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault on the girl, on April 1 and May 31, 2014, at a location in Laois.

The circuit court heard that in April/May 2014, the accused started hugging and kissing the girl, which led to the two incidents before the court.

Both incidents involved the accused, who was 52 at the time, lifting the girls undergarments and kissing her naked breasts and fondling her vagina. He also opened her clothing and kissed her on the lower abdomen and in the area of her pubic hairline.

It is clear that the offending was serious and constituted a serious breach of trust on the part of the accused, said Judge Keenan Johnson.

In her original victim impact statement, the girl said her life had changed as a result of the assaults, leaving her emotionally drained and with more anger problems than a normal teenager.

She said she was suicidal and hadnt been to school since, and she and her mother have had to move from the area.

Judge Johnson said he had now received an update on the girls current position from her mother, in which he said it was clear that at the time of offending, the girl was a very vulnerable person and the offending had a greater negative impact on her than might otherwise have been the case.

She is afraid of older men, particularly those with grey hair who look similar to the accused. The judge noted that she is of the opinion that she doesnt need any further counselling, but this was at odds to professional advice .

The judge said that, having heard evidence from the girls mother, the girls absence from school for the last two years cannot be attributed solely to the consequences and effects of the assaults.

In sentencing, Judge Johnson noted that a psychological report on the accused indicated that his cognitive abilities are in the borderline range.

It was clear when the accused gave testimony to this court that he had little conception of the grave wrong he had perpetrated, said Judge Johnson.

He said the accused had now attended for one-to-one counselling, during which the accused repeatedly expressed guilt and shame.

The accused had already paid 5,000 compensation and was offering a further 2,000.

The judge imposed a three-year sentence, suspended for five years on condition the accused enter into a peace bond; he complete the Phoenix programme, a therapeutic intervention programme for people who have acted in a sexually deviant way; he is to pay a total of 10,000 to the girl, which includes the 5,000 already paid; and he is to have no contact with the injured party or her family.
Motorists across Leitrim are being warned to avoid a nightmare, post-Christmas return to work on flat battery Tuesday which falls on January 3rd.

Research from leading roadside assistance provider, Allianz Global Assistance Ireland, shows demand for jump-starts dramatically increases on the first day back to work after Christmas due to cars not being driven over the extended holiday period.

Allianz Global Assistance Ireland received a 30% increase nationally in flat battery call-outs on the first day back to work in January 2016. Figures also show an increase in calls for flat tyres and clutch faults on that day.

Roland Hesse, Managing Director Allianz Global Assistance Ireland, says: We strongly advise motorists to avoid a flat battery Tuesday commuter meltdown this January. Every year we see an increase in calls on the first day back to work after Christmas because cars have not been used over the holiday period. We advise motorists to drive their cars at regular intervals over the break in order to keep the car battery charged, and to check on tyres to ensure the pressure doesnt go down. This will help avoid stress on the first day back to work or on the school run.

He added: Going back to work after hibernating over the long break is tough enough. But realising that your car wont start that morning can make matters worse. Our advice is to be prepared. Dont leave it to the last minute to check that everything in the car is ok.

Top 5 reasons for roadside assistance calls (January 1st to December 1st 2016. Source: Allianz Global Assistance Ireland)

1. Battery Flat: 24%

2. Wheel Change (Puncture): 10%

3. Clutch: 5%

4. Engine Management Unit: 4%

5. Alternator: 3%
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A YOUNG man who was viciously assaulted by a woman during a house party almost two years ago sustained catastrophic injuries and is no longer capable of independent living, a court has heard.

Wayne Fitzgerald (28) spent several months in hospital and was placed in an induced coma for almost four weeks after he was attacked at an apartment at Knockhill, Ennis Road, Limerick in the early hours of May 6, 2015.

Melissa Whelan, aged 25, who has addresses in Ballynanty and Moyross has pleaded guilty to recklessly or intentionally causing serious harm to Mr Fitzgerald.

During a sentencing, Detective Sergeant Derek Clancy said Whelan  a mother of four  was acquainted with Mr Fitzgerald and that they had attended the house party together.

Limerick Circuit Court was told gardai were alerted to the incident at around 7am after a neighbour reported seeing an injured man lying on an outside patio at the rear of the ground-floor apartment.

Det Sgt Clancy told John OSullivan BL, prosecuting, Mr Fitzgerald was unconscious when garda arrived and that it was clear he had been gravely and seriously injured sometime earlier.

The victim, who previously sustained a traumatic brain injury in a serious road collision in 2012, was initially taken to University Hospital Limerick but was later transferred to Cork University Hospital where an emergency craniotomy was performed.

A major gardai investigation was launched as Ms Whelan quickly identified as a suspect.

Det Sgt Clancy said gardai were able to establish that Mr Fitzgerald was attacked sometime between 3am and 5am.

While Mr Fitzgerald has no memory of what happened, a number of eyewitnesses described how Whelan struck him with a glass bottle across the face before pulling him off his chair and repeatedly punching and kicking him.

Det Sgt Clancy said following the attack, which lasted for about 20 minutes, Whelan dragged Mr Fitzgerald to the patio before later getting a taxi to Moyross.

One eyewitness told gardai Mr Fitzgerald did not react following the initial blow and that he did not attempt to defend himself.

She was laying into him like a dummy, he told gardai.

Judge Tom ODonnell was told a considerable amount of alcohol was consumed during the party and that the defendant had also taken some Up Johns.

Mr OSullivan said a definitive motive for the attack has not been established but that garda believe Whelan became upset and agitated after Mr Fitzgerald hugged her friend during the night.

The defendant, the court heard, presented at Henry Street garda station the following evening.

During the course of five interviews, she admitted hitting Mr Fitzgerald but claimed another woman had also assaulted him.

She told gardai she had been provoked as Mr Fitzgerald had grabbed her. However, Mr OSullivan said there was no evidence to suggest he had been violent towards her.

A number of medical reports were submitted to the court along with photographs taken by gardai when they first discovered Mr Fitzgerald lying prone on the patio.

Mr OSullivan said the 28-year-old, who received a substantial payment following the 2012 road accident, suffers from global cognitive difficulties, has reduced dexterity and motor skills.

Anthony Sammon SC, defending, said his client dropped out of school at a young age and was physically abused by her former partner.

He said she has attempted suicide in the past but has been doing well in Limerick Prison in recent months.

In a handwritten letter which was read in court, Whelan stated that she was ashamed of herself and wished to apologise to Mr Fitzgerald.

Judge ODonnell will impose sentence next April.
CONCERNS have been expressed over security and the lack of parking for State Solicitors at the new criminal courts complex on Mulgrave Street in Limerick city.

According to documents released under the Freedom of Information Act, the concerns were raised at a meeting of the Limerick Court Users Group last November.

According to the minutes of the meeting, it was agreed that every effort will be made to facilitate state solicitors with parking when bringing files to court.

While the minutes do not elaborate on the discussion, the Limerick Leader understands that concerns over security and health and safety were raised during the meeting.

A number of senior officials from the Courts Service of Ireland attended the meeting as well as representatives of An Garda Siochana, the Limerick Bar Association, the Prison Service and the Legal Aid Board.

State Solicitor for County Limerick, Aidan Judge, was also in attendance.

In November, this newspaper revealed that there would be no facility for members of the public  including witnesses and jurors  to park at the new courthouse, which is due to open at the end of 2017.

A spokesperson for the Courts Service confirmed there will be a small number of parking spaces at the new facility.

There will be car parking for staff, An Garda Siochana, the Prison Service and the judiciary. There will be no public parking in this or in any new court facility we build, he said.

We have a policy of locating court facilities near public transport, or central to a town, or near publicly available parking facilities. In Limerick there is plentiful public parking in nearby facilities," he added.
A MAN who was arrested as he disembarked from a flight at Shannon Airport was granted bail despite a strong garda objection.

Niall Murphy, aged 24, who has an address at Elm Wood, Meelick has been charged in connection with a violent incident outside a nightclub in the city centre more than two years ago.

The defendant is accused of causing serious harm to two men and with assaulting a third during an incident near the entrance to Crush 87 in the early hours of September 8, 2014.

At Limerick District Court before Christmas, Detective Garda Barry OGrady said the defendant was arrested after a flight from the UK landed at Shannon.

Murphy was brought to Henry Street garda station following his arrest where he was subsequently charged on foot of directions from the DPP.

Sergeant John Moloney said the matter is to proceed on indictment and Judge Marian OLeary was told bail was being opposed.

Det Garda OGrady told the court it will be alleged the three victims sustained very serious injuries when attacked by Mr Murphy and another man.

One man, he said, received 22 stitches across his forehead another sustained a 15cm laceration across his neck while the third required more than a dozen stitches in his cheek, mouth and head.

The detective said it will be alleged the defendant was identified by witnesses and that he can be seen on CCTV appearing to describe what he had done a short time later.

This was disputed by solicitor John Herbert who said his client denies any involvement in the incident.

He could be describing what he saw somebody else doing, he said.

While Detective Garda OGrady accepted that Mr Murphy had not been charged and was not subject to bail conditions when he travelled to the UK in September 2015 he said he believed he knew the charges were coming.

My belief is that he left the jurisdiction in anticipation of these charges, he said.

Mr Herbert said his client had travelled back from the UK of his own volition and was not aware that a European Arrest Warrant was issued a number of months ago.

He is going to stay here to deal with this, he said assuring the court his client would comply with any and all bail conditions.

The matter has been adjourned to the new year to facilitate the preparation of a book of evidence.
Jan 1, 2017, 12 PM

An example of the imperforate 1860 2-penny stamp of the colonies of British Columbia and Vancouver(s) Island brought $7,675 at an early December sale in Toronto by R. Maresch & Son.

A rare, unissued Newfoundland 1-penny stamp of 1861, erroneously printed in reddish brown instead of violet brown, sold for $8,060 at the Maresch auction in Toronto in early December.

By Matthew Healey, New York Correspondent

R. Maresch & Son Auctions held a sale of Canada and worldwide stamps and postal history Dec. 7-8 in Toronto.

Among the seldom-seen items offered were a couple of stamps from the colonies of British North America that preceded the formation of Canada.

Prior to confederation, many of Canadas provinces issued their own postage stamps, from Newfoundland, in the east, to the colony known as British Columbia and Vancouvers Island, on the Pacific coast.

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Though the two were not formally amalgamated until 1866, British Columbia and the island of Vancouver shared some aspects of governance prior to that date, including a postage stamp issued in 1860.

Maresch offered a beautiful unused, no-gum example of the imperforate 1860 2-penny stamp that somehow squeezed both the full names of the colonies and the words Postage two pence half penny around a bust of Queen Victoria (British Columbia and Vancouver Island Scott 1).

The imperf stamp, which is far scarcer than its perforated gauge 14 successor (Scott 2), was not issued in that form and may have been a proof or a reprint. Regardless, the example in the Maresch sale brought Canadian $9,000, or U.S. $7,675, including the 15 percent buyers premium the firm adds to all lots.

The colonys name evidently proved too much of a mouthful, so on joining the rest of Canada in 1871, it became simply British Columbia. Just prior to that, however, its constituent parts did put out a few stamps of their own.

An early 20th-century imitation of the Vancouver Island 5 rose carmine of 1865 by the famous forger Jean de Sperati sold for $238. Classic forgeries are often just as collectible as their genuine counterparts.

A rare, unissued Newfoundland 1-penny stamp of 1861, erroneously printed in reddish brown (Scott 16) instead of violet brown (15A), sold for $8,060.
May 2, 2021, 10 PM

A recently discovered parcel post slip covering a packet of blank telegraph forms and addressed to the Marconi Operator on RMS Titanic was to be delivered to the ship on its arrival in New York. The label, with some related ephemera, went unsold at the

A portion of a proof sheet of the 1910 1 King Edward VII stamp of the state of Victoria, initialed and dated by the printer, and believed to be unique, realized about $6,000 at the Mossgreen auction in Melbourne in November.

Mossgreen Auctions offered a rare variety, with compound perforations, of the 1905-10 1 King Edward VII stamp of the state of Victoria, at a sale in Melbourne in late November. It doubled its catalog value, realizing $10,300.

By Matthew Healey, New York Correspondent

Mossgreen offered Australia and worldwide stamps and postal history Nov. 29-30 in Melbourne.

Among the more remarkable items was an example of the 1905-10 1 King Edward VII stamp of the state of Victoria (Scott 230). Victoria was one of the colonies that unified to form Australia in 1901, though the individual states kept producing their own stamps until 1910.

The stamp offered by Mossgreen is a rare variety with compound perforations: At the top and left sides of the stamp, the perfs are gauge 12, while on its right and bottom they are gauge 11.

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Unlike many perforation varieties that need to be measured to be recognised for what they are, the different perf gauges on this stamp are immediately apparent and this visual recognition greatly adds to the stamps significance and desirability, the firm noted in the sale catalog.

If this were an American stamp  think of the 1 Z Grill that can be identified only from the reverse  it could be expected to sell for $2,000,000, the firm added.

Mossgreen called the stamp grossly undercataloged at $5,000, and they were right: It sold for the equivalent of U.S. $10,300, including the 20 percent buyers premium added by the firm to all lots.

Also in the sale was a portion of a proof sheet of the same 1 stamp, on unwatermarked paper, consisting of a block of four plus two half-stamps. It is initialed at left by J.B. Cooke, the stamp printer, with a date of May 3, 1910, and is believed to be unique.

As it happened, the king died three days afterwards, on May 6, 1910. The proof sold for about $6,000.

The most exciting item in the Mossgreen sale was a recently discovered parcel post slip addressed to the Marconi Operator on board the famed RMS Titanic, bearing a Great Britain 6-penny stamp of King George V (Scott 167) canceled in Chelmsford, England, with a purple datestamp 11 Apr 1912 at bottom.

But the ill-fated ocean liner had sailed from Southampton on its maiden voyage at noon the day before, and the parcel, which probably contained blank telegraph forms, never reached its recipient.

The packet was actually handed to the first officer of Titanics sister ship, the Olympic, with the intention of it being delivered to the Titanic in New York, according to the sale description.

The Titanics mailroom and telegraph crew, as well as all mail on board, were lost when the ship struck an iceberg and sank off Newfoundland early on April 15. The heroic devotion to duty of the mail and telegraph crew in the face of certain doom is part of the Titanics legend.

The only postal items from the Titanic that survive are a couple of items posted on board but taken off before she left on her trans-Atlantic voyage.

This parcel label is the most evocative and most important postal item associated with this most famous of maritime disasters, wrote Mossgreen.

This is the first time that it has appeared in the philatelic market, having recently been discovered in a provincial general auction in England. It is believed to have been held since 1912 by the family to whom it was given by the First Officer of the Olympic.

The parcel label was offered together with some related ocean-liner ephemera, including a photograph showing Alec Bagot, the Marconi wireless operator on the RMS Olympic, at his station.

Unexpectedly, the parcel label, which was estimated at about $14,000, did not find a buyer. Mossgreen confirmed that it remains available from the firm for a brief time, and anyone interested should contact Mossgreen for details.
Jan 1, 2017, 2 PM

Croatias Euromed stamp featuring a photograph of a Mediterranean sailing bracera was selected as the third most beautiful stamp of 2015 by the Nexofil jury.

Israels International Year of the Light stamp was chosen as the most beautiful stamp of 2015 by the Nexofil jury. The award was presented in October 2016.

The runner-up for the Nexofil top prize for most beautiful stamp of 2015 was a Swedish Ingrid Bergman stamp, part of a joint issue with the United States.

By Denise McCarty

Israels International Year of Light stamp recently received the Nexofil award for the most beautiful stamp of 2015.

The awards were presented Oct. 28, 2016, in Spain and reported in the November issue of El Eco Filatelico y Numismatico, a Spanish philatelic and numismatic magazine published by the Nexo Group in Madrid.

A Swedish Ingrid Bergman stamp was the runner-up, and a Croatian stamp placed third.

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The winners were determined by an international jury comprised of philatelists from more than 20 countries.

Issued Feb. 10, 2015, the 11.80-shekel stamp from Israel commemorated both the International Year of Light and the 2013 Nobel Prize in chemistry (Scott 2050).

According to information from the Israel Philatelic Service, the stamp design represents the Schrodinger equation on the left and the protein rhodopsin on the right. Shown on the attached tab, or label, are the emblem of the International Year of Light and representation of rods and cones, two types of light-sensitive cells in the human retina.

Swedens 14-krona Ingrid Bergman stamp issued Aug. 20, 2015, is part of a joint issue with the United States honoring the 100th birth anniversary of the actress (Sweden Scott 2756, United States 5012).

Both the Swedish and U.S. stamps were based on a photograph of Bergman taken by celebrity photographer Laszlo Willinger. The Swedish stamp was designed by Gustaf Martensson and engraved by Lars Sjooblom.

Martin Pingel, head of design at Postnord Stamps, described the design as a simple, powerful depiction of one of the worlds most well-known actresses of the 20th century.

The Croatian stamp, issued July 9, 2015 (Scott 964), was part of the multination Euromed series featuring boats of the Mediterranean.

The 5.80-kuna stamp pictures a cargo vessel known as a bracera. The stamp design by Dean Roksandie is based on a photograph by Ljubo Gamulin.

Israel won another first-place Nexofil award for best definitive stamp series for its Sept. 2, 2015, Rivers issue (Scott 2079-2084).

Spain also received two first-place awards, one for best engraved stamp (Scott 4048, Segovia UNESCO World Heritage Site) and best mixed printing (4038, Exfilna 2015, National Philatelic Exhibition, Aviles).

Other first-place awards were presented to stamps and souvenir sheets of Austria, Belgium, France, Liechtenstein, Portugal, South Korea and Uruguay.
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Manga, in the heart of Delhi A walk through the fantastical, colourful manga paradise that is the Japan Foundation Library /how-to-lounge/art-culture/manga-in-the-heart-of-delhi-111646913527271.html 111646913527271 story

Japan Foundation Library in Lajpat Nagar is home to a whole host of Japanese comics, DVDs, audio books, cookbooks and lots more. Photos: Preetha Banerjee

In New Delhis Lajpat Nagar, barely 15 steps away from the Moolchand Metro station, is a not-so-large space, filled to the brim with gems for the lover of Japanese comics (manga). This is Japan Foundation Library. Founded in 2007, it is home to a whole host of Japanese DVDs, audio books, cookbooks and lots more. The Foundation that looks like any other building is a fantastical, colourful world.

Of the 2,500 manga comics, 1,000 are in Japanese and the rest in English.

Right after security check, the first thing that will attract your attention is a small sign board. It reads Manga Cafe which, like a milestone, heralds that the Manga-aficionado has reached the destination. Here, you dont get served coffee, but manga magazines, books and DVDs that you can consume endlessly. The Cafe, which makes up a fourth of the entire library, is adorned with posters of animated movies by Hayao Miyazaki and other classic manga titles. If youre here alone, no worriesfor you will find yourself in the company of a couple of life-sized standees of young, anime characters (with holes for your face to fit in during photography). From another side, youll find Naruto and Chihiro watch over you.

This figurine of Naruto is one of the many miniature figures that adorn the audiobooks shelf.

Go inside the library, and youll see that there are a minimum of 2,500 manga comics, of which 1,000 are in Japanese and the rest in English. There are also two manga comics in Hindi translated by Japanese manga artist Tomoko Kikuchi.

Most of the manga comics here are rarely found at bookstores in the city. We source our manga from Japan directly because the stores here cant follow the language," says Sangam Kumari, the librarian. They dont (fully) understand which titles to stock. Also, each volume of a manga series, which one can finish reading in say 30 minutes, costs around Rs1,000 and so is not profitable for the shops," she adds.

Most of the manga comics here are rarely found at bookstores in the city.

Explore the aisles some more, and youll come across a magazine rack, from floor up to the ceiling, stacked with Japanese periodicals ranging from age-old manga magazines like Shonen Jump (launched in 1968) and Animage (1978), to contemporary periodicals on news, sports, fashion and food. If you are interested in Japanese art, there are Ikebana (art of flower arrangement) and Origami magazines. Though written in Japanese, these have pictorial directions, which are easy to follow.

Care more for music more than books? Feast your ears on about 200 fresh Japanese pop albums from music groups like the hit Japanese girl group AKB-48, which has around 130 members performing musicals. The shelves that house the audio CDs also have DVDs of famous anime serieswith small perfectly crafted anime figurines to keep them company.

This audio segment also has educational audio books and some classical Japanese music collection.

In between the audio and the manga segments which are at the two ends of the library, there lies a vast collection of books by and about the Japanese. Of the 15,000 total booksdictionaries, illustrated encyclopedias on Japan, its architecture, art, language, martial arts, cookbooks, history, travel and international relationsabout 8,000 are in Japanese and the rest are translations in English as well as various Indian languages like Hindi, Punjabi and Telugu. This includes books by famous authorsand the list is not limited to Haruki Murakami and Natsume Sosekiavailable for members to borrow.

The library also subscribes to two daily newspapers of Japan: The Yomiuri Shinbun (in Japanese) and The Japan Times (in English).

In case you want to learn Japanese, you can do that here through electronic dictionaries that resemble the now-obsolete Game Boy, a hand-held video game device. With the help of these, find the meanings of over 1,000 characters of the Japanese language.

A rack of costumes inspired by anime characters will direct your attention back to the Manga Cafe. Schools and institutions regularly borrow these for cosplays. If youre a member, you can even click photos in perhaps an orange and black Naruto costume, at the library.

Costumes inspired by anime characters.

At as low as Rs300 per year, you can take home your favourite manga, enjoy multimedia like DVDs and CDs (at the library only due to copyright issues), take part in the year-round manga workshops and cultural events, and get to meet artists like the renowned dance group Goyokai and painter Shine Misako, who visited the Foundation recently.

The Japan Foundation Library, 5A, Ring Road, Lajpat Nagar, Near Moolchand Metro Station, New Delhi, is open from 11am to 6.30pm. Closed on Sundays and Mondays.
This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

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.

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.

A large body of research shows that self-compassion results in greater emotional well-being. One of the most consistent findings in this research is that greater self-compassion is linked to less depression, anxiety and stress.

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.

Self-compassion has been found to be an important source of coping and resilience in the face of various life stressors such as divorce, chronic health conditions, or military combat. It also reduces body dissatisfaction and even leads to healthier eating behavior (relevant to many New Year's resolutions!)

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.

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.

Not only are self-compassionate people less likely to fear failure, when they do fail they're more likely to pick themselves up and try again.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Kristin Neff, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Texas at Austin

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
Spock, portrayed by Leonard Nimoy in the original "Star Trek" series and films, was half human and half Vulcan. An evolutionary biologist suggests that such interbreeding could happen only if humans were related to Vulcans by a recent ancestor.

Human life, seeded to other planets by an extraterrestrial civilization, could explain why so many of the aliens in the fictional "Star Trek" universe resemble human men and women.

After studying scenes from the various shows and movies, one evolutionary biologist posited that the galaxy-wide distribution of Earth-based life-forms could help to explain some of the resemblance between Kirk and Spock.

"This model ignores things like the difference in heart placement  perhaps unlikely  or the Vulcan copper, rather than human iron-based, blood  also unlikely," Mohamed Noor, an evolutionary biologist at Duke University in North Carolina, told Space.com by email. "But the overall principle is more probable than the notion that the species evolved completely independently to look almost the same after billions of years." Noor presented the results of his off-hour research this summer at Atlanta's Dragon Con. [How 'Star Trek' Technology Works (Infographic)]

The seeds of humankind

Life on Earth might not have originated on the planet itself. Scientists have long considered the possibility of panspermia, the idea that our planet's life or its precursors came from outer space. After drifting, unplanned, into the habitable environment, the seed material might have developed into life as we know it today.

A similar idea was investigated in an episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation." In "The Chase" (Season 6, Episode 20), an ancient alien species called the Preservers was revealed to have seeded many planets with the same genetic material. Over billions of years, similar plants, animals and humanoids developed on a variety of worlds, according to the story presented in the episode.

But Noor doesn't buy it. "Sounds good, but no way," Noor said. Even with the same initial conditions, he said, the probability of plants and animals with similar appearances  and, in species like Vulcans, able to breed with humans  developing on multiple worlds from only genetic material is incredibly low. With the passage of so much time, the various worlds would evolve creatures very different from one another.

"By their [the show's] model, we are literally more closely related to grass or an amoeba than we are to a Vulcan," Noor said. "I don't imagine us having kids with those other species." [Where No Films Have Gone Before: The Complete 'Star Trek' Movie List]

Instead, Noor proposed that the seeding occurred much more recently than portrayed in the episode. If the human ancestor Homo erectus, along with plants and other animals, were taken by the Preservers only a million years ago, rather than the proposed billion, and were seeded onto planets like Vulcan, the resulting life-forms could be more closely related, Noor said.

"It would require an extreme version of fast terraforming, but from a biological perspective, it's at least possible," Noor said.

Meanwhile, the Homo erectus individuals who remained on Earth could have evolved into humans while those on Vulcan evolved to become pointy-eared aliens.

"The two modern species would surely look similar, but it's likely there would be some physical differences," Noor said, pointing to Vulcans' unusual ears and eyebrows. The close genetic relationship among the different descendants of Homo erectus could even allow them to produce an offspring born of both, such as the half-human, half-Vulcan Spock.

Kissing cousins

As a longtime "Star Trek" fan, Noor has enjoyed examining the accuracy of the show. In college, he and his professors would joke about the unfeasible scientific explanations presented in "The Next Generation," the series on the air at the time. To prepare for his Dragon Con presentation, Noor spent time reviewing various episodes from multiple series of the show, and then discussing the science with biologists and chemists.

"I think the idea of trying to imagine what life in outer space could be is fascinating," he said. "I have really enjoyed researching this."

If human life in the "Star Trek" universe was indeed seeded on multiple planets, Earth would be the most likely original source, Noor said. That's because life-forms on Earth are clearly related to one another in a hierarchal way. Humans would be more closely related to aliens such as Romulans and Klingons than they are to chimpanzees.

Confirming this would be "remarkably easy" for an evolutionary biologist in the "Star Trek" universe, Noor said. By comparing DNA samples from other human-like aliens to those of Earthlings, biologists would be able to discover the close genetic relationship between them, which would easily rule out the idea of random, undirected panspermia.

"We may even be able to infer approximately how many years ago this happened from the difference in the DNA sequence," Noor said.

Follow Nola Taylor Redd on Twitter @NolaTRedd or Google+. Follow us at @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
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Taipei, Jan. 2 (CNA) Some 260,000 documents related to late Republic of China President Chiang Kai-shek will be made available to the public later this year after they have been declassified, said Academia Historica, which is planning to publish them on its website.
A man who allegedly robbed a local convenience store at knifepoint and threatened an officer in January recently pleaded not guilty in the 341st District Court.

Daniel Flores appeared before 341st District Court Judge Beckie Palomo and pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated robbery, retaliation and resisting transport, according to court records.

Flores, 25, faces five to 99 years and a possible $10,000 fine if convicted of aggravated robbery.

Jury selection in Flores case has been scheduled for April 10.

LPD reports state the heist occurred at 1:19 a.m. on Jan. 18 at a store in the 3500 block of Santa Ursula Avenue.

A man, who was later identified as Flores, entered the store, grabbing the door handle with his sweater, and asked to use the restroom.

He then allegedly pulled a knife and demanded money and cigarettes, said Investigator Joe E. Baeza, LPD spokesman.

He told the clerk he would stab him if he was not given money, reports state.

The (suspect) cut his hand when he pulled out the knife and left some drops of blood on the counter, Baeza said.

Police said the man left the store with $54 and cigarettes.

Officers later detained a man matching the suspects description in the area of Lafayette Street and West San Francisco Avenue. Flores had money and a knife on him, reports state.

Taryn Walters may be reached at 956-728-2528 or twalters@lmtonline.com.
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.
Looking to stay up to date about all of the news stories and local headlines that are important to Long Islanders? We've rounded up the top coverage for all of the important topics from multiple sources around Long Island, so you can be sure you've got the most recent update on the top stories for Long Island. Have an idea for a news story? Email us at news@longisland.com

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Taipei, Jan. 2 (CNA) The Ministry of National Defense confirmed Monday that it may reorganize the air defense missile command, which is currently under the ministry's jurisdiction, but said it would not be related to a stalled program to cut the size of the military.
Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTFOIR), the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, has doubled down in hammering Islamic State military assets and infrastructure in and around Raqqah, the seat of its Syrian caliphate. US and allied aircraft have launched 52 strikes near Raqqah  more three times the number of attacks in Mosul over the past five days.

The targets of the strikes include tactical units, fighting positions, weapons systems such as machine guns, mortars, and car bombs (or VBIEDs), a command and control node, oil infrastructure, construction equipment, a bridge, and supply routes.

For the time being, Raqqah has become the most significant target in the air campaign in Iraq and Syria. Since Dec. 20, Raqqah has even eclipsed Mosul, the largest city under Islamic State control where Iraqi forces are battling to regain control of the city, as the primary focus of Coalition air power. For comparison, the US launched 20 airstrikes against the Islamic State in and around Mosul as opposed to 52 strikes in Raqaah from Dec. 28 to Jan. 1.

The significant shift of Coalition air assets from Mosul to Raqqah became noticeable on Dec. 20. Between that date and Dec. 27, CJTFOIR has launched 76 strikes in and around Raqqah, compared to 23 near Mosul. [See FDDs Long War Journal report, Coalition intensifies air campaign against Islamic State stronghold in Raqqah.]

Strike data from CJTFOIR near Raqqah, from Dec. 28 to Jan. 1. Sources: CENTCOM/DoD

Dec. 28: Near Ar Raqqah, six strikes engaged five ISIL tactical units; destroyed a fighting position, a heavy machine gun, a mortar system, and a vehicle; and disabled a bridge.

Dec. 29: Near Ar Raqqah, two strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units; destroyed a command and control node, a weapons cache, and a fighting position.

Dec. 30: Near Ar Raqqah, 17 strikes engaged 14 ISIL tactical units; destroyed 12 fighting positions, three oil storage tanks, a VBIED, and an oil well head; damaged two supply routes; and suppressed a tactical unit.

Dec. 31: Near Ar Raqqah, 15 strikes engaged nine ISIL tactical units; destroyed four VBIEDs, eight fighting positions, two heavy machine guns, and a supply route; and damaged an ISIL tactical vehicle.

Jan. 1: Near Ar Raqqah, 12 strikes engaged five ISIL tactical units; destroyed six fighting positions, two oil storage tanks and an ISIL checkpoint; and damaged five supply routes, a bridge and a trench.

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
The Islamic State released a statement earlier today claiming responsibility for the attack on the Reina nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey during the early hours of New Years Day. At least 39 people were killed and dozens more wounded in the massacre. Many of the victims were foreign tourists, according to local media reports.

The so-called caliphate says that its hero soldier assaulted one of Turkeys most famous nightclubs, because it is a location where Christians celebrate their polytheistic [pagan] holiday. The jihadist group also attempts to justify the attack by portraying Turkey as a protector of the cross and accusing Recep Tayyip Erdogans government of spilling the blood of Muslims with its planes and guns. This is likely a reference to Turkeys military operations in northern Syria, where its forces and allied rebel groups fight Abu Bakr al Baghdadis men on a daily basis. Of course, most of the Islamic States victims are Muslims, meaning its accusation against Turkey is hollow. Many of the victims at Reina were likely Muslims as well.

Amaq News Agency, a propaganda arm of Baghdadis enterprise, released its own statement hours after the Islamic States first claim was posted online. A screen shot of Amaqs message regarding the Istanbul attack can be seen on the right.

The Islamic State had been reticent to claim responsibility for attacks inside Turkey. Although a number of operations are thought to be the work of its men, including the June 2016 attack on the Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, the group didnt own any of them via its prolific propaganda machine. That began to change in early Nov. 2016, when Abu Bakr al Baghdadi called on his followers to strike inside Turkey. The Islamic States thinking likely changed after Turkeys Operation Euphrates Shield was launched. Turkish forces and their allies have successfully claimed territory from the caliphate in northern Syria.

During his speech in November, Baghdadi claimed that Turkey had revealed its true agenda by entering the war. He argued that the Turks have taken advantage of the fact that the Islamic State has been distracted by the war against the infidel nations and has been forced to defend its territory. For these reasons, Baghdadi told his followers to attack Turkey and bring the country into their conflict. Baghdadi also likened infidel Turkish soldiers to dogs and called on the caliphates soldiers to spill their blood. [See FDDs Long War Journal report, Abu Bakr al Baghdadis grand jihad against the world.]

Within hours of Baghdadis speech, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for a car bombing in southeastern Turkey. This was the groups first high-profile claim of responsibility for a terrorist operation inside the country. Turkish authorities quickly blamed the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a US-designated terrorist organization, for the explosion. It is possible that Kurdish terrorists did carry out the bombing. Still, the Islamic States claim was important because it signaled a new willingness to publicly lash out at Turkey.

The Islamic States new spokesman, Abu al Hassan al Muhajir, continued with Baghdadis anti-Turkey theme in his first message, which was released in early December. Muhajir accused Turkey of serving Crusader Europe and said that Erdogan had miscalculated by directly entering the war in Syria. Muhajir called on the Islamic States jihadists to strike Turkish interests around the world.

Accordingly, we make a call to every truthful muwahhid to target the supports of the apostate, secularist, Turkish state everywhere, including the security, military, economic, and media apparatuses  even every embassy and consulate representing them in all lands of the earth, Muhajir said. [See FDDs Long War Journal report: New Islamic State spokesman seeks to rally Sunnis against Iran, West.]

Baghdadis propagandists also released a gruesome video purportedly showing two Turkish soldiers being burned alive in December.

Nightclubs and similar venues are an easy target for the Islamic States terrorists. In Nov. 2015, the jihadists slaughtered 89 people at the Bataclan theatre in Paris. The attack on Bataclan was part of a coordinated assault throughout Frances capital. In June 2016, a jihadist who repeatedly swore his allegiance to Baghdadi shot and killed 49 people at a LGBT nightclub in Orlando, Fla.

Initial reports indicate that at least one gunman assaulted Reina. Some local accounts claim that he was dressed like Santa Claus, or in similar holiday garb. However, that detail and many others remain unconfirmed. Turkish authorities have arrested several people suspected of being tied to the Islamic States network inside Turkey, but the terrorist responsible for the killings has not yet been identified or detained.

Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal.

Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
Yesterday, US Central Command announced that Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve launched an airstrike against an Islamic State mortar team while it was positioned in between two empty school buildings. The announcement is part of a US military effort to stay ahead of criticism from media and international non-governmental organizations for striking jihadists as they use protected sites to attack allied forces.

The US military is sensitive to hitting protected targets such as hospitals and schools; an accidental strike on a Medecins Sans Frontieres-run hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan in Oct. 2015 killed 42 people and sparked international condemnation.

The CENTCOM announcement is not without precedence. On Dec. 8, CENTCOM released a statement that it struck Islamic State forces at a Mosul hospital who were launching attacks on Iraqi troops. According to CENTCOM, the Islamic State was using the hospital as a base of operations and command and control headquarters. [See FDDs Long War Journal report, US military bombs Mosul hospital as Iraqi troops retreat.]

Full text of CENTCOMs Jan. 1, 2017 press release:

At the request of the Iraqi Security Forces, the Coalition struck an ISIL mortar tube, which was firing on Iraqi Security Forces in East Mosul, Jan. 1. A precision guided artillery round hit the mortar tube in between two empty school buildings. No civilians were in the area and minimal damage was reported to the buildings. ISIL is known to use facilities such as mosques, hospitals, and schools, which are protected under the rules of international law as weapons storage facilities, fighting positions, and bases for its terrorist operations. We have seen this tactic used in ever greater numbers as the Iraqi Security Forces successfully push further into Mosul. While the Coalition takes extraordinary effort to protect civilians and strike appropriate military targets, we will continue to strike ISIL wherever and whenever our partners lives are in danger in accordance with the Law of Armed Conflict. All Coalition strikes are coordinated with and approved by the government of Iraq. ISILs days in Mosul are coming to an end. Supported by the Coalition, the Iraqi Security Forces will soon liberate their city and return it to the people of Iraq.

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
Happy New Year beauties! Im so happy to be back writing to you in 2017 (also known as the year I get married!) and perhaps welcoming some newly engaged lovelies to our wonderful wedding community? So, your first step? (After squealing a lot, taking a gazillion photos of your engagement ring and calling your love fiance at every opportunity,) join our private Facebook group  you can thank me later.

Today Im so honoured and excited to be sharing the beautifully bohemian wedding of Toria, a Marketing Manager, and Adam, who owns his own construction business. This stunning pair wed on 17th September 2016 at St Mary the Virgin Church in Kelvedon and held their wedding reception at the nearby Chalkney Water Meadows in White Colne. Their day was partly inspired by the laid-back vibe of a wedding they witnessed in Byron Bay, surrounded by nature in the outdoors, giant tents and quirky street food trucks. Just take a look at their stunning wedding video by Shutterbox Films; sure to give you all the boho luxe feels.

Without a doubt, outdoor, almost nomadic, Kinfolk, organic, non-pompous, bohemian weddings in Australia, New Zealand and the US inspired our wedding the most; both the aesthetic and the relaxed and full of fun and love feel of them. We didnt want the day to have a theme or colour scheme, we wanted it to be simple and timeless, with a stylish bohemian luxe feel.

Film by Shutterbox Films

In keeping with the gorgeously bohemian, nomadic style of their day, Toria wore (though modelled might be more appropriate, so stunning is this combination of bride and dress) Blossom by Rue De Seine, purchased from our Brighton-based Little Book For Brides member (newly engaged ladies, bookmark the page for our curated directory pronto), Leonie Claire Bridal Boutique.

I bought the second (and last) dress I tried on, and it was one of the best decisions I made throughout the whole wedding planning process. Even before I got engaged I was obsessed with Rue De Seine and when I found out that the lovely designers from New Zealand (another place that we travelled, which made the brand even more special to me) were doing a trunk show at Leonie Claire in Brighton, for one weekend only, I jumped at the chance to get an appointment.

Photography by Kat Hill

My mum and sister came with me, and both admit they didnt like the look of Blossom on the hanger. However, the second I came out from the changing rooms in her, they knew as well as I did that she was the one, in all her fringed glory. The dress was fitted and flattering, with intricate long sleeves, which Id always wanted, but was so different and gorgeous too. Ive always been a bit of a hippy and I needed a dress to really reflect my personal style and personality. It definitely isnt a traditional wedding gown, but thats what I think makes it so special and memorable.

After the wedding I missed wearing her so much that I put her on to do the housework, much to Adams amusement. My wedding dress is truly one of my most prized possessions, and I just cant wait to show my children what I wore on my big day.

Toria and Adam had a clear vision for their wedding weekend; close enough to home so that everyone they hold dearest could make it (including beloved grandparents), surrounded by nature, incorporating camping, tasty food, and a very full bar  a truly intimate, fun and personal reflection of their relationship. In short, a magical shindig to remember!

I hand-drew, designed and printed all of the stationery for our big day, it was important for me for everything to be consistent, so I kept it simple but effective in black and white with a foliage sketch. I also made had a twelve-page wedding magazine, which we gave at the church as favours.

This included a personalised, handwritten thank you message to each of our guests, a whos who in our wedding party gallery, details of our ceremony, a map of the meadow and run of the day, photos, letters to Adam and I from our mums and my sister (and maid of honour), and lastly a guess which guest game.

Having flowers was never an option for me  I love foliage and as my dress was so intricate I thought that simple was the way to go. The amazing Grace & Thorn florist in London made our bouquets, flower crowns, button holes, foliage table-runners and foliage ladder installations that we hung from the kata ceiling.

A simple floor-length veil and block-heeled nude sandals from Dorothy Perkins perfectly complemented Torias fringed, boho beauty of a gown.

Make-up artist Lisa Marie applied picture-perfect make-up for the bride and her gorgeous girls and loose, tumbling curls crafted by Sally Burgess were topped by lusciously green foliage crowns by Grace & Thorn.

Toria added her own floral crown in place of her flowing veil, after the wedding breakfast.

Adam surprised Toria with a divine Tom Ford perfume, Soleil Blanc, which she also wore on their honeymoon to Greece, and his siblings bought her beautiful blue Virtue earrings from Grace Loves Lace, which they had shipped from Australia, a second honeymoon staple.

After a pretty gorgeous getting ready session with her bridesmaids, Toria hopped in a minibus to church, where she was walked down the aisle by her wonderful Dad, Ray, to the About Time theme song by Nick Laird Clowes.

As we got married in a church (the lovely Father Simon Garwood married us), we read traditional vows, which we really felt comfortable doing. The day was so full of personal touches, even if we could have changed and personalised our vows, I dont think we would have chosen to do so. It felt special saying the same important, symbolic, universal words that so many have said before, and that so many are going to read in the future. The words are timeless, and so powerful, that we both remember getting choked up as we were saying them.

Torias cousins Hannah and Emily delivered readings, Union by Robert Fulghum and Corinthians, the words of which touched Toria and Adam deeply. In a another deeply personal touch, a family friend, Stuart, made the couples platinum wedding bands as well as Torias gorgeous engagement ring.

The newlyweds exited church hand in hand to Mendelssohns Wedding March under a storm of white confetti before heading over to their beautifully styled reception at Chalkney Water Meadows.

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Torias sweet flower girl looked adorable in a simple white dress from Zara and the page boy rocked a navy ensemble from Next, matching Adam and his groomsmen in their dark tailored suits from Reiss. Alongside a crisp unbuttoned white shirt and brown brogues, Adam perfectly pulled off the modern and minimalist look he had in mind.

When it came to my eight bridesmaids, I wanted two things: for them to wear white with me, and for them all to feel comfortable and gorgeous.

My friends are all so different  one is really tall, another rather tiny, one is pregnant, some are really glam, and others more bohemian, so it was a little tricky to get an outfit that all of them would love. I also didnt want them in traditional bridesmaids dresses.

I found an off-white pencil skirt in Forever 21, which I thought was perfect, and we found a nearly matching top to complete the simple but equally striking look. Thankfully all the girls loved the outfits, and felt fantastic. The green bouquets and foliage in their hair against the stark white outfits was exactly what I had envisioned. I bought them each a simple gold necklace and matching dainty bracelet, which they wore on the day.

Adam and I have been together for ten years (since I was 17!), and we got engaged on 26th July 2015. We fell head over heels in love a decade ago, and have never looked back. It all started when I asked for his number at a local nightclub we both frequented, after cooing over him for far too long from afar (Adam tells me he did the same).

There has never been a shadow of a doubt for either of us that wed get married one day, but first Adam supported me through university, we both quit our jobs and travelled the world together for eight months, each started our own businesses, and we bought our first little home together and renovated it.

We live to travel, and Adam loves to make me beautiful montages of all our travel photos, played to our favourite songs, after each trip.

Wed only come back from Morocco a couple of months prior, so Adam sat me down in our front living room one Sunday evening (I was in my gym kit, with no makeup on, greasy hair in a top bun, ready for an Indian take away, the lot) and showed me the video hed put together for Morocco, which I just loved.

Immediately after, a photo popped up on the TV from when we first met, followed by more and more from the archives and one of our favourite ever songs started playing.

Adam had collected nearly ten years worth of photos for this video, and I knew something wasnt quite normal as I could literally hear Adams heart beat from where I was sitting. Even though it seems so obvious now, I honestly didnt know what he was planning to do until he did it.

He went down on one knee, with the most stunning ring he had designed and made, once the letters W I L L Y O U M A R R Y M E? individually flashed up on the screen during the climax of the song it was perfect. I felt then, and I still do now, like the luckiest girl to walk this earth.

With a veritable plethora of gorgeous details and multiple days of wonderful memories to be captured, Toria and Adam chose the talented Kat Hill to document their weekend of wedding celebrations.

Kat specialises in journalistic photography and adores capturing all the personal details and emotional moments as they unfold.

The day after we got engaged I contacted Kat at Kat Hill Photography to ask if we could go for coffee in London to chat about her documenting our wedding. An hour and a coffee later, we had booked in. Id seen Kats work on a blog a few months prior and Adam and I both instantly fell in love with her work  her photographs were so natural, full of movement and light, captured perfectly cherished moments and had a gorgeous tone to them.

We had a pre-wedding shoot on Hampstead Heath a month before the wedding to get used to having our photos taken, which Id hugely recommend.

Kat recommended Lee from Shutterbox Films to film our day, and we are beyond grateful that she did. We have just got back the video and it captures the day exactly how we remember it. The drone footage is just spectacular too  we knew the meadow was beautiful, but we didnt realise it was that beautiful.

Adam and I joked that we should rename the video A Video of Adam & Toria Smiling and Kissing  because thats all we did all day. We were so full of love and pure joy and elation.

One of the moments we will never forget was when we were having our photographs taken with our families and friends, surrounded by the people we adore, holding each others hands tightly, and the sun momentarily shone so brightly through the clouds, from just behind the tepees in front of us. Without saying a word to each other, we both took that as a sign from those who are no longer with us to say they were very much there in spirit. What with that, and looking around at our guests, we felt speechless.

As soon as we got engaged we started the venue hunt in and around the Essex area, and Chalkney Water Meadows was the first and only place we visited  as soon as we stepped foot in the breathtakingly stunning meadow, we knew it was the place. Set in the heart of the Colne Valley and nestled amongst ancient woodland, a meandering river and an idyllic tree lined lake, its a truly unique setting and all we had ever wanted in a venue.

There was no real end time and we could use our own contacts for caterers, DJs, stylists and bring our own bar. As an Events and Marketing Manager myself, this was a dream.

Nat, one half of the Browning Brothers who own the land, was so helpful right from the beginning and was extremely flexible and laid back, allowing us to truly create the day of our dreams from a blank canvas.

We hired the land from the Wednesday to the Sunday, along with three giant katas, seventeen fully furnished bell tents for us and our guests to camp in, and a gorgeous log cabin which was built by the brothers themselves on a nearby lake. Adam and I arrived at the meadow on the Thursday and we didnt leave until late on Sunday; the day after the wedding we hosted a relaxed BBQ for our guests who stayed with us in the meadow  it felt like a mini holiday.

The 7pm arrival of a Taco Truck, serving up deliciously authentic Mexican tacos and burritos was a real highlight for Toria and Adams guests, and the lovely Adam surprised his new wife with a photo booth in the evening, the source of some of our brides very favourite images.

As guests arrived at the meadow, they were serenaded by acoustic guitar-playing Johnny B, who Toria and Adam booked for his wonderfully emotive, raw vocals and the day was kept running ship-shape and smoothly by Torias friend and work colleague, James Gould.

Decor was so important to us  we wanted the aesthetic to match the feel of the day. We wanted to create a magical space and atmosphere in the meadow that people almost didnt want to leave, with lots of bohemian lounges for our guests to chill out in and long communal, family style dining tables so that our guests could mingle better.

As well as being a DIY wedding, it was a very personal one too  we sat on our very own peacock chairs and danced our first dance on our favourite rug from underneath our bed, we had my wonderful Uncle Jon and our brilliant friend Allan as our MCs, our cake was made by our family friend Phil, our DJs were the wonderful Chris (our brother-in-law) and friend Jedd, and our event manager was my friend and work colleague, James.

I think you can never have enough foliage so the week before the wedding, Adam and I went to a wholesale florist and bought literally a car load of eucalyptus to hang over the wooden signs wed made, to decorate the bar and cake and card table.

Food was also important for us. When our initial caterers went out of business in December 2015, we were a little panicked, but we soon found The Event Catering Company, who went above and beyond to make the food look and more importantly, taste, spectacular.

We werent into tiny little canapes, or a meat and two veg main course, so we put on food for our guests that we love (and lots of it); a 20-foot table of antipasti platters, a Greek main, creme brulee and after dinner, espresso martinis.

We used a lot of our furniture from our home including all our rugs (we have a lot of rugs!), our peacock chairs, our indoor green planters, our Moroccan chairs etc., but we also hired a lot of furniture from Penny at The Little Lending Company and from The Raj Tent Club.

Penny was especially amazing and so supportive and helpful throughout the planning year (for example, Adam and I cut and stained all of the wood for our signs, and we drove to meet Penny half way between us both so that she could collect to write on them in her beautiful white calligraphy). Her hire range is to die for!

My Mum and Dad had a lemon cake on their wedding day, so we had lemon on the base and vanilla with dripping salted caramel for the top tier. We didnt want a naked cake, but we also didnt want a traditional iced cake, so we opted for a very simple part-iced cake. There wasnt one piece left, not one!

Our good friend Jedd and brother-in-law, Chris, DJd from dusk into the small hours of morning, and boy did they do good!

The dancefloor was packed from beginning to end and hilarious antics included a recreation of the Dirty Dancing lift, some special lunge action, and a certain bride going crazy to Cant Stop by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

From the personalised messages on the guests name places to the wooden hand-painted signs, the giant foliage-adorned tepees to the projected video for their first dance  all of the beautiful details were handmade by Adam and Toria in their home.

In the year leading up to the wedding, Adam filmed us from time to time on a Go Pro and he made a video montage that was projected on a huge screen while we had our first dance to The Wedding Song by Angus and Julia Stone. It was so, so special, and we liked it because we wanted to dance on our own for the whole song, but didnt want eyes on us the whole time.

Sitting around the campfire at 3am the following morning with our nearest and dearest, singing songs and drinking from kegs of ale, was also pretty spectacular. Waking up in our bridal bell tent the morning after the wedding, as man and wife, and looking outside to the view of us surrounded by another sixteen bell tents filled with our nearest and dearest was a goosebump moment too.

We cant find the words to express how loved we felt that day; truly, all of our wildest dreams came true in those precious 24 hours and we cant thank enough our incredible families, our amazing bride and groom tribes and our suppliers and those who helped set up and pack away, and everyone who came and helped us celebrate in true bohemian style to pull off the parties to end all parties.

Words of Wedded Wisdom

People really do notice the little details; the hard work is worth it. I heard time and time again in the run up to our wedding that no one cares about the little details, only you will notice them, but we didnt find that to be true at all. So many people have said it was the best wedding they have ever been to, partly because there were so many details, everything was personalised, and there were little hidden gems like the whiskey and cigar bar.

Try and stay with your husband/wife as much as possible throughout the day  we tried to hold hands with each other as much as we could so that we could enjoy as much of the day together, and every time we lost each other we made an effort to find each other again.

Go with your gut on everything, even if your family and friends dont see where you are coming from at times  otherwise youll regret it. Simply have the best time  party, dance, sing, smile, cry, beam from ear to ear, cuddle and love every second of it. It really is the best day of your lives.

Its pretty safe to say Im totally and utterly in love with Toria and Adams gorgeously bohemian day  I cant thank this beautiful couple (I really mean it, just gorgeous; check out Torias enviable Instagram) enough for sharing this wonderfulness with us all. And of course my massive thanks go to Kat Hill Photography for these stunning captures  what a way to kick off my 2017 real wedding features!

Lusting after Torias gorgeous gown? Check out a few more Rue De Seine brides right here.

Love, Em x
Lifestyle / Travel

Thinking exploring Mongolia, Oman, Burma and Ethiopia in 2017? Here are four things to do in these countries for a glimpse of the everyday life and traditions of the locals

Jan 02, 2017 | By AFP Relaxnews

Whether rubbing shoulders with the locals, admiring landscapes or packing in exciting excursions, vacations and the lasting memories they create are shaped by the destinations experiences. Heres a look at some of the countries on Lonely Planets Best in Travel 2017 list where travelers can expect an authentic travel experience.

Mongolia: Celebrate the Mongolian New Year with the locals

Travelers heading to Mongolia will no doubt be in search of authenticity. Try visiting around the time of the Mongolian New Year, or Tsagaan Sar, a three-day festival in January or February (depending on the lunar calendar). Its the perfect time to experience life with a Mongolian family as they exchange gifts, enjoy culinary specialties such as meat-filled dumplings, and take part in traditional celebrations. On the morning of Tsagaan Sar, a cup of tea with milk is traditionally offered to the gods by throwing it out of the window.

Oman: Marine life in the south of the Sultanate

The Middle East is a promising region for tourism in the future. For a memorable experience, head to the south of the Sultanate, to the Arabian Sea, which is home to whales. Boat trips are organized from the fishing villages of Sadah, Mirbat and Hasik. The luckiest visitors will be able to spot dolphins from the beach or see turtles come ashore to lay their eggs.

Myanmar (Burma): Check out one-legged paddling on Inle Lake

In the east of the country, the Tibeto-Burman Intha people intrigue travelers when they head out fishing on Inle Lake. The fishermen paddle their boats in a surprising way, using one leg to control their oar. This gives them the freedom to seize their cone-shaped nets and gather fish from the depths of the lakes waters.

Ethiopia: Bargain hunting at Bahir Dar market

Travelers can experience Ethiopia, flying the flag for Africas future in tourism, at the colorful market of Bahir Dar, on the southern shore of Lake Tana. Its a great way to catch a glimpse of the everyday life and traditions of authentic Ethiopia. But due to recent unrest in the Oromo and Amhara regions, the US State Department has issued a travel warning for Ethiopia. Be sure to check government advice before traveling.
The Hottest Spa and Hotel Recommendations in Paris for 2017

Location: Latin quarter - 12 Rue de la Montagne Sainte-Genevieve 75005Best for: A Parisian Chic Spa EscapeThis 4-star chic boutique hotel is nestled within the Latin Quarter  the Notre Dame, Louvre and the Pantheon all within a short walking distance. It has a romantic and luxury feel, decorated with photos of black and white scenes of the streets of Paris by Nicolas Senegas, a splash of fuchsia pink materials on the chairs, an orange glass ceiling, locally sourced antiques (such as the two oval windows rescued from a grand Parisian residence), mirrors and lanterns hanging each side of the bed.I felt right at home in my cozy and spacious suite with its cute little balcony, the scene of a typical Parisian street, a place to watch the world go by and write in my journal. The secret discovery of the hotel is the Wellbeing La Lanterne, a beautifully designed spa with a swimming pool that lies beneath an ancient gold-stone arch, a hammam and Turkish Bath and Sensorial Shower. Wherever you look in the La Lanterne you will have a whispering reminder that you are in Paris.Location: Montmartre - 12-14 Rue Joseph de Maistre 75018Best for: A view of the Eiffel Tower and cocktails on the roof terrace.The four star Le Terrass is located in the heart of Montmartre, on the corner one of my favorite streets in Paris, rue des Abbesses in Montmartre. I stayed in the Eiffel suite that offers a view direct from the bed or the bathroom to watch the hourly light show before bedtime. A very spacious and elegant suite, more like a New York style apartment. I love the modern design of the hotel, and the roof terrace is the place to be for a panoramic view of Paris matched with a sunset and a glass of champagne, or a to die for cocktail (or the sunrise for those early risers!).This hotel really has it all, its got soul, its got style, the best views of Paris, phenomenal staff and the icing on the (Eiffel Tower shaped cake)  a spa of course! A haven of peace and wellbeing, the NUXE spa offers a sauna and a hammam as well as treatment rooms for massages. The hotel also has sport cabins for the fitness fanatics, situated on the 2nd and 5th floor, equipped with a bicycle and a treadmill, so one can still exercise during a rainy day in Paris.Location: 16arrondissement/Eiffel Tower - 6 Avenue Fremiet 75016Best for: A weekend of passion and romanceThe Sezz is the hotel to go to for a romantic and pleasurable getaway. A lifestyle design hotel, oozing sex appeal. Beds take center stage in the suites, which are adorned in chrome and red leather, and a large, big enough for two (and a comedy Sezz branded rubber duck) jacuzzi dominates the sleek, not so private bathroom with peek-a-boo glass screens. Done purposefully perhaps to add to the intimacy? As does the secret erotic drawer selling erotic toys should the mood take you.The hotel Sezz adds further to ones pleasure with a spa area con jacuzzi and hammam, available 24 hours a day for private use. No need to put up the do not disturb sign when you are here, privacy is most certainly guaranteed. You wont ever have to leave the room either as each room comes with a Personal Assistant  a caretaker who is completely at your service, 24 hours a day to. Champagne and chocolates on call all day please!Location: 1arrondissement/Louvre - 5-7 rue Therese 75001Best for: FashionistasSet in the heart of the very chic Right Bank area, the four star Therese is the perfect Parisian boutique hotel for fashionistas seeking modern comfort and having a central base to go shopping at all the swankiest shops and boutiques in the area. Tucked away from the traffic and crowds of Avenue de lOpera, the Therese is named after the wife of Louis XIV and privately owned by Madame de Lattre like its sister hotel Recamier in Saint-Germain-des-Pre.Interior designer Jean-Louis Deniot was commissioned to do a complete transformation of the hotels public spaces and guest rooms to create a new and revamped atmosphere while retaining the retro chic style. The result is a neo-industrial design style. The cozy lounge and library area provides a post-shopping retreat to relax in one of the funky retro chairs during their complimentary tea times or help yourself to something stronger from their honesty bar. Its a popular choice for journalists and fashion editors so get booking for Parish Fashion week!Location: 8arrondissement/Champs Elysees and the Faubourg Saint Honore - 4 rue dArtois 75008Best for: Hipsters and artistsA different kind of 4* hotel located between the Champs Elysees and the Faubourg Saint Honore. Its design marks a new period in the work of the French designer Frederic Mechiche, whose style has evolved from a Neo-Classical influence to a focus on modern art. Full of light, luxury and bright spaces, Le A (thats a capital A) is a collaboration between architect/interior designer Frederic Mechiche and and Fabrice Hybert. If youre wondering about the simplicity of the name, heres the story: One day, the artist Fabrice Hyber doodled a letter A and decided it was apt name for a hotel; A for rue dArtois, A for Alphabet (26 rooms), A for Art (the hotel is an art gallery) and finally the letter  A , designed in an extended, slender form as a logo resembles the Eiffel Tower, within sight of the hotel.Rather than a hotel, this is a home, a large private house boasting exceptional works of art and a library with over 300 books on the subjects of art, fashion, design and architecture. Each room is unique, with two works by Hybert; one declares the rooms name; the other elaborates on the theme. Stripes are Mechiches signature, and, depending on your room, you get them on the walls and/or the carpeting. The black and white themed bar, under a 19th-century glass roof, hangs other paintings. The magic touch  there is even an elevator that changes color at each floor.Location: St Germain-des-Pres - 3, rue du Pre aux Clercs 75007Best for: Most stylish boutique hotelThe Le Saint Hotel opened in January 2016 is located in one of the most desired and charming areas in Paris, St Germain-des-Pres. The beauty of the hotel starts with the outside with its pretty Haussmann exterior and flowers hanging from the balconies. Rather large for a boutique hotel by Parisian standards, Le Saint is the transformation of three hotels put together: the Lenox, the Saint Thomas dAquin and the Saint Vincent. The inside of the hotel is just as beautiful and luxurious with much attention to detail.The boutique of the hotel offers exclusive signature products and custom created fragrances such as bathrobes, bath linens, fragrances, candles and confectionary. I was given a gorgeous candle and chocolates as a gift to take away a piece of the Le Saint with me. I stayed at the hotel in February and the spa was not yet open, I am eager to experience the wellness room by Olivier Lecocq, an expert in the industry whos products are 100% natural and organic. That gives me a reason to go back again in the Spring months when the flowers will be blooming.Best for: The perfect Parisian five star retreat.Location: 6arrondissement/Trocadero - 10 Avenue dIena 75116I stayed at the Shangri-La the night before I embarked on a two week wellness journey to the Maldives. I rate it as one of the best luxury hotels in Paris, along with having one of the best spas. Its a palace with exceptional staff dedicated to service and the wellbeing of their guests. You dont need to marry a Prince to feel like a Princess in Paris, as youll genuinely be treated as royalty. Another hotel where I was lucky to get a close up view of the Eiffel Tower, admired from the bed with a bottle of champagne.The magnificent CHI spa is a sanctuary of relaxation, the indoor pool the most beautiful Ive seen in all Parisian hotels. If youre vegan I highly recommend trying their 100% Vegan Afternoon Tea served in the La Bauhinia restaurant, devoid of dairy and refined sugar but absolutely delicious!(pictured at top)Best for: Glamorous and eccentric leopard print loversLocation: Marais - 10 Rue dOrmesson, 75004Located in the hip Marais this four-star boutique 24-room hotel which occupies a former 17th-century convent, is named after Empress Josephine Bonaparte, the legendary wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, Josephine, and the hotel honours this iconic figure with an interior dominated by Josephines other true loves  leopard print and roses  that flamboyantly decorate the hotel from head to foot.Personally not being a fan of either floral or leopard print, I spend two nights in the honeymoon junior suite, a black and white affair situated on the top floor. A glass of champagne is given on arrival, poured and served by a quirky and eccentric member of staff. The courtyard bar is a great place (great vibe and music) to have a drink before retiring to the love nest in a luxurious soft and silky bed.
Mumbai: As soon as the news of Bollywood director and film producer Abis Rizvis death in the Istanbul nightclub attack broke out, 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 Rizvis 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 said. 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.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.

PTI
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Good News - Washington Frozen Out of Syria Peace Plan

As the US mainstream media obsessed last week about Russia's supposed "hacking" of the US elections and President Obama's final round of Russia sanctions in response, something very important was taking place under the media radar. As a result of a meeting between foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, and Turkey last month, a ceasefire in Syria has been worked out and is being implemented. So far it appears to be holding, and after nearly six years of horrible warfare the people of Syria are finally facing the possibility of rebuilding their lives.

What is so important about this particular ceasefire? It was planned, agreed to, and implemented without the participation of the United States Government.

In fact it was frustration with Washington's refusal to separate its "moderates" from terrorist groups and its continued insistence on regime change for the Syrian government that led the three countries to pursue a solution on their own for Syria. They also included the Syrian government and much of the opposition in the agreement, which the US government has been unwilling to do.

We have been told all along by the neocons and "humanitarian interventionists" that the United States must take a central role in every world crisis or nothing will ever be solved. We are the "indispensable nation," they say, and without our involvement the world will collapse. Our credibility is on the line, they claim, and if we don't step up no one will. All this is untrue, as we have seen last week.

The fact is, it is often US involvement in "solving" these crises that actually perpetuates them. Consider the 60-plus year state of war between North and South Korea. Has US intervention done anything to solve the problem? How about our decades of meddling in the Israel-Palestine dispute? Are we any closer to peace between the Israelis and Palestinians despite the billions we have spent bribing and interfering?

Non-intervention in the affairs of others does not damage US credibility overseas. It is US meddling, bombing, droning, and regime-changing that damages our credibility overseas. US obstruction in Syria kept the war going. As the Syrians and Russians were liberating east Aleppo from its four year siege by al-Qaeda, the Obama Administration was demanding a ceasefire. As Syrians began to move back into their homes in east Aleppo, the State Department continued to tell us that the Russians and Syrian government were slaughtering civilians for the fun of it.

So why all the media attention on unproven accusations of Russian hacking and President Obama's predictable, yet meaningless response? The mainstream media does the bidding of Washington's interventionists and they are desperate to divert attention from what may prove to be the beginning of the end of Syria's long nightmare. They don't want Americans to know that the rest of the world can solve its own problems without the US global policemen in the center of the action. When it is finally understood that we don't need to be involved for crises to be solved overseas, the neocons will lose. Let's hope that happens soon!

Buy Ron Paul's latest book, Swords into Plowshares, here.

Dr. Ron Paul

Project Freedom

Congressman Ron Paul of Texas enjoys a national reputation as the premier advocate for liberty in politics today. Dr. Paul is the leading spokesman in Washington for limited constitutional government, low taxes, free markets, and a return to sound monetary policies based on commodity-backed currency. He is known among both his colleagues in Congress and his constituents for his consistent voting record in the House of Representatives: Dr. Paul never votes for legislation unless the proposed measure is expressly authorized by the Constitution. In the words of former Treasury Secretary William Simon, Dr. Paul is the "one exception to the Gang of 535" on Capitol Hill.

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Article (or chapter) I

The Turn in World Politics

There are symptoms that such a turn has taken place, or is about to take place, namely, a turn from imperialist war to imperialist peace.

The following are the outstanding symptoms: both imperialist coalitions are undoubtedly severely exhausted; continuing the war has become difficult; the capitalists generally, and finance capital in particular, find it difficult to skin the people substantially more than they have done already in the form of outrageous "war" profits; finance capital in the neutral countries, the United States, Holland, Switzerland, etc., which has made enormous prof its out of the war, is satiated; the shortage of raw materials and food supplies makes it difficult for it to continue this "profitable" business; Germany is making strenuous efforts to induce one or another ally of England, her principal imperialist rival, to desert her; the German Government has made pacifist pronouncements, followed by similar pronouncements by a number of neutral governments.

Are there any chances for a speedy end to the war?

It is very hard to give a positive reply to this question. In our opinion, two possibilities present themselves rather definitely.

First, conclusion of a separate peace between Germany and Russia, though perhaps not in the usual form of a formal written treaty. Second, no such peace will be concluded; England and her allies are still in a position to hold out for another year or two, etc. If the first assumption is correct the war will come to an end, if not immediately, then in the very near future, and no important changes in its course can be expected. If the second assumption is correct, then the war may continue indefinitely.

Let us examine the first possibility.

That negotiations for a separate peace between Germany and Russia were conducted quite recently, that Nicholas II himself, or the top Court clique, favour such a peace, that a turn has taken place in world politics from a Russo-British imperialist alliance against Germany to a no less imperialist Russo-German alliance against England all that is beyond doubt.

The replacement of Starmer by Trepov, the tsarist government's public declaration that Russia's "right" to Constantinople has been recognised by all the Allies, and the setting up by Germany of a separate Polish state these seem to indicate that the separate peace negotiations have ended in failure. Perhaps tsarism entered into them solely to blackmail England, obtain formal and unambiguous recognition of Nicholas the Bloodys "right" to Constantinople and certain "weighty" guarantees of that right?

There is nothing improbable in that assumption, considering that the main, fundamental purpose of the present imperialist war is the division of the spoils among the three principal imperialist rivals, the three robbers, Russia, Germany and England.

On the other hand, the clearer it becomes to tsarism that there is no practical, military possibility of regaining Poland, winning Constantinople, breaking Germanys iron front, which she is magnificently straightening out, shortening and strengthening by her recent victories in Rumania, the more tsarism is finding itself compelled to conclude a separate peace with Germany, that is, to abandon Its imperialist alliance with England against Germany for an imperialist alliance with Germany against England. And why not? Was not Russia on the verge of war with England as a result of their imperialist rivalry over the division of the spoils in Central Asia? And did not England and Germany negotiate in 1898 for an alliance against Russia? They secretly agreed then to divide up the Portuguese colonies "in the event" of Portugal failing to meet her financial obligations!

The growing trend among leading imperialist circles in Germany towards an alliance with Russia against England was already clearly defined several months ago. The basis of this alliance, apparently, is to be the partition of Galicia (it is very important for tsarism to strangle the centre of Ukrainian agitation and Ukrainian liberty), Armenia and perhaps Rumania! In fact there was a "hint" in a German newspaper that Rumania might be divided among Austria, Bulgaria and Russia! Germany could agree to other minor concessions to tsarism if only she could achieve an alliance with Russia, and perhaps also with Japan, against England.

A separate peace between Nicholas II and Wilhelm II could have been concluded secretly. There have been in stances in diplomatic history of treaties known only to two or three persons and kept secret from everyone else, even Cabinet Ministers. Diplomatic history knows instances of the "Great Powers" gathering at "European" congresses after the principal rivals had secretly decided the main questions among themselves (for example, the secret agreement between Russia and England to plunder Turkey, prior to the Berlin Congress of 1878). It would not be at all surprising if tsarism rejected a formal separate peace between the governments for the reason, among others, that the present situation in Russia might result in Milyukov and Guchkov, or Milyukov and Kerensky, taking over the government, while at the same time, it may have concluded a secret, informal, but none the less "durable" treaty with Germany to the effect that the two "high contracting parties" undertake jointly to pursue such-and-such a policy at the forthcoming peace congress!

It is impossible to say whether or not this assumption is correct. At any rate, it is a thousand times nearer the truth, is a far better description of things as they actually are than are the pious phrases about peace between the present governments, or between any bourgeois governments for that matter, on the basis of no annexations, etc. These phrases either express innocent desires or are hypocrisy and lies meant to conceal the truth. And the truth of the present time, of the present war, of the present attempts to conclude peace, is the division of the imperialist spoils. That is at the bottom of it all; and to understand this truth, to express it, "to show things as they actually are", is the fundamental task of socialist policy as distinct from bourgeois policy, the principal aim of which is to conceal, to gloss over this truth.

Both imperialist coalitions have grabbed a certain amount of loot, and the two principal and most powerful of the robbers, Germany and England, have grabbed most. England has not lost an inch of her territory or of her colonies; but she has "acquired" the German colonies and part of Turkey (Mesopotamia). Germany has lost nearly all her colonies, but has acquired immeasurably more valuable territory in Europe, having seized Belgium, Serbia, Rumania, part of France, part of Russia, etc. The fight now is over the division of the loot, and the "chieftain" of each of the robber gangs, i.e., England and Germany, must to some degree reward his allies, who, with the exception of Bulgaria and to a lesser extent Italy, have lost a great deal. The weakest of the allies have lost most: in the English coalition, Belgium, Serbia, Montenegro and Rumania have been crushed; in the German coalition, Turkey has lost Armenia and part of Mesopotamia.

So far Germany has secured undoubtedly far more loot than England. So far Germany has won; she has proved to be far stronger than anyone anticipated before the war. Naturally, therefore, it would be to Germanys advantage to conclude peace as speedily as possible, for her rival might still be able, given the most favourable opportunity conceivable (although not very probably), to mobilise a larger reserve of recruits, etc.

Such is the objective situation. Such is the present position in the struggle for the division of the imperialist loot. It is quite natural that this situation should give rise to pacifist strivings, declarations and pronouncements, mainly on the part of the bourgeoisie and governments of the German coalition and of the neutral countries. It is equally natural that the bourgeoisie and its governments are compelled to exert every effort to hoodwink the people, to cover up the hideous nakedness of an imperialist peacethe division of the loot by phrases, utterly false phrases about a democratic peace, the liberty of small nations, armaments reduction, etc.

But while it is natural for the bourgeoisie to try to hoodwink the people, how are the socialists fulfilling their duty? This we shall deal with in the next article (or chapter).

Article (or chapter) II

The Pacifism of Kautsky and Turati

Kautsky is the most authoritative theoretician of the Second International, the most prominent leader of the so-called "Marxist centre" in Germany, the representative of the opposition which organised a separate group in the Reichstag, the Social-Democratic Labour Group (Haase, Ledebour and others). A number of Social-Democratic newspapers in Germany are now publishing articles by Kautsky on the terms of peace, which paraphrase the official Social-Democratic Labour Group declaration on the German Governments well-known note proposing peace negotiations. The declaration, which calls on the German Government to propose definite terms of peace, contains the following characteristic statement:

"...In order that this [German Government] note may lead to peace, all countries must unequivocally renounce all thought of annexing foreign territory, of the political, economic or military subjection of any people whatsoever...."

In paraphrasing and concretising this, Kautsky set out to "prove" in his lengthy articles that Constantinople must not go to Russia and that Turkey must not be made a vassal state to anyone.

Let us take a closer look at these political slogans and arguments of Kautsky and his associates.

In a matter that affects Russia, i. e., Germanys imperialist rival, Kautsky advances, not abstract or "general" demands, but a very concrete, precise and definite demand: Constantinople must not go to Russia. He thereby exposes the real imperialist designs ... of Russia. In a matter that affects Germany, however, i.e., the country where the majority of the party, which regards Kautsky as its member (and appointed him editor of its principal, leading theoretical organ, Die Neue Zeit), is helping the bourgeoisie and the government to conduct an imperialist war, Kautsky does not expose the concrete imperialist designs of his own government, but confines himself to a "general" desideratum or proposition: Turkey must not be made a vassal state to anyone!!

How, in substance, does Kautskys policy differ from that of the militant, so to speak, social chauvinists (i.e., socialists in words but chauvinists in deeds) of France and England? While frankly exposing the concrete imperialist actions of Germany, they make shift with "general" desiderata or propositions when it is a matter of countries or nations conquered by England and Russia. They shout about the seizure of Belgium and Serbia, but are silent about the seizure of Galicia, Armenia, the African colonies.

Actually, both the policy of Kautsky and that of Sembat and Henderson help their respective imperialist governments by focusing attention on the wickedness of their rival and enemy, while throwing a veil of vague, general phrases and sentimental wishes around the equally imperialist con duct of "their own" bourgeoisie. We would cease to be Marxists, we would cease to be socialists in general, if we confined ourselves to the Christian, so to speak, contemplation of the benignity of benign general phrases and refrained from ex posing their real political significance. Do we not constantly see the diplomacy of all the imperialist powers flaunting magnanimous "general" phrases and "democratic" declarations in order to conceal their robbery, violation and strangulation of small nations?

"Turkey must not be made a vassal state to anyone If I say no more than that, the impression is that I favour Turkeys complete freedom. As a matter of fact, I am merely repeating a phrase usually uttered by German diplomats who are deliberately lying and deceiving, and employ that phrase to conceal the fact that Germany has already converted Turkey into her financial and military vassal! And if I am a German socialist, my "general" phrases can only be to the advantage of German diplomacy, for their real significance is that they put German imperialism in a good light.

"All countries must renounce all thought of annexations... of the economic subjection of any people whatsoever...." What magnanimity! A thousand times the imperialists have "renounced all thought" of annexations and of the financial strangulation of weak nations. But should we not compare these renunciations with the facts, which show that any one of the big banks of Germany, England, France and the United States does hold small nations "in subjection"? Can the present bourgeois government of a wealthy country really renounce annexations and the economic subjugation of alien peoples when millions and millions have been invested in the railways and other enterprises of weak nations?

Who is really fighting annexations, etc.? Those who bandy magnanimous phrases, which, objectively, have the same significance as the Christian holy water sprinkled on the crowned and capitalist robbers? Or those who explain to the workers the impossibility of eliminating annexations and financial strangulation without overthrowing the imperialist bourgeoisie and its governments?

Here is an Italian illustration of the kind of pacifism Kautsky preaches.

Avanti!, the Central Organ of the Socialist Party of Italy, of December 25, 1916, contains an article by the well known reformist, Filippo Turati, entitled "Abracadabra". On November 22, 1916, he writes, the socialist group tabled a peace resolution in the Italian Parliament. It declared that "the principles proclaimed by the representatives of England and Germany were identical, and these principles should be made the basis of a possible peace"; and it invited "the government to start peace negotiations through the mediation of the United States and other neutral countries". This is Turatis own account of the socialist proposal.

On December 6, 1916, the Chamber "buries" the socialist resolution by "adjourning" the debate on it. On December 12, the German Chancellor proposes in the Reichstag the very thing the Italian socialists proposed. On December 22, Wilson issues his Note which, in the words of Turati, "paraphrases and repeats the ideas and arguments of the socialist proposal". On December 23, other neutral countries come on the scene and paraphrase Wilsons Note.

We are accused of having sold ourselves to the Germans, exclaims Turati. Have Wilson and the neutral countries also sold themselves to Germany?

On December 17, Turati delivered a speech in Parliament, one passage of which caused an unusual and deserved sensation. This is the passage, quoted from the report in Avanti!:

"Let us assume that a discussion similar to the one proposed by Germany is able, in the main, to settle such questions as the evacuation of Belgium and France, the restoration of Rumania, Serbia and, if you will, Montenegro; I will add the rectification of the Italian frontiers in regard to what is indisputably Italian and corresponds to guarantees of a strategical character".... At this point the bourgeois and chauvinist Chamber interrupts Turati, and from all sides the shout goes up: "Excellent! So you too want all this! Long live Turati! Long live Turati!"...

Apparently, Turati realised that there was something wrong about this bourgeois enthusiasm and tried to "correct" himself and "explain".

"Gentlemen," he said, "there is no occasion for irrelevant jesting. It is one thing to admit the relevance and right of national unity, which we have always recognised, but it is quite another thing to provoke, or justify, war for this aim."

But neither Turatis "explanation", nor the articles in Avanti! in his defence, nor Turatis letter of December 21, nor the article by a certain "B.B." in the Zurich Volksrecht can "correct" or explain away the fact that Turati gave him self away!... Or, more correct, not Turati, but the whole of socialist pacifism represented by Kautsky, and, as we shall see below, the French "Kautskyites", gave itself away. The Italian bourgeois press was right in seizing upon and exulting over this passage in Turatis speech.

The above-mentioned "B.B." tried to defend Turati by arguing that the latter referred only to "the right of nations to self-determination".

Poor defence! What has this to do with "the right of nations to self-determination", which, as everyone knows, the Marxist programme regards and the programme of inter national democracy has always regarded as referring to the defence of oppressed nations? What has it to do with the imperialist war, i.e., a war for the division of colonies, a war for the oppression of foreign countries, a war among predatory and oppressing powers to decide which of them shall oppress more foreign nations?

How does this argument about self-determination of nations, used to justify an imperialist, not national, war, differ from the speeches of Alexinsky, Herve and Hyndman? They argue that republican France is opposed to monarchist Germany, though everyone knows that this war is not due to the conflict between republican and monarchist principles, but is a war between two imperialist coalitions for the division of colonies, etc.

Turati explained and pleaded that he does not "justify" the war.

We will take the reformist, Kautskyite Turatis word for it that he did not intend to justify the war. But who does not know that in politics it is not intentions that count, but deeds, not good intentions, hut facts, not the imaginary, but the real?

Let us assume that Turati did not want to justify the war and that Kautsky did not want to justify Germanys placing Turkey in the position of a vassal to German imperialism. But the fact remains that these two benign pacifists did justify the war! That is the point. Had Kautsky declared that "Constantinople must not go to Russia, Turkey must not be made a vassal state to anyone" not in a magazine which is so dull that nobody reads it, but in parliament, before a lively, impressionable bourgeois audience, full of southern temperament, it would not have been surprising if the witty bourgeois had exclaimed: "Excellent! Hear, hear! Long live Kautsky!"

Whether he intended to or not, deliberately or not, the fact is that Turati expressed the point of view of a bourgeois broker proposing a friendly deal between imperialist robbers. The "liberation" of Italian areas belonging to Austria would, in fact, be a concealed reward to the Italian bourgeoisie for participating in the imperialist war of a gigantic imperialist coalition. It would be a small sop thrown in, in addition to the share of the African colonies and spheres of influence in Dalmatia and Albania. It is natural, perhaps, for the reformist Turati to adopt the bourgeois standpoint; but Kautsky really differs in no way from Turati.

In order not to embellish the imperialist war and help the bourgeoisie falsely represent it as a national war, as a war for the liberation of nations, in order to avoid sliding into the position of bourgeois reformism, one must speak not in the language of Kautsky and Turati, hut in the language of Karl Liebknecht: tell ones own bourgeoisie that they are hypocrites when they talk about national liberation, that this war cannot result in a democratic peace unless the proletariat "turns its gulls" against its own governments.

That is the only possible position of a genuine Marxist, of a genuine socialist and not a bourgeois reformist. Those who repeat the general, meaningless, non-committal, goody-goody desires of pacifism are not really working for a democratic peace. Only he is working for such a peace who exposes the imperialist nature of the present war and of the imperialist peace that is being prepared and calls upon the peoples to rise in revolt against the criminal governments.

At times some try to defend Kautsky and Turati by arguing that, legally, they could no more than "hint" at their opposition to the government, and that the pacifists of this stripe do make such "hints". The answer to that is, first, that the impossibility of legally speaking the truth is an argument not in favour of concealing the truth, but in favour of setting up an illegal organisation and press that would be free of police surveillance and censorship. Second, that moments occur in history when a socialist is called upon to break with all legality. Third, that even in the days of serfdom in Russia, Dobrolyubov and Chernyshevsky man aged to speak the truth, for example, by their silence on the Manifesto of February 19, 1861,[2] and their ridicule and castigation of the liberals, who made exactly the same kind of speeches as Turati and Kautsky.

In the next article we shall deal with French pacifism, which found expression in the resolutions passed by the two recently held congresses of French labour and socialist organisations.

Article (or chapter) III

The Pacifism of the French Socialists and Syndicalists

The congresses of the French General Confederation of Labour (Confedeation generale du Travail)[3] and of the French Socialist Party[4] have just been held. The true significance and true role of socialist pacifism at the present moment were quite definitely revealed at these congresses.

This is the resolution passed unanimously at the trade union congress. The majority of the ardent chauvinists headed by the notorious Jouhaux, the anarchist Broutchoux and... the "Zimmerwaldist" Merrheim all voted for it:

"This Conference of National Corporative Federations, trade unions and labour exchanges, having taken cognisance of the Note of the President of the United States which invites all nations now at war with each other to publicly expound their views as to the terms upon which the war might be brought to an end

"requests the French Government to agree to this proposal;

"invites the government to take the initiative in making a similar proposal to its allies in order to speed the hour of peace;

"declares that the federation of nations, which is one of the guarantees of a final peace, can be secured only given the independence, territorial inviolability and political and economic liberty of all nations, big and small.

"The organisations represented at this conference pledge themselves to support and spread this idea among the masses of the workers in order to put an end to the present indefinite and ambiguous situation, which can only benefit secret diplomacy, against which the working class has always protested."

There you have a sample of "pure" pacifism, entirely in the spirit of Kautsky, a pacifism approved by an official labour organisation which has nothing in common with Marxism and is composed chiefly of chauvinists. We have before us an outstanding document, deserving the most serious attention, of the political unity of the chauvinists and the "Kautskyites" on a platform of hollow pacifist phrases. In the preceding article we tried to explain the theoretical basis of the unity of ideas of the chauvinists and the pacifists, of the bourgeois and the socialist reformists. Now we see this unity achieved in practice in another imperialist country.

At the Zimmerwald Conference, September 58, 1915, Merrheim declared: "Le parti, les Jouhaux, le gouvernement, ce ne sont que trois totes sous un bonnet" ("The party, the Jouhaux and the government are three heads under one bonnet", i.e., they are all one). At the C.G.T. Conference, on December 26, 1916, Merrheim voted together with Jouhaux for a pacifist resolution. On December 23, 1916, one of the frankest and most extreme organs of the German social-imperialists, the Chemnitz Volksstimme, published a leading article entitled "The Disintegration of the Bourgeois Parties and the Restoration of Social-Democratic Unity". Needless to say, it praises peace-loving Sdekum, Legien, Scheidemann and Co., the whole German Social-Democratic Party majority and, also, the peace-loving German Government. It proclaims: "The first party congress convened after the war must restore party unity, with the exception of the few fanatics who refuse to pay party dues [i.e., the adherents of Karl Liebknecht!]; ...Party unity based on the policy of the Party Executive, the Social-Democratic Reichstag group and the trade unions."

This is a supremely clear expression of the idea, and a supremely clear proclamation of the policy of "unity" between the avowed German social-chauvinists on the one hand and Kautsky and Co. and the Social-Democratic Labour Group on the other unity on the basis of pacifist phrases "unity" as achieved in France on December 26, 1916, between Jouhaux and Merrheim!

The Central Organ of the Socialist Party of Italy, Avanti!, writes in a leading article in its issue of December 28, 1916:

"Although Bissolati and Sdekum, Bonomi and Scheidemann, Sembat and David, Jouhaux and Legien have deserted to the camp of bourgeois nationalism and have betrayed [hanno tradito] internationalist ideological unity, which they promised to serve faithfully and loyally, we shall stay together with our German comrades, men like Liebknecht, Ledebour, Hoffmann, Meyer, and with our French comrades, men like Merrheim, Blanc, Brizon, Raffin-Dugens, who have not changed and have not vacillated."

Note the confusion expressed in that statement:

Bissolati and Bonomi were expelled from the Socialist Party of Italy as reformists and chauvinists before the war. Avanti! puts them on the same level as Sdekum, and Legien, and quite rightly, of course. But Sdekum, David and Legien are at the head of the alleged Social-Democratic Party of Germany, which, in fact, is a social-chauvinist party, and yet this very Avanti! is opposed to their expulsion, opposed to a rupture with them, and opposed to the formation of a Third International. Avanti! quite correctly describes Legien and Jouhaux as deserters to the camp of bourgeois nationalism and contrasts their conduct with that of Liebknecht, Ledebour, Merrheim and Brizon. But we have seen that Merrheim votes on the same side as Jouhaux, while Legien, in the Chemnitz Volksstimme, declares his confidence that party unity will be restored, with the single exception, however, of Liebknecht supporters, i.e., "unity" with the Social-Democratic Labour Group (including Kautsky) to which Ledebour belongs!!

This confusion arises from the fact that Avanti! confuses bourgeois pacifism with revolutionary Social-Democratic internationalism, while experienced politicians like Legien and Jouhaux understand perfectly well that socialist and bourgeois pacifism are identical.

Why, indeed, should not M. Jouhaux and his organ, the chauvinist La Bataille,[5] rejoice at the "unanimity" between Jouhaux and Merrheim when, in fact, the unanimously adopted resolution, which we have quoted in full above, contains nothing but bourgeois pacifist phrases; not a shadow of revolutionary consciousness, not a single socialist idea!

Is it not ridiculous to talk of the "economic liberty of all nations, big and small", and yet not say a word about the fact that, until the bourgeois governments are overthrown and the bourgeoisie expropriated, this talk of "economic liberty" is just as much a deception of the people as talk of the "economic liberty" of the individual in general, of the small peasants and rich, workers and capitalists, in modern society?

The resolution Jouhaux and Merrheim unanimously voted for is thoroughly imbued with the very ideas of "bourgeois nationalism" that Jouhaux expresses, as Avanti! quite rightly points out, while, strangely enough, failing to observe that Merrheim expresses the same ideas.

Bourgeois nationalists always and everywhere flaunt "general" phrases about a "federation of nations" in general and about "economic liberty of all nations, big and small". But socialists, unlike bourgeois nationalists, always said and now say: rhetoric about "economic liberty of all nations, big and small", is disgusting hypocrisy as long as certain nations (for example, England and France) invest abroad, that is to say, lend at usurious interest to small and backward nations, billions of francs, and as long as the small and weak nations are in bondage to them.

Socialists could not have allowed a single sentence of the resolution, for which Jouhaux and Merrheim unanimously voted, to pass without strong protest. In direct contrast to that resolution, socialists would have declared that Wilsons pronouncement is a downright lie and sheer hypocrisy, because Wilson represents a bourgeoisie which has made billions out of the war, because he is the head of a government that has frantically armed the United States obviously in preparation for a second great imperialist war. Socialists would have declared that the French bourgeois government is tied hand and foot by finance capital, whose slave it is, and by the secret, imperialist, thoroughly predatory and reactionary treaties with England, Russia, etc., and therefore cannot do or say anything except utter the same lies about a democratic and a "just" peace. Socialists would have declared that the struggle for such a peace cannot be waged by repeating general, vapid, benign, sentimental, meaning less and non-committal pacifist phrases, which merely serve to embellish the foulness of imperialism. It can be waged only by telling the people the truth, by telling the people that in order to obtain a democratic and just peace the bourgeois governments of all the belligerent countries must be overthrown, and that for this purpose advantage must be taken of the fact that millions of workers are armed and that the high cost of living and the horrors of the imperialist war have roused the anger of the masses.

This is what socialists should have said instead of what is said in the Jouhaux-Merrheim resolution.

The Congress of the French Socialist Party, which took place in Paris simultaneously with that of the C.G.T., not only refrained from saying this, but passed a resolution that is even worse than the one mentioned above. It was adopted by 2,838 votes against 109, with 20 abstentions, that is to say, by a bloc of the social-chauvinists (Renaudel and Co., the so-called "majoritaires") and the Longuet-ists (supporters of Longuet, the French Kautskyites)!! Moreover, the Zimmerwaldist Bourderon and the Kienthalian Raffin-Dugens voted for this resolution!!

We shall not quote the resolution it is inordinately long and totally uninteresting: it contains benign, sentimental phrases about peace, immediately followed by declarations of readiness to continue to support the so-called "national defence" of France, i.e., the imperialist war France is waging in alliance with bigger and more powerful robbers like England and Russia.

In France, unity of the social-chauvinists with pacifists (or Kautskyites) and a section of the Zimmerwaldists has become a fact, not only in the C.G.T., but also in the Socialist Party.

Article (or chapter) IV

Zimmerwald at the Crossroads

The French newspapers containing the report of the C.G.T. Congress were received in Berne on December 28, and on December 30, Berne and Zurich socialist newspapers published another manifesto by the Berne I.S.K. (Internationale Sozialistische Kommission), the International Socialist Committee, the executive body of Zimmerwald. Dated the end of December 1916, the manifesto refers to the peace proposals advanced by Germany and by Wilson and the other neutral countries, and all these governmental pronouncements are described, and quite rightly described, of course, as a "farcical game of peace", "a game to deceive their own peoples", "hypocritical pacifist diplomatic gesticulations".

As against this farce and falsehood the manifesto declares that the "only force" capable of bringing about peace, etc., is the "firm determination" of the international proletariat to "turn their weapons, not against their brothers, but against the enemy in their own country".

The passages we have quoted clearly reveal the two fundamentally distinct policies which have lived side by side, as it were, up to now in the Zimmerwald group, but which have now finally parted company.

On the one hand, Turati quite definitely and correctly states that the proposals made by Germany, Wilson, etc., were merely a "paraphrase" of Italian "socialist" pacifism; the declaration of the German social-chauvinists and the voting of the French have shown that both fully appreciate the value for their policy of the pacifist screen.

On the other hand, the International Socialist Committee manifesto describes the pacifism of all belligerent and neutral governments as a farce and hypocrisy.

On the one hand, Jouhaux joins with Merrheim; Bourderon, Longuet and Raffin-Dugens join with Renaudel, Sembat and Thomas, while the German social-chauvinists, Sdekum, David and Scheidemann, announce the forthcoming "restoration of Social-Democratic unity" with Kautsky and the Social-Democratic Labour Group.

On the other hand, the International Socialist Committee calls upon the "socialist minorities" vigorously to fight "their own governments" and "their social-patriot hirelings" (Sldlinge).

Either one thing, or the other.

Either expose the vapidity, stupidity and hypocrisy of bourgeois pacifism, or "paraphrase" it into "socialist" pacifism. Fight the Jouhaux, Renaudels, Legiens and Davids as the "hirelings" of the governments, or join with them in empty pacifist declamations on the French or German models.

That is now the dividing line between the Zimmerwald Right, which has always strenuously opposed a break with the social-chauvinists, and the Left, which at the Zimmerwald Conference had the foresight publicly to dissociate itself from the Right and to put forward, at the Conference and after it in the press, its own platform. It is no accident that the approach of peace, or even the intense discussion by certain bourgeois elements of the peace issue, has led to a very marked divergence between the two policies. To bourgeois pacifists and their "socialist" imitators, or echoers, peace has always been a fundamentally distinct concept, for neither has ever understood that "war is the continuation of the policies of peace and peace the continuation of the policies of war". Neither the bourgeois nor the social chauvinist wants to see that the imperialist war of 191417 is the continuation of the imperialist policies of 18981914, if not of an even earlier period. Neither the bourgeois pacifists nor the socialist pacifists realise that without the revolutionary overthrow of the bourgeois governments, peace now can only be an imperialist peace, a continuation of the imperialist war.

In appraising the present war, they use meaningless, vulgar, philistine phrases about aggression or defence in general, and use the same philistine commonplaces in appraising the peace, disregarding the concrete historical situation, the actual concrete struggle between the imperialist powers. And it was quite natural for the social-chauvinists, these agents of the governments and the bourgeoisie in the workers parties, to seize upon the approach of peace in particular, or even upon mere peace talk, in order to gloss over the depth of their reformism and opportunism, exposed by the war, and restore their undermined influence over the masses. Hence, the social-chauvinists in Germany and in France, as we have seen, are making strenuous efforts to "unite" with the flabby, unprincipled pacifist section of the "opposition".

Efforts to gloss over the divergence between the two irreconcilable lines of policy will certainly be made also in the Zimmerwald group. One can foresee that they will follow two lines. A "practical business" conciliation by mechanically combining loud revolutionary phrases (like those in the International Socialist Committee manifesto) with opportunist and pacifist practice. That is what happened in the Second International. The arch-revolutionary phrases in the manifestos of Huysmans and Vandervelde and in certain congress resolutions merely served as a screen for the arch-opportunist practice of the majority of the European parties, but they did not change, disrupt or combat this practice. It is doubtful whether these tactics will again be successful in the Zimmerwald group.

The "conciliators in principle" will try to falsify Marxism by arguing, for example, that reform does not exclude revolution, that an imperialist peace with certain "improvements" in nationality frontiers, or in international law, or in armaments expenditure, etc., is possible side by side with the revolutionary movement, as "one of the aspects of the development" of that movement, and so on and so forth.

This would be a falsification of Marxism. Reforms do not, of course, exclude revolution. But that is not the point at issue. The point is that revolutionaries must not exclude themselves, not give way to reformism, i.e., that socialists should not substitute reformist work for their revolutionary work. Europe is experiencing a revolutionary situation. The war and the high cost of living are aggravating the situation. The transition from war to peace will not necessarily eliminate the revolutionary situation, for there are no grounds whatever for believing that the millions of workers who now have excellent weapons in their hands will necessarily permit themselves to be "peacefully disarmed" by the bourgeoisie instead of following the advice of Karl Liebknecht, i.e., turning their weapons against their own bourgeoisie.

The question is not, as the pacifist Kautskyites maintain: either a reformist political campaign, or else the renunciation of reforms. That is a bourgeois presentation of the question. The question is: either revolutionary struggle, the by-product of which, in the event of its not being fully successful, is reforms (the whole history of revolutions throughout the world has proved this), or nothing but talk about reforms and the promise of reforms.

The reformism of Kautsky, Turati and Bourderon, which now comes out in the form of pacifism, not only leaves aside the question of revolution (this in itself is a betrayal of socialism), not only abandons in practice all systematic and persistent revolutionary work, but even goes to the length of declaring that street demonstrations are adventurism (Kautsky in Die Neue Zeit, November 26, 1915). It goes to the length of advocating and implementing unity with the outspoken and determined opponents of revolutionary struggle, the Sdekum, Legiens, Renaudels, Thomases, etc., etc.

This reformism is absolutely irreconcilable with revolutionary Marxism, the duty of which is to take the utmost possible advantage of the present revolutionary situation in Europe in order openly to urge revolution, the overthrow of the bourgeois governments, the conquest of power by the armed proletariat, while at the same time not renouncing, and not refusing to utilise, reforms in developing the revolutionary struggle and in the course of that struggle.

The immediate future will show what course events in Europe will follow, particularly the struggle between reformist pacifism and revolutionary Marxism, including the struggle between the two Zimmerwald sections.

Zurich, January 1, 1917

Notes

[1] Lenin intended this article for the newspaper Novy Mir (New World) published in New York by Russian socialist emigres. The article did not appear in Novy Mir and Lenin re-edited the first two sections, which were published in the last issue (No. 58) of Sotsial-Demokrat, January 31, 1917, under the heading "A Turn in World Politics" (see pp. 26270 of this volume).

[2] The Manifesto of February 19, 1861 abolished serfdom in Russia.

[3] The French Confederation generale du Travail (General Confederation of Labour) was founded in 1895 and was strongly influenced by anarcho-syndicalists and reformists. Its leaders recognised only economic struggle, opposed proletarian party leadership of the trade union movement, sided with the imperialist bourgeoisie in the First World War and advocated class collaboration and "defence of the fatherland".

The congress mentioned by Lenin met in Paris on December 2426, 1916 and discussed: (1) report of the Executive for the period from August 1914, and (2) industrial issues. At the concluding session the Executive informed the congress of President Wilson s peace appeal to the belligerent nations, and the congress adopted, by a nearly unanimous vote, the resolution cited by Lenin.

[4] The French Socialist Party was founded in 1905 by the merger of the Socialist Party of France led by Guesde and the French Socialist Party led by Jaurs. Dominated by reformists, the party adopted a chauvinist position from the very start of the imperialist war. Its leaders openly supported the war and justified participation in the bourgeois government. The Centrist wing, led by Longuet, took a social-pacifist line and a conciliatory attitude towards the social-chauvinists. The Left, revolutionary wing adhered to internationalist positions and drew its support mainly from the party rank and file.

The party congress mentioned by Lenin met on December 2530, 1916, the chief agenda item being the question of peace. A number of resolutions were adopted, including one opposing propaganda of the Zimmerwald principles, and another, moved by Renaudel. am proving socialist participation in the war-time government.

[5] La Bataille (The Battle)organ of the French anarcho-syndicalists, published in Paris from 1915 to 1920 in place of the banned La Bataille Syndicaliste. Leading contributors included Grave, Jouhaux, and Cornelissen. Adopted a socialchauvinist position in the First World War.

Source page:https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1917/jan/01.htm
Mariah Carey's manager blamed Dick Clark Productions for her client's disastrous performance on "New Year's Rockin' Eve" saying she was left in an embarrassing position to boost ratings, an allegation producers called "defamatory, outrageous and frankly absurd."

"I will never know the truth, but I do know that we told them three times that her mic pack was not working and it was a disastrous production," Carey's manager, Stella Bulochnikov, told Us Weekly on Sunday. "I'm certainly not calling the FBI to investigate. It is what it is: New Year's Eve in Times Square. Mariah did them a favor. She was the biggest star there and they did not have their [expletive] together."

Bulochnikov said that producers acknowledged that they knew Carey's ear pieces were not working. "They did not cut to a commercial. They did not cut to the West Coast feed, they left her out there to get ratings."

She did not elaborate how a malfunction in the midst of a live broadcast would generate higher ratings.

Carey's publicist ,Nicole Perna, told Billboard that it was "a shame that production set her up to fail."

Dick Clark Productions responded to the allegations in a statement to Variety: "As the premier producer of live television events for nearly 50 years, we pride ourselves on our reputation and long-standing relationships with artists. To suggest that dcp, as producer of music shows including the American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, New Year's Rockin' Eve and Academy of Country Music Awards, would ever intentionally compromise the success of any artist is defamatory, outrageous and frankly absurd."

"An initial investigation has indicated that dcp had no involvement in the challenges associated with Ms. Carey's New Year's Eve performance. We want to be clear that we have the utmost respect for Ms. Carey as an artist and acknowledge her tremendous accomplishments in the industry."

Carey was roasted on social media with many saying she had relied on a lip synched performance. However, Perna told Billboard "allegations that she planned to lip sync are just adding insult to injury."

In response to the flap, Carey tweeted after the live show that "[expletive] happens. Have a happy and healthy new year everybody! Here's to making more headlines in 2017."
Back in 1977 this week, the mystery of the big foot tracks was solved in Agawam. David Deschenes walked along the Westfield River in the 28-inch plywood slip-on feet he built causing a "monster hunt" that lasted almost two weeks. He thought it a joke for the neighborhood kids until the police were called in to solve the case. A tip led police to Deschenes and his plywood feet.

Ten years earlier, U.S. Marines moved into the Mekong Delta of Vietnam by amphibious and helicopter landings into the area. It was the largest amphibious operation in the war to this point and the first commitment of U.S. troops to the area. The goal was to clear out Viet Cong training camps located roughly 55 miles south of Saigon.

These are some of the headlines you'll see from Page 1 of The Republican and its predecessors over the past fifty years for the week of January 1 - January 7. Each week I'll put together a slideshow of Page 1 images from selected years over the course of that week. We're starting with a look back at one, five, thirty, forty and fifty years ago, with Page 1s from each day of the week for those years.

The slideshow for December January 1 - January 7 is embedded at the top of this article.

From the January 4, 1967 edition of The Springfield Union

We'll also find some humor printed out on page one over the years. In 1967 'Dennis The Menace' could be found on the bottom of page one six days a week.

Five years ago this week the 24-hour-a-day vigil at the closed Mater Dolorosa Church in Holyoke recognized its six-month anniversary. The Friends of Mater Dolorosa group had kept at least 2 people at a time in the church since the last Mass was said in June of the previous year.

And a year ago presidential candidate Bernie Sanders campaigned to a crowd of 1,900 at the UMass Fine Arts Center in Amherst. Another 1,500 supporters gathered outside the venue.

You'll find with looking through the slideshow, that while many stories come and go, many of the issues and topics that affected lives in the past, continue to have an impact on our lives today.

Copies of these and other stories can be found in the online archives. Links to the archives are at the bottom of the page at www.masslive.com/republican

The historic archive includes stories prior to 1989, and the Newsbank archive covers 1988 through the present day.


WESTFORD-- A Lowell man, who was critically injured in a single-car crash on I-495 in Westford Friday, died of his injuries several hours after he was flown to a Boston hospital.

The Lowell Sun cited State Police sources reported that Eustace M. Wanjugu, 31, died at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston approximately two hours after he was flown there by MedFlight to Boston.

The original State Police press release did not mention Wanjugu's death.

Wanjugu was alone in his car at about 8:25 p,.m. Friday when it apparently went out of control and crashed into a ditch on the side of I-495 in Westford.

Westford firefighters extracted Wanjugu from the wreckage and a helicopter was allowed to land on the highway to fly the critically injured driver to Boston.

The State Police said Wanjugu died in Boston at about 10:15 p.m. Friday night.
CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. (AP) -- Two corrections officers have been placed on paid leave as authorities investigate an inmate's escape from a Rhode Island detention center.

Former Army reservist James Morales was reported missing Saturday night and remains at large.

Wyatt Correctional Center warden Daniel Martin tells WBZ-TV that two officers were placed on leave. He says Morales escaped around 7 p.m. but wasn't discovered missing until three hours later.

The prison in Central Falls remains locked down as officials review procedures.

The 35-year-old Morales is charged with stealing 16 guns from a U.S. Army Reserve Center and faces child rape charges.

Police say they believe Morales fled to Attleboro, Massachusetts, and stole a car that was found Sunday. They believe he is bleeding from razor wire that he climbed through to escape.
20774763-mmmain.jpg

Amherst firefighters again calling for more staffing.

(Republican File Diane Lederman)

AMHERST -- As the new year begins, firefighters continue to express concerns about staffing levels. Meanwhile, a study to assess whether the Fire Department has adequate staffing has not been finished.

"Less than 16 hours into the new year and we are already relying on our neighboring communities to pick up where Amherst's staffing has failed," Amherst Firefighters Local 1764 said on its Facebook page. "Fire department staffing is not even sufficient to handle the normal daily call volumes."

The union said personnel from other departments were needed to cover Amherst fire stations because all Amherst firefighters were out responding to calls.

Earlier this year the Carlson Group of Andover was commissioned to study Fire Department staffing. The consultant has completed studies for Southampton and Somerville, among other communities. The former town manager said in July the study would take about four months.

Asked about the delay, current Town Manager Paul Bockelman would only say that "there are a lot of elements to the study." Fire Chief Tim Nelson deferred comment to Bockelman.

"Amherst Fire is not suffering from the occasional busy day," the union said in a Thursday Facebook post. "'High call volumes' are now the standard."

The union said the Fire Department serves a population of nearly 100,000. "However, Amherst chooses to only staff the fire department with enough personnel to protect a population of around 35,000. Therefore, crews are overwhelmed by normal day-to-day emergency traffic," the post states.

The Fire Department provides fire services not only to the town but also to Hampshire and Amherst colleges and the University of Massachusetts. It also provides ambulance services to Pelham, Hadley, Leverett and Shutesbury.

The Fire Department responded to 6,363 emergencies in 2015, topping its busiest year by 350 calls, according to the union. Nelson said calls increase by 1 to 1.5 percent a year.

Numbers for 2016 are not yet available.

The department last year applied for a $1.08 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant program, also known as SAFER, but was rejected.

"My take is that if you look at the municipalities that received the SAFER grants in Massachusetts, they were quite similar," Nelson said in an email. "Holyoke, Lynn, Lowell, Fall River, Taunton and Sandwich. These are cities and towns that historically have a high number of fires.

"Frankly, our needs aren't as sexy as the needs of the other municipalities," Nelson continued. "That doesn't make our needs any less critical or important."

The grant would have paid for eight additional firefighters for two years, including six firefighters for front-line service, one for prevention and another for training.

The town would have had to accept the grant and agree to continue funding the positions. The Fire Department hasn't increased staff in 10 years, since the last time the town applied for the same grant.

Town officials in 2013 increased minimum staffing from seven to eight, except during winter, spring and summer breaks at the colleges as one way to address staffing issues without hiring additional firefighters.
That wasn't a question. No wonder you vote the way you do.





Seriously, if it's not okay for our PM to vacation outside the country, you have to believe that it's not okay for your Pres to vacation outside your country.





It's such a stupid thing to get annoyed about, it's hilarious. Like worrying about how many times the President plays golf. Every President gets criticized for golfing, as if it's something new or partisan.





God, you'd think there weren't any issues to worry about, the way you go on.
Fentanyl

A 10-month-old baby in Methuen was rushed to the hospital by police after she was exposed to the synthetic opioid fentanyl on New Year's Eve.

Methuen police officers responded to a home around 12:28 p.m. on December 31 for a report on a child not breathing, police said.

First responders began immediate treatment and transported the baby to Lawrence General Hospital, where she stopped breathing twice and had to be resuscitated by hospital staff. The child was then flown by medical helicopter to Tufts Medical Center for further treatment.

Medical tests showed that the baby had fentanyl in her system -- a reminder of the long reach of the opioid epidemic, and of the increasingly deadly role that fentanyl is playing in Massachusetts' addiction crisis.

"The opioid epidemic knows no boundaries," Methuen Mayor Stephen Zanni said in a statement. "We must continue to be vigilant in ensuring that children do not have access to harmful substances and to do everything we can to fight the disease of addiction."

The baby is now in state custody, officials announced during a press conference Monday afternoon. The case is under investigation by Methuen Police and State Police detectives.

"This is an extremely unfortunate situation in which a dangerous drug has ended up in the wrong hands and placed a baby's life in danger," Methuen Police Chief Joseph Solomon said in a statement. "Our main goal now is to find out how this substance ended up in the child's system."

One-thousand and five people died from opioids from January to September 2016, excluding suicides, according to figures released by the state's Department of Public Health in November. That rate exceeds the first nine months of 2015, in which a record 1,574 people died from opioid overdoses.

And fentanyl, which is 50 times stronger than heroin, is playing a larger role in the crisis. Deaths attributable to heroin have dropped, while 74 percent of overdose deaths with completed toxicology screens in the year's third quarter showing the detection of fentanyl -- up from 66 percent in the second quarter of this year.

While fentanyl was originally designed as a medical drug when it was developed in the 1950s, it has since become a popular additive to street heroin due to its cheapness and potency. It is often manufactured in China and smuggled into the United States through Mexican drug cartels, law enforcement officials have said.
SPRINGFIELD -- A Hampden Superior Court grand jury has indicted Miguel Fonseca-Colon again for murder in the death of a 5-month-old child in Springfield in January 2013.

Fonseca-Colon, 34, was first indicted in August 2014, and has been held in jail awaiting trial ever since. But on Oct. 14, a Hampden Superior Court judge dismissed the indictment.

Assistant District Attorney Jane Mulqueen then secured a Springfield District Court warrant charging Fonseca-Colon with the murder again. She said once the indictment was dismissed there was no basis to keep him in jail.



Fonseca-Colon denied the murder charge in October in Springfield District Court. The Dec. 29 indictments bring the case back to Hampden Superior Court.

Grand jury proceedings are not public, so information about what was presented to the grand jury this time is not available.

When Fonseca-Colon was arrested on the District Court warrant in October, defense lawyer David P. Hoose argued his client should be released on personal recognizance with GPS monitoring.

Springfield District Court Judge William J. Boyle ordered that Fonseca-Colon continue to be held without right to bail. Hoose appealed that decision to a higher court as permitted by law. Hampden Superior Court Judge Edward J. McDonough also ordered Fonseca-Colon held without right to bail.

At the bail hearing, Hoose attacked the strength of the prosecution's case, criticized the investigation into the death of the 5-month-old and said his client has been held 26 months already awaiting trial.

Mulqueen urged McDonough to keep Fonseca-Colon in prison without right to bail.

"This is a brutal, vicious murder of a helpless 5-month-old," she said.

She said the baby, Jadamier Cintron, had a fractured skull, 32 rib fractures, a lacerated spleen and other injuries.

"How long is it fair to ask Mr. Fonseca to sit in jail while the commonwealth does its investigation?" Hoose asked McDonough. If released, Hoose said, Fonseca-Colon would live with his sister in Westfield.

Page wrote in her ruling dismissing the original indictment, "Fonseca-Colon points to many potentially exculpatory statements that were not introduced to the grand jury that support his argument that the commonwealth presented false or deceptive evidence 'knowingly and for the purpose of obtaining an indictment.'"

She said the prosecution's failure to present the recorded interviews, which are inconsistent with grand jury testimony, presents a distorted picture of not only Fonseca-Colon's relationship with the baby, but also about the baby's relationship with his brother.

Page said the two women's "equivocal statements, inconsistent statements and shifting timelines gravely distorted the presentation to the grand jury and may have had an impact on the grand jury's decision to indict."
HOLYOKE - Demolition crews brought in heavy equipment and began removing the top floors of a five-story building that was ravaged by fire Sunday morning, leaving one resident dead and displacing 49 others.

At least two other people cannot be located. In a press conference Sunday evening, Massachusetts Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey said investigators said the two people are unaccounted for, which means they simply may be away for the holidays.

The fire began at about 8:50 a.m. in an apartment block at the corner of North East and East Dwight streets.

One woman died when she jumped from the fourth or fifth floor to escape the flames. Her name has not been released yet, Fire Capt. Anthony Cerruti said.

Several other people were injured and transported to area hospitals. Officials could not say how many people needed treatment or if any suffered serious injuries. One firefighter also received a minor injury to his hand, Fire Chief John Pond said.

"Upon arrival there was fire showing on the third, fourth and fifth floors. The fire department quickly began operations. We had several rescues with our fire ladders and the Holyoke Police Department assisted with those rescues," Pond said.

Before firefighters arrived, residents also tried to help neighbors who were trapped. Some even held blankets and a mattress to catch people who jumped from upper floors.

While some firefighters focused on rescuing people, others started to extinguish the fire in part to buy people time to escape, he said.

All Holyoke firefighters, including those who were off duty, were called to assist. Chicopee and South Hadley Fire Departments also responded to the fire, he said.

Between 40 and 50 firefighters battled the fire until it was extinguished late Sunday morning, Cerruti said.

Currently the Holyoke Fire Department and the State Fire Marshal's Office are investigating the cause of the blaze, Pond said.

Also assisting at the fire scene was the Holyoke Police Department, and the Holyoke Auxiliary Police helped set up shelters. The Pioneer Valley chapter of the American Red Cross and city officials pitched in to help the 25 displaced families.

Mayor Alex Morse announced the city has set up a GoFundMe page and hopes to raise $100,000 to help the families. Before 8 p.m., about $6,000 had already been pledged to the fund.

So many residents came out to drop off clothing, diapers, money and other items that Morse announced clothing was no longer needed and thanked the community for their generosity. Toiletries are still needed.

"This is such a heartbreaking day," Morse said and thanked people for their generosity.

After the fire stopped smoldering, the city's building inspector determined it was in danger of collapse and demolition crews were brought in to tear down the upper floors.

During the demolition, one wall did collapse, damaging the roof of the neighboring home on North East Street. The residents had been evacuated from the home as a precaution before the demolition began, so no one was injured, Pond said.

"We had to demolish the building. It was a chance we took," he said.

The problem is the fire destroyed the roof and trusses so the brick walls were freestanding and in danger of collapse. They were further weakened by the water that was poured on them by firefighters, Cerruti said.

The Fire Department towed cars parked in front of East Dwight and North East streets so they could get demolition equipment to the scene and work safely. Even if the owners could be found, most had left their keys behind in a rush to escape the flames, Fire Capt. Anthony Cerruti said.

Once the upper floors are removed, fire investigators will likely be able to enter the building and begin gathering evidence to try to pinpoint a cause of the blaze, he said.

Investigators have also begun interviewing residents who witnessed the fire to get better information about what they saw. Even if inspectors cannot enter the building, they will likely be able to find a cause from talking to witnesses and through firefighters' observations, Cerruti said.

At the same time, police officials walked through the Dr. Marcella Kelly School and showed people, including the property manager, at least one photo of a missing person and asked them if they knew of the person's whereabouts.

Officials opened the nearby school to give residents a warm place to stay. There, employees from the property company which manages the building, the Pioneer Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross and a number of local volunteers including city councilors worked to find housing, clothing and other necessities for the large number of victims.

The building is owned by Naviah Investments and is assessed at $624,700. The company, which has other apartments in the city, and some cooperating landlords were able to find new homes for 10 to 15 families. The remaining people will be housed in hotels until Tuesday, when the city can again start searching for permanent housing for them, Morse said.

Some residents were able to escape with their pets, but some were not. Cerruti said firefighters were able to rescue one cat while extinguishing the fire.

Firefighters saw the cat in a second-floor window and climbed an extension ladder to reach the window. When they broke the glass with an axe, the cat jumped through the window, landed on the sidewalk unharmed and ran away.
Hartford became the first city in the region to record a homicide this year with the shooting death early Sunday of a 28-year-old woman who was sitting in a car on Park Street, according to reports.

The shooting death comes after the city ended the year with what Hartford police say was the fewest homicides - 14 - in any year on record. In 2015, Hartford recorded a total of 31 homicides, which was second that year only to Boston among New England cities.

According to the Hartford Courant, police said a uniformed officer on patrol witnessed the shooting and a suspect was quickly apprehended. Ulises Robles has been charged with murder in the death of Luz Rosado.

Hartford police have not disclosed possible motives.

Deputy police Chief Brian Foley told the Courant that the police had additional patrols out for New Year's Eve but it was not enough to prevent a homicide.

"We had an officer in the right place at the right time in uniform, visible and the homicide still happened. It's difficult," he said.

Coincidentally, the first homicide in Hartford in 2016 also occurred when a 20-year-old man was stabbed to death minutes after midnight on Jan. 1.

Across the region, the number of homicides in large cities declined in 2016 from 2015.

Boston, the largest New England city, appears to be the only major city in the region that saw an increase



According to the Boston Herald, there were 46 homicides in Boston in 2016, an increase of six from 2015. That works out to a swing of 15 percent.

In 2014, Boston tallied 54 homicides.

In Springfield, Hartford, New Haven, and Providence, Rhode Island, homicide deaths declined. Worcester broke even.

Springfield had 12 homicides. In 2015, there were 18. Twelve homicides in one year is a 5-year low for Springfield. It also ties 2012 for the fewest homicides since 2002 when there were 11.

If Springfield is an example, homicide numbers can fluctuate greatly from one year to the next for a variety of reasons.

Over the last 5 years, Springfield's homicide numbers were 19 in 2011, 12 in 2012, 20 in 2013, 14 in 2014, 18 in 2015 and now 12 last year.

Worcester had 8 homicides in 2016, the same as for 2015. Pittsfield in 2016 also broke even with 3 homicides, the same number as in 2015.

Providence saw 10 homicides in 2015, a decline from 14 the previous year, according to Providence Police Department records.

According to the New Haven Register, New Haven saw its homicide totals decline slightly to 13 from 15 in 2015.

The 2016 total for that city are more than half of what it was five years ago when there were a total of 34 homicides in 2011.
Hamburg and Gold I.jpg

A Springfield detective collects evidence near the intersection of Hamburg and Gold streets late Sunday night. Neighbors reported gunfire in the area and a car fleeing at about 11 p.m. . Minutes later a victim turned up at the Baystate Medical Center emergency room with what police now say was a paintball injury.

(Dave Canton, Republican)

SPRINGFIELD Neighbors in and around the Gold and Hamburg streets intersection in Liberty Heights reported shots fired Sunday night and a fleeing car. That car apparently struck a parked vehicle leaving it damaged and perhaps with a bullet hole in its fender.

Minutes after police arrived at the shooting scene an apparent victim showed up at the Baystate Medical Center emergency room with what he said was a gunshot wound.

Not so, it turns out. Springfield Police Capt. Brian Keenan said the victim was struck by a paintball, not a firearm projectile. How and where he was injured remained a mystery as the male victim was not cooperating with police.

The gunfire in the crowded but quiet neighborhood was real. Luckily it did not hit any people, Keenan said.

Detectives and uniformed officers searched the area for evidence and bagged up several spent shell casings A vehicle showing collision damage and an apparent bullet hole sat on Hamburg Street near the shooting scene.
HOLYOKE -- Kelly Elementary School served as a disaster relief and communications hub Sunday as donations poured in for around 25 families displaced by a deadly New Year's Day fire.

Dozens of volunteers rolled up their sleeves and pitched in. Some sorted through piles of clothing and personal care items, others lugged cases of bottled water, and food service workers opened the cafeteria to feed a line of hungry, exhausted fire victims and relief workers.

Mayor Alex Morse, top police and fire officials, and American Red Cross officials were on the scene, seen speaking with each other intently, as was the owner of the burned building, Irshad Sideeka.

"My focus is to make sure everyone has a roof over their head by tonight," Sideeka told The Republican. "We've placed some families in apartments that I have, and other property owners are also providing apartments," he said. "It still looks like we'll have to put some people up in motels tonight."

Morse said a meeting was planned Tuesday morning to coordinate a more detailed response. He said those who wish to help may contribute to the Mayor's Fire Relief Fund, administered by the city treasurer's office.

By 5 p.m., coordinators were awash in clothing, and calling instead for cash donations to meet the needs of 49 people -- including about 10 children -- made homeless by the fire that destroyed a five-story brick apartment building only blocks away from the school.

Kelly School principal Jackie Glasheen said she unlocked the school's doors around 9 a.m. after heading to the fire scene "and seeing our families standing out on the street, watching their building burn."

Word soon spread on social media, and hundreds showed up to either donate or work. The mood was bittersweet -- several blocks away, firefighters continued to search the burned building for two missing people. One woman had already been confirmed dead.

Hundreds of sandwiches arrived from the Holyoke McDonald's, courtesy of restaurant owners Jorge and Eleni Gomez. Grateful parents and children sat down with McChickens, cheeseburgers, and cartons of milk.

Earlier, food had arrived from Domino's Pizza, C-Town grocery, and other establishments. The local Sears and J.C. Penny stores donated quilts, sheets, and pillows, said high school senior Kiara Feliciano, the day's donations coordinator.

"So many local businesses have helped," she said. "And the people of Holyoke. We came together today as one big family. What's amazing is that people who don't have much to give donated whatever they could."

Holyoke Schools Receiver Steve Zrike said parents, children, and educators in the city rallied upon hearing the news of the fire. "There are so many teachers here today. So many school committee members. So many parents. Our families lost everything. The first order of business is providing them with basic needs."

Eighth grade teacher Rosie Caracciolo was found sitting on the gymnasium floor, sorting shoes by size. "There's a woman in the cafeteria right now who's eight months pregnant, and having contractions," she said. "We had a man here desperate to get to work, looking for a pair of steel-toed boots."

Local resident Olga Rivera folded and sorted clothing. "I couldn't stay home," she said. "This is my neighborhood."

Ward 1 City Councilor Gladys Lebron-Martinez said she was overwhelmed by the outpouring of community support for the fire victims. "This is nothing that anybody ever wants to see," she said.

Three young men -- Justin Chavez, Israel Rivera, and Reynaldo Rivera -- said they had been working at the Kelly School all day long. Chavez, a hip-hop artist, said when he put out a call for help on Facebook, the response was one of "overwhelming love and support."

"The people in that building lost everything," he said. "But we are strong. Our community is strong."

Glasheen, the school principal, echoed his remarks. "The beauty of this community is that it doesn't matter who you are, or what color you are," she said. "We are here for each other."

Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com


SPRINGFIELD -- City Councilor Orlando Ramos was elected by his colleagues Monday as the new council president, saying that his top priority in 2017 is to do everything possible to improve relations between the police and community.

"We, as legislators, as elected leaders of this great city, must do everything we can within our authority - including using our legislative authority - to help repair and strengthen the relationship between the Springfield Police Department and the communities within the city of Springfield," Ramos said in prepared comments during the annual organizational meeting.

In addition, Ramos pledged to work with Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and his administration in the New Year 'to find ways to strengthen" the city's residency ordinance. The ordinance calls for city employees to live in Springfield but has been subject to decades of debate, controversy, challenges, and partial enforcement.

Ramos' call for improved police/community relations occurs as there has been some allegations of police misconduct, coupled with council votes last year to re-establish a citizen Police Commission to oversee the Police Department, including an override of a veto by Sarno.

Sarno has stated the vote to create the commission is "invalid" and conflicts with the mayor's powers under City Charter.

Ramos said the Police Department is made up of "many brave men and women; honorable individuals who put their lives at risk in order to fulfill their oath to serve and protect" and who deserve to be called heroes.

Despite that knowledge and positive interactions, "we must avoid becoming prisoners of our own biography, and acknowledge and understand that our own experiences are not necessarily identical to everyone else's," Ramos said.

"And we must listen to the clamor of those who feel that they have been treated unjustly; because particularly to us, as elected leaders, denial and/or indifference towards injustice is just as harmful, and just as dangerous as the injustice itself," Ramos said.

Councilors elected Ramos, the Ward 8 councilor by unanimous vote, replacing Councilor Michael Fenton who held the leadership position for three years. Councilors also elected Justin Hurst as the vice-president by unanimous vote, who is replacing Ramos in that position.

Orlando Ramos Inaugural Speech 2017uploaded by Peter Goonan on Scribd

The council president presides over meetings of the 13-member council, sets the agenda, and appoints council committees.

"To my colleagues, I cannot express how humbled and how grateful I am to each one of you for having the confidence in me, and electing me as your president," Ramos said.

Ramos, who works as district director for state Sen. James Welch, D-West Springfield, chose Welch to administer the oath of office, calling Welch a friend and mentor.

Ramos chose his daughter, who he referred to as "the amazing Ariana Ramos," to lead the pledge of allegiance.

Vanessa Hill sang "God Bless America," including a stanza "God Bless Springfield."

Among councilors present for the organizational meeting was Bud L. Williams, who will be sworn in on Wednesday as state representative of the 11th Hampden District. Williams is considering serving in both elected positions, but said he has not yet made up his mind.

Councilors picked numbers to determine their seating arrangement and their order of voting on council matters. in 2017. Councilor Timothy Rooke was absent from the meeting.
2016 was a good year for our state, and 2017 will be an even greater. Our economy will grow in conjunction with the technological talent enshrined in Montanans.

Just before Christmas, I had the chance to meet with Dave Micheletti of the Montana Aerospace Development Association http://www.montanaaerospace.org/MADAs board of directors includes legislators, academics, and business leaders from across the state. Currently, MADA is working on aeronautic projects with NASA and could restart their former project with the U.S. Air Force.

Jason Zeng The Montana Standard

Full Story: http://mtstandard.com/business/the-technology-standard-martian-rocket-fuel-research-in-montana/article_ce9b62dd-5357-575c-8fd2-4a157c0096f6.html
As the great, now sadly-retired Thomas Sowell says, "Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it." Its malign influence is still with us today. Innocent boys being accused of rape on college campuses; genuine rapes committed by gangs of Muslim taxi drivers in northern England and by gangs of Muslim immigrants in German cities like Cologne; hundreds of thousands driven into fuel poverty, landscapes ravaged, avian fauna sliced and diced as a result of crazy renewable energy policies; a Nobel-prize-winning scientist driven out of his job because a feminist loser misreported something he said about women at a conference; generations of kids denied a rigorous, disciplined, useful education; the needless violence and tension engendered by #blacklivesmatter: we should never concede the moral high ground to the kind of people who make all this sort of stuff possible, no matter how many times they tell us how evil and selfish and uncaring we are.



more



DELINGPOLE: Rules for Righties -- a War-Winning Manifesto for 2017



via

morevia A Playbook for 2017 - Small Dead Animals The liberal-left loves to portray us as the bad guys. But thats just projection. From Maos China to Stalins Soviet Union, from Cuba to North Korea, history is littered with the wreckage of failed left wing schemes to make the world a better, fairer place.

James Delingpole urges right thinking people to not rest on their laurels , comparing what happened in 2016 to merely the first few hours of the D-Day invasion. He argues that anyone who thinks the Leftist elite and their SJW stormtroopers are merely going to lie down and allowto be changed are in great denial.
Montanans who want to produce more of their own energy are back again this legislative session for another tussle with the states major utility companies.

The debate is over a practice called net metering, which lets homes, businesses and even public buildings produce a limited amount of electricity  such as with solar panels or wind turbines  and sell any excess energy to their utility at a set price.

By FREDDY MONARES Community News Service, UM School of Journalism

Full Story: http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/mtleg/battle-expected-over-net-metering-bills-in-legislature/article_351d8701-411f-5f51-8142-080f5f08869c.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=user-share
People buy complete brands. They dont buy product, packaging or the brands story separately. Some brands borrow stories. Some make up stories. Not you. Youre going to honor your brands heritage while living in the present and creating the future.

Courtney and John McKee are doing this particularly well with their Headframe Spirits http://www.headframespirits.com/ brands. I caught up with them at a recent HATCH Experience and they took me through their approach.

John explained the intimate ties between Headframe and Butte, Montana. The McKees are mainstays of the Butte community and want to build a business that helps Butte. Buttes story is remarkable. It once had "the richest hill on Earth" filled with copper. Butte was a mining town with up to 100,000 residents  until the copper ran out. Now its down to 35,000 residents and one very large EPA superfund site.

George Bradt

Full Story: http://www.forbes.com/sites/georgebradt/2014/10/08/the-three-imperatives-of-authentic-branding/#79337c7a3b67
Derek Handley is a social entrepreneur, philanthropist and author who recently launched Aera, a venture capital fund that invests in companies with a social mission. He co-founded Hyperfactory in 2001 and was the founding CEO of the B Team, a nonprofit leadership initiative created by Richard Branson. Handley also recently served as a Nazarian Wharton Social Innovator in Residence. In this [email protected] interview, he spoke with Katherine Klein, a Wharton management professor and vice dean of the Wharton Social Impact Initiative, on the importance of vision and what it takes to make a difference.

Full Story: http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/leadership-finding-the-next-mountain-to-climb/
Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock, after being sworn in to start his second term Monday, emphasized unity between his party and Republicans, who control the Legislature and took back three of the states five elected statewide offices in Novembers election.

"The differences we have, while amplified at times, are small compared to what unites us," Bullock told about 400 people who packed the Capitol rotunda and gathered on the two floors above.

"Before any of us are Democrats or Republicans, were Montanans. And Montanans elected us to serve, not to score political points."

HOLLY MICHELS [email protected]

Full Story: http://mtstandard.com/news/state-and-regional/governor-other-elected-officials-to-be-sworn-in-today/article_285b1ea3-cfc3-5d0d-b378-82cb76390d4c.html
Old Fort

Mary Ida Bradley Waters, 84, of Old Fort, went to be with the Lord Thursday, Dec. 29, 2016, at her home, surrounded by her loving family.

She was born Feb. 4, 1932, in McDowell County, to the late Thaddeus C. Bradley and Georgia Greene Bradley. Ms. Waters worked at Kearfott in Black Mountain for 40 years and 4 years, she also worked the weekend shift at Baxter Healthcare. She was a member of Old Fort Presbyterian Church.

In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by one brother, T.C. Bradley and one sister, Betty Lou Brooks. Surviving Ms. Waters are three sons, Kenneth "Sherm" Waters (Peggy), Robert "Dink" Waters and Mike Waters (Jackie); one daughter, Sandy Kent; nine grandchildren, Chris (Pam), James (Gladys), Mundy, Lauren (Doug), Travis (Misty), Seth (Jessica), Brooke (Chris), Josh and Misty (Chad); numerous great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren; one brother, Ted Bradley (Kaye); one sister-in-law, Helga Bradley; and a lifelong cousin and friend, Goldie Piercy and family.

The family will receive friends from 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017, at Old Fort Presbyterian Church.

A funeral service will follow at 3 p.m. with Dr. Jerry Lewis and the Rev. Jim Hudgins officiating. Burial will follow at Old Fort City Cemetery.

The family does not wish to receive flowers.

Memorials may be made to Grace Community Church, 5182 US-70, Marion, NC 28752 or Hospice of McDowell County, 575 Airport Rd., Marion, NC 28752. Words of comfort may be shared with the family at www.kirkseyfholdfort.com.
Morgan County Veterans Day Parade slated Nov. 11 Audio Article The Morgan County Veterans Day Parade will be held on Friday, Nov. 11. The parade will form at the Commons, in McConnelsville, at 9:30 a.m. and set out at 10 a.m. The American Legion Post 24 will render honors at the monuments at the Commons, Riecker Building, the Square, at...

A concert with two purposes Audio Article Wednesday, Nov. 30, a concert with dual purposes is being held at the Twin City Opera House in McConnelsville, Ohio. Its a thank-you to healthcare workers, who can attend for free, and its a benefit for the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society. In September 2021, Rick Shriver contracted COVID-19. He collapsed...

BOE reminder of early voting hours and polling location change Audio Article Remaining early voting hours at the Morgan County Board of Elections are as follows: from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov, 2 through Friday, Nov. 4; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5; from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6; and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m....

Lions Club announces annual Wreaths Across America Audio Article On Saturday, Dec. 17, the Chesterhill Lions Club will be joining with National Wreaths Across America in the laying of wreaths at each of the seven cemeteries located in Marion Township. The mission is to honor the local veterans who have served our nation so their families can rest assured...

Governor DeWine awards $6.7 million for domestic violence survivor programs Audio Article Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has announced that he is awarding $6.7 million to support the work of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network (ODVN) to offer mobile and health advocacy services and temporary residential services for domestic violence survivors across the state. The announcement comes during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month....

CDC committee vote wont change Ohio school vaccine requirement Audio Article Ohio Department of Health Director Bruce Vanderhoff, MD, MBA has released the following statement: The CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendation for the COVID-19 vaccine to be added to the formulary or schedule of vaccines for children does not mandate this vaccine for school children. Ohio law determines...
Hundreds of construction workers will be put to work in Fremont over the next couple summers building a massive $275 million facility for producing broiler chickens, and the utility lines and roads to serve it, as well as upgrading the citys water treatment plant.

There is going to be so much construction in Fremont I would say youre going to have five or six hundred construction workers in town between our projects, Fremont Interim City Manager Brian Newton said during a recent interview.

This is a massive windfall not only for Fremont, but for the state.

Yet that potential economic boon also has hatched concerns over how adding 17 million chickens to the regions already abundant livestock population could harm waterways, quality of life and drinking water.

Critics are sounding alarm bells, saying an accidental discharge from the slaughterhouse and runoff from land-applied manure could foul rivers. They also worry that raising chickens in crowded barns could damage air quality, spread disease and foster the rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Now is the time to really look at it and ask questions, said Duane Hovorka, director of the Nebraska Wildlife Federation. Its much more difficult once youre already in place and up and operating to change the operation.

Hovorka said Nebraskans should be asking whether next to the Platte River is the right place for Costcos massive chicken processing plant, which will be run under the name Lincoln Premium Poultry, and whether state rules are adequate to protect the downstream communities and wildlife like the endangered pallid sturgeon.

Costco plans call for a 360,000-square-foot slaughter facility, a 85,000-square-foot hatchery producing nearly 470,000 chicks a day, and a 32,000-square-foot mill that will make 1.314 million tons of animal feed a year. Lincoln Premium Poultry is finishing up the permit process, engineering and signing up farmers, all of which it hopes to have finished by February so it can get the final go-ahead from Costco to break ground in April, company officials have said.

Opponents have suggested increased pollution could put Lincoln and Omaha in a situation like Des Moines Water Works, which is suing three agriculture-heavy upstream counties over nitrate levels in the Raccoon River. Nebraska Communities United, a group that formed to oppose the Costco facility, plans to organize informational seminars in both Lincoln and Omaha in January about pollution dangers.

But officials with both the Lincoln and Omaha water utilities said the Nebraska cities have much different setups than Des Moines, which takes water directly from the river and must filter out heavy amounts of nitrates from farm runoff.

Both Lincoln and Omaha get water from wells near the Platte River, and Omaha has a separate water treatment plant that pulls from the Missouri River.

Lincoln gets its water from wells near Ashland, then pumps it about 26 miles to the city through a network of pipes. The wells get help from mother nature with water being naturally filtered by layers of sediment and sand, said Water Distribution Superintendent Steve Owen.

Omaha Metropolitan Utilities District spokeswoman Tracey Christensen agreed.

Because they are groundwater plants, it is doubtful that there would be any detrimental effects from a spill into the river, Christensen said.

Despite those assurances, the water utilities said they plan to closely watch the permitting process through the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, which will include extensive reviews and public comment periods. The company in December filed its first request, an air quality construction permit.

While the utilities say current regulations are adequate, others question whether Nebraska should beef them up.

This case brings up a conversation that is past due. We need to be better looking at how we are permitting what we are putting into our water to protect public safety, said Graham Christensen, who farms near Oakland and advocates on state environmental issues through his company GC Resolve.

Costco sold 76 million rotisserie chickens in 2014 at $4.99 each in its wholesale discount stores across the nation. But as demand for the savory birds continues to increase, supply has become tighter and costs inched up.

Thats where the new Fremont facility comes in. Lincoln Premium Poultry will control the entire production chain from the chickens that lay the eggs, to the hatcheries, to making feed pellets, to the slaughter.

The only part that will be outsourced is the raising of the chickens.

A network of more than 100 farmers will raise the birds for Costco in a total of about 450 barns, which would each be capable of housing 43,000 chickens. Resulting litter  a mix of bedding, manure and feathers  would be composted and applied on fields as fertilizer or sold.

Critics are concerned manure will be applied too strongly or at the wrong time and wash into area waterways causing spikes in nitrates and phosphorus.

Costco has said it will require chicken farmers to make nutrient management plans and file for state permits governing pollutant discharge, even though its not required by state law.

Farmers who dont meet standards will not be allowed to grow for Costco, Walt Shafer, Lincoln Premium Poultrys project manager, said.

The project would increase the number of broiler chickens  the kind you eat  by nearly 20 times in Nebraska over 2012 level of 909,000 birds, which is the most recent U.S. ag census number available. More recent numbers dont get reported because Nebraska produces so few.

Nebraska would still be far below the nations top producing broiler states  Georgia, Arkansas and Alabama  which each produce about a billion broilers a year.

Walt said there also will be specific provisions in the grower contracts covering the treatment of animals and strict biological security.

We want to protect our farmers and our investment, he said.

Alan Kolok, a University of Nebraska at Omaha biologist, cautioned that despite best intentions, rules arent always followed.

If everyone follows the land applications according to the letter of the law, there will be no problem, he said. But that relies on the good faith of a lot of participants and sometimes that doesnt work out all that well.

If pollution does become a problem, he said, there is no way to know when the natural sand filters protecting the Lincoln and Omaha water wells could be overwhelmed.

What is the capacity of a natural system? Its really hard to get a handle on that, he said. What is the point at which that filter is overcome by contaminate load? Its pretty difficult to say.

Wastewater from the Costco chicken plant will be treated by the city of Fremont, which is upgrading its treatment facility at a cost of about $25 million. For wastewater treatment alone, the city expects to get $1 million in revenue from Lincoln Premium Poultry.

Wastewater  nearly 2 million gallons a day  from slaughter containing blood, fat, manure and other pollutants will first be filtered inside the plant then be pumped to a city-owned anaerobic lagoon nearby to let pollutants break down and settle out of the water before it flows to the city treatment facility.

We have several anaerobic digesters around the state  they can handle a high-waste water load, Steve Goans, deputy director of water for the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, told the Tribune in a May interview. Those lagoons are built one foot above the 100-year flood stage.

Goans said to his knowledge there has never been a lagoon overflow at a large operating facility in Nebraska.

The covered lagoons  there will be three  will also be used by other industry in the area and be built at a cost of $10 million, of which $5 million will be paid for by Lincoln Premium Poultry. Methane from the lagoons will be captured and sold to industries for heating.

Fremont needed to upgrade its wastewater treatment facility regardless  the city previously has violated discharge limits for suspended solids  but put off the project so it could incorporate Costcos needs into its plans, said Newton, who also works as the citys utilities general manager.

The Nebraska DEQ has given Fremont until Nov. 1, 2019, to improve its wastewater treatment and forbidden the large town from taking on new industrial or commercial customers that would increase flow or loading by more than 5 percent until the upgrades are complete.
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More than 220 individual schools and school districts from across the state have received special certificates from Secretary of State John Gale recognizing their efforts to honor military veterans. Participants included preschool, elementary, middle and high school students of public and nonpublic schools.

In addition to performances by school groups, the variety of programs included breakfasts and luncheons for veterans and their families, special displays featuring photos of veterans, flag retirement ceremonies and the presentation of quilts to military members or relatives.
Menopause is a natural stage after a persons final menstrual cycle. Menopause symptoms typically last for around 4 years. Menopause is part of sexual maturation and is not a disease or condition, although people may experience many symptoms of menopause. Doctors define menopause as occurring 1 year after a persons last period. Every individual experiences menopause differently, and the symptoms may vary in duration.

Duration Share on Pinterest Tom Werner/Getty Images Studies show that people typically experience hot flashes for an average of 4.5 years following their last period and 7.4 years in total. However, they may last for more than 10 years . The extended duration of these symptoms results from the body rebalancing and reducing levels of estrogen and progesterone as the ovaries slowly lose function.

When does menopause start? Though menopause clinically occurs 1 year after the end of a persons last period, they may begin experiencing symptoms earlier. Approximately 8 in 10 people have menopause symptoms before and after the end of their periods. Doctors refer to the year between the last period and menopause as perimenopause. Most people in the U.S. experience menopause between the ages of 45 and 55 . However, this age range varies. The onset of menopause can also follow surgery that reduces ovarian function or hormones, such as a hysterectomy, where a surgeon removes the uterus, or surgery or other treatments for cancer. In these circumstances, symptoms may begin rapidly as an adverse effect of these procedures. Learn more about surgical menopause here.

Symptoms The symptoms of menopause usually start when estrogen levels begin to drop. Symptoms may include: Irregular menstruation: As estrogen levels drop, the menstrual cycle may change. A person may miss periods or experience more time between periods. Menstrual flow may also change.

As estrogen levels drop, the menstrual cycle may change. A person may miss periods or experience more time between periods. Menstrual flow may also change. Vaginal dryness: Decreases in estrogen levels can cause a reduction in vaginal lubrication. As lubrication decreases, the vaginal tissues also become thinner. This can lead to pain during intercourse and vaginal inflammation.

Decreases in estrogen levels can cause a reduction in vaginal lubrication. As lubrication decreases, the vaginal tissues also become thinner. This can lead to pain during intercourse and vaginal inflammation. Decreased fertility: As estrogen levels drop in perimenopause, pregnancy might become more difficult. When a person reaches menopause, their ovaries no longer release eggs, meaning that pregnancy is not possible.

As estrogen levels drop in perimenopause, pregnancy might become more difficult. When a person reaches menopause, their ovaries no longer release eggs, meaning that pregnancy is not possible. Weight gain: The metabolism tends to slow during menopause, which may cause sudden weight changes.

The metabolism tends to slow during menopause, which may cause sudden weight changes. Hot flashes: Fluctuations in hormone levels might lead to hot flashes or an abrupt feeling of heat and flushing. These flashes may be mild, occurring primarily in the upper body, or they may radiate throughout the body.

Fluctuations in hormone levels might lead to hot flashes or an abrupt feeling of heat and flushing. These flashes may be mild, occurring primarily in the upper body, or they may radiate throughout the body. Night sweats: Hot flashes during sleep cause night sweats, which may prompt such intense sweating that they wake a person up.

Hot flashes during sleep cause night sweats, which may prompt such intense sweating that they wake a person up. Sleep disturbances: Menopause often makes it hard to sleep. Many find that sleep disturbances occur more often around the time of menopause. The disturbances may be related to night sweats.

Menopause often makes it hard to sleep. Many find that sleep disturbances occur more often around the time of menopause. The disturbances may be related to night sweats. Low mood: Some experience mood changes during menopause. These may be due to hormonal fluctuations, but life circumstances that tend to occur around menopause can also contribute.

Some experience mood changes during menopause. These may be due to hormonal fluctuations, but life circumstances that tend to occur around menopause can also contribute. Attention problems: Many people find they have difficulty concentrating and focusing during menopause and might experience memory lapses.

Many people find they have difficulty concentrating and focusing during menopause and might experience memory lapses. Thinning skin and hair: Extreme fluctuations in hormone levels might cause the skin to become thinner. Some people may experience hair loss.

Extreme fluctuations in hormone levels might cause the skin to become thinner. Some people may experience hair loss. Urinary frequency and incontinence: Around menopause, people may experience an increase in the frequency of passing urine due to weakening of the pelvic floor muscles. Discover the 34 symptoms of menopause here.

Treatment options Menopause does not require medical treatment, as it is not a medical condition, but many seek relief from its uncomfortable symptoms. Hormone replacement therapy Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can help relieve menopause-related hot flashes and other general symptoms. However, HRT does carry a small risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Due to this, doctors often prescribe the lowest dose of estrogen possible to relieve symptoms. Aside from relieving hot flashes, HRT can help prevent bone loss and osteoporosis. Learn more about HRT here. Other treatments Many other treatments are available that alleviate symptoms and prevent issues related to aging. Other options include: Medications to treat hot flashes: Low-dose antidepressants and some anti-seizure medications may help decrease hot flashes. Antidepressant medications may also assist with the emotional changes that occur during menopause.

Low-dose antidepressants and some anti-seizure medications may help hot flashes. Antidepressant medications may also assist with the emotional changes that occur during menopause. Vaginal estrogen: Estrogen is available for direct application to the vagina in the form of a cream, tablet, or inserted ring. This can help relieve dryness and discomfort during intercourse.

Estrogen is available for direct application to the vagina in the form of a cream, tablet, or inserted ring. This can help relieve dryness and discomfort during intercourse. Medications to prevent osteoporosis: Some doctors prescribe medications to prevent the loss of bone density that can occur during perimenopause and menopause. When to contact a doctor At the onset of perimenopause, a person may wish to schedule regular doctor visits for preventive healthcare. Around perimenopause, doctors may recommend certain health screenings that sometimes include a colonoscopy, mammogram, and blood tests. An individual should not hesitate to seek a doctors care and advice to deal with disruptive menopausal symptoms. If vaginal bleeding occurs after menopause, a person should also seek medical attention.

Outlook after menopause The risk of some conditions increases after menopause , including: Cardiovascular disease: As estrogen levels decline, the risk of heart disease rises.

As estrogen levels decline, the risk of heart disease rises. Osteoporosis: Osteoporosis is a condition that causes bones to weaken, increasing the risk of fractures. For the first years after menopause, people lose bone density very rapidly. This increases the risk of osteoporosis and breaks.

Osteoporosis is a condition that causes bones to weaken, increasing the risk of fractures. For the first years after menopause, people lose bone density very rapidly. This increases the risk of osteoporosis and breaks. Certain cancers: The risk of breast and ovarian cancer rises after menopause. The reasons vary but may be due to hormonal changes related to menopause and its treatments or natural aging. Most people continue to enjoy a healthy life throughout menopause, however. They can further ensure this by maintaining a balanced and nutritious diet, exercising, and regularly checking in with a doctor.
Research has identified different subtypes of breast cancer that respond to varying treatment types. Of these, the so-called triple-negative breast cancer is particularly aggressive and difficult to treat. However, new research may have uncovered a molecule that slows down this kind of cancer.

Share on Pinterest Researchers say a compound in chili peppers could help slow a subtype of breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer in women around the world, with almost 1.7 million new cases diagnosed in 2012.

In the United States, breast cancer is also the most common form of cancer in women, regardless of race or ethnicity.

Genetic research has enabled scientists to classify breast cancer into subtypes, which respond differently to various kinds of treatment. These subtypes are categorized according to the presence or absence of three receptors that are known to promote breast cancer: estrogen, progesterone, and the epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2).

Breast cancers that test positively for HER2 typically respond well to treatment and even to some specific drugs. However, there are types of cancer that test negatively for HER2, as well as for estrogen and progesterone  this is called triple-negative breast cancer.

As some studies have shown, triple-negative cancer is more difficult to treat, with chemotherapy being the only option.

New research, from the Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany, tested the effects of a spicy molecule on cultivated tumor cells of this particularly aggressive cancer type.

Researchers were led by Dr. Hanns Hatt and Dr. Lea Weber, and they collaborated with several institutions in Germany. These included the Augusta clinics in Bochum, the hospital Herz-Jesu-Krankenhaus in Dernbach, and the Centre of Genomics in Cologne.
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It is a combination of targeted therapy (Trastuzumab) and chemotherapy medicine (emtansine).

Trastuzumab emtansine is administered intravenously into the vein.

The drug is used to treat Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive metastatic breast cancer.

The trastuzumab drug mainly acts by allowing the emtansine to reach the cancer cell and kills it.

It prolongs the life period of the patient on an average by 9 months.

About 1 in 8 women develop invasive breast cancer in the United States.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has rejected the Trastuzumab emastine (kadcyla) drug from Roche Pharmaceuticals. The drug was rejected because of the high cost and fewer benefits it offers."We know that people with cancer place great importance on drugs that can increase their life expectancy. For that reason we apply as much flexibility as we can when we look at new life-extending treatments." said, Prof Carole Longson, director of the centre for health technology evaluation at Nice."But the reality is that the price of trastuzumab emtansine [the generic name for Kadcyla] is currently too high in relation to the benefits it gives for it to be recommended for routine commissioning in the NHS, even taking into account the end-of-life criteria and the patient access scheme."However, the charity organization Breast cancer Now has recently launched a petition against the rejection of the drug due to a huge setback for treatment of advanced breast cancer.Trastuzumab emtansine drug can give people an average of nine months life with fewer side effects like diarrhea and sickness.The Nice has laid a draft guidance which stated that the drug price was too high even after a discount offered by the company. It has also stated to foot the bill for patients who are taking the drug even after 14 months.It is estimated that around 1200 patients can be benefited by the drug if it was funded by the NHS in England.Nice hopes that the company would reduce the price of the drug. And Breast cancer campaigns and charities will make its final decision in February."This disastrous decision is a huge setback for the treatment of advanced breast cancer. Kadcyla offers significant and precious extra time for women with incurable cancer in great need of hope, and we mustn't let it slip away," said, Delyth Morgan, the chief executive of Breast Cancer Now."Nice and Roche's inability to find a compromise is seeing secondary breast cancer patients left abandoned.Responsibility lies on both sides, and such reckless brinkmanship is unfortunately about to rip away one of the best breast cancer drugs in years from patients in desperate need of a lifeline."The charity also complained that Nice had not compared the drug price of trastuzumab emastine with other alternative treatments.Lady Morgan, said, "This outcome also speaks volumes about a drug appraisal system that is just not working for metastatic breast cancer patients. This targeted drug is available in many other countries, including France, Germany, Australia and Canada, and it is nowhere near good enough that women in England will be denied such an effective option."Danni Marzi, Breast Cancer Care, said, that even though there is pressure on the budgets, it is essential that women receive proper drugs for treatment.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) improves treatment and advice on health and social care.It provides national guidance and is found to evaluate the drugs used by the National Health Services (NHS) in England.Source: Medindia
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Robin L. Toblin et al., Energy Drink Consumption and Its Association with Sleep Problems Among U.S. Service Members on a Combat Deployment  Afghanistan, 2010 , Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (2012) https:www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6144a3.htm.

The study by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, titled "Energy drink consumption and its association with sleep problems among US service members on a combat deployment," looked at data from over 1,000 soldiers and Marines conducting operations in Afghanistan in 2010.The research found that nearly 45 percent of deployed military personnel consumed at least one energy drink daily, while nearly 14 percent reported drinking three or more per day.Service members who drank three or more energy drinks per day were more likely to report 4 hours of sleep on average per night (38.2%) than service members who drank one to two (18.4%) or zero (23.9%) energy drinks per day."These products generally are unregulated and can have negative side effects," the report said. "Those who drank three or more drinks a day also were more likely to report sleep disruption related to stress and illness and were more likely to fall asleep during briefings or on guard duty."The military has long had an interest in keeping troops on the battlefield awake, and from Instant coffee to caffeine-infused chewing gum in military rations, access to stimulants has been a feature of being deployed overseas.One of the more commonly seen brands, Rip It, is actively involved in supporting military groups like the USO and highlights its military connection in its online marketing.On the company's website it says their drink "has been tested on the battlefield and is a favorite of our troops."Dr. Patricia Deuster, professor and director of the Consortium for Health and Military Performance at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, told the Defense Department's science blog that "doctors don't know what the effects of (energy drink) ingredients are in larger doses."Source: Medindia
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ResMed Inc. develops, manufactures, distributes, and markets medical devices and cloud-based software applications for the healthcare markets. The company operates in two segments, Sleep and Respiratory Care, and Software as a Service. It offers various products and solutions for a range of respiratory disorders, including technologies to be applied in medical and consumer products, ventilation devices, diagnostic products, mask systems for use in the hospital and home, headgear and other accessories, dental devices, and cloud-based software informatics solutions to manage patient outcomes, as well as provides customer and business processes. The company also provides AirView, a cloud-based system that enables remote monitoring and changing of patients' device settings; myAir, a personalized therapy management application for patients with sleep apnea that provides support, education, and troubleshooting tools for increased patient engagement and improved compliance; U-Sleep, a compliance monitoring solution that enables home medical equipment (HME)to streamline their sleep programs; connectivity module and propeller solutions; and Propeller portal. It offers out-of-hospital software solution, such as Brightree business management software and service solutions to providers of HME, pharmacy, home infusion, orthotics, and prosthetics services; MatrixCare care management and related ancillary solutions to senior living, skilled nursing, life plan communities, home health, home care, and hospice organizations, as well as related accountable care organizations; and HEALTHCAREfirst that offers electronic health record, software, billing and coding services, and analytics for home health and hospice agencies. The company markets its products primarily to sleep clinics, home healthcare dealers, and hospitals through a network of distributors and direct sales force in approximately 140 countries. ResMed Inc. was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.
The following companies are subsidiares of Illinois Tool Works: A V Co 1 Limited, A V Co 2 Limited, A V Co 3 Limited, ACCU-LUBE Manufacturing GmbH - Schmiermittel und -gerate -, AIP/BI Holdings Inc., Accessories Marketing Holding Corp., Advanced Molding Company Inc., Allen France SAS, Alpine Engineered Products, Alpine Systems Corporation, Anaerobicos S.r.l., AppliChem GmbH, Avery Berkel France, Avery India Limited, Avery Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avery Weigh Tronix, Avery Weigh-Tronix Finance Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix International Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix LLC, Avery Weigh-Tronix Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix Properties Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix Suzhou Weighing Technology Co. Ltd., Azon Limited, B.C. Immo, Beijing Miller Electric Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Berkel Ireland Limited, Berrington UK, Brapenta Eletronica Ltda., Brooks Instrument B.V., Brooks Instrument GmbH, Brooks Instrument KFT, Brooks Instrument Korea Ltd., Brooks Instrument LLC, Brooks Instrument Shanghai Co. 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Ltd., ITW FEG Hong Kong Limited, ITW FEG do Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda., ITW Fastener Products GmbH, ITW Fluids and Hygiene Solutions Ltda., ITW Food Equipment Group LLC, ITW GH LLC, ITW GSE ApS, ITW GSE Inc., ITW Gamma Sarl, ITW German Management LLC, ITW Global Investments Holdings LLC, ITW Global Investments Holdings Y Compania Sociedad en Comandita por Acciones, ITW Global Investments Inc., ITW Global Tire Repair Europe GmbH, ITW Global Tire Repair Inc., ITW Global Tire Repair Japan K.K., ITW Graphics Asia Limited, ITW Graphics Thailand Ltd., ITW Great Britain Investment & Licensing Holding Company, ITW Group France Luxembourg S.ar.l., ITW HLP Thailand Co. Ltd., ITW Holding Quimica B.C. S.L. Sole Shareholder Company, ITW Holdings Australia L.P., ITW Holdings I Limited, ITW Holdings II Limited, ITW Holdings III Limited, ITW Holdings IV Limited, ITW Holdings IX Limited, ITW Holdings Inc., ITW Holdings V Limited, ITW Holdings VI Limited, ITW Holdings VII Limited, ITW Holdings VIII Limited, ITW Holdings X Limited, ITW Holdings XI Limited, ITW ILC Holdings I Inc., ITW IPG Investments LLC, ITW Imaden Industria e Comercio Ltda., ITW India Private Limited, ITW International Holdings LLC, ITW Invest Holding GmbH, ITW Ireland Holdings Unlimited Company, ITW Ireland Unlimited Company, ITW Italy Holding Srl, ITW Japan Ltd., ITW Korea LLC, ITW LLC & Co. KG, ITW Limited, ITW Lys Fusion S.r.l., ITW Materials Technology Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW Meritex Sdn. Bhd., ITW Metal Fasteners S.L., ITW Mexico Holding Company S. De R.L. de C.V., ITW Mexico Holdings LLC, ITW Morlock GmbH, ITW Mortgage Investments II Inc., ITW Mortgage Investments III Inc., ITW Mortgage Investments IV Inc., ITW Netherlands Administration BV, ITW Netherlands Beta B.V., ITW Netherlands Finance Alpha BV, ITW New Universal LLC, ITW New Zealand, ITW Ningbo Components & Fastenings Systems Co. Ltd., ITW Novadan Sp. Z.o.o., ITW PPF Brasil Adesivos Ltda., ITW Packaging Technology China Co. Ltd., ITW Participations S.a r.l., ITW Pension Funds Trustee Company, ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids Japan Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids Korea Limited, ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids OOO, ITW Performance Polymers ApS, ITW Performance Polymers Wujiang Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers and Fluids Group FZE, ITW Peru S.A.C., ITW Poly Mex S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Polymers Sealants North America Inc., ITW Pronovia s.r.o., ITW Pte. Ltd., ITW Qufu Automotive Cooling Systems Co. Ltd., ITW Real Estate Germany GmbH, ITW Residuals III L.L.C., ITW Residuals IV L.L.C., ITW Rivex, ITW SMPI, ITW SPG Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Simco-Ion Shenzhen Co. Ltd., ITW Slovakia s.r.o., ITW Spain Holdings S.L., ITW Specialty Film LLC, ITW Specialty Films France, ITW Specialty Materials Suzhou Co. Ltd., ITW Sverige AB, ITW Sweden Holding AB, ITW Test & Measurement Equipment Shanghai Co. Ltd, ITW Test & Measurement GmbH, ITW Test and Measurement Italia Srl, ITW Test and Measurement Services Industry and Trade Ltd., ITW Texwipe Philippines Inc., ITW Thermal Films Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW UK, ITW UK Finance Beta Limited, ITW UK Finance Delta Limited, ITW UK Finance Gamma Limited, ITW UK Finance Limited, ITW UK Finance Zeta Ltd., ITW UK II Limited, ITW Universal II LLC, ITW Welding, ITW Welding AB, ITW Welding GmbH, ITW Welding Products B.V., ITW Welding Products Group FZE, ITW Welding Products Group S. DE R.L. De C.V., ITW Welding Products Italy Srl, ITW Welding Products Limited Liability Company, ITW Welding Produtos Para Solgdagem Ltda., ITW Welding Singapore Pte. Ltd., ITW de France, ITW do Brasil Industrial e Comercial Ltda., Illinois Tool Works Chile Limitada, Illinois Tool Works ITW Nederland B.V., Illinois Tool Works Inc., Impar Comercio E Representacoes Ltda., Industrie Plastic Elsasser GmbH, Inmobiliaria Cit. S.A. de C.F., Innova Temperlite Servicios S.A. de C.V., Innovacion y Transformacion Automotriz S.A. de C.V., Instron Brasil Equipamentos Cientificos Ltda., Instron Foreign Sales Corp. Limited, Instron France S.A.S., Instron GmbH, Instron Japan Company Ltd., Instron Korea LLC, Instron Shanghai Ltd., Instron Thailand Limited, International Leasing Company LLC, Isolenge - ITW Sistemas de Isolamento Termico Ltda., Itw Spraytec, KCPL Mauritius Holdings, Kester, Kleinmann GmbH, Krafft S.L., Loma Systems, Loma Systems BV, Loma Systems Canada Inc., Loma Systems sro, Lombard Pressings Limited, Lumex Inc., Lys Fusion Poland Sp. z.o.o., M&C Specialties Co., MAGNAFLUX GmbH, MEHB Holdings Limited, MGHG Property LLC, MTS 2 LLC., MTS 3 LLC., MTS China Holdings LLC, MTS Europe Holdings LLC, MTS Holdings France S.a.r.l., MTS Japan Ltd.., MTS Korea Inc.., MTS Systems China Co. Ltd., MTS Systems Corporation, MTS Systems Danmark ApS., MTS Systems Europe B.V., MTS Systems Finance C.V.., MTS Systems Germany GmbH, MTS Systems Holding B.V.., MTS Systems Hong Kong Incorporated, MTS Systems Limited, MTS Systems Norden Aktiebolag, MTS Systems S.r.l, MTS Systems., MTS Systems.., MTS Sytems Do Brazil, MTS Testing Solutions India Private Limited., MTS Testing Systems Canada Ltd., Manufacturing Avancee S.A., Meritex Technology Suzhou Co. Ltd., Meurer Verpackungssysteme GmbH, Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, Miller Insurance Ltd., NDT Holding LLC, NOVADAN APS, North Star Imaging Inc., Nova Chimica S.r.l., Orbitalum Tools GmbH, PENTA-91 OOO, PR. A. I. Srl, PT ITW Construction Products Indonesia, Pacific Concept Industries Limited Enping, Panreac Quimica S.L., Paslode Fasteners Shanghai Co. Ltd., Peerless Machinery Corp., Polyrey, Premark FEG L.L.C., Premark HII Holdings LLC, Premark International, Premark International LLC, Prolex Sociedad Anonima, QSA Global Inc., Quimica Industrial Mediterranea S.L., R&D Engineering A/S., R&D Prague s.r.o., R&D Steel ApS., R&D Test Systems A/S., R&D Tools and Structures A/S., RDGDK Engineering Private Limited, Ramset Fasteners Hong Kong Ltd., Rapid Cook LLC, Refrigeration France, S.E.E. Sistemas Industria E Comercio Ltda., ST Mexico Holdings LLC, Sealant Systems International Inc., Sentinel Asia Yuhan Hoesa, Shanghai ITW Plastic & Metal Co. Ltd, Simco Japan Inc., Simco Nederland B.V., Societe de Prospection et dInventions Techniques  SPIT, Speedline Holdings I Inc., Speedline Holdings I LLC, Speedline Technologies GmbH, Speedline Technologies Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Speedline Technologies Mexico Services S. de R.L. de C.V., Stokvis Celix Portugal Unipessoal LDA, Stokvis Danmark ApS, Stokvis Holdings S.A.R.L., Stokvis Promi s.r.o, Stokvis Prostick Tapes Private Limited, Stokvis Tapes B.V., Stokvis Tapes Benelux B.V., Stokvis Tapes Deutschland GmbH, Stokvis Tapes France, Stokvis Tapes Hong Kong Co. Limited, Stokvis Tapes Italia s.r.l., Stokvis Tapes Limited, Stokvis Tapes Limited Liability Company, Stokvis Tapes Norge AS, Stokvis Tapes Oy, Stokvis Tapes Polska Sp Z.O.O., Stokvis Tapes Shanghai Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes Sverige AB, Stokvis Tapes Taiwan Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes Tianjin Co. Ltd., Stolvis Holdings II S.A.R.L., Subsidiaries, Technopack Industria Comercio Consultoria e Representacoes Ltda., Teknek China Limited, Teknek Japan Limited, Teksaleco Ltd., The Miller Group Ltd, Thirode Grandes Cuisines Poligny, Tien Tai Electrode Co. Ltd., Tien Tai Electrode Kunshan Co. Ltd., Unichemicals Industria e Comercio Ltda., VR-Leasing Sarita GmbH & Co. Immobilien KG, VS European Holdco BV, Valeron Strength Films B.V., Veneta Decalcogomme S.r.l., Versachem Chile S.A., Vesta, Vesta Global Limited, Vesta Guangzhou Catering Equipment Co. Ltd, Viltronics Soltec, Vitronics Soltec B.V., Wachs Canada Ltd., Wachs Subsea LLC, Weigh-Tronix Canada ULC, Weigh-Tronix UK Limited, Wilsonart International Holdings LLC, Wynn Oil South Africa Pty Ltd., Wynn's Automotive France, Wynn's Belgium BVBA, Wynn's Italia Srl, Wynn's Mekuba India Pvt Ltd, and Zip-Pak International B.V..

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The following companies are subsidiares of Lithia Motors: 797 Valley Street LLC, Albany CJD Fiat, Baierl Auto Group, Baierl Auto Parts LLC, Baierl Automotive Corporation, Baierl Chevrolet Inc., Baierl Holding LLC, Broadway Ford, Buhler Ford Inc, Cadillac of Portland Lloyd Center LLC, Camp Automotive Inc., Carbone Auto Body LLC, Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat of Morgantown, Cranberry Automotive Inc., Crater Lake Ford Lincoln, Crater Lake Mazda, DCH (Oxnard) Inc., DCH Auto Group, DCH Bloomfield LLC, DCH CA LLC, DCH Calabasas-A LLC, DCH California Investments LLC, DCH California Motors Inc., DCH DMS NJ LLC, DCH Del Norte Inc., DCH Essex Inc., DCH Financial NJ LLC, DCH Freehold - V LLC, DCH Freehold LLC, DCH Holdings LLC, DCH Investments Inc. (New Jersey), DCH Investments Inc. (New York), DCH Korean Imports LLC, DCH Mamaroneck LLC, DCH Mission Valley LLC, DCH Monmouth LLC, DCH Montclair LLC, DCH Motors LLC, DCH NY Motors LLC, DCH Nanuet LLC, DCH North America Inc., DCH Oxnard 1521 Imports Inc., DCH Riverside-S Inc., DCH Simi Valley Inc., DCH Support Services LLC, DCH TL Holdings LLC, DCH TL NY Holdings LLC, DCH Temecula Imports LLC, DCH Temecula Motors LLC, DCH Thousand Oaks-F Inc., DCH Torrance Imports Inc., Dah Chong Hong CA Trading LLC, Dah Chong Hong Trading Corporation, Daron Motors LLC, Day Auto Group, Downtown LA, Driveway Motors LLC, Elizabeth Collision LLC, Florida SS LLC, Ford Lincoln of Morgantown, Freehold Nissan LLC, Fuse Auto Sales LLC, Hamilton Honda, Hazleton Honda, Hutchins Eugene Nissan Inc., Hutchins Imported Motors Inc., Jaguar Landrover Mission Viejo, LA Motors Holding LLC, LAD Advertising Inc., LAD Carson-N LLC, LAD Mission Viejo-JLR Inc., LAD Mobu Inc., LAD-AU LLC, LAD-MB LLC, LAD-N LLC, LAD-P LLC, LAD-T LLC, LAD-V LLC, LBMP LLC, LFKF LLC, LGPAC Inc., LLL Sales Co LLC, LMBB LLC, LMBP LLC, LMOP LLC, LSTAR LLC, Lithia AcDM Inc., Lithia Aircraft Inc., Lithia Anchorage-C LLC, Lithia Anchorage-H LLC, Lithia Armory Garage LLC, Lithia Auction & Recon LLC, Lithia Auto Services Inc., Lithia Automotive Inc., Lithia BA Holding Inc., Lithia BNM Inc. (nonoperating), Lithia Baierl-S LLC, Lithia Bryan Texas Inc., Lithia Buffalo-A LLC, Lithia CCTF Inc., Lithia CDH Inc., Lithia CIMR Inc., Lithia CJDO Inc., Lithia CJDSA Inc., Lithia CJDSF Inc., Lithia CM Inc., Lithia CO Inc., Lithia CSA Inc., Lithia Community Development Company Inc., Lithia Crater Lake-F Inc., Lithia Crater Lake-M Inc., Lithia DE Inc., Lithia DM Inc., Lithia DMID Inc., Lithia Des Moines-VW LLC, Lithia Dodge of Tri-Cities Inc., Lithia Eatontown-F LLC, Lithia FLCC LLC, Lithia FMF Inc., Lithia Financial Corporation (previously Lithia Leasing Inc. and Lithia Credit Inc.), Lithia Florida Holding Inc., Lithia Ford of Boise Inc., Lithia Fresno Inc., Lithia HDM Inc., Lithia HGF Inc., Lithia HMID Inc., Lithia HPI Inc. (nonoperating), Lithia Hamilton-H LLC, Lithia Hazleton-H LLC, Lithia Idaho Falls-F Inc., Lithia Imports of Anchorage Inc., Lithia JEF Inc., Lithia Klamath Inc., Lithia Klamath-T Inc., Lithia LBGGF Inc., Lithia LHGF Inc., Lithia LSGF Inc., Lithia MBDM Inc., Lithia MMF Inc., Lithia MTLM Inc., Lithia McMurray-C LLC, Lithia Medford HON Inc., Lithia Middletown-L LLC, Lithia Monroeville-A LLC, Lithia Monroeville-C LLC, Lithia Monroeville-F LLC, Lithia Monroeville-V LLC, Lithia Moon-S LLC, Lithia Moon-V LLC, Lithia Morgantown-CJD LLC, Lithia Morgantown-F LLC, Lithia Morgantown-S LLC, Lithia Motors Support Services Inc., Lithia NA Inc., Lithia NC Inc., Lithia ND Acquisition Corp. #1, Lithia ND Acquisition Corp. #3, Lithia ND Acquisition Corp. #4, Lithia NDM Inc., Lithia NF Inc., Lithia NSA Inc., Lithia Northeast Real Estate LLC, Lithia Orchard Park-H LLC, Lithia Paramus-M LLC, Lithia Pittsburgh-S LLC, Lithia Ramsey-B LLC, Lithia Ramsey-L LLC, Lithia Ramsey-M LLC, Lithia Ramsey-T LLC, Lithia Real Estate Inc., Lithia Reno Sub-HYUN Inc., Lithia Reno-CJ LLC, Lithia Reno-VW LLC, Lithia Rose-FT Inc., Lithia SOC Inc., Lithia SSP LLC, Lithia Salmir Inc., Lithia Sea P Inc., Lithia Seaside Inc., Lithia Spokane-B LLC, Lithia Spokane-S LLC, Lithia TA Inc., Lithia TO Inc., Lithia TR Inc., Lithia Uniontown-C LLC, Lithia VAuDM Inc., Lithia VF Inc., Lithia Wexford-H LLC, Lithia of Abilene Inc., Lithia of Anchorage Inc., Lithia of Bend #1 LLC, Lithia of Bend #2 LLC, Lithia of Bennington - 1 LLC, Lithia of Bennington - 2 LLC, Lithia of Bennington - 3 LLC, Lithia of Bennington - 4 LLC, Lithia of Billings II LLC, Lithia of Billings Inc., Lithia of Casper LLC, Lithia of Clear Lake LLC, Lithia of Concord I Inc., Lithia of Concord II Inc., Lithia of Corpus Christi Inc., Lithia of Des Moines Inc., Lithia of Eureka Inc., Lithia of Fairbanks Inc., Lithia of Great Falls Inc., Lithia of Helena Inc., Lithia of Honolulu-A Inc., Lithia of Honolulu-BGMCC LLC, Lithia of Honolulu-F LLC, Lithia of Honolulu-V LLC, Lithia of Killeen LLC, Lithia of Lodi Inc., Lithia of Maui-H LLC, Lithia of Missoula II LLC, Lithia of Missoula III Inc., Lithia of Missoula Inc., Lithia of Pocatello Inc., Lithia of Portland I LLC, Lithia of Portland LLC, Lithia of Robstown LLC, Lithia of Roseburg Inc., Lithia of Santa Rosa Inc., Lithia of Seattle Inc., Lithia of South Central AK Inc., Lithia of Spokane II Inc., Lithia of Spokane Inc., Lithia of Stockton Inc., Lithia of Stockton-V Inc., Lithia of TF Inc., Lithia of Troy LLC, Lithia of Utica - 1 LLC, Lithia of Utica - 2 LLC, Lithia of Utica - 3 LLC, Lithia of Utica - 4 LLC, Lithia of Walnut Creek Inc., Lithia of Wasilla LLC, Lithia of Yorkville - 1 LLC, Lithia of Yorkville - 2 LLC, Lithia of Yorkville - 3 LLC, Lithia of Yorkville - 4 LLC, Lithia of Yorkville - 5 LLC, Medford Insurance LLC, Milford DCH Inc., Northland Ford Inc., PA Real Estate LLC, PA Support Services LLC, Paramus Collision LLC, Paramus World Motors LLC, Personalized Marketing LLC, Prestige Auto Group, RFA Holdings LLC, Ray Laks Acura, Ray Laks Honda, Sacramento-L Inc., Salem-B LLC, Salem-H LLC, Salem-V LLC, Sharlene Realty LLC, Shift Portland LLC, Southern Cascades Finance Corporation, Subaru of Morgantown, Tampa-H LLC, Tustin Motors Inc., Wesley Chapel-H LLC, Wesley Chapel-T LLC, Zelienople Real Estate I L.P., and Zelienople Real Estate L.L.C..

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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...
YPSILANTI, MI - Two people were hospitalized after a fire in Ypsilanti on New Year's Day.

Firefighters were called shortly before 10:57 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 1 to 210 N. Washington St. for a report of a couch on fire in an apartment building, Ypsilanti police Capt. Dan Cain said.

All told, every level of the three-story building would suffer fire damage in an extensive fire requiring the efforts of five different departments to contain.

"If you had told me with what we had that there would only be two injuries, I would have been very surprised," Cain said.

Cain said the first firefighters that arrived found flames visible from windows on the second and third floors of the building. Inside, they also found flames on the first floor of the building.

"It was ... a worst case scenario for us being there were many rooms that needed to be searched, the time of day being Sunday morning," he said, noting people would likely be home.

Though many residents of the 16-unit apartment building escaped on their own without injury thanks to smoke alarms and neighbors alerting them to the fire, one person suffered an ankle injury from jumping out of the building, Cain said. Another person also had to be helped down a ladder from a second-floor apartment and is believed to have suffered smoke inhalation.

Both were later taken to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital for injuries, Cain said.

Despite the tough conditions - high heat, stairs catching on fire and doors burning all the way through - the Ypsilanti Fire Department contained the flames within an hour and half with the help of departments from Ypsilanti Township, Ann Arbor, Superior Township, and Pittsfield Township.

"They worked really, really hard," Cain said of the firefighters at the scene. "They did a lot of work to save that building."

Although the cost of damage was not immediately available, Cain estimated that 50 percent of the building was severely damaged. The building is now uninhabitable and the American Red Cross is working to assist residents.

Stewart Beal, property manager of the building, said the apartment complex will work with the Red Cross to provide shelter for the residents.

The official cause of the fire is still under investigation, but Cain confirmed that one resident reported that it may have started from a candle or candles falling onto a couch.

The fire serves as a reminder for candle safety - making sure they are properly put out - and general fire safety, as its believed an open door may have allowed the fire to spread more quickly, Cain said.

"Close your door," he said. "It compartmentalizes (the fire)."
CHEBOYGAN COUNTY, MI - A 22-year-old Indian River man was killed in a two vehicle crash, according to the Cheboygan County Sheriff's Office.

The crash occurred Saturday, Dec. 31 at 4:49 p.m. on South Straits Highway near Allen Creek Road in Wilmot Township.

Police said Tyler Hoobler was driving a 2005 Chevrolet Corsica northbound on South Straits Highway when he lost control of his vehicle because of the snowy weather.

He crossed the center line and went into the path of a southbound Ford F-150 truck driven by Veronica Gough, 27, of Mackinac Island.

Hoobler was pronounced dead at the scene. Gough suffered minor injuries and sought her own treatment. Two adult passengers in Gough's vehicle were not injured.

Police said all occupants were wearing seat belts. Alcohol is not believed to be a factor.

The crash remains under investigation.
KENTWOOD, MI - A woman has been arrested after she demanded money and threatened violence at the At-Tawheed Islamic Center Monday, Jan. 2, Kentwood Police Capt. Richard Roberts said.

Police responded to the center at 3357 E. Paris Ave. SE at 8:47 a.m. after a caller reported a woman was standing outside the mosque, covering her face and holding a gun.

Roberts said a service was not going on at the time and the mosque door was locked but a small group of people inside heard the woman pulling on the door.

Members inside answered and the woman demanded money. She indicated she had a weapon in her purse and Roberts said she made reference to "blowing something up."

Roberts said as one member attempted to calm the woman down, another called 911. The threat prompted a lock down and a Michigan State Police bomb squad vehicle responded to the center.

A police robot checked a jacket and purse left outside the center. The woman's vehicle, parked in a lot other than the center's, was also investigated.

Roberts said no weapons were discovered and the woman was taken into custody. No one was injured during the incident.

The woman was reportedly at the center last week and asked for scarves, which she received. Roberts said there was not any other prior contact with the woman and the center.

The woman is from the Grand Rapids area, in her 30s and had reportedly converted to Islam. It is unknown if she has any criminal history.

A.M. Metwalli, a board member at the center, said if the woman had come when the building was open to ask for financial assistance, members would have found a way to help her.

"We could have helped her out to solve whatever problem she have," Metwalli said.

He said he was not as scared of the situation as someone might have assumed.

"We're not scared because we know that our interaction with the community ... we're always protected by our community and we have a good relationship," Metwalli said.
franks.jpg

A 19-year-old man is in police custody after allegedly shooting at another man's face and running from the scene early Sunday morning, Jan. 1. (Courtesy of Aaron Dimick | adimick@wlns.com)

JACKSON, MI -- A Coldwater man wrestled a hand gun away from his face during a scuffle with a 19-year-old Jackson man on Sunday in the parking lot of Frank's Finer Food, police said.

The 19-year-old pointed the gun at the man's face, which started a scuffle and ended in a bullet being fired, Jackson Police Sgt. Jennifer Flick said.

The bullet grazed the 39-year-old Coldwater man's face, causing minor injuries, she said.

Police arrived at about 12:03 a.m., Jan. 1, and were directed to the parking lot of the store, 418 First St., Flick said.

Officers saw the 19-year-old run from the lot and chased him one block north of the store, where he was captured and arrested, Flick said.

A revolver was recovered by police during the chase, she said.

It all started with the 19-year-old approaching the Coldwater man and a 45-year-old Jackson man inside the store, she said.

A disagreement broke out and the 19-year-old allegedly demanded money and showed the two men a revolver he was carrying. He then left the store, Flick said.

The two victims waited inside the store for a short amount of time then left, where they were again approached by the 19-year-old.

The argument and demands for money continued in the parking lot, which is when the gun was pointed at the man's face, Flick said.

The 19-year-old is being charged with armed robbery, attempted murder, resisting and obstructing and minor in possession of alcohol, Flick said.

He is expected to be arraigned on Tuesday, Jan. 3, she said.

This happened about a half mile from downtown Jackson, where many residents gathered to celebrate the new year during Eve on the Ave.

The man was running in the general direction of downtown with a gun about three minutes after the celebratory ball dropped at City Hall.

"It was a wonderful response," Flick said. "They captured the suspect within one block (of the store)."

Frank's Finer Food is co-owned by Jack Singh, who also co-owns Ted Keyes Log Cabin Party Store, 500 Fourth St.

A store clerk was shot and killed at the Log Cabin store on Nov. 23 and police are still asking anybody with information to contact Jackson Police Detective Brett Stiles at 517-768-8722 or Crime Stoppers of Mid-Michigan at 855-840-7867.
DALLAS, TEXAS -- Hundreds of Western Michigan University and University of Wisconsin fans surrounded two rectangular plots of land in Klyde Warren Park as their respective marching bands duked it out in the Cotton Bowl's Battle of the Bands.

During the hour-long "battle," each band took turns playing fight songs, traditional marching band songs, and even a few pop tunes such as Uptown Funk and Can't Stop The Feeling.

The drum lines were featured in a few percussion-only songs as well.

The crowd danced along with the color guards and cheerleaders during the friendly competition.

Western Michigan University President John Dunn was among the cheering crowd, and took a few minutes to speak with various members of the band while Wisconsin was playing.

Buster Bronco and Bucky Badger faced off on stage to show their best dance moves.

Alumni, students and fans will be heading to AT&T Stadium to see the main competition at the Cotton Bowl tomorrow at noon.
From ocean-going freighters to cruise ships and even a historic replica of a Viking longboat, the U.S. Coast Guard's planned increases to pilot fees on the Great Lakes aren't popular.

At the same time, the U.S. Coast Guard says it's just doing its job of enforcing laws mandated by Congress. The pilots themselves say they've been under-funded for a long time.

Marine pilots are professional navigators who specialize in local geography, weather, currents and other sailing conditions. Ocean-going ships on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway are required by law to hire pilots to help with navigation.

Rates charged by the pilot firms are governed by the U.S. Coast Guard, which recently wrapped up a period for comments for increased 2017 proposed pilotage rates on the Great Lakes.

Some of the harshest opponents of the rate increases are shipping groups like the Great Lakes Ports Association. The association's executive director, Steve Fisher, said Coast Guard proposed to increase shipping rates by 14 percent for the 2017 shipping season - on top of double-digit percentage increases the previous two years.

"Our comments not only challenge the Coast Guard's methodology, but also a number of policy decisions that add cost to the system," he said. "In addition, the Coast Guard has made math errors in calculating the rates."

The Coast Guard also increased pilotage fees on the Great Lakes during 2016, and a court case over the 2016 fees is pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

The final briefing in the law suit is scheduled to be completed on Jan. 23, 2017, said the Coast Guard's director of Great Lakes Pilotage, Todd Haviland.

"We expect the court to decide the case by February or March," Fisher said.



Cargo ships, cruise ships and Vikings

Fisher said the Great Lakes Ports Association is mostly focused on how the increased rates could discourage freight traffic on cargo ships on the Great Lakes and Seaway.

But there implications for tourism as well.

Cruise ship lines in recent years have started operating more on the Great Lakes. The Port of Muskegon 10 visits in 2016 by the Peal Mist cruise ship operated by Pearl Seas Cruises. The visits came after the community planned and spent heavily to accommodate cruise ships, which had previously docked there on only one other occasion - an emergency stop in 2015. Cruise ships pay pilotage fees, too, he said.

"We don't want to scare those cruise ships out of the Great Lakes because of exorbitant pilotage fees," Fisher said.

The pilotage fees also can apply to smaller ships. The Viking ship Draken Harald Harfagre nearly canceled a 2016 visit to Bay City's Tall Ships Challenge because of pilotage fees its representatives said were unexpected.

"This is an example of what negative reaction will happen if these exorbitant fees get out of hand," Fisher said of the Viking ship incident. "Our fear is the same thing will happen with cruise ships, and the same thing will happen with cargo ships."

In an emailed statement, the Coast Guard's Todd Haviland said it's just a matter of following the law.

"In the case of the Viking ship, this vessel is registered as a foreign cargo ship in Norway," he said. "Therefore, US statute required it to employ a pilot during its voyage in the Great Lakes.

Pilots' importance

Haviland said the pilots perform a very important service.

"The United States and Canadian registered pilots are an extension of the public interest," he said. "They possess a series of maritime licenses and the local knowledge to prevent marine accidents."

The pilots themselves are supportive of the hourly rate increase.

Dan Gallagher, President of the Lakes Pilots Association, said pilots from 2014-2015 legally challenged the Coast Guard's lower rates and were successful in court.

"Over the last 20 years, the system has been under-funded," he said.

Gallagher said that the lower rates didn't brought in as much money as expected for training new younger pilots in the Great Lakes, who are often leaving for other waters around the U.S.

"We've been a training ground for the other groups," he said.

Gallagher said that freight traffic on the Great Lakes is predictable - steel inbound, and grain outbound. Gallagher said many tall ships would benefit from having a pilot on board, and for foreign-flagged cruise ships, he believes it's a necessity.

"If we don't have enough trained, well-rested pilots, these cruise ships are going to anchor," Gallagher said.
Close

"Will & Grace" is returning in 2017 as confirmed by one of the beloved sitcom's cast member Leslie Jordan. The actor revealed the news when he recently visited a radio station for an interview.

During Jordan's guesting on KPBS, he mentioned that the 90's show is coming back for 10 episodes. He said that the revival of the comedy show is a done deal already.

"It's back. Here's the way it works: NBC has ordered 10 episodes," Jordan told KPBS during radio interview. "It'll be for next season, so they'll go in July."

The host suggested that "Will & Grace" will perhaps' return but the 61-year-old comedian cut him off and said, "not perhaps, it's absolutely." With his words, then fans of the show can really expect it this year.

There were reports that NBC has been considering the comeback of "Will & Grace" since October of last year. The idea surfaced after four of the sitcom's main stars have gathered and reprised their characters for an election-themed promo video which instantly went viral.

The get together happened after ten years so it was a meaningful gathering for the original cast members of "Will & Grace." It was Eric McCormack, Megan Mullally, Debra Messing and Sean Hayes who starred in the viral clip.

Mullally also affirmed that their award-winning program has a good chance of being revived today. She sat down with PrideSource for a brief chat and she was asked about the show's return.

"All I can say is that there is a very good chance that that might happen," she said. "It's not happening right this second. I mean, we're not rehearsing or anything like that."

Then again, despite the confirmation from the cast, TV Guide reported that NBC refused to comment on the return of "Will & Grace." This means that the network has yet to issue an official announcement about the show's revival.

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Tajik authorities are looking into claims by an Afghan official that Taliban heavy weapons are being repaired by Russian engineers in Tajikistan.

Muhammadjon Ulughkhojaev, a spokesman for Tajikistans border guard agency, said on January 2 that the allegations are "baseless."

But he added he is unaware of all details of the allegations.

Ulughkhojaev said the border guard agency has been looking into the claim, will study the Afghan media reports, and will report on the results of their investigation.

Last month, a former governor of northern Afghanistan's Kunduz Province was quoted by Afghan media as saying that military vehicles and other weapons seized by Taliban militants from the Afghan Army were being sent to Tajikistan for repairs.

Muhammad Omar Safi reportedly alleged that the vehicles and weapons had been repaired by Russian military engineers based in Tajikistan before being returned to the Taliban.

Safi claimed that such cooperation between the Afghan Taliban and the Russian military has been going on for nearly two years.

Some 7,000 Russian troops are stationed in Tajikistan.

In recent months, Afghan officials have voiced concern over what they described as Russian aid to the Taliban.

In early December, Afghan lawmakers said they planned to investigate reports about alleged seizures of Russian-made weapons destined for the Taliban.

Russia denies providing aid to the Sunni extremist militant group.

Reporting by RFE/RL's Tajik Service
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current-affairs-trends Supreme Court removes Anurag Thakur as BCCI president The Lodha committee had asked the Supreme Court to appoint an observer on December 15, who would guide the BCCI in its administration, particularly with reference to the awarding of contracts, transparency norms, audit, etc., for domestic, international and IPL matches to be played hereafter.
business Bull's Eye: Buy HPCL, Ceat, Gail, Bata, Tata Chem, Arvind, IGL Ruchit Jain of Angel Broking is of the view that one may buy Adani Enterprises with a target of Rs 85.
The large home of the Rev. Ron and Karen Stein at 1703 10th St. S.W. in Mason City started out in 1974 as a home and early version of an assisted living business.

The home was originally designed with seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms on the main floor, with one side having bedrooms and bathrooms for sisters Agnes Lewis and Josephine Callahan. A separate side with four bedrooms and four bathrooms was built for four women for assisted living. There was also a bedroom and bathroom in the lower level.

Lewis and Callahan, both nurses, prepared all the meals and essentially did everything else. They lived in the home for two years, then sold is to the Sisters of Mercy from the hospital as a convent.

The Sisters of Mercy later sold the home to Scott and Cheryl Huff, and the Steins bought it from them in 2006. The Huffs have put in a new custom kitchen and had done other extensive remodeling.

The Steins were looking for a home that would accommodate two families, and were planning on Karens parents moving in with them. However, Karens father died the week before they were to move in and her mother lived with them the rest of her life.

Upgrades by the Steins include wood flooring in the kitchen and new flooring and windows on the four-seasons porch. A storage shed and a new furnace, air conditioning and water heater were installed and venting for the roof was added.

With changes and repurposing rooms, the home now has five bedrooms and five bathrooms, three bathrooms on the east side and two on the west. Two bedrooms plus an office are on the west.

The ranch-style home faces north and with tan steel siding blends into the 131-by-193-foot lot. White fencing on the front steps leads up to the door, and landscaping includes shrubbery across the front of the home.

The leaded front door window is beveled and etched. White tile defines the front entry with a coat closet straight ahead. Light beige carpet is used throughout the home.

From the entry, a door to the west opens into the 18-by-14-foot main-level family room, a hang-out used more than any other room in the house. Two casement windows flank a third window on the south. Walls are a light blue. Venetian blinds covering the windows have wide white slats, a treatment used throughout the home.

On the west side of the home, a wide archway reveals a hallway with two closets. Two bedrooms and an office open into the hall. The 10-by-10-foot office has a closet and could be used as a bedroom.

The north 14-by-13-foot bedroom has its own bathroom and a double closet. Two casement windows flank a third window on the north. The bathroom has a tile floor with blue highlights in the corners and a shower/tub combination.

At the south end of the hallway, the 22-by-16-foot master bedroom has three windows on the west and three on the south, with the center windows flanked by casement windows. Walls are a soft green.

The master bathroom has a jet tub and a separate shower. Tile is an off-white, as is the vanity counter. Walls are a very pale green. A carpeted walk-in closet was previously a bathroom.

Through a doorway on the southeast, the custom kitchen boasts a wood floor with random planks of maple and walnut colors. The floor goes with the maple cabinets. The fronts of the refrigerator, cabinets and dishwasher are also faced with wood.

On the south, two casement windows are above the white double sink. The ceramic counter has a light brown pattern.

Storage galore is Karens assessment of the kitchen, which includes a turntable cabinet and a three-layer spice rack. A desk on the west end matches the cabinets and has the same counter. The desk is beside the stairway to the lower level.

In the center of the kitchen, a dinette pulls out to seat 12. The table came to Iowa in a covered wagon three generations ago, Ron said.

On the southwest end of the kitchen, a glass door and window open to the four-season porch. An electric heater keeps it warm in the winter. Walls are a narrow white vertical siding and white cabinets came from the original kitchen.

Both Steins say its a great place in the winter. Three double windows on the south and one on the west are new. They overlook a strawberry patch.

The laminate floor is of random shapes and sizes and a door on the south goes to the yard over a brick patio. A dog door and a dog run are also part of the setting. Swings, a slide and a climbing tree are for grandchildren.

The dinette leads into the 22-by-15-foot living room to the north. Tan walls and a white ceiling match the colors of the kitchen.

On the west of the living room, river rocks of random sizes are built around and above the wood-burning fireplace, which reaches to the ceiling. Custom bookshelves and cabinets flank the fireplace.

On the north are two sets of four-section windows with white Venetian blinds with wide slats. A doorway on the west opens from the front hallway.

To the east from the living room, a hallway leads to the guest bathroom, with white tile flooring and a tub/shower.

The laundry room is to the south, with a deep sink, appliances and cupboards. The room is also used as a sewing room. In the hallway, a closet is used for linen storage, with another closet across from it.

A 13-by-10-foot guest bedroom is at the south end of the hallway. Three windows with flanking casements are on the east and three windows and a full closet on the south. Walls are a medium brown.

The bathroom on the north has white tile with blue corners and a tub/shower combination. The vanity has a white counter with drawers and cupboards of dark wood.

At the north end of the hallway is a 14-by-13-foot bedroom with medium blue walls and a full closet with the familiar three-window combinations.

There is more than 3,000 square feet on the main floor, Ron pointed out.

Carpeted stairs at the west end of the kitchen go to the lower level. White banisters mark the stairway.

The stairs to the lower level open into a second, carpeted 22-by-15-foot family room. Walls on the stairwell are pale gold, echoing colors in the kitchen.

Storage is on both the west and the east in this second family room. On the west are the utilities, including soft water, water heater, furnace and a water drainage pump. There has been no water in the lower level. Hookups are established for a washer and dryer on both the east and west sides.

On the south side of the hallway, a storage closet is on the east and a small bedroom and closet on the west. The area is used for storage.

A carpeted bathroom is on the east, with a shower. Walls are an off-white and the textured ceiling is white.

West of this family room is another bedroom with a closet. Walls on the south and west are of wide, horizontal boards.

The Steins say they have enjoyed the privacy the house and the backyard offer, adding it is great for entertaining and for overnight guests.

Finished square feet on the main level is 3,288 and 900 on the lower level. The driveway is asphalt and the garage is detached. Heat is forced air gas.

The home is listed with Tim Latham of Hildebrand Real Estate for $249,000. Agency phone is 641-423-5055. Latham can also be reached at 641-425-0363. Call him for an appointment to view the home.
January 02, 2017

Al-Qaeda Cut Leaves 5 Million Thirsty In Damascus - Western Media Unconcerned

There is a humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Syria and the "western" media ignore it.

On December 22 al-Qaeda aligned Takfiris in the Wadi Barada valley shut down the main water supply for the Syrian capital Damascus. Since then the city and some 5-6 million living in and around it have to survive on emergency water distributions by the Syrian government. That is barely enough for people to drink - no washing, no showers and no water dependent production is possible.

This shut down is part of a wider, seemingly coordinated strategy to deprive all government held areas of utility supplies. Two days ago the Islamic State shut down a major water intake for Aleppo from the Euphrates. High voltage electricity masts on lines feeding Damascus have been destroyed and repair teams, unlike before, denied access. Gas supplies to parts of Damascus are also cut. A similar tactic was used by the Zionist terrorists of the Haganah who in 1947/48 poisoned and blew up the water mains and oil pipelines to Palestinian Haifa.

Wadi Barada is a river valley some 10 miles west of Damascus at the mountain range between Lebanon and Syria. It has been in the hands of local insurgents since 2012. The area was since loosely surrounded by Syrian government forces and their allies from Hizbullah.

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Two springs in the area provide the water for Damascus which is treated locally and then pumped through pipelines into the city's distribution network. Since the early 1990s there is a low level conflict over the water diversion of the Barada river valley to the ever growing Damascus. The drought over the last years has intensified the problems. Local agriculture of the water rich valley had to cut back for lack of water as this was pumped into the city. But many families from the valley moved themselves into the city or have relatives living there.

The local rebels had kept the water running for the city. Al-Qaeda aligned groups have been in the area for some time. A propaganda video distributed by them and taken in the area showed (pic) the choreographed mass execution of Syrian government soldiers.

After the eastern part of the city of Aleppo was liberated by Syrian government forces, the local rebels and inhabitants in the Barada river valley were willing to reconcile with the Syrian government. But the al-Qaeda Takfiris disagreed and took over. The area is since under full al-Qaeda control and thereby outside of the recent ceasefire agreement.

On December 22 the water supply to Damascus was suddenly contaminated with diesel fuel and no longer consumable. A day later Syrian government forces started an operation to regain the area and to reconstitute the water supplies.

Photos and a video on social media (since inaccessible but I saw them when they appeared) showed the water treatment facility rigged with explosives. On Dec 27th the facility was blown up and partly destroyed.

Suddenly new organized "civil" media operations of, allegedly, locals in the area spread misinformation to "western" media. "There are 100,000 civilians under siege in Wadi Barada!" In reality the whole area once had, according to the last peacetime census, some 20,000 inhabitants. The White Helmets propaganda organization now also claims to be in the area. "The government had bombed the water treatment facility," the propaganda groups claimed.

That is a. not plausible and b. inconsistent with the pictures of the destroyed facility. These show a collapse of the main support booms of the roof but no shrapnel impact at all. A bomb breaking through the roof and exploding would surely have left pocket marks all over the place. The damage, in my judgement, occurred from well designed, controlled explosions inside the facility.

Some insurgents posted pictures of themselves proudly standing within the destroyed facility and making victory signs.



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There is more such cheer-leading by insurgents on social media. Why when they claim that the government bombed the place?

On December 29 the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs issued an alarm about the water crisis:

The United Nations is alarmed that four million inhabitants in Damascus and surrounding areas have been cut off from the main water supply since 22 December. Two primary sources of drinking water- Wadi Barada and Ain-el-Fijah-which provide clean and safe water for 70 percent of the population in and around Damascus are not functioning, due to deliberate targeting resulting in the damaged infrastructure.

One of the two springs, Al-Feejeh, has now been retaken by the Syrian army. 1,300 civilians from Ain AlFeejeh, the nearby town with the treatment facility, have fled to the government held areas and were taken in by the Syrian Red Cross. The other spring and the treatment facility are still in Takfiri hands. The government has said that it will need some ten days to repair the system after the Syrian army has gained control of the facilities. That will still take some time.

Western media have hardly taken notice of the water crisis in Damascus and their coverage seems to actively avoid it. A search for Barada on the Washington Post website brings up one original piece from December 30 about the freshly negotiated ceasefire. The 6th paragraph says:

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.

Then follow 16 paragraphs on other issues. Only at the very end of the piece comes this (mis-)information:

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 Dec. 22. Images from the valleys Media Center 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.

On December 29 a piece by main WaPo anti-Syria propagandist Liz Sly did not mention the water crisis or the Barada valley at all.

The New York Times links a Reuters pieces about the UN alarm about the water crisis. But I find nothing in its own reporting that even mentions the water crisis. One piece on December 31 refers shortly to attacks on Wadi Baradi by government forces at its very end.

A Guardian search for Barada only comes up with a piece from today mixed from agency reports. The headlines say "Hundreds of Syrians flee as Assad's forces bomb Barada valley rebels". The piece itself says that they flee to the government side. In it the Syrian Observatory (MI-6) operation in Britain confirms that al-Qaeda rules the area which "Civil society organisations on the ground" deny. Only the very last of the 12 paragraph piece mentions the capital:

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 22 December. The government says rebels spoiled the water source with diesel fuel, forcing it to cut supplies to the capital.

Surely a few people "fleeing" (to the government side) "as Assad's forces bombs" are way more important than 5 million people in Damascus without access to water. That the treatment facility is destroyed seems also unimportant.

All the above papers have been extremely concerned about every scratch to any propaganda pimp who had claimed to be in then rebel held east-Aleppo. They now show no concern at all for 5 million Syrians in Damascus who have been without water for 10 days and will likely be so for the rest of the month.

Posted by b on January 2, 2017 at 19:42 UTC | Permalink

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MASON CITY  A Mason City credit union has purchased two vacant bank buildings to be renovated and used for its new locations.

CENT Credit Union announced it is purchasing the former Bank of America building at 25 W. State St. in downtown Mason City to be used as its new headquarters. The Bank of America building has been vacant since that bank closed in August 2016.

It is also purchasing the former Community National Bank building at 3124 Fourth St. S.W., near Applebees and Mills Fleet Farm, to be used as its other branch office. That building has been vacant for about three years.

This is truly a monumental day in the history of CENT Credit Union, said Matthew Chizek, CENT president and CEO. Since 1965 weve been focusing on helping the people in this community, and thanks to their support were able to make this change.

Were also honored to provide a tremendous service to the city of Mason City by finding new use for a large unused property right in the heart of downtown, and a long-vacant building on the growing west side, Chizek said.

Relocation into the new facilities is expected to be complete by May. At that time the credit unions current locations, at 1341 6th St. S.W. and 12 N. Delaware Ave., will be closed.

CENT Credit Union began in 1965 as Mercy Family Credit Union. Over the years it merged with City Employees Credit Union, Lehigh Employees Credit Union and Government Employees Credit Union to eventually form the MCLG Family Credit Union. In 2015 it merged with the Northwestern States Cement Employee Credit Union and changed its name to CENT Credit Union.

Eligible members of the credit union include health-related professionals and employees; city of Mason City employees; Cerro Gordo County public employees; federal employees, U.S. Postal Service, UPS and Federal Express employees in Butler, Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Franklin, Hancock, Mitchell, Winnebago and Worth counties; Lehigh Portland Cement Co. employees; employees of the Iowa Department of Human Services, the Iowa DOT, Iowa State Patrol, the Iowa DNR and the Iowa Workforce Development in Cerro Gordo County; employees of Schukei Chevrolet, Mason City Business Systems, Northwestern States Cement and Woodharbor Custom Cabinetry; and family members of all those employees.

 Bob Steenson
The National Weather Service in Des Moines has allowed a freezing rain advisory to expire as scheduled at 3 p.m.

Some additional light rain and drizzle is expected into the early evening with temperatures near or slightly above freezing.

While glazing has been relatively minimal, as darkness approaches some refreezing is likely to occur on exposed surfaces as temperatures hover near freezing.

Some slick spots are likely to develop from this refreezing and travelers should be aware of this possibility into the evening. However, widespread glazing is not expected.

Farther north, some slippery conditions are expected. A wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain will be found across southeast Minnesota and along and north of Interstate 90 in western Wisconsin.

By the time the precipitation ends overnight up to an inch of snow and up to a tenth of an inch of ice will have accumulated in those areas.

Due to the cold ground, untreated roads along and south of Interstate 90 may become slick after sunset.
When it comes to climate change, clouds are the wild card. Atmospheric physicists at Michigan Tech use a turbulence-generating cloud chamber to better understand the details and droplets.

There are few absolutes in life, but Will Cantrell  professor of physics at Michigan Technological University  says this is one: Every cloud droplet in Earths atmosphere formed on a preexisting aerosol particle.

And the way those droplets form  with scarce or plentiful aerosol particles  could have serious implications for weather and climate change.

Its been known for decades that cleaner clouds tend to have bigger cloud droplets. But through research conducted in Michigan Techs cloud chamber, which was published today by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1612686113), Cantrell, graduate student Kamal Kant Chandrakar, fellow physics professor Raymond Shaw, and colleagues found that cleaner clouds also have a much wider variability in droplet size. So wide, in fact, that some are large enough to be considered drizzle drops.

Dirtier clouds, Shaw explains, not only have smaller droplets, but also much more uniformity in droplet size, with no observable drizzle drops.

If clouds have more aerosols in them, the drops would be smaller and more similar in size, Shaw says. It would be harder for the cloud to rain, and the cloud would then last longer. If a cloud rains, or has less water in it, it wont be there to reflect sunlight.

Watch Cloud in a Box video Watch Cloud in a Box Expand

Aerosols, Candy and Rain

For many people, the word aerosol conjures up images of Aqua Net hairspray or household air fresheners. But an aerosol is simply any solid or liquid thats suspended in gas or liquid.

When an aerosol particle in Earths atmosphere takes up water, it becomes a cloud droplet. On their own, aerosol particles are tiny; when a cloud droplet becomes a rain droplet, it grows by a factor of a million as droplets crash and coalesce together. What Shaw and Cantrell want to better understand is how aerosols affect the size where cloud droplets become heavy enough to fall as rain.

If there was no dust in the air, there would be no fogs, no clouds, no mists, and probably no rain. John Aitken, meteorologist and physicist (1839-1919)

To figure it out, they went to the cloud chamber and created two kinds of clouds  very polluted clouds and very clean ones. Imagine the available water in these clouds as a pinata full of candy, and all the aerosols are kids. If there are a lot of kids in the room, its more likely that most will get a piece of candy; if only 10 percent of the kids are there, then only a few  the fast or lucky ones  will scoop up most of the good stuff. Aerosols compete in the same way for water vapor: more aerosols result in smaller drops with a more even distribution, and fewer aerosols create larger drops with uneven distribution.

But theres another key element to consider: turbulence. The spraying and bounding candy released from the pinata is like the water vapor in a real cloud thats continuously mixed and swirled by turbulence. Sometimes the turbulence creates a spike of high water vapor. In a polluted cloud, lots of droplets are there to gobble the water vapor up. In a clean cloud, the same spike of high water vapor could last a long time with only a few fortunate droplets in the vapors vicinity to munch plentifully and grow much bigger than their neighbors.

"In a heterogeneous spread of droplet sizes, the cloud droplets are more likely to turn into rain droplets, because theyre more likely to collide," Cantrell explains, adding that different-sized droplets fall at different speeds because of Earth's atmosphere. "When rain droplets fall, their speed is governed by a balance between gravity pulling them down and drag holding them back. While every raindrop falls at terminal speed, the bigger drops fall faster."

Cloud White, Cloud Bright

There are many sources of aerosol emission. Anyone whos been to a megacity knows the orange haze of aerosols that often hangs in the air. Scientists have good reason to expect that those massive emissions of aerosols could change the brightness of clouds and how efficiently clouds rain. The Michigan Tech study reinforces that dirtier clouds  which are brighter clouds that scatter more sunlight, reflecting some of it back to space  will probably last longer because they are less likely to lead to precipitation.

Clouds are the big wild card, Shaw says. Were looking at clouds as one part of a large climate system. Like all the interlinked parts of the system, clouds tend to respond to changes in the system. But how will they respond? Will they counteract a lot of the carbon dioxide effect or just a little?

The cloud inside the Michigan Tech cloud chamber is turbulent, allowing researchers to keep it for as long as they want, so long as they keep feeding it aerosols.

Studying clouds in nature is notoriously difficult. Researchers have to take what they can get on any given day, and nothing is constant. In the cloud chamber, however, Shaw and Cantrell can control what are called thermodynamic and microphysical variables  the temperature, pressure, aerosol quantity and water vapor.

What makes the Michigan Tech cloud chamber different from any other is that the cloud inside is turbulent, and researchers can keep a cloud for as long as they want, so long as they keep feeding it aerosols. In other chambers, clouds are more static and only last for a matter of minutes. The Michigan Tech chamber works differently due to cloud mixing between a hot and cold surface, the same process that forms clouds or fog over a lake on fall days when the water temperature is warmer than the air temperature.

The Michigan Tech chamber creates clouds through cloud mixing between a hot and cold surface  the same process that forms fog over Portage Lake on fall days when the water temperature is warmer than the air temperature.

Out of the Box

Shaw notes that the strength of the cloud chamber research is also its limitation.

The strength is that we can control everything, Shaw says, but the atmosphere is full of feedbacks  you change one thing, and ten other things respond, sometimes in ways you dont understand.

The cloud chamber eliminates many of those feedbacks, and researchers gain an understanding of what happens when conditions are constant. But nature is never constant, so one of the next steps is to take the research to the skies.

Shaw and colleagues have collaborated with the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the Institute for Tropospheric Research in Germany to use their airborne laboratories to study clouds, and they may now be able to test size and distribution phenomena in real clouds. The researchers also plan to continue collaborating with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to continue vetting their atmospheric model using cloud chamber simulations and controls.

For now, growing human-made clouds provides insight only available through the team's specialized cloud chamber. The more researchers understand inside the cloud chamber, the better atmospheric scientists can apply this knowledge outside the box.

Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigans flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
CARPENTER | A Carpenter family began a pool tournament to raise money for cancer after losing their mother to the disease.

Tim Johnson's dad, known as Tiny, was a businessman and auctioneer in the Carpenter area for decades. His mother, Lucille, was a homemaker.

Lucille died July 4, 2000. The year after, Tiny was riding home from a cancer fundraiser where he had auctioneered. Tiny said to Tim, Why couldnt we hold a pool tournament and raise some money?

The family supported Tinys suggestion by promoting and holding the first tourney with only six weeks of preparation.

That first year, we only had 32 teams and it was held in one day, said Tim.

After Lucille's death from cancer and watching Tiny suffer bouts of colon and kidney cancer, the Johnson family continues to raise thousands of dollars each year to battle the disease.

The event has grown to well over 200 contestants. It is double-elimination for the winners bracket, but competing teams can continue to play in the hard luck and single-elimination brackets.

Every team is guaranteed at least four games, said Johnson. This is a tournament where everyone can play and have a good time.

The large event is played on 20 rented pool tables supplied by a Rochester, Minnesota, vendor. Area businesses and families support the cause by paying a $100 sponsor fee toward the rent of a table. Sponsors are recognized by large banners hung in the community center during the three-day event.

It takes a large number of volunteers to run the event as they conduct duties such as unloading pool tables, providing food and beverages and cleaning.

Spectators can attend the event for free to enjoy food, music and a silent auction.

The tournament has raised $400,500 since it began, according to treasurer Michele Douglas. Ninety-seven cents of every dollar raised goes toward cancer research.

Johnson said the Carpenter funds will be combined with other events in the area and the Lyle Area Cancer Committee will present the total amount to the Eagle Telethon, which will be held the end of January in Rochester, Minnesota.

Steven Thompson is a correspondent for the Mitchell County Press-News, another Lee Enterprises newspaper.
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 []
New members inducted into Institute of ...
MASON CITY  A Mason City man faces several charges after an event Saturday evening in which he allegedly kicked in the door to a home.

The Mason City police reported officers were called to the 1400 block of North Federal Avenue a little before 7 p.m. Saturday on a report of a possible violation of a no-contact order.

The report said officers determined that Montez Javon Lamont Guise, 25, of Mason City, kicked in the door to the residence and kept the victim from getting to the door for help.

Guise was charged with second-degree burglary, violation of a no-contact order and false imprisonment.

He was also arrested on three outstanding warrants for violation of pretrial release reference serious domestic assault, violation of a no contact order and obstructing emergency communications.

Guise was being held at the Cerro Gordo County Jail.

Mason City Police were assisted by Cerro Gordo County Sheriffs Office.
Confiscated Drugs And Other Items View Photos

Sonora, CA  A pair of alleged drug dealers were arrested yesterday morning in Sonora near the intersection of Mono Way and Cavalieri Road.

The driver, 42-year-old Heidi Stachersimmons of Jackson, was pulled over because her 2000 Suzuki had a brake light out and the view of the license plate was obstructed. A records check determined that Stachersimmons passenger, 37-year-old Justin White, was on parole. A deputy searched the vehicle and located two grams of heroin, an ounce of methamphetamine, a scale, several plastic baggies and $300 in cash. The two were arrested on charges of possessing the narcotics and transporting the drugs for the purpose of sale. White also had outstanding arrest warrants out of Sacramento related to domestic violence and traffic related charges.
Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors Sign View Photos

Sonora, CA  The Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors will vote whether to ban the sale of marijuana for commercial use.

The proposed move comes following the passage of Proposition 64 this past November which legalizes marijuana for recreational use in California and allows residents to grow up to six plants. Tuolumne Countys proposed ordinance, up for a vote at Tuesdays meeting, calls for a ban on selling marijuana from one person to another. It was recommended for approval by the Tuolumne County Planning Commission last month by a 4-2 vote. If approved by the Supervisors the ban would remain in place while a marijuana working group, created by the board, can review the various aspects of Proposition 64 and potentially come back with a revised ordinance. Supervisors Evan Royce and Sherri Brennan will be leading the marijuana working group.

In other business on Tuesday, the Supervisors will select a chair and vice chair for 2017. Tuesdays meeting starts at 9am in the Board of Supervisors meeting room. The election of a chair and vice chair is set for noon and the marijuana discussion at 1:30pm.
SpaceX has concluded its investigation into what caused a Falcon 9 rocket to explode on a Cape Canaveral launch pad last year, the company announced Monday.

Nearly four months after the Sept. 1 explosion, the Hawthorne, Calif. company says it has determined the cause.

SpaceX determines cause of Falcon 9 rocket explosion

Company plans to resume launches Jan. 8



PREVIOUS: SpaceX rocket explodes at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

The SpaceX investigation team concluded that one of the composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV) used to store liquid helium failed. The failure was likely caused by a buildup of oxygen between the vessels lining and overwrap, the report stated. Investigators also concluded that loading temperatures of the helium was cold enough to create oxygen, increasing the chances of oxygen becoming trapped.

SpaceX plans to implement short-term and long-term fixes to address the issue. One of the fixes will be to load helium at a warmer temperature.

The explosion occurred Sept. 1 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

A $200 million AMOS-6 communications satellite was destroyed.

With the investigation completed, SpaceX plans to return to flight Jan. 8 with a launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
MASON CITY  Larry D. Schuler, 80, of Mason City, died Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, at Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa.

Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 4, at St. Luke Lutheran Church in Nora Springs, with Rev. Dave Werges and Deacon Elayne Werges officiating. Interment will take place at Nora Springs Park Cemetery.

Visitation will be 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 3, at Major Erickson Funeral Home in Mason City, and continue one hour prior to the church service.

Memorials may be directed to the Larry Schuler memorial fund in care of the family.

Arrangements are with Major Erickson Funeral Home of Mason City.
ROCKWELL  Although Mel Kruckenberg didnt speak much about his time in Korea, his children helped him fill a scrapbook of memories from the war before he died in 2014.

Kruckenberg was drafted into the Army on June 4, 1952, and after stateside training was sent to the 40th Infantry Division training center in Chuchon for about a week, according to an autobiography the Rockwell man wrote about his military service.

From there, he went to the front line in the Punchbowl, a bowl-shaped valley south of the Korean Demilitarized Zone, where he was assigned to the A Battery of the 625 Artillery.

Although the pay wasnt much at the time  $145 a month plus $45 combat pay  Kruckenberg was pleased with the food.

The first morning I went to breakfast, I was going through the chow line and they asked me how I wanted my eggs done, he wrote. I didnt expect that.

In charge of communication, Kruckenbergs first duty was working on the wire sections switchboard.

Later as a wireman, he went to the Main Line of Resistance several times a month.

A buddy of his was killed there, hit by a mortar shell as he looked through a little window in the basket.

It blew his head off, Kruckenberg wrote. The bad thing about this is he could have been home.

After receiving the Bronze Star for laying wire under fire, his friend re-upped for six more months in Korea.

In May 1953, Kruckenberg had to help load weapons during an advancement.

All of us wire men had to go to the gun crews and help load the 105s, he wrote. We didnt know much about it but we helped anyway.

The night of the ceasefire in July 1953, Kruckenberg said the enemy shot everything they had at us before going quiet at 11 p.m.

The next morning we went up on the line, the North Koreans were waving at us and we waved back, he wrote.

The rest of his time there, Kruckenberg laid new wire just as like if we were at war, and moved around often.

His battery commander asked him if he wanted to re-enlist and stay six more months in Korea.

I said, no, I wanted to get back to Iowa, wrote Kruckenberg, who achieved the rank of sergeant. He received word in December 1953 he was going home.

Once back home, Kruckenberg worked at AMPI for 44 years until his retirement in 1996. He was a 60-year member of the American Legion Gallagher Post 208 in Rockwell and a lifetime member of the VFW in Mason City.

As an active member of those organizations, Kruckenberg was often part of Veterans Day programs at schools.

Kruckenberg recalls in his autobiography a conversation he had on that holiday in 1998 with a friend who also served in Korea.

I told him I didnt like being there at the time, but I wouldnt give up the experience for anything, he wrote. A school teacher in front of me turned around and said, Just like school, huh?

His son, Patrick Kruckenberg, remembers him as a quiet man who had silent victories.

He was proud of his service and his scrapbook, daughter Kris Kruckenberg said via email.
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Esperance

Residents in this small village along Schoharie Creek woke Sunday to find swastikas painted over buildings, signs and a local church.

Deputy Mayor Kelly Shelffo said state troopers knocked on her door early Sunday to report that someone had painted the symbols of hate the night before.

Shelffo said she recoiled when she looked out the front window of her home early New Year's morning and saw three swastikas painted on places near her home.

"It's devastating and heartbreaking, it makes you sick to your stomach that somebody thinks that they can come into our little village and just paint whatever they like, hateful symbols," said Shelffo, who has been on the village board for five of the eight years she's lived in the community.

She said she drove around the village and found at least nine swastikas, the symbol of Nazi Germany, and a favorite symbol of American hate groups. Some were easy to clean off buildings and signs, but others  including a green swastika painted on the side of a stone church  could not be removed.

Shelffo said she talked to her two children, Brianna Smith, 14, and Justin Smith, 12, about the vandalism and the meaning of the swastika.

"We decided we were going to grab up everything that we could in the house, cleaning-wise, and then go out to see what we could do to take these symbols off so that it wasn't exposed to everyone who drives through the village here," Shelffo told the Times Union.

By then some of the swastikas on private homes had been painted over and one of the symbols on a historical sign had been covered by cardboard. She said residents were able to remove most of the signs painted around the village. Others were covered up.

"It's disheartening for a little village like ours. We're a very close community and we have people of all backgrounds that live here in the village that we love and care for and who are our friends," she said.

"It hurt a lot of them to the core. To a lot of people this is a hate crime. It's a symbol of hate and it was definitely done as a malicious act to make us fear like it was a hate crime."

State Police are trying to determine who painted the swastikas. It appears the damage was done late Saturday night, Shelffo said.

State Police in Cobleskill confirmed the vandalism is under investigation but would not comment on the nature of the graffiti. The case is being handled by the agency's Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

Shelffo called the vandalism a "hate crime."

"We're going to have to pull together as a community and get through this and try and make sure that it doesn't happen again," she said.
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Memorial-area residents were witness to a lot of change and happenings in 2016.

At times, the area was kept indoors by Mother Nature and at others it was necessary to stay out of man-made harm's way.

The biggest news of the year centered on Mother Nature and a deluge of rain in what has come to be known as the "Tax Day Flood."

Areas from Cypress and Katy to Tomball, Memorial, down to Meyerland and more were affected, with some areas receiving more than 17 inches of rain as residents frantically attempted to get to higher ground and/or out of harm's way.

Nearly all major thoroughfares experienced flooding, with Interstate 10 and multiple others becoming completely overrun by water. At least 13 bayous broke their banks as a result of the rain dumped throughout the region.

In other highlights from 2016 in the Memorial area:

2 killed, 6 injured in shooting

The Wilchester neighborhood was the scene of a mass shooting on Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.

Terrified neighbors took cover as the shooting went on for as long as an hour or more.

When it was over, one suspect was dead and one innocent citizen had been killed. A second suspect had been wounded and was transported to the hospital, two Precinct Five deputy constables had been shot and transported to a nearby hospital and an additional three citizens had been wounded and transported with no life-threatening injuries.

According to then-Houston Police Department Interim Police Chief Martha Montalvo, the deadly shootout began at 10:15 a.m. A responding immediately relayed information and nearby units, including the Special Weapons and Tactical team (SWAT) began to set up an inner perimeter around the active scene and a second outer perimeter was set up to protect innocent citizens from driving up on the scene.

Area residents were ordered to shelter-in-place in order to stay out of the line of fire.

The main suspect was shot and killed by a SWAT team member.

Villages police help Louisiana

In August, police officers with the Memorial Villages Police Department took a trip to Louisiana on Tuesday to deliver cleaning supplies and other essentials to first responders in areas affected by recent flooding.

The department hosted a week-long drive for Memorial Village residents to donate the supplies, which turned out to be more than the department expected.

After receiving a huge amount of cleaning supplies and more than $5,000 cash from Memorial Villages residents, the police officers association had to use a bigger vehicle and bigger trailer to haul the donations.

Poe and cancer

U.S. Rep. Ted Poe announced in July that he was fighting leukemia - a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. He underwent treatment at MD Anderson in Houston but continued representing Texas' 2nd Congressional District. He won re-election in November, garnering more than 60 percent of the vote, and continues to serve the area in Congress.

Memorial Villages budgets

The communities that make up the Memorial Villages area passed their fiscal budgets with modest spending increases. While state funding is expected to drop amid economic uncertainty, a slowly recovering housing market with rising home costs is expected to add to the villages' coffers.

Spring Branch ISD slams 'Robin Hood'

Property owners in Spring Branch ISD will pay the same tax rate in 2016 they've paid for the last seven years, but about $1 in every $5 they pay will go to other school districts throughout the state.

And trustees in the suburban Houston school district made their stance on sending more than $65 million to the state known during a board meeting Sept. 26. Just before unanimously passing the $1.3945 per $100 valuation rate, board members said the controversial school finance system was hurting Spring Branch ISD.

"I think this continues to be an example of how our state doesn't fully understand how school finance works," Trustee Chris Gonzalez said. "It is very clear that our rate is staying the same and that we are not taxing at a higher rate. It's merely that the value of our homes have gone up. Unfortunately, those dollars won't stay in the district."

The state's school finance program, also known as the 'Robin Hood' plan, is meant to equalize the amount of funding for poor and wealthy school districts across the state, meaning property rich school districts like Spring Branch ISD must fork over a percentage of their local property tax revenue to the state.

Precinct 4 Pocket Park named in honor of Judge Bonnie Hellums

Precinct 4 Commissioner R. Jack Cagle honored Judge Bonnie Hellums, who served for nearly 20 years as judge of the 247th District Court, by dedicating a Spring Branch pocket park in her name.

Cagle recommended Judge Hellums for the honor because of her accomplishments as a family judge, lawyer, licensed counselor, and higher education administrator.

"In her many positions, Bonnie has worked to help families and individuals stay connected. Now this park will continue her legacy," said Cagle. "This beautiful oasis in the community serves as a conveniently located neighborhood park for families, individuals, and children to use and enjoy together."

Spring Branch ISD trustees select Schaper's replacement

Spring Branch ISD trustees appointed a Houston pastor to fill the vacancy left by retiring Wayne Schaper Sr. at a special meeting June 29.

The trustees unanimously selected Josef Klam to fill Schaper's seat until May 2017, which is when that seat's term is up. Klam is the directing pastor for adult discipleship at Chapelwood United Methodist Church off Greenbay Street in Houston.
Africa is not a country. It is a continent bursting with jewels and ingenuity. Boasting several countries with the fastest growing global economies, the Sub-Saharan African region is a vast business ecosystem, with gems hidden under rough terrains. For the creative entrepreneurs I had the pleasure of interviewing, the secret lies in the digging. Here are their stories.

Image Credit: Jason Njoku

As the founder of iROKO Partners, and iROKOTv, the leading online streaming platform in Africa, Jason Njokus principle is simple. "I am trying to make people happy," he says. Njoku admits that starting on YouTube in 2010 and building a successful global media empire has brought its challenges. I make more mistakes than I make good choices. My only saving grace is that the choices that I make are better and more significant. Now a venture capitalist, his current obsession is funding local entrepreneurs. I want to help young entrepreneurs build the next iROKOTV, he says.

Gina Din-Kariuki, Kenya.

Image Credit: Gina Din-Kariuki

In 19 years, Gina Din-Kariuki has morphed from being a public relations guru, to an award-winning management consultant and social entrepreneur, as well as honorary UNFPA ambassador and Red Cross goodwill ambassador. As the founder and executive chair of the Gina Din Group, she has served as a strategic advisor to Safaricom, steering the expansion of Kenyan telecommunications. Currently she is assisting Kenyas central bank with its rebranding. At her pinnacle of achievement, what's next? Where I am, it is much more about impact and significance, she says. I spend a lot of time, building young women entrepreneurs across the continent. I want to be the woman that I didnt have when I was starting my business, says Din-Kariuki.

Adaora Mbelu-Dania, Nigeria.

Image Credit: Mr. Chiekezi Dozie

The founder of A2 Creative, a thriving brand management company, Adaora Mbelu-Danias track record includes being behind Guinness recent new product launch in its second largest market, Nigeria. I am inspired by people, she says. But inspiration is different than personal foundation, which she describes succinctly: My recipe for success is God, love, discipline, patience, and forgiveness, in this particular order. Mbelu-Dania's business evolution is seen in her mindset change. My greatest mistake was thinking that I had to streamline and choose one thing, she says.

Related: The 7 Tenets of Branding

Alan Knott-Craig Jr., South Africa.

Image Credit: Alan Knott Craig Jr.

A trained accountant, Alan Knott-Craig has been changing the telecommunications industry in South Africa since 2003. His latest innovation is setting up the largest free public WiFi network in South Africa, Project Isizwe, which he has built one community at a time. What drives him? Fear of failure, Knott-Craig responds. He attributes his million-dollar success to focus, keeping my promises and marrying young. When there is no plan B, you have no other options, he says.

Nkechi Harry Ngonadi, Nigeria.

Image Credit: Abeke Makeovers

How does a person turn a passion into a lucrative business? By becoming purposeful about it. For Nkechi Ngonadi, CEO of NHN Couture, it comes down to her inspiration: Proverbs 22:29, The Almighty God and His Word, she says. In three years, NHN designs have been featured on prominent runways, and worn by celebrities across the African continent, and from the US to the Middle East. Don't focus on the immediate need only. Set your eyes on the big picture, she says. What is her best advice? Integrity, people follow if they trust. This trust has led to Ngonadi having almost 100,000 active followers (and counting) on Instagram alone.

Related: Marketing Advice from 3 Funded Fashion Startups

Jean Bosco Nzeyimana, Rwanda.

Image Credit: Jean Bosco Nzeyimana

How do you describe being seated on a Global Entrepreneurship panel between Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg and President Obama? Exciting and frightening! says Jean Nzeyimana. As founder and CEO of Habona, a clean and renewable energy company, this young entrepreneur has already achieved a milestone that many can only dream about. For him, it is bigger than a business. By transforming waste in his community to briquettes, a greener alternative to wood charcoal, Nzeyimana provides jobs and a cleaner environment.

Madey Adeboye, Nigeria.

Image Credit: Madey Adeboye

How do you create a booming business? Find a problem and solve it. For Madey Adeboye, a Nigerian lawyer, this was her path to starting Green Grill House, a leading healthy food cafe in Lagos, Nigeria, that features delivery options. Changing my eating habits and seeing the amazing results inspired me to want to do that for others. In just two years, Adeboye has gone from unraveling healthy cuisine in her own kitchen, to opening up her cafe and becoming a household name in Nigeria. Today, she has partnership requests coming from all over Africa.

Maavi Norman, Liberia.

Image Credit: Maavi Norman

The founder of IRIS International Consulting, social entrepreneur Dr. Maavi Norman bridges the gap by encouraging foreign investment in Africa, while supporting deep local impact. Through his affiliation as a mentor with the White House Young African Leaders Initiative, Norman has helped guide a cohort of like-minded entrepreneurs in Africa. For him, it all comes down to this: Stay laser-focused on solutions but evaluate a myriad of ideas for achieving them. Be open to readjusting, recalibrating and re-launching.

Gozie Udemezue, Nigeria.

Image Credit: Gozie Udemezue

What is the fastest way to scale a business? Find something old, add a modern twist, and send it back out into the world. This is how Nwachinemelu Local Food Kitchen was born. Gozie Udemezue, a trained lawyer and human rights activist, turned her kitchen into a golden goose, proffering a modern day version of her grandmothers traditional foods. What drives her? God is my main source of inspiration, she says. In less than two years, her frozen foods are being mailed across the country and ordered from around the globe.

Related: Food-Tech Startup Dinner Lab Is Crowdfunding a Cool $2 Million

Ashifi Gogo, Ghana.

Image Credit: sproxil.com

As a consumer, how do you guarantee that your purchase is not counterfeit? That thought got Dr. Ashifi Gogo started on Sproxil in 2009, which was recognized with an award by the White House. If I am paying extra, I need to know if it's organic, he responds. Sproxil engages with the world's largest brands to protect their consumers from buying counterfeit products. They reward loyal consumers to make them continue buying. Originally intended for the pharmaceutical industry to combat the huge global problem with counterfeit drugs, Sproxil has now expanded into the automotive industry and into the oil and gas sector.

Iyin Aboyeji, Nigeria.

Image Credit: Iyin Aboyeji

How do you get Mark Zuckerberg to invest $24 million in your company? Well, ask Iyin Aboyeji, he knows. As co-founder of technology giant Andela, he launched a tech talent platform across Africa. Exiting that, he is now at the helm of Flutterwave. My definition of success is building up others, building up the continent, Aboyiji says. Indeed he is, as Flutterwave promises to change the way financial transactions take place in Africa, by offering easy exchange of digital currency, that opens Africa up to the world.

Related:

11 African Entrepreneurs Who Are Changing the Business Landscape

Video: 5 diferencias entre la gente rica y la tacana

Street Business School, in Uganda: Entrepreneurship Is the Path out of Poverty



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
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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.
A year after the Plainview City Council re-platted and rezoned 2.29 acres for a planned memory care and assisted living complex south of the Walmart Supercenter, a building permit has now been issued for BeeHive Homes at 1425 Lometa.

The $1 million project boosted the monthly construction valuation in December to $1,037,850, closing out the year at $6,502,610.

Even with the BeeHive permit, taken out Dec. 28, the pace of local construction in 2016 fell well short of 2015 when the City of Plainview issued 268 construction permits for a valuation of more than $20.6 million.

According to the City of Plainview, 10 construction permits were issued in December, bringing the total in 2016 to 252 permits. The December permits include one residential addition valued at $8,000; one garage/carport at $550; one new commercial at $1 million, two commercial remodels at $20,000, one commercial demolition and four signs at $9,300.

Throughout 2016, the city has issued permits for five new residences, 34 residential additions, 17 residential remodels, three residential repairs, three residential demolitions, seven residential accessory buildings, 61 garage/carports, eight storage buildings, seven new commercial structures, nine commercial additions, 15 commercial remodels, three commercial demolitions, six commercial accessory buildings and 74 signs.

For the year, the new commercial construction is valued at $3.34 million while the commercial remodel projects are valued at $1.58 million.

The BeeHive Homes project, revealed in December 2015, is a memory care and assisted living complex designed to help the elderly with memory illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease and dementia. At that time, plans called for the 2.29 acres being divided into four sections with a separate 17-room living complex in each section. The first complex was planned for the southwest corner, and will serve as a memory care center.

A year ago company representative Tony Younger told the council that BeeHives concept is to provide care for the specific needs of clients affected by memory loss conditions. This includes the physical safety of the resident and their security in terms of personal belongings and confidentiality. This is care maintained as the client's condition progresses.

Once the first building hits 80 percent occupancy, Younger said BeeHive will build the second complex, and so forth until four structures are constructed and occupied.

According to the BeeHive website, the company has facilities in 17 states. Texas locations include Floydada, Frisco, Lamesa, Levelland, Lewisville/Flower Mound and Lubbock.

A list of building permits issued by the City of Plainview during December include:

--Residential addition: Francisco B. Castillo, 612 W. 28th

--Commercial remodel: American Home Patient, 605 Garland #A

--Sign: Knights Signs & Lighting, 3302 Olton Rd.

--Commercial demolition: Metro PCS, 511 W. 24th

--Commercial remodel: Metro PCS, 511 W. 24th

--Sign: Cricket, 3200 Olton Rd. #A

--Sign (two): Texas Carworx, 1000 N. I-27

--New commercial building: BeeHive Homes, 1435 Lometa

--Garage/carport: Ignacio Mijares, 312 SE Seventh

Three certificates of occupancy were issued by the City of Plainview during December, to LogoDogz, 3422 Olton Rd.; Cherish Spa, 3423 Olton Rd.; and Summit Mobile, 3200 Olton Rd. #A.
For decades, American companies, large and small, have been competing with one hand tied behind their backs thanks to our unfair, outdated tax code. American jobs are being lost to foreign countries and U.S. companies are urged to move their manufacturing plants, new technologies and headquarters overseas. Whole communities have been devastated as good-paying jobs continue to leave the U.S.

Today, "Made in America' products and services are at a tax disadvantage here in America and around the globe. That's because foreign competitors like China, Europe, Mexico and Canada all adjust their taxes at their borders  adding taxes to American-made products and taking taxes off their own. Because America doesn't border adjust, we lose both here and abroad.

Shockingly, this means Chinese steel is cheaper here in the U.S. than American steel. Mexican beef and autos are cheaper than American beef and autos. Foreign oil is cheaper than American oil. This tax disadvantage on "Made in America" products and services can easily exceed 20 percent  destroying true competition. Worse, it often means the best location for a U.S. company to sell to America is overseas. Why accept such an unfair and job-killing tax code?

***

The House GOP tax reform blueprint that I lead finally ends the "Made in America" tax. By border adjusting our taxes like our foreign competitors do, we level the playing field. For the first time in U.S. history, foreign imports and American-made products and services will be taxed at exactly the same rate. No more tax subsidies for foreign products or services. No more incentives for U.S. companies to move overseas. Everything taxed exactly the same  what can be more fair?

More importantly, border adjusting our taxes helps eliminate all tax incentives for U.S. companies to move their manufacturing, technology and headquarters jobs overseas. Coupled with the new lower GOP tax rates on local businesses and ending the double-taxation of U.S. earnings overseas, this establishes America as a 21st Century magnet for new jobs, technology breakthroughs and headquarters.

The GOP tax plan is already forcing companies to ask themselves, "How soon can we bring our suppliers back to the U.S.? "

***

House Republicans are going bold in business tax reform. We vault America back into the world lead by moving from the current income tax based on where companies produce to a simpler cash-flow tax based on where company products are consumed. We are also proposing the lowest tax rates on local businesses in modern history, permanent repeal of the AMT and death tax and the first-ever immediate write off of all new investment in buildings, equipment, software and technology.

And while it's new to America, border-adjustability is used throughout the world to give our foreign competitors a big advantage over the U.S. We match them, not with a hidden VAT, but with a simpler, smarter cash-flow tax.

Understandably, some companies that import a lot of foreign products have concerns. Taxing equally foreign and "Made in America" products is a big change. I'm confident, though, because in more than 100 cases worldwide when border-adjusted taxes were enacted by our foreign competitors, the value of currency adjusted efficiently, lowering the costs of imports and keeping prices low for consumers.

It's time to finally end the tax on "Made in America."

U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady chairs the House Ways and Means Committee. Call his Conroe office at 936-441-5700.
Wauwatosa, Jan. 02, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As Elite Media Communications Inc. company president Leigh Jackson received the news the company he and Brandie Jackson co-founded surpassed $1 million in total revenue earned in 2016, all he could do was smile. Thinking back to how tough its been over the past 6 years to gain momentum and keep it going, Jackson believes the last 18 months have definitely been more enjoyable than the first four years. Theres no doubt 2016 was our best year ever, but if we rest on our laurels and achievements we will become complacent and never reach all the goals we set when the company was founded,  said Jackson. This year alone Elite Media promoted four individuals to management, which the company had never done before. Im a firm believer in the law of attraction, writing down goals and speaking them in to existence so they can be achieved, said Jackson.



Elite Media fuels the fire of success as Jackson, continues to expand his extensive client base, while maintaining a presence in satellite television services as the nation's number one Midwest Marketing Firm. Jackson's expertise and commitment to excellence is evident through Elite Media Communications growing reputation as a nationwide leader in outsourced and innovative marketing campaigns since 2010. This year great leaps and bounds were taking by adding more products to the companys portfolio such as broadband and energy. Providing superior service by motivated, well-trained sales and management teams with a personalized one-on-one approach ensures the acquisition and retention of new and current customers.



What excited Jackson more than anything that happened in 2016 was not only creating twice as many jobs than ever before, but its involvement in the community. Company co-president Brandie Jackson initiated the movement. Operation smile was the companys first initiative, which allowed Elite Media to partner with Care-Age of Brookfield. Care-Age is an assisted living facility that allowed Elite Media to donate special handcrafted bouquets carefully selected and ensemble by its staff to the residents. Elite Media has participated in a couple more projects since then with the Care-Age. Teaming up with the Milwaukee Rescue Mission was by far was the most rewarding partnership Elite Media established all year. Well over 300 less fortunate individuals were able to be fed during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays as a result of multiple donations made by Elite Media and its staff members.



Jackson is putting major pressure on himself in 2017 to make this an encore year. Expansion and helping our entry level staff members matriculate to management will always be at the forefront of our goals. We have four offices in our organization currently and would like to end 2017 with 15. That being said, our first quarter is already set to be our biggest growth quarter ever with several promotions lined up in our organization. However, Im probably more excited to help in the community and aid the development of our new charities department. We had a great year last year, the bar was set, now its time to raise our standards, said Jackson.



For more information please contact HR: 414-778-0179

Please visit our website: www.elitemediacommunications.com
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Among the presence of family, friends and voters Sunday, 19 elected officials were sworn into their respective Montgomery County offices.

The November election came to an official close when judges, constables and the county's first new sheriff in more than a decade took their oaths of office at the Lone Star Convention and Expo Center. The event drew dozens of family members and co-workers who were all supporting their loved one as they swore to uphold the U.S. Constitution and serve the people of Montgomery County.

In a speech before the ceremony began, Ark Church Executive Pastor Phillip Moore thanked the 19 officials for their service and told them his church is praying for their time in office.

"Over the years, I've learned it the hard way that as you step out to lead or govern and make a difference, you're not going to make everybody happy," Moore said. "It's like herding cats. It's just simply not possible."

Moore reminded the officials of the Biblical story of Moses, whom Christians believe was called upon by God to deliver Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promise Land. He said Moses, too, had times of doubt but persevered to serve the people he swore to protect.

"As you step out into this new leadership role that the people of Montgomery County have elected you to, there will almost certainly come those days of doubt," Moore said. "In those times, I encouraged you to rest confidently in (God's) promise."

Much like Moore, County Judge Craig Doyal told the officials that tremulous times were all but guaranteed for elected officials, but he urged them not to fret.

"We have to battle the battles but not forget that we have a job to do each and every day regardless of those battles," Doyal said. "It can be very challenging, but it can be very rewarding."

In a ceremonial exchanging of badges, former Montgomery County Sheriff Tommy Gage pinned the five-point sheriff's star onto new Sheriff Rand Henderson. Henderson thanked his family and supporters who helped him through his years-long campaign. Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Wayne Mack swore Henderson into office at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, since that was when Henderson's term officially started.

He was again sworn in during the ceremony in front of his family.

"They've been through a lot in the two-and-a-half-year process it's taken to assume this office," Henderson said. "We've got an amazing leadership team that's been named as well."

The following elected officials took their oath of office:

Charles Kreger - Justice, 9th Court of Appeals (sworn in by Honorable Steve McKeithan)

Phil Grant - 9th state District Court (sworn in by Judge Jennifer Robin)

Jennifer Robin - 410th state District Court (sworn in by Judge Tracy Gilbert)

Tracy Gilbert - 418th state District Court (sworn in by Judge Craig Doyal)

Scharlene Overstreet - 418 state District Court (sworn in by Judge Tracy Gilbert)

Patty Maginnis - 435th state District Court (sworn in by Judge Lisa Michalk)

Brett Ligon - District Attorney (sworn in by Judge Phil Grant)

Keith Stewart - County Court at Law #5 (sworn in by Judge Claudia Laird)

J.D. Lambright - County Attorney (sworn in by Judge Kathleen Hamilton)

Rand Henderson - Sheriff (sworn in by Judge Craig Doyal)

Tammy McRae - Tax Assessor/Collector (sworn in by Judge Phil Grant)

Mike Meador - Commissioner Precinct 1 (sworn in by Judge Wayne Mack)

James Noack - Commissioner Precinct 3 (sworn in by former Judge Alan B. Sadler)

Phillip Cash - Constable Precinct 1 (sworn in by Judge Wayne Mack)

Gene DeForest - Constable Precinct 2 (sworn in by Judge Wayne Mack)

Ryan Gable - Constable Precinct 3 (sworn in by Judge Claudia Laird)

Kenneth "Rowdy" Hayden - Constable Precinct 4 (sworn in by Judge Claudia Laird)

David Hill - Constable Precinct 5 (sworn in by Judge Matt Masden)

Phyllis Martin - County Auditor (appointed) (sworn in by Judge Kathleen Hamilton)
The reward for Freddie Alaniz, 36, a Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitive and this months featured fugitive, has been increased to $12,500 for information leading to his capture if the tip comes in during the month of January.

Alaniz is wanted for murder, sexual assault of a child and possession of marijuana. All tips are guaranteed to be anonymous.

In 2006, Alaniz was arrested for aggravated assault in San Antonio for allegedly stabbing a man during a fight. Alaniz was able to make bail and subsequently fled, and has been a fugitive since then. The victim later died as a result of his injuries, and the Bexar County Sheriffs Office issued an arrest warrant for Alaniz on the charge of murder in August 2006. Alanizs warrant for sexual assault of a child stems from a February 2006 arrest in Zavala County.

Alaniz has ties to the town of La Pryor, Texas (Zavala County). His criminal history also includes assault causing bodily injury, resisting arrest and driving while intoxicated.

Alaniz is between 5 feet 3 inches and 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs between 120 to 150 pounds; however, his appearance may have significantly changed. The above images show Alaniz in 2006 (left) and a digital age progression photo (developed by a Texas Ranger forensic artist) of how the fugitive is believed to look today. Alaniz has a tattoo of a dot on his left hand and a scar on his right eyebrow. Alaniz also had a broken nose in the past and was known to wear prescription glasses.

One offender from the Texas 10 Most Wanted Program is featured each month in hopes the higher reward money from the Governors Criminal Justice Division will generate additional tips. The higher reward amount will only be paid if the tip comes in the same month the fugitive is featured.

To be eligible for the cash rewards, tipsters must provide information to authorities using one of the five following methods:

Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477).

Text the letters DPS  followed by your tip  to 274637 (CRIMES) from your cell phone.

Submit a web tip through the DPS website by selecting the fugitive you have information about, and then clicking on the link under their picture.

Submit a Facebook tip at http://www.facebook.com/texas10mostwanted by clicking the SUBMIT A TIP link (under the About section).

Submit a tip through the DPS Mobile App. The app is currently available for iPhone users on the Apple App Store: (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/texas-dps/id902092368?mt=8) and for Android users on Google Play: (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microassist.texasdps&hl=en).

All tips are anonymous  regardless of how they are submitted, and tipsters will be provided a tip number instead of using a name.

DPS investigators work with local law enforcement agencies to select fugitives for the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitive and Sex Offender lists.

Do not attempt to apprehend these fugitives; they are considered armed and dangerous.
NORWALK  Purchasing property in Fairfield County is something even experienced homebuyers struggle to accomplish.

But the Connecticut Department of Housing and the Housing Development Fund, in partnership with the Norwalk Redevelopment Agency, is hoping to make the reality of homeownership a little more accessible to first-time homebuyers in the area by offering downpayment assistance.

I encourage families to contact the Housing Development Fund to see if they are eligible for this program, said Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling. Its a great opportunity that can make the dream of homeownership come true for you.

The Statewide Downpayment Assistance Program is available to eligible homebuyers, and offers loans between $15,000-25,000 to buyers across the state of Connecticut. The program is part of a $3 million commitment by the state to provide homeownership assistance.

The program is available to first-time buyers with an income less than 100 percent of the area median income who are purchasing their primary residence. The area median income in the Stamford-Norwalk area is $131,300, according to the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority.

The statewide commitment for first-time homebuyers is a good thing for Norwalk and its going to help introduce more people to the market, said Tim Sheehan, executive director of the Norwalk Redevelopment Agency.

The assistance is a 30-year, 0 percent second mortgage. There are no loan closing fees associated with the loan, and the funds can be used for the downpayment and for closing costs.

Up to $25,000 in is available to buyers in High and Very High Opportunity Census Tracts across the state. To find out if a home is in an eligible tract, visit the Housing Development Fund website. If a home is not in an eligible census tract, up to $15,000 is available.

I am very excited to share this homeownership opportunity with the wonderful City of Norwalk, and we stand ready to assist people who are interested, said Joan M. Carty, CEO and President of the Housing Development Fund, which is based in Stamford.

Potential homebuyers can get more information by calling 203-969-1830, visiting www.hdfconnects.org/borrow/dap or by emailing fthb@hdfconnects.org. Additionally, HDFs first-time homebuyer adviser services are provided free of charge.

KKrasselt@scni.com; 203-354-1021; @kaitlynkrasselt
Jan. 3, 1937: E.B. Miller was installing officer for new Kiwanis Club officers: E.H. Ezell, president; Jack Skaggs and Elgar Winn, vice presidents; Bob Heath, secretary-treasurer; and directors C.E. McSwain, Herman Ford, Elton Flake, C.H. Hancock, Glenn D. Chase, Roy Smith, O.E. Brashear and M.E. Sidebottom. R.Q. Silverthorne is lieutenant governor.

--Longtime local merchant C.E. White retired at the end of 1936, and has turned over operation of C.E. White Seed Co. to his sons, Emmett and Warren White.

-- Friendship Day on Wednesday coincides with January Dollar Day. In connection, a rat killing contest will be held at the City Auditorium. The Friendship Day committee will pay 25 cents for each fully-grown rate delivered to the Chamber of Commerce office on Thursday morning.

Jan. 3, 1967: The first baby of 1967, Brenda Lee Roberts, was born at Plainview Hospital and Clinic at 6:32 a.m. Jan. 1. Parents are Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Roberts of Plainview.

--Plains are being made for the Soil Fertility Day program, which is set for Wednesday. County Agent Ollie Liner is in charge of arrangements.

--Army Pvt. Raymond Barron Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Barron of Plainview, completed basic training at Fort Bliss in December.

Jan. 3, 1977: Although Clay Fowler has jumped off horses hundreds of times to wrestle steers, the Plainview freshman who is a member of the Texas Tech rodeo team, jumped on the books hard during the first semester. He earned a 3.47 GPA as a pre-vet major. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Bill Fowler of Plainview.

--A $25 soil moisture tensiometer should help irrigation farms save both water and money, according to James Esty, Hale County Extension agronomist.

--Plainview Junior Service League is beginning its search for local talent to perform in its follies fundraising project, with a talent party planned Tuesday in City National Banks El Centro Room.

Jan. 3, 1997: A photo showed partygoers wishing each other Happy New Year with hugs and kisses as the clock chimed midnight at a LULAC party at the American Legion Hall.

--Veronica Ramirez and Ben Rodriquez of Hale Center had Plainviews first baby of the year, Ericka.

--PHS cheerleader Tasha Smith won second place in competition in Hawaii over the Christmas holidays. She performed at the Aloha Bowl and was named an All-Star Cheerleader.
mbaMissionJenK wrote:

Hi Pedro,



Thanks for your post, and good for you for planning ahead; that will only benefit you in the long run throughout this process.



In looking at your profile, overall it looks solid so far and while the schools you are interested in are quite competitive, I would feel they are worth a shot for you. Keep in mind the admissions process is holistic, so the admissions committee considers all that you share with them. Based on the info I have here, the following strengths are apparent:



-great GMAT (congrats!)

-solid academics, demonstrated quant/analytical skills

-extensive international experience which is a plus for all schools (and basically a requirement at INSEAD)

-volunteering experience (the more recent and frequent the better but any is better than none)



In terms of weaknesses, nothing major stands out to me thus far; let me know if you have any concerns. I think the 'challenge' is simply that many of these schools are SO competitive (MIT being the toughest on your list, accepting less than 15% of applicants for example!!), that they do have to turn away people who ARE qualified, every admissions cycle, due to lack of space. So try to highlight areas that you feel you have as strengths that perhaps others might now; which can be professional and/or personal strengths, skills and/or experiences. Certainly your international experiences will be one area to build out, and illustrate how those experiences have shaped you.



Keep in touch in the coming 6-9 months and let us know what other q's you may have; feel free to sign up for a free consultation if desired as it gets closer. Spend some time if possible researching specific schools and speak with current students/alum at each. Those who plan well in advance will often start working on apps in late spring/early summer, in prep for Round 1 Sept or Oct. (And keep in mind sometimes apps/essays do change, they'll each be released at some point in the summer).



Good luck and let us know how it all goes!

Hello Jen,Thank you for taking the time to write this feedback!I will keep your offer for a consultation in mind, so we may speak again next year.Best wishes to you and all the team,Pedro
SAN ANTONIO  A teen-aged boy was shot in the arm on the Northwest Side on Sunday evening after he attempted to evade the gunman in his vehicle, police said.

Authorities were dispatched about 6:30 p.m. to 4900 View Drive and found a minor who sustained one gunshot wound to his arm.
The Texas Department of Public Safety raised the reward for information leading to the capture of one of the state's most wanted fugitives to $12,500 Monday.

Authorities are searching for Freddie Alaniz, 36, who is wanted for murder, sexual assault of a child and possession of marijuana, according to a Texas DPS news release. Alaniz was arrested in San Antonio in 2006 for aggravated assault after he allegedly stabbed a man during a fight. He fled the area after making bail and has been on the run ever since, officials said.
Estimados amigos,

Les doy cordialmente la bienvenida a este Blog informativo con articulos, analisis y comentarios de publicaciones especializadas y especialmente seleccionadas, principalmente sobre temas economicos, financieros y politicos de actualidad, que esperamos y deseamos, sean de su maximo interes, utilidad y conveniencia.

Pensamos que solo comprendiendo cabalmente el presente, es que podemos proyectarnos acertadamente hacia el futuro.

Las convicciones son mas peligrosos enemigos de la verdad que las mentiras.

There are decades when nothing happens and there are weeks when decades happen.

You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.

No soy alguien que sabe, sino alguien que busca.

Only Gold is money. Everything else is debt.

Las grandes almas tienen voluntades; las debiles tan solo deseos.

Quien no lo ha dado todo no ha dado nada.

History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.

If you know the other and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.
Suzell Ann Waller called friends and strangers My Love, pulling them into her world.

As nurse director of the Metropolitan Methodist Hospital labor and delivery; her family extended far beyond her home to include nurses, staff, doctors and mothers giving birth on the ward.

More than 80,000 babies were delivered under her leadership, Dr. Dawn Mayo said.

She was a driving force, Mayo said. The efficiency of the unit and quality of the nurses was evident immediately.  It was all due to her.

Waller died Dec. 18 at age 57.

While hospitalized for nearly three weeks with terminal cancer, Waller began saying goodbye to friends and family.

Hundreds of people came to visit her in the hospital, daughter Wendy Rodriguez said. She was a mentor to many, who credited her for their decisions to become nurses, and doctors expressed gratitude for the work she accomplished, Rodriguez said.

She almost did not become a nurse. Growing up in San Antonio with a family that loved to travel, Wallers dream was to become an airline stewardess. That was until a childhood friend introduced her to nursing, then everything changed.

A graduate of Roosevelt High School, Waller went on to nursing school at San Antonio College, then received a bachelors degree in nursing from the University of Texas at Arlington.

I met her when she was 19, going to SAC and working at the Sheraton Seven Oaks on Austin Highway, husband Jim Waller said.

More Information Suzell Ann Waller Born: April 18, 1959, San Antonio Died: Dec. 18, 2016, San Antonio Preceded by: Paternal grandparents Alejandro and Alejandra Reyes; maternal grandparents Carlos and Maria Garcia; mother-in-law Phyllis Frezin. Survived by: Husband Jim Waller; parents Edward and Rosie Reyes; daughters Wendy Rodriguez and son-in-law Adrian, and Erika Waller; stepdaughter Lori Trenbath; sisters Liza Marie Stockwell and brother-in-law Quico, Jennifer Rose Human and brother-in-law Chris; and two grandchildren. Services: Mass of Resurrection 10 a.m. Thursday at Our Lady's Chapel, University of the Incarnate Word, 4301 Broadway; a reception will follow. Celebration of Life from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday at UIW's Rosenberg Skyroom, 847 E. Hildebrand Ave. See More Collapse

He was a 35-year old saxophonist from California visiting the RoadApple Band, a group wanting to recruit him.

She was gorgeous, Jim Waller said. And after nine months we were madly in love and inseparable.

Their 37-year marriage began at the altar of St. Thomas More Catholic Church on Aug. 5, 1979. Three years later, Wendy, the first of two daughters, was born.

Waller was a constant presence in her girls lives, cooked a meal for us every night, helped us with our homework, daughter Wendy Rodriguez said. And was there when I became a mother; these are the moments Ill cherish, she said.

Daughter Erika remarked about the 21st birthday trip to Las Vegas that her mom planned. All the surprises were waiting for me; the whole plane sang happy birthday, and there was a limo waiting for us, she said.

Next summer the Waller family will spread her ashes in Hanalei Bay on the North Shore of Kauai island in Hawaii, Suzells and Jims favorite place.
When Donald Trump lies, is he telling a lie? Not if we cannot prove an intent to mislead, apparently.

With Trump set to take control of the presidency, media figures are currently engaged in a spirited debate over how to handle the Trump administration's approach to the news media, now that it looks likely he will continue employing the unprecedented levels of dishonesty he wielded to great effect during the campaign.

The early returns in this debate are not encouraging. In fact, they suggest that we in the news media are simply unprepared for the challenges the Trump presidency will pose to us. I've already tried to argue that news orgs are needlessly helping Trump's use of unverified claims result in precisely the headlines he wants.

Now here's yet another data point. On "Meet the Press," Chuck Todd pressed Wall Street Journal editor in chief Gerard Baker on whether his paper would call out Trump's lies for what they are, as other news orgs have been doing with more regularity. Baker's response is worth quoting in full, because it should go into the time capsule for future generations to ponder in puzzling out what happened in this country at the outset of the 21st century:

"I'd be careful about using the word, "lie." "Lie" implies much more than just saying something that's false. It implies a deliberate intent to mislead. ... when Donald Trump says thousands of people were on the rooftops of New Jersey on 9/11 celebrating, thousands of Muslims were there celebrating, I think it's right to investigate that claim, to report what we found, which is that nobody found any evidence of that whatsoever, and to say that.

"I think it's then up to the reader to make up their own mind to say, "This is what Donald Trump says. This is what a reliable, trustworthy news organization reports. And you know what? I don't think that's true." I think if you start ascribing a moral intent, as it were, to someone by saying that they've lied, I think you run the risk that you look like you are, like you're not being objective.

"And I do think also it applies - this is happening all the time now, people are looking at Donald Trump's saying and saying, "This is false. It's a false claim." I think people say, "Well, you know what? Hillary Clinton said a lot of things that were false." I don't recall the press being quite so concerned about saying that she lied in headlines or in stories like that."

The comparison to Clinton is silly. Trump lied far more often, and far more egregiously, than Clinton did. Not only that, unlike Clinton, most of the time Trump's campaign felt no obligation whatsoever to back up his claims when they were called out as false. And to a far greater degree, Trump would simply continue repeating those lies after they'd been exposed. It is the nature of Trump's dishonesty -- the volume, ostentatiousness, nonchalance, and imperviousness to correction at the hands of factual reality -- that became the issue.

This gets at why Baker's response is so worrying: It suggests an unwillingness or an inability to entertain the possibility that we may be looking at something new and different here. Take the example that Baker himself chose: Trump's claim that "thousands and thousands" of American Muslims celebrated 9/11. This was not some casual falsehood -- this lie was key to a months-long campaign of vilification and scapegoating of Muslims that in turn was central to his broader appeal. As the Post's Glenn Kessler pointed out at the time, Trump repeatedly refused to entertain any evidence to the contrary even when it was directly presented to him. Indeed, his campaign team responded to media efforts to present that contrary evidence by accusing the media of covering up the truth.

In this and many other instances, Trump barely even tried to make a fact-based case for his version of reality. Rather, he seemed to be trying to obliterate any possibility of shared agreement on what constitutes an authoritative source, and even on reality itself.

Take Trump's biggest lie of all -- his racist birther claim. Trump himself originally conceived of it as a means of entree into the political consciousness of GOP primary voters. It was debunked countless times over many years. Yet Trump kept his birther campaign going all throughout anyway.

In these cases, was Trump lying? The standard that Baker adopts -- that there must be a provable intent to mislead -- seems woefully inadequate to informing readers about what Trump is really up to here. Sure, it's possible that Trump continued to believe these things after they were debunked. We cannot prove otherwise. But so what? If we accept that it's possible to prove something to be false -- which Baker does, judging by his own comments -- then we presumably also accept that this can be adequately proved to Trump. And so, Trump is telling a falsehood even though it has been demonstrated to him to be a falsehood.

If we don't call that "lying," or if we don't squarely and prominently label these claims as "false," don't we risk enabling Trump's apparent efforts to obliterate the possibility of agreement on shared reality? We're already seeing a preview of how this will work in practice when Trump is president. On multiple occasions, Trump has dubiously claimed credit for jobs he has supposedly "saved," and the headlines have tended to reflect his claims without also informing readers that those claims are unverified or open to doubt. People don't always take the time to learn the details. Even when they do, if news orgs don't take a clear stand on what is true and what isn't, confusion can often follow.

New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet has come closer to getting this right, pointing out that we must label Trump's lies as such because he has shown a willingness to go beyond the "normal sort of obfuscation that politicians traffic in." Writer Masha Gessen has gone even further, suggesting that Trump's approach to information -- or disinformation -- looks like a hallmark of Putinesque autocratic rule, in which the autocrat is trying to "assert power over truth itself," and convey the message that his "power lies in being able to say what he wants." We don't yet know if this will prove an accurate description of Trump's approach as President. But given the authoritarian tendencies we've already seen from Trump, it seems like we should at least be on guard for this possibility. Baker's nonchalance suggests a lack of preparedness for what we may be facing.

Greg Sargent writes The Plum Line blog, a reported opinion blog with a liberal slant -- what you might call "opinionated reporting" from the left.




Donald Trump has an opportunity to chart a new course for Republicans on defense spending -- a course that would combine GOP hawkishness with a budget-cutter's approach to Pentagon waste.

Although falling as a percentage of the federal budget, defense is still the federal government's largest single non-entitlement spending item -- about 16 percent of the budget in 2016.

In recent years, the GOP's position on defense spending has been one long protest against sequester limits. The nation should spend more on the Pentagon, Hill Republicans have argued. At times, GOP lawmakers have seemed considerably less concerned about the billions the Department of Defense throws away every year.

Trump can change that. While the president-elect still wants to spend more on defense, he has given just as high a profile to his desire to cut waste. It could be a popular combination.

Last week the CEO of Lockheed, Marillyn Hewson, traveled to Florida to meet with Trump to discuss cost overruns on the troubled F-35 fighter. Separately, Trump met with Air Force Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan, who runs the F-35 program for the military.

"Troubled" does not begin to describe the F-35 situation. The plane has become the poster child for a bloated Pentagon bureaucracy, at nearly $200 billion over budget and many years behind schedule -- "both a scandal and a tragedy with respect to cost, schedule, and performance," in the words of GOP Sen. John McCain.

After Trump's meeting with Hewson, the president-elect did not claim any concrete progress. "We're just beginning," Trump told reporters. "It's a dance. It's a little bit of a dance. But we're going to get the costs down and we're going to get it done beautifully."

The F-35 is just the beginning. In early December, the Washington Post reported that the Pentagon "has buried an internal study that exposed $125 billion in administrative waste in its business operations amid fears Congress would use the findings as an excuse to slash the defense budget."

Anyone who even casually follows government affairs has heard such things for years. Back in 2012, then-Sen. Tom Coburn, the Republican scourge of government overspending, said he could cut $69 billion in Pentagon waste over a decade just by going after programs "where the Pentagon works that have nothing to do with defense."

There will be plenty of people to tell Trump he can't do anything about Pentagon waste. There already are. On Dec. 22, Politico published a piece premised on the notion that Trump planned to intervene in contracting "to score political points, reward his friends and punish his enemies." Doing so, Politico reported, would "driv(e) up prices for federal government purchasing overall." The suggestion of contracting professionals interviewed by Politico was that contracting -- "a technical, complex part of the government that is run by tens of thousands of career civil servants" -- is better left the way it is.

The article did not really contemplate the possibility that Trump might actually want to impose controls on Pentagon spending to save taxpayers money.

When he met with Lockheed's CEO, Trump also met with Dennis Muilenburg, head of Boeing, to discuss the cost of building two new 747s to serve as Air Force One. Trump famously stirred up the issue with a tweet claiming that the project's "costs are out of control" and threatening to "cancel the order." After the meeting, he said, "I think we're looking to cut a tremendous amount of money off the program."

Perhaps Trump can't make much progress on either Air Force One or the F-35. (Critics have pointed out that the F-35 program is nearly finished, with contracts spread in congressional districts around the country; the only way to save money now, they say, is to build fewer of the planes, which would result in less bang for far too many bucks.) But there are many, many targets of opportunity for Pentagon waste-cutters. And going after waste would have three big benefits for Trump:

1) Waste is objectively a serious problem that needs to be addressed.

2) An anti-waste crusade would strengthen the Republican image of fiscal responsibility.

3) It would keep a Trump campaign promise.

If he actually tried to tackle the waste problem, Trump would make many enemies, Republican and Democrat. But he would win the support of many voters.

Byron York is chief political correspondent for The Washington Examiner.
President Barack Obama opened the door to exporting U.S. oil and natural gas; the Trump administration is likely to drive a tanker through it.

As part of the $1.1 trillion spending bill that passed in December 2015, Obama agreed to end the 40-year ban on U.S. crude oil exports. The president opposed the repeal, but the bill also extended the wind and solar energy tax credits, so he took the compromise.

In addition, the U.S. Department of Energy has finally begun approving construction of terminals to export U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG)  10 so far (in Texas, Louisiana, Maryland and Georgia) with most of them still under construction. When completed, we should see natural gas production and export increase exponentially.

In the first five months of the year, the U.S. exported half a million barrels of crude oil per day to 16 countries  including several in Europe, South and Central America, Israel and even China  according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

In the first six months of the year, some 50 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas has been exported. One Forbes.com energy analyst estimated shortly before the presidential election that the U.S. will be exporting about 7 Bcf per day by 2020 and 17 Bcf/day by 2040. The U.S. currently produces about 80 Bcf/day.

Given the incoming Trump administrations embrace of fossil fuel production  and given the individuals nominated to run the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy  those Forbes estimates are likely on the low side.

The nascent energy export industry is important for several reasons.

First, the EIA projects the U.S. will become a net gas exporter in the second half of 2017. The U.S. needs markets for that abundance of natural gas.

Second, exports enhance economic efficiency. For those who wonder why U.S. companies would export crude oil when the country still imports 24 percent of its oil, the answer has to do with efficiency and refining.

Most U.S. refineries are set up to process very heavy oil. But most of the oil coming from shale formations, comprising about 52 percent of total production, is whats called light sweet crude, which requires a different, less-intensive refining process. While some refineries are starting to adapt to the lighter crude slate, that refining transition isnt quickly or cheaply made.

Third, U.S. exports could help meet the energy needs of some or our allies  especially those dependent on oil and natural gas from countries like Russia, which use energy supplies as a geopolitical hammer.

Finally, exporting crude oil and natural gas will jump start economic growth and reduce the U.S. trade deficit.

Energy experts Daniel Yergin and Kurt Barrow, writing in the Wall Street Journal in 2014, estimated that ending the oil export ban would:

Lead to a production increase of 2.3 million barrels of oil per day and $1 trillion in new investment;

Create 860,000 more jobs, many of which would be high-paying blue-collar jobs; and

Add $3 trillion in federal revenues  important for a country about to pass the $20 trillion mark in total federal debt.

The energy boom over the past eight years provided real economic benefits during a time of sluggish economic growth. Ironically, Obama has fought that boom every step of the way, even as he repeatedly took credit for it when elections were approaching.

Oil and natural gas exports will allow us to extend and expand that boom and become the worlds energy-producing powerhouse. But doing so requires faster approvals of LNG terminals and an easing of federal opposition to drilling offshore and on federal lands, both of which President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to do.

Merrill Matthews, Ph.D., is a resident scholar with the Institute for Policy Innovation in Irving.
When the chips are down, I have Israels 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 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 past 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?

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.

letters@charleskrauthammer.com
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Re: Carson wrong on housing segregation, Editorial, Dec. 23:

Dr. Carson is right. Why dont we give people school choice and let them move to the neighborhoods that give them the best opportunities? Let people decide for themselves whats in their best interests. I dont know why you think politicians make good decisions.

Howard Monroe, Garden Ridge

Change the system

I have noticed a recurring theme in recent letters strongly suggesting that whining liberals should get over it and recognize that if Clinton had won, there would be no complaining about the Electoral College. I am sure that is true. But what if the opposite were true. Trump wins the popular vote by nearly 3 million but loses the electoral vote.

To make matters more odorous, 17 intelligence agencies report that Russia had something to do with the results of the election. This would be proof of Crooked Hillarys dishonesty and that she was in league with Moscow, confirming the system was rigged, as Trump had proclaimed months on end. The collective howling from the right would radiate to outer space, accompanied by the popular chant, lock her up.

The Electoral College was established because the founding fathers had little faith in the average voter to make intelligent choices; they also wanted to ensure equal representation for each state. The problem with the electoral vote is the winner-take-all proposition, with millions of votes not counting. In Texas, 3.7 million votes for Clinton meant nothing, while in New York almost 3 million votes for Trump did not count.

Why not alter the way votes are counted? If a candidate gets 45 percent of the votes in Oklahoma, he/she gets 45 percent of the electoral votes. It is not unprecedented; Maine and Nebraska have already implemented this system.

Vince Adamo, Castle Hills

Be wary of cabals

Regarding the number of high-ranking military personnel President-elect Donald Trump has selected for his Cabinet, he would do well to read Seven Days in May written by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey in 1962. The plot revolves around a military cabal that plots to overthrow the U.S. government.

Harold Estep

Abandoning Israel

Re: U.S. silent in key UN vote against Israel, Nation & World, Dec. 24:

By abstaining from voting on a resolution regarding West Bank settlements, the U.S. has sanctioned an organization dedicated to the delegitimization of the State of Israel and destroying the Jewish connection to Jerusalem, the City of David.

By tacitly accepting a declaration that states the Wall of the Jewish Temple, the holiest site in Judaism, to be in Palestinian occupied territory, Obama is telling the Jewish people there is no place for them on this earth.

For the Muslim world, Obama has yet again betrayed another friend. To them, when the West cooperates with the U.N. to make the most outrageous, vile accusations against Israel, it becomes further proof of the moral decadence of the West (whose weakness and prejudices they have been very successfully exploiting).

Sylvia Weiss

Anti-Israel stance

Re: U.S. silent in key UN vote against Israel, Nation & World, Dec. 24:

When will people learn?

That is a rhetorical question, but President Barack Obama has been a renegade, pretend American. He is Islam and Muslim first and only. For the U.S. to abstain from the U.N. vote is a slap in the face of Israel, and it endangers the Middle East region and especially Israeli security. Israel is surrounded by hostile enemies, and it will do whatever necessary to protect itself.

Whatever further harm Obama can do to the U.S., the West and American citizens, he will try to do before he leaves the White House.

Ultra-liberals need to open their eyes and try to comprehend what this man has done during eight years in office that negates our American culture and pushes radical pro-Islam priorities and agendas.

Wake-up and smell the Starbucks!

Peter Stern, Driftwood

Study in contrasts

It is interesting that our outgoing president is an example why we should do away with presidential term limits; and our incoming president is an example of why we should limit presidents to one two-year term.

Mark Porter

Shock waves

Re: Podesta was Mr. Fix It, now Mr. Broke It, Ruben Navarrette, Other Views, Dec. 24:

Navarrette is wasting his writing talents criticizing Clinton and her campaign staff. He has not spent a lot of time in the past trying to make the Democratic candidates successful; why now? I would advise him to focus on the organizational leadership problems of the president-elect and his Cabinet, because indications are they are about to bring earthquakes to the American political scene, compared to the localized tremors of the Democrats.

Moreover, Mr. Navarrette dismisses the private nature of the DNC emails, and the timely  or untimely  release of news about additional emails by the FBI, which amounted to nothing. He also dismissed the Russian meddling in the election. Clearly, this triad turned the election. As for the working-class white voters now relying on Trump for deliverance, Mr. Navarrette had better prepare himself for a seismic shock.

Michael Vogelsang

Limited by ZIP code

Re: Try education savings accounts, Mack Morris, Another View, Dec. 26:

The author states that thousands of students are trapped in struggling schools. Yes, they are because of your Texas Legislatures system for underfunding those schools. The affluent districts have more money for tutors or SAT prep. Why dont you look at the top five states in public education and learn from them?

Quit trying to privatize education! Those kids limited by family income and their ZIP code require more funds, period!

J. Luis Rojas, Schertz
Management Sciences for Health (MSH), a global health nonprofit organization, uses proven approaches developed over 40 years to help leaders, health managers, and communities in developing nations build stronger health systems for greater health impact. We work to save lives by closing the gap between knowledge and action in public health. Since its founding in 1971, MSH has worked in over 150 countries with policy makers, health professionals, and health care consumers to improve the quality, availability and affordability of health services. Working with governments, donors, non governmental organizations, the private sector, and health agencies, MSH responds to priority health problems such as HIV & AIDS; tuberculosis; malaria; maternal, newborn and child health; family planning and reproductive health; and chronic non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and lung and heart disease. Through strengthening capacity, investing in health systems innovation, building the evidence base, and advocating for sound public health policy, MSH is committed to making a lasting difference in global health.The Director of Country Operations has primary responsibility for ensuring that MSH operations in Nigeria are efficient and effective, in compliance with MSH standards, donor regulations and local laws and support attainment of project results and client expectations. She/he is part of the Country Leadership Team and is responsible for managing finance and operations risk. The Director of Country Operations manages the budget for all country operations activities.Country OperationsDevelop and execute responsive and appropriate operations management systems (for office management, local procurement, fleet management and logistics, consultant etc.) in line with local laws and regulations, MSH policies and standard operating procedures, and donor requirements.Monitor local security risks and maintain an emergency and security plan, including emergency preparedness and strategies for maintaining operations.Lead and manage the operations functions by aligning staffing and systems with country projects and available resources to provide timely, cost effective, complaint and high quality support and administrative services to all MSH country-based projects and activities.Ensure that all MSH in-country projects receive equitable, effective, timely, cost-effective, and highquality financial management, accounting, operations and administrative support to all MSH in-country projects, in full compliance with local laws and available resources, and in an environment with adequate internal controls, adherence to contract/award regulations, MSH policies and standard operating procedures.Manage shared costs country budget and monitor costs against budget.Coordinate and collaborate with the Operations Officer and country OST to achieve resolution of pending operations issues, questions and home office operations support requests. Communicate with other MSH HQ-based parties (Centers, projects, corporate offices), as needed to ensure proper consultation and notification of important information and issues.Compliance and risk managementEnsure that strong internal control systems are in place, and that MSH Code of Conduct and MSHs Zero Tolerance practice are well understood by all staff in country.Ensure that systems are in place in country to ensure that operations are managed and staff act in full compliance with local laws, comply with the terms and conditions of contract/award and donor requirements, local law, and comply with MSH policies and standard operating procedures. Systems are in place to:Ensure that appropriate staff members are aware of and understand laws, contract/award and donor requirements, and MSH policies and proceduresMonitor complianceEnsure appropriate segregation of duty in all procurement and payment activities from initiation to final payment and documentation within all MSH offices in country.Assist Country Representative/Country Lead to conduct regular and thorough operational risk assessments in country, and to monitor success of risk mitigation and risk control activities.Coordinate execution of financial reviews or audits, and ensure timely follow up to review or audit conclusions and recommendations in close collaboration with the OST and HQs subject matter experts.Financial management servicesIn coordination with Atlas FP&A staff,Ensure that all project and country teams receive high quality, accurate and timely financial support (budgeting and forecasting, financial analysis, financial monitoring and reporting).Ensure timely and accurate submission of financial reports and other related information as needed.Ensure that appropriate Service Level Agreement (SLA) is in place between the Country Operations Management Unit (COMU), projects, corporate offices and centers, and that the SLA is well understood and respected.Partner with MSHs Atlas Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) unit in HQ to ensure proper financial management oversight and control.Accounting servicesEnsure, in compliance with MSH policies and procedures and with Country legal requirements:That payments are processed accurately, timely, and safely.That treasury practices in country minimize MSHs cash exposure, including foreign currency exchange.That entries are entered into accounting system accurately and timely.Ensure that all cash, liability and advance accounts are reconciled routinely and that variances and advance delinquencies are addressed promptly.That month-end and year-end close processes are followed timely and accurately, per established deadlines and in compliance with MSH policies and procedures.Procurement and purchasingManage purchase of commercial goods and services in accordance with the delegation from the Corporate Contract Office in HQ.Manage procurement actions delegated to COMU staff.Assist with customs and Import control and to specific requests from the Logistics Management and Trade Compliance Officer in the Corporate Contract OfficeDetermine local consultant rates in accordance with the delegation from the Corporate Contract Office. Manage local consultant agreements.Manage the completion of project and country procurement plans in coordination with the assigned OST procurement staff from HQ.Ensure strong internal controls are implemented for procurement. Monitor procurement transactions completed by COMU staff.Partner with the OST procurement staff from MSHs Corporate Procurement unit in HQ to ensure proper procurement oversight and control.Provide stakeholder feedback on SOPS, policies, tools and templates developed by HQ for procurement.Where applicable, manage VAT exemptions or refunds and donor reporting of VAT payments and credits.People managementProvide administrative supervision to all COMU staff and is accountable for their performance management.Assess staff capacity and determine needs for staff capacity building and development to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the COMU in country, including in satellite offices.Assess and adapt COMU size and composition to allow efficient and effective operations, as needed.Work with the Country Representative/Country Lead and Project Directors to ensure that human resource functions are coordinated with the Human Resources Partner/Manager for Nigeria and US MSH Human Resources Management office.Promote and facilitate development of COMU staff and sustainable systems, and participate in international cross-fertilization and knowledge exchange among other country operations groups.Facilities and office servicesManage MSH offices and facilities, including lease negotiations and property insurance, where required.Manage general office services, including cleaning and maintenance.Manage Information Services.Oversee property and asset management, including maintaining inventories and asset registers.Fleet managementOversee obtainment of local insurance as required, inspection, registration and operations for all MSH vehicles in country.Oversee dispatching and scheduling of shared MSH vehicles and drivers or commercial transportation.In-country travel and logistics servicesCoordinate and oversee travel payments and logistics for all MSH in-country travel.Manage and monitor lodging, transportation, per diem and associated payments, including those related to participant training, study tours, in-country events and workshops.Minimum of a Masters degree in business administration, financial management, accounting, or other relevant discipline or equivalent experience.Minimum of 8 years of senior-level experience managing operations in organizations of similar scale as MSH required.Demonstrated success in developing countries required, and in Nigeria strongly preferred.Demonstrated success in managing program and support operations in insecure environments.Demonstrated success in managing program operations and support in challenging compliance environments.12 years of experience.Experience working for international organizations with US Government funding strongly preferred.Prior work experience with non-USG, foundations, and other donors a plus.Strong leadership, mentoring, management, analytical and organizational skillsAbility to work both independently and within a team, assess priorities, and manage a variety of activities with attention to detail.Strong conceptualization, facilitation, and planning skills.Excellent demonstrated interpersonal, written, and oral presentation skills. Excellent cross-cultural communication and active listening skills.Deep knowledge of effective management practices that lead to reliable internal controls and compliance with donor regulations, local laws and USAID policies and procedures required.Fluency in English required. Local language proficiency a plus.CompetenciesNavigating the Environment:Managing through Systems, Peer Relationships, Political SavvyEnsuring Delivery of Results:Action Oriented, Business Acumen, Drive for Results, Information Sharing, Managing and Measuring work, Negotiating, Priority setting, Problem SolvingLeading with Credibility:Decision Quality, Functional/Technical skills, Listening, Managerial Courage, Time Management, Presentation skills, Motivating others, Conflict Management, Delegation, Developing Direct Reports and OthersCore Personal Competencies:Ethics and Values, Integrity and Trust, Interpersonal Savvy,Core MSH competencies:Adaptability, Communication, Problem Solving, Creativity and Innovation, Quality and Timeliness of Work, Quality of work and Team Relationships, Resource UtilizationPhysical DemandsKeyboard use, pulling drawers, occasionally lifting papers and boxes <15lbs., etc.
Readers, this Links is a bit longer than usual. I got worried nothing was happening, and went looking, and one thing led to another Welcome to 2017! lambert

6 more mysterious radio signals have been detected coming from outside our galaxy Science Alert (Furzy Mouse)

More than 20,000 dead fish mysteriously washed up in Nova Scotia Boing Boing

The Golden Era of Hedge Funds Draws to a Close With Clients in Revolt Bloomberg (RK).

Deutsche Bank chairman rules out European merger: Frankfurter Allgemeine Reuters

Samsung Warns of Slowing Growth in Key Markets Amid Uncertainty Bloomberg. Then again, you never know. The markets might catch fire!

Company Bricks Users Software After He Posts A Negative Review TechDirt (CM).

Unexpected Risks Found In Editing Genes To Prevent Inherited Disorders NPR

This Blockchain Thing Is Really Happening, Time To Learn What It Is: 2016 In Review Fast Company

Syraqistan

2017: Europes year of rage Spectator

German Ifo think tank chief says Italy risks quitting euro zone Reuters

China?

Modis Speeches Spur Memes, Pub Drinking Games in Indian Cities Bloomberg

Politicians Cant Use Religion, Caste to Seek Votes, Rules Supreme Court The Wire. 4-3.

New Cold War

Obama Was Right Not to Get Involved in Syria Kevin Drum, Mother Jones

Nixons Vietnam Treachery NYT

Trump Transition

Leia Organa: A Critical Obituary Youre Always Being Judged

2016 Post Mortem

Cuomo vetoes bill that would have required state to fund legal services for the poor Daily News. Cuomo 2020?

#NoDAPL

2017 is already great: Protesters hang from the rafters with a #NoDAPL banner at Sunday's Vikings vs. Bears game in Minneapolis. https://t.co/igILin8wX7 pic.twitter.com/vSbCPWQ4Ay  Rachael Perrotta (@plussone) January 2, 2017

Imperial Collapse Watch

Class Warfare

How to Become a Superager NYT (Furzy Mouse).

Hollyweed: Prankster alters LAs landmark sign Reuters. And high time, too.

The moving sofa problem Dan Romik. Fun!

Millennials start the year with paper diaries and notebooks FT. Because, ya know, no computer is safe.

Antidote du jour (via):

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
One hundred years of planning, funding squabbles, and construction finally came to fruition Sunday as the Second Avenue Subway opened for service along four new stations on the Upper East Side. Excited riders rushed down into the sparkling new stations at noon and crowded onto waiting Q trains bound for Coney Island.

Among the thousands were Governor Andrew Cuomo, MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast, hundreds of journalists, and thousands of New Yorkers, who displayed emotions ranging from tearful joy to (of course) wry cynicism.

Less than 10 minutes after the new subway line was opened, service disruptions brought trains to a halt. One packed train at 86th Street was stopped for nearly 15 minutes. On board, Greenpoint resident Jeremy Lewitt smirked at the delay. The first of many," Lewitt joked. "I had somewhere to be hours ago!"

Upper East Side resident Jeff Auerbach squeezed in close with his family for a group selfie on the first train bound out of the 86th Street station Sunday. "I've heard about this project for twenty-plus years, and it's unbelievable that it's finally come to be," he said. Like many, Auerbach hopes the new Second Avenue line will open up breathing room on the Lexington Avenue 4/5/6, New York's most crowded subway line. Auerbach was also dismissive of criticism that the new subway line has taken too long, proven too costly, and, with its scaled-back "phases" of completion, left riders near Harlem's 125th Street station high and dry for the time being.

"I think, with any project, as massive as this undertaking was, there are going to be cutbacks that need to be made," Auerbach said. "But the fact that they got it running, finally, after 100 yearsthat's great. The stations are beautiful, they did a tremendous job of putting it together. The architectural design of it and artworks are fabulous."

Those underground works of art include portraits from Chuck Close and mosaic figures by Vik Muniz, along with expansive new pieces from Jean Shin & Sarah Sze. On Sunday, the art proved to be sensation, with hundreds of riders stopping to snap photos of the large-scale works in their new, underground homes.

With its three-station route drastically scaled back from the borough-spanning "T" line that was first intended to run from 125th Street to Lower Manhattan, the span of new subway track still required $4.4 billion in funding and almost ten years of work (the MTA has stated publicly it plans to "fast track" the next Second Avenue phase, which would reach 125th Street). Originally slated to start running in 2013, the subway line was technically opened on Saturday night when Cuomo hosted a glitzy (and private) party for a few hundred lucky New Year's Eve revelers.

"I did not actually think it was going to happen," Upper West Side resident Melanie Jolson said Sunday. "They've been saying this thing would open for decades, so I wanted to see it with my own two eyes."

If you'd like to see it for yourself, note that there is only partial service on the extended line from January 2nd through January 8th: starting at 6 a.m. and running until 10 p.m. Twenty four-hour service is expected to launch on January 9th.




Sunday, January 01, 2017 by: Howard Roark Tags: tech This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author

(Natural News) A game-changing technological innovation for the blind has been developed by a tech startup, Eyra. The wearable assistant, Horus, consists of a headset with cameras and a pocket processor with battery. Horus utilizes the same technology that enables auto-drive cars and drones to navigate. Here we share good news regarding the application of artificial intelligence, versus warnings of cyborg soldiers and job-stealing robots.

From Eyras website Horus.tech, Horus is a wearable device that observes, understands and describes the environment to the person using it, providing useful information with the right timing and in a discreet way using bone conduction. Horus is able to read texts, to recognize faces, objects and much more.

Thanks to the latest advances in artificial intelligence, Horus is able to describe what the cameras are seeing. Whether it is a postcard, a photograph or a landscape, the device provides a short description of what is in front of it.

Here are some details about the mechanisms that bring sight to the blind:

Text recognition

Horus can recognize and read aloud printed texts, including on curved surfaces. When Horus acquires the targeted text, it will begin to recite, and at that point it is not required that the camera remain directed at the text. Horus also gives audible cues to the user to keep the text properly framed.

Face recognition

Utilizing facial feature metrics, Horus can learn an unknown face within seconds and add that person into its database, upon spoken request. After a face is learned, and upon subsequently detecting that face, Horus will at once notify the user.

Object recognition

If the user simply rotates the item in front of the cameras, Horus can perceive an objects appearance and shape in three dimensions. Since Horus can identify an object from various angles, it can help the user recognize similarly shaped objects. As with text recognition, if needed, Horus will prompt the user to move the object into the cameras view.

Mobility assistance

When moving along a path, the user will be warned by Horus of any obstacles, via an alert sound. Its pitch, intensity, 3D positioning, and frequency of repetition will differ, depending on the objects location and distance.

Tech website Engadget states:

The startup was created by a pair of students from the University of Genoa who were looking to develop a computer vision system. While their research was centered around enabling robots to navigate, they found the technology had other applications. In the subsequent two years, theyve been working on producing a portable version of the gear, and think that theyre getting close to completion. In the future, the device is also expected to offer up scene description thatll offer users a greater ability to see.

Should the pair secure the necessary funding, Horus will be released at some point in the near future, although itll be pretty pricey. The creators feel like the device will retail for something between 1,500 and 2,000 Euro, although if it can deliver on its promise, it may be money well spent.

A bright future

Todays world is in some ways negatively impacted by technology, as with ever-encroaching police state technocracy and breaches of privacy. But in many ways our lives are enhanced beyond any historical comparison. For example, the average working class person in the developed world, even those below the poverty level, has a higher standard of living than many kings of eras past. A word to the wise: be wary of present dangers to our freedoms and independence, but be ever hopeful of a better future, thanks to humanitys propensity for technological advances that will make our lives vastly more enriched and livable.

Sources:

Horus.tech

Engadget.com
(Natural News) In a desperate effort to discredit Donald Trump and create mass hysteria across Americas gullible left, the Washington Post has, for the last several months, deliberately engaged in a shameless campaign of fabricating fake news stories.

Even as each story is proven to be based on pure fiction, the Washington Post rolls out yet more fake stories to try to justify their previous fake stories. The latest example of that came on Friday, when the WashPost completely fabricated another delusional paranoia episode in a story that claimed Russian hackers penetrated U.S. electricity grid through a utility in Vermont, officials say. Click here for the current version of that story (which has already been radically altered from the original story).

Fanning the flames of delusional paranoia even higher, Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy took the rhetoric to a whole new level by asserting a diabolical Russian plot to shut down the U.S. electrical grid in the middle of wintera move that would most certainly kill off half the states population in an instant, reports Zero Hedge.

Glenn Greenwald from The Intercept adds this observation:

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).

The media reactions, as Alex Pfeiffer documents, were exactly what one would expect: hysterical, alarmist proclamations of Putins menacing evil.

Reuters even picked up on the story, reporting the same false narrative the Washington Post fabricated, claiming: A malware code associated with Russian hackers has reportedly been detected within the system of a Vermont electric utility.

The problem with all this? The Washington Posts original story was completely fabricated.

The Washington Post made it all up

They made it up. This is how the Washington Post now engages in journalism. As Zero Hedge explains:

Alas, there was just one minor problem, namely that the entire article was completely fabricated. Apparently the esteemed journalists of the Washington Post didnt even bother to contact the Burlington Electric Department to confirm their bogus storyand why should theyit fit the Russian hacking narrative so perfectly therefore it must be true, right?

Well, apparently not. The quick spread of WaPos fake news story forced the Burlington Electric Department to issue a clarifying statement assuring worried residents that, indeed, their electricity grid had not been hacked, but rather a single laptop not connected to the grid had been found to have a malware virus.

In other words, the electric grid wasnt penetrated by Russian hackers. What really happened is that somebody found a virus on a laptop.

Yeah, thats it. And the virus they found can be downloaded by anyone. Its not a super secret Russian spy virus. Its just a readily available off-the-shelf virus on a regular laptop that wasnt even connected to the grid.

Washington Post alters headline, adds editors note admitting the entire story was bogus



Caught in yet another totally fabricated lie, the Washington Post began to backpedal on its original story. It also added this editors note:

Editors Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Russian hackers had penetrated the U.S. electric grid. Authorities say there is no indication of that so far. The computer at Burlington Electric that was hacked was not attached to the grid.

In other words, the Washington Post just made s##t up and called it news.

Glenn Greenwald at The Intercept immediately ripped the WashPost for getting caught yet again completely fabricating false news:

There was no penetration of the U.S. electricity grid. The truth was undramatic and banal. Burlington Electric, after receiving a Homeland Security notice sent to all U.S. utility companies about the malware code found in the DNC system, searched all its computers and found the code in a single laptop that was not connected to the electric grid.

Apparently, the Post did not even bother to contact the company before running its wildly sensationalistic claims, so Burlington Electric had to issue its own statement to the Burlington Free Press, which debunked the Posts central claim (emphasis in original): We detected the malware in a single Burlington Electric Department laptop not connected to our organizations grid systems.

So the key scary claim of the Post story  that Russian hackers had penetrated the U.S. electric grid  was false. All the alarmist tough-guy statements issued by political officials who believed the Posts claim were based on fiction.

Even worse, there is zero evidence that Russian hackers were even responsible for the implanting of this malware on this single laptop. The fact that malware is Russian-made does not mean that only Russians can use it; indeed, like a lot of malware, it can be purchased (as Jeffrey Carr has pointed out in the DNC hacking context, assuming that Russian-made malware must have been used by Russians is as irrational as finding a Russian-made Kalishnikov AKM rifle at a crime scene and assuming the killer must be Russian).

As the actual truth emerged once the utility company issued its statement, the Post rushed to fix its embarrassment, beginning by dramatically changing its headline.

The Washington Post now exists as a propaganda fiction rag that routinely fabricates delusional scare stories as click bait

The Washington Post is now officially a click bait rag. The journalism conducted by the paper is laughable and insulting to any intelligent person. They didnt even bother to call the Burlington power company to confirm anything before running their fabricated scare story that dredged up fictional facts out of thin air.

The WashPost did do us one big favor in all this, however: It demonstrated yet again how mainstream media publishers are the kings of fake news.

This isnt a one-time thing, either: The WashPost keeps getting caught again and again, knowingly and deliberately fabricating false news to scare America half to death. Ive dubbed this practice journo-terrorism, and in an article describing journo-terrorism, I explain the real agenda of the Washington Post, NYT and CNN:

Their job in the leftist ecosystem of psychological warfare is to unleash vast fields of mental landmines that innocent American stumble into, setting them off and blasting apart their cognitive constructs. Once the old belief systems are eliminated, new beliefs are inserted through info-doctrination  i.e. repeated, daily news streams consisting of fear and lies that create trigger conditions in the minds of those being hypnotized.

Its fascinating that planting actual land mines on battlefields is often considered a crime against humanity, but when journo-terrorists plant cognitive land mines across the psychological battlefield of America, its all fact checked into reality by Politifact, Snopes or the Washington Post. Suddenly the land mines are perfectly acceptable to the leftists. It is these land minds that are right now responsible for the massive psychological trauma being experienced by the crying, wailing leftists whose brains have been shattered by journo-terrorism from MSNBC, CNN, the NYT, the LA Times and so on.

Thats why I continue to call for the prosecution of anti-American journo-terrorists who are deliberately working to subvert America through the spreading of bogus, fabricated propaganda thats knowingly created to harm Americas interests and terrorize its citizens.

We must stop the psychological terrorism being carried out by radical left-wing journo-terrorists

Journo-terrorism is psychological warfare, and it is being deliberately carried out every single day at the Washington Post, NYT, CNN, MSNBC and other fake news media outlets. These acts of journo-terrorism pose a grave danger to the American psyche and are deliberately pursued to undermine our Republic through the spreading of false fear.

These acts of journo-terrorism by the Washington Post are not mistakes. They are deliberate. They are premeditated. They are scripted with an intended purpose and that purpose is rooted in subversion and the ginning up of baseless hysteria for political aims.

Free speech aside, the Washington Post is now knowingly yelling fire in a crowded room even when theres no fire. Theyve gone far beyond anything resembling free speech and have solidly become subversive enemies of the American people. Let us hope the new administration will do something to stop them before they are able to carry out more damaging propaganda campaigns against the American psyche.
The nightclub attack in Istanbul that left 39 people dead and at least 20 more wounded is too close to home for a Mill Valley man.

Bugra Bakan, 42, grew up in the Turkish city of more than 14 million people.

The murders and mass shootings, which have become the norm instead of the exception, have caused him restless nights. It's nothing compared to what his friends and family in Turkey are feeling.

"If I said sad, nervous, anxious; those words would not be enough," he said. "It's been a bit too much. People don't feel safe. The economy isn't doing that well."

Bakan and his wife Stephanie visited Istanbul in October. They said it's changed since Bugra was a boy. It's not as safe. Deepening differences between those who follow restrictive and religious rules and those who believe in personal freedoms, they said, have helped escalate violence throughout the country.

They largely blame social media propaganda for the widening divisions.

"There's so much misinformation, and it's being used as the news," Bakan said.

While he draws parallels between what's happening there and what's happening in the U.S., he says the problem in Turkey is far worse because there is no freedom of the press. That leaves the Turkish people to choose between government propaganda or misinformation labeled as news on social media.

On the U.S. presidential election, also marred by propaganda, Bakan said many Turks support a Donald Trump presidency.

"They feel that Trump and Putin in better relations will help create a more flexible game plan," Bakan said. And, he added, that could translate into more freedoms in Turkey and less friction between opposing sides.

Bakan said he is less optimistic, but he remains hopeful that peace will prevail in his home of Istanbul.
Two men are dead after being shot on New Year's Day in two separate San Francisco shootings, police said.

The first fatal shooting was reported around 2:15 a.m. near 26th and Shotwell Streets, according to police. A man, who was found to be suffering from gunshot wounds to the chest, was rushed to the hospital, but he later died.

The second shooting occurred around 11:30 a.m. near 3rd and Oakdale Streets. A male victim shot in the head was also transported to the hospital, but he was later pronounced dead.

Police do not believe that the shootings are related and each one is being investigated separately.
According to cocktail lore, the Negroni was created by a Florentine bartender in 1915 after a customer demanded a stiffer take on the Americano cocktail. The patron, Count Camilo Negroni, had picked up a taste for stronger beverages while working as a rodeo clown in the American West, and brought his tastes back to Italy. On Wednesday, House of Yes celebrates this stiff, storied drink with their Negroni Night. They'll be serving $7 cocktails all night, but be awarethey're pretty stiff. More info here.

Bushwick's Bunna Cafe is hosting an Ethiopian cooking class on Thursday. Chef Kedega Srage will teach you how to make six dishes from the restaurant's menu, as well as all the tips and tricks to making injera, Ethiopian flatbread. At the end of the lesson, you'll be served a candlelit dinner featuring the dishes you just learned to make, and the meal will end with a toast of tej, Ethiopian honey wine. You can purchase tickets ($85) here.

If one vegan cooking lesson isn't enough for you, Little Choc Apothecary in Williamsburg is hosting a tea party and cooking demonstration, also on Thursday. They'll be serving warm tea sandwiches with a tofu scramble, rosemary roasted carrots with beet kebabs, mini truffles, and unlimited tea before teaching you how to make a few vegan sweets. You'll also get a complimentary glass of wine and learn to make salted caramel panna cotta, caramelized hazelnut cookie crumble, and candied cranberries, plus you get to take home the recipes to recreate everything you learned to make whenever you want. Purchase tickets ($50) here.

If you're not still hungover from New Year's (and if you are maybe call an ambulance?), the New York Beer Company is having a pub crawl, featuring specials on Goose Island Beers, on Friday. The crawl itself is free to attend, but you can expect to pay $9 or $16 for rare, high alcohol content brews from Bourbon County. And because of the aforementioned alcohol content, the beers will be poured in 5 and 10 ounce servingsbut on the bright side, that means you can try them all. More info here.
Gov. Bruce Rauner pushed for a comprehensive balanced budget with reforms to grow jobs, lower property taxes, improve schools and enact term limits in a State-Journal Register op-ed published Saturday.

The states most recent stopgap funding plan expired at the start of the new year. In his op-ed, Rauner noted that Illinois has been without a budget for 18 months and that a prolonged will affect the states higher education, health and human services and correctional facilities and other institutions.

The governor faulted lawmakers for not cutting spending and passing reforms to balance budget.

Instead they have chosen politically expedient quick fixes that have made things worse in the long run, Rauner wrote. As a result, today our state has about $11 billion in unpaid bills, a $130 billion unfunded pension liability and a shrinking population base. In fact, last year, Illinois lost more residents than any other state  nearly 40,000 people.

The governor also claimed his administration isnt holding the budget hostage. However, he faulted House Speaker Michael Madigan for not engaging in discussions on structural change and refusing to pass a budget in order to protect the status quo.

In the piece, Rauner outlined his intention to institute elements of his turnaround agenda, like a permanent property tax freeze and reforms to the states workers compensation system.

Workers compensation reform, coupled with lower property taxes, will bring down the cost of doing business in Illinois and encourage employers to locate, invest and create new jobs in our state, Rauner wrote.

The Republican also pushed to enact term limits on politicians, a move that would undoubtedly wrest power from Madigan if passed.

When elected leaders are entrenched in office, they become less accountable to the taxpayers and more resistant to any change in the status quo, Rauner wrote. "Enactment of term limits would return government to the people. Just as importantly, it would send a signal to job creators across the country that Illinois is serious about changing the way we do business."

Nevertheless, Rauner conceded that it would be unreasonable to demand that every item of his agenda be included in a budget.

Similarly, I believe it is unreasonable for the speaker to require that there be absolutely no change in order to agree upon a budget, he added

Rauner said he was optimistic about reaching a deal on the budget and structural changes, but claimed it was necessary for all sides to want an agreement to get anything done.

It is my hope that all parties will come back to Springfield ready to work and negotiate in good faith so that we can set Illinois on a path to success for years to come, he wrote.

Rauner has made it clear that he wont consider a new temporary budget unless it includes reforms from his agenda, like term limits and a property tax freeze. The governor halted negotiations earlier this month after House Speaker Michael Madigan and Illinois Democrats failed to put forth a budget proposal.

The governor penned an op-ed in Crain's Chicago Business last week urging lawmakers to reform the state's workers' compensation system.
A baby girl was born to Cubs fans 12 minutes into the new year in Elk Grove Village.

Wrigley was born at 12:12 a.m. Sunday at Alexian Brothers Medical Center in the northwest suburb, according to a press release from the hospital. She is the first reported baby born in 2017 in Cook County.

Wrigleys parents, Ellen and Aaron Dalbey of Roselle, are die-hard Cubs fans. She weighed in at 5 pounds and 12 ounces.

Another baby was born less than 20 minutes later at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. Savannah Zwolen was born at 12:31 a.m. Sunday, according to a press release from the southwest suburban hospital.

She weighed just 4 pounds and 2 ounces and was 17 inches long at birth, according to the hospital. She was is currently in the NICU because she was born premature.

Savannah joins parents Tomas Zwolen and Paulina Zwolen and a 2-year-old brother. The family lives in Chicago near Midway Airport.
Family and friends are still holding out hope for a 28-year-old Farmington Hills, Michigan, woman who has been missing for a month.

Danielle Stislicki has not been seen since leaving work around 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 2, according to police. Stislicki works at MetLife, a life insurance company in Southfield, a northern suburb of Detroit, less than 10 miles from her Farmington Hills apartment.

People who spoke to her earlier that day say she was planning on stopping home after work before meeting her best friend for dinner that evening. Stislicki never showed up to her scheduled dinner, according to police, and concern quickly grew when calls to her cell phone were being forwarded directly to voicemail.

"Danielle would never just disappear on her own," Ann Stislicki, Danielle's mother, told Dateline. "We're terrified that she's been taken and that someone has her, and she can't come home."

Stislicki has worked at MetLife for nearly a decade, her family says. Her mother Ann also has worked for the company for 25 years, but was not in the office that Friday.

Farmington Hills police say Stislicki was wearing a sky blue Eddie Bauer jacket, jeans, a black zip-up shirt and burgundy boots the day that she disappeared. Her car, a 2015 Jeep Renegade, was found by authorities the next day, around 6 p.m. on Dec. 3, parked in front of her apartment building in the Independence Green Apartment Complex.

"Everything was there: her cat, her ID, cash, credit cards," Danielle's mother Ann told Dateline. "We don't think she even made it inside her apartment after work."

The Farmington Hills Police Department issued a statement Dec. 19 that said it is believed the young woman was the victim of a crime.

Authorities are also searching for Danielle's set of keys, according to NBC News, which they say have a distinctive key charm: a smiling yellow figure with a green body and yellow legs. Danielle's cell phone, a Samsung Galaxy Core Prime in a rose-colored case, is also missing.

"It's a tremendously busy street that MetLife is on, her mother Ann told NBC News. Someone had to have seen that Jeep or Danielle driving that day. We just need to reach that one or two people who saw something.

A Find Danielle Stislicki Facebook page created by friends has since grown to nearly 30,000 followers. More than $29,000 has been raised in a Go Fund Me campaign set up for a reward for information leading to her whereabouts. After both her employer MetLife and Independence Green Apartments contributed $50,000 to the cause, the total reward amount stands at $129,000. A website, finddani.org, has also been set up that allows volunteers to print fliers to join the effort.

Danielle is a wonderful human being who has many family and friends who love her dearly, the Go Fund Me campaign writes. We want Dani home and need everyone's help.

Stislickis parents, Ann and Richard Stislicki, were among nearly 500 people who gathered in Southfield last month for a candlelight vigil, pushing the message of positivity and perseverance.

Its been a month now, so you can imagine whats in our minds, Ann Stislicki told the Detroit Free Press of herself and her husband, Richard. We try not to go to that dark place, but that gets harder the longer this goes on.

Farmington Hills police have told the Stislickis they are working day and night on the case of their missing daughter, according to the Detroit Free Press, but any additional details surrounding the investigation have not been made public.

"Investigators have collected evidence currently under analysis and examination," Farmington Hills police said in a statement. "No information will be released regarding the specifics of the case in order to maintain the integrity of an active investigation."

Authorities searched a home in Berkley, Michigan, in relation to the case, the Detroit Free Press reports, but Farmington Hills Police Chief Chuck Nebus declined to say what the connection is.

Its hard to stay positive. ... You cry a lot, Ann Stislicki told the Detroit Free Press. Shes strong and can get through this. Everyone wants to give Danielle a hug. We miss her, and we want her to come home.

The focus is to keep Danielle Stislicki's name and story in the public's eye, her family said in an interview with NBC News.

"We're screaming from the top of the mountain," Ann Stislicki told NBC News. "People have seen Danielle. We will not stop until we have her home with us. It's not even a thought."

Anyone with information regarding the case, or who may have seen Danielle or her Jeep on Dec. 2, is urged to call the Farmington Hills Police Department at (248) 871-2610.
Police in northwest Indiana are investigating the deliberate killing of a pet donkey during a domestic dispute Sunday.

According to the LaPorte County Sheriffs office, deputies were dispatched around 9 p.m. to a home in the 8600 north block of Wilhelm Road for a call of a possible domestic disturbance.

Once at the home, a man and woman, said to be boyfriend and girlfriend, were seen verbally arguing and intoxicated. The woman claimed she had been physically battered by her boyfriend.

While investigating, Deputy Jonathon Samuelson noticed a donkey on the property was in some type of distress, according to police. The animal was found bleeding profusely from the head with a gunshot wound near its left eye.

The pet donkey, which was five years old and named Jack, died before a veterinarian could arrive, authorities said.

The suspect in the animals shooting, 50-year-old Olvydas Abromavieius, of Michigan, was charged with misdemeanor domestic battery and felony domestic violence animal cruelty.

Domestic violence animal cruelty is defined as a person who knowingly or intentionally kills a vertebrate animal with the intent to threaten, intimidate, coerce, harass, or terrorize a family or household member, the sheriffs office reported.

Abromavieius was taken from the scene to LaPorte Hospital due to a high level of intoxication, according to authorities. His blood alcohol level was reported at the hospital to be .30 percent.

Abromavieius is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.
A man was fatally shot Monday morning by an off-duty Chicago Police officer on Chicago's Northwest Side, police said.



The officer had "a verbal altercation with a subject that was known to him," Supt. Eddie Johnson told reporters.



The shooting happened at about 9:30 a.m. in the 2500 block of North Lowel in the city's Hermosa neighborhood, police said.



"The verbal altercation resulted in the officer discharging his weapon," Johnson said, "striking the subject several times, and the subject is now deceased."



The officer had been visiting an acquaintance in the area at the time of the shooting, police said.

The man was not armed, police said.

"The person who was shot did not have a weapon, that much we know," said police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. "The officer's weapon is the only weapon involved."



The man's identity was not immediately released by police or the medical examiner's office but family members identified him as 38-year-old Jose Nieves. He was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

Angelica Nieves said her brother was moving furniture from storage and putting it into his apartment. His family last saw him on Christmas, she said.

"I never thought I would see him in that way," Angelica Nieves said.

Johnson said the officer and the man knew each other from a confrontation a few weeks ago.

"There was already animosity towards my brother," said Nieves' sister Angelica Nieves. "My brother has called 911 prior because [the officer has] come out with a gun up to my brother."

Chicago police released a statement on the shooting Monday night, saying that an altercation between the officer and Nieves had "escalated."

"I have a lot more questions than I do answers at this time," Johnson said, "so I came out because I wanted to make sure the investigation was done properly. The chief of detectives is here to manage our part of the investigation. We have a parallel investigation going on right now with IPRA."

An investigation remains ongoing with both the Chicago Police Department and the Independent Police Review Authority. The officer was placed on desk duty as of Monday evening, Guglielmi confirmed.
Hartford Hospital welcomed its first baby of the new year at 12:29 a.m. Sunday.

Baby Gia Burns was born of Angela and Michael Burns from Southington. She weighed in at seven pounds, 14 ounces.

Gia baby is the couple's first child, born just minutes after her parents' first wedding anniversary on Dec. 31, 2016.

Over at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Lucas Li made his appearance at 5:18 a.m. Lucas must have wanted to celebrate the start of 2017 because it came early - he wasn't expected until Jan. 12!

Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center

He weighed in at six pounds, nine ounches, and is the second child of Yan Zhuang and Xiaochen Li of Vernon.
La Petite France Bakery in West Hartford is closing its doors after seven years of serving up French pastries, according to a post on the bakerys Facebook page.

In the post, the owners announced they would be closing the bakery and cafe, located at 967 Farmington Ave., on Jan. 12, and thanked the community for its support.

Owner Alexandra Litor will be starting a new career as a yoga instructor.

La Petite France was featured on NBC Connecticut's The Feast in 2013.

A little taste of Paris right in West Hartford at La Petite France.

For more information visit the bakery's Facebook page.
Connecticut State police are trying to locate a suspect accused of stealing a car from Marlborough on New Years Day.

State Police said the subject pictured above is believed to have stolen a 2009 gray Honda Fit license plate FC4193 from Main Street in Marlborough around 2:30 p.m. Sunday. The vehicle was last seen on Route 2.

Police said there is no immediate threat to the public but ask that anyone who spots the suspect not to approach him and to call 911.

Anyone with information or who can identify the suspect is encouraged to call Troop K at 860-456-5400 or text TIP711 with information to 274637. Callers may remain anonymous.
Two Rhode Island correctional officers are on leave pending an investigation that they violated policies in regards to the escape of a prisoner accused of stealing 16 guns from a U.S. Army Reserve Center in Worcester, Massachusetts back in 2015.

The Wyatt Detention Facility warden says a preliminary investigation shows the two officers violated policy.

Army reservist James Walker Morales escaped from Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, Rhode Island on Saturday night.

Morales remains on the run and police haven't ruled out that he's in Massachusetts, but allow that he could be in another state. Massachusetts authorities say they are in contact with police in other states and, "Everything is still a possibility."

Mass. State police recovered the car Morales stole following his prison break. Two senior law enforcement sources tell NBC Boston the car was found in Massachusetts.

It is believed that Morales broke out of prison by climbing onto the roof during outside recreation, then jumped down, and climbed a barbed wire fence to get out.

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.

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.

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.
Israeli police are questioning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over corruption allegations, local media reported after police cars arrived at his residence Monday.

The police team did not speak to journalists, but Israeli media said they are looking into suspicions that Netanyahu inappropriately accepted expensive gifts from two businessmen. The reports said the initial questioning, which began Monday evening, could last several hours.

A black screen was earlier placed in front of the building in apparent anticipation of the investigators' arrival and to obstruct the view of journalists seeking to film them.

Netanyahu has denied what he calls "baseless" reports that he received inappropriate gifts, a point he reiterated at a meeting of his Likud faction earlier in the day.

"We've been paying attention to reports in the media, we are hearing the celebratory mood and the atmosphere in the television studios and the corridors of the opposition, and I would like to tell them, stop with the celebrations, don't rush," he said. "There won't be anything because there is nothing."

Israel's Channel 2 TV has reported that Netanyahu accepted "favors" from businessmen in Israel and abroad, and that he is the central suspect in a second investigation that also involves family members.

The Haaretz daily said that billionaire Ronald Lauder, a longtime friend of Netanyahu's, was linked to the affair. Channel 10 TV has reported that Netanyahu's oldest son, Yair, accepted free trips and other gifts from Australian billionaire James Packer.

In October, Lauder was summoned by police for questioning "related to a certain investigation conducted by them and in which Mr. Lauder is not its subject matter," said Helena Beilin, Lauder's Israeli attorney. "After a short meeting, he was told that his presence is no longer required and that there shall be no further need for additional meetings."

Israel's Justice Ministry and police have declined to comment on the media reports.

A campaign is underway by Erel Margalit, an opposition lawmaker of the Zionist Union party, for Netanyahu to be formally investigated over suspicions of prominent donors improperly transferring money for Netanyahu's personal use, as well as reports that Netanyahu's personal attorney represented a German firm involved in a $1.5 billion sale of submarines to Israel.

The prime minister has long been saddled with an image as a cigar-smoking, cognac-drinking socialite, while his wife Sara has been accused of abusive behavior toward staff. Opponents have portrayed both as being out of touch with the struggles of average Israelis.

Over the years, reports have been released about the high cost of the Netanyahus' housekeeping expenses.

In one case, the premier was chided for spending $127,000 in public funds for a special sleeping cabin on a flight to London. Even their costly purchases of scented candles and pistachio-flavored ice cream have been derided.

The Netanyahus have denied any wrongdoing, and say they are the target of a witch hunt by the Israeli media.
The Islamic State group on Monday claimed responsibility for the New Year's attack at a popular Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people and wounded scores of others.

Turkish police meanwhile detained eight people in connection with the attack but were still hunting for the gunman who disappeared amid the chaos of the attack.

The IS-linked Aamaq News Agency said the attack was carried out by a "heroic soldier of the caliphate" who attacked the nightclub "where Christians were celebrating their pagan feast."

It said the man fired an automatic rifle and also detonated hand grenades.

The group described Turkey as "the servant of the cross" and also suggested it was in retaliation for Turkish military offensives against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus on Monday confirmed news reports that said eight people were taken into custody but did not provide details, saying a "sensitive" investigation was underway.

Authorities had obtained the fingerprints and a basic description of the gunman and were close to identifying him, Kurtulmus said.

He said the attack in the early hours of 2017 was a message from extremist organizations that they intend to continue to be a "scourge" against Turkey in the new year. Kurtulmus also said it was intended as a response to Turkey's "successful and determined" military operation against the IS in Syria.

He said Turkey was determined to continue fighting violent groups declaring: "Wherever they may hide in 2017, we will enter their lair... With the will of God, with the support of our people, with all our national capacity, we will bring them to their knees and give them all the necessary response."

Earlier, Turkish media reports said that Turkish authorities believed the IS group was behind the attack and that the gunman was likely to be either from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan.

According to the Hurriyet and Karar newspapers, police had also established similarities with the high-casualty suicide bomb and gun attack at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport in June and were investigating whether the same IS cell could have carried out both attacks.

Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Ministry said it was looking into the media reports.

"We have ordered the consul in Istanbul to check this report that has appeared in the press," the Interfax news agency quoted ministry spokeswoman Aiymkan Kulukeyeva as saying Monday. "According to preliminary information, this information is doubtful but we are checking all the same."

The gunman killed a policeman and another man outside the Reina club in the early hours of 2017 before entering and firing with an automatic rifle at an estimated 600 people partying inside.

Nearly two-thirds of the dead in the upscale club, which is frequented by local celebrities, were foreigners, Turkey's Anadolu Agency said. Many of them hailed from the Middle East.

Citing Justice Ministry officials, Anadolu reported that 38 of the 39 dead have been identified. The report said 11 of them were Turkish nationals, and one was a Turkish-Belgian dual citizen.

The report says seven victims were from Saudi Arabia; three each were from Lebanon and Iraq; two each were from Tunisia, India, Morocco and Jordan. Kuwait, Canada, Israel, Syria and Russia each lost one citizen.

Relatives of the victims and embassy personnel were seen walking into an Istanbul morgue to claim the bodies.

Turkish officials haven't released the names of those identified.

An American businessman was among the nearly 70 who were wounded.

William Jacob Raak, who lives in Delaware, told NBC News he survived by playing dead after being shot in the leg.

Raak said he was shot while the gunman was walking on a bench above his head.

"I just let him shoot me," Raak said. "You just have to stay as calm as you can ... I took a bullet."

The mass shooting followed more than 30 violent acts over the past year in Turkey, which is a member of the NATO alliance and a partner in the U.S.-led coalition fighting against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.

The country suffered multiple bombings in 2016, including three in Istanbul that authorities blamed on IS, a failed coup attempt in July and renewed conflict with Kurdish rebels in the southeast.

The Islamic State group claims to have cells in the country. Analysts think it was behind suicide bombings last January and March that targeted tourists on Istanbul's iconic Istiklal Street as well as the attack at Ataturk Airport in June, which killed 45 people. Authorities have said the three suicide bombers in the airport attack were Russia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan and there has been speculation that Akhmed Chatayev, a Chechen extremist known to be a top lieutenant in the IS militant group, may have directed the attack.

In August, Turkey sent troops and tanks into northern Syria, to clear a border area from the IS and also curb the territorial advances of Syrian Kurdish forces in the region. The incursion followed an IS suicide attack on an outdoor wedding party in the city of Gaziantep, near the border with Syria, that killed more than 50 people.

In December, IS released a video purportedly showing the killing of two Turkish soldiers and urged its supporters to "conquer" Istanbul. Turkey's jets regularly bomb the group in the northern Syrian town of Al-Bab. Turkish authorities haven't confirmed the authenticity of the video.

Last week, Turkey and Russia brokered a cease-fire for Syria that excludes the IS and other groups considered to be terrorist organizations.

On Monday, Anadolu said more than 100 Islamic State targets in Syria have been hit by Turkey and Russia in separate operations.

Citing the Turkish Chief of General Staff's office, Anadolu said Turkish jets struck eight IS group targets while tanks and artillery fired upon 103 targets near Al Bab, killing 22 extremists while destroying many structures. The Russian jets also attacked IS targets in Dayr Kak, eight kilometers (five miles) to the southwest of Al Bab.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the attacker left a gun at the club and escaped by "taking advantage of the chaos" that ensued. Some customers reportedly jumped into the waters of the Bosporus to escape the attack.
Former judge Faith Johnson promised to restore confidence in the Dallas County District Attorney's Office as she was sworn in Monday to become the county's top prosecutor.

"I want to represent the people of Dallas County with integrity and justice and fairness," Johnson said.

Johnson, a Republican, was appointed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in December. She closed her criminal defense attorney practice to accept the governor's request. Johnson also served 17 years as a criminal court judge and seven years as a Dallas County prosecutor.

Faith Johnson, a former judge and prosecutor in Dallas County, has been appointed the countys new district attorney by fellow Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.She has devoted herself to defending some of our most vulnerable Texans, and I am confident that in her new role as District Attorney, Faith will continue to fight for the people of Dallas County and ensure...

Johnson replaces Susan Hawk, also a Republican, who resigned as district attorney in September to focus on her health. In 2014, Hawk defeated Democratic District Attorney Craig Watkins, who was first elected in a 2006 Democratic sweep of Dallas County offices that also removed Johnson from her position as a judge.

Dallas County Republican Party Chairman Phillip Huffines asked Johnson to demonstrate now that Republicans can lead with compassion and kindness.

"The last couple of years it's been a little up and down, but she's going to turn the office from being inwardly focused to being outwardly focused," Huffines said.

Johnson said she wants to establish a community advisory board and put prosecutors in community outreach offices to improve public access to her agency.

"I do want to follow up. Not just talk and have meetings, but follow up and put action to my words," Johnson said.

People attending her swearing-in ceremony Monday spoke highly of Johnson, including her pastor, Bishop T.D. Jakes, of the Potter's House Church in Dallas.

Jakes said Johnson has the rare combination of competence and character.

"I had to be here today. Your church is proud of you," Jakes said.

Bill Wirskye, former chief assistant for Susan Hawk, said he is very excited by Johnson's appointment.

"I think all residents of Dallas County should be just overjoyed and happy. Faith Johnson is a unique type of person who can restore the integrity of the district attorney's office," said Wirskye, now a Collin County prosecutor.

Johnson's term will expire Dec. 31, 2018, and she said she will run for re-election as a Republican.

Johnson said she has been meeting the past few weeks with community leaders seeking cooperation as she takes over as DA.

"I do believe we have to do this a team. It can't be just Faith Johnson the DA trying to make this happen," she said.
SeaWorld San Diego staff will produce its final One Ocean show this Sunday, ending a decades-old practice of including killer whales as park entertainers.

"We will conduct an interim orca educational presentation in the pool that is also used for underwater viewing... while we remove the existing theatrical moving screens and show set in the stadium and replace them with a natural backdrop that will reflect the natural world of the orca," said SeaWorld San Diego spokesperson Dave Koontz.

California banned killer whale breeding in 2016, affecting the company that operates the popular marine animal theme park located just north of downtown San Diego.

SeaWorld announced in March that it was no longer breeding orcas and would stop making whales do tricks at its amusement parks.

Koontz said the new feature, Orca Encounter, will open in summer 2017.

The new orca displays will be added to the company's other parks in Orlando and San Antonio by 2019.
Authorities say a deputy with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department has been arrested and booked on suspicion of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a teenage girl participating in the department's youth Explorer program.

The department says in a statement Deputy David Israel Ceballos was arrested Friday and booked 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 years old.

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 victims at this time.

The department says 34-year-old Ceballos was placed on paid leave pending a separate administrative investigation.
Volunteers are putting the finishing touches on floats for Mondays Rose Parade in Pasadena. Although all of the floats will be beautiful, few will be as emotionally powerful as the Donate Life float, a float dedicated to organ donors and recipients. And, two of the women who volunteered to help build that float now share a bond over loss and victory.

Three years ago, both Rachel Greenberg and Veronica Cosme lost loved ones in an instant. Greenbergs husband Glenn died suddenly of a brain aneurysm and Cosmes 18-year-old niece Alyssa was killed when she was hit by a car.

But, out of those tragedies came something unexpected. Greenberg and Cosme now travel the country talking about how their loved ones are still making a difference.

His [Glenns] cornea for the gift of sight, his heart valve, his tendons, his bones, skin  Greenberg said.

Because her husband was an organ donor, she says her husband has now changed the lives of 127 people.

The youngest was a 4-year-old boy in Tennessee who had severe abdominal burns and the oldest was a 94-year-old man in California who Glenn gave the gift of sight, she said.

The organization known as Donate Life is once again bringing together families of organ donors and recipients to ride in the 2017 Donate Life Rose Parade float. The float is a Polynesian catamaran. The boat features 60 floral portraits of donors  including Greenbergs husband Glenn and Cosmes niece Alyssa.

Cosme is in the unusual position of being at both ends  she is representing her niece the donor and she is the recipient.

Three years ago, Cosme was weeks away from having to go on dialysis from a failing kidney.

Most people waiting for an organ never get one because there arent enough donors. Cosme never imagined such a gift would come from her dying niece.

My sister grabbed my hand and whispered if Alyssa doesn't make it my family and I want you to have her kidney, she said.

Cosme declined the offer.

I just said no she's strong, she's a fighter she's going to make it I have hope and I believe in miracles.

Doctors say Alyssas kidney turned out to be a rare and perfect match for her aunt.

I do feel her with me every time I go running, every time I get up in the morning, every time I speak, I feel so connected to her, Cosme said.

Cosmes story helped her connect with Greenberg. The two met while creating the floral portraits of their loved ones.

No matter what it is I do I think about her and I thank her for the gift of life she has given me, Cosme said of her niece Alyssa.

Nearly 120,000 people are currently waiting for an organ transplant in the United States, according to Donate Life. One organ donor can save the lives of up to eight people.
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.
A dispute between two roommates Saturday afternoon led to the arrest of a Florida Keys man for possession of marijuana.

At around 1:20 p.m., three officers met with the victim who told them his roommate Henry Fayette had thrown him down during a dispute. The officers say they could see no injuries on the victim.

As he was telling police what happened, the victim told them Fayette had marijuana at their house.

According to Monroe County Cheriff's Office, deputies went to the home on Stock Island to talk with Fayette. When he answered the door, the officers could smell the odor of marijuana inside and could see a bowl containing marijuana. Fayette denied battering the victim.

Fayette gave the officers consent to search his home, authorities say. He was cooperative with the search and showed them a backpack with 13 clear plastic bags containing more marijuana for a total of 238 grams of the illegal substance.

Fayette was arrested. He's charged with possession of marijuana with intent to sell, possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Two Florida women have been arrested in connection with a series of armed robberies committed by a suspect who wore a Batman mask.

Wateka Thomason, 33, and Cassandra Raffa, 31, were arrested Sunday after they were found sleeping in a car in a Walmart parking lot, Ormond Beach Police said.

Thomason and Raffa are facing numerous charges including grand theft, trespassing, armed robbery and dealing in stolen property. Both were being held without bond Monday, jail records showed. No attorney information was immediately available.

The robberies took place last month. The suspect was armed with a knife, but no one was injured.

Police said the investigation is ongoing.
A potential solution to a troublesome sand shortage off Southeast Florida is tucked away in a massive water resources funding bill President Barack Obama signed into law last month.

The 2016 Water Resources Development Act authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers to study the potential of using foreign sand, such as from the Bahamas, to widen shorelines and protect coasts from hurricanes like the ones that lashed the Big Bend and northeastern Florida last summer.

In its Shrinking Shores'' investigation last year, the Naples Daily News reported Miami-Dade and Broward counties have exhausted their deposits of available offshore sand, leaving only sand that is too far offshore to retrieve or is nestled among protected reefs or other underwater marine features.

A federal search found enough sand to last 50 years, but beach project managers told the Daily News the sand is too dark and risks triggering sand wars with other coastal counties. Project managers said Bahamian sand is the region's best chance to end expensive and inefficient sand hauls from inland mines.

But a ban, backed by the U.S dredging industry, on spending federal money on beach projects that use foreign sand stands in the way. Coastal communities can ill afford to forgo federal money for their beaches, the Daily News found.

Florida members of Congress tried again last year, unsuccessfully, to lift the ban.

The study provision in WRDA 2016 represents a compromise, said U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Boca Raton, who co-sponsored legislation to end the ban.

I think we're moving in a good direction,'' Frankel said.

She said she would be in touch'' with the Corps of Engineers about whether the agency has money to conduct the study or money needs to be put in a budget. The WRDA provision put no timeline on the study, but she said she hopes it will be done by the next time Congress reauthorizes WRDA, scheduled for 2018.

The Secretary (of the Army) is authorized to undertake a study of the economic and noneconomic costs, benefits and impacts of acquiring by purchase, exchange or otherwise sediment from domestic and nondomestic sources for shoreline protection,'' the provision states.

Upon completion of the study, the Secretary shall report to Congress on the availability, benefits and impacts of using domestic and nondomestic sources of sediment for shoreline protection,'' it reads.

An end to the ban on foreign sand is only part of any solution that would allow use of Bahamian sand. U.S. law, also backed by U.S. dredgers, prevents foreign-flagged vessels from bringing sand from the Bahamas to eroded Florida coastlines. To get around the law, sand would have to be transferred to a U.S.-flagged vessel, an expensive extra step.
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An Arlington family celebrated the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017 in an unusual way, with the birth of twin boys in two different years.

Medical City Arlington says Cassandra Martinez was due to deliver her third and fourth babies on Jan. 20, but they came early.

J'aiden Alexander Sanchez was the first to arrive at 11:46 p.m. on Dec. 31 while Jordan Xavier Sanchez arrived at 12:12 a.m. on New Year's Day, making him the first baby born at Medical City Arlington in 2017.

"I definitely was not expecting to spend the holiday in the hospital, but I am glad they're here and healthy," said Cassandra Martinez, the twins' mother.

In addition to having different birthdays, the Sanchez twins are the third set of twins of this generation in their father's family.

The hospital says twin brothers born on different days in different years, may be as rare as a one-in-a-million occurrence, according to some estimates.
Less than two hours after New York's first shooting homicide of 2017 another man was stabbed to death in the Bronx.

On Monday morning at about 5 a.m. police responded to 911 calls for help at an apartment building on Hoe Avenue.

Police said they arrived to find a 42-year-old man naked in a bedroom with stab wounds to his head and chest. He was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The suspect -- a woman wearing a black bubble vest -- ran away, police said.

Police said the victim's identity was being held until they could tell family. No arrests had been made and the investigation was ongoing.

The stabbing occurred about an hour and a half after an attempted robbery led to a man being shot to death in Queens, New York's first shooting homicide of 2017.
Police say a man who traveled from South America to the U.S. for his grandmother's funeral is the victim of New York City's first fatal shooting of 2017.

Officials say 31-year-old Rocky Kalisaran was shot and killed early Monday morning while coming to the aid of his younger brother, who was being held up in the Ozone Park section of Queens.

Kalisaran was shot several times in the chest on 124th Street around 3:20 a.m. after intervening in the attempted robbery. His 24-year-old brother, Sunny, was shot in the back and is currently in stable condition at Jamaica Hospital.

Police are trying to locate two men who fled the scene in a dark-colored vehicle.

Relatives of Kalisaran say he traveled to New York from Guyana to attend his grandmother's funeral this week.
A police car with an officer inside accidentally got hooked to a stolen flatbed truck and was dragged along the New York State Thruway Monday morning.

The Suffern Police Department said the debacle started when officers in East Rutherford, New Jersey, spotted a stolen flatbed truck out of Hackensack.

They tried to stop the truck but it fled on Route 17 with police in hot pursuit.

As the truck neared the New York State Thruway in Suffern, one of the East Rutherford police cars in chase "inadvertently" became hooked onto the rear of the flatbed with the police officer inside, Suffern Police said.

Dispatcher audio captured the high-speed chase as it happened.

"Speed approximately 55 miles per hourvehicles not stopping," an officer tells the dispatcher.

One minute later, the officer sends an urgent update: "We got a crashwe got a crash still going still goinggoing 17 north17 northbound"

The truck chase continued on the Thruway until the flatbed was stopped on Route 59 near the Suffern border.

Police said the driver of the flatbed was arrested and no one was injured.
A Delaware business owner celebrating New Year's Eve in Istanbul said he survived a massacre at a nightclub there by playing dead after being shot in the leg.

Jake Raak, a Delaware businessman, was in an Istanbul nightclub on New Years Eve when a terrorist opened fire, killing 39 people and wounding many others. Now, after being shot in the leg, Raak is returning home.

"I was shot on the ground," William Jacob Raak told NBC News. "He was walking on a bench above my head."

Raak, who goes by the name Jake, said that he didn't move after being wounded.

"I just let him shoot me," Raak said. "You just have to stay as calm as you can ... I took a bullet."

Video of Pennsylvania native injured in Istanbul nightclub shooting: https://t.co/P7YnEZcskB pic.twitter.com/V85vuCyj5p  NBC10 Philadelphia (@NBCPhiladelphia) January 2, 2017

The Islamic State group on Monday claimed responsibility for the attack at the Reina club which killed 39 people and wounded nearly 70. The group described Turkey as "the servant of the cross" and also suggested it was in retaliation for Turkish military offensives against ISIS, The Associated Press reported.

Raak, who lives in Greenville and is originally from Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, was visiting Istanbul with his friends, his brother Michael told NBC10 Philadelphia. Raak is the only U.S. citizen confirmed to be injured in the shooting so far, according to the State Department.

He was one of the estimated 600 people celebrating New Years at the popular nightclub around 1:15 a.m. Sunday -- getting bottle service in the VIP section -- when a man armed with a long-barreled weapon shot and killed a civilian and policeman, then entered the club and opened fire.

"I was shot in the f****** leg man," Raak said while being carted off into an ambulance in a video obtained by NBC News. "These crazy people came in shooting everything!"

Raak later calmly spoke from the hospital.

"Somebody said that there were shots fired and I initially did not believe it until I saw the gunman and he started shooting up the whole place," Raak told NBC News. [[409291985, C]]

Raaks brother, Michael Raak, who lives in South Philadelphia, told NBC10 his brother had just celebrated his 35th birthday in Istanbul four days prior to the shooting. Michael received a phone call from his brother around 7:30 p.m. ET on New Years Eve after the attack took place.

"We were setting up for New Years and then I got the phone call," Michael Raak said.

Michael Raak told NBC10 his brothers cellphone likely saved him from a more serious injury. [[409256115, C]]

"When he got shot the bullet hit his phone," Michael told NBC10. "It went from his hip to his knee but the bullet didnt hit any major arteries."

Raak called himself "the luckiest person in the whole thing" considering he was surrounded by dying people.

Doctors removed the bullet, Raak said.

Jake Raak was discharged from the hospital and returned home Monday evening.

"Everyones just happy hes alive and getting home pretty quickly," Michael said.

Raaks friend, who is from Dubai, was also shot in the shoulder during the attack but is expected to recover.

Turkish police detained eight people in connection with the attack but continued to search for the gunman on Monday, the AP reported.
A Montgomery County private school canceled classes Monday as the community mourned the body of a teacher was found at a cemetery.

The Academy of the New Church Secondary Schools in Bryn Athyn announced the death of physical education teacher Marah Boyesen on Facebook midday Monday:

"Sadly we have received notification that the remains of our friend and colleague, Marah Boyesen, have been found. We have notified the students and parents and are canceling the rest of the school day." [[409327805, C]]

Bryn Athyn Police searched Sunday night for the missing educator, said Police Chief Glenn Coffin. A person walking in Bryn Athyn Cemetery found Boyesen's body Monday morning, said police.

Investigators opened a death scene investigation Monday. They didn't suspect foul play and said it appeared to be suicide, said Coffin. The Montgomery County Coroner's Office would issue an official ruling on a cause of death, he said.

The school didnt reveal details about Boyesens death in its post attributed to Girls School principal Kira Schadegg and Boys School principal Jeremy Irwin, instead focusing on the community.



"At a time like this, the instinct is to reach out and ask, 'What can I do?' The answer right now is to provide the family with some space," said the post. "Over the coming hours and days, opportunities to provide support will be made available.



"Please hold each other gently over the next several days."



The school suggested anyone with questions or "concerns about anyones welfare" to reach out to administration.

The New Church is a Christian-faith group formed by 18th Century Swedish theologian and scientist Emanuel Swedenborg, said ANC's website. The Boy's School was formed in 1881 with the girl's school opening in 1884.

SUICIDE PREVENTION HELP: The National Suicide Prevention Hotline (1-800-273-8255) is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
As hospitals around the Philadelphia region welcomed the first babies of 2017, the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey welcomed its own new arrival: a baby loggerhead sea turtle.

The yet-to-be-named turtle hatched in August at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, said the Adventure Aquarium.

The Camden aquarium revealed the turtle as part of its "Baby New Year" initiative. The turtle will spend most of its year at the New Jersey Aquariums Sea Turtle Cove exhibit going through a "survival school" program before being released off the coast of North Carolina.

"The hatchling came to us weighing 86 grams and is now over 226 grams," said Nikki Grandinetti, curator of fish and invertebrates at Adventure Aquarium. "He loves jellies and shrimp. Hes also very active and investigates anything with his mouth."

Throughout the month of January, visitors can vote on the hatchlings name  the finalists are Darwin, Griswold, Groot and Tina  by dropping spare change into a voting booth in the Main Lobby, said the aquarium. [[26343834, C]]
Authorities say a 23-year-old has died in a crash on Highway 12 about 35 miles west of Helena near Avon. Four others involved in the Sunday afternoon wreck suffered various injuries.

The man, who is from Missoula, was in the passenger seat of a car headed west, according to Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Alicia Austin. The name of the victim has not been released pending notification of family.

The driver of the car lost control of the vehicle, Austin said. The car swerved into oncoming traffic and rotated counterclockwise. An eastbound sport-utility vehicle struck the car's passenger side, she said.

The man died at the scene. The two-vehicle crash was reported at 2:08 p.m.

The car contained three other people. The sport-utility vehicle had a lone occupant. All four were taken to local hospitals with "moderate to severe injuries," Austin said.

An investigation into the crash remains ongoing. Austin said the driver of the car may have been driving too fast for road conditions, which were scattered snow and ice at the time of the crash. Alcohol was not a factor in the wreck, she said. Everyone involved was wearing seat belts.
Over 1,000 people ran into the icy cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean to raise money for good causes. The annual polar bear plunges took place on New Years Day in Atlantic City and Brigantine, New Jersey.

Atlantic Citys 26th annual plunge took place in front of the Resorts Casino Hotel around noon. Hundreds of people ran into the water to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America.

At the same time, around 1,000 people ran into the ocean in front of the Laguna Grill & Rum Bar in Brigantine, New Jersey to raise money for military families.




A man who was on the run after he allegedly murdered his wife in front of their children was arrested, according to police.

A New Jersey murder suspect hid in the woods for two weeks before police found and captured him. Jeremiah Monell is charged with killing his estranged wife Tara O-Shea-Watson on December 19th. Now, with Monell in custody, Taras friends are questioning how Monell eluded capture for so long.

A witness spotted Jeremiah Monell, 32, in Folsom, New Jersey Monday around 2:45 p.m. and contacted the New Jersey State Police Buena Vista Barracks, according to investigators. Responding troopers then found Monell hiding in a wooded area off US Highway 322, police said. He was then arrested and taken into custody without incident.

Monell is accused of stabbing his estranged wife, Tara O'Shea-Watson, 35, inside her home on Raymond Drive in Commercial Township on the morning of December 19, 2016.

O'Shea-Watson was found unresponsive and unconscious at the home and was later pronounced dead. Police said the estranged couple's 12-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter were inside the home at the time of the stabbing. Child protective services cared for the children.

"He just had pure hatred in his heart to do something like this," said O'Shea-Watson's cousin Bryan Dunn. "Especially with the kids in the house." [[407697145, C]]

Investigators said Monell fled the scene in the same 1994 blue Chevrolet S10 pickup truck that they later found on December 20. Troopers later announced a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

Monell, who was taken to an area hospital for a medical evaluation following his arrest, faces murder and weapons charges.

O'Shea-Watson's best friend Jen Messek told NBC10 if not for custody issues regarding the couple's pending divorce, Tara would have left New Jersey for good and moved to Tennessee.

"I didn't see the restraining order but she did have one," Messek said. "This is a tragedy. Not just for the family and the children but for the community." [[408158805, C]]
The San Diego jazz scene is deep, and it seems to get deeper with each passing year. 2016 was a very good year in terms of local recording artists, many of whom have earned national reputations. There were some records cut on the local scene that I didnt have the opportunity to evaluate -- which is, of course, regrettable -- but one can only comment on what one hears. That being said, here are 10 of my favorites from San Diego.

1. Nathan Hubbard Skeleton Key Orchestra, Furiously Dreaming: Nathan Hubbards huge, sprawling epic is perhaps the only record Ive ever heard that brought both Joni Mitchell and Anthony Braxton to mind. In the uber creative Hubbard mindscape, all things are possible. Wild and wonderfully ambitious, this large orchestral project is a winner.

2. Peter Kuhn, No Coming, No Going: This Lithuanian labels re-issue of Kuhns 1970s output repackages the previously released Livin Right with a long lost duo concert with the criminally underrated drummer Denis Charles. The duo is absolutely breathtaking, in the tradition of the Coltrane/Ali and Braxton/ Roach reed and drum hook-ups.

3. Lori Bell, Brooklyn Dreaming: Bell decided to release this album on her own, and the result has been the most successful San Diego disc in some time. Tremendous reviews in Downbeat Magazine and the Huffington Post are just the tip of Bells critical iceberg, so to speak.

4. Ian Tordella, The Lost Weekend: This album stayed in my iPod for months. Tordella wrote a terrific bunch of tunes, and the supporting cast of Jeff Miles on guitar, Ed Kornhauser on keyboards, Rob Thorsen on bass and Charles Weller on drums is uniformly excellent.

5. Allison Adams Tucker, Wanderlust: Tuckers voice swoops and soars in this wonderful collection of tunes where Tucker fronts a jazz supergroup including saxophonist Chris Potter and Pat Metheny drummer Antonio Sanchez. Like Bells effort, this disc has gotten some amazing reviews in national publications.

6. Danny Green Trio, Altered Narrative: Another local artist who is making a global impact is piano virtuoso Green, whose super tight trio with bassist Justin Grinnell and drummer Julien Cantelm get significant assistance from a wonderfully arranged string quartet.

7. Forrest Westbrook, The Remarkable Forrest Westbrook: Remarkable is an understatement for this superlative session circa 1960 from the amazing and unsung pianist Westbrook, who spent his golden years in San Diego. He stretches out on this session, especially on the one cut featuring Gary Peacock.

8. Rob Thorsen, Bass is the Space: Thorsen is perhaps the busiest bassist in town, no doubt due to his versatility. This collection of bass solos and select duos with Joshua White, Steph Johnson, Marshall Hawkins and Gilbert Castellanos illustrate Thorsens command of sound and groove.

9. Steph Johnson, Music is Art: Sultry songbird Johnson collaborated with the Grammy Award-winning Kamau Kenyatta to produce her most satisfying album to date, deeply infused with a soul-jazz sensibility. Johnson has a humanity that shines through everything she does.

10. Matt Smith Neu Jazz Trio, Retrograde: Smiths trio features the next generation of San Diego heavyweights, including Ed Kornhauser on piano and Mackenzie Leighton on bass. The album has the feel of a Bad Plus kind of experience with a touch of ECM piano trio on the side.

Robert Bush is a freelance jazz writer who has been exploring the San Diego improvised music scene for more than 30 years. Follow him on Twitter @robertbushjazz. Visit The World According to Rob.
Residents of a North Park home destroyed in a fire that injured one man and killed a family pet, were able to obtain temporary lodging amid the hectic holiday weekend, according to San Diego/Imperial Counties American Red Cross.

The American Red Cross aided the victims of the fire with financial assistance for lodging as well as providing food, blankets, clothing, hygiene items and mental health services, said Red Cross officials.

Victims of the fire will work with a Red Cross representative to develop a recovery plan over the next few weeks.

Neighbors saw flames and explosions coming from a home on Polk Avenue near Ohio Street at approximately 12:30 a.m. One witnessed described fire and smoke coming from every window of the house. At one point the fire started spreading to another house.

Nine people lived in the home where the fire started. One person lived in the home next door. That home was damaged as well, according to San Diego Fire-Rescue officials.

Everyone escaped the flames. One resident even carried a dog out of the home but in the chaos, the dog ran back inside.

Officials said the flames were too intense for residents to go back into the home and retrieve the dog.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

Firefighters say it started somewhere near a truck parked in the driveway and quickly spread.

One person was sent to a nearby hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. Two cats were rescued.

One woman who has stayed in one of the homes from time to time said the owner, Kathy, takes people in who don't have a place to stay.

"She's a sweetheart. She didn't deserve this," said Cherice Pruet. "[Kathy] would open up her home to anybody and everybody."

Ten people received hotel vouchers from the San Diego chapter of the American Red Cross. However, one of the fire victims told NBC 7 the group was having trouble finding a vacant hotel room because of the holiday weekend.

No other information was immediately available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news story.
If you are heading to the San Diego Zoo in the coming weeks, be warned: the popular Skyfari will be closed for the next two weeks.

The Skyfari Aerial Tram lets guests take an airborne shortcut across the park, rewarding them with beautiful views of the park and the surrounding Balboa Park.

However, the feature will be closed from Tuesday, Jan. 3 to Friday, Jan. 13 for its scheduled annual maintenance, according to the San Diego Zoo.
UPDATE: Breaniya Todd was found in good health, police said Monday evening.

An 11-year-old girl went missing from Northeast D.C. on New Year's Day and police are asking for help from the public to find her.

Breaniya Todd was last seen on the 1000 block of Brentwood Road NE about 1:30 p.m. Sunday, D.C. police said. Breaniya is considered a critical missing person.

Police described her as a black female who stands about 5-foot-1, weighs about 130 pounds and wears her black hair in a fade. She has brown eyes and a mole on her left cheek. She was last seen wearing a blue jacket, red shirt, blue jeans, and black and yellow Nike Jordan shoes.

Anyone with information on Breaniya's whereabouts is asked to call 911 or reach D.C. police at 202-727-9099 or the Youth and Family Services Division at 202-576-6768.
A fire on the 25th floor of a residential high-rise in Fairfax County has displaced two families.

The fire broke out on the 3700 block of S. George Mason Drive. Fairfax County firefighters arrived about 7:45 p.m. and saw evidence of fire on the 25th floor of the 26-story building.

Residents evacuated, and 85 firefighters worked to get the blaze under control. It started on the 25th floor and extended to the top floor, a fire department representative said.

No injuries were reported.

Two families with children were displaced and will receive help from the Red Cross, the fire department said.

The cause of the fire is still undetermined, the fire department said.

Stay with News4 for more details on this developing story.
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A 23-year-old man has been charged with the shooting of a man at a Leesburg, Virginia, hotel on New Year's Day.

Officers were called to the Clarion Inn on East Market Street just after 5:30 a.m. for a report of a shooting. When they arrived, they found a 33-year-old man suffering from gunshot wounds to the torso.

The victim was taken to the hospital and is listed in stable condition.

The Leesburg Police Department later identified 23-year-old Justin Robin as the suspect, and Robin turned himself in to police Monday night.

He has been charged with aggravated malicious wounding.

The motive for the shooting is unclear, but police say it does not appear to be gang related.
UPDATE: Gloria Deborah Adams has been found unharmed, police said late Sunday.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Previous story: A 91-year-old woman with dementia is missing after she left her home in Silver Spring Sunday evening.

Gloria Deborah Adams, left the Leisure World senior citizen community between 5 and 6 p.m. New Year's Day and was headed to a family member's home on Rayburn Road in Bethesda, Montgomery County police said.

She never arrived.

Adams was driving a silver 2014 Volkswagen Jetta with the Maryland license plate 2BR9629.

Police described her as a white woman who stands 4-foot-10 and weighs about 150 pounds. She has white hair and blue eyes.

Anyone with information on Adams' whereabouts is asked to call 911.
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."
As his time in the Oval Office comes to an end, President Barack Obama on Monday gave the country a preview of the farewell address he will deliver in Chicago on Jan. 10, a mere 10 days before President-elect Donald Trump is to be sworn in.

Obama, in a written statement, explained that the American people have helped him lead during his presidency, a theme he plans to highlight in his speech.

"I'm thinking about [my remarks] as a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways you've changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thought on where we all go from here," he wrote.

The sitting president offered encouragement to his fellow Americans, who he said have hit obstacles since he took office.

"Since 2009, we've faced our fair share of challenges, and come through them stronger," he said. "That's because we have never let go of a belief that has guided us ever since our founding  our conviction that, together, we can change this country for the better."

The U.S. president's farewell address, Obama noted, is a tradition that dates back to 1796, when George Washington said goodbye to Americans before transferring power to his successor, John Adams.



Read his full email below:



Email from the President: My Farewell Address

In 1796, as George Washington set the precedent for a peaceful, democratic transfer of power, he also set a precedent by penning a farewell address to the American people. And over the 220 years since, many American presidents have followed his lead.

On Tuesday, January 10, I'll go home to Chicago to say my grateful farewell to you, even if you can't be there in person.

I'm just beginning to write my remarks. But I'm thinking about them as a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways you've changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here.

Since 2009, we've faced our fair share of challenges, and come through them stronger. That's because we have never let go of a belief that has guided us ever since our founding -- our conviction that, together, we can change this country for the better.

So I hope you'll join me one last time.

Because, for me, it's always been about you.

In 1796, as George Washington set the precedent for a peaceful, democratic transfer of power, he also set a precedent by penning a farewell address to the American people. And over the 220 years since, many American presidents have followed his lead.



On Tuesday, January 10, I'll go home to Chicago to say my grateful farewell to you, even if you can't be there in person.



I'm just beginning to write my remarks. But I'm thinking about them as a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways you've changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here.



Since 2009, we've faced our fair share of challenges, and come through them stronger. That's because we have never let go of a belief that has guided us ever since our founding -- our conviction that, together, we can change this country for the better.



So I hope you'll join me one last time.



Because, for me, it's always been about you.



-President Barack Obama
Officials say a firefighter was hurt while battling a fire at a Rockland, Maine home over the weekend.

WCSH-TV reports officials say the blaze began on Sunday afternoon in a home across the street from the home of the town's fire chief. He and 15 other town fire and emergency workers responded.

Officials say a firefighter was hospitalized with injuries that aren't considered life threatening.

The town's fire department says the owner of the home wasn't there when the blaze began. No one else was hurt.

WCSH-TV says the fire was on the second floor.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the State Fire Marshal's office.
A former New Hampshire youth detention center counselor has been charged with sexually assaulting a 15-year-old who was being held at the center and giving him and another teen alcohol and guns.

The Concord Monitor reports the attorney for 25-year-old Kirstie Bean, of Concord, pleaded not guilty on Bean's behalf last week.

The state Department of Health and Human Services operates the Sununu Youth Services Center in Manchester.

Bean lists the center in court papers as her former employer. A spokesperson says she doesn't work there anymore.

Authorities say the sexual assaults happened between August 2015 and August 2016.

Authorities say Bean also gave pistols to the 15-year-old and an 18-year-old, bought alcohol for both teens and allowed the 15-year-old to drive.
Hartford police have arrested a man they say officers witnessed shooting a woman on Park Street on New Year's Day.

Police said they arrested and charged Ulises Robles, 30 of West Hartford on murder charges.

According to authorities, a Hartford patrol officer saw Robles point a gun at a car and fire a round into the driver's window on Park Street early Sunday morning.

Police said after Robles was ordered to drop his weapon, he fled on foot but was later identified and taken into custody.

The female victim, Luz Rosado, 28, of Hartford, suffered a gunshot wound to the chest. She was taken to Hartford Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Robles was charged with murder, criminal possesion of a firearm, and unlawful discharge of a firearm.
Cyber-security analysts are probing a Vermont utilitys laptop, following the discovery of malware on the device.

Burlington Electric said federal authorities issued an alert to utilities around the country about possibly suspicious internet activity. The alert led to the discovery of a concerning piece of code that didnt belong on one of its employees laptops.

Were still looking into the laptop, said cybersecurity analyst Jon Rajewski, who consulted for Burlington Electric on the situation. Theres a team of people from federal agencies working on this as well.

In their alert, the feds linked the type of code discovered in Vermont to Russian hackers.

Friday, The Washington Post incorrectly reported that Russian hackers penetrated the U.S. electric grid through that code, infecting a Vermont computer. The paper later amended its reporting to say the discovery indicated there are technological risks to the nations power system.

By Monday night, the newspaper issued an update citing experts and officials close to the investigation that some evidence showed the incident was not linked to any hacking effort by the Russian government.

The utility called the initial newspaper report deeply flawed and said the code may have had little or no direct impact at all on Burlington or on the power grid as a whole.

Theres been no indication of compromise of either our electric grid systems or our customer information said Neale Lunderville, the general manager of Burlington Electric.

Lunderville told necn the laptop wasnt connected to the grid systems, and noted the code has been found elsewhere in the country.

Were constantly scanning for threats, 24-7-365, Lunderville said. All utilities, including Burlington Electric, take cyber-security very, very seriously.

The scare and its initial link to Russia, which the Obama administration has fingered in the hacking of Democratic political institutions ahead of November's election, sparked several fiery political responses.

Vermont Gov. 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, Shumlins statement continued.

necn reached out to Shumlin's office Tuesday in light of Washington Post's further reporting.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, also weighed in.

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, Leahy wrote. That is a direct threat to Vermont and we do not take it lightly.

Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, said in a statement, This attack shows how rampant Russian hacking is. It's systemic, relentless, predatory. They will hack everywhere, even Vermont, in pursuit of opportunities to disrupt our country.

While federal agencies have linked the code they told utilities to watch for to Russian hackers, Rajewski, the cybersecurity analyst, said a full forensic exam of the malwares origins and the motive behind it will be complicated.

Often, viruses can get onto computers through bogus emails that trick users into opening a malicious file, he said.

You have to spend a lot of time looking at the evidence and trying to determine what happened, Rajewski said. All that takes some time and effort.

While the probe into the utilitys laptop continues, Rajewski said the case underscores the need for homeowners, businesses and other organizations to keep up-to-date on cybersecurity, to protect against possible breaches.

Computers hold a lot of valuable information. Its important to keep it safe and secure, Rajewski said. Its really important to keep your phone and computer up-to-date so you can try to stop or slow down these attackers from breaching your security.
A Maine farmer is on a mission to save a rare breed of pig, and her plan is to encourage people to eat them.

Susan Frank, owner of the Dogpatch Farm in Washington, Maine, has been awarded a $50,000 USDA grant to promote mulefoot pigs to farmers, chefs, and consumers.

Its to help bring the mulefoot back to sustainable numbers, she said. The more the merrier.

Franks plan is to get the word out about the quality of the mulefoot meat.

Its more flavorful  robust, she said. Theyre more marbled. Its actually a darker red meat.

Frank says the more people demand the mulefoot meat, the more incentive there will be for farmers to breed and raise the breed, considered critically rare by the Livestock Conservancy.

There are an estimated 500 mulefoot breeding stock in the country, and Franks farm has about a dozen of them.

Frank said large, commercial farm operations havent used the mulefoot breed because it doesnt do well in confined spaces, has smaller litters, and takes longer to grow to market size  she says they are worth the wait  absolutely.

Shes one of the only mulefoot farmers in the Northeast, but never intended to be in the business. Frank initially purchased a few mulefoots to feed her family better meat.

We were fed up with what was available, and with what the labels did or didnt tell us, she said.

As more people prioritize eating local, and the foodie scene blossoms in cities like Portland and Portsmouth, Frank sees opportunity for mulefoots to make it on to menus. Her meat has already been featured at restaurants such as Portlands Fore Street and 555, and Evoo in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
During the holidays, many Montanans make our most significant charitable donations of the year. Some research shows almost 25 percent of our personal giving takes place between Christmas and the New Year. As a leader in Montanas nonprofit community -- I offer a heartfelt thank-you to the thousands of individuals, families and businesses in the Helena area who give so generously to nonprofits serving the Helena community and beyond. Many of the 495 charitable nonprofits in Helena (not to mention those in neighboring communities) rely on your generosity as a vital part of their budget. Your gift is important. Here are some steps you can take to ensure your donations will be put to good use in the ways you intend.

First and foremost, know the organization you are giving to -- either personally, by way of reputation, or by doing some simple homework. Giving to an organization you volunteer with is a great way to guarantee your money is going toward a cause you believe in. You can also get to know an organization through its website or other online resources.

GuideStar (www.guidestar.org) is a free website every potential donor should explore. Nonprofit tax returns can be found through a simple search on GuideStar. The return has information about how an organization gets its money, what kinds of programs it runs, the board of directors, and executive compensation. GuideStar is easy to navigate and exists to increase accountability and transparency in the nonprofit sector, an ethic most nonprofits embrace.

Second, understand what you want to get from giving. The clearer you are on why youre giving, the more satisfied youre likely to be when you donate. Giving to honor a loved one, express your faith, address a cause such as homelessness, the arts, or watershed protection, or decrease taxes are all valid but very different types of giving.

Third, practice wise giving -- especially in response to phone solicitation. Most nonprofits are trustworthy, but every year a few Montanans fall victim to scammers. The Montana Attorney Generals office suggests you be wary of high pressure sales type calls; find out if the solicitor is paid, and how much; ask for the full name of the charity and do your research before making a donation; call the Montana Office of Consumer Protection (444-4500) if you are concerned about a particular solicitation; and dont give your credit card number in response to an unsolicited phone request.

As we welcome a new year, I invite you to set a goal to increase the ways you practice generosity. Gifts of time, energy and money are an investment in the well-being of both your community and yourself. Decreased stress, more satisfying relationships, increased happiness, longevity, and a sense of contributing to the greater good are all side effects of generosity. Many of us are looking for ways to cope with an increased sense of uncertainty and fear. Generosity is not a cure-all, but it is within our control and makes a difference, both of which can add to our sense of stability amidst change.

When you think about what you value most about living in Helena, undoubtedly a nonprofit contributes in some way. Family Promise, Rocky Mountain Development Council, the YMCA and YWCA, Prickly Pear Land Trust, Helena Food Share, the Montana History Foundation, Gods Love, Disability Rights Montana, and ExplorationWorks! are just a few examples of nonprofits making a difference in Lewis and Clark County. Thank you for your support of these and other worthwhile causes.

In the coming year, I encourage you to thoughtfully (and wisely) increase your gifts of time, energy and money to these and other nonprofits making life better for all in the Helena area. Whether you do this in ways large or small, I believe you will be surprised and blessed by how much richer your life is because of generosity.

Liz Moore is the executive director of the Montana Nonprofit Association.
Police in Lebanon, New Hampshire have arrested a man accused of stabbing two people and setting three fires intentionally, one of which was at a church.

One fire tore through the First Baptist Church on Dec. 28.

The 3-alarm fire started in the rear of the church on School Street just before 11:30 p.m. and destroyed much of the building, according to fire officials.

One firefighter was taken to the hospital for a minor injury after slipping on ice.

The second fire was located at 68 Mascoma St. on Dec. 29.

Following investigation, police identified Anthony Boisvert, 27, of Lebanon, as a person of interest after the fires were deemed suspicious.

On Sunday at 9:10 p.m., police received 911 call regarding a stabbing that occurred at the Boulders Condominium complex at 20 Wolf Road.

Neighbor Rosemary Fox said she heard the dreadful scream from across the hall when her neighbors had been stabbed.

It was the worst thing Ive ever seen or heard in my life, Fox said. It was like blood curdling.

Fox said she called 911 right away while her mother went to help.

Wade [the victim] was drenched in blood from his neck down to his knees, said neighbor Kathy Willis.

The two victims, a 52-year-old man and a 66-year-old woman, suffered serious stab injuries and said Boisvert was their attacker and fled after stabbing them.

Boisvert was located around 10:15 p.m. on Tannery Lane and was taken into custody.

It was really concerning for my wife and I, said Albert Craig, who lives steps away from where Boisvert was arrested.

Boisvert is facing two counts of first-degree assault and three counts of arson. Police believe he is responsible for another fire on Jan. 16, 2016 at a building at 174 Hanover Street Extension.

He is being held on those charges and will be arraigned Tuesday.

Both stabbing victims are expected to survive.
A police source tells NBC Boston that the car stolen by an escaped inmate on Sunday was found in Framingham, Massachusetts, just a block from his ex-girlfriend's house.

Police have been searching the area of the ex-girlfriend's home but have yet to find James Walker Morales, who escaped from Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, Rhode Island on Saturday night.

The U.S. Marshal's Service confirms it is searching for Morales, saying he may be armed is considered to be extremely dangerous.

Neighbors said investigators returned to the home throughout the day Monday, staying for hours at a time. But they haven't revealed much about why they are there.

"I actually commented to the state police that I was nervous because I have children in the house," said Bijou Vilaranda, who witnessed the search. "I said, 'Is there something that I need to be concerned about?' And he was like, 'You know, well, yeah, we're looking for somebody,' but he wouldn't elaborate."

Another neighbor, Mike Doiron, said he also asked police what they were doing but they wouldn't tell him anything.

Morales remains on the run and police said he may be in Massachusetts, or he could also be in another state by now.

The prison warden said Morales climbed up onto a basketball hoop, cut through wire, got onto the roof during outside recreation, then jumped down and climbed a barbed wire fence to get out. Blood was found in various areas of facilities, so officials believe Morales is wounded and bleeding from the razor wire.

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 said the customer who had her car stolen left it unlocked and running while she was in the store. She added that the customer's phone was still in the car.

Authorities urge anyone who spots Morales to call 911, and those with information are asked to call U.S. Marshals at 508-368-7300.

The FBI says Morales - a former Army reservist - stole six assault rifles and 10 handguns from the Lincoln Stoddard Army Reserve Center in Worcester in 2015. He was arrested in New York days after the theft, and most of the guns were later recovered.

He has a long criminal history dating back to 2009, including a child rape charge for allegedly sexually assaulting his friend's young daughter.
Two men have died after a car crashed into the Congregation Beth El Keser Synagogue at 85 Harrison St. early Monday morning following a police pursuit, according to New Haven police.

Police officials told NBC Connecticut that the incident began as a carjacking in the area of Fitch and Blake Streets after one man showed the victim a simulated weapon beneath his clothing at around 12:15 a.m.

The owner of the car, Heath Klarsfeld, said he was stopped at a red light at the intersection, when the pair approached him. He said one of them claimed to have a gun.

"I knew something was a funny as soon as he was getting a little too close and then his friend was going around the back side," said Klarsfeld. "I went to go lock my door and they opened it really quick."

Police say Klarsfeld of the carjacking was not injured.

At around 1:35 a.m. an officer spotted the stolen vehicle, a 2005 Toyota Highlander, in the area of Whalley Avenue at Winthrop Avenue police said.

According to police, the officer attempted to stop the vehicle but lost sight of it.

The car was then found crashed into the synagogue, police said.

The synagogue sustained minimal structural damage while the stolen vehicle sustained heavy damage, according to police. No one was inside the synagogue at the time of the crash.

Police said one man was dead upon arrival on scene while the other was transported to the hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries. State police have identified the men as 23-year-old Tommy Brown of New Haven and 20-year-old Andrew Bolden-Velez of West Haven.

Per standard procedure, New Haven police turned the case over to Connecticut State police who are continuing the investigation.

Whalley Avenue was closed near Phillip Street for hours while police investigated but has since reopened.
Dry weather across the region today as a high pressure system crests overhead with clouds building as the day progresses.

The next storm up is on Tuesday - perfectly timed to bring on the water for the morning ride. But while it is wet, most of the heavy rain may fall over the fish with this storm.

Parts of Maine could see some wintry weather Tuesday. A Winter Storm Watch is in effect from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday afternoon for parts of Aroostook, Franklin, Penobscot, Piscataquis and Somerset counties, with several inches of snow and ice accumulation possible.

High temperatures max out in the lower 40s south and the mid to upper 30s north. High pressure slides off to our east tonight as the next weather system approaches from the west.

Lows will drop into the mid 30s south and upper 20s to low 30s north. Low pressure moves across New England tomorrow bringing rain to the region.

There is the potential precipitation to begin as freezing rain across higher elevations at the onset. Rain continues throughout the day on Tuesday before tapering off Tuesday night as the low pressure systems pivots into the Gulf of Maine.

Lows tomorrow night will bottom out in the 30s across the area. A cold front will push across the New England on Wednesday, bringing with it the chance of rain and snow showers to the north.

This cold front is expected to stall over southern New England late in the day. Highs will range from the upper 30s north to upper 40s south. Stalled front will remain overhead on Thursday, keeping the threat of showers in the forecast.

Front remains stalled over the region on Friday. Expecting partly cloudy skies with highs only reaching into the low 30s south and low 20s north. An area of high pressure noses into the region Friday night.

Looking ahead to the weekend, high pressure shifts offshore on Saturday as a cold front approaches from the northwest. Clouds increase as the day goes on after a mostly sunny start. Highs reach into upper 20s to low 30s. More details on the exclusive Early Warning Weather 10-Day Forecast.
'Amazing experience' after topping Amazon chart

A NEWBURY band have had their first taste of fame after their debut album rocked to the top of an online chart.

No Good Sons  Ken Lingus, Simon Catt, Mike Barbour and producer Martin Pawley  hit number one spot on the Amazon rock album chart when their album was released on December 9.

The band formed in 2015 and, after a few local performances and charity gigs, including regular slots at The Monument in Newbury, started recording their debut album .

The album hit number one and finished the day at number two in the chart, with the album ranked 20th overall in all genres.

Mr Lingus said the album is a story about feeling the strains on finding love, having ones heart torn out and rebuilding back up again to maybe learn from their mistakes.

The album, recorded at Hogans Music Attic Studio in Newbury, features a mix of music, ranging from heavy southern American tracks, blues rock influence, and a few ballads, one with a Latino twist.

Mr Lingus said the albums success proved that good hearty, original rock music was not dead just yet in the UK.

He said: We expected a few of the locals to purchase and a few of our fans who are on our Facebook page, and that was about it.

To hit number one was just the most amazing experience and feeling, which also borderlined with complete shock.

The bands social media page kicked into gear with people sharing the news, comments and pictures of the albums rise.

Mr Lingus said: We knew it would probably only be for a few hours, but we were just amazed at the overwhelming support from all our fans, especially given that we have only played a few local shows.

We ended the day second, but beating the likes of Metallicas new album, Queen and Robbie Williams was just simply amazing.

We would very much like to thank all our fans for helping us achieve the impossible, and for their continued support of getting the news about our album out there.

Its been a great year for us, and we could not have done it without them.
MISSOULA  Not a single email is stored in the state archives, even though Montana leaders have used them to conduct state business for decades and state law requires emails of importance to be preserved.

The mass and routine deletion of emails gained attention in campaigns nationwide this fall. In Montana, Republicans centered attacks on the realization that no emails existed from Democrat Gov. Steve Bullocks term as attorney general. But the problem is more widespread.

Its all over the place, Senate Majority Leader Fred Thomas, R-Stevensville, said of the way the state currently manages records. State law is being violated.

The state archives are supposed to be the final destination for the most important records about state government and how leaders made their decisions. The fact no emails have made it that far -- despite being the modern equivalent of letters and memos that stock archival shelves -- is a sign something is wrong. Experts describe a two-pronged problem: Agencies are deleting emails too soon; and the archives do not have the storage or equipment to accept them.

As a result, Montanans have lost decades of public information.

Records managers, journalists and historians say improvements to rules, funding and culture are needed to prevent further losses that violate the publics constitutional right to know what government is doing.

National experts say a failure to manage electronic records properly can cause many problems, including opening up states to lawsuits, risking the release of personal information about residents, losing critical insights about past decisions or operations, weakening public trust in government, and driving up bills for digital storage that would not be needed with smarter management.

'Google society'

We live in a Google society. People go onto the Internet, Google something and get an instantaneous result. They expect the same from their government. When they dont get it, they think government is hiding something, said Mary Beth Herkert, Oregons state archivist, who has worked with national organizations to develop best practices for electronic public records. Government needs to be transparent, accountable and accessible.

Joe DeFilippis, who leads records management for Montanas executive branch, agreed but said: For some things, our retention practices might be out of touch.

Unlike some states that merge archival and records management functions, the responsibility to maintain public records is divided in Montana between the records manager at the Secretary of State's office and the archivist who works under the governor. Legislative and judicial records are overseen separately.

In practice, retention decisions are made by individual state agencies, and few of them have preserved emails consistently, if at all, according to dozens of interviews and results of records requests made by Lee Montana Newspapers.

Montana is not alone in struggling to provide transparency in the digital age. Because email is used by government employees for so many different purposes, it has been a particular challenge for states to manage.

Its like the old fashioned desk inbox, but no box to sort it. Its the largest record-holding system in any state but its not a records management system, said Vermont State Archivist Tanya Marshall, spokeswoman for the National Association of Government Archives and Record Administrators. Most states are sitting on terabytes of data that hasnt been managed.

Email is only part of Montanas ongoing struggle to preserve electronic files as public records. State officials still must develop or update strategies for other formats, such as text messages, social media posts, digital maps and data collected by license-plate readers.

Public records law

Some officials point to a cleanup of the states public records law in 2015 as a first step toward improvement.

The rewrite clarified the definition of public information to be flexible enough to adapt to new technologies. It also expanded membership on the State Records Committee, which writes guidelines, in an effort to increase awareness among a broader group of state employees. But the rewrite did not provide practical solutions for fulfilling open-government duties.

In broad terms, any record created by a Montana government employee in any format is public unless the law explicitly exempts it, such as some confidential records involving personnel and private information such as Social Security numbers.

Some records, such as an email asking a coworker to lunch, are considered transitory and can be deleted in 30 days without review. Other records, such as the governor discussing policy ideas with an industry lobbyist, must be retained for at least three years and even then cannot be destroyed without the permission of the State Records Committee. And the law requires some records to be preserved permanently.

But interviews and records reveal that many state agencies assume all emails are transitory and that none of the content would trigger longer retention. As a result, public records requests for emails routinely produce the response that none exist.

Automated system

Such dead-end requests often involve employees who no longer work for the state. One month after a public employee changes agencies or leaves office, a state software system deletes all of that persons emails. The automated system operates independently from records managers, typically meaning no one reviews the emails for preservation before they are destroyed.

The most high-profile example is the deletion of emails sent from 2009 to 2012 by Bullock and other Department of Justice staffers. It was discovered that no emails had been preserved when Yellowstone Club Founder Timothy Blixseth requested them as part of a lawsuit against the state. The governor's office did not respond to repeated requests for the name of the department's records manager at the time.

Another Lee Newspapers request for emails between members of the Protect Montana Kids Commission and Child and Family Services Administrator Sarah Corbally came up empty. Department of Public Health and Human Services Spokesman Jon Ebelt said her emails were deleted after her departure this spring -- even though she was a central voice during the commissions discussions about how to reform child protective services and many of the groups recommendations will be reviewed by the 2017 Legislature.

When emails no longer exist, their content is not available for review, making it impossible to know how many would have legally required longer retention. Nonetheless, open government watchdogs and historians argue it is highly likely that at least a few emails among those sent by top officials would have been important enough to trigger such retention.

If those arent being captured and stored then that really takes the legs out from underneath the public records law, said Adam Marshall, an attorney for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. "The public records law can only provide access to what exists.

John MacDonald, a lobbyist for the Montana Newspaper Association who previously worked as a reporter and editor for the Associated Press, agreed it is an important duty of government to preserve records.

The departure of an elected official from office does not mean information created, used or maintained by that official is suddenly no longer subject to our public information and public records laws, he said. We recognize that how information and public records are created and shared also creates challenges for how they are maintained, but that function is critical to how our government operates.

Paper printouts?

DeFilippis said he currently recommends important emails be printed off for preservation.

The practice of printing out emails for retention has been used by some states since the 1980s, said former Kentucky Archivist Barbara Teague.

But nobody would do that anymore, said Teague, who leads the Council of State Archivists' State Electronic Records Initiative. That's because the practice frequently misses messages that must be retained and does not leverage search tools native to digital formats.

Current best practices promote preserving records in their original form or using archival software to convert them to other types of digital files, as well as classifying electronic documents as they are created rather than waiting until they reach archives.

You cant manage electronic information manually. It just doesnt work that way, Herkert said. Its a huge change in philosophy to manage information on the front end. Were so afraid of deleting anything, our systems are so crowded with junk its just not manageable or accessible.

Montana Archivist Jodie Foley noted that the revitalized State Records Committee has improved discussions about records management in IT decisions and might someday lead the state to adopt software tools that make it easier to sort records according to legal requirements.

The ultimate goal is for a lot of this to be automated to whatever extent we can afford so people arent overwhelmed by the vast amount of information were talking about, Foley said, noting some agencies are testing a new file management system with some of those abilities.

The cost of an electronic records system for Montana would depend on the rules the state puts in place. But Oregon has adopted a system that they offer to other governments for $37 per employee per month, including installation, year-round support, and storage.

In Montana, a champion to lead improvements has not emerged.

Several elected leaders, including Bullock and Secretary of State Linda McCulloch, expressed uncertainty about whether the current email management and broader digital records practices need to be fixed at all.

A handful of legislators have proposed modest changes that do not line up with the priorities of state records managers and IT professionals. Legislators have failed to fund some improvements that have been requested and governors have killed others with line-item vetoes.

Thomas said the discovery that Bullock emails had been destroyed was a wake-up call. He has requested a bill draft to add an enforcement provision to state public records law. Currently, when records are not retained or released as required, there is no recourse except a lawsuit.

Incoming Secretary of State Corey Stapleton said he supports adding teeth to public records law or beefing up training, although he admits still having much to learn about how the current system works.

Weve got a lot of agencies doing their own thing, which isnt bad. Everybody wants autonomy. I get that, Stapleton said. But the problem is that we have a lot of inconsistency and the public probably deserves a certain baseline of compliance and of expertise.

He also suggested that limiting the focus to emails is misguided.

If Im going to bribe you for $100,000, Im not going to email you. Im going to text you, he said. The ways people communicate to avoid communicating publicly are well ahead of our policies.

'Something we need to address'

McCulloch called enforcement premature.

We havent decided whats important yet, she said. If (records managers) are only doing a job a couple hours a month, things are going to slip through the cracks. Then who do you blame? The records manager? I mean, is that fair? ... They take this very seriously. They do as good a job as theyre allowed to do depending on the time they have to spend on it.

Its something we need to address, House Minority Leader Jenny Eck, D-Helena, said. I just hope we approach it with a problem-solving mentality, not as a gotcha.

Eck wondered whether the email issue might just be a convenient political target for Republicans. Bullock said the topic came up because they want me to atone for or defend what the practices have always been.

When I left the office of AG, my email account, just like everybody else's that left, was closed, Bullock said in October. Yes, that effectively means those emails are no longer available. And thats exactly what happened for every other employee there. Thats what happened also with Attorney General McGrath, Attorney General Mazurek, Attorney General Racicot, Governor Martz and Governor Schweitzer.

When asked if it would be a mistake to continue to delete all emails of elected officials, Bullock repeatedly said it was not on his priority list to make changes.

Public officials in Montana and nationwide have routinely expressed concerns about the cost to preserve emails and other digital records as required by law, said Doug Robinson, executive director of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers.

How do you get attention and resources for something that doesnt seem particularly exciting to legislators and the general public? he said.

Herkert argued the investments are worth it.

Its one of those things you have to spend a little bit up front because in the long run youre going to get huge cost savings, Herkert said. In the electronic world, whats happening is that agencies are spending an inordinate amount of money storing information they dont need to store and they are settling lawsuits out of court because they cant be sure they have everything theyre supposed to have.

Thomas dismissed cost as an excuse not to act and suggested public records are important enough that some funding could be found even in a tight year.

These things need to be brought to the Legislature, he said, calling public records critically important to efficient and transparent government.

Foley agreed.

The records we preserve, preserve the rights of individual citizens, Foley said. If they dont know what their government is doing and why theyre doing it, theyve lost some of their right to know and the right to understand.
Express News Service

Amid global headwinds, cash-crunch and the ongoing revolution of automation, the Indian IT sector is witnessing a transformation. This is likely to spur gradual change in the skills required to generate more jobs

Automation in IT sector to revamp scope of jobs

BENGALURU/HYDERABAD:The Indian IT industry recorded an increase of nearly 10 percent growth this year and is expected to continue at the same pace in the coming year. The transformation in the IT/ITes sector, which is looking at more and more automation, is changing the scope of jobs in the sector. This metamorphosis is likely to create a new set of jobs in the industry giving rise to more job opportunities.

As IT hiring is becoming more and more specialised with companies looking for higher and greater levels of expertise. employees will have to continuously upgrade themselves and they will not be able to sustain with the current skill sets, according to industry experts.

Speaking to Express, Ashok Pamidi, Nasscom, Bengaluru said newer jobs have were being created because of automation. These jobs are in Internet of Things, Design, Virtual reality among others. We could expect a lot more jobs in this sector.

Ajay Kolla, Founder and CEO, Wisdomjobs.com observed that it was a strong year for the recruitment industry. The recruitment industry saw another strong year. Hiring sentiments, and consequently recruitment budgets were higher in India as compared to global averages, and most employers continued to hire aggressively. That said, certain industries, notably the IT and the Banking industries are beginning to implement automation, and this is has seen their hiring levels stagnate to an extent. November and December did see a decline in hiring, partially due to the effects of demonetization.

He added that the recruitment industry can be expected to see sustained growth since most sectors will continue hiring in numbers, at least in the first half of the year. While companies might focus more on employer branding and referrals, other means of sourcing and hiring are still expected to see considerable traction.

New skills required

The ongoing transformation of IteS/BPM industry will spur gradual change in the skills required, pointed out Nina Nair, VP and Head. HRD, India & Americas, [24]7 Inc. With rapid digitization low complexity, repetitive jobs will be replaced by automation slowly. The industry is already seeing uptake for automation in certain areas such as virtual agents for customer service and Robotics Process Automation (RPA) in areas such as accounting, finance, claims processing etc. Automation will complement individuals who will be empowered by technology to do more complex jobs. Individuals have to take their skills up a notch by being tech-savvy, digitally dexterous, culturally sensitive, excellent communicators and be aware of the global developments.

Legal support for employees

While automation is being hailed for heralding a new era in the IT sector, employees find that some companies have been reckless with layoffs. The automation process has slowed down the job growth and has led to job cuts. Several multinational companies have been laying off employees. The same issue will continue in 2017 too. We need to strengthen the legal support available for employees at such a time, as companies do not follow regulations during layoffs. Majority of the companies are also yet to implement the six-month paid maternity leave. Absence of this system also causes a lot of people to quit jobs. Ave the project in hand and are sure if it. Otherwise, people are hired and are kept on bench, said Josy James, Joint secretary ITEC, Bengaluru (IT/ITES Employees Centre).

Amid global headwinds, cash-crunch and the ongoing revolution of automation, the Indian IT sector is witnessing a transformation. This is likely to spur gradual change in the skills required to generate more jobs Automation in IT sector to revamp scope of jobs BENGALURU/HYDERABAD:The Indian IT industry recorded an increase of nearly 10 percent growth this year and is expected to continue at the same pace in the coming year. The transformation in the IT/ITes sector, which is looking at more and more automation, is changing the scope of jobs in the sector. This metamorphosis is likely to create a new set of jobs in the industry giving rise to more job opportunities. As IT hiring is becoming more and more specialised with companies looking for higher and greater levels of expertise. employees will have to continuously upgrade themselves and they will not be able to sustain with the current skill sets, according to industry experts. Speaking to Express, Ashok Pamidi, Nasscom, Bengaluru said newer jobs have were being created because of automation. These jobs are in Internet of Things, Design, Virtual reality among others. We could expect a lot more jobs in this sector. Ajay Kolla, Founder and CEO, Wisdomjobs.com observed that it was a strong year for the recruitment industry. The recruitment industry saw another strong year. Hiring sentiments, and consequently recruitment budgets were higher in India as compared to global averages, and most employers continued to hire aggressively. That said, certain industries, notably the IT and the Banking industries are beginning to implement automation, and this is has seen their hiring levels stagnate to an extent. November and December did see a decline in hiring, partially due to the effects of demonetization. He added that the recruitment industry can be expected to see sustained growth since most sectors will continue hiring in numbers, at least in the first half of the year. While companies might focus more on employer branding and referrals, other means of sourcing and hiring are still expected to see considerable traction. New skills required The ongoing transformation of IteS/BPM industry will spur gradual change in the skills required, pointed out Nina Nair, VP and Head. HRD, India & Americas, [24]7 Inc. With rapid digitization low complexity, repetitive jobs will be replaced by automation slowly. The industry is already seeing uptake for automation in certain areas such as virtual agents for customer service and Robotics Process Automation (RPA) in areas such as accounting, finance, claims processing etc. Automation will complement individuals who will be empowered by technology to do more complex jobs. Individuals have to take their skills up a notch by being tech-savvy, digitally dexterous, culturally sensitive, excellent communicators and be aware of the global developments. Legal support for employees While automation is being hailed for heralding a new era in the IT sector, employees find that some companies have been reckless with layoffs. The automation process has slowed down the job growth and has led to job cuts. Several multinational companies have been laying off employees. The same issue will continue in 2017 too. We need to strengthen the legal support available for employees at such a time, as companies do not follow regulations during layoffs. Majority of the companies are also yet to implement the six-month paid maternity leave. Absence of this system also causes a lot of people to quit jobs. Ave the project in hand and are sure if it. Otherwise, people are hired and are kept on bench, said Josy James, Joint secretary ITEC, Bengaluru (IT/ITES Employees Centre).
By Reuters

SEOUL: Hyundai Motor Co and affiliate Kia Motors said on Monday they aim to increase their combined sales to 8.25 million vehicles globally in 2017, despite rising competition.

The 2017 target is slightly higher than their 2016 goal of 8.13 million vehicles. The South Korean automakers' final sales figures for 2016 are due out later on Monday, with analysts expecting a miss due to weak demand in emerging markets.

"The 2017 goal is slightly higher than my projection," said Ko Tae-bong, an auto analyst at Hi Investment & Securities, adding that the performance of new models would be the key to success after some disappointments in recent years.

With emerging markets such as Russia stabilising, and with Hyundai and Kia Motors gearing up to boost vehicle supply to the United States and China, sales could get a lift this year.

But Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors - which together rank fifth in global sales - plan to add capacity in China and Mexico this year, just as those markets and the United States are seen slowing, likely pressuring margins.

"With the global economy continuing its low growth, trade protectionism spreading and competition intensifying in the automobile industry, uncertainty is growing more than ever," Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo said in his New Year message to employees.

Hyundai Motor likely clocked its fourth straight annual profit decline last year, hurt by its higher exposure to weak emerging markets, and a product line-up that features more sedans than sport utility vehicles, just as SUVs have become more popular across many global markets.

Hyundai Motor is targeting 2017 global sales of 5.08 million vehicles, while Kia Motors set its goal at 3.17 million vehicles.

Kia Motors Vice Chairman Hank Lee told employees on Monday that the automaker hoped to revive growth this year, after falling short of its 2016 sales target.

Hyundai Motor shares were flat in a wider market that was down 0.4 percent in early morning trade, while Kia Motors shares were down 0.3 percent

Hyundai Motor shares fell for a third straight year in 2016, down 2 percent versus the wider market's 3 percent gain. Kia Motors shares slumped 25 percent last year, making them the worst-performing stock among major car makers in the world.

SEOUL: Hyundai Motor Co and affiliate Kia Motors said on Monday they aim to increase their combined sales to 8.25 million vehicles globally in 2017, despite rising competition. The 2017 target is slightly higher than their 2016 goal of 8.13 million vehicles. The South Korean automakers' final sales figures for 2016 are due out later on Monday, with analysts expecting a miss due to weak demand in emerging markets. "The 2017 goal is slightly higher than my projection," said Ko Tae-bong, an auto analyst at Hi Investment & Securities, adding that the performance of new models would be the key to success after some disappointments in recent years. With emerging markets such as Russia stabilising, and with Hyundai and Kia Motors gearing up to boost vehicle supply to the United States and China, sales could get a lift this year. But Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors - which together rank fifth in global sales - plan to add capacity in China and Mexico this year, just as those markets and the United States are seen slowing, likely pressuring margins. "With the global economy continuing its low growth, trade protectionism spreading and competition intensifying in the automobile industry, uncertainty is growing more than ever," Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo said in his New Year message to employees. Hyundai Motor likely clocked its fourth straight annual profit decline last year, hurt by its higher exposure to weak emerging markets, and a product line-up that features more sedans than sport utility vehicles, just as SUVs have become more popular across many global markets. Hyundai Motor is targeting 2017 global sales of 5.08 million vehicles, while Kia Motors set its goal at 3.17 million vehicles. Kia Motors Vice Chairman Hank Lee told employees on Monday that the automaker hoped to revive growth this year, after falling short of its 2016 sales target. Hyundai Motor shares were flat in a wider market that was down 0.4 percent in early morning trade, while Kia Motors shares were down 0.3 percent Hyundai Motor shares fell for a third straight year in 2016, down 2 percent versus the wider market's 3 percent gain. Kia Motors shares slumped 25 percent last year, making them the worst-performing stock among major car makers in the world.
By PTI

MUMBAI: Led by its popular car Vento, which contributed half the volume, Volkswagen India today said its production from the Pune plant touched a record 1,45,145 units in 2016. With this, so far the German company had produced 7,20,000 units from the Pune plant since 2009.

The incremental production in 2016 stood at 17 per cent.

Earlier in December, the Pune plant also had crossed a notable milestone of producing over 2,50,000 units for exports since 2010, the company said. The Pune facility earlier in 2016 had rolled out the first made for India car - the Ameo. It started producing the first left-hand drive cars in 2012.

The Pune facility covers the entire production process from the press shop to assembly, and manufactures the Polo, the Ameo, the Vento and the Skoda Rapid.

In 2016, the plant has produced over 36,700 Polo cars, 15,400 Ameo cars which started production in May, 83,300 Vento cars and 9,600 Rapid cars, while domestic production stood at over 60,500 units from the plant, which was up 12 per cent from 2015.

The Polo and Vento produced for exports stood at over 84,500 cars, up 22 per cent over the past year.

Commenting on the milestone, Volkswagen India president and managing director Andreas Lauermann said 2016 was the fourth year in a row that our Pune plant has recorded a growth in volume. "Despite a challenging year, there was a surge in demand for our cars which was led by the made-for-India Ameo and Made-in-India Vento," Lauermann said.

Volkswagen has pumped in over Rs 5,720 crore or 850 million euros into the Pune plant so far. The plant has achieved a localisation level of around 82 percent, excluding the engines and transmissions, he said.

Since the past 15 years, the Volkswagen Group India is represented by five passenger car brands -- Audi, Lamborghini, Porsche, Skoda, and Volkswagen. Its journey in India began with the Skoda in 2001 followed by Audi and Volkswagen in 2007, and the Porsche and Lamborghini brands in 2012.

The group, which has two plants (Pune and Aurangabad) in the country, now sells over 25 models in the country, through 240 dealerships.

MUMBAI: Led by its popular car Vento, which contributed half the volume, Volkswagen India today said its production from the Pune plant touched a record 1,45,145 units in 2016. With this, so far the German company had produced 7,20,000 units from the Pune plant since 2009. The incremental production in 2016 stood at 17 per cent. Earlier in December, the Pune plant also had crossed a notable milestone of producing over 2,50,000 units for exports since 2010, the company said. The Pune facility earlier in 2016 had rolled out the first made for India car - the Ameo. It started producing the first left-hand drive cars in 2012. The Pune facility covers the entire production process from the press shop to assembly, and manufactures the Polo, the Ameo, the Vento and the Skoda Rapid. In 2016, the plant has produced over 36,700 Polo cars, 15,400 Ameo cars which started production in May, 83,300 Vento cars and 9,600 Rapid cars, while domestic production stood at over 60,500 units from the plant, which was up 12 per cent from 2015. The Polo and Vento produced for exports stood at over 84,500 cars, up 22 per cent over the past year. Commenting on the milestone, Volkswagen India president and managing director Andreas Lauermann said 2016 was the fourth year in a row that our Pune plant has recorded a growth in volume. "Despite a challenging year, there was a surge in demand for our cars which was led by the made-for-India Ameo and Made-in-India Vento," Lauermann said. Volkswagen has pumped in over Rs 5,720 crore or 850 million euros into the Pune plant so far. The plant has achieved a localisation level of around 82 percent, excluding the engines and transmissions, he said. Since the past 15 years, the Volkswagen Group India is represented by five passenger car brands -- Audi, Lamborghini, Porsche, Skoda, and Volkswagen. Its journey in India began with the Skoda in 2001 followed by Audi and Volkswagen in 2007, and the Porsche and Lamborghini brands in 2012. The group, which has two plants (Pune and Aurangabad) in the country, now sells over 25 models in the country, through 240 dealerships.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: A Delhi police constable posted in security wing of Supreme court allegedly committed suicide on Monday morning.

According to the initial investigation, the deceased cop has been identified as head constable Chandpal. He shot himself with his service revolver.

Chandpal was posted on a gate of Supreme court.

Delhi Police head constable committed suicide by shooting himself with his service revolver near SC gate G; hearse van reaches the spot pic.twitter.com/OKprGR9j12  ANI (@ANI_news) January 2, 2017

In total investigation has revealed chat Chandpal had some family dispute which might force him to commit suicide.

According to a senior police officer, the deceased's family has been informed and legal proceeding has been initiated.

NEW DELHI: A Delhi police constable posted in security wing of Supreme court allegedly committed suicide on Monday morning. According to the initial investigation, the deceased cop has been identified as head constable Chandpal. He shot himself with his service revolver. Chandpal was posted on a gate of Supreme court. Delhi Police head constable committed suicide by shooting himself with his service revolver near SC gate G; hearse van reaches the spot pic.twitter.com/OKprGR9j12  ANI (@ANI_news) January 2, 2017 In total investigation has revealed chat Chandpal had some family dispute which might force him to commit suicide. According to a senior police officer, the deceased's family has been informed and legal proceeding has been initiated.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: A 33-year-old man from Hyderabad in Telangana State, who decided to reap rich dividends through ganja smuggling, was caught by the police on Monday. The accused, to avoid troubles of transporting the ganja from agency areas and other places, decided to grow the trees by himself and for this, he turned his three-bedroom apartment flat into a field.

The Task Force sleuths of Hyderabad police busted the racket and arrested the accused, Syed Hussain of Narsingi police limits. Police seized saplings of ganja from his flat.

Police seized 8.6 Kgs of ganja, 40 pots containing ganja plants, one two-wheeler besides Rs 32,200 from his possession, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police N Koti Reddy said.

It was during the investigation into the case of illegal ganja transportation few days ago that police came to know about the supplier. When the police raided the premises, they found nearly 60 flower pots in which the ganja were being grown. The saplings were in various stages of growth, police said.

For growing the ganja saplings, Syed arranged lights to substitute sun light and also arranged air conditioners to regulate temperature. As ganja plants emanate smell at the last stage of their growth, Syed also made arrangements to see that the neighbours did not smell his misdeed, police said.

HYDERABAD: A 33-year-old man from Hyderabad in Telangana State, who decided to reap rich dividends through ganja smuggling, was caught by the police on Monday. The accused, to avoid troubles of transporting the ganja from agency areas and other places, decided to grow the trees by himself and for this, he turned his three-bedroom apartment flat into a field. The Task Force sleuths of Hyderabad police busted the racket and arrested the accused, Syed Hussain of Narsingi police limits. Police seized saplings of ganja from his flat. Police seized 8.6 Kgs of ganja, 40 pots containing ganja plants, one two-wheeler besides Rs 32,200 from his possession, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police N Koti Reddy said. It was during the investigation into the case of illegal ganja transportation few days ago that police came to know about the supplier. When the police raided the premises, they found nearly 60 flower pots in which the ganja were being grown. The saplings were in various stages of growth, police said. For growing the ganja saplings, Syed arranged lights to substitute sun light and also arranged air conditioners to regulate temperature. As ganja plants emanate smell at the last stage of their growth, Syed also made arrangements to see that the neighbours did not smell his misdeed, police said.
Express News Service

During my first visit to London in 2008, when I was the editor of the English Language Teaching Contacts Scheme (ELTeCS) India and Sri Lanka e-newsletter, I along with some of my friends from the British Council went to a restaurant for dinner. The person sitting next to me at the table was Mr Roy Cross, Senior Adviser, Partnerships & Evaluation, British Council. While having a chat with him I happened to use the expression every nook and corner. Every nook and corner? It must be a typical Indian English expression, he quipped with a smile. Really? What is the correct expression? I asked him out of curiosity. He replied, Every nook and cranny. The expression means every part of a place.

The Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary has labelled the phrase every nook and corner as Indian English.

You will find my kids toys in every nook and cranny of our house.

They have stuffed every nook and cranny of the house with magazines and books.

There are many Indian English expressions which have amused native speakers of English. Here are a few of such expressions: teacher sitting on my head, doing my graduation, eating my brain, Whats your good name?, backside, etc.



Look at this conversation between two people, Tom and Ram:

Tom: Where shall we have our meeting?

Ram: We can have our meeting in the backside.

Tom: Backside? Are you kidding?

Ram: I mean it. The backside is very broad and beautiful.

Tom: Whose backside are you talking about?

Ram: My backside.

Had Ram known the meaning of the word backside, he would not have used it in his conversation with Tom. Backside refers to ones buttocks. In Indian English, the word backside is used to refer to the back part of something as in the examples below:

Sir, can I write the answer on the backside (of the answer sheet)?

Keep your bicycle on the backside (of our house).

Look at this part of a dialogue between an American and an Indian:

Indian: Good morning, sir.

American: Good morning.

Indian: Sir, may I know your good name?

American: My good name? I have a name but I dont know whether it is a good name or a bad name.

In India it is very common to ask someones name with this question, What is your good name? or May I know your name? Perhaps, the person who asks the question thinks that it is a polite way of asking someone their name. Isnt every name a good name? If it is so, the question What is your name? is more polite than What is your good name?

I have come across the expression eat ones brain on a number of occasions. Look at this conversation:

Boy: Call your parents now and get their permission to come with me for the New Year party.

Girl: Ill call them later. Not now.

Boy: Give me your moms number. Lemme call her.

Girl: Youre eating my brain.

What does this typical Indian English expression mean?

When a person gets annoyed or is irritated by someone, they use the expression to eat ones brain.

I have heard even many highly educated Indians say I did my graduation in IIT and ask Where did you do your graduation? The term graduation refers to the ceremony at which someone is officially said to have finished a course of study at a university. In India, the word refers to a course of study or an undergraduate programme. Instead of saying, I did my graduation at IIT Madras, one should say, I studied for my degree at IIT Madras.

The expression teacher/boss sitting on my head is used in many parts of India. Whenever a student or an employee feels that the teacher/boss stresses them out, they use the expression, My teacher/boss is sitting on my head.

I have discussed many Indian English expressions during the past decade. It is good to be aware of the typical IE expressions and avoid using such expressions while communicating with those who are not familiar with the expressions.

Is English the sole property of these nations the UK, the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada? Which variety of English should be taught to those who learn English as a second or foreign language? Is English singular or plural?

I will continue to discuss these and many more queries of yours in my columns in 2017. Wish you all a very happy new year.

Dr Albert p Rayan is an ELT Resource Person and Professor of English. He can be contacted at rayanal@yahoo.co.uk

During my first visit to London in 2008, when I was the editor of the English Language Teaching Contacts Scheme (ELTeCS) India and Sri Lanka e-newsletter, I along with some of my friends from the British Council went to a restaurant for dinner. The person sitting next to me at the table was Mr Roy Cross, Senior Adviser, Partnerships & Evaluation, British Council. While having a chat with him I happened to use the expression every nook and corner. Every nook and corner? It must be a typical Indian English expression, he quipped with a smile. Really? What is the correct expression? I asked him out of curiosity. He replied, Every nook and cranny. The expression means every part of a place. The Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary has labelled the phrase every nook and corner as Indian English. You will find my kids toys in every nook and cranny of our house. They have stuffed every nook and cranny of the house with magazines and books. There are many Indian English expressions which have amused native speakers of English. Here are a few of such expressions: teacher sitting on my head, doing my graduation, eating my brain, Whats your good name?, backside, etc. Look at this conversation between two people, Tom and Ram: Tom: Where shall we have our meeting? Ram: We can have our meeting in the backside. Tom: Backside? Are you kidding? Ram: I mean it. The backside is very broad and beautiful. Tom: Whose backside are you talking about? Ram: My backside. Had Ram known the meaning of the word backside, he would not have used it in his conversation with Tom. Backside refers to ones buttocks. In Indian English, the word backside is used to refer to the back part of something as in the examples below: Sir, can I write the answer on the backside (of the answer sheet)? Keep your bicycle on the backside (of our house). Look at this part of a dialogue between an American and an Indian: Indian: Good morning, sir. American: Good morning. Indian: Sir, may I know your good name? American: My good name? I have a name but I dont know whether it is a good name or a bad name. In India it is very common to ask someones name with this question, What is your good name? or May I know your name? Perhaps, the person who asks the question thinks that it is a polite way of asking someone their name. Isnt every name a good name? If it is so, the question What is your name? is more polite than What is your good name? I have come across the expression eat ones brain on a number of occasions. Look at this conversation: Boy: Call your parents now and get their permission to come with me for the New Year party. Girl: Ill call them later. Not now. Boy: Give me your moms number. Lemme call her. Girl: Youre eating my brain. What does this typical Indian English expression mean? When a person gets annoyed or is irritated by someone, they use the expression to eat ones brain. I have heard even many highly educated Indians say I did my graduation in IIT and ask Where did you do your graduation? The term graduation refers to the ceremony at which someone is officially said to have finished a course of study at a university. In India, the word refers to a course of study or an undergraduate programme. Instead of saying, I did my graduation at IIT Madras, one should say, I studied for my degree at IIT Madras. The expression teacher/boss sitting on my head is used in many parts of India. Whenever a student or an employee feels that the teacher/boss stresses them out, they use the expression, My teacher/boss is sitting on my head. I have discussed many Indian English expressions during the past decade. It is good to be aware of the typical IE expressions and avoid using such expressions while communicating with those who are not familiar with the expressions. Is English the sole property of these nations the UK, the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada? Which variety of English should be taught to those who learn English as a second or foreign language? Is English singular or plural? I will continue to discuss these and many more queries of yours in my columns in 2017. Wish you all a very happy new year. Dr Albert p Rayan is an ELT Resource Person and Professor of English. He can be contacted at rayanal@yahoo.co.uk
By Express News Service

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan released the first look poster of Aishwaryaa R Dhanushs upcoming movie Mariyappan on Sunday. The film, to be shot simultaneously in English, is a biopic on Mariyappan Thangavelu, who won gold for India in high jump in T-42 category during the Summer Paralympic games held in Rio de Janeiro last year.

SRK wrote on Twitter, Heres presenting the first look of the biopic on Mariyappan Thangavelu, our very own national hero. All the best, Aishwaryaa.

The poster has a tagline that reads: The world may think you cant, what you think is what matters. Sean Roldan has composed music for the film; it has Velraj for cinematography, and filmmaker Raju Murugan of Joker fame, is writing the dialogues. Aishwaryaa, who is also celebrating her 35th birthday on January 1, thanked SRK for his support, and wrote, Thank you so much. A very happy new year to you and the family. This biopic is Aishwaryas second film after her directorial debut in 2015 with Vai Raja Vai starring Gautham Karthik.

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan released the first look poster of Aishwaryaa R Dhanushs upcoming movie Mariyappan on Sunday. The film, to be shot simultaneously in English, is a biopic on Mariyappan Thangavelu, who won gold for India in high jump in T-42 category during the Summer Paralympic games held in Rio de Janeiro last year. SRK wrote on Twitter, Heres presenting the first look of the biopic on Mariyappan Thangavelu, our very own national hero. All the best, Aishwaryaa. The poster has a tagline that reads: The world may think you cant, what you think is what matters. Sean Roldan has composed music for the film; it has Velraj for cinematography, and filmmaker Raju Murugan of Joker fame, is writing the dialogues. Aishwaryaa, who is also celebrating her 35th birthday on January 1, thanked SRK for his support, and wrote, Thank you so much. A very happy new year to you and the family. This biopic is Aishwaryas second film after her directorial debut in 2015 with Vai Raja Vai starring Gautham Karthik.
By ANI

NEW DELHI: The Bihar Government on Monday moved the Supreme Court seeking transfer of plea against liquor ban legislation from the Patna High Court.



Alcohol companies had earlier moved the Patna High Court against the liquor ban.

The apex court had earlier in October stayed the Patna High Court's order quashing the notification banning consumption and sale of liquor in Bihar.

The apex court admitted Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Bihar Government's plea and also issued notice to Confederation of Alcoholic Beverage Companies.

The state government had in October moved the apex court challenging the Patna High Court's order of striking down the Bihar Prohibition of Liquor Act.

NEW DELHI: The Bihar Government on Monday moved the Supreme Court seeking transfer of plea against liquor ban legislation from the Patna High Court. Alcohol companies had earlier moved the Patna High Court against the liquor ban. The apex court had earlier in October stayed the Patna High Court's order quashing the notification banning consumption and sale of liquor in Bihar. The apex court admitted Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Bihar Government's plea and also issued notice to Confederation of Alcoholic Beverage Companies. The state government had in October moved the apex court challenging the Patna High Court's order of striking down the Bihar Prohibition of Liquor Act.
Just after noon on Monday, Montanas 150 legislators were sworn in as leaders in both the House and Senate made a call for Democrats and Republicans to work together and handle disagreements with civility.

At 11:58, a House clerk cut through the crowd of legislators and their family members, imploring everyone to take a seat so the 65th Montana Legislature could officially begin.

At a few minutes past noon in both chambers, the gavel hit the lectern and legislators were asked to please come to order.

Legislators and their guests recited the Pledge of Allegiance, bowed their heads in prayer and began roll call, each replying, Here.

Mr. Secretary, 100 members are present, the House Clerk said.

Outstanding, replied Secretary of State Corey Stapleton.

Montana Supreme Court Justice Jim Rice swore in House members en masse, 100 right hands raised as they took their oath in unison.

Stapleton welcomed legislators and recounted the story of the Christmas truce, an unofficial ceasefire in World War I when enemy soldiers met in the battlefield between their trenches to celebrate what they had in common: the holiday, hobbies and sometimes hometowns.

"You all have been elected to Montana's house of conflict," Stapleton said, calling the session an opportunity to show your dignity, your integrity, your humanity" in the wake of a divisive election cycle.

Speaker of the House Austin Knudsen, R-Culbertson, likewise implored his colleagues to be civil and professional.

"We can disagree, and believe me we're going to disagree on this floor and in committee, but I expect those disagreements to be civil and professional," he said, noting legislators one constitutional requirement is to balance the budget. We have tough decisions ahead of us.

House Minority Leader Jenny Eck, D-Helena, also called for her colleagues to be honest and courageous to bridge the divide.

I appreciate we share a mutual commitment to uphold the dignity and decorum of this great institution, she said.

In the Senate, Justice Laurie McKinnon swore in new senators just after noon in the Senate chamber as holdover senators watched. Sen. Diane Sands, D-Missoula, took photos.

State Sen. Mary Sheehy Moe, D-Great Falls, was in attendance, though she announced last week she would resign to help her daughter care for newborn triplets.

In the Senate, leadership stressed a message of working together while acknowledging that issues such as the state budget could be divisive.

After being named Senate president, Scott Sales, R-Bozeman, said he was deeply humbled. He told senators he was committed to getting the Senate's business done in an orderly, timely and efficient manner. He pledged to treat all senators with the fairness you deserve.

Minority Leader Sen. Jon Sesso, D-Butte, spoke after Sales and delivered a message of unity.

The 50 individuals that sit in the Senate today  each represents 20,000 Montanans in a district of constituents that we are here to represent, our bosses, Sesso said.

Sesso pledged cooperation with Sales and other Republicans, who picked up three Senate seats in the November election to to make it 32-18 and kept their majority in the House, 59-41.

Sesso looked around the room, saying that many senators know each other and have served together before. Of the 50, 16 Senators are new to the body, but of that number only five have not served in the Legislature before.

Sesso touched on the state budget, saying things are not as dire as some Republicans have indicated. Gov. Steve Bullocks $4.7 billion budget, presented before the start of the session, makes more than $124 million in cuts and raises taxes on some groups.

I urge the body to set aside our campaign rhetoric, set aside the ideology, set aside the notion that Montana is broke and widespread changes are needed and focus on whats right in our state, Sesso said.

The tone was different from House Republican leadership, who see their majority, along with additional senate seats and wins in statewide races, as a mandate from voters.

Stand proud in this session, Majority Leader Ron Ehli said. While acknowledging his party must work with Democrats to serve the state, he urged them to challenge the status quo and to pressure the governor more so than in the past not to use his veto pen to undo policies that are set by a true representation of Montana.

Senate Majority Leader Fred Thomas, R-Stevensville, said Montana has an accessible, transparent Legislature and vowed to uphold that.

Theres on issue of cooperation, we know that there. Theyll be some discussion on some of those issues, but well figure that out. Well deal with things like the budget. The budget will come up, but weve got talent to deal with that, Thomas said, looking at Sales and Sen. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, who chairs the Senate Finance and Claims Committee, of which Sesso is a member.

Thomas also said the Senate expects to deal with issues around health care and the Affordable Care Act given changes at the federal level.

Issues will be aplenty and well debate those, Thomas said. As we debate those, let us work together to find the right solution. In the end we want to look to make Montana better.
Anand S T 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.

As police and excise department officials maintained a strict vigil on celebrations, many large consignments of liquor were seized throughout the day, and at least 30 people were arrested for possessing or consuming liquor, said sources.

Jharkhand, Bihars southern neighbour, witnessed the largest influx of visitors from the state 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 that are 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 saw sizeable crowds of New Years Day revellers from within the state in previous years were almost deserted 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 and 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 the state 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 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 `10.61 crore fixed for the district for 2016-17, Balia achieved revenue collection of `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. And an illegal liquor manufacturing unit was 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. As police and excise department officials maintained a strict vigil on celebrations, many large consignments of liquor were seized throughout the day, and at least 30 people were arrested for possessing or consuming liquor, said sources. Jharkhand, Bihars southern neighbour, witnessed the largest influx of visitors from the state 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 that are 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 saw sizeable crowds of New Years Day revellers from within the state in previous years were almost deserted 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 and 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 the state 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 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 `10.61 crore fixed for the district for 2016-17, Balia achieved revenue collection of `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. And an illegal liquor manufacturing unit was busted in Nawada district.
By Express News Service

Uttarakhand police conducted a raid on new year eve, arrested 16 people including a Delhi based businessman identifed as Samir Thapar. According to the police, a raid carried out by Uttarakhand Police deep inside Son Nadi Reserve Forest in Kohlu Chaur Forest on a tip off given by a local person.

Accused 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.

They could face 5-10 year jail term and a fine for carrying prohibited arms and ammunition.

According to the police, cops carried out the raid on specific information of some influential businessmen camping in the rest house with weapons. According to the sources, Every year this camp revelry is organized by a delhi based businessman at same location. "The bookings are done on proxy names. The parties last for 3-4 days starting 30th each year," a local who didn't wish to be named said.

As per last tiger census Kohlu Chaur area had a tiger count of 28. Last year 20 pits of tiger carcasses were discovered in adjacent Bijnor Division.

Uttarakhand police conducted a raid on new year eve, arrested 16 people including a Delhi based businessman identifed as Samir Thapar. According to the police, a raid carried out by Uttarakhand Police deep inside Son Nadi Reserve Forest in Kohlu Chaur Forest on a tip off given by a local person. Accused 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. They could face 5-10 year jail term and a fine for carrying prohibited arms and ammunition. According to the police, cops carried out the raid on specific information of some influential businessmen camping in the rest house with weapons. According to the sources, Every year this camp revelry is organized by a delhi based businessman at same location. "The bookings are done on proxy names. The parties last for 3-4 days starting 30th each year," a local who didn't wish to be named said. As per last tiger census Kohlu Chaur area had a tiger count of 28. Last year 20 pits of tiger carcasses were discovered in adjacent Bijnor Division.
Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: The Peoples Party of Arunachal (PPA), which was left to lick its wounds after 33 MLAs including Chief Minister Pema Khandu defected to BJP, has now set its sights on ministerial berths.

The party is unlikely to move court to challenge the merger of its MLAs with BJP or suspended Khandus continuance as the chief minister. Khandu and 18 other MLAs were suspended by the PPA leadership on two different days last week for alleged anti-party activities. The suspension had triggered the en bloc defection.

The PPAs ground of contention for ministerial berths for its MLAs is that it is a constituent of North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA). NEDA is a conglomerate of non-Congress political parties of the Northeast where BJP is a major player. It was floated in May last year with an aim to rid the region of

Congress.

It was learnt that NEDA convenor and Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is with BJP, will visit Arunachal capital Itanagar on Wednesday to discuss differences arising out of the defection of the MLAs.

The NEDA convenor is coming day after tomorrow. We will place our demands before him. If they want us to continue in NEDA, then they should give us our due shares. If not, we will remain in the Opposition and fight them, PPA president Kahfa Bengia told Express.

If the alliance has to be maintained, they should give us ministerial berths. If not, we will no more be there in NEDA. Then the message will go very badly to the people of the country. Well form a political committee and go to UP to tell people that this party (BJP) has become untouchable for all of us, he said.

The PPA president accused BJP of speaking something and doing something else.

Following the latest political development, PPA is left with just 10 MLAs. BJP has 45 MLAs and enjoys the support of two Independents. Congress has just three MLAs.

GUWAHATI: The Peoples Party of Arunachal (PPA), which was left to lick its wounds after 33 MLAs including Chief Minister Pema Khandu defected to BJP, has now set its sights on ministerial berths. The party is unlikely to move court to challenge the merger of its MLAs with BJP or suspended Khandus continuance as the chief minister. Khandu and 18 other MLAs were suspended by the PPA leadership on two different days last week for alleged anti-party activities. The suspension had triggered the en bloc defection. The PPAs ground of contention for ministerial berths for its MLAs is that it is a constituent of North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA). NEDA is a conglomerate of non-Congress political parties of the Northeast where BJP is a major player. It was floated in May last year with an aim to rid the region of Congress. It was learnt that NEDA convenor and Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is with BJP, will visit Arunachal capital Itanagar on Wednesday to discuss differences arising out of the defection of the MLAs. The NEDA convenor is coming day after tomorrow. We will place our demands before him. If they want us to continue in NEDA, then they should give us our due shares. If not, we will remain in the Opposition and fight them, PPA president Kahfa Bengia told Express. If the alliance has to be maintained, they should give us ministerial berths. If not, we will no more be there in NEDA. Then the message will go very badly to the people of the country. Well form a political committee and go to UP to tell people that this party (BJP) has become untouchable for all of us, he said. The PPA president accused BJP of speaking something and doing something else. Following the latest political development, PPA is left with just 10 MLAs. BJP has 45 MLAs and enjoys the support of two Independents. Congress has just three MLAs.
By Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: A shoe was hurled at Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal by a youth in Rohtak in Haryana on Sunday evening during the partys rally against demonetisation.

Giving a political colour to the incident, Kejriwal termed the youth a bhakt of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The youth, Vikas Kumar of Dadri , threw the shoe towards Kejriwal but it landed just short of him on the stage. Immediately, party workers thrashed the youth and he was handed over to police. He was sitting in the media block.

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.

Repeating the allegations made by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi against the prime minister, Kejriwal said Modi had accepted money to the tune of `65 crore from the Sahara and Birla groups during his tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister in 2013-14.

He alleged that the income tax officials probing the said cases were shifted so that the truth of the matters could not surface. He further alleged that BJP leaders had invested their black money in real estate and told their near and dear ones to do so before the note ban was announced.

CHANDIGARH: A shoe was hurled at Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal by a youth in Rohtak in Haryana on Sunday evening during the partys rally against demonetisation. Giving a political colour to the incident, Kejriwal termed the youth a bhakt of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The youth, Vikas Kumar of Dadri , threw the shoe towards Kejriwal but it landed just short of him on the stage. Immediately, party workers thrashed the youth and he was handed over to police. He was sitting in the media block. 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. Repeating the allegations made by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi against the prime minister, Kejriwal said Modi had accepted money to the tune of `65 crore from the Sahara and Birla groups during his tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister in 2013-14. He alleged that the income tax officials probing the said cases were shifted so that the truth of the matters could not surface. He further alleged that BJP leaders had invested their black money in real estate and told their near and dear ones to do so before the note ban was announced.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI/COLOMBO:The much awaited ministerial level talks between India and Sri Lanka ended on a positive note after Sri Lanka agreed to immediately release 51 Indian fishermen from its custody and to consider returning a large number of fishing boats. In a reciprocal move, India will also free three Lankan fishermen.

Sharing details of the meeting, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup said in New Delhi, As a result of the ministerial meeting, Sri Lanka is releasing 51 Indian fishermen and we are releasing three Sri Lankan fishermen. Most significantly, Sri Lanka has also agreed to consider our request for release of fishing boats.

The meeting held in Colombo was a follow-up to the Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting held last week. The Indian delegation in Colombo was headed by Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh while the Sri Lankan side was led by Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera.

According to the joint statement, both sides agreed to a set up Standard Operating Procedures to expedite the release and handing over of fishermen in each others custody on completion of respective legal and procedural formalities. As part of the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) agreed to by both sides, it was decided to intensify cooperation in patrolling and to institute periodic interaction between the Coast Guard of the two countries, it said.

An understanding was also reached to ensure that there was no physical harm or loss of life while apprehending fishermen by Navy and Coast Guard of the two countries. The statement also said both sides agreed to explore the possibility of introducing effective tracking systems for the fishing vessels and making the use of onboard communication equipment mandatory.

During the talks, the Sri Lankan side reiterated that the practice of bottom trawling needed to end at the earliest. The Indian side assured that bottom trawling would be phased out in a graded time-bound manner within a practicable timeframe keeping in mind the capacity building of the fishermen who have to be diversified into deep sea fishing as well as other coastal fisheries activities including mariculture, pearl farming and seaweed culture, the statement added. Till now, 91 bottom trawlers have been replaced by tuna long line vessels in India.

The Sri Lankan side was briefed about the measures already instituted, including the decision to construct a new fishing harbour at Mookaiyur in Ramanathapuram district, and the capacity building programme for Indian fishermen on deep-sea fishing that commences on Tuesday at Chennai and Kochi.

A Sri Lankan official who took part in the talks told Express that the most important contributory factor for the progress in the talks was the European Unions tough stand on illegal fishing.

NEW DELHI/COLOMBO:The much awaited ministerial level talks between India and Sri Lanka ended on a positive note after Sri Lanka agreed to immediately release 51 Indian fishermen from its custody and to consider returning a large number of fishing boats. In a reciprocal move, India will also free three Lankan fishermen. Sharing details of the meeting, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup said in New Delhi, As a result of the ministerial meeting, Sri Lanka is releasing 51 Indian fishermen and we are releasing three Sri Lankan fishermen. Most significantly, Sri Lanka has also agreed to consider our request for release of fishing boats. The meeting held in Colombo was a follow-up to the Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting held last week. The Indian delegation in Colombo was headed by Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh while the Sri Lankan side was led by Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera. According to the joint statement, both sides agreed to a set up Standard Operating Procedures to expedite the release and handing over of fishermen in each others custody on completion of respective legal and procedural formalities. As part of the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) agreed to by both sides, it was decided to intensify cooperation in patrolling and to institute periodic interaction between the Coast Guard of the two countries, it said. An understanding was also reached to ensure that there was no physical harm or loss of life while apprehending fishermen by Navy and Coast Guard of the two countries. The statement also said both sides agreed to explore the possibility of introducing effective tracking systems for the fishing vessels and making the use of onboard communication equipment mandatory. During the talks, the Sri Lankan side reiterated that the practice of bottom trawling needed to end at the earliest. The Indian side assured that bottom trawling would be phased out in a graded time-bound manner within a practicable timeframe keeping in mind the capacity building of the fishermen who have to be diversified into deep sea fishing as well as other coastal fisheries activities including mariculture, pearl farming and seaweed culture, the statement added. Till now, 91 bottom trawlers have been replaced by tuna long line vessels in India. The Sri Lankan side was briefed about the measures already instituted, including the decision to construct a new fishing harbour at Mookaiyur in Ramanathapuram district, and the capacity building programme for Indian fishermen on deep-sea fishing that commences on Tuesday at Chennai and Kochi. A Sri Lankan official who took part in the talks told Express that the most important contributory factor for the progress in the talks was the European Unions tough stand on illegal fishing.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Battle within the Samajwadi Parivar reached the poll panel on Monday as Mulayam Singh Yadav approached EC while Ram Gopal Yadav will come on Tuesday to claim control over the 'cycle' symbol.

Mulayam Singh Yadav along with his brother Shivpal Yadav and close friend Amar Singh travelled to the Election Commission's office in New Delhi to stake claim to the "cycle" symbol of the Samajwadi Party. The party patriarch Mulayam Singh on Monday said, Samajwadi Partys election symbol is my signature.

Sources said that UP CM Akhilesh Yadavs aides along with Ram Gopal Yadav will come to the Election Commission to make the same claim on Tuesday at around 11.30 am. He was declared the party's chief at a meeting in Lucknow attended by a large number of Samajwadi Party leaders and workers.

The poll panel will now hear the cases of both the sides before taking a final call on the election symbol of the Samajwadi party.

Party insiders said that the decision to meet the poll panel came after Akhilesh camp hinted that it will stake a claim to the partys symbol cycle. Party leaders said the new president has to approach the Election Commission according to the partys convention, claiming to be the real Samajwadi Party and stake claim on the party symbol.

Earlier on Monday, Mulayam Singh reached his New Delhi residence where Shivpal, Amar Singh and Jaya Prada were also present. The four leaders stayed there for hours chalking out the starategy for further course of action. While meeting was going inside the closed doors in New Delhi, supporters were seen outside the residence who had gathered from various parts of the state. They also looked puzzled and did not raise any slogan against Akhilesh or Ram Gopal.

Akhilesh on Sunday at an emergency national convention appointed himself as the national party president removing his father Mulayam Singh from the post. He also replaced state unit chief Shivpal Singh Yadav and expelled Amar Singh who had to cut short his London tour to reach Delhi. However, the convention was declared illegal and unconstitutional by Mulayam Singh.

After the conclusion of the special national convention on Sunday, Ramgopal Yadav, dispatched a letter to the EC intimating it about the election of chief minister Akhilesh Yadav as the new national president of the party.

Delhi: Mulayam Singh Yadav accompanied by Amar Singh, Shivpal Singh Yadav and Jaya Prada leaves Election Commission pic.twitter.com/ocmeVJNoLi  ANI (@ANI_news) January 2, 2017

Delhi: Mulayam Singh Yadav accompanied by Amar Singh, Shivpal Singh Yadav and Jaya Prada reach Election Commission pic.twitter.com/GVHFyfyiw5  ANI (@ANI_news) January 2, 2017

Delhi: Mulayam Singh Yadav accompanied by Amar Singh, Shivpal Singh Yadav and Jaya Prada leaves his residence to visit Election Commission pic.twitter.com/mUO8NqfNDe  ANI (@ANI_news) January 2, 2017

NEW DELHI: Battle within the Samajwadi Parivar reached the poll panel on Monday as Mulayam Singh Yadav approached EC while Ram Gopal Yadav will come on Tuesday to claim control over the 'cycle' symbol. Mulayam Singh Yadav along with his brother Shivpal Yadav and close friend Amar Singh travelled to the Election Commission's office in New Delhi to stake claim to the "cycle" symbol of the Samajwadi Party. The party patriarch Mulayam Singh on Monday said, Samajwadi Partys election symbol is my signature. Sources said that UP CM Akhilesh Yadavs aides along with Ram Gopal Yadav will come to the Election Commission to make the same claim on Tuesday at around 11.30 am. He was declared the party's chief at a meeting in Lucknow attended by a large number of Samajwadi Party leaders and workers. The poll panel will now hear the cases of both the sides before taking a final call on the election symbol of the Samajwadi party. Party insiders said that the decision to meet the poll panel came after Akhilesh camp hinted that it will stake a claim to the partys symbol cycle. Party leaders said the new president has to approach the Election Commission according to the partys convention, claiming to be the real Samajwadi Party and stake claim on the party symbol. Earlier on Monday, Mulayam Singh reached his New Delhi residence where Shivpal, Amar Singh and Jaya Prada were also present. The four leaders stayed there for hours chalking out the starategy for further course of action. While meeting was going inside the closed doors in New Delhi, supporters were seen outside the residence who had gathered from various parts of the state. They also looked puzzled and did not raise any slogan against Akhilesh or Ram Gopal. Akhilesh on Sunday at an emergency national convention appointed himself as the national party president removing his father Mulayam Singh from the post. He also replaced state unit chief Shivpal Singh Yadav and expelled Amar Singh who had to cut short his London tour to reach Delhi. However, the convention was declared illegal and unconstitutional by Mulayam Singh. After the conclusion of the special national convention on Sunday, Ramgopal Yadav, dispatched a letter to the EC intimating it about the election of chief minister Akhilesh Yadav as the new national president of the party. Delhi: Mulayam Singh Yadav accompanied by Amar Singh, Shivpal Singh Yadav and Jaya Prada leaves Election Commission pic.twitter.com/ocmeVJNoLi  ANI (@ANI_news) January 2, 2017 Delhi: Mulayam Singh Yadav accompanied by Amar Singh, Shivpal Singh Yadav and Jaya Prada reach Election Commission pic.twitter.com/GVHFyfyiw5  ANI (@ANI_news) January 2, 2017 Delhi: Mulayam Singh Yadav accompanied by Amar Singh, Shivpal Singh Yadav and Jaya Prada leaves his residence to visit Election Commission pic.twitter.com/mUO8NqfNDe  ANI (@ANI_news) January 2, 2017
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The poll panel has given time at 4.30 pm to meet Mulayam Singh Yadav on Monday. Earlier, during the day, the leaders including Mulayam, his old friend Amar Singh, brother Shivpal Yadav and Jaya Prada gathered at Yadavs New Delhi residence to chalk out the further strategy.

Sources said that Mulayam along with group of legal advisers will reach the election commission to stake claim on the Samajwadi Partys symbol cycle. The party patriarch Mulayam Singh on Monday said, Samajwadi Partys election symbol is my signature.

Party insiders said that the decision to meet the poll panel came after Akhilesh camp hinted that it will stake a claim to the partys symbol cycle. Party leaders said the new president has to approach the Election Commission according to the partys convention, claiming to be the real Samajwadi Party and stake claim on the party symbol.

Akhilesh on Sunday at an emergency national convention appointed himself as the national party president removing his father Mulayam Singh from the post. He also replaced state unit chief Shivpal Singh Yadav and expelled Amar Singh who had to cut short his London tour to reach Delhi. However, the convention was declared illegal and unconstitutional by Mulayam Singh.

NEW DELHI: The poll panel has given time at 4.30 pm to meet Mulayam Singh Yadav on Monday. Earlier, during the day, the leaders including Mulayam, his old friend Amar Singh, brother Shivpal Yadav and Jaya Prada gathered at Yadavs New Delhi residence to chalk out the further strategy. Sources said that Mulayam along with group of legal advisers will reach the election commission to stake claim on the Samajwadi Partys symbol cycle. The party patriarch Mulayam Singh on Monday said, Samajwadi Partys election symbol is my signature. Party insiders said that the decision to meet the poll panel came after Akhilesh camp hinted that it will stake a claim to the partys symbol cycle. Party leaders said the new president has to approach the Election Commission according to the partys convention, claiming to be the real Samajwadi Party and stake claim on the party symbol. Akhilesh on Sunday at an emergency national convention appointed himself as the national party president removing his father Mulayam Singh from the post. He also replaced state unit chief Shivpal Singh Yadav and expelled Amar Singh who had to cut short his London tour to reach Delhi. However, the convention was declared illegal and unconstitutional by Mulayam Singh.
By Express News Service

BHEEMGUDA:A tribal has lost one of his legs through amputation due to alleged negligence on the part of government hospital doctors.

Attram Manku, a Kolam tribe farmer of Bheemguda tribal hamlet in Dhantanpelli gram panchayat, was suffering from gangrene for the last four months.

On December 16, Mancherial area hospital doctors amputated his right leg.

His daughter Soyam Jangubai, said that had the government hospital doctors diagnosed the disease in time, her father would not have lost his leg.

She said her father was suffering from pain due to an injury on his right leg, which he suffered while working in his field. When he went to Dhantanpelli Primary Health Center (PHC), the medical officer referred him to RIMS government hospital for better treatment. But, the doctors there did not give proper treatment. In fact, instead of treating for gangrene, they were just cleaning his wounds, she alleged.

As time passed, his situation became worse and was shifted to Mancherial Area Hospital, where his leg was amputated. His daughter alleged that her father lost his leg due to negligence of RIMS hospital.

According to medical officer of Danthanpelli D Kiran Kumar, Attram Mankus case came to light when the hospital staff went to distribute mosquito nets in the surrounding villages. After knowing the seriousness of the disease, a medical team rushed Attram Manku to Mancherial area Hospital for treatment on Dec14 and he was operated on Dec 16.

As per rule, community health workers should visit villages regularly and give a report to PHC about patients, but this is not happening. The villagers complained that no one visits their village. The village is four km from Danthanpelli PHC and it does not have proper road connectivity.

Despite medical negligence coming to light, the district administration and district medical and Health officials have not taken action against the medical staff of RIMS.

The victim has three acres of cotton and other crops. Now, there is none to help him to take up cultivation.

Additional Medical and Health officer (ADMHO) Agency T Prabhakar Reddy claimed that Mankus family members were getting gangrene genetically. His fifth daughter Anusuya also was suffering from gangrene and her small finger of the right leg was removed through surgery on Sunday. Doctors visit the tribal hamlets regularly, he said.

Tribal organisation leaders demanded compensation to the family. They also said the medical staff responsible for the alleged negligence should be punished.

They just cleaned his wounds

Mankus daughter Soyam Jangubai, said her father was suffering from pain due to an injury on his right leg. He was referred to the RIMS hospital by a medical officer. But, the doctors there did not give proper treatment. In fact, instead of treating for gangrene, they were just cleaning his wounds, she alleged. As time passed, his situation became worse and was shifted to Mancherial Area Hospital, where his leg was amputated. His daughter alleged that her father lost his leg due to negligence of RIMS hospital.

BHEEMGUDA:A tribal has lost one of his legs through amputation due to alleged negligence on the part of government hospital doctors. Attram Manku, a Kolam tribe farmer of Bheemguda tribal hamlet in Dhantanpelli gram panchayat, was suffering from gangrene for the last four months. On December 16, Mancherial area hospital doctors amputated his right leg. His daughter Soyam Jangubai, said that had the government hospital doctors diagnosed the disease in time, her father would not have lost his leg. She said her father was suffering from pain due to an injury on his right leg, which he suffered while working in his field. When he went to Dhantanpelli Primary Health Center (PHC), the medical officer referred him to RIMS government hospital for better treatment. But, the doctors there did not give proper treatment. In fact, instead of treating for gangrene, they were just cleaning his wounds, she alleged. As time passed, his situation became worse and was shifted to Mancherial Area Hospital, where his leg was amputated. His daughter alleged that her father lost his leg due to negligence of RIMS hospital. According to medical officer of Danthanpelli D Kiran Kumar, Attram Mankus case came to light when the hospital staff went to distribute mosquito nets in the surrounding villages. After knowing the seriousness of the disease, a medical team rushed Attram Manku to Mancherial area Hospital for treatment on Dec14 and he was operated on Dec 16. As per rule, community health workers should visit villages regularly and give a report to PHC about patients, but this is not happening. The villagers complained that no one visits their village. The village is four km from Danthanpelli PHC and it does not have proper road connectivity. Despite medical negligence coming to light, the district administration and district medical and Health officials have not taken action against the medical staff of RIMS. The victim has three acres of cotton and other crops. Now, there is none to help him to take up cultivation. Additional Medical and Health officer (ADMHO) Agency T Prabhakar Reddy claimed that Mankus family members were getting gangrene genetically. His fifth daughter Anusuya also was suffering from gangrene and her small finger of the right leg was removed through surgery on Sunday. Doctors visit the tribal hamlets regularly, he said. Tribal organisation leaders demanded compensation to the family. They also said the medical staff responsible for the alleged negligence should be punished. They just cleaned his wounds Mankus daughter Soyam Jangubai, said her father was suffering from pain due to an injury on his right leg. He was referred to the RIMS hospital by a medical officer. But, the doctors there did not give proper treatment. In fact, instead of treating for gangrene, they were just cleaning his wounds, she alleged. As time passed, his situation became worse and was shifted to Mancherial Area Hospital, where his leg was amputated. His daughter alleged that her father lost his leg due to negligence of RIMS hospital.
Namita bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: It was a political coup of sorts, as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav was crowned as the Samajwadi Partys national president on Sunday, a post that has been held by his father Mulayam Singh Yadav for decades.

While appointing Akhilesh to the post, the partys national convention, called by Ram Gopal Yadav who was expelled from the party by Mulayam, also stripped Shivpal Yadav of the state chief post and sacked its national general secretary Amar Singh. Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was given the honorary title of party patron, called the move unconstitutional.

The announcements added fuel to the already raging fire, triggering a spate of dismissals by both the warring camps. Soon after being anointed, Akhilesh appointed Naresh Uttam, a veteran Samajwadi, as the partys State chief in the place of Shivpal Yadav.

This was met with swift retaliation by Mulayam, who sacked Ram Gopal Yadav yet again for six years. Two other senior leaders, Naresh Agarwal and Kironmoy Nanda were also sacked by Mulayam for attending the national convention.

Terming Sundays convention as illegal and unconstitutional, Mulayam called another meeting of the partys national executive on January 5.

The national convention organised by Ram Gopal Yadav is unconstitutional, Mulayam said in an email reply through SPs official email ID.

When we will return to power in the State with an unprecedented mandate, Akhilesh said. I know, Netaji will be the happiest person. With just two-three months of this government remaining, this was a dangerous situation, so we took the party reins in our own hands, he said, adding the decision was crucial as he feared that the elements surrounding Netaji could make him sign on anything in the melee by misguiding him.

In the absence of Mulayam, the convention was chaired by the partys national vice-president Kironmoy Nanda. A majority of leaders - old and new - including the likes of Rewati Raman Singh, Beni Prasad Verma, Ahmad Hassan and Naresh Agarwal along with the entire youth brigade and a majority of district presidents were present at the meet.

Senior Samajwadi Party leader and Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan remained elusive from both camps. Ram Gopal Yadav launched a direct attack on Amar Singh and Shivpal Yadav.

Two persons in the party have been acting against Akhilesh Yadav as they do not want him to return to power as chief minister even when his victory is imminent, said Ram Gopal.

The Akhilesh camp has already sent the Election Commission all the three resolutions passed at the partys national convention.

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. pic.twitter.com/M5xZYEZhii  Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) January 1, 2017

If the Election Commission agrees to its request, the Akhilesh camp will get the bicycle symbol to contest. Shivpal, however, said his camp would go to any extend to claim the bicycle symbol.

Things will become clear after the January 5 meet, he said. After the passage of resolutions in the morning at the SP national convention, Akhilesh also targeted the two persons for destroying the party. With just two-three months of this government remaining, this was a dangerous situation. So we took the party reins in our own hands, he told his supporters.

Netaji (Mulayam) will always remain the party mentor. He will continue to guide all of us, the chief minister said. No one can undermine this father-son relationship. It will always be there and I take this pledge to save Netajis pride at any cost, he said.

LUCKNOW: It was a political coup of sorts, as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav was crowned as the Samajwadi Partys national president on Sunday, a post that has been held by his father Mulayam Singh Yadav for decades. While appointing Akhilesh to the post, the partys national convention, called by Ram Gopal Yadav who was expelled from the party by Mulayam, also stripped Shivpal Yadav of the state chief post and sacked its national general secretary Amar Singh. Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was given the honorary title of party patron, called the move unconstitutional. The announcements added fuel to the already raging fire, triggering a spate of dismissals by both the warring camps. Soon after being anointed, Akhilesh appointed Naresh Uttam, a veteran Samajwadi, as the partys State chief in the place of Shivpal Yadav. This was met with swift retaliation by Mulayam, who sacked Ram Gopal Yadav yet again for six years. Two other senior leaders, Naresh Agarwal and Kironmoy Nanda were also sacked by Mulayam for attending the national convention. Terming Sundays convention as illegal and unconstitutional, Mulayam called another meeting of the partys national executive on January 5. The national convention organised by Ram Gopal Yadav is unconstitutional, Mulayam said in an email reply through SPs official email ID. When we will return to power in the State with an unprecedented mandate, Akhilesh said. I know, Netaji will be the happiest person. With just two-three months of this government remaining, this was a dangerous situation, so we took the party reins in our own hands, he said, adding the decision was crucial as he feared that the elements surrounding Netaji could make him sign on anything in the melee by misguiding him. In the absence of Mulayam, the convention was chaired by the partys national vice-president Kironmoy Nanda. A majority of leaders - old and new - including the likes of Rewati Raman Singh, Beni Prasad Verma, Ahmad Hassan and Naresh Agarwal along with the entire youth brigade and a majority of district presidents were present at the meet. Senior Samajwadi Party leader and Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan remained elusive from both camps. Ram Gopal Yadav launched a direct attack on Amar Singh and Shivpal Yadav. Two persons in the party have been acting against Akhilesh Yadav as they do not want him to return to power as chief minister even when his victory is imminent, said Ram Gopal. The Akhilesh camp has already sent the Election Commission all the three resolutions passed at the partys national convention. 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. pic.twitter.com/M5xZYEZhii  Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) January 1, 2017 If the Election Commission agrees to its request, the Akhilesh camp will get the bicycle symbol to contest. Shivpal, however, said his camp would go to any extend to claim the bicycle symbol. Things will become clear after the January 5 meet, he said. After the passage of resolutions in the morning at the SP national convention, Akhilesh also targeted the two persons for destroying the party. With just two-three months of this government remaining, this was a dangerous situation. So we took the party reins in our own hands, he told his supporters. Netaji (Mulayam) will always remain the party mentor. He will continue to guide all of us, the chief minister said. No one can undermine this father-son relationship. It will always be there and I take this pledge to save Netajis pride at any cost, he said.
By Online Desk

Here's a roundup of the latest in the ever-spinning story of the father-son tussle in the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh.

1. Rival camps claim cycle symbol

The battle has shifted to Delhi with the Mulayam Singh and Akhilesh Yadav supporters reaching Delhi to lobby the Election Commission (EC) for the cycle of the Samajwadi party (SP). With elections to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly likely to be called any day now, the symbol is crucial

2.Cycle symbol is ours: Mulayam

SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav said, "The cycle symbol is ours," and asked party cadres to focus on winning the Assembly elections. His camp is likely to meet senior EC officials between 4 pm and 5 pm in Delhi today.

3. Akhilesh meets his confidants

Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, who yesterday sought to take control of the party, was closeted with his confidants and is expected to meet party leaders and legislators at this residence in Lucknow. Sources said Ram Gopal Yadav might represent Akhilesh when he takes up the symbol issue with the EC.



3.Mulayam postpones January 5 party convention

Neither the Yadav bossman nor his brother, Shivpal Yadav gave any reasons why the party's convention scheduled for January 5 has been cancelled. Insiders said perhaps the Mulayam camp is apprehensive about a poor turnout compared to the massive gathering at the convention held by Akhilesh Yadav's supporters yesterday. That convention removed Mulayam Singh as the SP chief.

4. Shivpal says Mulayam is still the boss

In a series of tweets, SP leader Shivpal Yadav, the warring uncle of Akhilesh, maintained that Mulayam continues to be the national president of the party. The Samajwadi Party was yesterday split down the middle with the faction headed by Akhilesh removing Mulayam as the party chief and appointing the chief minister in his place. Shivpal, who has been removed as the UP unit chief of SP by the Akhilesh camp, said, "I will be with Mulayam till my last breath," he said upon arrival in Delhi.

5. Amar Singh is back from London

The man at the centre of the storm, Amar Singh, and Shivpal reached Delhi this morning to finetune the strategy to ensure that the symbol remains with Mulayam. Talking to reporters, Amar Singh said, "I was and will remain with Mulayam Singh Yadav. I was a hero but I am now ready to become a khalnayak [villain] for him."

Asked about his expulsion from the party by the Akhilesh camp, Amar Singh said he would be "hurt" only if Mulayam said anything against him.

6. Akhilesh man says Akhilesh is CM candidate

Expelled SP national vice-president, Kiranmoy Nanda said today that Mulayam is the leader of all Samajwadis but the Assembly polls would be contested under the leadership of Akhilesh Yadav. "Netaji [Mualayam] is the leader of all of us samajwadis. We will contest the Assembly polls under our national president Akhilesh Yadav, who is our chief minister and has done a lot of work for the state," Nanda was sacked by Mulayam from the party for attending Ram Gopal's convention yesterday.



Here's a roundup of the latest in the ever-spinning story of the father-son tussle in the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh. 1. Rival camps claim cycle symbol The battle has shifted to Delhi with the Mulayam Singh and Akhilesh Yadav supporters reaching Delhi to lobby the Election Commission (EC) for the cycle of the Samajwadi party (SP). With elections to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly likely to be called any day now, the symbol is crucial 2.Cycle symbol is ours: Mulayam SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav said, "The cycle symbol is ours," and asked party cadres to focus on winning the Assembly elections. His camp is likely to meet senior EC officials between 4 pm and 5 pm in Delhi today. 3. Akhilesh meets his confidants Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, who yesterday sought to take control of the party, was closeted with his confidants and is expected to meet party leaders and legislators at this residence in Lucknow. Sources said Ram Gopal Yadav might represent Akhilesh when he takes up the symbol issue with the EC. 3.Mulayam postpones January 5 party convention Neither the Yadav bossman nor his brother, Shivpal Yadav gave any reasons why the party's convention scheduled for January 5 has been cancelled. Insiders said perhaps the Mulayam camp is apprehensive about a poor turnout compared to the massive gathering at the convention held by Akhilesh Yadav's supporters yesterday. That convention removed Mulayam Singh as the SP chief. 4. Shivpal says Mulayam is still the boss In a series of tweets, SP leader Shivpal Yadav, the warring uncle of Akhilesh, maintained that Mulayam continues to be the national president of the party. The Samajwadi Party was yesterday split down the middle with the faction headed by Akhilesh removing Mulayam as the party chief and appointing the chief minister in his place. Shivpal, who has been removed as the UP unit chief of SP by the Akhilesh camp, said, "I will be with Mulayam till my last breath," he said upon arrival in Delhi. 5. Amar Singh is back from London The man at the centre of the storm, Amar Singh, and Shivpal reached Delhi this morning to finetune the strategy to ensure that the symbol remains with Mulayam. Talking to reporters, Amar Singh said, "I was and will remain with Mulayam Singh Yadav. I was a hero but I am now ready to become a khalnayak [villain] for him." Asked about his expulsion from the party by the Akhilesh camp, Amar Singh said he would be "hurt" only if Mulayam said anything against him. 6. Akhilesh man says Akhilesh is CM candidate Expelled SP national vice-president, Kiranmoy Nanda said today that Mulayam is the leader of all Samajwadis but the Assembly polls would be contested under the leadership of Akhilesh Yadav. "Netaji [Mualayam] is the leader of all of us samajwadis. We will contest the Assembly polls under our national president Akhilesh Yadav, who is our chief minister and has done a lot of work for the state," Nanda was sacked by Mulayam from the party for attending Ram Gopal's convention yesterday.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court on Monday said that religion and caste cannot be used to seek votes and made it clear that religion has no role in the electoral process and that it is just a secular activity.

Pronouncing the verdict, a seven-judge bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur, who retires on Tuesday told that, "Freedom to follow religion has nothing to do with the secular nature of the state. The relationship between man and god is an individual choice and state is forbidden to have allegiance to such an activity."

Four out of the seven-judge bench banned seeking votes in the name of religion, but three judges said that such practice can be allowed. Chief Justice T S Thakur, Justices Madan B Lokur, Sharad Bobde, L Nageshwra Rao favours for rooting out religion from an election, Justices A K Goel, U U Lalit and D Y Chandrachud differed.

Minority ruling states that "constitution allows a person from taking the position on religion, language and candidate can raise such issues in an election."

The ruling gives wider meaning to Section 123 of Representation of People Act to stamp out the use of religion and community affiliation from elections. The judgment will have far-reaching implications in the states that go to the polls just months from now, especially in Uttar Pradesh, where the construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya is always used to woo voters.

In the 1995 judgement authored by former Justice J S Verma, it has been interpreted that the term 'his religion', used in section 123(3) of the Representation of the People (RP) Act which deals with 'corrupt practice', meant the faith of the candidates only.

The ruling came on a batch of petitions regarding whether religion can be used to garner votes in an election and whether it will amount to a corrupt practice warranting disqualification of the winning candidate.

During the hearing, the court had said elections were a secular exercise and religion should be separated from political processes.

NEW DELHI: In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court on Monday said that religion and caste cannot be used to seek votes and made it clear that religion has no role in the electoral process and that it is just a secular activity. Pronouncing the verdict, a seven-judge bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur, who retires on Tuesday told that, "Freedom to follow religion has nothing to do with the secular nature of the state. The relationship between man and god is an individual choice and state is forbidden to have allegiance to such an activity." Four out of the seven-judge bench banned seeking votes in the name of religion, but three judges said that such practice can be allowed. Chief Justice T S Thakur, Justices Madan B Lokur, Sharad Bobde, L Nageshwra Rao favours for rooting out religion from an election, Justices A K Goel, U U Lalit and D Y Chandrachud differed. Minority ruling states that "constitution allows a person from taking the position on religion, language and candidate can raise such issues in an election." The ruling gives wider meaning to Section 123 of Representation of People Act to stamp out the use of religion and community affiliation from elections. The judgment will have far-reaching implications in the states that go to the polls just months from now, especially in Uttar Pradesh, where the construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya is always used to woo voters. In the 1995 judgement authored by former Justice J S Verma, it has been interpreted that the term 'his religion', used in section 123(3) of the Representation of the People (RP) Act which deals with 'corrupt practice', meant the faith of the candidates only. The ruling came on a batch of petitions regarding whether religion can be used to garner votes in an election and whether it will amount to a corrupt practice warranting disqualification of the winning candidate. During the hearing, the court had said elections were a secular exercise and religion should be separated from political processes.
By Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: Thousands of devotees offered prayers at various temples and churches in the city here on Sunday as part of New Year celebrations. The New Year was welcomed amidst colourful celebrations and exchange of greetings since Saturday night. Denizens burst crackers to welcome the New Year.

Special prayers were held in the churches on Saturday midnight to welcome the New Year. Special programmes were held on Sunday morning and the people greeted one another.

Interestingly, it was the youth who turned out in good numbers at the temples.

As the day dawned, the devotees thronged Kanaka Durga Temple atop Indrakeeladri. The temple was beautifully decked up for New Year. While the inner portals of the main temple were decorated with a varied assortment of flowers, the external environs were colourfully illuminated.

Likewise, huge crowds also thronged Vinayaka Temple on Canal Road which was spruced up for the occasion. Lord Ayyappa Swamy Temple near Gollapudi, Sri Venkateswara Swamy Vari Temple, Labbipeta and Saibaba Temple near Maris Stella College was abuzz with students. Free meals were distributed to the poor at several churches in Christurajpuram and clothes were distributed by the Bishops in Gunadala Mary Matha Church.

VIJAYAWADA: Thousands of devotees offered prayers at various temples and churches in the city here on Sunday as part of New Year celebrations. The New Year was welcomed amidst colourful celebrations and exchange of greetings since Saturday night. Denizens burst crackers to welcome the New Year. Special prayers were held in the churches on Saturday midnight to welcome the New Year. Special programmes were held on Sunday morning and the people greeted one another. Interestingly, it was the youth who turned out in good numbers at the temples. As the day dawned, the devotees thronged Kanaka Durga Temple atop Indrakeeladri. The temple was beautifully decked up for New Year. While the inner portals of the main temple were decorated with a varied assortment of flowers, the external environs were colourfully illuminated. Likewise, huge crowds also thronged Vinayaka Temple on Canal Road which was spruced up for the occasion. Lord Ayyappa Swamy Temple near Gollapudi, Sri Venkateswara Swamy Vari Temple, Labbipeta and Saibaba Temple near Maris Stella College was abuzz with students. Free meals were distributed to the poor at several churches in Christurajpuram and clothes were distributed by the Bishops in Gunadala Mary Matha Church.
By Express News Service

VISAKHAPATNAM : Chairman and managing director of Metals and Minerals Trading Corporation (MMTC) Limited Vedprakash said that the Japanese delegation was very much concerned at the implementation of assurances in cargo handling.

They were very keen on the quality of the iron ore and its purity. They would take it very seriously if there is any drop in quality, the CMD said.

Vedprakash on Monday visited Visakhapatnam Port Trust. On his arrival, the VPT arranged a meeting with the ESSAR Port Limited delegates. On the occasion, Vedprakash said that the supply of quality iron ore would be prestigious and face saving issue.

The Japanese were very much concerned about the ore handling and if it is not improved it may derail the agreement. The CMD advised ESSAR to take every possible effort by closely monitoring the works in the next two or three months to ensure better performance.

ESSAR Ports Limited managing director Rajiv Agarwal announced through a presentation the upgradation of outer harbour berths with the latest state-of-the-art handling facilities designed loading rated capacity of 8000 TPH (tonnes per hour) by replacement of major equipment such as rotary tippler, twin tippler, stackers, reclaimers and ship-loader. To achieve the overall EPC percentage by September by overcoming the constrains such as ship loader long travel, apron feeders, belts through-cuts, over load on motor, structural vibrations leading to bearing failures, slew problems, by replacing and improving the equipment and spares and also reduction in spillage, contamination and pollution control measures, Rajiv Agarwal explained.

While presiding over the meeting, VPT chairman MT Krishna Babu said that the Japanese project was the lifeline and most important time line achievement. He assured Vedprakash that best efforts would be made. The VPT chairman explained the facilities and infrastructure of the port and taking over of iron ore handling by the ESSAR in May 2015 for entire refurbishment of the project and to complete the same by March-end and to prioritise the works to ensure customer satisfaction.

VISAKHAPATNAM : Chairman and managing director of Metals and Minerals Trading Corporation (MMTC) Limited Vedprakash said that the Japanese delegation was very much concerned at the implementation of assurances in cargo handling. They were very keen on the quality of the iron ore and its purity. They would take it very seriously if there is any drop in quality, the CMD said. Vedprakash on Monday visited Visakhapatnam Port Trust. On his arrival, the VPT arranged a meeting with the ESSAR Port Limited delegates. On the occasion, Vedprakash said that the supply of quality iron ore would be prestigious and face saving issue. The Japanese were very much concerned about the ore handling and if it is not improved it may derail the agreement. The CMD advised ESSAR to take every possible effort by closely monitoring the works in the next two or three months to ensure better performance. ESSAR Ports Limited managing director Rajiv Agarwal announced through a presentation the upgradation of outer harbour berths with the latest state-of-the-art handling facilities designed loading rated capacity of 8000 TPH (tonnes per hour) by replacement of major equipment such as rotary tippler, twin tippler, stackers, reclaimers and ship-loader. To achieve the overall EPC percentage by September by overcoming the constrains such as ship loader long travel, apron feeders, belts through-cuts, over load on motor, structural vibrations leading to bearing failures, slew problems, by replacing and improving the equipment and spares and also reduction in spillage, contamination and pollution control measures, Rajiv Agarwal explained. While presiding over the meeting, VPT chairman MT Krishna Babu said that the Japanese project was the lifeline and most important time line achievement. He assured Vedprakash that best efforts would be made. The VPT chairman explained the facilities and infrastructure of the port and taking over of iron ore handling by the ESSAR in May 2015 for entire refurbishment of the project and to complete the same by March-end and to prioritise the works to ensure customer satisfaction.
By Express News Service

MANDYA: After the murders of JD(S) workers B K Kumar, Muthuraj and Nandeesh, another JD(S) worker was murdered allegedly by Congress workers in Mandya on Sunday.

The deceased is Harish alias Gunda (32), a resident of Murukanahalli, KR Pet taluk. Congress workers Yogesh (28) and Rakshith (25) of the same village allegedly killed Gunda, stabbing him repeatedly around 2.15am in front of Seva Sahakara Sangha, Mysuru-KR Pet Main Road.

The duo are absconding. Two police teams are formed to nab them. They allegedly assaulted eyewitness Krishnegowda.

Harish

Tension at Murukanahalli

Tension prevailed in the village following the murder. Soon, news of themuder spread and villagers went on a rampage and set fire to houses of Yogesh and Rakshith. They also set ablaze three vehicles and bullock carts and valuables in many houses were stolen by the villagers.

The villagers threw chilli powder at Nagamangala DySP P Janardhan when he tried to stop them. Police security has been beefed up in the village. Five platoons of Mandya District Armed Reserve Police and additional police forces from Mysuru have been deployed.

Harish was a relative of TP member

Gunda, son of Rajegowda and Jayalakshmamma, is a close relative of Taluk Panchayat member Vijay Kumar. Gunda was the JD(S) leader of Murukanahalli village. After the murder, police officials immediately shifted the body to KR Hospital Mortuary to maintain law and order.

Mandya bandh on January 4

JD(S) MP C S Puttaraju has called for Mandya bandh on January 4. The party workers are planning to stage a massive protest and block roads condemning the series of murders in Mandya. MP Puttaraju blamed the police for the murder and demanded suspension of DySP Janardhan.

MANDYA: After the murders of JD(S) workers B K Kumar, Muthuraj and Nandeesh, another JD(S) worker was murdered allegedly by Congress workers in Mandya on Sunday. The deceased is Harish alias Gunda (32), a resident of Murukanahalli, KR Pet taluk. Congress workers Yogesh (28) and Rakshith (25) of the same village allegedly killed Gunda, stabbing him repeatedly around 2.15am in front of Seva Sahakara Sangha, Mysuru-KR Pet Main Road. The duo are absconding. Two police teams are formed to nab them. They allegedly assaulted eyewitness Krishnegowda. HarishTension at Murukanahalli Tension prevailed in the village following the murder. Soon, news of themuder spread and villagers went on a rampage and set fire to houses of Yogesh and Rakshith. They also set ablaze three vehicles and bullock carts and valuables in many houses were stolen by the villagers. The villagers threw chilli powder at Nagamangala DySP P Janardhan when he tried to stop them. Police security has been beefed up in the village. Five platoons of Mandya District Armed Reserve Police and additional police forces from Mysuru have been deployed. Harish was a relative of TP member Gunda, son of Rajegowda and Jayalakshmamma, is a close relative of Taluk Panchayat member Vijay Kumar. Gunda was the JD(S) leader of Murukanahalli village. After the murder, police officials immediately shifted the body to KR Hospital Mortuary to maintain law and order. Mandya bandh on January 4 JD(S) MP C S Puttaraju has called for Mandya bandh on January 4. The party workers are planning to stage a massive protest and block roads condemning the series of murders in Mandya. MP Puttaraju blamed the police for the murder and demanded suspension of DySP Janardhan.
By Express News Service

MANGALURU: Alleging a provocative speech by M P Nalin Kumar Kateel could trigger communal violence in the district, Dakshina Kannada district Youth Congress Committee lodged a complaint at Konaje Police Station against him on Monday.

Nalin alarmed the police department during a protest meeting organised at Pajeer, near Mangaluru by Hindu Hitharakshana Vedike on Sunday, stating that if the accused involved in the murder of Karthik Raj were not arrested within 10 days, the whole district would burn. However, he rectified the mistake at the same venue and informed that the protest will be intensified and dharnas will be staged in front of police station if the accused were not arrested.

During the protest meeting, Nalin had alleged that the police department is acting like the agents of Congress party as the accused involved in the murder of Karthik Raj were not arrested even after two months.

However, the video footage of the Nalin's words went viral in the district. Alerted by this, district Youth Congress president Mithun Rai lodged complaint at the police station.

MANGALURU: Alleging a provocative speech by M P Nalin Kumar Kateel could trigger communal violence in the district, Dakshina Kannada district Youth Congress Committee lodged a complaint at Konaje Police Station against him on Monday. Nalin alarmed the police department during a protest meeting organised at Pajeer, near Mangaluru by Hindu Hitharakshana Vedike on Sunday, stating that if the accused involved in the murder of Karthik Raj were not arrested within 10 days, the whole district would burn. However, he rectified the mistake at the same venue and informed that the protest will be intensified and dharnas will be staged in front of police station if the accused were not arrested. During the protest meeting, Nalin had alleged that the police department is acting like the agents of Congress party as the accused involved in the murder of Karthik Raj were not arrested even after two months. However, the video footage of the Nalin's words went viral in the district. Alerted by this, district Youth Congress president Mithun Rai lodged complaint at the police station.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: The Department of Panchayat Raj and Rural Development (RDPR) has lodged criminal complaints against 14 persons in relation to a land scam in North Bengaluru. RDPR Minister H K Patil on Monday said FIRs have been registered against them, including Gram Panchayat members, and the probe was on.

The government had issued an order on December 14 to initiate legal proceedings on all of them, based on complaints stating that they had created bogus documents and e-khatas and connived with real estate developers and sub registrars.

Several genuine property owners have been deceived by handwritten khatas. We have received complaints about sub registrars changing ownership of land. The public must be alert against such practices, Patil said.

The Minister has also instructed officials from the Department of Stamps and Registration to be alert about property fraud and upload all details about property ownership on their website.

Following complaints from public in North Bengaluru taluk about frauds in land registrations, a probe was conducted by retired IAS officer R B Agwane who found irregularities with regard to creation of fake khatas and land grab by land developers and influential persons by misusing the E-swathu software. Records of 6,510 properties were found to have been tampered and illegal documents created.

The revelations has forced the state government to stop issuing B Khatas for properties under the limits of these Gram Panchayats.

BENGALURU: The Department of Panchayat Raj and Rural Development (RDPR) has lodged criminal complaints against 14 persons in relation to a land scam in North Bengaluru. RDPR Minister H K Patil on Monday said FIRs have been registered against them, including Gram Panchayat members, and the probe was on. The government had issued an order on December 14 to initiate legal proceedings on all of them, based on complaints stating that they had created bogus documents and e-khatas and connived with real estate developers and sub registrars. Several genuine property owners have been deceived by handwritten khatas. We have received complaints about sub registrars changing ownership of land. The public must be alert against such practices, Patil said. The Minister has also instructed officials from the Department of Stamps and Registration to be alert about property fraud and upload all details about property ownership on their website. Following complaints from public in North Bengaluru taluk about frauds in land registrations, a probe was conducted by retired IAS officer R B Agwane who found irregularities with regard to creation of fake khatas and land grab by land developers and influential persons by misusing the E-swathu software. Records of 6,510 properties were found to have been tampered and illegal documents created. The revelations has forced the state government to stop issuing B Khatas for properties under the limits of these Gram Panchayats.
By Express News Service

KOTTAYAM: Continuing his focus on national politics, former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy came out against the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the second consecutive day on Sunday, alleging that the PM failed miserably in attaining the goals, which he had claimed to achieve with the demonetisation drive.

Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, Chandy also held the Prime Minister accountable for destabilising the federal system of the country by not convening a meeting of the Chief Ministers to discuss the unprecedented circumstances that emerged after demonetisation.

Talks should have been held

According to Chandy, demonetisation has varied impact on different states and Modi should have held discussions with the Chief Ministers in this regard. If the Prime Minister had opted a democratic line, he would have convened a meeting of CMs by now.

Being one of the major and prolonged impasses in Independent India, it had varied impact on different states, and hence its remedies should also be state-centric. For that, Modi must convene a meeting of the CMs and seek their opinion on the issue. However, even 50 days after his steps failed, he was not ready to convene such a meeting, which indicates that he doesnt want to opt a democratic path, he said.

Chandy further said that Modi disappointed the people of the nation by abstaining from disclosing the progress in attaining the proclaimed objectives of demonetisation.

He didnt speak about the achievements gained through demonetisation. More importantly, he didnt utter a word on the remedies and the number of days it would take to end the sufferings of the people, he said. Chandy added that Modi could not come anywhere near the proclaimed achievements of demonetisation.

KOTTAYAM: Continuing his focus on national politics, former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy came out against the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the second consecutive day on Sunday, alleging that the PM failed miserably in attaining the goals, which he had claimed to achieve with the demonetisation drive. Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, Chandy also held the Prime Minister accountable for destabilising the federal system of the country by not convening a meeting of the Chief Ministers to discuss the unprecedented circumstances that emerged after demonetisation. Talks should have been held According to Chandy, demonetisation has varied impact on different states and Modi should have held discussions with the Chief Ministers in this regard. If the Prime Minister had opted a democratic line, he would have convened a meeting of CMs by now. Being one of the major and prolonged impasses in Independent India, it had varied impact on different states, and hence its remedies should also be state-centric. For that, Modi must convene a meeting of the CMs and seek their opinion on the issue. However, even 50 days after his steps failed, he was not ready to convene such a meeting, which indicates that he doesnt want to opt a democratic path, he said. Chandy further said that Modi disappointed the people of the nation by abstaining from disclosing the progress in attaining the proclaimed objectives of demonetisation. He didnt speak about the achievements gained through demonetisation. More importantly, he didnt utter a word on the remedies and the number of days it would take to end the sufferings of the people, he said. Chandy added that Modi could not come anywhere near the proclaimed achievements of demonetisation.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Loud, rash and brash, Chennai welcomed the New Year in a typical fatal fashion, notwithstanding increased patrolling by city police. At the break of dawn of new year, there were five dead and over 120 injured in incidents reported across the city.

In the first incident, Muthukumar of Thanjavur, who worked as an AC mechanic in the city, died when he rammed his two-wheeler into a mini load carrier on Usman Road flyover around 1.30 am on Sunday. Police said he died on the spot. Another was a hit-and-run case, in which a pedestrian, Moorthy (55), was knocked down by a vehicle when he was walking near ICF during the wee hours of Sunday. Passersby rushed the victim to a hospital where he was declared brought dead. A case has been registered by Tirumangalam traffic investigation.

CHENNAI: Loud, rash and brash, Chennai welcomed the New Year in a typical fatal fashion, notwithstanding increased patrolling by city police. At the break of dawn of new year, there were five dead and over 120 injured in incidents reported across the city. In the first incident, Muthukumar of Thanjavur, who worked as an AC mechanic in the city, died when he rammed his two-wheeler into a mini load carrier on Usman Road flyover around 1.30 am on Sunday. Police said he died on the spot. Another was a hit-and-run case, in which a pedestrian, Moorthy (55), was knocked down by a vehicle when he was walking near ICF during the wee hours of Sunday. Passersby rushed the victim to a hospital where he was declared brought dead. A case has been registered by Tirumangalam traffic investigation.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Taking strong exception to the announcement of two Sri Lankan ministers that the fishing boats and gear of Tamil Nadu fishermen which had been under Lankan custody for a long time would be made property of the island government, chief minister O Panneerselvam on Monday sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sorting out this sensitive issue which had caused anxiety among the fishermen in Tamilnadu.

"I strongly urge the Government of India to register its disapproval of such remarks in the strongest possible terms at the appropriate level. Such statements just before inter ministerial level talks of the two countries will certainly vitiate the atmosphere before the talks," the chief minister said in his letter to the Prime Minister.



Expressing deep anguish at the very unfortunate and needlessly provocative remarks of the Lankan ministers, the chief minister said this unfortunate development had come at a time when the India-Lanka Joint Working Group on Fisheries met in New Delhi on December 31, and was due to meet again on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting at Colombo on Monday.



"Lankan ministers' statements are especially alarming when Indian fishermen, have come forward with an accommodative frame of mind, to find a resolution to this long pending sensitive livelihood issue. Former chief minister J Jayalalithaa had repeatedly brought to your personal attention our concerns over the Sri Lankan governments strategy of delaying the release of the boats and fishing gear of our fishermen which caused great loss of livelihood to our fishermen and their families," he added.



Stating that as till date, 114 fishing boats of Tamil Nadu fishermen were in Lankan custody, the chief minister pointed out that that 80 fishing boats of fishermen from Tamil Nadu apprehended by Lankan Navy during the year 2014 were released only in 2015. "Out of these 80 boats, apart from the 2 boats which had sunk at the time of apprehension, 16 boats are damaged beyond salvage, 31 sustained major damages, and 33 boats sustained minor damages. This has inflicted heavy financial losses on the fishermen of Tamil Nadu," he said and urged the Centre to take steps to rescue 51 fishermen who were still in Lankan custody.



"This is not the first time that such reports are appearing and on an earlier occasion on Apart 1, 2016, Lankan minister for fisheries, Mahinda Amaraweera said Lanka had approached the competent Courts for permission to give away the fishing boats and gear of Tamil Nadu fishermen to the fishermen of Northern Sri Lanka and to scrap and auction the boats which are unusable," Panneerselvam recalled.



He said such unfortunate and provocative statements were clearly veiled threats to intimidate Tamilnadu fishermen from exercising their traditional fishing rights in the Palk Bay which they have done for centuries. Such statements appear to mock the diplomatic efforts being undertaken by the Government of India to sort out the sensitive issue.



Panneerselvam urged the Centre to take steps to ensure that the boats and fishing gear of Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan custody were returned to the Tamil Nadu fishermen in a refurbished condition at the earliest.

CHENNAI: Taking strong exception to the announcement of two Sri Lankan ministers that the fishing boats and gear of Tamil Nadu fishermen which had been under Lankan custody for a long time would be made property of the island government, chief minister O Panneerselvam on Monday sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sorting out this sensitive issue which had caused anxiety among the fishermen in Tamilnadu. "I strongly urge the Government of India to register its disapproval of such remarks in the strongest possible terms at the appropriate level. Such statements just before inter ministerial level talks of the two countries will certainly vitiate the atmosphere before the talks," the chief minister said in his letter to the Prime Minister. Expressing deep anguish at the very unfortunate and needlessly provocative remarks of the Lankan ministers, the chief minister said this unfortunate development had come at a time when the India-Lanka Joint Working Group on Fisheries met in New Delhi on December 31, and was due to meet again on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting at Colombo on Monday. "Lankan ministers' statements are especially alarming when Indian fishermen, have come forward with an accommodative frame of mind, to find a resolution to this long pending sensitive livelihood issue. Former chief minister J Jayalalithaa had repeatedly brought to your personal attention our concerns over the Sri Lankan governments strategy of delaying the release of the boats and fishing gear of our fishermen which caused great loss of livelihood to our fishermen and their families," he added. Stating that as till date, 114 fishing boats of Tamil Nadu fishermen were in Lankan custody, the chief minister pointed out that that 80 fishing boats of fishermen from Tamil Nadu apprehended by Lankan Navy during the year 2014 were released only in 2015. "Out of these 80 boats, apart from the 2 boats which had sunk at the time of apprehension, 16 boats are damaged beyond salvage, 31 sustained major damages, and 33 boats sustained minor damages. This has inflicted heavy financial losses on the fishermen of Tamil Nadu," he said and urged the Centre to take steps to rescue 51 fishermen who were still in Lankan custody. "This is not the first time that such reports are appearing and on an earlier occasion on Apart 1, 2016, Lankan minister for fisheries, Mahinda Amaraweera said Lanka had approached the competent Courts for permission to give away the fishing boats and gear of Tamil Nadu fishermen to the fishermen of Northern Sri Lanka and to scrap and auction the boats which are unusable," Panneerselvam recalled. He said such unfortunate and provocative statements were clearly veiled threats to intimidate Tamilnadu fishermen from exercising their traditional fishing rights in the Palk Bay which they have done for centuries. Such statements appear to mock the diplomatic efforts being undertaken by the Government of India to sort out the sensitive issue. Panneerselvam urged the Centre to take steps to ensure that the boats and fishing gear of Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan custody were returned to the Tamil Nadu fishermen in a refurbished condition at the earliest.
NEW YORK  Books by such familiar names as J.K. Rowling, Jeff Kinney and Bill O'Reilly were among the top sellers of 2016. But the most unexpected presidential election in memory also led to some unexpected successes.

Donald Trump's rise from celebrity candidate to improbable nominee and winner of an historic upset brought heightened attention to books old and new, fiction and nonfiction, ranging from a journalist's memoir completed during the campaign to the document that Trump will swear to protect and defend upon taking the oath of office.

Here are five notable releases that received a Trump Bump:

 J.D. Vance, "The Hillbilly Elegy": Liberals befuddled by Trump's victory turned to Vance's memoir about his relatives in rural Kentucky and Ohio's rust belt. Interviewed last summer by The Associated Press, Vance spoke of Trump's appeal to the white working class: "He communicates in a way that is very relatable to a lot of people; it's one of the things that both parties frankly have been increasingly bad at, which is connecting to voters in an emotional and kind of visceral way."

 Megyn Kelly, "Settle for More": This book was announced early in 2016, or what now seems like distant history when Trump was a longshot for the White House, despite early leads in the polls against his GOP primary rivals, and Roger Ailes was the enduring leader of Fox News. By the time the book was released in mid-November, Ailes had been forced out amid numerous allegations of sexual harassment and Trump was the president-elect. Kelly had plenty of news about both. She alleged that Ailes had made unwanted sexual advances on her early in her career and that Trump, who consulted with Ailes during his campaign, had tried to intimidate her even before she confronted him during a Republican debate in 2015 about his comments about women. Kelly was subjected to prolonged and highly personal attacks from Trump and wrote that she received death threats from his supporters.

 Sinclair Lewis, "It Can't Happen Here," and Philip Roth, "The Plot Against America": Trump's campaign inspired some readers to seek answers in the past, not just from history, but from dystopian fiction.

Lewis' warning about the fragility of democracy was written in the mid-1930s, when Nazis were on the rise in Europe and populist demagogues such as Huey Long of Louisiana were seen as challengers to the re-election of President Franklin Roosevelt. In "It Can't Happen Here," Lewis imagined the frightening rise of Sen. Berzelius "Buzz" Windrip, whose defense of "The Forgotten Man" and attacks on Mexicans and the media gave the novel renewed relevance in 2016.

Roth's book, published in 2004, was set in the author's native Newark, New Jersey, in the early 1940s. The premise: An authoritarian government under President Charles Lindbergh, the aviator hero who later became an open anti-Semite and an "America First" advocate, who believed the country should stay out of World War II and not fight the Nazis. Wrote Roth: "Americans everywhere went about declaiming, No war, no young men fighting and dying ever again! Lindbergh can deal with Hitler, they said, Hitler respects him because he's Lindbergh."

 The United States Constitution: For the book world at least, the most eventful speech at the Democratic National Convention was not given by the nominee, Hillary Rodham Clinton, but by the father of an American soldier killed in 2004 during the Iraq War. An emotional Khizr Khan denounced Trump's negative comments about Muslims, held up a copy of the Constitution and questioned whether Trump had read it. The candidate responded with a wave of angry tweets, while readers made an 18th century, public domain text a best-seller. Ironically, the edition topping the lists on Amazon.com and elsewhere was not the one used by Khan, but a pocket-sized publication from the right-wing National Center for Constitutional Studies.

 Donald Trump, "The Art of the Deal": Published in 1987, it's the first book by Trump, the one that helped make him a national celebrity and the one the candidate never tires of mentioning. His repeated boasts that "Art of the Deal" is the all-time business best-seller have been widely disputed, but the book is a million seller and it spent a good deal of the year high on the charts of Amazon. "Art of the Deal" reached new readers despite a notable disclaimer from ghostwriter Tony Schwartz, who renounced the work and said if he were writing it now he would call it "The Sociopath."
By Express News Service

NAGERCOIL: A case of a stalker avenging a young teacher, who is engaged to be married in five days, by stabbing her in public glare in front of a church on the New Year eve has come as a rude shock to the people of Nithravilai in Kanniyakumari district.

A 27-year-old youth, identified as S Fegi Castro of Chinnathurai, inflicted injuries on a 25-year-old teacher at the entrance of a church near Nithravilai on Saturday night, police said.

The victim from Chinnathurai coastal hamlet is a post graduate and is teaching at a private polytechnic college in Tirunelveli district. She is betrothed and her marriage has been fixed on January 5, 2017.

Recalling the incident, sources in the police said that on Saturday, the victim went with her relatives to attend the New Year mass.

When she emerged from the church after the mass, Castro allegedly stabbed her with a knife. The woman fainted and the youth was thrashed by the people present before he was handed over the Nithravilai police.

The accused is a fisherman and a school dropout, the police said.

According to the sources, Fegi had been stalking the victim, following which the woman had lodged a complaint.

Six months ago, Fegi was called for a police inquiry. After he was warned by the police, he stopped stalking the girl, a police officer said. However, on learning about her marriage, Fegi was disturbed and assaulted the girl, he said.

The young woman is said to be stable. The Nithravilai Police have filed a case against Fegi under Aections 294 (b) (uttering obscene words in public place), 307 (attempt to murder) and 506 (ii) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Woman Act, and arrested him.

NAGERCOIL: A case of a stalker avenging a young teacher, who is engaged to be married in five days, by stabbing her in public glare in front of a church on the New Year eve has come as a rude shock to the people of Nithravilai in Kanniyakumari district. A 27-year-old youth, identified as S Fegi Castro of Chinnathurai, inflicted injuries on a 25-year-old teacher at the entrance of a church near Nithravilai on Saturday night, police said. The victim from Chinnathurai coastal hamlet is a post graduate and is teaching at a private polytechnic college in Tirunelveli district. She is betrothed and her marriage has been fixed on January 5, 2017. Recalling the incident, sources in the police said that on Saturday, the victim went with her relatives to attend the New Year mass. When she emerged from the church after the mass, Castro allegedly stabbed her with a knife. The woman fainted and the youth was thrashed by the people present before he was handed over the Nithravilai police. The accused is a fisherman and a school dropout, the police said. According to the sources, Fegi had been stalking the victim, following which the woman had lodged a complaint. Six months ago, Fegi was called for a police inquiry. After he was warned by the police, he stopped stalking the girl, a police officer said. However, on learning about her marriage, Fegi was disturbed and assaulted the girl, he said. The young woman is said to be stable. The Nithravilai Police have filed a case against Fegi under Aections 294 (b) (uttering obscene words in public place), 307 (attempt to murder) and 506 (ii) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Woman Act, and arrested him.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: A 1983-IAS batch officer SP Singh, soon after assuming charge as chief secretary of the state government at the Secretariat here on Sunday said he was confident that he would live up to the expectations of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

I am very much thankful to the CM for choosing me for the top post. I will utilise my experience to develop TS as per CMs wishes. I will strive hard for achieving Bangaru Telangana, Singh said, who served both at the Centre and in the erstwhile united state in various capacities.

Prior to his appointment as the chief secretary of the state, Singh, who hails from Bihar, had been serving as the special chief secretary in panchayat raj, RD and RWS departments. In fact, till Saturday midnight, there was no clarity on who will become the new chief secretary as Centre did not accept the state governments request for extending the tenure of the incumbent chief secretary Pradeep Chandra, who had replaced Rajiv Sharma, exactly a month ago. But, by Sunday morning the government issued an order appointing Singh as the next chief secretary.

The government also issued an order stating that Singh has been placed in full additional charge in the post of Chief Commissioner of Land Administration (CCLA). He would also hold the FAC to the post of Special Chief Secretary (PR, RD & RWS) until further orders, GO stated.

The way Pradeep Chandra was not given extension by the Centre has become a topic of discussion among officials and political circles. Denial of extension to Pradeep Chandra, who is a Dalit, clearly proves that KCR is anti-Dalit. KCR had earlier succeeded in getting extension to the previous chief secretary Rajiv Sharma twice. How could the same CM fail to prevail upon the Centre to extend the term of Pradeep Chandra? As Pradeep Chandra is an SC, KCR has not taken personal interest to extend his tenure, TPCC vice- president Mallu Ravi alleged here.

The Congress leader further criticised, saying, Rao had also earlier went back on his promise of making a Dalit a CM of the state, which he made during Telangana movement. Now, he denied extension for a Dalit chief secretary.

HYDERABAD: A 1983-IAS batch officer SP Singh, soon after assuming charge as chief secretary of the state government at the Secretariat here on Sunday said he was confident that he would live up to the expectations of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. I am very much thankful to the CM for choosing me for the top post. I will utilise my experience to develop TS as per CMs wishes. I will strive hard for achieving Bangaru Telangana, Singh said, who served both at the Centre and in the erstwhile united state in various capacities. Prior to his appointment as the chief secretary of the state, Singh, who hails from Bihar, had been serving as the special chief secretary in panchayat raj, RD and RWS departments. In fact, till Saturday midnight, there was no clarity on who will become the new chief secretary as Centre did not accept the state governments request for extending the tenure of the incumbent chief secretary Pradeep Chandra, who had replaced Rajiv Sharma, exactly a month ago. But, by Sunday morning the government issued an order appointing Singh as the next chief secretary. The government also issued an order stating that Singh has been placed in full additional charge in the post of Chief Commissioner of Land Administration (CCLA). He would also hold the FAC to the post of Special Chief Secretary (PR, RD & RWS) until further orders, GO stated. The way Pradeep Chandra was not given extension by the Centre has become a topic of discussion among officials and political circles. Denial of extension to Pradeep Chandra, who is a Dalit, clearly proves that KCR is anti-Dalit. KCR had earlier succeeded in getting extension to the previous chief secretary Rajiv Sharma twice. How could the same CM fail to prevail upon the Centre to extend the term of Pradeep Chandra? As Pradeep Chandra is an SC, KCR has not taken personal interest to extend his tenure, TPCC vice- president Mallu Ravi alleged here. The Congress leader further criticised, saying, Rao had also earlier went back on his promise of making a Dalit a CM of the state, which he made during Telangana movement. Now, he denied extension for a Dalit chief secretary.
By Associated Press

JAKARTA: A search resumed Monday for 17 people reported missing after a ferry fire off the coast of Indonesia's capital that left at least 23 dead, officials said.

The victims died Sunday when the vessel, Zahro Express, carrying more than 260 people from a port near Jakarta to Tidung, a resort island in the Kepulauan Seribu chain, caught fire, officials said. Most of the passengers were Indonesians celebrating the New Year holiday, according to local media reports.

Dito, an official from the Jakarta Search and Rescue Agency, said at least five ships and a number of speedboats and rubber boats were deployed in the search.

Of the 224 passengers who were rescued, 32 were being treated at three hospitals, said Dito, who uses a single name.

Seply Madreta, an official from the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency, said the fire gutted about half the vessel, 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 police health department.

Witnesses told MetroTV that the fire broke out about 15 minutes after the ferry left the port of Muara Angke.

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear. Some passengers told local media that they first saw smoke coming from the ferry's engine.

The director for sea transportation, Tonny Budiono, said the initial suspicion was that the fire was "most probably caused by a short circuit in the engine room."

He told a news conference the short circuit might have led to the fuel tank exploding.

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 the high number of people who were rescued, the ferry's 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 vessel's captain was under police investigation over the incident.

Ferry accidents are common in Indonesia, the world's largest archipelagic nation, with more than 17,000 islands. Many accidents are blamed on lax regulation of boat services.

JAKARTA: A search resumed Monday for 17 people reported missing after a ferry fire off the coast of Indonesia's capital that left at least 23 dead, officials said. The victims died Sunday when the vessel, Zahro Express, carrying more than 260 people from a port near Jakarta to Tidung, a resort island in the Kepulauan Seribu chain, caught fire, officials said. Most of the passengers were Indonesians celebrating the New Year holiday, according to local media reports. Dito, an official from the Jakarta Search and Rescue Agency, said at least five ships and a number of speedboats and rubber boats were deployed in the search. Of the 224 passengers who were rescued, 32 were being treated at three hospitals, said Dito, who uses a single name. Seply Madreta, an official from the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency, said the fire gutted about half the vessel, 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 police health department. Witnesses told MetroTV that the fire broke out about 15 minutes after the ferry left the port of Muara Angke. The cause of the fire was not immediately clear. Some passengers told local media that they first saw smoke coming from the ferry's engine. The director for sea transportation, Tonny Budiono, said the initial suspicion was that the fire was "most probably caused by a short circuit in the engine room." He told a news conference the short circuit might have led to the fuel tank exploding. 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 the high number of people who were rescued, the ferry's 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 vessel's captain was under police investigation over the incident. Ferry accidents are common in Indonesia, the world's largest archipelagic nation, with more than 17,000 islands. Many accidents are blamed on lax regulation of boat services.
By AFP

MOSCOW: At least nine people were killed after part of an apartment building collapsed in central Kazakhstan, the country's authorities said Monday.

"Nine dead people were pulled from the rubble" of the building in the village of Shakhan following the collapse late Sunday, the emergencies committee of the interior ministry in the central Asian nation said in a statement.

It said the victims include three men, three women and three children. A 32-year-old man had been pulled alive from the rubble.

The ministry said it had dispatched 70 emergency workers to take part in the rescue operation.

The remaining residents of the building have been evacuated.

A government committee has been set up to probe the incident, the ministry said.

Building collapses are not uncommon throughout the former Soviet Union, either due to faulty construction or worn-out infrastructure.

MOSCOW: At least nine people were killed after part of an apartment building collapsed in central Kazakhstan, the country's authorities said Monday. "Nine dead people were pulled from the rubble" of the building in the village of Shakhan following the collapse late Sunday, the emergencies committee of the interior ministry in the central Asian nation said in a statement. It said the victims include three men, three women and three children. A 32-year-old man had been pulled alive from the rubble. The ministry said it had dispatched 70 emergency workers to take part in the rescue operation. The remaining residents of the building have been evacuated. A government committee has been set up to probe the incident, the ministry said. Building collapses are not uncommon throughout the former Soviet Union, either due to faulty construction or worn-out infrastructure.
PK Balachandran By

Express News Service

COLOMBO: India and Sri Lanka registered significant progress in resolving the vexed fishing issue at the Fisheries Ministers-level talks here on Monday, the Sri Lankan Minister for Fisheries, Mahinda Amaraweera, told newspersons after the talks.

An Agreement was reached on a wide range of issues when the Indian Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Radha Mohan Singh met with Amaraweera for over two hours at the Taj Samudra Hotel. The talks carried forward the decisions taken at the first meeting of the Joint Working Group on Fisheries (JWGF) held in New Delhi on December 31.

Joint Patrolling

As part of the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) agreed to by both sides, it was decided to intensify cooperation on patrolling of the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and to institute periodic interactions between the Coast Guards of the two countries. It was agreed to explore the possibility of introducing an effective tracking systems for the fishing vessels and making the use of onboard communication equipment mandatory.Hotline numbers between the two coast guards were operationalized to facilitate speedy communications between them.

Release of Impounded Vessels

Both sides discussed the issue of releasing fishing vessels in each others custody. The Indian side requested the immediate release of Indian fishing vessels and the Sri Lankan side agreed to consider the request in view of the progress being made by the JWGF.

Immediate Release of Fishermen

Immediate release of the fishermen presently in custody was announced following the ministerial meeting.Both sides agreed to a set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to expedite the release and handing over of fishermen in each others custody on completion of respective legal and procedural formalities. It was agreed that fishermen who are apprehended are not physically harmed.

Curbing Bottom Trawling

The Sri Lankan side reiterated that the practice of bottom trawling needs to end at the earliest. The Indian side assured that bottom trawling would be phased out in a graded time-bound manner within a practicable timeframe keeping in mind the capacity building of the fishermen who have to be diversified into deep sea fishing as well as other coastal fisheries activities including mariculture, pearl farming and seaweed culture. The Indian delegation said that, so far, 91 bottom trawlers had been replaced by tuna long line vessels. The Sri Lankan side was briefed about the measures already instituted including the decision to construct a new fishing harbour at Mookaiyur in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu, and the capacity building program for Indian fishermen as regards deep sea fishing that commences tomorrow at Chennai and Kochi. The next JWG meeting will be held in Colombo in April 2017 to review the progress made in addressing the fishermen issues in a comprehensive manner.

New Delhi Keen and EUs Role

A Sri Lankan official who took part in the talks told Express that the Indian Central Government is very keen on solving the problem and that the Colombo meeting was very satisfactory.

The most important contributory factor for the progress in the talks was the European Unions tough stand on illegal fishing. The EU bans import of fish from countries which allow illegal fishing and Sri Lanka had had to promise to draft suitable laws to get the EU ban on it lifted. The EU stipulates stiff fines to curb illegal fishing. This would apply to intruding Tamil Nadu boats and trawlers as well. Asked about the quantum of fine to be imposed, Sri Lankan Fisheries Minister Amaraweera said that no decision on that has been taken.

Sri Lanka Accommodative

Sri Lanka, which loses about LKR 9 billion a year because of poaching by Tamil Nadu fishermen, was also accommodative. Minister Amaraweera acknowledged that the practice of poaching and using bottom trawlers for the last three decades cannot be stopped overnight.

COLOMBO: India and Sri Lanka registered significant progress in resolving the vexed fishing issue at the Fisheries Ministers-level talks here on Monday, the Sri Lankan Minister for Fisheries, Mahinda Amaraweera, told newspersons after the talks. An Agreement was reached on a wide range of issues when the Indian Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Radha Mohan Singh met with Amaraweera for over two hours at the Taj Samudra Hotel. The talks carried forward the decisions taken at the first meeting of the Joint Working Group on Fisheries (JWGF) held in New Delhi on December 31. Joint Patrolling As part of the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) agreed to by both sides, it was decided to intensify cooperation on patrolling of the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and to institute periodic interactions between the Coast Guards of the two countries. It was agreed to explore the possibility of introducing an effective tracking systems for the fishing vessels and making the use of onboard communication equipment mandatory.Hotline numbers between the two coast guards were operationalized to facilitate speedy communications between them. Release of Impounded Vessels Both sides discussed the issue of releasing fishing vessels in each others custody. The Indian side requested the immediate release of Indian fishing vessels and the Sri Lankan side agreed to consider the request in view of the progress being made by the JWGF. Immediate Release of Fishermen Immediate release of the fishermen presently in custody was announced following the ministerial meeting.Both sides agreed to a set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to expedite the release and handing over of fishermen in each others custody on completion of respective legal and procedural formalities. It was agreed that fishermen who are apprehended are not physically harmed. Curbing Bottom Trawling The Sri Lankan side reiterated that the practice of bottom trawling needs to end at the earliest. The Indian side assured that bottom trawling would be phased out in a graded time-bound manner within a practicable timeframe keeping in mind the capacity building of the fishermen who have to be diversified into deep sea fishing as well as other coastal fisheries activities including mariculture, pearl farming and seaweed culture. The Indian delegation said that, so far, 91 bottom trawlers had been replaced by tuna long line vessels. The Sri Lankan side was briefed about the measures already instituted including the decision to construct a new fishing harbour at Mookaiyur in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu, and the capacity building program for Indian fishermen as regards deep sea fishing that commences tomorrow at Chennai and Kochi. The next JWG meeting will be held in Colombo in April 2017 to review the progress made in addressing the fishermen issues in a comprehensive manner. New Delhi Keen and EUs Role A Sri Lankan official who took part in the talks told Express that the Indian Central Government is very keen on solving the problem and that the Colombo meeting was very satisfactory. The most important contributory factor for the progress in the talks was the European Unions tough stand on illegal fishing. The EU bans import of fish from countries which allow illegal fishing and Sri Lanka had had to promise to draft suitable laws to get the EU ban on it lifted. The EU stipulates stiff fines to curb illegal fishing. This would apply to intruding Tamil Nadu boats and trawlers as well. Asked about the quantum of fine to be imposed, Sri Lankan Fisheries Minister Amaraweera said that no decision on that has been taken. Sri Lanka Accommodative Sri Lanka, which loses about LKR 9 billion a year because of poaching by Tamil Nadu fishermen, was also accommodative. Minister Amaraweera acknowledged that the practice of poaching and using bottom trawlers for the last three decades cannot be stopped overnight.
By AFP

JAKARTA: Indonesian police said Monday they have detained the captain of a tourist boat that burst into flames en route to a holiday island and left 23 people dead, amid reports he was the first to jump ship.

The Zahro Express became engulfed by fire on Sunday shortly after it set off from Jakarta carrying about 250 local holidaymakers to celebrate the New Year on nearby Tidung island.

Panicked passengers fought over life jackets and jumped into the sea as the huge blaze tore through the ferry after starting in the engine room, with authorities blaming an electrical fault for the accident.

Most were rescued but 23 were killed and 50 suffered injuries, with 19 still in hospital on Monday, according to the disaster agency.

Police said the captain, named in local reports as Muhammad Nali, had been detained Sunday and was being questioned over suspected negligence in relation to the fire, which reduced the boat to a blackened wreck.

Several local media outlets reported the captain had jumped ship first, abandoning the tourists as the fire erupted, and was found floating in the sea before being rescued.

Tonny Budiono, a senior official at the transport ministry, vowed to punish the captain if the allegations turned out to be true.

"If the captain jumped first then he is not a real captain -- the captain should be the last," he was quoted as saying in local media.

"If it is true we will revoke his licence, he will not be allowed to sail any more."

- Latest fatal accident -

Jakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwono confirmed that "we are still investigating the case and questioning the captain", but did not give further details.

The boat's manifest said it was only carrying about 100 passengers, less than half the true number, although the transport ministry has said it does not believe the vessel was overloaded.

The ministry has said a short-circuit in the engine room may have caused the fire. Budiono said the boat was built in 2013 and was seaworthy and the weather was good.

Vessels from several government agencies and divers continued to scour the waters Monday as a precaution.

Officials said they believed that all passengers were now accounted for but they were having difficulties identifying some of the bodies because they were badly burned.

Tidung is part of the Thousand Islands, an archipelago that is a popular weekend getaway for residents of the teeming and overcrowded capital of more than 10 million inhabitants.

It was just the latest fatal maritime accident in the vast Indonesian archipelago, which relies heavily on boats to ferry people round its 17,000 islands but has a patchy safety record.

In September a tourist boat on the resort island of Bali exploded, killing two foreigners and injuring about 20 others.

At least 54 people died in November when an overcrowded speedboat carrying three crew and 98 passengers -- mostly Indonesian migrant workers -- struck a reef and sank on its way from Malaysia to Batam.

JAKARTA: Indonesian police said Monday they have detained the captain of a tourist boat that burst into flames en route to a holiday island and left 23 people dead, amid reports he was the first to jump ship. The Zahro Express became engulfed by fire on Sunday shortly after it set off from Jakarta carrying about 250 local holidaymakers to celebrate the New Year on nearby Tidung island. Panicked passengers fought over life jackets and jumped into the sea as the huge blaze tore through the ferry after starting in the engine room, with authorities blaming an electrical fault for the accident. Most were rescued but 23 were killed and 50 suffered injuries, with 19 still in hospital on Monday, according to the disaster agency. Police said the captain, named in local reports as Muhammad Nali, had been detained Sunday and was being questioned over suspected negligence in relation to the fire, which reduced the boat to a blackened wreck. Several local media outlets reported the captain had jumped ship first, abandoning the tourists as the fire erupted, and was found floating in the sea before being rescued. Tonny Budiono, a senior official at the transport ministry, vowed to punish the captain if the allegations turned out to be true. "If the captain jumped first then he is not a real captain -- the captain should be the last," he was quoted as saying in local media. "If it is true we will revoke his licence, he will not be allowed to sail any more." - Latest fatal accident - Jakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwono confirmed that "we are still investigating the case and questioning the captain", but did not give further details. The boat's manifest said it was only carrying about 100 passengers, less than half the true number, although the transport ministry has said it does not believe the vessel was overloaded. The ministry has said a short-circuit in the engine room may have caused the fire. Budiono said the boat was built in 2013 and was seaworthy and the weather was good. Vessels from several government agencies and divers continued to scour the waters Monday as a precaution. Officials said they believed that all passengers were now accounted for but they were having difficulties identifying some of the bodies because they were badly burned. Tidung is part of the Thousand Islands, an archipelago that is a popular weekend getaway for residents of the teeming and overcrowded capital of more than 10 million inhabitants. It was just the latest fatal maritime accident in the vast Indonesian archipelago, which relies heavily on boats to ferry people round its 17,000 islands but has a patchy safety record. In September a tourist boat on the resort island of Bali exploded, killing two foreigners and injuring about 20 others. At least 54 people died in November when an overcrowded speedboat carrying three crew and 98 passengers -- mostly Indonesian migrant workers -- struck a reef and sank on its way from Malaysia to Batam.
Express News Service

COLOMBO: Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama, Sri Lankas Tell the President will be using a special IT app to enable citizens communicating with the Presidential Secretariat to track action taken on their requests through the ministries and departments of the Central government in Colombo, Coordinating Secretary to the President Shiral Lakthilaka told Express on Monday.

Any person with an android mobile phone can install a special app which will enable him to lodge a complaint or make a request to the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo on any matter in which governmental action is needed and track the progress of action on his request, Lakthilaka said.

SMSs will be sent to the person who had made the request, on the progress of his case. He will know which ministry, department or officer is handling it at any given point of time, he explained.

It is an all-Island project which will be inaugurated in Jaffna on January 4 by the President, he added.

As of now, the public send their requests for action by letter and there is no knowing as to where the letter is going and who or where it is being attended to. Often there is no response, even if the request comes from the Provincial Council, as the chairman of the Northern Provincial Council, CVK. Sivagnanam, put it.

We hope the new channel will make a difference, Sivagnanam said.

The inauguration of the new phone app facility is part of President Sirisenas plan to launch many development schemes throughout the island to mark the second anniversary of his assumption of office after winning the Presidential election on January 8, 2015.

While in Jaffna on January 4, the President will release more than a hundred acres of land which were seized during the war. On January 25, he will visit Mullaitivu district where he will attend to the needs of Tamil people who were directly affected by the last brutal phase of Eelam War IV. He will also visit the Eastern province and the Central Highlands to discuss the problems of plantation workers of Indian Origin.

Government Will Last

Meanwhile, Sirisena met 30 agitated MPs from the coalition partner United National Party (UNP) last Friday and assured them that the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP)-UNP coalition government will last for the full five-year term.

Doubts about the life of the government had arisen because a burgeoning campaign by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to topple the regime in 2017.

Last week non-cabinet minister Priyankara Jayaratne of the SLFP had resigned saying he was unable to work with UNP ministers. Another non-cabinet minister Palitha Range Bandara of the UNP had said that it is pointless to be in the Council of Ministers if cabinet ministers do not assign work to junior ministers. Basically, the complaint is that there is concentration of power in the hands of a few UNP cabinet ministers to the discomfiture of SLFP ministers.

COLOMBO: Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama, Sri Lankas Tell the President will be using a special IT app to enable citizens communicating with the Presidential Secretariat to track action taken on their requests through the ministries and departments of the Central government in Colombo, Coordinating Secretary to the President Shiral Lakthilaka told Express on Monday. Any person with an android mobile phone can install a special app which will enable him to lodge a complaint or make a request to the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo on any matter in which governmental action is needed and track the progress of action on his request, Lakthilaka said. SMSs will be sent to the person who had made the request, on the progress of his case. He will know which ministry, department or officer is handling it at any given point of time, he explained. It is an all-Island project which will be inaugurated in Jaffna on January 4 by the President, he added. As of now, the public send their requests for action by letter and there is no knowing as to where the letter is going and who or where it is being attended to. Often there is no response, even if the request comes from the Provincial Council, as the chairman of the Northern Provincial Council, CVK. Sivagnanam, put it. We hope the new channel will make a difference, Sivagnanam said. The inauguration of the new phone app facility is part of President Sirisenas plan to launch many development schemes throughout the island to mark the second anniversary of his assumption of office after winning the Presidential election on January 8, 2015. While in Jaffna on January 4, the President will release more than a hundred acres of land which were seized during the war. On January 25, he will visit Mullaitivu district where he will attend to the needs of Tamil people who were directly affected by the last brutal phase of Eelam War IV. He will also visit the Eastern province and the Central Highlands to discuss the problems of plantation workers of Indian Origin. Government Will Last Meanwhile, Sirisena met 30 agitated MPs from the coalition partner United National Party (UNP) last Friday and assured them that the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP)-UNP coalition government will last for the full five-year term. Doubts about the life of the government had arisen because a burgeoning campaign by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to topple the regime in 2017. Last week non-cabinet minister Priyankara Jayaratne of the SLFP had resigned saying he was unable to work with UNP ministers. Another non-cabinet minister Palitha Range Bandara of the UNP had said that it is pointless to be in the Council of Ministers if cabinet ministers do not assign work to junior ministers. Basically, the complaint is that there is concentration of power in the hands of a few UNP cabinet ministers to the discomfiture of SLFP ministers.
By AFP

PARIS: The playboy son of Equatorial Guinea's leader, notorious for his extravagant taste in cars, homes and Michael Jackson memorabilia, goes on trial on Monday in Paris charged with plundering his country's coffers to fund his extravagant lifestyle in France.

Teodorin Obiang, the country's vice-president, is accused of using state money to buy a mansion on one of the swankiest avenues in Paris as well as a collection of Italian supercars and other luxury items.

His lawyers have said they will call on Monday for the trial to be adjourned, saying they need more time to prepare his defence.

The trial is the first arising out of an investigation into the French assets of a trio of African leaders accused of leading a life of luxury abroad while their citizens live in poverty.

The 47-year-old shopaholic is not expected to attend the trial where he has been charged with corruption, embezzlement, misuse of public funds and breach of trust.

US officials have already forced him to forfeit property bought with the proceeds of corruption, accusing him of "shamelessly" looting his country.

His house on Avenue Foch in Paris, which boasts a cinema, spa, hair salon and taps covered in gold leaf, is estimated to be worth around 107 million euros ($112 million).

When French judicial officials first launched raids in Paris in 2011, they hired trucks to haul away his Bugattis, Ferraris, Rolls Royce and other cars.

The case sets a precedent for France which has long turned a blind eye to African dictators who routinely park their ill-gotten gains in Parisian real estate and luxury products.

It came about after nearly a decade of lobbying by anti-corruption groups Sherpa and Transparency International.

"In the beginning, there was simply no political will in France to listen to us," William Bourdon, a lawyer for Sherpa, wrote in September.

- Timber wealth -

French prosecutors allege that party-loving Obiang lined his pockets to the tune of nearly 110 million euros between 2004-2011, when he was agriculture minister for his father, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema.

As agriculture minister, the permanent bachelor held a powerful position that gave him control over the lucrative timber industry which is Equatorial Guinea's main export after oil.

A so-called "revolutionary" tax imposed on wood sales was transferred to his personal accounts, prosecutors allege.

He has "always said that he earned the money legally in his country," one of his lawyers, Emmanuel Marsigny, told AFP.

Obiang fought unsuccessfully to prevent the trial.

In December, the International Court of Justice in the Hague rejected a request by Equatorial Guinea to suspend the case.

- Shopaholic -

Born in 1969, Obiang was 10 when his father overthrew his bloodthirsty uncle, the dictator Francisco Macias Nguema.

Now Africa's longest-serving ruler, Teodoro Obiang Nguema made his son vice-president in June just after being re-elected with his usual score of more than 90 percent of votes cast.

During one of his appeals against the French trial, a lawyer acting for the French government said Obiang had a "compulsive need to buy".

In a US cable published by the WikiLeaks website in 2010, Teodorin was said to live "the life of an international playboy and is widely accused of corruption."

In a settlement with US prosecutors in 2014, Obiang agreed to turn over more than $30 million in property -- including a Malibu villa, a Ferrari and Michael Jackson memorabilia.

The music fan is known to have bought a crystal-covered glove worn by Michael Jackson during his "Bad" tour, which is worth hundreds of thousands of euros.

The US Justice Department said he "embarked on a corruption-fuelled spending spree in the United States," after racking up $300 million through embezzlement, extortion, and money laundering.

In November, Swiss prosecutors said they had opened a money-laundering probe targeting Obiang and seized 11 luxury cars in Geneva, including a Bugatti Veyron worth around two million euros.

As part of that investigation, his luxury 76-metre (250-foot) yacht "Ebony Shine" was seized in the Netherlands in December, according to the Swiss magazine L'Hebdo.

Equatorial Guinea, Africa's only Spanish-speaking nation, is the continent's third-biggest oil producer.

Analysts say the energy boom has benefitted only a select few. The country is also regularly criticised by human rights groups for repressive laws, unlawful killings, torture and corruption.

PARIS: The playboy son of Equatorial Guinea's leader, notorious for his extravagant taste in cars, homes and Michael Jackson memorabilia, goes on trial on Monday in Paris charged with plundering his country's coffers to fund his extravagant lifestyle in France. Teodorin Obiang, the country's vice-president, is accused of using state money to buy a mansion on one of the swankiest avenues in Paris as well as a collection of Italian supercars and other luxury items. His lawyers have said they will call on Monday for the trial to be adjourned, saying they need more time to prepare his defence. The trial is the first arising out of an investigation into the French assets of a trio of African leaders accused of leading a life of luxury abroad while their citizens live in poverty. The 47-year-old shopaholic is not expected to attend the trial where he has been charged with corruption, embezzlement, misuse of public funds and breach of trust. US officials have already forced him to forfeit property bought with the proceeds of corruption, accusing him of "shamelessly" looting his country. His house on Avenue Foch in Paris, which boasts a cinema, spa, hair salon and taps covered in gold leaf, is estimated to be worth around 107 million euros ($112 million). When French judicial officials first launched raids in Paris in 2011, they hired trucks to haul away his Bugattis, Ferraris, Rolls Royce and other cars. The case sets a precedent for France which has long turned a blind eye to African dictators who routinely park their ill-gotten gains in Parisian real estate and luxury products. It came about after nearly a decade of lobbying by anti-corruption groups Sherpa and Transparency International. "In the beginning, there was simply no political will in France to listen to us," William Bourdon, a lawyer for Sherpa, wrote in September. - Timber wealth - French prosecutors allege that party-loving Obiang lined his pockets to the tune of nearly 110 million euros between 2004-2011, when he was agriculture minister for his father, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema. As agriculture minister, the permanent bachelor held a powerful position that gave him control over the lucrative timber industry which is Equatorial Guinea's main export after oil. A so-called "revolutionary" tax imposed on wood sales was transferred to his personal accounts, prosecutors allege. He has "always said that he earned the money legally in his country," one of his lawyers, Emmanuel Marsigny, told AFP. Obiang fought unsuccessfully to prevent the trial. In December, the International Court of Justice in the Hague rejected a request by Equatorial Guinea to suspend the case. - Shopaholic - Born in 1969, Obiang was 10 when his father overthrew his bloodthirsty uncle, the dictator Francisco Macias Nguema. Now Africa's longest-serving ruler, Teodoro Obiang Nguema made his son vice-president in June just after being re-elected with his usual score of more than 90 percent of votes cast. During one of his appeals against the French trial, a lawyer acting for the French government said Obiang had a "compulsive need to buy". In a US cable published by the WikiLeaks website in 2010, Teodorin was said to live "the life of an international playboy and is widely accused of corruption." In a settlement with US prosecutors in 2014, Obiang agreed to turn over more than $30 million in property -- including a Malibu villa, a Ferrari and Michael Jackson memorabilia. The music fan is known to have bought a crystal-covered glove worn by Michael Jackson during his "Bad" tour, which is worth hundreds of thousands of euros. The US Justice Department said he "embarked on a corruption-fuelled spending spree in the United States," after racking up $300 million through embezzlement, extortion, and money laundering. In November, Swiss prosecutors said they had opened a money-laundering probe targeting Obiang and seized 11 luxury cars in Geneva, including a Bugatti Veyron worth around two million euros. As part of that investigation, his luxury 76-metre (250-foot) yacht "Ebony Shine" was seized in the Netherlands in December, according to the Swiss magazine L'Hebdo. Equatorial Guinea, Africa's only Spanish-speaking nation, is the continent's third-biggest oil producer. Analysts say the energy boom has benefitted only a select few. The country is also regularly criticised by human rights groups for repressive laws, unlawful killings, torture and corruption.
By AFP

ARBIL, IRAQ: Western support for military action against the Islamic State group is key to preventing attacks at home, French President Francois Hollande said Monday in Iraq, where yet another bombing killed dozens.

A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden car on a square in Baghdad's Sadr City neighbourhood, killing at least 32 people in the latest attack on the Iraqi capital claimed by IS.

France, one of the most active members of the US-led coalition fighting the Sunni extremist group, is particularly concerned over the return of a large contingent of French jihadists from Syria and Iraq.

"Taking action against terrorism here in Iraq is also preventing acts of terrorism on our own soil," Hollande said at a base where French soldiers have been training elite Iraqi forces.

Hollande, the only major Western head of state to have visited Baghdad since the coalition was set up in 2014, stressed that supporting Iraq was one of the surest ways of securing Europe.

Of European countries targeted by terror attacks claimed or inspired by IS, France has been the worst hit, but attacks have also been carried out in Belgium and Germany.

Besides the defeated jihadist fighters who are expected to return to Europe in the coming months, radicalised children who grew up in the "caliphate" IS proclaimed in 2014 are also seen as ticking bombs.

"We will have to deal with the issue of the return of foreign fighters... who committed crimes, who brought their families with them, including in some cases very young children," Hollande said.

Since it joined the United States in the coalition in September 2014, France says its warplanes have conducted 5,700 sorties, around 1,000 strikes and destroyed more than 1,700 targets.

- 'Before summer' -

France has 14 Rafale fighter jets that are stationed in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates and taking part in coalition operations.

It also has 500 soldiers training and advising elite Iraqi forces and CAESAR artillery vehicles stationed south of Mosul to provide support for ongoing operations to retake the city.

Hollande met Iraqi President Fuad Masum, a Kurd, and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, from the largest Shiite political bloc, and called for reconciliation and unity after IS is defeated.

He then flew to the northern city of Arbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, where he met local leader Massud Barzani.

There, he said just before flying out of Iraq that he was told during his meetings that the battle to retake Mosul, the last major jihadist stronghold in the country, could last several more months.

"It was confirmed to us that we could possibly achieve this goal in spring, in any case before summer," he said.

Hollande added that the focus would then move to Raqa, IS's other major bastion, in neighbouring Syria.

"If Daesh is eradicated in Iraq but remains in Syria, we know full well that acts will be carried out here in the Middle East but also on our own soil in France, in Europe," he said.

- IS bombings -

Hollande began his trip with a visit to a base near Baghdad where French forces are training Iraq's elite Counter-Terrorism Service, the force that has spearheaded most major anti-IS operations in Iraq since 2014.

It was CTS that first breached the city limits of Mosul late last year in an effort to retake it from IS.

But the going has been tough for Iraqi forces, partly because hundreds of thousands of civilians have remained in the city, slowing their advance.

Abadi had promised his forces would rid the country of IS by the end of 2016, but he said last week that three more months would be needed to achieve that goal.

Some observers argue that the new timeline remains ambitious, given the continued IS presence in other parts of the country.

Hollande predicted Monday that 2017 would be "a year of victories against terrorism" but, while its "caliphate" appears doomed, IS still has the ability to sow chaos by attacking softer targets.

A suicide car bombing claimed by IS killed at least 32 people and wounded more than 60 Monday in Baghdad's Shiite-majority district of Sadr City.

Police said the bomber struck on a square where daily labourers were waiting for jobs, causing one of the highest casualty tolls in the capital in months.

The jihadists claimed another bombing on Saturday that killed at least 27 people in a busy area of central Baghdad.

ARBIL, IRAQ: Western support for military action against the Islamic State group is key to preventing attacks at home, French President Francois Hollande said Monday in Iraq, where yet another bombing killed dozens. A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden car on a square in Baghdad's Sadr City neighbourhood, killing at least 32 people in the latest attack on the Iraqi capital claimed by IS. France, one of the most active members of the US-led coalition fighting the Sunni extremist group, is particularly concerned over the return of a large contingent of French jihadists from Syria and Iraq. "Taking action against terrorism here in Iraq is also preventing acts of terrorism on our own soil," Hollande said at a base where French soldiers have been training elite Iraqi forces. Hollande, the only major Western head of state to have visited Baghdad since the coalition was set up in 2014, stressed that supporting Iraq was one of the surest ways of securing Europe. Of European countries targeted by terror attacks claimed or inspired by IS, France has been the worst hit, but attacks have also been carried out in Belgium and Germany. Besides the defeated jihadist fighters who are expected to return to Europe in the coming months, radicalised children who grew up in the "caliphate" IS proclaimed in 2014 are also seen as ticking bombs. "We will have to deal with the issue of the return of foreign fighters... who committed crimes, who brought their families with them, including in some cases very young children," Hollande said. Since it joined the United States in the coalition in September 2014, France says its warplanes have conducted 5,700 sorties, around 1,000 strikes and destroyed more than 1,700 targets. - 'Before summer' - France has 14 Rafale fighter jets that are stationed in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates and taking part in coalition operations. It also has 500 soldiers training and advising elite Iraqi forces and CAESAR artillery vehicles stationed south of Mosul to provide support for ongoing operations to retake the city. Hollande met Iraqi President Fuad Masum, a Kurd, and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, from the largest Shiite political bloc, and called for reconciliation and unity after IS is defeated. He then flew to the northern city of Arbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, where he met local leader Massud Barzani. There, he said just before flying out of Iraq that he was told during his meetings that the battle to retake Mosul, the last major jihadist stronghold in the country, could last several more months. "It was confirmed to us that we could possibly achieve this goal in spring, in any case before summer," he said. Hollande added that the focus would then move to Raqa, IS's other major bastion, in neighbouring Syria. "If Daesh is eradicated in Iraq but remains in Syria, we know full well that acts will be carried out here in the Middle East but also on our own soil in France, in Europe," he said. - IS bombings - Hollande began his trip with a visit to a base near Baghdad where French forces are training Iraq's elite Counter-Terrorism Service, the force that has spearheaded most major anti-IS operations in Iraq since 2014. It was CTS that first breached the city limits of Mosul late last year in an effort to retake it from IS. But the going has been tough for Iraqi forces, partly because hundreds of thousands of civilians have remained in the city, slowing their advance. Abadi had promised his forces would rid the country of IS by the end of 2016, but he said last week that three more months would be needed to achieve that goal. Some observers argue that the new timeline remains ambitious, given the continued IS presence in other parts of the country. Hollande predicted Monday that 2017 would be "a year of victories against terrorism" but, while its "caliphate" appears doomed, IS still has the ability to sow chaos by attacking softer targets. A suicide car bombing claimed by IS killed at least 32 people and wounded more than 60 Monday in Baghdad's Shiite-majority district of Sadr City. Police said the bomber struck on a square where daily labourers were waiting for jobs, causing one of the highest casualty tolls in the capital in months. The jihadists claimed another bombing on Saturday that killed at least 27 people in a busy area of central Baghdad.
ANNA, Texas  In the Army, Richard Ress survived duty in some of the most dangerous parts of Afghanistan. However, on a July day in 2009, he seemed ready for his life to end in the back of a Texas police car facing his third drunken-driving arrest in less than a year.

According to the arrest report, Ress asked the officer "to shoot him and get it over with." He was struggling with flashbacks and nightmares associated with post-traumatic stress disorder, which went untreated during four months in jail. A few years later, in 2015, he got a fourth DWI.

"I knew I couldn't continue like this because I was going to die," he said.

That's when Ress was flagged for a program that aims to divert certain veterans facing criminal charges into treatment programs instead of sending them through the criminal court system. And rather than requiring veterans to travel to court appearances, this court travels to reach them in five counties near Dallas.

Judge John Roach Jr. said the court is a first of its kind, and he hopes it will be replicated in other rural areas without public transportation, where getting to hearings can be a challenge.

"This is not an easy program. I expect a lot, and I expect commitment. But getting to court, having access to the services, that shouldn't be the issue that prevents a veteran in one county from getting treatment available to a veteran in another county," Roach said.

The three-phase program requires substance-abuse treatment, regular drug and alcohol testing, intensive therapy, mentoring and community service. If veterans graduate, their criminal charges are dismissed and their arrest records destroyed.

"When I was accepted into the veterans' court, it was the first time I was treated like I wasn't just a number in the system," Ress said. "People took into consideration that I had served my country honorably and that I wasn't this person when I left to serve, that it changed me."

Estimates of the prevalence of service-related PTSD vary, but a 2014 Veterans Affairs study found that almost 30 percent of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who sought treatment at VA hospitals were diagnosed with PTSD symptoms.

The judge knew there were other veterans like Ress. He had overseen the Collin County veterans' court since 2013, and neighboring Rockwall County asked him to expand the program there later the same year.

The North Texas Regional Veterans Court, which encompasses those two counties plus the more rural Grayson, Fannin and Kaufman counties, was dedicated in October. The program can take up to two years to complete.

As of mid-December, 52 veterans were enrolled. On one December morning at the Kaufman County Courthouse, the judge removed one man from the program for lying about his drug use and enrolled another who showed up asking for help.

"He's the reason this program works," said Michael Shupak, a veteran arrested on a half-dozen charges related to illegal steroids he was using to maintain muscle mass after a service-related injury.

Without the traveling court, Shupak said, he would not have known to seek counseling.

"I don't think I would have realized the mental health image and PTSD issues I had if I hadn't been made to see a counselor. I think it's made me a lot more accountable for my actions," he said.

For Ress, the court coming to him means access. He spent $55 on a taxi to get to criminal court after the 2015 arrest.

The judge helped Ress connect with volunteers who drive veterans to appointments and eventually helped him get a conditional license that requires him to blow into a Breathalyzer attached to the ignition of his car.

The National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics says about 30 percent of veterans live in rural areas, compared with about 15 percent of the country's overall population. The Department of Veterans Affairs and its Office of Rural Health have a five-year plan to improve access for rural veterans, but the plan does not specifically address veterans' courts, which are formed and funded by state or local agencies.

Thirty-three of the more than 450 veterans' court programs nationwide allow defendants or court personnel to attend hearings by video connection, according to court liaisons for the VA. But Roach is the only judge the VA could identify who voluntarily travels outside of his elected county to hold court.

He said video court hearings are valuable, but face-to-face contact is critical with veterans.

Ress, now 36, agrees. He plans to get a degree in counseling to help other veterans.

"There were times in my life where I didn't feel like I was worth anything to my family, my kids, society, to anyone," he said. "Through some of the interactions I've had in the program, I'm realizing that most people out there don't hate me or think I'm an awful person. Most people think I'm an OK person who just needs some help."
"Spare us the kissy-face."

It was June 2001 and I was covering President George W. Bush's trip to Slovenia, where he had just met Vladimir Putin for the first time. I and others were struck by Bush's praise for the Russian leader as "trustworthy." Said Bush: "I was able to get a sense of his soul."

But back in Washington, my editor had no interest in such talk. He rewrote my lede with other news  a tidbit about missile defense  and he moved the "kissy-face" stuff about Putin's soul down to Paragraph 18.

In retrospect, that moment in Slovenia defined the Russia relationship for years to come. Putin had seduced Bush, who only slowly came to understand he had misjudged this adversary's soul. Putin opposed Bush in Iraq and was unhelpful with Iran. He shut down independent television, sent business leaders who criticized him into exile and prison, ousted democratic parties from government, canceled the election of governors and invaded Georgia.

The kissy-face happened all over again when President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tried to "reset" relations. Russia responded by working against the United States in Syria, sheltering Edward Snowden, invading and occupying parts of Ukraine, and hacking and meddling in the U.S. election to defeat Clinton.

Now it's Donald Trump's turn for kissy-face, and the president-elect is practically groping the Russian dictator. After Putin gloated Friday that Democrats need to learn "to lose with dignity," Trump tweeted Putin a sloppy kiss: "So true!" he said of Putin's comments.

Trump also celebrated a letter he received from Putin calling for more collaboration between the two countries. "His thoughts are so correct," Trump said.

Trump's blush-inducing embrace of the strongman has included repeated praise of Putin's leadership, deflected questions about Putin's political killings and disparagement of U.S. intelligence for accusing Russia of election meddling.

In three weeks, Trump will assume the presidency, and we'll learn what his embrace of Putin really means. Perhaps Trump is just a dupe and he'll realize over time that Putin is no friend. The alternative, supported by Trump's choice of Putin-friendly advisers Michael T. Flynn and Rex Tillerson, is that Trump really is pro-Putin and will grant the Russian dictator more latitude internationally and will emulate his autocratic tendencies at home.

The former would require us to endure some policy failures as Putin proved himself again to be an adversary. The latter would test the limits of our democratic institutions.

In either case, it would be useful for Americans to have at least a cursory sense of the man our new president proposes to embrace. Here's a quick glimpse into Putin's soul to get us started:

Opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was killed outside the Kremlin as he walked home one night last year. Putin's regime blames Chechens, but Nemtsov's is one of a dozen high-profile murders of opponents widely thought to have been sanctioned by Putin's government.

Another Putin opponent, Alexander Litvinenko, was killed in London by polonium poisoning in 2006. The British government said Putin "probably" approved the hit. That same year, opposition journalist Anna Politkovskaya was shot and killed outside her apartment.

Among the many business leaders imprisoned or ousted under Putin are Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was head of the oil giant Yukos, and associate Platon Lebedev. The Russian human rights group Memorial says there are 102 people held in Russian prisons for their political or religious beliefs.

The Kremlin has provided funding and training for far-right nationalist parties in Europe, and it used its state media and an army of hackers and social-media trolls to spread disinformation in the United States, in continental Europe and in Britain before the Brexit vote. The goals: to weaken European unity and the NATO alliance and to keep Europe dependent on Russian energy.

Russia also used disinformation to destabilize the Ukrainian government as Russia annexed Crimea. In Syria, where Russia propped up the Assad regime with indiscriminate bombing in Aleppo and elsewhere, Britain, France and the United States have blamed Putin's government for the mass slaughter of civilians.

An Amnesty International summary of Putin's rule leaves no doubt about his totalitarian state: "Journalist Killed  Human Rights Lawyer Killed  Gay Rights Protesters Attacked  Repressive Laws Enacted  Fines for 'Promoting Homosexuality' Imposed  President Putin Signs Law to Re-criminalize Defamation  USAID Expelled  Federal Treason and Espionage Act goes into effect  Moscow Authorities Detain Protesters and Opposition Party Members."

This, Mr. President-elect, is the man you are embracing. Please spare us the kissy-face.
In the spirit of New Year's, here are four resolutions for president-elect Trump and Congress that will enable them to really make America great again:

1. Audit the Fed....and then end it: The Federal Reserve Bank's easy money polices have eroded the American people's standard of living and facilitated the growth of the welfare-warfare state. The Fed is also responsible for the growth in income inequality. Yet Congress still refuses to pass Audit the Fed, much less end it.

During the campaign, then-candidate Donald Trump promised that Audit the Fed would be part of his first 100 days agenda. Unfortunately, he has not spoken of auditing the Fed or another aspect of monetary policy since the election. President-elect Trump should keep his promise and work with Congress to pass Audit the Fed and finally let the American people know the truth about the Fed's conduct of monetary policy. Then, of course, end the Fed.

2. Bring the troops home: President Barack Obama has not only failed to withdraw American forces from Afghanistan and Iraq, he has further destabilized the Middle East with reckless interventions in Egypt, Libya and Syria. The Obama administration has also brought us to the brink of a new Cold War.

President-elect Trump has criticized the 2003 Iraq war and promised to end nation-building. However, he has also made hawkish statements such as his recent endorsement of increased U.S. military intervention in Syria and has appointed several hawks to key foreign policy positions. President-elect Trump also supported increasing the Pentagon's already bloated budget.

America cannot afford to continue wasting trillions of dollars in a futile effort to act as the world's policeman. Rejecting the neocon polices of nation-building and spreading democracy by force of arms is a good start. However, if Donald Trump is serious about charting a new course in foreign policy, his first act as president should be to withdraw US troops from around the globe. He should also veto any budget that does not drastically cut spending on militarism.

3. Repeal ObamaCare: ObamaCare has raised healthcare costs for millions of Americans while denying them access to the providers of their choice. Public dissatisfaction with ObamaCare played a major role in Donald Trump's election.

Unfortunately, since the election president-elect Trump and the Republican Congress have talked about retaining key parts of Obamacare! While it is reasonable to have a transition to a new healthcare system, Congress must avoid the temptation to replace ObamaCare with "ObamaCare lite." Congress must pass, and President Trump must sign, a true free-market health care plan that restores control over healthcare to individuals.

4. Cut Taxes and Spending: President-elect Trump and Congressional leadership both favor tax reform. However, some leading Republicans have recently said they will not support any tax reform plan that is not "revenue neutral." A true pro-liberty tax reform would reduce government revenue by eliminating the income tax. Fiscal hawks concerned with increasing federal deficits should stop trying to increase tax revenues and join with supporters of limited government to drastically cut federal spending. Congress should prioritize ending corporate welfare, reducing military spending, and shutting down unconstitutional federal agencies like the Department of Education.

If President Trump and Congress spend the next six months passing Audit the Fed, ending our militaristic foreign policy, repealing ObamaCare and replacing it with a true free-market health care system, and cutting both spending and taxes, they will begin to make America great again. If they fail to take these steps, then the American people will know they have been fooled again.
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In recent years, automobiles have come to play a key role at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the major showcase for new technologies, which will run January 5-8, 2017 in Las Vegas. Whether they be all-electric, connected, more or less driverless, or all three at once, the concept cars at CES provide a foretaste of tomorrow's automobiles.



With only a few days to go before the event, much of the speculation about automobiles that will go on show at CES is focused on the first crossover from US-based manufacturer Faraday Future, which pledged a few weeks ago to unveil a high-performance, connected and customizable vehicle that will provide a genuine alternative to the Tesla Model X. It remains to be seen whether this mystery car will be fully or partly self-driving.



Faraday Future first made a splash at CES in 2016 when it unveiled a spectacular concept, the 1,000-horsepower, all-electric, one-seater FFZERO1.



Faraday has partnered with Chinese smartphone, TV and electronics producer LeEco, which has also presented a fully autonomous concept car, the LeSEE. Whether now or in the future, that combined expertise is expected to result in an awe-inspiring all-electric and fully autonomous vehicle.



American brands will naturally be among the best represented at CES. Among them will be Ford, which is expected to reveal its most recent advances in self-driving with its prototype Fusion Hybrid. Chrysler is also hoping to take centre stage with its first all-electric concept, a minivan based on the Pacifica which promises to exhibit features of the brand's first ever all-electric series model.



Mercedes is planning to exhibit two models that have already been shown: its Generation EQ electric SUV, and the Vision Van, a surprising connected delivery van equipped with drones.



As for Volkswagen, the German manufacturer is expected to present its Concept ID to the American public. Unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in October 2016, the Concept ID is all-electric with a super spacious "rolling lounge" interior. The first series model is expected to go on sale by 2020, with a more evolved self-driving version planned for 2025.



Finally, two curiosities that are almost certain to attract attention from visitors to CES: the fully self-driving two-seater Oasis from Swiss firm Rinspeed, and the largely self-driving Honda NeuV concept, which features artificial intelligence software that will enable the car to generate its own "emotions".



Toyota has also said it will reveal a new concept car at CES, but did not provide further details.



Given the automobile industry's growing dependence on advanced electronics, the CES in Las Vegas has become an all-but-obligatory event for carmakers eager to showcase their advanced technology, ahead of the more traditional motor shows in Detroit and Geneva.


First riders on the road and the crowd gets crazy. / Primeros Riders en la ruta y la gente grita de emcion. #DakarFan #Dakar2017 pic.twitter.com/7j1ftgbGo3

 DAKAR RALLY (@dakar) January 1, 2017



 OFFICIAL COMPETITORS LIST 

318 vehicules

 144 Bikes

 37 Quads

 87 Cars

 10 Utv

 50 Trucks#Dakar2017 pic.twitter.com/fgR7Ejgbc4



 DAKAR RALLY (@dakar) January 1, 2017



Sebastien Loeb of Team Peugeot Total is seen during the tests prior Rally Dakar 2017 in Asuncion, Paraguay (Image: Reuters)

The 83 cars, 146 bikes, 50 trucks, 37 quads and eight SSVs of the Dakar 2017 have now arrived in Asuncion, the capital city of Paraguay. And its straight down to business for the teams ahead of their arduous two-week journey through South America.Team Peugeot Totals drivers Stephane Peterhansel (FRA)/Jean-Paul Cottret (FRA), Cyril Despres (FRA)/David Castera (FRA), Sebastien Loeb (FRA)/Daniel Elena (MON) and Carlos Sainz (ESP)/Lucas Cruz (ESP) are focused on defending the title they brought back to France 12 months ago.I had a long trip from Switzerland to South America but to be here in Paraguay driving the PEUGEOT 3008 DKR feels perfect," says Peterhansel. "The rollout at the racetrack was good, it gave us the chance to check over the new brake discs. Now were ready to race.The noises coming out of Toyota Gazoo Racings corner are also promising. With Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Mathieu Baumel (FRA) now joining Giniel De Villiers (RSA)/Dirk von Zitzewitz (GER) the South African set-up are confident they have the drivers and cars they need to keep pace with the front of the race. A host of hopefuls are also looking to upset the odds including the MINIs of Kuba Przygonski (POL)/Tom Colsoul (BEL) and Mohamed Abu Issa (QAT)/Xavier Panseri (FRA). When it comes to the two-wheeled contest the Red Bull KTM Factory Team have been creating a buzz in Asuncion in the build-up to Mondays first stage.Reigning champion Toby Price (AUS) has been his usual laid-back self while completing all the technical and administrative checks needed to be filed before taking the start-line. The Australians team-mates Matthias Walkner (AUT) and Sam Sunderland (GBR) get the chance to put previous Dakar disappointments behind them.Helder Rodrigues (POR) is back to ride his 11th Dakar and the Yamaha man has a proud record to defend in the bike race. Only once in his previous 10 rides has he finished outside the Top 10 and a third podium result remains within reach.When it comes to crowd favourites at the Dakar the blue trucks of Team Kamaz Master are always guaranteed a great reception. The Russian team are on a mission to secure their 7th Dakar win in South America and they send four trucks into battle. Drivers Ayrat Mardeev (2015 winner), Eduard Nikolaev (2013 winner), Dmitry Sotnikov and Anton Shibalov carry the responsibly of bringing home a winning result.Looking to lead from the front in the quad race and recapture the title he won in 2015 is Ignacio Casale. The Chilean has also completed the Dakar by bike and truck but this time takes charge of a Raptor 700 Yamaha as he attempts to boss things in the quad contest.Following Sundays podium ceremony the real business of racing starts on Monday with a 40km special stage taking place north of Asuncion. Its a small step into the 4,000km of timed racing that will need to be completed by any competitor wishing to cross the finish line in Buenos Aires in a fortnights time.
Japan's Takata Corp, maker of defective air bags that have been linked to 11 U.S. deaths, could settle criminal charges with the U.S. Department of Justice before the Obama administration leaves office next month, a source briefed on the ongoing talks told Reuters.



Part of a settlement would include Takata pleading guilty to criminal misconduct, the source told Reuters. The Justice Department has investigated whether Takata hid information from safety regulators and issued misleading statements about the dangers posed by the air bags.



Any deal would likely include a monitor to ensure Takata's compliance with the agreement, the source said.



The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, reported earlier on Wednesday that a settlement could require Takata to pay as much as $1 billion and be reached as early as January.



The precise amount Takata pays could be considerably less than $1 billion and be paid over several years, the source said.



Both Takata and the DoJ declined to comment.



Takata air bag inflators have been linked to at least 16 deaths worldwide, including the 11 U.S. deaths. The inflators can explode with excessive force and send metal shrapnel inside cars and trucks.



There is no guarantee the talks will wrap up by Jan. 20, when Obama leaves office, said the source.



Monitors similar to the one that could be installed for the Takata case have been appointed as watchdogs in two recent major U.S. auto safety recalls involving General Motors Co and Toyota Motor Corp.



Regulators have said recalls would eventually affect about 42 million U.S. vehicles with Takata air bag inflators, making this the largest safety recall in U.S. history.



Takata and the Justice Department have held talks for months about reaching an agreement.



The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in December 2015 named a former U.S. Justice Department official to oversee the Takata recalls and the company's compliance with a NHTSA settlement. In November 2015, Takata agreed to pay a $70 million fine for safety violations and could face deferred penalties of up to $130 million under a NHTSA settlement for further violations.



Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Transportation said it would press the auto industry to accelerate the pace of replacements for defective Takata air bag inflators and signalled a likely widening of the industry's largest recall.
The love for cars that give more for lesser money in India is no secret, it gave way to the compact SUV and the compact sedan segment in India. These segments have been witnessing great sales and the companies want a share of this pie. Tata Motors announced at the 2016 Delhi Auto Expo that their offering in this segment would be the Kite 5 and the company is now aiming to launch it by March 2017.Tata Motors has been riding high on the success of their hatchback offering  Tiago , as the car has become one of the best-selling products from the Indian automakers stable. The company posted their strongest ever sales figures in October 2015 and the Tiago played a major role in that.Tatas next launch will be the Hexa , which the company claims to be the most luxurious car they have ever built. We tried it out before the launch, which is going to take place on January 18, and were left thoroughly impressed. But the Kite 5 has a bigger task at hand as it is aimed at a larger audience.The car, based on the pre-production model displayed during the auto expo, proved that it could be one of the better-looking compact sedans available in India, thanks to the roofline which gently merges into the boot, giving it a coupe-like appearance. That looks way neater than the awkwardly shaped tiny boots in other offerings in the market.The car looks pretty much identical to the Tiago in terms of appearance from the front. Inside the car, the company could fit a touchscreen infotainment system by Harman along with safety measures like dual airbags, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and Corner Stability Control (CSC).The heart of the car is expected to be the 1.05-litre Revotorq diesel engine and the 1.2-litre Revotron petrol engine, which also powers the Tiago. These engines could be slightly re-tuned as they would now be pulling a much larger body as compared to the Tiago.In terms of what the car could be priced at, we expect it to undercut the Zest.As of now, we can only wait and watch as to what goodies the car actually gets. One thing is for sure, if the company manages to price it well and if the car is as good as the Tiago and the Hexa, it would go a long way in changing the perception of the company in India to a carmaker that builds value for money premium cars. After all, it was Tata Motors that came out with one of the countrys first compact sedan  the Indigo eCS.
Singapore: India and Indonesia will be the Development Bank of Singapore's "big" areas of focus for this year, its chief executive officer Piyush Gupta has said.



"We also remain focused on building leading regional cash management, foreign exchange, debt markets and wealth management franchises," Gupta said.



"So India and Indonesia will be our big areas of focus in 2017," Gupta was quoted as saying by The Strait Times.



DBS leads foreign banks with expansion plans in India.



DBS' wealth management business has quadrupled over the past six years and now accounts for to 13 to 14 percent of group revenue.



"Over the next five years, we think it could get up to 20 percent," he said in a report on Singapore banks' prospects during this year.



"The world will have to grapple with massive consequences behind technological disruption on jobs displacement, both blue-collar and white-collar workers. My own bet is that you will find a lot more entrepreneurship, or what people call the gig economy," he said.



"It is likely that there will be a new wave of redistributive economics. Governments may prove inadequate to do this entirely under their own steam, and the private sector will have to play a meaningful role," said Gupta.



DBS's top priorities for this year is to be prepared for volatility as markets will continue to be choppy.



An increase in US dollar rates could also create a negative impact, he added.



"Step up the pace of transformation of the bank that is re-imagine banking, and be a 22,000-person start-up," stressed Gupta.



"The third priority is to continue our steady business expansion," he said.



But he also cautioned that uncertainties over US President-elect Donald Trump's policies will be a headache for Asian strategies and could result in heightened market volatility in the short-term. At the same time, global growth is expected to remain subdued, said Gupta.



"To navigate these uncertain times, we need to remain watchful and vigilant, as well as disciplined about costs and the risks we take," he advises.


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Mumbai: Markets watchdog Sebi on Monday said the proceeds from the sale of written-off securities held by non-operating foreign portfolio investors would need to be credited to Investors Protection and Education Fund of the regulator within seven days from the date of receipt.



Besides, the regulator said corporate benefits received in form of cash or dividend would also be credited to the Investors Protection and Education Fund not later than seven days from the date of receipt of the same.



"Corporate benefits received in the form of cash viz dividend shall be credited to the Investors Protection and Education Fund of Sebi not later than seven days from the date of receipt of the same," Sebi said in a circular.



So far, these proceeds are needed to be credited to the IPEF of the concerned stock exchange.



"In case, a custodian is unable to deliver the securities or ascertain the claimant for the securities that are received subsequent to write off due to any unforeseen circumstances... the sale of these securities through stock exchange and proceeds thereof net of expenses shall be credited to the IPEF not later than seven days from the date of receipt thereof," the circular said.



With regard to corporate benefits, the regulator said, "in case of receipt of corporate benefits in the form of securities arising out of shares written off, the same shall be reported to Sebi in the normal manner".



As per the norms, written-off securities are sold through the stock exchange in case custodian is unable to deliver

securities or ascertain the claimant for securities.
Bhopal: Once a home to tigers, Madhya Pradesh now appears to have turned into an enemy territory for them, as the state witnessed the highest number of feline deaths in 2016, when it lost 33 big cats, taking the toll to 89 in a period of last five years.



From year 2011 to 2016, as many as 89 tigers including 11 cubs died in the state due to various reasons including poaching, territorial clashes or for natural reasons as cited in the data obtained from the MP Forest Department.



The data revealed that 2012 witnessed the death of 16 felines which reduced to 11 next year (2013). Subsequent years proved more fatal for the wildcat when the state saw 14 and 15 deaths respectively in 2014 and 2015. And, then came 2016, the worst of all when the figures (of feline deaths) were almost double the average of previous five years.



On an average, 14 tigers had died every year from 2012 to 2015, but the death toll went up to an alarming level of 33 in 2016.



As far as reasons are concerned, the death of 30 out of 89 tigers were attributed to the territorial clashes, while 22 of them have fallen prey to poachers, who killed them either by poisoning or through the electrocution.



The remaining 37 tigers are cited to die either due to their old age, illness or some other reasons.



Amid all these dismal reports about dwindling wildcats' population, state forest authorities claimed that there was some encouraging news too for tiger conservationists. The state has recorded a growth in their population as more cubs were born during this period.



"The tiger population was reduced to 257, according to the census carried out by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in 2011. However in 2014, the tiger population in the state has gone up to 308," MP's Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF), Wildlife, Jitendra Agrawal told PTI.



Agrawal claimed that there are 216 tigers in only six tiger reserves of the state - Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench, Panna, Satpura and Sanjay National Park.



"In addition to these tiger reserves, there are a number of tigers in other forests of the state. If cubs are included, the number of tigers may go beyond 400. This data is an evidence of ongoing conservation work," he added. He claimed that the data of union government also denotes that the number of tigers in Madhya Pradesh are rising gradually over the years.
Bengaluru: In a shockingly provocative speech, BJP MP from Karnataka, Nalin Kumar Kateel, has threatened to the set the Dakshina Kannada district on fire if Manglore police does not heed to his demands surrounding the probe over the party workers's death.



"We are telling you today. If you can't protect the people and nab the culprits in the next ten days, it is possible for us to set fire to Dakshina Kannada district," Kateel exclaimed.



Following Kateel's open dare, the crowd responded by whistling and clapping.







The speech took place near Konaje police station when Kateel participated in a protest organised by BJP workers demanding the arrest of culprits in the murder of a fellow party worker Kartik Raj.



Kartik had been killed nearly two months ago and his killers yet to be nabbed.




Ahmedabad: Dalits in Gujarat have threatened to block roads leading to the venue for the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2017 in Gandhinagar if members of the community are not allotted land by the government.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the summit, arguably the biggest congregation of business leaders in the country.



Speaking to News18, Jignesh Mevani, convener of the Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch, said, There are 500 dalits across Gujarat who have been allotted land by the government but it is only on paper.



They have still not been given possession of this land. If Adani, Ambani, Essar and other corporate entities get land as and when sought by them, why arent dalits, adivasis and OBCs getting land? he said.



He further added, Dalits will block the route of the PM when he visits Gujarat to attend the Vibrant Gujarat Summit later this month. We have made several representations to the government, but it does not appear to be serious enough in allotting land to the deprived.



The Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit kicks off in Gandhinagar from January 10.



The demand of land to be allotted to dalits picked up momentum after the public flogging of dalit youth by self styled `gau rakshaks at Mota Samdhiyala village near Una in Gir-Somnath district last year. The incident galvanised the dalit community into protests and brought activists like Jignesh Mevani into the limelight overnight.



However, since then, the focus has shifted to the issue of land allotment for members of the community and a sustained campaign is being carried out to ensure that members of the dalit community who are already allotted land, get actual possession of the land.



The Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch has identified as many as 500 dalit recipients of land in Gujarat who have been allotted land, but only on paper. Besides, the organisation is demanding that each dalit family be allotted at least five acres of land.



Dalits have found the `rasta roko method of agitation to be the most effective to press for their demands. In the past three months alone, members of the dalit community have resorted to blocking traffic at several places in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and other cities.
Political parties on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court's ruling, which termed as 'illegal' any appeal for votes on the basis of caste, community, religion or language.The ruling was made by a seven-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice T. S. Thakur while hearing multiple petitions relating to electoral malpractices.The petitions also included an appeal by BJP leader Abhiram Singh, whose election in 1990 to the Maharashtra Assembly was set aside by the Bombay High Court on the ground that he had appealed for votes on the basis of Hindu religion.Welcoming the decision, Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D. Raja said the court has sent a strong message."It is a strong message but one would have to wait to find out if the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh) and other Sangh Parivar outfits and various fundamentalist organisations would abide by this ruling," Raja told IANS.Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Brinda Karat said raising issues of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes should not be affected."It was important that the Supreme Court reiterated that elections are a secular exercise. So far as caste is concerned, we think it should not be equated with religion," Brinda told IANS.Trinamool Congress MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy insisted the ruling will not adversely affect the issues of the SCs and STs."We welcome the verdict that establishes elections to be a secular exercise. Our party believes that religion or caste or creed should not be subjects of politics," Roy, told IANS.Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said the ruling was important in the wake of "religious and caste equations" dominating politics."Some parties have made religion and caste, part of their ideology to rise in Indian politics. This needed to be discouraged," she told IANS.The Rashtriya Janata Dal said the current ruling will help in curing an anomaly created by an earlier verdict by the apex court.
New Delhi: Taking strong exception to Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara's remarks that youngsters' "western ways" were reason behind the incident of mass molestation in Bengaluru on the New Year Eve, NCW chief Lalitha Kumaramangalam on Monday sought his resignation and apology to the women of the country.



The National Commission for Women chairperson also demanded the Minister should apologise to the women of the country for making such remarks.



"Such remarks from the Home Minister is unacceptable and regrettable. I want to ask this Minister are Indian men so pathetic and weak that when they see a woman in Western clothes on a day of revelry, they get out of control?



"When will the Indian men learn to respect women? The Minister should apologise to the women of the country and resign," Kumaramangalam said.



Reacting to Police's claims that there are no official complaints of molestation, the NCW chief said pictorial information is enough for them to take action.



"There is enough proof in terms of pictorial information. They can take action regardless of whether an FIR was lodged.



"If there were 1,500 policemen and still they could not prevent such incidents, well then it's a very sorry state of affairs and police do not deserve to be the police if they can't protect women," she said.



Kumaramangalam further informed the Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of the incident and has written to the DGP, City police Commissioner and Home Minister seeking a reply on what action has been taken immediately.



"We have decided that if the reply is unsatisfactory, we will send a team to do enquiry to find out why the police has not suo motu taken cognisance of what has happened," she said.



Defending the state police over the matter, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameswara said that such incidents "happen" at "such events".



"Unfortunately, what is happening is that on days like New Year's, Brigade Road, Commercial Street, or MG road, a large number of youngsters gather. And youngsters were almost like westerners. They tried to copy the westerners, not only in their mindset but even in their dressing. So some disturbance, some girls are harassed, these kind of things do happen," he added.



He also added one cannot "force people to dress like Kannadigas."
Lucknow: Describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mahaparivartan rally in the city as a "flop show", BSP chief Mayawati on Monday claimed that despite all out efforts, the gathering did not accept Modi as a "UP-walla".



"The mahaparivartan rally of the prime minister was a total flop show as it was a mere congregation of ticket-seekers and a hired crowd," she said in a press release.



"Despite BJP national president Amit Shah repeatedly asking the people at the rally, they remained silent and did not appear ready to accept that Modi (who represents the state in Lok Sabha) is from Uttar Pradesh," Mayawati claimed.



Reacting to the prime minister's remark at the rally that the recent BHIM mobile app launched by the government was in commemoration of Bhimrao Ambedkar, she alleged that it was aimed at "misguiding the Dalits".



"The Bharat Interface for Money app is being propagated as 'BHIM'. Had his (Modi's) intentions been really good, it could have clearly been named after Baba Saheb," the BSP chief added.



She also took a dig at the Modi government for the "new year gift" to the people of raising petrol and diesel prices.
Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday rejected the opposition demand for setting up of an inquiry commission into the recent unrest in the Valley even as she blamed NC and Congress for sowing the "seeds" of the turmoil in the state.



On the opening day of the Budget session of the Assembly, she said the alliance of 1987 between NC (National Conference) and Congress had led to the weapons being given to the youth of Kashmir.



She was responding after Congress member Rigzin Jora blamed the "unholy alliance" of PDP and BJP in the state for the turmoil in the Valley which erupted in July last year and continued for over five months.



He also demanded setting up of a commission to probe last year's unrest that was triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter.



"Some people here say that a commission should be set up to probe it (unrest). But just yesterday I received the report of the (Justice M L) Koul Commission set up to probe the 2010 killings.Let us first fix the responsibilities in it (2010 killings) and talk of new commission only after reading that report," the Chief Minister said, responding to Jora's demand.



She was referring to the unrest of 2010 during the NC- Congress rule when Omar Abdullah was the Chief Minister. Hitting back at the opposition, Mehbooba said, "The situation which you have created... we all should sit and find a solution to it."



Tearing into the opposition charges, Mehbooba said, "What should you call the alliance of 1987 when the youth of Kashmir were handed over the guns. The seeds of turmoil were sown at that time. Slogans of plebiscite were raised and it was said that J-K will be separated from India and made a part of Pakistan."



"Their slogan was that Kashmir will become part of Pakistan," she said, claiming that the alliance of 1987 led to weapons being handed over to the youth of Kashmir. Her remarks came during the Assembly Session which was adjourned for the day normally after finishing of the day's business of obituary reference.



As Mehbooba was speaking, NC MLAs created commotion in the House objecting to her remarks and pointed out that her father and former CM late Mufti Mohammed Sayeed was part of Congress at that time.



Amidst the uproar, the CM said the situation in the past few months has been bad and several people, including security forces personnel, have lost their lives which should not have had happened.
Hyderabad: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is likely to address a rally as part of the party's nation-wide campaign against demonetisation and subsequent "anti-people" measures taken by the Centre, a senior party office-bearer said on Monday.



"As part of the nation-wide campaign being undertaken by our party against demonetisation and subsequent anti-people measures by the Narendra Modi Government, Rahul Gandhi is expected to visit Hyderabad during January," said Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president N Uttam Kumar Reddy.



"He (Rahul Gandhi) will address a rally. The exact date of visit is yet to be fixed," Reddy told reporters.



Karnataka Energy Minister D K Shivakumar, who is member of the central committee on anti-demonetisation campaign of the Congress, said the party has chalked out various programmes throughout the country to highlight various "difficulties" faced by people in the wake of demonetisation and subsequent restrictions on withdrawals.



He said the party is demanding that the BJP Government adequately compensate women and small businessmen who have incurred losses during the past 50-days.



The party also wants the Centre to pay 18 per cent interest per annum for deposits made during past 50-days and give tax sops to small businessmen as they have "plunged into losses" due to demonetisation.



"Our party demands that Modi Government deposit Rs 25,000 each in bank accounts of women belonging to Below Poverty Line. We also demand the Government to double the number of working days under MNREGA scheme and one time 20 per cent bonus on MSP for Rabi crops," Shivakumar said.



According to him, the party cadre, throughout the nation will sit on a 24-hour hunger strike next month.
The tussle between two factions  led by Mulayam Singh Yadav and son Akhilesh  to gain control of the ruling Samajwadi Party in the poll-bound Uttar Pradesh became bitter on Monday over the claim for its election symbol, cycle.

The Mulayam camp  his brother Shivpal Yadav and Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh  on Monday met EC in Delhi to stake claim to party symbol cycle while his son and UP Chief Minister Akhilesh called an urgent meeting of his MLAs and MLCs later in the day.

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Mumbai: Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his New Year eve address, BJP ally Shiv Sena on Monday said most of the schemes he announced were initiated under the UPA rule, and asked what more "sacrifices" would be required for situation to normalise post note-ban.



"People were under the impression that PM Modi would apply balm on the sufferings faced by them. But, it does not seem Modi was very serious while he was addressing the nation.



More than 400 people lost their lives standing in queues. Families of all deceased must be cursing the government," an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said today.



The schemes announced by Modi hold no value for families of those who lost their lives, the ruling ally said.



"Many of the schemes announced by Modi are old and have been running since the UPA regime. For instance, Rs 6,000 announced for women (who undergo institutional delivery) is already running since 2013 under the Food Security Act," it said.



The party said there are flaws in schemes announced for farmers as well.



"RBI is not ready to accept the demonetised currency deposited with district co-operative banks. The financial loss, thus, will have to be borne by these banks. Now the PM has announced that loans taken for agriculture will be borne by the government. The question is, how will these banks be able to bear this excessive burden," it sought to know.



The Sena said the Centre is yet to pay district banks the compensation for loans they provided during the Kharif season of 2015 and that waiving interest on loans taken during the previous Rabi season would further burden them.



"People were expecting a precise answer from the PM on when the problems being faced by them will end. But possibly, the PM himself does not have any answer. Also, the PM does not have specific figures on how much black money has been retrieved post demonetisation," the Sena said.
Chorus grew for Chinnamma VK Sasikala to take over as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Monday with AIADMK member and Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M. Thambidurai throwing his weight behind her claim.This comes after Sasikala took charge as general secretary of AIADMK. A few days ago, state revenue minister Udaykumar had also requested Sasikala to take over the reins of the government.In a statement, Thambidurai said, At a time the country is all set to face the parliamentary elections in two years, our party has to function effectively to ensure that we get the support of the people and continue to win elections, I request Chinamma (Sasikala) to immediately take over as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu."Thambidurai said that she is the right person to take forward the AIADMK's legacy. "Chinnamma has the intelligence, capacity and love for the people, love for the party workers and care for the party cadre, as Amma had, he said.People in India have still not accepted a situation where one person leads the party and the other person leads the government. Only when one person leads both the party and the government does the government fulfill its electoral promises and focused on a single goal," he added.Political observers have said that the current situation will not pave way for a dual power center in the AIADMK. Chorus is only growing louder for Sasikala to become Chief Minister within the party.But the DMK has a different view. Manu Sundaram, Spokesperson, DMK said, " Though we refrain from commenting on internal issues of another party when it comes to the Chief Minister, we hope that the people of the state deserve someone with administrative experience, political prowess, and high stature."DMK leader MK Stalin hit out at Thambidurai saying, "It is shameful that he used the letter head of the Deputy Speaker to issue the statement. If need arises for Thambidurai to showcase his loyalty to his party I request him to resign from his post after which he can release as many statements he wants to."Political Observers say that Sasikala in all probability will be elected as the Chief Minister. Gnani Sankaran, a political observer, said, Sasikala may not become a huge political figure like Jayalalithaa but she may become the Chief Minister as the majority of the elected ministers are with her. The real test for her will be during the next elections. Right now, there is no opportunity for testing her popularity."For now, O. Panneerselvam will remain as Chief Minister. He was interim chief minister twice during Jayalalithaa's rule. But he had evaded questions during a trip to New Delhi when asked if he would pave way for Sasikala.
A joint venture between Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, known as Foxconn, and Sharp Corp plans to build a 61 billion yuan ($8.8 billion) factory in China to produce liquid-crystal displays (LCDs).Sakai Display Products Corp's plant will be a so-called Gen-10.5 facility specialising in large-screen LCDs and will be operational by 2019, the company said at a signing event with local officials in Guangzhou on Friday. It said the plant will have capacity equating to 92 billion yuan a year.The heavy investment is aimed at increasing production to meet expected rising demand for large-screen televisions and monitors in Asia.Global LCD output was hit this year by the closure of a Samsung factory that accounted for 3 percent of the market, as well as factory stoppages in Taiwan after an earthquake in March.China's largest LCD panel maker, BOE Technology Group, began construction on its own Gen-10.5 plant in Hefei in December last year, with production scheduled to begin in 2018.In May Shenzhen China Optoelectronics Technology Co, asubsidiary of TCL Corp, announced that it would begin construction on a 50 billion yuan LCD plant in Shenzhen.Sakai Display Products Corp's plans for the Guangzhou plant come as Hon Hai seeks to turn the joint venture into a subsidiary, investing a total of 15.1 billion yuan in the company.The venture will also sell 436,000 shares for 17.1 billion yuan to an investment co-owned by Hon Hai Chairman Terry Gou, giving Hon Hai a 53 percent interest in the business and lowering Sharps stake from to 26 percent from 40 percent.
Baghdad: An Islamic State car bomb killed 24 people in a busy square in Baghdad's sprawling Sadr City district on Monday, and the militants cut a key road north from the capital to Mosul, their last major stronghold in the country.



An online statement distributed by Amaq news agency, which supports Islamic State, said the ultra-hardline Sunni group had targeted a gathering of Shi'ite Muslims, whom it considers apostates. Sixty-seven people were wounded in the blast.



US-backed Iraqi forces are currently fighting to push Islamic State from the northern city of Mosul, but are facing fierce resistance. The group has lost most of the territory it seized in a blitz across northern and western Iraq in 2014.



The recapture of Mosul would probably spell the end for its self-styled caliphate, but the militants would still be capable of fighting a guerrilla-style insurgency in Iraq, and plotting or inspiring attacks on the West.



Three bombs killed 29 people across the capital on Saturday, and an attack near the southern city of Najaf on Sunday left seven policemen dead.



Monday's blast in Sadr City hit a square where day labourers typically gather.



Nine of the victims were women in a passing minibus. Their charred bodies were visible inside the burnt-out remains of the vehicle. Blood stained the ground nearby.



"The terrorists will attempt to attack civilians in order to make up for their losses, but we assure the Iraqi people and the world that we are able to end terrorism and shorten its life," Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told reporters after meeting with visiting French President Francois Hollande.



ROAD TO MOSUL



Since the drive to recapture Mosul began on Oct. 17, elite forces have retaken a quarter of the city in the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Abadi has said the group will be driven out of the country by April.



As clashes continued in and around Mosul on Monday, Islamic State also targeted military positions away from the main battlefield, killing at least 16 pro-government fighters and cutting a strategic road linking the city to Baghdad.



Militants attacked an army barracks near Baiji, 180 km (110 miles) north of the capital, killing four soldiers and wounding 12 people, including Sunni tribal fighters, army and police sources said.



They seized weapons there and launched mortars at nearby Shirqat, forcing security forces to impose a curfew and close schools and offices in the town, according to local officials and security sources.



Shirqat mayor Ali Dodah said Islamic State seized three checkpoints on the main road linking Baiji to Shirqat following the attacks. Shelling in Shirqat had killed at least two children, he told Reuters by phone.



In a separate incident, gunmen broke into a village near Udhaim, 90 km (56 miles) north of Baghdad, where they executed nine Sunni tribal fighters with shots to the head, police and medical sources said.



At least three pro-government Shi'ite militia fighters were also killed and seven wounded when militants attacked their position near Udhaim with mortar rounds and machine guns, police sources said.
Lahore: An air hostess of Pakistan's national carrier has been detained in Canada after she was caught stealing in CCTV footage of a department store.



The air hostess, who arrived in Toronto from Lahore via Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK797, has allegedly been charged with shoplifting in Toronto, The Express Tribune reported.



She was caught stealing in CCTV footage of the department store whose management handed over the footage to police.



Canadian investigation team interrogated the air hostess and the flight's captain who said that the employees are responsible for their actions after duty hours.



The air hostess will be presented before Toronto court on Monday after which further investigation would be launched against her if found guilty.



"Investigations are underway, and strict action will be taken against the air hostess if found guilty," PIA spokesperson Danyal Gilani said.



In August last year, the Anti-Narcotics Force claimed to have arrested a senior PIA air hostess from Lahore's Allama Iqbal International Airport in connection with an attempt to smuggle gold to the US.



A case was registered against the senior air hostess of the national flag carrier after two kilograms of gold were recovered from her luggage during a routine search at the airport, the paper said.
Time to give Goodlatte a pink slip

Whatever the pundits may say about why Donald Trump won the election, the stage was certainly set by the do-nothing Congress that irritated, frustrated and even angered the American population. Congressional representatives work less and less for us, now spending only half their time in session in Washington and most of their time raising money to maintain their jobs and power. Congress has clearly failed to meet its responsibility to address the important issues which face our country such as tax reform; Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid reform; immigration reform; campaign financing reform and term limits; corporate responsibility; gun safety; climate change; ocean acidification and decaying infrastructure, among others. Even when legislation, such as the bipartisan immigration bill passed the Senate and has the votes and is ready to pass the House of Representatives, GOP leadership has refused to let it be voted on.

Instead of holding hearings, educating themselves and drafting productive legislation, Congress has chosen to spend its time on partisan bickering and investigations such as the eight costly investigations that were conducted about the Benghazi incident all of which produced the same results, albeit one the Republican House did not want to hear.

When Congress does pass legislation, it is often so vague that it must be interpreted by the courts or in some cases it is unconstitutional and must be set aside by the courts. Congress then complains that the courts are legislating and should stay out of Congress business.

Congress also spends much time and effort to keep the Executive branch from doing its job as well. While Congress fails to move, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, head of the House Judiciary Committee, has spent years suing President Obama to keep him from moving ahead by executive order on important issues such as immigration reform. When the president carried out his Constitutional duty to replace Supreme Court Justice Scalia after his death, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that he would not even consider the moderate and well-qualified candidate proposed or give him a hearing because even though there was almost a year left in President Obamas term, Congress, for clearly partisan reasons, was going to wait to let a new president pick the Supreme Court justice. Congress effectively violated the Constitution by deciding that a presidential term is less than four years.

Now, in recent days, Congress, again led by Rep. Goodlatte, has passed legislation to stop the Executive branch from completing, in an expeditious manner, the work it started on what Congress calls midnight rules and regulations. Although most of these proposed rules and regulations have been well known and in the adminstrative review process for months and years, Goodlatte complains that Congress has not had enough time to properly understand and comment on them. Unfortunately, he either does not know the facts or is intentionally misleading us, to obscure his own failure to monitor these regulations. Since 1999, significant regulations adopted during presidential transitions have taken 3.6 years to develop while all others have taken 2.8 years. To be sure, all of us, including Goodlatte, are concerned about unnecessary and overbearing regulations. Then why doesnt Goodlatte provide us a list of any such regulations that we all could help to eliminate.

So it seems that Goodlatte and the Republican-led Congress are not only failing to do their own job but are spending their limited time trying to prevent the Executive branch and the Supreme Court from doing theirs. It is high time that our representatives to Congress start working full time, roll up their sleeves and set to work to solve the issues that face our country, rather than political posturing that serves no purpose other than preserving their own positions.

In the world of private industry, their boss would say, Youre fired! Rep. Goodlatte, whenever you are ready, we are ready to work with you in an honest and constructive manner. Lets hear from you.

STEPHEN C. MARTIN

Amherst

Peake for Virginia Senate

I have known Mark Peake over a year now. He is an individual who has always shown that he has all the Republican values I, as a retired veteran, hold truly dear to my heart. He is an honest, hard-working, common-sense conservative who would be an excellent state senator and public servant.

I hope residents of the 22nd District will mark their calendars and get out to vote for him Jan. 10. The 22nd Senate District of Virginia needs a candidate of his values to represent us in the General Assembly.

JEFF CHAPMAN

Lynchburg
The co-founders of Detectamet have embraced a simple but evocative slogan for their company: We make the invisible visible.

Its a great way to summarize what we do, said Sean Smith, who co-founded the United Kingdom-based company and serves as its CEO. His business partner is his wife, Angela Musson-Smith, president of the company, which set up a U.S. base of operations in eastern Henrico County in 2015.

The slogan is apt because Detectamet makes products that help prevent one of the worst disasters for any food-processing company: having a foreign object such as an ink pen or a glove somehow slip into the food production line at a factory and go undetected, ending up in the final product that goes to customers.

Plastic is particularly troublesome because it can get through metal detectors, so Detectamet makes about 1,000 plastic products that have a special additive allowing for the items to be detected by metal detectors or X-ray machines during the inspection process at a factory.

The Smiths, who hail from Lincolnshire in the east of England, started the company in 2003 as a small business serving the food-processing industry in York.

We came across the concept of metal-detectable plastic, and what it could do for the food industry, said Angela, whose background is in business administration. We introduced it to some factories. The range was very small to begin with.

We started with a laptop under the stairs at home, and we re-mortgaged the home we had, said Sean, who had previously worked in the plastics industry, including for a supplier that helped build the Channel Tunnel  aka the Chunnel  connecting England and France.

The first expansion of the business was into their living room. Now, 13 years later, the companys customers include some of the worlds largest food companies, the Smiths said.

The Detectamet factory in York makes metal-detectable plastic products such as pens, scissors, scoops, paper clips, clipboards, rulers, tags and tape measures  almost anything that might be toted around in a food factory.

The company makes about 4 million metal-detectable plastic pens a year, the Smiths said. It also supplies stainless steel products and tools that are useful in other ways, such as its cryo pen, which can write upside down or under water.

In September 2015, Detectamet made its biggest expansion yet, opening its first U.S. office and warehouse in Henrico County. The company had been selling products to U.S. customers from its U.K. location.

The U.S. is potentially our biggest market, Sean said. There is a lot of opportunity here.

They chose the Richmond region in part because of its concentration of food-processing companies, the Smiths said. The regions central location on the East Coast and ease of transportation were also factors, as was the business-friendly environment of the area.

The Richmond region and central Virginia are home to such food-processing companies as snack maker Mondelez International, hummus maker Sabra Dipping Co., pork processor Smithfield Foods, poultry processor Tyson Foods, and noodle maker Maruchan.

***

With the opening of the U.S. operation, the Smiths relocated from the U.K. to Henrico, a major commitment because it meant moving three of their younger children here. They have seven children from their own and previous marriages.

So far, the new business location seems to be paying off. In Detectamets first year of operations in Henrico, its U.S. sales have quadrupled, Sean said. The company has hired 17 people in the U.S. and plans to hire at least 10 more over the next year.

In part, the growth is because of new requirements under the federal Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011, which was prompted partly by incidents of foodborne illness. With increased attention on food safety requirements in the U.S. and Europe, there are more and more companies inquiring about our products, Sean said.

Food safety is so important, Angela said. It is a huge global topic. When people go to the grocery store, they dont often appreciate what that food goes through. It is amazing what goes into food processing.

A major achievement for the firm came in 2015, when it was awarded the U.K.s prestigious Queens Award for Enterprise. Detectamet was chosen because of its success in international trade. Photos hanging on the wall of the companys Henrico office show the founders meeting Queen Elizabeth II.

The exact formula of the additives that go into Detectamets plastic products is proprietary, but the Smiths said the technology was known before they started the company  they just put it to use on a large scale.

It was there, but it wasnt really being utilized the way we do it, Angela said.

It took us about four years to come up with a recipe that would be effective from an inspection point of view, without damaging the mechanics of the polymers, Sean said.

The company has been introducing about 20 to 25 new products every year, Sean said. Recently, the company applied for a patent on a metal-detectable thermometer probe, he said.

We have had a lot of requests for something like that in the food processing industry, he said.

For now, Detectamets 17,000-square-foot facility on Glen Alden Drive in eastern Henrico is serving mainly as an office and a warehouse, stacked with hundreds of the companys color-coded products that have been shipped from its U.K. plant for sale to U.S. customers.

But the Smiths say their plan over the next year or two is to start manufacturing some products at the Henrico plant.

Strategically, one of the best moves we ever made was to move here, Sean said.
Fishers The Princess Diarist doesnt dish enough

Excellent, here we go, any solid fan of the real Star Wars movies (certainly not the prequels) will think, settling in for the literary equivalent of an ice-cream sundae of the more offbeat flavours.

But Fisher, who accepts that she will be known as Princess Leia until the end of time, lets the reader down. Having waited 40 years to publish what one expects to be a dishy tell-all about the romance behind the iconic movie of a generation (that generation mournfully sandwiched between the baby boomers and millennials), the actress, writer and raconteur only offers a few wisps of the goods.

Fisher blames her hazy recall of the behind- the-scenes affair with Harrison Ford on the potent marijuana they smoked on their lost weekends between scenes. She also decides that with uncharacteristic reservation and scruples that I quash any details of their first weekend together. Sex is private, she says.

No problem, but she also draws the curtain over the interesting bits: their chemistry, their conversations, her point-blank impressions of a man poised to become one of Hollywoods biggest stars. Or maybe were supposed to believe, as she insists, that Ford just didnt talk a lot when they were together. In any case, we are left with a few interesting glimpses wrapped around excerpts of the diaries Fisher says she kept while shooting Star Wars and recently discovered. Even the diary bits are not very revealing, being the moody musings, including poetry, of a young woman on the cusp of 20 years old.

Its clear from the final two chapters of the book, one of them titled Leias Lap Dance, that Fisher published this book with making money in mind. Her closing meditation on fame leaves Ford and the affair far behind. However, many Star Wars fans will read this book anyway or likely did so the instant it appeared.
OH BABY!

Among the 12 rejoicing mothers, was Lima Okeiffie, 39, who gave birth to her third child Jordyn, 14 years after the birth of her second.

Okeiffie was one of five mothers to give birth in North Trinidad on New Years Day. Seven other women gave birth in the Southland see story at left). The other four were Christina Sahadeo, 21, from Brazil; Vashti Rampersad from Arouca; Jeunnesse Thomas from Trincity and Kasandra McDonald from Morvant. Okeiffie, who described her daughter as a surprise, in no way appeared less thrilled about her birth. In fact, she said with no uncertainty that her entire family was excited about Jordyns birth.

Her first two children Raheem, 14, and Racquel, 16, Okeiffie said, were overjoyed at having a new sibling.

Theyre excited, because you know, this is the new toy, Okeiffie said. Okieffie, who gave birth at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope was not sure about when she would be released, but said she hopes it would be sometime today. Jordyn weighed in at 2,950g and was the third baby born at Mount Hope yesterday at 4.18 am.

Meanwhile, thirty-year-old Thomas welcomed her first baby at Port-of-Spain General Hospital.

Thomas baby girl, Cirre Thomas, weighed in at 3.16 kgs and was born at exactly 12 midnight - the dawn of the New Year. Baby Cirre was the first babe to be born in this country in 2017. Its a euphoric experience...

I think her grandparents have essentially every single thing planned for when she gets home.

Ill put it this way, if I have to do it over again, I would for her. But it was a very painful experience, Thomas said.

Thomas admitted that she had been hoping throughout her pregnancy that her daughter would be born on New Years Day, since for her, a New Years Day birth represents a new beginning. Its a new experience, a new journey for me. Cirres birth was followed by the birth of McDonalds son  at 12.34 am  who is yet to be named.

McDonald admitted that her sons birth was painful but she would do it all over again, in a heartbeat. She said that her first two children  TaKeyah Guillaume, ten, and Javon Guillaume, four, were anxious to have their new baby brother home. Sahadeo, weary from giving birth to her first daughter Rayhanna, said it felt nice being a new mother. She was the first to give birth at Mt Hope at 1.12 am and her daughter weighed in at 2,565g. Rampersad, also gave birth at Mt Hope, to son Chase Emile who was born at 2.46 am.
Pastor: Listen to Gods voice

To our Government and elected leaders, I pray that you will listen to Gods voice and seek godly wisdom as you lead this country with integrity and foresight. Mansingh appealed to all of the countrys elected leaders to put aside party politics and personal agendas and treat,  with the important business of governance will result in the solutions that are desired. The Government begins a two day retreat at the Diplomatic Centre in St Anns tomorrow.

A statement from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) on Saturday said during the two-day event, the Cabinet also will meet with other non-Cabinet members of Government and permanent secretaries. Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, Minister in the OPM Stuart Young and Public Administration and Communications Minister Maxie Cuffie will address a news conference to be held at the end of the retreat on Wednesday.

The House of Representatives will hold its first sitting for this year on Friday from 1.30 pm.

The main item will be the continuation of committee deliberations on the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) legislation, the Tax Information Exchange Agreement Bill 2016 which requires a threefifths majority for passage in the House and Senate. The Opposition has blanked debate on the legislation three times last year (September 23, December 9 and December 12, 2016) and to date has presented no proposed amendments for the Governments consideration.

Government, which made several amendments to the bill in line with Opposition concerns, is expected to discuss this matter during the retreat. The Opposition is expected to hold a caucus this week to decide its strategy with respect to the FATCA legislation and whether or not it will take legal action regarding the chairmanship of the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation.

The Peoples National Movement (PNM) and the United National Congress (UNC) are locked in a 6-6 tie (four councillors and two aldermen each) following last Novembers Local Government Elections.

In his statement, Mansingh said the country continues to face, a myriad of challenges such as crime, violence, child abuse, economic difficulties, human trafficking, uncertainties and many more. He said despite interventions by the Government and other agencies, we continue to see that there is no quick fix to these and other challenges facing us. Mansingh said all citizens must realise they are part of the solution. He stressed that only with great hope and a commitment to God and our nation, will TT progress in 2017.
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(Newser)  When three robbers walked into the Waffle House in Newnan, Georgia, where she worked, Heather "Shorty" Burkinshaw-Stanley didn't hesitate. As the trio made their escape, the waitress followed them outside and fired a shot, the Daily News reports. For her efforts, Burkinshaw-Stanley was fired. But the mother of three says she's do it all again. "To myself I felt it was right," she tells WSB-TV. The drama unfolded in the wee hours Thursday after the three men finished a meal and handed a waitress a note threatening to shoot everyone if she didn't hand over "all the money," reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. No gun was shown. They got $200 and walked out. Meanwhile, Burkinshaw-Stanley strode to her car, grabbed a gun, and fired a shot in the air "in an attempt to scare the robbers," she explains.

"I didnt know if they had guns  so my instinct was to go to my car and get the gun, Burkinshaw-Stanley tells WSB. "I was in fear for my life, my co-workers lives, and I did what I thought was right," she tells the Newnan Times-Herald. Her employers apparently didn't think so and fired her the following day. "We want people to feel safe on both sides of the counter," says a Waffle House rep. That bullet could have went anywhere, hit anyone," one neighbor tells WSB, "but I definitely think she had the right to defend herself." Cops are looking for the suspects and Burkinshaw-Stanley, who worked at the chain restaurant for nearly two years, is looking for a new job. She started a GoFundMe page to make ends meet, and about $7,000 has been donated. (This waitress was stiffed for not looking "normal.")
(Newser)  ISIS has made what is believed to be a credible claim of responsibility for the New Year's Eve horror in Istanbul. "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," the group said in a statement, released through its usual channels, per Reuters. Authorities are still searching for the gunman, who was dressed as Santa Claus as he killed 39 people just over an hour into 2017. According to reports in a Turkish newspaper, investigators believe the suspect is from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan. In other developments:

Al Jazeera reports that out of the 38 victims identified from the attack on the upscale Reina Club, at least 25 were foreigners. There were victims from Belgium, Canada, France, India, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia, along with 11 Turkish citizens and a woman who held dual Turkish-Belgian nationality. At least one US citizen is among the 70 injured.

The New York Times has profiles of some of the victims, including Bollywood producer Abis Rizvi.

NBC reports that chilling security footage of the attack and its aftermath has appeared on social media. In one video, chaos can be seen unfolding outside the club as the gunman appears to shoot his way in. Authorities say the attacker killed a policeman and a civilian outside before entering the club.

The BBC reports that the attack lasted just seven minutes. From what investigators can piece together, the attacker arrived in a taxi and started shooting at people randomly after entering the club. He dropped his gun and removed his overcoat before he fled.

Investigators suspect that the attack was carried out by the same ISIS cell that attacked Istanbul's Ataturk Airport in June, killing 45, the Guardian reports.

The AP reports that Turkish officials say 147 people suspected of ISIS links have been arrested over the last week, and Turkey and Russia have hit more than 100 ISIS targets in separate operations in Syria.

(Read more Istanbul stories.)
(Newser)  Sara Kelly Keenan is 55 years old, and the birth certificate she has just now received is making headlines. Born in Brooklyn and put up for adoption, she was initially called a boy, then three weeks later, her birth certificate declared her a girl, NBC News reports. With female genitalia, Keenan, 55, spent decades unaware that she had male genes and mixed reproductive organs. She tells CNN that with hospital records missing, she is still unsure if she underwent genital surgery as did most intersex infants (then called "hermaphrodites"). Although raised as a girl, "I wanted to be a boy," she says. "I never felt I belonged or fit in anywhere." She began hormone replacement therapy at age 16, having been told her female body couldn't produce the hormones it needed. "That lie stood for 30 more years," she says.

When her father told her the truth in 2012, she went to an endocrinologist who confirmed she had male genes; next came a quest to change her birth certificate's gender field. Last Tuesday, Keenan, 55, got her wish when an intersex birth certificate from New York City arrived in the mail at her California home. According to intersex advocacy group's interACT tracking, it is the country's first such certificate (another American has one reading "hermaphrodite"), though similar efforts are underway in other states by gender-variant people to obtain birth certificates. Keenan tells CNN the "validation" of her new birth certificate is "wonderful," but she's "not content, because infant genital surgeries are still happening in America." She wants to help other intersex people find a legal way to "embrace" their difference. ("Non-binary" is a legal gender in this state.)
(Newser)  One of the most violent years in Chicago history ended with a sobering tally: 762 homicides, the most in two decades in the city and more than New York and Los Angeles combined. The nation's third largest city also saw 1,100 more shooting incidents last year than it did in 2015, according to data released Sunday by the Chicago Police Department. The statistics underline a story of bloodshed that has put Chicago at the center of a national dialogue about gun violence. The numbers are staggering, even for those who followed the steady news accounts of weekends ending with dozens of shootings, the AP reports. The increase in homicides compared to 2015, when 485 were reported, is the largest spike in 60 years.

Police and city officials have lamented the flood of illegal guns into the city, and the crime statistics appeared to support their claims: Police recovered 8,300 illegal guns in 2016, a 20% increase from the previous year. Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said during a news conference Sunday that anger at police, including in the wake of video released that showed a white Chicago officer shooting a black teenager 16 times, has left criminals "emboldened" to violent crimes. He also said it's becoming clearer to criminals that they have little to fear from the criminal justice system. "In Chicago, we just don't have a deterrent to pick up a gun," he said. "Any time a guy stealing a loaf of bread spends more time pre-trial in jail than a gun offender, something is wrong." (Read more Chicago stories.)
(Newser)  A 37-year-old man claims he was banned from a Starbucks after he asked a 16-year-old barista out to dinner, KREM reports. Now, the man is accusing the Spokane, Wash., shop of ageism. The man (whom the station opted not to identify) writes on Facebook that he scribbled a note to the the teen last week asking her to dinner. "I was flirted with by a barista. For some reason she thought I was funny, he writes, adding he knew she was of legal dating age. When he went back the next day, he says a police officer told him to leave. The move drew hoots of approval on the shop's Facebook page from people who called the man a "creep" and worse. "Sick, depraved and a danger to the well being of our children, his belief is nothing short of pedophilia," one woman writes.

The man asked his Facebook fans to rally around him in a post that was racking up likes and was shared more than 4,500 times. "I broke no law," he insists. "I merely took a chance with my heart. Im tired of hearing the word creep as any black person or gay person is tired of hearing certain words. I have a whole webpage dedicated to age gap love." A Starbucks rep tells KREM, "We have no tolerance for any such inappropriate behavior or harassment," and local cops said the shop had the right to refuse service to anyone. (Starbucks lets baristas express themselves this way.)
(Newser)  President Barack Obama wants to say "thank you," and he's going to do it next Tuesday from Chicago. In an email statement put out Monday, Obama writes that his farewell address will be the next in what has been a long line: "In 1796, as George Washington set the precedent for a peaceful, democratic transfer of power, he also set a precedent by penning a farewell address to the American people. And over the 220 years since, many American presidents have followed his lead."

Obama says he is just starting to write his address, which he is viewing as a "chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways you've changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here." The Chicago Tribune reports the public event will take place at McCormick Place, and tickets will be doled out from that location on a first come first serve basis this Saturday. Those who can't attend in person can watch the evening address here. (Read more Barack Obama stories.)
(Newser)  Madeleine Pickens wanted the African-American chef she recruited from the country club she owns in Southern California to cook "black people food"not "white people food"at her rural Nevada dude ranch and wild horse sanctuary, according to a federal lawsuit accusing her of racial discrimination. Armand Appling says the wealthy philanthropist and ex-wife of Oklahoma energy tycoon T. Boone Pickens told him fried chicken, BBQ ribs, and corn bread would be perfect for the tourists who pay nearly $2,000 a night to stay in plush cottages, ride horses, and take Wild West "safaris" on ATVs at her Mustang Monument Wild Horse Eco-Resort. Appling alleges he was fired 2014 in retaliation for complaining about a hostile work environment.

Among other things, he says Pickens, who is white, instructed him to terminate two other black kitchen staffersone she referred to as her "bull" or "ox" and another who had "too much personality." He says she told him they didn't "look like people we have working at the country club." Pickens' lawyers argue that even if all the allegations are true, none of her comments were racially motivated. At worst, Pickens' remarks "reflect a non-racial personality conflict and amount to discourtesy, rudeness, or lack of sensitivity," they wrote in recent court filings. US District Judge Miranda Du said during a hearing in Reno last week that Appling's lawyers have failed so far to prove the sort of racial hostility needed to win such a civil rights claim. She dismissed the original lawsuit that was filed in February but gave them until Jan. 13 to refile an amended complaint. The AP has more. (Read more lawsuit stories.)
(Newser)  Jake Raak calls himself "probably the luckiest person in the whole thing"the "whole thing" being the New Year's Day massacre at a Turkish nightclub. The Greenville, Delaware, resident tells NBC News the shooter walked within inches of the bench he was under, and that when he was shot in the hip, he made no sound or movement so as not to alert the gunman he was still alive. It may have been a life-saving choice: Reuters reports the gunman, who ultimately killed 39, specifically went after the wounded at the Reina club in Istanbul.

Raak says that among his group of nine, all but two were shot. The State Department has confirmed he was the only American injured. The bullet that struck him ended up in his knee. His mother tells the AP that her 35-year-old son had traveled to Istanbul to celebrate his birthday, which was last Wednesday. ISIS on Monday claimed responsibility for the massacre. While eight people have been detained, the gunman remains at large. (Read more Turkey stories.)
(Newser)  The phone at Bruce Brandler's home rang at 3:37am. It was the local hospital. His 16-year-old son was there. A suspected heroin overdose, the nurse said. Brandler didn't believe it. Erik had his problems, but heroin? It seemed impossible. Nearly 10 years later, the nation is gripped by a spiraling crisis of opioid and heroin abuseand Brandler, a veteran federal prosecutor recently promoted to interim US attorney, suddenly finds himself in a position to do something about the scourge that claimed his youngest son's life. Until now, he has never publicly discussed Erik's overdose death. It was private and just too painful. But Brandler, now the chief federal law enforcement officer for a judicial district that covers half of Pennsylvania, said he felt a responsibility that came with his new, higher-profile job.

"I want to evaporate the myth that heroin addicts are just homeless derelicts," Brandler tells the AP in an interview; before his son's overdose, he held that impression himself. The opioid crisis was already taking root when Brandler began having problems with Erik, the youngest of his three children. Brandler found marijuana in the teen's room and talked to him about it, figuring that was the extent of his drug use. Then, in spring 2007, an Ecstasy OD landed Erik in the hospital. "I took what I thought were appropriate steps," Brandler says. He called the police on his son's dealer, who was prosecuted. That summer, Erik completed an intensive treatment program. Brandler thought his son had turned a corner. He was mistaken, and in August 2007, Erik fatally overdosed. Read the full article for Brandler's plan to combat overdose deaths from heroin and painkillers. (Read more heroin stories.)
(Newser)  At least 56 inmates died during a prison riot in the northern state of Amazonas, reports the AP, including several who were beheaded or dismembered, in the biggest killing at a Brazilian prison since 1992. Authorities said the riot apparently grew out of a fight between two of the country's biggest crime gangs over control of prisons and drug routes in northern Brazil. Amazonas state public security secretary Sergio Fontes said that some inmates escaped from the Anisio Jobim Penitentiary Complex in Manaus, but he did not say how many. He said 40 had been recaptured. Twelve prison guards were held hostage, though all were unscathed during the riot that began Sunday afternoon and ended Monday morning. "This is the biggest prison massacre in our state's history," Fontes said. "What happened here is another chapter of the war that narcos are waging on this country and it shows that this problem cannot be tackled only by state governments."

Fontes confirmed that many of the dead had been beheaded and Judge Luis Carlos Valois, who negotiated the end of the riot with inmates, said he saw many bodies that were quartered. "I never saw anything like that in my life. All those bodies, the blood," Valois wrote. Two other prisons in Manaus also reported riots on Monday. In one, 87 prisoners escaped, including one that posted a picture of him on Facebook as he left. Amazonas police are investigating whether there is a link between the incidents in the three prisons. By Monday afternoon Amazonas state police said the situation had become stable in all three prisons. Fontes said the inmates made few demands to end the riot, which hints at a killing spree organized by members of a local gang, the Family of the North, against those of the First Command of the Capital that is based in Sao Paulo. (Read more prison riot stories.)
Tickets to see Disneys Broadway show The Lion King can cost a pretty penny. And buying the rights to stage your own Disney production? Out of reach for many theater groups.

Unless youre Mendota Elementary, a school on Madisons North Side whose population is 79 percent low-income. Come Jan. 11, a cast of 60 third-, fourth- and fifth-graders  along with a staff of seven adults who have never put on a big show before  will begin their own mini-production of the worlds most successful Disney musical.

Helping them will be Karl Miller and J. Adam Shelton, regional Teaching Artists trained by Disney in an intense  but relentlessly lively  week of workshops held at the Overture Center in early December. The skills those teaching artists learned will be put to use on school stages across the city, starting this month.

Mendota is one of four elementary schools participating this year in Disney Musicals in Schools, or DMIS. DMIS awarded the Overture Center for the Arts a $100,000 grant to lay the groundwork for developing theater programs in under-resourced area elementary schools.

Mendota, Falk, Glendale and Hawthorne elementary schools will participate in 2017; the program is expected to expand to four more grade schools next year.

Disneys approach is to train local teaching artists, who then go into a school and help that schools existing faculty  music teachers, art teachers, principals and others  become, effectively, Broadway show producers. Many will have to pull together sets and costumes on a shoe-string budget, bringing in parents and community members for support.

At the end of 17 weeks of rehearsals  90-minute rehearsals, held twice weekly after school  the students will stage their own school musical. Theyll also be invited to perform in a showcase at the Overture Center before friends and family.

Along with the teaching artist expertise, the Disney program grants each school a free performance license to a 30-minute Disney KIDS musical, and a show kit that includes a directors guide, student scripts, cross-curricular activities, vocal CDs and a choreography DVD.

At Mendota Elementary, They dont have a stage, they dont have lights, they have one microphone, said Miller. So this (program) is building from the bottom. Adam and I are just ready to guide them using what they have  and how we can (put together The Lion King) without 80 million lights and all these microphones.

And that is what the program is about, said Miller. Guiding them on how to start the program, how to get the community involved, fundraising so that maybe in the future they can purchase a portable stage or microphones.

They know its a big challenge. But theyre ready for it. Thats why they expressed the interest from the get-go and applied for this project.

Disney Musicals in the Schools started in 2009-10 in New York City, said Lisa Mitchell, senior manager for education and outreach for the Disney Theatrical Group.

Disney had long sold youth show licenses to theater groups and high schools. In 2004, it expanded its offerings to include scripts tailored to the grade-school crowd.

But in 2009, we took a look at which of the schools were producing these shows for younger children, Mitchell said.

And what we found was not that surprising  that it was typically schools in more affluent parts of the country, typically suburban schools, that were producing shows at the elementary and middle school level, she said. In lower economic areas, and in cities in particular, schools were just not doing these shows.

So the program was really born to fill that need. Because here we were, headquartered in New York City, right in the heart of Broadway, and schools a 15- or 20-minute subway ride away in Harlem or the Bronx or Brooklyn or Queens just didnt have access to this work.

Disney invited New Yorks 700 elementary schools to apply for its new program, and selected a handful to try it out. Since then, DMIS has expanded into a national program based in 13 cities.

The whole goal of the program is to cultivate sustainable musical theater traditions in elementary schools who currently dont have them, Mitchell said.

And we do that by working with the young people to put on their first school musical, but more importantly, we work with their classroom teachers to train them to be directors and choreographers, music directors and stage managers. So when were not there in the future, they have the tools that they need to do this work without us.

Theater programs can teach students a range of 21st-century skills, such as creative problem-solving, public speaking, even science, technology and math skills in the backstage building of a set, she noted.

But youre doing it in a way that everybody whos participating is deeply engaged and having a lot of fun, she said.

Laurie Fellenz, fine arts coordinator for Madison schools, agrees. We want our students to have resilience and growth mindset, to be creative, to be kinesthetically involved in what theyre learning, she said.

I think its really important that were offering these authentic opportunities for our students to grow in areas such as those.

The goal of the program certainly isnt to create professional artists, said Mitchell of Disney.

But like any other career, youll never know if youre good at something unless youre exposed to it. We see on our stages sometimes a lack of diversity. And that comes down to exposure: Who had an opportunity to participate in this stuff at an age where they were hooked and could pursue it at the high school level, and who didnt?

After their initial year in the program, schools get a second free performance license for a different Disney show.

The teaching artists move on to work with other schools, but the school faculty team gets to participate in a one-day musical theater workshop at the Overture Center to build on the skills they learned the first year.

In year three, a school can get a 25 percent discount on rights to a Disney show (usually costing elementary schools around $350-$500) or can choose a non-Disney show to perform, and can participate in a third-year workshop at Overture.

This year the teaching team at Hawthorne Elementary  including the principal, music and art teachers and a classroom teacher  will produce Disneys Aristocats, chosen by the school because of its connection with American history and the Jazz Age, said Helen Behr, learning coordinator at Hawthrone.

There seems like an opportunity for academic tie-ins, and the opportunity for students to do research and projects about the Jazz Age and the musicians who are featured in the musical, she said of the plays selection.

Hawthorne, where seven of 10 students qualify for free or reduced lunch, traditionally does an annual musical for fourth and fifth-graders through the schools music class, Behr said. Aristocats will be a chance for third- through fifth-graders to be on stage in a sophisticated Disney musical.

Right now were in the advertising stage, letting students know this is what were doing, she said. Permission slips will go home in January. Our hope is to involve as many kids as possible by making the DMIS rehearsals an add-on to Hawthornes existing after-school program. Still, the time commitment for two 90-minute rehearsals a week is quite a big deal for a lot of families to commit to.

But once families commit, their children will be helping to build a sustainable program for their schools, said Sarah Dolens-Moon, an education associate for Childrens Theater of Madison.

I really like that this is about access, and giving as many students as possible access to the theater, to the performing arts, said Dolens-Moon, who trained last month to be a teaching artist for Falk Elementarys production of The Jungle Book KIDS.

I think our training kept that in mind, she said, that ultimately, this is the schools program.
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New Delhi:

Banks are expected to cut lending rates by 50-75 basis points in April-September if the Reserve Bank stimulates liquidity worth Rs 2,20,000 crore throughopen market operations, says a report.

An open market operation (OMO) is a market operation conducted by RBI by way of sale or purchase of government securities to or from the market with an objective to adjust rupee liquidity conditions on a durable basis.

According to Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofA-ML), lending rate cuts will cushion the hit from the demonetisation shock in the second half of 2017.

"We expect them to cut effective lending rates by 50-75 bps cut in the April-September slack season if the RBI OMOes Rs 2,200 billion in 2017-18," BofA-ML said in a research note.

Demonetisation has led to a jump in bank deposit as withdrawals are restricted and black money cash is switching to the banking channel.

"After normalisation, however, we estimate the durable accretion to bank deposits at about Rs 2,000 billion," the report said.

Meanwhile, top lenders SBI, PNB, Union Bank and Dena Bank slashed their benchmark lending rates by up to 90 basis points after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday nudged banks to priorities their lending to the poor and the middle class.

Banks have started lowering their lending rates as demonetisation has led to a surge in deposits.

"Although the market is focusing on the surge in bank deposits, we believe this will not really add to the overall liquidity as it is funded by a drawdown of cash," the report 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," Modi had said.
A liquor store was robbed early Monday when a concrete block was used to smash the business' front door, Fitchburg police reported.

According to a Fitchburg Police Department news release:

A burglary alarm sounded shortly after midnight at Steve's Liquor, 6227 McKee Road.

When officers arrived at the store, they found that the front door had been smashed, and liquor was stolen from the business.

The town of Madison K-9 unit helped Fitchburg police in the investigation, but no arrests had been made as of early Monday morning.

Anyone with information about the burglary is asked to call Fitchburg police at 608-270-4300 or Madison Area Crime Stoppers at 608-266-6014.
New Delhi:

Bigg Boss Season 10 has been full of twists and turns and Monday was no different. Housemates woke up to the lyrics of 'Hum Dono Jaisaa wondering what this week has in store for them.

Letas have a look at some of the excerpts from the show:

# Bigg Boss called Om Swami and Manveer Gurjar into the confession room and told them that Om Swami would have to leave the house.

# Manu Punjabi told Monalisa Antara that he would nominate himself

# Bigg Boss then called Manu Punjabi and Monalisa Antara into the confession room for the nomination task.

# Bigg Boss called the next pair of housemates, Nitibha Kaul and Lopamudra for the nomination task but both of them failed to agree with each other.

# VJ Bani called Om Swami ' coward (darpok)' because he was scared of nominations

# Being her crazy self, VJ Bani give Om Swami a tough time in the confession room!

#BiggBoss calls two housemates in pairs into the confession room for the nomination task! #BB10 pic.twitter.com/5060YuGk8P a Bigg Boss (@BiggBoss) January 2, 2017

# Every pair had to mutually decide to nominate one of them and save the other person

# Bigg Boss called two housemates in pairs into the confession room for the nomination task!

# Lopamudra dropped Rohan Mehraas bags after an argument with him

# Lopamudra got furious after Rohan Mehra questioned her friendship

# Bigg Boss cancelled the luxury budget points after most of the housemates were caught talking without the mic!

# Nitibha Kaul read out Bigg Boss' message about the luxury budget points!

# Rohan Mehra comforted VJ Bani as she broke down after her best friend Gaurav Chopra was evicted.

# Manveer Gurjar and Nitibha Kaul discussed Gaurav Chopraas shocking eviction.

# Rohan Mehra and Lopa Mudraas friendship took a sour turn as the show entered into 12th week.
Mumbai:

With her maiden Hollywood film 'xXx: The Return of Xander Cage' up for release, Deepika Padukone feels both excited and nervous while being proud that she is representing the country abroad.



Deepika Padukone's first Hollywood film 'xXx: The Return of Xander Cage' is up for release and the actress is both excited and nervous while being proud that she is representing the country abroad.



The actress will be seen in the third instalment of the 'xXx' franchise, scheduled to release on January 14.



When asked her feelings before she left Mumbai last night, Deepika told reporters, "I am very excited. This is my Hollywood debut. I am very, very nervous, but also excited. Today is the beginning of that journey. Hopefully we will be coming to India soon."



The 'Piku' star said she is happy that the film will first release in India as the movie is something that the audience here will enjoy.



"I feel very proud that I get to represent my country especially in this kind of an action franchise film.



"I am sure this film will be enjoyed a lot because of the content. There is lot of action, adventure, which we have not seen in Indian films before. So, I am excited to show the film here."



The movie will see Vin Diesel return as Xander Cage while Deepika will play the role of a huntress Serena Unger.



Deepika, 30, says she is glad the makers of 'xXx' agreed to release the film here first, making India a big plan of the project.



"In terms of promotions, we will first go to Mexico. But as far as the release is concerned, we will release first in India.



"While I was shooting I suggested the team that it would be great (to release it first in India) and I am happy it happened finally. It is a huge international franchise and I am happy India is such a big part of the plan."



The film, directed by D J Caruso, also stars Donnie Yen, Samuel L Jackson, Tony Jaa, Nina Dobrev, Ruby Rose, Rory McCann, Kris Wu, and Ariadna Gutierrez.

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New Delhi:

Mumbai crime branch has arrested a person accused of hacking income tax details of Bollywood starlet Kareena Kapoor. Kareenas CA had earlier registered a complaint that some unknown person had hacked her income tax e-filing account along with e-filing lower income tax returns on her behalf in comparison to her income.

Investigations revealed that the task was conducted from outside Maharashtra. A case had been registered in this regard in cyber police station of crime branch under IPC section 419 and sections 43, 66 and 66(c) of IT. The person arrested in this case works in the paramilitary force and he also used to e-file income tax returns of others. The accuseds identification has been kept hidden by the police.

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New Delhi:

In the wake of currency ban by Narendra Modi government, bank employees worked day and night to even the burden of demonetisation in the entire country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lately, in one of his speeches, praised the bank employees for the hard work done during the demonetisation period.

Soon after, a bank union demanded overtime for the extra hours put in by staff during the 50-day window that ended on December 30.

National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW), an affiliate of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, Bank employees have worked 12 to 18 hours a day during the last 50 days. Only few banks have considered overtime for extra working. Kindly advise the management to consider the overtime for beyond working hours worked by bank employees.

The letter also drew the attention towards the problem of understaff and called for stepping up recruitment activities.

NOBW vice president Ashwani Rana also pitched for decent salary hike in the wage revision due in November this year.

ALSO READ: (Demonetisation: 50-day deadline to deposit junked Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes in banks ends)

Wage revision of bank employees is due in November 2017. Your government has already advised IBA to implement it on due date. We wish to bring to your kind notice that bank employees are far behind government employees in salary structure. Kindly give a good rise to bank employees and bring them at par with Govt employees, it said.

PM Modi in his address to the nation had said, during this period, bank employees have worked day and night. Female employees too worked till late hours as part of this mission.

He had also hailed Post office staff, banking correspondents who all did exceptional work during the demonetisation period.

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Dehradun:

Opposition BJP on Monday hit out at Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat for his proposed fast against the rejection of the state government's masterplan on Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone, accusing him of having done nothing as a minister when a 100 km area along Bhagirathi in Uttarkashi district was notified as an ESZ.

"What was Rawat doing when the ESZ notification was quietly issued by the Manmohan Singh government. He was the Union Water Resources Minister at the time.

He was in a position to do something to prevent or stall it. Why he did not do so?" state BJP spokesman Munna Singh Chauhan told reporters.

Noting that the state government's masterplan had been rejected as it was not in accordance with the ESZ notification, he said the state government had submitted the masterplan very late after the stipulated time frame of less than two years and that too without conducting a hearing of the stakeholders or the population residing in areas to be affected by the notification which was an essential requirement.

"It is because of its own shortcomings that the masterplan was rejected by the National Green Tribunal. It is hard to understand who Rawat is protesting against. Shall we assume that he is agitating against a tribunal?" he said.

No one could take his battle against a tribunal or a judicial authority like the NGT to the streets, he added. Terming the CM's proposed fast as drama, Chauhan said if he is so keen to sit on a fast he should do so only to atone for his "act of treachery" against the people of Uttarakhand.

"He kept mum when the ESZ notification was issued despite being a minister at the Centre and now he is being aggressive over the issue. It is sheer drama" he said.

"Rawat is indulging again in the politics of emotional blackmail. It may also be part of his tactics to mount pressure on the Centre as the CBI has summoned him for questioning in the alleged sting video where he is seen negotiating a deal to buy the support of disgruntled MLAs at the time of political crisis in the state," the BJP leader claimed.

"If the Chief Minister is innocent why should he be afraid of CBI and the courts of law.?On one hand, he claims innocence and on the other does not tire of approaching the high court seeking revocation of the ongoing CBI probe into the sting video," he said.

Terming rejection of the state government's zonal masterplan for Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone as the biggest blow to the interests of the state, Rawat had announced yesterday that he will observe a day-long fast in Delhi on January 5 in protest.

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Vadodara:

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has condoled the death of Indian national Khushi Shah, who has roots in Vadodara, in the terror attack at a night club in Turkish city of Istanbul during New Year celebrations.

Rupani also assured Khushis father Ashwin Shah and her other family members here of all help from the government to bring back her body from Istanbul to Vadodara.

Vadodara District Collector Lochan Sehra told PTI on Monday that, I have conveyed CM Rupanis condolence message to Shah (Khushis father) in this regard.

Khushi, a fashion designer from Vadodara city, and Abis Hasan Rizvi, son of former Rajya Sabha MP and noted builder from Bandra in Mumbai Akhtar Hasan Rizvi, were among the 15 foreigners killed when a gunman went on a rampage at a nightclub where revellers were celebrating the New Year in Turkey on Sunday.

A family member of Khushi had earlier said that her brother Akshay Shah and cousin Hiren Chauhan were flying to Istanbul without visa and brought it to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swarajs attention, to which she said their their visa was arranged.

Swaraj said Indian envoy to Turkey Rahul Kulshreshtha has been asked to receive the families at the airport and make all necessary arrangements.

At least 39 people were killed and close to 70 others injured in the terror attack inside a crowded Istanbul nightclub during New Years celebrations. Khushis father Ashwin Shah has a chemical business. Her mother had died some time back.

Ashwin Shahs business partner Nishant Ramani said, He (Khushis father) was too shocked to speak after we broke this sad news to him soon after learning about it.

After completing her course in fashion designing in the US, Khushi had shifted to Mumbai a couple of years back and had opened a boutique.

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Islamabad:

Pakistan has said India's bid at the United Nations to ban Masood Azhar is "politically motivated" and "replete with frivolous information", two days after its close ally China blocked the proposal to get the Jaish-e-Mohammad 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, Pakistan's 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," Zakaria 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.

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New Delhi:

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday informed that mortal remains of Bollywood producer Abis Rizvi and Gujarati girl Khushi ShahA will be flown back to India by Tuesday night.A



The two were amongst the 39 people who were killed in the brutal attack on a nightclub in Istanbul on New Yearas eve.A



The External Affairs Minister tweeted: aI have just spoken to Mr.Akhtar Hassan Rizvi and Akshay Shah in Turkey. Indian Ambassador Rahul Kulshreshth has made all arrangements for them. They r returning with mortal remains by Turkish airlines flight leaving Istanbul tommw night and reach Mumbai next morning.a

I have just spoken to Mr.Akhtar Hassan Rizvi and Akshay Shah in Turkey. Indian Ambassador Rahul Kulshreshth has made all arrangements /1 a Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) January 2, 2017

A

for them. They r returning with mortal remains by Turkish airlines flight leaving Istanbul tommw night and reach Mumbai next morning./2 a Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) January 2, 2017

Earlier External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said Indian envoy in Turkey Rahul Kulshreshth was doing everything possible to send back the mortal remains at the earliest.



aThe Ambassador is doing everything to facilitate repatriation of the bodies. We are also facilitating the visas of the family members who want to go there to personally collect the bodies,a he told reporters.



He said Rizvi and Shah had gone to Istanbul as tourists and they ahappened to be at the wrong place at the wrong timea.



Swarup said the government was waiting for a report from the Indian Ambassador.Rizvi, a prominent builder and Bollywood producer, is son of former Rajya Sabha MP Akhtar Hasan Rizvi.



Rizvi and Shah were among 15 foreigners who were killed when a gunman went on a rampage at the waterside Reina nightclub where revellers were celebrating the New Year.



External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday spoke to families of both Rizvi and Shah and conveyed her condolences.



Replying to a question on Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was abducted nearly nine months ago from war-torn Yemen, Swarup said India has been in regular touch with Yemeni authorities and Saudi Arabia to ensure his safe release.



aWe are in touch with authorities in Saudi Arabia as well as local authorities in Yemen and all efforts continue to be made to secure his early release,a he said.

(With Inputs from PTI)

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New Delhi:

Army chief General Bipin Rawat On Monday said his force is prepared for a two-front war involving Pakistan and China simultaneously but emphasised on the need to look at cooperation and not confrontation with Beijing.

His remarks came days after Beijing raised eyebrows over India testing 5000 km-range Agni 5 missile which has entire China within its reach.

As far as armed forces are concerned, we are tasked to be prepared for a two-front war and I think we are capable of carrying out our task in whatever manner that we may be asked to do by the political hierarchy, Gen Rawat told NewsX channel.

General Rawat said as far as the northern border is concerned, army has adopted certain mechanism to ensure that a harmonious relationship is maintained along the Line of Actual Control. He said that today four border personnel meetings took place at the LAC.

ALSO READ: (Army won't shy away from using power, says General Bipin Rawat)

This is to ensure that while we may be competing with each other for space, economic development, prosperity, there are also areas of cooperation. And I think that should be our focus area. Rather than looking at confrontation, we need to look at cooperation with China, he said.

Just before his retirement last month, Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, who was also the Chairman, Chief of Staff Committee, had said India was only building its deterrent capability.

Referring to large-scale modernisation activities along the borders with China, purchase of Rafale fighter aircraft, new vessels and submarines, Raha had said India is obviously building up capability not to actually fight a conflict as it believes in peace and tranquility.

In a candid admission in March last year, Raha had said that given the IAFs depleting strength, it does not have the adequate numbers to fully execute an air campaign in case of a two-front war involving Pakistan and China simultaneously.

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Chennai:

Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh has expressed hope of a positive outcome in the ministerial-level talks to be held between India and Sri Lanka over the fishermen issue even as he hit out at the Congress for 'failure' to resolve it during its tenure.

Leaving for Colombo from Chennai to participate in the two-day talks beginning later today over the dispute on fishing rights of Tamil Nadu fishermen in the Palk Bay, he said the BJP-led NDA government was taking all steps to find a permanent solution to the issue.

Speaking to reporters at the airport, Singh attacked the Congress for not solving the issue. "Congress party did not act to solve the issue during its tenure and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking all steps to protect our fishermen and solve their issues," he said.

Singh said he hoped for a positive outcome in the talks. The Minister said he was participating in the talks as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was convalescing after recently undergoing kidney transplant. In a tweet, Singh said, "I will be visiting #SriLanka from January 2nd to January 3rd 2017."

He said the visit will focus on "discussing permanent solutions to the problems and issues of fishermen." Ascertaining possibilities for cooperation in patrolling, release of apprehended fishing vessels and fishermen of both sides and promotion of deep sea fishing by providing tuna long liners to (Indian) fishermen will be the other areas of focus, he said.

Tamil Nadu government has been urging the Centre to take up the fishermen issue with the island nation and find a permanent solution. Chief Minister O Panneerselvam in a recent letter to the Prime Minister had said the recurrent instances of 'attacks and abduction' of the state fishermen should be stopped immediately.

"Our fishermen should be allowed to pursue their peaceful avocation of fishing in their traditional fishing waters of the Palk Bay," he had said in the Dec 21 letter.

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Two people suffered stab wounds in an incident Monday night on Madison's Far East Side, police reported.

According to the Madison Police Department:

At about 7:15 p.m. Monday officers went to the 900 block of Harrington Drive, east of Interstate 90 and north of Cottage Grove Road, after a report of a stabbing.

Police found two people who suffered stab wounds. Both of them were taken to local hospitals for treatment.

Madison police believe that the incident is not a random act and that the two people involved knew each other.

An investigation is ongoing.
New Delhi:

The tussle within Samajwadi Party escalated to new levels on Sunday when Ramgopal Yadav declared Akhilesh Yadav as party president at the national convention in Lucknow.

The meet which was attended by thousands of SP workers, also unanimously expelled Amar Singh and removed Shivpal Singh Yadav from the post of state unit president. Both Amar Singh and Shivpal Yadav are close to Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Now, the Samajwadi Party faction led by Akhilesh Yadav is likely to contest for election commission recognition. With this, election commission now holds much importance as the battle for supremacy within the party as it is likely to decide the fortunes of both the factions.

It is now very important to understand the Representation of the Peoples Act as it will come to the fore while deciding the fate of both the factions of Samajwadi Party.

Registration of political parties:

Registration of political parties is governed by the provisions of section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.Party seeking registration under this Act requires to submit certain documents as per guidelines of the election commission of India. Generally party seeking registration requires to submits various resolutions, Pan card copy of office bearer along with their ITR returns of last three years, party's constitution, individual affidavits, Affidavit of Asset and liabilities and criminal antecedents affidavit and lastly affidavit of the president. Commission also asked for publication of the notice in newspapers and after the same they conduct the hearing for registration. Finally after the hearing and satisfaction of the commission your party gets registered.

Conditions for recognition as a national party:

A political party shall be treated as a recognised National party, if, and only if, - either (A)(i) the candidates set up by it, in any four or more States, at the last general election to the House of the People, or to the Legislative Assembly of the State concerned, have secured not less than six percent of the total valid votes polled in their respective States at that general election; and (ii) in addition, it has returned at least four members to the House of the People at the aforesaid last general election from any State or States; or (B)(i) its candidates have been elected to the House of the People, at the last general election to that House, from at least two percent of the total number of parliamentary constituencies in India, any fraction exceeding one-half being counted as one; and (ii) the said candidates have been elected to that House from not less than three States.

Conditions for recognition as a state party:

A political party, other than a National party, shall be treated as a recognised State party in a State or States, if, and only if, - either (A)(i) the candidates set up by it, at the last general election to the House of the People, or to the Legislative Assembly of the State concerned, have secured not less than six percent of the total valid votes polled in that State at that general election; and (ii) in addition, it has returned at least two members to the Legislative Assembly of the State at the last general election to that Assembly; or (B) it wins at least three percent of the total number of seats in the Legislative Assembly of the State, (any fraction exceeding one-half being counted as one), or at least three seats in the Assembly, whichever is more, at the aforesaid general election.

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Beijing:

BRICS countries should enhance solidarity, cooperation and safeguard common interests as they face growing uncertainties and instabilities in international situations, according to Chinese President Xi Jinping, who assumes the Presidency of the five-member bloc this year.



Facing growing uncertainties and instability in international affairs, BRICS countries need to enhance solidarity and safeguard common interests, Xi said in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russia President Vladimir Putin, South African President Jacob Zuma and Brazilian President Michel Temer, official media reported.



In accordance with an open, inclusive and win-win BRICS spirit, China will work with other BRICS countries to make the Xiamen summit a success and move forward BRICS cooperation to a new level, he said, state-run China Daily reported on Monday.



Briefing fellow BRICS leaders about Chinas blueprint for promoting cooperation among the member states during Chinas presidency of the bloc this year, Xi said Beijing will host the ninth BRICS leaders summit in Xiamen, a coastal city in southeastern Chinas Fujian province in September this year.



The summit will focus on four aspects, deepening pragmatic cooperation for common development, enhancing global governance to jointly counter challenges, carrying out people-to-people exchanges to consolidate public support for cooperation and promoting mechanism-building to construct broader partnership, said Xi, also the General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC).



Xi attended last years summit of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) in Goa under Indias Presidency. The Presidency goes on rotation every year.



In the first decade of its existence, BRICS has moved forward on the economic front establishing BRICS bank called the New Development Bank (NDB), which was established with initial subscribed capital of USD 50 billion with total paid-in capital of USD 10 billion.



The Shanghai-based bank headed by Indian banker K V Kamath has started disbursing loans for various green infrastructure projects in the five countries.



Xis letter comes ahead of US President-elect Donal Trump taking over as President later this month amid apprehensions that he would pursue hardline US centric policies which Beijing avers will affect the current order of globalisation benefitting the emerging economies.



China hopes cooperation among BRICS grouping will move forward to a new level during its 9th summit, Xi said.

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Washington:

Donald Trump plans to repeal a number of President Barack Obamas executive actions in his first day in the White House that he feels have hampered both economic growth and job creation, the US President-elects close aide has said.

Sean Spicer, Trumps incoming White House press secretary, said on ABCs This Week that Trump will immediately 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.

It was one of two moves Spicer said Trump will make immediately after he takes the oath of office on January 20. He did not specify which executive actions Trump will repeal.

However, the 70-year-old real estate billionaire-turned-politician has long been critical of Obamas moves on immigration, energy regulation and foreign policy, and could look for ways to undo those and other actions.

Spicer also said Trump will begin reforms intended to bring a new brand to Washington with a restriction on members of his administration becoming lobbyists for a period of five years after they leave Trumps government.

Its very forward-thinking, Spicer said. What weve had in the past is people who have looked in the rearview mirror. This time, were thinking forward. If you want to serve in a Trump administration, youre going to serve this country, not yourself.

When asked whether Trump would continue his 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.

When pressed repeatedly on whether Trump might reverse President Obamas steps, including the expulsion of 35 Russian agents, aimed at punishing Moscow for interfering in the US election, Spicer just said that Trump would delay any decision until he receives an intelligence briefing on the matter.

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New Delhi:

Israel has 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 decision by the Israeli security cabinet followed the release on Sunday by the Palestinian group of a mock birthday party for Israeli soldier Oron Shaul, believed by the army to have been killed in the 2014 Gaza war.

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 statement went on to say the Al-Qassam Brigades had previously announced that it had killed 14 Israeli soldiers and abducted Shaul in eastern Gaza on July 20, 2014.

A 36-second video shows six people in military fatigues sitting on chairs and surrounding another person on a wheelchair who is wearing a shirt bearing the number 102. Their faces cannot be seen. In the middle of them on a table is a cake with three candles bearing a message written in Hebrew that reads: "Three years in Hamas jail". In the background a choir sings in Hebrew: "Happy Birthday Oron".

In the second clip, which lasts 54 seconds, a person whose face appears to have been digitally altered to that of Shaul's is seen sitting in a prison cell with their hands bound in ropes.

In the final scene, a man dressed as a clown and appearing to be Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu enters the cell. Messages written in both Arabic and Hebrew read: "A new year and the soldier Shaul is still away from his family" and "the decision is in the hands of the government".

The Israeli army believes that another soldier, Hadar Goldin, was killed along with Shaul two years ago and that the Islamist Palestinian movement Hamas is thought to hold their bodies.

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 that Hamas rejected the offer.

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Baghdad:

A suicide bomber driving a pickup loaded with explosives struck a bustling market in Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 36 people in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group hours after French President Francois Hollande arrived in the Iraqi capital.

The bomb went off in a fruit and vegetable market that was packed with day labourers, a police officer said, adding that another 52 people were wounded.

During a press conference with Hollande, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the bomber pretended to be a man seeking to hire day labourers.

Once the workers gathered around, he detonated the vehicle. IS claimed the attack in a statement circulated on a militant website often used by the extremists.

It was the third IS-claimed attack in as many days in and around Baghdad, underscoring the lingering threat posed by the group despite a string of setbacks elsewhere in the country over the past year, including in and around the northern city of Mosul.

The attack took place in Sadr City, a vast Shiite district in eastern Baghdad that has been repeatedly targeted by Sunni extremists since the 2003 US-led invasion.

Shiite militiamen loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr, the firebrand cleric for whose family the neighborhood is named, were seen evacuating bodies in their trucks before ambulances arrived.

Dead bodies were scattered across the bloody pavement alongside fruit, vegetables and laborers' shovels and axes. A minibus filled with dead passengers was on fire.

Asaad Hashim, an owner of a mobile phone store nearby, described how the laborers pushed and shoved around the bomber's vehicle, trying to get hired.

"Then a big boom came, sending them up into the air," said the 28-year old, who suffered shrapnel wounds to his right hand. He blamed "the most ineffective security forces in the world" for failing to prevent the attack.

An angry crowd cursed the government, even after a representative of al-Sadr tried to calm them. Late last month, Iraqi authorities started removing some of the security checkpoints in Baghdad in a bid to ease traffic for the capital's 6 million residents.

Three smaller bombings elsewhere in the city today killed another seven civilians and wounded at least 30, according to medics and police officials. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief reporters.

Hollande meanwhile met with al-Abadi and President Fuad Masum, and was expected to travel to the self-governing northern Kurdish region to meet French troops and local officials.

Iraqi troops, backed by a US-led coalition, are fighting IS in a massive operation to retake the northern city of Mosul. Iraqi state TV said Hollande will discuss increasing support for Iraq and the latest developments in the 10-week-old offensive.

Hollande promised that France would remain a long-term ally of Iraq and called for coordination between intelligence services "in a spirit of great responsibility," in remarks carried by his official Twitter account.

France is part of the American-led coalition formed in 2014 to fight IS after the extremist group seized large areas in Iraq and neighboring Syria. France has suffered multiple attacks claimed by the extremist group.

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Leotha Stanley took an unusual approach when presenting donated violins and gift certificates for music lessons to high school students during a concert intermission.

He projected pictures on a screen of himself competing in high jump  a sport in which he set records as a high schooler and at UW-Madison. He also still holds a record in the long jump at the universitys outdoor facility. The pictures had been clipped from newspapers and he said it is this kind of acknowledgment that can make a difference for students.

It was the recognition that I got that motivated me to keep going and take it to the next level because people saw me that way, Stanley said. They saw me as a high jumper so I performed as a high jumper.

Six area students were honored with violins and lessons through a fundraising effort spearheaded by Stanley. They were presented during the recent Gospel Carols concert that Stanley and his wife, Tamera Stanley, put on every year. This was the first year of what will become an annual Gospel Carols Strings Sponsorship to give more students violins and lessons.

The students are Kenesha Patterson, East High School; Tyra Johnson, Verona High School; Jonathan Gunderson, Sun Prairie High School; Danielle Crim, West High School; and Keani Braxton and Tenzin Sopa, Memorial High School.

The choir at the concert is accompanied by an orchestra made up of musicians from local area churches, the Madison Symphony Orchestra and others from the greater Madison area. This year, the orchestra included two of the students who were honored  Braxton and Sopa, who are seniors.

I always have a hard time finding people of color to play, said Stanley, an African-American. What better way to get people of color (for the orchestra than) to grow them into the area.

His plan is to start motivating students now in hopes that they will continue playing beyond high school.

Its not going to happen overnight, Stanley said. It is a way for me to give back, also.

Crim, who has been playing since fifth grade, said the violin she has been using is not that good of quality and the new one will be easier to play.

I felt really excited, Crim, a freshman, said about receiving the violin.

Stanley said he talked to high school orchestra directors to find students who had recognizable talent and interest.

Gunderson, whose first music teacher as a Sun Prairie elementary student was Stanleys daughter Letrice, said he has been playing since sixth grade and the new violin will make it easier to continue playing in the orchestra when he attends Brigham Young UniversityIdaho after graduation.

Heid Music of Madison gave deep discounts on the violins. Others contributors were Alliant Energy Center, Dan Checki, Judy Kornemann, Jeff Patterson of JP Hair Design, ProSquared, Howard Landsman and the Jennings Family (Tamera Stanleys family).

To contribute, contact Stanley at strings@leestanley.com.
In one vision for the future of Madison Area Technical College's Downtown campus, the building's renovated ground floor would be home to a small theater, rehearsal rooms and workshop spaces for performance groups.

Other levels would provide office space for several local nonprofits. And about half of the building would be dedicated to affordable housing and studio space for artists.

That's the vision that a group of 10 organizations  including the Children's Theater of Madison, Sierra Club and Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters  have for the large parcel of Downtown real estate that could soon be up for redevelopment if officials move forward with MATC's plan to vacate the building.

"It would be a vibrant place where the community can continue to have a wide range of educational opportunities," said Jane Elder, executive director of the Wisconsin Academy. "I think it would take Madison and Wisconsin into a new era of supporting its nonprofit life."

But the idea is a long way from reality.

The group was one of 11 developers that submitted qualifications to redevelop the MATC Downtown Education Center in November.

On Wednesday, the college's board will meet in closed session to narrow that field down to three to five finalists, who will be asked to submit their proposals for the site by March.

MATC officials are looking to leave the Downtown campus just off the Capitol Square and shift many programs to an expanded campus planned for the South Side by 2019. The college plans to ground-lease the two-acre site, giving a developer the option of renovating the building that currently stands at 211 N. Carroll St. or tearing it down for a new structure.

The nonprofit groups, who plan to use the original building, face stiff competition  companies that are also in the running to redevelop the site include those involved in major Madison developments such as the $170 million Judge Doyle Square project and new state office buildings on the West Side.

Elder declined to say how much her group would offer the college in annual lease payments, or how much it would need to spend to renovate the MATC building. Other organizations involved in the project include the Madison Science Museum, Family Service Madison, Forward Theater, Theatre LILA, RENEW Wisconsin and two groups Elder declined to name.

She said the organizations' proposal, which is modeled on developments in other cities, would be a way for the site to benefit a wide range of Madison residents.

"It's different than yet another glass and steel condo building, which Madison has a lot of," Elder said. "They have their place, but we think this site is unique and important, and we want to offer a different option."
China runs more trains to meet holiday travel rush

China,Business/Economy, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Beijing, Jan 2 (IANS) China Railway Corporation (CRC) announced it would dispatch 187 additional trains to accommodate the travel rush during the last day of the three-day New Year holiday on Monday.

The CRC said 9.58 million trips were expected Monday, Xinhua news agency reported.

About 7.45 million train trips were made Sunday, the second day of the holiday, surging 11.3 percent year on year, the CRC said.

Traffic in major cities rose significantly during the holiday, said the operator of the world's largest high-speed rail network.

Some 786,000 passengers left Beijing by train Sunday, a year-on-year rise of 18.9 per cent.

More than 1.61 million left Shanghai, jumping 18.1 per cent, and 1.1 million left Guangzhou, up 15.8 per cent.

During the New Year holiday, hundreds of millions of people go back to their home towns to meet relatives and old friends, putting huge stress on the transport system.

--IANS

ksk/bg
The states recently developed interactive online service for businesses is about to undergo its first expansion, via the Department of Financial Institutions.

The hook-up is new for DFI, and in the baby-step stage for the state, too, but state agencies have been working with the site developer, the private, for-profit e-government giant NIC Inc., since 2013.

Beginning Tuesday, three types of companies will be able to file their annual reports online through the Wisconsin One Stop Business Portal, which launched last year. The pool includes 358,000 businesses, and they will be charged a $1 fee to file the required report if they do so online.

DFI joins several other departments, including Revenue, Transportation, Safety and Professional Services, Justice and Natural Resources, working with NIC through its subsidiary, the Wisconsin Interactive Network, according to NICs Wisconsin representative, Nicole Randol.

NIC has a low public profile in the states online services, but its work has included the highly visible www.wisconsin.gov, a portal that helps users connect to about 70 Wisconsin agencies. Only a few generate nominal but steady user fees, and state agencies also pay portal fees indirectly to WIN.

Fees to NIC from Wisconsin have steadily increased as portal entries also increase. Last March, for example, the Department of Administration requested additional spending authority to increase payments to WIN based on increased usage. The budget was $5.6 million, which was increased to $6.7 million for fiscal 2016  money that was generated by the portal services and includes no taxpayer funds.

NIC, the nations leading provider of government portals, online services and payment processing services, has contracts with Wisconsin and 30 other states, for which it has developed self-funded services.

DFI has high hopes for its limited entry into the One Stop Business Portal, the online connection for Gov. Scott Walkers Open for Business effort that already hosts limited services from the departments of Workforce Development and Revenue. Now, domestic business corporations, domestic close corporations and limited liability companies will be able to file their required annual reports with DFI online.

DFI Secretary Lon Roberts said eligible businesses will be able to file annual reports online easily, anytime. Errors will be reduced and an address validation feature will help, too.

There is no change to the agencys many other services handled via its website, and businesses still may opt  at no cost  to complete annual reports on paper and mail or deliver them to DFI.

This switch is costing DFI nothing, said agency spokesman George Althoff, and there is no impact on its budget.

Randol, of NIC, said the Wisconsin Interactive Networks numerous projects with the state are part of NICs self-funded no-cost policies.

We designed wisconsin.gov, and partnered with several agencies to update their websites, and partnered with DOT with its online crash report system, she said.

We built online license searches for Safety and Professional Services, as well as DNRs GoWild, an online licensing system introduced last year, she said.

Many of them were developed at no cost to the state, which is part of NICs contract.

Revenue earned by WIN is generated in a number of ways, including efficiency fees paid by citizens and businesses, transaction fees paid by agencies, fixed project fees, and more, Randol said.

We use the fees to support the other services, such as website design and content management systems, mobile device applications and customer support, said Randol. For some agencies, NIC is paid by the agency based on the number of licenses, such as with DNRs GoWild program and its recreational vehicle registration.

GoWild has stuttered in its first year, including problems with turkey hunting license applications and complaints from vendors. Most were fixed quickly, according to the DNR.
Police in Denmark arrest daughter of 'Korean Rasputin'

South Korea,Politics,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Seoul, Jan 2 (IANS) Police in Denmark arrested on Monday the daughter of Choi Soon-sil, impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye's close friend whose involvement in corruption led to Park's removal last year, official said.

Choi's daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, was arrested on charges of "illegal stay" by the police who subsequently notified their South Korean counterparts, the National Police Agency, said local news agency Yonhap.

The special prosecutors investigating the case of Korean Rasputin Choi had asked Interpol on Tuesday to put the 20-year-old on the wanted list.

This was done after Chung refused to respond to the summons demanding her to appear in South Korea to testify, Efe news reported.

The investigation team, which obtained an arrest warrant for Chung on December 22, was collaborating with relevant agencies to deport her to her home country.

Investigators believe Chung received undue favours in university and high school due to her mother's ties to the President.

Her high school diploma was also annulled on the grounds that her grades and attendance records were fabricated.

Her mother, Choi Soon-il, is considered the mastermind in influence peddling and corruption scandal that led Parliament to impeach Park, a decision yet to be ratified by the Constitutional Court.

Choi, 60, is accused of meddling in state affairs despite not holding any official position, as well as extorting large sums of money from Korean companies and appropriating part of it for personal use.

Prosecutors believe that the Samsung Group, the country's largest company, had signed a contract worth some about $18.2 million with a Germany-based company owned by Choi and also provided financial support for Chung.

--IANS

in/
India, Sri Lanka decide to release fishermen in custody

Sri Lanka,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Diplomacy,Business/Economy, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Colombo, Jan 2 (IANS) India and Sri Lanka on Monday announced the immediate release of fishermen in each other's custody.

The announcement followed talks between Indian Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh and Sri Lankan Minister for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Mahinda Amaraweera here.

Both sides agreed to a set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to expedite the release and handing over of fishermen in each other's custody on completion of legal and procedural formalities.

"The immediate release of the fishermen presently in custody was announced following the ministerial level talks," an official statement said.

Sri Lanka routinely arrests Indian fishermen poaching in its waters and seizes their vessels. The two countries are divided by a narrow strip of sea. Some Sri Lankan fishermen are also detained in Indian jails.

The talks follow the first meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on fisheries held in New Delhi on December 31.

Both countries also discussed the issue of releasing seized fishing vessels.

"The Indian side requested for the immediate release of Indian fishing vessels. The Sri Lankan side agreed to consider the request in view of the progress being made by the JWG," the statement said.

The ministers exchanged views on possible mechanisms to help find a permanent solution to issues related to fishermen from both countries.

As part of the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) agreed to by them, it was decided to intensify cooperation on patrolling and to set up periodic interactions between their Coast Guards.

"An understanding was reached to ensure that there was no physical harm or loss of life while apprehending fishermen by Navy and Coast Guard... It was agreed to explore the possibility of introducing effective tracking systems for the fishing vessels and making use of onboard communication equipment mandatory," the statement said.

The two ministers appreciated the efforts taken by the JWG in operationalizing a hotline between the Indian and Sri Lankan Coast Guards to ensure quick decision making.

Sri Lanka sought an end to bottom trawling which Colombo says is destroying its aquatic resources. India promised it would be phased out in a time-bound manner.

Sri Lanka was briefed about the measures already taken including the decision to construct a new fishing harbour at Mookaiyur in Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu and the capacity building programme for Indian fishermen on deep sea fishing.

The next JWG meeting will be held in Colombo in April 2017.

--IANS

ao/mr/ksk
Over 50 dead in Brazil prison riot

Brazil,Defence/Security,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Rio De Janeiro, Jan 2 (IANS) More than 50 people were killed in a prison riot which lasted 17 hours in Manaus, northern Brazil, authorities said on Monday.

The riot occurred in the Anisio Jobim Prison Complex, the largest prison in the state of Amazonas. State Public Security Secretary Sergio Fontes said at a press conference that the death toll was "between 50 and 60", Xinhua reported.

Twelve prison wardens were taken hostage, but all of them were released uninjured, according to Epitacio Almeida, representative of the local barrister association's Human Rights Commission.

Authorities did not release the names of any victims. At least 25 bodies have already been taken to the local morgue. At the beginning of the riot on Sunday, inmates threw six headless bodies out of the prison.

Brazil's prison system is notoriously overcrowded, which has led to several large riots in the past. The Anisio Jobim prison was reportedly overcrowded -- according to daily Folha de Sao Paulo, in October 2016, the prison had 585 inmates, but capacity for only 454.

However, this time the problem was reportedly a gang war between members of two rival crime organisations: Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) a drug gang originally from Sao Paulo, which expanded to other states, and Familia do Norte.

"What we saw yesterday and today was a new chapter in the fight for the control of drug traffic in Amazonas," Secretary Fontes said.

There have also been reports of runaway inmates, which remain unconfirmed so far.

Brazil has the fourth largest prison population behind the US, China and Russia.

--IANS

ahm/bg
Six injured in Pakistan blast

Pakistan,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Defence/Security,Terrorism, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Islamabad, Jan 2 (IANS) At least six persons were injured in a roadside explosion in Quetta city of Pakistan on Monday, police said.

As many as four security personnel and two civilians were injured when the roadside bomb targeted the vehicle of the Frontier Corps personnel who were on a routine patrol.

The injured were rushed to a local hospital, Dawn online reported.

An investigation has been initiated into the matter.

--IANS

py/hs
1,100 migrants attempt to storm through Moroccan border fence

Malta,Defence/Security,Immigration/Law/Rights, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Rabat, Jan 2 (IANS) About 1,100 African migrants attempted to storm a border fence from Morocco to reach Spain's Ceuta enclave, an incident in which 55 border guards were injured, the media reported on Monday.

Described as "extremely violent and organised" by Ceuta government, the incident took place on new year's day, the BBC reported.

The attempt, which was foiled by the Moroccan police, led to the arrest of all the illegal immigrants, Xinhua news agency quoted the Interior Ministry as saying in a statement.

It said those who make such attempts will be brought to justice, which will deliver verdicts ranging from expulsion from Moroccan territory to more severe sentences depending on how serious their acts are.

Tens of thousands of sub-Saharan African migrants living illegally in Morocco try to enter Ceuta and Melilla each year, hoping to get a better life in Europe.

Both cities have six-metre-high border wire fences separating them from Morocco.

Over the past few years, Morocco has adopted a strict policy against illegal migrants to Europe, but opened a door for regularising their status.

In December, Morocco launched the second phase of the regularisation of the situation of illegal immigrants in the country, after the first phase led to granting about 25,000 people legal status.

--IANS

sm/py/sac
Ramez Naam, author of The Infinite Resource: The Power of Ideas on a Finite Planet, recently explained that lithium-ion batteries have a fifteen year history of exponential price reduction. Between 1991 and 2005, the capacity that could be bought with $100 went up by a factor of 11. The trend continues through to the present day.

SolidEnergy calculates that its materials could be used to make battery packs that cost $130 per kilowatt-hour, in line with U.S. Department of Energy goals for making electric vehicles affordable. Battery pack costs are typically kept secret, but estimates range from $250 to $500 per kilowatt-hour for packs in commercial electric vehicles.

The 85 KWh battery pack for a Tesla S would go from $20,000 to $40,000 down to about $11,000.

Lithium ion could get even cheaper (if only from economies of scale from factories that are ten times larger in China).

Lithium Sulfur batteries are getting close to commercialization. They have the potential to drive costs to about $60 per KWh. This would be about $5000 for a Tesla S battery pack.

The Tesla model S was picked as the Car and Driver car of the year. If it could be made three times cheaper and the follow on generation 3 is planned to be half the price of the model S.

The Battery singularity would be the electric car singularity.

Batteries (and electric engines) that replace gasoline (and combustion engines) but at lower lifetime costs have the potential to completely replace combustion engines. I believe the costs will be brought down and the factory construction and scaling of the supply chain will take until about 2025. We could get to 10 million electric cars per year by about 2020 and then to 100 million by 2025.

This would likely mean that Tesla with its large lead in electric cars would likely be selling as many cars as Toyota now and possibly 2 to 3 times as many. This would be 10 to 30 million cars. Tesla would be worth $300 billion to $2 trillion depending upon the price earnings multiple. Elon Musk has about 27-28% of Tesla. He would be worth $100 billion to $600 billion depending upon exactly how big and profitable Tesla becomes.

This would also mean that Elon Musk would be able to fund all of his smaller businesses like Spacex with their reusable rockets from his own pocket.

Elon plans on creating a supersonic electric passenger plane. The battery singularity with cheap high energy density lithium sulfur or lithium air batteries would make those possible too. The follow on technology enabled by the battery singularity could make Elon Musk the first trillionaire in the late 2020s.

Self Driving cars too

The real barrier to adoption is cost. In 2010, the cost of Googles self-driving technology was $150,000, of which $70,000 was just the lidar (a highly accurate laser-based radar). German supplier Ibeo, which manufactures vehicular lidar systems, claims it could mass-produce them as soon as next year for about $250 per vehicle. Self driving car costs for computation are not a problem. I chatted with the developers and they run the car on a regular laptop

There is also the cheap self driving car system that uses cameras, which already only costs about $500

Here is 2012 presentation on NOHM battery commercial plans.

Recommended path for Li-S batteries

If you liked this article, please give it a quick review on ycombinator or StumbleUpon. Thanks
I have learned the hard way not to put my personal life on the Internet. But suffice it to say that, God willing, things should be pretty much back to norm...

3 weeks ago
Gambian leader, Yahya Jammeh, has accused the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, of declaring war against his country for refusing to step down. Jammeh, who chided ECOWAS for putting forces on the alert, has vowed to stay in power despite losing a December 1 election to rival, Adama Barrow.Recall that Marcel de Souza, ECOWAS President, last week made the confirmation that the body was prepared to send troops to Gambia.Jammeh initially conceded defeat in the vote, then changed his mind days later. His tenure runs out on January 19.In a New Year speech broadcast on state TV, Jammeh promised to defend Gambia against any outside aggression.He said, the resolution of ECOWAS on the current situation to implement the results of December 1, 2016 presidential election by whatever means possible.It is in effect a declaration of war and an insult to our constitution.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.Barrows surprise victory and Jammehs initial decision to concede after 22 years in power was initially seen as a moment of hope on a continent where autocratic leaders are becoming more entrenched.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.Buhari, President John Mahama of Ghana and President Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson last month travelled to Gambia to mediate in the crisis. The efforts were,however, futile.
Nigerian blogger, Linda Ikeji decided to share a motivational video to encourage every woman out there. The power blogger decided to share a heartfelt motivational message to all the young women out there.She has always been opposed to the idea of women who sleep with men for money and decided to share some wise words to motivate the young girls out there to become better and not settle for less.Watch the video below




Hmnn snow showers in Raleigh on Saturday??

Smiling on that...but that's days away.





The picture above really does not show the whole story.





This is a better picture:













See?

I don't know about you but when I travel I check the weather ;)

Until TWC says I'm there... I'm not there!













I'm currently looking at weather loops trying to understand the pattern.

That's how weather people's minds work.

First the weather . . .









Note the line is moving towards Augusta then into SC.





Then the UK has it's own warnings.

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/turkey





Different kids traveling differently.





Winter Storm Gregory is traveling through North Dakota.

It's very white in North Dakota.

Northern Minnesota where you expect winter to be has winter.

Winter will soon be returning from it's holiday vacation.





I hope your holidays were wonderful.

Richly filled with memories made and calories to work off...





Currently this is where we sit.









Winter Up North.

Spring like Severe Storms and Tornadoes in the SE.





2017....





Whatcha got in store for us this 2017 Mother Nature?





Waiting to find out in real time.





Hope your year is filled with the weather you love!





Besos BobbiStorm

@bobbistorm on Twitter













Traveling days are always a large question mark. Will it rain? Will it snow? Will a plane be grounded? Is there a government travel warning for the airlines your loved ones is on? So many questions. And did you know sometimes Google doesn't always update flight information while a plane is in theory in the air? True... very true.Today many people are traveling home or to their specific destination. There are tornado warnings in the South near New Orleans moving East towards Georgia. Currently Dublin Georgia has a tornado warning. There is snow in some parts of the country and the possibility of snow this weekend in other parts of the country. Tomorrow the work week begins unless you are in sales or work in a restaurant, most of the country is still on New Years Day Vacation.It's rained for days it seems in North Carolina. Not freezing cold, but the dampness makes the air feel much colder than it is in the same way a hot humid day in Miami seems hotter than it really is. I'll just leave that sentence with a preposition as I have bigger fish to fry today than being grammatically correct!I have kids in the air today or more specifically my daughter so until she lands I'm going to be a bit nuts. If you knew the details you'd be nuts too!! Well, if she was your daughter.Welcome to the Year 2017 where many of the countries you may want to travel to have a Travelers Warning from the State Department; some for Zika and some for terrorism. As my kids live in Miami Zika is not the threat of the day obviously. And really if you have an incredible ocean front condo with a view and Amazon Prime delivers food to your house why bother going outside where the bugs are just party hardy inside right? Love Miami...As for me I have transitioned into transitioning my mind mode about the upcoming Israel trip. I've added a weather information page to my phone so I can feel like I'm there.
There seems to be a beaming light of justice on the death of Ifedolapo Oladepo, the first class graduate of LAUTECH who died at NYSC orien...

There seems to be a beaming light of justice on the death of Ifedolapo Oladepo, the first class graduate of LAUTECH who died at NYSC orientation camp last year. The Nigerian Police who swung into the case has indicted the mandatory scheme of negligence.In an investigation by PUNCH, a preliminary report of the probe stated that the NYSC was to blame for delaying the evacuation of the youths corps member to the General Hospital, Gwazo, Kano until it was too late.A source, familiar with the probe being conducted by the Special Investigation Panel headed by a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, Ali Amodu explained that the investigators relied on the medical files of the deceased, including evidence from the NYSC officials and the medical personnel at the hospital where Oladepo was certified dead.The investigation, he said found that the deceased was not properly diagnosed before she was given injections and drugs by a corps doctor in the orientation camp in Kano.'Her situation had become unmanageable before she was brought to the General Hospital and that was why they couldn't manage her any longer.She was initially treated for malaria, but the fact is that she wasn't proper;y diagnosed. Instead of a proper diagnosis, they were treating her for malaria,'' the source explained.The Inspection of Police, Ibrahim Idris had directed that an investigation be carried out following President Buhari's directive to probe the death of the brilliant young lady. The Amodu-led investigative panel quizzed the Cheif Medical Officer at Kano General Hospital, Gwazo, as well as the corps doctors who treated Ifedolapo. The panel also analysed the medical files of the deceased and also spoke to some NYSC officials before concluding that it was negligence that killed the Transport Management graduate.''The report of the investigation is being finalised now, but from all indications, there is negligence on the part of the NYSC. The officials did not have an experienced doctor in the camp's clinic. It was a youth corps doctor who treated the girl, she was left in the care of a corps doctor.''The girl was neglected. From all indications, if the girl had been moved on time to the General Hospital, it would have been a different story.''They were trying to manage the girl by themselves and her condition deteriorated before they put her in the vehicle on a very bad road. They girl went through the roughest road of her life before she got to the General Hospital.''The NYSC cannot absolve itself of blame in this case. All the files and reports and reports were thoroughly analysed. It was a great case of negligence and the panel established this.''
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says Nigeria legend Nwankwo Kanu's goal against Chelsea in 1999 ranks among his top five since joining the London club in 1996.Wenger made this known while commenting on Olivier Giroud's stunning goal against Crystal Palace on Sunday which he also ranked in his top five Arsenal goals.Trailing 2-0 to Chelsea and with 15 minutes left, former Super Eagles superstar Kanu scored two quick goals to make it 2-2.And on the stroke of 90 minutes, close to the corner flag, Kanu whipped in a right-foot curler into to the roof of the net to complete a remarkable 3-2 comeback win for Arsenal.The French manager also listed Dennis Bergkamp's goals against Leicester City and Newcastle (1997, 2002 respectively) and Thierry Henry's solo goal against Real Madrid in the 2006 UEFA Champions League, as part of the best five goals he has witnessed as Arsenal manager.Ive been spoiled in my career, I had many great players and many great strikers. [Girouds goal is] certainly in the top five," Wenger told standard.co.uk.I remember Bergkamp, Henry with special goals.Bergkamp at Leicester, Newcastle. Thierry Henry at Real Madrid, Liverpool. Kanu at Chelsea. Its difficult for me not to forget goals over 20 years.When you score 70, 80 a year by now that makes 1,600 goals. Its difficult to get the best five.
Some unknown gunmen have abducted a traditional ruler in Kogi, a family source said in Lokoja on Sunday.

Some unknown gunmen have abducted a traditional ruler in Kogi, a family source said in Lokoja on Sunday.The monarch, the Ohi of Ajaokuta, whose name was given Isah Achuja, was returning from Lokoja, the state capital, on Saturday when his vehicle was intercepted on the Lokoja-Ajaokuta road at gunpoint and the ruler taken to an unknown destination.A member of the royal family, who did not want his name in print, told journalists that an aide to the traditional ruler and his driver narrowly escaped being hit by the bullets of the abductors.He said the abductors had already contacted the family and demanded a N20 million ransom.Contacted by the News Agency of Nigeria, the State Police Commands spokesman, Williams Aya, said the incident had not been reported to the command.He, however, promised that police would swing into action in a bid to rescue the monarch as soon as the details of the abduction were available.
John Obi Mikel has gone chosen to stay in Europe instead of going to China, according to reportsThe midfielder has been frozen out at Chelsea by Antonio Conte and a move abroad was inevitable. Valencia are the team he will join in January, signing a four-year deal with the La Liga club.Theyve beaten several competitors to his signature.Chinese side Shanghai SIPG, Marseille and Serie A giants AC and Inter Milan were all interested in the Nigeria captain. The reason he has opted to move to Spain is unknown.Mikel only has six months left on his contract and the Blues would prefer to release him to get him off the wage bill.He leaves Stamford Bridge after 11 seasons. During that time he won two Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups, the Europa League once and the Champions League once - a seriously impressive haul.Despite their lofty league position, fans will be sad to see a loyal servant leave the club.
[ View the story "Obasanjo speaking on 2017 " on Storify ] Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged Nigerians to go socially...

Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged Nigerians to go socially, economically, politically and spiritually back to the basic. This came as he said that he is looking forward to a better 2017 that will make very thing new for Nigeria.Obasanjo made this after a church service in Abeokuta.He said that Nigeria should go back socially, economically, politically and even spiritually to the fundamentals. We are looking forward with hope to a better year than the one we have just got out off. And there is no reason why it should not be in every sense of the word socially, economically, politically and even spiritually so am looking forward to the 2017 that will make everything news for Nigeria.I think we have to go back to the basic, fundamentals. The fundamentals of economic recovery and growth I believe that if we do that we will get there
General Overseer of the Abuja based Divine Hand of God Prophetic Ministries, Prophet Emmanuel Omale has released his 2017 prophecies.

General Overseer of the Abuja based Divine Hand of God Prophetic Ministries, Prophet Emmanuel Omale has released his 2017 prophecies.Reading out his prophecies, Prophet Omale said that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, will be forced out of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), even as he added that the partys National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, may be poisoned. even as he called for fervent prayers.If President Muhammadu Buhari chooses the Mandela option, (that is, not to contest again in 2019), a very powerful man will be anointed by him from North West to rule after him.On economy, the man of God said Dollar will move from last year prediction of $350 to $570, even predicted that No oil in commercial quantity will be found in the North, NNPC should seek the Divine Hand of God to know where to find oil in the North.I see peace in Niger Delta, but federal government should make peace with former President Jonathan and his family to sustain that peace.January 27th keep ringing bells in my head, let us pray for ourselves, for our country, we deserve political stability to enable economic prosperity. Let us pray! There will be no shedding of blood.Let us pray for the health of a former President to avert bereavement.I see fire outbreak in Lagos and Abuja markets.I see changes in INEC LeadershipTaraba should pray to avert a very severe Ethno-religious crisis.A very important Emir should pray against bereavement.Nigeria should pray to avert deadly inter tribal clash in Lagos state.A former governor should pray against sudden death.I see massive oil spillage around Kogi that will lead to seven days fire.Three banks will collapse.A service chief of one of the armed forces will be dropped.On international level, the prophet said he foresee a massive typhoon in Thailand that may be worse than the last tsunami.The new Ghana President-elect should pray against liver and internal organ sickness after inauguration.Yahaya Jammeh will hand over to President-elect Barrow.Robert Mugabe may not survive 2017.Jacob Zuma may still be in trouble, adding that big tragedy will happen in China.The English Queen should pray against life threatening health challenges.On sports, he said a famous Nigerian Athlete should pray against injury that may end his career.The Prophet also warned that Ekiti State governor Ayodele Fayose may face impeachment. He said God told him that the proposed Mega Party will not come to reality in 2017 added that aside two People Democratic Party (PDP) governors cross carpeting to APC, another South-South strong man who rose out of the walls will join the ruling party.The Prophet however admonished that some of these danger can be averted if serious prayers are done.
UPPER DEERFIELD TWP. -- The township post office reopened Friday after closing last month due to damage caused by a tractor-trailer crash to the building and a neighboring church.

The crash occurred on Dec. 11 at the intersection of routes 540 and 77 when a pickup truck and a tractor trailer collided with each other. The crash destroyed Wells of Salvation God the Father Church and caused a church wall to collapse in the alleyway between the church and the Upper Deerfield Post Office.

The post office remained closed since the accident while site cleanup continued. Now that cleanup is complete, electricity was restored to the post office and business resumed there.

"Thank you to our customers for their patience and understanding," said Raymond Daiutolo Sr., spokesman for the United States Post Office.

After investigating the crash, New Jersey State Police charged Jesus Valdivia, 61, of Camden, who was driving a Ford F-150, with careless driving, failure to stop or yield and being an unlicensed driver. The tractor-trailer was being driven by 44-year-old Bridgeton man. Neither of the men or a passenger in the F-150 were injured.

Don E. Woods may be reached at dwoods@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @donewoods1. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
New Jersey students return to the classroom this week as 2017 ushers in a time of uncertainty in education.

With a new president taking office in January and an election for a new governor in November, both federal and state education policies may soon be shifting.

In the meantime, Gov. Chris Christie still has one more year to try to leave his stamp on New Jersey's education system. And schools will continue to operate under the status quo, including another round of standardized testing.

Here are five things parents and students should watch for over the next 12 months:

1. Christie's final education budget

The governor has made no secret of his disdain for the state's current funding formula, especially the fact that 58 percent of the state's $9.1 billion in K-12 funding goes to 31 urban and low-income districts.

Christie last year called for a sweeping overhaul of New Jersey school aid and asked the state Supreme Court to reconsider a 2011 ruling that forbid him from slashing funding to those districts.

He's also made an annual pitch for a school voucher program, which has always been rejected by the Legislature.

Christie is set to make his final address this February. Will he try to push through major changes before his term ends?

2. Higher stakes for PARCC testing

The third year of PARCC testing begins in March with higher stakes for some teachers and students.

Christie in August tripled the weight of PARCC results in teacher evaluations, raising it from 10 percent to 30 percent of teachers' scores. The change affects about 15 percent of teachers, those who teach math in grades 4-7 or English in grades 4-8.

The computerized tests will also carry more significance for some students this year.

While current high school students still have several options for meeting the standardized testing requirement for graduation, some students in the Class of 2021 have reached the point where PARCC really counts.

Eighth graders currently enrolled in Algebra I will be taking the PARCC Algebra test that they are required to pass before they graduate.

3. The Trump effect

Congress revised the federal education law in 2015 to give states and districts more control over schools, and the Obama administration released its regulations for the new law this year.

But New Jersey officials have been hesitant to plan for changes until receiving guidance from the next president.

Enter Donald Trump, who previously suggested the federal Education Department be abolished or greatly diminished.

Education and policy experts have struggled to pinpoint what a Trump presidency will mean for education, but Betsy DeVos, his nominee for secretary of education, is a school choice advocate expected to push for public money spent on private schools.

Praised by school choice supporters, Trump and DeVos have been panned by the American Federation of Teachers, which fears the duo plans on "privatizing, defunding and destroying public education in America."

4. Charter school changes

While Trump may unveil plans for supporting charter schools this year, Christie's intent is already clear.

The Republican governor, a long-time proponent of charter schools, has proposed regulations that would lower qualifications for charter school teachers, making it easier for those schools to find teachers.

Christie also wants to help charter schools find better facilities and expedite the renewal process for high-performing charter schools, among a series of other changes.

The proposal is pending before the state Board of Education. However, whatever changes Christie enacts could be eventually undone by the next governor.

5. Campaign promises

With Christie's approval rating reaching an all-time low in 2016, the Democratic candidates vying to succeed him are likely to take aim at his most unpopular policies.

Phil Murphy, the Democratic front-runner, has already pledged to drop the PARCC exams and eliminate the requirement that students pass standardized tests in math and English to graduate from high school.

On the Republican side, Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli (R-Somerset) is calling for universal pre-K for 4 year olds with co-pay options for families with more means.

Parents should watch for more education initiatives to come forward throughout the year.

Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
CHICAGO - 2016 ended with 795 killed, 4378 shot, 3665 shot and wounded in Chicago's notorious west and south side neighborhoods, according to the ongoing count at HeyJackass.com Chicago.

And, according to former Chicago Police Chief Garry McCarthy, the shocking numbers are tied to a source few dare mention:
IRVINGTON -- Police helped a homeless woman deliver a baby boy on New Year's Day.

The mother called police at 9:16 p.m. Sunday, Irvington Police Director Tracy Bowers said.

Police responded to the Gallery Holiday Motel on Ball Street, Bowers said. They found a 30-year-old woman in labor.

Officers Michael Myers and Betty Rivera, who is also an EMT, helped her deliver a healthy baby boy, Bowers said. The woman's last known address was Newark but recently became homeless.

Mother and child were sent to Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.

"This is another instance where officers provided superior public safety services to the residents of Irvington," Mayor Tony Vauss said.

Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
JERSEY CITY - The state Bail Reform and Speed Trial Act came into effect in Hudson County's Central Judicial Processing court where bail bonds workers watch as not one monetary bail was set under the new rules which assume most defendants will be released pending prosecution.

All defendants facing criminal charges in Hudson County make their first court appearance in CJP which was held today on the New Year's holiday because the new Bail Reform law requires defendants make their first court appearance within 48 hours of their arrest.

CJP was to begin at 1 p.m. today but did not start until about 1:45 p.m. as court officials worked out the details of the new law and because officials at the Hudson County jail in Kearny said they were not aware the court would be open today. The seven defendants who appeared today did so via video link from the jail.

Usually the public defender is in the courtroom but the top two public defenders in the county argued on behalf of their clients from inside the jail video conferencing room this afternoon. The hearings took more than twice as long as they had under the old rules.

One defendant, Sai Ravipati, 22, of New York, appeared in court today on the charge of aggravated assault using a pipe in Jersey City on New Year's Day. The third degree crime calls for a sentence of three to five years in prison if convicted and under the old guidelines, a bail of $20,000 to $50,000 with a 10 percent cash option was recommended.

But Pretrial Services had assessed Ravipati to be a low risk of failing to appear at court hearings and of committing another crime. He also has no priors. Based on the Pretrial Services recommendation, he was released on his own recognizance, ordered to appear at all hearings in his case and to immediately give notice if his contact information changes.

On the other hand, prosecutors requested that Thomas M. Campbell, 52, of Jersey City, be held without bail on charges he attempted to murder someone with a sword in Jersey City. The charge carries a possible prison sentence of 10 to 20 years upon conviction.

The case must now go before a Superior Court judge within 72 hours where the state must show probable cause for the charges, provide extensive discovery and call witnesses that can be cross-examined.

The judge can order the defendant held without bail if it is determined that there is no condition or combination of conditions that can be imposed to insure Campbell is not a threat to the public, will show up for his court hearing, and will not be a threat to any witness.

The state also requested the detention of a second defendant who appeared in CJP today on the charge of making terroristic threats, contempt of court and violation of restraining order in connection to a Kearny incident.

Bail bonds workers have feared the day bail reform would be imposed and there are attempts being made to block them.

CJP court will also be held on Saturdays from now on. The new law came into effect yesterday.
jersey city police car

A man was attacked with a metal pipe after he asked a man to leave a party, police said.

JERSEY CITY -- A 24-year-old man was attacked with a metal pipe after he asked an uninvited party-goer to leave a New Year's celebration, police said.

The victim said he was at a house party on Newark Avenue with three of his friends when a man, later identified as 22-year-old Sai Ravipati, started acting "belligerently" towards people at that party, according to a police report.

None of the four men knew Ravipati and asked him to leave at about 7 a.m. after a verbal argument. An hour later Ravipati, of Poughkeepsie, returned back to the home and asked the victim to talk outside, police said.

Outside the vestibule of the building, Ravipati hit the 24-year-old victim in the head with a metal pipe. The victim "returned blows" with Ravipati and yelled to his friends for help, the report states.

The group of men chased Ravipati up Newark Avenue, turned onto Summit Avenue, and stopped him at the Pavonia Avenue intersection. The friends asked people walking in the area to call police, according to the report.

Witnesses told police the group "had an altercation" with Ravipati at the intersection. A bloody pipe was found near where the chase ended, police said.

The victim was brought to Jersey City Medical Center where he needed stitches. Ravipati was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, possession of weapon, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, the report states.

Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
The march was organized by Father Michael Pfleger of Saint Sabina Church and Reverend Jesse Jackson of Rainbow PUSH on Michigan Avenue last Saturday. Many of the 30 pound crosses were carried by friends or relatives of the victims, and others were carried by complete strangers.

There was one final protest march on New Years' Eve of 2016 in Chicago. About 500 people carried 793 wooden crosses with the names of people murdered this year in Chicago. It was called a "peace march" but technically it was not a protest. There was a heavy police presence, but the march was quiet and peaceful with no arrests, although it did disrupt the shopping district's traffic.

One such person was my friend Stephanie Trussell, who hosts a radio show Sunday nights on WLS 890-AM. She traveled in from the suburbs to cover the story but ended carrying a cross on the two-mile march. As the crosses were taken out of the trucks near the Tribune Tower, they announced there were not enough people to carry all the crosses. Stephanie, like many others, stepped up to honor these victims. Another group shown below traveled in from Holy Family Parish from Inverness located in Lake County.





The crosses were built by Aurora resident Greg Zanis who gave the crosses to the friends and relatives at the end of the march. Earlier this year, Zanis took 49 crosses to Orlando, Florida to honor the 49 victims murdered at the Pulse nightclub which many consider a terrorist attack.

There was at least one pro-life group marching and carrying crosses. As a side note, there are no recorded numbers here of babies killed in abortion in Chicago, which may be in the thousands. That is yet another major topic of debate and discussion. It is interesting too that people embraced carrying a cross for the victims , a symbol of Jesus and Christianity. There is a March for Life on Sunday, January 15, 2016 at 2:00p.m. in downtown Chicago.

The final number of homicides is 762 with the 793 including deaths involving child abuse. Most of the murders involved guns yet there were a number of stabbing along with several beatings. They are also reporting that this is a 57% increase over last year. In addition, there are reports of over 3100 shootings in Chicago in 2016. There were 11 people killed by Chicago Police and it's unclear if any of those are reflected in these totals. Another troubling detail is well over half of these cases remain unsolved.

There is much discussion of the causes and solutions to lower this tragedy in Chicago. Many blame guns or the term "gun violence." I personally don't like that term as many believe the old adage, "Guns don't kill people, people do." Others blame gangs and drugs.

I blame the breakdown of the family along with poor public policy. In addition, I blame the "Ferguson Effect" which has hampered police being able to do their jobs. A solution many are discussing is the controversial tactic of "Stop and Frisk." Others talk about longer jail sentences while some want more money spent on social programs.

Chicago has a declining population which includes 14,000 less kids in Chicago Public Schools compared to last year. Bottom line is people are leaving Chicago. For this, I blame high crime, poor schools, high taxes (property & sales tax), over regulation, lack of jobs, and government corruption. My main blame is these murderers which have no respect or value for human life.

For me the march was inspiring, moving, sad, disturbing and chilling. I hope and pray that we find some solutions to this terrible violence with a new year here in 2017.

Mark Weyermuller is a small business person, real estate professional, and conservative activist in Chicago. He is a citizen journalist and regular contributor to Illinois Review. Mark can be heard weekly on the radio in a "man on the street segment" at 10:31pm as a regular guest on the Stephanie Trussell Show heard Sunday nights 9pm-midnight on WLS 890-AM.




For more than three decades, the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, city of Hammond and town of Munster have maintained ownership of a segment of the old Monon Railroad right-of-way in anticipation of extending the South Shore Line to Dyer.

But that right-of-way constitutes only part of the land NICTD will need for the tracks and electric catenary, four train stations, parking lots, maintenance facility and layover yard that make up the West Lake Corridor project. The railroad's preferred plan requires the acquisition of all or part of 319 privately and publicly owned parcels, covering nearly 140 acres in Hammond, Munster and Dyer.

A total of 147 of the necessary acquisitions will be full residential parcels, and 42 will require portions of residential property, according to the project's draft environmental impact statement.

Those purchases are expected to lead to 91 "displacements," defined as "nonvacant property of which over 50 percent would be acquired." Generally, a displacement occurs when the economic viability or continued use of the property is affected.

Another 23 acquisitions would displace owners of business-classified properties, and 60 would impact municipal and other owners.

"Progress happens"

A proposed Ridge Road station in Munster would require several property acquisitions, according to the draft EIS, including some older South Street homes that were once farms.

"I've loved living here," Adeline Koester, a resident for about 50 years, said. "It's heaven on Earth for me."

Down the line, at Main Street on the Munster-Dyer border, a relatively undeveloped area offers a convenient location for a southern terminus, but some residents of Munster's Community Estates and others along Sheffield Avenue in Dyer would have to move if the project proceeds as planned.

"I'm not happy about it," said Mary Kish, who lives in a Munster town house along the proposed rail line. The message she said she's received, though, is that "it's pretty much a done deal."

Kish, who moved a year ago with her husband, daughter and two granddaughters, is among the recent home buyers who didn't know about the project when they moved in.

"I wasn't aware it was coming," she said. "We weren't told anything about it."

For Kish, moving again will be difficult.

"I guess progress happens, but I don't want it to happen to me," she said with a laugh.

Don and Marilyn Kaegebein live in one of the few homes dotting the Community Estates neighborhood. Their home would not be taken as a result of NICTD's preferred plan, but they've spent recent years concerned about it, and don't feel out of the woods yet.

Don, a "rail fan"  or "train nut," in his wife's describing  said he's been aware of South Shore extension talk for years and has been attending workshops and meetings. But the variety of alternatives, and their potential impact on the Kaegebein's property, has remained a concern.

"I'm not totally against it," Kaegebein said of the rail project. "I would just like to know what they're really going to do so we can plan accordingly."

Kaegebein will get a chance to learn more at public hearings this month on the project. And he said NICTD's designation of a preferred plan in the draft EIS published last month has helped.

"I feel a little bit better that we're not going to have to move," he said.

Land needed

The bulk of the property acquisitions would be necessary to accommodate tracks and related infrastructure, according to the draft EIS. All or part of 178 parcels, totaling 62 acres, would need to be purchased for that purpose.

That would lead to 61 residential, 11 commercial and three industrial displacements. Another 27 parcels, owned by municipalities or other entities, would also be needed.

The realignment of the existing South Shore tracks in the area of the new Gateway Station would require acquisition of two residential properties, displacing their residents.

The West Lake Corridor's stations and rail yards would require these purchases:

 Hammond Gateway station and parking: 60 parcels, including 12 residential and two industrial displacements.

 North Hammond maintenance facility: 28 acquisitions, including six residential displacements, one commercial and four industrial.

 South Hammond station and parking: No property acquisitions necessary.

 Munster Ridge Road station: 37 acquisitions, including four residential displacements. A total of 29 parcels are town-owned, vacant land north of Ridge Road that were once the site of town houses. The land would be used for an overflow parking lot.

 Munster/Dyer Main Street station, parking lot and layover yard: 13 acquisitions, including eight residential displacements.

Tax impact

Removing the privately held properties from the tax roles would reduce local governments' revenue by about $323,000 to $327,000 annually, according to the draft EIS. The taxable value of the property is estimated at $7.4 million to $7.5 million, constituting a 0.044 percent reduction in the tax base.

Project proponents argue the tax decrease would be overwhelmed by tax revenue increases the project will bring. The Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority's strategic plan predicts additional property tax revenue of $207 million over 20 years.

Federal protections

For property owners who are facing displacement, NICTD would begin acquisition negotiations when the project enters the federally designated engineering phase  late this year if the project moves through the federal approval process as planned.

Federal, state and local laws govern property acquisitions for transit projects. The federal Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Polices Act requires an appraisal to be done, then reviewed by a second appraiser, to determine a property's value. After a purchase offer is made, property owners are guaranteed time to review the offer and to make a counteroffer if they desire.

Displaced residents are also typically reimbursed for moving costs, and are eligible for other financial assistance that helps them find a new home comparable to the home they're leaving. Relocation agents will contact property owners to explain services available to assist in their move.

Businesses are also paid moving expenses, and can be eligible for costs associated with re-establishment of operations among other payments.
PORTAGE TOWNSHIP  Would you like to see a kayak launch on Salt Creek? How about an outdoor workout center and splash pad at Field of Dreams Park?

The Portage Township Park Department is looking for input from residents on a five-year master plan. The session will be held at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 17 at the Portage Township trustee's office, 3484 Airport Road.

The township has been in the process of developing a five-year master plan, Superintendent Joy Lundstrom said, and this session will allow residents to prioritize suggestions at the township's four parks.

So far, public input has been good in the process of developing the master plan, Lundstrom said. Residents have made suggestions as to what they'd like to see and identified issues.

"There is an identity challenge. People are not sure what Portage Township parks is. They get confused with the city's parks. It is a message we've been working on and will continue to do so through education," she said.

Lundstrom said people also are looking to connect the township's parks, in particular connecting Haven Hollow on County Road 700 North to Field of Dreams, also on County Road 700 North. They would also like to see a connection between the township parks and the Prairie Duneland Trail, she said.

In addition, the public has suggested a kayak launch on Salt Creek at Haven Hollow, parking improvements and plumbed bathrooms at both Haven Hollow and Field of Dreams and increased opportunities for passive recreation. Suggestions specific for Field of Dreams include an expanded playground, splash pad and outdoor workout center.

Once the master plan is completed, it will be sent to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources for approval. Parks departments must adopt master plans to be eligible for grants and other funding.

Lundstrom said after this master plan is completed, the department will be working on a master plan for Evergreen Park, which is on the site of the former Portage Little League Field in Portage. People have suggested installing a playground, batting cages and picnic shelter at that park, which was purchased by the township about a year ago.

"We are here for the community, so we really want to put in place what the community wants to see in their parks," Lundstrom said.
OGDEN DUNES  "Some of us are just crazy," Cheryl Bauman said as she bounced up and down trying to keep warm Sunday afternoon.

Dressed in a swim cap, swim suit and shorts and wrapped with a towel, Bauman of Medora, Indiana, was one of nearly 30 people who took a plunge Sunday afternoon into Lake Michigan.

"That is very cold water," she said, adding she had actually taken a plunge earlier in the day, just because.

The plunge, which gathered people from as far as San Antonio, Texas, to Greenbelt, Maryland, was started by the Anderson family 19 years ago.

Every year, relatives, like Bauman, return.

"I feel like if I don't, I will have a bad year," she said.

James Garza, of San Antonio, was being baptized into the tradition. He had just become engaged to an Anderson clan member, Julia Horn.

"She tiptoed and I went right in. It was what I thought it would be," said Garza after running back to the beach.

While the air temperature hovered around 40 degrees and there was no ice on the lake, the water temperature was a crisp 35 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

"You just feel so cold," said Erica Mysliwiec of Greenbelt, Maryland, who took the plunge for the second time.

Two teen newcomers were going to try the plunge for the first time.

"It seems out of my comfort zone. It is something new for me," said Mark Miller, 16, of Valparaiso.

"I wanted to have fun, see new people who come from a lot of places and try a new experience," said Israel Hoernig, 14, of Lansing, Illinois.

Jason Gast, of Hebron, said Sunday was his eighth or ninth time to take the New Year's Day plunge. He brought along his friend Kevin Horecky, of Ogden Dunes.

"Its fun. It started out as a stunt," said Gast, reminding Horecky that if he doesn't duck his head into the water, it doesn't count.
VALPARAISO  Maeve Hadenfelt, 5, of Chesterton, carefully decorated her cookie last week at Lakeshore Paws during the Puppy and Pajamas party.

Members of the juniorPaws volunteer club celebrated the holidays decorating cookies and watching a dog movie with some of the dogs at Lakeshore Paws.

The program is for children ages 5 to 16 who love dogs and want to learn more about the furry animals.

The members meet once a month and usually do things around the building to help with the dogs. But this time was a bit different because the children were having Christmas party and decorating cookies in the shape of dog paws and dog bones.

Club members not only learn about appropriate dog care and how to care for homeless dogs, they learn to safely interact with dogs. The program at Lakeshore Paws is headed by volunteers Pam and Ken Snow.

"We've been doing this for two years but this is the first time for the pajama party," Pam Snow said.

Jennifer Leek, of Valparaiso, has two children who are juniorPaws members. "We adopted two dogs from here, and the kids wanted to help out in some way," Leek said. "They love filling the dog toys with peanut butter for the dogs."

Right now there are about 20 members in the group. Anyone can be a member. For information, call (219) 476-7297 or visit Lakeshore Paws at 4611 Evans.
INDIANAPOLIS  Republicans who control Indiana's Statehouse say fiscal restraint will be in order when they write the state's two-year budget in the coming months. But as GOP leaders preach frugality ahead of the annual legislative session which kicks off Tuesday, they are also planning for a big increase in infrastructure spending  and want to raise taxes to pay for it.

"We don't have enough revenue to even sustain our maintenance program," said state Sen. Luke Kenley, the Senate's chief budget writer. Last year the Noblesville Republican opposed a similar tax increase; now he says lawmakers need to "face up to the fact" that more money is needed.

That means residents could find themselves paying more for cigarettes, gasoline or vehicle registration in order to build out and repair the state's roads, highways and bridges. It also creates an awkward situation for roughly two dozen Republicans who signed a pledge to conservative activist Grover Norquist, promising never to raise taxes.

Indiana is sitting on about $2 billion in reserves. Revenues are projected to grow 2 percent over the next two years, which could bring in an estimated $1 billion in new money.

Still, GOP leaders say they are cautious after the state collected about $300 million less than expected during the current budget cycle. They don't want to tap the surplus, warning that a recession could be around the corner.

GOP leaders have indicated so far that passing a budget and a road funding plan will be the main priorities. A 2015 report found the state needs to at least double infrastructure spending. Lawmakers directed some new money to projects last year, but estimate they need at least $1 billion per year going forward.

What remains to be seen is how much appetite there will be for other large-scale undertakings, or what will be included in Governor-elect Eric Holcomb's agenda. The Republican has offered little beyond campaign slogans, but says he will present his plan to take Indiana to "the next level" on Jan. 5.

"It's going to be lean times no matter what," said Republican House Speaker Brian Bosma. He added that popular ideas such as expanding a state run preschool pilot program for poor kids are "not easy to achieve, given the tight circumstances."

Holcomb voiced support for increased roads funding, but hasn't said if he'll back a tax increase. He has also called for expanding the state's pre-school program beyond the five counties it currently serves, but says it should focus on poor children.

Democrats, who are in the minority, have pushed for universal state preschool program, which Republicans believe would be too costly. Democrats have played coy about whether they will support a GOP roads plan.

They opposed a plan passed by House Republicans last year because it would increase the state's 18-cents a gallon gas tax by several pennies and increase by $1 the price of a pack of cigarettes. They argued a tax hike was not justifiable when the state had $2 billion in reserve, but the plan was doomed anyway because Senate Republicans and Gov. Mike Pence, now the Republican vice president-elect, didn't want an election year tax hike.

House Minority Leader Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City, still questions if a tax hike is "the best, or the only avenue, for raising revenues."

Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Portage, said the revenue pinch was a problem of Republicans' own creation after cutting or capping corporate and personal taxes in recent years.

Another question that hangs over the session is what role conservative social issues may play. Many social conservatives say they have been emboldened by the election of President-elect Donald Trump and see now as the time to push for big changes.

Already state Rep. Curt Nisly, R-Goshen, has said he will sponsor a bill that would ban abortion in the state, despite a longstanding U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing it. Supporters are pushing the bill which they hope could lead to a court case that could eventually overturn the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision.

Gun rights advocates say they are similarly optimistic about their chances following Trump's election.

Republican state Rep. Jim Lucas, of Seymour, plans to file the bill that would get rid of a state law requiring a license to carry handguns.
The NYPD is looking for two people as they investigate the first deadly shooting of the new year in Queens early Monday morning.

Police say a 31-year-old man was shot in the chest during an attempted robbery on 124th Street near Liberty Avenue in South Ozone Park around 3:30 a.m.

He died at the hospital.



A 24-year-old man was also shot in the back, and is recovering.

Police are now searching for the gunman and his accomplice.

Anyone with information on the case should contact the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS, or text CRIMES and then enter TIP577, or visit www.nypdcrimestoppers.com.
It is perhaps the most significant artifact documenting the arrival of Jews in the New World: a small, tattered 16th-century manuscript written in an almost microscopic hand by Luis de Carvajal the Younger, the man whose life and pain it chronicled.

Until 1932, the 180-page booklet by de Carvajal, a secret Jew who was burned at the stake by the Inquisition in Spains colony of Mexico, resided in that countrys National Archives.

Then it vanished. The theft transformed the manuscript into an object of obsession, a kind of Maltese Falcon, for a coterie of Inquisition scholars and rare-book collectors. Almost nothing was heard about the document for more than 80 years  until it showed up 13 months ago at a London auction house. The manuscript was on sale for $1,500, because the house had little sense of its value.

But last year the relic caught the eye of a prominent collector of Judaica, Leonard Milberg, when it showed up for resale at the Swann Galleries in Manhattan. It was now priced at more than 50 times what it had sold for just a few months earlier in England. Mr. Milberg consulted a variety of experts, who told him it might be the actual manuscript, and worth as much as $500,000. They also warned him to be careful  the original had been reported stolen.
The opening of the first segment of the line  an extension of the Q train to 96th Street  promises to lighten the crush of passengers on the Nos. 4, 5 and 6 trains along Lexington Avenue, the nations most overcrowded subway line, which had been the only line on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. When the stations opened shortly before noon, they were quickly filled with giddy riders both young and old, and strollers, suitcases and dogs  all familiar sights across the system.

But for all the excitement, the line, with just three new stops, is much more modest than the ambitious route running the length of Manhattan that was once envisioned. It serves a relatively affluent and not very diverse part of the city, which has more than eight and a half million people and many low-income and minority residents who live far from a subway line. With the subway reaching its highest ridership levels since 1948, much of the aging system is plagued by crowding and delays, even as subway and bus fares are expected to rise again in March.

Still, there was reason to cheer. The opening of a new subway line is a rare occasion in the United States and comes at a time of mounting concern about the deteriorating state of the nations infrastructure, from its roadways and bridges to its public transit systems. Few new subway stations have opened in recent years, even as expansive subway networks have sprouted in Asia, and most American cities never built any in the first place.
HAMBURG, Germany  Its no surprise that Russia met President Obamas expulsion of its diplomats, which he announced Thursday in response to the Kremlins efforts to manipulate the 2016 election, with a collective shrug. Moscow seems content to let the clock run out, knowing that on Jan. 20 Mr. Obama will be replaced by an admirer in the White House and an old friend in the State Department.

But the changeover is bittersweet; President Vladimir V. Putin has also lost a beloved boogeyman. For the foreseeable future, the United States can hardly serve as Russias preferred enemy of the state. So guess who qualifies best as a new, well, boogeywoman? Angela Merkel.

The German chancellor is a perfect target. Germany is holding general elections next autumn, and with politicians sympathetic to Moscow on the rise, she may well be running for her fourth term as the sole European leader willing to stand up to a newly assertive Russia.

Since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, Ms. Merkel has been the most consequential voice for punishing Russia. The next year, she welcomed a million refugees into Germany, and pushed the rest of Europe to do the same  thus, in the view of Russian ethno-nationalists, diluting European culture. And she still believes in a united, integrated European Union, a bastion of liberal values and, at least implicitly, a political and economic bulwark against Russia.
It is perhaps an occupational hazard in Mr. Cohens line of work to see the world in light of its dangers. (He also has a son whos done two tours of duty in Iraq, and a daughter in the Navy  two facts he admirably never mentions, let alone exploits, in The Big Stick.) Those with dovish inclinations will doubtless propose very different solutions to the problems he identifies. But he does a very good job of identifying them, providing a thorough if disconcerting tour dhorizon.

Image The author Eliot A. Cohen. Credit... Kaveh Sardari

On Mr. Cohens list of concerns, China ranks highest: Its naval aggression and transgressions could reshape the international order, particularly if it starts a conflict with one of our allies. Russias aggression concerns him, too, especially now that it has found sympathetic authoritarian and nativist governments in the West. Without unity, he notes, NATO is paralyzed.

At the time Mr. Cohen wrote that sentence, he was referring to the governments of Hungary and Greece, which have both shown themselves to be sympathetic to Mr. Putin. Who would have imagined adding the next American president to the list?

Also relevant to the new world order: Mr. Cohen believes that the only way to fight global terror in any meaningful way is through long, sustained campaigns on the ground, as well as from the air. (Imagine how much more stable Libya would be, he asks, if the United States and its allies had sent in troops just after the overthrow of Muammar el-Qaddafi.)

But in order for this strategy to work, both the American public and its leaders would have to make a dramatic psychological adjustment, thinking much more flexibly, and patiently, about war. They would have to accept that future conflicts may be neither swift nor immediately decisive. Such an honest appraisal, Mr. Cohen writes, will test the character of politicians who, naturally enough, hope to end their tenures having won, or at least finished, the wars that they have begun or inherited.

This is a tall order for any elected official. For Mr. Trump, who made We are going to win so big a rallying cry, it seems higher than the moon.

All of Mr. Cohens proposals would cost a great deal of money  and, potentially, human lives. Hed like to see forces deployed in Poland and the Baltic States to ward off Russian hostilities. Hed like to see a beefed-up air and naval presence in the Persian Gulf to thwart Iran. In retrospect, he wishes wed left 10,000 to 20,000 troops in Iraq. (He doesnt address the sticky problem of reconciling this idea with the Iraqi desire for sovereignty.)
 The Turkish authorities are hunting for the gunman who opened fire at an Istanbul nightclub on New Years Day, killing at least 39 people from no fewer than 12 countries.

The Islamic State claimed him as a hero soldier of the caliphate and appeared to refer to Turkeys role in the Syrian war.

In Iraq, the group claimed a suicide bombing in central Baghdad that killed dozens, even as it makes a brutal last-ditch effort to hang on to its only remaining Iraqi stronghold, Mosul.
For years, mergers and acquisitions in technology were fairly straightforward: Every investment bank kept a list of a dozen or so companies like Google and IBM that had a track record of acquisitions and cash to deploy. When the time and price were right, bankers would seek to match the tech giants with a start-up, and a deal would be hatched.

Now the technology deal-making club has had its doors blown wide open.

All kinds of companies, including century-old industrial stalwarts like General Motors and General Electric, are among the corporate giants acquiring tech start-ups of late.

This trend, of course, reflects how new technology is radically changing many traditional businesses. Developments like connected homes and driverless cars are upending old models. Many companies have come to the realization that building technology in-house was a painstaking process that often meant getting leapfrogged by start-ups.

So companies not usually thought of as being in the tech sector have become more aggressive, making more than $125 billion worth of acquisitions in 2016, the most ever. Five years ago, that figure was $20 billion.
Its up to the passenger to do the research on the companys website or phone app to determine the most convenient, time, routing or departure/arrival city. Otherwise, the airline systems will automatically book the passenger on the next available flight on the original route.

Airlines are not obliged to compensate travelers with lodging or meals for delays because of extreme weather.

So in the case of the Ryans, traveling back from Tokyo, Mr. Ryan used the hotel and car rental apps on his phone to estimate the cost of spending an extra day and night in Los Angeles. That made it possible for them to carefully consider their choices.

On the phone with an agent, wed have to decide right when they give us our options, Mr. Ryan said. Now we can research everything on our time frame  not the airlines.

The pair decided to stay in Los Angeles for the day and try a new restaurant they had read about.

That is pretty much how the airlines say they want passengers to respond to weather waivers: by deciding themselves what works best.

We are trying to put as much control as possible in the hands of customers, Ross Feinstein, a spokesman for American Airlines, said. The company wants customers to look at alternatives while theyre still at home, before they come to the airport, he said.

About a year ago, American updated its phone app with the ability to change itineraries when weather waivers were issued. Mr. Feinstein said that calls to the reservation center during storms had decreased significantly as a result of the new self-serve option.
Sitting in her mothers lap in a day care classroom in Harlem in November, Savaun Jones, 3, grabbed a toy phone, dialed and held the wrong end to her ear. Im calling Daddy, she said, smiling at her mother.

The simple act of calling her father was not always so easy for the family. Every two weeks for a year, her mother, Latoya Farquharson, would leave her cleaning job and take an eight-hour overnight bus ride upstate to visit her boyfriend and the father of her children in prison.

Since the couple started dating 12 years ago, Vasaun Jones, now 31, has been arrested 10 times, often on charges of drug possession and sales, according to police records. During that time, he has been in and out of jail nine times and shuffled to five state facilities, spending almost half of their relationship behind bars.

You drop your whole soul in a bucket when you get to Rikers, Ms. Farquharson, 40, said of her visits to the jail complex, adding that she preferred the quality time spent at state prison to the short and demoralizing visits at Rikers.
Dorothy Stoneman spent last month packing up her office  all 38 years worth of a career as the founder of YouthBuild U.S.A., a nonprofit that began in East Harlem when she and a group of teenagers came together to rehabilitate an abandoned building.

The organization would expand to 260 programs in 45 states and 80 programs in 21 countries and make its headquarters in Massachusetts. But its roots remain in New York, where its East Harlem branch, Youth Action/YouthBuild, is still in its original storefront.

The whole program was designed as a transformational experience for an oppressed young person, Ms. Stoneman, 74, said in an interview from her office in Somerville, Mass. The fact that weve been able to spread it to hundreds of places, that in itself is a great achievement.

Ms. Stonemans group changed the lives of thousands of young people who had been imprisoned, were unemployed or had not earned high school diplomas. YouthBuild put them into a classroom and to work, often building affordable housing in their communities.
To the Editor:

Re Loretta Lynchs Parting Message (Editorial Notebook, Dec. 17):

I share Ernesto Londonos concern that the Justice Department in the next administration may step back from its critical role in enforcing federal civil rights laws. One response is for state and local governments to strengthen laws and dedicate resources for civil rights enforcement.

In New York, we have powerful anti-discrimination laws that can be enforced by the state attorney general, the state Education Department, the state Division of Human Rights and the New York City Commission on Human Rights.

State and local governments can and should help to combat discrimination and protect individual rights.

LISA F. GRUMET

New York

The writer is associate director of the Impact Center for Public Interest Law at New York Law School.
To the Editor:

Re The Stolen Supreme Court Seat (editorial, Dec. 25):

Some months ago, it was suggested that President Obama consider the Senates refusal to act on his nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court as a decision to waive its opportunity to advise and consent and declare that the nomination had been confirmed. He should do that now, and Judge Garland should take his place on the court.

The Senate Republicans would no doubt howl in protest that the president has created a constitutional crisis, but so what? It is one of their own making. Can there be any doubt that, faced with the same situation, the Republicans would not take every possible action to claim this judicial vacancy?

Senator Mitch McConnells assertion that the American people should be heard from before the Supreme Court seat is filled would then be answered. Hillary Clinton received almost three million more votes than Donald Trump. If that is not the voice of America, what is?

JOHN HASEN

Hilton Head, S.C.

To the Editor:

When it comes to the Supreme Court, conservatives and liberals have fundamentally different values. Conservatives want the justices to apply the Constitution as it is written, not to read their own personal values and preferences into a living Constitution.
Once, a senior associate for whom I was working berated me for such a mistake and said, Getting these things right is the easy part, and if you cant get that right, what does it say about your ability to analyze the law properly? I learned my lesson. To restore the focus-training function of the classroom, I stopped allowing laptops in class early in my teaching career. Since then research has confirmed the wisdom of my choice.

Focus is crucial, and we do best when monotasking: Even disruptions of a few seconds can derail ones train of thought. Students process information better when they take notes  they dont just transcribe, as they do with laptops, but they think and record those thoughts. One study found that laptops or tablets consistently undermine exam performance by 1.7 percent (a significant difference in the context of the study). Other studies reveal that writing by hand helps memory retention. Screens block us from connecting, whether at dinner or in a classroom. Kelly McGonigal, a psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University, says that just having a phone on a table during a meal is sufficiently distracting to reduce empathy and rapport between two people.

For all these reasons, starting with smaller classes, I banned laptops, and it improved the students engagement. With constant eye contact, I could see and feel when they understood me, and when they did not. Energized by the connection, we moved faster, further and deeper into the material. I broadened my rule to include one of my large upper-level courses. The pushback was real: A week before class, I posted the syllabus, which announced my policy. Two students wrote me to ask if I would reconsider, and dropped the class when I refused. But more important, after my class ends, many students continue to take notes by hand even when its not required.

Putting aside medical exemptions, many students are just resistant. They are used to typing and prefer it to writing. They may feel they take better notes by keyboard. They may feel they know how to take notes by hand but do not want to have to do so. They can look up material, and theres no need to print assignments. Some may have terrible handwriting, or find it uncomfortable or even painful to write.

To them, Ill let the Rolling Stones answer: You cant always get what you want, but sometimes you get what you need. My students need to learn how to be lawyers and professionals. To succeed they must internalize an ethos of caution, care and respect. To instill these values and skills in my students, I have no choice but to limit laptop use in the classroom.
WASHINGTON  The carnage of the Syrian governments assault on Aleppo, enabled by Russia and Iran, was unbearable to watch. Just as unbearable was the realization that the United States could not save the Syrian people from this horror.

Thats hard to admit, and harder for those in the middle of this humanitarian nightmare to hear. But the lessons of how Syria arrived at this moment of catastrophe, and how America arrived at this moment of helplessness, are clear. And if the United States does not learn from them, we will repeat them.

The first lessons come from our short-term mistakes, which have prolonged the conflict and misery and increased the human toll of the war. Civil wars tend to end by one of three means: One side eventually crushes the other; both sides fight so long that they reach the point of exhaustion; or an outside power steps in with overwhelming influence to force a settlement between the sides.

We most likely watched the first scenario play out when the army of Syrias president, Bashar al-Assad, together with Iranian militias and Russian forces, stormed Aleppo. Our primary mistake was miscalculating the lengths that Mr. Assads allies would go to prop up his rule, while believing our halfhearted measures would be enough to tip the balance.
The largest potential foreign investment in the country  a $3 billion Chinese copper mining project not far from Kabul  has been stalled for years because of the governments inability to secure the area. Last month, the Taliban said it was giving China the green light by agreeing to protect the project. The security of such sites should be guaranteed by the Afghan government and not by the Taliban.

By making security for mining and other projects a priority, both the Afghans and the United States will reduce their burden after 2020, helping the country move toward a point where it can fund its own national budget and security forces.

While improving security, the Afghan government needs to harness its natural resources and invest in other sectors that will make use of Afghanistans site at the crossroads of Asia. In addition to the traditional trade in agricultural products, wool and skins, trade in new sectors like data and information technology services also has potential.

In the recent years, the construction of intercity highways and investment in agriculture have helped increase agricultural exports significantly. Agriculture now represents 25 percent of the Afghan economy and employs 70 percent of the population. The agricultural processing sector including beverage companies such as Coca-Cola and local juicing enterprises makes up 90 percent of the entire manufacturing activity, according to the World Bank estimates.

Afghanistan has made some progress by opening up the information technology sector, once a government monopoly, to private investment. The country has around 20 million cellphone users and three million internet users, according to the Central Intelligence Agency. An existing fiber optic cable network could be connected to Pakistan and to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in the north, giving Afghanistan potential data fees of $200 million a year, according to American development experts. It would also greatly reduce what Afghan consumers pay for internet access, which is now 20 times the average in the region.

I was working with Etisalat, a telecommunications investor, in 2007, when it expressed interest in building an information technology park with other telecom and technology companies. After initial expressions of support from the Afghan government, there were no commitments to provide security or access to electricity. The project, which could have provided jobs to thousands of young Afghans, never took off. Almost a decade later, the country is still plagued by a lack of security, bureaucratic failure and weak infrastructure.
THERES quite a paradox when it comes to our health data. Most of us still cannot readily look at it, but theres been an epidemic of cybercriminals and thieves hacking and stealing this most personal information.

Last year hundreds of breaches involving millions of health records were reported to the Department of Health and Human Services  with the hackings of the health insurers Anthem and Premera Blue Cross alone affecting some 90 million Americans. At least 10 hospitals and health care systems have had their patient data and information systems literally held for ransom. This month, the national medical lab Quest Diagnostics reported that information on 34,000 patients had been stolen. And these breaches are just the ones that have been disclosed.

Why is our private health information being stolen and trafficked by cybercriminals? For one, these records include information that makes them more valuable to hackers than almost any other type of data. Thieves can use this information to order medical equipment and drugs to resell and to fraudulently bill insurance companies, the costs of which are passed along to consumers.
Victories have been steady and significant in the Fight for $15, a nationwide movement for higher pay that began just over four years ago with walkouts by fast-food workers in New York City. In 2017, nearly 12 million workers will get raises as seven states and 18 cities and counties begin phasing in higher minimums approved in 2016. In all, 30 states have now set their minimums higher than the federal level of $7.25 an hour.

Despite this growing movement, the federal minimum hasnt budged since 2009, and there has been little progress in some regions of the country, including the South. Now comes the election of Donald Trump, whose convoluted statements on raising the federal minimum boil down to no or maybe a little bit.

If thats the attitude of the next administration, more states and localities could take matters into their own hands, which may suit Mr. Trump just fine. In the past, he has said raising the minimum should be left to states, an idea also advanced by Andrew Puzder, the fast-food executive Mr. Trump tapped for labor secretary. What they fail (or refuse) to see is that state and local raises, while laudable, are not a substitute for a federal raise.
This is crony capitalism, with potentially devastating consequences. If Mr. Trump appoints people to the antitrust division and the F.C.C. who are willing to wave through a Sprint/T-Mobile merger, he will do lasting damage to the economy that far outweighs any benefit from 5,000 jobs, jobs that might have been created even without the merger. Individuals and businesses will find wireless service costs a lot more when they have only Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile/Sprint to choose from.

In addition, a combined Sprint and T-Mobile would inevitably cut thousands of jobs as executives merge the companies networks, stores, billing systems, customer service departments and so on. That has happened time and again after big telecom deals. When AT&T was acquiring BellSouth in 2006, executives said they expected to cut 10,000 jobs after the deal closed in December of that year. Since then AT&T has also acquired DirecTV. At the end of September, AT&T employed 273,000 people around the world, down from 309,000 in 2007.

It has become abundantly clear that Mr. Trump is easily distracted by shiny objects, especially if they reflect back on him. Hes more interested in boasting about how he personally saved a thousand jobs at Carrier, say, than in policy details that could make a difference in the lives of tens of millions of workers. Never mind that Carrier is only keeping about 800 jobs and that its chief executive said that the company would get rid of some of those anyway through automation. This should greatly worry Americans, especially people who are counting on Mr. Trump to revive the economy and help the middle class.
Now, of course, everything is in flux. In the worst case, with a sufficiently pliant Congress, Mr. Trump could roll back a decade of progress on climate change. Barring some miraculous conversion on Mr. Trumps part, his election cannot be interpreted as anything but bad news for the climate agenda.

Yet despair might be an overreaction.

For starters, when Mr. Trump gets to the White House, he will find that the federal government actually has relatively little control over American energy policy, and particularly over electricity generation. The coal industry has been ravaged in part by cheap natural gas, which is abundant because of technological changes in the way it is produced, and there is no lever in the Oval Office that Mr. Trump can pull to reverse that.

The intrinsically weak federal role was a source of frustration for Mr. Obama and his aides, but now it will work to the benefit of environmental advocates. They have already persuaded more than half the states to adopt mandates on renewable energy. Efforts to roll those back have largely failed, with the latest development coming only last week, when Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, a Republican, vetoed a rollback bill.

The federal government does offer important subsidies for renewable energy, and they will surely become a target in the new Congress. But those subsidies are already scheduled to fall drastically over five years, in a deal cut a year ago that gave the oil industry some favors and that passed Congress with many Republican votes.

If Mr. Trump pushes for an early end to the subsidies, he will find that renewable energy has friends in the Republican Party. Topping that list is Charles E. Grassley, the senior senator from Iowa. That state  all-important in presidential politics, let us remember  will soon be getting 40 percent of its electricity from wind power.

Senator Grassley has been and continues to be an extraordinary leader and champion for the wind industry, said Tom Kiernan, the head of the American Wind Energy Association, a trade group.

When I spoke with him last week, Mr. Kiernan did not sound like a man gnashing his teeth about the impending Trump era. By his groups calculations, $80 billion of wind industry investment is in the pipeline for the United States over the next few years. We are creating jobs throughout America, good-paying jobs, and we think President-elect Trump will want that to continue, he said.
After the explosion in September of one of its rockets, SpaceX is now ready to get back into the business of sending payloads to space, the company announced on Monday, with its next rocket headed to orbit as soon as Sunday.

In a statement, SpaceX  or more formally, Space Exploration Technologies Corporation  said that an investigation had determined the likely cause: an unexpected interplay of supercold helium and oxygen with carbon fibers and aluminum.

The statement Monday added technical details about what went wrong, and the company said it had devised workarounds to prevent a recurrence.

The cascade of explosions on Sept. 1 that destroyed a Falcon 9 rocket on the launchpad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida was perplexing and concerning, because it occurred during what is usually regarded as a safer portion of operations  the fueling of propellants  about eight minutes before the ignition of the engines for a planned test. (The launch had been scheduled for two days later.)
Dozens of the nations top scientists wrote to President-elect Donald J. Trump on Monday to urge him not to dismantle the Iran deal, calling it a strong bulwark against any Iranian bid to make nuclear arms.

We urge you to preserve this critical U.S. strategic asset, the letter read. The 37 signatories included Nobel laureates, veteran makers of nuclear arms, former White House science advisers and the chief executive of the worlds largest general society of scientists.

During the campaign, Mr. Trump called the Iran accord the worst deal ever negotiated. In a speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group, he declared that his No. 1 priority is to dismantle the disastrous deal and argued that Tehran had outmaneuvered Washington in winning concessions and could still develop nuclear arms when the pacts restrictions expire in 15 years.

The letter was organized by Richard L. Garwin, a physicist who helped design the worlds first hydrogen bomb and has long advised Washington on nuclear weapons and arms control. He is among the last living physicists who helped usher in the nuclear age.
The body of the Iraqi prisoner was found naked and badly bruised in 2003, outside a detention center in southern Iraq run by United States Marines. The 52-year-old man had been beaten, deprived of sleep, forced to stand for long periods and interrogated by Marines about his alleged role in a fatal ambush of American forces.

James N. Mattis, President-elect Donald J. Trumps nominee for secretary of defense, was then a major general and the commander of the Marine division in Iraq responsible for the center. He quickly convened an inquiry into the death, which led to courts-martial, and banned the harsh techniques used at the prison.

General Mattis was all up in arms over this, Ralph Dengler, then a lieutenant colonel, testified at a military hearing in January 2004. He added that the commander, who arrived hours after the discovery on a planned visit with his British counterpart, had immediately described the death as the worst thing that happened under his watch in the Iraq war.

I was surprised that he would have felt that strongly about it, considering many of the other deaths, including American deaths, Colonel Dengler said.
HONOLULU  President Obama will give a farewell address next week from Chicago, his hometown, most likely his last chance to defend his legacy directly to the country before Donald J. Trump is sworn in, the White House announced on Monday.

The address is set for the evening of Jan. 10 at McCormick Place, a hulking convention center overlooking Lake Michigan. In an email to supporters, Mr. Obama said the speech would give him a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways youve changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here.

Since Mr. Trump beat Hillary Clinton in November, many of Mr. Obamas accomplishments appear at risk, notably the Affordable Care Act that Mr. Trump has said he is intent on rolling back. In an effort to unify Democrats around protecting the health care legislation, Mr. Obama is scheduled to travel to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to meet with lawmakers from his party.

Mr. Obama said in the email that he was just beginning to write my remarks. Although the president has been in Hawaii on vacation for the past two weeks, his administration has moved forward in its final days with several bold initiatives. On Thursday, Mr. Obama announced a series of sanctions against Russia for its attempts to disrupt the November election. A week before that, his administration allowed the United Nations Security Council to adopt a resolution that condemned Israeli settlement construction.
WASHINGTON  Its put-up or shut-up time for Republicans.

After a tumultuous decade that has seen profound changes in the makeup and character of their party, Republicans are poised to complete their slow but steady climb back to power as they seize control of the House, Senate and the White House for the first time since 2006.

That political triad will leave them with a splendid opportunity for success. But there is little room for failure if they hope to satisfy their impatient constituents and deliver on bold promises to reshape the nations health care delivery system, restructure the tax code, drive job creation, muscle up American foreign policy, rebuild a crumbling infrastructure and set America on a new course.

Republicans who will take command of the Senate and House as the 115th Congress convenes on Tuesday have long been itching for a chance to do it their way, constantly grousing that President Obama and Congressional Democrats held back American progress and economic growth.

Now they must show they can deliver. And they know it.

When you have both houses and the presidency, there is no acceptable excuse for not passing major legislation, said Representative Tom Cole, a senior Republican from Oklahoma. There is a lot of pressure on Republican members to produce and to produce quickly.
RIO DE JANEIRO  A prison riot involving gangs vying for supremacy over the cocaine trade in the Brazilian Amazon left at least 56 people dead, the authorities in the city of Manaus said on Monday.

Riots at Brazils prisons are common, but the episode in Manaus, which involved decapitated bodies being thrown over the walls of the penitentiary, ranks among the bloodiest in recent decades. Officials expressed dismay over the scenes of slaughter in the Compaj prison, which held more than 1,200 inmates, about triple its official capacity.

I never saw anything like this in my life, Judge Luis Carlos Valois, who helped negotiate an end to the riot, said in a Facebook post. He said that dozens of people had been killed, but that it was challenging to arrive at a precise count: There were lots of bodies. Many of them were dismembered.
BEIJING  In what has been described as Chinas first case involving transgender discrimination in the workplace, a court in the southwestern province of Guizhou has ruled that the plaintiff was illegally fired but that there was no proof that his dismissal was a result of bias against transgender people.

We found this a little bit of a shame, Huang Sha, the lawyer for the plaintiff, a 28-year-old transgender man who has been identified in the state news media only as Mr. C and who has declined to provide his real name to protect his privacy, said in a telephone interview.

Mr. C, who was born a woman but says he has long considered himself a man, was dismissed from the Ciming Health Checkup Center in Guiyang, the provincial capital, in April 2015 after a one-week probation. In March 2016, Mr. C filed his case with a local labor arbitration committee asking for compensation and a written apology. Mr. C said in an interview in April that the companys human resources manager had complained that he dressed like a gay man and looked too unhealthy to be an employee for a health checkup company.

In May, the arbitration committee ordered the company to pay Mr. C 402.30 renminbi, about $61 at the time, for the probation period, but rejected his demand for an additional months pay of 2,000 renminbi and an apology. He and Mr. Huang then brought the case to court.
NEW DELHI  Indias Supreme Court ruled on Monday that candidates for political office cannot appeal to voters on the basis of religion, caste, community or language, arguing that Indias Constitution enshrines its elections as fundamentally secular.

A majority of four justices ruled that elections won on religious- or caste-based appeals by candidates or their proxies could be declared null and void.

Three justices, in a dissent, argued that such topics were constitutionally protected free speech.

The ruling came as India prepared for a wave of assembly elections in seven states, seen as an important test of the strength of Prime Minister Narendra Modis Bharatiya Janata Party.

It also called into question an essential characteristic of Indian politics, whose secular nature often seems skin-deep.
In Fiji, a South Pacific nation of more than 300 islands, local communities play a central role in managing their immediate waters. As a result, community-based programs that try to increase awareness of declining turtle stocks and to expand monitoring efforts are those with the highest probability of success, said Dr. Susanna Piovano, a senior lecturer at the School of Marine Studies at the University of the South Pacific.

Traditionally turtles were eaten at major events, like a wedding or a chiefs funeral. As traditions eroded in recent decades, some people began to think of turtles and their eggs as an everyday food to catch and sell.

Climate change and habitat loss have also placed pressure on the turtle population. The conservation status of the turtles common to Fijis waters  green, olive ridley, leatherback, hawksbill and loggerhead  ranges from vulnerable to critically endangered, according to the Red List of Endangered Species published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The Fiji government imposed a temporary ban on turtle harvesting in 1995 to halt the decline. The current 10-year moratorium is scheduled to expire next year.

Still, the moratoriums have not stopped many communities from continuing to harvest turtles.

Yadua was one of them  at least until the island experienced something of a road-to-Damascus conversion. In 2010, two organizations  the World Wildlife Fund and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, an intergovernmental group  organized a workshop on the island. They presented a somber vision of the turtles potential extinction and discussed ways to prevent that.

It was there that Mr. Qarau realized future generations might never see or taste a turtle if harvesting continued. He said he was not thinking of himself when he decided to give up hunting turtles. I am thinking about the future generations, he said.
ISTANBUL  The Islamic State on Monday issued a rare claim of responsibility for an attack in Turkey after a New Years Day shooting at an Istanbul nightclub that killed at least 39 people, describing the gunman who carried out the assault  and who has not been identified or captured  as a hero soldier of the caliphate.

The Turkish authorities are still searching for the gunman, who killed a police officer guarding the Reina nightclub before going on a shooting rampage with a rapid-fire rifle, but the state news media reported that eight suspects had been detained in connection with the attack.

The authorities on Monday released two photographs of the person suspected of being the gunman, captured by security cameras, that showed a dark-haired, cleanshaven man in a dark winter coat. The governments spokesman, Numan Kurtulmus, said at a news conference that investigators believed they found the assailants fingerprints and that they were close to identifying him.

Mr. Kurtulmus did not mention the Islamic State specifically, but he said Turkey would press the fight against terrorism.
Over the objections of senior Roman Catholic leaders and some area residents, a McDonalds opened last week just outside Vatican City, within eyeshot of St. Peters Square.

The fast-food chains plan to open a restaurant in a Vatican-owned building was met with derision when it was announced in October.

The restaurant, at the corner of Borgo Pio and Via del Mascherino, is in the Roman district of Borgo, which leads to Vatican City. According to The Guardian, the Committee for the Protection of Borgo, a group of residents, called it a decisive blow on an already wounded animal, referring to the trinket-hawking vendors already proliferating in the area.

In an interview with La Repubblica in October, Cardinal Elio Sgreccia called the restaurants arrival a disgrace, and said the space should have been used to help the needy.
Among the more unnerving sights a traveler may come across in distant corners of the world are giant hairballs of wires, clumped at the tops of utility poles or hanging perilously from the sides of buildings.

They speak of the exuberant, confounding and sometimes dangerous disorder of a country free of the rules and regulations that make modern life safe.

For example, Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, is famous for its buzzing, swirling, incomprehensible traffic. If you dare take your eyes off the road, a glance overhead will find a representation of this same tangled, heedless, even insouciant approach to life. One Vietnamese author wrote fancifully of the huge cobweb of electrical, telephone and cable-television wires covering the city.

Utilities in most developed countries dont keep their overhead wiring tidy for tidiness sake; safety is on the line. A crazy tangle can make repairing faults difficult and dangerous, and wiring improvised by amateurs can be a serious fire hazard.
At least three families have been displaced by house fires over New Years weekend in Orange County.

The first incident happened in Seal Beach around 12:17 p.m. Saturday when the Orange County Fire Authority received a call about a smoke alarm going off in a single-family house in the 4200 block of Ironwood Avenue, Capt. Cameron Rossman said.

Firefighters arrived on scene at 12:22 p.m. and extinguished the fire by 12:47 p.m., Rossman said. The fire and smoke damaged the garage and some parts of the house.

The fire started accidentally, Rossman said, but he didnt provide further information on its cause. No one was injured.

Another fire at a single-family house in the 5000 block of Northwestern Way in Westminster started on Sunday. OCFA firefighters arrived at the scene at 5:26 a.m. and extinguished it by 5:44 a.m.

The fire and smoke damaged the inside of the house, Rossman said, adding that the cause is still under investigation. No one was injured.

The American Red Cross helped find a temporary shelter for the two men living at the house, Rossman said.

At 12:05 p.m. Sunday, the Costa Mesa Fire Department received a call about a house fire in the 700 block of Olympic Avenue. Residents were pulling out of the driveway when they heard a pop and saw smoke coming out of their house, Fire Capt. Chris Coates said.

Firefighters arrived within five minutes and saw flames blowing out of the single-family house, Coates said. The fire reached a shed attached to a neighbors house, he said. They extinguished the fire by 12:57 p.m.

Every room in the house where the fire originated suffered damage, and the neighbors shed suffered moderate damage, Coates said. The cause of the fire is under investigation, he said.

No residents were hurt, but one firefighter was transported to a hospital to be evaluated for smoke inhalation.

Contact the writer: tshimura@scng.com
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 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, 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.

Analysts in the region have said Kim might conduct another weapons test in coming months, taking advantage of leadership changes in the United States and South Korea. Trump will be sworn in on Jan. 20. In South Korea, President Park Geun-hye, whose powers were suspended in a parliamentary impeachment on Dec. 9, is waiting for the Constitutional Court to rule on whether she should be formally removed from office or reinstated.

If North Korea conducts a long-range missile test in coming months, it will test Trumps new administration; despite years of increasingly harsh sanctions, North Korea has been advancing toward Kims professed goal of arming his isolated country with the ability to deliver a nuclear warhead at the United States.

Kims speech on Sunday indicated that North Korea may test-launch a long-range rocket several times this year to complete its ICBM program, said Cheong Seong-chang, a senior research fellow at the Sejong Institute in South Korea. The first of such tests could come even before Trumps inauguration, Cheong said.

We need to take note of the fact that this is the first New Years speech where Kim Jong Un mentioned an intercontinental ballistic missile, he said.

In his speech, Kim did not comment on Trumps election.

Doubt runs deep that North Korea has mastered all the technology needed to build a reliable ICBM. But analysts in the region said the Norths launchings of three-stage rockets to put satellites into orbit in recent years showed that the country had cleared some key technological hurdles.

After the Norths satellite launch in February, South Korean defense officials said the Unha rocket used in the launch, if successfully reconfigured as a missile, could fly more than 7,400 miles with a warhead of 1,100 to 1,300 pounds  far enough to reach most of the United States.

North Korea has deployed Rodong ballistic missiles that can reach most of South Korea and Japan, but it has had a spotty record in test-launching the Musudan, its intermediate-range ballistic missile with a range long enough to reach U.S. military bases in the Pacific, including those on Guam.

The North has also claimed a series of successes in testing various ICBM technologies, although its claims cannot be verified and are often disputed by officials and analysts in the region.

It has said it could make nuclear warheads small enough to fit onto a ballistic missile. It also claimed success in testing the re-entry technology that allows a long-range missile to return to the Earths atmosphere without breaking up.

In April, North Korea reported the successful ground test of an engine for an intercontinental ballistic missile. At the time, Kim said the North can tip new-type intercontinental ballistic rockets with more powerful nuclear warheads and keep any cesspool of evils in the Earth, including the U.S. mainland, within our striking range.

On Sept. 9, the North conducted its fifth, and most powerful, nuclear test. Kim later attended another ground test of a new long-range rocket engine, exhorting his government to prepare for another rocket launch as soon as possible. In November, the U.N. Security Council imposed new sanctions against the North.
SACRAMENTO  Californias capital has emerged as a leading destination for Afghan refugees who were awarded special visas because of their service to coalition forces in the war. But life in the United States for them has proven a constant struggle.

These former translators, engineers and doctors awarded Special Immigrant Visas must start over in bug-infested, low-rent apartments with minimum-wage jobs while dealing with PTSD and other health problems, the Sacramento Bee reported.

More than 2,000 such visa holders and their family members have settled in Sacramento since October 2010, and many of them say they are struggling with anxiety and depression that have developed or been greatly exacerbated by their struggles in the United States. They say they feel helpless and abandoned, lacking decent jobs, housing or an understanding of U.S. culture.

One of them is Faisal Razmal, a former interpreter for U.S. soldiers battling the Taliban in Afghanistan who was shot in the face in front of his Sacramento apartment in August 2015 by an assailant wielding a flare gun. A neighborhood teenager and alleged member of a gang has been charged and is awaiting trial. Razmal, 28, who lost the sight in one eye after the attack, said he feels like he also lost a piece of his soul.

I feel like Im drowning here, said Razmal, a father of two and whose wife is expecting.

Before he was shot, Razmal worked as a security guard at a shopping center. Since then, he has tried working as a taxi driver, gas station attendant, security guard and dishwasher. But his limited vision and PTSD have compromised his ability to keep a job, said licensed clinical social worker Jason Swain, who has counseled Razmal 18 times since the assault.

The state Department of Rehabilitation said a decision on his application for disability payments may take a year, Swain said.

Razmal, who survived roadside bombs and firefights during the war, said he was never evaluated for PTSD in Afghanistan or the United States.

Razmals therapist, Homeyra Ghaffari, said she thinks he was already afflicted with PTSD from his experiences in Afghanistan, and he was re-traumatized by his shooting here.

People hear about America and think it is a dreamland and everything is law and order and they are going to be absolutely safe, said Ghaffari,

They feel isolated, dont have any clear direction, she said. Their dream shatters right away.
President Ronald Reagan viewed the Berlin Wall while standing on a balcony behind two panes of bullet-proof glass and uttered his famous words: Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!

On Nov. 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall was torn down, thawing the Cold War between East and West Germany.

Then on Nov. 10, a stream of cars 25 miles long passed through Checkpoint Charlie en route from East to West Germany. Their two-stroke engines created a tremendous din, and the cars belched out an acrid smoke making the new breath of freedom almost unbreathable.

Almost all of these cars were Trabants, a small utilitarian vehicle that had come to symbolize communism.

There were nearly 3.1 million Trabants produced in East Germany from 1957 to 1990 by VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau. CNN, which purchased a Trabant to cover the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, reported there were some design tweaks in 1962  but fundamentally the car never changed.

The name Trabant has the same meaning as the Russian word Sputnik: companion. But almost all owners referred to the car as a Trabi.

Today the Terrible Trabant is often vilified as being among the worst cars ever made, but during German communism, it was a status symbol. If you wanted to buy a new Trabi, the waiting period was 11 to 18 years. It cost as much as one years salary. Which seems pretty darn expensive, but the Trabi had an average lifespan of 28 years because if you were lucky enough to own a Trabi, you took meticulous care of it, Kyle James wrote in a 2007 story, Go, Trabi, Go! East Germanys Darling Car Turns 50.

The Trabant was made of what East Germans referred to as Zwickauer rennpappe (Zwickai racing cardboard). The manufacturer would tell you that it wasnt technically cardboard. It was made from cotton waste from the Soviet Union and resins from the East German dye industry with fibrous reinforcement. The technical name for the amalgam was Duroplast.

Duroplast is also used in the manufacture of deluxe toilet seats. And Duroplast is also edible. Many Trabis were abandoned in fields when the wall came down. Some owners returned to their cars a few weeks later only to find that most of their Trabi had been eaten by pigs or goats.

You can tell a Trabant is coming from a long way off. The two-stroke, two-cylinder engine produces a pocketa, pocketa, pocketa racket and a plume of noxious smoke. Imagine your uncles 1956 Dream Mower XT with a blown head gasket. The Trabi produces eight times the amount of carbon monoxide as the average European car, Londons The Telegraph reported.

The 26 horsepower Trabant goes from 0 to 60 in 21 seconds. Local enthusiast Josef Czikmantory says his has a top speed of 62 mph.

By comparison, the top speed of a Stasi PSzH-IV armored personnel carrier with 120 mm mortars, 100 mm antitank guns and ZU-23 anti-aircraft guns was 64 mph.

But the Trabi got better gas mileage than any heavily armed secret police vehicle. The Trabi gets about 34 mpg. Thats an approximate number because Trabants dont have fuel gauges.

Matthew Annen is with Trabant USA. The club has 96 members. Annen estimates there are fewer than 200 working Trabis in the United States.

Theres been a resurgence lately in Trabant popularity in former European communist countries. Trabi club members give the cars NASCAR paint jobs, drop in Suzuki super-bike engines and reach speeds of 150 mph. Trabants are also made into works of art and displayed in former communist countries.

A pristine Trabant P50 at an auction in Madison, Ga., went for $25,000.

The Trabi is sacred in Bulgaria. In 2005 its National Historical Museum added a display featuring the foreign ministers Trabant 601.

After it had been blessed by the pope.

Contact the writer: balkofer@scng.com
WASHINGTON  Democratic senators plan to aggressively target eight of Donald Trumps Cabinet nominees in the coming weeks and are pushing to stretch their confirmation votes into March  an unprecedented break with Senate tradition.

Such delays would upend Republican hopes of quickly holding hearings and confirming most of Trumps top picks on Inauguration Day. But Democrats, hamstrung by their minority status, are determined to slow-walk Trumps picks.

Incoming Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., has identified Rex Tillerson, Trumps choice for secretary of state; Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., attorney general nominee; Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., Office of Management and Budget pick; and Betsy DeVos, education secretary nominee. Theres also Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., Department of Health and Human Services pick, who supports for privatizing Medicare. Andrew Puzder, a restaurant executive set to serve as labor secretary, will face scrutiny for past comments on the minimum wage. Steve Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs partner set to serve as treasury secretary, and Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, Trumps pick to lead the EPA, will also face scrutiny.

President-elect Trump is attempting to fill his rigged cabinet with nominees that would break key campaign promises and have made billions off the industries theyd be tasked with regulating, Schumer said in a statement Sunday confirming his caucuss plans. Any attempt by Republicans to have a series of rushed, truncated hearings before Inauguration Day and before the Congress and public have adequate information on all of them is something Democrats will vehemently resist. If Republicans think they can quickly jam through a whole slate of nominees without a fair hearing process, theyre sorely mistaken.

Absent from the Democratic hit list are retired Marine Gen. James N. Mattis, set to serve as defense secretary; South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who Trump has nominated to serve as ambassador to the United Nations; and John Kelly, a former Marine general and Trumps selection to lead the Department of Homeland Security, signaling that all three should expect little trouble from Democrats.

Senate confirmation hearings are scheduled to begin next week, when the Judiciary Committee is set to hold two days of hearings with Sessions, and the Foreign Relations Committee is scheduled to hold a one day, two-part hearing with Tillerson.

But Schumer has told McConnell that he wants at least two days of hearings for each of these eight nominees, including at least one panel made up of witnesses that can speak to the picks past record, aides said. At each hearing, members of the committee would get at least 10 minutes to ask questions, with no limits on multiple rounds of questions, if requested.

Democrats also want hearings for each of these eight nominees to be held on separate weeks, with no more than two Cabinet picks sitting for a hearing in the same week. That would mean that Tillerson and Mattiss hearings could happen in the same week, but not the hearings for Price and Mulvaney, aides said.

Thats already not set to happen and Republicans have scoffed at Schumers proposal, noting that the New York senator went along in 2009 when the Senate unanimously confirmed seven of President Obamas Cabinet nominees on Inauguration Day and five more later that week.

Despite early vows to cooperate with Trump and his new government, Democrats have been troubled by a lack of personal disclosure by Cabinet choices that they say mirrors Trumps refusal to disclose personal financial information during the presidential campaign. Tillerson angered Democrats this month when he told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that he stood ready to provide only tax return information for himself and his wife for the previous three years. That means its possible Tillerson isnt willing to provide complete tax returns  a break with past nominees.

The unprecedented personal wealth of Trumps nominees warrants the delays, one senior Democratic aide said.

One other potential stumbling block: Nominees are required to obtain certification from the Office of Government Ethics before a confirmation vote, something most Obama-era picks had achieved before their confirmation hearings. So far, Democrats say, most Trump picks havent done so.

If they want to get confirmed by Inauguration Day, that timeline doesnt work, the aide said. Obviously if youre worth billions, it takes a lot longer.
SANTA ANA  A woman was burned at a restaurant after a bartender lit liquor on fire shortly after the New Year countdown, authorities said.

The incident happened at Lola Gaspar at 211 West 2nd St. The unidentified womans hair and face somehow caught fire shortly after midnight, Santa Ana Police Cmdr. Jeffrey Smith said.

Firefighters were dispatched at 12:25 a.m. and arrived at the scene 12:28 a.m., Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Cameron Rossman said. The woman was transported to a local hospital, he said. Rossman said he couldnt release further information, including the severity of the womans injury, because the case is still under investigation.

No one else was hurt, Smith said.

Contact the writer: tshimura@scng.com
Little princesses, revelers in party hats, Scoobie-Doo and his crew and even Baby New Year made an appearance in the form of a 63-year-old man dressed in a droopy diaper with a sash that read 2017.

And wait  was that a poop emoji?

Swimmers were cold but the laughter was warm at the Surf City Splash, where hundreds of participants showed up to brave the chilly, 56-degree water on the south side of the Huntington Beach pier for the 17th annual event.

Some wore swimsuits, others got creative with costumes.

Its a great way to start the year with a great sense of humor, said Laura DuBow, dressed in the brown poop emoji costume.

Family members wearing yellow smiley and wink emojis joined her.

Lauras husband Norm DuBow and daughter Georgia started participating in the Splash about 10 years ago. For the first few years, Laura DuBow would stand on the sand wearing a chicken hat.

She got tired of watching us have all the fun and calling her a chicken, Norm DuBow said.

Its now a family tradition, with more friends and relatives showing up each year.

It beats sleeping in on New Years Day, Norm Dubow said.

Fullerton resident Jack Mcenterfer, 80, was joined by four generations of his family including his 3-year-old great grandson Tyson. Its a chance to get the family together for an early celebration for Mcenterfers birthday the following day.

You get wet and cold and have family all together, he said. Its just wonderful.

Theres one thing he doesnt do at the event.

I dont make resolutions, he said. They generally dont work out.

Huntington resident Jack Carey, 83, won the award this year for the oldest participant.

This years splash drew an estimated 500 swimmers, the largest number so far. The event  in the early years called the HB Pier Plunge  was started by a church group that gathered participants for a casual New Years Day dip. When organizer Mike Parks went off to college a few years later, he handed the reins to Lee Love, who has headed the event since.

Love turned it into a fundraiser, this year benefiting the International Surfing Museum.

Revelers this year were especially eager to jump in the chilly ocean, rushing toward the waters edge and waves minutes before the usual noon countdown.

Everybody just wanted to go, said surf museum executive director Diana Dehm. We ran for it everybody got so excited, they werent even thinking.

Roger Oschman, of Huntington Beach, was a bit bummed when he showed up at noon and saw that everyone had already run into the ocean. He hasnt missed an event in 10 years.

He still decided to take the dip.

Its just a way to wash away everything you did in the previous year and get ready for the new year, he said.

Contact the writer: lconnelly@scng.com
Joshua Weaver and his pregnant wife, Erica, were looking forward to going to bed early on New Years Eve and sleeping in late the next morning.

But things didnt go according to plan after Erica Weaver went into labor Saturday evening, nearly two weeks ahead of her Jan. 12 due date. The Irvine couple rushed to Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills around 9 p.m.

After about four hours  with the New Year countdown in between  Erica delivered a healthy baby girl, Emma, with a c-section at 12:48 a.m.

We cant think of a better way to ring in the new year, Joshua Weaver said from the hospital Sunday in a phone interview.

Mr. Weaver admitted he couldnt really think about the countdown in the operating room. We got to stay up till midnight, although we dont normally.

Emma is one of the first babies born in 2017 in Orange County. Saddleback presented the Weavers with a handmade embroidered quilt as the years first born at the hospital.

Emma is Joshua and Erica Weavers fourth child. Their oldest 7-year-old son was also born this time of the year on Dec. 30.

This isnt our first rodeo, Joshua Weaver said.

The three older children, who were staying at home with a grandmother, will get to meet their newest sibling Monday, Joshua Weaver said.

Erica wasnt available for comment Sunday because of exhaustion, Joshua said.

Shes no longer pregnant; shes happy, Joshua Weaver said.

At 12:18 p.m. Jennifer Lopez gave birth to a healthy baby boy at South Coast Global Medical Center in Santa Ana. Cain Ramirez, Lopezs first child, was born weighing 7 pounds and 7 ounces. The tired mom arrived at the hospital at 6 p.m. Saturday and was in labor for 12 hours.

The beginning stages of labor were difficult, but in the end it all paid off, Lopez said.

At the end it went well because it was a boy, Lopez said.

Both parents were happy to have a baby arrive the first day of the year and felt their 2017 was off to a good start.

At 9:09 p.m. a baby boy was delivered at Anaheim Global Medical Center, the first child born at the hospital in the new year.

Karam Aliwi was born to mother Eman Tawwash and father Ahmad Aliwi and entered the world weighing 7 pounds 14 ounces, said Ahmad Aliwi.

The boy is Aliwis second, and his older brother, who is with family in Saudi Arabia, eagerly awaits meeting his baby brother.

Im so excited and happy, said Aliwi, while Eman Tawwash rested. This is the gift of 2017.

Staff writer Lauren Williams contributed to this report.

Contact the writer: tshimura@scng.com
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.
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.
A 55-year-old Crofton man and a 20-year-old Gering woman died early Monday in separate traffic incidents on Nebraska highways.

Kevin Jones died just after midnight from injuries received in a one-vehicle crash on Highway 12 in Knox County in northeast Nebraska.

About 3 a.m. Mountain Standard Time, Angelica Olvera died after being struck by a vehicle on Highway 26 in Scotts Bluff County in western Nebraska.

The Nebraska State Patrol is investigating both fatalities. Jones died en route to a hospital, and Olvera was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators said Jones was eastbound about 3 miles west of Crofton when his vehicle went out of control, rolled down a steep embankment and landed on its top.

Olvera was walking west when she was hit and killed by a passing vehicle about 4 miles east of Minatare, Capt. Jamey Balthazor said. Troopers are searching for the vehicle and driver that hit Olvera, he said.
Hladik is policy director of the Center for Rural Affairs. Fulton is president of the Nebraska State Education Association.

Nebraska voters have twice soundly rejected a so-called Taxpayer Bill of Rights  or TABOR  and rightly so.

The arbitrary spending and revenue lids required by such a proposal were and remain a major threat to The Good Life in Nebraska, as they would cause devastating and continuing damage to our schools, roads, health programs for seniors and other core services that Nebraskans rely upon.

As Nebraska heads into the legislative session faced with a revenue shortfall, our leaders should discard the idea that such spending and revenue lids are a solution. The threat this proposal posed when Nebraskans rejected it in 1998 and 2006 remains, and we need only look one state to our west to see why.

In spite of efforts to enact such a measure in 30 states, similar spending and revenue proposals have been adopted in only one state  Colorado. The results there have been disastrous.

In fact, things got so bad that the state suspended the spending caps in 2005 following devastating cuts in vital services and calls from the business community to repeal the policy altogether.

As the editor of the Denver Business Journal said when the spending and revenue caps were suspended, (Business leaders) have figured out that no business would survive if it were run like the TABOR faithful say Colorado should be run.

At the time, the states job growth rate lagged behind all its neighbors, K-12 funding had dropped from 35th to 49th in the nation, higher education funding had been slashed and the states roads had fallen into disrepair. Less than 60 percent of the states highways were rated as being in good or fair condition.

The state struggled to ensure that children in Colorado received health care coverage, and it lacked funds to buy vaccines, leading the state to temporarily suspend the requirement that children be immunized before starting school.

Nebraskans have no cause to believe similar consequences would be avoided here should our state enact a Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

In addition to the devastating cuts to our schools, health programs and transportation infrastructure, such a measure would likely lead to property tax increases because cuts to state funding would put more of the responsibility for funding schools and other key services on the shoulders of local property taxpayers.

And if the spending caps were also enacted at the local level, revenue for our schools, roads and law enforcement operations would be cut dramatically, leaving our children with fewer educational opportunities, our roads in disrepair and our communities less secure.

By tying the hands of our lawmakers, a Taxpayer Bill of Rights would limit our states ability to respond to recessions and times of emergency. In the event of recession or natural disasters such as tornadoes, fires or floods, it would make it difficult for the state to raise and provide the funding needed to help Nebraskans who had been affected by uncontrollable circumstances.

Furthermore, a Taxpayer Bill of Rights would put Nebraskas bond rating at risk. Bond rating agencies recognize that constitutional tax and spending limits make it more difficult for a state to meet its obligations and repay its debts.

In short, placing such revenue and spending caps in the state constitution is a dangerous and failed idea that Nebraskans have twice sent to the fiscal policy scrap heap. For the benefit of the people of our state and their future, lets hope our leaders make sure it stays there.
India, Indonesia to be key focus of Development Bank of Singapore

Business

pti-PTI

Singapore, Jan 2: India and Indonesia will be the Development Bank of Singapore's "big" areas of focus for this year, its chief executive officer Piyush Gupta has said. DBS leads foreign banks with expansion plans in India.

"We also remain focused on building leading regional cash management, foreign exchange, debt markets and wealth management franchises," Gupta said here.

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Modi targets opposition parties and says, they have fear of development discussion | Oneindia News

"So India and Indonesia will be our big areas of focus in 2017," Gupta was quoted as saying by The Strait Times.

DBS' wealth management business has quadrupled over the past six years, and now accounts for up to 13 to 14 per cent of group revenue.

"Over the next five years, we think it could get up to 20 per cent," he said in a report on Singapore banks' prospects during this year.

"The world will have to grapple with massive consequences behind technological disruption on jobs displacement, both blue-collar and white-collar workers. My own bet is that you will find a lot more entrepreneurship, or what people call the gig economy," he said.

"It is likely that there will be a new wave of redistributive economics. Governments may prove inadequate to do this entirely under their own steam, and the private sector will have to play a meaningful role," said Gupta.

DBS's top priorities for this year is to be prepared for volatility as markets will continue to be choppy. An increase in US dollar rates could also create negative impact, he added.

"Step up the pace on transformation of the bank  that is re-imagine banking, and be a 22,000-person start-up," stressed Gupta.

"The third priority is to continue our steady business expansion," he said. But, he also cautioned that uncertainties over US President-elect Donald Trump's policies will be a headache for Asian strategies and could result in heightened market volatility in the short-term. At the same time, global growth is expected to remain subdued, said Gupta.

"To navigate these uncertain times, we need to remain watchful and vigilant, as well as disciplined about costs and the risks we take," he advises......

PTI
All you need to know about deadly Agni missiles

Is India working on Agni-6? What could be the ramifications if it is test fired

First Night trial of 2,000 km strike range Agni-2 Ballistic missile carried out successfully

First night trial of Agni-III missile held at Abdul Kalam island integrated test range

Agni IV successfully test fired from Balasore, Odisha

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Bhubaneswar, Jan 2: India on Monday successfully test fired the nuclear-capable Agni IV ballistic missile from the Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast. The missile was launched at about 11.50 a.m., from a mobile launcher off the Balasore coast, defence sources said.

[Also Read: Agni-V, India's longest range nuclear missile, test launched off Odisha coast]

This is sixth test of the missile and second user associate launch.

The two-stage solid-propelled, surface-to-surface ballistic missile is designed to carry a 1-tonne payload to a distance of 4,000 km.

The test comes within a week of the successful test firing of Agni V intercontinental ballistic missile.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has designed and developed the missile.

The missile's length is 20 meters and launches weight 17 tonnes. It is equipped with state-of-the-art technologies, which include indigenously developed ring laser gyro and composite rocket motor.

Agni IV has undergone one failed and five successful tests over the course of five years, said sources.

IANS
Banks cut base rates; home, corporate loans to be cheaper

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Jan 2: Housing, auto and corporate loans are all set to become cheaper with half a dozen PSU and private banks on Monday steeply reducing benchmark lending rate by up to 1.48 per cent after spurt in deposits following demonetisation.

Taking a cue from State Bank of India, other lenders including largest private sector lender ICICI Bank and state-owned Oriental Bank of Commerce and Andhra Bank announced cut in marginal cost of funds based lending rate (MCLR).

SBI on Sunday reduced the lending rate by a good 0.9 per cent after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his new year eve address urged the banks to focus on the needs of poor and lower middle class and middle class. The reduction in lending rates may prompt increase in credit offtake which has moderated substantially putting burden on balance sheet of banks.

Home loan rate for ICICI Bank will come down between 0.45 and 0.6 per cent depending on quantum and category. Another private sector Kotak Mahindra Bank too reduced the MCLR rate by up to 0.45 per cent. The bank has reduced MCLR by 0.20 per cent to 9 per cent from 9.20 per cent for 1-year tenor, Kotak Mahindra Bank said in a statement.

Also read: Demonetisation: Normalcy likely to return by February end, says SBI

However, MCLR for the three-month period has been reduced by 0.45 percentage points to 8.40 per cent while lending rate for 2 and 3 years has been brought down to 9 per cent from 9.25 per cent. As far as the youngest Bandhan Bank is concerned, it has cut its MCLR by 1.48 per cent to 10.52 per cent effective tomorrow.

With this, the bank has cut its loan rate for small borrowers by almost 4 percentage points since it started operations in August 2015, Bandhan Bank said in a statement. Oriental Bank of Commerce has reduced the one-year MCLR rate by 0.8 per cent to 8.60 per cent while Andhra Bank has brought it down by similar percentage point to 8.65 per cent effective tomorrow.

Dena bank has reduced marginal cost of funds based lending rate (MCLR) by 0.75 per cent to 8.55 per cent for 1 year tenor, the bank said in a statement. On Sunday, the country's largest lender SBI along with PNB and Union Bank of India, slashed lending rates by up to 0.9 per cent.

Following the reduction, lending rate of SBI for a one-year loan has came down to 8 per cent from 8.90 per cent.

PTI
40 down and counting: Forces on the verge of wiping out Pakistani terrorists in Valley

2 non-local labourers shot at by terrorist in J&K's Anantnag

BJP MLA accuses opposition of insulting national anthem in J&K legislature

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Jammu, Jan 2 BJP MLA in Jammu and Kashmir, Ravinder Raina accused National Conference and Congress party members of insulting National Anthem in the J&K state Assembly on Monday. Raina has alleged that the opposition parties were creating disturbances when the national anthem was being played.

BJP MLA has said that, "National Conference and Congress created ruckus in J&K assembly even when the National Anthem was played; even Governor walked away."

Natn'l Conf & Cong created ruckus in J&K assembly even when national anthem was played;even Guv walked away.Grave insult: Ravinder Raina,BJP pic.twitter.com/JkWlLFvkmu  ANI (@ANI_news) January 2, 2017

National Conference, Congress and Governor should apologise for insulting the national anthem in J&K assembly: Ravinder Raina,BJP  ANI (@ANI_news) January 2, 2017

Opposition maybe believes that shouting slogans in assembly is the only argument they are left with: Naeem Akhtar,J&K Minister pic.twitter.com/AWcaXX9SV9  ANI (@ANI_news) January 2, 2017

The incident:

The opposition in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday interrupted Governor N.N. Vohra's address to the joint session of the bicameral legislature.

As the Governor started his address, members of the opposition parties, including the National Conference, Congress and others, stood up shouting slogans against the PDP-BJP government.

The Governor rushed to the concluding part of his speech amid the din

IANS
Congress terms Modis New Year speech empty and hollow

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Panaji, Jan 2: Demonetisation has sent India 30 years back in time, the Goa unit of the Congress said and claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech on New Year's Eve was a damp squid.

"We were expecting some good news for the people. What I find (instead) are petty announcements keeping in mind assembly elections, in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Goa. The speech was empty and hollow," Goa Congress president Luizinho Faleiro told a press conference on Monday at the Congress state headquarters in Panaji.

Faleiro also said the central government's model of governance was as "bankrupt" as the Gujarat model of governance, which was used by Modi to project his prime ministerial credentials.

The Congress leader said the BJP-led coalition government in Goa was fraught with misrule and claimed the leaders of an alliance partner in Goa, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, had themselves criticised the functioning of the state government on repeated occasions.

"Goa has seen misrule for the last five years of the BJP. They have destroyed whatever was there in Goa," he said. "According to one of the senior members of the BJP-led cabinet for the last five years, the BJP has taken Goa 10 years behind. Instead of going forward they are going behind," Faleiro said, quoting former Public Works Department Minister Sudin Dhavalikar who was sacked by Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar last month, following the criticism of his leadership.

Modi, had on December 31, 2016, announced several schemes for farmers, senior citizens and pregnant women and had also addressed about the effects of demonetization in the country.

IANS
Former Congress Dalit leader joins Karnataka BJP

India

oi-Anusha

By Anusha Ravi

Former Karnataka minister and disgruntled Congress leader Srinivas Prasad on Monday joined the Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The Dalit leader joins the party at a time when the state is months away from assembly polls. His induction has come as added strength to the BJP that has always been looked upon as an anti-Dalit party. The Nanjangud strongman quit the Congress party after he was removed from the ministry by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in 2016. The disgruntled leader had series of meetings with Janata Dal-Secular and the BJP post his resignation before he made his decision to join the BJP.

Srinivas Prasad was inducted into the BJP under the leadership of party's state president and former Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa. Union ministers D V Sadananda Gowda and Ananthkumar were also present as the BJP flag was handed over to Srinivas Prasad. Many of his followers are also expected to join the BJP following his induction. The BJP called his induction a sign of Dalits, minorities and backward classes' increasing support for the party.

Prasad, once a close aide of Siddaramaiah is from the same district as the CM. His resignation has left the Nanjangud assembly constituency seat vacant. Prasad who enjoys a massive following in the constituency is expected to be BJP's candidate in the by-poll while congress is yet to decide on a candidate. Their initial choice, minister Mahadevappa's son, is said to have backed out. The Nanjangud by-poll is touted to be testing waters for the assembly by-poll that will be held in Karnataka in a little over a year.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Monday, January 2, 2017, 17:46 [IST]
How Modi ruined a tippler's night in Delhi by not saying 'Mitron'

India

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, Jan 2: There was a huge discount on beer offered by one pub in Delhi, every time Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the word Mitron, during his address on December 31.

[Also Read: No 'Mitron' in Modi's New Year address]

However, the pub hoppers were in for a rude surprise and could not avail this very tempting discount as the PM refused to utter Mitron during his 45-minute address.

At Rs 31 after the discount, this was an offer that none could resist. Modi, however, denied pub-goers their share of near free beer. Prior to the address, the word Mitron was trending on Twitter.

There were too many jokes being made and the PM may have realised it and deliberately avoided using the word. During his address, he instead used the word Mitra.

This, in fact, disappointed all at the pub who could not avail the discount.

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
How Ram Gopal engineered the Sunday coup for Akhilesh Yadav

India

oi-Vicky

Lucknow, Jan 2: Having written the constitution for the Samajwadi Party, Mulayam Singh Yadav's cousin Ram Gopal Yadav was the man of the moment when a coup was staged on Sunday. He met with legal experts, consulted senior political leaders and ensured that coup was a successful one.

[Also Read: Mulayam hits back, declares decisions taken at national convention 'illegal']

On Sunday, the convention called for by Ram Gopal in the capacity of General Secretary of the Samajwadi Party chose Akhilesh Yadav as the party chief. Mulayam, who immediately said the grand convention was unconstitutional, will find himself on weak ground.

For starters having written the constitution of the party, Ram Gopal knows it like the back of his hand. Second, the constitution allows for the general secretary to call for a convention if more than 40 per cent of the elected representatives ask for one.

The coup engineer:

Ram Gopal made sure that everything was right legally. He was preparing for this coup for the past three months. During this period he met with legal experts and several other experts to ensure that the convention was declared valid.

At the time the convention was called for, Shivpal Yadav was the president of the party. Ram Gopal was aware that Shivpal would give the convention a skip. However, he relied on the constitution which said the vice president of the party must be present in the absence of the president. Kirnmoy Nanda, the vice president of the party was present at the convention.

When Ram Gopal wrote the constitution, he did not lay out a procedure on how a president must be impeached. He used this loop hole to his advantage to oust Shivpal as the president.

It was all about the numbers game and the lead up to the convention saw a large number of Akhilesh supporters backing him to the hilt.

OneIndia News
New year's revelry turns nightmare for Bengalureans

India

oi-Anusha

By Anusha Ravi

Chaos reigned supreme on M G road and Brigade road of Bengaluru during New year celebrations as unruly mobs attacked men and women alike. Despite CCTV cameras and over 1,000 policemen deputed for security incidents of molestation, assault, eve teasing and brazen hooliganism were witnessed. Despite eyewitness accounts, no formal complaints were registered with the police.

"The crowd was drunk and unruly. They were attacking men and women alike. Police tried to use mild lathi charge to disperse the crowd

but the numbers were too huge. The police were helpless against the overwhelming number of people," said Peerzada Yasir, a journalist who was witness to the madness. He also said that journalists like him came to the rescue of some revellers who were caught in the chaos.

Hundreds of CCTVs installed by the police department and dozens of cameras of television channels and media houses did little to deter unruly mobs that went about hurling obscenities at couples, women and children. Shutter bugs captured women and men being mobbed and jeered at. Eyewitnesses claimed that mobs in inebriated state pulled at women revellers' clothes and pushed around misbehaving with those that has come to ring in the New Year. Many revellers were seen attempting to seek help of the police to move away from the crowd but the sheer numbers were too much to handle.

While no complaints have been filed officially, eyewitnesses claim that there were instances of molestation and violence. It is to be seen if the Bengaluru city police take up a suo moto case. The incident has led to many questioning the safety for revellers in Karnataka's capital city.

OneIndia News
No politician can seek votes in the name of religion, states Supreme Court

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

New Delhi, Jan 2: The Supreme Court on Monday passed a landmark judgement whereby seeking votes on the name of religion, caste, race, community or language has been outlawed. The judgement comes ahead of assembly elections in five states where faith and caste top poll planks.

The verdict clearly states that elections cannot be contested by making a pitch to the candidate's or opponents' or voters' religion, caste, race, community or language.

The question before the top court was whether seeking votes in the name of religion was a corrupt practice and if candidates who seek votes in the name of religion should be disqualified.

The judgement was passed by a seven-judge SC bench which was headed by Chief Justice of India TS Thakur, who is to retire on Tuesday. The bench it is reported said that the secular ethos of the Constitution had to be maintained by keeping elections a secular exercise.

The SC was revisiting a 20-year-old judgement that called Hinduism was a way of life and said that a candidate was not affected prejudicially if votes were sought in the name of religion. Over the years several petitions had been filed to challenge the verdict.

The bench further said that, "The relationship between man and God is an individual choice. The state is forbidden to have allegiance to such an activity." The bench, however, was not unanimous in passing the judgement as three of the seven judges disagreed with the judgement and said that this verdict would reduce democracy to an abstraction. The dissenting judges said that, "No government is perfect. The law doesn't prohibit dialogue or discussion of a matter which is concern to the voters."

The majority of judges though said that an elected representative should be secular and that religion has no role in electoral process which as per the bench is a secular activity. The judges added that, "Mixing state with religion is not constitutionally permissible."

It is believed that this judgement is bound to have significant implications in the states that are to go to polls in just few months. In the state of Uttar Pradesh caste-based mobilisation is one of the top poll plank. The construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya is a big poll issue. In a similar fashion in the state of Punjab also religion and sacrilege are top campaign issues.

OneIndia News
Should Kashmir be given to Pakistan: Row erupts after this question appears in MP civil service exam

Renowned Kashmiri author laments lack of creative writers in valley

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, Jan 2: Award winning Kashmiri journalist, Shahnaz Bashir, has lamented the fact that there is no institutionalised set-up in the state for aspiring creative writers.

Bashir said Kashmir has been a home to sveral renowned writers such as Amin Kamil, Hari Krishan Koul, Ratan Lal Shant, Somnath Zutshi and Dina Nath Nadim, but the valley has been unable to groom new ones.

The journalist-turned-author is, however, hopeful, that coming years may see new writers emerging. He said aspiring writers must be motivated enough to work hard and self train.

"There undoubtedly isn't. But I think in the next five years or so we could have it. Apart from that, it is each aspiring writer's personal, individual responsibility to self-teach himself or herself; to read, to work hard and become institutions unto themselves in a culture that is hell-bent not to entertain institutionalisation of creative writing," Bashir told IANS in an interview after the launch of his second book.

Apart from this, he said, Kashmiri writers also don't find publishers very easily. He admitted he himself faced difficulties initially in getting his debut novel.

"The subject is so sensitive. We don't get publishers so easily. I also faced a lot of difficulties in finding a publisher like many other Kashmiris do. Kashmiri writers feel under-confident because of this reason."

Asked why it took so long for Kashmir literature to be part of the political struggle, Bashir said it was because the Valley has seen "a boom in writing in English" only after the 1990s -- incidentally when the armed insurgency began in the state.

And does it mean that all modern Kashmir literature is about suffering? What about love stories from the land that evinces romance?

"That is true. I wish there were an alternative to suffering. There isn't," he said, remembering Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky's wife Anna Snitkina once asking him whether he would ever write happy stories.

(With IANS inputs)
Rise above caste lines and vote: Modi at parivartan rally

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Mocking the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party for joining hands against the Bharatiya Janata Party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged the people of Uttar Pradesh to rise above the caste lines and vote for development. He said the development in the state had come to standstill since the BJP left reins of the state 14-years ago

Have you ever seen BSP and SP together? When BSP says sun is rising, SP will say sun is setting. But both agree on 'Modi hatao': PM Modi  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 2, 2017

Mudda 14 saal ke vanvaas ka nahin, 14 saal ke liye Uttar Pradesh mein vikaas ka vanvaas ho gaya hai: PM Narendra Modi pic.twitter.com/mAYPtVCJcM  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 2, 2017

Addressing a parivartan rally in Lucknow, Modi said transforming Uttar Pradesh is a prerequisite to transforming the nation.

Hindustan ka bhagya badalne ke liye pehli shart hai ki humein Uttar Pradesh ka bhaagya badalna padega: PM Modi pic.twitter.com/1KfgUQO3FN  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 2, 2017

Invoking the legacy of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who hailed from Lucknow, Modi said successive parties that ruled UP had failed to develop the state. "Sadly, development is not a priority for the rulers here," he said.

Taking a dig at the Congress party, the prime minister said BJP does not have 'high command' like some other parties have.

Speaking at the same rally earlier, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said people of UP do not want a party that is bickering within themselves.

"SP, BSP aur Congress dare hue hain. Gathbandhan ke jugaad mein lage hue hain (SP, BSP and Congress are scared and looking for alliances)," Singh said.

BJP president Amit Shah said parties in UP were resorting to natak (drama) to distract people from real issues. Shah said opposition was not able to make a single allegation of corruption since the BJP came to power at the centre.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Monday, January 2, 2017, 15:49 [IST]
A new Trinamool Congress in six months? What we know

Trinamool Congress vows to keep fighting against centre's 'atrocities'

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Kolkata Jan 1 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.

IANS
Will the SP family feud overshadow Modi's big Lucknow rally?

India

oi-Vicky

Lucknow, Jan 2: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a rally at Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh on Monday and strategists within the BJP are worried that the Samajwadi Party family drama may overshadow the event.

[Also Read: Is the Yadav family feud for real? Leaked mail says it is an orchestrated drama]

The BJP feels that this high octane drama within the SP is being orchestrated only to divert attention from the PM's Parivartan Maharally to be held on Monday. The fact of the matter is that all eyes in UP are on the family feud and this the BJP feels is likely to take the attention away from the PM's rally.

The BJP's state unit chief, Keshav Prasad Maurya says that the entire drama is an attempt to cover up the poor showing by the SP government in UP. The drama is being staged to divert attention from the important rally, he also said.

The BJP's central leadership has given its workers in UP a target of a 7 lakh gathering at the event. The BJP in UP hopes that Modi's rally is a huge success and he would manage to take the focus away from the SP family feud.

The BJP in UP says that the rally is very important given the situation that is prevailing in the state. Modi will convince the people to rise above regional parties and elect the BJP for better governance, party workers in the state say.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Monday, January 2, 2017, 8:13 [IST]
Ukraine grain deal: UN says shipments are still going out

35 Russian diplomats allegedly involved in US elections spying arrive in Moscow

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Moscow, Jan 2: The 35 Russian diplomats declared "persona non grata" by the US government arrived in Moscow early Monday morning, media reports said.

The plane of the Russian government's Rossiya Special Flight Detachment, carrying the diplomats and their families landed in Moscow after departing from Washington's Dulles International Airport on Sunday afternoon, Tass news agency reported.

On Thursday, US President Barack Obama accused the Russian diplomats of participating in an alleged Kremlin-orchestrated cyber attack to influence the US presidential election and took the decision.

The 35 diplomats left the US with their families on Sunday, a senior State Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity told Efe news reported.

Obama had given the Russian diplomats 72 hours to leave the country, and also ordered the closure of the Russian government's two compounds in New York and Maryland.

The US also announced economic sanctions involving the asset freezing of Russia's two top intelligence agencies: Main Intelligence Directorate and the Federal Security Service.

These were Obama's heaviest sanctions in the last eight years of his government in response to the cyber attacks allegedly perpetrated by foreign state actors.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who repeatedly denied the involvement, announced that he would not expel any US diplomat in retaliation for the sanctions, although he reserved "the right to take measures in response" in the future.

Putin also said that "further steps to rebuild Russian-American relations" would depend on the policies that President-elect Donal Trump pursued after January 20.

IANS


French parliamentary election: What you need to know

France's Hollande in Iraq to review war on IS

International

oi-PTI

Baghdad, Jan 2 French President Francois Hollande arrived in Baghdad today to meet the French forces helping Iraq in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group and to hold talks with top officials.

Hollande, who was travelling with French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, had already visited in 2014 and remains the most prominent head of state to come to Iraq since the launch two and half years ago of a US-led coalition against the jihadists.

AFP
RJ Sriram inspires his listeners with a blend of information and entertainment and is now on TV & OTT

Gambia authorities shut Teranga FM radio station

International

oi-PTI

Banjul, Jan 2 Popular independent Gambian radio station Teranga FM was ordered to cease operations by national security agents for unspecified reasons, a security source and staff member said.

The station, which translates news from Gambian papers into local languages, has previously been silenced and in 2015 its manager was slapped with sedition and "publication of false news" charges for privately sharing a provocative photo of President Yahya Jammeh. "Four National Intelligence Agency operatives and one police officer in uniform came to the radio station yesterday afternoon around 2:30 pm and told us to stop broadcasting," a staff member told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"They said they have been ordered by the director general of NIA, Yankuba Badjie, to tell us to stop broadcasting with immediate effect. We asked them the reason for their action, but they said they are only acting on executive orders and do not know the reason why the radio should stop broadcasting," he added.

A security source said no one had been arrested but could not say why the radio station was ordered off the air. "We only asked them to stop broadcasting and they cooperated with us. They have stopped broadcasting since in the afternoon," the source told AFP.

The radio station was not broadcasting yesterday evening, according to an AFP correspondent. Station manager Alagie Ceesay was arrested by the country's secret police in July 2015 on charges of sedition and "publication of false news" relating to allegations that he distributed images by mobile phone of a gun pointed at a picture of Jammeh. Ceesay escaped from hospital where he was being treated in mid-April last year while on trial for sedition.

Jammeh, who has ruled the small west African country with an iron fist since taking power in a bloodless coup in 1994, lost December's presidential election but has rejected the results and filed a court challenge. He is regularly accused of rights abuses and repression of the media. The Gambia ranked 145 out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders' 2016 World Press Freedom Index, pointing to "a climate of terror around anything remotely to do with journalism".

AFP
Iran welcomes peace talks on Syria

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Tehran, Jan 2 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
International news brief: Series of earthquakes rattle Hawaii and more

Islamic State claims responsibility of Istanbul attack

International

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Islamic State has claimed the responsibility of the attack on a nightclub in Istanbul on new year's eve, which left 39 people dead, said reports.

Islamic State claims responsibility for Istanbul nightclub attack: AFP  ANI (@ANI_news) January 2, 2017

The attacker, who had escaped amid the 'chaos', opened fire at Reina nightclub early on Sunday where more than 700 people had gathered to celebrate the new year. At least 28 foreigners, including two Indians, were killed in the attack.

"The (Indian) victims are Abis Rizvi, son of former Rajya Sabha MP, and Khushi Shah from Gujarat," the Ministry of External Affairs had said in a tweet.

Others were citizens from Israel, France, Tunisia, Lebanon, India, Belgium, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

The attack came as the Turkish army wages a four-month incursion in Syria to oust IS jihadists and Kurdish militants from the border area.

Istanbul, Ankara and other Turkish cities were hit by a string of attacks in 2016, blamed to be carried out by Kurdish militants and jihadists, that left hundreds dead.

(With agency inputs)
Istanbul attack: IS link suspected

International

oi-PTI

Istanbul, Jan 2: Turkish authorities believe the attacker who killed 39 people, including two Indians, at an Istanbul nightclub over the New Year is linked to Islamic State (IS) jihadists, the Hurriyet daily said. The report said Turkish police and intelligence had received information over the risk of a New Year's attack by IS in several Turkish cities and had carried out raids and arrests throughout December in response.

Without citing sources, it said that the attacker, who is still on the run, is believed to be linked to IS and may have been from Kyrgyzstan or Uzbekistan. Investigators also consider it possible that the attacker is linked to the same cell that carried out a triple suicide bombing in June and gun attack at Istanbul's Ataturk airport blamed on IS that left 47 dead, it added.

In a separate article also in Hurriyet, columnist Abdulkadir Selvi wrote that Turkey received intelligence from the United States on December 30 warning of the risk of attacks by IS in Istanbul and Ankara on New Year's night. However the intelligence did not specify the location of where such an attack could take place, the article added.

Turkish authorities have so far not said who was behind the attack on the Reina nightclub just after New Year struck. But they have launched a massive manhunt for the attacker, who is believed to have slipped away after changing his clothes.

The attack came as the Turkish army wages a four-month incursion in Syria to oust IS jihadists and Kurdish militants from the border area, suffering increasing casualties. Istanbul, Ankara and other Turkish cities were hit by a string of attacks in 2016 blamed on Kurdish militants and jihadists that left hundreds dead.

PTI
Istanbul: UN Security Council condemns terrorist attack, wants culprit to be punished

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

United Nations, Jan 2: The UN Security Council on Sunday condemned the terrorist attack in Istanbul, Turkey, during which at least 39 people were killed and 69 others were injured.

[Also Read: 2 Indians among 39 killed in Istanbul terror attack]

The terrorist attacker, armed with a long-barrelled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside the popular Reina club at around 1.15 a.m. before entering and firing on people partying inside. The gunman is still at large, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the heinous and barbaric terrorist attack at a night club in Istanbul, on January 1," says a UN Security Council press statement.

"They expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government of Turkey and wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured," said the statement.

The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, it said.

The members of the Security Council underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice and urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the Government of Turkey and all other relevant authorities in this regard.

The members of the Security Council reiterated that "any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable" regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed.

IANS
Manhunt continues for Istanbul nightclub attacker

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Istanbul, Jan 2 The manhunt continues for the lone gunman who killed 39 persons and injured 69 others at a high-end nightclub in Turkey's Istanbul.

The unknown assailant, who escaped amid the "chaos", opened fire at Reina nightclub early on Sunday when more than 700 people gathered to celebrate the new year, the BBC reported.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu confirmed a "manhunt for the terrorist is under way. Police have launched operations. We hope the attacker will be captured soon". But as the search continued, the first funerals of those killed at the nightclub were held. At least 28 foreigners, including two Indians, were killed in the attack, authorities said.

"The (Indian) victims are Abis Rizvi, son of former Rajya Sabha MP, and Khushi Shah from Gujarat," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a tweet. As many as 11 Turks were killed as the horrific massacre unfolded near the Bosporus Strait, prompting a rescue operation by the Coast Guard.

Others were citizens from Israel, France, Tunisia, Lebanon, India, Belgium, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, XInhua news agency reported. The motive behind the attack is not clear, but authorities suspect the Islamic State militant group, which is already linked to at least two terror attacks in Turkey last year, was involved.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said such groups tried "to create chaos". "They are trying to demoralise our people and destabilise our country." The banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has distanced themselves from the killings, with the group's Murat Karayilan saying they would "never target innocent civilians".

At least three of the injured were in critical condition. Istanbul was already on high alert with some 17,000 police officers on duty in the city, following a string of terror attacks in recent months.

IANS
Military operations against IS key to prevent attacks at home, says French Prez

International

oi-PTI

Baghdad, Jan 2: French President Francois Hollande, who is on a visit to Iraq, on Monday said that supporting military operations against the Islamic State group is key to preventing terror attacks at home.

Hollande had already visited Baghdad in 2014 and remains the most prominent head of state to come to Iraq since the launch two and half years ago of a US-led coalition against the jihadists. The French president, who is travelling with Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, will also stop in the autonomous northern region of Kurdistan during his one-day visit.

"Taking action against terrorism here in Iraq is also preventing acts of terrorism on our own soil," he said at a base of Iraq's elite counter-terrorism service near Baghdad. France is the second contributor to the US-led coalition that has carried out thousands of air strikes against IS in Iraq and Syria and provided military equipment, training and advice to Iraqi forces.

Iraqi forces completely collapsed when IS jihadists took over Mosul in June 2014 and swept across much of the country's Sunni Arab heartland. The jihadists then gained more territory in August 2014, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee from areas that had been controlled by the Kurdish peshmerga forces.

Since it joined the United States in the coalition in September 2014, French aircraft have conducted 5,700 sorties, around 1,000 strikes and destroyed more than 1,700 targets, according to defence ministry figures.

France has 14 Rafale fighter jets that are stationed in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates and are taking part in coalition operations. It also has 500 soldiers training and advising elite Iraqi forces and CAESAR artillery vehicles stationed south of Mosul to provide support for ongoing operations to retake the city.

Australia, Italy and Britain are also part of the 60- member coalition supporting Iraq's efforts against IS. French nationals are also among the largest contingents of foreign fighters in IS. Security agencies now fear the disintegration of the 'caliphate' in Iraq and Syria will result in an influx of returning jihadists, who are bent on carrying out terror attacks in their home countries.

Hollande is also expected to voice support for reconciliation and unity in Iraq, where observers fear an end to major operations against IS could see old internal divisions resurface.

"He will stress the importance of continuing efforts to ensure sustainable security in the country after Daesh (IS) has been defeated and the coexistence of communities in a united and sovereign Iraq," a source in the French presidency said.

Hollande was scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who hails from the main Shiite political bloc, President Fuad Masum, a Kurd, and parliament speaker Salim al-Juburi, one of the country's most prominent Sunni politicians.

PTI

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Story first published: Monday, January 2, 2017, 18:48 [IST]
Caught on camera: The moment before shots were fired at Imran Khan rally

'Only want to kill Imran Khan for misleading people': Attacker's confession

'Allah has given me another life': Imran Khan after surviving assassination bid

Cops in Pakistan suspended for leaking info on Imran Khan's shooter

Pakistan: Six injured in a roadside explosion in Quetta

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Islamabad, Jan 2: At least six persons were injured in a roadside explosion in Quetta city of Pakistan on Monday, police said.

As many as four security personnel and two civilians were injured when the roadside bomb targeted the vehicle of the Frontier Corps personnel who were on a routine patrol.

The injured were rushed to a local hospital, Dawn online reported. Heavy contingents of police and rescue workers reached the spot and the blast site was cordoned off.

An investigation has been initiated into the matter.

Southern Punjab has been the target of similar attacks before. In January 2012, a remote-controlled bombing killed 18 people in the city.

IANS
Police in Denmark arrest daughter of 'Korean Rasputin'

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Seoul, Jan 2 Police in Denmark arrested on Monday the daughter of Choi Soon-sil, impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye's close friend whose involvement in corruption led to Park's removal last year, official said.

Choi's daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, was arrested on charges of "illegal stay" by the police who subsequently notified their South Korean counterparts, the National Police Agency, said local news agency Yonhap. The special prosecutors investigating the case of Korean Rasputin Choi had asked Interpol on Tuesday to put the 20-year-old on the wanted list.

This was done after Chung refused to respond to the summons demanding her to appear in South Korea to testify, Efe news reported. The investigation team, which obtained an arrest warrant for Chung on December 22, was collaborating with relevant agencies to deport her to her home country. Investigators believe Chung received undue favours in university and high school due to her mother's ties to the President.

Her high school diploma was also annulled on the grounds that her grades and attendance records were fabricated. Her mother, Choi Soon-il, is considered the mastermind in influence peddling and corruption scandal that led Parliament to impeach Park, a decision yet to be ratified by the Constitutional Court.

Choi, 60, is accused of meddling in state affairs despite not holding any official position, as well as extorting large sums of money from Korean companies and appropriating part of it for personal use. Prosecutors believe that the Samsung Group, the country's largest company, had signed a contract worth some about $18.2 million with a Germany-based company owned by Choi and also provided financial support for Chung.

IANS
Come to India for investment and easy business, says PM Modi in Bangkok

Selfie with crocodile leaves French tourist severely injured in Thailand

International

oi-PTI

Bangkok, Jan 2: A 41-year-old French woman was bitten by a crocodile while posing to take a selfie with the ferocious reptile in Thailand's Khao Yai National Park. Muriel Benetulier wanted to be photographed with the crocodile and tried to get close to the reptile.

She squatted near the crocodile and had a photo taken. But as she was getting up, she tipped to one side and the crocodile snapped her left leg, authorities at the national park said.

She suffered a severe bite wound, said Thanya Netithammakul, head of the National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department. He said the incident was reported by the park chief, Kanchit Srinoppawan.

Netithammakul said that tourists nearby said Benetulier visited the park with her husband and the couple came across a crocodile lurking in the water. The victim has been taken to a nearby hospital, Bangkok Poast reported.

Netithammakul said that signboards were put up warning visitors about the crocodiles. Tourists were told to keep to the nature trail. Park staff were also stationed along the route to offer assistance.

PTI
Suu Kyi pledges commitment to lasting peace in Myanmar

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Nay Pyi Taw, Jan 2 Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi has pledged her commitment to achieving lasting peace in the country in 2017.

Speaking at the opening of the National Reconciliation and Peace Centre (NRPC) here, Suu Kyi on Sunday said Myanmar's peace making efforts will meet with success in the coming year, Xinhua news agency reported.

"From this building, we will face the challenge of bringing the country on the right path to the goal of peace and with the help of the people and our good friends in the world who have a genuine goodwill toward the country, we will strive for national reconciliation and peace in Myanmar." There has already been an NRPC in Yangon chaired by Suu Kyi.

IANS
Thailand: Road accident leaves 25 dead

International

oi-PTI

Bangkok, Jan 2: At least 25 people, including a three-year-old boy, were killed on Monday when two vehicles collided and caught fire on a highway in eastern Thailand, police said.

A pick-up truck heading to Klaeng district in Rayong with 12 passengers crashed into a van coming from the opposite direction, resulting in a fire which engulfed both the vehicles in the eastern province of Chonburi, The Bangkok Post reported.

The van was carrying 15 passengers from Chanthaburi to Bangkok when the accident took place. Police said 11 people in the truck and 14 people in the van, including the three-year-old boy, died.

They said the van driver might have lost control of the vehicle, which crossed a dividing road ditch to the other side and hit the truck. The blast might have been caused by the compressed natural gas cylinder in the van, they added.

According to the World Health Organization, Thailand has the world's second most dangerous roads in 2015 in terms of per capita deaths despite relatively good infrastructure.

PTI

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Story first published: Monday, January 2, 2017, 18:15 [IST]
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KOLR 02 Oct 2019

ISTANBUL, Turkey -- Terror group ISIS has claimed responsibility for the deadly New Year's attack that left at least 39 club..
Rumble Studio 28 Jan 2021

This truck is clearly intruding on these turkeys' turf and pays the price for hit. Good thing the driver stayed in the car!
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From The Nation



Donald Trump

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When Paul Ryan and top congressional Republicans gathered on the evening of January 20, 2009, to plot a strategy of absolute and unrelenting opposition to Barack Obama presidency, and to the House and Senate Democrats who had received a mandate from the American people to work with the enormously popular president-elect, California Congressman Kevin McCarthy told the group: "If you act like you're the minority, you're going to stay in the minority. We've gotta challenge them on every single bill and challenge them on every single campaign."

That determination to resist the Obama agenda offended Democrats and thrilled Republicans. But, at the most fundamental level, it was nothing more than Politics 101. An opposition party exists to oppose the party in power. Ryan and his fellow partisans understood this in 2009.

Yet, now, Ryan and the Republicans are whining about the failure of Democrats to play the role of a "loyal opposition" that willingly compromises and cooperates with President-elect Donald Trump and the wrecking crew the incoming administration has assembled to destroy essential programs -- beginning with Medicaid -- while redistributing wealth to the billionaire class that is its core constituency.

The Speaker of the House claims Trump "earned a mandate" for a "go big, go bold" agenda, while Trump "counselor" Kellyanne Conway is not just claiming a mandate but griping that critics of the billionaire are "attempting to foment a permanent opposition that is corrosive to our constitutional democracy."

"The left is trying to delegitimize his election," grumbles Conway. "They're trying to deny him what he just earned."

Ryan and Conway should brush up on their math. Trump earned 2.9 million fewer votes than his Democratic rival. The Republican earned just 46.1 percent of the popular vote. Only a narrow Electoral College advantage made his president-elect.

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Global Desktop 3D Printers Market Research Report 2016

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This report studies Global Desktop 3D Printers Market, especially in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia and India, focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, covering3D SystemsEnvisiontecFormlabsMASS PORTALROLANDSolidscapeStratasysXi'an Unuodi Intelligent Technology Co., LtdMarket Segment by Regions, this report splits Global into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue, market share and growth rate of Desktop 3D Printers in these regions, from 2011 to 2021 (forecast), likeNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaDownload Sample this Report:Split by product type, with production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, can be divided intoType IType IIType IIISplit by application, this report focuses on consumption, market share and growth rate of Desktop 3D Printers in each application, can be divided intoFor Rapid PrototypingIndustrialFor Dental ApplicationsFor Model MakingFor OfficesView Full Report With Complete TOC, List Of Figure and Table:7 Global Desktop 3D Printers Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 3D Systems7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Its Competitors7.1.2 Desktop 3D Printers Product Type, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Type I7.1.2.2 Type II7.1.3 3D Systems Desktop 3D Printers Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015 and 2016)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Envisiontec7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Its Competitors7.2.2 Desktop 3D Printers Product Type, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Type I7.2.2.2 Type II7.2.3 Envisiontec Desktop 3D Printers Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015 and 2016)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Formlabs7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Its Competitors7.3.2 Desktop 3D Printers Product Type, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Type I7.3.2.2 Type II7.3.3 Formlabs Desktop 3D Printers Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015 and 2016)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 MASS PORTAL7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Its Competitors7.4.2 Desktop 3D Printers Product Type, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Type I7.4.2.2 Type II7.4.3 MASS PORTAL Desktop 3D Printers Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015 and 2016)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 ROLAND7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Its Competitors7.5.2 Desktop 3D Printers Product Type, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Type I7.5.2.2 Type II7.5.3 ROLAND Desktop 3D Printers Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015 and 2016)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 Solidscape7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Its Competitors7.6.2 Desktop 3D Printers Product Type, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Type I7.6.2.2 Type II7.6.3 Solidscape Desktop 3D Printers Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015 and 2016)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.7 Stratasys7.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Its Competitors7.7.2 Desktop 3D Printers Product Type, Application and Specification7.7.2.1 Type I7.7.2.2 Type II7.7.3 Stratasys Desktop 3D Printers Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015 and 2016)7.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.8 Xi'an Unuodi Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd7.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Its Competitors7.8.2 Desktop 3D Printers Product Type, Application and Specification7.8.2.1 Type I7.8.2.2 Type II7.8.3 Xi'an Unuodi Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd Desktop 3D Printers Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015 and 2016)7.8.4 Main Business/Business OverviewTo Purchase this Premium Report:Global QYResearch is the one spot destination for all your research needs. Global QYResearch holds the repository of quality research reports from numerous publishers across the globe. Our inventory of research reports caters to various industry verticals including Healthcare, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Technology and Media, Chemicals, Materials, Energy, Heavy Industry, etc. With the complete information about the publishers and the industries they cater to for developing market research reports, we help our clients in making purchase decision by understanding their requirements and suggesting best possible collection matching their needs.Unit1, 26 Cleveland Road, South Woodford, London, E182AN, United KingdomContact: +44 20 3239 2407Email: sales@globalqyresearch.comFollow us:Twitter:
Laboratory Informatics Market To Be Driven By Demand For Cost-Efficient Workflow Management Systems Till 2025: Grand View Research, Inc.

http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/laboratory-informatics-market

The global laboratory informatics market() was valued at USD 2.15 billion in 2015 and is expected to reach a value of USD 3.83 billion by 2025. Increasing requirement for life sciences companies to comply with regulatory demands has further promoted the incorporation of laboratory information management systems (LIMS) as it helps professionals understand and fulfill the complex regulatory obligations. Furthermore, demand for cost-efficient workflow management systems is anticipated to drive the growth over the forecast period.Rising adoption of LIMS solutions by biobanks coupled with the increasing demand for integrated healthcare solutions is the key contributing factor for the growth of the laboratory informatics market over the forecast period. In addition, growing awareness levels amongst the end-use segments and technological evolution of LIMS solutions are anticipated to fuel the growth in the coming years.Further key findings from the report suggest: LIMS dominated the overall laboratory informatics market on the basis of technology in 2015 owing to the associated benefits such as data tracking and management with fewer errors. Moreover, demand for fully integrated LIMS platforms is growing in accordance with the requirements of life sciences and research industries to reduce the incidence of errors in data management and qualitative analysis of research information. The above-mentioned factors are expected to drive the segment growth. On the other hand, demand for upgraded laboratory informatics technologies such as electronic lab notebook and Enterprise Content Management (ECM) solutions amongst research professionals and industry players, respectively, is expected to increase over the forecast period. Associated benefits of ECM, such as database management of large unstructured or structured medical information and supportive government initiatives, are expected to contribute to its lucrative growth over the forecast period. Cloud-based services are anticipated to show lucrative CAGR over the forecast period due to its growing acceptance by industry participants. The introduction of technologically advanced software solutions and their widespread adoption by the healthcare IT providers are expected to impede the growth of the on-premise segment over the forecast period. Furthermore, advantages associated with its usage, including remote access to information, reduced operational cost, and real-time data tracking, are contributing toward their rising demand. North America dominated the market as of 2015, which is attributable to supportive government initiatives promoting the adoption of LIMS. On the other hand, the Asia Pacific market is likely to exhibit profitable growth due to increasing R&D expenditure deployed by the public and private sectors coupled with increasing awareness levels pertaining to LIMS The key players serving laboratory informatics market areThermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Core Informatics, LabWare, Cerner Corporation, PerkinElmer, Inc., LabVantage Solutions, Inc., LabLynx, Inc., Agilent Technologies, ID Business Solutions Ltd., McKesson Corporation, Waters Corporation, and Abbott Informatics.Grand View Research has segmented the laboratory informatics market by product, delivery mode, component, end-use and region:Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) LIMS ELN SDMS LES EDS & CDMS CDS ECMDelivery Mode Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) On-Premise Web-hosted Cloud-basedComponent Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) Software ServicesEnd-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) Life Science Companies CROs Chemical industry Food & Beverage and Agriculture Industries Petrochemical Refineries and Oil &d Gas Industry OthersRegional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) North Americao U.S.o Canada Europeo UKo Germany Asia Pacifico Japano Chinao India Latin Americao Brazilo Mexico Middle East and Africao South AfricaAbout Grand View ResearchGrand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare.Press ContactSherry James - Corporate Relations Specialist28 2nd Street, Suite 3036San Francisco, CA 94105United StatesPhone: 1-415-349-0058Email: sales@grandviewresearch.com
Cold Chain Market (3PL service provider) Explores New Growth Opportunities By 2020

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Cold chain involves proper logistic planning of temperature sensitive products through thermal and refrigerated packaging methods. The application of cold chain is mainly applied to chilled and frozen foods to increase their self-life and maintain quality standard for long duration of time. Cold chain specifically helps in maintaining the bio-chemical and physical properties of the frozen foods and regulating market price in off-season. It also helps to prevent the product from loss and reduce the waste, which ultimately increases the overall income of manufacturer or producer.Request to view Sample Report @After economic slowdown in 2010, many big players increased the investment on frozen food industry, which leads to directly impacted overall cold chain market. Use of cold chain involves in many industries such as fruits & vegetables, bakery, confectionery, dairy, frozen desserts, fish, meat and seafood. In order to maintain these food fresh for long run, there need a proper cold chain logistics system. This leads to helps in the growth of cold chain market across the globe.The global cold chain market is growing with a high potential. North America is the largest market for cold chain. The growth in demand of frozen chilled and frozen foods in western counties triggered the cold chain market in North America. Increasing demand of daily products, vegetables and fruits heading towards more export form one reason to another. This has also led to boost the cold chain market. Various initiatives taken by the government affect the cold chain market in Asia Pacific region. Indian government has decided to open mega food parks, which require temperature controlled vehicles and temperature-controlled warehouses. Government also allowed 100% FDI in cold chain industry. This leads boost to cold chain market in Asia Pacific. . In Europe, Germany is one of the largest markets due to the increased consumption of frozen foods.Request to view Table of content @Major companies operating in global frozen bakery market include, Americold Logistics, Burris Logistics, Cloverleaf Cold Storage, Conestoga Cold Storage, Congebec Inc., Dev Bhumi Cold Chain Limited, Fresh And Healthy Enterprises Ltd, Gati Kwe Ltd, Hanson Logistics, Henningsen Cold Storage Co, Interstate Cold Storage Inc., Snowman Logistics Ltd and Trenton Cold Storage Inc.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Global Bromine Market : APAC region Growing at 4.1% CAGR by 2024

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PMR projects the global bromine market to witness moderate growth during the forecast period 2016-2024. APAC will continue to remain the largest market for bromine, growing at 4.1% revenue CAGR during the forecast period.Global demand for bromine market will reach 483 kilo metric tons (KMT) in 2016, up from 470 KMT in 2015. Demand will be impeded by growing regulation and legislation, especially in the European Union (EU), where the use of certain brominated flame retardants is banned or restricted.Flame retardants will continue to remain the largest application segment, accounting for 203 KMT volume in 2016, a y-o-y increase of 2.8% over 2015. Use of bromine in oil and gas drilling will continue its upward momentum in 2016, growing at 4.3% in terms of volume  the fastest among all the application segments.The chemicals industry will remain the largest consumer of bromine, accounting for 292 KMT volume in 2016, representing market value worth 1,284 Mn. Use of bromine in the oil and gas sector will also continue to witness steady growth, as clear brine fluids gain traction for drilling purposes. Demand will be offset by sluggish adoption in the electronics industry, as use of brominated flame retardants continues to face stricter regulations. Demand for bromine from electronics sector will witness a growth rate of 2.1% in 2016 over 2015.For More Information Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report @Asia Pacific will remain the largest market for bromine, representing annual revenues worth US$ 1,087 Mn in 2016, up from 895 Mn in 2015. This is primarily due to expansion of end-use industries such as chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and electronic in APAC. Latin America will continue to offer growth opportunities to manufacturers, with global demand witnessing a 2.0% volume growth in 2016 over 2015. Demand will face constraints in the mature markets of North America and Western Europe in 2016 as well.Request Report Sample @Israel Chemicals Limited, Chemtura Corporation, Albemarle Corporation, Gulf Resources Inc., Tosoh Corporation, Tetra Technologies Inc., Tata Chemicals Limited and Hindustan Salts Limited are the key players in the market. Top players are continuously focusing on expanding their product offerings, especially in flame retardants segments. Collaborations and joint ventures are key business strategies to develop green brominated flame retardants.To Buy Full Report for a Single User @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Fragrance Market Will Continue to Grow by 2020

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Commonly known as perfume, fragrance is a mixture of essential oils or aroma compounds, fixatives and solvents commonly used to provide pleasant scent to the human body, animals, food, objects and any living space. Over the years, people used herbs and spices such as almond, coriander, myrtle, conifer resin or and bergamot as well as flowers to provide pleasant aroma or scent to their food ingredients. Fragrance oil also known as aromatic oil is used to provide aroma/pleasant scents to the products. These oils are blended with synthetic aroma compounds or natural essential oils which are diluted with scented oil such as, propylene glycol, vegetable oil or mineral oil. Aromatic oils are mostly used for perfumery, cosmetics and flavoring of food.Request to view Sample Report @Fragrance in the western countries is mostly applied to the pulse point of the body such as behind the ears, nape of the neck and insides of wrists, elbows and knees. The pulse part of the body is warm as compare to other body parts, it provide warmth to the perfume which allow it to release continuous fragrance. Fragrance industry manufactures various types of perfume depending upon the usage. Lightly scented products such as bath oil, shower gel and body lotion are used in the morning, eau de toilette for afternoon and perfume for evening. Perfume can hold its scent for longer period of time as compare to other scented products.Global fragrance market can be bifurcated into three categories such as perfume, deodorant and others. Households user has the largest market share for fragrance products, followed by personal care. North America has largest market share for fragrance products, followed by Europe and Asia-Pacific. Asia-Pacific region is expected to show highest growth for fragrance products in coming future owing to increasing domestic demand in the developing countries such as India and China.Increasing population coupled with increasing disposable income in the developing countries such as India and china is expected to drive the global fragrance market. Increasing disposable income allow the customer to spend more on luxury products among which fragrance plays key role.Request to view Table of content @According to the National Bureau of Statistics China, annual per capita disposable income of urban households in China increased from USD 2,271.0 in 2008 to USD 3408.5 in 2012. The overall annual disposable income in India medium household income increased from USD 1,366.2 billion in 2010 to USD 1,587.6 billion in 2013. Additionally, use of fragrances for reduction of stress and change in moods and increasing use of fragrances by household is expected to provide ample growth opportunities for the global fragrance market. Appearance and personal care have become sense of pride, self reliance and confidence. From being non-essential product fragrance/perfume have emerged as an essential product in todays era. Also, economic development in growing markets coupled with increased demand for youth-oriented fragrances and celebrity scents are expected to drive the global fragrance market.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Egypt Below 30Hp Centrifugal Water Pumps Market Revenue to reach US$ 37.1 Million by 2020

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Future Market Insights (FMI) delivers key insights on the Egypt below 30Hp centrifugal water pump market in its upcoming market forecast and outlook titled, Below 30 Hp Centrifugal Water Pump Market: Egypt Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2015 - 2020. The Egypt below 30 Hp centrifugal water pump market is projected to register a steady CAGR of 5.1% in terms of revenue during the forecast period due to various factors, regarding which FMI offers vital insights in detail.FMI analyses the Egypt below 30Hp centrifugal water pump market in terms of market value (US$ Mn) and volume (units), by applications, pump type and pump capacity, and provides insightful information regarding market dynamics, value chain, competitive landscape, current trends, market estimations and forecast until 2020.Below 30Hp centrifugal water pumps are the most used types of pumps in the world due to robust and effective nature. Below 30 Hp centrifugal water pumps find application in various large and small scale industries such as chemicals, construction, waste water treatment and agriculture. On the basis of application type, the market has been segmented into industrial, agriculture and domestic use. The domestic application segment accounted for around 40% revenue share of the overall Egypt below 30Hp centrifugal water pump market in 2014, and is expected to register a CAGR of 4.8% over the forecast period. Agriculture application is estimated to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. Every application segment is further sub-segmented into monobloc, mini pump and submersible pump. Submersible pumps are widely preferred for all the above mentioned applications; however, monobloc pumps is expected to register a high CAGR over the forecast period. Submersible centrifugal water pumps are widely preferred in Egypt, and account for over 50% share of the Egypt below 30Hp centrifugal water pumps market.Request For Report Sample@This report covers trends driving growth of each segment and respective sub-segments and offers pricing analysis and insights for each pump type and their respective capacities. From the capacity perspective, segmentation is done on the basis of horsepower for all three types of pumps. A detailed pricing analysis is done for the same. The 25 to 30 Hp pump in the monobloc and submersible pump category are more preferred, while the 1 to 2 Hp capacity pumps account for over 50% share in the mini centrifugal water pump category.Increasing investment in housing construction, infrastructure development, expansion of water supply network and increase in agriculture initiatives are some of the macro-economic drivers for the Egypt below 30Hp centrifugal water pump market. Political instability and price volatility are some of the factors restricting growth of the Egypt below 30Hp centrifugal water pump market. Prices of China-made centrifugal water pumps are relatively lower and this is one of the major concerns for global and regional players operating in this market. Adoption of photovoltaic powered centrifugal water pumps and solar powered centrifugal water pumps is trending in the Egypt below 30Hp centrifugal water pumps market.Send An Enquiry@Key players in the Egypt below 30Hp centrifugal water pump market include Grundfos, KSB Pumps, Xylem Inc., Wilo, Flowserve Corporation, Calpeda and Omega Engineering Egypt. Egypt centrifugal water pump market is largely dominated by regional and local players, and these collectively account for around 70% share of the total centrifugal water pump market. Grundfos accounts for largest share among all others, followed by KSB Egypt and Wilo.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comPress@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Anti-Counterfeiting Packaging Market : Global Market Snapshot by 2020

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Packaging plays a crucial part in various industries such as food and pharmaceuticals. The most essential method to avoid counterfeiting is secure packaging. Anti-counterfeiting is one of the important processes of secure packaging that prevents copying and confirms the security of products. Manufacturers are minimizing their loss which was mainly occurred due to counterfeiting products with the help of anti-counterfeiting technology.Request to view Sample Report @Based on the technology the market of anti-counterfeiting packaging is divided in two broad segments: authentication packaging technology and track & trace packaging technology. Authentication technology is the most dominant segment of anti-counterfeiting packaging market in terms of market share. Authentication technologies are further classified as ink and dyes, holograms and others. Track & trace technologies are further classified as barcode technology and RFID technology. On the basis of application anti-counterfeiting packaging are classified as food packaging, pharmaceuticals packaging and others.North America is the largest and fastest growing market for anti-counterfeiting packaging, followed by Europe. Asia Pacific is a niche market for anti-counterfeiting packaging. Japan represents the major market for anti-counterfeiting packaging in the Asia Pacific region. Rise in the development of packaging techniques used in the pharmaceuticals and food segments including track & trace and authentication technologies drives the anti-counterfeiting packaging market in the Asia Pacific region.Rising number of counterfeit products, increasing consumer awareness about counterfeit, increasing government regulation and emphasizing more on eliminating counterfeit products in many developing and developed nations and identification of expired products are some of the major driving force for anti-counterfeiting packaging market. High cost structure to track & trace infrastructure and lack of awareness for product originality are expected to pose severe challenges to the growth of anti-counterfeiting packaging market.Request to view Table of content @Some of the major companies operating in the anti-counterfeiting packaging market include Avery Dennison, Alien Technology Corp., Inksure Technologies, Authentix Inc., Zebra Technologies, Alpvision, Sicapa, Essentra PLC, Impinj Inc., Flint Group, TraceLink Inc. and Catalent Pharma Solution Inc.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Now Available North America Temperature Sensor Market Forecast And Growth 2014-2020

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Temperature detection and measurement is a very important activity and has a variety of applications ranging from simple household to industrial. A temperature sensor is a device that collects the concerning temperature data and displays in a human-understandable format. Temperature sensing is the most controlled and measurable factor behind any critical application. The temperature sensing market shows continuous growth due to its need in research & development, semiconductor and chemical industries. Temperature sensing is gaining a lot of attention due to increasing adoption of HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air conditioning) for domestic as well as industrial use.Temperature sensors are primarily of two types, contact temperature sensors and non-contact temperature sensors. The contact temperature sensors are thermocouples, filled system thermometers, resistance temperature detectors and bimetallic thermometers. Contact temperature sensors are currently dominating the market. Noncontact temperature sensors like infrared devices have extensive opportunities in the defence sector due to their ability to detect thermal radiation power of optical and infrared rays emitted from liquids and gases.The quality of a temperature sensor is measured in terms of standard characteristics such as response time, accuracy, repeatability and stability of output senility towards change in other physical environmental factors. Life of the sensor, termination style, probe type and range of measurement are a few other important specifications to be taken into account while considering commercial use.Request Free Report Sample@There is an increasing demand for temperature sensing in the North American market due to its applicability in defence, aerospace, chemical processing and automotive vehicular production sectors. The key driving force behind the increasing market share of North America in temperature sensing include increasing end-user and industrial applications, rising security concerns towards security & surveillance and increasing macroeconomic government interventions. On the other hand, there is a continuous reduction in prices of temperature sensors due to the introduction of more competitive technologies and higher associated costs that act as restraints for market development.The North American temperature sensor market is segmented on the basis of product type, application and geography. On the basis of product type, the market is divided into fibre-optic temperature sensors, bimetallic temperature sensors, integrated circuit temperature sensors, infrared temperature sensors, thermistors, resistance temperature detectors (RTD), silicon-based temperature sensors and thermocouples. On the basis of application, the market is categorized into transportation, healthcare, aerospace & defence, petrochemicals, energy & power generation and HVAC & refrigeration. On the basis of geography, North American market is divided into Canada, the United States and Mexico.There is a need for continuous development in temperature sensing to enhance its usability in different verticals and segments. Remote temperature sensing, switch gear temperature monitoring, MRI temperature sensing, fibre-optic temperature sensing, microwave induction heating control, smart temperature sensing, distributed temperature sensing and geothermal sensing are some of the advancements in the temperature sensing market. Use of nanotechnology and microtechnology is also offering contactless accurate measurement at low cost. Silicon-based temperature sensors are used in coolants and are gaining popularity because they do not need any calibration and are inherently stable.Request For TOC@The key players in North America market are Texas Instruments Inc. (U.S.), Sensata Technologies (U.S.), Maxim Integrated Products Inc. (U.S.), Microchip Technology Inc. (U.S.), Analog Devices Inc. (U.S.) and Honeywell International Inc. (U.S.). The market in the US is more developed as compared to RoW (Rest of the World). The market in Mexico is in its development stage and need some more time to mature. Development of new technologies and up gradation of existing temperature sensing technologies in automobiles, equipment and machineries is showing continuous growth. The future temperature sensor market is characterized by advanced technology at an affordable cost.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Blister Packs Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2015 - 2023

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Blister packs is the term used for wide range of pre formed plastic packaging that are generally used for the packaging of foods, small consumer goods and pharmaceutical products. Blister packaging is an inexpensive option for creating packages that are transparent, durable and tamper proof in nature. The primary component of the blister packaging is the pocket or cavity that is manufactured using thermoformed plastics.Get Sample Report Copy:Blister packaging has a lidding seal of plastics or aluminium foil or has backing of paperboard. Blister packaging that has the ability to fold onto itself is known as clamshell. Blister packaging offer a wide range of benefits which include protection of the product against external factors such as contamination and humidity for extended period of time. Blister packaging that are opaque in nature also protect light sensitive products against the ultra violet radiations. The cavities for blister packaging are bored into the sheet and rolls of plastic films using pressure and heat. Blister packaging is used by manufacturing blister machines design: flat-plate and rotary. Materials that are commonly used in the manufacturing of blister packing include polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Polychlorotrifluoro ethylene or PCTFE among others.Increasing population coupled with rising dependency on junk food is expected to boost several ailments among people which in turn is expected to drive the overall pharmaceutical market. Blister packaging is widely used to cover and thus, to package the medicines which are especially in the form of tablets or capsules. Thus, increase in the clinical trials and new FDA regulations within the U.S. are expected to boost the overall demand for blister packaging in the near future. Blister packaging is also widely used for effective labeling and dosages of the medicines. Blister packaging is also finding major applications in the consumer goods market. Thus, the growing demand for attractive packaging of the product is expected to drive the overall blister packaging market. Blister packaging is also widely used for the packaging of products that have to be handled with care. In addition, the growing demand from the customers for viewing the product before its purchase is expected to augment the overall demand for blister packaging market. However, growing environmental concerns regarding the usage of plastics is expected to hamper the overall demand for blister packaging. Development of bio based plastics for manufacturing blister packaging is expected to open new avenues for the market in near future.North America is the largest consumer of blister packaging. The presence of huge pharmaceutical and healthcare industry in the region is expected to boost the overall demand for blister packaging in the region. North America is followed by Asia Pacific, owing to the presence of huge consumer goods manufacturing industry especially in China. Europe is expected to be the next largest manufacturer of blister packaging owing to the present of stringent regulations with respected to the pharmaceutical industry in the region. Theus, the blister packaging market is expected to exhibit rapid growth in the near future. Rest of the World is expected to exhibit sluggish growth in the demand for blister packaging in the near future.The market of blister packaging is highly fragmented in nature. VisiPak, Blisterpak, Inc., Powerpak Industries L.L.C., Algus Packaging, Inc, Clearwater Packaging, Inc. and Blisters, Inc. among others are some of the major participants of the blister packaging market.About TMRTMR is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Germany acid proof lining market is projected to register a CAGR of 5.9% during the forecast period 2016-2026

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The need for protecting industrial surfaces exposed to corrosive chemicals will continue to influence the demand for acid proof lining in Germany. In 2016, the acid proof lining market in Germany is expected to reach market value of US$ 4,296.2 Mn, at a y-o-y growth of 5.1% over 2015. The rising incidences of industrial equipment damages owing to the mechanical abrasion is also anticipated to drive the demand for acid proof linings in Germany.The industrial use of acid proof lining in coating the floor tiles of various manufacturing units is expected to fuel the growth of Germanys acid proof lining market. The rising necessity of providing durable solutions to industrial infrastructure is observed as a key driver for the growth of the Germany acid proof lining market. Furthermore, the mounting private equity investments will continue to boost the growth of the Germany acid proof lining market. However, the high costs of veneering industrial surfaces will be a major challenge hampering the demand for expensive yet highly-durable acid proof lining types such as carbon brick coating.Request Free Report Sample@On the basis of material-type, the acid proof lining market in Germany will witness the fastest growth in the thermoplastics lining segment. In 2015, the thermoplastics lining segment is estimated to have accounted for over 25% of total market share in Germanys acid proof lining market. By the end of 2016, the share of thermoplastics lining segment is expected to grow at a substantial rate, closing in on the ceramic brick lining market share, which accounted for 34.8% in 2015.The acid proof lining market in Germany is further segmented on the basis of end-use industries. Owing to the pervasive need of acid proof lining for protection against chemical abrasion, the chemical industries in Germany are expected to dominate the end-user segment with 29.3% market share in 2016. The water treatment facilities and power generation plants in Germany are also anticipated to fuel the demand for durable acid proof lining.In order to expand the scope of application, the market for acid proof lining in Germany is undergoing reforms that favour manufacturers. Small acid proof lining manufacturers will continue to emerge, owing to the low entry barriers. The leading companies in Germanys acid proof lining market will expand their business operations to meet the surging adoption levels of acid proof linings from end-use industrial verticals such as metallurgy, pharmaceuticals, and automotive manufacturing. The key players of the Germany acid proof lining market include AGRU Kunststofftechnik GmbH, Steuler-Kch GmbH, SKO Saureschutz und Kunststoffbau GmbH, GBT-BUCOLIT GmbH, Christen & Laudon GmbH Kunststoff  Apparatebau, A-SPT Protective Solutions GmbH & Co. KG, Knapper Oberflachentechnik GmbH, Nittel GmbH & Co. KG, , Hurner-Funken GmbH and Simona AG, among others.Send An Enquiry@Long-term Outlook: The Germany acid proof lining market is projected to register a CAGR of 5.9% during the forecast period 2016-2026. In terms of value, the acid proof lining market in Germany will reach US$ 7.605.3 Mn by end of the forecast period.About Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Chlorinated Polyethylene Resins and Elastomers (CPE) Market Shares, Strategies and Forecast Worldwide, 2015 to 2025

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Chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) resins and elastomersare thermoplastic polymers exhibiting enhanced physical and chemical properties. These are used as thermoplastic elastomer, modifier for various resins such as Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) andPolyethyelene(PE). Chlorinated polyethylene resins offer resistance against chemical, fire, heat, oil, weather, abrasion. Other properties of CPE include excellent mechanical and physical properties, high filler acceptance, tensile strength and low temperature performance. The applications of chlorinated polyethylene resins and elastomers include geomembranes, as impact modifier andflexible sheeting for automotive, roofing membranes, molded shapes, extruded profiles and cable jacketing and as a base polymer.Growing demand for chlorinated polyethylene resins and elastomers in impact modification application is expected to drive the market growth. Impact modification is the largest application of CPE in terms of consumption. It is widely used for impact modification of PVC for fence, deck, window profiles, pipes and vinyl siding.CPEs are added into formulations of PVC, PE and PP plastic products to improve impact resistance, low temperature performance, welding strength, and weatherability. In addition, growing demand from flexible sheetingelectrical wires and cables, roofing applications and rubber products for seals and shoe soles.Request Free Report Sample@Flexible sheeting industry is experiencing high growth in Asia Pacific region due to growing construction and electrical industries. These two industries are driven by changing lifestyle and rising disposable income.Further, rising demand from automobile hoses and industrial hoses is expected to fuel the chlorinated polyethylene resins and elastomers market growth. Owing to properties such as ozone resistance, chemical resistance, oil resistance and temperature resistance, CPE has become ideal choice for applications such as oil tubes, power steering tubes, delivery tubes of cooling fluids. It can be also used for vent and vacuum tubes in automotive. Automobile industry is driven by global demand for various types of automotives for variety of applications. Industrial hoses are used for chemical delivery and oil delivery in difference machineries of manufacturing plants.However, rising crude oil prices and hence volatility in raw materials prices are expected to hamper the market growth for chlorinated polyethylene resins and elastomers. Polyethylene is manufactured from crude oil derivatives and is subjected to availability and price variations. In addition, high cost of processing to develop the application specific elastomer or resin is expected to hamper the market growth.Development of new applications in healthcare and pharmaceutical are expected to provide opportunities for the players in the market. Due to non-hazardous nature of chlorinated polyethylene resins and elastomers, it can be used for manufacturing plants of pharmaceuticals and healthcare industry.Asia Pacific was largest market for chlorinated polyethylene resins and elastomers in terms of consumption. China accounts for largest share in the global market in terms of production and consumption. Most of CPE in China is used for impact modifier and hoses application. Asia Pacific was followed by North America where the U.S. was the largest consumer. Demand from Europe and Rest of the World is expected to grow at moderate pace.Request For TOC@Global chlorinated polyethylene resins and elastomers market is highly concentrated with few players dominating the market. Most of the players have their manufacturing plant in China and threat from Chinese players is moderate due to high cost of processing.Key players in Chlorinated polyethylene resins and elastomers market include the Dow Chemical Company, Sundow Polymers Co. Ltd., Lianda Corporation, Du Pont, Novista - Sanyi Chemical, WeifangPolygrandChemical Co.Ltd., Shandong SanyiIndustrial Co. Ltd., Cevo Industry Company Ltd. among others.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Industrial Scrubber Market - Top Vendors ( Fabritech Engineers, Beltran Technologies, Inc., Hamon Research-Cotttrell Inc)

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An industrial scrubber is an air pollution control device that is used for removing particles or gases from industrial exhaust systems. Such industrial scrubbers are generally used in factories that use or emit harmful gases or dangerous chemicals to carry out their production processes. These scrubbers are also capable of reducing emissions from exhaust systems that are not associated with chemicals or toxic fumes. It captures both solid and gas particles and prevents them from entering into the atmosphere, thus saving against ozone depletion and global warming.Download Research Brochure PDF@On the basis of types, the industrial scrubber market is segmented into dry scrubbers and wet scrubbers. The dry scrubber market is further segmented into dry spray absorbers and dry sorbent injectors among others. The wet scrubber market is further segmented into sulphuric acid scrubbers, dust or particulate scrubbers, chlorine scrubbers, ammonia scrubbers, particulate or venture scrubbers and gas or chemical scrubbers among others. On the basis of orientation, the market is segmented into vertical orientation and horizontal orientation. On the basis of end-use industries, the industrial scrubber market is segmented into automotives, oil and gas, food and beverage, maritime and chemicals among others.The increasing stringent government policies in the developed economies to monitor air polluting factors are the prime factor fuelling the growth of industrial scrubber market. Such stringent policies drive the manufacturing plants to install these scrubbers so as to comply with the regulations. For instance, the State Environment Protection Policy (SEPP) in Australia implements stringent controls on industrial pollutants that are highly toxic resulting in adverse health conditions. Such stringent controls protect and ensure well being of living beings thereby supporting the deployment and growth of industrial scrubber market.Another factor fuelling the growth of industrial scrubber market is the initiatives taken by the industries to implement scrubbers to save time and labor costs on clean-up methods of exhaust systems. Industrial scrubbers reduce the amount of time and labor required for the cleaning tasks of exhaust systems thereby enhancing revenues. However, industrial scrubbers need to be periodically checked and maintained for ensuring smooth operation and optimum efficiency. Also, since industrial scrubbers are complex in methods of operation, formulating maintenance procedures that fit all industrial scrubbers is difficult. Due to such complexities involved in maintaining industrial scrubbers, some industries are reluctant in implementing their use and prefer the conventional methods for handling the exhaust systems. Government regulations in the developing economies to control the air pollution where there are increasing numbers of industries being setup provides tremendous growth opportunities for industrial scrubber market.For providing innovative air pollution control equipment, some of the major players in industrial scrubber market are being awarded with several new projects for designing the scrubber systems. For instance, KCH Services Inc., one of the prominent players in industrial scrubber market, on November 4, 2013, was awarded the contract of designing exhaust air handling equipment by a solar manufacturing company. This solar manufacturing company provides high quality crystalline photovoltaic products and makes use of chemicals that are highly corrosive. Due to the efficiency of KCH Services Inc. for offering quality air pollution control equipment, the project was awarded to this company. Some of the other prominent players in the market include Croll Reynold Inc., Fabritech Engineers, Beltran Technologies, Inc., Hamon Research-Cotttrell Inc. and Edlon Inc.About TMRTMR is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Hydrogen Peroxide Chemicals: Analysis of the product life cycle and Technologies Global Markets

Global Hydrogen Peroxide Market

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Hydrogen Peroxide Market (Paper and Pulp, Chemical, Wastewater Treatment, Mining, and Other) by End User  Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Segment, Trends and Forecast, 2015  2021Global hydrogen peroxide market was valued at USD 3.81 billion in 2015, is expected to reach USD 5.19 billion in 2021.The report provides forecast and analysis for the hydrogen peroxide market on a global and regional level. The study gives historic data of hydrogen peroxide industry along with an estimate from the year 2016 to 2021 based on revenue (USD Billion). This report includes drivers and restraints for the hydrogen peroxide along with the impact they have on the demand over the forecast period. Additionally, the report includes the study of opportunities available in the hydrogen peroxide market on a global level. The report covers an extensive competitive analysis of key players in the hydrogen peroxide market.Request Sample Report:In this report, we have included the comprehensive view on the hydrogen peroxide market and a detailed segmentation of hydrogen peroxide. To understand the competitive landscape in the market, an analysis of Porters Five Forces model for the hydrogen peroxide market has also been included. The study encompasses a market attractiveness analysis, wherein end user segments are benchmarked based on their market size, growth rate, and general attractiveness.The report include the further split of overall hydrogen peroxide market on the basis of and user and region. The report provides a decisive view on the hydrogen peroxide market based on end user into paper and pulp, chemical, wastewater treatment, mining, and other. End-user segments have been analyzed based on present and future trends and the market is estimated from 2015 to 2021. North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa are the main regions covered in this report with its further divide into major countries such as United States, UK, Germany, Japan, Brazil, India, And China for Hydrogen peroxide market. This segmentation includes demand for hydrogen peroxide based on individual applications in all the regions.Browse detail report at:Apart from the detailed sub-segment analysis as mentioned below, this report also provides company profiles of key market players. The competitive profiling of these players includes company and financial overview, business strategies adopted by them, and their recent developments which can help in assessing competition in the market. Major companies included in this report are Arkema S.A., Evonik Industries AG, Solvay S.A., Akzo Nobel N.V., Kemira Oyj, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc., PeroxyChem LLC, Aditya Birla Chemicals Limited, Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Ltd (GACL), and Kingboard Chemical Holdings Ltd.The report segments the global hydrogen peroxide market asGlobal Hydrogen Peroxide Market: End User Segment AnalysisPaper and PulpChemicalWastewater TreatmentMiningOtherGlobal Hydrogen Peroxide Market: Regional Segment AnalysisOther Categories Reports :-Energy & Mining: atozresearch.com/category/energy-mining/Healthcare IT: atozresearch.com/category/healthcare-it/Pharmaceuticals: atozresearch.com/category/pharmaceuticals/North AmericaU.S.EuropeUKFranceGermanyAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilMiddle East and AfricaAbout A to Z ResearchA to Z Research is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations. A to Z Research is the comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services available on air. We have market research reports from number of leading publishers and update our collection daily to provide our clients with the instant online access to our database. With access to this database, our clients will be able to benefit from expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends.Contact US3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138,Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442, USATel: +1-386-310-3803GMTTel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll Free No.1-855-465-465Email: martin@atozresearch.comWebsite:
Iron Oxide Market is Projected to be Valued at over US$ 2.8 Bn by 2025

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Future Market Insights (FMI) delivers key insights on the global iron oxide market in its latest report titled, Iron Oxide Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2015-2025. In terms of value, the global iron oxide market is projected to increase at a CAGR of 4.3% during the forecast period, owing to various factors, regarding which FMI offers vital insights in detail in this report.Iron oxides are chemical compounds that, apart from iron ores, find wide application as pigments, catalysts, etc. Construction and paints & coatings are the major end-use industries for iron oxides.Growth in construction industry, supported by rising urbanization, is expected to be among the major drivers for global iron oxide market. Major application of iron oxides in the construction industry is to colour concrete blocks and pavement bricks. Iron oxide pigments are being widely used in paints and coatings industry for their use as primers for automobiles and steel structures.Stringent government regulations are expected to adversely impact global iron oxide market significantly. This is especially the case in China, where, over the last two years, various small- and medium-scale companies have exited the iron oxide market due to high costs involved in ensuring regulatory compliance. The same trend is expected to continue over the near future.Request For Report Sample@The iron oxide market is segmented on the basis of product type, application and region. On the basis of product type, the global iron oxide market is segmented into red iron oxide, yellow iron oxide, black iron oxide, orange iron oxide, brown iron oxide, green iron oxide and other blends. On the basis of application, the global iron oxide market is segmented into construction, paints & coatings, plastics, chemicals, paper & pulp manufacturing, textile, ceramics, leather and others (fertilizers, cosmetics and rubber). Regionally, the global iron oxide market is segmented into Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa and Japan.Among product types, red iron oxide was the largest revenue contributor to the global iron oxide market in 2014. Wide application of red iron oxide across various industries is expected to support growth of the segment over the forecast period.In 2014, the construction industry segment dominated the global market, accounting for around 50% revenue share. Growth of the construction industry is in turn expected to drive growth of the iron oxide market over forecast period. In order to enhance their market share, iron oxide producers are focusing on development of new applications for iron oxides.Send An Enquiry@In 2014, Asia pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) was the largest market for iron oxide, both in terms of production and consumption. In terms of consumption, APEJ was followed by Western Europe and North America, respectively.Key players profiled in this study of the global iron oxide market include LANXESS AG, Huntsman International Inc. Cathay Industries, Alabama Pigments Company LLC, Shenghua Group Deqing Huayuan Pigment Co LTD, TODA KOGYO CORPORATION, Jiangsu Yuxing Industry and Trade Co., Ltd., Hunan Three-ring Pigments Co., Ltd., Yaroslavsky Pigment Company and Tata Pigments Company. LANXESS AG has been estimated to account for the largest share in the global iron oxide market in 2015.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comPress@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Whitening Ingredients Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2023

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Most personal care products with skin whitening ingredients available in the market for unalterable skin lightening are formulated with synthetic ingredients. The global whitening ingredients market is primarily driven by increasing expectations to possess a lightened, blemish free and radiant skin tone. Moreover, consumers in the Western countries are aware of the effectiveness of ingredients formulated in personal care products; hence, products with added features are expected to boost growth of the market. Consumers are now more health and environment conscious, and products with all-natural ingredients are supposed to be more effective; hence, more growth is expected from natural specialty ingredients. In addition, innovations in formulating products with different types of plant extracts with added features are expected to drive the market growth. Furthermore, robust growth of retail products is anticipated to drive future market potential. The growth of plant extracts and developing opportunities in the West are projected to drive the market. Additionally, the quest to improve efficiency through research and development is expected to continue to meet the consumers need.Download PDF Brochure:Healthy skin radiance and glow can be maintained by choosing herbal, plant extracts and various other natural ingredients. In developed markets such as Western Europe and North America, consumers prefer premium products, and this preference drives the growth of the natural whitening ingredients market. Furthermore, Consumers' higher earning potential helps to provide additional revenue for expenses on premium products such as face cream and face masks among others. Phenolic-based ingredients are expected to hold major market share as a result of increasing and stable demand from the Asia-Pacific region. Moreover, phenolic compounds are the ingredients predominantly used in skin whitening personal care products as they are cheaper in cost and are easily absorbed into the skin. Non-phenolic compounds used in personal care products are arbutin, kojic acid, vitamin E, vitamin C, and niacinamide.Global whitening ingredients market is segmented into chemistry type, end-product type and geography. Different types of ingredients are used in formulating personal care products, and each ingredient is functionally unique in action. The ingredients are majorly applied target skin whitening, skin lightening, and improved skin radiance Whitening ingredients are used in personal care products such as creams, lotions, gels, serums, face masks, bathing bar soaps, and bathing liquids. On the basis of end product type, the whitening ingredients market is bifurcated into skin whitening, teeth whitening among others.Asia Pacific is the largest market for whitening ingredients and products, followed by Europe and North America. China is expected to experience highest growth rate in the coming years. Rising disposable income of middle class people and increasing consumer awareness towards ingredients in developing countries such as India, China is boosting the demand of personal care products with whitening ingredients market worldwide. Moreover growing inspiration to charming and look young among aging population of western countries is keeping the growth rate steady in North American and Europe market. Huge demand from regional markets such as India, China, the Middle East and Brazil are expected to drive the total demand for whitening ingredients over the forecast period. Huge investments towards research, innovation and technology have resulted in development of many new whitening ingredient based personnel care product in recent years.Some of the key players operating in the whitening ingredients market are Beiersdorf AG (Germany), E. T. Browne Drug Company, Inc. (U.S.), Dabur India Limited (India), Company Limited (Japan), Clarins SA (France), CavinKare Pvt. Ltd. (India), Elder Health Care Ltd. (India), Jolen, Inc. (U.S.), Hindustan Unilever Ltd (India), Emami Limited (India), Kao Corporation (Japan), Shiseido Kanebo Cosmetics, Inc. (Japan), and the Procter & Gamble Company (U.S.) among others.About TMRTMR is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Automotive Front End Module Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2023

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Automotive font end module is a typically multi-piece assembly of various components such as font lighting, air conditioning condenses, radiator, cooling fan, crumple zone and bumpers among others. This practice of manufacturing the whole front end of a vehicle separately by outsourcing them to outside vendors is known as modular assembly Modular assembly gained its importance for reducing product engineering cost, labour cost, and logistics cost. This has led to the modularization of vehicle parts, thus reducing assembly line processes and speeding up the overall production time of a vehicle. Vehicle manufacturers have standardized front, end components such as radiator, headlights, crumple zone and cooling fan assembly among others of vehicles and have outsourced these modules to outside vendors. This has helped to reduce the overall cost of manufacturing a vehicle by reducing the setup and maintenance cost of assembly lines.Download Research Brochure PDF@Production cost saving strategies and innovation of front end modules has led to the minimization of labour cost, assembly cost and increasing pedestrian safety. The above mentioned factors would drive the global automotive front end module market. To sustain the consumers demand for vehicles and hold their market position, the manufacturers must find an innovative solution that would reduce the production cost of vehicles, yet decreasing the assembly time and delaying product delivery. This is only possible through modularization of vehicle parts and creation of platform based product family.By outsourcing a complete portion of a vehicle, the manufacturer minimizes a significant number of assembly-line steps that reduces the hassle of interacting with numerous subsystem suppliers, and also reduces tooling costs and, thus it improves the companys working capital. Just because the underlying structure of front end modules can be standardized, manufacturers uses a common design to be used across multiple models sold into multiple regions, thus reducing production cost at an average of 20 to 30 percent. This is the major reason for the growth of the front end module market in the automotive industry because of its time and cost saving benefits for the automotive manufacturers.Some of the major factors driving the front end module market is the growing vehicle production across the world and increasing demand for vehicle parts modularization. The major restraints that would be hindering the growth of front end module market is the growing after market.The automotive front end module market can be distinguished by component outlook, vehicle type and material type. In the component outlook, there are generally eight types; fenders, front grill, headlight, radiator, bumper, condenser crash management systems and others. The vehicle type outlook can be further segmented into three types, passenger vehicle, heavy commercial vehicle and light commercial vehicle. On the other hand in the material type outlook, the market is segmented into five types. This contains aluminum, composites, steel, plastic and hybrid.Europe held the largest market share for automotive front end module market because of the heavy R&D carried out in this field and regulations set by the European Union (EU) for pedestrian safety. In Asia-Pacific region, demand for affordable vehicle is increasing at an increasing rate due to the demand from developing nations such as India and China among others. Modularization of vehicle parts is the only option for the manufacturers to meet the demand of the people and keep the price of the vehicle reasonable.Some of the major players in this industry are Faurecia SA (France.), Mahle GmbH (Germany), Hbpo Group (Germany), DENSO Corp (Japan), Faurecia (France), Magna International Inc.(U.S), Hyundai Mobis (South Korea), and Valeo S.A. (France), among others.About TMRTMR is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Security Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecas Analysis Till 2021

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The rising incidence of terrorist attacks globally has compelled nations to up their existing defense systems. Government organizations and armed forces have been collaborating with private organizations to design and develop innovative security devices. Transparency Market Research, therefore forecasts the demand for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) security to surge considerably across nations witnessing rising terror threats. The market is also expected to gain impetus from the rising geopolitical issues between neighboring nations.The evidences of procurement of CBRN equipment by terrorist organization for mass destruction will further compel nations and armed forces to deploy advanced CBRN security systems. Spurred by these factors, the global CBRN security market is expected to expand at a positive 3.8% CAGR between 2015 and 2021.The global CBRN security market stood at US$9.13 bn in 2014 and is expected to reach US$11.92 bn by the end of 2021.Download Research Brochure PDF@Growing Readiness to Combat Terrorist Outfits Fuels Demand from Nuclear Security SegmentBy type, the global CBRN market can be segmented into chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear security. Of these, the nuclear security segment led the market in terms of revenue, holding a share of 36.09% in 2014. Nuclear threat has emerged as one of the major concerns globally. Evidence of terrorist group recruiting nuclear experts, procuring nuclear materials, and developing nuclear weapons for mass destruction has driven investments in nuclear security. Security forces and governments worldwide have been adopting various initiatives to prevent nuclear attacks, which fuels sales opportunities for the CBRN security system manufacturers.Furthermore, several developed countries have agreed upon dismantling their nuclear weapons to avoid recurrence of accidental nuclear accidents such as in Fukushima and Chernobyl. Contrary to this, developing countries such as India and Pakistan are increasing their weaponry owing to mounting border disputes. Therefore, developing countries such as these are increasing investment in adequate security structure in order to prevent the occurrence of nuclear accidents in the future. This will in turn fuel demand from the nuclear security segment of the CBRN security market.In 2014, the chemical security segment held the second-largest share in the market. During the forecast period the demand from the biological security segment is expected to decline. The radiological segment is also expected to lose its market share through the course of the forecast period.Presence of Large Number of CBRN Security Device Manufactures Seals North Americas DominationRegionally, North America held the largest share in the global CBRN security market in 2014, followed by Europe. Several CBRN security original equipment manufacturers (OEM) are located in North America, who supply products to military organizations and law enforcement agencies around the world. This is a primary factor fuelling demand from the North America CBRN security market. Additionally, the increasing threats from terrorist organizations are driving the deployment of CBRN security systems in Europe.However, TMR projects Asia Pacific to report the fastest growth as a regional market for CBRN security during the forecast period. The arms race among nations such as India, China, and Pakistan is indirectly fuelling demand for advanced CBRN security equipment in Asia Pacific. Additionally, the CBRN security market in Asia Pacific will also gain impetus from various initiatives undertaken by emerging nations to modernize their medical and military facilities. As per TMR, this regional market is expected to report a CAGR of 4.6% between 2015 and 2021.Some of the most prominent companies operating in the global CBRN security market are Argon Electronics (U.K.) Ltd., General Dynamics Corporation, AirBoss Defense, Inc., FLIR Systems, Inc., Bruker Corporation, and Thales Group.Browse Full Report@About Us:-Transparency Market Research is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact Us:-Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com
Cyber Weapon Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast Till 2021

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Identifying zero day vulnerabilities is of utmost importance for governments to prevent them from being used by extremist groups for infiltrating a nations critical infrastructure. This is a primary factor fuelling demand from the global cyber weapon market, states Transparency Market Research (TMR). Cyber weapons developed by hackers are aimed at exploiting confidentiality. However, depending on the method of use, they can be classified as either defensive or offensive cyber weapons. Both these market segments are presently gaining from the increasing demand for identifying zero-day vulnerabilities.Download Research Brochure PDF@When used for offensive purposes cyber weapons can lead to mass destruction. Due to growing threats associated with cyber weapons, various international organizations have described them as malicious codes. Stringent regulations are thus being implemented to curb their use against the human race. This factor is likely to inhibit the markets expansion to an extent. Nevertheless, in regions such as North America, governments are proactively investing in the development of advanced cyber weapons to protect their critical utilities. This will create new opportunities for growth for the market in the near future.According to TMR, the global cyber weapon market was valued at US$390 bn in 2014. Exhibiting a CAGR of 4.4%, the market is expected to reach US$521.87 bn by the end of 2021.Demand from Defensive Cyber Weapon Segment to Increase due to Rising Cases of Cyber EspionageBased on type, the global cyber weapon market has been fragmented into defensive and offensive cyber weapon segments. In terms of revenue, the defensive cyber weapon held the larger share of 73.8% in the market in 2014. The increasing cases of cyber espionage have compelled governments and private organizations to focus on technologies to safeguard their critical infrastructure. Since information technology is integral to industries such as manufacturing, defense, and aerospace, they are more vulnerable to cyber thefts. The demand for defensive cyber weapons is therefore expected to continue to surge through the forecast period.The offensive cyber weapons segment is currently at a premature stage. However, TMR expects the cyber weapons market to gradually shift from defensive to offensive weapons. Nations around the world are strengthening their offensive cyber capabilities due to the emergence of cyber as new platform for warfare. However political and legal issues associated with offensive cyber weapons have compelled governments to implement stringent regulations to ensure non-proliferation of offensive cyber weapons. This has a negative impact on the segment.Rising Cyber Attacks Compelled Governments in North America to Invest in Cyber WeaponsFrom the geographical standpoint, North America dominated the global cyber weapons market with a share of 36% in 2014. TMR forecasts the region to maintain its dominance in the market through the forecast period. The Internet is the backbone of critical infrastructure such as industrial control, air traffic control systems, and military defense in the U.S. The country has witnessed several attacks on its critical infrastructure in the past. Its government is therefore investing in developing novel technologies to prevent future cyber-attacks on such critical utilities. Such developments will significantly aid the expansion of the cyber weapons market in North America.In 2014, Asia Pacific was another key market for cyber weapons. The rising demand from countries such as India, China, North Korea, Australia, South Korea, and Japan will boost the cyber weapons sales in the region. Furthermore, the increasing investment by China in the development of advanced cyber warfare technique will significantly aid the markets expansion in Asia Pacific.The Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin Corporation, General Dynamics Corporation, Raytheon Company, BAE Systems plc, and Northrop Grumman Corporation are some of the leading players operating in the cyber weapon market.Browse Full Report@About Us:-Transparency Market Research is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact Us:-Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com
Worldwide System Integration Market: Increasing Penetration of Automation in Manufacturing Processes to Catalyze Growth

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The majority of companies in the global system integration market are adopting various business strategies such as extensive research and development, mergers and acquisitions, and partnerships to have a strong footprint in this highly fragmented arena. Key players are focusing on promising sectors such as BFSI and healthcare in order to stay relevant in the market, says Transparency Market Research in a new study.They are introducing advanced data integration services to gain a competitive edge over their contemporaries, says TMRs lead analyst. Some of the prominent players in the global system integration market are BAE Systems Plc, Accenture Plc, Computer Science Corporation (CSC), Cognizant Technology Solutions, Harris Corporation, Fujitsu Limited, IBM Corporation, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Infosys Technologies, Oracle Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Company, and Tata Consultancy Services Limited.The opportunity at the global system integration market is poised to reach US$377.5 bn by 2020, expanding at a noteworthy CAGR of 10.9% from 2014 to 2020. On the basis of service, the infrastructural integration services will command the lions share throughout the forecast period. However, the application integration services will rise at an impressive CAGR of 11.3% between 2014 and 2020.Get More Information:North America to Retain Dominance through 2020Geographically, North America will account for the leading share until 2020. The growth of the region is supplemented by the significant investments made by governments in implementing system integration solutions across various departments. Asia Pacific is estimated to exhibit a tremendous growth rate during the same period. Improving economic conditions and rapid globalization are propelling the growth of the region. In addition, the Chinese government is investing in connecting rural areas and developing cities via the internet under the latest five-year plan. Such government initiatives are contributing to the growth of the region.Rising Investments in Information Technology Infrastructure to Play a Vital Role in Market GrowthWith the increasing investments in the information technology (IT) infrastructure, the global system integration market has been exhibiting robust development of late. The rising trend of automation and integrated approach in business and manufacturing processes is working in the favor of the growth of the market. Moreover, the advancements in cloud technologies, big data analytics, and virtualization are likely to be a shot in the arm for the market.In recent times, local players are aiming to have a global presence and the international players are striving to penetrate deeper in the market. Enterprises worldwide are increasingly demanding for system integration services as they aim to reduce the overall operational cost. However, the high cost and time required for the effective implementation of these services are limiting their adoption across various small and medium-sized (SME) enterprises. Moreover, the shortage of international standard protocols for the communication among information technology sub-systems are adversely affecting the growth of the region.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Learning Management Systems Market to Reach $3 Billion, Globally, by 2022

https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/apac-learning-management-system-market

Learning Management Systems Market Report, published by Allied Market Research, forecasts that the global market is expected to garner $3 Billion by 2022, registering a CAGR of 34.2% during the forecast period 2016-2022.In 2014, China dominated the market and contributed more than 26% share of the overall market revenue, followed by Australia. Change in traditional education system and increase in number of start-ups in the e-learning industry in developing countries that sell online courses fuel the market growth.View Detail Summary of this report:The learning management systems market is driven by advantages provided by these systems such as centralized learning platform, easy tracking & reporting, and easy upgradation of product. However, lack of awareness and e-learning infrastructure hinder the market growth. In addition, several educational institutions have failed to adopt these systems, owing to financial issues and lack of trained staff. Moreover, economic progress in several developing countries in Asia-Pacific is anticipated to increase the global market growth.On-premise LMS accounted for about 54% market share in 2014, thus dominating the market owing to high customization opportunities and data security offered by this model. However, SaaS LMS segment is expected to grow significantly at a CAGR of 36.1% during the forecast period, attributed to the fact that it does not require any extra infrastructure or human resource for installation and management of the software. Moreover, China has contributed significantly in the on-premise LMS segment.Among various countries, China contributed the maximum revenue share in 2014 and is also expected to lead the market over the forecast period. This is due to varied factors including presence of medium-sized business organizations along with large-sized organizations, and increased government initiatives. Moreover, adoption of the technology at a notable rate owing to its cost efficiency has boosted the growth of LMS in Asian countries, particularly in Australia, Japan, and India.Interactive features such as threaded discussions, video conferencing, and discussion forums facilities stimulate the adoption of LMS and its market growth as their costs have come down. In spite of the newly adapted technology, learning management systems are applicable in almost every sector. In addition, user-friendly interface, easy upgradation, and enhanced features are expected to fuel the market growth in both corporate and academic sector end users. China, representing a significant retail market is expected to provide lucrative growth opportunities for top LMS service providers in Asia-Pacific market,states Manish Chaurasiya, Research Analyst, ICT Research at AMR.Moreover, the BFSI application segment is projected to be the fastest growing region throughout the analysis period. Establishment of new regulatory bodies, rise in competition, and increase in use of IT have revolutionized the way the industry conducts business. Moreover, in the healthcare industry, LMS is popularly implemented to provide quick and efficient training sessions to the staff with the use of e-learning. Technological advancements for cost-effective LMS and its application not only for educational institutions and businesses, but also for nonprofit organizations in these nations, offer a lucrative opportunity for market growth.KEY FINDINGS OF THE LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS MARKET STUDY:In 2014, on-premise LMS deployment model led the overall learning management systems market revenue, and it is projected to grow at a CAGR of 32.5% during the forecast periodBFSI application is expected to exhibit highest growth rate, owing to the rise in competition and technological advancement.Currently, China dominates the market and is also expected to lead over the forecast period.Corporate users lead the overall Asia-Pacific LMS market, with about three-fourths of the market share.Key players operating in this market aim to expand their business operations in the emerging countries with acquisition and product launch as their preferred growth strategies. Major players profiled in this report include SumTotal Systems, Inc., Cornerstone OnDemand Inc., Blackboard, Oracle Corporation, and SAP SE.Allied Market Research is a global market research and business consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of Market Research Reports and Business Intelligence Solutions. AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domainPune ( India )Office No.102D & E,2nd Floor,A-3 Building E space IT park ,Pune Nagar Road,Pune 411014.Tel: +91 20 66346060help@alliedmarketresearch.com
What is American Psychological Association (APA) Style Format and why is it needed?

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APA style is the most common guide for academic writing in the social and behavioral sciences disciplines. In addition, many academic journals require APA style for submissions.The manual is published by the American Psychological Association. The official name of the style guide is Publication Manual of the American Psychology Association, but it is commonly known as the APA style manual, or just "APA." The manual was updated in 2010 to the 6th edition.APA format contains detailed instructions for in-text citation references, references lists, pagination, margins, hierarchy of subheadings, running heads, etc. It has been adapted across a large number of disciplines as there is a recognized need for standardization of these formatting parameters in order to make it easier for readers to be able to understand scholarly texts with the greatest possible ease and efficiency.The APA format manual is lengthy and complex but well-indexed and very explicit. It can be purchased online from a variety of sources and is available at most university bookstores. Brief guides may also be purchased and found online through your favorite search engine using keywords 'APA formatting'.You may be good in writing and reviewing the work, but the aspect of proofreading also needs to be perfectly taken care of. So, effective APA editing services are worth the money paid, if you are being assisted properly in case of cut-throat proofreading and editing of your document. Professional editors can spot out and correct your mistakes, assist in improving the flow of the text, and most importantly can make sure that the formatting is done in a proper manner specified by the APA guidelines.The APA style manual is available from most bookstores and can be ordered online from multiple vendors. At this time, there is no Web version of the manual, although APA maintains a searchable blog written by APA editor who answer questions posed by scholars, students, and other writers.For More Details Visit to:About Gramlee:Gramlee provides APA Editor Services, proofreading services, dissertation editing services and copyediting services.Media ContactCompany Name: GramleeEmail: atyourservice@gramlee.comWebsite:
Semiconductor Assembly & Testing Services Market Worth US$ 39,000 Million by 2021

Semiconductor Assembly & Testing Services Market

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New York, January 02: Market Research Engine has published a new report titled as Semiconductor Assembly & Testing Services Market By Services (Assembly & Packaging Services and Testing Services); By Application Analysis (Automotive Electronics, Industrial, Consumer Electronics, Computing & Networking and Communication)  Global Industry Analysis and Forecast 2015 - 2021How Big is the Semiconductor Assembly & Testing Services Market?The semiconductor assembly & testing services market is expected to exceed more than US$ 39,000 Million by 2021; Growing at a CAGR of more than 4.5% in the given forecast period.Browse Full Report:The semiconductor production is highly explosive in nature. Leading market contributors in this business are a Fables group which focus on leveraging their resources in utilizes and designing its expertise to enhance the performance of ICs. Hence, the majority of the semiconductor testing, assembly and packaging associated services are outsourced by Fables Company to third party provider known as OSATS that is Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test Services Providers. Furthermore the transfer of semiconductor processing technology toward the bigger wafers and lesser characteristic sizes has improved. Furthermore, increasing production cost of state of the art wafer manufacture outlet has transfer the processing technology of semiconductors from small to larger size wafers.The major driving factors of Semiconductor Assembly & Testing Services Market are as follows: Growing requirement for mobility and connectivity in customer electronic products. Rising demand of higher electronic systems in the automobiles.The restraining factors of Semiconductor Assembly & Testing Services Market are as follows: High capital necessity for offering superior end packaging solutions. Fluctuations in exchange rates. Instability in the market.The semiconductor assembly & testing services market is segmented on the lines of its services, application and regional. Based on service segmentation it covers assembly and packaging services and testing services. Assembly and packaging services is further segmented into wafer level packaging, copper wire and gold wire bonding, flip chip, copper clip and TSV. Under application segmentation it covers automotive electronics, communication, industrial, consumer electronics, computing and networking application. The semiconductor assembly & testing services marketis geographic segmentation covers various regions such as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa. Each geographic market is further segmented to provide market revenue for select countries such as the U.S., Canada, U.K. Germany, China, Japan, India, Brazil, and GCC countries.Download Free Sample Report:This report provides:1) An overview of the Global Market for Semiconductor Assembly & Testing services and related technologies.2) Analyses of global market trends, with data from 2013, estimates for 2014 and 2015, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2021.3) Identifications of new market opportunities and targeted promotional plans for semiconductor assembly & testing services.4) Discussion of research and development, and the demand for new products and new applications.5) Comprehensive company profiles of major players in the industry.REPORT SCOPE:The scope of the report includes a detailed study of global and regional markets for semiconductor assembly & testing services with the reasons given for variations in the growth of the industry in certain regions.The report covers detailed competitive outlook including the market share and company profiles of the key participants operating in the global market. Key players profiled in the report include ASE Group, Amkor Technologies Inc., STATS ChipPAC Ltd. (JCET), Silicon Precision Industries Co. Ltd., Powertech Technology Inc., CORWIL Technology corporation, Psi Technologies Inc. (IMI), Global Foundries and Chipbond Technology Corporation. Company profile includes assign such as company summary, financial summary, business strategy and planning, SWOT analysis and current developments.The Top Companies Report is intended to provide our buyers with a snapshot of the industrys most influential players.The Semiconductor Assembly & Testing Services Market has been segmented as below:By Services AnalysisAssembly & Packaging Services Wafer Level Packaging Copper Wire and Gold Wire Bonding Flip Chip Copper Clip TSVTesting ServicesBy Application Analysis Automotive Electronics Communication Industrial Consumer Electronics Computing and NetworkingBy Regional AnalysisNorth AmericaEuropeAsia-PacificRest of the WorldAbout MarketResearchEngine.comMarket Research Engine is a global market research and consulting organization. We provide market intelligence in emerging, niche technologies and markets. Our market analysis powered by rigorous methodology and quality metrics provide information and forecasts across emerging markets, emerging technologies and emerging business models. Our deep focus on industry verticals and country reports help our clients to identify opportunities and develop business strategies.Media ContactCompany Name: Market Research EngineContact Person: John BayEmail: john@marketresearchengine.comPhone: +1-855-984-1862, +91-860-565-7204Country: United StatesWebsite:Address: 3422 SW 15 Street, Suite #8942, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442, United States
Flip Chip Market by Packaging Technology, Bumping Technology, 2014 - 2022

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Flip Chip Market Report, published by Allied Market Research, forecasts that the global market is expected to garner $46 billion by 2022, registering a CAGR of 9% during the period 2016-2022. In the year 2015, Asia-Pacific dominated the global flip chip market and contributed over half of the market share owing to thriving market for semiconductors and electronic devices.Access full summary at:Flip chips majorly differ from each other on the basis of bumping technology used in them. Currently, copper bumping is extensively used in market owing to its advantages such as considerably low cost than other methods, high efficiency and compatibility with bond pads. Furthermore, impending need of circuit miniaturization, thriving portable devices industry and technological superiority over wire bond connections are major factors expected to propel the growth in global flip chip market. However, availability of less customization options as well as high capital investment requirements for setting up a new plant are the limitations that restrict the market growth.Get a sample copy at:2.5D IC packaging technology dominated the overall market in 2015 owing to its several advantages such as enhanced capacity, improved performance, and reduced system space requirements and low power consumption. 3D IC is expected to register highest CAGR as it is equipped with all the advantages of 2.5D IC as well as some additional advantages.In bumping technology segment, copper bumping held over 50% in the year 2015 due to its exclusive advantages of low cost, compatibility with bond pads and applications in technologies such as transceivers, embedded processors, application processors, power management, baseband, ASICs and SOCs. However, Tin-lead eutectic solder is expected to witness low growth rate due to government initiatives to ban toxic substances that have impacted its market heavily.Electronics industry contributed over 45% of the overall flip chip market in the year 2015. Imminent need of size reduction in electronics devices, requirement of higher data transmission speed and improvement in efficiency collectively thrust the replacement of wire bond with flip chips in electronics industry, hence making it dominant in the overall market. However, IT and telecommunication would be the fastest growing segment and is expected to register highest CAGR 12.3% during the forecast period. This is due to the increasing reach of telecommunication services in remote areas as well as introduction of new players in IT industry where flip chips are used in large scale in servers, host systems and data centers.Asia-pacific dominated the market in the year 2015 by accounting over 50% of the total market revenue and it is expected to maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period. This is accredited to the presence of various manufacturing facilities in the region, high consumption and production of electronic products where flip chip is steadily replacing wire bond and ongoing research and development in the region.Key Findings of Flip Chip Market:1. In 2015, copper pillar led the overall flip chip market revenue, and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 9.8% during the forecast period.2. Tin-lead eutectic solder is expected to witness low growth rate due to government initiatives to ban toxic substances that have impacted its market heavily.3. Electronics industry constituted significant share in the overall flip chip market in the year 2015 due to imminent need of size reduction in electronics devices, requirement of higher data transmission speed and improvement in efficiency.4. In packaging technology of flip chips, 2.5D IC packaging dominated the market in 2015.5. Asia-Pacific dominated the market in the year 2015 by accounting over 50% of the total market revenue.The key players in the flip chip market are focused on expanding their business operations in the emerging countries with new product launches through various research and development facilities. The major players profiled in this report include IBM, Intel Corporation, Fujitsu Ltd., 3M, Samsung electronics Co., Ltd., Amkor Technology, Inc., TSMC, Ltd., Apple, Inc., Texas Instruments, Inc., and AMD, Inc. among others.About UsAllied Analytics LLP provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions". Allied Analytics LLP has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.Contact:Sona Padmanabhan5933 NE Win Sivers Drive#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesDirect: +1-503-894-6022Toll Free: +1-800-792-5285 (U.S. &Canada)Fax: +1(855)550-5975E-mail: sales@alliedmarketresearch.com
Dental X-Ray Market To Be Driven By Rising Numerous Technological Advancements Till 2024:Grand View Research, Inc.

http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/dental-x-ray-market

The global dental X-ray market() size is expected to reach USD 2.4 billion by 2024, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The dental X-ray market is anticipated to witness lucrative growth during the period 2016 - 2024. This growth is attributed to a majority of factors concerning the prevalence of oral diseases worldwide.The key factors contributing to the growth of this vertical are thesurgingincidence of dental diseases, rising demand for dental digital X-rays in oral disease treatments, numerous technological advancements that have revolutionized the obsoleteimaging modalities, and other demographic determinants. However, the high cost of digital radiography systems is expected to restrain the growth of the sector.The dental X-ray market has been classified by type, product, and application. By type, the market is classified into digital and analog. On the basis of product, it is distinguished by intraoral and extraoral X-ray systems with intraoral being the most common type of dental imaging system in use. The intraoral segment is further classified into bitewing, occlusal, and periapical.The extra-oral radiography systems are of two types, namely panoramic and conebeam computed tomography. On the basis of applications, this categoryis classified asdiagnostic and therapeutic, cosmetic, and forensic dentistry areas.Further key findings from the study suggest: As of 2015, in North America, the U.S. is estimated to be the highest grossing market due to the high prevalence of oral and gum-related diseasesin the region. Digital X-ray systems are gaining significant popularity, though analog systems continue to exist at large. The digital sensor technology segment has already been studied to be growing at a rapid pace owing to the huge necessity and demand for technologically advanced products in the U.S. market. Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing region during the forecast period. This growth is expected due to the steep rise in the healthcare spending in countries including China and India. The Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) segment has recorded the highest growth rate among all other extraoral radiography systems. They have been outstripping the growth of extraoral systems, such as cephalometric and panoramic systems, ascribable to its ability to provide images with increased clarity of contrasting structures, thus allowing better diagnosis. The industry comprises several local as well as global players. Some of the major players of this industry include Sirona Dental Systems, Inc., Planmeca Oy, Carestream Health, Inc., and Danaher Corporation.Grand View Research has segmented the dental X-ray market on the basis of product, type, application, and region:Product (Revenue, USD Million, 2013 - 2024) Digital AnalogType (Revenue, USD Million, 2013 - 2024) Intraoral X-rayso Bitewingo Periapicalo Occlusal Extraoral X-rayso Panoramico CBCTo OthersApplication (Revenue, USD Million, 2013 - 2024) Medical Cosmetic ForensicRegional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2013 - 2024) North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America MEAAbout Grand View ResearchGrand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare.Press ContactSherry James - Corporate Relations Specialist28 2nd Street, Suite 3036San Francisco, CA 94105United StatesPhone: 1-415-349-0058Email: sales@grandviewresearch.com
NEW TRENDY RESEARCH:Japan Electronic Funds Transfer Point of Sale (EFTPOS) Terminals Industry 2016 Deep Market Research Report

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Research Beam added a report Japan Electronic Funds Transfer Point of Sale (EFTPOS) Terminals Industry 2016 Deep Market Research ReportDescription:About Japan Electronic Funds Transfer Point of Sale (EFTPOS) Terminals Industry 2016 Deep Market Research ReportJapan Electronic Funds Transfer Point of Sale (EFTPOS) Terminals Industry 2016 Deep Market Research Report is a comprehensive study of the recent market trends and consumption analysis in the Banking and Finance Sector. The report provides an in-depth analysis for the historic period, 20112016 and the forecast period, 20162021. Market overview is offered on the basis of product overview and scope of Japan Electronic Funds Transfer Point of Sale (EFTPOS) Terminals Industry 2016 Deep Market Research Report. Furthermore, the study covers a detailed segmentation in terms of types, applications, and regions.Download Sample Copy@Major manufacturers are analyzed in the report in terms of basic information, manufacturing base, product specifications, and business overview. Furthermore, comprehensive analysis of sales, revenue, price, and gross margin of each manufacturer is covered.Following manufacturers are analyzed: Honeywell International NEC Rockwell Collins Thales Universal Avionics Boeing Saab Sensis Northrop Grumman Raytheon Indira NaviaManufacturing cost analysis is offered based on raw material analysis and cost structure along with manufacturing process analysis. The research offers industry chain analysis in terms of upstream raw material sourcing and downstream buyers. Moreover, an extensive analysis of production, consumption, and revenue for each segment is offered for the forecast period.Data & statistics are provided with the help of tables and figures to help manufacturers, investors, and shareholders gain comprehensive understanding. Research conclusions are offered at the end of the report.Get Enquire@Table of Contents:1 Industry Overview1.1 Definition and Specifications of Electronic Funds Transfer Point of Sale (EFTPOS) Terminals2 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis4 Production Analysis of Electronic Funds Transfer Point of Sale (EFTPOS) Terminals by Regions, Type, and Applications5 Consumption Volume and Consumption Value Analysis of Electronic Funds Transfer Point of Sale (EFTPOS) Terminals by Regions6 Analysis of Electronic Funds Transfer Point of Sale (EFTPOS) Terminals Production, Supply, Sales and Market Status 2011-20167 Analysis of Electronic Funds Transfer Point of Sale (EFTPOS) Terminals Industry Key Manufacturers8 Price and Gross Margin Analysis9 Marketing Trader or Distributor Analysis of Electronic Funds Transfer Point of Sale (EFTPOS) Terminals10 Development Trend of Electronic Funds Transfer Point of Sale (EFTPOS) Terminals Industry 2016-202111 Industry Chain Suppliers of Electronic Funds Transfer Point of Sale (EFTPOS) Terminals with Contact Information12 New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis of Electronic Funds Transfer Point of Sale (EFTPOS) Terminals13 Conclusion of the Japan Electronic Funds Transfer Point of Sale (EFTPOS) Terminals Industry 2016 Market Research ReportAbout Us:With the arsenal of different search reports, Research Beam helps you here to look and buy research reports that will be helpful to you and your organization. Our research reports have the capability and authenticity to support your organization for growth and consistency. With the window of opportunity getting open and shut at a speed of light, it has become very important to survive in the market and only the fittest and competent enough can do so. So, we try and provide with latest changes in the market that can suit your needs and help you take decision accordingly.Contact Us:5933 NE Win Severs Drive,#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesU.S. & Canada Toll Free: + 1-800-910-6452International: + 1-503-894-6022UK: + 44-845-528-1300India: +91 20 66346070Fax: +1 (855) 550-5975Email: help@researchbeam.comWeb:
Glorious India - The Largest Indian Expo in USA

Mega Trade Expo, Indian exhibition in USA, expo in USA, India USA Expo

http://gloriousindiaexpo.com

Glorious India, the Mega Trade Expo, is scheduled on 27-28 May 2017 at New Jersey USA. The event is designed to facilitate promotion of Indian businesses in USA, one of the strongest economies in the world. It is organized by Praveg Communications Limited, the prominent name in the event management companies of India with over 16 years of experience in organizing about 600 national and international events. Praveg had successfully organised Glorious Gujarat USA last year in New Jersey, USA, which witnessed over 15,000 visitor footfall and participation of about 100 exhibitors.Glorious India Expo is supported by Make in India (Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Government of India), Incredible India (Ministry of Tourism, Government of India) and US-India Business Council. The National Air Carrier, Air India, is the Airline Partner for the event.Glorious India has received support from several US-based Indian State Community Organizations. Among them are NATA (North American Telugu Association), RANA (Rajasthan Association of North America), CAB (Cultural Association of Bengal, North America), Maharashtra Mandal, New York, Gujarati Samaj of New York, Kannada Cultural Organization and Orissa Society of Americas. Over 25,000 NRI visitors will attend this 2-day event that is focused on promoting businesses of Indian exporters to the US market. Many Chambers of Commerce from India have also lent their support to Glorious India.The Exposition has planned five sector-specific pavilions i.e. Garments, Handicrafts, Gems & Jewellery, Indian Real Estate properties and Indian Tourism Products to cater to the strong demand of NRIs and American trade for these products categories. Other sectors like Food products, Engineering products, etc will also witness significant participation in this Indian Trade Expo. The event will showcase vision, development policies and achievements of Government of India and the State organisations in its exclusive Government Pavilion  Pride of India. One of the major highlights of Glorious India Expo is the Superwomen Pavilion at the Expo which will witness participation of women entrepreneurs from India.Structured B2B sessions have been arranged to facilitate long term strategic business alliances of Indian exhibitor companies with the US-based trade. About 500 US-based buyers will attend the event to explore business prospects with Indian garments, handicraft, jewellery, real estate and tourism companies. With more than 25,000 visitor footfall and 500+ buyers, Glorious India makes for the complete business promotion package for Indian exporters and Indian companies who are planning to enhance their brand image, promote their products & services and expand their market in USA.High decibel advertising in national channels of India and Indian channels in the US, Roadshows, Press Advertisements and aggressive social media campaigns have ensured high awareness and promotion of Glorious India Expo in India and US trade fraternity alike.Besides, to facilitate highest participation of Indian companies, Glorious India Expo has introduced slew of incentives including attractive price of participation, complimentary hospitality of the US-based buyers invited by the exhibitors under Host your Buyer programme and insightful seminar sessions.A special cultural programme at Glorious India Expo will witness congregation of Indian talents from India and the US, and demonstration of some stupendous performances to the august audience comprising NRI guests, US trade fraternity, political dignitaries from India and the US, and artists from both the countries.Detailed information about the event can be obtained by visiting -Glorious India aims to contribute towards promoting Indo-US bilateral trade by bringing business fraternity of India and the US together. The Indian B2B and B2C Show will offer a definitive opportunity to the Indian exporters to connect with the USA-based buyers and establish their market base in the world's largest economy  The USA.102, Shanti Arcade, 132 Ring RoadNaranpura, Ahmedabad - 380 013, Gujarat, INDIAPhone : +917927496737
Iraq Healthcare (Surgical Procedures) Market to Reach USD 530.3 Million Owing to the Demand for Cardiovascular Surgeries

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Strategically located in the Middle East, between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Iraq is an emerging nation with a population of approximately 33.4 million. Despite experiencing frequent insurgency attacks and unrest, Iraq is emerging as an economic player and a regional powerhouse. Iraqs overall business climate is improving dramatically due to its booming oil industry, abating turmoil, and deepening political stability. This industry assessment provides market analysis for various surgical procedures in Iraq. The stakeholders of this report comprise established players involved in the distribution of medical devices used for the diagnostic and surgical purpose as well as new players who wish to enter the health care industry in Iraq.Get the Future Market Trends of Healthcare in Iraq at:This industry assessment is majorly focused on surgical procedures and helps in identifying various industry governing factors. The market overview section provides an in-depth analysis of the overall market trends and market dynamics such as drivers, restraints, and growth opportunities that currently direct the dynamics of the overall market. Additionally, a brief regulatory framework has been provided in this report that would facilitate the readers to understand the overall health care regulation in Iraq. The executive summary incorporated in this study summarizes the exhaustive insights about the study technique and the market. Moreover, it includes a market snapshot, which provides a glance into the current scenario of the overall health care industry in Iraq in terms of current and future market size and growth rate. Competitor analysis tools such as market share analysis have also been included in the market overview section of the report to deliver a broad analysis of the overall market scenario in India.This study has been segmented based on various surgical procedures that are major applications of medical devices. The major surgical procedures considered for this study are cardiac procedures, general surgeries, orthopedic procedures, neurosurgeries, and reconstructive surgeries. The market size for the period from 2012 to 2022 has been provided for each of these procedures in terms of USD million. Along with the market size that was projected considering 2013 as the base year and 2012 as the historical year, the CAGR (%) of each market segment for the forecast period from 2014 to 2022 has also been provided.The study concludes with profiles of leading manufacturers as well as distributors of medical devices that are used in various diagnostic and surgical procedures in Iraq. The company profiles included in this industry assessment comprise business insights about the major companies actively involved in the medical device sector in Iraq. The industry assessment profiles the organizations in terms of company overview, financial overview, product portfolio, business strategies, and recent developments. Major organizations profiled in this study include Al Assad Scientific Bureau, Aesculap AG, the Albanna Group, Applied Medical, Ismailiya Medical Co., Siemens Healthcare, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Medtronic plc, St. Jude Medical, Inc., MAQUET Holding B.V. & Co. KG., Minas Company, Munir Sukhtian Group Company, Rudolf Riester GmbH, Stryker Corporation, and TeknoMed Company. Cumulative market share analysis that has been provided in context with the medical device manufacturers and distributors operating in the industry would help new entrants to understand the key business concepts and frameworks as well as to identify the product lines of the existing companies for strengthening their position in the overall health care industry in Iraq.Read the Present Status of Iraq Healthcare (Surgical Procedures) Market at:Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Apheresis Equipment Market Research Report by Plasmapheresis, Photopheresis, Apheresis in Neurological, Renal, Hematological Diseases

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This report on the global apheresis equipment market includes the different facets of therapeutic apheresis, donor apheresis, and the apheresis devices market. The report covers the performance of various segments of the apheresis market in terms of revenues generated in such segments. The overall market is classified on the basis of the types of applications of apheresis, different procedural modalities of therapeutic apheresis, various technologies employed, and the types of equipment used in apheresis. The report provides in-depth analysis of the sub-segments of the market with their estimated forecast of market size from 2010 to 2018. The base year for this forecast is 2011 and compounded annual growth rate is calculated from 2012 to 2018.Download PDF Brochure of Report -The applications equipment market is classified on the basis of types of clinical areas in which the apheresis procedure is employed. The report covers the analysis of the estimated revenues and forecast of these major applications for the period 2012 - 2018. Similar analysis is performed for the procedure modalities of apheresis and types of technology used in therapeutic apheresis. This report also includes analysis of the global apheresis equipment market, which is further segmented on the basis of geographical distribution. The overall analysis of the competitiveness of the global apheresis equipment market is covered in the report. The above mentioned key analysis with recommendations would be of assistance in taking strategic decisions related to the market.Further, this report also covers the major firms that are active in the apheresis market. The company profiles included in the report will be of significant help in understanding the tactical overview of the market. The company profiling performed in the report covers the financial and strategic properties, SWOT analysis, and the recent developments of the major players of the global apheresis market.The market numbers of this report have been derived by performing secondary research and have been further validated with C-level executives of major market players in the apheresis market through primary research. This research is specifically prepared to analyze and estimate the performance of the major apheresis equipment segments in the global market.According to the report, the major players operating in the global apheresis equipment market are Fresenius Medical Care (Germany), Haemonetics Corporation (U.S.), Terumo BCT, Inc. (U.S.), Kawasumi Laboratories Inc. (Japan), Asahi Kasei Medical Co., Ltd. (Japan), Cerus Corporation (U.S.), HemaCare Corporation (U.S.), B. Braun Melsungen AG (Germany), Medica S.p.A. (Italy), Nikkiso Co., Ltd. (Japan) , Kaneka Corporation (Japan), and Therakos, Inc. (U.S.), among others.Read Report with Complete TOC -Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Cosmetic Packaging Market Size, Share, Analysis, Report and Forecast to 2022

http://www.strategymrc.com/report/cosmetic-packaging-market-2016

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According to Stratistics MRC, the Global Cosmetic Packaging market accounted for $1.94 billion in 2015 and is expected to reach $3.5 billion by 2022 growing at a CAGR of 8.7% from 2015 to 2022. Compatible packaging, Simplicity, Packaging Size, and Labeling & Finishing in Cosmetics Packaging are the major drivers favoring the market growth. The restraining factor for Cosmetic Packaging market is fluctuating material prices. The challenges faced by the market include environmental mandates and difficulty in managing the supply chain.North America commanded the global cosmetic packaging market in 2015. Asia-Pacific represents a prospective market for new investments growing at a strong CAGR during the forecast period. Plastic packaging holds the largest market share and is expected to grow strong throughout the forecast period. Some of the key players in the market include Mary Kay Inc., AVON Products Inc., Shiseido Co. Ltd., Loreal Group, Quadpack Group, Revlon Inc., Alticor Inc., Cosmopak U.S.A. Llc., KAO Corp., HCP Packaging (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Silgan Holding Inc., Amcor Ltd., LIBO Cosmetics Company Ltd., Albea Group, Rexam Plc., Aptargroup Inc., Quadpack Group, World Wide Packaging Llc, Cosmopak U.S.A. Llc, Gerresheimer AG and RPC Group.For More, Please Visit:Types Covered: Bottles Pen Types Tubes Caps & Closures Jars & Containers Pumps & Dispensers Roller Balls Sticks Sachets Pallets Ampoules Droppers OthersMaterials Covered: Metal Rigid Plastics Paper Plastic Glass Flexible Plastics Others MaterialsApplications Covered: Skin Care Fragrances Hair Care Make-Up Nail Care Other CosmeticsRegions Covered: North Americao USo Canadao Mexico Europeo Germanyo Franceo Italyo UKo Spaino Rest of Europe Asia Pacifico Japano Chinao Indiao Australiao New Zealando Rest of Asia Pacific Rest of the Worldo Middle Easto Brazilo Argentinao South Africao EgyptWhat our report offers:- Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments- Market share analysis of the top industry players- Strategic recommendations for the new entrants- Market forecasts for a minimum of 7 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets- Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)- Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations- Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends- Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments- Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancementsFor More, Please Visit:We offer wide spectrum of research and consulting services with in-depth knowledge of different industries. We are known for customized research services, consulting services and Full Time Equivalent (FTE) services in the research world. We explore the market trends and draw our insights with valid assessments and analytical views. We use advanced techniques and tools among the quantitative and qualitative methodologies to identify the market trends. Our research reports and publications are routed to help our clients to design their business models and enhance their business growth in the competitive market scenario. We have a strong team with hand-picked consultants including project managers, implementers, industry experts, researchers, research evaluators and analysts with years of experience in delivering the complex projects.STRATISTICS MRC17049 King James Way, Gaithersburg,MD, 20877, USA
Non-invasive Prenatal Testing Market to Grow at 17.50% CAGR due to Increasing Preference for Late Pregnancy in Women

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Over the decade, the global non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) has shown a healthy growth. The rise in the global average of maternal age, coupled with the increasing incidence of Down syndrome in newborns, has boosted the market to a significant level. Additionally, the augmenting demand for timely and non-invasive fetal diagnosis is anticipated to propel the market in the coming years.5. Interpret a Competitive outlook Analysis Report with free PDF Brochure at:The global NIPT market is analyzed on the basis of the tests and the regional distribution of this market. Based on tests, the market is broadly classified into BambniTest, informaSeq, Harmony, MaterniT21 PLUS, Panorama, NIFTY, PrenaTest, VisibiliT, and verifi. Regionally, the worldwide market for NIPT is distributed among North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Rest of the World.The report present a comprehensive study of the global NIPT market with an analytical approach. Market drivers, restraints, opportunities, current and upcoming trends, and various segmentations of this market has been discussed at length in this study, making it a valuable source of guidance for market participants.Overview of the Global NIPT MarketThe global NIPT market stood at US$0.5 bn in 2013. Expanding at a CAGR of 17.50% over the period from 2014 to 2022, the market is projected to reach US$2.38 bn by the end of the forecast period.According to the report, the first non-invasive prenatal test launched in the market was MaterniT21 PLUS. The test was introduced in 2011 and was intended to diagnose trisomy 21. In 2013, the market for MaterniT21 PLUS accounted for 36.1% of the total revenue generated in the NIPT market across the globe. However, this market segment is likely to lose ground on account of rising commercialization of panorama, Verifi, Bambni, and NIFTY during the forecast period.The NIPT market in North America emerged as the largest regional market of the global NIPT market in 2013 with a 58.8% share in terms of revenue and a 51% share in terms of volume. The presence of major market participants in the U.S. and a high level of awareness pertaining to NIPT in North America has boosted the regional market extensively.The Asia Pacific NIPT market is showing immense potential for growth. Australia, Japan, India, and China are the key markets for NIPT in this region. A large population base of women choosing late pregnancy is expected to drive the Asia Pacific market for NIPT market over the forecast period.The presence of untapped opportunities in developing economies across the globe provides a huge potential market for participants. However, the strict regulatory guidelines regarding non-invasive prenatal testing and the availability of alternative screening and testing procedures are likely inhibit the growth of the market to an extent.Read the Current Market Trends of Non-invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) at:Companies mentioned in the research reportLaboratory Corporation of America Holdings, Berry Genomics Co. Ltd., Illumina Inc., LifeCodexx AG, Sequenom Inc., BGI Diagnostics, Ariosa Diagnostics Inc., and Natera Inc. are the major companies functioning in the global NIPT market. Strategic partnership and alliance with hospitals, medical research centers, and clinical laboratories are the key trends among the market participants for the expansion of their business.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Aircraft Ejection Seats Market - Evaluation of Recent Industry Developments For 2016-2024

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Aircraft ejection seat is a type of system designed to rescue the crew/pilot of an aircraft during emergency situation. In an aircraft ejection seat, the seat is boosted out of the aircraft by an explosive charge carrying the pilot with the seat. Once the seat is ejected out of the aircraft, it deploys a parachute so that the pilot lands safely on the ground. The main purpose of the ejection seat is safety and survival of the pilot and crew. Ejection seat is one of the most complicated pieces of equipment on an aircraft. Airplanes flying at low speed and low altitude use a dissimilar sequence from that of jets flying at high altitudes and high speed. Pilots do not need to freely fall at low altitude; hence, the main parachute opens immediately. The decisions are based on altitude, weight of passengers, speed are already made for the pilot before he vacates the aircraft.Get Sample Report Copy:The aircraft ejection seats market is primarily driven by the innovation of the aircraft fleet. Aircrafts are now developing an improved layer of technologies and are reviewing new fuselage patterns. The new technologies help in customizing cabin components with integrative and lightweight design by using refined design solutions. Another major driver for this market is the increasing adoption and development of two-seater fighter jets. These jets are being developed and manufactured widely across the globe. This fuels the growth of the market for aircraft ejection seats.The market growth is restrained by injuries sustained at the time of ejection. At the time of ejection, there are possibilities that the seat ejection malfunctions, due to which injuries are caused to the pilot/crew. This factor is likely to have medium impact in the short term of the forecast period.One of the major opportunities in the aircraft ejection seats market is application of these seats in light commercial aircrafts and combat helicopters. Companies are now coming up with new developments in the design of aircraft ejection seats to improve the safety of pilots. Hastening the activation of the parachute after ejection and increasing trajectory height of the seat in a favorable direction would ensure the safety of the pilot and crew. Martin-Baker has developed an ejection seat with multi-tube rocket packs, which are designed to fit precisely in the small space between the lowermost part of the cockpit floor and the seat bucket. This design provides more thrust of the ejection catapult and expands the trajectory to provide more time for the parachute to open.On the basis of application, the aircraft ejection seats market has been segmented into combat aircraft ejection seats and training aircraft ejection seats. The combat aircraft ejection seats segment accounted for the maximum share, followed by the training aircraft ejection seats in the global aircraft seats market. Based on components, the market has been divided into seat actuators, foams & fittings, and others. On geographical basis, the market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. Increasing demand for military spending in countries such as the U.S., India, China, and Russia is likely to lead to development of fifth-generation fighter jets and aircraft components during the forecast period. Moreover, major Middle Eastern countries such as Kuwait, Iran, and Saudi Arabia have increased their investments in modern combat aircrafts, due to constant threats from the militant terrorists group. France and Russia would be a key contributing factor in the growth of the market for the development of new fighter jets with advanced ejection seats.Some of the major players operating in the global aircraft ejection seats market comprise Martin Baker, NPP Zvezda, SEMMB, UTC Aerospace Systems, Airborne Systems NA Inc., Survival Equipment Services Ltd., and Neomega Resin.About TMRTMR is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
MRI System Market Is Expected to Reach $6,493 Million, Globally, by 2022

Allied Market Research

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MRI System Market Report, published by Allied Market Research, forecasts that the global market is expected to garner $6,493 million by 2022, registering a CAGR of 3.81% during the period 2016 to 2022.Closed surgery segment is expected to hold the largest market share during the analysis period.Access Full Summaryat:MRI is the most preferred imaging modality due to its numerous advantages over other modalities in terms of image quality as well as the ability to capture the images through soft tissues. The rise in diseases such as brain tumors, breast cancers, prostate cancers, scoliosis, and sclerosis enhances the demand for MRI, which majorly drive the MRI market. However, development in technology such as superconducting (SC) magnets, open architecture, high-field MRI, and software applications are the other drivers of this market. However, decline in restitution rates for MRI procedures and scarcity of helium gas deposits obstructing the growth of this market, which restraints the market growth. The novel MRI systems are expected to detect the early molecular and cellular changes in Alzheimer disease and for other diseases, will provide scope in the market.Download Sample:Key Findings of the MRI System Market:- In 2015, close MRI dominated the MRI system market. It is projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.16% during the forecast period.- LAMEA is expected grow at the fastest CAGR of 7.39%.- North America contributed the largest share in the global MRI system market in 2015, and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.05% from 2016 to 2022.- High field segment by type held the largest market share in 2015, accounted for $2,161 million.- By type, high field segment for MRI system market is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR of 4.19% during the analysis period.- In Europe, low field segment is expected to grow at the CAGR of 3.52% during the forecast period.MRI systems market in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow during the forecast period due to the large population base and healthcare reforms in this region.The key players in the MRI system markethavefocusedto expand their business operations in the emerging economies by adopting strategies, such as new product launch and geographical expansion. The major market players profiled in the report include GE Healthcare, Hitachi Medical Corporation, Phillips Healthcare, Siemens Healthcare, and Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation.Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions". AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.5933 NE Win Sivers Drive#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesToll Free : +1-800-792-5285UK : + 44-845-528-1300Hong Kong : + 852-301-84916India (Pune) : +91 20 66346060Fax : +1855550-5975help@alliedmarketresearch.com
At ISE 2017 Teracue Showcases: Get ready for the transition to IP with Teracue

ICUE-GRID IP Video Wall

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Odelzhausen, Germany - Teracue GmbH, a manufacturer of IPTV and IP video systems shows new products for the IP workflow at the upcoming ISE in Amsterdam:ICUE-GRID: flexible multi-room IP Video presenter and Video WallCombine the impact of a video wall with the flexibility of IP video. ICUE-GRID is an IP Video Wall Presenter for multiple content sources within the video wall. It allows complete on-the-y control over the visualized live and/or on-demand content in any resolution on any screen in any room. Through web-based management you can access and display IPTV signals, security cameras, broadcast contribution streams, In-house studio video signals, PC presentations, weather radar signals or live events. Any video source can be turned into a suitable video stream. ICUE GRID layout designs can be totally creative or align themselves to layout presets. Its underlying distributed processing model can deal with any size video wall and even manage multi room video wall set ups. ICUE GRID also recognizes NDI (by NewTek) sources and displays these with near-zero latency anywhere on the Video Wall.________________________________________ENC-400 multi-purpose H.264 stream encoderThe new ENC-400 Streaming encoder accommodates dual HDSDI or HDMI loop thru inputs with redundancy switching. Combined with multi-bitrate RTMP and/or HLS streaming, low latency, DVB compliant transport stream and Pro-MPEG FEC the ENC-400 is the smart choice for anybody who needs to deliver a reliable streaming solution regardless of the specific use case.This HD/SD H.264 fan less video encoder is able to deliver multiple streams in multiple bitrates and protocols to multiple destinations. The build-in frame synchronizer guarantees stable signal processing. Both inputs provide loop through outputs and can be used for redundancy switching or as sources for two individual encodings. Besides the latest in H.264 encoding technology, the ENC-400 features MJPEG for legacy as well and offers optional Recording to USB memory. The compact lightweight aluminum PORTABLE unit is ideal for IPTV, webcasting and Broadcast contribution. Typical use cases are found in Hospitals, Hotels, Houses of Worship, Corporate Communication, Live events and in various broadcast scenarios.________________________________________MC-Route: smart IP Video router and matrix switcherVideo streams come in many formats and from many sources on your IP network. MC-Route simplifies stream management and control and enables efficient use of network capacity. It helps to add web streams or security cameras to your IPTV channel lists, it duplicates streams for various viewing devices as TVs and mobile devices, and it also standardizes video content for display on the ICUE GRID IP video wall. MC-Route works in most IPTV environments and it even connects different multicast networks over public Internet. And yes it even works in the cloud! Imagine any video, any time, any where you want it!MC-ROUTEFor live stream routing and protocol translation, this video stream management and control solution is your multi-functional problem solver. The latest version of this product has made it even easier to convert any stream to any protocol in different network segments. Its the right tool for a variety of different streaming tasks in the intranet and internet. It can be operated in-house or in the cloud.________________________________________To see it all in action, or find out how you can put these latest innovations to use, visit Teracue at ISE 2017 in Amsterdam on stand 2.A42.About Teracue GmbHTeracue GmbH manufactures professional IPTV, IP-video and streaming solutions. The main products are for encoding, decoding and managing video streams  for IP-video based contribution and distribution. Our products are deployed by major broadcasters, universities, CDN networks and in governments, military and health care projects around the world.Teracue GmbH, Schlossstr. 18, 85235 Odelzhausen, GermanyPhone: +49 (0)8134 555 10, Email: info@teracue.com, Web:
Pharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing Industry Research Report by Market Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024

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The majority of the players in the global pharmaceutical contract manufacturing market are pouring funds to enhance their in-house capabilities in order to meet the dynamic needs of todays marketplace. Mergers and acquisitions activities are among the key strategies adopted by players to strengthen their market position. Large pharmaceutical companies are also forming partnerships with contract manufacturing organizations to achieve vertical integration. Some of the key players in the global pharmaceutical contract manufacturing market are Althea Technologies, Aenova, Dishman Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals Limited, Catalent Pharma Solutions, HAUPT Pharma AG, Famar, Kemwell Pvt. Ltd., Jubilant Life Sciences Limited, Nipro Corp., NextPharma, Recipharm, Pfizer Central Source, and Royal DSM N.V.The key regions studied in the research report are Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and Rest of the World. North America and Europe are anticipated to represent a large share in the global pharmaceutical contract manufacturing market. The growth of these regions is supplemented by the growing geriatric population and high uptake of biologics. The increasing research activities by biotechnology companies and the rising demand for generics are also contributing to the growth of the regions. The U.S. will be a major revenue contributor in the North America market. The Asia Pacific region is estimated to emerge as a lucrative market during the forecast period owing to the improving healthcare infrastructure and increasing favorable government initiatives.Download PDF Brochure of Report -Volatile economic conditions in European countries are exerting extensive cost containment pressures on companies in the global pharmaceutical manufacturing market. In such conditions, these companies are compelled to explore new ways to cut down the cost of drug manufacturing. As a result, there is an increasing trend of outsourcing manufacturing facilities. Pharmaceutical players are increasingly depending on contract manufacturing and packaging services to meet their fundamental needs and specified competencies, while fulfilling the stringent regulations. Moreover, these companies are shifting focus from manufacturing the formulated drugs towards research and development of novel drugs to stay relevant in the market. Owing to the aforementioned factors, the global pharmaceutical contract manufacturing market is likely to tread along a healthy growth track over the forecast horizon.The primary objective of this market intelligence report is to provide in-depth knowledge of the global pharmaceutical contract manufacturing market and its affiliated industries. The report sheds light on the current and future trends of the market. It presents essential insights into the factors influencing the market and the extent to which they impact the growth. There is a detailed coverage of the geographical segmentation of the market in terms of both value and volume. The report also profiles the key players in the global pharmaceutical contract manufacturing market. It includes a SWOT analysis that reveals the potential growth trajectory each prominent player will experience.Over the past few decades, the reliance on medicines and drugs for well-being have increased significantly. With a limited number of blockbuster drugs and growing demand for innovative drugs, large pharmaceutical companies are trying to stay competitive by conducting faster drug development with corresponding cost containment. Additionally, after the regulatory approval of the drug, these companies are left with relatively less time to deliver the drug in the market in substantial quantity. These factors are resulting in greater outsourcing of manufacturing facilities to pharmaceutical contract manufacturers.Moreover, the influx of small and virtual startups with negligible manufacturing capacity is augmenting the global pharmaceutical contract manufacturing market. The rising number of the U.S. FDA-approved manufacturing facilities in developing countries is also working in favor of the growth of the market.On the other hand, the capacity utilization issues and lack of manufacturing standardization are affecting the profitability of contract manufacturing organizations. This, in turn, is hampering the overall revenue generation of the market. Furthermore, the increasing logistics costs and lead time are creating skepticism among pharmaceutical companies, which is limiting the global pharmaceutical contract manufacturing market from realizing its full potential. However, the increasing demand for next-generation biological therapies is opening new avenues for the manufacturers in the global market.Read Report -Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Cancer Profiling and Pathways Market by Upcoming Trends and Key Companies Analysis Report

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The report provides a comprehensive overview of the global cancer profiling and pathways market. Besides providing a detailed assessment of the growth drivers and restraints influencing the market between 2016 and 2024, the report also gauges the impact of the latest innovations in the market. The effect of government policies is studied as well. Using Porters five forces the report assesses the bargaining power of suppliers and buyers, the degree of competition, and threat from new entrants and product substitute. Cancer cells usually demonstrate a pattern of modified metabolism creating an environment within the body conducive to the growth of malignant cells and tumors. Knowledge regarding the biochemical characters of cancer facilitates the implementation of various cancer profiling platforms.Developments in the existing technology are therefore essential to support deciphering the scope of altered metabolism of cancer cells. Novel technologies are high in demand as they can help identifying cellular structures and modified enzymes in cancer. Widely used cancer profiling methods such as metabolomics, proteomics, and genomics explicate the metabolic pathways favoring metastasis and tumorigenesis. These endeavors in cancer profiling have facilitates not only understanding regarding the fundamental biochemistry of cancer, but have facilitated the discovery of modalities promoting efficient cancer therapy.For more Information, Download PDF Brochure of Report -The global cancer profiling and pathways market is driven by the increasing demand for novel biomarkers useful in drug discovery. Meanwhile, the biomarker market derives growth from the demand from the rising aging population, especially across emerging economies in Asia Pacific. The rising incidence of cancer worldwide is also expected to fuel the demand from the market. According to the WHO, 30% of deaths occurring from cancer can be prevented by modifying key risk factors, early detection, and accurate diagnosis. Since cancer profiling technologies help in achieving the same, their demand is projected to rise exponentially over the course of the forecast period. The cancer profiling technologies currently available in the market are epigenomic profiling, genomic profiling, glycomics, proteomics, transcriptomic profiling, and metabolomics. TMR forecasts an impressive CAGR for the global cancer profiling and pathways market. According to the study, the proteomics segment is expected to hold a substantial share in the market and exhibit healthy growth through the course of the forecast period. Besides this, the growth exhibited by the genomics segment is also expected to remain robust.The evolution in technologies such as quantitative real-time PCR, microarray analysis, and multiplex PCR has facilitated in efficiently decoding the molecular mechanisms in cancer. These methods are likely to help in the discovery of new drugs and diagnostic biomarkers. The innovation of novel therapeutics and diagnostic technologies is expected to help the global cancer profiling and pathways market to grow at a robust pace. Regionally, the global cancer profiling and pathways market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World. The market is expected to witness significant opportunities in developed regions such as Europe and North America as these regions boast sophisticated healthcare infrastructure. In developing regions as well, the cancer profiling and pathways market will gain from the rising investment in the healthcare industry.Read Report -Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Air Quality Monitoring Equipment Market - Advanced Technologies & Growth Opportunities In Global Industry By 2024

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Global Air Quality Monitoring Equipment Market: SnapshotThe rising levels of air pollution have emerged as a matter of serious concern across the world. Coupled with the increasing enforcement of stringent government regulations, this factor is reflecting positively on the demand for air quality monitoring equipment, globally.According to Transparency Market Research (TMR), the global market for air quality monitoring equipment stood at US$4.2 bn in 2015. Expanding at a CAGR of 9.10% between 2016 and 2024, the market is likely to cross US$8.9 bn mark by the end of 2024.Gas Analyzers and Detectors to Remain Leading Product Segments due to Continued DemandAir pollution sampler, particle counter, gas analyzers and detectors, anemometers, and electrostatic precipitators (ESP) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) control systems are the main products available in the global market for air quality monitoring equipment.Gas analyzers have been the most valued products in this market are likely to remain so over the period of forecast. However, the NOX and ESP control systems are projected to offer the most lucrative growth opportunities to manufacturers due to their widespread application in a number of industries.PDF Sample For Technological breakthroughs is @Ongoing Expansion in Power Generation Sector to Ensure Dominance of North AmericaAsia Pacific, North America, Europe, and the Rest of the World, including South America, the Middle East, and Africa, are the predominant geographical segments in the global market for air quality monitoring equipment. With the implementation of a number of government regulations to control air pollution, North America has acquired the leading position in the overall market. The ongoing expansion in the power generation sector is also adding significantly to the growth of the market for air quality monitoring equipment in North America.Analysts expect this regional market to continue to lead during the forecast period, thanks to the technological advancements in North America. The growing prevalence of respiratory disorders is also projected to influence the demand for air quality monitoring equipment in this region over the next few years.In terms of revenue, the North America air quality monitoring equipment market is closely followed by the European market. The rising count of strict regulations to maintain air quality standard in the U.K. and Germany has been driving this market substantially. Moreover, the rise in the chemicals and the power generation sectors is likely to fuel the demand for air quality monitoring equipment to a great extent in the coming years.Rise in Oil and Gas Sector to Boost Air Quality Monitoring Equipment Market in APAC and RoWSimilarly, Asia Pacific and the Rest of the World is also expected to witness a rising adoption of these systems in the near future. China, Japan, and India are likely to be the leading domestic markets in Asia Pacific. The expansion of the chemicals and the oil and gas sectors in these countries is projected to emerge as the key driving force behind the growth of the Asia Pacific market for air quality monitoring equipment in the years to come. The markets in the Rest of the World is likely to be impacted by the swift rise in the oil and gas and the power generation sectors over the next few years.Aeroqual, Vaisala, Horiba Ltd., Servomex, Teledyne Technologies Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., CEM Corp., Fortive Corp., Siemens AG, and Kusam  Meco are the leading manufacturers of air quality monitoring equipment across the world.Market Insight can be Viewed @Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Transparency Market Research90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Asia-Pacific Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market Segment, Trends, Regulations And Competitive Landscape Outlook to 2022

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"The Report Asia-Pacific Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market Outlook to 2022 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"GlobalDatas new report, "Asia-Pacific Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market Outlook to 2022", provides key market data on the Asia-Pacific Glaucoma Surgery Devices market. The report provides value, in millions of US dollars, volume (in units) and average prices (USD) within market segement - Glaucoma Drainage Devices.The report also provides company shares and distribution shares data for each of these market segements, and global corporate-level profiles of the key market participants. Based on the availability of data for the particular market and country, information related to pipeline products, news and deals is available in the report.Extensive interviews are conducted with key opinion leaders (KOLs), physicians and industry experts to validate the market size, company share and distribution share data and analysis.View Report at :Scope- Market size and company share data for Glaucoma Surgery Devices market segement - Glaucoma Drainage Devices.- Annualized market revenues (USD million) and volume (units) data for each of the market segements. Data is provided from 2008 to 2015 and forecast to 2022.- 2015 company shares and distribution shares data for each of the market segements.- Global corporate-level profiles of key companies operating within the Asia-Pacific Glaucoma Surgery Devices market.- Key players covered include Alcon, Inc., Abbott Medical Optics, Inc., New World Medical, Incorporated and Others.Reasons to buy- Develop business strategies by identifying the key market segments poised for strong growth in the future.- Develop market-entry and market expansion strategies.- Design competition strategies by identifying who-stands-where in the market.- Develop investment strategies by identifying the key market segments expected to register strong growth in the near future.- What are the key distribution channels and whats the most preferred mode of product distribution - Identify, understand capitalize.Get Sample Copy Of This Report @Table of Contents1 Table of Contents 21.1 List of Tables 41.2 List of Figures 52 Introduction 62.1 What Is This Report About? 62.2 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market Segmentation 62.3 Definitions of Markets Covered in the Report 73 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, Asia-Pacific 83.1 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, Asia-Pacific, Revenue ($m), 2008-2022 83.2 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, Asia-Pacific, Revenue ($m), 2008-2015 103.3 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, Asia-Pacific, Revenue ($m), 2015-2022 113.4 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, Asia-Pacific, Volume (Units), 2008-2022 123.5 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, Asia-Pacific, Volume (Units), 2008-2015 143.6 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, Asia-Pacific, Volume (Units), 2015-2022 153.7 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, Asia-Pacific, Company Share by Revenue ($m), 2015 164 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, Australia 174.1 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, Australia, Revenue ($m), 2008-2015 174.2 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, Australia, Revenue ($m), 2015-2022 184.3 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, Australia, Volume (Units), 2008-2015 194.4 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, Australia, Volume (Units), 2015-2022 204.5 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, Australia, Average Price ($), 2008-2022 214.6 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, Australia, Distribution Share by Revenue ($m), 2014-2015 224.7 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, Australia, Company Share by Revenue ($m), 2015 235 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, China 255.1 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, China, Revenue ($m), 2008-2015 255.2 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, China, Revenue ($m), 2015-2022 265.3 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, China, Volume (Units), 2008-2015 275.4 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, China, Volume (Units), 2015-2022 285.5 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, China, Average Price ($), 2008-2022 295.6 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, China, Distribution Share by Revenue ($m), 2014-2015 305.7 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, China, Company Share by Revenue ($m), 2015 316 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, India 336.1 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, India, Revenue ($m), 2008-2015 336.2 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, India, Revenue ($m), 2015-2022 346.3 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, India, Volume (Units), 2008-2015 356.4 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, India, Volume (Units), 2015-2022 366.5 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, India, Average Price ($), 2008-2022 376.6 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, India, Distribution Share by Revenue ($m), 2014-2015 386.7 Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market, India, Company Share by Revenue ($m), 2015 39MarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.Mr. Nachiket90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Breast Pumps Market to Reach US$2.6 bn Owing to Rising Awareness Regarding Benefits of Breastfeeding

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The competitive landscape of the global breast pumps market includes players such as Whittlestone Inc., Pigeon Corporation, Royal Philips Electronics NV, Medela AG, NUK USA LLC, Lansinoh Laboratories Inc., Mayborn Group Ltd., Bailey Medical Engineering, Hygeia Medical Group, Ameda AG, and ARDO Medical AG. The competitive landscape witnesses the dominance of the top three market players. In 2013, the top three breast pumps manufacturers accounted for over 75% of the market. These manufacturers are focusing on product innovation and improvement to ensure ease of handling, high level of comfort, and efficient milk expression. Breast pumps with two-phase expression systems support the natural sucking action of the infants. The manufacturers are also paying attention to other attributes such as less noise and different modes of suction pressures. The market players are increasingly partnering with various healthcare providers across the developed economies for the promotion of their brands.Browse Upcoming Market Trends of Breast Pumps at:Complicated Operating Mechanism of Manual Breast Pumps Lowers their DemandCurrently, the market players manufacture four major types of breast pumps: double electric breast pumps, manual pumps, single electric breast pumps, and hospital grade breast pumps. The efficient pumping capacity and the economic nature of double electric breast pumps have led to their increased demand in the market. On the other hand, manual breast pumps are anticipated to register the lowest demand in the near future. The complicated operating mechanism of the manual breast pumps has made it a low preferred choice among consumers, states TMR.Rise in Female Workforce to Support Purchase of Breast PumpsAccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 79% of the infants were breastfed across the U.S. in 2011. The growing awareness about breastfeeding, coupled with the increased acceptance of breast pumps has propelled the growth of the global breast pumps market. TMR identifies that increase in disposable income and the rise in female workforce have further augmented the growth of this market. The decision to purchase breast pumps is highly influenced by different healthcare professionals such as gynecologists, mid wives, pediatricians, and certified lactation consultants, a TMR analyst states.Risk of Contamination is a Major Hiccup in the Adoption of Breast PumpsThese pumps are highly recommended under certain conditions such as premature birth, flat or inverted nipples, and breast engorgement. The availability of technologically advanced breast pumps and favorable reimbursement policies, especially in the developed nations have supported the markets growth. However, the risks of contamination and high prices of breast pumps will play spoilsport in the growth of the market in the near future. The overall breast pumps market has a significant potential to grow across the emerging markets.Interpret the Current Market Analysis of Breast Pumps at:The global market for breast pumps is anticipated to soar at a CAGR of 8.8% during the period from 2014 to 2020. The market valued at US$1.1 bn in 2013 is projected to reach a valuation of US$2.6 bn by 2020.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Blood Purification Equipment - Medical Devices Pipeline Assessment, 2016

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"The Report Blood Purification Equipment - Medical Devices Pipeline Assessment, 2016 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"GlobalData's Medical Devices sector report, Blood Purification Equipment - Medical Devices Pipeline Assessment, 2016" provides an overview of Blood Purification Equipment currently in pipeline stage.The report provides comprehensive information on the pipeline products with comparative analysis of the products at various stages of development. The report reviews major players involved in the pipeline product development. It also provides information about clinical trials in progress, which includes trial phase, trial status, trial start and end dates, and, the number of trials for the key Blood Purification Equipment pipeline products.This report is prepared using data sourced from in-house databases, secondary and primary research by GlobalData's team of industry experts.View Report @Scope- Extensive coverage of the Blood Purification Equipment under development- The report reviews details of major pipeline products which includes, product description, licensing and collaboration details and other developmental activities- The report reviews the major players involved in the development of Blood Purification Equipment and list all their pipeline projects- The coverage of pipeline products based on various stages of development ranging from Early Development to Approved / Issued stage- The report provides key clinical trial data of ongoing trials specific to pipeline products- Recent developments in the segment / industryReasons to buy- The report enables you to -- Formulate significant competitor information, analysis, and insights to improve R&D strategies- Identify emerging players with potentially strong product portfolio and create effective counter-strategies to gain competitive advantage- Identify and understand important and diverse types of Blood Purification Equipment under development- Develop market-entry and market expansion strategies- Plan mergers and acquisitions effectively by identifying major players with the most promising pipeline- In-depth analysis of the products current stage of development, territory and estimated launch dateDownload Sample copy of this Report at :Table of Contents1 Table of Contents 21.1 List of Tables 61.2 List of Figures 82 Introduction 92.1 Blood Purification Equipment Overview 93 Products under Development 103.1 Blood Purification Equipment - Pipeline Products by Stage of Development 103.2 Blood Purification Equipment - Pipeline Products by Territory 113.3 Blood Purification Equipment - Pipeline Products by Regulatory Path 123.4 Blood Purification Equipment - Pipeline Products by Estimated Approval Date 133.5 Blood Purification Equipment - Ongoing Clinical Trials 144 Blood Purification Equipment - Pipeline Products under Development by Companies 154.1 Blood Purification Equipment Companies - Pipeline Products by Stage of Development 154.2 Blood Purification Equipment - Pipeline Products by Stage of Development 165 Blood Purification Equipment Companies and Product Overview 175.1 Accel Diagnostics LLC Company Overview 175.1.1 Accel Diagnostics LLC Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 175.2 Aethlon Medical Inc Company Overview 185.2.1 Aethlon Medical Inc Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 185.3 Cerus Corp Company Overview 235.3.1 Cerus Corp Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 235.4 Children's Hospital Boston Company Overview 275.4.1 Children's Hospital Boston Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 275.5 Circle Biologics, LLC. Company Overview 295.5.1 Circle Biologics, LLC. Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 295.6 CytoSorbents Corp Company Overview 305.6.1 CytoSorbents Corp Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 305.7 Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering Company Overview 415.7.1 Hansjorg Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 415.8 McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine Company Overview 445.8.1 McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 445.9 National University of Singapore Company Overview 455.9.1 National University of Singapore Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 455.10 NxStage Medical Inc Company Overview 465.10.1 NxStage Medical Inc Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 465.11 Spectral Medical Inc Company Overview 485.11.1 Spectral Medical Inc Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 485.12 Stellarray, Inc. Company Overview 525.12.1 Stellarray, Inc. Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 525.13 Toray Medical Co Ltd Company Overview 535.13.1 Toray Medical Co Ltd Pipeline Products & Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview 536 Blood Purification Equipment- Recent Developments 546.1 Dec 07, 2016: CytoSorb Attains Permanent, Dedicated Reimbursement Code in Core Market of Germany 546.2 Dec 05, 2016: Spectral Medical appoints new board member 546.3 Dec 01, 2016: CytoSorb Selected for NICE MedTech Innovation Briefing in the United Kingdom 546.4 Nov 23, 2016: Golden Meditech Announces FY2016/2017 Interim Results 556.5 Nov 22, 2016: First Successful Treatment of Dengue Fever and Dengue Shock Syndrome Using CytoSorb 576.6 Nov 22, 2016: Medtronic Reports Second Quarter Financial Results 586.7 Nov 16, 2016: Medtronic Releases FY16 Integrated Performance Report 60MarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.State Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Biological Therapies for Cancer Market by Key Players Analysis Report - GSK, Pfizer Inc., Novartis, Roche and Amgen

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The world cancer research fund international (WCRF) estimates the number of cancer cases around the world to reach 24 million by 2035. This swelling number of cancer cases necessitate therapies that help in treating and decreasing the effect of the disease, if not cure them. Biological therapy for cancer is a type of treatment that uses bodys immune system to kill cancer cells. Biological therapy involves the use of living organisms or substances derived from living organisms or laboratory-produced versions. The biological response modifiers (BRMs) in the human body simulate the bodys response towards an infection. Researchers across the globe are now involved in creating such BRMs artificially, which can be used in triggering an immune response against the cancer infection.A few of the BRMs produced artificially are interferons, interleukins, and monoclonal antibodies. Interferons help in controlling the spread of cancer cells by modifying them into normal cells. There are three prominent types of interferons  interferon alpha, which is widely used for cancer treatments, interferon gamma, and interferon beta. Food and drug administration (FDA) in the U.S. has approved the use of interferons for treating Kaposis sarcoma, chronic myeloid leukemia, hairy cell leukemia, and melanoma. Interleukins are also a type of cytokines that help in the treatment of metastatic melanoma and metastatic kidney cancer. Monoclonal antibodies are an emerging biological therapy that currently scientists are evaluating for cancer treatment.The biological therapies for cancer is an emerging market with nascent technologies, which makes the future very lucrative. This has attracted several pharmaceutical giants including GSK, Pfizer Inc., Novartis, Roche and Amgen to invest in this sector and tap the opportunities available in this market.For more Information, Download PDF Brochure of Report -In general, biological therapies work in two ways, either by inducing the immune system to attack cancer cells or by making cancer cells easily recognizable for the immune system. The global market for biological therapies for cancer is projected for a healthy growth rate during the forecast period of 2016 to 2024.Global Biological Therapies for Cancer Market: Trends and OpportunitiesSince cancer is one of the worlds leading causes of death, the demand for biological therapies is on the rise, especially when global prevalence rate of cancer is swelling. This is the primary factor that will sustain the demand across the globe during the forecast period. The world health organization (WHO) estimates that the number of new cancer cases to rise 70% during the coming two decades, primarily due to growing consumption of tobacco and alcohol. Moreover, the awareness pertaining to the effectiveness of biological therapies in reducing treatment induced side effects is expanding, which is luring more healthcare organizations to offer it and patients are increasingly resorting to it. In addition, the growing availability of healthcare facilities in emerging economies via dedicated investments by respective governments is further augmenting the demand. Moreover, patent expiry of cancer drugs during the forecast period, rising impact of biosimilars, and increasing demand for biological and targeted drug therapies are some of the other favorable factors in the global market for biological therapies for cancer.Conversely, high cost of drug development and side effects of cancer drug therapies are two of the main restraint over the market. The side effects of biological therapies differ based on treatment type, although pain, soreness, redness, swelling, rash, and itchiness are common. Less common but severely serious side effects of biological therapies for cancer include flu-like symptoms, fever, chills, nausea or vomiting, lowered or heightened blood pressure, and occasional breathing difficulties.Global Biological Therapies for Cancer Market: Region-wise OutlookRegionally, the global biological therapies market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and rest of the world. Currently, North America market is dominated by two countries, the U.S. and Canada, who have the best-in-class healthcare infrastructure and an aggressive governance for new technology. However, the demand in the region of Asia Pacific is also expected to grow rapidly during the forecast period, owing to emerging economies of China and India. These two countries possess vast populations with increasing disposable amount. The healthcare sector is thriving in Asia Pacific too, supported by availability of skilled labor, which will further augment the growth of the market for biological therapies for cancer.Read Report -Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Industrial Gear Market - New Tech Developments and Advancements to Watch Out for 2024

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Europe Industrial Gears Market: SnapshotIndustrial gears find vast usage across a number of industries owing to the reduction in mechanical work they bring about in a variety of industrial processes and operations. Industrial gears have equally expansive applications in heavy industries as well as in different manufacturing industries. Forming the core of most machinery used extensively in a vast array of industrial processes, the market for industrial gears in the highly industrialized European countries is expected to expand at a healthy pace in the next few years.The Europe industrial gear market is mostly privatized and the features both international and local companies. Considering the new technologies introduced in the industrial gear market in the recent years, the market has vast potential opportunities for the manufacturers of industrial gears in the near future. As a result, the market is experiencing a high level of competition. Moreover, the entry of international players from North America and Asia Pacific into the region also facilitates the exchange of enhanced gear technologies. Growing competition is expected to ensure steady market growth rate over the forecast periodPDF Sample For Technological breakthroughs is @Transparency Market Research estimates that the market will exhibit a 4.5% CAGR over the period between 2016 and 2024. At this pace, the market is expected to rise from a valuation of US$24.21 bn in 2015 to US$35.23 bn by 2024.europe industrial gear marketMagnetic Gears to be Most Promising Industrial Gear Variety in EuropeOn the basis of gear types the market is bifurcated into helical gears, bevel gears, worm gears, spur gears, herringbone gears, hypoid gears, crown gears, skew gears, spiral gears, non-circular gears, epicyclic gears, harmonic gears, and magnetic gears. Of these, the segment of helical gears held the dominant 12.4% of the overall market in 2015, in terms of revenue. The segment, however, is expected to witness a sizeable decline in its share in the Europe industrial gears market by 2024 owing to issues such as the production of more heat, less efficiency, and higher maintenance cost as compared to other gears.Gear varieties such as worm gear, herringbone gear, and magnetic gear are expected to gain more focus and witness increased adoption across a number of industries over the period between 2016 and 2024. The segment of magnetic gears is expected to exhibit the most promising growth over the said period, an estimated 6.6% CAGR from 2016 through 2024; light weight, compact designs, and low costs of these gears are expected to work in their favor.Vast Number of Industries to Help Germany Maintain DominanceIn terms of geography, the Europe industrial gears market is examined for U.K., Germany, Italy, France and Rest of Europe. Of these, the market in Germany dominated in terms of revenue contribution to the overall market in 2015. The presence of a large number of industries and a steadily expanding manufacturing sector in the country is fuelling the demand of industrial gears.Over the forecast period, however, the market for industrial gears in Germany will lose prominence to other regional markets such as France, Italy, and countries in the Rest of the Europe segment, including Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The Rest of the Europe segment will exhibit the most promising pace of growth, an estimated 5.5% CAGR from 2016 to 2024. The market in this region will primarily benefit from the flourishing manufacturing industries like construction, steel, and iron.Market Insight can be Viewed @Some of the key players in the industrial gear market are Siemens AG (Germany), Klingelnberg GmbH (Switzerland), Precipart Corporation (U.S.), RenoldPlc (U.K.), BonfiglioliRiduttori S.P.A. (Italy), BMT International S.A. (Luxembourg), Rossi SpA (Italy), Getriebebau NORD GmbH &Co. KG (Germany), NGC (China), and Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd. (Japan).Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Transparency Market Research90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Bullet Proof Jacket Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2024

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Bullet proof jackets often known by bullet proof vests is an armor that helps to protect the soldiers from bullets, knives, bomb explosion by absorbing the impact and stop the attack from penetrating in the body. The soft vest is made of different layers of woven and laminated fibers that protect soldiers, security guards from shotgun, small caliber hand gun and explosives. Ballistic plates are often inserted inside the soft vests. In addition, metal plates can be used with soft vest, thereby providing extra protection against rifles and knife stabbing. These vests uses different layers of strong fibers that deforms bullet, spreading its force over a wider portion of the fiber thus mushrooming the bullet into a dish shape.Download PDF Brochure:The bulletproof jacket market is primarily driven by the increasing security threats both internally and externally as well. Internal threats such as poverty, political violence and economic sabotage and external threats like terrorist attacks and smuggling are boosting the need of bulletproof jackets in the global market. Rising consciousness for commercial security is also fuelling the demand of bulletproof vests or jackets globally. Concern for security in commercial sectors such as retail sectors security, healthcare security, and transport security among others are increasing rapidly due to the increasing threats. Increasing investment in defense budget by the government is also one of the driving factors in the bulletproof jacket market. Increasing security threats is one of the factor due to which government is increasing the defense budget so as to enhance the security defense. Moreover, survivability of the soldiers is escalating the growth of the bulletproof jackets market globally. These jackets or vests help soldiers to protect themselves from the bullets, attack with knives and grenade explosions.High cost of the bulletproof vests is restraining the demand of these vests in the global market. The price of these vests is higher due to the implementation of newer technology and improved quality of materials that are used in manufacturing of these vests. Light weight bulletproof jackets are one such instance where newer material technology is used that leads higher price of the jacket. Moreover, stern regulatory framework is hindering the demand of bulletproof jacket market globally. Strict quality control policy is setting back the growth of bulletproof jacket market as there are many companies whose vests are rejected due to the quality control issues.Implementation of newer technology in the bulletproof jackets undertakes as a major opportunities in the global bulletproof jacket market. Development in the bulletproof materials with nanotechnology is expected to be an important opportunities in this market. It is experimented and observed that graphene is ten times better than steel in absorbing energy of a penetrating projectile. Advancement in technology is likely to enhance the bullet proof vests thereby proving as important opportunities in the global market.The global bulletproof jackets market is segmented on the basis of protection type that includes softvest and armor plated. Further, the softvest is sub segmented based on levels into Level I, Level II A, Level II, Level IIIA. The armor plated is sub-segmented based on the level which includes Level III and Level IV. The market is further bifurcated based on geography that includes North America, Europe, Asia Pacific Middle East and Africa (MEA) and Latin America.Some of the major players in the global bulletproof jacket market comprise Honeywell International, Inc (U.S.)., E.L Dupont DE Nemours & Co. (U.S.), U.S. Armor Corporation (U.S.). Some of the other players are Wenzhou Start Co Ltd (China), MKU Limited (India), EnGarde (The Netherlands), Infidel Body Armor (U.S.), Point Blank Enterprises, Inc. (U.S.), MARS Armor (Bulgaria), Vestguard UK (U.K.), Armourshield Ltd (U.K.), BulletSafe (U.S.), Compass International Corp. Ltd. (China) among others.About TMRTMR is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, Forecast and Opportunities 2014-2020

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ResearchMoz added Latest Research Report titled " Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2014 - 2020 " to it's Large Report database.Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring includes measurement of blood pressure at regular intervals of time usually after every 15-20 minutes and is performed for 24 hours, during which patient conducts normal day to day activities. Ambulatory blood pressure monitors are portable automated monitor worn on a belt connected to standard cuff on upper arm. The device uses an oscillometric technique to identify systolic, diastolic, mean blood pressure and heart rate. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring provides valuable and precise diagnostic information in comparison to in-clinic and home blood pressure monitoring. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is used for monitoring different types of conditions with respect to hypertension which includes:Download free Sample PDF report with TOC:Episodic hypertensionHypertension due to increased monitoringHypotensive symptoms caused by antihypertensive medicationsAutonomic dysfunctionMasked hypertensionTo differentiate between white collar (coat) hypertension and true hypertensionTo evaluate whether antihypertensive therapy is modifying the early morning blood pressure surgeAmbulatory blood pressure market is growing at faster pace majorly due to an increase in the number of patients suffering from low or high blood pressure all over the world. According to the World Heart Federation, currently, around one billion people worldwide are suffering from high blood pressure and the number is expected to reach 1.56 billion by 2025. With the use of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, patients can avoid further complications through regular checks of blood pressure level and accordingly regulate their food habits.Read All Medical Equipments Market Research Reports @Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is also witnessing growth at rapid rate due to increasing adoption of product bundling strategies by market players. In product bundling, companies offer blood glucose monitors, thermometers and pulse oximeters in addition to ambulatory blood pressure monitors. The patients also prefer such packages in comparison to individual products as they are more cost-effective. However, the major challenge which ambulatory blood glucose market is facing is that the market is highly price sensitive. This is mainly because Asian companies have introduced the ambulatory blood pressure monitors in comparatively low prices. With the increase in number of companies importing the monitors in low prices is leading to decline in ambulatory blood pressure monitoring market.Restricted reimbursement limits for ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is one of the factors that is restraining the ambulatory blood pressure monitoring market. The only ambulatory blood pressures monitor which is reimbursed is the one which is used for diagnosing and differentiating white collar (coat) hypertension. The ambulatory blood pressure monitoring which is used in clinical segment is underplayed by the reimbursement policies due to high cost incurred by the patients.North America and Europe lead the ambulatory blood pressure monitoring market due to increasing ageing population, sedentary lifestyles, government initiatives and programs to spread awareness about important information with respect to hypertension and economic stability to purchase expensive healthcare equipments. Asia-Pacific is growing at faster pace for the ambulatory blood pressure monitoring market majorly due to growing health related concerns, increase in economic affordability levels to healthcare and increasing government support towards healthcare sector.About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the world's fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMoz's service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Contact Us:Mr. Nachiket90 State Street, Albany NY, United States - 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074 / Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:Follow me on Blogger at:
RECENT MARKET RESEARCH:Global Banknote Sorter Industry 2015 Deep Market Research Report

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Research Beam added a report Global Banknote Sorter Industry 2015 Deep Market Research ReportDescription:Global Banknote Sorter Industry 2015 Deep Market Research Report:Global Banknote Sorter Industry 2015 Deep Market Research Report Research Report is a comprehensive study of the recent market trends and consumption analysis in the global industry. The report provides an in-depth analysis for the historic period, 20112016 and the forecast period, 20162021. Market overview is offered on the basis of product overview and scope of Global Banknote Sorter Industry . Furthermore, the study covers a detailed segmentation in terms of types, applications, and regions.Read Full Report with TOC @Regional analysis for the Global Banknote Sorter Industry 2015 Deep Market Research Report in the Banking Sector Research Report 2016 market is provided based on revenue, sales, and growth rate. In addition, sales and market share for each segment are included for each region.Following regions are analyzed: North America Global China Japan Southeast Asia IndiaDownload Sample Report @:Manufacturing cost analysis is offered based on raw material analysis and cost structure along with manufacturing process analysis. The research offers industry chain analysis in terms of upstream raw material sourcing and downstream buyers. Moreover, an extensive analysis of production, consumption, and revenue for each segment is offered for the forecast period.Data & statistics are provided with the help of tables and figures to help manufacturers, investors, and shareholders gain comprehensive understanding. Research conclusions are offered at the end of the report.Table of Contents:1 Definition and Specifications of Banknote Sorter2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Banknote Sorter3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Banknote Sorter4 Production Analysis of Banknote Sorter by Regions, Type, and Applications5 Consumption Volume and Consumption Value Analysis of Banknote Sorter by Regions6 Analysis of Banknote Sorter Production, Supply, Sales and Market Status 2010-20157 Analysis of Banknote Sorter Industry Key Manufacturers8 Price and Gross Margin Analysis of Banknote Sorter9 Marketing Trader or Distributor Analysis of Banknote Sorter10 Development Trend of Banknote Sorter Industry 2016-202111 Industry Chain Suppliers with Contact Information of Banknote Sorter12 New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis of Banknote Sorter13 Conclusion of the Global Banknote Sorter Industry 2015 Deep Market Research ReportAbout Us:With the arsenal of different search reports, Research Beam helps you here to look and buy research reports that will be helpful to you and your organization. Our research reports have the capability and authenticity to support your organization for growth and consistency. With the window of opportunity getting open and shut at a speed of light, it has become very important to survive in the market and only the fittest and competent enough can do so. So, we try and provide with latest changes in the market that can suit your needs and help you take decision accordingly.Contact Us:5933 NE Win Severs Drive,#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesU.S. & Canada Toll Free: + 1-800-910-6452International: + 1-503-894-6022UK: + 44-845-528-1300India: +91 20 66346070Fax: +1 (855) 550-5975Email: help@researchbeam.comWeb:
Continuous Glucose Monitoring Market  Global Industry Analysis 2024

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The Global Continuous Glucose Monitoring Market (CGM) was valued at US$ 444.0 million in 2015 and is projected to reach US$ 1,025.2 million by 2024, according to a new report by published by Coherent Market Insights. CGM devices allow monitoring of glucose level during bedtime, noon, pre/post lunch, or before/after exercise, which is a major factor propelling growth of the continuous glucose monitoring market.The global CGM market is undergoing a major technological change that is resulting in a major paradigm shift. Novel devices such as Eversense CGM and GlySens ICGM, which can be implanted for relatively long duration of time, are expected to experience major growth traction, while demand for conventional CGM systems is expected to decrease in the near future. Demand would be largely driven by increasing awareness among the diabetic patients, especially in emerging markets such as Brazil, India, Indonesia, China, Russia, and South Africa regarding the various benefits of using these systems in order to maintain a healthy life. Renewed and dedicated effort from manufacturers and governments across these countries is essential to increase patient awareness and educate them about the importance of regular glucose monitoring in order to keep a check on diabetes and related diseases.Get FREE Sample Of Continuous Glucose Monitoring Market Report At :Continuous monitoring glucose devices have witnessed increased demand from critical care patients, in order to avoid complexities in health condition. As a result, the device has witnessed high adoption in ICU units, besides home care and clinic settings. However, calibration issues is one of the prominent factor inhibiting market growth.Technology collaboration helps companies leverage technical expertise of the other party and is a key trend prevalent in this industry. For instance, Medtronic collaborated with Fitbit, Inc. to integrate the physical activity data of the person with glucose levels into its iPro2 myLog application. Similarly, Senseonics, Inc. launched Eversense, the worlds first long-term implantable CGM, in January 2016. The evolving technological trend is transforming the method of monitoring glucose in the body.However, therapeutic decisions as an outcome of measurement from tissue (interstitial fluid) lacks accuracy. Therefore, market is witnessing increasing adoption of CGM devices to be used in conjunction with conventional blood glucose monitoring devices, as a tool for diabetes management rather than as a replacement for the same. Companies therefore, need to work on the mechanism of the CGM system to make it more reliable in terms of diagnosis of diabetes, rather than just a tool for management.To know the latest trends and insights prevalent in this market, click the link below :Key takeaways of the market:Diabetes is now of the most prevalent diseases that affects millions of people worldwide. According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the global diabetic population in 2015 was 415 million and is expected to reach 642 million by 2040. Increase in awareness among patients is expected to drive market growth at a high CAGR of 9.8% during the forecast period 2016 - 2024.Among the various product types of CGM systems, namely sensors, transmitters, and insulin pumps, the transmitters segment dominated the market in 2015, with a share of over 50%; however, growth of the market is expected to be mainly driven by sensors segment during the forecast period (2016  2024). CGM devices are used by diabetics as well as critical care patients. Demand for CGM devices would be high amongst the diabetic patient population during the forecast period, primarily due to increasing health awareness which indirectly promotes real-time monitoring of glucose levels.In 2015, North America was the largest market for CGM, contributing US$ 247.6 million towards overall market revenue. This was primarily attributed to increasing awareness about CGM coupled with presence of substantially large diabetic population in the region.According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), Asia Pacific was home to over 50% of the global diabetic population in 2015, with the highest prevalence rates recorded in China and India. The potential for CGM systems is therefore very high in these countries. Moreover, with increasing patient awareness, growing demand for POC devices and increasing focus on health monitoring, demand for CGM devices is projected to grow rapidly in Asia Pacific at a CAGR of 14.9% over the forecast period.ABOUT USCOMPANY OVERVIEWCoherent Market Insights is a global market intelligence and consulting organization focused on assisting our plethora of clients achieve transformational growth by helping them make critical business decisions. We are headquartered in India, having office at global financial capital in the U.S. Our client base includes players from across all business verticals in over 150 countries worldwide. We are uniquely positioned to help businesses around the globe deliver practical and lasting results through various recommendations about operational improvements, technologies, emerging market trends and new working methods. We offer both customized and syndicated market research reports that help our clients create visionary growth plans to provide traction to their business. We meticulously study emerging trends across various industries at both the global and regional levels to identify new opportunities for our clientele. Our global team of over 100 research analysts and freelance consultants provide market intelligence from the very molecular country level and also provide a global perspective of the market. Our team is of the most vital cog in our robust machinery that gives us the ability to deliver independent insight relying on our cognitive defusion training module.This allows for an objective and unbiased assessment of the market. We pride ourselves in my constantly striving to update our extremely in-depth understanding of the market by closely monitoring and analyzing markets, trends, and emerging best practices, across allfathomable industries under the sun. This enables us to equip our valued clientele with key decisive inputs to capitalize on lucrative growth opportunities in the market and to follow firmly position themselves on a high growth path in the future.CONTACT USCoherent Market Insights303, Astral Court, Above Reliance Fresh,Near Gaikwad Petrol Pump,Aundh, Pune  411045, India.sales@coherentmarketinsights.com
Japan FRP Portable Cabins Industry Key Trends, Size, Growth, Shares And Forecast Research Report 2016

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Japan FRP Portable Cabins Industry 2016 Market Research Report" to its huge collection of research reports.The Japan FRP Portable Cabins Industry Report 2016 is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the FRP Portable Cabins industry.The report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The FRP Portable Cabins Junket analysis is provided for the Japan Junkets including development trends, competitive landscape analysis, and key regions development status.Development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and Bill of Materials cost structures are also analyzed. This report also states import/export consumption, supply and demand Figures, cost, price, revenue and gross Jungins.The report focuses on Japan major leading industry players providing information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials and equipment and downstream demand analysis is also carried out. The FRP Portable Cabins industry development trends and Junketing channels are analyzed. Finally the feasibility of new investment projects are assessed and overall research conclusions offered.With 188 tables and figures the report provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the Junket.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Table of ContentsChapter One Industry Overview1.1 Definition and Specifications of FRP Portable Cabins1.2 Classification of FRP Portable Cabins1.3 Applications of FRP Portable Cabins1.4 Industry Chain Structure of FRP Portable Cabins1.5 Industry Overview of FRP Portable Cabins1.6 Industry Policy Analysis of FRP Portable Cabins1.7 Industry News Analysis of FRP Portable CabinsChapter Two Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of FRP Portable Cabins2.1 Bill of Materials(BOM) of FRP Portable Cabins2.2 BOM Price Analysis of FRP Portable Cabins2.3 Labor Cost Analysis of FRP Portable Cabins2.4 Depreciation Cost Analysis of FRP Portable Cabins2.5 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of FRP Portable Cabins2.6 Manufacturing Process Analysis of FRP Portable CabinsChapter Three Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Japan Key Manufacturers in 20143.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Japan Key FRP Portable Cabins Manufacturers in 20143.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Japan FRP Portable Cabins Key Manufacturers in 20143.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Japan FRP Portable Cabins Key Manufacturers in 2014Chapter Four Production Analysis of FRP Portable Cabins by Regions, Technology, and Applications4.1 Japan Production of FRP Portable Cabins by Regions (Key Provinces) 2010-20164.2 Japan Production of FRP Portable Cabins by Product Type 2010-20164.3 Japan Sales of FRP Portable Cabins by Applications 2010-20164.4 Price Analysis of Japan FRP Portable Cabins Key Manufacturers in 20164.5 Japan Capacity, Production, Price, Cost and Revenue of FRP Portable Cabins 2010-20164.6 Japan Supply, Import, Export and Consumption of FRP Portable Cabins 2010-2016Chapter Five Sales and Revenue Analysis of FRP Portable Cabins by Regions5.1 Japan Sales of FRP Portable Cabins by Regions 2010-20165.2 Japan Revenue of FRP Portable Cabins by Regions 2010-20165.3 Japan Price Analysis of FRP Portable Cabins Sales by Regions 2010-20165.4 Japan Price, Cost and Gross of FRP Portable Cabins 2010-2016Chapter Six Analysis of FRP Portable Cabins Production, Supply, Sales and Junket Status 2010-20166.1 Capacity Production Sales Revenue of FRP Portable Cabins 2010-20166.2 Production Sales Junket Share Analysis of FRP Portable Cabins 2014-20166.3 Import, Export and Consumption of FRP Portable Cabins 2010-20166.4 Supply, Consumption and Shortage of FRP Portable Cabins 2010-20166.5 Import, Export and Consumption of FRP Portable Cabins 2010-20166.6 Cost, Price, Revenue and Gross Jungin of FRP Portable Cabins 2010-2016Make an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
LIGHT AND SHADOWS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

BABYLONOKIA

Information dissemination by means of language is of great importance in the progress of human knowledge. The earliest evidence of information transfer is symbolic stone inscriptions. An important achievement of mankind is the script, which was proved more than 5000 years ago in the Near East and Egypt. Scripture can be regarded as a code, which allows to transfer acquired knowledge to the next generations.The development of information transfer has been steady in the past, although there have always been outstanding achievements. But the Internet age brought an acceleration of the information transfer to an unprecedented extent with itself. With the help of this technology, people are trying to change the world according to their needs, and in spite of the problem that therefore other living beings disappear from the Earth's surface.However, man is an intelligent being and thus able to understand his actions and has the ability to assess the consequences of his actions. The fact that he is responsible for the other forms of life on our planet is also reflected in the fact that sustainability has gained weight in recent years. It is certain that the technological developments can not be stopped, so the question arises whether man is more ruthless to be against the environment and other forms of life in order not to leave the planet as a ruin to future generations.APPROPROPRIATION ART - PHONE ART SKETCHES BY KARL J. WEINGAERTNER - MEDIA ARTIST FROM AUSTRIAA-4894 Oberhofen am IrrseeAUSTRIA/ EUROPEEN UNION
shopping

Mindfulness can help you make conscious choices so your everyday purchases live up to that goal.

(Adam Berry/Getty Images)

Mindfulness and meditation can ease chronic pain, anxiety and depression. Now some money experts say awareness tools such as these can help you avoid impulse purchases and create a spending plan that reflects your values.

There's no single definition of mindfulness, but Leah Weiss, who teaches leading with mindfulness and compassion at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, says it can be viewed as "the intentional use of attention."

You may want to save every penny, buy only "Made in USA" items or reduce what you send to the landfill. Mindfulness can help you make conscious choices so your everyday purchases live up to that goal.

Check your spending habits

Financial planner and educator Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz recommends starting with a "financial cleanse" to get a handle on where your money is going. Use cash to cover day-to-day expenses for one month. It's more painful to part with cash than to pull out plastic, so you'll build awareness.

Other ways to resist mindless buying:

Wait a day, or a week. Schwab-Pomerantz says taking time to think before you spend is often enough to get past temptation.

If you simply cannot wait, she advises buying from a retailer with a good return policy. If you realize you made a mistake, a refund will help more than store credit.

Don't tempt yourself. Avoid the places where you tend to buy on impulse.

If you're already in the parking lot of such a store, take a few deep breaths and remind yourself why you're there and what your intentions are, Weiss recommends.

Develop the skill of paying attention

Paying attention helps you pause and think before buying. Trying some simple exercises can help you get better at it.

Meditation -- sometimes as little as five to 10 minutes a day of focused breathing -- has been shown to affect areas of the brain that control attention, emotion and habit, says Cortland Dahl, a research scientist at the University of Wisconsin's Center for Healthy Minds. If you want to stop making mindless or money-wasting choices, meditation may help build the "muscle" that enables you to pay attention to your thoughts.

Money is a limited resource for most of us, and thinking -- or thinking twice -- can help us make conscious choices.

Know what you want

Certified financial planner Carrie Van Winkle of Louisville, Kentucky, uses a "vision board." She gathers photos and words representing her goals for the year into a display on her refrigerator. It's a daily reminder of the kind of spending most likely to bring her joy. You can make it as simple as a photo of a vacation destination or a snapshot of your kids to remind yourself you want to save for college or improve the world they live in.

The more specific your goals, the more likely you are to act on them, Weiss says. "'I want to be a conscious consumer' is vague," she says. "But, 'I want to pay attention to the ecological impact of what I buy and choose items that can be recycled' is more specific."

Brent Kessel, a certified financial planner and the author of "It's Not About the Money," offers this exercise: Imagine your finances a year from now. What changes in how you use money would you feel good about? Maybe you turn a spendy habit into a once-in-a-while treat, then use the savings to get on a plane to visit a friend or relative or raise your 401(k) contribution.

Make spending more meaningful

Kessel recommends tracking your spending to figure out what you value and what you're likely to regret. Write down what you buy, then note how you felt about it 24 hours later, three days later and a week later. Did your purchase do what you expected it to? Did those new workout clothes inspire you to go to the gym?

Patterns should emerge that will help you make wiser choices over time.

Change is slow, Kessel says. He compares it to a supertanker turning one degree each day. It won't appear to have altered course 24 hours later, but in six months it will be headed in the opposite direction.

"Give yourself huge props" if you take a baby step toward reversing a habit. "We need kindness and love," he says. "We don't change our behaviors by punishment."

Bev O'Shea is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: boshea@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @BeverlyOShea.
Paladino.JPG

Donald Trump, left, is joined by Carl Paladino during a gun rights rally at the Empire State Plaza in Albany, N.Y. in 2014.

(AP Photo/File)

By The Washington Post Editorial Board

The best response to racism is to call it out, loudly and by name. That's especially true now, amid an election-fueled surge in hate crimes and hateful public remarks, on social media and elsewhere. The good news is that even as odious and dismaying commentary spreads, it has triggered a forceful response, including, crucially, from President-elect Donald Trump and his advisers.

Politicians cannot be expected to repudiate every insufferable remark by allies and supporters. Still, Trump, who insists he is the "least racist person on Earth," is well advised to demonstrate that his distaste for political correctness is not license for hate speech. It was therefore welcome to hear his transition team denounce as "absolutely reprehensible" the latest obnoxious racist rant from Trump backer Carl Paladino, erstwhile Republican gubernatorial candidate in New York and now a school board member in Buffalo. Paladino, long prone to raw and racist taunts, had publicly expressed the wish that President Barack Obama would die of mad cow disease and that first lady Michelle Obama would "return to being a male and let loose in the outback of Zimbabwe," where she would cohabitate with a gorilla in a cave.

It was similarly heartening that officials in West Virginia ensured the dismissal of the head of a state-funded nonprofit agency after she referred to Ms. Obama, in a Facebook post, as an "ape in heels."

In those instances, as in countless others, the authors issued mealy-mouthed (or almost equally offensive) apologies, protested that they themselves had been victimized by the ensuing vilification and insisted that racism wasn't their intent. No surprise there; the most detestable racists are often so steeped in their own bigotry, and the affirmation of like-minded bigots, that they can scarcely recognize their own hatred, or give it a name.

Polls in one early-primary state, South Carolina, showed Trump's voters were more likely than those of his rivals to embrace white supremacy and the Confederate battle flag, wish the South had won the Civil War, and reject the Emancipation Proclamation. White supremacists in the alt-right movement were cheered by Trump's decision to name Stephen Bannon, former chief of right-wing Breitbart News, as his senior White House strategist. But to say that racists rallied to Trump's banner during the election is not to call Trump supporters generally racist.

Calling out racists such as Paladino is a good way for the incoming team to show that it does not welcome the support of people with odious views.

(c) 2017, The Washington Post
FAKE NEWS2.JPG

This photo combo of images provided by Facebook demonstrates some measures Facebook is taking to curb the spread of fake news. The company partners with outside fact-checkers to sort honest news reports from made-up stories.

(Facebook via AP/File)

By Clive Crook

Does the current interest in "fact-checking" and action to deal with "fake news" serve the cause of better politics? You might think it would, or at least that it couldn't hurt. I'm skeptical.

The main problem is that teams such as FactCheck, PolitiFact and the Washington Post's Fact Checker don't always do what they say. Often they aren't checking facts; they're judging positions or opinions. Testing the opinions of politicians is valuable, of course, if it's done well. But it isn't fact-checking -- and shouldn't claim the authority and objectivity that the term implies. Much of the time, this so-called fact-checking is opinion journalism in disguise.

"Barack Obama was born in Hawaii" is the sort of statement a genuine fact-checker checks -- a statement that's simple and precise enough to be either true or false. If you're checking a claim capable of being "mostly true" or "half true," or some number of "Pinocchios," the claim you're checking isn't a fact.

Politicians express opinions imprecisely and with phony certitude, giving their declarations the appearance of factual claims. But if their comments can be understood in different ways -- their supporters interpreting them one way, their opponents another -- they are closer to being meaningless than to being either true or false. This ambiguity accounts for the fact-checkers' frequent failure to agree. Moreover, slogans such as "climate change is real" or "climate change is a hoax" can't be properly fact-checked as they stand: In either case, the only intelligent response is, "What do you mean, exactly?" (Admittedly, that wouldn't be a very promising journalistic franchise.)

Collections of actual or purported facts are of course capable of being "mostly true" or "partly true" in the aggregate. But when facts are arranged to support an opinion, more than aggregation is involved. They're being plugged into something that's different in kind.

To decide whether an opinion is well supported requires not only that you check the stated facts (if any), but that you also consider context, assess underlying assumptions, and inspect the logical structure. Missing information, subjective weightings of causal factors, judgments about probabilities and many other confounding influences enter in. Disagreements that mere checking of facts can't resolve are bound to arise -- even before you bring in values, which views about politics generally do.

Hence the expression, difference of opinion.

Predictions -- opinions about the future -- are especially problematic. Debating his proposed health-care reform in October 2008, Barack Obama said that "if you've got a health-care plan you like, you can keep it." At the time, as the Wall Street Journal's James Taranto has pointed out, PolitiFact rated this "True." In 2009 and 2012, it rated the same statement "Half True." In 2013, PolitiFact's "Lie of the Year" was "If you like your health-care plan, you can keep it."

You might say that this sanctimonious intellectual malpractice is of no great consequence: It's pedantry to complain that fact-checkers don't appear to know what a fact is, or what a lie is, or what "true" and "false" actually mean. What does it matter, you might ask, if they're usefully unpacking dubious arguments and helping people to see what stands up and what doesn't?

One answer is that opinion writers whose shtick is to demand honesty and precision from other people ought to apply that standard to themselves. More important is the harm that comes from sorting contestable opinions into baskets of truth, half-truth and untruth -- ruling in effect on what's legitimate and illegitimate -- all under cover of phony objectivity.

The fact-checking outfits, like opinion journalists in general, bring values and biases to the task. The difference is, they deny it, perhaps even to themselves. Then they rule on opinions they disagree with by calling them false or even lies. Useful as the supporting analysis may be, this issuing of certificates of dishonesty -- "You're a liar, and that's a fact" -- is apt to make American politics even more poisonous than it already is.

The traditional distinction between news and opinion is valuable and worth defending. Media companies serve their readers and viewers best if they can be trusted on the facts, state their opinions honestly, and leave people in no doubt about which is which. Today many suppliers of news and comment are attacking the distinction from both sides -- setting up as arbiters of true and false for opinions, while declaring that the standard rules for covering hard news in a balanced and disinterested way no longer apply.

They see this no doubt as a public-spirited response to the success of populist politics in the U.S. and Europe, and to the emergence of frighteningly abnormal contenders for power. Yet far from helping to solve the problem -- that of political elites disconnected from the concerns and grievances of ordinary voters -- they are exemplifying and reinforcing it. If the traditional distinction between news and opinion is no longer tenable, then isn't everybody in the fake news business? And why would supporters of Donald Trump or Brexit prefer to get their fake news from enemies rather than friends?

(c) 2016, Bloomberg View

Clive Crook is a Bloomberg View columnist and writes editorials on economics, finance and politics.
Who's 'we'?: Gordon Fulks holds a doctorate in physics. He has a right to speak out against what he considers President Obama's incorrect policies regarding environmentalism and catastrophic global warming, and anything else for that matter. But what bothers me, is his use of the words "we" and "our" in his commentary piece, ("Trump's EPA pick might well bring science-based policies," Dec. 30). Who are the "we" and "our" people of whom he refers? If there are some "we" and "our" people, what are their scientific credentials? Speak for yourself, Dr. Fulks, by all means, but don't speak for others unless they are properly identified and publicly agree that they share your opinions. Or were you just using the royal "we?"

Richard Friedmar, Southwest Portland

Fulks makes sense: Kudos to Dr. Gordon Fulks on his op-ed. Finally, I have the opportunity to read a piece in your newspaper that makes sense and minces no words in the process. I thank you for printing an opinion that is diametrically opposed to your paper's position and the general opinion of many of your readers. Dr. Fulks speaks the truth and although rational minds may civilly disagree on the merits or demerits on the atmospheric effects of burning fossil fuels, there is little doubt that the Obama administration tried to hijack the science of this issue for twisted political objectives. The mantra of Mr. Obama and his minions on this issue had been "The science has been settled". I'm sure Copernicus, Galileo and Dr. Barry Marshall heard similar dictates about their work only to prove the prevailing sentiments to be wrong. Science is never really settled, because true science is preoccupied with seeking truth as I'm sure Dr. Fulks would agree.

R. Scott Morris, Winchester
An Oregon State Trooper's condition following a Christmas Day shootout is rapidly improving, the trooper's brother announced Monday.



Trooper Nic Cederberg was shot multiple times in Sherwood, sustaining life-threatening injuries. Over the weekend, Cederberg sat up for the first time, his brother Jeff said on the fundraising page created in Cederberg's name. The trooper's physical condition is improving "at a rate most wouldn't believe," Jeff Cederberg wrote.



Cederberg, 32, was shot by murder suspect James Tylka, 30. Tylka had shot his estranged wife Kate Tylka-Armand in King City, a Washington County Sheriff's Office spokesman said. Tylka later led police on a car chase, which ended in a head-on collision with a trooper's car about seven miles away from the scene of the initial shooting. Tylka wounded Cederberg then was shot dead by other officers.

Cederberg, a seven-year veteran with the State Police, underwent surgeries the Monday and Tuesday after Christmas. A donation page in Cederberg's name has raised more than $62,000 of its $100,000 goal.



The service for Tylka-Armand, 24, will be Jan. 7 at the Kelso/Longview Elks Lodge 90 Ash St, Kelso, Wash., from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The City of North Plains and its police department are holding a candlelight vigil for Cederberg at 6 p.m. Monday at Jessie Mays Community Park, in North Plains.

-- Fedor Zarkhin

503-294-7674; @fedorzarkhin
police copy.jpg

Police arrested a woman in connection with her boyfriend's killing. (The Oregonian)

(The Oregonian/File)

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. (AP) -- A 22-year-old woman has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of her boyfriend in Klamath Falls early Sunday.

Klamath County District Attorney's Office said in a news release that the death marks the third homicide handled by the county's major crimes team in the past six days.

Officers responded to a report of a shooting at about 12:40 a.m. and found 25-year-old Tyler Balais dead. Police arrested Kassandra Imbert. She has a preliminary hearing Tuesday in Klamath County Circuit Court.

A juvenile relative was arrested in the killing of a 74-year-old Keno woman early Saturday.

And on Monday, a California man was arrested and accused of killing his younger brother in Bonanza, Oregon. A probable cause statement filed by Oregon State Police says 52-year-old Travis Kimball called 9-1-1 Monday to report that he stabbed his brother Troy Kimball, and then shot him.
Assembly elections in Gujarat will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5 with the counting of votes on December 8 along with that of Himachal Pradesh, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced today.
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Jan 2 (PTI) Hinduja Group flagship company Ashok Leyland today reported a 12 per cent decline in total sales at 10,731 units in December 2016.

The company had sold 12,154 units in December 2015.

Sales of heavy and medium commercial vehicles also fell by 9 per cent to 8,782 units last month as against 9,703 units in the year-ago period, the company said in a statement.

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Light commercial vehicle sales saw a fall of 20 per cent at 1,949 units as compared to 2,451 units in December 2015, it added. PTI MSS SRKAshok Leyland sales dip 12% to 10,731 units in Dec

New Delhi, Jan 2 (PTI) Hinduja Group flagship company Ashok Leyland today reported a 12 per cent decline in total sales at 10,731 units in December 2016.

The company had sold 12,154 units in December 2015.

Sales of heavy and medium commercial vehicles also fell by 9 per cent to 8,782 units last month as against 9,703 units in the year-ago period, the company said in a statement.

Light commercial vehicle sales saw a fall of 20 per cent at 1,949 units as compared to 2,451 units in December 2015, it added. PTI MSS SRK ABI

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Sen. Jim Stamas will present legislative insights during one of the 2017 Gladwin County Legislative Breakfast Series events. The series, sponsored by the Gladwin Chamber of Commerce, features four different breakfasts over the next four months.

These presentations are information for local city, local county and state government activities, highlights and issues, stated Yvette Keast, Gladwin County Chamber of Commerce executive director.

The first breakfast takes place on Jan. 13 with the topic to be local city government and education. The breakfast will be at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 751 S. M-18, Gladwin.

The Feb. 10 meeting will feature Rep.-elect Jason Wentworth, R-Clare. The meeting place will move to the Knights of Columbus Edenville Council #12660 at St. Anne Church Hall, 5738 S. M-30, Edenville.

The breakfast returns to the K of C Hall in Gladwin on March 10, and Stamas will be the featured speaker.

Local county government will be the topic for the final meeting on April 14 with the location to be announced.

For each meeting, breakfast is served at 7 a.m. with the presenters following.

Tickets for the series are $55 per person for all four events or $15 per person for a single event. To assist with catering needs, the Gladwin Chamber of Commerce is asking residents to pre-order tickets for the breakfasts.

For more information or registration forms, contact Keast at (989) 802-1771, or visit the Gladwin Chamber office at 608 W. Cedar Ave., Gladwin. The office is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Mondays and from 9 a.m.-noon on Wednesdays.

To order tickets by mail, include a check for the number of tickets desired and mail to: Gladwin County Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 209, Gladwin, Michigan, 48624. Also include your business name, contact person, address, city, state, zip, phone number and email address. State the number of tickets desired and include a check payable to Gladwin County Chamber of Commerce.

Tickets will be mailed.
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.
A crash that took the lives of two people in Isabella County on New Years Eve remains under investigation, Michigan State Police from the Mount Pleasant Post report.

The crash occurred at 10:48 p.m. at the intersection of East Broomfield and South Leaton roads when a 1999 Ford Contour ran a stop sign. The Contour and a 2004 Ford Crown Victoria collided.
SPRINGFIELD  Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Democratic-controlled General Assembly may not have approved a full years budget in 2016, but they did manage to agree on nearly 200 new laws.

Heres a look at more than a dozen major new Illinois laws taking effect Jan. 1.

Opioid/heroin addiction

Following up on landmark legislation from 2015, lawmakers passed two measures aimed at addressing the states opioid and heroin addiction crisis. One allows drug court participants to use medication-based addiction treatments.

The other requires licensed substance abuse programs to provide educational information on medication-based treatments and the use of anti-overdose drugs.

'Bath salts' sales

It is now a Class 3 felony, punishable by a fine of up to $150,000, to sell or offer for sale synthetic stimulants commonly known as bath salts, among other nicknames.

The state law also lets local governments revoke the licenses of retailers who are convicted of violations.

Online privacy

A 2013 law made Illinois the second state to prohibit employers or prospective employers from requiring employees or applicants to disclose usernames and passwords for social media accounts.

A new law broadens that protection to any personal online account and prohibits employers from disciplining employees or declining to hire applicants for refusing to provide that information.

State artifact

Illinois has a state animal (white-tailed deer), state bird (cardinal) and even a state pie (pumpkin), but it hasnt had an official state artifact until now. Welcome the pirogue, a type of wooden canoe made from a hollowed-out tree.

Injecting epinephrine

All trained emergency medical technicians in Illinois will now be able to treat severe allergic reactions with epinephrine injected through a syringe rather than with costlier auto injectors, better known as EpiPens.

Sponsored by Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, the law comes as the maker of the EpiPen faced a public outcry and federal scrutiny over dramatic price increases earlier in the year.

Life insurance beneficiaries

Life insurances companies are now required to check Social Security records to identify policyholders whove died, but whose benefits have gone unclaimed by their survivors.

The law is a response to audits that identified more than $550 million in benefits that have gone unpaid since 2011.

Wrongful death lawsuits

Known collectively as Mollys Law, a pair of measures extends to five years from two years the statute of limitations for bringing wrongful death lawsuits when someone is the victim of violent intentional conduct and strengthens penalties for public bodies that violate the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.

The law is named for Molly Young, a 21-year-old who was fatally shot in 2012 in the apartment of her boyfriend, who was then a Carbondale police dispatcher.

Homicide investigations

Law enforcement officials are now barred from interrogating children younger than 15 without an attorney present when investigating homicides and certain sex crimes.

The law previously applied to children younger than 13. The new law also simplifies the notice of rights that officers must read to all minors and expands the requirement for videotaping interrogations of minors.

Training cosmetologists

Licensed cosmetologists will now receive training to spot domestic and sexual abuse as part of their continuing education requirements. Illinois is believed to be the first state to pass such a law. While cosmetologists wont be required to report abuse, supporters say theyre in a good position to identify it and offer help to victims.

Tax on tampons

The so-called tampon tax is no more in Illinois. A new law exempts tampons, menstrual pads and menstrual cups from the 6.25 percent statewide sales tax that applies to nonessential items like soft drinks, candy and grooming products.

Retired police dogs

Police K-9 officers will have first crack at adopting their four-legged partners when the dogs retire. If the officer doesnt want to adopt a dog, another officer or employee can, or the dog can be offered to a nonprofit organization or no-kill animal shelter.

Low-wage agreements

Passed in response to Jimmy Johns having restaurant employees sign agreements barring them from taking jobs at other sandwich chains, this new law prohibits such agreements for workers who earn $13 an hour or less.

Jimmy Johns settled a lawsuit with the Illinois attorney generals office by agreeing to stop using the agreements, which the company says it didnt enforce.

Sick days

Illinois employers now will be required to let employees use up to half of their paid sick days to care for family members, including children, spouses, siblings, parents, parents-in-law, grandchildren, grandparents or stepparents.

High lead levels

Following the crisis over lead-contaminated water in Flint, Mich., Illinois passed a law requiring property owners to address high lead levels before selling a building or renewing a lease.

The law applies to residential buildings and child care facilities regulated by the states Lead Poisoning Prevention Act.

Abortion information

An update to the states Health Care Right of Conscience Act requires medical providers to give patients information on procedures such as abortion if patients request it, regardless of a providers religious objections.

The law is facing a First Amendment challenge from a group of northern Illinois clinics.

Targeting catfish

A new law adds catfish to the list of fish that can be caught using pitchforks, underwater spear guns, or bows and arrows. That list already includes carp, buffalo, suckers, gar, bowfin, shad and drum.
KAPPA  Authorities are continuing to investigate the death of a man following an early Saturday morning fire at a vacant house near the Kappa Kabanna Gentlemans Club.

Woodford County Coroner Tim Ruestman on Sunday said that the man was found inside the residence that he described as a vacant, unoccupied home at 906 Dixon Ave., adjacent to the club.

The man was pronounced dead at 10:44 a.m. His identity has not yet been confirmed, according to Ruestman. An autopsy has been completed.

Additional details were not available on Sunday.

Firefighters were called to the scene around 6 a.m. and found the house engulfed. The El Paso, Hudson and Gridley fire departments all responded to the scene.

The Woodford County Coroner's Office, Woodford County Sheriffs Department, Illinois State Police, the Illinois Fire Marshal and the El Paso Fire Department are investigating.
The intervention of first responders during emergencies, especially the police, is more common among people with autism because they are called first hand when any troubling situation arises involving them. The sad thing is, many are not keen in handling such kind of situation due to lack of knowledge about the condition, which led to the maltreatment of seven out of ten adults with autism.

The University of Bath and City University, London disclosed that 69 percent were unhappy with the treatment of police officers based on the study conducted. Discrimination was the number one complaint while 74 percent of parents who have children with autism criticized how the police are handling such circumstances, The Guardian reported.

In the U.S., STARS for Autism, a local group spoke after a 13-year-old girl with special needs was kidnapped in Springfield. The group expressed its concern that since children with autism are more prone to emergency interference compared to their peers, it will help first responders to have the right training in dealing with adults and children with autism.

STARS, a training group, also explains there may be a communication barrier between an individual with autism and the police, paramedics or other emergency crew members. This is why they urge these first responders to be trained in handling autism in their work area, according to Today's KTTS.

In Springfield, policemen are not trained to identify and deal with people with autism. This is why STARS is pushing for the training after the 13-year-old girl with the condition was kidnapped. Their job will be much easier if they know more and they can also avoid hurting people with autism and their families. A challenging ordeal won't also escalate if they know what they're doing.

Meanwhile, the girl with autism who was kidnapped is now safe after a man in the wheelchair abducted and kept her in his home. Brenda Bradshaw of STARS for Autism says the girl may feel sympathetic to the man being in the wheelchair and police officers could have traced her faster if they have the slightest idea how fragile the child is. Police in various states are now going out of their way to help children with autism.

Do you agree that the authorities should be trained in dealing with people with autism? Share your thoughts below.
Things are going to take an unexpected turn in the Bigg Boss house tonight.

By India Today Web Desk: Controversial reality show Bigg Boss Season 10 is upping its ante with every passing episode. And we have tonight's show's latest updates, and let us just say that things are going to take an unexpected turn in the Bigg Boss house.

Also read: BB10 evicted contestant Gaurav Chopra's tweet about Bani J is sweet and moving

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Mona Lisa and Manu Punjabi's tiff

Close friends Mona and Manu will have a small argument with each other. Mona will wake Manu up in the middle of the night to have a chat with him, but Manu will get annoyed about the fact, saying that he didn't want to be woken up from his sleep to have a random chat.

However, later in the day, he will try to make amends for his behaviour.

Rohan Mehra and Lopamudra Raut's ugly spat

Looks like Manu and Mona are not the only ones facing problems in their relationship, another friendship that will face some heat will be Rohan and Lopa's.

The two will argue about friendship, and Lopa will get physical with Rohan.

The big nomination twist

Bigg Boss will introduce a new nomination task tonight, which will require all the housemates to team up in groups of two, and decide who will be nominated for the week.

Swami Om- Bani, Mona- Manu, Lopa- Nitibha will be paired with each other for the task. Manveer and Rohan will not be participating since the former is the captain of the house, and the latter has already been nominated for the entire season of the show for raising his hand on Om Swami in a previous episode.

However, no one will be able to complete the nomination task, and Bigg Boss will announce that all the housemates will have to face the consequences for not finishing the task successfully.

How will Bigg Boss punish the housemates?

Bigg Boss Season 10 airs every Mon-Fri at 10:30 pm, and every Sat-Sun at 9 pm.

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Giving details of the reinterpretation of a liberal arts education at Davidson College, school president Carol Quillen explained the present and future of education degrees and liberal arts programs in the age of Donald Trump. She said the new elections and economics have changed the course of education in the United States.

According to The Washington Post, Quillen stressed a single high school diploma is currently not enough to secure a good paying job and employment, as opposed to a few years ago, owing to the global economy. As a result, the significance of a post-secondary degree has increased and college students need to realize this.

Apart from the level of diploma, the type of course studied was also discussed. It was told that a narrow degree that focuses on one specific major cannot cut it now. With the changed perspectives and shifting economy, a degree does not harm an individual with the necessary skills to adapt to the modern era and its rapid changes.

Not only attaining a degree is important but its type and market value should be kept in mind while choosing it so that it is worth the money, she added. Moreover, Billfold also explains, important everyday skills such as communicating, dealing with novel problems, analyzing complex issues and completing difficult tasks on time in culturally rich environments were listed to describe what a liberal arts education should encompass.

Carol Quillen then disclosed that the liberal arts education program at her college was being revised to equip the students with personal and academic tools demanded by the present era. Furthermore, the different backgrounds, ethnicities and cultures the students come from in today's world were highlighted, as well the idea that they all have immense potential that just needs a platform to be exhibited.
The number of American students choosing universities in Canada as an option is rising. Applications to Canada colleges have experienced a surge since Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential elections in November.

At the University of Toronto, inquiries regarding admissions have increased to 70 percent from last year and other Canada colleges saw an average of 20 percent increase, the Associated Press reports. In 2014, Canada colleges welcomed 9,000 U.S. students in its universities, yet that number is expected to rise.

Experts believe that aggressive college recruitment might have something to do with this shift. However, the Donald Trump presidency is also a likely factor to this exodus.

"If we live in a country where so many people could elect Donald Trump, then that's not a country I want to live in," 17-year-old California student Lara Godoff told the news outlet. She has already sent in her application to at least four Canada College after the elections.

It's not just Americans, however, who have been looking outside of U.S. universities to for education opportunities. Even foreigners who are usually keen on getting an American education are considering other institutions. The observation, according to the AP report, is that foreign students have been turned off by Donald Trump's campaign pronouncements, especially against non-Americans.

American applications to Canadian colleges are skyrocketing after Trump's victory https://t.co/SKOGqeWnom pic.twitter.com/2svOiifQ0o  Business Insider (@businessinsider) December 31, 2016

Canada has aimed to increase its foreign student applications as one way of solving its increasing aging population, the Times Higher Education reports. In December, University of Toronto hosted a panel in Washington that discussed the effects of the election results, based on their alumni page. Invitees were also reportedly asked to bring students who could be interested in enrolling at the university.

Meanwhile, some U.S. students believe that other than politics, studying in a Canada college can be eye-opening and life-changing. "There's much more of a culture of independence," Paula Tsvayg who studied in McGill before coming back to work in New York told Time. She said that Canadian colleges are also less expensive than U.S. colleges but the quality of education is on par.
Twin toddlers who were residing in a rental house in Forest City have been tested positive for lead after they were exposed to the lead-based paint of the interior of their house. Experts said lead can affect almost every system in the child's body hence, the mother warns other parents like her to be aware of this matter before deciding to rent a house or an apartment.

Mommy Ashley Crawford only knew the lead levels of her twin daughter and son after they went to see their doctor for a regular checkup. She did not expect the findings as the twins did not show any symptoms of being poisoned.

After hearing the news, health department went over to the twins' rented house and tested the rental home. They found out that the paint used on the entire interior of the house has lead. Crawford said the house, which they rented for two years, has actually a nursery closet floor that has lead included in it.

"When you have a baby and you bring it home, you think about diapers and wipes and gas," mom Crawford said, the Western North Carolina ABC13 News has learned. "You don't think, my baby is going to get poisoned from the home I live in," she added.

The health officials ordered Crawford's rental house landlord to remediate the whole exterior and interior of the house. The landlord immediately took action and told Crawford to move out while they clean the house and would just let them move back when the cleanup is done.

Despite the toddlers' lead levels and lead exposure, however, Crawford has hoped to remain in the house as she cannot find a similar home like that of their present one. Crawford said she has been looking all over their place for another house but couldn't find a comparable house just like the Lazo's rental house for $600 per month.

The Lazo did not offer Crawford any extension, They even filed an eviction notice, which orders them to move out until Jan. 3, 2017.

The Lazo explained their reason for filing an eviction notice. Lazo's daughter said they don't want Crawford's children to be further exposed so they want her to just go.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported at least 4 million households have toddlers living them that are being exposed to high levels of lead. Experts said this lead exposure among children can trigger critical health issues, which include affecting the development of a kid's brain.
Lauren Conrad took to Instagram to say that she and her husband, William Tell, are expecting their first baby together. The photo was shared on Sunday morning.

E! News reported that the soon-to-be mother-of-one shared a photo of a sonogram. In the caption, Conrad wrote, "Happy New Year! I have a feeling 2017 is going to be the best year yet..."

Conrad and Tell have been talking about wanting to start their own family since 2015. In a blog post that year, the former "The Hills" and "Laguna Beach" reality star was asked about how many children she wants to have and she revealed that she wants to have two. She said that having two children would be ideal as they would not be outnumbered.

Happy New Year! I have a feeling 2017 is going to be the best year yet... A photo posted by Lauren Conrad (@laurenconrad) on Jan 1, 2017 at 7:57am PST

People also reported that the 30-year-old fashion designer and Tell have been married since September 13, 2014. They got married at a winery in Santa Ynez, California and it took place before the sunset. Guests were given bottles of wine as their souvenir.

After getting married, Conrad and Tell were not in a rush to have children as they also focused on their careers. In a post back then, Conrad said that her favorite thing about being married is knowing that she has a partner in life and they get to do many wonderful things together.

Conrad also shared after she and Tell celebrated their first wedding anniversary that the most difficult part of being married is compromising. She said they want to be considerate of each other as it is no longer just about themselves but it is about them sharing a life together.

It is unclear when Conrad is due and how far she is along. No other details are available regarding her first pregnancy but many are speculating that the nursery room for the baby will be white. Conrad said in a statement before that she likes the color white because of the brightness.

More details will be available once Conrad gives an update. Do you think they are having a baby boy or a baby girl? Let us know what you think in the comments!
Photo: (Photo : Xtream Droid / YouTube)

Being a parent to a teenager; slammed doors, falling grades, wild mood swings, bullying and heated arguments are not new to me. Parenting 21st century kids is no less than a rollercoaster ride, full of pitfalls and unprecedented problems. Linda Esposito, a psychotherapist writing in the Huffington Post says, "Parenting teens is like parenting toddlers -- you're sleep-deprived, stressed out, second-guessing yourself and worst of all, you're dealing with tantrums."

One major problem I believe is technology -- exposure to social media and the influence of tech gadgets. The changing digital landscape is causing a negative effect on the mental health of teenagers. Our teenagers have practically grown in the lap of technology. Whether day or night, I see mine hooked to his cellphone.

IPhones are a status symbol among the younger generation. I can't tell you how excited my teen is at the launch of an iPhone every year. Their voracious use, however, can lead teenagers towards bad behavior as they provide access to numerous apps, ensuring user privacy. In this case, I find an iPhone parental monitoring app quite helpful!

Even when Jeremy Hunt, U.K. health secretary, proposed ban on sexting for kids under 18, he stated that this crackdown on such activities can be done by technology industry. He said via The Guardian: "There is a lot of evidence that the technology industry, if they put their mind to it, can do really smart things."

To manage their children well, parents first need to find the roots of their rebellious behavior. Most parents provide cellphones to their kids at an early age, as they believe their children are entitled to some degree of privacy. Even I gave Sam, my son, his first cell phone at the age of 11, so I've been in constant worry since then.

According to a study revealed by Pew Research Center in 2015, around 80 percent of kids own smartphones while 92 percent of teens who own cellphones are reported to go online daily. Since kids have their own definition of fun, their carefree behavior may lead or divert them towards cyberbullying, sexting, pornography, violence, etc.

Cyber-life of our teens is an inescapable deal, so it must be observed. If they're argumentative or rude towards us, some radical changes may be occurring in their life. Most probably, they're under bad influence. They might have troublemaker friends or they may have come across strangers whose relationship may be toxic for our teen.

I have often wondered what if he's involved in sexual behavior or drugs. Does he talk dirty and break the house rules? I was usually frustrated with his behavior and when I wished to confront him, he would push me away.

As parents, we must handle every situation in an unobtrusive manner so that we do not hurt our teenager's self-esteem. For this, we need to get inside his muddled brain to know what's really going on in his life. It seems no better way is there than iPhone parental monitoring which will give parents an insight into his life and expose his darkest secrets. With all the relevant information about your teen, you can best him at any situation.

iPhone Parental Monitoring to Manage Parental Dilemma

Our authoritative attitude may mean kids becoming more disrespectful. The latest iPhone parental app, XNSPY, can help you cope with your kids like a boss! But let me clear one thing. XNSPY does not control your child's activities, instead, it simply monitors all his activities so that you can make an informed decision about your teen and tactfully keep a hold on him.

The updated version of the app is compatible with all iOS devices jailbreak and non-jailbreak. It enables the parents to continue monitoring in stealth mode so that the teenager will never know he's being spied on. The app offers the parents to monitor calls, texts and chats, email correspondence, track location, view web activities, etc. Some further add-on features I found in the app include: recording phone calls and surroundings, geo-fencing, geo-tags, remote commands to the target phone (Live-screenshots, locking phone screen, wiping data, blocking certain apps), etc.

Whether my teenager is right in front of me or miles away on a school trip, I can keep him safe and remove the bad influences from his life, be it from the potential threat of online predators or friends.

Conclusion

As much as they act smart, teenagers are still kids after all, for indeed adolescence is a hard age to manage. Simply barring them from a certain activity would cause resentment in children. Hence, using a monitoring app can help parents manage their spirited teens without losing their sanity.
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In Late October Patently Apple posted a report titled "Samsung's Mobile Chief Took a Beating over Note7 Crisis at Shareholder's Meeting where Profits Plunged." During Samsung's shareholder meeting Shin Jong-kyun, the CEO and board member in charge of the company's mobile business took the heat for the Note 7 incident. "We are making a thorough investigation to find the real cause. Since we are working with several independent organizations including the US-based UL, it may take a while to get the answers," Shin said. Today a new Korean report confirmed that Samsung and Korean government will announce the results to Note7 probe outcome.

The Korean report noted that "Samsung Electronics Co. and the South Korean government will soon release the outcome of their investigation into what caused Galaxy Note 7 smartphones to catch fire.

The South Korean tech giant has asked the US-based safety organization UL to find the root cause of phablets catching fire after the firm halted its sales over recurring battery problems.





The announcement is most likely to be made Jan. 10 or by the end of January at the latest, the source with knowledge of the matter said.

The government and Samsung reportedly concluded the cause is not a simple battery malfunction, and the two sides are fine-tuning details to reach the final outcome.

Kwon Oh-hyun added in his address today that 'Samsung Electronics must transform itself after learning an expensive lesson last year.'"

In November Kwon Oh-hyun tried to pump up his troops for the coming year by saying that "We need to be more innovative in order to strengthen technical leadership and differentiated competitive edge that are basis of business. We need to enhance our technical leadership and continuously create differentiated products and services that add more values to daily lives through creative and outstanding ideas."

Days later Samsung announced that they would be bringing AI to the new Galaxy S8 to be introduced at the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona in late February despite rumors that Google is trying to kill that development.

CNBC reports that in his annual speech to staff Today, Kwon flagged potential headwinds to the South Korean technology giant's business in the coming year. Today Kwon Oh-hyun warned that Samsung would experience "lagging" growth in its key markets and pledged reforms to avoid a repeat of the "expensive" Note 7 smartphone recall debacle.

Kwon reportedly stated that "Growth in our target markets is lagging, and political and economic uncertainties have increased due to changes in policies and exchange rates."

Lastly, Samsung's Co-CEO explained that Samsung's competitors have "grown stronger through bold investments" in new areas such as artificial intelligence. He urged employees to help the company boost 'technological innovation' to stay ahead."

Beyond Apple's Siri, Huawei has now added AI to their latest 'Honor Magic' smartphone as noted in one of our reports in late December.

Way before Samsung's Co-CEO ever stated that they would experience lagging growth in 'key markets' in 2017, Patently Apple posted a report in early December titled "Samsung is going to Experience the "Big Squeeze" in 2017 and their U.S. Market Share is headed for a Crash."

And if Apple decides that this is the year that one of their iPhone models will be able to use Apple Pencil, even Samsung's next-gen Note8 smartphone will be challenged to the bone.

So it's going to be a very hard year for Samsung unless they decide to take the gamble and shock the market with some kind of advanced folding or scrolling smartphone that they've been working on for several years now. Unfortunately for Samsung, foldable or scrollable smartphones are more than likely a 2018 or 2019 reality. Then again, their could be a surprise.






Patna: On the first day of 2017, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar chose to spend a few hours at the colossal Tent City at Gandhi Maidan and serve food to the Sikh devotees who have come to Patna from all parts of the world to celebrate the 350th birth anniversary of Guru Govind Singh.

{gallery}newsimages2017/jan/010217_2{/gallery}Kumar, with a bowl of bread in his hands, was seen going from person to person making sure they had enough bread in their plates.

The Chief Minister, surrounded by a number of government officials, arrived at the Tent City at around 7:00 pm and went straight to the makeshift Gurudwara to pay his obeisance to the 10th religious leader of the Sikhs who was born at Patna Saheb 350 years ago.

Amidst chanting of Sikh religious hymns, Kumar then welcomed all the visitors to Patna. After volunteering to serve food to the devotees, the Chief Minister mingled with the crowd and allowed his pictures to be taken with the visitors.

Congress leader and Bihar Education Minister Ashok Kumar Chowdhary also spent nearly three hours at the Tent City serving food to the visitors.
By Rakesh Ranjan: The Centre has formed an integrated traffic and transportation plan for tier II cities to get rid of increasing air pollution and traffic congestion. As per the plan, the government will develop alternate modes of public transport like pod taxi, caterpillar trains and other non-motorised vehicles in cities with population between 10 to 20 lakh. As per the government norms, metro rail can be developed only in cities with population over 20 lakh and hence, the government has planned alternate modes of transport. Well-placed sources said the urban development ministry has prepared the plan that will be executed in partnership with the respective state governments. A proposal has been sent to the Finance Ministry for creating special fund for the project.

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The Finance Ministry is in the process of finalising the budget for the year 2017-18 and sources said a separate fund of Rs 85,000 crore could be announced in the budget speech. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will present the General Budget on February 1.

The move comes in wake of rising air pollution and traffic mess on roads for which the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal have pulled up the government on several occasions. Recently, the Supreme Court had asked the Centre to come up with an action plan on checking air pollution. The court also asked the Center to introduce pollution coding mechanism in Delhi. However, in tier-II cities, the government wants to promote the use of public transport and electronic vehicles, so as to check the menace.

Officials said the Urban Development ministry wants pod taxis in tier-II cities, most of which have been included in the list of smart cities. Apart from this, use of battery-operated vehicles, electric cars and small buses would also be encouraged so that the situation can be eased out in crowded areas. As buses cannot operate in congested markets, battery-operated vehicles would not only cater to the transportation needs but also reduce air pollution. Union minister for road transport and highways, Nitin Gadkari has already announced India's first pod taxi in Gurugram while the Haryana government is also exploring the feasibility of caterpillar train in the city.

Experts said these modes of transport are cheaper than construction of metro rail network. While metro construction involves a cost of Rs100-150 crore per km, pod taxi and caterpillar trains can be constructed at 1/10th the cost of metro.

A senior official said the project will be implemented in partnership with the state government. The project cost will also have to be shared by the two governments. For this purpose, the states will have to give a presentation on ways to control traffic congestion and pollution in the cities. The government is also eyeing grants from the World Bank to execute the project.

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Ensuring pedestrian safety and construction of cycle tracks will be another focus of the project. Nonmotorised vehicle zones will be demarcated in these cities and an effective traffic regulation plan will be put in place.

Strengthening of footpath and constructing cycle tracks will be ensured, keeping in view their safety as the two categories are the most vulnerable to road accidents. Intelligent traffic system will be introduced surrounding major markets and congested areas in order to get rid of vehicular pile-up on intersections.

--- ENDS ---
Turkmen Cutoff Of Iran Leaves Dwindling Gas Options For Ashgabat

01/02/17

By Bruce Pannier, RFE/RL

Turkmenistan lost Russia as a customer for its natural gas at the start of 2016. Losing Iran would leave China as the only foreign country purchasing Turkmen gas.



Turkmenistan-Iran gas pipeline inaguration in January 2010

(file photo by Mehr News Agency)





It looks like Turkmenistan might be left with just one customer for its natural gas.

The National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) said in a statement on January 1 that Turkmen state company Turkmengaz "suddenly and...in an illogical manner, contrary to the agreement, halted gas deliveries to Iran this morning..."

The blunt NIGC statement came after 11th-hour negotiations between Iranian and Turkmen officials seemed to have at least temporarily settled differences between the two countries over Turkmen gas shipments to Iran.

Iranian representatives were in the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat, on December 30 in an effort to reach an agreement that would prevent Turkmenistan from carrying out a threat to suspend supplies on December 31 unless Iran paid a reported $1.8 billion debt for Turkmen gas supplies in 2007-08.

The winter of 2007-08 was the last time Turkmenistan cut off gas supplies to Iran. Turkmen authorities at the time insisted the suspension was due to repair work, but the cutoff coincided with talks on the price of Turkmen gas. Iran had been paying about $75 per 1,000 cubic (Iran now says it was $40 per 1,000 cubic meters), but Iranian state-media website presstv.ir reported on December 30 that Turkmenistan demanded -- and got -- $360 per 1,000 cubic meters at that time.

"When freezing winters led to severe shortages across 20 Iranian provinces, forcing the country to raise gas imports from it northeastern neighbor...Turkmenistan pounced on the occasion to demand a...hike, which yanked the price up to $360..." presstv.ir reported.

An Iranian deputy oil minister, Amir Hossein Zamania, said on December 21, shortly after Turkmenistan demanded payment of the debt, that while Iran did owe Turkmenistan money, it was somewhere between $600 million to $1.5 billion.

"We will need to discuss the scope of gas supplies and its form with Turkmen officials," Zamania said before the latest round of negotiations started at the end of December.

Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zangeneh said on December 28 that if the Turkmen insisted on halting gas supplies, Iran would stop its energy dealings with Ashgabat. In the last few years, several Iranian officials have spoken against importing Turkmen gas.

Talks in Ashgabat on December 30 apparently reached an impasse, and the Iranian delegation left the bargaining table to return to Iran. According to a December 30 report from Iran's Mehr news agency, "At the airport, Turkmenistan's officials persuaded the Iranian delegation to come back to the negotiating table in hopes for reaching an agreement on gas delivery to Iran."

On December 31, NIGC Managing Director Hamid Reza Araqi said a five-year agreement for Turkmen gas had been worked out. Reports said the issue of the Iranian debt would be discussed over the coming months.

And as recently as early on January 1, Iran's Fars new agency was reporting a deal had been struck that would avoid any interruption in supplies.

Turkmengaz has not commented on the reason for the surprise halt.

Turkmenistan certainly needs the money. The country is in its worst economic crisis since it became independent in late 1991.

But shutting off supplies to Iran now might signal the end of Turkmen gas exports to Iran.

Tehran has needed Turkmen gas because Iran's internal gas-pipeline network has not sufficiently connected the gas-rich regions of southern Iran to the northern part of the country. In the late 1990s, Iran largely financed a project to build the gas pipeline that connects the two countries. But Tehran has been working for several years to resolve the problem of supplying domestic gas to its northern provinces and, while sanctions slowed the project, it has gone forward.

Sometime in the near future, Iran will no longer require Turkmen gas.

Turkmenistan, on the other hand, lost Russia as a customer at the start of 2016. Losing Iran would leave China as the only foreign country purchasing Turkmen gas.







When Turkmenistan shut off gas to Iran in 2007-08, Ashgabat's situation was very different. Turkmenistan was exporting more than 40 billion cubic meters of gas to Russia at that time and construction was well under way on pipelines to connect Turkmenistan to China. So Ashgabat could afford to press Iran on price back then.

When the talks in Ashgabat were foundering at the end of 2016, Iranian news agency IRNA wrote, "According to experts, Ashgabat would be the biggest loser of this dispute."

That is probably an accurate assessment.

Turkmenistan will inevitably lose Iran as a gas customer in the coming years, but if Ashgabat's financial desperation leads to irreparable damage in its ties with Tehran, Turkmenistan could also lose an export route through Iran to the Persian Gulf that is just now starting to open up.

Already on January 1, Ardeshir Nourian, a deputy in Iran's parliament, said, "The foreign minister should take immediate action against Turkmenistan."

RFE/RL's Turkmen Service contributed to this report.

The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL

Copyright (c) 2017 RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
PHOTOS: New Year Celebration at Saint Sarkis Cathedral in Tehran, Iran

01/02/17

Photos by Majid Haghdoust, Mehr News Agency



Saint Sarkis Cathedral is an Armenian Apostolic church in Tehran, Iran





Iran's Armenian Christian community held a ceremony at Saint Sarkis Cathedral in Tehran on Saturday evening to celebrate the New Year 2017. During the ceremony, special prayers were said and candles were lit. This was also a chance for some to pose with Santa!



















































































































cartoon by Hassan Karimzadeh, Iranian daily Shahrvand





While Iran is officially designated the "Islamic Republic," among its more than 70 million people is a small but important Christian minority. Most of Iran's Christians are Armenians and Assyrians, who remain relatively free to follow their faith. The numbers of Protestants and evangelical Christians are said to be growing. For these people, life is often much more difficult. A number of Christian denominations still live in Iran today and include Assyrians, Armenians, Catholics, Protestants and Evangelical Christians. Although a minority religious group in Iran, Christians of Iran are free to practice their religion and perform their religious rituals (see related article).





Related Book: Religions of Iran: From Prehistory to the Present

Related Articles:
Protest Outside Tehran Prison In Support Of Hunger Striking Activist Arash Sadeghi

01/02/17

By Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE/RL

Dozens of Iranians have taken part in a rare demonstration outside Tehran's Evin prison to express their support for a jailed activist on hunger strike, Arash Sadeghi.



Arash Sadeghi has reportedly been refusing to eat for more than two months.

Sadeghi is protesting the October 24 arrest of his wife, Golrokh Ebrahimi.





Sadeghi, a philosophy student who is serving a 15-year prison sentence on security charges, has reportedly been refusing to eat for more than two months to protest the October 24 arrest of his wife, Golrokh Ebrahimi.



Ebrahimi, a writer and human rights activist, has been jailed over an unpublished fictional story about Iran's controversial practice of stoning.



Amnesty International has called the charges against her "ludicrous" and warned that "she is effectively being punished for using her imagination."



Reports say that up to 800 citizens marched peacefully near the Evin prison, where Sadeghi is being held, to bring attention to his plight.



Protest gatherings are rare in Iran, where antigovernment demonstrations are usually met with force.



Video and images from the January 2 protest shared on social media show citizens holding pictures of Sadeghi and his wife.



Some are seen raising their hands to show the names of Arash and Golrokh written on their palms. "We Are All Arash" is written on the palms of others. Some have covered their faces.





Video: Silent march outside Evin prison



Sadeghi's supporters have in recent days raised alarm over his health after he went 70 days without food.



Hundreds of Iranians inside and outside the country have called for his release on Twitter under the hashtag #SaveArash.



Sadeghi's sentence for "collusion against national security," "propaganda against the state," "spreading lies in cyberspace," and "insulting the founder of the Islamic Republic [Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini]" was upheld by an appeals court in March.



Sadeghi told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that the charges stemmed from his support of students who had been denied education and also for taking part in peaceful human rights gatherings.



Sadeghi's hunger strike has put him in the spotlight and earned him the admiration of many who see him as a symbol of resistance against state repression in the Islamic republic.



Amnesty International has called on the Iranian authorities to release Sadeghi and his wife.



In a January 2 statement, the London-based rights group warned that Iranian authorities were putting Sadeghi's life "at grave risk."



"The authorities are well aware that even a delay of a few hours can mean the difference between life and death for Arash Sadeghi," the statement said.





About the author:

Golnaz Esfandiari is a senior correspondent with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. She can be reached at esfandiarig@rferl.org

Copyright (c) 2017 RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
It began nearly 15 years ago as a complex land rights lawsuit against San Bernardino County and over the course of a decade grew into what prosecutors have called the biggest public corruption scandal in the countys history.

Just as in the civil lawsuit filed in 2002, lawyers on both sides have been battling it out in court for years in the criminal case, where appeals have been heard by the 4th District Court of Appeal in Riverside, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena and the state Supreme Court.

And now, with all appeals exhausted, the Colonies corruption case is proceeding to trial Wednesday.

For seven years, these false allegations have hung over the heads of four innocent men, defense attorney Stephen G. Larson, representing defendant Jeff Burum, said in a statement Friday. From the start this prosecution has been unjustified and meritless. We look forward to finally having the chance to go to trial and prove it.

Burum, a Rancho Cucamonga developer and co-managing partner of Upland-based real estate investor group Colonies Partners LP, stands accused of paying $400,000 in bribes to four former top county officials in exchange for approving or facilitating a $102 million settlement in November 2006 between the county and Colonies Partners, in Colonies favor.

The settlement ended a nearly 5-year-old lawsuit over flood-control improvements at Colonies 434-acre residential and commercial development in Upland: Colonies at San Antonio and Colonies Crossroads.

A grand jury indicted Burum and the other three defendants  former county Supervisor Paul Biane, former Assistant Assessor Jim Erwin and Mark Kirk, former chief of staff for erstwhile county Supervisor Gary Ovitt  in May 2011. The three are accused of several felonies in connection with the alleged bribery and alleged misappropriation of public funds.

All four defendants deny any wrongdoing.

Former Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Postmus, initially a targeted defendant in the case, pleaded guilty in March 2011, per a plea bargain with prosecutors, to 10 felonies in connection with the Colonies case and a companion corruption case in which he was charged with abusing his elected office of county assessor for political gain. He admitted to taking a $100,000 bribe from Burum in exchange for his vote approving the settlement, and has agreed to testify against the defendants at trial in exchange for leniency.

During the lengthy appeals process, some of the charges against the defendants were thrown out, including a key conspiracy charge that was dismissed by San Bernardino Superior Court Judge Michael A. Smith, who is presiding over the trial, in July 2014. Prosecutors petitioned the state Supreme Court to reconsider the dismissal of the charge, but the states highest court denied the petition in January.

(slideshow)

Prosecutors have remained tight-lipped about the case, choosing not to discuss ongoing case developments or strategies with the media while the matter is still pending adjudication.

We have maintained all along that it would be inappropriate to comment to protect the integrity of the case as well as the rights of the accused, district attorney spokesman Christopher Lee said in a statement Friday.

Erwin will have a separate jury, consisting of nine women and three men, because prosecutors assert that much of what he told friends, colleagues and reporters is inadmissible against the other defendants. The other three defendants will have their own jury, conisting of six women and six men.

Opening statements for Erwin will begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday, and opening statements for the other three defendants will begin Thursday.

Were thrilled that we get this opportunity to present our case to a jury, Erwins attorney, Rajan Maline, said Friday in a telephone interview. Once the jury hears the evidence, everyone is going to be vindicated. Theyre all innocent.

He said because a grand jury indicted the defendants, bypassing a preliminary hearing, the defense was precluded from having the opportunity to cross-examine the prosecutions witnesses.

Since the indictment, the defense has been able to get a dozen charges dismissed in the pretrial process, Maline said.

We were able to knock out at least 12 of the original 29 counts, he said, adding, our opening statement will lay out what we think the evidence will show, and it will be an eye-opener for many people.

The prosecution team, attorneys from the San Bernardino District Attorneys and the state Attorney Generals offices, plans to call 38 law enforcement witnesses at the state and federal level and more than 100 civilian witnesses including Postmus and former Assistant Assessor Adam Aleman, Postmus former right hand and another key witness who produced information to prosecutors leading to the indictment.

Aleman was a central figure in the Assessors Office scandal of 2008, and also worked for Postmus when he was a county supervisor. Arrested in June 2008, Aleman pleaded no contest in June 2009 to two felony counts of theft, destruction, alteration, or falsification of a public document, one felony count of presenting a false claim to a public board or officer, and one felony count of vandalism in connection with crimes that occurred at the Assessors Office during Postmus reign.

Aleman agreed to testify against other defendants in the Assessors Office criminal case in exchange for his charges being reduced to misdemeanors.

While cooperating with authorities in the Assessors Office case, Aleman, in November 2008, came forward with information about the Colonies case, which culminated in a criminal investigation that led to the May 2011 indictment.

Aleman also has agreed to testify against the defendants in the Colonies case.

From the outset, the defense has characterized Postmus, an admitted methamphetamine addict, and Aleman, who came forward with the information on Colonies after he was charged with crimes, as weak and unreliable witnesses.

Other witnesses that prosecutors are calling to the stand include San Bernardino County Supervisors Josie Gonzales and Curt Hagman, former County Counsel Ruth Stringer, and eight current and former journalists from this news organization who reported on the case over the years and are fighting to quash their subpoenas in a motion filed with the court, which will be heard on Wednesday.

The defense has its share of top county officials it plans to call to the witness stand as well. Among the 82 witnesses, Larson plans to call are county Supervisor Josie Gonzales and former county supervisors Dennis Hansberger and Gary Ovitt.

Ovitt, along with Postmus and Biane, voted to approve the Colonies settlement in 2006, while Gonzales and Hansberger voted against the settlement. Ovitt has not been implicated in the criminal case, but Kirk is accused of persuading Ovitt to vote in favor of the settlement, an allegation both Kirk and Ovitt deny.

Larson also plans to call as a witness retired San Bernardino Superior Court Judge Christopher Warner, one of the judges who presided over the Colonies civil litigation against the county, and former County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer.

Among the 25 witnesses Maline plans to call to testify are District Attorney Michael A. Ramos; his spokesman, Lee; county CEO Greg Devereaux; former county Sheriff Gary Penrod; and former San Bernardino Mayor Judith Valles.

On Thursday, prosecutors filed a motion with the court to quash the subpoenas of Ramos and Lee, to keep them from having to testify at Erwins trial.

Maline declined to comment Friday on the motion, which will be heard Wednesday.

County spokesman David Wert said in an email Friday that the county officials called to testify during the trial, expected to last a minimum of six months, should not disrupt county business and operations.
Inspired in part by the comic book character of Wolverine, a team of scientists has created a self-healing material that could revolutionize the design of cellphone batteries, biosensors and muscles flexed by robots of the future.

The team, which includes members from UC Riverside, had its findings published in the journal Advanced Materials on Dec. 23., sparking inquiries from international and domestic scientists who want to collaborate on applications and refinement of the material.

Im getting (more than 10) emails per day from everywhere in the world: U.S., Europe and Asia, said Chao Wang, a UCR adjunct assistant professor of chemistry who co-authored the paper.

Wang, 31, said Friday that he was drawn to this type of material because of his fascination with the abilities of Wolverine, a Canadian mutant whose body quickly re-heals after its injured.

The team, which also included researchers from the University of Colorado, Boulder, worked to replicate the self-healing part of the heros makeup but they also sought to make it transparent, highly stretchable and conductive so that it could be used to power artificial muscles and improve batteries, electronic devices, and robots.

Wang said one potential use would be for creation of a self-healing biceps, which would allow for a robot to have a human-esque range of motion that is more durable than existing materials.

People in this area have been working for years to find this kind of material, he said.

Another author of the paper, Christoph Keplinger, an assistant professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder, previously demonstrated that stretchable, transparent, ionic conductors can be used to power artificial muscles and to create transparent loudspeakers  devices that feature several of the key properties of the new material (transparency, high stretchability and ionic conductivity)  but none of these devices additionally had the ability to self-heal from mechanical damage, according to a UCR release.

Ionic conductivity is a key part of the materials existence because because self-healing is achieved by combining the right balance of polar-ions and a salty solution that works to bind those ions.

Tim Morrissey, a Ph.D. student of mechanical engineering at Colorado, called it the Goldlocks combination.

There are four main ingredients  ratio is very important, he said, adding that much of the trial and error work to define that ratio was done in Riverside.

Publication of a paper like this is often just the beginning for a new discovery and Morrissey said hes particularly excited about working with the material in the future, and testing it to see how much damage it can withstand.

Maybe we can prove this thing is stronger than we really thought, he said.

The researchers used electrical signals to get the artificial muscle to move, according to the release. So, just like how a human muscle (such as a biceps) moves when the brain sends a signal to the arm, the artificial muscle also reacts when it receives a signal.

Most importantly, the researchers were able to demonstrate that the ability of the new material to self-heal can be used to mimic a pre-eminent survival feature of nature: wound-healing. After parts of the artificial muscle were cut into two separate pieces, the material healed without relying on external stimuli, and the artificial muscle returned to the same level of performance as before being cut.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9698 or aclaverie@scng.com
Higher education is becoming more reachable for working people through a concept called competency-based learning.

That has been the experience of Ron Olsen, who is working on a bachelor of science degree from Brandman University.

In a phone interview, Olsen said Brandman and his employer, Pechanga Resort & Casino, are helping him pick up where he left off 24 years ago when he began his career in casino technology.

Were talking back in the early 90s, they didnt have online degrees. So trying to find the time between working a full-time job and when they offered the classes, its impossible.

Olsen has done all right with two years of vocational. He is the slot performance manager at the Temecula casino. But he said he wants the college degree to set an example for his children and to know he has the background to do the technical work his job requires.

He was enrolled in the for-profit University of Phoenix when he learned Pechanga has a partnership with Brandman, an online offshoot of Chapman University in Orange, and his employer would pick up his full tuition if he met grade requirements.

This was just a no-brainer. It was like, you need to do it, Olsen said.

Online degrees, also called distance education, are a growing option for Americans burdened by the time and expense of attending college. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly 6 million people were enrolled in distance education courses from degree-granting institutions in the fall of 2014.

Brandman attempts to streamline the education process with programs that take into account a students skills and experience.

Olsen is enrolled in 12 units and hopes to finish his degree in information technology in three years.

Its a pretty unique program and it offers a lot more flexibility than traditional or even other online programs Ive seen. Its go at your own pace.

That last point appeals to Olsen.

You get it done when you get it done. But you dont pay any extra. Thats the difference.

Contact the writer: fbuck@scng.com or 951-368-9551.
On the evening of Dec. 15, Luis Sanchez Aguinaga had just pulled up to his San Bernardino home after wrapping up a long day of laying flooring. His wife, Elizabeth Lorenzano, and her mother heard the familiar sound of his car park on the street and they expected him to walk through the front door in just a few minutes.

Usually it takes him a little bit because he has to gather up his lunch box and his water bottles and things like that, said Aguinagas brother-in-law Pedro Lorenzano.

The women were chatting in the living room when they heard a pop.

At first they thought it was a popping tire or something, the 19-year-old said, but when he didnt come inside, they looked outside and they saw two guys walking away and (Luis) was on the ground.

The 34-year-old had been shot.

The family called 911, but Aguinaga later died at the hospital. His death marked the 62nd homicide for San Bernardino.

Since Aguinagas death, another man was fatally shot the day after Christmas in the 1900 block of 19th Street, bringing the years total to 63  one of which the district attorney has ruled justified.

2016 HOMICIDE SURGE

San Bernardino has consistently struggled with violence, but 2016 stands out: the deadliest in more than 20 years. In 1995, 67 people were killed.

This years toll is 50 percent higher over the average of the previous five years, when on average nearly 42 people were killed  a sudden surge thats hard to account for.

In fact, statistically, some kind of jump every few years isnt unlikely, said Cal State San Bernardino professor Stephen Tibbetts, who studies the risk factors and causes of criminality.

And San Bernardino, he says, is full of risk factors  not just this year, but for decades.

A huge problem there is theyre just in a bad state as a city, Tibbetts said, noting the major loss of employment from the closure of Kaiser Steel in 1984, then the repair functions at the Santa Fe Depot, then Norton Air Force Base in 1994.

When all those employment opportunities evaporate, you dont have much to work with, Tibbets said. Adding 100 cops, thats easy. It costs money, and this is a bankrupt city, but thats nothing compared to fixing the systemic problems in an entire city.

Mayor Carey Davis, while bullish on the citys future, also acknowledges the same risk factors Tibbetts does.

Work is underway to fix those problems, he says, but it will take time.

OPERATION CEASEFIRE

Central to the citys response is Operation Ceasefire. The City Council voted 4-0 in October to move forward with that crime-prevention approach, and Davis expects to have a contract in January with a consultant, California Partnership, to begin customizing the plan for San Bernardino and then implementing that plan.

That will be more than a year after Inland Congregations United for Change began a series of marches in favor of the program. Even before that, in 2015, police and elected officials traveled to Chicago to study that citys version of the program.

The elephant in the room, Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said in October, is that Chicagos homicides remain out of control, and no one wanted to rush into an unsuccessful program.

The city has tried other programs with limited success and its left a residual impact on the community, so I think we owe it to the city to put forward something that is sustainable and that we can document and report, Davis said Thursday.

Operation Ceasefire has shown success in multiple cities, including California cities that officials believe share important similarities with San Bernardino.

Since implementing Ceasefire, homicides have dropped 30 percent in Oakland, 55 percent in Stockton and 63 percent in Richmond, according to California Partnership.

The model is customized for each city  San Bernardino wont do the same thing as Chicago  but city officials say the key points to them are an in-depth analysis of risk; direct, respectful communication; intensive, relationship-based case management  a blend of outreach and case management; intelligence-based, targeted enforcement informed by the principles of procedural justice; and doing this as a part of a closely coordinated, joint strategy to reduce shootings citywide.

Tibbetts agreed that Ceasefire is one of the most successful approaches available.

Two pretty critical experts  Anthony Braga, David Weisburd  did a very well-done study, and it actually showed a lot of success, Tibbetts said. It was pseudo-randomized, so its not just another factor influencing crime and so crime goes down.

Increased police staffing and improved police technology and equipment are also on the agenda in the form of a $56 million five-year police resources plan.

Currently, that plan is only 40 percent funded, and Davis also expects continued challenges in recruitment, which he attributes to many competing law enforcement agencies ramping up hiring that had fallen during the Great Recession.

Davis praises Burguan for working with a ratio of police per 1,000 residents thats well below nationwide averages and Davis goal, but he says the solution cant be policing alone.

We are solely in need of that targeted focus that comes with the California Partnership program, Davis said, referring to Operation Ceasefire. There is an ongoing need, I think, to help our community improve our educational attainment, and were working with the school district, Cal State and Valley College to do that.

UNEMPLOYMENT AND HOUSING

We have high unemployment in some very entrenched areas of the city, and that certainly does not aid in keeping potential vulnerable areas of our population from living a dangerous lifestyle, Davis continued. And part of its housing.

Davis expects unemployment to drop and median income to improve as major retailers like Amazon move in, along with other economic development efforts.

And housing  an early focus of Davis administration  will be more effectively focused on now, he hopes.

We made inroads in a number of (priorities), Davis said. One that I think is still needing more attention is housing to strengthen not only those codes, but then also to have the enforcement as effective as possible given the reduced resources that we do have. Maybe some help with the community itself as far being good landlords.

The crime-free multihousing program and ordinance are designed to develop partnerships with property owners to combat and prevent crime within the community.

The program is credited with helping make positive changes at an apartment complex at 1700 E. Date St., according to police officials.

For years police were being called out to the apartments for assaults, incidents of domestic violence and shootings. In 2011, the same year the city passed the crime-free multihousing ordinance, police had 420 calls for service for the complex.

After the property was declared a public nuisance and the owner was forced to clean up the property and provide basic necessities for each unit including making sure each unit had a working smoke detector, the calls for service began to decline.

GANG TIES

Trying to find a single cause for the uptick in homicides is difficult, according to Lt. Mike Madden, spokesman for the San Bernardino Police Department. However, he did say there are some recurring themes in some of the killings.

Close to half have a gang-related element, he said explaining that could mean the suspect, the victim or both could have ties to gangs.

According to Lorenzano, Aguinaga and his family felt their straight-and-narrow lifestyles protected them from the violence that plagued the city.

We knew the city was not that safe but we werent involved in anything bad, so we thought we were safe here, said Lorenzano, who described his brother-in-law as a hardworking man without any nefarious criminal ties whose life revolved around his wife and three children.

Anything they wanted, thats what he worked for, Lorenzano said. He didnt have anything fancy. It was all about his kids.

San Bernardino police agree Aguinaga had no gang ties. No one has been arrested in Aguinagas slaying and officials have not said whether they believe the 34-year-olds killer is a gang member.

Still, a criminal influx from areas like Los Angeles, Pomona and Pasadena could account for some of the increase in the citys overall crime rate, Madden said.

Weve had a surge in recent years of gang members from outside of San Bernardino, he said.

The gang connection is something San Bernardino has seen before  when homicides were at their worst, in the early 1990s, Madden said.

In 1993, the number of people killed in the city reached an all-time high of 82 people. Another 77 people were killed in 1994, and 67 in 1995.

San Bernardino has had its ups and downs, but how this year looks depends on what you compare it to, Tibbets said. In 93, it was atrociously bad, so compared to that were still doing relatively good. But if you compare it to the better times more recently, it looks worse.

CRIME PREVENTION TACTICS

The connection between gang activity and drugs led the department to form its Specialized Enforcement Team in September, which pulls detectives from individualized details including gang and narcotics.

We are sharing information between the teams, which in the past may have not been easily accessible, Madden said.

The newly formed team along with other agencies, including the FBI, California Highway Patrol and the San Bernardino County Sheriff and Probation departments, labored for months under Operation No Boundaries.

The task forces work culminated in the arrests of 41 people and the seizure of 43 firearms, some of which were linked to other crimes within the city and beyond.

The monthslong operation utilized tactics, such as wire tapping and proactive patrols and intelligence, which officials say resulted in the prevention of five potential homicides.

We intercepted five shootings just before they happened, Burguan said during a November press conference highlighting the results of Operation No Boundaries.

Its the teams ability to be proactive, which Madden says could make a difference in trying to keep violent crime numbers down.

Were not waiting around for crimes to happen, he said.

But that doesnt take back the crimes that have happened.

Like many residents in the city, the Lorenzano family was aware of the climbing homicide rate and were discussing whether or not to return to Colorado before Aguinagas death.

Now after this happened, its for sure that were going to go back, brother-in-law Pedro Lorenzano said.

The family now lives in fear, he said. They jump at sudden noises and the women cant fall asleep until everyone is safely at home in their beds.

Its changed how we live, Pedro Lorenzano said. Were scared to be in our own home.
Drama students at Murrieta Valley High School are going back in time  again.

The school last month earned the top spot for California Educational Theater Associations San Diego region.

Murrieta Valley students posted a near-perfect score of 99.94 for their performance of a historical play, D.W. Gregorys Radium Girls. With the win, the cast will now head to the Plummer Auditorium in Fullerton to compete with schools from three other regions in a Southern California-wide competition Jan. 13.

Shilind Wheaton, the drama teacher at the school and the director of the play, said shes seen her students participate in the CETA regional competition for the past 14 years and cant remember a time they placed first, let alone with such a high score.

Were a small entity in the big picture and to be able to win first place  its like the Super Bowl for theater people, she said.

The play, set in the early 1900s, is based on the true story of the U.S. Radium Corp. in Orange, N.J. Women at a factory painted radium onto watch dials to make them glow in the dark, not knowing that the chemical was poisoning them. Many died as a result.

Its a powerful piece, and its a great history lesson, Wheaton said.

Wheaton said her students will have to do such things as assemble a set, make sure lighting is correct, check microphones and verify that all costumes are ready to go. The difficult part is that theyll only have short time to do it.

Everything that goes into a theater production that you spend weeks preparing, these kids are going to have to do in four hours, she said.

Accuracy is also something judges look at, so its important to get even the smallest details right.

There were some things that we had to research  to make sure we got that perfect score that we got, said Raef Wheaton, Wheatons son and the technical director of the play.

We had to do research on propaganda and things that happened in the 1920s, down to the specifics of the wood that we had painted to the light switch  everything was absolutely perfect from the period.

Robyn Landrum, 17, who played one of the female leads, said the experience became an educational one as she began to do research for her character.

I personally wasnt aware of such a problem with radium until I did this play and did more research into it and realized so many people were affected by this, she said. They put radium in water and none of us really considered that. They thought that was normal.

Landrum said when she first looked at the script with fellow drama student Sohaib Khan, they knew they had a winner on their hands.

It feels like everything has finally just come together, she said. Im so proud of our entire department, our techs, our actors, and Ms. Wheaton especially. Im just so happy with the turnout.

Some students, like 17-year-old Sierra Bateman, who arrived at Murrieta Valley this year, said the experience has been great for making friendships.

They were very welcoming to me, she said. Other people are nice to you, but drama really gave me a place, gave me a home here, and I really appreciate that.

Khan, 17, has participated in the regional competitions for three years. He said just winning at that level was a major accomplishment, but it will really be something if they are able to repeat at the Southern California competition.

The competition up there is stiffer, its rougher, its gonna take tons of work to top what weve done right now, so Id say us winning is just the beginning, he said. Now is the real challenge.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9693 or agroves@scng.com
Government has extended its contract with Subah Infosolutions, the company monitoring Ghanas revenue in the telecommunication sector, with barely a week for the new President to be sworn into office.



A letter dated December 1, 2016, from the Ghana Revenue Authority, signed by its Commissioner-General, George Blankson, and copied the Telecommunication chamber as well as the telecommunication companies in the country, said the contract extension has been approved by the Minister of Finance.



We wish to inform you that Subah Infosolutions Ghana Limited has been granted approval to continue its role of monitoring revenue from the telecommunication companies on behalf of the Ghana Revenue Authority.



Further to the above, we wish to request that you continue to grant access to Messrs Subah Infosolutions Ghana limited to your physical network nodes in accordance with the provisions of the Communications Service Tax (Amendment) Act, 2013 (Act 864)., the letter added.



The Subah contract is one of those the outgoing entered into that became controversial over issues of value for money among others. The New Patriotic Party has raised questioned the current governments award of last minute contracts and recruitment, with few days to hand over power to Nana Akufo-Addo.



But President John Mahama has defended such actions saying they are in the larger interest of the country.



CONTINUE GRANTING OF ACCESS TO YOUR PHYSICAL NETWORK NODES PURSUANT TO THE COMMUNICATIONS SERVICE TAX (AMENDMENT), ACT, 2013 (ACT 864)



This has reference to a letter with reference number MoF/RPD/GRA/016 dated 11th November, 2016 from the Hon. Minister of Finance on the above subject.



We wish to inform you that Subah Infosolutions Ghana Limited has been granted approval to continue its role of monitoring revenue from the telecommunication companies on behalf of the Ghana Revenue Authority.



Further to the above, we wish to request that you continue to grant access to Messrs Subah Infosolutions Ghana limited to your physical network nodes in accordance with the provisions of the Communications Service Tax (Amendment) Act, 2013 (Act 864). Counting on your cooperation.



Yours faithfully



George Blankson



Commissioner-General









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The woman fell 10 metres onto the roof of garage in the Torre Angela district on Rome's outskirts and was conscious when emergency services arrived.

By Indo-Asian News Service: A woman sustained fractures to her legs after her Colombian husband allegedly threw her out of a third floor apartment window in Rome after a drunken row on New Year's Day.

The woman fell 10 metres onto the roof of garage in the Torre Angela district on Rome's outskirts and was conscious when emergency services arrived.

Neighbours said they heard the couple arguing furiously and screaming followed by a crashing sound.

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When police arrived, the Colombian man had barricaded himself inside the apartment but was detained by police. He faces charges of bodily harm and domestic violence.

--- ENDS ---
The Oyoko Traditional Council which is the Adonteng division of the New Juaben traditional area in the Eastern region has called on Ghanaians and Nananom, to support the President-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to contribute his quota for the development of Ghana.



In a congratulatory message addressed through the media on New Year Day, the Oyokohene, Nana Kodua Kesse II, urged Ghanaians to nurture the habit of burying politics right after elections and support any government in power to fulfil his campaign promises to move the country forward.

Nananom wish to appeal to all Ghanaians to give Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his administration every support to enable him fulfill all the promises he has made to the people of Ghana.

The Chiefs and people of Oyoko Adonten division of New Juaben, wish to congratulate Nana Akufo Addo, the President-elect and Dr.Mamamudu Bawumia, the Vice President-elect for winning the 7th December 2016 general elections.

Nananom wish to appreciate and commend His Excellency, President John Dramani Mahama for gallantly conceding defeat.The Victory in 2016 election is victory for Ghana and advancement of Ghanas Democracy, he noted.

Nana Kodua Kesse who doubles as the Eastern Regional representative of the Council of state called on Nana Akufo Addo to unite the country whiles the security and Judiciary ensure that the rule of law works.

Very soon, the election fever will be over. However, the country is so divided politically that the need for reconciliation is paramount; His Excellency Nana Akufo Addo with all due respect should try to bring the people of Ghana together so that the peace we are enjoying would be absolute.

Nananom wish to appeal to the security agencies and Judiciary to give all the citizens of Ghana equal treatment before the law since some people have the perception that their party is in power and therefore could do anything unlawful and get away without being punished, he stressed.

The Oyoko traditional Council tabled their concern on the abuse of social media which is being used to malign and spread libelous information about prominent persons in society with a call on the National Media Commission and the security agencies to map up strategies to control the excesses on social media to avert any consequences on the country.

According to Nana Kodua Kesse II, he had a shock in his life a day to the election when his palace was nearly besieged by supporters of the NPP due to false information concocted on social media that the NDC has kept some thumb-printed ballot papers contained in ballot boxes in the palace.

Source: kasapa









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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At least one person has been reported dead after a Mercedes Benz Sprinter bus with registration number GM 3912-13 was involved in a gory accident on the Accra-Tema motorway.



The accident occurred on Monday January 2, 2017.

Accra News Kofi Mensah Ocran, who witnessed the scene, said the accident, which occurred between the Accra Abattoir and the Ashaiman overhead, was caused by a burst tyre, causing the vehicle to somersault.

Others also reported blood stains on the motorway while a lifeless victim of the accident was seen beside the road covered with leaves.

Officials of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) were dispatched to the scene, who emerged to wash the blood stains off the street.

The Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service could not immediately give an exact figure of how many had lost their lives, but some of the eyewitnesses estimated three.

The injured have been sent to the Tema General Hospital for treatment.

Source: classfm









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The National Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has taken over investigations into a shooting incident that claimed two lives at Miotso in the Ningo-Prampram District.



The gun battle over a piece of land also resulted in six other persons sustaining various degrees of gunshot wounds. They are currently receiving treatment at the Tema General Hospital.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Juliana Obeng, Tema Regional Police Public Relations Officer, confirming the incident to the media said, the National CID had taken over further investigations into the land dispute shooting event.

ASP Obeng said the Tema Command was therefore waiting for the National CID to put out information picked from the further investigations.

She stated that bodies of the two deceased persons have been deposited at the Police Hospital morgue for preservation and autopsy.

According to her, the Tema Command received information on the shooting incident between Miosto and Dawhenya and therefore dispatched men to the area to restore sanity.

Sixteen persons, she noted, were helping in investigations into circumstances leading to the gun battle between the two communities.

ASP Obeng disclosed that the Command retrieved two pump action guns, a pistle, one AK47 rifle with double magazine loaded, Jeep Cherokee, and a Mercedes Benz.

She assured residents in Dawhenya and Miotso that the Tema Police Command had stationed men in the area to ensure peace and calm so people should go about their normal business without fear.

Source: GNA









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The Ghana Education Service (GES), has reinstated Mr Joseph Connel, Headmaster of St Augustine's College, who was interdicted whilst being investigated for charging unapproved fees.



In a letter dated December 23, 2016, and signed by Mr Jacob A. M. Kor, the Director General of the GES said the reversal of the interdiction takes immediate effect.

The Committee set up to investigate the alleged collection of unapproved levies observed that the amount collected was GH310.00 instead of the GH 435.00 reported in the media.

Out of the GH310.00 collected, GH140.00 was for sale of chaplaincy books, College brochure and outing shirt.

The difference of GH170.00 collected by the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) was based on a decision taken at a PTA general meeting. It was aimed at solving some challenges in the school including poor sewerage, broken benches, inadequate bed planks and desks.

The Committee also noted that matching the number of parents who paid and the number of students admitted at that time, it gave clear evidence that the collection was an appeal and not an imposition.

It said Mr Connel had worked assiduously with the GES for more than 30 years in various capacities without blemish, and this was the first administrative error committed.

On the face of the findings, the Headmaster cannot be singled out and implicated based on the available evidence. The Committee recommended that Mr Connel should be warned, exonerated and reinstated.

The interdiction of Mr Connel led to a number of protests from the Board of Governors of the College, the St Augustine's Past Students Union (APSU) and the PTA.

Members raised a number of flaws in the whole process including the procedure for the interdiction, date and time of interdiction and investigation, and a breach of natural Justice.

The Board also questioned why the Central Regional Director of Education would exempt himself from the emergency meeting that interdicted Mr Connel and instead chose to nominate someone to represent him on the Board of the investigative committee.

APSU has lauded Mr Connel's reinstatement and had sent a thank you letter to the Director General of the GES.

Mr Connel assured the stakeholders of his total commitment to the betterment of the school.

Source: GNA









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Abdulai Naaba, younger brother of Collins Dauda outgoing Minister of Local Government and Rural Development has fled Ghana into neighbouring Burkina Faso.



Controversial man of God and Founder of the International Godsway Church Bishop Daniel Obinim who revealed this to his congregation on the 31st December watch night service, disclosed that the wife of the runaway Naaba is also a member of his church.



He failed to state exactly when Naaba left Ghana but said he has been weeping ever since he left the shores of the country for fear that the incoming government may hunt him down for comments he purportedly made.



Bishop Obinim also revealed that the wife of Naaba is heavily pregnant for which reason he is appealing to the president-elect Nana Akufo-Addo and his vice to forgive Abdulai Naaba who is alleged to have made comments that he has killed people and he can kill again



He is my church member, the wife who is pregnant is currently at this programme, please am on knees, he was just bragging, he cannot even hurt a fly. Forgive him, please forgive him he pleaded in a very sober voice.



It would be recalled that Abdulai Naaba on an Accra-based radio station, mentioned that they will beat Kennedy mercilessly should he step foot in Asutifi South describing Kennedy as a mad man who only rants unnecessarily.



Who is Kennedy Agyapong to threaten me with death, we have been killing before he was born. I have killed human beings and I will finish anybody with bad intentions before his time he concluded.

Source: ultimatefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Dr Eric Opoku, a political communications lecturer at the University of Cape Coast, has said incoming president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo must appoint a Communications Minister who has a good knowledge of Ghanaian culture and is polite.



According to him, a Communications Minister with these qualities will endear the government to most citizens, who will bear with the president even if he is encountering difficulties managing the economy.

Speaking in an interview with Accra100.5FM on Monday January 2 in connection with the latest ministerial appointments announced by Mr Akufo-Addo, Dr Opoku said: One thing you cannot toy with is communications. Whether or not the economy is flourishing, you need a good communications persons to churn out accurate information at the right time.

You need a fluent person who is also respectful, humble, and knows the culture of Ghanaians to be able to communicate government programmes and actions to the people well. I am very sure even when there are difficulties with the economy, Ghanaians will understand whatever explanation will be given if such a person with these qualities communicates to them.

Mr Akufo-Addo has revealed Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, a former Chief Executive Officer of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, will be Minister of Environment, Science and Technology in his government.

He made this known at an address during the 36th annual technological exhibition of the Apostle Kantanka Technology Centre on Sunday, January 1.

Science, technology, and innovation are the keys to 21st century development. We have to find ways in which science, technology and innovation become the central features of our policies and programmes and of our development. For this reason, if the next parliament agrees, I will appoint a prominent Ghanaian to come and assist me and take over the portfolio of the Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister  Professor Frimpong-Boateng, he disclosed.

Mr Akufo-Addo has high hopes that the Ghanaian physician and cardiothoracic surgeon, who established the National Cardiothoracic Centre and the Ghana Red Cross Society, will bring the needed change in that sector.

For him, science and technology are key areas which need to be strengthened in order to attain development and persons who are making strides in this sector must be motivated to attain higher heights.

For him, his government will not hesitate in supporting Apostle Kwadwo Safo, who has been the brain behind many innovations including the production of the Katanka range of vehicles.

What we also have to do is to encourage them. And that is what my government will do. To support people like Apostle Safo, Mr Akufo-Addo added.

Meanwhile there are strong indications Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto will be Agriculture Minister if approved by parliament.

Source: classfm









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Member of Parliament for Agona East in the Central region, Queenster Pokuah Sawyerr has filed a defamation suit against a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Central region.



The NDC member, Julius Medly, who is a teacher at Agona Swedru is said to have posted a message on social media that suggested that Madam Sawyerr who doubles as the Deputy Central Regional Minister pocketed some cash together with the Central Regional Chairman of the NDC, which was meant for the partys campaign.

The message was said to have been posted on a Whatsapp group - Agonaman Platform  which the MP is also a member.

Madam Sawyerr who insists she has been defamed by that statement has therefore filed the suit demanding damages to the tune of Ghc50,000.

She is also seeking an injunction to restrain Medly from further publication of such words.

According to her, the statement had injured her reputation since there were about 200 people on that whatsapp platform.

The case was filed on December 21, 2016. The defendant has since filed an appearance waiting for further directions from the court.

Source: Daily Graphic









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The President-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has hinted that Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto who is currently the Member of Parliament for Kwadaso in Kumasi, and the Minority Spokesperson on Agriculture would be his Minister of Agriculture.



Dr Akoto would not be part of the next Parliament which begins its tenure from January 7, 2017 because he lost his re-election bid to Dr S. Kwadwo Nuamah, a young lecturer at the University of Ghana and new entrant.

Nana Addo gave the hint of Dr Akoto as his pick for the Agriculture portfolio when he met a delegation of some Zongo chiefs at his Nima Residence in Accra.

The Kumasi people will recognise Amadu Baba of Kwame Nkrumahs time, he had a great friend in the Asantehenes Kyeame, (senior linguist), Baffour Akoto, this is his son who is the Member of Parliament for Kwadaso today, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto."

"He is our spokesperson on Agriculture and if the Parliament will pass him, he is likely to be the Minister of Agriculture, Nana Addo told the Zongo chiefs.

The president-elect, who would be sworn into office on January 7, 2017 has been giving hints of who would be part of his cabinet.

He has already named Mr Kwadwo Alan Kyeremateng as his choice for Trade and Industry during a meeting with the Private Enterprise Foundation (PEF).

The 57-year-old Dr Akoto is a farmer himself with plantations at Manso Nkwanta in Ashanti. He is the CEO of Plantation Resources Company Limited and holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics from Cambridge University, UK.

As the son of the late Baffour Akoto, who was himself deeply involved in the National Liberation Movement (NLM) during Nkrumah's time, Dr Akoto first launched his Parliamentary bid in Kumasi in year 2000 at the then Bantama constituency challenging Dr Richard Anane who was seeking re-election after his first term.

When Dr Akoto was unsuccessful at the primary to run on the ticket of the NPP, he went independent and lost the Parliamentary election to Dr Anane.

In 2004, the then Bantama constituency (Florida) was divided into three  Nhyiaeso, Kwadaso and Bantama and Dr Akoto attempted the bid at Kwadaso but lost to Hilda Josephine Addo at the NPP primary.

He relaunched his campaign in 2008 and defeated Hilda Addo who failed the re-election bid.

In 2015 however, the new entrant and young lecturer, Dr Kwadwo Nuamah defeated him.

For the two terms that Dr Akoto was in Parliament  2009 to 2012 and 2013 to 2016, he served as the Minority Spokesperson on Agriculture.

Source: Daily Graphic









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Reports emanating from the stables of the incoming NPP administration suggests that the founder and leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP) Mr. Akwasi Addae Odike, could be appointed as Special Advisor on Private Sector Development.



The UPP founder, who is a business tycoon and has valuable expertise in private sector development, is said to be considered for the position as part of government's moves to implement its flagship One District, One Factory Policy.



According to reports, Mr. Odike could be drafted into the incoming NPP administration to assist in advising government on how to maximize the benefits of public-private partnership.



The UPP founder, who made a last minute switch to the camp of the NPP, joining the party's campaign for change, is among few pioneer investors who started their private business in the country, particularly in the Ashanti Regional capital Kumasi.



He is also a strong advocate of home-grown business policies and programmes aimed at empowering small and medium enterprises.



Report of his consideration as Special Advisor on Private Sector Development does not therefore come as a surprise to many because of his ability to diagnose and provide measures aimed at improving private businesses in the country.



Meanwhile, the UPP founder has expressed his delight at the speculation, pledging that he is ready to serve in any capacity should the need arises.



Speaking in an interview with Peacefmonline.com, Mr. Odike observed that there was no doubt that the incoming administration will require a very strong public-private sector partnership to be able to implement the One District One Factory as well as the pledge to address the increasing youth unemployment.









Source: Chris Joe Quaicoe/ email: [email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A former Member of Parliament, Akosua Frema Osei Opare, has been named Ghanas next Chief of Staff, sources close to the President-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, have revealed. Abu Jinapor has been chosen as the deputy Chief of Staff, the sources told 3News Monday.

Mrs. Osei Opare who is a former lecturer and Head of the Department of Home Science at the University of Ghana and served under President John Kufuors government becomes the first woman to occupy the Chief of Staff office in Ghana. According to the source, former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Peter Mac Manu, has also been pencilled by the president-elect as the Board Chairman of Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GHAPOHA). These nominations come a day after the President-elect announced cardiothoracic surgeon, Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng as the Minister designate for Science and Technology at the Apostle Kojo Sarfo Technology Fair.

Nana Akufo-Addo who takes office from John Mahama on January 7 had earlier announced Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto as the minister designate for Agriculture. Already, he has confirmed Alan John Kyerematen as the Minister designate for Trade and Industry.

Source: 3news.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Jan 2 (PTI) A Delhi Police head constable posted at the Supreme Court allegedly committed suicide today by shooting himself in the court premises leaving behind a two-page suicide note in which he hinted at tensions on the family front.

The deceased, identified as head constable Chandpal (45), shot himself with his service revolver around 8.15 AM, said a senior police officer.

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In a two-page suicide note in Hindi that was found from his pocket, he mentioned that he was under tremendous pressure owing to family problems involving his brothers and wife Babli.

He allegedly wrote in the suicide note that his wife didnt support him in the family feud between him and his brothers, said the officer.

Chandpal also mentioned that he was saddened about not being given an equal share in the property as his brother by his father, he said.

He had a message for his kids and wrote that they should take care of themselves. "My brother Manoj has taken away things from me and my family has not done the correct thing with me," the note stated.

He also mentioned about a plot of land he had bought and alleged that it had been acquired by someone else.

His duty hours were from 7 AM to 1 PM. He had been posted at the Supreme Court since April 2014 and had joined Delhi Police in 1993.

He reported for duty at his usual time and then went to the guard sentry where he allegedly shot himself in the chest, the police officer said.

Police will be questioning Chandpals family members and colleagues to ascertain the reasons for him taking the extreme step.

He hailed from Baghpat district in Uttar Pradesh and was living at the police colony in RK Puram. Pal had moved there with his family two days before Diwali.

The post-mortem was conducted at Lady Hardinge Hospital and the body was handed over to the family members for the final rites which will take place at Baghpat. Inquest proceedings are underway. PTI SLB VIT RG

--- ENDS ---
The Greater Accra regional chairman of the National Democratic Congress, Joseph Nii Ade Coker has attributed the NDCs 2016 presidential defeat to voter apathy and the 'gullibility' of Ghanaians.



According to Ade Coker, the unrealistic expectations Ghanaians had for the Mahama-led administration forced many to believe the president was going to literally 'put money in their pockets' - a situation that left several distraught and heartbroken after it failed to materialize.



He said the situation left many gullible Ghanaians susceptible to lies, hence, their decision to opt for the New Patriotic Party which had been promising 'heaven and earth' for the citizenry.



Joseph Ade Coker also debunked suggestions that the NDC lost the elections due to several corrupt practices by government appointees insisting the president did a good job at ensuring that acts of corruption were exposed in his administration.



Contrary to NDCs court actions against corrupt officers, Kufuors administration failed to subject its corrupt officers to legal retribution, instead, constituted a dormant public accountability committee he noted.

Source: ghanaweb.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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It has to be said that Melbourne, in spite of all that it has to offer, is undoubtedly the arsehole of Australia when it comes to beaches.

While, Sydney, Perth, and about 95% of Queenslands coast have an abundance of breathtaking and iconic landmarks, poor ol Melbs gets close to nowt. Its seas are more like bays, really  bays where you wade into ankle-high water with a paddle pop in your hand, rather than dive headfirst for a refreshing plunge.

Nevertheless, the southern beaches  esp. St Kilda  are still super popular, and people flock to them in the hope of having the blissy hot afternoon sun-deprived Melburnians so desperately crave.

Unfortunately, it looks like Victorians wont be able to enjoy that anytime soon. The local Environment Protection Authority (EPA) have issued a warning that the majority of Melbournes most popular beaches most likely contain gastroenteritis bacteria.

THIS IS WHY WE CANT HAVE NICE THINGS.

Apparently, the recent onslaughts of torrential rain (that literally turned most of Melbs into a deleted scene from The Day After Tomorrow) brought some pleasant faecal contaminants into the beaches through the stormwater drains.

The EPA have run the tests, and deemed 21 of Melbournes 36 beaches to have unsuitable conditions, uploading this helpful lil map if you want your 2017 to begin without a side of gastro.

Its pretty fkn bleak, tbh.

Those red blips apply to pretty much all beaches that are near the city centre, including St Kilda, South Melbourne and Brighton.

The website also advises against swimming near stormwater or river outlets after 24-48 after heavy rain, so, considering the unpredictability of Melbourne weather, we will probably never bathe in natural waters again.

Time to bring out those inflatable pools, folks.

Find out where you can and cant swim (if you *dont* want to be exploding from both ends) here.

Source: ABC News.

Photo: The Bachelor / Channel 10.
A Falls Festival attendee who was caught in the terrifying stampede that injured nearly 80 people has revealed that his injuries are so severe he wont be able to walk for at least one month.

Tim Hunt, a 29-year-old hotel manager from South Australia, has been confined to a wheelchair while being treated for his injuries at Barwon Health Hospital in Geelong.

He attended the festival with his mate Luke Boud, who was also admitted to hospital for serious abrasions sustained in the stampede but was released on Saturday.

It was my first and last time at Falls, both Tim and I cant go back to work because of our injuries, Boud told the Herald Sun.

Hunt  who travelled from South Australia to the New Years festival in Lorne, Victoria  will have to undergo skin graft surgery for the damage done to his legs.

Photo: Daily Mail / Supplied.

Doctors have told me I wont be out of hospital for at least another week.

Hunt described the scene  where witnesses heard crushing bones and screams  as looking like the aftermath of a bomb site, and he is surprised that no one was killed.

Falls Festival organisers issued an apology for the dangerous situation yesterday, and are attempting to make contact with everyone who was injured.

We wish them a speedy recovery.

Source: Daily Mail.

Photo: Facebook / Tim Hunt.
Renting is already a shitty enough process in its own right: you pay nearly all of your income for the privilege of living in a tiny cube in which you will have your legs broken if you even think about using Blu-tack, or murdered if you think about maybe one day owning a dog.

Thankfully, though, houses are super expensive and well be stuck renting until we win the lottery or the ocean swallows the entirety of Australia. Wait, shit, I mean the opposite of thankfully. That sucks.

It gets even worse, somehow. Landlords are in a position of terrifying power  even with the notice they have to give you, moving is a huge fucking drag / occasionally impossible expense, and you end up having to just deal with their shitty behaviour for fear of not having your lease renewed.

This behaviour can be little things, like being slow to repair problems with the property, or it can be big things, like installing a coin machine on the toilet so you have to fork out a buck every time you want to piss.

Does this example seem insanely specific? Thats because it is. A Reddit user by the delightful name of Unlovablepig posted to r/Melbourne that they were a bit concerned about the legality of their landlord charging them to use the toilet which, well, fair enough, hey:

Im in Melbourne, Thornbury. I understand in our laundry having to pay for the communal washing machine. 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? I see nothing on google about this so I cant work out if Im being duped?

Following comments from other Reddit users who said, in no uncertain terms, that that was absolutely bullshit, they came to the conclusion that maybe not everything was above board:

I have spoken to my neighbour and she thinks I should call Today Tonight if the rental advice people tell me that its not right for my landlord to do this to me. I have looked at their website and you can write them an email with your issue. People like him need to be exposed.

Because nearly everything interesting on the internet is completely fake (not from us, though, were good, trust), people responded with a healthy dose of scepticism, asking for a pic of the vile contraption at the very least, which Unlovablepig did indeed do:

While some were still unconvinced, if it is shopped, I applaud the amount of effort they put into convincing people in a relatively small subreddit that they had to pay to poop.

Theyve since posted an update that theyre getting legal help:

With the help of others I have been using tips and also a lawyer has sent me her details to help me out with the legal side of things. So Im glad I made this post. My friend is also coming over and he thinks we can remove the top cover without really damaging the landlords property. Then at least for now I can get to the flushing lever thingy.

Godspeed.

Source and photo: Reddit.
In a harebrained scheme worthy of The Castle itself, a New South Wales council is plotting with a whisky company to save the Kernigans famous Melbourne home from demolition by literally moving the house across state borders.

After Moonee Valley councillors slapped down an effort to heritage list the house  which the owner plans to demolish and build townhouses in its stead  efforts have picked up to try and save the place. This is literally how obsessed Australians are with housing heritage.

The house from the movie The Castle could be moved to NSW under a new plan to save it from demolition. @DavidWoiwod #7News pic.twitter.com/NBqYIt2tsB  7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) January 2, 2017

Federation Council in southern New South Wales could potentially join forces with Corowa Whisky and Chocolate in a baffling joint venture to have the house moved into NSW, where it would serve as a museum and tourist attraction.

News Corp reports the deal is basically done at this point, quoting Federation Council administrator Mike Eden. [The council has] been talking to the lady for a few months and theyve come to a deal and we spoke to the Corowa Whisky and Chocolate Factory and theyve got a nice block of land to put it on, Mr Eden said.

Its expected that the costs of moving the house across the border could cost around $20,000.

Let me be the first to say: theyre dreaming.

Source: The Courier.

Photo: The Castle.
Landon Weaver

Funeral arrangements have been set for fallen state police trooper Landon Weaver.

Fallen state trooper Landon Weaver followed standard procedure when he arrived alone to check on a potential protection-from-abuse order violation, state police said Monday.

Weaver, a 23-year-old rookie, was shot to death Friday night while investigating the civil order in Huntingdon County.

"Unless there's some reason to believe backup is necessary, it's very common to go alone," Trooper David McGarvey said about the PFA investigation. "It's pretty standard."

Police haven't released specific details about what happened when Weaver at about 6:30 p.m. Friday arrived at the home on Bakers Hollow Road in Juniata Township. But shortly after Weaver arrived, police said he was shot to death by Jason Robison, a 32-year-old Huntingdon County man with a lengthy criminal history in Pennsylvania.

McGarvey said he's not sure if Weaver knew Robison was in that home that belonged to his mother and stepfather, or was aware of the death wish for police or the criminal history that dates back to 2005 and includes assault, theft, arson, burglary and DUI.

But police say they do now know how Robison ended up with the gun that killed Weaver and will release those details late Monday morning or early Monday afternoon.

Gov. Tom Wolf at 3 p.m. Monday is scheduled to visit Weaver's colleagues at the Huntingdon barracks.

Weaver will be laid to rest later this week.
State Capitol

The State Capitol Building is blue in honor of Landon Weaver, the state police trooper killed in the line of duty Friday.

Gov. Tom Wolf today will visit the colleagues of fallen state police trooper Landon Weaver.

Wolf is scheduled to stop at the Pennsylvania State Police Huntingdon Barracks at 3 p.m. Monday.

Weaver, a 23-year-old rookie trooper, was shot to death Friday evening while responding to a protection from abuse order in rural Juniata Township.

After an overnight manhunt, police found the 32-year-old suspect Jason Robison Saturday morning in an empty mobile home, where they shot and killed him. Police said Robison, who has a lengthy criminal record, was refusing orders and making threats.

Weaver will be laid to rest later this week.

Wolf called Weaver's loss a "horrific tragedy."

"Landon will always be remembered for his bravery, his sacrifice, and his willingness to serve," Wolf said in a statement.

Flags will remain lowered throughout the state until after Weaver's funeral, and the State Capitol Building is blue in his honor.
State police trooper killed

Jason Robison via Facebook

UPDATE: State police say they know how the killer got the gun and will release more details about the incident Monday afternoon.

Investigators are still trying to determine how a man with a lengthy criminal history ended up with a gun in his hands.

Trooper Landon Weaver

James Robison, the 32-year-old Huntingdon County man accused of killing state police trooper Landon Weaver, died at the end of a manhunt Saturday morning.

Pennsylvania troopers found Robison at an empty mobile home, where he refused calls to surrender and made threats to harm additional law enforcement personnel. He was shot and killed during the confrontation, police said.

But many questions remain about how Weaver, a first-year trooper, was killed in the line of duty Friday night.

"Two separate scenes were processed and several pieces of evidence were collected," state police said in a statement Sunday. "Investigators are still trying to determine where Robison got the weapon used to kill Trooper Weaver."

Weaver was shot to death Friday while investigating a report of a protection-from-abuse violation.

It was not an active domestic violence incident and the person who obtained the PFA wasn't present at the residence, according to state police.

Robison has a criminal history in Pennsylvania that dates back to 2005 and includes assault, theft, arson, burglary and DUI.

It's unclear whether Weaver was aware of that history or knew Robison posted a death wish to cops on his Facebook page.

It's also unclear why Weaver arrived alone at about 6:30 p.m. Friday to the home at Bakers Hollow Road. Whether he knew Robison was inside his mother and father-in-law's residence is still unknown.

But soon after he pulled up to the Juniata Township home, events unfurled into what Gov. Tom Wolf and others described as a "horrific tragedy."

Police have not yet released many details of how the trooper's death occurred.

Shortly after Weaver was shot, several state police members and the Special Emergency Response Team responded to the homicide, according to state police.

Since then, there's been an outpouring from the community, sharing a mix of sympathy and outrage.

"The members of the PA State Police appreciate the support of the community during this difficult time," police said in a statement. "Many people have reached out to offer support to Trooper Weaver's family. A fund will be set up soon."

No additional details were immediately available Monday morning.

State police will release more information sometime Monday, Trooper David McGarvey said.
The incident occurred near the G gate of the apex court.

By India Today Web Desk: A head constable with the Delhi Police today shot himself dead with his service rifle inside the Supreme Court premises.

The constable, identified as Chand Pal, was deputed at the Supreme Court for the last year and a half.

According to ANI, the incident occurred near the G gate of the apex court in the morning.

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"He killed himself with his service rifle between 8 am and 9 am," an officer said.

Agencies are probing what prompted the police officer to commit suicide.

(More inputs awaited)

ALSO READ:

Bulandshahr cop kills colleague, later commits suicide

Delhi Police: One city cop commits suicide every month

Woman police constable commits suicide

ALSO WATCH

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Mourners watch as others carry the Turkish flag-draped coffin of Yunus Gormek, 23, one of the victims of the attack at a nightclub on New Year's Day, during the funeral in Istanbul, Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. Turkey's state-run news agency says police have detained eight people in connection with the Istanbul nightclub attack. The gunman, who escaped after carrying out the attack, wasn't among the eight. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed 39 people, most of them foreigners. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
A view of Two Jack Lake in Banff National Park is shown in an undated handout photo. Parks Canada is preparing for an increase in visitors this year as people across the country and around the world request free annual passes to explore the nation's natural treasures as part of Canada's 150th anniversary celebration. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - Travel Alberta *MANDATORY CREDIT*
Oil ends year down, but with largest annual percentage gain since 2009

Source: CME Group.



Oil to face $60/barrel price cap in 2017 - Reuters poll

KINGSTON, Ontario

Petroleumworld.com 01 02 2017

Oil prices settled slightly lower on Friday, the year's last trading day, but attained their biggest annual gain since 2009, after OPEC and partners agreed to cut output to reduce a supply overhang that has depressed prices for two years.

A two-rig rise in the oil rig count in the United States, the ninth weekly increase in a row, as reported by oilfield services provider Baker Hughes Inc, added to bearish sentiments.

But the total count of 525 for the week, the last for the year, was still below last year's level by 11 rigs.

U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down 5 cents, or 0.1 percent, at $53.72 a barrel, while Brent fell 3 cents, or 0.1 percent, to $56.82.

"Some profit-taking ... very light trading - a lot of people have already done what they needed to do for the year." said Elaine Levin, president of Powerhouse, an energy-specialized commodities broker in Washington.

Brent rose 52 percent this year and WTI climbed around 45 percent, the largest annual gains since 2009, when the benchmarks rose 78 percent and 71 percent respectively.

Oil prices have slumped since the summer of 2014 from above $100 a barrel. The price rout, due to an oversupply thanks in part to the U.S. shale oil revolution, was accentuated later that year when Saudi Arabia rejected any deal by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to cut output and instead fought for market share.

But a historic OPEC agreement struck over three months from September that will reduce production from Jan. 1, marked a return to the 13-country group's old objective of defending prices.

Oman told some customers it will reduce term allocations by 5 percent in March, but did not say whether the supply reduction would continue after that.

The rise in prices can be seen as "proof of international credibility," for OPEC and partners, said Igor Yusufov, founder of the Fund Energy investment firm and a former Russian energy minister.

He said the rise, a "ponderable New Yew present" for producers, is propelled by expectations of oil demand growth.

Analysts at JBC said major forecasters diverge on their specific predictions.

"We see a big variation in demand growth assessments for 2017, ranging from +1.22 million bpd (barrels per day) ... to +1.57 million bpd," they said in a note to clients.






Iran and India eye a refinery deal in northern Brazil



Northern state of Maranhao offers 5,000-acre site for refinery (MA).

Petrobras plans refineries in Bacabeira (Maranhao's State).

BRASILIA

Petroleumworld.com 01 02 2017

Talks between Brazil, Iran and India could result in the construction of an oil refinery and petrochemical plant in one of the South American nation's poorest states, according to politicians, a diplomat and other people close to the talks.

The state of Maranhao, on Brazil's northern Atlantic coast, is offering a 5,000-acre site for the project, according to a senior official in the state's government, who requested not to be named because he doesn't want to jeopardize the talks. The area already has a deep water port for tankers and its location would provide relatively easy access to the Pacific and Asia via the Panama Canal.

Despite extensive oil reserves, Brazil lacks refining capacity. The project would help Brazil address its dependence on refined fuel imports and could provide a boost to the local economy, Jose Reinaldo Tavares, a federal lawmaker, said in an interview. The project would require investment of at least $2.5 billion, according to the legislator, who recently traveled to Tehran and New Delhi as part of an official delegation from Maranhao.

Iranian oil officials have visited the proposed site twice already, a local Maranhao official said. Mohammad Ali Ghanezadeh, Iran's ambassador to Brazil, said in an interview that his government is "very much interested" and "ready to put money and energy" into the project. He added that the main obstacle to the deal are U.S. banking sanctions .

Engineers India Ltd, a New Delhi-based design and engineering company, is participating in the discussions but its involvement will depend on financing conditions, according to people in India and Brazil familiar with the talks. EIL did not respond to calls and e-mails.






A farmer in Andhra Pradesh asks his bank to conduct a probe into how he got nearly Rs 2 crore credited in his account.

Kurnool farmer Abraham complained of receiving nearly Rs 2 crore in his bank account. (Photo: Ashish Pandey)

By Ashish Pandey: During some other times, it could have been reason to cheer but post-demonetisation era is different.

If a person gets his bank account credited with a large sum, it should, ideally, bring joy to him.

But, for Abraham- an ordinary Andhra Pradesh farmer- it is no reason to celebrate. He is rather worried.

ABRAHAM'S STORY IN 10 POINTS Abraham has complained to his bank that nearly Rs 2 crore was deposited in his bank account without his knowledge. This small farmer from Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh got a message on December 24 about bank account balance. He was shocked to see the balance. Later, he kept receiving messages on his mobile phone, sometimes informing him about some amount being credited while at other times about another amount being debited. Abraham has an account with the local Andhra Pragathi Bank. On December 27, his bank account showed an RTGS (real time gross settlement) transfer of Rs 34,01,894 by Lanco Amarkantak Power Limited (LAPL). The LAPL is owned by former Congress MP and business tycoon L Rajgopal. In another message received on December 29, Abraham's bank account shows a debit of Rs 63,900 with remaining balance of Rs 1,95,50,926- a little less than Rs 2 crore. The next day, his back account had a balance of over Rs 62 lakh. Abraham is worried and the bank officials confused after he complained about the unknown transactions. Meanwhile the bank has launched an inquiry into these suspicious credit and debit transactions from Abraham's account.

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Criticising the move of the government for being unreal, Mukul Roy, said, "To dream is not a crime, but to be in touch with reality is also important. Digitisation of cash is definitely good, but one has to also take into consideration the ground reality of India. Today, I don't even know whether I'll be able to withdraw my own money from the bank."

By Manogya Loiwal : In yet another scathing attack against the demonetisation drive announced by the Narendra Modi government, Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament, Mukul Roy, announced that the Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress (INTTUC) would be releasing the national agenda against the demonetisation drive of the government with whatever support they can garner.

"The INTTUC, with whatever support we have in the national scenario, will strongly oppose the move. We have had a talk with the Metro Railways, and with various railway employees from all parts of India, and also with all the employees of various banks. By mid February or March, we will release our national agenda against the demonetisation drive. That is why I have asked to come here and explain the agenda of INTTUC," said Roy.

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He praised Mamata Banerjee, for putting INTTUC on the national map and said, "We have established our presence in Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and in the national scene, our leader Mamata Banerjee has ensured that in the Lok Sabha, our strength is 34, and 12 in Rajya Sabha."

Also Read: Demonetisation: Jan Dhan account holders withdrew Rs 3,285 crore in last fortnight Congress seeks apology from PM Modi for demonetisation move, calls it failed exercise

DEMONETISATION VS CASHLESS ECONOMY

Criticising the move of the government for being unreal, he said, "The economy of the country has gone haywire. Demonetisation has happened even before this. It has happened in 1954 and 1979 as well. And in both these attempts, demonetisation was a failure. Now, if we look at world history, we can see that demonetisation has definitely been done, but in Zimbabwe, North Korea and the Soviet Union. Whoever is speaking against this move is being termed as a supporter of black money. When the government saw that the demonetisation was a failure, they switched over to making the country a cashless economy. India is a country of 130 crore people, whereas America is a country with only 30 crore citizens. And even then, America has not been able to become a cashless economy. Not even UK and Japan. To dream is not a crime, but to be in touch with reality is also important. Digitisation of cash is definitely good, but one has to also take into consideration the ground reality of India. Today, I don't even know whether I'll be able to withdraw my own money from the bank."

WHY IS EVERYONE AGAINST DEMONETISATION

Roy also was seen praising former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, someone whom the party chief had criticised before party ways from UPA government just a few years ago.

"If everyone who is against the demonetisation drive is a hoarder of black money, then I don't know whether the ex-World Bank Chief Economist is a hoarder of black money or not or whether Amartya Sen, a Nobel Prize winner in Economics is a hoarder of black money, or whether the former Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Bank of Scotland is a black money hoarder, or if Raghuram Rajan, the former RBI Governor was a black money hoarder, or whether Manmohan Singh, who has turned the economy of the country around is a hoarder of black money," argued Roy, stating that not everyone opposing the move of the government is a hoarder of black money.He concluded by saying that around 117 people have died in the demonetisation and remonetisation process and asked the government to take responsibility for the same.WAR BETWEEN MAMATA AND MODIThe war between Mamata and Modi is intensifying with every passing day, and is all set to make a unions debut in the national scene in February.

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A campfire three meters in front of a "No fire" sign at Chironico, Switzerland Photo by Martin Keller

Forest fires in Chironico and across Southern Switzerland

02.01.2017 by by Planetmountain

During the last few days various forest fires broke out across southern Switzerland, for reasons yet to be determined. Over three dozen people were evacuated, but thankfully no one was injured. Local climber Martin Keller reports from the world-famous bouldering area Chironico, where a fire lit by teenagers got out of control.

Due to a small campfire lit by some teenagers (thank God most likely not climbers), the forest above Chironico burnt for the last three days. Currently there are still some active burn areas.

Thanks to several helicopters delivering water non-stop for the last few days and the local firemen fighting on the ground, the flames are now under control. It did not reach the village of Chironico and did not harm the wood which hosts the bouldering area.

This is an important reminder for us as climbers though: please do not light ANY fires at ANY time in Ticino. Its just too dangerous as it is super dry during the entire winter season (even after a day of rain)! Furthermore, the Tessin forestry commission has ordered an absolute ban on open fires in the entire canton.

Last week I removed a campfire that had been built three meters in front of a sign that read "No fire". Sometimes I really ask myself if people just dont care!

Happy 2017 and take care, not just for yourself



Martin Keller




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*The following is an opinion column by R Muse*

Although it was never really a true democracy, at least over the decades it appeared that America was on its way to being a government of and by the people. However, despite the blood, sweat, and tears of generations of Americans working tirelessly to make this nation into something resembling a democracy, America is fundamentally a fascist nation according to the machinations of the establishment Republican Party and its fascist money-changers.

There is little doubt that Republicans, and their many moneyed sponsors, cannot countenance the idea of America as a democracy; basically because they reject the will of the people on the same level that they reject the concept of decency. This is not just one persons opinion any longer because now an independent organization has designated one shining example of Republican tyranny, the state of North Carolina, as no longer classified as a functioning democracy.

It is true that the influx of outrageous corporate money in elections has perverted democracy to a point, and although money doesnt get to cast a vote, it does sway and buy public opinion. Unfortunately, Republicans have used money from groups like the Koch brothers to convince ignorant saps there is widespread voter fraud that allowed them to maintain control over election results and North Carolina is a prime example of Republicans killing off democracy.

Still, although they tried to prevent free and fair elections, in November North Carolina voters rejected a Republican governor, and Republican Supreme Court justices in what appeared to be a much-needed victory for North Carolina residents and the democratic process. However, since North Carolina Republicans oppose the will of the voters as much as they do democracy, they met in secret to pass legislation eliminating the authority of the incoming Democratic governor; it was their strategy to maintain control of the state despite the will of the people. It was, as NAACP President Rev. Dr. William Barber said, Not democracy. This is an attempt to take over. This whole shenanigan is unconstitutional and out of order. What they are passing there, I believe is invalid. It is a violation of our laws.

The good news is that the actions of the North Carolina Republican legislature were dealt a setback when Wake County Superior Court Judge Don Stephens temporarily blocked the new law that stripped the incoming Democratic governors powers; specifically existing authority to oversee election board integrity at the state and local level. North Carolina Republicans were in thrall of the existing law when a Republican was governor, but they would not accept the idea of that same law remaining in existence when a Democrat was governor. The Judge ruled that the risk to future free and fair elections justified the temporary blockage and that he intends to review the law more in depth late next week.

North Carolinians have been painfully aware that their state under Republican rule had been drifting toward Republican fascism and away from democracy over the past eight years, and their awareness is in line with an organization dedicated to monitoring and reporting on the integrity of democratic elections.

The Electoral Integrity Project (EIP) originated in 2005 and has measured 213 elections in 153 countries since then. EIP is broadly considered the most accurate method for evaluating how free and fair and democratic elections are across time and place.

The fact that America is alleged to be democracys shining city on a hill should inform that individual states are democratic jewels in a nation touted to exemplify democracy in its perfected form. But it is not close to perfection and America is actually ranked among the worst Western democracies.

In the just released EIP report, North Carolinas overall electoral integrity score of 58/100 for the 2016 election places the Tar Heel state right up there with authoritarian states and pseudo-democracies like Cuba, Indonesia and Sierra Leone. In fact, if North Carolina was its own nation, it would be ranked only slightly ahead of the failed democracies that constitute much of the developing world. North Carolina is actually no longer classified as a democracy according to one of the founders of the EIP.

The EIP report reveals that North Carolina does so poorly on the measures of legal framework and voter registration that it ranks alongside Iran and Venezuela. And, according to what the EIP considers the integrity of the voting district boundaries; no nation state in the world has ever received as low a score as the 7/100 North Carolina received. It is likely a ranking that makes Republicans exceedingly proud.

Republicans have made North Carolina not only the worst state in America for unfair and partisan election districting, but the worst entity in the world ever analyzed by the Electoral Integrity Project. Still, being the worst entity in the world was not enough fascism for North Carolina Republicans so they completely rejected the will of the voters and passed not one, but two laws stripping power from a legally elected incoming governor because he is a Democrat.

This latest Republican outrage against democracy in North Carolina epitomizes the state of affairs in America and it is not going to get any better. Oh it is true that a federal court ordered North Carolina Republicans to redraw electoral districts and hold special elections in 2017 to better represent the peoples will, but Republicans are renowned for rejecting federal rulings because they may lead to a more democratic outcome. The tragedy about to unfold across the nation is that a fascist liar is going to the White House, and coupled with a Koch-owned Republican Congress and his (dirty Dons) claim that millions of Americans cast illegal ballots, the concept of America as a democracy is virtually at its end and when all is said and done America will be damned lucky to be regarded as a non-functioning democracy.
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Black Congressional Leaders have been making plans and preparing to combat any moves by the Trump administration that would disenfranchise African-Americans.

Politico reported, Members of the Congressional Black Caucus say theyre bracing for the worst in Donald Trump, fearing a presidency that could set minorities back decades. Leaders of the group told POLITICO they have already begun discussing strategies to deal with Trump and any policies they believe would disenfranchise African-Americans  from public school funding to low-income housing to voting restrictions. Though the president-elects supporters call the alarm unwarranted, black lawmakers say Trumps campaign and his Cabinet picks more than justify their concern.

Judging from Trumps nominations of Jeff Sessions to be attorney general and Ben Carson to be secretary of Housing and Urban Development are giant red flags. The nomination of public education enemy Betsy DeVos to be secretary of education suggests that the incoming administration is planning a full-on assault on decades of progress for non-white members of American society.

Some members of the Congressional Black Caucus are taking a wait and see attitude with Trump, but in my view, this is a major tactical error. Trump has made it clear for nearly two years exactly what he intends to do in the White House. The president-elect is not going to change course and move to the middle. Members of Congress, grassroots activists, and citizens who are concerned about the incoming administrations direction must organize now.

As the Congressional Black Caucus is demonstrating, Americans who are concerned about these issues must be proactive, not reactive. Reacting will give Trump and the Republicans the upper hand. Those who value civil rights and the decades of hard-earned progress must set the parameters before Republicans act.

The time to act is now. If people wait, it will be too late.
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Joe Scarboroughs close friendship with Donald Trump while peddling pro-Trump propaganda on his MSNBC created a few problems for him on New Years as CBS Sopan Deb tweeted about where Joe was and who he was with New Years Eve based on a story by The New York Times Maggie Haberman, who said in a tweet of her own, Mika and Joe among the Mar-a-Lago revelers last night:

Morning Joe's hosts partied with Trump last night at Mar-A-Lago. Last year, Trump publicly thanked them for support. https://t.co/gLHtsOloph pic.twitter.com/6znKSoNf67  Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) January 1, 2017

Scarborough took issue with the idea with Debs use of partied (who parties on New Years Eve?), prompting this exchange:

I imagine you repeated that last night at Mar-A-Lago, @JoeNBC. Before the ball dropped, maybe even. https://t.co/xpiRV0JQKz  Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) January 1, 2017

Remarkably, a guy who makes his living telling lies for Trump then lectured Sopan Deb on the importance of facts, and Deb was having none of that:

Agreed! Facts matter: so you weren't at Mar-A-Lago on New Years Eve? You called it fake news, so let's get this right. https://t.co/M8ByaSXHBE  Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) January 1, 2017





Political Wires Taegan Goddard observed that Very interesting: @JoeNBC is challenging the report from @maggieNYT that he was at Trumps Mar-a-Lago party last night.

However, Joe Scarborough wasnt willing to admit even that much. At this point, Scarborough completely lost it and launched into a tirade, an attempt to rationalize his attendance at what he refused to admit was a party. It is not often you see someone with the ability to so rattle Joe Scarborough and it is much to be savored:

1. I partied last night by watching Groundhog Day and Ghostbusters with my kids. Then watched the Mariah Carey dumpster fire.

2. Around 7pm, I had a preset meeting with PEOTUS before his party trying to set up an interview (much like reporters at CBS & NYT do.

3. The event was black tie. Both Mika and I were in casual clothes, did not attend the party, and left before any partying began.

4. Nothing that Mika and I did in setting up this meeting was any different than what all good reporters and news hosts try to do daily.

5. Anyone suggesting otherwise is a hypocrite who ignores what great journalists from Ben Bradlee to Tom Brokaw have done for years.

To this last, Sopan Deb tweeted in response,

I can't think of a presidential candidate who thanked Brokaw and Bradlee for their support, but I'm just a liar who makes up news. https://t.co/Hjq5XF3dD1  Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) January 1, 2017

Joe Scarborough tweeted back angrily,

Yes. You lied. And you are digging a deeper whole. Trump also thanked Axelrod. Stop. Digging. You're embarrassing yourself. https://t.co/5hzO20TG7P  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

He added a couple of more numbered points too:

6. I hope we get the interview.

7. Stop lying about us.

What is illuminating about this is less the actual facts of who did what with whom on New Years Eve and more about how defensive Scarborough became at the suggestion that he partied with his close friend Donald Trump, or indeed, even attended a party. And this wasnt his only attempt to explain the night away.

The fact is, Joe Scarborough and Mike Brzezinski attended a New Years party thrown by Donald Trump and when caught out, fell back on trying to argue it away by splitting hairs over definitions, or getting Talmudic as Daniel Rubin said, and to which Maggie Haberman answered, actually no, we are being precise.

To be precise, though they were at times critical of Trump during the campaign, we know Joe and Mika speak frequently to Trump thanks to Reince Priebus and it is no secret at this point that Morning Joe is nothing but a Trump propaganda outlet.

Perhaps Scarborough is especially sensitive to the attention this has drawn. As Haberman concluded, they were there and Not sure why this is a controversy.

By this time, the whole brouhaha had dissolved into ridiculousness. Scarborough launched into yet another five-point explanation of the events of that night and continued to protest his innocence, leaving but one possible conclusion for us to arrive at:

Hamlet asked his mother, Madam, how like you this play? To paraphrase Gertrudes answer,

Methinks the gentleman doth protest too much.
As the demonetisation deadline approached to its end, a huge surge in withdrawal of money from Jan Dhan accounts was witnessed. The total deposits in those accounts decreased by Rs 3,285 crore in the last 15 days.

By India Today Web Desk: There have been reports and the government has also said it a few times that the Jan Dhan bank accounts were misused by unscrupulous people after demonetisation was announced on November 8.

Now, Finance Ministry figures raise suspicion about round-tripping of money. However, the data is not clear about whether it involves black money or any other tax evasion practices.

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JAN DHAN ACCOUNT WITHDRAWALS: THINGS TO KNOW Jan Dhan accounts witnessed net withdrawal of Rs 3,285 crore in the last fortnight after a huge surge in deposits post demonetisation in November. Total deposits increased to a record high of Rs 74,610 crore for the week ended December 7 and thereafter, it started gradual decline. The total deposits came at Rs 71,037 crore on December 28, two days ahead of the close of demonetisation exercise, according to Finance Ministry data. In the last fortnight, the total deposit came down by Rs 3,285 crore. This was despite the fact that the monthly upper withdrawal limit was fixed at Rs 10,000 per month from November 30 to check misuse of Jan Dhan accounts. The upper limit for deposits in Jan Dhan account is Rs 50,000. As of November 9, the balance in about 25.5 crore such accounts was Rs 45,636.61 crore. Total deposits in Jan Dhan accounts surged by around Rs 28,973 crore in about a month after the announcement of ban on old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes on November 8 midnight. Uttar Pradesh tops the list of states with most deposits in Jan Dhan accounts, followed by West Bengal and Rajasthan.

(With PTI inputs)

READ| Jan Dhan account deposits double to Rs 87,000 crore post demonetisation

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Watchdog and Public Service reporter

Thad Moore is a reporter on The Post and Couriers Watchdog and Public Service team and a graduate of the University of South Carolina. To share tips securely, reach Moore via ProtonMail at thadmoore@protonmail.com or on Signal at 843-214-6576.
Though the clock is falling back, fun is still springing up all around the Lowcountry. Immerse yourself in Scottish heritage at the Charleston Scottish Games and Highland Gathering, head to Summerville for the Timrod Library's 125th birthday, or spend a night with friends celebrating Charleston Beer Week. Read moreMy Charleston Weekend: Beer, Bagpipes, and a Birthday Bash
By Press Trust of India: Thane, Jan 2 (PTI) A 42-year-old doctor attached to a hospital here, who was found guilty of molesting an ICU patient has been convicted and jailed by a court here.

In a recent order, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate R J Pawar convicted doctor Jayant S Jadhav, a resident of Mulund under section 354 of the IPC and sentenced him to one year rigorous imprisonment. The convict was also slapped with a fine of Rs 3,000.

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The accused will also undergo additional three months rigorous imprisonment, which will run concurrently, the court ordered.

Prosecutor Jaishree Korde appearing for the prosecution told the court that the victim is a housewife suffering from acute asthama and as her condition deteriorated on May 18, 2013 she was admitted for treatment to the ICU of the hospital where the accused was on duty.

In the ICU there were other patients too whose beds were separated by curtains.

It was around 3 AM that under the pretext of checking the pulse rate and blood pressure the accused came to the bed of the victim and molested her. When the victim resisted he kissed her hand and left, the court was told.

However, the accused came to the bed once again after one hour and repeated the act, the prosecutor said.

The victim complained to her husband and children and also urged the hospital management to take action. However, when nothing was done, the woman on getting discharged from the hospital on May 21 lodged a FIR with Naupada police who arrested the accused, the court was told.

"In the present case the accused is facing trial for the offence Punishable under section 354 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. Therefore, considering the nature of the offence, I find that the benefits of the Section 3 and 4 of the Probation of Offenders Act 1958 cannot be given to the accused and he deserves punishment for the act he did. The act which the accused had done has to be dealt with stringently, the court held and awarded him jail. PTI COR DK DK

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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
Dodge County

$1,000 raised for Dodge Food Shelf

KASSON  The Kasson-Mantorville Lions Club has raised $1,000 from its Fall Scrap Metal Drive for the Dodge County Food Shelf.

The community donated 25,000 pounds of scrap metal during the drive, which was brought to McNeilus Steel scrap yard.

Houston County

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Commissioners address old school building

CALEDONIA  The Houston County Board of Commissioners is working to find a solution for an old school building in Money Creek.

The building is in disrepair, overgrown and may have an asbestos problem, according to zoning officer Rick Frank. He said he has sent letters to the current owners, who live in Ohio. They responded they have contacted several potential buyers who have backed out.

Fillmore County

Water management plan approved

CHATFIELD  The Root River One Watershed One Plan policy committee voted unanimously to approve the final draft of the water management plan Dec. 19 in Chatfield.

The committee is made up of elected officials from 13 local governments in the area, which includes Dodge, Fillmore, Mower, Olmsted, Houston and Winona counties and their respective Soil and Water Conservation Districts.

The document will go to the local government units' boards to decide whether to adopt it locally.

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Mower County

Special education cooperative to open

AUSTIN  A new special education cooperative for the Austin and Albert Lea school districts will open its doors after Christmas break.

The two districts purchased the former Corcoran Center at 2000 Oakland Ave. W. earlier this year and have transformed it with a $3.8 million renovation into the Austin-Albert Lea Special Education Cooperative.

Wabasha County

Lake City School Board approves 2 percent levy increase

LAKE CITY  The Lake City School Board has approved a 2 percent levy increase for 2017.

The district is seeking $3.49 million in property tax revenue, as announced at its Dec. 19 meeting.

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The levy for the general fund will increase by about 4 percent.

Goodhue County

DairiConcepts' utilities discussed

ZUMBROTA  The Zumbrota City Council heard presentations from Beth Schwertel, of DairiConcepts; Thomas Beckley, of Raftelis Financial Consultants; and Jessica Cook, of Ehlers and Associates, on an ongoing utility rates study for DairiConcepts' wastewater Dec. 15.

They ultimately agreed a cost of service analysis was merited to determine if previously proposed rates were higher than the cost of service for DairiConcepts.

Winona County

Winona city levy to increase 10.5 percent

WINONA  The city of Winona's overall levy -- including port authority, operating fund and debt -- increased 10.5 percent for 2017 over the 2016 levy.

The 2017 levy was set at $8,144,678 at the final city council meeting of the year on Dec. 19. New bonds represented the majority of the levy increase.

At the same meeting, the city reclassified the site of the current YMCA as "downtown fringe," the same designation the planning commission rejected. The difference this time is there is not a deal ready to sell the land to Kwik Trip. The land was classified as "traditional neighborhood," which limited the kind of buyer the YMCA could sell the property to.
MINNEAPOLIS  Delivery drivers from Teamsters Local 120 voted unanimously to strike O'Reilly Auto Parts in Minnesota unless the company agrees to a renewed labor contract that increases pay and safety standards.

Union officials announced the move Friday in a statement.

O'Reilly spokesman Mark Mertz says the union has misrepresented the position that the company has taken through the course of negotiations regarding pay and safety issues.

The workers deliver auto parts to most of O'Reilly Auto's 99 retail stores across Minnesota from a distribution center in Brooklyn Park. They have worked without a contract since Dec. 10. They've been negotiating with the company since September.

A union representative says talks resumed Friday but declined to comment beyond the union's statement.
Thats how the World Values Network summaries the Obama administrations foreign policy. A good summary, though it excludes President Obamas other dark obsession  appeasing Iran.

What follows is the content of the World Values Networks newspaper ad that appears under the title quoted above, and under pictures of Samantha Power, Susan Rice, John Kerry, and President Obama  a quartet described as one that will live in infamy as bystanders to the Syrian genocide:

For the last six years, President Obama stood by and witnessed the slaughter of 500,000 Syrians. He has watched impotently as ISIS took control over a quarter of the country, targeting Yazidis and Christians, as Iran-backed Shia Muslims joined Alawites seeking to exterminate the Sunnis.

His administration has been ambivalent about stopping Syrias largest city of Aleppo from being turned into a kill zone, where at least 100,000 children are trapped beneath the falling bombs.

A genocide has unfolded before our eyes, but rather than focusing its efforts on stopping the brutality in Aleppo, the lame-duck President and his cohorts  John Kerry, Susan Rice, and Samantha Power  decided that Jews building nurseries was a greater danger than mustard and sarin gas attacks against Arab children.

By engineering the reprehensible UN Security Council Resolution 2334, Team Obama has emboldened Israels enemies and made peace much less likely. By approving the resolutions absurd language that Israels claim to the Western Wall and Jerusalems Jewish Quarter has no legal validity, and ignoring the Jewish peoples 3,000 year-old connection to Judea and Samaria, the Obama administration only encourages Palestinian jihadists to cling to their dreams of driving the Jews into the sea.

No wonder Hamas and Iran-backed Islamic Jihad, who are dedicated to Israels destruction, have praised it.

In his speech about the resolution, John Kerry said: It is vital that we have an honest, clear-eyed conversation about the uncomfortable truths. Here are just a few of them:

* No agreement, including the Oslo Accords signed by the Palestinians, precludes Israel from building in Judea and Samaria. In fact, even two-state proponents acknowledge Israels right to annex the major settlements as part of a land swap in the final peace agreement. * The West Bank territory is disputed  not occupied. It was never a sovereign Palestinian state. After the force expulsion of Jews 2,000 years ago, the land was occupied by many nations, most recently by the Ottomans, British, and Jordanians. Only in 1967, after Israel defeated Jordan in the Six-Day War, did claims of illegal occupation become fashionable. . . . * Jerusalem is Israels capital, recognized by the U.S. Congress in 1995. It is not occupied illegally, as the UN resolution falsely asserts.

Shame on John Kerry, the chief architect of the Iran deal, who caps his long record of targeting Israel with another dishonorable act.

Shame on Susan Rice, who was condemned by Samantha Power as a bystander to genocide of 800,000 innocents in Rwanda, for standing by the slaughter of 500,000 Syrians.

Shame on Samantha Power, once an anti-genocide activist, who will now be remembered as a hypocritical bystander herself.

Finally, shame on Barack Obama, whose countless assurances of having Israels back have proven worthless. Already tainted by the Iran deal, his legacy will be stained by this cowardly stab in Israels back in the fleeting days of his presidency.
Ruth Marcus, the liberal Washington Post columnist, advises Donald Trump that there can be only one president at a time. This slogan raises, but does not answer, the question of what the president-elect should say or do when the lame duck takes highly controversial action with which his successor-to-be strongly disagrees. More on that in a moment.

But first, lets share a laugh over Marcus invocation of Richard Nixon in defense of the idea that the president-elect should be seen but not heard. Marcus writes:

President Richard Nixon, at a news conference a week after being sworn in. . .noted that, in conversations as president-elect with Johnson administration officials, he had scrupulously followed the line that we have one president at a time, and that he must continue to be president until he leaves office on January 20.

It was Nixon, though, who as a candidate for president (not president-elect) worked to scuttle Vietnam peace talks. Fearing that the prospect of peace talks would harm his election campaign (his opponent Hubert Humphrey was cutting into Nixons once-large lead), Tricky Dick let the South Vietnamese government know it could get better terms if it obstructed peace talks.

Clearly, Nixon did not believe that the U.S. can have one president at a time.

As for the two other presidents cited by Marcus as having mouthed this cliche  Bill Clinton and Barack Obama  there is no reason to believe they would have sat silently by as the outgoing president moved at the last minute to bind the U.S. to policies they strongly opposed. This is the situation Trump faces.

In the last days of his presidency, Barack Obama has radically altered U.S. policy on treating Israel at the U.N. By doing so, he has set the stage for an international assault on Israel and, in Trumps view, diminished the likelihood of successfully negotiating a peace agreement  something he says he very much wants to do.

Marcus cites no precedent for passivity by a president-elect in such circumstances. It would be a lame president-elect who displayed such passivity. After all, Trump will have to cope with the mess Obama is creating in the dying embers of his presidency.

A moments reflection should be sufficient to conclude that theres nothing wrong, for example, with Trump telling Egypt how he will respond, once hes president, to its sponsorship, before he becomes president, of a resolution he thinks is damaging. Presidential candidates make such threats all the time. For example, as a candidate, Obama announced his intention to attack terrorists inside Pakistan, which was contrary to U.S. policy at the time.

Why should a president-elect be unable to say kind of things he is free to utter as a candidate? I cant think of a reason.

It might be objected that in the case of Egypt, Trumps statement interfered with U.S. diplomacy regarding Israel and the U.N. But Team Obama denies that it was pushing Egypt or anyone else to propose the anti-Israel resolution. In its telling, the administration engaged in no such diplomacy

Perhaps for this reason, Marcus doesnt cite the U.N. resolution as a case in which Trump acted as co-president. Instead, she points to Trumps phone conversation with the head of Taiwan.

But it is routine for a president-elect to accept congratulatory calls. And even if chatting with Taiwans leader sent a signal that Trump might alter U.S. policy, so what? Candidates for the presidency routinely do more than just send signals about changing U.S. foreign policy if elected. Surely, the president-elect can talk about the changes he intends to make once in office.

We will read much mindless criticism of Donald Trump in the coming years (and, no doubt, some criticism thats deserved). I doubt there will be many attacks as mindless as Marcus latest, but perhaps Im taking too charitable a view of liberal punditry.

UPDATE: I am grateful to my friend Nathan Silver who brought to my attention, in the context of Ruth Marcuss column, the incident about Nixons underhanded behavior as a presidential candidate. I should have have noted his contribution in my original post.
According to the reports in the US media, while interacting with reporters on the New Year eve, Trump said that no computer was safe.

By Santosh Chaubey: US President elect Donald Trump believes computers are not safe and it is better to follow your conventional methods when it comes to dealing with sensitive information or matter.

According to the reports in the US media, while interacting with reporters on the New Year eve, Trump said that no computer was safe. News reports quoted him saying, "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."

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He further said that even a 10-year-old boy can do anything with a computer, "I don't care what they say, no computer is safe. I have a boy who's 10-years-old, he can do anything with a computer. You want something to really go without detection, write it out and have it sent by courier."

Also Read: Donald Trump says UN just a club for people to 'have a good time'

That is in stark contrast to what is happening in India.

The country is preparing to go digital with financial transactions and the government intends to usher in an era of cashless economy hoping it will weed out parallel economy and black money from the system and thus will help in eradicating corruption. The government is going big about it, promoting and launching digital payment platforms with the latest addition of BHIM app that will act as a Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

Also Read| Demonetisation: ATM withdrawal limit raised but cashlessness continues

But there are many who are worried about cyber threats to this digital push. And they have reasons to believe so.

US Barack Obama has expelled 35 Russian diplomats for the alleged Russian role in cyber attacks on the US political parties in the recently concluded US Presidential polls. We can gauge its seriousness from the fact that such a huge public expulsion of diplomats is rarely seen in the US-Russia ties.

Then we cannot forget that when Rahul Gandhi's and other leaders' Twitter accounts were hacked recently, it took many hours to restore them, in spite of being such hi-profile cases. These are just some much talked about instances. Hacking is increasing rapidly with spread of digitisation in our lives.

READ| RBI increases ATM withdrawal limit to Rs 4,500 w.e.f January 1

When the US Presidential Polls is not safe from cyber threats or when the US President elect prefers to use a 'courier' than a computer to exchange sensitive information, can we believe our money will be safe in apps of our mobile wallets? Though the government has assured that it has worked on this aspect, detractors and the political opposition is counting the threats of the move with such instances.

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READ| Demonetisation a hurried decision, no nation can be cashless: Amartya Sen

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Leke Adetayo sat at a beer parlour nursing his drink when this reporter first met him in the company of friends. He felt like the world was coming to an end for him. In fact, he had contemplated suicide, he would much later reveal, because he could no longer stand the emotional turmoil he was going through.

Mr. Adetayo, who lives in Kubwa, a suburb of Abuja, works in a bank as a marketer. He said he had been struggling to meet his service target of attracting N100 million cash deposits and was scared he could be affected by a downsizing exercise hinted by the bank.

As if to complicate his situation, his wife was due to put to bed in a month, his house rent was due and he still had his childs school fees to settle.

Mr. Adetayo was buffeted by emotional problems  fear, resentment, guilt, anger, loneliness and worry, all stemming from an economic predicament for which he could not think of a solution.

The recession in the country has affected a lot of things, there are few Nigerians able to make large deposits in banks and those who have such money in this town are scared of the EFCC. But the management of my bank seems not to be aware of this, he said on a rare occasion that he opened up to a friend.

Those who used to know Mr. Adetayo said his behaviour has changed. He has become more violent and gets angry at little things.

He felt physically tired, emotionally drained, economically threatened and had withdrawn from people around him. He saw himself as a failure and sought escape in alcohol.

Mr. Adetayo had gone into what behaviour specialists call depressive mood.

Unfortunately, he and his family were not aware that he could get medical help, probably because they had no knowledge of how severe his case was or how to handle it.

Tayo Daramola, a consultant psychiatrist at Karu General Hospital, Abuja, in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, said many people experiencing similar problems as Mr. Adetayo also have no knowledge of how to handle it.

According to the consultant, what he was experiencing was a mild form of depression, which if not treated medically, could become severe, leading to suicide.

Many people with this kind of disorder do not seek medical attention, the psychiatrist explained darkly. Some who were knowledgeable and courageous to do so lack enough funds to keep accessing treatment, and this discourages them from continuing treatment, he said.

At least, 1 in 5 people fall into mild depressive mood due to changes in events and circumstances, with nothing less than 5 percent of the general population suffering from severe depression disorder at any particular time, Mr. Daramola said.

So what causes mental disorder?

Depression is not usually a sudden development, said the consultant. It is usually triggered by a happening in someones life. Everybody is susceptible to depression. It is usually an emotional and hormonal response to challenges in everyday life.

This usually has a direct effect on the economy, as the individual will not be at the best of his/her potentials if there are no quick medical intervention, as the milder form of depression can progress to a severe form.

The World Health Organization said depression is a common illness with an estimate of 350 million people of all ages suffering it globally. And it is becoming more rampant in the world, especially in developing countries, said a report on the website of the organisation.

Adedeji Akiije, a senior resident doctor at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, said the economic situation in the country has increased the level of depression among Nigerians. He said it is the reason for the increase in the reported cases of suicide in the country.

This is usually the end results of depression, when medical attention is not quickly administered or when not well-managed. A depressed person is mostly suicidal, Mr. Akiije said.

Depression comes in different forms and almost everybody struggles with depression. Sometimes, it is what happens to people that puts them into emotional stress, making them exhibit different behaviours to manage it.

This is the reason why you see some people become alcoholic, start using drugs or harmful substances to get them out of the feeling. Some go into seclusion, while others who cannot manage the situation either go mad or commit suicide, he said.

NEED FOR GOVERNMENT ACTION

Mr. Daramola, the psychiatrist, said there was a need for government and policy makers to pay more attention to issues relating to mental rehabilitation in the country.

This will help improve the health status of many, because there is a great overlap between anxiety disorders and clinical depression, he explained.

The government needs to treat issues pertaining to mental health with utmost importance; this is because mental stability is the bedrock for productivity in any country.

Currently, the facilities available are grossly inadequate for the treatment of the mentally-challenged in the country, Mr. Daramola lamented.

For example, there is only one government-designated facility in Abuja that can cater for the mental health of the people living in the FCT. Others available are private-owned and might be a bit expensive for the less-privileged, he said.

According to him, government needs to focus on establishing counselling facilities to help publicise and educate people on causes of mental illness. He said awareness campaign for mental illness should be taken seriously like with HIV/AIDS. This will help curb the stigmatization and discrimination people suffering with the aliment face and thus encourage them to seek for help, he canvassed.

The public needs to have awareness on mental issues. People need to know that there is a difference between normal depression and clinical depression so as to be able to know when to seek for help.

There is a need for free treatment facilities for the management of mental health. There should be sponsorship for treatment of mental treatment.

Lobbying policymakers on the issue has not yielded any result, maybe because they dont want to be labelled or associated with the people living with the aliment. There isnt any bill or law guiding the practice of mental health in this country as of now; we are still using the Lunacy Act of 1958, he said.

DEARTH OF PROFESSIONAL PERSONNEL

Due to, or arising from, the gross inadequacy of facilities to treat the mentally-challenged, there is constant brain drain in the sector as psychiatrists are leaving the country for greener pastures.

Mr. Daramola said those who remain in Nigeria are not evenly circulated across the country.

There is a large concentration of expertise at the South-west, which is marked as the training site. Policy makers need to make polices that will attract these specialists to places where they are very few or nonexistent, he said.

The shortage of specialists is a big problem that needs to be urgently tackled if there is to be an improvement in treatment of mental disorder in the country, starting from the care givers to care for the patients.

We dont have enough practitioners in the field; there was a time when there was only one psychiatrist in the whole of Abuja. Now we have about 10 consultants, which is a far cry for the population of people living within the town as compared to the ratio of those who are suffering from depression.

Mr. Akiije said the challenges faced in the practice, such as poor working conditions, poorly-equipped medical facilities, lack of friendly policies and scarcity of drugs to treat patients have caused most of the trained specialists to leave the country to practice in more health-friendly countries.

There is a dearth of clinical psychologists that are supposed to help in preventing people from getting to that level of mental illness. Psychiatrist nurses, occupational therapists and social health workers are hardly found.

Even with the shortage of professional psychiatrist in the country, some of the trained specialists who are still within the country do not have places of practice yet because there are no facilities to absorb them.

This has an adverse effect on the ratio of doctors to patients. The ratio can be put at 1 to 40,000, he explained.

SYMPTOMS OF CLINICAL DEPRESSION

Depression is a mood disorder; it makes the person feel very low most of the time. It also affects the thought system of the individual, making him/her believe in most negative things.

According to Mr. Daramola, depression is a mental disorder, characterized by sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, feelings of tiredness and poor concentration.

Clinical depression is different from normal everyday cases. A person can be termed clinically depressed when the individual has a problem of constant low mood that cannot be attributed to a cause or reason, such as loss of job, person, or something of value.

The symptoms are low energy level, feeling weak and not being able to carry out the activities they usually do without much ado. They withdraw from social gathering and do not want to interact. They lose interest and stop doing things they liked to do. It is not unusual for a depressed person not to be interested in their marriage or partner, due to loss of appetite for both food and sex.

The first sign might be withdrawal. Such persons are socially withdrawn and may not talk to people. There could also be refusal to eat and undue forgetfulness.

If the pathology continues, they get to the point of feeling suicidal, feeling hopeless and worthless.

CONTRIBUTING FACTORS

There are interrelationships between depression and physical health, experts say.

People who have gone through adverse life events like unemployment, bereavement, psychological trauma are more likely to develop depression. Depression can, in turn, lead to more stress and dysfunction and worsen the affected persons life situation.

According to experts, there are lots of things that can trigger depression in a person. It can be an outcome of complications at birth, such as a prolonged labour during child birth, loss of a loved one or an object. Not necessarily because of the market value of the object, but because of the importance attached to it

Though depression is mostly common among young adults, it is more prevalent among the female gender because they are the ones that carry on with life activities.

Mr. Akiije noted that depression is more common among women than men because men have other ways of combating situations, as compared to women who do not speak up.

DEPRESSION IS TREATABLE

Experts stressed that depression is treatable. The problem is that most depressed people refuse to own up to it, they said.

People live in denial due to fear of stigmatization from families and friends. Most people resort to the use of alcohol, hard drugs and deviant attitudes in combating the ailment. This is usually common among the male, while the female most times go into seclusion and not own up to people around them.

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At least six people were killed in different accidents in Katsina and Lagos states.

In Katsina, the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, said on Monday that at least three persons died in a motor accident on Malumfashi-Funtua road in Malumfashi Local Government Area.

Abdu Bagadawa, FRSC Sector Commander in Katsina State, told the News Agency of Nigeria that the accident occurred at Karfi village.

He said that the accident involved a Volkswagen bus with registration number KTU 203 AA with 15 passengers on board.

Mr. Bagadawa explained that the vehicle skid-off the road and went to the bush when the driver attempted to dodge a pothole while on high speed.

He said that the three passengers died on the spot while the remaining passengers who sustained various degrees of injuries were rushed to Malumfashi General Hospital for medical treatment.

The sector commander urged motorists to desist from excessive speed and abide by traffic rules and regulations to avoid accident.

He called on drivers who were yet to install the speed limit device to do so for the safety of their passengers.

He warned motorists to avoid using worn-out tyres part of measures to reduce road traffic crashes.

In Lagos, the FRSC said three people died on Monday in an accident involving a black Honda CRV Jeep and a white DAF trailer in the Sagamu axis of the Lagos /Ibadan Expressway in Ogun State.

The FRSC Sector Commander in the state, Clement Oladele, said the accident could have been caused by over-speeding.

The accident occurred around 2 p.m. and the rescue team were on ground to immediately manage the situation.

The accident, which involved a black Honda CRV with registration number KRD 933DD and White Daf Trailer with registration number JJJ 107 XD , was caused by route violation and speed limit violation.

The accident involved five persons, two male and three female, in which one male and one female got injured while one male and two female died, he said.

Mr. Oladele explained that both the injured and the dead were taken to Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu.

The sector commander advised motorists to avoid speeding and also obey traffic rules and regulations.
A group, the Civil Society Network Against Corruption, CSNAC, has submitted to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, an outline of the allegations of corruption against some top officials of President Muhammadu Buhari.

CSNAC, in a statement on Sunday, said its action was to help the office of Mr. Malami commence investigation of the officials, as directed last year by President Muhammadu Buhari.

President Buhari had on December 16, 2016 through a statement by his spokesman, Garba Shehu, ordered the AGF to commence investigations into the allegations.

In its statement, signed by the groups executive director, Olanrewaju Suraju, CSNAC listed the allegations against Mr. Buharis Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, and Minister of Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah, among others.

Since President Muhammadu Buhari had already given a directive for your office to investigate all top government officials accused of corruption, as a mark of our contribution to this process, in addition to allegations against the Acting EFCC Chairman and Secretary to Government of the Federation, listed below are some of the reported allegations of corruption and some of our reported petitions against officials of this government bordering on corruption, for your appropriate investigation and necessary action, the statement said.

According to CSNAC, the reported petitions include the following:

RE: ABBA KYARI AND ABUSE OF OFFICE  This was a petition written and submitted to President Buhari on allegations of abuse of office for personal gains.

He was alleged to have abused his membership of NNPC Board to influence the award of contract to a highly-indebted company, Valiant Offshore Contractors Limited, against the recommendation of AMCON and at the expense of the country. He was also accused of interfering in EFCC investigation of a fraud involving Sahara Energy

Another demanded the prosecution of Tukur Buratai, the Chief of Army Staff, before the Code of Conduct Tribunal for false assets declaration.

This was a petition submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau, demanding investigation and prosecution of the Chief of Army Staff, General Buratai on allegations of false declaration of assets and ownership of properties in Dubai, against the code for public office holders. It was dated 17th July, 2016.

The group also demanded investigation into the following petitions:

RE: INVESTIGATION OF MONEY LAUNDERING ALLEGATION AGAINST MINISTER OKECHUKWU ENELAMAH AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER, MTN 

A petition dated 4th October, 2016 and submitted to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission calling for an investigation into the alleged involvement of Minister of Trade and investment, Okechukwu Enelamah and some banks in the illegal repatriation of $13.92b out of Nigeria illegally by the telecommunication company MTN. Find attached a copy of the petition.

COVER UP OF CORRUPT PRACTICES OF MR. MIKE OKIRO, CHAIRMAN OF POLICE SERVICE COMMISSION BY ICPC  A joint petition authored by CSNAC and Network on Police Reform (NOPRIN) was dated 2nd September, 2016 and submitted to the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption accusing the ICPC of failure to prosecute and sanction Mr. Mike Okiro for his investigated and confirmed criminal diversion of #133 million public fund. Mr. Okiro was also also investigated and found culpable of fraudulently obtaining #4.6million for a phantom trip in 2013.

BUHARIS MINISTER OF INTERIOR DAMBAZAU OWNS $3MILLION DOLLARS IN REAL ESTATE IN THE US, BILLIONS IN ABUJA 

In a July 22, 2016 report by Saharareporters, the current Minister of Interior, AbdulRahman DAMBAZAU was accused of ownership of properties in the United States America and Federal Capital Territory with a worth beyond his possible savings as a retired military officer.

The news medium provided documentary evidence of the properties and reports of its investigation into the allegation. You will recall that the name of Mr. Dambazau was allegedly removed from those indicted in the arms procurement corruption scandal.

Mr. Olanrewaju called for an impartial, honourable, independent and credible investigation into the allegations against the officials.
A mall in China has erected a rooster statue which resembles Donald Trump as its 'official' mascot.

By India Today Web Desk: After looking at the recently erected rooster statue in China, it surely looks like that 2017 might prove to be Donald Trump's year.

A shopping mall in downtown Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi province has erected a giant rooster statue which resembles President-elect Donald Trump. The sculpture is sporting a hairstyle that resembles Mr. Trump's hairstyle and will be the official mascot.

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Small replicas and merchandise will also be available of the unique statue, some of them have even hit the market already and are available on Taobao, the chinese e-commerce giant by Alibaba.

This is how the rooster statue looks like:

Photo: Twitter/@USrealitycheck

But this isn't the first time when Donald Trump has been compared to birds, earlier in 2016, he was compared to a bird and a rooster mercilessly on Twitter.

Take a look at how Trump was trolled on Twitter:

Follow the Chinese Calendar, not the polls! 2017 Year of the Rooster. You know he ain't gonna die #AliceinChains #Election2016 #DonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/0rDRSqr8ij Kevin Rutkowski (@KevinRutkowski) December 13, 2016

"Bald Eagles are losers, okay? They're bald. They don't have great hair like me." - Donald Trump declares Golden Pheasant new National Bird pic.twitter.com/c6W2hNELNw Gautam Trivedi (@Gotham3) January 1, 2017

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The police in Niger State have said there was no Boko Haram attack in any part of the state.

The police spokesperson, Bala Elkalla, said this in a statement, made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Minna.

The attention of Niger State Police Command has been drawn to online reports especially from Thisday Newspaper and Leadership Sunday of 1/1/2017 on alleged invasion of some villages in Rafi LGA, of Niger by fleeing Boko Haram from the recaptured Sambisa forest.

The report is not only false but malicious and calculated at causing fear and panic among the peace loving people of Niger State.

The report is clearly a fiction emanating from the writers imagination.

For the avoidance of doubt, Niger State is among the few states in the country that has conquered cattle rustling, kidnapping and armed banditry.

It is on record that within the past few months, the command, in its aggressive operations arrested over 40 armed bandits and recovered over 1,000 cattle and various types of assorted weapons.

In Rafi LGA alone, being a boundary community with Kaduna state, Zamfara and Kebbi states, the command has over 500 mobile policemen and special anti-robbery squads patrolling the villages.

Members of the public are enjoined to remain calm and go about their lawful businesses.

The command has put in place sensitive security measures to guarantee adequate protection of lives and properties of the people.

The statement urged political office holders to refrain from statements capable of truncating the long enjoyed peace in Niger State.

It advised journalists to verify their reports in order to adequately inform the public.

(NAN)
Further investigation of the money trail revealed that the amount transferred outside India by Rajeshwar Exports crossed Rs 1500 crore, in the whole year.

By Virendrasingh Ghunawat: The enforcement directorate (ED) has seized diamonds of above Rs 34 crore from a Mumbai-based diamond company - Rajeshwar Exports, and is in the process of doing "valuation audit" of these diamonds.

On December 27, 2016, Indiatoday.in was first to reveal that Mumbai ED team had come across illegal deposits of money (after November 8) worth Rs 700 crore with various bank accounts, which later, got diverted to Hong Kong.

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Further investigation of the money trail revealed that the amount transferred outside India by Rajeshwar Exports crossed Rs 1500 crore, in the whole year. Sources within the department told Indiatoday.in that there are few more diamond companies, which had used similar modus operandi.

"Beside Rajeshwar Exports, we are investigating few more diamond firms in Mumbai. We suspect the amount of money laundered outside India could cross Rs 2500 - 3000 crore by these companies, in the entire year," the source said.

In case of Rajeshwar Exports, for the diversion of black money at least ten shell companies and more than 25 bank accounts in various banks were created. The company had shown export of finished diamonds, but there was no remittance received to prove it.

"In November, money from these bogus companies started flowing into these bank accounts. Subsequently, the entire money got diverted via RTGS to foreign bank accounts in Hong Kong. Whether that money is still those accounts or being diverted to any more accounts in Hong Kong or other countries that is getting investigated. It a simple case where Indian black money is getting converted into white and handed over abroad via hawala route by few Indian diamond firms," the source said.

As per the sources, a deposit of Rs 10 crore were found in one shell company, post demonetisation. The agency followed the money trail and found that around Rs 55 crore in demonetised notes were deposited into the accounts of the ten companies in multi-layers form, and later the money got transferred into the account of Rajeshwar Exports.

The ED decided to probe their previous transaction and learnt that the company had sent around Rs 1,500 crore abroad, using similar modus operandi, in the last one year. Soon, the agency would file an ECIR under prevention of money laundering act (PMLA) against Rajeshwar Exports.

The agency recorded statements of two directors of Rajeshwar Exports - Prashant Vijay Pawar and Sujata Dhan Kumar Kharga - who were nothing but pawns in the hands of management. They were paid Rs 5000 per month to remain in that position.

As per the information available on Ministry of Corporate Affairs website, Rajeshwar Exports is a private company, incorporated on 06 May 2013. It is classified as non-government company and is registered in Mumbai. Its authorised share capital is Rs 2,500,000 and its paid up capital is Rs 100,000. It is into supporting/auxiliary transport activities and travel agencies business.

--- ENDS ---

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From Donald Trumps nomination of a voucher advocate to head the U.S. Department of Education to proposals to revamp school aid in New Jersey, education issues in 2017 promise to keep activists on their toes. Here are seven issues for 2017 likely to generate local interest.

1The Trump presidency. Federal aid makes up only about 3 percent of the money spent on education in New Jersey, but its how that money is spent that will be the issue. Trumps choice for education secretary, Betsy DeVos, is a wealthy advocate for student vouchers. Trump has supported school choice and competition. What they actually can get implemented is still unknown.

2 State aid. Gov. Chris Christie spent last year touting his fairness plan to provide identical state aid for every child, a policy that would mean less aid for disadvantaged districts and more for wealthy districts. Most school districts in Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland counties would get less aid. If Christie attempts to implement that plan in the FY 2018 state budget, it will be up to the Legislature to respond. Senate President Steve Sweeney proposed a commission to review and update the current funding law, which passed the Senate but had no action in the Assembly.

3Superintendent searches. Several local school districts will be searching for new superintendents, including financially struggling Atlantic City and Pleasantville, which both have state monitors. Interim superintendents are also working in Egg Harbor Township, Somers Point, Linwood and Estell Manor.

4College leadership change. Atlantic Cape Community College will welcome a new president at the end of January. Barbara Gaba, currently provost at Union County College, will be the ninth president at Atlantic Cape and will oversee the completion of a new Student Success and Career Planning Center while dealing with the challenges of shrinking enrollment.

5Stockton growth. Stockton University will expand its Manahawkin Instructional site to include the Rothman Institute building in fall 2017. Work will continue on both the new Atlantic City campus, and the Quad project on the main campus in Galloway Township, both expected to open in 2018.

6Linwood elections. Linwood will begin the process of converting to an elected school board with a special election March 14 for its first two elected members and will bring board membership to nine.

7Charter schools. New charter school regulations proposed at the end of 2016 would allow some single-gender schools and weighted enrollments to give preference to disadvantaged students.
At her Egg Harbor Township home, artist Glynnis Reed has an art studio downstairs equipped with an easel and paintings in progress. Upstairs, several prints are spread across the table in preparation for her upcoming show at the Noyes Museum.

Reeds work spans urban spaces, the lush greenery of nature and the intersection of where the two meet.

While identity and place are common themes, nature often is the stage set in her works.

I like to make someone kind of look at things a little bit differently, from a different angle you may be used to, Reed said.

But whether thats through painting, collage or photography depends on what Reed is working on.

The mixed-media artist moved to the area six years ago from her home city of Los Angeles to join her parents, and often gravitates more to photography.

Reed digitally overlaps her images to produce a double exposure effect or painting aesthetic. Sometimes, she combines drawing with her photographs.

In some works, the paintings of a monastery ceiling in Austria are layered with almost opaque street graffiti in Vienna. In another, a womans face is dappled with flowers.

For me, it looks like a painting and I get excited by melding these different mediums together, she said.

Since moving, Reed said, she has had the opportunity to have multiple solo shows.

Its been great for my art career; Ive had so many opportunities, she said. I was doing well when I was (in California) but I think its a different type of opportunity and access being in a place like this where theres probably a little bit different type of demand of art. Being a small community, they look forward to seeing people with a different perspective and I think thats helped me too.

Reed is slated to have another solo show this January at the Noyes Museum with her photo series The Shadow of My Likeness, in which she said she returns to more traditional photography  a medium she has been passionate about since high school.

Sifting through layers of prints on a table in her upstairs photography studio, Reed is still putting them together for the show. Shadow of My Likeness captures two women, miles apart between Los Angeles and South Jersey.

Theres a lot that goes into this particular series and I really had a chance to kind of think about it, and process what my standpoint was in creating this, she said. Its about beauty, representing a type of beauty in young black women, thats not always appreciated in American culture.

In 2015, Reeds Ascending Beauty series also had similar themes and appeared at the Noyes Arts Garage. This year, her solo show will move into a larger gallery.

Were really excited because its a new body of work of hers, said Simone Cimone, gallery assistant at the Noyes Museum who described Reeds art as a subtlety of expression.

Looking at her work, it doesnt hit you in the face (that) oh this was digital, or this part is hand, she said. It all merges together and all blends beautifully together.

Cimone said she is excited to see the new series.

When I think about nature and representing nature in my work, I think theres a certain degree where I want the viewer to have a sense of the sublime, Reed said. That was something I was very interested in, very consciously, for a while.

Reflecting on beauty is a crucial element for Reed in her art, all the while mixing it with aspects of identity, place and nature.

Even with the photos from this series, thats really a big important part of it, she said. Relating to the beauty of these young women, the natural environment, and just kind of having an appreciation for something that may seem hidden and not always appreciated.

The landscape, models and setting were all deliberate choices, she said. The one model, her niece Melissa, is wearing a shirt that says, Refused. Can I scream?

The idea of different aspects of marginality being at play there is reflected in her dress, her clothing, which make it seems like shes out of place but in reality the beauty of nature and calm, peace that it brings to us is something we should all be able to enjoy, said Reed.

Reed, an art teacher at a private school in Philadelphia who holds a master of fine arts degree from the University of California-Irvine, said she is what her mother would describe as a lifelong learner.

She recently took a comic-book drawing class at Fleisher Art Memorial in Philadelphia, wanting to continue to hone her craft.

I kind of have a wide range of interests, Ive even started getting into drawing back more, she said.

Reed hopes to leave her mark on those who see her work.

Especially people who are marginalized, she said. To express my voice, but hopefully give a voice to voiceless people and make a difference by helping people to see themselves, recognize something in themselves, through my art work.
We were being chased by a giant elk.

A wild elk. On a dark path. In a remote section of Grand Canyon National Park.

My wife, Gayle, and I and our two adult daughters had stayed too long to savor the sunset on our first day at the canyon. And now, already a little nervous as we used our cellphones to light the deserted path back to our car, we heard an elk bellow behind us.

We picked up our pace, not-quite-running toward the parking lot. Then, because elk are more afraid of humans than humans are of elk (right?) we decided we should sing. And, because were us, we started singing Bruce Springsteens Thunder Road.

I know this isnt the vacation snapshot everyone dreams of. But for me, it pretty much captures what I love about traveling with my daughters: the moments I just wouldnt experience any other way.

As every parent knows, you reach a point where your children are embarrassed to be seen with you. Believe me, my family reached that point early. But for some reason, my daughters, Katie, 33, and Erin, 31, are still willing to travel with Gayle and me. Maybe they figure if were in a different city  or on a different continent  theres only so much damage we can do to their reputations.

As a bonus, they are both great travelers. So going anywhere with them is like having your own tour guides along.

Between them, theyll schedule our flights, arrange tours, memorize large sections of Rick Steves guide books, find the best restaurants and bars and brush up on local history. They dont yet pack my bags for me, but Im working on that.

But as good as they are at planning trips, my favorite moments tend to be the ones that occur in the cracks between the plans. The wrong turns, the mistakes, the unexpected connections that turn into the best memories and stories.

During our trip to Italy, for instance, we visited the Catacombs of Priscilla on the outskirts of Rome. Then we walked to a nearby intersection and stopped in a small local eatery to see if there were any attractions in the area. But the neighborhood wasnt very touristy, and the locals did not speak English  as almost everyone in Rome and Florence seemed to. With phrasebook in hand, I tried to ask if there was anything nearby to see. Eventually I realized that the owner thought I was asking him  as I stood in his restaurant  if there were any good places around there to eat.

A student who knew a little English helped us sort it out, and we sat down for lunch. The owner graciously brought out plates of free food, apparently thrilled that wed chosen his establishment.

If Id followed the well-thought-out plan in Barcelona, I would have waited at the hotel for the rest of the family to go to dinner. Instead, I wandered to the city square in time to see groups of locals spontaneously form circles and do a traditional dance. When I turned to an older woman next to me to ask what it was all about  I later found out it was a celebration of the culture of Catalonia and, during the repressive Franco years, had been a way to defy authority  she took my hand and began to teach me the steps. Soon someone had taken my other hand, and we were part of the circle, part of the dance and part of something larger.

We have gotten caught wearing summer clothes in a snowstorm at the top of the Alhambra fortress in Granada. We have driven on treacherous mountain roads to find a restaurant in Guadeloupe in the Caribbean only to discover that whatever we thought we were ordering, we would end up with prawns. We have stood atop Brunelleschis Dome in Florence, an architectural marvel that thrilled me so much that I couldnt stop smiling, even though Im afraid of heights.

Our daughters also have done quite a bit of traveling without us. Together or alone they have been to Hong Kong, Thailand, Myanmar, India, England, Portugal, Costa Rica, Argentina, Switzerland, the Dominican Republic, Belgium, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Canada and all over the United States.

They have learned, as I have, that the things you think you already know about the world are only more powerful when you see them firsthand. You have seen Irish landscapes on calendars. They will still take your breath away. Pictures of Zion National Park are beautiful. In person, the majesty of walking at the foot of the red rock mountains is hard to take in. And yes, we know that people everywhere are more like us than they are different. But when strangers share a table with you, or go out of their way to make sure you find a museum or hotel or gelato shop, that sense of our shared humanity becomes real and profound.

Im not sure where my kids got the travel bug. But it might have been on the first big family vacation we took, when they were still in grade school, to Ireland.

We have many great memories of that trip. With the help of a local farmer, we hiked over a mountain and found the small homestead my grandfather came from, its thatched roofs long since rotted away.

We climbed castles, listened to traditional music and walked inside ancient stone huts built by monks centuries ago. Ireland is a great place to visit. I recommend it highly.

But the moment that stands out, the one Im sure my great-grandchildren will hear about even if they know nothing else about me, occurred as we toured the Ring of Kerry.

We were driving the ring, stopping every so often to gaze at and take pictures of some of the most beautiful scenery you can imagine. At one stop, against my familys advice, I climbed a small, rocky hill to get a better view. I was not the first visitor to get this idea. The local sheep apparently liked the spot, and left their droppings as evidence.

On the way back down, my feet flew out from under me and my legs shot out straight, like a cartoon coyote at the edge of a cliff. I came down hard. Luckily, the sheep droppings broke my fall.

I spent the rest of the drive around the ring, including frequent stops for sightseeing, with embarrassing stains all over the back of my shirt and pants. But I guess it was worth it.

I have never seen my wife laugh so hard.

Tim Faherty retired last week after 32 years as a writer, graphic artist and editor at The Press. He plans to spend more time traveling with his family.
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP  A Delaware man is facing assault charges after he allegedly fought with township police officers and a K-9 on New Years Eve.

At about 8:30 a.m. Saturday, police responded to a report of a violent domestic dispute at Days Inn on Tilton Road.

Upon arrival, they found a 21-year-old Delaware woman with injuries that police said were caused by being struck repeatedly in the head and face by Alexander Kearney.

Police tried to arrest Kearney, but he resisted and fought with officers and a K-9 dog before being subdued, police said. Two officers were injured and received treatment. The woman was treated at the scene by the Egg Harbor Township Ambulance Squad for facial injuries and transported to Shore Medical Center.

Kearney, 21, was charged with aggravated assault, aggravated assault on a law-enforcement officer, use or threatening to use violence against a law-enforcement officer, purposely causing injury to a police dog and possession of marijuana under 50 grams.

He was sent to Atlantic County jail on $25,000 bail.
ATLANTIC CITY  The family of a city man who went missing more than a month ago is still hoping for him to return home.

Police said in November they were seeking the publics assistance in finding Dashand Stokelin, 36, of Atlantic City, who had not been in contact with his family since Nov. 23.

He was last seen at 1:45 a.m. that Wednesday near the 200 block of N. North Carolina Avenue, and his family has not been in contact with him since, police said.

Police and family members said Stokelin was driving a 2016 blue Subaru Legacy with a New Jersey license plate C79-GVK.

Police said Stokelin frequents Camden, Jersey City and Philadelphia.

Stokelins grandmother, Nancy Stokelin, also an Atlantic City resident, said last month she created fliers with his family members to aid in finding him. She said he previously took her vehicle, and never returned that night.

I know hes grown, but still, hes a human being, she said. He would have come back.

Anyone who knows where Stokelin is or anything about the vehicle he was driving should call the Police Departments Criminal Investigations Section at 609-347-5766. People can also anonymously text information to tip411 (847411), starting the text with ACPD.
The close of the year brought a victory for the regions main freshwater system, an attempt to tackle one of its most intractable saltwater problems and opportunities for people to get involved in environmental improvements.

Late last month, the Delaware River Basin Conservation Act was signed into federal law, creating a U.S. Fish and Wildlife program to restore habitat and preserve freshwater resources throughout the watershed. This will help make federal funding available for projects ranging from protecting water quality  more than 15 million people get their drinking water from the Delaware River Basin  to preserving habitat for species of special concern.

The impact will go far beyond the Delaware River and Bay to the lands draining into them and the aquifers they feed. That encompasses 40 percent of the state, including much of Cape May and Cumberland counties. We credit NJ Audubon for advocating for the conservation act through the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed and as a lead partner in the William Penn Foundation-funded Delaware River Watershed Initiative.

Were confident the Delaware River Basin Conservation Act will provide the framework and funding for important work to restore and maintain important parts of the South Jersey environment for years to come.

Were far from confident, but were hopeful, that a federal and state effort to address one of the most annoying problems of barrier island life  back-bay flooding  will prove more fruitful than decades of piecemeal approaches.

Early last month, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state Department of Environmental Protection announced a three-year, $3 million study of where the worst flooding occurs and what could be done to mitigate it. Many kinds of solutions will be considered, including structures such as storm-surge barriers, levees and bulkheads; flood-warning systems; land acquisition; and changes to government policies and programs.

Once the possible ways to reduce back-bay flooding and its costs are known, society can begin discussing whats worth doing and how it will be funded. We understand how unsatisfying it must be to island residents to be told flooding remedies wont be coming for at least three years and arent even certain then. But thats inevitable when aiming for an unprecedented higher-level improvement after many unsatisfactory lower-level efforts.

Reducing back-bay flooding is a big job, and people who have been subject to such flooding can contribute to the study by submitting their experiences and possible solutions to the Army Corps. Use the N.J. Back Bays Coastal Storm Risk Management Study, Coastal Flooding Problem Identification form (search online for NJ flooding Fillable Problem and Opportunity Profile, a far simpler form than its bureaucratic name would suggest).

An even surer way to make a difference in South Jersey is to get training as an environmental steward, available through a 20-week program Wednesday mornings starting Jan. 25 at the Atlantic County Utilities Authority in Egg Harbor Township.

The Rutgers training will cover energy, soil health, waste management, climate change, water resource protection, invasive species and habitat conservation. The course costs $250 and requires 60 hours of volunteer work for Rutgers Environmental Steward certification.

Such training helps when serving on local boards or commissions, or when engaging in the public discourse on environmental topics.

Restoring and safeguarding the environment takes a lot of time and effort. People can find fulfillment and satisfaction knowing they are helping move things in the right direction.
Soon after taking over as the L-G of Delhi on Saturday, Anil Baijal and his office created a Twitter handle to give the information and developments about the top most office of Delhi.

But within few hours of creating the official account, several such accounts cropped up on Twitter. Few of these fake accounts carrying picture of Anil Baijal have even written objectionable content against Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and his government.

When such activities on Twitter were reported by some alert citizens, the L-G Secretariat came into action. A formal complaint was filed against all the fake Twitter accounts.

The information exclusively procured by India Today has confirmed that L-G office has even informed Twitter about the activity and have requested to confirm the newly made Twitter account by Delhi L-G at the earliest.
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.




Father Basil Kuriakose, Principal of Kings David International School, was arrested on Sunday for subjecting 10-year-old boy to unnatural sex.

By India Today Web Desk: The Kerala Police arrested Father Basil Kuriyakose, the Principal of Kings David International School, for allegedly subjecting a 10-year-old boy to unnatural sex.

After the kid disclosed the incident to his parents, they lodged a police 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.

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The 65-yera-old priest was booked under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code and has been sent to a 14-day police custody.

The News Minute reports that the pastor is said to have molested the boy on December 21 night after other hostel inmates had gone home for Christmas vacation. Father Basil denied the allegations, but accepted that he spent the night with the child, a police officer told The News Minute.

The kid first spoke about the incident to his elder brother on December 23. The brother then informed his mother, who's working in Haryana, about the incident after which she went to Kerala and lodged a complaint at the Kunnathunadu police station, says a New Indian Express report.

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NEW YORK, Jan. 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P. ("CFLP", "Cantor", or the "Firm"), a leading financial services company, today announced that Anshu Jain is joining the Firm as President. Working with Howard W. Lutnick, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CFLP, Mr. Jain will build on Cantor Fitzgerald's strong client-focused business foundation and drive the Firm's momentum as it enters the next phase of growth.

Mr. Jain is the former Co-Chief Executive Officer of Deutsche Bank and has been a leader in the financial services industry for over three decades.

Mr. Lutnick commented: "I am excited to welcome Anshu as President of Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P. Anshu is a world-class leader in the financial services industry. With this outstanding addition, we expect to improve our already exceptional service to clients, extend and expand the products and services we offer, and increase the capital available to assist clients. Anshu has a proven track record as a pioneer and builder of leading global businesses. He has a deep understanding of the global capital markets, and strong expertise built over decades of leadership in the industry, making Anshu my ideal partner to drive growth during the next era of Cantor's development. We expect to leverage Anshu's global outlook, unrivalled experience, and deep network to further grow our Firm."

Shawn Matthews will remain the President and Chief Executive Officer of Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., the Firm's broker-dealer subsidiary.

Mr. Jain added: "I have long admired Howard's extraordinary leadership and successful efforts as he and his team rebuilt and expanded the Firm after 9/11. From the end of 2001 through now, CFLP has grown dramatically from several hundred employees and partners to over 10,000 globally across financial services and real estate. Cantor's unwavering determination to succeed despite past adversity, along with its fiercely loyal client base, and unique global position, are what attracted me to this great Firm.

"As a leading non-bank financial institution, with cutting-edge technology and a global reach, Cantor is well-positioned to capitalize on the changing financial landscape for the benefit of its clients. Cantor has expanded dramatically over the past 15 years, and I am excited to join Howard and the partners of Cantor Fitzgerald as we set course for the next era of the Firm's growth."

About Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.

CFLP is a diversified Firm primarily specializing in financial and real estate services for institutional customers operating in the global financial and commercial real estate markets. Over the past 70 years, Cantor has successfully built a well-capitalized business across multiple business lines, with numerous market-leading financial services products and large and growing commercial real estate businesses. CFLP has been at the forefront of financial and technological innovation in its industries, developing new markets and providing superior service to thousands of customers globally. Cantor operates through four business lines: Capital Markets and Investment Banking, Wholesale Financial Brokerage, Real Estate Brokerage and Finance, and Private Equity. Cantor Fitzgerald's over 10,000 employees serve clients in over 25 countries, including major financial centers around the world in the Americas, Europe, Asia/Pacific, and the Middle East. For more information please visit www.cantor.com.

Note to Editors:

Anshu Jain was Co-CEO of Deutsche Bank from June 2012 to June 2015. He was also a member of the Management Board from 2009 and the Group Executive Committee from 2002. Mr. Jain joined Deutsche Bank from Merrill Lynch in 1995. He is widely recognized for building the Bank's markets business and for helping transform Deutsche Bank into a global universal bank with a leading investment banking franchise. Mr. Jain has advised governments and industry bodies around the world. He led Deutsche Bank's team advising the UK Treasury on financial stability, sat on the Board of Directors of the Institute of International Finance and was a member of the Financial Services Forum. He served on the International Advisory Panel of the Monetary Authority of Singapore. An ardent conservationist, Mr. Jain is working with environment and wildlife conservation groups in many parts of the world.

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SOURCE Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.
HELSINKI, Finland, Jan. 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Ari Lehtoranta started as the President and CEO of Caverion Corporation yesterday 1 January 2017. Lehtoranta has been a member of the Board of Caverion Corporation since 2013, and he served as the Chairman of the Board from 2015 until November 2016.

"The new year starts with interesting challenges. I believe that we will next focus on creating a management and organisational culture that supports our service and project business. I hope that, in the future, Caverion will be better known in the markets and as a service company. The good service attitude, quality and efficiency of our 17,000 employees play a key role in achieving this," Lehtoranta says.

Sakari Toikkanen, Interim President and CEO of Caverion, will continue as Vice President, Group Development & Marketing and as a member of the Group Management Board. He will report to President and CEO Ari Lehtoranta.

The CV and the photo of Ari Lehtoranta are available on Caverion's website at http://www.caverion.com/investors/corporate-governance/management-board.

CONTACT:

More information: Ari Lehtoranta, please contact Paivi Alakuijala, VP, Marketing and Communications, tel. +358 40 8400 251, paivi.alakuijala@caverion.com

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/caverion/r/ari-lehtoranta-takes-up-the-position-of-president-and-ceo-of-caverion-corporation,c2158930

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SOURCE Caverion
ANDERNACH, Germany, January 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Prof. Dr Wolfgang Hartwig, CEO of LTS AG, retired and contractually left the company on 31 December 2016. After 30 years at Bayer AG, where his roles included Head of Global Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Professor Hartwig took over as CEO of LTS AG five years ago. During this period, he has continuously driven forward this world leader in the development and manufacture of transdermal therapeutic systems and has launched various strategic initiatives to achieve ambitious goals for the long-term success of LTS AG.

Prof. Dr Norbert Loos, Chairman of the Supervisory Board at LTS AG, said: "We would like to offer Prof. Hartwig our sincere thanks for his very committed and successful work, which has provided the company with technological, structural and strategic impetus. He is leaving behind a company that is in excellent shape for the future in every respect. We wish him all the best for the future and are delighted that he will be continuing his association with the company as a consultant."

About LTS

LTS Lohmann Therapie-Systeme AG is a global market leader in the development and manufacture of innovative transdermal systems and oral films incorporating active substances. LTS was founded in Germany in 1984 and is now a global pharmaceutical company with sites in Andernach, Germany and New Jersey, USA, with around 1,300 employees and an annual turnover of more than EUR 300 million.



Contact: Dr Iris Schnitzler, Phone: +49(0)2632-99-25-89

E-Mail: iris.schnitzler@ltslohmann.de

Source: LTS Lohmann Therapie-Systeme AG, Lohmannstrae 2, 56626 Andernach, Germany

Phone: +49(0)2632-99-0, Fax: +49(0)2632-99-22-00, E-Mail: info@ltslohmann.de , Web: http://www.ltslohmann.de

SOURCE LTS Lohmann Therapie-Systeme AG
BROMMA, Sweden, Jan 02, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

In December, 2,024,238 trades were made in stocks, warrants and options among Nordnet's customers in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. That corresponds to 96,392 trades per day. The number of customers in the end of December was 566,800, which is 6,900 more than previous month. The number of accounts was 735,000 which is 9,500 more than previous month. Net savings for the month was SEK 1,600 million and the savings capital was SEK 235 billion. Lending to customers by the end of December was SEK 9.2 billion.

Table: Nordnet's total trades on all exchanges and market places for all customers, and average number of trades per day. Average number of trades per day is calculated as total trades divided by the number of days the Swedish exchanges are open. Accounts, customers, net savings, savings capital and lending are based on preliminary data.



December December Change November Change







2016 2015 one year 2016 one month





Number of trades









Sweden 1 078 773 953 464 13,1% 1 200 867 -10,2% Norway 335 418 229 696 46,0% 300 956 11,5% Denmark 309 214 355 482 -13,0% 347 643 -11,1% Finland 300 833 311 814 -3,5% 335 920 -10,4% Total 2 024 238 1 850 456 9,4% 2 185 386 -7,4% Average per day 96 392 92 523 4,2% 101 646 -5,2% Traded value cash market (SEK million)* 62 645 65 051 -3,7% 67 347 -7,0% Active customers 566 800 490 400 15,6% 559 900 1,2% Active accounts 735 000 627 500 17,1% 725 500 1,3% Net savings (SEK million) 1 600 1 200 33,3% 1 500 6,7% Savings capital (SEK billion) 235 200 17,3% 230 2,1% Margin lending (SEK million)** 5 115 4 499 13,7% 5 259 -2,7% Personal Loans (SEK million) 3 172 2 587 22,6% 3 121 1,6% Mortgage (SEK million)*** 937 - - 820 14,4%

* Cash market relates to trades in stocks, warrants, ETFs and certificate.

** Lending excluding lending with cash and cash equivalents

*** Nordnet launched mortgage in April 2016. The lending volume was published for the first time in May 2016, which is why there are no comparison data available for 2015.

Watch acting CFO Robert Stambro and Head of Communications Johan Tidestad comment on the monthly statistics at 14:45 live on Twitter. Link on Twitter @Nordnet.

CONTACT:

For more information, please contact:

Robert Stambro, acting CFO

robert.stambro@nordnet.se

+46 703 504 024

Johan Tidestad, Head of Communications

johan.tidestad@nordnet.se

+46 708 875 775

This is information that Nordnet AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out above, at 12:00 CET on 2 January 2017.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/nordnet/r/nordnet--monthly-statistics-december,c2159091

The following files are available for download:

http://mb.cision.com/Main/116/2159091/609796.pdf Nordnet: Monthly statistics December 2016

SOURCE Nordnet
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Jan. 02, 2016 /PRNewswire/-- Today, as of 2 January 2017, the cross-border mergers between Nordea Bank AB (publ) and its subsidiary banks in Denmark, Finland and Norway have been executed. As a result, all assets and liabilities of the subsidiary banks have been transferred to Nordea Bank AB (publ) and each of Nordea Bank Danmark A/S, Nordea Bank Finland Plc and Nordea Bank Norge ASA has been dissolved. The banking business in Denmark, Finland and Norway will be carried out in branches of Nordea Bank AB (publ).

This is a significant step forward in our business transformation. A more straightforward legal structure better reflects the Nordic way in which we operate today. We continue to be fully committed to operating in each country and to building the bank our customers want us to be. The decisions will still be made close to the customer as they have always been. A simpler structure decreases complexity and enables us to focus on delivering even more value to our customers by leveraging our expertise as One Nordea, says Group CEO Casper von Koskull.

Nordea will post merger (after the branchification) continue to cooperate closely with relevant national authorities and commits to follow up on national prudential measures in order to assure the financial stability in our home markets. The mergers (branchification) will therefore from Nordea's side not affect the safeguarding of financial stability and a level playing field for systemically important banks and branches in each of our home markets.

Management is firmly committed to ensuring a level playing field in the countries that are our home markets.

Link to the legal structure picture on nordea.com

For further information:

Rodney Alfven, Head of Investor Relations, +46 72 235 05 15

Ragnar Roos, Acting Head of Group External Communications, +46 76 787 69 84

CONTACT:

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/nordea/r/one-nordea---new-legal-structure,c2158922

The following files are available for download:

http://mb.cision.com/Main/434/2158922/609720.pdf Press release (PDF)

Related Links

http://nordea.com



SOURCE Nordea
SAN FRANCISCO, January 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The global surgical equipment market is anticipated to reach a value of USD 20.3 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The rapidly escalating number of minimally invasive surgical procedures throughout the world is expected to support market growth.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150105/723757 )



Chronic diseases are one of the major leading causes of surgeries at a global level. Increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, such as neurological and cardiovascular disorders, is affecting the society to a great extent. As a result of which, the number of surgeries is increasing. This is mainly due to the fact that surgery is the primary treatment for people suffering from such disorders. In addition, minimally invasive surgeries are also trending as treatment for heart diseases.

Road and other accidents are also expected to drive the surgical instruments market over the forecast period. This is due to the fact that accidents might lead to severe injuries. As a result of which, wound closure surgeries are anticipated to rise, thereby, supporting the demand for surgical equipment.

Browse full research report with TOC on "Surgical Equipment/Instruments Market Analysis By Product (Sutures & Staplers, Handheld & Electrosurgical Devices), By Application (Neurosurgery, Plastic Surgery, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Cardiovascular, Orthopedic), And Segment Forecasts, 2014 - 2025" at: http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/surgical-equipment-market

Further key findings from the study suggest:

Surgical sutures and staplers dominated the surgical equipment market in 2015 due to its high cost and greater usage in wound closure treatments

Electrosurgical equipment are expected to show lucrative CAGR over the forecast period owing to increasing adoption of minimally invasive surgeries

Obstetrics and gynecology held the largest market share in 2015, owing to growing number of caesarean surgeries worldwide

Plastic Surgery Statistics Report data showcased 1.7 million cosmetic surgical procedures in 2015 and a 2% rise from the 2014 data. This infers a significant rise in plastic and reconstructive surgeries in the coming years

North America contributed toward the largest revenue in 2015 owing to well-established infrastructure and technologically advanced instruments for surgeries

contributed toward the largest revenue in 2015 owing to well-established infrastructure and technologically advanced instruments for surgeries Asia Pacific is projected to witness an attractive CAGR over the forecast period, primarily due to increasing prevalence of chronic cardiovascular diseases

is projected to witness an attractive CAGR over the forecast period, primarily due to increasing prevalence of chronic cardiovascular diseases Few key players for the market include B. Braun Melsungen Ag; Smith & Nephew plc; Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.; Stryker Corporation; Alcon Laboratories, Inc.; Aspen Surgical Products, Inc.; Medtronic, Inc.; Ethicon, Inc.; and Becton, Dickinson and Company

Browse related reports by Grand View Research:

Fetal Monitoring Analysis Market- http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/fetal-monitoring-analysis-market

Aesthetic Lasers and Energy Devices Market- http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/aesthetic-lasers-and-energy-devices-market

Live Cell Imaging Market- http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/live-cell-imaging-market

Grand View Research has segmented the surgical equipment market on the basis of product, application and region:

Surgical Equipment Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2014 - 2025) Surgical Sutures and Staplers Handheld Surgical Devices Forceps and Spatulas Retractors Dilators Graspers Auxiliary Equipment Cutter Equipment Others Electrosurgical Devices

Surgical Equipment Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2014 - 2025) Neurosurgery Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Wound Closure Obstetrics and Gynecology Cardiovascular Orthopedic Others

Surgical Equipment Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2014 - 2025) North America U.S. Canada Europe Germany UK Asia Pacific China India Latin America Brazil Mexico MEA South Africa



Access research insight: http://www.grandviewresearch.com/research-insights/surgical-instruments-market-insights-size-share

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare.

Read Our Blogs - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/blogs/healthcare

Contact:

Sherry James

Corporate Sales Specialist, USA

Grand View Research, Inc.

Phone: 1-415-349-0058

Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519

Email: sales@grandviewresearch.com

Web: http://www.grandviewresearch.com



SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc.
BENGALURU and ASCHHEIM, Germany, January 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

- Upgrade From Full Fledged Money Changers (FFMC) to Authorized Dealer, Category II

- Enables 17 New Business Activities

Star Global Currency Exchange Private Limited, a group company of Wirecard AG, got an upgrade of its license issued by Reserve Bank of India to Authorised Dealer in Foreign Exchange (Category II). The earlier licence was a Full Fledged Money Changers Licence with limited authority to deal only in buying and selling foreign currencies, traveller cheques and prepaid cards for travel related purposes.

Star Global's new Authorized Dealer, Category II licence empowers the company to handle further types of remittances and release of foreign exchange. There are 17 additional activities permitted to AD Category II licence holders such as disbursement of crew wages; remittances for overseas education or under educational tie up arrangements with universities abroad; remittances for medical treatments abroad; and many more.

RV Bhat, Executive Director at Star Global Currency Exchange Private Limited says: "The upgrade of our license to Authorised Dealer Category II is a great honour for us and is evidence of the confidence of the Regulatory Authorities in our company. We are excited about the new business opportunities the new license offers us and look forward to continue our expansion."

About Wirecard:

Wirecard AG is one of the world's leading independent providers of outsourcing and white label solutions for electronic payment transactions. The Wirecard Group has been supporting companies in accepting electronic payments from all sales channels. A global multi-channel platform bundles international payment acceptances and methods, supplemented by fraud prevention solutions. When it comes to issuing their own payment instruments in the form of cards or mobile payment solutions, Wirecard provides companies with an end-to-end infrastructure, including the requisite licenses for card and account products.

Wirecard AG is listed on the Frankfurt Securities Exchange (TecDAX, ISIN DE0007472060, WDI).

http://www.wirecard.com

Inquiries:

Wirecard AG

Iris Stoeckl

Einsteinring 35

D-85609 Aschheim / Germany

Ph.: +49 (0) 89-4424-1424

E-Mail: iris.stoeckl@wirecard.com



SOURCE Wirecard AG
The Supreme Court bars political parties from seeking vote in the name of religion including Hindutva.

By Anusha Soni: In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court today said that seeking votes on the basis of caste, community, religion or language is illegal.

A Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India Justice TS Thakur by a 4:3 majority passed the order on the basis of Section 123(3) of the Representation of People's Act.

The apex court said, "No politician can seek vote in the name of caste, creed, or religion."

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The court was hearing several petitions in Hindutva case. The Supreme Court made it clear that politicians cannot appeal to religion during electoral process.

The dissenting judgment was delivered by Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit.

HINDUTVA CASE: POINTS TO KNOW The Supreme Court said that election is a secular exercise and thereby its way and process should be followed. The Supreme Court's ruling pertains to the electoral malpractices in the name of religion. The Supreme Court clearly ruled that if a candidate was found to be seeking vote in the name of religion, it would be considered a corrupt practice under the Representation of People's Act. Seeking vote in the name of religion by the candidate will be dealt under Section 123(3) of the Representation of People's Act, the Supreme Court ruled. The Supreme Court also prohibited the use of the case, creed, language or community as a tool for seeking vote in election. The seven-judge Constitution bench passed the judgement in the Hindutva case with a majority of 4-3 after hearing in detail arguments from various petitioners and respondents. The Supreme Court further added that relationship between man and God is individual choice. The state is forbidden to interfere in such an activity. In the last hearing, the seven-judge Constitutional bench of the court had, however, said that it would not revisit the 1995 judgment, which defined Hindutva as 'a way of life'. A bunch of PILs were filed before the Supreme Court in the wake of 1995 judgment of the apex court in the Hindutva case, which dealt with electoral malpractices. Delivering the judgment in the Manohar Joshi case in 1995, Justice JS Verma had written in conclusion, "It is a fallacy and an error of law to proceed on the assumption that any reference to Hindutva or Hinduism in a speech makes it automatically a speech based on Hindu religion as opposed to other religions." "(Hindutva and Hinduism) are used in a speech to emphasise the way of life of the Indian people and the Indian cultural ethos," the Supreme Court had said in 1995.

READ| Supreme Court revisits 21-year-old verdict on Hindutva ahead of crucial elections

Watch the video here

--- ENDS ---
CUMBERLAND, Md., Jan. 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Factor One Source Pharmacy (FOSRx) and Fast Access Specialty Therapeutics (F.A.S.T.) announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which FOSRx will acquire F.A.S.T. for a combination of cash and stock. Together the two companies are projected to generate approximately $136 million dollars in revenue in 2016 and are projecting $156 million in revenue for 2017.

F.A.S.T. will retain its brand, but will function under the umbrella of FOSRx, and will add "Powered by Factor One Source Pharmacy" to its name moving forward. F.A.S.T.'s Chief Executive Officer, Stephen LaCoste, and Chief Operating Officer, Adam Myers, fully support the transaction. Sajal Roy, PharmD, CGP, CACP, CPSO, CSP and Chief Executive Officer to FOSRx, will become CEO to both companies effective immediately.

F.A.S.T. employs a team of 42 and has average annual revenue of $100 million. Over the past seven years, the company has grown tremendously due to its patient-oriented business and commitment to quality. Like FOSRx, F.A.S.T. is a dually accredited specialty pharmacy with The Joint Commission and URAC. Dual accreditation is achieved by few home care and specialty pharmacies and helps ensure patients are receiving the best possible care. Excelling in these areas has resulted in industry-leading customer satisfaction, patient engagement and strong financial performance.

"The F.A.S.T. team has grown a fantastic business centered on support and quality services for patients," Roy said. "Together we can accelerate the growth of the Factor One Source brand as we seek to empower every patient we serve to live fulfilled, healthy lives."

With brick and mortar locations in Maryland, Tennessee, and now Louisiana, FOSRx plans to continue expanding to the West Coast. FOSRx will continue to dispense specialized medications in conditions related to rheumatology, dermatology, oncology, immunoglobulin therapy, hemophilia, endocrinology, gastroenterology and neurology, among others.

"F.A.S.T. is a strong fit with FOSRx's innovative and growing business, further supporting the company's strategic focus on hemophilia, bleeding disorders, and immunology. We expect the acquisition will enhance near-term revenue growth and strengthen name recognition within the industry. We are well positioned to maximize FOSRx's commercial potential through our patient-centric business model," continued Roy.

"Today marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for F.A.S.T., one which we believe will deliver significant value to our patients and partners," said Adam Myers, F.A.S.T.'s Chief Executive Officer, "We have deep respect for FOSRx and it's clear they share our commitment to delivering top-notch care and invaluable service. We are proud of the company our team has built and are confident that FOSRx will accelerate F.A.S.T.'s important mission given the strength of its national presence and resources."

About FOSRx

Factor One Source Pharmacy is a specialty pharmacy providing medications and services to people with complex or hard-to-manage medications. Headquartered in Cumberland, Maryland, FOSRx is able to serve patients with a variety of medical conditions in all 50 of the United States. To learn more about the Factor One Source Pharmacy, visit: www.fosrx.com

About F.A.S.T.

Fast Access Specialty Therapeutics, founded in 2010, is a specialty pharmacy based in Metairie, Louisiana that offers convenient medicine delivery for specialty conditions to the location of your choice: home, hospital, physician's office, or infusion center. F.A.S.T. focuses on clinical experience and patient support, and has excelled in servicing rheumatology, dermatology, hematology, oncology, addiction recovery, and osteoporosis patients.

Contact

Contact us with questions at [email protected], or for more information about FOSRx, please visit us at www.fosrx.com. To follow us on social media, find us on Twitter at @FactorOneSource, on Instagram @fosrx, and like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FactorOneSourcePharmacy.

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

SOURCE Factor One Source Pharmacy

Related Links

http://www.fosrx.com


AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Jan. 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Collaboration focuses on the next generation of connected car systems, using the Android open-source platform

Google and FCA will showcase the seamless integration of Android with the award-winning Uconnect 8.4-inch connected system

Android offers automakers user interface customization, a full-featured automotive infotainment stack and ability to integrate Android apps into the vehicle's infotainment system

Hands-on demonstrations available at the FCA exhibit during CES 2017, Jan. 58

FCA and Google are using CES 2017 to demonstrate a seamless integration of the award-winning Uconnect 8.4-inch connected vehicle system featuring Android, the world's most popular open-source operating system.

A hands-on concept demonstration of the power of combining Uconnect with Android is on display at CES, Jan. 5-8, inside a Chrysler 300 sedan.

FCA is in collaboration with Google regarding the next-generation connected car systems enabled by the power of an open platform and ecosystem of Android.

"This collaboration with Google has been an extremely beneficial opportunity for both companies to explore how in-vehicle infotainment and connectivity technology continues to evolve, and what it takes to meet consumers' increasing desire for innovation of information with minimal distraction," says Chris Barman, Head of Electrical Engineering, FCA. "With Android, we are able to maintain our unique and intuitive Uconnect user interface, all while integrating our easy-to-use systems with Android's features and ecosystem of applications."

CES attendees can get one-on-one demonstrations of the Uconnect system powered by the latest version of Android, 7.0 Nougat, which includes core infotainment features such as radio and comfort controls.

The Uconnect and Android integration also enable a system that is built for connectivity and compatibility with the universe of popular Android applications. The demonstration will show a seamless integration with Google Assistant, Google Maps and popular Android apps like Pandora, Spotify, NPR One and Pocket Casts.

"Google is committed to building Android as a turn-key automotive platform that integrates deeply with the vehicle in a safe and seamless way," said Patrick Brady, Director of Android Engineering, Google. "This collaboration with FCA brings together the industry standard for connected car systems with Android to create powerful infotainment systems designed for the digital age."

To visit the FCA exhibit, #6306, navigate to the North Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center from Thursday, Jan. 5  Sunday, Jan. 8.

About FCA

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. ("FCA"), the seventh-largest automaker in the world based on total

annual vehicle sales, is an international automotive group. FCA is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "FCAU" and on the Mercato Telematico Azionario under the symbol "FCA".

The transaction was executed by FCA's wholly owned subsidiary, FCA US LLC. Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, FCA US LLC designs, engineers, manufactures and sells vehicles under the Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and FIAT brands, as well as the SRT performance vehicle designation. The company also distributes Alfa Romeo and Mopar products. FCA US is building upon the historic foundations of Chrysler, the innovative American automaker first established by Walter P. Chrysler in 1925, and Fiat, founded in Italy in 1899 by pioneering entrepreneurs, including Giovanni Agnelli.

SOURCE FCA US LLC

Related Links

http://www.fcanorthamerica.com


With the Samsung Wisenet-SmartCam A1 Home Security System, Hanwha Techwin America is offering the Wi-Fi security camera kit that offers both an indoor and outdoor solution that easily blends into the decor of users' homes. The versatile system is comprised of an indoor camera with 1080p HD resolution that pans 350 degrees with a 130-degree wide angle lens and an outdoor battery-powered camera that delivers 720p HD resolution.

Another unique component of this home security system is the panning station camera. The detachable camera detects activities, monitors selected zones and when it's mounted on the station, it automatically tracks moving objects within the designated areas in every video frame. Together, these features help users efficiently secure their homes without overwhelming them with multiple alerts.

The outdoor camera is weather-resistant with a certified IP65 rating, ensuring that the unit is well-equipped to withstand rain, snow, dust and other unfavorable weather conditions. Consumers can also add up to eight cameras to the outdoor set of the Samsung-Wisenet SmartCam A1 Home Security System to enjoy the ultimate, home monitoring experience.

In addition to debuting the Samsung Wisenet-SmartCam A1 Home Security System, Hanwha Techwin America is also showcasing the BabyVIEW Baby Monitoring Systems at CES 2017. The BabyVIEW will offer 720p HD camera with remote 300 panning and 110 tilt capability to help parents and caretakers comprehensively monitor children's movements easier than ever. It will be available in the following three models:

BabyVIEW SEW-3053W  Includes the camera and a touchscreen monitor to keep caretakers abreast of a baby's stirring at home.

Includes the camera and a touchscreen monitor to keep caretakers abreast of a baby's stirring at home. BabyVIEW SEW-3055W  Comes with the camera, touchscreen monitor and a Bluetooth watch with vibration alerts to notify users of sounds in the monitored room. With the Bluetooth watch, parents and caretakers will have the flexibility to multitask and complete household chores while simultaneously tracking their little ones.

Comes with the camera, touchscreen monitor and a Bluetooth watch with vibration alerts to notify users of sounds in the monitored room. With the Bluetooth watch, parents and caretakers will have the flexibility to multitask and complete household chores while simultaneously tracking their little ones. BabyVIEW SEW-3057W  Contains the camera, monitor, Bluetooth watch and an environmental sensor that allows users to assess a room's temperature, humidity and air quality to ensure that toddlers are staying in a safe and healthy environment.

The BabyVIEW will also enable caretakers and parents to monitor children from their mobile devices  via the free, BabyVIEW app  as well as track their baby's growth with a new, Photo Diary feature. With this capability, users have the option of scheduling the camera to take regularly-timed, daily photos of their babies and watch them transform from newborns to toddlers.

"Versatility and simplicity are at the heart of Hanwha's designs - and that's never been more evident than with the Samsung Wisenet-SmartCam A1 Home Security System and BabyVIEW Baby Monitoring System models," said Richard Simone, Hanwha Techwin America VP of Sales and Marketing. "Our designers and engineers did a fantastic job developing two new products with sleek designs and cutting-edge capabilities."

Hanwha Techwin America will also feature the Samsung SmartCam PT and the Samsung SmartCam Full HD PoE at CES 2017. The Samsung SmartCam PT has been available since October 2016 with an MSRP of $199 while the Samsung SmartCam Full HD PoE camera is available for purchase with an MSRP of $229.

About Hanwha Techwin America

To advance video surveillance solutions worldwide, the Hanwha Group acquired Samsung Techwin America from Samsung in December 2014 and is re-branding the division under Hanwha Techwin America. As part of the arrangement, both organizations agreed to preserve the Samsung product name to continue the development of innovative products for consumer security applications. Building on the company's history of innovation, Hanwha Techwin America is dedicated to providing system solutions with the highest levels of performance, reliability and cost-efficiency. For more information, visit www.samsungsv.com.

SOURCE Hanwha Techwin America

Related Links

http://www.samsungsv.com


PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lucy Pet's Gnarly Crankin' K9 Wave Maker 2017 Tournament of Roses Parade float, built by Fiesta Floats, has been officially certified as the longest and heaviest single chassis float ever in parade history. Measured and weighed by the California Highway Patrol the float is 126 feet long and weighs in at 148,250 lbs.

"This is a really big float," says Kim Partrick, Guinness World Record adjudicator. "It weighs over 74 tons easily breaking the past record and will probably hold it for sometime to come."

Lucy Pet's Gnarly Crankin' K9 Wave Maker 2017 Tournament of Roses Parade float under construction at the Fiesta Float barn in Irwindale, Calif. The 126-foot-long, 148,250 lbs. float set the Guinness World Record for the longest and heaviest float in history. The float will also feature surfing dogs who will ride the wild waves throughout the Tournament of Roses Parade on Jan. 2 in Pasadena, Calif. (L-R) Joey Herrick, founder of Lucy Pet Products and Lucy Pet Foundation, and Kim Partrick, Guinness World Record adjudicator display Guinness World Record certificates for longest and heaviest float in history ... Lucy Pet's Gnarly Crankin' K9 Wave Maker 2017 Tournament of Roses Parade float is 126 feet long and weighs 148,250 lbs.

The float's theme depicts a beach side paradise complete with eight surfing dogs. During the parade an onboard wave machine will generate waves on which the dogs will surf the length of a 90-foot long tank containing over 8,000 gallons of water.

This giant float will be powered by a Built Ford Tough 6.8 liter V10 gasoline engine. The driver will sit deep in the bowels of the float and rely on a navigator sitting atop the float to relay directions to him as he steers down the parade route.

The eight dogs who will be surfing on the float were chosen during a nationwide search. "These are real water dogs who can't wait to get on the surfboard," says Joey Herrick, founder and owner of Lucy Pet Products. "I don't know who will be having more fun the surfing dogs or the millions of people who will be watching all around the world!"

Riding atop the Lucy Pet's Gnarly Crankin' K9 Wave Maker float will 13-year-old pop star and internet sensation JoJo Siwa. An avid pet lover with three dogs, this is Siwa's first time riding a float in the Annual Tournament of Roses Parade.

Also riding on the float will be Carolyn Hennesy, Emmy-nominated soap opera star from ABC's General Hospital and New York Times best-selling author.

About Lucy Pet Products

Lucy Pet Products is a family-owned and operated pet product business based in Thousand Oaks, California. Proceeds from the brand directly fund its 501 (c) (3) non-profit Lucy Pet Foundation. The foundation's mission is to reduce pet overpopulation and the euthanasia of over 80,000 dogs and cats per week in the United States.

From shampoos to Lucy Pet Cats Incredible cat litter, Lucy Pet develops quality for pets' health and wellness. Their products are made in the U.S.A and can be found in pet specialty stores across the U.S.A. and worldwide. Follow Lucy Pets and their spokesdog,, Surfin' Jack, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @LucyPetProducts and @SurfinJackDog.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is a global automotive and mobility company based in Dearborn, Michigan. With about 201,000 employees and 67 plants worldwide, the company's core business includes designing, manufacturing, marketing, financing and servicing a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs and electrified vehicles, as well as Lincoln luxury vehicles. At the same time, Ford is aggressively pursuing emerging opportunities through Ford Smart Mobility, the company's plan to be a leader in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the customer experience, and data and analytics. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide or Ford Motor Credit Company, visit www.corporate.ford.com.

Contact: Jo Hunt

DHA Lifestyle PR

27703 Eastvale Rd.

Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA 90274

310.541.2800

[email protected]

SOURCE Lucy Pet Products
DALLAS, Jan. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly thirty years ago, Texas was experiencing a surge in housing sales, leaving homebuyers with little inventory to choose from. Those that were moving were selling at over-inflated values. Marcus Hiles saw the disparity as an opportunity to fill an unrecognized gap, and began building the units necessary to improve the Dallas rental market. His unique concept of offering luxury homes, townhomes and apartments to working class Texans single-handedly transformed the Dallas landscape.

Marcus Hiles' Western Rim has created breathtaking communities in the northern suburbs of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex that have given apartment seekers an abundance of upmarket choices. Located in areas that take full advantage of Texas's captivating countryside, the Estates, Towers and Mansions brand properties are within short driving distance of downtown Dallas, providing the best of both city and suburban life. The upscale atmosphere becomes immediately apparent to newcomers when they arrive at The Towers By The Park in Frisco. The luxurious centerpiece of the development is an infinity edge swimming pool, situated by an adjacent tanning deck and series of cabanas, which creates a relaxing oasis environment.

The Mansions at Woodbridge in Sachse, McKinney, Woodbridge, and The Mansions 3Eighty in Aubrey offer their residents trellis-covered outdoor kitchen and fireplace lounge, social club and game rooms. From opulent first-floor entrances with covered porches to private, reserved parking, these vast units feature extra tall windows and 9-to-10-foot ceilings. Hiles' Western Rim Mansions have added refined options for Dallas renters seeking an upgraded lifestyle.

For Marcus Hiles, Fort Worth is where his success in property investment began but he has always had a propensity to expand and excel. The Texas real estate developer overcame humble beginnings with his indefatigable work ethic, ingenuity, and drive. Developing his business acumen, satisfying his customers, and adapting to the ever-changing housing market has made Hiles the inspirational figure in the industry he is today. Hiles' successes extend beyond business, as his support for educational initiatives, children's hospitals, and environmental programs demonstrates his passion for giving back to the community.

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

SOURCE Marcus Hiles
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Jan. 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The following statement is being issued by Scott+Scott, Attorneys at Law, LLP regarding the MetLife, Inc. CEU Securities Litigation:

TO: ALL PERSONS WHO PURCHASED OR OTHERWISE ACQUIRED COMMON EQUITY UNITS ISSUED BY METLIFE INC. ("METLIFE"), $75.00 STATED VALUE ("CEUs") (ticker symbol "MLU"), IN OR TRACEABLE TO METLIFE'S PUBLIC OFFERING OF CEUs BETWEEN MARCH 3, 2011 AND JULY 5, 2012, BOTH DATES INCLUSIVE (THE "CLASS PERIOD"), AND WHO WERE DAMAGED THEREBY (THE "CLASS").

THIS NOTICE WAS AUTHORIZED BY THE COURT. IT IS NOT A LAWYER SOLICITATION. PLEASE READ THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY AND IN ITS ENTIRETY.

YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that a hearing will be held on March 9, 2017, at 9:30 a.m., before the Honorable Elisabeth French, Circuit Court of Jefferson County, Alabama, at the Jefferson County Courthouse, Room 610, 716 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. North, Birmingham, Alabama 35203, to determine whether: (1) the proposed settlement (the "Settlement") of the above-captioned action ("Action") for $9,750,000 in cash should be approved by the Court as fair, reasonable and adequate; (2) the Final Judgment as provided under the Stipulation and Agreement of Settlement ("Stipulation") should be entered, dismissing the Amended Class Action Complaint filed in the Action on the merits and with prejudice; (3) the release by the Class of the Released Claims, as set forth in the Stipulation, should be provided to the Released Defendants' Parties; (4) this Action satisfies the applicable prerequisites for class action treatment, solely for purposes of the Settlement, under Rule 23 of the Alabama Rules of Civil Procedure and Alabama Code 1975  6-5-540 through 542; (5) to award Plaintiff's Counsel attorneys' fees and expenses out of the Settlement Fund (as defined in the Notice of Proposed Settlement of Class Action ("Notice"), referenced below); (6) to grant Plaintiff's requests for an incentive or service award in connection with its role in prosecuting this action on behalf of the Class out of the Settlement Fund; and (7) the Plan of Allocation should be approved by the Court.

IF YOU PURCHASED OR ACQUIRED METLIFE CEUs DURING THE PERIOD MARCH 3, 2011 AND JULY 5, 2012, BOTH DATES INCLUSIVE (THE "CLASS PERIOD"), YOUR RIGHTS MAY BE AFFECTED BY THE SETTLEMENT OF THIS ACTION.

To share in the distribution of the Settlement Fund, you must establish your rights by submitting a Proof of Claim to the address below, postmarked on or before April 6, 2017. Your failure to submit your Proof of Claim by April 6, 2017 will subject your claim to rejection and preclude your receiving any of the recovery in connection with the Settlement of this Action. If you are a Member of the Class and do not request exclusion therefrom, you will be bound by the Settlement and any judgment and release entered in the Action, including, but not limited to, the Final Judgment, whether or not you submit a Proof of Claim.

If you have not received a copy of the Notice, which more completely describes the Settlement and your rights thereunder (including your right to object to the Settlement), or a Proof of Claim form, you may obtain these documents (as well as a copy of the Stipulation, which contains the complete terms of the Settlement and the definitions of all capitalized defined terms used in this Summary Notice) online at www.metlifeCEUsecuritieslitigation.com, or by writing to:

MetLife, Inc. CEU Securities Litigation Settlement

c/o KCC Class Action Services

P.O. Box 30248

College Station, TX 77842-3248

Telephone: (877) 368-9232

Inquiries should NOT be directed to Defendants, the Court, or the Clerk of the Court. Inquiries, other than requests for a copy of the Notice or Proof of Claim form, may be made to Plaintiff's Counsel:

SCOTT+SCOTT, ATTORNEYS AT LAW, LLP

William C. Fredericks

The Helmsley Building

230 Park Avenue, 17th Floor

New York, NY 10169-1820

Telephone: (212) 223-6444

Facsimile: (212) 223-6334

SCOTT+SCOTT, ATTORNEYS AT LAW, LLP

Geoffrey M. Johnson

12434 Cedar Road, Suite 12

Cleveland Heights, OH 44106

Telephone: (216) 229-6088

Facsimile: (216) 229-6092

IF YOU DESIRE TO BE EXCLUDED FROM THE CLASS, YOU MUST SUBMIT A REQUEST FOR EXCLUSION BY FEBRUARY 16, 2017 IN THE MANNER AND FORM EXPLAINED IN THE NOTICE. ALL MEMBERS OF THE CLASS WHO HAVE NOT REQUESTED EXCLUSION FROM THE CLASS WILL BE BOUND BY THE SETTLEMENT ENTERED IN THE ACTION EVEN IF THEY DO NOT FILE A TIMELY PROOF OF CLAIM.

This Notice has been authorized by Order dated December 7, 2016 of the Circuit Court of Jefferson County, Alabama (the Hon. Elisabeth French, J.).

SOURCE Scott+Scott, Attorneys At Law, LLP
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Jan. 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In their new book, Pattern Cross-Examination for Sexual Assault Cases: A Trial Strategy & Resource Guide, criminal defense lawyers, Michael Waddington and Alexandra Gonzalez-Waddington, give defense counsel cross-examination questions that can be easily modified and used in a variety of sexual assault cases. The book will help defense lawyers cross-examine challenging witnesses without having to reinvent the wheel with each new case.

Pattern Cross-Examination for Sexual Assault Cases: A Trial Strategy & Resource Guide Michael Waddington and Alexandra Gonzalez-Waddington

According to Michael Waddington, "Too many innocent men are locked up in prison due to incompetent defense counsel. We wrote this book to give defense attorneys the tools they need to zealously represent their clients."

The book contains thousands of questions to effectively cross-examine a variety of witnesses, to include: the alleged victim; crime scene investigators; sexual assault forensic examiners; DNA experts, hostile witnesses, and more. It covers a range of topics including: selective memory; victim injury; motive to lie; false allegations; false confessions; proper evidence handling; and more. Many of the questions are based on medical and law enforcement textbooks and training manuals that are used throughout the United States.

The book is published by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), the preeminent organization in the United States advancing the mission of the nation's criminal defense lawyers to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime or other misconduct.

About the Authors:

Michael Waddington is a criminal defense lawyer who has successfully defended cases in military courtrooms around the world, including Japan, South Korea, Germany, Iraq, Bahrain, Italy, England, and across the United States. Hes been involved in high profile court martial casesfrom the "War on Terror" to the "War on Sex Assault"and has been reported on and quoted by hundreds of major media sources worldwide.

He is the best-selling author of The Art of Trial Warfare: Winning at Trial Using Sun Tzu's The Art of War and the Trial Warrior's Book of Wisdom. He has provided consultation services to CNN, 60 Minutes, ABC Nightline, the BBC, CBS, and the Golden Globe winning TV series, "The Good Wife." He appeared in the 2009 CNN Documentary, "Killings at the Canal," and some of his cases have been the subject of books and movies, including the Academy Award Winning Documentary "Taxi to the Dark Side," and the 2013 documentary, "The Kill Team." Since 2013, Mr. Waddington has been an annual contributor to the American Bar Associations publication, "The State of Criminal Justice." He is also a fellow of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers (ABCL).

Alexandra Gonzalez-Waddington is a founding partner of the Gonzalez & Waddington Law Firm, and a Georgia Registered mediator. She has represented and defended hundreds of defendants charged with sexual crimes and has worked on some of the most notorious war crime cases stemming from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. A former Assistant Public Defender in the State of Georgia, Alexandra has worked on various types of cases, including rapes, larcenies, and white collar crimes. In 2015 and 2016, she wrote chapters in the American Bar Association books, "The State of Criminal Justice."

Media Contact:

Michael Waddington

706-664-1395

[email protected]

http://www.ucmjdefense.com/

SOURCE Gonzalez & Waddington, LLC
NEW YORK, Jan. 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The eight-time Emmy Award-winning, The Dr. Oz Show, kicks off 2017 with a month of January Jumpstarts! Everything you need to know to jumpstart your metabolism, finances, relationships and weight loss. All this month, Dr. Oz reveals the simple steps to jumpstart your life by improving memory, controlling debt, and putting your fat into overdrive. Also this month, Dr. Oz shares metabolism boosting foods and 10-minute meals to jumpstart your energy. Plus, Maria Shriver, Arianna Huffington, and DeVon Franklin join us to share their own jumpstart secrets to revitalize your life.

In our Dr. Oz Investigations, we take a closer look at how dirty your towels and pillows really are, whether e-cigarettes are a safe option or deadly trend, and what you need to know about spray tanning products right now. Dr. Oz breaks down which probiotic foods are worth your money, and whether they have the power to change your gut. Our Food Investigations reveal what you need to know about the new meatless burgers that taste just like beef, why you should eat a pear before drinking a glass of wine, and the secret to wash one of your favorite fruits.

Continuing with this season's True Crime Tuesdays, our true crime correspondent, Melissa Moore Jesperson joins Dr. Oz to discuss the retired police sergeant and convicted murderer, Drew Peterson, and the case of the Craigslist Killer. Also, Dr. Oz brings you the details of nightstalker serial killer Richard Ramirez, an American serial killer, rapist, and burglar in California and more.

Dr. Oz's January Jumpstarts

The 21-Day Weight Loss Breakthrough

Jumpstart Your Memory And Mood With Mark Hyman

The #1 Thing Maria Shriver Knows to Jumpstart Alzheimer's Prevention

Knows to Jumpstart Alzheimer's Prevention The Jumpstart Plan to Reverse Your Burnout With Arianna Huffington

Jumpstart a Struggling Relationship with DeVon Franklin

Jumpstart Your Sluggish Thyroid

Jumpstart Your Finances and Get Out of Debt

The Happiness Jumpstart

10-Minute Meals to Jumpstart Your Energy

7-Minute Jumpstart Workouts

Dr. Oz Investigations

Food Investigation: Beyond Meat: What You Need to Know About the New Meatless Burger That Looks, Cooks, and Tastes Like Beef

How Dirty Are Your Towels and Pillows Really?

What You Need to Know About Spray Tanning Products Right Now

Will Eating Probiotic Foods for 2 Weeks Really Change Your Gut?

Which New Probiotic Foods Really Work and Are Worth Your Money?

E-Cigarettes: What You Need to Know

E-Cigarettes: A Safer Option or Deadly Trend?

True Crime Tuesdays with Dr. Oz

The Real Story Behind the Disappearing Wives of Drew Peterson With Melissa Moore

Inside The Mind of One Of the Most Notorious Serial Killers - "The Night Stalker"

The Real Story Behind the Craigslist Killer's Rampage With Melissa Moore

About The Dr. Oz Show

Currently in its eighth season, the eight-time Daytime Emmy Award-winning syndicated daily series "The Dr. Oz Show" is hosted by Dr. Mehmet Oz, accredited health expert, best-selling author, and world renowned cardiac surgeon. "The Dr. Oz Show" is an informative hour that offers audiences the opportunity to learn about a wide range of health and wellness topics. Tackling the balance of mind, body and spirit, Dr. Oz calls on specialists from a variety of disciplines for expert advice on how viewers can be their best selves.

Dr. Oz served as health expert on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" since 2004, sharing advice with viewers to help them live their best life from the inside out. Dr. Oz has co-authored six New York Times Best Sellers including YOU: The Owner's Manual as well as the award winning Healing from the Heart. Dr. Oz launched his magazine The Good Life with Hearst Corporation in spring 2014. He has a regular column in O The Oprah Magazine.

Dr. Oz is a professor of Surgery at Columbia University. He directs the Cardiovascular Institute and Complementary Medicine Program at New York Presbyterian Hospital and performs 100 heart operations annually. His research interests include heart replacement surgery, minimally invasive cardiac surgery, complementary medicine and health care policy. He has authored over 400 original publications, book chapters, and medical books and has received several patents.

Cleared in over 99% of the country, "The Dr. Oz Show" is produced by Harpo Productions and distributed by Sony Pictures Television. "The Dr. Oz Show" is executive produced by Amy Chiaro and co-executive produced by Stacy Rader and Laurie Rich.

SOURCE The Dr. Oz Show
Southern California's film and television hub was defaced overnight by a prankster when he changed the 'Hollywood' sign to 'Hollyweed'.

By India Today Web Desk: The iconic hillside sign overlooking Southern California's film-and-television hub was defaced overnight in honor of marijuana, according to a Reuters report.

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 am in the city, whom police believe was behind the conversion, Sgt Robert Payan of the Los Angeles Police Department said in a phone interview.

Photo: Reuters

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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 US state to the burgeoning commercial cannabis market, although the drug remains illegal under US 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."

Photo: Reuters

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.

--- ENDS ---
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here
Islamabad, Dec 29 : Civil society activists have urged Pakistan's Sindh government to pass the protection of minorities bill in its present form without making any changes under pressure from religious scholars.

A consortium of civil rights organisations including the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan on Wednesday expressed disappointment at the government's decision to review the bill after some religious scholars expressed reservations over the law, terming it unconstitutional and against Islam, Dawn reported.

The bill proposed in 2015 as a private bill by Nand Kumar Goklani of the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional was unanimously passed by the Sindh assembly in November. It was aimed at making forced conversion a punishable act.

Recently, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro issued a statement indicating the assembly would review any clause that went against the constitution and Sharia.

Asad Iqbal Butt, provincial vice chairperson of the HRCP, said that reservations of religious scholars were nothing but "arm-twisting tactics which they use whenever a progressive step is taken."

He said the government should not bow to the "religious might and stand firm on its decision to pass the bill without a review. The bill is fine as it is."

Pakistan Hindu Council's Mangla Sharma said the issue of passage of the law needed to be looked at from a human rights perspective and not a religious one.
Seoul, Jan 2 : Police in Denmark arrested on Monday the daughter of Choi Soon-sil, impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye's close friend whose involvement in corruption led to Park's removal last year, official said.

Choi's daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, was arrested on charges of "illegal stay" by the police who subsequently notified their South Korean counterparts, the National Police Agency, said local news agency Yonhap.

The special prosecutors investigating the case of Korean Rasputin Choi had asked Interpol on Tuesday to put the 20-year-old on the wanted list.

This was done after Chung refused to respond to the summons demanding her to appear in South Korea to testify, Efe news reported.

The investigation team, which obtained an arrest warrant for Chung on December 22, was collaborating with relevant agencies to deport her to her home country.

Investigators believe Chung received undue favours in university and high school due to her mother's ties to the President.

Her high school diploma was also annulled on the grounds that her grades and attendance records were fabricated.

Her mother, Choi Soon-il, is considered the mastermind in influence peddling and corruption scandal that led Parliament to impeach Park, a decision yet to be ratified by the Constitutional Court.

Choi, 60, is accused of meddling in state affairs despite not holding any official position, as well as extorting large sums of money from Korean companies and appropriating part of it for personal use.

Prosecutors believe that the Samsung Group, the country's largest company, had signed a contract worth some about $18.2 million with a Germany-based company owned by Choi and also provided financial support for Chung.
Sydney, Jan 2 : Police officers in Papua New Guinea (PNG) physically attacked and arrested two Iranian asylum seekers during new year's eve celebrations, said refugee advocates on Monday.

The Refugee Action Coalition said the two men suffered broken bones in the incident, and supplied photographs showing the pair with cuts and bruises on their faces, Efe news reported.

The attack was allegedly launched because the asylum seekers were outside the detention centre.

In a statement Monday morning, the NGO reported that the pair were released by police after more than 36 hours in custody.

Australian Minister for Immigration Peter Dutton, meanwhile, accused activists of using the incident to attack Australia's immigration policy.

The policy includes the processing of asylum seekers in detention centres on Papua New Guinea's Manus Island, and the island nation of Nauru.

"If people have had an interaction with the PNG police on a new year's eve night, I would wait to see the full facts of that case before I'd make any comment to say that they were targeted because they were refugees or because they were part of the Manus Island population," Dutton told a radio station here.

The Australian government said an investigation into the incident was the responsibility of the Papuan police, but activists believe that such incidents are part of systematic abuse against the undocumented immigrants in Australia's South Pacific detention centres.

Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul urged the Australian government to provide "oversight on the role of the PNG police and the attitude of the PNG police" because it was "ultimately responsible for all the people who are held on the island", according to Australian broadcaster ABC.

The alleged police attack follows the death of a Sudanese asylum seeker, who collapsed in the Manus Island detention centre, shortly before Christmas.

The UN and human rights groups have repeatedly criticised the existence of these detention centres and labelled the precarious living conditions as "inhumane".

Many of the migrants detained in Nauru and Papua New Guinea have fled conflicts in countries such as Afghanistan, Darfur, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria.

While others have escaped discrimination or the status of being stateless persons, such as the Rohingya minorities in Myanmar and Bedoon from the Persian Gulf region.

They were detained before arriving on Australia's coasts and sent to the offshore detention centres where their refugee applications were processed.
Jammu, Jan 2 : The opposition in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday interrupted Governor N.N. Vohra's address to the joint session of the bicameral legislature here.

As the Governor started his address, members of the opposition parties, including the National Conference, Congress and others, stood up shouting slogans against the PDP-BJP government.

The Governor rushed to the concluding part of his speech amid the din.
Chennai, Jan 2 : Actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan will finally resume shooting for upcoming trilingual comedy "Sabaash Naidu" from later this month after being out of action for nearly six months due to a leg injury.

In July 2016, Haasan fractured his leg after he slipped and fell from the stairs of his office here.

"From the third week of January, he plans to resume shooting. He has just returned from London where he had undergone medical checkup with an orthopedic. He's fit to start shooting, and the next schedule will take place in Hyderabad," a source from the film's unit told IANS.

"Sabaash Naidu", a spin-off on Haasan's Balram Naidu character from "Dasavatharam", is being simultaneously shot in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi.

The film also stars Ramya Krishnan, Shruti Haasan and Brahmanandam.
New York, Jan 2 : As an earlier statement said WhatsApp will stop working on certain phones by the end of 2016, many users of older versions of iPhones and Android handsets are about to find themselves cut off from using the chat app, media has reported.

WhatsApp, with more than one billion monthly users, had earlier announced that it was phasing out compatibility with older phones in a technology upgrade.

According to a report in the Independent on Monday, 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.

In the developing markets where the chat app and older phones are popular, WhatsApp has faced a sharp criticism for its move.

WhatsApp had initially listed all BlackBerry models and some Nokia handsets among the handsets that would be blocked from the chat app. However, the company retracted 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," WhatsApp wrote in an update to its blog.

The service will stop on any first, second, third or fourth generation iPad that has not been updated. Users need to update to iOS 9.3 to use the service.

With these changes, WhatsApp is expected 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," the report added.
New Delhi, Jan 2 : Religious organisations across the ideological divide welcomed the Supreme Court's ruling on Monday barring political parties and candidates from seeking votes in the name of religion, caste, community, race or language.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad said that the politics based on caste, community and religion has harmed the country.

"We welcome the decision of the Supreme Court," VHP International General Secretary Surendra Jain told IANS.

He said the politics based on caste, language, region or religion has "harmed our nation very much", and added that "national integration has also been damaged by this practice".

"Vote bank politics should be curbed by this decision. This judgement may prove a landmark in nation-building," the VHP leader added.

On the other side of the divide, Jamat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) said the prohibition to use religion etc. to garner vote should be strictly implemented.

"Although the Supreme Court ruling was not something new as the existing law already bars people from stoking communal sentiments to get votes, but now this order should be implemented in letter and spirit," JIH Secretary General Mohammed Salim Engineer told IANS.

He said that the Supreme Court took notice of it was an evidence of the fact that such practice by political parties and candidates have been "rampant".

The apex court on Monday said that seeking votes on the basis of caste, community, religion or language was illegal.

A constitution bench headed by Chief Justice T.S. Thakur by a 4:3 majority passed the order on the basis of Section 123(3) of the Representation of People's Act.
Chennai, Jan 2 : Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, known for his brazen humour, has lashed out at the recently released poster of Chiranjeevi's Telugu actioner "Khaidi No 150", calling it "height of narcissism".

"Wow. Madame Tussaud will throw half her museum out for this. I want to touch the feet of designer and director and who convinced megastar," Varma tweeted, and also shared the poster which features Chiranjeevi posing with a machete.

"This is upper limit of the height of narcissism and the lower limit of the depth of its opposite. Wilhelm Hegel would have kissed megastar," he wrote, and went on to ask the names and contact details of those people who convinced Chiranjeevi to pose like this.

An official remake of Tamil blockbuster "Kaththi", V.V. Vinayak-directed "Khaidi No 150" is gearing up for release during the Sankranti festival.

On a concluding note, Varma tweeted: "Designer of this look is going to have a page forever in the annals of history for involuntary perpetuation and voluntary disorientation."
By Press Trust of India: From Aditi Khanna

London, Jan 2 (PTI) An Indian-origin shopkeeper is being hailed as "brave" after he wrestled a knife-wielding thief to the ground in northern England.

Sandeep Yadala, 30, was injured after grappling the robber to the ground in the second attack his shop in Timperley, Greater Manchester, has seen in a matter of months.

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During the latest incident last week, he suffered slash wounds to his side and right hand as he grabbed the intruder, disarmed him and pinned him to the ground until police arrived, the Sun reported.

Local police arrived three minutes later and arrested a 15-year-old raider and praised Yadala as "brave".

The raider is alleged to have asked for cigarettes, but when the shopkeeper asked for an ID to check his age, the suspect threatened him with a knife.

The suspect has now been released on bail.

Yadala previously tackled a gang of four masked raiders when they stormed into his shopin February last year. He was seen on CCTV cameras in the previous incident fightingone of the four as they stole cigarettes worth 3,000 pounds.

Yadala, who came to the UK to pursue a post-graduate degree, manages the store part time. PTI AK ZH

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Colombo, Jan 2 : Sri Lanka on Monday said that it has set a target of welcoming 2.5 million tourists to the island nation in 2017.

Tourism Minister John Amaratunga told Xinhua news agency that the country had already exceeded the 2 million tourist arrival mark in 2016 and now it hoped to attract a further 2.5 million tourists by the end of 2017.

Up to November 2016, the government had achieved a little more than 1.8 million tourists with the leading markets being India and China.

He further said that the closure of the Bandaranaike International Airport for certain hours from January to April would have an effect on the number of tourist arrivals this year.

"This is worrying and I have taken the matter up with the authorities concerned. However we will do our best to achieve the targets set and ensure that tourism becomes the leading foreign exchange earner," Amaratunga said.

The country's main international airport will be closed from 8.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. every day from January 6 to April 6 due to maintenance work on the runway. Several flights have had to re-schedule their arrivals and departures to Colombo as a result of the maintenance.

Passengers travelling during this period have also been advised to arrive at the airport five hours prior to their flight departure.

Meanwhile Amaratunga said the government had planned mega publicity campaigns to be launched in several cities across the world this year, which would promote Sri Lanka as an ideal tourist destination.
New Delhi, Jan 2 : The director and producer of "Coffee With D" -- a film which revolves around a journalist's attempt to fix an interview with Dawood Ibrahim -- on Monday filed a complaint against callers who have been threatening them to make changes in the film if it shows the underworld don in bad light.

The film's director Vishal Mishra and producer Vinod Rahani alleged that they were receiving threat calls since December 14, 2016, from different numbers and locations on a daily basis.

"The trailer was launched on December 14, 2016 in Mumbai. Since then, we are getting threat calls from internet numbers and one of them was a Dubai number," Mishra said.

Mishra also alleged that the movie's entire team has got threats, and that's why they moved to Delhi from Mumbai and lodged a complaint at the Parliament Street police station.

They urged the police officers to take action.

Rahani said he received the first threat call on December 26, 2016.

"The first time I received a call was from one Nayeem when I was in Nagpur on December 26, 2016. The caller threatened me to remove parts of the film which portray underworld don Dawood Ibrahim in bad light and make fun of him," Rahani alleged.

"Nayeem also told me that he was calling on behalf of 'Chhota Shakeel' and threatened to kill the entire families of the film crew if I fail to comply with his demands," he said.

R.P. Meena, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, told IANS: "We have not registered an FIR in this connection on their allegations. Their complaint is being studied for further course of investigation if needed."

The movie features comedian Sunil Grover in the role of the TV journalist. Last month, Sunil wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to get Dawood Ibrahim nabbed and to expedite the process of his trial for his involvement in the 1993 Mumbai blasts.
Ankara/Rome, Jan 2 : The Islamic State jihadist group has taken credit for the gun attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul which killed 39 people on New Year's Eve, mostly foreigners, and injured 70.

The group said in a statement the attack was carried out by "a heroic soldier".

"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 Christians celebrate their apostate holiday," the statement said.

The IS accused Turkey of shedding the blood of Muslims through "its air strikes and mortar attacks" in Syria.

IS released the statement on the encrypted messaging service Telegram. The group also claimed a bombing in Baghad's Shia Sadr City district on Monday that killed at least 35 people and blasts at two Shia markets that killed at least 28 in the Iraqi capital on Saturday.

The attack on the Reina nightclub was the first attack in Turkey claimed by the group, which Turkish authorities suspect of being behind several deadly bombings in the country over the past year.

Eleven Turks and 28 foreigners died late on Saturday when a gunman entered the Reina, which was packed with around 600 revellers.

The killer randomly fired up to 180 bullets at people with a long-barrelled gun in an assault lasting seven minutes.

Bollywood producer Abis Rizvi was one of those who died. Some partygoers who managed to flee jumped into the freezing cold Bosphorus Strait to escape.

Seven of the victims were from Saudi Arabia, three each from Iraq and Lebanon, two each from Jordan, India and Morocco and one each from Syria, Israel, France, Tunisia, Belgium, Kuwait, Canada and Russia.

The body of one victim was not immediately identified. Three people wounded in the assault remain in critical condition, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Sunday.

Turkey has launched a massive manhunt for the gunman, who managed to escape after the attack and was not immediately identified.

Turkish media reports quoted police sources as saying he may have been from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan.

"We hope the attacker will be captured soon," said Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu. He called the attack "a massacre, a truly inhumane act of savagery".

Security measures had been heightened in major Turkish cities since the attack, with police barring traffic from key squares in Istanbul and in the capital Ankara.

In Istanbul, 17,000 police officers were put on duty, some disguised as Santa Claus and others as street vendors, Turkey's Anadolu news agency reported.

Turkey is currently in a state of emergency following a failed coup in mid-July.

A member of the US-led coalition against IS, the country faces multiple security threats including the fallout from the war in neighbouring Syria.

Over 180 people died in a series of attacks in Turkey last year, some carried out by Kurdish militants, according to officials.
Colombo, Jan 2 : India and Sri Lanka on Monday announced the immediate release of fishermen in each other's custody.

The announcement followed talks between Indian Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh and Sri Lankan Minister for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Mahinda Amaraweera here.

Both sides agreed to a set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to expedite the release and handing over of fishermen in each other's custody on completion of legal and procedural formalities.

"The immediate release of the fishermen presently in custody was announced following the ministerial level talks," an official statement said.

Sri Lanka routinely arrests Indian fishermen poaching in its waters and seizes their vessels. The two countries are divided by a narrow strip of sea. Some Sri Lankan fishermen are also detained in Indian jails.

The talks follow the first meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on fisheries held in New Delhi on December 31.

Both countries also discussed the issue of releasing seized fishing vessels.

"The Indian side requested for the immediate release of Indian fishing vessels. The Sri Lankan side agreed to consider the request in view of the progress being made by the JWG," the statement said.

The ministers exchanged views on possible mechanisms to help find a permanent solution to issues related to fishermen from both countries.

As part of the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) agreed to by them, it was decided to intensify cooperation on patrolling and to set up periodic interactions between their Coast Guards.

"An understanding was reached to ensure that there was no physical harm or loss of life while apprehending fishermen by Navy and Coast Guard... It was agreed to explore the possibility of introducing effective tracking systems for the fishing vessels and making use of onboard communication equipment mandatory," the statement said.

The two ministers appreciated the efforts taken by the JWG in operationalizing a hotline between the Indian and Sri Lankan Coast Guards to ensure quick decision making.

Sri Lanka sought an end to bottom trawling which Colombo says is destroying its aquatic resources. India promised it would be phased out in a time-bound manner.

Sri Lanka was briefed about the measures already taken including the decision to construct a new fishing harbour at Mookaiyur in Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu and the capacity building programme for Indian fishermen on deep sea fishing.

The next JWG meeting will be held in Colombo in April 2017.
Patna, Jan 2 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday offered prayers at Takht Sri Harmandir Sahib, the birthplace of the 10th Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh.

Kejriwal has become one of the first senior leaders to visit the shrine during the 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh.

"I have visited the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh for his blessings," the Aam Aadmi Party leader told the media.

Kejriwal drove from Patna airport to the gurdwara, located about 10 km from Patna.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and former Punjab Chief Minister Amrinder Singh are also likely to visit the shrine on January 4.

The main function of holding special prayers and 'kirtan' will be held on January 5, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

The government expects more than five lakh devotees to visit Patna for the event.

Guru Gobind Singh was born on December 22, 1666. He was annointed the supreme leader of the Sikhs at the age of nine, becoming the last of the living Sikh gurus.
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 2 : Kerala figures at number eight in the "12 destinations to watch in 2017" by Britain's largest and prominent travel and tours operators association.

The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) has ranked Kerala higher than premier destinations like the US, Sardinia (island of Italy), South Africa and Vietnam. The list also features Andalucia (Spain), the Azores islands (of Portugal), Bermuda, Chile, Croatia and Denmark.

The rankings consist of locations that are expected to capture traveller's imaginations over the next year.

"This latest recognition of Kerala's stature as a must visit destination is a matter of pride for us and bodes well for the year ahead," said state Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran.

Among the not to miss experiences of the state mentioned in the report is a journey through the placid backwaters in the traditional houseboat, the life of the local people, spice plantations and forests.

There is also a special mention of the rejuvenating touch of Kerala's traditional ayurveda therapies.

"Making the list signifies an excellent start to the year and will add momentum to our ongoing efforts to promote and showcase Kerala around the world. This is especially important in Britain, which is our primary source market for tourists," said Principal Secretary, Tourism, V. Venu.

In 2015, Kerala received 1,66,792 tourists from Britain, which accounted for a 17.06 per cent share of the total foreign tourist arrivals to the state.

The predictive ranking by ABTA, whose members reportedly sell 32 billion euros worth of holidays and other travel arrangements every year, suggests the outlook for the state will remain bright.

"Kerala's prominent ranking in the ABTA list suggests that the trend of higher tourist footfalls from Britain to continue this year," said Kerala Tourism Director U.V. Jose.
New Delhi, Jan 2 : The Supreme Court on Monday sought government's response on delay in the transfer of judges from one High Court to another as recommended by the top court collegium.

The bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud sought the government response as it was told that several recommendations of the top court collegiums including the transfer of Gujarat High Court judge Justice M.R.Shah were pending since February 22, 2016.

Drawing the attention of the court on the government sitting on the transfer and appointment of judges, senior counsel Ram Jethmalani told the court that "just see what is happening with the administration of justice.A Executive has to be necessarily taught a lesson".

Responding to the criticism of the government for dragginbg its feet on the judges appointments and transfer, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the court that in November 2016, they had cleared all and nothing is pending.

"Collegium has reiterated 37 names for appointment as judges that were returned by the government. It would take six weeks to process them and that six weeks are coming to an end today," he added.

Taking a dig at Attorney General Rohatgi's submission that procedure was being followed, senior counsel Yatin Ozha said that procedure seems to be quite vague.

While the file of Justice Shah for transfer from Gujarat High Court to Madhya Pradesh High Court is pending on the table of an official in PMO since February 22, 2016, many recommendations made prior to it, simultaneously with it or even latter have been given effect to, he said.

For a long time now the government is sitting the transfer of the Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court Justice K.M. Joseph to the Hyderabad High Court. As a consequence the transfer of Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court Justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee as Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court is not taking place, which is, in turn, affecting the transfer of a judge as Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court.

The court has given the government two weeks time to place its response and reasons for delay in the transfer of judges.
New Delhi, Jan 2 : The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that seeking votes on the basis of religion, race, caste or language of a candidate or a rival or of the voters is illegal. It said election was a secular exercise and elected representatives too have to work on secular lines.

Most political parties as well as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Jamat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) hailed the ruling. The dissenting voice came from within the bench.

A Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice T.S. Thakur was split 4:3, with three of seven judges not agreeing with the narrow majority.

The majority judgement came from Chief Justice Thakur, Justice Madan B. Lokur, Justice S.A. Bobde and Justice L. Nageswara Rao.

The majority ruling said mixing of State activities with religion was not permissible, pointing out that the relationship between man and God was an individual choice.

The court said this while interpreting Section 123(3) of the Representation of People's Act, 1951, that spells out corrupt practices.

Chief Justice Thakur said: "The elections to the state legislature or to Parliament or for that matter or any other body in the state is a secular exercise just as the functions of the elected representatives must be secular in both outlook and practice.

"Suffice it to say that the Constitutional ethos forbids mixing of religions or religious considerations with the secular functions of the State. This necessarily implies that interpretation of any statute must not offend the fundamental mandate under the Constitution.

"An interpretation which has the effect of eroding or diluting the constitutional objective of keeping the State and its activities free from religious considerations, therefore, must be avoided," he added.

While agreeing that seeking votes by invoking religion, race, caste, community and language was a corrupt practice, the dissenting judgement by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit said prohibiting people in electoral fray from speaking about the legitimate concerns of the people reduced democracy to abstraction.

Pointing out that there should be no judicial drafting of the law, Justice Chandrachud, speaking for the minority group, observed that there was also no law that barred dialogue and discussion on issues that concerned voters and the same should not be construed as an appeal to gain votes.

"No form of government is perfect. The actual unfolding of democracy and the working of a democratic constitution may suffer from imperfections. But these imperfections cannot be attended to by an exercise of judicial redrafting of a legislative provision. Hence, we hold that there is no necessity for this court to take a view at variance with what has been laid down," he said.

Many political parties and religious bodies welcomed the ruling.

Communist Party of India leader D. Raja said the court had sent out a strong message.

"One will have to wait to find out if the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh) and other Sangh Parivar outfits and various fundamentalist groups will abide by this ruling," Raja told IANS.

Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi told IANS that the ruling was vital in the wake of "religious and caste equations" dominating politics. "Some parties have made religion and caste part of their ideology. This needed to be discouraged."

Rashtriya Janata Dal spokesman Manoj Jha said the ruling would help in "curing an anomaly" created by an earlier verdict by the apex court.

"I believe this is a milestone moment for Indian politics and public life," said Jha, while pointing to the 1995 verdict by Justice J.S. Verma-headed bench.

The court then held that seeking votes in the name of Hinduism was not a "corrupt practice" , which would result in setting aside the election of the winning candidates.

Trinamool Congress MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said: "We welcome the verdict that establishes elections to be a secular exercise."

The VHP said the politics based on caste, community and religion had harmed the country.

"We welcome the decision of the Supreme Court," its International General Secretary Surendra Jain told IANS, adding politics based on caste, language, region or religion had "harmed our nation very much" and that "national integration has also been damaged by this practice".

The Jamat said the prohibition to use religion to gain votes should be strictly implemented.

"Although the Supreme Court ruling is not something new as the existing law already bars people from stoking communal sentiments to get votes, this order should be implemented in letter and spirit," its Secretary General Mohammed Salim Engineer told IANS.
Mumbai, Jan 2 : Cracking the whip, Maharashtra has decided to sack 477 government doctors who have remained absent from duty after joining the service, some for nearly 15 years, a state minister said on Monday.

"We have decided to act against them," said Health and Family Welfare Minister Deepak Sawant.

Many doctors, who were appointed by the government for its hospitals or clinics across the state, went missing after joining services and are usually referred to as "absconders".

Sawant said that a whopping 581 such 'absconders' have been identified by his ministry and out of them, the services of 104 have already been terminated.

"They (such doctors) come, appear for the interviews, collect their appointment letters and join the department. After a few days, they just leave. We are not able to stop them, nor can the courts. Ideally, they should submit their resignation before going," he said.

The government has informed the Maharashtra Medical Education Department and Maharashtra Medical Council who will decide the future course of action against these medicos.

"Out of these 581 doctors, some of them have not reported for duty for 10-12 years and others for 12-15 years. They have'nt rpt have'nt been paid salaries during the period of absence," noted Sawant.

While a majority of these cases are mainly from the rural areas, the process of issuing notices has already been taken up, even making a request to them to rejoin duties.

Responding to the notices, some of them said they preferred to switch over to lucrative private practice, or taken up better job offers in different hospitals, while it came to be known that a few left the country for higher studies or employment. Some others just ignored the government communication.

The matter was raised in the Maharashtra legislature on several occasions in the past and the government had assured strict action against the 'absconder' medicos.

The government is also toying with the idea of approaching the Medical Council of India to suspend the licences of these 'absconders' to serve as a warning to other potential defaulters.

Department officials said that such irresponsible behaviour created immense difficulties for the government in providing medical services and facilities to the poor and people in moffussil areas.

Since the appointed medicos continued to remain on the records, the government could not show new vacancies or make fresh appointments, due to which the existing staff were under severe strain.
Haldia (West Bengal), Jan 2 : Battery maker Exide Industries on Monday said that its sales in the replacement market have not impacted due to demonetisation, but its two-wheeler OEM battery sales have dipped 30 percent in December.

Asked about the impact of demonetisation, company MD and CEO G. Chatterjee said: "In motorcycles, we have seen the sales of OEM (original equipment manufacturer) have dipped by 30 percent in December. Since there is one to one correlation, our sales also down by same in the segment in the month of December.

"We have not felt any impact in the sales for replacement market," he said.

Inaugurating the new plant at the company's factory here, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee assured the battery maker for providing 25 acres of land from Haldia Development Authority( HDA).

"After getting the land from HDA, we will set up a smelting plant there with an investment of Rs 120 crore," Chatterjee said.

Built in technical collaboration with East Penn Manufacturing Company of the US and at a capital investment of Rs 700 crore, the new plant will use "punched grid technology" to manufacture the technically advanced lead acid storage batteries in the country.

"With the implementation of new technology, we will manufacture batteries for car. We will invest additional Rs 300 crore in a period of 18 months starting from next April to manufacture batteries for motorcycles," he said.

The new range of batteries will not only be a lot more robust, being manufactured in a modern plant with advanced robotics and automation, the manufacturing process will also eliminate human errors to a large extent, said Chatterjee.

Established in 1981, the Haldia factory which contributes 30 per cent of company's business produces both automotive as well as industrial batteries in its 41 acres site.

For expansion in Haldia factory, the company has been looking for 25 acres of land adjacent to the existing factory.

"We are in talks with Kolkata Port Trust for this," Chatterjee added.

Currently, Haldia plant's capacity is 2.2 million batteries annually. With the implementation of new technology, the capacity will be 3.5 million from the next fiscal, he said.

The battery maker's other manufacturing factories are located in Shyamnagar in West Bengal, Hosur in Tamil Nadu, Chinchwad, Ahmednagar and Taloja in Maharashtra, Bawal in Haryana, Pune, Uttaranchal and Bengaluru.
By Press Trust of India: Dubai, Jan 2 (PTI) An eight-year-old Indian girl was able to hear sounds for the first time since she was born after a cochlear implant procedure was performed on her in the UAE.

After a two-week break to recover from the operation, Nafiya returned to a hospital for a follow up where the cochlear implant was activated for the first time by Muhammed Ayas, senior audiologist at the University Hospital Sharjah.

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Ahmad Munzer Al Waa, Head of ENT Department, said: "This was the first cochlear implant procedure at UHS and more similar operations will be conducted as there is an increasing number of infants who are born with hearing impairments."

Ayas said: "An electrode is implanted in the inner ear where the child is able to hear sounds for the first time and that the sounds Nafiya hears are new through the cochlear implant and gradually with the help of special software sounds are adjusted to near normal level. This would eventually help her hear all the sounds and cope up with the communication demands. Cochlear implants are designed for patients who cannot hear even with a hearing aid".

A cochlear implant costs about Dh150,000.

"Some children will cry, while others will laugh," Munzer was quoted as saying by the Khaleej Times.

The operation can also be performed on adults and it is much easier for these patients to adjust as their speech has already developed. PTI UZM NSA UZM

--- ENDS ---
Kolkata, Jan 2 : A middle-aged woman was grievously injured in an incident of acid attack in West Bengal's West Midnapore district, police said on Monday.

"A 30-year old widow was attacked with acid by a lover in West Midnapore district's Ghatal region on Sunday," said Chitta Paul, officer in-charge of Ghatal police station.

Police said that the woman was attacked by her lover after their relationship deteriorated.

"The widow was involved in an illicit affair with a local man who works in Odisha. The man came to the village last week and attacked the woman with acid following breakdown in their relationship," the officer said.

The victim sustained serious injuries in the head, face and shoulder. She is admitted to SSKM Hospital in Kolkata.

Police said the accused could not be arrested yet as he might have fled to Odisha after the incident.

"We are still looking for the accused. It seems he might have fled to Odisha. We are also questioning the man's family in the village," the officer added.
New Delhi, Jan 2 : As 2017 began, wildlife crime accelearated with multiple cases of poaching and seizures of protected and vulnerable species, including hundreds of turtles in West Bengal and sambars in Karnataka.

In a major catch, 1,625 Indian softshell turtles were seized from Burdwan district in West Bengal by the state police and four people were arrested. The seizures were done late on January 1 night and the animals along with those arrested were handed over the state forest department.

"This is the second such seisure of Indian Softshell Turtles in the state. On December 29, 1,850 tutles were seized in the same district," Sujit Kumar Das, ADFO Burdwan Forest Division told IANS.

Both animals and poachers arrested on the two days prima facie belonged to the state of Uttar Pradesh and the consignment was destined to Basirhat in North 24 Parganas District.

"Out of 1,625 turles, 1105 were alive and rest died. On Decmber 29, out of 1,859, 450 turtles died," Das said.

He added that on interogation, the arrested men said told that they loaded the turtles from Varanasi and Sultanpur districts of Uttar Pradesh. The Indian or Gangetic Softshell Turtles are vulnerable and given high degree of protection under Shedule 1 of the India's Wildlife Protection Act (WPA) 1972.

Showing some serious security flaws of Indian forests, 11 men with the carcasses of two adult sambars were arrested by the Forest Department from Bhadra Tiger Reserve in Karnataka.

"The hunting was done in the national park, one adult male and female were killed and the hunters chopped off the head of one of the deer claiming 'halaal'. We arrested 11 men who hail from Bengaluru and ceased three vehicles," Sharna Basapta, Assistant Conservator of Forest, Karnataka told IANS.

The Indian sambar is also vulnerable and listed under Schedule 3 of the WPA, though their hunting is still illegal.

In a first this year, a leopard skin was seized from Odisha on January 1, the Wildlife Protection Society of India informed.

The leopards and tiger poaching remained at an all-time high in 2015, with al least 436 leopards dead and 154 cases of hunt or skin and claws seizures.

"The hunt must have been done previously. The skin was ceased from Mayurbhanj district of Odisha," Tito Joseph of WPSI told IANS.

Meanwhile, near Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, a carcasses, which in prima facie seemed that of a blackbuck was discovered by the state forest department.

"It seemed to be of a blackbuck which was hunted down, but to be sure, we have sent the remains to Jabalpur for testing," a forest official said.

Another incident in which 14 kgs of deer meat was seized from a person from Seony Division of Madhya Pradesh earlier on January 1 was also reported.

In Rajasthan, a porcupine and two patridges were poached from Jodhpur district and six peacocks from Bhilwada district, WPSI informed.

Meanwhile, 15 men, all tourists, were arrested with weapons and meat while camping in the protected forest area from Lansdowne Forest Division in Uttarakhand. The meat was sent to the lab for testing and their weapons and vehicles were confiscated.

(Kushagra Dixit can be contacted at kushagra.d@ians.in)
Thiruvananthapuram, January 02 : Vigilance director Jacob Thomas on Monday ordered a quick verification (QV) probe against minister for fisheries and cashew industry J Mercykutty Amma.

The decision to order QV came on a complaint filed against the minister by one P Rahim alleging corruption to the tune of Rs. 10.34 crore in the procurement of raw cashew by the Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation (KSCDC) in the months of August and September.

The QV will also cover allegations of involvement of the ministers husband B Thulaseedhara Kurup in the alleged corruption.

The minister told reporters that she welcomed the probe.

The corruption charges against the minister were first raised by opposition legislator V D Satheesan in the assembly.

Satheesan had alleged that the Kerala Cashew Workers Apex Industrial Cooperative Society (Capex) had turned down a tender to procure Ivory Coast raw nuts citing exorbitant price quoted in the tender.

However, capex later accepted another tender for raw nuts that quoted a higher price than the previous tender, thus incurring a loss, he had alleged.

The minister had then rubbished the allegations and had offered to quit if the charges against her were proven.

Mercykutty Amma had reasoned that Satheesans allegations stemmed from a misunderstanding.

Satheesan had confused the procurement price quoted in rupees with the price recorded on the tender, which was in dollars, she had said.
Kolkata, Jan 2 : Union Minister Babul Supriyo said he is planning to file a defamation case against Trinamool Congress MP Tapas Paul for dragging his name in the Rose Valley chit fund scam.

"I am talking to my lawyers to file a stringent case of defamation against Tapas Paul for trying to malign my reputation. How can someone like him, who is in CBI custody, try to drag others in the case," Supriyo said.

Paul, who was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) last Friday, alleged that Supriyo was 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.

Terming those allegations as "crass", Supriyo on Sunday said Paul is being forced by his party, the Trinamool Congress, to make such statements.

"I know Tapas da (Paul) is being forced by his party to make such wild allegations. But he should not make such crass statements. He is already facing serious corruption charges," he said.

According to Trinamool Congress' national spokesperson Derek O'Brien's video post in Twitter, Supriyo termed himself as "a flower among the many flowers in Rose Valley".

Referring to his comments at the event earlier, Supriyo claimed his "light-hearted" comments does not prove his involvement in the scams.

"I always love to play with words. So I referred the celebrities as flowers at the New Year-eve party as many of them were present there. Why should such a light-hearted comment 'April fool' others," he said.
New Delhi, Jan 2 : The Ministry of External Affairs on Monday announced that the annual overseas Indians' gathering -- "Pravasi Bharatiya Divas" -- will be held from January 7-9 in Bengaluru.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) on January 8 in the presence of Prime Minister of Portugal Dr Antonio Costa, the chief guest at the convention.

On the opening day of the three-day convention, Minister of State for External Affairs Gen V.K. Singh (retd) will inaugurate the PBD exhibition, along with the Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah.

At a media briefing here on Monday, Secretary for Overseas Indian Affairs Dnyaneshwar M. Mulay said: "The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention is a very important platform for engagement of the government of India and the state governments with the overseas Indian community.

"The Pravasi Divas had traditionally been held on January 9 every year to commemorate the return of Mahatma Gandhi as 'Pravasi' from South Africa to India."

Currently, there are 3.12 crore overseas Indians globally, of which 1.34 crore are Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and 1.7 crore Non-Resident Indians (NRI).

Speaking on the decision to hold the convention once in two years, Mulay said the convention is becoming somewhat repetitive in nature, and therefore, the format has changed and now it would be held once in two years.

The theme for the upcoming convention, being organised in association with the government of Karnataka, is "Redefining engagement with Indian diaspora".

During the convention, on January 7 the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will be held, which will be inaugurated by Vijay Goel, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports.

The idea behind the move is to reconnect the diaspora youth with their roots and enhance their awareness about Indian culture.

More than 4,000 delegates are expected to attend the PBD convention.
Gandhinagar, Jan 2 : In an apparent show of strength, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat rang in the New Year by felicitating 8,000 of the 9,000 newly-elected Sarpanches (village panchayat heads), who it claimed owe allegiance to the party.

The village panchayat elections, which concluded last month, were held for around 9,000 of the over 10,000 panchayats in the state.

The elections, as per the convention, were held without party symbols, and both the BJP and the Congress had claimed success of candidates backed by them.

The ruling BJP, however, sought to demonstrate its supremacy with a colourful event at the party headquarters "Shree Kamalam" outside state capital Gandhinagar on Sunday.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and state party President Jitu Vaghani arrived at the venue in an open jeep, showering flowers on the newly-elected panchayat heads and scores of members. The winners were sporting BJP sashes.

Among the village heads honoured on the dais was Dhanjibhai Korat, who was elected from Mota Samadhiyala village in Una taluka of Amreli district -- the epicentre of the statewide Dalit agitation.

Korat's supporter Ramesh Sarvaiya, winner of the lone Scheduled Caste ward in the panchayat and relative of Balu Sarvaiya, one of the seven victims of the assault by "gau rakshaks" (cow protectors) last July, was also felicitated.

Besides Rupani and Vaghani, Union Ministers of State Parshottam Rupala and Haribhai Chaudhary, both from Gujarat, were also present.

Speaking on the occasion, Rupala asked the newly-elected Sarpanches to work for rural growth, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made special arrangements to ensure the grant for villages reach directly to the bank accounts of the Sarpanches.

He also said that each village panchayat will be getting Rs 25 lakh in five years from the Centre.

Vaghani said: "More than 8,000 Sarpanches, sporting BJP sashes, have been felicitated today (Sunday). This is the beginning of Congress's end in Gujarat... The beginning of 2017 indicates the end of Congress."
Vatican City, Jan 2 : Pope Francis on Monday tweeted "heartfelt wishes of peace to the worlds peoples and nations."

"At the beginning of this New Year, I offer heartfelt wishes of peace to the world's peoples and nations," he wrote on his nine-language @pontifex account which has over 30 million followers.

The tweet came as the Islamic State jihadist group on Monday claimed the deadly attack on a nightclub in Istanbul on New Year's Eve which Francis condemned his Angelus address in St Peter's Square on Sunday.

The pontiff asked God to help fight "the plague of terrorism and the bloody stain that envelops the world with a shadow of fear and bewilderment."

IS also claimed bombings in the Iraqi capital at the weekend that killed over 60 people.

In Syria, 18 civilians died on Sunday in air raids, shellings and bombings as a fragile three-day-old truce brokered by Russia and Turkey unravelled, according to the Syrian Human Observatory for Human Rights watchdog.
As the world leader in niche peristaltic pump and associated fluid path technologies, Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group (WMFTG) continues to expand its commitment to provide global support and local solutions for its customers in the biopharm, food and beverage, industrial, mining, and environmental sectors. The company has announced the opening of a new Canadian sales and support hub, Watson-Marlow Canada Inc. in Concord, Ontario, established to deliver Canadian customers full local sales support for customer service, engineering and supply of all WMFTG products.

The new Canadian office and warehouse is staffed by a team of specialists who will provide the complete range of WMFTG solutions, including Watson-Marlow peristaltic pumps and precision tubing; Bredel, rugged, high-flow hose pumps; low shear MasoSine sinusoidal pump technology; Flexicon aseptic filling and capping systems; ASEPCO aseptic valves; BioPure single-use connector systems; FlowSmart high purity sanitary products; and Alitea OEM peristaltic pump solutions. Existing Canadian customers in regulated industries will be pleased to know that there is no change in previously secured product validations, even though the WMFTG product will now be supplied through the new Canadian hub rather than from the United States.

Steve Lavargna, Sales and Marketing Director - Americas, notes, At WMFTG, we take great pride in innovating problem-solving pump and fluid path technologies that meet the critical needs of our customers. Our investment in Canada underpins our commitment to customer focus, delivering our customers the confidence and convenience of local expertise and support. Now operating from our Canadian hub, we look forward to enhancing our service to existing Canadian customers while reaching new markets and customers throughout the country.

Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group has a global network of operations including ten factories and 33 direct sales offices. WMFTG is part of the Spirax-Sarco Engineering Group plc and is headquartered in Falmouth, UK.

EDITORS NOTES

Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group (WMFTG) is the world leader in niche peristaltic pumps and associated fluid path technologies. Founded on nearly 60 years of supplying engineering and process expertise and with over one million pumps installed worldwide, our pumps are tried, tested and proven to deliver.

WMFTG is a wholly owned subsidiary of Spirax-Sarco Engineering plc (LSE: SPX), a global organization employing approximately 4,800 people worldwide. Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group comprises ten established brands, each with their own area of expertise, but together offering our customers an unrivalled breadth of solutions for their pumping applications:



Watson-Marlow Pumps: peristaltic tube pumps for biopharm and process industries

Watson-Marlow Tubing: precision tubing for pumping and other purposes, in a range of materials

Bredel: high flow, heavy duty hose pumps

Alitea: unique peristaltic solutions for OEM customers

Flexicon: aseptic filling and capping systems

MasoSine: gentle sinusoidal pumps for food, chemical and cosmetics applications

BioPure: advanced single-use tubing connector systems

ASEPCO: aseptic valves for the biopharmaceutical industry

FlowSmart: high purity sanitary gaskets, silicone transfer tubing and reinforced silicone hoses for the biopharmaceutical industry

Aflex Hose: specialises in the design and manufacture of PTFE-lined flexible hoses

Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group is an international operation based in Falmouth, Cornwall, UK. Watson-Marlow Fluid |Technology Group has offices in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, China, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Sharjah UAE, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, USA and Vietnam.
Novogradac & Company LLP, a national accounting and consulting firm, welcomes Nat Eng, Chris Jones, Andrea Killeen and Angie Taylor of the San Francisco office; Rachel Denton of the Kansas City, Mo., office; Bryan Hung of the Long Beach, Calif., office; and Amanda Read of the Cleveland office to the partnership. The firm, which specializes in affordable housing, community development, historic preservation and renewable energy tax credits and other areas, has 56 partners in 25 offices nationwide.

I am excited to announce that Amanda, Andrea, Angie, Bryan, Chris, Nat and Rachel have been promoted to partner, said Michael Novogradac, the firms managing partner. Their dedication to the firm and expertise in their respective fields has helped Novogradac & Company continue to be a leader in the tax credit, accounting and valuation industries, while continuing to find new ways to better serve our clients.

Ms. Denton works in the valuation, consulting, market research and government services division of Novogradac & Company LLP. Ms. Denton has extensive experience performing market feasibility studies, appraisals and consulting services for a broad cross-section of clients in the low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) industry, including developers, lenders, syndicators and state agencies. She also specializes in conducting regional or marketwide housing studies for various municipalities and agencies. Additional areas of expertise include the valuation and analysis of USDA Rural Development properties and those applying for FHA financing through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developments (HUDs) MAP program. Ms. Denton has spoken at Novogradac and other industry conferences, discussing HUD-specific valuation and market analysis issues, as well as Year 15 valuation concerns related to LIHTC properties. Ms. Denton has completed extensive real estate appraisal coursework through the Appraisal Institute and received a bachelors degree in urban and regional studies from Cornell University. Ms. Denton is a designated member of the Appraisal Institute and is licensed as a certified general real estate appraiser in several states.

Mr. Eng focuses on renewable energy transactions across a variety of technologies, including solar, wind and battery storage. He works with numerous renewable energy developers/sponsors, syndicators and investors by providing accounting, consulting and transaction advisory services. His consulting and transaction advisory skillset includes financial structuring and modeling expertise with integrated technical GAAP transactional and ongoing operational support for various industry participants. Before joining Novogradac & Company in 2009, he worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, specializing in banking and capital markets clients. Mr. Eng received a bachelors degree in accounting from Penn State University. He is licensed in California as a certified public accountant.

Mr. Hung specializes in providing audit, tax and consulting services in the real estate industry. Mr. Hung, who joined Novogradac & Company in 2005, has extensive experience working with real estate developers, community development entities (CDEs), syndicators, lenders and investors on structuring and preparing complex financial forecasts for new markets tax credit (NMTC), historic rehabilitation tax credit (HTC) and renewable energy tax credit (RETC) transactions. He received a double bachelors degree in accounting and business administration with an emphasis in finance from the University of Southern California. Mr. Hung is licensed as a certified public accountant in California.

Mr. Jones joined the firm in 2004 as an accounting specialist, working in the accounts payable function. He joined Novogradac & Company after a brief stint at a securities brokerage firm. Mr. Jones served in assistant controller and then controller roles. Mr. Jones assumed the Chief Financial Officer position in 2015 and he plays a critical role in the management of the internal accounting and marketing departments. Mr. Jones provides operational support to the firm and works closely with other support departments on strategic initiatives as they relate to budget management and financial forecasting. In addition, he works with the firms marketing and information technology departments to create improved operational efficiency. Mr. Jones graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a bachelors degree in business administration. He is licensed in California as a certified public accountant.

Ms. Killeen is experienced in providing audit, tax and consulting services to a wide range of real estate clients including, real estate developers, investors, NMTC clients, HTC industry clients, vineyard and winery clients and high-net-worth individuals. Ms. Killeen also specializes in cost segregation studies and IRC 1031 exchanges. Ms. Killeen received a bachelors degree in business economics with an emphasis in accounting from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is licensed in California as a certified public accountant.

Ms. Read provides a wide range of services to community development entities (CDEs), including transaction structuring, development and implementation of internal compliance policies and procedures, bookkeeping, monthly loan servicing and asset management, compliance review and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund reporting. She assists her clients in transaction structuring, financial modeling, NMTC compliance and reporting. Ms. Reads experience includes working with complex financing for community development real estate developments, including using NMTCs, HTCs, public/private partnerships, and other federal, state and local tax credits and incentives. She is also a frequent speaker at the preconference workshops at the firms NMTC conferences. In addition to her NMTC practice, Ms. Read also focuses on the LIHTC, providing consulting services for real estate developers with an emphasis in the areas of real estate partnership audit and taxation. Ms. Read received a bachelors degree in accounting from the University of Akron. She is licensed in Ohio as a certified public accountant.

Ms. Taylor provides tax compliance, planning and consulting services for multistate partnerships, closely held corporations, trusts and high-net-worth individuals. Ms. Taylor is also experienced in the taxation of wineries and vineyards. Before joining Novogradac & Company, she spent more than three years with a CPA firm specializing in audit, tax and consulting services for construction contractors and high-net-worth individuals. Ms. Taylor received a bachelors degree in business administration with an accounting emphasis from California State University, Fresno and is currently pursuing her masters degree at Golden Gate University. She is licensed in California as a certified public accountant.

Novogradac & Company LLP began operations in 1989 and has since grown to more than 500 employees and partners with offices in San Francisco, San Rafael, Walnut Creek and Long Beach, Calif.; Dover, Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio; St. Louis; Boston; New York; Chicago; Austin and Dallas, Texas; Portland, Ore.; Naples, Fla., Raleigh, N.C.; Toms River and Iselin, N.J.; and the greater metropolitan areas of Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta; Detroit; Kansas City, Mo.; and Seattle. Specialty practice areas include tax, audit and consulting services for tax-credit-assisted affordable housing, community revitalization, rehabilitation of historic properties and renewable energy. Other areas of expertise include business valuation, preparation and analysis of market studies and appraisals of multifamily housing and renewable energy investments.

For additional information on Novogradacs personnel and areas of expertise, visit http://www.novoco.com or call (415) 356-8000.
Broadway Treatment Center At the root of all addiction there is pain, start your path to happiness now (714) 443 8218

Each year, the Best Businesses of Huntington Beach Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Huntington Beach area a great place to live, work and play.

The Best Businesses of Huntington Beach Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Huntington Beach area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.

The Best Businesses of Huntington Beach Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. The organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Their mission is to recognize the small business communitys contributions to the U.S. economy.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2016 Best Businesses of Huntington Beach Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Best Businesses of Huntington Beach Award Program and data provided by third parties.

Addiction is one of the fastest growing epidemics to spread across the country today. The number of American families experiencing firsthand what it is like to see a loved one struggling with addiction is at an all-time high. Addiction truly is a family disease. It not only effects the person who is battling the addiction first hand, but it touches the lives of all their surrounding loved ones. Broadway Treatment Center has been working diligently on fighting the battle against drug and alcohol addiction for over 4 years, one successful sobriety journey at a time. The care and compassion they provide to their clients is unmatched in the industry.

Broadway Treatment Centers is one of the fastest growing substance abuse recovery centers in Southern California. They have expanded by over 200 % since their start in 2012, and are continuing to grow. Their multidisciplinary approach to addiction recovery is ever expanding with newly added therapies and constantly improving technologies. The addition of new and innovative services is part of their larger goal of being able to provide problem specific treatment options so they can personally accommodate each and every one of their clients. For more information regarding Broadway Treatment Center view their YouTube video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QacJekBzEH4

Broadway Treatment Center has been a leader and vanguard in the treatment of addiction, offering traditional, contemporary, and alternative techniques to their clientele. The Huntington Beach drug and alcohol rehab facility offers treatment programs to everyone from heroin addicts to alcoholics, across the continuum of care. Broadway Treatment Center was one of the first to incorporate pet-friendly services that encourages clients to bring their pets to treatment, as well as a couples drug rehab that enables couples a chance to get clean and sober together.

For more information on Broadway Treatment Center.

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https://broadwaytreatmentcenter.com/contact-us/

(714) 443-8218
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the Istanbul nightclub terror attack on New Year's Eve, that killed 39 people and injured over 40.

Turkish police stand guard outisde the Reina nightclub by the Bosphorus, which was attacked by a gunman.

By Reuters: Islamic State claimed responsibility today for a New Year's Day mass shooting in a packed Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people, an attack carried out by a lone gunman who remains at large.

The jihadist group made the claim in a statement on one of its Telegram channels, a method it has used to claim attacks in the past. There was no immediate comment from Turkish officials.

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"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," the statement said.

NATO member Turkey is part of the US-led coalition against Islamic State and launched an incursion into Syria in August to drive the radical Sunni militants from its borders.

THE GUNMAN REMAINS AT LARGE

The authorities believe the assailant may be from a Central Asian nation and suspect he had links to Islamic State, Turkey's Hurriyet newspaper said. Police distributed a hazy black-and-white photo of the alleged attacker taken from security footage.

The shooting at the Reina nightclub on the shores of Istanbul's Bosphorus waterway 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.

PEOPLE DUCKED, DIVED TO SAVE THEMSELVES

Some people jumped into the Bosphorus to save themselves after the attacker began shooting at random just over an hour into the new year. Witnesses described diving under tables as he walked around spraying bullets from an automatic rifle.

Nationals of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon, Libya, Israel, India, 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.

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".

Also read: 2 Indians killed in Istanbul nightclub terror attack, tweets Sushma Swaraj

Also read: Istanbul nightclub terror attack: Toll rises to 39, says Turkish Interior Minister

Watch the video here

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Amish craftsman at Weaver Wagons selected Vycom's Celtec for their widely used wagons. Emery Weaver says he is very impressed with the workability and performance of Vycom's Celtec and the resulting smooth, attractive finish he can create with it.--Mark Rambach, DSI Sales Manager

Amish craftsman Emery E. Weaver of Weaver Wagons in Mount Eaton, Ohio, has selected Vycoms Celtec Expanded PVC for trim and accent pieces on their high-end, horse-drawn wagons. Sold for use in tourism hubs like New York Citys famed Central Park and downtown Las Vegas, the wagons come in a variety of sizes and painted finishes and can sell for as much as $25,000. Weaver chose Celtec because it is easier to work with than materials he had used previously and more readily accepts a smooth, lasting finish.

Celtec is designed for use in a large range of projects, including point of purchase displays, signage, art, storage, store fixtures, exhibits/kiosks, dimensional lettering and display boards. The lightweight material is easy to fabricate, paint and laminate. The smaller cell structure of Celtec Expanded PVC provides optimal density for improved edge finishing and superior screw and staple retention, making it easy to work with.

Two years ago, Weaver was using medium density overlay for the trim and accent pieces of his wagons. However, that material was not lying flat and made applying a finish difficult. He met with Mark Rambach, sales manager from Distributor Service, Inc. (DSI), in Millersburg, Ohio, who recommended Celtec because it would better meet his needs. Weaver sends the material to a traditional mill to be cut and shaped by a CNC router, then he and other Amish craftsmen finish and install the components on the wagons. The wagons range from a standard buggy and covered style used by early settlers, to super-sized wagons that Clydesdale horses pull.

According to Rambach, Emery says he is very impressed with the workability and performance of Celtec and the resulting smooth, attractive finish he can create with it.

Celtec comes in a wide range of thicknesses and in a full line of standard colors, with custom colors available upon request. DSI is a wholesaler of Celtec Expanded PVC in all of its eight locations. To learn more about Celtec, visit the Vycom website at http://www.vycomplastics.com.

# # #

About Vycom

Vycom, a division of CPG International, is dedicated to maintaining an environment where quality meets performance. Vycom offers the largest range of products, capabilities and inventory for all your Olefin and PVC needs. For more information, visit http://www.vycomplastics.com.
Kareena is reportedly helping Sara, who is "very excited" about the birth of Taimur, prepare for her Bollywood debut.

By India Today Web Desk: It is widely known that Saif Ali Khan's daughter Sara gets along with Kareena Kapoor Khan like a house on fire. Kareena had even told Filmfare, "We're like best friends. Saif refuses to come out with us. She's my bar hopping partner. I enjoy my equation with her."

PHOTOS: Saif-Kareena host a Christmas bash, Sara Ali Khan and Ibrahim steal the show

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ALSO READ: Saif's advice to daughter Sara before joining Bollywood is all the inspiration you need today

ALSO READ: Saif's daughter Sara to debut with SRK's son Aryan and not Hrithik?

Now, if a column in Open Magazine is to be believed, Bebo is helping Sara with her big-screen debut as well. The two recently partied together on Christmas, and pictures of Kareena with Sara and Ibrahim went viral on social media. While Ibrahim chose to keep it simple with his grey tee, Sara wore a black lace top with a blingy pencil skirt and Kareena opted for a red midi dress.

According to the report, Sara and Ibrahim are "very excited" about having a little brother and have been very supportive of their father and Kareena.

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By PTI: Bengaluru, Dec 31 (PTI) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today said the state government has released Rs 862 crore for drought relief measures.

"We are not sitting quiet waiting for funds from the central government. We have already released Rs 862 crore for drought relief measures," Siddaramaiah said.

He said Rs 400 crore has been released for drinking water and fodder for cattle, and Rs 325 crore is already available with the District Deputy Commissioners.

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Maintaining that the state was reeling under severe drought, the Chief Minister said there is scarcity of drinking water with no adequate water in reservoirs and lakes being dried up.

"District Deputy Commissioners have been directed to take adequate measures in ensuring the availability of drinking water and fodder for cattle," he told reporters.

Karnataka is reeling under successive years of drought, and the state government has already declared 139 taluks in 29 districts as drought-hit.

The Chief Minister had earlier said the state has incurred an estimated loss of Rs 25,000 crore this year due to severe drought.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had yesterday assured the all-party delegation led by Siddaramaiah that 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. Speaking about the meeting with the Prime Minister, Siddaramaiah said in a few districts there was damage to crops due to floods, for which Rs 386 crore had been sought as relief. Pointing out to the deficit rainfall, he said state has efficiently implemented job guarantee scheme and "we have requested Union governments support in making this more effective to support drought affected families." On the Mahadayi river water dispute with Goa, Siddaramaiah said during the meeting with Prime Minister "we have requested his intervention, as the court has provided an opportunity for finding a solution through discussion, and it was also informed to him about Karnataka legislatures resolution seeking his intervention."

He said "Prime Minister heard us, but did not give any assurance. BJP members in the delegation remained silent, only Ananth Kumar (Union Minister) said they have had discussions with Goa and Maharashtra Chief Ministers." PTI KSU RA BN RBS

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The Morrison police are seeking information regarding "an explosive device" that caused damage to a mailbox at a residence at 615 West Lincolnway, Morrison, Illinois.

The explosion occurred in the early morning hours of Dec. 28, according to a new release from Morrison Police Department.

The Whiteside County Sheriffs Office, Illinois State Police Crime Scene Investigations Unit and the United States Postal Inspection Services (USPIS) are assisting with the ongoing investigation.

Morrison Police Department asks that anyone with helpful information contact them at 815-772-7659 or Whiteside County Crime Stoppers at 877-625-7867.

Crime Stoppers offers a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest, according to the release. Callers can remain anonymous.

The USPIS is also offering a reward of $500 for information that leads to an arrest. The USPIS can be reached at 1-877-876-2455.

Destruction of Letter Boxes or Mail is a federal criminal offense and is punishable by imprisonment up to three years, fines up to $250,000 or both.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has issued an Order of Prohibition barring Larry C. Henson, former president of Valley Bank of Moline and Ft. Lauderdale, and Freedom Bank of Sterling, from future involvement in banking.

The ruling was made in November and just recently posted to the FDIC website. The action cited violations, unsafe or unsound practices and/or breaches of fiduciary duty. The action comes in the wake of a lawsuit filed by two former shareholders of the failed Valley Bank of Moline in late October against the FDIC, claiming it negligently allowed a convicted criminal to serve as chief executive officer and chairman of the bank.

Brian Tugana, of Clinton, Iowa, and Russell Weaver, of The Villages, Fla., sued the FDIC on one count each of negligence. They are seeking $4,838,500 and $2 million, respectively, according to documents filed Oct. 21, 2016 in U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois.

According to the 3-page Order of Prohibition, Mr. Henson was advised of his right to a hearing on the alleged charges but waived those and consented to the issuance of the order by the FDIC "without admitting or denying any violations, unsafe or unsound banking practices and/or any breaches of fiduciary duty."

According to the order, the FDIC determined that Mr. Henson engaged in banking practices which resulted in financial loss or other damage to the three named institutions.

"The FDIC further determined that such violations, practices and/or breaches of fiduciary duty demonstrate Respondent's unfitness to serve as a director, officer, person participating in the conduct of affairs or as an institution-affiliated part of the banks, any other uninsured depository institution ..."

The order was issued Nov. 15, 2016 by Patricia A. Colohan, associate director, FDIC division of risk management supervision.

Mr. Henson served as CEO of Valley Bank Illinois and chairman of Valley Bank's board of directors. He also was president, CEO and board chairman of River Valley Bancorp, Inc., the holding company of Valley Bank Illinois, according to the lawsuit.

Mr. Henson was convicted in 1995 of violating laws pertaining to availability of public information. Sentenced to one year of probation and 150 hours of community service, he also had to resign from the two banking institutions he worked for at the time.

The lawsuit alleges Mr. Tugana, Mr. Weaver and other shareholders were not notified prior to buying River Valley Bancorp, Inc. common shares that Mr. Henson was a convicted criminal barred from working for an insured depository institution.

The lawsuit says Mr. Henson "entered into several risky commercial real estate loans and acquisition development and construction loans" and invested in private label mortgage-backed securities that resulted in an approximate net loss of $51 million and caused the failure of Valley Bank Illinois in June 2014.

In September 2009, FDIC issued its first Cease and Desist Order citing the bank for unsound banking practices and ordering changes. Other orders followed and Mr. Henson was forced out as bank president in 2013. A year later, June 2014, Valley Bank was taken over by FDIC regulators. Great Southern Bank, of Springfield, Mo., assumed all of the deposits of Valley Bank. At that time, Valley Bank  created in 1923  had 13 branches and $456.4 million in assets.
Today is Monday, Jan. 2nd, the 2nd day of 2017. There are 363 days left in the year.

1867 -- 150 years ago: A gentleman of this city thought he heard robbers in his premises last night and jumped from bed, grabbed his double barreled shotgun, tripped over a chair and pulled both triggers, creating a magnificent hole in the ceiling and barely missing occupants of an upstairs bedroom.

1892 -- 125 years ago: T. J. Robinson was re-elected president of Rock Island National Bank.

1917 -- 100 years ago: S.B. Davis was elected high priest of Chapter 18, royal Arch Masons.

1942 -- 75 years ago: Pvt. Arthur Selhost, of Rock Island, a member of the Illinois Reserve Militia, stood guard on a very cold night along the Mississippi riverbank.

1967 -- 50 years ago: Jack Ruby, the slayer of accused presidential assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, died today in Parkland Hospital, where he had been suffering from cancer since Dec. 9.

1991 -- 25 years ago: Megan Kay Melcher opened her eyes to a new life, a new day and a new year Wednesday morning. The first baby born in the Illinois Quad-Cities in 1992, 7-pound, 4-ounce Megan greeted her parents, Jami and John Melcher, of Geneseo, at 4:14 a.m. in United Medical Center.
When people run for public office, they always promise to make government more efficient and less expensive. Republican or Democrat, they say it every single time.

Then, if they win, they hope you forget they ever said it. Who? Me?

Making government more efficient and less expensive means stepping on toes. The abstract becomes specific. Jobs must be cut, budgets cut and fiefdoms wiped out. Most politicians, once elected, hate to step on toes.

Nobody should be surprised, then, that a plan hatched last summer to push the consolidation of redundant local government units, which is a particularly expensive problem in Illinois, is going nowhere. And it will continue to go nowhere unless the more principled elected officials and the public demand otherwise.

In July, Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a bill passed in the Legislature with bipartisan support that requires every county board in Illinois to submit a report listing redundant units of local government that could be dissolved or consolidated.

Maybe, for example, there are two road districts where one would do.

Or theres a fire protection district that exists only on paper because they contract to get service from a nearby town.

The county reports dont require them to consolidate anything; its just a way to get everyone focused on the possibilities.

The deadline for those reports was Jan. 1. But many counties didn't bother. Maybe they were so bogged down with government waste and inefficiency, given all those dinky and pointless units of government, that they havent had time to comply with the state law.

Real opportunities to save

The opportunities to save taxpayers money are real and substantial. Illinois has nearly 7,000 units of local government, far more than any other state.

Our state has elected township assessors who dont assess, local highway departments that have almost no highways and cemetery or water districts that youd be shocked to learn even exist. In Elgin, some residents are taxed by 16 different local government units.

Maybe we need another unit of government to hire accountants to help the poor people of Elgin figure out their tax bills.

Who knew, for example, that just outside Naperville for decades was the Century Hill Street Lighting District, which raised $17,000 a year in taxes to operate 77 streetlights? In June, the DuPage County Board dissolved it, turning over the assets and responsibilities to the countys Division of Transportation, which should be able to do the job just fine -- for less money.

DuPage officials say theyve saved about $80 million over three years by getting local governmental units to share services. Theyre also considering merging the DuPage Election Commission with the office of county clerk. In Cook County, voters decided on Nov. 8 to merge the recorder of deeds office into the county clerks office. In 2014, voters decided to dissolve Evanston Township, which had exactly the same borders as the city of Evanston.

We understand that taxpayers in some local government districts are happy with what they are getting and dont mind paying for it. They might not want a consolidated park district, for example, if that means a cut in services.

But myriad opportunities for consolidation and financial savings remain, without a reduction in service, among overlapping districts for mosquito-abatement, transit, schools, parks, libraries, waste-disposal, drainage, hospitals, fire protection, townships, municipalities, airports, lighting and sanitation.

Voters like the idea. In November, advisory referendums on consolidation passed in seven DuPage townships and one municipality.

All it takes is a willingness to step on toes.
Several readers sharply disagreed with my recent column that took Gov. Bruce Rauner to task for his budget strategy, even criticism from a savvy, insider Chicago Democrat who said I was too tough on the governor.

I have apparently failed to differentiate for readers between Rauners objectives, which I support, and his strategy, which I believe has failed. I subscribe to the old Will Rogers adage: If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.

I wish now I could have taken back that column before I sent it out, because I committed a cardinal sin of opinion writing: I didnt propose an alternative strategy, which I offer herewith.

Let me stipulate that Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan has been in that role way too long and must go.

Indeed, Madigan may suffer of the dastardly faults Rauner has leveled at him, though he is not quite alone the antichrist.

Over his tenure as speaker there have also been three Republican governors. It was also Republican legislative leaders who in the 1990s, when in power relatively briefly, changed the rules that gave Madigan, who simply continued those rules, many of his near-dictatorial powers.

Speaking of sins, Madigans biggest has been to ossify the democratic process in Illinois. Through his control he alone can block absolutely any legislators bill, even amendment, from ever being heard in the House.

So he should go. Yet holding the budget hostage, which is of apparently no interest to Madigan, wont make him go away.

Part of the governors strategy has been to pull liberal Democratic House members away from Speaker Madigan. The premise has been that the speakers unwillingness to compromise on a budget solution would cause intolerable harm to many of their often-poor constituents.

Rauner has not been successful in that as of yet, but he has accomplished one thing:

The governor has scared the bejesus out of many Democrat House members, who fear being tarred in the next election by Rauner and his money for associating with Madigan.

I ran the traps of my savvy insider lobbyist friends who have been creating political strategies for their clients for years. I wanted to see what they would propose for Rauner to get him and us out of our present damaging budget impasse. But they had little to offer. They have never, in decades of observing, seen the kind of incredibly bitter, mano-a-mano stand-off between political leaders we have at present.

So, I have come up with my own two-track strategy for the governor:

First, propose a balanced budget, with necessary tax increases, that will stabilize the states fiscal situation over the coming years.

Rauner should of course blame Madigan, whom the governor has successfully vilified among the voting public, for the tax increases, based on Madigans 30-plus years of profligate misrule.

Second, propose "The Rauner Turnaround Manifesto" (or some such moniker) in which Rauner creates a voting scorecard for each Dem lawmaker.

The scorecards would be a high-powered version of the old Friends of Labor and Friends of the Farm Bureau scorecards, which were influential in their day but are now probably irrelevant, as plutocratic big money has made parties and interest groups much less important.

Rauner & Co. would update the scorecard within each lawmaker's district regularly -- Rauner has shown he has the money to do this -- as to how the lawmaker voted on each issue, to wit:

-- Voted for Madigan as speaker, yet again;

-- Voted for the House rules that give Madigan dictatorial powers and block important legislation;

-- Voted against term limits;

-- Voted against meaningful redistricting reform;

-- Voted against workers compensation reforms;

-- Voted against tort reform;

-- Voted against property tax freeze.

Madigan would of course use parliamentary tricks to try to obfuscate such issues.

Yet Rauners forces in the House could seek to discharge their reform bills from the House speakers Rules Committee, efforts the Dems would oppose -- at their re-election peril. This would give Rauner the capacity to use his limitless money to blacken his opponents widely in their districts.

This might either cause some Democratic House members to break with Rauner or, if they failed to come around, to weaken them so much they could be beaten in the 2018 elections.
Were looking back on some of the cool stuff we brought you through the year, Radio Todays Greg Smith spoke to John Parikhal, if you missed it, check it out here. As Greg said: One of the most important principles Ive learnt over the years is to surround yourself with smart people.

John Parikhal is very smart.

Read Part 1 Here

Part 2 Here

and Part Three Here
Editors note: This story is taken from Ragan Communications distance-learning portal Ragan Training. The site contains hundreds of hours of case studies, video presentations and interactive courses.

Several years ago, when Dominos pizza relaunched its intranet, the worldwide company set up a wiki, forums and a blog to allow people at its franchises to pose questions and offer each other tips.

Everyone in the stores started sharing all this information back and forth, getting new ideas, says Stacie Barrett, manager of internal communications. We also discovered there were some big holes. People didnt understand why we were doing what we were doing up at the mother ship, which is not a good sign.

The realization was just one step in a process that prompted Dominos to transform its intranet into a more powerful, interactive tool for its global team. In a new Ragan Training session, Lessons learned: How Dominos tackled its intranet transformation, Barrett offers a behind-the-scenes peek and a few lessons from the pizzamakers journey.

Here are a few tips:

1. Explain yourself.
The Killid Group, January 1, 2017

By Abeda Moadeb Telayee

Burn injuries are very common, but there are simply not enough facilities to treat patients.

Shafiqa, 22, talks of her sister who died on the day of her engagement from burn injuries when the gas balloon stove of the family exploded. By the time she was rushed from a remote area of Ghazni province to the public Istiqlal Hospital in Kabul, the closest hospital to treat burn patients, she was dead while three others including two sisters-in-law were admitted with serious injuries.

The house was full of guests, and we borrowed a neighbours gas stove to cook. The gas caught fire, and exploded, says Shafiqa.

Istiqlal Hospital in the west of Kabul has admitted 600 patients in its 40-bed burns ward this year, 230 of them women. Dr Mohammad Sharif Yusufi in the hospitals burns and plastic surgery ward says 124 of the patients suffered horrific injuries from exploding gas balloons. Other common causes of burns are from boiling oil and water, electrical shocks and cases of either self-immolation or deliberate setting on fire.

Dr Yusufi says the hospital cannot cope with the numbers of patients. We dont have equipment or space, and fit 14 beds in a room for four, he says. He calls the problems chronic. We dont have workers to keep rooms clean and we get patients to buy most things we need from outside because we dont have medicines, not even bandages, he adds.

Killid sought the opinion of authorities in the Ministry of Public Health, and they expressed helplessness. Khuja Kamarudin Sidiqi, deputy public health minister, says there have always been problems as if to deny the responsibility of the present national unity government. Commenting on the shortage of medical professionals, the minister insists the ministry has frequently demanded the appointment of more staff, but the Ministry of Finance has not released funds.

Mohammad Saleem Rasouli, head of hospitals in Kabul, confirms patients are expected to buy their own medicines from outside because hospitals do not have the money. Rasouli admits that under the rules public hospitals should be providing free medical care.

Children

Apart from Istiqlal, the Indira Gandhi Childrens Hospital has a burns ward for the treatment of children under 12 years. In 2015, the hospital admitted 900 incidents of burns including 265 children under one year and 171 children between one and two years.

Dr Habibrahman Qasem, head of the hospitals burns ward, says cases of third degree burns are fortunately the least common.

Hajera, 3, is being treated for burns on both hands from an overturned pan of boiling milk. Her mother Nafas Gul says a year ago her daughter accidentally tipped over the pot while playing. Dadullah, another three year old, has been in hospital for the last three weeks with burns all over his body  the result of falling into a clay oven.

Dr Qasem says the hospital, which earlier had only two rooms and 16 beds, has been able to increase the number of rooms to six and beds to 40.

The only province with facilities to treat burn victims is Herat. The hospital was built 10 years ago with US help. Mohammad Rafeeq Sherzoy, the spokesperson, says 18 patients have been treated, all but one female. Earlier women patients were often victims of domestic abuse, or women who may have set themselves on fire in an attempt to commit suicide. The incidents have decreased by roughly half this year, says Dr Sherzoy. Patients who stay beyond a month in hospital have to buy their own medical supplies.
A female heart patient died on the floor with a drip attached to her as the hospital administration was unable to arrange a bed for her.

By India Today Web Desk: A 60-year-old woman was seen given a drip on the floor because the hospital she was taken to could not allot a bed for her.

In Lahore's Jinnah hospital, a female heart patient died after the hospital administration was unable to find a bed for her.

She was brought to Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) but the doctors referred her to Services hospital, reported Duniya News.

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The second hospital then referred her to Jinnah hospital due to non-availability of bed. But the family could not get a bed even at Jinnah hospital. The 60-year-old woman was made to lie down on the floor and was given a drip there.

She died later, reported Pakistan's Samaa TV.

HEARTBREAKING: 60 year old woman at a Lahore govt hospital was given a drip on the floor because no bed was available - she later died pic.twitter.com/SYvyUrHYYY omar r quraishi (@omar_quraishi) January 2, 2017

--- ENDS ---
ISTANBUL (AP) -- The Islamic State group on Monday claimed responsibility for the New Year's attack at a popular Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people and wounded scores of others.

Turkish police meanwhile detained eight people in connection to the attack but were still hunting for the gunman who disappeared amid the chaos of the attack.

The IS-linked Aamaq News Agency said the attack was carried out by a "heroic soldier of the caliphate" who attacked the nightclub "where Christians were celebrating their pagan feast."

It 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 IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The group described Turkey as "the servant of the cross" and also suggested it was in retaliation for Turkish military offensives against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.

"We let infidel Turkey know that the blood of Muslims that is being shed by its airstrikes and artillery shelling will turn into fire on its territories," the statement said.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency said eight people were taken into custody by Istanbul anti-terrorism squads and they are being questioned at Istanbul's main police headquarters. It did not provide further information on the suspects.

Earlier, Turkish media reports had said that Turkish authorities believed the IS group was behind the attack and that the gunman, who is still at large, is likely to be either from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan.

According to the Hurriyet and Karar newspapers, police had also established similarities with the high-casualty suicide bomb and gun attack at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport in June and was investigating whether the same IS cell could have carried out both attacks.

The gunman killed a policeman and another man outside the Reina club in the early hours of 2017 before entering and firing with an automatic rifle at an estimated 600 people partying inside.

Nearly two-thirds of the dead in the upscale club, which is frequented by local celebrities, were foreigners, Turkey's Anadolu Agency said. Many of them hailed from the Middle East.

Citing Justice Ministry officials, Anadolu reported that 38 of the 39 dead have been identified. The report said 11 of them were Turkish nationals, and one was a Turkish-Belgian dual citizen.

The report says seven victims were from Saudi Arabia; three each were from Lebanon and Iraq; two each were from Tunisia, India, Morocco and Jordan. Kuwait, Canada, Israel, Syria and Russia each lost one citizen.

Relatives of the victims and embassy personal were seen walking into an Istanbul morgue to claim the bodies.

Turkish officials haven't released the names of those identified.

The mass shooting followed more than 30 violent acts over the past year in Turkey, which is a member of the NATO alliance and a partner in the U.S.-led coalition fighting against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.

The country suffered multiple bombings in 2016, including three in Istanbul that authorities blamed on IS, a failed coup attempt in July and renewed conflict with Kurdish rebels in the southeast.

The Islamic State group claims to have cells in the country. Analysts think it was behind suicide bombings last January and March that targeted tourists on Istanbul's iconic Istiklal Street as well as the attack at Ataturk Airport in June, which killed 45 people. Authorities have said the three suicide bombers in the airport attack were Russia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan and there has been speculation that Akhmed Chatayev, a Chechen extremist known to be a top lieutenant in the IS militant group, may have directed the attack.

In August, Turkey sent troops and tanks into northern Syria, to clear a border area from the IS and also curb the territorial advances of Syrian Kurdish forces in the region. The incursion followed an IS suicide attack on an outdoor wedding party in the city of Gaziantep, near the border with Syria, that killed more than 50 people.

In December, IS released a video purportedly showing the killing of two Turkish soldiers and urged its supporters to "conquer" Istanbul. Turkey's jets regularly bomb the group in the northern Syrian town of Al-Bab. Turkish authorities haven't confirmed the authenticity of the video.

Last week, Turkey and Russia brokered a cease-fire for Syria that excludes the IS and other groups considered to be terrorist organizations.

On Monday, Anadolu said more than 100 Islamic State targets in Syria have been hit by Turkey and Russia in separate operations.

Citing the Turkish Chief of General Staff's office, Anadolu said Turkish jets struck eight IS group targets while tanks and artillery fired upon 103 targets near Al Bab, killing 22 extremists while destroying many structures. The Russian jets also attacked IS targets in Dayr Kak, eight kilometers (five miles) to the southwest of Al Bab.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the attacker left a gun at the club and escaped by "taking advantage of the chaos" that ensued. Some customers reportedly jumped into the waters of the Bosporus to escape the attack.

___

Bassem Mroue reported from Beirut. Suzan Fraser in Ankara, and Cinar Kiper in Istanbul, contributed to this report.
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FICCI President Pankaj Patel said, "It's a welcome step by banks to accept the appeal made by the PM to reduce lending rates. The need of the hour is to increase demand and this will happen due to cheaper finance available now."

Patel also said that one could expect further lowering of rates in the upcoming budget as well.

Massive flow of deposits and high liquidity in banks led to Indian banks cutting lending rates.

Taking a cue from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address on Saturday in which he asked banks to share benefits of high liquidity with the people, SBI slashed its lending rates by 0.9 per cent point cut.

Addressing the media on Monday afternoon, SBI Chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya said, "This cut is liquidity based. What we have done in the first 9 months, we have done an excess of that in the past 30 days."

Following the move, Dena Bank and IDBI followed suit. An official from Indian Bank also said they will be making a similar announced by Tuesday. Among private banks, Kiran Mahindra cut its one year MCLR by 45 basis points.

Slashing of interest rates will also help small businesses in the future.
Long gone are the days where a firearm was solely constructed from wood and steel, with finish options limited to little more than bluing and parkerizing. Today's firearms are made of a myriad of materials, with countless options for finishing and metal treatments, along with a wide array of specialized coatings for both protection and aesthetics.

Recently a picture made it's way around Instagram that caused quite a stir. Not another Kardashian posterior photo (there are an infinite number of those) or New Year's Eve Mariah Carey memes, but rather of a custom Cerakoted gun from France. It was an extremely colorful CZ Scorpion EVO in short-barreled format, all done up with a Nerf logo on the side.

Should this be considered nostalgia, negligence or something else entirely?

Setting aside that the contentious image is from a foreign country with different firearms laws than the United States, this is by no means the first example of an actual firearm painted up to resemble toy. Recently the Glocktendo or Nintendo Blaster Glock became a fairly popular custom build and was replicated by many. Competitive shooter Jerry Miculek (who should need no introduction here) actually did a video with one; he even dressed up as Mario.



Nor is this the first time this particular debate has occurred. In the 80s it was the opposite issue, with water pistols and toy guns looking very much like the real things. But there were certainly some issues with toy guns that looked like real onesnamely toy guns being mistaken for real ones. There were children shot shot by police unable to differentiate between toy and weapon under extant conditions, and some criminals used them as cheap (albeit nonfunctional) analogs for the real deal.



15 CFR Part 272 was enacted in 1988 that prohibited realistic toy guns and then further stipulated approved markings (like transparent materials for instance, and blaze orange muzzle, and bright coloration).

More recently we have airsoft, with many companies going above and beyond, intentionally going to great length to ensure the toys (or training implements, or whatever) look as realistic as possible.

Sure, most of them proactively have orange tips to designate them as toys but it appears it may not be necessary strictly speaking in a legal sense, at least federally (local laws always apply, and can and will vary). 15 CFR specifically exempts

Traditional B-B, paint-ball, or pellet-firing air guns that expel a projectile through the force of compressed air, compressed gas or mechanical spring action, or any combination thereof.

Most would likely that airsoft and similar items fall under the aegis of these guidelines. But we're not lawyers and we're certainly not your lawyers.

Whenever there is a police shooting involving an airsoft gun, regardless if it's a child or criminal that is fatally wounded, memes like the one immediately go viral on social media.



In 1999 New York City mandated that all toy guns only be in bright colors or otherwise transparent. They followed up this law in 2006 when then-mayor Michael Bloomberg banned brightly colored actual firearms because criminals might get custom coatings done as a form of deception.

Because, you know, criminals usually try to follow applicable local laws and ordinances when performing illicit activities [sarcasm, in case you missed it].

Duracoat was one of the coatings-du-jour the day, and Steve Lauer of Lauer Custom Weaponry (the producers of Duracoat) even launched a whole special NYC color schema called, The Bloomberg Collection in protest. And he continued to ship product to NYC (to the predictable mix of outrage and approbation from the public, depending on their side).

Meantime, as it happens, there have been some notable examples of real guns disguised as toy guns. Or rather, real guns hiding inside toy guns.



While we're certainly not experts, it seems that this activity could only legally be performed if the firearm was first registered as an AOW under the National Firearms Act; other firearms that don't initially appear to be firearms such as pen, cane, and wallet guns all fall under that banner. We'll take a wild guess that whoever shoved those shotguns inside Super Soakers didn't go through that process.

It seems very unlikely that a criminal, engaged in criminal activity, would spare much effort or thought to any of the extensive gun-related legislation out there. But hey, what do we know?



These days were have seemingly endless options for firearms coloration and customization. Cerakoting and hydro-dipping and anodizing and more. If you want a Tiffany Blue Glock you can order it directly from Omaha Outdoors. If you want a Sea Hawks themed AR? You can get that done too.



Not to mention all the the N+1 Star Wars and Sci-Fi themed guns out there.





Some manufacturers have a signature colorful look. For example, about everything Cobalt Kinetics produces definitely appears non-traditional regardless of the color.



Another one that caused a stir in some communities was the recent appearance of a Glock coated in blue like a training pistol. At least one police instructor uses a similarly coated gun as a demonstration that you never can truly know what's lethal and what isn't.



We personalize automobiles, motorcycles, houses, laptops, cellphones, wallets, and more  so as gun ownership increases, such customization of our firearms seems like a natural progression. It's not just hunters and the world's special forces using custom coatings anymore.

Back to that original rifle in France:



Let's Hear Your Thoughts

Do some consider it a step too far because of the factory logo, because of the color of the muzzle, overall coloration, or all of the above? We've covered a little slice of American history in this post. We'd be interested to know the thoughts of those arguing either side of the issue, at least so long as it's intelligent and congenial discussion.

Is there a line that should be painted someplace? If so, Where?

More importantly, who decides where to paint it?
Porterville, CA (93257)

Today

Clear to partly cloudy. Low around 40F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low around 40F. Winds light and variable.
Latin spirits are so 2016 (just kidding, we love them!). But why not kick off the new year with a little taste of Southeast Asia at Bar DeVille on Tuesday? For one night only, the West Town spot hosts Chicago's own Annemarie Sagoi for Holiday out of Cambodia, where The Dawson vet mixes up drinks from her bar, Le Boutier, that opened last year in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

With drinks inspired by Cambodian rock 'n' roll from the 1960s, Sagoi puts an American touch on Khmer drinking culture with sips such as the Cambodian Space Cocktail, rye whiskey, yellow Chartreuse, sweet vermouth, Angostura bitters and a tincture made from kampot pepper, a rare peppercorn that's only grown in a specific region of the Southeast Asian country. It's named for a local rock revival band paying homage to Cambodia's lost legends in music, which aligns with the bar's overarching concept.

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Originally only a brief consulting gig at a hotel bar, Le Boutier became a passion project for Sagoi, a managing partner at the bar. The concept is meant to take guests back to the 1960s and early '70s, a cultural "Golden Era," Sagoi said, before the Cambodian genocide that ravaged the country from 1975 to 1979.

"It was their [heyday], culturally speaking, when they were the crown jewel of Southeast Asia," Sagoi said in an email. "When tourists come to Phnom Penh today, they go to the genocide museum and the killing fields. Even expats that have lived here for years sometimes don't even know how glorious it was in the '60s and early '70s."

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The cocktail menu at Le Boutierborrowing its name from Sagoi's business partner's mother, who grew up near the barserves as an educational reminder of that thriving time for Cambodia and includes brief descriptions of each thoughtful cocktail name. Sagoi said she enjoys using dragon fruit, mangosteen and other regional fruits, such as longan, a tropical berry related to lychee. On Tuesday night, guests at Bar DeVille can taste it in her Don't Think I've Forgotten, with vodka, sticky rice syrup, ginger, longan and lime juice.

Sagoi is also bringing a fish sauce cocktailan ingredient that throws even Le Boutier patrons offin the rum-based 1,000 Tears of a Tarantula, which also includes pineapple juice, coconut milk, curry syrup and lime juice. "It adds a little umami and saltiness to the fruit and curry flavors," she said.

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The Narendra Modi governments alacrity in promoting ease of tax administration, a critical component in the ease of doing business index, has set in motion several incremental policy and administrative reforms, says Mukesh Butani.

Year 2016 will stand out as a year of reckoning insofar as the Indian and global tax policy landscape is concerned. Never before has the tax policy and ease of administration been so high on the political agenda as economies witnessed during the past 24 months.

The G-20 and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development-led multilateral policy works to combat global harmful tax practices culminated in a broader consensus on an inclusive framework of policy measures that shall find their way into country specific tax rules, as well as more than 3,000 bilateral tax treaties; all of this will come in the next 12 months or so.

The July 2016 ministerial-level symposium held in China laid the foundation for work on enhancing, pro-growth tax policy.

It is no surprise that India has been at the forefront of this, participating in a majority of global debates for ushering in transparency in tax matters. The transparency there circles around exchanging banking information, avoiding stateless income and strengthening anti-avoidance rules, besides taxing income based on economic substance.

The Narendra Modi governments alacrity in promoting ease of tax administration, a critical component in the ease of doing business index, has set in motion several incremental policy and administrative reforms.

It is against this backdrop that the upcoming Budget is being looked at as an opportunity for the government to lay down a roadmap for transformative changes. For the record, the Budget shall mark many firsts also.

To state a few, advancing the Budget date by a month is a possible precursor to an overlapping of the financial year with the calendar year; doing away with a separate rail budget shall free up resources for railways reforms; switching from archaic plan/non-plan expenditure to a more contemporary capital-revenue nomenclature will distance the reform agenda from annual political leverage; and finally, burying the five-year plan and ushering in a 15-year vision statement is expected to pave the way for transformational policy changes.

Foremost, a majority of the policy announcements are likely to be woven around reformative changes to the economic architecture to address the post-demonetisation policy framework.

This could mean a downward trend in tax rates, focusing on tax administrative reforms and promoting the digitisation of land records.

Unveiling a new Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act is likely, creating a sustainable long-term roadmap on fiscal discipline without compromising infrastructure spending. The government would be wary of announcing populist dole-out schemes and instead focus upon the larger objective of containing non-plan, non-productive capex.

In this drive, financial sector reforms hold an important key; a well-coordinated monetary and fiscal policy regime would yield dividends.

Pushing its unceasing commitment to GST implementation, the government would do well to flesh out the details of the draft GST legislation, allowing the businesses at least four to six months to calibrate their preparation for a smooth transition.

The political logjam on the GST framework has caused implementation uncertainty to resurface yet again. The government must avoid the temptation of carrying out sundry changes to the existing indirect tax rate structure.

Turning to direct tax policies, given the demonetisation move, rationalising income-tax rates, coupled with administrative reforms to ease compliance costs, will feature prominently. The extent of rate cuts could be a matter of speculation, but overarching principles of ease doing of business in India and ushering in a competitive tax regime should guide the change with preferential rates for middle-income individuals.

On a wider policy front, India is likely to witness a convergence with the emerging global tax policy landscape. A successful negotiation on the OECDs multilateral instrument by an ad hoc group, where India participated on an equal footing with OECD countries, is intended to implement outcomes from the comprehensive package of Base Erosion & Profit Shifting works endorsed by G20.

While the Indian tax administration has in principle indicated its commitment to Multilateral Instrument implementation, it will necessitate amendments to the Income-Tax Act to ink the multilateral convention and set in motion a renegotiation of over 90 tax treaties, with priority to nations that are Indias significant trade and investment partners.

The government may also consider it opportune to clarify its stance on mandatory arbitration under the framework of bilateral tax and investment treaties. Ease of tax compliance for honest tax payers, given that the administration is likely to up surveillance for errant tax payers in light of demonetisation impact, shall mean embracing best practices on tax-payer services, empowered ombudsman and discouraging avoidable litigation.

I wish one could crystal-ball the year ahead, but it would fair to say the Indian tax regime is set for total makeover in 12 months from now.

Mukesh Butani is managing partner, BMR Legal. Assisted by Sumit Singhania.
The Taiwanese maker is adopting a model of setting up smartphone assembly lines in multiple cities across India.

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.

The Taiwanese maker is adopting a model of setting up smartphone assembly lines in multiple cities across India, with a second iPhone facility coming up in Gurgaon, as Apple steps up efforts to grab a larger pie of the worlds fastest growing smartphone market, people familiar with the development said.

A Gujarat government official, who did not wish to be named, confirmed Foxconns plan to set up an iPhone assembly unit in Ahmedabad. An announcement is likely to be made during the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2017 to be held on January 10 at Gandhinagar.

Foxconn declined to comment, saying Foxconn Technology Group follows a strict company policy of not commenting on any matters related to current or potential customers or any of their products.

Apple has been stepping up efforts to grow its business in India, announcing that it will open its brand-owned stores in the country, besides a 4,000-people facility in Hyderabad for its mapping unit.

A proposal to bring used smartphones and assemble locally was rejected by the Indian government last year. However, it got local sourcing norms relaxed from the department of industrial policy and promotion to open its stores in the country.

It has also contracted Wistron, another Taiwanese firm, which had built Apples affordable iPhone 5c and iPhone SE models to set up a unit for iPhones in Bengaluru.

India has emerged as one of the fastest growing markets for Apples iPhone in the world, with sales growth crossing 50 per cent in the 12 months ended September. While the base is still tiny, at three million units per annum or two-three per cent of the market, Apple is already the second largest smartphone maker in India in terms of revenue.

While waiting to produce phones locally, which would help bring down the cost of its premium smartphones marginally, Apple has stepped up offering its services to reach out to more users in the country. It rolled out its streaming music service Apple Music for users on the Android platform, which accounts for nine out of 10 smartphones sold in India, hoping that they would upgrade to its ecosystem in the future. In November, it firmed a deal with Ola to allow the ride-hailing companys one-million daily customers stream music from its platform.

India is also talking to Apple to use the facilities of Foxconn and Wistron to not only build iPhones for the local market but also as a base for exports. For this, the state governments in Gujarat and Karnataka, besides the Centre, were in talks with Apple to provide additional sops to incentivise exports, sources added.

Foxconn has a facility in SriCity in Andhra Pradesh, where it produces smartphones for Xiaomi, Gionee and Reliance Jios Lyf. It is in talks with the government to revive the Nokia facility in Chennai, while its proposal to invest $5 billion in Maharashtra is yet to take off.

Photograph: Robert Galbraith/Reuters.
When a resident of Indira colony complained of being bit by a leopard, the locals thought the man was kidding but when stories like this started to come from across the city, everyone wanted to try their hand at catching the beast.

Around 20 people have been injured and a dozen of them have been taken to the district hospital. "I saw the leopard entering a house and when I started telling people about it, the leopard jumped on me bit me," said Runujit Adhikari, a victim.

The locals were left helpless as the forest officials said that they did not have any arrangements to catch a leopard.

Another victim, Debasis Das, said, "Around 4-5 of us went for the rescue. I fell down from the terrace and the leopard attacked me."

Later the locals locked the leopard inside a house and informed the forest officials of Sukhna range of Siliguri.
Americans use cash for 45 per cent of transactions by volume.

Germans use cash for 80 per cent by volume.

Japan uses cash for an amazing 82 per cent of transactions by value and over 90 per cent by volume.

At a time when the Modi government is attempting to push forward a cashless economy with coercive means, Devangshu Datta explains why cash usage is popular even in nations with good cashless infrastructure (something that India lacks).

IMAGE: In a cashless system, the government makes far larger profits, and users pay much higher costs. Photograph: Matt Siegel/Reuters.



Very little of the commentary on cash versus cashless has focussed on the important point of allocation of costs and profits. In a cash economy, the government pays the cost and takes profits. In a cashless system, the government makes far larger profits, service-providers collect fees, and users pay much higher costs.

It costs about Rs 3.55 to print a Rs 2,000 note. Say, such a note is handed out to a civil servant as part of her salary. The government profits to the tune of Rs 1,996.45. There are no costs for using the note in further transactions, until it is worn out. The government may hope circulation will translate into tax revenue. But there are no guarantees, since there is no audit trail on note usage.

Now lets say there is a bank transfer of Rs 2,000. Transfer costs are near-zero, using the Unified Payment Interface. The required SMS costs a few paise per transfer (the transaction value could be much more than Rs 2,000). An electronic ledger entry costs near-zero.

The recipient uses that cashless money for some transactions. The bytes are transferred to other accounts, via mobile wallets, credit cards, debit cards, etc. The service providers, enabling every transaction, receive a fee called the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR), set by the Reserve Bank of India. For a credit card, MDR varies from 0.25 per cent for transactions below Rs 1,000 to one per cent for those above Rs 2,000.

The lowest MDR payable on a Rs 2,000 transaction is Rs 20. Unlike banknotes, electronic money can also circulate forever. The MDR far exceeds printing costs. The MDR for a single electronic transaction may be 6x the lifetime cost of a physical note.

There may be an infinity of transactions and every transaction leaves an audit trail, which generates tax revenue. The users pay all costs. The service providers are taxed on profits from MDR; merchants are taxed on profits from transactions; telecom service providers are taxed on revenue from traffic generated by transactions.

Net-net, cashless transactions cost the government much less (near-zero) and generate way more revenues.

At the same time, cashless costs users much more.

People go cashless in prosperous nations because it is unsafe to carry large sums of cash around, and sometimes when they actively desire an audit trail as proof of transaction.

Another nasty aspect of electronic audit trails is the lack of privacy. India, it is worth pointing out, has no data privacy or security laws.

In Scandinavia (Sweden is largely cashless), people go cashless even for small transactions because of high social security. A Swedish citizen knows high tax payouts come back to her since she receives lifelong health care (and a state funeral), pension, free education, free legal representation, etc.

The relative costs -- and the allocation of those costs -- explains why cash usage is popular even in nations with good cashless infrastructure.

Americans use cash for 45 per cent of transactions by volume.

Germans use cash for 80 per cent by volume.

Japan uses cash for an amazing 82 per cent of transactions by value and over 90 per cent by volume. Japan has cash-equivalent to 20 per cent of GDP in circulation (in India it was 13 per cent until November 8). The Japanese prefer cash, since banks offer very low (or negative) interest and charge high MDRs. In addition, it is safe to carry huge sums in law-abiding Japan.

Given the economics, it is no surprise that the government wants cashless transaction, and is attempting to push it by the current coercive means. It is also no surprise that service providers would embrace the drive towards cashlessness.

But what does the user receive in return for the higher revenue being gouged out of her? Does India offer the social security of a Sweden or Germany, the easy business environment of America, or the safety of Japan? Does it offer the privacy or data security of every one of those nations?

It is worth noting that those elements were in place before the citizens in these nations embraced cashlessness.
Effects of the new schemes launched under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana would be felt more in tier II and tier III cities, as not many budget or affordable housing projects are in the works in metropolitan cities.

The poor in urban India might stay untouched by the initiatives announced by the prime minister on the last day of 2016.

Effects of the new schemes launched under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana would be felt more in tier II and tier III cities, experts said. Not many budget or affordable housing projects are in the works in metropolitan cities, they said.

The PM had announced two new schemes in the housing for all initiative under PMAY. Subsidised loans would be made available for building or expanding homes in rural India. Also, those wanting to build or expand their homes will get loans of up to Rs 2 lakh, with 3% interest relief.

Low-interest loans will also be made available to the urban poor, he said. And, housing for the rural poor was to be increased by 33%.

In 2017, those who want to construct homes will get up to 4% interest subsidy for loan amounts up to Rs 9 lakh and 3% up to Rs 12 lakh," said Narendra Modi.

Under PMAY, the government aims to cover around two million non-slum urban poor households. Hence, the total housing shortage envisaged to be addressed through the new mission is 20 mn, it has said.

The mission is being implemented over 2015-2022, providing central assistance to urban local bodies and other implementing agencies, through states and Union territories.

Experts agree the affordable housing segment will get a needed boost but not in big cities.

The fillip would be visible in rural and semi-urban areas. Tthe affect would not be much visible in cities, as the land prices are higher. But, this is a great move and in 2017, we will see a rise in affordable housing projects, Anuj Puri, country head at JLL India, the realty consultancy.

We should not look at only major or metropolitan cities when we talk of urban areas. The mass demand in terms of housing is coming from smaller towns. For slum-dwellers in cities, there are several other independent policies. Places like Mumbai or Gurgaon, Kolkata or Chennai, still have house prices under control, said Samantak Das, chief economist at Knight Frank India.

There is a feeling that demonetisation, along with developments such as the Real Estate Regulatory Authority and a goods and services tax, will provide impetus to the sector, bringing more transparency and accountability in due course.

So far, the governments measures for affordable housing have not met with success. They should in the long term work on things like tax exemption on agricultural income, said J C Sharma, vice-chairman at Bengaluru-based property developer Sobha.

Image: Children watch television on a mobile cart in Dharavi, the large urban slum sprawl in Mumbai. Photograph: Arko Datta/Reuters.
India and China met and spoke a lot this year, says Rup Narayan Das, but failed to produce any meaningful results.

India and China completed yet another year of roller-coaster relations with some engagements and pinpricks, but more significantly without upsetting the applecart.

Exchange visits at various levels, including at the highest political level, took place without any bottlenecks.

President Pranab Mukherjee's visit to China from May 24 to 27, 2016 was significant in the narrative of the relationship between the two countries.

The high point of his visit was his candid and fruitful discussions on all issues of mutual interest, including the difficult ones, with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and other top leaders like Premier Li Keqiang and China's National People's Congress Standing Committee Chairman Zhang Dejiang.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Hangzhou on September 4.

In a message of goodwill, Xi articulated that China was willing to work with India to maintain their hard-won sound relations and further advance cooperation.

The two countries, Xi added, had seen healthy, stable and speedy development of their relationship, and that as neighbours and developing countries they should continue high-level exchanges.

Significantly, ahead of his visit to Hangzhou, Modi visited Vietnam on September 2-3 amidst turbulence in the disputed South China Sea and extended a defence credit line of $500 million to Hanoi.

Modi and Xi had earlier met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's summit meeting in Tashkent where the former urged Beijing to have a 'fair assessment of India's NSG bid'.

In April, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar travelled to China.

During his talks with his Chinese counterpart General Chang Wanquan, Parrikar reiterated that 'India attaches the highest priority to relations with China and was committed to further developing friendly cooperative relations with China.'

Parrikar also met China's highest military official, General Fan Changlong, the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, which is the overall commanding body of the 2.3 million-strong military.

Parrikar reiterated India's stand of demarcation of the 3.488 km-long Line of Actual Control, which was raised during Modi's visit to China in 2015.

Terming the recurring incidents of Chinese troops entering what India claims as its territory as 'transgression, not incursions,' Parrikar emphasised that clarity over the LAC will bring down tensions between the troops on both sides.

Marking the LAC is 'one of the preconditions' of smooth border operations, the minister added.

He also called on Chinese Premier Li and visited China's newly integrated Western Command military headquarters in Chengdu.

Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag led a high-level defence delegation on a four-day visit to China in November. The visit assumed strategic significance in the context of reported incidents of border incursions on the LAC by PLA troops in Arunachal Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.

During the visit, General Suhag was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour by General Li Zuocheng, head of the PLA.

During official-level talks, the two sides noted with appreciation the holding of the sixth round of the Sino-India joint military exercise 'Hand in Hand' 2016 in Pune.

General Suhag also held talks with Chinese air force chief General Xu Qiliang.

From the Chinese side, Xi Jinping's participation in the BRICS summit held in Goa in October was the high point.

In September, China's State Councilor Yang Jeichi visited India and held discussions with Prime Minister Modi and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. A high-powered Chinese defence delegation visited India in November.

Bilateral dialogues also took place between the two countries through the institutional mechanism, although they didn't produce any meaningful results.

The 19th round of border talks under the framework of the Special Representatives took place in Beijing in April.

Doval, who doubles up as India's Special Representative to the border parleys, held talks with Yang Jeichi. Later, when they met again in Hyderabad in November, both Doval and Yang decided to hold the next round of talks in Delhi this year.

The eighth India-China Financial Dialogue was held in Beijing in August. While the Indian delegation was led by Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das, the Chinese delegation was led by Shi Yaobin, vice minister in the Chinese finance ministry.

Similarly, the fourth India-China Strategic Economic Dialogue took place in New Delhi with the Indian side being represented by NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Professor Arvind Panagariya and Xu Shaoshi, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, leading the Chinese delegation.

While on the positive side, dialogue and discussions continued unabated, persistent security dilemma persisted indicating strategic trust deficit.

The border incursion by the PLA in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district was unprecedented and unusual in recent times.

China's obduracy on India's bid for Nuclear Suppliers Group membership and its opposition to the United Nations resolution relating to a ban on Jaish-e-Mohammad and Pathankot attack mastermind Masood Azhar have not found favour with India.

Despite clinching evidence of the JeM's complicity in terrorist attacks in India, the Chinese media's critical comments -- particularly by the State-controlled Global Times -- caused a lot of heartburn in New Delhi.

Both sides could hope that 2017 brings better hope for the relationship between the two countries.

With Donald Trump coming to power in the United States and a new emerging equation between major and rising powers, both India and China will have to be more sensitive to their bilateral relations and think out of the box to re-calibrate their relationship.

Rup Narayan Das is a New Delhi-based China scholar.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. Photograph: Kenzaburo Fukuhara/Reuters
'Let India rise on the prowess of development, honest money and a non-religionist political discourse.'

'That will secure our future and also make an impact on the theologically run sham democracies in our neighbourhood,' says Tarun Vijay.

The Supreme Court judgment barring politicians from using religion for electioneering must be welcomed by every citizen who loves this great nation.

We have been a victim of the use of sectarian, castiest and parochial politics. Religion was used to vivisect our motherland by Mohammad Ali Jinnah's supporters in 1947.

We saw Mahatma Gandhi and the Congress succumbing to the violence and catastrophic threats by the Muslim League and more than a million Indians lost their lives.

Those scars still exist and the hurt runs too deep.

Year after year, we have seen the misuse of religion, religious icons, caste, castiest symbols and appeals destroying the fabric of the Indian Republic's democracy and social harmony.

We still see the macabre dance of destruction in Kashmir -- all in the name of religion and parochialism.

The Godhra massacre happened because Hindus were sought to be burned alive by the hate-bags of Islamic jihad and the reaction was horrible.

All in the name of religion.

If (then Gujarat chief minister) Narendra Modi had not acted swiftly and harshly, things would have gone out of hand in a much more damaging way.

Except Asoka's Buddhist kingdom, no other kingdom in India was ever a theocracy.

Muslims, Parsis, Jews, Christians were welcomed open heartedly and they received shelter when other countries refused them to take in. That is our legacy.

We need Dharma surely.

Dharma means righteousness, noble thought and deeds, and a moral pathway.

The mission logo of the Supreme Court says Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah, meaning through righteousness alone can you protect Dharma.

Hinduism is a way of life, a Dharma, not a religion, the Supreme Court declared in 1995.

I know when I write this, people may ask what was the Ayodhya-Ram Janambhoomi movement?

I was a part of the movement right from its inception, and I know though some secular hate-mongers termed it a religious movement, it was in fact a movement for national rejuvenation, changing the public discourse, introducing new idioms and language in our political lexicon.

Ram stands for everything that India represents, hence that was a national resurrection of pride and honour.

Still, it must be taken care of, very cautiously, and with a commitment that this issue is never allowed to become an election motif -- that would demean Ram's legacy.

Family fiefdoms ruling states and then quarrelling with each other as if patriarchic property is being distributed among the kith and kin is all because of an ugly anti- democracy, anti-development castiesm that saw the most incapable people ruling various states -- not on merit, but because they had the 'right mix' of caste.

The Supreme Court has come as a saviour for our future.

The worst kind of Hindu haters -- and I am firm to use this term for the Communists and secular shamanist politicians -- are those who have been playing the Muslim-Dalit-Yadav card to win elections.

They are destroying the intrinsic unity of the nation and fragmenting Hindu society to win an assembly or central election.

They decide their political agenda seeing the number of people wearing skull caps and those wearing dots on their forehead.

They are not just the enemies of Hindus -- see what they are dong to Hindus in Bengal and Kerala just because they happen to be Hindus. That is it -- no other reason.

And they made Hindus refugees in Kashmir -- just because they worshipped Shiva and India.

These secular shamanist politicians must be taken to task for using religion in its most unacceptable way -- and that is why I solidly support and welcome the Supreme Court judgment.

Let India rise on the prowess of development, honest money and a non-religionist political discourse.

That will secure our future and also make an impact on the theologically run sham democracies in our neighbourhood, whose maulanas are so dear to some of our secular Taliban.

Thank you your honour, you made our new year's beginning really good.

Tarun Vijay is a former Bharatiya Janata Party member of the Rajya Sabha and a member of the BJP national executive..
5 states that contribute just under a fifth of the Lok Sabha's seats will go to the polls early this year, reports Aditi Phadnis.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com

Manipur

With Congress governments in the North-East falling like nine pins, Manipur remains a bastion of hope.

In 2012, the state got a sweeping victory for the party, made possible largely due to a divided Opposition.

In a state where no party had ever managed to cross the majority mark in the 60-member assembly, the Congress, led by two-term Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh, created history by winning 42 seats and securing 42% of the votes, a gain of 12 seats and 8 percentage points in votes, respectively, since 2007.

Its main rival, the PDF, performed disastrously, winning only one seat (the lone seat won by the Nationalist Congress Party).

Interestingly, it was the Manipur election which saw the emergence of the Trinamool Congress on the scene and enabled the party to get national status on the strength of the votes it garnered.

In 2012, the Congress won pretty much everywhere: 24 of the 33 seats in the rural parts of the valley, four of the seven seats in the urban parts of the valley, six of the 11 seats in the hill area, dominated by the Nagas, and eight of the nine in the hill area dominated by Kukis.

Since then, another dimension has been added.

Irom Sharmila, who led a long campaign against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, has joined politics and declared she will contest against Ibobi Singh.

Issues about 'Greater Nagaland' are being raised afresh and a shootout between militant groups suggests tribal identities are being stirred.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has little political capital here and what it will leverage in the state is worth watching.

Punjab

No one expected the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance (they conducted a pre-poll alliance) to come to power for a second term in 2012.

In the Akali manifesto, Panthic and emotive issues like justice for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, protecting river waters, inclusion of Chandigarh and Punjabi speaking areas, and legal reviews of cases filed during the days of militancy figured only in half a page.

What turned the tide in favour of the alliance was the promise of subsidised food, especially dal and atta.

What lost the election for the Congress was factional fighting, the inaccessibility of Amarinder Singh who led the campaign and bitter discord within.

There is a wild card now, in the form of the untried and untested Aam Aadmi Party.

Punjab has not treated newcomers and defectors kindly. In 2012, Manpreet Badal, a cousin of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, who rebelled against the corruption and cronyism of the ruling clique, could not even win his own seat, Gidderbaha, that he had represented since 1985.

Will AAP face the same fate? Or perform spectacularly? Whom will it damage most?

Punjab is by far the most interesting state in this round of assembly elections because of these uncertainties.

Goa

For several months, it has been only bad news for the National Democratic Alliance in Goa, specifically for the BJP-Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party.

Not only did the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh split in the state, bitterly blaming the government for betrayal on the issue of the medium of instruction in schools (the BJP promised state funding for schools using Konkani as medium of instruction but did not exert itself enough and continued to fund English medium schools as well).

With a divided RSS (the breakaway group has declared it will contest elections in alliance with the Shiv Sena), there is no clarity which way the wind will blow in a state which participates enthusiastically in elections, with an average turnout of 81% in 2012.

In the earlier election, the wave in favour of the BJP-MGP alliance was strongest in North Goa, where the alliance won 16 of the 23 seats and secured nearly 50% of the vote, 15 percentage points ahead of the Congress-NCP alliance.

In South Goa, where most Goan Catholics are concentrated and where the Congress has traditionally done well, the BJP increased not only its vote share but also ended up winning more seats than the Congress.

The BJP fielded eight Catholic candidates and all of them won.

The Aam Aadmi Party is also contesting, though it might emerge only as a bit player.

Uttar Pradesh

The 2012 legislative assembly election brought the Samajwadi Party to power, with its best ever performance, winning 229 seats (of the 403 total), with 29.15% of the vote, a gain of nearly 4% since 2007.

In terms of seats, this was the best performance by any party since the Congress' victory in 1985, when it won 269 of the 425 seats of undivided Uttar Pradesh.

Its main rival, the incumbent Bahujan Samaj Party did poorly.

From a 2007 high of 206 seats, the BSP crashed to only 80.

Though, despite more than halving its seats, the party retained a vote share of almost 26%, down 4.5% since 2007.

Analysed more deeply, the result suggested every 7th seat for the SP was won by a margin of less than 1,000 votes. This has its own conclusions for the coming election.

The biggest gain for the SP, in regional terms, was from the region of Awadh, winning 55 of the 73 seats with a vote share of 33%.

In Lucknow district, the party got 7 of the 9 seats; in Unnao, 5 of the 6 seats.

In Rae Bareli and Sultanpur, pocket boroughs of the Nehru-Gandhi family, the SP won 12 of the 15 seats and the Congress managed only 2.

In the east, the SP won 52 of the 81 seats in the region, with a vote share of 32%.

To replicate, the SP will have to post similarly impressive gains in eastern UP.

In western UP, it was the BSP that did well, winning most of its seats in the districts of Saharanpur, Baghpat, Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad.

The Bharatiya Janata Party did well in the district of Meerut, winning 4 of the 7 seats, the rest going to the SP.

The party that hopes to form the government will have to beat the SP in eastern UP, take on the BSP in western UP and extinguish the Congress in the Bundelkhand region.

Uttarakhand

The Bharatiya Janata Party had a big defeat in the 2012 assembly elections; even then chief minister B C Khanduri lost his seat.

Of the three distinct areas of Kumaon (20 seats), Garhwal (22 seats) and Maidan (28 seats), the Congress well from Kumaon (12) and Garhwal (11), reversing the verdict of the 2007 election when these regions had returned the BJP.

In the third region, Maidan, the BJP retained its 2007 dominance over the Congress, winning 16 seats.

Much has happened in the past five years, including several natural calamities, the defection of Vijay Bahuguna from the Congress into the BJP, where the current incumbents view him and his MLAs as interlopers (and a future political threat), and his lack of action during the natural disasters that Uttarakhand saw.

On the other hand, Harish Rawat's association with dodgy businessmen and sting operations which left him open and undefended on charges of corruption, could affect the ruling alliance in the coming elections.
Trupti Desai and her Bhumata Brigade are unshakeable in their belief that women can and should go everywhere. Their fight has earned women the right to enter the inner sanctums of the Shani Shingnapur Temple, the Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple as well as the Haji Ali Dargah.

Their next target is Sabarimala in Kerala. Aditi Phadnis reports.

Must Watch: When Trupti Desai entered Haji Al in Mumbai. Photograph: Sahil Salvi.



If Trupti Desai says she will do it, she probably will.

Founder of the 'Bhumata Brigade', she is a wife, a mother, and a feminist. "Our struggle is against injustice against women, subjugation of women and corruption," she says.

Bhumata Brigade does have some male members but it is the Bhumata Ranragani Brigade which takes up specifically women's causes, such as the temple protest.

Its vice-president Pushpak Kevadkar runs a motor driving school.

Durga Shukre is a homemaker.

Priyanka Jagtap, 22, is preparing for the Maharashtra Public Services Commission examination, having joined the group when it was started.

These four make up the core group at the forefront of agitations.

Many would call Desai a rabble-rouser. Or a trade unionist in the tradition of leaders like Datta Samant or George Fernandes. She is unshakeable in her belief that women can and should go everywhere. It was this belief that propelled the Brigade to demand the right to enter the garbhagriha of the Shani Shingnapur temple in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. Desai saw no logic or merit in the argument that men could enter the shrine after paying Rs 11,000, but women were barred from entry. "We are also devotees of Shani, and we just want the same rights as men for women of all castes."

"She's crazy," said Rajkaran Sharma of Chitrakoot, a rotund, reasonable priest, with whom it is not impossible to negotiate religious rites (at a particularly longwinded ceremony, he asked apologetically whether it was okay to continue or should he cut it short). But Sharma is very clear what religious convention and ritual mean, what ceremonies should be done by women and what can only be done by men. "Next, she will want women to perform the kanyadaan," he said of Desai's campaign.

With short hair, a jacket and only sometimes a bindi, Desai makes it clear that she is a woman on her own terms. "This (temple entry) is not about fighting religion; it is about equality," Desai told an interviewer. "They are saying their religious sentiments are hurt. How have they been hurt? Have we ever said there is no god? But, we have the right to access him as much as men."

This is not the first time Desai has tangled with authority. She launched a movement against the Pawar family-run Ajit Cooperative Bank over an alleged scandal in 2008. Around 29,000 people who thought they'd lost their money, kept in the bank, got it back after Desai launched an agitation against the banking practices of the organisation.

Then, too, she got death threats.

At the Shingnapur Shani temple entry, she was heckled, manhandled and threatened. But, religion as a means of liberation is a potent weapon and Desai is persuasive enough to have talked many women into joining the Bhumata Brigade and storming the temple.

Maharashtra Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis finally had to publicly endorse the entry of women in the garbhagriha of Shani Shingnapur; they were allowed in only after that.

The Brigade's next target was Mumbai's Haji Ali mosque. The Indo-Islamic architectural structure contains the tomb of Sayed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari. And, women are barred from entering the sanctum sanctorum.

The Brigade went to the high court there, which ruled that the ban on women contravened their fundamental rights and that the trust had no right to prohibit women's entry into a public place of worship.

After the Haji Ali victory, Desai declared that Sabarimala in Kerala would be the next target -- and, that in its own interest, it should open its doors for women.

Although the Brigade's plan for storming the temple isn't clear, the announcement has set off an intense debate in Kerala. It is likely to be a life-altering moment for a state, which is highly literate. Some people think that Desai will win this battle as well.

Temples where women entry became an issue Shani Shingnapur temple, Maharashtra For about 400 years, it was believed that Lord Shani might curse women if they enter the temple. A group of women activists, led by Trupti Desai, marched to the temple in January 2016, seeking entry to the inner sanctum. Though they did not get entry, in March, the Bombay High Court asked the Maharashtra government to ensure women are not denied entry to any temple. The temple administration gave clearance for the entry of women in April 2016. Haji Ali Dargah, Maharashtra The mosque and dargah in Mumbai was built in 1431 and following protests from feminist groups like Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan and Bhumata Brigade demanding, equal rights to pray, it got national importance. On October 24 this year, the trust that manages the shrine informed the Supreme Court that women will be allowed entry in a month. Kartikeya temple, Haryana Built in the 5th century BC, it prohibits entry of women, as it is believed Lord Kartikeya is a brahmachari.

Will Kerala give way to modern times?

The state debates, with much acrimony, women's right to enter Sabarimala. Shine Jacob reports.

IMAGE: At the Sabarimala Temple. The Supreme Court is hearing arguments on women between the age of 10 and 50 years not being allowed to enter the temple. Photograph: Reuters.



Will an 1,800-year-old tradition give way to modern times? A question before Kerala society, with announcements that a group of women in the menstruating age group would enter the Sabarimala shrine in Pathanamthitta district this month.

By tradition, women between the age of 10 and 50 years are not allowed there, on the reasoning that the deity, Ayyappan, is celibate. The women's group, led by Pune-based gender rights activist Trupti Desai, has called for a march to allow the entry of women of all age groups on January 14. This comes as the Supreme Court is hearing arguments on the issue; the next hearing on February 20.

The temple administration and the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left government are at loggerheads over the issue. While the government backs the demand for women's entry, the temple administration led by Travancore Devaswom Board president Prayar Gopalakrishnan is against it.

"We will never let Desai and her team set foot here in January. This is a question on the belief of millions of devotees who visit Sabarimala on an annual basis. The current government is trying to project themselves as progressive. We are not against women; of the 40-50 million pilgrims visiting every year, more than 5 per cent are women above the age of 50. People should understand that the deity, Ayyappan, is celibate. There will be huge problems within the state if they try to forcibly enter the shrine," Gopalakrishnan told Business Standard.

The pilgrimage in Sabarimala is held between November and January. Hindu organisations and Sabarimala piligrim bodies like the Akhila Bharatiya Ayyappa Seva Sanghom have come out in public against the move.

Desai and her Bhumata Brigade came in the limelight in 2015, when her campaign for women's entry at the Shani Shingnapur Temple succeeded, with a Pune district court directing the temple authorities to allow women in the shrine, based on their constitutional rights.

Later, she also spearheaded a campaign for women's entry into the MahalakshmiTemple in Kolhapur and the Trimbakeshwar ShivaTemple near Nashik.

The latest feather in her cap was entry into the Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai.

It was in November that the Left Democratic Front government took a U-turn from the previous Congress government's stand, stating at the Supreme Court that gender discrimination should be done away with. There are differences even in the Travancore Devaswom Board regarding the entry of women. K Raghavan, a Communist Party of India (Marxist)-backed member of the board, has also supported the entry of women.

He also criticised the move to change the name of the temple. The temple authorities had changed the name from the Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple to Sabarimala Sree Ayyappaswamy Temple in November. "It was inappropriate for two members of the board to make a decision on their own in the matter of change of name."

The issue has also triggered an online war. While activists seeking women's entry have came out with social media campaigns like 'Right to Bleed' and 'Right to Pray', other Hindu women organisations have entered the battle through a 'Ready to Wait' campaign.

Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran has said Desai and her team have not informed the government about their plans and the government will not allow forcible entry.

Traditionally, Sabarimala pilgrims stand apart, heralding their intention of undertaking the pilgrimage by their black clothes and strict preparations, including not having any non-vegetarian food for many days prior to the pilgrimage. It is believed that Lord Ayyappan meditated here after slaying the demoness Mahishi. The festival period is called Mandala Pooja and the Makaravilakku festival on January 14 attracts devotees' interest from across the world.

"Lord Ayyappan is a secondary incarnation of Mahavishnu. People must understand the seriousness of an 1,800-year-old tradition. Can women climb the heights of the Sabarimala hills? The presence of impure women will trouble the divinity of the temple. The posture of the deity itself is yogic. We, along with women valuing the tradition, will not let them touch this sacred land," Gopalakrishnan said.
Terror group Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the deadly New Years attack that left at least 39 club patrons, including two Indians, and staff dead at an upscale Istanbul nightclub.

IMAGE: Relatives and friends mourn at a coffin during the funeral of Ayhan Arik, one of the 39 victims of the gun attack on the Reina, a popular night club in Istanbul. Photograph: Burak Kara/Getty Images

In a statement, the terror group said, 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.

It adds that the apostate government of Turkey should know that the blood of Muslims who get killed by Turkeys planes and artillery will set afire inside their country.

Turkish authorities continue to hunt for the man they believe is responsible for the bloody attack, which also saw 69 people hospitalised.

The victims hailed from 14 countries, according to Turkeys semi-official news agency Anadolu, including India, Morocco, Jordan, Canada, Russia, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

IMAGE: Turkish police stand guard outisde the Reina nightclub by the Bosphorus, which was attacked by a gunman, in Istanbul. Photograph: Huseyin Aldemir/Reuters

The suspected shooter, who stormed the Reina nightclub soon after the clock struck midnight, appears to have evaded the tight security that blanketed Turkeys largest city over the New Year. Yet, authorities are confident that they will apprehend him soon.

Until now the motive for the killings had been unclear, although Turkish authorities have called the shooting a terrorist attack and suspected Islamic State, which has already been linked to two atrocities in the country last year.

One clubber, a Lebanese woman who gave her name as Hadeel, was quoted as saying that she heard the attacker shouting Allahu Akbar -- a familiar refrain of jihadis loyal to Islamic State.

She said: We heard the guy screaming Allahu Akbar... we heard his footsteps crushing the broken glass.

We got out through the kitchen, there was blood everywhere and bodies.
Heres a recap of the big events that shaped the nation over the weekend.

Supporters celebrate appointment of UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav as national president of Samajwadi at the office in Lucknow on Sunday evening. Photograph: Nand Kumar/PTI Photo

People fix a giant kite decorated with images of politicians to welcome the new year at a kite market in Ahmedabad. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters

New Air Chief Air Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa takes guard of honour at air headquarters in New Delhi on Saturday. Photograph: Kamal Kishore/PTI Photo

VK Sasikala, close aide of late Jayalalithaa, garlands the statue of party founder MG Ramachandran at the headquarters before she takes charge as All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary in Chennai on Saturday. Photograph: R Senthil Kumar/PTI Photo

Sikhs exhibit their skills in sword fighting during a Nagar Kirtan (procession) to celebrate 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh in Moradabad on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo

A man takes a catnap under a canon in Kolkata maidan on Saturday. Photograph: Swapan Mahapatra/PTI Photo

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar visits a shooting training school in Kalyan Bigha on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo

Newly-appointed Lt Governor Anil Baija with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal after the former's swearing-in ceremony at Raj Niwas in New Delhi on Saturday. Photograph: Atul Yadav/PTI Photo

A currency exchange vendor sorts currency notes at his roadside stall, in Agartala on Saturday. Photograph: PTI Photo

School children celebrate the New Year at their school in Mirzapur. Photograph: PTI Photo
The budget session of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly began on a stormy note on Monday as opposition held protests against the People's Democratic Party-Bharatiya Janata Party government and continued sloganeering even when the national anthem was being played, with Governor N N Vohra cutting short his address to both houses of the legislature and leaving amid the pandemonium.

IMAGE: Opposition members protest against the Jammu and Kashmir governemnt during Governor N N Vohra's speech. Photographs: Umar Ganie/ Rediff.com

As the governor entered central hall of the legislature, opposition members from the National Conference, the Congress, the Communist Party of India-Marxist and other Kashmir-based independent MLAs stood up carrying placards and held protests against the government for its alleged failure on all fronts.

Some of the opposition leaders were also sporting black bands.

The national anthem was being played when the governor entered and some of the opposition members, who were holding protests against the PDP-BJP government over the deaths in Kashmir during the unrest in the Valley, continued with their sloganeering. The protesters stopped the sloganeering for some time.

Carrying placards, the opposition members tried to disrupt the governor's address thrice.

In his speech to both houses of legislature, the governor prayed for peace and normalcy in the New Year and hoped all members will strive hard to restore brotherhood and amity in each of the three regions of Jammu and Kashmir.

"I will conclude by reiterating my belief that Jammu and Kashmir has a very high potential of being developed as one the leading states. To achieve our goal we need to resolve all disagreements and strive hard to put the state on the path of development," he said.

He said it is important that this House sets thoughtful standards of political discourse and paves way for narrowing the differences in regard to political and societal issues cutting across party lines.

"If this is done we would succeed in laying foundation of sustainable peace in this state", Vohra said.

Batting for commencement of Indo-Pak dialogue, he said, "It is important that the Indo-Pak dialogue resumes early. It is imperative that we work towards the resolution of conflicts first within our civil society and then in the polity".

As pandemonium broke out in the central hall, the governor cut short his speech.

Members of the National Conference and the Congress continued their protests and sloganeering when the national anthem was being played twice during the address.

Amidst protests and sudden conclusion of his address, the national anthem was played again and members of the opposition were sloganeering. The governor also left the venue.

IMAGE: Opposition members were seen shouting slogans against the government.

The BJP demanded an apology from opposition included the Congress and the NC in Jammu and Kashmir and asked Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi to clarify their stand on disrespect to the national anthem by its members.

"It is most unfortunate that members of opposition disrespected the anthem. This is shameful...It is the first time such a disrespect has been shown to the national anthem in J&K", BJP MLA Ravinder Raina told reporters.

"The opposition should tender an apology to the nation and Congress President Sonia Gandhi and the Vice President Rahul Gandhi should clear their stand on the behaviour of their legislators," Raina said.

"We will raise the issue in assembly and seek answers from these parties for disrespect to the anthem", he said.

Reacting to the protests, government Spokesman and PDP Minister Naeem Akhter told reporters that whatever happened was very unfortunate and sad.

"These MLAs belonging to the opposition are experienced...I think they have lost the plot. If this is the beginning, I don't know how they are going to conduct themselves for rest of the session", he said.

Asked about the disrespect shown to the anthem, NC MLA and Provincial President Devender Singh Rana said, "Please ask BJP people who became champions of nationalism. They created an environment of anarchy in the state. Ask PDP who created such an environment. They created such a situation".

"Please ask them to answer as to why there was disrespect to the anthem today. We have not disrespected the anthem...It was the ruling party which provoked us. It was their conspiracy. Please ask them".

Slamming the opposition, Akhter said, "Whatever they wanted to raise should have been done on the floor of the House and the government would have accordingly replied to their questions and concerns".

BJP MLA Raina charged that the Congress and the NC don't want the situation in Jammu and Kashmir to improve and peace and normalcy restored.

IMAGE: Independent MLA Sheikh Abdul Rashid show placard, asking to hold plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir.

"This government is working very hard to improve the situation in Kashmir Valley and development works have also started but opposition is hell bent on derailing peace which can be witnessed from the protests and unruly behaviour of the opposition", he said demanding that they apologise.

Speaking to reporters outside the assembly, leader of the Congress Legislative Party, Nawang Rigzin Jora said, the government should give account of those who died during the Kashmir unrest."They should give account of the pellet gun injuries...It is a killer government.It is a pellet gun sarkar," he charged.

National Conference MLA and party general secretary, Ali Mohammad Sagar alleged that over 100 people were killed and a large number injured due to pellet guns during the unrest.

"We are representatives of the people.We demand replies from them. And todays protest is because of the failure of this government," he said.

CPI-M MLA and senior leader M Y Tarigami charged that that government imposed martial law-like measures here as if something big and untoward was going to happen here and the opposition protests were a result of this.

"The tradition of placement of treasury benches and opposition benches was changed. When the Governor came, we raised the issue of killing of people in Kashmir Valley. We wanted a reply from the government. The opposition demanded ban on pellet guns, stopping of human rights violations and imposition of Public Safety Act and random arrests", Tarigami said.
'General Manekshaw looked from left to right and said, "Gentlemen, I have come to have a look at you. I am taking a good look at your faces. When I come back after the war is over, some faces may not be here."

IMAGE: Then Indian Army chief General Sam Manekshaw with troops during the 1971 War. Photograph: Kind courtesy Major General B N B M Prasad and DPR Photo Division Archives.

Two soldiers who fought in the 1971 War along the Punjab border with Pakistan remember those days 45 years ago as if it was yesterday.

Colonel Jagdish Sindhwani and Colonel Inder Khanna relive the December war with Archana Masih as part of Rediff.com's Oral History series on India's most decisive military victory.

Earlier in the series:

'General Manekshaw had guts': Colonel Jagdish Sindhwani

The Chief of the Army Staff General Sam Manekshaw looked from left to right and said, "Gentlemen, I have come to have a look at you. I am taking a good look at your faces. When I come back after the war is over, some faces may not be here."

He gave us all an individual look. I remember that sentence so well. He came to talk to us before and after the 1971 War.

He was very flamboyant, charismatic, and a wonderful man. He had guts. He could speak to politicians like no other chief in uniform has spoken thereafter, perhaps General (Krishnaswamy) Sundarji did to some extent -- but General Manekshaw was a tough guy.

He stood up to politicians like no other chief.

He refused to go to war (with Pakistan) in April when the politicians so desired because he wanted to return victorious.

The war started after Pakistani aircraft bombed Raja Sansi airport and our guns opened up.

We were deployed near Dera Baba Nanak along the (Punjab) border and along the Ravi river. The other side of the bank was Pakistan.

Mine was the 163 Field Regiment. We had the good old 25 pounder guns. These were very sturdy guns that had served in World War II. We were still in the process of upgrading them, but those guns gave proper fire.

The regiment had 18 guns; each battery had 6.

IMAGE: Officers of the 163 Field Regiment receive holy scarves at the Golden Temple after the War. Photograph: Kind courtesy, Mrs Monica Sindhwani.

Our position was on a bund where we were in our bunkers with our guns. From the Pulkanjari side, the Pakistanis used to bring down very accurate fire upon us whenever there was troop movement on our side.

There was a bloody battle that took place on December 16-17 (the Battle of Pulkanjari). I remember some cattle sheds were blown up and you could see animal limbs flying about. It was a horrible sight.

One night I had a narrow escape. I was wearing a parka. Firing was happening from both sides. We took shelter on the ground when my coat got caught in a stump.

It was dark; I thought somebody was pulling me back. When I got up I found the tail of my coat was missing -- a mortar shell had cut through that part of the coat!

I preserved that coat for a long time.

IMAGE: A major in the 1971 War, Colonel Sindhwani came to India after Partition and served the Indian Army for nearly 30 years. Photograph: Archana Masih/Rediff.com

When the War was over, my battery was pulled for ceremonial duties in Delhi. It was 25 years of Independence and my guns were to fire the gun salute at the Red Fort. There was also a special midnight session of Parliament.

It was also the first time I went inside Parliament. I had to give the order to fire coinciding with the first beat of the National Anthem.

After the War when the Simla Agreement was to be signed, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his daughter Benazir were to come to Chandigarh from where they were to be airlifted by chopper to Simla.

Since I was commanding a ceremonial battery, I was told that a head of State is coming and we would have to give a gun salute. I was given a booklet to go through that had directions about how the salute was given to a head of State and was asked to be ready to move my guns to Chandigarh.

I read it and thought Bhutto was not on a State visit. He was coming from a country that had suffered defeat and was here to negotiate peace. So I referred the matter to Army HQ.

It was then referred to Mrs Gandhi and it was finally decided that no gun salute would be given to him.

***

'Our job was to protect Amritsar': Colonel Inder Khanna

In October-November of 1971, a general exodus of civilians took place from Amritsar.

I was posted in Amritsar as battery commander in the 74 Medium Regiment as part of the 15 Infantry Division.

The role of the entire division was the protection of Amritsar. Across was Lahore.

Around 150 km of border area was the responsibility of the 15 Division.

Our gun position was on a forward location in a village 15 km out of Amritsar. The range of a medium gun is 27.4 km. The shell weighs 34.4 kgs. It is lethal.

On December 3, at around 4 in the evening, we were having a gun inspection. Suddenly before sunset, the Pakistani Sabres came zooming over our heads. They were returning to Pakistan after bombarding the Raja Sansi airport which was 4 km as the crow flies from where we were.

The Pakistan border from where we were as the crow flies was at times 10, 12 or 15 kms.

IMAGE: Colonel Inder Khanna, a second generation army officer, was deployed near Amritsar during the War. Photograph: Archana Masih/Rediff.com

We got the message that War had started and Pakistan had started preemptive action on our air bases in the north.

We mantled our guns, put them into the gun pits in firing positions and were ready to fire. Bombardment started at 8 in the night.

Bombardment happened every night. I was with an infantry brigade deployed in Kohali, which is Air Chief Marshal (now Marshal of the Indian Air Force) Arjan Singh's village. We were responsible for giving fire support to the infantry battalion.

We had Russian guns -- 130 medium guns, excellent guns which are carrying on even today.

Each battery has 120 people. Each medium gun is manned by 7 men.

We hardly slept during those 14 nights of war. Most of the attacks took place either late in the evening or early morning.

The Pakistanis wanted to penetrate, but they couldn't.

A famous battle took place in Pulkanjari on the night of December 16-17.

Pulkanjari is a sort of bulge inside the Pakistani area. The Pakistanis captured it, but we captured it back before the war ended. (A memorial to the valour of the Sikh Regiment stands in Pulkanjari.)
"We need to change Uttar Pradesh's face to change India," says PM Narendra Modi in Lucknow.

By India Today Web Desk: Amidst infighting in the Yadav family, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today addressed rally in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow.

The Prime Minister today launched a series of attacks on the other contenders in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. "Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party fight has pushed Uttar Pradesh back," PM Modi said in Lucknow.

PM MODI ADDRESSES RALLY IN LUCKNOW: HIGHLIGHTS

We are the only party who is trying to save India.

Don't put up with half-hearted changes in Uttar Pradesh.

Our government is dedicated to the poor.

Some parties saving family, some saving black money.

Some parties are trying to launder black money.

Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party fight has pushed Uttar Pradesh back.

UP government misused funds by Centre.

Change is imperative in Uttar Pradesh.

Parivartan rally required to change Uttar Pradesh's future.

Corruption must be eradicated from this country.

Politics stalling development in Uttar Pradesh.

People don't want caste politics.

We need to change Uttar Pradesh's face to change India.

BJP will change the fate of Uttar Pradesh.

Growth absent from Uttar Pradesh for 14 years.

It's time for growth to come back in Uttar Pradesh with BJP.

BJP set to end 14-year exile in Uttar Pradesh this year.

Kalyan Singh government is still remembered fondly by Uttar Pradesh.

This massive rally shows the mood of the people.

Never seen such a big political rally in my career, says Narendra Modi.

This rally shows political future of Uttar Pradesh state.

Have addressed thousands of rallies.

Samajwadi Party, BSP and Congress are afraid, they are all looking for alliance, says Rajnath Singh in Lucknow.

PM Narendra Modi will address Parivartan Rally in Lucknow shortly.

BJP president Rajnath Singh is also present at the Ramabai Ambedkar Maidan in Lucknow.

Uttar Pradesh: PM Narendra Modi at Parivartan rally in Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), to address shortly pic.twitter.com/ALmLddGloG&; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 2, 2017

These days one can witness a lot of drama in Uttar Pradesh, this is just to divert attention, says Amit Shah.

BJP Chief Amit Shah speaking at Parivartan rally in Lucknow pic.twitter.com/QDYVnQCVr5&; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 2, 2017

This rally is being considered crucial as it is being held at a time when the infighting in the state's first family (Samajwadi Party) is at its peak.

The Cabinet ministers and MPs representing the state at the Centre have also reached the state capital to take part in the rally.

BJP party chief Amit Shah is also expected to share the dais with the PM Modi today.

--- ENDS ---

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Sharmila ended her fast against the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or AFSPA on August 9 last year. She had then said that she would continue her protest by joining politics and becoming a part of the decision-making process.

In October, she formed her own political party and named it People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance.

Okram Ibobi Singh has been the Chief Minister for the last three terms after getting elected from Thoubal constituency.

Sharmila said: "During his 15 years of leadership he has not done anything to repeal AFSPA. Since I realise that no politician shall repeal it, I am planning to contest the election, become the Chief Minister and repeal it."

Chief Minister Okram Ibobi, in turn, accused Sharmila of not speaking the truth.

He said AFSPA was lifted from seven assembly segments in the Imphal Municipal Corporation with a promise to lift from other areas if there was a positive response.

Referring to the general impression that she had given up her campaign against AFSPA, Sharmila said: "It is my unshakable objective to repeal it. I have merely changed tactics."
By Press Trust of India: Paradip (Odisha), Jan 1 (PTI) 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.

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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. PTI COR SKN SUS CHT

--- ENDS ---
Center for Performance is finished, more to do at Hall of Fame Village
French President Francois Hollande has told French soldiers in Iraq that their work against the extremist group Islamic State (IS) is preventing attacks at home.

"Taking action against terrorism here in Iraq is also preventing acts of terrorism on our own soil," Hollande said at a base where French soldiers have been training elite Iraqi forces.

Hollande arrived in Baghdad on January 2, becoming the most prominent head of state to visit Iraq since the U.S.-led, anti-IS coalition was formed 2 1/2 years ago.

He met with Iraqi President Fuad Masum and Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, and called for reconciliation and unity after IS is defeated.

Later he traveled to the northern Kurdish region where he met with French troops and local officials.

French aircraft have carried out about 1,000 strikes against suspected IS targets. France has 500 soldiers advising Iraqi forces trying to recapture the city of Mosul.

In addition, it maintains 14 Rafale fighter jets in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

Based on reporting by AFP, dpa, and AP
Afghan officials have arrested four suspects in the killing last month of five female airport employees and their driver in the southern province of Kandahar.

Security officials brought three of the suspects to a press conference in Kandahar late on January 1, saying the men had admitted to taking part in the slayings.

Provincial security chief Rahmatullah Atrafi told reporters that the fourth suspect was undergoing medical treatment for wounds sustained when security forces arrested the group.

At the press conference, two of the suspects said they participated in the killings of the civilian airport employees, who were gunned down on their way to work on December 17.

It's unclear if the men spoke under duress.

The Taliban militant group has denied being involved in the attack, but the men said they killed the airport workers based on instructions from a Taliban commander.

The women had been concerned about their security after receiving death threats from people who disapproved of them having careers in the deeply conservative country, airport officials said.

With reporting by Khaama.com
Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili and a delegation of U.S. senators have discussed the Caucasus country's aspirations for joining Western institutions and the Georgian-U.S. strategic relationship in Tbilisi.

The president's office said Margvelashvili thanked John McCain (Republican-Arizona), Lindsey Graham (Republican-South Carolina), and Amy Klobuchar (Democrat-Minnesota) on January 2 for their support of Georgia's "sovereignty and territorial integrity" during talks in the Georgian capital.

The senators included talks on their two-day trip with Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze. McCain said he also met with some opposition leaders.

The U.S. delegation stopped on January 2 at the NATO-Georgian Joint Training and Evaluation Center near Tbilisi and earlier at Khurvaleti, the boundary with the breakaway Georgian territory of South Ossetia that has been controlled by Russian forces since a brief war was fought in 2008.

"Our message is that 2017 will be a year of 'more' -- more American military support, more trade, more economic integration, and more push-back against Russia for the aggression not only here, but throughout the world, more sanctions," Graham said.

"Now is the time to let [Russian President Vladimir] Putin know that we as a world have had enough."

McCain added: "It is clear that Russia has attacked the United States of America; all of our intelligence agencies will affirm that that'd been the case. We will work in the Congress to have stronger sanctions [against Russia] in order to prevent further attacks on the United States of America."

The senators had also visited the Baltic states and Ukraine on their trip.

With reporting by TASS and Agenda.ge
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
At least 35 people have been killed and dozens of others wounded by an explosion in a packed square in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

The blast occurred on January 2 at an intersection in the northeastern Shi'ite neighborhood of Sadr City and reportedly struck a place where many day laborers wait for jobs.

Police said a car bomb was used in the attack.

The Sunni extremist group Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack via its Amaq news agency.

IS has carried out numerous attacks in Baghdad in the recent weeks, targeting predominantly Shi'ite areas.

Three bombs killed 29 people in the capital on December 31 and an attack by two suicide bombers at a checkpoint the following day in the southern city of Najaf -- a holy city for Shi'a -- killed at least eight people.

Iraqi and U.S.-backed forces are fighting to oust IS militants from the northern city of Mosul.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP
Authorities in Kazakhstan say that at least nine people were killed when a residential building in the central town of Shakhan, about 200 kilometers southeast of the capital, Astana, partially collapsed.

The Interior Ministry reported that the building collapsed on January 2, but the cause of the disaster has not been determined.

Rescue workers continue to work at the scene, and authorities said the death toll could still rise.

Four survivors, including two children, have been pulled from the ruins.

Based on reporting by TASS and RIA Novosti


Police in southern Kyrgyzstan are searching for suspects who destroyed a decorated holiday tree ahead of New Year's celebrations.

Unknown suspects also broke the windows of the cultural center in the town of Kadamzhai where the fir tree, a traditional symbol of New Year's festivities, was installed.

A resident said the attackers "broke the tree and smashed six windows of the cultural center building, using the trees stand. Then they threw the tree in the river."

The incident took place on December 27.

In a tradition from Kyrgyzstan's Soviet past, many Kyrgyz celebrate the New Year by installing decorated fir trees -- much like Christmas trees -- in city squares, shopping centers, public buildings, and their homes as well as throw office parties and family gatherings.

But some local officials and residents in the predominantly Muslim state don't approve of the celebrations or the trees.

Uzgen District Governor Attokur Tazhibaev said that in the past three years his district has stopped erecting decorated fir trees in public places and holding New Year's parties.

"This tradition was imposed on us," he said.
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Jan 2 (PTI) The mortal remains of two Indians - including a Bollywood producer - who were among the 39 people killed in a terror attack in an Istanbul nightclub, will be brought back to India on Wednesday.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said the bodies of Abis Hasan Rizvi and Khushi Shah from Gujarat will be brought back by Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul tomorrow night and reach Mumbai on Wednesday morning.

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The minister added that Indian envoy in Turkey Rahul Kulshreshth made all the necessary arrangements.

"I have just spoken to Mr. Akhtar Hassan Rizvi and Akshay Shah in Turkey. Indian Ambassador Rahul Kulshreshth has made all arrangements for them.

"They are returning with mortal remains by Turkish airlines flight leaving Istanbul tomorrow night and reach Mumbai next morning," Swaraj said in a series of tweets.

Akshay Shah is brother of Khushi Shah while Akhtar Hassan Rizvi, a former Rajya Sabha MP, is father of Abis Hasan Rizvi, a prominent builder and Bollywood producer.

They were among the 15 foreigners who were killed when a gunman went on a rampage at the waterside Reina nightclub in Istanbul where revellers were celebrating the New Year.

Earlier, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup has said that Indian envoy Kulshreshth was doing everything possible to send back the mortal remains at the earliest.

Swarup said Rizvi and Shah had gone to Istanbul as tourists and they "happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time". PTI MPB ZMN SUA SUA

--- ENDS ---
Montenegro and Serbia are Russian President Vladimir Putin's "red line" in Europe, judging by year-end headlines in Belgrade's tabloid press.

Drawing on unnamed diplomatic sources, those stories in the Serbian capital claim that Putin has a plan for a new "world order" in which Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia-Herzegovina -- designated "militarily neutral states" -- would serve as buffers between NATO and Russia and its allies. The same sources are quoted as saying, in line with this vision, that Putin had advised U.S. President-elect Donald Trump not to "force through" Montenegro's membership in NATO.

The details of Putin's grand strategic plan may or may not be entirely accurate, but the extent of Moscow's hostility to Montenegrin NATO ambitions has been clear for some time. Podgorica has been under intense pressure from Moscow to drop its EU and NATO membership bids.

Given questions about the future direction of U.S. policy vis-a-vis Russia, there have been expressions of growing concern in Montenegro that its steadfastly pro-Western stance might go unrewarded.

In that context, a prospective visit from a "troika" of U.S. senators was seen as a welcome show of support. John McCain (Republican-Arizona), Lindsay Graham (Republican-South Carolina), and Amy Klobuchar (Democrat-Minnesota) were expected to stop over in Montenegro on January 3 on their way back from a tour of the Baltics, Georgia, and Ukraine. As it turned out, the visit was postponed at the last minute, although McCain thanked Montenegro for its assistance in the global fight against terrorism and reiterated his support for Montenegro's NATO hopes.

For some in Montenegro, NATO membership increasingly looks like a question of political life and death, as that small Balkan state finds itself on the front lines of what could become a new Cold War. Recent reports suggest Russia has applied pressure to derail Montenegro's NATO accession or EU integration.

For years, Russia's "new rich" have been investing in and acquiring property in Montenegro. In popular coastal resort towns like Budva, Russian is a second language, enjoying parity with Montenegrin.

But relations have begun to sour. A case in point is Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska, once seen as a potential savior of Montenegro with his investment in local aluminum production, who is now suing the Montenegrin state over purported losses. Many Russians seemingly believed that their investment in Montenegro would be repaid in political influence.

Yet Podgorica remains stubbornly committed to forging ties with the West. This year Montenegro could become the 29th member of NATO, a process that could conclude with a ratifying vote in the Montenegrin parliament in the spring. (So far 19 of 28 NATO members have approved Montenegrin membership, which was endorsed in Warsaw in July, and the U.S. Senate could vote later this month on ratification.)

Moscow has responded by ratcheting up the pressure.

Sergei Zheleznyak, a senior official within Russia's ruling United Russia party, issued a warning to the Montenegrin government on December 26, during his most recent visit to Belgrade. "The Montenegrin authorities are making a mistake in trying to speed up the country's entry into NATO, knowing that the majority of their people are opposed to this. An attempt to force through NATO membership is not in Montenegro's or NATO's best interests, and it can easily lead to instability in the country, in the Balkans, and inside NATO," Zheleznyak said after talks with officials from the Serbian ruling party.

His statement echoed Moscow's official line. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed recently that "frantic attempts are being made to drag Montenegro into NATO" before the handover to the Trump administration in the United States in January. At a recent OSCE meeting in Hamburg, Lavrov said, "We are not interfering in this process, but I think that the unattractiveness of these frantic efforts is clear to everyone."

But reports of a botched coup in Montenegro in October could put a real dent in Lavrov's charge.

Montenegrin authorities last month issued international arrest warrants for Russians and Serbs accused of involvement in that purported plot, which allegedly sought to assassinate the Montenegrin prime minister and take over parliament on election day.

Podgorica has said it has no evidence of high-level Russian official involvement in the abortive coup, and the Kremlin has denied involvement. But it could not have been reassuring for Montenegrin officials to see one of the suspects in the coup plot practically rubbing elbows with Russia's Lavrov last month.

Russia's line about a lack of support for NATO membership in Montenegro also might not reflect reality.

"The official invitation to join NATO and signing of the Accession Protocol were the best things that happened to Montenegro in 2016," Darko Sukovic, a prominent Montenegrin journalist, has said.

Former Foreign Minister Miodrag Vlahovic, meanwhile, said he was anxious for the country to find a way to secure NATO membership while preventing the deterioration of relations with Russia. "We're entering a dramatic finale. To use a chess analogy, Montenegro only needs a draw in this historic chess match with Russia," he said. "The main thing is not to lose momentum and to finally seal the deal [NATO membership] while avoiding direct conflict with the Kremlin -- with a little help from our [Western] allies, of course."

Edward P. Joseph of the John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, in an article co-authored with Sinisa Vukovic, argued recently that Montenegro represents "a litmus test for Trump's Russia policy."

And a recent Wall Street Journal editorial*, titled Patriot Games In The Balkans and published last month, accused "pro-Kremlin forces" of trying to sabotage Podgorica's NATO bid, warning: "Western security is best served by supporting democratic governments of any size facing pressure from regional bullies. The alternative is to deliver another country into Moscow's grip, and whet its appetite to take another."

The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL

CORRECTION: This article has been amended to correctly attribute quoted text to a Wall Street Journal editorial, rather than to Mssrs Joseph and Vukovic. RFE/RL regrets the error.
At least six Pakistani security service forces have been wounded by an explosion in the southwestern city of Quetta.

A group of Frontier Corps security forces were patrolling the Western Bypass area of Quetta on January 2 when their vehicle drove over a roadside bomb, said a spokesman for the security force.

The injured were taken to local hospitals. One person is reportedly in critical condition.

Muhammad Khurasani, a spokesman for Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the attack in an e-mail to RFE/RL.

Officials have begun an investigation.

Quetta is the capital of the resource-rich Balochistan Province, which has been plagued by sectarian violence and a separatist insurgency that has led to thousands of casualties since 2004.

With reporting by Dunya News
Tajik authorities are looking into claims by an Afghan official that Taliban tanks and other heavy weapons are being repaired by Russian engineers in Tajikistan.

Muhammadjon Ulughkhojaev, a spokesman for Tajikistans border guard agency, said on January 2 that the allegations are "baseless."

But he added he is unaware of all details of the allegations.

Ulughkhojaev said the border guard agency has been looking into the claim, will study the Afghan media reports, and will report on the results of their investigation.

The Afghan Defense Ministry's deputy spokesman, Mohammad Radmanish, was also skeptical of such reports.

Radmanish said on January 2 that he doesn't think it is possible "to transport heavy weaponry to the other side of the Amu-Darya River" that marks the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

"[The Taliban] usually drives small vehicles, such as pickup trucks with heavy weapons mounted on them, but they do not have heavy vehicles, such as tanks," he said.

Last month, a former governor of northern Afghanistan's Kunduz Province was quoted by Afghan media as saying that military vehicles and other weapons seized by Taliban militants from the Afghan Army were being sent to Tajikistan for repairs.

Muhammad Omar Safi reportedly alleged that the vehicles and weapons had been repaired by Russian military engineers based in Tajikistan before being returned to the Taliban.

Safi claimed that such cooperation between the Afghan Taliban and the Russian military has been going on for nearly two years.

Some 7,000 Russian troops are stationed in Tajikistan.

In recent months, Afghan officials have voiced concern over what they described as Russian aid to the Taliban.

In early December, Afghan lawmakers said they planned to investigate reports about alleged seizures of Russian-made weapons destined for the Taliban.

Russia denies providing aid to the Sunni extemist militant group.
A surprisingly harsh war of words has broken out between the Russian central government and one of the country's most prosperous regions, in a sign of tension as cash-strapped Moscow struggles to fill its budget deficit.

The government of the Republic of Tatarstan sought to soften the blow by pulling a transcript of its president calling a federal order to extract more revenues from the regions "stupidity" and obliquely comparing it to one of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's most ruthless policies.

But the grumbling had already caught the attention of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who quickly confirmed that the policy in question was here to stay.

The Russian economy has been hit hard over the last two years by a combination of low global energy prices and the effects of a sanctions standoff with the West over Moscow's annexation of the Ukrainian region of Crimea and its active support of separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Among the measures the Kremlin has adopted to make ends meet was a decision to increase the portion of the national 20 percent profit tax that goes to the federal government from 2 to 3 percent.

That prompted Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov to launch into a tirade against Moscow at a regional government meeting on December 27.

Minnikhanov called the move "an extremely dangerous measure."

"In a unilateral way, a decision was made at the federal level. No agreements," he said. "This is another attempt to change the rules on co-financing. Those who work well won't get federal subsidies. This, in general, is stupidity. Where is this country going? We are a federative state. How can we take part in federal programs now?"

Minnikhanov even compared the process of "leveling" the so-called donor regions and their subsidized counterparts with Stalin's disastrous "de-kulakization," a policy that saw relatively prosperous farmers dispossessed and their property absorbed into collective farms. "We saw the consequences of that," he said, in an allusion to catastrophic repressions and famines that killed millions.

The comments were so controversial that the Tatarstan government deviated from its usual practice of posting a transcript and reportedly ordered local media to pull down videos of the meeting.

Medvedev countered, "Financial transfers must be primarily directed according to the needs of developing regional economies, the social sphere, and other important elements, and not just to regions, particularly to regions that are donors and can finance development with their own resources," according to TASS.

Historically, tensions have arisen in Russia during economic hard times between the handful of regions that make net contributions to the federal budget -- so-called donor regions -- and the many regions that make ends meet thanks to federal subsidies. Of Russia's 83 regions (plus the two regions of Crimea and Sevastopol that were seized from Ukraine in 2014), only 14 are classified as donor regions. Only one region -- Kaluzhskaya Oblast -- has been added to that list in the last 10 years.

In 2016, the top 10 recipient regions were: Daghestan, Yakutia, Kamchatka, Crimea, Chechnya, Altai, Tyva, Buryatia, Stavropol, and Bashkortostan. They were budgeted to receive 216 billion rubles ($3.5 billion), more than 40 percent of the entire budget for regional subsidies. According to Kommersant, the budget for regional subsidies will increase by 9 percent in 2017.

To make matters worse, many recipient regions are in debt, with 510 billion rubles budgeted in 2016 and 2017 to help regions convert their expensive commercial loans into debt to Moscow. Without such assistance, as many as 20 regions face the prospect of default.

During his annual press conference on December 23, President Vladimir Putin acknowledged that the problem of regional indebtedness is "serious" and said that five regions have violated the government's rule that total indebtedness not exceed 50 percent of a region's revenues.

As for donor regions, Putin said, "We try to create conditions under which they do not lose that status."

Moscow's unwillingness to discuss this topic with regions like Tatarstan is "an alarming signal for the country as a whole," Kazan-based political analyst Ayrat Fayzrakhmanov told RFE/RL.

"In today's Russia, such completely natural statements are taken like a bolt out of the blue," he said. "It turns out that representatives of regions, even the most official ones, cannot say anything regarding the situation in their regions or about federalism in Russia generally?"

"This is a dangerous signal for the whole country," he added. "The stability of the political system is based on the ability to find a balance of interests. Between different social groups, between people with differing views, between the donor regions and the subsidized regions. But how can we find a balance of interests if some participants are forbidden from speaking?"

The sour mood in Tatarstan is further aggravated because the region is in the grip of a severe banking crisis. The region's leading banking group, Tatfondbank, suspended customer operations earlier this month, leaving many individuals and businesses without access to funds. The crisis has reverberated through the region's economy: On December 23, the board of the Spartak shoe factory declared bankruptcy after it was unable to service its debts or pay salaries because of Tatfondbank's decision.

The government restored partial access to Tatfondbank accounts on December 27, and regional Economy Minister Artem Zdunov said on December 28 that the government "will work" to save Spartak.
It looks like Turkmenistan might be left with just one customer for its natural gas.

The National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) said in a statement on January 1 that Turkmen state company Turkmengaz "suddenly and...in an illogical manner, contrary to the agreement, halted gas deliveries to Iran this morning..."

The blunt NIGC statement came after 11th-hour negotiations between Iranian and Turkmen officials seemed to have at least temporarily settled differences between the two countries over Turkmen gas shipments to Iran.

Iranian representatives were in the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat, on December 30 in an effort to reach an agreement that would prevent Turkmenistan from carrying out a threat to suspend supplies on December 31 unless Iran paid a reported $1.8 billion debt for Turkmen gas supplies in 2007-08.

The winter of 2007-08 was the last time Turkmenistan cut off gas supplies to Iran. Turkmen authorities at the time insisted the suspension was due to repair work, but the cutoff coincided with talks on the price of Turkmen gas. Iran had been paying about $75 per 1,000 cubic (Iran now says it was $40 per 1,000 cubic meters), but Iranian state-media website presstv.ir reported on December 30 that Turkmenistan demanded -- and got -- $360 per 1,000 cubic meters at that time.

"When freezing winters led to severe shortages across 20 Iranian provinces, forcing the country to raise gas imports from it northeastern neighbor...Turkmenistan pounced on the occasion to demand a...hike, which yanked the price up to $360..." presstv.ir reported.

An Iranian deputy oil minister, Amir Hossein Zamania, said on December 21, shortly after Turkmenistan demanded payment of the debt, that while Iran did owe Turkmenistan money, it was somewhere between $600 million to $1.5 billion.

"We will need to discuss the scope of gas supplies and its form with Turkmen officials," Zamania said before the latest round of negotiations started at the end of December.

Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zangeneh said on December 28 that if the Turkmen insisted on halting gas supplies, Iran would stop its energy dealings with Ashgabat. In the last few years, several Iranian officials have spoken against importing Turkmen gas.

Talks in Ashgabat on December 30 apparently reached an impasse, and the Iranian delegation left the bargaining table to return to Iran. According to a December 30 report from Iran's Mehr news agency, "At the airport, Turkmenistan's officials persuaded the Iranian delegation to come back to the negotiating table in hopes for reaching an agreement on gas delivery to Iran."

On December 31, NIGC Managing Director Hamid Reza Araqi said a five-year agreement for Turkmen gas had been worked out. Reports said the issue of the Iranian debt would be discussed over the coming months.

And as recently as early on January 1, Iran's Fars new agency was reporting a deal had been struck that would avoid any interruption in supplies.

Turkmengaz has not commented on the reason for the surprise halt.

Turkmenistan certainly needs the money. The country is in its worst economic crisis since it became independent in late 1991.

But shutting off supplies to Iran now might signal the end of Turkmen gas exports to Iran.

Tehran has needed Turkmen gas because Iran's internal gas-pipeline network has not sufficiently connected the gas-rich regions of southern Iran to the northern part of the country. In the late 1990s, Iran largely financed a project to build the gas pipeline that connects the two countries. But Tehran has been working for several years to resolve the problem of supplying domestic gas to its northern provinces and, while sanctions slowed the project, it has gone forward.

Sometime in the near future, Iran will no longer require Turkmen gas.

Turkmenistan, on the other hand, lost Russia as a customer at the start of 2016. Losing Iran would leave China as the only foreign country purchasing Turkmen gas.

When Turkmenistan shut off gas to Iran in 2007-08, Ashgabat's situation was very different. Turkmenistan was exporting more than 40 billion cubic meters of gas to Russia at that time and construction was well under way on pipelines to connect Turkmenistan to China. So Ashgabat could afford to press Iran on price back then.

When the talks in Ashgabat were foundering at the end of 2016, Iranian news agency IRNA wrote, "According to experts, Ashgabat would be the biggest loser of this dispute."

That is probably an accurate assessment.

Turkmenistan will inevitably lose Iran as a gas customer in the coming years, but if Ashgabat's financial desperation leads to irreparable damage in its ties with Tehran, Turkmenistan could also lose an export route through Iran to the Persian Gulf that is just now starting to open up.

Already on January 1, Ardeshir Nourian, a deputy in Iran's parliament, said, "The foreign minister should take immediate action against Turkmenistan."

RFE/RL's Turkmen Service contributed to this report.

The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL.
Many Samajwadi Party leaders, who have sided with Shivpal Yadav in the ongoing fight between Mulayam and Akhilesh factions, find their political future at stake should the Election Commission decide in the UP Chief Minister's favour.

By Siraj Qureshi: With Mulayam Singh Yadav's younger brother and SP State President Shivpal Singh Yadav losing this influential position to an Akhilesh Yadav supporter in an elaborately staged coup by the UP Chief Minister, many of his supporters are now looking at possible action against them by the new party leadership.

While the first day of 2017 came carrying joyous news for Akhilesh Yadav supporters, the removal of Shivpal from state president's post made the future of his supporters uncertain in the party.

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READ| Mulayam vs Akhilesh: Samajwadi Party chief visits Election Commission office to claim cycle symbol

Many are now planning to move into the Akhilesh camp, if the election commission decides in his favour.

SHIVPAL SUPPORTERS IN LIMBO: 13 THINGS TO KNOW Most of the tickets declared by the Samajwadi Party for the 2017-assembly elections, including those for the eight assembly seats in Agra district have been given to Shivpal supporters. But, if Akhilesh takes the helm of the party as national president, this list could be revised. Some of these candidates had preferred not to take sides in this internal dispute within the Yadav family. Many Shivpal supporters- though on the fringe now- had not attended the national convention called by party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow. They are now under the under scanner of the winning camp. According to sources, the search for new candidates on these seats has already started and their names could be announced soon, after the EC decides the leadership row in the party. Even the frontal organization leaders recently appointed by Shivpal are also keeping their bags packed as they are expecting their removal pretty soon. A senior Samajwadi Party leader told India Today that the other party leaders are keeping a safe distance from the internal dispute within the Yadav clan, so most of the local SP leaders prefer not to show allegiance to either side at this moment. Several local leaders, including former minister Shivkumar Rathore, who were thought to be very close to Mulayam Singh Yadav, surprisingly attended the convention called by Akhilesh, sensing the imminent leadership change. Such side-switchers also fear that they future could be sealed if Mulayam Singh Yadav pulls out a surprise and returns to head the party on the back of the Election Commission's decision. Meanwhile, the Facebook page of the Samajwadi Party has been taken over by the Akhilesh camp. Mulayam Singh Yadav, though, still appears on the top of the first page of the Samajwadi Party's website, he has been mentioned in the leadership column with Dr Ram Manohar Lohiya. The website page makes no direct mention of Mulayam Singh being the president of the Samajwadi Party. The calling off of the national convention, previously called by Mulayam Singh Yadav on January 5, has further complicated the matter for many party leaders.

ALSO READ:

Is Mulayam Singh fighting to save family as Akhilesh vies for Samajwadi Party?

--- ENDS ---
I have a hope for the New Year.

I turn to this hope during every battle over moving or removing a Confederate monument in Virginia, or renaming one of the many streets named after Jefferson Davis. I feel this hope every time I drive past another Virginia Flaggers demonstration, or when I see the Confederate battle flag hung on a truck or in a dorm window.

My hope leads me to this teensy request: Can we drop the Confederate nostalgia? Finally?

Theres no other way to put this: The American South has been on the wrong end of history for 200 years. Its time to get over it.

I realize that as a transplanted Northerner, my opinion will be less than worthless to a number of the from-heres among us. But longtime Southerners might consider how, to an outsider, Confederate nostalgia looks. My question has always been this: What, exactly, are these people celebrating?

When I teach my politics courses, I remind students that the long history of American politics boils down to the repeated need to placate racist Southerners. Beginning with the three-fifths compromise in the Constitution, and continuing through decades of compromises to prevent a Civil War, Northern politicians did their best to tolerate the brutal apartheid regime that was improbably nested within their developing democracy.

And then, even after a devastating war failed to preserve this oppressive regime, we had to spend another century mollifying stubbornly racist Southern states. FDRs New Deal coalition, for example, was made possible by the support of Southern white Democrats. In exchange, Southern states were allowed to make sure that blacks never got to benefit from any of the New Deals generous social programs. It took the civil rights movement and the entire second half of the 20th century to finally dislodge the racist power structures of the American South, in a process that is still ongoing.

No single factor explains American political history, but this basic divide  North vs. South, free vs. slave, democracy vs. racist regime  comes the closest. The idea that we should celebrate the losing side in this long battle not only dishonors the brave warriors who finally defeated the forces of bigotry; it undermines the victory itself. And it was a resounding, triumphant victory, in both the Civil War and a century later.

To put it bluntly: The Confederates were the bad guys, as were their Jim Crow descendants. They lost, and the country is immeasurably better for it.

At this point, Confederate sympathizers might want to trot out the longstanding claims about the Civil War: that it was about states rights, not slavery; that it was fought for economic reasons; that it was about the principle of secession. I have no patience for these preposterous claims  any economic differences or demands for states rights were based on the preservation of an oppressive way of life literally built on the backs of forced labor. The Confederate slaveocracy deserves its place in the dustbin of history.

I have much more sympathy for the idea that the South has changed; that the racism of the past is not reflected in the new cities like Richmond that are rising in the South. This argument is fine as far as it goes; I like to see lists of how Richmond is one of the countrys most-_____  cities as much as the next guy.

But lets say we can set aside the still powerful effects of our racist past, such as the demographics of poverty, or the dramatic racial segregation found in housing. How are we supposed to believe in this post-racial South when Confederate Flaggers are out in front of the art museum every weekend, supporting  well, whatever it is they are supporting? When white Southerners respond to criticism of the Confederacy with nonsense phrases like heritage, not hate? When they seem more interested in honoring the (obvious) bravery of Confederate soldiers than in acknowledging the absolute moral bankruptcy of the cause for which those soldiers fought?

Theres nothing wrong with studying and protecting Virginias history, including its racist past. But theres a difference between celebrating and commemorating. We should reserve street and school names for heroes, not the architects of apartheid; history can be acknowledged without endorsement.

So, for example, there is no need to move statues off of Richmonds Monument Avenue, as RVA mayoral candidate Joe Morrissey proposed during this years election season. (Until he un-proposed it, then proposed it again.) I like the suggestion made most clearly to me by another candidate, Jon Baliles: Lets add to the monuments, so that Maggie Walker takes her place in line with Stonewall Jackson. Lets use Monument Avenue to commemorate the full history of Richmond and the South.

But no matter what, we need to stop holding up the Confederacy as something to honor. We need to stop celebrating the history of Americas worst impulses and institutions. We need to stop with the Confederacy nonsense.

My hope might be a long shot in an America that just elected Donald Trump. The divisions in our country seem worse than ever, and it might be too much to ask for people to let go of a past that should be dishonored when they feel so lost in the present.

Still, I will keep my hope, and repeat my request. In the New Year, can we finally move on from the Confederacy?

Please?
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
By India Today Web Desk: The new year has not even begun and we've already got the first B-Town couple to bite the dust: actor Nandita Das and her entrepreneur-turned-actor husband Subodh Maskara have confirmed that they are parting ways. Das and Maskara were married for seven years and have a six-year-old son, Vihaan, together.

Nandita confirmed the news to DNA, "Yes, it is true. Subodh and I have decided to separate. Thankfully, it is very amicable. Our son is our foremost priority and as parents of a delightful and sensitive child we request that his and our privacy be respected. There's nothing to hide and there's nothing more to be said."

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The Fire actor added, "Separation is never easy, more so if you have a child. For us, our son is our main concern and we are committed to ensuring his well-being."

ALSO SEE: Ranbir-Katrina to Brad-Angelina - Celebs who parted ways in 2016

Rumours of problems in Nandita and Subodh's marriage were doing the rounds for some time before Subodh quashed them all. In June last year, Maskara was quoted by Spotboye.com as saying, "Nandita and I are still living together in the same house (near Haji Ali in Mumbai). In fact, we were planning to go to France on a holiday with our son. Unfortunately, my father passed away 3 days ago."

He added, "When we got married, we told the media openly. And if we separate, even then, we will tell the media openly so that you can write the real reason. And mind you, I'm saying "if", I'm merely speculating."

Nandita Das, who is known for her critically-acclaimed films, was married to Saumya Sen for seven years, from 2002 to 2009. Subodh and Nandita tied the knot in 2010.

ALSO WATCH: Brangelina to Ranbir-Katrina, 2016 was the year of celebrity splits

--- ENDS ---
Post demonetisation, Prime Minister in the Lucknow rally gave a speech. And many wonder if the rally in the state of Uttar Pradesh hit the intended target.

By Brijesh Pandey: For those who were expecting some big announcements from the rally of PM Modi, after 50 days of demonetisation, were in for a surprise.

The PM was expected to address a rally in Lucknow on December 24, 2016, after the culmination of four 'parivartan yatras' launched from four different corners of Uttar Pradesh. But this was later postponed to January 2 in 2017.

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This rally in Lucknow was the first public rally of the Prime Minister after the stated 50-day completion of demonetisation and it was widely expected that he would shower political largess on UP.

THE SPEECH

But the PM's speech, as per his own standards, was somewhat insipid today. The political import of this speech which everyone right from his supporters to his detractors were eagerly looking forward to, were tad disappointed.

This speech happened just a couple of days before Election Commission is expected to announce dates in UP. A substantial political message was being expected but that was missing, or at least in a diluted state.

The PM started his speech by profusely praising the crowd present in the rally by saying that it is the biggest rally he has ever attended and if Atal Bihari Vajpayee or Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh was watching this on TV, they would have been so proud of it.

Taking a jibe at political analysts, he said that he saw some news on TV that which talked about BJP and its vanvas. Further addressing, he said that issue is not BJP's vanvas but it is vanvas of development from UP.

PM Modi also went to exhort the voters of UP to rise above caste-consideration and vote for development of the state.

Hitting out at his political opponents, Modi said, "There is one party which is trying to promote the son of the family for 15 years, one party is trying to defend to its corrupt transactions and one party which cannot even solved their family issues, how will they solve UP's problem".

Hitting out at SP and BSP, Modi said that while both these parties can't stand each other, the issue of black money brought them together. He went on to say how 'people say about removing Modi' from power, and how Modi always talks about removing black money, corruption.

HITTING TARGET

The speech of Modi had even BJP leaders somewhat confused. A Senior leader from UP BJP said that they were hoping for some big announcement but nothing of that sort happened.

Elections are almost a month away and we thought that post demonetisation, there will be some big news for UP electorate.

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What took many of them by surprise was that PM did not hit out at SP and BSP with the same degree of vehemence as it was expected.

A BJP leader, very reluctantly admitted that in eastern UP, which had a great degree of apprehension about demonetisation, returned disappointed as he felt that the speech lacked the usual focus which Modi always have.

The BJP leader talked about pressing matters like the state of farmers which was not part of the speech.

While BSP supremo Mayawati called this rally a flop, for the BJP, the consolation was the crowd present.

--- ENDS ---
French insurer AXA Group (AXAHY.PK) announced Monday that it had completed the sale of Bluefin Insurance Group Ltd, its P&C commercial broker in the UK, to Marsh.

AXA recorded an exceptional negative impact of 82 million euros, which will be accounted for in 2016 net income.

It was on November 14 last year that AXA entered into an agreement with Marsh to sell Bluefin for 295 million pounds or 340 million euros.

AXA then said the proposed transaction should generate a negative exceptional P&L impact of 66 million euros, which would be accounted for in net income.

Bluefin is an insurance broker, which provides services to private individuals, small businesses, and large corporates in the UK, employing approximately 1,500 colleagues based in 45 locations.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

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The protesting Opposition members created ruckus as they tried to disrupt Governor NN Vohra's address to the joint session of the bicameral legislature in Jammu.

By India Today Web Desk: In the uproar today in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly following the Opposition's protest against the PDP-BJP government, the national anthem was allegedly insulted when the ruckus continued even as it was played.

The protesting Opposition members, mainly from the National Conference and the Congress, created ruckus as they tried to disrupt Governor NN Vohra's address to the joint session of the bicameral legislature in Jammu.

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ALSO READ | How national anthem should be played in cinema halls: Home Ministry is out with an advisory

As the Governor started his address, members of the Opposition parties stood up shouting slogans against the PDP-BJP government.

The Governor rushed to the concluding part of his speech amid the din.

"The National Conference and the Congress created ruckus in the Assembly even when the national anthem was played. Even the Governor walked away.This is grave insult of the anthem," BJP's Ravinder Raina said.

"The National Conference, the Congress and the Governer should apologise for insulting the national anthem," Raina demanded.

ALSO READ | On national anthem verdict, Supreme Court clarifies: Disabled need not stand up

--- ENDS ---
US-Saudi aggression warplanes continue targeting Yemen's provinces

SANA'A, Jan. 02 (Saba)  The US-Saudi aggression warplanes continued targeting citizens and infrastructure in a number of the republic's provinces in the last hours.



A military official said to Saba that two people were killed in a Saudi air strike at al-Salif intersection in Hodeida province.



The official added that the US-Saudi warplanes aggression waged an air raid on the coastal defense in al-Jabanah area in Hodeida province.



The US-Saudi warplanes aggression launched five raids on al-Hajelah district in Hodeida province.



The official said that the aggression warplanes waged an air raid on Dawar al-Duraihemi area in al-Hawak district in Hodeida.



The US-Saudi aggression warplanes launched an air raid on al-Khukha district in Hodeida province.



The aggression warplanes waged nine raids on al-Majda'a area in Baqem district and three raids on Shatha district in Sa'ada province, he said.



Meanwhile, al-Shaikh region in Munabah district was targeted by Saudi enemy artillery, the official said.



The US-Saudi aggression warplanes waged an air raid on al-Makhdra area in Serwah district in Mareb province, he said.



The aggression warplanes launched five air raids on telecommunications network in Murais area in Dhale' province, he added.



The US-Saudi aggression warplanes waged four raids on telecommunications network on al-Zafen Mount in Thula district of Amran province, the official said.



The official added that the aggression warplanes waged three raids on al-Mazraq and al-Naar Mount areas in Harad district in Hajjah province.



Faj Harad area was also hit by the aggression warplanes in Hajjah province.



The US-Saudi warplanes aggression launched three raids on al-Hama and al-Hesn Junction in Osailan district in Shabwa province with cluster bombs.



The US-Saudi aggression warplanes waged two raids on Ramada area in Haraz district and an air raid on Tabat al-Tawelah area in Sa'afan district in Sana'a province, the official said.



A hostile air raid was hit an area in the west of Bani Amer, the official said.



The US-Saudi aggression warplanes targeted two raids on Maqbanah area and dropped flash bombs on Kahbab Mount in Taiz province, the official added.



The US-Saudi aggression warplanes launched five raids on the National Security building in Saref area in Sana'a province.



A hostile air raid was hit Hadenah village in al-Khubah area in Jizan region.



HA



Saba

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[02/January/2017]
Roundup: US-Saudi non-stop airstrikes destroy Yemen's governorates, drop cluster bombs











SANA'A, Jan. 02 (Saba)  The US-Saudi aggression warplanes continued targeting citizens and infrastructure across the republic's provinces in the past 24 hours.



Residents and officials told Saba on Monday that the air strikes killed six civilians and wounded dozens when the aggression warplanes struck citizens' houses in Sa'adah governorate three times.



The strikes targeted residents' houses in al-Hibal valley in Sakeen district. The brutal strikes reduced the houses to rubble.



Residents said the warplanes also hit the rescuers who hurried to the scene to try to rescue possible survivors from underneath the rubble.



It was the latest in a series of brutal air attacks against Yemeni civilians carried out by the Saudi regime.



Residents and officials appealed to the world to stop Saudi barbaric crimes against the Yemen civilians.



Meanwhile, two civilians were killed in Saudi air strikes at al-Salif intersection in al-Hodeida province.



The air strikes also targeted the coastal area in al-Jabanah area in al-Hodeida province.



Also, five more air raids hit al-Hajelah district and other air raid on Dawar al-Duraihemi area in al-Hawak district in al-Hodeida too.



Furthermore air attack struck al-Khukha district, also in al-Hodeida.



In Sa'ada province, the aggression warplanes waged nine raids on al-Majda'a area in Baqem district and three more raids on Shatha district.



In Marib province, the US-Saudi aggression warplanes waged an air raid on al-Makhdra area in Serwah district.



In Dhalee province, the aggression warplanes launched five air raids on telecommunications network in Murais.



In Amran governorate, four air raids destroyed the telecommunications network in al-Zafen Mount in Thula district.



N Hajja governorate, the warplanes waged three raids on al-Mazraq and al-Naar Mount areas in Harad district.Faj Harad area was also hit by the aggression warplanes in Hajjah province too.



In Shabwa governorate, the US-Saudi warplanes aggression launched three raids on al-Hama and al-Hesn Junction in Osailan district, dropping internationally- banned cluster bombs on the targeted areas.



In Sana'a governorate, the US-backed Saudi aggression warplanes waged two raids on Ramada area in Haraz district and other air raid on Tabat al-Tawelah area in Sa'afan district.



Another hostile air raid hit a residential area in west of Bani Amer district.



In the capital Sana'a, the US-Saudi aggression warplanes hit the National Security building five times in Saref area northwest of the capital.



In Taiz governorate, the US-Saudi aggression warplanes carried out two raids on Maqbanah area and dropped flash bombs on Kahbab Mount.



In Jizan governorate, a Saudi hostile air raid hit Hadenah village in al-Khubah area.







HA-ZaK





SABA

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[02/January/2017]
By Press Trust of India: From Yoshita Singh

United Nations, Jan 2 (PTI) Antonio Guterres took charge as the UN Secretary General, making a strong appeal to the international community to strive for peace in 2017 at a time when millions of people are caught up in conflict and threat of global terrorism affects 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," said 67-year-old Guterres, who succeeded Ban Ki-moon as the world?s top diplomat.

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He said one question weighs heavy on his heart, "how can we help the millions of people caught up in conflict, suffering massively in wars with no end in sight?"

"Peace must be our goal and our guide," he said yesterday, urging all citizens, governments and leaders to strive to overcome differences.

Guterres voiced concern that 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," he said.

"I appeal to you all to join me in committing to peace, today and every day. Let us make 2017 a year for peace," he added.

"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," he said.

In a separate message, he also condemned the "despicable terrorist" attack on New Year celebrations at a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey, in which dozens of people were killed and injured, including two Indian citizens who lost their lives.

Guterres extended his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and expressed his solidarity with the countries whose nationals were impacted.

He hoped that the organizers and perpetrators of this heinous act will be identified and brought to justice swiftly.

Having been formally appointed by the UN General Assembly in October, Guterres will serve for a five-year period till December 2021. He was Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees from June 2005 to December 2015. PTI YAS ZH

--- ENDS ---

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By SA Commercial Prop News

Jeffrey Wapnick, Managing Director of Octodec, credits this solid performance to introducing several redevelopments to its property portfolio.



Octodec Investments Limited, which on Monday posted a 6,2% growth in distributions and a total annual return of 27,9% for the year ended August 2012, says its focus is to acquire and redevelop excellently placed properties in order to deliver sustainable, growing returns to investors.

Jeffrey Wapnick, Managing Director of Octodec, credits this solid performance to introducing several redevelopments to its property portfolio. He also points to the strong performance of the companys retail portfolio, particularly the improved trading of Killarney Mall.



They location of our properties are key investment criteria for Octodec. Consumers who support CBD retail, which are largely government employees and students, are proving more resilient to present economic pressures, explains Wapnick.



Good news for investors is that, notwithstanding the likely subdued economic growth locally, Octodec is comfortable its growth in distributions per linked unit for the next year should be at least on par with the sector average of around 6% to 7%.



Octodec invests in the retail, industrial and office property sectors, with a focus on well-located CBD properties. It also has a small residential property investment component in its portfolio.



Octodecs balance sheet was enhanced by its ability to access capital. Octodec successfully closed a R300 million rights issue in August 2012 when 18,927,445 new linked units were issued at R15,85 each. Octodecs investors displayed their confidence in the company, fully subscribing the issue.



While Octodecs 6.2% distribution growth has exceeded consensus forecast, it would have been around 11% before the rights issues diluting effect. Importantly, this capital raising created a war chest for Octodec to grow its portfolio by acquiring desirable assets or for the further redevelopment of its existing properties. This contributes to the sustainability and growth of our performance for investors, notes Wapnick who confirms the company is on an acquisition drive.



The successful rights issue also helped decrease Octodecs gearing level from 39,0% to a more conservative 33,0% of its total investment portfolio value.



With total investments of R3,6 billion, Octodec grew its net asset value by 4,6% to 1 882 cents per linked unit during the year. The valuation of its property assets increased 6,1%, by R163,5 million, to R2,92 billion.



Octodecs unit price increased from R15,95 to R19,02 at 31 August 2012, giving investors a capital growth of 19,2% for the year. The distribution of 137,30 cents per linked unit accounts for an income yield of 8,7%, with a total return of 27,9%.



Octodecs investment in IPS continued to deliver positive performance for investors with its profits earned by Octodec, excluding capital profits, increasing to R17,0 million  up a noteworthy 34,0% on the prior year. IPS is an associate property company with over 50% investment in residential property.



The JSE-listed property loan stock companys rental income and net rental income increased by 19,1% and 18,0% respectively. Octodec also improved its vetting and credit control to protect its rental incomes across all sectors.



Improved letting and enhanced cost recoveries increased Octodecs revenue. Despite rapidly rising rates and utilities charges, which place strain on tenants occupancy costs, Octodecs cost recovery percentage from tenants remained constant during the year.



Octodecs total occupancy level improved dramatically, by 3% during the year, across its entire property portfolio.



Its retail centre vacancies are at a low 0,2% of total lettable area with a significant improvement in the occupancy levels at Gezina Shopping Centre and Killarney Mall.



Our investment in the upgrade and re-leasing of Killarney Mall is showing positive results. It is essentially fully let and revenue from the mall grew by 9%, notes Wapnick.



Octodecs residential vacancies are below 1% of total lettable area and office vacancies reduced to 6,9%. Industrial and high-street shop vacancies are both below 3%.



Core vacancies, which exclude vacant area for current and future redevelopments, amount to 7,4%, reducing from 8,8% at the previous year end.



During the period, Octodec acquired and transferred three properties for an aggregate purchase price of R216,2 million, providing an average weighted yield of 9,6%. They are The Tannery Industrial Park and FNB Centurion in Pretoria and Shoprite Eloff Street, Johannesburg.



Octodec continued to expand its property portfolio in the Johannesburg and Pretoria CBDs, and redevelop and refurbish its properties. Its investment in redevelopment and upgrades for the year totalled R77,0 million.



One of these projects, the R45 million Dans Place completed in March 2012, created 143 residential units in the Johannesburg CBD at a fully-let yield of 9,9%.



Octodec has various projects earmarked for completion in the 2013 financial year. These include the upgrade of the mixed-use residential property Kerk Street Building in the Johannesburg CBD. A 5,233m retail development in the Pretoria CBD will open in March 2013, occupied by Walmart Groups Cambridge and other retailers.



New investments and redevelopments will play a key role in Octodecs strategy for its next year. Acquiring and redeveloping excellently placed properties in the Pretoria and Johannesburg CBDs and surrounding areas is the focus of our strategy to deliver sustainable, growing returns to our investors, says Wapnick.
14  countries/territories visited in 2016: South Africa; Namibia; British Overseas Territories of St Helena, Ascension, Montserrat, and Bermuda; Barbados; Dominica; overseas departments of France: Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Saint Martin; territories of the Netherlands, Saint Eustatius and Sint Maartin; USA

11,027  miles in 2016 (9,582 NM)... a daysail less than our 2010 miles sailed.

50,244  miles total (43,661 NM), yeah, we passed 50k!

266  miles of best 24-hour run (231 NM), Ascension Island to Barbados

3,570  miles of longest passage (3,102 NM), Ascension Island to Barbados completed in 17 days

Misadventures
The New Year weekend in the city of Acapulco in Mexico did not bring in much celebrations as five were found dead. A police officer was also shot dead on the New Year.

By India Today Web Desk: At least five people were killed over the New Year's weekend in the Mexican resort city of Acapulco, including three men who were found decapitated in a central neighbourhood.

The three severed heads were found on Saturday, on a residential street atop a car's roof, 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.

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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, according to an Associated Press report..

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The year 2016 has been mixed bag for Seiuli Allan Alo Vaai. As the President of the Samoa Arts Council (S.A.C), it was one of the best years ever in terms of its work.

The inaugural Samoa Fashion Week placed Samoan Arts and Fashion on the global map. It also became the launch-pad for upcoming designers, artists and gave birth to a new class of aspiring Samoan models.

But the extreme highs came with some extreme lows for the lovable and hardworking Seiuli. None tougher than when he was diagnosed with stage 4 Metastasis Lung Cancer and Brain Cancer straight after the Fashion Week, and given only a few months to live.

But know this. Seiuli is not your average person who would allow anything to stop him. Despite the grim news, his dream to create a space to nurture, encourage and develop the talents of Pacific people of all ages was realised when he launched a project called Samoa Performing Arts and Creative Excellence (S.P.A.C.E).

Everyone marveled at his courage. Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi praised Seiulis bravery.

Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass it is about learning to dance in the rain, Tuilaepa said about Seiuli. Seiulis S.P.A.C.E is a demonstration of the distinction between a leader and a follower.

You have not followed where the path may lead instead you have gone where there is no path and will definitely lead a trail so that others may follow.

I feel privileged to be here tonight and I agree wholeheartedly that the performing arts give life its shape. An ounce of performance is certainly worth more ounces of promises.

I am convinced that those who will enter the holes of S.P.A.C.E will know that when you are simply told of something you will forget whereas showing and involving someone will result in understanding and remembering forever. May we all treasure the gift of S.P.A.C.E born out of a dream.

The Prime Ministers praise is humbling for Seiuli. Even being told about being one of Samoa Observers Persons of 2016 was equally humbling.

But where did it all start for Seiuli?

Having been raised in the traditional dance styles of Samoa, Seiuli was inspired to further explore dancing as an art form, self-teaching in modern, contemporary, jazz, and funk styles with like-minded artists at the Madd Art Gallery based in Samoa.

These explorations and the development of Allans skills as a dancer and choreographer inspired further challenges, leading him to start a Bachelor degree in Expressive Arts with the University of the South Pacific in 1998.

While studying for his undergraduate degree Seiuli, with two others, founded the Oceania Dance Theatre. Since its founding, he has choreographed numerous pieces for the group which have been performed for audiences locally and abroad.

He spent most of his young years in New Zealand and graduated with a Bachelors degree in the Expressive Arts and Literature as well as a Post Graduate Diploma in Dramatic Literature.

He has directed and choreographed original Pacific productions that took him to the western continents such as China, South Africa, Singapore, Japan and to the eastern continents to places such as Cuba, South America, central Americas and around the Pacific region.

He continues his work using the Performing Arts as an instrument to help inspire and empower young people to remember their rich Pacific cultures given the social pressures brought in by globalization, new technology and modernization in todays Pacific.

He was the Choreographer for the South Pacific Games in 2007 and the Samoa Youth Commonwealth Games this year. Later on the news of his cancer condition shocked the whole of Samoa and the Pacific however it did not stop him from doing what he loves best.

Speaking to the Samoa Observer Seiuli said his passion about art started at a very young age.

I actually grew up in an environment that is not very supportive of the arts, he said. There was nothing there and as I grew up I was one of the minorities and I wanted to do something more in the arts. I suppose there are people called pioneers and so I was one of those ones and there are a lot of others that have been the forefront of developing the arts.

For Seiuli, it was about living his passion.

I got a scholarship to Fiji to do expressive art and that was approved by Fiame Naomi Mataafa during her time as Minister of Education, he said.

That was out of studying law at the time and so instead of finishing my law degree, I finished off my degree in exclusive art and started from there.

Seiuli said there is a lot of work to be done.

Most of the things we have found with the curriculum is adapted from the colonial curriculum and the challenge with us is that we have to localise the content of the curriculum so that it make sense to our young people. That is how they can take ownership and can understand the curriculum.

[And] that they can excel in this field of the arts which ever whether its storytelling, acting like the Moana movie and also now with graphic designing.

The art is so rich and its so diverse that it tells the essence of our people and the fundamental things that our people believed in from God to their legends and all that. There are so many different kinds of arts so performing, literary, visual and music and all that.

With his battle with cancer, Seiuli said its his passion that is driving him despite the struggles.

Its the art that really gives me life and thats what God gave to me. My condition hasnt really changed how I feel about my life and my passion about the development of arts.

His message to everyone is Stop and slow down. Treasure every moment you have with the people you love, weave out all the rubbish but focus on what really matters.

Seiuli hails from the villages of Falealupo, Vaisala, Asau, Safotu, Fogapoa, Fatausi and Samatau. He is the youngest of seven children of Alapati Alo Vaai and Sofaea Tanielu Alo Vaai.
Technology is a tremendous development.

But quite often when we talk about technology, we associate it with overseas-based companies.

Here in Samoa, one company blazing the trail with the use of advanced technology to make a real difference in every day life is SkyEye.

It is ground breaking company that offers services in vehicle tracking, U.A.V remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems, I.S and real estate.

What does all this mean?

It saves money, reduces the headaches and gets you the desired results quicker.

Today the Samoa Observer unveils the brains behind the company.

SkyEyes office is a hidden gem at Vaimoso-uta. It is owned by the Saili family who have roots in Fasitoo-uta, Saleaula and Faga, Savaii.

Although, all the board of directors are siblings, the main man behind the machine is SkyEyes Chief Executive Officer, Faasootauloa Sam Saili.

Faasootauloa is the son of the late Faasootauloa Sam Saili and Taimaaiono Metotagivale Leaupepe Saili. His father was the Minister of Finance who constructed the cornerstones of the economy and had a helping hand in the creation of the industrial heel in Vaitele, N.P.F, and Central Bank to name a few.

His fathers work ethic and intelligence left a lasting impression on his children.

After his death in 1990, it left a rift in the family momentarily as they grieved for their father but then they picked themselves. It was after his death that the family really came together.

The young Faasootauloa was astounded by the courage and strength his mom showed through those rough times as she was now a single mother with 7 kids to feed and no income.

The only thing she had was her faith in God to carry them through those dark days.

The siblings banded together with the older ones taking the reigns in the family.

I think that him passing away and leaving us nothing meant that we looked after each other, he said.

As the older ones left to pursue higher education, they would never forget their family and send back remittances to help. Then when the younger ones grew up, they did the same. It was in these moments that cemented and strengthened their bond as siblings that allowed them to be the family and business partners they are today.

Faasootaouloa grew up in Samoa attending Apia Primary, Samoa College, U.P.Y and then securing a scholarship overseas. After his studies, he returned to the islands and worked in the government until branching off into the private sector.

Finally, with his background in I.C.T and the collective knowledge of his brothers and sisters, they were able to start Skyeye. Faasootaouloa acknowledged the guidance of Afoa Kolone Vaai in the creation of SkyEye.

We saw that this area that no one else has offered to the business in Samoa.

In the developed world, there is so much technology that the businesses in the developed world take for granted. But because of the cost in Samoa, theres no one offering these services.

The first one we launched successfully was the vehicle tracking. There are so many benefits in vehicle tracking. Its the reduction in fuel cost and the abuse of expensive capital equipment, he told the Samoa Observer.

Some of the major customers are finding out that having to monitor the staff is not so much as important as the data theyre getting back from the system and is something that every business should be looking at. The smart businesses know how to use this data to develop this business and take their business to the next level while using this data.

Many would think that having siblings as part of the board of directors would be a conflict of interest but for the Sailis its the best part.

Asked what inspires him, Faasootauloa lights up as he recounts what inspires him most.

Its actually working with my siblings. I like working with them because we know each other so well and were always bouncing ideas off each other and what else can we do and what can we provide or how cane we improve this. Thats all the things I look forward to. Its work but its actually hanging out with my siblings.

Of course trying to implement anything new is often met with pushback by people who are reluctant to change. Thus, some of the hurdles Skyeye has faced as they introduce ground breaking advanced technology to a system that still record everything in writing is definitely going to face a lot of push back.

The biggest challenge weve had is education and people not knowing the service we provide or not understanding them. It was a hard hurdle to try and educate people with what tracking can do for them.

But now its going into mainstream, what the vehicle tracking can do for them and business to grasp. Now were introducing drone technology, which is also a big educational hurdle that we have to keep presenting to potential clients.

Especially to agriculture and U.N.D.P, because overseas, this is what they use to get surveys of the environment.

Overseas, its a common thing but it something that we have to educate the local partners. The old way of doing things have worked for a long time but the new way can save them a lot of time and a lot of money. But also give them so much more information.

Faasootauloa also believes leadership is extremely important.

In a lot of the organizations, the leadership is reluctant to make decisions that are very different from what theyre used to. The business that have forward thinking leadership are the ones who have adopted our technology and in our opinion their businesses have benefited greatly.
"I'm thinking about (the remarks) as a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways you've changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here," Obama said.

By Reuters: US President Barack Obama will deliver a farewell address on January 10 to reflect on his time in office and say thank you to his supporters, he said in an email statement released on Monday.

Obama, noting that the first president of the United States, George Washington, had penned a farewell address in 1796, said he would deliver his speech in his hometown of Chicago.

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"I'm thinking about (the remarks) as a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways you've changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here," he said.

HERE ARE THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

Republican Donald Trump will be sworn in to office on January 20. During his campaign for the White House, Trump pledged to undo many of Obama's signature policy measures, including his healthcare law.

Obama, who campaigned hard for Trump's Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, has sought to ensure a smooth transition of power despite major policy differences with his successor. He also leaves his party without a clear figurehead as he leaves the White House.

"Since 2009, we've faced our fair share of challenges, and come through them stronger," Obama said in the email, likely foreshadowing a theme for his speech.

"That's because we have never let go of a belief that has guided us ever since our founding - our conviction that, together, we can change this country for the better.

Also Read

Barack Obama offers US assistance to Turkey after Istanbul terror attack

US President-elect Donald Trump is furious at Obama again. Read why

--- ENDS ---
This article has been updated toward the end with an evaluation from a second scientist.

A chemical relative of aspirin is potentially useful in treating a neurodegenerative illness like Alzheimers disease and possibly Alzheimers itself, according to a study by California scientists.

In a mouse model of frontotemporal dementia, giving salsalate reversed memory loss and protected the hippocampus, a part of the brain essential for memory formation. The drug appears to work by reducing toxic buildup of tau, a protein also implicated in Alzheimers.

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Most Alzheimers research has focused on taus more famous cousin, beta amyloid, long the prime suspect in Alzheimers. Both are abnormal forms of normal proteins. When altered, they become toxic and damage neurons, leading to their death. Several drugs targeting beta amyloid have reached the clinic, but none to date have been proven effective.

Salsalate is now being tested in several clinical trials, including one for another tau-related neurological disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, or PSP.

Meanwhile, no drugs targeting tau are available for Alzheimers, say researchers led by scientists from the Gladstone Institutes at UC San Francisco.

The study was published Monday in Nature Medicine. It is available online at j.mp/alzsalsalate.

Salsalate inhibits a process called acetylation, which makes tau more toxic, the study found.

One of the main enzymes that acetylates tau is p300, which can be inhibited by salicylate or SSA, an ancient drug commonly used as an NSAID, the study stated.

Pharmacokinetically, SSA is quickly metabolized into its active component, salicylate. Unlike salicylate, aspirin (acetylsalicylate) leads to higher levels of ac-tau in cultured neurons. SSA and aspirin have been widely used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and related illnesses in the past decades, and work presumably via inhibition of cyclo-oxygenase (COX). Interestingly, patients taking NSAIDs, including salicylate and derivatives, have a reduced risk of AD.

Trials with more specific inhibitors of COX didnt find a protective effect against Alzheimers, the study noted. That could be explained if the protective effect is actually due to inhibiting p300.

Targeting tau acetylation could be a new therapeutic strategy against human tauopathies, like Alzheimers disease and FTD, said Dr. Eric Verdin, a co-senior author, in a press release. Given that salsalate is a prescription drug with a long-history of a reasonable safety profile, we believe it can have immediate clinical implications.

However, Dr. Paul Aisen, director of the University of Southern Californias San Diego-based Alzheimers Therapeutic Research Institute, said it is unlikely that the approach will succeed.

Interesting but very preliminary, Aisen said by email. In my view, the likelihood that salsalate will prove to be an effective therapy for AD or other tauopathies is small. It is misleading to say that this work has immediate clinical implications. 

Aisen is a proponent of the theory that beta amyloid is the main driver of Alzheimers. He is leading a study funded by Eli Lilly & Co. that uses an experimental Lilly drug to reduce amyloid accumulation in people with signs of amyloid buildup, but who have no Alzheimers symptoms.

Aisen led the study at UC San Diego, but after he left for USC in June, Lilly transferred its funding to follow him. Another component remains at UC San Diego.

Like Aisen, Dave Schubert, a Salk Institute scientist researching Alzheimers drugs, said the studys conclusions went beyond the evidence given.

My impression is that it is an interesting study, but likely with overstated conclusions with regard to therapy and even mechanism, Schubert said by email.

The claim in the press release We identified for the first time a pharmacological approach that reverses all aspects of tau toxicity, can not be true because in the mouse model and humans nerve cells die, and unless salsalate induces the production of new nerve cells to replace the old ones, there is now way to reverse the pathology.

Schubert said the study didnt show that the acetylated tau hypothesized to harm neurons is concentrated in human neurons or synapses. Moreover, there are safety concerns about using salsalate against Alzheimers.

While salsalate has been used for years as an anti-inflammatory, it is quite toxic at high doses over extended periods of time as would be required for a chronic disease like AD, he wrote. Also, as the authors point out, there are a lot of other potential targets for salsalate that could account for the animal data.

As with all drug candidates, the only way to find out if they have any therapeutic value it to get them into people with the disease in a clinical trial.

The salsalate study was funded by the Tau Consortium and the National Institutes of Health.
The gig is up.

The independent-contractor workforce is ballooning thanks to the rise of on-demand apps. But after a honeymoon period, lawyers and politicians are now being forced to consider the real humans behind these virtual businesses.

These workers participate in whats sometimes called the gig economy. Theyre technically working for themselves, picking up gigs from an expanding digital marketplace where technology companies link them to customers to perform individual tasks.

They drive for Uber or Lyft and take you from point A to point B, contract with DoorDash or Postmates to bring you takeout, moonlight for Handy and come and clean your home, and even work flex jobs for Amazon to deliver packages to your doorstep in a matter of hours.

Most of the companies in the gig economy let workers set their own schedules, as well as allow them to accept as many or as few jobs as they want  or even take gigs from competing providers.

Conversely, these companies set wages that can be changed at a whim or they control whether the worker can receive tips. Sometimes they decree, as is the case with Uber, that workers must maintain high customer approval ratings to avoid repercussions such as temporary deactivation.

Exactly who is responsible for protecting these workers rights  and determining what those labor rights should be  is an increasingly heated conundrum.

The current situation ... is fraught with ambiguity and uncertainty, said Seth Harris, a distinguished scholar at Cornell Universitys School of Industrial and Labor Relations, and the former deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor. Were seeing the emergence of a new structure of work relationships that is quite different from traditional employment and from traditional independent contract work.

A growing on-demand workforce

Gig economy workers are the backbone of an expanding on-demand world where nearly anything you might want  a ride, a smoothie, a latte, a massage, a bottle of wine, a doctors visit  is just a push of a button away on your smartphone.

Without them, your must-have-it-right-now cravings would go unsatisfied.

Estimates vary, but gig economy workers currently account for 1 percent of the U.S. working-age population, according to a 2015 McKinsey Global Institute report. Alternate approximations suggest that 10 percent of Californias workforce, or between 1 million and 2 million people, are gig workers. In San Diego County, more than 12,000 people drive for Uber.

DoorDash relies on independent contractors to make food deliveries. Tyler Kaska, left, takes his order from DoorDash driver Sergio Reyes.  John Gastaldo (John Gastaldo)

The flexible employment model created by new digital marketplaces for contingent work can appeal to people who do not want traditional full-time positions  and if even a small fraction of inactive youth and adults use these platforms to work a few hours per week, the economic impact would be huge, the McKinsey report states.

These gig workers look like regular employees. But they also look like independent contractors. The law, which allows for two classifications of workers  employees or independent contractors  seemingly overlooks them.

Thus, the group is at risk of being treated unfairly by companies that take a cut of a workers earnings, whether intentionally or otherwise.

View the Video Gonzalez fights for gig economy

A lot of people are being deprived of benefits and protections because employers get a significant cost advantage  some people think as much as 30 percent or 40 percent  in classifying workers as independent contractors, Harris said.

With independent contractors, employers are not on the hook to reimburse expenses, pay minimum wage or cover overtime. Gig workers also have to manage their own tax withholding, dont have access to employer-subsidized health care, arent legally authorized to form unions and dont have access to federal statutory anti-discrimination protections.

Nearly 90 percent of drivers say the main reason they use Uber is because they love being their own boss, an Uber spokesperson said. Drivers are independent contractors who use Uber on their own terms; they control their use of the app. As employees, drivers would lose the personal flexibility they value most  they would have set shifts, earn a fixed hourly wage, and be unable to use other ridesharing apps.

Fair fares?

You could, however, put Laurence Brown, 40, of Oak Park in the category of gig workers who might deserve additional protections. Hes seemingly locked into a full-time arrangement with Uber, but his non-professional driving career didnt begin that way.

The commercial and theater actor was drawn to both Uber and Lyft last year because the work offered him a flexible way to make money and also attend auditions.

Laurence Brown, who drives for Uber and Lyft, looks back as passenger Adam Peterson of Minneapolis gets out of the back seat on Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach.  John Gastaldo (John Gastaldo)

Happy with the part-time work, Brown decided to consider another offer from Uber. The offer was for a new car, which he could lease through Ubers new non-prime lending company, Xchange Leasing, a wholly owned subsidiary of Uber. He could return the car at any time with two weeks notice and forfeiture of a $250 deposit. Brown liked the idea of not having to worry about how many miles he racked up while driving, a typical term included in vehicle leases.

On Halloween, Brown decided to go through with an Xchange lease for a 2015 Toyota Prius from Kearny Mesa Toyota. Browns payments would be $181 a week, which adds up to about $784 a month and $9,412 a year. Even still, he was content with the deal because he knew he could easily make the payment, automatically deducted from his Uber earnings, with just a days worth of work.

Then Uber changed its fare structure in January, reducing fares for its most affordable options by 30 percent, in hopes of boosting demand for its drivers during a seasonally slow period.

It went from one day of work to three days of work to make my payment, Brown said.

Before the fare change, Brown says he was driving 50 to 60 hours a week and pocketing $1,000 after Ubers 20 percent take. Now, he says hes lucky if he nets $700 a week. And he is, of course, still on the hook for the $181 weekly lease payment.

Im blessed. Im fortunate, said Brown, who rents out rooms in his house to pay his mortgage. If it was someone else with a family, they would be in trouble.

Browns request is simple. He wants Uber to return fares to previous rates.

The company, which initially said the cheaper prices were temporary, has not indicated if or when it will increase fares.

A gig that works

Bill Tesauro, 34, of San Marcos is Browns near perfect foil. A full-time corporate tax professional, Tesauro typically drives three nights a week for Uber and Lyft to create breathing room in his household budget and allow his wife to stay home and care for their two young children.

He isnt thrilled about making less per ride  Lyft also cut its prices shortly after Uber did  but he doesnt mind the work. He enjoys the social aspect of it even if the occasional intoxicated rider engages in questionable behavior.

These people are how I make money, so if they do silly stuff. ... I mean, as long Im not getting assaulted, I dont care, Tesauro said.

In San Diego County Uber has roughly 12,000 drivers and 545,000 riders.  John Gastaldo (John Gastaldo)

In 2015, Tesauro grossed $28,000 from his temporary driving gigs. After accounting for taxes and expenses such as gas and maintenance, he said he pocketed $17,000 last year, netting more than 60 percent of his gross earnings.

Despite the early January fare changes, Tesauro believes hes still making about the same per month, even if he is driving a little more, though he makes a sizable amount from driver referral bonuses.

This isnt for everybody, Tesauro said. I dont want this to become an employee thing. ... I just want to do what Im doing. It works.

Creating a new class of worker

But even Tesauro admits that what works for him wont work for others, especially not for workers who make a majority of their income from gig work.

Thats why, in December, Cornells Harris co-wrote a proposal with Princeton economist Alan Krueger that advocates for creating a new legal class of worker called the independent worker.

The classification would apply to all gig workers, not just those working for tech companies, and give them a limited selection of benefits, including collective bargaining rights.

Sergio Reyes, who drives for food delivery company DoorDash, possesses a sign that allows him to park temporarily in certain lots so that he wont get a ticket.  John Gastaldo (John Gastaldo)

Also, as suggested by Harris and Krueger, companies would be required to provide tax withholding services to independent workers, and contribute 5 percent of workers earnings to support health insurance subsidies. In addition, companies could pool independent workers to offer better deals on health insurance and retirement accounts.

Harris admits that his independent worker proposal is, at least for now, far-fetched.

Were not yet in a political situation ... to adopt the solution we put forward, he said. Both sides have to lose some. Right now, both sides think theyre going to win. They dont feel a need to compromise.

As it stands, however, gig economy workers are at risk of being deprived of their fair share of the American workforce social compact, Harris said. The social compact, a product of the Industrial Age when the workforce transitioned from artisan workers to wage workers, is recognized in labor law such that if you give over your labor and time, you get certain benefits that provide a level of economic security, he said.

(The social compact) offers a modicum of protection from bad things happening in the workplace, he said. The (benefits) are quite limited. They are not a comprehensive package of guaranteed middle-class lifestyle benefits. But you only get them if you meet the definition of an employee.

A move to unionize

Collective bargaining rights, in particular, could prove essential to gig workers when it comes to negotiating better wages.

A contingent of local drivers interpreted Ubers fare change in January as an unfair and unnecessary pay cut  but they couldnt do anything, save for protest. Staged a few days after the cuts, the protest was attended by drivers whove grown increasingly cynical about Ubers concern for their well-being. Their frustration that Uber is amassing a fortune while exploiting the people who do the work is amplified by their pinched paychecks or longer hours.

What Uber has been doing in city after city, unilaterally imposing terms on workers, (taking) an if-they-dont-like-it, they-can-leave (approach); that attitude is a race to the bottom, said Mike OBrien, a Seattle City Council member who co-sponsored a first-of-its-kind bill in his city.

The bill, adopted by Seattle in December, allows independently contracted drivers to unionize, whereas current federal labor law only grants the right to employees. But the bill could face legal challenges from Uber, Lyft and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

As long as there are people who are desperate enough, thats enough, OBrien said.

Driver Laurence Brown adjusts his cellular phone with passenger Adam Peterson of Minneapolis in the back seat. Brown says that after Ubers fare cut in January, hes lucky if he nets $700 a week.  John Gastaldo (John Gastaldo)

Now, Brown, the local driver with the Uber car lease, is banding with the same disenfranchised San Diego group that staged the driver protest.

Organized by Uber driver Kevin McGraham, 39, of Mission Valley, the local group wants to create a driver association with enough influence to sway city and state officials, who they hope will advocate for them in the same way Seattles OBrien rallied on behalf of that citys independent drivers.

Already, McGraham has made inroads with local officials, including Ralph Dimarucut, senior council representative for Marti Emerald, who chairs San Diegos public safety and livable neighborhoods committee.

Dimarucut said the committee is actively looking at what it can do to support drivers. He plans to talk with the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, the San Diego Police Department and the Public Utilities Commission, which regulates companies such as Uber and Lyft, to get a better grasp on the situation.

Taking legal action

City-based policies, however, will do little to address national issues.

There has to be some sort of adjustment in the law to account for this new breed of worker, said Dan Eaton, a business ethics lecturer at San Diego State University and an employment lawyer. The gig economy is still only a small percentage of the American workforce  but its better to put a legislative response in place as (the gig economy is) emerging, then to wait until you reach critical mass.

The legislative response will vary based on the outcome of lawsuits that allege technology companies are illegally classifying workers as independent contractors.

The most prominent case, OConnor v. Uber Technologies, is a class-action case that appears to be headed for a jury trial in June. Plaintiffs attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan believes Ubers drivers are entitled to employee wage protections, and should be reimbursed for expenses, such as gas and vehicle maintenance. The lawsuit also challenges Ubers practice of not allowing drivers to accept tips.

Uber, however, doesnt accept that its drivers are employees. For every Laurence Brown, there are at least nine Bill Tesauros who are thriving because of, and not in spite of, the terms of gig economy work, the company would seemingly argue.

Looking ahead: Californias compromise

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, isnt ready to say that gig workers should be classified as employees. But she is advocating for a compromise for independent contractors and on-demand employers.

On Wednesday, she will unveil the language of her bill, called the California 1099 Self-Organizing Act. Gonzalez, a former labor leader, and bill sponsor Richie Ross, longtime political consultant, are seeking to allow gig workers in California to organize in union-like entities to collectively bargain with their companies.

Whatever the outcome, the bill could awaken the states consumers of on-demand services to the reality that their Uber rides and DoorDash deliveries have deeper implications.
Twin girls who made their debut over New Years will have birthdays in two different years, despite being born just minutes apart.

Scarlett Annie made her appearance at 11:56 p.m. on New Years Eve, and sister Virginia Rose arrived 4 minutes later on Jan. 1. The two were delivered at Sharp Mary Birch Hospital in San Diego.

Scarlett possibly was the countys last baby born in 2016 with Virginia likely the first of 2017. Their parents asked for privacy so the hospital did not release the girls last name.

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We at Sharp HealthCare are very excited for the parents. We know this is very special, said spokeswoman Laura Holloway.

Its the second year in a row the arrival of twins in San Diego straddled the New Year.

Luis and Maribel Valencia were on their way to a 2015 New Years Eve party in Los Angeles when their doctor called with concerns about Maribels pregnancy and asked them to come to the hospital.

Despite a due date of Jan. 27, Jaelyn arrived several hours later at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2015. She was joined soon after by brother Luis at 12:02 a.m. on New Years Day.

They were born at Kaiser Permanente Medical Venter in Grantville.

Twitter: @LAWinkley

(619) 293-1546

lyndsay.winkley@sduniontribune.com
The next person who leads the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will have one of the biggest jobs in America.

He or she will inherit a bureaucracy with a $182 billion budget and more than 340,000 employees at a time that promises to bring tumultuous change, including the question of whether VA medical services should be partly or wholly privatized.

The agency also carries the baggage of a serious image problem after four years of scandals about delayed health care and backlogged disability claims. Its also responsible for leading the nations efforts to combat the roughly 20 suicides per day among veterans.

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Theres also the challenge of meeting the diverse needs of its 6 million patients. The agency is dealing with both the Vietnam War generation, now facing the expensive illnesses of aging, and the recent wave of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, who bring home battle-broken bodies and emotional wounds.

And the Veterans Affairs department must address dissatisfaction within its own staff: It ranks second-to-last for best places to work in the federal government

President-elect Donald Trump is said to be days away from naming his nominee, after taking more time than with other Cabinet positions to analyze the best fit to carry out his vision.

The contenders are reported to be retiring Florida Rep. Jeff Miller, outgoing chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs; former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown; and Pete Hegseth, former head of the conservative-leaning group Concerned Veterans for America.

Former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is also said to be in the running, as are retired U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen, who was in charge of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil-spill response, and Adm. Michelle Howard, the Navys first female four-star admiral.

On the experts list of the four biggest issues the new VA secretary will face, there appears to be a tie for first.

Bureaucracy

Veterans advocates from various corners of the political landscape identify the VAs middle management as the biggest roadblock to change.

VA employment boomed with the post-9/11 wars. The agency added 122,000 jobs, a 56 percent increase, between 2000 and 2013, according to a Cato Institute analysis.

Sherman Gillums, head of the organization Paralyzed Veterans of America, sees regional management in the VAs health-care apparatus as problematic.

Administrative staff at the agencys 21 regional health-care districts grew from 220 staffers to 1,340 by 2011, according to Gillums, who wrote a recent opinion piece on the subject titled The One Problem That Will Make or Break Trumps Pick for VA Secretary.

These middle managers hold the purse strings for local VA hospitals and are supposed to provide oversight. Gillums argues that theyre overpaid and underworked and have sidestepped accountability for the VAs recent health scandals, including the one in Phoenix, where VA officials hid long waits for medical appointments by using secret patient lists.

Middle management is the biggest issue that needs to be cleaned up immediately, if anything else is going to change, Gillums said in a phone interview last week. To have that many people but not an increase in oversight, it doesnt make sense.

Critics have said its too hard to get rid of bad VA employees, and theyve called out VA Secretary Bob McDonald for saying he fired 60 people linked to the wait-time scandal when it appears that didnt happen.

Attempts by Congress to reduce this bureaucracy have had uneven results in recent years.

Dan Caldwell, policy director at Concerned Veterans for America, said the VA has more than the usual number of top-level people who are protected by Civil Service rules. In other words, other agencies have more appointed positions, which are filled at the pleasure of the secretary.

Its a very entrenched bureaucracy that has been impervious to change over the past few years, that is very invested in the current system, Caldwell said, adding that any new rules designed to change the setup would likely be challenged in court by individual employees and organized labor.

Privatization

The movement to change the way the nation provides medical services for its veterans gained momentum with the 2014 Veterans Choice Act.

With veterans sometimes waiting months for appointments, Congress created a program that pays for patients to see outside doctors if the VA cant schedule an internal visit within 30 days or if the distance to be traveled is too far from the patients home.

Trump is weighing the idea of a system in which vets can pick a combination of public and private care or simply opt for a private doctor, his transition team has said. Supporters of this approach call it greater choice, while critics see it as privatizing public health care.

Some respected veterans groups are fighting this idea and have even called for Trump to keep the current VA secretary  McDonald. They argue that a large-scale move toward private care might erode whats now a full-service network attuned to treating veterans distinct needs.

Some people pooh-pooh the idea that its being privatized, but what is happening is the more you pull out of that center, the harder it is for that integrated care to take place, said Amy Fairweather, policy director for Swords to Plowshares, a veterans advocacy and service group based in San Francisco.

Others said the jury is still out whether it can work. Gillums, of Paralyzed Veterans of America, said there now appears to be an inevitability to the discussion.

I think its going to be a lot harder than people think, but I think the train has left the station with (Choice Act) care. When that passed, with all the support it got from Capitol Hill, it was the first step toward evaluating whether this is a viable alternative to VA care, he said.

Gillums added that veterans groups will want the next VA secretary to provide detailed answers about how a new system would work.

Im worried they are going to look at how many veterans were seen versus how many were made better off when they went to the private sector, he said.

There is some precedent. Medicare, another large government medical program, introduced an option called Medicare Advantage.

Private health companies offer managed-care plans to people who want to opt out of traditional Medicare. It has become somewhat popular, especially in California, said John Romley, a University of Southern California economist who studies the hospital industry.

The results of that experiment are mixed, Romley said.

Theres a very robust debate about that, he said. In general, we think competition is a healthy thing. It gives people choices and makes providers of services accountable for their performance.

There are risks. The average person may not be sophisticated enough about medical issues to navigate the system and make the best choices, Romley said. Also, there have been accusations about cream skimming, in which private plans court the healthiest patients and leave the sicker  and thus more expensive  patients in the traditional Medicare program.

Claims backlog

Thanks in part to massive amounts of overtime work, the VA has succeeded in making a large dent in its backlog of disability claims.

The total is now at just over 93,000 claims still waiting more than 125 days without a decision  down from a 2013 high of more than 600,000 in the so-called backlog.

But lets not call that victory, said Caldwell of Concerned Veterans for America. He and others also said theres a big challenge ahead to continue modernizing how the labyrinthine claims process works.

Sending documents back and forth via courier or mail  its astounding, in the digital age, that they are still operating large parts of the claims process in way that is not that much that different than in 1980, Caldwell said.

However, theres some concern in the veterans community that the age of automation brings dangers, as complicated cases require human judgment to be handled fairly and correctly.

More clinical resources

Despite its big staffing increases, the VA still faces challenges finding and keeping enough medical professionals.

Paralyzed Veterans of America has called for 1,000 more bedside nurses for spinal-care units. Meanwhile, the turnover rate for registered nurses is high in some regions, including in San Diego County.

Additionally, just as one in five young veterans struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder, the nation is in the middle of a shortage of psychiatrists.

One of the biggest things for the new VA secretary, and frankly I think for the new administration, is to really convey that they understand the seriousness of mental health injuries, said Nathan Fletcher, a San Diego Iraq war veteran and former state assemblyman who started the Three Wise Men foundation to help returning vets

The VA recently launched programs to woo more psychiatrists. Those include better salaries and college loan repayment programs.

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Its a problem anyone who has endured a big move knows: Where do you put all of your stuff?

And its an issue the San Diego Superior Court is facing on a grand scale when it moves from its current downtown location on West Broadway to its new digs.

When it opens in early 2017, the new building  a $555 million, 22-story glittering tower on Union and C streets  will have about half the storage space for criminal trial exhibits that it has now in the old building.

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That means anything that doesnt fit in a 12- by 10- by 15-inch bankers box will have to be stored elsewhere.

Some in the legal community are concerned the storage limitations could cause problems, especially if evidence in a criminal case needs to be tested again for DNA, possibly to prove someones innocence.

The District Attorneys Office, local defense attorneys associations, the Public Defenders Office and others have urged the court to reconsider recommendations made in November, particularly one that says the court will no longer store any exhibits containing biological material, including blood or other bodily fluids that could be tested for DNA.

The court also would no longer accept foam-core poster boards in any cases, including murder cases, or any other large or irregularly shaped objects.

Evidence and exhibits for court cases are stored in the basement of the downtown courthouse on Friday in San Diego. (Eduardo Contreras / San Diego Union-Tribune )

Instead, those items would be returned to the the agency that submitted them. A photograph of the item could be stored with the court.

While I am sympathetic to the courts storage issues, I am deeply concerned about changing the policies as applied to cases involving homicides  and sex crimes, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis wrote in a letter to the court, referring to the kinds of cases most likely to involve post-conviction DNA testing.

The parties look to the court as the neutral in the litigation, she said. And, as the neutral, the court could be trusted to maintain the evidence in an unaltered state.

The Criminal Defense Lawyers Club and the San Diego County Criminal Defense Bar Association took issue specifically with the courts recommendation that a government agency be selected to keep items that could be subjected to further DNA testing.

The groups wrote to Assistant Presiding Judge Peter Deddeh that its imperative to retain exhibits containing biological material for as long as the defendant remains in custody and that the exhibits be stored by the court, not government agencies.

The California Innocence Project at the California Western School of Law in San Diego also weighed in, saying how and where evidence is stored could hamper defendants seeking exoneration after conviction.

The courts decision about whether to retain exhibits in criminal trials has the potential to affect whether wrongfully convicted people are freed, wrote Alex Simpson, the projects associate director, in a Dec. 13 letter. If the court retains exhibits longer, it allows the possibility of future re-testing when science and DNA testing techniques advance.  The neutral courts role in retaining exhibits after (they) have been introduced in a criminal trial is critical to the integrity of the criminal justice process.

Law enforcement agencies, which would likely have to store the exhibits returned to them after trial, also asked the court to reconsider.

We are well aware that law enforcement members repeatedly face criticism from the defense community in court and sometimes public perception that law enforcement members are biased in their identification, collection, cataloging and handling of potential evidence, Escondido Police Chief Craig Carter, president of the San Diego County Police Chiefs & Sheriffs Association, wrote to the court. However, for decades we have been protected against the claims of mishandling evidence after it has been introduced in a criminal case because such evidence was retained by the courts after it has been introduced in evidence.

Court officials have told the attorneys and police agencies that state law does not require the court to keep any exhibit permanently, even in death penalty cases. Generally, exhibits that are introduced in criminal cases have to be retained

Authorities say what they have now is a physical problem: How do they pack and store thousands of exhibits that fill seven rooms in the basement of the current downtown courthouse into a much smaller space in the new building.

Were trying to move the last vestiges of 20th century technology into a 21st century building, Deddeh said during a brief tour of one of those basement rooms, which was crammed with file cabinets and stacks of boxes organized by case number. Items such as clothing and guns are encased in plexiglass.

Deddeh sent a letter on Dec. 22 to the District Attorneys Office and the other agencies, saying he had carefully considered their concerns but the court had no choice but to change. He said San Diego will follow practices that are now used in Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside and Los Angeles counties.

He called it an unfortunate reality that the new courthouse lacks the storage space the old one has, adding it is simply impossible to continue past practices. He said the branch courthouses also are running out of evidence storage space.

But the judge modified the recommendation that would have barred all biological material from being stored at the courthouse after trial. The new recommendation is to allow some of those materials to be stored at the new courthouse as long as they fit in a bankers box and only until the case becomes final.

After that time has expired, the letter says, the court will give notice of its intent to dispose of the exhibits and it will be up to the parties to find a place where they can be stored properly.

Dumanis said that isnt enough.

We do not believe the courts revised policy is enough to protect the integrity of the judicial process and maintain public confidence in the criminal justice system, she said in a statement. This particularly applies to cases where defendants potentially spend decades or more in prison.

dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @danalittlefield
A San Diego woman admitted in federal court Friday that she prepared false tax returns for her clients, decreasing their tax burden by $1.2 million.

According to a federal Department of Justice news release, Marla Cunningham, 50, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in San Diego to three counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false tax return.

Cunningham is the owner of Cunninghams Tax Service, a tax preparation business in El Cajon. Calls to Cunninghams Tax Service seeking comment on Monday went unanswered.

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Documents filed with the court show Cunningham reported fictitious business losses and inflated itemized deductions, such as charitable contributions and medical, dental and unreimbursed employee expenses.

Cunningham also attached forms claiming fictitious education credits that her clients were not entitled to receive, the government alleged.

She faces a statutory maximum sentence of three years in prison for each of the three counts in the guilty plea, as well as a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. Her sentencing is scheduled for March 10.

The federal indictment against Cunningham cites more than 30 tax returns prepared on behalf of 20 unnamed clients. The news release about the plea deal does not address whether federal action is being taken against the clients.

Contact Lauryn Schroeder via Twitter or Email.
Jumping into frigid, 56-degree water to kick off the new year isnt everyones idea of fun, but more than 200 brave local residents and tourists splashed into the Pacific Ocean on Sunday morning in the annual Polar Bear Plunge at La Jolla Shores.

Many had fear and uncertainty written all over their faces, while others were smiling ear-to-ear that they got a chance to do something so unusual along with so many others.

People just want the exhilaration or the excitement of doing something weird and special on New Years, said Dan Simonelli, president of the La Jolla Cove Swim Club, which has coordinated the event since it began about 30 years ago.

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Most swimmers dashed into the water for just a few seconds and then zipped back out, aggressively drying themselves with towels.

It was obviously incredibly cold, said Kayla Dreyer, a tourist from Denver. When I dived into one of the waves I felt a shock or something. But it was definitely worth it and a great way to get the day going.

Some seemed not to notice that the water was a frigid 56 degrees and that the air temperature was about the same. Both are below average for San Diego at this time of year  or any of time of the year, really.

Jim Fitzpatrick, participating in the plunge for his eighth consecutive year, said he swims in the ocean regularly year round because it helps loosen his back and decrease inflammation there.

The water is a very therapeutic environment and it just feels good to get out in the cold, he said.

For others, it was a family affair.

Normal Heights residents David and Mindy Hayes came to the plunge this year for the first time and brought their two sons with them.

The family deal is to get wet and get out, said Mindy Hayes, expressing concern that the water would be even colder than expected.

But husband Dan, wearing a conspicuous red fedora, said he was undaunted.

The number means nothing to me -- its just a number, he said of the water temperature. And I dont think you can be ready unless youve done it before. Weve talked about it the last few days, got up this morning, got ready and brought some hot food down.

For others, the event is a chance to strengthen the bonds of friendship and make spectacles of themselves.

Karen McCord and a handful of friends adorned their heads with fluffy polar bear gear.

I saw these spirit animal hats for polar bears so we all ordered them off Amazon, she said. We feel totally more in style and weve got a little herd going.

McCord also had some advice for anyone whining about the water temperature.

Its warmer than in Minnesota, she said.

No one is sure exactly when the Polar Bear Plunge began in La Jolla, but longtime La Jolla Cove Swim Club member Janis Bloomquist said the event has been going on at least 30 years.

One thing Bloomquist was certain of is that the event moved from La Jolla Cove to La Jolla Shores on New Years Day in 1998.

We met at the cove that morning and there had to be 10 to 12 foot faces on the surf, she said. The lifeguards came over to me and said if youre in charge, youre moving this swim because were not going out there. We made some signs, put them on the trees and everybody came over here.

In retrospect, Bloomquist said it was a stroke of luck because the venue change has had many benefits. La Jolla Shores has better parking and provides easier entry and exit to the water, she said.

Organizers were concerned the low temperatures and Saturdays rain, which made the ocean less healthy for swimming, might depress attendance below the usual 300.

But sunny skies on Sunday drew a decent crowd anyway.

david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick
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:

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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
An El Cajon police officer shot a man who was armed with a knife and refused to listen to commands on Sunday night, a department official said.

The shooting, shortly after 9 p.m., came after the officer responded to calls of a disturbance in the area of 2nd Street and Oakdale Avenue, Lt. Randy Soulard said.

An officer arrived to find a man with a knife in the road, and the man did not comply with the officer, Soulard said.

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Attempts to take the man into custody failed, and the officer shot him, Soulard said.

The man was in stable condition, department spokesman Lt. Rob Ransweiler said Monday.

Witness Eric Farias told San Diego News Video said he was outside of a nearby Carls Jr. restaurant when he saw the encounter. He said police followed the man and told him to sit down, but he wouldnt listen.

Farias said an officer fired a stun gun at the man, but the man ripped the barbs out. Soon after that, another officer drove up, jumped out and opened fire, he said.

Another witness, Grant Anderson, told San Diego News Video that he saw the shooting, and watched the man drop to his knees and (go) down completely.

The two men each said they heard about four gunshots.

The injured person was taken to a local trauma center for treatment. The police department did not provide any details about the location of the wounds.

The officer who shot the man was wearing a body-worn camera, and the footage was retained as evidence, Soulard said.

Police officials asked that anyone with more information about the incident call the El Cajon Police Department at (619) 579-3311.

RELATED: El Cajon police log 12 shootings in 10 years, one complaint last year

The site of Sundays incident was roughly a mile and a half from the scene of a Sept. 27 police shooting that became national news. An El Cajon officer fatally shot Ugandan refugee Alfred Olango, 38, as he pointed a vaping device at police. The shooting ignited protests and put El Cajon in the national conversation regarding the use of lethal force by police against unarmed black men.

Officials did not release any information about the race of the man shot on Sunday, but witnesses to the event said the man was white and looked to be in his 50s.

In October, following the Olango shooting, a review by The San Diego Union-Tribune found that El Cajon police had shot 12 people over the past decade  the highest per capita rate of any agency in the county. Five of the shootings were fatal.

The dozen shootings are the third highest of any agency in the county, behind only the larger San Diego Police Department and the San Diego County Sheriffs Department.

Of the five fatal shootings there in the past 10 years, three people were white and two were black.

El Cajons population is 57 percent white, 28 percent Hispanic or Latino and 6 percent black.

teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @TeriFigueroaUT

UPDATES:

3:30 p.m. This story was updated to include the witness accounts from Eric Farias and Grant Anderson.
The United States takes in far more legal immigrants each year than any other nation on Earth, more than a million. We Americans have a great deal of confidence in our ability to welcome and integrate these newcomers and their children.

But our successful integration of immigrants is less exceptional  whether we take that word to mean unique or excellent  than we think. That is the conclusion of our comparative study of immigrant integration in six North American and Western European countries (the U.S., Britain, Canada, France, Germany and the Netherlands).

Our focus was on low-status immigrants who came with limited education, took jobs at the very bottom of the labor market, and were considered outsiders. Examples are Mexicans in the U.S., North Africans in France, and Turks in Germany and the Netherlands.

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Immigrant families in the U.S. trailed those in the other countries when we compared income relative to the national average. Just before the Great Recession began, the average income of Hispanic immigrant households in the U.S. was only 57 percent of that of native households. For non-EU immigrant families in European countries, this fraction varied between 75 and 90 percent.

The degree of residential segregation of low-status immigrant groups is also worse in the U.S. than in any of the other five countries. No country in Western Europe has an equivalent to the South Bronx  an area encompassing more than a million people, including numerous immigrant families living among other minorities, with a poverty rate approaching 40 percent.

When it comes to the social and economic mobility of the children of immigrants, there are both better (Great Britain) and worse (Germany) countries for immigrants than the U.S. these days. In almost all countries with large low-status immigrant populations (with the exception of Great Britain), the second generation experiences sizable educational inequalities compared to the native majority. Despite signs of considerable improvement since 2000 in the educational records of Hispanic youth, the educational inequalities in the U.S. are as great as in much of Western Europe.

There is one respect in which the U.S. is exceptional: Americans are quick to accept immigrants as Americans-in-the-making and to regard their U.S.-born children as full-fledged members of the national community. The immigrants and their children often reciprocate by showing high levels of patriotism, evidenced by a willingness to serve in the military. This ready acceptance of immigrants reflects our bedrock nation-of-immigrants self-definition.

But this willingness to accept immigrants and their children as part of the American nation should not be confused with on-the-ground institutional arrangements that improve the opportunities for immigrants and their children to move ahead, such as the maternelles, the universal pre-K system in France that brings the children of immigrants into a mainstream-language setting before age 3. In countries like France and the Netherlands, the prevailing attitudes toward immigrants, certainly those who are Muslim, may entail hostility, but at the same time there is more concern to craft public policies to ease integration, if not for the immigrants, then for their children.

In America, conversely, the more accepting personal views held toward immigrants mask the need for public action and policies to facilitate integration. This is partly due to another bedrock American value: self-reliance. Looking back to their own families immigrant narratives from the past, many Americans downplay the struggles and difficulties their ancestors faced in their migration and remember, the ultimate, and successful, assimilation.

There are plenty of reasons to extol the merits of American individualism, but embracing a sink-or-swim Darwinism to immigration is to distort both the past and the present. Americans fail to appreciate, for example, how much the massive mobility of the mid-20th century depended on postwar government investment in public colleges and universities, which in just three decades expanded fivefold the capacities of the countrys higher education system.

We cannot take for granted that our country will succeed at integration in the future. The U.S. needs to take more affirmative steps to promote immigrant integration, whether this is a matter of outreach to encourage naturalization (something Canada does), co-ethnic mentoring programs to assist students whose immigrant parents lack education beyond primary school (something the Netherlands does), or policies to support social mixing and decent public housing (again, as in the Netherlands).

The United States needs to give up the illusion that it is the brightest beacon of hope for immigrants and realize that it now can learn from others.
By Press Trust of India: Frpom Aditi Khanna

London, Jan 2 (PTI) Britains Queen Elizabeth II is feeling "better" as she recovers from a heavy cold, according to her daughter Princess Anne, despite the 90-year-old monarch missing church at Sandringham for the second successive Sunday.

As the 66-year-old Princess Royal walked down from Sandringham House to St Mary Magdalene church yesterday, an onlooker asked how her mother was feeling.

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Princess Anne smiled and replied: "Better".

Her husband, Vice-Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, was also asked how the Queen was feeling and replied: "Not too bad".

While the Queen is said to be recuperating and is well enough to be out of bed, she chose not to attend the New Years Day church service at her Sandringham estate in Norfolk.

Her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, who has now recovered from a cold, was well enough to attend the service with his daughter.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson had said on Sunday: "The Queen does not yet feel ready to attend church as she is still recuperating from a heavy cold."

According to officials, she has been well enough to go over government papers and has not had to go to hospital or undergo any tests.

The Palace had first said the monarchs illness on December 21 when she and Prince Philip cancelled plans to travel to Sandringham by train because they were both suffering from a "heavy cold".

They travelled to their Norfolk estate by helicopter the next day. The Queen sent recorded good wishes to Canada on the 150th anniversary of confederation on Sunday.

The last time the Queen was seen in public was at the annual reception for the diplomatic corps at Buckingham Palace on December 8. PTI AK AJR AKJ AJR

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A San Diego man who said he is a rabbi has been accused by federal officials of posing as an attorney and CPA and preparing fraudulent tax returns and advising clients of bogus tax schemes.

The federal government has filed a civil injunction lawsuit in U.S. District Court in San Diego against Lawrence Preston Siegel, who officials said also goes by the names Larry Lave, Yehuda Lave and Larry Easy, the Department of Justice said in a statement Monday.

Siegel is a former attorney and certified public accountant.

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Siegel pleaded guilty in 1994 to tax evasion and subscribing false tax returns, the statement said. He resigned from the California bar that year and lost his CPA license three years later.

He was released from federal prison in 2001 for additional convictions, the statement said.

After his release, he started a tax practice and said online that he is an interesting combination of a tax lawyer and CPA who is also a rabbi trained in spirituality, according to a federal complaint.

Siegel claimed to others that his goal as a spiritual rabbi, tax attorney and CPA is to save people money without going to jail. ... Everybody wants to pay very little tax. I do it legally and morally under the Torah, according to the complaint.

Siegel is accused of giving clients false information about tax deductions. His clients typically are high earners who own profitable businesses, the statement said.

The complaint said that in some cases, Siegel filed tax returns without his clients permission to do so.

Also, in some cases, deductions were falsely claimed for personal expenses, such as cruises, the complaint said.

Siegel also is accused of trying to delay or obstruct IRS examinations of clients and lying to IRS officials during tax court litigation.
By Press Trust of India: The Assembly also paid tributes to the people killed during last years unrest in Kashmir Valley along with former Governor Lt Gen (retd) S K Sinha, former ministers and legislatures who passed away since the last session.

Soon after Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta read out the references on the demise of the former state Governor and other leaders who passed away, opposition demanded that tributes be paid to the civilians killed during the unrest in the Valley.

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"As we pay tributes to the former Governor and the leaders who passed away, we should also pay tributes to the civilians who were killed in the over five months of the unrest in the valley," NC MLA Mohammad Shafi said.

Shafi claimed that all laws were ignored while dealing with the unrest and said it had dented the image of not only the state government but also the entire country in front of the whole world.

The opposition leader demanded that an inquiry be held into the "excesses" committed and the guilty be identified and action taken against them.

"It is important if we have to restore the faith of the people in democracy," Shafi said.

The Congress leader said the five months of turmoil in Kashmir should not be called an unrest or law and order problem but a "mass uprising".

"It would be wrong to call it unrest or law and order problem, but a mass uprising. Why did it happen? It happened as the psyche of the people of Kashmir was hurt due to the unholy alliance. Burhan Wani was just a trigger," Jora said.

He demanded that the House also pay tributes to the personnel of the security forces who lost their lives in the insurgency-related incidents in the state.

The BJP demanded that the House should also pay tributes to the people who lost their lives in the cross-border firing.

Independent MLA Engineer Rashid said the people who lost their lives in the unrest in the Valley died "demanding plebiscite".

"Hold plebiscite to resolve Kashmir issue. If you agreed to pay compensation to the family of Khalid Muzaffar Wani then you accepted that he was killed. You have lost in front of the ideology of Burhan Wani," Rashid said. PTI TSS AB KIS AKK

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New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/02/2017 -- Widely recommend and one of the most popular restaurants of America  Red Lobster features its menu prices on a widely trusted food website 'Top Restaurant Prices'.



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Red Lobster is one of America's most popular casual restaurant chains, famous for its seafood dishes and some steak entrees, pasta, and chicken dishes. Bill Darden and Charley Woods founded Red Lobster on March 22, 1968. It currently has over 700 restaurants located across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Japan, UAE, Qatar, Brazil, Malaysia, and New Zealand.



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After a delay of two years, Russia has delivered four Sukhoi Su-35 jet fighters to china. The Su-35 is an advanced version of the Su-30s operated by the Indian Airforce.

By Press Trust of India: 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.

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.

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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.

Also read: What to expect from the India, China, Russia bilateral meetings in Goa

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 China's second aircraft which is home grown one is under in full swing, according to the official media reports.

Also read: Construction of bridge connecting China, Russia begins

"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.

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Australian manuka honey is at least as powerful against bacteria as the more commonly known New Zealand variety, according to a new study published in the journal PLoS ONE.

Honey has been used therapeutically by many cultures for millennia and has re-emerged as a treatment for wound and skin infections, mainly due to its antimicrobial activity, the studys authors said.

Honey produced from Leptospermum scoparium (manuka) exhibits broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against a diverse range of bacterial and yeast pathogens, and is equally effective against multi-drug resistant bacteria.

New Zealand is the primary source of medicinal honey but the country grows only one Leptospermum species, L. scoparium, and its honey bee population is threatened by the parasitic varroa mite.

Australia is home to 83 of the 87 known Leptospermum species and is still free of the varroa mite, unlike the rest of the beekeeping world.

Australia has more than 80 Leptospermum species, and limited research to date has found at least some produce honey with high non-peroxide antibacterial activity (NPA) similar to New Zealand manuka, the researchers said.

The activity of manuka honey is largely due to the presence of methylglyoxal, which is produced non-enzymatically from dihydroxyacetone present in manuka nectar.

The aims of the current study were to chemically quantify the compounds contributing to antibacterial activity in a collection of Australian Leptospermum honeys, to assess the relationship between methylglyoxal and NPA in these samples, and to determine whether NPA changes during honey storage.

The scientists examined 80 honey samples from New South Wales and Queensland flowering manuka trees and found that methylglyoxal is present in Australian varieties.

Eighty different Leptospermum honey samples were analyzed, and therapeutically useful NPA was seen in samples derived from species including L. liversidgei and L. polygalifolium, they said.

Exceptionally high levels of up to 1,100 mg of methylglyoxal per kg of honey were present in L. polygalifolium honey samples sourced from the Northern Rivers region in New South Wales and Byfield, Queensland, with considerable diversity among samples.

The study provides the proof for what weve long assumed  that methylglyoxal is present in high levels in Australian manuka honeys, said study lead author Dr. Nural Cokcetin, from the University of Technology Sydney.

Weve also shown that the activity of Australian manuka honeys has remained unchanged over seven years from harvest, which has huge implications for extending the shelf life of medicinal honey products.

These findings put Australian manuka honey on the international radar at a time when antibiotic resistance is recognized as a global crisis, Dr. Cokcetin said.

All honeys have different flavors and medicinal properties, depending on the flowers bees visit for nectar. What makes manuka honey so special is the exceptionally high level of stable antibacterial activity that arises from a naturally occurring compound in the nectar of manuka flowers. Its the ingredient we know acts against golden staph and other superbugs resistant to current antibiotics.

Honey not only kills bacteria on contact but we have shown previously that bacteria dont become resistant to honey, added co-author Prof. Liz Harry, also from the University of Technology Sydney.

That the manuka varieties in Australia are just as active as those in New Zealand, and have essentially the same chemical profile, will add significant value to Australian honey for beekeepers and provide a plentiful supply of medicinal honey.

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N.N. Cokcetin et al. 2016. The Antibacterial Activity of Australian Leptospermum Honey Correlates with Methylglyoxal Levels. PLoS ONE 11 (12): e0167780; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0167780
The Sanhedrin is preparing now for the building of the Third Temple. Meanwhile, Yaakov Hayman, the head of Yishai, an NGO dedicated to restoring Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount, is planning to develop four synagogues, one in each corner of the Temple Mount compound. Yishai plans to submit this proposal and survey map to the Israeli government.

How could the Third Temple be constructed on a Temple Mount? Hayman explained that a synagogue is the first step toward building the Third Temple. He further said that the temple was inaugurated not just as a place for sacrifices but mainly as a house of prayer. He then quoted a verse in the book of I Kings 8:30 that says, "And hearken Thou to the supplication of Thy servant, and of Thy people Yisrael, when they shall pray toward this place; yea, hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling-place; and when Thou hearest, forgive."

The Temple Mount is also referred to as the "Noble Sanctuary," which is situated in the Old City of Jerusalem. It is considered the holiest site in Judaism and is regarded as the place where God's divine presence is manifested more than in any other places. It is acclaimed as a holy site by Judaism, Christianity and Islam ever since. As of now, it is composed of 11 gates, 10 reserved for Muslims and one for non-Muslims, with guard posts of Israeli police near each.

Meanwhile, Hayman said that they need to get more Jews to go up to the Temple Mount. On the other hand, the Jewish visitation is extremely limited. He further said that only 14,000 Jews were permitted to visit the Temple Mount in over the past 12 months. He added that when they have thousands of Jews going up every day, Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount will just naturally begin to happen.

The survey submitted by Hayman was rejected by the Prime Minister's office. On the other hand, Hayman still hopes and is preparing now to submit the survey once again. The rabbis have shown their support for the construction of the synagogue as of these times. Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, former Sephardi Chief rabbi of Israel and his son, Safed's Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, called for the construction of a synagogue on the Temple Mount and working on toward their aims, according to Breaking Israel News.

It is foretold that the Jews will plan to build a tent temple like the Tabernacle of Moses. This temple will be temporarily put up and revive the sacrifices. Once this has started building, they would build the permanent structure around.
The Belgium researchers discovered evidence that Neanderthals were cannibals. They found human bones from a newborn, a child and four adults or teenagers who lived dated 40,000 years ago inside the caves of Goyet in Belgium.

Christian Casseyas, a Belgian archaeologist, said that it is irrefutable; cannibalism was practiced here (referring to the caves). The team said that there were signs of cutting and of fractures to extract the marrow within. The bones were dated back when Neanderthals were almost at the end of their time on Earth before being replaced by Homo sapiens.

Neanderthals were species or subspecies of archaic human, in the genus Homo. They vanished around 40,000 years ago. Their remains include bone and stone tools that were found in Eurasia, from Western Europe to Central and Northern Asia. In the previous studies, they indicated that Neanderthals took care of the bodies of their deceased and had burial rituals. On the other hand, there was also proof that Neanderthals also ate their dead.

According to Phys.org, the cases of Neanderthal cannibalism were discovered in Neanderthal populations at El Sidron and Zafarraya in southern Europe in Spain and Moula-Guercy and Les Pradelles in France. Meanwhile, a geologist and director of the Royal Museum of natural History of Belgium searched many caves including Goyet caves and found a huge quantity of bones and tools in 1867. His discoveries were stored at the Brussels Institute of Natural Sciences for over a century.

Currently, the researchers led by Helene Rougier, an anthropologist at California State University Northridge in the United States, had shown that the discoveries found in Goyet caves proved that Neanderthals were cannibals. Christian Casseyas said that the bones had traces of cutting, wherein there was disarticulating and removing of the flesh that occurred. He added that the Neanderthals broke these bones in the same way that they broke those of the reindeer and horses found at the entrance of the cave, certainly to extract the marrow.
Facebook CEO and former atheist Mark Zuckerberg surprised the social media community with a Christmas greeting.

The Huffington Post reported that the 32-year-old Internet entrepreneur has let go of his atheist beliefs and shared his thoughts on the importance of religion on his holiday greeting post, saying he was "celebrating Christmas."

"Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah from Priscilla, Max, Beast and me," Mark Zuckerberg wrote on behalf of his wife, daughter and dog. "I hope you're surrounded by friends and loved ones, and that you have a chance to reflect on all the meaningful things in your life."

"Aren't you an atheist?" posted one Facebook commenter. "No," Mark Zuckerberg replied. "I was raised Jewish and then I went through a period where I questioned things, but now I believe religion is very important."

Another commenter received a hilarious response after asking the Facebook co-founder why Jesus Christ's birthday was not even notified on the site. "You're not friends with Jesus on Facebook?" Mark Zuckerberg joked.

The young multi-billionaire, who previously labeled himself as an atheist, did not give further details about his change of heart. But his encounter with Pope Francis may have been one of the events that drove him back to faith. Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan met the Pope at the Vatican in August 2016 where he admired the 72-year-old Roman Catholic leader's "message of mercy and tenderness."

Mark Zuckerberg and Pope Francis discussed how to use technology in reaching out to the poor and delivering messages of unity and hope.

"It was a meeting we'll never forget," Mark Zuckerberg, who gifted the Pope with a drone, said in a statement. "You can feel his warmth and kindness, and how deeply he cares about helping people."

Pope Francis also met another atheist, renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, during a Pontifical Academy of Sciences conference in the Vatican in November 2016.
Scientists are perplexed regarding the reason of a massive fish kill in Nova Scotia, Canada. Thousands of dead herring were found dead in the coastal region of St. Mary's Bay and Tusket. This trend has been continuing since November 2016. Scientists have been collecting samples and analyzing them for the presence of any physical deformities, indicators of diseases as well as doing molecular analysis to screen for the presence of pathogenic bacteria and viruses, but all in vain.

Till date, no specific reason responsible for this massive kill has been identified. In the meantime, more number of fishes, including starfishes, lobsters and clams, are found dead in the region. Recently, a dead whale was also found on the beach of the famous Whale Cove.

No statement has been made by the federal officials regarding the possible cause of this event and its impact on the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem of the region. Kent Smedbol, Population Ecology Manager, Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), said that though the lack of an obvious cause is "perplexing," the results obtained by the scientists do not necessarily indicate any need for concern, according to US News.

Kent Smedbol said, "I can't speak for the department, personally at this point from most of the studies that have been undertaken, the evidence provided to date, I don't think there's a great cause for concern."

According to a latest report published on The National Post, as a precautionary measure, a camera scanning of the benthic region of St. Mary's Bay was done. The scan showed normal conditions and the presence of numerous live lobsters.

Derreck Parsons, senior compliance program officer, DFO, informed that there is a change in the collected samples of dead herring and it does not indicate any further intensification of the die off.

Furthermore, some officials believe that the storm, which passed by the region during the Christmas holidays, caused sudden drop in temperature in the shallow water near Digby. It is predicted that the drop in temperature and the rough surf conditions on the surface caused the death of these benthic creatures, which are getting washed ashore now.
China wants to develop the "strength and size" of its space program, according to a China National Space Administration official. The nation, which is already emerging as one of the top players of space research and exploration, wants to speed up the development of its space program in the next five years.

"To explore the vast cosmos, develop the space industry and build China into a space power is a dream we pursue unremittingly," stated an official policy proposal/white paper, according to China Daily. In the next five years, the country plans to speed up the development of its space program. One of the first objectives in the pipeline for China is to become the first country to try a controlled landing of a probe on the far side of the lunar surface in 2018.

According to officials from China's space agency, the landing on the Moon's far side could help in explaining and deciphering its formation and evolution. Moreover, as per space security expert He Qisong, from Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, a soft lunar landing would also show how the country has fully developed the technology to achieve such a feat of landing on a specific area of the Moon's surface. "China never talks big and says something it's unable to achieve," Qisong told the Associated Press.

The nation also has plans to launch a Mars mission by 2020. It is aiming at exploring the Red Planet and also bringing back samples from it.

Jupiter is another planet that China has sets its eye upon as per the white paper. In the future, the country wants to explore the largest known planet of the Solar System and conduct "research into major scientific questions such as the origin and evolution of the solar system, and search for extraterrestrial life." The white paper also added that China is committed to the peaceful use of space and is against a space arms race.
As wildlife conservationists continue to conduct studies on the effective ways to preserve wildlife in Zimbabwe, the African country reportedly sells elephants, lions and hyenas to zoos in China secretly.

IOL reported that a herd of young elephants was flown to Shanghai, China, via Russian plane Airbridge Cargo747. The cargo airplane confirmed to reporters that 35 caged elephants between ages 5 and 12 years old left Victoria Falls last week.

While National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokeswoman Caroline Washaya-Moyo refused to comment, there have been reports about wild animals being sold due to Zimbabwe's bankruptcy. In fact, lions and hyenas are set for export to China via a cargo ship before this weekend.

Last month, the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spoke to EU wildlife experts who were conducting a research on wildlife preservation. Although the European experts were told that park rangers were planning to capture a mother elephant in Hwange National Park to travel with the young ones within the country (as they would go crazy without a matriarch), they were not informed that the young elephants will be sent to China.

"Parks should just tell the truth about exporting wildlife. It is not illegal locally or internationally," a wildlife enthusiast in Zimbabwe commented. "Of course no one likes it, but we should deal with it in public."

Chinese zoo owners reportedly bought these wild animals as tourist attractions -- a motive ultimately dreaded by wildlife conservationists.

"Wild elephants and zoos are a horrible combination," said National Geographic explorer-in-residence and wildlife filmmaker Dereck Joubert. "Elephants need to roam and feed and interact with others daily, hourly, year after year."

"They need the opportunities to be playful, to stand and just be with their sisters and aunts and extended families, and they need to hear a call from five miles away from a nearby clan," he added. "They can't be whole in a zoo."
The six-membered crew presently aboard the International Space Station (ISS), welcomed the new year from space. The crew members posted their new year celebration party pictures on Twitter and sent New Year greetings for everyone on Earth.

The crew members managed to make some time amid their busy schedule to gather together and celebrate New Year's Eve. The international group of crew members, which include two NASA and one French astronaut and three Russian cosmonauts, together rang in 2017 at 00 a.m. GMT (the designated time zone aboard the International Space Station), according to Space.com.

Shane Kimbrough, NASA astronaut and the crew commander of ISS, sent his New Year wishes on Twitter, in a post which read, "Wishing everyone on Earth a Happy New Year from 250 miles above our planet!"

Usually, the members work hard and spend most of their time conducting space exploration study and various other science experiments. They also have to exercise at least 2 hours a day to maintain their muscle mass, which otherwise will go nimble in the zero gravity conditions.

The crew somehow managed to get together and have some fun. Dan Huot, NASA spokesman, told that "The crew has their typical off-duty time, since it's a weekend on New Year's Eve and Day," and additionally, "They will also have Monday, Jan. 2 off."

The crew made the most out of it by making fun zero gravity party games like cookie decoration and a contest between the members to stay still as a mannequin. Astronaut Peggy Whitson posted the pictures of an intense cookie decoration contest in progress, where ISS crew members Thomas Pesquet and Oleg Novitskiy battled it out.

Another picture posted on Twitter shows Thomas Pesquet also managed some time to practice his juggling skills. Sadly, in zero gravity, things that go up does not necessarily come down, "so it is practically impossible to juggle," Thomas Pesquet wrote in a tweet.

The crew members have also been doing fun stuff the whole week. On Dec. 29, 2016, Thomas Pesquet posted a video of the mannequin contest, which was mind-blowing. The very next day, he posted another video of floating burgers inside the International Space Station. It looked like the group of astronauts revolving 250 miles over the Earth's surface had an awesome New Year celebration party.
Unable to make babies on their own, more than two dozen couples went to a top-flight fertility clinic in the Netherlands for help.

But the clinic has announced it may have been leaving old sperm on its tools for more than a year - and now those couples face the prospect of raising a stranger's biological child.

"The chance is small, but cannot be ruled out" that women were "fertilized by sperm cells from a man other than the intended father," officials at the University Medical Center in Utrecht said in a statement this week.

It's not the first mass case of artificial insemination potentially gone awry, though most high-profile bungles have mixed up anonymous donors.

In this case, the medical center said that it was trying to contact 26 men and women - half of whom already have or are expecting a baby - for 26 very difficult conversations.

"The supervisory board regrets having to burden the couples involved with the news," the statement said.

The New York Times reported that the women were contacted after the statement's release and were offered DNA tests.

The patients didn't use the most common method of in vitro fertilization, in which egg and sperm are combined in a petri dish.

Rather, they used a newer procedure called intracytoplasmic sperm injection, which can help men with scant or sluggish sperm by shooting it directly into an egg cell.

A technician had just finished an injection in November, a hospital spokesman told the Times, when she discovered sperm from a previous patient on the end of the syringe.

The syringe tips are disposable, the Times reported, so the hospital suspects the rogue cell hitched a ride on a rubber bulb that wasn't supposed to be attached to the device.

The clinic had been improperly using those bulbs since April of the previous year. Some of those couples now have a child - the oldest might be a year old, if the first patient conceived right away.

Other women treated during that period are pregnant, according to the hospital. And 13 couples have frozen embryos at the clinic, which they must now decide whether they want to replace.

Meanwhile, the hospital is trying to figure out if any stray sperm actually managed to make a baby.

It's also unknown how many contaminant sperm cells from how many men may have been used on patients.

"Everything will be done to provide clarity for everyone as soon as possible," the statement said.

David Keefe, who chairs New York University's department of obstetrics and gynecology, said his own clinic is hesitant to perform the injections, unless absolutely necessary. The procedure was considered risky by many doctors until a few years ago - mostly because it was new.

Now that it's been tested, Keefe said, it tends to be overused by patients in a hurry to have a child.

"This is one of many examples where it can go awry," he told The Washington Post. "It's very sobering that one of the very best fertility centers in the most regulated country in the world still had risk."

But he said that he suspected Utrecht was simply being cautious in halting the procedure and announcing its error.

Technicians usually pick up a single sperm cell at a time in a syringe, Keefe said. "The thought that one of them would have gotten up into the micro-manipulator is interesting, but I think theoretical. There aren't that many sperm to get up there."

"I suspect they're going to find out every one of those kids is from the right father," he said.

Keefe was at odds with his friend and colleague at New York University: Arthur Caplan, who founded NYU's bioethics division and heads its medical ethics department.

"If there was contamination from a healthy donor, versus a male making barely any sperm . . . then the odds of the baby coming from contaminant sperm is like 100,000 to 1," Caplan said.

And where Keefe described the Netherlands' fertility clinics as the very strictest in a highly regulated industry, Caplan has argued that the fertility industry isn't watched closely enough.

Accidents are bound to happen, he said, and they often do.

But he called the Utrecht case "very unusual."

He recalled many one-off and obvious mishaps - like a couple who sued a Chicago-area clinic, claiming they ordered sperm from a white donor but ended up with mixed-race child.

Caplan remembered cases of mass malfeasance, too, like an Indiana doctor accused of impregnating at least eight patients with his own sperm.

But those cases involved anonymous sperm banks.

The Utrecht mishap could be "deeply troubling to the male donor, because they were looking for their own biological child," he said. "Most people would say, what choice do you have? You have to accept a child that was born in error."

On the other hand, Caplan wondered what Utrecht will do to satisfy the unwitting source or sources of the errant sperm.

"What about the man or men? Does he find out?" he said. "Does he have 26 children now?"
FLORENCE, S.C.  Isabella Orrico was on her way to school at The Kings Academy on the first day having class after Hurricane Matthew wreaked havoc on the Pee Dee.

She looked out the car window at the remaining damage and noticed the House of Hope collection shed in front of Ebenezer Baptist Church had been destroyed during the storm.

The shed is meant to house various items for the homeless population in the Florence area. As much as $25,000 worth of items and materials are stored within the shed each year. As the chaplain of her sophomore class, Orrico saw the damaged shed and got an idea.

I decided it would be fun to rebuild something like that and help people in our community, Orrico said. That to me was something everybody could be a part of. I thought, What a great opportunity to give back after the storm. Were going to do this. Lets get started.

The 15-year-old quickly began recruiting volunteers from her sophomore class to help make this potential project a reality. Soon enough, all 26 sophomores in her class agreed to rebuild the destroyed collection shed.

After getting permission from the administration to begin working, Orrico realized the real first step in the rebuilding process was finding someone with construction experience.

None of us had any real building experience, Orrico said. I emailed all the parents of the 10th-grade students, and one of the parents was more than happy to help us out.

Ray Hughes, an engineer for Honda, helped teach Orrico and her fellow classmates how to construct the shed and what building materials they would need to complete the project. The students then went around to various businesses asking for them to donate wood, plywood, paint, paintbrushes, nail, screws and anything else they needed to build the structure. In total, the student collected approximately $4,000 worth of donated materials to begin construction.

A lot of them were more than willing to give us what we needed, Orrico said. We took everything from Ebenezer Baptist Church, deconstructed it, put it all back on a trailer, brought it back over and built it up again.

Orrico said the goal was to have the shed rebuilt and back in operation before the Christmas season. From start to finish, the shed took three weeks to resurrect. During those weeks of work, Orrico said the process was difficult at times, but it was extremely rewarding both during and after construction.

It was a challenge, but it was a good challenge, Orrico said. At first everyone thought I was crazy, because it was kind of a big project. Afterward, everyone felt accomplished.

The shed was completed by Dec. 10, with weeks to spare before their holiday deadline. Now as Orrico drives by the new shed each day before school, she feels an overwhelming sense of pride for what she and her fellow classmates achieved.

It was really interesting to see my friends really give back to the community, Orrico said. For me, I just enjoyed taking a step back and looking at everyone help out.

When we drive by it at school every day, they can see it and realize how much they gave back to those who need it.
By Press Trust of India: From K J M Varma

Beijing, Jan 1 (PTI) 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.

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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 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. PTI KJV KUN

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Chicago, the nation's third largest city, ended 2016 with more homicides than the two larger cities  New York and Los Angeles  put together. Everyone is shocked, but not everyone is surprised.

More than 750 people were killed in Chicago in 2016, the highest total since 1997, and more than 3,500 were wounded by firearms.

Dr. Gary Slutkin, a University of Illinois at Chicago epidemiologist who founded the CeaseFire Illinois violence-reduction program also known as CureViolence, saw this plague coming.

He warned Gov. Bruce Rauner in a March 2015 letter of a probable surge in Chicago shootings if the program's funding was not restored. The $4.5 million grant represented most of the funding for CeaseFire Illinois, which serves sites across six cities in the state. "Lives depend on this program," he wrote.

Sure, just about every social service program makes life-or-death pleas when its funding is cut. But this doctor had some startling statistics on his side.

Slutkin had seen similar interruptions in funding precede violent crime surges in Chicago four times since CeaseFire took to the Windy City's streets in 2001. That's too often to be brushed off as mere coincidence.

After a 2007 interruption in funding by Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich, for example, the program shut down 15 sites and shootings increased by 416 until after funding was restored a year later  and violence returned to its previous level.

Now, a similarly tragic trend has followed the suspension in March 2015 of the program's funding grant.

Slutkin, as he told me in a telephone interview, hates to see that his prediction was right.

The only one of Chicago's 23 police districts to experience reduction in shootings over the past year also happened to be the only district in which CeaseFire has been able to maintain its full program of operations.

Ironically, having expanded to 22 other cities, including New York and Los Angeles, CureViolence faces its biggest hurdles in Chicago, largely because after years of overspending, the city and state government are broke.

Republican Rauner campaigned with promises to balance the state's budget, but as governor he has insisted on including other reforms before he'll pass a budget. That has drawn fierce opposition from the state's Democratic-controlled legislature, and Illinois is now heading into its second year without a full budget.

As you should have guessed by now, I like CureViolence. No program is perfect, but Slutkin's approach of treating violence epidemics in much the same way that we think of conventional epidemics has proved its merits in numerous evaluations by the Justice Department and university studies.

Perhaps you saw it featured in an award-winning PBS "Frontline" documentary called "The Interrupters," which still can be viewed on the Frontline website. It is worth seeing by those who are too willing to write off high-crime communities as a lost cause. Inside every "ghetto," I argue, there's a neighborhood trying to break free.

Slutkin, a former World Health Organization official, diagnoses violence like a contagious disease. Most violent crimes result from personal beefs, he found. A minor personal offense quickly escalates into a violent response to save face  and often leads to more retaliatory violence.

CureViolence dispatches "interrupters," including former gangbangers and other ex-offenders, like germ-fighting antibodies into high-violence neighborhoods. There they use their connections and street credibility to defuse potential violence before it boils over.

Done right, the program encourages family members, friends, hospital workers and others who might not want to call police and have nowhere else to turn to call in the "interruptors" to intervene and try to settle the grievances peacefully.

If you wait until after police have arrived, as one interruptor put it, "it's too late."

Yet, since the most effective interrupters include some ex-offenders, cooperation with police tends to be at arms-length. Police sometimes complain that the interrupters aren't helping them enough, and trust in police is so low in many neighborhoods that the interrupters don't want to be seen as becoming too cozy with the cops.

Again, no program is perfect. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to violent crime waves. We need to try everything that works. CureViolence appears to have passed that test.

As for the funding challenges, we need to ask  before we become too desensitized to the carnage that too often kills small children and other innocent bystanders  how much are our kids' lives worth? Priceless.

E-mail Clarence Page at cpage@tribune.com.
First of all, Id like to thank Fred Carter and nurses Johnson, Zink and Burgess for their respective responses on the nurse practitioner issue, and best of all, unlike their words for me, I wont call them old, out of date and misinformed.

As for Carters letter (printed Dec. 23), I thank him for his attempted diplomacy, but his snarky comment about who is the real doctor revealed exactly where, and with whom, he stands: At least physicians now know who not to call. And he said none of his health care students report any confusion regarding the title "doctor" in medical settings. This should not be surprising: None of his health care students were physicians, nor had a doctorate degree, when they were his students. However, let me report to him right here, right now, sick people are being confused by the title "doctor" in medical settings, in violation of the Lewis Blackmon law, and if the patient was confused by ambiguous titles and implied levels of training, their "doctor" did not obtain fully informed consent.

Regarding nurse Johnsons letter (printed Dec. 25), I want NPs to be well trained, so I have helped train many nurse practitioner students; I offered free pediatric cardiology lectures and rotations in my office for FMU nursing students (they declined); I have excellent working relationships with NPs from Myrtle Beach to Sumter, from Fayetteville to Georgetown; and many of my nursing students agree with me: In a designated medical practice, "doctor" means licensed medical doctor. But even more to my point, Johnson said, Nurse practitioners are highly trained to provide high quality care in specific areas, as many physicians are. OK, but is she saying the levels of knowledge, skill and experience are equivalent? No. She said, It has never been the goal of nurse practitioners to take the place of physicians. Unfortunately, far too many nursing leaders could not disagree more.

Like nurses Zink and Burgess, who are the leaders of the Coalition for Access to Healthcare. Their letter (printed Dec. 26) said training more nurses will close the provider gap. They then said medical training is many years longer than nursing training, so therefore, The less time it takes to train a provider, the faster we can infuse more providers into our failing health care system. So what might be bad for physician income and their hold on the health care system is very good for South Carolina. And there it is; less knowledge is better, less experience is preferred, and whats bad for physicians is very good for South Carolina. I hope Zink and Burgess dont speak for all of nursing, but they are clearly not alone. The only surprising part is their unvarnished candor.

CHARLES TRANT

Florence
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Jan 2 (PTI) State-owned ITI Ltd today said its HR Director S Gopu has assumed additional charge as Chairman and Managing Director following the retirement of P K Gupta.

Gupta, who was Director (Marketing) and also held additional charge as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of ITI, retired following superannuation.

"This is to inform that P K Gupta, Director (Marketing)/ Additional charge CMD has retired from services of the company with effect from afternoon of December 31, 2016, consequent to attaining age of superannuation," ITI said in a BSE filing.

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S Gopu, Director-HR, has assumed additional charge as CMD with effect from December 31, 2016, it added.

Gupta had joined the company in January 1979 as Assistant Executive Engineer at ITI Bangalore Plant.

K Alagesan, Director-Production, has taken charge as Director (Marketing) for a period of three months, the filing said.

Set up in 1948, ITI offers telecom products and solutions. Indias first public sector unit (PSU), ITI posted a revenue of Rs 281.58 crore and net profit of Rs 190.59 crore for the quarter ended September, 2016. PTI SR ABM

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The year 2017 marks a major milestone in crewed spaceflight. It's the year that Apollo 1, the first mission with people on board, was supposed to make its journey into space. While mission preparations ended with a deadly fire that killed three astronauts on Jan. 27, 1967, they made officials put a new emphasis on safety and crew preparedness that eventually landed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin onto the lunar surface two year later. So, kicking off with 50th anniversary of the dawn of the Apollo era this month, there will be a series of other "50ths" over the coming years: Apollo 1 (in January), Apollo 8's trip to the moon (December 2018), Apollo 11's journey to the lunar surface (July 2019), Apollo 13's "successful failure" (April 2020) and the last lunar landing, Apollo 17 (December 2022). These are big dates to be sure, but how relevant are these distant anniversaries to today's twentysomethings, teenagers and children? This is a question that museums are already starting to ponder as they introduce new exhibits and re-invigorate older ones. RELATED: Fragile Apollo Artifacts in Need of Some Love For example, the Kansas Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, Kans. (near Wichita) has a temporary exhibit going up in January to mark the anniversary of Apollo 1. Courtesy of private collector Ray Katz, artifacts on display include an emergency egress plan, a hat from a pad worker on site the day of the tragedy and a schematic book that belonged to backup astronaut Walt Cunningham (who later flew on Apollo 7.) Collections manager Shannon Wetzel added that appealing to younger generations is something "that all museums struggle with," but the museum is taking some steps. The museum has the Apollo 13 command module on display, loaned from the Smithsonian. An explosion crippled the spacecraft on its way to the moon in April 1970 and prevented a landing, but the crew was safely returned to Earth. Nevertheless, the mission was seen by some as a failure because it didn't achieve its prime objective, she said.

"There were a lot of lessons learned from that failure," said Wetzel, citing the routine flights to the International Space Station young people see regularly today. The flights are still dangerous, but are less so because of the lessons from Apollo 13 and other missions from the space program. It's something the museum tries to emphasize when speaking with school groups about Apollo, she added. There are other steps the museum is taking as well. A popular live science program called "Goddard's Lab", which follows the life and exploits of liquid rocket inventor and developer Robert Goddard, may have some materials put online so that people can access the materials without visiting the museum. The education department also has a newer program called "Apollo Redux", which encourages students to solve problems similar to what faced Apollo 13 - making it more interesting to a younger audience. Even corporate groups have taken advantage of the program for team-building since it started a couple of years ago. RELATED: Apollo 1: NASA's First Disaster Happened on the Launch Pad The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, meanwhile, is undergoing a major re-haul for many of its Washington, D.C.-based exhibits. The "Apollo To The Moon" gallery has been much the same since 1976, but will soon be shut down and completely revamped for a new exhibit. It will show how national policy and the Cold War aligned to make Apollo possible for a brief time in the 1960s, putting that special time in context for a younger audience, said curator Allan Needell. The familiar floor of the museum is also all changed. Lunar Module 2, which was near the cafeteria for years, is now in a central position in the new front lobby exhibit that commemorates the milestones of flight. And the Apollo 11 command module is currently undergoing restoration (and 3D imaging to allow new audiences to see it as never before) before it is put back on the floor sometime in the coming years.
If you're watching this on any kind of consumer electronic device, chances are pretty high that you are indirectly contributing to the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

That might sound like a bold accusation, but the reality is that some of the mineral resources used to manufacture your cell phone and laptop come directly from conflict zones in Africa, where they are sold by warlords and violent rebel groups.

What exactly are these minerals, and why is it so hard to stop this practice? Watch today's Seeker Daily video to find out.

Learn More:

BBC News: DR Congo: Cursed by its natural wealth

The Atlantic: The Origins of War in the DRC

The New York Times: Congo Gets More Help In Africa In Rebel War
We now know how long dinosaurs took to emerge from their eggs.

Scientists from Florida State University (FSU) suggest, in a new study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, that the answer is from 3 to 6 months, depending on the type of dinosaur.

Beyond the wow factor of the information on its own, the finding has implications for our understanding of how dinosaurs lived and why they went extinct, according to the FSU researchers.

Study lead Gregory Erickson explained in a press release that we know "virtually nothing" about dinosaurs' embryonic lives.

"Did their eggs incubate slowly like their reptilian cousins  crocodilians and lizards? Or rapidly like living dinosaurs  the birds?" he said.

Thanks to some rare embryo fossils and some high-tech equipment, Erickson and his team appear to have answered those questions.

RELATED: Dinosaur Egg Stash Found During China Roadwork

First the scientists gathered embryo fossils from two dinosaurs: Protoceratops, whose tiny eggs weighted just 194 grams (7 ounces), and the enormous, duck-billed Hypacrosaurus, with 4 kilo (9 pound) eggs.

Then the team put the embryonic jaw of each through a CT scanner, to visualize the forming teeth, and extracted a number of individual teeth for study beneath a high-powered microscope.

Under microscopic view, Erickson and his team found growth lines on the teeth that helped the researchers establish a timeline for embryonic development.

"These are the lines that are laid down when any animal's teeth develop," Erickson said. "They're kind of like tree rings, but they're put down daily. We could literally count them to see how long each dinosaur had been developing."

In the end, the team determined that the tiny eggs from the sheep-sized dinosaur Protoceratops took about three months to hatch, while Hypacrosaurus took about 6 months.
If the hearing in the case does not conclude before the UP elections, the Election Commission will freeze the cycle symbol.

By Ankit Tyagi: After being outdone and outmaneuvered by his son Akhilesh Yadav, the dethroned czar of the Samajwadi Party, Mulayam Singh Yadav, is not giving up without a fight.

As the Yadav family feud shifts from Lucknow to Delhi, all eyes are now on the Election Commission of India (EC).

From occupying party office, now the next round is all about the cycle--the Samajwadi Party's well-known election symbol.

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ALSO READ: Samajwadi Party still belongs to me, people by my side, says Mulayam

The developments: Laying first claim to the cycle, Mulayam Singh Yadav and brother Shivpal are meeting EC at 4:30 pm. Mulayam is expected to explain to the poll body that he is still the president of the party and has first claim over the party symbol. Mulayam has already termed Akhilesh's crowning as against party's constitution. Meanwhile, Ram Gopal Yadav, from the Akhilesh camp, the man who is said to be architect of the coup within SP, is also in Delhi. The Akhilesh camp, however, is yet to approach the Election Commission. Despite claims from both the sides, it is not going to be cakewalk for either as far as laying claim to party's name and symbol are concerned. Sources in the Election Commission have told India Today that the poll authority is bound to hear both sides and carefully examine the constitution of the party. Judgment of the Supreme Court will be referred to by the EC. More than verbal claims, now both sides will also have to prove numbers backing them with documents. The biggest worry for both Mulayam Singh and Akhilesh camp is the lack of time before the state assembly elections. EC sources have made it clear that under any circumstance this hearing may take a minimum of one month which could go up to three months. And if the hearing does not conclude before elections, the Election Commission will freeze the cycle symbol and both sides will be awarded new election symbols on which they will contest the elections. This is not the best scenario for the young incumbent chief minister who will need a lot of time to educate voters about the new election symbol. As the battle in the Samajwadi Party's first family reaches the doors of the Election Commission, the biggest casualty may well be the cycle that ran across Uttar Pradesh for decades consolidating Lohiya's Samajwad.

ALSO READ:

Samajwadi coup: Akhilesh Yadav, Ram Gopal unseat party supremo Mulayam Singh with 4 proposals

Akhilesh Yadav camp in touch with Congress for pre-poll alliance in Uttar Pradesh

These people will destroy his future: When dad Mulayam choked while expelling son Akhilesh

ALSO WATCH

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Well before the state had to bail out the Oakland Unified School District in 2003, fiscal experts warned school officials that their overspending was going to land them in big trouble. That didnt stop the district from running up a $37 million deficit, resulting in a state takeover and record bailout that Oakland Unified is still repaying.

Nearly 14 years later, district officials are once again spending more than they have and acknowledge that urgent action is needed to stave off another fiscal crisis.

As he heads out the door for his new job at the head of the Washington, D.C., schools, Superintendent Antwan Wilson is expected to lay out a dire financial forecast this month showing Oaklands school spending exceeding its revenue by $30 million next year.

Wilson insists that the situation is different from last decade, when California loaned the district $100 million and removed local control for six years. Back then, the school board was blindsided by an accounting error that hid the true size of Oaklands deficit, Wilson said in an interview.

This time, theres a clear picture of a bloated spending plan that well exceeds anticipated incoming cash.

This is all in front of us, Wilson said. This is all preventable.

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

Its as if the district has loaded up the shopping cart with costly commitments and proposed programs, but is now standing at the cash register with an empty wallet and a nearly maxed-out credit card. If it wants whats in the cart, its going to have to figure out what bills will go unpaid.

Choosing wont be easy, Wilson said.

We will have recommendations, he said. My nervousness is not if well do it. The difficult part is helping people ... find the will to make the decisions you have to make.

In the meantime, rumors about just how deep the shortfall will be have created anxiety bordering on panic among teachers and principals, said Trish Gorham, president of the local teachers union, the Oakland Education Association.

Any time someone says hard decisions, you know the hammer is going to be falling, she said. Its a panic, run-on-the-bank kind of situation.

School board members said they hadnt seen a detailed analysis of costs versus revenue. Wilson is expected to lay out a budget plan over several public meetings this month.

Im still waiting to understand this better, said board member Jody London. I do expect there will be less money than weve had in the recent past, and the board will be making some tough decisions.

That said, the district is not in the same dire circumstances as in 2003, officials insisted.

Since the state takeover, district accounting systems have been tightened and oversight from the Alameda County Office of Education is more thorough. And a trustee appointed by the California Department of Education continues to monitor district finances  oversight required until the $100 million bailout loan is paid off, which should be in 2026.

Still, there are striking similarities between the current situation and what was happening in the early 2000s.

Back then, the district was eating into its reserve fund to cover special education programs and cafeteria costs, outside auditors found. A large raise for teachers was requiring creative accounting, and declining enrollment was a big worry.

Now: The district has eaten into its reserve fund, in part to cover special education and cafeteria cost overruns. The school board has agreed to a 14 percent raise for teachers over three years, although its contingent on increases in state funding.

And enrollment declined this year to 36,668 students  850 fewer than Wilson expected. That will soon cost the district about $10 million annually in state funding, a total that will worsen if enrollment drops further.

Even without the enrollment hit, the district is operating with a $500,000 structural deficit, meaning its spending that much more than its taking in.

As in the early 2000s, the superintendent and school board have pushed policies and programs to improve schools while boosting worker pay  good intentions lacking sufficient funds.

Wilson has added central office administrators as well as extra staff and resources to several struggling schools where he overhauled the ranks of teachers after taking over in July 2014. A plan to expand preschool programs will cost an extra $800,000 next year, according to district officials.

On top of that, the district must restore its reserve fund, which was drawn down over the past couple of years to cover cost overruns, the superintendent said. And theres a critical need to upgrade payroll and human resources systems, he said, which are still dependent on paper and obsolete computer programs.

In the meantime, special education costs have skyrocketed, in part because the district spends $5.3 million to send about 175 students outside the district for services. San Francisco, with 20,000 more students, sends 130 students to special schools. Oakland schools need to provide more of those services in house, Wilson said.

Also, charter schools are fighting for a $5 million share of a 2008 parcel tax, district officials said.

All told, Wilson said, everything adds up to about $30 million more than the district will probably get in the 2017-18 school year.

If you dont want to repeat history, youre going to have to make decisions, said school board President James Harris. Its a come-to-Jesus moment thats got to happen.

To avoid rolling back policies and programs, district officials say they will propose cuts to the central administration, which now accounts for $32.5 million of the $405.3 million operating budget. Harris would like to cut $12 million from that total.

He said the district also needs to look at consolidating schools, specifically where small schools share a site. Closing schools does not appear to be on the table, given community opposition.

How all of that will add up to $30 million in savings and a balanced budget is still unclear.

Labor leaders and community members said they were anxious to see specific numbers and the superintendents suggested cost-saving measures to get an idea of just how bad the situation is.

We look forward to more concrete information coming out, said Marc Tafolla, policy director for Go Public Schools Oakland, a nonprofit education group. We want the (school board) and the superintendent to be as careful and thoughtful so these cuts stay as far away from kids and classroom teachers as much as possible.

Gorham, the teachers union president, said shed like an explanation of how enrollment fell short of expectations and why the district compiled a to-do list without a clear idea of revenue.

Wilson has about a month to provide numbers and answers before he leaves for his new job in the nations capital.

We're going to have to see what kind of demerit it is on his report card, Gorham said. He's going to have to own this as part of his legacy.

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @jilltucker
WASHINGTON  As San Jose Rep. Mike Honda sat down to grab a quick lunch at the Washington Hilton last month, he didnt look like a man nearing the abrupt and unwelcome end to a 35-year political career.

The 75-year-old Democrat had dropped his final bill in the hopper, a measure that, if passed, would bring 25,000 Syrian children, ages 3 to 10, into the United States over the next three years, to stay until their countrys civil war ends. He then voted with 95 House colleagues against a temporary budget bill that will keep the government running until April 28.

Earlier in the day, Honda had given a speech to the International LGBT Leaders Conference and was preparing to hand his congressional case files over to the team for Fremont attorney Ro Khanna, a fellow Democrat who drubbed Honda, 61 to 39 percent, in the Nov. 8 election for the seat that includes much of Silicon Valley.

There are things that need to be finished that I just cant drop, Honda said. Were on the payroll until Jan. 2. Weve got to give the people their due.

Thats what Honda, a former science teacher and grade school principal, has been doing since he was first elected to the board of the San Jose Unified School District in 1980.

I ran for school board because its a policy position where I could do something for the kids, he said. Youre the person responsible for making policy reflective of the community.

Theres a 1970s-era Sunnyvale High School yearbook photo floating around of a young Mike Honda, with longish black hair, sideburns and the requisite male teachers corduroy sport coat.

If you had told me then that Id spend 16 years in Congress, Id have asked you what you were smoking, he said.

While Honda still likes to style himself as a simple schoolteacher, his political path was anything but an accident. Even before he won his school board seat, he had spent nearly a decade on the San Jose City Planning Commission. He was elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in 1990 and to the Assembly in 1996. He won the open congressional seat in 2000, after Republican Rep. Tom Campbell left to run unsuccessfully against Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

Its the type of wide-ranging experience thats helped him do a job for the South Bay community hes lived in for more than 60 years, Honda said.

I was here in the Valley of Hearts Delight, he said, using the old, Chamber of Commerce-approved slogan for the area that decades ago was dominated by mile after mile of fruit trees. Ive seen the valley go from cow chips to silicon chips.

As a congressman, Honda contributed to those changes. Hes been involved in the growth of nanotechnology, introducing bills allowing the government to invest in the young industry and backing efforts to increase research and development. Honda also has been a supporter of network neutrality, a position hailed by much of the Silicon Valley tech community, and backed Apple in its refusal to cooperate with the FBI in decrypting the iPhone of the man involved in the 2015 terrorist attack that killed 14 people in San Bernardino.

Honda also has had to deal with the social costs of that high-tech boom. With South Bay traffic snarled on a daily basis, the congressman, from his spot on the House Transportation Committee, helped pull together more than $400 million for the BART extension to Warm Springs in south Fremont, scheduled to open sometime this year.

But many of his concerns in Congress have dealt with civil rights, an emphasis that has everything to do with his early upbringing.

Honda was born in 1941 in the Sacramento-area town of Elk Grove. Although both his parents were born in the United States, they were pulled from their home after the attack on Pearl Harbor and taken to Colorados Amache internment camp for Japanese residents, where Honda spent his early years.

His father was recruited into the military to teach Japanese, but that didnt change much for his family.

In a brutal irony, my father wore the uniform of the U.S. Military Intelligence Service while his family lived behind barbed wire in a Colorado internment camp, Honda wrote in 2011.

His Colorado experience, combined with a two-year stint as a Peace Corps volunteer in El Salvador, a country that in the late 1960s was staggering toward civil war, helped him see the need to ensure rights for everyone.

In Congress, he has sponsored bills backing LGBT rights, worked to eliminate human trafficking and called on Japan to apologize for its World War II treatment of comfort women, women from occupied countries enticed or abducted to serve as prostitutes in military brothels.

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.

More recently, Honda has condemned the call by President-elect Donald Trump and his supporters for a registry of Muslim immigrants, a plan he termed hate, not policy.

Hondas defeat in November was a disappointment but not a shock. Khanna had lost a close race to Honda in 2014 and never really stopped campaigning.

I knew there was going to be a problem when I only won by four percentage points in 2014, Honda said. I thought Ro would take another shot at it, and I was right.

He wasnt helped by a congressional ethics investigation into charges that he had used his congressional staff for political purposes. The investigation still hasnt been completed, but Khanna used it to hammer Honda throughout the campaign as a corrupt political insider.

Combine that with the 40-year-old Khannas none-too-veiled suggestion that Honda was too old and too out of touch tech-wise to represent Silicon Valley, and Hondas race was uphill all the way. He finished second in the June primary, and the numbers only got worse from there.

Over time, it all took its toll, he said. But thats politics.

But now Honda will be doing his work from his San Jose home. Hes got some interests, such as looking at ways to better prepare young children for school. He also plans to continue work on efforts to increase screening for hepatitis B, an often symptomless disease that disproportionately affects Asian Americans.

Hes also looking to work on his personal life, which he said has often has been put on hold during his time in Washington.

After 16 years, Ive got no regrets, he said. Now I may do some fishing again.

John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuth
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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.

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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.

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.

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
E.M. Wolfman is a small bookstore with a small storefront to match. Its the sort of place you might miss on your way to get your hair done at, say, Drastic Changes Hair Design, which sits right next to it on 13th Street in downtown Oakland.

Inside, the place is lined with books, new and old. There are handmade zines alongside locally published chapbooks. Up on the walls are prints by Bay Area artists. If youre the sort of person who likes the smell of paper and the feeling of tracing your fingers along the spine of a book, then all that is probably reason enough to stop in. But the books, really, are just the beginning.

If you spend enough time in this space, you begin to realize that what Justin Carder  the man who opened E.M. Wolfman General Interest Small Bookstore three years ago in February  is really dealing in is not so much books as it is connections.

In the few years its been open, E.M. Wolfman has become a cultural center in downtown Oakland, a place where people might shop for books during the day, but where at night they read poetry, play music, exchange ideas and look at art. Its a place where a small publishing house was born, where a film screening series on black independent cinema took root and where several artists have shown their work for the first time.

On more than a few occasions, somebody has come in and seen the space and turned to Carder, eyes wide. Ive always dreamed of having a bookstore, they say (or some variation thereof). But that was never his dream. The dream is to have a space to gather people together.

The dream, in fact, started off a bit nebulously. It was early January 2014; Carder had just moved back to Oakland, a place hed lived on and off for the better part of a decade; and he was feeling disconnected. I just had a moment where I was like, I need to start something. I need to do something thats a little bit bigger than I can handle, he says.

Carder is fast-talking, free-associating and earnest. He speaks in starts and stops, and you get the feeling that has something to do with the sheer number of ideas running through his head in any given moment. Hed come up in punk houses in Oakland, going to underground shows and DIY-style events. At one point, he ran a music venue out of a house.

This is all to say that he knew the value of alternative scenes and the venues in which they thrived. He knew how precarious those spaces were, how quickly they could be lost. And he also knew they could be insular (you had to know someone or be somewhere) and homogenous (it was a very white scene in racially diverse Oakland).

He turned over ideas in his head, ways to connect the communities he missed to a physical space. Maybe hed try an art gallery. Maybe some sort of odds-and-ends shop. I didnt really know what I wanted to do. But then, one day, while he was waiting in line at a thrift shop, a tower of books balanced in his hands, he started to see a store lined with them.

Books, he figured, were fairly accessible. A new and used bookstore could be the sort of space where all types of people feel at least relatively comfortable entering into.

After that spark of an idea, everything happened quickly. By February  after pleading with the landlord  he secured a lease on a space that had been dark for nearly two years. He took a free class in Berkeley to figure out how to run a business. He set up bank accounts and applied for a business license. It was all almost too much. Exactly as hed hoped.

But all of that was mostly in service to the physical space. The real work came in other ways.

One day, for instance, he turned to Meagan Day, a journalist who works for Mother Jones magazine whom hed known for some years and who had been making frequent stops by the store. If she could write a book about anything, what would she write about?

About a year later, they published her book Maximum Sunlight under the Wolfman Books label. In it, Day tells the stories of the people who call Tonopah, a small town in Nevada, home. It might have been a magazine piece one day, she says, but it absolutely would not have been a book without Carders question and then his help with the follow-through.

One night in December 2016, Carder held a release party for the book. Day read to a packed house while her partners photographs, which appear in the book, hung on the walls. A friend whod written an album to accompany the book performed some of his music. So many connections from one simple question.

And Day is just one example. Carder has spent the past three years urging artists to show their work in the gallery he set up in the back of the store; hes encouraged people to pitch ideas and projects; hes connected many strangers who have happened to pass through the store. So many of the artists and people who have shown work here, people who have their books here, just walked in the door, Carder says.

Carder has also established an artist-in-residency position. The program is flexible and adjusts to fit whoever happens to be doing it at the moment, but essentially, Carder offers up help (whether its editing or publicity or design), space in the bookstore and now, thanks to a grant from from Southern Exposure, a small stipend.

Ryanaustin Dennis, the most recent artist in residence, had been wanting to start a series of film screenings centered on black independent cinema. So he pitched it, and Carder said yes. Like that, the Black Aesthetic Film Series happened. Dennis is already planning a second season, which will start in February.

Its like an artistic hub, Dennis says about the store. I think this space facilitates a lot of growth.

Christian Johnson is next up. Hes planning to create a short film  an art-house thriller  that examines white liberalism and the liberal bourgeoisie in Oakland. The film would have happened eventually, he says, but theres no denying that E.M. Wolfman has become his artistic home.

Justin is just really a champion of community work and art, Johnson says. Its really empowering to have somebody like him stand with you.

Nearly three years in, E.M. Wolfman is becoming the sort of space Carder imagined in those early days. But hes nowhere near finished with the project. Theres always a list of 100 things I want to do. He wants the calendar packed, something happening in the space every day of the week.

Well, he says, well just keep going.

Ryan Kost is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rkost@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @RyanKost
David Sage has been using Yahoo Mail for the last 20 years. Every day, the 80-year-old San Francisco resident checks his email half a dozen times. A massive data breach affecting his account wont cause him to leave Yahoo.

It would be a hassle, Sage said. He would have to move hundreds of contacts to another email service and notify them of his new address, and I dont have time for that.

Indeed, Yahoo hasnt seen a major impact on traffic after it disclosed two huge data breaches last year, according to Verto Analytics, which measured mobile and Web traffic on Yahoo sites. One breach, disclosed in mid-December, affected more than 1 billion accounts in 2013. The other, made public in September, impacted at least 500 million accounts in 2014.

We do not believe the news about the data breach affected Yahoos user base or traffic significantly, said Verto CEO Hannu Verkasalo in an email. It certainly has affected Yahoos brand value, but we need to remember that most of todays Yahoo users have used Yahoo services for many years.

The Sunnyvale company had nearly 45.7 million users on its services on Sept. 1, several weeks before the company publicly disclosed the 2014 data breach, and it stayed roughly steady despite the announcement. On Dec. 26, the most recent data available and nearly two weeks after Yahoo announced the 2013 breach, the number of users was 38.5 million. Traffic overall was down in mid-to-late December in the range of high 30 million to low 40 million. Verto said the cause could be seasonal, with people not going online as often during the holidays.

The number of Yahoo users increased on Dec. 14, when the company announced the 2013 data breach. That probably occurred as users went online to change their passwords, said Patrick Moorhead, president of Moor Insights and Strategy.

In October, Yahoo said that user engagement remained about the same or improved on some of its core services after its September disclosure of the 2014 data breach.

Were working hard to retain their trust, and are heartened by their continued loyalty, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer said in a statement at the time.

The company declined to comment on Vertos report or share new user data.

Yahoo has been working toward selling its Internet properties to Verizon for $4.8 billion. Some analysts believe that Verizon may use the security breaches as leverage to negotiate a lower price. One reason Verizon was interested in buying Yahoo was because of its large customer base of more than 1 billion users across on all of its services, analysts said.

Verizon declined to comment for this story. We will continue to evaluate the situation before making any final decisions, the company said.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

We are confident in Yahoos value and we continue to work toward integration with Verizon, Yahoo said.

Some analysts believe many Yahoo users will stick with the company because they are longtime users, and its hard to get people to switch unless there is a compelling reason, like a much better service. In the 2013 Yahoo data breach  believed to be the largest in the country  some users had their security answers and passwords stolen, which could affect their accounts elsewhere. Yahoo said it did not believe that any credit card information was taken.

Derek Wing, a 44-year-old resident of Washington state, said he plans to continue using his Yahoo email account. He views the data breaches as more of a nuisance than a danger.

Its somewhat alarming, but I dont think its enough to make me switch, Wing said. Old habits die hard.

Wendy Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: wlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thewendylee
Silence is the latest of director Martin Scorseses reflections on faith and spirituality, themes that recur in his work as far back as Mean Streets in 1973. On occasion hes treated these matters obliquely, but they are the very substance of Silence.

The films intensity is partly a measure of how important it is to the director, who nurtured the project for many years. The gravity is also inherent in the story, based on the 1966 Japanese novel by Shusaku Endo about Jesuit missionaries in 17th century Japan, when Christianity was banned and its practitioners persecuted. A central concern is apostasy  abandonment of the faith  by both priests and lay Christians.

Scorsese, 74, had wanted to make Silence ever since he was given the novel by Episcopal Bishop Paul Moore Jr., who had just seen the filmmakers The Last Temptation of Christ (1988). The long gestation period, Scorsese said by phone from New York, resulted in a more essential way of making the film, stripping away unnecessary things.

Before making the movie, Scorsese said that Silence was going to be about the most fundamental meaning of Christianity and Jesus identity, ideas that still resonate with him today. (Note: This interview contains spoilers.) I knew that it had to go beyond the superficial thinking of what, maybe, I had been experiencing in my life. I knew it had to go deeper into the very essence of what Christianity is.

Paramount Pictures

When Rodriguez (a Jesuit priest who is the central character) apostasizes, he gives up the truth  meaning he denies the truth  but in doing so he discovers the actual truth (of Christianity). He becomes more Christlike by denying Christ.

Scorsese voiced similar thoughts during a recent visit to the Castro Theatre for a San Francisco Film Society screening of Silence, accompanied by, among others, actors Andrew Garfield (Rodriguez), Adam Driver and Issei Ogata, and his longtime editor, Thelma Schoonmaker.

The cast (which includes Liam Neeson) shared Scorseses intense feelings about the subject, particularly Garfield, who, as the filmmaker noted by phone, underwent a serious regimen to prepare for his role. We put him together with (Jesuit) Father James Martin, who took him through the full 30 days of the Spiritual Exercises. (This is the rigorous sequence of prayers and meditations by St. Ignatius that are fundamental to Jesuit training.)

This was quite extraordinary, and Garfield has been mentored by (Martin) ever since. (Garfield) was already there  in a state of readiness  by the time we started to shoot.

More from Walter Addiego Walter Addiegos top 10 movies of 2016

The film expresses doubts about the suitability of Christianity for Japan, in sentiments voiced by the Inquisitor, the Japanese official charged with rooting out the religion and punishing its adherents.

Whats important is that the island of Japan has its own culture, Scorsese said, and it fought off China and all the other surrounding countries for centuries. This new idea (Christianity) in their minds was something akin to Buddhism, also foreign. Their main thing, ultimately, was to protect their culture.

The idea of the (Christian) missionaries coming in, presenting themselves as having a monopoly on the truth, from the West, was disrespectful of the Japanese. And at the same time, unfortunately, colonialism was beginning, and  it was pointed out to me recently at the Jesuit center in Rome by some of the Asian Jesuits  that link between colonialism and Christianity is still a wound that hasnt healed. It was really about the arrogance of the West, and how that had to be cut down to size, more than the message of Christianity, than the religion.

One of Silences most remarkable characters is a raggedy Japanese man who tries to make up for his errant ways by endlessly begging Rodriguez to hear his confession. The repetition becomes almost comical, although in a profound way.

I was definitely pushing it (with this character). Theres an absurdity to him. Its a terrible situation, but hes peripatetic, hes everywhere, and he keeps saying, Hear my confession. The priest might say, ironically, Great, thats just what I need, but, as a priest, he has to listen to the mans confession. So there might be a little bit of an ironic laugh there, thats what I thought.

This character bears some resemblance to Judas in The Last Temptation, who, when Jesus announces he is going to be sacrificed like a lamb, asks, What good is that going to do? Recalling the scene brought laughter from the director.

Its funny, because Judas doesnt understand. How are you going to be our leader, our salvation, our messiah, by dying? Really, (Judas) is us, questioning God: What are you doing? What does this all mean?

In a defiantly secular era, it takes chutzpah to make films like Kundun, The Last Temptation or Silence, but for Scorsese, thats part of the point. At this time, the more aggressively secular we are, the more we should not be so certain. The more we should question certitude and not dismiss the spiritual side of the human condition.

Scorseses next project wont entirely depart from these themes, but address them in a very different (and familiar) context. It will also reunite the director of such classics as Taxi Driver and Raging Bull with an old colleague in arms.

Im trying to do something with Robert De Niro. Were trying to make a film called The Irishman, which is a return to films about the underworld, in a way. But based on a true story, and it has elements of these things (faith and spirituality), but in a pretty strong, harsh way. Wed love to do one more picture together.

Walter Addiego is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email him at waddiego@sfchronicle.com

Silence (R) opens Friday, Jan. 6, at Bay Area theaters.

To see a trailer: http://bit.ly/2geIdSk

To see Martin Scorsese in conversation with the Rev. James Martin: http://bit.ly/2gI0bkI
This cover only could have run in San Francisco in the 60s.

The Chronicles front page from Jan. 2, 1967, features a number of engaging stories including Gov. Ronald Reagans swearing-in, new fighting in Vietnam, an upsurge in teen runaways, and a Hells Angels party.

First, the news from Southeast Asia.

An American military spokesman yesterday disclosed that American troops, for the first time in the two holiday truces, had fired on enemy units before being fired upon, the story from Saigon read.

Back in California, a charismatic celebrity was in Sacramento to assume the top job in state government.

Ronald Reagan, the former actor who became the overwhelming choice of California voters, was sworn in as the states 33rd governor just after midnight today, the story read. The ceremony, without precedent in the history of California, was performed under the dazzle of television lights in the rotunda of the State Capitol.

In the Bay Area, parents fears were being realized as their sons and daughters disappeared.

(Click to enlarge)

Diana (Phipps) is one of more than 3,000 Bay Area teenage boys and girls who leave home every year and are reported as runaways by their parents to police missing persons bureaus, the story read. Diana vanished into the same abyss that has swallowed hundreds of other teenage fugitives from the adult world they feel does not understand them  the Beatnik communities of Berkeley, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

For a more festive new year feel, a story on the front page covered a counterculture shindig hosted by an unlikely group.

Two thousand people had a hippie New Year for three hours in the Golden Gate Park panhandle yesterday afternoon, the story read. The New Years Wail was sponsored by the Hells Angels motorcycle club and the Diggers, a sort of hippie philanthropic organization based in the Haight-Ashbury district.

Folk music blared from the loudspeakers and the smell of incense lingered over the park as the crowd lounged on the grass and enjoyed the afternoon sun that filtered through the trees.

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
Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav today said that SP belonged to him and that he enjoys the majority support of Uttar Pradesh's people.

The SP founder headed to New Delhi is set to take the battle of 'cycle' to the Election Commission of India.

By Indo-Asian News Service: Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav today said the ruling party of Uttar Pradesh belonged to him and that he enjoyed the support of people.

Mulayam told the media that he led a spot-free life so far, and the Supreme Court gave him a clean chit when corruption charges were levelled against him once.

The SP founder headed to New Delhi is set to take the battle of 'cycle' to the Election Commission of India.

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His younger brother and state unit party president Shivpal Singh Yadav told the media that he was with his elder brother now and always.

"I have always been with Netaji, will always be till my last breath," Shivpal said.

He said Mulayam was still the national president of the party and will remain so.

He however refused to divulge at what time they will go to the poll panel.

Shivpal on Sunday evening went emotional at a dinner event and sang a song that summed up his mood and also the first family of the poll bound state.

Watch the video here

Also read: Akhilesh or Mulayam: Who will keep Samajwadi Party's election symbol, another dangal begins

Also read: What next in Samajwadi Party: 5 scenarios as Akhilesh Yadav rebels against father Mulayam

Also read: Congress keenly watching Akhilesh versus Mulayam dangal in Samajwadi Party

--- ENDS ---
President Obama designated two more culturally and historically distinct areas as national monuments last week, wading into one of the most divisive issues of our current political debate  the best use of the lands owned by all Americans. Obama did the right thing and he should expand two more national monuments  one in California and one in Oregon  before he leaves office.

With a Dec. 28 executive order, Obama established the Bears Ears National Monument, protecting from oil and mineral development 1.35 million acres of land in southeastern Utah with well-preserved Native American ancestral sites dating back 3,500 years. A commission of five American Indian tribes will help manage the lands. This is the first time a president has used the powers granted under the 1906 Antiquities Act to honor a tribal request to protect sites sacred to Native Americans.

While there was broad agreement the area deserved the designation, Utahs congressional delegation had attempted unsuccessfully for three years to pass legislation that offered protections but allowed mineral development. Now the delegation vows to work with the incoming Trump administration to overturn the presidents order.

Obama also, at the insistence of Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., designated 300,000 acres east of Las Vegas rich with petroglyph panels and fossilized sand dunes as the Gold Butte National Monument. Local, state and federal land managers have worked for more than a decade to formalize protections for the area as a rapidly expanding urban area put more pressure on the lands. When grazing permits were sold as part of that effort, only one family refused to recognize federal authority over land use  rancher Cliven Bundy, whose sons and followers occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon last year as a protest.

Both those new monument areas are spectacular desert landscapes. Now the president should turn his attention to bringing more federal protection to one of Californias most spectacular (and we have many) landscapes  our coastline.

Obama should add another 6,200 acres to the California Coastal National Monument to include the Cotoni-Coast Dairies in Santa Cruz County, Piedras Blancas Light Station in San Luis Obispo County, and Trinidad Headlands and Lighthouse Ranch in Humboldt County. The effort is supported by the San Luis Obispo and Santa Cruz boards of supervisors and the Trinidad Rancheria Tribal Council, as well as other tribal and business organizations. Since the monument was created in 2014, tourism has grown and economic revitalization is pronounced. Expansion would preserve historic sites and make access easier.

Similarly, the president should enlarge the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument on the California-Oregon border to protect its wildlife habitat. In an area where mountainous and desert regions intersect, the monument is unique  home to both desert snakes and giant salamanders, which favor old-growth forests. It is a favored retreat of hikers, horsemen, fishermen and snowmobilers.

President Obama has an impressive environmental legacy, invoking 29 times the Antiquities Act, which allows a president to designate national monuments without the approval of Congress, to add 553 million acres of land and (in Obamas case, mostly waters) to our national system of land conservation.

The Republicans, who will control both houses of Congress and the White House after Jan. 20, have vowed to reverse these designations or attempt to curtail the federal law. The Antiquities Act gives the power to designate the lands as monument, but is silent on removing that status. A formal opinion written by the U.S. attorney general in 1938 says the act does not give a president the right to abolish a national monument. Expect a legal challenge in coming months that will determine the power of future presidents over public lands.

National monuments are managed under plans developed by federal managers with local communities and reflect local priorities. Unlike national parks, some monuments allow grazing, hunting  and dogs.

The United States is blessed with spectacular landscapes with rich cultural, historic and scientific values. Over the years, and as our nations population has grown, attitudes toward our public lands have changed. The federal role has changed from real estate broker, to rental agent to, increasingly, steward of our national treasures.

We applaud President Obama for establishing Bears Ears and Gold Butte and encourage him in the few days left of his term to expand California Coastal and Cascade-Siskiyou national monuments. Nothing is more American than our lands. Every American should have the opportunity to share in their beauty, their vastness, and their power to inspire and restore.
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You dont have to walk from Mexico to Oregon to appreciate the California Coastal Trail, but Morgan Visalli and Jocelyn Enevoldsen did anyway. The young marine scientists spent three months last summer exploring a proposed 1,200-mile route that many consider a symbol of Californias approach to managing its coastline.

A short stroll across scenic bluffs, shifting dunes or sandy beaches is equally worthy of protection, says Tim Duff, a project manager with the California State Coastal Conservancy, the state agency in Oakland that serves as primary architect of the trail.

Public access is not just a north-south coastal trail  its all of the spur trails off of that, Duff said. The goal of the conservancy is to maximize public access to the coast. We want to make it as easy as possible for people to get to the coast.

Many Californians take this level of access for granted. But 40 years ago, during the flurry of environmental legislation that also gave Americans the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species acts, it was an edgy idea amid a wave of coastal development and privatization.

The California Coastal Act of 1976 reserved for the public all land below the mean high-tide mark, and required local jurisdictions to identify an alignment for a contiguous trail that would run from one end of the state to the other.

More broadly, it outlined the philosophy of land management that is still shaping Californias coastal policy 40 years later. That philosophy was built on the twin pillars of regulation and promotion, and implemented by two discrete agencies.

The better-known of these is the California Coastal Commission, a regulatory body empowered to say no to development  occasionally resulting in newsworthy fines and lawsuits. The California State Coastal Conservancy, on the other hand, is an executive body supporting environmental restoration and public access.

Michael Macor/The Chronicle

Over the past four decades, the California State Coastal Conservancy, whose seven directors are appointed by the governor and state Legislature, has quietly invested more than $2 billion in public funds and leveraged another $3.5 billion in investments. Its portfolio includes more than 1,600 completed projects and 400,000 acres of land that has been conserved for habitat and recreation.

One agency keeps things out and another brings things in, said Coastal Commissioner and San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox. The authors of the 1976 coastal act, he said, made sure we had not only the stick but also the carrot.

Only with these two entities working together, Cox says, could the state produce something as ambitious as the California Coastal Trail. Its proposed route runs through more than 100 different jurisdictions along some of the planets most valuable land.

Yet despite all that the trail represents, the coastal trail  with about only about one-third of its length completed with signage  still lacks the name recognition of a Pacific Crest or Appalachian trail. Its low profile parallels that of its closest patron.

Visalli and Enevoldsen say they were motivated to hike the route by more than a desire to celebrate the grandeur and variety of Californias coast. They also sought to call attention to the trail itself.

In its current state, the often-unmarked route flits from beach to bluff to highway shoulder and back: evidence that although simple in concept, the trail represents an incredibly complex endeavor. In the Bay Area, it can be found in state parks in Sonoma County, on the steep headlands of Marin County, in the Presidio and along Ocean Beach in San Francisco, and on oceanfront prairies in San Mateo County.

A 2003 state report said additional acquisition and construction to complete the trail was likely to cost at least $320 million. More recent figures are unavailable, but per-mile costs have surely increased. Much of the funding and work needed to expand the trail flows directly through the coastal conservancy.

The conservancy has taken a big idea and made it a reality one piece as a time, said former Coastal Commission chairman and outgoing Marin County Supervisor Steve Kinsey. They have the perseverance and the persistence to see the big picture.

Thats true beyond the trail as well, he says. As the conservancys budget and ambition have expanded over the years, so has its jurisdiction, which now reaches upstream into watersheds and sources of water that flow to the coast.

Michael Macor/The Chronicle

The agency has played a lead role in the largest tidal wetland restoration project on the West Coast, the reclaiming of 15,000 acres of former salt ponds in the South Bay. It was also a central player in the nations largest beneficial reuse of dredged sediment  a project that delivered 6 million cubic yards of mud from the Port of Oakland to wetlands in the North Bay  and the largest dam removal in California history, the dismantling of San Clemente Dam on the Carmel River in the mountains above Big Sur.

And thats just in the last decade.

Sam Schuchat, executive officer of the conservancy since 2001, says the agency is both mandated and uniquely qualified to tackle such challenges.

Our main tool is people skills, he said. Thats the core competency we have, really. Certainly we have lots of technical expertise  but thats how were viewed as an agency: This is an agency that can make things happen.

Having money is necessary, he said, but not sufficient.

And public funding, despite amounting to $2 billion over the past four decades  including $1 billion in the 2000s alone  also represents the agencys core vulnerability.

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.

The conservancy has never had a single, sustained source of funds. It is now chewing its way through $100 million in competitive grant funding from Proposition 1, the 2014 state water bond worth $7.5 billion. By 2018 it will be on the lookout for more. If none comes, Schuchat said, 2020 is when we start running on fumes.

That has happened before, in the relatively lean 1990s. There is interest in continuing to fund natural resources with bond money, Schuchat said. Whether that will come to pass in time for the 2018 election is very hard to predict.

Schuchat says hes also unsure of the agencys immediate prospects at the federal level, where typically 10 to 15 percent of its administrative budget originates. My assumption is that this administration (of President-elect Donald Trump) is not going to be very friendly to conservation generally, Schuchat said.

Regardless, work on the coastal trail will continue. Visalli and Enevoldsen say they hope to help by sharing insights gleaned from their 96 days walking the route. In a recent presentation to the conservancy board, they advocated for improvements to signage and access, safer highway sections where necessary, and the development of an online map, which doesnt yet exist.

Building the California Coastal Trail is the conservancys Goal 1A, so its time for a digital map, Enevoldsen said. Being able to hike the full length of the coastal trail gives you an appreciation of the scale of beauty, open space and sacred places that we have in this state.

Freelance writer Ariel Rubissow Okamoto contributed to this report.

Nate Seltenrich is a Petaluma freelance writer. Email: metrodesk@sfchronicle.com

Coastal Commission member resigns

Wendy Mitchell, a member of the California Coastal Commission who supported the controversial ouster of the agencys executive director last year, has resigned.

The Los Angeles Times reported Mitchell sent a resignation letter Friday to Gov. Jerry Brown, saying she would step down immediately after six years on the powerful panel.

Mitchell, a government affairs consultant and former legislative aide, was one of seven of the 12 voting commissioners who voted in February to fire Executive Director Charles Lester, a 24-year veteran of the agency.

Mitchell and other panel members accused him of unspecified management issues and leadership problems. They declined to comment in detail because personnel matters are confidential.

Associated Press
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.
In late December, the filtration tanks at a treatment plant in San Bruno were quietly filled with millions of gallons of raw water.

At the same time, water was drained out of Mountain Tunnel, the century-old artery connecting the Bay Area to Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, 175 miles away in Tuolumne County. From Tuesday through March 5, crews will traverse the 19-mile conduit making repairs and performing a rigorous inspection. Officials have known for years that the tunnel is at risk of catastrophic collapse.

The shutdown will help them decide whether the tunnel can be saved or will need to be entirely replaced.

During those 60 days of inspections, San Francisco and other Bay Area cities will be cut off from their main water supply in the craggy heights in Yosemite National Park. Instead, water will come from four local water reservoirs and three treatment plants that will pump more than 150 million gallons a day to residents and businesses during the long closure. As water was filling the Harry Tracy Water Treatment Plant in San Bruno, plants in Half Moon Bay and Sunol Valley were also being prepared for heavy-duty work.

The pipeline normally closes for maintenance for 30 days each year, but the last time it closed for double that time was in 1980, also for a thorough inspection.

Its more challenging than what we have normally done, said Steven Ritchie, assistant general manager of water enterprise at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

For starters, two of the treatment plants needed to be made ready, he said. Weve done a lot of work upping Harry Tracy and the Sunol Water Treatment Plants efficiencies, Ritchie said. There will still be plenty of water available, and we have contingency plans in place for the worst-case scenario if a disaster happens.

One week before commission officials closed the tunnel, more water volume than usual was allowed to rush down a series of pipes from the Crystal Springs Reservoir to the San Andreas Reservoir and then into the Harry Tracy plant. Globs of sediment and algae skimmed across the surface of the rust-colored water as it flowed through a series of channels. The water would later be filtered and sanitized at the plant.

The 17 million-gallon water storage drum at Harry Tracy usually empties and fills two times a day at most. But as a full-time water supply source for San Francisco and the Peninsula after the tunnel shutdown, it will be replenished eight times daily  and thats with the lower seasonal demand for water.

Weve been planning this shutdown for a decade, said Paul Gambon, the water supply and treatment system operations manager at the commission. This year is the big year because it will determine what the future looks like. There are a lot of unknowns. We are currently in the exploratory phase.

Warning signs began showing 25 years ago, alerting officials that something was amiss in the tunnel built by miners nearly 100 years ago. Obstructions caused by the crumbling structure have decreased the volume of water pushing through Mountain Tunnel, data show, and concrete laid when the artery was built is disintegrating. A collapse in the system could take 270 days and cost more than $100 million to repair or $620 million to replace, according to the commission.

Last fall, the agency spent $5 million to improve accessibility to the tunnel for workers, which is located at the bottom of a steep canyon in a remote stretch of Hetch Hetchy Valley. Crews increased the size of entry points and built wider gravel roads.

This winters inspection will reveal whether the agency will need to repair the tunnel completely or build a new one. Renovating the conduit would mean shutting it down for two months every winter for up to 10 years. Its the pricier but more reliable option, Ritchie said.

During the tests, the taste and purity of San Franciscos water wont change, Ritchie said. The water stored in local reservoirs was funneled down from Hetch Hetchy. But because of fish and critters that live around the reservoirs, it needed extra filtering, he said.

Nor will residents likely see any changes in service during the two months, said agency spokesman Charles Sheehan.

Water is essential and necessary, which is why there is so much planning around this shutdown, Sheehan said. You cant have interruptions in service the way you could with garbage pickup. People should have confidence that their water system wont fail on them.

At the Harry Tracy plant, machines churned and hummed. Dirty water rushed in, and clean water left in its place.

Lizzie Johnson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ljohnson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LizzieJohnsonnn
This article originally appeared on Hoodline.

Friday, a new mural went up in Clarion Alley, the art-filled throughway that connects Valencia and Mission streets between 17th and 18th.

Among other themes, the artwork depicts President-Elect Donald Trump against a flaming backdrop, with the words "lies," "misogyny," "Islamophobia" and "xenophobia" floating around himwords some Trump critics have associated with his policies and statements over the course of this year's tumultuous presidential campaign and post-election landscape.

Entitled "Cultivating Resistance," the work comes from the San Francisco Poster Syndicate, self-described as "a loose organization of faculty, students and former students at the San Francisco Art Institute." As SFist reports, the social justice art collective was out distributing free political posters (they'll continue the poster project from noon-3pm on the two Sundays leading up to Trump's January 20th inauguration).

The Clarion Alley Mural Project explained the new mural in a press release:

Our recent presidential election in The US mirrors a global shift towards fascism and a corporate state. The mural depicts Trump spewing out Twitter birds with words like "xenophobia, misogyny, and racism", pipelines spilling oil, a building representing democracy crumbling, and a image of Steve Bannon in a KKK hood holding the scales of justice. In the center, there are, water protectors, educators, and community organizers, working together to defy these powerscultivating resistance.

What do you think of the new addition? Let us know in the comments.

This article originally appeared on Hoodline.
A Good Samaritan rescued a driver involved in a rollover accident on Highway 101 early Sunday, according to KPIX.

The Good Samaritan, named Abner, told KPIX that when he saw the burning vehicle, he jumped into action and was able to pull the driver to safety.

The California Highway Patrol told KPIX that the crash occurred around 1 a.m. in the northbound lanes near McKee Road. Sgt. Daniel Hill said the driver was taken into custody, suspected of driving under the influence. No one was seriously injured in the accident.
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A passenger onboard a United plane bound for San Francisco International Airport was arrested Sunday after allegedly erupting into a racist rant.

The situation began about 40 minutes into the flight when two passengers of Pakistani or Indian descent sitting on either side of the man began to talk, according to the New Zealand Herald.

The man spouted off racial and sexist slurs, grabbed multiple sodas from the beverage cart and called those taking cellphone videos of him "f------", according to passenger accounts reported in the Herald.

WARNING: Video contains profanity.

The unnamed man supposedly calmed when the pilot announced the New Year's Day flight originating in Sydney would be diverted to Auckland. After the plane landed in New Zealand, police removed the unruly passenger from the plane.

The man appears relatively calm  although his words are confrontational  in a video posted on social media which shows his exchange with a flight attendant.

"If you guys treat people right on these things, you see two last names the same don't put someone else in the middle of them," he is heard saying in the video. "I'm not yelling ... you want to hear me f------ yelling.

"Do you know how cool it would be to have the aeroplane turned around because of me? You are going to do that? You do that? I'm being so impolite aren't I? Fat a--."

San Francisco couple Neil and Anjou Ahlborn Kay were on flight UA870 and witnessed the incident.

"The unruly passenger," Neil said, "made severally aggressive gay slurs to other passengers and the flight staff."

But "most importantly," he added, "I would note that the United Flight Crew were highly

professional and handled the situation graciously and ensured everyone's safety."

In Auckland, all 252 passengers were removed from the plane and put up in hotels overnight by United, according to a written statement from the airline's spokesperson Erin Benson.

The airline accommodated passengers on another flight that departed Auckland at 5:55 p.m. local time on Jan. 2, and is scheduled arrive in San Francisco at approximately 9:30 a.m., Jan 2.

"We apologized to our customers for the inconvenience," Benson said.
Sonam Kapoor is throwing caution to the wind and indulging in major PDA with beau Anand Ahuja on social media.

By Samrudhi Ghosh: It looks like Sonam Kapoor, who was so long in denial about her relationship with Delhi-based entrepreneur Anand Ahuja, will "keep it real" in 2017. Sonam had always maintained that she was single, despite being clicked every and now and then with her beau. But now, her New Year wish for her fans seems to give it all away. The Neerja actor posted a picture with Anand and captioned it, "Happy new year folks! #keepitreal," followed by three hearts.

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SEE PIC: Sonam Kapoor and rumoured beau Anand Ahuja celebrate Anil Kapoor's birthday in London

Happy new year folks! #keepitreal ?????? A photo posted by sonamkapoor (@sonamkapoor) on Jan 1, 2017 at 12:22am PST

Sonam and Anand's romance came in the spotlight when they made an appearance at Akshay Kumar's Rustom success bash. Soon after, it was rumoured that Sonam was staying at Anand's house in London when she went there for the premiere of her brother Harshvardhan Kapoor's debut Mirzya.

Sonam was first spotted with Anand at the Rustom success bash.

But it was only after Sonam's sister Rhea posted a photo of a family gathering on Instagram that the rumours intensified. Anand was not only at home with the Kapoor family, he even held hands with the actor in the photo.

Crew love. A photo posted by Rhea Kapoor (@rheakapoor) on Oct 16, 2016 at 7:26am PDT

Sonam and Anand teased fans with their banter on social media. When Anand, who is a self-confessed fan of The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, shared a meme of Will Smith on Instagram which read, "50 bucks? I could take out 25 women to dinner," Sonam replied "Which women?" Friends' comments suggested that Sonam was the woman in Anand's life, but neither Sonam nor Anand confirmed it.

The fashionista even promoted Anand's brand Bhane. Sonam shared a picture of herself on Instagram wearing a white dress with a denim jacket. When Sonam's close friend, designer Masaba Gupta commented about her interest in the jacket, Sonam revealed that it was a gift from Anand.

The denim jacket Sonam is sporting in the picture was a gift from Anand. The denim jacket Sonam is sporting in the picture was a gift from Anand.

Soon after, photos of the two emerged celebrating a friend's engagement in London. The duo looked stunning, with Sonam wearing a black strapless gown and Anand donning a black suit, complete with a bow tie.

Sonam and Anand made for a picture-perfect couple at a friend's engagement in London.

The stories got stronger, but so did Sonam's denial. However, she did not shy away from being there for Anand. Sonam was present at the launch of Anand's clothing line in Delhi. The colour-coordinated couple made for a pretty picture, and their frequent appearances even sparked off rumours that they were ready to tie the knot. Sonam scoffed at the rumours, and took off to London to celebrate papa Anil Kapoor's birthday on Christmas Eve.

Sonam was there to support her beau at the launch of his clothing line. Sonam was there to support her beau at the launch of his clothing line.

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Anand joined the Kapoor family once again in their celebrations and photos of him and Sonam goofing off at the party emerged on social media.

The lovebirds brought in Sonam's father Anil Kapoor's birthday together in London.

The couple has thrown caution to the wind and is going public with the displays of affection. It looks like Sonam is ready to go public with her relationship. How soon she does it, is something we'll have to wait and watch out for.

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1 SpaceX probe: After the explosion in September of one of its rockets, SpaceX is ready to get back into the business of sending payloads to space, the company in Hawthorne (Los Angeles County) announced Monday, with its next rocket headed to orbit as soon as Sunday. SpaceX said an investigation determined the likely cause: an unexpected interplay of super-cold helium and oxygen with carbon fibers and aluminum. The statement said the company had devised workarounds to prevent a recurrence. The explosion destroyed a Falcon 9 rocket and a $200 million communications satellite whose customers included Facebook, which had planned to use it to expand Internet services in Africa.

2 Fire trucks collide: A powerful storm across the South killed four people in Alabama and left a trail of damage over several states Monday, officials said. The line of severe thunderstorms spawned possible tornadoes, and the threat continued into early Tuesday for southern Alabama, southwest Georgia and the Florida Panhandle. The four people died when a tree fell on their mobile home in Rehobeth, Ala.
CHARLESTON, S.C.  After a judge ruled Monday that Dylann Roof is competent to represent himself, the same jury that last month unanimously found him guilty in the slayings of nine black parishioners at a South Carolina church will return to court to begin contemplating his punishment.

With the 22-year-old representing himself, the process is sure to be unconventional.

While prosecutors plan to call up to 38 people related to the nine people killed and three who survived the June 2015 slaughter during Bible study at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, Roof said last week he plans on calling no witnesses and presenting no evidence.

Roof was found guilty last month on 33 federal charges, including hate crimes and obstruction of the practice of religion. A jury took less than three hours to return its verdict, and a judge dismissed the jury for a break over the holidays.

Typically in whats known as the sentencing phase, defense attorneys call relatives and other witnesses to testify about their clients unsteady state of mind before and during the crimes. Given that background, a jury might be more likely to spare the defendants life and opt against the death penalty.

But Roof, who is acting as his own attorney, has said he plans to do no such thing. In his journal, which was read in court during his trial, Roof said his doesnt believe in psychology, which he called a Jewish invention that does nothing but invent diseases and tell people they have problems when they dont.

Roof also seems to be determined to try to keep evidence embarrassing to him or his family out. He was adamant that a transcript of a hearing where he was found mentally competent not be released to the public.

I know this is not a legal argument, but the unsealing of the competency hearing defeats the purpose of me representing myself, Roof said at last weeks hearing.

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel ordered another competency evaluation of Roof in an abundance of caution, after his standby counsel filed a sealed motion again questioning Roofs mental ability to proceed.

On Monday, over the objection of an attorney representing media outlets, Gergel ordered the competency hearing to be closed to the public. Saying hed have to sequester jurors if he opened up the proceedings, the judge promised to release a transcript after Roof is sentenced.

This is an incredibly sensitive moment in this proceeding, Gergel said. We are putting in the hands of 12 people the life and death of a person.

After a daylong hearing, Gergel ultimately ruled Roof is competent to stand trial and also to represent himself at sentencing. He also granted Roofs request for an extra day to prepare for his case.

Roofs lawyers tried repeatedly both to stop him from being his own lawyer and to work mental health-related evidence into the first phase of his trial. Prosecutors objected at every turn, and Gergel wouldnt allow any of it into court, ruling mitigation evidence is allowable only during sentencing and not before.

Court papers show prosecutors are expected to present evidence showing that Roof picked his victims because of their race, killed them to incite more violence, showed no remorse and killed three particularly vulnerable people who were 70 years old or older.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam has once again urged the Centre to intervene to secure release of Tamil fishermen captured by Sri Lanka. After December 21-incident, the number of Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan custody has gone up to 51.

By Akshaya Nath: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam has written another letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention to secure release of fishermen captured by Sri Lanka.

This is the fourth letter written by Panneerselvam to the Prime Minister since he took over as the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister.

FISHEMEN IN SRI LANKA'S CUSTODY: POINTS TO KNOW In his letter, O Panneerselvam has written about the issues faced by the Tamil fishermen, when they go out in the Palk Bay for fishing. Panneerselvam has requested the Centre to intervene and help in getting back the 51 Indian fishermen under the Sri Lankan custody. Panneerselvam also talked about the 114 boats that were captured by the Sri Lankan authorities. He sought help in getting back those boats to their original owners. Panneerselvam said that he wrote the letter "with deep anguish at the very unfortunate and needlessly provocative remarks of the Sri Lankan minister of fisheries and Aquatic resources development Mahinda Amaraweera which indicated that the fishing boats and gear of the Indian fishermen of Tamil Nadu which are under the Sri Lankan custody will be taken over and made the property of Sri Lankan government." Panneerselvam termed the Sri Lankan minister's statement as veiled threats aimed at intimidating the Indian fishermen in order to keep them from exercising their traditional rights of fishing. Panneerselvam urged the Prime Minister to get the 51 fishermen and the 114 boats released and bring about relief for the fishing community in Tamil Nadu. Sri Lanka has captured 51 Indian fishermen over time. The last such instance occurred when on December 21, Sri Lanka captured 29 fishermen and five fishing boats. Tamil Nadu has requested the Centre several times not to treat the International Maritime Boundary Line with Sri Lanka as a settled issue. Under Jayalalithaa, Tamil Nadu government challenged the constitutionality of the 1974-India-Sri Lanka Agreement by which the small island of Katchatheevu was ceded to the southern neighbor.

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READ| Tamil Nadu: 3000 Rameshwaram fishermen threatened by Sri Lankan Navy to return home

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SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

A 61-year-old man was arrested for allegedly setting a fire that damaged a medical clinic in South San Francisco on New Year's Day, police said.

The fire was reported at 7:21 a.m. at 935 El Camino Real, the location of a satellite clinic for the Mills-Peninsula Medical Center, fire officials said.

Fire crews responded and were able to extinguish the blaze about an hour later. The building was unoccupied at the time and no injuries were reported, South San Francisco Fire Battalion Chief Matthew Samson said.

Police said witnesses reported seeing a man walk from the rear of the structure as it burned and they pointed him out to officers.

Investigators determined the man, later identified as 61-year-old transient John Anthony Morgan, had set two fires to the back of the business and one ignited the building, police said.

Morgan was arrested on suspicion of unlawfully causing a fire to a structure and was booked into county jail in Redwood City, police said.
SANTA CRUZ (BCN)

Police are seeking a man who broke into a car earlier this week in Santa Cruz and took a duffel bag containing ammunition and multiple loaded handguns, police said Friday.

The vehicle burglary took place on Monday sometime between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Doyle Street, adjacent to the One Double Oh Seven Club located at 1007 Soquel Avenue, according to police.

The suspect allegedly broke the window of a parked Jeep and took the duffel bag. The bag contained ammunition as well as a Glock 23 9mm, a Sig Sauer P938 9mm, a Makarov 9mm and a Smith and Wesson revolver.

All of the guns were loaded and the bag also contained additional ammunition for the various calibers, police said.

The suspect then fled on a bicycle. Part of the incident was captured on surveillance video.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to contact Santa Cruz police Detective Brian Warren at (831) 420-5837.

Santa Cruz police is also reminding residents to never leave valuable property inside locked vehicles, especially firearms.
Amidst infighting in the Yadav family, Prime Minister Modi is all set to address rally in Uttar Pradesh' Lucknow later today.

By India Today Web Desk: PM Narendra Modi's is all set to address his first rally in 2017 and probably the last before election dates for Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections are announced.

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

The Prime Minister is also expected to make some important announcements in the rally. The rally is being considered crucial as it is being held at a time when the infighting in the state's first family (Samajwadi Party) is at its peak. Amid the ongoing family feud in Samajwadi Party, the Prime Minister's rally is expected to be the icing in UP politics. Meanwhile, all the senior state leaders are putting in their might to make the rally a success. The Cabinet ministers and MPs representing the state at the Centre have also reached the state capital to take part in the rally. BJP party chief Amit Shah is also expected to share the dais with the PM Modi today.

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By Press Trust of India: Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 2 (PTI) Vigilance and anti-corruption bureau today ordered Quick verification of alleged irregularities of around Rs 10 crore in import of raw cashew nuts by Kerala Cashew Development Corporation and CAPEX.

"The Quick Verification(QV) is not against an individual, but against certain decisions taken by the corporation and CAPEX in import of raw cashew nut," vigilance sources told PTI.

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There are three QVs. Two will be inquired by vigilances Kollam unit and the other by the one here, the source said.

The QV orders were issued by Vigilance Director DGP Jacob Thomas on a complaint filed by Adv Rahim, President of Lawyers Congress, alleging corruption in import of raw cashew.

Earlier, Congress MLA V D Satheeshan had in the state assembly raised allegations of irregularities in import of raw cashew nut against J Mercykutty Amma the Minister for Fisheries and Cashew Development.

The minister had then said the opposition was spreading false charges against her and she would quit if the charges were proved.

Satheesan had alleged that Kerala Cashew Development Corporation had imported raw cashew nut at a higher price when it was available at a cheaper rate, causing heavy burden to it.

The Cashew Development Corporation incurred a loss of Rs 6.87 crore in importing 3,900 tonnes of cashew nut. A loss of Rs 3.47 crore was incurred while importing 2,000 tonnes of cashew nut by Capex, it was stated.

Meanwhile, the minister welcomed the QV. PTI JRK UD BN NSD

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Police seized Rs 47 lakh in cash from the trio, of which Rs 46 lakh were in Rs 2,000 denomination.

By Ashish Pandey: The Visakhapatnam police arrested three people, including an orthopaedic surgeon, while they were converting alleged black money into white.

Police seized Rs 47 lakh in cash from the trio, of which Rs 46 lakh were in Rs 2,000 denomination.

Here is all you need to know: Acting on a tip-opff, police arrested three people, M Surya Prasad Reddy, B Srinivasa Rao, and Dr Anne Sireesh, from an apartment on the Shankar Matam Road while they were trying to exchange money. On further investigation, police found that Dr Sireesh, an orthopaedic surgeon with the Annapurna Hospital in Visakhapatnam, had earlier exchanged demonetised Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 currency notes with valid currency on a 30 per cent commission. "We carried out a raid on Flat no. 401 in Sri Pavan Apartment on Shankara Matam Road and apprehended the trio," said Assistant Commissioner of Police Chittibabu. "We recovered Rs 47 lakh from them, all in Rs 2,000 and Rs 100 currency notes. It has been learnt that Dr Sireesh had exchanged Rs 50 lakh in old currency with new notes in the past," the officer said. The city police has informed the Income Tax department about the raid.

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ALSO READ:

Income Tax department seizes bogus ITR certificate worth Rs 11,000 crore from Mahesh Shah

Hyderabad: Unaccounted income worth Rs 7 crore seized from cab driver's account

ALSO WATCH

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By Deepak Chopra, MD, Menas Kafatos, PhD,

It takes a lot to overturn the accepted view of reality, but it doesn't take a lot to begin. The accepted view of reality holds that human beings exist in the context of a vast physical universe "out there." Only an extreme mystic would doubt this description, but all of us should. Sir John Eccles, a famous British neurologist and Nobel laureate, declared, "I want you to realize that there exists no color in the natural world, and no sound  nothing of this kind; no textures, no patterns, no beauty, no scent." What Eccles means is that all the qualities of Nature, from the luxurious scent of a rose to the sting of a wasp and the taste of honey, are produced by human beings. Erwin Schrodinger, one of the main founders of quantum mechanics, said essentially the same thing when he declared that photons, quanta of light, have no color, such properties arise in the biology of perception.

Those are remarkable statements, all the more because they are all-inclusive. The most distant galaxies billions of light years away, have no reality without you, because everything that makes any galaxy real with the multitude of stars with their heat, emitted light, and masses, the positions of the distant galaxies in space and the velocity that carries each distant galaxy away at enormous speedrequires a human observer with a human nervous system. If no one existed to experience heat, light, mass, and so on, nothing could be real as we know it. If the qualities of Nature are a human construct arising from human experiences, the existence of the physical universe "out there" must be seriously questioned--and along with it, our participation in such a universe.

When you break experience down into its tiniest ingredients, the physicality of everything begins to vanish. The story we keep telling ourselves depends on reality "out there" having a physical explanation, but it doesn't. For example, we depend on sight to navigate through the world. No matter what you see "out there"an apple, cloud, mountain, or treelight bouncing off the object makes it visible, but how? No one knows. What makes seeing totally mysterious can be summed up in a few undeniable facts:

Photons, the quanta of light, are invisible. They arent bright, even though you see sunlight as bright.

The brain has essentially zero light inside it, being a dark mass of oatmeal-textured cells enveloped in a fluid that is not terribly different from sea water. (There are extremely faint traces of photon activity in the brain, but the optic nerve doesn't transmit photons to the visual cortex.)

Because there is no light to speak off in the brain, there are no pictures or images, either. When you imagine the face of a loved one, nowhere in the brain does that face exist like a photograph. How do action potentials in neuron electric firings become conscious awareness, no one knows.

At present no one can explain how invisible photons being converted to chemical reactions and faint electrical impulses in the brain creates the three-dimensional reality we all take for granted. Brain scans pick up the electrical activity, which is why an fMRI contains patches of brightness and color. So something is going on in the brain. But the actual nature of sight itself is mysterious. One thing is known, however. The creation of sight is done by you. Without you, the entire worldand the vast universe extending in all directionscant exist.

Expand this known fact to everything you experience, and every quality of life requires human participation. "Requires" means two things, first, that experience is the ground state of everything, including the activity of doing science, and second, that every quality is a human construct derived from experiences of individuals in human species. Another species with a different nervous system would participate in the universe in a way completely unknown to us with our human nervous system.

Physics has had decades to process the insight of John Archibald Wheeler, the eminent American physicist, general relativist and quantum physicist, who originated the notion of a "participatory universe," a cosmos in which all of us are embedded as co-creators, replacing the accepted universe "out there," which is separate from us. Wheeler used the image of children with their noses pressed against a bakery window to describe the view that kept the observer separate from the thing being observed. But in a fully participatory universe, the observer and the thing observed are one.

You are one with the universe because you experience Nature in your awareness, and there is no other source for reality as we know it. If anything is real that cannot enter human consciousness, we will never know it. How would we even know it? Even if we resort to abstract mathematics which might infer the existence of realities beyond our ability to sense them or measure them, we should realize that mathematics itself, albeit the most refined one, is tied to human observers. It takes a mathematician to understand mathematics. To summarize,

The universe we live in is a human construct, including everything in it.

All activity takes place in consciousness. If you want to point at where the stars are, there is no physical location, because consciousness isn't a "thing."

The brain isn't the seat of consciousness but acts more like a radio receiver, and perhaps emitter, translating conscious activity into physical correlates. (The radio receiver metaphor describes the feedback loop between mind and brain, which are actually not separate but part of the same complementary activity in consciousness.)

To understand our true participation in the universe, we must learn much more about awareness and how it turns mind into matter and vice versa.

These are difficult truths for mainstream scientists to accept, and some would react to them with skepticism, disbelief, or anger. But following the other track of explanation, beginning with physical objects "out there," fails utterly to explain how we are conscious to begin with. That's why in scattered pockets, some physicists are beginning to talk about a conscious universe, where consciousness is a given throughout Nature. In fact, the founders of quantum mechanics a century ago agreed more with this view, having understood that quantum mechanics implies observation and agency of mind. In our upcoming book You Are the Universe we call it the human universe, emphasizing where the whole construct comes from. As we will see in future posts, once you realize that you and the universe are one, the whole journey of being human shifts radically.

(To be cont.)

Deepak Chopra MD, FACP, founder of The Chopra Foundation and co-founder of The Chopra Center for Wellbeing, is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation, and is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Endocrinology and Metabolism. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, Clinical Professor UCSD Medical School, researcher, Neurology and Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. The World Post and The Huffington Post global internet survey ranked Chopra #17 influential thinker in the world and #1 in Medicine. Chopra is the author of more than 85 books translated into over 43 languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers. His latest books are Super Genes co-authored with Rudolph Tanzi, PhD and Quantum Healing (Revised and Updated): Exploring the Frontiers of Mind/Body Medicine. www.deepakchopra.com

Menas C. Kafatos is the Fletcher Jones Endowed Professor of Computational Physics, at Chapman University. He is a quantum physicist, cosmologist, and climate impacts researcher and works extensively on consciousness. He holds seminars and workshops for individuals, health and mental professionals, practitioners of contemplative traditions, and corporations on the natural laws that apply everywhere and are the foundations of the universe, for well-being and success. His doctoral thesis advisor was the renowned M.I.T. professor Philip Morrison who studied under J. Robert Oppenheimer. He has authored 315+ articles, is author or editor of 15 books, including The Conscious Universe (Springer), Looking In, Seeing Out (Theosophical Publishing House), and is co-author with Deepak Chopra of the forthcoming book, You Are the Universe (Harmony). He maintains a Huffington Post blog. You can learn more at http://www.menaskafatos.com
Bottlenose dolphins are moving north from their warm-water haunts in the ocean waters off Southern California, and seaside observers are spotting more and more of them as far north as Mendocino.

Some seem to be taking up temporary residence inside San Francisco Bay, while others appear to be commuters from distant waters, marine biologists say.

Whether their movements mark another signal of a changing climate is still unknown, but the phenomenon is more than a curiosity, and the scientists are tracking the marine mammals closely.

And while the aggressive animals dont normally attack their smaller harbor porpoise cousins, cases of aquatic murder that naturalists call porpicides are on the rise.

Scientists studying the lives and movements of the dolphin species, called Tursiops truncatus, recalled the startling change in their range over the past decade or so during a recent research meeting at San Francisco State Universitys Romberg Center in Tiburon.

Once seen only rarely north of Santa Barbara, more than 400 bottlenose dolphins have recently been spotted north of Pescadero Point in San Mateo County, and nearly 100 of them have been identified as regular residents in local waters, said marine biologist William Keener of Golden Gate Cetacean Research.

Tracking individual dolphins as they move up and down the coast, the naturalists have identified many by the unique patterns  bite-marked notches on their dorsal fins that come from playful fighting or attacks by hungry sharks.

Keeners colleagues spotted the first dolphin in the bay more than 15 years ago, and now they come and go in small groups of six or 10 on an irregular schedule, he said. The researchers have now counted a total of 91 animals swimming in and around the bay from Ocean Beach to the Marin coast and are keeping detailed records on more than 70 of them to chart their still-mysterious migration patterns, he said.

Those dolphins have been seen by professional and amateur observers as far away as Monterey Bay, Santa Monica and even Ensenada on the coast of Baja California, more than 600 miles away, Keener said.

Dolphin researchers give each animal they spot a number for their records, and sometimes a name. A dolphin named Smootch, for example, is a regular in the bay but has been spotted by researchers at least 21 times traveling up and down the coast between San Francisco and Ensenada.

Seven dolphins were spotted as far north as Point Arena in Mendocino County in April, and Keener said he saw one of them, a male named Vibe, swimming beneath the Golden Gate Bridge in February. Vibe swam back from Mendocino in June and was spotted again off Ocean Beach, where he participated in an attack on a couple of harbor porpoises, Keener said.

One local dolphin who stays in town is Kaimi, a bottlenose who hangs out around a green harbor buoy off the former Alameda Naval Air Station, where members of the O Kalani Outrigger Canoe Center paddle out from nearby Encinal Boat Ramp to visit the dolphin frequently  from a distance.

You can hear Kaimi breathing regularly, and it makes a pretty sound over the water, said Jaz Zaitlin, a canoe club racer. Its often there, along with a big brown sea lion, and many of us can watch it when were on the water. The name means Seeker.

But Keener, the biologist, is concerned: Dolphins are very social animals, and they move up and down the coast in groups, but Kaimis all alone, so now we want to keep an eye on her to make sure shes really healthy.

Cases of porpicide, first detected in 2011, when six dolphins were identified, have been increasing steadily, according to Keener and Padraig Duigman, chief pathologist at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito. There have been 35 cases since then, Keener said.

Its basically teenage males doing what they do best  like bully others, or (they have) too much energy to burn off, and too much time on their hands, Duignan said.

Its still too soon to tell whether the changing climate is influencing the northward movement of the dolphins, Keener said. Its likely that sea surface temperatures have been higher during the recent El Nino. If it becomes permanent, he said, then we might predict the dolphins could become more established farther north, as temperature and food allow.

David Perlman is The San Francisco Chronicles science editor. Email: dperlman@sfchronicle.com
SEOUL  Impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye 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 reporters, Park denied that she gave her jailed friend, Choi Soon-sil, extraordinary sway over government decisions and also disputed allegations that her administration blacklisted thousands of artists for their political beliefs.

It was the first time Park spoke to the media since South Koreas opposition-controlled parliament voted Dec. 9 to impeach her over the scandal, which has seen millions of people protest in Seoul in recent weeks.

Park said she was totally framed.

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 favors to someone, 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.

Parks downfall came after state prosecutors accused her in November 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.

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.

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.

On Sunday, Park defended the governments decision to back the deal. She also denied helping Choi extort from companies and said she never allowed her friend to interfere with government affairs.
ISTANBUL  The Islamic State group claimed responsibility Monday for the New Years Day attack at a popular Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people and wounded scores of others.

Turkish police detained eight people in connection with the attack but were still hunting for the gunman who disappeared amid the chaos of the massacre.

The Islamic State-linked Aamaq News Agency said the attack was carried out by a heroic soldier of the caliphate who struck the nightclub where Christians were celebrating their pagan feast.

It said the man fired an automatic rifle and also detonated hand grenades in revenge for Gods religion and in response to the orders of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The group described Turkey as the servant of the cross and also suggested it was in retaliation for Turkish military offensives against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.

We let infidel Turkey know that the blood of Muslims that is being shed by its air strikes and artillery shelling will turn into fire on its territories, the statement said.

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus confirmed news reports Monday that said eight people were taken into custody but did not provide details, saying a sensitive investigation is under way.

Authorities had obtained the fingerprints and a basic description of the gunman and were close to identifying him, Kurtulmus said.

He said the attack in the early hours of 2017 was a message from extremist organizations that they intend to continue to be a scourge against Turkey in the new year. Kurtulmus also said it was intended as a response to Turkeys successful and determined military operation against the Islamic State in Syria.

Earlier, Turkish media reports said Turkish authorities believed Islamic State was behind the attack and that the gunman was likely to be either from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan.

According to the Hurriyet and Karar newspapers, police had also established similarities with the high-casualty suicide bomb and gun attack at Istanbuls Ataturk Airport in June and were investigating whether the same Islamic State cell could have carried out both attacks.

Kyrgyzstans Foreign Ministry said it was looking into the media reports.

We have ordered the consul in Istanbul the check this report that has appeared in the press, the Interfax news agency quoted ministry spokeswoman Aiymkan Kulukeyeva as saying Monday. According to preliminary information, this information is doubtful but we are checking all the same.

The gunman killed a police officer and another man outside the Reina club in the early hours of 2017 before entering and firing with an automatic rifle at an estimated 600 people inside.

Almost two-thirds of the dead in the upscale club, which is frequented by local celebrities, were foreigners, Turkeys Anadolu Agency said. Many of them hailed from the Middle East.

Citing Justice Ministry officials, Anadolu reported that 38 of the 39 dead have been identified. The report said 11 of them were Turkish nationals, and one was a Turkish-Belgian dual citizen.

The report says seven victims were from Saudi Arabia; three each were from Lebanon and Iraq; two each were from Tunisia, India, Morocco and Jordan. Kuwait, Canada, Israel, Syria and Russia each lost one citizen. Turkish officials havent released the names of those identified.

The mass shooting followed more than 30 violent acts over the past year in Turkey, which is a member of the NATO alliance and a partner in the U.S.-led coalition fighting against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.
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JERUSALEM  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was grilled by police investigators for more than three hours at his office Monday night, opening what could be a politically damaging criminal investigation into suspicions that he improperly accepted gifts.

Netanyahu has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, but the arrival of the national fraud squad indicated questions raised about him are considered serious enough to merit an investigation. Police said Netanyahu was questioned under caution, a term signaling that he is a suspect.
NEW DELHI: It is no mean achievement when Indian economy flexed its muscles in 2016 and briefly nosed ahead of Britain -- its once colonial master. But, the honour was fleeting as India quickly fell back to the sixth-largest position, with considerable headwinds from demonetisation and delay in Goods and Services Tax (GST) rollout queering the pitch.

At the start of 2016, everything looked hunky-dory as the country took pride in being the world's fastest-growing major economy, but the momentum seemed to have petered out by the end of the year as spending took a hit and industrial activity faltered with the junking of 86 pct of currency in circulation, leading to an across-the-board downgrade in growth projections.

The first half saw India being called the bright spot - and rightly so -- in a world searching for growth engine. The government moved in to reconfigure its economic architecture through new institutional mechanisms - like the one to tackle monetary policy.

But Brexit, protectionist signal from Donald Trump fresh from the surprise US presidential election win, the Syrian turmoil and an uptick in oil prices partly reversed some of the gains and capped 2016 as a tumultuous year.

The economic agenda for 2017 remain clear. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley needs to impart a big push to the economic activity in the budget - coming up in a month -- through not just raising spending on socio-economic infrastructure but dealing with the fallout of the cash recall exercise.

The need of the hour is a 'feel-good' budget that will give people something to look forward to while taking the reforms agenda to the logical conclusion, including a schedule for the landmark GST launch that can be honoured.

Once expected to overtake the UK GDP in 2020, the moment arrived early enough in mid-December on the back of a near 20 pct drop in the value of the pound after the shock Brexit vote.

This squeezed UK's 2016 GDP to 1.87 trillion pound (USD 2.29 trillion) as against India's USD 2.3 trillion (Rs 153 lakh crore). But the change of fortunes came when forex rates realigned and the UK economy stood at USD 2.3 trillion compared with USD 2.25 trillion of Indian economy as the year drew to a close.

The jury is still out as India is expected to bridge the gap in the new year even if it were to grow at a lower pace of 7 pct and UK's growth is projected at no more than 2 per cent through 2020.

Although economists are wary of comparing the relative size of economies using the volatile market exchange rates and prefer purchasing power parity instead, which adjusts the differences in local purchasing power, India's fifth spot behind the US, China, Japan and Germany speaks volumes.

The single-biggest spoiler was the cash ban, which has triggered fears of a blow to consumption, particularly in rural areas, with the dominant services sector being the worst hit. Also, industrial output and investment may feel the pinch which coupled with job losses and a drop in demand could add to the disruption.

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GANDHINAGAR: 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.

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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.

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When Walt Disney's Bambi opened in 1942, critics praised its spare, haunting visual style, vastly different from anything Disney had done before.

But what they did not know was that the film's striking appearance had been created by a Chinese immigrant artist, who took as his inspiration the landscape paintings of the Song dynasty.

Bambi showing the subtle background drawn by Tyrus Wong. Credit:Disney

Like the film's title character, the artist, Tyrus Wong, who has died aged 106, weathered irrevocable separation from his mother and, in the hope of making a life in the United States, incarceration, isolation and rigorous interrogation all while still a child.

In the years that followed, he endured poverty, discrimination and chronic lack of recognition, not only for his work at Disney but also for his fine art, before finding acclaim in his 90s.
In all the decades I have worked, I have never once used the "out-of-office" notification for my emails. I'm not sure whether that's because in my first career, as a full-time journalist, we were always encouraged to be available. But in France, as of January 1 this year, that is all about to change. Employees will be able to say no to out-of-office tech checks as French companies will be forced to guarantee their employees have a "right to disconnect" from technology.

In retrospect, I don't think permanent connection to our jobs as journalists was just for the convenience of our bosses  although I'm absolutely sure they loved calling me in the maternity hospital just hours after my first-born arrived. It was also because you never knew when those who had stories to tell might want to tell those stories. And it's true that many of those who have contacted me over the years have used a late-night email to unload. Could it have waited until the morning? Perhaps. But sometimes a late night chat is when you are most relaxed.

When it comes to social media, Generation X can't look away.

But as an academic, I have no excuse to keep looking at my emails (although I am often persuaded by the intensity of 18-year-olds for whom every feeling of inadequacy is both critical and crucial  I have to explain that while they are sentient they will feel like this about everything). I answer emails at all hours of the day and night because I can't bear the pile on my return. I have, today, 241 unopened emails  but most of those can wait. It's the 12 I opened on Christmas Eve eve, the last working day for lots of Australians, which made me wonder about what some people consider urgent. Believe me, telling me when the pay office is open is not urgent. Telling me who my human resources "partner" is during the break is not urgent (in fact, almost nothing HR ever does is urgent. HR is always code for representing the interests of the employer at all times and should be renamed BR in the interests of accuracy).

But what would it do if we stopped checking our emails and our work social media accounts during our time off?
[January 02, 2017] FCA and Google Collaborate on a Uconnect System Concept Powered by Android

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Jan. 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Collaboration focuses on the next generation of connected car systems, using the Android open-source platform

Google and FCA will showcase the seamless integration of Android with the award-winning Uconnect 8.4-inch connected system

Android offers automakers user interface customization, a full-featured automotive infotainment stack and ability to integrate Android apps into the vehicle's infotainment system

Hands-on demonstrations available at the FCA exhibit during CES 2017, Jan. 58 FCA and Google are using CES 2017 to demonstrate a seamless integration of the award-winning Uconnect 8.4-inch connected vehicle system featuring Android, the world's most popular open-source operating system. A hands-on concept demonstration of the power of combining Uconnect with Android is on display at CES, Jan. 5-8, inside a Chrysler 300 sedan. FCA is in collaboration with Google regarding the next-generation connected car systems enabled by the power of an open platform and ecosystem of Android. "This collaboration with Google has been an extremely beneficial opportunity for both companies to explore how in-vehicle infotainment and connectivity technology continues to evolve, and what it takes to meet consumers' increasing desire for innovation of information with minimaldistraction," says Chris Barman, Head of Electrical Engineering, FCA. "With Android, we are able to maintain our unique and intuitive Uconnect user interface, all while integrating our easy-to-use systems with Android's features and ecosystem of applications."



CES attendees can get one-on-one demonstrations of the Uconnect system powered by the latest version of Android, 7.0 Nougat, which includes core infotainment features such as radio and comfort controls. The Uconnect and Android integration also enable a system that is built for connectivity and compatibility with the universe of popular Android applications. The demonstration will show a seamless integration with Google Assistant, Google Maps and popular Android apps like Pandora, Spotify, NPR One and Pocket Casts.

"Google is committed to building Android as a turn-key automotive platform that integrates deeply with the vehicle in a safe and seamless way," said Patrick Brady, Director of Android Engineering, Google. "This collaboration with FCA brings together the industry standard for connected car systems with Android to create powerful infotainment systems designed for the digital age." To visit the FCA exhibit, #6306, navigate to the North Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center from Thursday, Jan. 5  Sunday, Jan. 8. About FCA

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. ("FCA"), the seventh-largest automaker in the world based on total

annual vehicle sales, is an international automotive group. FCA is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "FCAU" and on the Mercato Telematico Azionario under the symbol "FCA". The transaction was executed by FCA's wholly owned subsidiary, FCA US LLC. Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, FCA US LLC designs, engineers, manufactures and sells vehicles under the Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and FIAT brands, as well as the SRT performance vehicle designation. The company also distributes Alfa Romeo and Mopar products. FCA US is building upon the historic foundations of Chrysler, the innovative American automaker first established by Walter P. Chrysler in 1925, and Fiat, founded in Italy in 1899 by pioneering entrepreneurs, including Giovanni Agnelli. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fca-and-google-collaborate-on-a-uconnect-system-concept-powered-by-android-300384373.html SOURCE FCA US LLC

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It is fitting that the sequel to the film Trainspotting, which revisits the characters 20 years later, has its world premiere just days after Donald Trump is sworn in as US president this month. For the original film, and Irvine Welsh's 1993 novel on which it is based, is like a snapshot of the social, cultural and economic forces that made Trump possible, just as they gave rise to Brexit.

I was working as an usher at a cinema in 1996, and remember Trainspotting well. Partly this is because I saw the film, or at least snatches of it, a hundred times. But I also remember the film because I was vomited on  not once but twice  during the months it played at the cinema. People were always walking out of Trainspotting, either affronted or queasy or both, and on two separate occasions I opened the door, like a good usher, only to be hit by the flying spew of someone who'd misjudged the timing of their exit.

The characters of Trainspotting: Spud, Renton, Sick Boy and Begbie.

Being vomited on while doing a low-paid casual job struck me at the time as a very Trainspotting thing to have happen to you. But it wasn't the only reason I related to the film, even though I'd never taken heroin (or in fact anything stronger than marijuana) in my life. Trainspotting is a film about drugs, but more than that it is a film about feeling lost, about going nowhere and about the narrowing of opportunity.

I couldn't help but relate to this in mid-'90s Australia, even if I was tertiary educated (like most of my fellow ushers) and middle class, and my immediate concern was not how to score heroin, but how to get vomit out of an usher's standard issue velour waistcoat.
Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop are to be admiringly applauded for demonstrating courageous and astute political leadership in making it clear that Australia would have opposed the appallingly flawed and one-sided United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 on the Israeli-Palestinian issue that also epitomises the politicised, dysfunctional state of the UN.

They also understand that settlements in the disputed territories are just one of many issues to be addressed but only in direct, bilateral negotiations between the two parties, which the Israelis are keen to resume but the Palestinians refuse to join  a stance this dangerously counterproductive resolution will only reinforce.

Rushed to vote and passed on December 23 under peculiar circumstances with the urging of the Palestinian leadership, blessing of the Obama administration, reported guidance of Britain and enthusiastic co-sponsorship of New Zealand, it came at a time when much of the world was voicing disgust at UN ineffectiveness on the myriad crimes against humanity taking place in Aleppo and elsewhere in the Middle East.

The machinations and calculations that went into the wording and timing of the resolution expose it for what it was: a misguided attempt to use the UN to escalate international pressure against Israel to give in to Palestinian demands.
Warning: graphic images of injuries below

Manus Island MP Ronny Knight has declared that two asylum seekers who say they were bashed by police and PNG immigration officials on New Year's Eve "deserved what they got".

The outspoken MP says the pair were treated like any local who caused a public nuisance and resisted arrest. "This is Papua New Guinea. This is not Australia," Mr Knight said.

"These two were drunk out of their brains and stopping traffic and punching cars and harassing women as they were walking home from the night market," Mr Knight, PNG's Vice Minister for Trade, Commerce and Industry, told Fairfax Media.
Former prime minister Tony Abbott has called for Australia's $40 million in aid to Palestine to be cut, citing concerns over the Palestinian Authority's support for "terrorists and their families", and suggested the Australian embassy in Israel be moved to Jerusalem.

Mr Abbott's strongly pro-Israel declarations - which have been swiftly quashed by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop - follow the United Nations Security Council's damning resolution on the country's construction of settlements in occupied Palestinian territory.

Permitted by the outgoing Obama administration, the resolution labelling the settlements illegal has drawn ire from conservatives around the world - including Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who called it "one-sided" and "deeply unsettling" and President-elect Donald Trump, who described it as "extremely unfair".

Writing for The Spectator Australia after a recent trip to the region for the Australia-Israel-UK Leadership Dialogue, Mr Abbott said an Australian demonstration of "unswerving support for Israel, as the Middle East's only liberal, pluralist democracy, might be to join any move by the Trump administration to move its embassy to Jerusalem".
If you didn't have a Chanel, Gucci or The Daily Edited on your arm at Catalina's New Year's Day party (the new New Year's Eve soiree) you didn't really fit in.

The exclusive invite-only event at Rose Bay was filled mostly with air-kissing Eastern Suburbs socialites, who splashed out $400 a ticket for an endless supply of Pommery Champagne, Aperol Spritz, espresso martinis, pina coladas and the piece de resistance - Catalina's eats, including rock oysters, prawns, fresh tuna, tacos and sliders.

Actor Shemar Moore, best known for playing Derek Morgan in Criminal Minds, posed for selfie after selfie with the excited crowd and later in the night, the 46-year-old, draped in a patriotic American flag scarf, joined the DJ for a set.

Upcoming Real Housewives of Sydney star, Nicole O'Neil, also mingled with the designer-clad crowd but managed to escape the photographers, while British DJ and producer Joey Negro played the hits before jetting to Melbourne for a session at Greenfields.
South Korea's government has closed its website that drew fury for showing the number of women in child-bearing age by each city district and region.

The Ministry of the Interior's website featuring the pink birth map remained closed on Friday, a day after its launch, showing instead a notice that the site is undergoing corrections to reflect public opinion.

The government website drew instant fury and was closed a day after launching.

The website had gone offline after just a few hours following criticism the government is trying to shame women for not having babies. Some said the government treated the birth rate issue as concerning only women, pointing out that no picture of men was used on the website.

Using pink as the main colour, the site contained information on birth rates, benefits from local governments on child rearing, average marriage age and other data. On top of the website, it showed a picture of a woman kissing a little girl.
Two of the Coalition's leading conservatives have been named as "special guests" at $150-per-head dinner being held by anti-Islamic group, the Q Society of Australia.

Senator Cory Bernardi and MP George Christensen are set to appear at the "In Defence of Freedom of Speech" dinner in Melbourne on February 10, according to the Q Society's website.

The specific location of the dinner in Melbourne's "inner eastern suburbs" is being kept under wraps, to be disclosed only to ticket holders.

A similar event will be held in North Ryde in Sydney on February 9 at another undisclosed location, with guests to reportedly include Australian rock legend "Angry" Anderson, political cartoonist Larry Pickering and writer Gabrielle Lord.
A man who died after being found unconscious in a backyard pool in Sydney's northern beaches overnight has been identified as former Family Court judge Richard Gee.

Justice Gee, whose house was firebombed in 1984 during a series of attacks on judges, their families and others linked to the Family Court of Australia, was unconscious when a family member discovered him in the pool of his house on Neridah Avenue in Belrose about 10pm on Monday.

NSW Ambulance paramedics arrived a short time later but could not resuscitate the 83-year-old, who died at the scene.

A neighbour said she heard Justice Gee's daughter found him in the pool on Monday night.
Three people have been taken to hospital after a fire started in central Sydney on Monday afternoon, filling parts of the CBD with smoke.

Two of Sydney's busiest streets were partially closed just after 5pm after an automatic fire alarm alerted firefighters to the blaze on George Street.

When crews arrived at Capitol Square in Haymarket, they saw large amounts of smoke billowing from the roof of the building.

Initial crews then called for back-up.
Written on December 26, 2016

In this article we will introduce a couple of interesting concepts from Akka by giving an overview of how to implement the pipes and filters enterprise integration pattern. Akka is a popular library that provides new approaches to write modern reactive software in Java and Scala.

If you are generally interested about learning how your team can adopt and benefit from different reactive approaches, check out our two-day Reactive and Asynchronous Java intensive course.

The Business Problem

Recently we came across an author publishing application made available as a service. It was responsible for processing markdown text. It would execute a series of operations back to back:

Warn authors if they were using forbidden short forms such as isnt or Im (lets call this the text checker) Transform Latex code to Unicode. E.g. \alpha to  (lets call this the latex to unicode transformer) Upload the result to an S3 bucket so it is publicly available (an S3 uploader)

After playing with the service, it came clear that it would benefit from several extensions:

Use the Latex to Unicode functionality to transform text independently of the text checking functionality Add another functionality to translate the text using American-english spelling Create a bespoke chain of functionalities, for example just text checker + S3 uploader

The software engineering problem

The problem with this application is that the service was written in a way that violates the single responsibility principle. It was written as one single god class implementation. The different functionalities were coupled together inside a single pass. For example, one could not use the Latex to Unicode transformer without calling the text checker functionality. Consequently, it was difficult to create new or reuse existing behaviour to create a different pipeline of functionalities.

Heres a simplified version of the problematic code and associated diagram to illustrate the problem:

public class PipesAndFilterProblem { public static void main ( String [] args ) { String [] forbiddenWords = { "isn't" , "i'm" , "don't" }; String message = "I'm feeling \\beta!" ; String messageLowerCase = message . toLowerCase (); if ( Arrays . stream ( forbiddenWords ). noneMatch ( messageLowerCase: : contains )) { String converted = message . replaceAll ( "\\\\alpha" , "" ). replaceAll ( "\\\\beta" , "" ); // ... upload to S3 System . out . println ( converted ); } } }

The above code has two key issues that we need to address. How do you reorder functionalities? For example Latex to Unicode first and then the text checker. How do you add a new functionality? For example the text translation.

Pipes and filters

The pipes and filters pattern is a solution for this problem. You break down a complex task into independent components which you can then compose together to create a complex chain. There are several benefits with this approach:

Each component is decoupled from one another and can be maintained independently Each component can also be tested in isolation You can re-use components to create different chains

Think about the ways commands in unix work. You can say cat file | uniq | wc -l Each program is loosely coupled from one another but can also be arbitrarily composed to create complex pipelines.

A filter is a piece of functionality to execute. A pipe is simply a mechanism to pass the output of one filter to become the input of another one.

One can distinguish two approaches for delivering the output of one filter to another filter:

Point-to-point: the output of one filter becomes the input of exactly one filter. In other words theres one producer and one consumer

Publisher/Subscriber: the output of one filter can be broadcasted to become the input of several filters. (one producer and multiple consumers).

For the purpose of our business problem, we will implement the point-to-point semantics.

Akka

Akka is a library available in both Java and Scala to build distributed, message-based applications. We will focus on using a new abstraction provided by Akka called Actors.

In simplest terms, an actor is a component which processes messages off a queue (its mailbox). Actors have other interesting characteristics such as: * Actors do not expose internal state, which reduces the scope for concurrency bugs * Messages are sent to actors asynchronously, which enables flexible scheduling of the processing of the messages * Actors can be executed on a distributed system

The diagram below exemplifies the interaction between two actors.

So how do you implement an actor? The code below represents the text checker functionality as an independent actor written in Akka. It receives messages to process and check for the use of short forms. If the message is correct it is messaged back to the sender. Dont worry about all the details of this code, we encourage user to take a deeper look at the Akka API if you are curious. In a nutshell:

An UntypedActor is an abstract class that you can extend from. You need to implement the method onReceive which consumes messages from the internal mailbox of an actor

is an abstract class that you can extend from. You need to implement the method onReceive which consumes messages from the internal mailbox of an actor An ActorSystem is the entry point to running and using actors

is the entry point to running and using actors Props lets you configure an actor

lets you configure an actor ActorRef is a reference to an actor which protects its internal state

You can have a play with the code by modifying the unit tests below. The code is kept simple for the purpose of the example but one can imagine that a text checker would go through an extensive list of words loaded from a file.

public class SingleTextCheckerActor extends UntypedActor { private final static String [] forbiddenWords = { "isn't" , "i'm" , "don't" }; @Override public void onReceive ( Object message ) throws Throwable { String lowercaseMessage = (( String ) message ). toLowerCase (); if (! containsForbiddenWord ( lowercaseMessage )){ getSender (). tell ( message , getSelf ()); } } private boolean containsForbiddenWord ( String message ) { return Arrays . stream ( forbiddenWords ) . anyMatch ( message: : contains ); } }

public class SingleTextCheckerActorTest { private ActorSystem system ; @Test public void testMessageDoesNotContainForbiddenWord () { JavaTestKit testProbe = new JavaTestKit ( system ); Props props = Props . create ( SingleTextCheckerActor . class ); ActorRef subject = system . actorOf ( props ); String msg = "I am waiting for you." ; subject . tell ( msg , testProbe . getRef ()); testProbe . expectMsgEquals ( duration ( "1 second" ), msg ); } @Test public void testMessageContainsForbiddenWord () { JavaTestKit testProbe = new JavaTestKit ( system ); Props props = Props . create ( SingleTextCheckerActor . class ); ActorRef subject = system . actorOf ( props ); subject . tell ( "I'm feeling good!" , testProbe . getRef ()); testProbe . expectNoMsg ( duration ( "1 second" )); } @Before public void setup () { system = ActorSystem . create (); } @After public void teardown () { JavaTestKit . shutdownActorSystem ( system ); } }

So how can you extend this to implement the pipe and filters pattern? In a nutshell, a filter can be seen an actor processing a message. A pipe is the mailbox of another actor.

We need a way for our text checker actor to send its output to another actor who will process the message. In fact, all actors should have the ability to pass on the result to another actor. By doing this you can build a chain of functionalities. Lets extend our text checker actor so it can send a message to another actor:

public class TextCheckerActor extends UntypedActor { private ActorRef nextActor ; private final static String [] forbiddenWords = { "isn't" , "i'm" , "don't" }; private LoggingAdapter log = Logging . getLogger ( getContext (). system (), this ); public TextCheckerActor ( ActorRef nextActor ) { this . nextActor = nextActor ; } @Override public void onReceive ( Object message ) throws Throwable { log . info ( "Received Message: " + message ); String lowercaseMessage = (( String ) message ). toLowerCase (); if (! containsForbiddenWord ( lowercaseMessage )){ nextActor . tell ( message , getSelf ()); } } private boolean containsForbiddenWord ( String message ) { return Arrays . stream ( forbiddenWords ) . anyMatch ( message: : contains ); } }

We can create another actor to convert latex symbols to unicode. This actor will act as another filter:

public class LatexToUnicodeActor extends UntypedActor { private ActorRef nextActor ; private LoggingAdapter log = Logging . getLogger ( getContext (). system (), this ); public LatexToUnicodeActor ( ActorRef nextActor ) { this . nextActor = nextActor ; } @Override public void onReceive ( Object message ) throws Throwable { log . info ( "Received Message: " + message ); String msg = ( String ) message ; String result = msg . replaceAll ( "\\\\alpha" , "" ) . replaceAll ( "\\\\beta" , "" ); nextActor . tell ( result , getSelf ()); } }

Now that you have two filters, how do you connect them together? Heres a test that puts it all together:

public class PipesAndFilterTest { private ActorSystem system ; @Test public void testTextCheckerAndLatextoUnicodePipeline () { JavaTestKit endProbe = new JavaTestKit ( system ); // LatexToUnicode filter Props latexToUnicodeProps = Props . create ( LatexToUnicodeActor . class , endProbe . getRef ()); ActorRef latexToUnicodeActor = system . actorOf ( latexToUnicodeProps , "latex-to-unicode-actor" ); // TextChecker filter Props textCheckerProps = Props . create ( TextCheckerActor . class , latexToUnicodeActor ); ActorRef textCheckerActor = system . actorOf ( textCheckerProps , "text-checker-actor" ); // test textCheckerActor . tell ( "I think the answer is \\alpha + \\beta" , textCheckerActor ); endProbe . expectMsgEquals ( duration ( "1 second" ), "I think the answer is  + " ); } @Test public void testTextCheckerAndNoLatextoUnicodePipeline () { JavaTestKit endProbe = new JavaTestKit ( system ); // LatexToUnicode filter Props latexToUnicodeProps = Props . create ( LatexToUnicodeActor . class , endProbe . getRef ()); ActorRef latexToUnicodeActor = system . actorOf ( latexToUnicodeProps , "latex-to-unicode-actor" ); // TextChecker filter Props textCheckerProps = Props . create ( TextCheckerActor . class , latexToUnicodeActor ); ActorRef textCheckerActor = system . actorOf ( textCheckerProps , "text-checker-actor" ); // test textCheckerActor . tell ( "I'm wondering whether the answer is \\alpha + \\beta" , textCheckerActor ); endProbe . expectNoMsg ( duration ( "1 second" )); } @Before public void setup () { system = ActorSystem . create (); } @After public void teardown () { JavaTestKit . shutdownActorSystem ( system ); } }

Benefits and Summary

Hopefully through this short article you got an overview of how you can get started with working with Akka and actors. You may be wondering what are the benefits of using actors here instead of perhaps implementing this yourself or by using a messaging queue system?

The implementation code is simple

Akka already provides actors which are a lightweight queue mechanism

Message passing is asynchronous, which enables flexible scheduling

Actors are naturally decoupled from one another

A configuration can be specified to let you run these actors distributedly without having to change the implementation of each actor. Note that by default akka guarantees at-most-once delivery.

Akka has support for logging, monitoring and testing of actors out of the box

Actors can be exposed as a REST service through Akka http

Note that if distribution of the services is not an issue, we could have simply solved the problem using function composition which is more lightweight in comparison to adding actors. However, using actors you get distribution and elasticity thanks to their location transparency property as well as support for logging and monitoring provided by Akka. If you are looking for a more supportive library that provides implementations for Enterprise Integration Patterns, you should look at Apache Camel and Spring Integration.

To learn more about how to use actors, we recommend you check out the Akka documentation. Well be following up in the future with additional articles that explore the facilities offered by Akka.

If you are interested in learning more about how you can benefit from reactive approaches, check out our popular two-day Reactive and Asynchronous Java in-house course.
Three teenagers will face court on Monday after allegedly sexually assaulting an 18-year-old woman at a party in Sydney's west on the weekend.

Police say the woman attended the party on Myrtle Street in Prospect on Saturday night with two friends and was sexually assaulted in a bedroom by the three young men, one aged 17 and the others aged 18.

Concerned friends contacted police.

On Sunday, two men aged 18 were arrested at the unit in Blacktown. A 17-year-old attended the police station a short time later.

The trio where charged with aggravated sexual assault and refused bail.
White spot disease has been found to be infecting prawns in another farm on the Logan river on Friday.

A fifth prawn farm has tested positive for the highly contagious virus more than a month after the initial case was identified.

A fifth farm has tested positive for white sport disease in the Logan River. Credit:Biosecurity Queensland

The farm has been destocked and chlorine was being used to treat the water at the premises four kilometres down river from the first case.

Biosecurity Queensland has ramped up surveillance at nearby farms and locations in an effort to keep the virus in check.
A woman has been killed by a car while attempting to cross the Bruce Highway near Caboolture on Monday morning.

The 30-year-old Townsville woman was crossing the southbound lanes near the Bribie Island turnoff when she was hit by a four-wheel-drive about 4am.

Police believe the woman's car ran out of petrol before the crash, and she was returning with a jerry can of fuel with a 36-year-old man when the crash occurred.
A police officer has had his leg crushed between two getaway cars after trying to stop a robbery at a south-east Queensland business.

The officer was responding to reports of a robbery at a Mitre-10 store at Cooroy, in the Sunshine Coast hinterland about 4am on Monday.

When he arrived he caught the thieves in the act and wrestled with one of them, but was struck and pinned against another car by a vehicle driven by one of the others.

Superintendent Darryl Johnson says the sergeant received non-life-threatening injuries and was rushed to Nambour hospital for treatment.
Model X owner Ji Chang Son filed a lawsuit against Tesla on Friday, claiming his vehicle suddenly accelerated as he was parking it in his garage. Filed in the US District Court in the Central District of California, the suit "alleges product liability, negligence and breaches of warranty, and seeks unspecified damages," according to Reuters.

The lawsuit claimed that Son's Model X  a car Elon Musk once described as "the safest SUV ever made"  "spontaneously began to accelerate at full power" as he pulled into his garage. The vehicle jerked forward, "crashing through the interior wall of the garage, destroying several wooden support beams in the wall and a steel sewer pipe, among other things, and coming to rest in Plaintiffs' living room," the suit said. Both the driver and the passenger were injured.

Tesla chief executive Elon with the Model X in September 2015. Credit:AP

The lawsuit seeks class action status, meaning Son isn't the only Model X owner who's reported this problem. It cites seven other complaints from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's database that make similar allegations against the company. In September, transportation website Electrek reported on several claims of "sudden unintended acceleration" from Model X owners. Tesla claimed to have reviewed the logs from each accident and concluded that the driver was at fault.
Melburnians looking longingly at the warm-to-hot weather forecast for this weekend had better hope for no deluges of rain before then, or swimming will be off limits at the city's beaches.

The Environment Protection Authority says last Thursday's heavy rains swept faecal matter from roads and waterways into city beaches.

The pollutants were so significant that they made the water from Frankston to Werribee South unsuitable for bathing.

Then, after the waters on the Bellarine Peninsula were deemed safe for swimming on Sunday, overnight rainfall saw warnings upgraded, with swimmers urged to be cautious about bathing at beaches between Geelong and Queenscliff.
An investigation is underway after police accidentally fired a gun inside a car while on duty in Mildura.

It is believed the two Melbourne-based officers in the police vehicle told their superiors that the firearm went off when one of them turned around to grab something from the back of the car.

A male and female officer were in the car when the gun went off. Credit:Paul Rovere

The bullet went through the centre console and ended up lodged in the driver's side door in the September 3 shooting, Fairfax Media has been told.

A female officer was at the wheel of the car at the time; both she and her male counterpart narrowly avoided injury.
A three-month crackdown on rock lobster thieves resulting in seven boat seizures by Fisheries officers this season has led Fisheries Minister Joe Francis to rage at the "bastardry" of such offences.

Fisheries Minister Joe Francis warned on Monday this was just one of many severe potential penalties and that those people now faced the prospect of having their boats confiscated.

They could also lose their vehicle and fishing equipment, and in the most serious cases, illegal fishing offences could result in penalties of up to $400,000 or four years' jail.

"Pulling rock lobster pots that aren't yours and stealing the catch is a low act. It's theft, and it's un-Australian," Mr Francis said.
WA ended 2016 with its worst road toll in eight years; and New Year's Day brought yet more road deaths in Perth suburbs.

About 4.30pm in Canning Vale on Sunday, a man riding a BMW motorcycle south on Roe Highway near Willeri Drive, allegedly speeding, hit a Holden sedan going in the same direction and was thrown from the bike.

The 21-year-old died at the scene.

Less than an hour later, another man was driving a Mitsubishi Triton utility east on Warwick Road near Davallia Road in Duncraig, when he allegedly crashed into two other cars, a Toyota hatchback and Mitsubishi station wagon, travelling in the same direction before crashing into a wooden power pole, which snapped.
Police have issued a CCTV image of a man wanted for questioning over a robbery at Carlisle's The Lunch Club last month, when an offender threatened staff with a knife, then smashed a till over a cashier's head.

The deli is the same one at which police shot and killed a man threatening another worker with a knife in 2014.

About 2.40pm on December 12, a man entered the Oats Street deli and threatened counter staff with a knife while demanding money, police spokesman Andrew Maher said.

"The man grabbed the register and the staff intervened. The man then threw the cash register at the staff before fleeing the store on foot."
The Princess Royal has moved to allay fears about the Queen's health by insisting she was feeling "better" despite missing church at Sandringham for the second successive Sunday.

Concerns for Her Majesty have been growing since a heavy cold prevented her from joining the royal family at church on Christmas Day, the first time in 28 years she had missed the service.

The oversight of the Queen is arguably preferable to the dangers of US-style presidential races. Credit:WPA Pool

Her absence from the New Year's Day service came after Buckingham Palace announced she "does not yet feel ready to attend church as she is still recuperating from a heavy cold". Her majesty has enjoyed such robust health throughout her life that it is rare for her to miss any public appearance, and her continued absence has led to global speculation about the extent of her illness.

The royal family rarely comment on health matters, but when she was asked by a member of the public how the Queen was feeling, the Princess Royal smiled and said: "Better." Her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Lawrence was asked the same question and said: "Not too bad."
Vilnius, Lithuania: Dozens of US Special Operations forces are 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 Moscow's shadowy efforts to destabilise the former Soviet republics.

"They're scared to death of Russia," General Raymond T Thomas, head of the Pentagon's Special Operations Command, who visited Lithuania recently, said of the tiny militaries of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. "They are very open about that. They're desperate for our leadership."

Military and civilian observers watch a military exercise unfold during Saber Strike 2015, an annual training exercise in the Baltics Credit:The New York Times

As a result, Thomas said, US commandos have a "persistent" presence in Lithuania 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 Moscow's 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 Trump will be of this initiative as he aims to mend fences with Moscow. 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 NATO's collective security efforts to deter an unpredictable Russia.
Claim: Application of Vicks VapoRub to the soles of children's feet effectively counters nighttime cough. Rating: About this rating Unproven

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This advisory that applying Vicks Vaporub (a brand of mentholated topical cream) to the bottom of one's feet at bedtime, then covering those feet with socks, will stop persistent nighttime coughs hit the online world big in March 2007. At that time, the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), the agency touted in the advisory as having "discovered" this cure, sent us a statement denying it extolled the application of Vicks VapoRub to a child's feet as an effective counter to nighttime cough:

The National Research Council of Canada (also referred to as NRC) has recently learned of an email that is circulating which claims we have proven that Vicks VapoRub can be applied to the feet to cure a persistent cough. We would like to take this opportunity to dispel this suggestion. The e-mail suggests that NRC has conducted research comparing the effectiveness of prescription cough medicines in children to alternative therapies like acupressure. However, our databases indicate that no such studies involving Vicks VapoRub have been conducted at NRC. It is rare for NRC to engage in research into alternate applications of medications. Home remedies, homeopathy and alternative therapies for illnesses are popular areas of interest for Canadians, especially in recent years. Although NRC conducts some research in these areas (NRC conducts research on nutraceuticals and therapeutic attributes of plants), our focus is more frequently on medical and pharmaceutical treatments for illness and disease. Some of our best-known advancements have been in this field, including: the first practical motorized wheelchair, the first artificial pacemaker, the Meningitis-C vaccine, the cobalt bomb and research into food-borne pathogens and water safety, to name a few.

However, while the NRC has neither researched the claim slathering VapoRub on a child's feet will alleviate nighttime cough nor endorses the practice, that particular home cure had been proffered by many people in the health industry prior to the March 2007 e-mail. (That e-mail, by the way, refers to that body as the "Canada Research Council," but its proper name is the "National Research Council Canada.")

Joe and Teresa Graedon of "The People's Pharmacy," a health advice feature run as both a syndicated newspaper column and a weekly show on National Public Radio, included mention of this potential use of the salve in their 2002 "Guide to Unique Uses for Vicks." Expanding on the 2002 suggestion "Easing chest congestion is standard, of course, but have you considered applying it to the soles of the feet for a persistent nighttime cough?" in February 2007, they wrote: "We also suggest putting Vicks VapoRub on the soles of the feet for a nighttime cough. Put on socks to protect the sheets."

Vicks' usage instructions state nothing about slathering its VapoRub product on one's feet; instead, they instruct those looking for temporary relief of cough due to common cold to rub a thick layer of the salve onto their chests and throats. And contrary to the instructions outlined in the e-mailed advisory, some health agencies have warned camphor-containing products should not be used on children and should be used only in accordance with the directions on their labels:

The [New York City] Health Department warned New York City parents and caregivers to keep products containing camphor away from children. Some camphor products can be toxic to children when accidentally ingested or excessively applied to skin. Three recent cases of seizures associated with camphor have been confirmed in the Bronx. All three children have recovered. The Health Department is investigating seven additional cases suspected to be associated with camphor. Camphor, alcanfor in Spanish, is a common ingredient in many products used for colds, pest control, to ward off illness, or as air freshener. Camphor is sold in cubes, or as a balm or ointment. Camphor cubes and tablets are not approved by the FDA for use as cough or cold medicine. Camphor products that are not labeled with ingredients and do not have manufacturer information should not be used; they are unsafe and illegal. Legal camphor products, such as some chest rubs used to relieve congestion, should only be used as directed on the label.

(Vicks' VapoRub product has about a 5.26% camphor content; the unapproved camphor cubes and tablets referenced above may contain higher concentrations of camphor.)
Claim: A photograph depicts a sign at Target informing customers purchasing pork or alcohol to choose another lane to accommodate Muslim employees. Rating: About this rating Miscaptioned

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On 28 February 2015, the blog Bare Naked Islam published a (since-deleted) article titled "Are You Shopping at One of Target's Islamic Sharia-Compliant Stores?" According to the blog, Target retail stores recently started designating specific lanes as pork- and alcohol-free so as not to offend Muslim employees working at check-out registers.

The article specifically referred to a "new policy" and included the following image, implying that the sign in question had been been photographed by a Target customer:

A reverse image search revealed that the photograph in question had been published once before by a similar website. However, that previous version referenced a March 2012 news story about a Muslim offense avoidance checkout line in a single Wegmans location, not a new chain-wide policy implemented by Target in 2015.

The repurposed rumor (moving the attribution of the sign from Wegmans to Target) stated that the "new policy" was confirmed by a Target spokesperson. Again, the claim was dishonest, lifted from a 2007 article about Target's accommodation of Muslim employees which clearly stated that the protocol within Target involved assigning employees with religious objections to positions other than checkout lanes, not placing signs at registers directing customers purchasing certain types of products not to check out there:

Muslim cashiers at some local Target stores who object to ringing up products that contain pork are being shifted to other positions where they don't need to, the discount retailer said/ The Star Tribune reported this past week that some Muslim cashiers at local Targets had declined to scan pork products such as bacon because doing so would conflict with their religious beliefs. They would ask other cashiers to ring up such purchases, or sometimes customers would scan those items themselves, the newspaper reported. Minneapolis-based Target Corp. has now offered its local Muslim cashiers who object to handling pork the option of wearing gloves while cashiering, shifting to other positions or transferring to other nearby stores. "We are confident that this is a reasonable solution for our guests and team members," Target spokeswoman Paula Thornton-Greear said.

Clearly, the Target sign rumor is entirely false. The appended image was originally attributed to a Wegmans store in 2012, and it's impossible for the exact same image to have been taken in two separate locations several years apart. Moreover, the 2015 Target claim retrieved quotes from a 2007 news story in which it was clearly explained that Target ensured Muslim employees were not tasked with ringing up pork or alcohol products.
BEIRUT (AP)  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.

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, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in announcing the agreement. He described it, however, as "quite fragile" and requiring "special attention and patience."

It was not immediately clear whether the truce  which excludes extremist factions such as the Islamic State group and al-Qaida affiliate in Syria  was holding. It is expected to at least reduce the violence that has gripped the country, including government airstrikes.

Opposition activist Mazen al-Shami told The Associated Press that half an hour before midnight, the situation became "very calm" in the suburbs of the capital Damascus.

He added that a government offensive on the rebel-held Barada Valley northwest of Damascus that had been going on for days had stopped.

The truce had the backing of both Russia and Turkey, which have been supporting opposing sides in the war, and was welcomed by Iran and the United Nations. Russia said the deal was signed by seven of Syria's major rebel factions.

Several previous cease-fires all collapsed, some of them in a matter of days. Nevertheless, the deal this time raised hopes for a political settlement to the ruinous war in the coming months, in part because the landscape has significantly shifted recently.

For one thing, the tide has turned in Syrian President Bashar Assad's favor militarily over the past year, with the government retaking the city of Aleppo from the rebels just days ago. 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.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem welcomed the cease-fire agreement said there is a "real chance" for a political settlement.

In comments made to Syrian TV, he said the Syrian government will attend the peace talks in the Kazakh capital Astana "with an open mind," but suggested it would not be willing to compromise on Assad's fate.

"Everything is negotiable except national sovereignty and the people's right to choose its leadership," he said.

Putin said the cease-fire will be guaranteed by Moscow  Assad's chief patron and battlefield ally  and by Turkey. Turkey is a main backer of the opposition forces, who use the country's long border with Syria to cross back and forth, and has wide influence on them. Iran, for its part, has been one of Assad's strongest backers.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the truce will include 62,000 opposition fighters across Syria and that the Russian military has established a hotline with its Turkish counterpart to monitor compliance. Sergey Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, said President-elect Donald Trump's administration will be welcome to join the peace process once he takes office.

Putin said he ordered the Russian military to scale back its presence in Syria, where it has provided crucial support to Assad's forces. Putin didn't say how many troops and weapons will be withdrawn. He said Russia will continue "fighting international terrorism in Syria" and supporting Assad's military.

The U.N. special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, welcomed the cease-fire announcement, saying he hopes the agreement will save civilian lives, facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid and pave the way for productive peace talks.

Earlier Thursday, Turkey called on Hezbollah to withdraw its fighters from Syria. The Iranian-backed extremist group has sent thousands of fighters to support Assad and has been playing an instrumental role in the civil war since 2013.

Foreign fighters from around the world have joined both sides of the Syrian conflict, which has displaced half the country's population and produced more than 4 million refugees. Many of those refugees have been streaming into Europe, fueling anti-immigration sentiment and terrorist fears that are reshaping the continent's political landscape.

Syria's military noted that the cease-fire comes after the "successes achieved by the armed forces," an apparent reference to the fierce fighting in Aleppo.

Osama Abo Zayd, a spokesman for mainstream Syrian opposition groups, told reporters in the Turkish capital of Ankara that 13 armed opposition factions have signed the five-point agreement and that they have agreed to abide by the cease-fire.

He said the peace talks will be based on the Geneva 2012 declaration that calls for a governing body with full executive powers to run affairs in Syria during a transition period. "This means that there will be no presence for Assad in the future," he said.

Assad's future has been the main sticking in previous negotiations between the warring sides, and he is seen as unlikely to step down, particularly when he's on the winning side.

Khashan, the political analyst, said Assad's exit is "out of the question."

"Neither the Russians nor the Iranians would allow it to happen," he said.

Saeed Sadek, a professor of political sociology at Cairo's Future University, said Assad has no power to accept or reject any deals.

"He is now under the control of Moscow, Tehran and Ankara. All these countries will decide his future," he said.
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.
This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image shows the distribution of dark matter in the center of the giant galaxy cluster Abell 1689, containing about 1,000 galaxies and trillions of stars.

Astronomers from across the U.S. are heading to Texas this week for the 229th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS). The biannual meeting, which features new developments in astronomy, astrophysics and planetary science, is often called the "Super Bowl of astronomy."

The event will feature more than 1,600 lectures, short speeches and poster presentations that will highlight the latest research and discoveries, from the solar system to the farthest reaches of the universe. At least 2,400 scientists, students, teachers and journalists will attend, including two Space.com reporters, who will bring you the latest news from the conference right here at Space.com.

Attendees will explore a wide variety of space subjects, such as the hunt for exoplanets and the elusive "Planet Nine"; the formation and evolution of stars and galaxies; the nature of black holes, dark matter and dark energy; solutions to light pollution; the influence U.S. politics will have on astronomy; and astronomers' roles in fighting climate change. For aspiring astronomers, the meeting will host workshops for analyzing astronomical data as well as career planning.

"The biggest astronomy news we know about in advance for 2017 is the Aug. 21 solar eclipse, which will be a total eclipse in a narrow (roughly 70-mile-wide [or 113 kilometers]) band from the Oregon coast to the South Carolina coast," AAS press officer Rick Fienberg wrote in an email to Space.com. "That's one theme that cuts across the whole meeting, with a plenary lecture, a splinter meeting, a poster session, scattered other oral presentations and a seminar for science writers." [Total Solar Eclipse 2017: When, Where and How to See It (Safely)]

These are but a few examples of the vast number of astronomy findings that will be presented at this winter meeting of AAS. Throughout the week, Space.com reporters Calla Cofield (@CallaCofield) and Sarah Lewin (@SarahExplains) will report the news and discussions from the meeting.

Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
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NRCS has partnered with the University of Illinois (U of I) to help producers improve resource concerns such as improving wildlife habitat, water quality, and soil erosion. Producers can apply for assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to implement drainage water management and cover crop practices. The primary focus will be installation of drainage water management practices. Drainage water management allows the producer to manage water that normally leaves the farm through tile drainage. By working with NRCS and the U of I, the landowner can manage the water more efficiently and allow more habitat for migratory water fowl, such as the American golden plover. Drainage water management practices can be installed on new or existing field tile drainage systems located throughout central Illinois.
STAMFORD-A New Years Eve vacation at an East Side motel turned into a night behind bars for a homeless man after he allegedly tried to rob his girlfriends cell phone, police said.

Police were called to Americas Best Value Inn on East Main Street at 1:20 a.m. New Years Day when a woman called police to report that after choking her, Thomas Golterman, 45, attempted to rob her of her cell phone, Sgt. Robert Shawinsky said.
A corner of east London was placed on lockdown after a spate of knifepoint muggings in the area, frightened residents say.

Boaters and residents living in Hackney Wick told of their fear after four people were robbed by thugs armed with knives over three days just before Christmas.

Christina Kime, 26, and her close friend 30-year-old Drew McEwan, were violently robbed as they made their way home through the Olympic Park at about 10.30pm on December 22, the Standard reported on Friday.

Assistant fashion merchandiser Ms Kime and Mr McEwan, a management consultant, told of their ordeal as police confirmed two other robberies involving a knife and at least two male suspects took place in the area over three days.

Robbery: Drew McEwan, 30, and close friend Christina Kime, 26, were mugged at knifepoint in Hackney Wick

On Wednesday, December 21, shortly after 10pm, a man aged in his 20s suffered a slash wound to the hand after he was mugged of his phone and wallet by at least two suspects less than a mile away next to Parnell Road Bridge.

Police said that shortly before midnight on Friday, December 23, another man reported having two phones and a wallet stolen by a pair of male suspects in Mandeville Place, also in the Olympic Park. A spokesman for the Met said the victim reported seeing a knife during the robbery.

Scotland Yard said it was not yet clear whether the attacks were linked.

Greg Keegan, a 36-year-old boater, told the Standard that the robberies had left the community feeling too afraid to go out after dark.

Mr Keegan, a photographer who has been mooring his boat in Hackney Wick for about two years, said: Everyone is feeling very anxious about it. There is a feeling of anxiety in the Hackney Wick area and the boating community.

A 35-year-old man described being mugged at knifepoint in Mandeville Place in the Olympic Park

The neighbourhood has been really quiet. Everyone has sort of been on lockdown and trying not to go out after dark.

Every single night there have been reports of a mugging posted on social media. It has brought the Hackney Wick community together trying to tackle this.

But he also said he feared vigilante groups would form to try to tackle the thieves if police did not step up patrols in the area.

Mr Keegan added: This is the biggest problem we have ever had.

People are afraid to do the usual things they would do at this time of year, its taken the fun out of it.

A 35-year-old man, who was the victim of the mugging on Friday, December 23, told of his terror after two suspects allegedly held a knife close to his face and ordered him to hand over his mobile phones and the contents of his wallet.

The victim, who was too afraid to be named, was walking home from a night out through the Olympic Park when he was attacked.

The digital business owner, who has lived in the area for about nine years, said: As I was going through the park I saw one of them riding a bike.

The moment I saw them, I knew something wasnt right, one of them had their face covered.

I started to walk really quickly but I knew I couldnt out-run them. I knew what was going to happen next.

I didnt expect to see a knife. One of them held it about two inches from my face. They took everything from me.

I tried to lift my head up but they said dont look, dont look. He was tapping with the knife on my head. I was literally petrified.

I literally havent had a proper nights sleep since. I called the police within 10 minutes.

I am still in after shock. Hopefully it will fade away. I have never before felt unsafe.

A Met Police spokesman said: "Police were called shortly before midnight on Friday, December 23, to reports of a robbery involving two suspects on bikes in the Olympic Park area.

"A man reported having two phones and the contents of his wallet stolen. A knife was seen. Officers from Newham borough are investigating."
A young man has been stabbed in a busy road in south east London.

Police were called to Rye Lane in Peckham at just after 7pm on Monday evening after reports of a stabbing.

One man, thought to be in his 20s, was found wounded in the arm following the knife attack, police said.

A spokesman for the Met Police said his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

Transport for London said buses were being diverted due to a police investigation following the stabbing.

No one has yet been arrested, police said.
F ire crews were still at a west London pub on Monday, nearly 36 hours after a blaze ripped through the building on New Year's Eve.

Some 340 punters and 12 staff members fled The Aeronaut on Acton High Street whena fire broke out just after the crowd celebrated New Year during the venue's 'circus spectacular'.

Five police officers needed hospital treatment after pulling some of the revellers to safety as the building was engulfed by flames.

At 10am on Monday, fire crews were still at the scene damping down the building while the road outside was blocked off to traffic.

Flames rise from the roof of the pub / PA

The first and second floors, including the roof of the three storey building, have been gutted by the fire.

In a statement on its website, the pub paid tribute to its staff and the firemen and police officers who dealt with the blaze.

Bosses said they were "counting their blessings" that no one was seriously hurt.

Smouldering: Fire fighters were still at the scene on Monday morning / Amanda Denny

They said: "Just 30 minutes after the countdown The Aeronaut caught fire, but thanks to the quick thinking of our staff, and the evacuation plans they have had in place over the years, everyone got out the building safely.

"Thats the main thing, and everything else comes second."

They went on: "The building we love so much has been extinguished by the incredible firemen who acted so quickly.

"At this point we dont really know how bad that damage is, but for the moment were concentrating on people.

Acton fire - Hundreds forced to flee after huge blaze tears through pub packed with New Year's revellers

"We will never be able to fully articulate our gratitude for the swift action of the police and fire services in managing the incident and for the many words of support we have received from the Acton community."

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."
D ozens of fire fighters were tackling a blaze that ripped through an industrial unit in north London.

London Fire Brigade said 70 fire fighters and 10 fire engines raced to the scene of the fire in Tottenham on Monday morning.

It said half the building was alight just before midday but the blaze was brought under control shortly before 2.30pm.

Four people managed to escape from the unit before the fire fighters arrived.

Dramatic video footage taken at the scene showed smoke billowing from the building in Bernard Road near Seven Sisters.

Firefighters tackle fire at industrial unit in Tottenham

Images showed fire fighters as they tried to douse the roaring flames with water cannons from the ground.

Max Hart via @ShulemStern

Pictures from the scene show showed dozens of fire fighters in protective gear as they tried to control the huge blaze.

Smoke could be seen billowing across north London with people posting photos on social media.

A photo of the fire from Grovelands Road in South Tottenham / Claire Johnson/Twitter

A spokesperson for London Fire Brigade said 10 fire engines and 70 fire fighters were called to the scene just after 10am on Monday morning.

London Fire Brigade said the blaze damaged the ground and mezzanine floors as well as the roof of five single storey industrial units.

Fire fighters tackle the blaze with water canons / Paul Wood/Twitter

Station Manager Martin Freeman who attended the incident said: "Crews worked hard in arduous conditions to bring this fire under control, fighting it from both inside and outside the building.

"Cylinders were reported to be on the site but firefighters safely removed them."

Crews from seven fire stations attended the incident and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

At 3pm fire fighters remained at the scene damping down remaining pockets of fire.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said police were also in attendance being called to the scene by London Fire Brigade at 10.16am.
T he Orkney Islands, situated off the north coast of Scotland, could become independent from the UK following the Brexit vote, according to reports.

The majority of Orkneys councillors have pushed through a motion demanding an investigation into greater autonomy or self-determination and the possibility of a second independence referendum in Scotland, according to The Telegraph.

A motion backed by 13 of 21 Orkney Island councillors demands the chief executive to compile a report into whether the people of Orkney could exercise self-determination if faced with further national and international constitutional change.

It added: Or indeed to decide if more autonomy might be beneficial for the well being of Orkney.

In the past many Orkney residents have pushed for greater independence from Holyrood and were promised more powers in the event of Scottish independence.

The islands have traditionally been more pro-Westminster than pro-Holyrood but feel that they are historically and culturally different from the rest of the UK.

They used to be part of Norway until the late 15th century.

Graham Sinclair, the councillor who drafted the motion, told the paper: I think the islands are more significantly different  both historically and culturally  from the rest of the country.

Speaking of the proposal he said it was a preliminary shot. It is to consider whether there is the possibility of constitutional changes.

It is unclear how many Orkland residents will support any movement toward greater independence.

A 2013 poll found that only eight per cent supported leaving Scotland in the event of independence.

It comes as another opinion poll published on Monday found that nearly two thirds of Scots oppose holding another independence referendum this year.
A British soldier has died in Iraq but not as a result of enemy activity, the Ministry of Defence said.

The soldier was serving with the 2nd Battalion, the Duke of Lancasters Regiment.

The MoD said the incident, which took place in Taji, a rural district north of Baghdad, is being investigated.

A spokesman said: "The death occurred in Taji following an incident that is currently under investigation, but we can confirm that it was not as a result of enemy activity."

Officials have informed the soldier's family, who requested a period of grace be given before the name is released.

The Taji area has been used by British troops as a training base over the past year.

Earlier today, at least 36 people were killed when a suicide bomber attacked a market in Baghdad.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack, in which a further 52 people were injured.
C onfused Los Angeles residents woke up to find a prankster had changed the world-famous Hollywood sign to read "Hollyweed".

The iconic hillside sign overlooking Southern California's film-and-television hub was defaced overnight in honor of marijuana.

On Sunday, residents found the word "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 3am who police believe was behind the prank.

Material similar to a tarp was placed over the two Os to make them appear as Es, and park rangers were assessing how to remove them.

There were no suspects, but the person if caught could be charged with misdemeanor trespassing, police said.

Rapper Snoop Dogg, a big cannabis consumer, tweeted a photo of the sign on Sunday and said: "#hollyweed - that's were I get my mail. #merryjane."

Jackass Steve-O posed for a picture in front of the new sign.

He tweeted: "I don't know who did this to the Hollywood Sign, but I'm quite impressed they got away with it."

A ballot measure to make recreational marijuana legal for adults was easily approved by California voters on November 8, opening the most populous US state to the burgeoning commercial cannabis market, although the drug remains illegal under US federal law.

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.
T he Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was reportedly questioned by police at his home over claims of corruption.

Police in Israel are probing the allegations that the countrys leader inappropriately accepted expensive gifts from two businessmen, local media reported.

Police cars arrived at Mr Netanyahus house on Monday and questioning reportedly began in the evening.

Mr Netanyahu, who served his first term as Israels PM from 1996, has denied the reports which he said were baseless and told the media and his political rivals to stop with the celebrations.

Probe: A bodyguard of Mr Netanyahu closes the gates as members of the media wait for the arrival of police investigators. / AFP/Getty Images

He said: We've been paying attention to reports in the media, we are hearing the celebratory mood and the atmosphere in the television studios and the corridors of the opposition, and I would like to tell them, stop with the celebrations, don't rush.

There won't be anything because there is nothing."

Probe: Israeli police reportedly questioned the PM over whether he illegally accepted gifts from wealthy supporters. / AFP/Getty Images

Israel's Channel 2 TV reported Mr Netanyahu accepted "favours" from businessmen in Israel and abroad.

Opponents of the Israeli leader have called for an investigation into the suspicions.

In the past Mr Netanyahu has been accused of spending public money on personal and housekeeping expenses.

But the family say they are victims of a witch hunt by the Israeli media.
A huge manhunt is still underway to find the Isis gunman who murdered at least 39 people during a nightclub massacre on New Years Eve.

The killer wounded almost 70 more revellers when he stormed the Reina nightclub in Istanbul.

On Monday morning, Isis released a statement claiming responsibility for the atrocity.

Around two-thirds of the victims were believed to be foreigners, including 19-year-old Israeli woman Leanne Nasser who had been in the city on holiday with friends.

Private security worker and mother-of-one Hatice Kocun was also named as one of the victims by Turkish media.

CCTV footage shows Turkey attack suspect inside nightclub

An estimated 600 people were celebrating New Year inside the club, a haunt of stars including Uma Thurman and Salma Hayek.

Police believe the gunman first shot policeman Burak Yildiz and travel agent Ayhan Arik at the front of the club before shooting people indiscriminately.

Footage from the club showed the man walking calmly into the venue before the rampage.

Tributes: Flowers are placed in front of a police barrier near the entrance of Reina nightclub / Reuters

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned "the terror attack in Istanbul's Ortakoy neighbourhood in the first hours of 2017.

Three Lebanese citizens were also among those killed in the attack, Lebanon's foreign ministry said.

The ministry named those killed as Elias Wardini, Haykal Mousallem and Rita Shami.

Ambulances line up on a road leading up to the nightclub / REUTERS

Nationals of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Libya, Israel, a Turkish-Belgian dual citizen and a Franco-Tunisian woman were among the others who were murdered.

In the chaos after the shooting, the gunman managed to slip away, sparking a major manhunt which was still underway on Monday morning.

Interior minister Suleyman Soylu said: "The search for the terrorist continues... I hope (the assailant) will be captured quickly, God willing.

This was a massacre, a truly inhuman savagery," he said.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has advised UK tourists to remain vigilant.
E ight suspects have been arrested in Turkey over the New Year nightclub massacre which has been claimed by ISIS.

Thirty-nine people were shot dead by a lone attacker at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul, with another 69 wounded, at 1am on January 1.

Turkeys state-run news agency now says eight people have been taken into custody and are being questioned by anti-terrorism squads in Istanbuls main police headquarters.

The gunman, who fled the nightclub after carrying out the brutal attack, was not among the eight, claimed Anadolu agency.

Turkish police are hunting this man in connection with the shooting / REUTERS

It comes as ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, claiming it was carried out by a "heroic soldier of the caliphate who attacked the most famous nightclub where Christians were celebrating their pagan feast."

39 dead after gunman opens fire in Turkish nightclub

It is believed the attack was in revenge for Turkeys military involvement in Syria.

The gunman, thought to be from either Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan, is to have arrived at the club by taxi but walked the last four minutes due to heavy traffic.

He reportedly shot a policeman and a travel agent before entering the venue and firing at least 180 bullets at terrified revellers.

During the attack he is said to have shouted Allahu Akbar.

There were reportedly 25 foreign nationals among those killed, although none were thought to be British.
T he husband of a London woman being held behind bars in Iran has criticised the Government's response to her plight as she prepares for an appeal.

Charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is in jail for allegedly plotting to topple the government in Tehran but details of the charges against her have been kept secret.

Her husband Richard Ratcliffe claimed she was being used as a "bargaining chip" in a diplomatic spat between Iran and the UK.

Mr Ratcliffe said Theresa May and her ministers could have "publicly stood up for Nazanin more" and should have called for her release.

The Prime Minister raised concerns about Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe with Iranian president Hassan Rouhani in the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York in September.

Mr Ratcliffe said: "She raised those concerns in September. What happened after September? Nothing much, really."

He said it was a "good thing" that she did raise concerns but "the Prime Minister raising criticisms would be better, the Prime Minister calling for her release would be better still".

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, from Hampstead, was arrested at Tehran Airport on April 3 2016 with her two-year-old daughter Gabriella.

Mr Ratcliffe has suggested her detention is being used by the Tehran government in an attempt to get the British authorities to pay for an arms deal with Iran struck in the 1970s.

"Obviously our family being caught up as a bargaining chip in international politics is a pretty tough place to be," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

He said more details of the charges against her may emerge at the appeal this week, which he hopes could bring an end to her ordeal.

"Who knows how it will go, we live it day by day. We will see where we are on Wednesday with this appeal and we will see what happens afterwards.

"Certainly, the longer it goes on the more pieces there are to pick up afterwards. So, hopefully, the sooner the better."

The Thomson Reuters Foundation worker was moved out of solitary confinement over Christmas and Mr Ratcliffe said his wife's condition had improved.

"To go back a month or so ago she was suicidal and on hunger strike and very, very low and at her wits' end," he said.

"I spoke to her on Christmas Day. She is still very sad and very low but there was more fight in her again. I think having been moved so she is with other women makes a big difference."
Prince William has praised Chinas decision to shut down its ivory trade by the end of the year describing it as a potential turning point in the battle to save elephants from extinction.

The Chinese government announced last week that it would phase out the selling and processing of ivory before the end of 2017.

The Duke of Cambridge, who has campaigned against the ivory trade for years, welcomed the news.

He said in a statement: "China's decision to ban its domestic ivory trade by the end of the year could be a turning point in the race to save elephants from extinction.

"I congratulate the Chinese government for following through on this important commitment."

Prince William, who is president of umbrella conservation group United for Wildlife, added: "This battle can be won.

"We need all countries to step up to the plate and do their part to end the illegal wildlife trade and save our iconic species before it is too late."

In September, William said he feared the African elephant would have disappeared from the wild by the time Princess Charlotte turns 25 due to poaching.

He told the audience at an event organised by conservation charity Tusk, of which he is a patron, that he was "not prepared to be part of a generation that lets these iconic species disappear from the wild".

Additional reporting by Press Association
A woman has been rushed to hospital after being bitten as she tried to get a selfie with a crocodile.

The French tourist was attacked by the reptile at a nature trail in Thailands Khao Yai National Park, the Bangkok Post reported.

After posing for the snap, she slipped and the crocodile sank its teeth into her leg, the paper reported.

Park chief Kanchit Srinoppawan told the paper the animal was released into the park back in 2008 but had always evaded capture.

He said: Its never attacked anyone before. The incident took place because of a breach of regulations.

There are clear signs in the area and officials conduct routine patrols in isolated parts.

The 48-year-old victim is expected to make a full recovery after Sundays attack.
BRIDGEPORT  The trial of a Nebraska man accused of killing a Colorado man and stuffing his body in a barrel is scheduled to begin this week.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin Tuesday in the trial of Zachary Mueller, 25. Mueller has pleaded not guilty to killing 33-year-old Pedro Dominguez of Greeley, Colorado.

A farmer found the barrel with Dominguez' body inside near Bayard, Nebraska, on Dec. 4, 2014. Authorities say Dominguez had been shot in the back of the head.
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Hundreds of construction workers will be put to work in Fremont over the next couple summers building a massive $275 million facility for producing broiler chickens, and the utility lines and roads to serve it, as well as upgrading the citys water treatment plant.

There is going to be so much construction in Fremont I would say youre going to have five or six hundred construction workers in town between our projects, Fremont Interim City Manager Brian Newton said during a recent interview.

This is a massive windfall not only for Fremont, but for the state.

Yet that potential economic boon also has hatched concerns over how adding 17 million chickens to the regions already abundant livestock population could harm waterways, quality of life and drinking water.

Critics are sounding alarm bells, saying an accidental discharge from the slaughterhouse and runoff from land-applied manure could foul rivers. They also worry that raising chickens in crowded barns could damage air quality, spread disease and foster the rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Now is the time to really look at it and ask questions, said Duane Hovorka, director of the Nebraska Wildlife Federation. Its much more difficult once youre already in place and up and operating to change the operation.

Hovorka said Nebraskans should be asking whether next to the Platte River is the right place for Costcos massive chicken processing plant, which will be run under the name Lincoln Premium Poultry, and whether state rules are adequate to protect the downstream communities and wildlife like the endangered pallid sturgeon.

Costco plans call for a 360,000-square-foot slaughter facility, a 85,000-square-foot hatchery producing nearly 470,000 chicks a day, and a 32,000-square-foot mill that will make 1.314 million tons of animal feed a year. Lincoln Premium Poultry is finishing up the permit process, engineering and signing up farmers, all of which it hopes to have finished by February so it can get the final go-ahead from Costco to break ground in April, company officials have said.

Opponents have suggested increased pollution could put Lincoln and Omaha in a situation like Des Moines Water Works, which is suing three agriculture-heavy upstream counties over nitrate levels in the Raccoon River. Nebraska Communities United, a group that formed to oppose the Costco facility, plans to organize informational seminars in both Lincoln and Omaha in January about pollution dangers.

But officials with both the Lincoln and Omaha water utilities said the Nebraska cities have much different setups than Des Moines, which takes water directly from the river and must filter out heavy amounts of nitrates from farm runoff.

Both Lincoln and Omaha get water from wells near the Platte River, and Omaha has a separate water treatment plant that pulls from the Missouri River.

Lincoln gets its water from wells near Ashland, then pumps it about 26 miles to the city through a network of pipes. The wells get help from mother nature with water being naturally filtered by layers of sediment and sand, said Water Distribution Superintendent Steve Owen.

Omaha Metropolitan Utilities District spokeswoman Tracey Christensen agreed.

Because they are groundwater plants, it is doubtful that there would be any detrimental effects from a spill into the river, Christensen said.

Despite those assurances, the water utilities said they plan to closely watch the permitting process through the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, which will include extensive reviews and public comment periods. The company in December filed its first request, an air quality construction permit.

While the utilities say current regulations are adequate, others question whether Nebraska should beef them up.

"This case brings up a conversation that is past due. We need to be better looking at how we are permitting what we are putting into our water to protect public safety," said Graham Christensen, who farms near Oakland and advocates on state environmental issues through his company GC Resolve.

Costco sold 76 million rotisserie chickens in 2014 at $4.99 each in its wholesale discount stores across the nation. But as demand for the savory birds continues to increase, supply has become tighter and costs inched up.

Thats where the new Fremont facility comes in. Lincoln Premium Poultry will control the entire production chain from the chickens that lay the eggs, to the hatcheries, to making feed pellets, to the slaughter.

The only part that will be outsourced is the raising of the chickens.

A network of more than 100 farmers will raise the birds for Costco in a total of about 450 barns, which would each be capable of housing 43,000 chickens. Resulting litter -- a mix of bedding, manure and feathers -- would be composted and applied on fields as fertilizer or sold.

Critics are concerned manure will be applied too strongly or at the wrong time and wash into area waterways causing spikes in nitrates and phosphorus.

Costco has said it will require chicken farmers to make nutrient management plans and file for state permits governing pollutant discharge, even though its not required by state law.

Farmers who dont meet standards will not be allowed to grow for Costco, Walt Shafer, Lincoln Premium Poultrys project manager, said,

The project would increase the number of broiler chickens -- the kind you eat -- by nearly 20 times in Nebraska over 2012 level of 909,000 birds, which is the most recent U.S. ag census number available. More recent numbers don't get reported because Nebraska produces so few.

Nebraska would still be far below the nations top producing broiler states -- Georgia, Arkansas and Alabama -- which each produce about a billion broilers a year.

Walt said there also will be specific provisions in the grower contracts covering the treatment of animals and strict biological security.

We want to protect our farmers and our investment, he said.

Alan Kolok, a University of Nebraska at Omaha biologist, cautioned that despite best intentions, rules arent always followed.

If everyone follows the land applications according to the letter of the law, there will be no problem, he said. But that relies on the good faith of a lot of participants and sometimes that doesnt work out all that well.

If pollution does become a problem, he said, there is no way to know when the natural sand filters protecting the Lincoln and Omaha water wells could be overwhelmed.

What is the capacity of a natural system? Its really hard to get a handle on that, he said. What is the point at which that filter is overcome by contaminate load? Its pretty difficult to say.

Wastewater from the Costco chicken plant will be treated by the city of Fremont, which is upgrading its treatment facility at a cost of about $25 million. For wastewater treatment alone, the city expects to get $1 million in revenue from Lincoln Premium Poultry.

Wastewater -- nearly 2 million gallons a day -- from slaughter containing blood, fat, manure and other pollutants will first be filtered inside the plant then be pumped to a city-owned anaerobic lagoon nearby to let pollutants break down and settle out of the water before it flows to the city treatment facility.

The covered lagoons -- there will be three -- will also be used by other industry in the area and be built at a cost of $10 million, of which $5 million will be paid for by Lincoln Premium Poultry. Methane from the lagoons will be captured and sold to industries for heating.

Fremont needed to upgrade its wastewater treatment facility regardless -- the city previously has violated discharge limits for suspended solids -- but put off the project so it could incorporate Costcos needs into its plans, said Newton, who also works as the citys utilities general manager.

The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality has given Fremont until Nov. 1, 2019, to improve its wastewater treatment and forbidden the town from taking on new industrial or commercial customers that would increase flow or loading by more than 5 percent until the upgrades are complete.
This is the cigar that got the Illusione brand off the ground. In 2004, Dion Giolitotoday well-known throughout the industry for his height, unique hairstyle, obsession with conspiracy theories, and cigar blending abilitiesopened a cigar shop in Reno. Shortly thereafter, with assistance from Pete Johnson of Tatuaje fame, he bought 50 boxes of robustos that would become his house blend. He called the cigar 88, commemorating the year he moved to Nevada, and named the brand Illusione.

Illusione sounded like an inside secret, Giolito recently told Cigar Aficionado. An indie cigar for people part of an inner circle. Plus, the word Illusione sounded nice. Very European. Today, all the cigars in the original Illusione lineup (also known as Original Documents) have unique names that refer to Giolitos faith, a significant year in his life, or his favorite numbers at the craps table.

Illusione debuted at the 2006 industry trade show within the Tatuaje booth. At the time, the cigars were crafted in Honduras at the Raices Cubanas factory; production has since moved to the TABSA factory in Nicaragua, where the five-pack of 88s I smoked for this review were made.

This well-made robusto (5 x 52) retails for about $8 and is notably heavy in the hand due to its tight packing of Nicaraguan tobaccos. At first glance, the cigar has a rustic appeal, though the quality is evident. The clean, milk chocolate-colored wrapper has tight seams, minimal veins, and a fine, toothy surface. There is a floral pre-light scent, and the triple-cap clips cleanly to reveal a smooth cold draw. The simple, thin, black and white ring band is very loosely applied; it can be slipped off the cigar easily.

Once an even light is established, an oily, rich, medium-bodied taste emerges with a core of dry wood, cinnamon, white pepper, cocoa powder, and traces of leather. The finish is characterized by a floral sweetness, and the texture is simultaneously airy and a bit sandy. After a half inch or so, a delightful creamy nuttiness comes to the fore. Coffee and mint join in around the midway mark. The finale reminds me of oily coffee beans with a gentle cayenne heat.

The 88s combustion properties are imperfect but not troublesome. Each of my five samples required some touch-ups along the way to stay lit and burning evenly. The gray ash is flaky, yet it manages to hold well off the foot. Smoke production is above average.

We interviewed Giolito in 2008, when Illusione was still young. Then, he told us the greatest challenge in creating a brand was dealing with all of the liars. If theres one thing that Ive learned in this side of the business its that everybody liesfarmers, factory owners, managers, etc. My biggest challenge has been to get my ideals and approach across to these guys without them cutting corners every time the cats away. Sometimes the leaf you choose is mysteriously not the leaf that goes into the cigar. Ive refused entire orders because of one component. I need to be able to look someone in the eye when they ask me what my favorite cigar is and tell them its the one I make. I dont want to be the guy that makes a cigar and smokes someone elses. There are a lot of those guys out there.

While a lot has changed since 2008, Giolitos passion for excellence still comes through in the 88. This is a flavorful, satisfying, well-balanced robusto, and I think Illusiones trademark floral sweetness comes through particularly well in this format. The Illusione 88 earns a very respectable rating of four stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys
Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers will face a residency challenge when the Legislature fires up this week.

His election opponent, John Sciara, filed the qualifications challenge with Patrick O'Donnell, the Legislature's clerk, shortly after the November vote, as the unsuccessful candidate. Such a challenge can be brought only by him, and within 40 days following the election.

Chambers bested Sciara in North Omaha's District 11 by a wide margin: 7,763 votes for Chambers to 1,726 for Sciara.

Now Sciara says that through conversations he has had with numerous people over several years, he believes Chambers is ineligible to hold the office.

According to the challenge, Chambers has a residence in North Omaha on Binney Street, but actually is living in Bellevue.

Qualifications for a senator require that he or she reside within the district for one year before the election. The Legislature determines the rules of its proceedings and is the judge of elections, returns and qualifications of members, the Constitution says.

In an interview, Sciara said he's been told by senators and former senators, and by people who live in Bellevue that Chambers has lived in Bellevue "a long time."

Sciara said bodily presence at a residence determines domicile.

The state Constitution says that a senator must reside within the district for one year before election. But state law defines residence as the place in which a person is domiciled, has a settled connection for civil status or other legal purposes because it is actually or legally his or her permanent and principal home. And if a person leaves the residence, he or she must intend to return.

Sciara had to put down $5,000 for any expenses that would be connected to the challenge. He said he raised it through his campaign webpage and Facebook. He'll get it back if there are no expenses for the challenge.

"Strangely enough I got very little support when I was running because nobody thought I had a chance," he said. "Now they're seeing there is an opportunity possibly to remove Sen. Chambers from the Unicameral."

Chambers talks a lot about following the rules, he said, but he's a hypocrite because he is not following them himself.

"If you're going to keep talking about following the rules, you'd better live by the rules," he said.

Chambers reiterated that a Nebraska Supreme Court decision says residency is a matter of what the person intends, and that they will always come back to that primary home if they leave for a time.

"What has to be established is that I have abandoned my home, and it's impossible to establish," he said.

He said a 1974 Nebraska Supreme Court case points out that the question of determining residence is a judicial one. Another case establishes that to effect a change of domicile, there must not only be a change of residence but an intention to permanently abandon the former home.

Chambers sent information to his fellow senators in November showing evidence of his Binney Street residence, including notices of premium payments to insurance carriers and utility and other bills sent to that address.

He said he obviously has not falsified his residence, because it would have implications in violations of such things as voter registration, Accountability and Disclosure filings and voter fraud.

Chambers said the qualifications challenge is a faulty rule that is being misapplied in this case. But as a member of the Legislature he submits himself to the rules, he said.

He called it a busybody, gossipy, harassment type of action.

Sciara said he hopes to find out on Wednesday or Thursday how the Executive Board will set up the committee to review the challenge. The committee will have to have a minimum of five members, and if there are more ensure it is an odd number of people.

Any recommendation by the committee would then go to the full Legislature for a vote.
Bristol, United Kingdom (PRWEB UK) 2 January 2017

Passenger numbers exceeded the seven million milestone for the first time in Bristol Airports history in 2016. To ensure the passenger experience remains positive as volumes increase, the airport has enlisted the expertise of software specialists Gentrack to implement BLIP Systems BlipTrack Kerb-to-Gate Solution. The technology will provide the airport with a cohesive picture of guest experiences--from the moment they arrive, to when they leave, and everywhere in between.

It will enable Bristol Airport management to retrieve both live and historical information about specific patterns, such as walking routes, entrance and exit usage and time spent in specific areas--such as car parks, check-in, security, lounges, gates and more. Managers will be provided with an understanding of how disruptions or changes affect standard behaviour, and how to optimise each and every area to operate optimally.

Accurate wait times ease travelers minds.

As the solution collects data in real-time, it is able to provide early warning if congestion occurs. This rapid information allows the airport to take fast, proactive measures before the situation escalates.

From a traveler's perspective, when the last phase of the central search development is complete, the airport will be able to provide a positive travel experience by displaying accurate queue times on screens. This will allow passengers to reduce frustration by creating realistic wait time expectations.

The solution consists of dedicated WiFi/Bluetooth sensors and a sophisticated analysis platform. Bristol Airport is able to extract any combination of data, both real-time and historically, to provide the desired output. For example, management can review how long a typical customer spends in the check-in area. This pattern can be averaged over a day, a week, a month, as well as for a specific carrier, destination, time of day and more.

Paul Davies, Operations Director, Bristol Airport said: "We wanted to introduce a state-of-the-art technical solution to the challenges airports face in improving customer flow management in the terminal. We had very high expectations prior to the introduction of the system, and I am very happy to say that the outcome has proved very successful. The system has capabilities of further enhancements which will provide other long term solutions in the future."

"To understand and improve individual areas of airport operations, it is important that the traveler's journey is seen as a single process, rather than as a string of isolated events. The understanding that all individual events influence each other is key to unlocking potential gains. Accurate flow and dwell time information helps to understand, optimize and improve airport process, and to maintain acceptable waiting times," says Christian Bugislaus Carstens, Marketing Manager at BLIP Systems.

"Airport queues are amongst the most frustrating passenger experiences during a journey. By implementing BlipTrack, Bristol Airport will be able to analyse the situation in real-time as well as predict any potential issues and act accordingly," says Ilya Burkin, Business Development Manager at Gentrack.

Bristol Airport joins a host of other UK airports, including Manchester, Dublin and Edinburgh, who are using the solution in optimisation efforts. BlipTrack is also deployed in the city of Portsmouth and the Port of Dover to help ease traffic woes. Internationally, more than 30 international airports use the Danish technology, including Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, JFK Airport in New York, Copenhagen, Oslo, Geneva, Brussels, Cincinnati and Auckland. The solution is also implemented in road traffic in Bangkok, Switzerland, New Zealand, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Canada and Ireland. In recent years, is has been rolled out in train stations in Holland, ski resorts in the US, amusement parks in the UK, and at events all over the world.

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/01/prweb13953208.htm
By John Davison

BEIRUT (Reuters) - 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)
People walk behind a caravan carrying the coffin the Polish driver Lukasz Urban, who was killed in the Berlin Christmas market attack, during Urban's funeral in Banie village near Szczecin, north-western Poland December 30, 2016. Agencja Gazeta/Cezary Asz

By Jakub Iglewski

WARSAW (Reuters) - Polish President Andrzej Duda and hundreds of mourners on Friday attended the funeral of Lukasz Urban, the Polish truck driver who was killed and his vehicle used to crash into a Berlin Christmas market last week.

The 37-year-old father of a teenaged boy was among 12 people killed in the attack claimed by Islamic State.

Germany's Federal Prosecutor's Office said on Thursday Urban had died shortly before the attack and forensic tests were needed to determine whether he had been shot with a gun later found on the attacker in Milan.

Mourners packed a small church in Banie, the driver's home village, for mass, while several trucks parked nearby honked their horns to honor the driver, private television channel TVN24 showed.

Duda laid a wreath and briefly kneeled in front of Urban's white coffin, after attending mass in the village in northwestern Poland, 15 km (9 miles) from the German border.

Prime Minister Beata Szydlo said earlier Urban's son and wife would receive a special pension, while an internet crowdfunding campaign started by a British truck driver has raised more than 177 thousand pounds ($218,000) for the family.

"Poles have fallen victim in terrorist attacks before," Szydlo said in a letter to the family read during Friday's church service. "But the tragedy in Berlin is extraordinary in terms of its ruthlessness and brutality."

The suspected Berlin attacker, 24-year-old Tunisian Anis Amri, was shot dead by Italian police on Friday after a European-wide manhunt.

A local trucking association boss, Romuald Szmyt, laid the blame for Urban's death on the company due to receive his cargo of 24 tonnes of steel elements, saying its officials should not have made the driver wait to unload.

"Lukasz Urban was a very good driver," he told mourners. "He was meant to unload on Tuesday but he arrived early. Two German drivers arrived and they were unloaded on Monday. He had to wait."

(Reporting by Jakub Iglewski; Editing by Justyna Pawlak and Janet Lawrence)
The U.S. Capitol Building is lit at sunset in Washington, U.S., December 20, 2016. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

By Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new, Republican-controlled U.S. Congress convenes on Tuesday eager to repeal major portions of President Barack Obama's healthcare law and roll back environmental and financial industry regulations, but could quickly become embroiled in fights over President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet choices.

Despite his promise to unite a deeply divided country, Trump will be sworn in on Jan. 20 leading a Republican Party that early on will push legislation through Congress without significant - or any - Democratic support.

According to a Gallup poll released on Monday, Trump will take office with less than half of Americans confident in his ability to handle an international crisis, use military force wisely or prevent major ethics lapses in his administration.

Leading Democrats on Monday warned of a fierce fight over Obamacare, which is expected to have 13.8 million people enrolled in the program that aims to provide health insurance to economically disadvantaged people and to expand coverage for others.

Obama is scheduled to meet on Wednesday with congressional Democrats to discuss strategies for fending off Republican attacks on Obamacare.

Vice President-elect Mike Pence will meet with his fellow House Republicans the same day to rally them on repealing Obamacare, Politico reported.

Republicans in coming weeks will try to steer legislation through Congress using procedures that would not require Democratic cooperation. Their bill, which has not been unveiled, is expected to repeal Obamacare, but postpone the actions for two or three years while also maintaining some of the law's provisions.

"We're going to fight as hard as ever to protect the ACA (Affordable Care Act), said Representative Steny Hoyer, the House of Representatives' second-ranking Democrat.

Speaking to reporters, Hoyer and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said they would launch an effort to mobilize grassroots support for Obamacare by explaining how repeal would create a ripple effect hurting a majority of Americans.

For years, Republicans have hammered away at Obamacare, insisting it was unworkable and was hampering job growth. With control of Congress and the White House, they will be in a position to enact a repeal bill.

The Senate will have more than legislation on its hands in the new year.

It has the daunting task of debating and voting on the scores of appointees Trump already has announced to head his Cabinet departments and for other top jobs in the new administration.

It also is expected to receive a Supreme Court nomination early on from Trump, triggering a likely confirmation war.

Prominent Senator John McCain has warned that Rex Tillerson, Trump's choice for secretary of state, will have to explain his relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom McCain has called a "thug and a murderer."

Tillerson, who spent much his career at Exxon Mobil Corp (NYSE: XOM), has been involved in business dealings in Russia and opposed U.S. sanctions against Russia for its incursion into Crimea.

Meanwhile, Democrats are expected to oppose Republican Jeff Sessions to be attorney general, in part because of his opposition to immigration and past remarks that showed racial insensitivity.

And given Trump's campaign promise to "drain the swamp" in Washington of special interests, especially Wall Street influence, Democrats are also poised to attack the nomination of Steven Mnuchin to be treasury secretary.

Mnuchin is a successful private equity investor and hedge fund manager who spent 17 years at Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE: GS).

Nevertheless, Trump is expected to win approval of most, if not all, of his nominees.

Besides Obamacare repeal, Republicans also want to curtail or block regulations aimed at controlling industrial emissions that contribute to climate change and banking industry reforms enacted in the wake of the near-collapse of Wall Street several years ago.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who waged bitter battles against Obama over the past eight years, has warned his fellow Republicans against overreaching following their Nov. 8 election victories.

In an interview with Kentucky Educational Television on Dec. 19, McConnell said, "It's certainly no time for hubris" and there is "not much I can do (legislatively) with Republicans only in the U.S. Senate."

While he repeatedly called for removing Obamacare "root and branch," McConnell said in the interview that his top priorities for the new Congress were dealing with "massive overregulation" that he said has been a brake on the U.S. economy and accomplishing tax code changes to stop companies from moving jobs offshore.

(Reporting By Richard Cowan; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
A man rides a bicycle near damaged buildings in the rebel held besieged city of Douma, in the eastern Damascus suburb of Ghouta, Syria December 30, 2016. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh

By John Davison

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebel groups said on Saturday they would consider a ceasefire deal brokered by Russia and Turkey "null and void" if the Damascus government's forces and their allies continued to violate it.

Russia, which supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has urged the United Nations to give its blessing to the fragile ceasefire, the third truce this year seeking to end nearly six years of war in Syria.

Clashes and air strikes have persisted in some areas since the ceasefire began on Friday, though the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, said on Saturday the truce was still largely holding.

"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," a statement signed by a number of rebel groups said.

The statement said government forces and their allies including Lebanese Hezbollah had been trying to press advances, particularly in an area northwest of Damascus in the rebel-held Wadi Barada valley.

The Observatory, which is based in Britain, said government forces and the rebels had clashed on Saturday in Wadi Barada.

Rebels say the army is seeking to recapture the area, where a major spring provides most of Damascus's water supplies. Several people were killed in violence there on Friday, the Observatory said.

Blasts from government shellfire were also heard in the southern provinces of Quneitra and Deraa, the Observatory said.

Each side blames the other for continued unrest. Russia's defence ministry said on Friday rebels had violated the truce 12 times in 24 hours.

PEACE TALKS

Russia and Turkey, which backs the armed opposition to Assad, brokered the ceasefire agreement in the hope of preparing the way for peace talks in Kazakhstan in the new year.

In their statement, the rebels said it appeared the government and the 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.

There has been confusion over which groups in the opposition are included in the ceasefire. Islamic State, which has made enemies of all sides in the conflict, is not included.

The Syrian army said on Thursday the militant group formerly known as the Nusra Front was not part of the truce. However, several rebel officials said the group, which has been renamed Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, was also included in the ceasefire deal.

(Reporting by John Davison; Editing by Gareth Jones)
Kaziranga: Roaming in Rhino land By Jayantha Jayewardene View(s): View(s):

One of Indias most popular national parks, the Kaziranga National Park is 430 square kilometres. It is well known for its Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), Elephants (Elepha smaximus), Tigers (Panthera tigris) and a variety of birds including many migrants. Kaziranga is also a World Heritage site.

Whilst at Kaziranga I had the rare pleasure of meeting the great Indian naturalist Valmik Thapar who was staying at the same lodge, called Wild Grass, that we were staying in. Thapar is well known for his efforts to conserve endangered Indian wildlife, especially tigers. His films, videos etc on tigers are world renowned. Talking to him was a wide ranging education in wildlife conservation.

This park is basically in two parts, separated by the Guwahati  Kaziranga main highway. The eastern part is low lying land through which the Brahmaputra, which is Indias biggest river, makes its way down towards the sea, dividing the low land part of Kaziranga into two parts.

This river which starts inTibet, where it is known as Tsangbo is the longest river of Tibet. From Tibet it flows into the state of Arunachal Pradesh, in India. Downstream from Arunachal Pradesh the river becomes phenomenally wider and is called the Siang. After reaching Assam, the river is known as Brahmaputra.

On the other side of the highway is a large area of jungle which is on a steep hill.

Every year with the rains the Brahmaputra overflows its banks and completely floods the low-lying side of Kaziranga at high levels of flood. When the waters rise, different species of animals, led by the elephants, go away quickly from the flooded area onto the hills which are covered in jungle. Most of these animals use the five broad highway crossings that the park authorities have created. Motorists are warned of the animals crossing and are cautioned to drive slowly.

The last census, carried out in 2015, has shown that the park hosts 2401 Rhinos. The flood in 2016 has been the worst in the decade. During this period 22 Rhinos drowned. Nine babies who could not swim and 13 adults. Since Rhinos are usually strong swimmers these adults would have been either old or sick.

Rhinos defecate on the same spot for 15 -20 days or so and move onto another spot. Since they only use open areas to defecate, piles of dung, in various stages of decomposition, can be seen along the roads that run through the park.

Kaziranga also has the worlds highest ecological density of the tiger in any national park in the world. The number of tigers in India has reduced drastically in the last two decades but has now increased somewhat. This park also has the worlds largest population of the Asiatic Wild Buffalo (Bubal-usbubalis).

Some of the birds seen were: Bar-headed Geese, Greylag Geese (these geese breed in Ladak up in the north and come down in winter to feed), Ruddy Sheldrake, Mallard, Common Teal, Eastern Spoonbill, Widgeon, Gadwal, Black-necked Stork, Dusky Spotted Owl on a Fishing Eagles nest, Phallas Eagle, Fishing Eagle, Serpent Eagle, Tawny Eagle, Changeable Hawk Eagle, Kaleej Pheasant, Indian Jungle Fowl (both the Indian female and male are different from the Sri Lankan Jungle Fowl) and large, intermediate (or Medium), Small and Cattle Egrets.

The Drongo is known locally as Policeman since it drives off the birds of prey allowing the smaller birds to forage in peace.

There were plenty of Barking Deer, Swamp Deer and Hog Deer to be seen.
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.
You cant call a baby 4Real, 89 or 2nd.

These names and 491 others have been rejected by the registrar general since they were first given the power to intervene in 1995.

The Department of Internal Affairs reviews babies names and rejects any name that is unreasonably long, offensive or is an official title, a spokesman said.

One child was almost called "Anal" before the department rejected the name.

Families would be given the chance to explain the name, a spokesman said.

The most common reason for a name to be refused was when it resembled an official title like sir, price or justice.

Official titles spelt incorrectly were also included in the 494 names to be rejected. Royaal, Royahl, Juztice, Kingz and Justus had all been rejected.

A few children had almost been given military and police honours at birth. Senior Constable, Suprintedent and Mayjor were deemed unacceptable names.

With the coming of the internet, a few digital friendly names had also come under scrutiny.

Children could not be given a url as a name, the registrar general had ruled.

More than a dozen names including / had been rejected, as well as three names with a dot in them.

"There are close to 60,000 babies born in New Zealand each year. Less than one per cent of babies have their name personally considered by the registrar general," says an Internal Affairs spokesman.

What you cant name your child:

Justice

King

Prince

Royal

Princess

Duke

Bishop

/ (in name)

Messiah

Royale

Majesty

Major

Knight

Lucifer

J

Queen

using brackets around middle names

Judge

Lady

. (in name)

Christ

Empress

Justus

Justyce

Regal

Rogue

Sir

using back slash between double-barrell surname

()name in brackets

3rd

Chief

E

I

II

III

Jr

Lord

Master

Mr

President

T

V

89

* (star symbol)

9

2nd

4real

5th

A.J

Anal

Baron

C

C J

Commodore

Constable

Corporal

D

Dr

Dame

Duchess

Dukey

Eminence

Emperor

G

General

Goddess

Honour

H-Q

Impryss

Juke

Justis

Justyce-Lee

Juztice

Kingz

Kyng

L B

M

Mafia No Fear

Majesti

Majezty

Mayjor

MC

Minister

MJ

MMMR

Pryncess

Prynce

Queen V

Queen Victoria

Roman numerals III

Royaal

Royahl

Royal-Rule

S P

Saint

Sargent

Sarjant

Senior Constable

Severe

Suprintedent

using back slash between middle names

using brackets around middle name

V8

VI

Y

- Stuff
CICERO, N.Y. -- New Year's Day was not uneventful for a pair of Onondaga County police officers and a firefighter.

On Sunday morning Cicero police, the Bridgeport Fire Department and NAVAC Ambulance were called to Route 31 in Bridgeport for a report of a car that crashed and overturned.

Sgt. James Snell and Officer Sean Wallace arrived and saw that the car was on its roof and submerged in water, police said. Snell, Wallace and a third man, firefighter Kyle Sager, jumped into the water, which was waist-deep.

They broke the back passenger window of the car, police said, and cut the driver's seat belt before pulling him free.

The driver was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover, police said.
Trumps election has rather overshadowed last months selection of another international leader. On 1 January 2017 a new United Nations Secretary General took office. Antonio Guterres brings over a decade of experience working in the UN and, as Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002, he has a deep understanding of the pressures political leaders face. Samantha Power, the US Permanent Representative to the United Nations, called him a supremely qualified candidate and one who has a passion for using this office to prevent conflict and alleviate human suffering. The United Nations Security Councils unanimous vote in favour of Guterres on October 5th was a surprise for two reasons. First, he is not an Eastern European, which had been expected due to an informal practice of regional rotation. Second, he is not a woman, and there was a strong campaign to elect a woman to the office for the first time and a number of extremely experienced and talented women candidates. So what type of leadership can we expect from Guterres, particularly on the critical issue global refugee and migration governance given that over 65 million people are currently displaced worldwide and the vast majority of refugees are hosted in the Global South.

Guterres was an ambitious, expansionist and politically astute High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) from 2005 to 2015. Although the UNHCR has one of the narrowest mandates of all UN agencies  it was established to offer legal protection to refugees, defined as people fleeing persecution  Guterres saw a much broader role for it as the UNs displacement organisation. He argued that the drivers of displacement were changing due to population growth, migration, urbanization, climate change, and food, water and energy insecurity. He argued that climate change would unseat conflict as the main driver of mass migration in coming years, and that the international community must develop new international frameworks to protect those it had displaced. Guterres sought to adapt UNHCRs mandate to 21st century challenges.

The UNHCR had to keep it's narrow mandate

A leader of any international organisation needs to command state support for their vision, and states were extremely reluctant to expand UNHCRs mandate. At a 2011 ministerial meeting they rejected Guterres call to offer protection to those falling outside the Refugee Convention. After all, most states fiercely guard their borders and are generally unwilling to open up new legal channels for migration or asylum. However, a small group of sympathetic states backed his call. Subsequently, in 2012 UNHCR worked with Norway and Switzerland (with German support) to establish the Nansen Initiative: a state-led, consultative process to identify solutions to cross-border displacement related to climate change. In October 2015 over 100 states gave broad support to better protect people displaced across borders by disasters and climate change. While there is still no clear mandate for UNHCR to offer this protection, by working in coalition with sympathetic states, Guterres and UNHCR advanced the conversation on displacement related to natural disasters.

Refugees and migrants to top the agenda

So what can Guterres do in his new role as UN Secretary General? There are three critical ways in which the United Nations can make a difference on refugees and migration. First, Guterres can make refugees and migration a priority issue for the UN, as Ban-Ki Moon did with climate change. Ban summoned states to global summits in New York on several occasions, and lobbied them to take strong actions to curb their emissions and forge a fair, binding international climate agreement. Guterres can seize on states willingness to discuss migration and refugees in the UN as they did in New York on 19 September. He could summon states to high-level summits and lobby them to commit to fairer distribution of refugees globally, and to protect vulnerable migrants who fall outside of the refugee convention. Second, Guterres can ensure that the UNs development and humanitarian agencies are singing from the same song-sheet, rather than engaging in turf-wars, and all promote freedom of movement. As Guterres himself said, Development cooperation policies must take much greater account of human mobility. Migration should be an option, not a necessity; out of hope, not despair.

Moral leadership - with Merkel?

Finally, Guterres can use his position as the worlds moral leader and lead a global discussion with refugees, migrants, civil society and the private sector to illustrate the benefits for all societies of enabling migration and hosting refugees. This is particularly important in the aftermath of Donald Trumps election in the US, the UKs decision by referendum to leave the European Union, and the increasing popularity of the Alternative fur Deutschland and other anti-immigrant, populist parties across Europe. Gueterres could well emulate Angela Merkels moral stance and turn her challenge to Trump to cooperate on the basis of shared values including respect for law and human dignity, into a challenge for the world.

Nina Hall is a Lecturer in Global Governance at the Hertie School of Governance, Berlin. She has a PhD in International Relations from the University of Oxford. She has researched and published on climate change and humanitarianism, global refugee and migration governance, climate adaptation financing, and leadership in international organisations. Her book Displacement, Development and Climate Change, International Organizations Moving Beyond their Mandates was published by Routledge (2016). She has also published in Global Environmental Politics and Global Governance and in newspapers such as the Guardian.

Nina Hall

Zur Startseite
Nothing rings in the new year like a solution of bubbling, neurotoxic ethanol.

Humanity's longstanding relationship with alcohol poses an evolutionary puzzle: Surely natural selection would weed out those of our ancestors with a taste for something that clouds judgment, slows reflexes, dulls the senses and impairs balance. Animals in such a state would likely be the first picked off by predators, if they hadn't already fallen out of a tree.

And yet humans all over the world drink ethanol in various concoctions, or they enforce strict rules against it -- rules that surely wouldn't exist if there weren't a desire. We've been at it a long time: Archaeologists have found wine and beer stains on 10,000-year-old stone age pottery.

Scientists are solving the paradox by studying the enzymes our bodies use to digest alcohol. Lots of animals make these enzymes, called alcohol dehydrogenases, and the way these vary from one species to another tells an evolutionary story. Then there's the related question of whether other species imbibe. Preliminary investigations suggest the answer is yes.

"We think we drink alcohol so we can get drunk," said Matthew Carrigan, a biologist who studies the evolution of alcohol use. "But if you were living in the wild, wandering around surrounded by predators at night, would you want to be inebriated?"

What scientists have learned recently is that among our fellow mammals, just humans, gorillas and chimpanzee share a mutation that improves the way our stomachs break down ethanol. This change probably equipped members of our evolutionary branch to handle the weak alcohol content of fermenting fruit -- not wine, scotch or martinis. But an adaptation to stronger stuff may be in progress.

The way the mutation spread suggests there was an advantage to those who had it, and Carrigan thinks it has something to do with fermented fruit. Ten million years ago our ancestors lived on fruit, and there's evidence that around this time the African climate cooled off, forests became savannahs, and our ape ancestors spent more time on the ground, where they'd probably encounter a lot more fermented fruit than they would in the trees. Those who could eat the fermenting fruit without becoming impaired had a big advantage over those who couldn't stomach it -- or those who could but got wobbly afterwards.

There's a big alcohol content difference between naturally fermented fruit, with at most 1 percent alcohol, and man-made beverages, which are typically above 3 percent. This suggests that neither we nor our cousins the chimps are well-adapted to drinking wine, let alone hard liquor.

But some may be ahead of the evolutionary curve. People in parts of China and Southeast Asia were among the first to cultivate a grain -- rice -- and, inevitably, to make wine from it. Once that happened, a mutation started to spread in another gene associated with alcohol digestion -- AHD1. Those with the mutation processed alcohol faster than everyone else. Instead of getting drunk, they'd get flushed and sick from the fast buildup of one of the byproducts of alcohol breakdown -- acetaldehyde.

Some might think this is a defect, but scientists believe it's an adaptation, protecting people from alcohol impairment and alcoholism. It's already spread to 60 to 70 percent of those with Han Chinese ancestry -- suggesting that evolution can sometimes protect us from ourselves. Those without the mutation get drunk because natural selection hasn't had time to catch up.
Universities must become more proactive when tackling anti-Semitism, several parliamentary figures have warned.

Sir Eric Pickles, the Governments Holocaust envoy and current chairman of Conservative Friends of Israel, urged universities to show a bit of gumption when dealing with anti-Semitic incidents. He accused academic institutions of showing grave cowardice when it came to hostility faced by Jewish students on campus.

This was echoed by Universities Minister Jo Johnson, who said institutions must act swiftly in instances of anti-Semitism. Labour MP John Mann described anti-Israel attitudes as a chill factor for Jewish students at some universities.

The comments came after crossbench peer Ruth Deech warned that Jewish students are hesitant to attend certain universities, due to their perceived failure to curb anti-Semitic behaviour.

Baroness Deech told the Telegraph: Amongst Jewish students, there is gradually a feeling that there are certain universities that you should avoid. Definitely SOAS, Manchester I think is now not so popular because of things that have happened there, Southampton, Exeter and so on.

She suggested that institutions are slow to act because of their unwillingness to alienate potential investors.

Many universities are in receipt of or are chasing very large donations from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states and so on, and maybe they are frightened of offending them.

I dont really know why they arent doing anything about it, it really is a bad situation.

Baroness Deech went on to express her disappointment with Oxford University, her alma mater, which she said has failed to deal with anti-Semitic incidents despite its proctors being given a report documenting numerous instances where Jewish students were harassed.

I find it personally very difficult, Ive been at Oxford for 45 years or something and I owe my career to Oxford. But I cant believe that my own university is not setting up an investigation and being proactive about this.

The universities of Southampton, Exeter, and SOAS have denied claims of anti-Semitism. Oxford University said it was surprised and disappointed by Baroness Deechs remarks.

Nicola Dandridge, CEO of Universities UK, said: The university sector has been clear that there is no place for anti-Semitism or any other kind of unlawful discrimination at our universities.

Universities UK look forward to continuing work with the Union of Jewish Students to ensure that every Jewish student has a safe and positive university experience.

There has been a series of reported anti-Semitic incidents at universities over the past year, including at Cambridge, where three Jewish students reportedly faced abuse at a party held by Christs College drinking societies last term.
Apple

Steve Jobs flaunting the first generation iPhone released in 2007 (Credit: Digital Trends)

Samsung

OPPO

LG

Asus

Sony

Nokia

New Nokia Android Smartphone Concept Design by AllTechFishy

Lenovo/Moto

Huawei

O+ USA

Cherry Mobile

Starmobile

CloudFone

MyPhone

As we welcome 2017, I reckon it's good to talk about what consumers can expect to get this year from the top players in the most popular gadget category today, theLet's start within the flagship level.I believe that many key features of upcoming top-of-the-line releases will merely be improved versions of main selling points of successful battleship models from 2016. These include the following:1. Water and Dust Resistant build2. Shell crafted from luxurious real metal and glass panels3. Dual-optics camera module with variance in rendition per brand4. 4K video recorder with OIS5. High resolution front cam along with selfie-centric beautification software6. Quad HD display panel7. Modular construction (most likely limited to Moto models)8. Iris Scanner or Next generation fingerprint scanner (integrated into the screen)9, USB Type C port10. Higher battery capacity.As for the software and internal hardware of these pricey 2017 phones, I expect those running Android to feature version 7.1 Nougat and to be powered by the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor complemented by at least 6GB of RAM.Now, allow me to give you my predictions for international and local handset brands that are popular here in the Philippines:Known for celebrating milestones, the Cupertino company surely has something amazing up their sleeves for the 10th anniversary of the iPhone. Apple fans are already looking forward to a complete design revamp, thinner and lighter build, as well as improved display quality and resolution on the next generation model. Apple iPhone 8 and 8 Plus , 5 Reasons They'll Be Worth The WaitExpect the Korean Giant to bounce back strong after thedebacle of 2016. This year, the world's top handset vendor will prove that it is more than capable of rising above challenges and leading the pack in terms of introducing mobile innovations.On December 19, 2016, I received an email from Samsung Philippines' official PR agency, dishing out interesting details about the company's 2017 flagship smartphone, which some are already calling Samsung Galaxy S8 . Set to be announced within the next few weeks, the device will most likely have 1P68 Water and Dust resistance, around 16 MegaPixel resolution for the front camera 264GB of ROM, Dual SIM capability, bigger battery with fast charge support, and USB Type-C port.In 2016, popular Chinese brand OPPO achieved tremendous success in the Philippines with the breakout market performance of. In fact, according to GFK, the company is now the second most prolific handser vendor in the country, trailing only Samsung; This is an incredible feat considering that they've only been here for less than 36 months.This year, we can expect OPPO to raise the level of its game as its competitors adjust to its growing dominance. I believe the company will also try to expand the reach of its popularity beyond the midrange segment with the release of a strong flagship level model combining stellar build, powerhouse internal hardware, good imaging capabilities, and industry-leading selfie-centric features.As someone who has owned anand has played with theextensively, I will tell you that the Korean company makes some of the best cameraphones out there. In 2017, I'm expecting LG to reinforce this image with the release of, which is rumored to also have a Dual Camera set-up and a military-grade construction similar to the V20. Oddly enough, however, (or perhaps, understandably so,) it's said that this year's flagship will no longer have the modular form factor and value-added feature of its predecessor.If there's one thing I know for sure about Asus, it is that they make incredible devices - across all categories and price segments - that give consumers great value for money. And I know that they'll simply continue doing this in 2017. I'm personally expecting to see Water-and-Dust-resistant upgrades to all ZenFone 3 models this year. Oh, and a Dual-Camera main shooter set-up would be nice too.Some of the best and most gorgeous cameraphones I've ever owned were made by Sony. There's no question to the legendary Japanese company's ability to craft amazing products -- not just in the smartphone category but across the board. However, last year, many consumers (and even Sony fans) got confused when the company changed its Xperia devices nomenclature and when it made an announcement to focus more on midrange handsets. Personally, I think everything about Sony Xperia Z5 Premium was a move towards the right direction; I mean, the fact that it had a 4K display proved that the company is still a trailblazer after all these decades. Perhaps, it would be best for the brand to build on that model in crafting the new flagship that can recapture everyone's fancy and imagination.On May 18, 2016, legendary Finnish giant Nokia officially disclosed that it's making a landmark comeback to the featurephone and smartphone industry via a strategic agreement covering branding rights and intellectual property licensing with HMD Global Oy (HMD). According to various sources, this return will commence in 2017 with the release of at least one flagship level Android smartphone within the first quarter of this year, followed by several midrange models.A couple of months back, Lenovo Group President and CEO Yang Yuanqing announced that the Chinese company will focus only on releasing Moto branded smartphones this year and beyond in all relevant markets across the world. Lenovo Philippines has already started implementing this strategy with the release of, andas well as the introduction of Moto's new celebrity brand ambassadors. In the coming months, we should see the follow-up to these three amazing models; But I'm most excited about the update to the Moto Z, which I call the 'most daring and innovative smartphone of 2016' because of its well-rendered modular form factor.In 2016, the Chinese tech giant's partnership with imaging industry legend Leica bore fruit as both Huawei P9 and P9 Plus became best-sellers here in the Philippines and in many other key markets around the world. This year, the challenge for Huawei is to come up with strong upgrades to these models that incorporate new features while maintaining stellar camera performance. Personally, I think it would be great if Huawei P10 could have an IP67-certified body and 4K video recording capability for it to be considered as a viable alternative - yet again - to far more expensive flagship smartphones that will be released in 2017.O+ Compact Pro 80GB and O+ Ultra 3.0 released in Q4 2016 are proof that the trusted handset maker is keen on crafting and releasing more cameraphones in the upper midrange price bracket moving forward. As an O+ fan and partner, I'd like to see the follow-up to the Compact Pro to still have top-notch internal specs while featuring a larger battery pack like that of the O+ Ultra line and to have front-facing soft LED flash for selfies.Last year, Cherry Mobile truly led the local handset industry in releasing devices with great internal hardware and value added features usually found on expensive handset models by international brands. For example, flagship-levelwas the first Android smartphone from a Pinoy brand to have a Deca-Core processor, a USB Type C Port, and 4GB of RAM. On the other hand,is one of the first handsets in the world to have a secondary e-ink display at the back on top of the IPS screen in front! In 2017, I'm sure that CM would still be at the forefront of giving budget-conscious Filipinos a chance to experience the coolest innovations in the smartphone category for less.Happy Man Philippines - maker of Starmobile devices - is actually the first local company to release a handset with Dual-Optics camera module. The sleek and powerfulwas launched in November 2015 and still remains to be the brand's top-of-the-line smartphone until today. This year, I'm excited to see a great upgrade to this aspirational model. Will the follow-up still have a dual camera set-up? I sure hope so as Spectra is already on the right track.CloudFone made a lot of noise and captured a considerable fanbase in 2016 with the success of the metal-cladseries as well as the handsomeflagship release. In 2017, the challenge for the company is to make the most of the growing interest of Pinoys consumers in their devices as well as to reinforce their identity and branding. Consistency will be key for CloudFone in the coming months and years.A huge chunk of 2016 was spent by MyPhone evaluating and changing its business strategy. The result was the release of several midrange Android smartphones with DTV feature, an across the board change in product nomenclature, and the seeming shelving of the brand's flagship-level Infinity line. I'm rooting for MyPhone -just like I do with all brands in this list - and this year, I'd love to see them reach the same success that they had in 2014 with the Rio series. It will be tougher because they now have more competition but with the right decisions, it's not impossible.
Being able to leave work at work is a luxury that many don't have, especially among those in IT. I've personally witnessed how companies take advantage of salaried employees by forcing them to work from home after hours, sometimes even during holidays or while on vacation.

Now thanks to a new law dubbed "the right to disconnect," having to worry about being contacted out of hours may soon be a thing of the past for French citizens.

From January 1, 2017, companies with more than 50 employees will be forced to conduct discussions as to when workers have the right to ignore e-mail and other communications without repercussions.

In the event that a deal between employer and employee can't be reached, The Guardian notes that the employer must publish a charter that explicitly outlines the demands on, and rights of, employees when not on the clock.

At the same time, Xavier Zunigo, a French workplace expert, said workers won't want to lose the autonomy and flexibility that digital devices afford.

France has had a work week of just 35 hours in place for nearly 20 years.

Supporters of the law claim that employees that are required to work out of hours aren't being compensated for the extra work. What's more, they say that the overuse of such digital devices can lead to increased stress, burnout, sleeplessness and even relationship problems.

Declining to work after hours may also reflect poorly on an employee, giving the impression that said employee isn't committed to their employer.
A new drug has been discovered by National Foundation for Cancer Research scientists that could be a breakthrough in the treatment of a deadliest brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme, or popularly known as GBM.

What Is Glioblastoma Multiforme?

GBM is a rapidly growing, aggressive tumor in the central nervous system that occurs on the brain's supportive tissues. GBM is a grade IV brain cancer and is considered deadliest due to its invasive nature. GBM may emerge in any of the lobes of the brain, though most commonly in frontal and temporal lobes. GBM is predominantly seen in adults.

Symptoms of GBM differ depending on the position of the tumor in the brain, but they usually include nausea, continual headaches, vomiting, blurred vision, loss of appetite, variations in mood or personality, loss of memory, commencement of seizures, weakening of muscles, difficulty in verbal communication, and difficulty in thinking and learning things.

Existing Treatment For Glioblastoma Multiforme

To date, the common treatments for GBM include the following:

1. Surgery: It is the first stage of treatment for patients suffering from glioblastomas. It involves surgical extraction of tumor cells to alleviate pressure in the brain caused by the tumor.

2. Radiation Therapy: This treatment is quite common for glioblastomas patients and is recommended when surgery is deemed as an unsafe option. It can either be used alone or in combination with surgery, chemo, or targeted therapy.

3. Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy drugs and radiation therapy are the most recommended course of treatments for almost all kinds of glioblastomas. After surgical removal of the cancerous tissues from the brain, wafers are grafted in the empty space. In few weeks, the wafers gradually dissolve and fill the surrounding cells with medicine, which is aimed at killing the leftover tumor cells after surgery.

4. Targeted Therapy: This uses medicines to target the portions of cancer cells that make them different from normal cells. This treatment is mostly preferred to treat brain tumors, as it has lesser side effects than the usual chemotherapy treatment.

Breakthrough In The Treatment Of GBM

With the support of NFCR, Dr. Paul B. Fisher and Dr. Web Cavenee have reportedly discovered a new drug agent than can treat GBM. A new drug developed with a novel pharmaceutical agent carefully designed with certain chemical properties could help in preventing invasion of GBM cells as a result of radiation.

Cavenee, Fisher, and their team of researchers have tested the new agent in combination with radiation. It was observed that the survival rate was enhanced further in pre-clinical models when used in combination with radiation.

Franklin C. Salisbury, Jr., NFCR CEO, applauded the research done by Cavenee and Fisher.

"For years, discoveries from NFCR-funded research have led to better treatments today - and this latest discovery by two incredibly talented scientists gives us proof there will be improved therapies for GBM and multiple cancers in the foreseeable future," said Salisbury, in a press release.

The report was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

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In a few hours, it's 2017! But before you head out to party, look back at all these fun facts on New Year's Eve beliefs and traditions you might encounter while ringing in 2017.

Bubbly Blessings

Champagne is a sign of wealth and abundance  and New Year's Eve celebrations are among the most lavish occasions throughout the year. The tradition of drinking sparkling wine on Dec. 31 started with the Christian practice of drinking wine during Eucharistic celebrations. As Europe turned increasingly secular, people started "blessing" or "christening" ships and celebrating non-religious occasions with champagne.

Popping open a bottle of bubbly became widespread with the emergence of the middle class in Europe; more and more people were able to afford what was once reserved only for the wealthy. Today we see crowds on the street shake up a bottle of champagne in a frenzy, to mark this spirited occasion.

'Auld Lang Syne' Is For 'Good Ol' Times'

As the universal hymn at every New Year's Eve party, "Auld Lang Syne" is a throwback to all the "good times" you had with "old acquaintances"  your friends, basically. The actual meaning of "Auld Lang Syne," according to LiveScience, is "once upon a time," which works, too. After all, we're ending another year with our friends and family and might be feeling a little nostalgic. You can, however, update your New Year's Eve playlist to slightly more modern tracks.

No Fireworks At Times Square? Drop The Ball Then!

In 1907, fireworks were banned by local authorities in New York because the ashes and debris from the pyrotechnics fell on the streets.

The famous Times Square Ball was created as the next best alternative to fireworks. But just how sparkly is the current ball? The people who built it say more than 30,000 LED lights and close to 3,000 Waterford crystal triangles adorn it, thus producing that glimmer as it drops.

Kissing At Midnight Brings Good Luck

Smooching isn't only done at the stroke of midnight as a sign of love, although it doesn't hurt to have someone special with you as you ring in the New Year. Old Germanic customs dating back to a pre-Christian period count kissing as a way to "bless" loved ones, protect them, and bring them good luck.

Also, because the New Year is celebrated during the winter, people tend to feel vulnerable, and kissing became a way to feel a sense of security with the person you love.

New Year's Resolutions: Finding Favor With The Gods

For the ancient people of Mesopotamia, declaring their resolutions wasn't just to inform others that they were on a personal mission, such as losing weight or learning a new language. Instead, New Year's "resolutions," presented during the 12-day festival of Akitu, were more similar to a pledge to the king. The people who take the oath must do so to maintain favor with the gods.

The next time you list down your New Year's resolutions, remember that you're lucky you don't have to answer to anybody but YOURSELF when you eat that second slice of chocolate cake in 2017!

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At the start of each year, it has become quite a tradition for some people to look into the predictions of the 16th century prophet Nostradamus.

Nostradamus is renowned for supposedly foretelling a number of catastrophic events, including the Great Fire of London, the French Revolution, the rise of Adolf Hitler, the destruction of the atomic bomb, and the attack on the World Trade Center on 9/11.

The seer remains relevant today for the precision and lucidity of some of his visions, stated in quatrains.

This 2017, Nostradamus  along with another prophet named Baba Vanga from the Balkans  remains not only a source of wonder but also of warning about possible calamities and wars, which are allegedly set to take place soon.

In the interest of knowledge, Tech Times raises questions on these matters to uncover what they could mean for people of today. Conspiracy theories, of course, abound but it's important to view these with a curious and critical mind.

Trump Victory, Possible World War III

Soon after the U.S. presidential election, conspiracy theorists online began circulating the idea that Nostradamus had already foretold Donald Trump's victory. But the story is a bit disconcerting.

The great shameless, audacious bawler.

He will be elected governor of the army:

The boldness of his contention.

The bridge broken, the city faint from fear. (Century I: 40)

Trump who is, according to conspiracy theorists, described in the quatrain as "the great shameless, audacious bawler," is said to wreak havoc on the city. It can be recalled that immediately after the November election, a number of pro- and anti-Trump protesters clashed in different cities across the country: "the bridge broken."

The trumpet shakes with great discord.

An agreement broken: lifting the face to heaven:

the bloody mouth will swim with blood;

the face anointed with milk and honey lies on the ground. (Century I: 57)

Another line in Nostradamus's work also describes a "(false) trumpet," almost a direct reference to the Trump last name. Followers of Nostradamus interpret the doom supposedly surrounding Trump as the beginning of World War III or the cause of his assassination.

Baba Vanga And The Last U.S. President

It is also unsettling to read about the predictions of doomsday prophet Baba Vanga, who seems to support Nostradamus's claims. Baba Vanga predicted the 44th president of the United States, whom we all know now to be Barack Obama, would be African-American and would allegedly be the country's last.

Failed 'Blood Miracle'

In Naples, the congealed blood of the 4th century Saint Januarius, which is supposed to liquefy during a "blood miracle" ceremony, failed to. Reports claim this is a bad omen. In past instances of a failed blood miracle, there had been a deadly earthquake, cholera outbreak, and the Nazi occupation of Italy.





But do all these supposed signs point to a great catastrophe? Even skeptics would do well to, at the very least, consider the possibility that Nostradamus, Baba Vanga, and the blood miracle could be a reminder, if not an outright prediction, of how precarious our political and social situations are and how volatile our environment (both social and ecological) is going into 2017.

Upheavals are possible, so it's best to be prepared for the worst. After all, genius Stephen Hawking has his own set of predictions too about the future of the human race  from the perspective of science. It's wise to listen.

Photo: Salvatore Vastano | Flickr

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Samsung will finally explain what caused Note 7 devices to randomly explode, poised to announce the results of its investigation early this year.

It was around the middle of 2016 when reports of combusting Note 7 units broke into the fore, spurring cases numerous enough to be regarded as something more pressing than just freak incidents. It turned out that there was indeed a legitimate flaw within the devices, but Samsung has been laconic about the specific cause since. It was, however, very diligent in its efforts to recall and hand affected customers their due recompense.

Still, after a strained stint, users deserve at least a proper answer, and according to JoongAng Ilbo, as reported by Reuters, the answer will soon be disclosed by Samsung, specifically before January ends.

Note 7 Probe

The South Korean electronics company said in October that it was looking into all aspects of the Note 7 in order to arrive at a definitive cause behind the numerous explosion. The company thinks that there might be a combination of factors that propelled one of the biggest blunders and one of the costliest failures in product safety the tech world has ever seen.

So many theories have been offered that attempt to explain the cause, and from what can be gathered from these theories, the device's faulty battery caused the explosions. People will soon know if this is indeed true or not.

The whole faux pas could afford Samsung a total of over $5 billion off its profits, it announced mid-October, when it officially halted production of the handsets, unable to weather collateral damage brought on by the situation, which included an official ban of the phone handed by the Federal Aviation Administration, among others.

Investors and analysts have said that it's crucial for Samsung to disclose the root cause of the explosions to repair consumer loyalty and avoid making the same mistakes again.

What's Next For Samsung?

The next smartphone effort from Samsung is the forthcoming Galaxy S8, its flagship device that's filled to the gills with rumors. Murmurs say it'll be manufactured under the Y-OCTA technology process, the same one used in the manufacturing of the Note 7. A rear-mounted fingerprint scanner could also be a feature, alongside an Iris scanner, both making for protection layers for the device.

The Galaxy S8 is slated for an unveiling at this year's Mobile World Congress, happening late February up until early March in Barcelona, Spain. Whether the Galaxy S8 could bring Note 7's dented profits back to Samsung's coffers remains to be determined, but it's fairly reasonable for users to grow suspicious still over Samsung's devices, even with its exhaustive efforts to suture their loyalty.

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WASHINGTON -- Viewing 2016 in retrospect -- doing so is unpleasant, but less so than was living through it -- the year resembles a china shop after a visit from an especially maladroit bull.

Because a law says "the state of California may not sell or display the Battle Flag of the Confederacy ... or any similar image," a painting of the 1864 Siege of Atlanta was banned from display at the Fresno County fair. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services churned out a 25-page policy statement about "the systematic inclusion of families in activities and programs that promote children's development, learning, and wellness." That is, government should provide, as an act of grace -- systematic grace -- a role for parents in raising their children.

Let freedom ring, in the nooks and crannies of the administrative state: One day a year -- Lemonade Day -- children in Austin, Texas, can sell the stuff without spending $460 on various fees, licenses and permits. Twelve-year olds in a Tampa middle school, learning about "how much privilege" they have, were asked if they were "Cisgendered," "Transgendered" or "Genderqueer." Two years after Emma was the most common name given to baby American girls, the trend was toward supposedly gender-neutral baby names (e.g., Lincoln, Max, Arlo) lest the child feel enslaved to stereotypes. A New Jersey mother says a police officer interrogated her 9-year-old son after he was suspected of a racial slur when he talked about brownies, the baked good. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission pondered whether a worker committed racial harassment by wearing a cap emblazoned with the Gadsden flag (depicting a coiled rattlesnake, with the words "Don't Tread on Me"). A University of Iowa professor complained that the Hawkeyes' mascot Herky, a fierce bird, is "conveying an invitation to aggressivity and even violence" that is discordant with the "all accepting, nondiscriminatory messages we are trying to convey."

As President's Day approached, San Diego advised city workers to use "bias-free language" by avoiding the phrase "Founding Fathers." A National Park Service employee giving guided tours to Independence Hall in Philadelphia told tourists that the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were produced by "class elites who were just out to protect their privileged status." The employee praised herself for her "bravery." The NBA, which plays preseason games in China, home of forced abortions and organ harvests, moved its 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte because of North Carolina's law stipulating that transgender individuals should use bathrooms appropriate to their physiology.

At Washington's refurbished Watergate Hotel, the message on room key cards reads "No Need to Break In." The New York Times reported the downside of humanity's mastery of fire: "Figuring out how to make fire was no doubt an evolutionary boon to our ancestors. But it may have led to our smoking habit." Facing a budget shortfall in 2010, New York's Legislature raised the cigarette tax $1.60 to $4.35 per pack, expecting, illogically, that it would discourage smoking and raise $290 million annually. By 2016, cigarette revenues had fallen 25 percent and smuggled cigarettes held 58 percent of the New York market.

By 2016, six years after the president's wife agitated for federal guidelines limiting sodium, sugar, fats and calories in school lunches, 1.4 million students had exited the National School Lunch Program, and students had a robust black market in salt and sugar. A tweet with the hashtag #ThanksMichelleObama said, "The first lady can have a personal chef, but I can't have two packets of ketchup?" After Connecticut imposed its fifth tax increase since 2011, General Electric moved its headquarters from there to Boston. CKE Restaurants includes the Carl's Jr. chain, which was founded in California and ignited the fast-food industry. CKE announced that it was moving its headquarters from California (highest income tax rate: 13 percent) to Tennessee (highest income tax rate: zero).

Congress considered bills to prevent the IRS from hiring or retaining people delinquent in their tax payments. Unions in New York and California lobbied for exemption from the $15 minimum wage they lobbied for. It was splendidly appropriate that when Cuba buried the architect of its ramshackle socialism, the vehicle carrying Castro's ashes broke down and had to be pushed by soldiers.

As you steel yourself for 2017, remember H.L. Mencken's timeless wisdom: A martini is "the only American invention as perfect as the sonnet."
Hyundai is reportedly working on the successor to the Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell, which will improve the fuel cell SUV's range by 30 percent from 265 miles to 348 miles on a single full tank.

The first-generation Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell, released in June 2014, is now the most expensive vehicle of its kind, with less single-fill range compared to its competitors. Will the second-generation Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell be able to challenge other fuel cell vehicles in the market and the Tesla Model X electric SUV?

Second-Gen Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell Details

Hyundai is said to be looking to release the second-generation Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell by January 2018, with the aforementioned 348-mile range on a filled hydrogen tank.

The 30 percent range increase on a full hydrogen tank to 348 miles is a huge advantage for the second-generation model for the Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell. At such expected distances, range anxiety might not seem like a significant issue, but the problem lies in the fact that fuel refilling stations are much harder to come by, compared to how easy it is for electric vehicles to recharge.

Hyundai is also said to be looking to keep the price of the second-generation Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell at a reasonable level of about 60 million South Korean won, which is equivalent to about $50,000. With subsidies provided by the United States government, the actual price of the vehicle will be brought even lower.

The current Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell is currently only available in California, with customers only able to lease the vehicle for a monthly fee of $499 and a term of three years. It is not known if Hyundai will make the second-generation model available only in the same state and in similar terms.

Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell Comparisons

The upcoming fuel cell SUV's range is better compared to the Toyota Mirai, which has a listed range of only 312 miles, but is slightly lower compared to the listed range of 366 miles for the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell. However, customers might be drawn to the second-generation Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell despite the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell promising longer range due to the SUV form factor of Hyundai's offering.

As an SUV that is powered by an alternative fuel source, the second-generation Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell will also be much less expensive compared to the Tesla Motors Model X, as prices for the electric SUV start at $80,000.

The question, of course, is whether Hyundai will be able to deliver its promised range and release date for the second-generation Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell. If the company does, it will have an SUV that will be able to challenge other fuel cell vehicles and the Tesla Model X, but only if competitors do not make significant improvements to their own offerings by January 2018.

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NASA's NEOWISE mission has recently detected two celestial objects approaching Earth, one of which is the 2016 WF9, which is in a blurry line between a comet and an asteroid.

NEOWISE first observed 2016 WF9 on Nov. 27, 2016. The object follows a path that takes it from Jupiter to inside the Earth's orbit over a course of 4.9 years.

It is expected to approach the Earth's orbit on Feb. 25, when it will fly by at a distance of almost 32 million miles or 51 million kilometers from the planet. The proximity is not particularly close to pose any threat of collission with Earth.

Astronomers have been curious about the object since its discovery because its characteristics make it straddle between being identified as distinctly asteroid or comet.

Characteristics Of Comets

NASA describes comets as cosmic snowballs made of frozen gases, rock, and dust that are typically the size of a small town. When they get close to the sun, comets heat up and release dust and gases.

In 2015, the European Space Agency's (ESA) Rosetta probe caught comet 67P producing a cosmic burp of gas and dust, which was attributed to the warming of the body as it got closer to the sun.

2016 WF9 Not Distinctly A Comet

The object 2016 WF9 is believed to be about 0.5 to 1 kilometer in diameter, or 0.3 to 0.6 miles. It has dark appearance and reflects only a small amount of the light that hits its surface. Its reflectivity and orbit are consistent with those observed in other comets but it lacks the distinct cloud of dust and gas that comets are known for.

Astronomers said that bodies in the type of orbit that 2016 WF9 follows have multiple origins, which means that 2016 WF9 may have once been a comet. It may have also strayed from a group of dark objects in the main asteroid belt.

James Bauer, from Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, said that the object may have cometary origins.

"Perhaps over time this object has lost the majority of the volatiles that linger on or just under its surface," Bauer said.

If scientists confirm that 2016 WF9 is a comet, it would be the 10th comet to be discovered by NEOWISE since December 2013, after the mission was brought out of hibernation to find and learn more about near-Earth objects that may possibly pose impact hazards to Earth.

If the object turns out to be an asteroid, it will be the 100th asteroid discovered by NEOWISE since its reactivation.

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There is high excitement over the human mission to Mars; however, the challenge of housing astronauts securely from extreme temperatures and radiation is a mega challenge, especially when they are required to camp many months on the Red Planet.

During summer, the temperature at the Martian surface hovers at 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius) at day time and sinks to minus 100 F (minus 73 degrees Celsius) during night, according to reports.

Lengthy stays on Mars may spell huge risk from galactic rays radiation as high-energy rays could hurt skin cells and damage DNA, raising cancer risk and vulnerability to acute radiation sickness.

Rationale Of Choosing Ice

Taking the challenge of protecting explorers from the harsh Martian environment is NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. To build the explorers' habitats, the center is working on a unique building material  ice.

Known as "Mars Ice Dome," the concept has the backing of industry and academic designers who are working alongside NASA experts at the Engineering Design Studio in Langley.

The idea was picked up by the Space Technology Mission Directorate's (STMD) Center Innovation Fund from a slew of entries.

"After a day dedicated to identifying needs, goals and constraints we rapidly assessed many crazy, out of the box ideas and finally converged on the current Ice Home design, which provides a sound engineering solution," said Kevin Vipavetz, who is the design facilitator and a senior systems engineer.

Benefits Of Ice Dome

In terms of functionality "Mars Ice Dome" is similar to a shell of water ice engulfing an inner tube. The advantages are manifold  it is lightweight for easy transportation and easy robotics allow faster deployment. Water can also be filled up prior to the arrival of the crew.

It is highly utilitarian as well. The Ice Dome uses Martian materials and the water can also be converted to potential rocket fuel for the Mars Ascent Vehicle. This makes the "home" a storage tank and adds the flexibility of refilling the tank for the use of upcoming crew.

In short, Ice Dome has a deft balancing of protection from radiation by enlarging the thickness of ice to thwart radiation exposure and in allowing light to pass through the ice and surrounding materials.

In its execution, the icy shelter uses the property of water as a hydrogen-rich substance in resisting the risk of galactic cosmic rays to the hilt.

Alien Search

Meanwhile, Ellen Stofan, NASA chief scientist said Mars human mission would boost the search for life beyond Earth.

Addressing a workshop in Irvine, hosted by the National Academy of Sciences, she said Mars mission is all about seeking answers to many crucial scientific questions.

"To me, we're going to Mars, because Mars holds the answers to such fundamental scientific questions that we're trying to ask," Stofan noted.

The NASA chief scientist said humans in Mars are capable of doing more while searching for signs of life. They are better placed than a rover. An example is humans capability in operating drills deeper than the Curiosity rover. In the latter's case, the plumbing limit expected for the Mars 2020 rover is 6.5 feet (2 meters).

The workshop, titled "Searching for Life Across Space and Time," attracted many scientists who had been working to find signs of alien life within and beyond the solar system.

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Neanderthals are known to feast on animals like horses and reindeer, but deep in the caves of Goyet in Belgium, scientists found evidence that showed modern human's closest evolutionary relatives were cannibals that ate each other.

40,000-Year-Old Bones In Goyet Cave

The bones in Goyet date back to around 40,000 years ago, when the Neanderthals were nearing their end and were about to be replaced by Homo sapiens, with whom they are also known to have interbred.

The bones, which belonged to four adults, a child, and a newborn show clear signs of cutting and fractures that hint the marrow within was extracted.

While studies suggest that the Neanderthals took care of the remains of their deceased and even held burial rituals, there is a growing body of evidence that shows the now-extinct human species also ate their dead. Other cases of cannibalism among Neanderthals have been found in El Sidron and Zafarraya in Spain and Moula-Guercy and Les Pradelles in France.

Neanderthal Bones Discovered More Than 100 Years Ago

Edouard Dupont, one of the fathers of paleontology who died in 1911, collected bones and tools from several caves including those of Goyet in 1867.

The discoveries have been housed in the archives of the Brussels Institute of Natural Sciences for more than a hundred years when in 2004, the institute's anthropology head Patrick Semal found a jaw tip that belonged to a Neanderthal. Since then, scientists have been sorting through the fragments that Dupont believed were animal bones in a bid to find other traces of the ancient man.

Traces Of Cutting Hint Neanderthals Were Cannibals

Anthropologist Helene Rougier, from California State University, Northridge, and colleagues have proven from the bones from Goyet that the Neanderthals practiced cannibalism, based on the traces of cutting that showed attempts "to disarticulate and remove the flesh," as described by Belgian archaeologist Christian Casseyas.

He added that the cavemen broke the bones in a similar manner they break those of the animal they ate to extract the marrow.

Neanderthals Also Used Bones Of Their Kind As Tools

Rougier said that some of the bones were used to make tools.

"The Goyet Neandertal bones show distinctive anthropogenic modifications, which provides clear evidence for butchery activities as well as four bones having been used for retouching stone tools," the researchers wrote in their study, which was published in the journal Scientific Reports in July 2016.

Why Neanderthals Practiced Cannibalism

The reason behind the Neanderthals' cannibalism remains a mystery as well as the extent to which they ate their dead, but experts have some idea.

Some anthropologists think that the Neanderthals had periods of seasonal starvation. When they were really starving, the cavemen may have resorted to consuming the remains of their dead. Rougier thinks it is possible that there is meaning behind the behavior.

"I don't know how to interpret the reason behind this cannibalism. It can be purely food, but it can also be symbolic," she said.

The Neanderthals became extinct 30,000 years ago.

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French Workers Can Now Ignore Their Bosses After Office Hours | TechTree.com

For French people, the new year is out to be quite merry as the nation has passed a law that allows employees to ignore work emails after the office hours. In simple words, if your boss asks you to make changes to a PPT during your dinner time, you have a right to ignore him. With this move, the country seeks to tackle the "always on" work culture.







As per TheGuardian, the law was pushed by labour minister Myriam El Khomri. In 2015, he commissioned a report that warned about the health impact of such unpaid overtime work. Many medical experts have also linked the overuse of smartphones to burnout, sleeplessness, and relationship problems. French research group Eleas claims that it found that more than a third of French workers used their devices to do work out-of-hours every day. Around 60 percent of workers thought that it is essential to have a regulation that clarifies their rights.



Under the new law, companies with over 50 workers will negotiate to define the rights of employees to ignore their smartphones. According to the reports, big companies such as Volkswagen and Daimler in Germany and Axa in France have already modified the work flow to limit out-of-hours messaging.

TAGS: Email
5 Hottest Hacker Women In Internet History

If looks could kill, these gorgeous women would have killed millions of people around the world. However, they choose to be behind the scene and took the bold decision to step into the world of hacking and make their presence felt.

The jaw-dropping female hackers listed below have been credited with some of the biggest breakthroughs that changed the perception about hacking, which is always considered to be traditionally dominated by males. Their mix of intelligence, geekiness and sex appeal is a code nobody wants to crack, and the fact that they play with fire makes them that much hotter.

Lets have a look at these most beautiful and notorious female hackers and the impact they have on the world.

1) Adeanna Cooke

Modelling and hacking have nothing in common. A former Playboy model, Cooke is famous for her ethical hacking skills and is a self-trained hacker. One day, Cooke came across an unauthorized website with nude pictures of her, which were illegally posted by her long-time partner to make money. Thats when she decided to take matters into her own hands and hacked into the account herself to take the entire stolen photos down.

After finding success in her attempts, Cooke also used her hacking gift to help out other models in similar situations. This is probably why she is also known as the Hacker Fairy to other troubled women being taken advantage of on the Internet.

2) Anna Chapman

Chapman is a Russian hacker who was residing in New York City when she was arrested, along with nine others in 2010. She was accused of working for the Illegals Program spy ring under the Russian Federations external intelligence agency.

Chapman pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government without notifying the U.S. Attorney General, and was deported to Russia, as part of a prisoner swap. She also lost her British citizenship.

Since her return to Russia, Chapman has worked in a variety of fields, including for the government as head of a youth council, a couple of times as a catwalk model in Russian fashion shows, and running a TV series. Her notoriety and attractiveness garnered her celebrity status.

3) Kristina Svechinskaya

One of the most popular names in the world of hacking, Svechinskaya is a Russian money mule hacker. A student of the New York University, she was accused of a plot to defraud several British and U.S. banks of sizeable sums and usage of false passports.

Specializing in the use of Zeus Trojan horses, she hacked servers of thousands of bank accounts most within the U.S., and then created a series of fake accounts through both Bank of America and Wachovia, which received $35,000 of money theft. Some authorities estimate that she stole $3 million in as little as a few months. Svechinskaya was dubbed the worlds sexiest computer hacker for her raunchy but casual appearance.

Kristina was arrested in 2011 but released after signing a bond and paying $25,000 as bail. Had she been convicted, she could have been imprisoned for more than 40 years.

4) Kim Vanvaeck

This stunningly smart hacker, popularly known as Gigabyte was born and brought up in Belgium. While many of the top female hackers are known for their legal work within the security sector, Kim is on the opposite end of the spectrum.

She started hacking and cracking from the age of 14. Kim wrote those viruses not to gain money but to cement her position in the group of hackers that are dominated by men. She wanted to prove to the world that women too can write viruses and can be dangerous hackers, unlike what the world knows it to be.

She is believed to have been the sole creator or primary creator of a number of high-end viruses including Quis, Coconut, Sahay, and YahaSux that are meant not to steal sensitive information but to destroy them. She even developed a virus called Sharp, which is considered to be the first virus written in the programming language called C-Sharp. However, in a quest to prove herself dangerous, she was arrested by the police and is currently facing charges that could lead her to a prison sentence of 3 years and a fine exceeding 10,000 euros.

5) Ying Cracker

Ying Cracker is a slightly different breed of hackers compared to the rest of the clan. She has never been embroiled in any illegal or unethical work but neither is her work exactly clean either. Ying calls herself an educator and regularly conducts workshops, trainings and classes on hacking. She teaches people the basics of how to start hacking, such as things like changing your IP address or wiping Office passwords.

She is an expert in hacker software writing and charges good money for courses on simple and for high-end hacking tools. Cracker also charges between 500-5000 Yuan per class for helping other people crack software.

Source: IndiaToday
The report released last week from a special legislative study committee lays out a sensible path to cope with the climate change scenario for Nebraska presented by scientists at the University of Nebraska.

Its key recommendation calls for the 2017 Legislature to create a planning committee to create an evidence-based, data-driven climate action for the Cornhusker State.

State senators should follow through on the recommendation. There is considerable public support for the proposal. Sixty-one percent of rural Nebraskans favor creation of a climate plan, according to the 2015 Nebraska Rural Poll by the UNL Department of Agricultural Economics.

Co-chaired by Sen. Ken Haar of Malcolm, a Democrat, and Sen. Tyson Larson of Norfolk, a Republican, the report was unanimously endorsed by the committee, comprised of four Republicans and three Democrats.

It was crafted in a manner intended to avoid the arguments that sometimes bog down government action aimed at helping people cope with the intensifying impact of the increased warmth reported at monitoring stations around the globe. For example, the report does not address the question of whether humans are the cause of global warming.

The committee was guided by the 2014 report titled Understanding and Assessing Climate Change Implications for Nebraska done at UNL, which suggested that in the future Nebraska will be hotter, drier and subject to more extremes of drought and stormy weather.

The committee recommendations for a climate action plan cover a broad range of topics, many focused on the possibility of providing increased incentives for wind and solar energy.

Most of the more intriguing specific proposals in the report calls for expansion of the Property Assessed Clean Energy program ,athorized last year by the Legislature.

The committee said that many people want to reduce their energy bills but cant afford the upfront costs. PACE allows taxes on the property to be allocated for these uses. Other states with existing programs utilize a one-stop shop that takes care of financing, construction and billing in one process, eliminating many of the red tape challenges that discourage people from making such investments, the report says.

One concern is that the committee report might get lost in transition as 2017 Legislature gears up with 17 new senators. In addition, co-chair Haar and another committee member are leaving because of term limits. However, Larson, the remaining co-chair, has promised to introduce a resolution to authorize a committee to create a climate action plan for Nebraska. Following through would put the state in a better position to adapt to the climate changes that are occurring.
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
"Lincoln to Lincoln...now is two-day delivery," according to Kerry Kowalski, Lincoln Postmaster ("Lincoln to Lincoln truly a two-day trip for mail," Dec. 21). My experience is that it may take a whole week! On Dec. 12, I mailed Christmas greetings in bundles to residences in Lincoln, outside of Lincoln and out of state. One of our recipients received their Christmas letter on Dec. 19 and they live in Lincoln. Friends and family in Michigan, Texas and other states received their mail before items sent in Lincoln to friends in Lincoln did.
Silton Jack with Professional Pools, Inc. saws through old grout between coping stones around the fountain in the Quadrangle on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus Tuesday, December 27, 2016, in Lafayette, La. Many of the older, cracked or chipped stones are being replaced and regrouted.
The article by Riley Johnson, "Building Smokescreens" in the Dec. 27 Lincoln Journal Star, brought many memories and some tears to my eyes.

I remember some early helmets. My father started as an Omaha firefighter in 1957. I remember a helmet that saved my father when a piece of debris from the fire hit the helmet and broke off a piece of it. We played with that old helmet as kids, broken brim and all.

As we celebrate Nebraskas Sesquicentennial, I remember the Centennial celebration. Omaha firefighters grew beards and mustaches like the old firefighters. My father had a big handlebar mustache. The firefighters wore red shirts and suspenders and black pants and boots in a big parade. I was unhappy when the firefighters were required to shave them off, because the air masks didn't fit as well over the mustaches and beards.

I remember as a child some big alarm fires in Omaha, where all off duty firefighters were called in and my grandmother took my dad to the station. I remember, though he showered and shaved, the smell of smoke as he got in the car after a long day as we picked him up.

My father died in the line of duty as an Omaha firefighter in 1983 as a result of a traffic accident in which a yellow cab failed to yield the right of way to lights and sirens. It was on another call when at the hospital that my father told hospital personnel that he didn't feel well himself. He later died of a massive heart attack caused from chest trauma from the previous accident.

Thanks for all the memories today on this holiday season. Though firefighter has changed and with all the new technology it is still a very dangerous occupation. Stay safe out there!

Lynn M. Conley, Lincoln
When Sharon Weston Broome was in third grade in Chicago, a teacher named Mrs. Mobley told her class a civil rights story the mayor-president-elect has never forgotten during her decades in public office.

Mobley revealed she was the mother of Emmett Till, whose murder was a flash point in the civil rights movement. Till was abducted and brutally killed in 1955 after being accused of acting inappropriately with a white woman in Mississippi.

His mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, asked for the casket to be open and to show his disfigured face during the funeral so the world could see "what they did to my baby." She recounted the story to Broome and hundreds of other children over the years at her public school on the Southside of Chicago.

"My parents always had that Jet Magazine with the cover of Emmett Till on it," Broome, 60, recalled. "That was kind of like a historical document that a lot of African-Americans had in their homes. Just hearing it firsthand from Mrs. Mobley was very significant."

The first elected female and second black mayor-president in East Baton Rouge Parish history, Broome continues to be passionate about civil rights. She talked about racial divisions and voiced concerns about police interactions with the black community as her campaign unfolded during a summer of protests. They were triggered by the fatal shooting in July of Alton Sterling by a police officer during a struggle outside a convenience store.

The divisions are a major wound Broome will try to heal as she is inaugurated Monday as mayor-president, remembering her upbringing in Chicago, the lessons she learned and the people who taught them to her.

Broome's parents, Lucy and Willie Weston Jr., grew up in Mississippi and Louisiana, respectively, and moved to Chicago as part of the great migration when black people across the South moved to other parts of the country. The Weston family lived and worked on the south side of Chicago, where their two-story home was always open to those trying to get back on their feet.

Her parents told her stories about their lives growing up in a time when opportunities were limited for black people like her father, who had completed only fourth grade. Broome recalls teachers and neighbors seeing potential in her and trying to give her opportunities to make a name for herself  one of her neighbors even paying for her to attend a communications camp in Indiana one summer when she was a teenager.

Broome loved English and history classes. She wanted to be the first in line to recite "If" by Rudyard Kipling, the preamble to the U.S. Constitution or whatever reading her class was required to memorize and deliver that day.

"Thank you, Reverend Weston," her teacher would tease after an impassioned performance.

She performed famous speeches when she competed on her high school's speech and debate team, including Eleanor Roosevelt's "United Nations as a Bridge" and later graduated as valedictorian of Unity Catholic High School. She earned a bachelor's degree in communications from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse and a master's in the subject from Regent University in Virginia.

An only child while she grew up, Broome was especially close to her parents and sees the parts in herself that she inherited from both of them. From her mother, a sense of humor and a love of being a matriarch. From her father, her courage and toughness, as he worked through recovering from a laryngectomy when she was just a baby and learned esophageal speech so he could communicate with his daughter.

Broome was 22 when her parents moved to Baton Rouge in search of warmer weather, and she joined them, figuring she could jump-start her career anywhere.

"I feel like my life has come full circle," Broome said. "I mean, who would have thought when I was visiting family here at the age of 7 years old that I would end up one day being the mayor-president of this city?"

She was a reporter at WBRZ for five years, became a Metro Council member in the late-1980s and started her term as a state representative in the Louisiana Legislature in 1992. She spent more than two decades there, becoming the pro tempore of both the House and Senate before deciding to run for East Baton Rouge Parish mayor.

But while Broome was thriving in her career and public life, she would come home each day to take care of her aging parents. Her private life was mostly focused on caring for them. Her mother died in 1991 while Broome was running for state representative and her father died in 1997.

Broome said she was always open to the idea of falling in love, dated and became accustomed to friends trying to set her up with people. But it was not until she was in her 40s, when she was visiting friends in College Station, Texas, one weekend, that met Marvin Broome.

He was recently widowed and trying to raise an 18-year-old, a 12-year-old and an 8-year-old when his wife died of cancer. The then-Sharon Weston and Marvin Broome spent the day together with friends, as she showed off her skills playing the piano and they got to know each other.

But she could tell he was still grieving and thought maybe he was not her type, while he marked down the date the they met and thought that she was the type of woman he would be interested in dating once his grief was not so fresh.

She visited friends in College Station a few months later, and Marvin Broome cooked salmon and brought some to her (his daughter attests that "it'll woo anyone"). She sent him a thank-you note after returning to Baton Rouge, and the two starting writing each other letters, talking on the phone and eventually visiting each other before marrying on March 6, 1999  two days short of the one-year mark of the date they met.

Broome decided to move his family to Baton Rouge to give them a fresh start.

It took adjustments on all ends. Sharon Weston Broome, who had been single for most of her adult life, was suddenly a wife and a mother to three children who had suffered a traumatic loss. She was not intimidated by the challenge, she said, but also needed to balance her public life and private life. They always tried to eat dinner together.

"For me, the fact that they had lost their mom was very significant," Broome said about becoming a mother. "And I knew that I couldn't quote, 'replace their mom'. But I could certainly be their mother  and so I never looked at them any other way than just my children. I love them just as if they were my biological children."

For Marvin Broome, his life as an anonymous college professor in a small town was over. Baton Rouge was the largest city he ever lived in. People recognized his wife, even when they picked up burgers in a McDonald's drive-thru and the staff crowded around to wave at her.

It took time, Marvin Broome said, but he learned to embrace the spotlight that his wife's career shone over their family.

"I came to realize how much her community loved her and that she was an asset, beyond that of my family," said Marvin Broome, who now teaches at LSU. "And so then it dawned on me that I had a treasure here that the African-American community embraced. And it became an honor then to walk next to her through this life."

+5 BR mayor-elect Sharon Weston Broome launches search to replace police chief, CAO Mayor-President-Elect Sharon Weston Broome said Thursday that she has started searching for replacements for two longtime fixtures of outgoing Mayor-President Kip Holden's administration.

Sharon Weston Broome's love for her kids was also immediately evident, said their daughter, Sarah Parker. Parker was a teenager when her dad married Sharon Weston Broome, but her new mom never referred to Parker or her brothers as "stepchildren."

Parker said Sharon Weston Broome us the epitome of grace and always has an uncanny ability to read her kids' minds. By the time Parker would confess something to her mom, Broome would already know.

And while Sharon Weston Broome was focused and full of energy, Parker said, Marvin Broome brought out a more laid-back side to her  helping her to relax with her favorite treats, including sparkling cider, popcorn and gummy bears.

Broome's public service also led to some early morning wake-up calls on weekends when Parker was attending University High School and trying to sleep in on weekends. She remembers how people would knock on the door of their Park Forest home at 6 a.m. on a Saturday to talk to Broome about something they wanted fixed in the district.

"She would just stand there in her robe, listen to their whole story. She would never turn them away," Parker said.

In August of 2016, the Broomes moved into Parker's house in the southeastern part of the parish after 18 inches of water rushed into their Park Forest home during Baton Rouge's devastating August floods.

It was the height of the campaign season, and Parker was watching the campaign unfold from inside City Hall, where Parker worked as a deputy clerk in East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court's office.

Broome has also taken her 13-year-old granddaughter, Sydney, under her wing as her protege, Parker said, while Parker's two younger sons  9-year-old Sie and 4-year-old Satchel  are not quite as interested in politics yet. Parker is the only one of Broome's three children who lives in town; her brothers, Daniel and David, live in other states.

Broome's family ties run especially deep. She tears up thinking about some of her photos that have been damaged in the recent floods, especially of the maternal grandmother she never met.

But she said she's thankful for the family and friends who are traveling from across the country to watch her take her oath of office Monday evening. And after years of carrying others' stories with her  including that of Mrs. Mobley  Broome hopes she will become a part of the stories and memories that young people in Baton Rouge will carry with them.

"When I came to Baton Rouge, it was such a contrast. I always tell people I feel like I've had the best of both worlds," she said. "It was a whole different level of hospitality, a whole different level of authenticity that the people demonstrated here that really sealed the deal for me. And I never thought, one time, of going back to Chicago or moving anywhere else, for that matter."
'I got something for you' -- man accused of waving pistol in Baton Rouge incident
A Canberra man allegedly "terrorised" his partner for 18 months before she called police on New Year's Day, a court has heard.

The man appeared before the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday and was charged with 14 offences, including threats to kill, multiple assaults, possession of offensive weapons and damage to property.

All were against the same woman, who was his partner.

He had allegedly smashed a car windscreen, slashed a car tyre, as well as possessed a sharpened half of scissors and a large knife.

The alleged offences dated back to September 2015, with the latest said to have been committed on January 1, 2017. The man was arrested in the early hours of Monday.
January is the big month for buying gym memberships. The excesses of the holiday season leave many of us looking to make improvements in our lives - a search that often leads straight to the elliptical machine.

But what about your job and career? How have those been working out?

Many people spend most of their waking hours at work or thinking about work. In the dim chill of a Monday morning in January, the prospect of another year at a job that fails to satisfy can be daunting, if not downright depressing.

Is it time to ask for a raise, or to look for a new job? Or do you just want to be happier where you are?
Tony Abbott's New Year resolutions for 2017 remain a matter of conjecture, but conduct befitting a government backbencher seems not to have been among them. Not long back from a sponsored trip to Israel and the West Bank, Tony Abbott has written a magazine article arguing that should the United States relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Australia ought to follow suit. He also called for foreign aid to the Palestinian Authority to be cut, saying it's being used in part to finance the pensions the PA paid to terrorists and their families. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has batted away the suggestion of an embassy move, regardless of future US actions, and has defended the integrity of the aid program.

The right of an MP to express views divergent from the existing Coalition government, nothwithstanding, Mr Abbott's comments appear provocative to say the least.

Many people support Israel's claim that Jerusalem is its "eternal and indivisible" capital, but Australia's official policy (like that of the United Nations) is that the city is a corpus separatum, or separated body, and that its shared religious importance requires it be administered by the UN as the join capital of independent Arab and Jewish states.

Mr Abbott's very public raspberry at long-standing Coalition policy has had the predictable effect of being held up by acting Labor leader Chris Bowen as further evidence of his (Mr Abbott's) desire to erode Malcolm Turnbull's authority and regain the leadership. Most right-thinking votes will interpret it that way, too, though a few will recall Mr Abbott's solemn vow, made after he lost the leadership in September 2015, not to undermine Mr Turnbull.
People being harassed can alert the police, but law enforcement has struggled to identify and prosecute anonymous online harassers. Of the millions of people who were stalked and harassed online between 2010 and 2013, only 10 cyber-stalking cases were filed in the U.S. federal courts during that time, according to a review by Hate Crimes in Cyberspace author Danielle Citron. These situations nearly always involve not one harasser, but dozens or even thousands threatening or spreading a false rumour about their victim. "Every single individual who promotes [the rumour] is part of the problem, but none of them are actually criminally responsible," explained Mary Anne Franks, the legislative policy director at the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, which advocates for laws to protect online victims. Franks said there is no "one size fits all" approach for dealing with trolls, but she doesn't recommend trying to reason with them. "There is nothing you can say to them that won't give them more to work with," Franks said. Satirist Vic Berger learned that lesson shortly after "Pizzagate." Berger rose to Internet fame by creating bizarre videos about the presidential campaign for the online video network Super Deluxe. He started a Twitter feud with Mike Cernovich, a social-media personality known for spreading false rumours about Clinton and her supporters during the election, along with the false theories about Comet Ping Pong, the pizza parlour in Northwest Washington. As Berger mocked him on Twitter, his followers also engaged, and Cernovich claims they tweeted offensive images at him. So in return, Cernovich repeatedly accused Berger of being involved with a paedophile ring.

Berger tried reporting him, but Twitter wouldn't shut down his account. He tried calling out Cernovich for inciting death threats against him. But the attacks just became more heated. "These guys do sort of know how to work the system and bend-not-break the rules, so it's really difficult," Berger explained in an email. "After awhile you just get sick of looking at that kind of sick/hateful/negative content and you just kind of have to move on for your own mental health." After a man armed with an assault rifle stormed Comet Ping Pong to "investigate" the "Pizzagate" claims in December, Berger realised that it was entirely possible for the threats against him to become real. So after calling lawyers and the police, he quit Twitter, at least temporarily, until there is some sort of resolution to Cernovich's attacks. "It sucks to have to sort of 'back down' from a guy like that," Berger said. Backing down might be an effective solution, but it's a wholly unsatisfying one. And so comes the urge to reach through the Internet abyss and - metaphorically - smack the trolls back.

After a troll impersonated her dead father on Twitter, writer and activist Lindy West penned a powerful essay arguing that the Internet treats women like "subhuman garbage." The next day, a man claiming to be the person who created the fake account wrote her a heartfelt apology and donated $50 to the cancer hospital that treated West's father. Brianna Wu, a video game developer who spoke out about sexism in the industry during 2014's "Gamergate" controversy, tried Skyping with one of the thousands of people who had threatened to kill her. The troll, a woman, wanted to apologise; Wu wanted to understand why she had acted the way she did. They talked at length, but Wu ultimately felt like her harasser got more out of it than she did. Now, she doesn't respond to any of her trolls. "Part of you becomes so damaged, you don't feel anything when someone says they're going to rape your corpse," Wu said. Kleinman, meanwhile, is still hopeful that there's something she can do to fight back. The trolls know her as the flamboyant musician who dresses up in a red ski mask and blond wig to perform in her electronic rock band, Heavy Breathing. But by day, she's a college counsellor - who can't help the urge to reach out and educate. She said, "Maybe 70 percent of these individuals, if I had them one-on-one with me for a week, or once a day for a month," then maybe, she could get them to stop acting how they do.
Flash flooding and power outages from severe storms in south-east Queensland have brought an end to the long-weekend heatwave.

Brisbane was the worst off for power outages, with 6000 homes and businesses left without power on Monday night.

In Brisbane's northern suburbs, 3000 were affected, and in Logan 1500 homes and businesses were without electricity following the storm. An Energex spokesman said all power had been restored to those affected.

The SES received about 90 calls across the south-east of the state, mostly for leaking roofs in the Toowoomba, Logan, Gatton and Brisbane City areas.
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.
Queensland police will grill the organisers of a bush rave where one man died and two others were left critically ill after an apparent drug overdose.

Paramedics and revellers say the men displayed bizarre and erratic behaviour after apparently ingesting a drug at a New Year's Day rave on a bush block at Mount Lindesay on the Queensland-NSW border.

Officers are waiting to interview the event's organisers, after one man died from heart failure.

Two others were airlifted to the Gold Coast University Hospital in critical condition, and remained there on Monday in a serious condition.
The doors to the Sunshine branch of the Commonwealth Bank were unlocked and open on New Year's Day, until a customer spotted the gaffe and called in the police.

A spokeswoman for the bank has confirmed that the glass doors to the vestibule and the inner sliding door to the customer service area were unlocked at the branch, in Melbourne's west, on Sunday.

A door to the Sunshine branch of the Commonwealth Bank is left open on January 1, 2017. Credit:YouTube

A woman using an ATM at the Hampshire Road branch alerted police, who went to the bank and waited there until it was secured, police said.

Nothing was stolen and the branch's motion detectors found no one had entered the bank, a Commonwealth Bank spokeswoman said.
A hiker has been airlifted to hospital after she became wedged between boulders while walking in "difficult terrain" in Victoria's alpine region.

Paramedics were called to Mount Buffalo, in Victoria's north-east, just before 1pm on Monday after a 75-year-old woman fell while walking near "The Hump".

Mount Buffalo.

The woman was trapped for more than four hours before she was eventually freed by rescue crews.
Illegal fireworks have been being blamed for the death of a dog found hanging from the fence of its family home in Melbourne on New Year's Eve.

Max, a seven-year-old labradoodle, is believed to have broken through a locked doggy door, spooked by fireworks, and attempted to jump a six-foot-high picket fence at the Narre Warren South property.

Max was euthanased on New Year's Eve.

He was later found hanging from the fence by one of his rear legs.

Gabriella Lysy said she felt compelled to speak out about the traumatic incident, which occurred when her parents were away on holidays, so that people might think twice before setting off illegal fireworks.
Luxury brand Hermes is taking on a small chain of Melbourne boutiques for selling what the French fashion house claims are fake bracelets.

It is alleged the store, EM Style, sold the leather bracelets with the distinctive "H" clasp in its stores at the Highpoint and Fountain Gate shopping centres.

The signature 'H' Hermes bracelet ... the company has accused a Melbourne retailer of selling counterfeit versions of the famous style. Credit:Rommel Demano

Although Hermes claimed it contacted the store many times and told it to stop selling the goods, court documents claim EM Style continued to offer the bracelets for sale.

Hermes claims the bracelets were "substantially identical with or deceptively similar to one or more of the Hermes trade marks, which goods were not made by or under the licence or authority of Hermes", according to the statement of claim filed in the Federal Court.
A Melbourne husband and wife found themselves in a horror, Goldilocks-like scenario when a man held a knife to one of their throats after they came home and discovered him in their bed.

The man had broken into their recently sold Heads Road home in Donvale while they weren't there last Thursday. He had had a shower, a spa and had even turned on the air-conditioning.

The couple said he had dragged a bed into the living room before climbing into it and falling asleep overnight.

Tony and Mel Christensen were with their children and another male relative when they discovered the intruder. They sent their children to a neighbour's house while Tony began filming the stranger with his phone. The disturbing footage shows the trio waking the intruder, who at first seemed calm.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for a suicide car bomb in Baghdad's Sadr City district on Monday which killed 24 people and wounded 67 others.

Amaq news agency, a site linked to the militants, said in a statement distributed online that the attack had targeted a gathering of Shi'ite Muslims, which the ultra-hardline Sunni group considers apostates.

Civilians inspect the aftermath of another bomb attack that hit Sadr City in May 2016. Credit:AP

The blast was located in a busy square in Baghdad's sprawling Sadr City district on Monday, while Islamic State attacks on military positions north of the capital killed 16 pro-government fighters dead, sources said.

Islamic State regularly targets civilian areas in the heavily fortified capital, even after losing most of the northern and western territory it seized in 2014.
Berlin: A Syrian migrant who arrived in Germany two years ago has been arrested on suspicion of seeking funds from Islamic State to drive truck bombs into a crowd, a German state prosecutor's office said on Monday.

The arrest follows an attack two weeks ago when a Tunisian whose asylum request had been rejected rammed a truck into a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 people. The man, Anis Amri, 24, was later shot dead by Italian police.

In the latest case, the prosecutor in the western city of Saarbruecken said the 38-year-old Syrian was detained on Saturday and a formal arrest warrant was issued on Sunday on suspicion that he was trying to raise 180,000 euros ($262,000) to fund an attack.

Prosecutor Christoph Rebmann said the man, whom he did not name, was suspected of seeking the money from IS in Syria to buy trucks and load 400-500 kg of explosives into each of them.
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.
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".
if the people of Biafra want Republic of Biafra, it will be a reality during my administration. ----Donald Trump Donald Trump I wi...
It has become readily apparent that Drake, the former teen soap star turned rapper, does not subscribe to the wisdom of Auld Lang SyneShould Old Acquaintance be forgot, and never thought uponfor on New Years Eve, he chose to air out his former flame Rihanna.

While performing at a pricey New Years Eve event at the Vegas nightclub Hakkasan, Degrassis finest had his DJ play the Rihanna song Work, a chart-topping collaboration between the two, only to announce that was an old vibe and then order him to change the track.

Local reporter Cherney Amhara of Fox5 Vegas was on hand to take in the pettiness:

Drakes rumored paramour, Jennifer Lopez, was also spotted at the event partying it up and dancing on tables. Shed reportedly canceled her own $1 million NYE appearance/performance in Miami to do so.

If youve been too invested in more important matterslike, say, the fact that on Jan. 20 an unhinged Twitter troll with curious ties to Russia will be sworn in as presidentto keep up with the whole Drake/Rihanna/J.Lo saga, well, thats more than understandable.

You see, by all accounts Drake has begun seeing J.Lo (and vice versa). The duo, who recently collaborated on a song together, have been posting Instagram snaps of them looking lovey-dovey, and were spotted grinding up on each other in Vegas at some hellish-sounding soiree called the Winter Wonderland Prom. This new social media-savvy coupling has prompted Rihanna to unfollow Drake and J.Lo on social media, since, according to numerous tabloid reports, Rihanna considered J.Lo to be a mentor and friend of hers, and considers it strange that shes chosen to date her recent ex.

Over the summer, and after nearly a decade of hot pursuit, Rihanna finally gave in to Drakes relentless slide-into-your-DMs charm and blessed him with the official title of Rihannas boyfriend. They even got matching shark tattoos. Drake had been after Rihanna for quite some time, even going as far as to get in a bottle-throwing match with her then-boyfriend Chris Brown at a New York City nightclub in 2012. But like most entitled men, it seems that Drake was more in it for the chase, with Drake and Rihanna reportedly breaking up in October after a few months together. Immediately after the breakup was announced, Drake was spotted out with reality TV star India Love.

Drake has an interesting history with one of J.Los famous exes, too. Back in December 2014, Diddy and Drake got into a fight outside LIV nightclub at the Fontainebleu Hotel in Miami. Drake and Diddy got into it outside the club, an eyewitness told Page Six. They were arguing over the rights to a song, and got into a physical fight. Diddy claimed that Drake was using music without the proper rights. Drake reportedly went to the hospital with a separated shoulder following the altercation.
I met Tala Raassi at a nightclub in West Hollywood. She was a friend of a friend. At the same table sat Marilyn Manson. The alcohol was seemingly unlimited. The clubs strict no smoking policy rapidly began to be ignored as party goers clustered around the open windows as the night wore on.

Within moments of meeting this charming, bubbly woman I learned that she had served time in an Iranian prison. Intrigued, I asked why. Her story is an inspiring oneand one that many young Iranians might find to be a common phenomenon.

Tala Raassi was born in Silver Spring, Maryland. At the age of 2 her family decided to move back to Tehran. American culture was always something she enjoyed. I would watch illegal satellite TVwatching [shows like] Baywatch and 90210. I wanted to copy [their style].

The inevitable conflict of living in a state-run religious atmosphere and life within a less than religious family created an identity complex. I grew up in a post revolution-Iran, she told me. There were so many restrictions imposed. We grew up with families who had [under the Shah] drunk alcohol and partied. Then, I also grew up in a society where I had to cover myself head to toe.

Growing up, Raassi had heard many stories of arrests. But like all strong-headed young people before her she believed herself immune. It could never happen to me.

One fateful evening this mantra was challenged. Raassi was attending a small co-ed party (very illegal in the Tehran of 1998). There were no drugs or alcohol, but there was American music (illegal music) and illegal male-female intermingling. An ex-boyfriend of the girl who organized the party called the notorious Basijthe ruthless military policewhen he discovered he wasnt invited. The Basij raided the party and began to make arrests. Raassi attempted to outrun the religious police guards, but she stopped when they managed to catch up to her and threatened to shoot her.

I never thought we would get lashes, she confided to The Daily Beast. Normally, if you apologize, they will let you go. We were convinced we would never go to jail. In the car on our way [to jail], we werent taking it seriously. We were sort of laughing. I was convinced there was no way they would keep us there. Someone would pay for our release, and then we would leave.

The group was taken to Vozara Prison, where they were sentenced to 40 lashes for the girls, 50 lashes for the boys, and would spend the next five days. Rats, cockroaches, shared toilets. Drug dealers, thieves, prostitutes. Talas voice becomes an octave more emotional when she describes seeing a woman in her wedding dress. Her wedding had been busted for being coed. The woman spent the remainder of her wedding night in jail.

Raassis group was kept in a small holding area in a narrow hallway in between the trash and the bathrooms. At the end of the hallway was a locked cell door with a small windowwhich they later discovered to be the torture room. We would hear screams coming out of there all day. During the call to prayer, which happens five times a day, the guards would line us up. They would tell us we were about to be lashed and then make us sit down and wait. Then nothing would happen. It was mental torture. You had no idea what was going on. At night time you would hear the sounds of women getting raped. Sometimes they were raped with glass Coca Cola bottles.

At the end of Raassis jail time (five days), a guard approached her group. Her name was called. She was then transported to another detention center. Raassi was ushered into a room where items from previous arrests were on displayevidence of indecency. A judge lectured Raassis group about how they had misbehaved, how they had broken the law.

I realized my parents were never strict with me to suppress my individuality and expression, she said. They were strict with me to protect me from being in the situation I found myself inarrested and lashed. Outside of the courtroom, Raassis family waited. One by one, her friends were called forward to receive their punishment.

You see your friends leave the room with bloody backs, and you hear your friends shouting out in pain. Next thing I know, she said, Im in the room myself. Her family had to wait outsideand listen to her screams.

Its not like getting punched or hit, she said. It burns. For me, it was personally, so insulting and disrespectful. The mental part was just as bad as the physical agony. A woman covered head to toe in a black chador waited for Raassi in a room with two beds. Raassi and her friend were strapped into the two beds. A leather rod with a braided whip was dipped into a bucket of water, which was then inflicted on their backs. There are different types of lashings, she said. I learned this in court. And in our case we were allowed to keep our clothes on. In some cases, they make you take off your clothes.

Fashion was always a solace to Raassi. Despite the strict laws regarding chadors, she told me of how women of Tehran always had great clothes on underneath, the care and time women put to their hair and cosmetics. Despite the restrictions, women really do what they can to express themselves through their own personal style. And because one could be stopped and arrested at any moment for being indecent it takes the young womens expression of style to a completely new level.

Being a fashion designer is like being a drug dealer [in Tehran], she said, Everything is word of mouth. But fortunately now, she has returned to the United States, where she has her own design label. She has designed bikinis for the Miss Universe competition. She has written a book. The ordeal hasnt embittered her. Shes bubbly, shes fun and shes fearless. I asked her about the restrictive dress laws in Tehran and if it creates an internal conflict regarding her own swimwear line.

Raassi paused thoughtfully, and then responded, Freedom is not about the amount of clothing you put on or take off, but about having the choice to do either. The last time I went to a beach in France, I saw women who wore hijabs, covered from head to toe, walking on the same beaches as women in their European-cut bikinis. Their freedom of choice empowered me. I found a new respect for women who chose to cover themselves in accordance with their religious beliefs. I also respected those who fearlessly wore bikinis. All of these women had made a choice about how they wanted to present themselves.

[Ive navigated] two different worlds. From Iran to the fashion industry in America (as a swimsuit designer). To overcome the obvious differences was hard for me. Ive fallen before. It was interesting to put it all in writing and get some form of closure. Raassis book, Fashion is Freedom, was published in September. She said: As someone who came to this country not speaking a word of English, to have a book published in English is a big deal for me. She laughed proudly.
On the last morning she was seen alive, Cari Farver sent a heartbroken text message to her mother letting her know that she and her boyfriend split and she might check into a mental institution.

It was Nov. 13, 2012, and according to a source close to the investigation, Farver disappeared from Macedonia, Iowa, without so much as a hug or handshake. Three days later Farvers employer received a Dear John text of their own: She was resigning to take another gig in Kansas.

The missives and the disappearance didnt sit right with Farvers mother, Nancy Raney, who went on to file a missing persons report with the Pottawattamie County Sheriffs Office (PDF).

Two months would pass before Farver reappearedthis time on Facebook.

A New Years Day post warned friends to ignore Farvers original account claiming it had been hacked. The next day she revealed her boyfriend Dave had proposed to me on Christmas Eve.

I said yes [sic] above is a picture of the ring, the post read.

Two weeks after that Facebook post, Farvers car turned up in the parking lot of Daves apartment complex in Omaha, Nebraska.

Four years later Omaha detectives, relying on new DNA and forensic evidence, say Farver wasnt posting any nuptials or sending morbid texts.

She wasnt even breathing.

In fact, police say, the 37-year-old woman was murdered by a romantic rival named Shanna Golyar.

David Wear, a prosecuting attorney for the Douglas County Attorneys Office, accused Golyar of concealing the fact that [Farver] was no longer alive by making numerous attempts with text messages from Farvers mobile phone to Facebook posts.

Theres so many messages, deputy prosecutor Brenda Beadle told The Daily Beast. Theres more than one person that she was sending stuff to as Cari.

Golyar was arrested on Dec. 22, 2016 in Iowa and extradited to a Nebraska jail where she is awaiting trial for the first-degree murder of Farver, whose body has not been found.

***

Not only did Golyar allegedly pose as Farver online, she went so far as to pick a fictitious feud with herself as Farver to make the missing womans appearance seem more real.

Farver attacked Golyar on April 23, 2013 in a post that read:

So now the Herpes infested whore is going to hide from me. Can't be a woman and stand up for stealing me man. God will punish all whores.

Playing along, authorities contend Golyar as Farver strikes again four days later blaming Daves ex for harassing Farver through text messages.

Farver posts: She keeps saying that dave [sic] still loves her and that she is the love of his life. That she slept with him a few weeks ago. How crazy can you be to text someone such lies. If the other party won't back you up. This is to show how crazy the girl is.

Farver returned the following month:

This is the real Cari Farver I need to be alone right now people just need to give me space for right now.

The next day Farver had more attacks for Golyar, calling her a hoe that took my boyfriend away from me She will be punished for taking my man.

And the final Farver post on May 13, 2013 calls it quits with Facebook, deciding then and there to stop playing Farver online:

I have answered enough questions to prove myself to everyone I am done, Farver writes. You cant either believe I am your daughter, mother, sister and friend that you have know [sic] your whole life or you can just leave me alone...I am not missing I just dont want to come home right now.

Farver ends the post by apologizing for hurting everyone by bolting town and that the reason was I needed to do this for me.

Sorry, and I hope some day you can forgive me.

***

In a similar episode last year, Golyar claimed another potential romantic rivalthe mother of Daves childshot her in a park.

While walking along an isolated trail at Big Lake Park located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Golyar told police a woman ordered her to lie down on the ground before swearing at her and shooting her in the left thigh.

Police immediately descended on the area but metal detectors failed to turn up shell casings. Later, Golyar told police she believed the shooter was none other than Daves ex. Council Bluffs Det. Matthew Kuhlman said Golyar failed a polygraph test about the incident.

We believe that she shot herself but we couldnt prove it and thats why we didnt charge her, Kuhlman told The Daily Beast. Her story didnt add up from the beginning.

Authorities from the same agency ended up booking Golyar for criminal mischief back in February after she used what is believed to be a mortar to break out a window of [her] apartment that was occupied by the woman she accused.

During their investigation, Kuhman said Golyar was discovered to have kept several fraudulent email accounts pretending to be two women.

Dave supposedly didnt know his girlfriend stood accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend. Attempts to reach Dave were unsuccessful.

***

Golyar, 41, has been dating her 24-year-old boyfriend since June 2016, according to their gushing Facebook profiles.

On the day of her arrest last week, his parents say a call came for their son from a detective who rattled him when he said there was a case that has your name on it.

Racking his brain the young man, who is not a suspect and The Daily Beast is not naming, remembered only one summons hed been given for expired license plate tags.

A meeting was set for later that day so authorities could interview him.

But, according to his parents who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the criminal investigation, the detective was a no-show.

Then the phone rang againthe call came from the Pottawattamie County lockup.

They arrested me with 10 sheriffs showing up at my house, Shanna Golyar allegedly told her boyfriend of six months.

The arrest came as a devastating shock.

Then he shared the sobering details with his parents that the woman he loved was facing a murder rap.

Can you believe that? the stunned son asked his dad.

Whats it for? his father asked.

I dont know, he said. I have to wait till she calls me back.

***

Because Farvers remains have yet to be discovered, defense attorney James Martin Davis said pinning Golyar to the murder rap is a drastic reach.

You cant convict without a body, he told The Daily Beast.

Davis said the only reason his client was ever pinned for Farvers disappearance was that she was arrested on a warrant for being truant from court for a civil matter involving a car accident.

The attorney claims authorities used the warrant as an excuse to quiz his client about Farvers demise.

They were trying to interrogate her about the missing person case, he said.

The deputy prosecutor Beadle confirmed that Golyar did lawyer up after murder charges were brought.

She has a lawyer so we werent able to have a conversation.

Davis maintains that Golyar pleaded her innocence.

Shes denied it from the beginning and told them I didnt kill anybody. I dont know that shes even dead.

Moreover his client has only crossed paths with Farver during a pivotal moment where they were both visiting Dave.

The only time Shanna thinks she saw Cari was when she was going into Daves apartment and Cari was coming out!

And while prosecutors stressed in court that Golyars fingerprints had been found on a pack of gum in Farvers forsaken car, Davis said it is a far leap to get to murder.

It could have been in the apartment and the lady or the boyfriend could have put it in the car.

The attorney also disputed blood evidence that was supposedly lifted from Daves apartment. [Farver] was living with him for a while, he said. It could be a nosebleed, a cut or it could be a scratch, he said.

He said unless there is proof Farver exsanguinated or bled profusely so that she couldn't survive its easy to contest. I dont know if its a droplet or what.

Beadle argued that there was nothing about any blood trail released publicly and that it was misinformation and inaccurate.

While the affidavit remains sealed until Golyars preliminary trial, investigators believe the woman was killed inside an apartment located in central Omaha soon after she was last spotted on Nov. 13, 2012it is believed to be the same location where Dave resided.

Beadle admits the missing case remained cold until, thanks to a 2014 National Institute of Justice grant, Omaha authorities got a DNA hit that they say nails Golyar as Farvers killer. That funding allowed investigators to better test DNA evidence pulled from Farvers abandoned car as well as process samples from the apartment where they believe the other woman killed her.

The fact that Farvers corpse has never been found wont faze prosecutors in trying to secure a guilty verdict against Golyar: According to Nebraska state law if a person has been missing after five years they are declared dead.

It wouldnt be the first time, Beadle said. Weve been successful in the past at trying a case without a body Certainly it presents its own set of challenges but obviously we thought we could overcome that otherwise we wouldnt have filed these charges.

Farvers father Mark Raney would only say the family was preoccupied with Golyars preliminary trial.

Were not talking much about it yet until the hearing, he told The Daily Beast.

***

In one of her last Facebook posts before her arrest, Golyar was defensive about dating a man almost half her age.

I guess if people can not stop criticizing others for their relationships, then dont be surprised if you lose those loved ones, she wrote on Dec. 18. People love who they love, and no one can control that or take it from you unless you let them.

***

Golyar is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 18. And perhaps her main supporter wont give up on her.

My son is hes determined shes innocent, the mother of Golyars boyfriend said. He believes everything she says to him.

In an attempt to spare her beau of the murder drama since Golyar was arraigned and a judge set bail for $5 million, the parents say she broached ending the relationship.

You should go on with your life. I dont know whats going to happen but I dont want you involved anything and I love you very much, she allegedly told the young man.

But Golyars boyfriend seems willing to sweat it out telling his parents: If she gets out were going to have to sit down and have a long talk to go over all these lies.

Though they disapprove of their sons ties to Golyar, the parents maintain that if shes innocent she should be set free.

I dont want her with my son, the boyfriends mother said. But there cant be an innocent person going to jail. Im sorry.
"12th Night Revel: A Tudor 12th Night," a seasonal celebration presented by the St. David's Welsh Society of Nebraska, will be staged from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Grace Lutheran Church, 2225 Washington St. Admission is free; donations will be received

Youll feel like royalty as performers celebrate the end of the Christmas holidays with Queen Elizabeth I scholar, Carole Levin; violinist James Wilson and members of the Grapevine Players performing an original mummers play.

Levin, professor of UNL Medieval and Renaissance Studies, will provide the Welsh background of the Tudor family leading up to Henry VII becoming King of England in 1485.

The Grapevine Players return to 12th Night with another original mummers play titled "The Revenge of Wee Wise Welsh Women" or "How a Tall Hat Saved the British Isles." Written by Greg Weinert, these annual plays have become a dramatic tradition for their family and friends. These folk plays are traditionally performed by mummers or guisers."

James Wilson, of Omaha, will bring seasonal melodies on his violin. Everyone attending will be invited to join in on Fast Away the Old Year Passes, Deck the Halls and Auld Lang Syne.

Christmas is meant to be a season of celebration. We tend to make it a season of shopping followed by a day or two of celebration, said Lori McAlister, society president. We care about making a living tradition with the rich, historical treasures we find in Welsh folk lore and legend. Our 12th Night Revel reclaims in part what weve given up by doing our holidays in a hurry.

Everyone is welcome at the event. No admission is charged, donations are welcome. A Welsh tea reception will follow the performance.

For more information about 12th Night Revel or the society, 402-742-0477, NebraskaWelsh@gmail.com, www.facebook.com/NebraskaWelsh.
TEL AVIVThe cold, hard realities of Israeli politics often are out of sync with American headlines. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerrys expansive speech on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict last week was greeted by the public here not with a bang but a whimper. Because the genuine political bombshell was being dropped by Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, who announced the opening of an official criminal investigation against his boss, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

On Monday, senior officials from the elite anti-corruption investigatory unit of the Israel National Polices went to the prime ministers residence in Jerusalem, questioning Netanyahu under caution.

In legal terms, that means Netanyahu is now officially a suspect in a sprawling corruption investigation that even given Israels tortuous politics is noteworthy for its opacity in fact and mind-numbing detail in rumor.

Depending on what evidence investigators have been able to muster, it holds the real potential to topple Benjamin Netanyahu from his perch as the countrys second-longest-serving premier.

The police inquiry into the allegations began, by one reckoning, over a year ago. Yet reports that something was amiss only surfaced in the press this past summer, and even then the news came in dribs and drabs. Whats been reported so far and the scuttlebutt in legal-political circles tells us the police are investigating two separate cases against the prime minister.

The first, Case 1000 as its been named by the police, is the one in the headlines: Netanyahu is suspected of having received expensive gifts possibly totaling in the hundreds of thousands of dollarsfrom two businessmen, one local and the other foreign.

The suspicion is that one or both of these individuals have commercial dealings in Israel leading to potential charges against the prime minister of conflict of interest, breach of trust and, perhaps, outright bribery.

The second investigation at play, Case 2000 as its called, is only whispered about and its details have yet to make it into the press. Yet its considered both the more serious of the two cases and, if rumors are to be believed, the real threat to Netanyahus reign.

These days it could be anything and it wouldnt surprise me, one Israeli legal expert put it to me cryptically.

The secrecy that has shrouded this case is, in some respects, almost as noteworthy as the investigation itself. Owing to the countrys small size and even smaller elite class, Israeli politics leak like a sieveusually. Yet since the initial reports broke six months ago the countrys top journalists havent provided any more tangible information than the existence of an investigation and its broad (rumored) contours.

We have to admit this is a story unto itself, Channel 2s veteran crime reporter Moshe Nussbaum said this morning. I dont recall an investigation like this that occupied the entire Israeli media for such an extended period of time and stillno one has been able to crack it.

By one telling, credit has to go to the careful work of the investigatory authorities, although the media may in a literal sense be flattering to deceive.

In any criminal case the element of surprise is crucial, explained Oshri Ben-Ishai, a Tel Aviv defense attorney with professional experience dealing in both organized crime and Israeli party politics. For normal people the police show up at six in the morning, arrest you, and bring you in for questioning. This doesnt exist in a public case like this.

The Israeli press, not known for its overly sympathetic view of Netanyahu, may have wanted to retain the element of surprise for the police investigatorskeeping the premier (and the public) in the dark about what evidence had already been marshalled.

If reports are to be believed, this evidence totals tens of thousands of pages and over 50 witnesses across the worldenough evidence to warrant, as mentioned, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit ordering the opening of an official investigation and belying Netanyahus unworried refrain that there is nothing [to the allegations], so there will be nothing [to the police inquiry].

***

Much hinges on the person of Mandelblit, a retired Israeli army general and former Chief Military Advocate General known for his international legal combat stemming from the wars in Lebanon and Gaza in 2006 and 2009, respectively.

After his army service, Mandelblit was picked for political life by Netanyahu, who asked him to serve as Cabinet Secretary, a senior position in the Prime Ministers Office. It was, in fact, Netanyahu who nominated and pushed for Mandelblit to become attorney general last February.

In the face of withering public criticism from opposition circles for his proximity to Netanyahu, Mandelblit made clear that he wouldnt move forward with the case unless there was concrete evidence warranting the opening of an official investigation. That he has now done so is pointed to by Netanyahus critics as the greatest proof that there is a real fire raging behind all the mysterious smoke of recent months.

Legal experts, however, urge caution. They say Mandelblits reticence is not only a natural function of a case involving a sitting prime minister but also the uniquesome say impossiblerole of the attorney general in Israels legal system.

Mandelblit, like all previous attorneys general, acts as both the governments chief legal advisor and as the decision-maker on whether to indict senior officials. On the same day he can be sitting with the government as their attorney and then turn around and prosecute them, one Israeli law professor told me. It demands you almost be an angel, taking a position against the person who appointed you.

Those who know him speak of Mandelblit in glowing terms as a serious professional who wouldnt block a criminal investigation simply because of his personal relationship with Netanyahu. More to the point, as the attorney Ben-Ishai put it, its now his good name on the table as well.

Mandelblit, though, isnt alone in this most delicate of campaigns. The police investigators at the prime ministers residence questioning Netanyahu on Monday gather the evidence and, ultimately, put forward their own recommendation on whether to bring charges. The State Prosecutors Office, the legal body actually tasked with carrying out any future criminal case, consults with the attorney general and they in turn reach a decision on whether to indict. There is ample time in the coming weeks for differences of opinion to appear, and the inevitable leaks.

***

* * *Netanyahu, for his part, has projected an air of guarded indifference. We hear the celebratory wind [blowing] from the television studios and opposition corridorsnot so fast, wait with the celebrations, he cautioned on Monday. Youll continue to blow up hot air balloons and well continue to lead the country.

The prime minister is correct in urging restraint from those already planning, however improbably, for a post-Netanyahu Israel and early elections this coming year.

Going back two decades to Netanyahus first term in power, every Israeli prime minister has been investigated by police on what were then considered significant corruption scandals. Netanyahu in the 1990s was similarly questioned under caution for a political dealmaking scandal. The then-attorney general decided not to indict.

Ehud Barak was investigated for campaign finance irregularities but the case was ultimately closed.

Ariel Sharon prior to his debilitating stroke was investigated on major corruption charges, with his son/aide paying the price and receiving jail time.

As Netanyahus associates are fond of reminding the public, the prime minister and his family have been under investigation for years, in cases involving everything from their profligate home expenses to the use of frequent flyer miles.

Yet there is one precedent that gives the political system pause: that of former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Netanyahus immediate predecessor, who is currently sitting in an Israeli prison cell after being found guilty of bribery and obstruction of justice.

Olmert similarly pleaded his innocence at first, until one key witnesss testimony describing envelopes stuffed with cash went public. The resulting political furor, especially from Olmerts erstwhile party allies, forced Olmert to resigncrucially, even before an indictment by the Attorney General was handed down.

Netanyahus Likud party, for now at least, is closing ranks.

Prime ministers are chosen democratically," one Likud parliamentarian said Monday. The Israeli public, which is a smart public, knows how to choose its leaders and also how to depose them when needed.

Another Likud backbencher has even put forward legislation making police investigations of sitting prime ministers illegal for the sake of governmental stability (although sadly for Netanyahu, the law if passed wont apply retroactively).

Coupled with a growing chorus against the left-wing media, opposition, and even the police, the message in recent days has been unmistakable: what Netanyahus many enemies couldnt do at the ballot box, they are now trying to do through whats being called a legal targeted assassination.

Only timeand the actual evidence collected by the policewill tell whether the latest scandal to engulf an Israeli premier will truly be significant.

Many, however, are lamenting the fact that it has once more come to this. All the citizens of Israel should be worried, because this prime minister replaced another prime minister who was toppled because of corruption, Eldad Yaniv, a Labor Party activist and prominent Netanyahu critic said recently. And if this prime minister is toppled because of corruption, that sucks no matter whether you voted for him or not.

Crocodile tears, perhaps, yet one thing is a certainty no matter how this saga ends: Benjamin Netanyahus future, and by extension Israels, will be decided not in the halls of power in New York or Washington, but by the countrys own institutions and people.
CAIROWorld War II was terribly unkind to Egypt. Never keen to partake in hostilities to begin with, the country nevertheless found itself thrust into the conflict as the European powers battled one another across vast swathes of its arid sands.

When most of the foreign troops packed up their tanks and left, the war remained behind in the form of up to 15 million land mines, many of which continue to litter the Sahara to this day.

Eliminating them has been the work of Egyptian ordnance disposal experts, the kind of soldiers and technicians who work on the edge of explosive eternity every day, but often have to guess what is where and then how best to deal with it. And few of them spend much time in libraries.

But the Italian military has particular interest in this explosive historyits soldiers took part in the fighting alongside Germanys, and thousands died. Its troops also laid many of the mines. So, a handful of Italian officers have spent years scouring dusty old military archives to try to find the minesand also the remains of the Italian war dead.

About a decade ago, an Italian Air Force officer discovered dozens of wartime charts and aerial photographs in a back room in Rome that are now being put to use identifying the largest clusters of explosives in Egypt.

In recent years, with the help of these maps, and drawing on the personal journals and sketchbooks of soldiers from all sides, researchers say theyve built up the best picture yet of the mine-riddled battlefields.

Importantly, the old charts have the same reference points and use the same language as the extant writings from the time, says Aldino Bondesan, a professor at the University of Padua and president of the Italian Society for Military Geology and Geography (SIGGMI), which assiduously documents the remains of Italys campaign in Egypt. We took some veterans with us on one of our trips and identified some of the exact foxholes they occupied.

When you look at the sleepy expanses of northwest Egypt now, it can be difficult to imagine this was not so long ago one of the most hotly contested killing fields of the 20th century.

Where once enormous German Panzer and British MK tank divisions smashed headlong into one another, all within sight of the Mediterraneans almost impossibly blue waters, now gated compounds patronized by Cairos urban elite in the summer months extend almost unbroken for over 70 miles along the coast.

Just off the main east-west highway at Dabaa, which was the scene of some of the fiercest fighting on the approach road to Cairo, Egyptian authorities recently green-lit the construction of the countrys first nuclear power plant, to be funded by Russia.

But in 1941 at the height of World War II, when the Italians and Germans led by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, the Desert Fox, broke through the British line in Libya, and then surged forward intent on taking the Suez Canal and cutting off Londons access to the all-important oil fields of Persia, this area morphed into an 18-month-long melee of blood, bombs, and steel.

Mounting a fierce last stand just to the west of Alexandria, the British 7th Armored Division, known as the Desert Rats, and their allies laid down massive defensive fortifications. Around El Alamein, the narrowest point between the sea and the mostly impassable sands of the Qattara Depression, the rival armies faced offand collectively laid more mines than the world had ever previously seen.

In 1942, it sometimes seems as if they did nothing but shell each other and plant mines, said James Moran, head of the European Unions delegation in Cairo, which has contributed several million euros to the clean-up process.

For several decades at least after the war ended, the desert remained much as it had when the Allied armiesreinforced by emergency deliveries of U.S. armsfinally drove the defeated Axis powers from Egypt in November 1942. Such was the volume of abandoned unexploded ordnance, or UXO, that not even four massive military arms depots around the modern town of El Alamein have been enough to contain all thats been dug up so far.

The Egyptian steel industry was able to sustain itself for decades by feeding of the thousands of tons of twisted military hardware abandoned among the sands, Aldino Bondesan says.

But come the early 1980s, when substantial oil reserves were discovered in the afflicted areas, the situation changed. All of a sudden Egypt had serious money riding on developing the Sahara. And with the implementation of the Egyptian-Israel peace accords, one of the regions most intractable disputes, the Egyptian military, which operates a monopoly on mine clearance, finally felt itself able to pull some manpower away from the borders.

After the 1979 treaty, the army was able to look inwards at the mines, said Fathy El-Shazly, a former ambassador to Saudi Arabia who until his death last summer served as head of Egypts land mine clearance unit. It was only then that we realized how big a problem we faced.

Fortunately for the Egyptian authorities, Aldino Bondesan and his SIGGMI colleagues have been hard at work for several decades now. Drawing heavily on the research of Major Paolo Caccia Dominioni, a sapper commander who returned to the battlefield throughout the 1950s and 60s to recover up to 7,000 dead bodies, theyve identified every single Italian and German emplacement right down to company leveland some to platoon level.

By matching satellite imagery with markings on Afrika Korps maps, which are more intact than the Italian records because the mostly mechanized German divisions were able to retreat in a more orderly fashion than their un-mounted counterparts, theyve pinpointed up to 30,000 defensive positions. The British Embassy in Cairo also says it handed over a series of WWII maps to the Egyptian government in 2000.

In most minefield environments such research might be interesting for academics, but of limited practical use. But in a battlefield as big as northwest Egypt, in which forces were often arrayed against one another along a 100-mile front, mines played a central role in funneling the enemy towards the strongest fortifications. Find the battlefield positions, and you find most of the mines.

This is why we had to piece together all the maps, showing where the Germans, British and Italians were, Shazly said in an interview in his downtown Cairo offices in late 2015. The walls of his operations room were dotted with photocopies of Nazi-era battle plans.

For the Allied forces, victory at El Alamein was an enormous boost to their fortunes, and a turning point in a war that had previously seen Adolf Hitlers armies sweep all before them. Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat, Winston Churchill said.

Given the immense task that still awaits them in decontaminating the Sahara, the Egyptians hope these battlefield maps will provide a similar breakthrough for their forces.
ERBIL, IraqTwo injured Iraqi soldiers stretched on hospital beds were still in their uniforms, a haphazard mix of mismatched camouflage in the military ward of a hospital north of Mosul. The walls were peach-colored, as if painted for some other kind of place. The tang of antiseptic hung in the air.

Another soldier was in a wheelchair, his lower half covered in a heavy multicolored blanket.

The three men, all in their twenties, were injured trying to rescue Iraqis fleeing the so-called Islamic State just after dawn on Dec. 26 outside the village of Telskuf, about 20 miles from the besieged ISIS capital in Iraq.

The soldiers say ISIS fighters spotted them as the they dashed from behind defenses to escort the villagers, and opened up with gunfire and mortars.

A third of the people were killed, a third injured, and a third got away, one of the soldiers said in Arabic. Two of the soldiers were shot and a third hit by shrapnel from a mortar blast.

The three wounded soldiers asked that their names not be published for fear of ISIS retribution against members of their families still trapped inside Mosul.

These men are not from the Iraqi Army, or the Kurdish Peshmerga, nor are they part of the newly legalized Popular Mobilization Forcesthe mostly Shiite militia groups, which now answer directly to Iraqs Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, and which previously were accused of summary killings, kidnapping, and torture.

These three wounded belong to a militia that is mostly Sunni from Mosul, and theyre fighting to free their loved ones. They dont trust Abadi or his Shiite-dominated administration. And when ISIS is gone, if they feel their community is suffering abuse again, they could become the vanguard of an ISIS 2.0, dragging Iraq into a civil war akin to Syria next doorand miring the U.S. in the chaos.

Abadis government is aware of the risk, and is considering completely withdrawing its mostly Shiite army from all Iraqi bases once the fight against ISIS is done, and deploying its newly legalized militia groups to keep the peace in the cities they come from.

But this particular group of locals, the Knights of Ninewa, or Haras Ninewa, arent invited. Made up of Arab Sunnis, Shiites, Christians, and Yazidis, this force answers to the former Mosul governor Atheel al-Nujaifi, a man some Shiite politicians blame for failing to stop ISIS's initial takeover of the city in 2014. That intramural conflict has lain dormant as everyone fights ISIS, but will re-emerge the moment that fighting stops.

The resentments are already building. The men in the hospital told The Daily Beast that they get no pay nor medical benefits nor survivor benefits for their families if they are injured, unlike Abadi's now-legal Shiite militia groups. They have no confidence that the Iraqi government will do any better representing the rights of Sunnis and other minorities after Mosul is captured than it did before ISIS rule.

***

Given the kind of allegations leveled in the past against some of the militias in the mostly Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces, the organizations current charm offensive seems incongruous at times as its leaders vow to professionalize and eject any member who abuses the groups newly awarded authority as the prime ministers de facto strike force.

"Since its first day, it was for all of Iraq, not for a specific sect of religion," PMF spokesman Ahmed al-Asadi told The Daily Beast in an interview at his heavily but discreetly defended Baghdad home.

He described the PMF as a volunteer force of nearly 60 different groups that has worked unpaid until now. The Iraqi government has just budgeted a salary for 110,000 fighters as part of the new law, which al-Asadi said is being parceled out among roughly 142,000 troops.

Some of the groups were formed originally to fight the U.S. military occupation: Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadrs forces killed Americans by the dozen. But most of the fighters signed up after Iraqi Shiite Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued a fatwa or religious order in 2014 calling on Iraqis to protect the state from ISIS. Some of the factions, like Ktab Hizbullah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq are considered to be veritable extensions of the Iranian militarys Quds Force, although al-Asady disagrees.

Al-Asady concedes that the bulk of the combined officially recognized militias are Shiite, but says there are also groups that include minorities like Sunnis, Christians, and Yazidis.

He says that now that the militias are legal, they will separate from the political parties or movements that gave rise to them, and answer only to the prime minister. The Iraqi military code of justice will also apply to them, although the details are still being worked out as the law Iraqs Parliament passed is a scant page and a half long.

Such forces have been accused of carrying out a scorched earth policy toward Sunnis and anyone suspected of working with ISIS, a reaction to the continuing campaign of deadly attacks and bombings aimed at Shiite neighborhoods (like the explosions that killed more than 20 people in Baghdad on Saturday).

Reports persist that the most hard line of the groups are holding up to 3,000 prisoners in up to five makeshift jails, some for alleged crimes, and some to exchange for ransoms that help fund militia activities.

Al-Asady denies those reports, but he says Iraq's justice ministry has appointed a judge who is working his way through 300 reported cases of abuse by militia members ranging from alleged prisoner abuse to summary executions. He said only roughly a quarter of those accused are genuine militia members and the rest are part of wannabe groups like the Knights of Ninewa.

He insists the wider force is now being trained to understand the Geneva Conventions and international human rights law.

Instilling discipline started about a year and a half ago. We opened specialized training camps, to provide moral guidance tasked with spreading this culture across the PMF.

He said the militias had invited international human rights organizations to lecture dozens of his forces, like the International Committee of the Red Cross. The ICRC confirmed it had held seminars with some of the groups.

***

U.S. Coalition Commander Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend says the militia groups have been remarkably disciplined since he arrived, although hed heard the previous allegations of human rights abuses.

It was a stunning comment from the coalition commander on Christmas Day, after the multiple allegations of human rights abuses by the militia groups in the ISIS fight.

It all seems to be focused on fighting Daesh, the general said, using the pejorative Arabic acronym for ISIS.

Townsend said he thought the PMF could be a force for stability in Iraq if it becomes more of a national guard rather than an extension of Iran.

Thats a big if when many of the groups already have a heavy complement of Iranian advisers and equipment, leading to allegations that Quds Force commander Qasem Suleimani is orchestrating Iraqs war on ISIS. Indeed, Suleimani taunts the U.S. on social media, but Townsend does not allow himself to be baited.

Townsend is relentlessly circumspect.

They [the Iranians] are advising the PMF because no one else is, Townsend said. They are a neighbor of Iraq's. They are a fact of life here. I cant do much about it.

He, and other senior western officials who asked to remain anonymous, hold on to the hope that Iraqs desire for independence will trump Irans ability to act as puppeteer.

Not all Iraqi Shia align with Iran. There are plenty of nationalists that see Iran as a competitor, Townsend said.

As for Iranians and American military advisers on the battlefield?

They stay over there, and we stay over here," he said. I try not to let them trouble me.

***

Iraqs Deputy National Security Advisor Safa al-Sheikh said some of the militias had been somewhat difficult to control, which is all the more reason to bring them under the Iraqi governments legal umbrella, he said.

Its important to have a law, in order to contain the popular mobilization units, to put them [under] discipline, he said in an interview at his office inside the Iraqi governments heavily defended Green Zone.

He said there were tens of thousands of minorities who also made up militia groups under the governments control, adding that the PMF has been misinterpreted outside Iraq.

That especially applies to groups like Ktab Hezbollah and Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH), which are advised by the Iranian military.

There is a great influence of Iran on them. There is some influence of the Iraqi government on them, and there is a good degree of self interest driving their actions, Safa said.

Disciplining members who step out of line will be a challenge, he said.

Ktab Hezbollah and AAH are believed to hold the bulk of the illegally detained prisoners, according to human rights, Western and Iraqi officials who all spoke anonymously because of the sensitivity of the subject.

Safa said the Iraqi government had not been able to verify the existence of the secret detention facilities, but authorities did find evidence of other abuses.

We have heard about the detention facilities, but we could never verify these numbers in these reports, he said. However they could find violations that happened including killing of some of the detaineesmore than 10 people in one incident, after the battle to drive ISIS out of Fallujah. He said that that particular case was attributed to the individual seeking revenge because his brother had been killed, but he did not offer further details.

Bottom line, it was not a policy by the groups, he said.

Safa said the Iraqi government is considering a post-ISIS plan that would see Iraqs mostly Shiite army withdrawn from all the cities, especially non-Shiite ones, so as not to cause friction with the local population which he says is what contributed to the rise of ISIS in Mosul and throughout Sunni-majority Anbar Province. In their place, PMF forces that came from the towns they would patrol would back up local police as a sort of reserve force.

***

Why have them? said Kurdish Foreign Minister Falah Mustafa. We should have invested in the Iraqi army. Not have a force from one sect.

"Are we going to the Islamization of this country? Are we going to see the majority set aside the minorities?" he asked.

In an interview with The Daily Beast at his ministry office in Erbil, Mustafa said that while Kurds appreciate the sacrifices of some of those who have come to help protect Baghdad and the country, not all of the groups are disciplined.

This will create a problem for the future of Iraq, he said.

Mustafa griped that while the militia groups will now be paid by the Iraqi government, his Peshmerga forces had to be funded by the Pentagonto the tune of $450 million for his roughly 180,000 volunteers. U.S. Forces work closely with the Peshmerga as they do with the Iraqi army, but they do not advise the militia groups.

***

Back in the hospital, the newly legal status of the mostly Shiite PMF groups doesn't sit well with the injured militiamen from Mosul who have no hope of receiving pay or benefits from the Iraqi government.

If anything happens to me, no one will take care of my family, one of the fighters said.

From their perspective the money just goes to the Shiite-dominated Iraqi government. But even more telling, in their view, is the way the U.S.-led coalition doles out critical support during combat.

Just before they were attacked, they say, four Humvees with Americans in them had been observing them from a distance. When they came under fire, they say, the Americans quickly drove away rather than helping them the way they have seen the American soldiers do for the Peshmerga or Iraqi troops.

U.S. military advisors have been ordered to stay out of the front lines by the White House, except in the rare special operations missions accompanying elite Iraqi or Kurdish forces on a specific raid or operation.

But from the point of view of the wounded fighters of the Knights of Ninewa, the Americans should have helped.

"They just left us," one said.

Worse, they think the new incoming Trump administration will work with the Shiite government to keep them down.

"Trump is going to raze the Muslim world," one of them said, to nods all around.

Saud Murrani contributed reporting from Baghdad, and Bawar Ihsan contributed reporting from Erbil.
China is one step closer to selling stealth jets to militaries around world, now that the latest copy of Chinas newest stealth fighter has reportedly flown for the first time. The debut of FC-31 number two brings China closer to being an exporter of radar-evading warplanesand draws the United States closer to, perhaps some day, facing Chinese-made stealth fighters in combat.

That could negate one of America's main advantages in aerial combatits lopsided technological superiority over most of the foreign air arms it faces in wartime.

Chinese military websites began circulating grainy videos and images of the second FC-31 in flight apparently over the city of Shenyang in northeastern China on Dec. 23.

Beijing takes advantage of China's thriving military blogging community to unofficially announce new weaponsand even pays some bloggers for favorable coverage. Propaganda aside, the imagery underscored China's rapid progress on the twin-tail, twin-engine FC-31, the first copy of which debuted in the air in 2012.

The twin-engine fighter, a product of the state-owned Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, is apparently getting stealthier ... and closer to being war-ready. The first copy of the single-seat jet featured wide, trapezoid-shape tail fins. The second copy clearly boasts fins whose angles more closely match each othera quality that helps to minimize radar signature.

Likewise, the first FC-31 trailed thick plumes of smoke from its apparently Russian-made engines when it first flew two years ago. Smokey engines are a huge liability for fighter pilots hoping to avoid visual detection in close aerial combat.

The new FC-31, by contrast, appears to boast new, smoke-free enginesthat is, if the scant video evidence is any indication.

The FC-31s quick progress parallels Chinas similarly determined efforts to get its first stealth fighter, the J-20, ready for wartime use. The Chinese air force apparently began equipping the first frontline squadron with the twin-engine J-20s in late 2016, just seven years after the fighterwhich is much larger than the FC-31first flew.

By comparison, the U.S. Air Force's F-22 stealth fighter took 15 years to go from initial prototype in 1990 to combat-ready warplane in 2005. The smaller F-35, the prototype of which first flew in 2000, also needed 15 years of work before it was ready to deploy to war.

To be fair, it's unclear just how sophisticated the FC-31 and J-20 are under their skins. The F-22 and F-35 pack advanced sensors, communications and software suites that required at least as much work as their airframes and engines did. China's own military electronics industry lags far behind America's, so it's possible that both Chinese stealth fighters come equipped with old-style internal systems that, while inferior, take less time to develop than cutting edge gear doeshelping to explain the plane's rapid development.

The U.S. Defense Department, in the 2016 edition of its annual report to Congress on Chinese military capabilities, claimed that the FC-31 includes some of the same technology that the J-20 does. The report did not specify which technologies the two planes share. (pdf)

For all its hard work on the FC-31, it's not clear that Beijing intends to ever equip its own squadrons with the stealth fighter -- and that has implications for the new plane's capabilities.

In 2014, Song Zhongping, a former officer in Beijings strategic missile force, told a Chinese T.V. program that Beijing had banned any export of the J-20 in order to keep J-20s fifth-generation technology out of hostile hands.

The reported ban could have put pressure on the state aircraft industry to produce a stealth fighter that is sufficiently advanced to attract foreign customers, but not so advanced that Beijing might prohibit selling it abroad. China's aviation industry "is actively marketing the FC-31 as an export fifth-generation multirole fighter to compete with the F-35 for foreign sales," the Pentagon reported.

For their part, the Americans mitigated the risk of exporting the F-35 by requiring that most buyers return their copies of the plane to the United States for repair, rather than tinkering with the jets' sophisticated systems on their own.

It's possible that Shenyang is developing the FC-31 with its own money in the hope of someday selling the plane to foreign customers. Chinese drones and non-stealthy warplanes have slowly become more popular on the global market, mostly in the Middle East and Africa. The United States is still, by far, the world's leading arms-exporter.

The Defense Department claimed in its 2016 China report that the makers of the FC-31 are lobbying Beijing to eventually acquire the plane for the Chinese air force. If those efforts fail, the FC-31 could become the world's first stealth fighter that is strictly a commercial commodity.

By comparison, the F-35 is a hot item on the global arms marketbut the controversial jet is foremost a U.S. government-funded project for U.S. government use. At present, the Pentagon plans to buy around two thirds of all the roughly 3,500 F-35s that most analysts believe builder Lockheed Martin could ultimately sell.

If the FC-31 succeeds as an export commodity and that's a big "if" considering how many fighter programs have failed over the decadesthen it could greatly multiply the risk to U.S. forces in future wars. American fighter pilots patrolling conflict zones over, say, the Middle East and Africa could find themselves going head to head with Chinese-made stealth fighters ... flown by non-Chinese air forces.
RACINE COUNTY  Because of a contract dispute between DIRECTV and Hearst Television, some Racine county residents discovered over the weekend that they had lost access to WISN-TV, southeastern Wisconsin's ABC affiliate.

That affected their access to shows such as"Modern Family" and "The Bachelor."

According to DIRECTV's website, Hearst is preventing the signal from reaching homes with DIRECTV "unless they receive a significant increase in fees." Hearst owns stations in 28 markets nationwide, including Milwaukee, Des Moines and Columbus.

The blackout reportedly went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Sunday. Subscribers in the Milwaukee market, which includes all of Racine County and eight other counties, received an error message from DIRECTV explaining the situation when they switched to the channel.

"The owner of this channel has removed it from the DIRECTV line-up despite our repeated requests to keep it available to you," the message reads. "Please visit DirectvPromise.com for the latest and most accurate information on this station's return."

Last week, WISN posted an article on its website that said that DIRECTV and Hearst had "reached an impasse" in their contract renewal negotiations. The article claims that DIRECTV wants to broadcast WISN-12 and other stations at "below market rates" and refers to those demands as "neither fair nor reasonable."

"We regret the inconvenience DirecTVs demands have caused its subscribers, and we will keep you fully informed of developments," the article stated.

Caledonia DIRECTV subscriber Lori Johnson-Dorgay expressed her frustration at the impasse.

"This crap just ticks me off," she said. "When will it be resolved? We pay dearly for this service."

The WISN article clarifies that Hearst has not blacked out WISN, and that the station is still available "over the air." DIRECTV confirms this on its website.

"Every Milwaukee station owner like Hearst Television is responsible for delivering a strong digital signal across the entire local community, so many customers should be able to receive it by simply using the internal tuner inside of their digital TV set," the website reads. "You may also be able to improve your reception with an inexpensive tabletop antenna available through most local electronics stores."

As for when the dispute will be resolved and WISN returned to subscribers, Hearst didn't offer a timeline on WISN's website. DIRECTV claimed that the station will be returned within moments of Hearst granting them permission.

"We believe business-to-business discussions are best conducted in a conference room and not in the public domain," DIRECTV's website reads. "We asked Hearst Television to allow our customers to keep watching WISN while we try to finalize this behind-the-scenes business agreement, but they refused."
Delays, graft, bad behaviour rampant in govt offices: NVC report

Service seekers from eight districts have expressed displeasure at government service as they cannot get timely service delivery and have to bribe officials to get their works done on most of the occasions, a report of the National Vigilance Centre (NVC) reveals.
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.
Dishonest traders may be fined up to Rs100k on the spot

Dishonest traders may be fined up to Rs100,000 on the spot under a new Consumer Protection Act the Supplies Ministry is currently preparing.
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GREENWICH  Six local photographers views of town landmarks and countryside are showing up at houses and apartments just in time for the new year.

The cover shot of the Greenwich version of the free 2017 Town Planner belongs to Julie DiBiase, an amateur photographer who recently opened a photography business. Her shot of the gazebo in Bruce Park is the first one people see when they pick up the calendar.

Also featured are photographers Matt Johnson (whose photos are credited as M.J. Adams), Mary Benoit, Linda Roberts, Rick Mason and Seth Block.

Im thrilled, DiBiasi said, noting it was her first time appearing in the Town Planner. Its an awesome feeling. I feel that Greenwich is a town of exceptional beauty. Theres so much to see from the parks to the architecture. I drive through Bruce Park a lot and I really wanted to capture it in a way that shows how beautiful it is.

For the 25th year, the Town Planner and its coupons from local advertisers and date squares already printed with local events is available. It was mailed to people in the eastern side of town and is available for pickup at Town Hall as requested.

The calendar is a countrywide effort, available in 20 states and in 13 Connecticut municipalities, including Greenwich. The 2017 edition marks the first year that Helen Grace is serving as publisher. She said shes very pleased with how the new edition has turned out.

I look for attractive shots of landscapes and cityscapes or townscapes, Grace said. I want to see things that represent a community like local events of even shots in nature of seasonal animals.

We work very hard to feature local amateur photographers, she said. I see the Town Planner as a real resource for a community. I want people to pick it up and not just see wonderful images but also know whats going on and save time and money by using it. Its a community project thats not just going to help the residents but the businesses who are part of it, too.

Januarys photo is of horses running through the snow at Conyers Farm by Linda Roberts; February is a shot of Greenwichs railroad tracks over the water in Cos Cob by Mary Benoit.

Town resident and photographer Seth Block has four images in the calendar including one of Greenwich Boy Scouts enjoying summer in the water and a bashful bunny.

Its a hobby that got out of control, Block said.

A Navy veteran, Block spent 25 years as CEO of a textile company before retiring and now does professional photography with photos running the gamut from foxes and rabbits to people to landscapes. His work is on display at www.sethblockphotography.com. This is his first time appearing in the Town Planner.

Ive been in national magazines and anytime you can be seen its a very cool feeling. Block said.

DiBiasi has been taking photos since childhood and attended the Propersi Institute of Art, a since-closed trade school in Greenwich, where she received fine arts training.

A Stamford resident, she works at the Elm Street Oyster House in Greenwich. Her photographs and notecards of Greenwich people and places are for sale in several local businesses. She began her photography business about five years ago. More information is available online at www.facebook.com/Jdibiasephotography.

My photography is my passion and now it is my profession too, DiBiasi said. I take it very seriously.

It was her Facebook presence that brought DiBiasi to the attention of Grace, who saw her photos of Greenwich and wanted to know what other ones she had.

The photo of Bruce Park was in the portfolio. DiBiasi recalled taking the shot last May.

It was an overcast day, which actually made it perfect for a shot like this, DiBiasi said. The flowers were in bloom but there were no harsh lights. Lighting is so important to a shot like this. Its the difference between a mediocre photo and a superb photo. I loved being able to shoot this. I loved being able to shoot a moment in time and share it with other people and show the benefit of your surroundings.

For more information about the planner and its contents, including information on community events, visit www.townplanner.com.

kborsuk@scni.com
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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
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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.
Anil Giri is a reporter covering diplomacy, international relations and national politics for The Kathmandu Post. Giri has been working as a journalist for a decade-and-a-half, contributing to numerous national and international media outlets.
When you hear the name Rick Perry, you might recall that time during the 2012 Republican presidential primary race where he forgot the name of a government agency he wanted to eliminate. After saying he wanted to ax the Department of Commerce and the Department of Education, he blanked on the third. Later in the debate, he said that his forgotten target for destruction was the Department of Energy.

A responsible leader doesnt forget the name of a government agency that he wants to shut down. A responsible leader studies the department in detail, learning all of the things that it does, and thinks about how things would change if the department were abolished. And so for Perry, that oops moment was enough to persuade voters that he lacked the firm grasp of the facts needed in a presidential candidate. He soon abandoned the race.

But it seems like in the Republican Party of 2016, leaders are not rewarded for being responsible and informed. Instead, the partys leaders are rewarded for finding new targets, justified or not, for the outrage of their voter base.

Unfortunately, this impulse for wanton destruction seems to be present at the intellectual level as well. In a recent op-ed in the Washington Examiner, economist Peter Grossman of Butler University called for the Energy Department to be closed. Unlike Perry, Grossman can at least remember his target; hes written a book calling U.S. energy policy a failure. But the case he lays out is weak and unpersuasive.

Grossman views the Energy Department as a panicked response to 1970s-era theories of looming fossil-fuel scarcity:

The DOE was conceived in dark and pessimistic beliefs and forecasts that have proven totally wrong. ...The original legislation justified a Department of Energy because...we were (supposedly) rapidly running out of fossil fuels, especially oil and natural gas.

In reality, the department was created in an effort to increase government efficiency by combining of a bunch of existing agencies. One of these was the Energy Research and Development Administration, the successor to the Atomic Energy Commission, which itself grew out of the Manhattan Project. That agency managed the U.S.s nuclear weapons programs. This is still one of the Energy Departments jobs  it includes the National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees the safety of the U.S. nuclear stockpile.

Let that sink in a moment. Grossman is proposing to abolish the agency that keeps U.S. nuclear weapons safe. He doesnt appear to have thought very carefully about who would take over that task, or whether valuable experience and knowledge would be lost in the hand-off. He also doesnt seem to have thought about what would happen to the departments extensive system of national labs, which research all sorts of next-generation technologies.

But even if we forgive these oversights, Grossmans story doesnt add up. The Energy Departments roots in nuclear energy also show that it wasnt simply a response to high oil prices. Government support for nuclear power boomed in the 1950s, when oil was cheap. The goal wasnt to avert a fossil-fuel crunch, but to give humanity even cheaper sources of power.

Thats still the departments goal. As Bloomberg New Energy Finance reports, solar energy is now cheaper than coal power in many places, even without government subsidies, and is getting cheaper still. As a partial result of this technological improvement, coal is on the wane, while solar is booming. Scaling plays a huge part in this process.

Solars rise hasnt come because of a fundamental technological leap, but because of learning curves. As production rises, prices tend to fall. Here, via BNEF, is a graph of how this has worked for solar panels:

That means the Energy Departments subsidy programs, which encouraged solar growth back before the economics made sense, probably had a hand in jump-starting the era of abundant energy that we now see stretching before us.

Grossman doesnt acknowledge this. He writes that the only energy breakthrough of the last four decades has been fracking. Thats a bit like saying that the only new piece of consumer electronics in the last four decades was the flat-screen TV.

So no, we shouldnt heed Grossmans call to abolish the department. More to the point, we should just stop rewarding intellectuals and politicians for casually calling for the abolition of government agencies in the absence of understanding what they actually do.

No doubt, my call is likely to fall on deaf ears, at least while the Trump administration is in power. Perry has been nominated to head the Energy Department.
In this post-factual era, no misstatement of facts should surprise us.

Yet the demonization of President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry as anti-Israel by right-wing politicians in Jerusalem is a gross perversion of reality. The charge follows a U.S. abstention on a U.N. Security Council resolution that condemned Israeli settlement building in occupied West Bank by a 14-0 vote.

Never mind that Obama had recently concluded a historic 10-year, $38 billion military aid deal for Israel that exceeds any such package ever offered to any other U.S. ally. Never mind that Obama has been more protective of Israel at the United Nations than any other U.S. president in the last half century, vetoing any Security Council resolution critical of Israel until this one. In contrast, Ronald Reagan let 21 such critical resolutions pass, George H.W. Bush nine, and George W. Bush six.

Lets get to the reason for the abstention. As Kerry laid out in a passionate speech, it was certainly not to undermine Israel. On the contrary. It was an effort to preserve a way forward for Israels survival as a secure, Jewish, democratic state.

The expansion of networks of Jewish settlements on the West Bank under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reaching the point where they will rule out the possibility of a two-state solution in any future Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.

No one, Kerry included, sees the possibility (or advisability) of establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel in the near term, in this era of Mideast chaos. But what Kerry grasped is this: Once the possibility of two states living peacefully side by side is ruled out forever  even in theory  the consequences become dangerous for Israel.

At that point, Israel is headed toward a one-state solution, in which the number of Palestinian Arabs will ultimately outnumber the Jews.

That prospect confronts Jerusalem with two fraught choices. Option One: Rule permanently over millions of bitter, disenfranchised Palestinians living in Bantustan-like enclaves, Or, Option Two, give political rights to 2.75 million Palestinians on the West Bank. Add that to 1.7 million Palestinians in Israel and you already have a substantial Arab minority alongside 6.3 million Israel Jews in Greater Israel  and those figures ignore an additional 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza.

If Israel chooses Option One  permanent control over the Palestinians  it will no longer be a democracy. If it chooses Option Two 

giving Palestinians the vote  it will loose its Jewish character (and, given Mideast realities, it will hardly become a happy bi-national state).

You get the picture: a one-state solution portends disaster. But thats where things are headed.

Why worry about this now, Kerrys critics ask, especially when Syria is burning and there are so many other problems in the world? Why not leave the question of settlements open until the (unlikely) day when there are new peace talks?

The answer: Netanyahus agenda is driven by his hard-right coalition partners who want to annex part or all of the West Bank as soon as possible. They are pursuing a rapid expansion of settlements in the heart of the West Bank in places that would make a contiguous Palestinian state impossible. Their settlements and roads separate the Palestinians into disconnected enclaves like the holes in a Swiss cheese.

Although Netanyahu claims to support the concept of two states, he describes his government as more committed to settlements than any in Israels history; he has endorsed legislation that would legalize scores of settlement outposts on private Palestinian land that were formally considered illegal by Israels courts.

Keep this in mind: The settlements  especially those beyond the barrier fence that Israel set up to secure its pre-1967 territory  have nothing to do with Israels security. They are being established in order to cement Israels permanent control over the West Bank.

Which brings us back to the vote in the United Nations. As Kerry said, it was about preserving the two-state solution. Thats what we were standing up for: Israels future as a Jewish and democratic state, living side by side in peace and security with its neighbors. Thats what we are trying to preserve for our sake and theirs.

Mind you, the resolution was symbolic and said little that hadnt been said in previous U.N. resolutions, or by previous U.S. administrations. It has no enforcement mechanism. And the Obama administration  whose peace efforts came to naught  is on the way out.

Yet the resolution offers a sobering warning. The death of the two-state idea comes with heavy costs to Israel.

If Netanyahu had curbed his extreme settlers he could have headed off the U.N. resolution. He could have bought time until the Mideast violence calms and, hopefully, permits new negotiating ideas.

Most countries understand it is too dangerous for Israel to relinquish control of the West Bank right now. But the open endorsement of annexation by the settler movement has soured even Israels allies against the Netanyahu government. They know the West Bank status quo cant hold forever and violence is likely to reoccur once the idea of two states is buried.

This is a lesson President-elect Donald Trump should ponder, having chosen a U.S. ambassador to Israel who backs settler extremists and compares Jews who favor a two-state solution to Nazis. Such dangerous nonsense will only propel Israel down a self-destructive path.
Govt intensifies talks with opposition UML

In a bid to end the stalemate over the constitution amendment bill that the government is preparing to table in Parliament, leaders from both the ruling coalition and the opposition have intensified talks.
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Linkedin Keiko Ujikane (Bloomberg)  Mon, January 2, 2017

The country that coined the word "karoshi," or death by overwork, wants companies to let workers finish early on the last Friday of every month, go out and have fun.

In an effort to curb excessive work hours and to spur consumption, the Japanese government and business groups are launching a "Premium Friday" campaign, scheduled to start on February 24.

Although it's unknown how many companies will participate, the nations biggest business lobby, Keidanren, wrote to its more than 1,300 member companies, encouraging them to take part.

One indication of just how tough it is to get change in Japans rigid work practices: the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which is pushing the idea, hasnt decided yet if its officials will get to join in. However, METI Minister Hiroshige Seko said "I'm giving my secretaries a strict order not to put in any appointments after 3 p.m." on the first Premium Friday.

(Read also: How many women can have baby in your city? South Korea shuts site)

Although it's unknown how many companies will participate, the nations biggest business lobby, Keidanren, wrote to its more than 1,300 member companies, encouraging them to take part.(Bloomberg/File)

Theres a clear relationship between leisure time, holidays and spending, said Toshihiro Nagahama, chief economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute in Tokyo. If most workers, including those at small and medium-sized firms participate, private consumption could rise by about 124 billion yen ($1.6 billion) on each Premium Friday, according to his calculations.

That may provide some boost to private consumption, which is about 60 percent of the economy.

However, Nagahama said hes concerned that workers at smaller companies may have difficulty leaving early, or that theyll simply have to make the time up on other days, limiting the campaigns impact.

Japanese workers typically use just half of their annual paid leave entitlements. In part to work around this problem and enforce time away from work, Japan has 16 annual public holidays, more than countries including the U.S. and France.

(Read also: Relax with Mt. Fuji: Nostalgic pictures can lend elegance to bathing at home)

Japanese workers typically use just half of their annual paid leave entitlements. In part to work around this problem and enforce time away from work, Japan has 16 annual public holidays, more than countries including the U.S. and France.(Bloomberg/File)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, December 31 2016

The North Jakarta Police arrested a man on Friday who allegedly wrote insulting remarks aimed at President Joko Jokowi Widodo and the National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian on the wall under the Cakung-Cilincing toll road in Cilincing, North Jakarta.

North Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Awal Chairuddin said the man was charged with allegedly violating Article 207 of the Criminal Code on insulting leaders, which carries a maximum sentence of one year and six months imprisonment.

The perpetrator allegedly conducted his action consciously and without the help of others, Awal said as quoted by wartakotalive.com.

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Linkedin Dimas Muhamad (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, December 31 2016

To many, 2016 has not been a delightful year for reminiscing. Simon Tisdall at The Guardian even went as far as saying that: 2016 was the end of the world as we know it. There are plenty of reasons behind such doldrums, the carnage in the Middle East, along with its far-reaching repercussions, would certainly be among the top of the list.

Amid the doom and gloom, the international community eventually stepped up to the plate. First, the UN Security Council (UNSC ) managed to adopt Resolution 2334 on Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territories. Second, Russia and Turkey managed to broker a nationwide cease-fire in Syria, the epicenter of the regional conflagration.

Witnessing the humanitarian tragedy in the Middle East is gut-wrenching in itself, but what is far worse is that it has unleashed the terror kraken all around the globe such as in Nice, Florida, Berlin, Ankara, and even in Jakarta. The mayhem in the Middle East has exacerbated the risk of terror attacks in Indonesia. This year alone, Indonesian law enforcement agencies have laudably thwarted 15 attacks and made 150 arrests. It is not only in the interest of the people in the Middle East but also the people of the whole world for the hostilities in that region to cease.

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Linkedin (Associated Press) Sacramento, Calif.  Mon, January 2, 2017

California's capital has emerged as a leading destination for Afghan refugees who were awarded special visas because of their service to coalition forces in the war. But life in the United States for them has proven a constant struggle.

These former translators, engineers and doctors awarded Special Immigrant Visas must start over in bug-infested, low-rent apartments with minimum-wage jobs while dealing with PTSD and other health problems, the Sacramento Bee reported (http://bit.ly/2hBy7yv).

More than 2,000 such visa holders and their family members have settled in Sacramento since October 2010, and many of them say they are struggling with anxiety and depression that have developed or been greatly exacerbated by their struggles in the United States. They say they feel helpless and abandoned, lacking decent jobs, housing or an understanding of US culture.

One of them is Faisal Razmal, a former interpreter for US soldiers battling the Taliban in Afghanistan who was shot in the face in front of his Sacramento apartment in August 2015 by an assailant wielding a flare gun. A neighborhood teenager and alleged member of a gang has been charged and is awaiting trial.

Razmal, 28, who lost the sight in one eye after the attack, said he feels like he also lost a piece of his soul.

"I feel like I'm drowning here," said Razmal, a father of two and whose wife is expecting. "I'm not mentally fixed."

Before he was shot, Razmal worked as a security guard at a shopping center. Since then, he has tried working as a taxi driver, gas station attendant, security guard and dishwasher. But his limited vision and PTSD have compromised his ability to keep a job, said licensed clinical social worker Jason Swain, who has counseled Razmal 18 times since the assault.

Razmal's fate and his ability to support his family remain uncertain. The state Department of Rehabilitation said a decision on his application for disability payments may take a year, Swain said.

Razmal, who survived roadside bombs and firefights during the war, said he was never evaluated for PTSD in Afghanistan or the United States.

Razmal's therapist, Homeyra Ghaffari, said she thinks he was already afflicted with PTSD from his experiences in Afghanistan, and he was "re-traumatized" by his shooting here.

"People hear about America and think it is a dreamland and everything is law and order and they are going to be absolutely safe, and when they enter they are in shock as they try to find their way around," said Ghaffari, an Iranian marriage and family therapist in Sacramento who speaks the same Dari language as the Afghan refugees. She now counsels about 30 Afghans seeking help with mental health and domestic violence issues.

"They feel isolated, don't have any clear direction," she said. "Their dream shatters right away." (**)
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Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, January 2, 2017

Supporters of Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama pledged on Monday to hold demonstrations at the court complex on all remaining days of Ahoks blasphemy trial to push for a fair verdict.

Bara-Badja (Volunteer Front for Basuki and Djarot) member Soelianto Rusli, who is the head coordinator of the demonstrations, said the decision had been made following a meeting ahead of the third hearing, which is slated for Tuesday and seeks to demand that judges release the beleaguered incumbent gubernatorial candidate.

Soelianto claims that the trial has become politicized and subject to public pressure, and therefore a response from Ahok supporters is needed to balance out the sentiment from those calling for him to be found guilty.

"We want to be present at the trial so that the judges are fairer in handling the case. We see that Ahok has been criminalized, so we want this trial to be fairer," Soelianto told The Jakarta Post over the phone following a coordination meeting held to finalize details of the rally.

(Read also: Ahok supporters finding new strength)

He said approximately 800 people would flock to the hearing on Tuesday, which is set to be held at a new venue in South Jakarta. The group is set to begin rallying at 6 a.m. and plans to remain there until the hearing ends.

The Supreme Court (MA) has moved the hearing to the Agriculture Ministrys main hall in South Jakarta from the North Jakarta District Court, which is now temporarily located at the former Central Jakarta District Court building on Jl. Gajah Mada No 17, Central Jakarta.

The new venue has a higher capacity and can accommodate approximately 100-200 visitors, in comparison to the previous courtroom, which can only hold 80 visitors.

Ahok, a Christian of Chinese descent, has been charged with violating Articles 156 and 156 (a) of the Criminal Code (KUHP) on blasphemy after he cited Surah Al Maidah 51 during a public speech in Thousand Islands during a visit on Sept. 27. The governor could face a maximum sentence of five year's imprisonment. (dan)


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Linkedin Agnes Anya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, January 2, 2017

The Jakarta Police have arrested four crew members of the Zahro Express motor vessel (KM), which caught fire then exploded in waters of Thousand Islands, North Jakarta, on Sunday, for their alleged responsibility over the fatal incident.

The polices water police unit (Polair) chief Sr. Comr. Hero Hendriarto Bachtiar said on Monday the arrested crew members, including the helmsman, had been questioned but none of them had been named suspects.

We have also questioned two staff members of the Transportation Ministry who had issued the KM Zahro Express voyage permit and three passengers of the ship, Hero said.

He refused to give details of both the identity of the witnesses the police had interrogated and the temporary results of their initial investigation.

I cant reveal it. It will be officially announced by the Jakarta Polices public relations division, Hero said.

(Read also: 11 victims of Jakarta boat accident released from hospital)

On Sunday, the KM Zahro Express caught fire during its way to Tidung Island, Thousand Islands. Departing from Muara Angke Port in North Jakarta, the vessel carried around 200 passengers who wanted to celebrate the New Year on the island.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported that 23 passengers were killed in the incident while 17 people suffered injuries. It further said 194 passengers survived the incident while 17 others are reportedly still missing.

It is suspected that the boat exploded after fire sparks caused by a short circuit in its engine had reached the fuel container. Authorities are investigating the incident to find out the causes of the explosion. (ebf)
Indonesia: Ferry blaze off Jakarta kills 23

At least 23 people have been killed and 17 more are missing after a ferry caught fire off the coast of Indonesia.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, January 2, 2017

Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi has said the Indonesian government is carrying out intensive diplomacy to help resolve the humanitarian conflicts that have affected Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine, Myanmar.

Retno said through its diplomatic efforts, Indonesia was striving to bridge communications between Myanmar and Bangladesh, whose relations had continued to worsen because of conflicts in their border areas.

She said what was being conducted by the government was one of Indonesias missions, namely to carry out a free and active foreign policy and to participate in maintaining world peace.

Im carrying out our diplomacy carefully so it will not cause a tumult because Rohingya conflicts are very sensitive issues, which relate to a fully sovereign country. The sovereignty of a country must be respected, Retno said as quoted by Antara on Sunday.

She admitted it was not that easy to solve horizontal conflicts in Rakhine, Myanmar, because of religious sentiments that had triggered the conflicts.

To be able to participate actively in resolving the humanitarian conflicts, Retno said she did not hesitate to seek advice from leaders of religious organizations in Indonesia.

Ive communicated with religious leaders and Islamic organizations, asking for their input on how we can best help tackle the problems of Rohingya Muslims, she said.

Retno further said President Joko Jokowi Widodo had ordered her to meet with Myanmar de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi in the latters private residence in Myanmar recently.

We talked privately, discussing Rakhine problems. We agreed on the importance of the Myanmar government and ASEAN to immediately handle the situation in Rakhine, she said.

In the meeting, Retno further said she and Suu Kyi also agreed to organize a follow up ASEAN foreign ministerial meeting to discuss Rohingya refugee problems. (ebf)




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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, January 2, 2017

The Indonesian government condemned a New Years Eve terror attack in Turkey, during which a gunman killed 39 people gathering at Reina nightclub in Ortakoy, Istanbul.

The attack occurred at 1:30 a.m. local time on Sunday, shortly after visitors of the nightclub celebrated ringing in the New Year.

The Indonesian government conveys its deep condolences to families of all victims and prays for the immediate recovery of victims injured in the terror attack, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement released on Sunday.

At least 39 people, 16 of whom were foreign citizens, were killed in the incident. It has been confirmed that five dead victims were Turkish nationals while the identities of the 18 others are still in an identification process. Around 70 people were injured in the attack.

(Read also: Gunman in New Year slayings at Istanbul club still at large)

The Foreign Ministry said it had not yet received any reports on Indonesian citizens who might have become victims of the Istanbul attack. The Indonesian Consulate General (KJRI) in Istanbul continued to cooperate with local authorities to monitor developments of the situation, it went on.

Personnel of the KJRI Istanbul have visited hospitals and other locations to ensure the safety of all Indonesian citizens.

The KJRI is calling on 1,050 Indonesian citizens in Istanbul to increase their vigilance and avoid vulnerable areas. It is also hoped all Indonesians can continue to follow developments of the local situation, the ministry said.

It further said the KJRI Istanbul had provided a hotline for Indonesian citizens to get information on the current situation in the city. All Indonesian citizens who may need information can call Dandy Suparan, the coordinator of consular and protocol affairs functions, at the number +90 531 453 0351 and Ida Humaidah at +90 531 983 1534. (ebf)
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Linkedin Corry Elyda (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, January 2, 2017

The Transportation Ministry is planning to implement a ferry service to Thousand Islands using vessels owned by state-owned ship operators PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia (Pelni) and ASDP Indonesia Ferry in response to a recent fatal accident involving the KM Zahro Express ferry, which killed 23 people.

Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said while it was waiting for the National Transportation Safety Commission (KNKT) to investigate the incident, the ministry would take action to prevent similar incidents from happening in future.

We will improve sea transportation services in Thousand Islands regency by appointing Pelni and ASDP to either replace or compete with private boats operating in the area, he said after he visited victims of the boat incident at Gatot Soebroto Army General Hospital (RSPAD) in Central Jakarta on Monday.

(Read also: Four crew members arrested after boat explosion in N. Jakarta)

Budi said the vessels would be ready in three days. We will also examine all private boats serving routes to Thousand Islands, he said.

Budi further said only boats that fulfilled safety and service standards would be allowed to operate.

On Sunday, the KM Zahro Express, carrying over 200 passengers, caught fire during its way to Tidung Island, Thousand Islands. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported 23 passengers were killed while 17 people suffered injuries. It further said 194 passengers survived the incident while 17 others were reportedly still missing. (ebf)
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Linkedin Ruslan Sangadji (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, January 2, 2017

Seven out of nine East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) terror group members, who are included on Operation Tinombala Taskforces most wanted list (DPO), are from Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, while the remaining two members are from Poso, Central Sulawesi, a top security official has said.

Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Rudy Sufahriadi thinks the seven MIT members from Bima are refusing to surrender to Operation Tinombala Taskforce personnel.

They dont have families in Poso so there would be no reason for them to surrender. This is not the case for the two DPO members, however. Its very likely that they will surrender, said Rudy, who is also the Operation Tinombala Taskforce commander, on Monday.

(Read also: Suspected terrorist arrested in C.Sulawesi)

Rudy further said it was also believed that nine former supporters of the MIT top leader, Santoso alias Abu Wardah, who was shot dead in July 2016, had never traveled in a group. Ali Kalora in Poso is the one with the highest probability to move separately from the other members. Hed always rather walk alone than together with his group, said Rudy.

To prevent MIT sympathizers from entering Poso, the police have tightened security at entrance points in areas across the regency.

Operation Tinombala, which was scheduled to conclude on Jan. 3, will be extended by three months starting on Jan. 4 with support of 1,800 police and military personnel. (ebf)
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Linkedin Edith M. Lederer (Associated Press) United Nations  Mon, January 2, 2017

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 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 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, 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 percent of the UN'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 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 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 UN 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 UN 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 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 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 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.

Trump's choice as US 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. spokesman at the UN during President George W. Bush's administration and has been working with Trump's 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 UN staff working in 180 countries are being used effectively. (**)
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Linkedin Julie Pace (Associated Press) Washington  Mon, January 2, 2017

As Barack Obama began preparing to leave office, the first smartphone-toting US 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."

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 US 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. US 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 US 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 US 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 (**)
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Linkedin Alicia A.Caldwell (Associated Press) Washington  Mon, January 2, 2017

Barack Obama is under pressure during his final weeks as president to do something  anything  to secure the future of hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the US as children who could face deportation under the Trump administration. His options appear few.

At least 50 congressional Democrats are pushing Obama to take the rare if not unprecedented step of granting pardons to the young immigrants who have stepped forward to identify themselves in exchange for a promise that they'd be safe from deportation. The White House, though, has repeatedly ruled that out.

Several Republican lawmakers are crafting legislative proposals to solidify the place of these immigrants, sometimes called Dreamers, before Donald Trump takes office Jan. 20. Similar efforts have repeatedly failed, even with Democratic majorities in both chambers of Congress, so the likelihood of a legislative Hail Mary isn't great.

That leaves more than 741,000 immigrants wondering what's next.

Trump's plans for Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program are unclear. As a candidate, he pledged an immediate end to what he called an "illegal executive amnesty." But as the president-elect, he has softened that stance.

"We're going to work something out that's going to make people happy and proud," Trump told Time magazine last month. "They got brought here at a very young age, they've worked here, they've gone to school here. Some were good students. Some have wonderful jobs. And they're in never-never land because they don't know what's going to happen."

Obama's program allowed young immigrants who came to the United States as children to come forward and go through background checks in exchange for a promise they would be safe from deportation and allowed to apply for work permits. They must reapply for the program and work permits every two years.

While the government promised approved immigrants that they wouldn't face deportation, the program does not provide a legal immigration status. Under Trump, their personal information, and that of some relatives, could soon be readily accessible to immigration enforcement officials.

When Obama announced the plan in 2012, he said he was taking executive action because Congress hadn't acted.

"This is not amnesty, this is not immunity," Obama said at the time. He called the program a "stopgap measure" that would protect young immigrants from deportation while his immigration agencies focused enforcement efforts on criminal immigrants and those who pose a threat to public safety.

The Homeland Security Department made clear then that a future administration could do away with the program.

The pardons being pushed by Democratic lawmakers are seen as a non-starter.

"Ultimately, it wouldn't protect a single soul from deportation, so it's not an answer here," Cecilia Munoz, Obama's top immigration adviser, told the Center for Migration Studies. "I know people are hoping for an answer, but by its very nature, the use of executive authority in this way is subject to the will of the executive"  soon to be Trump.

Even if Obama was inclined to offer pardons for immigration violations, that alone wouldn't change the predicament these young immigrants are in because the president doesn't have the power to grant someone legal immigration status on his own.

___

Associated Press writers Josh Lederman and Kevin Freking contributed to this report.

___

Follow Alicia A. Caldwell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/acaldwellap (**)
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Linkedin Ruslan Sangadji (The Jakarta Post) Palu, Central Sulawesi  Mon, January 2, 2017

Operation Tinombala in fighting the East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) terror group will extend its operation by three months from the original ending date of Jan. 3 to ensure the complete elimination of the group and its power and influences, a top security official has said.

Operation Tinombala taskforce commander Brig. Gen. Rudy Sufahriadi said the operation in Poso, Central Sulawesi, was extended because nine MIT members had remained at large and continued to wage guerrilla warfare in forests across Poso.

The operation will end only if all remnants of the MIT can be busted, dead or alive, said Rudy on Friday.

The nine remaining MIT members are Ali Kalora, Firdaus alias Daus or alias Barok Rangga, Kholid, Askar alias Jaid or alias Pak Guru, Qatar alias Farel, Abu Alim, Muh Faisal alias Namnung or alias Kobar, Nae alias Galuh and Basir alias Romzi.

Rudy said one year after its launch, the target of Operation Tinombala to paralyze the leaders of the MIT, a local terror organization affiliated with the IS extremist group, had been achieved. MIT leader Santoso alias Abu Wardah was shot dead in an operation on July 18, 2016. His followers, both locals and foreigners, had either been arrested or shot dead.

Still, the terror group had yet to be fully eliminated with the remaining members still at large, Rudy said.

(Read also: Operation Tinombala likely to be extended: Chief)

Rudy, who is also the Central Sulawesi Police chief, further said it was likely remnants of the MIT were led by Ali Kalora. They reportedly still possessed armed weapons and home-assembled bombs. He did not give details on how many armed weapons were still being used by the terrorist group but confirmed they possessed a large number of homemade bombs.

Operation Tinombala taskforce deputy commander Col. Alfi Sahri Lubis previously said it was likely the types of armed weapons still possessed by the MIT members were SS1-V1, made by state weapon maker PT Pindad, and the US-manufactured M16-A1.

MITs weapons were identifiable as they used 5.56 millimeter munitions, very similar to the SS1-V1 and M16-A1.

It was believed those weapons had been used to shoot First Pvt. Yusuf Baharuddin, who was once a member of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) and had worked with the Operation Tinombala taskforce, in a shootout in Poso Pesisir on Dec. 20. (ebf)
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Linkedin Ruslan Sangadji (The Jakarta Post) Palu, Central Sulawesi  Mon, January 2, 2017

The National Polices Densus 88 counterterrorism squad arrested on Saturday a terrorism suspect in an operation in Palu, Central Sulawesi.

Irwanto, alias Abu Muhammad, is suspected of having planned to carry out terrorist attacks during New Years Eve celebrations in several areas across the city.

Central Police chief Brig. Gen. Rudy Sufahriadi said on Monday that the suspect was assembling bombs that he planned to detonate at churches and places suspected to be the bases of Shia communities in Palu when he was apprehended.

Irwanto, who is now undergoing intensive questioning at the Central Sulawesi Police headquarters, had reportedly rehearsed his attack on a church on Jl. Masjid Raya, Palu. In the tests, he used only several fresh care bottles with wicks installed.

He tested it twice, said Rudy, who is also commander of the Operation Tinombala taskforce assigned to pursue the remnants of the East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) terror group previously led by Santoso, aka Abu Wardah.

(Read also: Operation Tinombala extended by three months as terror group still at large)

Rudy said security personnel arrested Irwanto on Jl. Bali, East Palu, on Saturday, less than 24 hours before he would have carried out his attack on New Years Eve.

Rudy said Irwanto was also planning to create a new terrorist group to carry out bomb attacks. He planned to recruit young Islamic activists from Palu and sympathizers of the Santoso terror group in Poso.

Rudy said the new group would be assigned to rob banks, with the money being used to buy weapons and finance their terror acts.

A new group is needed because, according to the suspect, the MIT in Gunung Biru, Poso, and a terror cell led by Islamic State-linked terrorist Bahrun Naim have been getting weaker, he said. (ebf)
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Linkedin Dylan Amirio (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, January 3 2017

The Coordinating Economic Ministry and the states infrastructure funding arm, PT Indonesia Infrastructure Finance (IIF), have achieved financial closure of a drinking water treatment system (SPAM) project in Umbulan, East Java.

Acting as the leader of a syndicated group of three infrastructure companies, IIF has obtained viability gap funding from the government to the tune of Rp 818 billion (US$60.45 million), accounting for 40 percent of its capital expenditure.

The three companies involved are PT Meta Adhya Tirta Umbulan, a private company that won the project tender, state-owned infrastructure financing company PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur and government-sponsored infrastructure financing guarantee agency PT Penjaminan Infrastruktur Indonesia.

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IS conflict: Baghdad suicide car bomb blast kills 35

At least 35 people have been killed in a suicide car bomb attack in a busy square in Iraq's capital, Baghdad, security and medical sources say.
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, January 3 2017

The Indonesian government condemned a New Years Eve terror attack in Turkey, during which a gunman killed 39 people at Reina nightclub in Ortakoy, Istanbul, Turkey.

The attack occurred at 1:30 a.m. local time on Sunday, shortly after visitors of the nightclub celebrated the New Year.

The Indonesian government conveys its deep condolences to families of victims and prays for the immediate recovery of victims injured in the terror attack, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement released on Sunday.

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Linkedin Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, January 3 2017

Palestinian officials and professionals banded together in Amman, Jordan, at the end of 2016 to establish the Palestine-Indonesia Friendship Association (PIFA), in spite of a move by Israeli authorities to disrupt the event.

The Palestinian government and the Indonesian Embassy in Jordan initially planned to hold the PIFA inauguration in Hebron, one of Palestines main business hubs, but it was moved to another location because Israeli authorities did not grant passage (tasrikh) into the occupied state, despite tabling a request three months in advance.

Even though Israel always manages to get in the way of Indonesian efforts to improve our relations with Palestine, we have never run out of ideas or stopped trying, said Teguh Wardoyo, Indonesian Ambassador to Jordan and Palestine, on Monday. Teguh, who is expected to vacate his post this month, had planned the PIFA inauguration ceremony as part of his farewell trip, which included an audience with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki in Ramallah.

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Climate change is impacting a generations-old wild honey trade in remote Indonesias Sumbawa Island.

A rmed with a steel blade, a bucket and a whole lot of courage, a hunter is ready. He ties a T-shirt around his head, leaving a small gap to see through. A rope is fastened around his waist attached to a plastic bucket. Wedged into the back of his pants is a long, sharp knife with a heavy wooden handle. The man is about to climb barehanded 30 meters up one of Indonesias largest trees, the majestic Boan tree. It is just another day in the office for the Sumbawan honey hunter.



Honey is the pride of Sumbawa Island, West Nusa Tenggara.



Sweet and syrupy, it is known to contain nutritional benefits that aid digestion and boost the immune system. There is a bottle in Indonesian households all over the archipelago.

When rainfall is steady, flowers bloom and bees are productive. For a five-day trip, hunters can make up to Rp 1 million (US$80 USD) per person. This is a fortune considering the average rice farmer would earn a fifth of that in one week.

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Senator Joe Pennacchio (R-Essex, Morris, Passaic) will introduce legislation urging Congress to pass their resolution admonishing the U.N. Security Council for voting to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The U.N. Security Councils condemnation of Israeli settlements and the Obama administrations refusal to speak out against this resolution is a horrific betrayal, Senator Pennacchio said. While I am confident that President Elect Trump will right this wrong, we must act now to demonstrate our support for Israel, especially as the nation struggles to defend itself against unprovoked attacks on the West Bank.

Senator Pennacchios resolution urges Congress to pass their resolution of disapproval of the United Nations. The congressional resolution admonishes the U.N. Security Council for voting to condemn new Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The U.N. resolution passed 14-0, with the United States abstaining. Those who oppose the resolution argue that the Security Councils actions and the Obama administrations decision to abstain from the vote could damage the US alliance with Israel, harm peace negotiations, and put the nation at a greater risk of Palestinian attack.

New Jersey and Israel have always shared deep cultural and economic ties, Senator Pennacchio added. I implore my colleagues in the legislature to once again stand united in our support of Israel, by taking action on my resolution as soon as we return in the New Year. What has happened at the federal level is shameful. Lets not make the same mistake in New Jersey.
The Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerces U.S.-Israel Business Alliance mission kicked off on Monday evening, shortly after former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee arrived in Yerushalayim.

Governor Huckabee, along with other members of the mission, visited the Kosel Hamaaravi and attended a dinner at the nearby Between the Arches restaurant. The dinner was hosted by the Ateret Cohanim organization, which works to spread the Jewish presence throughout Yerushalayim.

Governor Huckabee delivered an impassioned speech extolling the long Jewish history throughout Israel and Judea and Samaria, and his religious convictions regarding the Jewish connection to the land. He firmly denounced recent anti-Israel moves by the UN and the Obama administration, and Secretary of State John Kerrys speech declaring that Israel cannot be both Jewish and Democratic. Maybe Secretary Kerry should pay a visit, Governor Huckabee quipped.
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NTB to launch tourism campaign in Europe

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Indonesian tourist boat blaze kills 23

INDONESIA: A massive fire erupted in a boat carrying hundreds of local tourists to an island north of the Indonesian capital Jakarta Sunday (Jan 1), leaving at least 23 dead and 17 injured, officials said.

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By AFP

Monday 2 January 2017, 12:56PM

At least 23 people have been killed and 17 are missing after a passenger boat caught fire near Jakarta, according to officials. Photo: AFP

Passengers panicked and jumped into the sea as flames and smoke rapidly engulfed the Zahro Express shortly after it left port to head to the popular holiday island of Tidung, the national disaster agency said.

Another 17 people were missing and 194 were rescued following the blaze which started with an explosion in the engine room that the transport ministry said was accidental and could have been caused by an electrical fault.

Fifteen minutes after the boat set sail, people at the back of the boat started making noise, a female passenger Evi, who gave only one name, told local station Metro TV.

Then I saw smoke, there was more and more, the boat was crowded and people were fighting for life jackets.

Another survivor, Juju Rukminingsih, told how someone took her sons life jacket just as he was about to jump from the boat.

When we wanted to go, I panicked because I saw my son jump off the boat without a (life jacket) because somebody else had taken it, she told a local TV station.

Passing fisherman plucked many of the passengers, all of whom were believed to be Indonesians, to safety and firefighting boats were deployed to put out the blaze.

It was just the latest fatal maritime accident in the vast Indonesian archipelago, which relies heavily on boats to ferry people round its 17,000 islands but has a patchy safety record.

Search efforts continue

After the blaze was extinguished, the boat returned to port and rescuers searched through the fire-blackened vessel, which had been heading to the island 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the capital and part of the Thousand Islands archipelago.

Vessels from several government agencies scoured the sea in the hunt for survivors while the Jakarta governor visited the injured at a local hospital.

A manifest had indicated there were around 100 passengers on the vessel but as rescuers plucked passengers from the stricken vessel it became apparent the figure was far higher in a country where overcrowding on boats is common.

"The boat's manifest says there are around 100 people on board, but obviously that's wrong, so we are still searching," national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told AFP.

The agency said that the tourists were likely heading to Tidung to celebrate the New Year.

The Thousand Islands, many of which are just a couple of hours by boat from Jakarta, are a popular weekend getaway for residents of the teeming, overcrowded capital of more than 10 million inhabitants.

Fatal boat accidents are common in Indonesia.

In September a tourist boat on the resort island of Bali exploded, killing two foreigners and injuring about 20 others.

At least 54 people died in November when an overcrowded speedboat carrying three crew and 98 passengers -- mostly Indonesian migrant workers -- struck a reef and sank on its way from Malaysia to Batam.
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Actress Deepika Padukone says she is nervous and excited about her Hollywood debut "xXx  Return of Xander Cage" that stars Vin Diesel.

"I am really excited. This is my Hollywood debut. I am very nervous, but I am also very excited. And today is the beginning of that journey. Hopefully, we will be coming to India soon," Deepika said on January 1 before leaving for abroad to kick-start the film's promotion.

"In terms of promotion, first we will head to Mexico. As far as the release is concerned, we will first release the movie in India. While shooting the film, I discussed this with my unit that it would be great to first release it in India and I am happy that it is finally happening," she added.

After her Hollywood debut later this month, Deepika will be known for being more than a Bollywood actress.

Talking about it, she said: "I think I'd like to be known as a good person and a good actor. But I also feel very proud that I get to represent my country, especially in this kind of action franchise of the film."

"I am really excited. I am also very sure we will enjoy this film because of its content. There is a lot of action, adventure in the film, which we have not seen in Indian films before. So, I can't wait to bring this movie to India and show it to everyone."

"xXx: Return of Xander Cage", helmed by D.J. Caruso, also stars Donnie Yen and Samuel L. Jackson.
With her maiden Hollywood film "xXx: The Return of Xander Cage" up for release, Deepika Padukone feels both excited and nervous while being proud that she is representing the country abroad.

The actress will be seen in the third instalment of the 'xXx' franchise, scheduled to release on January 14.

When asked her feelings before she left Mumbai last night, Deepika told reporters, "I am very excited. This is my Hollywood debut. I am very, very nervous, but also excited.

Today is the beginning of that journey. Hopefully, we will be coming to India soon."

The "Piku" star said she is happy that the film will first release in India as the movie is something that the audience here will enjoy.

"I feel very proud that I get to represent my country especially in this kind of an action franchise film.

"I am sure this film will be enjoyed a lot because of the content. There is lot of action, adventure, which we have not seen in Indian films before. So, I am excited to show the film here."

The movie will see Vin Diesel return as Xander Cage while Deepika will play the role of a huntress Serena Unger.

Deepika, 30, says she is glad the makers of "xXx" agreed to release the film here first, making India a big plan of the project.

"In terms of promotions, we will first go to Mexico. But as far as the release is concerned, we will release first in India.

"While I was shooting I suggested the team that it would be great (to release it first in India) and I am happy it happened finally. It is a huge international franchise and I am happy India is such a big part of the plan."

The film, directed by D J Caruso, also stars Donnie Yen, Samuel L Jackson, Tony Jaa, Nina Dobrev, Ruby Rose, Rory McCann, Kris Wu, and Ariadna Gutierrez.
After a long tussle, the process for nursery admissions have finally begun in the national capital on Monday with registrations being open till January 23. According to the norms instructed by the Directorate of Education (DoE) the school will have to upload the admission criteria on its website.The schools have also been instructed that their criteria should be well-defined, equitable, non-discriminatory and transparent- steps take to avoid any discrepancy and the maintaining the transparency of the process.

Parents applying for this academic year should keep following things in mind as the admission process begins.

>Applications would be available till January 23, 2017.

>Private unaided schools that are built on public land are notified cannot start the admission process till further notification.

>25 percent seats are to be reserved for the EWS category.

>Point system should be in the conformity with the Delhi High Court Order.

>Schools are required to hold the draw of lots only in presence of all the parents who are participating in that lot.

>Age limit for nursery admissions is 3 years till 31 March 2017 for Nursery Admission 2017.

Before filling the form, parents are advised to go through instruction manuel available on the he DoE website in order to avoid any confusion.
Customers dissatisfied with service at any hotel or restaurant can opt to seek that service charge not be levied, as this is optional or discretionary as per the Consumer Protection Act, an official statement said on Monday.

The Department of Consumer Affairs, in a statement, also asked state governments to advise hotels and restaurants to disseminate information, such as through displays, that "the service charges are discretionary or voluntary".

The department said that it received complaints from consumers that many hotels and restaurants charged "service charge in the range of 5-20 per cent, in lieu of tips" and consumers were "forced to pay irrespective of the kind of service provided".

A clarification was sought from the Hotel Association of India, which replied that the "service charge is completely discretionary and should a customer be dissatisfied with the dining experience, they can have it waived off", as per the department.

The department have also asked the state governments to sensitise the companies, hotels and restaurants regarding provisions of the Act.
To curb steep fall in wholesale onion prices and protect farmers' interest, the Centre has further extended export sops on onion by three months till March 31 this year.

Wholesale prices fell by up to 42 per cent to Rs.7.40 per kg at Lasalgoan (Maharasthra), Asia's biggest onion market, during last month from an average Rs.12.80 per kg in the year-ago period on expected good production.

Maharashtra, the top onion producer, had demanded the central government to extend export incentive of five per cent to exporters under the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) for both fresh and stored onions, beyond December 31.

In the latest public notice, Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said it "hereby extends the MEIS benefit at 5 per cent freight on board (FoB) for 'onions fresh or chilled' by further three months till March 31, 2017."

At present, the arrival of 2016-17 kharif (summer) onion is in the full swing not only in Maharashtra but also in other states like Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

"Prices are under pressure because of increased arrival of the fresh kharif crop. Looking at the daily arrivals, it looks productivity is higher even though the acreage was lower," a senior Agriculture Ministry official said.

It may be noted that 20 per cent of the country's total onion output is grown during the kharif season. Since the kharif onion cannot be stored, farmers sell off the produce in domestic as well as overseas markets.

The arrival of quality onions has boosted exports in the last few weeks. About 13,56,381 tonnes of onions have been shipped abroad in the April-September period of this fiscal.

The government is still assessing onion production figures for the 2016-17 crop year (July-June). Last year, the country's onion output was higher at 20.99 million tonnes.

Maharashtra contributes more than a quarter of the country's overall output.
A court here on Monday sent to judicial custody, till January 16, a lawyer and a Kotak Mahindra bank manager arrested on charge of converting Rs.60 crore in demonetised currency into new notes.

Additional Sessions Judge Raj Kumar Tripathi remanded lawyer Rohit Tandon and Kotak Mahindra Bank Manager Ashish Kumar to 14 days judicial custody after Enforcement Directorate did not seek custody for further interrogation.

Meanwhile Tandon has moved his bail application.

The court has sought reply from ED and listed the matter for further hearing on January 4.

The Enforcement Directorate on December 28 arrested Tandon on charge of converting Rs.60 crore in demonetised currency into new notes in connivance with the bank manager.

Tandon was arrested after grilling by ED officials for almost a week and booked under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Kumar was arrested on Wednesday.

ED sources said Tandon gave Rs.1.5 crore as commission to Ashish Kumar, posted at Kotak Mahindra Bank's Connaught Place branch, for converting his Rs.34.93 crore demonetised high-value currency into new notes.

Cash of Rs.13.65 crore, including Rs.2.6 crore in new notes, was seized from Tandon's office in Greater Kailash-I area of south Delhi during a raid by Delhi Police on December 10.

Tandon's T&T law firm and residence, before this operation, were separately searched by the Income Tax Department, which said he had declared undisclosed income of over Rs.125 crore.
Actor Adam Driver, who played the latest bad guy on the scene in "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens", said he almost turned down the role.

The actor, who played Kylo Ren, received a call from JJ Abrams while he was on set filming for Lena Dunham's hit TV series "Girls".

But while "Star Wars" director Abrams wanted to talk to him about a role in the new film, Driver said it look some time for him to fully come round to the idea, reported Digital Spy.

"I remember being overwhelmed by the size of it. I was nervous and had to think about it for a couple of months," Driver said.

The actor is currently staring in the Martin Scorsese film "Silence" alongside Andrew Garfield. The two play Jesuit priests who face persecution and so travel to Japan to meet their mentor (Liam Neeson).
Taxi receipt system formally launched

Three taxi cabs were fitted with meters that print out receipts on Sunday, marking the formal inauguration of the taxi receipt system in Nepal.
BJP President Amit Shah on Monday sought the support of the people of Uttar Pradesh to bring about a "parivartan" in the state in the coming assembly elections.

Addressing the 'Maha Parivartan' rally at Ramabai Sthal here, Shah said the state had been ruined by both the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party.

The time had come to change the destiny of the country's most populous state, he said.

Take potshots at the ongoing feud in the Samajwadi Party, Shah said the "chacha" and "bhatija" were squabbling while the development of the state had taken a backseat.

And referring to BSP chief Mayawati, he said even the "bua" had not contributed positively to the state and it was because of these two parties that Uttar Pradesh remained backward.

He said an all round development of Uttar Pradesh would become possible only when the BJP was voted to power.
The Congress party on Monday demanded that the government disclose how much money in old currencies has come back to the banking system until December 30.

It also sought to know whether the returning old notes will be destroyed, and if yes, will it be done under the supervision of a Supreme Court-appointed committee or a joint parliamentary committee.

"The 50-day deadline of the government to deposit money expired on December 30, but the sufferings of the people continue," said Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari while briefing the media.

"It raises a few questions. About Rs 14.86 lakh crore in 500/1,000 rupee notes were withdrawn from the economy on November 8. We want the government to disclose how much of it has come back to the banking system till December 30.

"Who will be the custodian of these notes which have come back? Will that be the Reserve bank of India (RBI)?" said Tewari.

"If these currencies have to be destroyed, will the government be willing to undertake this exercise under the supervision of a Supreme Court-appointed committee or at least under a joint parliamentary committee?" he added.

The Congress also wanted to know from the government how much of the old notes are fake, and to what extent the terror financing has reduced.

"We want to know how much of it is black, how much is grey, blue, yellow and white How much fake currencies have been found. What is the quantum of terror financing that has gone down," added Tewari.

Under normal circumstances, when a series of currency notes are demonetised, the central bank has the infrastructure to be able to absorb old notes, deal with them and put out new currencies, he said, adding that in this case, the RBI was totally unprepared.

"What is the government going to do to ensure that all these old notes do not leak back into the system?

"Why this question is germane because still some schemes like Garib Kalyan Yojana, facility to exchange notes in the RBI and deposits by NRIs are going to continue until March 31 and some until June," said Tewari.
A court here on Monday sent to judicial custody, till January 16, hawala trader Paras Mal Lodha who was arrested for converting demonetised notes worth Rs.25 crore linked to industrialist J Sekhar Reddy and lawyer Rohit Tandon into new currency.

Additional Sessions Judge Raj Kumar Tripathi sent Lodha to 14 days judicial custody after Enforcement Directorate told court that he is not required for further custodial interrogation.

Lodha was presented before the court after expiry of his four day ED custody.

Meanwhile, as Lodha's defence counsel Rebecca John moved the bail plea, the court has asked ED to file its reply on the plea and listed the matter for January 6.

The Kolkata-based businessman was arrested on December 21, after hours of questioning by the ED officials and booked under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Lodha, a leading businessman with interests in real estate and mining, had been intercepted by a team of ED sleuths at the Mumbai airport while he was trying to flee to Malaysia.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had last month arrested Reddy, a former Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam Board Member, and two others from Chennai for money-laundering after Income Tax (IT) department recently seized 177 kg of gold, Rs.96 crore in old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes and Rs.34 crore in new currency from their premises.

Cash amount of Rs.13.65 crore, including Rs.2.60 crore in new currency notes, was seized from the office of Tandon in south Delhi's Greater Kailash-I area during a raid conducted by Delhi Police on December 10.

Sources said that Reddy had executed a lot of work for the Tamil Nadu government.

In connection with the case, IT officials raided 12 locations in the southern state including the house of Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary P. Rama Mohana Rao.

ED officials on December 1 raided multiple hawala operators across the country involved in illegal conversion of old currency notes of Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 to valid legal tender since November 8 demonetisation announcement.
NRIs and Indian nationals abroad can deposit up to Rs.25,000 of the demonetised currency during the 3-6 month grace period, but only if they show the junked notes to Customs officials at the airport and get declaration form stamped.

The declaration will have to be submitted at specified branches of the Reserve Bank while depositing the junked currency, a finance ministry notification stated.

While the 50-day window for such deposits at banks or post offices ended on December 30, the government has offered a grace period for those who were abroad.

The window for Indian nationals who were travelling abroad is till March 31 and for NRIs, it is June 30, 2017.

This facility, however, is "subject to the Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Currency) Regulations, 2015. As per these regulations, bringing back such currency into the country is restricted to Rs.25,000 per person".

Those returning from Nepal and Bhutan are not permitted to carry specified bank notes (SBNs) of old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes.

The ministry said since it is a facilitation step to enable resident and non-resident Indians to deposit SBNs when they arrive in India, measures should be taken to make passengers and airlines aware of the new dispensation.

"While discharging the above task, care may be taken that due courtesy is extended to the declarants and that no unnecessary inconvenience is caused," it said.

The government had declared 500 and 1,000 denomination bank notes as illegal tender from November 9, 2016.

Subsequently, the President approved the promulgation of the Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities Ordinance) Ordinance, 2016 on December 30.

"The ordinance imposes penal liabilities on the holders of SBNs after the specified date," the notification said.

It makes holding, transfer and receiving of the demonetised notes a criminal offence, punishable with a fine of Rs.10,000 or five times the cash held, whichever is higher.

"The details of the declaration and statements that are required to be submitted along with the SBNs at the time of deposit in RBI issue offices will be separately announced by RBI. Any false declaration will invite a fine of Rs.50,000 or five times the amount of the face value of the SBN tendered, whichever is higher," a ministry statement had said after the Ordinance was promulgated on Friday.
The Supreme Court in a landmark judgment on Monday said that political parties cannot seek votes on basis of caste, community, religion or language.

SC in majority verdict holds that any appeal for votes on ground of religion amounts to corrupt practices under electoral laws, the apex court said.

Relation between an individual and God is an independent choice, it added.

A constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India Justice TS Thakur by a 4:3 majority passed the order on the basis of Section 123(3) of the Representation of People's Act, according to media reports.

The SC verdict could have a huge impact in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly election.
The Supreme Court on Monday sought government's response on delay in the transfer of judges from one High Court to another as recommended by the top court collegium.

The bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud sought the government response as it was told that several recommendations of the top court collegiums including the transfer of Gujarat High Court judge Justice M.R.Shah were pending since February 22, 2016.

Drawing the attention of the court on the government sitting on the transfer and appointment of judges, senior counsel Ram Jethmalani told the court that "just see what is happening with the administration of justice.A Executive has to be necessarily taught a lesson".

Responding to the criticism of the government for dragginbg its feet on the judges appointments and transfer, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the court that in November 2016, they had cleared all and nothing is pending.

"Collegium has reiterated 37 names for appointment as judges that were returned by the government. It would take six weeks to process them and that six weeks are coming to an end today," he added.

Taking a dig at Attorney General Rohatgi's submission that procedure was being followed, senior counsel Yatin Ozha said that procedure seems to be quite vague.

While the file of Justice Shah for transfer from Gujarat High Court to Madhya Pradesh High Court is pending on the table of an official in PMO since February 22, 2016, many recommendations made prior to it, simultaneously with it or even latter have been given effect to, he said.

For a long time now the government is sitting the transfer of the Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court Justice K.M. Joseph to the Hyderabad High Court. As a consequence the transfer of Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court Justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee as Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court is not taking place, which is, in turn, affecting the transfer of a judge as Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court.

The court has given the government two weeks time to place its response and reasons for delay in the transfer of judges.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday directed Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia to take up with the Saudi government the arrest of an Indian engineer from Telangana for allegedly posting a "blasphemous" photo on social media.

"I have asked our Ambassador in Saudi Arabia to take this up with the Saudi Government @IndianEmbRiyadh," she tweeted.

Her response came after one Naseema Khan brought the case of Shankar Ponnam who was arrested by Riyadh police nearly one-and-half months back.

Ponnam, who is in his 40s and works as an agricultural engineer, allegedly posted on Facebook a doctored photo of the Kaaba, a sacred site in Islam.

He is from Jagtial district in Telangana and is an employee with a farm in Tameer district of Al-Majmaah region.

Ponnam offended the sentiments of Muslims by posting the photo of holy Kaaba and his act triggered a social media outcry and condemnation, Col. Fawaz Al-Maiman, spokesman for Riyadh Police, was quoted as saying by local media in Riyadh.

He said police confiscated the mobile phone used by Ponnam to post the "blasphemous photo".

Later, responding to a plea on granting Indian citizenship, Swaraj tweeted, "This is not my domain.

Citizenship matters are with Ministry of Home affairs."

In the plea, Syeda Yusra Reza, a Pakistani national living in Hyderabad since 1993 on long term visa, sought her help in obtaining Indian citizenship.

Reza wrote that "my father is an Indian national and mother was granted Indian citizenship in 2010".
I heard the big news that an inspector of schools would pay us a visit the following week. A student in a missionary school and only eight, I knew what made the news big: the inspector was an Englishman and a royal emissary in effect. It shook everybody in the school, from our plump easy-going headmaster to the lowly, skinny groundskeeper. None doubted that the slightest lapse could mean a swift sack for any staff. For a student found wanting, in performance or in conduct, the fate could be worse.

For me the situation felt worse, for I got little sympathy from my usually caring parents. My father had worked with Englishmen and thought my terror overblown. My mother, without saying as much, credited it to a fevered imagination. She said airily, An inspector will inspect. No big deal.

I knew they were wrong, very wrong, but I couldnt find a way to persuade them. So the fateful day came and I went morosely to school, wearing the school uniform of white shirt and khaki trousers. The headmaster had pressed his torso into a laughably tight jacket and nervously paced in front of his office.

We went to the school hall and waited an hour before the inspector turned up. He was a tall, bony man with a red face, made redder by the fierce summer sun, carrying a large leather case and sporting a comical felt hat. He took off the hat, revealing a mop of sweat-dappled brown hair, and, with a sign from the headmaster, led us in a prayer.

We werent so familiar with English and, given his grammar school accent, we didnt understand a word of what he said. He then left the hall, after the headmaster had told us that the inspector would later visit our classes. It sounded ominous, like a threat.

In the third period, while our history teacher Grasshopper  we called him that because of his jerky style of moving  was talking of Emperor Asoka, when in came the inspector with the headmaster. It was the height of miscalculation on the headmasters part, for Grasshopper did not speak a word of English.

In an unusual act of bonhomie the inspector said, Good afternoon, though with a funereal face, and Grasshopper responded, Sir! That was an English word he spoke, because by that time the word had entered all Indian languages.

What do you teach? was the inspectors first question.

Yes, said the Grasshopper. He probably thought the inspector was asking if he was teaching, though the answer sounded as silly as the question. To save the situation, the headmaster quickly said, History.

And what are you teaching just now? We waited with bated breath for Grasshoppers response, but he continued with the only word he could handle, Yes, adding a Sir at the end to be polite.

A true bureaucrat, undeterred by the Grasshoppers brevity, the Englishman popped his third question, Arent you going to tell me what you are doing with these students?

This was far too complicated for Grasshopper, and he stuck to the only response he could think of, Yes, sir.

By now the august inspector was visibly flustered and annoyed.

He narrowed his eyes and said with the utmost contempt, I dont know how you can possibly teach these students history or any other subject, when you cant even say what you are doing in this class? He almost spat the words.

A front-row spectator of the entire drama, I shivered with anger and embarrassment. The Headmaster who could have explained or intervened did not dare do so. Whatever the quality of his teaching, Grasshopper did not merit such humiliation simply because he did not speak English. As an inspector of schools, the arrogant Englishman should have known that most schools in India taught in local languages and not English.

As loudly as I could, I yelled, Sir! The inspector turned to me with great surprise, while the headmaster looked stricken with a cardiac problem.

Sir, I affirmed, in a voice tremulous with fury, he is a very good teacher.

One good outcome was that, when the highly agitated headmaster reported the incident to my parents the next day, they told me they were sorry they hadnt listened to me well when I had expressed my concern about the inspectors visit.
Russia annexed Crimea in March2014 and commenced supporting pro-Russian rebels in the Ukrainian civil war. In its aftermath, the US and EU imposed sanctions. Thisinitially had its effect and Russia began to hurt, butVladimir Putin refused to back down. He continued with his actions, irrespective of western criticism. Russia was supporting the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad with weapons and equipment since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011 while the US had been supporting anti-Assad rebels with equipment and firepower and was seeking the ouster of the Syrian regime. In September 2015, Russia commenced its military intervention in support of the Syrian regime, surprising the world. It clashed with Turkey over the downing of a Russian aircraft, but employing economic and diplomatic measures compelled Turkey to seek a rapprochement.

When western sanctions began impacting Russia, it turned to China for support. Simultaneously, it grew closer to Pakistan. Its relations with India, though close, appear to be affected by India's growing proximity to the US. In recent days, it is claimed that Russia directly interfered in the US Presidential elections, by hacking into their servers and releasing valuable data into the public domain. This adversely impacted the chances of Hillary Clinton, who Putin did not favour and resulted in the election of Donald Trump, known to be pro-Russia. Last week, Obama reacted to the Russian action and expelled 35 Russian embassy staffers. While Putin avoided tit-for-tat actions, relations have plummeted to its lowest ebb, since the Cold War. Nothing seemed to have affected the Russian mindset as 2016 ended. It only emerges stronger and more impactful as 2017 commences

Its military intervention in Syria changed the landscape of the war. With its offensive air support, it put western-backed rebels on the defensive. The US was apprehensive of engaging with Russia in an open proxy war, which could have resulted in a NATO-Russian conflict. Every time they attempted to involve Russia in peace talks, they failed. The fact that Russians had support from Iran altered regional dynamics. Putin's plans were clear, establish the authority of the Bashar regime in Syria and degrade the IS, whom it considers its biggest threat. It achieved its aim, pushing the US into the background. It now has a permanent base in Syria at Tartus much to the discomfiture of the US. Once Aleppo (held by western supported rebel groups) fell to the Bashar regime, Russia along with Turkey, ignoring the US, brokered a ceasefire, which continues to hold.

Russia and China, both currently anti-US, have grown closer. Russia has supported Chinese claims over the South China Sea and disputed the international tribunal's verdict. It has also conducted naval exercises with China in the region, cementing its support. Russia, with Chinese influence, has moved closer to Pakistan, including agreeing for arms sales. It even conducted joint military exercises with them, post Uri, much to the anger of India. During the BRICS summit, it joined China in blocking Indian efforts to name Pakistan as a sponsor of terror.

Russia was nowhere in the scene in Afghanistan, post its withdrawal in 1979. However, since the Central Asian Republics (CAR), still under Russian influence, border Afghanistan, Russia was wary of the overflow of the conflict in West Asia and Afghanistan, into the region. The growing presence of the IS in Afghanistan was the catalyst.Hence, it along with China and Pakistan set up an unofficial alliance on Afghanistan, ignoring the base country, Afghanistan. To openly counter US and Indian actions, the alliance in its last meeting agreed to provide support to the Afghan Taliban on the diplomatic front,since it battles to contain the IS. It openly advocated approaching the UN Security Council to remove some members of the Afghan Taliban from the international terrorist list, much against Indian and US desires.

Russia had openly threatened NATO and the US on deploying nuclear weapons and anti-ballistic missiles in nations which formed a part of the erstwhile USSR. Its annexation of Crimea compelled the EU to seek alternate solutions including possibly allowing Russia to keep Crimea, while withdrawing its support to rebel groups in Ukraine. It has challenged the US, EU and NATO at every stage and compelled them to back down.

India, though a major defence procurer from Russia, has been losing out on Russian support, mainly due to its alliancewith the US. Indian-Russian agreements have only been restricted to defence procurement and nuclear reactors, limiting our influence. Russia's main concerns of the IS in Afghanistan and its supposed support to the Afghan Taliban, counter India's perception, as India considers the latter a threat. It will take strong diplomatic effort by India to change Russian perception and wean it away from Pakistan, at the least.

The election of Donald Trump,his nomination of a pro-Russian ambassador and announcements of mending ties would only enhancetheir leverage. This would alter the dynamics in Europe and West Asia. It could also signal a change for the sub-continent. Russia would now need to make a choice, of either remaining close to China (with whom Trump already has issues) or the US. The fact that it avoided a tit-for-tat retaliation against US expulsions of Russian diplomats and Putin's statements of awaiting the ascendency of Trump as President, indicates the likely choice that he may make. This could result in global realignment and NATO could lose its importance and sole purpose for its existence. In such a scenario, its support to China and Pakistan may wane. This would benefit India.

As stated by Lord Palmerston, 'in international relations, there are no permanent allies or enemies, only permanent interests'. Russia, while continuing as a major international player in 2017,could alter its existing alignments based on its national interests.In either case, the flow from 2016 to 2017 would ensure that the current year would be the year of Russia, as its support would be most sought after.

The writer is a retired Major General of the Indian Army.
At least nine persons were killed when a building collapsed in Kazakhstan, authorities said on Monday.

Six people, including two children, were rescued from under the rubble of the building in Shahan town on Sunday night, Xinhua news agency reported.
'Terrorists' freed in Bahrain prison raid

Gunmen in Bahrain have attacked a prison, killing a policeman and freeing 10 inmates convicted of terror offences, officials say.
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.
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.
Forecasts for the region this year are not optimistic with challenges expected not only on the economic front, but in the geopolitical sphere.

There's a general consensus that 2016 was bad. But apparently, 2017 may even be worse, according to some forecasts in the region.

The Star's Martin Khor notes that this year will be like no other and that we should expect bumpy times ahead akin to a roller-coaster ride. He predicts thunderous clash of policies, economies and politics worldwide and that at the very least, "2017 will be very interesting".

Khor suggests that one of the things to watch out for is US President-elect Donald Trump's policies that will affect his country's relations with the rest of the world, particularly, China.

He adds that Europe will also be preoccupied with its own regional problems as the "Brexit shock of 2016 will continue to reverberate and other countries facing elections will be less open to the world and become more inward-looking".

"As protectionism, xenophobia and narrow nationalism grow in Western societies, Asian countries should devise development strategies based more on domestic and regional demand and investments," he notes.

On the other hand, he predicts that exporters will earn more in local currency terms and tourism will increase. But he is quick to warn that 2017 will not be kind to the economy, business and the pockets of the common man and woman, and might even spark a new financial crisis.

The Straits Times' Han Fook Kwang is equally wary about what's ahead this year, particularly for Singapore whose economy is seen to grow sluggishly by only 1-3 per cent.

Han notes that Singapore has never experienced more than two years of sluggish growth and adds that what's even more worrying is that no one can say when the turnaround might happen.

"Singapore's economic challenges are not just cyclical and a result of the slowing global economy but have to do with more strategic questions about how it positions itself during the transition to a more developed economy.

"Ultimately, it is about what Singapore wants to be and what role it sees itself playing in the global economy. It requires a clearer vision of its identity and where it wants to go," Han writes.

Han also notes mounting challenges facing a small country like Singapore including uncertainties in US-China relations and the demise of the Trans- Pacific Partnership.

Just like many Asean countries, Han says Singapore will find the changed geopolitical landscape a testing time for its political and diplomatic skills.

Meanwhile, this year will also be the 50th anniversary of the founding of Asean. The Nation's Kavi Chongkittavorn says "Thailand, as one of the founding countries, has a responsibility to ensure that the group is running well and moving towards full implementation of the Asean Community".

In business, Malaysia may see budget airfares dominating its airlines sector with AirAsia group, Malaysia Airlines Bhd and Malindo Air expected to add 40 new aircraft to their current fleet, a move that will see an estimated 7,000 new seats to the system that is already facing over-capacity.

It is going to be a pretty good year especially with the weak ringgit (though) higher fuel prices," The Star quotes AirAsia group chief executive officer Tony Fernandes as saying. AirAsia has hedged a substantial amount of its fuel requirement for 2017 at lower prices, hence the optimism.

Malaysia Airlines will focus on China, where they will add 11 new destinations while Malindo Air plans to look into international expansion.

With the bitter battle for a share of the travel market ahead, Fernandes expects competition to be bleeding.

However, The Star notes that travel trade will remain vogue amid all the challenges, with falling ticket prices and surging capacity suggests that 2017 could be a banner year for travellers taking to the skies, with more options to fly to more destinations for lower prices."
Turkey will press on with its military operation in Syria despite the deadly attack on an Istanbul nightclub that was a "message" against the campaign, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said on Monday.

"This was a message for our cross-border operations, above all the Euphrates Shield," he said, using the mission name of Turkey's campaign inside Syria.

"We will carry on our cross-border operations and Euphrates Shield and with determination."

Thirty-nine people were killed and dozens wounded yesterday when a gunman stormed a popular Istanbul nightclub and sprayed bullets at revellers celebrating the New Year.

The shooting was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, which said it was in response to Turkey's intervention in Syria. Kurtulmus made no comment on the claim.

Turkish troops entered northern Syria on August 24 in support of pro-Ankara Syrian rebels, with the aim of ousting IS jihadists as well as Kurdish militia from the border area.

After a lightning successful start to the operation recapturing towns from IS including Jarabulus, the Turkish military has taken dozens of casualties as it tries to capture Al Bab where IS has put up a stronger fight to remain in control.

After Al Bab, the military intends to head west to Manbij.

"In Jarabulus, Al Bab, Manbij or wherever it needs to go, we will continue these operations until these terror organisations no longer remain a threat to Turkey," Kurtulmus said during a televised press conference in Ankara.

He said the attack was also because of Turkey's attempts to create peace in the region, after Ankara teamed up with Moscow to agree a ceasefire for Syria.

But he vowed: "Our initiatives for new peace in the Middle East will be realised."
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 ...
Organisation: United Nations

High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Position No.: 10026812

Vacancy Notice: 33/2016

Reports to: Protection

Officer ProtectionOfficer

Duty Station: Arua, Uganda

Post Grade: GL6

About UNHCR:

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was

established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly.

UNHCRs mandate under the Statute of the Office of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Refugees is to lead and co-ordinate action for international

protection to refugees; seek permanent solutions for the problems of refugees

and safeguard refugee rights and well-being. UNHCR has an additional mandate

concerning issues of statelessness, as it is given a designated role under

Article 11 of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.

Job Summary: The Protection

Associate (Community-Based) will work closely with other UNHCR staff,

government, NGO partners and other stakeholders, the Protection Associate

(Community-Based) works directly with communities of concern to identify the

risks they face and to leverage their capacities to protect themselves, their

families and communities. The incumbent will have direct supervisory

responsibility for part of the protection and/or support staff and supports the

application of community-based protection standards, operational procedures and

practices in community-based protection delivery at the field level. To fulfil

this role the Protection Associate (Community-Based) will required to spend a

substantial percentage of her/his time working outside the office, building and

maintaining networks within communities of persons of concern. The development

and maintenance of constructive relationships with persons of concern that

measurably impact and enhance protection planning, programming and results

forms the core of the work of the Protection Associate (Community-Based). The

incumbent also supports the designing of a community-based protection strategy

by ensuring that it is based on consultation with persons of concern.



Responsibilities: Key Duties andResponsibilities:

Support functional units, the

Multi-Functional Team (MFT) and senior management to integrate

participatory and community-based approaches in the overall protection

delivery strategy and operational procedures.

Through relationships with persons of

concern and network of partners stay abreast of political, social,

economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection

environment and provide advice to the protection team. Understand the

perspectives, capacities, needs and resources of the persons of concern

and advice the protection team accordingly, highlighting the specific

protection needs of women and men, children, youth and older persons,

persons with disabilities, marginalized groups.

Work with host communities to identify

opportunities for national civil society involvement in improving the

protection of persons of concern.

Work in liaison with implementing and

operational partners as well as with displaced and local communities to

develop community-owned activities to address, where applicable, the

social, educational, psycho-social, cultural, health, organisational and

livelihood concerns as well as child protection and prevention and

response to SGBV.

Offer support in the analysis that

identifies the capacities of communities of concern and risks they face.

Support participatory assessments by

multifunctional teams and ongoing consultation with persons of concern.

Render support in planning and monitoring

of programmes and budgets, with an AGD perspective.

Build office capacity for community-based

protection through training and establishing systems for community

mobilization and participation of persons of concern.

Support communities in establishing

representation and coordination structures.

Ensure community understanding of UNHCRs

commitment to deliver on accountability and quality assurance in its response.



Act as interpreter in exchange of routine

information, contribute to related liaison activities and respond directly

to routine queries.

Perform any other relevant duties as

required.

Key Performance Indicators:

Effective support and advice is provided

to promote AGD sensitive analysis of community risks and capacities as the

essential basis for all of UNHCR work.

AGD sensitive analysis of community risks

and capacities provides the essential basis for all of UNHCR work.

The participation of persons of concern is

assured through continuous assessment and evaluation using participatory,

rights and community based approaches, which inform protection and

assistance programming and ensure that UNHCR meets its commitments to

accountability to persons of concern.

National protection capacities are

improved through direct engagement, research and advocacy with all

relevant external interlocutors.



Experience: Qualifications, Skills andExperience:

The ideal candidate for the United Nations

UNHCR Protection Associate (Community-Based) job placement should have

completed Secondary education; Training/certificate in International

Development, Cultural Studies, Human Rights, International Social Work, Social

Science, Political Science, Anthropology, International Law or other

clearly related disciplines

At least six years previous relevant job

experience.

Computer skills (MS Office, including

Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access).

Excellent knowledge of Aringa is an added

advantage.

Fluency in English and working knowledge

of another relevant UN language.

How to Apply:

All interested Ugandan nationals who wish to join the United Nations

High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the aforementioned capacity are

encouraged to click on the link below and follow the application instructions

after reviewing the job details.

th

January, 2017 Deadline: 4January, 2017
Job Title: Senior Receptionist

Organisation: United Nations

High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Position No.: 10026730

Vacancy Notice: 32/2016

Reports to: Senior Associate

Senior Associate

Duty Station: Kampala,

Uganda

Post Grade: GL4

About UNHCR:

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was

established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly.

UNHCRs mandate under the Statute of the Office of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Refugees is to lead and co-ordinate action for international

protection to refugees; seek permanent solutions for the problems of refugees

and safeguard refugee rights and well-being. UNHCR has an additional mandate

concerning issues of statelessness, as it is given a designated role under

Article 11 of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.

Job Summary: The Senior

Receptionist will manage the reception area of UNHCR Office. The incumbent

functions under the direct supervision of a (Senior Associate or an Officer who

provides regular guidance.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

The incumbent will receive, screen and

assist visitors and persons of concern and direct them to the appropriate

Officer / Office / Unit/ Department.

Take messages or provide general

information, understanding the importance and the confidentiality of the

issues treated.

Adopt tactful attitude to inform and

convince interlocutors to accept unforeseen situations, such as waiting

longer than expected, or accepting the cancellation of an appointment.

Identify and prioritize vulnerable cases.

Update the scheduling system to ensure

proper recording of appointments.

Report immediately on any security

concerns occurred at the reception area.

Offer support in monitoring the trends and

the profile of cases approaching the reception area.

May be required to participate in the

registration activities and respond to refugees inquiries.

Perform other related duties as required.

Key Performance Indicators: Visitors

and persons of concern have a full and fair access to UNHCR staff and services

while approaching the reception for different purposes and their privacy is

respected. Visitorsand persons of concern have a full and fair access to UNHCR staff and serviceswhile approaching the reception for different purposes and their privacy isrespected.



Experience: Qualifications, Skills andExperience:

The ideal candidate for the United Nations

UNHCR Senior Receptionist job placement should have secondary education.

At least five years of previous relevant

job experience.

Fluency in English and working knowledge

of another relevant UN language.

How to Apply:

All interested Ugandan nationals who wish to join the United Nations

High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the aforementioned capacity are

encouraged to click on the link below and follow the application instructions

after reviewing the job details.

th

January, 2017 Deadline: 4January, 2017
Job Title: Procurement Officer

Organisation: United Nations

Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO)

Vacancy Code: 16-Human

Resources-DPKO-69743-J-Entebbe (X)

Duty Station: Entebbe,

Uganda

Reports to: Chief of the

Integrated Training Service

About US:

The Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) is dedicated to

assisting the Member States and the Secretary-General in their efforts to

maintain international peace and security. DPKO provides political and

executive direction to UN Peacekeeping operations around the world and

maintains contact with the Security Council, troop and financial contributors,

and parties to the conflict in the implementation of Security Council mandates.

The Department works to integrate the efforts of UN, governmental and non-governmental

entities in the context of peacekeeping operations. DPKO also provides guidance

and support on military, police, mine action and other relevant issues to other

UN political and peacebuilding missions.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Within delegated authority and depending on location, the Procurement

Officer may be responsible for the following duties: Within delegated authority and depending on location, the ProcurementOfficer may be responsible for the following duties:

The jobholder plans, develops and manages

all procurement and contractual aspects of projects of significant

complexity related to worldwide procurement of diverse services and

commodities (e.g. information technology, electronic equipment and

instruments, vehicles, medicines, foodstuffs, building maintenance

materials, office supplies, construction, furniture, etc.), taking into

account local economic and other conditions.

Advises requisitioning units and recipient

entities on the full range of procurement issues, providing support and

guidance at all stage of the procurement cycle.

Prepares/oversees preparation and

distribution of invitations to tender and manages/conducts all aspects of

bid/proposal evaluations.

Develops strategies and designs innovative

solutions to resolve issues/conflicts for complex procurement projects.

Establishes and maintains work program and

schedule for ongoing contracts and newly-planned ones.

Actively participates in negotiations with

senior supplier representatives; signs procurement orders up to the

authorized limit, and, in cases where the amount exceeds authorized

signature authority, prepares submissions to the Contracts Committee for

review and subsequent approval by the authorized official.

Carries out market research to keep

abreast of market developments; researches and analyzes statistical data

and market reports on the world commodity situation, production patterns

and availability of good and services.

Identifies new technologies, and

products/services, evaluates and recommends potential supply sources and

participates in the incorporation of research results into the procurement

program.

Oversees adherence to contractual

agreements, recommends amendments and extensions of contracts, and advises

concerned parties on contractual rights and obligations.

Prepares a variety of procurement-related

documents, contracts, communications, guidelines, instructions, etc.

Provides guidance to, and may supervise,

new/junior staff.



Experience: Qualifications, Skills andExperience:

The ideal candidate for the United Nations

DPKO Procurement Officer career opportunity should hold an advanced

university degree (Masters degree or equivalent) in business

administration, public administration, commerce, engineering, law or a

related field. A first-level university degree in combination with two

additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the

advanced university degree.

At least five years of progressively

responsible experience in procurement, contract management, contract

administration or logistics and supply chain management in the public or

private sector, of which at least two years should be directly related to

first-hand procurement and/or contracting experience at the international

level, is required.

Procurement experience in peacekeeping

missions and/ or field duty stations within the UN system would be an

asset.

Languages: fluency in English

(both oral and written) is required; knowledge of French is desirable.

Personal Competencies:

Professionalism: Knowledge of

internationally recognized procurement standards and of all phases of

international procurement techniques and operations used in contracting

for a diverse range of goods and services. Knowledge of contract law and

expertise in handling complex contract issues. Knowledge of quantitative

methods to measure supplier capacity systems and ability to identify

sources of supply, market trends and pricing. Ability to shape and

influence agreements with requisitioning units and vendors. Ability to

apply technical expertise to resolve a range of issues/problems. Shows

pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence

and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting

commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by

professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced

with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful

situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and

ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

Planning and Organizing:

Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies;

identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as

required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for

completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when

planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time

efficiently.

Client Orientation: Considers

all those to whom services are provided to be clients and

seeks to see things from clients point of view; establishes and maintains

productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect;

identifies clients needs and matches them to appropriate solutions;

monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients environment

to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of

progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products

or services to client.

How to Apply:

If interested in joining the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping

Operations (DPKO) in the aforementioned capacity, please click on link below to

visit website and create profile or express interest if you already have a

profile on the UN system

Deadline: 5th January 2017
Job Title: Field Assistant

Organisation: United Nations

High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Position No.: 10026824

Vacancy Notice: 33/2016

Reports to: Field

Officer/Associate FieldOfficer/Associate

Duty Station: Arua, Uganda

Post Grade: GL4

About UNHCR:

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was

established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly.

UNHCRs mandate under the Statute of the Office of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Refugees is to lead and co-ordinate action for international

protection to refugees; seek permanent solutions for the problems of refugees

and safeguard refugee rights and well-being. UNHCR has an additional mandate

concerning issues of statelessness, as it is given a designated role under

Article 11 of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.

Job Summary: The Field

Assistant performs a variety of

functions related to Field activities within the office. The supervisor

exercises close control and regular review of the work processes and provides

regular advice and guidance. The incumbent keeps frequent internal contacts

with staff members in the same duty station to exchange information and with

the external contacts generally with officials of national and international

institutions, leaders of the refugee community, local population and/or

Implementing Partners (IPs) on routine subject matters under the direction of

the supervisor.



Responsibilities: Key Duties andResponsibilities:

Assist in administrative tasks as required

such as preparation of reports and meeting authorized personnel and

assisting them during field missions.

Act as interpreter in the exchange of

routine information, contribute to related liaison activities and respond

directly to routine queries.

The incumbent will collect data and other

information relevant to UNHCR and report to the supervisor accordingly.

Keep regular contacts with local

authorities and implementing partners as requested by supervisor.

Work in close coordination with implementing

partners, assist in the reception, registration and provision of

assistance to persons of concern to UNHCR.

Undertake other relevant duties as

required.

Key Performance Indicators: UNHCR

office has sufficient administrative and local support for the field activities

thus better able to meet the needs of persons of concern. UNHCRoffice has sufficient administrative and local support for the field activitiesthus better able to meet the needs of persons of concern.



Experience: Qualifications, Skills andExperience:

The ideal candidate for the United Nations

UNHCR Field Assistant job placement should have secondary education with

post-secondary training/certificate in Business Administration, Law,

Political Science or related field.

At least three years of previous job

experience

Good computer skills.

Excellent knowledge of English and working

knowledge of another relevant UN language.

Excellent knowledge of Aringa is an added

advantage.

How to Apply:

All interested Ugandan nationals who wish to join the United Nations

High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the aforementioned capacity are

encouraged to click on the link below and follow the application instructions

after reviewing the job details.

th

January, 2017 Deadline: 4January, 2017



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Two killed, dozens injured in picnic bus plunge

Two people were killed and over 50 injured when a bus carrying picnickers plunged off the bridge over Dudhaura River at Pathlaya-Nijgad road stretch in Bara district on Sunday night.
Dreams of 27-year-old fashion designer Khushi Shah, hailing from Vadodara, came to an abrupt end when she became victim of a terror attack in Istanbul on New Year's eve. Thirty-nine people, including two Indians, are reported dead in the attack.

Having studied in the UK and done fashion designing from the US, Khushi had opened her boutique, Khushiz, in posh Juhu locality of Mumbai in 2011.

According to a family member, Khushi had gone to Istanbul three days ago. Her father Ashwin Shah, who is into chemical business, tried to repeatedly contact her, without success, after the terror attack. It was after they got in touch with the Ministry of External Affairs that they got to know that Khushi was among the two Indians killed.

Nishant Ramani, Shah's neighbour, said that Khushi's brother Akshay and one cousin would reach Istanbul by Monday afternoon. Thereafter, they would bring her body back to India.

As the news of Khushi's untimely death spread, her residence in Chickoowadi, an upmarket area of Vadodara, has been seeing a steady stream of visitors to meet Shah, who is in deep shock.

During the launch of her boutique in Juhu, Khushi had said that the evening gown in India had gone way beyond what we thought and that she wanted Indian women to look sexy, sweet and elegant in the evening gown.

Bollywood actor Arbaaz Khan, who was wearing a suit from her collection, had described her as a promising designer. Noted names from the B-town had attended the launch.
The war between the father and the son is set to turn uglier. After being 'ousted' as the president of the Samajwadi Party, a party he founded and nurtured over decades, Mulayam Singh Yadav met the Election Commission on Monday to lay claim over the party symbol  cycle.

Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav's side is expected to meet the poll panel on Tuesday with a similar demand over the party symbol.

This move means both sides are headed for a bitter separation and may contest against each other in the upcoming elections.

Experts feel that poll panel may decide to freeze the symbol as both sides have laid claim to it. The cycle symbol will probably be frozen. Both factions will be given ad hoc names and symbols, as polls are close by, former chief election commissioner SY Qureshi said on Monday.

Mulayam was accompanied by his younger brother Shivpal Yadav and Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh, who are cited by the Akhilesh camp as the reason behind the current fued within the family. Yadav senior said he was fit and claimed he has never betrayed anyone.

On the other hand, Akhilesh's uncle Ramgopal Yadav and other MPs like Naresh Aggarwal will meet election commission to stake their claim. As Akhilesh has the support or over 90 percent of the MLAs, his claim over the party may be stronger.

The fight between the Yadav family would deeply impact the election scenario in the state. Akhilesh has been open to alliance with other parties like the Congress to fight back the anti-incumbency. BJP is presenting itself as the only alternative in the state that can give clean governance.

BSP supremo Mayawati, on the other hand, is trying to gain the support of the muslims in case they get disenchanted with the divided SP family.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while speaking at BJPs Parivartan Rally on Monday, focussed on Uttar Pradesh to garner maximum political mileage in the assembly polls. Addressing a mammoth gathering at Ramabai ground in Lucknow, the prime minister said, For the BJP, the UP polls are not a matter of victory or defeat. In fact, UP is a responsibility for us. He said that the people of Uttar Pradesh have made up their mind for a 'change'.

Attacking SP and the BSP for ignoring the development of the state, Modi urged the people of Uttar Pradesh to vote for the BJP to turn around their fortunes.

He urged the electorate of the state to give BJP a chance so that it could finish Goonda Raj (rule of hooligans). Attacking the opposition sarcastically , the prime minister said, if Modi takes money, it troubles them. If he gives money, then too, they are bothered.

Addressing the crowd, Modi said that for the development of india, development of UP was a necessity. He said that his government wanted India to progress  poverty, illiteracy and diseases had to eradicated. But all that would be possible only when UPs fortune changes.

Reiterating his stand on corruption, Modi said that his fight against graft will not stop and that his government would uproot those who indulged in various corrupt practices. On the issue of black money, the prime minister attacked both the SP and the BSP. Posing a question to people, he said, Opposition calls for Modi to be removed. But I say corruption must be removed. Now, it is up to the people of the country to decide.

Advocating pro-poor welfare schemes initiated by his government , he said that even those schemes were bothering some people. In his speech, the prime minister did not spare all three major opposition parties of the state, namely the BSP, the SP and the Congress. He said that on the issue of demonetisation, arch-rivals BSP and SP had become one.

Without naming Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Modi said that there was a party which has been trying to establish its son in politics for the past 15 years, without success. Indirectly referring to the BSP, he said that there was another party which has been trying had to save its ill-gotten wealth and a third party, the SP, which is embroiled in its own family disputes.





Modi fully utilised opportunities at the Lucknow rally to consolidate partys prospects and mould public opinion in favour of the BJP.
The real reason for Titanic's tragic sinking that claimed over 1,500 lives in 1912 was a fire in the ocean liner's boiler room and not simply a collision with a giant iceberg, a new documentary has claimed.

The Titanic's hull was fatally weakened by a fire that had been smouldering in the coal bunker in the boiler room since she left the shipyard in Belfast, Irish journalist and author Senan Molony has claimed in the documentary.

Photographs of the ship with a dark mark on her hull before she left Southamptonat the same spot the iceberg strucksupport the theory, Molony, who has spent 30 years researching the disaster, was quoted as saying by The Times.

He claimed that J. Bruce Ismay, president of the company that built the ship and the man forever branded a coward for taking one of the few lifeboat places, knew about the fire but downplayed its significance in the aftermath.

In Molony's documentary, Titanic: The New Evidence to be broadcast on Channel 4, he suggests that the prolonged fire subjected the partitions, or bulkheads, in the hull to temperatures in excess of 1,000C, making the hull so weak and brittle that what should have been a minor collision became a catastrophe that killed more than 1,500 people.

"The official Titanic inquiry branded the sinking as an act of God. This isn't a simple story of colliding with an iceberg and sinking. It's a perfect storm of extraordinary factors coming together: fire, ice and criminal negligence," Molony is quoted as saying.

He points to dark marks that can be seen on the starboard side in a set of photographs that came to light in a private auction recently.

Molony believes it is evidence of the fire inside and the reason why the most luxurious ocean liner of her day was, unusually, reversed into her berthpresenting the unmarked side to passengers as they boarded.

"Nobody has investigated these marks before or dwelled upon them. It totally changes the narrative," he said.

"Since 1912, there has been this myth of a 300ft gash that opened the ship up but when the wreckage was examined, people were perplexed because they couldn't find anything like it," Molony said.

"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 and briefly addressed at the inquiry, but it was played down. She should never have been put to sea but the Titanic had already been delayed a couple of times and was committed to leaving on April 10th," he said.

A secret fire, Molony claims, would go some way to explaining why the Titanic was going so fast through icy seas.

Richard De Kerbrech, the author of several books on the Titanic, said the theory was plausible.
UML will retaliate if amendment bill is pushed through: Leader Khanal

CPN-UML senior leader, Jhalanath Khanal, has said that his party would retaliate with determination if the ruling parties tried to push through and table the constitution amendment bill in parliament.
An indictment was handed down in the Beersheva District Court against Assad Daka who allegedly worked with Arab MK Basel Ghattas, smuggling mobile phones to terrorists locked up in Ketziot Prison. A brother of Assad, Walid, provided MK Ghattas with the phones to bring to terrorists as he, as a MK with parliamentary immunity, is not subject to inspection when entering the prison.

The indictment reads that on 18 December 2016, Assad met with Ghattas at the Dor Alon gas station on Kvish 6 and presented him with four packages containing twelve mobile phones and 16 SIM cards. Ghattas followed instructions and gave the packages to the prisoners. As for MK Ghattas, he remains under partial house arrest.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
President Reuven Rivlin on Sunday morning 3 Teves addressed at his residence in Jerusalem, a meeting of Israels ambassadors to European countries. Before the meeting, the President was updated by Israels Ambassador to Turkey Eitan Naeh who was attending the meeting, regarding the Israelis caught up in the terror attack in Turkey.

This is a complex and turbulent time for the State of Israel, but not only for the State of Israel, began the President and went on to speak about the attack which had taken place in Turkey the night before. 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 continued, The world around us is unsettled and shifting  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. As a result of these developments, and other important other progressions of globalization, western democracy is enduring change. The term defensive democracy seems accurate in relation to the election results in the US, Brexit, and the strengthening of the populist, national and nationalist and other movements in many countries in Europe. The political agenda for the continent in 2017 is certain to be far from boring for us  and certainly not for you. 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.

He added, Our sovereign power preserves our independence and defends our interests, and will continue to stand forever as the highest priority for the State of Israel. Yet military strength and erecting high walls will never suffice in safeguarding our sovereignty and security. The strength of the State of Israel is drawn from its first days, and the combination of military and diplomatic strength, the integration of industry and technology, of human resources and the ability to build ties. And today  perhaps more than ever  professional diplomacy is a central and crucial component to preserving Israels national and international resilience. I stress these elements in Israels foreign policy, specifically against the background of UNSC Resolution 2334. In professional terms Resolution 2334 which was adopted against Israel is soft power; tanks, jets, and missiles were not launched against us and yet the decision harms the legitimacy of the State of Israel. Resolution 2334 and the speech by the Secretary of State place Israel in the dock. In a world where countries use soft power such as sanctions and slurs in order to influence and shape global policy, soft power also represents a real challenge for the State of Israel. 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 with all the residents of this land, we will be stuck forever in this war. The adoption of the Resolution proves that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not only a central issue in your day to day work behind the scenes, but is on the worlds stage and we cannot look the other way in the hope it disappears. At the same time, the Resolution exposes the central point of contention between Israel and the international community.

The President went on to say, 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. And the job of making our views understood rests greatly on you. More than ever we need you.

The President concluded by thanking the ambassadors for their important work for the State of Israel, In no small way thanks to your work, there is no doubt of Israels great achievements in the fields of science and technology, of our military and intelligence strength, and economic capability.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photo Credit: Mark Neiman, GPO)
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times

Bar Mitzvahs are exciting. And everyone is so proud of the Bar Mitzvah boy, or rather, young man.

He davened maariv so beautifully on his bo bayom. Now lets hear him make Kiddush for the Shabbos Seudah..

Whats that? He cant?

Really? Did you just say that he can only make Kiddush on Shabbos day, but not Shabbos night?

Yes, thats correct.

THREE CATEGORIES

There are three categories of Jews in Jewish law. There are minors, there are adults, and there is a third category which we will term, The barely bar-Mitzvahed. These three categories, believe it or not, have different halachic statuses.

The barely bar-Mitzvahed is a child who has reached the age of Bar Mitzvah but has not yet demonstrated clear signs of physical maturity.

NOT SO WELL KNOWN

Interestingly enough, the halachos of the barely bar-Mitzvahed are not so well known. The reason that they are not so well known is because they are generally not taught in school or at home. Perhaps this is because the exact parameters of physical maturity are a topic that people are not so comfortable discussing. As a consequence, knowledge of the Halacha of the barely bar-Mitzvahed has suffered. This is unfortunate because many people inadvertently violate Halacha as a result.

How is the halacha of the barely Bar Mitzvahed any different from, say, an adult?

The Talmud (Niddah 46a) cites Rava as saying that there is a Chazakah  a legal assumption that we make about a thirteen year old child  that in all probability, he has reached physical maturity. This Chazakah is known as Chazakah dRava. However, we only rely upon it in regard to Rabbinic obligations  not biblical ones. For Biblical ones we need proof of physical maturity.

Thus, our above example: A Barely bar-Mitzvahed may recite Kiddush for his mother or sisters on Shabbos morning. He should not do so on Friday night. On Friday night, the obligation to recite the Kiddush is biblical. The words, Zachor es Yom HaShabbos lekadsho teach us this according to the Biur Halacha (Orech Chaim 271). On Shabbos morning the obligation is Rabbinic. The Mishna Brurah (on SA OC 271:2) rules that while a Barely bar-Mitzvahed should not be Motzi others for Friday night Kiddush, he may do so for Shabbos morning Kiddush because it is Derabanan.

YOM TOV KIDDUSH AND HAVDALLAH

What about Yom Tov Kiddush at night? Since some Poskim rule that this too is Biblical in origin it is perhaps best to be stringent. Certainly, the Yom Tov daytime Kiddush is only Rabbinic and that would be permitted according to all authorities.

How about Havdalah? Here we have a distinction. If the person hearing his Havdallah has not prayed the evening service and did not include the prayer of Atta Chonantanu in his Shmoneh Esreh then he should not hear it from the Barely bar-Mitzvahed. If the person hearing havdallah did recite a form of Havdallah previously, the Havdallah ceremony is only a Rabbinic obligation and the Barely bar-Mitzvahed may recite it. Women, who generally do not daven Maariv, should therefore recite the formula HaMavdil Bein Kodesh Lchol before hearing Havdallah from a Barely bar-Mitzvahed.

DAVENING AND LEINING

And what about leading the Davening and Leining? Leining is permitted. Leading the Maariv is also permitted. Shacharis, Mussaf, and Mincha are problematic, however. He may be exempting others in Tefillah, a Biblical commandment according to the Rambam. According to the Ramban it may be biblical as well since he is of the opinion that prayer is biblically mandated when it is an Ais Tzarah, a time of difficulty. Modern Poskim have stated that our times qualify for the Rambans definition as well.

HATARAS NEDARIM

For Hataras Nedarim on Erev Rosh haShana, a Barely bar-Mitzvahed should not be one of the three members of the Beis Din. This is the ruling of Rabbi Akiva Eiger in his responsa (Volume I #73). In this authors opinion, this is one of the most common violations of Barely bar-Mitzvahed Halacha.

ROSH HASHANA

On Rosh HaShana itself, a Barely bar-Mitzvahed should not blow shofar for others in order for them to fulfill their Mitzvah. If they have already heard the first 30 blasts which are biblical and he is merely fulfilling the one hundred blast quota it would be permitted. The Mateh Efraim 589:7 rules that a Barely bar-Mitzvahed should not even blow Shofar for others on the second day of Rosh HaShana. Presumably, the reason is that we treat the second day of Rosh haShanas as stringently as we do the first day.

SUKKOS

Before Sukkos a person should not purchase his Lulav and Esrog from a Barely bar-Mitzvahed out of concern that the sale of a child may only be effective by Rabbinic law. [This can be easily understood from the fact that in secular law, property cannot be bought and sold by a minor]. The Ksav Sofer (OC 128) rules that we should be stringent regarding this matter. As far as putting up the Schach on a Sukkah, although a child should ideally not do so, a Barely bar-Mitzvahed can according to the Pri Magadim (Siman 14).

A married man whose wife has not yet fulfilled the Mitzvah of Lulav and Esrog (and plans to do so with her husbands set) should not lend his Lulav and Esrog to a Barely bar-Mitzvahed in Shul on the first day of Yom Tov. This is out of concern that, while he is legally capable of accepting the gift, he may not be able to give it back. Rather, he should tell the Barely bar-Mitzvahed to come to his home that afternoon.

MEGILLAH READING

Shockingly, it could be that we should not be relying upon the barely bar-Mitzvahed for the reading of the Megillah either. Why is this so? Rav Yoseph Chaim Sonnenfeld (Responsa Toras Chaim #53) is of the opinion that since Megillah takes the place of Hallel, it is considered to be Biblical on account of a Kal VaChomer! The Turei Even and the Netziv are of the same opinion in terms of treating the obligation to read the Megillah as a biblical obligation.

PESACH

On Pesach, if a Barely bar-Mitzvahed did the search for Chometz it is completely acceptable. Why? Because we recite the formula of Bittul in any case, making the Bedikah a Rabbinic obligation (MB 432:8). It follows from this that if the Bittul is not going to be recited for some reason, the Barely bar-Mitzvahed should not be the one doing the search for Chometz.

He should not bake the Matzos Mitzvah used on the Seder Night, according to the Biur Halacha (460:1).

He may draw the water and measure the flour, however, according to the Misgeres HaShulchan on the Kitzur SHulchan Aruch (OC 110:15). It is unclear whether a Barely bar-Mitzvahed can fulfill his Mitzvah of eating Matzoh on Pesach with Matzoh that he himself baked.

IMMERSING DISHES

What about Tevilas Keilim, immersing our vessels into a Mikvah before we use them to eat? The Pri Magadim (OC 451) rules that regarding glass vessels and other vessels whose obligation of immersion are only Rabbinic we may rely on The barely bar-Mitzvahed to immerse. Therefore, one may not rely upon a Barely bar-Mitzvahed to immerse metal vessels other than ones made of aluminum.

For all of these halachos should the barely bar-Mitzvahed be Motzi others who are barely bar-Mitzvahed? The answer is clearly not. There is a chance that the other Barely bar-Mitzvahed is actually an adult while the person making the Bracha may not be. Therefore, a Barely bar-Mitzvahed should not even fulfill the Mitzvah for other barely bar-Mitzvahed.

WHEN DOES IT END?

When does the status of Barely bar-Mitzvahood end? Is there an age where we can automatically assume, even without evidence, that the young man has passed into full-fledged adulthood? The Mogen Avrohom (beginning of OC 39) writes that when the young man has reached eighteen years of age we can assume that he has reached full-fledged adulthood. Rabbi Akiva Eiger (Responsa OC #7), however, raises the question as to what the Mogen Avrohoms source for this is, as does the Eliyahu Rabbah. The Hagaos Chsam Sofer posits that an error has crept into the text of the Mogen Avrohom and suggests that the Mogen Avrohom really meant to write that it ends at the age of twenty.

DO NOT INSULT HIM

It is important to keep in mind that pointing out to a Barely bar-Mitzvahed that he is, in fact, a Barely bar-Mitzvahed may be insulting to him and could possibly hurt his feelings. This could be a negation of the Torah Mitzvah of VeAhavta LRayacha Kamocha, Heaven forbid. Upon further reflection, this could possibly be why, in fact, knowledge of these halachos has not been so widespread. Perhaps the Rabbis who run our educational institutions are aware of the inherent dangers involved here and did not want people to inadvertently insult or hurt people. This is important to keep in mind when observing these halachos.

The conclusion is that when we do try to observe these halachos we should do so quietly and without fanfare. At what point should the child be taught the halachos of Barely bar-Mitzvahed before his Bar Mitzvah? It would seem that if we do a number of months prior to his Bar Mitzvah this would address the issue of possible embarrassment.

The author may be reached at [email protected]
A person is in custody following a fatal overnight motor vehicle collision involving a cab in Brooklyn.

Authorities say 56-year-old Abraham Shmailov ZL was seated in the rear of a 2008 Toyota Camry when it was struck by a 2015 Infiniti near the intersection of Avenue P and West 2nd Street at 3:17 in the morning.

Shmailov sustained trauma to his body and head and was rushed to Lutheran Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The drivers of each vehicle were also taken to the hospital for treatment and are currently stable.

Peter Michael (24) of East 31 Street in Brooklyn was charged with: Vehicular Manslaughter 2, Criminally Negligent Homicide, DWI, DWAI (Violation)

(AP)
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times



[Please note: The halachos mentioned in this column are for discussion purposes. Please check with your own Rav or Posaik as to how to proceed exactly on a personal level.]

There is a famous story cited in the book, HaGaon HaChasid MiVilna originally appearing on Yashars biography of the Chofetz Chaim (p. 253-254).

It was late on a Friday afternoon in Vilna. Rav Chaim the tailor of Vilna was in a bind. It seems a question had a risen on the Kashrus of the chicken being cooked in his kitchen. He quickly dispatched one of his children to pose the question to the Vilna Gaon.

The hour was late. Normally, of course, the Vilna Gaon did not serve in the capacity of a Rav. But here, on account of the lateness of the hour, the Vilna Gaon made an exception. Upon examining the chicken in question, the Vilna Gaon could only come up with one answer to the question posed: The chicken, unfortunately, was treif.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to our tailor, his wife Malka had also not known the status of the chicken. She dispatched another one of her sons to see the Rav of Vilna, the great Rabbi Shmuel. Rabbi Shmuel the official Rav of Vilna ruled leniently. The chicken, in his opinion, was permitted.

Both children rushed into the tailors home excitedly to report the responses. Not knowing what to do, Rav Chaim quickly ran to Rabbi Shmuels house and explained to him that the Vilna Gaon had forbidden the chicken. Rav Shmuel, the Morah DAsrah of Vilna, remained firm in his ruling permitting the chicken. He instructed the tailor to prepare the chicken and he and the Vilna Gaon will come that Friday evening and taste of it.

Rav Shmuel went to the home of the Vilna Gaon and said, My Master and Rabbi, I am nothing  like dust under your feet. However, I was accepted as the Mora DAsra here in Vilna by its residents in regard to halachic rulings. Since I ruled in this matter and I did so in the proper manner with the proper research, the halacha is in accordance with me. I ask of you to come with me to the house of the tailor and we shall both partake of the chicken so that the residents of Vilna will understand the full authority of the Rav, and that there will be no one who argues or criticizes.

The Vilna Gaon agreed. They both entered Reb Chaim the tailors home and sat to eat. All of a sudden, before they had a chance to taste of the chicken, a piece of chailev (unkosher fat) fell from the candle above.

There are a number of fascinating insights from this incident. First and foremost, we see the authority of a Rav in his community or shul. If the Vilna Gaon was willing to sit and eat something that he had deemed to be unkosher  that says a lot. How many people in our times would be willing to do that ?

The reader might object that this is merely a story and that we cannot rule based on a story.

NOT JUST A STORY

We do find, however, that Rav Hamnunah placed a ban upon a student who ruled like Rav Shimon in regard to Muktzah in one particular city. The Gemorah (Shabbos 19b) objects that the halacha is actually like Rav Shimon in this case! The Gemorah answers that the city under discussion was one where Rav was the outstanding Torah luminary. Rav did not rule in accordance with Rav Shimon in that case. Placing someone under the ban is a very serious matter. Clearly, undermining the authority of a Rabbi in his community or shul is equally a very serious matter.

The halacha is further quantified in the ruling of the Ramah in Yore Deah (245:22). He discusses when and where it would be permissible to conduct a Chuppah ceremony in the domain of another Rav. He concludes: However, one should not rule in forbidden and permitted matters or to lecture in a manner that shows authority in the city of his friend.

MODERN DAY APPLICATION

It would seem quite clear that the Ramahs ruling not only applies to a community, but also to the modern day application of synagogue and shul Rabbis.

The Rivash rules on a similar case (Volume I #271) and states that no other Rabbi may rule outside his domain against the opinion of the local Rav. What is fascinating is that the Rivashs response deals with a spiritual issue and not a halachic matter. Nonetheless, the Rivash is quite clear that even in outside matters the authority of the Rav should not be undermined. The Rivahs ruling is part of normative halacha. The Chasam Sofer (Choshain Mishpat #41) quotes the Rivash authoritatively.

The issue is also seen from the words of Rashi in his explanation to Chulin 53b. He writes, It is unseemly (the Hebrew is lav orach arah) to permit something in a place where the other Rav forbade it.

There are numerous other passages in the Talmud where this issue is brought to light. For those who wish to research further, see Shabbos 130a, Eiruvin 94a, Psachim 30a and Yevamos 14a.

CONCLUSION

The bottom line of all this? The Rabbi of a shul or community has a syata dishmaya in his rulings. It is unseemly and against the Torah to undermine his opinion. This is true, even if one happens to have the erudition of the Vilna Gaon. Certainly, it is true in our times too. As mentioned earlier, however, please check with your own Rav or Posaik regarding this issue.

The author can be reached at [email protected]
The Tel Aviv Chapter of United Hatzalah has opened a new base of operations and training center for volunteers in the area. During a special ceremony that occurred this past Tuesday, in which all chapter volunteers were invited to participate, the organization inaugurated the new building in the heart of Israels White City.

Tel Aviv Chief Rabbi HaGaon HaRav Yisrael Meir Lau Shlita, Tel Aviv Police Chief Moshe Edri, Deputy Mayor Rabbi Natan Elnatan, and Communal Rabbi Ezra Traub all attended the event. They were accompanied by both officers from local law enforcement divisions and the national leadership of United Hatzalah. During the inauguration ceremony, two new ambucycles which will be serving the Tel Aviv area, were also unveiled. Currently, the Tel Aviv Ambucycle Division boasts more than 20 ambucycles that respond to emergency calls throughout the city. The use of ambucycles have helped lower average response times to under 90 seconds in certain areas, and under three minutes in far-flung locations within the city.

The Tel Aviv chapter of United Hatzalah numbers over fifty volunteers, and is run by chapter head Dan Gildoni. Special honors were given to volunteers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. The volunteers honored were local dispatch officer, Isaac Mahbubien, and the chapters local spokesperson, Yoseph Haim Ben-Zion, who also serves as the chapters logistics coordinator.

This new chapter house will serve as a meeting place for volunteers to learn from one another, as well as a training and education center for new recruits. Additionally, the chapter house will also function as a headquarters for all local operations occurring in Israels most vibrant city.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Tira resident Rawa Mansour was among the four Israelis wounded in the New Years Eve shooting attack in an Istanbul night club. She returned home to be hospitalized in an Israeli hospital.

One of the group, 18-year-old Leann Zaher Nasser, was killed in the attack while the other two escaped uninjured. 39 people in total were killed and over 70 were left injured.

Rawas flight was met by a MDA ambulance on Sunday night which transported her to Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba. She sustained moderate injuries in the attack.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer is defending cryptic comments by President-elect Donald Trump that he knows things that other people dont know when it comes to allegations of Russian hacking.

Spicer tells Fox News Channels Fox & Friends that Trump is getting national security briefings on a daily basis and there doesnt seem to be conclusive evidence Russians were behind the hacking of Democratic emails during the election.

Spicer also dismissed on Monday a report released by the FBI and Homeland Security Department supporting the accusations against Russia, calling it a how-to manual on basic cybersecurity for Democrats.

In an interview on NBCs Today Show, Spicer said President Barack Obama only punished Russia after Democrat Hillary Clinton lost the election and that the recent sanctions were politically motivated.

(AP)
Two men suspected of a carjacking in Connecticut were killed when the stolen car crashed into a synagogue following a police chase.

New Haven police say the two suspects claimed to have a handgun and took the victims 2005 Toyota Highlander around 12:15 a.m. Monday. The victim was not injured.

A little more than an hour later an officer spotted the stolen car, called for backup, and began pursuing the suspects.

The stolen car crashed into the Congregation Beth El Keser Synagogue.

The driver was identified as 23-year-old Tommy Brown, of New Haven, and his passenger was 20-year-old Andrew Bolden-Velez, of West Haven.

New Haven police say the investigation has been turned over to the Connecticut State Police and the states attorneys office.

(AP)
Agent Provocateur 's owners are said to be considering a sale

LINGERIE SALE Agent Provocateur faces being auctioned off as restructuring firm Alix Partners works with private equity firm 3i Partners, which owns the retailer, to look at all options.

The news comes as KPMG investigates potential accounts irregularities.

SCOOT LOOT Mums Anna Gibson and Philippa Gogarty, who set up Micro Scooters in 2004 as the children's scooter craze took hold, have paid themselves 4.3million in dividends  up from 900,000 in 2015.

For the year ending in March, turnover was down at 14.7million, and profit after tax was down to 2.6million.

LOAN PLEA The Government should help to finance small businesses, the think-tank Civitas claims.

It wants ministers to set up a fund for responsible finance providers (RFPs), which offer loans to firms turned down elsewhere.

It warned funding for more than half of RFPs would run out this year despite a huge increase in demand.

EXPORT BOOST China's manufacturing sector grew for a fifth month in December in a potential boost to British exporters.

The Purchasing Managers' Index, in which a figure over 50 indicates expansion, was 51.4 in December.

hands off Independent energy firms have urged the Government not to intervene in gas and electricity markets.

Ministers are considering ways to increase competition, but some bosses say this would be threatened by price caps.

Juliet Davenport, of Good Energy, said: 'More intervention will create more uncertainty.'

SLICK PERFORMANCE The number of active oil rigs in the United States has increased for the ninth week in a row, to a total of 525, adding to signs of an oil recovery.
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By Patrick Donachie

Outgoing U.S. Rep. Steve Israel (D-Melville) is heading from Congress to the classroom, announcing that he will be the chairman of Long Island Universitys new Global Institute.

He will also be the universitys Distinguished Writer-in-Residence, taking up the post Jan. 4 after he retires from the U.S. House of Representatives.

Israel has served in Congress since 2001, and his district includes much of Nassau and Suffolk counties, as well as parts of Bay Terrace, Whitestone, Glen Oaks and Floral Park.

The LIU Global Institute will be a premier regional platform for understanding a world thats increasingly volatile, uncertain and complex, Israel said.

Our non-partisan mission will include bringing world leaders, thinkers and analysts to campus; serving as a resource for the university as well as regional business leaders and social activists for information and analysis of world events; and helping to prepare students to change our world with new models of innovation and social entrepreneurship.

The Global Institutes launch will be held March 2 at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts at LIU Post and will feature former Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Israels official congressional records will also be housed at the university, available for both students and researchers.

The records will include correspondence, e-mails and historical documents, according to the statement announcing Israels new role.The materials promise to offer insight into Congress response to seismic national events like 9/11 and the 2008 financial crash.

Israel will also continue his writing career at the school, which offer classes for more than 20,000 students and has been in operation since 1926

Israel will be succeeded in office by former Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, a fellow Democrat who won the seat in a general election in November.

Suozzi announced Tuesday that he was opening a district office in Huntington, L.I. The offices will be contained in two historic homes that date back to the American Revolution.

I wanted to locate the office on the Suffolk-Nassau border, so it would be accessible, but I also wanted to locate the office on a property that paid tribute to our nations history, Suozzi said about the opening.

Suozzi also pledged to offer a satellite office in Queens. In a previous interview, Suozzi suggested an area near the border of Queens and Nassau counties.
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By Bill Parry

A research group at LaGuardia Community College will examine the history of LGBTQ activism in Queens as part of a three-year program illuminating the history of New York City.

Funded by a $225,000 from The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, a new group known as Gardiner-Shenker student scholars will be mentored by the faculty and staff at the LaGuardia & Wagner Archives, which was established on campus in 1982 and is regularly accessed by scholars, journalists, and policymakers.

Despite the sizable LGBTQ population here, Queens has been largely neglected by scholars, said Richard Lieberman, PhD, professor of history and director of the LaGuardia & Wagner Archives. To address this oversight, the 2017 Gardiner-Shenker scholars will study LGBTQ activism in Queens  effectively expanding the focus of LGBTQ studies beyond Manhattan to the outer boroughs. Were in the business of telling the real history of New York.

LaGuardia Community College President Gail Mellow said, The history of LGBTQ activism in Queens that our student scholars will document honors this communitys struggles and triumphs and will be an important resource for years to come.

Future research projects by Gardiner-Shenker student scholars will focus on infrastructure, immigration or housing. The LaGuardia & Wagner Archives serves as a repository for the citys social and political history, which includes the largest collection of the citys mayoral papers.

Were proud to have the LaGuardia & Wagner Archives on our campus, Mellow said. Its presence reflects our facultys dedication to scholarly work  work that is normally assumed only to occur at four-year colleges and graduate centers. Giving a select group of students the opportunity to work with our Archives faculty, and to conduct original research for a public audience, will be incredibly valuable for these students as they begin their careers.

The grant was received by the LaGuardia Community College Foundation to fund the Robert Gardiner-Joseph Shenker Scholars Program, named in honor of the late Robert David Lion Gardiner, a former Wall Street executive and the late Joseph Shenker, the first president of LaGuardia Community College.

Both Joe and Robert David Lion Gardiner were passionate about history, so its fitting that this initiative is named in their honor, said Susan Shenker, the widow of Joseph Shenker. In fact, Joe founded the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives as a tribute to the colleges namesake, Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia,

She added, And as a pioneer of experimental learning  where students engage in studies that impact real organizations or receive on-the-job training through internships and other programs, Joe would be pleased that mentorship is a cornerstone to this initiative.
The Times Union's restaurant reviewer, Susie Davidson Powell, visited over 50 restaurants in 2016. Click through the slideshow to find out which dishes from area restaurants were her favorites. Related: Restaurants where you can get a great steak.
BRUNSWICK - A 21-year-old man found passed out behind the wheel of a heavily damaged pickup was arrested after, State Police said, they linked him to a crash in Troy.

Troopers said they found Broderick L. Morris of Troy sleeping behind the wheel of his truck on McChesney Avenue in Brunswick early Sunday morning. A trooper knocked on the truck's window and woke Morris who State Police said showed signs of intoxication.
Albany

A state Supreme Court justice has ordered the state Division of Budget to release $69 million in grant money promised to 19 struggling schools, nearly four months after parents from the schools sued the state for withholding the funds.

The Wednesday ruling by Justice Kimberly A. O'Connor said the Division of Budget had exceeded its legal authority by withholding the funds, which were appropriated by the state Legislature to support turnaround plans at 20 urban schools, including Hackett Middle School in Albany, that the state Education Department had labeled "persistently struggling" in 2015. The Budget Division withheld the funds this spring at the direction of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office, which argued that once the state Education Department removed that label from nine of the schools in February 2016 they were no longer eligible for the grants.

The state Education Department, however, said the schools were promised  and the Budget Division approved  two years of grant funding. In addition, they argued, companion legislation approved in April 2015 contained no provision requiring grant recipients to remain in "persistently struggling" status for the entire period of the grant. It would be unfair, they said, to promise funding and then take it away as soon as the schools showed signs of progress.

The Education Department was listed as a defendant alongside the Division of Budget in the suit filed by parents, but it sided with the parents.

So did O'Connor, who on Wednesday ordered the Budget Division to release the funds to the Education Department so the department could then distribute them to the schools.

"Certainly, if the (Budget Division) believed that funding was contingent on a school's 'persistently failing' designation throughout the grant period, they should not have a approved a spending plan that provided for an award of the full two-year transformation grant allocation without any qualifying language," O'Connor wrote in her ruling.

Although the dispute centered around the nine schools that had come off the "persistently struggling" schools list, grant funds for all the schools were frozen during the dispute, leaving 19 schools (one of the original 20 is closing) without funds they had planned and budgeted for in 2016-17.

Budget Division officials could not be reached Thursday, but a spokesman for the governor said his office is reviewing the decision.

The Alliance for Quality Education, Education Law Center and New York State United Teachers all cheered the ruling and urged the Budget Division not to appeal the order and cause "further delay" to funding that is already half a year overdue.

Pending an appeal, the ruling clears the way for Hackett Middle School in Albany to receive the remaining $1.6 million in grant money it was promised.

Hackett was among the 20 schools statewide to be designated persistently struggling in 2015, and school officials came up with a two-year turnaround plan that involved extending the school day by 42 minutes and providing weekly professional development to teachers. They also set goals for state and local test scores, the eighth-grade pass rate, out-of-school suspensions, teacher attendance and other measures that would indicate progress. They monitored each goal on a weekly and monthly basis to identify what needed work.

In February, they found out the school had showed enough progress to get off the struggling schools list, but were disappointed several months later to learn they could no longer support an extended school day without the remainder of the grant funds.

Board of education President Kenny Bruce said Thursday the district is pleased with the judge's ruling and is waiting to see how the legal process plays out.

The Education Department has promised to get the funds to all 19 schools that were labeled persistently struggling in 2015.

"We are pleased with the decision and will get the funds to the districts as soon as possible," said department spokeswoman Emily DeSantis.

bbump@timesunion.com  518-454-5387

Read the entire 28-page ruling below.

Cortes v. Mujica Decision by Bethany on Scribd
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ALBANY

2016 was one of the warmest years in Albany in almost two centuries.

The 51-degree average temperature was the sixth-highest number ever recorded by the National Weather Service, up 2.8 degrees from 2015 and 0.5 degrees below the hottest year ever, recorded in 2012. The coldest year for the area was in 1875, with an average 42.7-degree temperature.

Stephen DiRienzo, a NWS meteorologist, attributed the change to last years mild winter and the drought that plagued New York through the summer.

More than two dozen counties statewide were given natural disaster designations from the federal government, and the National Drought Mitigation Center gave similar classification to the Capital Region in October.

While it wasnt an overly hot summer, he said, it was enough to affect annual temperatures, with annual precipitation lagging nearly 6 inches below average. That change was especially onerous for New York farmers, for whom crop yields were mostly down from previous years.

Thats likely to change in 2017, with snowfall amount already closing in on the 17-inch total from last winter.

The Glens Falls area meanwhile saw the fourth-highest average temperature since 1949, at 48.4 degrees. Poughkeepsie averages were the second-highest on record, at 53 degrees.

RDownen@timesunion.com - 518-454-5018 - Follow @RobertDownenTU
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Albany

New York lawmakers will return to Albany on Wednesday to begin their work for 2017, a session expected to include debates over voting laws, corruption, Uber's proposal to expand upstate and the state's response to the administration of President-elect Donald Trump.

Along the way they'll also budget tens of billions of dollars of state spending on education, health care and roads and bridges, and decide the fate of hundreds of other bills, including proposals to ban the declawing of cats, end the practice of prosecuting and imprisoning 16- and 17-year-old offenders as adults and authorize people with terminal illnesses to request life-ending drugs from a physician.

"There is so much to do," said Senate Minority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers. "We have to move our economy forward, lower the tax burden, provide fair funding for our struggling schools. We must fix our election process and make it easier for more people to vote and at the same time pass strong ethics reforms."

The 2016 election will continue to play a major role in 2017. Democrats say the state should push back against Trump if he cracks down on people in the country illegally, seeks to restrict abortion rights or rolls back efforts to address climate change. Already, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed funding a new hate crimes task force to address what he says is an uptick in incidents and an initiative to provide legal help to immigrants facing deportation.

"New York has a special responsibility," the Democrat told congregants at a Harlem church a few weeks after the November election. "New York still knows what America is supposed to be. And we must shout it from the mountaintops. We must provide guidance to this nation."

State officials will also have to respond if Trump and Congress move to repeal the Affordable Care Act or cut federal funding for Medicaid or other big-ticket programs.

The election also highlighted the state's antiquated and restrictive voting laws. Democratic Attorney General Eric Schneiderman wants lawmakers to overhaul the state's voting laws to authorize early voting, encourage greater turnout and eliminate onerous registration deadlines.

Uber and Lyft will try again with their upstate expansion proposal. The two ride-hailing services are now prohibited from operating outside the New York City area and have long wanted state permission to move into Syracuse, Buffalo, Rochester and other upstate cities. So far, however, lawmakers have balked.

Cuomo supports the expansion, and Uber is bullish about its chances in 2017.

"We fully expect the Legislature to pass, and the governor to sign, ride-sharing legislation in early 2017 and join the 47 other states in the country where residents can get an affordable, reliable ride at the touch of a button," said company spokeswoman Alix Anfang.

Affordable housing and homelessness will be another priority, according to Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, D-Bronx.

"Too many communities in our state are still struggling to curb homelessness and provide their families with a chance to reach and remain in the middle class," Heastie said. "It remains our top priority to support them and give every New Yorker meaningful tools to succeed."

Internal squabbling and fights for power could complicate the session. The Senate is especially fractious; Democrats have a one-seat majority, but Republicans have control thanks to a handful of Democrats who crossed party lines. There's likely to be conflict between Cuomo and the Legislature as well, as many lawmakers blame Cuomo for blocking their first salary increase in 17 years.

"He's got a lot of damage control to do," Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, R-Canandaigua, said Thursday. "He's created some real strains with the Legislature."

The session gets underway Wednesday with a largely ceremonial first day. In a change from previous years, Cuomo is replacing the traditional State of the State address to lawmakers with a series of regional speeches to be given around the state the week of Jan. 9. The session is expected to end in late June.
Albany

As it turns out, the Capital Region was in the hunt for attracting a computer chip factory from not only Advanced Micro Devices, but also Intel and Samsung, former Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno reveals in his new memoir.

In his book, "Keep Swinging," published in November by Post Hill Press, Bruno revealed that in 2005  a year before AMD announced it would build a $3.2 billion computer chip factory at Luther Forest Technology Campus in Saratoga County, officials from the Center for Economic Growth in Albany "had been talking" with archrivals Intel and AMD.

And it turns out that Samsung, the South Korea electronics and semiconductor giant had also been wooed by Charles Gargano, Gov. George Pataki's top economic development official.

It was September 2005 when this was going on, and Pataki and Gargano were taking a trade mission to China and Japan.

"Before Pataki left I suggested that he add South Korea to his itinerary and talk to some of the Samsung principals at their headquarters in Seoul," Bruno writes in the book. "My recollection is that either my staff or someone at the Center for Economic Growth set up an appointment for him. I spoke to the governor shortly after he landed in Albany, and he told me he didn't stop in South Korea."

The next month, Samsung announced that it was building a chip factory, or fab, in Austin, Texas, the site where Samsung eventually started to make chips for Apple's iPhone.

But Bruno says he was undeterred, even though he says in the book that Intel got upset that New York state was also courting AMD since there was "bad blood" between them.

"Intel's attitude was that if we were talking to AMD, they wouldn't talk to us," Bruno writes. "My response was, 'Fine, then I'm not going to talk to you.'"

Perhaps most enlightening is a behind-the-scenes description that Bruno gives of a phone call he had with AMD CEO Hector Ruiz in May 2006, a month before AMD agreed to build at Luther Forest in what later became the chip fab that would be built by AMD spinoff GlobalFoundries.

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On May 15, 2006, Bruno was the keynote speaker at the New York State Investors Conference being held at the Albany Marriott on Wolf Road. Bruno made a huge stir at the conference by announcing that he had just gotten off the phone with the CEO of a major company that wanted to invest billions of dollars in the Capital Region economy. Although Bruno never mentioned the CEO by name, he says in the book it was Ruiz, with whom he had developed a personal relationship. At the time, few people in the Capital Region had ever heard of Ruiz, or even AMD, but that was all about to change a month later.

"I had gotten out of the car and was crossing the parking lot when Hector called to tell me that AMD has decided to build a chip fab in Luther Forest," Bruno writes. "He wanted to speak to the governor, to make sure that he was onboard, and I told Hector that Pataki would be in touch. I got the governor on the phone and told him what was going on, and then he hung up and called Hector."

Bruno writes that once he and former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Pataki struck an agreement over the budget, which was to include more than $1 billion for the AMD plant, the deal was sealed.

Bruno picked Ruiz up Albany International Airport on June 23, 2006, en route to announcing the deal at SUNY Polytechnic Institute, back when it was part of the University at Albany.

lrulison@timesunion.com  518-454-5504  @larryrulison
After a biblical seven years as the Environmental Protection Agency's regional administrator whose domain included New York, Judith Enck is stepping down from her federal job on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20.

She says the departure wasn't influenced by the presidential election. Although, she is quick to admit, the surprise winner has become an unexpected factor on what's next for her. But more about that later.

We were very lucky to have Judith where she was, for as long as she was. Solid environmental clout on our behalf. The Hudson River is much the better for it. So are the residents of the South End of Albany at the Ezra Prentice Homes, struggling with bad air quality at the port; the residents of Hoosick Falls with dangerously contaminated drinking water; and countless others in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands.

Think for a moment where we would be with Hoosick, with the Hudson, if she had not become personally involved. If she had not stirred direct community support and awareness, her trademark approach borne of long years as a grassroots environmental activist who lit so many fires for specific causes. Judith knows New York, its political landscape and environmental challenges from years of grassroots work with the New York Public Interest Research Group, eight years with the state attorney general's office and three years as deputy secretary for the environment in the governor's office. Born in Brooklyn, raised in the nearby Greene County village of Cairo, she and her husband, attorney Mark Dunlea, will be returning to their home of many years in Rensselaer County.

The Hudson and Hoosick Falls. We were witnesses to these enormous challenges, and accomplishments.

At the top of the list has to be the phenomenal success of dredging the Hudson River, or more properly, getting General Electric to clean up much of its own mess. For Judith, this was virtually a life's work. She was involved at the state level during the long and painful negotiations over the consent order that led to the biggest Superfund dredging project in the country. Then it fell to her at the EPA to make sure it happened. It did, after a few fits and starts.

While the EPA is still technically reviewing whether GE met its legal obligations under the consent order, Enck says she is confident they did. Two thirds of the PCBs in the river are gone. At the moment, the Cuomo administration is jumping up and down in a political dance, demanding more dredging, and claiming it's the EPA's responsibility. Enck agrees there should be more dredging, and that the Champlain canal should be dredged as well, but strongly disagrees it's her agency's job to get it done. Throughout the long dredging negotiation process, the state was well aware of the dredging that would need to be done beyond the consent order and how that has to happen. It's the state's responsibility to hold General Electric accountable.

What makes the Cuomo administration's posturing laughable is that the governor infamously tried to play politics over future dredging when he was courting GE to move its corporate headquarters to Westchester County. It was part of the governor's "a lot of love on the table" gambit that failed. Now that strategy is biting him in the butt and he and his henchfolk are trying to take it out on the EPA.

The governor and Judith Enck are oil and water. Anyone who knows the governor's tactics would not doubt him capable of trying to sully her legacy accomplishment. Ever since she helped block a bald raid by the Cuomo crowd on a revolving EPA municipal infrastructure fund to pay for a big chunk of the new Tappan Zee bridge, the two have been at odds.

It got even nastier with Hoosick Falls and its PFOA water crisis. When Enck stepped in and declared the water undrinkable, ironically, a far clearer path to a resolution for the residents began to emerge from the misdirected bureaucratic murk in which Cuomo's Health Department was wallowing.

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Which is by no means to say residents are well down the path to wellness, or trust in government. No. Events just this week invite dark speculation, with the mayor and village board canceling a public hearing and a vote on an agreement with polluter Saint Gobain for, among other things, $850,000 in reimbursements to the village. Speculation might relate to the "among other things" column, or what might be missing from the agreement altogether. As far as I know, oddly no one in the public has seen the agreement yet.

Enck wants the residents of Hoosick Falls to know that designation of the village as a federal Superfund site, with all that can mean and bring, is set to happen in March. And if it doesn't, it's because monkey business from the new regime has somehow cast a wrench into it. Enck, as an exiting observation, cautions the residents to keep themselves informed, stay skeptical and buckle up. It's going to be a long ride.

So Judith Enck, 58, after 254 public speeches, and running an office with 800 employees with an annual budget of $700 million, is back to being an activist force of one. She is weighing options. Judith has abandoned what she thought she'd be doing because the man stepping in the White House appears bent on dismantling environmental protection. So she has vowed to fight that, in what guise is yet to be revealed.

"I've got to do more than worry. I'm going to be a watchdog. Environmental protection is just in my blood."

flebrun@timesunion.com  518-454-5453
A total of 70 people took part in the first of this year's Nenagh Rail Community Partnership's annual train trip to Limerick on Ice.

The trip took place on Thursday, December 29, with 60 people boarding at Cloughjordan and a further 10 getting on at Nenagh, which has organised its own day out for this coming Tuesday, January 3.

The rail group has been organising the trips for over a decade, with Irish Rail and Limerick on Ice giving reduced prices for those who take part.

Cloughjordan is organising two trips, but people are reminded that they can travel on any of the days to avail of these great reductions once they produce a rail ticket at the Limerick on Ice ticket office.

On Tuesday, January 3, the train will leave Nenagh railway station at 10.55am and return from Limerick at 16.55. Once again there will be a reduced rate at 10 to skate and a return rail ticket at 6 return for adults and 3 for children. Skating is from 1pm to 2pm, and this hour always proves to be a special community event.

The contact for Nenagh is Virginia O'Dowd, 086-8185520.

The Cloughjordan group iwill travel again on Wednesday, January 4. The train leaves Cloughjordan at 10.45am and returns from Limerick at 16.55. The cost remains at 6 / 3 return for the train and 10 for the skating, which again is booked from 1pm to 2pm. The contact for Cloughjordan is Duncan Martin, 086-8377906.

People from Roscrea, Newport and the general Ballina area are welcome to take part by joining the train at their local station. Please check train times.

You don't have to book in advance. Just turn up at the individual stations on the day.
[January 02, 2017] Acronis Delivers Broad Data Protection for Apps and Data in Microsoft Environments

MUMBAI, January 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- - New Acronis Backup Cloud Extension Enables Microsoft Cloud Service Providers to Quickly Deliver Hybrid Cloud Backup Protection to End Users Acronis, a global leader in hybrid cloud data protection, announced its new Acronis Backup Cloud Extension for Microsoft Azure and Azure Stack at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto. The new offerings enable Microsoft Cloud Services Providers (CSPs) to easily provision and manage a highly flexible range of backup services across physical and virtual environments, while supporting the broad range of devices in use by businesses today. By plugging Acronis Backup Cloud into Azure or Azure Stack environments, Microsoft CSPs have a new and simple option to add increased value to their offerings by selling more complete backup and data protection services to customers. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150707/232950LOGO )



Today's small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) face new challenges when it comes to data protection, including massive increases in data volume, complex computing environments, more digital business processes and mobile workers, as well as man-made and natural disasters and cyber threats. In addition, SMBs struggle to protect data in virtual, physical, and mobile IT environments, with 48 percent of SMBs running both virtual and physical systems, and almost 60 percent of SMBs using mobile devices for work-related activities.



Acronis Protects Cloud and On-Premiss Apps and Data for Microsoft Environments







With the new Acronis Backup Cloud Extension for Azure, Microsoft CSPs can sell a unique hybrid cloud backup service from Acronis that provides broad protection in Microsoft environments, including across cloud and on-premises datacenters, physical and virtual machines, and mobile devices, all while utilizing their investments in Azure. Acronis protects data across a wide section of the Microsoft ecosystem, including Microsoft Exchange, Office365, SQL Server, SharePoint, Active Directory, as well as workstations, servers, Hyper-V hosts, and mobile computing platforms.



Acronis also enables Microsoft CSPs to backup Azure virtual machines (Linux or Windows), and protect new Azure virtual machines, in addition to backing up physical or virtual machines on premises, and migrating to an Azure virtual machine.





Additional benefits of Acronis Backup Cloud Extension for Microsoft Azure include:



Unified Data Protection Management - Provides simplified ability for Microsoft CSPs to scale business with the Acronis multi-tenant, multi-tier service provider solution.

- Manage backup and data protection for all Acronis Backup Cloud customers from a single management console



Highly Flexible Storage Options - Leverage simple storage subscriptions to protect any server or mobile device using Azure as the backup target.

- The Acronis Storage Gateway for Microsoft Azure enables backing up directly to Microsoft Azure storage containers, creating a true hybrid backup storage solution



Unmatched Migration Capabilities - Deliver a deep set of migration functions for recovering and restoring data in complex environments.

- Migrate on-premises servers running on Windows or Linux to Azure

- Migrate workloads from other public clouds, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) to Azure virtual machines



About Acronis:



Acronis sets the standard for hybrid cloud data protection through its backup, cloud storage, disaster recovery, and secure file sync and share solutions. Powered by the Acronis AnyData Engine and set apart by its image technology, Acronis delivers easy, complete and affordable data protection of all files, applications and operating systems across any environment-virtual, physical, cloud and mobile. Founded in 2003, Acronis protects the data of over 5 million consumers and 500,000 businesses in over 145 countries. With more than 100 patents, Acronis products have been named best product of the year, and cover a range of features, including migration, cloning and replication. Today, Acronis solutions are available worldwide through a global network of service providers, distributors and cloud resellers.



For additional information, please visit: http://www.acronisindia.co.in

Media Contact:

Daniel Lee

[email protected]

+65-9004 4465

Acronis



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[January 02, 2017] Windows Bookmark Manager Linkman 8.99 Offers Seamless Internet Bookmark Synchronization Across Windows Web Browsers and Computers

COBURG, Germany, Jan. 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Linkman stores your Internet bookmarks in local, fast (instant searches on 100.000 and more bookmarks), easily backup-able XML databases. Linkman bookmarks can be accessed in all major Windows web browsers including Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, and Opera. Linkman's XML bookmark databases can be optionally synchronized among computers with built-in support for Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft Onedrive, and other synchronization service providers. Download Linkman at: https://www.outertech.com/en/bookmark-manager Tutorial video available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9k-wVDwYtw Designed with both the casual and professional Internet user in mind, Linkman (short for Link Manager) is a browser-independent bookmark manager which effectively replaces a browser's native bookmark management system and then organizes, automatically annotates with keywords, and validates large collections of bookmarks. Linkman Pro offers a number of flexibility and privacy-protecting features. Optionally it can be installed on a USB stick, where it is fully functional on any Winows computer without installation or the need to entrust personal data to an internet cloud. Bookmark databases can also be protected by password to maximize user privacy.



Linkman Lite is available to private and educational users at no charge. Linkman Pro, its commercial, more advanced counterpart starts at $24.95 for a single computer. A free and fully featured 30-day Linkman Pro test drive may be accessed by visiting https://www.outertech.com/en/bookmark-manager. Linkman Lite is available from the same location. Both editions come with a tutorial video, and comprehensive PDF manuals. Journalists and bloggers may request a reviewer's license by contacting [email protected]

System Requirements: Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista or XP (32 and 64 bit) Linkman is available in English, German, French, and 16 other languages. About Outertech Incorporated in 1999, Outertech is a software development company based in Coburg, Germany. Its mission statement: "To make computers more stable, more useful, faster, and easier to use." Outertech's lead products include Cacheman (short for Cache Manager), an award-winning Microsoft Windows performance optimization program initially developed in 1996 as the very first Windows optimization software ever. Cacheman is currently available as version 10.03 with Windows 10 support. Linkman (short for Link Manager), another exciting Outertech product is a bookmark manager that integrates with the Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome, and Opera browsers. Initially released in 1997, Linkman's optionally password protected XML databases have been praised for twenty years of bookmark data security. Contact

Thomas Reimann, Outertech

+49 95619762733

[email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/windows-bookmark-manager-linkman-899-offers-seamless-internet-bookmark-synchronization-across-windows-web-browsers-and-computers-300384213.html SOURCE Outertech

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[January 02, 2017] Imafidon, Becomes Youngest Scientist to Get Royal Recognition

WESTMINSTER, U.K., Jan. 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon (aged 26), the eldest child from a family described by experts as "world's smartest family," has received the Queen's award for services to young women and STEM. She is founder and CEO of multi-award-winning organisation - STEMettes.[Stemettes.org] Dr Imafidon, was with her family in London when she heard the news of her inclusion in the #NewYearHonours list, and this comes just days after being invited to speak to University leaders including Vice Chancellors in London, Oxford and Cambridge. BRITISH PRIME MINISTER Theresa May, says, "Congratulations to all those receiving honours today. It's great so many from different walks of life are getting recognition." Dr ANNE-MARIE O IMAFIDON, says, "I'm ecstatic beyond words. This is DIVINE, simply God-sent. Nobody would have expected this when my journey started with mathematical and science games at EIE (www.ExcellenceinEducation.org.uk) program a few years ago. This program equipped me with the unique pedagogical techniques which makes learning fun and it is radically different from conventional school. It helps anyone tackle educational and even professional challenges with ease. How I wish my grandparents were here. They would love anything from the Queen of England... particularly my grandmothers they would give anything for such a rare honour. When they heard on the phone, one of them burst in song after recovering from the initial pleasant shock." Dr Imafidon, opines, "As the dust is settling down, I'm truly surprised, honoured and humbled. Honestly, this is NOT for me. I dedicate it to my team at Stemettes, volunteers, partners, sponsors, mentors, and my family. This is a sign of what is to come. Inclusivity in the STEM sector and girls' education are important or all - it's an honour and a privilege to lead it."



Anne-Marie's father, a world renowned expert and government adviser, Professor Chris Imafidon, speaking on behalf of the family, said, "If one gets an award, one is very excited but if one's child gets such award, that is a step further than anyone could have imagined. I am still pinching myself. This is more than a MIRACLE! It is a WONDER! and my family are sincerely chuffed. As soon as we recover from the initial shock, the family celebrations could last a whole year! It is an extraordinary thing that is happening just because one's optimisation of learning for Mathematics and Sciences. I am forever grateful for the ExcellenceinEducation.org.uk's proven methodology. It is now an absolute truism, beyond any doubt that every child is a genius, because of this EIE re-engineered learning strategy that starts from the classroom and ends in the boardroom. Now, it is evident that EIE's unique methodology can revolutionise learning of any subject or concepts (from Maths to Science, or Music or languages). So, we need to work with more parents, schools, colleges and universities to implement these principles and realise the genius in every child, or greatness in everyone." Professor Imafidon, who now chairs the ExcellenceinEducation.org.uk program, known for supporting inner-city pupils, adds, "Science and tech are the future, therefore, is too important to be left to schools alone - it's apt that EIE and similar programs play a vital role." https://twitter.com/ChrisImafidon/status/815171202293596160

NOTES TO EDITORS IMAFIDON FAMILY & ASSOCIATED FOUNDATIONS The Imafidons (http://www.imafidons.com/) gives free information and resources to encourage learning, teaching and research into science, mathematics and music. They partner with charities and other related organisations to promote new learning techniques. Professor Chris Imafidon and the family are available for keynote speaking, teaching and media interviews during some months of the year. The Excellence in Education programme (http://www.excellenceineducation.org.uk/) runs seminars, webinars and workshop sessions for parents, schools, and other institutions interested in the educational advancements of learners particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. And also publishes links, tweets and full details on various educational activities. STEMETTES Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon, founder & CEO of Stemettes.org, a multi- award winning organisation, impacting girls' Science. It inspires and supports young women into Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths careers (STEM) http://stemettes.org/. Contact:

Hannah Rivers

07968285848 Photos:

https://www.prlog.org/12610577 Press release distributed by PRLog To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/imafidon-becomes-youngest-scientist-to-get-royal-recognition-300384374.html SOURCE ExcellenceinEducation.org.uk

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[January 02, 2017] Middle Tennessee Mother Shares Loss in Opioid Awareness PSA

The second "Face of Opioid Addiction" TV spot, which began airing statewide Jan. 1, tells the story of Tullahoma resident Judy Jenkins, who lost her adult daughter to a prescription painkiller overdose. "Until I started counting each pill in my pill bottle, I had no idea she was taking from everything I had," said Jenkins. She hopes her experience will help others realize the importance of actively managing and securing prescription pain medication. Jenkins said she is proud to support the Count It! Lock It! Drop It! program, a community approach to prescription drug misuse and abuse that expanded in 2016 through a $1.3 million BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation grant to counties with high rates of opioid overdose and deaths. In addition to TV spots, the ongoing campaign features radio and print ads that will run in outlets across the state over the next year. The Count It! Lock It! Drop It! program encourages community members to: Count It! Count pills every two weeks to monitor theft and help ensure medications are taken properly.

Lock It! Lock and store medications in a secure place where others would not think to ook. Drop It! Take unused or expired medications to drop boxes located in participating law enforcement offices or pharmacies or during take-back events.



www.countitlockitdropit.org. About BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation, Inc.

The BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation, Inc. was established in December 2003 as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation organized to promote the philanthropic mission of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. The foundation awards grants focused on high-impact initiatives across the state, which promote healthy lifestyle choices and help control health care costs for all Tennessee residents. Working with civic and economic partners, the foundation is dedicated to the support of research, innovative programs and creative approaches to improve the health and quality of life of Tennesseans for generations to come. About BlueCross BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee's mission is to provide peace of mind through better health. Founded in 1945, the Chattanooga-based company is focused on serving more than 3.4 million members in Tennessee and across the country. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Inc. is an independent licensee of the BlueCross BlueShield Association. For more information, visit the company's website at bcbst.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170102005001/en/

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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.
On Friday night, at the Victorian leg of the Falls Festival, a large number of people attempted to leave the DMAs set at the same time in order to see London Grammar at another stage. In the process there was a crowd crush which left 60 people injured  19 of those seriously so  and forced organisers to end the evenings program early. Its the largest such incident in the history of Australian music festivals. Luckily, nobody was killed.

Falls Festival Co Producer Jessica Ducrou released a statement yesterday, saying the organisers are beyond shattered and completely devastated, citing a confluence of events as the cause, before promising an investigation into the various contributing factors, which will take some weeks to determine.

There will be an investigation, but there will be no easy answers available, and  most likely  no real solution.



At the 2001 Big Day Out in Sydney, as the audience lurched forward during nu-metal band Limp Bizkits incendiary set, 15-year-old Jessica Michalik was crushed, deprived of oxygen, and died five days later in a hospital. It was the first death at the BDO and the beginning of a stricter set of security practices across the industry.

Throughout both the media coverage and the legal proceedings, the absence of a D-barrier was pointed out repeatedly. A D-barrier is exactly what it sounds like: a D-shaped pen in front of the stage, designed to limit, and slow, the amount of people who entered the area. The idea is that less people means less of a crowd, and therefore less of a crush when the natural inclination to push forward results in a single-direction rush, momentum which is only stopped by fencing against which people can be  and often are  crushed, or by gravity. The D-barrier was implemented at the Big Day Out from 2002 onwards, and continues to be present at most large music festivals. In addition, many various types of other fencing is also used, mostly as a means of herding large of groups of people around the grounds without ever allowing for a dangerously-large amount of these people to congregate within one single space. It seems sensible. It probably is.

This fencing, while effective at keeping people from getting into an area, also limits the ways in which people can get out, once inside. If scheduling is sloppy at a festival where many punters have paid hundreds of dollars to see two bands who happen to playing in a row, but on different stages  there will be a rush to move from one area to another. If set-times overlap, this can often be compounded. There will be pushing, and bottlenecks, and anger, and alcohol. People arent patient, especially when they feel cheated, and if they want to get somewhere fast, they will try to hurry things up any way they know how. This can be tragic. Security cannot control tens of thousands of people, and when a collapse and a crush occurs in the middle of a sea of people, first aid will be delayed, the resulting confusion and fear will elevate the situation, people will push and rush even more, and incidents like what occurred at Falls will happen.

There is yet to be an inquest into this matter, and we can only rely on eye-witness testimonies at the moment, a lot of which will no doubt be coloured by shock, panic, and outrage. People want answers: Why was the only way worried relatives could find out information at the time via an email address with staggering poor response times? (Over four hours, according to one panicked Facebook commentator.) Why were punters unable to leave the venue after the incident?  and most importantly: How we can avoid something like this ever happening again?

There is no easy answer to that last question, at least probably not one that will satisfy those whose job it is to keep festival crowds safe, or those who were injured in the melee. No doubt Falls will be hit with even stricter barricade requirements; it happened after the 2001 Big Day Out, and it happened after nine people died during a Pearl Jam set at Roskilde in 2000. But will it help?

Could it actually be harmful to restrict punter access even more? Should we expect festival organisers to therefore limit crowds, implement large gaps between set times to avoid such timetabled panic, and as a result, book less acts  in essence scaling back these festivals which have grown organically, and with relative safety, over decades?

The truth is that sometimes people will push, people will panic, and a crowd crush is an impossible thing to avoid or to police once imminent. Maybe there is absolutely nothing to be done about this problem. But that doesnt mean we shouldnt continue to search for a solution. What happens next will be important.
Mojo Burning Festival hits Brisbane for its fourth year this March, with its best lineup to date.

The blues, roots, and stoner rock festival announced an exciting first round of acts early last month, featuring the likes of The Badlands, The Blackwater Fever, Lepers & Crooks, and Transvaal Diamond Syndicate. Now they have bolstered that lineup with ex-QOTSA legend Nick Oliveri, The Dead Ringers, Hell & Whiskey, and more, all playing across three stages at the Hamilton Hotel.

In addition there will be plenty of Southern barbecue on offer across the day, as well as a muscle-car display in the car park.

Mojo Burning organiser Christian Tryhorn explains how the festival grew organically, to the point where it is now attracting big-name international acts. We started Mojo Burning out of necessity. I was touring constantly with my band and coming across so many radical bands who were basically receiving no press or publicity in the wider industry. Its like there was a forgotten series tour highways off the modern mainstream radar.

The festival has now grown its own legs and is ever-evolving but we still try and stay true to the ethos of supporting hard touring and hard playing bands in an all killer no filler approach putting amazing acts from all over the country in the one place at a low price for the punter.

The festival is an impressively-affordable $30+BF, and happens on Saturday, March 25th 2017, with tickets available here.

Mojo Burning Festival 2017

Latest announcements:

Nick Oliveri

The Dead Ringers

Hell & Whiskey

Narla

Sabrina Lawrie & The Hunting Party

Six Ft. Hick

They will be joining already-announced acts:

The BadLands

The Blackwater Fever

Chase The Sun

Cheap Fakes

Dom Turner & Ian Collard

Electrik Lemonade

Elegant Shiva

Hobo Magic

Hussy Hicks

Lepers & Crooks

Mike Elrington

Rick Dangerous & The Silky Bantams

The Royal Artillery

Transvaal Diamond Syndicate
SPECIAL THANKS TO KANSAS CITY INSIDERS WARNING OF A MASSIVE HOMELESS CAMP THAT HAS BEEN UNREPORTED BY MAINSTREAM MEDIA BUT REMAINS THE CAUSE OF CONSTANT NORTHEAST, RIVER MARKET AND DOWNTOWN WORRIES!!!

"They're burning open fires to keep warm -- It's so close to very dry woods and nearby housing projects that it's a recipe for disaster. And it just doesn't make any sense. You have million-dollar lofts and condos and this homeless camp and its inhabitants are within less than two minutes walking distance away - That's also another indication of danger to people who are unaware that a lot of these folks are drug users or violent offenders who can't stay in shelters. Whatever the case, this camp site has grown to MASSIVE proportions and there are now HUNDREDS of people down there forming a town near the river and the railroad tracks. A lot of residents are aware of this problem and have asked the city to intervene and find real shelter for these folks. But we just hear back that "there's nothing that can be done" . . . When we talk about redeveloping Berkley Park, adding another streetcar line or more new housing . . . This homeless campsite and others like it need to be part of that conversation. And frankly I'm surprised that KCMO has let a homeless village of hundreds amass without stepping in and trying to help these people out of this illegal, dangerous and blighting tent city."

We start New Year 2017 with more evidence of a homeless crisis threatening Kansas City and so much real estate speculation supported by taxpayer subsidy.To wit . . .Here's a quick look at the site and a bit of an indication of scale . . .There are at least. . .Kansas City insiders acknowledge that the camp site is actually quite clever and protects the homeless from some of the elements, wind and interlopers.Still, here are moredeets on the camp . . .And so . . .Last year's promises of a fight against crime, blight and dangerous housing have been completely unfulfilled while an illegal homeless village just a few steps away from the streetcar line, the River Market and so many new other developments not only presents a clear and present danger to luxury living space residents but also reveals growing economic disparity in Kansas City.You decide . . .
Despite the recent development on short-term debt relief for Greece, the bailout program review has not yet concluded. Aside however from the review itself, the role of the International Monetary Fund in the Greek program has not yet been resolved. Given the recent clash between the European Commission and the IMF's Poul Thomsen in relation to Greece, the negotiations to follow will not be easy. Furthermore the stance of the new US government on the IMF's role in the Greek program also remains uncertain, further complicating negotiations, given that the Greek government desires a conclusion by the Eurogroup scheduled for 26 January.

Although there is uncertainty over the new US government's stance, one of the likelier scenarios is that the IMF will not fully participate in the Greek program, meaning that it will not provide any funding. A report in Ta Nea cites a source in contact with German Finance Ministry, which claims that this will not be without a cost for the Greek government. Specifically, the source notes that the German government has changed its stance stance in relation to the review, in light of the Greek Finance Minister's letter to the Eurogroup chief. The source further adds that Germany will attempt to separate the review from the IMF's participation in the t program. As such, the program will conclude, irrespective of the Fund's participation.

Based on recent statements by Eurogroup chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem, this appears to have been a condition for Germany. However, the source underlines, for Germany to agree to such a development, it will demand IMF style measures from the Greek government, such as further tax reforms and pension cuts. As such, the 20 February Eurogroup appears like a more realistic date for an agreement to be reached between Greece and its creditors. The Greek government's ultimate aim is to be included in the ECB's quantitative easing program, which cannot occur before the ECB's board meeting on 9 March.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Greeces foreign ministry condemned on Sunday the barbaric terrorist attack carried out at an Istanbul nightclub early on New Years Day

Greeces foreign ministry condemned on Sunday the barbaric terrorist attack carried out at an Istanbul nightclub early on New Years Day and expressed support for the Turkish people and the families of the victims.

We express our undivided support for the Turkish people and address our sincere condolences to the families of the victims, as well as our wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured, the ministry said in a statement.

According to official information so far, 39 people were killed and 69 were injured when a gunman opened fire inside the nightclub "Reina".

A team from Greeces general consulate in Istanbul said they didnt locate any Greek citizens among the injured after visiting several hospitals in the city. Although the identities of the  so far - 39 victims have not all been revealed, consulate authorities have no information about Greek citizens or diaspora being among them. So far Turkish authorities have identified Israelis, Jordanians and Azeris among the 15 foreign nationals who died.

The general consulate also recommended caution to all Greeks visiting or currently living in the city as well as to avoid busy areas.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Greek main opposition New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis sent a message to the Greeks abroad asking for the cooperation of all the Greeks to the national effort for the restoration of the country

Greek main opposition New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis sent a message to the Greeks abroad asking for the cooperation of all the Greeks to the national effort for the restoration of the country.

"We have to unite our forces for the restoration of Greece. We create the political conditions. You, the Greeks of the Diaspora, can contribute to the effort for the reconstruction of the country," Mitsotakis said in an interview with the newspaper "The National Herald."

"On the occasion of the dawning of the New Year, I express to you my best wishes with the assurance that 2017 is finally going to be the year for our Greece.

As you know, I have also lived among you. So, I have firsthand knowledge of your progress and your commitment to the Greek ideals and traditions.

I am aware of your selfless love, and how you ache and agonize about the situation in our Greece.

I know that despite the repeated promises, you have not even been granted the right to vote from your country of residence, a right enjoyed by almost all other minorities.

I repeat that this will change when New Democracy is in power.

Greece will gain a responsible political leadership, which is also worthy of its migrant children.

Dear friends, it is evident, unfortunately, that the Tsipras government is particularly damaging for our country.

Ask yourself: is the situation in Greece now better than it was two years ago when Tsipras undertook the governance or is it worse?

The answer is absolutely clear: it is much worse.

Therefore, election time, which the country so desperately needs, will not be long in coming. And there is no doubt that the Greek people will trust us with the great responsibility of exiting our Greece from the crisis and defending our territorial integrity.

With your valuable support, our country will change course, hope will return, and Greece will regain its sovereignty.

All together, let's make 2017 the year for our Greece."

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Source: ANA-MPA
Turkish-Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci considers unnecessary the participation of the five permanent members of UN Security Council in the Cyprus Summit to be held in Geneva

Turkish-Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci considers unnecessary the participation of the five permanent members of UN Security Council in the Cyprus Summit to be held in Geneva on January 12.

The agreement of December 1st makes it clear that apart from the two sides and the guarantor powers there will be no one else present he said, adding that The final agreement will be signed by the new united federal Cyprus that will be created.

President of Cyprus republic Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish-Cypriot leaders are expected to meet on January 4, while the probability of another meeting before the transition in Geneva on 7 January has not been dismissed.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
The visit of shipyards provides a complete discovery of the yard in just two hours with an impressive view onto the ships being built and gigantic installations.



From the submarine base, visitors are brought by bus to a visit that must be guided. The tours done on the site and the contents of the visit can vary depending on the constraints linked to the companys activity.



But generally, visitors finish the visit with sparkles in their eyes as they discovered the behind the scenes of ship building, a truly impressive feat, explains Bertrand Onfray, Associate Director of the Saint-Nazaire tourism office.



Another possibility, the thematic visit Giants of the Seas that reveals the secrets of the worlds largest ocean liners built in Saint-Nazaire.



The most famous of these liners, Harmony of the Seas, was delivered to its owner, the American shipowner Royal Caribbean International in May 2016.



But other equally fascinating ships are currently being built at the STX France shipyard. The Italian shipowner MSC Cruises had almost all of its fleet built in Saint-Nazaire and ordered several new liners.



Currently, visitors can admire the MSC Meraviglia that is being created inside the holds of the Nazaire shipyard.



This very large ship of 315 meters long for a width of 43 meters will have a capacity of 5,700 passengers and 1,530 members of the crew. It will be delivered in May 2017.



MSC Meraviglia, first ship of the Vista class, is announced as the largest ship ever built for a European shipowner.



Innovative both on a technological and ecological front, it will have three showrooms, an amusement park on two bridges tied to an aquatic park, reinvented solariums, an indoor pool, a panoramic atrium, family-friendly cabins, duplex suites, and no less than 12 restaurants




UAE Exchange, a leading global remittance, foreign exchange and payment solutions brand, has launched a new social awareness drive to encourage the use of legal channels for sending money home among the Bangladeshi expatriates in the UAE.



The campaign named Amar Bangladesh (My Bangladesh) stands out for its message: Sothik pothey pathai taka, Sochol rakhi desher chaka, which means We send money legally which contributes to the development of my country.



Supported by the Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment of Bangladesh and Embassy of Bangladesh in the UAE, the campaign was unveiled on December 27 at a formal gathering in Dusit Thani Hotel, Abu Dhabi. Muhammad Imran, Ambassador of Bangladesh to the UAE, was the guest of honour at the event.



Bangladeshis living outside Bangladesh have been a strong pillar of support for the country. UAE Exchange has always supported this hardworking community in transferring their hard-earned money back home. We have pioneered various initiatives to help them stay consistent in sending money through formal channels. Amar Bangladesh is one such initiative. This campaign will enable expatriate Bangladeshis to safeguard their earnings and plan their future better. It also aligns with the noble vision of financial inclusion and nation building spearheaded by the government. We thank the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment of Bangladesh and Embassy of Bangladesh for supporting our endeavour to enhance the convenience and security of expatriate Bangladeshis, said Promoth Manghat, chief executive officer of UAE Exchange Group.



Jabed Ahmed, additional secretary at the Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment of Bangladesh, said: We want to encourage our expatriate workers residing in the UAE to safeguard their earnings and use only formal and legal channels when sending money home. This way their participation in the economy will help the Bangladeshi government account for money inflows, contribute to national prosperity, and protect senders and remitters from unreliable middle-men.



Muhammad Imran, Ambassador of Bangladesh to the UAE, said: We appreciate the efforts of UAE Exchange for taking various initiatives to motivate Bangladeshi expatriates in the UAE to send their hard-earned money to home through official channels. Foreign currencies received through legal channels are used by the government for various programmes in the fields of health and education to benefit the poor people and also to develop physical infrastructure of the country. At present, Bangladesh is implementing a number of mega-projects from its own resources. If we want to see our economy to grow and become strong, we must opt for legal channels for transferring our hard-earned money.



Overseas blue-collar workers from Southeast Asia have often taken recourse to Hundi or Hawala, an informal channel of sending money home through middlemen or unauthorised agents, resulting in their exploitation, fraudulent activities and risk to the nation.



To motivate legal remitters, UAE Exchange felicitated three of its Bangladeshi customers residing in the UAE - Mohammed Afzal Hossain, Noor Mohammed and Jaidul Islam - at the event with the Remittance Reward (Certificate of Appreciation). The reward was given in recognition for their contribution towards strengthening the Bangladeshi economy and for being an inspiration and a role model to their fellow community members by remitting through legal channels for more than 10 years.



The first phase of the campaign will focus on Bangladeshi expatriates in the Middle East, particularly in the UAE. It will be extensively broadcast on Bangladeshi TV channels and social media. On-ground activations will also be held across the seven emirates of the UAE. Over 500,000 booklets advocating the advantages of transferring money legally will be distributed at various organisations, camps and establishments catering to Bangladeshi population.  TradeArabia News Service


Bahrain ranks first in the Middle East in overall Expat Explorer country league table as the best place to live, work and raise a family abroad.



The kingdom ranks ninth globally in the independent consumer research study into global expat views, commissioned by HSBC Expat.



Singapore ranks first globally in the overall league table. New Zealand and Canada follow close behind, taking second and third places respectively in the overall Expat Explorer country league table.



Over three in five (62 per cent) expats living in Singapore say they are earning more and 66 per cent agree that their quality of life is better, said the study.



The Expat Explorer league table ranks each country or territory using a score that summarises expats overall views of that destination. The Expat Explorer overall score is the average of the Economics, Experience and Family scores, covering 27 key questions from the survey.

Bahrain ranked 17 in Economics, 6th in Experience and 9th in Family categories.



The UAE with a global rank of 12 and Oman with 18 are also among the top 20 countries globally on the list.

In the ninth edition of this annual survey, nearly 27,000 expats from 190 countries and territories shared their thoughts and experiences of expat life, creating the 2016 Expat Explorer report, Achieving ambitions abroad, said Dean Blackburn, head of HSBC Expat.

"This years findings suggest that whatever you are seeking in life, whether it is finding more fulfilment in your career, immersing yourself in a new culture, buying a property or getting access to better education for your children, expat life can help you reach that goal," he said.





Expats in Hong Kong, Dubai, Zurich and Shanghai enjoy some of the best financial rewards. Around two thirds of expats moving to Dubai (65 per cent) or Hong Kong (68 per cent) say their disposable income has risen, compared with 56 per cent globally. More than three quarters (77 per cent) of expats in Dubai and 70 per cent in Hong Kong receive health benefits, compared with 51 per cent globally, it said.



The highest earning expats live in Zurich, where 44 per cent earn more than $200,000 per year, compared with a global average of 11 per cent. Expats in Shanghai also enjoy high salaries, with nearly a third (30 per cent) reporting a personal income of over $200,000. Expats in these cities also benefit from a good quality of life, it said.



More than three quarters (77 per cent) of expats in Zurich say they feel safer there, and 61 per cent in Dubai say their quality of life is better than it was at home, said the report.



Living and working abroad can help employees progress faster towards achieving their longer-term financial goals. Two in five (40 per cent) expats say life abroad has helped them speed up their saving for retirement, and almost a third (29 per cent) say they have been able to save towards their childrens education more quickly.



There are cities around the world to suit every expat ambition, from improved quality because it was an opportunity for a new life and career. Nearly three quarters (71 per cent) of expats in London and New York say working there will improve their job prospects when they move home or to another country. Meanwhile, 63 per cent of expats say they feel safer in Toronto.



Younger expats stand out as the most likely of all age groups to move abroad in search of greater fulfilment at work, with nearly a quarter (22 per cent) of expat millennials (aged 18-34) saying they moved abroad to find purpose in their career, it said.



Emerging economies offer more opportunities to start or grow a business, according to 44 per cent of expat entrepreneurs, compared with 35 per cent of expats living in developed economies. Wherever they live, expat entrepreneurs are also likely to move abroad to improve their quality of life, with more than two in five (44 per cent) saying they have chosen to set up or grow their business in their adopted country because it was an opportunity for a new life and career.



Sweden ranks as the best country in the world for expat families. The majority (69 per cent) of expat parents living in Sweden say their childrens health and wellbeing is better since moving and 75 per cent rate the quality of childcare in Sweden as better than at home, the study said. - TradeArabia News Service


Dubai-based global marine terminal operator DP World Group is considering setting up a dry port near Cairo, Egypt, that includes a logistic area, said a report.



DP World is also considering the establishment of other ports around Egypt to benefit from its geographic location, added the Daily News Egypt report.



Egypts Minister of Industry and Trade Tarek Kabil said in the statement that a delegation of the group will visit Egypt soon to hold talks about possible investments.



The group wants to invest in developing the infrastructure of Egyptian ports and establishing free zones around the country, it said.



Kabil added that during his meeting with Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, chairperson and CEO of DP World Group, that the relation between Egypt and the UAE has been highly developed during 2016.



He further stated that Egypts exports to the UAE increased by 224 per cent, adding that the value of trade between both countries exceeded $3 billion.



The value of Egyptian exports to the UAE reached $2.2 billion in 2016, which included different products such as televisions, gold, food, furniture, and products used in construction. Egypts imports from the UAE recorded $834 million.



Bin Sulayem said that a dry port on Cairos borders should reduce traffic jams in Egypts most crowded city. It would include a logistics area to unload containers, which will prevent huge trucks from driving in the city, added the report.
A Bahraini policeman was killed on Sunday when armed men launched a terrorist attack on a prison in Bahrain that resulted in the escape of 10 convicted inmates, the interior ministry said.



A terrorist cell of four to six members, armed with automatic rifles and pistols, was involved in an attack on the Reformation and Rehabilitation Centre (Jau) at approximately 5:30 am on Sunday January 1, a ministry statement said.



The attack led to the death of a policeman, Abdulsalam Saif Ahmed. A second policeman sustained moderate injuries while confronting the terrorists. Ten inmates, all convicted in previous terrorist cases, escaped, the statement said.



Authorities are searching for the attackers and those who had escaped, the statement added.  TradeArabia News Service
Oryx Rotana, the five-star luxury business hotel in Doha, Qatar, has announced the launch of Club Rotana.



This launch is aimed at providing maximum comfort, personalised hospitality services and superior facilities for travellers as well as local visitors.



Club Rotana provides special services, which will raise the services to a whole new level with exclusive benefits such as special breakfast menus and evening snacks with the availability of high-speed wireless Internet.



Lana Jwainat, director of marketing and communications at Oryx Rotana, said: "We are honoured to announce the official opening of Club Rotana at Oryx Rotana, which will add an additional outstanding experience to businessmen, guests and travellers.



Since its inception, Oryx Rotana has strived to be the destination of choice for travellers, businessmen and the guests of Qatar. And during the past years, we have become the preferred destination for the local community seeking excellence and outstanding 5-star hospitality services.



We are confident that today with the opening of Club Rotana we will have the satisfaction of all our local and external guests who will enjoy a distinctive upscale experience," she added.



Club Rotana guests will be entitled to a private and personalised check-in and check-out at Club Rotana lounge.They will be offered welcome drinks upon check in as well as welcome amenities in the room in addition to assistance with any requests and bookings they are looking for.



Club Rotana members can enjoy complimentary breakfast served in the comforts of the lounge or at Choices - the all day dining restaurant. On weekdays (from Sundays to Thursdays), breakfast will be served between 6:00 am until 10:30 am and from 6:00 am until 11:00 am during the weekends. They will also be served complimentary afternoon tea from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm while complimentary tea, coffee, juices and soft drinks will be served throughout the day. Moreover, evening canapes including beverages will be offered from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Club Rotana Lounge, where they can avail meeting room facilities for an hour on a complimentary basis.



Club Rotana will also offer complimentary wireless internet access in the lounge, English & Arabic newspapers and magazines, besides basic secretarial assistance for guests.



The spacious 35-sq-m rooms in Club Rotana are characterised by simple design coupled with an elegant touch of modernism and provide either king bed or twin bed. The rooms on the seventh floor offer memorable views of the city as well as the glass atrium of Oryx Rotana lobby. This floor also features amenities including state-of-the-art 42" LCD televisions, mini bar, daily fresh fruit of the day, tea and coffee making facilities, besides wireless Internet connection, iron and iron board. - TradeArabia News Service
From India after stopping for some days, Pakistan has commenced buying cotton. For Pakistan, India is the top cotton supplier. By this process, Pakistan in getting economically priced cotton and will help India in selling the surplus cotton stock.

In a year, to Pakistan, India sells about $822 million worth of cotton. As Pakistan had stopped giving import permits in November and for this Indian cotton about 300000 bales were stuck. As also the phytosanitary certification was failing, Pakistan had stopped the imports.

On the Phytosanitary certification issue, Pakistan and Indian officials are still working. From year beginning in October, the Indian traders have contracts of selling 350000 bales of cotton to Pakistan.

Exports of 300000 bales for the month of December and January were stuck as Pakistan cutting off the imports. in 2015-16, the biggest buyer of Indian cotton with 40% share of exports was Pakistan. Earlier for Indian cotton, Bangladesh was the biggest market.

It is producing only 10.5 million, but it will consume 15 million bales of cotton by Pakistan and it is expected. From Indian previous year, Pakistan had purchased 2.7 million bales of cotton. As China had reduced the cotton imports, the falling cotton prices in India are stabilising by this.
Traveling is a nice way to see the world, but it's much better if an extra cash is on the way. So, here is the "Top 5 Money Making Travel Apps" that can help any vacationer earn while on a trip. The applications will surely bring fun while adding more funds for a lot more sites to see, attractions to visit, and experiences to make.

To begin with here are the first of the "Top 5 Money Making Travel Apps," notably Foap, Roadie, and Field Agent. If a traveler is looking for a chance to pocket cash along with a hobby, definitely it's Foap. It's all about taking photos and selling it for giant digital marketing. At most, it can get minimally $5 but better pictures can serve hundreds more of dollars.

Next, Roadie can get anyone from $8 to $650. Simply, bring an extra bag or two while going to a vacationer's destination and get the extra wad. The farther the city or country, the higher price will be made.

Moreover, Field Agent makes a tourist a real word "traveler." How does it work? It's one of the "Top 5 Money Making Travel Apps" where travelers do a market search around the place, it mainly uses geo-location tagging to find what the companies need. It's a job that pays $2 to $12 for an easy task, just wander around looking for services and prices.

On the other hand, Receipt Hog and i-Say Mobile. These two other killers of the "Top 5 Money Making Travel Apps" will also bring funds for travels. Practically, Receipt Hog makes money by making the pig eat snaps of receipts used for market research. The payments are reward points redeemable on Amazon and Paypal.

Lastly, i-Say Mobile is an easier money making an app where answering surveys is the only thing to do. It can rack up Paypal cash after sharing thoughts in polls.

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Today's airports are all about waiting and not moving and all travelers aim at moving through airports as fast as possible. While people are hoping for fast movement in airports, technology shows hopeful signs of future airports being of low stress.

According to Eyefortravel, the future expectations of airports of 2030 up to 2050's will be a smooth and great experience. A self-luggage check in, meaning luggage will automatically move from the local agents such as Starbucks and check, tag and board in the plane and can be monitored by means of app tracking. They will also be a link with other smart travel apps for re -union arrangement.

The smart airport technology will totally have no need for security or check in. A new invention by Genia Photonics comprises of a laser scanner which can pass through clothes and organic materials for detection of drugs and explosives. Moreover, passengers will be cleared off the reference of their biological and biometrical data.

According to Skift, the basic challenge through this is that most passengers do not regard airports as shopping opportunity which results in losses in airports for instance by 2015 about 69% of airports had made losses. It is also predicted in the next 15 years there will be a lack of airport infrastructure due to low revenues of about 38% received from airline companies.

The president of the international Trade Association TJ added that the smart airports should make the airport as a destination. In this context, he meant that airports should provide shopping services for passengers as the terminal 3 in Dubai and have a link to smartphones Bluetooth for an alert of special deals and offers in the shops. Moreover, an airport app that will guide the passengers of the ins and outs of the airports for better management of their time.

The expansion of airports require billions of money which will not miraculously pay itself, someone has to eventually pay the cost. This cost will not come from the passenger shopper only, airports have to do tradeoffs so as to lower air prices and increase the influx of airlines that will increase the revenue.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
It's a new year and it means new travel destinations for travelers and people who just want to have a vacation. If you haven't planned for you next stops this year, then here are the top 5 most amazing destinations of 2017 that travelers should put on their bucket list

Madagascar

If you're planning a trip to Africa, visiting Madagascar might be a good idea. There are a few tourist destinations that are going to be open for visitors in 2017 according to Vogue. One notable name is the Miavana where adventure seekers can have an amazing safari trek and an unforgettable wildlife experience.

Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago are going to be one of the top 5 most amazing destinations of 2017 because of the tropical experience that it can offer to travelers. It's here that people can experience wildlife adventures and beach parties at the same time. It's the best getaway for travelers who want to escape the hustle and bustle of city life.

Colombia

With the recent peace treaty signing, Medellin and Cali are Colombia's best tourist attractions that you should go to. Also, if you're a coffee lover, plan a trip within the months of November to March so you can enjoy harvesting coffee beans with the locals.

Sri Lanka

Wildlife, amazing sceneries, and culture are the things that Sri Lanka can offer for travelers who want to have the best vacation of their lives. These are the reasons why this country is included in the top 5 most amazing destinations of 2017. The island is also full of surfing spots for those people who want to catch some waves during their stay.

Myanmar

According to Mirror, Myanmar is the best place if you want to have some peace and experience a sight of temples and monasteries. The place is just rich with culture and history.

Now, that you know the top 5 most amazing destinations in 2017, then all that's left to do is to plan your next trip. This year is going to be a year full of adventures and travels.

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Despite Britain's struggle for both sides to come to terms with Brexit, the weaker pound sterling and quickly recovering economy has helped improve tourism in many states across the country. Reports indicate about 38.1 million tourists to enter the United Kingdom believed to boost the country's revenue. Tourists may stretch their budgets further due to the weak sterling.

According to The Guardian -- citing analyses -- the UK is likely to see the "biggest rise in tourist spending" in its four-year stability. According to VisitBritain Chief Executive Sally Balcombe, the figures indicate inbound tourism is likely to stay so long as the pound sterling remains weak. Balcombe said the UK's hotels, shops and attractions are "offering excellent value" for international tourists.

The news website cites "luxury bargains" as being on top of travelers' lists. The 4% tourism increase may also be due to the tourism stimulus introduced by the 20th Anniversary of "Harry Potter's" first book "The Sorcerer's Stone" and the 200th year since the death of renowned author of "Pride and Prejudice," Jane Austen.

According to RTE, the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation said their local tourism has improved due to "increased air access" from international markets and in general, the weakening euro of Europe. the ITIC said 2016 was a "record year" for tourism having improved to a total of 8.8 million just for 2016.

The ITIC believes that the tourism industry could even improve 5% more from international travelers because of a good foundation in its key source market economies and improving air access. However, it warned that Irish tourism still needs more accommodations for the increasing number of tourists -- it highlighted the lack of hotel accommodation in Dublin.

UK exports have fallen in price globally making them the foremost industry to benefit from the Brexit's temporary weakening of confidence in the United Kingdom. Tax free spending from visitors outside the European Union had in October improved by 41%.

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Israel's counter-terrorism department issues a travel warning for India following possible "imminent terrorist attacks" against Western tourists in the southwest area of the country. The warning highlighted that "beach and club parties" celebrating the New Year are likely targets due to high numbers of people.

According to Al Jazeera, the Israeli Counterterrorism Bureau said on Friday that the Israeli Prime Minister's office alert level is equivalent to a "concrete basic threat." The Bureau warned Israelis in India to avoid participation in huge crowd gatherings and avoiding festivals and crowded shopping areas in India. However, it did not mention about the actual terrorist network or the reason behind the terrorism warning.

Another report, this time by the BBC, said that Israel's warning came after Australia had arrested a man who threatened Sydney's New Year festivities. The man was immediately arrested upon arrival in the country. Meanwhile, Australian news also mentioned of having foiled a terror attack against Melbourne on Christmas Day.

Young Israelis journey to India on a regular basis after their retirement in compulsory military service in Israel. Reports added that families in Israel are called to contact their relatives staying in India and warn them of the possible terrorist threat. The Counterterrorism Bureau has especially mentioned great vigilance for travelers residing in the southwest region of India.

India is no stranger to terrorism. In 2008, Pakistani terrorists staged attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai with hotels, a central train station, a popular tourist cafe and a Chabad house in India. Indian security's failed response to the attacks was internationally criticized. In 2012, the Israeli Defense Ministry Representative was almost killed by a bomb that exploded near her car in the New Delhi Israeli Embassy.

Both India and Pakistan have been at odds for the longest time -- with both sides having splinter terrorist factions. According to Pakistan, India has its own "government-sponsored" terrorism network after the latter submitted a UN Sanction request against Pakistani. The UNSC rejected the request, mentioning the accusations against Pakistan as "baseless."

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The most beautiful woman with a heart, Miss Universe 2016 Pia Wurtzbach is definitely enjoying the new year's welcome with a blast together with the famous hunk racer Marlon Stockinger in their getaway trip in Hawaii.

According to recent news, the outgoing Miss Universe welcomed the year 2017 at the beach of Hawaii with her hunk beau, who is a Filipino-Swiss car racing champion, Stockinger. Wurtzbach is apparently having a great time in Hawaii as she shared a snap on her Instagram account showing their photos together while having a vacation at the beach in Wiamanalo, Hawaii.

On the other hand, Instagram followers were stunned as Stockinger also posted a snap in his account with Wurtzbach. Said image was captioned saying, "Beachbumin on the last day of the year." It can be remembered that last October, the hunk admitted dating the Miss Universe icon during the ABS-CBN 10th Star Magic Ball but he also emphasized that he wanted to keep their relationship low profile, Lifestyle Inquirer added.

According to the recent news of Phil Star, the two separately shared their photos on their Instagram accounts and Wurtzbach was even playing paparazzi on her video where Stockinger was being captured candidly. It was also in November last year when the two was also seen together in Singapore based on their social media post.

However, the two have not yet confirmed the real score on their relationship even though both admitted that they are seeing and dating each other. On her latest Instagram post, the Miss Universe also greeted all her fans through a video message.

Meanwhile, Wurtzbach is scheduled to return to Manila, Philippines early this January as she is about to pass her crown to the next Miss Universe. The Philippines will be hosting the international beauty pageant this month.

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Different annual festivals are celebrated around the world; a big component of a country's culture and are most always fun and inviting. Some originate from tradition, while others come from a religion. However, there are some festivals around the world that are so unusual, seeing them in person makes you want to double take.

The Baby Jumping Festival - Castrillo de Murcia, Spain. This festival literally is about jumping over babies. Celebrated annually 60 days after Easter in Spain, locals call it "El Colacho". During this holiday men dress up as the Devil and run through the streets of Spain while jumping over babies laid on pillows on the streets. Babies who participate in this tradition must be born 12 months prior to the year so that they will be absolved of sin. This practice originated from the 1600s, to mark the feast of Corpus Christi.

Boryeong Mud Festival - Boryeong, South Korea. First practiced in 1998, locals and tourists who join the festivities endure mud splashed and thrown in their faces. Since the mud from Boryeong mud flats is said to be good for the skin and full of vitamins and minerals, locals made it an annual event where truckloads of Boryeong mud are delivered in Daechon Beach where people can enjoy activities such as mud pool, mud slides, mud body painting and mud "flat training."

Cheung Chau Bun Festival - Cheung Chau, Hong Kong. This is a traditional Chinese festival also celebrated in Taiwan, Sichuan, Fujian, and Guangdong. 60-ft high towers of buns are made in this event, and participants must race to get the highest bun so that they will be rewarded with good fortune. For 40 years, Kwok Kam Kee has been the supplier of buns for this event, and every year they make about 60,000 buns for this festival.

La Tomatina - Bunol, Valencia, Spain. The Spanish are not only famous for their food and being the world's oldest world navigators, they are also famous for their weird festivals. Aside from the El Colacho, another unusual tradition they have is the La Tomatina, where over 20,000 locals and tourists alike throw tomatoes at each other for hours in the streets. This is celebrated annually in Bunol on the last Wednesday of every August.

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With 2016 having gone with the Olympics done in Cuba, 100th birthday for nature wonders in 2017 approaches with new wonders yet to unfold. The walking trail in Jordan, a safari adventure in Madagascar Africa, and the amazing Malaysia beaches are among the great travel destinations that await your visit in 2017.

According to Gulfnews, having a treasure of great wine scenery, Georgia country has obtained its popularity for being a hot travel destination. The design hotels rooms, great taste of the Georgian food, art, music and the great Caucasus mountains that can be explored by helicopters, makes Georgia be a hot destination as it is currently.

Oman for long has been taken by Britain as an escape point to relax from all the working stress. As it's fame spread, Americans have also loved Oman. Being naturally beautiful and endowed with sandstones and empty beaches, the Luxe hotels have aided the exploration in Oman. Archaeological sites in south Oman can also be explored thanks to the recent opened Al Baleed Resort Salalah.

Made of 99 islands, Langkawi, Malaysia has now been the Centre point in Asia snatching it from Vietnam and Thailand. The first resort opened there had a swimmable lagoon. Planning to totally snatch Thailand spotlight, next summer a 90 room-30 villa property will be opened. There is more to see than the big five known in the African parks. Madagascar gives a chance to explore animals that cannot be found elsewhere on the planet. The opening of Miavana will make the exploration more epic.

Reported by Mirror, Sri Lanka has been known for its beach retreats since 2012. In 2017, Sri Lanka comes in a new way with the new retreats Santana and Tri and the opening of Ceylon's Wild Coast Tented Lodge for wildlife exploration. Trinidad and Tobago in Cuba will stand out in 2017 for the cultural beauty and the wild nature that stand as an alternative to the beach vacation.

The building of Jordan trail being completed after five years, trekking lovers can have the chance to walk the 370-mile trail worth 33 days estimated by Jordan women who trekked. Section trekking can be done and accommodation in the trail is available. Aarhus, Denmark is being crowned next year for cultural capital and a region of gastronomy. The city will display its riches in museums, gallery, and its four Denmark national parks.

After a resolution and peace arrangement in Colombia that marked the end to the 52 old guerilla wars, Medellin and Cali's cities pose as tourists' attraction for guerilla army and above all, visiting in November through March gives you a chance to witness and even participate in the coffee harvest.

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China unveiled its most ambitious project ever yet as the country plans to land on the moon by 2018 and orbit Mars by 2020. This is not the first time the country has explored space given that China's first mission was back in 2003.

China is the third country to successfully land on the Moon and being the fifth in the world to circuit Mars, just lagging behind the US, Russia, Europe, and India. They also built the world's largest telescope and launched an environmentally friendly, new generation Long March-7 carrier rocket into space in June.

In August 2016, it also beefed up its space exploration programs with launching Micius, the world's first quantum-enabled satellite, named after the famous Chinese scientist and philosopher himself. On the same month, China's rover Jade Rabbit shuts down after being on the moon for almost three years.

According to BBC News, the rover has its blog and social media accounts detailing its journey to the moon. The Jade Rabbit sent its last message saying, "The Moon has prepared a long dream for me."

Following their expedition, the Tiangong 2 Space Laboratory was launched in September with Shenzhou 11 propelling to land on its docks. Two astronauts stayed at the station for 30 days, denoting the country's longest stay in space.

Two years after the country's exploration of Mars, China plans to build a permanent space station in 2022. And three years afterward, there will be more manned explorations by the country.

Will there be more plans? China would like to position itself as a competing country, taking against US and Russia to explore the galaxy. It is stated in news report by Express UK that they also wanted to explore Jupiter to research on the evolution of outer space and if there is the possibility of extraterrestrial life.

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With America's bountiful mountain hikes and stunning trails, it's not surprising why hiking enthusiasts consider the country as one of the best countries for hiking. Although it's not until the 20th century when this excursion became popular, nowadays novices and experts alike can choose from hundreds of beautiful mountain trails to trek and discover.

For hiking beginners, however, it's difficult to choose where they should go for their first hiking trip. Here are some places in the US you can check out if you want to try the amazing experience of hiking:

Long Trail, Jay Peak Long Trail North. One of the oldest long-distance trails in the United States, this beginner-friendly hiking trail is a must-try for beginners. The heights are daunting enough for an exhilarating experience, and although the path is not straight-up, colored markers are available so you wouldn't get lost. The green markers are the easy path, blue for moderate, and the black markers represent the most difficult path only suggested to expert hikers.

Kalalau Trail, Hawaii. Beginner hikers who want to enjoy their first time hiking tropical-style must then check out Kalalau Trail. The trail is divided into 3 sections, but only section 1 is accessible to beginners. In here, hiking enthusiasts will get a magnificent view of the Na Pali coast. Secluded beaches also await in this 11-mile hiking trail, so every step of this long walk is definitely worth it.

Cascade Mountain. One of the most famous beginner hiking trails, Cascade Mountain offers delivers every beginner hiker wants in a hiking trail. Stunning views over 4,000 ft high, you only have to scale 4.3 miles to complete this trail. One of the members of the Adirondack High Peaks, its bald cap offers a fantastic view of New York's Green mountains and Lake Champlain.

Greenstone Ridge Trail, Isle Royale National Park. If you're a beginner hiker who wants to step up your hiking game, well then Greenstone Ridge is designed to fulfill your needs. Isle Royal National park is not commonly frequented; therefore hiking the Greenstone Ridge Trail will give you an exceptional personal bond with nature. Located in Michigan, this trail is moderate and easy to follow, although you might want to pack all the essential hiking gear for this one, because to complete the trail you need to spend about 3-5 days.

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Finland will be celebrating its 100th Independence Day by kicking off a whole year's worth of celebration that will culminate on December 6, where the parliament declared its freedom from Russia in 1917. With an anniversary theme of "Together," the program will emphasize on equality and democracy by "offering Finns and friends of Finland diverse and international centenary program in Finland and abroad."

In a press release, Ossi Luoto, the chief producer of the Finland 100 Grand Opening said: "Staging the event called for major efforts involving over one thousand people and over 300 performers - my heartfelt thanks to all of them!" He continued to say, "The general mood in the grand opening reflected the profound enthusiasm with which us Finns have embraced our centennial year. We've now launched this fabulous year on the chosen theme of 'Together,' and I'm convinced that a lot of other memorable events lie ahead."

Activities that will occur include the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation in launching a project to identify one hundred nationally nature areas to preserve for the next generation to see and experience. Moreover, for artists, Finland will have exhibitions on the different mediums of art throughout the year.

The South Karelia Museum exhibition will showcase colored-photographs taken during the Second World War. A picture book will be published to depict life in Teuva for 100 years in Finland, South Ostrobothnia, showing how people in the countryside have lived, worked and made business.

Non-government organizations will join hands in the 100th celebration by taking 100 steps in ensuring gender equality. Moreover, as a naturally cold climate, Finland has also created a knitting fever among locals and knitting businesses.

Meanwhile, two top musical schools in the world, The Sibelius Academy, and The Juilliard will join in the revelry to have a joint symphony orchestra in celebration of Finland's centenary. For more details, see their website here.

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Over 2,000 kilometers along the coast of Australia, a wonder of nature can be seen in the ocean.On the other hand, Australia is very famous for its wildlife and it is the only place on Earth where you can find a Kangaroo or a koala in the wild if you are really lucky.

In the Great Barrier Reef, there are many different locations wherein you want to start your reef adventure. According to Lonely Planet, there are different ways on how to start your adventure, one would be through diving and the other one is by exploring locations through a sail boat.

The reef consists of 1,500 different fish species, 400 types of corals and 200 species of bird surrounding the area. While for the big ones like whales and dophines, around 30 species of the both can be found in the Great Barrier Reef.

According to Travel and Leisure, the reef has been growing rapidly on the continental shelf in Australia's Coral Seas for almost 15,000 years already. In fact, the reef is actually not just one reef, it comprises more than 2,500 reefs makig it the world's largest coral reef and world's largest living structure to date.

How big is the reef? It stretches up to over 1,400 miles, that is just about the same size and travel distance from San Diego To California and covers the area as around the same size as two Philippine Countries.

In the Great Barrier reef there are different choices on how you want to see the nature of the ocean. There are glass bottomed boats if you are not into swimming or snorkling, with this you can still appreciate the fascinating marine life under the ocean. If you want to spend time with the fishes, getting wet and snorkling or scuba diving is the best way to do it to experience the marine life. For more of the latest news and current event around the world stay tuned to Travelers Today.

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'O Cristo Redentor' or popularly known as Christ The Redeemer located in Rio De Janiero, Brazil made its way firmly standing in this world's current century despite hardships and political controversies regarding its construction back in the 1850s. The history of Christ The Redeemer is for every Christian to know especially for people who wanted to visit the place.

According to Sacred Destinations, tracing back in the 1850s, a local catholic priest had dreamt of a Christian monument to be placed on Corcovado peak in Rio. The Catholic priest then requested a solicitation fund from Princess Isabel in order to build the statue.

However, Princess Isabel did not grant the priest's request right after the separation of state and church during the development of Republic of Brazil in1889. Because of this, the Catholic Circle of Rio started a brigade collecting signatures and donations in order to construct the statue. The construction began in 1922 and was opened to the public on October 12, 1931.

Christ The Redeemer statue is made of concrete and soapstone and depicts Christ with his arms raised and spread just like showing a welcoming and heartwarming gesture. A small chapel is situated at the base of the statue (Chapel of Nossa Senhora Aparecida ) wherein family occasions are held.

The structure of the statue stands on a peak over 2,000 feet high with an authentic and magnificent view. It weighs over a total of 635 tons. Actually in the February 2008, the statue was attacked by lightning, however, it is still standing firm given by the strong properties of the materials used.

According to My Rio Travel Guide, there is no specific month when to visit Rio De Janiero and also Christ The Redeemer statue because all months are good. Anyone can visit the place all year round however with some considerations; holidays packed up cruise ships, and even long weekends. Meanwhile, take the time to visit the endangered Rain Forrest across the world before they are all gone, click here for full details.

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The High court in Kampala has ordered Lubaga South MP Paul Kato Lubwama to file his defence in not less than 15 days responding to claims by over 500 voters from his constituency that he lacks the minimum qualifications of an MP.

The voters led by Habib Buwembo were on the 19th/December 2016 granted permission by High court Judge Margret Oguli-Oumo to file an election petition against Kato Lubwama out of the mandatory 30 days.

In the petition, the voters accuse Kato Lubwama of fraudulently securing nomination and election as Lubaga South MP well knowing that he never sat for PLE and failed UCE exams which would have been a basis for him to attain a Diploma in Music Dance and Drama from Makerere University.

They now want the High court to nullify his election and order the Electoral Commission to conduct a by-election.

The courts deputy registrar Alex Ajiji has signed summons ordering Kato Lubwama,Makerere University and the Electoral Commission to file their defences in court within 15 days.

The petition is not yet allocated to a judge for hearing.
Punta Cana visitors will now have a chance to participate in some the Worlds best Whale Watching excursions.



(TRAVPR.COM) DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - January 2nd, 2016

The upcoming months of January through March, thousands of Humpback Whales are predicted to migrate from the polar North Atlantic to the northeastern peninsula of the Dominican Republic. Punta Cana visitors can now check out this amazing natural phenomenon with two different Whale watching excursion options to choose from.

The Samana Bay has long been the home of one of the largest and most important Humpback breeding conventions in the world. Large pods of whales make their way to the warm waters of the Caribbean to compete for mates and birth their calves. With around 300 whales are present in the Bay at anytime, its not unusual for whale watchers to catch a glimpse of a large adult whale swimming alongside a newborn calf. The high concentration of whales during these winter months is what has earned the Samana Bay the classification as one of the top Whale watching destinations in the world.

Due to strict regulations protecting the whales, the only way to get a glimpse of these magnificent creatures is through an authorized whale watching tour. Tourist visiting Punta Cana now have two great Whale Watching tour options to choose from.

Punta Cana guests looking to explore the Samana Peninsula can take the private plane excursion, which in addition to whale watching, includes a bonus visit to the renowned Limon Waterfall. Guests can also choose to participate in the whale watching tours by bus, which travels along the recently constructed Uvero Alto - Miches Highway. Both excursions are great choices and include a visit to the beautiful island of Cayo Levantado, where they will enjoy a traditional Dominican style lunch.

About Caribbean Dream

Caribbean Dream is a tour operator based in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, providing individuals and groups with a wide range of options for excursions and transportation. For more information visit the Caribbean Dream website.

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St. Lucia National Car Rental guarantees cheap car hire in St Lucia matching the needs of customers with a wide variety of options in vehicles such as Nissan Almera, Chevolet Spark, Suzuki Jimny etc.



(TRAVPR.COM) SAINT LUCIA - January 2nd, 2017

St. Lucia National Car Rental, a long established car rental company serving continuously St. Lucia customers with pure, simple and quality transportation service, offers cheap car hire in St Lucia with online booking and cancellation facility. It has a great fleet consisting of vehicles like Daihatsu Terios, Nissan Xtrail, Suzuki Jimny and many more models that change year after year to bring excellent satisfaction to customers within their budget and according to their desire and needs. St. Lucia National Car Rental allows booking, amendment or cancellation of its cheap car hire in St Lucia online so that customers can save their time and avoid hassle. 10% discounts will be available to customers who book its St Lucia car hire service directly through the website. Moreover, repeat customers will have the chance for special discounts as well as long term discounts on cheap car hire in St Lucia of St. Lucia National Car Rental all the time.

With warmth and sunshine available throughout the year, St Lucia is considered one of the most popular vacation spots in Caribbean. Its situated in the eastern side of the Caribbean Sea and features among Caribbeans Windward Islands, a cluster that consists of neighbouring islands like the Grenadines, St Vincent and Martinique. St Lucia brings into play the wonderful images of snow white sand beach, mountains dressed in emerald-coloured vegetaion, shaded hammocks, rainbow like spark coming from interesting flowers and cocktails sipped at sundown. There is even more to discover in this Caribbean island paradise using private car hire service. When you consider cheap car hire in St Lucia, it is likely to give you access to its treasured box. Read on below to find out what to see and do. St. Lucia National Car Rentalguarantees the best deals on St Lucia car hire required to explore the best attractions in this Caribbean island. It has the great collection of vehicles and the best options for cheap car hire in St Lucia.

We have Daihatsu Terios, Nissan Xtrail, Suzuki Jimny, Suzuki APV and many more vehicles that will suit your holiday transportation needs in St Lucia. Our St Lucia car hire service will be priced the best so as to meet your budget and ensure you the best comfort and relaxation during your ride to any desired location in this island. The online reservation and cancellation facility will add to your experience of cheap car hire in St Lucia service in the chosen vehicle that is late model and will safely move them around the Caribbean island for the desired time, said a spokesperson of St. Lucia National Car Rental.

Cheap car hire in St Lucia from St. Lucia Nation Car Rental is the best option to save money on your travel to this Caribbean Island. It is relaxing, convenient and allows you to enjoy quick pick up at the international airport so you can start with your St Lucia travel adventure almost immediately.

About the company:

St. Lucia National Car Rental is a car rental company operating in St. Lucia since1979, and awarded several times for its simple and pure quality service to customers at affordable rates. It has grown with a modern fleet and great deals on cheap car hire in St Lucia to meet the transportation needs of traveling customers all the time. To save money on a comfortable car ride in St Lucia, you should check out the car rental vehicles and offers at http://stlucia-car-rental.com/.

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This compact recyclable bicycle helmet could offer a low-cost head protection option for bike share users.

Although regular cyclists are likely to have their own favorite helmets right at hand when it's time to go for a ride, occasional riders, including those who use bike share services, may not, and one designer has come up with an affordable (and recyclable) alternative, dubbed the EcoHelmet. The designer, Isis Shiffer, who recently graduated from the Pratt Institute of Design in New York City, saw a need for a better helmet solution for bike share users, of which some 90% may not wear helmets while riding, and her lightweight design is said to offer a durable, safe, and eco-friendly option.

The EcoHelmet is made from recycled paper, and is constructed in a radial honeycomb pattern that is said to distribute blows "from any direction as effectively as traditional polystyrene," while also being able to fold up flat when not in use. The cardboard material is coated with a biodegradable water resistant solution that can stand up to being exposed to rain for up to three hours, and yet can be easily recycled when the user is done with it. For her work, Shiffer was selected as the international winner of the James Dyson Award 2016, and the EcoHelmet could be available through vending machines at bike share stations as early as this year, at an estimated cost of about $5.

Although the EcoHelmet still has to be CPSC certified to be sold on the open market, that could be coming soon, thanks to the $45,000 James Dyson Award, which will be used to further develop her invention. And while at first glance, a cardboard helment doesn't seem to fit the bill as a truly effective headgear option for biking, Shiffer's earlier work showed her the viability of the design.

"I was lucky enough to be studying at Royal College of Art and the Imperial College of London for a semester, and was granted access to Imperials crash lab. They had a European standard helmet crash setup that allowed me to gather enough data on Ecohelmets proprietary honeycomb configuration to know it was viable and worth developing." - Shiffer

Here's a little bit more about the EcoHelmet from the James Dyson Foundation:

No details have been determined as to when and where the EcoHelmet will first debut (rumor has it in NYC), but interested cyclists and bike share proponents can sign up to stay in the loop on this foldable and recyclable bike helmet.

What do you think? Would you trust your noggin to a folding paper helmet, knowing it will have passed safety tests when it debuts?
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By Damali Mukhaye.

Makerere university students are expected to report for studies today with normal lectures set to resume immediately.

The university was closed for two months after President Yoweri Museveni issued a directive on 1st November, 2016 to have the institution closed to guarantee the safety of persons and property.

The presidents directive followed a sit down strike by lecturers over failure by the university to clear their incentives that had accumulated for eight months to a tune of 28 billion shillings. This in turn ignited a strike by students.

However, on the 19th of December lecturers resolved to suspend their strike, with management setting the 2nd of January as the reporting date for students.

Speaking to KFM, the vice chancellor Prof. John Dumba Ssentamu said the university is functioning and lecturers are ready to commence teaching.

He has urged students to clear their tuition as soon as possible to avoid missing exams.

However, the university guild president Roy Semboga says management should play its role to ensure that the list for students graduating in February is released early enough to help students prepare.

The head of journalism and communication department, faculty of arts Tayeebwa William said that as lecturers, they are also set and they will ensure that exams are ready by 30th of January.

According to the program issued by the university management, classes resume today the 2nd of January 2016, and by the 16 of this month students are expected to clear tuition.

Exams will start on on the 30th of January, while the graduation is slated to run from the 21st to 24th of February.
Nitin Jain

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 31

Come 2017, the Chandigarh international airport in Mohali will be spreading its wings by connecting two new international destinations and four new domestic stations with direct flights from here.

While two more international direct flights to two most sought-after global tourist destinations  Singapore and Bangkok will start taking off from Chandigarh in March, the direct flights to and fro from Goa, Pune, Chennai and Hyderabad will also start taking off in February and March.

With this, Chandigarh will have four international flights (two international direct flights to Sharjah (thrice a week) and Dubai daily are already flying since September this year), while the number of domestic flights daily will go up to 25.

Today, Chandigarh was connected directly to Leh with Air India (AI), launching a flight between Leh and Chandigarh. The first flight (AI-457) departed from Leh at 08:05 hours and arrived here at 09:00 hours. In the return journey, the flight (AI-458) took off from Chandigarh at 09:40 hours and landed in Leh at 10:20 hours. The flight, operated by an A-319 Airbus, will fly on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday every week.

Sharing the airport expansion plans for 2017 with The Tribune here today, the airport CEO, Suneel Dutt said besides adding more international and domestic flights, as per the demand and viability, a duty-free shop and more retail shops would also open at the international terminal in the coming days. Also, the international cargo and another aerobridge, which will be the third here, would begin operations in 2017. The domestic cargo and two aerobridges are already functioning here.

The airport CEO said there are also plans to beautify the international airport terminal further with the expansion of its green belt in the New Year.

The newly-constructed integrated terminal building of Chandigarh international airport had already bagged the prestigious Vishwakarma Award for best construction project.

The new terminal had been awarded for being the best project for well-developed landscapes and interior with art, paintings and mural works. Inaugurated on September 11, 2015, the new international airport had taken off in September, 2016, with the operation of two international flights to Sharjah and Dubai.

The terminal building can handle 1,600 passengers during peak hours, with an annual capacity of 4.5 million. Fully air-conditioned and equipped with modern facilities, the new building has the facility of three aerobridges, four baggage carousels, 14 elevators, six escalators and 48 check-in counters. The parking area has the capacity for 500 cars and a separate provision for VIP car park and bus parking. Aircraft parking main apron and the cargo apron has a capacity of 10 C-type aircraft and one E-type aircraft at a time. The interior of the airport is decorated with art and mural works depicting the heritage and culture of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.

AI to launch intl flights

While two new international flights to Singapore and Bangkok will be operated by Air India, the operators for four new domestic flights to Goa, Pune, Hyderabad and Chennai are in the stage of being finalised. We have got the requisite clearances for direct international flights to Singapore and Bangkok from Chandigarh and they have been scheduled to take off before the end of March next, Air India Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD), Ashwani Lohani, said.

Keeping in view the potential destinations, Air India will launch direct flights between Chandigarh and Singapore, Bangkok thrice a week.
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 2

The body of Sirsa youth Hardeep Singh Deol, who was stabbed to death in New Zealand on December 25, will arrive in Rania town of Sirsa district on Saturday. The delay has reportedly occurred due to Christmas and New Year vacations in NZ.

Hardeeps uncle Manpreet Singh Deol said, We were informed by the Indian High Commission in New Zealand that Christmas and New Year vacations that began on December 25 will end on January 4. Hence, the High Commission authorities have booked tickets for the box containing the body and an Indian youth, who will accompany it on Friday.

Union Minister Sushma Swaraj as well as the Indian High Commission in New Zealand had assured all help to bring the body back to India.
Samaan Lateef

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, January 1

Successive governments in Jammu and Kashmir have made a mockery of college education by starting educational institutions without infrastructure and handing over the teaching to contractual lecturers in place of permanent faculty members.

The government has established 64 new colleges in the state since 2003, taking the total number of science and arts degree colleges to 95. While the previous governments started colleges in their political bastions, the staff is dominated by the inexperienced teachers appointed on contract. Over 27 of these colleges are working in borrowed accommodation, officials said.

Established in 2005, Pattan Degree College in north Kashmir has 250 students enrolled in different faculties. However, the college has a teaching staff of 35, including 25 contractual assistant professors.

Students complain that the government has turned a blind eye to raising the teaching standards in the colleges. It is a mockery. We come here with the expectation to learn our subjects but return disappointed after completing our undergraduate degrees, said a student of Pattan college.

A majority of the departments in the Pattan college, including chemistry, botany, Urdu, political science, sociology and environment science departments, are run by contractual assistant professors.

The trend of appointing contractual assistant professors in colleges is affecting the teaching standards. Unlike permanent faculty members, they (contractual) are answerable to none, Pattan College principal Wali Muhammad Shah told The Tribune.

Similar situation prevails in the government college of border town of Uri which was also established in 2005. It has nearly 600 students enrolled in over 20 courses and only two permanent faculty members. We have 20 contractual lecturers and two permanent faculty members one each in physics and botany departments. Other departments are run by contractual assistant professors, Uri college principal Sheikh Nazir said.

Every year the government engages nearly 1,600 assistant professors on a contractual basis for an academic year in Jammu and Kashmir, which has 95 degree colleges.

Sources said the engagement of the teachers on contract serves both government as well as the permanent faculty members. By the engagement of teachers on contract, the government wants to minimise the unemployment and permanent faculty members share the burden of teaching with them, said a senior college professor of a Jammu college.

He said the five degree colleges in Srinagar had more permanent faculty members than the other 39 colleges in the Valley. There is no equal distribution of the permanent teachers. The influential permanent teachers are unwilling to move out from these five city degree colleges which affects the teaching standards in colleges in rural areas, he said.

The government colleges have around 1,651 vacancies of assistant professors which have been sub judice for nearly six years. We followed up the cases in the courts and cleared the path for the public service commission (PSC) for the selection of assistant professors. In past few months, we have finalised the appointment of 450 assistant professors and sent them to various degree colleges in the J&K, Education Minister Naeem Akhter said.

He said 1,201 posts of assistant professors were pending for selection with the PSC. In the next two months, I hope the PSC will complete the selection process and all vacant posts will be filled, he said.
Manika Ahuja

You dont need a three-hour long runtime to conjure up memorable characters. What you need is a short film with a lasting content. With the popularity of short films steadily on the rise, and the turning of prominent actors such as Gangs of Wasseypur fame Manoj Bajpayee and Taare Zameen Par actress Tisca Chopra towards the genre, not so long ago, it is rather safe to draw the two conclusions.

Short-filmmaker and Chandigarh lad Ojaswee Sharma, who was recently conferred with the Best Short Film Award at the Punjabi Cinema Golden Honours 2016, in appreciation of his short filmBodybuilding the Indian Way; highlights the probable reasons behind the paradigm shift, Tisca Chopras short film Chutney became instantaneously viral. So, did Neeraj Pandeys short film Ouch starring Manoj Bajpayee. The two things go out to show that the power of short films and that of digital platforms in granting them recognition is finally being acknowledged.

More options, less time

Short duration, smaller budgets and great reachthese are some of the things that make the genre of short films appear all the more endearing to Sharma, who has created six short films till date.

Short film is a genre in itself. Since there is a limited time frame at hand, it pushes you to give it your best. Besides, it is perhaps the only medium which affords viewers the luxury of treating themselves to an array of subjects in such less time! shares Sharma. But that is not the only genre he has dabbled in. I released a web series Kanwal Diaries. The recent episode takes a cheesy take on celebratory gun firing, informs the Chitkara University alumnus.

Of content and freedom

Hailing the internet as a boon for a host of independent filmmakers like him, Sharma warns prospective short filmmakers of the probable chances of misusing the freedom of expression that the genre affords. Thanks to the digital platforms, today it is easy to upload some content online. But one should remember that the content is supreme. When it comes to content, one cannot help but touch upon the reigning popularity of biopics in cinema, which translates to content inspired from true incidents in short films. Yes, biopics are a raging hit these days.  So, does he plan to make a short film reflecting true incidents? Indeed. Four of my short films will be out in the first quarter of the year. One of them traces the plight of the family of a drug addict. Also, most of them have been culled from the roots of Punjab and are replete with flavours of the North.

Flipside of the coin

The growing recognition of the genre apart, Sharma is not oblivious to the challenges associated with making short films. So, blame it on the springing up of a plethora of pseudo-filmmakers or the free digital access, unfortunately, short films as a genre are still not being taken all that seriously, but things are changing! observes Sharma. So, which mini-movie are you watching today?
Hyderabad, January 2

Thirteen-year-old conjoined twins Veena and Vani have been shifted to a state shelter home here from a hospital where they were staying for the last over 10 years, as their family expressed inability to look after them.

The Craniopagus Conjoint twins (born with top of their heads joined together) from Telangana's Warangal district were born on October 15, 2003.

They were initially taken to Guntur General Hospital, from where they were shifted to government-run Niloufer Hospital here where they were confined to a room since April 2006.

In June last year, their parents said they were unable to look after the girls because of financial circumstances, and requested the state government to take care of the twins, after the hospital asked the family to take the girls home or hand them over to a state institution.

Accordingly, the twins were today shifted to the state home Shishu Vihar in Yousufguda.

"The twins will take some time to get adjusted and accustomed to the new environment," said a government official.

Several surgeons were consulted about feasibility of separating them surgically, but all of them said it would be a risky procedure.  PTI
New Delhi, January 2

In a major verdict, the Supreme Court on Monday held that any appeal for votes on the ground of "religion, race, caste, community or language" amounted to "corrupt practice" under the election law provision.

Referring to the term 'his religion' used in section 123(3) of the Representation of The Peoples (RP) Act, which deals with 'corrupt practice', Chief Justice T S Thakur and three others in the 4:3 verdict said it meant the religion and caste of all including voters, candidates and their agents etc.

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However, the minority view of three judges - UU Lalit, A K Goel and D Y Chandrachud - held that the term 'his' religion means religion of candidate only.

The majority view, also shared by Justices M B Lokur, S A Bobde and L N Rao, said 'secularism' has to be considered while dealing with such issues The apex court had on October 27 reserved its verdict on the "width and scope" of an electoral law provision dealing with the issue whether seeking votes or asking electors not to vote on the ground of "religion, race, caste, community or language", amounted to "corrupt practice".

It has been interpreted in an earlier verdict that the term 'his religion', used in section 123(3) of the RP Act which deals with 'corrupt practice', meant the faith of the candidates only.

Section 123(3) of the RP Act, which is being scrutinised, reads: "The appeal by a candidate or his agent or by any other person with the consent of a candidate or his election agent to vote or refrain from voting for any person on the ground of his religion, race, caste, community or language or the use of, or appeal to religious symbols or the use of, or appeal to, national symbols..., for furtherance of the prospects of the election of that candidate or for prejudicially affecting the election of any candidate" would amount to corrupt practices.

The Bench had said there is freedom to "practice and propagate" the religion, but asked "can it (religion) be used for electoral purposes".

The Bench was hearing a batch of petitions including the one filed by Abhiram Singh whose election as an MLA in 1990 on BJP ticket from Santacruz Assembly seat in Mumbai was set aside by the Bombay High Court.

The apex court in February 2014 had tagged Abhiram Singh's petition with others in which the five judge bench had decided in 2002 to re-visit its 20-year old 'Hindutva' judgement for an authoritative pronouncement on electoral laws by a seven-judge bench.

The issue of interpretation of section 123(3) arose on January 30, 2014 before a five-judge, which referred it for examination before a larger bench of seven judges.

A three-judge Bench on April 16, 1992 had referred to a five-judge Constitution bench Singh's appeal in which the same question and interpretation of Section 123(3) was raised.

While the five-judge bench was hearing this matter on January 30, 2014, it was informed that an identical issue was raised in an election petition filed by Narayan Singh against BJP leader Sunderlal Patwa. Another Constitution Bench of five judges of the apex court had referred it to a larger bench of seven judges.

Thereafter, the five-judge Bench had referred Singh's matter also to the Chief Justice for placing it before a seven-judge Bench. PTI
Lucknow, January 2

Urging people of Uttar Pradesh to rise above caste considerations in the upcoming Assembly polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday attacked rival parties, saying those preoccupied with saving black money and their families cannot bring development.

Targeting Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party (SP), Modi said the two had never seen eye-to-eye yet, but were fighting together to have him removed while he worked to root out black money.

"Have you ever seen SP and BSP together? If SP says its sunrise, the BSP will say its sunset. After so many years both have come together on an issue and are saying 'Modi ko badlo' (change Modi), 'Modi ko hatao' (remove Modi) but Modi is saying change your notes, remove blackmoney," he said at party's mahaparivartan rally.

The Prime Minister also took a swipe at Congress.

"There are some parties that are nowhere in picture. There is one party which has been trying in vain for the last 15 years to establish the son."

There is another party whose primary worry is where to keep money. It is looking for banks far and wide," the Prime Minister said in an apparent dig at Mayawati-led BSP, which has come under scanner for alleged huge bank deposits after the central government announced that old high-value banknotes would no longer be valid.

"There is this third party that is using all its strength to focus on the family's fate," he said referring to the feud in Mulayam Singh Yadav's clan.

"People of UP have to decide whether a party whose leaders are busing saving their money, or one that is completely occupied in family (infighting) can save UP, adding that only the BJP thought of the states development.

He accused the Samajwadi Party government in the state of having played politics at the cost of development.

Elated over the turnout at the rally, he claimed that the state's development had been "exiled" for 14 years, that is, since the last BJP government in the state (under now Home Minister Rajnath Singh from October 2000 to March 2002).

"People of the state have already seen politics of caste and family... For once rise above caste and vote only for development in the elections and see whether UP changes or not," Modi said.

Starting his speech by eulogising former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who represented Lucknow in the Lok Sabha, Modi said that the BJP veteran would be very satisfied to see people's response here.

Invoking Bhimrao Ambedkar, the Prime Minister claimed that some people were troubled when his government launched BHIM mobile app named after the dalit icon.

"Will politics stoop so low? We launched BHIM mobile app a couple of days ago and named it after Bhimrao Ambedkar who was an expert in economy...if dealings in the future business is named after Bhim why is it troubling some people?"

"I want that we go to villages to all those carrying mobile phone and ask them to download the app and remember Bhim everywhere...this will be the biggest tribute to Bhimrao Ambedkar," he said.

Referring to his New Year eve address when he launched schemes for the poor, he said some people were troubled by it also.

"They are troubled when Modi takes money and also when gives it (to the poor). Their problem is that their chairs are shaking.

"They have become irrelevant and are looking for lost ground by indulging in politics of opposing," he said, adding that he has taken a resolve to return what has been snatched away from the deprived and middle class.

The fight against corruption will continue till it is fully uprooted and "so we want the blessings of the people of Uttar Pradesh," he said urging the voters to give a majority to BJP in the state polls.

"The central government now takes decisions on its own.

The country has got a prime minister, a government whose high command is only people. It has happened for the first time in 30 years that there is a government whose high command is the 125 crore people of India," Modi said.

The Prime Minister said since he was an MP from the state, he had experienced how government was run there.

Modi said he was appalled to know that in his own constituency, Varanasi, works are decided after seeing who has made the recommendation for construction of roads or pathways.

"My MPs have been complaining day and night that their works were not being done by the UP government," he said. "Ever since our government came to power in Delhi every year Rs 1 lakh crore more had been given to the state through the Finance Commission...had that been used properly a lot of difference would have been made here.... development is not a priority of the state government," he said.

Referring to schemes launched for farmers, he said: "UP government is not ready to take responsibility. They instigate farmers but politics should not be played with the people and it needs to remain confined among political parties".

"There should not be any politics in development. People have to bear its brunt. Farmers work hard but when central government sets MSP, I have to say with pain that despite all help from the Government of India, UP government has no time to purchase paddy from farmers," he said.

He said "the massive turnout" at the sprawling Ramabai Ambedkar rally sthal showed which way the wind is blowing.  PTI
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 2

The upcoming 14th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) will be held in Bengaluru from January 7 to 9 this year. In a briefing held today to talk about the PBD event, the Ministry of External Affairs indicated that if people from the Gilgit-Baltistan region applied to attend the event, India would allow them in.

In the past too, people from this region have attended the PBD events. But Indias nod to them is likely to cause a further strain in the already tense India-Pak relationship.

PBD is an open event and people from Indian territory, including PIOs and NRIs, can seek online registration, said Dnyaneshwar M Mulay, Secretary (Overseas Indian Affairs) at the briefing. When asked whether people from PoK have applied for registration, he said there was no such information.

The idea behind this is to give a push to the governments policy that Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan are part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has himself raised the issue of Gilgit-Baltistan and PoK in his independence speech from the Red Fort and at an all-party meet.

Both Modi and President Pranab Mukherjee will head to Bangalore to attend the PBD. The event will formally be inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi on January 8 and the valedictory session on January 9 will be addressed by President Mukherjee who will also confer Pravasi Bharatiya Samman to eminent overseas Indians.
Lucknow, January 2

A day after he was upstaged as Samajwadi Party president by CM-son Akhilesh Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav on Monday met the Election Commission and staked claim over partys election symbol bicycle.

Mulayam was accompanied by Amar Singh, Shivpal Singh Yadav and Jaya Prada.

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The Akhilesh faction was sending party national general secretary-turned-mentor Ram Gopal Yadav as its emissary to the poll panel.

Having upstaged his father and the party supremo to appoint himself as the Working National President of the party at an "emergency national convention", Akhilesh on Sunday also replaced state unit chief Shivpal Singh with his loyalist and Member of Legislative Council Naresh Uttam.

The convention, declared illegal and unconstitutional by Mulayam Singh, also expelled Amar Singh from the party on Sunday.

Later in the day, after a brief but vocal heated exchange between Mulayam-Shivpal and Akhilesh supporters, dozens of youth leaders and party activists owing allegiance to the 43-year-old Chief Minister stormed the party headquarters at Vikramaditya Marg and took control.

Akhilesh was set to drive to his father's house but was cautioned against it as a furious Mulayam Singh refused to provide him audience.

Mulayam Singh was closeted with Shivpal Singh for hours and was said to have punched a few numbers, seeking support from the old guard and also taking "legal opinion" on the coup against him.

In the night, Mulayam Singh reportedly got high blood pressure and a team of doctors was requisitioned for a medical check-up.

While the Akhilesh camp was likely to show the poll panel video recordings, papers and resolutions signed by at least 40 per cent of party workers -- the number required to call an emergency convention as per its constitution -- it was also relying on Ram Gopal Yadav's skills as a man who was instrumental in drafting the constitution of the party 25 years back.

Mulayam Singh was also depending heavily on the very same constitution and the clauses within it to put forth an argument that the national convention called in haste was in contravention to the laid down rules of the party and hence anything that happened in it was invalid.

Amar Singh was also said to have used his "networking skills" to line up a battery of legal eagles and constitutional experts to pitch in for the Mulayam Singh faction.

All eyes were now on the ECI, which would mull over the episode and make a call.

According to constitutional experts, in all likelihood, the poll panel could freeze the party symbol and allot new symbols to both factions to contest the state assembly polls scheduled to be held this year.

This might come as a blow to both sides as the party symbol of 'cycle' was a well established brand.  IANS
Jammu, January 2

The opposition members on Monday walked out of Jammu and Kashmir legislative council during obituary references after creating ruckus in the house over last summer's unrest in the Kashmir Valley.

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As obituary references were being read out in the Upper House of the bicameral state legislature here, the opposition members from regional National Conference and the Congress jumped into the Well of the House.

Members shouted slogans against civilian killings in the Kashmir Valley during the five-month long unrest following the killing of top militant Burhan Wani in July.

They also shouted slogans against the use of pellets and PAVA shells by the security forces in Kashmir.

Without heeding repeated requests from council chairman Haji Anayat Al to restore order and calm, the opposition members finally walked out of the house.

Earlier on Monday, the opposition interrupted Governor NN Vohra's address to the joint session of the legislature.

As the Governor started his address, members of the opposition parties, including the National Conference, Congress and others, stood up shouting slogans against the PDP-BJP government.

The Governor rushed to the concluding part of his speech amid the din.

IANS
Chandigarh, January 2

If consumers are not satisfied with service at a hotel or a restaurant, they can have the service charge waived, the Central government said on Monday.

As per the Department of Consumer Affairs, a number of complaints from consumers have been received that hotels and restaurants are following the practice of charging service charge in the range of 5-20%, in lieu of tips, which a consumer is forced to pay irrespective of the kind of service provided to him.

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After the government sought a clarification, the Hotel Association of India replied that the service charge is completely discretionary and should a customer be dissatisfied with the dining experience he/she can have it waived off. Therefore, it is deemed to be accepted voluntarily.

The Consumer Protection Act, 1986, provides that a trade practice which, for the purpose of promoting the sale, use or the supply of any goods or for the provision of any service, adopts any unfair method or deceptive practice, is to be treated as an unfair trade practice and that a consumer can make a complaint to the appropriate consumer forum established under the Act against such unfair trade practices, a release issued by the Department of Consumer Affairs said.

The department has also asked the state governments to sensitise the companies, hotels and restaurants in the states regarding aforementioned provisions of the Consumer Protection Act.

The states have also been asked to advise hotels and restaurants to disseminate information through display at the appropriate place that the service charges are voluntary and a consumer dissatisfied with the services can have it waived off.  TNS
Mumbai, January 2

State Bank chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya on Monday hinted that the mega merger of its five associate banks and Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) could be pushed to the next financial year as it is still awaiting the government notification on the move.

"Probably, by a quarter or so (the merger could be delayed). The reason is we still have to get the government approval and even if we get it now, doing things like merger in the last quarter is never a very wise thing because there would be lot of IT system changes," she told reporters when asked whether the merger could be delayed due to the disruptions caused by the demonetisation drive.

The merger would make SBI a global-sized bank and would be amongst the top 50 lenders in the world, with an asset base of Rs 37 trillion or over $555 billion, with 22,500 branches and over 58,000 ATMs and more than 50 crore customers.

Bhattacharya said normally the banks close down all the IT system changes by mid-February. "Sometimes IT system can impact something else quite unknowingly. So we don't want to take any risks at the annual closing time. So we may want to do the annual closing and then look at it," she added.

When asked whether she has a new time in mind for the merger process to be completed, the chairperson said "no yet.

Let me first get the government approval only then we will know."

When specifically asked what sort of government approval is pending, the chairperson said the government has "to notify the merger scheme."

It can be noted that the bank had announced the merger in May and its central board of directors had in August approved the process along with the share swap ratio for three of the listed associate banks and Bharatiya Mahila Bank.

At that time it was announced that the merger would be completed by end March 2017.

"The (merger) process will start by October-end. The grievance committee will come to us hopefully by September end, after that we have to send it to RBI and then to the government, which may probably take a little time of about month; and then it will come to us. After that we will have to make an offer to employees and then give them four weeks time and then the merger can take place," Bhattacharya had told PTI in an interview in September.

SBI has three listed associate banks  State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur (SBBJ), State Bank of Mysore (SBM), State Bank of Travancore (SBT) and two unlisted associate bank  State Bank of Patiala and State Bank of Hyderabad.

As per the swap ratio, SBBJ shareholders would get 28 shares of SBI (Rs 1 each) for every 10 shares (Rs 10 each).

Similarly, SBM and SBT shareholders would get 22 shares of SBI for every 10 shares.

In case of Bharatiya Mahila Bank, 4,42,31,510 shares of SBI would be swapped for every 100 crore of Rs 10 each.

The lender had put in place a grievance redressal mechanism to provide an opportunity to its shareholders to file their objections with regard to the share swap ratios. It had given 21 calendar days of time for shareholders to register their complaints.

The grievance committee was headed by a High Court judge and two chartered accountants.

Bhattacharya said post the merger of five associate banks and Bharatiya Mahila Bank, the government's stake in the bank would stand at around 59 per cent.

The SBI has around 16,500 branches, including 191 foreign offices spread across 36 countries. Globally, SBI will come at the 45th position in terms of asset size after the merger.

SBI first merged State Bank of Saurashtra with itself in 2008. Two years later, State Bank of Indore was merged.  PTI
Mumbai, January 2

Continuing its attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Shiv Sena on Monday termed the sops announced in his New Year's Eve address to the nation as merely "stale pakodas in new packets".

In a strongly-worded edit in the party mouthpieces Saamana and Dopaharka Saamana, the Shiv Sena said there was nothing new in the "hail of announcements" made by Modi.

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In fact, it said many schemes were launched by the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

"For instance, the announcement of Rs 6,000 for pregnant women was launched by the UPA as 'Indira Gandhi Matrutva Sahyog Yojana', so what's new in this?" asked the Sena sarcastically.

It added that "left-over pakodas were warmed up, and dished out again with a dash of fresh chutney", but warned that eating such stale food could create huge health problems or even cause death.

However, basic questions were not addressed by Modi in his address, like when would peoples' suffering end, two months after the demonetisaton of November 8, 2016, when Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes were scrapped.

"He did not say anything -- because he has nothing to say in the matter... he should have explained why the country was pushed into such a major crisis or how many more sacrifices are expected from the masses..." the Sena said.

It also referred to the shocking case of Chhotulal from Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh who could not withdraw Rs 2,000 for his mother's treatment. Worse came after she died when he could not get money from the bank for her funeral.

"There are millions of Chhotulals in the country who are cursing the government, hundreds have died in banks and ATM queues...," said the Sena, which is an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra as well as at the Centre.

The Sena said under such circumstances, there was no point in "thanking people for their sacrifices" and the sops announced meant little to the Chhotulals of the country.

The edit dwelt on the ongoing plight of the ordinary folks still sweating it out in banks and ATM queues, the misery of the rural masses, the farmers and others hit hard by demonetisation.

"We have full regard for Modi, but when it is a question of the financial crisis gripping the country, we shall speak the truth... which is not a crime but 'patriotism' in our view," the Sena said.

The edit concluded that Chhotulal's mother may die, but demonetisation woes will continue... "We sympathise with Chhotulal in his hour of grief." IANS
Bengaluru, January 2

New Year revelry turned into a nightmare for several women who were allegedly molested despite huge police presence at a large gathering in city's downtown region, drawing widespread outrage even as the state home minister stoked a controversy by blaming the youngsters' "western ways" for the incidents.

National Commission for Women chairperson Lalitha Kumaramangalam came down heavily on the police and slammed Home Minister G Parameshwara's remarks, demanding that he should resign. The NCW as well as the Karnataka State Commission for Women also sought separate reports from administration and police over the incidents.

Police said on Monday that they were looking for those involved in the alleged incidents on Saturday night in and around the junction of Brigade Road and MG Road, where thousands had gathered to herald the New Year.

Eyewitness accounts suggest that women were molested and groped and late night on December 31 in the posh area even as it was claimed that 1,500 police personnel had been deployed to control the crowds.

While women without any male companions had to seek protection from women police personnel, who were very few in number on the spot, men who had come with female friends had a tough time protecting them, according to eyewitnesses.

Speaking to reporters, Home Minister G Parameshwara said: "It is not good. Definitely we will look into it and see that it is not repeated".

"There was need to look into how such events can be organised and regulated... We cannot have 10,000 police men," he said.

Speaking to a TV news channel, he said: "Unfortunately, what is happening is as I said days like new year Brigade Road, Commercial Street, MG Road, large number of youngsters gather. Youngsters who are almost like westerners, they try to copy the westerners not only in the mindset, but even the dressing."

The minister's remarks drew an angry response from the NCW chairperson who demanded the Home Minister should resign and apologise to the women of the country for making such remarks.

"Such remarks from the Home Minister are unacceptable and regrettable. I want to ask this Minister that are Indian men so pathetic and weak that when they see a woman in western clothes on a day of revelry, they get out of control?

"When will Indian men learn to respect women? The Minister should apologise to the women of the country and resign," Kumaramangalam said.

Police claimed that they had made elaborate security arrangements for the New Year eve with 1,500 policemen on duty and several CCTV cameras installed, besides Karnataka State Reserve Police, City Armed Reserve and watch towers erected to keep a close watch.

Police at the spot were apparently outnumbered.

"We will try to identify the culprits and take action against them," Karnataka DGP Om Prakash said.

Police said they had not received any complaints of molestation from anyone.

NCW chairperson Lalitha Kumaramangalam said: "We are absolutely appalled (with the incident)... We have taken suo motu cognisance on it and have sent off the same to the home minister, the head of the police, chief secretary."

"We want a reply immediately and if the reply is unsatisfactory, we will send a team to find out why the police has not suo motu taken cognisance of the incident," she said.

"I am told that they haven't even looked at the footage they may have from cameras etc and the possibility that they are using the fact that nobody has made an official complaint as an excuse, cannot be ruled out," she said.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Commission for Women Chairperson Nagalakshmi Bai said: "I have taken cognisance of the reported incident. I have sought a report from police. After getting the report, I will take further action".

Police had extended the deadline allowing restaurants, bars and pubs to remain open till 2 am on New Year's eve. PTI
Washington

A rare comet discovered by NASA scientists will be visible using just binoculars to skywatchers on Earth this week for the first time, before the object heads back into outer reaches of the solar system for an orbit lasting thousands of years.

The comet, C/2016 U1 NEOWISE, "has a good chance of becoming visible through a good pair of binoculars, although we can't be sure because a comet's brightness is notoriously unpredictable", said Paul Chodas, manager of NASA's Centre for Near-Earth Object (NEO) Studies at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the US.

As seen from the northern hemisphere during the first week of 2017, comet C/2016 U1 NEOWISE will be in the southeastern sky shortly before dawn.

It is moving farther south each day and it will reach its closest point to the Sun, inside the orbit of Mercury, on January 14, before heading back out to the outer reaches of the solar system for an orbit lasting thousands of years.

While it will be visible to skywatchers at Earth, it is not considered a threat to our planet either.

NASA's NEOWISE mission has recently discovered some celestial objects travelling through our neighbourhood, including one on the blurry line between asteroid and comet.

An object called 2016 WF9 was detected by the NEOWISE project on November 27 last year.

It is in an orbit that takes it on a scenic tour of our solar system. At its farthest distance from the Sun, it approaches Jupiter's orbit.

Over the course of 4.9 Earth-years, it travels inward, passing under the main asteroid belt and the orbit of Mars until it swings just inside Earth's own orbit. After that, it heads back toward the outer solar system.

Objects in these types of orbits have multiple possible origins; it might once have been a comet, or it could have strayed from a population of dark objects in the main asteroid belt.

2016 WF9 will approach Earth's orbit on February 25 this year. At a distance of nearly 51 million km from Earth, this pass will not bring it particularly close.

The trajectory of 2016 WF9 is well understood, and the object is not a threat to Earth for the foreseeable future.

A different object, discovered by NEOWISE a month earlier, is more clearly a comet, releasing dust as it nears the Sun.

NEOWISE is the asteroid-and-comet-hunting portion of the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission.

2016 WF9 is relatively large: roughly 0.5 to 1 km across. It is also rather dark, reflecting only a few percent of the light that falls on its surface.

This body resembles a comet in its reflectivity and orbit, but appears to lack the characteristic dust and gas cloud that defines a comet.

"2016 WF9 could have cometary origins," said Deputy Principal Investigator James Bauer at JPL.

"This object illustrates that the boundary between asteroids and comets is a blurry one; perhaps over time this object has lost the majority of the volatiles that linger on or just under its surface," said Bauer.  PTI
Akshay Kumar has a stellar line-up of movies this year and the Khiladi Kumar chose the first day of the year to give us a glimpse of the same. Akki tweeted posters of his upcoming movies that are set to release in 2017. He wrote, Busy summing up the year gone by? Its time to not look back, but look ahead. Heres what my 2017 looks like. Ur thoughts,love & luck needed.

The first movie of Akshay that would be hitting cinema halls on February 10 is Jolly LLB 2. Next would be his social satirical film with Bhumi Pednekar titled Toilet Ek Prem Katha that would release on June 2. Akshay also took the opportunity to announce a new film titled Pad Man by sharing a quirky poster about the same. Going by the picture, it states that the movie is based on an extraordinary true story. And they have also shown an image of a sanitary pad, which might be the theme of the film.

The other films of Akshay are Naam Shabana and Neeraj Pandeys Crack. Well, this year is surely going to be an amazing year for Akshay.
Seoul, January 2

The Danish Police have arrested the daughter of South Korean President Park Geun-hye's friend, Choi Soon-sil, who is at the centre of an influence-peddling scandal that has engulfed Park's government, South Korean broadcaster JTBC reported on Monday.

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South Korean authorities have been seeking the arrest of the daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, for her ties to the scandal, which resulted in an impeachment vote against Park in parliament last month.

There was no immediate comment from South Korean authorities about the report of Chung Yoo-ra's arrest.

Reuters
Los Angeles: The famous Hollywood sign, built in 1923, was vandalised early New Year morning to read "Hollyweed". In an apparent prank, a person climbed up Mount Lee, in the Hollywood Hills area of the Santa Monica Mountains, and used tarps to change the Os in the iconic sign to Es. The incident was caught on surveillance cameras. PTI

Cambodia museum to exhibit oldest zero

Phnom Penh: The National Museum of Cambodia plans to exhibit what is considered by some to be the world's oldest zero symbol, a dot in a set of script from the Khmer civilisation carved into a sandstone surface. Its discovery had strengthened the idea that the zero symbol's origin in the decimal number system comes from India or, in his word, other "Indianised" East Asian cultures. IANS

Disney to receive $50 m after Fishers death

London: Disney is reportedly set to receive USD 50 million after Carrie Fisher's death as they had taken out an insurance in case the actress was unable to fulfil her three-film "Star Wars" contract. Fisher had finished filming for "Star Wars: Episode VIII", slated for release in December, but was expected to play a big part in "Star Wars: Episode IX". PTI

Twin girls in two different years!

Los Angeles: In a rare case, a woman in the US state of California gave birth to twin girls in two different years. One girl, named Scarlett Annie, was born at 11:56 pm on December 31 and the second, Virginia Rose, at 12 am on January 1. PTI
Baghdad, January 2

Supporting military operations against the Islamic State group is key to preventing terror attacks at home, French President Francois Hollande said on Monday during a visit to Iraq.

Hollande had already visited in 2014 and remains the most prominent head of state to come to Iraq since the launch two-and-half-years ago of a US-led coalition against the jihadists.

The French president, who is travelling with Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, will also stop in the autonomous northern region of Kurdistan during his one-day visit.

"Taking action against terrorism here in Iraq is also preventing acts of terrorism on our own soil," he said at a base of Iraq's elite Counter-Terrorism Service near Baghdad.

France is the second contributor to the US-led coalition that has carried out thousands of air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and provided military equipment, training and advice to Iraqi forces. Iraqi forces completely collapsed when IS jihadists took over second city Mosul in June 2014 and swept across much of the country's Sunni Arab heartland.

The jihadists then gained more territory in August 2014, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee from areas that had been controlled by the Kurdish peshmerga forces.

Since it joined the United States in the coalition in September 2014, French aircraft have conducted 5,700 sorties, around 1,000 strikes and destroyed more than 1,700 targets, according to defence ministry figures. France has 14 Rafale fighter jets that are stationed in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates and taking part in coalition operations.

It also has 500 soldiers training and advising elite Iraqi forces and CAESAR artillery vehicles stationed south of Mosul to provide support for ongoing operations to retake the city.

Australia, Italy and Britain are also part of the 60-member coalition supporting Iraq's efforts against Islamic State.

French nationals are also among the largest contingents of foreign fighters in Islamic State and security agencies now fear the disintegration of the "caliphate" in Iraq and Syria will result in an influx of returning jihadists bent on carrying out terror attacks in their home countries.

Hollande is also expected to voice support for reconciliation and unity in Iraq, where observers fear an end to major operations against Islamic State could see old internal divisions resurface.

"He will stress the importance of continuing efforts to ensure sustainable security in the country after Daesh (IS) has been defeated and the coexistence of communities in a united and sovereign Iraq," a source in the French presidency said.

Hollande was scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who hails from the main Shiite political bloc, President Fuad Masum, a Kurd, and parliament speaker Salim al-Juburi, one of the country's most prominent Sunni politicians. AFP
Istanbul, January 2

The Islamic State jihadist group today claimed the shooting rampage inside a glamorous Istanbul night club on New Years night that killed 39 persons, as the police hunted the attacker who remains on the run.

Anti-terror police made their first arrests over the attack, which unleashed scenes of panic among party-goers at one of Istanbuls swankiest venues and killed mostly foreign tourists.

The shooting took place just 75 minutes into 2017 after a bloody year in Turkey in which hundreds of people were killed in violence blamed on both IS jihadists and Kurdish militants.

In a statement circulated on social media, the jihadist group said one of the soldiers of the caliphate had carried out the attack on the Reina nightclub.

It accused Turkey, a majority-Muslim country, of being a servant of Christians, in a possible reference to Ankaras alliance with the international coalition fighting IS in neighbouring Syria and Iraq.

This is the first time IS has issued a clear and undisputed claim for an attack inside Turkey, despite being blamed for several major strikes in Istanbul and other cities over the last year.

It has in the past, however, claimed individual assassinations of Syrian anti-jihadist activists in the south of Turkey. The IS statement said the attack was in response to Turkeys military intervention against the jihadists in war-ravaged Syria the military presses a four-month incursion to oust jihadists from the border area.

The Dogan news agency said anti-terror police have detained eight suspects. But there was no indication of their relationship to the attacker. In the last few weeks, the forces have encountered fierce opposition from the jihadists around the town of Al-Bab.  AFP
Istanbul, January 2

The Islamic State jihadist group on Friday claimed the shooting rampage inside a glamorous Istanbul nightclub on New Year's night that killed 39 people, as police hunted the attacker who remains on the run.

With foreigners making up the majority of those killed in Sunday's attack, families were due to reclaim the bodies of more than two dozen non-Turkish and mainly Arab victims.

The shooting, which unleashed scenes of carnage and panic among party-goers at one of Istanbul's swankiest venues, took place just 75 minutes into 2017 after a bloody year in Turkey in which hundreds of people were killed in violence blamed on both IS jihadists and Kurdish militants.

In a statement circulated on social media, the jihadist group said one of the "soldiers of the caliphate" had carried out the attack on the Reina nightclub.

It accused Turkey, a majority-Muslim country, of being a servant of Christians, in a possible reference to Ankara's alliance with the international coalition fighting IS in neighbouring Syria and Iraq.

The statement said the assault was in response to Turkey's military intervention against the Islamic State in war-ravaged Syria.

Turkish troops are pressing on with a four-month incursion in Syria in an operation called the Euphrates Shield to oust IS jihadists and Kurdish militants from the border area.

In the last few weeks, the forces have encountered fierce opposition from the jihadists around the town of al-Bab. The army said Turkish warplanes launched new air strikes around al Bab.

Arriving by taxi at the plush Reina nightclub on the shores of the Bosphorus, the gunman produced a weapon, reportedly a Kalashnikov, and shot dead a policeman and civilian at the entrance.

According to the Hurriyet daily, the gunman then fired off four magazines containing a total of 120 bullets around the club, as terrified guests flung themselves into the freezing waters of the Bosphorus in panic.

But after changing clothes, the gunman left the nightclub in the ensuing chaos and has managed to evade security forces.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Sunday that intense efforts were under way to find the gunman, and expressed hope that he would be captured soon.

Late on Sunday, police rushed to Istanbul's Kurucesme district after a tip-off but the operation did not produce any arrest.

"The danger continues," wrote columnist Abdulkadir Selvi in Hurriyet. "So long as this terrorist is not seized we do not know when and where a massacre could take place."

Hurriyet said investigators believe the attacker may be from the Central Asian states of Kyrgyzstan or Uzbekistan.

Investigators also consider it possible that the attacker is linked to the same cell that in June carried out a triple suicide bombing and gun attack at Istanbul's Ataturk airport blamed on Islamic State that left 47 people dead, the paper added.  AFP
Baghdad, January 2

An Islamic State car bomb killed 24 persons in a busy square in Baghdads sprawling Sadr City district on Monday, and the militants cut a key road north from the capital to Mosul, their last major stronghold in the country.

An online statement distributed by Amaq news agency, which supports Islamic State, said the ultra-hardline Sunni group had targeted a gathering of Shia Muslims, whom it considers apostates. Sixty-seven people were wounded in the blast.

US-backed Iraqi forces are currently fighting to push Islamic State from the northern city of Mosul, but are facing fierce resistance. The group has lost most of the territory it seized in a blitz across northern and western Iraq in 2014.

The recapture of Mosul would probably spell the end for its self-styled caliphate, but the militants would still be capable of fighting a guerrilla-style insurgency in Iraq, and plotting or inspiring attacks on the West. Three bombs killed 29 persons across the capital on Saturday, and an attack near the southern city of Najaf on Sunday left seven policemen dead. Mondays blast in Sadr City hit a square where day labourers typically gather.

Nine of the victims were women in a passing minibus. Their charred bodies were visible inside the burnt-out remains of the vehicle. Blood stained the ground nearby.

Since the drive to recapture Mosul began on October 17, elite forces have retaken a quarter of the city in the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Abadi has said the group will be driven out of the country by April.  Reuters
BAGHDAD/TIKRIT (Iraq), January 2

An Islamic State car bomb killed 24 people in a busy square in Baghdad's sprawling Sadr City district on Monday, and the militants cut a key road north from the capital to Mosul, their last major stronghold in the country.

An online statement distributed by Amaq news agency, which supports Islamic State, said the ultra-hardline Sunni group had targeted a gathering of Shi'ite Muslims, whom it considers apostates. Sixty-seven people were wounded in the blast.

US-backed Iraqi forces are currently fighting to push Islamic State from the northern city of Mosul, but are facing fierce resistance. The group has lost most of the territory it seized in a blitz across northern and western Iraq in 2014.

The recapture of Mosul would probably spell the end for its self-styled caliphate, but the militants would still be capable of fighting a guerrilla-style insurgency in Iraq, and plotting or inspiring attacks on the West.

Three bombs killed 29 people across the capital on Saturday, and an attack near the southern city of Najaf on Sunday left seven policemen dead.

Monday's blast in Sadr City hit a square where day labourers typically gather.

Nine of the victims were women in a passing minibus. Their charred bodies were visible inside the burnt-out remains of the vehicle. Blood stained the ground nearby.

"The terrorists will attempt to attack civilians in order to make up for their losses, but we assure the Iraqi people and the world that we are able to end terrorism and shorten its life," Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told reporters after meeting with visiting French President Francois Hollande.

Road to Mosul

Since the drive to recapture Mosul began on October 17, elite forces have retaken a quarter of the city in the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Abadi has said the group will be driven out of the country by April.

As clashes continued in and around Mosul on Monday, Islamic State also targeted military positions away from the main battlefield, killing at least 16 pro-government fighters and cutting a strategic road linking the city to Baghdad.

Militants attacked an army barracks near Baiji, 180 km (110 miles) north of the capital, killing four soldiers and wounding 12 people, including Sunni tribal fighters, army and police sources said.

They seized weapons there and launched mortars at nearby Shirqat, forcing security forces to impose a curfew and close schools and offices in the town, according to local officials and security sources.

Shirqat mayor Ali Dodah said Islamic State seized three checkpoints on the main road linking Baiji to Shirqat following the attacks. Shelling in Shirqat had killed at least two children, he told Reuters by phone.

In a separate incident, gunmen broke into a village near Udhaim, 90 km (56 miles) north of Baghdad, where they executed nine Sunni tribal fighters with shots to the head, police and medical sources said.

At least three pro-government Shi'ite militia fighters were also killed and seven wounded when militants attacked their position near Udhaim with mortar rounds and machine guns, police sources said.  Reuters
Canberra, January 2

US President-elect Donald Trump's attack on warplane manufacturer Lockheed Martin could cut millions of dollars off Australia's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Programme, a leading defence expert said on Monday.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Late last year, Trump tweeted the Joint Strike Fighter programme had become "very, very expensive", threatening to shut it down if delays and costs continue to blow out, Xinhua news agency reported.

Defence expert Andrew Davies from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said while it would be disastrous for Astralia's defence plans if Trump decides to cancel the $379 billion programme, but if Trump's public criticism results in a cut-priced fighter, Australia invariably benefits.

"If Trump can negotiate a lower price, then there is a potential upside for Australia, absolutely," Davies said.

Australia has rights to an additional 58 F-35s, and if Lockheed Martin cuts the price even by only five per cent, it would create an overall saving of around $232 million.

Australia's Defense Industry Minister Christopher Pyne has maintained that the country was still "committed to the JSF programme".

"It is well advanced and will produce the world's most potent fighter aircraft. We will work closely with the incoming US administration to maximise the benefits to Australia of the programme," Pyne said.

"Obviously, if we can reduce the cost and prevent further delays, we will do so as a partner country in the JSF programme." Lockheed Martin chief executive Marillyn Hewson has previously said the company will attempt to "aggressively" drive down the cost of the delayed and costly fighter in response to Trump's actions.

"I had a very good conversation with Trump. I gave him my personal commitment to drive the cost down aggressively," Hewson said.

IANS
Washington, January 2

Donald Trump plans to repeal a number of President Barack Obama's executive actions in his first day in the White House that he feels have "hampered" both economic growth and job creation, the US President-elect's close aide said on Monday.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Sean Spicer, Trump's incoming White House press secretary, said on ABC's "This Week" that Trump will immediately "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."

It was one of two moves Spicer, who served as the Republican National Committee's communications director before jumping to the Trump team, said Trump will make immediately after he takes the oath of office on January 20.

He did not specify which executive actions Trump will repeal.

However, the 70-year-old real estate billionaire-turned- politician has long been critical of Obama's moves on immigration, energy regulation and foreign policy, and could look for ways to undo those and other actions.

Spicer also said Trump will begin reforms intended to "bring a new brand to Washington" with a restriction on members of his administration becoming lobbyists for a period of five years after they leave Trump's government.

"It's very forward-thinking," Spicer said. "What we've had in the past is people who have looked in the rearview mirror. This time, we're thinking forward. If you want to serve in a Trump administration, you're going to serve this country, not yourself."

When asked whether Trump would continue his 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."

When pressed repeatedly on whether Trump might reverse President Obama's steps, including the expulsion of 35 Russian agents, aimed at punishing Moscow for interfering in the US election, Spicer just said that Trump would delay any decision until he receives an intelligence briefing on the matter.

Spicer has also defended comments by Trump that he knows "things that other people don't know" when it comes to allegations of Russian hacking during US presidential polls.

Spicer told Fox News that Trump was being briefed by "on a daily basis" on national security issues and "there doesn't seem to be conclusive evidence" Russians were behind the hacking of Democratic emails during the election.

He also dismissed a report by the FBI and Homeland Security Department backing the hacking allegations against Russia, calling it a "how-to" manual on basic cybersecurity for Democrats.  PTI
When Jeff Mulder came to Tulsa for an interview nearly 12 years ago, the only thing he knew about Oklahoma was what he had read in John Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath.

I did not have any idea what to expect he said.

Shortly after arriving for his interview, Mulder recalled, he called his wife and told her about the trees and hills in Tulsa.

The job worked out, and Mulder became Tulsas airports director in May 2005.

But the man overseeing Tulsa International Airport and R.L. Jones Jr. Airport has walked out the door after 11 years, leaving at the end of last year to become executive director of Southwest Florida International Airport and Page Field in Fort Myers, Florida.

He submitted his resignation to the Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust Board in late October, effective Dec. 31.

Mulder said among his accomplishments while serving here was the rebuilding the main runway at Tulsa International Airport.

The challenge was to have minimal impact on flights  particularly airline service  while reconstructing the intersection of the north-south runway, the airports longest, with its secondary east-west strip.

It is good for the next 25 years, Mulder said, who described the 9,999 feet of concrete as the most important part of infrastructure in northeast Oklahoma because of all the jobs at Tulsa International.

One issue Mulder inherited was the fallout from the origins and bankruptcy of Tulsa-based Great Plains Airlines and the lawsuits that resulted between the Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust and the Bank of Oklahoma.

It impacted everything when issuing bonds for development, Mulder said.

The $15.56 million lawsuit was settled in late 2015. It was initiated in 2013, but had its origins dated back to November 2000.

Completing the noise abatement project around Tulsa International, updating the terminal concourses, expanding the parking garage  all multi-million dollar projects  and transferring the airports from a city department into a stand-alone entity are also at the top of Mulders list of accomplishments.

Being a stand-alone entity has helped a lot, because we can move a lot quicker, he said. Tulsa is one of several airports to have taken that course because they can be more responsive, especially to airline needs, he said.

Instead of being city employees, the airport staff is now directly employed by the airport. As a result, Mulder no longer has to wear the multiple hats he donned while serving over a number of departments related to the citys infrastructure and transit system from 2009 to 13.

All that was done from his airport office, since he was, Mulder said, not involved in day-to-day activities.

He also served a year as chairman of the American Association of Airport Executives with some 5,100 members from 3,300 airports and 500 corporate members. His term ended this past June.

Mulder said the past three mayors  Bill LaFortune, Kathy Taylor and Dewey F. Bartlett, Jr.  all have been supportive of the airport, and the community is very supportive of the airport.

With 11 years at the helm, Mulder ranks fourth for longevity among the seven men who have run the airport since 1928  the three with more: Charlie Short, 27 years; and Pat Combs and Brent Kitchen, 16 years each. In addition, Mike Kier, director of the citys finance department, worked as interim director for a year beginning in 2004. There was a contested manager for two week in 1932.

Prior to coming to Tulsa, Mulder had been director of the Outagamie County Regional Airport in Appleton, Wisconsin. The Michigan native previously served in various positions, beginning in 1988, at the New Orleans International Airport, Evansville Regional Airport in Indiana and Milwaukees International Airport.

Mulder already knows some of the challenges he will face in his new post in Fort Myers. The airport has just a single runway, leaving it at risk of seeing all flights to be diverted to either Miami or Tampa if something happens to shut down its lifeline, he said.

The airport is served by more airlines than Tulsa International and handles more passengers per year, most of them during the three-month period beginning each December.

It also has three security checkpoints, causing bottlenecks.

That is a reversal of Tulsa International, which has one checkpoint and three runways.

As to his successor, Mulder said, some good qualified people have applied for the post and he was impressed with the list (of candidates) he saw.

Alex Higgins, deputy airports director for marketing and community relations, has been named by the trust to serve as interim airports director until a new director has been selected.

Mulders said his successor will receive an annual salary of more than $150,000, and the trust will probably concentrate on a deputy director at an airport similar in size to Tulsa or larger.

Tulsa is great place to be an airport director, he said.
By Michael Smith  Tulsa World

The most anticipated movies of 2017 may leave you seeing double  or triple, or quadruple, for that matter. There are just that many sequels in the lineup.

Theres a sprinkling of new material planned as well, but get ready to see a lot of familiar names and faces returning to the big screen this coming year.

SEQUELS

xXx: The Return of Xander Cage (January)

Fifteen years after he first portrayed this extreme-action agent, Vin Diesel returns to the franchise for a new secret mission.

Fifty Shades Darker (February)

Darker probably means naughtier, which would be pushing it with this series. Just in time for Valentines Day date night.

John Wick: Chapter Two (February)

Who knew that Keanu Reeves had another action-movie franchise in him? Heres the next chapter in the cool John Wick storyline.

Logan (March)

In what is supposed to be the final appearance of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, expect a very different movie, with Logan older (and Professor X, too), and following the lead of Deadpool by going with an R rating.

Smurfs: The Lost Village (April)

The little blue cartoon characters return for a third film. If only they could battle Trolls.

The Fate of the Furious (April)

New roads ahead  thats the tagline for the latest Fast and Furious movie, in the post-Paul Walker era. Newcomers include Charlize Theron and Helen Mirren.

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 (May)

Peter Quill, whos your daddy? This question and more will be answered in Marvels annual May summer kickoff, which will no doubt have one of the years coolest soundtracks!

Alien: Covenant (May)

The sequel to Prometheus puts the Alien back in the title, as a crew lands on a new planet.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (May)

This is Pirates No. 5, with a new adventure (a search for Poseidons trident) and Javier Bardem leading a crew of ghost pirates.

Cars 3 (June)

Quality-wise, these films have been the weak link in the Pixar franchise. But they sell lots of toys, so here we go again.

Transformers: The Last Knight (June)

The fifth film in this Autobots-Decepticons series, and Mark Wahlberg returns, and yes, its Michael Bay at the controls.

Despicable Me 3 (June)

Time for more Minions, and with Gru and the girls in tow again. Look for Trey Parker (South Park) to voice the antagonist.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (July)

Young Tom Holland, playing the very fun Peter Parker that we met in Captain America: Civil War, begins a new series of films.

War for the Planet of the Apes (July)

An army of apes led by Caesar (the brilliant Andy Serkis) meets an army of humans. In the third movie, its war.

Annabelle 2 (August)

James Wans Conjuring spinoff gets all dolled up again to cash in on fear.

The Equalizer 2 (September)

Denzel Washington returns as the former secret agent who atones for his dark deeds by helping those who most need his special services.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle (October)

The British spy game is back, and this time theyre joining forces with Americans to face a new threat.

Thor: Ragnarok (November)

Its Thors movie, but theres room here for Bruce Banner/The Hulk and Doctor Strange as well, along with Loki in the mix.

Star Wars: Episode VIII (December)

Reys story continues, with help from Finn and Poe and even Luke Skywalker this time around, as adversaries new and old lay in wait.

Pitch Perfect 3 (December)

Anna Kendrick, Hailee Steinfeld, Rebel Wilson and everybody else return to sing their hearts out.

FAMILIAR FACES

Rings (February)

You dont call the movie The Ring 3 when its a prequel, telling the creepy Samaras backstory, pre-videotapes.

The LEGO Batman Movie (February)

The vocal work of Will Arnett as the Caped Crusader may be the defining performance of his career; hes that good.

Kong: Skull Island (March)

The King Kong legend returns, with Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson among the stars running for their lives.

Beauty and the Beast (March)

Disney continues its run (Maleficent, Cinderella) of live-action versions of animated classics, with Emma Watson seeming like perfect casting as Belle.

CHiPs (March)

This reboot of the TV motorcycle-cop series finds Michael Pena playing Ponch and Dax Shepard in the Jon Baker role.

Power Rangers (March)

Red, yellow, pink, black or blue: Theres a ranger for each of these colors, here to save the world, of course.

Baywatch (May)

This redo of 90s beach schlock stars Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron and abs, in addition to beach babes and other body parts.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (May)

A new big-budget adventure tells the classic King Arthur tale, with Charlie Hunnam (Pacific Rim) as the man who pulls the sword from the stone.

Wonder Woman (June)

You met Gal Gadot playing the reimagined heroine in Batman v. Superman last year; this year she gets her own movie here, origin-story style.

The Mummy (June)

Tom Cruise helps Universal reboot its monster franchises, beginning with a new Mummy movie that the studio promises will be full of adventure and terror.

Bad Dads (July)

Talk about a quick turnaround: The studio behind the surprise hit Bad Moms decided that the boys need their own film.

Flatliners (August)

The 1990 Julia Roberts near-death experience movie is revived with ... Kiefer Sutherland? Wait and see.

Blade Runner 2049 (October)

Filmmaker Denis Villenueve warmed up his sci-fi street cred with Arrival; now he continues the Blade Runner story, with Ryan Gosling and, yes, Harrison Ford.

Friday the 13th (October)

Chee, chee, chee, ha, ha, ha: The terror returns in a new form on, you guessed it, Friday, Oct. 13.

Justice League (November)

Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Aquaman: It has all been building to the DC Comics version of Marvels Avengers movies.

Murder on the Orient Express (November)

Kenneth Branagh is not only directing this new twist on the Agatha Christie mystery classic, but hes also portraying Hercule Poirot.

Jumanji (December)

Reimagine the board-game adventure movie with no Robin Williams, but instead Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart.

SOMETHING NEW

Monster Trucks (January)

A high school kid builds a monster truck and finds a creature in this big-budget teen action-comedy.

Split (January)

James McAvoy (X-Men: First Class) stars in a new fright from director M. Night Shyamalan about a man with multiple personalities who likes to hurt people.

The Great Wall (February)

Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou (known for films like Curse of the Golden Flower and for the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony) creates an epic war saga starring Matt Damon and the Great Wall of China.

The Boss Baby (March)

What a wonderful time, bringing home your new baby  unless its actually a grown-up with the voice, and the mind, of Alec Baldwin.

Life (March)

There is life on Mars. Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal and Rebecca Ferguson find it in this sci-fi thriller.

Wonder (April)

In a movie bound to remind some of Mask, a young boy with a facial deformity (Jacob Tremblay of Room) works to fit in at his new school. Also starring Julia Roberts.

The Circle (April)

A woman (Emma Watson) falls into a mystery when she begins working for a powerful tech company. Tom Hanks and John Boyega lead an exceptional cast.

Mother/Daughter (May)

Its OK to have a title like Untitled Mother/Daughter action movie if the mother is Goldie Hawn and the daughter is Amy Schumer. Sounds like fun.

Captain Underpants (June)

A pair of fourth-graders accidentally turn their principal into the hero from their homemade comic book in this animated take on the beloved book.

Rock That Body (June)

When a male stripper dies during a bachelorette party, well, the party has just begun. Starring Kate McKinnon and Scarlett Johansson.

The House (June)

The problem: A couple spend their childs money for college. Their solution: Hey, lets get our buddies to help set up a casino in the basement! Starring Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler.

Dunkirk (July)

Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight films and Inception) goes to war with Tom Hardy to depict one of World War IIs fiercest battles.

The Dark Tower (July)

Based on the towering work of Stephen King, set amongst an Old West-style world, Idris Elba plays the Gunslinger and Matthew McConaughey is the Man in Black.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (July)

Blockbuster sci-fi from Luc Besson (The Fifth Element), creating a world in which government operatives (Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne) experience adventure and romance throughout the universe.

It (September)

Now this is a clown you can actually be afraid of: Pennywise returns in a new adaptation of the classic Stephen King novel about coming-of-age kids fighting evil.

Ninjago (September)

One of the best things about seeing Storks was seeing the five-minute Ninjago short film before it, with Legos meeting martial arts in the most hilarious way.

The Snowman (October)

Michael Fassbender plays Detective Harry Hole in this murder mystery based on the Jo Nesbo novel, directed by Tomas Alfredson (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy).

Coco (November)

Pixar returns to the Thanksgiving-week frame to release this movie with a connection to Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.

Downsizing (December)

Matt Damon and Reese Witherspoon star with an ensemble cast in the new movie from filmmaker Alexander Payne (The Descendants, Sideways), who always delivers something original.

The Greatest Showman (December)

Hugh Jackman stars as P.T. Barnum in this biopic about the man behind the long-running Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
OKLAHOMA CITY  After a tough year for Oklahomas public schools, educators are hopeful 2017 will be a year of positive action on several school-related issues, including teacher pay and funding.

Last year included midyear budget cuts for public schools, the rejection of a teacher pay raise plan and a largely unsuccessful attempt by dozens of educators running for state office.

Add in a new state record for emergency teacher certificates and felony charges brought against the states top education chief and its easy to see why many educators across the state were ready to hear the final bell on 2016.

Read the rest of this story online at Newsok.com. A subscription may be required.
A Princes Town homeowner says he believes a water leak is to blame for a landslip affecting their home.

He tells our reporter Cindy Raghubar-Teekersingh that his investigations reveal that it' a WASA leak, and although he's made numerous reports to the authority, they continue to ignore his complaints.
Contributed by Jonathan Stevenson / With Donald Trumps victory in the presidential election, the principled advancement of civilization as the goal of politics seemed to give way to the venal aggrandizement of the clique. Its a grim setback, but the story of the Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet and politician Pablo Neruda, as told in his fellow countryman Pablo Larrains quirkily elegiac film Neruda, is a galvanizing reminder that progress takes a crooked path.

A Chilean patriot, Larrain portrays Neruda (a droll, knowing Luis Gnecco) as an endearingly louche and gifted hero of the left. As a communist senator, he is forced to flee Santiago in 1948 by a government that veering sharply to the right and for which eventual military dictator Augusto Pinochet, then a young officer, is an enforcer. In hiding Neruda visits brothels and bars while his wife, lacking clean underwear, feels compelled to stay in their room. In the midst of their itinerant escape and exile, they wind up in Paris, where Pablo Picasso, appreciative of Nerudas support for republicans in the Spanish Civil War as a Madrid-based Chilean consul in the thrall of radicalization, sets them up. A few months earlier, the painter had dedicated a rousing speech to Neruda at the World Congress of Intellectuals for Peace in Poland.

The inventive director of No and Jackie was never likely to proffer a standard biopic, and Neruda is really a novelistic tribute cued by historical events. Larrain has called it an anti-biopic, and it takes the form of a lyrical chase movie with fluid points of view, pulsed by Nerudas verse. Larrains cleverest artifice is police inspector Oscar Peluchonneau (Gael Garcia Bernal, heartbreaking in a Warren Oates way), who is dispatched by the Chilean government to pursue and arrest Neruda. Peluchonneau is a proud, strutting martinet who stands not on principle but on status. It is his role as a functionary in some larger machine that gives his life significance. While he is structurally the villain of the tale, he emerges a tragic, Chaplin-esque figure, operatically baffled about why he fails despite the putative rightness of his vocation. What he never figures out is that artists like Neruda are larger than institutions or boundaries. At the same time, he illuminates the symbiotic relationship between heroes and their foils: Neruda would not have been such a transcendent figure without a determined antagonist.

Back in Chile, Neruda would support Salvador Allende, who was elected president in 1970 and appointed him, fittingly enough, ambassador to France. Shortly after Pinochet deposed Allende in a CIA-backed coup in 1973, agents of the newly installed right-wing government searched Nerudas home for subversive materials. He reportedly quipped, There is only one thing of danger to you here  poetry. He soon died while hospitalized for prostate cancer. Suspicions remain that Pinochet had Neruda poisoned. Although Pinochet held power for 25 years, he would die a pathetic, dissembling old man defeated and shamed by virtue of the belated enlightenment of his countrymen. Nerudas legacy still soars. In art, Larrain suggests, there is hope.

Related posts:

Double feature: Artists and politics

Art and politics spiral downhill at the Guggenheim
No Ukrainian soldiers were killed, but four servicemen were wounded in the ATO area in eastern Ukraine in last day.

Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Spokesperson for ATO Colonel Oleksandr Motuzianyk said this at a press briefing in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"No Ukrainian soldiers were killed, but four servicemen were wounded as a result of military hostilities in Donbas in last day," Motuzianyk said.

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OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Austrias Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, has highlighted key challenges facing the Organization and its participating States in 2017, including those regarding Ukraine.

This is said in the press release, posted on the OSCE website.

As noted, three key challenges are deplorable and complex crises and conflicts in the OSCE area, a fundamental lack of mutual trust and confidence, and an alarming phenomenon of growing radicalization and violent extremism, especially among young people.

Pointing to the OSCE's experience as a facilitator, mediator and connector for a common space of 1.2 billion people, the Chairperson-in-Office emphasized that the organization can provide all necessary tools for promoting de-escalation and enabling sustainable political solutions to the conflicts in the OSCE area, not least the conflict in and around Ukraine, the press release reads.

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By Mark Leonard

LONDON  This past year changed everything, except how governments think. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the pre-negotiations for Brexit. With both sides ignoring the far-reaching implications of Donald Trump's election as US president  namely, the decline of the liberal world order  the process seems set to produce a tragedy for the United Kingdom and the European Union alike.

Judging by the behavior of British Prime Minister Theresa May's diplomats, one might believe that Brexit is the only real uncertainty nowadays. Indeed, they seem convinced that their only imperative  beyond protecting the unity of the Conservative Party, of course  is to secure as many benefits for the UK as possible.

Because the government's Brexit negotiators are assuming that they can count on continued global growth, they are focused on securing a bigger piece of the pie for the UK. And because they also assume that the liberal international economic order will endure, they expect that, once "liberated" from the shackles of the EU, the UK will find eager partners with which to sign trade deals. Finally, the Brexiteers seem unconcerned about the security implications of going it alone, because they assume that the United States will maintain its role as global policeman, not to mention continued protection from NATO.

That's a lot of assuming. But the British are not alone in thinking that nothing has changed. In Brussels, EU institutions  and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in particular  still regard a Brexit-triggered Euroskeptic domino effect as the biggest threat to the Union.

In such a context, the goal of the EU's Brexit negotiators would be straightforward: make clear that being a member of the European club brings substantial benefits, and that leaving carries substantial costs. That is the logic that drove EU Council President Donald Tusk to declare that the UK has two options: hard Brexit or no Brexit. It is also the logic behind member states' refusal to engage in pre-negotiations or to accept a transitional arrangement.

But this logic is for the world of yesterday  and even then, it didn't quite work. During the Greek crisis, the EU's strategy was to decide the terms of a deal and tell Greece to take it or leave it. If Greece tried to negotiate, the EU made the conditions progressively less attractive, until the pressure was too much to bear.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his then-Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis were shocked by the EU's intransigence during the 2015 negotiations, in which it, too, had much to lose. Nonetheless, Tsipras took the deal  and the Greek crisis is still not resolved.

Despite this experience  and the fact that the global environment is even less stable now than it was then  the EU seems set on employing the same negotiating technique today. Already, Michel Barnier, the EU's lead Brexit negotiator, has presented the UK government with a 50 billion ($52 billion) bill to cover pensions and other obligations until 2030. British politicians do not believe EU officials really mean it, but they do.

The UK and the EU are now locked in a deadly dance, one that may well continue until time runs out. The result will be even worse than a bad Brexit; it will be a non-negotiated Brexit, in which the UK doesn't leave the EU so much as it falls out of it. Beyond causing severe economic damage to both sides, such an outcome would generate so much acrimony that the two sides would find it next to impossible to work out arrangements in myriad other areas, such as territorial defense and counter-terrorism, trade and sanctions, international diplomacy, and climate change.

There is no moral equivalence between the self-defeating solipsism of post-Brexit Britain and attempts by the EU to defend a European order that has been painstakingly built from the ruins of World War II and the Cold War. But both sets of response could contribute to the same tragic result: a Europe stranded in Trump's new Hobbesian world order.

The reality, outside the Berlaymont and Westminster snow globes, is that Europe's holiday from history has been brought to an abrupt end. Trump's protectionism-tinged trade policies are likely to take a serious toll on global economic growth. And his attacks on international institutions are likely to undermine peace and cooperation  with potentially devastating security implications.

Contrary to what the British government may like to believe, it is the EU, not NATO, that is most critical to its security. NATO is currently confronting serious challenges. Beyond Trump's apparent lack of interest in upholding US responsibilities to the bloc, NATO members  from the Baltics to Turkey  are under pressure.

In any case, the EU, not NATO, has driven the biggest foreign-policy successes in recent decades, from the pacification of the Balkans to the Iran nuclear deal to the response to Russia's annexation of Crimea. Though Trump's election has impelled the EU to agree to a permanent structure for defense cooperation, the incoming US administration's overall effect on European security will not be positive.

It is time for Brexit negotiators to accept reality  and change their game plan accordingly. The British cannot continue to pursue negotiating tactics that erode the foundations of the very system from which they expect to benefit. And the EU must back away from its harsh stance, however understandable it may be.

John Maynard Keynes once noted that "practical" people  those who believe that they are "exempt from any intellectual influences"  in fact "are usually the slaves of some defunct economist." Today, Britain and the EU have become the slaves of defunct thinking. If they do not break their intellectual chains, they will secure for themselves nothing but more misery.





Mark Leonard is director of the European Council on Foreign Relations. Copyright belongs to Project Syndicate.
ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP)  Katrina Phifer remembers asking herself, "What have we gotten ourselves into?" when The Salvation Army's SMART Kids program launched in May.

An elementary-aged girl threw a "toddler tantrum" after being simply told "no." The stress from being homeless had affected how the girl reacted to things.

Six months later, that same girl is more independent. Phifer, an aide for the SMART Kids program, recently saw the girl comforting a peer who was frightened because she had recently been in a car accident.

"From her first day here when she couldn't even handle a 'no, that's not what we're going to do' without falling apart to now  she's leading, she's being a good friend  that's just a cool transition to see," Phifer said.

This transition is just one of many seen at the SMART Kids program, which provides after-school programming for children experiencing homelessness. The program provides dinner and snacks, homework help, access to games and materials for projects and, most importantly, positive experiences with adults other than their parents who care about them.

Before the program started, many kids needed to go along with their parents to required meetings with case workers. SMART Kids offers children an escape from that stress, said Chad Johnson, program coordinator.

"(The parents are) experiencing a lot of trauma, a lot of crisis, so when the kids are always there with them, they're experiencing that right alongside them," Johnson said. The program targets children at The Salvation Army shelter, but also is open to children living at other area shelters or motels, or couch-surfing at someone else's house.

"There (had) never been any established programs for the kids in the shelter, especially since there's been such a rise in children experiencing homelessness in the area," Johnson said, noting there's been a 50 percent increase in families experiencing homelessness since 2012.

A $100,000 grant from the Bremer Foundation allowed Johnson to create the SMART Kids program. He was able to hire Phifer and part-time staff. A number of volunteers also spend time with the children.

Both Johnson and Phifer have children of their own. Johnson said he had experience with kids' programming before this job. Phifer grew up in a home that offered foster care.

"I'm familiar with kids that come from difficult places," she said.

For both Johnson and Phifer, the goal for the program is to help the kids in whatever way they can.

"We want to prevent (homelessness) from happening in the future. These kids are surrounded by it. It's the only life that they know," Johnson said. "I want more for them, and if there's not people out there to care to invest their time and show these kids that we care, then who else will?"

Despite some of the behavioral problems, the kids are working really hard, Phifer said.

"When you think about what they're overcoming, ... I think they're stronger than most of us think," she said. "You forget just how hard they're working to keep it together and to grow despite what they've been given."

For many of the kids involved, SMART Kids just feels like a fun place where they get to play games and get snacks.

Sarah, a 7-year-old participating in the program, lives with her family in a blue house. She said she likes the program because it's fun.

"We get to play on the Wii," she said. "Sometimes we go to other places, like all the places in the world."

Johnson clarified that the SMART Kids participants sometimes get to go on field trips. In December, the group went rollerskating.

"I tripped like 100 times," Sarah said with a laugh.

During a journaling activity with volunteers from the St. Cloud Times, Sarah colored pictures about herself and her life. She drew a picture of a police badge because she wants to be a police officer when she grows up, and she wrote that she is "smart and funy."

When asked to draw what she cannot live without, Sarah drew a picture of money.

"I want a hundred dollars," she said.

And what would she spend the money on?

"A car and a house and my own toys," she said.

Nay'llah, a 6-year-old SMART Kids participant, lives with her family in the same blue house as Sarah. One of her favorite SMART Kids memories is winning second-place in a paper airplane contest with St. Cloud Times reporters.

In her journal, Nay'llah said she wishes for a "unicorness," which is a unicorn with a horn and wings.

Isaiah Juster, 8, is another SMART Kids participant. His favorite thing to do  at home and at The Salvation Army  is to play video games. He said he likes SMART Kids and school. His favorite subject?

"I just cannot pick any one. I like all of them," he said.

Juster was living in The Salvation Army shelter when SMART Kids started. Now, his family has moved to a mobile home.

Because The Salvation Army shelter looks like a hotel  it's actually in a former hotel building  many kids don't seem to be stigmatized about living in a shelter, Johnson said.

"I've never heard any of our kids self-identify as homeless," Phifer said. "I think for most of them, this is just where we live right now."

The constant change can be draining for both the children and staff.

"I think my most challenging part is No. 1, the constant transitions. We'll just be forming a relationship with some of the students and then they're gone," Phifer said.

Another difficulty is not being able to help every child. If a kid could be dangerous and hurt themselves or someone else, SMART Kids isn't for them, Johnson said.

"I just want to make sure the kids, when they're here, they feel safe, they feel secure," he said. "Because if they don't feel safe, they're not going to be able to grow at all."

Johnson and Phifer said they sometimes hear complaints about the childrens' parents, who might be making poor choices. For Salvation Army staff, that's not a good reason to abandon the children.

"It's a cliched saying, but the cycle of poverty is true. It really is a cycle," Phifer said. "Their parents that are making the bad decisions, at one point were kids that, odds are, didn't get what they needed from parents.

"If you're a 5-year-old that doesn't get what you need, and you're growing up in chaos, you're chances ... of being able to make good decisions as an adult just aren't there," Phifer continued. "Somebody needs to stop the cycle, and the cycle stops when the kids get the help they need.

"If we abandon them, the cycle will continue."
Google is reportedly releasing two flagship smartwatches in the early months of 2017. With the new Nexus-like wearables, do people will finally say goodbye to smartphones and choose watches for daily activities? Read more details here!

What to Expect from Android Wear 2.0?

Google has made it once again - collaborating with a third-party manufacturer to deliver a product that will definitely carry their name. The same thing that happens to Nexus 6P phone with HTC, Google is releasing another flagship wearable product for 2017 in which they call Android Wear 2.0.

Unlike the previous smartwatches made by Google, Android Wear 2.0 is said to be the solution to the drying-up Smartwatch industry. According to PC Mag, the two upcoming flagship smartwatches of Google will be different and is presumed to stand out among rivals such as Samsung Gear, Apple Watch and FitBit Pebble because of its notable features.

Accordingly, Android Wear 2.0 smartwatches are said to be installed with standalone applications in which users may not need to use a smartphone. For example, Android Pay and Google Assistant for voice-controlled commands are among the apps that are supported by the upcoming wearables.

The Product Manager of Android Wear Jeff Chang did not revealed so much about Android Wear 2.0 aside from saying that there will be two of them that will come in different sizes. Rumors suggesting that aside from the standalone supported apps, the bigger one (with codename "Angelfish") is presumed to be a sporty one with incorporated features such as heart-rate monitor, GPS and LTE and the smaller one (with codename "Swordfish") will be more of a fitness tracker.

Android Wear 2.0 Release Date

The fifth and final developers preview for the new Android Wear 2.0 is scheduled in January. According to The Verge, aside from Google releasing the flagship watches in 2017, partners are also expected to launch devices with Android Wear 2.0 support throughout the year and one example of it is Apple's iOS devices.
There has been a surge in applications from U.S. students to universities and colleges in Canada. This comes after president-elect Donald Trump won the 2016 election and will be coming to office soon.

The AP, via CBC News, reported that universities from Quebec to British Columbia have experienced an increase in its applications and website traffic from the United States. Apparently, this all began when Trump was announced to become the next president of the U.S. on Nov. 8.

While Canadian universities and colleges have increased their efforts in recruiting American students, some experts believe that distress over the results of the presidential election played a major role in the spike. There have been several concerns on what is to be expected during Trump's presidency.

A lot of universities and colleges in the U.S. have stood up against the president-elect's plans regarding immigration. Specifically, schools have vowed to protect undocumented students who will be negatively affected if ever Donald Trump repeals Obama's executive orders, which possibly includes the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy.

17-year-old Lara Godolf, from Napa, Calif., is also worried about Trump's looming presidency. She is especially concerned about how the president-elect's administration will make campuses less safe for women by easing enforcement of federal rules against sexual assault. She has applied in four schools in Canada.

It was noted that applications from U.S. students to the University of Toronto has increased 70 percent as compared to last year's figure. More Canadian schools have also seen a surge by at least 20 percent in American applications.

According to Mic, Jennifer Peterman, a senior manager of global undergraduate recruitment at Montreal's McGill University, there are other factors that may be attracting students to the Canadian institution. The cost of living in Canada as well as McGill's diversity are said to be two of the main reasons that students flock to the university.

Last January, TIME noted that McGill has been consistent in having the largest share of U.S. students.
Ellen Stofan, NASA's chief scientist, has left the space agency for other "adventures." Stofan is believed to have left her post before Christmas last month. Slash Gear reported that Stofan first announced her plan to leave during a National Academies' Space Studies Board symposium in California last December. She admitted that she was leaving in two weeks.

It appears that Ellen Stofan left her post around Dec. 20. NASA confirmed her resignation in an interview posted on Tumblr. In the interview, Stofan was asked what she will miss the most about working with the space agency. She admitted that she will miss the people who continue to push back the frontiers of science and technology in order to achieve great things for the country.

The space agency confirmed that Stofan was "departing for new adventures." She was appointed as NASA's chief scientist in Aug. 2013.There was no reason given for her resignation. There was also no indication on who will take over Stofan's place.

According to Engadget, Stofan revealed that the most exciting endeavor that the space agency is on right now is the search for extraterrestrial life. She played a major role in the development of NASA's strategy for human Mars exploration.

Space.com noted that one of her greatest achievements was in getting NASA to voluntarily request demographic information from scientists who submit grant proposals. She believes that the information can be used to identify and understand any biases in how the grants are awarded.

NASA has played a major role in the scientific breakthroughs of 2016. Olivier Guyon, an associate professor at the University of Arizona, Tucson and a planet-hunting affiliate at NASA, described the discovery of an Earth-like planet as a "game-changer" in the field.

This year, NASA will be sending the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to its two-year outbound journey to asteroid Bennu. It will pass near Earth's L-4 point, which is gravitationally stable and lies 60 degrees ahead in orbit.
A plane on its way to Ohio State University has disappeared after it took off from an airport near Lake Erie late Thursday. The search continues as neither bodies or debris have been recovered. NBC News reported that the Cessna Citation 525 took off at 10:57 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 29, from Burke Lakefront Airport. A short time later, air traffic control officials lost contact with the aircraft.

A spokesperson for the airport confirmed that the aircraft had three adults and three children on board. The passengers were believed to have watched a Cleveland Cavaliers game at the Quicken Loans Arena. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed that the aircraft was on its way to Ohio State University in Columbus. While the plane is kept at a hangar at the school, its passengers are not affiliated with the institution.

The occupants were Superior Beverage Group president and CEO John T. Fleming, his wife Sue, sons Jack and Andrew as well as two close friends. Fleming was piloting the plane.

On Saturday, local source WKYC.com reported that the Coast Guard has temporarily suspended its search for the missing plane. Michael Mullen, chief of response for the Coast Guard 9th District, extended his condolences to the passengers' families and friends.

The search was said to have lasted 20 hours and covered over 128 square miles of Lake Erie. Its suspension was done with "extreme care and deliberation."

According to USA Today, recovery efforts for the plane has resumed on Sunday. FlightAware, a tracking service, was only able to detect three location pings for the missing aircraft.

The last ping indicated rapid altitude loss. However, no distress signals were received.

It was noted that the aircraft took off westward from the airport on Thursday. It then turned around north across the lake. The Coast Guard was notified about its disappearance by air traffic control at Burke less than 30 minutes after it took off at around 10:57 p.m.
The International Owl Center has a fun variety of special programs happening in January. For those who would like to explore their creative side, Joanne Klees will be leading an owl journaling workshop the weekend of Jan. 13-15. This includes seeing the owls up close, working from feathers, owl-themed treats, and three owl center programs.

For those who want to experience live owls in the wild, there will be an owl prowl on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 6:30 p.m. There will be a chance to hear wild Eastern Screech-Owls, Barred Owls, and Great Horned Owls, plus one of the centers live owls will provide a close-up look at a live owl.

Minnesota residents in Houston, Fillmore and Winona counties will get free admission to the owl center for Minnesota Neighbor Weekend Jan. 21-22. Iowa neighbors will get their chance in February.

Free owl pellet dissection will be included with all paid admissions to the owl center on Saturday, Jan. 28. Staff and volunteers will teach you to identify the little skulls and teeth you find in the pellets to figure out what the owls have been eating.

Pre-registration is are required for the journaling workshop and owl prowl. Go o www.InternationalOwlCenter.org for more information.
The student union at the University of Sussex has urged members to ask people first about their preferred pronoun before calling them a "he" or "she." This comes in the midst of heightened public interest over gender equality.

The Sun reported that the University of Sussex Student's Union has added the rule in order to avoid assumptions on an individual's gender. The regulations will be implemented for every meeting as well as any type of media or communications.

It is named the Gender Inclusive Language Policy. This urges students to specify their preferred pronoun at the start in order to prevent offense.

If ever introductions cannot be made, though, gender-neutral language is expected to be used. Gender-specific pronouns such as "he" and "she" will be replaced with "they" while "them" will be used in place of "him" and "her."

The student union has declared that the policy should be used by all of its participating staff and students. This is part of the group's efforts to promote inclusion especially for non-binary and transgender individuals.

It was noted that the University of Sussex is believed to be the first to have this policy. Previously, Oxford University encouraged its student community to use the gender neutral pronoun "ze."

Next, it urged other institutions to "remove gender-specific titles." Instead, institutions are advised to use only academic titles like Dr. and Prof.

According to the Daily Mail, any individual who is continued to be called the wrong pronoun can report their concerns to officers. These elected officers will go through gender inclusivity training.

Meanwhile, the University of Kansas has also ramped up its inclusion efforts. The school's library system has developed a "You Belong Here" marketing effort to make sure that students feel welcome regardless of their gender.

The pins are helpful in letting others know how students should be addressed. Using the wrong pronoun can led to the other person being hurt, disrespected and invalidated.
It's a fact that American English and British English has some differences in meaning and spelling. For example, Americans write 'center' while the British insist it's 'centre.' Moreover, rubber in British in eraser while in American English, it has some references to reproduction. What about donut and doughnut?

This has been a subject of debate not only among people, but dictionaries and style guides. Even stores that sell the stuff seem like they're out to prove which one has the correct spelling as well as the better tasting donut or doughnut. For example, Dunkin' sells donuts everywhere but Krispy Kreme sells doughnuts.

Even dictionaries can't agree but Merriam-Webster says that donuts is a variation of doughnut. They mentioned in their blog that the word 'donut' has been in edited, written text since the 20th century. Even Benjamin Franklin and Noah Webster has used this spelling which was based on phonetics.

Aside from this, the growth of Dunkin' Donuts and Mister Donut has made the spelling even more popular. It makes sense because when Dunkin' Donuts opened in 1950, it started franchising in 1955 until its shops grew to 100 across the nation in 1963. After more than a decade later, it had 1,000 stores. Mister Donut, on the other hand, is in 10,000 locations all over the world.

Although the use of 'donut' has become more popular over the years, the word doughnut is still used by a lot. Thanks to the spelling constraints imposed by style guides. In fact, the Associated Press has directly addressed the issue in 2013 according to Business Insider. The AP style made it clear when it mentioned that 'donut' is a brand name but the food item should be spelled as 'doughnut.'

Despite this, a lot of stores worldwide are willing to follow Dunkin when naming and calling it donut. It doesn't really matter unless you really have a problem with it and that you have to write for a publication which uses the AP Style guide.
LG, Seoul-based electronics giant just showed off what it has for the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show 2017 (CES 2017). AI Robots will dominate LG's line up for the tech convention. This was not LG's first robotic showcase but this could be the best in store for its consumers.

LG CES 2017 showcase has been teased in a primer interview ahead of the show. The LG Robot lineup includes LG Hub Robot Hub Robot, LG SmartThinQ Hub and a commercial model engineered to provide travel tips and info to travelers and guest at airports and hotels.

LG Hub Robot Hub Robot

According to Android Authority, LG Hub Robot is similar to Amazon Echo. The company described it as a smart home gateway and a personal assistant for their consumers. And the development of this robot is still on-going. The full specification of this robot type is expected to be announced during the CES 2017.

LG SmartThinQ Hub

This Echo-style speaker is incorporated with Alexa functionality. As per the picture was shown during the CES 2017 primer interview, its similarity with LG's HOM-BOT is very evident. They also have the same function -in cleaning and might be personal assisting, Tech Crunch reported.

More cleaning AI robots are slated for CES 2017 launch.

LG Airport and Hotel Assistant

The third bot in the list is a commercial model designed to offer up travel info to humans at airports and hotels. LG Airport and Hotel Assistant got the most interest during the trading primer. It is expected to improve travelers' experience.

These three LG robots will be equipped with Alexa AI. However, the company did not specify whether the robots will enlist Alexa-style question answering and home automation or not.

All in, CES 2017 becomes even more exciting as LG lives up to its motto: "Life's good." With its robot navigating through complex work and task becomes easier and comfortable for the people's lives.
I was never going to join the military, I was never going to be a pilot, said U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Bud Daniel, an AV-8B Harrier pilot and logistics officer for Marine Attack Squadron (VMA) 542. I thought I was going to be an archaeologist when I was little, got into science when I went to college and wanted to be an engineer.



A native of Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, Daniel dreamed of being a pilot, but accepted defeat early on due to his bad eye sight.



I had always wanted to be a pilot but I knew my eye sight would stop that from happening, said Daniel. My dad was a pilot in the Marine Corps and I looked up to him for it. It was one of my dreams and I didn't think it was going to be something I could do.



Daniel was coming up on his senior year of college unsure of what he wanted to do with his life and began to look into the military as an option.



The turning point for me was when I did an internship at Lycoming Engines the summer after my junior year of college, said Daniel. I thought I would be helping design aircraft or engines but it turned out that a lot of engineers design very specific components and it drove me crazy. They do great things at that company but I just couldn't do it.



It was when Daniel discovered that he could get the corrective eye surgery necessary to be a pilot that he began to accept his dream of being a pilot as a reality.



I asked my parents for money, said Daniel. I had never done that before and thought I never would. At that point I paid my way through college and got by on my own, but in this situation they helped me out to get the surgery done.



With his vision improved and sights set on becoming a pilot, Daniel decided to join the Marine Corps and begin his career.



My dad was a Marine and there was a certain appeal of the Marine Corps, said Daniel. The can do and tip of the spear attitude drew me in.



Daniel said becoming a pilot was something he really had to work toward. All of the memorization and concepts that were constantly changing was like having to relearn how to learn.



With training well underway, Daniel went on to meet another fellow pilot during flight school in Corpus Christi, Texas, who would later fly in the same unit as him.



He's a very upbeat guy who enjoys laughing and knows how to create a good time out of any situation, said U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Jason Wright, an AV-8B Harrier pilot with VMA-542. He genuinely enjoys flying and while having a good time still stays focused on the task at hand.



Daniel takes the opportunities to enjoy the flights when he can and make memories that will last a lifetime.



The first time I soloed an aircraft was in a T-34 and there was a big cloud in front of me, said Daniel. Being able to cloud surf and fly upside down for the first time by myself was sensational. Later that flight I opened the canopy and felt like someone from World War I.



Daniel's sense of enjoyment for flying is a bridge for other pilots to remember why they do what they do.



When you fly you can tell a lot by someone's tone about how they're doing, said Wright. He always brings spirits up during flight, makes things much less stressful and allows us as pilots to focus on what's necessary.



Wright said Daniel is a very good leader who genuinely cares about his Marines and looks out for their best interests no matter the situation.



To Daniel, being a pilot wouldn't be the same without the Marine Corps. The Marine Corps makes flying second to none through the bonds he has formed.



It means much more for me to be a pilot for the Marine Corps, said Daniel. I went to Officer Candidate School with some of the guys on the ground and it's so much more personal for me to perform my best. By U.S. Marine Corps LCpl. Joseph Abrego

Provided through DVIDS

Copyright 2016 The U.S. Marines | Comment on this article
BOSCOBEL, Wis.  Frank C. Winter, 61 of Boscobel died Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, at Gundersen Boscobel Area Health Care. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Boscobel, with military honors. Burial will be at a later date. Visitation 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Kendall Funeral Home in Boscobel, and 10 a.m. to departure to church.
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Its one thing to parrot warnings that a silver tsunami of retirements will reduce the ranks of health care workers, as if were all gonna die: Merely repeating that old diagnosis wont cure what ails the system.

Its quite another to triage the situation in a quest for cures instead of just hanging up the bedpans, Coulee Region hospital officials contend.

What we need to do is find solutions, said Phil Stuart, CEO of Tomah Memorial Hospital who has heard the Paul Revere wail for years, dating to his chairmanship several years ago of the Wisconsin Hospital Associations Council on Workforce Development.

The WHAs recently released annual report echoed those of other years, predicting a dearth of nurses, in particular, and other health care professionals. But it upped the ante, saying, in a nutshell, that increasing numbers of retirements will leave above-average vacancies on hospital payrolls.

Retirements are outstripping hospitals ability to fill the vacant positions they leave behind. Wisconsin could soon see an unprecedented shortage of key health care professionals, WHA Vice President Steven Rush said in the news release accompanying the report.

It persists for several reasons, but primarily because the demand for health care is increasing as baby boomers approach retirement. Its like a double whammy: The age of our workforce is a direct reflection of the average age of our population, Rush said.

The issues have not gone away, Stuart said during an interview last week. The report reflects what I have known.

The report also mirrors Stuarts advice, noting, Wisconsin hospitals would best be served by staying ahead of the silver tsunami  by paying special attention to hiring and retention strategies focused on the millennial adult.

Health care ventures in the Coulee Region are doing just that, with examples including:

The Health Science Academy in La Crosse, which Stuart described as a prime example  designed to mitigate education gaps and incubate health careers among high school students.

The academy, created in 2009 in a partnership among the La Crosse School District and Gundersen Health System through the La Crosse Medical Health Science Consortium, is a two-year program that prepares juniors and seniors for careers in the health science industry through career exploration, job shadows, clinical experience, health science labs, mentoring, internship opportunities.

One of the consortiums pivotal prescriptions for success is its broad representation, including not only the school district and Gundersen but also Mayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Healthcare, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Viterbo University and Western Technical College.

At Tomah Memorial, Stuart said, We are a training site for nursing schools. We embrace that  it benefits training at the same time students get to know the hospital setting.

Gundersens new program offering employees the chance to enter an educational program to become medical assistants, a pool of workers who support doctors in clinics.

The program, which began in the summer of 2015 in a partnership with Kaplan University and saw its first 13 graduates in November, helps Gundersen fill gaps in those roles at the same time it offers workers advance their own careers, said Mason Quackenbush, who directs Gundersens human resources and recruitment services.

Analyzing workforce data such as that from WHA, its own statistics and figures from throughout the industry are propelling such programs not only for medical assistants but also certified nursing assistants, lab techs and other jobs facing shortages, he said.

We have been strategizing, and it opened our eyes that out job in recruitment is to create our own supply line, Quackenbush said.

Mayo-Franciscan is tapping into students from Winona State University, Viterbo and Western, as well as partnering with Gundersen and the Health Science Academy, said Diane Holmay, chief nursing officer for the systems southwest Wisconsin region.

Having a nice relationship with academia really helps, she said, citing especially the ability to provide training for medical assistance in cooperation with local higher education facilities. For medical assistants, we have a nice pipeline from Western.

In addition, Mayos own dedicated education unit has gone really well, Holmay said. Providers and academic institutions need to think outside the box.

Mayo-Franciscans simulation lab includes mannequins so students dont have to wait for a patient to practice techniques, and they can teach and learn together, Holmay said.

Vernon Memorial Healthcare is creating an internship program its employees who want to become surgical technicians, said Kyle Bakkum, CEO of the Viroqua-based system.

Although shortages in positions such as CNAs are perennial, lags in surgical techs are a particular problem at Vernon Memorial, he said.

Were starting our own internships ourselves, if they would stay on and be educated at technical schools, Bakkum said. We have a thriving surgical department here but thats difficult to do without surg techs.

The effort not only will help the hospital but also boost employee morale by showing confidence in them, he said.

Team-based care model more vital

Throughout the regions hospitals and other health care systems, including nursing homes, lags in one sector of professionals or another make the team-based care model that has emerged during the past decade even more important, officials say.

The growing demand for nurse practitioners and physicians assistants will support the growing provider gap, Mayo-Franciscans Holmay said.

We have to use our staffs differently, with nurse practitioners and physicians assistants providing replacements, especially for outpatients, and also hospitalists.

Holmay and Quackenbush underscore the importance of the tripod of support from UW-L, Viterbo and Western.

Were very, very fortunate to have Viterbo for nursing and Western and UW-L and lab sciences, Quackenbush said. Because of that, we can maintain our pace. Im optimistic, and still concerned.

There is no shortage of enthusiasm among the millennials and Generation Xers entering health care professions to don the scrubs of the retiring Baby Boomers.

I love it, Alyssa Scovell says of her second year as a surgical nurse at Mayo-Franciscan.

I decided in high school I wanted to be a nurse, said Scovell, 25, a graduate of West Salem High School who still lives in West Salem.

I feel like health care jobs always will be there, and for nursing, there is job security, she said. But I wanted to be a nurse, regardless.

Scovell, who started working at Mayo-Franciscan in July 2015, said her first year provided a great foundation. I met a lot of patients and learned a lot. Ive seen more of direct nursing with patients and been an advocate.

Returning to school remains an option for her, she said, adding, I want to be a nurse anesthetist. I picked that in high school, too, and I shadowed a nurse anesthetist in OR at UW-L.

Scovell finds the profession rewarding, saying, Its fulfilling when somebody comes in worried, and you can make them feel better. This isnt always the easiest place to be, but when you can make them feel at ease, its fulfilling.
President Tran Dai Quang

The President shared with the media his evaluations of the countrys achievements in socio-economic development and international integration as well as opportunities and challenges facing the nation in the road ahead.



He noted that 2016 was the first year that the Party, people and army implemented the Resolution adopted at the 12th National Party Congress, which has set overall goal, crucial targets and key tasks for the 2016-2020 period.



In the context of the slow recovery of the global economy along with many complicated changes, Vietnam overcame great difficulties in the first and second quarters of this year to regain the momentum for recovery and development of production, business while maintaining stable macro economy from the beginning of the third quarter, the President said, adding that the gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate failed to reach the yearly set target, but remained among the highest in the region.



He went on to say, We have firmly and persistently fought to protect the countrys independence, sovereignty, unification and territorial integrity, and maintain peace and stability. The external relations and international integration have been deepened and expanded, contributing to enhancing Vietnams position and prestige in the global arena.



At the same time, the President pointed to challenges facing the country, such as unsustainable macro-economic stability, poor growth quality, and slow implementation of major breakthroughs and restructuring of industries and sectors of the economy, along with low labour productivity compared to that of other countries in the region and around the world. Meanwhile, people in remote areas and regions hit by flood, drought, saltwater intrusion and environmental pollution are encountering a lot of hardships.



President Quang also mentioned complicated developments in the East Sea, and stressed that seas and islands are a sacred and indispensable part of the country. He underlined that firmly safeguarding the national independence, sovereignty, unification, and territorial integrity is the responsibility and duty of each Vietnamese.



The President said while Vietnams rights and interests in the East Sea are recognised and protected by international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the country must resolutely and persistently fight to firmly defend national independence, sovereignty, unification, and territorial integrity, as well as to maintain a peaceful and stable environment for national development, and deal with disputes via peaceful means on the basis of respect for international law.



According to the President, the building and safeguarding of the country in the new situation require the entire nation and political system, with the peoples armed force playing the core role, to prepare well in all aspects, keep high combat readiness and avoid falling into the passive or being taken by surprise in all situations. He stressed that strengthening the implementation of national defence-security tasks along with building comprehensively strong peoples armed forces is a critical factor to carry out effectively socio-economic development targets, international integration, and firm protection of national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.



Regarding the countrys attainments in external affairs, President Tran Dai Quang said Vietnam has proactively and actively brought into play the diplomatic guidelines set by the 12th National Party Congress. Despite complicated regional and global developments, the external affair sector, with timely, appropriate and synchronous measures, has continued to meet the requirements of national construction and development, thus increasing the countrys position in the international arena.



He elaborated that Vietnam continued to be a bright example of political stability and development potentials. The nation has pushed ahead with cementing and deepening the friendship and cooperation with other countries and partners for common sustainable development, he said.



Apart from playing an active role in building the ASEAN Community, Vietnam has fulfilled its duties as a member of the UN Human Rights Council, UN Economic and Social Council, and UNESCO Executive Council. A Vietnamese diplomat has been elected to the UN International Law Commission. The country has also actively participated in and made significant contributions to multilateral forums, winning appreciation from international friends.



As regards the fight against corruption, wastefulness and negative phenomena, President Tran Dai Quang took note of positive outcomes in the field with serious corruption and economic violation cases brought to light, winning the publics support. However, those results have not met set requirements and the publics expectations, he said.



For the fight to meet set requirements, it is necessary to build and implement tight management and supervision mechanisms to prevent corruption, together with strict deterrence mechanisms and punishments, the President said.



He stressed that corrupt elements must be dealt with strictly without being affected by pressure from any organisations and individuals, and judicial authorities must coordinate closely with relevant agencies of other countries to promptly arrest criminals hiding abroad, ensure the laws effectiveness and serve as a deterrence to others.



President Tran Dai Quang took this occasion to extend his best wishes to people and soldiers nationwide and overseas Vietnamese in 2017 and the traditional Year of the Rooster.
Residents buy petrol on a street in the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib as a truce brokered by Russia and Turkey came into effect. (AFP/Omar haj kadour)

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' 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.

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.
This generated yearly revenue of more than US$1.7 billion, a slump of 28 per cent year-on-year.

The company contributed over $680 million to the State Budget, some $300 million less than last year.

The Russian partner posted profit of $121 million, while the Viet Nam side made profit of nearly $126 million, a year-on-year decrease of 71 per cent for both sides against last year.

According to Vietsovpetro, the main reason for this years decline in production was due to the lower oil price. The average oil price this year stands at $45 per barrel, $9 less than in 2015. In addition, the oil reserve in existing mines also continues to decline gradually even as technology has degraded quickly.

In 2016, Vietsopetro provided ashore some 1.68 billion cu.m. of gas, representing 130 per cent of the yearly plan, bringing the total amount of gas shipped ashore, so far, to over 30.9 billion cu.m.
Several travel companies in HCM City have said that their rivals manipulated contact information on Google Maps in an alleged tactic to steal clients, with contact numbers deliberately changed as an act of business sabotage.

Truong uc Hai, CEO of Pearl of the Far East, was quoted by VnExpress as saying that the phone numbers of his company and some others listed on Google Maps had been changed to that of Asia Travel.

At least 18 travel agencies were affected. Tourists often search on Google to find information about tours and services, and incorrect listings are harmful, he said.

Representing the companies, Hai filed a complaint with the citys tourism administration earlier this week, publicly accusing Asia Travel of sabotaging their business.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday (22 December), VNAT General Director Nguyen Van Tuan said that cyber-sabotage acts were illegal and would be strictly punished.

Any company found to have changed the Google listings of other travel films will have its business license revoked, he added.
Artist Tyrus Wong, a pioneering Chinese American artist, is seen here at the beach in Santa Monica, Calif., in 2004 with some of the kites he designed and built. Wong created works for Disney and Warner Bros.
Jordan Holter only revisits his criminal past when he can use it to inspire others.

For years, he was committing crimes while addicted to methamphetamine. He had lost his way.

Jailed again in 2014, Holter took advantage of programming that led to a college education. He hasnt lost his away again, even after a significant setback.

I was ready to close that chapter, he said.

Sober now for 2 years, hes a college graduate, working, married and raising four children.

Holter, 32, of La Crosse, in December was one of two people statewide to earn a Wisconsin Job Honor Award that recognized his efforts to overcome obstacles to employment, including 15 convictions over a span of 11 years.

He is an inspiration to job seekers trying to overcome barriers, said Kyle Horn, who founded Americas Job Honor Awards in 2014. We want people to think, If he can do it, I can do it.

Holter tried meth for the first time at a party in 2006. Using led to selling, at first to support his habit and later to support himself when he lost his job in customer service.

It was super easy, he said. Everyone wanted it.

At his worse, Holter was using hundreds of dollars worth of meth every day. He wont say how much he was selling.

It was enough, he said.

Jailed on his 11th criminal case, Holter said, he decided it was time to change. He was sick of the lifestyle, sick of missing the little things, sick of being stuck on a dead-end road.

I was done with it, done with everything, he said.

Holter in September 2014 enrolled in Project Proven, a program offered by Western Technical College at the La Crosse County Jail that helps inmates transition into academics and back into the community. Instructors help inmates explore career paths, and search for jobs and housing, and get them enrolled in education, said Tonya Van Tol, who oversees the program.

I was worried about how I was going to live and not commit crimes anymore. How was I going to hustle the right way? Holter said. Project Proven helped me build a sustainable life.

Holter also was enrolled in the countys Drug Treatment Court when he left jail on Sept. 30, 2014, and walked into Western the next day to study welding.

He was sober, employed, enrolled in college and caring for his ailing grandfather when investigators arrested him on Oct. 18, 2015, two days before he was set to graduate from drug court.

Holter was one of 17 tied to a massive drug trafficking ring that police estimate was responsible for two-thirds of the meth distributed in the region. His role in the case predated his involvement in drug court, although Holter realized the new charges put everything he worked for in jeopardy.

My counselor came to the jail and told me, Dont let this define you. Even if you do go to prison, dont digress, Holter said.

Calling Holters an exceptional case during his sentencing in March, a La Crosse County judge adopted a joint recommendation from attorneys and placed him on 18 months of probation.

I am so grateful, Holter said.

Holter in May landed an apprenticeship at Great Lakes Cheese in La Crosse as a maintenance technician, where hes respected by his colleagues and emerging as a leader, said his supervisor, Harley Heinrichs.

If someone goes through what he went through and preserves, it shows what he can accomplish, Heinrichs said.

Holter was honored with his state award on Dec. 15 in front of his wife, mother, probation officer and Van Tol, who nominated him, plus a few hundred others during a ceremony in Madison. It is Holters determination to overcome enormous obstacles that can serve as an inspiration, Van Tol said.

Jordan has continued to overcome challenges that have swallowed thousands of people before him and exemplified the American dream, she wrote in her nomination letter. Jordans story is one of severe struggle and challenges, but also one of determination and hope.

The day after the award ceremony, Holter finished his coursework at Western with a 3.7 grade point average and a Manufacturing Systems Maintenance Technician diploma.

Its been a blur, Holter said of his path to success. I dont want to look back anymore.

But, at times, he does. He still attends drug court weekly to show his support for participants. Sharing his story of recovery, he said, keeps him grounded. He has a different message for the audiences he can reach.

To at-risk youth: In the drug world, your friends turn to foes and your loved ones will leave. Youll end up alone.

To dealers: Its OK to leave the game.

To users: Quit. Its worth it.

To employers: The recovering addict with a criminal record could turn out to be your most dedicated employee. Give him or her a chance.

People can change. I did, Holter said. If someone is ready, theyre ready. Nothing will hold them back.

He is an inspiration to job seekers trying to overcome barriers. We want people to think, If he can do it, I can do it. Kyle Horn, founder of Americas Job Honor Awards
Teforia founder and Chief Executive Allen Han is hoping his $1,499 tea infuser will become as popular as the coffee worlds Keurig.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention microbiologist Kitty Anderson holds up a 96-well plate used for testing the ability of bacteria to grow in the presence of antibiotics.
Born to parents who fled the upheaval brought about by the coming to power of the Khmer Rouge regime in the early 1970s, Peou Tuy, a spoken word poet, was four years old when she was accepted as a refugee in the United States.

Born in Battambang province in the final days before the regime fell in 1979, Tuy spent her early years in Thailands refugee camps before moving to the U.S.

About 100,000 Cambodian refugees moved to the U.S. around the time that Tuy and her family were beginning a new life. Many ended up in areas with high rates of crime and poverty.

Growing up in Lowell, MA, Tuy struggled with identity issues. I went through the process of not loving who I was, not loving being Khmer and struggling with the dynamics of being Khmer and Khmer American, she said.

She suffered period of deep depression and low self-esteem. Her sister, who was of a lighter skin tone, would taunt her for her dark complexion, which is often seen as less attractive in Khmer society.

Her mother and sister would insist she use skin-whitening products, adding to her self-image problems and her father ran a strict conservative household.

In the early 2000s Tuy left home for college without her parents permission and their relationship hit the rocks.

We didnt really talk for a long time. I moved myself out of my family home and the Khmer community. I had a lot of self-doubt, and depression  not understanding the Khmer culture and not being able to communicate my feelings, she said.

But Tuy has found an avenue to deal with her pain through poetry. In 2014 she published her autobiography, Khmer Girl, an account of her journey from Cambodia.

In 2005, Tuy had an abortion after she was raped by a friend. I never accepted it. I never forgave myself or forgave him, she said.

The episode sparked a fresh bout of depression, before last year she found solice after listening to a friend speak at a seminar about forgiveness.

I just kept crying, crying, and crying and all of a sudden thought, I need to forgive myself because if I dont forgive myself, there is no way that I can move on and embrace where I was at, she said.

Today Tuy organizes workshops in the community to teach people about the effects of trauma, healing and self-worth.

Through reading her poems to students at high schools and universities, as well as in the Cambodian diaspora community, Tuy has been able to find purpose in life.

When I started to do the trauma and healing workshop, the reconciliation came because a lot of young Khmer women would come up to me and say, how do you do this? How do you write? How do you express your feelings? It made me feel that I had a purpose, she said.

Tuy is currently working on a children's book project and continues to speak about healing and self-worth.
The Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam) is set to launch a new interactive multimedia website later this month hosting more than 1 million publicly accessible documents related to the Khmer Rouge regime.

Pheng Pong-Rasy of DC-Cams genocide education project, said the new website will launch next week and is intended to be a free resource that Cambodians will be able to access from their smartphones to learn about their collective past.

While in the past the group has tried to reach people through printed written materials, Pong-Rasy believes the now-widespread use of smartphone technology means that people in remote areas of the country will easily be able to access the documents directly.

We came up with this idea of creating a permanent website where students and youngsters of all generations could access them with their phone whenever they want. This is our main purpose, he said.

We created this [website] not only to target youngsters, but anyone who could see it especially those who are living far away from town and those who have never been educated at all about Khmer Rouge history, he added.

As well as being able to access the documents, visitors to the website can use an interactive timeline of events, from the earliest days of the party formation to the present-day Khmer Rouge tribunal hearings. The website will also feature profiles of key individuals and audio-visual materials, including rare photographs and interviews with survivors.

It will be accessible in both the Khmer and English languages and have spaces for users to leave comments and ask questions, which will be answered by DC-Cam staff.

Estimates suggest as many as 1.7 million Cambodians died under the reign of the totalitarian Khmer Rouge, which ruled the country between 1975 and 1979.

Hang Chuon Naron, education minister, said resources such as the new DC-Cam website could be valuable supplements to education in school about the history of the Khmer Rouge.

Theres a saying, if we dont know about the history, that history will repeat itself. So we have to know and learn both bad and good lessons. So to be able to analyze, where do we want to go? Where are we from? To know where we should go, we need to be prepared to build the nation. So to build a nation, [we] need to know the history too, he said.

He added that the ministry had worked with DC-Cam in the past to publish schoolbooks and conducted training for teachers and had added questions on the Khmer Rouge to national examination papers.

Latt Ky, Khmer Rouge tribunal coordinator with local rights group Adhoc, said the website would especially benefit members of the public previously unexposed to their modern history, and also civil parties to the ongoing trials of former regime officials, who would be able to learn about their story from the relevant documents.

The new DC-Cam website will be available at www.thekhmerrougehistory.com.
Turkey has begun burying victims of the New Year's Day attack that killed at least 39 people, 16 of them foreign nationals. Authorities are still looking for the gunman who opened fire in a crowded nightclub in central Istanbul. Zlatica Hoke has more.
When the National League for Democracy took office in Myanmar in April, many activists, journalists and civil society groups hoped the change to a democratic government would mark a turning point for freedom of expression, following decades of repressive army rule.



Some 10 months later, however, the government of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi has made little progress in strengthening freedom of expression, according to activists, who warn it has failed to prevent a sharp rise in the number of arrests for online defamation.



The government has not shown enough commitment to improve freedom of expression, said Myo Myint Nyein, a magazine editor and former political prisoner who chairs the Myanmar chapter of PEN, an international writers' advocacy group.



The spike in online defamation charges under the 2013 Telecommunications Law has become particularly worrying, he said, adding, "Digital freedom is worse." PEN and other civil society groups are calling on the NLD to urgently change the law.



"The NLD have moved slowly to repeal or amend laws that limit free expression...but should be given credit for repealing a few abusive laws," said David Mathieson, Myanmar researcher for Human Rights Watch.

In 2011, the previous, quasi-civilian government initiated political reforms and began removing junta-era restrictions on freedom of expression, giving rise to a lively media and civil society landscape, and increased public activism.



The government, however, left some repressive laws on the books, while introducing new ones, such as the Telecommunications Law. It regulates the rapidly expanding telecom sector in Myanmar and contains Article 66D, a vaguely worded charge that punishes online defamation with a fine and up to three years in prison.



Myo Myint Nyein said online defamation cases "increased dramatically in 2016," as PEN recorded 38 cases last year, compared to only seven from 2013 to 2015.



Han Gyi, coordinator of the Network for Human Rights Documentation-Burma, which includes eight rights groups, agrees the Telecommunications Law has become a tool of repression and should be reviewed. "Article 66D is the main obstacle for freedom of expression," he said. The NLD has sent mixed signals in response to the calls for reform.



In November, a parliamentary commission recommended removing Article 66D, but Lower House Speaker Win Myint recently declined to criticize the law when questioned by local media.



The NLD government has used Article 66D to sue Eleven Media, a popular Yangon-based newspaper, for online defamation. The paper had insinuated, without evidence, the Yangon Region chief minister received an expensive watch from a wealthy criminal. Eleven Media's chief executive and editor-in-chief have since been jailed.



VOA was unable to reach government officials or NLD MP's for comment.



Army remains powerful



Myo Myint Nyein said authorities have greatly increased use of Article 66D, while ordinary citizens use it against each other.



Many cases involve Facebook users or activists accused of defaming the military. The army remains powerful under Myanmar's constitution and controls the Ministry of Home Affairs and thus the police, which can accept or initiate defamation charges.



Low-level NLD members have also been ensnared. Myo Yan Naung Thein, secretary of the party Central Committee for Research and Strategy Studies, was detained in November for a Facebook post that called the army chief "shameless" for his handling of the Rakhine State crisis in western Myanmar.



Press freedom threatened?



A survey at a Yangon media forum in November, conducted by British-based, free speech advocacy group Article 19, found most Myanmar journalists believe the online defamation charge is a major threat to press freedom.



The survey found journalists also want other laws amended, such as the Penal Code, the 2014 Printing and Publishing Enterprise Law, and the 2014 News Media Law.



Sithu Aung Myint, a well-known columnist with Frontier magazine in Yangon, played down some of the concerns, saying the media are enjoying greater openness.



"I think press freedom in Myanmar is growing and growing under the NLD government," he said, adding Article 66D is not used much against journalists and never by the army.



Coverage on crisis in Rakhine



Also affecting media freedom is the government's response to news coverage of the Rakhine State crisis.



Since October, the army has conducted security sweeps in Rohingya Muslim areas of Rakhine in search of militants, but the operations have been marred by claims and evidence of massive rights abuses, such as rape, killings and destruction of villages.



The government has prevented media from freely reporting in the area and aggressively denounced any reports of abuses, which are mostly brought by foreign media and rights groups.



The government has threatened to sue foreign outlets and in late October a government spokesman publicly assailed a foreign reporter at the Myanmar Times over a rape allegation story. The paper promptly fired the journalist.



Myo Myint Nyein, of PEN, said the government had been wrong to block media access as it had only increased doubts about the situation in Rakhine.



Mathieson, of Human Rights Watch, echoed this view, saying, "It makes the government and military seem more guilty when they treat the media as mushrooms: keeping them in the dark and feeding them on manure."
Afghanistan's first female fixed wing pilot in the country's air force awaits a response to her asylum request to the United States, which she filed last month after receiving threats from Taliban insurgents, according to her lawyer.

"Her reason for seeking asylum in the United States is she's in fear that if she were to go back to Afghanistan that she would be persecuted," Kimberley Motley told VOA's Afghan Service. "She has a tremendous amount of worry about the Taliban insurgents who have put out death threats against her and, frankly, now she's concerned with the government who has also issued a statement through the ministry of defense that if she is to return, she will be prosecuted for desertion."

Niloofar Rahmani, 25, says she has received threats telling her to leave the military from the same insurgent faction that attempted to assassinate Malala Yousefzai in Pakistan.

Since she has filed for asylum in the United States  a move criticized by many Afghans  the Afghan ministry of defense has released a statement saying that there are no threats against Rahmani.

"I'm very disappointed, Motley said. I know Niloofar is, as well, at the very visceral, negative response that she has received from many people within Afghanistan about her decision to protect her life and to protect herself. She's been ridiculed in Afghanistan; she's been threatened by Afghan governmental officials, and many people are just frankly attacking her character and saying she straight-out lied."

Motley said the accusations are criminal, because defamation is illegal in Afghanistan.

But the public response to her claim has largely aligned with that of the government. Rahmani gained popularity when she first enlisted in 2013, providing hope for women throughout the country who wish to break into careers usually reserved for men. But since filing her claim after completing an 18-month training program in the United States, many social media users said she wasted Afghan money and deserves to be charged with desertion.

The Afghan military also has criticized her decision, saying that any military officer should understand and accept the risks that come with the job, and that the threat to women is no greater than the threat to men.

"When an officer complains of insecurity and is afraid of security threats, then what should ordinary people do?" said Mohammad Radmanish, deputy spokesperson for the ministry of defense. "She has made an excuse for herself, but we have hundreds of educated women and female civil right activists who work and it is safe for them."

Rahmani was a recipient of the U.S. State Department's "Women of Courage" award in 2015.
At least 800 sub-Saharan African migrants stormed a border fence Sunday between Morocco and Ceuta, an autonomous Spanish city on the northern coast of Africa, according to Spanish and Moroccan officials.

Five Spanish and 50 Moroccan police were injured, ten seriously, as they clashed with migrants who tried to break through the fence using rocks and metal bars.

The Spanish government said two of the migrants were allowed to enter Ceuta for treatment at a local hospital. The rest were returned to Morocco.

Ceuta and Melilla, another Spanish city in northern Africa, are frequently used as entry points into Europe for African migrants, who are in search of a better life. Most who try to cross the border are apprehended and returned to Morocco. Those who succeed in making it over the fences are repatriated or let go. Thousands of others try to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean Sea, often in small boats unfit for the open sea.

Human rights groups have criticized Spain for returning migrants to Morocco. They have argued that bypassing the longer deportation procedures, migrants are deprived the chance to claim asylum.

The International Organization for Migration said there were nearly 5,000 deaths in the Mediterranean in 2016, making it the deadliest year ever for migrants.
A manhunt is underway in Bahrain for ten inmates convicted of terrorism charges who escaped after armed gunmen stormed the prison, killing a police officer.

Bahrain's interior ministry said on Twitter that five members of a "terrorist group" armed with automatic rifles and pistols attacked Jaw prison, located south of the capital of Manama, Sunday.

Seven of the inmates were serving life sentences and three were serving lengthy prison terms for what the ministry said were "terrorist acts."

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, which also wounded a second officer.

Bahrain, a small island nation off the coast of Saudi Arabia, has grappled with low-level unrest since its 2011 Arab Spring protests when the country's Shi'ite majority and others demanded greater political freedoms from the nation's Sunni rulers. Shi'ites have complained the Sunni-led monarchy has discriminated against them, a charge that the government denies.

The government launched a broad crackdown on protestors in April, jailing some prominent political figures and pushing others into exile. Thousands of primarily Shi'ite Muslims have been imprisoned for participating in anti-government activities.

Bahrain is home to the U.S. 5th Fleet. Britain is also opening a naval base in the Persian Gulf nation.
South Korean prosecutors said Monday the daughter of the confidante of disgraced President Park Geun-hye has been arrested in Denmark and authorities are working to get her returned home in connection with a huge corruption scandal.

Park was impeached last month by lawmakers amid public fury over prosecutors' allegations that the president conspired to allow her longtime friend, Choi Soon-sil, to extort companies and control the government.

Denmark police arrested Choi's daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, on the weekend on charges of staying in the country illegally.

South Korea had asked Interpol to search for Chung because she didn't return home to answer questions about the scandal.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency reports that Chung, a former member of the national equestrian team, allegedly took advantage of her mother's relationship with Park to get unwarranted favors from Seoul's Ewha Womans University.
Authorities in Gambia have shut down a private radio station, amid rising political tension as president Yahya Jammeh continues to deny his defeat in recent elections.

Teranga FM, which translates news from Gambian papers into local languages, was ordered shut by national security officers on Sunday for unspecified reasons.

Four National Intelligence Agency operatives and one police officer in uniform came to the radio station Sunday and told us to stop broadcasting, a staff member told the French Press Agency on the condition of anonymity.

Teranga FM has been taken off the air four times in recent years, and its managing director was charged with sedition in 2015 and has remained imprisoned since then.

A second station near the capital, Hilltop radio, was also reportedly closed Monday.

West Africa's regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has threatened to use force in Gambia if the country's longtime leader does not step down in January as scheduled, following his loss in last month's presidential election.

Jammeh, who has ruled Gambia for 22 years, initially accepted defeat after the election, but a week later changed his mind. He said voting irregularities made him question the win by opposition candidate Adama Barrow.
Myanmar arrested several police officers Monday who had been filmed beating Rohingya civilians, a rare government acknowledgement of abuse against the Muslim minority.



Though multiple videos have circulated documenting police abuse in the Rakhine state, which has been largely closed to journalists and aid workers for months, this is the first time the government has confirmed the videos and promised to take action.



The officers were reportedly questioning residents in the village of Kotankauk in November while investigating a tip about the gunmen who attacked a border post in October, killing nine officers.



The video shows several police officers beating and kicking two villagers, including a young boy who was hit in the head.



"Those who [were] initially identified were detained," read a statement released by Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi's office Monday. "Further investigations are being carried out to expose other police officers who beat villagers in the operation."



Following the October attack, the military moved on the territory in full force, arresting more than 500 people and killing at least 100. At least six soldiers have died.



Since the operation started, it has been tainted by dozens of allegations of sexual assault and other abuses.The United Nations says more than 100,000 people have not been receiving normal assistance and close to 22,000 Rohingya have fled into nearby Bangladesh. In addition, security forces have allegedly razed more than 1,500 buildings, according to interviews and satellite imagery released by Human Rights Watch this week.



The government has vehemently denied allegations of rape and claimed residents burned their own houses down in an act of conflict propaganda.
In a signal of strengthening ties with Beijing, Nepal will hold its first-ever military exercise with China next month.

The development is being closely watched in India, which is wary of Beijings growing influence in the tiny Himalayan country that is sandwiched between the two Asian giants.

Nepals army says the focus of the military exercise will be on training Nepali forces in dealing with hostage scenarios involving international terror groups and on disaster management.

Nepal and China have been exchanging military delegations, visits and courses but such kind of drill is taking place for the first time, according to Brigadier General Tara Bahadur Karki, a spokesperson for the Nepal Army.

India will watch closely

A China expert in New Delhi, Jayadeva Ranade, says that India would be evaluating carefully to see what the exercise signifies. Is it a trend for introducing military to military relations on an expanding scale or is it a one-off?

Nepal is brushing aside such concerns calling it a small scale exercise with no strategic implications. Kathmandus envoy to India, Deep Upadhyay, told the Times of India newspaper that "there's really not much in it. Whichever way you look at it, Nepal has a special relationship with India and that's not going to change because of any such exercise.''

The joint military drill will be held as New Delhi tries to regain ground it lost to China last year when former Nepalese Prime Minister, K.P. Oli, pursued closer relations with Beijing in a bid to ease Nepals critical dependence on India following a border blockade by ethnic protestors that created massive hardship in the country.

Since Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal took power five months ago, India and Nepal have reset ties, raising hopes of restoring the traditional bonhomie in relations.

China expands influence

But political analysts point out that Chinas influence is in Nepal to stay as Beijing expands its presence in a bid to gain a foothold in South Asia.

In recent years, Beijing has wooed Nepal with millions of dollars to help build roads, hospitals and other infrastructure, and signed agreements to supply energy over difficult mountain routes.

Moreover China is also aggressively coming. I must admit that, aggressively coming to invest, have more interactions, to open new dialogue with different sectors of society, says Lok Raj Baral, the head of Nepals Center for Contemporary Studies in Kathmandu.

But Baral feels that the upcoming military exercise does not signal growing defense cooperation between Nepal and Beijing. I dont think we are going to have much more closer relations with Chinese military in the future in other respects, he says.

However Indian analysts say the drill will cause unease in New Delhi because India has open borders with landlocked Nepal, which conducts its trade and transit through these routes.

We look at Nepal as part of our strategic space, so there is a bit of contest taking place there, says Ranade. He points out that an increased Chinese presence in Nepal brings China right up to our border, which is very porous.
U.S. President Barack Obama says he will deliver a farewell address next week, reflecting on the successes during his White House tenure and offering his thoughts on where the country heads as President-elect Donald Trump assumes power January 20.

In an email to supporters Monday, Obama said the January 10 speech in his hometown of Chicago is "a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways you've changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here."

The 55-year-old president said, "Since 2009, we've faced our fair share of challenges, and come through them stronger. That's because we have never let go of a belief that has guided us ever since our founding -- our conviction that, together, we can change this country for the better."

His speech will follow a longstanding tradition for U.S. presidents, started by George Washington in 1796, of addressing the nation as they leave office.

Back in Washington



Obama returned to Washington Monday from his annual Christmas vacation in the island state of Hawaii, where he was born and spent much of his youth. In his last two and a half weeks in office, aides say Obama is likely to grant more clemencies to imprisoned drug offenders whose sentences he thinks were too harsh and possibly issue more executive orders to try to lock in policies he favors and that Trump opposes.

While Obama, a Democrat, has sought to ease the Republican Trump's transition to power in a one face-to-face meeting and several phone calls, he also has taken actions that have frustrated the incoming president. Obama has issued new orders to block ocean oil drilling off U.S. shorelines, declared new national park monuments and further emptied out the U.S. prison for suspected terrorists at its naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Obama also for the first time ordered his United Nations ambassador to allow a Security Council resolution to pass that criticized Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and imposed sanctions on Russia for Moscow's computer hacking during the U.S. presidential campaign, with both actions in direct conflict with Trump.

Meeting with Congress



Obama is meeting Wednesday with Democrats in Congress in an effort to to devise a strategy to protect his signature domestic achievement, national health care reforms that Trump and Republican lawmakers have vowed to quickly repeal, even though they have yet to agree on what replacement policies they plan to adopt.

When he becomes a private citizen, Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are moving to a Washington home not far from the White House and plan to stay there until their younger daughter Sasha finishes high school in 2019. He is the first president in nearly a century to stay in Washington after leaving office.
Native Americans who have long bemoaned their lack of participation in federal land decisions scored a major victory when President Barack Obama designated a new national monument in Utah that gives five tribes an opportunity to weigh in on the management of their ancestral home.



But federal bureaucrats working under President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet appointees will still have the final say on all land decisions, and some tribal officials are concerned that the shared-management arrangement could quickly sour if the incoming administration charts a different course for the 1.35-million acre Bears Ears National Monument.



Navajo Nation lawmaker Davis Filfred, who hopes to be on the tribal commission helping to oversee the monument, said he and others are worried, but they are trying to stay hopeful that the administration will give the commission a legitimate voice.



Now is not the time to bash him, Filfred said, because I need him.



Federal officials will also create a different advisory committee made up of local government officials, business owners and private landowners to provide recommendations. That board will probably lean heavy with people who opposed the designation over concerns about adding another layer of federal control and closing the area to new energy development, a common refrain in the battle over use of the American West's vast open spaces.



The language designating the monument creates a tribal commission composed of one elected official from each of five tribes. That arrangement falls short of the full co-management system the tribes requested, but they still considered the setup a significant improvement.



Important seat at the table

It's double, not a home run from the tribes' perspective, said Kevin Washburn, a University of New Mexico law professor and the Obama administration's former assistant secretary for Indian affairs. But it gives the tribes an important seat at the table.



Obama has protected more acreage through new or expanded national monuments than any other president. But Trump is not expected to carry on that legacy. The Republican businessman has pledged to honor Theodore Roosevelt's tradition of conservation in the West but has also said he will unleash energy production and has railed against faceless, nameless bureaucrats in land-management agencies.



Utah's Republican senators, Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee, vowed to work with the Trump administration to get the Bears Ears monument repealed.





On Thursday, state elected officials and county commissioners blasted federal officials at a protest in the small city of Monticello, Utah, declaring that the monument shows the Obama administration ignores the wishes of Utah residents.



The Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management and the Department of Agriculture's Forest Service will co-manage Bears Ears. The red rock lands are home to an estimated 100,000 archaeological sites, including intact ancient cliff dwellings that attract visitors from around the world.



Obama also designated the Gold Butte National Monument in Nevada outside Las Vegas, protecting 300,000 acres of scenic and ecologically fragile area near where rancher Cliven Bundy led an armed standoff with government agents in 2014. It includes rock art, artifacts, rare fossils and recently discovered dinosaur tracks.



The monument designation allows current oil and mining within the boundaries, but it bans new activity. Grazing, hiking, hunting and fishing will still be allowed.



First-of-its-kind setup

White House officials touted the tribal commission as a first-of-its-kind setup that will ensure management decisions reflect tribal expertise and traditional and historical knowledge. The commission will include one elected officer from each of the five tribes that formed a coalition to push for the monument: Hopi, Navajo, Ute Mountain Ute, Zuni and the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uinta Ouray.



The tribes will help set a new standard for collaborative management at the national monument, Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye said. We look forward to the day when all national monuments on native lands are collaboratively managed with tribes.



The commission and monuments are part of a concerted push by the Obama administration to protect native lands and show respect for tribal voices, said Athan Manuel, Sierra Club director of lands protection in Washington, D.C. The Chimney Rock National Monument in Colorado, designated in 2012, is another example.



Politically, it's a great message that Native American communities are being recognized this way, Manuel said.



Zuni councilman Carleton Bowekaty is optimistic that the commission will have a legitimate role in decisions no matter the political agenda of the White House because of specific legal language in the designation. It not only ensures that the commission cannot be scrapped but requires that the Interior and Agriculture secretaries give written explanations if they decide not to incorporate formal recommendations made by the tribal commission.



The first test will be the creation of a monument-management plan, a process that sometimes takes years to complete.



This is more than consultation, Bowekaty said. We believe it's a very important step in making our voices known. This is definitely a milestone.
Turkish media have broadcast a video of a man they say is the suspected gunman who killed 39 people during a New Year's attack on an Istanbul nightclub.

The video appears to be from a cell phone the man is carrying as he walks around Istanbul's Taksim square. He spends much of the time looking into the camera, but does not speak.

It is unclear when the video was recorded.

Authorities had earlier released a grainy image of the suspected shooter taken from security camera footage.

Turkish media also reported Tuesday that authorities detained two foreign nationals at Istanbul's Ataturk airport in connection with the attack. No other details were given.

Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told reporters Monday that eight other people had been detained.

The attack began early Sunday with the gunman killing a police officer and a civilian outside the Reina nightclub before going inside. There were about 600 people, many of them foreigners, in the club at the time, some of whom jumped into the Bosphorus Strait in order to escape. Authorities said the shooter blended in with people leaving the club. In addition to those killed, about 70 people were injured.

On Tuesday, U.S. President Barack Obama spoke by phone with Erdogan to express his condolences. The White House said the two leaders agreed that Turkey and the United States must continue to stand united in order to defeat terrorism. Obama also praised Turkey's ongoing efforts to work with regional players to facilitate a nationwide cease-fire in Syria and a return to political negotiations between the Syrian regime and the opposition.

IS claims responsibility



In a statement Monday, Islamic State said one of its heroic soldiers carried out the attack and that it targeted Turkey for siding with countries of the cross." The group said the night club was targeted because it was a place where Christians celebrated their apostles.

"It was certainly expected that Islamic State would one way or another be linked to the attack, said political analyst Sinan Ulgen, of EDAM, an Istanbul-based political research group. "Looking at both the nature of the target, a popular night club, (and) the timing, New Years Eve, made it likely to be Islamic State.

In a video released last week, Islamic State called on its supporters to launch attacks in Turkey. The video came against the backdrop of the Turkish militarys ongoing battle to wrest control of the strategically important Syrian town of al-Bab from the jihadist group.

Citing security sources, Turkish media reported Monday the gunman in the nightclub attack is believed to have come from a Central Asian country, either Kyrgyzstan or Uzbekistan. Many Islamic State fighters are drawn from Central Asian countries and have used Istanbul as a base before traveling to fight in Syria.

Experts say Turkey is paying for the governments earlier Syrian policy. Turkey did choose to support Islamist-leaning groups of the Syrian rebel opposition, with the view and expectation that support would accelerate regime change in Syria, notes analyst Ulgen. What we have seen is these groups have taken advantage of the position of the Turkish government to set up (terror) cells within Turkey, which are now being used against Turkey.

Local media, citing a police report, said that three days before the nightclub attack, 63 suspected Islamic State militants were detained across Turkey, including in Istanbul. The same report said many of those held were from foreign countries and that the same jihadist cell which carried out Junes attack on Istanbuls Ataturk airport could be behind this latest deadly attack.

Funerals

Funerals are continuing for those killed in the New Year's attack, which was the fourth deadly IS attack in Istanbul in a year.

For one unnamed mourner there was both anger and despair.

This is where words fail. What word, what sentence can depict this pain? After life is gone, the heart is gone. Terror is not only the problem of this country, it is the problem of every living person, but they just cannot find a solution, the mourner said.

The PKK Kurdish rebel group has also carried out bombings in Turkey's main cities, including last month in Istanbul. The government has promised to step up security.

But the security forces are struggling to cope with mass purges within their ranks after Julys failed coup attempt, which Turkey's government has blamed on followers of the Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen.
Police in Pakistan are investigating an activist for alleged hate speech after he wished Christians in the Muslim nation happy holidays and called for prayers for those charged under blasphemy laws.

On Christmas Day, Shaan Taseer posted a video on his Facebook page wishing a Merry Christmas and asking for prayers for those victimized by what he called inhumane blasphemy laws.

'Very credible death threats'

Taseer's father, Punjab governor Salman Taseer, was gunned down in 2011 by his bodyguard for championing the case of a Christian woman, Asia Bibi, who was sentenced to death under the blasphemy laws, which he said needed to be reformed.

Bibi, a 50-year-old mother of five, has been in prison since June 2009 after being convicted of blasphemy during an argument with a Muslim woman over a bowl of water.

Shaan Taseer, a Muslim, said on Monday that he had received very credible death threats from supporters of the hard-line Muslim philosophy that inspired his father's killer, bodyguard Mumtaz Qadri.

Mass protests in works?

"They are sending me Mumtaz Qadri's photos with messages that there are several Mumtaz Qadris waiting for me," he said.

Hardliners have called for mass protests if, by Tuesday, police do not charge Taseer with blasphemy against Islam  a crime punishable by death.

A spokesman for the hard-line Islamist movement Sunni Tehreek said the group was not calling for Taseer's murder, only his prosecution and eventual execution.
Pakistan began a special five-day polio immunization campaign in the southwestern city of Quetta on Monday for children under five after a rare strain of the virus was found in sewage samples, officials said.

Local officials said they had recruited Muslim clerics to promote the immunizations for 400,000 children after past programs were met with resistance and even violence by extremists.

The religious leaders were ... asking the people to give their children anti-polio drops in their sermons in the mosques in rural areas of Baluchistan," said Syed Faisal Ahmed, coordinator of the local Emergency Operation Center.

Pakistan is one of just three countries in the world, along with Afghanistan and Nigeria, that have endemic polio, a once-common childhood virus that can cause paralysis or death.

Last year, Pakistan reported a record low of 19 cases, Ahmed said, with only one of them in Baluchistan province, of which Quetta is the capital.

The new campaign follows the detection of the rare Type 2 strain of polio in sewage samples taken by the World Health Organization in November, Ahmed said. The WHO reported the findings last week.

No cases of the Type 2 strain have been reported in humans in Quetta but it has been added to the vaccine as a precaution. The more common type of polio is Type 1, with no human cases of Type 2 reported for more than a decade.

We have achieved major goals in combating polio disease, but still we have to strive more to declare Pakistan a polio-free country, Ahmed said.

Immunization efforts have in the past been hampered by Islamist militants. Last January, a suicide bomber killed 15 people outside a vaccination center in Quetta in an attack claimed by the Pakistani Taliban and another militant group, Jundullah.

Militants in Pakistan have previously alleged the immunization campaigns are a cover for Western spies.

The doctor believed to have helped the CIA track down the deceased al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden  architect of the 2001 attacks on the United States  has been accused of using a fake vaccination campaign to collect DNA samples.
French President Francois Hollande vowed that Islamic State will soon be beaten. He spoke during a one-day visit to Iraq, the same day a suicide bomber struck a busy Baghdad market, killing at least 32 people.

"Daesh is retreating. And Daesh will be beaten," Hollande said, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

Hours after Holland arrived in Iraq on Monday, a bomb went off in a market in Sadr City in eastern Baghdad that was packed with day laborers. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.

During a news conference with Hollande, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the suicide bomber pretended to be a man seeking to hire day laborers before detonating his bomb.

WATCH: Hollande with Kurdish President Masoud Barzani

Holland also met with Iraqi President Fuad Masum and traveled to the autonomous northern area of Kurdistan to meet local officials.

He visited with French troops in Baghdad and in Kurdistan who are helping Iraq fight Islamic State, and told them their efforts are preventing terror attacks in their home country. "Taking action against terrorism here in Iraq is also preventing acts of terrorism on our own soil," Hollande said at a base of Iraq's Counter-Terrorism Service near the capital, Baghdad.

France has executed thousands of airstrikes against IS in Iraq and Syria, as part of the U.S.-led coalition to fight the Islamic State group, and has provided equipment and training to the Iraqi military.

The French troops, about 500 in all, are believed to be participating in the campaign to oust IS militants from Mosul, the group's last major stronghold in Iraq.
The same jury that last month unanimously found Dylann Roof guilty in the slayings of nine black parishioners at a South Carolina church is returning to court to begin contemplating his punishment.

With the 22-year-old representing himself, the process is sure to be unconventional. But even if Roof is sentenced to death, it's highly unlikely he'd be executed anytime soon.

While prosecutors plan to call up to 38 people related to the nine people killed and three who survived the June 2015 slaughter during Bible study at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, Roof said last week he plans on calling no witnesses and presenting no evidence.

Roof was found guilty last month on 33 federal charges, including hate crimes and obstruction of the practice of religion. A jury took less than three hours to return its verdict, and a judge dismissed the jury for a break over the holidays.

Typically in what's known as the sentencing phase, defense attorneys call relatives and other witnesses to testify about their client's unsteady state of mind before and during the crimes. Given that background, the defense hopes, a jury might be more likely to spare the defendant's life and opt against the death penalty.

But Roof, who is acting as his own attorney, has said he plans to do no such thing.

In his journal, which was read in court during his trial, Roof said his doesn't believe in psychology, which he called "a Jewish invention" that "does nothing but invent diseases and tell people they have problems when they don't."

Roof also seems to be determined to try to keep evidence embarrassing to him or his family out. Not only did he take over his own defense, but he asked the judge at a hearing Wednesday if he could file a motion limiting what prosecutors can introduce.

Roof also was adamant that a transcript of a hearing where he was found mentally competent not be released to the public.

"I know this is not a legal argument, but the unsealing of the competency hearing defeats the purpose of me representing myself," Roof said at last week's hearing.

Neither Roof, nor U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel nor prosecutors have given specifics on the evidence Roof is objecting to.

On Thursday, Gergel ordered another competency evaluation of Roof "in an abundance of caution," after his standby counsel filed a sealed motion again questioning Roof's mental ability to proceed. The judge's order specified he saw no reason to delay Tuesday's start of the penalty phase.

On Monday, over the objection of an attorney representing media outlets including The Associated Press, Gergel ordered the competency hearing to be closed to the public. Saying he'd have to sequester jurors if he opened up the proceedings, the judge promised to release a transcript after Roof is sentenced.

"This is an incredibly sensitive moment in this proceeding," Gergel said. "We are putting in the hands of 12 people the life and death of a person."

Roof's lawyers tried repeatedly both to stop him from being his own lawyer and to work mental health-related evidence into the first phase of his trial, saying they feared Roof fired them because he feared the attorneys would present evidence that would embarrass him when trying to save his life.

Prosecutors objected at every turn, and Gergel wouldn't allow any of it into court, ruling mitigation evidence is allowable during sentencing and not before.

Court papers show prosecutors are expected to present evidence showing that Roof picked his victims because of their race, killed them to incite more violence, showed no remorse and killed three particularly vulnerable people who were 70 years old or older.

Evidence speaking to Roof's mental state, one expert argues, could make the difference between life and death.

"The Dylann Roof case is a classic example of the type of problem you can have when an obviously mentally ill or emotionally disturbed defendant is permitted to represent himself," said Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center. "There's a huge difference in the eyes of a jury between someone they perceive as evil or despicable and someone they perceive as being seriously mentally ill. ... If you take mental health out of it, you are putting a thumb on the scale of death."

Both the judge's decision to allow Roof to represent himself and waive the introduction of mental health evidence are sure to be raised in an inevitable appeal, Dunham argued.

Roof also faces nine murder charges in state court, where prosecutors have also said they will seek the death penalty in a trial likely to begin sometime next year.

Whether he's sentenced to death or not, it's unlikely Roof would be executed anytime soon, in either jurisdiction. The federal government hasn't executed anyone since 2003, and there are years of appeals between a death sentence being levied and carried out.

South Carolina's death chamber hasn't been used since 2011, due at least in part to a lack of availability for the drugs the state uses for lethal injection.
South Sudan's government says it wants to bring peace and stability in the country this year, after three years of fighting. The government is putting its hopes on the recently launched national dialogue.

South Sudan ended 2016 with more clashes between government forces and opposition fighters allied to Riek Machar.

More clashes reported



As officials try to put together a team to lead the national dialogue, tension remains high in the countryside and clashes are a common occurrence.

A senior member of the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement in Opposition, Peter Adwok Nyaba, says the country's future lies in implementing the peace agreement that President Salva Kiir and Machar signed in August 2015.

The peace agreement was an opportunity to retain stability and sanity to the people of South Sudan. Unfortunately, it's Salva himself who abrogated this peace agreement by attacking and chasing the chairman of SPLM-IO to all the way to Congo and started ... military operations against our people.

South Sudan descended into chaos in December 2013 after Kiir accused his former deputy Machar of planning to overthrow the government. Civil war broke out when soldiers from Kiir's Dinka tribe and Machars Nuer tribe started targeting each other.

The peace deal, signed in Addis Ababa, was an attempt to end the fighting. The two sides formed a transitional unity government and agreed to a cease-fire.

But last July, new violence flared in Juba, killing hundreds of people. The clashes led to Machar fleeing the country.

The three-year war has now forced more than two million people from their homes and claimed the lives of tens of thousands of South Sudanese.

Call for national dialogue



Kiir launched the national dialogue in mid-December, calling for his countrymen to participate in the talks. But opposition members have expressed fear the environment is not favorable for negotiations.

Deputy Information Minister Akol Paul Kordit disagrees.

We as a government strongly believe the environment is conducive for dialogue," he said, "but should any other South Sudanese think that the environment is not conducive for dialogue let him come forward and tell us why does he think that the environment is not conducive for dialogue and what he think should be done to make the environment conducive. So this is the essence of dialogue we shall dialogue over every step, over every issue of concern in our country.

Researcher and Policy Analyst with Sudd Institute Nhial Tiitmamaer says there is no political will to end the crisis.

People in South Sudan want peace, but this peace is seen as not having that wide acceptance, and that is why you see it is struggling. It is difficult to be implemented because of the fact that all the parties are not embracing it and the society as a whole they want peace, but not in a way this peace was designed," he said.

Opposition leader Machar is currently in South Africa, and there has been no indication when or if he may return.
At least seven people were killed and 17 others injured in two huge suicide car bombs near Mogadishu international airport on Monday, ambulances services and Somali officials said.

The al-Shabab militant group claimed responsibility for the attack. This was the second time the group used the tactic of back-to-back suicide vehicles, with the first meant to provoke panic and the second to cause maximum casualties.

The first of the two explosions targeted a checkpoint manned by Somali national security forces around mid-day local time. Immediately after the first explosion, a second car drove at high speed through the checkpoint and detonated outside the Peace Hotel opposite the airport, residents said.

Both explosions took place near Medina Gate, one of the main entrances of the airport.



First I heard gunshots, then a car explosion and then we took a duck, said a witness who asked not to be named for security reasons. When we came out to help the wounded we saw a big truck drive through it (checkpoint) and it exploded.

The second blast was caused by a truck bomb and it exploded at the road between the airport and Peace Hotel, witnesses said.



Several houses along the road collapsed while Peace Hotel sustained massive damage, said Abdulkadir Mohamed Abdulle, a reporter for VOA's Somali Service. The hotel is often used by Somali officials, NGO workers and Somalis from the diaspora.

Ahmed Ali is one of the residents in the neighborhood. He told VOA that one of his neighbors was killed when their home collapsed. The victims sister and brother, a child, were wounded.



A spokesman for the Mogadishu administration, Abdifatah Omar Halane, told VOA that rescue efforts are underway to account for people who may be trapped under the rubble.

This was the biggest, loudest explosion ever to happen in Mogadishu. Thank God it took place in an area where there are not lots of civilians, he said.



Mogadishu ambulance services confirmed the deaths of four civilians while security sources told VOA's Somali Service that a government soldier was also killed. The two suicide bombers were also killed bringing the death toll to seven.

Somali Foreign Minister Abdusalam Hadliye Omer, who was in Nairobi, told VOA he has been living at Peace Hotel for the past two years. He said he was told there is a heavy damage to the hotel.

Omer condemned the attack as evil act."

This is a terrorist act carried out by a group that does not want to see peace and governance in Somalia, he said.

Abdulkadir Mohamed Abdulle contributed to this report from Mogadishu.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said Monday that the mayor of crime-ridden Chicago, former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, ought to seek federal law enforcement help if he can't control the soaring murder rate in the country's third biggest city.

Trump, in a Twitter comment, said, Chicago murder rate is record-setting  4,331 shooting victims with 762 murders in 2016, more than two slayings a day.

If Mayor can't do it he must ask for federal help! Trump said.

The Chicago murder toll, often the result of gang turf wars and drug disputes in impoverished neighborhoods, was the city's highest in 20 years and eclipsed the combined total of New York and Los Angeles, the two biggest American cities.

Emanuel, a Trump political opponent, served early on as President Barack Obama's White House chief of staff. Emanuel left Washington in 2010 to run the first of his two successful campaigns to be mayor of Chicago, with its 2.7 million residents.

Despite his past attacks on Trump, Emanuel, like other big-city mayors, has met with the president-elect ahead of his January 20 inauguration. During their December meeting, Emanuel urged Trump to reconsider his hard-line stance against illegal immigration, one of the hallmarks of the real estate mogul's upset win for the presidency.
The declining effectiveness of Islamic State attacks against Iraqi forces in eastern Mosul suggests the militants are starting to run out of resources with the campaign in its third month, a U.S. general told Reuters.

Since the U.S.-backed offensive began on Oct. 17, elite troops have retaken a quarter of the city 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 will be driven out of the country by April.

The second phase of the campaign, launched last week following nearly a month of deadlock, has pushed Islamic State out of several more areas in eastern Mosul despite fierce resistance. Iraqi forces have yet to enter the west.

"They've got a finite amount of resource that are on the eastern side and the fact that their capability is waning indicates that those resources are starting to dwindle," U.S. Army Major General Joseph Martin, head of ground forces for the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State, told Reuters on Sunday.

"I see the commanders' reporting coming in and I see the exquisiteness of their SVBIED [suicide vehicle borne improvised explosive device] system, the sophistication of their SVBIEDs continuing to get lower and lower, the boom of the different IEDs continuing to have a lower yield - all tell me that the enemy's capacity is diminishing over time. We see that as a positive indicator," he said in a phone interview from Baghdad.

Daily suicide attacks and roadside bombs, along with snipers and mortars, have been the most lethal Islamic State tactics in resisting the 100,000-strong Iraqi force.

Despite being pushed back in Mosul, the militants have continued to launch deadly bomb attacks in other parts of the country, including at least twice in the heavily fortified capital Baghdad over the past three days.

An arms monitoring group said last month that the militants had been producing weapons on a scale and sophistication that matched national military forces and had standardized production. The technical precision of their work means it could not be described as "improvised" weapons production, it said in a report.

Martin, who took up his post in mid-November, said it was difficult to know how much ordnance Islamic State has stockpiled in Mosul.

"They've had two years to prepare for this defense and so I don't know how much stuff they have stored inside mosques, inside of schools, inside of hospitals," he said.

The coalition shelled a mortar tube on Sunday located between two schools in eastern Mosul, and last week hit a van carrying Islamic State fighters in a hospital parking lot, possibly incurring civilian casualties.

Martin said the militants were regularly using municipal facilities for military means, including transporting weapons in ambulances.

"As they lose capacity, they never cease to amaze me at the level they will take their despicability. They have done some things during the course of this campaign that I thought, 'It surely can't get any worse than that'," he said.

Urban terrain

The coalition has bombed all five bridges connecting east and west Mosul, forcing Islamic State to transport casualties across the Tigris River by boat.

Along with Iraq's air force, the coalition is striking some militant positions in the west but for now, Martin said, "our focus principally is on the east side."

He said the Mosul campaign was on track, but "in terms of timeline, we're on Iraqi time. This is going to take some time."

Iraqi forces made initial quick advances in outlying towns and villages which Islamic State had mostly emptied of civilians. But progress slowed as they entered built-up areas of Mosul where they must use caution to avoid civilian casualties.

Islamic State has used the terrain to its advantage, concealing car bombs in narrow alleys, posting snipers on tall buildings with civilians on lower floors, and constructing underground tunnels and surface-level passageways between buildings to avoid detection.

Individual fighters have staged attacks in "liberated" areas which Iraqi forces have struggled to clear fully.

Martin compared Mosul to the American city of Philadelphia, with a civilian population of about 1.8 million and almost 3,000 km (1,900 miles) of roads.

"There's in excess of 200,000 buildings," he said. "Let's say that there's six rooms in each building ... That's 1.2 million rooms that they've got to contend with and make sure that are clear. That's 1.2 million rooms that they've got to discriminate between the enemy and the civilians that live there."
For the first time, the number of international students in the United States topped 1 million over the past year, according to a report by the Institute for International Education (IEE).

But some educators and students say comments critical of China and other countries by President-elect Donald Trump have the potential to affect international enrollment in U.S. universities and colleges.

Comments made during campaign speeches  such as we're going to build a wall, it's going to be a real wall, and Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States  got a lot of attention from foreign students in the U.S., as well as international students thinking about attending U.S. colleges.

Erica Wang is one of 6,000 Asian students at the State University of New York at Buffalo. A second-year master's degree student in international trade, she says the concept of freedom is what attracted her to the U.S  an educational system that is open, encouraging and helpful to students choosing their own paths.

But now she is a bit worried.

I've heard a lot about what he [Trump] said when he was running for office, Wang told VOA. I would still be looking to see if he is going to do whatever he promised. Are his potential policy changes going to affect us? Because I have heard a lot of panicking among my friends, definitely.

Stephen Dunnett, the university's vice provost, says campaign rhetoric can be different than actual government policy.

This is a country of laws, checks and balances, so the president of the United States is not a dictator, not a king," he told VOA. "Some things he can decree, but many things will have to pass the Congress and some will pass the scrutiny of the courts.

Watch: International Students, School Recruiters Eye Trump Position

China

However, Dunnett, who just returned from China, says the recent call between Trump and the leader of Taiwan had many in China talking.

The Chinese were quite taken aback by what appears to them to be the sudden abandonment of the one China policy, he said. Some colleagues said to me, 'This will come at a price. There are an awful lot of our citizens studying in your universities. That's a huge capital outflow from our country, and if you are not going to be welcoming to us, then maybe our students shouldn't go there.' "

No U.S. president or president-elect had made direct contact with Taiwan since President Jimmy Carter cut formal diplomatic ties in 1979, recognizing Taiwan as part of one China.

In a Twitter post, Trump insisted he didn't initiate the call with the Taiwanese leader.

China sends more students to the U.S. than any other country. IIE reports there were 329,000 Chinese students in 2015-16, followed by almost 166,000 Indian students and 62,000 students from Saudi Arabia.

Other top places of origin include Vietnam, Taiwan, Iran, United Kingdom, Nepal, Nigeria, Kuwait, France, Indonesia, Venezuela, Malaysia, Colombia and Spain.

No drastic changes

Evelyn Levinson is the director of international admissions at American University (AU) in Washington, D.C., which has about 1,500 international students from 147 countries from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.

There is no crystal ball right now to say what will happen, but certainly a lot of questions were raised, she said.

In the meantime, AU has been working hard to continue to attract international students. The admissions staff has reinforced the school's message of tolerance to reassure potential applicants and their parents. And they have been traveling.

This fall, we went back out to cities in Europe, Levinson said. I personally was in the Middle East and in Central America, and someone else from our office was in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Right now, we are only off by 2 percent compared to last year, but I am confident the audience that has been interested in us is not going to wane. She added that after the admissions deadline, January 10, we'll have a better sense, but I'm not feeling any drastic changes.

Besides paying tuition, international students participate in local and state economies in many ways by paying rent, paying bills and shopping where they live, Levinson noted. But in a global world, more than money, she says, they bring valuable international perspectives into U.S. classrooms.

H-1B visas

During the campaign, Trump promised to curtail or end the H-1B visa program for high-skilled foreign workers, which might discourage international student enrollment because it would be harder for students to find jobs in the U.S. after graduation.

When you are thinking about your home and your possible future home in the U.S, it's not very certain anymore, said Joshua Ong, an economics student from Malaysia at the University at Buffalo. But Ong encourages people to study in America because the U.S. is a lot of fun.

IIE President Allan Goodman says he doesn't think international student enrollment will ultimately be affected. Nearly 100 years of data collection by the institute has shown no major changes, just a small drop for two years after the 9/11 terror attacks.

The trend in our experience through very difficult periods suggests that higher education sets its own foreign policy, Goodman told VOA, and it's not a foreign policy of isolationism.

We've looked at it through periods of recession and depression  war and conflict.

In 2005-06, 143 colleges and universities accepted 1,000 or more international students. In 2015-16, IIE reports, that number has increased to 255 institutions.

Goodman says people are coming to the U.S. because of the long tradition the country has in welcoming international students and because Washington doesn't run the country's higher education. What matters, he says, is what the individual campuses are doing during their outreach.
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.
A senior state official has revealed that several top Zanu PF officials and members of the military are allegedly looting inputs designed for the government-funded Command Agriculture program launched last year.

According to the DailyNews, Mashonaland Central Provincial Affairs Minister Martin Dinha has informed acting president Emmerson Mnangagwa that the officials are collecting all the maize and fertilizer delivered at various places in the region.

The independent newspaper reports that Dinha told Mnangagwa that the province has a list of these officials, who have sidelined communal and small-holder farmers that need the inputs.

Indications are that the agriculture inputs are allegedly being looted in a similar way that befell the Farm Mechanization program, which was abused by top ruling party officials who failed to pay for the farming inputs in a project run by the then governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Gideon Gono.

The RBZ was subsequently forced to recover the loans through the enaction of a law that put the debt squarely on tax payers.

Mangagwa was quoted last week by state-controlled newspapers threatening that the government will take stern measures against people who were abusing the Command Agriculture inputs scheme.

There was no official government comment on this issue.
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Last year was chock-full of memorable speeches, including actor and activist Jesse Williamss remarks at the BET Awards in June. In accepting the Humanitarian Award, Williams gave a stirring speech about black lives. In an interview with NPRs All Things Considered on December 31, he talked about that speech and his plans for the new year. Here are some highlights.

Williams says his BET speech was an opportunity to address the issues at hand.

You know, I wasnt winning an acting or music award, I was being awarded  or being acknowledged, I prefer to say  for work being done in the space of human rights and civil rights and general public consciousness  I felt the energy in the room and kind of surfed it.

He explained that he didnt anticipate or care about the reaction.

I dont want to be on the cover of your magazine. I dont want to turn into a celebrity for that reason. I wanted to let the words simmer. I wanted people to spend some time trying to figure  like a novel or something  what does it mean to you? What do those words mean to you?

Later, he talked about turning a wider eye to his creative endeavors this year.

One of the real reasons I got into storytelling to begin with is that for so many people, narrative storytelling, also documentary, is news. It is the lens to the outside world; outside world meaning any world that you dont otherwise touch or feel physically. So really kind of looking back into the archives of terrific storytelling and collaborating with great people to make things that can also supplement us having real-deal political discourse on its face. You can be really subversive and impactful. So Im going to be really focusing and spending a little bit more attention on that as well as [being] politically active.
On Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016, after a night of unrest prompted by the fatal police shooting of a black man, Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn said his review of body camera video of the incident proved the officer had acted appropriately.

The individual did turn toward the officer with a firearm in his hand, Flynn stated, later saying the man, 23-year-old Sylville Smith, was raising up with the gun.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said a still photo he was shown from the video demonstrates, without question, that (Smith) had a gun in his hand. In fact, Barrett declared, the officer ordered that individual to drop his gun, the individual did not drop his gun.

This purportedly exculpatory video itself was not promptly released, despite requests from Barrett and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker that this occur. It still has not been released. But we know now that public officials did not give an accurate account of what it shows.

We know that because, in mid-December, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm filed criminal charges against Dominique Heaggan-Brown, the former Milwaukee police officer who killed Smith. (Heaggan-Brown was fired over an alleged sexual assault shortly after the shooting.)

According to the criminal complaint charging the officer with first-degree reckless homicide, Smith held a gun as the officer fired his first shot. Smith, struck in the arm, pitched the gun over a fence and fell to the ground. The officer then fired a second, fatal shot to Smiths chest.

A review of the body camera video from (both officers at the scene) confirms that at the time of the second shot, Smith was unarmed and had his hands near his head, the complaint says.

A 2014 state law governing investigations of police shootings requires that gathered materials be released if a decision is made not to file charges. The law is otherwise silent as to whether and when these materials are released.

Barrett has renewed his call for release, while Flynn has weighed in against this. Chisholm told me his office will not release this evidence prior to its use in a criminal proceeding.

In this case, I believe, it is already too late to restore confidence in the integrity of the process. Flynns representations about the video were at best misleading, and Barretts statements suggest he was misled, as was the public.

The whole point of outfitting police with cameras, at taxpayer expense, is to ensure truthfulness and enhance accountability. That did not happen here. And many more months may pass before the video is released.

Other jurisdictions have more enlightened policies. In Chicago, for instance, videos of police shootings are normally released within 60 days, and posted online.

In the legislative session that begins in January, there will likely be renewed efforts to establish consistent state policies regarding police body cameras; a bill to do so in the last session went nowhere.

Now is the time, in the wake of this regrettable case, for the citizens of Wisconsin to insist that the video records they are paying for are not kept secret, or used to mislead them.
On a clear New Years Day so warm it fooled the bees into waking and mingling with the crowds, an estimated 400 people flocked into Mother Neff State Park for its sixth annual First Day Hike, a nationwide tradition celebrating the start of a new year.

Jeremy Gann, a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department peace officer and interpreter, said at the start of a 2 p.m. trek that 174 people had taken a 9 a.m. hike, braving chilly temperatures and a brief shower.

More than 200 more came in the afternoon to choose between two guided tours, one a 3.5-mile walk that explored hills, cave entrances and other attractions, and the other a 1.5 mile route that covered rolling prairie land with one scenic overlook.

Many other people were at campsites and on the trails without the guides assigned to the First-Day Hike.

The attendance was about double the total of 208 who appeared on New Years Day 2016, a cold and blustery day that had some visitors seeking shelter.

Gann said park officials were hoping the First Day Hike at Mother Neff, the first state park to be established in Texas, would be the best attended among the 17 state parks in the local region. It was second behind Inks Lake State Park last year.

The people around here are really supportive of our park, he said. Were a lot smaller than Inks, but were really popular.

John and Mary Odom, of Harker Heights, were on their first New Years Day hike in the park but said they had helped to blaze the trails the hike featured.

Years ago, we showed up to volunteer, and a man handed me a chain saw and pointed in this direction and said, Go after it. And I went.

Old World custom

Jennifer Mashburn, of Washington, D.C., had spent a week traveling around Texas with friends. She said the First Day Hike reminded her of an Old World custom in North Carolina in which descendants of Scottish immigrants spend New Years Day walking the perimeters of their lands.

An Ohio native, she said, Im not sure of the details of the custom, but I wonder if it inspired the First Day Hike.

Jamie Harman, given the indoor job of office manager for the park despite being a park ranger, was leading the group on the 1.5-mile hike.

This is one day they let me out of the office, she said.

Sweeping her hand toward foot-high brown grass that shares space with cedars all over the prairie land, she said, If you come back in the spring, youll see this land covered with flowers. Were currently in a project to restore the original prairie grasses. As this progresses, the wildflowers will become richer and richer.

Pat M. Neff, Texas governor in the 1920s, created the Texas State Parks Board and made six acres of land donated for community use in 1921 by his mother, Isabella Eleanor Neff, the first state park.

The Civilian Conservation Corps started developing the land in the 1930s with a stone tabernacle and recreation hall that are still in use.

With other amenities added through the decades, the spot draws people for picnicking, hiking and fishing.

The park borders the Leon River on State Highway 236 west of Moody.
Help us help our rural school district

Smaller rural schools in Minnesota are on the losing end of educational funding while bigger schools are getting a greater portion of our tax dollars.

Because of this, we are starting a community education and email campaign to address unequal funding of all rural schools. The La Crescent-Hokah School District is mostly residential homeowners, so it pays two to three times more in property taxes to support school levies and bonds than similar homeowners in high property wealth districts (bigger cities). A few items to be addressed include increasing state assistance for local school operating and building bond levies, easing the impact on school levies from agricultural and seasonal/recreational property, and increasing special education funding.

We are working on this project with Deb Griffiths, director of communications and community outreach for Schools for Equity in Education. Griffiths will be in La Crescent Jan. 9 and 26 for 7 p.m. meetings in the high school cafeteria. She will discuss why our schools continue to struggle financially and what we can do to help. These meetings will give us a base knowledge of how schools are funded. We need you  the people of La Crescent and Hokah  to help in equalizing tax dollars back to our school district.

Rick Bubbers,

La Crescent
A true piece of American history that has sat in the Mojave Desert for decades and was slated to be turned into scrap metal will now have a new home at the Air Mobility Command Museum. A C-5M Super Galaxy, operated by the 709th Airlift Squadron, and an AMC Museum team traveled to Edwards Air Force Base, California Dec. 16  19, 2016, to transport portions of the Fairchild C-119B Flying Boxcar #48-0352 Am Can Co Special to the AMC Museum at Dover AFB for restoration and display.

The C-119 was a military transport aircraft used primarily to carry cargo, personnel and equipment. It also had airdrop capabilities. The U.S. flew them from 1947 to 1974.According to John Taylor, AMC Museum director, when this C-119 arrives at the museum, it will be arguably the most historic aircraft in its collection. Its the second-oldest C-119 in existence, said Taylor, and the only surviving aircraft from the operation that air-dropped mobile bridge sections to Marines during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.

Known for its fierce fighting and freezing weather, the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, Nov. 27 to Dec. 13, 1950, took place during the early stages of the Korean War. United Nations forces, comprised mainly of South Korean, American and British troops, had recently pushed the invading North Korean Army out of South Korean back north of the 38th parallel. Not stopping at the border, the UN forces continued pushing north to destroy any and all remnants of the North Korean Army. They soon approached North Koreas border with China. This provoked China, a North Korean alley and fellow communist state, causing it to intervene in the war by sending hundreds-of-thousands of troops south to stop the advancing UN forces.

During the battle the Chinese blew the bridge up, said Jon Andrews, AMC Museum board member. This trapped all the United Nations forces. The blocked evacuation route was between Koto-ri and Hungnam. Surrounded by more than 120,000 Chinese soldiers, the trapped 30,000 UN troops were running out of options. A decision was made to airdrop mobile bridge sections to these forces, with the hope that they could be used to rebuild the bridge, effectively giving them an escape route. Eight C-119s, operated by the 314th Troop Carrier Group out of Ashiya Air Base, Japan, gathered to complete this mission. Out of the eight bridge sections dropped by parachute, four were used to build a usable bridge. This opened up a way for retreating UN forces.

Les Polley, AMC Museum aircraft restoration chief, was on the team that travelled to Edwards AFB to pick up the C-119. He is happy that this plane is coming to the museum. It would have been sold for scrap metal, he said. A big piece of history would have been lost. Work for the C-5M and 709th AS maybe over, but it has just started for Polley and his restoration crew. We are going to go through a complete restoration on the airplane from the ground up, said Polley. Theres a lot of corrosion, a lot of holes, a lot of missing parts. We will be scrounging all over the country looking for parts.

This C-119 served well past the Korean War. It ended its 17-year career with the 911th TCGat the Greater Pittsburgh International Airport in 1966. We are going to restore it to what it looked like during the Korean War, said Polley. They had done a lot of modifications and upgrades after the war. We want it to look like it did back then, complete with nose art and everything. Polley estimates that the whole restoration process will take a minimum of two years before for the C-119 is ready for display. For the AMC Museum to have the opportunity to rescue and preserve this historic aircraft and to be able to restore it and tell the story of those that made its history, just does not get any better, said Taylor. The AMC Museum Restoration Team and I are honored to have been given this opportunity.

The Air Mobility Command Museum is the only museum in the United States dedicated to airlift and air refueling historyThe museum houses over 30 aircraft varying in roles and sizes. Cargo haulers, fighters, helicopters, a presidential aircraft, and even a bomber.The museum, located at Dover AFB, Delaware, has free admission and parking. The museum is open Tuesday  Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For additional information on the AMC Museum, please visit their website at www.amcmuseum.org or call (302) 677-5939.

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Tame Impala frontman Kevin Parker and The Waifs' Donna Simpson were among musicians amplifying a chorus of opposition to the state government's Roe 8 road project on Monday.

They joined local bands Koi Child, POW! Negro and Grace Barbe on the line-up for Live! In The Wetlands, the latest community effort to save the Beeliar Wetlands, which are in the path of Roe 8.

Thousands were expected to show up for the concert, scheduled to continue all afternoon at Manning Park Sound Shell.

"Many of the people involved in opposing this incredibly destructive road to nowhere are ordinary families who just want to do their bit," organiser Danielle Lake, from Hamilton Hill Community Group, said.
Governor: Kentucky on course for record budget surplus again
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By The Associated Press

Jan. 02, 2017 | FRANKFORT, KY

By The Associated Press Jan. 02, 2017 | 05:14 AM | 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

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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.
Rita Redmond was a true lady who felt that every pupil had something to gift to the world
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January 2, 2017

Action Begins To Make Putin Royal Tsar After California Legalizes Child Prostitution

By: Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Western Subscribers

Just two days after the oldest living member, Prince Dimitri Romanov (1926-2016), of the House of Romanov (that ruled Russia from 1613-1917) died, the Security Council (SC) is reporting today that it has received a declaratory document from the Civic Chamber (CC) advocating that President Putin be installed as the royal Tsar having supreme power over the Motherland and Church (ROC) as a necessary/needed action to prepare the nation for Holy War against the satanic West who, among many of their moral crimes against humanity, have shockingly passed a law allowing the prostitution of children in the State of California in order to appease their new gods/ idols called Hollywood celebrities. [Note: Some words and/or phrases appearing in quotes in this report are English language approximations of Russian words/phrases having no exact counterpart.]

According to this report, this Civic Chamber declaratory document advocating that the constitution be changed so that President Putin can be declared Tsar was pushed forward by top Putin advisor Aleksandr Dugin and The Very Reverend Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin (who is the most recognizable person in the Russian Orthodox Church after His Holiness Patriarch Kirill), and who publically stated about this action: While we don't have a 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.

Critical to understand about this Security Council report is that Russia is now, and always has been, a Christian theocracy (though subdued by Communism between 1917-1991) , which is a form of government in which God is the source from which all authority derives and whose conflicts are directed/authorized by a Tsar who is the leader of the Russian Orthodox Churchsuch as this past year when His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, in absence of a Tsar, declared a world-wide Holy War on Islamic terrorism.

With President Putin being declared a royal Tsar as this Civic Chamber declaratory document advocates, it must be understood, his ability to declare a Holy War would not be able to be challenged as he would be imbued with divine knowledge not known to ordinary personsand is why the West has responded to what they see as their most dangerous threat by unleashing the largest military buildup since the Cold War all along their borders with Russia.

As well as this massive military buildup, the West has, likewise, increased their propaganda campaign against Russia using their Hollywood elites as well every mainstream media outlet tooand that is, literally, spinning out of control with more fake news stories being published about Russia being proved as lies faster then they can be retracted.

Not known to the Western people, though, about what is truly happening in the world today (as theyre constantly bombarded by anti-Russian propaganda on an hourly basis), is that its not hacking or fake news their elite rulers are in terror ofbut a growing ancient Christian ideology that has overtaken all of Russia, including all of its church, political and military leaders, and President Putin too.

Known as The Fourth Political Theory that integrates and supersedes the three past theories of Liberal Democracy, Marxism, and Fascism, this ideology articulated by Russian political scientist Aleksandr Dugin is so feared by the West that he (Dugin) now lives under sanctions imposed on him by the United States.

And to fully understand the Western elites fears of Dugin and how his works have changed all of Russia , one only need read his words describing the moral failure of the West: Fundamental failure of globalist version of liberalism is now evident. Brexit, Trump's victory and then elsewhere. But in its place comes the simplest solution: a return to national State (Etat-Nation) and to various forms of nationalism. That means we return - mutatis mutant - to the beginning of the twentieth century.

But to the solution of the Wests moral failures is what these elites have the greatest fear of, and as, again, Dugin articulates:

We need to return to the Being, to the Logos, to the fundamental- ontology (of Heidegger), to the Sacred, to the New Middle Ages - and thus to the Empire, religion, and the institutions of traditional society (hierarchy, cult, domination of spirit over matter and so on).

All content of Modernity - is Satanism and degeneration. Nothing is worth, everything is to be cleansed off. The Modernity is absolutely wrong -- science, values, philosophy, art, society, modes, patterns, "truths", understanding of Being, time and space. All is dead with Modernity. So it should end. We are going to end it.

And when Dugin says So it should end. We are going to end it.; no one should be under any illusion as to what he meansand that is detailed in the book "The American Empire Should Be Destroyed": Alexander Dugin and the Perils of Immanentized Eschatology wherein he describes the ancient fight between Hyperborea and Atlantis our world is now in the final battle of.

With Dugin comparing Russia to the mythical people who lived beyond the North Wind called Hyperborea, and the West as being the fallen, and evil, lost continent of Atlantis, one need understand that Russia today is fully armed and prepared to not only defend itself against the Westbut is, actually, preparing to destroy it as it sees no other option left before its destroyed by these satanic led nations too.

As the Western satanic elites face destruction, however, Russia does see one glimmer of hope before this final Holy War begins, and as stated this past week by Dugin in the open letter he released in the Kremlin that says:

The USA is the Far West of the world. It is the space of Midnight. And there the final point of the Fall is reached. The moment at hand is one of a change of poles.

The West turns into the East. Putin and Trump are in two opposite corners of the planet.

In the 20th century, these two extremes were embodied by the most radical forms of Modernity  capitalism and communism.

Two apocalyptical monsters  Leviathan and Behemoth. Now they have turned into two eschatological promises: Putins Greater Russia and America liberating itself under Trump.

The 21st century has finally begun.

But to Dugin and the Kremlins wish that the 21st century has finally begun, and in order to achieve this end to avert total global war, he, also, called for the true world to unite behind President Donald Trump in his moral war to Drain the Swamp:

The Swamp is to become the new name for the globalist sect, the open society adepts, LGBT maniacs, Soros army, the post-humanists, and so on.

Draining the Swamp is not only categorically imperative for America. It is a global challenge for all of us. Today, every people is under the rule of its own Swamp.

We, all together, should start the fight against the Russian Swamp, the French Swamp, the German Swamp, and so on. We need to purge our societies of the Swamps influence.

Instead of fighting between ourselves, let us drain it together. Swamp-drainers of the whole world unite!

With President Trump, however, just 18 days from taking power and being able to destroy these swamp monsters forever, and in the future unite this world in peace with Tsar Putin, be warned that there is a reason that today, for the first time since World War II ended, not one single US aircraft carrier is deployed anywhere in the worldwhich makes perfect sense as these modern day floating cities of war only go where they are most critically needed, that in this case is all around the United States.

The only question being, whose side are they on?

January 2, 2017  EU and US all rights reserved. Permission to use this report in its entirety is granted under the condition it is linked back to its original source at WhatDoesItMean.Com. Freebase content licensed under CC-BY and GFDL.

[Note: Many governments and their intelligence services actively campaign against the information found in these reports so as not to alarm their citizens about the many catastrophic Earth changes and events to come, a stance that the Sisters of Sorcha Faal strongly disagree with in believing that it is every human beings right to know the truth. Due to our missions conflicts with that of those governments, the responses of their agents has been a longstanding misinformation/misdirection campaign designed to discredit us, and others like us, that is exampled in numerous places, including HERE.]

[Note: The WhatDoesItMean.com website was created for and donated to the Sisters of Sorcha Faal in 2003 by a small group of American computer experts led by the late global technology guru Wayne Green (1922-2013) to counter the propaganda being used by the West to promote their illegal 2003 invasion of Iraq.]

[Note: The word Kremlin (fortress inside a city) as used in this report refers to Russian citadels, including in Moscow , having cathedrals wherein female Schema monks (Orthodox nuns) reside, many of whom are devoted to the mission of the Sisters of Sorcha Faal.]

America Goes Insane As It Rushes Towards Civil War

They Are Going To Come For YouWhy Are You Helping Them?

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After a handful of Girl Guides and Boy Scouts had shaken Lt.-Gov. Janice Filmons hand at the annual New Year Levee at the Legislature, in waltzed Marie Zorniak to say hello.

Zorniak, the chair of the Manitoba Living History Society, was wearing a large floral hat, 19th century-style spectacles and a floor-length skirt pushed out to the side by a series of metal hoops.

She and her colleagues were dressed appropriately for the levee, which officially kicked off the celebration for Canadas 150th year since confederation.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Manitoba Lt.-Gov Janice Filmon greets members of the public at the annual New Year Levee at the Manitoba Legislature Sunday.

Chief Peguis had another event, but hell be here later today, said Zorniak, referring to a recreationist dressed as the historic chief.

Over 1,300 people attended the free public event, which included performances by several choral groups on the grand staircase, anchored on both sides by massive statues of bison.

On the second floor, a receiving line waited to be greeted by Filmon and her husband, former premier Gary Filmon, along with the Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen and his wife, Kim.

The line nearly wrapped around the entire rotunda, and the guests were funnelled in and out of the Blue Room, the receiving venue for guests to the lieutenant-governors office.

Smiles are allowed, joked one official to the visitors as they entered.

The levee is a tradition in Manitoba, dating back to the provinces first lieutenant-governor in 1871. The first recorded levee in what is now Canada was held on New Years Day in 1646 in Quebec City.

Opening (the governments home) to the people of Manitoba and sharing what we have here and allowing people to visit and bring greetings or say hello is an amazing historical concept which has continued, Zorniak said after her turn on the handshake conveyor belt.

Zorniak pointed out that among the historical recreationists present at the levee, multiple groups were represented in the wardrobe and characterizations, all based on research into the style of the 1860s and beyond.

There are ladies in hoops, children dressed in upper class, lower class, middling class (wear), Zorniak said. The range is quite significant.

Sitting in a chair across the rotunda, Barry McPherson looked like a fine piece of history himself, wearing a beaver hat, striped formal trousers and a grey woolen shirt among other confederation-era garments.

Put it this way: I have more historic clothes than I have modern clothes, McPherson laughed.

McPherson has participated in historical recreations for over 30 years, and thinks its an essential way for Canadians to remember their roots and the history of modern Canada.

Its a matter of heritage and tradition, he said proudly.

In a former life, McPherson was a history teacher, and hopes younger people understand the importance of learning about Canadas past.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESSPeople watch the ceremonies at the annual New Year Levee at the Manitoba Legislature Sunday. Lt.-Gov. Janice Filmon also greeted members of the public.

My best friend in Indiana sent me a very touching Christmas card, and in essence he said After 30 years, I think people of our generation have to make the big decision and step back to leave (historical recreation) to younger people,' McPherson said.

Its a good point.

From a glance around the legislature, it appeared that McPherson didnt have much to worry about.

A large contingent of the recreationists were under the age of 20, and they looked to be just as in character as he or Marie Zorniak were.

Gwynn Carey, 14, has been participating with the Living History Society for three years. She sees events like the levee as an excellent opportunity to learn about the government and Canadian history.

I think it is a very important piece of culture today to look at culture from the past, she said.

Of course, in the receiving line, dozens of children in modern clothing waited to meet the lieutenant-governor, too.

Last year, eight-year-old Sasha Coutu felt nervous about meeting Filmon. But when she saw her picture in the Free Press the next day, she knew she had to come back again.

This year Im kind of excited, she said. I wanted to try to get in the paper again.

ben.waldman@freepress.mb.ca
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This article was published 02/01/2017 (2132 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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, Jan. 3, the day most North Americans head back to the office.

Sale-tracking website Brads Deals says retailers see a discernible uptick in online sales on that day, as workers log in from their cubicles 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 per cent spike in online sales on Monday, Jan. 5, compared with surrounding days. The year before, it was 10 per cent.

Wilfredo Lee / The Associated Press files After spending big for the holidays, many go online to splurge on themselves in the new year.

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 per cent 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, Conn. Online sales, meanwhile, are on track to grow 15 per cent.

Americans are shopping at a rate not seen since the mid-2000s, Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners, told the Wall Street Journal last week.

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 out emails that said, PSA: Its OK to shop for yourself again.

Its no secret retailers have long relied on after-Christmas sales to help clear excess inventory and rack up sales. According to a survey by the National Retail Federation, 48 per cent of Americans  and 80 per cent of millennials  said they plan to shop in after-holiday sales.

The new year brings shoppers into stores for many items, especially fitness, a spokesman for Sears said in an email, adding the company planned to kick off its semi-annual blowout sale Jan. 1, with deals on fitness equipment, jewelry and home appliances.

Its a perfect storm that adds up to a bigger-than-usual shopping day  Rebecca Lehmann

The holiday shopping season began earlier than ever in 2016, with more than 40 per cent of Americans saying they had bought their first present by October, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation. The biggest shopping day so far: Dec. 17, when an estimated 156 million Americans turned up to spend.

Increasingly, consumers say theyre looking to buy for themselves, too  particularly after the holidays. Americans are expected to spend an average of US$139.61 on themselves this season, up from last years US$133.74, the survey states.

Many shoppers are taking the approach of one for you, two for me this holiday season, said Shay, of the National Retail Federation. Retailers are preparing by offering a wide array of merchandise and promotions  items shoppers want to give as great gifts at prices so good they want to buy for themselves, too.

 Washington Post
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Manitoba has in recent years ranked among the top provinces when it comes to economic growth, but a new survey shows the business climate in this province is not lighting any fires.

In Probe Researchs 15th annual Manitoba Business Leaders Index, which asked business leaders if they were optimistic or pessimistic about the economic future of Manitoba, the number who said they are very optimistic was at an all-time low.

Only nine per cent of the 209 polled CEOs, presidents, business owners and senior corporate officers said they were very optimistic. Thats down from 29 per cent in 2012.

KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Don Leitch, president and CEO of the Business Council of Manitoba.

That said, the combination of those who are optimistic and very optimistic was up to 69 per cent, better than the last two years and near the 78 per cent combined total in 2012.

When people ask me if business people feel good about this place, my sense just from talking to people personally is that nobody seems all that electrified, Scott MacKay, president of Probe Research, said.

Business leaders seem more enthusiastic about the ability of the current provincial government to create a good climate for business. That number shot up 21 percentage points to 34 per cent compared with 2014, during the depths of the former provincial NDPs leadership crisis.

It shows the business community believes the Pallister government is more tuned to the needs of business than was the case in the last years of the former NDP government.

Business people are kind of conservative people, and they are giving them (the Pallister government) the benefit of the doubt, just like the public is, said MacKay.

They are really willing to jump on the Pallister bandwagon.

That muted enthusiasm is also reflected in their expectations about whether they believe their company will perform better in the next 12 months. Only 32 per cent believed that would be the case, down from 52 per cent in 2013.

MacKay wouldnt speculate as to why there seems to be less optimism from a group that is typically positive.

Don Leitch, CEO of the Business Council of Manitoba, whose membership consists of the largest private sector employers in the province, was more inclined to view the combined total of those who are optimistic and those who are very optimistic about the future.

My very might not be your very, but we are both somewhat enthusiastic, Leitch said.

He said the results of the question on the future and the one about the performance of the provincial government reflects what he believes are unique provincial circumstances in Manitoba.

With the problems we had the last year and a half with the then-government mired in difficulties, a languishing economy, the combined (optimism) number was trending down, Leitch said.

I think there is a realization in Manitoba of the magnitude and seriousness of the debt and deficit problem Don Leitch, CEO of the Business Council of Manitoba

Now, its bumped up a bit. That complements the other statistic about the view of the provincial government, which is more positive and far more enthusiastic.

Leitch said he believes the lower number of those who are very enthusiastic might be a function of the fact part of the job of business leaders is to think about all the global factors that might impact their own operations.

Nationally, we have a problem with some slow, sluggish growth, with some people saying weve stalled, with national growth hovering around two per cent, Leitch said.

I think there is a realization in Manitoba of the magnitude and seriousness of the debt and deficit problem. It gives you that mindset that the future of Manitoba is a challenge, not necessarily negative, but a challenge.

Probes question about whether adequate skilled labour is available was at 49 per cent, higher than last year but much lower than the pre-recession years, suggesting when business is not as strong, the skilled labour shortage is not as big an issue.

The response on changes in workplace size remained fairly consistent this year, with 22 per cent expecting to increase their staff over the next 12 months. Those who said they expect layoffs or work reduction was down a bit from last year to 17 per cent, the second highest level in five years.

The survey results are considered accurate within plus or minus 6.9 per cent of what they would be had the entire population of Manitoba business leaders been surveyed.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
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No one was injured after a house fire that started in one East Kildonan home Sunday morning spread to two other neighbouring homes.

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service got the call at 10:55 a.m. to the New Years Day blaze in the 400 block of Bowman Avenue. Occupants of the homes fled to safety before firefighters arrived, said Platoon Chief Tom Piche. At first, firefighters fought to put out the fire inside the home where it began.

Crews initially encountered heavy smoke then realized that some of the floor was compromised with holes in the floor, Piche said. It was too hazardous for firefighters to stay inside the home, he said. Crews pulled out and went into defensive mode fighting the fire from outside.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Winnipeg firefighters work a fire at 429 and 425 Bowman Avenue.

The fire spread to two adjacent homes in the dense residential neighbourhood. It was extinguished before the two neighbouring residences were destroyed, said Piche. The home where the fire started is beyond repair, Piche estimated.

The cause of the fire is under investigation with the arson task force investigating. No damage estimate was available Sunday afternoon.
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This article was published 02/01/2017 (2132 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Twenty schools throughout Winnipeg are offering a new program that is a refuge for refugees.

The goal of Community Connections is to aid newcomers such as the more than 1,000 Syrian refugees who arrived in Manitoba last year and were resettled in homes throughout Winnipeg. Set up last March in five school divisions, the program helps recent refugee arrivals stay connected to services and stay within the social safety net.

Some havent been in school for many years, said Heather Robertson, program co-ordinator at NEEDS Inc. (Newcomers Employment and Education Development Services), which runs the program.

SUPPLIED In the fall, Community Connections organized a field trip for newcomer students at Wellington School to visit Winnipeg Harvest and learn about volunteering in their community.

Many refugees experienced trauma, and sometimes it shows up in their behaviour at school. Not knowing the language is another hurdle.

What theyre not able to express in words sometimes comes out in behaviour, Robertson said.

NEEDS got federal funding to set up the program. It hired eight community connectors and eight assistants who act as interpreters to help orient, connect and integrate newly arrived refugee kids to their new school and neighbourhood. The staff also connects with the students families.

Were constantly checking in with the needs of the children at that school to identify what they need to work on, said Marleah Graff, who was hired as a community connector at Mulvey and Wellington schools.

Some classrooms may say theyre struggling with group or team work, so we work on that after school, said Graff, who has previous experience working with newcomer kids.

Im finding now that many of the children are struggling with how to express their emotions in English and how to self-regulate, said Graff.

For lots of them, this is their first school experience.

They missed out on the things children usually learn in kindergarten and Grade 1, like how to line up and to raise a hand to ask a question.

Community Connections teaches them about school structure and adjusting to life in Canada, said Graff.

Weve done a lot of winter weather preparation  how to dress properly, how to avoid frostbite, she said.

In the summer, they ran a recreational/educational camp four afternoons a week.

It was providing lessons on safety, community, nutrition and building up social skills and connecting them to safe places in the community where they can have fun, said Graff. We got them library cards so they could access Arabic-English library books.

They regularly reach out to families, too, to see if they need help, said Robertson. They organize events to connect with parents, such as a fall field trip for the families to see the geese migration at FortWhyte Alive, for instance.

That was a very Canadian experience, said Robertson. When families feel welcome and supported, they feel better about their kids participating Its a better settlement experience for everyone.

Graff said theyre in touch with families every week.

We call them to let them know about different activities in the community and school.

More parental involvement is expected, such as volunteering and attending parent-teacher conferences, she said.

Parents need to feel comfortable so they can interact. When you dont speak English, communicating with the school can be intimidating, said Graff. It helps to have the community connector assistants there (as interpreters) so parents can talk in their own first language.

Schools often have little time to prepare for the new students who may not speak English or may not have been in a classroom before.

Its very challenging, said principal Rex Ferguson-Baird at Brooklands School in the St. James-Assiniboia School Division. Last year, his school welcomed 12 Syrian and Eritrean students. Community Connections helped the school help the newcomer students, he said.

I think we wouldve seen more behavioural issues, as kids dont understand the nuances of culture and get into conflicts, said Ferguson-Baird.

One project saw all of Brooklands students sharing their roots and cultural heritage through art, he said.

The refugee kids learned about indigenous culture and that many fellow students have roots outside Canada, too. At an intercultural dinner, refugee students and their families and fellow students and their families shared traditional foods.

The hope was to build that community capacity around being neighbours, said Ferguson-Baird. This is the kind of programming that will help facilitate the transition of these folks into our city and our province.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

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This article was published 02/01/2017 (2132 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Canada celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. What are we going to make of it?

Confederation in 1867 was a messy process spurred at least in part by fears of American annexation. The question of whether the disparate interests of various entities, including pre-1867 Canada as well as Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, British Columbia, Newfoundland and those of the people living in Ruperts Land and the Northwest Territories, could be served by a country uniting them all took decades to settle, if indeed it has ever been.

Manitoba, of course, was formed and entered Confederation in 1870, as did the Northwest Territories; British Columbia did so in 1871, as did Prince Edward Island in 1873 and the Yukon in 1898. Yet Newfoundland, now Newfoundland and Labrador, remained separate until 1949; Quebec has gone to the edge of separating from the confederation more than once and, as the power of younger western provinces such as Alberta and Saskatchewan (which both joined in 1905) grew, their effect on national politics has been felt.

TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES

During the countrys 100th anniversary, Canada hosted Expo 67 as national pride swelled. Canada was emerging as a global player, building on its role in two world wars and the boom of post-war success. Canadians began to feel more like citizens in their own country. Winnipeg, like many other cities across the nation, saw cultural institutions, such as the Centennial Concert Hall, take form as part of the patriotic wave.

That sense of Canadian identity was also a response to the internal pressure of rising nationalism in Quebec, which contributed to the October Crisis only three years later.

Similarly, when Canada celebrated 125 years in 1992, separatist political parties from Quebec emerged as a force in provincial and national politics, leading to a referendum on separating from Canada three years later, in which the No side narrowly prevailed.

Over the decades, Canadians sense of themselves as part of this country has grown and changed, through developments in the arts, trade, science, politics and technology. There is no one way to be Canadian, and thats a source of strength  it forces us to question assumptions.

Recently, Canada has begun to come to terms with its colonialist origins. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has exposed more than the events that shaped and took place at residential schools. It has laid bare many Canadians assumptions about our society, history, systemic racism and the development of our country.

Its 2017 now. We have an opportunity to celebrate what Canada has become and what we have accomplished as Canadians. Lets use this anniversary to question some of our own myth-making, to look at our past honestly  both the good and the bad  and make a resolution that our future will be better, for everyone and not just a privileged few. Oh, Canada. We can do this.
ST. PAUL, Minn.  Minnesota lawmakers will return to the freshly renovated Capitol when the legislative session begins on Tuesday  they just wont have much time to soak it all in.

The stately building has been shrouded by scaffolding on the outside and drywall inside for most of the three years of a renovation. Its finally re-opening to the public and the Legislature after $310 million in repairs, though some minor work will continue into the spring.

Its the first time since 2015 all 201 lawmakers will meet inside the Capitol, where Gov. Mark Dayton and others will get their usual offices back. All sides hope the return to normalcy makes it easier for the deal-making required to pass a new, two-year budget.

Hopefully when were all gathered together, well have a better chance to stay focused, Dayton said.

And theres no shortage of things for Dayton and the Republican-controlled Legislature to do. First up: Extend some financial help to shoppers on the individual health insurance market who face massive premium increases.

Rate hikes of as much as 67 percent for those who arent covered through employers or on public programs have caused months of heartburn and endless talk of a special session. After that prospect fizzled out last month, Republican legislative leaders vowed to pass some financial help and other health care measures in the first week of session.

Dayton will also challenge lawmakers early to wrap up some unfinished business from 2016 by passing a massive package of public construction projects. The Democratic governor said last week hell unveil his own wish list in the first week of session but wouldnt discuss how large it might be. Republican House Speaker Kurt Daudt has said he has little interest in passing a so-called bonding bill this year.

But the main task of 2017 will be passing a two-year budget and avoiding a repeat of 2011, when Dayton and the states last fully GOP-controlled Legislature went through a government shutdown to get a budget deal. A $1.4 billion budget surplus could make it easier  six years ago, lawmakers had to fill a $6 billion shortfall.

Though less painful, the extra money still gives GOP lawmakers and Dayton plenty of cash to argue over. Daudt and Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka have signaled theyd like to use some surplus money in a transportation funding package, while Dayton prefers the gasoline tax increase-based approach hes pushed for years.

Dayton also plans to ask for a modest expansion of his new preschool program, which provides state funding for early education in needy districts without existing options. More money could extend the program to more schools.
James Mertens

James R. Jim Mertens, 89, a resident of Kirkland Crossings Retirement Community in Pewaukee, and formerly of Juneau, passed away peacefully in his sleep Monday, Dec. 26, 2016.

Visitation will be held at St. Marks Episcopal Church in Beaver Dam, Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017, from 10 to 11 a.m. A funeral service will follow at the church Saturday with the Rev. Oscar Rozo officiating. Interment will take place at Hartland Village Cemetery.

Jim was born Nov. 4, 1927, in Milwaukee. He was raised by his parents, Rudy and Ruth (Mackie) Mertens. He was a graduate of Rufus King High School in Milwaukee. Jim was married to Elizabeth Bette Haselow Sept. 23, 1950, in Hartland. He was employed with the Waukesha County Sheriffs Department for many years until his retirement in 1983.

Jim served his country in the U.S. Army from 1950 to 1952 during the Korean War. He was an active member of St. Marks Episcopal Church in Beaver Dam, where he would take communion to shut-ins and served on their vestry for many years. Jim loved to travel with his wife, especially after his retirement. He had a love of music and will be remembered for his smile and great sense of humor.

Jim is survived by his son, Jim Mertens of Redmond, Washington; his sister, Patricia (Harry) Baker of Pewaukee; four grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Bette, in 2013; his son, Jeffrey, in 2015; and his sister, Adrienne, in 2006.

If desired, memorials may be made in Jim Mertens name to St. Marks Episcopal Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 126, Beaver Dam, WI 53196, or to the Alzheimers Association, or to the Presbyterian Homes Foundation www.preshomes.org/foundation. The family requests that memorial donations be considered in lieu of flowers.

Koepsell-Murray Funeral Home in Beaver Dam is serving the family. Online condolences may be made at www.koepsellfh.com.
Officials in Bahrain are searching for ten escaped prisoners charged with terrorism. The prisoners escaped after armed gunmen attacked Jaw prison, located south of the capital city Manama, on Sunday.

The Bahrain interior ministry described the attack on Twitter. It said the five attackers were part of a terrorist group armed with automatic weapons. One police officer was killed in the attack.

Seven of the prisoners were serving life sentences for what the ministry called terrorist acts. The other three were serving long sentences.

Bahrain is a small island nation off the coast of Saudi Arabia. The country has faced low-level unrest since the 2011 Arab Spring protests. During those protests, crowds took to the streets to demonstrate against their leaders in several Middle Eastern and North African countries.

At that time, Bahrains Shiite Muslim majority and others demanded greater political freedoms from the nations Sunni Muslim rulers. Shiites have argued the Sunni-led monarchy does not treat them fairly. The government denies these claims.

The government began a campaign against protesters in April. Officials arrested several well-known political leaders and forced others into exile. They have also put thousands of people, mostly Shiites, into prison for being involved in anti-government activities.

The United States Navys 5th Fleet has a base on the island. Britain also is opening a naval base there.

Im Pete Musto.

Pete Musto adapted this VOA News story for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Has there been any major prison escapes in your country recently? How does your government treat political figures with different opinions? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

gunmen  n. people who uses guns to shoot someone or to try to shoot someone

automatic  adj. shooting many bullets very quickly when the trigger is pulled

unrest  n. a situation in which many of the people in a country are angry and hold protests or act violently

monarchy  n. a form of government in which a country is ruled by someone who rules for life and usually receives their position from another person when that person dies
Banco Santander (Brasil) S.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides various banking products and services to individuals, small and medium enterprises, and corporate customers in Brazil and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Commercial Banking and Global Wholesale Banking. It offers deposits and other bank funding instruments; debit and credit cards; digital prepaid solutions; payment platform; loyalty programs; employee benefit vouchers; payroll loans; digital lending and online debt renegotiation services; mortgages; home equity financing products; consumer credit; and local loans, commercial and trade finance, guarantees, structured loans, and cash management and funding solutions, as well as on-lending transfer services. It also provides funding and financial advisory services related to projects, origination and distribution of fixed-income securities in the debt capital markets, financing of acquisitions and syndicated loans, other structured financing arrangements, and subordinated debt and energy efficiency transactions; advisory services for mergers and acquisitions, and equity capital markets transactions; and stock brokerage and advisory, equity, and equity research services. In addition, the company structures and offers foreign exchange, derivative, and investment products for institutional investors, and corporate and retail customers; and provides market making services. Further, it offers instant payment services; range of products and services focused on the agribusiness sector; microfinance services; and online automotive listing and digital car insurance solutions, as well as digital trading platform. Additionally, it provides its financial services and products to its customers through multichannel distribution network comprising branches, mini-branches, ATMs, call centers, Internet banking, and mobile banking. Banco Santander (Brasil) S.A. was incorporated in 1985 and is headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
China and Nepal are preparing to hold their first-ever joint military exercises, officials from both countries confirmed.

A spokesman for Chinas Defense Ministry said last week the two nations had agreed during talks to hold joint military drills. He did not provide details, adding that more information would be released later.

The spokesman said the militaries of China and Nepal have cooperated with, in his words, mutual respect over a period of time. He added that the past cooperation led to the planning of the first joint military exercises.

A Nepal army spokesman said Chinese troops would train Nepali forces in ways to deal with hostage situations involving terrorist groups. Training in managing natural disasters will also take place, the official said.

India has held military drills with Nepal for years.

Experts say the joint military cooperation between China and Nepal is a sign of strengthening ties between the two countries. In recent years, Beijing has provided Nepal with millions of dollars to help build roads, hospitals and other infrastructure. China has also signed agreements to supply energy to remote mountain areas.

India to watch closely

One China expert in New Delhi, Jayadeva Ranade, told VOA that Indian officials will be carefully watching the new exercises. He questioned whether the military relationship was going to expand or remain a one-time event.

Ranade also said that India considers Nepal part of its strategic space. Any increased Chinese presence in Nepal brings China right up to (Indias) border, which is very porous, he noted.

Nepals ambassador to India, Deep Upadhyay, said India should not be worried about the exercises affecting relations with Nepal.

He told the Times of India newspaper the drills will be small and will likely not have any long-term implications.

There's really not much in it. Whichever way you look at it, Nepal has a special relationship with India and that's not going to change because of any such exercise, he said.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Anjana Pasricha reported this story for VOANews.com. Bryan Lynn adapted it for VOA Learning English, with additional material from Reuters. Mario Ritter was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

drill  n. training activity conducted by soldiers

mutual  adj. something shared by two people or groups

remote  adj. far away or isolated

scale  n. the size or level of something

porous  adj. easy to pass or get through

implication  n. a possible future effect or result
Brookfield Asset Management is an alternative asset manager and REIT/Real Estate Investment Manager firm focuses on real estate, renewable power, infrastructure and venture capital and private equity assets. It manages a range of public and private investment products and services for institutional and retail clients. It typically makes investments in sizeable, premier assets across geographies and asset classes. It invests both its own capital as well as capital from other investors. Within private equity and venture capital, it focuses on acquisition, early ventures, control buyouts and financially distressed, buyouts and corporate carve-outs, recapitalizations, convertible, senior and mezzanine financings, operational and capital structure restructuring, strategic re-direction, turnaround, and under-performing midmarket companies. It invests in both public debt and equity markets. It invests in private equity sectors with focus on Business Services include infrastructure, healthcare, road fuel distribution and marketing, construction and real estate; Industrials include manufacturers of automotive batteries, graphite electrodes, returnable plastic packaging, and sanitation management and development; and Residential/ infrastructure services. It targets companies which likely possess underlying real assets, primarily in sectors such as industrial products, building materials, metals, mining, homebuilding, oil and gas, paper and packaging, manufacturing and forest product sectors. It invests globally with focus on North America including Brazil, the United States, Canada; Europe; and Australia; and Asia-Pacific. The firm considers equity investments in the range of $2 million to $500 million. It has a four-year investment period and a 10-year term with two one-year extensions. The firm prefers to take minority stake and majority stake. Brookfield Asset Management Inc. was founded in 1997 and based in Toronto, Canada with additional offices across Northern America; South America; Europe; Middle East and Asia.
Some European leaders are worried that Russia will try to influence their elections this year.

The concerns come as possible Russian interference in the United States presidential election last year continues to be debated.

There will be national elections in France, Germany and the Netherlands in 2017. Experts say Russia is already trying to help some candidates win. Russia denies that it is doing so.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will seek a fourth term in office this year. She has led efforts in Europe to punish Russia for taking actions that democratic nations oppose. Experts say she is the European leader that Russia would most like to see voted out of office.

In December, Merkel said Germany must be ready to stop attempts by other countries to interfere with its elections.

We have to inform people and express our political convictions clearly. We also should not allow ourselves to be irritated. We just have to know that theres such a thing and learn to live with it.

Almost one million migrants entered Germany in 2015. Some Germans do not support such a large number. Experts say Russia will try to use anti-immigrant activists to help oust Merkel. And they say Russia will likely increase what are being called disinformation activities in the months and weeks before the election.

Ian Bond is an analyst at the Center for European Reform.

They (Russia) can target it both in France and in Germany. But because Angela Merkel herself has been so closely identified with the policy of admitting refugees and asylum-seekers to Germany, it is, I think, an area of vulnerability for her.

The Alternative for Germany political party opposes immigrants. It has been gaining support, as measured by public opinion studies.

Thorsten Benner is an expert at the Global Public Policy Institute. He says pressure on the German government could increase if the migrant situation in Europe gets worse.

Anti-immigrant political parties throughout Europe have sought close relationships with Russia. Marine Le Pen is the leader of one of those parties, the National Front in France. A Russian bank provided her with a $10 million loan to help her election campaign.

Bond says the anti-immigrant parties share one goal: they want to cause division in the European Union.

And, from a Russian point of view, if you can divide Europe, if you can then pick off individual states and make them feel more vulnerable or make them feel that they have to accommodate themselves to Russia, then thats a huge win.

Bond says when Donald Trump becomes president in January, European unity will be tested.

Trump himself, like (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, seems to share this preference for dealing with countries in Europe bilaterally rather than multi-laterally. And so I think he is not going to shed many tears if, in fact, the EU is weakened as a result of Russian activity in European elections in the coming months.

Trump has said NATO allies should pay more for their defense. But he has not said he wants the European Union weakened.

European leaders hope that, by talking about their worries long before elections are held, they can stop any attempts by Russia to influence voters. But experts says Russia has already begun spreading propaganda to increase its influence.

Im Christopher Jones-Cruise.

Correspondent Henry Ridgwell reported this story from London. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the report for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page.

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Words in This Story

irritate  v. to make (someone) impatient, angry or annoyed

disinformation  n. information that is given to people to hide the truth or in order to make them believe something that is not true

vulnerability --n. the ability to be hurt or the state of having a weakness

analyst  n. a person who studies or analyzes something

pick off  phrasal verb to separate something or someone from a group

accommodate  v. to get used to or become comfortable with something; to adapt or adjust to something

bilateral  adj. involving two groups or countries

multi-lateral  adj. involving more than two groups or countries

shed a tear  expression to be worried
From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

In 2016, three viruses made news, and they present difficult problems for health officials in the New Year.

One virus threatens babies in many parts of the world. Another has reappeared in an African nation. And a third is one of the deadliest viruses of modern times.

The three viruses are Zika, polio and HIV.

However, in 2016 scientists and researchers from all over the world worked to make progress against those viruses and to develop better ways to control them.

Zika virus linked to birth defects

The spread of the Zika virus caused public health officials in many nations to put in place strong measures to control its spread.

Brazil, which hosted the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, was hit hard by the virus. Health officials warned pregnant women against traveling to the sporting event.

Zika is usually a mild illness. It is so mild that most people who are infected do not know they have it.

However, in the past two years in the Western Hemisphere, Zika has been linked to babies to being born with extremely small heads. This condition is called microcephaly. The international medical community found that this link to birth defects makes Zika a very dangerous virus.

Zika first appeared in Uganda more than 60 years ago. It is spread by mosquitos and by sex.

The virus recently appeared in Brazil. Then cases appeared in other countries to the North. Cases were reported in the United States in the southern state of Florida. Health officials in Texas are also concerned the virus might be spreading there.



Dr. Anthony Costello is with the World Health Organization. He says that even one child affected by zika has a very big impact on community resources and a family's ability to deal with the results. Costello considers the disabilities caused by zika to be a huge blow to families.



"It is a public health problem of huge concern for the world. Sixty-nine countries have seen the Zika virus emerge in the last two years. We are talking about a virus that causes brain damage and potentially lifelong disability which is a huge blow to families."

Doctors can only advise women to be careful. They advise women not to travel to areas where the virus is spreading, to avoid mosquito bites or to delay pregnancy.

Currently there is no vaccine against Zika. However, one could be available by 2018.

Polio appears again in Africa

The return of a virus once thought to be gone or eliminated made news in 2016.

The polio virus returned in Africas most populated country - Nigeria. Continuing violence in the northern part of Nigeria had made it difficult for all children to get vaccinated. At a time when Nigeria was thought to be almost polio-free, three children were diagnosed with the virus.

Polio continues to exists in another conflict area: along the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

But vaccination efforts continue to give health officials hope that polio can finally be eliminated.

Polio infections have decreased by 99 percent since 1988. In that year, there were about 350,000 cases. In 2016, there were fewer than 40.

Top health official suggests HIV vaccine could be near

In December, Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health discussed testing of an experimental vaccine for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

Testing on a vaccine started in South Africa. The National Institutes of Health is partly funding the effort. However, Fauci warns that the process will take time and effort.



"An HIV vaccine is not going to be easy. We may not even know if we're going to get a vaccine."



He adds improvements in treatments for AIDS have lengthened the lives of those who have the disease.



"Today, the combinations of therapies we have for individuals - for someone who is in their 20s and gets infected and comes in and gets on a combination of drugs - you could predict that they would live an additional 50 years, 5-0. That is one of the most extraordinary advances in the transition from basic research to an applicable intervention in any field of medicine."



An effective HIV vaccine could finally mean the end for the deadly virus. HIV has infected more than 70 million people and has killed 35 million people over the past 50 years.

Im Anna Matteo.

Carol Person reported this story from Washington, D.C. for VOA News. Anna Matteo adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter edited it.

___________________________________________________

Words in This Story

impact  n. a powerful or major influence or effect

blow  n. an unfortunate or calamitous happening <failure to land the job came as a blow>

extraordinary  adj. extremely good or impressive

eliminate  v. to remove (something that is not wanted or needed) : to get rid of (something)








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By Adrienne Mayor (Regular Contributor)

A fearsome dragon was featured in medieval Scandinavian and Germanic legends about the hero Sigurd/Siegfried. The story is the centerpiece in the epic saga Niebelungenlied, in which the Siegfried kills Fafnir, who had been transformed into a hideous dragon by a powerful curse.

In the legend, Fafnir guarded a hoard of golden treasure. The dragon was so huge that the very ground shook when he walked. At Drachenfels (Dragon Rock), Konigswinter on the Rhine, a large statue of a typical dragon lurks near the ruins of a castle built on the summit of the hill in about 1150. A cave below was believed to be Fafnirs lair.

According to the story, the hero Siegfried tracked the Dragon to his lair, by following a trail of the dragons enormous footprints sunk deep in the earth.

Notably, conspicuous fossil trackways of two types of massive dinosaurs are found in Germany. In 1941, the German paleontologist H. Kirchner speculated that observations of Triassic dinosaur tracks in sandstone near Siegfriedsburg in the Rhine Valley of western Germany might have been the inspiration for the legend about the dragon Fafnirs footprints.

Since then, more dinosaur tracks have been analyzed by paleontologists in northern Europe. Immense fossilized footprints of a theropod dinosaur were recently found near Muenchehagen, Germany. Another long trackway left by a massive 30-ton Sauropod from 140 million years ago is embedded in a quarry at Rehburg-Loccum, near Hannover, Germany. Their magnitude4 feet wide and 17 inches deepwould certainly lead anyone in antiquity or the Middle Ages to visualize a legendary dragon of dreadful size and shape.

Wagners famous Opera Ring of the Neibelung features Siegfried fighting a medieval-style dragon on stage. But in 2005, for the first time in opera history, the Lyric Opera of Chicago portrayed Fafnir as a frightening fossil monster, a kind of fantasy dinosaur skeleton. This was a way of acknowledging the idea that discoveries of remarkable fossils may have influenced images and tales of dragons in pre-Darwinian societies.

Adrien ne Mayor is a Research Scholar in Classics and History of Sc ience, Stanford University, is the author of The First Fossil Hunters: Dinosaurs, Mammoths, and Myths in Greek and Roman Times (2011), Fossil Legends of the First Americans (2005), and The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, and The Amazons.

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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
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TIFT COUNTY, Ga. - Deputies have started an investigation after they said they discovered a dead couple and two sisters suffering from gunshot wounds on New Year's Eve.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said that they were called by the Tift County Sheriff's Office to help with a death investigation.

Tift County deputies said that around 6 p.m. on New Year's Eve, they received a 911 call to a home on Briarwood Court. When they arrived, they found Dennie and Ginger Reeves dead inside the home.

They also discovered Suzanne Williams, with her sister, Kristen Wiggins, and they were both suffering from gunshot wounds as well.

Deputies believe that that the Reeves' had injuries consistent with gunshot wounds as well.

The Reeves' will be sent to the GBI Crime Lab where autopsies will be performed.

GBI and the Tift County Sheriff's Office said that they will continue to investigate the incident.
When Oregon native Neal Falls, 45, answered an ad for sex from backpage.com in Charleston, W.Va., on Wednesday, he wasn't planning on paying. He'd brought along in his car a shovel, knives, a bulletproof vest, bleach, trash bags, sledgehammers and axes, as well as four sets of handcuffs and a gun in his pocket. As the woman who answered the door told Eyewitness News in Charleston: "I knew he was there to kill me."

What happened next is your average nightmare scenario, in which Falls, a former security guard from Springfield, Ore., entered the woman's home and tried to rape and kill her. "When he strangled me, he just wouldn't let me get any air and I grabbed my rake and when he laid the gun down to get the rake out of my hands, I shot him. I just grabbed the gun and shot behind me," said the woman, who declined to be named.

Falls did not survive the gunshot wound.

The woman, and police, think this was probably not an isolated incident. Besides the fact that he had what could be described as a "kill kit" in his (typical Oregon) Subaru, he also was carrying in his pocket a list of around 10 other women from backpage.com, possibly more potential victims.

"It's hard to imagine this was only going to be a one-time event for him," said Lt. Steve Cooper of the Charleston Police Department.

Says the woman, "I could tell that he had already done something because he said he was going to prison for a long."

The police believe Falls may be connected to a string of dead sex workers in Ohio and also possibly Las Vegas. When asked by Eyewitness News if she believes she saved the lives of other women, the woman who killed Falls said, "I know I did."

The Pacific Northwest, in case you've forgotten, is a known incubator of serial killers. Ted Bundy killed women up and down the I-5 corridor, the Green River Killer stuck to the Pacific Highway and those are just the best known ones. There are also the Lust Killer, the Molalla Forest Murderer, Westley Allen Dodd (who will make you change your mind about naming your future son "Westley"), just to name a few.

Ted Bundy once said, "Be sure your doors are locked." Bundy may have been a sadistic monster, but on this one, he was right. Lock your doors or else be able to confidently steal an assailant's gun and shoot to kill behind your back while he's strangling you. So yeah, just lock your doors, okay?

WWeek 2015
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Jordan's Foreign Ministry says two Jordanians were among the 39 people killed in the shooting attack at a crowded Istanbul nightclub.

The ministry said in a statement that Jordanian diplomats have visited the six citizens wounded in the New Year's attack, whose conditions range from stable to critical.

The ministry earlier gave a higher death toll, which it blamed on confusion over the nationality of one victim.
ISTANBUL - The UN Security Council condemned "in the strongest terms" the shooting in Istanbul, Turkey, that killed at least 39 people at a night club on New Year's Eve, calling the assault "a heinous and barbaric terrorist attack."

In a press statement, the council members also expressed sympathy and condolences to the families of those slain and of the dozens of wounded.

The council said it reaffirms, in its words, "that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security."
Ruwa Mansour, who was wounded in the New Year's terror attack in Istanbul , returned to Israel late Sunday night and was transferred to the Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba, where dozens of her family members were waiting for her.

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Mansour, 18.5, and her three friendsDr. Alaa Abed Alahi, 30, Layan Nasser, 18, and Aya Ahsan Abed Alahi, 26were at a restaurant near the Reina night club when the terrorist arrived and started shooting indiscriminately, killing Layan Nasser

"We were at a restaurant and someone started shooting without stopping. It's hard for me to talk about Layan," Mansour said in tears.





Ruwa Mansour returns home

The four friends decided to take a spontaneous trip to Turkey to celebrate New Year's Eve. They were sitting at a restaurant close to the club, and Mansour said that seconds before the shooting started, she and the other girls were discussing leaving the restaurant and going someplace else.

At around 1:30am, they started hearing gunfire. "We were told to get down to the floor, and the shooting just didn't stop," Mansour recounted.

"When the shooting started, we thought it was a fight. But all of a sudden we heard 'Allahu Akbar' and we realized it was a terror attack," Dr. Alaa Abed Alahi said.

"She and her friends were very far (from the attacker), they were just on the other side," Ruwa Mansour's father, Sufiya, said. "Someone came in through the back door and started shootingfirst into the air. When the guards approached him, he started shooting at civilians."

Ruwa Mansour returns home (Photo: Yariv Katz)

"When my daughter heard the gunfire, she dropped to the ground and crawled toward the door to get out. She was apparently hit by two bulletsone to her hand and one to her leg," Sufiyan added.

"After the shooting started and I was wounded, I took my friend Aya to a storeroom and we hid there," Ruwa told Ynet.

"My three friends and I split up and tried to get away and find a place to hide," Alahi said. "There were a lot of people on the floor, some were dead. And the shooting didn't stop for a long time. There was a lot of shouting, and police took a long time to come."

Mansour, a volunteer at Magen David Adom, kept aiding others around her, providing them with medical treatment, despite being wounded herself.

Ruwa Mansour, a volunteer at Magen David Adom

"I provided medical assistance to a Kuwaiti woman who lost consciousness. I felt duty-bound to help others," she said.

It was only hours later that the girls learned of the tragedy that befell themtheir friend Layan Nasser was killed.

"Thirty-nine people were murdered and we were saved by a miracle. Layan was my best friend and sadly she died," Alahi said.

"I can't comprehend it still. I lost my best friend," she added. Dr. Alahi worked with Layan at a dentist's clinic.

Dr. Alaa Abed Alahi (Photo: Itay Blumenthal)

Shira Ben-Zion, the Israeli deputy consul general in Istanbul, said Layan's coffin will be flown to Israel on Monday evening.

Her family has gone from worry to relief and then to grief on Sunday when, after hours of not hearing anything from her, they were told she was found at a hospital in Istanbul. But shortly thereafter they learned it was a different woman and received the horrible news.

"I know the security situation in Turkey is not good," said Layan's father, Zaher. "I asked her not to go but sadly she did."

Layan Nasser

"It was very difficult to return to Israel without Layan, our soul. I never thought this could happen to us and we'll lose our best friend," Ruwa Mansour said. "I was looking for my friends (after the shooting). I wanted to give them medical treatment when I started thinking they may have been wounded."

The four girls did not have travel insurance, so the State of Israel had to intervene to fly Layan's body home. Interior Minister Aryeh Deri instructed his ministry to pay for flying Layan home after being asked to by the mayor of Tira, where they girls are from.

Because the attack at the Istanbul club did not target Israeli citizens specifically, the Defense Ministry is expected not to recognize Layan Nasser and her friends as terror victims.

Dalia Elyakim , who was murdered at the attack at the Christmas market in Berlin two weeks ago, was also not recognized as a terror victim.
There were moments when it seemed like one of the debates between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. John Kerry, Clintons double, delivers a reasoned speech , backed by facts, about the complexity of the situation, while Benjamin Netanyahu, Trumps double, responds with a crushing personal attack , filled with insults.

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Of the two of them, the more interesting oneand the more important one for our futureis Netanyahu. The things he said in Hebrew were just a short introduction to the speech he gave in English. He spoke to one person only, to Donald Trump.

In the history of the conflict, the exchange of words between them was nothing but a footnote. Kerry said what he had to say and went packing. It feels like graduation time in the White House: The president is in Hawaii, a large part of the staff is on holiday, and the others are busy looking for a job. If something happens following the two speeches, it will happen in one of the international bodies and will be initiated by a different government. The chances for that are not high.

One is preaching, the other is biting. Netanyahu and Kerry with the prime minister's dog (Photo: Reuters)

All that is left for us Israelis is to wonder: Why is Kerry going to so much trouble concerning Israel? Doesnt he have more joyful matters to deal with on the eve of the New Year? And why is it so important for Netanyahu to bite the hand that has fed him loyally, generously, for the past eight years? Where does that get him? What does that get the country he heads?

Most Israelis and Palestinians have stopped believing that the two-state solution will ever materialize. Kerry still believes it will happen. Peace in the Middle East was supposed to be the jewel in his terms crown, his Nobel Prize. He put a huge effort in the negotiations, and it was a miserable failure. Like many before him, he lived with the sense that an agreement is within reach: All the sides need is a suitable outline, principles and parameters, and peace will come.

In the book Kerry is writing about his term, he will probably say what he did not say in his speech last week. He was not only let down by Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas, but alsoand perhaps mainlyby Barack Obama. James Baker, who served as secretary of state under President George H. W. Bush, proved that the secretary of states power is derived from the backing he receives from the president. If there is no backing, there is no power and there are no results.

Excerpts from Kerry's speech ()

X

When Kerry tried to reach an Israeli-Palestinian agreement, Obama was in his second term. The lesson he learned from his first term was that he had better keep his distance. Kerry arrived here emptyhanded. He failed for several reasons. The most important one may be the fact that he failed to prove to the leaderships on both sides that the political return they will receive is bigger than the political price they will have to pay if they sign an agreement.

Kerry tried it once and became addicted. He delivered his lamentation speech about the two-state solution on several occasions, two of them at the Saban Forum in Washington. The speech was identical: The same gloomy account, the same wounds of a friend, the same preaching tonelike a parent talking to a child, the same warnings that Israel is deteriorating into a reality in which it will stop being what it was designated to beeither it wont be Jewish, or it wont be democratic. There was something irritating about his helplessness. That doesnt mean he wasnt right.

Kerry, one of his assistants once told me, tends to see problems from the other sides point of view. He tries to step into his fellowmans shoes. Here in the Middle East, I said to him, people dont appreciate such thoughtfulness. They expect an American secretary of state to represent Americas interests before anything. That may be the case, the man said, but what can we do? Thats Kerry.

Kerry dedicated part of his speech last week to the solutions importance to American interests and values. Meanwhile, however, the image of American interestsand probably the image of American values as wellhas completely changed following Trumps victory. No one knows what Trumps policy in the Middle East will be, how will he define Americas interests, what values will he fight for.

Trump, in the meantime, is mainly a styleand thats what Netanyahu was talking to, the style. His personal attack on Obama and Kerry was aimed at flattering Trumps tweets. Thats what should be done to people that the new king does no delight to honor.

Netanyahu's English statement following Kerry's speech (:  )

X

Netanyahu did not say a word about the two-state solution. It was his way of making it clear that there is nothing to talk about: Neither principles nor parameters nor an agreement. The old Netanyahu maintained a two-state facade. The Bar-Ilan speech reflected the depth of his fear of Obama. His response to Kerrys speech was his final declaration of liberation from that fear. Obama is leaving, and the Bar-Ilan speech is leaving with him.

Indeed, the two-state solution is dead, or has at least entered a deep freeze. Only unusual, traumatic circumstances, or a horrible disaster, will be able to revive it. Netanyahu should be given credit for the termination process, and the Palestinians deserve an equal credit. The agreement is not the only thing that is deadso is the faith that an agreement will ever be reached.

The settlements are a different story. All the US administrations, since 1967, have seen them as illegal. President George W. Bush was considered one of the greatest friends Israel ever had in the White House. Bush was particularly close to Ehud Olmert when he served as prime minister. Just dont ask me to help you fund the evacuation of settlers from the West Bank, he told Olmert in one of their conversations. The settlements are illegal. The United States will not compensate you for their establishment.

The six principles specified by Kerry are, more or less, what will stand at the basis of any agreement, if an agreement is ever reached. There is no great novelty in them. Ironically, they are more difficult for the Palestinians than for Israel. In the past, the Palestinians would have rejected such speeches out of hand. Now, the Palestinians are keeping a low profile and Israel is tweeting first. Donald is the king of Israel.
PARIS - France on Monday called on Russia to stop military action in Syria and respect a fragile ceasefire brokered by Moscow and Turkey seeking to end nearly six years of war.

"We resolutely condemn everything Russia could do in Syria that would contribute to a continuation of fighting," Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said on France Inter radio.

The truce deal, which was welcomed unanimously by the United Nations Security Council, has been repeatedly violated since it began, with warring sides trading the blame.

"We hope talks between separate Syrian forces will continue so the ceasefire can hold," Cazeneuve said.

"We ask the Russians to stop taking part in military operations which are deadly operations," he added, without specifying which actions in particular he was referring to.
BAGHDAD - At least 18 people were killed and 35 wounded by a car bomb in a busy square in Baghdad's sprawling Sadr City district on Monday, police and medical sources said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but Islamic State regularly targets civilian areas in the heavily fortified capital, even after losing most of the northern and western territory it seized in 2014.
ISTANBUL - The Islamic State group (ISIS) on Monday claimed responsibility for the New Year's attack at a popular Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people and wounded scores of others, including Israeli citizens.

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The ISIS-linked Aamaq News Agency said the attack was carried by a "heroic soldier of the caliphate who attacked the most famous nightclub where Christians were celebrating their apostate holiday."

Flowers at the Istanbul nightclub targeted in the attack (Photo: Reuters)

It said the man opened fire from an automatic rifle in "revenge for God's religion and in response to the orders" of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The group described Turkey as "the servant of the cross."

ISIS claiming credit

the gunman , who is still at large, comes from a Central Asian nation and is likely to be either from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan.

Police distributed a hazy black-and-white photo of the alleged attacker taken from security footage.

The terrorist at the Istanbul nightclub

X

According to Hurriyet and Karar newspapers, police had also established similarities with the high-casualty suicide bomb and gun attack at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport in June and was investigating whether the same ISIS cell could have carried out both attacks.

Wounded at the scene of the attack (Photo: Reuters)

The gunman killed a policeman and another man outside the Reina club in the early hours of 2017 before entering and firing at an estimated 600 people partying inside with an automatic rifle.

Nearly two-thirds of the dead in the upscale club, which is frequented by local celebrities, were foreigners, Turkey's Anadolu Agency said, many of them hailed from the Middle East. One Israeli woman, 18-year-old Layan Nasser, was killed in the attack , while her friend, 18.5-year-old Ruwa Mansour, was moderately wounded.

The mass shooting followed more than 30 violent acts over the past year in Turkey, which is a member of the NATO alliance and a partner in the US-led coalition fighting against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. The country endured multiple bombings in 2016, including three in Istanbul alone that authorities blamed on ISIS, a failed coup attempt in July and renewed conflict with Kurdish rebels in the southeast.

People leaving flowers outside the club (Photo: GettyImages)

ISIS claims to have cells in the country. Analysts think it was behind suicide bombings last January and March that targeted tourists on Istanbul's iconic Istiklal Street as well as the attack at Ataturk Airport in June, which killed 45 people.

In December, ISIS released a video purportedly showing the killing of two Turkish soldiers and urged its supporters to "conquer" Istanbul. Turkey's jets regularly bomb the group in the northern Syrian town of Al-Bab. Turkish authorities have not confirmed the authenticity of the video.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the attacker left a gun at the club and escaped by "taking advantage of the chaos" that ensued. Some customers reportedly jumped into the waters of the Bosporus to escape the attack.
Turkey's Interior Ministry says that dozens of people have been detained in the past week over suspected ties to the Islamic State group.

In a statement released Monday, the ministry said 147 people were detained after authorities determined "they were in contact with the Daesh terrorist organization," referring to an Arabic acronym for ISIS.

Of the detained, 25 people have been formally put under arrest.

The ministry's announcement came after a gunman opened fire on New Year's revelers at an Istanbul nightclub, killing 39 people and wounded dozens of others. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack.
NEW DELHI - India's top court on Monday prohibited politicians from using religion and caste to garner votes, a verdict that could force political parties to change their strategy in upcoming elections.

"No politician can seek vote in the name of caste, creed or religion," said Chief Justice T.S. Thakur in an order, adding that election process must be a "secular exercise".

India is officially secular but political parties have traditionally used religion and caste as the main criteria to select candidates and to appeal to voters.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has for years fought elections on a Hindu nationalist agenda, with party members in the past being accused of making anti-Muslim statements to polarize Hindu voters.
Former minister Yaakov Neeman was laid to rest on Monday at the Mount of Olives cemetery in Jerusalem on Monday, with many senior political and judicial figures coming to pay their respects.

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Among the hundreds of participants were President Reuven Rivlin, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, ministers Avigdor Lieberman, Ayelet Shaked and Aryeh Deri, Opposition leader Isaac Herzog and Chief Rabbi David Lau.

President Rivlin speaking at Neeman's funeral (Photo: Hillel Meir, TPS)

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein at the funeral (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

Neeman, who served as justice and finance minister, passed away from an illness on Sunday at the age of 77.

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 justice during Benjamin Netanyahus first term as prime minister, despite not being a member of the Knesset.

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.

Photo: Alex Kolomoisky

After serving as finance minister between 1997 and 1998, Neeman was re-appointed justice minister when Netanyahu was reelected in 2009, a position he served in 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.

Photo: Alex Kolomoisky

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 due to 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.






Hezbollah remains the most serious conventional threat Israel is facing, more than Hamas or Iran, a report released Monday by the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) determined.

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According to the report, submitted to President Rivlin by INSS head Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Yadlin, Hezbollah has rockets that can reach any range, precision-guided missiles, attack and suicide drones, the best Russian-made air defense systems and ground units that are training to conquer Israeli towns and cities.

The INSS recommended to improve Israeli intelligence gathering in an effort to continue reducing the transfer of advanced arms to the terror organization and consequently reduce the chances of an escalation.

Armored Hezbollah vehicles in Syria

However, the potential for the eruption of a conflict with Hamas is higher than with Hezbollah or Iran.

Hamas, the INSS determined, may have been deterred after the 2014 Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, but it is continuing to build up its strength.

Furthermore, even if both sides are not interested in escalation, a conflict can break out over violent incidents or due to the deep social and economic frustration in the strip that will manifest itself in violence against Israel.

Regarding Iran, the INSS noted that while the nuclear agreement signed with world powers does give Israel a window of opportunity in the short term, Tehran is strengthening its conventional capabilities.

In the medium and long term, Iran will become much more dangerous and enjoy international legitimization for a broad and unrestrained nuclear program.

The INSS report details three significant challenges Israel will face on the long term: an enemy state having nuclear capabilities; the creation of a "one-state for two people" reality in Israel; and the erosion of Israel's international status.

Armored Hezbollah vehicles in Syria

Maj. Gen. (res.) Yadlin noted that a window of opportunity has opened that would allow Israel to handle these challenges: The incoming pro-Israel Trump administration in the US; Israel's shared interests with the pragmatic Arab nations; and adopting a bottom-up approach to dealing with the Palestinians, in cooperation with world and regional powers.

The INSS stressed that the direct conventional threat to Israel remained significantly low, but that paramilitary militias funded by Iran are growing stronger.

The institute determined that the United States remains committed to Israel's security, and said that negotiations over the military aid package showed the extent of this commitment, despite the tensions between the two leaders.

On the other hand, the INSS also pointed to negative trends: The Israeli government sticks to a policy of passivity and sanctifies the status-quo as the country's international status continues eroding due to the freeze in peace talks with the Palestinians. The diplomatic freeze, economic woes, the Palestinian leadership crisis and the mounting despair continue feeding "lone wolf" terrorism and increasing the potential of a full-blown conflict erupting.

The report determines that continuing with the current trend, "which is erroneously referred to as the 'status quo,' will reduce Israel's options and endanger its future as a Jewish and democratic state."

"Despite the relatively convenient strategic situation, the Israeli leadership must not avoid discussions and hard decisions that are vital to the formation of a pro-active national security policy that promotes Israeli interests as a Jewish, democratic, safe and legitimate country within the known borders," the report states.

"Even if it appears there isn't a partner on the other sideneither to reach an agreement nor to implement itit is an important Israeli interest to stop the gradual descent toward the negative and irreversible reality of one-state to two peoples."

The report's conclusion, President Rivlins said, was "that Israel must preserve its independence in order to safeguard its essential interests. Yet in the same breath, you make clear that specifically for the sake of this security and independence, Israel must have cooperation with as many countries as possible in our region and around the world. You highlight that sovereignty and security will never be assured only with high walls and military might. Today more than ever, this is a message of unparalleled importance."
BEIRUT - Syria's state news agency says al-Qaeda militants have knocked out electricity towers near the capital, causing power cuts in a southern province.

SANA said Monday that fighters from the Fatah al-Sham Front bombed three towers southwest of Damascus, causing electricity cuts in the Quneitra region.

The report came as a cease-fire brokered by Russia and Turkey held for the fourth day amid sporadic violations. Fighting has raged in the water-rich Barada Valley northwest of Damascus over the past two weeks.

The Fatah al-Sham Front and the Islamic State group are not included in the truce.
A team of investigators arrvived at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's official residence on Monday evening to question him over suspicion of bribery.

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Speaking earlier in the day, Netanyahu told the media and opposition to "hold off on the partying" ahead of his police questioning later in the day.

"We notice reports in the media," Netanyahu said during a Likud faction meeting. "We hear the celebrations and sense the way the wind blows in TV studios and in the halls of the oppositionhold off on the partying, don't jump the gun. I told you and I repeat: Nothing will happen, because there is nothing. You will continue making wild allegations and we will continue leading the State of Israel."

Photo: Gil Yohanan

Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog, however, did not see any reason to celebrate. "This isn't a happy day. This is a hard day for the State of Israel," he said during his own faction meeting.

"We are not gloating," he added. "I'd say the most basic thing in moments like this is to understand that there is a rule of law in this country. We must put our trust in law enforcement authorities and allow them to complete the investigation without fear or interference. Particularly, we must stop with stupid and unnecessary bills that seek to distort the fact that legislation is based on decisions made by the attorney general and on an independent and unbiased system."

The prime minister's questioning, scheduled for Monday evening at Netanyahu's official residence in Jerusalem, was the talk of town at the Knesset on Monday.

Prime Minister Netanyahu (Photo: Yoav Dudkevitz)

"A person under investigation is a person under pressure," Yesh Atid leader MK Lapid said. "That's normal and understandable."

"But the prime minister needs to be focused on other things, not on proving his innocence," Lapid continued. "I call upon all those involved from the Office of the Prime Minister to the Office of the Attorney General: lets finish this without any foot-dragging. Clear all the time that is needed, clear the schedule if you need to, and give the police the ability to get to the truth as quickly as possible."

He went on to say that "If two prime ministers in a row (Olmert and Netanyahu) fall from office because of corruption, it will be very hard to rehabilitate the publics trust in its leadership. I want to remind the members of the opposition and the media that the presumption of innocent applies to every Israeli, including the prime minister. We need to let the police do their work.

Yair Lapid (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

"With that in mind, for the good of the country and the people, it needs to be done quickly. We can't allow what happened with Olmert's investigation to happen again. We can't sink into months of investigations. It can't be that instead of sitting with the Mossad, the Shin Bet, the IDF chief of staff and the finance minister, the prime minister will spend his time with lawyers preparing for the investigation and then with the police while he is being questioned."

Coalition partner Naftali Bennett (Bayit Yehudi) asserted that "the prime minister should not resign because an investigation was launched. An investigation can end with nothing coming out of it. There is great importance in the stability of governments in the State of Israel. It's important that governments last for the full four years. It takes us time to be effective, and this is a good national government."

The Attorney Generals Office has already prepared a statement that is to be publicized immediately upon the conclusion of the questioning with a detailed explanation regarding the suspicions against Netanyahu.

Isaac Herzog (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

Everything is already ready and coordinated, said an official acquainted with the details. The two sides are prepared for the other and this will be a battle of wits.

At present, the investigation is expected to focus on the supposed elicit benefits awarded to Netanyahu and members of his family. Those involved in it, though, said that the investigation's focus could change if it turns out that Netanyahu reciprocated these benefits in some way.

The investigation's plan of action details exactly how Netanyahu will be handled: while he is investigated in one room, an entire team of investigators from the Police's Lahav 443 Special Investigations Unit will be set up in a war room at a separate location, receiving online updates as to the investigation's developments, which will allow them to update their questions and methods of interrogation accordingly in real time.

The police is planning on conducting a meeting to evaluate where it stands once the investigation is concluded. The meeting is due to include Head of the Police Investigations and Intelligence Department Meni Itzhaki and Lahav 443 Commander Roni Ritman.

According to estimates, Netanyahu's investigation will last about four hours. Netanyahu's eldest son, Yair might also be called in for questioning.
A suicide bomber driving a pickup loaded with explosives struck a bustling market in Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 36 people in an attack claimed by the ISIS hours after French President Francois Hollande arrived in the Iraqi capital.

The bomb went off in a fruit and vegetable market that was packed with day laborers, a police officer said, adding that another 52 people were wounded.

During a press conference with Hollande, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the bomber pretended to be a man seeking to hire day laborers. Once the workers gathered around, he detonated the vehicle.
A Syrian man has been arrested in Germany on suspicion of seeking 180,000 euros ($190,000) from ISIS to buy vehicles that he intended to use for one or several bomb attacks, authorities said Monday.

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The 38-year-old, who came to Germany in late 2014 as an asylum-seeker, was arrested on Saturday in Saarbruecken, close to the French border. He is accused of collecting money to be used by him or someone else to carry out murder.





Security checks are amped up at the German border (Photo: AFP)

Prosecutors accused him of contacting someone in Syria "who he knew was in a position to obtain ISIS money for terror financing" last month via the Telegram encrypted communication service. The suspect allegedly asked for 180,000 euros so that he could buy and repaint vehicles that he intended to fit out with explosives before driving them into crowds.

The case against him was bolstered by an informant who went to Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office, chats on the suspect's smartphone and his own statements, "insofar as they can be followed," prosecutors said in a statement.

The Syrian is alleged to have told the financier that each vehicle would cost 22,500 euros, and that 400 to 500 kilograms (882 to 1,100 pounds) of explosives would be placed in each car, they added.

Police said in a separate statement that the man had sought ISIS financing for an "as yet unsubstantiated attack scenario with the help of prepared vehicles in Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands."

In questioning, the man acknowledged that he had been in contact with ISIS, but denied "terrorist intentions," prosecutors said.

Investigators have found no evidence that he already had vehicles fitted out to conduct attacks. Police said that a search of his apartment turned up no evidence of any concrete danger to New Year's Eve celebrations.

Germany saw three attacks last year claimed by ISIS and carried out by asylum-seekers two in Bavaria in the summer , in which the assailants were killed and a total of 20 people wounded, and the December 19 truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market in which 12 people were killed.
An investigation team from the Ministry of Environment charged with examining the circumstances surrounding a gasoline refinery which burst into flames in Haifa Bay last week has revealed that it may have been related to criminal violations.

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A number of senior staff members in the refinery were consequently investigated in Green Police Offices. Among the accusations that are being looked at are offenses committed before and after the fire, possibly by the workers.

Photo: Reuters

As a result of the outbreak forty firefighting crews were called from all over the country to contain the conflagration which threatened to spread throughout the vicinity.

According to initial conclusions, the firefighters said that the fire was caused by static electricity. After battling the flames for an entire day, the fire services were eventually able to reach the roof of the refinery and blast it with water from multiple directions as they brought the fire under control.

In a statement released by the Ministry of Environment on the matter, the investigative team submitted their initial conclusions in a report in which it was stated that, as mentioned, the circumstances could have been criminal with suspicions of a variety of violations relating to conduct of the refinery workersboth before and during the fire.

The investigative team is being managed by the Green Police and external professionals and advisors. It was also reported that the investigation examined aspects of conduct of the workers before and during the inferno along with the regulatory violations that were allegedly committed.

The criminal investigation on these matters will be a top priority and the investigative team will act swiftly as they exhaust investigative actions, the Environment Ministry said in a statement.

Naturally, due to the fact that we are talking about an ongoing investigation which is currently at its (highest intensity), the ministry is prohibiting the release of any details pertaining to the content of the investigation. These details will be fully reported to the public, after the investigation has been concluded.

Commenting on the matter, Minister of Environmental Protection Zeev Elkin refused to divulge any substantial details.

Minister of Environmental Protection Ze'ev Elkin (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

It is not right to talk about the investigation. For that reason I wont be addressing its content, he said. We will not let anyone off lightly. It is right that the investigators are doing their work. They received support from us. We are treating the incident seriously. We opened a criminal investigation after we saw the situation justified it.

He went on to say: It is no secret that the industrial concentration in the Haifa Bay is unusual, something which causes pollution in the area. On the other hand, many actions have been taken to reduce the pollution.
Hundreds of people attended the funeral at Har HaMenuchot cemetery in Jerusalem Monday evening of four children and their mother, one day after she allegedly killed all four of them before killing herself.

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While the 36-year-old mother was believed to have set her children aflame with an accelerant, possibly strangling them first, before killing herself by hanging in the, the exact way in which the children were killed was not immediately clear and the matter is subject to an ongoing investigation.

According to an investigation by the fire services and United Hatzalah indicated that fire was deliberately set to the bed in one of the bedrooms where the children were.

Video of the mother a few years ago (:  )

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"The fire caused masses of smoke, with heat and soot being emitted into the room and the rest of the house due to the lack of oxygen caused by the fact that the windows and the doors were shut," a statement said.

The father is expected to participate in the funeral. Earlier in the day, his lawyer said that his parents had also flown to Israel from France in order to join the processions. The father is broken and is crying non-stop, the lawyer said.

Photo: Liran Levi

He is staying in a hotel and is being supported by close family and friends and social workers, he told Ynet earlier. His parents came in from France to be with him. He is barely talking. His explanation and that of the police is that his wife was struck by a sudden burst of madness. There are clear indications of this."

He added that the father knew that his wife was being treated for depression after giving birth but he never thought that things would get as serious as this.

The mothers friends described her as a beautiful and happy woman. They said that they were not aware of any special problems in her behaviour.

Three of the girls who were murdered by their mother

The police is continuing its investigation into the incident which is expected to conclude that the children were murdered in the fire or after being strangled by the mother before she set the place alight.

Before committing suicide, the mother killed her daughters who were aged just 11, 9, 4 and 4 months old.

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.
The Teachers' Union announced on Monday that it will be staging a warning strike, with kindergartens, elementary schools and middle schools to begin at 11:00 over growing concerns that several teachers and education professionals have yet to be paid in full.

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While special education programs will continue as usual, the finance and education ministries have expressed their outrage over the decision.

Teachers' Union Sec. Gen. Yaffa Ben David and other representatives of the union met with Finance Ministry Sec. Gen. Shai Babad, Education Ministry Sec. Gen. Michal Cohen and other government officials to discuss salary conditions.

Specifically, Ben David demanded the cancellation of an expected retroactive cut made to teachers who were accidentally overpaid due to a conversion error. She also insisted that education professionals who had paid out of their own pocket for their transportation be reimbursed, in opposition to the planned cut in transportation reimbursement.

The school system prepares for Tuesday's strike

In the northern city of Kiryat Bialik, it was announced that all municipal kindergartens will be open as usual following the order of Mayor Eli Dokorsky. Most of the city's middle schools will also work as usual, since most of their teachers belong to the Teachers' Organization and not the Teachers' Union.

Ben David stated that "The Israeli government should be ashamed of itself that education professionals are not paid their salary in full. Harming the salaries of education professionals in the amounts of thousands of shekels due to a supposed error is unacceptable."

"The Education Ministry's accountants' claim of encountering a computing glitch is unacceptable. An education professional has just as much a right to receive their full salary and guarantee their dignified existence as any citizen who sends their children every day to school," added Ben David.

The Teachers' Union issued a statement, as well. "Thousands of education professionals have been severely hurt by the Education Ministry's deficient implementation of salary conversion under the "New Horizon" reform, as well as the deficient implementation of agreements between the Histadrut (general workers' unioned)," the statement read.

It went on to say that the ministries "certainly should not reduce the education professionals' salaries or reimbursement for transportations expenses without first having a dialogue about this with the Teachers' Union."

Ben David

Both the Finance and the Education ministries came out strongly against what they saw as Sec. Gen. Ben David's decision to strike in order to promote her own self interests. "This is an aggressive, arbitrary and rash decision," they said in a joint statement. "It is unfortunate to see students, parents, teachers and the system pay the price for her bid to (continue as) head of the Teachers' Union this May." The ministries added that "This is no way to build a work relationship based on trust and cooperation," and that they intended to use all the tools at their disposal in responding to the expected strike.

Teachers' Union Opposition Leader Gila Klein voiced her own criticism against Ben David's decision to strike, suggesting that it was merely a diversion from incidents of corruption involving the sec. gen. herself.

"The stand-in for the head of the Teachers' Union (Ben David is not in fact a stand-in, but had replaced long-time sec. gen. Yossi Wasserman, who resigned last month after facing his own corruption allegationsed) is carrying out a populist strike as she attempts to postpone a discussion that would have her reveal her inflated paychecks and payments to a battery of attorneys that were covered with the salaries of teachers and kindergarten instructors. She is going on a populist strike but will not reveal the true fester in the house that for years she has taken part in building."

Parent Committee Forums Head Paz Cohen also expressed his disappointment with the move. "It's a real shame that the sec. gen. of the Teachers' Union has decided to begin her term in this manner. Even when the fight is completely justified and the state has acted criminally against the teachers, automatically going for a strike sends a very bad message to parents and students."

National Student and Youth Council Chairperson Hanan Yazdi also responded to the announced strike. "We view the teachers' fight for their pay as an important fight in which every move should be seriously weighed and seen as a top priority that the system as a whole must be committed to, so that no teacher will go hungry and will receive their salary on time and in full. That said, a strike is not the way achieve this. We call on the new sec. gen. to recant from her intent to strike and to sit with us and all the relevant parties to solve this painful problem that is pertinent to all teachers, and to reach understandings that would concern the education system as a whole."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was questioned by the Israel Police for three hours on Monday evening at his official residence in Jerusalem over suspicion of receiving gifts from businessmen in breach of his role as a public servant.

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Netanyahu has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, but the involvement of the police's anti-fraud unit indicated questions raised about him are considered serious enough to merit an investigation. Police said Netanyahu was questioned "under caution," a term signaling that anything he said could be used as evidence against him.

The National Unit of the Israel Police investigated the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, under caution this evening on suspicion that he received benefits from businessmen, the police spokespersons unit said in a statement shortly after. Naturally, no further details beyond these can be provided at this stage.

Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch

While no information was provided about what the prime minister was questioned about, a statement by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit detailed a list of claims that arose and did not present sufficient grounds to launch an investigation.

"The nature of the investigation precludes us at this stage from giving details of the ongoing investigation but we will consider releasing more information from time to time according to developments," Mandelblit's statement said.

The attorney general said that an initial probe was launched on July 10, 2016, "due to information received on a number of issues from the police's Lahav 443 Special Investigations Unit relating to, among other things, the prime minister.

He added that new, detailed information had come to light during the past month which supported questioning the prime minister under caution.

Police investigators, the attorney general said, examined "a long string of claims that the prime minister allegedly carried out crimes relating to ethicality."

Addressing claims Netanyahu received forbidden funding for the 2009 elections campaign, the statement noted: "The police received information claiming the prime minister was allegedly had two election campaigns. One campaign was 'official' and was declared as required by law, and another campaign operated covertly and was funded by money that was not declared in accordance with the law.

"To examine this claim, the officials involved in managing the campaign were questioned and different documents were seized. The findings of the probe did not support the aforementioned claims."

Addressing claims Netanyahu swayed the results of the 2009 primaries at the Likud party, the statement noted: "The police received information claiming the prime minister or his close associates were allegedly involved in swaying the results of the primaries by tampering with the information in the computer system.

To examine this claim, the officials involved in the primaries, including professionals responsible for the computer system, were questioned. The findings of the probe ruled out the claim regarding the attempt to sway or the actual swaying of the primaries results."

Addressing claims of receiving illicit benefits and having flights funded by wealthy individuals, the statement noted: "The police received information claiming that certain wealthy individuals systematically funded the prime minister's flights abroad and bestowed upon him illicit benefits relating to said trips. In light of this, testimonies were taken from several relevant individuals, some of whom were abroad. Some of the allegations were found to be groundless and were therefore rejected, while some factual evidence was found for other allegations that nevertheless did not raise the level of reasonable doubt concerning an offense that is necessary to warrant a criminal investigation."

Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch

Addressing claims of double funding of trips abroad, the statement went on to say: "Following further information that was received on the matter, several probes were conducted regarding a possibility that the prime minister, during a period that preceded his current term as prime minister, was involved in receiving excess funding for flights and over the possibility that this extra funding was diverted for his personal use.

"To examine these claims, those involved in organizing the prime minister's flights were questioned, and many documents from the relevant time period were examined. All this was in addition to the probe that was conducted at the time in a similar context, following which it was previously decided that there is no place to instruct on launching a criminal investigation on the issues that were investigated at the time. The current probe and new evidence gathered by it have similarly found that there it is not (sufficient) justification to move on to an investigation in this matter."

Speaking earlier in the day, Netanyahu told the media and opposition to "hold off on the partying" ahead of his police questioning later in the day.

"We notice reports in the media," Netanyahu said during a Likud faction meeting. "We hear the celebrations and sense the way the wind blows in TV studios and in the halls of the oppositionhold off on the partying, don't jump the gun. I told you and I repeat: Nothing will happen, because there is nothing. You will continue making wild allegations and we will continue leading the State of Israel."
Latest News

Washington, DC - Secretary of State John Kerry: "On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I congratulate Haiti and its citizens on this day of national celebration as Haiti marks the 213th anniversary of its independence.

"Nearly one million people in the United States are of Haitian ancestry. Our shared pride in that heritage resulted this year in the designation of Little Haiti as an official neighborhood of Miami, Florida. The vibrancy of Little Haiti is a symbol of the communitys advocacy for historic preservation and a testament to its incorporation into the fabric of U.S. culture and society.

"As Haiti rebuilds from the impact of Hurricane Matthew in the countrys southwest, the United States reaffirms its unwavering friendship for the people of Haiti. We view 2017 as an opportunity to continue to work together in support of the full renewal of Haitis democratic institutions and the seating of a new president elected by the Haitian people."
LIVE-2 Inning |04-8

IRELAND VS NEW ZEALAND

IRE 68/1 VS 185/6 NZ

Ireland need 118 runs in 71 balls at 9.97 rpo
A new kinng, a desi fashionista obsessed with zero, a fashion designers worst nightmare and two friends turned into die-hard jaanidushmaan - reality is stranger than fiction and our Bollywood houses the strangest realities. But all that was 2008 and so is passe now. <br><br> What lies ahead are new feuds, tongue-in-cheek tussles and name calling blogs, rumours followed by clarifications, but at the helm of these matters are the moolah churning movies. The films that turn the otherwise common lads into high-flying celebrities, deciding their fate and share of the propitious limelight. <br><br> So heres drawing a first look at the potential holding lads and old fighting big daddies of Bollywood, who are all set to battle it out for the top spot with their bag full of movies. <br><br> <b>Akshay Kumar</b> <br><br> He claimed the much-eyed crown of Bollywood in 2008. His Singh <i>avatar</i> turned him into an overnight sensation and gave B-town its new kinng. And going by the line up of flicks this <i>Punjabi munda</i> has in his kitty for 2009; he is definitely not taking his hard earned and much deserved success for granted. <br><br> The actor is doing everything but sleeping over his past glory. In fact, he is the sole tinsel towner, who has the maximum number of flicks hitting screen this year. <br><br> The hot-bod hunk will be seen in four big budget films in 2009. While his Chandni Chowk To China fared miserably at the BO with even insignificant personalities like Shekhar Suman taking potshots at the film calling it the worst film of the decade, his other three releases are already seen as big moolah rollers. Post CC2C, the actor will be seen in Kambakht Ishq, Blue and De Dana Dan. <br><br> Quite an impressive line-up, if you ask me. From romancing the size zero or whatever size she is now, Kareena to locking lips in wet and wild scenes with <i>videshi</i> seductress Denise Richards; Akki boy is sure to leave cash registers ringing in this Hollywood dancing to Bollywood fusion Kambakht Ishq. As for locking lips is concerned we just feel what a man got to do; hes got to do. <br><br> Next in line is his much-hyped power-packed action overdose Blue. The film is for the die-hard action buff and has the muscle man kicking some serious shots in underwater, shark attack stunts. With a stupendous Rs 130 cr spent in the making, we are watching out for this one with bated breath. <br><br> Done with action and romantic films; the actor will add the humour to his basket of films with De Dana Dan. Directed by Priyadarshan, the film brings together Akki with his onscreen better half Katrina for their sole couple release this year. <br><br> Now, thats how AK turns cutthroat competition into cutting throat battle. <br><br> <b>Hurman Baweja</b> <br><br> While his former ladylove Priyanka Chopra went to bag the Bollyqueen title08; Hurman Baweja, the 2050 futuristic hero, failed to make an impact at a time when it mattered - 2008. <br><br> The actor, who is often touted as the poor mans Hrithik Roshan, due to his copycat acts is one industry joker, who seems to be leaving no stone unturned to flip his fate at the BO. From changing his espelling errr spelling to Hurman from Harman to even switching over to an alleged new lady-luck Amrita Rao, the actor is doing whatever it takes to bag Victory in his second innings.<br><br> Miles away from his fathers dud directorial skills, this Baweja lad has managed to bag three big chances to do away with the demon of his past - Love Story 2050. The actor has three mega budget releases this year- Victory, Its My life and Whats Your Rashee. <br><br> Even though the actors flick, Victory failed miserably to sweep and bowl out the overtly cynical critics, he still has two big releases, Whats Your Rashee and Its My Life, and have high hopes pinned on them. Ashtuosh Gowarikars Whats Your Rashee will present the jinxed couple Hurman and his on and off sweetheart Piggy Chops in a humane, believable avatar. <br><br> After Gowarikar, the Baweja scion will test his luck with yet another accomplished filmmaker Anees Bazmee. The director, who made the nation fall in love with a goofball village bumpkin and had the B-town daddies lining up to put on the turban, has a mammoth task ahead this time round. Wonder, why we say that? <br><br> Well, for once Hurman is no Akshay and second Hurman is Hurman. The actor, who made peeved the ladies with his first romantic disaster, is once again indulging in lovers act in Its My Life. Besides making the Baweja scion act, what makes this as an even bigger challenge for Anees, is that there is no Piggy Chops to bail him out. <br><br> <b>Abhishek Bachchan</b> <br><br> Living under the shadow of his big daddy Big B and wife Aishwarya; 2008 saw Abhishek Bachchan finally emerge on his own. His two big hits Sarkar Raj and Dostana did fade away the torturous memories of his biggest career blunder till date Drona, Nevertheless, the actor has a long way to go and lugs of weight to lose before he walks into the sunset. <br><br> Sporting a brawny unshaven look ever since his bachelorhood days, the actor has finally resolved to hit the gym to get his groove back. So what, if he ignored the weight watch call in uber fad muscle flaunt flick Dostana, he will definitely make a dashing Raavan. <br><br> The actor has his two much-awaited flicks releasing this year. Besides, the potentially controversial Mani Ratnams Raavan, Jr B will be seen romancing the vivacious Sonam Kapoor in Rakesh Omprakash Mehras Delhi 6. <br><br> Going by his power-packed performance in Sarkar Raj and gay avatar in Dostana, we know this Bachchan lad has a huge potential and with talented filmmakers backing him, he seems all set to crack the success code this year. <br><br> <b>Ranbir Kapoor</b> <br><br> If the saying once bitten, twice-shy holds true, then Ranbir Kapoor lives by it. Ever since his much-hyped debut dud Saawariya fizzled out without a trace at the BO, this naughty hottie has had his thinking cap on. <br><br> And after his stylish performance last year in Bachna Ae Haseeno, this Kapoor scion is being touted as the next big thing in Bollywood. And why not? He has some of the most sought after filmmakers vying for him. <br><br> From working with the reputed directors like Raj Kumar Santoshi and Prakash Jha to romancing top-notch B-town ladies, the actor is leaving no stone unturned to strike gold this time round. <br><br> As of now, the dishy hunk has two of his most-awaited films hitting screens. Besides the already in news Santoshis Ajab Prem Ki Gjhajab Kahani opposite Katrina Kaif, this light-eyed boy will test his mettle in alternate cinema with Rajniti. A film by director Prakash Jha, Rajniti with its intense subject and liberal appeal is being looked on as a big leap for the actor. <br><br> While these are the lone stars of Bollywood, the Khan camp too has a kitty of films up their sleeves. So hop on the sequel to get a clear insight as to what the ever so warring Khans are up to this year.
Chonmipem Horam `Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent`- Victor Hugo Can you imagine a life void of music? Absolutely NOT! Whether you admit it or not, music permeates our daily life, weaving its beauty and emotion through our thoughts, activities and memories. Music is harmony and music is beauty. Music has the quality of expressing the inexpressible. One cannot approach music with ones own peculiar likes, dislikes or tastes, which are all a part of ones own conditioning. Music is something both extraordinarily complex and incredibly simple at the same time.Roots of World Music day World Music Day also known as Fete de la Musique, was a music festival that began in France in 1982.The idea was conceived by French Minister of Culture, Jack Lang in 1981. Since then June 21st has been celebrated every year as World Music Day. Today, it has spread to Argentina, Australia, Britain, Luxemburg, Germany, Switzerland, Costa Rica, China, India, Lebanon, Pakistan and many other countries. On this day, the musicians perform for free in open areas. Free concerts are organized in parks, museums, train stations, castles etc. This is done to promote music, making all genres of music accessible to the public. It gives an opportunity to communicate and share special bond through music. The term World Music includes traditional as well as non-western music. It is folk music of any culture, created and played by indigenous people. It is a classical form of music accompanied by traditional ethnic instruments, some prominent forms are  Japanese Koto music, India raga music, Tibetan chants and South African `township music`. Genres India, being a land of unity in diversity with various cultures, traditions, art forms, every region has its own unique musical form. While there are various genres, Indian classical music has been divided into North Indian tradition known as Hindustani music and Carnatic music belonging to South India. But apart from these, there are varied forms such as  Bhangra, Bhajans or devotional, Ghazals and Qawwalis, Indi-pop, Folk, Tribal, Film songs, Remixes, Fusion. While, Bhangra is a dance oriented folk music, Bhavageete (literally `devotional song`) is a form of expressionist poetry and light music. Qawwali is a Sufi form of devotional music based on Hindustani classical. And in the West, we have Metal, Punk, Rock, Hip-Hop, Hard Rock, alternative, Experimental, Country, Disco, Funk, Classical, Progressive, Trance, Techno, Ska, Reggae music. Trance Music was developed in early quarters of 20th century and is generally played in club houses and dance floors. Indigenous Country Music born of the US is in form of folk, Celtic, church, gospels and tribal music, while, Pop Music is both classical and folk. Reggae is a music genre developed in late 1960`s. Its lyrics deal with faith, love, sexuality, relationships, injustice etc. Hip-hop is both a cultural movement and genre of music developed in New York City in 1970`s by African Americans and Latin Americans.The good, the bad and the ugly Music is an important form of communication. Its a reflection of society in a particular time and place. Music needs no boundaries, it bonds us irrespective of who we are, and where are we from. Not only its a source of entertainment but it also acts as a medium to convey messages, of how things are, and what lies ahead in the future. Michael Jackson`s song `Heal the world sounds beautiful as well as inspiring as it echoes noble thoughts. There`s A Place In Your Heart, And I Know That It Is Love, And This Place Could Be Much Brighter Than Tomorrow, And If You Really Try You`ll Find There`s No Need To Cry,In This Place You`ll Feel There`s No Hurt Or Sorrow There Are Ways To Get There If You Care Enough For The Living Make A Little Space, Make A Better Place... Heal The World, Make It A Better Place, For You And For Me And The Entire Human Race There Are People Dying, If You Care Enough For The Living, Make A Better Place For You And For Me If You Want To Know Why There`s A Love That Cannot Lie Love Is Strong, It Only Cares For Joyful Giving If We Try, We Shall See In This Bliss We Cannot Feel, Fear Or Dread We Stop Existing And Start Living Then It Feels That Always Love`s Enough For Us Growing So Make A Better World Make A Better World... And The Dream We Were Conceived In, Will Reveal A Joyful Face And The World We Once Believed In Will Shine Again In Grace Then Why Do We Keep Strangling Life Wound This Earth, Crucify Its Soul Though It`s Plain To See, This World Is Heavenly Be God`s Glow We Could Fly So High Let Our Spirits Never Die In My Heart, I Feel You Are All My Brothers Create A World With No Fear Together We`ll Cry Happy Tears See The Nations Turn their Swords Into Plowshares We Could Really Get There If You Cared Enough for The Living Make A Little Space, To Make A Better Place... You And For Me Music also grants us the freedom of expression. Like in late 1980`s and 90`s, young black Americans coming out of the Civil Rights Movement used this to show the limitation of the movement. It used Hip-hop to voice their issues. It lets them the world to be noticed. But inspite of all these social impacts, there have been negative aspects as well. Some of the most popular songs in Hip-hop genre have negatively influenced violence, drugs, alcohol, sex and disrespect for authorities, which is detrimental to the lives and education of the youngsters.Festivals There are many World Music festivals and jazz/folk/roots/new age crossover events. The Ariano Folkfestival is the biggest World Music festival in southern Italy, is held in mid August. The California World Music Festival is held each July at Nevada County Fairgrounds. The World Sacred Music Festival is held annually in Olympia, Washington State. FloydFest in Floyd, Virginia, USA. The Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance in Trumansburg, New York, USA. Rainforest World Music Festival is another world music festival held in Malaysia. Stern Grove festival is a San Francisco celebration of musical and cultural diversity. The Starwood Festival in New York has been held in July every year since 1981.
LIVE-2 Inning |04-8

IRELAND VS NEW ZEALAND

IRE 69/1 VS 185/6 NZ

Ireland need 117 runs in 68 balls at 10.32 rpo
Link Added 11-17-2020





A wealth of evidence is now emerging that, far from simply abstaining from a UN vote, which is how the Administration and its press circle at first sought to characterize its actions, the anti-Israel resolution was actively vetted at the highest levels of the U.S. Administration, which then led a pressure campaign --both directly and through Great Britain to convince other countries to vote in favor of it.

According to one U.S. national security source, the Obama Administration needed a 14-0 vote to justify what the source called the optics of its own abstention.

Vladislav Davidzon [here] See

Jonathan Hoffman provides more insight into the New Zealand foreign minister, Martin McCully [ provides more insight into the New Zealand foreign minister, Martin McCully [ here

Stephen Pollard, editor of the Jewish Chronicle of London, supplies background to the British role in the resolution. He writes that British support for it, including helping to draft it to make it more generally acceptable, was the work of permanent Foreign & Commonwealth Office officials, not of Theresa May's government [ , editor of theof London, supplies background to the British role in the resolution. He writes that British support for it, including helping to draft it to make it more generally acceptable, was the work of permanent Foreign & Commonwealth Office officials, not of Theresa May's government [ here ], which --I add-- later on criticized John Kerry's speech of late December that was very hostile to Israel, as well as refusing to sign the final communique of the French "peace" conference in Paris on 15 January 2017 and opposing adoption of the communique by the EU Council.

ADDED 11-17-2020

Elder of Ziyyon on Joe's escapade in the Ukraine in favor UN SC 2334: here

Why did Obama and his gang want so much for Ukraine to vote for the noxious UN Security Council resolution 2334? The resolution would have passed anyway. The one vote of Ukraine would not have made a difference if the Security Council vote on the resolution would have been 13 for, 0 against, and 2 abstentions, instead of one (the United States itself). What would have been the damage if the Ukrainian government had been left alone to make its own decision on the matter? Even if Ukraine had cast its lone vote against the resolution? Yet Vice President Joe Biden was assigned and deputed to call the Ukrainian president, Pan Poroshenko, and demand that he order the Ukrainian ambassador to the UN to vote for the resolution.Now at this point the reader will have noted that I do not try to prove that Biden called Poroshenko to tell him to change the Ukrainian vote from the expected "abstain" to "for." Several reports in English substantiate that Biden made such a call. The best substantiated report that I know of is that of Vladislav Davidzon on the Tablet website. One of the interesting things that Davidzon says is:So we see that the US government under the so-called "liberal" US president Obama believes in housing/residential segregation for Jews, that is, for restricting where Jews are allowed to live as both Christian and Muslim rulers did during the Middle Ages and afterwards. These restricted Jewish residential areas could be called a, as in Europe, or a, as in North Africa, orin some other places under Islamic rule, and perhaps by other names. And residential segregation of Blacks in the United States was sometimes called the jimcrow system and in South Africa. But the question remains, Why did Obama and his gang or the State Department or whoever makes such decisions in Washington want the Ukraine too to vote in favor. Davidzon reports something interesting:The optics, that is, the visual impression made by its own vote and the other votes. This is an interesting observation by a U.S. national security source. So let's develop our own theory. The Obama gang and the US State Dept and national security establishment were concerned about visual impressions, about appearances. I would say that they wanted to promote a narrative, as they often or usually do when it comes to Israel. They wanted this narrative to influence and be adopted by Americans, especially Americans sympathetic to Israel, and in Israel too especially among the so-called or self-styled "peace camp." They wanted Israel to appear isolated, totally isolated, isolated from all powers but the USA itself. They wanted people to see Israel as isolated and as isolating itself by --among other things-- allowing Jews to build homes across the 1949 armistice line, the so-called Green Line.At the same time, the narrative says: We, the USA or the Obama Administration, are your friends, your real friends and your only friends. You can only depend on us. So you have to do whatever we say. Therefore, the vote in the Security Council had to be unanimous except for the United States itself. Therefore, it was essential for "the optics" that Ukraine too vote in favor of the resolution. Of course, the United States and the UK had to cover their tracks in promoting and working out the resolution. It had to seem that it was the initiative of other states, although the New Zealand foreign minister had more or less let the cat out of the bag in mid-November in a little noticed interview with a daily in his own country.It would be best for it to be seen as an Arab initiative that was supported by the Enlightened World, the world of morality and humane and decent concern beyond Israel's boundaries. This latter line is a favorite of Israel's Peace Camp or Left or what may be called the Anti-National Camp. The Peace Campers used to often write in their newspapers and other publications, of whichis the main one today, that the Enlightened World -- -- which may exist somewhere over the rainbow, is terribly angry with us for disobeying international law in all sorts of ways, among them, for allowing Jews to live beyond the Green Line, where in fact thousands of Jews had been living before the 1947-1948 Israeli War of Independence in which all Jews were driven out of areas captured and held by the Egyptian army or by the Arab Legion of Transjordan, now Jordan. Those Arab-held areas wereafter that war, to use a Geman term referring to places and/or countries ethnically cleansed of Jews. Jews were fleeing Arab attacks in the areas later held by Jordan and Egypt as early as December 1947. But our Peace Camp demonstrates its loyalty to State Department and Foreign Office and Quai d'Orsay demands --and later those of the EU-- by scolding Israelis and their government that they must not defy the wishes of the Enlightened World. And the West is Enlightened.At the same time, the poor "palestinians", the Arabs who never considered themselves a separate, distinct people or nationality before the mid-1960s when the PLO was founded, are perpetually oppressed and persecuted by Israelis or by Israel, the collective Jew, whereas Jews have long been hated in the European Christian and Muslim Arab traditions. Nowadays, Israel the collective Jew takes the place of "the evil Jews" of days gone by.For the purposes of the narrative, the UN SC vote had to be seen as initiated by others (such as New Zealand , Malaysia, Senegal and Venezuela) and that the Obama administration only came along for the ride and that the US was forced to abstain rather than veto because even the US cannot stand against the conscience of the world and the enlightened consensus. And they were looking for the reaction that they did in fact get from Israel's domestic pro-fascist Peace Camp. But they were saying to all Israelis and to Jews abroad as well: We are your last and only friends. But we might abandon you too if you don't do what we say.So it must have been annoying to the State Department-CIA crowd that Prime Minister Netanyahu exposed their game. Which weakens the impact of the 14-0 vote. Which spoils the narrative. That's a reason to hate Netanyahu.The gambit reminds me of the original explanation for the Benghazi incident 11 September 2012, that it started as a spontaneous demonstration [on 9-11 to be sure] against a mysterious video which may or may not have denigrated the Muslim prophet Muhammad. Recall too that at first the official or semi-official reference to the video was that it was made by so-and-so, an Israeli (I forget the name offered at the time). When the Israeli ambassador to Washington Michael Oren said at the time through his embassy that there was no Israeli by that name, he took the wind out of those official sails. Then the video was officially or semi-officially blamed on a person of similar name identified by the media as an Egyptian Copt, that is, a Christian. If he had been identified as an Israeli and that claim had been allowed to stand, then officialdom and their subservient media would have blamed Israel for the killing of the ambassador and the other Americans at Benghazi, at least by insinuation. Those Islamists in Libya were understandably reacting to the Jewish-made video, the White House and national security council would have spread around, if only by insinuation. It was all Netanyahu's fault. Or all Israel's fault or all the Jews' fault. By insinuation.I am not so sure about the story of the Egyptian Copt, either. It was very much like planting a story of a blood libel. But part of the warfare to bring down Israel is the Narrative, that is, psychological warfare -- which can be very potent in the hands of experts.- - - - - - - - -

Labels: Barack Obama, Palestinian Arabs, State Department, UK, USA
Ping Chew is head of Food & Agribusiness Research and Advisory for Asia at Rabobank. Ping joined Rabobank from Standard & Poors where he has spent 16 years in various senior positions with the latest as the firms head of Greater China.

We caught up with him to get his thoughts on the growing food startup scene in China.

What consumer trends are driving Chinas food and agriculture industry today?

China sits in a sweet spot right now. The country will get old before it gets rich, which is an interesting demographic profile. But generation X and millennials currently account for 55% of the current population.

This Generation X and millennial population has cash, which they are willing to spend, and thats a key trend that will pick up in the next 10 years before the older population grows.

Urbanization has also accelerated for the last five years both as a natural development and a government policy measure; it was the governments intent to move another 5% of the population into cities, which creates another key driver of food consumption trends.

Incomes are also rising. McKinsey estimates that over the next 10 years, another 300 million Chinese people will go into the middle-income bracket.

Bearing all of this in mind, we expect another $500 billion worth of food consumption in the next 10 years from the $1 trillion thats spent today. Consumers are demanding better quality food, not unlike the trends we see in the Western world.

Food safety scandals in China have accelerated consumer awareness of issues in the supply chain and poor business practices making the consumer even more demanding about what they eat.

Another key factor is connectivity. China now has about 600 million people with mobile phones which they use frequently, and thats drive food consumption and trends not just through information but through online food purchases. These 600 million people are still only about 60% of the total population, so just wait until that gets even higher.

How are the food companies reaching to these trends and changing demands?

I think producers and manufacturers are having a tough time trying to catch up. Chinese consumers are a picky lot with even more rapidly changing tastes than western consumers, so even foreign companies need to keep pace. Foreign brands are competing with each other and with Chinese brands, creating a huge wave of discounts and coupons that consumers take advantage of, showing little brand loyalty. Again this differs from the western consumer who grew up with an affinity for certain products, but the Chinese consumer is a new class of consumer thats new to everything, will try anything, and will consume a variety of food. This is testing some food companies bottom lines, particularly those trying to compete in the food delivery space. Chinese consumers expect same day delivery without paying for it. Someone has to pay for it, but the question is who? Apparently some food companies say that its not important to make a profit right now, but instead focus on gaining market share.

In the US, there are a growing number of food companies that have launched their own venture capital arms to help them keep up with new trends. Why have Chinese companies not created corporate venture arms in the same way?

In the western world, many big companies are going to VCs to find innovations outside of their business partly because these small startups are taking market share from them. But in China, the agri market is very fragmented, and you cannot find a few dominant players like in the US and Europe. Many of them are still regional and have regional and fragmented market share. So theyre still thinking about how to grow market share with less motivation to get into the latest tech and innovation. Plus some of the innovation trends are too early for China such as meat alternatives. In the West, theres a trend away from eating so much meat, and so there are plant-based alternatives popping up to fulfill those demands. In China, meat consumption is still on the rise and overall consumers still want more meat, so the need to find alternatives is not as urgent. Its also still difficult to generalize China as its such a large country with very significant income inequality and a rural, lower class wanting more basic foods juxtaposed with some very rich parts of the population that are wanting trendier food. Nevertheless, there is a class of globalized, wealthy Chinese consumers that are not dissimilar to their western cousins who are pursuing the latest in food trends, consequently driving an emerging food and ag startup scene.

What food startup innovation trends have you noticed?

Beside food e-commerce, Chinese entrepreneurs are creating similar products and services as in the West like mobile apps and IoT, alternative proteins, insect-based food, craft beer, lactose-free ingredients and so on. But theres just less of it here.

Whats the main challenge you see for food startups and entrepreneurs in China?

The food regulatory regime is still developing in China. How do you come out with a product thats trusted and certified while the regime is still ongoing? Its even the case with organic, which is still a developing concept in China. There is an environment where theres demand for organic and innovative food, its just a matter of how to credibly serve that demand.

Food has become a hot sector over the last few years among investors, so I dont see access to funding being a challenge.
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
I think the restaurant should have comped your wife's meal. Accidents happen. But an injury and wet clothes call for more than a 20 percent reduction of the aggrieved party's bill. (What sort of renumeration were *you* thinking?)

Happy 2017, everyone. It feels good to be back on a routine. My big news: I'm on Weight Watchers for the month, hoping to shed some of the baggage I acquired last year (two dining guides, 100 + reviews and two week-long work trips just to eat have taken their toll).

Has anyone else been on WW, and continued to dine out? I welcome any and all suggestions for helping me stick to the plan. I get 37 food points a day.

I'm not alone. Joining me on different weight-reduction plans in January are my Food section colleagues Joe Yonan and Bonnie Benwick, among others. Wish us luck.

Let's rock and roll.
First, yes, I would have been allowed to contact the son and write this story, without getting approval from the mother. But it would have run at a third the length. And I'm not entirely sure that would have been the right decision.

This is a daring story, with a daring presentation. It is by its nature, and quite deliberately, repetitive. It is flawed and overly long and utterly beautiful. It is not journalism so much as it is art, and I say this both as praise and criticism. It demands a lot of the reader. It is self-indulgent and riveting. It is overly sensitive and touchy-feely, but overpowering. It will be the chat update today.

It's worth the time, I promise. It left me in tears.

See you here next week.
Important stuff you won't get from the liberal media! We do the surfing so you can be informed AND have a life!
Dennis Tseng is an avid Web surfer who loves to hang out in Taipeis upmarket Hsinyi district, where wireless Internet access is freely available to all. Whether hes waiting outside a department store for his wife to finish shopping or enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon at an outdoor cafe, Tseng will whip out his electronic organizer to check his e-mail, make a doctors appointment or review movie listings.

Its the love of this kind of connectivity that is driving Taipei city planners to build what they say will be the worlds biggest "Wi-Fi" network, making cheap, wireless Internet access available almost everywhere in the Taiwan capital.

"This will be a very ambitious venture for Taipei city because as far as we know, this is the only city that has tried to have a city-wide coverage of wireless service," Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou told Reuters.

While wireless connections are available in many homes, businesses and cafes around the world, Taipeis CyberCity project aims to make Wi-Fi ubiquitous outdoors.

New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Jerusalem are among cities with similar ambitions and about a quarter of Amsterdam is already connected. But Taipeis network is likely to be the worlds largest, said Robin Simpson, an Australia-based research director for Gartner Asia Pacific.

The Wi-Fi access points that will link computers to the Web in Taipei will be attached to traffic and street lights, creating a network that will cover 90 percent of the city by the end of 2005.

Quality of life

"We want to further globalize Taipei," said Chou Yun-tsai, a city government official driving the project. "The idea is to improve the quality of life for residents while making it easier to do business in Taipei."

The project will build on the network available in Hsinyi, an up-and-coming shopping and financial district that is home to the worlds tallest building, the 1,667-foot Taipei 101, and the city government headquarters.

The city-wide network will be built by Q-Ware Corp., a unit of the Uni-President group, which also holds the 7-Eleven franchise in Taiwan. Q-Ware will deploy at least 20,000 access points throughout Taipei at a cost of US$70 million.

The project has also attracted the interest of technology giants Hewlett-Packard Co., Intel Corp., Microsoft Corp., Cisco Systems Inc. and Nortel Networks Corp., which are providing a combination of technical assistance and equipment.

Q-Ware will pay Taipei 1 percent of revenues in first 2 years of the agreement and 3 percent in the remaining 7 years.

"So we dont have to pay a penny but we can get some royalties back and the city will become even more mobile and even more information-oriented," said Mayor Ma.

Q-ware is aiming for a basic monthly fee of T$150-T$400 (US$4.50-US$12), far less than the T$800-T$1,000 (US$24-US$30) that fixed-line broadband providers demand in Taiwan.

It expects to sign up a third of the citys 3 million residents and break even within 5 years.

Poor track record

But the track record for large-scale Wi-Fi projects is iffy at best, say the experts.

Simpson said the technology that CyberCity plans to use operates in a very crowded bandwidth, which could interfere with other private networks and even home appliances such as baby monitors.

"Anybody who has an existing Wi-Fi network in Taipei is in danger of having their network blown away by the ubiquitous signal that is going to come from the citywide network," he said.

Besides the technical obstacles, there is also the question of who would actually use the service when 80 percent of Taipei residents already have access to the Internet and more than half have broadband.

"Wi-Fi revenue is a very unsure thing. Even in North America, not many people are making any money out of Wi-Fi," said Simpson.

Still, dedicated users like Tseng are enthusiastic.

"I like the idea of being able to connect easily anytime, anywhere. Its not something I must have but its very convenient," he said. "It makes life easier and is fun."
Htxt editor Adam Oxford has published an interactive map which shows the matric results of public schools in South Africa for 2013, 2014, and 2015.

The data has been taken from official reports released by the Department of Education over the last 12 months and may contain errors, said Oxford.

Of the 6,773 schools we could find details for, we could find no address information for 367. Several others are a best guess.

The 2016 matric pass rate will be released by the Department of Basic Education on 4 January, with individual results out on 5 January.

Oxford said they will add the latest matric results to the map.
Azerbaijan MOD disseminates disinformation, Armenia army did not fire

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US wants to prevent Germany, other allies from working together with China

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

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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

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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

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Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will receive less funds in 2023 than in previous two years

German government urges its citizens to leave Iran

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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
Shavarsh Karapetyan is a real hero, whom I saw with my own eyes. (PHOTO)

Vera Belukhina, 66, who saw the passenger trolleybus full of people fall into Yerevan Lake on 16 September 1976, told the aforementioned to Armenian News  NEWS.am.

She was 18 then and had just moved from Russia to Armenia. In Yerevan Vera worked as a trolleybus driver. ''On that day I followed No 15 trolleybus. And suddenly I saw it falling into the lake. I stopped the trolleybus and together with my passengers we ran to that side. It was a rush hour,'' Belukhina said.

She personally helped several wounded citizens. ''I helped the people, who had already swum out of the lake or those who were taken out from there,'' Vera noted.

The woman driver saw Shavarsh Karapetyan take out people from the water to the lakeside and save their lives. ''I didn't know Shavarsh at that time, but when people began talking about him, I only then realized who he was. He is indeed a hero whom I saw with my own eyes.''

Vera Belukhina's life in Armenia was full of difficulties. She had married an Armenian man and moved from Russia to Armenia together with him. However, her husband soon suffered an accident and died, leaving her all alone. Vera worked as a trolleybus driver for 30 years, after which she appeared in the care home of Yerevan's Nork district.

''It is the second year I have been living in the nursing home. I am sick and have got no apartment, that's why I am here. I like it here very much. It feels like at home: everyone is very nice round here and they treat me very nicely too. First it was more difficult but I gradually got used to everything. I was missing my friends. But now this is my home,'' the elderly woman said.

She recalls her young years with a smile: ''I always loved my profession and worked with pleasure. I never faced difficulties. Working as a first class driver, I had students, whom I taught to drive. We were young and everything passed in a very interesting way. Now everything has changed and it is more difficult to drive. Besides, everyone was surprised to see a woman at the wheel: I was a very beautiful 18-year-old blonde then and everyone couldn't but stare at me. And since drivers were mainly men then, during accidents I was able to get out of the situation very calmly,'' Vera Belukhina confessed.
March HFES Meeting Concerns Health Care Ergonomics

The 2017 International Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care, March 5-8, 2017, will feature more than 180 presentations by health and safety researchers, policy makers, physicians and other health providers, medical device designers, health IT professionals, and biomedical engineers. It will be held at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel in New Orleans, La.

The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society recently posted the preliminary program for the 2017 International Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care, a March 5-8, 2017, event that will feature more than 180 presentations by health and safety researchers, policy makers, physicians and other health providers, medical device designers, health IT professionals, and biomedical engineers. It will be held at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel in New Orleans, La.

Health care is the fastest-growing sector of the U.S. economy, employing more than 18 million workers, and nearly 80 percent of the health care workforce are women. Health care workers face a wide range of hazards on the job, according to NIOSH, including needlesticks, harmful exposures, back injuries, latex allergy, violence, and stress. The agency reports cases of non-fatal occupational injury and illness with health care workers are among the highest of any industry sector.

Presentations will be offered in four tracks at the HFES meeting -- Clinical and Consumer Health-Care IT, Hospital Environments, Medical and Drug-Delivery Devices, and Patient Safety Research and Initiatives, including these:

A Human Factors Approach for Identifying Latent Failures in Health-Care Settings (Tara Cohen and Scott Shappell, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University)

The Art and Science of Care Coordination: Where Have We Been, Where Are We Heading? (Sallie Weaver, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine)

Identifying Unmet Patient Expectations via Critical Review of Five Simulated Hospital Rooms (Emily Patterson, Elizabeth Sanders, Carolyn Sommerich, Steve Lavender, Jing Li, and Kevin Evans, Ohio State University)

Handoff Standardization: Understanding Heterogeneity (Kristen Welsh, Victoria Lew, Amanda Tan, Agnes Fagerlund, Joseph Keebler, and Elizabeth Lazzara, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University)

Understanding and Improving the Delivery of Robotic Surgery "in the Wild" (Ken Catchpole, Medical University of South Carolina; Ann Bizantz, University at Buffalo, SUNY; M. Susan Hallbeck, Mayo Clinic; Rebecca Randell, University of Leeds; and Matthaius Weigl, Ludwig-Maximilians-University)

HFES says the event offers a unique opportunity for attendees from across the health care industry, academia, consulting, and regulatory agencies "to engage in discussions about emerging issues in health care, the challenges facing us in the near future, and how human factors/ergonomics researchers can meet those challenges and work to improve and advance patient safety."
Shorter Employment Insurance Waiting Period in Effect in Canada

The waiting period acts like the deductible that must be paid for other types of insurance. Shortening the waiting period is expected to ease the financial strain for EI claimants and will put an estimated additional $650 million in the pockets of Canadians annually starting this year.

As of Jan. 1, 2017, Canada has shortened the Employment Insurance (EI) waiting period from two weeks to one week. The government took this action as part of its plan to improve the EI program and help Canada's middle class.

The waiting period acts like the deductible that must be paid for other types of insurance. Shortening the waiting period is expected to ease the financial strain for EI claimants and will put an estimated additional $650 million in the pockets of Canadians annually starting this year. For example, for an eligible claimant who is laid off and subsequently finds work after 12 weeks, the change means that up to 11 weeks of EI benefits will be payable -- up to 10 weeks had been payable before the change was made.

The shorter waiting period applies to all types of EI benefitsregular, fishing, sickness, maternity, parental, compassionate care, parents of critically ill children, and special benefits for self-employed individuals. Claimants are still entitled to the same maximum number of weeks of EI benefits. The government said the waiting period "may have indirect implications for workers and employers who have top-up arrangements that supplement EI. Reducing the waiting period shifts forward the period during which EI benefits are payable. In some cases, employer payments that supplement EI maternity and parental benefits may be aligned to the two-week waiting period and the reduction of the waiting period may have impacts for workers or employers," adding that it has taken steps to mitigate the potential impact on employers' and workers' sickness plans by providing time for employers to adjust the plans and providing measures to minimize the impacts on workers' EI benefits.

"By shortening the waiting period, we are taking a concrete step to ease financial pressures for claimants who have lost their jobs or who leave work for health reasons or family pressures," said Jean-Yves Duclos, minister of Families, Children and Social Development.
- APC in Cross River state accuses Governor Ben Ayade of undermining the law of the land in respect of local government administration in the country

- The party has instituted a legal action demanding that court grants an order stopping federal allocations to the local governments because whoever is there is sitting there illegally

- The party is praying for the court to order the authorities to conduct local government elections in the state within 90 days

Governor Ben Ayade of Rivers state has been dragged to court by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for not conducting local government elections in the state.

APC is demanding that the authorities should conduct local government elections in Cross River state within 90 days.

The APC accused the governor of undermining the law of the land in respect of local government administration in the country.

Vice chairman of APC in the Cross River central senatorial district, Cletus Obun, told the Nigerian Tribune that his party had filed a case at the Federal High Court, Calabar against the governor on the matter, especially for making HOLDA to run the councils instead of conducting local government elections.

READ ALSO: Mega party will not affect APC - Yusuf

Obun said his party was praying that the court should grant an order stopping federal allocations to the local governments because whoever is there is sitting there illegally.

He said the APC is also demanding that the authorities should conduct local government elections in the state within 90 days.

But reacting to the development, the spokesperson to the governor, Mr Christian Ita, described the action of the APC in the state as hypocritical.

He said: Please tell me which APC states that have held local council elections apart from Lagos. It is hypocritical.

READ ALSO: Nigerias only true hope is APC  Chieftain

"The tenure of the 18 local government chairmen in the state expired on December 15, 2016, with Ayade directing all the out-gone chairmen with the exception of that of Bakassi Local Government Area, to handover to Heads of Local Government Administration (HOLGA) in their respective local governments."

In other news, an APC chieftain has called on Nigerians to support the affairs of the party towards a sustainable development in Nigeria.

In a statement released on Sunday, January 1, the Delta state APC gubernatorial candidate for the last general election Olorogun Emerhor said APC is Nigerias only true hope for Nigerians in the years to come.

Emerhor also said 2017 is a year for renewal and growth for the country.

Source: Legit.ng
The Arewa Youth Development Association (AYDA) has pleaded with former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau of Kano state to declare his presidential ambition ahead of 2019.

The coalition of about 35 youth and community-based associations and organisations also declared that it was sure Shekarau would floor President Muhammadu Buhari in the forthcoming election.

The group said it was sure Shekarau would beat Buhari in 2019

In a statement on Monday, January 2 in Kaduna, the coalitions national president, Alhaji Imrran Nass, said Shekarau is the man to beat in the forthcoming election.

READ ALSO: Arewa youth group urges Shekarau to declare intention for 2019 election

He said the former governors records in all spheres of life including his selflessness, prudence and transparency prove his quintessential leadership qualities.

After taking critical look at the calibre, profile and credentials of all the presidential hopeful that are likely to come out from the Northern region, Mallam.

Ibrahim Shekarau (Sadauna Kano) has an impressive credentials and his pedigree and antecedents spell goodness and progress to our beloved country.

READ ALSO: Buhari has failed Nigerians - Former minister Ibrahim Shekarau

The youth believe that it is only the Sadauna Kano that will advocate and champion the cause for a generational change to bring about the emergence of a credible, de-tribalised, focused, agile, committed and visionary leader that can build our nation, the coalition said.

Source: Legit.ng
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 Years address, while Chinas top official in charge of Taiwan ties warned of risk ahead in 2017.

Chinas 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 Years greetings to them, the head of Chinas policy-making Taiwan Affairs Office in his New Years 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.

Story continues

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 administrations commitment to Beijings one China policy.

Chinas military has become alarmed by what it sees as Trumps support of Taiwan and is considering strong measures to prevent the island from moving toward independence, sources with ties to senior military officers said.
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
An SBS Transit bus. (Yahoo file photo)

*Updated at 10.30am on 2 January 2017 to included additional information from Singapore Police Force*

*Updated at 1.40pm on 1 January 2017 to include statement from Singapore Police Force*

A Chinese man has been caught on CCTV assaulting three SBS Transit bus captains on New Years Eve.

According to a Straits Times report, the attacks happened at around 1pm on Saturday (31 December), with said commuter having boarded three buses along Bartley Road  one for service 93 and two for service 129  and slapped their drivers.

In a media statement issued on Sunday (1 January), SBS Transit said the bus captains have been taken off duty for two days to rest and seek medical treatment. The CCTV footage of the incidents and assailant have been handed over to the police.

A 23-year-old man is assisting police with investigations into the matter, said the Singapore Police Force in a statement on Sunday.

The attacks were deliberate and malicious and we will not spare any effort to ensure that the assailant is caught. We are working closely with the Police to this end, said the SBS Transit statement.

Meanwhile we have alerted all our Bus Captains and Traffic Inspectors on these assault cases and to be on a lookout for the assailant. We would also like to appeal to members of the public to assist by contacting the Police if they have any information.

An earlier statement from the SPF issued said, The Police confirm a report was lodged and have established the identity of the suspect. Investigations are ongoing.
New year, new you. At least thats what everyones saying. You jot down a bunch of resolutions. You close the year out with wonderful intentions. But, by the time January 15th hits, everything still looks the same. You look around, and nothings changed since December. Of course, this sends your mood off into a negative direction, and thus starts the vicious cycle of maybe next year. Start 2017 on the right foot with these 5 tips.

How to Succeed in 2017

Pick one word for 2017

Running through a list of a dozen resolutions every month gets old. Eventually, youll forget where youre going. Your goals will become fuzzy, and you wont be able to accomplish anything. Instead of making a long list of resolutions, I pick one word. This word forges my path for personal growth. Now, thats not to say you cant set other goals. But, let them all under the guise of this label.

Make a List of Nos

If youre like me, saying no isnt easy. When Im not aware of my doormat tendencies, I easily get guilted into doing things I just dont want to do. Over the years, Ive given away so much free advice; probably valued into the thousands. In 2017, I vow to put up some boundaries. You dont have to be rude; just clear.

Become One with Your Weaknesses

Admitting your imperfections is admirable. When you come to terms with your faults, no one can use them against you. For example, Im absolutely horrific at accounting. I should hire someone to keep track of my business expenses. If I attempt to handle it on my own, Ill muddy the waters, screw everything up, and walk away extremely frustrated. Focus your time and efforts on what youre good at; while acknowledging and delegating your weaknesses.

Every Day, Hold Yourself Accountable to 3 Things

Dont make a list of 20 to dos every day, and then expect to check everything off the list. Its just not realistic. Instead, write down three non negotiables. One of mine is getting in at least 30 minutes of cardio every day. It helps my mental health, makes me feel good about myself, and gives me a boost of energy. Focus on these three things, and consider any other accomplishment an extra.

Ask Yourself, How Will I Give Back?

When you give back, your journey to success comes full circle. Think of it this way. The most successful people in history are ones who contributed to society. It doesnt always have to be financial. Maybe you want to take on an intern, and show them the ropes of your business. Or, take some time out of your hectic weekly schedule, and volunteer at the local soup kitchen.

The new year is only a couple weeks away. Master these steps, and 2017 will be your best year yet.

Republished by permission. Original here.
"A little fill here and there may seem to be nothing to become excited about. But one fill, though comparatively inconsequential, may lead to another, and another, and before long a great body may be eaten away until it may no longer exist.

Our navigable waters are a precious natural heritage, once gone, they disappear forever," wrote the Wisconsin Supreme Court in its 1960 opinion resolving Hixon v. PSC and buttressing The Public Trust Doctrine, Article IX of the Wisconsin State Constitution.
Electricians and other construction workers would be highly in demand in the next five years, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported over the weekend.

Dominique Tutay, DOLEs Bureau of Local Employment (BLE) director, said the country is not producing a sufficient number of skilled construction workers.

On the average, the demand from the market for construction is 200,000, but the supply is only 80,000, Tutay said.

She further noted that of the 80,000 construction workers, only 24,000 are actively looking for employment.

If you will deduct the 80,000 supply from the 200,000 demand, the result is the number that the market is looking for, Tutay pointed out.

She identified the construction-related skills required by the local market as laborers, electricians, heavy equipment drivers and safety engineers.

According to her, the market needs not just any construction workers, but also those with the required specific skills and qualifications.

To address the shortage, Tutay said, the current supply of construction workers in the country must continue to undergo skills training.

She said the government is encouraging Filipino construction workers abroad to return and work in the country.

She added some local companies have expressed intention to hire Filipino construction workers who were displaced as a result of the oil crisis in Saudi Arabia.

But unless the country produces enough of them, construction workers are expected to be highly in demand until 2022, Tutay said.
Henry and Louise Gallegos enjoy their two caregivers. who split the week to help with laundry, housekeeping, cooking, grocery shopping and walks.

The caregivers leave notes or send texts to each other if there is a concern to be addressed on the next shift. The collaboration has allowed the Gallegoses to stay in the Northeast Heights home they have lived in since 1967.

In-home assistance, either medical or nonmedical in nature, increasingly helps Albuquerque elders age in their own homes, says Mary Martinez, franchise/owner of the local Home Instead Senior Care agency. When you can help senior citizens stay in their homes and provide them with care for day-to-day chores and independence, thats a good business to have in the community, she said.

The franchise Martinez runs serves seniors in the Albuquerque area, helping them with light housekeeping, cooking, errands, grooming and dressing, medication reminders and sometimes just some simple companionship. While geared to a residential setting, Home Instead also has caregivers going to skilled-nursing facilities and rehab hospitals to offer sitter services, especially for residents with dementia who are at risk of wandering, Martinez said.

Companies like Martinezs are on the front end of a trend that shows no sign of abating. The number of Americans requiring help with daily living at home is expected to more than double from the current 12 million to 27 million by 2050, according to Right at Home, an international franchise organization.

This whole approach to care has really blown up in the past 20 years, Martinez said of the elders who not only are more conscientious about staying healthy but also have no desire to go into a nursing home or assisted-care facility if it isnt medically necessary.

People do better in an environment they are comfortable with, said Martinez, who studied gerontology in college. She said nursing homes are useful for skilled care, but she saw a need to give seniors more options when she worked as a case manager for the state of New Mexico. She often heard families say they wish they didnt have to put Mom or Dad in a home. And, Mom or Dad didnt want to give up their possessions and whats most familiar to them, she says.

The franchise is one of several senior aid companies in town, such as Visiting Angels and Right at Home. The local Home Instead has been operating for 20 years. Martinez has been the owner for 16 years.

The cost of care

Professional home health-care assistance, though not as expensive as nursing homes and assisted-living facilities, can be still be costly. Even the nonmedical costs can add up each month, especially if the person requires round-the-clock care, according to Genworth Financial, a long-term care insurance provider.

According to Genworth, the average cost of assisted living is $3,628 per month, and the average cost of nursing-home care is $6,844 per month for a semiprivate room.

Home health care and nonmedical care providers typically charge by the hour. Martinez, for example, requires a minimum three-hour commitment from a client at a rate of $21.95 per hour.

For-profit home health agencies like Home Instead rely on long-term care insurance and clients personal funds to operate, Martinez said.

Martinez said few of her clients require round-the-clock care because spouses, siblings and children step in after hours to provide support at home and frequently lend financial support to keep Mom, Dad or Grandma at home.

Training, monitoring

New Mexico doesnt license or monitor nonmedical home-care groups, so the quality of caregivers is at the discretion of the hiring agency.

With 300-plus clients, including 100 elderly veterans, Martinez has a workforce of 220 caregivers, most of them with extensive experience. All of them go through background checks and an eight-hour training period specific to the company and are carefully matched with clients, she said. It is largely a part-time staff, she said, including a few homemakers needing to pick up some work while the kids are in school, empty nesters who took care of Mom and Grandma, and even a few college students.

The caregivers, a few of whom are men, are conversant in body mechanics to move people safely, get trained in personal care and become familiar with conditions such as Alzheimers and difficult behaviors. In addition, they receiving ongoing educational training.

While the average home health turnover rate is about 60 percent each year, Several employees have been with us for 10 years, Martinez said.

Martinez looks for caring, compassionate people to work in her business, recruiting employees as if they were looking after her own parents  because they are.

My parents are also my clients, Martinez said of the Gallegoses, both of whom are in their late 70s. Louise is suffering from dementia, and Henry, who is still pretty spry, is the primary caregiver after 6 p.m.

Martinez and her siblings are in close contact with their parents after the caregivers leave. The furnace may not be working and we get a call, she said. They still rely on us.

Medical assistance

While Home Instead focuses on nonmedical home care, some clients need skilled nursing services in a home setting, such as the suite of services provided by FootPrints Home Care Inc.

The founders came together from a variety of backgrounds, said Gary Oppedahl, a serial entrepreneur, former Intel executive and now economic development director for the city of Albuquerque. He helped launch the business for purely personal reasons.

More than a decade ago, he discovered how difficult it was to find reliable home health care for his mother, who was suffering from cancer. She was deathly afraid of a going to a nursing home, so my dad and I took turns caring for her, said Oppedahl, who pulled the night shift for eight months before his mom entered hospice care. The experience took us away from just being just a husband and a son, Oppedahl said of the dynamic that occurs in a family when a child, parent or spouse needs round-the-clock caregiving.

Sometimes the role reversal is overwhelming. Not everybody can be there on such a personal level, Oppedahl said. I was hearing the same thing from friends and acquaintances who were at their wits ends, either trying to care for parents in their free time or struggling to find consistent, trained nonmedical caregivers they could trust.

In 2005, the five founders started their home care company out of Oppedahls garage in Corrales. It has since grown to a business that generates $6.5 million in revenue and employs 200 people. The business specializes in placing licensed nursing care professionals and nonmedical caregivers for clients ranging from infants to seniors.

Medicaid pays for some services under home and community-based waiver programs, Oppedahl said. For the nonmedical caregiving component, about a quarter of the companys clients pay with personal funds. Long-term care insurance also provides a revenue stream.

Oppedahl, who stepped back from an active role in the company in 2012, forecasts the company hitting the $10 million revenue mark in the next couple of years, primarily because of the expansion of services to serve medically fragile children in Santa Fe and other parts of the state.
WASHINGTON  The stakes confronting Republicans determined to dismantle President Barack Obamas health care law were evident in one recent encounter between an Ohio congressman and a constituent.

He said, Now you guys own it. Now fix it. Its on your watch now,' recalled GOP Rep. Pat Tiberi, chairman of a pivotal health subcommittee. And this is a supporter.

Republicans have unanimously opposed Obamas law since Democrats muscled it through Congress in 2010. Theyve tried derailing it scores of times but have failed, stymied by internal divisions and Obamas veto power.

With the Republicans controlling Congress and Donald Trump entering the White House on Jan. 20, their mantra of repeal and replace is now a top-tier goal that the partys voters fully expect them to achieve  starting this week.

But by unwinding the statute, the GOP would kill or recast programs that provide coverage to 20 million Americans who will be wary of anyone threatening their health insurance. That and continuing Republican rifts over how to reshape the law, pay for the replacement and avoid destabilizing health insurance markets mean party leaders have a bumpy path ahead.

___

Q: Whats first?

A: When the new Congress convenes Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said his chamber will begin debating a bare bones budget for next year. Most significantly, that would trigger a special procedure letting Republicans repeal much of Obamas law by a simple Senate majority.

Thats big because GOP senators will only have a 52-48 edge. The debate will also be a way for Republicans to signal quickly to voters that theyre starting to erase the law, even as they save actually doing it for later.

___

Q: And then?

A: Lawmakers will work on legislation actually repealing much of Obamas law.

The legislation is likely to erase the mandate that people buy insurance or face hefty IRS fines, which Republicans despise. Also facing elimination or reductions: taxes Obama imposed on upper-income people to finance the law, subsidies that help millions afford health care and the expansion of Medicaid health coverage to more lower-earning people. Federal aid to Planned Parenthood would be halted, reflecting GOP opposition to the right to abortion, one of the womens health services provided by the organization.

They hope to pass the bill by late spring, but its provisions probably wont take effect for up to four years to give lawmakers time to craft a replacement.

This wont be easy. Many congressional Republicans are from states like Arizona, Nevada and Pennsylvania that have added about 10 million people to Medicaid and will oppose abandoning so many voters. Others will be nervous about voting to repeal the overall law without having replacement legislation to show constituents.

Republicans also worry that during the transition to a new system, health insurers  already struggling in some states  might protect themselves by leaving some markets and boosting premiums. To ease that, GOP aides say theyre considering including some kind of stabilization fund in the repeal bill to protect insurers against losses. That remains a work in progress.

___

Q: Will the 20 million people now covered lose their benefits?

A: Some probably will, a byproduct of reducing Medicaid coverage and dropping the requirement that individuals buy insurance.

That could be partly offset by some whod purchase less expensive policies because the bill will probably let insurers drop coverage for some of the 10 services they now must provide, such as outpatient care and pregnancies.

At a briefing for reporters, top House GOP aides said the goal is universal access to health benefits, as opposed to aiming for coverage of all Americans. They said Obamas law ended up with many policies that are too expensive and offer limited access to doctors, but the shift in focus to access suggests Republicans dont want to be measured by the number of people actually covered.

The Senates new minority leader, Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said recently that repealing Obamas law without a replacement would mean huge calamity from one end of America to the other.

House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, called claims that 20 million people will lose coverage a big lie. He said Republicans will provide an adequate transition period to give people piece of mind.

___

Q: What about the replacement legislation?

A: Its ingredients remain unclear.

Trump, whos been vague, has proposed tax breaks to help people afford insurance, letting insurers sell policies across state lines and freeing states to decide how to spend Medicaid dollars.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., has offered similar ideas plus transforming Medicare into a system that offers subsidies for buying policies. Hed tax  for the first time  the most expensive employer-provided health benefits.

The GOP effort might involve several bills, with Republicans pushing measures through Congress as theyre ready. And it will probably take years, which would put political pressure on the GOP.

The American people will want to see change overnight, said Rep. Kristi Noem, R-S.D.
Jim Hinton recently stepped down as president and CEO of Presbyterian Healthcare Services. He took over the helm of the states largest health system and one of its biggest private employers in 1995, gaining recognition for his work in system integration and bolstering population health initiatives.

After more than three decades with the organization, Hinton is leaving to take the top slot at Baylor Scott & White in Dallas  the largest not-for-profit health care system in Texas and one of the largest in the country.

Hinton, 57, grew up in Albuquerque and began his career with Presbyterian a month shy of his 24th birthday. He was only the sixth executive to lead Presbyterian since its founding in 1908.

Hinton, who was also heavily involved with Albuquerque civic organizations, recently sat down to reflect on his time working in health care in New Mexico and what the future may hold.

Q: Why are you leaving Presbyterian now?

A: The phone rang seven months ago. A recruiter was calling to gauge my interest in the job at Baylor, a system Im quite familiar with and admire. I thought this is what I would love to do in the next phase of my career, five to eight years out. Ill miss Pres. Ive been here for 34 years, and Ive loved it. But I just couldnt let it go. It felt like the opportunity of a lifetime.

Q: What accomplishment at Presbyterian gives you the most pride?

A: There are several things. Getting better outcomes for patients, managing the cost of care more efficiently and developing innovative approaches to delivering care. Im proud that, as a state, weve been able to expand medical coverage so that thousands of previously uninsured now have a card in their wallet that looks like mine. In the end, working in health care is a team sport. From our security guard Marty out front greeting people to a heart surgeon working to heal a neonatal patient  everyone here takes pride in making a difference.

Q: What have been the biggest challenges?

A: Just the changes in health care that have occurred. My career spanned the inception of managed care. That was a challenge, so strategically we had to position ourselves for that. And growth, taking an organization to about 11,000 dedicated employees wasnt easy. Building a new hospital in Rio Rancho, planning a new one in Santa Fe, expanding our network of clinics, growing our medical group and insurance lines have also taken a lot of time, energy and resources. Pres is a bit of a hybrid: a hospital system, a medical group and a for-profit health plan. But we also partner with a lot of other insurers and our members go to other hospitals and providers. Approximately 30 percent of our health-plan members have used Presbyterian facilities in the last year. We rely a lot on Blue Cross-covered patients. A large number of our plan members go to UNM doctors and clinics. Health care in New Mexico is not as monolithic as people make it out to be.

Q: What do you think of the Affordable Care Act?

A: My sense is that there are parts of the ACA that have broad bipartisan appeal that I dont think anyone wants to see go away, such as not denying coverage for pre-existing conditions. But you have go back to the fundamental issue of how we finance care: Will more funding be coming from employers, individuals or government? Its clearly time for new answers. Exchanges are struggling all over the country. Premiums are inadequate to fund the cost of care. When you look at the Affordable Care Act, theres a portion of it that is obviously focused on extending coverage to the uninsured. Thats been the most controversial part. But theres another focus in the ACA related to delivery system reform and the movement from fee-for-service to fee-for-value. I dont see that movement being curtailed. I dont see that being repealed.

Q: Is your successor in place yet?

A: Thatll be the boards decision; not mine. Dale Maxwell has been appointed as interim CEO, and my sense is that the board will develop a process in January to assess Dale against other (potential) national candidates. It doesnt have to be a search, but an assessment process. Thats how I got the job. You want to give any candidate the gift of being nationally vetted. Dales a super-strong guy. Hed be a great successor.

Q: The organization youve just joined is a huge, sophisticated integrated system. As a practical matter, how do you go about doing your homework and making the personal connections that are necessary to get started?

A: You know, technical knowledge is one thing, but its really about relationships and culture that allow people to be successful. Cultures are not good or bad. They are just different. The role of a new leader is to help emphasize the parts that are most critical to future success. That said, its both daunting and exciting. Ive made a lot of site visits and know some of the key players already. I have three bankers boxes full of material, and that doesnt even include the things theyve sent electronically. Im trying to get up to speed: This is a very large system  48 hospitals, 47,000 employees and 1,000 care sites spread over North and Central Texas.

Q: As an outsider, is there anything youve identified that you can help Baylor improve?

A: Yes, but I think its really sort of degrees of improvement. The overall strategy and direction of Baylor  making sure that we provide high-value care, that we understand and continue to learn how to manage population health  these are very contemporary and, I think, directionally, absolutely correct. The Baylor Scott & White system came together three years ago, so the work culture still has to be anchored. In addition, there is this evolution from pay-for-volume to pay-for-value in a state that doesnt have a tradition of capitated managed care. There are some specifics that we can work on, but I dont have 34 years to do that. I dont have that much runway left, so this is where technology and the larger team can play a role. Ill still be out and about, but with technology, you can reach a lot of people.

Q: How is the Presbyterian plan to provide Medicaid managed care services to a group of 11 health systems in North Carolina going? Are you still looking to possibly bring as many as 600 jobs to Albuquerque?

A: Its going very well. We are working very diligently to launch a health plan with the partners, but its still about 18 months before we enroll the first members. As you can see from the construction from my window, an 87,000-square-foot addition to Presbyterians corporate headquarters is going up that will house new employees doing Medicaid management services for the future North Carolina venture. Presbyterian wanted an equity position in the new venture and will be a minority owner. We wanted to have a voice rather than just pay claims.

And yes: There may be similar initiatives beyond the one in North Carolina.
OK, New Years is over and youre back at work.

But dont stop celebrating  just shift your focus a bit and sign up for the Journals Top Workplaces survey.

Top Workplaces gives your organization a chance to show off just how well its doing at engaging your employees. Chances are, if youre doing that right, youre also serving your customers well.

The Albuquerque Journal, Business Outlook and Workplace Dynamics LLP are once again teaming up to conduct the statewide survey. Taking part is an opportunity to take stock of your organization  to find out what youre doing right when it comes to motivating your employees and where you need to improve.

Engaged employees are motivated to do great work, loyal to the organization and recommend the organization to others. Lack of engagement hurts productivity, hiring, retention and, ultimately, it hurts profits, Workplace Dynamics CEO Doug Claffey wrote in a special edition announcing last years results.

Heres how the program works:

To join the survey, an employee, employer or customer needs to nominate his or her company by Jan. 20 through ABQjournal.com/nominate or by calling 505-288-3443.

The organization will receive a call from Workplace Dynamics a few weeks later to explain the survey process.

Employees will be surveyed about the companys direction, execution and engagement of employees. Workplace Dynamics then determines who makes the list based on those surveys.

The survey has strict protocols. There is no internet voting, no click as many times as you can, and participating companies must grant individual access to either all employees or a vast majority for larger businesses.

The results will be published in a special section of the Sunday Journal next spring. An analysis of the results will be provided to the employers.

The Journal s Top Workplaces 2016 publication was seen by tens of thousands of readers across New Mexico, and employers named to the list can use their Albuquerque Journal Top Workplace designation in all media relations and recruitment efforts.
WANTING A SAFER RIO BRAVO FOR 2017: NQ Dewey says in a recent email about the intersection of Rio Bravo Boulevard and Del Rio Road SW that there are six crosses (marking fatal wrecks) now and there are many more not memorialized with descansos.

In the 30 years I have lived a block from this intersection we have managed to have a stoplight installed after five deaths. But then people would speed down Del Rio to make the green light. Five years of petitions later we got some speed humps on Del Rio north and south of Rio Bravo and that helped slow the carnage. Then the light at Del Rio and Rio Bravo was refurbished with car sensitive detectors in the intersection.  So now the green light for Del Rio changes only when a car sits there for three minutes or more, and Ive timed it to an average of 10 seconds. What that means is that  drivers on Rio Bravo are barreling down Rio Bravo at 65 mph and cannot possibly stop.

NQ asks if the signal timing can be adjusted and if the 45-mph speed limit can be enforced or a your speed is trailer can be parked there.

Bobby Baker, traffic control administrator for Bernalillo County, says, The traffic signals along Rio Bravo are coordinated for 45 mph from Broadway to Del Rio.  The yellow times are set based on the width of the intersection and the speed limit. For additional safety, there is 1.5 seconds of all red time  all four approaches are red for 1.5 seconds.

In response to NQs concerns, Baker adjusted the northbound green time multiple times and recently received feedback that it was working better. The longest wait time is (from) 3 to 7:30 p.m. (and) should be about 90 seconds. Its programmed to run half cycles during the AM and during the day, which means that the cycle length  the time it takes to completely cycle to green for all approaches  is half as long as all of the other intersections. For example, the cycle length for the AM peak time is 120 seconds for all of the intersections from Isleta to Broadway. The cycle length at Del Rio is 60 seconds. Running a half cycle reduces the wait time but also reduces the green time by half.

As for enforcement, residents can call or email their area command (both Albuquerque Police Department and Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office) to report a trouble spot and request traffic enforcement.

ONCE A ZIPPER ZIPS, THATS IT: Thats the point made by Robert Landry in an email responding to the state Department of Transportations advocacy of the zipper merge, which has drivers using all open lanes up until a merge needs to happen, then taking turns like the teeth of a zipper.

Robert says drivers here are already doing this, just when they see the signs saying they need to merge. This is a true zipper merge, not the last-minute merge advocated by DOT, because after your jacket was zipped up it would be bad to introduce another tooth in the closed zipper chain at the bottom.

What happens at a traffic bottleneck is after all the polite drivers have zipper merged there are a few who, for one reason or another, travel to the head of the line and try to force their way in at that point. Naturally, there are some drivers who resent this behavior and thereby begins road rage. The ensuing road rage is not caused by the polite and smart driver who merged early  when told to by the sign  but by the impolite driver who is too impatient to wait his turn and tries to cut in at the head of the line.

NMDOTs video example has none of the so-called polite early merges that leave a drivable lane empty, but has all drivers using all lanes to advance as much traffic as possible, then taking turns to merge where the lane drops.

WISH I GOT RED-LIGHT CAMERAS FOR XMAS: This fall Franklin Halasz emailed, My wife and I watched THREE cars turning left from Harper to Wyoming after the light for through traffic on San Antonio had turned green. And this isnt an unusually busy intersection. Traffic cams are needed throughout the city to curb this behavior  even though Ill probably be caught, too.

Assistant editorial page editor DVal Westphal tackles commuter issues for the Metro area on Mondays. Reach her at 823-3858; road@abqjournal.com; or P.O. Drawer J, Albuquerque, N.M. 87103.
Some Albuquerqueans rang in the new year with a frigid splash Sunday morning at the 3rd Annual Polar Bear Plunge.

Participants dove, jumped and cannonballed into the chilly outdoor pool at the Jewish Community Center to raise money for the ABQ BioParks polar bears, the Ten-82 Fund for injured police and firefighter families, and the JCCs own programs for needy children. Participation required a $25 donation,

Shivering swimmers warmed up afterward with hot drinks and toasty snacks.
Albuquerque Public Schools students and staff took part in the Mannequin Challenge recently to promote support for the APS Community Clothing Bank.

Superintendent Raquel Reedy joined high school students from across the district along with administrators, police officers, nurses, counselors, teachers and others in making a video in which they remain frozen in action like mannequins while a moving camera films them.

Creating this video was fun, but it serves an important purpose, said Phill Casaus, executive director of the APS Education Foundation which supports the Clothing Bank.

APS Mannequin Challenge Promotes Support for Clothing Bank from APS Education Foundation on Vimeo.

The Clothing Bank serves more than 3,000 students each school year, providing them with new socks and underwear, gently used jackets and coats and vouchers for up to nine outfits and a new pair of shoes.

The public is encouraged to help with donations of new and gently used clothing dropped off at bins located at: APS Community Clothing Bank, 1130 Cardenas Drive SE; APS administration building (City Centre), 6400 Uptown Blvd. NE; Cash and checks for the Clothing Bank may be made to the APS Education Foundation by sending donations to P.O. Box 25704, Albuquerque, NM 87125. Make checks payable to the APS Education Foundation and designated to the APS Community Clothing Bank.

You also can donate online at www.apseducationfoundation.org. All monetary donations will be used to pay for new socks, shoes and undergarments given to students, organizers said in a news release. Those interested in volunteering for the Clothing Bank can contact Elizabeth Calhoon at 248-1873 or Elizabeth.calhoon@aps.edu.
JAKARTA, Indonesia  A search resumed Monday for 17 people reported missing after a ferry fire off the coast of Indonesias capital that left at least 23 dead, officials said.

The victims died Sunday when the vessel, Zahro Express, carrying more than 260 people from a port near Jakarta to Tidung, a resort island in the Kepulauan Seribu chain, caught fire, officials said. Most of the passengers were Indonesians celebrating the New Year holiday, according to local media reports.

Dito, an official from the Jakarta Search and Rescue Agency, said at least five ships and a number of speedboats and rubber boats were deployed in the search.

Of the 224 passengers who were rescued, 32 were being treated at three hospitals, said Dito, who uses a single name.

Seply Madreta, an official from the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency, said the fire gutted about half the vessel, 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 police health department.

Witnesses told MetroTV that the fire broke out about 15 minutes after the ferry left the port of 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.

The director for sea transportation, Tonny Budiono, said the initial suspicion was that the fire was most probably caused by a short circuit in the engine room.

He told a news conference the short circuit might have led to the fuel tank exploding.

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 the high number of people who were rescued, the ferrys 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.

___

This story has been revised to correct the spelling of the officials surname to Madreta, instead of Madreto.
This responds to the column by Kathleen Parker, Execution is too lenient for the Charleston killer, published on Dec. 20.

Parker argues against executing Dylann Roof, despite his murder of nine parishioners in prayer, because she opposes the death penalty for reasons she deems moral and practical.

She makes the usual argument that the process isnt perfect and mistakes can be made: I cant countenance anything less than a foolproof system.

This is, of course, utter hypocrisy. She demands divine perfection from a capital punishment system but is willing to accept the vastly greater risk of further murders by not executing such murderers.

The highest estimates Ive seen for true innocents that have gotten through the trial and many appeals built into the death penalty process and been actually executed is one every few years. Academic studies suggest much less, particularly when you exclude those actually guilty but who, with the right team of smart lawyers, might have managed to beat the rap.

By contrast, murderers who are sentenced to prison often go on to murder again. Recidivism estimates for murderers range from 1 percent to 20 percent or so.

Furthermore, while there are few headline-grabbing followup murders associated with prison escapes (e.g., the Texas Seven), there are hundreds of homicides in U.S. prisons each year, and on the order of 80 murders per year in which the perpetrator can be identified.

Bureau of Justice statistics indicate that as many as a third of these murders are by inmates who already have at least one homicide conviction under their belt.

Parker may consider it OK that any number of those who are in prison for lesser crimes, say, writing bad checks, be murdered; most would not.

Parker also makes the claim that death sentences are ineffective as a deterrent. This again is a common anti-death penalty argument, based on the fact that deterrence has not been proven (except, of course, for the executed perpetrator).

This is simply a misleading half-truth. Lack of deterrence hasnt been proven either, for the simple reason that almost nothing in the social sciences can be scientifically proven because, as is generally the case with social hypotheses, you cant control all the variables.

For her to pretend to more than that only shows the limitations of her own argument.

She argues that death is too easy, which is utter nonsense. If that were the case, where the death penalty was abolished, there would be much wailing and gnashing of teeth from those on death row. As we know from our own experience in New Mexico, considerable relief has been the usual reaction.

Finally, while she offers the alternative of life without parole, that has been proven to be a false promise as well, as other compassionate liberals have promoted, and in some cases achieved, compassionate release, arguing that, after decades, the criminal has rebuilt their life. So much for life without parole.

In any case, consider the unfairness of it: no such option was, of course, available for the victim.

The most practical solution is the final one. Simply remove the murderer as a living entity from our universe. It leaves our society vastly better off.
Of course, there is much speculation and concern around the United States and the world regarding what our president-elect will do about our economy and international politics when he takes office. But isnt this true any time we have a new person in the White House?

The direction President Donald Trump takes our nation will unfold after he takes office. I would like to add to the speculations offered by Jerry Pacheco in his opinion column that appeared in the Dec. 19 Albuquerque Journal Business Outlook.

Because Trump has challenged various current and proposed free trade agreements does not mean he is anti-free trade. The way I read the president-elects comments are that he wants the United States to get a better deal from the agreements.

Many besides Trump believe the United States has given too many concessions and has received too many administrative and regulatory obligations. The devil is in the details fits most government actions.

Like the Affordable Care Act, proponents of the Trans Pacific Partnership want the U.S. to pass the treaty and then determine if they like it.

It is not going to work that way with our new president.

Furthermore, even Democrats and progressives cannot decide whether or not they support the TPP.

Americans have been asking for years why the U.S. pays the majority of the bills for NATO, the United Nations and other operations in the world. I hear this president pushing our partners to pick up more of their share of costs and be more unified in what are supposed to be our joint actions.

Sounds good to me and to a whole bunch of other Americans.

Trump has not even taken office yet and concerns about China making inroads in Latin America are being blamed on him.

The truth is, Chinas inroads in Latin America and Africa and in the Pacific have been going on for years.

China has been working with Mexico to build deepwater ports on its Pacific side for the importation and transportation of goods through rail lines and the export of oil and gas through pipelines. China has even been working with Nicaragua to build a Panama Canal-style canal.

A major problem with U.S.-Pacific Rim trade can be traced directly to U.S. unions blocking work at our Pacific ports. Since current U.S. leadership refuses to address these issues, perhaps our new president will be able to move our ports forward again.

A real fear is our $20 trillion debt.

China holds a large portion of this debt, which means well be re-paying China for their loans, plus interest, for years.

Now that is a threat to our national security.

China is moving to fill the voids in U.S. trade policies around the world. These are, however, not voids created by a man that has not even taken office yet, but these are due to the failures of current policies and lack of leadership of the past eight years.

President Trumps America will impact the world because well finally have an energy policy that really is all of the above as Americans have been asking for over the last eight years. This policy will be good for consumers, good for the state of New Mexico and will make America a world leader in energy, the fuel for the worlds economic growth.

The direction Trump takes our nation will unfold after he takes office. What has unfolded before then should not be blamed on him but should rest with current political leaders.

This is what I believe voters said in the last election.
In this post-factual era, no misstatement of facts should surprise us.

Yet the demonization of President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry as anti-Israel by right-wing politicians in Jerusalem is a gross perversion of reality. The charge follows a U.S. abstention on a U.N. Security Council resolution that condemned Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank by a 14-0 vote.

Never mind that Obama had recently concluded a historic 10-year, $38 billion military aid deal for Israel that exceeds any such package ever offered to any other U.S. ally. Never mind that Obama has been more protective of Israel at the United Nations than any other U.S. president in the last half century, vetoing any Security Council resolution critical of Israel until this one. In contrast, Ronald Reagan let 21 such critical resolutions pass, George H.W. Bush nine, and George W. Bush six.

Lets get to the reason for the abstention. As Kerry laid out in a passionate speech, it was certainly not to undermine Israel. On the contrary. It was an effort to preserve a way forward for Israels survival as a secure, Jewish, democratic state.

The expansion of networks of Jewish settlements on the West Bank under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reaching the point where they will rule out the possibility of a two-state solution in any future Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.

No one, Kerry included, sees the possibility (or advisability) of establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel in the near term, in this era of Mideast chaos. But what Kerry grasped is this: Once the possibility of two states living peacefully side by side is ruled out forever  even in theory  the consequences become dangerous for Israel.

At that point, Israel is headed toward a one-state solution, in which the number of Palestinian Arabs will ultimately outnumber the Jews.

That prospect confronts Jerusalem with two fraught choices. Option One: Rule permanently over millions of bitter, disenfranchised Palestinians living in Bantustan-like enclaves, Or, Option Two, give political rights to 2.75 million Palestinians on the West Bank. Add that to 1.7 million Palestinians in Israel and you already have a substantial Arab minority alongside 6.3 million Israel Jews in Greater Israel  and those figures ignore an additional 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza.

If Israel chooses Option One  permanent control over the Palestinians  it will no longer be a democracy. If it chooses Option Two  giving Palestinians the vote  it will loose its Jewish character.

You get the picture: a one-state solution portends disaster. But thats where things are headed.

Why worry about this now, Kerrys critics ask, especially when Syria is burning and there are so many other problems in the world? Why not leave the question of settlements open until the (unlikely) day when there are new peace talks?

The answer: Netanyahus agenda is driven by his hard-right coalition partners who want to annex part or all of the West Bank as soon as possible. They are pursuing a rapid expansion of settlements in the heart of the West Bank in places that would make a contiguous Palestinian state impossible.

Which brings us back to the vote in the United Nations. As Kerry said, it was about preserving the two-state solution. Thats what we were standing up for: Israels future as a Jewish and democratic state, living side by side in peace and security with its neighbors. Thats what we are trying to preserve for our sake and theirs.

Mind you, the resolution was symbolic and said little that hadnt been said in previous U.N. resolutions, or by previous U.S. administrations. It has no enforcement mechanism.

Yet the resolution offers a sobering warning. The death of the two-state idea comes with heavy costs to Israel.

Most countries understand it is too dangerous for Israel to relinquish control of the West Bank right now. But the open endorsement of annexation by the settler movement has soured even Israels allies against the Netanyahu government. They know the West Bank status quo cant hold forever and violence is likely to reoccur once the idea of two states is buried.

This is a lesson President-elect Donald Trump should ponder, having chosen a U.S. ambassador to Israel who backs settler extremists and compares Jews who favor a two-state solution to Nazis. Such dangerous nonsense will only propel Israel down a self-destructive path.

Trudy Rubin is a columnist and editorial-board member for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The mother accused of beating and sexually assaulting her teenage son before disappearing Friday with her six other children has been arrested in Arizona, according to Albuquerque police.

Genoveva Fazio, 36, was arrested on the White Mountain Apache Reservation and booked into the Navajo County jail in Holbrook, Ariz. White Mountain Apache tribal police reported that Fazio was picked up around 8:30 p.m. Sunday at a home in East Fork.

Officer Simon Drobik said late Sunday that all six children, who range in age from 3 months to 14 years, are safe and awaiting their return to Albuquerque.

One of Fazios 14-year-old sons told police that he was brutally attacked by his mother, who accused him of molesting one of his siblings, police said in a criminal complaint. The boy said Fazio punched, bit and kicked him and put him in the shower in his clothes. She then wrapped him in a blanket, according to police, and tied him up with rope.

He ran barefoot to a police substation a half-mile from his home, and was taken to a hospital. Police issued a warrant for Fazios arrest, charging her with crimes including child abuse and criminal sexual contact of a minor.
ISTANBUL  The Islamic State group on Monday made an unusual claim of responsibility for a major terrorist attack in Turkey, saying a soldier of the caliphate carried out the mass shooting at an Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people as they welcomed the new year.

The group said Christian revelers were targeted in response to Turkish military operations against IS in northern Syria, but most of the dead were foreign tourists from Muslim countries.

The claim came after a recent IS propaganda video urged attacks on Turkey, which is home to an air base used in the U.S.-led effort against the group in Syria and Iraq.

Turkish authorities never confirmed the authenticity of the Dec. 22 video that purported to show Turkish soldiers who were burned alive, but access to social media was temporarily restricted in what appeared to be an effort to curb circulation of the footage.

The nightclub assailant, armed with a long-barreled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian early Sunday outside the Reina club before entering and firing at some of the estimated 600 people inside. The establishment is frequented by famous locals, including singers, actors and athletes.

Authorities obtained the fingerprints and a basic description of the gunman and are close to identifying him, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said Monday after a weekly cabinet meeting. He confirmed that eight people have been detained in connection with the attack.

The Islamic State group boasts of having cells in Turkey, regularly issues propaganda in Turkish and is believed to have hundreds of Turks in its ranks. But until now, the main act of aggression it had claimed in Turkey was the March 2016 killing of a Syrian journalist and an attack on riot police in the province of Diyarbakir, which Kurdish militants also claimed.

Other attacks in Turkey have been linked to IS, but without specific claims of responsibility.

For some analysts, the claim signaled a shift in IS strategy in Turkey, a predominantly Muslim nation and NATO member.

Its a new phase, security analyst Michael Horowitz said. What we saw before was an undeclared war, and now were entering an open war.

The IS claim said only that the attacker struck to let infidel Turkey know that the blood of Muslims that is being shed by its airstrikes and artillery shelling will turn into fire on its territories.

Early Turkish media reports suggested the nightclub gunman was probably from either Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan and may have been part of the same cell that staged a June attack on Istanbul Ataturk Airport that killed 45 people.

By attacking as the nation was celebrating the new year, the group indicated that it intends to continue being a scourge against Turkey in 2017, Kurtulmus said.

Initially, IS activity in Turkey appeared designed to stoke tensions with the countrys ethnic Kurds and reflected events in Syria. The first dramatic attack came July 2015, when a suicide bomber hit a rally of activists in the border town of Suruc, at a time when Kurdish fighters in Syria where under siege just across the border in Kobane.

The worst IS-linked attack to rock Turkey came just months after, in October 2015, when twin suicide bombings killed 102 people at a peace rally in the capital, Ankara.

In 2016, IS was blamed by analysts and Turkish authorities for a wider range of attacks, including the airport assault and two other deadly bombings against tourists in Istanbul. The group was also suspected of directing an attack by a suicide bomber  possibly as young as 12  that killed more than 50 people at an outdoor wedding in the city of Gaziantep.

Turkey launched an offensive to northern Syria in August in a bid to clear a strategic border area of IS militants and contain the gains of Kurdish fighters. In October, Turkish-backed Syrian forces took the symbolically important town of Dabiq, which is central to IS propaganda. Turkish jets regularly bomb IS in the then town of Al-Bab, and Ankara wants to play a role in dislodging IS from its bastion in Raqqa.

Islamic State is sending a strong message to the Turkish government that it will pay in blood for the offensive in northern Syria, Anthony Skinner, an analyst with the Verisk Maplecroft security firm, wrote in an email to The Associated Press.

Many analysts also see the latest attack on Turkey as a sign of growing desperation within IS.

The group has been threatened in al-Bab, Raqqa and Mosul in Iraq and needs to reassert itself, said Horowitz, director at the intelligence analysis firm Prime Source.

The aggression on Turkey, he added, is in line with the groups practice of equating mass-casualty terrorism attacks with heavy bombings and airstrikes on IS-held territories.

In its claim, IS said the nightclub attack was aimed at Christians celebrating a pagan holiday, suggesting a symbolic choice of target that can be justified to radical Sunni Muslim supporters as punishment of sinners. But in reality, many of the victims hailed from majority-Muslim nations in the Middle East.

Max Abrahms, a Northeastern University political scientist, said IS understands that civilian attacks can be counterproductive in countries where it has abundant support. To him, the change of tact in Turkey reflects the mindset of IS in the wake of losses in Syria and Iraq.

Theres no question that Islamic State is suffering in an irreversible way, Abrahms said. So the group wants to commit as many attacks as possible and is much more likely to claim credit for them in order to signal that it has continued capability to mount operations around the world.

Also Monday, Anadolu said more than 100 Islamic State targets in Syria have been hit by Turkey and Russia in separate operations. Last week, Turkey and Russia brokered a cease-fire for Syria that excludes the IS and other groups considered to be terrorist organizations.

___

Hinnant reported from Paris. Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Dominique Soguel in Vannes, France, also contributed to this report.
We can help you make sense of the agribusiness industry, extending from chemicals and fertilizers used as inputs into agriculture, to the commodities, food and by-products that are an output to farming, with policy and regulation applied at every step of the value chain.
Modified On Jan 02, 2017 12:46 PM By akas

2016 turned out to be an exciting year for Hyundai in India. Apart from introducing premium cars like the Elantra and Tucson, Hyundai also rolled out the seven-millionth car from its production facility in Sriperumbudur, near Chennai. In 2016 Hyundai reached a new milestone by selling 5,00,537 units of cars. This is 5.2 per cent growth as compared to the 4,76,001 units sold in 2015. Although the exports declined by 3.4 per cent, the company saw an overall growth of 2.9 per cent.

Commenting on HMILs achievement, Y.K Koo, managing director and CEO, Hyundai Motor India Limited, said, 2016 has been an Year of Excellence for Hyundai in India achieving various milestones - Celebrating 20 years in India, the roll out of 7 Millionth car in November16, crossing the 5 lakh domestic sales in CY2016 and the fastest 50,000 unit sales in the month of October. The launch of All new Elantra and Tucson have created new benchmarks in their respective segments signifying Hyundai as a trendsetter brand in India. Hyundai brands have also scored top rankings in both quality and design parameters in IQS and APEAL studies. Hyundai, a lifetime partner in automobile and beyond, will continue to bring world-class products, services to the customers and be a socially responsible corporate to realize long term vision of being the most loved and trusted brand.

The popularity of Hyundai is likely to increase in 2017 as well. Cars like the next-gen Verna, Tucson 4x4 and the Grand i10 facelift are already lined up to be launched in 2017. Several reports even suggest that the Korean automaker might reintroduce the popular Santro in the country. This will further boost Hyundai to achieve new milestones in sales this year.

Also read: Hyundai India Crosses 7 Million Production Milestone
Mumbai: Actress Deepika Padukone says she is nervous and excited about her Hollywood debut xXx: Return of Xander Cage that stars Vin Diesel.

"I am really excited. This is my Hollywood debut. I am very nervous, but I am also very excited. And today is the beginning to that journey. Hopefully, we will be coming to India soon," Deepika said on 1 January before leaving for the US to kick-start the film's promotion.

"In terms of promotion, first we will head to Mexico. As far as the release is concerned, we will first release the movie in India. While shooting the film, I discussed this with my unit... that it would be great to first release it in India and I am happy that it is finally happening," she added.

After her Hollywood debut later this month, Deepika will be known for being more than a Hindi film actress.

Talking about it, she said: "I think I'd like to be known as a good person and a good actor. But I also feel very proud that I get to represent my country, especially in this kind of action franchise of the film."

"I am really excited. I am also very sure we will enjoy this film because of its content. There is a lot of action, adventure in the film, which we have not seen in Indian films before. So, I can't wait to bring this movie to India and show it to everyone."

xXx: Return of Xander Cage, helmed by DJ Caruso, also stars Donnie Yen and Samuel L Jackson.
SAN FRANCISCO, California - Jan. 2, 2017 - The International Neuromodulation Society (INS) journal Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface is publishing expert, evidence-based guidance on the safe and efficient use of neuromodulation implants in patient-centered therapy.

The guidance, in six publications by more than 60 international experts, collectively reviews more than 600 publications that appeared in the scientific literature by 2014.

The articles provide recommendations about specific issues to improve suffering in patients who live with a variety of chronic conditions.

The INS executive officers convened the international experts who systematically rank evidence and present decision trees and flow charts concerning patient care.

"Interest in targeted delivery of chemical agents has grown in part because intrathecal drug delivery requires perhaps just 1% of an oral dose, and is not prone to painkiller diversion or misuse," commented INS President Timothy Deer, M.D. "Meanwhile neurostimulation treats disease symptoms without relying on medication, by applying targeted electrical stimulation."

The Neuromodulation Appropriateness Consensus Committee first issued neurostimulation therapy guidance in four articles in 2014 that have been cited more than 100 times.

Since then, newer spinal cord stimulation systems have entered the clinic that vary the electrical stimulus pattern or frequency, or target a different part of the spinal cord involved in pain perception.

Intrathecal drug delivery guidance has been published by members of the Polyanalgesic Consensus Conference (PACC) since 2000. These articles address intrathecal drug therapy for chronic pain from cancer or non-cancer conditions. The three articles being published now present recommendations about safety, localized and general pain, and when to employ trial treatment. The articles are the fifth iteration of PACC guidance, and update three PACC articles published in 2014 that have been collectively cited more than 250 times.

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About the International Neuromodulation Society

The nonprofit International Neuromodulation Society presents up-to-date information about the full breadth of neuromodulation therapies through an interactive website, its journal Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface, annual regional meetings, and its biennial world congress. The INS 13th World Congress, "Neuromodulation: Technology Changing Lives" takes place May 27 - June 1, 2017 in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The INS journal Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface publishes peer-review articles on the technology, science, and clinical application of devices that interface with the nervous system to treat disease and improve function.

Related Citations:

Deer, TR, et al. (2017), The Neurostimulation Appropriateness Consensus Committee (NACC) Safety Guidelines for the Reduction of Severe Neurological Injury. Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface. doi: 10.1111/ner.12564

Deer, TR, et al. (2017), The Neurostimulation Appropriateness Consensus Committee (NACC) Recommendations for Infection Prevention and Management. Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface. doi: 10.1111/ner.12565

Deer, TR, et al. (2017), The Neurostimulation Appropriateness Consensus Committee (NACC): Recommendations on Bleeding and Coagulation Management in Neurostimulation Devices. Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface. doi: 10.1111/ner.12542

Deer, TR, et al. (2017), The Polyanalgesic Consensus Conference (PACC): Recommendations on Intrathecal Drug Infusion Systems Best Practices and Guidelines. Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface. doi: 10.1111/ner.12538

Deer, TR, et al. (2017), The Polyanalgesic Consensus Conference (PACC): Recommendations for Trialing of Intrathecal Drug Delivery Infusion Therapy. Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface. doi: 10.1111/ner.12543

Deer, TR, et al. (2017), The Polyanalgesic Consensus Conference (PACC): Recommendations for Intrathecal Drug Delivery: Guidance for Improving Safety and Mitigating Risks. Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface. doi: 10.1111/ner.12579

The print versions of the NACC articles will appear in Neuromodulation, Volume 20, Number 1, in January, while the PACC articles will appear in February in Volume 20, Number 2.
By David Raleigh

Limerick mother Aine Laffan cooked up a New Year's Day storm in her kitchen as she delivered her son Odhran 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 laughed.

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.
Chennai: Actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan will finally resume shooting for upcoming trilingual comedy Sabaash Naidu from later this month after being out of action for nearly six months due to a leg injury.

In July 2016, Haasan fractured his leg after he slipped and fell from the stairs of his office.

"From the third week of January, he plans to resume shooting. He has just returned from London where he had undergone medical checkup with an orthopedic. He's fit to start shooting, and the next schedule will take place in Hyderabad," a source from the film's unit told IANS.

Sabaash Naidu, a spin-off on Haasan's Balram Naidu character from Dasavatharam, is being simultaneously shot in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi.

The film also stars Ramya Krishnan, Shruti Haasan and Brahmanandam.

Ever since it was announced, Sabaash Naidu has been in the news.

Initially, it was because Kamal was teaming up with his daughter Shruti Haasan for the very first time, for a film. Then, it was Sabaash Naidu's US schedule that had fans interested.

However, over 2016, the project has been plagued by one hurdle after another.

It began with director TK Rajeev Kumar having to opt out of the project because he was diagnosed with Lyme Disease. Kamal stepped into the breach and took up the director's mantle himself.

Then, just when things were beginning to get back on track, there was more trouble  this time because Sabaash Naidu's editor James Joseph pulled out. Joseph's wife had an accident, and he had to rush back from the US to be by her side.

That isn't all  reports in various media outlets suggested that Kamal was unhappy with the work of cinematographer Jaya Krishna Gummadi, because the latter was unable to deal with the simultaneous shooting of Sabaash Naidu in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi.

It wasn't just the changing line-up among the technical crew that beset Sabaash Naidu  In July, Kamal suffered the injury that has taken a very long while to heal.

With so many unforeseen issues, Sabaash Naidu  which was supposed to release in September 2016  was pushed to a 2017 release.

In the interim, Kamal and his partner Gautami Tadimalla (she was working on the film's costumes) also separated.
Aine, 34, from Lisnagry, had wanted a home birth, but didnt expect it so soon little Odhran arrived three weeks ahead of his due date, weighing an even seven pounds, and looking for his breakfast.

Im feeling great, tired, but great. Ill never forget it; I had him in the kitchen, on the floor. Well never be able to look at the spot on the floor in the same way, she laughed.

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 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 ten minutes later, Mr Kelly said.

Im very excited. He was three weeks early, so we never expected it to happen when it did. Were very lucky everything went ok. We had wanted a home birth, but we didnt 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 couples two-and-a-half-year-old son, Fionn, joined his parents and Aines mother, Martha, to catch his first glimpse of his younger brother. Aine and Odhran were then whisked by ambulance to University Maternity Hospital, Limerick, 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 OGrady, 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 7lb 4oz/3.3kg.

Gloria OGrady, Patrickswell, Limerick, holds her new baby girl Lily, who weighed in at 7lb 4oz/3.3kg, at University Maternity Hospital Limerick. Picture: Liam Burke Press 22

She was due on January 3, but it was a fine delivery; it lasted six and a half hours, from 5.30pm to 12.01am, said delighted mum Gloria.

Im very happy and very tired. Its great, and hopefully, its the first of many, she added. Delighted dad Declan joked: Ive 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 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 Katarzynas arms after his very quick arrival at 2.25am.

Meanwhile, a boy just pipped his twin brother to become the first baby born in Ireland this year. He was born at one second past midnight at the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin, with his brother following six minutes later. The newborns weighed 2.8kg (6lb 3oz) and 2.68kg (5lb 14oz) and the mother was reported to be in good health, as were her new family. While happy to announce her new brood, the mother did not want to be identified.

However, Rose Waldron, mother of the New Years baby born in the Coombe Hospital in Dublin, wanted to let everyone know her good news.

Rose and Ben Waldron, Kilcock, Co Kildare, with their 7lb 12oz/3.2kg baby born in the Coombeat 7.45am. Picture: Eamonn Farrell

We are thrilled to start off the New Year by welcoming our beautiful baby boy to our family, said Rose, whose son arrived at 7.45am yesterday and weighed 3.2kg. (7lb 12oz).

The yet-to-be-named newborn is the second child of Rose and Ben Waldron of Kilcock, Co Kildare.

Myself and my husband cant thank the staff at the Coombe enough for the wonderful care that they have given us and our new bundle of joy, said Rose.

Assistant director of midwifery and nursing at the Coombe, Frances Richardson, said: It is always a delight to welcome our mums, families and their new babies to the Coombe.

I want to say a special thank you to all the team here at the Coombe for their dedication and hard work over the festive season and throughout the year.

At Cork University Maternity Hospital, Alison Magee and Michael John Dorgan, from Castlelyons, Co Cork, were cuddling their New Years Day baby, Andy, who was born at 1.05am weighing 3.7kg (8lb 4oz).

Alison Magee and Michael John Dorgan, Castlelyons, Co Cork, with baby Andy Dorgan, who was born at 1.05am weighing 8lb 4oz/3.7kg at CUMH. Picture: Eddie OHare

Just a little over two hours later, Marie Marginean, from Bandon, Co Cork, was delighted when her baby son, Kevin, arrived into the world. He was born at 3.13am and weighed 3.67kg (8lb 1oz).

At University Hospital Kerry, Thadi Healy arrived into the world at 2.10am yesterday weighing 3.54kg (7lb 13oz) and later on all of his family posed happily together for a photograph.

There was proud mum Laura Healy and dad, Tommy Healy from Listellick, Tralee, Co Kerry and Thadis sisters, Ide, aged three and Cait, aged four.

Laura Healy and Tommy Healy from Listellick, Tralee, were delighted to introduce 7lb 13oz/3.54kg Thadi to his big sisters Ide, aged 3, and Cait, 4, at University Hospital Kerry. Picture: Domnick Walsh

The National Maternity Hospital in Dublin welcomed two New Year babies born seconds after midnight.

A little girl called Molly arrived at just 19 seconds past midnight. The second child of Judy and John Turley from Palmerstown, Dublin, she weighed 4.3kg (9lb 7oz).

At just 50 seconds past midnight, baby Arlo was born to a delighted Stacy Kenny and her partner, Elton Rooney from Clonsilla, Dublin. Arlo, who weighed 3.8kg (8lb 6oz), has an older brother Axel who is three and a half years old.
Speaking to some 50,000 people in St Peters Square for his traditional 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.

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 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 Peters Basilica, where he said the lack of physical contact among people brought on by modern means of virtual communication is cauterising our hearts and making us lose the capacity for tenderness and wonder, for pity and compassion.

In his message, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin raised concerns about the dangerous culture of violence in Ireland. He also called for an end to gangland violence.

There is a dangerous culture of violence in Ireland which is difficult to understand. I am saddened by the growing number of stabbings in the past year, at times by very young people.

What lies behind such foolish violence? Is there a growing anger being built up in the hearts and minds of young people? Is it another form of emptiness and frustration which blinds people to the damage that can be done also to themselves by a moment of folly?

How do we teach a culture of nonviolence to our young people? We have great young people. I spent the Christmas period among family and friends both here and in Rome and I have been moved to listen to children recite their Christmas poems: they are poems of simple words and ideas about Christmas being a time when peace is possible, when goodness is better than hatred.

I have also in these days watched generous teenage volunteers turn out to support the needy and to assist in feeding the homeless. How can we transform that goodness that is in our young people into an enduring new culture of nonviolence?

He said gangland bosses are totally blinded by their own selfish interest in the drug trade.

Gangland violence must stop, but not in such a way as to strengthen the trade in drugs.

He warned that a truce among drug barons could easily be used to enhance their commerce of death.
Cabinet papers from 1986 show Mr Spring, the tanaiste, sought government approval for his proposals that the ESB should pay 24p per therm for natural gas from July 1 that year as well as setting a minimum of quantity which it had to buy.

In a briefing note on July 31, 1986, Dermot Nally, the government secretary, advised the taoiseach, that it was hopelessly illogical to require the ESB to buy gas at 25p per therm when the market price was around 8p.

The company can get oil on the open market at one-third of that price and charge electricity prices accordingly, said Mr Nally.

Mr Nally said there must be other ways to take gas from the Kinsale gasfield instead of forcing the ESB to take a totally uneconomic fuel.

The Labour leader also wanted the ESB to devise and implement a special tariff which would reduce energy costs for two of the countrys largest industrial producers  Irish Steel and Aughinish Alumina.

However, he was warned by other ministers that it represented an indirect form of State aid which ran counter to EEC rules.

Mr Spring justified the measure on the basis that the ESB had cut back on its usage of natural gas due to a drop in oil prices. He told his cabinet colleagues that the reduction in natural gas by the ESB was having serious implications for Bord Gais revenues.

Mr Spring admitted he had serious misgivings about the proposals but he believed that a review of the terms of ESB for buying natural gas were unavoidable.

The cabinet had already approved special pricing arrangements for Irish Steel and Aughinish Alumina and Mr Spring said it was essential to introduce those measures but in a way in which it would not create a precedent for price reductions to other firms.

As the price of oil had dropped from $120 per tonne at the start of 1986 to $46, the ESB had reopened its power station at Tarbert, Co Kerry, and switched its station at Poolbeg from gas to oil.

The ESB had also reduced the amount of gas it was acquiring from Bord Gais.

Mr Spring pointed out the company was getting gas at 25p per therm in 1985, while oil was costing 52p per therm.

He acknowledged it made sense for the ESB to use cheap oil when prices were at such low levels.

Records show the Department of the Taoiseach believed that the ESB should be allowed a free hand over how much natural gas it should buy at 25p per therm.

However, the finance minister, John Bruton, wanted the ESB to be forced to take a fixed quantity of the fuel at a price of 20p per therm  a position which received some backing from the ESB.

Mr Spring described such a proposal as a compromise but believed his own suggestion represented a better one.

Stressing that he still had considerable reservations about the measure, Mr Spring said it would also reduce the ESBs capacity to lower electricity prices generally.

The tanaiste said he recognised that the compulsory gas allocation at such a price represented a serious imposition on the semi-state company.

State papers also show the government decided that the Irish Steel plant at Haulbowline in Cork should receive a 25% reduction in electricity prices and the alumina refinery of Aughinish Alumina in Askeaton, Co Limerick, should get a 30% cut.

The requirement on the ESB to burn large quantities of gas at a time when oil prices were at bargain prices was also criticised by Patrick Honohan, an economic adviser in the Department of the Taoiseach.
Mr Kenny said the future of water charges will be in the hands of the Dail and the cross-party committee.

Do I think that will bring the Government down? No, I dont, Mr Kenny said.

He added that, in his opinion, Irish Water has been a success.

You can see the evidence of improvements in the water system, said Mr Kenny.

What I do believe is that Irish Water as a single entity is getting on with its work.

In 2017, we cannot continue to have raw sewage being pumped into rivers and the sea at 42 places. So it is an issue for the Oireachtas, on behalf of the people, and I look forward to hearing the committees report at the end of March.

He said the Expert Commission found in its recent report that those who have paid should not be treated any less fairly than those who have not. It is now a matter that the Dail committee has to reflect on.

Mr Kenny restated his commitment to a national water utility, but would not be drawn on what would happen with the issue of charges, saying it would be in appropriate to pre-judge the conclusions of the joint committee.

Enda Kenny

Mr Kenny, at the briefing for political correspondents, said he did not think the numbers of people being made homeless would reach the levels predicted by Father Peter McVerry.

I dont expect that number of people to be removed from their houses, said Mr Kenny. I wouldnt want to see that.

Theres already been a 15% fall in people coming out of difficulties with mortgage arrears this year and we intend to continue to work on that.

Fr McVerry speaks from his heart at all times. The Fr McVerry Trust have been very supportive of the efforts made by Government here to provide emergency accommodation and emergency housing. Theyre very supportive and encouraging to Minister Coveney.
Washington: 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 "in-betweener," 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.
Veteran Jamaican dancehall reggae recording and performing artiste, Red Rat has stated that Ghanaian dancehall act, Stonebwoy is at par with any Jamaican artiste.

He believes that the Ghanaian act is a talented musician who possess the same quality and skills as any artiste from his country.

Speaking on Lagazee Soundz on Hitz FM with King Lagazee on New Years Day, the veteran Jamaican act, born Wallace Wilson he praised Stonebwoy, born Livingstone Etse Satekla, for his lyrical dexterity.

He believes that the BET Awards Best International Act winner is currently one of the best dancehall artistes in the world.

I rate him bad. Hes one of di [the] baddest out deh [there] me tell yuh [you]! Stonebwoy is a lyrical artiste with style and melody and I collaborate with Stonebwoy it will be fire.

"Big up Stonebwoy. Me Bredda [brother] dat [that] from another mother. Put him on a song with any Jamaican artiste and he will match him boot for booth on a song, Red Rat admitted.

Born on January 17, 1978 in Saint Anns Bay, Saint Ann Parish in Jamaica, Red is known for his up-beat music, comical style, and signature catch phrase Oh, No!.

His debut album, Oh, No.. It's Red Rat released in 1997 featured songs such as Shelly Ann, Dwayne, Tight-up Skirt, and Cruise which was featured in the movie The Big Hit). The album became one of the best-selling records from Greensleeves Records.

He has two other albums, I'm a Big Kid Now (released in 2000) and Monsters of Dancehall (released in 2008) to his credit.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Ernest Dela Aglanu (Twitter: @delaXdela / email: [email protected])
The African Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) is kicking against the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) plans to relocate the headquarters of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) to the Western Region.

Speaking at a media interaction in Accra, the Head of Policy Unit of ACEP, Dr. Ishmael Ackah said the decision will put policy makers in a tight corner, since oil exploration will commence in some other regions as well.

The NPP among other things promised to move GNPC to the Western Region to enable them benefit more from the oil proceeds.

The Head of Policy Unit of ACEP, Dr. Ishmael Ackah is however proposing an establishment of subsidiary offices rather than relocating the headquarters to the oil hub region.

We believe that it is not something that was well thought through because very soon we are going to produce oil in the Volta Region so are we going to shift GNPC from the Western Region to the Volta Region. We can maintain GNPC here and rather open a subsidiary office probably for operations in the Western Region. What we can also suggest is that instead of GNPC, we can rather move Petroleum Commission which is the regulator to the Western Region.

President-elect Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo repeated his pledge to relocate the headquarters of GNPC when he visited the Western Regional house of Chiefs in Sekondi during a tour of the region to thank the chiefs and people for their support and prayers.

During his visit,Nana Addo added that he will also make the region the hub of oil and gas when he assumes office.

The commitments that we have made are commitments that are going to be fulfilled. They were not platform or campaign talk. They were full commitments that we made We are going to relocate the headquarters of GNPC to this region,he said.



By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Outgoing President John Mahama joined hundreds of Ghanaians at the Ringway Assemblies of God Sunday to usher in 2017.

He attended the service with outgoing First Lady, Lordina Mahama and their children.

2016 might have been a tumultuous year in Ghana's politics, but it could not stop Mr Mahama from appreciating the works of God.

He and his family exchanged goodwill messages with members of his church wishing all "Happy New Year."

The first family in prayer for the nation in 2017.



"Happy New Year First family!"

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Austin Brakopowers
President-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says his first budget would have the promised Zongo Development Fund as an item on it.

He says the establishment of the Fund would be the first time government's social policy intervention has been focused on developing residents of Zongo communities.

Interacting with some Zongo Chiefs at his Nima residence Sunday, the President-elect said he has no ill-intention towards Muslims in the country.

President-elect and Vice-President in a group picture with some Zongo Chiefs

"I have no agenda against anybody, Zongo or anybody else in Ghana," he said, adding he wants to drive development in the country through his policies.

"The only agenda I have is how we can bring prosperity to all the people living in this country."

Vice-President-elect, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia in a handshake with a Zongo Chief

Nana Akufo-Addo promised in the course of his 2016 campaign to set up the Zongo Development Fund to solve the basic infrastructure challenges existing in Zongo communities if voted for.

President-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo interacting with a Zongo Chief

His political opponents had dismissed the policy describing it as mere dream never meant to be fulfilled. The governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) accused him of itemising policies to deceive Ghanaians.

Vice-President-elect, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia interacting with a Zongo Chief

But three weeks after the Electoral Commission (EC) declared him winner of the presidential poll, Nana Akufo-Addo said he is committed to implementing all policies promised including the Zongo Development Fund.

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.

He entreated the Muslim leaders to keep him and Vice-President-elect, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia in prayers as they prepare to take-over leadership of the country from January 7.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Austin Brakopowers
Accra, Jan. 1, GNA - The love and faithfulness of God are what ensured the 2016 election victory that has kept Ghana intact,' says Reverend Isaac Obed Asamoah, the Head Pastor of the Gospel Faith Ministries, A-Lang, Accra.

He said the prayers of Ghanaians also contributed immensely to the success of the December polls as many of the people kept to prayer and fasting for God to once again give Ghana a peaceful election.

'Many of us embarked on prayer and fasting seeking for God's divine intervention to give Ghana a free, fair and peaceful election.

'Indeed, God intervened by granting the peace, unity and stability we prayed for. The Lord has been gracious to the nation,' Rev Asamoah said at the 31st Watch Night Service of the church to usher in 2017.

Rev Asamoah, therefore, advised Ghanaians to continue to pray for the nation and for the in-coming government so that the power of God would continue to lead and direct its affairs.

He urged Christians to continue to wait on the goodness, kindness, mercy and grace of God while they prepare for the second coming of Christ Jesus.

Preaching on the theme: 'Entering the Promised Land,' Rev. Asamoah assured Ghanaians that God would surely cause them to reach their promised land; a land flowing with milk and honey.

However, they would have to pass through the desert like the Israelites did in the days of Moses and work hard to ensure God's blessing on the nation.

'You cannot get to the promised land without the desert experience. It is the trial moments, God's people left Egypt with great joy and hope but soon after they had entered the desert, they were tempted to think that Egypt was better. We shouldn't make that mistake,' he said.

Rev Asamoah led members of the church, who were all dressed in white, to pray for the President-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, President John Dramani Mahama, the Judiciary and the Media among others for their contribution towards the sustenance of peace.

GNA

By Lydia Asamoah, GNA
Accra, Jan.1, GNA - The Maternity Ward of the La General Hospital have recorded six new births made up of four males and two females, Mrs Sarah Okpoli, the Senior Midwifery Officer (SMO) told the Ghana News Agency on Sunday.

The first birth, a female, was recorded at 12:35 a.m. followed by a male at 12:45 a.m. Two males were born at the same time at 7:30 a.m. while the other female at 8:24 a.m.

Mrs Okpoti said one male baby was born through a successful caesarean section at 5:37 a.m.

She said no casualties had been recorded so far as at 1330 hours when the GNA visited

GNA

By Priscilla S. Djentuh / Theophania Dzadza
Accra, Jan.1, GNA - Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, has urged public servants to be professional in the discharge of their work and continually serve the country with patriotism, neutrality, fairness and loyalty when government changes hands.

He said the service was a noble profession and that there was the need for them to guard against any acts that would affect their image.

'The country's unity is sometimes undermined by polarization along party lines and we need to work with renewed commitment to national development and devote our energies to activities that will change our destiny and build a solid foundation for posterity,' he said.

The Minister gave the advice at the weekend at the end-of-year party for staff of the Greater Accra Regional Co-ordinating Council in recognition of their support and hard work during in 2016.

The event created the platform for staff and management to socialise and share ideas.

Nii Afotey Agbo said the role of public servants in economic development could not be over emphasised, adding that the growth and development of every economy hinged on how resources were judiciously managed to the benefit of the citizenry.

He commended staff for their selfless contribution in demonstrating a high sense of professionalism in the services they rendered to government over the years.

The Minister said the Ministry had partnered with China through the Economic and Commercial Counsellor's Office out of which more than 60 staff had been trained in China in 2016 from all the Municipal, Metropolitan and District Assemblies across the country.

He called for unity among staff members, forgiveness of one another, reconciliation and tolerance to ensure peaceful coexistence.

He commended the security agencies, especially members of the Regional Security Council, for their immense support in maintaining law and order during the 2016 general election.

He urged the staff to give the incoming administration the necessary support in order to achieve the goals of the nation.

Some retirees were presented with refrigerators and washing machines for their selfless contributions and meritorious service. GNA

By Kodjo Adams, GNA
Despite President Mahama and his Government losing the 2016 elections massively, the President has made three key appointments on the blind side of the transitional team of Nana Akuffo Addo incoming Government. The new appointees are Mr. Joseph Whittal, Ms. Josephine Nkrumah and Mr. Daniel Domelovo who are to head CHRAJ, the National Commission for Civic Education and the Auditor-General Office respectively. It has been reported that Mr. Daniel Domelovo has rejected his appointment.

Beside the above appointments, the Government has also taken other major decisions including signing new contracts and increasing the allowance for the National Service Personnel by a huge 40%.

As expected, the President actions have received condemnation, particularly from NPP transitional team which has served noticed that NPP will review the appointments and contracts, and has already started a court action to reverse some of the appointments. Furthermore, Mr Martin Amidu has advocated that the Looter Government that has been substantially rejected by the voters does not have any basis to make such last minute key appointments.

However, some Government appointees and Mr. Kwaku Baako have defended the decisions of the President as follows:

Mr Mahama Ayariga stated the 18m last minute contract signed is to enable him to leave a legacy. He also stated, because of the elections he had delayed signing the contract and had only done so after the elections.

Mr. Ofosu Kwakye (Deputy Minister of Communications) stated that the criticism of the Presidents decisions is based on a partisan trend, not an objective, fair, candid analysis of the situation and that It appears  therere some people who simply do not respect the decisions and mandate of president Mahama but the Presidents has to function until end of tenure.

Kwaku Baako stated Whatever it is Kufour did, presented a challenge to the Mills government so the government met with organised labour and stakeholders and decided to defer it at least for a year and implemented it in 2010. Obviously the Mills administration suspended the thing, subjected it to review, deferred implementation and began at the time it thought was in the national interest to do so. So what is the big deal,"

Most importantly, President Mahama himself has defended his decision. He stated that all decisions that have been made [during the transitional period] are in the interest of the country. He stated also that Our democracy is evolving and so there are some constitutional issues that definitely have come up as to whether a President is still a president even after he has lost an election until the midnight of the inauguration. But I believe convention or legality might answer those questions. (see: Last-Minute Appointments In Ghanas Interest  Mahama: http://peacefmonline.com/pages/politics/politics/201612/302085.php). Clearly, President Mahama has made some useful points and the discussion below will address them.

However, Ghanaians have all the reasons to worry about the contract that Mr. Ayariga has rushed to sign because he is notoriously known for engaging in dubious contracts and transactions. For example, in 2012, Mr. Ayariga as a Deputy Minister of Education put pressure on the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETfund) to cough $44 million to purchase some useless atlas books for schools. In that transaction, Mr. Ayariga awarded a hoping $25 million of the contract for printing the books to only one company (Approachers (GH) Ltd) and the rest to other 4 companies. As expected, the move received a lot of condemnation and Mr. Sam Garba, the Administrator of the GETfund refused to comply with the directive that was impregnated with corruption. And only God knows how much financial benefit that Mr. Ayariga would have received if the contracts had proceeded. Also, in 2009, Mr Ayariga dubiously acquired five John Deere tractors, which President Kuffour Government imported before leaving office. The affordable tractors were only available to low income farmers to buy, but Mr. Ayariga bought 5 of them, which obviously deprived others the opportunity to get some to buy. Therefore, Ghanaians are genuinely concerned that Mr. Ayariga may be using the contract he has signed as a mean to derive his retirement package.

Furthermore, in several jurisdictions, in order to prevent an outgoing government from taking last minute decisions that will tie down the incoming government, there are specific constitutional provisions or conventions that prohibit an outgoing government for taking decisions that may stifle the agenda of the incoming government. For example, the Article VII, Section 15 of the US Constitution stipulates that: two months immediately before the next presidential elections and up to the end of his term, a President or Acting President shall not make appointments, except temporary appointments to executive positions when continued vacancies therein will prejudice public service or endanger public safety.

Also, Australia has caretaker conventions which regulate the incumbent government actions during 8 weeks or so before elections and in the post-election period until the election results are clear and either the incumbent government is retained or there is change of government and the new government is sworn in (Caretaker Period). During the Caretaker Period, the incumbent government is considered as a mere caretaker and can only generally deal with ordinary or routine administrative matters that ensure that the business of the government continues. There are two rationales for the operation of the caretaker conventions in Australia but only one may be applicable to the Ghanaian context because the other is relevant only to parliamentarian form of government. In relation to the rationale that may be relevant to Ghanaian political context, it is stipulated that it is unfair for a potential outgoing government to bind a future government just before the new one comes into office. If it could do so, a losing government could leave all kinds of booby-traps or impose enormous financial commitments upon its successor and limits the freedom of the incoming government to act. Accordingly, the Australian caretaker conventions prescribe as follows:

Major Policy Decisions

Governments must avoid making major policy decisions during the Caretaker Period that are likely to commit an incoming government. Whether a particular policy decision qualifies as major is a matter for judgment. Relevant considerations include not only the significance of the decision in terms of policy and resources, but also whether the decision is contentious. If circumstances require the Government to make a major policy decision during the Caretaker Period that would bind an incoming government, the Minister would usually consult the Opposition spokesperson for the issue to be resolved on bipartisan basis. For example, the Government has in the past provided urgent financial assistance to drought-affected areas following consultation with the Opposition.

Appointments

Governments defer making significant appointments during the Caretaker Period. Factors that should be considered include the importance of the appointment, and whether the proposed appointment would likely be controversial. If deferring the appointment is impracticable because it will affect a proper functioning of a government department, then the appointment can be made on acting or a short-term basis. If that is not practicable, the government consult with the opposition before a full term appointment is made.

Major contracts

The convention requires Australian governments not to enter into any major contracts or undertakings during the Caretaker Period. When considering whether a contract or undertaking qualifies as major, departments should consider the monetary value of the commitment and also whether the commitment involves a routine administrative matter or it rather implements or entrenches a policy, program or administrative structure which is politically contentious. A further consideration is whether the commitment requires ministerial approval. If it is not possible to defer the commitment until after the Caretaker Period, for legal, commercial or other reasons, the Minister could consult the relevant opposition spokesperson regarding the commitment. Such contracts will include clauses that may enable a new government to terminate the contracts if it so desires. Similarly, potential tenderers are warned about the possibility that a tender may not proceed if there is a change of government.

International negotiations

The Government ordinary seeks to defer major international negotiations, or adopt observer status until the end of the Caretaker Period.

The neutrality of the Australian Public Service

The Australian Public Service remains neutral while it continues to advise the Government during the Caretaker Period.

Why NPP Government can successfully challenge the Mahama Midnight appointments

Although the Ghana constitution does not contain any provision prohibiting midnight appointments and last minute contracts, it seems the NPP may have a legal basis to sack the appointees or challenge them in court.

For example, Mr Martin Amidu has argued that the interpretation of the law in respect of the action of the President should not be limited only to the letter but also the spirit. The letter of the law refers to just obeying the literal interpretation of the words (the "letter") of the law while one obeys the spirit of the law when one does what the authors of the law intended the law to do in addition to the letter or without necessarily adhering to the literal wording. For example, Jesus taught that to merely refrain from adultery is obedience to the letter of the Law, but to obey both the spirit and letter of the Law requires one to exercise self-control and refrain from lusting after someone (i.e. committing adultery in the heart). In summary, while the Constitution provides the President the power to make appointments, the authors of the Constitution did not intend that the Presidents power will be used to stifle the efficient running of a new government. Accordingly, it appears that the action of President Mahama is not consistent with the purpose of the Constitution. This is particularly true in relation to the CHRAJ appointment as the Presidents appointee is the same person that led the investigation that exonerated the President from corruption allegation in relation to the Ford gift saga. In fact, given the high profile corruption cases that have characterised President Mahamas administration, it is fair to state that the President has appointed Mr. Joseph Whittal in order that he would protect the appointees of the Government from any objective and effective CHRAJs investigation into the numerous corruption allegations. Thus, one can even argue that his appointment conflicts with the constitutional requirement to fight corruption.

Moreover some people have argued that former President Kuffour also made some last minute major decisions, particularly, he increased salaries of workers by 16-32 per cent. However, that does not mean what President Mahama has done is right because President Kuffours action was also not right. It is important to note that Mr Osafo Marfo, the former Finance minister for President Kuffour criticised President Kuffours decision as follows: There should have been a silent memorandum to the NDC detailing what has been discussed and agreed, for them to have a look at it and incorporate it in the budget. Accordingly, Mr Kuffours precedent cannot be used as an appropriate basis to justify the action of President Mahama.

Filipino experience

In 2010, the outgoing President, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo made several high profile appointments (in fact about 970 of them) which occurred some few days before the onset of the constitutional prohibition period but not confirmed until the day after prohibition period began . The new President Benigno Aquino by executive order revoked the appointments but some of the appointees took the matter to the lower court and lost the case. They then sent the matter to the Court of Appeals, which also ruled against them and affirmed the legality of the President Benigno Aquinos executive order revoking the midnight appointments.

Importantly, the Associate Justice Noel Tijam stated that The Constitution imposes a prohibition on the part of the President to make midnight appointments because during the transition period, he is no more than a mere care taker who must not do anything that would undermine the policies of the succeeding President, and The purpose is also to eradicate the possible abuse of Presidential prerogatives of appointment for partisan purposes thereby preventing the incoming President from choosing the persons whom he sees fit to aid him in promoting his policies and running his administration.

It can be infer from the above ruling that it does not make sense that President Mahama did not confirm the appointment of Mr. Whittal for more than a year and has only done so when the President is on his way out. Clearly, the reason why the Constitution provides the President the prerogative to choose appointees is to enable the President to choose people that he can work with during his tenure. And since President Mahama is leaving office, there is no legal basis for him to appoint people that the new government will have to work with. This is why the Republican Party refused to allow Mr. Obama to appoint the Supreme Court judge when the position became vacant about 6 months before the US elections. In relation to Mr. Whittal, President Mahama had more than one year to confirm him as the substantive chairman of CHRAJ, yet the President did not avail himself of that opportunity/prerogative, why would he then confirm the appointment when the President is on his way out and would not be working with the appointee?

Accordingly, while Ghana does not have any specific provision prohibiting midnight appointments, one can imply that the spirit of the law prohibits President Mahama from making those last minute appointments and Nana Addo can either dismiss them or continue with the court action against the appointments.

References:
02.01.2017 LISTEN

In the judicial service like in any other corporate firm, the Line Managers, Department Heads, Supervisors etc. are at times compelled to take the blame for the negligence of duty or the unprofessionalism in execution of duties by their subordinates or a staff member under them. This is the way it goes in the current worlds corporate firms operations.

In a few instances, I have had to put up my hands to accept blames for errors or negligence of duty by work colleagues under my supervision even though I was nowhere near their intentionally or mistakenly committed errors for which blame was being apportioned. When that happens, you privately have to rebuke whoever committed the error for which you as an innocent person have had to suffer before your superiors. You warn the person to make sure that mistake never happens again and should the error be repeated, then you have to take the appropriate disciplinary action against the culprit in line with the companys established disciplinary procedures.

Much the same way, Mrs Theodora Georgina Wood, the Chief Justice of Ghana, must be ready to take a lot of flak from the public, and especially, from Rockson Adofo, for the obvious and clearly established corrupt practices by the court judges or the countrys judiciary for which she is the head.

It is normal practice that the Heads of departments or corporate firms are often blamed for the faults of their subordinates or staff members and in the advanced world, some heads even do resign or are forced to resign their position just for the gravity of an offence or an administrative error committed by a worker under him/her of which the head was never aware of or had any foreknowledge.

It could be that the two letters that originated from the Chief Justices office with her signature duly appended to them were written without her tacit approval but I still have to hold her responsible for such a clear practice of corruption or abuse of power.

It is only a corrupt and an unprofessional Chief Justice that would exhibit such obvious acts of outrageous judicial corruption with intent to twist justice in favour of the rather guilty party.

I know from the bottom of my heart that Mrs Theodora Georgina Wood would not behave that irresponsibly by authoring such letters directed at obstructing justice from being established in the ongoing Kumawu Chieftaincy dispute. It could be one Opoku Acheampong, the Judicial Secretary at the Chief Justices office who authored those two letters for reasons best known to him.

However, the Chief Justice must be held squarely responsible for that act as long as it is illegal and does not conform to normal legal practice yet, originating from her own office.

I pray she comes out to deny that she authorised those two letters aimed at scuppering the ongoing Kumawu chieftaincy case. With the information available to me and those I am privy to, coupled with the facts and evidence already in the public domain regarding the Kumawu chieftaincy dispute, there is no way that I shall sit back to allow whoever to twist the truth to suit their self interests.

I demand nothing but the TRUTH and JUSTICE from the Chief Justice and her outfit. I believe she would not want the memories of the Kumawu chieftaincy case to haunt her unto death.

Please, Madam the Chief Justice, do the right thing and you will never have to worry about anything or about losing any sleep over Rockson Adofo going to write about you or not.

Di asempa na emmusa woti Wo di asempa a Ntiamoa nku wo so Akan proverbs go. Do good and you will have no cause to worry about anything!

I admired the Chief Justice when she acted to sack some judges from the judicial service following the exposure of corruption within the service by Ace Investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas where some judges were accepting money, goats, sheep, cats, dogs, yams etc. for bribe to twist justice in favour of the otherwise guilty parties. Why should she in the next breath be seen acting contrary to the ethics of the law profession as far as her supposed untoward attitude to the Kumawu case goes?

If she will allow herself to be influenced by some purported Asante Overlord, some President and a First Lady who are her church members etc. then so be it if the no nonsense Rockson Adofo begins to express his candid opinion about her attitude vis-a-vis the Kumawu chieftaincy issue.

I shall continually tell the truth as it should no matter what.

A word to the wise is sufficient.

Rockson Adofo

(Written on Saturday, 31 December 2016)
I have not had time to cross-check the news doing rounds among some Ghanaian communities both home and abroad that one Mr Salifu Maase alias Mugabe, has been turned down in his request or application for a British visa. He is alleged to have been refused the visa on the ground that he is an ex-convict, a danger to the Ghanaian and the British public.

It must be noted that this notorious semi-literate, uncouth and markedly a greenhorn journalist was in the employ of the Outgoing President John Dramani Mahama to purposely do whatever it was in his capacity to gang up with equally bastards and uncivilized radio guests and NDC radio phone-in serial callers to falsely but criminally, tarnish the reputation of the then NPP flag bearer and presidential candidate Nana Akufo Addo beyond redemption.

Mugabe went further to arrange other two infamous radio hosts, Messrs Alistair Nelson and Godwin Ako Gun to threaten on air to murder some Supreme Court judges and to arrange someone to rape the Chief Justice, Mrs Theodora Georgina Wood. Salifu Maase asserted on air to the hearing of the whole country and world that President Mahama was his friend and that he had come from the UK to purposely help President Mahama win the 2016 presidential re-election he was contesting hence doing whatever he could to paint his first opponent, Nana Akufo Addo, the scariest darker devil in the eyes of the Ghanaian populace.

When he was imprisoned for four months on the charge of contempt of court along with his mentioned accomplices, Alistair Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn, the NDC government Ministers, NDC top party members and other equally politically-insane and unrefined NDC politicians trouped to sign official petition that compelled the irrational President Mahama to exercise his prerogative of mercy to release these criminals from prison in what he called remission of their sins.

In a nutshell, this criminal, Salifu Maase, sought to escape from Ghana after he failed in his tasked duty to cause the defeat of Nana Akufo Addo at Election 2016. He rushed to the British Embassy intending to secure a visa to join his family in Britain to continue spewing his balderdash against the NPP and the person of President-elect Nana Akufo Addo. Little did he know that he would be rejected for being a notoriously dangerous ex-convict with the potential to harm not only the Ghanaian public but the British as well?

Having turned down his application, he is alleged to have gone back on air to say that Britain is not a Heaven so he does not care about their refusal of visa to him. This is completely the fools belief and saying. If he knew Britain is not a Heaven, why did he go there to put in an application for an entry visa in the first place?

He thought he could have his cake and eat it  spoiling Ghana to run abroad to enjoy his booty. The rejection of his application for British visa serves him right. Once rejected by Britain with the reason stamped in his passport, all civilized Western countries will refuse him visa to their country.

Let him stay in Ghana to see how best Nana Akufo Addo will govern Ghana as idiot a stomach journalist turned a politician as Salifu Maase is.

There is a proverb in Akan that goes, if you chase an animal, a wild beast of course, and could not kill it but it escapes, you turn round to say, I dont care for after all it smells badly. This is exactly the view of that criminal and ex-convict Salifu Maase when he was denied a British visa.

I expect him to be remorseful for teaming up with clueless, incompetent and corrupt President Mahama to ruin Ghana rather than talking rubbish when he was refused a visa. If he has any rigid balls dangling between his two thighs or legs, let him go out on air again to threaten people let alone judges, and he will see where power lies and how properly the laws of the land will be applied to deal with him now that his colleagues-in-crime are exiting power.

Rockson Adofo

(Written on Sunday 1 January 2017)
The battle in the Yadav clan on Monday shifted to Delhi with rival camps planning to approach Election Commission to claim control over the 'cycle' symbol even as SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav postponed the 5 January party convention called by him.

Probably cycle symbol will be frozen & both factions will be given ad hoc names & symbols as polls are close:SY Qureshi Ex CEC on SP feud pic.twitter.com/7DClPbOeDZ  ANI (@ANI_news) January 2, 2017

"Cycle symbol is ours," asserted Mulayam and asked party cadres to focus on winning the assembly elections likely to be announced any day now.

Mulayam, who postponed the SP convention scheduled in Lucknow on 5 January, said, "No one can accuse me of wrongdoing. I have never indulged in corruption or betrayed anyone. Cycle symbol is ours."

The Mulayam camp is likely to meet senior EC officials between 4 pm and 5 pm in Delhi.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who on Sunday sought to take control over the SP, remained closeted with his confidants and is expected to meet party leaders and legislators at this residence in Lucknow.

Sources said Ram Gopal might represent Akhilesh when he takes up the symbol issue with the EC.

In a series of tweets, SP leader Shivpal Yadav, the warring uncle of Akhilesh, maintained that Mulayam is the SP national president even now.

Shivpal gave no reasons for the abrupt postponement of the party convention, but insiders said perhaps the Mulayam camp was apprehensive of a poor turnout compared to the massive gathering at the "convention" held by Ram Gopal Yadav on Sunday. The convention was declared illegal and unconstitutional by Mulayam.

The Samajwadi Party on Sunday split down the middle with the faction headed by Chief Minister Akhilesh removing Mulayam as party chief and appointing him in his place at a convention in which the group claimed support of the majority of legislators and district units.

The two sides had engaged in mutual recriminatory expulsions with the convention called by Ram Gopal removing Akhilesh's warring uncle Shivpal as state party chief, and showing the door to "outsider" Amar Singh, who has been blamed for the feud in the Yadav clan.

Mulayam had retorted by again expelling his cousin Ram Gopal for six years along with national vice president Kiranmoy Nanda, who chaired the convention, and general secretary Naresh Agarwal for taking part in it.

Amar and Shivpal this morning reached Delhi to fine tune the strategy to ensure that the symbol remains with Mulayam ahead of assembly polls in the state.

Talking to reporters after returning from London, Amar said, "I was and will remain with Mulayam Singh Yadav. I was a hero but I am now ready to become a khalnayak (villain) for him."

Asked about his expulsion from the party by the Akhilesh camp, Amar said he will be "hurt" only if Mulayam says anything against him.

Shivpal, who has been removed as the UP unit chief of SP by the Akhilesh camp, said he would continue to be with Mulayam. "I will be with Mulayam till my last breath," he said upon his arrival in Delhi.

The two, along with Mulayam and a few other leaders, will meet in the afternoon before approaching the Election Commission to ensure the symbol remains with Mulayam and is neither frozen or given to the Akhilesh camp.

Nanda on Monday said Mulayam is leader of all samajwadis and they will contest assembly polls under Akhilesh Yadav.

"Netaji (Mualayam) is leader of all of us samajwadis. We will contest assembly polls under our national president Akhilesh Yadav, who is our Chief Minister and has done a lot of work for the state," Nanda, who was sacked by Mulayam from the party for attending Ram Gopal's convention, told reporters in Lucknow.

On Amar Singh, Nanda said, "He wants to break heart of 'netaji'. He is used to visiting London, Paris, America...What can is say about him..."

When asked about Shivpal, he said, "What can he do. He is with 'netaji'. We all are also with netaji..."

With inputs from PTI
02.01.2017 LISTEN

I could not believe my ears when a few days to the just ended general election, I heard Massa Kwesi Pratt impertinently insisting that the Ghana health authorities should assemble a fleet of ambulances that will transport the supporters of the NPP Party to nearby health centres during the declaration of the election results.

According to the firebrand journalist Kwesi Pratt, the shock of the election results will send the vast majority of the NPP supporters into cardiac arrests which the Ambulance Service might not be able to cope with the large number of cases.

Surprisingly, however, Massa Kwesi Pratt failed to acknowledge that he is not immune from heart fibrillation or extreme palpitations following shocking news.

Unfortunately, Massa Kwesi Pratt has been at the receiving end of his own ballistic missiles, ---it is being alleged that he is still palpitating heavily following the declaration of the 2016 general election results.

Yes, Massa Kwesi Pratt has been missing in action following the declaration of the 2016 election results.

Apparently, Massa Pratts inexplicable absence from the public space has generated volumes of vineyard news.

Some tattletales have it that Massa Kwesi Pratt received a shock of his life and he is yet to recover from the suspected heart muscle fibrillation. He was indeed not expecting an NPP win.

Obviously, Massa Kwesi Pratt was not in favour of an NPP victory, hence did everything humanly possible to dissuade potential voters from endorsing Nana Akufo Addo.

So, it was not surprising when MASSA Kwesi Pratt try his level best to shoot down expedient poverty interventions such as one village one dam and one district one factory proposed by the NPP Party.

In fact, it was beyond amazement when listening to MASSA Kwesi Pratts unreasonable explanations pertaining to the feasibility of such a policy during Kwame Sefa Kais Tuesday 27 September 2016 edition of Kokrokoo chat show on Peace FM.

According to MASSA Kwesi Pratt, since the NPP Party communicators were struggling to develop a distinction between a dam, a borehole and irrigation in their explanations, he cannot see how and why an NPP government can implement such a policy.

What left me more besotted was MASSA Pratts brutalised claims that since the NPP Party has been clamorously touting one village one dam , while one dam may serve three villages, NPP communicators were thus belying the facts about their policy. How pathetic?

In fact, MASSA Kwesi Pratts inveterate and risible proclivity towards anything NPP is out of this world. For if that was not the case, how could a senior citizen like Pratt oppose such an advantageous policy that could ameliorate the existential poverty in the northern part of Ghana?

Sadly, our development has been beclouded by sycophancy, negligence, corruption, cronyism, nepotism and needless dubieties, -----we cant do attitude.

With all due respect and without seeking to be condescending on this occasion, I will dare state that MASSA Pratts inexorable incertitude somehow gives oxygen to the views of the supremacists like the impolitic Turkish taxi driver who once indiscreetly asseverated that Africans are not intelligent.

All the same, we must forgive the vociferous Turkish taxi driver and rather direct our frustrations towards the so-called senior citizens like MASSA Kwesi Pratt, who have been needlessly holding back our advancement with their voracious actions and inactions.

Apparently, MASSA Kwesi Pratt claims to be Nkrumahist, albeit he does not seem to share his Doyens ideology of development through industrialization.

Well, I hope and pray that the Almighty God gives Massa Kwesi Pratt good health so that he could live longer to witness how President Akufo Addos government will help bring a real transformation to the lives of the good people of Ghana.

K. Badu, UK.
Lagos based Public Relations agency Media Panache Nigeria has released their resilience-themed photo shoot today, Saturday; 31st of December, 2016.

Shot by popular celebrity photographer Shola Animashaun, the thought-provoking pictures convey a tone of hope and steadfastness for Nigeria as a nation; depicting unity, hope and prosperity.

With a hospital theatre setting; the first glance at the photos connote there is more to them than meets the eye.

In the first picture; a young lady in labour can be seen draped in what appears to be a maternity gown while surrounded by a small assembly consisting of a Muslim cleric (locally called Alfa), a pastor, an Igbo man, a Yoruba man, a Hausa nurse and the doctor as they gather to stand by the about-to-be mother through her excruciating ordeal.

The analogy in the photo mirrors the present embittering state Nigeria has been in the whole of 2016  but despite the unfavourable condition, we as Nigerians, regardless of the tribe; come together to support our beloved nation; hence the small assembly gathered around the labouring lady.

The second photo however, conveys an uplifting tone as it embodies a sense of hope, sense of restitution and resurgence for the nation.

In this second picture; the lady has put to bed, she swaddles and holds firmly in her hands her baby; the year 2017 while smiling ardently. The people surrounding her are conspicuously in high spirits, too as they congratulate and comfort her.

The second photo depicts a positive note; the birth of 2017. A year of hope and unwavering prosperity for Nigerians and the nation in itself.

Speaking on the concept and the inspiration behind the shoot, the CEO Media Panache Nigeria; Timilehin Bello had this to say; We as a nation, weve relatively been through so much together. Weve been through immense tribulation; yet we remain unshaken and undaunted by it.

The loyalty and unprejudiced love from Nigerians towards the nation is an inspiration. The resilience is incredibly commendable. We are basically just trying to remind the whole nation there are better days ahead  2017 will certainly be a year of unending jubilation!

Credits

Photography: Shola Animashaun

Stylist: Media Panache Nigeria Team

Make up: Media Panache Nigeria Team

Models: Media Panache Nigeria Team
02.01.2017 LISTEN

Knowing you are living in the Kingdom Today can be very helpful dear disciples. Whilst I agree that you must not be condemned for how you celebrate or do not celebrate Christmas it is of utmost importance to know that we are living today in the Kingdom and our conduct and how we celebrate every occasion whether it is worldly or rounded around or in the name of Christianity you ought to be aware and not be judged by others on certain Christian mixed with worldly activities.

Haven to come to the full knowledge of Jesus Christ and the salvation which brought us into the Kingdom we are living in today surpasses everything in the world. You see some hopes only for the destruction of the and end of life as we know it on earth, however, there should be others who through Jesus Christ must have hope beyond the meager thoughts of understanding. Our hope is to be with God when the new order is established replacing the old, for our eternal living with God.

Rom 14:16 Therefore do not let your good be slandered.

(17) For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Matt 28:20 ...And behold, I am with you all the days until the consummation of the age.

We are never left by the Lord Jesus Christ in the Church or the Kingdom as He has brought believers in and so our daily living and whatever we do or will celebrate will have to be line with the will of the Father. We are no longer the children of ignorance or lack of wisdom.

In a sense, the kingdom is here; in another sense, the kingdom is coming. This is just like the Lord Jesus Himself. In a sense, the Lord Jesus Himself is here with us. But, in another sense, the Lord is coming. While the Lord is with us in an inward way, He is still coming in an outward way.

Today it is necessary for us to tell people that we believe in the Lord Jesus and that we have Him in us. But when the Lord comes in an outward way and brings in the manifestation of the kingdom, there will be no need for any further explanation. Everyone will see the kingdom in manifestation.

If you are in the reality of the kingdom, you will return extra change when it is given to you by a cashier in a store or restaurant. Other people cannot understand us when we do this. They are surprised by the fact that we do not take advantage of the situation. People simply do not understand that this returning of extra change and refusing to take advantage of others is an example of the inward reality of the kingdom in our Christian life.

The worldly people cannot see that this is the kingdom. But when the Lord Jesus returns, the manifestation of the kingdom will be brought in. Then all the people will say, This is the kingdom in manifestation. It surely is with us and we can never look elsewhere for life, LIVE in it until JESUS CHRIST COMES FOR US: SHALOM
02.01.2017 LISTEN

SERIES ONE:

Let me start by asking who gave this commitment? And who could give us this assurance? And why is it relevant in the twenty First Century into the year 2017 that GOD IN JESUS CHRIST HAVE FAVOURED US AND GIVE US LIFE TO ENTER THE YEAR AS MENTIONED ABOVE? You would have seen that towards the last months of the departed year we as Disciples have endured well by making Jesus Christ the discovery of the Gospel and the King of king soon to come.

Yesterday the final day of 2016; I shared with you to remember and know that Kingdom (life) promised us by Jesus Christ (Rom. 14:16-17) is already with us. We here in the Group BE A DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST on Facebook have reason with everyone not to miss this very fact. We have every reason to restate that v.17 is a strong fact or proof that the Church in the Church age is the kingdom of God, because the context here deals with the Church life (remember I have dealt with the practical church life a few days or a week ago in the Group) in the present age.

Astonishingly to many who handle the Church as private business it isnt? the Church is a matter of grace and life, whereas the kingdom is a matter of exercise and discipline.

Know this also the kingdom of God is the sphere (the place for God) in which God exercises His authority (sadly not you and me including how we faction our messages) so that He may express His glory for the fulfilment of His purpose (not us the soil tillers, sowers, and those who water it, it is done by Jesus Christ using us beside ourselves).

In such a kingdom; what matters is not eating and drinking (or fighting over petty squabbles like tenets and not how you believe or I dont) but righteousness, peace, and JOY IN THE HOLY SPIRIT. Righteousness denotes that which is right and proper (as Peter and Paul encouraged that everything which is right etc. etc. pursues those). Those who live in the kingdom of God should be right and proper towards others, towards things, and towards God; with them there should not be anything erroneous, improper, crooked, slanted, or biased.

This requires that we the Christians deal strictly with or in dealing with themselves. Peace is the fruit of righteousness (Heb. 12:11). It characterizes the relationship that those who live in the kingdom of God should have with others and with God. If we are righteous, right, and proper towards others, towards things, and towards God, we will have a peaceful relationship with others and with God. Thus, we will have joy in the Holy Spirit (what about if your church does not believe in the existence of the Holy Spirit?) and before God.

In this way, we will have filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit (Acts.13:52) and will live out righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (these are found in ourselves or our efforts but in the Holy Spirit our Comforter), which are the reality of the kingdom of God. According to the context of this chapter, v.17 was written for our receiving of the believers. If we receive the believers according to the apostles instructions in the chapter, we will be right and proper toward those whom we receive and will have peace with them; thus, we will have joy in the Holy Spirit, proving that we are living in the reality of Gods kingdom and are under Gods rule (not under the sole authority of any founder leader of a sect who can the aimless death of his or her followers. We hereby follow the authority of God in Jesus Christ and under His rule alone.

Otherwise, we will not be right or proper toward those whom we do not receive and will not have peace with them, thus, we will not have joy in the Holy Spirit before God, proving that we are not the subject of Gods authority in the kingdom of God.
02.01.2017 LISTEN

Since Ghana (knowingly or unknowingly) decided to adopt a Gradualist Approach to decentralization, we are bound to grapple at this time with certain issues which could have been addressed long ago. It is nevertheless said, better late than never. The effectiveness of a decentralized system is measured by certain indicators across the strands of political decentralization, fiscal decentralization and administrative decentralization. The interrelatedness of these triads is so fluid that one cannot effect a change in any without impacting the other (s). So when it comes to the position of Chief Executives (elected or appointed) it is important to note that it falls directly under political decentralization. The decision to elect or appoint must be viewed against the overall objectives of decentralization and the established structures, processes, traditions, aspirations and players (formal and informal) which we may together call local governance.

Decentralization occurs when central government actors possessing authorities are willing to grant discretion, delegate decision-making powers, or share responsibilities with other actors, inside or outside the government and its public service, in order to accomplish certain tasks for and with the people. It is often touted as promising a set of governance arrangements that is more conducive to determining local needs, encouraging innovation and responsiveness to citizens, and furthering autonomy and democracy in comparison to central government. The end result in a decentralized local governance system are the following;

An established local government (official body and territory) by legislation, typically in the form of a Charter/Legislative Instrument that gives the unit legal personality, defined as established by law with the right to sue and be sued. That body is;

Located within clearly demarcated jurisdictional boundaries within which there is a sense of community, consciousness, and solidarity;

Governed by locally elected officials and representatives ;

and ; Has authority to make and enforce local bye-laws related to devolved public sector tasks;

Has authority to collect legally earmarked levies and revenues; and

Empowerment to manage budget, expenditure, and accounting systems, and to hire own employees, including those responsible for security.

There is supposed to be no ex-ante controls over the decisions of local governments by central government but since Ghana chose the bit-by-bit approach there is only partial empowerment of the district assemblies at a time with central government crowding-out MMDAs and the local people in the very things that are supposed to be the drivers of decentralization. Nonetheless some progress has been made on some of the decentralisation progress indicators. The critical ones  the very ones that impact the daily lives of the local people including judiciary, law, order and safety, education, health, commerce, food, housing, water, electricity, natural resources, maintenance and environmental protection, among others are yet to receive functional expression. Unlike the Asian Tigers, taking that bold comprehensive approach in Ghana has been elusive over the years. The Ministries, Departments and Agencies and other public institutions vigorously compete with and sometimes duplicate Metropolitan, Municipals and District Assembly activities. We seem not be prepared to live by the original 1998 policy that sets out the following roles which are the pillars for our decentralization (a) Devolve central administrative authority to the district level (b) Fuse governmental agencies in any given region, district or locality into one (c) Divests the centre of implementation responsibilities and transfer those responsibilities to the districts (d) Assign functions and responsibilities to the various levels of government as follows:

Central government ministries/departments undertake policy planning, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes;

Regional Coordinating Councils and their respective Regional Planning Coordinating Units will play the important role of coordination, not in a regulatory manner, but to ensure consistency, compatibility and coherence of district level development - facilitate joint ventures among districts and monitor the activities of District Assemblies (DAs) within the regions;

MMDAs will be primarily responsible for the implementation of locally generated development policies, programmes and plans under the guidance of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC).

To a very large extent these roles have been set aside mostly by national level institutions and some of them have encroached on district assembly space, directly implementing projects that are not aligned to the priority concerns of the local people. There are even worse scenarios when some of them have the fortitude to issue directives to the MMDAs in pursuance of a so-called national interest projects. What is national interest when the projects fail to resonate with the people they are supposed to serve?

The national budget and resource allocation is still sector-based and has seen no real change in substance ever since this country embarked on a constitutionally mandated journey of decentralization more than 20 years ago. Are we willing and ready to make a big push by changing the format of our national budget and resource allocation in line with the roles assigned national, regional and local level institutions under the decentralization policy? The on-going attempt to put in place a regional budgeting system is a joke when examined against the framework and standard practice for local governance budgeting and resource allocation. We do not have regional governments in Ghana and a de-concentrated unit cannot assume independent resource budgeting and allocation status. It goes well beyond that. For successful regional budgets and enhanced decentralization, Ghana must begin thinking through the establishment of regional governments - not in the old-fashioned mode of federal or independent regions.

It is fascinating to listen to some pessimists in central government and public institutions who make the point that the district assemblies do not have the capacity hence their resistance to concede to decentralization. It is no gainsaying that many challenges that face Ghanas decentralization and system of local governance today are due to the refusal of central government entities to cede activities and resources to localities and the lukewarm attitude of politicians in standing firm to make things work the way we agreed as a nation. Unlike Kenya or South Africa for example where more than 40% of the annual national income is transferred to local governments, Ghana has a paltry 7.5% which is further sucked with deductions at source in Accra. The NPP Manifesto 2016 captures it as follows, Only 33.3% of the allocated DACF is actually transferred for direct utilization by the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs). This weakens the effective functioning of local government. If an assessment is made of transfers from central government to MMDAs against their development plans over the past 6 years or so, one may question if our leaders have really meant to empower the local people to be integral to the democratic governance process and participatory development?

It is important to note that many of the lead factors that affect Ghanas local governance process are beyond the control of Chief Executives. This is not to suggest that Chief Executives cannot or should not be elected. Far from that. It is however worth asking the question, to what extent can the election of Chief Executives yield the tangible and intangible benefits of local governance? For instance; will an elected Chief Executive have authority to do the following?

a) Hold public officers who are supposed to work with him/her accountable? The current arrangement does not facilitate local people (through their representatives) to exert any control over those who work to deliver on their needs and aspirations. The national arrangement is to have a central body to be in charge of administrative functions including recruitment, working conditions, sanctions, etc. As it stands at the moment a Chief Executive is powerless; he/she will have to complain to regional levels or Accra for action to be taken against a recalcitrant staff of the Assembly. The Coordinating Director is in a similar situation. The hiring and firing powers of a local authority is basic and a major driver for the empowerment of the local people. The Local Governance Act (2016) seems to address that gap but in the real sense of decentralization it has failed to empower the political side of the Assembly and recycled this important activity among selected local bureaucracies (which are supposed to be implementers) without recourse to the General Assembly.

b. Command more resources from the national level? The unconditional transfer based on a formula as enshrined by law (the 1992 Constitution and the District Assemblies Common Fund Act) is bedeviled by man-made problems in Accra. The donor-funded District Development Fund (DDF) although well-intended will soon come to an end and the move to reverse to the original 5% DACF allocation and use 2.5% as performance grants shows how little we care about transferring more resources to quicken the pace of development in the localities. Beyond the initiated Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development funding sources for MMDAs, there are substantial resources sitting in other Ministries, Departments, Agencies and other public institutions that are targeted at development activities in the districts. An unbelievable amount of resources from development partner-funded activities are in this country and no one is keeping track of them. Meanwhile these projects claimed to be working in the localities to improve the lots of the people. As to how they are designed and integrated into the development plans of MMDAs, only God knows.

c. How will the Chief Executive be held accountable? The accountability mechanisms exist in the current system on both the supply-driven and demand-driven sides. What the election of Chief Executives seeks to do is to move away the political accountability aspect of the supply-driven accountability from the President or Regional Minister to the local people. The reliance on elections every four years is not really responsive enough to hold Chief Executives accountable because the period is too long for the effective practice of local democracy and development. The local people must have the opportunity to recall a non-performing Chief Executive as early as possible. How will this be done?

d. How is the Chief Executive going to be elected? Local governance at its height has no room for political appointment, be it directly or indirectly. Even for administrators they are to be appointed to serve based on the standards set by the local political system within broad national guidelines. The recommendation of the CRC regarding the matter is an affront to empowerment of the local people. No President is bigger than the power of the votes of the people. So if the people can elect the Executive President why cant they choose their Chief Executive at the local level without any suggestive interference from the President? But the situation dicey because there is a high possibility that we will be overwhelmed by the huge numbers of candidates who will vie for the position if no screening measures are put in place.

There are other pertinent issues that must be looked at including the following;

Will the Chief Executive sign performance contract? If so with whom?

How independent will the Chief Executive be? In other words who is going to hold him/her directly and periodically responsible for performance?

What is going to be the reporting system for his/her stewardship?

How long will his/her tenure be? Is it the regular two terms or as long as possible like in the case of MPs?

Can a former Chief Executive serve in another local government area one day as Chief Executive?

Who can mediate a clash between the MP and elected Chief Executive? Who can impose sanctions on the elected Chief Executive?

Since the Chief Executive is elected by the people, what will be the overall implication on the Political side of the District Assembly? Can the General Assembly control him/her and to what extent?

How guaranteed are we about the managerial and administrative skills of the candidate for Chief Executive? One of the disadvantages of representative democracy is that it does not necessarily emphasis skills. Likeability and popularity can win majority votes at times.

Will the election of the Chief Executive facilitate governance arrangement in which there are reciprocal, mutually beneficial, and coordinate relationships between central and local governments?

Will the election serve as a mechanism to control activities of governmental bodies by the local people?

Overall how does this play out in line with administrative decentralization and fiscal decentralization and overall service delivery to the local people?

Notwithstanding these challenges, Ghana stands to reinvigorate the local governance process by the election of Chief Executives. It will increase peoples appreciation of their power and likely whip up their interest in local governance matters. It creates that sense of We feeling and lifts up the Can do spirit which are fundamental to any successful empowerment programme. It is coming at a time that research findings show there is a high level of apathy among Ghanaians in the local governance process.

For nation to fully profit from the election of Chief Executives, some key reforms are urgently required within the next one and half years.

Review the legal framework for Local Governance: The 1992 Constitution and Local Governance Law (2016) among others must be looked at again and adjustment done to the areas that are not in line with the new vision. For instance the appointment of (not more than 30%) Assembly Members must be revoked in order to make political positions in the District Assemblies fully by election. The non-partisan status of District Assembly election must be annulled. It means the district assembly election will be contested on the tickets of political parties. This approach has several advantages; it is a means of pruning down on the large numbers of potential candidates, it will create the grounds for future leaders to begin the grooming and mentoring process, it will make local level democracy and development more vibrant, etc. The election of the Chief Executive must be done by the elected representatives of the people in the General Assembly. It means that the Chief Executive must first be an Assembly Member and belongs to a political party. It will also mean that the party that won majority electoral areas stands a chance of electing the Chief Executive. This is complex though but we can work out the details if we choose to. For this purpose there will be established a statutory Appointments Sub-Committee of the General Assembly which will in due course assume the ultimate responsibility of hiring and firing of staff of the district assemblies. In terms of accountability, the District Chief Executive will have to sign performance contract with the General Assembly and be held accountable as such. Normally the District Development Plan is a good source for determining the content of the contract. In order to deepen accountability the contract will be publicized in the locality for the people to discern the agreed commitments within a given period. A recall of the Chief Executive by the General Assembly for non-performance will not be construed as an abuse of the electorates mandate. He/She reverts to the capacity of an Assembly Member. This situation is comparable to a Minister who has lost a ministerial position but remains in Parliament as an MP. The District Chief Executive must be given the free hand to select his Local Cabinet from and outside of the General Assembly (elected Assembly Members) He/She will sign performance contract with the Coordinating Director as the person who is actually responsible in the implementation of the terms of the contract. It means the Chief Executive and the Coordinating Director and his/her local Cabinet are likely to go if they fail to deliver on the terms of the contract. When the propitious time arrives the position of District Coordinating Director and hence other positions in the Assemblies must be advertised in the national media within set guidelines from central government. Central Government must take urgent steps to transfer more funds to the district assemblies and also, strengthen the supply-driven accountability institutions and measures. Urgent steps must be taken to put administrative decentralization in the hands of the districts. Kenya did it in a quick spate of time. Why cant we? The current 7.5% DACF allocation is too small for any meaningful development impact in the localities. There must be a national plan to progressively increase the percentage to not less than 40% in the next 4 years. By so doing the tangible results of decentralization and local governance will be visible to the local people.

Admittedly the myriad of challenges facing Ghanas local governance system cannot be addressed within 4-years or the next decade because decentralization itself is a process. Nonetheless, the election of District Chief Executives as mentioned in the 2016 NPP Manifesto coupled with other measures to facilitate their effectiveness will give a major boost to participatory development and democratic governance in Ghana. When this is done it stands to confirm the theorists view that decentralization and local governance are indeed tools for political parties to use and stay in power for a long time.
02.01.2017 LISTEN

A 35-year old teacher of the Adonten Senior High school at Aburi in the Eastern Region,Miss Kate Yaa Adu was last Saturday installed as the Kyidomhemaa of Agona Bobikuma under the stool Name Nana Yaa Sama I .

She has accordingly debunked the notion that the chieftancy institution was Demonic meant for ungodly people in the society.

According to her, it was unfortunate that some people have tagged chieftancy institution as being demonic and that is is only meant for people who practices fetish religion.

" It is sad to note that people who know better and therefore champion Ghanaian cultural practices are those who are demonizing it.

Our cultural heritage should be maintained because that is identify as Ghanaians and for that matter Africans. So there is nothing wrong for people to take up traditional leadership positions.

The chieftancy institution has been our culture long before the white men came to our land to introduce their foreign culture.

As a teacher, this installation has given me the opportunity to spearhead the development of my community.

Being a Chief is not demonic but a leadership position to serve your people and to improve their standard of living"

Addressing a durbar soon after her installation at Agona Bobikuma in the Agona West Municipality of the Central Region, Nana Yaa Sama I said her priority was to improve standard of education and to reduce school drop-out associated with teenage pregnancies among girls.

He disclosed that she instituted a Youth Club in the community to educate the youth to sharping their God-Giving talents.

The Kyidomhemaa noted that her club named 'Wisdom Club' offer sex education, s vocational training, health walk adding that such activities engaged the youth in various activities thus taking their mind off anti-social vices.

Nana Yaa Sama I encouraged the youth to pursue education and also called on parents to invest in educating their children.

She hinted of establishing a pre-school in the community to absorb children whose mothers would wish to continue their education after giving birth while in school.

The winner of the the Ghana Most Beautiful Reality Show, Miss Vera Oheneba Safoah popularly known as Esi Abeka Sikafo while addressing the durbar urged the youth to ensure that they attain height in the educational ladder.

" I am here today to tell the youth especially girls to follow my foot steps. I would wish that more of me would emerged from Agona Bobikuma to facilitate it's development. As I was growing up as a young girl in this community, it was my priority to attain height in education.

Knowing very well that education is the key to development "

She therefore called on them to see her as role model and debunk the notion that nothing good could come from Agona Bobikuma and its environment.

Attached is Nana Yaa Sama I riding in palanquin
Author

02.01.2017 LISTEN

New Year provides an opportunity for a sober evaluation of the previous year in order to make resolution that can make our lives better. The reality however is that the only certainty for today is tomorrows uncertainty as fortified by the popular maxim that man proposes but God disposes. Consequently, we dont always get what we want in a rapidly changing world of ours with associated forces which are close to us and larger societal actors that offer opportunities and threats to our success. A study conducted has revealed that one out of three people abandon their resolutions by the end of January while 73% give up before achieving their goals. This notwithstanding, nothing can take the place of persistence in every endeavor you find yourself.

Undoubtedly, there is a claim to exclusiveness when we generalize success to everybody as life is a two edge sword. In all sincerity, blessing is a universal gift but happiness is a choice for which you either pursue success at the expense of failure or the vice versa. Ironically many are those who have the weapon for success but always depreciate from the ethics of success. It is therefore not surprising for people to make resolution on managing weight, quit smoking, learning new skills, living a healthy lifestyle, having time for the family, investing, drinking less alcohol and drawing close to the maker. As president of life, this can only be controlled by yourself your will to know where you are now to where you ideally want to be on living your vision.

Admittedly, the journey to achieving our resolution is not a path of roses. It is littered with traps. When you are unable to achieve it, one is tempted to give many attributes to it without proper diagnosis of the situation. In other systems of values and its experiences, one thinks he has fallen to the clutches of the devil and as usual the world suffering suddenly preoccupies the subconscious mind of the affected. Realistically, one expects the denominator of torture to show if you have ever been through one.

Against this backdrop, success awaits only those who can persevere to maintain a balance since the ladder of life is long, slippery and with difficulties and the more you climb the more you meet the falling stone. It is also a common sense to plough the ground for crop and you dont expect rain without thunder and lightening.

You may rise and fall in lobbying for success but never give in to hopelessness. As a ship that has been launched you face the hazards of the high sea alone but remember that it is only by trying often that the monkey learns how to jump from tree to tree without falling. It is not a wish to achieve your resolution or goal that is crucial but how to achieve it. You have everything you need to be so much and none is to settle for less if you focus on the big picture. You either make it happen or watch it or wonder what happens.

The perspective to success is associated to a pencil which can only be productive only when it is in the hand of somebody just like the way Joshua crossed over the river Jordan with the Israelites by being in the hands of God. This pencil experiences constant sharpening in order to be better and undeniably the pencil makes mistakes often which provide more room for correction just like human beings. Remarkably, it leaves a mark on every surface it passes indicating that there must be traces of success. In all these, the inner part of the pencil is what produces result indicating that commitment must come from within.

Clearly, one thing that stands out in achieving a resolution will depend on the ability in understanding the obstacles in the process of achievement of the resolution. Unless we know the gap or the problem or the cause of the problem it becomes more challenging to achieve it. A revelation has been that most of the causes are personality defects which surface at various levels in attaining this resolution. Some of the identified personality defects are laziness, impulsiveness, greed, selfishness, pride and anger. A positive attitude which is an outward manifestation of values, beliefs and expectation are ingredient that must be examined because unexamined life is not worth living. This will need objective processes to resolve. When one becomes aware of his personality defect, you have a clearer sense of purpose.

When one becomes aware of the personality defects that can be managed to achieve a resolution amid the uncontrollable, one is able to visualize the future supported by positive beliefs. This vision helps you to know who you are, where you are going and what will guide your journey. This vision keeps us heading in the right direction according to Ken Blanchard and Jesse stoner. This also helps us focused, remain energized and produce great result.

In living this vision there must be changes that the individual must make on weekly basis, monthly basis or quarterly in reaching the ideal destination. These include as getting in shape, controlling your emotions, stop procrastination, improve concentration, and meet right people, becoming more active, having the confidence, reduce stress, earn money, research more and above all prioritize as you learn to be happier with your life among the lots.

The way forward demands that as you initiate these actions, you measure with standards to track your progress. The need for character to follow through on any decision will add impetus to achieving the resolution. Walking the talk demands that you have some methods of locating the gaps along the journey of implementation and correct it and this is an ongoing process towards achieving your resolution. In getting it right you constantly monitor where you are going, how you get there and how you measure yourself. Never give in when you are not there because it is not about how many times you fall but how you get up. Persistent is keeping your actions in line with your words. Remedial actions will depend on the result from comparison leading you to adjust, revise on reconsider change.

Conclusively, you are must be responsible for the result in living your resolution because according to Brian Tracy , the unavoidable truth is no one really cares as much as you do in your new decisions and the more you are responsible , the better you can control your resolution and be happy as a successful person on this journey.
02.01.2017 LISTEN

Ashanti: Come, let us talk of what is rarely spoken of: the War in Burma - now known as Myanmar - and those from the Royal West African Frontier Force. They say there is a time and place for everything under the sun: time to talk of the forgotten.

Try to imagine how it must have been. The monsoon drenching you, the mosquitos biting you. Slashing through the jungle, swimming the river; sweltering, burdened by a pack or headload - or both. Trudging through the green salvo, sleeping in the damp uniform, on a ground sheet labelled waterlogged. Come, let us speak of Burma.

I am Ashanti, from our heartland named Kumasi, in the country called Ghana. Then known as the Gold Coast, many were forced, conscripted by their chiefs, after pressure from the Colonial Office: but I volunteered. I had seen the anti-fascist posters in Kumasi, that the C.O. had put up, but I was eager anyway, to defend my homeland from the Nazis; as I recollected what had happened in Ethiopia - the horror of mustard gas. But there was also the prospect of a regular pay packet, as well as naivety. Naivety, because I didn't appreciate the relative quietude of my city. I was young, restless, just turned sixteen. I became immersed in dream; the prospects of travel, adventure and heroism. Others were going, so I went too. Not informing my parents, I decided to sign up. In my innocence, I willingly swopped peace for war. I know I'm not the first young man to have made that decision: don't think I'll be the last.

I saw them fall from dysentery,

As well as BerI-Beri.

Mitsubishi destroyed so much,

Disease took just as many.

When Malaya, Singapore and Burma fell to the Japanese, India seemed next: so the Allies looked for reinforcements: they looked to Africa, as well as elsewhere. Although most of us came from West Africa  more than half from Nigeria  some came from East Africa, members of the 11th (East Africa) Division. So for the first time in my life, I met Somali, Kamba, Ganda, Chewa, Nyamwezi and Bemba - from Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia. The last three were then known as Nyasaland, Tanganyika and Northern Rhodesia. Being too young, I did not fight in the campaigns against the Italians, in Ethiopia and Somalia; so when my ship landed in Bombay, I had never seen so many Africans from other parts of our continent. After the six week journey down the coast, around the Cape and across the Indian Ocean, we were glad to be on land. But elation soon evaporated, into the mist of the Burmese jungle. I prayed more than I've ever prayed before! To God that the Europeans introduced to us, as well as Nyame, our term for the Creator of all. Against the elements, terrain, disease and the Kawasaki, we didn't have much protection, so I took a little solace in prayer. There was the will to survive, the camaraderie - and there was prayer. I've never seen the crossing of so many chests, the touching and kissing of crosses, held around the neck.

We didn't have much communication, with the Burmese civilian population; we tended to camp a few miles from the nearest village. Obviously, we saw them, but there wasn't much interaction, except on the few occasions when we bought food from them. But one day, when the line took a pause, being at the back, I took the opportunity to sit a few moments with a Burmese man, I saw sitting at a jungle temple. Placing his hands together in front of him, he bowed his head to me; I smiled, returning the gesture of respect.

I sat with a Burmese elder,

Sitting by a Buddha shrine.

Moments of tranquility,

Temporary cocoon.

I was not of his faith,

He was not of mine.

We met in a zone of war,

Crying for the dream called peace.

I sat with a Burmese elder,

Sitting by a Bhudda shrine.

Brief moments shared,

Silent communion.

He raised my spirit,

Sagging at the frontline.

We met in a zone of war,

Praying for the dream called peace.

I think of the sick and stoical soldiers  the scream and the shudder - desperate for the sound of the friendly plane, bringing the medical supplies. Latest victim from snakebite. Torment of fever, persecution from sores. The mind that is shattering.

The West Africans came from the 81st and 82nd divisions (organised by General Giffard), made of up men from the four countries  Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Gambia  in West Africa, that the British colonised. I was in the 81st. I met Yoruba and Ibo from Nigeria, Mandinka from Gambia, Mende and Temne from Sierra Leone. Obviously, living in Kumasi, I had met many Hausa, who come from northern Nigeria and Niger. They are Muslim: scholars and traders, hailing from the great city states, such as Kano and Katsina. Alongside the Wangara scholar/traders, originally from Mali, they introduced Islam to Ghana. Many people of that faith joined the RWAFF, as did many Christians and those of traditional belief. The Hausa were used by the colonial system to police us  and help train the Gold Coast Regiment. Hausa was the first lingua franca of the RWAFF, followed by pidgin English. Many of the West Africans had fought alongside the aforementioned King's African Rifles - which became the 11th (East African) Division - during the East African campaign, but many were like me: green! I spoke to all, but most of all I spoke with the Yoruba, because after the Hausa, they were the most numerous. But I learnt that the Ibo were amongst the first in sub-Saharan Africa, to have mastered the smelting and use of iron. The Yoruba told me of a great city called Ife, of its founder called Oduduwa. Believe me when I tell you, that I learnt as much about Africa, when I went to Asia, as I did back home. You see, my formal education was basic. But I read whatever I could get my hands on: newspapers, magazines of whatever subject matter, books, pamphlets, dictionaries  and of course the Bible, which was always available. I have retained a love of reading throughout my life. When they taught of history, it was British history, not of my continent. So it was good to hear of Oduduwa, as I treasure the story of Osei Tutu, founder of the Ashanti Union.

But it wasn't just Africans there, although we were in the majority, alongside the Asian contingents. There was Americans, many of them black, as well as Burmese, Indians, Chinese, New Zealanders, Australians, Canadians, British - and from Nepal, the Gurkhas. And there was the Chindits. They were a special force, put together by a truly pioneering figure who became a general, Charles Wingate. One brigade of the 8Ist Division - 3rd (West African) Brigade - was assigned to work alongside the Chindits. This special force of long range penetration, had been trailblazed by Wingate, in the East African Campaign, using Ethiopian and Sudanese troops: under the name Gideon Force. Many Africans, including myself, respected his reputation, knowing of his contribution to the liberation of Ethiopia. I did not hear that he treated the 3rd West African brigade, different from any other assigned to him. We heard that he was more popular with the rank and file of the army, that many of the top brass. I sad a prayer for him, when I heard of the plane crash in the mountains, that resulted in his death.

From whatever continent we were from, we were all part of what was called the 14th Army, under the command of General Slim.

But the officer that meant the most to us, that we looked up to, especially us Ghanaians, was Major Seth Anthony, who was sent to Burma on his first overseas mission: the first African soldier, commissioned as an officer in the British army. Born and educated in Ghana - a teacher - he was trained as a soldier at Sandhurst. Many of the guys knew him from before, as he had helped train them for the East African campaign. They spoke well of him, glowingly. He was a welcome and warm change, from what we received from some of the officers. I wonder how he managed the attitude of those under him, when it came to given orders? Or those of equal rank or above him, uncomfortable with his presence. How did he manage the subtleties of prejudice? With dignity. He held his head high and left it in that position: he was our hero. My government gave him the Order of the Star of Ghana, the highest civilian award in the country; the British gave him an MBE. Viscount Slim, son of the commander of the 14th Army, presented him with the Burma Star. The barracks in Akyem Achiase, Eastern Ghana, are named after him. He became a diplomat, serving Ghana, in countries such as America, England, India, Canada, France and Switzerland.

I would have liked to have interviewed the soldiers, after their encounters with Major Anthony. To have documented the feelings of pride, of brand new aspirations. He knew what we were going through; sent down colonisation cul-de sac, then forced out on the frontline. I wonder if like us, he received less in his packet, than his fellow officers of equal rank. I wonder how he felt, knowing himself to be a role model to the thousands of African soldiers: their lighthouse. I would have liked to have interviewed him too.

In my imagination, I had always thought hell to be a red place, but we saw that it was coloured green  my favourite colour. Hot with the rays of sun, rather than the flames of fire. Waist deep in malarial water, stretchering the injured across. Another victim of typhus. Exhaustion, torturing each and every body. What were we going to, on yonder bank? To ambush, to the firing range of the sniper? Back to the struggle through the swamps of mud, caused by the monsoon rain. To the onslaught of landslides and battles with the wind.

My comrade needs something,

Yearning for Vitamin B.

Looks as if he's going to faint,

Craving Vitamin B.

I try to prop him up,

Wilting from deficiency.

But with the constant hardship, I felt a sense of pride in wearing our badge, which depicted a black spider on a yellow background. Although originating in the Akan culture, of which the Ashanti are a part, there is an important figure in the folklore, known to all of Ghana: a spider called Anansi. He is a being of ingenuity, problem solving and ultimate triumph. Many of the Ghanaian diaspora, many of whom ended up in countries like Jamaica and Surinam, share an appreciation and affection for this figure. The 81st became known as the ''Black Tarantulas.'' Proud, because I saw my fellow Africans coping with the rigours of war, where many had thought us incapable of surmounting them. They had shoved us on the incompetent pile, without the opportunity to prove otherwise. But here we were, standing our ground, as well as any other soldier. Proud to be doing my bit to defeat Hitler. We were there in the thick of the Arakan offensive, which led to the overthrow of the Japanese. The contribution we made, resulted in the men of the 81st and 82 West African Divisions receiving Distinguished Combat Medals, Military Medals, Despatch Mentions and Certificates of Gallantry. I committed to memory the words of our divisional commander Major General Woolner, who said of us '' It is impossible to express in words my gratitude to them for thier irrepressible cheerfulness under all circumsatnces, or for their unfailing and enthusiastic support whatever I asked of them.''

We were eternally thankful for the reporting of journalists, such as George Padmore, who wrote of our contribution. Our input was largely dismissed by the white press, so it was truly heartening to hear that we'd been mentioned in such leading Black newspapers, as the Chicago Defender. We were there in print! It gave us a real boost - and a reputation to live up to.

Looking back, I think again of the 'Auxiliary Groups'. Almost unbelievable now, when I think back to what they carried on their heads, through the tough terrain, up and down the hills: monumental. Penetration of the jungle was easier with them around: human mules extraordinaire. They went where motor vehicles could not. These men  soldier/porters  also helped fight off the ambushes and build the airfields. They should build mementos to them, in recognition of what they done.

As well as infantry and porters, we were also medics, engineers and clerks.

We welcomed the use of Mecaprine ( to fight malaria) and the chlorination of water. There were a few days when we munched on emergency rations, waiting for the air drop of food: bless the RAF and the United States Army Air Engineers. The dropping of medical supplies, ammunition, letters and much more, including steak and kidney pie, corned beef, biscuits and tea. We waited for the sound of the Dakota or Liberator, bringing what we needed. Like in the creation of the Ashanti Union, when the co-founder, the priest Akomfe Anoyke, brought the Golden Stool from the sky, I wished he'd bring down a plate of jollof rice with peanut sauce and yam - plus a drink of cold ginger!

In the meantime, we continued the mission, blazing away when needed, with howitzers and mortar. The sudden nightmare of hand to hand fighting: machete, bayonet, knife and rifle butt.

Some Africans came out of a sense of loyalty to the British Empire. It was these soldiers who felt the most disappointment, when returning home after the war, they did not receive what was promised: such as war bonus, pension, free education for their children or British Empire Medals. How could they know, that the Empire they went to defend, was coming to its end? There I was in Burma, which I'd read about, in those great short stories by Somerset Maugham. No empire lasts for ever: they come, but eventually they will go. Look at Ghana. For about two hundred years, my people ruled most of present day Ghana, as well as parts of neighbouring Togo and the Ivory Coast. What became the Ashanti Empire, was co-founded by the aforementioned Osei Tutu and Akomfe Anokye, in the late 19th century, suffered great losses in 1874, coming to its final end in 1901, with defeat in the last Ashanti War, lead by Yaa Asantewaa.

We marched on, members of the khaki clan; most of us topless, topped by a bush hat. Our shirts, never dry, almost disintegrated on our backs! We took the opportunity to wash, at the first safe river or stream we came across. We laid aside our Enfield rifles, Bren machine guns, grenades, packs and loads; happy in the water, removing the accumulation of sweat, stench and mud.

I'm not one for creepy crawlies at the best of times, but in the Burmese jungle, they were an omnipresent force, a neutral army, bombarding who they wished. The ticks that carry typhus; mosquitos; the lung fly that causes septic lumps: the leeches. We went to fight the Japanese - and fought the force of nature also. As if nature said, ''we never asked you to bring your mayhem here, so have this!''

We learnt the machinations of war and observed the results. We won at Paletwa, lost at Medaung; the retreat from Kyauktaw, the capture of Mowdok: victory at Myohaung.

We fought alongside the Indian troops,

Fighting as one man.

We removed the menace,

In the valley called Kaladan.

Under Major General Tottenham,

We followed the Allied plan.

Taking on the enemy,

We freed the Arakan.

With our sister division, the 82nd West African - commanded by Major General Bruce, then Major General Stockwell - we won the crucial battle at Myohaung. We were jubilant, as we knew that containing the Japanese forces in the Arakan, had made it much easier for the other Allied forces, to move on to Mandalay. Our jubilation reached its crescendo, when we heard of the falling of Rangoon. I felt happy for the Burmese, as I had felt happy for the Ethiopians, at the re-taking of Addis Ababa. The Supreme Allied Commander Louis Mountbatten, was filmed saluting our sister division, during the victory parade in Rangoon.

Every year, the Ghana Armed Forces, through the VAG - Veterans Administration of Ghana - commemorates on January 23rd, the victory at Myohaung. It is held at the Myohaung Barracks in Takoradi. There is also a Myohaung Barracks in Lagos, Nigeria. I attend these ceremonies, because so many cannot.

We were the first African division, to know war outside of the continent: to know jungle warfare. During the CIB - China India Burma - campaign, the only division completely supplied by air support. It was the only segment of the 14th Army, that relied on human porterage. In going to war, we became practitioners of innovation - and the epitome of fortitude. The British and American generals, praised the soldering of the African divisions. Although forgotten, we were there.

In another time, I would have loved to have sat by the Kaladan river, as I love to sit by Lake Bosomtwi, here in Ghana.

Sometimes, we have to learn the hard way. I learnt the reality of the need of two things - endurance and faith. Endurance to pursue the pact with myself, that says I will face whatever comes my way, mental, as well as physical. Faith in the actions of my fellow soldier, faith in the decisions of the commanding officers. I learnt about myself. Although I fought under the red, white and blue, as I did then, I will continue to consider myself a citizen of Africa - and nothing else. An African born in Ghana. I'm ninety years old now, so I know I'm closer to those that are waiting. Soon, I will say farewell to my wife and our family - children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren - and go and greet the ancestors. I give thanks for survival in the jungle and the joy of life that came after. Yes, I'm a veteran; Yes, I am Ashanti.

Sources

Burma Star Association

An Overlooked Division of the Forgotten Army? - Kaushik Roy

Operations in Assam and Northeast India from 16th November to 22nd June, 1944 - General Giffard.
Dear suspended executives,

I greet you all in the name of God Almighty. Forgive me for composing this piece at such a time when the quintessential thing to do is to be sober in the New Patriotic Party's victory and build bridges among its sympathizers.

However, for the time being, at least, let me salute the President elect, Nana Akufo- Addo for plucking up courage and keeping his perspectives right all these years. At a time when the New Patriotic party was smitten with a vicissitude of rumpus and a state of great disorder and uncertainty, he hanged in there and kept his nose to the grindstone.

Indeed, a good few vanguards of the New Patriotic Party, including you, didn't believe in the change agenda which had resonated quite well among the denizens of Ghana. On the preceding score, it can hardly be gainsaid that the enviable image of the NPP experienced a sudden negative change when you were elected as National Chairman, General Secretary and Second Vice Chairman. Before your election into office, there was the suspicion that some fiendish fellows in the NPP were bent on cramping the style of the Flagbearer. It was alleged that you were scrupulously working towards a certain agenda 2020.

Honestly, I was ready to dismiss such a claim. As fatuous and insipid as I thought it sounded i expected those making that claim to back it with something of more evidential value. Unfortunately, your hubris and countenance gave credence to it. Prior to your suspensions, the traditional print based media would be remiss if they didn't have a disquieting banner headline accentuating the latest on the feud in the NPP. Television and radio newscasters couldn't help but keep the numerous NPP faithfuls on pins and needles as if their hope that the dust would settle anytime soon was beyond the realms of reality. As for the unsung web based media, it was a huge opportunity for them to have a claim to fame.

It stood to reason that the seeming confusion was part of a complex matrix engineered to tear the Party into shreds so that a disunited NPP under the leadership of Nana Akufo- Addo would suffer another electoral defeat in 2016. After the defeat, you would then claim that the Flagbearer is not marketable. This would pave way for your preferred candidate to be elected.

And so when the leadership decided to instil some discipline into the party, you saw it as if to surrender to the happiness of the party was to accept defeat, although it was a defeat better than many victories. For this purpose, you(Paul Afoko and Sammy Crabbe) insisted against common sense and poignantly dragged the NPP to court. How great it would have been, to let it be?It was as much a stressful exercise as it was time-wasting. I could imagine that a good number of Ghanaians who subscribed to the ''Change Agenda'' could feel their bones straining relentlessly under the weight of the ensuing melee. I was totally lost in my longing to appreciate why you chose to drag the NPP to court a few months to the General elections.

But you see, the pieces and battered Political party that you made the NPP to become, God gathered them and gave them back to the Ghanaian people in all the right order.

It really does not do well to dwell on the past but the lowbrow Baah Akyamfour who had been doing your bidding, under the pontifical banner of save the NPP now'' had been sojourning between some NDC affiliated radio networks. He was pleading vacuously with the Ghanaian people not to vote for the NPP. His argument was that a defeat in the December polls would be the only way to ensure unity within the party.

In order that the upper echelon of the NPP, particularly the flagbearer would be tarred with the same brush as being corrupt, Baah Achamfour accused them of opening a secret and illegal Eco bank account. He claimed they had embezzled party funds even though the party had come out to clarify that the said Eco bank account had existed for about 12 years and that there was nothing illegal about it. Hitherto the creation of this distortion by Baah Achamfour, the general refrain across the country had been that unbridled corruption and extreme greed for material wealth had plagued the Mahama led administration unconscionably.

Mr Afoko, were you praying and expecting the NPP to win the December polls? I really dont think so. Otherwise why did you state with aplomb chutzpah before the December elections that you were not going to vote for Akufo- Addo? I wont vote for Akufo Addo-Afoko-see, modernghana.com-24 march 2016. I am not sure I will vote for Nana Addo. My vote is my secret; it's up to me and my God whom I will vote for. You told UTV, an Accra-based private television station.

Just before I put myself down to bleed my emotions on my computer, my attention was drawn to a publication, attributed to you Paul Afoko, on the heels of Akufo- Addo's electoral victory which says, ''We shouldn't disappoint Ghanaians -Afoko to NPP-see, peacefmonline.com-26 December 2016. When I read this, i thought two thoughts, and the two thoughts I thought were these:

1)Now that we have crossed the Rubicon, there is nothing to show for your headstrong tomfoolery except the memory of the pain you caused the NPP once upon a time.

2)You have been utterly embarrassed by the way things have panned out and the only way out is to ask for forgiveness.

I wonder if this is how forgiveness should flower, not with the fanfare of contrition and pity but with pain slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night. Maybe it is just that politics in Ghana doesn't get any better than hypocrisy and dishonesty, or any worse.

It frightened me to think of Nana Ohene Ntow's shameless optics when I saw him on TV during the NPP's thanksgiving ceremony. Each of his utterances didnt strike me grievously than the last one. He alleged that the President elect Nana Akufo-Addo had given the indication during the Party's NEC meeting that the suspended party executives should be reinstated.

You see, in my village, Kwahu Obo, folks say God crumbles the old moon into stars. Suffice it to say that, the old man whom you thought was fighting a losing battle has come up trumps and has become the poster child for contemporary Ghanaian politics.

Now to the main thrust of my letter...................................................................

If the National executive committee of the New Patriotic Party realises that you the suspended executives have shown enough remorse and decides to forgive you, so be it because I know and believe that tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it yet. But my humble plea is that, if you strongly feel you are in firm control of your mental faculties, and have any conscience, do not accept to be reinstated. Your consciences should not allow you to. If your consciences fail you into accepting to be reinstated, how are you going to relate to President Akufo- Addo after leaving him in the lurch?

Sincerely,

Emmanuel Amoafo Kesse
On behalf of the Independent People's Party (IPP), I would like to wish Ghanaians at home and abroad a 2017 that comes with positive change that contributes to personal and societal advancement.

May the New Year bring with it a commitment to working towards building and growing an inclusive economy that guarantees job creation for the 5.6 million jobless Ghanaians and those who join the ranks of jobseekers following the completion of National Service. In this regard, we call upon Private Sector, Students and Higher Education Institutions with support from Government to work together in order to ensure opportunities for jobs and wealth creation are identified and tapped before leaving the countrys campuses.

The year 2016 was a challenging year for us all making it vital for us all to reflect on it so that we do not repeat the same mistakes while working to find better solutions to our problems as a country. The New Year, 2017, presents us with an opportunity to start afresh by recommitting to economic advancement, the Rule of Law, accountability, transparency and constitutionalism.

May 2017 be the year we begin with the allocation of National Identification Numbers linked to Residential Addresses nationwide. This will help create a credit economy and generate jobs.

May 2017 be the year we start with the project of One District One Factory and building a country that is full of entrepreneurs and millionaires. The past year saw too many instances of joblessness.

In order to build a better country, the people of Ghana deserve the kind of leadership that serve with humility, integrity and with a view that says the people come first and the Constitution is the supreme law of the Republic.

May 2017 be the year we implement the Right to Information act to prevent corruption.

Furthermore, I call upon Ghanaians to celebrate the New Year by abiding by the rules of the road and to celebrate responsibly.

May 2017 bring with it the positive changes that will ensure that we build a better Ghana for all.

Kofi Akpaloo

IPP Chairman/Leader

IPP: Yenko nkoaa

IPP: Someha na Someha
DES MOINES, Iowa  The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced a new policy designed to allow farmers to take land out of a conservation program early if it is to be transferred to the next generation of farmers.

Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary Lanon Baccam says beginning Jan. 9, the USDA will offer an early termination opportunity for certain Conservation Reserve Program contracts.

Baccam made the announcement at the Joe Dunn farm in central Iowa near Carlisle. Dunn is the father-in-law to Iowa native and former U.S. Marine Aaron White, who with his wife, are prospective next generation farmers.

Baccam says the chance to give young farmers a better opportunity to succeed makes perfect sense.

Normally, early termination of a CRP contract requires repayment of all previous payments plus interest. The new policy waives this repayment if the land is transferred to a beginning farmer or rancher.
So I was contemplating on this alone and I felt I should seek the opinions of others who may be concerned or would share same views as mine.

There is this question I keep asking myself;

What award is the Security personnel (military /police/immigrations/CEPS/prisons/fire service and others if I forgot to add) worth?

Amongst the many award celebrations that are held across the length and breath of the country annually, of which category do we belong, or should there have been a better one for us?

The teacher is celebrated

The farmer is celebrated

The musician is celebrated

Many others are celebrated to an extent that now we celebrate social vises that in the past were frowned on(malafaka video)

Will there ever be a day set aside to celebrate that police man who stood in the rains to direct traffic despite the health risks he is poised to?

Will there ever be that police man who will be celebrated because he arrested a gang of robbers despite the number of rounds shot at him?

Then I ask again, will there ever be a plague awarded to that soldier for trying to serve humanity in another country and looses his life leaving his wife and children fatherless for the rest of their lives?

Would the fire fighter be awarded because fumes from those explosion he was tirelessly quenching had ended him with respiratory disorders?

Would that CEPS and Immigration man ever be awarded for intercepting that huge kilos of cocaine?

These were all questions I was asking myself then my second self told me; u had always been awarded. In dismay, I asked but how? I got myself giving me interesting answers;

The police is awarded with either gun shots from that Armed robbery gang he had chased or sometimes with death.

That soldier who told u he was travelling some few months back had been awarded, yes and the whole family had had a fair share of the award. How? Did u just ask how? He died in that country he was trying to keep peace and his entire family had been hungry since cos he was the bread winner.

That fire fighter who had tried fighting the heat from that explosion had been rewarded fairly with respiratory disorders.

The immigration man had died on the border without traces of how he died.

The prison officer had been interdicted cos a prisoner had fled. This were all answers my inner self gave me.

But is it worth it? Are we worth those awards?

The Security personnel deserves an award cos we are better than celebrities.

Tag that Security personnel now and put a smile on their faces.

Kwame Takyi Adade

Military Academy and training schools

[email protected]
Banjul (Gambia) (AFP) - Popular independent Gambian radio station Teranga FM was Sunday ordered to cease operations by national security agents for unspecified reasons, a security source and staff member said.

The station, which translates news from Gambian papers into local languages, has previously been silenced and in 2015 its manager was slapped with sedition and "publication of false news" charges for privately sharing a provocative photo of President Yahya Jammeh.

"Four National Intelligence Agency operatives and one police officer in uniform came to the radio station this afternoon (Sunday) around 2:30 pm and told us to stop broadcasting," a staff member told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"They said they have been ordered by the director general of NIA, Yankuba Badjie, to tell us to stop broadcasting with immediate effect. We asked them the reason for their action, but they said they are only acting on executive orders and do not know the reason why the radio should stop broadcasting," he added.

A security source said no one had been arrested but could not say why the radio station was ordered off the air.

"We only asked them to stop broadcasting and they cooperated with us. They have stopped broadcasting since in the afternoon," the source told AFP.

The radio station was not broadcasting Sunday evening, according to an AFP correspondent.

Station manager Alagie Ceesay was arrested by the country's secret police in July 2015 on charges of sedition and "publication of false news" relating to allegations that he distributed images by mobile phone of a gun pointed at a picture of Jammeh.

Ceesay escaped from hospital where he was being treated in mid-April last year while on trial for sedition.

Jammeh, who has ruled the small west African country with an iron fist since taking power in a bloodless coup in 1994, lost December's presidential election but has rejected the results and filed a court challenge.

He is regularly accused of rights abuses and repression of the media.

The Gambia ranked 145 out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders' 2016 World Press Freedom Index, pointing to "a climate of terror around anything remotely to do with journalism".
President John Mahama will be leaving office in January 2017 to be succeeded by President-elect, Nana Akufo-Addo.

Ahead of his exit, the Presidential Emoluments Committee on the conditions of Article 71 office holders has made some recommendations of the package he should be given for his retirement.

The recommendations, which have already been approved by Parliament, includes the payment of all utility bills at the residence of the outgoing President.



By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @jnyabor
Africa Youth Awards, the continents most coveted awards for young people have announced the winners of its 2016 awards, which engaged over 170 shortlisted nominees, and received voting participation from over 145 countries from across the world.

Voted as the African Youths of the Year were, Albert Kusi (Ghana) founder of LEC Foundation and Ilwad Elman, Somalias Social Activist and Director of Programs and Development at the Elman Peace and Human Rights Center.

Albert Kusi is also the pioneer of Success Conference, West Africas biggest annual empowerment summit which has impacted thousands of young people and has transformed lives whiles Ilwad Elman doubles as the Director of Sister Somalia, Somalias first program for assistance of victims of gender-based violence which provides counseling, health and housing support for women in need.

2016s winners hail from 11 countries and were determined by public votes, which were received from over 145 countries within 21 Days.

Other notable winners are Souhila Ben Lachhab (Algeria) for Musician of the year and Teacher Mampire (Uganda) for Discovery of the Year. Mohammed Ibrahim Jega (Nigeria) CEO of Emerge Tech Africa was also voted as 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year.

Prince Akpah, co-founder & President of Africa Youth Awards declared the third edition of the awards as a great success and a true testament of the contributions of young Africans to the development of the African Continent.

He also emphasised that the stories of these young Africans would inspire more young people as they gear up to take up various leadership positions in their individual pursuits of moving the African continent to the next level.

Below is the Full List of Winners

Ilwad Elman, Elman Peace and Human Rights Center (Somalia)  African Youth of the Year (Female) Albert Kusi - LEC Foundation (Ghana)  African Youth of the Year (Male) Mohammed Ibrahim Jega, Emerge Tech Africa (Nigeria)  Entrepreneur of the Year Souhila Ben Lachhab (Algeria)  Musician of the Year Teacher Mpamire (Uganda) - Discovery of the Year Christopher Seagateng, Botswana Jobs for Graduates (Botswana) - Award For Youth Empowerment Zixtech Organisation (Cameroon) - Social Enterprise of the Year Manasseh Azure Awuni, Joy 99.7 FM (Ghana) - Journalist of the Year Dr. Kofi Osei-Kusi, Osei-Kusi Foundation (Ghana) - Special Recognition Award Gakii Biriri (Kenya) - Social Entrepreneur of the Year City Rydes Limited (Kenya) - Startup of the Year Nana Diaby, Phiphi Plus (Mali) - Media Personality of the Year Olalekan Ayodele Sipasi, L'afrika Integrated Farms (Nigeria) - Award For Agriculture Nuhu Ibrahim Alabura, Indian Dental Association (Nigeria) - Health Personality of the Year Muhire Jean Claude, Young African Leaders Forum (Rwanda) - Leader of the Year Adyne-Africa Diaspora Youth Network Europe (Somalia) - Civil Society of the Year Dirboga Bakoh (Irenee), Sukuvi (Togo) - Award for Education Sylivia Kakyo, Kakyo Girls Initiative (Uganda)  Advocate of the Year

The Awards celebrations will be hosted during the 2017 Heads of State Summit in Addis Ababa next year. The event will be in partnership with the African Youth Commission, Avance Media, Global Skills Exchange, My Naija Naira 88 Creatives and Dream Ambassadors Foundation GH.

Source: Africa Youth Awards

Ilwad Elman

Teacher Mampire

Souhila Ben Lachhab
02.01.2017 LISTEN

On the occasion of the dawn of the 17th year of the 21st Century, the Union wishes to extend its best wishes to you. Wishing for you all a happy and blessed new year with the hope that we will have many great fortunes in the year to come full of love, good health, prosperity, success in our endeavors hope and peace in Africa. May the almighty God continue to guide and protect Africa and the leaders of Africa.

The past year has undoubtedly seen a lot of successes as well as challenges. In 2016, we have contributed enormously to policy aimed at improving quality and access to education on the African Continent, we have campaigned fiercely against dictatorial regimes, we have resisted oppression against students in all its forms, we have campaigned vehemently against human rights abuses  notable among them being the wrongful incarceration of the President of the Liberia Students Union (LINSU), Mr. Varney Jarsey. The lack of adherence to proper legal means in putting him and keeping him behind bars is repugnant and deserves condemnation in no uncertain terms; we will continue to fight to ensure that his human rights are not further trampled upon beyond what has already occurred.

A just recent success is that, the Union held successful elections in our 12th Elective Congress held in Khartoum, Sudan. Its a great opportunity also to extend the gratitude of the students of the Continent to the immediate past Executives for diligently serving the students of the Continent in what seems a thankless task.

The new leadership, with a renewed commitment, will work assiduously towards the betterment of education on the Continent and other related concerns on our beloved continent. Our advocacy will be focused and collaborative with our stakeholders. As we are in a New Year, we wish ourselves nothing short of success in our numerous endeavours geared towards improving education, democratic governance and the advancement of Human Rights, Technology and Innovation.

In 2017, AASU will continue to reposition and affirm itself as the foremost and viable continental student movement. We will be looking forward to increase stakeholder partnerships, particularly with civil society; we will also strengthen our working relations with the agencies of the African Union (AU) and its Sub-Regional Blocs, and the United Nations (UN) and its component institutions; we will further strive to make collaborations with sister student movements more effective to ensure that AASUs ability and capacity to deliver on its mandate to the students of Africa will realized.

We appreciate the efforts of all stakeholders and especially the Governments of Ghana and Sudan for supporting the Union and look forward with optimism to forging and welcoming new partners in this year.

Have a joyous New Year, comrade leaders of Africa. A new year is like a blank book, and the pen is in your hands - it is your chance to write a beautiful story for yourself and for Africa, so let's make the best use of our time and resources to make Africa the Continent we would love to see today and tomorrow.

Signed,

H.E PETER KWASI KODJIE

11th Secretary General (Head of Mission)

All-Africa Students Union (AASU)

Tel: +233242879028 | +233502672146

Email: [email protected]

Alt Email: [email protected]

Skype ID: freekodjie
The supreme law of Ghana which is the Constitution guarantees equal rights and privileges to citizens. Regardless of the position you hold in the country you can never be above the constitution. Aside the consistution there are other rules or better still bye laws that governs the various institutions like the fire service, prisons service , police service just to name a few In the country . Such laws are made to regulate the attitude and/or behavior of their workers.

Police Laws however are those laws dealing with the regulation and code of conduct of law enforcement officials. Regulation 14 of the ROAD TRAFFIC OFFENCES REGULATIONS, 1974 (LI 952) states that:

"Regulation 14Police Traffic Control. Every driver shall on approaching a police officer on traffic control duty on any road give an appropriate signal to him, and shall not make a turn or proceed along a road or cross a road until the police officer has signalled for him to do so".

Of course, having been granted these privileges, it is important for society to closely monitor those who exercise these powers.

Our society has had enough of the hypocrisy of the police administration. Most police officials on duty and off duty flout road traffic regulation day in and out . One of these disturbing/frustrating incidents is seeing a policeman sitting on a motor bicycle without helmet and a number plate .

Accra has fallen prey to misconduct and unfortunately those whose role it is to maintain order are the very people who are caught up in this misconduct.

If we consistently turn a blind eye on this misconduct, our society will one day suffer from it. Unless it's an emergency there's just no excuse. They are subject to the same traffic laws as everyone else, and they're supposed to be setting an example.This seems to be a burden to some motorist who go through the frustration of adjusting their cars. "They always try to find their way through traffic" was the comments by Daniel a driver.

Are the police above the law precisely road traffic regulation?

Lot a time you see police car on the street of Accra breaking common traffic laws. Speeding, not coming to complete stops at stop signs, running reds, etc. They don't have sirens on and clearly aren't in pursuit of anyone or heading to a crime scene. Yet they happily pull over others for doing the same thing.

Per the privileges conferred unto the police administration by the constitution and any other law, the policemen on street are not above the law. The issue now is who "polices the police"?.

Police forces are usually considered to be non-military organizations that operate under the authority of the government.

If that is the case then a simple logical modus ponens will tell us that " government is under the constitution. If the police is under the operation of the government . Therefore, the police is under the constitution". It however, looks like the government has lost track of police misconduct in the country simply because of the bogus perception created that the police administration is an autonomous body . It's incumbent on the government to find a lasting solution to this misconduct. The watchman must be watched .

Below are some of the road and traffic regulations.

PART ILICENSING

Regulation 1Driving Licence.

No person shall drive a motor vehicle on a road unless he holds a valid professional, private or learner driver's licence authorising him to drive that class of motor vehicle.

Regulation 2Taxi and Passenger Lorry Licence.

(1) No person shall drive a taxi or passenger lorry on a road unless the taxi or passenger lorry licence issued in respect of that vehicle is carried on the vehicle.

(2) The driver of a taxi or passenger lorry shall produce the taxi or passenger lorry licence issued in respect of that vehicle for inspection at the request of any police officer in uniform.

Regulation 3Road Worthiness Certificate.

No person shall drive a motor vehicle unless a valid certificate of roadworthiness is carried on the vehicle.

Regulation 4Number Plates.

(1) No person shall drive a motor vehicle unless the vehicle carries two reflective number plates one at the front and the other at the rear.

(2) No person shall drive a motor vehicle if any part of its number plate is missing or in any way damaged or obscured.

Regulation 5L Plates.

No learner driver shall drive a motor vehicle unless the vehicle carries two learner's plates or discs displaying the letter L, in a position where they are easily visible, one at the front and the other at the rear.

Regulation 6Marks on Commercial Vehicles.

The name and registered address of the owner of a commercial vehicle shall be painted and maintained at all times in a legible condition on the near side of the vehicle so as to be clearly visible to a person standing beside the vehicle.

PART IIUSE OF VEHICLES

Regulation 7Opening Doors.

(1) No person shall open any door of a motor vehicle while that vehicle is in motion.

(2) No person shall open or leave open any door of a motor vehicle (whether the vehicle is stationary or in motion) so as to endanger any other road user or pedestrian.

Regulation 8Alighting.

(1) No person shall alight from a motor vehicle while that vehicle is in motion.

(2) No person shall alight from a stationary motor vehicle so as to endanger any road user.

Regulation 9Reversing.

No person shall drive a motor vehicle backwards further than may be necessary for turning or some other reasonable purpose.

Regulation 10Obstruction.

No person shall obstruct or permit any motor vehicle to obstruct the free movement of any traffic on a road, whether by parking, standing, loitering or in any other manner.

Regulation 11Parking and Stopping.

(1) No person shall park a motor vehicle on a road or pavement within fifty feet of a no parking sign prescribed by Road Traffic Regulations:

Provided that (subject to any other applicable road traffic restriction) a vehicle may be parked on the opposite side of the road to the no parking sign.

(2) No person shall park a motor vehicle on a road abreast of another motor vehicle.

(3) No person shall park or stop a motor vehicle within thirty feet of a junction.

(4) No person shall park or stop a motor vehicle on a pedestrian crossing or railway crossing.

(5) No person shall park or stop a motor vehicle close to the crest of a hill or on a bend where visibility is not sufficient for the parked vehicle to be overtaken in complete safety.

Regulation 12Traffic Signs.

(1) No person shall contravene a prohibitory road sign prescribed by Road Traffic Regulations which indicates no right turn, no left turn, no U-turn, no overtaking, no entry, no hooting, no stopping or no waiting.

(2) No person shall contravene a mandatory road sign prescribed by Road Traffic Regulations which requires him to stop, give way, keep left, keep right, turn left, turn right, observe one way traffic or give priority to approaching traffic.

Regulation 13Traffic Lights.

(1) No driver shall proceed past traffic light signs when the amber light is showing unless when that light first appears after the green light has shown the speed of the vehicle and its distance from the signs are such that it cannot safely be stopped before passing the signs.

(2) No driver shall proceed past traffic light signs when the red light is showing whether or not the amber light is also showing.

Regulation 14Police Traffic Control.

Every driver shall on approaching a police officer on traffic control duty on any road give an appropriate signal to him, and shall not make a turn or proceed along a road or cross a road until the police officer has signalled for him to do so.

Regulation 15Speeding.

(1) No person shall drive any motor vehicle in any place at a speed exceeding that prescribed by any sign lawfully erected.

(2) Where in a city, town or village no speed limit is prescribed by any sign lawfully erected, no person shall drive any motor vehicle at a speed exceeding 30 miles per hour.

(3) No person shall drive a timber truck at a speed exceeding 30 miles per hour, or 20 miles per hour if the timber truck has two or more trailers.

(4) No person shall drive an omnibus or passenger lorry outside a city, town or village at a speed exceeding 40 miles per hour, unless otherwise permitted by any sign lawfully erected on a motorway.

(5) No person shall drive a commercial vehicle carrying freight ( other than a timber truck) at a speed exceeding 

(a) 20 miles per hour, if it has two or more trailers;

(b) 30 miles per hour, if it has one trailer; or

(c) 40 miles per hour, if it has no trailer.

Regulation 16Insecure Loads.

(1) No person shall drive a motor vehicle or trailer with a load or covering which is insecurely fastened or which becomes loose or detached or in any manner becomes a hazard to other road users.

(2) No person shall drive a motor vehicle or trailer with a load which drops, sifts or leaks on to the road.

Regulation 17Overcrowding Front Seat.

(1) No driver shall, on a right-hand steering controlled vehicle, permit any person to sit or stand on the right side of the driver, or more than two persons on the left side of the driver.

(2) No driver shall, on a left-hand steering controlled vehicle, permit any person to sit or stand on the left side of the driver, or persons on the right side of the driver.

Regulation 18Riding Outside Vehicle.

No person shall ride on the wing, running boards, fenders, bonnet, steps or tail-board of a motor vehicle or trailer.

Regulation 19Motor Cycles.

(1) No person (whether the driver or a passenger) shall ride on a motor cycle unless he is wearing a crash helmet.

(2) No person (whether the driver or a passenger) shall ride on a motor cycle unless he is sitting astride the cycle.

Regulation 20Bicycle Passengers.

No person shall whilst riding a bicycle on a road in any city or town carry another person on any part of the bicycle.

Regulation 21Unattended Vehicles.

(1) No driver shall leave a vehicle unattended on any road with the engine running.

(2) No driver shall leave a vehicle unattended on any road without having taken due precautions against its being started in his absence.

PART IIICONSTRUCTION OF VEHICLES

Regulation 22Vehicles in Dangerous Condition.

No person shall drive a motor vehicle or trailer if that motor vehicle or trailer or any part or accessory thereof is in such a condition as to cause or to be likely to cause danger to any person therein or to any road user or to any property on or adjoining the road.

Regulation 23Speedometer.

No person shall drive a motor vehicle without a speedometer,or with a damaged, defective or inoperative speedometer.

Regulation 24Brake Lights.

No person shall drive a motor vehicle without a brake light,or with a damaged, defective or inoperative brake light.

Regulation 25Indicators.

No person shall drive a motor vehicle without at least two direction indicators, or with a damaged, defective or inoperative indicator.

Regulation 26Headlamps.

No person shall drive a motor vehicle without headlamps, or with a damaged, defective or inoperative headlamp.

Regulation 27Windscreen Wipers .

No person shall drive a motor vehicle fitted with a front glass windscreen if it has no windscreen wiper, or if it has a damaged, defective or inoperative windscreen wiper.

Regulation 28Mirrors.

No person shall drive a motor vehicle without a driving mirror, or with a damaged, defective or inoperative driving mirror.

Regulation 29Shock Absorbers.

No person shall drive a motor vehicle (other than a motorcycle) without shock absorbers, or with shock absorbers which are damaged or inoperative.

Regulation 30Tyres.

No person shall drive a motor vehicle or trailer if any of its tyres is so worn as to show any part of the canvas of the tyre.

Regulation 31Spare Tyre.

No person shall drive a motor vehicle unless there is carried on the vehicle a spare inflated tyre fixed to a rim or spare wheel.

Regulation 32Silencer.

No person shall drive a motor vehicle with an inefficient silencer, or with a cut out or open exhaust.

Regulation 33Exhaust Fumes.

No person shall drive a motor vehicle which emits exhaust fumes in such quantities as to be a hazard or annoyance to road users or pedestrians.

Regulation 34Bicycle Brake, Light and Bell.

No person shall ride a bicycle which is not fitted with an efficient brake, light and bell.
02.01.2017 LISTEN

It has been widely speculated since 2010 that JJ has been trying to take back his party from people he called "greedy bastards". For a while the great Papa J came to a certain reality that it required a different strategy to undo a sitting Democratic president. He who wields the gun has the power. Despite all his machinations, despite being a master tactician in toppling regimes, with Prof Mills having the state apparatus and all the state resources at his disposal, it was impossible for JJ to succeed at removing him in any internal NDC elections.

Mahama's sudden ascension to power after Prof Mills death in office in July 2012 finally diminished JJ's chances of taking back " his party''. Despite Konadu's failure to oust Prof Mills in Sunyani Congress, the great Papa J had hoped that NDC lost the 2012 election. It was Mahama and the NDC who had the last laugh.

ANYTHING DIFFERENT IN 2017 GOING? THAT'S THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION!!! NDC's unexpected defeat in the just ended 2016 polls has given JJ a renewed hope of stamping his HUGE PERSONALITY ON THE VERY SOUL OF THE NDC. JJ has ONE GOAL and ONE VISION: to COMPLETELY DOMINATE THE NDC IN OPPOSITION at any cost.

This will even be easier if Mahama decides not to contest again and sit on the fence. The power vacuum that will be created from 2017 to probably end of 2018 is enough period for the great Papa J to completely occupy the power gap which has been created.

It won't be too difficult because with the NDC in opposition, there will be less resources. Those with greater resources are the ones who will be wielding the gun and JJ is without that one person holding a 'bazooka' of resources scary enough to deter any perceived enemy.

JJ may go to the extent of inciting his supporters to block the national headquarters of the party to eject his perceived enemies. In his own words CERTAIN PERSONS MUST BE KEPT AWAY. According to political observers Asiedu Nketiah is the number one on his radar. With the tacit approval of president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, one can trust Ghana police to give all manner of reasons why they couldn't protect lives and property.

It won't be too difficult for him since he has done it again and again and again. With open doors, simplicity of lifestyle, a team that includes one of the MOST HANDSOME AND LIGHTEST SKINNED GHANAIANS (GOOSIE TANOH), a perceived anti corruption crusader (Martin Amidu), disgruntled and alienated youth who cut across the length and breadth of the country, a disgruntled and alienated NDC gurus, founding members and stakeholders, ability to speak the language understood by the masses, bravado and an EXPANDED ELECTORAL COLLEGE it will be unwise and strategically suicidal for anybody to underestimate the venom and the fire which JJ is coming with.

JJ's success or failure will depend on two factors: 1.John Mahama: Whether he will contest again or not. How soon he will make his intentions known. 2. How soon Congress will happen. The person who will emerge as the next flagbearer of the NDC. How strong will the flagbearer be? ... Etc etc

The final revolution is just beginning. It's end depend on every single NDC sympathizer. Our will to stick together. The forces of Rawlings will make a final attempt at capturing the very soul of the NDC by doing all they can to purge the party of dissenters by ANY MEANS NECESSARY. This time around the odds seem to be in the old man's favour.
02.01.2017 LISTEN

I could not let escape my mind or let go a publication I have just read on Ghanaweb this morning, Monday 2 January 2017 without expressing my candid opinion about it. What the so-called Rev. Bishop Obinim who claims to be able to turn into snakes and all sorts of slimy reptiles to the hand-clapping and admiration of his probably ignorant congregation who for lack of biblical knowledge are perishing, has said, must be rebuked.

This said publication is on Ghanaweb and under their General News of Sunday, 1 January 2017 and under the web link:

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Obinim-begs-for-Collins-Dauda-s-brother-498090

He is begging the incoming President Nana Akufo Addo and the NPP government to forgive or pardon the younger brother of Collins Dauda who went on air to audaciously declare that he could easily kill Hon. Kennedy Agyepong if he dared him. He went on further to say his party NDC and he himself have killed so many people as though they were killing nuisance houseflies or flies of any kind so exterminating Hon. Kennedy Agyapong was just nothing difficult to him.

Any discerning Ghanaian expected the politicised and currently unprofessional Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) office to have invited or arrested Abdulai Naaba, Collins Daudas brother for further interrogation but they didnt. This guy who is an NDC fanatic with his brother Collins Dauda being in the NDC government said, he has killed people and he can kill again.

Why was he not arrested by the police or the BNI? If his stupid and criminal public utterance had been made by a member of the NPP, PPP, CPP, PNC etc., the BNI or that stupid Kofi Adams would have led a squad to go and arrest him wherever they were same as he did to my Kumawu compatriot Nana Darkwah when he falsely or genuinely accused former President Rawlings of setting fire to his house at Ridge in Accra a few years back on a Valentine's Day.

Why does Rev. Bishop Obinim want Nana Akufo Addo to pardon this self-acclaimed notorious murderer? Is it because he is his church member or what? I disagree with any reasons being adduced in his favour to prove that he was only bragging but incapable of carrying out his alleged murders. Is that Abdulai Naaba not an NDC guy and did we all not know the silliest and most wicked criminal things that the NDC could commit with impunity because they were supportive of by President Mahama and the NDC party and government?

Take the infamous Montie 3 case for example. Did Messrs Salifu Maase aka Mugabe, Alistair Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn not threaten to kill some Supreme Court judges and rape the Chief Justice, Mrs Theodora Georgina Wood? What happened to them in the end? Were they not freed from their prison term by President Mahama stupidly exercising his constitutional prerogative of mercy?

President-elect Nana Akufo Addo believes in the rule of law and would always want the law to take its natural course without interference from whomever. He is not the type of President where someone can commit a crime and think I belong to NPP or I am a close associate of this person or that so I can be set free as it was the blatant order of the day under President Mahama and the NDC government hence the breakdown in law and order in Ghana as we all saw.

Bishop Obinim, please dont start to corrupt Nana Akufo Addo and his government before they even assume power with what I see as your undignified interference on behalf of your murderous church member. If he has run to Burkina Faso, let him stay there. His said pregnant wife can join him there but the long arm of INTERPOL will be applied to reach him wherever he is hiding.

Why has he run away but did not do so when NDC were still in power and were hopeful to win the re-election, relying on their secretly-installed rigging machines which were in the end rendered inoperative by God Almighty who had Himself started that strong wind for change of government from NDC to NPP?

Under President Akufo Addo, there will be law and order. Despite supporting him through and through over the years, I SHALL NOT DARE do anything silly in the hope that he will let me off the hook. No, I know how strict he is when it comes to applying the law. He does not know anyone other than the law so no one should dare push him to the wall thinking they can get away with nonsense as it was in the days of the useless and murderous outgoing NDC party and government.

Please, Rev. Bishop Obinim, do not start to plead with Nana Akufo Addo on behalf of that self-pronounced murderer. If he had not been killing people but just bragging, why should he run away from Ghana?

Rockson Adofo
Managers of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), have blamed the Ministry of Finance for its inability to pay contractors who the Fund owes close to GHc 300 million.

This follows a threat by the contractors to embark on a demonstration at the Flagstaff House on Tuesday, to demand the payment of money owed them by the GETFund.

According to the contractors, they are owed over GHc 500 million spanning a period of six months, a situation that is crippling their businesses, as most of them go for loans to pre-finance the projects.

Speaking to Citi News, the Deputy Administrator for GETFund, Stephen Baffoe, indicated that until the Ministry of Finance releases money to the Fund, they cannot pay the contractors.

It is true that some contractors have worked and their claims have been processed for six months or more. The Ministry of Finance has to release funds for the GETFund to be able to pay.

Mr. Baffoe explained that, the GETFund cannot release funds on its own as it depends on 2.5 percent VAT and that is credited to the Ghana Revenue Authority, accounted to the Ministry of Finance and released by the Ministry of Finance to all statutory fund receivers including the GETFund.

All we are waiting for is the Ministry of Finance to release the monies owed the GETFund from July up to the end of October. We are looking at between GHc 280 million and GHc 300 million, he added.

The last time some contractors affiliated to the GETFund agitated over the payment of funds was in 2014, when Getfund Contractors Association threatened t o lock up all school buildings they had constructed if government failed to pay them outstanding arrears for work done.



By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Kinshasa (AFP) - At least six people were hacked to death in troubled northeastern DR Congo in two attacks last week blamed on Ugandan rebels, a regional official told AFP on Monday.

The government and the UN mission in the central African country MONUSCO have accused the shadowy rebel group Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), dominated by hardline Ugandan Muslims, of carrying out a two-year bloodbath in the region.

"There have been attacks blamed on suspected ADF members near the border with Nord Kivu (province), which left at least six people dead in Irumu territory," the vice governor of Ituri province, Pacifique Keta, said.

Keta added that the death toll was provisional and security had been beefed up.

Separately, Gill Gotabo, a civil society leader in Ituri, reported that 14 people were killed in the attacks, which took place in the villages of Saboko and Bialee.

Irumu territory in Ituri province is near Beni in neighbouring Nord Kivu province -- the main target of attacks where the ADF are alleged to have massacred around 700 people, many of them hacked to death.

The ADF has not claimed any of the Beni massacres. Experts on DR Congo have not found any link between the group and the global jihadist underground.

Others have alleged that government agents have had a role in the killing -- claims Kinshasa rejects.

A report by experts in March said members of the Congolese army, former rebels from the RCD-K/ML group -- who held the area during the 1998-2003 Second Congo War -- and local militias were all involved in the mass killings.

In explaining the violence, some experts have cited struggles for control of trafficking in various industries like timber, agricultural produce or minerals in a region with extremely rich potential.
Tema, Jan 2, GNA - The National Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has taken over investigations into a shooting incident that claimed two lives at Miotso in the Ningo-Prampram District.

The gun battle over a piece of land also resulted in six other persons sustaining various degrees of gunshot wounds. They are currently receiving treatment at the Tema General Hospital.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Juliana Obeng, Tema Regional Police Public Relations Officer, confirming the incident to the media said, the National CID had taken over further investigations into the land dispute shooting event.

ASP Obeng said the Tema Command was therefore waiting for the National CID to put out information picked from the further investigations.

She stated that bodies of the two deceased persons have been deposited at the Police Hospital morgue for preservation and autopsy.

According to her, the Tema Command received information on the shooting incident between Miosto and Dawhenya and therefore dispatched men to the area to restore sanity.

Sixteen persons, she noted, were helping in investigations into circumstances leading to the gun battle between the two communities.

ASP Obeng disclosed that the Command retrieved two pump action guns, a pistle, one AK47 rifle with double magazine loaded, Jeep Cherokee, and a Mercedes Benz.

She assured residents in Dawhenya and Miotso that the Tema Police Command had stationed men in the area to ensure peace and calm so people should go about their normal business without fear.

GNA

By Laudia Sawer, GNA
Fielmuo, (UWR), Jan. 2, GNA - Uneasy calm lies between Fielmuo and Nemoro people in the Sissala West District of the Upper West Region, over the siting of a senior high technical school in Fielmuo.

The first site for the school was said to be the ancestral home of spirits, the second site was also said to be where the spirit of Buli, Koro and Nemoro communities meets to worship and the third site was claimed to be a land belonging to the Nemoro people.

'These sites were rejected with reasons that lacked all elements of reasonable argument, and besides not within the prospect of believe in the 21st century,' Mr Ivan Maayir, National Chairman of the Fielmuo Development Association (FADA) has said.

He claimed that the action showed how retrogressive a people could be, linking development to the existence of spirits in 'this era'.

Mr Maayir raised the concern at the annual Kukr-Bagr Festival of the Chiefs and people of Fielmuo to mark the end of the harvest season.

The festival is organised to instil moral values, transmit the unique culture and the spirit of living in peace with neighbours in the youth.

Mr Maayir said in seeking social justice, the people were mindful of wrongful actions and that the thirst for the school and social justice would not drive them to 'drink from the cup of bitterness and hatred'.

He said school was not meant for tribes, geographical boundaries and traditional areas and nowhere in Ghana was a school built for the dominant ethnic group.

'We shall conduct the struggle for the school with dignity and discipline and we will succeed meeting physical force with soul force,' he said.

The FADA's National Chairman said government awarded the school to the people of Fielmuo in line its quest to pursue social justice and bring development to all parts of the country devoid of ethnic, religious or political considerations.

Mr Maayir said the people of Fielmou deserve a fair share of the national cake and appealed to the Member of Parliament elect, Mr Patrick Al-Hassan Adamah to intervene and facilitate the construction of school without further delay.

He appealed to Ghana Education Service and the West African Examination Council to consider creating an examination centre for students to write the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE) at Fielmuo.

He said students from the area traveled to Gwollu to write the BECE and went through challenges of transportation, feeding and accommodation.

Mr Adamah gave the assurance that he would build trust among the Fielmuo and Nemoro people to live in peace as brothers and sisters.

He said it would not be too long and the two ethnic groups would be celebrating the festival together in peace and love.

GNA

By Bajin D. Pobia, GNA
Fielmuo, (UWR), Jan. 2, GNA - The Fielmuo Community in the Sissala West District of the Upper West Region, is appealing to the government to upgrade the local clinic to a polyclinic to cater for the health needs of the people.

Referral patients from the clinic travel a distance of 30 kilometres to Nandom Hospital to seek medical attention.

Mr Ivan Maayir, National Chairman of the Fielmuo Development Association (FADA) made the appeal at the annual Kukr-Bagr festival of the chiefs and people of the Fielmuo on Saturday.

He said the clinic had no ambulance to convey patients to the Nandom Hospital, and the sick as well as pregnant women in labour were transported on motorcycles and tricycles to Nandom Hospital.

He said the situation had caused the death of some patients while a pregnant woman who was in labour and was being transported on motorcycle to Nandom Hospital in October, 2016 delivered in the bush.

Mr Maayir appealed to benevolent organisations, public- spirited individuals to help provide an ambulance to the clinic to help facilitate the transportation of patients and also reduce the incidence of women deliveries in the bush.

The services of an ambulance will avert a possible untimely death of patients and maternal mortality, Mr Maayir said.

Naa Francis M. Danikuu, Chief of Fielmuo said he and his people were looking forward to the day when both the Sissala and Daagaba ethic groups in the District would come together in unity and in peace.

He said the disunity between the two groups was a source of worry and urged the people to preach peace and work for unity and progress.

He appealed to government to consider providing Fielmuo with small-town water project and facilitate the process of getting the proposed senior high technical school established in the community.

GNA

By Bajin D. Pobia, GNA
Accra, Jan. 2, GNA - The Ghana Education Service (GES), has reinstated Mr Joseph Connel, Headmaster of St Augustine's College, who was interdicted whilst being investigated for charging unapproved fees.

In a letter dated December 23, 2016, and signed by Mr Jacob A. M. Kor, the Director General of the GES said the reversal of the interdiction takes immediate effect.

The Committee set up to investigate the alleged collection of unapproved levies observed that the amount collected was GHa310.00 instead of the GHa 435.00 reported in the media.

Out of the GHa310.00 collected, GHa140.00 was for sale of chaplaincy books, College brochure and outing shirt.

The difference of GHa170.00 collected by the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) was based on a decision taken at a PTA general meeting. It was aimed at solving some challenges in the school including poor sewerage, broken benches, inadequate bed planks and desks.

The Committee also noted that matching the number of parents who paid and the number of students admitted at that time, it gave clear evidence that the collection was an appeal and not an imposition.

It said Mr Connel had worked assiduously with the GES for more than 30 years in various capacities without blemish, and this was the first administrative error committed.

On the face of the findings, the Headmaster cannot be singled out and implicated based on the available evidence. The Committee recommended that Mr Connel should be warned, exonerated and reinstated.

The interdiction of Mr Connel led to a number of protests from the Board of Governors of the College, the St Augustine's Past Students Union (APSU) and the PTA.

Members raised a number of flaws in the whole process including the procedure for the interdiction, date and time of interdiction and investigation, and a breach of natural Justice.

The Board also questioned why the Central Regional Director of Education would exempt himself from the emergency meeting that interdicted Mr Connel and instead chose to nominate someone to represent him on the Board of the investigative committee.

APSU has lauded Mr Connel's reinstatement and had sent a thank you letter to the Director General of the GES.

Mr Connel assured the stakeholders of his total commitment to the betterment of the school.

GNA
Wa, Jan. 2, GNA - Alhaji Amidu Sulemana, Upper West Regional Minister has appealed to people in the region to bury their differences and co-exist peacefully for the rapid development of the area.

He said the Region was the youngest in Ghana and the people needed to maintain peace and put in more efforts to develop it.

'All should bury their differences and work for the development of the Region and Ghana,' he said at an end of year dinner hosted by the Regional Coordinating Council for heads of department, security agencies, political parties, religious bodies and civil society organisations in Wa to review performance and to plan for next year.

Alhaji Sulemana said the development needs of the Region were enormous, and it was only through peaceful environment and the oneness of the people that could help attract investors to help in the development efforts

He called on the people to sacrifice in the management of the Region to ensure that it remained the most peaceful at all times.

He commended the security agencies and other stakeholders involved in the December 7 elections for doing a yeoman's job.

Alhaji Sulemana described the elections, especially in the Region as one of the most peaceful one.

'We have once again demonstrated to the world that Ghana's democracy has come to stay,' he noted.

Alhaji Sulemana reminded Ghanaians that the development of the country was a collective effort and all must put 'Ghana first', in all their endeavours.

He urged Ghanaians to accept the change and give support for the development of the country.

The Regional Minister thanked the political divide in the area for their cooperation and support while urging other stakeholders to focus and show loyalty for development.

GNA

By Bajin D. Pobia, GNA
Kumasi, Jan 02, GNA - The Kumasi Technical University (KsTU) Alumni Association, is urging substantial increase in polytechnic education funding by the in-coming political administration.

Mr. Ben Kakraba Komla, the General-Secretary, said this was vital to provide the needed impetus to the nation's industrial growth.

He complained about what he said had been the inadequate funding of these institutions and asked that things radically changed.

Speaking at a delegates' congress of the association in Kumasi, he said the neglect of polytechnic education, was largely responsible for the slow pace of the country's socio-economic development.

He hailed the decision to upgrade the polytechnics into technical universities but said that required adding to the existing infrastructure, building the capacity of the academic staff and more funds for research to deliver on their mandate.

The meeting was used by the association to take stock of its activities and discuss the way forward - to enhance its contribution to the growth of the institution.

The event coincided with the official inauguration of the Ashanti Regional Chapter, chaired by Mr. Jacob Amoako.

Mr. Samuel Ocran, the National Vice President, said they were determined to work hard, with commitment and passion to ensure that association became vibrant.

He said they were now focusing on strengthening the regional chapters to make them functional.

GNA

By Stephen Asante, GNA
Half-Assini (W/R), Jan. 2, GNA - About 100 elderly people from the ages of 60 and above at Half-Assini in Western Region were on New Year Day feted by the family of Mr Stephen Blay.

Mr Blay, Acting Director of Research and Statistics, Ministry of Petroleum, and native of Half-Assini, said the programme was an annual event to entertain the elderly in the community.

He said during seasonal festivities the aged are sometimes abandoned in their homes by their wards for social events.

Mr Blay said it was important that under such circumstances the elderly should be comforted, hence the programme.

He expressed his profound gratitude to the participants for honouring his invitation to the ceremony.

The participants were served with food and drinks and treated to nice music while others won souvenirs from a 'lucky dip' competition.

The occasion was also graced by Reverend Father Michael Owusu, Parish Priest of St Patrick Catholic Church at Half Assini and Reverend Father Charles Nuomah, Parish Priest of St Peter's Catholic Church of Jaway Wharf as well as Ms Florence Davis, a Half-Assini native based in the USA.

GNA
Tarkwa (W/R), Jan. 2, GNA - The Tarkwa Nsueam Municipality recorded four births at four hospitals on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

A female was delivered on New Year's Eve, while two males and another female were born on New Year.

All the babies are doing well with their mothers.

The babies were delivered at the Tarkwa Old Hospital, Ami Memorial Hospital, Tarkwa Municipal Hospital and Pentecost Clinic.

Miss Lucy Ekomae, a midwife at the Tarkwa Old Hospital and Mrs Cynthia Mensah, a nurse assistant at the Ami Memorial hospital told the Ghana News Agency that their facilities recorded a birth each on New Year Eve and New Year.

Madam BilkissTetteh, the midwife on duty at the Pentecost Clinic maternity ward, said a boy was born at her clinic.

She advised expectant mothers living in Tarkwa and its environs to make the necessary arrangement for vehicles to transport them to the nearest hospital to avoid complications on the day of delivery.

At the Tarkwa Municipal Hospital, Madam Lydia Annan, the midwife in charge, said a girl was delivered at the facility.

Madam Annan called on pregnant women to be punctual at the pre-natal school and adhere to the teachings of the school avoid relying on herbs.

She said chemicals used to spray the herbs could be a threat to their lives. GNA

By Erica Apeatua Addo, GNA
Kinshasa (AFP) - Opposing sides in the crisis that has gripped DR Congo will this week hold their first talks on implementing a landmark deal on the country's political future, mediators said Monday.

"An initial meeting for deciding on ways to implement the agreement is scheduled for Tuesday," Father Donatien Nshole, the spokesman for National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CECO), which is overseeing the process, told AFP.

The hard-fought New Year's Eve agreement aims at defusing a crisis over the future of President Joseph Kabila.

Under the constitution, the 45-year-old leader should have left office on December 20 at the end of his second and final mandate, but he has shown no signs of wanting to step down.

Scores of people died in clashes in the runup to the deadline, prompting the influential Catholic church to ramp up efforts for a political solution.

Under the deal, Kabila will stay in power until elections are held "at the end of 2017."

During the 12-month period, a so-called National Transition Council will be set up, headed by opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, and a prime minister will be named from opposition ranks.

DRCongo political deal signed

Christophe Lutundula, who signed the agreement for the opposition, said the talks would be about "specific arrangements" on the composition of this transition body, which has now been renamed the National Council for Overseeing the Electoral Agreement and Process (CNSAP).

Issues include methods for appointing CNSAP's 28 members and "the composition of the (transitional) government," Lutundula told AFP.

On the government side, Communications Minister Lambert Mende said the talks had to settle the problem of "inclusiveness" -- a reference to reservations by 10 pro-government delegates who did not sign the deal.

The 10 include members of the Congo Liberation Movement (MLC) of former vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba, currently behind bars in the Netherlands on the order of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

Blessed with natural resources but chronically poor, sapped by corruption and politically unstable, the Democratic Republic of Congo has never witnessed a peaceful transfer of power since it gained independence from Belgium in 1960.

Democratic Republic of the Congo President Joseph Kabila took office his father Laurent was assassinated in 2001 at the height of the Second Congo War

Two decades ago, the vast 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. The east of the country remains a battleground for rival ethnic militias.

Kabila took office his father Laurent was assassinated in 2001 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 accusations of fraud.
In 2004, a high-level panel instituted by Kofi Annan the then UN Secretary General formulated and championed the concept of the responsibility to protect. The panel argued that states have obligation to conduct their internal affairs in line with established international norms and practices and that in situations where a state fails to adhere to these accepted standards, other states have responsibility to intervene. This is the challenge facing ECOWAS in the ongoing crisis in The Gambia: to intervene or not to intervene.

After ruling the nearly 2 million inhabitants of The Gambia for more than two decades, the people of The Gambia said they have had enough of their president and so voted for the leader of the opposition.

President Jammehs initial acceptance of the December 1, 2016 election results was welcome by everyone in Africa and beyond because it prevented the worst case scenario from happening. However, President Jammehs subsequent backtracking and rejection of the polls verdict a week later, has thrown the West African subregion into another unwanted, and unnecessary confusion.

But one thing is clear if Jammehs wishes are made to stand and go unchallenged, it will undermine the democracy, security and economic dividend the region has chalked in the last few years. It will also embolden other leaders with undemocratic intentions to pursue a similar path. In fact, it will be a recognition of democratisation of impunity in the subregion.

However, President Jammehs decision also presents a major challenge for the leadership in the subregion. It is a test not only to their leadership and diplomatic skills, but also their ability to present a common, unified response to the looming problem particularly for the four major economies and militarily strong countries i.e. Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and Ivory Coast.

A key question is how to address the crisis in The Gambia. We strongly recommend that the leadership of ECOWAS approach The Gambia problem in three phases: diplomacy; sanctions; and resort to force.

The first phase should involve negotiation, diplomacy, persuasion and the use of carrot through dialogue. This first phase will require patience on the part of ECOWAS leaders. The bloc's leadership must listen to any concerns that President Jammeh may have and address those concerns adequately and in timely manner. In this diplomatic effort, Jammeh and his military and security backers must be persuaded that their country is bigger than anyone and that the interest of the country must supersede all other interests. They must also be assured that they will be needed to contribute their wisdom, and knowledge to promote the orderly development of their country. If they think that by leaving power their life will be in danger, then they could have the option to live peacefully in any country of their choice in the subregion.

President Jammeh should be given assurance that he and his backers will not be prosecuted for crimes against the people and that if any prosecution will take place it will be within internationally recognised practices. These and other inducement should be presented in clear language to the Mr. Jammeh. Put differently, at the this initial stage of negotiations, ECOWAS should not rush into war but rather give diplomacy a chance.

President Jammehs key security and military backers must be spoken to and be persuaded to influence him to step down. They should be made to understand that putting the interest of their country over and above the parochial interest of the President is something worth trying. They must be made to accept that The Gambia is bigger than one person. Again they should be persuaded to accept the truth that they stand to lose their economic power should the struggle turned bloody. Their businesses will be inflame should they resist the peoples power. Additionally, they should be made to understand that they may jeopardise their own life as well as those of their families, friends and love ones.

What if Jammeh refuses to step down after diplomatic efforts are exhausted? If this happens then ECOWAS, AU and the international community must implement the second phase i.e. sanctions.

First, ECOWAS should work with the international community to freeze the assets of the The Gambian leadership that are held outside the country. This will make it difficult for them to use those assets to prosecute any eventual war with ECOWAS.

Second, ECOWAS should institute visa freeze and travel restrictions against the leadership, their families and close allies. Third, if the first two actions do not yield the desired objective, then ECOWAS and the African Union must implement direct economic blockage against the country. Senegal must be persuaded to close its borders with The Gambia. Gambias narrow access to the Atlantic Ocean must be blockaded to prevent the government from resupplying itself.

Fourth, if the above measures do not get Jammeh and his backers to leave power, then Jammeh should be presented with the hard choices: accepting the will of his people or end up being hunted down just like those African tyrants such as Burkina Fasos Blaise Campore or Nigers Mamadou Tanja or Ivorian Laurent Gbabgo and Charles Taylor of Liberia. President Jammeh should be told in plain language that those who make peaceful and orderly transition or transfer of power impossible, make violent transfer of power possible.

If Jammeh rejects ECOWAS diplomatic efforts, then the bloc must implement the third phase i.e. declaration of war on Jammeh. In advocating for war as a last resort, I am aware of the short and long term impact it could have. War unlike elections, is a serious destructive force. While it is easy to start a war, it is not so easy to stop or end it. When it finally starts, (as we have seen in Libya, DRC and South Sudan, Somalia, Rwanda) the economic and human cost to the people, the country and region could be enormous. In deed the final outcome of a war is always uncertain. This is because of shifting priorities, goals, objectives; the enemy could adapt to the war environment, and change tactics and strategy.

Therefore, the war must have a clear objective. In Gambia's case the objective must be to install a democratically elected president into office; to ensure that the wishes of Gambians are respected; to promote political stability and constitutional rule; protect human rights, rule of law and respect for national institutions (example the Electoral Commission), regional conventions. There should also be detailed planning of the war and its aftermath to ensure that the objectives are achieved. We believe a declaration of war could get President Jammeh to rethink his decision not to leave power.

2/01/2017
Steve Yates life was interesting, even before he moved to Idaho, before he became chair of the state Republican party and before his bit role in Donald Trumps controversial phone call with the leader of Taiwan earlier this month that upended U.S. diplomatic protocol.

At 19, he left his home in Maryland for a two-year Mormon mission in Taiwan, where he became fluent in Chinese and connected with up-and-comers who now lead what is known officially as the Republic of China.

Back in U.S., his language fluency caught the attention of an LDS church member who worked at the National Security Agency. Yates enrolled in an NSA-sponsored work-study program, which led to assignments as an analyst at the Heritage Foundation and later as a deputy national security adviser in the White House at age 32.

In the aftermath of 9/11, he would often sit in for his boss, Vice President Dick Cheney, at national security meetings.

It was a huge honor, he recalls, with wry humor. Youre in a room and heres George W. Bush, heres (Chief of Staff) Andy Card, Condi Rice and Colin Powell  and Steve Yates.

Given that, one could imagine his selection in 2014 to lead the Idaho state Republican party might seem anti-climactic. To him, it was just the latest chapter in a life marked by devotion to public service, faith and family, and conservative causes.

Early years

The eldest of five, Yates, now 48, was born into a Roman Catholic home  his parents converted to the Mormon faith after a visit from an LDS missionary when he was 3. Living in Gaithersburg, Md., his father, Jerry, was a car mechanic with congenitally bad ankles who stood in pain all day for work. He would not let his son work on cars.

He was an amazing example to me of perseverance and hard work, Yates said. His father told him: Youd better work those books.

Growing up Mormon in Maryland, he occasionally met people from Idaho. When Yates arrived to attend Brigham Young University in Provo, he ran smack into one of those old Idaho friends in his dorm. He spent Thanksgiving that year with his friend in Idaho Falls  his first visit to the state.

At BYU, though he had proved inept at learning Spanish, he signed up for a Japanese language class until a friend encouraged him to take Chinese instead. After one year at BYU, he left for his mission in Taiwan. It was 1987, the year President Chiang Ching-kuo ended 38 years of martial law, legalizing opposition parties and initiating a gradual liberalizing in the country.

Based in southern Taiwan, Yates did a lot of listening, especially among the recently legalized dissident groups. On a return visit a decade later, he would meet a lawyer and educator, Tsai Ing-wen, who was elected president earlier this year.

Post-missionary life

Yates returned to the U.S. in 1989. His Chinese fluency led to an offer to work as a language analyst while attending school.

In 1990 he married Diana Kilbourn, whom hed met on her mission in D.C., and started working for the NSA while finishing his degree in China studies at the University of Maryland. He graduated in 1993 and applied to the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, but deferred admission while he figured out how to pay for it.

Working full-time for the NSA, he served as a liaison officer to the Department of Commerce. Yates liked working in downtown Washington and saw a career in politics and policy-making, not intelligence and analysis. His aspiration was to work for the Heritage Foundation, the renowned conservative think tank.

It might have seemed an unusual job pick for someone raised in a family of Kennedy Democrats. But Yates had come of age amid the Reagan revolution and the collapse of communism. He registered as a Republican and became a conservative activist.

The whole world was changing before our eyes in the 1989-91 years, and to me looked like a total vindication of the Reagan doctrine of the 1980s, he said. He returned from overseas with a special appreciation for all that is our country and a strong belief in American exceptionalism. Listening to a new national radio talk show host, Rush Limbaugh, he strongly identified with the conservative movement.

At Johns Hopkins, he regularly attended open office hours with the schools dean, Paul Wolfowitz, an assistant secretary of state under the first President Bush. After school, he got on at the Heritage Foundation, starting as a China policy analyst in 1996.

Steve quickly became a valued member of the Heritage family, Ed Feulner, a foundation co-founder and former president who is now a member of President-elect Donald Trumps transition team, said by email. He called Yates a grassroots leader of sensible Americans.

In early 2001, his connections with Wolfowitz prompted a phone call from the vice presidents office. Yates met with staffers and, a week later, with Cheney. Before Yates realized he was actually interviewing for a job, the vice president welcomed him on board.

Yates reported to Cheneys chief of staff, Lewis Scooter Libby. Now senior vice president at the Hudson Institute, another conservative Washington think tank, Libby said via email that Yates served with distinction during trying times and never lost his strong sense of honor and of duty.

Yates left the White House in 2005, two weeks before Libbys turn of fortunes  he resigned after his indictment related to the leak of a covert CIA agents identity. (Libby was later convicted, but his prison sentence commuted by the president.) After the intense stress of the White House years and 9/11, he was worn out and a stranger to his family. He and his wife had two adopted children, and his eldest, Christina, then 7, had taken to introducing him he as my dad, who lives at his office.

He started his own Asian policy and consulting firm and made the rounds as a commentator on Fox News. A self-employed consultant, he could basically work anywhere. So, with extended family in Utah and Idaho, he moved to Idaho Falls in 2011.

Politics in Idaho

He remained involved. In 2012, he advised Newt Gingrich in his presidential run, as he had for Rudy Giuliani in 2008. He made the rounds in Idaho political circles and lost a GOP primary race for the state House in 2014. Idaho Republicans at the time were riven by internal division. At a stormy convention that year, Yates, a newcomer with unassailable conservative credentials, got elected state GOP chairman.

He put himself forward as someone committed to conservatism as an ideology and committed to the party, he said. He argued the party should train and equip people, promote its platform and get its candidates elected.

His party work, he said, has turned out to be more rewarding than writing talking points for national candidates. He was re-elected in 2016, and Idaho Republicans ousted incumbent Democrats in Lewiston and Moscow, held on to an increasingly rare all-Republican Boise legislative district and boosted their numbers in the Idaho House and the Senate.

Taiwan ties resurface

With his experience in the White House and Asia, Yates has informally advised the Trump transition. When talk of Trump receiving a congratulatory call from the Taiwanese leader came up  a move that could potentially infuriate Beijing and roil diplomatic relations  Yates encouraged it. Hes long been critical of official U.S. policy that acknowledges Beijing as the seat of Chinese government, but maintains strong economic and back-door diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

His role in the call initially was reported to be more extensive than it actually was. Every once in a while, he said, it all seems to come back to Taiwan no matter what I do.

Hes not interested in an administration job, but is helping the new administration find candidates for some of the 4,000 executive branch jobs Trump will fill. Nor is another run for elected office in his immediate plans.

He displays his penchant for slightly subversive, self-mocking humor when he mentions the rumors that have followed me from the moment I set foot in Idaho that I had some kind of a secret plan to run for high office here.

I am flattered that people find me qualified for those kinds of offices, but they seem to be occupied for the time being, Yates said. I cant know what the future holds  it could be in two years time no one cares what I think. ... Having been a party chairman for over two years is a fine way to impoverish someone and make it impossible for them to run for office.
A CHINESE community representing the GuangXi Chamber of Commerce in Ghana has presented some food items to resource the Kumasi Childrens Home.

The items valued at GH3, 000.00 include five bags of rice, nine boxes of Kalypo, five packs of mineral water, four bags of sugar, eight packs of biscuits and assorted drinks.

The Kumasi Childrens Home was built in 1965 and has been managed under the auspices of the Department of Social Welfare.

Complementing Govt efforts

Speaking at the presentation ceremony at the home in Kumasi, a delegate of the commerce, Monica Wei who was assisted by the Liaison Officer of the commerce, Zigah Selase said it was necessary for the Chinese community to contribute its widows mite to support needy children in a Ghanaian society.

She said some Chinese nationals, especially, those from GuangXi Province of China have been in Ghana for the past three years to engage in different business and that it was necessary for them to also give back to society.

She said government alone could not do it and it was pertinent for non-governmental organisations, able-bodied persons and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to come to the support of needy children.

Under no circumstance should needy children in society, especially, those in organised homes, be deprived of support from society both in kind and cash. We at GuangXi Chamber of Commerce deem it necessary to present our support to complement the efforts by successive Ghana governments to resource state orphanages, she stated.

She however, called for close relations between the home and Chinese community and pledged more support for the home in the coming years.

Strengthening Ghana-Chinese relations

Monica Wei emphasised that the gesture was not only a contribution from the Chinese community but as a symbol strengthening Ghana-China relations both at local and international levels.

She said just as some Ghanaians have to be to China to learn of good policies, Chinese nationals in Ghana were learning from the states intervention of managing the affairs of needy children.

Having lived in Ghana for some years now, she observed that have been beggars on the streets and a number of children been abandoned and suggested that the Ghanaian government developed child-development based policies to take care of needy children in the country, especially, those in public orphanages.

She however, called on the Ghanaian community to accord Chinese nationals living in Ghana the needed cordiality in everything for a more solid Ghana-China relation.

Gratitude

The Manager of the Kumasi Childrens Home, Mabel Boamah on behalf of the home and the Department of Social Welfare, expressed gratitude to the Chinese community for the benevolence.

She appealed to the public not to relent in efforts to help resource the home so as to build the future for needy children.
Tripoli (AFP) - One of three deputy premiers in Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord resigned on Monday, saying he had failed in his mission.

Moussa al-Kouni told a press conference in the capital of the chaos-ridden North African country that he could no longer stay in the post.

"I'm resigning because I have failed," said a visibly moved Kouni, who is originally from southern Libya and represents the Tuareg minority in the GNA.

"We (in the GNA) are responsible because we accepted this mission.

"We take responsibility for everything that has happened in the past year: dramas, violence, murder, rape, invasion, the squandering of public funds... Regardless of the extent of the crimes, we are responsible," he said.

Libya has been mired in chaos since the 2011 downfall of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

In March last year, the internationally backed GNA was formed, intended to replace two rival administrations, one in Tripoli and one in the country's far east.

It is also the centrepiece of Western hopes to stem an upsurge of jihadism in Libya and halt people trafficking across the Mediterranean that has led to thousands of drownings.

Jihadists of the Islamic State group have been chased from their North African stronghold in Sirte 450 kilometres (280 miles) east of Tripoli after eight months of deadly fighting.

Despite this success, the GNA has failed to assert its authority fully over the whole country.

Prime minister-designate Fayez al-Sarraj has not yet been able to secure a vote of confidence in the Libyan parliament based in Tobruk in the east, where the military leader of the parallel authorities, Marshal Khalifa Haftar, is also based.

"The inability to meet people's expectations leads me to resign... I pledged to alleviate their suffering but I did not succeed," Kouni also wrote on his Twitter account.
Khartoum (AFP) - Gunmen in military uniforms have killed eight people in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region, residents and an NGO said Monday, as rebels accused the army of being behind the attack.

The shooting happened on Sunday in Nertiti in the Jabal Marra area, where sporadic clashes between the army and rebels have continued despite a government-announced unilateral ceasefire.

Ashafih al-Saleh, who heads an association that supports displaced people in Darfur, said: "Eight people, mostly women, were killed inside their homes."

He accused the army of carrying out the attack "to avenge the death of a soldier whose body was found" in Nertiti.

Resident Faisal Ashaq said his 13-year-old daughter was killed in the attack.

"Gunmen in military uniforms appeared suddenly in their four-wheel-drives, shooting with guns and machine guns screwed on to their vehicles," he said.

A medical source said around 60 people were wounded.

The Sudan Liberation Army - Minni Minnawi rebel group accused pro-government forces of conducting the attack.

A statement said "the attack contradicts" President Omar al-Bashir's decision on December 31 to extend by a month a unilateral ceasefire in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan regions.

"Bashir's decision is aimed at covering up the crimes committed by his militias, under his instructions," it added.

The conflict in Darfur -- a region of the size of France -- erupted in 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against Bashir's Arab-dominated government, accusing it of marginalising the region.

At least 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced in Darfur since the conflict first erupted in 2003, the UN says.

Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court on war crimes and genocide charges related to Darfur, which he denies.

Sudan insists that the conflict in Darfur has ended.
02.01.2017 LISTEN

The reasons for the overthrow of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah are multifarious. It ranges from the hated one party state dictatorship to almighty corruption. Kotoka and his lieutenants kicked him out as a result, and replaced him with General Ankrah. Hardly did we have time to breathe a sigh of relief when the ugly face of hypocrisy came sprawling  here I am.

General Ankrah, the hero on the Whitehorse, the redeemer who gave voice to the aims of NLCs overthrow of Nkrumah, had to resign due to the Nzeribe case. Just over two years at the helm of affairs, Busia was shown the door by Acheampong. Among Kutus reasons for ousting Busia was corruption. He even baited him to come back from exile to answer charges of corruption. Acheampong, without a gun shot, was replaced in a palace coup by a member of his military junta, Akuffo, for economic sabotage. Yes, that is a very handsome way of expressing corruption.

When Rawlings shattered the tranquillity of the nation leading to the 1979 election, his alibi was that the Akuffo led military government was corrupt to the marrow. Of all the military take overs this was the bloodiest. Rawlings dulled the senses of Ghanaians when just after three and half months in office he handed over power to the democratically elected leader, President Hilla Limann.

The cockerel did not get to crow the third time when Rawlings came back playing the same old tired gramophone record. Well, that was the last of the military adventures in our history. However, Rawlings after nineteen years of whirlwind of brutality meant to whip Ghanaians in line and rid the land of corruption, I can bet my cedi that Rawlings in his private time is haunted by the spirit of, for example, Col. Felli.

The latter was shot at the Teshie Military Range for having just $300 in his foreign bank account. On the other hand, the joke about his own shock at the sight of one of his henchmens residence begs the question: was 1979 bloodshed worthwhile? Kufuors administration was not spared the tag of corruption, which mainly led to the defeat of Nana at his first attempt. By 2012, the spring flowers of corruption was blooming wild in the Ghanaian countryside.

The sight of it became so beautiful and attractive ministers began domesticating the flowers with thorns in their homes and offices. Into the middle of President Mahamas term in office, it became so blatant that impunity and arrogance became bedfellows with corruption. This time, it was not the sound of bullets, like in 2000 and 2008, but the shuffling of papers in ballot boxes that overwhelmingly brought down a corrupt government.

The magnitude of the awe-inspiring cry for change registered by the voters in favour of the opposition party has never happened in our short political history. This is not a lonely voice crying out in the wilderness for change; its the voice of millions screaming their hearts out to our politicians for salvation. This is not just a cry of frustration to Nana Addo, but to all politicians, especially those who have got the power now.

I have lost track the number of times the incumbent government were labelled as corrupt by the winners. The sad reality is that this is the mantra weve been hearing for the past 50 years. So, in the midst of the unfettered euphoria we can still hear the soft and silent voices of concerned Ghanaians: is this also going to be the same old story when the time comes for stock taking?

My plea is very simple. Please, dont be hypocrites; let us consign the word corruption and hypocrisy into the dustbin of Ghanaian political history. The power to make Ghana great is in your hands now. We have had so many alibis for far too long, and we are running out of time and excuses. Though I have my reservations, I am still confident that Nana will deliver Ghana from the shackles of misery since independence. Because we currently have the potential to grow the national economy by a minimum of 10% each year. The possibilities are within the range of 12 and 14 percent. To that effect, by the end of Nanas eight years we can easily double the size of the economy. What I am writing is not just brewing out of my imaginations.

Energy seems to be our biggest problem. Fortunately, it appears the right keys have been plucked with the oncoming $7 billion ENI gas project. With a little bit of sound economic management, which the country was denied under the outgoing government, Ghana will be going places. As long as Dr Bawumiah is around I can keep my doubts in check, at least, when it comes to sound economic management. Nana Addo Dankwah Akufu-Addo and Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, please do me proud. Posterity will not forgive us if we waste this opportunity to revive the dream that was stolen at independence.

Philip Kobina Baidoo Jnr

London

[email protected]
Dear Diamond X,

I know you oppose the idea of writing about you, simply because you want us to keep our relationship out of the public domain. Well, forgive me; I had no option than to write you this open letter, which actually happens to be my first write-up in 2017. You know why? Sarkodie's love song "Just in Case" for his longtime girlfriend, Tracy, has really compelled me to write this letter. The decade-long relationship of Sarkodie, my biggest role model, and his faithful partner, Tracy, has always inspired me. Okay, their momentous love story should not necessarily be the benchmark for measuring our relationship performance. But certainly, it has raised the bar of excellence in relationship which we ought to learn from and even surpass. Ha-ha, I urge you to be my Tracy and I'll always your Sarkodie.

Sweetheart, you already know I love you, and I have proven that to a large extent. So there is no need to reiterate that and to even add adverbs of degree. You are not perfect, but I see you some perfection in your spirit. Besides, Sam Keen said, "We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly." However, you obviously have flaws since you are human, and thus fallible. Frankly speaking, I hate a few things about you  you actually know about that. And I know you also hate a few things about me  I am well aware of that. But I sense you cherish me in your heart more than any precious metal. As crazy extroverts, we frequently argue over trivial matters. Notwithstanding the challenges we constantly encounter, let us seek solace in the proverb, "Never a rose without thorns."

Moreover, I pray we would still be together as ever-loving partners in 2026, the tenth year of our relationship. Sarkodie and Tracy have been together as far back as 2006, and they are now a family with an adorable daughter, Titi. Remember, the number of years in relationship should not be our target, but rather the number of times we solve our own issues amicably. Let us not grow in age in our relationship; let us rather grow in understanding in our relationship. Tracy has always rallied her support for Sarkodie's music career even when he was a broke talent in Ghana's rap game. Likewise, continue to rally your support for my writing career now that I'm broke university dropout in Ghana's entrepreneurial arena. Tracy understood Sarkodie regardless of how weird he looked in personality. Likewise, continue to understand me regardless of how freakish I am in personality.

Also, how can I forget to explain why you are the love of my life? I know my fans desperately want to hear this. When I once stated that, "I thought there was no girl who could truly love me even as a dropout," you responded by stating that, "I don't love you because of your status, but I love you for the person you are." Babe, you are rare in many ways. Many girls saw me as an idiotic and naive boy for quitting the university to start my own business; you saw me as a rare genius whom you could spend your life with. You incredibly believe in my potential, you keep encouraging me beyond my imagination, and you fearlessly chastise me whenever I go wrong. Above all, your affinity for business is simply out of this world, and you have always dared to defy the odds in your burning desire to become a mightily successful entrepreneur. Thank you, my darling.

Your boyfriend,

Sir Article.

Source: sirarticle.blogspot.com
02.01.2017 LISTEN

Before going on to explain my accusations against some perceived disgusting Ghanaian journalists, please give me a second to define who a journalist or what a journalism is.

A journalist by definition is a person who writes news stories or articles for a newspaper or magazine or broadcasts them on radio or television and journalism on the other hand is the work of collecting, writing, and publishing news stories and articles in newspapers and magazines or broadcasting them on the radio and television

A professional journalist must be ethical and truthful in their reportage of news, telling them as they unfold or have happened and in addition, with all things being equal, offer useful advice to their listeners or the nation on the topics they are treating or reporting about.

However, if we come to Ghana, what do we often see our journalists to be doing? Sorry to say, some of them are completely useless. They have sold their conscience to some political parties for money and for the satisfaction of their insatiable quest for quick buck. They have indeed turned into stomach-politicians but in disguise of being journalists.

Every sane Ghanaian with the love of the nation and the people at heart could tell how President Mahama and his NDC government and party were ruining the country economically through the implementation of their roguishly myopic policies.

They were dishing out the countrys money to their cronies, agents and assigns, and NDC partys radio phone-in serial callers tasked to lambast and soil the reputation of their political rivals, especially Nana Akufo Addo, on daily basis. Additionally, they were financially influencing some of these so-called rogue journalists supportive of the criminal drives by President Mahama and his apparatchiks.

For what the journalists like Kwesi Pratt Jnr, Kwadwo Asare Bediako Acheampong aka KABA, Captain Smart and a host of other such unprofessional so-called journalists who are no match when it comes to discussing international or proper journalism, would gain as stomach and selfish individuals, they solidly stood by, supported and defended the rot that President Mahama was comfortably and stupidly orchestrating and perpetuating in Ghana.

As Kwesi Pratt Jnr., the Managing Editor of the failed-to-sell Insight Newspaper was jumping and shuttling between one FM radio station to another like a human butterfly jumping from one flower to the other sucking the flowers nectar, arguing in defence of the policies of President Mahama and the NDC although as divisive and destructive as they appeared, KABA, Captain Smart and others were equally fooling about engaged in similar ruinous activities.

KABA, a known and self-confessed NDC supporter who had benefitted financially from the party for doing their silly job for them, was always picking NDC serial radio phone-in callers to insult Nana Akfuo Addo and the NPP and to propagate their NDC lies and propaganda.

What really continues to piss me off about this fatty or obese KABA is his recent infatuation with questioning NPP supporters about whether or not President-elect Nana Akufo Addo can fulfil all his electioneering or manifesto promises made to Ghanaians, thus, his one village one dam, one district one factory and US$1 million yearly subvention to every district in Ghana.

President-elect Nana Akufo Addo has not formally been sworn in as the 7th President of the 4th Republic of Ghana yet, this eyesore human creature without shape is teasingly questioning whether or not he can succeed with his numerous promises. From his conduct, he prays for the failure of Nana Akufo Addo to be able to justify his malicious NDC intents.

Going on to one Captain Smart of either Adom FM radio or TV or whatever, he is another journalist who makes his living aligning himself with the NDC. A few months ago, he tried to politicise an electrical issue quite unrelated to politics. In his pretentious critique, he lambasted the knowledgeable people who had faulted that NDC woman in her attempts to deceive Ghanaians by selling some electric bulbs to them in her bid to make immense wealth overnight.

I was highly annoyed to hear Captain Smart make such silly claims without knowing anything about electrical bulbs apart from the bulbs giving off light when switched on.

Refer to the two underlying web links to read my response to his infantile behaviour as a supposed renowned journalist in Ghana and in the minds of Ghanaians.

https://www.modernghana.com/news/714747/captain-smart-of-adom-fm-and-the-magical-mosquitoes-exterm.html

https://www.modernghana.com/news/717324/report-on-research-into-captain-smarts-alleged-magical-mosq.html

(Read more at http://www.boots.com/en/Boots-Pharmaceuticals-Repel-3-Pin-Plug-In-Mosquito-Killer_1793365/#M8oPM3zc5qXQx8Xu.99 )

The behaviours of these journalists just to mention a few, and some of our musical artists and actresses are just preposterous, unpatriotic, selfish, greedy and pure nonsensical.

When a country is going downhill because of the silly and corrupt actions of the politicians, the media that is unofficially the fourth arm of government must set in to correct things but not to make matters worse by supporting the rot in orchestration by the government just for what they stand to gain as individuals.

I thought with Nana Addo and NPP winning the elections I could scale back on my political writings but I am mistaken. It is now that I have rather to double my publications to help Nana Addo succeed to the admiration and high expectations of all well-meaning Ghanaians.

I expect Ghanaian journalists to start to behave themselves or be more responsible. They have to support Nana Addo to succeed, educate the Ghanaian masses about his policies and criticise him constructively when he errs but not destructively with their usual evil intents.

I shall not hesitate to bring any erring, malicious and saboteur journalists to their senses, mark my words. We shall not sit back for corrupt, selfish and unprofessional journalists and politicians to play on the intelligence of the masses or to take us for any further rough ride.

It is now the period of enough is enough with our rogue journalists and politicians! I shall be back on these journalists again about other things I see them do that I am not happy about at all.

Stay tuned for further info from Rockson Adofo, that fearless son of Kumawu and Asiampa.

My New Year seasonal greetings to the Management of Ghanaweb and Modernghana without whom I could hardly share my views with the general public. I say, Happy New Year to you all, the Management and staff of Ghanaweb and Modernghana.

Rockson Adofo

(Written on Monday, 2 January 2017)
02.01.2017 LISTEN

In doing a post election analysis on why the Nefarious Destructive Cancer lost the December 7, 2016 Elections, it has become imperative to reprint or publish some of the articles by the writer which attacked and condemned the unethical and incongruous policies of the ruling NDC Government led by John Dramani Mahama. If the NDC had paid heed to the warnings and concerns of this patriot (Daniel Danquah Damptey) perhaps, the disaster which has befallen the President and his party might have been averted. This is the first part of such write ups.

Our country is in total darkness. People are groping in darkness trying to clutch at anything their hands could grab just to keep hope alive. Despondency has taken control of every facet of our daily life. Our ship of state has become rudderless as auto pilot takes control. Whom do we turn to for safety?

The above metaphorical situation manifested itself last Wednesday, 3rd June, 2015 during a heavy down pour. Millions of hardworking Ghanaian money had been spent equipping numerous relief and disaster management agencies to be up and doing. But when disaster struck, these Relief Agencies were caught pants down. They behaved like the son of Adam who had boasted of his sexual prowess with the daughter of Eve. But when the opportunity came his way, he started panting like a fish pulled out of water.

The Nefarious Destructive Cancer has shown by all indications that even though it carouses itself in bottles of alcohol, it can neither keep nor hold a single bottle straight. It is clumsy and weird and cannot be trusted with our collective destiny. What do you do with such bunch of callous and unredeemable greedy bastards and babies with sharp teeth? Throw them away with the water in which they have bathed! Yes, these people are so wicked and corrosive that any little contact with them or their instrument will contaminate your soul and send you straight to hell.

We cannot wait like mummified dummies and allow these wicked and agents of destabilization to toy with our collective destiny. They have only one agenda  to keep the masses in ignorance and abject poverty. On daily basis, the party, true to its name, keeps peddling false statistics to hoodwink the international community and vulnerable Ghanaians into believing that all is well in the country. But a visit to the average Ghanaian home will depict a picture of mal-nourishment, hopelessness and helplessness. The masses have no hope of where and when their next meal will come from. They live only for the day. It depicts a picture of the minority who are strikingly rich preying upon the impoverished and kwashiorkor stricken majority. A case of mans insensitivity to his fellow human being, one might say.

We, the silent majority have appealed to their conscience to lessen our burden for us. But, do they have conscience at all? If they do, then it is dead. Like the Biblical Rehobeam, they have told us to the face that they will not lesson our burden for us. If late President Mills scourged us with whips, our new kid on the block will sting you with scorpions. We will not listen to you. (Yentie obiara).They chorused

There is impunity, arrogance, incompetence and lack of accountability at the top level of the presidency. They have lost grip of their conscience and have become depraved. They think only of what they can get from the system. Conscienceless, they have been reduced to the level of beasts. It is as if we were living in the lowest animal kingdom where the strong prey on the weak. They promised us the Brave New World, but what they have given us is the State of Nature where life was short, nasty and brutish.

Who will soften our burden for us? Who will listen to our cries? Who will save us from these greedy bastards who have no idea of the sacrifices our founding fathers made to make this nation what it is today? The babies with sharp teeth have laid siege at our collective destiny. Who will cage them? None, it appears!

The current darkness is only for a while. Payback time will soon be here. Evil cannot perpetrate itself in power for ever,

The repercussions of their reckless, bizarre, anti-people, unpatriotic, un-Ghanaian, contemptuous and dissipation of public funds is highly objectionable and condemnable. These wicked and ungodly people have fed us with lies and even attempted to rewrite the history of the country, forgetting the fact that some of us have lived through such periods. Grace Bediako was sacked from her job as Chief Statistician when she resisted governments attempts to allow falsehood to have a field day both in the country and outside.

How on earth could this insensitive and failure of a government claim the accolade that Ghana was the fastest growing economy in the world in both 2010 and 2011. In 2012, these apostles of apostasy went to the ridiculous extent of claiming that the country had the best performing economy in the world. Could they in all sincerity look Ghanaians in the eye and tell us when we attained Middle Income status?

Meanwhile the country was experiencing a severe energy crisis at the home front. What single peoples friendly policy has this clueless Mahama administration put in place since it came to power nearly seven years ago? If there is any, let them mention a single one and I will eat humble pie. Renovating some classrooms at thrice the cost of the real cost should not be counted as achievement. If we were to go on that tangent, it is pertinent at that point to state that many individual philanthropists have blazed the trail long before the Nefarious Destructive Cancer was born.

And true to type, these rabid dogs, vicious snakes, vultures, hydras, pigs and destroyers of destinies have in less than a decade destroyed every single peoples friendly policy well articulated and implemented by the Kufuor led administration. What happened to free ante and post maternal care for pregnant women at our various hospitals and clinics? What about the NHIS? Talk of free bus ride for school pupils, Capitation Grant and a host of others which space will not allow me to mention and one could only conclude that these wicked and unpatriotic elements should not be allowed to live amongst decent minded human beings. They should be taken to the deepest abyss, for hell will not even accept them. Their wickedness knows no bounds. The rivers and rivulets in the country have not escaped Mahama and the NDCs atrocities. The birds, especially guinea fowls are the worst hit. Mahamas Policies are so harsh and cruel that the guinea fowls felt comfortable taking shelter in Burkina Faso than in Ghana. You see how rudderless and wicked the Ghanaian President could be!

Yet, the acolytes of President Mahama prefer to suggest that he is the best thing that ever happened in the entity called Ghana. They should rather go and commit hari-kari. This wicked government has cancelled allowances for teachers and nurses pursuing professional training in their respective institutions. It has stopped payment of research allowance to lecturers in our universities. It has sacked poorly remunerated pupil teachers in rural areas. What hasnt this wicked administration being led by a wicked president not done to ensure that the burden of Ghanaians is increased in order to retain the accolade of being the most wicked and clueless President that ever lived on earth? Cost of utilities have gone up more than one thousand times, with some even going beyond five thousand times. If President Mahama had his way, he would even put a tax on the air we breathe. Unfortunately, no member of his wicked contraption called Nefarious Destructive Cancer will come out openly to condemn such obnoxious policies. Martin Amidu is an exception and I doff my heart to him and a few such gallant men and women who have refused to sell their conscience to the highest bidder and pay master.

These oppressors have obsessively acquired and stockpiled treasures and money in complete disregard of Christs injunction in Matthew 6:19 not to lay up for ourselves treasures on earth. The funny thing is that they must disregard this injunction because they know there will be nothing for them and their children in Heaven. Of course, they do not believe that there will be life after death.

The Yorubas have a proverb which goes like this. If a foolish man com die at the backyard of a wise man, people go ask him why in spite of all his wisdom, the foolish man com die at his back yard. The President cannot escape the wrath of the people and Baba God. Never! Evil can triumph for sometime, but it has got to be defeated in the end to establish a sense of justice.

Dear reader, John Dramani Mahama, having taken us into the ocean of forgetfulness, do you think this sadistic, ungrateful, divisive, demonic and clueless Mahama of a President and ND C can take us from the hopeless situation we now find ourselves in?

What sin have Ghanaians committed to be saddled with this unfocused leadership? It appears as if we were doomed the moment the Nefarious Destructive Cancer stole the mandate of the people. The President had right from the beginning been attempting to foist himself on Ghanaians. This clandestine move was given a boost when some of the late President most trusted men made a u-turn and plotted against their mentor, late President Mills.

A post mortem examination was conducted on corpses of those who lost their lives in the recent flood and fire disaster. Why has it taken almost three years for a post mortem to be conducted on the body of the late President? His family has asked for the post mortem report, but President Mahama and his Nefarious Destructive Cancer have remained adamant. The youth of Otuam asked for it and policemen were sent to beat up the demonstrators. Now Ghanaians are asking. What killed late President Professor John Evans Atta Mills?

President John Dramani Mahama, what are you going to tell Baba God if you are asked to give account of your stewardship? What account are you going to give Baba God on how your predecessor died?

Daniel Danquah Damptey ( [email protected] ) 0243715297

(Self-Appointed Special Aide to our Decisive President Elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo).
02.01.2017 LISTEN

I do not live on false promises. I cannot afford to live on bad advice (Robert Kiyosaki).

Akufo-Addos and Bawumias policy idea to make the private sector the focal point of their yet-to-be-implemented governance style is a commendable one.

However one looks at the Ghanaian political economy from the unique perspective of the Fourth Republic, one cannot but cautiously conclude that the ruling elites have always resorted to the economic philosophy of bureaucratic capitalism to manage the national economy, and it really does not matter whether the constitution of a ruling class in power is drawn from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) or the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

We should clarify bureaucratic capitalism as a mixed economy, and in that sense it entails an operational marriage between the private sector and the public sector.

Certainly one cannot exist without the other, meaning that the concept of intrinsic mutualism is of paramount consequence to the optimal sustainability of both sectors.

But optimal sustainability has been merely a dream in the Ghanaian body politic, a cosmetic pursuit that has severely undermined the operational competitiveness and strategic effectiveness of the national economy and failed to lend credence to the testable potential benefits of quantum economics.

Rather importantly, the relative absence of optimal sustainability in the broader context of Ghanas economic development has never existed in a vacuum.

Institutional corruption, weak judiciary and parliament, executive dominance, the underground economy, unpatriotism, bureaucratic bottlenecks, corporate irresponsibility, bad leadership and fiscal policies, organized crime, vicissitudes of the global economy, and lack of economic diversification are some of the major drags on the nations economic development. This is no rocket science.

What this means is that for us to have a sustainable, competitive national economy these problems and others not directly mentioned here in the aforesaid paragraph must be thoroughly addressed.

The other interesting point is that the suit of problems we have previously referenced is not unique to the public sector. In other words they can be found in the private sector as well.

This also means that for both sectors to function optimally in the practical sense of mutual competitiveness, the ruling class will do well not to underestimate the magnitude of these problems by unnecessarily hyping the alleged superiority of the private sector over the public sector, in which their intrinsic context of shared or mutual problems is totally ignored, probably for lack of insightful appreciation of the running intricacies of political economy on the part of the ruling class.

Particularly in our part of the world, Ghana included, the private sector is not intrinsically superior to the public sector.

Thus Akufo-Addos warning to those potential political appointees who may be working in and with his government come January, may come up against both foreseeable and unforeseeable roadblocks.

In other words, those who are likely to join his government under the pretext of making money had better join the private sector instead. How much quantum of money does Akufo-Addo have in mind?

The warning is therefore vague and on account of this vagueness, we shall given him the benefit of the doubt as he is likely to roll out a roadmap for it when he assumes political office early next year.

Nevertheless, this vagueness needs to be replaced with an injection of categorical qualification to make practical sense, because the political convenience of vagueness tends to provide justifiable grounds for official dereliction and denial.

Even more so, the fact still remains that the private sector does not guarantee steady profit, material wealth and operational sustainability.

Can qualified men and women from the private sector with a universe of vast technocratic and industry experience join his government then?

Could these men and women transfer their extensive knowledge and experience to his government, to the public sector?

Could Akufo-Addos magic wand be facing a potential fancy dilemma?

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Finally, and perhaps most significantly, no human beingincluding this authorin his or her right mind will wish Akufo-Addo and his incoming government to fail.

We all have families and friends in Ghana and therefore when he and his incoming government succeed across the board, there is a greater chance that these family members and friends will also benefit somewhat, even if remotely.

But this will require skilled management and translation of goodwill or political capital, and cultural diplomacy into pragmatic policy formulations, all literally geared toward development economics, improved Human Development Index (HDI) and Happiness Economics and the Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG), successful comparative advantage and pragmatic nationalism goals, and attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The alternative is pragmatic incompetence eventually taking over the reins of power and turning them into destructive agents of leadership failure, a sorry trademark of the Fourth Republic. The fact, alas, is that no leader from either major political party in the Fourth Republic has given us cause to think otherwise, namely thinking of Ghanaian leadership and Ghanaian society in absolute good terms.

And, it is not as if the Ghanaian leadership or ruling class does not know what to do in order to improve the lot of the masses. Ghanaian leaders do in fact know exactly what to do, yet somehow they allow general apathy, wickedness, ignorance, extreme partisan politics, unpatriotism, institutional corruption, political ethnocentrism, and strategic incompetence to steer the affairs of the nation.

In a nutshell, the knotty dilemma which Akufo-Addo and his incoming government are likely to come up against is the well-known suit of social ailments, from extreme partisan politics, an extremely polarized society, institutional corruption, the uncreative resistance of the Ghanaians ossified attitude and character and mindset to positive and sustainable change, the unpredictable nature of the market economy of cash crops and gas/oil, general apathy, organized crime, serious deficiencies or unreliability in power supply, and unpatriotism to the vicissitudes of the global market, among others.

Thus Ghana needs more than a passing rhetoric of righteous indignation and emotional investments in a proactive, visionary, strong, pragmatic and intelligent leadership to reverse these negative trends.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The typical bobcat Ghanaian politician, a creepy moral Luddite, is also a self-seeking boobocrat or snollygoster absolutely lacking in the power of introspective conscience. These good-for-nothing politicians with prosthetic brains and heads have nothing useful to offer Ghana and Africa.

This new elitist Sodom-and-Gomorrah-cloak-wearing political animal with a sagging waterlogged brainpan is wont to hide behind his highfalutin Orwellian language of magical consummation, itself lodged or hidden behind another thick winding layer of political theology, and makes angelic and saintly promises only to turn them into eloquent pictographic alchemy of needless propaganda when he is given the opportunity to demonstrate his leadership, managerial and technocratic prowess in order to put his well-meaning critics to shame.

This politician behaves as though he is an earthly angel, a saint, a magician, none of which he is, yet the same people keep voting him into power every now and then without seeing any material gains in their lives.

This politician, who is a scarecrow lip-server and is also usually surrounded by a cabal of murderous thieves, greasy nation-wreckers and cold, conning political criminals, only works so hard just so he can succeed in turning his angelic and saintly promises into a cesspool of apocalyptic curses once popular sovereignty gives him the mandate, and in destroying the collective destiny of his subjects.

Popular sovereignty therefore tends to understand and see change only in the changing mechanism in the physical attributes of the politician in whom it reposes its trust of executive authority.

Popular sovereignty in tandem with this criminal politician shortchanges the people in broad daylight, leading to their continuing privation, debasement, hopelessness, and dehumanization.

Thus, true change continually evades popular sovereignty as it gets progressively habituated to the status quo of political inaction.

The Ghanaian has therefore never known change because he and the politician he always votes into power never change.

It is even sadder when this politician relies on the fake, backward clergy for moral guidance in important matters of strategic policy formulations, a clergy that is divided in its loyalty to and support for political leadersall for the sake of courting political attention and patronage and their share of loot from the public purse which these self-seeking politicians have managed to ransack dry.

As a matter of fact the seeming moral, intellectual, and spiritual bankruptcy of unpatriotic Ghanaians and their dangerous cabal of wicked politicians is partly the doing of this fake, backward and scheming clergy, and, as a result, it becomes extremely difficult to change the ossified Ghanaian mindset and society for the better so long as Ghanaian citizens themselves and their wicked, unpatriotic politicians do not see any need for change in their negative attitudes, a stinking dress of attitudes irreversibly frozen under the antiquated glare of moral absurdities and inflated egos.

And if we may add, all these self-professed politicians who know absolutely nothing about speaking truth to power are animate chameleons costumed in the frigid wickedness and moral indignation of human corporeality, merely to deceive great men and women of noble, patriotic conscience.

Is the Ghanaian leadership truly capable of sustainablerather than cosmeticchange, of patriotically loving the nation and its beautiful, hardworking masses without a creeping sense of moral equivocation?

A rhetorical question indeed, and so it goes, Dear Readers!

We shall return with Part 2.
02.01.2017 LISTEN

Since it does not belong to he who is leading to redirect their steps, I feel obliged after a day or two of thoughtful cogitation to come back to offer the paramount chief (Omanhene) of Mpasaaso, Nana Minta Dwansa III, some cogent advice. I shall be doing him no favours if I pointed out his disgusting behaviours presumably bordering on theft and exploitation of the so-called tenant cocoa farmers on his land without offering him advice, suggestions and solutions to redeem himself in the eyes of the public and the farmers by retracting his forceful request or to reframe his demand in a more acceptable and appealing manner.

Before his predecessors or he himself leased or sold the farmlands to the cocoa farmers otherwise called the tenant farmers, did they enter into any written or oral contractual terms with them to extract money from them on a whim? How often and on what occasions could he or his predecessors call on the farmers to make forceful, but not voluntary, financial contributions to him to part-finance his expenses, some of which may be deemed ridiculously irresponsible?

Compelling tenant farmers to part or pre-finance his funeral obligations is completely nonsensical in my view. However, he could appeal to the farmers for financial assistance to fund or finance some development projects in the area that could be of collective benefit to the inhabitants of Mpasaaso traditional area. Even such a request for financial assistance should not be an obligation with fixed sums of money demanded from the individual farmers but rather, be a voluntary request with each farmer contributing how much they feel they are capable of without putting themselves under any financial constraints or stress.

Most cocoa farmers are not among the rich people in Ghana. Most of them do have bad crop yields in some years. How can these farmers who may normally pay yearly or periodic royalties to the chief, or to the Mpasaaso traditional Council from time to time be obliged to pay towards the unexpected expenses by the chief as one person commenting on my earlier publication on this chief seemed to justify? He even went further to warn me not to bring my Kumawu negativities to the Ahafo Ano North Constituency where Mpasaaso is.

The same commentator said, Asanteman are fed up with you, Ok? Let it be known to him and Asanteman that until the chiefs behave themselves responsibly, cease to exploit their subjects and stop stealing from them; stop reaping from where they have not sown and stop to steal lands to sell as though the lands were their bona fide property they came from their mothers womb with, they have not seen anything yet.

Asanteman Council will continue to be castigated by me until I see positive changes in them. The chiefs must stop their excesses and corruption. They must respect the laws of the land both constitutionally and conventionally. They should not see themselves as living in the era of total monarchy as it is the belief and view of the Asante Overlord Otumfuo Osei Tutu II. They should not be selling lands to the Chinese to do surface mining (galamsey) to spoil our lands and water bodies or to be more precise, to damage or deform irreparably our ecosystem to the extent of even killing some of our Ghanaian compatriots with impunity. Why should I respect chiefs of such wicked and myopic mentality or calibre? Finally, Asanteman Council should STOP meddling corruptibly in the Kumawu chieftaincy dispute. Period! I am from Kumawu and I know the history of my land and place of birth. I know the roguish ploys Asantehene and the Asanteman Council are up to to short-changing the subjects of Kumawuman but I shall resist them vehemently whether they like it or not and they can do me fuck all.

I shall advise Mpasaasohene not to demand fixed sums of money from the farmers to enable him attend funerals, especially that of Asantehemaa Nana Afia Kobi Serwaah Ampem II, from 13 January 2017 to 19 January 2017. He can appeal for funds where willing farmers or tenant farmers will have to voluntarily contribute. He should not be asking money to attend funerals but for carrying out essential developments.

Does he give genuine receipts to farmers when he forces them to part-finance his expensive, self-imposed funeral obligations? I shall advise that he issues official receipts to those from whom he obtains those compulsory funeral funds, donations or whatever.

Nowadays, some educated persons are going into farming or are sponsoring cocoa farmers. These persons who are conversant with both the constitutional and conventional laws pertaining to farming may challenge the chiefs when they perceive them not only to be playing on their intelligence but also, trying to exploit or dupe them for their personal convenience. Everything must be done within and according to the law with all acts of abuse of position and corrupt practices as are being exemplified by Mpasaaso Omanhene eschewed.

Could it not be that the emissaries may demand more than the chief has requested them to take to pocket the difference for their personal use? How does the chief ensure that such malpractices do not occur?

I have not been to stay at Oseikrom in the Mpasaaso traditional area since mid 1960s. The last time I remember going there for two days was when I took one Opanin Kwasi Nyadu from Kumawu to go to show him one of my fathers cocoa farms for him to become a caretaker of it in 1977 or 1978. I cant tell if Nana Minta Dwansa III was already the chief of Mpasaaso which I hope he wasnt. He could either be an old man or one of these younger chiefs who have become so materialistic and corrupt hence always seeking to exploit their subjects to feed their insatiable quest for overnight riches.

I do remember some people like Opanin Kwame Tawiah, a then very old man with her beautiful daughters. Opanin Kwabena Asuo, Opanin Kwabena Quansah, Opanin Owusu Ansah, Opanin Kwadwo Fordjour, Maame Akosua Nnuro, Opanin Kwadwo Boahen etc. all of whom are dead. I knew them at Oseikrom in the mid 1960s.

In my first or previous publication about Mpasaaso Omanhene Nana Minta Dwansa III, I promised to explain the proverb, Se nnie nantwie dua annka nnantwie to no, saa nso na nantwie bodua nnka okomfo3 nsa mu  literally translated as, as the tail of a cow/bull never remained permanently at the bottom or rear of the cow, so shall the dried cow-tail (swish) never remain in the hands of the fetish priest. Why this proverb, one may ask? It is simply that since the demise of my dad in 1981, the eldest son, Kwaku Osei, of his brother, former Warrant Officer Class 1 Kwasi Siaw who inherited him, has become the-all-powerful man (gangaria) over the cocoa farms and lands belonging to my late father at Oseikrom.

It is alleged he has always been threatening to massacre any of my fathers relatives who would dare visit the farms or the lands. Since issuing such bold threats, none of them has ever visited Oseikrom and he does not account for anything to anyone. He has become the absolute owner of the farms and lands of my father. As my fathers wives, children and relatives could not possess the cocoa farms and lands but had to forfeit them on his death, so will this seeming macho man Kwaku Osei will be chased out of the land on the day of the death of his father by my fathers relatives. He should mark my words hence the adage as mentioned above. As we were chased out by his greedy and myopic father, so shall his fate be in future.

Again, the other proverb I decided to explain was, Owuo a mewu nnye me ya se, ebia na mmanya nipa pa bi amma wani mmadeE, na sika kakra a mede agya me mma no, na 3de aye ne ho yie, na watwa me mma no agya, na wama me mma no aye mm3bo  The only thing that pains me is, I may not get a responsible person to inherit me on my death. And that the little money I shall leave behind for my children, he may use it for his selfish ends, leaving my children behind for them to become very miserable Yes, this had, and has been the situation of my fathers children since his death in 1981. His brother who inherited him has been such a knob without adding anything to all the things my father bequeathed to him but he has rather ruined everything and maltreated his children.

What goes around comes around and one day, his children will suffer the consequences of his dastardly actions. My father, Akwasi Acheampong, Yaw Sarpong, Kwasi Boateng, Yaw Opoku, Nana Yaa, Yaa Pokuaah, Nana Amma, Monica Gyamfuah, Kwabena Emmanuel, Kwadwo Duah, Afua Nkrumah, Kwasi Badu, Kwadwo Ben and our three mothers etc., may your souls rest in perfect peace.

The narration of this story is reducing me to tears so I shall call it a day.

Rockson Adofo
The Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar (lll) has made it clear that hatred, inequity, injustice and discrimination against women define the Islamic establishment, which he represents in Nigeria. This was evident in his reaction to the gender equality bill that is currently going through the legislative process at the Senate.

For some time now, there has been a debate on the status of women in Islam or under sharia law in Nigeria. There have been conflicting views and opinions on the issue. This debate, often provoked by issues regarding family inheritance and marriage in muslim majority states, has led to confused notion as to whether men and women are equal in Islam or if muslim men are more equal than women under sharia.

However, the Sultan of Sokoto seemed to have sealed this debate. He has actually resolved the controversy. The Sultan of Sokoto has made it clear that it was against the religion of Islam to treat men and women equally.

Otherwise, how else would one interpret the outrageous remarks of this head of muslims in Nigeria on the gender equality bill and his stiff opposition to its enactment as law?

First of all, let us take a look at the provisions under this bill. The bill seeks equal inheritance for men and women. That means female children will not be discriminated against in sharing family property or wealth. It also ensures a widows custody of the children unless such a measure conflicts with the interest and well being of the children.

The bill further provides that a widow can choose to remarry or live at the home of the late husband and is entitled to a fair share of the late husbands property.

Now, what is wrong with these provisions that any enlightened practitioner of religion, nay Islam should oppose them?

The Sultan, in his reaction stated that the bill was against Islamic religion and that muslims would not accept it. But if I may ask, what actually is against Islam in this bill? Is it equal inheritance for women? Is he saying that what is in agreement with Islam is inequality and discrimination against female folks? Is that what the Sultan of Sokoto said that Muslims should accept?

Now Musims, will you accept that? The Sultan further stated that Islam was our total way of life and that they would not accept a change of what Allah had permitted them to do. Really? Look, no one disputes the fact that Islam informs the way Sultan Abubakar (lll) and other muslims live. But when he said that nobody should alter what Allah had decreed, what did he mean?

Did he mean that Allah permitted the discrimination against women and girl children in Islam? Can a spirit determine what human beings do? Except for self-styled spokespersons such as the Sultan, has Allah the capacity to dictate or decree how women and girls should be treated or what they should inherit?

The Sultan of Sokoto should stop using the name of Allah to sanction gender inequity and injustice. He should desist from employing the idiom of Allah to legitimize his misogynistic viewpoints and then use such oppressive Islamic formation to undermine a bill that would empower women, and guarantee liberty and justice for all.

I mean, Mr Sultan, why are you afraid of gender equality? What do you stand to lose if women and men are treated equally in all areas of human endeavour? How does discrimination against women dignify you and your Islam?

In addition, the Sultan went further to identify his hateful, discriminatory and anti woman Islam as a peaceful religion. Peaceful religion?

Now Mr. Sultan, do you really understand what a peaceful religion is? Look, justice is a pre-requisite for peace and your misogynistic Islam cannot bring or ensure peace among muslims because it is a form of war against women and against universal human rights. Your version of Islam is ideologically compatible with that of the Boko Haram. In fact your position on women rights as shown in your reactions to the gender equality bill is extreme and does worse harm and violence to the dignity and well being of women and girl children. I therefore urge all progressively minded muslims an non muslims alike to speak out against Sultan Abubakars misogynistic Islam, his opposition to equal inheritance for men and women, and to rally support for a bill that ensures gender equity and justice for all in Nigeria.
Weight loss support

TOPS Club (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), a nonprofit weight-loss support group, will meet weekly at several locations.

The Twin Falls chapter will meet at 4:30 p.m. Monday at the Twin Falls Senior Center, 530 Shoshone St. W., 208-734-2641 or 208-734-5300.

Other local chapters will meet at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday at 2025 S. Highway 81 in Malta, 208-645-2438; 9:15 a.m. Thursday at the Jerome Public Library, 100 First Ave. E., 208-324-6693; 9:30 a.m. Thursday at 410 E. Third St. in Rupert, 208-436-6037 or 208-679-3518; and at 5:30 p.m. Friday at 1800 J St. in Heyburn, 208-678-8706 or 208-678-2622.

Childbirth

Childbirth refresher course, 6:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesday in the Oak Rooms on the lower level of St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center, 801 Pole Line Road W., Twin Falls.

Topic: Review of childbirth preparation and medical center procedures, and a tour of the maternal and child unit. Bring a labor support person, if possible.

Cost is $15; pre-registration is required, 208-814-0402.

Victims support

Support group for victims of domestic violence, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. every Tuesday at the Mini-Cassia Shelter Haven of Hope, 323 First St., Rupert.

Information: Rachel, 208-312-7021.

Womens and childrens support

Voices Against Violence will offer support groups at 212 Second Ave. W., No. 200, Twin Falls.

Womens Sexual Assault Support Group will meet from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays; Womens Domestic Violence Support Group, 6 to 8 p.m. Thursdays; and Childrens Domestic Violence Support Group, 6 to 8 p.m. Thursdays.

All groups are facilitated by licensed mental health professionals. Childcare is provided. All services are free.

Information and to register: case manager, 208-733-2558.

Dental sealants

Delta Dental of Idaho will offer free dental sealants and fluoride varnish through its Grins on the Go program at two Twin Falls schools.

Dental clinics will begin Wednesday for students in first and second grades at Oregon Trail Elementary School and will start Jan. 12 for students in first and second grades at Harrison Elementary School.

Dental sealants fill the deep grooves of a childs back teeth, and fluoride varnish helps protect the smooth surfaces of teeth. The clinics are on-site at schools serving low-income families as part of Delta Dental of Idahos community outreach efforts.

A parent or guardian must sign a permission form and fill out a health history for a child to receive the free treatments. Permission forms are available at the schools.

The Grins on the Go clinic doesnt bill Medicaid or private insurance. There is no cost associated with the program.

Information: Delta Dental community outreach, 208-489-3541.

Alzheimers support

Alzheimers Association, Greater Idaho Chapters Caregiver Support Group meeting, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at DeSano Place Village, 1015 E. Ave. K, Jerome.

The group meets on the first and fourth Wednesdays every month.

Information: Becci Bowler, 208-749-1621.

Grief support

Visions of Hope meeting, 5 p.m. every Thursday at Hospice Visions, 1770 Park View Drive, Twin Falls.

This grief support group is open to everyone in the community.

Information: 208-735-0121.

Grief support

Grief Share meetings, 6:30 p.m. Thursdays, through Feb. 2, at Lighthouse Church, 960 Eastland Drive, Twin Falls.

Anyone who has lost a loved one or friend is welcome to attend. A separate class for teens will be held at the same time. Participants can attend any session. Enter through the east doors at the rear of the main building.

Information: 208-737-4667.

Chapter meeting

Central Idaho Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind will hold a meeting and a Louis Braille celebration at 6 p.m. Friday at Idaho Pizza Co., 1859 Kimberly Road, Twin Falls.

The group meets on the first Friday each month.

Information: Chris Jones, 208-308-8876.

Breastfeeding

Free Breastfeeding 101 class, 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 9, in Oak Room 4 on the lower level of St. Lukes Magic Valley, 801 Pole Line Road W., Twin Falls.

The class is for new mothers and breastfeeding mothers wanting to review their skills. Babies and your support person are welcome.

Free; pre-registration is required, 208-814-0402.

C-sections

Caesarean childbirth class, 6:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10, in the Oak Rooms 2-4 on the lower level of St. Lukes Magic Valley, 801 Pole Line Road W., Twin Falls.

Topics: Caesarean deliveries, pain management, non-conforming labors and hospital procedures.

Free; pre-registration is required, 208-814-0402.

Joint replacement

Free community education class on joint replacement (hip, knee or shoulder surgery), 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10, at BridgeView Estates, 1828 Bridgeview Blvd., Twin Falls. Meet in the lobby.

Topics: Preparing for surgery, recovery time, insurance coverage, care after surgery, discharge planning and long-term rehabilitation. Tours of the BridgeView rehabilitation facility are available.

Pre-registration is required, Amy at 208-280-0047 or Sarah at 208-280-0045.

Ostomy support

Ostomy Support Group, 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10, in the cafeteria at St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center, 801 Pole Line Road W., Twin Falls.

The meeting is for ostomy patients and their families.

Free; 208-308-6153.

CPR, infant safety

Infant safety and cardiopulmonary resuscitation class, 6:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 11, in Oak Rooms 2-4 on the lower level of St. Lukes Magic Valley, 801 Pole Line Road W., Twin Falls.

New parents, grandparents and caregivers learn CPR and what to do if an infant chokes. The class isnt a certification course.

Free; no registration required. 208-814-0402.

Stroke support

Stroke Education and Support Group meeting, 1 to 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, in the Gwen Neilsen Anderson Rehabilitation Unit dining area at St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center, Third Floor Medical Plaza, 775 Pole Line Road W., Twin Falls.

Topic: Vocational rehabilitation after stroke.

The support group meets on the second Friday of each month and provides an opportunity for stroke survivors and their families to develop a social network. Speakers discuss a variety of topics such as stroke prevention, recovery and care giving. Community members and current patients at St. Lukes Magic Valley are invited to attend.

Information and reservations: Stephanie Shawver, 208-814-0067.

CPR, first aid

St. Lukes Magic Valley Education Department is offering a Heartsaver CPR, First Aid and AED class, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, at the Learning Center, 840 Meadows Suite 2, Twin Falls.

The course provides training for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid and using an automated external defibrillator.

Cost is $60 and pre-registration is required: 208-814-9050.

Health fair

Kimberly Health Fair, 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan. 14, at Family Health Services, 132 Main St. N., Kimberly.

Medical offerings include free blood pressure check, free height and weight check, and free BMI calculation. Adult flu vaccine is available for $10, or $40 for high dose (age 65 and older).

Participants need to fast for the blood work. Health fair panel includes CBC, CMP, lipid panel and TSH for $45; hemoglobin A1C, $20; PSA, $20; and Vitamin D 25-OH, $25.

Dental oral screenings will be offered for free. Wright Physical Therapy also will be on-site.

To do for you is a listing of health-related activities, events and education. Submit information by noon Thursday for publication in the following Mondays edition to ramona@magicvalley.com.
Over the last several years along the Indian Ocean coast in East Africa substantial finds of oil and natural gas resources have been under development.

A British exploration corporation, Tullow Oil and its Canadian partner, Africa Oil, acknowledges that it has discovered in excess of 600 million barrels of oil in Kenya. At least eight exploitable and viable oil sources have been recorded beginning in 2012.

Neighboring Uganda as well has approximately 6.5 billion barrels of oil deposits which have been found since 2008. Another East African Community (EAC) member Tanzania is estimated to harbor natural gas resources in the amount of 50.5 trillion cubic feet.

With respect to the Southern African state of Mozambique, which is not an EAC member but is further south of this aforementioned region, has also discovered natural gas. It has been suggested that Mozambican reserves are within the range of 200 billion cubic feet. The combined natural gas resources in Tanzania and Mozambique are said to be among the most lucrative in the world.

Yet in the contemporary period there is an overproduction of oil and natural gas resources which have driven down prices on the international market. As a result of this phenomenon various states which are reliant on these strategic energy sources have fallen into economic decline. Although some countries in Africa and other geo-political regions are described as being in recession, the fact is with the precipitous drop in currency values and debt accumulation, a depression may be a more accurate description.

In Mozambique, financial speculation centered upon these recent natural resource projects which are slated to come online in 2019, has drawn the attention of the United States Security and Exchange Commission (SEC). Allegations of impropriety involving financial institutions is providing an opening for the further interference in the internal affairs of the country which won its independence through a popular revolutionary armed struggle against NATO member Portugal in 1975 led by the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO).

According to a recent article published in the Wall Street Journal, The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating the sale of $850 million in bonds issued by Mozambique, the latest development in a scandal that is exposing the links between the country, three international banks and a defense contractor. The move inserts the U.S. into a widening global investigation of Mozambiques debt deals, which involved undisclosed loans and military purchases facilitated by the banks. (Dec. 28)

This same report continues noting that In 2013, Credit Suisse Group AG, Russian bank VTB Group and Frances BNP Paribas sold the bonds to investors for a Mozambican state-owned company that said it needed money for tuna fishing. But months later, Mozambiques government announced that the funds had also been used to buy military equipment. Bondholders were also unaware that Credit Suisse and VTB made $1.2 billion in undisclosed bank loans to other state-owned companies for additional military purchases until The Wall Street Journal reported on the deals in April.

These developments are taking place amid a recrudescence in the counter-revolutionary war waged by the so-called Mozambique National Resistance (RENAMO). This organization grew out of the counter-insurgency operations of the Portuguese intelligence agency (PIDE) in efforts aimed at undermining the revolutionary national liberation struggle which was committed to socialist development in Mozambique. Later when RENAMO was formed it was funded and trained by the-then settler-colonial regime of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). After the fall of Ian Smiths Rhodesia in 1980, the racist-apartheid regime took over operations for RENAMO where the group sought to destroy the newly-liberated Mozambique state under the leadership of the late President Samora Machel. The FRELIMO leader was killed in a plane crash in October 1986 when reports suggested that the plane was brought down due to South African military operations against the ever-encroaching liberation movement the African National Congress (ANC).

RENAMO claims that it is fighting for a greater say in the Mozambique political structures yet the organization has operated openly as a political party since a ceasefire was signed with the FRELIMO government in the early 1990s. This renewal of hostilities portends much for the viability of the future economic and social well-being of the country which is a leading member of the regional Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Angola and the Oil Glut: Which Way Out of the Crisis?

Another former Portuguese colony, the Republic of Angola, won its independence as well through armed struggle during 1961-1975. Its genuine independence was threatened by the interventions of the U.S. and the South African Defense Forces (SADF) under apartheid during 1975-1988, and the support of hundreds of thousands of Cuban internationalists volunteers secured the total liberation of the country by 1989 leading to freedom for Namibia, a former colony of Germany and later the settler-colonial regime in Pretoria.

Angola has been impacted by the petroleum crisis since its national revenue is largely dependent on oil exports. The country has moved from being the first and second largest producer of oil in the last few years. The ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) remains the dominant political force inside the country where longtime President Jose Eduardo dos Santos announced recently that he was stepping aside to allow a new leadership to emerge.

In another article published by the Wall Street Journal it emphasizes the impact of the drop in oil prices on Angola. During the early years of this decade, economic growth was so vibrant that the government was able to loan money to its former colonial master of Portugal staving off a potential collapse in Lisbon.

The WSJ stressed that: Dozens of gated communities sit mostly empty, gathering dust. They were built during the first half of this decade for a middle class that never materialized and the foreign elite that largely packed up and left when a dizzying oil-price boom went bust in 2014.

In glitzy shopping malls, stores that havent already closed struggle to stock their shelves, as a free-falling local currency and dollar shortages batter imports. (Jan. 2)

This report also discusses the travails of the Angolan government in seeking a way out of the current crisis: The International Monetary Fund expects that Angolas economy will have zero growth in 2016, marking its worst peacetime performance on recorda disaster for a country whose population of 26 million is growing by 3.2% annually. Meanwhile, government debt has jumped to 78% of gross domestic product, according to IMF estimates, from just 41 % when oil prices plummeted in 2014. Little is known about where or from whom the government is borrowinglet alone at what rateso analysts warn about the difficulty of predicting its ability to pay back what it owes. In April, the government entered bailout negotiations with the IMF and then abandoned them three months later. Since then, the central bank has used 18% of its foreign-currency reserves to keep some imports flowing into the country. If spending continues at this pace, in about a years time youd probably run out of reserves, says Stuart Culverhouse, head of fixed-income research at Exotix Partners, an investment firm that focuses on frontier markets.

Pan-Africanism, Socialism and the Global Crisis

Although there appeared to be a renaissance in African political economy in the period of a supposed recovery from the Great Recessions which struck the imperialist states of Western Europe and North America between the years of 2007-2010, this growth in regional business activity is proving to be unsustainable. From Egypt and Nigeria to South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the post-colonial nation-state is at the crossroads.

The prospects for foreign direct investment into the natural resource development markets have reached a breaking point due to the overproduction of oil and gas. Inside the U.S. there has been a concerted strategy to curtail exports of oil and natural gas utilizing domestic production through hydraulic fracking, shale technology and offshore drilling. Within the U.S. itself the ostensible recovery has been highly untenable since it is largely based on stock market speculation, tax cuts for the superrich and the normalization of low-wage employment.

In Africa there is the dire need for continental integration based on socialist planning. The merging of economic projects and political unity provides the only real solution for the perpetual ebbs and flows of global capitalist economic viability.

With the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump pressure is mounting from the Pentagon and the intelligence apparatus to continue the renewed Cold War against both Russia Federation and the Peoples Republic of China. Such a policy orientation on an international level will have profoundly negative consequences for the African continent.

To foster socialist development in Africa would require the mass mobilization and organization of the workers, youth and farmers. It necessitates the disruption of dependence upon foreign direct investment as the primary mode of economic growth. The emphasis must be placed upon political education with the objective of creating a unified continent under socialist relations of production.

Moreover, the collaboration between the imperialist states and the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) should be halted. These military joint ventures has further destabilized the continent as in Mali, Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria and other states.

A continental military force should be independent of the imperialist states. As Dr. Kwame Nkrumah said over five decades ago, the creation of an All-African High Command will serve as a defense against neo-colonialist intervention and not a gateway for its proliferation.

2017 will be an important year for the African continent. It is up to the governmental leaders, workers, youth and popular movements to decide on the correct path to the realization of revolutionary liberation and unification.
- The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria has called for peace in Southern Kaduna

- The group noted that the violence was a reprisal attack which would not solve any problem

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has said that the violence in Southern Kaduna was a reprisal attack for the killing of Fulani herdsmen after the 2011 presidential election.

Violence erupted following the victory of Goodluck Jonathan in the 2011 presidential election leading to the death of many herdsmen and their cattle.

READ ALSO: CAN leadership fears Buhari may be in support of killings in southern Kaduna

Vanguard reports that MACBAN called on its members to stop the violence in the region as reprisal attack will not solve any problem.

Dr. Ibrahim Abdullahi who is the assistant national secretary of Miyetti Allah spoke on Sunday, January 1 said some foreign herdsmen were killed alongside local Fulani herdsmen after the 2011 election.

The late Governor Patrick Yakowa reached out to the herdsmen using some members of MACBAN in 2011 which finally resolved the issues in 2012.

READ ALSO: MEND turns against 'cunning' President Buhari, sends him 'missiles' as New Year gift

Abdullahi said the governors successors did not continue with the policies and applauded Governor Nasir El-Rufai for trying to find peace and lasting solution.

He also described the killing in the region as regrettable and called for peace.

Meanwhile, a retired commissioner of police Abubakar Tsav made recommendations on curbing attacks by Fulani herdsmen across Nigeria.

Tsav in a recent interview with Punch said law enforcement agencies must be empowered to address security challenges in Nigeria.

He also called on the federal government to ensure justice whenever such attacks happen.

Source: Legit.ng
Editors note: Onyokoko Nyore Samuel, the Legit.ng partner blogger, explains how to spot a potential wife beater.

Samuel is blogger and poet.

He offers tips and writes articles on security matters. You can get in touch with him through his email: onyokokosamuel@yahoo.com or visit his blog: http://thethirdeyecom.wordpress.com/

More details in Legit.ngs step-by-step guide for guest bloggers.

Everyday, stories of husbands beating up their wives mercilessly abound. They posit it's done to put some real senses into their stubborn heads. These shameless men also believed there can never be two equal masters in the same house.

Sadly, these women had to endure these abusive relationships, putting up with different forms of domestic and physical abuses. Perhaps, these women are in it because of their children, maybe because they love the man or because they're certain that someday, he'll change. Yet, nothing improves; nothing changes.

There is this notions and misconceptions; this backward and forward debates between the male versus the female superiority complex: the gender debate to put it more succinctly. There's also this archaic belief that the male is supposed to be the head of the home while the female is supposed to be the neck.

Some shameless men had begun to abuse this notions and misconceptions. They see it as an opportunity to maltreat these poor and vulnerable women. Unfortunately, a lot of them have ended up in untimely graves.

READ ALSO: How to identify and secure yourself against 'One Chance

Some in psychiatric homes and others, slaves. They're scared that if they try to leave the marriage or provide some damning reports to the Police authorities, the abusive husband will hunt and deal with them.

Furthermore, we've heard stories of women losing their lives on a daily basis. The stories of two men come to mind- the story of Kolade Arowolo, a 30-year-old man who was alleged to have murdered his banker-wife. He claimed he did it in self-defense. Another alleged case was that of a dock worker, Olalekan Shonde, a 51-year-old, who brutally killed his wife in the Egbeda area of Lagos, Nigeria. He denied killing her. These're just few cases of wife battery perpetuated by men in our societies.

Perhaps, something serious needs to be done or maybe a lot of these men need help somehow: psychological or otherwise. Some of them are suffering in silence and they've no one to confide in. They should be bold enough to come out and seek help instead of bottling it up until it spew out of control; until they do the unthinkable.

There're various women non-governmental organizations (NGOs) catering for helpless women. These NGOs are doing their best even without individual or government supports. But these domestic/physical abuses still rages on.

Strategically, women who suffer domestic and physical abuses should come together, form a bond; somewhat like support groups where they share ideas on how they can support and protect themselves against such acts. When they're in such places, abused women can find comfort and hope when others - who've had such predicaments in the past - share their problems.

READ ALSO: How to be security conscious in 2017

These experienced women should also talk about how they were able to come out of it successfully. Again, they benefit a lot when someone from an NGO, affiliated to domestic-and -physical-abused issues comes forward to give advice as well. Or they can organize a conference where they invite these NGOs to give a talk on such salient topic.

Now, how do you spot a wife beater?

1. They've anger issues

When a man is always prone to outburst without any justifiable cause, know that he'll raise his hand(s) someday to hit you. Men are less emotional beings than women so the only way they can express themselves is through shouting or throwing tantrums. Probably, these men have issues that have piled up for months or years. These issues could have forced its way to the forefront when the nervous system couldn't tolerate it any longer. It's like a balloon bursting to shred when it has gotten to its limit. What should be done? The men should be subjected to counseling either from their Pastor Imams, or an experienced psychiatrist.

2. They've inferiority complex

Any man who raises his hand to hit his wife is a coward. He has an inferiority complex. No matter what a woman does to you, you shouldn't make her your punching bag. When a man can't take advise from his wife, then something is amiss somewhere. Some men always want to dominate.

3. When they avoid you like a plague

When a man is always avoiding you, know that all isn't well. If you're the talking type who like to bother him, please stop it. He might be going through some emotional issues. Instead, inquire from him why he's in such foul mood. Pamper him like a baby, massage him gently and dig deeper into the many reason(s) he's isolating himself. Men are compassionate too. But if you go the wrong way, you might provoke him to hit you. Most of the issues bothering him might be from the office environment, from traffic gridlocks, or from crazy drivers.

4. He might be considering a divorce

The first sign you notice from him, apart from isolating you is that a divorce matter could be beclouding his sense of reasoning. Sometimes, he doesn't eat the food you cook. He comes home late at night and he's always on the phone 24/7 chatting with his girlfriends. Because he doesn't know how to pass his issues across, the best he could do is to either punch, slap or worse, manhandle you.

5. You're not good in bed

Ladies, you see, we men love to explore. If you don't give him what he wants, he'll avoid you and look for somebody else who can satisfy him real good. Some young girls who're adventurous will give him what he wants. These little devils are super-pro. Then he starts keeping late nights. He starts spending the money meant for home on these girls. Your children's school fees will remain pending. Meanwhile, he's spending all the money meant for house keep on his concubines

6. He's always intoxicated

When he starts getting drunk, something he doesn't do before, please know that there's an issue bothering him. He gets home, his shirt is rumpled and stinking like a sewage tank. Eyes as crimson as zobo drink. He has foul mouth odor. Then you question him where he's coming from. He gets provoked; slaps and abuses you. Perhaps, something deep inside has been bothering him which you fail to notice.

READ ALSO: Punish Violence Against Women  Mark

7. He's psychologically imbalance

Stress might be one of the reason he's hitting you. The stress would've degenerated into something beyond his control. He needs help ASAP. Let him see a doctor (psychiatrist) who'll evaluate him thoroughly and recommends the right therapy. Although his ego wouldn't allow him to admit his psychological challenges, you need to persuade him. If he refuses, get the assistance of an elderly person, probably his parents, uncle or aunt. Anybody he respects a lot.

8. They don't admit their faults

Abusive men don't always admit their faults. They feel they're always right. Therefore, they'll beat up you when you try to correct their mistakes. Men who're egoistic are very hard to bend and plead. They don't respect women. They don't value their wives warnings and advice. They see women as trash who should be disposed as at when due. Men who beat women to a pulp are in that category. They're good men outside but terrible husbands at home. Such men can do and undo.

9. They've friends just like them

Birds of the same feather flock together. This expression might sound cliche, but that's the perfect words I can use to describe men like that. They congregate at a particular spot and discuss anything under the skirts. These men are womanizers. They've different sets, shades and sizes of girlfriends.

10. They're ungodly

Men who beat their wives are ungodly. They don't go to church on Sundays. They don't pray with their families and they don't want to have anything that has to do with the preaching of the gospel. Anytime a man of God comes to share the words of God, they've one form of excuses or the other to give. These men don't have the fear of God in them. It only takes the grace of God to pull such men from the dark pit to His presence. They don't respect women especially their wives. What women with such husbands should do is continue to put them in prayers. Commit them to His hands. Pray and fast. With God all thing are possible.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily represent the editorial policy of Legit.ng.

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By conventional wisdom, 2016 has been a horrible year. Only someone living in a cave could have missed the flood of disheartening headlines. However, if 2016 continues the global trends of previous years, it may turn out to have been one of the best years for humanity as a whole.

Those of us who live in the world of poverty research and rigorous measurement have watched many global indicators improve consistently for the past few decades. Between 1990 and 2013 (the last year for which there is good data), the number of people living in extreme poverty dropped by more than half, from 1.85 billion to 770 million. As the University of Oxfords Max Roser recently put it, the top headline every day for the past two decades should have been: Number of people in extreme poverty fell by 130,000 since yesterday. At the same time, child mortality has dropped by nearly half, while literacy, vaccinations and the number of people living in democracy have all increased.

Emergencies and bad news tend to command our attention, so its easy to miss humanitys remarkable ability to improve its own lot. At the research and policy nonprofitInnovations for Poverty Action, we work with academics and field researchers to test which programs help the poor. Here are four things weve learned in 2016:

First, give the poor cash. Studies in Kenya and elsewhere show that the simplest way to help is also quite effective. We also know that if we give cash, the poor wont smoke or drink it away. In fact, a recent look at 19 studies across three continents shows that when the poor are given money, they are less likely to spend it on temptation goods such as alcohol and tobacco. More and more research shows that when the poor come into a windfall, they spend it on productive thingssending their children to school, fixing the roof thats letting in the harsh weather or investing in a business. Based on this evidence, a cash revolution is taking hold in the humanitarian world. Even refugees in places such as Lebanon and Turkey increasingly carry ATM cards provided by aid organizations, which are periodically loaded with cash to spend on whatever they needincluding shoes, food and rent.

Second, innovative health-care delivery can dramatically improve outcomes. Despite the recent drops in child mortality, an estimated 5.9 million children younger than 5 died in 2015, often due to conditions that would be easily treatable elsewhere, such as diarrhea. The nongovernmental organizations Living Goods and BRAC Uganda have been training women in Uganda to make a living by going door-to-door selling over-the-counter medications and health products. They function as franchisees in an Avon lady-style business. But these small-business owners also perform basic health checks for children to look for symptoms that warrant getting the child to a clinic. One randomized evaluation released this year concluded that taking this health care to peoples homes reduced child mortality (for those younger than 5) by an astounding 27 percent and infant mortality (less than a year old) by 33 percent.

Third, access to mobile money may lift people out of poverty in large numbers. In many parts of the world, cellphonesignals are reaching remote areas, and with that new forms of electronic services. In Kenya, the M-Pesa mobile money system, introduced in 2007, allows anybody with a mobile phone to transfer money through a text message. Research from this year shows that as M-Pesa became more available in a local area, households became less poorparticularly households run by women. The study estimates that 185,000 women changed professions from subsistence agriculture to business and retail and that 194,000 households were lifted out of extreme poverty.

This is not to say that poverty research is a continuous parade of celebratory findings. Many programs dont work, but knowing what does work allows governments, investors and aid organizations to move toward the more effective programs. Heres to a 2017 thats even better for humanity than 2016.
- Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Honourable Abike Dabiri-Erewa, says the killing of a Nigerian in South Africa is unacceptable

- She says the recent killing of Tochukwu Nnadi has brought the number of Nigerians killed in South Africa through extra-judicial to 20 in 2016 alone

- The president's aide urges Nigerians to avoid crimes

The Presidency has reacted to alleged extra-judicial killing of a Nigerian in the South Africa by security agents.

According to the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Honourable Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the killing of a Nigerian in South Africa is worrying and condemnable.

Buhari's aide Abike Dabiri-Erewa says killing of Nigerian in South Africa is unacceptable

READ ALSO: MEND turns against 'cunning' President Buhari, sends him 'missiles' as New Year gift

In a statement made available to NAN, Dabiri-Erewa said the latest gruesome killing of a Nigerian, Tochukwu Nnadi by police in South Africa, was unacceptable to the people and government of Nigeria.

She noted that the killing of Nnadi has brought the number of Nigerians killed in South Africa through extra-judicial to 20 in 2016 alone.

The barbaric behaviour of the perpetrators is not only unacceptable, but also calls for urgent attention by diplomatic authorities in Nigeria and South Africa, she said.

However, she reiterated President Muhammadu Buharis calls to Nigerians to avoid crimes like drug peddling which attracts stiff penalties, sometimes death.

READ ALSO: Buhari, 2017 budget can't bail us out of recession - Economist

While appealing to Nigerians to avoid crimes, the extra-judicial killing of Nigerians is condemnable and unacceptable, she said.

Dabiri-Erewa urged the South African government to ensure that justice prevailed by carrying out investigation and bring the culprit to book.

She added: My heart goes out to the families of the deceased and pray God to grant the departed soul eternal rest.

Recall that a Nigerian based in South Africa, Tochukwu Nnadi, was allegedly choked to death by police in South Africa on Thursday, December 29, 2016 after he was arrested for allegedly selling drugs.

According to eyewitnesses, the man, popularly known as King Kingsley, was not struggling after he was arrested and handcuffed, but one of the officers held onto his neck and squeezed tightly until blood started gushing out.

Source: Legit.ng
- An All Progressives Congress chieftain has called on Nigerians to support the affairs of the party towards a sustainable development in Nigeria

- Olorogun Emerhor said APC is Nigerias only true hope for Nigerians in the years to come

- He reassured Nigerians that despite of the existing hardship; the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administrations efforts will bear visible fruits in 2017

The APC chieftain said 2017 is a year for renewal and growth in Nigeria

An All Progressives Congress chieftain has called on Nigerians to support the affairs of the party towards a sustainable development in Nigeria.

In a statement released on Sunday, January 1, the Delta state APC gubernatorial candidate for the last general election Olorogun Emerhor said APC is Nigerias only true hope for Nigerians in the years to come.

Emerhor also said 2017 is a year for renewal and growth for the country.

READ ALSO: Fix the economy now, NLC, PDP tell Buhari

The APC has struggled in 2016 to harness all the strength it has gathered and it remains the true hope of renewing our country for growth and development, Emerhor said.

I encourage Nigerians to sustain their support for the APC and President Buhari.

The APC federal government has spent the last 20 months to lay a strong foundation for the future economic and social political emancipation of our country, he said.

He also reassured Nigerians that despite of the existing hardship; the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administrations efforts will bear visible fruits in 2017.

READ ALSO: FACT CHECKING Buhari's 2015 and 2016 New Year message: What has changed?

I, therefore, would like to use this opportunity to call on all contending interests in our party to put the general interest above any other. I personally will do so, and will put every effort to see that all our forces are united and all interest and tendencies are accommodated in our APC house. he said.

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari in his new year message has also promised Nigerians a better 2017.

The president in his also assured Nigerians that they will begin to see manifestations of his administration's change agenda in the new year,

Source: Legit.ng
The anxiety amongst participants of the famous money-doubling scheme, Mavrodi Mundial Movement, (MMM) has continued as the scheme has set a new date for when it will unfreeze all confirmed Mavros of members.

MMM Nigeria has disclosed that participants accounts will be unfrozen on January 14, 2017.

Recall that the scheme had on Tuesday, December 13, 2016, froze all confirmed Mavros, otherwise known as money due for withdrawal for one month.

READ ALSO: Pastor Ashimolowo loses $5m to Ponzi scheme

That action meant that all the accounts of members who are due to be paid after having provided help (PH) to another person since the last month have been frozen and hence, have no access to request for payment, known as Get Help (GH) until after one month.

Some participate had thought that the due date for their account to be unfrozen was on 13 of January 2017, but the scheme on its official Twitter handle, @MMMNigeriaHelp has disclosed that participants accounts will be unfrozen on January 14, 2017.

READ ALSO: I am not the owner of MMM Nigeria - Pastor Mbanefo opens up

Meanwhile, some Nigerians have accused the federal government of investing in the popular Ponzi scheme, MMM, following reports of scarcity of small naira denominations in the country.

The accusations surfaced after sources in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) disclosed to the media that the apex bank failed to print small naira denominations for about a year due to the current economic recession.

Source: Legit.ng
-An Asaba based prophet has predicted death for President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 in his 2017 prophesies

-The fiery prophet has also declared that Nnamdi Kanu will be released from prison and this will lead to the actualization of Biafra

-According to him, Yemi Osinbajo will lead the country in 2019 after a tough struggle with the military who are poised to take over power.

Buhari will die towards the end of 2019, Nnamdi Kanu will be released to actualize Biafra says Prophet Chukwudi

An Asaba based prophet, Emmanuel Chukwudi of King of Kings Deliverance Church, has given his prophesies for 2017.

And according to the prophet, detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB. Nnamdi Kanu will be released while President Muhammadu Buharis health will fail him and he shall go the way of all men, towards the end of 2019, Daily Post reports.

He said that the release of Kanu will lead to the actualization of Biafra

Speaking on the economy, the prophet said that God told him that: Nigeria will come out of its current recession before the end of 2019.

READ ALSO: Christmas is demonic says Pastor Olukoya

He however warned that the army would attempt to take over power, but the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo would prevail and lead the country.

Prophet Chukwudi said: Tell pro-Biafrans to stop shedding tears. Their leader Nnamdi Kanu shall not remain in prison custody for too long again. He is already on his way out. As for their (pro-Biafrans) agitations for Biafra, the Lord says it is already in the horizon. Their day shall come soon.

The Lord is also speaking about Nigeria. Nigeria will come out of its current recession before the end of 2019. Oil price will stabilise and hardship shall disappear.

But towards 2019, the presidents health shall fail him, and he shall go the way of all men. But VP Yemi Osinbajo shall wrestle with the soldiers. They shall try to seize power and Osinbajo shall prevail. He shall lead Nigeria into 2019.

READ ALSO: 30-year-old married man marries two new wives same day in Nasarawa

Meanwhile, a popular pastor, D.K. Olukoya, the founder of Mountain of Fire Ministries, has stated that he and his church members dont celebrate Christmas because it has demonic root.

Source: Legit.ng
- MASSOB called on Igbo leaders not be careful of their relationship with Obasanjo

- The group said he has caused so much problem for the region

The Movement for the Actualisation of a Sovereign State Of Biafra (MASSOB) has sent a message to Igbo leaders to be wary of former president, Olusegun Obasanjo.

MASSOB said it has noticed a growing relationship between the former president and some Igbo leaders and said this should stop as Obasanjo was the cause of some of their problems.

Obasanjo caused Igbos a lot of problems - MASSOB

It accused the former president of Ignoring Igbo leader, Chukwuemeka Ojukwu when he was alive nor recognise his position as leader of Igbos.

READ ALSO: Gowon, Obasanjo, Ekwueme form choir, sing for Nigeria's greatness

The Punch reports that the pro-Biafra group in a statement signed by Uchenna Madu said Obasanjo caused a lot of problems for Igbos when he was Senate president.

His current political antics, romance and friendship in Igbo land is suspect and dangerous to the political survival of Ndigbo in Nigeria.

During his eight year tenure as Nigeria President, he consciously and wilfully created political problems for Ndigbo.

He initiated several political frustration against Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Imo states during the tenure of Orji Uzor Kalu, Chinwoke Mbadinuju, Chimaraoke Nnamani.

Obasanjo denied Igbo land infrastructural development, he politically witch haunted our people. He also mesmerised Ndigbo by changing Igbo senators five times in office of Senate president.

Today Igbo governors of Abia, Ebonyi and Enugu States are celebrating him by inviting him to commissioned projects in their respective states.

READ ALSO: Obasanjo advises Nigerians to return to God for a successful 2017

During his eight year rule, he never visited Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu or showed concerns to his position as Igbo leader.

The group said Obasanjo was working secretly through some disgruntled Igbo politicians to destabilise the developing cohesion among Igbo leaders

Source: Legit.ng
- The Sultan of Sokoto has frowned at the destruction of lives and properties in Southern Kaduna

- He said such acts were contrary to fundamental Islamic law which ordains human life to be sacred

- The Sultan urged President Buhari and Governor El-Rufai to find a lasting solution to the crisis

The Sultan of Sokoto and president-general of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA, Alhaji Muhammad Saad Abubakar III, has condemned the Southern Kaduna killings.

He said fundamental Islamic law forbids the unlawful destruction of lives and properties except for a just cause, Vanguard reports.

Sultan asked Buhari and El-Rufai to put an end to the crisis in Southern Kaduna

The Sultan expressed sadness that over 800 people were reportedly killed while about 57 others suffered life-threatening injuries as at the last count.

READ ALSO: MACBAN call for peace in southern Kaduna

This was contained in a statement released on Monday, January 2, by the director of administration, NSCIA Ustaz Christian Isa Okonkwo.

The statement read: The NSCIA denounces these events in its entirety particularly because they run contrary to fundamental Islamic law which ordains human life to be sacred and strongly forbids its unlawful destruction except for a just course.

He therefore called the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government and the Governor Nasir El-Rufai-led Kaduna state government to find a lasting solution to the recurrent crisis in Southern Kaduna.

We also wish to call on the Federal government to objectively investigate the matter and prosecute whoever that is found guilty irrespective of the persons tribe, creed and/or social status, he said.

READ ALSO: Southern Kaduna killings: Buhari's silence is unacceptable - CAN

The Sultan called on all Nigerians to continue to promote justice, preach, teach and live in peace with one another.

He admonished them not to allow themselves be used to perpetrate evils by forces of evil which may hide behind tribal, political or even religious disguise.

Recently, the Catholic diocese of Kafanchan, Kaduna state claimed that the rampage of herdsmen in Southern Kaduna claimed 808 lives.

Nigerians criticized President Buhari for not saying anything about the incident.

In his defence, the presidential spokesperson Femi Adesina, said there is no need for the president to speak on the matter since the state governor, El-Rufai, is on top of the matter as the chief security officer of the state.

Source: Legit.ng
CARACAS, Venezuela  A harsh critic of peace talks between the Colombian government and the countrys largest rebel group led in presidential voting Sunday but lacked the majority needed to avoid a runoff.

The results revealed the weakness of President Juan Manuel Santos, who came in second and was seeking a new term, he told voters, to continue the peace talks he started and to put an end to five decades of guerrilla war.

Colombians will have two options, between those who prefer an end to the war and those who want a war without end, Mr. Santos said after the results were made public. His main challenger, Oscar Ivan Zuluaga, a former treasury minister, received 29 percent of the vote, with more than 99 percent of polling stations counted, officials said. Mr. Santos received slightly more than 25 percent in the field of five candidates.

A candidate needed more than 50 percent of votes to be declared the winner, so the two will compete in a runoff on June 15.
EarthRx is a biweekly column that highlights the people, organizations and discoveries solving todays most pressing environmental and public health problems. Although the landscape is complex, many of these solutions are surprisingly simple and rely only on tapping into the power of community, ingenuity, natural abundance and good ole love to save the day.

As the last bell tolls for the Magdalena River, which has gone dry at critical points along its estuary due to deforestation, a Colombian crowdfunding campaign hopes to pull off a feat of magic realism that taps into the power of love to save the day.

Anyone familiar with the works of Noble Prize winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez has the Magdalena River burned into their memory banks with a passion. Marquez, who is affectionately known as Gabo throughout Colombia, spent his youth traveling up and down its banks and it figured as more of a protagonist than a backdrop in bestsellers like Love in the Time of Cholera and The General and His Labyrinth.

But the mighty Magdalena, the countrys principal and most important river  it snakes through the heart of Colombia from the towering Andes to the crystal clear Caribbean and is home to a crazy diverse array of fish and animals, including African hippos introduced by none other than Pablo Escobar himself  has been slowly dying for decades. Deforestation along its banks has led to extreme soil erosion and the sediment-swamped waters now form a gloomy pale wasteland at its terminus where an exuberant tropical wetland ecosystem once reigned.

Gabo was already shocked at the state of the Magdalena, his childhood inspiration, back in 1981 when he pleaded with the public for its salvation in an editorial for the Spanish newspaper El Pais:

The rehabilitation of the Magdalena will only be possible with the continuous and deep effort of by at least four aware generations: a whole century spent sowing 59 million trees.

This was four years before his international sensation Love in the Time of Cholera was published. But in the novel, the author again takes up the theme, positing the destruction of the river against the aging and mortality of poet Florentino and his lost and found again love Fermina:

Florentino Ariza, in fact, was surprised by the changes, and would be even more surprised the following day, when navigation became more difficult and he realized that the Magdalena, father of waters, one of the great rivers of the world, was only an illusion of memory. Captain Samaritano explained to them how fifty years of uncontrolled deforestation had destroyed the river: the boilers of the riverboats had consumed the thick forest of colossal trees that had oppressed Florentino Ariza on his first voyage.

To literati types who can read between the lines, like Carlos (Cabeto) Alberto Duque and Wilmar Duque Gomez of Colombias new literary tourism consulting operation Reco Veco, the romance of lovers Florentino and Fermina sailing up and down the Magdalenas length for eternity as an escape from mortality is a clear metaphor for the transcendent power of love.

We are trying to tap into the force of love to save the Magdalena Wilmar explained to me over a strong black tinto as he walked me through the details of the IndieGo-Go campaign entitled One Love, One River, One Tree that the Bogota-based dynamic duo has just launched.

With librerias (bookstores) on every corner and as the annual host of FILBO, the largest book fair in South America, literature is nurtured and cherished in Colombias Andean capital on a level on par with cities like SF or NYC back in the states.

The Magdalena river actually sustains the life of the country, Wilmar continued as we sat at a window-side table sipping away on the dark roast coffee, Food and water is provided for about 33 million Colombians who live in or near its basin, and 86 percent of the countrys gross domestic product travels through or is produced there.

Wilmar and Cabreto have already won widespread applause for coming up with the Colombia: Magic Realism campaign now adopted by the national tourism board and for launching the highly successful Moonlight Concert series, which takes place against stunning backdrops in different Colombian national parks. Now devoting their energy to promoting literary tourism in the country, they were playing around with different quotes by Marquez on Twitter when they found that there is still a huge and dedicated fanbase for Gabo around the world and that couples and lovers particularly re-tweeted the romantic phrases from Love in the Time of Cholera they shared.

From this experiment an ingenious idea was born.

I do not know if you know what happened with the love locks movement in Paris, Wilmar asked me, That it was inspired by a literary work and today millions of people in the world put padlocks on bridges to celebrate their love

Started on the Pont des Arts bridge and now a world-wide phenomena, love locks are a homage to the cult classic I Want You by Italian author Federico Moccia, and involve lovers inscribing their name on a padlock and locking it to a public structure to signify their undying love.

What we hope to do is engage that same passion in planting millions of trees. said Wilmar, flashing me a quick bookish smile.

The crowdfunding campaign just launched  and soon to be promoted widely via social media  by Wilmar and Cabeto is a public-private partnership between RecoVecos and the environmental group Chavita, an organization of residents of the Magdalena River basin that are already engaged in tree planting and habitat protection.

For every $10 that is donated to the IndieGoGo site, Chavita will plant a tree in the name of the donor or their amante, who will also receive a love letter from Florentino Ariza. For $500, donors are taken on an all-expense paid private tour from Bogota to the Magdalena River to visit and participate in the tree planting and explore Marquezs favorite haunts.

Ultimately we think fans of Gabo, who know that for Florentino Ariza the river is the place where he can be with his beloved forever, will see that this is an opportunity to trigger a move from the imaginary to the real, with concrete impacts and lasting influence into the future, Wilmar told me.

Identified by The Nature Conservatory as one of two Great Rivers of South America that is in a state of crisis (the other is the Tapajos River in Brazil) and needs drastic action right now to be saved, the Magdalena has only suffered an increase in deforestation since the 80s when Marquez spoke out and Love in the Time of Cholera placed it prominently in the mental landscape of millions of fans around the world. About 70 percent of the forest along its banks has been lost between 1980 and 2010 and several unique key species, like the West Indian Manatee and the Magdalena River Turtle, are in danger of extinction.

Yes, it is quite sad, Wilmar said, taking a deep sip of his tinto and meeting my gaze over the rim of his reading glasses, but the idea with this project among other things is putting happiness in fashion, which was what Gabo intended with the publication of the novel.

If anyone can put happiness in fashion and channel the love of literature to save a river, Colombia can. After all, this is the country that completely dominates the Gallup/Win world happiness poll year after year and invented the magic realism literary movement that continues to transport millions of readers to alternate realms teeming with yellow butterflies from the comfort of their armchairs.

In a telling scene near the last pages of Love In The Time of Cholera when the lovers realize things are not going to be as easy as they imagined, Florentino ponders this succinct quote:

Love becomes greater and nobler in calamity.

In the end, the redeeming quality of love is its triumph over all things temporal. It is this eternal force that is now needed to save the Magdalena River.

Top image: Ivan Palomino, CC-BY

Ocean Malandra is a frequent contributor to Paste Magazine who divides his time between Northern California and South America.
Model Gigi Hadid walked the runway recently for Victorias Secret, and surely anticipating the gossip about her weight loss, she addressed it, announcing that she has Hashimotos disease. The weight loss and difficulty maintaining muscle tone were side effects of medication, she said. The public response was largely disbelief: Why would a disease associated with weight gain cause weight loss? Hadid, at 21, is surely too young to have this autoimmune disease.

I ran into disbelief myself, when, also at 21, I repeatedly visited my doctor for disturbing symptoms, including severe fatigue, brain fog and heart palpitations. You are a single mom, working and in school, my doctor said, visibly annoyed. You are stressed. Nothing is wrong with you. I continued to make appointments, calmly repeating my persistent symptoms, and finally the doctor relented. My blood was drawn and I was sent home to wait for the results.

You have hypothyroidism, a nurse told me over the phone. I had no idea what that was, and was confused after I researched the disease: Yes, symptoms included brain fog, palpitations and fatigue, but also frequently included weight gainat 57 and 115 pounds, I had none. I also skewed young for this disease. Yet the blood work did not lie, so I began taking medication and within a week or two, felt better. Not wholly better, but the symptoms became less overwhelming.

I also had other common symptoms of hypothyroidism, including cold hands and feet, puffy face, muscle weakness and pain, impaired memory, constipation, and slowed heart rate. My blood pressure was often so low the nurse pumping the end of the cuff would tap the glass of the tool and look at me with raised eyebrows. Id nod, familiar with the reaction.

Years later, still not cured, I had bloodwork done to find out what I already assumed, that I had Hashimotos. After my hypothyroid diagnosis, I read everything I could on the disease, and I learned that most hypothyroidism is caused by Hashimotos, which is why I assumed it was the cause.

Hashimotos is an autoimmune disease wherein your body attacks your thyroid gland, disrupting correct production of the hormones necessary for correct hormonal balance, brain function and heart function: basically, the entire machine of your body cannot work without the thyroid. Hashimotos most often causes hypothyroidism.

Medication for Hashimotos is available, but imperfect. The two most frequently offered options are armour-desiccated thyroid (derived from pig), which is natural, and a man-made medication called Synthroid.

Hillary Clinton and myself take the armour medication, which by many in the Hashi world is considered superior, because it includes replacement of both T3 and T4 thyroid hormones, where Synthroid replaces only T4. Despite being controversial because it can be harder to control the content of each dose, armour has been in use for decades on decades, and many patients claim it is only this medication that works to relieve their symptoms, while Synthroid is the preferred medication by the majority of doctors.

The medication for balancing thyroid hormones is given in daily, specific doses, and frequent bloodwork is often necessary as people with Hashimotos often have a difficult time normalizing their levels. This may be because when your autoimmune disease is provoked to flare, meaning as more antibodies are released to attack your thyroid, more medication is needed. Many people with thyroid disease are gluten intolerant, for example, and ingesting gluten can provoke a flare. So, as with most diseases, it is not as simple as popping a pill.

Its common for fluctuating thyroid levels to cause a hypothyroid patient (someone who has low levels of thyroid) to become hyperthyroid (meaning your thyroid is overactive), and rapid heartbeat and weight loss are the most common symptoms.

Gigi Hadid mentioned that thyroid medication was causing her weight and muscle loss. This was most likely caused by her body going into hyperthyroid mode, which significantly accelerates the metabolism, causing rapid weight loss and in someone as slim as Hadid, muscle wasting. Since Hashimotos makes it difficult to regulate thyroid levels, swinging back and forth from thyroid states is common and difficult to control.

The thyroid produces hormones that interact with other hormones in a way that affects the health of the entire body.

Outside of gluten intolerance and flares causing imbalance, thyroid medication also needs to be taken without iron in the stomach, as iron blocks the absorption of the thyroid hormones. So you dont want to eat a juicy steak, pop your medication and head to bed. Many people with Hashimotosmyself includedhave what is called comorbidity, or another disease joining their Hashis. I have endometriosis, a gynecological disease that often is a twin with thyroid imbalance in women.

When Gigi Hadid claimed that her medication caused her weight loss and was met with disbelief, I felt for her. This very occurrence has happened to me, more than once. It can then take many medication tweaks to find the right balance to even out the hormone levels needed to feel and look yourself. Its a lifelong disease that requires constant vigilance.

Hadid said that she had been diagnosed with Hashimotos two years ago, and yet is still obviously struggling with her thyroid levels. I have lived with this disease for almost 20 years, and still struggle as well. In fact, as I type this, my hands and face are swollen, my muscles feel tingly and exhausted, and my brain is processing slowly. Like Gigi Hadid, I probably need a medication tweak to get back on track.

Unlike Hadid, Im not being judged by the world as to the veracity of my disease. Its already hard enough to be sick, without being doubted as well.

Maggie May Ethridge is the author of Atmospheric Disturbances: Scenes From A Marriage and her novel, Agitate My Heart, is in edits.
Essential points to know about Mystery Shopping of HS Brands

By: www.hsbrands.com

Media Contact

bd@hsbrandsasia.com

***@hsbrandsasia.com

08041317136 bd@hsbrandsasia.com08041317136

End

-- According to Forbes 2015, it has been found that by the year 2020, which is not so far, it'sthat will stand out as a major brand differentiators from the conventional ones like products and price. It is therefore pretty much important for every brand or company to focus on the level of customer experience they're providing .Moreover, they need a means through which they can ink an exact picture of the experiences of their customers.Furthermore, another reliable survey noted that near about 86 percent of the buyers are likely to shell out more for receiving better customer experience. However, just 1 percent of the customers think that the service providers or vendors will be able to live up to their expectations. In this context, mystery shopping services offered byare impressively effective when it comes to fathoming the performance and consistency level of a company, as far as, delivering products and services to their customers are concerned.Let's take a look at 5 of the main reasons whyis an effective means of measuring customer experience Seamless delivery of products and services are some of the most important things for a business. However, you cannot make it a key differentiating factor. What actually can evaluate the level ofare interactions with your customers, the personal touches you render and all the little moments. With HS Brands', you will be able to look into these tiny interactions as well as moments and find the intensity of their impact and operationalize them to grow your business.Secret shoppers scrutinize shopping experience altogether. It includes  Ambience, Salesmanship, Intuitiveness,, integrity checks, price checks, etc. It is really crucial that you have a real-time idea of how your retail store or the point of sale (POS) looks like when you are not there.Conducting mystery audits at your own shops is not enough; you need to exercise it at your competitors' den as well. It provides you with a better insight into where do you stand in the competition. Whether you are already an established brand or a new entrant, HS Brands, being theand brand protection service provider in India and Asia helps you with your individual needs.Brands should always be associated with quality and values. In fact, every brand wants this. In order to achieve the same, your buyers need to recognize all such feel-good factors via your products, services, establishments and of course, your team.will help you know, if or not your buyers are getting the same brand image you want them to see.With effective mystery shopping services by a noted company like, you can acquire real-time knowledge, improve and grow your business efficiently. That's because, you have direct access to all the relevant information about your brand. This in turn will help you take informed decisions to steer your business on the right path with an optimum speed.For More details Visit : http://hsbrands.com/ hsbrandsasia/
Contact

Laura Sanchez

***@at3w.com Laura Sanchez

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-- We represent Spain at the Technical Committee on Lightning Protection meeting of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC-TC81).During the week of 24 to 28 September in Rzeszow (Poland) the meetings of the Working Groups and Plenary of the Technical Committee 81 (Lightning Protection) of IEC were held. An expert of Aplicaciones Tecnologicas, S.A. attended this meeting as the sole representative of the Spanish delegation.The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC-TC81) is an organisation that prepares and publishes standards dealing with electrical and electronic devices, applicable in more than 160 countries. Technicians of Aplicaciones Tecnologicas, S.A. have been involved in the development of lightning protection standards, both national and international, for more than 25 years, bringing in our experience and also achieving the knowledge of the latest normative requirements.In APLICACIONES TECNOLOGICAS, S.A we are experts in lightning protection systems and lightning rods. We have at your disposal all the existing technology and innovate every day, giving suitable solutions to each particular case. We manufacture our products according to maximum quality standards. Research, innovation and safety are the key factor underlining our leadership and presence the world over.
Looking at this FZ-X Off-Road version, it begs the question if this is what FZ-X should have been from day one
Google: SEO Is One Of The Primary Reasons Websites Are Targeted For Hacking

Google posted on their webmaster channel on Google+ that one of the primary reasons a web site is hacked these days is because of SEO. Google wrote, "search Engine Optimization 'SEO' spam is one of the primary reasons that vulnerable websites are targeted by hackers."

I assume this is not just about redirecting unsuspecting users, but also link injection, content injection and many more ways to hack and boost your search rankings.

Google wrote:

Search Engine Optimization 'SEO' spam is one of the primary reasons that vulnerable websites are targeted by hackers. Some forms of SEO spam can redirect your users to malicious sites and cause you to lose customers. An early warning sign of this can be from customers trying to access your site. Be sure to pay attention to user feedback, questions, or complaints. Also, sign up for Search Console. If Google detects any malicious redirects, we'll send you a message in Search Console. #NoHacked Learn more about hacking trends in Sucuri's Hacked Website Report: https://goo.gl/xlH1MI.

This doesn't make all SEOs bad, it just makes the hackers bad - I hope.

Forum discussion at Google+.
Two nations (Israel and the United States) are actively seeking to design an effective (and salable) replacement for the thousands of M113 APCs (armored personnel carriers) each uses. Both nations still heavily use the M113s. Actually, about 10,000 M113s are still in use and the U.S. and Israel account for about half of those. Both countries want an effective and affordable replacement. So far the U.S. appears to have settled on support version of the M2 IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) while Israel is leaning towards a wheeled armored vehicles (the U.S. considered by rejected). In any event the M113 is a hard act to follow.

The M113 entered service in 1960 and served effectively during the Vietnam War and was the main American APC throughout most of the Cold War. About 80,000 M113s were manufactured. At 13 tons (probably closer to 15 tons with added armor and other accessories), the M113 is lighter than the M2 and Stryker that replaced it in the combat role. The major shortcoming of the M113 is the time and expense of keeping elderly ones running. Thats because it runs on tracks, like a bulldozer. That means it has a max speed of only 65 kilometers an hour compared to at least 100 for wheeled armored vehicles. Those tracks wear out quickly and have to be replaced at great expense (over $10,000 a set) every 6,000 kilometers (or less, as traveling on roads wears out the tracks faster). The tracks also limit how much weight you can add. However, the M-113 has proved to be a very flexible platform, lending itself to modifications by many of the dozens of armed forces that still use it. Some countries have added turrets, mounting 25mm cannon. Israel, however, wants more protection for the urban fighting its reserve troops (who rely on the M113) will likely encounter.

The American replacement proposed is the AMPV (Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle), which is based on the M2 Bradley. This is a 27 ton armored vehicle that proved to be an excellent, combat proven vehicle worth keeping around for a while. Over 4,000 M-2s were built, and about 2,300 similar M-3s (a recon version with more gear and fewer passengers). The M2 has a turret armed with 25mm autocannon and two TOW missiles. The AMPV does not have the turret but has improved armor protection, a better engine and mobility than the M2/3. With all this it costs about the same as the M2. The U.S. Army plans to purchase 2,900 AMPVs at a cost of $3.7 million each.

The Israeli solution was revealed August 2016 when the prototype of the new Eitan 8x8 wheeled APC was presented. Eitan relies on new technologies to keep its weight under 35 tons and eliminate the cost (to build and maintain) of tracked vehicle technology. Eitan also provides an affordable, well protected and more reliable APC than heavier and more expensive proposals. The Eitan will mainly replace Israeli M113s. This was important because until now the only likely Israeli M113 replacement was the 60 ton Namer (or Nemer) IFV (infantry fighting vehicle). Like the Namer, Eitan will be equipped with Trophy APS (Active Protection System).

Namer was never a serious contender to replace all M113s. First, its a tracked vehicle and a very heavy one at that. In fact Namer is based on the chassis of older Merkava I and II series tanks. These vehicles are being retired, so they can either be scrapped, or recycled. Thus Namer has the thick armor of the Merkava. With the turret removed, a remotely controlled (from inside the vehicle) heavy machine-gun has been added on top. The Merkava lends itself to this kind of modification, because the engine is mounted in the front and there is already a door in the back of the vehicle. The problem is that there are a limited number of retired Merkavas available and the cost of Eitan is less than the cost of converting an old Merkava tank into a Namer IFV.

The Eitan is depending on new types of lightweight armor and the Trophy APS for defense against RPGs (an unguided rocket propelled grenade fired from a metal tube balanced on the shoulder) and ATGMs (Anti-Tank Guided Missile). New mechanical and electronic technologies enable the Eitan to handle off-road movement as well as a tracked vehicle. That concept has to be field tested which is why Israel is building Eitan prototypes to test mobility, protection and general usefulness.

The new lightweight armor designs and Trophy have already been battle tested. Trophy was first used in combat during 2011 and several times since. It has worked consistently. APS consists of a radar to detect incoming missiles and small rockets to rush out and deal with the incoming threat. A complete system weighs about a ton. Eitan will have a remotely (from inside the vehicle) controlled 30mm or 40mm autocannon and carry a crew of two and twelve passengers.

While the Israelis liked the speed of wheeled armored vehicles, like the American Stryker (which they considered ordering) they felt they will still be fighting in urban areas, against Palestinian terrorists, in the future. There, the Namer has an edge, because of its thicker armor. Out in the open, the Stryker has an advantage. If the Israelis cannot afford to build enough Namers, they will add armor to their existing supply of M-113 APCs. But based on tests, and the first experience in Gaza, troops prefer the Namer. Thus the goal of Eitan is to provide the speed and reliability of Stryker with the protection of Namer. Thats one reason why the 8x8 Eitan weighs so much (up to 35 tons) to provide protection for dozen troops it is designed to carry. Even if Eitan is not an IFV it will be carrying supplies and personnel into combat zones and needs to be able to take a hit and keep moving

Israel expects the field testing of Eitan, and solving problems encountered will take until 2020 and then another year or two for production models to reach the troops. But first Eitan has to prove it can do the job at a lower cost (at least 20 percent lower) than the AMPV. Both vehicles are on schedule to enter service by the mid-2020s. In addition to replacing all the American and Israeli M113s there is a large export market for a good M113 replacement.
Beleaguered president Kabila has not yet signed the peace deal he accepted two days ago. Until he does there is the very real possibility of Kabila once more breaking a promise. He has been in power for 15 years and gotten rich (along with many of his key supporters) through corrupt deals with foreign companies (to obtain valuable minerals). Once out of power more details of these dirty dealings will become visible and that could cause a lot of trouble for Kabila and his corrupt cronies. Its that risk that led Kabila to defy the constitution that put him in power. To be safe, Kabila must become president for life, something the vast majority of Congolese oppose. What may have been decisive is the large UN peacekeeper force in the country as well as government dependence on foreign aid.

January 1, 2017: In Burundi the minister of the environment was shot dead near his home. This is the first murder of a senior official since the president began his campaign two years ago to become president-for-life.

December 31, 2016: Catholic Church mediators finally succeeded in working out a deal that the political opposition and president Kabila agreed to. After weeks of negotiations Kabila agreed to fully cede power at the end of 2017 and in the meantime share power with the opposition and allow the process to be freely monitored. Kabila also agreed that he cannot change to constitution and give himself permission to serve a third presidential term. There will be national elections by the end of 2017 and in the meantime the opposition parties will supply a prime minister to handle day-to-day governance. Congo's Catholic Bishops' Conference had pushed for a best effort to organize and conduct national elections in 2017. Kabilas term was supposed to end on December 19 but Kabila refused to vacate his office as the Congolese constitution requires. Kabilas illegal retention of power ran the risk of reigniting the civil war. His decision to remain in power put him in direct confrontation with the UN and the donor nations that keep Congo afloat. What apparently proved decisive in getting Kabila to back down was organized religion. Over 80 percent of Congolese are Christian and most of them are Roman Catholic. Given its nature, the Congolese Catholic church is the only national institution most Congolese trust. The church is well organized, run by local clergy and has good international connections and the respect of foreign aid groups and diplomats. The Catholic bishops both reassured and intimidated Kabila because the clergy is largely incorruptible and represented more different tribes than any political party. Will the agreement hold? Time will tell. This is certain: the UN peacekeeping force is the most powerful military organization in central Africa and will generally side with trusted organizations like the Catholic Church.

December 28, 2016: In Congo opposition parties say that President Kabilas hold on power is illegal. The opposition, with the support of several donor nations, are trying to convince Kabila and his supporters to leave power in 2017. There are several versions of the proposed deal and several dates for Kabilas proposed exit. One has Congo holding national elections during early 2017 and Kabila leaving power as early as April. Others move the election date to mid-2017. One proposal has a member of the political opposition serving as prime minister. Kabilas supporters say that he should remain in power until April 2018. The Roman Catholic Church is mediating discussions between the Congolese opposition and Kabilas supporters. The mediators are urging both parties to reach an agreement by December 31. Since December 25, security forces loyal to Kabila have killed between 40 and 50 people demonstrating against Kabila and his illegal retention of power.

December 26, 2016: An armed group has launched an attack on an area in the center of the Central African Republic (CAR) that caused at least 17,000 civilians to flee. The attackers appear to be new rebel group called 3R, for "Return, Reclamation and Rehabilitation." It may be the Seleka-FRPC (Popular Front for the Central African Renaissance). That group is based in the CARs northwest near the Cameroon border. The new attacks have left around 50 dead.

December 24, 2016: Burundi announced it will stop the prosecution of 11 banned NGOs (non-governmental organizations). The government had accused the 11 NGOs of conspiring with opponents to the president and being involved in the insurgency movement. The end of legal actions means NGOs will be allowed to operate once again.

December 23, 2016: The UN accused Congolese security forces of killing at least 40 people (and arresting up to 500) who were protesting the refusal of president Kabilas to leave office as the constitution demands.

December 22, 2016: In the south (Katanga province) pro-Kabila security forces killed 34 anti-Kabila demonstrators and arrested several dozen more in Lubumbashi (the provincial capital).

In the east (North Kivu province) there has been another outbreak of violence between Hutu and Nande tribal militias, leaving 17 civilians and one police officer dead.

December 21, 2016: In the southeast (Tanganyika province) skirmishes between Pygmies and Bantus left six dead and 150 wounded. Apparently a Pygmy militia attacked the town of Manono as a reprisal against Bantu militia attacks on Pygmies.

December 20, 2016: Opposition leaders are calling on all Congolese to peacefully resist the presidents decision to illegally remain in office after his constitutional mandate expired on December 19. Some opposition leaders called Kabilas illegal retention of power was a coup detat.

December 19, 2016: President Kabila failed to cede power as prescribed by the constitution. Protests erupted in several major cities throughout the country, including the capital, Kinshasa, and Goma (North Kivu province).

In the east (North Kivu province) a Mai Mai militia attacked a prison in the city of Butembo in a failed attempt to free prisoners. UN peacekeepers lost one dead and two wounded in the brief battle. The attackers lost four dead and two captured.

December 15, 2016: In CAR several small-scale but violent clashes occurred throughout the country as about a dozen armed factions resisted the new governments request to disarm. Two rival factions (FRPC and UPC) of the Moslem Seleka group appear to have grown stronger and less willing to make peace. Both groups are trying to consolidate power in their own regions. The two groups fought each other in central CAR during November for control of Bria town. FRPC recently declared the area it controls around town of Kaga-Bandoro (northwestern CAR, near Cameroon border) to be an independent, autonomous zone. The UN believes the FRPCs move on Bria was an attempt to gain control of diamond mines in the region. FRPC was originally formed to protect Fulani tribe cattle herders who claimed they were under attack by Christian anti-balaka militias. The FRPCs claim to independence demonstrates the weakness of the CAR government which controls the capital Bangui but its hold on areas beyond the capital is tenuous. The current government was formed in March 2016. (Austin Bay)

December 14, 2016: Uganda has charged the king of the Buganda tribe and 151 other people with treason. In late November security forces arrested Rwenzururu King Charles Wesley Mumbere after he was accused of maintaining an armed militia. The police move on Mumberes palace turned into a violent clash that left 87 people dead. Friction between the national government and tribal kings is something of a tradition in Uganda.

December 13, 2016: In Burundi a former Intelligence Director (and close supporter of the president) suspected of participating in the assassination of an army general, escaped from custody. He stole a guards pistol, killed the guard and fled. The guard was escorting the suspected assassin on a trip to the bank to withdraw money. You cant make this stuff up.

December 12, 2016: The U.S. and European Union threatened to impose economic and political sanctions on the Congolese government and beleaguered president Kabila. The U.S. and EU accuse Kabila of undermining the Congos democratic process and repressing the political rights of Congolese citizens. The U.S. has already sanctioned seven senior Congolese security officials, to include the commander of the presidential guard and the former chief of military intelligence

December 9, 2016: In the east (North Kivu province) rock-throwing demonstrators outside of Goma attacked a UN convoy carrying 17 South Sudanese rebels. There were no casualties but the UN regards it as a serious incident. The rebels are loyal to former South Sudanese vice-president and rebel leader Riek Machar. They fled to Congo in July 2016. The presence of the South Sudanese rebels has sparked opposition in North Kivu province. In October several hundred Congolese complained to the UN that the South Sudanese were a threat to their safety and to their territory. It is believed that there are still 752 South Sudan rebels in Congo and the UN is still trying to find a way to resettle them.

December 6, 2016: In central Congo (Kasai province) tribal militias clashed with soldiers and police. Six tribesmen, ten soldiers and four policemen died in the firefight. The militia was trying to seize government buildings in the provincial capital as well as the nearby airport.

December 5, 2016: The UN accused 25 peacekeepers from Burundi and 16 from Gabon of multiple crimes most of them involving rape and running brothels during 2014 and 2015.

December 4, 2016: Ugandan investigators claim the army, the Rwenzururu King and local authorities all share partial blame for the deaths of 87 people after police entered the kings palace in November 28.

December 2, 2016: In the east (North Kivu province) the UN tried out a new anti-crime security operation in the city of Uvira where citizens of Uvira have long complained that the national police lack the resources to protect them against numerous and well-armed criminals.

December 1, 2016: Burundi accused Rwanda of complicity in the November 28 assassination of Willy Nyamitwe (and two companions), a senior advisor to President Pierre Nkurunziza. Rwanda rejected the accusation and demanded that Burundi provide evidence of Rwandan involvement.

November 29, 2016: Rwanda announced that it will investigate 20 French officials who it believes were involved in the 1994 genocide. France denies any involvement in the genocide. At issue is the April 1994 downing of the airplane carrying Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana who was Hutu. The genocide began after Habyarimanas death.

November 28, 2016: Ugandan police spent several days of confronting demonstrators in the town of Kasese (western Uganda). The crowd was largely supporters of local tribal king Charles Wesley Mumbere. Today the police decided to enter the kings palace but his bodyguards resisted and a firefight erupted. At least 46 of the bodyguards died along with 16 police officers. Ugandan Army soldiers were also in the area but were apparently not directly involved. Police arrested 139 of the kings supporters. Polcie also found gasoline bombs stored in the palace. Mumbere is an opponent of Ugandan president Museveni. He is king of Rwenzururu, which is the kingdom of the Bakonjo and Amba tribes. The king has no political power. His authority is limited to cultural and social issues. The Bakonjo (also known as the Kozo) primarily live in the Rwenzori Mountains. The Amba live on the Congo border, south of Lake Albert.
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.
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, Proud, 25, said. He is a British citizen who came to the United States via the 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 company, Hello, based in San Francisco. 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, Proud, a self-taught programmer, said.

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-cancelling 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 new technologies that experts say are still mostly unproven.

Most of these apps and wearables dont have good-quality research that shows they improve sleep, Dr. Neil Kline, a representative of the American Sleep Association and a sleep specialist, said. 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.

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 (U.S.) 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, now 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, Azure Capital Partners general partner Paul Ferris said. Sleep is the third pillar.

The rapid rise of wearable fitness trackers like Fitbit, he added, helped set up a firehose of data that consumers could harness to track behaviour.

Early adopters like Alex Muir, a tech support analyst who works at a New York private school, are helping test these early sleep technologies. Last year, 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, Hawley Montgomery-Downs, a sleep expert and West Virginia University associate professor of psychology, said. 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 is 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, Proud said, 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 behaviour 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 behaviour 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 behaviour 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 behaviour 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.

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A pregnant woman and her unborn baby, killed in a suspected case of wrong place, wrong time.

Three members of the same family slain in their Scarborough home, allegedly at the hands of a son and brother with a bizarre criminal past.

A glut of targeted shootings with possible gang connections, including the midday shooting of Marcus Gibson in his home in South Riverdale.

Sixty-nine people were victims of homicide in Toronto in 2016, a sizable jump in total murders in the city compared with the past few years: 56 homicides in 2015, and 57 in both 2013 and 2014.

The uptick in homicides, part of what Toronto police say is a broader trend across North America, still comes short of the numbers seen a decade ago. The tally reached 86 in 2007 and 80 in 2005.

Fatal shootings have been declining gradually since a spike in 2005, when 52 of 80 homicides were shootings. But Toronto police statistics show a marked increase in shootings last year over 2015.

In 2016, there were 40 fatal shootings, up from 26 in 2015 and 27 in 2014. Shootings causing injuries have also seen a jump, from 132 in 2015 to 151 in 2016.

However, fatal stabbings decreased in 2016, with just nine compared with 18 in 2015.

In a recent interview, Chief Mark Saunders said he believes Toronto is still one of the safest cities in North America.

The sky is not falling, he said. Having said that, I still respect the loss of life and the fact that just one life lost is something that we take seriously.

Noting there is no simple fix to the incredibly complex problem, Saunders said officers are working to get the weapons off the street. He said 900 guns were seized in 2016.

We need to look at the system as a whole, and not just the enforcement piece. At the front end, weve got at-risk young men who have not yet put that gun in hand. What programs can we put in place to help prevent (their getting guns)?

At the back end, when they have made that mistake . . . right now were just letting them out, and what are they going to do now that theyve got a criminal record and theyve got no hope? They are going to resort back to violence, Saunders said.

Emphasis must also be placed on stopping weapons from coming into the city at all, Saunders said. As reported by the Star, Toronto police sent a memo to city staff this summer, flagging serious gaps that have turned domestic firearms trafficking into a very real problem in Canada.

Only a few years ago, approximately 70 per cent of guns used in Toronto crimes originated from the United States, and just 30 per cent were domestically sourced. According to the memo, those figures of illicit guns have now shifted to roughly 50/50; guns obtained domestically are either stolen from legal owners or obtained through straw purchases, when a licensed buyer sells a gun on the black market.

The numbers change a little back and forth but domestically sourced guns have become more available, both hand guns and long guns, reads the memo, dated July 22, 2016.

Mayor John Tory last month sent a letter to Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, urging him to close an obvious gap in firearms regulation.

To put it simply, I want to get the guns out of the hands of those who choose to do harm and are hell-bent on disrupting our peaceful city, Tory wrote.

According to statistics compiled by the Star from police data and news reports, the average age of a homicide victim in 2016 was 35, the same as 2015.

Ten of last years homicide victims were women, among them Elana Fric-Shamji, a respected family doctor whose husband is charged with first-degree murder in her death; Sylvia Consuelo, who was brutally sexually assaulted, beaten and found dead in her Jamestown area apartment and Peggy Smith, a 61-year-old grandmother who police believe wasnt her killers intended target.

Four people died in interactions with Toronto police in 2016. Devon LaFleur, 30, Alex Wettlaufer, 21, and a still-unidentified man were shot dead by police. Rui Nabico, 31, died after a Toronto police officer used a Taser against him.

The four deaths are under investigation by the Special Investigations Unit, the civilian police watchdog that probes deaths involving police. These deaths are not included in the 2016 homicide total.

Wendy Gillis can be reached at wgillis@thestar.ca

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A $28.5-million lawsuit still hangs over Brampton City Hall, council is wrestling over a future route for a LRT corridor, long-standing policing policies in one of Canadas most-diverse communities are being challenged by residents and plans for the citys first university need to be hammered out.

These are some of the critical issues facing Canadas ninth largest city in 2017.

Some city hall watchers and councillors worry that the ongoing lawsuit launched by local builder Inzola Group against the city in 2011, regarding the handling of a historic downtown redevelopment deal, is causing reputational harm and the possible loss of business as it drags through the courts.

Its of the utmost importance that this matter be resolved in 2017, says Councillor John Sprovieri, who has been critical of the citys handling of the six-year-old lawsuit, which Mayor Linda Jeffrey said has paralyzed city hall.

A lot of people are following whats happening with this lawsuit, Sprovieri said. There is a lot of speculation and much of it is negative. Until it is resolved this speculation and the allegations are a reputational issue for Brampton  it could be doing significant damage to our reputation.

After Inzola was disqualified from bidding on the project, its lawsuit was filed, alleging bias against the local builder by senior city staff and former mayor Susan Fennell in the awarding of a $500-million downtown redevelopment project. The city denies all the lawsuits allegations.

The city, responding to numerous questions from the Star about the lawsuit throughout 2016, did not address documents that had been filed with the court raising concerns about the conduct of senior staff involved in the selection process. The city stated that it had filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit in its entirety.

In November, after more than 19,000 pages of documents supporting its case had been filed by Inzola to fight the citys attempt at dismissing the lawsuit, the city abandoned its dismissal strategy, dropping its motion, and now the case is heading for trial.

No one knows what really happened, Sprovieri said. We could be losing tens of millions of dollars in business because reputable firms might be concerned about getting involved with projects here. We need to get this to trial as soon as possible now, to find out what happened and finally clear the air so the city can move on.

Early in 2017, the Ontario Ombudsman is expected to release his findings after a broad investigation into Brampton real estate and development dealings. The probe could cause more controversy inside city hall, and force changes to the way the city does business. Ombudsman Paul Dube stated in the spring, after his teams initial inquiry, that we determined that the issue of non-competitive procurements could potentially have systemic implications on the city, its staff and its citizens.

The sweeping investigation, called after Brampton council raised concerns about the procurement for the redevelopment deal and other possible systemic problems inside city hall, is being conducted by a team from the ombudsmans office that has had access to all documents and staff inside city hall for much of the year. The investigation will not, however, deal with matters related to the downtown deal that are subject to the ongoing litigation.

On the transit front, early in 2017 city staff is expected to present council with more details for a future LRT corridor after it voted against the provinces preferred route along Main St. in 2015. Staff is looking at councils chosen alternatives along either Kennedy Rd. or McLaughlin Rd. Concerns have been raised about how much work has been done on the file, particularly after more than 45 managers, including some top bureaucrats, were suddenly dismissed by the city recently.

Chris Drew, co-founder of the group Fight Gridlock in Brampton, who advocated for the scrapped Main St. route, says lessons were learned from that LRT debate, which bogged down council for the better part of a year and divided many in the city.

Im hopeful that the city can learn and grow, he said, adding that he expects staff to report on the only two LRT routes now on the table, early in the year. Asked if council and the city might again get mired in an exhaustive debate over which of the two routes to back, Drew said the city cant afford to get into another acrimonious battle while traffic congestion gets worse every day.

Its not healthy for Brampton to make things personal.

Drew said council can make a decision on the future route early in 2017, when staffers present findings on the two corridors being considered. This, Drew said, will allow the city to start advocating for funding from higher levels of government and get the project moving.

Along with better transit for the city, residents have also been clamouring for a university presence  it is the largest city in Canada without one. In October the province saved Brampton from having to fight with Milton over the selection for just one new university  the Liberal government announced it will award one campus to each municipality along with $180 million in combined funding.

Now, residents are wondering what work has been done to select a campus location, who the university acting as Bramptons required partner will be and where the money will come from, beyond the citys share of the $180 million, to build the citys first university campus. All of these issues will have to be tackled by a staff missing now many key personnel in the management ranks.

Mayor Jeffrey said that while the provinces decision is a welcome one, it means more work, but also more potential opportunities because the scope of the proposal has been greatly widened.

Whereas before we were really limited to Ontario partnerships, the province is really expanding that reach . . . we now can look beyond an Ontario partner.

Jeffrey said that while the principal university partner has to be Ontario based, the city is now going to start working with the province to find other post-secondary partnerships, even possibly overseas, that tie in with the local economy and the desires of Brampton residents who want specific types of educational opportunities in a rapidly transforming economy.

She says the work about to be done to build the citys first university campus could transform the region.

Its early days, but Im very excited about it.

Another key issue facing Brampton, where more than two-thirds of residents are visible minorities, is the future of policing, specifically policies surrounding racial profiling and diversity within the force. After the forces own data was published by the Star in 2015, showing black individuals were three times more likely to be carded by Peel police than whites, Mayor Jeffrey voiced strong opposition to the practice, in her role as a police services board member, overseeing the force.

Jeffrey has also supported a broad equity-diversity audit of Peel police, which in 2017 will probe whether or not its hiring and promotion practices are equitable and reflect the demographics in one of Canadas most diverse regions.

Police Chief Jennifer Evans, who refused the boards request to suspend carding (after the board voted in 2015 to do so) and challenged the board on how it handled its decision to launch the equity-diversity audit, is in the last year of her contract. Jeffrey and the rest of the board will have to decide in 2017 whether to keep Evans on as chief after almost two years of tension between her and the board.

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THUNDER BAY, ONT.Though Lillian Slipperjack lives in a small fly-in reserve surrounded by forest, she never felt more isolated than when she had to travel to the nearest city to give birth.

I was scared and wishing someone was with me, said Slipperjack, 35, of Fort Hope. I would have brought my mom. She would have talked me through the birth.

Slipperjack is only one of many indigenous women in Ontario to make such a journey alone because Health Canada denies their doctors requests to fund the travel of a loved one to assist with the labour. The denied service is seen by moms and health-care professionals as confusing, seemingly arbitrary and unfair.

Slipperjack, a mother of seven, has previously been approved and denied escorts when relocating to cities like Thunder Bay for birth. The sad thing is that I got used to being alone in the delivery room. Nobody should have to feel like that.

After repeated questioning, Health Canada told the Star that although high-risk pregnancies may justify an escort, low-risk ones do not.

Doctors and maternal health experts, including the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, are calling for Health Canada to extend escort coverage to all women who have to relocate for birth, not just for those who are high-risk.

Health Canadas transport policy of not funding a support person to accompany a person in labour is decades old, said SOGC midwifery representative Lisa Morgan. Yet weve allowed it to happen for a very long time knowing that it didnt work well for any of us for even a few days.

Morgan said that even during Torontos 2003 SARS outbreak, when a no-escort policy for pregnant women was designed to prevent further spread of the virus, health officials quickly found it unworkable.

It was a very, very short-lived policy because it was considered completely untenable that a woman would be expected to labour without a support person or the father of the baby, she said. We considered that, in Toronto and the GTA, this was not OK and that a woman had to be allowed to at least have a person come in with her.

Dr. Mike Kirlew, who has spent a decade as a family physician in Sioux Lookout and Wapekeka First Nation, called the denials his patients have experienced disgusting.

I have seen so much fear from women, an absolute fear delivering their baby all by themselves, said Kirlew, who estimates that more than 80 per cent of his patients are indigenous. This practice is disgusting, has no medical basis and needs to stop.

Throughout her pregnancy, Charmaine Barkman experienced complications including constant bleeding, lightheadedness, anemia and high blood pressure. When a nurse in Sachigo Lake phoned to tell the then 20-year-old that her escort request had been denied, she began to cry. By that point, I was always dizzy and had trouble walking and standing up, she said. What if something happened to me?

She may have been in bad shape, but not bad enough to be considered high-risk.

Her partner paid $300 to fly to Sioux Lookout to join her. Two weeks later, in April 2015, he was wheeling her into the hospital after she became pale and stopped moving at their nearby hotel. The baby was arriving early. Barkman doubts she would have made it to hospital in time by herself.

If I was alone, I probably would have lost my son that night.

While in the hospital, another one of Barkmans doctors submitted three more requests for her partner to be covered on a flight back home with her. After two more denials, he was eventually covered for the trip home.

An escort can easily cost upward of a thousand dollars, especially given airfares in the North. For those farther north, such as Skipperjack in Fort Hope, a single boarding pass to Thunder Bay can cost $500.

Health Canadas Non-Insured Health Benefits program covers health care for more than 800,000 indigenous Canadians, including transport, room and board if necessary. For pregnant women on reserves, this means flying to cities such as Sioux Lookout, Thunder Bay or Kenora in their third trimester. There, they wait alone in a hotel or community boarding home until theyre ready to deliver.

But when expecting mothers are denied a support person, Kirlew contends, Health Canada is actually doing harm by withholding the benefits both mothers and babies would have otherwise experienced.

Kirlew and his colleagues cite studies to show companions for pregnant women are linked to shorter labour; reduce interventions like C-sections and epidurals and provide critical coping skills.

The concept that a woman should be a high-risk pregnancy to have an escort is a falsehood, according to Dr. Joseph Dooley, chief of obstetrics at Sioux Lookout Hospital.

Health Canada is supposed to allow escorts for medical reasons, he said. Were saying if the medical research is showing outcomes are better, then why arent they approving them?

Hemorrhaging, retained placentas or large tears that require surgery are just some potential postpartum hurdles that new moms may encounter, added colleague Dr. Lianne Gerber Finn.

And the moms go through this all, by themselves with a newborn, she said. Its completely absurd.

When asked about the denials, Health Minister Jane Philpott responded in an email that, as part of an ongoing review of the NIHB program, she has asked for particular attention be paid to the medical escorts policy.

We need to support Indigenous peoples in helping make childbirth a healthy and positive experience, she wrote.

Philpott acknowledged it can be difficult for indigenous Canadians to travel to give birth. In these cases, it is vital that they are supported in their interactions with the health care system.

Federal guidelines allow funding for an escort for pregnant women when legally or medically necessary.

Medically necessary, however, is defined by the regulator as patients who are minors, medically incapacitated, have physical/mental disabilities, face language barriers or those who have been declared mentally incompetent by a court of competent jurisdiction.

Critics say the way Health Canada defines those requirements is too restrictive.

When a doctor is unable to indicate the patient needs an escort for one of these standard reasons, then an escort is not approved, said Maryse Durette, a ministry spokesperson. Patients can appeal the decision.

Kirlew pointed to a parallel provincial health travel program as an example of a fairer system with fewer restrictions. In contrast with Health Canadas escort travel policy, a doctor filling out Ontarios Northern Health Travel Grant simply needs to indicate there is need for a travel companion, but is not required to provide a reason. Yet applicants who already receive health travel assistance through other programs, including NIHB, are ineligible.

Its unclear how many pregnant indigenous women seeking escorts when travelling for birth are denied. Health Canada does not track those numbers.

Northern Ontario MP Charlie Angus (Timmins-James Bay) criticized Health Canada for failing to log such critical data, adding he was well aware of the discriminatory practice that denies young mothers this kind of medical support.

They dont track refusal rates because they dont want to know, he said. Just because they dont know doesnt mean they have a lesser responsibility for whats happening on their watch.

Indigenous leaders are advocating for escorts to be provided for all prenatal patients, whether or not the pregnancy is high-risk.

How would you feel if someone from Toronto was sent to one of our communities to give birth alone? said Jason Smallboy, deputy grand chief of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation. Oh yeah, and if you want to visit them, pay your own way, too.

Smallboy, who oversees the health portfolio for Nishnawbe Aski Nations 49 indigenous communities in northern Ontario, said families will fundraise to cover travel expenses so a mother-to-be wont have to endure childbirth alone. Felicia Sagutch paid $5,000 so she and her sister could accompany her daughter, Lorne, to Sioux Lookout in 2012.

It was her first pregnancy and thats when you need someone beside you, who will acknowledge, guide and help you understand what to expect, she said. A mother of four, Sagutch wanted to spare her daughter the same lonely, uncertain experience she endured herself in 1992.

Flown to Winnipeg alone weeks before her due date, she remembered feeling scared I wasnt going to make it back home.

Every time I made a phone call to family, I would hang up and cry because it was too hard, she said.

In January 2014, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority published a study to understand the experiences of the roughly 1,200 women who travel there for births each year. Patients from Ontarios most northern communities, such as Fort Severn First Nation, will sometimes be flown to the Manitoban capital because its closer.

Researchers noted the biggest need identified by women and health care practitioners is to have the support of their partner, mother, or someone else who knows them during labour and birth and recommended the health authority develop a better understanding of NIHBs escort policies in order to understand why the policy seems inconsistent.

Women themselves wish obstetric evacuations were not necessary at all.

I remember telling my nurses that I really wanted to just have my baby at home, that I didnt want to leave, said Tara Rae from Deer Lake First Nation, a small Oji-Cree community of 1,200 people.

At 38 weeks, Rae was flown from her residence, then in Fort Severn, to Winnipeg for the delivery of her daughter, Leila, in 2000. It was depressing and cold, I didnt know the city at all, she said. I was out there for literally two weeks, living in a boarding home, just waiting for my baby all by myself.

Months before the due date of her third child, Heaven, born in 2008, Rae recalled informing her doctor she was afraid of delivering alone. This time she was to be flown to Sioux Lookout. The physician submitted an escort request to NIHB, to no avail. Even with a letter from the doctor, I never got an escort, she said. I was told I wasnt high-risk enough.

Ellen Blais, an aboriginal midwifery policy analyst at the Association of Ontario Midwives, believes birth should not be happening hundreds of kilometres away, nor should someone have to get on a plane in order to have a baby.

The former co-chair of the National Aboriginal Council of Midwives is advocating for the development of midwifery training programs on reserves. Blais explained that this would not only cut travel costs but also guide women and youth to make informed choices about reproductive health and parenting. (Of the total $1.1 billion spent on NIHB benefits  which cover various illnesses and conditions  just over a third last year went to transport costs.)

Health Canada does not employ midwives in Ontario but does hire some nurses at First Nation communities in the provinces north. Durette of Health Canada said First Nation community leaders can allocate federal funding to employ or engage midwives themselves.

Meanwhile, Ontario funds a single midwifery practice in Attawapiskat, a Cree community close to James Bay. A provincial health spokesperson said officials are reviewing proposals to expand midwifery services to other indigenous communities.

We hear of issues like suicides and addiction yet there is nothing to balance that out, Blais said. When birth leaves a community, you take away something that brings joy and happiness. When babies are not taken away, the healing begins.

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BEIRUTAn air raid has struck several cars in northwestern Syria, killing at least eight people, including al-Qaida-linked fighters and a senior commander with a Chinese Islamic militant faction, an activist group and a local jihadi commander said Monday.

The attack occurred late Sunday on a road leading from the town of Sarmada to the Bab al-Hawa area on the border with Turkey, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and a local commander with the Fatah al-Sham Front, an al-Qaida-linked group. The militant spoke via text messages on condition of anonymity because of security concerns.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack, but the Observatorys chief Rami Abdurrahman said it is widely believed to have been carried out by the U.S.-led coalition.

The U.S. has killed some of al-Qaidas most senior commanders in Syria over the past two years in airstrikes. Those targeted included members of the so-called Khorasan group, which Washington describes as an internal branch of al-Qaida that plans attacks against Western interests.

The Observatory said eight people were killed in the airstrike, including three jihadi commanders. The dead include a senior al-Qaida commander known as Khattab al-Qahtani, who was from the Gulf region and fought for the group in Afghanistan.

Abu Omar al-Turkistani, a top commander with the Turkistan Islamic Party, and a Syrian al-Qaida commander known as Abu Muatasem al-Deiri, were also killed. The Turkistan Islamic Party mainly consists of minority Uighurs from China, many of whom have travelled to Syria to help battle President Bashar Assads forces alongside other jihadi groups.

The Fatah al-Sham commander confirmed that several people were killed, including al-Qahtani and al-Turkistani. He said the attack was most likely carried out by drones.

A video posted online by the Syrian Civil Defence search-and-rescue group, also known as the White Helmets, showed rescue workers spraying a car with fire extinguishers as a body was removed and placed in a black bag. The video appeared genuine and corresponded to other Associated Press reporting.

Earlier Monday, Syrias state news agency said al-Qaida militants knocked out electricity towers near the capital, causing power cuts in a southern province. SANA said Fatah al-Sham fighters bombed three towers southwest of Damascus, causing electricity cuts in the Quneitra region.

The report came as a cease-fire brokered by Russia and Turkey held for the fourth day amid sporadic violations. Fighting has raged in the water-rich Barada Valley northwest of Damascus over the past two weeks.

The Fatah al-Sham Front, previously known as the Nusra Front, and the Daesh group are not included in the truce.

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ISTANBULDaesh on Monday made an unusual claim of responsibility for a major terrorist attack in Turkey, saying a soldier of the caliphate carried out the mass shooting at an Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people  including one Canadian  as they welcomed the new year.

The group said Christian revellers were targeted in response to Turkish military operations against Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL, in northern Syria, but most of the dead were foreign tourists from Muslim countries.

The claim came after a recent Daesh propaganda video urged attacks on Turkey, which is home to an airbase used in the U.S.-led effort against the group in Syria and Iraq.

Turkish authorities never confirmed the authenticity of the Dec. 22 video that purported to show Turkish soldiers who were burned alive, but access to social media was temporarily restricted in what appeared to be an effort to curb circulation of the footage.

The nightclub assailant, armed with a long-barrelled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian early Sunday outside the Reina club before entering and firing at some of the estimated 600 people inside. The establishment is frequented by famous locals, including singers, actors and athletes.

Authorities obtained the fingerprints and a basic description of the gunman and are close to identifying him, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said Monday after a weekly cabinet meeting. He confirmed that eight people have been detained in connection with the attack.

Daesh boasts of having cells in Turkey, regularly issues propaganda in Turkish and is believed to have hundreds of Turks in its ranks. But until now, the main act of aggression it had claimed in Turkey was the March 2016 killing of a Syrian journalist and an attack on riot police in the province of Diyarbakir, which Kurdish militants also claimed.

Other attacks in Turkey have been linked to Daesh, but without specific claims of responsibility.

For some analysts, the claim signalled a shift in Daesh strategy in Turkey, a predominantly Muslim nation and NATO member.

Its a new phase, security analyst Michael Horowitz said. What we saw before was an undeclared war, and now were entering an open war.

The Daesh claim said only that the attacker struck to let infidel Turkey know that the blood of Muslims that is being shed by its airstrikes and artillery shelling will turn into fire on its territories.

Early Turkish media reports suggested the nightclub gunman was probably from either Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan and may have been part of the same cell that staged a June attack on Istanbul Ataturk Airport that killed 45 people.

By attacking as the nation was celebrating the new year, the group indicated that it intends to continue being a scourge against Turkey in 2017, Kurtulmus said.

Initially, Daesh activity in Turkey appeared designed to stoke tensions with the countrys ethnic Kurds and reflected events in Syria. The first dramatic attack came July 2015, when a suicide bomber hit a rally of activists in the border town of Suruc, at a time when Kurdish fighters in Syria where under siege just across the border in Kobane.

The worst Daesh-linked attack to rock Turkey came just months after, in October 2015, when twin suicide bombings killed 102 people at a peace rally in the capital, Ankara.

In 2016, Daesh was blamed by analysts and Turkish authorities for a wider range of attacks, including the airport assault and two other deadly bombings against tourists in Istanbul. The group was also suspected of directing an attack by a suicide bomber  possibly as young as 12  that killed more than 50 people at an outdoor wedding in the city of Gaziantep.

Turkey launched an offensive to northern Syria in August in a bid to clear a strategic border area of Daesh militants and contain the gains of Kurdish fighters. In October, Turkish-backed Syrian forces took the symbolically important town of Dabiq, which is central to Daesh propaganda. Turkish jets regularly bomb Daesh in the then town of Al-Bab, and Ankara wants to play a role in dislodging Daesh from its bastion in Raqqa.

Islamic State (Daesh) is sending a strong message to the Turkish government that it will pay in blood for the offensive in northern Syria, Anthony Skinner, an analyst with the Verisk Maplecroft security firm, wrote in an email to The Associated Press.

Many analysts also see the latest attack on Turkey as a sign of growing desperation within Daesh.

The group has been threatened in al-Bab, Raqqa and Mosul in Iraq and needs to reassert itself, said Horowitz, director at the intelligence analysis firm Prime Source.

The aggression on Turkey, he added, is in line with the groups practice of equating mass-casualty terrorism attacks with heavy bombings and airstrikes on Daesh-held territories.

In its claim, Daesh said the nightclub attack was aimed at Christians celebrating a pagan holiday, suggesting a symbolic choice of target that can be justified to radical Sunni Muslim supporters as punishment of sinners. But in reality, many of the victims hailed from majority-Muslim nations in the Middle East.

Max Abrahms, a Northeastern University political scientist, said Daesh understands that civilian attacks can be counterproductive in countries where it has abundant support. To him, the change of tact in Turkey reflects the mindset of Daesh in the wake of losses in Syria and Iraq.

Theres no question that Islamic State (Daesh) is suffering in an irreversible way, Abrahms said. So the group wants to commit as many attacks as possible and is much more likely to claim credit for them in order to signal that it has continued capability to mount operations around the world.

Also Monday, Anadolu said more than 100 Daesh targets in Syria have been hit by Turkey and Russia in separate operations. Last week, Turkey and Russia brokered a ceasefire for Syria that excludes Daesh and other groups considered to be terrorist organizations.

Hinnant reported from Paris. Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Dominique Soguel in Vannes, France, also contributed to this report.

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CAIROEgyptian police have arrested 12 people at a protest against the transfer of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia.

Security officials say the Monday arrests were made around the Journalists Union building in central Cairo, where dozens of people, mostly lawyers and journalists, had gathered to demonstrate. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they werent authorized to brief reporters.

Last Thursday, state media reported that President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissis government approved the maritime border agreement and sent it to parliament for ratification despite a court ruling the deal unconstitutional.

The transfer was announced alongside a Saudi aid package last year, leading critics to condemn it as a land sell-off. The April signing of the agreement set off the largest demonstrations of el-Sissis two-year rule.

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ITHACA, N.Y.In a time of fear and uncertainty, college campuses and cities across the U.S. are vowing to fight back if president-elect Donald Trump tries to deport students and law-abiding community members who lack legal status.

At Cornell University, in Ithaca, N.Y., more than 2,000 students and professors signed a petition asking the university to join other institutions and declare itself a sanctuary, or safe haven, for undocumented students.

I am frightened, said one literature student, who asked not to be identified for fear she could be deported. But I am also encouraged to see people mobilizing and organizing and preparing for Trump to carry out his threat to deport millions of illegals.

As many as 740,000 children and teenagers  including this woman in her 20s  were given temporary amnesty four years ago when President Barack Obama passed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

Now these DREAMers  named after an earlier version of the act which was not passed  fear they, or their parents, will be targeted if they come out of the shadows.

My parents brought me from Mexico to Los Angeles when I was 8. They worked hard and paid taxes and put me and my two siblings through college, said the Cornell student, who attended a recent campus rally. I registered in DACA, and gave authorities my fingerprints. The threat is serious now that I could be deported. It is stressful not knowing when this could happen.

Trump, who takes office Jan. 20, has said that during his first 100 days he plans to cancel every unconstitutional executive action, memorandum and order issued by President Obama. The president-elect has not listed the specific actions he plans to cancel to back up his hyperbole, but his campaign website singled out the amnesty law, which was passed by executive action in 2012.

DACA granted applicants who arrived in the U.S. before their 16th birthday, and who have lived there continuously since 2007, a chance to legally get a job with a two-year guarantee they would not be deported. It was never designed to be a permanent solution, rather to buy time until other immigration reforms could be passed.

Under a Trump presidency, those expected reforms are almost certainly dead.

Hunter Rawlings, Cornells interim president, reaffirmed in a recent statement that the university stands with every Cornellian. But he stopped short of calling Cornell a sanctuary campus.

The sanctuary movement sprang to life in the 1980s, when some U.S. cities pledged to protect undocumented residents by not prosecuting them for breaking federal immigration law. Dozens of U.S. cities have since declared themselves sanctuaries, including New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans, Oakland and Seattle. What this actually means in practice can vary. Some cities bar police from asking about peoples immigration status. Others wont detain people, on the request of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, if they are accused of minor offences.

Sanctuary declarations are not legally binding, say experts.

You can call yourself a sanctuary university, but it doesnt have a legal meaning, says Stephen Yale-Loehr, a Cornell law professor who specializes in immigration.

University officials cannot legally block federal immigration agents from entering public spaces on campus if they have a warrant  although they can choose not to volunteer information that might lead to an arrest.

Cornell doesnt track the immigration status of students when they register or apply for financial aid, according an official. Yale-Loehr estimates there are about 50 to 100 Cornell students who are undocumented or are covered under DACA.

Yale-Loehr does not believe federal agents will knock on students doors any time soon, even under Trump. He predicts they will prioritize undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes.

U.S. immigration courts are also backlogged, and Trump would have to significantly increase spending if he wants to deport any large fraction of the estimated 11 million people living in the U.S. without legal status.

Still, the issue is a demoralizing one for the DREAMers, and their supporters. If Trump instructed federal agents to move in on campuses to deport undocumented students en masse, they could  although it would be unprecedented in modern American history.

Cornell is a liberal bubble and we were blindsided by the Trump victory, said Cody Moris, a 19-year-old Cornell student and member of the campus Amnesty International.

Its a real wake-up call. We need to mobilize.

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BERLINGerman prosecutors have indicted a Pakistani man on charges of spying for an Iranian intelligence agency.

Federal prosecutors said Monday that the 31-year-old, identified only as Syed Mustufa H. due to German privacy rules, was in contact with the unnamed spy agency since 2011.

In a statement, prosecutors said the man began spying on the former head of a group that promotes German-Israeli relations by July 2015 at the latest.

He is alleged to have received money in return for passing on information obtained about the ex-head of the German-Israeli Society.

The suspect faces up to five years imprisonment if convicted of espionage.

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VATICAN CITYPope Francis has exhorted Catholic bishops worldwide to do whats needed to ensure children are protected from sexual abuse by clergy.

The Vatican on Monday released the text of a Dec. 28 letter Francis sent to bishops about injustices to children. They included slave labour, malnutrition, lack of education and sexual exploitation, including abuse by priests.

In the letter, Francis decried the sufferings, the experiences and pain of minors who were abused sexually by priests.

It is a sin that shames us, the pope wrote. Persons responsible for the protection of those children destroyed their dignity.

The churchs reputation has been stained in several countries during the last few decades as people have come forward to report that parish, priests or other Catholic clergy raped or molested them as minors.

The allegations showed that local bishops sometimes knew about and covered up child sex abuse involving priests and triggered multimillion-dollar lawsuits, as well as several criminal prosecutions.

Expressing the churchs regret, and begging forgiveness, the pope denounced the sin of what happened, the sin of failing to help, the sin of covering up and denial, the sin of the abuse of power.

Francis also asked bishops for complete commitment to ensuring that these atrocities will no longer take place in our midst.

Let us find the courage needed to take all necessary measures and to protect in every way the lives of our children, so that such crimes may never be repeated, the pope said. In this area, let us adhere, clearly and faithfully, to zero tolerance. 

The pontiff himself has received mixed reviews on how the Vatican handles sex abuse.

Francis has laid out procedures to oust bishops for negligence, if they mishandle investigations into alleged abuse.

But he dismayed advocates for abuse survivors by appointing a Chilean bishop accused of covering up for a notorious pedophile.

The Vatican also took no immediate action after deaf students from Italy, in a 2014 letter to the pope, said a priest sexually abused them for years in Italy and was now working at a school in Francis native Argentina. The priest was arrested last year and charged with raping deaf students at a school in Argentina.

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BAGHDADA suicide bomber driving a pickup loaded with explosives struck a bustling market in Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 36 people in an attack claimed by Daesh hours after French President Francois Hollande arrived in the Iraqi capital.

The bomb went off in a fruit and vegetable market that was packed with day labourers, a police officer said, adding that another 52 people were wounded.

During a press conference with Hollande, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the bomber pretended to be a man seeking to hire day labourers. Once the workers gathered around, he detonated the vehicle.

Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL, claimed the attack in a statement circulated on a militant website often used by the extremists. It was the third Daesh-claimed attack in as many days in and around Baghdad, underscoring the lingering threat posed by the group despite a string of setbacks elsewhere in the country over the past year, including in and around the northern city of Mosul.

The attack took place in Sadr City, a vast Shiite district in eastern Baghdad that has been repeatedly targeted by Sunni extremists since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

Shiite militiamen loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr, the firebrand cleric for whose family the neighbourhood is named, were seen evacuating bodies in their trucks before ambulances arrived. Dead bodies were scattered across the bloody pavement alongside fruit, vegetables and labourers shovels and axes. A minibus filled with dead passengers was on fire.

Asaad Hashim, an owner of a mobile phone store nearby, described how the labourers pushed and shoved around the bombers vehicle, trying to get hired.

Then a big boom came, sending them up into the air, said the 28-year old, who suffered shrapnel wounds to his right hand. He blamed the most ineffective security forces in the world for failing to prevent the attack.

An angry crowd cursed the government, even after a representative of al-Sadr tried to calm them. Late last month, Iraqi authorities started removing some of the security checkpoints in Baghdad in a bid to ease traffic for the capitals 6 million residents.

We have no idea who will kill at any moment and whos supposed to protect us, said Ali Abbas, a 40-year old father of four who was hurled over his vegetable stand by the blast. If the securities forces cant protect us, then allow us to do the job, he added.

Several smaller bombings elsewhere in the city on Monday killed another 20 civilians and wounded at least 70, according to medics and police officials. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.

Hollande meanwhile met with al-Abadi and President Fuad Masum, and later travelled to the self-governing northern Kurdish region to meet with French troops and local officials. There he pledged support for helping displaced Iraqis return to the city of Mosul, where Iraqi forces are waging a massive offensive against Daesh.

We must also prepare a political solution for Mosuls post-liberation so that its inhabitants can live together, he said.

France is part of the American-led coalition formed in 2014 to fight Daesh after the extremist group seized large areas in Iraq and neighbouring Syria. France has suffered multiple attacks claimed by the extremist group.

Since the Mosul operation started on Oct. 17, Iraqi forces have seized around a quarter of the city. Last week, the troops resumed fighting after a two-week lull due to stiff resistance by the militants and bad weather.

Mosul is Iraqs second largest city and the last major urban area in the country controlled by IS. Iraqi and U.S. commanders hope to drive Daesh from the city in the next three months.

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Canadian indigenous people have been described as ghosts of history, spectres lingering in the background, haunting our legacy. This refers to the fact indigenous people have been ignored to a great extent in Canadian history, yet Canadians are fully aware that indigenous people were here long before the arrival of the Europeans.

Canadians are also generally aware that indigenous people were mistreated over time. Their lands and culture were stripped away through questionable means leaving generations traumatized.

For many Canadians, ignorance is bliss  it has been easier on the conscience to just ignore this unpleasant chapter in Canadian history and pretend the displacement, oppression and trauma of indigenous people never happened.

In the short run, ignoring this history may make it easier for Canadians to have pride in being Canadian. But, in the long run, ignoring this history rather than facing it head on, has costs. It weighs heavily on the Canadian psyche.

The eclipse of the indigenous people by the English and French settlers by the time of Confederation has left present day Canada floundering with its identity  and even affects us on the world stage. Canadas attempt to be a leader on the world stage as a champion of human rights is often ridiculed by its enigmatic treatment of its indigenous population.

In 2014, a United Nations report showed that, of the bottom 100 communities in Canada on the Community Well-being Index, 96 were indigenous communities. In 2015, the Conference Board of Canada ranked 117 health regions in Canada and found that indigenous communities were at the bottom, mostly affected by social problems affecting health. Thats the effect of systematically undervaluing a whole group of people. Thats trauma in real life.

History also shows us how important indigenous people were to the founding of Canada. John Ralston Saul argues that Canadian identity extends beyond the French and English and actually rests on a triangular foundation that includes Canada's indigenous peoples. Early exploration and settlement by the French, followed by the English, would not have been possible without the assistance of indigenous people and whole indigenous nations.

Indigenous people taught the rest how to exist on this land we call Canada. Indigenous participation in the fur trade enabled the establishment of the first major economic activity in this country.

Not only trauma, but solutions and new-found pride in the Canadian identity may be found in looking honestly and responding appropriately to the lessons of history.

The social problems facing many indigenous people today because of intergenerational trauma are large, but the fact the indigenous population is the youngest demographic group in Canada offers opportunity to support change in a large generation of young people that could cascade forward into the generations to come. If we ignore the problems, the trauma will continue to grow exponentially. If we address the problems, the healing will grow exponentially.

So what are the solutions?

Many solutions come under the reconsideration of treaties. Rather than keep our treaties hidden under a cloak of shame, we should acknowledge and celebrate their existence with pride by focusing and emphasizing their original intent  that of an agreement between peoples about the peaceful sharing of lands in exchange for security: security from hunger, security from disease, security from obsolescence.

Recognizing the value of indigenous people, inherent in the recognition of the intent of treaties as agreements between two peoples will reduce the societal push for assimilation. If you value someone, you dont see a need to assimilate that person. Indigenous people have always resisted being absorbed into the larger society through forced assimilation. Chief Sitting Bull once famously said, If the Great Spirit had desired me to be a white man, He would have made me so in the first place.

Indigenous people should not be written off derisively as a stone-age people without the wheel. In fact, Canada is criss-crossed by many rivers and lakes that were in summer traversed by light, efficient birch bark canoes by indigenous people and by voyageurs after the arrival of Europeans. In winter, snowshoes and toboggans were the only modes of transport over the deep snow that blanketed our lands for a good part of the year. The wheel was useless during this period of history.

Valuing indigenous people also means that we are compelled to help them.

Only a handful of reserves, the lucky few adjacent to mainstream markets, have reached standards that are equivalent to the rest of Canadian society. Canada needs to pay attention to the Shamattawas and Attawapiskats of this country that are plagued by suicides, drugs and alcohol, amongst other issues. Forced relocation is not an option; however, valuing people by enabling them to relocate if they want to, with government assistance, should be available.

Economic corridors linking these isolated communities to the nearest regional centre need to be negotiated  because jobs are lifelines to human purpose. Any new resource development in the area must include some ownership by the communities. Most importantly, treaty rights need to be portable and no longer used to restrict and confine indigenous people within the boundaries of their designated reserves.

These are only starting points. But indigenous people need to be recognized in history as a people who at one time had independence, territory, communities, governance, trade, culture, traditions and spirituality.

Rather than focusing on the shameful outcomes, recognizing and acting upon the original intentions of treaties will go a long way toward restoring pride, respect and dignity to indigenous peoples. It will coincidentally address Canadians divided conscience over the pride they can realistically hold in their identity as Canadians. These approaches would also help indigenous peoples assume their rightful place as one of the three valuable pillars in Canadas triangular foundation.

Together we can bring indigenous people out of the shadows and they will cease to be ghosts of history. Indigenous people can assume their rightful place as valued citizens of Canada.

Leonard G. Flett is the author of From the Barren Lands and a member of the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation (Big Trout Lake, Ontario). Nicole Letourneau is the author of Scientific Parenting and a professor at the University of Calgarys Owerko Centre.

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Britains former security minister, an old and good friend, once said to me, Predicting the future is not only useless but dangerous; understanding the present and using that understanding to prepare for the future, however, is useful and vital. So how do we prepare for 2017? The details may be obscure but the trends are obvious.

The Middle East will continue to be a fulcrum of foreign policy and international diplomacy but not within the traditional and somewhat stale, even banal, assumptions of the past. To see the situation through the prism of Israel and Palestine or Moscow and Washington simply wont do anymore and is the stuff of student politics. The sides are different now, the ambitions changed.

A new Sunni world alliance is being formed, with the regional superpowers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey binding together to combat Iran, Shia extremism, and also the threat of Sunni but unhinged and nihilistic Daesh, also known as ISIS. The latter may be horrific and cruel but while it can kill people it cant destabilize major Muslim governments, and there will be no caliphate. Iran and its junior siblings remain the main threat to the politicians in Ankara, Riyadh, Amman and the Gulf states, and its Persia, not Palestine, that is spoken about incessantly.

To perfect a regional alliance these Arab states need Israel, and their traditional, if often cosmetic, hostility to the Jewish state is now little more than a facade. Hence the reality that Israel is closer to Egypt than at any time since the rule of President Sadat; that Saudi diplomats are making conciliatory noises about peace in numerous international conferences; and that Turkey has restored full diplomatic relations with Jerusalem and was one of the first countries to send aid when arson attacks ravaged Israel.

Russia is the great winner in Middle Eastern foreign policy, being seen as a defender of Arab Christians, a bulwark against Daesh and an honest broker between Israel and the Arab states. Thats an immensely flattering view of Moscow, of course, but the fact is that Israel now has a conduit to Syria  and even Iran  through Russia and for the first time since the late 40s and early 50s the Israeli leadership is relatively close to the Kremlin.

What this means in the coming year to the West is unclear and, as a consequence, fascinating. Barack Obamas regional policy was flawed largely because it was inconsistent. Confuse enemies but always reassure friends. Donald Trump may not have a grasp of the issues, but in the new secretary of state he does have a relatively clean sheet and thats no bad thing. Rex Tillerson is a deeply worrying figure but his close relationship with Russia and knowledge of oil economics could be productive, whether we like it or not.

When it comes to climate change, however, the Trump administration may well oversee a disastrous year, at a juncture when time is of the essence and we simply cant procrastinate and postpone any longer. If the political right is worried about immigration and refugees now, wait until weather conditions become even more disturbed and watch as the greatest migration in human history takes place. Reactionary platitudes, walls and violence will be like flatulence in the wind.

I have no idea what Justin Trudeau will do and Im not sure it matters that much. Let me qualify the statement. This is, thank God, a country of privilege and stability. We need to expand care for the poor and marginalized, deal properly with the shameful way weve treated indigenous people, introduce a carbon tax and keep our distance from Washington, but I will not pretend that I care passionately about electoral reform, the tiresome cliche of Justins honeymoon or who becomes the next Conservative leader. Trudeau has done very little, but even very little is preferable to what preceded him. Canada works, and our most pressing problems are challenging but relatively mild compared to almost every other country in the world.

As for the Tories, the contest winner can hold the trophy high but if they look closer its a poisoned chalice. If Kellie Leitch does manage to win she will throw her party into the wilderness of the clumsy, the malign and the shallow. For all of her verbiage about elites and Canadian values, no informed commentator believes a word of it and they know that this is political vulturism. The more people suffer and are frightened, the more the exploitative screams and shouts from the Leitch camp have resonance, and thats a shameful legacy, indeed.

The NDP has been largely anonymous since the tragic death of Jack Layton but if Charlie Angus becomes the new leader there is hope of something fresh, new and exciting in the Canadian body politic. Its unlikely the party can ever form a federal government but as the conscience of the people its imperative it grows and has more clout in Ottawa.

In Europe, the French will elect a new president and its likely going to be a choice between soft fascism and rock-hard conservatism. Marine Le Pen of the National Front may not adhere to the crypto-Nazism of her father, who led the party before her, but shes still the champion of the angry and the xenophobic.

Francois Fillon is the leader of the mainstream conservatives in France but hes to the right of the party and is as popular as he is outspoken. If Le Pen wins  unlikely but not impossible  France will leave the European Union; if Fillon triumphs, a Gallic version of Brexit will be urged by many of his supporters.

If France did leave, the EU would collapse. The Germans couldnt continue without the British and French economies and Italy is far from secure in its membership.

Trying to measure Donald Trumps likely moves from his past actions is a formidable challenge. Hes a crass pragmatist rather than an ideologue but he has to satisfy the social conservative zealots who helped him to power, and the future Supreme Court could be hazardous to womens rights and racial equality.

On gun control, health care and the environment the coming year, and the next four for that matter, are likely to be intensely difficult. The United States is more polarized than at any time since the Civil War, and government by social media is surreal in its absurdity. Pray, though, that the vice-president never comes to power because unlike Trump, Mike Pence is a true believer, and those beliefs will unleash even more of the genuinely frightening forces in American society.

As Daesh loses more ground in the Middle East it will move its campaign to the West and to Arab states friendly to the U.S. Theres no escaping the biting truth that complacency is no longer an option. But to overreact would be to play directly into their bloody hands. Reason, yet resolve, in the face of those who would trash the humanity of the majority. In simple terms, we are better than they are.

Ive more than once heard people say that they will not miss 2016. Understandable, but one has to wonder what they will say in 12 months time about 2017. Let us hope, oh let us hope, that the sentiment is different.

Michael Corens latest book is Epiphany: A Christians Change of Heart & Mind over Same-Sex Marriage. Mcoren@sympatico.ca

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Its high time to get to the bottom of an Ontario medical mystery: how can a single doctor bill for 100,000 patients in a single year? And how can another doctor justify billing OHIP for $7 million in the same year?

These are two of the most eye-popping findings taken from an audit conducted by the provincial health ministry and reported last week by the Stars Theresa Boyle.

The audit found that the provinces 12 top-billing doctors received payments averaging $4 million apiece in 2014-15. Six of them allegedly charged for services not rendered, five of them upcoded (or billed for procedures that cost more than they should), and three charged for services judged to be medically unnecessary. Six claimed to have worked for 356 days or more in the one-year period, according to ministry documents.

All are specialists in such fields as ophthalmology, radiology and cardiology. None of their names are included in the audit report, despite a ruling last year by the provinces privacy commissioner that the identity of the top medical billers should be made public.

Its not clear what action will follow the audit report. It could involve demanding repayment of excessive fees, action by the doctors professional college, referral to the review board that resolves disputes over physicians payments, or even referral to police for possible fraud.

But it is clear that Ontarians deserve answers in the face of credible information that, at the very least, some doctors are billing enormous amounts for procedures that auditors find to be highly questionable  if not outright fraudulent.

The Ontario Medical Association has been quick to point out that the doctors involved deserve a fair process before anyone jumps to the conclusion that they have done anything wrong. And it notes that medical billing is complex and doctors practices vary widely.

The OMA is right about that, but the people who rely on OHIP (that is to say, all of us) are also right to demand clear explanations of where our tax dollars are going. Ontario doctors collectively bill about $11 billion a year, and we need reassurance that it is being well spent.

A couple of other things are also true. There are about 30,000 doctors in the province, and the audit report involves a miniscule fraction of the most highly paid. And, as always, we should remind ourselves that billing does not equal income; doctors must pay staff salaries, rent and other expenses out of what they bill OHIP.

All that said, what looks very much like excessive billing by some doctors can only raise eyebrows at a time when Ontario is struggling to keep up with growing demand for medical services, and doctors themselves are demanding a better deal from the province.

It also strengthens the argument for making public how much individual doctors bill the province for their services.

Doctors hate the idea, but its been done routinely in two other provinces for many years. And last June Ontarios privacy watchdog endorsed making public the names of the provinces top billers, their specialties and how much each receives from the public.

John Higgins, an adjudicator for the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, ruled in response to a freedom of information request by the Star that the concept of transparency, and in particular, the closely related goal of accountability, requires the identification of parties who receive substantial payments from the public purse.

It was a well-reasoned decision, and it seems even more justified now that we have a better idea of just how substantial some of the payments have been. Unfortunately, though, the OMA has challenged the ruling in the courts.

The public interest would be better served by shining a light on medical billing and quickly reassuring Ontarians that precious health dollars are being properly spent.

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Re: Indigenous issues must be addressed at every level, Opinion Jan. 1

Re: Giving birth alone and far from home, Jan. 2

Indigenous issues must be addressed at every level, Opinion Jan. 1

All Canadians want equality for our indigenous peoples. Tragically, Bob Raes chimerical route to equality is more decolonization and more indigenous self-government, but within the context of an even more chimerical new, third effective order of government by and for indigenous people.

These totally abstract, undefinable words and concepts, which bear no relation to the physical reality playing out daily on reserves, epitomize the destructive power of ideological abstractions over human lives. It seems that utopian thinkers like Mr. Rae and his law firm indigenous clients reason that the finite sacrifices that occur every day on reserves  unconscionably high rates of suicide, poverty, alcoholism, drugs, criminality etc.  is a price worth paying for their infinite totally abstract, highly contingent payoff decolonized self-government.

An abstract, infinitely remote end like that is not an end for our suffering indigenous peoples; its a perpetual prison for the present.

Peter Best, Sudbury

Giving birth alone and far from home, Jan. 2

Your story said indigenous women are giving birth alone. Where are our priorities and our hearts? We spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on refugees from places like Syria. We dont know their backgrounds or whether they will be good Canadian citizens and yet we pride ourselves on our compassion.

Where is our compassion for indigenous people? They are Canadians, like us, needing some extra care because they live in our northern areas. We spend millions on hospital care for those who live in the larger Canadian cities.

Indigenous people in the north are just as deserving. Lets find the best way to make birthing easier in our Canadian north, set up effective procedures, and spend the required funds. Compassion should be shown equally to all Canadians and prior to compassion for refugee claimants.

Jonathan Usher, North York

When Canada finally has an Indigenous Prime Minister, only then will Canadians be able to confidently look back into history. Hopefully, this will take less than 10,000 years.

Douglas Cornish, Ottawa

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Re: Sage advice from Hurricane Hazel, Letter Jan. 1

Sage advice from Hurricane Hazel, Letter Jan. 1

I first turn to the comics. Sets me up for the morning along with the coffee. Then I turn to the editorial pages. Reading the letters from readers is a great way to gage the effectiveness of the Stars position, investigating and writing.

The letter from Edward Ozog from Brantford is the best of the year from my perspective. You feel the wisdom of his words and research each time you try to navigate GTHA region: the poor state of our infrastructure, the transit systems that dont, the impending tolls just to wait in the longer lines and the potholes that yearn to become sink holes.

But its the people number/square kilometre that registers the futile growth plans determined by our political leaders. The plague of congestion, pollution, lack of affordable housing, are summed up with Mr. Ozogs parting shot: the declining quality of urban life.

The Stars commitment to publishing the thoughts of readers makes for a invigorating combination balance between reporting and response.

One thing though: Please add Non Sequitur by Wiley in the daily smile page. We need it.

Don Graves, Burlington

Edward Ozogs letter arguing for unbridled development and a return to sprawl was a classic example of data being used like a drunk using a lamp post: more for support than illumination. The writer cleverly organized his information about population density and argued the Greater Toronto Area and Ontario were not being well served by restrictions on development. Clearly he argues for the development industry.

No question, there is housing demand and developers can certainly make lots of money if we ease restrictions on conversion of farmland and natural buffering environments. But the province has done the right thing. This is no time to turn back the clock to the days of unbridled development.

Paving over paradise is not an alternative. Increased urban density is the intelligent way of the future.

Bruce Diana Rogers, Lindsay

It is notoriously hard to measure and compare cities, since our data often comes from political jurisdictions and census areas, which arent contiguous with urban growth. Still, it might reassure Edward Ozog, who sees the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area as the most densely populated urban area north of Mexico, that he has his numbers confused: it isnt, not by a long shot.

The City of Toronto itself is pretty dense (roughly comparable to Chicago, depending on how we measure it), but the GTHA sprawls at about 850 inhabitants per square kilometre, less than half the density of the major urban areas in the United States he cites.

In that context, urban intensification isnt bringing us urban sclerosis and blight: its balancing out the mistakes made in allowing inefficient and unsustainable sprawl.

I heartily agree with Mr. Ozog that our rapidly growing urban region could use updated transit and other infrastructure. A denser population will help, not hinder that goal.

Daniel Ross, Toronto

According to Edward Ozog, the GTHAs current density of 2900 people per square kilometre, the most densely populated urban area north of Mexico City, is reason enough to agree with Hazel McCallion and abandon smart growth strategies. The problem is that, based on the area of the six municipalities of the GTHA (Toronto, Hamilton, Peel, York, Durham, and Halton), the population density is actually about 795 people per square kilometre, well below all the other cities to which Mr. Ozog compares the GTHA.

In fact the GTHA is, by North American and even European standards, not too densely populated. It has a lot more intensification left in it before it approaches the current densities Mr. Ozog listed for New York, Vancouver, San Francisco, Montreal and Los Angeles.

Jason Cormier, Mississauga

Places to Grow, and its successors, has been a poorly planned disaster from the start and making life for most millennials a nightmare. The promise of a life equal to or better than their parents was ripped from their hands.

It is ironic that supporters of further land use restrictions say it is essential we determine how we are to grow and plan for the entire region. Really? Wasnt that what the decade old plan was supposed to do in the first place when announced with much fanfare?

What has happened since the growth plan was introduced? Housing prices have gone through the roof from land use experiments. Incomes have flattened  few full time jobs created. Transit planning is still a mess, decades away and still not aligned with housing planning. Taxes, hydro and user fees are way ahead of reasonable abilities to pay. Social housing lists have grown every year. Investment in the region is repelled. Elites of all stripes are impoverishing the next generation.

Nimbyists and many local politicians seeking their support continue to block intensification ( so much for density). It takes longer than ever to cut through red tape to build housing of any kind.

According to the World Bank, we rank 57th in the world in construction approvals out of 187 countries. When a region like the GTA is making life worse for the next generation, it means we have a very big problem. Increasing intensification targets is madness when the current situation is a shambles. The views of the most successful mayor in our times, Hazel McCallion, should be carefully heeded.

Richard Lyall, Newmarket

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Re: Stop it, already, Editorial Dec. 31

Re: How I became a statistic in the war against cars, Opinion Dec. 27

Stop it, already, Editorial Dec. 31

I agree that it is appalling that people continue to text and drive at quite an alarming rate. I think that it is time to make it more painful for drivers caught texting. Why dont we follow rules similar to drunk driving or excessive speeding and have the police confiscate the offenders phone? Not forever, but some time that is long enough to be inconvenient but not so long that the offender would go and buy another phone.

Take the phone away for a week and let the offender know they can come to the police station to pick it up after a week. That might discourage phone use while driving.

Richard Kilburn, Oakville

Ive been driving in Ontario for almost 50 years and people are making the same gain-lose errors today as they did back then. According to a Canadian Press article published by the Star, if you as a driver text while waiting for a red light to become green you can be fined and lose demerit points. Wrong!

You start with zero demerit points. If you commit driving infractions you acquire demerit points. Once you reach 15 your drivers license is suspended for 30 days.

This may seem petty, but consider how odd it would be if a friend or relative showed you the winning numbers on their lottery ticket before proclaiming happily that theyd just lost a million dollars.

Jack Drury, Toronto

I refer to your article on pedestrian carnage on Ontario streets: I bring to your attention the picture that, in the foreground, shows a woman crossing a busy street with the hood of her parka up  which means, in effect, that she has no peripheral vision whatsoever. I am surprised that no one has noted this fallout of the Canadian winter. More than likely this contributes to pedestrian vulnerability.

Perhaps a campaign warning people to put their hoods down might be in order.

Peter Silverman, Toronto

How I became a statistic in the war against cars, Opinion Dec. 27

Jane Frenchs piece ended with a bunch of what ifs. Theres a few that Jane missed.

What if she was paying more attention to her surroundings while crossing the street? What if she wasnt so engrossed in conversation with her gal pal? What if she wasnt on an adrenaline rush after her workout at the YMCA? What if she had made eye contact with all the drivers while crossing the street?

What if shed had been killed because she neglected the other what ifs?

Joe Battista, Mississauga

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Re: Neanderthals in a boat? Maybe not so far-fetched, Dec. 27

Neanderthals in a boat? Maybe not so far-fetched, Dec. 27

Why would any folks in Ontario consider Neanderthals in a boat as being, far-fetched? We see legions of those wannabe Homo sapiens every summer on the lakes in cottage country riding Sea Doos. Even as they whiz past, its easy to detect the receding forehead, and prominent brow ridges.

Garry Burke, Oro-Medonte

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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.
American Homes 4 Rent is a real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on the US rental industry. The company is a leader in the single-family home rental industry and "American Homes 4 Rent" is fast becoming a nationally recognized brand. The company is known for high-quality rental homes, providing good value and tenant satisfaction while generating profits for investors. The primary investment objective is to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns through dividends and capital appreciation.

The company plans to achieve its objective through the disciplined acquisition of new properties, by expanding its own construction and neighborhood building efforts, growing its geographically diverse portfolio, efficient property management, building a strong brand, and maintaining a sound capital structure.

The company was founded in 2011 by David Singelyn and his partner. Mr. Singelyn has served as a Trustee and CEO since 2012. The company began by acquiring homes in underserved areas and remodeling them to modern standards. The firm has since expanded its operations to construction and now builds planned communities tailored to different lifestyles as well. The company went public in 2013 and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

American Homes 4 Rent is an internally managed Maryland real estate investment trust focused on acquiring, developing, renovating, leasing, and operating attractive, single-family homes as rental properties. The company operates through a network of offices and the website AH4R.com. The company owns more than 55,000 properties across 22 states featuring move-in-ready and pet-friendly homes for individuals and families of all sizes.

All previously used properties have been renovated to a high Certified Property standard that brings them to a like-new condition. Interested parties can view listings by area on the website and even use the site to fill out applications and sign leases. Properties are located in communities that fit a variety of lifestyle needs including fences, marble countertops, and even attached 2 and 3-car garages. The communities are located in hand-picked neighborhoods with features including access to commerce, schools, and amenities like lawn care, pools, trails, and fitness centers.

Tenants are afforded many benefits by renting through American Homes 4 Rent. The first and most obvious is the freedom and flexibility of a mortgage-free lifestyle. On top of that, tenants can pay rent or schedule maintenance on their homes through the website, and dedicated service representatives are available 24/7.
3i Group plc is a private equity firm specializing in mature companies, growth capital, middle markets, infrastructure, and management leveraged buyouts and buy-ins. The firm also provides infrastructure financing and debt management. For debt management, it invests in senior and mezzanine corporate debt in typically large and private companies in United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, and North America. It makes private equity investments in business and technology services, financial services, consumer, healthcare, consumption and distribution, media and telecom, renewable energy, wind, and industrial sector. Within business and technology services, the firm seeks to invest in sub sectors such as testing, inspection and certification; BPO and consultancy; human capital including staffing, governance, risk and compliance, services to pharmaceutical companies, vertical application software, education and training businesses; facilities management; support services to industrial sectors such as oil and gas and utilities; human resources outsourcing and advising; recruitment; logistics and infrastructure support services including distribution, waste, and rental. In the consumer sector, it focuses on polarization, health and wellness, ageing population, millennials, consumer goods; e-commerce; retail; food and drinks; and leisure. In the healthcare sector, the firm focuses on pharmaceuticals and biotechnology including specialty pharma, generics / OTC, drug delivery, and animal health; healthcare Services including activities such as elderly and specialty care, including caring for people in their own homes, in hospital and in community facilities, as well as operational services such as outsourced support, clinical services and B2B contract services; medical devices and technology including devices, medical equipment and consumables, diagnostics, and healthcare IT. In the industrial sector, it focuses on automotive, chemicals, construction and building products, electronics and electrical components, flow control and filtration, life science manufacturing, mobility, packaging, software, oil, gas and power. Through 3i BIFM Limited and 3i Infrastructure plc the firm makes infrastructure investments where it focuses principally on the utilities including energy transmission and storage, electricity and gas distribution, water, power generation, and communication network; transportation including airports, ports, ferries, toll roads, and rail; and social infrastructure sector including primary and secondary PFI, public private partnerships, healthcare, education, and government accommodation. In infrastructure it invests primarily in utilities, transportation and social infrastructure in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Europe, and Ireland. The firm prefers to invest in companies across Europe, France, United States, South America, and Asia. It seeks to make new investments in Northern Europe and North America. The firm typically invests between 5 million ($5.59125 million) and 300 million ($335.475 million) in companies with an enterprise value typically between 100 million ($111.825 million) and 500 million ($559.125 million) and sales value between 80 million ($89.46 million) and 1500 million ($1677.38 million). It seeks to take either majority or minority stakes. It seeks to take a board seat in its portfolio companies with regards to infrastructure investments. The firm invests through a combination of third-party and proprietary capital. It invests through its personal capital. 3i Group plc was founded in 1945 and is based in London, United Kingdom with additional offices across Europe, North America, and Asia.
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has expressed condolences to the Turkish nation over the Istanbul nightclub terrorist attack.

This is reported by the press service of the Head of State.

Ukraine is shocked by the news about the dreadful terrorist attack treacherously committed during New Year in Istanbul causing dozens of casualties. We share the sorrow of the Turkish nation. We grieve together with those who lost their friends and family, the Head of State noted in his condolences to President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

On behalf of the Ukrainian people and me personally, I express profound condolences and words of support to the families of the deceased and wish fast recovery to the wounded, Petro Poroshenko said.

The Head of State has emphasized that Ukraine strongly condemns terrorism in all its manifestations and stands for the consolidation of efforts of the world community in the struggle against this threat.

As a reminder, more than two dozen foreign nationals celebrating the start of the New Year in Istanbul were among the victims of a shooting spree at a popular nightclub that left 39 dead and dozens wounded.

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Chris Monroe, seen March 12, 2014 in the Joint Quantum Institute Laboratory at the University of Maryland, helped found IonQ. (Jeffrey MacMillan)

The Districts technology community woke to a shock in November when Harry Weller, a rising star at esteemed Maryland venture firm New Enterprise Associates, died in his sleep at 46. Weller was fascinated by peculiarities in how fast-changing scientific advances can reshape the world, and he rose to prominence by shepherding successful businesses in murky fields such as cybersecurity and e-commerce.

One of his last projects was a start-up called IonQ, and it may have been one of the most unorthodox investments of his career.

IonQ includes academics from the University of Maryland and Duke University who want to sell quantum computing capabilities to giant technology companies within a few years.

Quantum computing is a still-aspirational field of computer science that envisions impossibly fast computers built on the laws of particle physics. Mainstream scientists theorize that a quantum computer could perform tasks unattainable to even the most advanced traditional computers, such as seamlessly breaking data encryption or rapidly analyzing the human genome.

IonQs real goal is to find commercial applications that have not yet been imagined.

Harry Weller. (New Enterprise Associates/New Enterprise Associates)

What excites us is not what we already know its good for, but what we dont yet know its good for, IonQ chief executive David Moehring said.

The problem is that the capability has not arrived yet. IonQs founders admit they are a long way from even having a prototype of what they will sell to companies.

Quantum computers dont exist today, and therefore there is not a big commercial market based on quantum computers, co-founder Jungsang Kim said.

In an email sent weeks before his death, Weller likened IonQ to a discovery stage biotechnology company, essentially a drug company in the earliest phases of development. Such investments are considered highly risky and often do not yield returns for more than a decade.

But the people running IonQ have industry heavyweights taking notice, and the firms founders have received about $64 million in government research funding to date. After years of badgering the IonQ founders to step into the venture capital space, Weller helped put together a team from some of the highest reaches of government and business. At Wellers urging, New Enterprise Associates made a $2 million investment to help the firm develop a marketable product.

Running the company is Moehring, a soft-spoken technologist and widely published physicist who recently left a position at Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), a government research agency.

At IARPA, he was responsible for managing government-sponsored quantum computing initiatives.

He had this point on the mountain where he could see all of quantum,  Weller said last fall at a briefing at New Enterprise Associates.

Moehrings co-founders are physicists at U-Md. and Duke.

Kim is a physicist who made a name for himself at Bell Labs, the telecommunications research unit of AT&T whose scientists have won more than a dozen Nobel Prizes.

At Bell Labs, Kim worked on projects in optical communications and wireless phone technology. But after the tech bubble burst, Kim was reassigned and dozens of his colleagues were laid off.

In 2002, the bottom fell out of the optical communications industry, and about 50 of us within research were canned, Kim said.

He returned to academia in search of something much more disruptive and soon landed a job at Duke. In 2004, he began studying the trapped ion approach to quantum computing, a subset of the field that relies on lasers in controlled, supercooled vacuums in place of the superconducting circuits used by research units at Google and elsewhere. He collaborated with Chris Monroe, who runs a quantum computing lab at U-Md. and became the other co-founder of IonQ.

Although quantum computing is far from matching even what is expected of a traditional computer, there is precedent for what IonQ is trying to do. Technology giants such as IBM, Google and Lockheed Martin have invested millions of dollars in quantum computing research, even though they are probably years away from commercial applications.

A company called D-Wave Systems has led the market in selling the computers themselves, reportedly for as much as $10 million apiece.

What were doing is trying to help real customers solve real problems, and were doing a pretty good job of that, said Bo Ewald, president of D-Wave international.

But D-Wave has been criticized by some scientists for overstating the computers market potential, leaving the sector ripe for competition.

D-Wave also has a long history of making egregiously misleading claims, to investors and the public, about what a quantum computer would be useful for, said Scott Aaronson, a computer scientist at the University of Texas at Austin who is not affiliated with IonQ or D-Wave.

Aaronson was not directly familiar with IonQs technology but described the companys founders as pioneers in the field.

Monroe and Kim are widely considered to be among the very few world leaders in ion trap experiments, he said. Like with every other experimental quantum computing effort, I wish them the best and hope theyll succeed but dont venture firm predictions as to whether and when they will.


Gideon Muhigirwa, a 13-year-old refugee from Africa, stands next to a fishing pond near Idaho Springs, Colorado, during a camping trip in September. He is a member of Colorado Troop 1532, which is made up almost entirely of refugees. (Photos by Thomas Peipert/AP)

Boy Scouts Jean Tuyishime and Moise Tuyikunde sit around a campfire under a canopy of stars in Colorados Rocky Mountains, joking and teasing each other as teenage brothers often do. Only 2 years ago, they were a world away, living at a crowded camp in the central African nation of Rwanda (pronounced ru-WAHN-duh).

The brothers were born in the Gihembe refugee camp after their parents fled violence in 1996 in what was then known as Zaire (zah-EER). They relocated with their family to the Denver area in 2014, and they gradually became a part of their new surroundings, learning to speak enough English to get by and signing up for a typical American experience  Boy Scouts.

But the troop Jean, 15, and Moise, 12, joined is not like many others in the United States. Troop 1532 is composed almost entirely of refugees who hail from faraway places such as Burma, Rwanda and Nepal.



Nepalese refugees prepare dinner at their campsite in Evergreen, Colorado. Traditional American food such as hot dogs and burgers is replaced by fish head stew, fire-roasted corn and Chatpate, a popular Nepalese street snack.

At campouts, such traditional American food as hot dogs and trail burgers is replaced by fish head stew, fire-roasted corn and chatpate, a popular street snack in the Asian country of Nepal. Dessert, however, still includes smores.

While the troop deals with challenges unique to the refugee population, its leaders say it also helps kids adjust to American culture while providing a safe space.

Its somewhere where they can be totally unafraid to be their authentic self, said Justin Wilson, one of the troops leaders.

I think its really important for them to see that people care about them, that people are going out of their way to provide a service for refugees, Wilson said at the recent campout.

Troop 1532, formed in 2014, could be a model for other Boy Scout groups looking to welcome young refugees.



Scouts and leaders pose for a group shot after the camping trip in Evergreen. Troop leaders say the group helps refugee kids adjust to American culture while providing a safe place where they can be themselves.

Wilson and P.J. Parmar, a doctor who started the troop, say the kids backgrounds present challenges that other troops dont face. Members come and go, which makes it hard to focus on earning merit badges and advancing in rank.

Almost none of these guys know what Eagle Scout is. Their parents certainly dont, Wilson said of the top scout rank.

Many of the parents have little money and work long, odd hours, which makes it hard to plan meetings. Parmar said the scouts often cant get to meetings, so he decided to gather only for camping trips.

Then theres teaching discipline and respect in the scouts, some of whom are still adjusting to a new culture.

On the late summer camping trip, several scouts were caught smoking, and at summer camp near Colorado Springs, some were accused of stealing.

I think a lot of it, especially at summer camp, is theyre under a microscope, Wilson said. Theyre not a white, suburban troop, so if they do anything, its going to get noticed, where if another kid does it, it might slip under the radar.



Justin Mbelechi, a 13-year-old refugee from Africa, jumps through the frigid water of Echo Lake near Idaho Springs.

Parmar says often tells the boys, The bar is a little bit higher for you guys because you dont get the benefit of the doubt in this society as the white guy.

Jeans father, Jean Batacoka, a 37-year-old housekeeper with five children, says the efforts of Wilson and Parmar have helped his kids.

What they do down there is not just leadership, because they learn discipline, how to behave, how to respect people who are older than them, he said through a translator. I think its a really good thing for them, and I can see something is happening.

For his son Jean, those qualities seem to have taken root  and could serve a generation to come.

I want to grow up and be a leader like P.J. and Justin so I can help other kids, he said.
Liberals need to stop being nice. Right away. Now, Joe Randazzo penned in an essay called Never Stop Yelling at Ivanka Trump on Medium a few days after LAffaire JetBlue. For anyone who might have missed that story, the soon-to-be first daughter was confronted by Dan Goldstein, a fellow airline passenger, who said to her face: Your father is ruining the country. By most accounts Goldstein was agitated but still civil; he was removed from the flight not for any legal infraction, but for violating plane etiquette.

Since then, Goldstein, who happens to be gay, has been alternately vilified and praised over the incident. Goldstein and his husband have been called out as disgusting, and cowardly, with anti-gay slurs abounding. One Facebook poster wished someone would hunt them down. Some called for Goldsteins husband to be fired from his teaching job and their toddler to be removed by Child Protective Services because gay men are not fit to parent.

On the other end of the spectrum, Randazzo vociferously defended Goldstein, referring to him as a gay Jewish American hero. The squall on the plane turned out to be only a prelude to the storm that followed, as left and right faced off (again)  this time, on just how civil protesters should be in the Age of Trump.

What will  or should  be the tenor of the anti-Trump dissent in the months and years to come? Do we throw all pretense of civil behavior out the window? Randazzo disdains any call for post-election civility, writing: This sham of tolerance and civility has done nothing for the Democrats and everything for the GOP. He ends his piece with a call to Keep shouting in their faces. Keep confronting them wherever and whenever possible, which is precisely the low road Donald Trump and many other Republicans took this past year.

Okay, so heres my question: When did civility become incompatible with protest? Why do some people consider civility an antonym  anathema, even  to political action and dissent? Because, and Im raising my voice, its not. Have we forgotten how Mahatma (Sanskrit for high-souled) Gandhi used nonviolent civil disobedience to free India from British rule and inspire civil rights movements worldwide? Or how the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. changed the course of a nation by rooting his protests in his long-held values of love and justice  practicing and teaching nonviolent civil disobedience? Cant we use these principles to fight the good fight without turning the next four years into one continuous smackdown by both the left and the right?

I say yes. I say we must.

To better understand this approach I spoke with the Rev. William Barber II, president of the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP. The activist and coalition-builder  a modern-day King  has spent more than a decade leading what he calls a moral movement of blacks and whites, young and old, gay and straight, Democrats and Republicans. Since 2013 his Moral Mondays have brought protesters to Raleigh to speak out against what he calls the extremist actions of North Carolinas state government. Theyve purposely taken the moral high ground, making sure their complaints were deeply rooted in our deepest values and not just about hatred, Barber told me. And theyve routinely been arrested for doing so.

Barber made clear that any definition of civility as meaning courteous or polite is too simple. Civility cannot mean just stand down, or that you just pray, or you dont be disruptive, he said. The Protestant pastor says he believes in a larger meaning of civility, a definition that captures a truly civil approach to social justice. As an analogy, he reminded me of how Coretta Scott King defined violence after her husband had been assassinated. Paraphrasing Mrs. King, Barber said, Violence is denying people an education, living wages, health care . . . [its] racism and police brutality. Just as being violent does not require raising a hand against another, Barber said, acting in a civil manner is not about a tone of voice but about an approach to a civilized life  its about our values and who we are.

I asked Barber to address Randazzos allegation that civility hasnt worked to aid progressive causes. Barber quickly listed three victories in the Tar Heel state that he says would not have been possible without his movements work: The defeat of the Republican governor and the GOP candidate for attorney general, and the election of an African American judge to the state Supreme Court.

Thats because were taking the moral high ground, he said.

Again and again, Barber cautioned that we dont want to fight extremism with extremism, ending our conversation with these words: I cant use hate to stand against hate. . . . We have to go to a higher ground. Wise advice for everyone, whether Democrat or Republican, left or right, black or white, straight or gay.

Agree or disagree with my perspective? Let me know in the comments section below.

Email questions to Civilities at stevenpetrow@gmail.com (not all questions can be answered). You can reach him on Facebook at facebook.com/stevenpetrow and on Twitter @stevenpetrow.
Emerita Ayala, 23, takes a selfie with her son, Dominic, 8, during her graduation party at Guapos in Fair Lakes, Va. Emerita earned a bachelors degree from George Mason University on Dec. 21, 2016. She started at 18 and got help through the Generation Hope nonprofit, which gives scholarships and mentoring to teen moms. (Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post)

After the graduation and before the marriage ceremony, Emerita Ayalas family gathered one recent afternoon at a Mexican restaurant in Northern Virginia for a lunch to celebrate her big day. Helium balloons declaring Congratulations floated above the long table.

The 23-year-old, still in her green graduation gown, had just been awarded a bachelors degree from George Mason University. The daughter of Salvadoran immigrants in Fairfax County, Ayala was the first in her family to get a college diploma. She had overcome formidable obstacles: When she started, she was a single teenage mother.

So Ayala ordered a strawberry margarita at Guapos in the Fair Lakes shopping center and savored a moment that a few years ago might have seemed improbable, if not impossible. Dominic Ayala, by her side, ordered apple juice.

The 8-year-old said he was really happy and proud of his mother and explained why: I can spend more time with her when she has graduated.

Free time, as mother and son well know, is scarce for a single parent who holds full- and part-time jobs and carries a full university course load. Ayalas success was the product, above all, of her own determination to get an education, a resolution she traces to her pregnancy at age 15.

She remembers when classmates and adults saw her swelling belly and doubted her future. Their reaction was, Shes not doing anything with her life. Her life is over,  she recalled. I just really wanted to prove all these people wrong. Im not going to be a failure. With diploma in hand, Ayala said she plans to pursue a career in criminal justice. Her dream is to work for the FBI.

But there is more to her story than defiant ambition. Ayala, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen, got help from key sources. Her family provided child care and housing. Public higher education enabled her to start at a low-cost community college and transfer to the university. And she received a scholarship from a nonprofit organization called Generation Hope, which provides funding and mentoring to help teenage parents in the Washington region earn a college degree.

The need for such help across the country is vast. Recent federal data suggests that there are about 4.8 million parents in college, said Barbara Gault, vice president and executive director of the Institute for Womens Policy Research. Those student-parents face steep challenges. Many schools offer little or no child care, and federal data shows that what care is available on campus has dwindled in recent years.

Many young parents, especially teenagers, skip college entirely.

The chances of teen moms getting a college education are extremely small, Gault said. Their financial needs are so intense. Its not just about tuition, fees, room and board. Its also about child care and time commitments.

Without support, Gault said, it becomes a near-impossibility to manage taking care of a child by yourself and attending college full time or even part time.

Five years ago, Ayala was profiled by The Washington Post as she began at Northern Virginia Community College. Her life then was hectic and exhausting.

[From the archives: Fairfax teen juggles college, 3 jobs, 3-year-old]

There were classes two days a week. There were three jobs: managing a night shift at a McDonalds, staffing a front desk at a Catholic church on weekends, assembling telephones for a company in Dulles. There was Dominic, then 3 years old and not understanding why his mom had to study late at night and get up early for work, even on his birthday. Ayalas mother, father and sister would take care of him in their townhouse in Centreville when she couldnt.

There was also a mentor from Generation Hope, Kimberly Korbel, a Fairfax County business executive who wanted to help because she knew from personal experience what it was like to be a teenage mom. Korbel met with Ayala once a month to advise her on time management, financial aid and other life issues, and they kept in touch in between by email and phone.

Now, Ayalas life still seems hectic and exhausting, but also exciting because her persistence paid off. She earned an associates degree from the community college in 2015 and transferred to Mason, the states largest public university. She majored in criminology, law and society and minored in psychology.

Along the way, she dropped the jobs at McDonalds and the church, was promoted at the communications company and started working part time as a probation officer at the Fairfax County jail, a position within her field of study. Dominic started school and is now in second grade, reading Junie B. Jones and Judy Moody books.

Sometimes she took Dominic to Mason. He recalls going there once when he had a stomach virus and once after a dentist appointment. She recalls taking him with her one day to an advisers office while she took a test. She also remembers a time when Dominic called her while she was on campus to assure her that she would ace another exam. He was my little cheerleader, she said.

Often, Ayala got only five hours of sleep each night. There was no time for extracurricular activities. Given a choice between hanging out on campus and going home, she always went home. I stressed about not being there for Dominic, she said. He needed me. But the courses were fulfilling. Ayala said one of her favorites was a class on human rights that covered sex trafficking and slavery.

Her Generation Hope scholarship paid $2,400 toward Masons annual in-state tuition and fees of about $11,000. Ayala also received a federal Pell grant and other financial aid and wound up graduating with about $5,000 in student loans. (Dominics father contributed no financial support, Ayala said, and has been out of their lives for several years.)

Nicole Lynn Lewis, a former teenage mom and graduate of the College of William and Mary who founded Generation Hope, said the nonprofit has grown since its inception in 2010. It now has 87 scholars at 18 colleges in the District, Maryland and Virginia.

It had started the school year with 88 scholars but lost one when Zoruan Otto Harris, a teenage dad, was fatally shot in September at a community event in Southeast Washington just as he was about to start at Prince Georges Community College.

[D.C. community event disrupted by gunfire]

Lewis said the group aims to expand to serve 100 scholars by 2018. She said the three biggest issues scholars face are child-care shortages, unstable housing and domestic violence. Mentoring is crucial, she said. This is a model that works, Lewis said. We want to be able to scale it, bring it to other cities.

Patricia McGuire, president of Trinity Washington University, said three Generation Hope scholars have graduated from the Catholic school in Northeast Washington and 10 are now enrolled there. Its a very fine organization, McGuire said. The kind of support they give to single teen parents, its just critical. There are so many young, single parents who just dont know how to make the next move in their lives.

Korbel, Ayalas mentor, was at EagleBank Arena on Dec. 21 to see Ayala graduate with 2,508 others who received bachelors degrees from Mason. I would not miss this for anything, Korbel said. I cant tell you how proud I am and how proud she should be of herself. Shes come a long way.

Also cheering were parents Martin Ayala, 51, a construction worker, and Zenayda Marinela Ayala, 44, who cleans houses and takes care of their three sons: Martin, 16; Joel, 8; and Christopher, 6. Emeritas sister, also named Zenayda, is 21 and wants to follow her path from the community college to Mason. Shes been an example, the sister said. We all look up to her.

The morning commencement was just the first life ritual in Emerita Ayalas big day. In the afternoon, she would marry a man she had known since middle school, Josue Alvarenga, 23, a forklift driver from Manassas. After lunch, she and Alvarenga and Dominic and others in the family gathered for a civil ceremony at a lawyers office in Fairfax. She would no longer be a single mom.

Jose E. Aunon, who officiated in a small conference room, asked a question before the couple exchanged vows: Was Ayala thinking about law school? The new graduate laughed.

No, Im tired, she said. Im tired of school.
Mayor Roger Vance is leading efforts to make the Old Stone School a premier event center in northwestern Loudoun County. (Robert Nelson/For The Washington Post)

On a recent Thursday, one of the former classrooms of the Old Stone School in Hillsboro needed to be transformed from the village leaderships grant-writing war room into a pleasant display space for an upcoming Christmas craft fair. So the towns unpaid mayor, Roger Vance, moved some of the office furniture he had donated to the village and erased from the chalkboard a breakdown of the 12 major issues facing the village of just under 100 people.

The notes on the chalkboard included outlines for making the villages drinking water and wastewater legal (Hillsboros antiquated well has long been a state leader in drinking water violations); making the increasingly gridlocked main street  Virginia State Route 9  less terrifying; expanding the villages boundaries; and bringing broadband to residents. But perhaps the boldest goal was to keep the beating heart of the village, the Old Stone School, from slowly slipping into ruin, and transforming it into one of the most desirable event spaces in northwestern Loudoun County.

Its a beautiful historic structure, but were always in survival mode, said Vance, who has served as mayor of the town (the fourth-smallest in Virginia in population and second-smallest by area) for 12 years. It has so much potential. If we operated it the right way, we could be a hub for things like corporate events and retreats  events that, honestly, make more money and could finally make it a truly sustainable structure.

For years, the Old Stone School, once slated for the wrecking ball, has survived in large part with money collected from smaller events and the tireless work of volunteers from Hillsboro and the surrounding countryside.

Two days before the craft fair, for example, area children were at the school learning Latin. On Friday, volunteers, led by Carrie Crossfield, scrambled to decorate the school for the weekends craft fair and historic home tour.

Hillsboro Mayor Roger Vance in an Old Stone School classroom. (Robert Nelson/For The Washington Post)

For the fair, both floors of the building were bustling with Christmas shoppers. On the lawn, among several food and beverage vendors, the towns bookkeeper, Alison Badger, took on the role of bartender, selling locally made beers and wines. A cut of the sales went to the buildings maintenance fund, but business was slow in the subfreezing temperatures.

And thats been a longtime problem for those who have taken on the task of preserving the structure, which opened as the Locust Grove Academy in 1874 and served as a school until 1966. From 1976 to 2006, after a push by locals to save the failing structure, the preservation plan was basically this: Loudoun officials agreed to handle structural issues, while the nonprofit Hillsboro Community Association would operate the facility as a community center and maintain the interior.

A decade ago, the county handed over ownership of the building to the village; the role of the nonprofit group remained the same. The problem, Vance said: The building came with $180,000 for needed repairs, but we had a report that said over $400,000 of work needed to be done.

Soon after the exchange, there was a fire in the building. A part of the exterior stone wall recently buckled, requiring repairs costing $80,000.

The building needs a new roof and drainage system. The stone exterior walls and foundation have to be stabilized and repointed. The total estimated cost: $220,000.

Winter heating bills can touch $1,700 a month. Fire insurance is $6,000 a year. Upkeep and utilities are very expensive with a structure this old, Badger said.

Sponsorship of events, donations and fundraisers have been critical to survival, Vance said, as have what several villagers described as a constant stream of birthday parties, classes, small concerts, craft fairs, dances, flea markets, meetings and wedding receptions.

But, with a relatively spartan and tired building, we can only charge very low rent, Vance said.

Large cracks spider up plaster walls. The kitchen would be small for a one-bedroom apartment. Space heaters and fans struggle to keep the second floor tolerable during temperature extremes.

A rough sketch of the wish list: Install new HVAC, $40,000. Repair the walls and windows, $60,000. Upgrade the kitchen, restrooms, lighting and floors, $40,000. Install a brick patio, walkways and landscaping, $55,000.

At least one meeting room needs projectors, screens and other media equipment. The auditorium needs a permanent professional sound system.

As of Jan. 1, daily management of the Old Stone School will be handled solely by the village government. The nonprofit volunteer group will now focus more broadly on preserving other structures in the Hillsboro area. Vance and others hope to map out a more sophisticated business plan and annual budget for the building.

The push has already begun to line up more ambitious money-generators. Last years expanded Fourth of July celebration brought an estimated 4,000 people to Hillsboro, up from what was usually 500 to 700 people, Vance said. The Hillsboro Heritage Days and the new Eat, Drink & Be Literary program have been well received. Village leaders, now experts in the tortured dance of pursuing grants for water and road projects, are also applying for funds for the Old Stone School.

If enough money can be raised, Vance said, the Old Stone School can be fully restored, while also being transformed into a modern government and event space. And then, when the building is able to compete as a top venue in the area, it will make the money it needs to continue to be not only maintained, but improved.

We have a jewel here and an incredibly dedicated community, Vance said. We can do this. And we are going to do this.
BLOOD DONATIONS

Blood drives Tuesday 3-8 p.m., Ashburn Farm Association, 21400 Windmill Dr., Ashburn, 800-733-2767; Tuesday 2:30-7:30 p.m., Claude Moore Recreation Center, 46105 Loudoun Park Lane, Sterling, 800-733-2767.

Inova Blood Donor Center Mondays noon-8 p.m., Tuesdays 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Fridays 6 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sundays noon-4 p.m. Dulles Town Center, 45745 Nokes Blvd., Sterling. 866-256-6372 or inova.org/donateblood.

FIRST AID

First aid/adult, infant and child CPR/AED (Automated External Defibrillator) Fauquier Hospital Medical Office Building, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. Call for schedule. 540-316-3588. $85. Registration required.

HEARING

Disability Resource Center Technical assistance through the state Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and presentations to businesses, groups and schools. Third Tuesdays 2-5 p.m., Workplace, 205 Keith St., Warrenton. Call for an appointment, 800-648-6324; TDD, 540-373-5890. Free.

Free hearing tests Age 18 and older. Mondays-Thursdays 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Blue Ridge Speech and Hearing Center, 19465 Deerfield Ave., Suite 201, Lansdowne. 703-858-7620. Registration required.

Hearing loss, tinnitus and Menieres syndrome support For all ages, including parents of children with hearing loss. First Fridays at 2 p.m., Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 703-430-2906.

Northern Virginia Resource Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Age 18 and older. Second Tuesdays 10 a.m., Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 571-258-3400.

Hearing loss outreach Free referrals. Fourth Thursdays 10 a.m.-noon, Loudoun County Workforce Center, 102 Heritage Way, Leesburg; third Thursdays 10 a.m.-noon, Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. Free appointments: 703-430-2906 or nvrcloudoun@aol.com .

MENTAL HEALTH

Counseling for sexual violence survivors Provided by Loudoun Citizens for Social Justice. 703-771-9020.

Crisis Intervention Treatment and Assessment Center Provides emergency mental-health, substance-use and developmental services to Loudoun residents. Daily from 7 a.m.-11 p.m. 102 Heritage Way NE, Suite 102, Leesburg. Emergency services are available 24 hours a day at 703-777-0320.

Crisislink Suicide and crisis intervention. Community education, a volunteer crisis response team and CareRing, a telephone outreach program for the elderly and disabled. 703-527-6016, volunteer@crisislink.org or crisislink.org.

Piedmont Chapter, National Alliance on Mental Illness Serves Fauquier, Orange, Madison and Rappahannock counties. Support group, education classes and events for people living with mental illness and their family members. First Wednesdays 7-9 p.m. Fauquier Hospital, 500 Hospital Dr., Sycamore Room A, Warrenton. 571-426-8213.

Mental health first-aid A public education program offered by the Loudoun County Department of Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Developmental Services that can help communities understand mental illness, seek intervention and save lives. Go to loudoun.gov/mhfirstaid.

Northern Virginia Chapter, National Alliance on Mental Illness A support group, classes and programs for people living with mental illness and their family members. naminorthernvirginia.org.

PREGNANCY, PARENTING

Adoptive family preservation Adoptive families discuss common experiences; registration required. Third Tuesdays 12:30-2 p.m., Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Rd. Call 703-941-9008, Ext. 23, or email jmellario@umfs.org .

Birthright of Loudoun County Free pregnancy tests, baby clothing, transportation and support throughout pregnancy, 823 S. King St., Leesburg. 703-777-7272.

Bond Between Us A nonprofit organization that offers support to birth parents when children have been placed for adoption. Fourth Tuesdays 7:30 p.m. Call for location. 703-771-7844.

Breastfeeding support Mondays 9:30-10:30 a.m., Fauquier Hospital Family Birthing Center, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-3588.

Dad support New and expectant fathers share ideas. First Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg. 703-858-6360.

For the Childrens Sake A group for separating or divorcing parents to share advice. Four-hour session weekly. Information: 703-391-8599 or fitsfoundation.org.

La Leche League Mother-to-mother support and breastfeeding information. 10 a.m. second Wednesdays in Warrenton, 540-351-6103. Third Fridays 10:15-11:45 a.m., call for location, 703-444-7386. Second Fridays 10:15 a.m., Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Rd., 703-829-0349; Thursdays 10 a.m.-noon, Panera Bread, 43670 Greenway Corp. Dr., Ashburn, email lllashburn@gmail.com. Third Fridays 10:15 a.m., Christ the Redeemer Church, 46833 Harry F. Byrd. Hwy., Sterling, 540-338-4637.

Loudoun Fatherhood Program Fathers discuss the joys and challenges of being a parent. Meets every other Saturday for two hours for four months; sponsored by Northern Virginia Family Service. 571-748-2796. Free.

Loudoun Nurturing Parenting Program Positive parenting techniques; children attend with parents. Registration required. Call 703-771-3973, Ext. 27, or email nurturingprogram@lcsj.org. Free.

Mothernet/Healthy Families Loudoun Program links first-time parents with medical, social and educational resources to give children a socially and physically healthy start in life. Family support workers meet with participants in homes. English-Spanish translation provided. 703-444-4477, Ext. 217 , or inmed.org.

New mother support Wednesdays 9:30-11:30 a.m. Inova Loudoun Medical Pavilion, 224 Cornwall St., Leesburg. Babies welcome. 703-858-6360.

Young parent services Support for teenage parents. Loudoun County Department of Family Social Services, 52 Sycolin Rd., Leesburg. Call for times. 703-771-5375.

Online childbirth education program Inova Loudoun Hospitals Web-based program uses animation, videos and interactive activities to guide users through the basics of childbirth, breastfeeding and caring for newborns. 703-858-6360 or thebirthinginn.org/classes.

Parenting Alone group For parents of school-age children who have lost a spouse or partner to cancer. Second Tuesdays 5:30-6:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Call 703-698-2536 or email jennifer.eckert@inova.org.

Pregnancy and childbirth support Childbirth Solutions Resource Center, 8393 W. Main St., Marshall. 571-344-0438.

SENIORS

Exercise equipment Weights, treadmills, bikes and a cardio-glide. Instruction provided. Age 55 and older. Weekdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free.

Fitness for people 55 and older Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 1-1:45 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 571-258-3400. $36, 12-visit card.

Eye care LensCrafters staff members will clean glasses and make minor repairs. Second Wednesdays 1-2 p.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 703-430-2397. Free.

Healthy Aging open house For people 55 and older. Jan. 13 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 20160 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. Music, line-dance demonstrations and tours. Reservations for lunch or transportation can be made by calling 571-258-3280 before Jan. 11. Free admission.

Inova Loudoun mobile van Blood pressure checks. Second and fourth Tuesdays 9:30 a.m.-noon, Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling, 571-258-3280; first Wednesdays 9:30 a.m.-noon, Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039.

Laughing yoga for seniors I mprove flexibility and balance. Thursdays 9:30-10 :30 a.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free.

Loudoun Adult Day Centers For seniors with physical limitations or memory loss, a safe and social environment, therapeutic activities, individualized care and respite for caregivers. Limited transportation. Sliding-scale fees. Weekdays in Leesburg, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., 703-771-5334; Purcellville, 571-258-3402; and Ashburn-Sterling, 571-258-3232.

Senior Outreach Services Free and confidential assistance from an Area Agency on Aging case manager. Call for an appointment or sign up at the Senior Center at Cascades. First and third Wednesdays 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 571-258-3280.

Senior Outreach Services Free and confidential assistance from an Area Agency on Aging Elder case manager. Sign up in the Leesburg Senior Center lobby. Second and fourth Thursdays 11 a.m.-noon and 12:30-4:30 p.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free.

Senior Outreach Services Free and confidential assistance from an Area Agency on Aging Elder case manager. Call for an appointment or sign up at the Carver Center. First and third Mondays, 12:30-5 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 703-737-8741. Free.

Tai chi Stretching and strengthening movements. Mondays 11 a.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free.

Zumba gold class Age 55 and older. Wear rubber-soled shoes and comfortable clothing; bring water and a towel. Tuesdays 11 a.m., Tuesdays and Fridays at 1 p.m. Senior Center of Leesburg, 102 North St. NW, Leesburg. 703-737-8039. $24 per month.

Zumba For people 55 and older who are learning Zumba for the first time, or those who prefer a lower-impact version. The fitness program combines Latin and international music with dance.Thursdays 11 a.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 571-258-3280. $12.

SUPPORT GROUPS

Al-Anon Service Center of Northern Virginia A volunteer is available 24 hours with information for spouses, family members and friends of problem drinkers. 703-534-4357 or 877-339-8350. Mondays 8 p.m. Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 125 W. Washington St., Middleburg, 540-554-2747; Tuesdays 7:30 p.m. St. James Episcopal Church, 14 Cornwall St. NW, Leesburg, 877-339-8350; Fridays 8:30 p.m. Grace Episcopal Church, 6507 Main St., The Plains, 800-344-2666; Tuesdays 12:15 p.m. Warrenton Church of Christ, Route 29 N., 540-347-7448; Tuesdays 7 p.m. and Saturdays 8:30 p.m. Warrenton Presbyterian Church, 91 Main St., 800-344-2666.

Alcoholics Anonymous Various meeting times and locations in Loudoun County. 800-208-8649 or 703-876-6166. nvintergroup.org.

Alzheimers caregiver support For those who care for people with Alzheimers disease and other forms of dementia. Fourth Wednesdays 4-5:30 p.m. The Villa at Suffield Meadows, 6735 Suffield Lane, Warrenton. 540-316-3800.

Alzheimers caregivers support For those caring for people with Alzheimers disease and other forms of dementia. Second Mondays 7-8:30 p.m. Galilee United Methodist Church, 45425 Winding Rd., Sterling. 703-430-9229. galileeumc.org.

Alzheimers caregivers support Emotional, educational and social support for family members and friends of people with the disease. Third Saturdays 10 a.m. Loudoun County Area Agency on Aging, 20145 Ashbrook Pl., Ashburn. Call 703-771-5407 or email lesley.katz@loudoun.gov.

Alzheimers caregiver support group Fourth Thursdays 3-4 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 540-903-6831 or alz.org.

Alzheimers support First Tuesdays 10-11 a.m. Spring Arbor Assisted Living, 237 Fairview St. NW, Leesburg. 540-338-6520.

Alzheimers support First Wednesdays 4 p.m. Leesburg Adult Day Center, 16501 Meadowview Ct., Leesburg. 703-771-5334.

Alzheimers support Fourth Thursdays 3-4 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 571-258-3400.

Talk About Curing Autism A nonprofit organization educating and supporting families affected by autism. tacanow.org.

Autoimmune support Last Thursdays 6:30-7:30 p.m. Jackson Building, 209 Gibson St., Leesburg. autoimmunesupport@hotmail.com.

Bereaved parent support One-on-one counseling is available. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. scsm.tv.

Bereavement support For those experiencing loss because of the death of a loved one. Age 18 and older. Third Mondays 1 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. Sponsored by Capital Caring. 703-957-1800.

Breast cancer support Fourth Tuesdays 7-8 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Tower, Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-349-0588.

Breast cancer support For those with new diagnoses or starting treatment. Register if attending for the first time. Fourth Mondays 5-6:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. 703-858-8857.

Breast cancer support For those who have finished treatment, have had a recurrence or metastatic breast cancer. Register if attending for the first time. Fourth Mondays 6:30-8 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. 703-858-8857. Free.

Breast Cancer Support Assistance Fund Loudoun County residents who have received a diagnosis or have undergone treatment in the past 12 months are eligible to apply for financial assistance. Areas included are wigs, bras, puffs and prostheses, mammograms and medical bills, food and help with utilities, rent or mortgage, and transportation costs. The Pink Assistance Fund has been established by the Loudoun Breast Health Network. lbhn.org.

Cancer support Oncology nurses, social workers and spiritual-care providers offer education and support to patients, families and caregivers. Second Mondays 5:30-6:30 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Sycamore Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-2273.

Cancer support Life with Cancer, for patients, family members and friends. Second Thursdays 7 p.m. Ashburn Presbyterian Church, Room 202, 20962 Ashburn Rd. 703-729-2012 or ashburnpresbyterian.org.

Caregiver support Emotional, educational and social support. Encourages caregivers to maintain their physical and emotional health while caring for people with dementia or other chronic illness. Fourth Thursdays 3-4 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 540-903-6831.

Caregiver support and resource group Wednesdays 10:30 a.m.-noon (no meeting first Wednesdays), Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. scsm.tv.

Caring for Aging Parents Support group. Confidential. Fourth Wednesdays 7:30 p.m., Family Focus Counseling Service, 20-B John Marshall St., Warrenton. 540-349-4537.

Chadd parents support For parents of children with ADD/ADHD. Fourth Sundays 3 p.m. KinderCare, 44051 Ashburn Village Shopping Plaza. chadd.nova loudoun@gmail.com .

Chronic illness support Tuesdays 10:30-11:30 a.m. Spiritual Care Support Ministries, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814 or scsm.tv.

Coffee and Conversation Support for those discouraged because of illness, bereavement, caregiving or a loved one in the military. Thursdays 10 a.m.-noon. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814.

Compassionate Friends For parents who have experienced the death of a child. First Wednesdays 7:30 p.m. St. James Episcopal Church, 14 Cornwall St. NW, Leesburg. 540-882-9707.

Creating and Connecting Two-hour art therapy and relaxation workshop for cancer patients. Every other month, 12:30-2:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Call for dates. 703-858-8850.

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance of Western Loudoun Saturdays 3 p.m. Purcellville Library, 220 E. Main St., Carruthers Room. Call 703-431-7160 or email kathy@dbsanca.org.

Drop-in grief support Second and fourth Wednesdays 1-2 p.m. St. Davids Episcopal Church, 43600 Russell Branch Pkwy., Ashburn. Sponsored by Capital Caring. 703-597-1781.

Families Overcoming Drug Addiction Support group. First and third Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Sycamore Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. myfodafamily@gmail.com or 540-316-9221.

Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth and parent support A group in partnership with Metro DC PFLAG. Fourth Sundays 4-6 p.m. Unitarian Universalist Church, 22135 Davis Dr., Sterling. 703-328-6518.

Griefshare Nondenominational seminar and support group. Tuesdays 7:30-9 p.m., and Wednesdays, 1-2:30 p.m. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. Free.

Grief support Sponsored by Hospice Support of Fauquier County. Individual counseling available. First and third Thursdays 3:30-5 p.m. Hospice Support Office, 42 N. Fifth St., Warrenton. Registration required. Email hospicesupport@verizon.net or call 540-347-5922.

Grief support Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m.-noon, Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814.

Hospice support Free medical-equipment loan facility for Fauquier County residents. Especially needed are donations of wheelchairs, bedside commodes, rolling walkers, electric hospital beds, shower benches and chairs, adult diapers, lift chairs, Ensure and hospital bed mattresses. 540-347-5922.

Look Good, Feel Better For women undergoing or emerging from cancer treatment. Every other month, 6:45 to 9 p.m. ,Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Call for dates. 703-776-2820. Free.

Loudoun CHADD support Led by Children and Adults With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Third Thursdays 7 p.m. Leesburg Town Hall, lower-level conference room, 25 W. Market St. 703-669-2445.

Lyme disease support Fourth Sundays 2-4 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Conference Room A and B, Leesburg. Go to natcaplyme.org or email loudounlymeadvocates@gmail.com.

Lyme disease support Third Thursdays at 7 p.m. Warrenton Church of Christ, 6398 Lee Hwy. Access Road, Warrenton. 540-347-7265 or email lymeinfauquier@gmail.com.

Lyme disease support Third Thursdays at 7 p.m. Warrenton Church of Christ, 6398 Lee Hwy. Access Road, Warrenton. 540-347-7265 or email lymeinfauquier@gmail.com.

Lyme disease support Age 18 and older. First Tuesdays 7-8:30 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. Email charphealy@yahoo.com.

MADD Loudoun victim support For those who have been affected by drunken driving. Third Wednesdays 7:30 p.m. 210 Wirt St., Leesburg. 540-338-6491.

Man-to-Man Cancer Support Sponsored by Loudoun Cancer Care Center, for prostate cancer patients and their families. Second Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. Call 703-858-8857 or email karen.archer@inova.org.

Menopause support Third Thursdays 6:30-9 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg (second floor, Patient Education Room). 703-858-8060.

Multiple sclerosis support Saturdays 10:30 a.m. Fauquier Hospital Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-349-2826.

Multiple sclerosis support Last Sundays 2-4 p.m. Cascades Library, 21030 Whitfield Pl., Potomac Falls. 703-771-4256.

Nar-anon family support For those affected by loved ones with addiction. Meaningful Mondays, 7-8 p.m., Galilee United Methodist Church, 45425 Winding Rd., Sterling. 703-203-9792; Wisdom Wednesdays 7-8 p.m., St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, 37730 St. Francis Ct., Purcellville, 703-606-7125; Serenity Thursdays, 7-8 p.m. Leesburg Presbyterian Church, 207 W. Market St., Leesburg, 703-606-7125.

Overeaters Anonymous For fellowship and support. For locations and times, call oa.org.

Parkinsons support Open to those with Parkinsons disease, their family members and caregivers. First Tuesdays 1:30-3 p.m. Call for Ashburn location. 571-442-8851.

Post-partum support Second and fourth Wednesdays 1-2:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Cornwall Campus, 224 Cornwall St., Leesburg. Call 703-909-9877 or email lamckeough@gmail.com. Registration required.

Reach to Recovery Home visit program for mastectomy and lumpectomy patients. Temporary prostheses, exercise instruction and encouragement. 703-938-5550.

Sexual assault and incest survivors group counseling Services provided by Loudoun Citizens for Social Justice and the Loudoun Abused Womens Shelter are free and confidential. 703-771-9020.

Sexual assault survivors empowerment support Sponsored by Sexual Assault Victims Volunteer Initiative. Child care available with 48 hours notice. Mondays; call for times and locations. 540-349-7720.

Spiritual support group For cancer patients, family members and friends. Third Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. 703-858-8850.

Stroke survivors and caregivers support Second Wednesdays 11 a.m.-noon, Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg, second floor, Patient Education Room. 703-858-6199 or jill.lieb@inova.org.

Suicide counseling Third Wednesdays 7-8:30 p.m. Leesburg Town Office, Conference Room 2, lower level, 25 W. Market St., Leesburg. 703-587-1618 or survivorsofsuicidelossleesburg@gmail.com.

Womens support Sponsored by Services to Abused Families. Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Confidential location. 540-825-8876.

Widows and widowers support Third Mondays 11 a.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039.

Womens cancer support Woman to Woman, first Wednesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Registration required. 703-858-8850.

MISCELLANEOUS

Brain trauma survivors brown bag lunch For survivors and caregivers. First Tuesdays, noon-1:30 p.m., Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg, second-floor Patient Education Room. Call 703-737-3150 or email jberg@braininjurysvcs.org. Free.

Child developmental screenings For ages 2-5. Children may not be kindergarten-age-eligible. Sponsored by the Loudoun County public schools Child Find Center. 571-252- - 2180.

Cholesterol screenings Weekdays from 6 a.m.-8 p.m. Fauquier Health LIFE Center, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-2640. Registration required. $35.

Emergency food supplies Loudoun County residents in need can receive a free three-day supply of groceries. Supplies are distributed Mondays through Saturdays by Loudoun Hunger Relief. Call 703-777-5911 or go to loudounhunger.org .

Fauquier free walk-in medical clinic Patients must call Thursdays from 12:30 to 1 p.m. to register for the clinic, which begins at 5:30 p.m. Patients are also seen by appointment Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Fauquier and Rappahannock residents only. Bring proof of address for the first visit. Patients cannot have Medicaid, Medicare or private insurance. Information: 540-347-0394 Tuesdays or Thursdays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Fauquier Hospital Bistro Senior Supper Club Nutritious meals and fellowship for people 55 and older. Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:30-6:30 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Bistro on the Hill, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-3588. $5.49.

HEROES (Hometown Enabling Relationships, Opportunities and Empowerment through Support) is a program for military families. A trained volunteer provides support to military members and their families, from pre-deployment up to two years post-deployment. Assistance includes financial help, job placement, family care and mental-health services. caring@purbap.org or heroescare.org.

Inova Loudoun Hospital Mobile Health Services Blood pressure screenings, Tuesday 10 a.m.-noon, Dulles South Multipurpose Center, 24950 Riding Center Dr., South Riding; Wednesday 10 a.m.-noon, Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St., Leesburg; Jan. 10, 9 a.m.-noon, Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling; Jan. 16, 9-11 a.m., William Watters House, 22365 Enterprise St., Sterling. For information, call 703-858-8818 or go to inova.org/mobilehealth. Free.

Loudoun Cares information and referral help line Call 703-669-4636 for help in finding resources for county residents who are dealing with rent eviction, utility cut-offs, needed health care and employment.

Motor skill screenings Birth to 21 months. First Thursdays, Blue Ridge Speech and Hearing Center, 19465 Deerfield Ave., Suite 201, Lansdowne. Call for an appointment. 703-858-7620. Free.

Northern Virginia long-term care ombudsman Call 703-324-5861 for help in resolving complaints related to long-term-care facilities.

Road to Recovery For cancer patients who need rides to appointments. Call 410-781-6909 or email jen.burdette@cancer.org. Free.

Safe sitter classes For girls and boys ages 11-14. First Saturdays except for holiday weekends. 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg. To receive a Safe Sitter Certificate, students must pass practical and written tests on babysitting concepts and handling an emergency. Bring a lunch or buy lunch in the cafeteria. $70, includes handbook and snacks during the day. Registration required. 703-858-8818 or charlene.martin@inova.org.

Seven Loaves Food Pantry Individuals and families can receive a three-day supply of food, distributed Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m.-noon. Go to sevenloavesmiddleburg.org or call 540-687-3489.

Tree of Life Food Pantry Serving western Loudoun County. Food is delivered Wednesdays and Saturdays. 703-554-3595.

 Compiled by Sandy Mauck

TO SUBMIT AN ITEM

Email: ldliving@washpost.com

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Loudoun County and Fauquier County health calendar

Loudoun County and Fauquier County health calendar

Loudoun County and Fauquier County health calendar

Loudoun County and Fauquier County health calendar

Loudoun County and Fauquier County health calendar
Its a well-caffeinated group of six candidates seeking appointment to the vacant Maryland House of Delegates seat from District 20 (Silver Spring-Takoma Park).

Each is looking to claim a majority of the 28-member Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee, scheduled to vote Jan. 9 on a replacement for former delegate William C. Smith Jr. He was named by the panel last month to fill the state Senate seat held by Jamie B. Raskin, elected to Congress in November.

[Congressman-elect resigns Maryland Senate seat]

Aspirants are making their pitches to this mini-electorate mostly one-on-one, often over coffee in shops or in private meetings.

Government by Starbucks, said Darian Unger, a Howard University School of Business professor and Montgomery County firefighter who has caucused with committee members in outlets from Olney to Georgetown.

Its a lot more than coffee consumption that has some candidates and party activists wondering whether there is a better way to fill General Assembly vacancies. The appointment process has come under increasing scrutiny from critics who contend that it is undemocratic and rife with cronyism. Some want special elections in lieu of appointments. Others call for reforms in central committee practices, including a better job of engaging the public in filling the openings.

The Maryland constitution requires party central committees to recommend replacements to the governor. They are recommendations only in the most technical sense; Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, is bound by law to appoint someone from the party that previously held the seat. Only in rare instances has a governor bucked the choice of a county committee.

Counting the upcoming District 20 decision, 10 of the current 32-member Montgomery legislative delegation have reached the House of Delegates or advanced from the House to the state Senate by central committee appointment. Three were central committee members at the time they were named: state Sen. Susan C. Lee and Dels. Kirill Reznik and Pam Queen. Queen, a Morgan State University professor of finance, was selected in February to fill the District 14 House opening created when former delegate Craig J. Zucker moved to the Senate  also by committee appointment.

One of the six District 20 applicants, Jheanelle Wilkins, senior field manager for the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and Human Rights, also sits on the central committee. She was elected to the post in the 2014 Democratic primary.

For some of the candidates, that carries a whiff of insiderism.

It feels like its not a level playing field, said Daniel Koroma, outreach manager and liaison to African and Caribbean communities in the countys Office of Community Partnerships. Koroma, 42, a native of Sierra Leone, said the setup does not square with his view of the United States, which he called a beacon of democracy.

If you work hard, you have a shot. If there is a way to improve the process, Im definitely for it, he said.

Unger and other District 20 contenders have substantial records of civic and political involvement, but little relationship with the central committee: Yvette Butler, 56, is the Maryland state director of the League of United Latin American Citizens; Lorig Charkoudian, 43, is a professional mediator and criminal justice activist; and Amy Cress, 44, is communications director for Easter Seals in the Washington region and an anti-gun-violence organizer.

Cress said she would like to see a broader effort to include the public in the selection. The feeling is that there are a number of people who arent aware of the process until it hits their district, and they are taken aback that there is not a special election.

Unger, 43, chair of Montgomerys ACLU chapter, said there is a larger conflict of interest issue that the committee needs to address.

While most central committee members are elected in Democratic primaries, the state requires that each county panel have an equal number of men and women. The Montgomery committee has four members it appointed for gender balance. They can vote on General Assembly vacancies, conceivably supporting members who brought them aboard.

Committee members get to choose who else is on the committee, and that whole committee gets to appoint their members to the State House, Unger said. To me, democracy works best when people are diligent at avoiding even an appearance of interest conflict.

Wilkins, 28, said she has gotten no indication from fellow committee members that she has an edge.

I think every single central committee member is looking widely at all the candidates, she said.

I can tell you I have not made up my mind, said Vice Chair Wendy Cohen. I wont pick a committee member just to pick a committee member.

The central committee is holding two candidate forums where the public can ask questions: Tuesday at the White Oak Community Center and Thursday at the Silver Spring Civic Center, both at 7 p.m.

Cohen said nearly all central committee members favor a system that would allow for special elections. But, she said, state law is state law, and we take that role very seriously until the law is changed.

Cohen and central committee Chair Dave Kunes said they support legislation sponsored by Del. David Moon (D-Montgomery) to give county committees the option of holding special elections for General Assembly vacancies. The measure failed in 2015, sunk by opposition from party leaders. In some counties, state legislators effectively control central committees and are reluctant to relinquish appointment power. Opponents also contend that special elections are expensive and generate extremely low turnouts.

But the ground under the issue may be shifting. Last year, Moon and state Sen. Paul G. Pinsky (D-Prince Georges) led passage of legislation amending the state constitution to limit the governors power to fill vacancies for statewide offices. Under the old law, a gubernatorial appointee to the office of comptroller or attorney general could complete the unexpired term. The new measure, approved by voters in November, requires that a special election be held during the next regularly scheduled election.

Moon says he will probably try again to adopt the same requirements for General Assembly vacancies.

Frankly, it doesnt make sense to have all statewide offices conducted in that manner except our own, said Moon, who lost to Smith in the central committee vote to fill Raskins Senate seat.

The Jan. 9 central committee meeting to select a replacement will take place at 7 p.m. at Silver Spring International Middle School.
Sunday, Jan. 1

First Day Hike Brendon Hanafin and Jim Klakowicz lead hikes down the Potomac Trail followed by a bonfire, wassail and hot chocolate. Leesylvania State Park, 2001 Daniel K. Ludwig Dr., Woodbridge. 703-583-6904. Free, registration required.

Monday, Jan. 2

Bingo Proceeds support Dale City Knights of Columbus activities and charities. Doors open at 6 p.m. with games beginning at 7:30 p.m. VFW Post 1503, 14631 Minnieville Rd., Dale City. 703-491-2378. $9 minimum.

Lake Jackson Mid County Lions Club meeting 6:30 p.m. Great American Steak and Buffet, 8365 Sudley Rd., Manassas. 703-369-6791. Free.

Not for Glory: Manassas Veterans and the Wars in Iraq and AfghanistanThis exhibit, produced in partnership with the Freedom Museum, uses first-person narratives to tell the stories of local veterans who served in the countrys most recent conflicts. Through Feb. 19. Manassas Museum, 9101 Prince William St., Manassas.

703-368-1873. manassasmuseum.org. Free.

Out of the Classroom, Into the Hall An exhibit of paintings from Creative Brush Studio students. Through Jan. 27. Manassas City Hall, 9027 Center St., Manassas. 703-257-8200. Free.

Tuesday, Jan. 3

Turning Over A New Leaf An exhibit of colored pencil drawings by David Cochran of Alexandria and jewelry by Tyler Kulenguski of Annandale. Artists reception Jan. 8 at 1 p.m. Through Feb. 6. Artists Undertaking, 309 Mill St., Occoquan. 703-494-0584. theartistsundertaking.com. Free.

Wednesday, Jan. 4

Lake Ridge Toastmasters Club Members 18 and older develop their public speaking and leadership skills. 7:30-9:15 p.m. Tall Oaks Community Center, 12298 Cotton Mill Dr., Lake Ridge. 703-491-3020. contact-8913@toastmastersclubs.org. lakeridge.toastmastersclubs.org. $34-$64 membership fee.

Thursday, Jan. 5

Affordable health care information session Health Care Navigators from Enroll Virginia discuss health insurance. 7 p.m. Central Community Library, 8601 Mathis Ave., Manassas. 703-792-8360. Free.

Woodbridge Toastmasters Club An open-house meeting. Learn effective communication and leadership skills. 7:30 p.m. Ebenezer Baptist Church, 13020 Telegraph Rd., Woodbridge. 703-898-7171. woodbridge.toastmastersclubs.org. $68 membership fee.

Friday, Jan. 6

American Legion dinner The public is invited to dinner with a different special every week. Proceeds support local veterans and the community. 5:30-7:30 p.m. Woodbridge American Legion, 3640 Friendly Post Lane, Woodbridge. 703-494-4304. vapost364.org. $5-$15.

Saturday, Jan. 7

Affordable health care application help Health Care Navigators from Enroll Virginia help attendees complete Affordable Care Act applications. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Central Community Library, 8601 Mathis Ave., Manassas. 703-792-8360. Free.

Off the Wall The annual Prince William County student exhibition is sponsored by Lockheed Martin. Artists reception 2-4 p.m. Through Jan. 20. Center for the Arts, Caton Merchant Family Gallery, 9419 Battle St., Manassas.

703-330-2787.

center-for-the-arts.org. Free.
A Virginia judge was found dead in his courthouse office Sunday evening, authorities said.

Police responding to a call about an unresponsive man found Circuit Court Judge Nathan Curtis Lee, 60, dead in his office at Prince George County Courthouse. County police are investigating but do not suspect foul play, according to a statement on the countys Facebook page.

Lee, of Hopewell, practiced law for more than 30 years. He was appointed to the Sixth Circuit, covering six counties south of Richmond, in 2012.

Prince George County police did not respond to a request for details on Monday afternoon.
When two new members of the Virginia congressional delegation are sworn in Tuesday, they can partially thank a panel of federal judges for their seats in Congress.

The judges fiddled with the boundaries of the districts enough to allow a Democrat to win in Richmond and a new Republican to oust an incumbent in the Virginia Beach area.

That means hello, Rep.-elects Donald McEachin (D) and Scott Taylor (R). Goodbye, seven-term congressman J. Randy Forbes (R).

Their unexpected paths to victory  or early retirement  reveal the extent to which the nuances of an elections map can help determine winners and losers.

The Virginia map changes started with a lawsuit filed by Democratic lawyer Marc E. Elias in 2013.

He argued a district represented by Rep. Robert C. Bobby Scott (D) illegally packed enough African Americans into its boundaries to diminish their influence elsewhere. Elias said the Virginia congressional case in some ways was a model for lawsuits in North Carolina and at the state level in Virginia, for which he is awaiting a U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

We learned a lot in Virginia about how the Republican legislature approaches redistricting, and the Republican legislature hopefully learned that it cant abuse its powers, Elias said Friday.

The federal judges eventually handed down a new map that moved a significant number of African American voters, a group that tends to vote for Democrats, into Forbess district.

Fleeing the prospect of a tough race, Forbes ran in the neighboring Republican district, anchored by Virginia Beach. But he lost the primary by 12 points to Taylor, a 37-year-old former Navy SEAL whose views reflect a new generation of GOP lawmakers and the waning influence of evangelical voters.

Back in Forbess old district, a Democrat, McEachin, won easily won.

McEachin, a 55-year-old personal-injury lawyer and former head of his caucus in the state Senate, will be the third-ever African American to represent Virginia in Washington.

[Tiny office, minority party and little power? Its all terrific to McEachin.]

The newly drawn district consolidates the power of voters in Richmond, who were previously split between Forbes and Scott.

McEachin said the previous map egregiously minimized the impact of certain voters, and he applauded the change as a good start.

The federal court said the Virginia congressional redistricting was so unfair and illegitimate that they overturned it, he said in a statement. I am pleased that now voters voices matter and that, at least in this instance, votes count.

In Virginia Beach, Taylor and Forbes waged a bitter battle over a district that includes eight military instillations, including Naval Station Norfolk and Joint Base Langley-Eustis.

Months after the primary, tensions were still running high when Taylors campaign manager tried to join the local GOP committee in Forbess stronghold of Chesapeake. His application was rejected.

Although Forbes touted his chairmanship of a congressional subcommittee with say over Navy ships, Taylor emphasized his military experience to create an instant rapport with voters  and painted Forbes as a carpetbagger.

Youre running to save your own butt, and I have no respect for that at all, Taylor said of Forbes. I think he could have beat Don [McEachin]. I just think it was a dumb mistake. He should have fought.

A foreign-policy hawk and occasional guest on Fox News, Taylor has conservative credibility but is a moderate on social issues. He favors gay rights, says climate change is real and supports the decriminalization of marijuana in small amounts.

He doesnt fit that mold of the kind of Republican congressional member that weve had in Virginia forever and ever, said Quentin Kidd, a political-science professor at Christopher Newport University in Newport News.

In the end, Forbes, founder of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, could not find enough common ground with voters  many of them young, independent-minded service members  in the district that is home to televangelist Pat Robertsons Regent University.

Its not that there arent social conservatives in Virginia Beach, but [Taylor] is the first Republican officeholder to represent the middle-aged and younger Republican, Kidd said.

[Virginia congressman visits Trump Tower in search of Navy post]

Starting with the 115th Congress, Virginia will be represented by seven Republicans and four Democrats, but Democrats argue that to truly represent voters, the breakdown should be closer to six Democrats and five Republicans.

In Virginia, Democrats have won every statewide race since 2009, and Virginia was the only Southern state to favor Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in the presidential race.

But Republicans control the congressional delegation and the General Assembly.

Brian Cannon, executive director of OneVirginia2021, which favors nonpartisan redistricting, said there is more work to do.

The court stuck with the basic framework of Virginia, so its still pretty messed up, especially in Northern Virginia, Cannon said. This proves that politicians didnt do a good job the first time and we need a better process.

His group is suing the state over the unwieldy shape of six state Senate and five state House of Delegates districts. In a case set to go to trial in mid-March, it will argue the map violates a law that says districts must be compact.

State lawmakers are set to redraw legislative and congressional districts again in 2021.
Men walk their camels across the Liwa Desert, about 150 miles west of Abu Dhabi, during the Liwa Moreeb Dune Festival on Jan. 1. The festival includes many races (cars, bikes, falcons, camels and horses) and other activities. (Karim Sahib/AFP via Getty Images)

BRAZIL

Shooter kills 11, himself in Brazil

A gunman stormed a house party and killed 11 people, including his ex-wife and 8-year-old son, before shooting himself during a New Years party in the southeastern Brazilian city of Campinas late Saturday.

Sao Paulo state police said the shooter, Sidnei Ramis de Araujo, 46, is believed to have been angry with his ex-wife, Isamara Filier, 41, over their split and for allegedly taking their son.

Three others remain hospitalized, police said, while four people survived the attack unharmed, including one party attendee who managed to flee to a bathroom and phone police.

Survivors told police that just before midnight, the shooter jumped a fence surrounding the house, burst through a door and began firing even as he berated Filier for taking away their son.

 Reuters

IRAQ

Islamic State attacks Iraqi police near Najaf

The Islamic State attacked an Iraqi police checkpoint near the southern city of Najaf on Sunday, killing seven police officers 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 the Islamic States continued ability to operate away from territory under its control.

 Reuters

INDONESIA

23 dead, 17 missing after ferry catches fire

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 about half the vessel. He said that about 22 injured victims were rushed to hospitals, and that 23 bodies had been recovered.

A search involving about 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!

 Associated Press

Hundreds of migrants try to storm into Spanish enclave: At least 800 sub-Saharan African migrants tried to cross into Spains North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco on Sunday by storming a border fence, although most were eventually turned back, the Spanish and Moroccan governments said. Dozens of migrants made it to the top of the 19 -foot barbed wire fence early Sunday before being lifted down by cranes, footage from a local TV station showed. Spanish officials said about 1,100 migrants attempted the crossing. Only two were allowed into Ceuta to be taken to a hospital; the rest were returned to Morocco, the Spanish government said in a statement. Five Spanish police and 50 from Morocco were injured, the government added, after migrants used rocks and metal bars to try to break through gates to access the fence and clashed with authorities.

3 men decapitated, 2 more slain in Acapulco over New Years: At least five people were killed over the New Years weekend in the Mexican resort city of Acapulco, including three men found decapitated in a central neighborhood. 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. Elsewhere in the city, a police officer was slain by unknown gunmen while assisting at the scene of a traffic accident, and a taxi driver was fatally shot in his cab.

Officer killed in Bahrain prison break: A prison break in Bahrain on Sunday led to the death of a police officer and the escape of inmates convicted on terrorism charges, setting off a manhunt across the tiny island nation, police said. Confusion about the escape at Jaw prison persisted for hours afterward as the Interior Ministry issued a series of tweets in Arabic and English that slightly contradicted each other. It did not say how many prisoners escaped from the facility, which is used for those convicted of terror charges and serious crimes, as well as political prisoners. The state-run Bahrain News Agency described the prison break as an armed terrorist attack on the facility. It wasnt clear whether that meant the assault came from the outside or was carried out by the escapees.

 From news services
Appliance manufacturer Carrier claims that the high cost of federal appliance-efficiency regulations is forcing it to flee to low-wage countries such as Mexico [In letter on regulation, a clue to Carrier deal, Economy & Business, Dec. 28). This looks like little more than a cynical ploy to stoke public antipathy to federal regulation. Companies such as Carrier will remain subject to the regulations if they export their products into the United States. What they seem to be saying is, regulate us, and American workers will pay. This is blackmail.

The claimed nexus between regulation and job flight, moreover, is highly suspect. The rules in question were released over the past three years. U.S. companies have been relocating to low-wage countries for decades.

Energy-efficiency rules are desperately needed to improve air quality, combat global warming and to enable America to meet its domestic and international goals. The article also said the rules could save Americans an estimated $540 billion by 2030.

This novel industry excuse for abandoning U.S. workers dovetails perfectly with President-elect Donald Trumps scaremongering about regulatory overreach, offshoring of American jobs and global warming fraud. How convenient.

Donald M. Goldberg, Chevy Chase

The writer is executive director of the Climate Law and Policy Project.
For many Americans, President Obamas announcement of sanctions against Russia last week brought home a shocking realization that Russia is using hybrid warfare in an aggressive attempt to disrupt and undermine our democracy.

But for many Europeans, this is old news. As Obama was educating the American people about the threat, three senior senators were getting a lesson from leaders of three NATO countries that have been barraged with Russian meddling. Having fought alone for years, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are begging the United States to join the battle.

The critical foreign policy question facing the Trump administration and Congress in 2017 is whether the United States will partner with these and other Western democracies against what has emerged as a global campaign of low-intensity aggression by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Acknowledging the true scale and the scope of the problem is the first step.

If theres any silver lining on this attack on our democracy, it will be thats it finally clear what Russia has been doing across the world stage, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) told me in an interview from Tallinn, the Estonian capital, where she had traveled with Republican Sens. John McCain (Ariz.) and Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.).

What Ive realized is this isnt just about one political party, it isnt about one election, and it isnt even about one country, she said. We need to stand strong and respond and work together.

In the Baltic states, cyberhacking is only one of many tactics that Russia uses for malign influence. Moscow has corrupted the media space by blasting Russian-language propaganda at the regions millions of Russian-speaking citizens. Years before the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, in 2007, a massive Russian cyberassault on Estonia simultaneously targeted the presidency, Parliament, most government ministries, banks and media organizations. The tiny Baltic state reacted by becoming an international leader in cyberdefense.

Across Europe, Russia has supported far-right politicians and political parties, including in Germany and France, which have major elections coming soon. Pro-Russian leaders with either explicit or indirect Russian government support have taken over the governments of Armenia, Georgia, Hungary and Moldova.

Obama mentioned the broader challenge that the free world faces vis-a-vis Russia in his statement announcing his response to Russias cyberhacking. In addition to holding Russia accountable for what it has done, the United States and friends and allies around the world must work together to oppose Russias efforts to undermine established international norms of behavior, and interfere with democratic governance, he said.

But Obamas response, to sanction Russian intelligence officials in Moscow and expel them from the United States, hardly begins to address that larger issue. Russian intelligence leaders dont have many U.S. assets to freeze. Moscows need to replace 35 intelligence officers will amount to a speed bump in its collection and espionage efforts.

Congressional leaders are promising to follow up Obamas actions with further sanctions, including measures that go beyond punishing specific actors for the recent hacking and political interference.

Russia is trying to break the backs of democracies all over the world, Graham told reporters in Latvia, where he promised that more sanctions would get bipartisan support. You can expect some economic pain. It will be true in America. But freedom is worth suffering pain. It is now time for Russia to understand, enough is enough.

The Obama administration appears intent on educating Americans about the Russian threat before it leaves office. It released a blizzard of statements by multiple agencies on the election interference Thursday and has promised a more detailed report on Moscows hacking activities. Whats not clear is whether the American most in need of education on the issue, President-elect Donald Trump, is ready to listen. Even some Republicans worry that he intends to reach an understanding with Russia that would grant Putin greater freedom of action in Europe, allow Russias military invasion and annexation of Crimea to stand, and endorse Russias role as major power in the Middle East.

Adding to concern in Washington, Trump and his top advisers have been meeting with representatives of the pro-Russia far-right parties in Europe while snubbing the governments of major European countries.

Trumps potential strategy amounts to appeasement of an aggressive dictator and abandonment of U.S. leadership on issues such as human rights, democracy promotion, the rule of law and media freedom. For a self-described dealmaker, it sounds like a terrible bargain.

Read more from Josh Roginss archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
Dana Milbanks Dec. 28 op-ed asked President-elect Donald Trump and the American public to take a sneak peek into Putins soul. It is apparent what is in Russian President Vladimir Putins soul, and it aint pretty. Given the capability of Russian intelligence and Mr. Putins blatant efforts to assist Mr. Trumps presidential campaign, shouldnt we be more concerned about what is in Mr. Putins back pocket? Isnt there the possibility that Mr. Trump fears that Mr. Putin has information that would be more than just an embarrassment to our president-elect? We should not worry if such inquiries are viewed as politically incorrect; Mr. Trump has told us many times that he abhors political correctness.

Doug Davidson, Alexandria

Dana Milbank argued that, as President-elect Donald Trumps two predecessors were seduced by Russian President Vladimir Putin, that will happen to Mr. Trump, too. The fundamental flaw in this conclusion is that politics are never one-sided. No matter how much we may disapprove of many of Mr. Putins actions, he is not solely to blame for our missteps.

One of former president George W. Bushs early acts was the unilateral abrogation of a centerpiece of U.S.-Russian relations: the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, an action that probably began this deterioration. It is also correct that Mr. Putin tried to dissuade Mr. Bush from invading Iraq in 2003 and warned about the war in Afghanistan, where the Soviet Union had been ignominiously defeated.

Russia has also been paranoid about what it sees as the profligate expansion of NATO and the failure to recognize Russian fears about encirclement as well as a perceived condescending attitude toward Moscow.

At the NATO summit in Bucharest in 2008, Mr. Bush rashly pressed for membership action plans for Georgia and Ukraine. NATO did not agree, but several months later, Mr. Putin set a trap in South Ossetia, and the Georgians bit. The result was contested borders that, according to the Washington Treaty of 1949 that created NATO, make a state ineligible for membership. (The same condition applies to Ukraine today.)

The last straw from Mr. Putins perspective was the misbegotten 2011 intervention in Libya that ended the rule of Moammar Gaddafi and plunged that country into chaos. Mr. Putin appeared to conclude that the United States was no longer trustworthy and endangered global stability by the unintentional creation and empowerment of the Islamic State.

None of this excuses Mr. Putins behavior. But unless or until U.S. presidents have a better understanding of what motivates Mr. Putin, it is clear Russia will continue to make life difficult for the United States. If we are not clever enough to understand this, then do not blame Mr. Putin for our ineptness.

Harlan Ullman, Washington

The writer is a senior adviser at

the Atlantic Council.

Russian President Vladimir Putins well-calculated diplomatic restraint in not retaliating for President Obamas expulsion of 35 Russian intelligence operatives in the wake of the alleged U.S. election interference shows the growing savviness of Russia in diplomacy and world politics.

Not long ago, as a Republican nominee, Donald Trump audaciously pleaded directly with the Russian government to meddle in the U.S. presidential election by finding and releasing tens of thousands of private emails from his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton  an extraordinary and perhaps unprecedented maneuver in American politics with ramifications we now see unfolding.

Considering the latest developments, it may be prudent to assume that the Trump administration could herald a new era of U.S.-Russian friendship, a relationship that historically was rooted in deep distrust. If this means alienating our international allies or forging a stronger bond to sustain global order, peace will be the litmus test, but perhaps a wild card is in the incoming presidents complex stack of political and diplomatic cards.

Atul M. Karnik, Woodside, N.Y.
WHY DONT you give up?

That was one readers suggestion after voters ignored our advice and elected Donald Trump president.

Other readers proffered contrary counsel for the Trump era. We should oppose him at every turn, some say. Others, citing Mr. Trumps hunger for approval, think we should jolly him along, ignore his more objectionable tweets and give plenty of positive reinforcement when he does something commendable.

None of those strategies strike us as quite right. But what should be the approach toward the coming Trump administration for those who saw his candidacy as not just unsupportable but dangerous?

Our argument that Mr. Trump was unfit to be president was based less on differences with his political views, as far as they could be discerned, than with the threat we feared he posed to democratic norms and civility: his celebration of violence at rallies, his scapegoating of entire religions and nationalities, his trading in lies and personal insults. We saw those  and continue to see them  as a challenge to a democratic system that has held the country together since the Civil War.

We understood his appeal to people frustrated with gridlock in Washington or convinced that a well-fed establishment is oblivious to their struggles. But channeling the pain of the left-behinds in Scranton, Pa., is not enough. It matters whether the remedies put forward will help or hurt. Voters may like to believe that Washington can improve their lives by slapping a tariff on foreign goods; that they can pay less in taxes and still keep all their government benefits; or that a corrupt elite is the source of all their problems. But wishing does not make it so.

That a plurality of voters were not sufficiently tempted by Mr. Trumps nostrums offers some comfort, but only some; Mr. Trump won the vote that counts, for the electoral college. Therefore, the job is to evaluate him going forward.

In practice, that means monitoring to what extent Mr. Trump fulfills his promise to help those who have been bypassed by economic recovery. It means continuing to advocate policies that are essential to keep America safe and to promote peace and liberty overseas. Above all, the task for those who opposed Mr. Trump will be to stand up for the democratic norms that he seemed to threaten during his campaign.

The early returns on that score are mixed. Reassuringly, Mr. Trump promised on election night to be a uniter, and since then he has met with people who did not support him during the campaign. Less encouragingly, he continues to conceal his tax returns and other business information; he has not held a news conference since July; he has proposed no plan to disentangle his government responsibilities from his family business.

He threatened to take citizenship away from anyone who burned an American flag, a constitutionally protected act of protest. His frequent insults to the media, the Clintons, the casts of Hamilton and Saturday Night Live, Vanity Fair and so on seem beneath the dignity of the office he will soon inherit. For weeks he seemed mostly unperturbed by a rise in hate crimes since his election. And then there is his disturbing belittling of possible Russian interference in the election.

Those who opposed Mr. Trump should continue to call attention to these things  not to claim vindication, but to press for a different approach. The goal should be accountability, not automatic opposition. We do not root for Mr. Trump to fail; we root for the nation to succeed and prosper.
For most Americans, school choice is an undisputed right.

Millions of parents choose to send their children to parochial or other private schools. Millions more decide where to rent or buy a home based on the quality of the local public schools.

The only people who do not enjoy this right are those who are too poor to move out of neighborhoods where public schools are failing. A disproportionate number of these are people of color.

This is the distinction to keep in mind as the incoming Trump administration prepares to make school choice its rallying cry. Education secretary-designate Betsy DeVos is a passionate advocate of vouchers and charter schools. Teachers unions are passionate opponents of both, and they will accuse DeVos of wanting to destroy public education.

In fact, the federal government can neither save nor destroy public education, because most school funding comes from states and localities. But it can play an important role  and what it should do is encourage choice for the children who today have none, while not diverting resources to people who do not need the help.

How? Well, heres a suggestion: DeVos could offer one or two cities the chance to become laboratories of choice.

Any city where schools are struggling would be eligible to volunteer. (That is a big pool.) The federal government would offer financial help, on the condition that the city and state not reduce their contributions.

The system would then stop funding schools and begin funding families. Every child would be given an annual scholarship. Poor children, who often enter school needing extra attention, would get bigger scholarships. Children with disabilities would get more, too.

Every school would then have to compete for students. Principals would be allowed to hire the teachers they wanted. In exchange, every school would have to measure its childrens progress with identical tests, so that parents could compare. The tests would show not only which schools fourth-graders were reading at the highest level but also, and more importantly, which schools fourth-graders had made the biggest gains since third grade.

Even system headquarters would have to compete. If procurement departments could provide textbooks or paper towels at a good price, they would stay in business. If principals could find better deals elsewhere, theyd be free to do so.

The first positive change would be almost immediate: Poor parents, so often ignored and disrespected by public school bureaucrats, suddenly would find themselves being wooed and treated as valued customers.

Other aspects of the transition, including attracting quality charter schools, would take longer. Those schools would have to be persuaded that the local and federal governments were committed to running the experiment for the long term. But the positive results might soon become self-reinforcing: High-performing schools would attract more students, low performers would have to improve or close.

Weve seen a version of that virtuous cycle in Washington, albeit with a less radical model. When Michelle Rhee became chancellor in 2007, she said her goal was to improve the traditional public schools  but in the meantime she would not stand in the way of good public charters.

Rhee recognized what reform opponents often overlook. Its fine to say that we have to cure poverty before we can fix urban schools, and governments should help more with health and housing. But first-graders get only one chance at first grade  and if their schools fail them, they may never catch up. For every child trapped in a bad school, the situation is an emergency.

Washington was fortunate to have a high-quality charter school board that insists on quality and shuts poor performers. Like New Orleans, it has gradually improved procedures so that charters, which are open to all comers, cant find sneaky ways to leave the hard cases to the traditional schools.

So parents have more choices  and while Rhee and her successor, Kaya Henderson, have done the slow, tough work of improving the traditional public schools, the charters have gotten better, too. Both sectors now have more students than when the reforms began.

There is more than one way to promote choice, in other words, and the Trump administration could encourage a variety of local approaches. What it should not do is fly the banner of reform to help families who already enjoy school choice.

Particularly in the South, where whites migrated to private schools to escape integration a half-century ago, school vouchers without income limits could quickly become a back-door subsidy of segregation academies and their offspring. Its hard to imagine anything that would more quickly, decisively  and deservedly  set back the cause of school choice.

Read more from Fred Hiatts archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
The Dec. 27 Metro article Schools try to ease fears about deportation, while informative and useful, did not clearly distinguish between legal immigrants and the many who enter the country illegally by, for example, sneaking across the Mexican border, or who enter legally but then stay beyond the authorized period. We are a country of laws. School authorities, however noble their intentions, should not, directly or indirectly, encourage flouting of those laws.

Allan Wendt, Washington
President-elect Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan meet in the speaker's office in November. Ryan says their discussions have centered on a timeline for passing already- determined Republican priorities. (Alex Brandon/AP)

For six years, since they took back the House of Representatives, Republicans have added to a pile of legislation that moldered outside the White House. In their thwarted agenda, financial regulations were to be unspooled. Business taxes were to be slashed. Planned Parenthood would be stripped of federal funds. The Affordable Care Act was teed up for repeal  dozens of times.

When the 115th Congress begins this week, with Republicans firmly in charge of the House and Senate, much of that legislation will form the basis of the most ambitious conservative policy agenda since the 1920s. And rather than a Democratic president standing in the way, a soon-to-be-inaugurated Donald Trump seems ready to sign much of it into law.

The dynamic reflects just how ready Congress is to push through a conservative makeover of government, and how little Trumps unpredictable, attention-grabbing style matters to the Republican game plan.

That plan was long in the making.

Almost the entire agenda has already been vetted, promoted and worked over by Republicans and think tanks that look at the White House less for leadership and more for signing ceremonies.

(Peter Stevenson,Julio Negron/The Washington Post)

In 2012, Americans for Tax Reforms Grover Norquist described the ideal president as a Republican with enough working digits to handle a pen and sign the legislation that has already been prepared. In 2015, when Senate Republicans used procedural maneuvers to undermine a potential Democratic filibuster and vote to repeal the health-care law, it did not matter that President Obamas White House stopped them: As the conservative advocacy group Heritage Action put it, the process was a trial run for 2017, when we will hopefully have a President willing to sign a full repeal bill.

What I told our committees a year ago was: Assume you get the White House and Congress, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) told CNBC in a post-election interview last month. Come 2018, what do you want to have accomplished? Negotiations with the incoming Trump administration, he said, were mostly on timeline, on an execution strategy.

Few presidential candidates have dominated the coverage of an election like Trump did in 2016. In the campaigns final stretch, Republican candidates often got less attention for their records in Congress than for their positions on Trumps controversial statements.

The irony, as Democrats realized after the election, was that congressional Republicans were poised to have more influence over the national agenda in 2017 than congressional Democrats did after the 2008 election that put Obama in the White House with his party in control on Capitol Hill.

While the Democratic majority in 2009 was larger than the GOP advantage this year, the Democrats were hamstrung in ways they came to regret.

Responding to the Great Recession, they spent the transition and first month of 2009 on a $831 billion stimulus package, with Obama aides openly hoping that they could pass it with bipartisan supermajorities. Every House Republican and all but three Senate Republicans opposed it, and within 20 days of inauguration, the first tea party protests had broken out against it. Protesters twinned their opposition to the stimulus with opposition to the bank bailouts, which had bipartisan backing.

Since November, Republicans have preempted any problems like this by making no attempt to frame their agenda as bipartisan.

1 of 74 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Heres what President-elect Donald Trump has been doing since the election View Photos He has been holding interviews and meetings as he prepares to transition into the White House. Caption He has been holding interviews and meetings as he prepares to enter the White House. Jan. 19, 2017 President-elect Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, visit the Lincoln Memorial before the Make America Great Again concert. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

In his first news conference after the election, Ryan said that voters had delivered a mandate for unified Republican government. Eight years earlier, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) had said only that Americans voted in large numbers for change and said the White House would be driving the agenda.

This years agenda from House and Senate Republicans has clarity that was often lacking from Trumps own campaign. Senate Republicans favor using a procedure known as budget reconciliation, in which measures can be passed with a simple 51-vote majority rather than a filibuster-proof 60 votes, to tackle the ACA and to undo much of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform.

As part of undoing the financial overhaul law, some GOP leaders have begun planning strategies for how to effectively kill the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, whether by giving Congress control over its budget or finding cause to replace its director, Richard Cordray, with a weaker board.

Id like to repeal the whole thing, period, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Richard C. Shelby said of Dodd-Frank in a December interview with the Wall Street Journal.

The reconciliation process is also likely to be used to pass tax changes, which both Trump and congressional Republicans want to use to lower rates and end the estate tax.

Republicans also are examining ways to undo many of the regulations and other orders enacted by Obama and his administration, including ones issued in the weeks since Trumps victory and designed to solidify the Democratic presidents environmental legacy.

GOP leaders have cited the 21-year old Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to cast simple majority votes of disapproval for regulations, as a way to block anything the administration has ordered since June 2016.

Since its passage, the CRA has been used only once. But in December, the conservative House Freedom Caucus began compiling a list of more than 200 regulations it views as vulnerable to a disapproval vote. They include burdensome school lunch standards, tobacco regulations, laws that set higher wages for contractors and elements of the Paris climate-change agreement.

Talking to some individuals with the Trump transition team, they are taking this extremely serious[ly], Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the Freedom Caucus, told the Heritage Foundation last month.

Republicans intend to supplement the CRA by enacting a law that would subject any regulation with an economic impact greater than $100 million to a vote of Congress, a change that would have prevented nearly every climate or employment rule change of the Obama years. The measure, called the Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act, or Reins, is a conservative priority that passed the Republican House in 2011, 2013 and 2015 with backing from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Republican aides now hope for a vote on Reins in the coming days so it can be sent for Trumps signature immediately after he is sworn in on Jan. 20.

Some Republican lawmakers also want legislation that would stop courts from deferring to federal agencies interpretations of statutes  a practice known as Chevron deference, after the 1984 Supreme Court case that went against the energy company  and have them instead defer to Congress.

Little of this was discussed during the presidential campaign, and none has much buy-in from Democrats. Just one rural Democrat in the 115th Congress, Rep. Collin C. Peterson of Minnesota, voted for Reins. But Democrats do not see the next few months playing out for them the way the first half of 2009 played out for Republicans.

I think there was a unique benefit to Republicans in obstructing the Obama agenda, said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who served in the House in Obamas first term and arrived in the Senate in 2013. In 2008, Obamas entire premise was built on fixing Washington by ending partisanship. It was dependent on getting two parties to work together. Mitch McConnell figured out quickly that he alone held the keys to success or lack of success.

Democrats, said Murphy, would oppose Republicans where they can. But they are not in a position to block everything. Trump pays lip service to bringing people together, but his theme is that only he can fix it,  he said. Thats about results, not whether Washington is working, so theres not the same political benefit to pure obstruction.

Instead, Democrats see opportunities on issues on which Trump clashed with his party or where Republicans themselves worry that the partys position is unpopular. One of them is the Defund Planned Parenthood Act, which sailed through the House in 2015. Last month, when Obama issued an order halting state efforts to defund the group, the legislations sponsor, Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.), said new pro-life majorities in Congress would not only roll back this latest overreach but also enact new legal protections for these most vulnerable members of our society.

Trump, who became antiabortion late in life, sent mixed messages about Planned Parenthood, praising its non-abortion work in televised debates. That, say Democrats and abortion rights advocates, suggests a wedge can be shoved between the Republican Congress and the president. Trump didnt run on, nor was he elected to act on, attacking reproductive health care, said Ericka Sackin, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood.

Theres less clarity about how to respond on other Republican priorities. Legislation to allow concealed weapons to be carried across state lines, a major goal of the National Rifle Association, was endorsed by Trump and may be hard for red-state Democrats to oppose.

A possible Trump-backed stimulus package intrigued even blue-state Democrats when it was floated in November. Interest waned when, in lieu of detailed spending plans, Trump allies suggested the stimulus would consist of tax breaks.

In the short term, Democrats are focused more on Trumps Cabinet picks and the looming Supreme Court nomination. In 2009, 59 Democratic senators were occasionally bogged down in getting the 60th vote to confirm lower-level Obama appointees such as Tom Perez as an assistant attorney general at the Justice Department and Harold Koh as a legal adviser at State.

In 2017, thanks to Democrats change of the filibuster, Republicans no longer need to get 60 votes for cloture on nominees; they need a simple majority for any administration position or any judicial opening lower than the Supreme Court. This, Democrats admit, will give Republicans more running room and more floor time to pass bills. Shellshocked after being defeated in an election few people expected they could lose, some concede that Trumps ability to command media attention will make it harder to turn their losing congressional battles into headlines.

They will try. On Jan. 15, Democrats will organize rallies in several states to draw attention to Trumps campaign pledge to leave Social Security and Medicare untouched  a difference with Republicans like Ryan. And the partys concurrent fight over who will head the Democratic National Committee has focused, in large part, on how the party can draw attention to the fast-moving Republican Congress and promote its own work, something Hillary Clinton failed to do in the campaign.

Theres no question well see a greater number of people who are uninsured, more people who are unemployed and more kids getting low test scores, said Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), a leading candidate for DNC chairman. But if we think Trump will create bad conditions and thatll be enough for Democrats to win, we are absolutely wrong.
President-elect Donald Trump said in a Twitter message on Monday that Chicagos mayor must ask for U.S. government help if the city fails to reduce its homicide rate, which hit a 20-year high in 2016.

The city responded that Trump (R) and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) had previously spoken and agreed to ways the federal government could help. The two met in New York last month.

Chicago murder rate is record setting  4,331 shooting victims with 762 murders in 2016. If Mayor cant do it he must ask for Federal help! Trump tweeted.

Trump correctly reported crime numbers published by the Chicago Police Department on Sunday, but the figures were not record-setting.

Although up about 60 percent from the previous year, the 762 homicides in 2016 were the highest annual toll since 1996, when there were 796, according to police data.

During the campaign, Trump referred to Chicago, Americas third most populous city, as an example of rising inner-city crime. Its numbers increased in 2016 after two decades of decreases.
President-elect Donald Trump talks to reporters as he and his wife, Melania, arrive for a New Year's Eve celebration at his Mar-a-lago Club resort in Palm Beach, Fla. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned whether critical computer networks can ever be protected from intruders, alarming cybersecurity experts who say his comments could upend more than a decade of national cybersecurity policy and put both government and private data at risk.

Asked late Saturday about Russian hacking allegations and his cybersecurity plans, Trump told reporters that no computer is safe and that, for intelligence officials, hacking is a very hard thing to prove.

You want something to really go without detection, write it out and have it sent by courier, he said as he entered a New Years Eve party at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida resort.

[Obama administration announces measures to punish Russia for 2016 election]

I think that computers have complicated lives very greatly, Trump said earlier last week. He tweets prolifically but says he rarely uses any other communications technology more advanced than the telephone. The whole age of computer has made it where nobody knows exactly whats going on. We have speed, we have a lot of other things, but Im not sure you have the kind of security that you need.

Since President George W. Bush moved to develop a comprehensive national cybersecurity policy after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the federal government has made a top priority of preserving the integrity of the public- and private-sector computer networks that enable modern commerce and society.

Trump delivered a campaign address in October that deemed cybersecurity a major priority for both the government and the private sector and said that cyberattacks from both state and non-state actors constitute one of our most critical national security concerns.

But the U.S. intelligence communitys determination that Russia engaged in a state-sponsored hacking effort aimed at electing Trump has prompted the president-elect to openly question the reliability of that assessment while simultaneously taking aim at the broader notion of cybersecurity.

[FBI in agreement with CIA that Russia aimed to help Trump win White House]

Experts said Sunday that Trumps comments and his handling of the Russian hacking allegations could embolden foreign hackers and undermine the U.S. governments ability to respond to them.

Michael Sulmeyer, a former Defense Department policy adviser who directs the cybersecurity project for the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, referred to one of Trumps earliest efforts  during a presidential debate in September  to cast doubt on allegations of Russian interference on his behalf.

This is not some issue about a 400-pound hacker in a bedroom who might be mischievous, Sulmeyer said. These are real threats to our country, and the concerning part for me is to see how this issue has become politicized and made partisan.

Although some Republicans have pushed for a sharper response to the Russian hacking  notably Sens. John McCain (Ariz.) and Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.)  many others have joined Trump in playing down the intense coverage and debate.

Russia spying on the U.S. is not news, said Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and a top Trump ally. Its what they do. A lot is being made about something thats already known. To all the people acting shocked, its as if theyre shocked there is gambling going on in a casino.

Transition spokesman Sean Spicer, slated to become White House communications director upon Trumps inauguration, said Sunday that intelligence officials will brief Trump this week on the election-related hacking.

He suggested on ABCs This Week that the retaliatory sanctions President Obama imposed against Russia last week  which included the expulsion of 35 suspected intelligence agents  may not have been justified.

The question is, is that response in proportion to the actions taken? Spicer said. Maybe it was, maybe it wasnt, but you have to think about that.

Spicer compared the Obama administrations sharp response to the recent Russian hacking with its reaction to last years revelation that hackers linked to the Chinese government stole the personal data of millions of federal employees.

Not one thing happened, he said. So there is a question about whether theres a political retribution here versus a diplomatic response.

Rep. Adam B. Schiff (Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, drew a sharp distinction between the two cases and called on Trump to stop denigrating the intelligence community.

They didnt just steal data; they weaponized it, he said of Russia, also on the ABC program. They dumped it during an election with the specific intent of influencing the outcomes of that election and sowing discord in the United States. That is not something China has ever done.

Ari Schwartz, who served as the top cybersecurity adviser on the National Security Council in 2015, said in an interview that Spicer misjudged the Obama administrations response to the employee data hack. Private talks with the Chinese government, he said, resulted in a demonstrable decline in state-sponsored hacking.

We came up with ways of dealing with them and working with them, Schwartz said. It proves that the sanctions work. Even the threat of the sanctions have changed Chinese behavior.

Trumps recent comments, Schwartz said, point to a possible recalibration of cybersecurity policy  one that could shift the careful balance of innovation and security embraced by both Bush and Obama.

Were not going back to the world of couriers and letter-writing; were going to continue to do things online, he said. There are ways to do it where you can manage risk, and thats really what the goal should be here  to get to the point where we can have the efficiencies and the benefits and still be secure.

What remains unclear is to what degree Trumps views on cybersecurity will remain filtered through the prism of the Russian hacking affair.

In his October campaign speech, he pledged to undertake a comprehensive review of national cybersecurity systems, create law enforcement task forces to combat cybercriminals and strengthen the militarys Cyber Command. In a sign that he plans to follow through on those plans, last week he chose Thomas P. Bossert, a Bush administration official who played a central role in cybersecurity planning, as his top White House assistant for homeland security and counterterrorism.

On the Russian hacking, Trump said Saturday that he knows things that other people dont know, and so they cannot be sure of the situation. Asked what he was referring to, he said, Youll find out on Tuesday or Wednesday  an apparent reference to his upcoming intelligence briefings.

As long as Trump openly doubts the intelligence communitys ability to accurately assign responsibility for cyberattacks, he could find it difficult to identify, fend off and retaliate against cyberattackers. He has publicly compared the intelligence communitys Russian hacking assessment to its erroneous determination that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction  a comparison Spicer repeated Sunday.

Said Sulmeyer: If they dont want to make a full-fledged apology or correction about Russian hacking, okay, but at some point, theyre going to have to come out and explain their understanding of the threat and what they want to do about it. If we see that soon, I think thats a good sign. If that slips, I think that will be an indicator that they are not prioritizing it and they are leaving the American people at greater risk.

Robert Costa and Ellen Nakashima contributed to this report.


Participants in the Partisan courses train using Makarov pistols in a sports military-patriotic club called Rezerv. (Alexander Aksakov/For The Washington Post)

In a half-lit basement on a side street in St. Petersburg, 18 men holding reproduction Makarov pistols were fumbling through an exercise, racking the slides, taking aim and firing. Click, click, click, click, click. Repeat.

Denis Gariev, the instructor, called out to pause the training.

He was not about to air his political views, an ethnic nationalism so raw that he is far to the right of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He was about to rail against a society that had gone soft.

Nowadays everyone tells the boys starting in kindergarten, Dont act so aggressive, be smarter,  he said in a mocking baby voice. And we turn into these unaggressive vegetables.

Gariev aims to restore the aggression.

By and large, we are learning how to kill, he told his charges, who had come to the Reserve military-patriotic club for a one-week paramilitary course called Partisan.

We hope that it will never happen to us and well never harm a living creature. But if we have to, then we should be ready.

Denis Gariev (left), the head of Partisan courses, shows a machine gun firing technique to participants of the courses in the Rezerv club. (Alexander Aksakov/For The Washington Post)

The cadets listening to Gariev were largely white-collar and self-employed workers from cities across Russia, men motivated less by an ideology than by the siege mentality that has surged here since the wars in Ukraine and Syria and a conviction that the modern Russian man should be combat-ready.

They signed up to train for 12 hours a day or more in a week-long, military-style course that promises to increase ones chances of survival in case of a war or total collapse of modern society.

The storm clouds are gathering, said Alexei, 38, a former Greco-Roman wrestler from the Volga River city of Samara, who, like several others in the course, did not give his last name. He said that he was motivated by a sense of instability because of the threat of terrorism and the conflict in Ukraine. If there is ever a mobilization, then I will be ready, not the kind of person to be given a rifle, yell Hurrah! and make it two or three steps before I am shot down, he said.

Much of the training course takes place outside the city center, in abandoned lots and buildings used for a game called airsoft, which is similar to paintball but played with guns that fire plastic BBs.

To handle a gun, you must be maximally aggressive, Gariev said.

The men learn to fire a Kalashnikov rifle and Makarov pistol, apply a tourniquet and storm a room in tactical formation. They learn to rappel down abandoned buildings and hold their rifles steady, ready to fire, while charging across a swampy field. During short breaks they pose for selfies in balaclavas, keepsakes from their week away from the daily grind.



Denis, a course participant, abseils in the Olgino area of St. Petersburg, Russia. (Alexander Aksakov/For The Washington Post)

Political discussion is purposefully left out of the courses, Gariev said. But he thinks his cadets will be natural allies in a coming clash of civilizations.

Thats why he refuses to train Muslims.

Victory is about spirit. Its been like that since, hell knows, since Akhenaten, all the way up to Putin and Obama. Nothing has changed, he told the men in the basement.

The speech had its effect. The men straightened their backs. Eighteen pairs of hands went back to work, now with purpose. Click, click, click, click, click.

1 of 12 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  What its like inside a Russian Nationalist training camp View Photos Caption Participants in the Partisan paramilitary course undergo weapons and medical training Nov. 22 in St. Petersburg. Partisan offers week-long military-style training, 12 hours or more a day. Alexander Aksakov/For The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

A man should always be ready

Gariev, a history graduate from St. Petersburg and a former soldier with the strategic missile troops, has been training Russians to fight for a long time. In 2009 he grew disenchanted with purely political activism and began urging Russian men to buy guns legally and start training to use them together. Soon, he was conducting courses for civilians.

When the war in Ukraine began in 2014, he started training Russian volunteers to fight alongside the Imperial Legion, the paramilitary arm of the Russian Imperial Movement, a right-wing political group united around reverence for the Russian Empire, the czar and Russian Orthodoxy. He also fought in eastern Ukraine.

More than 300 men passed through the courses for volunteers, he said, some of them graduates of his civilian training. Pictures of them line the walls of the clubs gym, groups of a dozen men in camouflage clustered around the blue-and-red flag of the separatists.

Gariev is a critic of Putin. He thinks that the Russian government is corrupt and does not do enough to protect the interests of ethnic Russians. In the past, that made the club a target for law enforcement raids.

But the war in Ukraine, for a time, brought the interests of the Kremlin and Russian nationalists closer. Gariev said that as he and his allies turned their attention away from domestic politics, raids by the police also subsided.

We dont receive any support, but at the same time, we arent hampered by the authorities, Ruslan Starodubov, a member of the Imperial Legion, told a BBC film crew last year.

(Andrew Roth,Jason Aldag/The Washington Post)

Garievs views on Ukraine are far more aggressive, and much more extreme, than those voiced by the Kremlin. He called Ukraine a pseudo-nation invented by the Soviets and blamed Russian television for fomenting a civil war around an ethnic distinction he says does not exist.

We see Ukrainian-ness as rabies, he said. A person is sick. Either quarantine, liquidation, or hell infect everyone.

He also blames the West.

The goal of the West is to weaken us by making Russians kill one another, Gariev said. They are succeeding.

Along with others in the Imperial Legion, he stopped traveling to Ukraine to fight in 2015, he said, because he believed the conflict has been co-opted by government and oligarchic interests from Russia, Ukraine and the West.

At one time we saw a possibility of changing history, he said. At the moment, it no longer exists.

The Partisan courses for civilians have resumed in earnest. Attendance has tripled since the war in Ukraine began, Gariev said.

Similar training courses, open to ordinary Russian men, are in vogue among nationalist groups, said Alexander Verkhovsky, the head of the Moscow-based SOVA Center, which monitors extremism.

The military training is the only part of their activities that is still really active, Verkhovsky said. They are having a real political decline. But their energies are still focused on these training sessions.

The clubhouse is covered with war trophies from Ukraine and military bric-a-brac. There are anti-American flourishes, like an Obama doormat at the entrance to the ping-pong room. There are also stickers from opposition marches, some bearing the image of Putin and the caption, A thief should sit in prison.

What is really interesting here is why the authorities are so tolerant, Verkhovsky said. I dont know why.

The club is hardly a secret; during the November training, a reporter for a St. Petersburg television station had embedded with the group for a gonzo-style report. Overall, Gariev said, theyve had more than 500 students since 2011. The experience can be transformative: One man lost more than 65 pounds to attend.

Roughly speaking, the cadets break into two groups: Some were outdoors types, who said they wanted to test their mettle. Others said they were concerned about safety and self-defense.

Most appeared to be handling a Kalashnikov for the first time, and none said they were planning to travel to fight in Ukraine (They wouldnt tell you if they were, Gariev noted).

For the past three years, said Timofey Filkin, a baby-faced 30-year-old from the industrial city of Perm in the Ural Mountains, he had spent 30 to 40 minutes a day online gathering information and monitoring the conflict in Ukraine, with its scenario of societal breakdown that he thinks is possible in Russia as well.

If I didnt have a family, I would seriously have thought about going to Donbass in May and June of 2014, though I dont know if I would have had the heart, Filkin said. (Donbass is one of the centers of the separatist fight in eastern Ukraine. )

An academic at Perms Polytechnic University focusing on environmental protection, he said he had to make considerable promises to his wife and two children to travel to St. Petersburg for the training course. Now that Im a family man, my strategy is a little bit different: defending places closer to home.

He said he did not know much about the Russian Imperial Movement and didnt consider himself a nationalist. Im an Orthodox man, but I think that our views on government are likely quite different, he said. I cant say Im a monarchist or a Russian nationalist.

Another cadet, Sergey Smirnov, an independent businessman and blogger from the Ural Mountains city of Chelyabinsk, expressed even less interest in politics.

Im interested in military topics, masculine hobbies, hard, tough, extreme things, things that require you to overcome physical discomfort, he said. In February, hes planning to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.

I dont feel any kind of danger, he said. I just think a man should always be ready.

Ditto for Andrei Timofeyev, 33, who described himself as a bored manager whose wife started complaining about his extreme sports after their daughter was born. The paramilitary course was something they could agree on.

I dont share those kinds of extreme views, he said, when asked about nationalism and the Russian Imperial Movement. I dont see anything wrong in trying to help your own nation. But it is not good to go to extremes, to hold radical views. Either being ultranationalist or ultra-tolerant.

No matter, Gariev said.

I dont tell the cadets that they need to become members of one or another political group, Gariev said. I just say that were all Russian people and in the coming war we are all going to have to come together  Communists, pagans and Orthodox together.



Participants practice tactical coordination in groups in St. Petersburg, Russia. (Alexander Aksakov/For The Washington Post)

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The Islamic State claimed responsibility Monday for a deadly rampage at an Istanbul nightclub on New Years Eve, an assault by a single gunman that killed dozens of people and served as an ominous reminder of the consequences of Turkeys expanding war against the Islamic militants in Syria.

A statement posted online said that a heroic soldier of the caliphate had attacked the nightclub with grenades and a rifle in revenge for Gods religion and in response to orders from the Islamic States leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who recently urged his followers to attack Turkey.

[Slain partyers came to Istanbul from near and far]

Baghdadi, in an audio message released in November, denounced Turkey for carrying out military operations against the group, which has lost wide swaths of the once-sprawling territory it controlled across Iraq and Syria.

Sundays massacre underscored the groups ability to continue to stage devastating attacks. It was the first major operation against civilians in Turkey that was formally claimed by the Islamic State, confronting the beleaguered government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with a startling new threat.

Turkey, a NATO member and close ally of the United States, has experienced a rash of attacks by various actors in recent months, including one attributed to  but not claimed by  the Islamic State. However, it has mostly escaped the large-scale attacks on civilians the Islamic militants have visited on neighboring countries and Europe in recent years, in large part because Sunni militants viewed Turkey as an important passageway to the battlefields of Syria.

During the early years of Syrias civil war, militants traveled from all over the world to Turkish airports and then stole across the border, facing little scrutiny from the Erdogan government, which was supporting a rebel insurgency against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Turkish officials have strongly denied that they facilitated militants passage.

More recently, though, Turkey has become a more attractive target for the militants as the Turks have tightened control of the border and escalated its pursuit of the Islamic militants, including with military operations inside Syria.

[The flow of Islamic militants into Syria dries up as Turkey cracks down on the border]

In its brutal efficiency, the nightclub attack highlighted the resilience of the Islamic State, even as the groups leaders are hunkered down in its remaining strongholds under a withering military attack by a U.S.-led coalition that has rolled back its territorial gains, shut off its sources of revenue and killed tens of thousands of its fighters.

Brian Fishman, a counterterrorism researcher and the author of The Master Plan: ISIS, al-Qaeda, and the Jihadi Strategy for Final Victory, said that while military gains against the Islamic State were significant, there has been excessive optimism in some circles that this is going to turn off the spigot of terrorist attacks elsewhere.

1 of 19 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  See photos of the scene after a gunman opened fire at a Istanbul nightclub. View Photos At least 39 people were killed and many more wounded in the attack at the Reina nightclub during a New Years celebration. Caption At least 39 people are dead and many are wounded after the shootings at the Reina nightclub during a New Years celebration. Policemen secure the area after a gun attack on Reina, a popular nightclub in Istanbuls Ortakoy district. The assailant, armed with a long-barreled weapon, opened fire during New Years celebrations. EPA Wait 1 second to continue.

The scope of this organization is so big that it can suffer significant territorial losses and still build a bench of supporters that are going to be able to operate as underground cells and smaller networks that are very effective, he said.

The Istanbul gunman remained at large Monday, but officials said investigators had obtained his fingerprints and a basic description. Police released a blurry photograph of a man they said was the assailant and who Turkish media reported had arrived at the nightclub in a taxi.

He retrieved a Kalashnikov assault rifle from the suitcase he was carrying on the night of the assault, according to reports in two Turkish newspapers, and opened fire outside before throwing hand grenades into the crowd.

The gunman struck one of the most famous nightclubs in the city, the Islamic States statement said Monday, boasting that it was where Christians celebrate their pagan holiday.

The venue, called Reina, is perched on the Bosporus and is popular with Istanbuls elite, including musicians and soccer players. Hundreds of revelers were at the club when it was attacked at 1 a.m. Sunday, and surviors described scenes of horror as bodies slumped around them and others jumped into freezing water to escape.

Citizens of more than a dozen countries, including Turkey, were killed in the carnage. Many were from the Middle East and North Africa. Russian, Indian, Canadian, German and French nationals also were killed.

One American was wounded in the attack. William Jacob Raak, 35, of Greenville, Del., told NBC News that he survived the attack by playing dead, staying silent and motionless after being shot, according to the Associated Press.

On Monday, the state-run Anadolu news agency said that eight people had been detained in connection with the attack, but it provided no details.

It was the latest in a string of major attacks on civilian and military targets across Turkey that have left the country on a war footing and raised questions about the governments ability to meet the threats.

The government, which for years touted a foreign policy summed up with the slogan zero problems with neighbors, now seems consumed by confrontations, including an escalating war with Kurdish militants and a growing crackdown on domestic opponents. Along with the military offensive in Syria, Turkey has sent troops to Iraq, sparking a war of words last year with the Iraqi government.

Violence that racked Turkey in December alone underscored the dangers. In Istanbul, twin bombings killed 44 people outside a soccer stadium, in an attack claimed by Kurdish militants. Less than a week later, another bomb tore through a bus carrying off-duty soldiers, killing 13.

On Dec. 19, a Turkish policeman gunned down Russias ambassador to Turkey at an art exhibition, while railing against the bloodshed in Syria.

While the New Years attack was the first assault on Turkish civilians formally claimed by the Islamic State, the group is thought to be responsible for other attacks, including a deadly assault on Istanbuls Ataturk Airport in June.

In its statement, the Islamic State said that the nightclub massacre, which left 39 people dead, was revenge for Muslim blood spilt by Turkish airstrikes and artillery, an apparent reference to the offensive in Syria.

Nearly 40 Turkish soldiers have been killed there since August, including two who were burned alive in a gruesome video released by the Islamic militants last month.

Turkeys security forces, to their credit, have been cracking down on Islamic militant networks, said Selim Koru, an analyst at the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey, based in Ankara. But this government wants to keep the fight against [the Islamic State] as quiet as it can.

Erdogan, he said, has a strong Islamist following and risks alienating that support if he goes too hard on the Islamic militants. But the Islamic State keeps calling out the government and making a lot of noise, he said, forcing Erdogans hand.

Taken together, the deadly attacks have raised fears that Turkeys crackdown on the Islamic State may have come too late.

The challenges Turkey faces from the Islamic militants would be difficult for any country, Fishman said. The country shares long borders with Syria and Iraq, both destabilized by years of war and hosting thousands of militants.

After years of allowing the militant networks to crisscross Turkey, he said, its very difficult to shut that down.

Fahim reported from Cairo. Heba Habib in Stockholm contributed to the report.

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A view of the West Bank settlement of Eli as seen from the Ancient Shiloh archaeological park, south of Nablus.

Jan. 1, 2017 A view of the West Bank settlement of Eli as seen from the Ancient Shiloh archaeological park, south of Nablus. David Vaaknin/For The Washington Post

Through eight years of escalating criticism from the worlds most powerful leader, Israeli construction in these sacred, militarily occupied hills never stopped.

Thousands of homes were built. Miles of roadway. Restaurants. Shopping malls. A university.

Here in Shiloh, a tourist center went up, with a welcome video in which the biblical figure Joshua commands the Jewish people to settle the land promised to them by God.

Israeli settlements may be illegal in the eyes of the U.N. Security Council and a major obstacle to Middle East peace in the view of the Obama administration.

But every day they become a more entrenched reality on land that Palestinians say should rightfully belong to them. As the parched beige hilltops fill with red-tiled homes, decades of international efforts to achieve a two-state solution are unraveling.





And global condemnations notwithstanding, the trend is poised to accelerate.

Already, Israel has a right-wing government that boasts it is more supportive of settlement construction than any in the countrys short history. Within weeks, it will also have as an ally a U.S. president, Donald Trump, who has signaled he could make an extraordinary break with decades of U.S. policy and end American objections to the settlements.

[Trump once donated $10,000 to a West Bank Israeli settlement]

The combination has delighted settlers here and across the West Bank who express hope for an unparalleled building boom that would kill off notions of a Palestinian state once and for all.

If America interferes less, everything will be much easier, said Shivi Drori, 43, who runs a West Bank winery in a Jewish outpost that the Israeli government considers officially off-limits to building but has tacitly backed. Id like to see bigger settlements. Major cities.

Trump, Drori predicts, will help make that a reality simply by looking the other way.

President Obama was very confrontational, Drori said. The Trump administration seems much more sympathetic.

(Griff Witte/The Washington Post)

Israels military conquered the West Bank in a matter of days 50 years ago this June in a war against neighboring Arab states. But settling the land has been the work of generations, accomplished hilltop by hilltop as temporary encampments and caravans have given way to suburban-style homes rooted firmly in the bedrock.

All the while, much of the world has opposed the settlements as an illegal infringement on occupied land. U.S. governments  Democratic and Republican alike  have urged Israel to halt the project and allow negotiations to dictate control of land that Palestinians say is vital to the viability of a future state.

Today, about 400,000 Israelis live in approximately 150 settlements scattered across the West Bank. Thats up from fewer than 300,000 when Barack Obama was elected. An additional 200,000 Israelis live in East Jerusalem, which Palestinians want as their future capital.

[Even Israel says this Jewish settlement is illegal. Now comes the showdown.]

Unable to halt settlement growth, a frustrated Obama administration lashed out late last month with a twin-barreled diplomatic assault.

First, Washington abstained in a U.N. Security Council vote that demanded Israel end all settlement activity  enabling the resolutions passage. Days later, Secretary of State John F. Kerry delivered an impassioned speech accusing Israel of putting the two-state solution in serious jeopardy by building in the middle of what, by any reasonable definition, would be the future Palestinian state.

Rather than be chastened by the criticism from the nation that has long been its closest ally, Israels government was furious. Settlers, meanwhile, brush it off as an irrelevance.

Theres no implication, said Oded Revivi, chief foreign envoy for the Yesha Council, which represents settlers.

Kerry, Revivi said, is fixated on an idea that, because of decades of Palestinian violence and intransigence, can never become reality  two states for two peoples between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.

Revivi instead has his eyes fixed on the incoming Trump administration, which has signaled it will abandon U.S. attempts at evenhandedness in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and throw its weight squarely behind Israel.

Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching! Trump tweeted before the Kerry speech.

Trump and his advisers have learned from President Obamas experience, Revivi said. Theyre not going to go into a swamp just for the sake of saying theyre in it.

Revivi, who is also mayor of Efrat, a settlement that is poised to grow from 10,000 to 16,000, has good reason to think so.

Trumps pick for ambassador to Israel, New York bankruptcy lawyer David Friedman, has expressed positions on the settlements that are further to the right even than those of Israels hard-line prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Friedman, for instance, has argued in favor of Israeli annexation of the West Bank, long a fringe position in Israeli politics but one gaining currency as the political stars align against the two-state solution.

Everyone who talks about a Palestinian state today knows it will not happen, said Naftali Bennett, Israels education minister and leader of the right-wing Jewish Home party.

[Q&A with Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett]

Instead, Bennett argues for unilateral Israeli annexation of Area C  the 60 percent of West Bank land where Israeli settlements are concentrated. The vast majority of the West Banks 2.5 million Palestinians live in Areas A and B, where Bennett says they should be able to have autonomy but not a state.

We have to say, This is what we want, and this is what we are going to do,  he said. You cant go on saying how the world is wrong, this is ours, and then at the end you forget to kick the ball into the net.

Its not clear whether Netanyahu will be willing to go as far as his education minister, an ally at times but a fierce rival at others. Netanyahu is still on record supporting a two-state solution, albeit grudgingly.

But the fact that annexation is being discussed at all shows how far Israeli public sentiment has shifted in the settlers direction.

On the fast-shrinking left of Israeli politics, such ideas are regarded as a dangerous overreach that threatens Israels core democratic and Jewish identities as the Palestinian population grows.

As a patriotic Israeli, I think its in the crucial interest of the state of Israel to get out of the West Bank, said Talia Sasson, president of the New Israel Fund. Otherwise we cant maintain our basic principles.

Human rights advocates insist those principles have already been trampled by a decades-long policy designed to maximize land for Jewish settlement and make life as difficult as possible for Palestinians.

Adam Aloni, a researcher for the advocacy group BTselem, said Israel had already carried out de facto annexation in the West Bank by building a network of roads and other barriers that isolate Palestinians in an archipelago of disconnected towns and cities.

Israel is creating Palestinian ghettos, islands of land that are doomed to failure without basic resources, he said.

One such island is the poor, litter-strewn village of Salem, where residents say their water supplies have been choked off by adjacent settlements and their access to farmland severely restricted.

The settlers tell me, Youre not allowed to be here,  said Shareef Shtyah, a 33-year-old shepherd whos had to cull his herd of sheep from 400 to 15 because the Israelis bar his access to traditional grazing areas. I tell them, Youre the ones who arent allowed to be here. 

The Obama administration may have been sympathetic to Shtyahs plight. But Palestinians express disappointment that Obama wasnt able to help them secure many tangible achievements. And they have few illusions that they will get any support from Trump.

He has the mentality of blindly supporting Israel, said Ghassan Daghlas, the Palestinian Authoritys point person on settlements in the northern West Bank. Its not been a promising start.

As with so many things, it looks just the opposite to the settlers.

In Shiloh, a settler community of 3,200 a few miles down the road from Salem, residents mark the site of what they believe to be an ancient Jewish capital with a newly constructed archaeology museum and visitors center. Tens of thousands of people visit annually, including tourists from the United States.

Freshly built homes and restaurants dot thriving new neighborhoods catering to Israelis seeking to connect with the biblical lands of their ancestors  or maybe to just get a better quality of life at a cut-rate price.

Even the developments that are not entirely legal by Israeli standards, much less international ones, boast finely paved roads, soaring electricity pylons and reliable water supplies  all courtesy of the Israeli government. And at all times, of course, Israeli soldiers stand guard.

Life here is good, residents say, but it will be even better when Trump takes charge.

It could have been two or three times as much development had it not been for pressure from the Obama administration, said Eliana Passentin, who raises her eight children atop a ridge with sweeping views from the river to the sea. People want to come here and build homes and build companies and build schools. Weve been restricted in expanding our community. Now well have more freedom.

Ruth Eglash in Shiloh and Sufian Taha in Salem contributed to this report.

Read more

How the U.S. came to abstain on a U.N. resolution condemning settlements

Opinion: If theres no two-state solution, what will Israel become?

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Iraqis gather at the site of a car bombing in Baghdad. Five car bombs detonated in the Iraqi capital on Monday, killing 64 people, according to a security official. (Ali Abbas/EPA)

Five car bombs detonated in the Iraqi capital on Monday, marking a bloody start to the year as Iraq attempts to squeeze Islamic State militants from their last remaining territory in the country.

Sixty-four people were killed in the attacks, according to a security official from Baghdad Operations Command, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the death toll.

The worst bombing killed 30 people in a market in the Sadr City area of Baghdad, a largely Shiite neighborhood that is a regular target for the Islamic State. The attacker was driving an explosives-laden pickup truck and pretended to be recruiting day laborers, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said at a news conference. He waited for them to crowd around the vehicle and then set off the bomb.

The Islamic State asserted responsibility via the affiliated Amaq news agency.

[Report: Islamic State has used chemical weapons 52 times in Iraq and Syria since 2014]

Iraqi forces are 2 months into an offensive to oust the group from the northern city of Mosul, the largest population center that the group controls. They have slowly clawed back territory, but the militants have not ceded ground easily, inflicting heavy casualties.

Mondays multiple bombings appeared designed to shake confidence in the capital, and they followed a twin bombing in Baghdad on New Years Eve that killed 28 people.

The U.S. State Department condemned the attacks in the strongest possible terms, saying in a statement that these vicious acts of mass murder are a sobering reminder of the need to continue coalition operations against the Islamic State.

A hospital in the Sadr City area also was struck Monday, killing 27. Another car bomb detonated near al-Kindi hospital in central Baghdad, killing one. Two other car bombs killed six people, the security official said.

Meanwhile, Islamic State militants launched an attack on the main road from Baghdad to Mosul, a key military supply route. The road was reopened later in the day, officials said.

Abadi had pledged to regain control of Mosul by the end of the year but now says it will take three more months to rid the country of Islamic State militants. Only about a quarter of the city is back under government control, and the presence of more than 1 million civilians is complicating the effort.

Gunmen also attacked a police station Monday in Samarra, north of Baghdad, where clashes continued late into the night and a curfew was imposed.

Read more:

Iraq has never seen this kind of fighting in its battles with ISIS

Inside the economic war against the Islamic State

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Venezuelans in Pacaraima, Brazil, carry rice across the border to their country. About 10,000 Venezuelans are streaming into Brazil every month in search of food and medicine, according to authorities. (Marina Lopes/For The Washington Post)

Rosibel Diaz used to affectionately call her 4-year-old son my chubby boy. She couldnt stand it when he started going hungry.

So in November, Diaz packed up her familys possessions and boarded a bus with the boy and her 11-month-old daughter to escape Venezuelas famished interior. She now lives under a blue tarp in a trash-strewn alleyway of this Brazilian border village, where she begs for food.

I wont go back, said the rail-thin mother, who lost her job as a home nursing aide four years ago. She leaned against a pole, feeding a piece of bread to the baby. We are surviving here, she said.

Survival for Venezuelans such as Diaz is becoming a matter of flight. About 10,000 Venezuelans are streaming into Brazil every month in search of food and medicine, authorities say, camping out on the streets and swamping government services in Amazon frontier towns ill-prepared to receive them.

Oil-rich Venezuela has been an immigrant destination for much of its history. Now it is a place to flee. Chronic food shortages, rampant violence and the erratic and often paranoid behavior of President Nicolas Maduro have turned the countrys border crossings and beaches into escape valves.





It is an exodus by land, sea and air. Venezuelas well-to-do can leave on planes, if they havent already. Rickety boats ferry small groups of migrants to Curacao, Bonaire and other Caribbean islands a short distance from Venezuelas north coast. But those numbers are dwarfed by the tens of thousands pouring into Brazil and Colombia each month  either for emergency shopping trips or long-term stays.

Venezuelas economic meltdown and political chaos have left its neighbors fearful of a large-scale humanitarian crisis that could bring even greater numbers of needy migrants.

Every month seems to bring a new low. Maduro attempted to outlaw Venezuelas largest banknote in mid-December, a measure that he said would strike at foreign powers conspiring to sabotage his socialist government. Instead, cash dried up, retail commerce froze, and Maduro suspended the move as rioting and looting erupted.

It was a reminder to the whole region that Venezuela is burning on a short fuse, and Maduros cash-strapped government will need a major boost in global petroleum prices to avert disaster.

We are working with the understanding that things will get worse, Gustavo Marrone, the highest-ranking immigration official in Brazils Justice Ministry, said in an interview. The immigration issue can only be fixed when you deal with the problem at the origin, not at the destination.

Maduro abruptly closed Venezuelas border with Brazil and Colombia on multiple occasions last year, ordering the crossings reopened with just as little notice. This, too, appears to be fueling a sense of urgency among Venezuelans who opt to face precarious living conditions in neighboring countries rather than suffer the hunger and social breakdown back home.

Brazilian government services are buckling under the weight of the sudden influx of Venezuelan migrants. Their arrival has overwhelmed Roraima, a poor, sparsely populated state the size of Wyoming.

Venezuelans account for 60 percent of all hospital visits along the border, according to the Health Ministry in this northern state. Infections from sexually transmitted diseases are skyrocketing from the arrival of so many Venezuelan prostitutes. In December, Roraimas governor declared a state of emergency and appealed for federal assistance to cope with the crush of border-crossers.

Venezuelans can enter Brazil without a visa and remain for 90 days, but even Venezuelans who dont have passports can skirt formal checkpoints to enter the country illegally. Pacaraima is surrounded by an indigenous reserve that straddles the border, making it easy to cross into Brazil.

Almost overnight, sleepy border towns such as Pacaraima have been transformed into bustling hubs of international commerce, where makeshift supermarkets pop up selling food, medicine, soap and other goods that are hard to find in Venezuela.

[In Venezuela, buying too much food can get you arrested ]

Venezuelan shoppers crowd Pacaraimas main street carrying plastic bags stuffed with their rapidly depreciating bolivars, looking for the best prices on 50-pound sacks of rice they can haul back across the border. Nearly every business in town  from the beauty salon to the local tourism agency  decorates its storefront with big bags of rice and sugar.

Shopkeeper Adriano Brito sells sacks of food alongside the tires and car jacks in his auto parts store. In six months, his sales have jumped from $3,000 to $25,000 a day. I had no idea it would be so sudden, he said.

Although some Brazilians welcome the business, many are worried that things are spiraling out of control.

There is no security or sanitation, said Osvaldo do Para, 55, who owns a restaurant next to the alley where Diaz and several other families live in a squatters camp. Tattered sheets and underwear were flapping on a clothesline a few feet from his patio tables. Im having to suffer the consequences of another countrys neglect of its own people, he said.

Although they can easily enter Brazil, Venezuelans cant work legally unless they apply for an immigration or refugee visa. Because the visas are hard to obtain, many Venezuelans have taken informal jobs selling food, cleaning car windshields at traffic lights or unloading trucks at the border. The unregulated work has heightened tensions with locals, who say they are unable to compete with the Venezuelans low wages.

The crisis is similar in the Colombian cities along the border with Venezuela.

Colombian authorities last year registered 6 million visits by Venezuelans crossing into their country, many of them to purchase food and other goods that have become scarce back home.

There are no formal immigration checks at the busy crossings, so Venezuelans can freely enter Colombia as tourists, and it is unknown how many arent going back. But Christian Kruger, Colombias top immigration official, said many Venezuelans are remaining in the country to work illegally. Colombian authorities reported 2,000 Venezuelans last year who were caught working without authorization, Kruger said.

But Kruger and other officials said they remain committed to an open-border policy that facilitates commerce and offers a lifeline to families who cant find enough to eat in Venezuela.

We cant turn our backs on the Venezuelan people at their time of greatest need, he said, adding that it would be logistically impossible to shut down the 1,400-mile border between the countries, which is heavily forested and crisscrossed by smuggling trails.

Still, Kruger added, Colombian officials are preparing for the worst, and would be ready to cope with a collapse in Venezuela or a mass migration. The United Nations and international aid organizations would also be called on to help.

Every government institution in our country knows what it has to do, he said, including the military, police and health authorities. We know it isnt something that would only affect our border region. It would be the whole country.

Miroff reported from Bogota, Colombia

Read more

Venezuela declares a 2-day workweek becuase of dire energy shortages

Venezuelans are storming supermarkets and attacking trucks as food supplies dwindle

Venezuelas currency is so devalued it no longer fits in ordinary wallets

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
About 60 inmates were killed in a prison riot in northern Brazil that ended early Monday, one of the bloodiest disasters ever in the countrys crowded penitentiary system, officials said.

The prison brawl began Sunday in the Amazonian city of Manaus and flared into a gruesome nightlong battle, with several inmates decapitated and the bodies of others burned, officials said.

The riot was sparked by a clash between two gangs in the prison and reflects shifting allegiances among Brazils powerful narco-trafficking groups, authorities said.

Sergio Fontes, the head of security in Amazonas state, said that a local gang, aided by former inmates out on parole, smuggled guns into the prison and took 74 prisoners and 12 guards hostage.

This was one more chapter in the silent and imperious narco-trafficking war, Fontes said.

Officials gave varying figures for the death toll from the disturbance at the Anisio Jobim penitentiary, with state officials at one point saying at least 60 inmates were killed. By Monday evening, Brazilian media, citing local police, put the number of dead between 50 and 80. The Associated Press meanwhile said the state public security secretarys office had revised its earlier death toll to 56.

At least six decapitated bodies were discovered and over 100 prisoners escaped in the aftermath of the riot, according to the local chapter of the Brazilian bar association.

We witnessed the bloodiest night in the history of our state penitentiary system, the associations president, Marco Aurelio Choy, told the Brazilian news site Globo.

The jail massacre appeared to be the second-deadliest in Brazils history, after a 1992 episode in which more than 100 inmates at a prison in Sao Paulo were fatally shot, many by police trying to put down a revolt.

After the violence was quelled Monday, bodies were piled in the prison corridors and the hallways were slick with blood, State Penitentiary Minister Pedro Florencio told Globo. Throughout the night, inmates distraught family members milled outside the prison, waiting for news of their loved ones.

Human rights groups have assailed the conditions in Brazils prisons, many of which are crowded and known for violence. Human Rights Watch reported last year that the number of adult prisoners had grown 80 percent in a decade, to more than 600,000, while staffing levels had not kept pace. That has allowed gang activity to flourish, it said.

At the time of this weekends riot, the Anisio Jobim prison housed three times as many inmates as it was designed to hold, officials said. A state inspection of the prison conducted in October classified it as terrible. Prisoners had no access to legal aid, health care or education, according to the report.

Robert Muggah, research director of the Igarape Institute, a Rio de Janeiro think tank, said the deadly clash reflected the changing politics among Brazils drug factions.

Prisons, which have always been tinderboxes, are manifesting the reorganization of organized crime in Brazil, he said.

Officials said the riot started when inmates associated with a local gang called the Northern Family attacked prisoners with ties to Brazils largest narco-trafficking gang, the Sao Paulo-based First Capital Command.

In October, the First Capital Command gang ended an alliance with the countrys second-most-powerful criminal group, Red Command, which is based in Rio de Janeiro, according to the website InSight Crime, which monitors violence in Latin America.

Since then, fights in several Brazilian prisons have been blamed on the new rivalry between the groups or their allies. The Manaus-based gang involved in the latest prison violence is an ally of Red Command, according to Reuters.

In mid-October, riots erupted in two Brazilian prisons, leaving at least 18 people dead. Two groups of inmates clashed in one facility in the northern state of Roraima on Oct. 16, leaving 10 dead, several of them decapitated, according to news reports. A day later, eight inmates died in fighting at a prison in the northwestern state of Rondonia, according to news reports.

Last week, President Michel Temer announced he would secure $360 million to improve prison infrastructure and security. Amazonass governor has pledged to use part of that money to improve Anisio Jobim.

Read more

He was the most popular politician on Earth. Now Brazils Lula could go to jail.

How Brazil, the darling of the developing world, came undone

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Annapurna/A24 opened their Golden Globe nominee 20th Century Women starring Annette Bening in four locations over the long holiday box office weekend, grossing an estimated $213,000, while Amazon Studios/Bleecker Streets new Jim Jarmusch pic Paterson starring Adam Driver debuted and grossed $88,167 over the four-day frame. Meanwhile, awards contenders La La Land ($37.05 million) and Manchester By The Sea ($29.7M) became the first- and second-highest-grossing specialty releases of 2016.

New York Film Festival debut 20th Century Women starring Bening, Elle Fanning and Greta Gerwig and set in 1970s Santa Barbara opened Wednesday in four theaters. At an estimated $213,681 over six days, the five-day average comes in at just more than $45K with exit responses that are through the roof, the distributor said. The film, which notched the best opening for a Mike Mills pic, will expand into top markets over the next couple of weeks leading toward a nationwide expansion January 20.

Paterson also opened Wednesday and, and its cume is now at $100,825 with a Tuesday estimate of $119,657. Bleecker Street, which opened the title with Amazon, said it is looking forward to next week when it will head to two cities that have traditionally been draws for Jarmusch films: San Francisco and DC. The film then will head to an additional 14 markets January 12.

This is a satisfying opening especially in this market, said Bleecker Streets president of theatrical distribution Jack Foley. The way things are going in the marketplace  all of the end-of-the-year awards films have been pretty much seen by everyone. This puts us in a good position with our core audience.

La La Land, Lionsgates musical drama starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, grossed $12.33M (4-day) in 750 theaters in its fourth weekend of release, averaging $16,440. Its cume of $37M-plus passes CBS Films/Lionsgates Hell Or High Water to become the highest-grossing specialty film of 2016. Amazon Studios/Roadside Attractions Manchester By The Sea also surpassed Hell Or High Water during the frame; now in wide release in more than 1,200 theaters, it grossed $5.46M (4-day), averaging $4,532 in its seventh frame.

Story continues

Among other holdovers during the long frame, 20th Century Foxs limited Christmas opener Hidden Figures remained in 25 theaters in its second week, grossing a specialty-leading $1.145M in four days, averaging $27,500. Last weekend, the film debuted grossing $180K, averaging $45K  a decline of 39%.

Paramount kept Martin Scorseses Silence starring Driver, Andrew Garfield and Liam Neeson with four runs over New Years weekend. The film grossed $110K over four days, averaging $27,500. Last weekend, it grossed $180K in its debut, averaging $45K, a decline of 39%. Focus Features also held its fantasy A Monster Calls, in four locations, grossing $28,325 in four days, averaging $7,081. Last weekend it grossed $42K, averaging $10,542.

CBS Films/Lionsgates Patriots Day again played seven runs in its second frame, grossing $200K (4-day), averaging $28,571. In its debut, the title had a five-day gross of $256,718 in seven theaters, averaging $36K. It has now cumed $681K.

Sony Pictures Classics added a run for Pedro Almodovars latest, Julieta, which grossed $73,173 in its second week, while holding Germanys Oscar-shortlisted comedy Toni Erdmann in a trio of runs to take in $50,131 over the four days for a total cume of $106K since its Christmas Day bow.

Fox Searchlights early December rollout Jackie grossed $2M in 359 theaters, averaging $5,571, lifting the cume of the Natalie Portman-starrer to $7.47M in five weeks. The Weinstein Companys Lion, meanwhile, grossed $2.94M in 525 locations, averaging $5,610. Its six-week cume is $6.8M.

Focus Features Nocturnal Animals starring Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal crossed eight figures over the weekend. Directed by Tom Ford, it notched $257,465 in 158 locations, averaging $1,630, for a seven-week cume of $10.3M.

NEW RELEASES

20th Century Women (A24) NEW [4 Theaters] Weekend $180,081 (5-day); $213,681 (6-day), Average $45,020 (5-day); $53,420 (6-day), Cume $213,681 (Wed. Open)

Paterson (Amazon Studios/Bleecker Street) NEW [4 Theaters] Weekend $69,334 (3-day); $88,167 (4-day), Average $17,334 (3-day); $22,042 (4-day), Cume $100,825 (5-day); $119,657 (Tues estimate)

RETURNING/SECOND WEEKEND

Hidden Figures (20th Century Fox) Week 2 [25 Theaters] Weekend $858,230 (3-day); $1.145M (4-day), Average $34,329 (3-day); $45,800 (4-day), Cume $2,611,395

A Monster Calls (Focus Features) Week 2 [4 Theaters] Weekend $28,325 (4-day), Average $7,081 (4-day), Cume $79,876

Julieta (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 2 [7 Theaters] Weekend $73,173 (4-day), Average $10,453 (4-day), Cume $223,964 (4-day)

Live By Night (Warner Bros.) Week 2 [4 Theaters] Weekend $50K, Average $12,500, Cume $125K

Silence (Paramount Pictures) Week 2 [4 Theaters] Weekend $83K (3-day); $110K (4-day), Average $27,500 (4-day), Cume $337K

Patriots Day (CBS Films/Lionsgate) Week 2 [7 Theaters] Weekend $200K (4-day), Average $28,571, Cume $681K (4-ay)

Toni Erdmann (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 2 [3 Theaters] Weekend $50,131 (4-day), Average $16,710 (4-day), Cume $106,293 (4-day)

HOLDOVERS / THIRD+ WEEKENDS

Neruda (The Orchard) Week 3 [5 Theaters] Weekend $43,167 (4-day), Average $8,633 (4-day), Cume $150,664

The Wasted Times (China Lion) Week 3 [12 Theaters] Weekend $57,500 (4-day), Average $4,792, Cume $348,880 (4-day)

La La Land (Lionsgate) Week 4 [750 Theaters] Weekend $12.33M (4-day), Average $16,440, Cume $37,045,199 (4-day)

Jackie (Fox Searchlight) Week 5 [359 Theaters] Weekend $1.55M (3-day); $2M (4-day), Average $$4,318 (3-day); $5,571 (4-day), Cume $7,476,006

Lion (The Weinstein Company) Week 6 [525 Theaters], Weekend $2,945,000 (4-day), Average $5,610, Cume $6,777,503

Manchester By The Sea (Amazon Studios/Roadside Attractions) Week 7 [1,206 Theaters] Weekend $5,466,645 (4-day), Average $4,532, Cume $29,691,296

Nocturnal Animals (Focus Features) Week 7 [158 Theaters] Weekend $257,465 (4-day), Average $1,630 (4-day), Cume $10,251,003 (4-day)

Elle (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 8 [35 Theaters] Weekend $80,629 (4-day), Average $2,304, Cume $932,407

The Eagle Huntress (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 9 [113 Theaters] Weekend $188,749 (4-day), Average $1,670, Cume $2,278,362 (4-day)

Loving (Focus Features) Week 10 [81 Theaters] Weekend $94,500 (4-day), Average $1,167 (4-day), Cume $7,503,891 (4-day)

Moonlight (A24) Week 11 [137 Theaters] Weekend $406,774 (4-day), Average $2,969, Cume $12,705,099

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Four people were found shot to death, including a 4-year-old and a 12-month-old, inside a South Carolina home on New Years Day, authorities said.

Read: Dad of Teen Who Jumped Off Bridge Released Message About Depression and Helping Others

Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher identified the dead as Marissa Hope Reynoso, 26, and her two children, Elijah Chavez, 4, and Ezra Chavez, 1. The childrens father, Jorge Luis Chavez, 25, of Honduras, was also found shot to death.

Sheriffs deputies had initially issued an alert for the father in connection with the shooting deaths, but later found his body inside the one-story ranch house, and described the slayings as a murder-suicide, officials said.

Read: Bicycle Motocross and MTV Star David Mirra Committed Suicide in Friend's Driveway: Police

An older child of Reynoso was not home at the time of the shootings and is safe, deputies said.

The killings remain under investigation and authorities have not said who pulled the trigger. Autopsies are scheduled for Tuesday, the coroner said.

Watch: Mom Posted Suicide Note on Facebook Before Killing Herself and Son

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MESSAGE





My warmest greetings to the Filipino people, here in the Philippines and across the globe, as we celebrate the New Year.





Indeed, there is no greater happiness than spending time with our loved ones during holiday season. I hope that we will enjoy this time of the year by demonstrating love, solidarity, understanding, happiness, and optimism towards our personal and national aspirations.





One year has ended and another has taken its place. Soon, we will be once again preoccupied with our daily grind and usual day-to-day activities. Many will forget the events of the past year. But we, in government, will remember because it is our solemn duty to evaluate our work and make sure that its gains redound to the common good.





I invite everyone to be our government's partners in our fight against illegal drugs, criminality, and corruption; and in attaining peace and development in our country. Let us work together to enliven our business environment- by attracting more investments and creating more job opportunities for our people- so that, in the near future, working abroad would only be an option for our kababayans and not a necessity. The achievement of these goals will reclaim order and safety in our communities and will enable us to restore the public's trust in government and in our people' capacity to serve.





Let us all welcome 2017 with renewed determination and a reinvigorated spirit so that we can surmount the challenges ahead.





I wish all of us a fruitful and meaningful New Year.





RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE





MANILA

1 January 2017





Source: pcoo.gov.ph
On Jan 2, 2017, Abaxis Inc. ABAX, a leading manufacturer of portable medical and veterinary blood analysis systems, was upgraded to a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Why the Upgrade?

We believe the upgrade was primarily driven by Abaxis rising share price in the last six months. The company generated a return of 9.1% last year, way better than the 7.4% decline of the Zacks classified Medical-Products industry. The company has also recorded a 5-year CAGR of 8.7% for revenues and an impressive long-term earnings growth rate of 17.6% versus the industry average of 5.5%.

Growth Drivers

Abaxis continues to expand in the veterinary market. The company has recorded solid sales from its veterinary business, which accounted for 82.4% of its total revenue in the last reported second quarter of fiscal 2017. Further, Abaxis witnessed growth in veterinary rotor sales outside North America, buoyed by strong performance in Asia and Latin America. Going forward, management expects to see growth in sales of its veterinary rotors in Asia Pacific.

The company is perfectly positioned to expand in the growing portable medical and veterinary blood analysis system market. Management also intends to tap into the huge potential of point-of-care diagnostic testing market. Recently, the company collaborated with the American Animal Hospital Association to develop a wellness testing initiative to improve veterinary blood work compliance and implement preventive care. Apart from this, Abaxis focuses on its Piccolo system, which is a portable, multiple routine test capability on whole blood, serum or plasma samples. In the reported quarter, Abaxis sold 208 Piccolos compared to 248 in the year-ago quarter. Earlier this year, the company sold 10 Piccolos to India for the first time, displaying Abaxis efforts to expand in the emerging markets.

We also expect the distribution relationship with Henry Schein Animal Health, Patterson Veterinary Supply, MWI Vet and Abbott Point of Care to fortify the companys market presence in North America as well as Europe. Abaxis focus and investment in North America and overseas should support growth in the future.

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Of the notable developments, Abaxis global sales of medical rotors crossed 1 million units for the first time, which is a major milestone.

On the flip side,declining instruments sales resulted in a sluggish top-line performance during the last reported quarter. Also, Abaxis faced challenging year-over-year comparisons in North America due to poor veterinary rotors sales. Revenue and margin growth in the quarter failed to meet the companys targeted double-digit growth expectation. Intense competition was also a major headwind.

Key Picks

Better-ranked medical stocks are NxStage Medical Inc. NXTM, Align Technology, Inc. ALGN and Haemonetics Corporation HAE. NxStage Medical and Align Technology sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) while Haemonetics carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

NxStage Medical gained 24.5% over the last one year compared with the S&P 500s 11.2%. The company has a four-quarter average positive earnings surprise of 46.3%.

Align Technology rallied 49.6% over the last one year, way better than the S&P 500. It has a trailing four-quarter average positive earnings surprise of 23%.

Haemonetics recorded a 28.6% gain over the past one year, better than the S&P 500. It has a trailing four-quarter average positive earnings surprise of 0.82%.

Zacks' Top 10 Stocks for 2017



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BERLIN (AP)  German police say that a 19-year-old Afghan asylum-seeker has suffered serious burns after setting himself on fire at a supermarket warehouse in Bavaria.

Police said that the man poured gasoline over himself and set himself ablaze early Monday in Gaimersheim, a town between Nuremberg and Munich. He had bought the gasoline shortly before at a filling station.

The blaze was extinguished swiftly by other people at the scene, but the man was seriously injured.

The man's motives weren't immediately clear. Police say he was carrying a knife but didn't use it.
The marching band of Alabama's oldest private, historically black liberal arts college has accepted an invitation to perform at President-elect Donald Trump's inaugural parade, organizers said.

Talladega College's band will march at Trump's inauguration as other historically black schools such as Howard University, which performed at President Barack Obama's first inaugural parade, said they won't be marching in the Jan. 20 event.

"We were a bit horrified to hear of the invitation," said Shirley Ferrill of Fairfield, Alabama, a member of Talladega's Class of 1974.

"I don't want my alma mater to give the appearance of supporting him," Ferrill said of Trump on Monday. "Ignore, decline or whatever, but please don't send our band out in our name to do that."

The move has lit up Talladega College's social media sites with a sharp debate about the band's decision to participate in the parade. Some people voiced strong opposition, while others support the band's participation.

"After how black people were treated at Trump's rallies, you're going to go and shuck and jive down Pennsylvania Avenue? For what?" Seinya SamForay said in an interview. "What they did is a slap in the face to other black universities."

SamForay, of Chicago, was among dozens of people commenting on the school's social media sites.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee announced Friday that the Talladega College Marching Tornadoes was among 40 groups, including high school bands and military organizations, scheduled to perform in the parade. Some members of the Marist College band in upstate New York, also scheduled to perform at the inauguration, say they won't participate, a school spokesman said Monday.

Ron White of Atlanta, a 1997 graduate of another historically black college, Fort Valley State University in Georgia, said he questioned why band members from Talladega "should be playing all these patriotic tunes for someone who has degraded us."

At the same time, though, White said he respects the office of the president and he hopes that Talladega's band does well.

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"What they should do in my opinion is play that national anthem the best way they've ever played it in their life, because you're basically saluting the country," White said in an interview.

The nation's historically black colleges and universities instill in students the idea that "ignored behavior is condoned behavior," said Reese Walker of Memphis, who marched in the band at Mississippi Valley State University. That's one reason he doesn't think Talladega College should participate.

Talladega College officials haven't returned several phone calls and emails seeking comment.

The college was founded in 1867, by the descendants of the slaves who helped to build its first building, according to historical documents on the college's website.

The decision to march in Trump's inaugural parade has also sparked controversy at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York. The band will be marching, but some of its members will be staying home, school spokesman Greg Cannon said Monday.

"They don't want to have anything to do with the inauguration or President Trump and we respect that, and that's their right," Cannon said.

"We're not looking to put anybody in a spot that conflicts with their personal beliefs," he added.

About six to eight Marist band members among more than 100 have said they won't perform, Cannon said. He said there won't be any repercussions for those students, and they will still have a place in the band when it returns from Washington, D.C.
Around 60 people were killed in a massive prison riot caused by warring drug gang factions in Brazil's Amazon region overnight Sunday. The violence sparked further concern about the state of the nation's correctional facilities.

Riots broke out at the Anisio Jobim Penitentiary Complex in the northwestern city of Manaus when members of the country's largest gang, First Capital Command (PCC), clashed with a local Manaus-based outfit called North Family, which was believed to have acted under orders from Brazil's second-largest gang Red Command (CV), a rival to PCC.

Inmates were armed and opened fire with one another and security officers. Around 74 prisoners were taken hostage throughout the carnage, with graphic scenes of decapitated bodies being thrown over prison fences being reported by local media. Images of headless, mutilated bodies circulated on social media.

Footage released by Em Tempo, a newspaper located in Manaus, showed more than 100 family members and friends gathered outside the jail hoping for information on the dead and wounded as bodies were released in Brazil's latest prison clash. In a separate incident, around 100 inmates escaped from the Antonio Trindade Penal Institute, also in Manaus.

Brazil's prison system has been widely criticized for its overcrowding, poor living conditions and rampant corruption. The country's prison population has more than doubled in the past decade alone, making it the world's fourth-largest with 660,000 prisoners. Violence connected to the country's drug trade has led to numerous riots and jailbreaks throughout the country.

Warring gangs killed at least 10 people in the northern city of Boa Vista in October, coinciding with deadly uprising in a psychiatric facility in the western city of Porto Velho. Sunday's prison rebellion was the deadliest since 111 inmates were killed when police retook Sao Paulo's Carandiru prison in 1992 during an uprising.

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An American says he survived the shooting at an Istanbul nightclub on New Years Eve that killed 39 by pretending to be dead as the gunman stood over him and shot him.

Jake Raak, a 35-year-old from Delaware who was celebrating the new year with nine friends at the Reina nightclub in Istanbuls Ortakoy district, told NBC News that at first he brushed off reports of a shooter in the building.

Somebody said that there were shots fired and I initially did not believe it until I saw the gunman and he started shooting up the whole place, he said.

Raak described laying on the floor and pretending to be dead, with his head under a bench and his legs sticking out. The gunman shot Raak in the hip. He said he struggled not to flinch or scream in hopes that the gunman would move on.

He was walking on the bench above my head when my head was underneath, Raak said. When he shot me, I didnt move. I just let him shoot me.

The bullet entered his hip and traveled down to his knee, where it was lodged. However, Raak is in stable condition and will be traveling back to the United States this week.

Despite the harrowing experience, Raak knows it could have been much worse.

I was probably the luckiest in the whole thing, I do find myself very fortunate, he said. I was with nine people  seven of us were shot.

 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

The Associated Press reported that the assailant, who escaped and has not yet been public identified, was armed with a long-barreled weapon and killed a policeman and civilian outside the nightclub. The attacker then began shooting at people partying inside the club. It is unclear if the attacker acted alone or if there were multiple assailants.

A Lebanese woman who was at the club told Reuters that she heard the gunman shouting Allahu Akbar (God is great), and ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack that killed 39 people from 14 different countries and wounded nearly 70 more.

Turkish security services arrested eight people on Monday, though officials say they still do not have the gunman in custody, NBC reports.




The lone American injured in the massacre at a nightclub in Istanbul on New Years Eve says he played dead after being shot in the leg  and his family says the bullet hit his cellphone, saving him from a more serious injury.

William Jacob Raak, a 35-year-old from Delaware, told NBC Philadelphia that he was among the 600 people inside the popular Reina nightclub when a gunman entered.

Somebody said that there were shots fired, Raak said. And I initially did not believe it until I saw the gunman and he started shooting up the whole place.

Raak said he was on the ground when the gunman approached.

When he shot me I didnt move, he said. I just let him shoot me.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed 39 people and wounded 70 others, and a manhunt for the gunman is underway. Raak was the only U.S. citizen confirmed to be injured in the shooting, according to the State Department. He was rushed to a local hospital.

Video of Pennsylvania native injured in Istanbul nightclub shooting: https://t.co/P7YnEZcskB pic.twitter.com/V85vuCyj5p  NBC10 Philadelphia (@NBCPhiladelphia) January 2, 2017

Raak, a native of Chadds Ford, Pa., spoke with reporters as he was being carted away from the scene on a stretcher.

I got shot in the f***ing leg, man, Raak said. These crazy people came in shooting up everything!

He later clarified that he saw only one gunman.

According to the Associated Press, the shooter was wearing a Santa hat when he entered the club.

Raaks brother, Michael, said his brothers cellphone likely saved him from a more serious injury.

When he got shot, the bullet hit his phone, Michael told the Philadelphia station. It went from his hip to his knee, but the bullet didnt hit any major arteries.

It destroyed his contacts, his mother, Grace, told the New York Daily News. He was very fortunate that it did.

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Related slideshows:

Turkey mourns the victims of the New Years Eve nightclub attack >>>

Dozens dead in New Years Eve nightclub attack in Istanbul, Turkey >>>
After returning from a visit to Pearl Harbor last week, Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada visited a Tokyo shrine that honors Japan's war dead, including convicted war criminals. Inada had accompanied Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during his visit to Pearl Harbor, where he offered condolences to those who died in the Japanese attack there in 1941.

In other images from the Asia-Pacific region last week, South Korean opposition politicians called for nullifying a settlement reached between Seoul and Tokyo on compensation for South Korean women forced into sexual slavery by Japan's military during World War II. The move came on the anniversary of the deal, and amid growing efforts to erase some of the key policies of impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye.

A powerful typhoon killed at least six people and spoiled Christmas in several provinces in the Philippines, with more than 380,000 people abandoning celebrations at home to reach emergency shelters and other safer grounds.

South Korea is fighting its worst bird flu outbreak in a decade. The government said that about 26 million head of poultry would be culled, including about one-third of the country's egg-laying hens, after the H5N6 strain of avian influenza was found in farms and parks.

China and Sao Tome and Principe officially resumed diplomatic relations in a triumph for Beijing over rival Taiwan after the African island nation abruptly broke away from the self-ruled island earlier in December.

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This gallery was curated by Associated Press photo editor Masayo Yoshida in Tokyo.
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
By Sankalp Phartiyal

MUMBAI, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Smartphone component maker Wistron Corp, which counts Apple Inc among its customers, has applied for permission to expand its plant in the Indian city of Bengaluru, a high-ranking regional government official said on Monday.

The Taiwanese contract manufacturer has also requested that its application be fast-tracked, the official at the state government of Karnataka in southern India told Reuters.

The move comes less than two weeks after the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple was in talks with India's federal government about the possibility of assembling products in one of the world's biggest smartphone markets, where the U.S. tech firm controls less than 2 percent.

Apple setting up production in India would be a significant win for the government which has embarked on a major campaign to attract global manufacturers under the slogan "Make in India".

"Wistron has approached us to expedite certain clearances with regards to the augmentation and expansion of its existing unit," said the official, who was not authorised to speak publicly on the matter and so declined to be identified.

Whether Apple will begin manufacturing in India is unknown, but Wistron's desire to expand "pretty quickly" could represent "several steps in that direction," the official said.

Apple did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Wistron could not be reached for comment.

Analysts have said local manufacturing could come as part of a wider strategy for Apple to expand in India and even lower prices after Chief Executive Tim Cook visited the country in May and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Certainly that (local manufacturing) will help in some level of cost optimization," said Gartner research director Anshul Gupta. "Because looking at the current tax structure, local facilities do provide some kind of cost advantage."

Another of Apple's Taiwanese suppliers, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd - commonly known as Foxconn - also has a manufacturing facility in southern India.

(Reporting by Sankalp Phartiyal; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina has loosened regulations to allow more competition in its telecoms sector and widen internet penetration, according to a decree published on Monday that the government hopes will attract billions of dollars in investments.

Companies will no longer be barred from simultaneously providing cable TV, internet, fixed line and mobile phone services.

Satellite TV company DirecTV will for example be allowed to sell internet services while cable operator Cablevision SA gets the green light to enter the 4G mobile telephone market.

But the main telephone players including Telefonica, Telecom Argentina and Claro will only be able to offer paid television starting in January 2018, according to the decree.

A source at the local branch of Spain's Telefonica, said the measure was unfair and that Telefonica is evaluating judicial action against the government, the company source said.

Analysts have said phone companies were at a disadvantage to cable operators, which can offer internet and television through the same fiber optic cable. Phone companies need to improve their network cables in order to deliver television.

The telecom reform is one of many changes on PresidentMauricio Macri's agenda as he tries to attract investment into an economy that was highly regulated, cut off from international capital markets and largely ignored by foreign investors for a decade before he took office.

Macri's government expects the telecom reform to help draw in $20 billion in investment over four years.

The first article of the decree, published in the government's official bulletin, says the state will: "Implement the basic rules to achieve a greater degree of convergence of networks and services under competitive conditions, promote the deployment of next generation networks and the penetration of broadband internet access throughout the national territory."

(Reporting by Hugh Bronstein and Walter Bianchi; Editing by W Simon and Alan Crosby)
Buenos Aires (AFP) - New Year's greetings tend to be uncontroversial, but an Argentine ministry sparked angry reaction over the weekend when a map of the country accompanying its year-end wishes omitted an island chain that sparked a short but bitter war with Britain.

Argentina has long claimed the islands it calls the Malvinas, which Britain occupied in 1833 and renamed the Falklands.

Argentine forces seized the chain in 1982 to reclaim sovereignty, but Britain prevailed in a 74-day war that claimed hundreds of lives on both sides.

So when the Argentine Ministry of Social Development posted its new year greetings online with a map that omitted the islands, the reaction from war veterans and political opponents was quick and fierce.

Saul Perez, who fought in the war, expressed his "uneasiness," telling news channel C5N that "it was not a mistake."

He said he had no doubt that the omission was part of a campaign by the government of President Mauricio Macri to "place a priority on bilateral trade" over Argentina's historic claim of sovereignty.

On September 13, in a tentative effort to end decades of rancor, Argentine and British negotiators reached agreement in Buenos Aires on oil and gas exploration, fishing, trade, shipping and air transport.

Center-right Macri, in power since late 2015, said he wanted to improve relations with Britain, a step seen as aimed at boosting Argentina's flagging economy.

But the pact did not touch on the delicate question of the islands' sovereignty -- a decision harshly criticized by the political opposition.

Alicia Castro, Argentine ambassador to Britain during the previous administration of Cristina Kirchner, called the absence of the islands in the development ministry's greeting "inadmissible."

"I haven't been able to sleep," she told Argentina's Radio 10, "I'm so upset to see this mutilated map."

While the British might publish such a map, she said, no Argentine government had ever done so.

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In the face of such criticism, the development ministry issued a tweet Monday apologizing for what it called a "design department error."

The 1982 war claimed the lives of 649 Argentine combatants and 255 British troops before Argentina finally surrendered in the face of an imposing armada dispatched from Britain by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

In a 2013 referendum, the island chain's 3,000 inhabitants voted overwhelmingly in favor of remaining under British rule. Argentina dismissed the result.
DETROIT (AP)  Authorities say an anthropologist will perform an autopsy on a severely decomposed body found inside a parked car in Detroit.

Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office spokesman Lloyd Jackson says a University of Michigan anthropologist will conduct the autopsy Tuesday. Jackson said Monday that medical examiners concluded an anthropologist must determine the gender, age, timing of death, and perhaps how the person died.

Police say a prospective home buyer discovered the body Thursday in the garage. Jackson says the dark, leathery bones were covered in a sweater, shirt and pants.

Officer Dan Donakowski has said tenants told police they never entered the garage because the landlord prohibited it. Donakowski said Monday that nobody has been detained and he doesn't know whether police talked to the landlord or person selling the property.

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This story has been corrected to show the anthropologist is from University of Michigan, not Michigan State University.
AW-m-g, Chance the Rappers daughter has made her Instagram debut

We know that celebrities are notoriously protective of their offspring, and rightfully so. Because of this, it is always such a treat when they do choose to share photos. This weekend, Chance the Rapper shared pictures of his daughter that are too cute for words. Kensli, who was born in September 2015, the rapper made it clear that she was going to remain off limits, rapping My daughter looks just like Sia/you cant see her on Kayne Wests Ultralight Beam.

Something made him change his mind, and were not complaining; shes adorable! In a series of Instagram posts, the tot is pictured hanging out with her dad, chatting on the phone, playing the harmonica, and even getting to meet President Obama and the First Lady! Its wrong to be jealous to be jealous of a toddler right?

Many of the posts are followed by beautiful, heartfelt captions by her dad. Its clear that Chance the Rapper loves his little girl very much, and were glad that hes sharing that love with all of us.

This is the girl who reintroduced me to God





This is the girl who reintroduced me to God. She's the woman who reminded me how to be a man, and taught me how to love. She is everything I am but much better. I can't wait for her to one day help the world the way she has helped me. A photo posted by Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) on Dec 31, 2016 at 4:09pm PST

Starting her with music early





now I can't stop A video posted by Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) on Dec 31, 2016 at 4:15pm PST

Kensli is not impressed





Look up Kensli, say cheese! A photo posted by Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) on Dec 31, 2016 at 4:11pm PST

It is clear that being a good dad is incredibly important to Chance the Rapper. Dads know you cant/wont get this love anywhere else. We are the chosen few, the responsibility is heavy but duty is an honor. Mothers better know it aint one thing in this world we can without you. Thank you to her mother, my mother and God for making all things possible. I cant wait to get back to this, he said in one of his Instagram posts. Break our hearts, why dont you, sir?

If you want another kick in the feels, check out his version of Dear Theodosia on the Hamilton Mixtape. It is abundantly clear that little Kensli is his inspiration.

The post AW-m-g, Chance the Rappers daughter has made her Instagram debut appeared first on HelloGiggles.
"I like the idea that our greatest wounds are our greatest gifts," says Andrew Garfield, the 33-year-old American-born British actor currently generating best actor Oscar buzz for his performances in both Mel Gibson's Hacksaw Ridge and Martin Scorsese's Silence, as we sit down at The Hollywood Reporter to record an episode of the 'Awards Chatter' podcast. "My sensitivity, I think, gets me in so much trouble, and also gives me a tremendous amount of wonderful things in my life, as well. It means that I can connect deeply to things, whether it's other people, characters I play, the struggles of others. But, in the same breath, it means I can just as easily connect to the stuff that really fucks with me - I'm very permeable in that way."

(Click above to listen to this episode or here to access all of our 100+ episodes via iTunes. Past guests include Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep, Eddie Murphy, Lady Gaga, Robert De Niro, Amy Schumer, Will Smith, Jennifer Lopez, Louis C.K., Kristen Stewart, Harvey Weinstein, Sally Field, Jerry Seinfeld, Jane Fonda, Tyler Perry, Kate Winslet, Michael Moore, Helen Mirren, J.J. Abrams, Taraji P. Henson, Warren Beatty, Kate Beckinsale, Michael Eisner, Brie Larson, Sting, Natalie Portman, RuPaul, Sheila Nevins, Justin Timberlake and Nicole Kidman.)

Garfield first saw a live theatrical production at the age of 16 and, as he recalls, "Something in me woke up." Not long after, he began performing himself, and a high school drama teacher encouraged him to apply to drama school. He wound up at the University of London's Central School of Speech and Drama, where, for three years, he honed his chops (and earned spending cash by working as a barista at Starbucks, until he was fired). During his final year, he was cast in his first two professional productions, winning a best newcomer award for one, and also landing his first parts on TV. While he was starring in Chatroom at the National Theatre, Stephen Daldry's assistant saw him, recommended him to Daldry, who came and saw him and recommended him to producer Scott Rudin for a project they were planning to do. This led to his first screen test, but not his first film; however the casting director who considered him for that film later recommended him for Robert Redford's Lions for Lambs, in which he was cast to star opposite Redford, Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep.

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That same year, Garfield played his first leading role in the 2007 British indie Boy A. He followed that with parts in the 2008 head-trip The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, opposite Heath Ledger, who died during the production ("I just looked up to him so much"); Mark Romanek's 2010 adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's bestseller Never Let Me Go; and, later that same year, thanks to recommendations by Romanek and Spike Jonze (who directed him in a short), David Fincher's Facebook drama The Social Network. Garfield initially had been approached about playing the main protagonist, Mark Zuckerberg, but instead was cast in the key supporting role of Eduardo Saverin, for which he received best supporting actor Golden Globe, Critics' Choice and BAFTA nominations.

Garfield, now a star fast on the rise, chose to capitalize on this string of successes by accepting the role of Spider-Man - a character he'd worshipped since he was three - in the big screen reboot of the franchise. He acknowledges that he committed to do two films - 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man and 2014's The Amazing Spider-Man 2 - without being shown a script and with the realization that it could have major implications on his way of life. "The four-year-old inside of me would not have it any other way," he says. But "the corporate mindset" the studio brought to the project - aiming to produce the least objectionable picture - grated on him terribly.

"I had to fight really, really hard to make sure that the character was honored and that we were offering something really fun, entertaining and also moving and complex and deep for all the young boys and girls that want to see their favorite superhero," he says. "So many beautiful things came out of that. I met someone that remains incredibly important to my life on that - you can fill in the blanks on who that is." [Presumably, it was co-star and ex-girlfriend Emma Stone.] Garfield continues: "But the difference between how I felt when Never Let Me Go and The Social Network were coming out and how I felt with The Amazing Spider-Man franchise was that I didn't feel represented. I was feeling very represented by those other two films, and with The Amazing Spider-Man stuff I didn't feel like that was my work up there, in a weird way. It felt like a semblance of it or kind of a shade of it, but ultimately I felt it was enshrouded in that filter."

Fortunately, Garfield was able to regain his mojo after filming the first Spider-Man by going to Broadway to star as Biff in Mike Nichols' 2012 revival of Death of a Salesman opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman ("my favorite actor of his generation"), garnering a Tony nomination for his performance. "That was fucking like the chemical peel palette cleanser colonic," he says with a laugh. Then, after the second Spider-Man, he again rediscovered his love of acting, this time by going to work for modern-day neorealist Ramin Bahrani in 2015's 99 Homes, an indie in which he plays a man whose home is foreclosed and who reluctantly begins working for the forecloser in order to earn enough money to repurchase his home.

Then, he was cast in his two films just released in 2016, first Silence and then Hacksaw Ridge, both of which happened to call on him to play a man of faith, who is in crisis. In Silence, on which he worked for scale, he plays a 17th century Jesuit priest who travels to Japan to minister to Christian converts; and in Hacksaw, he plays a World War II conscientious objector turned lives-saving hero. The Scorsese film shot first, but before it, he spent a year mentally and physically preparing for it - studying with a Jesuit priest, partaking in a weeklong silent retreat, losing a ton of weight. ("I was so excited to work with Marty that I said no to everything else," he says. "I thought, 'Well, if he's been wanting to make this for 28 years, the least I can do is give one year of my life to getting ready.") He devoted three months of prep to the Gibson film, studying a documentary about the man he portrays and retracing many of the steps of his life. He says that the director, contrary to his reputation, is "incredibly loving and such a good leader."

For the latter, he already won the Critics' Choice Award for best actor in an action movie, was nominated for the Critics' Choice Award for best actor, is nominated for the Golden Globe for best actor (drama) and looks like a strong bet to land his first Oscar nomination, in the category of best actor.
This baby rhino experiences snow for the first time, epitomizes happiness

In an Iowa zoo, an adorable baby rhino just discovered snow for the first time, and its definitely her new favorite thing.

Zookeepers at the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines tossed the freshly fallen snow into the rhino enclosure.

The little rhino, who has yet to be named, clearly loved it. At first, she simply stepped into the white powdery snow as she nosed through it. Later, after she gets comfortable, her cautious exploration turns into full-blown frolicking.

The baby is an eastern black rhino, a breed of rhinoceros listed by the World Wildlife Fund as critically endangered, meaning fewer than 1,000 exist both in zoos and the wild combined.

The still-nameless cutie came into the world on October 11th at a solid 80 pounds. She was one of seven eastern Black rhinos to be born in zoos in 2016.

We definitely plan to channel her positive energy as we head into the new year!
Hyatt Regency, Indian Wells, California Aqua Serena Spa, at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells, offers a Vino and Vinyasa private yoga class that combines movements and yoga principles like breath, balance, and flexibility, with a wine tasting (during class!) designed to heighten the senses of smell, taste, and sight. By the end of class, you've both moved through several poses and knocked back some delicious California reds and whites. Courtesy

Of all the wonderful things we think of pairing with wine, exercise isn't among them. Historically, alcohol and exercise have been either/or propositions. Drinking before working out can cause an oxygen shortage, interfere with metabolizing carbs into energy, and prevent muscles from repairing themselves. That's the bad news.

RELATED: 15 Under-$16 Wines That'll Make You the Best Holiday Party Guest

The good news is that, as it turns out, you can indeed exercise and drink on the same day--and sometimes even in the course of a single yoga class (though for the most part, we'd recommend drinking the wine after you do the workout). In recent years, a slew of health retreats around the country have started recognizing the mindfulness connection between savoring great wine and finding yourself during a restorative workout--and they're exploring interesting ways to celebrate the combination.

RELATED: 7 Chic Suitcases Worth Splurging on for Your Next Vacation

Here, we find the top hotels and vineyards around the country that combine workouts and wine in a deliciously relaxing setup.
As the world celebrates a brand new year and a bevy of medical breakthroughs in 2016, the international scientific community could be one step closer toward discovering a cure for HIV and AIDs  in part thanks to billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates.

The Microsoft founder has been steadily backing medical research for years with his and his wifes Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a global organization supporting worldwide activism and access to healthcare and education. Gates' latest investment in a biopharmaceutical tech company based in Boston could yield one of the largest revelations in HIV research yet  with a single, tiny drug pump that can be implanted underneath the skin.

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Photo: Reuters

Gates reportedly invested $140 million in Intarcia Therapeutics, the company behind the pump initially devised to continuously deliver medicine throughout the body for patients with type-two diabetes. The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday. Researchers believe the drug pump could be similarly used to prevent HIV infections in healthy patients by administering continuous dosages of preventative medicine like PrEP, a daily drug critical in preventing HIV in sexually-active adults.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation reportedly invested $50 million in equity stakes in Intarcia Therapeutics, as well as provided $90 million to the company in grants toward its goal in developing the device to prevent HIV. While the drug-delivery pump wouldnt provide a cure for those already infected with HIV, it was yet another leap forward in the fight against a global epidemic that has taken nearly 35 million lives.

"Theres a vital need for an HIV/AIDS intervention that allows those at risk to incorporate prevention more easily into their daily lives," Sue Desmond-Hellmann, CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, told Quartz.

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Intarcia Therapeutics could also be planning to create its own HIV-preventative drug along with the device that could allow users to forego using pills or other drugs. In November, the company filed an application for a type two diabetes medicine to the Food and Drug Administration to coincide with the delivery pump. That pump is reportedly capable of administering drugs throughout the body for as long as 12 months, and could be easily filled by a clinician annually or bi-annually.

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Billie Lourd is breaking her silence on the deaths of her mother, Carrie Fisher, and her grandmother, Debbie Reynolds.

Less than a week after the sudden passing of Fisher and Reynolds, the Scream Queens star took to Instagram on Monday morning to share a heartbreakingly sweet photo and message with the world.

"Receiving all of your prayers and kind words over the past week has given me strength during a time I thought strength could not exist," the 24-year-old actress writes. "There are no words to express how much I will miss my Abadaba and my one and only Momby. Your love and support means the world to me."

RELATED: Todd Fisher Shares Sister Carrie and Mom Debbie Reynolds' Final Resting Place

 Receiving all of your prayers and kind words over the past week has given me strength during a time I thought strength could not exist. There are no words to express how much I will miss my Abadaba and my one and only Momby. Your love and support means the world to me. A photo posted by Billie Lourd (@praisethelourd) on Jan 2, 2017 at 10:09am PST

The Instagram photo features Lourd as a little girl sticking out her tongue while her mother and grandmother share smiles to the camera.

Fisher died at age 60 on Dec. 27, days after going into cardiac arrest aboard a Los Angeles-bound flight from London. The following day, Reynolds died from a suspected stroke at 84 years old.

Lourd has always been candid about her close relationship with her iconic mother and grandmother. Just a few weeks ago, the blonde beauty stopped by Late Night With Seth Meyers and shared details about their family dynamic as three generations of actresses.

MORE: Watch Billie Lourd's Impression of Debbie Reynolds Weeks Before Her Grandmother's Death

"First of all, she gets really upset when I get called 'Carrie Fisher's daughter.' She wants people to call me 'Debbie Reynolds' granddaughter.' It's very offensive to her," Lourd joked to Meyers of her grandmother. "She does not like to be cut out -- not at all. She started it. It's her fault [that I'm an actress.]"

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Lourd, who has been starring as Chanel #3 for the past two seasons in the Fox comedy Scream Queens, made her film debut as Lieutenant Connix, opposite her mother's Princess Leia, in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Press play on the video below to watch Lourd's uncanny impression of her grandmother.

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After the deaths of both her mother, Carrie Fisher, and her grandmother, Debbie Reynolds, Billie Lourd is speaking out for the first time, thanking fans and friends for their overwhelming support.

The Scream Queens star shared an old photo with her mother and grandmother on Instagram, just a few days after Fisher and Reynolds died within just a day of each other.

Receiving all of your prayers and kind words over the past week has given me strength during a time I thought strength could not exist, Lourd wrote. There are no words to express how much I will miss my Abadaba and my own and only Momby. Your love and support means the world to me.

Fisher, 60, died unexpectedly on Dec. 27 after suffering a heart attack on board an airplane. Reynolds, her 84-year-old mother, died the next day after suffering a possible stroke.

The 24-year-old Lourd, whose father is Hollywood agent Bryan Lourd, appeared opposite her mother in 2015s Star Wars: The Force Awakens. On Dec. 12, just a few weeks before Reynolds and Fisher passed away, Lourd stopped by Late Night with Seth Meyers to reflect on growing up with two iconic Hollywood actresses in her family. She told Meyers that although both Fisher and Reynolds initially tried to dissuade her from pursuing acting, they were overwhelmingly proud of her accomplishments, adding that Reynolds even had a suggestion for how Lourd should be referred to in Hollywood.

She gets really upset when I get called Carrie Fishers daughter, Lourd told Meyers at the time. She wants people to call me Debbie Reynolds granddaughter. Its very offensive to her. She does not like to be cut out  not at all.

After the news broke that both Fisher and Reynolds had died, many of Lourds Scream Queens costars reached out via social media to send their support. Read the touching messages from Jamie Lee Curtis, Ariana Grande, and more here.
Billie Lourd has spoken out about the death of her mother Carrie Fisher and grandmother Debbie Reynolds.

The actress, 24, took to Instagram on Monday to thank fans for their support, writing that their prayers have given her strength.

Receiving all of your prayers and kind words over the past week has given me strength during a time I thought strength could not exist, she wrote. There are no words to express how much I will miss my Abadaba and my one and only Momby. Your love and support means the world to me.

 Receiving all of your prayers and kind words over the past week has given me strength during a time I thought strength could not exist. There are no words to express how much I will miss my Abadaba and my one and only Momby. Your love and support means the world to me. A photo posted by Billie Lourd (@praisethelourd) on Jan 2, 2017 at 10:09am PST

Along with the heartfelt message, Lourd posted a vintage photo of herself making a silly face as her mother and grandmother smiled for the camera.

Fisher, 60, was aboard an 11-hour flight from London to Los Angeles on Friday, Dec. 23, when she went into cardiac arrest. Paramedics removed her from the flight and rushed her to a nearby hospital, where she died on Dec. 27.

Just one day later, on Dec. 28, Reynolds was rushed to the hospital due to a possible stroke. She died hours later at the age of 84.

Reynolds son, Todd Fisher, told 20/20 that the family plans to bury the the two actresses together in a joint funeral.
* Blast targets Shi'ite Muslims in busy capital district

* Separate attacks on soldiers, pro-government fighters

* Elite troops in Mosul clear another eastern neighbourhood

* Member of international coalition killed in non-combat incident (Adds nationality of coalition member, Samarra attack detail)

By Kareem Raheem and Ghazwan Hassan

BAGHDAD/TIKRIT, Iraq, Jan 2 (Reuters) - An Islamic State car bomb killed 24 people in Baghdad's Sadr City district on Monday and the militants also attacked two police stations in the city of Samarra as Iraqi forces fought to oust the group from Mosul, its last major stronghold in Iraq.

At least four other attacks across Baghdad, some also claimed by Islamic State, killed nine more people earlier in the day, bringing the total death toll from bombings in the capital over the past three days to more than 60.

In the attacks in Samarra, about 100 km (60 miles) north of Baghdad, security sources said multiple gunmen wearing suicide vests took over two police stations, killing at least seven policemen.

The mayor of Samarra, Mahmoud Khalaf, said security forces had regained control, killing at least six assailants, but declined to comment on the number of casualties on the government side.

The pro-Islamic State news agency Amaq said the militants had executed some policemen.

The upsurge in violence comes as U.S-backed Iraqi forces try to drive Islamic State from the northern city of Mosul, where the militants are putting up fierce resistance.

Islamic State has lost most of the territory it seized in a blitz across northern and western Iraq in 2014 and ceding Mosul would probably spell the end of its self-styled caliphate. But it would still be capable of waging a guerrilla-style insurgency in Iraq and plotting or inspiring attacks on the West.

"The terrorists will attempt to attack civilians in order to make up for their losses, but we assure the Iraqi people and the world that we are able to end terrorism and shorten its life," Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said after talks with visiting French President Francois Hollande.

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REVENGE

Islamic State said Monday's attacks in Baghdad were revenge for "the repeated targeting of health institutions in Nineveh province" by the U.S.-led coalition backing Iraqi forces.

That was an apparent reference to two air strikes last month on hospitals in eastern Mosul, one where Iraqi forces were under attack and another which the U.S. military said had targeted militants sitting in a van. At least one of the strikes may have caused civilian casualties.

After Monday's attacks U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirkby reaffirmed Washington's commitment to support Iraq.

"These vicious acts of mass murder are a sobering reminder of the need to continue coalition operations against Daesh and to eliminate the threat this terrorist group poses," he said, using the Arabic name for the group.

Monday's blast in Sadr City hit a busy square where day labourers typically gather. Islamic State said in an online statement it had targeted Shi'ite Muslims, whom it considers apostates. Sixty-seven people were wounded in the blast.

Nine of the victims were women in a passing minibus, whose charred bodies were visible inside the burnt-out remains of the vehicle. Blood stained the ground nearby.

A parked car bomb targeting a Sunni religious figure near a mosque in western Baghdad killed five people, and another blast close to a hospital in the centre killed one civilian and wounded nine, police and medical sources said.

In the southeastern Zaafraniya district, two more people were killed and seven wounded when a car bomb exploded. A bomb affixed to a vehicle in the eastern area of Baladiyat killed one person and wounded four.

A British soldier serving in the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State was killed, the defence ministry in London said in a statement, adding that it was "not as a result of enemy activity". The statement gave no details of the incident.

MOSUL

Since the drive to recapture Mosul began on Oct. 17, elite forces have retaken a quarter of the city in the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Abadi has said the group will be driven out of the country by April.

Clashes continued in and around Mosul on Monday. The counter-terrorism service (CTS) blew up several Islamic State car bombs before they reached their targets, and linked up with the Rapid Response forces, an elite Interior Ministry unit, said spokesman Sabah al-Numani.

CTS was also clearing North Karama district of remaining militants, the fourth area the unit has retaken in Mosul during the past week, he said.

Islamic State targeted military positions away from the main battlefield, killing at least 16 pro-government fighters and cutting a strategic road linking Mosul to Baghdad, although authorities later said they had regained control of it.

(Additional reproting by Ahmed Rasheed and Saif Hameed in Baghdad, Isabel Coles in Erbil and Mostafa Hashem in Cairo; Writing by Stephen Kalin; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Gareth Jones)
Istanbul (AFP) - They had come from France to celebrate the New Year in Istanbul at the exclusive Reina nightclub overlooking the Bosphorus.

But just over an hour into 2017, Yunus Turk and Yusuf Kodat were forced to hide from a gunman intent on killing as many people as possible.

"We heard two or three gunshots, there was a fight that broke out in front of us, we didn't give it much thought at the time," Turk said.

"Then after 10 or 15 seconds, he entered, he started firing and that's when we thought, 'it was an attack, it was a shooting'," he told AFP.

The two cousins, who live in Alsace, northeastern France, decided to celebrate the coming of 2017 at Reina on the European side of Istanbul.

At 1.15 am on Sunday (2215 GMT), an armed assailant sprayed the entrance of the club with gunfire, killing two people before entering the venue and causing carnage.

The seven-minute rampage left 39 dead, the majority of whom were foreigners on holiday, and was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.

"I think back to those moments, I can't erase them from my memory. The people panicking, the blood, the noise of the gunshots, the explosions. That's what I keep on thinking about," Kodat told AFP.

Turk said he knew the club well because he came there often. "I dragged my cousin, I told him, 'we go out, we go to the terrace'."

The club has several restaurants and dance floors in addition to its central bar.

Its terrace offers its elite visitors a spectacular view of the Bosphorus and one of the bridges that spans it, which was renamed to honour the victims of the July failed coup.

- 'Passport saved my life' -

The two cousins then split up, Turk said, and hid from the gunman. He added he saw people jumping into the water to escape.

Turk described the ensuing panic in the club: "There were people beside me who were hit by bullets when they were running, who maybe are dead or injured. I don't know."

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"In the panic we were running all over, we weren't really watching who was around us. But people who were running with me were hit."

Survivor Albert Farhat told Lebanese channel LBCI how people began to "throw themselves on the ground" and how the shots were fired across the club.

Farhat emerged unscathed after he went through a door overlooking the Bosphorus and waited an hour until the police intervened.

Kodat told AFP they remained where they were for 10 or 15 minutes as they waited for the police. "At that moment, my cousin was in a different place. I sent him a message and when he replied I was much calmer."

One Lebanese survivor, Francois al-Asmar, told LBCI from his hospital bed that it was his passport that saved his life.

"It saved my life because I was carrying it near my heart" despite the bullet touching the document.

Because the gunman was not caught, the process of evacuating the club was slow while police checked people one-by-one asking them to hold their hands up, Kodat said.

- 'Same as Bataclan' -

Turk said they were taken out through the basement to avoid seeing the main room.

"But there were already a few corpses on the terrace and there was blood everywhere and broken glass. The windows from inside going onto the terrace were broken as well."

The attack evoked memories of the November 2015 carnage in Paris when IS jihadists unleashed a gun and bombing rampage on nightspots in the French capital, killing 130 people including 90 at the Bataclan concert hall.

Turk also told Europe 1 the attack made him think of the Bataclan as well.

"It was the same. (The attacker) came to (kill) as many victims as possible."

The gunman fired between 120 to 180 bullets during his onslaught, then changed his clothes before escaping.

The attacker, who has yet to be identified, remains on the run despite intense efforts by Turkish police.
Aden (AFP) - Eleven civilians, including five members of one family, and 14 Huthi rebels have been killed in shelling and air strikes in Yemen in two days, military and rebel sources said Monday.

An air strike by the pro-government Saudi-led coalition killed five Shiite rebels on Monday when it targeted a convoy of three vehicles in Marees, in the southern province of Daleh, a military official said.

One of the vehicles was transporting weapons, the official said, adding three other rebels were wounded in the strike.

Six other insurgents were killed in a similar raid on two vehicles in Al-Makhdara, in the central province of Marib, another military official said.

Shelling by government forces killed three more rebels in the same area of Marib, east of the rebel-held capital Sanaa.

The Arab coalition started an air campaign against the Iran-backed rebels in March 2015 after the insurgents closed in on President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in his refuge in the southern city of Aden.

Rebel media accused the coalition of conducting air strikes on Monday across several regions in Yemen, killing two civilians in the western province of Hodeida.

A military official told AFP an air strike on Sunday hit a house in Marib, killing five members of the same family.

It took place in the village of Wadi Habab, in the Sarwah region, a major front in the war between the rebels and forces loyal to Hadi, the insurgents' news website sabanews.net said.

Meanwhile, four civilians, including three children, were killed on Sunday in rebel bombing that targeted residential areas in the southwestern city of Taez, a local official and medical sources said.

The Yemen conflict has killed more than 7,000 people since the coalition intervened, according to the United Nations.
The pilot of a Canadian flight bound for Mexico over the weekend was arrested after police say he was so drunk prior to departure that he lost consciousness in the cockpit.

According to Calgary Police, Capt. Miroslav Gronych was scheduled to pilot a Sunwing Airlines Boeing 737 Saturday morning with 99 passengers aboard and six flight crewmembers under his charge.

Watch: Couple Booted From Flight After Meltdown Causes Plane to Turn Around

But prior to departure, cops say the gate crew and crew aboard the flight noticed the 37-year-old Slovakian national was exhibiting odd behavior.

He was later found unconscious in the cockpit, police said in a statement. Gronych was escorted from the aircraft and taken into custody by Calgary police.

"Initial tests conducted by police indicate the pilot was severely impaired by alcohol," police said.

Gronych, who lives in Canada on a work visa, has been charged with having care and control of an aircraft while impaired.

Following his arrest, police said the pilot's blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit to operate a vehicle.

A Calgary Police Department spokesman said that while the incident is shocking, no one was likely to have been hurt as a result of Gronych alleged drunkenness.

"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," Calgary Staff Sgt. Paul Stacey told CBC News.

Sunwing Airlines has also spoken out on the incident in a Facebook post that called Gronych "unfit to fly."

Watch: Body Cam Video Shows Pro-Football Star Asleep at the Wheel Before DUI Arrest

"The Captain was immediately escorted off of the aircraft and the incident is now under investigation with local authorities," the statement read. "We are very appreciative of our crews diligence in handling this very unfortunate matter in accordance with procedures. We were able to secure a new Captain and are pleased to report that our customers are now en route to their destination after experiencing a minimal delay.

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"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 is set to appear in court on Thursday.

Watch: Woman Driving With 15-Foot Tree Stuck to Car Gets Arrested for DUI

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Saint-Wandrille-Rancon (France) (AFP) - Behind the centuries-old stone walls of a Benedictine monastery in northern France, monks are busy bringing a long-lost tradition back to life.

Between prayer, Gregorian chants and spiritual reflection, they work on producing France's only truly monastic beer.

"For me it's a major event, one of the most important since I began my career in 1973," said French beer expert Herve Marziou, who advised the monks as they resurrected the venerable trade at the Abbey of Saint-Wandrille.

Nestled in the green heart of Normandy between Le Havre and Rouen, the monastery began selling a precursor of the beer in August before launching its definitive brew in early December.

Now the beer -- sold to help restore the monastery cloisters -- is flowing steadily and receiving high marks in the craft beer market.

"The feedback is good," said Marziou, 69.

Some 25,000 half-litre (pint) bottles at 4.50 euros (dollars) each have already been sold at the abbey's shop, at other monasteries, online or through speciality stores.

"This is the only beer currently produced in France by monks in their own monastery," the abbey proudly says on its website.

The Saint-Wandrille monastery, founded in 649 and ravaged successively by Viking incursions, the wars of religion and the French Revolution, has been largely destroyed and rebuilt over the centuries.

Monastic brewing in France enjoyed a heyday during the Middle Ages, but nearly disappeared after the revolution when many religious orders were dissolved.

Some monks and nuns returned to private life, many eventually marrying, but others fled the country, taking their beer recipes with them.

Monastic beers flourish among neighbouring countries, especially Belgium. But in recent memory France's only abbey beer brewed onsite by monks was that of the Sept-Fons abbey in central France, which stopped production in 1935.

Benedictine monks are bound by Saint Benedict's sixth-century "Rule for Monasteries" that says: "To truly be a monk one must work with his hands."

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At Saint-Wandrille, monks produced beeswax furniture polish before launching a copying business in the 1970s -- which they dropped after failing to keep up with the technology.

The monks cast about for another activity to raise money before seizing, in August 2014, on the idea of a return to brewing, recounts 29-year-old Brother Benoit, in charge of public relations.

Two of the monastery's 30 monks took up the challenge, Brother Matthieu, 31, and 70-year-old Brother Christian, who sought out training at an agricultural high school in Douai, near the border with Belgium.

- Not too bitter -

Upon their return, they experimented using a brewing kit they were given by British friends during a trip by a group of Saint-Wandrille monks to Quarr Abbey, a Benedictine monastery on the Isle of Wight.

They then formed a committee that came to an agreement on the desired taste -- bitter but not too bitter -- and colour, a caramel pitched between blond and amber.

"They set themselves apart from Belgian beers that are slightly sweet, but less bitter than the beers typical of northern France," said Thierry Cauet, their trainer in Douai, adding that the taste would agree with drinkers in many parts of France.

If the beer has an English taste, it is because the recipe includes four English hops varieties, grown in France -- "two bitter hops and two aromatic ones" -- said Brother Matthieu, who started out with no knowledge of brewing.

At the end of 2015, the monks took the plunge, taking out a 750,000 euro bank loan to buy the necessary equipment.

Their goal is to produce 80,000 litres a year from an operation that employs the two brewers plus packers and a sales force.

The label declares an alcohol content of 6.5 percent -- it would have been hard to guarantee a figure of 6.49 percent in honour of the abbey's founding year.
LONDON (Reuters) - The leader of Britain's opposition Labour party, Jeremy Corbyn, could step down before the next national election in 2020 if its poor opinion poll ratings do not improve, the head of its biggest union backer said in an interview published on Monday. Labour has consistently placed a distant second in opinion polls and a survey by YouGov in December had the party on 25 percent, its lowest since September 2009, versus 42 percent for Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservatives. The next parliamentary election is due in 2020. "Let's suppose we are not having a snap election. It buys into this question of what happens if we get to 2019 and opinion polls are still awful," Corbyn supporter Len McCluskey, head of the country's biggest union and Labour's largest financial backer Unite, was quoted as saying by the Daily Mirror. "The truth is everybody would examine that situation, including Jeremy Corbyn and (Labour finance spokesman) John McDonnell ... These two are not egomaniacs, they are not desperate to cling on to power for power's sake." Left-winger Corbyn was re-elected Labour leader in September after a challenge from one of his lawmakers that exposed sharp divisions between the party's elected representatives and grassroots supporters. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on McCluskey's remarks. May, appointed prime minister in July last year after Britain's vote to leave the EU forced the resignation of David Cameron, has said she does not intend to hold an early election. But Labour's poor poll ratings and a court battle over whether parliament's approval is needed to begin EU divorce proceedings have increased speculation she could seek to boost her slim majority in parliament by calling a snap vote. Corbyn has repeatedly said Labour is ready to fight an early election. His party faces an upcoming electoral test after lawmaker Jamie Reed, a vocal critic of Corbyn, said last month he would step down at the end of January. The area in northern England that Reed represents voted strongly in favor of Brexit. In a December election for a vacant Conservative-held parliamentary seat, Labour slipped from second to fourth place. (Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; editing by John Stonestreet)
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani pointed out that Teheran and Rabat will win greatly by boosting their ties in the area of economy as well as science and culture.

We should tap the existing capacities and potentials to expand and strengthen ties and cooperation between the two countries, Hassan Rouhani said Saturday while receiving Moroccos newly appointed ambassador to Tehran, Hassan Hami.

The Moroccan diplomat on his part expressed Rabats satisfaction about Irans stance, which upholds dialogue and diplomacy in settling regional and international issues, Iranian Tasnim news agency reports.

Hamis appointment came after seven years of diplomatic cut-off between the two countries. Rabat in 2009 recalled its envoy after it accused Teheran of interference into its religious affairs.

The mission was re-opened last year.
Bruce Springsteen discussed Donald Trump's impending presidency and questioned whether the mogul had the competency and experience to hold the title of commander in chief in his hour-long WTF conversation with Marc Maron.

"I've felt disgust before, but never the kind of fear that you feel now," Springsteen said of the coming Trump administration.

"It's as simple as the fear of, is someone simply competent enough to do this particular job? Forget about where they are ideologically. Do they simply have the pure competence to be put in the position of such responsibility?"

Springsteen admitted he understood why Trump won: Many Americans, like the characters who populate Springsteen's music, were "effected deeply by deindustrialization and globalization and the technological advances and you have been left behind, and someone comes along and says 'I'm gonna bring the jobs back,'" as well Trump's promises to combat against terrorism with Islamophobia and illegal immigration by building a wall.

"These are very powerful and simple ideas. They're lies, they can't occur. But if you've struggled for the past 30 or 40 years  and this has been the theme of much of my creative life for all those years  if someone comes along and offers you something else it's a compelling choice," Springsteen said.

Springsteen, who previously called Trump a "flagrant, toxic narcissist" and campaigned on behalf of Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania, said his biggest concern about the Trump presidency is if "worst aspects that he appealed to comes to fruition."

"When you let that genie out of the bottle  bigotry, racism, intolerance they dont go back in the bottle that easily if they go back in at all," Springsteen said. "Whether its a rise in hate crimes, people feeling they have license to speak and behave in ways that previously were considered un-American and are un-American. Thats what he's appealing to. My fears are that those things find a place in ordinary, civil society."

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On a more positive note, Springsteen added, "America is still America. I still believe in its ideals, and I'm going to do my best to play my very, very small part in maintaining those things."

Today is @springsteen day on https://t.co/KBRiPQLutw! I returned to Jersey to talk to the Boss! Great guy. Great talk! Do it up! pic.twitter.com/gLTxPsJK06  WTF with Marc Maron (@WTFpod) January 2, 2017

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A Delaware mans cell phone may have protected him from further injury in the Istanbul terror attack during a New Years Eve celebration that left 39 dead and 70 others hospitalized, according to reports.

Jake Raak, 35, told NBC News that he survived the shooting in the Istanbul nightclub Reina by playing dead, even after he was shot by the suspect, who remains at large.

Read: Orlando Nightclub Massacre Is Country's Latest Mass Shooting in a Series of Deadly Attacks

According to reports, the gunman, who has ties to ISIS, entered the club at about 1:15 a.m., killing a police officer who was guarding the gate of the club before shooting several people in what officials called a cruel and cold-blooded act."

Raak narrowly escaped a life-threatening injury when a bullet, which doctors said could have hit a major artery, hit his cell phone before entering his leg, according to reports.

"When he shot me I didnt move  I just let him shoot me, he told NBC News. I was shot when I was already on the ground. He was shooting people that he had already shot.

Raak was on vacation at the time of the shooting and was at the club with a group of nine people, he said, seven of whom were shot.

Grace Raak, Jakes mom, said her son is okay and doing well, according to the New York Daily News.

In a moment caught on camera by local reporters in the aftermath of the shooting, Raak can be seen being carried out of the club on a stretcher.

I got shot in the f---ing leg, man, he said.

The gunman shot and killed 24 men and 15 women during the 10-minute attack and fired 120 rounds, according to police.

Read: Police Identify 3-Year-Old Killed in Road Rage Shooting, Shooter Still at Large

On Monday, ISIS claimed responsibility for the massacre and authorities are still searching for the terrorist in an international manhunt.

All I can say it its a massive tragedy, Raak told CBS News before leaving to the U.S. For me I wake up in the United States, I eat breakfast. You guys wake up and to think of this. Its so so sad. I really wish everybody here the best.

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Raak was the lone American wounded in the terror attack.

Watch: How the Tony Awards Honored the Victims of Orlando Nightclub Massacre

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Madeleine Pickens, the ex-wife of Oklahoma energy tycoon T. Boone Pickens, allegedly discriminated against black employees and requested black people food to be served at her Nevada dude ranch, according to a federal racial discrimination lawsuit.

Chef Armand Appling alleges that Pickens requested black people food like fried chicken, corn bread, and BBQ ribs for the guests paying nearly $2,000 a night to stay at her Mustang Monument Wild Horse Eco-Resort, according to the Associated Press. Appling says comments like these were common at the 900-square mile ranch.

Appling says Pickens also made other racially charged comments, including calling one black kitchen staffer a bull or ox and instructing him to fire another who had too much personality. He alleges she told him those staffers didnt look like people we have working at the country club or fit the image she wanted for the ranch.

Pickens recruited Appling from the country club she owns in Southern California but he alleges she fired him after he complained about a hostile work environment.

Pickens lawyers argue that the comments were rude but not racist, and described them as a non-racial personality conflict and amount to discourtesy, rudeness or lack of sensitivity.

U.S. District Judge Miranda Du said in a recent hearing that she had not yet seen definitive proof of racial bias, but gave Applings team until January 13 to refile an amended lawsuit.
Valparaiso (Chile) (AFP) - A wildfire ravaged woods and burned 100 homes in the hilly Chilean port city of Valparaiso on Monday, forcing authorities to evacuate hundreds of people.

At least 19 people were reported hurt after the fire broke out on the outskirts of the historic city, the government said.

Television pictures showed thick grey smoke filling the streets in the Laguna Verde district, where the blaze struck, and flames devouring green hillsides.

Hundreds of firefighters along with water-dumping airplanes and helicopters were battling the blaze, officials said.

"Emergency protocols have been activated," President Michelle Bachelet said on Twitter.

The flames had "damaged 100 homes in an area where there are 500," deputy interior minister Mahmud Aleuy told a news conference late Monday.

He said 19 people were hurt, mostly by breathing in smoke, but there were no fatalities.

The flames destroyed 50 hectares (123 acres) of woodland, the National Emergencies Office said in a statement.

Fanned by strong winds in hot summer weather, the fire broke out in the hilly region that makes Valparaiso a picturesque tourist destination.

Some 200 people were evacuated from their homes as a precaution, the agency added.

"The fire was coming from the other side of the hill, down below. We never thought it would spread so far," said Rosa Gallardo, a woman who lost her home in the fire.

"It was hopeless. The smoke was suffocating. It stung my eyes. So we had to evacuate," said Pablo Luna Flores, another resident who lost his home.

Electricity providers said they had cut power to nearly 48,000 customers also as a precaution.

The authorities issued a maximum red alert.

Located 120 kilometers (75 miles) northwest of the capital Santiago, Valparaiso is home to Chile's national Congress.

Laguna Verde lies on the southern outskirts of Valparaiso, a sprawling city built on 40 hills with stunning sea views.

Dubbed the "jewel of the Pacific," the picturesque colonial city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Thousands of tourists come every year to stroll its narrow cobbled streets and ride cable cars up the steep hills.

Wildfires killed 15 people in 2014 and destroyed thousands of homes in the area, particularly in the city's poorer neighborhoods.

The wooden structures with their tin roofs, perched on tinder-dry hillsides, were quickly engulfed in that fire.

More blazes in March 2015 killed one woman and forced thousands of people from their homes.

The city is home to 270,000 people overall, many living in brightly colored houses on the hillsides.

In its heyday from the mid-19th century to the early 20th, Valparaiso became famous as a stopover point for ships steaming down to the continent's southern tip and on to the Atlantic.

The opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 prompted a spectacular drop in traffic to Valparaiso and an end to the port's glory days.

It now relies heavily on tourism, and living standards are lower than the average in Chile.
China will ban all domestic ivory trade and processing by the end of 2017, state media reported Friday, a move hailed by activists as a "game changer" for African elephants.

African ivory is highly sought after in China where it is seen as a status symbol -- prices for a kilo (2.2 pounds) can reach as much as $1,100.

"China will gradually stop the processing and sales of ivories for commercial purposes by the end of 2017," the official Xinhua news agency said, citing a government statement.

"Before that deadline, law enforcement agencies will continue to clamp down on illegalities associated with the elephant's tusk," Xinhua added, citing an official with the State Forestry Administration.

The announcement follows Beijing's announcement in March to widen a ban on imports of all ivory and ivory products acquired before 1975, after pressure to restrict a trade that sees thousands of elephants slaughtered every year.

Xinhua said the complete ban would affect "34 processing enterprises and 143 designated trading venues, with dozens to be closed by the end of March 2017".

"This is great news that will shut down the world's largest market for elephant ivory," Aili Kang, executive director of the Wildlife Conservation Society in Asia, said in a statement.

"I am very proud of my country for showing this leadership that will help ensure that elephants have a fighting chance to beat extinction. This is a game changer for Africa's elephants."

Conservationists estimate that more than 20,000 elephants were killed for their ivory last year, with similar tolls in previous years. The WWF campaign group says 415,000 of the animals remain.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which took effect in 1975, banned the ivory trade in 1989.

China permits the resale of ivory bought before the 1989 ban -- and also has a stockpile purchased with CITES approval in 2008, which it releases for sale with certification.

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WWF also praised China's move to a complete ban but called on the Chinese territory of Hong Kong to bring forward a plan to end its ivory trade by 2021.

WWF said legal research published by the conservation group shows an ivory ban could be imposed "much sooner under current Hong Kong law".

"With China's market closed, Hong Kong can become a preferred market for traffickers to launder illegal ivory under cover of the legal ivory trade," said Cheryl Lo, senior wildlife crime officer at WWF.

The United States -- the world's second-largest consumer of illegal ivory after China -- announced in June a near-total ban on the trade of African elephant ivory but with notable exemptions including antiques.
(Repeats Dec 31 story with no changes in text)

By Ben Blanchard and Benjamin Kang Lim

BEIJING, Dec 31 (Reuters) - China's military has become alarmed by what it sees as U.S. President-elect Donald 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.

Three sources said one possibility being considered was conducting war games near the self-ruled island that China considers as a breakaway province. Another was a series of economic measures to cripple Taiwan.

It was not clear whether any decisions had been taken, but the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Taiwan issue had become a hot topic within the upper echelons of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) in recent weeks.

Trump, due to take office on Jan 20, angered Beijing this month by speaking to Taiwan's president by telephone, breaking decades of precedent and casting doubt on his incoming administration's commitment to Beijing's "one China" policy. Beijing fears this could embolden supporters of independence in Taiwan.

"If Trump challenges 'one China' after becoming president, this would cross our red line," said another source, who has ties to China's leadership.

China's defence ministry declined to comment. An official at the ministry's news department said China's position was clearly laid out in the 2005 Anti-Secession Law, which authorises the use of force against Taiwan in the event China judges it to have seceded.

Asked about any possible aggressive moves from China, Taiwan defence ministry spokesman Chen Chung-shi said: "We are fully prepared, and plan for the worst while preparing for the best."

China claims self-ruled 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. Tsai, who took power this year, says she wants to maintain peace with China, but China is unconvinced.

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Tsai said on Saturday that Taiwan will be "calm" when facing issues to do with China, but uncertainties next year will test the self-ruled island and its national security team.

Beijing has also been angered by a trip planned by Tsai in January to Latin America in which she will transit through Houston and San Francisco. China has urged the United States to block the stopovers.

Chinese officials have blamed Taiwan for creating trouble rather than Trump, and many of them believe he will be more accommodating to China once in office.

"We're ready. If Taiwan wants to make trouble so can we. Let's hit them hard," said an official in Beijing who meets regularly with China's most senior military officers, including those who work directly with President Xi Jinping.

"We can hold exercises close to Taiwan, and show them the damage we could cause. Taiwan will have to give in then," the official added, citing a recent conversation with one of the military officers.

ONE CHINA POLICY

The United States is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, but it's unclear if the United States 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.

A retired senior officer who maintains contacts with the PLA told Reuters that China probably wouldn't need to fire any missiles to bring Taiwan to its knees. China is Taiwan's largest trading partner, and Taiwan runs a huge trade surplus with China, worth $27 billion in 2015.

"We can just cut them off economically. No more direct flights, no more trade. Nothing. Taiwan would not last long," the officer said. "There would be no need for war."

In addition, any Western economic blockade of China put in place in the event of war with Taiwan would also be damaging to China, already dealing with a slowing economy.

A U.S. defence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Chinese actions had been more provocative in the past month, since Trump won the U.S. election and made comments about Taiwan.

This month, a Chinese naval flotilla headed by its sole aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, took part in drills that took it around Taiwan.

Chinese air force jets have performed similar drills in recent weeks, flying close to the island, though China has officially called the air force and naval exercises routine.

China also scored a diplomatic victory when tiny Sao Tome and Principe switched recognition to Beijing from Taiwan.

(Additional reporting by J.R. Wu in Taipei and David Brunnstrom and Idrees Ali in Washington; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
BEIJING (Reuters) - China will not allow anyone to use Hong Kong as a base for subversion against mainland China or to damage its political stability, Beijing's top official in the territory told state television. Chinese leaders are increasingly concerned about a fledgling independence movement in Hong Kong, which returned to mainland rule in 1997 with a promise of autonomy known as "one country, two systems", and recent protests in the city. In an interview with state television broadcast late on Sunday, Zhang Xiaoming, the head of China's Liaison Office in Hong Kong, said Beijing will not interfere in matters that purely affect Hong Kong's autonomy. "As far as Hong Kong is concerned, nobody is permitted do anything in any form that damage the country's sovereignty and security, they are not allowed to challenge the central government's authority or that of Hong Kong's Basic Law, they are not allowed to use Hong Kong for infiltration subversion activities against the mainland to damage its social and political stability," Zhang said. China's parliament last month staged a rare interpretation of the Basic Law, Hong Kong's mini-constitution, to effectively bar pro-independence city lawmakers from taking office there. Chinese President Xi Jinping told outgoing Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying last month that China's central government strongly supports efforts by the Hong Kong government to curb moves by some promoting independence for the global financial hub. The former British colony returned to China under the "one country, two systems" agreement that ensured its freedoms and wide-ranging autonomy, including a separate legal system. But Communist Party rulers in Beijing have ultimate control, and some Hong Kong people are concerned they are increasingly interfering to head off dissent. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Kim Coghill)
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's new rules on cash transactions and overseas transfers of yuan currency are not forms of capital controls, the state news agency Xinhua said, citing a central bank economist.

Banks and other financial institutions in China will have to report all domestic and overseas cash transactions larger than 50,000 yuan ($7,201.50), compared with 200,000 yuan previously, the central bank said on Friday.

Ma Jun, chief economist of the People's Bank of China (PBOC), said the responsibility of reporting such transactions will be assumed by financial institutions, and there will be no extra documentation or official approval procedures required for companies or individuals, according to the Xinhua report issued late on Sunday.

Ma added that other major economies have similar rules.

China is maintaining the same quota of $50,000 for each individual's annual foreign exchange purchase.

The central bank has said the recent move was aimed at better monitoring of money laundering and financing for terrorism rather than targeting normal business activities, Xinhua said.

Beijing has announced a string of rules in recent months to stem capital outflows after its yuan currency skidded to more than eight-year lows.

(Reporting by Chen Aizhu and Cheng Fang; Editing by Kim Coghill)
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's new rules on overseas currency transfers are not capital controls, the official Xinhua news agency reported, even as some banks told customers that purchases of foreign currency for property, securities and life insurance were not allowed.

Capital outflows have been a growing concern for the government in the past year as it attempted to put the economy back on track and keep the currency stable without exhausting its foreign exchange reserves, which tumbled to $3.052 trillion in November, the lowest in almost six years.

Starting in July 2017, banks and other financial institutions in China will have to report all domestic and overseas cash transactions of more than 50,000 yuan ($7,201), compared with 200,000 yuan previously, the central bank said on Friday.

Banks will also need to report any overseas transfers by individuals of $10,000 or more.

The responsibility of reporting such transactions will be assumed by financial institutions, and there will also be no extra documentation or official approval procedures required for companies or individuals, Xinhua reported late on Sunday, citing Ma Jun, chief economist of the People's Bank of China (PBOC).

The government has said its checks on transactions are meant to target money laundering, terrorism financing and fake outbound investment transactions, and not normal, legitimate business activities.

China's foreign exchange regulator said late on Saturday that from Jan. 1 it would step up scrutiny on individual foreign currency purchases and strengthen punishment for illegal money outflows, although the $50,000 annual individual quota will remain unchanged.

Regulations allow Chinese nationals a foreign exchange quota of $50,000 a year.

Since Sunday, Bank of Shanghai and China Merchants Bank customers have been required to fill out a new online form when applying to purchase foreign exchange through their respective mobile banking apps.

The form restricted foreign exchange from being used to buy overseas property, securities, life insurance or other investment-style insurance products.

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Approved uses of funds were restricted to non-investment uses including tourism, schooling, business travel, and medical care.

Customers must also indicate how they plan to use the foreign currency and when they plan to spend it.

Reuters was not able to reach Bank of Shanghai and China Merchants Bank for comment due to a public holiday on Monday.

Reuters was also unable to immediately confirm if all banks in China were using the new application form.

(Reporting by Chen Aizhu, Cheng Fang and Elias Glenn; Additional writing by Ryan Woo; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
By Christine Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - The daughter of one of the central figures in a South Korean influence-peddling scandal that led to President Park Geun-hye's impeachment will face extradition proceedings in Denmark after Danish police arrested her on an Interpol request from Seoul. Chung Yoo-ra, a 20-year-old equestrian competitor, is the daughter of Choi Soon-sil, a friend of Park accused of colluding with the president to pressure businesses to contribute to non-profit foundations. The scandal has drawn hundreds of thousands of protesters onto the streets of Seoul for weekly demonstrations and could result in Park, 64, becoming the first democratically elected South Korean leader to leave office early. Danish police said they had arrested Chung on Sunday evening in the northern city of Aalborg following a tipoff from a South Korean journalist. "Charged with having committed extensive economic crime in South Korea," Chung will remain in custody for four weeks, Denmark's public prosecutor said after she appeared in court on Monday. Denmark's Ritzau news agency said Chung had denied any wrongdoing during her court appearance. Chung also told the court she had signed some documents after being asked to do so by her mother, the agency reported, but gave no other details. The Danish public prosecutions office said it had asked South Korea's justice ministry to submit a formal extradition request. Yonhap News Agency reported that South Korean police had already requested Chung's extradition. The two countries have an extradition treaty. Chung trains for equestrian events in Germany. South Korea's foreign ministry had been working to invalidate Chung's passport and authorities had asked German prosecutors for information about her whereabouts and assets. Park, whose father ruled South Korea for 18 years after seizing power in a 1961 coup, has denied any wrongdoing but apologized for carelessness in her ties with Choi, who is facing her own trial. Choi also denies wrongdoing. Park was impeached by parliament on Dec. 9. The Constitutional Court must confirm or overturn the impeachment and has months to decide. As part of their investigation, South Korean prosecutors are trying to ascertain whether Samsung Electronics sought favors from Choi and Park in return for funding some of their initiatives. An element of the investigation has been Samsung's sponsorship of Chung's riding career. WILL "FULLY COOPERATE" Chung told Danish police she was staying in Denmark for equestrian-related work. She said she was aware that Seoul wanted her for questioning and that her mother had been arrested in the same case, according to Danish police. A Volkswagen vehicle and horse-riding equipment were found at the house where Chung and her party were arrested, according to South Korea's JTBC TV channel. Lee Kyung-jae, a lawyer representing both Choi and Chung, said the daughter would cooperate. "When Chung Yoo-ra returns I will ensure that she fully cooperates with the special prosecution's investigation," the lawyer told the Yonhap News Agency. Danish police said three other adults and a child were with Chung at the time of the arrest but said none of them were wanted by the police. Chung is known to have a young son. Chung became a figure of public ire in South Korea last year after it emerged that she had received special treatment from the prestigious Ewha Womans University, where her admission was subsequently canceled. News of Chung's arrest came a day after Park broke a month-long silence over her alleged role in the corruption scandal, publicly denying charges of wrongdoing and describing the accusations against her as fabricated and false. (Reporting by Christine Kim; Additional reporting by Jack Kim, Ju-min Park, Se Young Lee and Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; Editing by Robert Birsel and Gareth Jones)
The Jau Reform and Rehabilitation Center located south of Manama was stormed by unidentified gunmen on Sunday. At least one police officer was killed and several inmates fled, during the break.

A statement released by Bahrains Interior Ministry stressed that security agencies are intensifying search and investigation in order to arrest the involved terrorist elements and convicted fugitives as it pegged the number at 10.

No group has claimed responsibility for attacking the prison known to be housing a significant number of Shias for anti-government and unapproved protests. In January 2016, a court sentenced 57 men to 15-year jail terms for participating in prison riot in the same prison.

The Bahraini government has described the attack as an act undertaken by a terrorist group. Between four and five people armed with automatic rifles and pistols stormed the prison. The search to find the attackers and the escaped prisoners is ongoing and witnesses have reported that security forces have increased roadblocks near Shia villages.

Sundays attack was not the first time that inmates have escaped from prison. Last year in June, 17 prisoners broke out of the Al-Hadd jail, east of the capital, and only 11 were recaptured while the rest are at large.

Bahraini authorities have been at odds with the Shia community since 2011 after demonstrations emerged under the wave of the Arab Spring calling for fundamental constitutional and political reforms that would establish a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister to head the government.

Demonstrations are usually forcibly repressed and end up in clashes with security forces. The protests led to the dissolution of al-Wefaq party, the dominant Shia opposition party, for allegedly fueling instability.

Tension in the country between the Shia majority and the ruling Sunni minority continues to be tense and the government has shown little tolerance for criticism. Hundreds of Shias have been arrested by the regime.
(SEOUL)  Danish police have arrested the daughter of South Korean President Park Geun-hyes friend, Choi Soon-sil, who is at the center of an influence-peddling scandal that has engulfed her presidency, police and prosecutors said on Monday.

South Korean authorities had been seeking the arrest of Chois daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, for her ties to the scandal, which has paralyzed Parks government and drawn hundreds of thousands of protesters onto the streets of Seoul for weeks.

Park, 64, could become South Koreas first democratically elected leader to be forced to leave office early after parliament voted to impeach her on Dec. 9. That decision must be confirmed or overturned by the Constitutional Court.

Chung, an equestrian rider who trained in Germany, was arrested for staying illegally in the northern Danish city of Aalborg, South Korean police said. Her arrest was first reported by South Korean broadcaster JTBC.

A source in the special prosecutors office in Seoul, who declined to be identified, said they would work with European authorities to extradite Chung, which they expect to be done in one or two weeks.

South Korean police said in a statement their Danish counterparts had told them they have four people in custody, including Chung and a child born in 2015. The relationship between Chung and the child was not immediately clear.

Lee Kyung-jae, a lawyer representing Choi and Chung, told South Koreas Yonhap News Agency: When Chung Yoo-ra returns I will ensure that she fully cooperates with the special prosecutions investigation.

Chung faces several charges in South Korea, where authorities have been working to invalidate her passport. They had asked German prosecutors for information about her whereabouts and financial assets.

Chung won a gold medal in the group dressage equestrian event at the 2014 Asian Games.

She became a figure of public ire in South Korea last year after it emerged that she had received special treatment from the prestigious Ewha Womans University, where her admission was subsequently cancelled.

News of Chungs arrest came a day after Park broke a month-long silence over her alleged role in the corruption scandal, publicly denying charges of wrongdoing and describing the accusations against her as fabricated and false.
Deadly car bombing in Baghdads Sadr City district, Iraq People look at a burned vehicle at the site of car bomb attack in a busy square at Baghdads sprawling Sadr City district, in Iraq on Jan. 2, 2017. (Ahmed Saad/Reuters)

An Islamic State car bomb killed 24 people in a busy square in Baghdads sprawling Sadr City district on Monday, and the militants cut a key road north from the capital to Mosul, their last major stronghold in the country.

An online statement distributed by Amaq news agency, which supports Islamic State, said the ultra-hardline Sunni group had targeted a gathering of Shiite Muslims, whom it considers apostates. Sixty-seven people were wounded in the blast.

U.S.-backed Iraqi forces are currently fighting to push Islamic State from the northern city of Mosul, but are facing fierce resistance. The group has lost most of the territory it seized in a blitz across northern and western Iraq in 2014.

The recapture of Mosul would probably spell the end for its self-styled caliphate, but the militants would still be capable of fighting a guerrilla-style insurgency in Iraq, and plotting or inspiring attacks on the West.

Three bombs killed 29 people across the capital on Saturday, and an attack near the southern city of Najaf on Sunday left seven policemen dead.

Mondays blast in Sadr City hit a square where day laborers typically gather. (Reuters)

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SEOUL (Reuters) - Danish police have arrested the daughter of South Korean President Park Geun-hye's friend, Choi Soon-sil, who is at the center of an influence-peddling scandal that has engulfed Park's government, South Korean broadcaster JTBC reported on Monday. South Korean authorities have been seeking the arrest of the daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, for her ties to the scandal, which resulted in an impeachment vote against Park in parliament last month. There was no immediate comment from South Korean authorities about the report of Chung Yoo-ra's arrest. (Reporting by Christine Kim; Editing by Paul Tait)
Disney

Fans of the Star Wars franchise are still coming to terms with Carrie Fishers death after a heart attack. Mark Hamill has been continuing to pay respects to his friend and longtime co-star, and meanwhile, headlines about Disneys reportedly staggering insurance policy on Fisher are beginning to circulate.

Insurance Insider reveals how, in the event that Fisher became unable to fulfill her contractual obligations to portray Princess Leia in the newest slate of Star Wars films, a policy stipulated that Disney could receive a $50-million payout. The policy was underwritten by a New Jersey agency for Lloyds of London and looks set to trigger after the stars passing.

Fisher had completed work for the upcoming Episode VIII, but filming on Episode IX  which would have starred her in a substantial capacity  had yet to begin. Insurance Insider notes that this payout would be the insurance industrys highest ever single-person accident claim if it happens:

Sources said that the claim would be widely spread within the Lloyds personal accident market, with more than 20 carriers on the binder. However, the loss would cause substantial damage to the 2016 underwriting result for the segment, with some Lloyds insurers writing personal accident books with $10mn or less of annual premiums.

With the loss of Fisher still so raw, Disney has yet to reveal how Fishers absence will affect Episode IX. However and immediately after Fishers death, the question arose of how Disney could honor Fisher and her iconic character. Will she be portrayed through unused footage, or simply spoken of in an offscreen manner? The overwhelming call from fans is that a CGI portrayal should be avoided at all costs.



Please @starwars movies don't use CGI to russurect #carriefisher as Leia for episode 9 like you did with Tarkin. Don't tarnish her legacy  Remmington Feels (@MattieODono) December 27, 2016

dear star wars production team, please dont CGI carrie fisher in future movies, let her, and her character, rest in peace. thank you  ghost cat (@myahxnicole) December 27, 2016

2016, you've done enough. Hands off Carrie Fisher. The CGI Leia in Rogue One was passable but not enough. We need her for Ep 8 and 9  Mandalf (@ChrisIsHCFest) December 23, 2016

Literally just got out of #RogueOne & saw the news  30 seconds ago CGI Carrie Fisher told me to hope so that's what I'm gonna do, dammit.  O Clare Hutchinson (@aux_clare) December 27, 2016

RIP Carrie Fisher!!! CGI just isn't the same. #CarrieFisher  S. M. Metzler (@ateawithtumnus) December 27, 2016

(Via Insurance Insider, The Independent & Mediaite)
Donald Trump this morning blasted CNN over his portrait on the cover of its 2016 presidential election coffee table book Unprecedented:

@CNN just released a book called "Unprecedented" which explores the 2016 race & victory. Hope it does well but used worst cover photo of me!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2017

This came as a surprise to the photographer, Pulitzer Prize winner David Hume Kennerly, given that Trump expressed approval of his work during the shoot. When he looked at it in the back of the camera the day I took it he liked it . . . plenty of witnesses! Kennerly responded via email when we reached out.

According to Kennerly, who won the Pulitzer for his Vietnam photos, and who served as chief White House photographer for President Gerald Ford, CNN requested a photo shoot with Trump after the election, to get a new portrait. It would be used on the second printing of the book. Trump agreed, and the shoot took place on November 21 at the POTUS-elects Trump Tower office.

It was a quick shoot, lasting about three minutes, Kennerly tells Deadline, in which he shot only about 16 frames. During the shooting, Trump asked if he could see what Kennerly was doing; the photographer showed his subject a couple of the frames, which he reports Trump said he liked.

Neither Trump nor his team were involved in deciding which of the shots would be used, Kennerly says. He describes the difference among the shots, saying some showed Trump smiling more, while, in other frames, he looked more like the Youre Fired Guy on The Apprentice.

This photo was chosen because, among those expressions, it was in the middle, and the one I like the best,said Kennerly, who also has about 30 photos featured in the book. Its a good expression; Im very happy with how it came out, he added.

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He described the photo session as cordial, saying he was very nice to work with; very professional.

Trump since has taken down the tweet. Though other media outlets have speculated Trump does not like the portrait photo because it was shot not long after hed had a tense meeting with TV execs, our CNN insider tells another story. They believe Trump got confused, and may have thought the election-night news photo of him used on the cover of the books first printing was the portrait photo now being used on the cover.

Here is the second-printing cover, with the new photo:

Get the 2017 inaugural edition of CNN's book "Unprecedented" in stores or online https://t.co/mc3RFkFF3O pic.twitter.com/QqBSL2ZEo1  CNN (@CNN) January 2, 2017

Here is the first printing cover:

110916_preorder_book_08

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President-elect Donald Trump might not change certain social media habits after his inauguration. His White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, said that Trump will continue to use Twitter often throughout his presidency.

On ABC's "This Week," Spicer said that he sees results when Trump tweets. He also noted that the President-elects comments didnt need to be filtered through the media.

You know, with all due respect, 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. He doesnt have to have it funneled through the media, Spicer noted.

Like most aspects of his life, Trumps social media use has been subjected to some serious scrutiny. Trump has made headlines when he used the account to state his stance on nuclear weapons, claim that millions voted illegally, criticize media outlets like Vanity Fair and NBC News and question if Russia really hacked the election. On Saturday, the former Celebrity Apprentice host even used the social media platform to wish a Happy New Year to everyone, including his enemies.

On his 60 Minutes appearance in November, Trump said he would use the platform less after taking office. Im going to be very restrained, if I use it at all, Im going to be very restrained. I find it tremendous. Its a modern form of communication, he said.

It still isnt clear, however, which Twitter account Trump will use. While the @POTUS account will be given to the Trump administration, it isnt known if Trump will maintain his personal account (with over 18.4 million followers) or move to Obamas former account (with just under 13 million followers).

Though Trump embraces newer methods of communication publicly, it will be a different story when it comes to classified discussions. Its very important, 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 Saturday while fielding questions about Russian hackers, AP reports.

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Donald Trump

Photo: Reuters

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Kinshasa (AFP) - Opposing sides in the crisis that has gripped DR Congo will this week hold their first talks on implementing a landmark deal on the country's political future, mediators said Monday.

"An initial meeting for deciding on ways to implement the agreement is scheduled for Tuesday," Father Donatien Nshole, the spokesman for National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO), which is overseeing the process, told AFP.

The hard-fought New Year's Eve agreement aims at defusing a crisis over the future of President Joseph Kabila.

Under the constitution, the 45-year-old leader should have left office on December 20 at the end of his second and final mandate, but he has shown no sign of wanting to step down.

Scores of people died in clashes in the runup to the deadline, prompting the influential Catholic Church to ramp up efforts for a political solution.

Under the deal, Kabila will stay in power until elections are held "at the end of 2017."

During the 12-month period, a so-called National Transition Council will be set up, headed by the 84-year-old opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, and a prime minister will be named from opposition ranks.

"Everyone on both sides understood that they absolutely had to sign an agreement to avoid chaos," commented Jean-Pierre Mbwebwa, a professor of politics at the University of Kinshasa.

"They also understood that whoever becomes the first to sabotage the implementation of it will bear full responsibility for the chaos that ensues," he added.

- Problem of 'inclusiveness' -

While the compromise deal has so far prevented an explosion of violence, many questions remain about how, and if, it will work.

Christophe Lutundula, who signed the agreement for the opposition, said the scheduled talks would be about "specific arrangements" on the composition of the transition body, which has now been renamed the National Council for Overseeing the Electoral Agreement and Process (CNSAP).

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Issues include methods for appointing CNSAP's 28 members and "the composition of the (transitional) government," Lutundula told AFP.

On the government side, Communications Minister Lambert Mende said the talks had to settle the problem of "inclusiveness" -- a reference to reservations by 10 pro-government delegates who did not sign the deal.

The 10 include members of the Congo Liberation Movement (MLC) of former vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba, currently behind bars in The Netherlands on the order of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

Blessed with natural resources but chronically poor, sapped by corruption and politically unstable, the Democratic Republic of Congo has never witnessed a peaceful transfer of power since it gained independence from Belgium in 1960.

The former colonial ruler has joined others in the international community in piling pressure on the political factions to stick to the agreement.

The United States called it "an historic step" for the vast central African nation, while the United Nations and the European Union (EU) urged the parties to hold to the consensus they had found on New Year's Eve.

But the country's political fragility and threat of violence overshadow the implementation talks.

The DR Congo's history is a bloody one. 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. The east of the country remains a battleground for rival ethnic militias.

Kabila took office his father Laurent was assassinated in 2001 at the height of the Second Congo War.

He was confirmed as leader in 2006 during the first free elections since independence, and re-elected for a second term in 2011 in a vote marred by accusations of fraud.
Manila (AFP) - The Philippines is tilting away from its traditional ally the United States towards China in a bid to "normalise" relations following a longstanding territorial dispute, the country's incoming ambassador to Beijing said Monday.

Manila has been one of Washington's most loyal allies in Asia, but Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to end the decades-long alliance after the US criticised his bloody war on drugs that has killed over 5,000 people since he took office in June.

His fiery rhetoric against the US has been followed by overtures to China as he has sought to assuage Beijing's concerns over Manila's competing claims to the South China Sea.

The new Philippine ambassador to China, Jose "Chito" Sta. Romana, told AFP the move represented "a strategic shift in our foreign policy".

"We were one-sidedly imbalanced in favour of the US," he said.

"We are not abandoning our alliance with the US.... We are basically trying to normalise our relations with China."

Beijing claims most of the South China Sea despite competing claims from the Philippines and other Asian countries, but a UN-backed tribunal ruled in July that China's claims had no legal basis in a resounding victory for Manila.

Duterte's decision to set aside the territorial conflict in exchange for Chinese investment and aid has given Beijing a boost in its quest for more control over the strategically vital waters.

The incoming envoy, a former Beijing-based journalist, said Manila was open to working with China to access resources in the disputed region.

"The Chinese viewed the Philippines as a geopolitical pawn or Trojan horse of the US. Now they look at us as a friendly neighbour."

He added that relations with the US plunged after Washington criticised Duterte's crackdown on crime.

"The problem came after they began lecturing him. The president considers it an internal affair," he said.

"The Chinese don't comment on your internal affairs."
CAIRO (AP)  Egyptian police have arrested 12 people at a protest against the transfer of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia.

Security officials say the Monday arrests were made around the Journalists' Union building in central Cairo, where dozens of people, mostly lawyers and journalists, had gathered to demonstrate. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to brief reporters.

Last Thursday, state media reported that President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi's government approved the maritime border agreement and sent it to parliament for ratification despite a court ruling the deal unconstitutional.

The transfer was announced alongside a Saudi aid package last year, leading critics to condemn it as a land sell-off. The April signing of the agreement set off the largest demonstrations of el-Sissi's two-year rule.
The latest ceasefire that began just before the end of 2016 remains fragile after coming into effect on Friday. Rebel groups warned that they would sideline it if the pro-Assad forces continue with their military activities.

The agreement, brokered by Russia and Turkey and enjoying the unanimous backing of members of the UN Security Council, does not include areas controlled by extremist groups namely the Islamic State, Jahbat Fateh al-Sham and Ahrar al-Sham.

The coalition of rebel groups known as the Free Syrian Army (FSA) warned that the agreement will become null and void if the violations and bombardments continue or if attacks on the town of Bani Warda are not halted.

The British-based Syria Observatory for Human Rights acknowledged that fighting had reduced in the country although government forces continue to target the southern provinces of Quneitra and Deraa.

The ceasefire is expected to pave the way for a new round of negotiations in Kazakhstan between the warring parties before the end of the month ahead of the UN-led talks scheduled to take place in February. Demands by the rebels for President Assad to step down have been rejected by Damascus. Analysts believe that Hezbollah, Iran and Russia are helping Assads forces to capture as more territory as possible before the next planned talks in order to be on a stronger position during negotiations.

Around 400,000 people have died since the protests, which turned into a war, began in 2011. It has forced more than 11million people to flee their homes.

Meanwhile, water supply to Damascus has been disrupted and the government is holding the rebels responsible as it accuses them of spoiling the Ain al-Fijeh water source with diesel fuel while images released by the Barada valley media center indicate that the sites spring and water processing facility were destroyed by airstrikes during clashes with the rebels.
CAIRO (Reuters) - A senior Egyptian judge arrested on corruption charges was found dead in his cell on Monday having hanged himself, his lawyer said. Wael Shalaby, a deputy chief justice in the country's administrative courts system, resigned on Saturday shortly before he was arrested and was charged the following day with taking a bribe. "My client hanged himself using a scarf he was wearing. He was going through a terrible psychological state during his questioning," his lawyer Sayed Beheiry told Reuters. "It is very hard to be a big important judge and suddenly you lose everything and sit in front of an investigator being accused of taking a bribe." State news agency MENA also said Shalaby had killed himself, and that the public prosecutor had ordered an autopsy. The interior ministry, which oversees prisons, could not be reached for comment. Shalaby was also secretary general of the Council of State, the umbrella organization for Egypt's administrative courts. He was held days after the council's purchasing manager, Gamal al-Din al-Labban, was also arrested on corruption charges. The public prosecutor has referred to the two arrests as part of the same case. The Council of State said in a statement on Saturday that it accepted Shalaby's resignation, without clarify his link to the Labban case. On Wednesday it had said Labban worked at the council but was not a judge. Local and foreign non-governmental organizations say corruption is rife in Egypt while the government says it investigates all incidents. Corruption investigations into judicial bodies are rare. The prosecutor issued an order banning media reporting of the legal details of the Council of State corruption case. (Reporting by Ahmed Mohamed Hassan and Haitham Ahmed; Writing by Ahmed Aboulenein; editing by John Stonestreet)
(ADVISORY- Follow European and UK stock markets in real time on the Reuters Live Markets blog on Eikon - see cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets)

* Major European indexes hit fresh highs

* Strong PMI numbers support equities

* Italian stocks outperform, banks rally

By Atul Prakash

LONDON, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Major European equity indexes climbed to new highs in thin trading on Monday, with strong manufacturing reports from the region boosting sentiment on the first trading day of 2017.

Italy's FTSE MIB index was up 1.3 percent by 1037 GMT after rising to its highest since January 2016. Germany's DAX rose 0.8 percent after reaching to its highest in nearly 17 months, while France's CAC gained 0.3 percent following a 13-month peak earlier in the day.

The euro zone's blue-chip Euro STOXX 50 index was up 0.4 percent, the highest level since December 2015, with a brighter macroeconomic picture helping the broader market.

British and Swiss markets were closed.

IHS Markit's 2016 manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index for the euro zone registered 54.9 in December, its highest since April 2011. That was well above both the 50 mark which separates growth from contraction, and above November's 53.7.

German manufacturing growth reached its highest in almost three years, driven by rising demand from Asia and the United States. French manufacturing hit a 5-1/2 year high, and Italian manufacturing activity grew at its fastest rate since June.

"It's nice to see some good economic numbers on the first trading day of the near year. It has improved sentiment and could help the market to set new highs in the coming months," said Koen De Leus, chief economist at BNP Paribas Fortis.

"However, the road ahead looks bumpy because of several political risks in Europe. Overall, I am positive on European stocks this year as valuations are quite attractive compared to the United States and company margins are slowly improving, helped as well by the cheap euro."

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Italian shares were also boosted by a rally in the country's lenders. The Italian banking index rose about 2 percent, supported by a 5.6 percent jump in Banco BPM on the first day of trading for the newly merged bank.

Banco BPM said on Monday that the new lender, created after a merger between Banco Popolare and BPM, started with a share capital of 7.1 billion euros.

Other Italian banks were also up, with shares in UniCredit , UBI Banca and Mediobanca up between 2.1 percent and 3.5 percent.

Trading was thin, with volumes at 8 percent for the CAC index and 13 percent for the euro STOXX 50 of their 90-day daily averages in the first two hours of trading.

Britain's blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed 2016 at a record high on Friday after clocking a yearly gain of 14.4 percent, the best performer among major European stock indexes, with a sharp decline in sterling after the vote to leave the EU helping exporters and stronger metals prices boosting miners.

Among individual movers, Dialog Semiconductor, a maker of chips used in smartphones, fell 0.3 percent, underperforming the broader market, after a report said late on Friday that Apple would trim output of iPhones by about 10 percent in the Jan-March quarter.

(Editing by Peter Graff)
Istanbul (AFP) - Former Liverpool striker on Monday signed a three year deal with top Istanbul side Besiktas, the club said in a statement.

Former Dutch international Babel, who played for Liverpool from 2007 to 2011, was a free agent after his contract with Deportivo La Coruna expired.

Besiktas said he would be paid 1.2 million euros for the rest of this season then 2.1 million euros for the next two full seasons.

The Turkish side are looking to make a serious bid to retain their Super Lig title, lying just one point behind pacesetters Basaksehir at the turn of the year.
From Bachelor brush-off to blushing bride!

Selma Alameri, who competed on Sean Lowe's season of The Bachelor, is spilling details about her "dream come true" wedding to Patrick Daniels last week and why she has "zero regrets" about her trip down the aisle.

"I never thought I would be saying this because it's so cliche, but it truly was the happiest day of my life," Alameri reveals exclusively to ET.

'Bachelor' Alum Selma Alameri Marries Patrick Daniels -- See the Sweet Photos!

It's official!!! Mr. and Mrs. Daniels!!  #cityhallstyle A photo posted by Selma Alameri (@selmaalameri) on Dec 29, 2016 at 2:33pm PST

"It was so intimate and it was all about Patrick and I. Not a party, not the guests, not family -- just him and I -- which is what I think it should truly be about, after all," she says.

Alameri and her now-husband, tied the knot on Dec. 29 in an intimate city hall wedding ceremony in San Diego, California.

"Everyone told me I would regret doing it City Hall style, but I have zero regrets and even more happy with the choice than I imagined I would be," the 29-year-old real estate developer gushes. "We have been celebrating everyday with friends and family, allowing the focus to be on one person at a time, so there is no lack of celebration."

EXCLUSIVE: Sean Lowe and Catherine Giudici Are Planning Baby No. 2!

Getting married! A photo posted by Selma Alameri (@selmaalameri) on Dec 29, 2016 at 2:21pm PST

Alameri, who tied the knot with a bouquet of red roses, competed against 25 other love hopefuls during season 17 of The Bachelor and made headlines when she shockingly refused to make out with Lowe during their one-on-one date in the desert. Lowe later sent Alameri home due to her "unwillingness to compromise."

Now, Alameri reveals that she is thrilled to start 2017 as a newlywed and love Daniels "forever and ever."

"It's been my dream come true," she says, "Especially the amazing man that I married! I'm the happiest I've ever been!"

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SAO PAULO (Reuters) - About 60 people were killed in a prison riot in the city of Manaus sparked by a war between rival drug gangs, officials said on Monday, in some of the worst violence in years in Brazil's overcrowded penitentiary system. Violent uprisings among Brazil's 600,000-strong prison population are a regular occurrence, fed by chronic overcrowding, degrading conditions and competition between criminal groups that control large swaths of penitentiaries. Following is a list of notable riots: October 2016 - At least 18 inmates were killed in two prisons in remote parts of northern and western Brazil in clashes between Brazil's most powerful drug gang, the Sao Paulo-based First Capital Command, and its closest rival, the Red Command from Rio de Janeiro. Six men were decapitated and their bodies set on fire, local media reported. November 2010 - At least 18 inmates were killed during an uprising in the notorious Pedrinhas prison in the northeastern state of Maranhao. June 2004 - A three-day battle between gangs in Rio de Janeiro's Benfica jail ended with 30 prisoners and a prison warden dead, nearly half of them beheaded. The mutinous prisoners, armed with pistols and shotguns, surrendered and freed more than 20 hostages only after talks mediated by a priest. January 2002 - At least 27 inmates were killed in a riot in the overcrowded Urso Branco prison in the northwestern state of Rondonia. The riot started after members of rival gangs were placed in the same pavilion after a failed escape attempt. Some 900 inmates were being kept in a facility designed for just 360, local media said. February 2001 - At least 19 people were killed in Brazil's biggest-ever prison uprising, involving more than 20,000 inmates in 29 jails across the state of Sao Paulo. October 1992 - More than 111 inmates were killed in the Carandiru penitentiary in Sao Paulo state, most of them by police who stormed the building, in Brazil's bloodiest prison uprising. No one has ever served prison time for the killings. Human rights groups voiced outrage in September 2016 when a Brazilian court declared the trial and sentences against 74 police officers null. Carandiru, one of Latin America's biggest prisons, which was home to some 8,000 inmates, was closed in 2002 after inmates across Brazil held protests against conditions in jails. (Editing by Peter Cooney)
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP)  An Argentine government ministry has stumbled out of the gate for 2017, forced to apologize for a map that failed to show the Falklands Islands as Argentine territory.

The Social Development Ministry responded to an uproar by posting a tweet on Monday apologizing for map included in an otherwise unremarkable New Year greeting, which expressed the hope that 2017 "finds us united and in peace."

Failure to include the Falklands on the image of Argentina outraged some veterans of the country's failed 1982 attempt to conquer the British-held islands, which Argentines call the Malvinas.

Nationalistic critics of the government have questioned a September agreement with Britain to remove some restrictions on trade and travel.
Paris (AFP) - A film about rising nationalism in Europe featuring a character similar to French far-right leader Marine Le Pen is set to hit screens in France two months ahead of elections -- and Le Pen's allies are furious.

"Chez nous" ("Our Home"), which lands in French cinemas in February ahead of the first round of presidential polls in April, tells the tale of a nurse in northern France who is approached to be a candidate for the "Patriotic Bloc" party.

The branding and message of the hardline group and its blond female boss leave little doubt that Belgian director Lucas Belvaux modelled it on the National Front (FN), which has surged in opinion polls.

Le Pen's close confidant and vice-president of the party Florian Philippot called it "scandalous" that a "clearly anti-National Front" film was being released during campaigning.

"Having seen the trailer... it looks like a real turkey," he said on Sunday in an interview with French media.

Other National Front leaders, including Gilles Pennelle from the western Brittany region, have hit out at the film and its "disrespect for the French people and its freedom of expression".

Belvaux responded on Monday, saying that he had been surprised by the strength of the reaction to the drama which sees veteran actress Catherine Jacob play the Le Pen character.

"Philippot has only seen the trailer so it's a cheap controversy which avoids the debate about the message of the film," he told the BFMTV channel.

"It's not so much an anti-FN film as a film about the populist message and how people relate to politics. It's voters that interest me, not political parties," he added.

Polls currently show Le Pen qualifying for the second-round of the presidential election in May where she is forecast to face -- and lose to -- rightwing Republicans party candidate Francois Fillon.

Few analysts see her taking power, but her chances are being taken seriously after an unpredictable 12 months in politics, including Britain's June vote to leave the EU and the election of Donald Trump as the next US president in November.

France's sickly economy and immigration are top issues for voters.

The fiercely nationalist FN wants to pull France out of the euro and the European Union and sees itself as part of a global revolt against immigration, established political parties and globalisation.
Istanbul (AFP) - Foreigners, including many nationals of Arab countries, made up the majority of the victims in the New Year shooting rampage at an Istanbul nightclub, officials said.

A total of 39 people were killed in the assault claimed by the Islamic State group at the exclusive Reina club on the shores of the Bosphorus and 65 injured, officials said.

According to Turkish press reports, 11 Turks were killed in the attack alongside 27 foreigners. One victim is still unidentified.

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 while Turkish press reports said seven Saudis were killed.

- Jordan -

A foreign ministry spokeswoman in Amman said two Jordanians were killed and six injured.

The spokeswoman had on Sunday reported a toll of three dead and four injured, but revised the figures after Turkish authorities said one of the three was a Canadian resident in Jordan.

- Iraq -

A spokesman for Iraq's foreign ministry said three Iraqis died.

- Lebanon -

The Lebanese foreign ministry announced the death of three Lebanese and said another four were wounded. Turkish media said Lebanon has sent a special delegation to repatriate its dead and wounded.

- 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.

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- Morocco -

The foreign ministry said that two Moroccans were killed and four hospitalised.

- Germany -

At least one German -- a man who has dual German-Turkish nationality - was killed in the attack, the foreign ministry said. A Turkish resident of Germany was also killed, but it was unclear whether he also held German citizenship.

Local authorities in Bavaria had said earlier that two residents  a 28-year-old and another in his mid-20s -- were killed.

- Israel -

The Israeli foreign ministry said an Arab Israeli woman, 18-year-old Lian Nasser, had died.

- Canada -

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said a Canadian woman was among the dead. He said Canada remains "steadfast in our determination to work with allies and partners to fight terrorism and hold perpetrators to account".

- Russia -

Sergei Romanov, vice-consul at the Russian consulate in Istanbul, said a Russian woman was among the dead.

- Kuwait -

A Kuwaiti man was killed and five others injured, according to deputy foreign minister Khaled al-Jarallah, quoted by the official KUNA news agency.

- 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, according to the north African country's foreign ministry.

burs/txw
Lauren Conrad is celebrating the new year by announcing she's expecting a baby.

The 30-year-old former star of MTV's "Laguna Beach" and "The Hills" posted a picture of her sonogram on Instagram on Monday with the note, "I have a feeling 2017 is going to be the best year yet."

This will be the first child for Conrad and her 36-year-old musician husband, William Tell. The couple married in 2014.

Since leaving TV, Conrad has worked as a fashion designer and launched a homeware line.
Tunisias Prime Minister Youssef Chahed said that Jihadists returning to their homeland Tunisia from foreign battlefields will be immediately arrested and judged according to Tunisian new anti-terrorism law.

Chahed told state broadcaster El Wataniya after meeting with President Beji Caid Essebsi, Thursday, that his government is firmly against the return of Jihadists from conflict areas.

Those who do return will be immediately arrested on their arrival on Tunisian territory and will be tried, and the counter-terrorism law will be applied against them, he added.

Chaheds firm stance against the return of Tunisian fighters came in the context of rising popular protests against the repatriation of foreign fighters.

The Tunisian political class also puts pressure on the government to act against radicalization in their country, which has one of the highest per capita numbers of militant Islamists. In this regards, six political parties issued a joint statement calling for the Tunisian government to block the repatriation of suspected Jihadists.

The UN puts the number of Tunisian foreign fighters within the ranks of extremists in the Middle East and in Libya at 5000.

The spokesperson for the Tunisian government Iyed Dahmani recently said that Tunis has jailed and closely monitored a total number of 800 militants.

The Tunisian Parliament passed the anti-terrorism law last year, following two deadly attacks on tourism sites  a beach and hotel at Sousse in June and the Bardo Museum in Tunis in March.
Long before Frances correspondents, scholars, politicians, and police were all focused on the Islamic State, al Qaeda, and the dangers posed by returning foreign fighters, there was David Thomson.

Nine months before the January 2015 attacks on Charlie Hebdo and Hyper Cacher, Thomson, a correspondent for Radio France Internationale who had spent years reporting from North Africa and building contacts within jihadi circles, was repeatedly mocked on national television. He declared, in a now infamous panel debate on French fighters flocking to Syria, that some combatants he was in contact with who had traveled to the Middle East were determined to return and launch strikes against France.

Ive never heard that! Why would they go so far away if the enemy is already here? one prominent academic, the sociologist Raphael Liogier, scoffed on the set of a France 2 talk show, accusing Thomson of playing into the hands of populists. Another panel guest, the researcher Hanane Karimi, warned of the risk of stigmatizing Muslims, while another derided Thomson as a neophyte and a dabbler, sneering that just because he had done a report and interviewed tens of jihadists that he was not the reigning expert on the question. You need to show a bit of proof of humility.

Flash forward two years, however, and after consecutive terrorist attacks on domestic soil, 13 straight months under a state of emergency, and a coming presidential election, Thomson  dubbed the man who talked with jihadists and a prophet by some in Frances media  has become Frances favorite public intellectual. Following the publication of his most recent best-selling book, Les Revenants, or The Returned, which features interviews with fighters for the Islamic State who have come back from the caliphate, Thomson has graced the front pages of Le Monde. Hes starred in flattering profiles, in-depth interviews, and panel discussions for nearly every major French print, online, and broadcast outlet. The publishers of Les Revenants ordered an urgent new print run after the book quickly sold out; secondhand copies are being offered online at three times the sale price.

Thomsons book is based on more than two years of repeated interviews with 20 subjects provided in face-to-face meetings in prisons, homes, and kebab shops in France, and over the phone, including operatives in Syria. The author, who over the past decade has spoken to more than 100 mainly French but also Tunisian and Belgian jihadis, paints a picture, using their own words, of fighters who were seduced by the idea of a hedonistic, violent, and transcendental experience, which Thomson calls LOL jihad, and who have returned from the caliphate often disappointed, typically unrepentant, and in some cases ready to do it all again.

Charlie [Hebdo] was the most beautiful day of my life.  I would so much like it to happen again, says Lena, one of Thomsons more bloodthirsty subjects. And I hope a sister will undertake the next targeted attack.

But it is Thomsons  and his subjects  verdict on the fraught topic of the role of Islam that has helped win so much attention. A marginalized minoritys sense of humiliation, discrimination, and post-colonial fury; absent fathers and family trauma; the slippery slope between juvenile delinquency and holy war; and the promise of a sexual paradise  all these are important in explaining jihad in France, Thomson argues. However, none of this would be enough to tip his interviewees over the edge without the important and too-often-dismissed role of religion and politico-spiritual convictions  specifically, the hard-line Salafist Saudi Wahhabist school of Islam  which paved the way for the initial descent of his subjects into violent jihadism and helps explain why they are unlikely to ever re-emerge.

Frances public intellectuals  scholars, judges, religious figures, deradicalization proponents, and journalists  have spent the last few years grasping for answers, amid the seemingly never-ending news of homegrown attackers and foiled plots, for how their country became, as Thomson reminds readers, the Western nation most threatened, targeted and hit by jihad. But few, wrote Le Figaro columnist Alexandre Devecchio in a recent column, succeeded in fully convincing.

Internationally known figures like the political scientists Gilles Kepel and Olivier Roy engaged in a vicious battle this year over whether France should understand its jihad problem as the Islamization of radicalism (Roy)  that is, Islam is not to blame  or the radicalization of Islam (Kepel)  yes, it is. But the rival scholars fight stayed mainly within elite circles and both eventually came in for criticism. Roy has been widely questioned for dismissing Islamic State members theologically grounded convictions, while Kepel has been reproached for viewing Islamist terrorism too narrowly through the religious prism. Les Revenants, on the other hand, has become a publishing phenomenon, Devecchio says, that has reconciled Kepel and Roy.

Jihadism made in France is the fruit of the meeting between radical Islam and the era of emptiness, he says. The hybrid child of a murderous utopia and a disenchanted epoque.

The publication of Les Revenants, however, also happens to come at an opportune political moment. The 2017 French presidential election is only months away and is shaping up as a quasi-referendum on terrorism and Islam. After equivocating for years on how much to take on Frances second religion, French politics as a whole seems to be coming around to the idea entirely. Before Thomson released Les Revenants, then-Socialist prime minister and now presidential aspirant Manuel Valls was already railing against Salafism as the [antechamber] of terrorism. Few voices on the left today maintain that Islam has nothing to do with the threats facing France. Meanwhile, on the right, both candidates expected to lead in the presidential election next spring, Republican Francois Fillon and National Front leader Marine Le Pen, have characterized the Muslim faith as antithetical to French values. Thomsons book comes as France appears to have decided that the debate over the role of Islam in its terror problem is finished  and those who say the religion has a problem have won.

Thomson applies an anthropological eye to human behavior and an old-school reporters talent for cultivating and listening to primary sources. He got his start by covering the Arab Spring aftermath in Tunisia and Libya before returning to Paris. Over time, he built what is arguably the deepest network of contacts of any Western journalist or researcher who has tried to get inside the francophone ranks of the Islamic State. The correspondent first traced the exodus of foreign fighters to Syria in his 2014 Les Francais Jihadistes (the French Jihadists), which gave voice to the young French people totally galvanized by their project of waging holy war in Syria and those who, in a number of cases, aspired to return and commit terrorist attacks in their native country. In that first book, he described one network of jihadis based in Syria and Iraq whose members constituted the embryonic stem cell of the commando that went on to commit attacks on the Bataclan concert hall in Paris in November 2015.

Les Revenants includes interviews with diverse subjects, some free and many in prison. There are young zealots of North African background, like Safiya, who left for Syria but have returned to France and re-resumed openly smoking, a habit that would have cost her 40 lashes in Islamic State territory. Yet she is already talking about leaving again  not to Syria this time, but to Yemen. I cant bring myself to stay in France she says. I hate France. I dont feel like I have a place. Then there is Kevin, a 21-year-old former Catholic choirboy from Brittany. He converted at age 14; by 17 he was in Syria; and now he is hoping to journey back to France to join the four wives and six children he acquired in the caliphate. He is currently imprisoned in Turkey. The cast includes former high school students, casual workers, ex-French army, and the strange case of a doctor couple who declared they spent several months working for the Islamic State in Raqqa with their daughters, not because they were supporters but because they wanted to rescue their son.

It has become popular wisdom that todays Western jihadis have profane pasts. But nearly all of the returned fighters in Thomsons book received a religious education as children. Seventy percent come from Muslim and often conservative households. Many met figures who helped in their radicalization at mosques, and among people they know. The majority say they took their first steps toward the Islamic State when they gravitated first toward so-called quietist or non-violent Salafism, emulating the pious predecessors from the time of the Prophet before breaking away to join armed jihad. The Salafist movement has attracted rising numbers of adherents in France over the past decade, with its extreme fundamentalist values of a rupture with mainstream society.

It was very influential, says 20-year-old Zoubeir, of his period frequenting quietist Salafist groups, with their ultra-literal interpretation of traditional texts, before his flight to Syria, where he got to know some of the future attackers behind the Paris and Brussels attacks of November 2015 and March 2016. The only self-proclaimed full-blown repentee in the book, Zoubeir describes his initial period in Islamic State land as a holiday camp  a jihad where you can shoot people and eat an ice cream at the same time. He is the first returned French fighter to have volunteered to intelligence services, after a year of imprisonment, to talk to vulnerable young people about his experience to offer them a counter-discourse.

As Thomson writes, quietist Salafism professes itself to be vehemently opposed to armed jihad, and its adherents sometimes go so far as to denounce the violent takfirists or khawarij to the police. But the warring currents share the same doctrinal and ideological core. Zoubeir considers today, that, for him, like the majority of the French he met in Syria, quietism prepared the ground and constituted a stepping stone towards him tipping over into jihadism, he says.

Thomsons arguments are already being mustered by officials as evidence for their policy decisions. The authors insistence that deradicalization is almost impossible has become increasingly accepted, including by the governments counter-terrorism establishment that now speaks increasingly of disengagement. Thomson is also being cited in dispatches in which French authorities argue for the closure of Salafist mosques. Most of all, the journalist is being called upon to explain how and why France and Europe could have for so long missed the warning signs from homegrown jihadis who nearly always made their intentions perfectly clear. But on this question  which is less about the jihadis themselves and more about the West  he has fewer answers.

The reality is that no one knows how to solve the problem, Thomson told Slates French edition. The horrors have happened. I know that it can shock some to say it, but Europe is condemned to suffer the consequence of the mistakes it made in 2012, 2013, 2014  to have let hundreds of French leave for Syria and Iraq and create a base there, with terrorist intentions, and to have not seen them leaving, or stopped them from going.

Photo credit: JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images
BAGHDAD (AP)  A suicide bomber driving a pickup loaded with explosives struck a bustling market in Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 36 people in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group hours after French President Francois Hollande arrived in the Iraqi capital.

The bomb went off in a fruit and vegetable market that was packed with day laborers, a police officer said, adding that another 52 people were wounded.

During a press conference with Hollande, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the bomber pretended to be a man seeking to hire day laborers. Once the workers gathered around, he detonated the vehicle.

IS claimed the attack in a statement circulated on a militant website often used by the extremists. It was the third IS-claimed attack in as many days in and around Baghdad, underscoring the lingering threat posed by the group despite a string of setbacks elsewhere in the country over the past year, including in and around the northern city of Mosul.

The attack took place in Sadr City, a vast Shiite district in eastern Baghdad that has been repeatedly targeted by Sunni extremists since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

Shiite militiamen loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr, the firebrand cleric for whose family the neighborhood is named, were seen evacuating bodies in their trucks before ambulances arrived. Dead bodies were scattered across the bloody pavement alongside fruit, vegetables and laborers' shovels and axes. A minibus filled with dead passengers was on fire.

Asaad Hashim, an owner of a mobile phone store nearby, described how the laborers pushed and shoved around the bomber's vehicle, trying to get hired.

"Then a big boom came, sending them up into the air," said the 28-year old, who suffered shrapnel wounds to his right hand. He blamed "the most ineffective security forces in the world" for failing to prevent the attack.

An angry crowd cursed the government, even after a representative of al-Sadr tried to calm them. Late last month, Iraqi authorities started removing some of the security checkpoints in Baghdad in a bid to ease traffic for the capital's 6 million residents.

Story continues

"We have no idea who will kill at any moment and who's supposed to protect us," said Ali Abbas, a 40-year old father of four who was hurled over his vegetable stand by the blast. "If the securities forces can't protect us, then allow us to do the job," he added.

Several smaller bombings elsewhere in the city on Monday killed another 20 civilians and wounded at least 70, according to medics and police officials. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.

The U.S. State Department condemned the wave of attacks "in the strongest possible terms."

"These vicious acts of mass murder are a sobering reminder of the need to continue coalition operations against Daesh and to eliminate the threat this terrorist group poses," it said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

Separately, the U.S. military announced the death of a coalition service member in Iraq in a "non-combat related incident" on Monday, without providing further details.

Hollande meanwhile met with al-Abadi and President Fuad Masum, and later traveled to the self-governing northern Kurdish region to meet with French troops and local officials. He pledged support for helping displaced Iraqis return to the city of Mosul, where Iraqi forces are waging a massive offensive against IS.

"We must also prepare a political solution for Mosul's post-liberation so that its inhabitants can live together," he said. Hollande also visited a military outpost on the outskirts of the city.

France is part of the American-led coalition formed in 2014 to fight IS after the extremist group seized large areas in Iraq and neighboring Syria. France has suffered multiple attacks claimed by the extremist group.

Since the Mosul operation started on Oct. 17, Iraqi forces have seized around a quarter of the city. Last week, the troops resumed fighting after a two-week lull due to stiff resistance by the militants and bad weather.

Mosul is Iraq's second largest city and the last major urban area in the country controlled by IS. Iraqi and U.S. commanders hope to drive IS from the city in the next three months.

___

Associated Press writers Lori Hinnant and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed.
Arbil (Iraq) (AFP) - Western support for military action against the Islamic State group is key to preventing attacks at home, French President Francois Hollande said Monday in Iraq, where yet another bombing killed dozens.

A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden car on a square in Baghdad's Sadr City neighbourhood, killing at least 32 people in the latest attack on the Iraqi capital claimed by IS.

Later the interior ministry said jihadist gunmen wearing suicide vests stormed a police station in the city of Samarra north of Baghdad, sparking clashes.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, but IS said it was also behind the Samarra attack.

France, one of the most active members of the US-led coalition fighting the Sunni extremist group, is particularly concerned over the return of a large contingent of French jihadists from Syria and Iraq.

"Taking action against terrorism here in Iraq is also preventing acts of terrorism on our own soil," he said at a base where French soldiers have been training elite Iraqi forces.

Hollande, the only major Western head of state to have visited Baghdad since the coalition was set up in 2014, stressed that supporting Iraq was one of the surest ways of securing Europe.

Of European countries targeted by attacks claimed or inspired by IS, France has been the worst hit, but there have also been attacks in Belgium and Germany.

Besides the defeated jihadists expected to return to Europe, radicalised children who grew up in the "caliphate" IS proclaimed in 2014 are also seen as ticking bombs.

"We will have to deal with the issue of the return of foreign fighters... who committed crimes, who brought their families with them, including in some cases very young children," Hollande said.

Since it joined the United States in the coalition in September 2014, France says its warplanes have conducted 5,700 sorties, around 1,000 strikes and destroyed more than 1,700 targets.

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- 'Before summer' -

France has 14 Rafale warplanes taking part in coalition operations from Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

It also has 500 soldiers training and advising elite Iraqi forces and CAESAR artillery vehicles stationed south of Mosul to support ongoing operations to retake the city.

Hollande met Iraqi President Fuad Masum, a Kurd, and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, from the largest Shiite political bloc, and called for reconciliation and unity after IS is defeated.

He then flew to the northern city of Arbil, capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, where he met local leader Massud Barzani.

He said just before leaving Iraq that he was told that the battle to retake Mosul, the last major jihadist stronghold in the country, could last several more months.

"It was confirmed to us that we could possibly achieve this goal in spring, in any case before summer," he said.

Hollande added that the focus would then move to Raqa, IS's other major bastion, in neighbouring Syria.

"If Daesh is eradicated in Iraq but remains in Syria, we know full well that acts will be carried out here in the Middle East but also on our own soil in France, in Europe," he said.

- IS bombings -

Hollande began his trip at a base near Baghdad where French forces are training Iraq's elite Counter-Terrorism Service, which has spearheaded most major anti-IS operations in Iraq since 2014.

It was CTS that first breached Mosul's city limits late last year in an effort to retake it from IS.

But the going has been tough for Iraqi forces, partly because hundreds of thousands of civilians have remained in the city, slowing their advance.

Abadi had promised his forces would rid Iraq of IS by the end of 2016, but last week said three more months would be needed to achieve that goal.

Some observers argue that the new timeline remains ambitious, given the continued IS presence in other parts of the country.

Hollande predicted Monday that 2017 would be "a year of victories against terrorism" but, while its "caliphate" appears doomed, IS still has the ability to sow chaos by attacking softer targets.

A suicide car bombing claimed by IS killed at least 32 people and wounded more than 60 Monday in Baghdad's Shiite-majority district of Sadr City.

Police said the bomber struck on a square where daily labourers were awaiting work, causing one of the highest casualty tolls in Baghdad in months.

The jihadists claimed another bombing on Saturday that killed at least 27 people in central Baghdad.

A US State Department statement branded the attacks "vicious acts of mass murder" and "a sobering reminder of the need to continue coalition operations" against IS.
PARIS (Reuters) - French manufacturers ended 2016 on a strong note with activity at a 5-1/2 year high in December while hiring and new orders jumped, a monthly survey showed on Monday.

Data compiler IHS Markit said its final purchasing managers' index rose to 53.5 in December from 51.7 in November, unchanged from a preliminary reading.

The increase brought the index to its highest level since May 2011 and marked the third month in a row above the 50-point line dividing expansions in activity from contractions.

"Favourable demand conditions had encouraged firms to raise output, which resulted in the sharpest round of job creation in 5-1/2 years," IHS Markit economist Alexander Gill said.

"These are positive signs for France as the country contends with high levels of unemployment," he added.

Companies increased staffing levels as the flow of new orders grew at the strongest pace since May 2011, suggesting the spurt of activity in December may be more than a month-long blip.
Seems the Fuhrer can't catch a break.

Leading German commercial network RTL has dropped plans to back an ambitious 10-part limited series on the life of Adolf Hitler.

The project, from Berlin-based UFA Fiction - producers of Deutschland 83 and Generation War - and Beta Film, whose credits include hit Italian mafia drama Gomorrah and Tom Tykwer's upcoming period series Babylon Berlin, has been one of the most talked-about series since it was unveiled at TV market MIPCOM in 2015.

The 10-hour series is based on Thomas Weber's biography Hitler's First War, which traces the Nazi leader's life from his time as a German solider in World War I through his rise to power, World War II and the Holocaust. Hitler's rise to power will be reflected through two of his WWI comrades: Fritz Wiedemann and the Jewish soldier Hugo Gutmann, as well as Karl Mayr, one of Hitler's first patrons who later turned against him. RTL and France's TF1 initially boarded the project as anchor networks, greenlighting the series. Production was initially set to begin last year.

Read more: MIPCOM: 'Hitler' Series Greenlit With TF1, RTL

But, in a move that could signal a shift in the German channel's drama strategy, RTL has dropped Hitler. In a recent interview with German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, RTL managing director Frank Hoffmann confirmed the network would not be backing the series.

The move follows RTL's exit from the Cold War spy series Deutschland 83, one of last year's critical hits which premiered in the U.S. on Sundance TV, the first German-language series to air on a U.S. channel. But after a disappointing performance in Germany, RTL passed on bankrolling the second season of the show, another UFA Fiction production. Amazon Prime in Germany stepped into the breach, saying it would back season two - Deutschland 86 - which will premiere on Amazon in Germany and Austria in 2018. RTL has a first-look option for second window rights to the series

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Read more: MIPCOM: Amazon Germany Orders Second Season for 'Deutschland 83'

Winnetou, another high-profile German production commissioned by RTL, which aired over the holiday period, was an expensive flop. The three-part limited series, an adaptation of Karl May's "German Westerns," started soft - with 5.2 million viewers for the first episode - and slipped sharply. The final episode drew just 2.97 million viewers for a market share of 9.5 percent, well below RTL's target. The Cologne-based broadcaster has invested heavily in homegrown drama in an effort to compete with the likes of Amazon and Netflix but, so far, has little to show for it. The network remains dependent on shiny-floor reality shows and imported U.S. drama for the bulk of its programming.

For its part, UFA Fiction has said it is moving forward with the Hitler series, saying it will look for further backing from international partners.

Read more: Hitler's Hollywood: The Films Nazis Loved and Hated
This German New Years tradition is so random, its perfect

We all have our little New Years traditions. Some of us go out and ring in the new year with wild parties, others prefer to curl up at home with a few good friends and enjoy the excitement via television. Whatever your habits, theyve got nothing on this popular German New Years tradition. The German population prefers to welcome the new year with an short, strange English film that consistently tops the ratings. And you thought your New Years party had style.

Dinner For One probably isnt a movie youve heard of. Its an 11-minute English-language sketch comedy that was made back in 1963. The plot involves an elderly heiress and her increasingly inebriated butler as they ring in her 90th birthday with a surreal little dinner party. And for some reason, this short film has become an enormously popular German New Years tradition. This year, 17 million people tuned in on December 31st to watch the antics of this short film, up a whopping 800,000 from last year alone.

Why does this movie strike such a chord with the people of Germany? Nobody really knows for certain. Maybe its the delightfully surreal nature of the story. Maybe its the refreshingly short length (even the most quarrelsome of families can sit quietly for 11 minutes, right?). Whatever the reasons, its a beloved German New Years tradition and the most-repeated show in the history of television.

And this year, Netflix decided to celebrate this bafflingly popular little film with a well-meaning spoof of its own. Its slightly longer than the original (a whopping 16 minutes), and stars some of your favorite television characters.

Theyre both weird  and totally fun.
Berlin (AFP) - German authorities said Monday that police had arrested a Syrian man who had allegedly asked the Islamic State jihadist group to fund an attack using explosives-packed vehicles.

The unemployed 38-year-old with refugee status had urged an IS contact via mobile phone message service Telegram to send him 180,000 euros ($188,000), said prosecutors.

Police commandos raided his apartment in Saarbruecken near the French border around 2:00 am (0300 GMT) on Saturday, New Year's Eve. He was detained before being formally arrested on terror financing charges Sunday.

The man's "as yet undefined attack scenario" suggested the use of explosives-packed vehicles in Germany, France, Belgium and The Netherlands, said police.

Spiegel Online reported the plan was to re-paint the vehicles to make them look like police patrol cars.

It named the suspect as Hasan A. and said his contact was located in the militant group's de facto capital of Raqa, Syria.

The man had entered Germany in December 2014 and applied for asylum in January 2015, obtaining refugee status and a residency permit, prosecutors said in a statement.

The man had in December 2016 asked an IS contact in Syria to send him the money "so he could purchase vehicles which he could load with explosives and which he wanted to drive into crowds... and blow up in order to kill unknown numbers of people who do not follow the Muslim faith".

According to messages found on his phone, the man said each vehicle would be re-painted and packed with 400-500 kilogrammes (880-1,100 pounds) of explosives at a cost of 22,500 euros each, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors added that the man had "admitted contact with the IS but denied terrorist motives" -- suggesting that he claimed to have attempted to defraud the extremist group.

Investigators said there was no evidence the suspect had already obtained and prepared any vehicles for an attack.

Police said "an initial evaluation of the evidence did not point to a concrete threat to New Year's Eve events".
BERLIN (AP)  German prosecutors have indicted a Pakistani man on charges of spying for an Iranian intelligence agency.

Federal prosecutors said Monday that the 31-year-old, identified only as Syed Mustufa H. due to German privacy rules, was in contact with the unnamed spy agency since 2011.

In a statement, prosecutors said the man began spying on the former head of a group that promotes German-Israeli relations by July 2015 at the latest.

He is alleged to have received money in return for passing on information obtained about the ex-head of the German-Israeli Society.

The suspect faces up to five years imprisonment if convicted of espionage.
* German leader has been regular at annual meeting in Alps

* Merkel would have had to address looming Trump presidency

* Gathering takes place amid rising backlash against elites

* Xi Jinping expected to be first Chinese leader to attend

By Noah Barkin

BERLIN, Jan 2 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel is steering clear of the World Economic Forum in Davos, a meeting expected to be dominated by debate over the looming presidency of Donald Trump and rising public anger with elites and globalisation.

Merkel has been a regular at the annual gathering of political leaders, CEOs and celebrities, travelling to the snowy resort in the Swiss Alps seven times since becoming chancellor in 2005.

But her spokesman told Reuters she had decided not to attend for a second straight year. This year's conference runs from Jan. 17-20 under the banner "Responsive and Responsible Leadership". Trump's inauguration coincides with the last day of the conference.

"It's true that a Davos trip was being considered, but we never confirmed it, so this is not a cancellation," the spokesman said.

It is the first time Merkel has missed Davos two years in a row since taking office over 11 years ago and her absence may come as a disappointment to the organisers because her reputation as a steady, principled leader fits well with the theme of this year's conference.

The German government declined to say what scheduling conflict was preventing her from attending, nor would it say whether the decision might be linked to the truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market that killed 12 people in mid-December.

But after the Brexit vote in Britain and the election of Trump were attributed to rising public anger with the political establishment and globalisation, leaders may be more reluctant than usual to travel to a conference at a plush ski resort that has become synonymous with the global elite.

TRUMP

One European official suggested that the prospect of having to address questions about Trump days before he enters the White House might also have dissuaded Merkel, whose politics is at odds with the president-elect on a broad range of issues, from immigration and trade, to Russia and climate change.

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During the U.S. election campaign, Trump described Merkel's refugee policies as "insane".

Like Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, who announced in early December that he would not seek a second term next year, will not be in Davos.

The WEF had also hoped to lure Matteo Renzi, but he resigned as Italian prime minister last month. European leaders that are expected include Mark Rutte of the Netherlands and Enda Kenny of Ireland. British Prime Minister Theresa May could also be there.

Although the WEF does not comment on which leaders it is expecting until roughly a week before the meeting, the star attraction is expected to be Xi Jinping, the first Chinese president to attend.

Members of President-elect Donald Trump's team, including Davos regulars like former Goldman Sachs president Gary Cohn and fund manager Anthony Scaramucci, are also expected. WEF Chairman Klaus Schwab was invited to Trump Tower last month, although the purpose of the visit was unclear.

German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen, who was elected to the WEF board of trustees last year, is expected to attend, as are senior ministers from a range of other European countries, as well as top figures from the European Commission.

(Reporting by Noah Barkin)
By Noah Barkin BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel is steering clear of the World Economic Forum in Davos, a meeting expected to be dominated by debate over the looming presidency of Donald Trump and rising public anger with elites and globalization. Merkel has been a regular at the annual gathering of political leaders, CEOs and celebrities, traveling to the snowy resort in the Swiss Alps seven times since becoming chancellor in 2005. But her spokesman told Reuters she had decided not to attend for a second straight year. This year's conference runs from Jan. 17-20 under the banner "Responsive and Responsible Leadership". Trump's inauguration coincides with the last day of the conference. "It's true that a Davos trip was being considered, but we never confirmed it, so this is not a cancellation," the spokesman said. It is the first time Merkel has missed Davos two years in a row since taking office over 11 years ago and her absence may come as a disappointment to the organizers because her reputation as a steady, principled leader fits well with the theme of this year's conference. The German government declined to say what scheduling conflict was preventing her from attending, nor would it say whether the decision might be linked to the truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market that killed 12 people in mid-December. But after the Brexit vote in Britain and the election of Trump were attributed to rising public anger with the political establishment and globalization, leaders may be more reluctant than usual to travel to a conference at a plush ski resort that has become synonymous with the global elite. TRUMP One European official suggested that the prospect of having to address questions about Trump days before he enters the White House might also have dissuaded Merkel, whose politics is at odds with the president-elect on a broad range of issues, from immigration and trade, to Russia and climate change. During the U.S. election campaign, Trump described Merkel's refugee policies as "insane". Like Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, who announced in early December that he would not seek a second term next year, will not be in Davos. The WEF had also hoped to lure Matteo Renzi, but he resigned as Italian prime minister last month. European leaders that are expected include Mark Rutte of the Netherlands and Enda Kenny of Ireland. British Prime Minister Theresa May could also be there. Although the WEF does not comment on which leaders it is expecting until roughly a week before the meeting, the star attraction is expected to be Xi Jinping, the first Chinese president to attend. Members of President-elect Donald Trump's team, including Davos regulars like former Goldman Sachs president Gary Cohn and fund manager Anthony Scaramucci, are also expected. WEF Chairman Klaus Schwab was invited to Trump Tower last month, although the purpose of the visit was unclear. German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, who was elected to the WEF board of trustees last year, is expected to attend, as are senior ministers from a range of other European countries, as well as top figures from the European Commission. (Reporting by Noah Barkin)
Montreal (AFP) - Worldwide passenger air traffic grew again last year, albeit at a slightly slower pace, led by the dynamic growth of low-cost air carriers, the International Civil Aviation Organization reported Monday.

A total of 3.7 billion passengers were transported by the world's airlines last year, a 6 percent increase from 2015. That was just under the previous year's 7.1 percent rise, the United Nations agency said.

Growth was most pronounced in the Middle East (11.2 percent), Asia (8 percent), Latin America (6.5 percent) and Africa (5.7 percent), while it was slower in Europe (4.3 percent) and North America (3.5 percent).

"Over half of the world's tourists who travel across international borders each year were transported by air," the Montreal-based agency noted in a statement.

Low-cost carriers accounted for 28 percent of all passenger air traffic. Passing a milestone, they transported more than 1 billion passengers for the first time.

In Europe, low-cost carriers transported nearly a third of all passengers, slightly more than the 31 percent in Asia or North America's 25 percent.

"The increasing presence of low-cost carriers notably in emerging economies contributed to the overall growth of passenger traffic," the ICAO said.

As for scheduled domestic flights, North America accounted for 43 percent of the total, up 4.3 percent from the previous year, while domestic traffic in Asia was up 10 percent, largely due to growth in India and China.

Increased traffic and significantly lower fuel costs helped boost airlines' operating profits, which the ICAO put at $60 billion for last year, some $2 billion more than in 2015.

"More than a third of the profits are expected to come from the carriers of North America, whose domestic market represents 66 per cent of their total operations," the agency reported.
Volkswagen VW Atlas

In December, Volkswagen's new Atlas SUV entered production at the company's plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

With three rows of seats and room for seven, the Atlas is expected to be a savior for VW's struggling US business. Why? Because VW can't seem to sell cars in the US.

Through November, the Volkswagen brand managed to move just 286,000 cars  down 10% over last year while representing a minuscule 1.8% share of the US auto market. All the while in Europe and Asia, VW is one of the most competitive brands in the market.

These numbers are even more underwhelming when compared with the 1.9 million cars rival Toyota managed to sell in the US over the same period.

While the erosion of consumer confidence stemming from the company's emissions-cheating scandal certainly hasn't helped its cause, it's not the main problem.

Volkswagen Atlas 2018

VW's struggle to sell as many cars in America as its global rivals has been a major issue for years, long before the scandal broke.

What has been a fundamental shortcoming of VW's strategy is the lack of a competitive SUV lineup.

Structural problems

Volkswagen's arsenal of crossover SUVs includes the compact Tiguan and the midsize Touareg. However, neither is remotely competitive within its segment. Worse, VW's SUV lineup boasts issues with the way it's structured.

(Disclosure: I own a 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan.)

For 2017, a base, front-wheel-drive Tiguan starts at a reasonable $25,000. But a fully loaded, all-wheel-drive Tiguan can command a price tag north of $35,000. (That's not completely out of line for the content you get.) Those looking for a bit more power and room than the Tiguan can offer must turn to VW's midsize offering, the Touareg.

Volkswagen VW Tiguan Wolfsburg 2017

But the Touareg starts at a whopping $50,000. That means VW SUV buyers must choose between two vehicles with a price differential of $15,000 to $25,000. As a result, even those interested in a midsize VW crossover are forced to look elsewhere for a vehicle capable of bridging that gap.

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The market for a $30,000 to $50,000 premium SUV is brutally competitive, to the point where small missteps can cause major issues. A pricing gap this large is blood in the water for VW's mass-market and luxury-badged competitors, which can pick off buyers left and right.

Over the past year this problem has been compounded by heavy manufacturer incentives and dealer discounts that have drastically cut the Tiguan's transaction prices, often lopping 5,000 off the sticker. At the same time, VW has declined to heavily discount the Touareg.

Volkswagen's strategy has helped Tiguan sales in the US, which were up 23% by the end of 2016.

And this is where the Atlas rolls in.

Volkswagen VW touareg Wolfsburg 2017

With an expected price in the $35,000-to-$45,000 range, the midsize crossover gives VW an all-new product with state-of-the-art tech and powertrain options to fill in that gap. At the same time, the Atlas will allow VW to market the Touareg as a niche performance SUV.

After all, the Touareg shares much of its engineering with its high-profile cousin, the Porsche Cayenne.

But the Atlas' full effect on Volkswagen sales may take some time before it's truly felt. The brand is new to the larger crossover market and will require time to introduce consumers to the idea of a three-row VW.

Product problems

Through November, VW has managed to move just 38,000 Tiguans in the US. This pales in comparison to the 320,000 CR-Vs and the 315,000 RAV-4s Honda and Toyota managed to sell in the same period.

The current generation Tiguan offers solid driving dynamics, a peppy turbocharged engine, and a high-quality interior. However, the compact VW crossover is nearly a decade old, offers poor fuel economy, and, until recently, was too high-priced to compete against its American and Japanese rivals. Although its compact dimensions are perfect for Europe and Asia, many US consumers are put off by the Tiguan's limited cargo space.

VW Volkswagen atlas factory

Fortunately for Volkswagen, an all-new Tiguan  already on sale in Europe  will arrive in US showrooms for the 2018 model year.

Things are worse with the Touareg. VW has sold just 3,800 units so far this year, representing 0.2% of the midsize SUV market. Even though the Touareg is a highly capable off-roader and features a heavy dose of Porsche DNA, its engine options and design are beginning to feel long in the tooth.

Since neither the Tiguan nor the Touareg was designed for the US market, both have struggled to cater to local tastes. That may not be an issue with the Atlas. It is brand new and American-made. with the size, room, and tech features that US consumers crave.

Even though VW has spent much of its existence in the US as the quirky German alternative, it may ultimately be a go-with-the-flow SUV that helps turn its business around.

The 2018 Volkswagen Atlas made its world debut in November at the 2016 LA Auto Show and is expected to arrive in showrooms in this spring.

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Baghdad (AFP) - The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a series of deadly attacks in Iraq since mid-October including three since New Year's Eve.

The latest on Monday saw at least 32 people killed in a suicide car bombing that targeted a Shiite neighbourhood of the capital Baghdad.

At least 27 people were also killed by twin explosions in a busy market area in central Baghdad on New Year's Eve, while another seven died on Sunday in an attack south of the Shiite shrine city of Najaf.

They were the latest in a spate of attacks since the army launched an offensive in mid-October to recapture Mosul, the country's second city and last remaining IS stronghold in Iraq. One on November 25 saw 70 people, mostly Shiite pilgrims, killed south of Baghdad.

The wave of violence has shocked many, but the attacks are still far from the deadliest since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003:

- July 3, 2016: 323 people are killed when a suicide truck bomber attacks a shopping area in the Baghdad district of Karrada.

- October 25, 2009: 153 people are killed and more than 500 wounded when two car bombs explode in Baghdad.

- August 14, 2007: More than 400 people are slaughtered when four suicide truck bombs target members of the ancient Yazidi religious sect in two Kurdish villages in northern Iraq.

- July 7, 2007: At least 140 people are killed in a suicide truck bombing in Amerli village in northern Iraq.

- April 18, 2007: A wave of car bomb attacks on Shiite districts of Baghdad leaves 190 dead.

- March 27, 2007: An anti-Shiite attack in the northern town of Tal Afar kills 152.

- February 3, 2007: A suicide truck bomb attack in a Baghdad market kills at least 130.

- November 23, 2006: At least 202 die in a string of car bombings in Baghdad's Sadr City.

- September 14, 2005: At least 128 people are killed in a series of suicide bombings in Shiite districts of Baghdad.

- March 2, 2004: Bomb attacks on Shiites in the holy city of Karbala and in Baghdad kill more than 170.
The hit TV comedy is set to return in the near future, according to Leslie Jordan, who appeared in 12 of the eight-season show's 194 episodes.

"Will & Grace" actor Leslie Jordan has said that the late 90s to mid-2000s comedy show has at least 10 more episodes in it.

NBC made the order, Jordan told Californian radio station KPBS-FM, which operates out of San Diego, and the revival is to arrive next season, he said.

Starring Debra Messing and Eric McCormack as the titular pair of roommates, with Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes as lead supporting characters Karen and Jack, "Will & Grace" netted 16 Emmys and accumulated 27 Golden Globe nominations over the course of its 1998-to-2006 original run. 2018 would be its 20th anniversary year.

The cast had previously got together for a special episode; "Hot Food," celebrated the 10th anniversary of the show's finale, was aired in September 2016.
A minivan and a pickup truck both packed with passengers collided in eastern Thailand on Monday, killing 25 people in a harrowing reminder of the country's notoriously dangerous roads.

Police said the minivan driver lost control and ploughed through a central reservation into oncoming traffic in the eastern province of Chonburi. Both vehicles burst into flames.

"Twenty-five people were killed in the road accident," Police Lieutenant Colonel Wiroj Jamjamras at Ban Bueng provincial police station told AFP, adding two toddlers were among the dead.

"The victims were killed by fire or the impact," he added.

Wiroj said 15 people were inside the minivan while 12 passengers were packed into the pickup truck.

Two were injured but are expected to survive, he added.

Footage broadcast on Channel 3 showed firefighters tackling the burning, twisted wreckage of the two vehicles.

Despite relatively good infrastructure, Thailand has the world's second most dangerous roads in terms of per capita deaths, according to data collected by the World Health Organization in a 2015 report.

Fatalities tend to rise in the New Year week and during Songkran, a religious festival in April, when millions of low-paid workers return to the countryside from their city jobs to see family.

Both weeks are dubbed the "Seven Deadly Days" in Thai media, with the government keeping a daily death tally during those two periods to try to encourage better road safety.

As of Sunday -- the fourth day of the country's New Year holiday week -- 280 people had died on Thailand's roads, a 10 percent increase on last year.

Some 43 percent of the recorded smashes involved drink-driving and 82 percent involved motorbikes.
A Washington, D.C., hotel guest was tragically killed early Sunday after plummeting down a boiler shaft while checking out the view from the roof of the building.

Authorities say John Leonard, 23, had climbed to the roof of the Dupont Circle Hotel to catch a glimpse of the city skyline at the start of 2017 when he fell 10 stories to his death.

Read: TV Reporter Is Nearly Mowed Down by Colliding Cars Live On Air

The Herndon, Virginia, man had gone to the roof with another person who authorities said was possibly his girlfriend.

"It looks like a fall," Rachel Schaerr with the D.C. police told the Washington Post. "He went up to the roof to catch a really good view."

Leonard's body was removed by a team specially trained in confined space rescues.

Read: Driver Miraculously Survives 4-Story Plummet From Parking Garage

A manager with the hotel, which is part of the Doyle Group of hotels, called the death "a tragic accident."

Representatives with the Doyle Group did not immediately return a call for comment.

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(BEIRUT)  Hundreds of civilians fled a mountainous region outside the Syrian capital on Sunday, where government forces were battling several insurgent groups, including an al-Qaeda-linked outfit excluded from a recent nationwide cease-fire.

The Syrian military said some 1,300 people fled the Barada Valley region since Saturday. The region has been the target of days of airstrikes 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. Russia, a key military ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, and Turkey, a leading sponsor of the rebels, are acting as guarantors of the agreement, which excludes the al-Qaeda-linked Fatah al-Sham Front and the Islamic State group.

On Saturday, The U.N. 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 oppositions 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 cease-fire because of the presence of Fatah al-Sham Front, formerly known as the Nusra Front.

The Barada Valley Media Center 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 Saturday. The Lebanese militant group has sent thousands of fighters to Syria to bolster Assads 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 Dec. 22. Images from the valleys Media Center 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.

Story continues

The Observatory and the Aleppo Media Center, an activist collective, meanwhile reported government airstrikes 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 Gen. 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.

___

Associated Press writer Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran contributed.
SEOUL (Reuters) - Hyundai Motor and affiliate Kia Motors on Monday said their global sales dropped 2 percent to 7.88 million vehicles in 2016 from the preceding year, falling short of their target of 8.13 million vehicles.

It is the first time since 1998 that the South Korean duo, which together rank fifth in global sales, posted an annual sales fall.

Hyundai Motor shipped 4.86 million vehicles compared with its target of 5.01 million. Kia Motors sold 3.02 million vehicles, shy of its goal of 3.12 million.

(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
By Hyunjoo Jin and Se Young Lee SEOUL (Reuters) - Hyundai Motor and affiliate Kia Motors on Monday forecast global sales to rebound in 2017 by a stronger-than-expected 5 percent, after posting their first annual sales fall in nearly two decades last year. Sales could get a lift this year with emerging markets such as Russia stabilising, and with Hyundai and Kia Motors gearing up to boost supply to the United States and China, analysts said. But margins could come under pressure as the South Korean duo - which together rank fifth in global sales - plan to add capacity in China and Mexico, just as many analysts expect those markets and the United States to slow. "With the global economy continuing its low growth, trade protectionism spreading and competition intensifying in the automobile industry, uncertainty is growing more than ever," Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo said in his New Year message to employees. The 78-year-old chief said the automakers will launch more than 10 new models every year, including a new SUV for advanced markets and a Genesis G70 sedan this year. The projected 5 percent rise in global sales for 2017 to 8.25 million vehicles easily beats the 1.9 percent rise forecast earlier by Hyundai Motor Group's own think-tank. "The 2017 goal is slightly higher than my projection," said Ko Tae-bong, an auto analyst at Hi Investment & Securities. RISING COMPETITION Hyundai Motor likely clocked its fourth straight annual profit decline in 2016. Sales were hit by its sedan-heavy line-up, which meant it missed a boom in SUV demand, and sluggish emerging markets. Hyundai Motor sold 4.86 million vehicles compared with its target of 5.01 million last year. Kia Motors sold 3.02 million vehicles, shy of its goal of 3.12 million. Hyundai Motor is now targeting 2017 global sales of 5.08 million vehicles, while its smaller affiliate set its goal at 3.17 million vehicles. Kia Motors Vice Chairman Lee Hyong-keun warned of tough competition in the year ahead. "Rivals are expected to launch a full-blown assault based on their cost competitiveness," he said in a speech to employees. Hyundai Motor shares ended up 2.7 percent on Monday and Kia Motors stocks were up 0.6 percent in a flat wider market. Hyundai Motor shares fell for a third straight year in 2016, down 2 percent, while Kia Motors was the worst-performing stock among major car makers with a 25 percent slump. Executives paid the price for Hyundai Motor's rough year. The automaker's top U.S. executive resigned and the South Korea sales chief and China head were replaced. (Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin and Se Young Lee; Editing by Stephen Coates)
Reykjavik (AFP) - Iceland could hold a referendum on joining the EU if new negotiations on forming a coalition government are successful, the head of one of the three parties involved in the talks said Monday.

Elections in October in which no party won a majority were followed by weeks of failed negotiations between the conservative Independence Party and the centre-right Reform party and Bright Future.

Bright Future leader Ottarr Proppe said new talks launched Monday have been more successful on the long-disputed issues of fishing and EU membership.

"We have reached a certain settlement on ideas, including this one," Proppe told public broadcaster RUV, referring to holding a referendum on whether the Nordic nation should resume its stalled EU accession process.

After the economic collapse of 2008, Iceland launched EU membership negotiations in 2009 amid a perceived need for political and monetary security.

But Iceland suspended the accession talks in 2013 and withdrew its EU application in a letter to the European Commission in 2015.

While a majority in the nation of more than 330,000 people are against EU membership, they are in favour of holding a referendum on the issue.

The latest political negotiations are the second attempt by the three parties to form a government after the October 29 election, triggered by the Panama Papers scandal.

"We have crossed the biggest obstacles. Now we will use the next days to write the government's policy," Reform leader Benedikt Johannesson told the daily Frettabladid.

"That in it itself should not take a very long time, but we are in no hurry," he added.

Talks collapsed in November when the three parties failed to find common ground over a range of divisive issues, including institutional reform, fishing and relations with the EU.

"If there is something one has learnt these past two months it's that nothing is ready until it is ready", Proppe told RUV.
COLOMBO (Reuters) - India and Sri Lanka agreed to release fishermen in each others' custody, a joint statement said on Monday, a move that is likely to ease tensions between the countries which have held fishermen captive for crossing territorial waters. After ministerial level talks in Colombo, Sri Lanka reiterated its demand to end the practice of bottom trawling, a technique that involves sweeping the sea bed for fish, and India gave assurances that it would gradually phase it out. Critics oppose the method because the catch is indiscriminate and could wipe out entire fishing species, making areas unsustainable for fishing. It was not immediately clear from the statement issued by the two governments and published on the website of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs how many fishermen were being held by either side, or for how long they had been detained. Pakistan released 220 Indian fishermen in December as a goodwill gesture aimed at easing tensions with its neighbor. The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea states that fishermen who cross territorial waters can be warned and fined but not arrested. (Reporting by Sudarshan Varadhan in New Delhi; Editing by Alison Williams)
Police in Indonesia have detained the captain of a ferry that caught fire Sunday, leaving 23 dead and 17 others missing, claiming that he abandoned ship as passengers struggled to escape.

According to CNN, the captain is being investigated amid allegations that he was the first to jump ship, and that five other people  three crew members and two port authority staff  have also been detained in relation to the tragedy.

A captain who abandons ship first is no captain at all, CNN quoted Antonius Tonny Budiono, Indonesias director general for sea transport, as saying at a press conference. A captains obligation is to be the last person off the ship, after all the passengers have been evacuated.

Local news site Tempo reports that the skipper could face serious penalties for his alleged negligence, such as losing his license and a ban from sailing. Budiono also vowed to sack the ports harbormaster because of the accident, citing a discrepancy over how many passengers were on board, Indonesias government-run news agency reported.

The number of passengers was written 100, but some said there were 184 people on the boat, some said 250. It was clearly different from what was written on the manifest, Budiono told the Antara news agency.

The Zahro Express, a tourist ferry reportedly carrying mostly Indonesian travelers to Tidung Island in North Jakarta, caught fire around 9 a.m. local time Sunday near the port of Muara Angke. At least 23 people died in the blaze, while divers are preparing to search for 17 people who are still missing. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago in Southeast Asia, has a record of poor maritime safety and is relatively prone to boat accidents.

 With reporting by Yenni Kwok

[CNN]
- By Cristiano Bellavitis, Ph.D.





One of the few sectors that has the potential to offer returns, in our opinion, is the pharmaceutical sector. Political claims sent pharma stocks into a tailspin. Both Hillary Clinton and President-elect Donald Trump repeatedly campaigned that they wanted to lower drug prices. In a recent Time interview, Trump mentioned "I am going to bring down drug prices... I don't like what's happened with drug prices." Do we know how he is going to do that? Obviously not. Trump says and tweets about a lot of things. It is difficult to speculate about what exactly will happen, but it is well-known that politicians attract votes with promises they already know they can't maintain. This video provides a curious case of false promises.





Despite these uncertainties, Trump's words have negatively impacted pharmaceutical companies' stock prices. The graph below shows that both pharmaceutical companies, even generics, have fallen 15% to 20% since the beginning of the year.

We believe that Trump will make a lot of noise but won't implement many changes. However, even if these changes materialize, the Pharma industry is not a unique blend of firms. Value and opportunities can be found in the generic segment.

Why generics?

First, the pharma sell-off is overdone (and generics are part of it). The main reason for the price fall of these stocks is the political turmoil. As explained above, we believe that this is exaggerated. Second, the pharma industry is going to be supported by demographics. Everyone knows that the world population is aging. The following infographic from Harvard University summarizes what is going to happen over the next decades. Pharma companies are going to benefit from these demographics.

Third, even if Trump somehow does something to bring drug prices down, generics are actually cheaper compared to patented drugs, so why would a political party be harsh on them? Eventually they will be incentivized, for example with faster FDA approval. In his recently announced First 100 Days Action Plan, he said that: "Reforms will also include cutting the red tape at the FDA; there are over 4,000 drugs awaiting approval, and we especially want to speed the approval of life-saving medications." Generics are likely to benefit from this plan.

Story continues

Risks

We believe that two main risks currently exist. First, a few days ago, the U.S. Department of Justice filed charges in generic drug price-fixing probe. The department accused two former generic pharmaceutical executives of price-fixing. Companies in the congressional probe have since publicly disclosed receiving subpoenas, including Mylan NV (MYL), Allergan (AGN), which later sold its generics business to Teva (TEVA), Lannett (LCI), Impax Laboratories (IPXL), Endo Pharmaceuticals, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Taro Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and Mayne. This shows that generics are not immune from investigation. However, in our opinion they are safer because they might be the solution to the high-price problem. And again, the market reaction is unjustifiably steep. We believe that current prices offer interesting buying opportunities.

Second, another risk is represented by the fact that generics are "commodity producers". When the product that a company is selling is no different from its competitors, the company faces pricing pressures and does not have much of a competitive advantage or pricing power. Therefore, we extensively surveyed the market and spotted two companies that we believe have a competitive edge: Akorn (AKRX) and Teva (TEVA). Today we discuss Akorn.

Akorn

Akorn is a specialty generic pharmaceutical company. The following slide (source:company presentation) summarizes the main segments where the company is operating. In these segments the company has significant market share.

We like Akorn for three reasons. First, despite being in the generic segment, it focuses on products that are more difficult to manufacture compared to other drugs. Therefore, Akorn manufacturing capabilities insulates the company from low price competition.

Second, the company is rapidly growing and is executing its strategy very efficiently. The slide below shows how quickly revenues and earnings increased over the last few years.

We don't like adjusted numbers, so let's take a look at GAAP figures. Revenues increased from $86 million in 2010 to $1.1 billion in 2016 (expected; source: 4-traders). Net income climbed from $22 million in 2010 to $205 million in 2016 (expected, source 4-traders). This growth has been generated by a mix of organic growth fueled by R&D and acquisitions. A list of acquisitions can be found here. For the future, analysts expect revenues and profits to grow to $1.2 billion and $258 million by 2018. EPS is expected to be 1.62 at the end of 2016, 1.77 next year, 1.98 and 2.20 for 2018 and 2019.

Third, despite strong growth and strong fundamentals the stock price has plummeted. Year to date, it has lost 42%. It is now trading close to its 52-week low (source:Google Finance). Is there something wrong with the company fundamentals? In our opinion, no.

Akorn fundamentals

The company offers good returns on equity, assets and capital. These returns are above the industry (biotech and pharma). ROE stands at 26.5%, ROA at 11.6%, while ROC at 18%.

In recent years, Akorn increased its balance sheets and debts to conduct several acquisitions. Its debt climbed from $100 million to more than $1 billion. However, the company is bringing it down rapidly and now it stands at $800 million. The leverage (debt to EBITDA) was 3.84 in 2014, while now it represents a much safer 1.17.

Akorn issues

Accounting: If there is something that we don't like, this is accounting issues. Investing is already a difficult endeavor; if you cannot trust the company numbers, this exercise becomes really hard. In 2015 Akorn had to restate its financial statements. The WSJ writes that Akorn "would restate earnings from the final three quarters of 2014." Akorn blamed recent acquisitions of Hi-Tech Pharmacal and VersaPharm, for "a substantial majority" of its woes. We spent some time evaluating this issue. A couple of points speak in favor of Akorn. First, the company raised the issue. They did not try to hide it and they have come clear. This shows the honesty of the company. Second, the CFO that was running the company during the accounting issues resigned and a new CFO started a few months ago.

FDA investigation of the Decatur facility: In mid-October, the FDA released a Form 483 (which can be the precursor to a warning letter) with six observations to one of two Akorn Pharmaceuticals' Decatur drug manufacturing facilities. The observations were uncovered during a 10-day inspection in June and include quality control issues. However, just a couple of weeks ago, this investigation has been closed without consequences.

Ephedrine sales: This product represents a large chunk of Akorn revenues (between 20% to 30% according to different analysts). Flamel Technologies is starting to market a similar product, for which they have an FDA approval that Akorn doesn't have. Akorn should gain an approval soon but it could anyway lose approximately $100 million per year.

Valuation

From 2010 to 2015, Akorn traded at a P/E multiple ranging from 27.1 in 2011 to 95.3 in 2014, for an average P/E of 46 (source:4-Traders). It now trades at 13.4X 2016 earnings and 12.4X 2017 earnings. We run three valuation models:

Our valuation model, assuming a growth of 6% and a WACC of 10%, provides a fair value of $39 per share (almost double the current levels).

However, an "abnormal earnings growth" model offers a valuation just below $20.

The picture below shows cash flow based valuation provided by Simply Wall St.

Considering the current downtrend, we suggest starting a 50% position at current price and then increase the position if the stock goes down to around $16 to $18.

Conclusion

We believe that the pharmaceutical sector has received too much negative attention. Despite the risks, a few companies offer good entry opportunities. Today we have analysed Akorn. The company is interesting and valued conservatively. In the next article, we will look at TEVA.

As always, thank you for reading. If you wish to follow our future articles, just click the "Follow" button next to our name at the top. We would also be interested to know what you think about the Akorn and other generics. If you would like us to cover a company, please let us know in the comments. Finally, if you want to know more about INTEGER INVESTMENTS visit our website. Thank you for reading!

Disclaimer: Integer investment owns shares in AKRX.

Start a free seven-day trial of Premium Membership to GuruFocus.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.






By Tom Arnold

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran has named 29 companies from more than a dozen countries as being allowed to bid for oil and gas projects using the new, less restrictive Iran Petroleum Contract (IPC) model, the oil ministry news website SHANA reported on Monday.

The list of pre-qualified firms included Shell, France's Total, Italy's Eni, Malaysia's Petronas and Russia's Gazprom and Lukoil, as well as companies from China, Austria, Japan and other countries.

Iran hopes its new IPC, part of an effort to sweeten the terms it offers on oil development deals, will attract foreign investors and boost production after years of sanctions.

The list did not include oil major BP. The Financial Times said BP had opted out of the bidding because of concerns over possible renewed U.S.-Iran tensions after President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20.

Trump has said he will scrap the deal between Iran and world powers that imposed curbs on Tehran's nuclear projects and lifted sanctions on the Iranian economy last January.

State-run National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) signed the first oil output contract under the IPC model in October with an Iranian firm identified by the United States as part of a conglomerate controlled by Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The IPC model has been delayed several times due to opposition from hardline rivals of President Hassan Rouhani. It ends a buy-back system dating back more than 20 years under which Iran did not allow foreign firms to book reserves or take equity stakes in Iranian companies.

The new IPC has more flexible terms that take into account oil price fluctuations and investment risks, a senior Iranian oil official told Reuters in November.

Oil majors have said they would only go back to Iran if it makes major changes to the buy-back contracts, which companies such as France's Total or Italy's Eni said made them no money or even incurred losses.

For a full list of the companies: http://www.nioc.ir/Portal/File/ShowFile.aspx?ID=0b0b8c26-c6af-45f6-9aa3-a2995a7ac710

(Reporting by Dubai newsroom; editing by Jason Neely and David Evans)
By Elizabeth Pineau BAGHDAD (Reuters) - France will fight any French jihadists it finds on the battlefields of Iraq, arrest them if they return home and work to de-radicalize their children, President Francois Hollande said on a visit to Baghdad on Monday. There are about 60 French citizens fighting alongside Islamic State militants in the northern city of Mosul alone and hundreds more in the rest of the country and Syria, French diplomatic sources said. "We will fight them like (we fight) all jihadists ... since they are attacking us, since they prepare attacks on our own territory," Hollande told a news conference. The children of returning militants would be taken in and "de-radicalised," he said on the one-day visit. "We are preparing for these returns and the very particular processing of these children." The Socialist president, whose country has faced a series of militant attacks in the past two years, said French soldiers serving in a U.S.-led coalition against the jihadists were preventing more mass killings at home. "Everything that contributes to reconstructing Iraq is an additional step to avoiding Daesh strikes on our own territory," Hollande said, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State. Hollande has seen his popularity rating plummet since taking office, amid frustration over his handling of the economy and national security. He has said he will not stand again in presidential elections this year. He will travel later on Monday to the Kurdish city of Erbil, where France will deliver about 38 tonnes of humanitarian aid, including medicine, officials said. The European Union police agency Europol last month warned of the risk of an increased rate in the return of foreign fighters. U.S.-backed Iraqi forces are currently fighting to push Islamic State, the Sunni Muslim militant group, from Mosul, the fighters' last major stronghold in the country, but are facing fierce resistance. It will likely take weeks to recapture Mosul, Hollande said. "Daesh is stepping back and Daesh will be defeated," he said. "It's a year that will be a year of victory, here, against terrorism." At least 16 people were killed by a car bomb in a busy square in Baghdad's sprawling Sadr City district on Monday, while Islamic State attacks on military positions north of the capital killed 16 pro-government fighters, sources said. (Additional reporting by Stephen Kalin; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
UPDATED: ISIS has claimed responsibility for the terror attack that killed 39 people and injured 69 in a prominent Istanbul nightclub on New Years Eve. The victims included 49-year-old Bollywood producer Abis Rizvi.

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, said ISIS in a statement on Monday.

A manhunt is still underway. The assailants identity has not yet been revealed by Turkish authorities, although footage of his entrance into the Reina nightclub has emerged.

The gunman, who is believed to have perpetrated the raid single-handedly, stormed into the Reina nightclub, which is located on the banks of the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbuls upscale Ortakoy district, just after 1 a.m and sprayed bullets into the crowd. An estimated 600 people were inside the nightclub, according to media reports.

At least 25 of the victims were foreign. Among them were people from Israel, Russia, France, Tunisia, Lebanon, India, Belgium, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, according to news reports. Among the 69 wounded, three are in critical conditions.

The raid is just the latest in a series of terror 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.

Rizvis death prompted outrage and tributes from Bollywood players. The son of a real estate magnate, Rizvi was producer and co-writer of the 2014 film Roar: Tigers of the Sundarbans. His Abis Rizvi Productions was revving up a host of projects, including a coming-of-age film T for Taj Mahal, which is expected to be released in March, according to the U.K.s Telegraph.

Shocked by the news of losing one of my long time & dearest friend, Abis Rizvi, in the shootout in Istanbul. Will miss you my friend. RIP pic.twitter.com/KFhHjx6Xci  Madhur Bhandarkar (@imbhandarkar) January 1, 2017
According to NTNU professor Audrey van der Meer, nerve cells in very young children build up to a thousand new synaptic connections per second. She researches babies brain development. Credit: Lena Knutli

Many new parents still think that babies should develop at their own pace, and that they shouldn't be challenged to do things that they're not yet ready for. Infants should learn to roll around under their own power, without any "helpful" nudges, and they shouldn't support their weight before they can stand or walk on their own. They mustn't be potty trained before they are ready for it.

According to neuroscientist Audrey van der Meer, a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) this mindset can be traced back to the early 1900s, when professionals were convinced that our genes determine who we are, and that child development occurred independently of the stimulation that a baby is exposed to. They believed it was harmful to hasten development, because development would and should happen naturally.

Early stimulation in the form of baby gym activities and early potty training play a central role in Asia and Africa. The old development theory also contrasts with modern brain research that shows that early stimulation contributes to brain development gains even in the wee ones among us.

Using the body and senses

Van der Meer is a professor of neuropsychology and has used advanced EEG technology for many years to study the brain activity of hundreds of babies.

The results show that the neurons in the brains of young children quickly increase in both number and specialization as the baby learns new skills and becomes more mobile. Neurons in very young children form up to a thousand new connections per second.

Van der Meer's research also shows that the development of our brain, sensory perception and motor skills happen in sync. She believes that even the smallest babies must be challenged and stimulated at their level from birth onward. They need to engage their entire body and senses by exploring their world and different materials, both indoors and out and in all types of weather. She emphasizes that the experiences must be self-produced; it is not enough for children merely to be carried or pushed in a stroller.

Unused brain synapses disappear

"Many people believe that children up to three years old only need cuddles and nappy changes, but studies show that rats raised in cages have less dendritic branching in the brain than rats raised in an environment with climbing and hiding places and tunnels. Research also shows that children born into cultures where early stimulation is considered important, develop earlier than Western children do," van der Meer says.

She adds that the brains of young children are very malleable, and can therefore adapt to what is happening around them. If the new synapses that are formed in the brain are not being used, they disappear as the child grows up and the brain loses some of its plasticity.

Van der Meer mentions the fact that Chinese babies hear a difference between the R and L sounds when they are four months old, but not when they get older. Since Chinese children do not need to distinguish between these sounds to learn their mother tongue, the brain synapses that carry this knowledge disappear when they are not used.

Loses the ability to distinguish between sounds

Babies actually manage to distinguish between the sounds of any language in the world when they are four months old, but by the time they are eight months old they have lost this ability, according to van der Meer.

In the 1970s, it was believed that children could only learn one language properly. Foreign parents were advised not to speak their native language to their children, because it could impede the child's language development. Today we think completely differently, and there are examples of children who speak three, four or five languages fluently without suffering language confusion or delays.

Brain research suggests that in these cases the native language area in the brain is activated when children speak the languages. If we study a foreign language after the age of seven, other areas of the brain are used when we speak the language, explains Van der Meer.

She adds that it is important that children learn languages by interacting with real people.

"Research shows that children don't learn language by watching someone talk on a screen, it has to be real people who expose them to the language," says van der Meer.

Early intervention with the very young

Since a lot is happening in the brain during the first years of life, van der Meer says that it is easier to promote learning and prevent problems when children are very young.

The term "early intervention" keeps popping up in discussions of kindergartens and schools, teaching and learning. Early intervention is about helping children as early as possible to ensure that as many children as possible succeed in their education and on into adulthood  precisely because the brain has the greatest ability to change under the influence of the ambient conditions early in life.

"When I talk about early intervention, I'm not thinking of six-year-olds, but even younger children from newborns to age three. Today, 98 per cent of Norwegian children attend kindergarten, so the quality of the time that children spend there is especially important. I believe that kindergarten should be more than just a holding place  it should be a learning arena  and by that I mean that play is learning," says van der Meer.

Too many untrained staff

She adds that a two-year old can easily learn to read or swim, as long as the child has access to letters or water. However, she does not want kindergarten to be a preschool, but rather a place where children can have varied experiences through play.

"This applies to both healthy children and those with different challenges. When it comes to children with motor challenges or children with impaired vision and hearing, we have to really work to bring the world to them," says van der Meer.

"One-year-olds can't be responsible for their own learning, so it's up to the adults to see to it. Today untrained temporary staff tend to be assigned to the infant and toddler rooms, because it's 'less dangerous' with the youngest ones since they only need cuddles and nappy changes. I believe that all children deserve teachers who understand how the brains of young children work. Today, Norway is the only one of 25 surveyed OECD countries where kindergarten teachers do not constitute 50 per cent of kindergarten staffing," she said.

More children with special needs

Lars Adde is a specialist in paediatric physical therapy at St. Olavs Hospital and a researcher at NTNU's Department of Laboratory Medicine, Children's and Women's Health. He works with young children who have special needs, in both his clinical practice and research.

He believes it is important that all children are stimulated and get to explore the world, but this is especially important for children who have special challenges. He points out that a greater proportion of children that are now coming into the world in Norway have special needs.

"This is due to the rapid development in medical technology, which enables us to save many more children  like extremely premature babies and infants who get cancer. These children would have died 50 years ago, and today they survive  but often with a number of subsequent difficulties," says Adde.

New knowledge offers better treatment

Adde says that the new understanding of brain development that has been established since the 1970s has given these children far better treatment and care options.

For example, the knowledge that some synapses in the brain are strengthened while others disappear has led to the understanding that we have to work at what we want to be good at  like walking. According to the old mindset, any general movement would provide good general motor function.

Babies who are born very prematurely at St. Olavs Hospital receive follow-up by an interdisciplinary team at the hospital and a municipal physiotherapist in their early years. Kindergarten staff where the child attends receive training in exactly how this child should be stimulated and challenged at the appropriate level. The follow-up enables a child with developmental delays to catch up quickly, so that measures can be implemented early  while the child's brain is still very plastic.

A child may, for example, have a small brain injury that causes him to use his arms differently. Now we know that the brain connections that govern this arm become weaker when it is used less, which reinforces the reduced function.

"Parents may then be asked to put a sock on the "good" hand when their child uses his hands to play. Then the child is stimulated and the brain is challenged to start using the other arm," says Adde.

Shouldn't always rush development

Adde stresses that it is not always advisable to speed up the development of children with special needs who initially struggle with their motor skills.

A oneyear old learning to walk first has to learn to find her balance. If the child is helped to standing position, she will eventually learn to stand  but before she has learned how to sit down again. If the child loses her balance, she'll fall like a stiff cane, which can be both scary and counterproductive.

In that situation, "we might then ask the parents to instead help their child up to kneeling position while it holds onto something. Then the child will learn to stand up on its own. If the child falls, it will bend in the legs and tumble on its bum. Healthy children figure this out on their own, but children with special challenges don't necessarily do this," says Adde.
Israel announced Sunday it would not return the bodies of Hamas militants who were killed during an attack against Israelis. The move aims to pressure the Palestinian Islamist group into returning the bodies of killed Israeli soldiers as well as missing civilians, Reuters reported.

Hamas has said it's holding two Israeli citizens as well as two Israeli soldiers who are believed to be dead after they were lost in action while fighting in the 2014 Gaza War. Israel's political-security cabinet said Sunday's decision would set a precedent for a permanent policy for dealing with the remains of Hamas militants.

"The security cabinet discussed ways to effect the return of fallen soldiers and of civilians held in the Gaza Strip ... and decided that [the bodies of militants] should be buried, rather than returned," a statement from the cabinet read, via Reuters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed the decision Sunday on Twitter. "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," he posted, via Agence France-Presse (AFP).

There were no further details released about the plans for burial. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum told AFP the decision from Israel was "evidence of criminality and barbaric occupation."

"These decisions will not give positive results," he added, while not elaborating further.

Returning the bodies of the fallen soldiers "has remained a hot-button issue in Israeli society," with the families of the soldiers  Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul and Lt. Hadar Goldin  making calls for the government to take a harsher stance toward Hamas, reported the Times of Israel. The outlet reported that Hamas released a video Saturday showing a mock birthday party for Shaul. The video showed a cake that read "three years in Hamas jail," according to Israeli news site YNet News.

Story continues

hamas

Photo: Reuters/Suhaib Salem

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JERUSALEM (AP)  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was grilled by police investigators for over three hours at his official residence Monday night, opening what could be a politically damaging criminal investigation into suspicions that he improperly accepted gifts from wealthy supporters.

Netanyahu has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, but the involvement of the national fraud squad indicated questions raised about him are considered serious enough to merit an investigation. Police said Netanyahu was questioned "under caution," a term signaling that anything he said could be used as evidence against him.

Israel's Justice Ministry later issued a statement saying Netanyahu was questioned "on suspicion of receiving benefits from business people."

The ministry said investigators also had looked into suspicions of campaign finance irregularities and double billing for travel expenses, but determined there was not enough evidence to merit criminal charges.

Netanyahu has denied what he calls "baseless" reports about the investigation.

"We've been paying attention to reports in the media, we are hearing the celebratory mood and the atmosphere in the television studios and the corridors of the opposition, and I would like to tell them, stop with the celebrations, don't rush," he told a meeting of lawmakers from his Likud Party earlier Monday. "There won't be anything because there is nothing."

Israel's Channel 2 TV has said that Netanyahu accepted "favors" from businessmen in Israel and abroad and that he is the central suspect in a second investigation that also involves family members.

The newspaper Haaretz said billionaire Ronald Lauder, a longtime friend of Netanyahu's, was linked to the affair. Channel 10 TV has reported that Netanyahu's oldest son, Yair, accepted free trips and other gifts from Australian billionaire James Packer.

In late September, Lauder was summoned by police for questioning "related to a certain investigation conducted by them and in which Mr. Lauder is not its subject matter," said Helena Beilin, Lauder's Israeli attorney. "After a short meeting, he was told that his presence is no longer required and that there shall be no further need for additional meetings."

Story continues

Netanyahu, who took office in 2009, has long had an image as a cigar-smoking, cognac-drinking socialite, while his wife, Sara, has been accused of abusive behavior toward staff. Opponents have portrayed both as being out of touch with the struggles of average Israelis.

Over the years, reports have been released about the high cost of the Netanyahus' housekeeping expenses.

In one case, he was chided for spending $127,000 in public funds for a special sleeping cabin on a flight to London. Even their costly purchases of scented candles and pistachio-flavored ice cream have been derided.

But he has never been charged with a crime. However, a mounting investigation could put pressure on him to step down, as his predecessor, Ehud Olmert, did in 2008 just months before he was formally indicted on corruption related charges. Olmert is now serving a prison sentence after being convicted of accepting bribes.

A campaign is underway by Erel Margalit, an opposition lawmaker of the Zionist Union party, seeking for Netanyahu to be formally investigated over suspicions of prominent donors improperly transferring money for the prime minister's personal use as well as reports that Netanyahu's personal attorney represented a German firm involved in a $1.5 billion sale of submarines to Israel.

The Netanyahus have denied any wrongdoing, and say they are the target of a witch hunt by the Israeli media.
By Luke Baker JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Police questioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for three hours under caution at his official residence in Jerusalem on Monday on suspicion of receiving gifts from businessmen in breach of his role as a public servant. Part of a police statement issued after the questioning ended said that "investigators questioned PM Benjamin Netanyahu under caution on suspicion of receiving benefits." No additional details were initially given. In questioning a suspect under caution, police investigators believe that the person they are interviewing has a case to answer. The move to question the Israeli leader was authorised by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, who decided after a preliminary inquiry that there was enough evidence to open a criminal investigation. Mandelblit issued a long statement which did not detail the matters being investigated but said the information warranted questioning under caution. It also mentioned other suspicions which had been checked but did not yield evidence to warrant additional criminal enquiries. "The nature of the investigation precludes us at this stage from giving details of the ongoing investigation but we will consider releasing more information from time to time according to developments," Mandelblit's statement said. He added that investigation began three months ago but new, detailed information had come to light during the past month which supported questioning the prime minister under caution. Before the questioning began, Netanyahu told his ruling Likud faction in parliament that those anticipating his downfall should not expect his imminent departure. "Wait with the celebrations, don't rush," Netanyahu said. "I've said it before and I'll say it once again: there will be nothing because there is nothing." Photographers were camped outside the heavily guarded residence, hoping to get pictures of investigators arriving. Black screens were erected inside the gates of the property to block the view. Haaretz and other newspapers said the probe related to gifts worth "hundreds of thousands of shekels" ($1=3.85 shekels) given to Netanyahu by Israeli and foreign businessmen. Channel 2, a commercial network, said the investigation was one of two cases now open against the prime minister, although it said details of the second remained unclear. Netanyahu, 67, has been in power on and off since 1996. He is currently in his fourth term as prime minister and will become Israel's longest-serving leader if he stays in office until the end of next year. He and his wife, Sara, have weathered several scandals over the years, including investigations into the misuse of state funds and an audit of the family's spending on everything from laundry to ice cream. They have denied any wrongdoing. Netanyahu is not the first prime minister to be questioned in a criminal case. Ehud Olmert, who held office from 2006 to 2009, is currently serving 18 months in prison after being convicted of breach of trust and bribery in 2014. Former prime minister Ariel Sharon was questioned while in office in 2003 and 2004 over allegations of bribery and corruption involving him and his two sons. In 2006, his son Omri was convicted of corruption and served time in prison. Netanyahu's police appointment drew a barrage of commentary from the centre-left opposition in parliament, with politicians calling for him to go. But Yair Lapid, leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party, said that for the good of the country, he hoped the prime minister would be cleared. "I wish for him and his family, and the State of Israel, that we uncover that there was no fault in his behaviour. If two prime ministers in a row fall from office because of corruption, it will be very hard to rehabilitate the public's trust in its leadership." Israeli commentators pointed out that while Netanyahu may be questioned, that has happened many times in the past and prime ministers have gone on governing, sometimes for years. (Additional reporting by Ori Lewis and Maayan Lubell, editing by Larry King)
Japan's Emperor Akihito delivered his traditional New Year address Monday with tens of thousands of people flocking to the Imperial Palace for what could be his last such appearance after he expressed his desire to abdicate.

It was his first New Year message since he announced in August that his advancing age and weakening health mean he may no longer be able to carry out his duties, setting the stage for Japan to prepare for an historic abdication.

The Imperial Palace said some 58,600 people attended his address in fine weather, many waving small Japanese flags and shouting "Banzai" or "Long live".

"At the start of this year, I wish for happiness and tranquillity of people in the world and our country," the emperor said in a televised address from a glass-covered balcony at the palace, where he was flanked by other members of the royal family.

Deliberations over his retirement wish are under way in an advisory panel set up by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in September to study a possible legal mechanism for a royal departure, which currently does not exist.

Any eventual move by Akihito to step down, which would see him replaced by his eldest son Crown Prince Naruhito, appears to have wide support, according to recent opinion polls.

Akihito has had surgery for prostate cancer and heart problems, both of which he alluded to in his August announcement, though he stressed that he currently enjoys good health.

Speculation about Akihito's future emerged last year with reports he had told confidantes that he would like to step down in a few years, in what would be the first abdication from the Chrysanthemum Throne in two centuries.

Akihito has keenly embraced the role of symbol of the state imposed after World War II ended. Previous emperors including his father, Hirohito, had been treated as semi-divine.

Akihito is credited with seeking reconciliation both at home and abroad over the legacy of the war fought in his father's name, venturing to a number of locales that saw intense fighting, including Okinawa in Japan and Saipan, Palau and the Philippines overseas, offering prayers for the souls of all the dead.
Trump talks to reporters as he and his wife, Melania Trump, arrive for a New Years Eve celebration at Mar-a-Lago. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Joe Scarborough is furious with journalists covering President-elect Donald Trump for how they characterized the appearance of both the Morning Joe host and his MSNBC co-host, Mika Brzezinski, at Trumps New Years Eve party at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., on Saturday night.

On Sunday and Monday, Scarborough sent a flurry of tweets blasting several reporters, taking particular exception to the suggestion that he had partied with Trump. Scarborough insisted he was simply there trying to land an inauguration interview.

The brouhaha emerged after Maggie Haberman, a reporter for the New York Times, noted that Scarborough and Brzezinski were among the high-profile guests at Trumps Gatsby-like soiree. Though Scarborough disputed the accuracy of the report, the Times story had simply and accurately noted his attendance at the event.

An attendee sent over some pics from Mar a Lago NYE party pic.twitter.com/ffirKa4Twr  Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 2, 2017

Scarborough fired off in a series of tweets accusing the Times of lying about us.

1. I "partied" last night by watching Groundhog Day and Ghostbusters with my kids. Then watched the Mariah Carey dumpster fire.  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

2. Around 7pm, I had a preset meeting with PEOTUS before his party trying to set up an interview (much like reporters at CBS & NYT do.  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

3. The event was black tie. Both Mika and I were in casual clothes, did not attend the party, and left before any "partying" began.  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

4. Nothing that Mika and I did in setting up this meeting was any different than what all good reporters and news hosts try to do daily.  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

5. Anyone suggesting otherwise is a hypocrite who ignores what great journalists from Ben Bradlee to Tom Brokaw have done for years.  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

6. I hope we get the interview.  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

7. Stop lying about us.  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

8. Happy New Year????  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

Scarborough sparred with Haberman:

Story continues

@JoeNBC You're in a photo standing among revelers. I'm not sure what's inaccurate. I also didn't and don't think it's a big deal.  Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 2, 2017

Pick. Up. The. Phone. And. Ask.

I'm went where the USSS directed me to the foot of the stairs. I'm standing with the PEOTUS going upstairs. https://t.co/KTD4BpcZdo  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 2, 2017

But the MSNBC host was particularly irked by Sopan Deb, a CBS News staffer who will soon join Haberman at the Times.

Morning Joe's hosts partied with Trump last night at Mar-A-Lago. Last year, Trump publicly thanked them for support. https://t.co/gLHtsOloph pic.twitter.com/6znKSoNf67  Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) January 1, 2017

Last year I said Trumps campaign was racist, xenophobic and disqualifying, Scarborough wrote. Partied? Not even close.

Last year I said Trump's campaign was racist, xenophobic and disqualifying. But be snide while making facts up. Partied? Not even close. https://t.co/mCe0EYghRB  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

I imagine you repeated that last night at Mar-A-Lago, @JoeNBC, Deb replied. Before the ball dropped, maybe even.

I imagine you repeated that last night at Mar-A-Lago, @JoeNBC. Before the ball dropped, maybe even. https://t.co/xpiRV0JQKz  Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) January 1, 2017

During the presidential campaign, the Morning Joe hosts initially clashed with Trump before finding common ground with the president-elect.

As their Twitter feud escalated Monday, Scarborough accused Deb of creating fake news.

Note to NYT Editors, Scarborough wrote. This is Day 2 your future employee sends out misleading tweets. Today, [its] worse [because] he knows the facts but continues.

He added: Im just not spending another year being lied about over objectively verifiable facts.

This sure looks like an ideal location to have a journalistic meeting about an interview on NYE, @JoeNBC. Look forward to seeing the result. https://t.co/Ij892g7k5Y  Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) January 2, 2017

You get caught lying then double down and triple down. You know the truth and yet you just can't stop sending out snide tweets. Wow. https://t.co/HAh9BBDVyh  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 2, 2017

When Scarboroughs NBC colleague Chuck Todd tweeted his apparent dismay with the public feud, Scarborough chimed in.

It really stinks to watch others continue help ruin the reputation of your industry, Todd wrote. But fighting each other about only hurts the democracy.

It really stinks to watch others continue help ruin the reputation of your industry. But fighting each other about only hurts the democracy  Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) January 2, 2017

Yes. I find that people misrepresenting others and lying is indeed corrosive, Scarborough replied. I know you agree with me that facts matter.

Yes. I find that people misrepresenting others and lying is indeed corrosive. I know you agree with me that facts matter. https://t.co/qnvDt6xwg6  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 2, 2017

Scarborough also lashed out at a Washington Post media reporter for his coverage of the MSNBC hosts Twitter barrage.

Do you have no shame? Scarborough asked.
joe scarborough

Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC's "Morning Joe," lashed out on Twitter on Sunday night into Monday after an incoming New York Times reporter posted that television personality "partied" with President-elect Donald Trump at his pomp Mar-a-Lago New Year's Eve bash.

Scarborough, the former Republican congressman, lambasted the reporter, Sopan Deb, for pushing what he called "fake news" and for "making up facts."

Scarborough insisted he was only at the event for a brief amount of time before it began. He said he was attempting to set up an interview with Trump. Scarborough and his cohost Mike Brzezinski have come under fire repeatedly for what many in media believe is a far too cozy relationship with the president-elect.

Deb, who had covered Trump on the trail for CBS News, had originally posted a screenshot from New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman's story detailing the New Year's Eve gala. Haberman wrote that the hosts were in attendance, but did not categorize their appearance as having "partied" with Trump.

Morning Joe's hosts partied with Trump last night at Mar-A-Lago. Last year, Trump publicly thanked them for support. https://t.co/gLHtsOloph pic.twitter.com/6znKSoNf67  Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) January 1, 2017

Partied? You're very good at pushing fake news. You should write for CNN. Apparently making up facts is fine if you're writing about us. https://t.co/mCe0EYghRB  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

Scarborough went on to call Deb a "hack":

Last year, Trump publicly thanked David Axelrod for his support. Stop being such a hack. https://t.co/mCe0EYghRB  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

One of the more entertaining aspects of media coverage of media is how so many who blast Trump for half truths attack us with half truths. https://t.co/mCe0EYghRB  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

Last year I said Trump's campaign was racist, xenophobic and disqualifying. But be snide while making facts up. Partied? Not even close. https://t.co/mCe0EYghRB  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

Yeah. I'm tired of hacks attacking politicians for lies and false narratives and then doing the same to us. https://t.co/d74af4qxJU  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

Does @CBSNews know that you just make shit up on your twitter feed? https://t.co/mCe0EYghRB  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

Wow. He says he chases Trump for CBS. You mean he even lies on his Twitter bio? I'm not surprised. https://t.co/xgengRyfAK  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

You're defending a guy who lied about me and you're telling me to be careful? I think you have that backwards. You be careful. Facts matter. https://t.co/5YE0necdu8  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

Deb said he should've chosen a different word for his tweet than "partied," writing that "attended" would have been more accurate. But he did not back off after Scarborough went on offense.

Agreed! Facts matter: so you weren't at Mar-A-Lago on New Years Eve? You called it fake news, so let's get this right. https://t.co/M8ByaSXHBE  Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) January 1, 2017

I imagine you repeated that last night at Mar-A-Lago, @JoeNBC. Before the ball dropped, maybe even. https://t.co/xpiRV0JQKz  Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) January 1, 2017

Scarborough then went into an eight-part response detailing, in his words, what went down during his appearance at Mar-a-Lago. And he was nowhere near done after that.

1. I "partied" last night by watching Groundhog Day and Ghostbusters with my kids. Then watched the Mariah Carey dumpster fire.  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

2. Around 7pm, I had a preset meeting with PEOTUS before his party trying to set up an interview (much like reporters at CBS & NYT do.  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

3. The event was black tie. Both Mika and I were in casual clothes, did not attend the party, and left before any "partying" began.  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

4. Nothing that Mika and I did in setting up this meeting was any different than what all good reporters and news hosts try to do daily.  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

5. Anyone suggesting otherwise is a hypocrite who ignores what great journalists from Ben Bradlee to Tom Brokaw have done for years.  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

6. I hope we get the interview.  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

7. Stop lying about us.  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

8. Happy New Year  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

Deb took umbrage at Scarborough's comparison of his situation with Bradlee, the legendary Washington Post editor, and Brokaw, the longtime face of NBC News.

I can't think of a presidential candidate who thanked Brokaw and Bradlee for their support, but I'm just a liar who makes up news. https://t.co/Hjq5XF3dD1  Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) January 1, 2017

An enraged Scarborough continued to take aim at Deb, posting a roughly 20 tweets subsequently throughout Sunday. Some took issue with Deb. Others took aim at those siding with the CBS News reporter, such as Brian Fallon, the former campaign spokesman for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. And more were posted to further his defense of attending the event, which he claimed was only for an extremely brief period and while he was wearing street clothes.

Story continues

So you double down when you get caught in a lie. How...interesting. https://t.co/tN6pdBmcC3  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

Yes. You lied. And you are digging a deeper whole. Trump also thanked Axelrod. Stop. Digging. You're embarrassing yourself. https://t.co/5hzO20TG7P  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

In street clothes. We made the radical decision to follow the path provided by the Secret Service. The pic was in front of metal detectors. https://t.co/RZgnErXsWH  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

Yeah. If you define a national treasure as someone who likes lying about others. https://t.co/Flb5GBDZ77  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

I don't know about you, but journalists I know "show up" when the scheduler sets the time. It stops one from being restrained by the USSS. https://t.co/KtejGb0u9M  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

How's Wisconsin in the fall?

Oh wait. Never mind. https://t.co/FrRHhDKfSW  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 1, 2017

Btw, my issue is not with your story. It's with the mischaracterization of it by someone else that we were "partying." All good. https://t.co/P0C0Wr8ypk  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 2, 2017

On Monday, Haberman posted a photo of Scarborough from the event along with other photos she had received. This prompted Scarborough to continue his lengthy tweetstorm on the subject. He continued taking shots at Deb and other prominent reporters.

This sure looks like an ideal location to have a journalistic meeting about an interview on NYE, @JoeNBC. Look forward to seeing the result. https://t.co/Ij892g7k5Y  Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) January 2, 2017

Great journalistic work on your part. This is critical to America and the world. I'm "behind a wine glass" for 30 seconds. Good God! https://t.co/gAF5l20XkT  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 2, 2017

More: Maggie Haberman did not try to contact me before putting me in a story saying I was a "reveler" at Trump's NYE party. I was not. https://t.co/8AxPlkjZpH  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 2, 2017

Several reporters said you should've called to confirm I was a "reveler" at a party I did not attend, was not invited to & not dressed for. https://t.co/OZXRI7HyKg  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 2, 2017

I do have an issue with one NYT reporter painting me in a false light without calling me, & a future NYT reporter adding another false fact. https://t.co/OZXRI7HyKg  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 2, 2017

Pick. Up. The. Phone. And. Ask.

I'm went where the USSS directed me to the foot of the stairs. I'm standing with the PEOTUS going upstairs. https://t.co/KTD4BpcZdo  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 2, 2017

Someone showed you a picture. You email and text me when you have questions. You should've done it in this situation and checked your story. https://t.co/KTD4BpcZdo  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 2, 2017

Oh, you're back. What's your lie of the day? https://t.co/HAh9BBVwpP  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 2, 2017

You get caught lying then double down and triple down. You know the truth and yet you just can't stop sending out snide tweets. Wow. https://t.co/HAh9BBDVyh  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 2, 2017

Is this what Bill Clinton meant when he said we're in a post-fact world? https://t.co/HC617Vuv2C  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 2, 2017

Facts are stubborn things.  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) January 2, 2017

Haberman asked Scarborough in her own series of tweets about what had changed since the night before, when he suggested he was fine with her story. She also said it's "known" that Scarborough and Trump have a relationship.

@JoeNBC I ask again - what changed since last night when you were fine with it?  Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 2, 2017

@JoeNBC you had no issue with the description last night or the story. Your issue was with Sopan. What changed?  Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 2, 2017

@JoeNBC There is one person turning this into a thing and it isn't me. As I noted last night, "partied" was not my word.  Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 2, 2017

@JoeNBC You're in a photo standing among revelers. I'm not sure what's inaccurate. I also didn't and don't think it's a big deal.  Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 2, 2017

@ijackmulcahy @SopanDeb and for record, I still don't think this is a big deal. He's got a relationship with Trump and it's known.  Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 2, 2017

NOW WATCH: This is what it's really like at Trump Tower  which is disrupting life in New York





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After Thor: Ragnarok set photos revealed Chris Hemsworth holding a card with Doctor Stranges address on it, rumors began circulating about a possible Benedict Cumberbatch cameo. When asked about it, director Taika Waititi refused to comment  though his initial non-statement was rendered meaningless once audiences saw the Doctor Strange mid-credits scene featuring Hemsworth and Cumberbatch. Yet even the pairs humorous exchange wasnt enough to officially confirm the British actors possible role in the third Thor film.

Thanks to the latest news letter from Disneys D23 fan club, however, audiences can now expect Cumberbatch to stand alongside Hemsworth and Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo in some capacity:

If you need even more intergalactic, world-saving action, Thor: Ragnarok in November brings together Thor, the Hulk, and Doctor Strange to face off against intergalactic baddies both familiar and new.

The announcement finally confirms what Marvel fans have long suspected, though it doesnt necessarily explain the nature of Cumberbatchs involvement. According to the mid-credits scene in Doctor Strange, Thor has returned to earth seeking the whereabouts of his half-brother Loki for purposes unknown. Yet the god of thunder is apparently unable to find his mischievous kin on his own, so he seeks Stranges assistance in the matter.

As ComingSoon.net points out, the Doctor Strange and Hulk characters have a long, complex history in the original comics. Whats more, the initial set photo featuring Thor holding a card with Stranges address is quite literally ripped from an older comic book story line, so its a sure bet that Cumberbatch may be doing more in Thor: Ragnarok than seeing the sights in New York with Thor and Loki.

Thor: Ragnarok will usher in the Marvel Cinematic Universes equivalent to the biblical apocalypse on November 3, 2017.

(Via ComingSoon.net)
An American survivor of the massacre in an Istanbul nightclub over New Years Eve says he survived by playing dead and not screaming or moving, even when a bullet hit him.

Jake Raak, one of 60 people injured in the attack that killed 39 people, said the gunman was targeting people who were lying on the floor like him. When he shot me I didnt move  I just let him shoot me, he told NBC News. I was shot when I was already on the ground. He was shooting people that he had already shot.

Raak, 35, was at the Reina nightclub with nine friends  seven of whom were also shot. When he saw the gunman, Raak dove under a bench and played dead. He says the gunman was walking on that bench, then looked down and shot him in the leg. Raak, who is from Delaware, said he made sure not to scream or flinch so that the gunman assumed he was already dead. You just have to stay as calm as you can, he said. I took a bullet.

ISIS claimed the attack on Monday, calling the gunman a heroic soldier of the caliphate and saying that the massacre was carried out in response to a call from ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. It is not clear if that call was a specific order or a general directive to all ISIS followers.
Two days after a gunman ran into a Istanbul night club and killed 39 New Years revelers while wounding dozens more, police released some of the first images of the suspected attacker on Monday. A video also showed him as he started his attack just an hour into 2017.

Details around his identity were scarce, but Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told reporters Monday that officials had obtained fingerprints and a basic profile of the attacker. The attack was later claimed by the Islamic State group via a Twitter account affiliated with ISIS. Police were still searching for the suspect Monday but had arrested several individuals in relation to the attack. Two towns were reportedly targets of police raids Monday as officials continued to search.

We are face to face with a terror attack, Suleyman Soylu, Turkeys interior minister, said Sunday morning, according to multiple media reports.God willing, he will be caught in a short period of time.

The gunman showed up at the posh Turkish nightclub Reina at about 1:15 a.m. Sunday local time dressed in all black with a backpack and assault-style weapon in his hands. He first killed a policeman and a civilian outside the club before entering the venue, where he sprayed the celebration with bullets. Multiple witnesses reported hearing him yell, Allahu Akbar -- God is great in Arabic -- during or before the shooting. Scared party-goers scrambled from the scene and some jumped into a nearby river to avoid death.

The shooter reportedly dropped his weapon after the attack and capitalized on the chaos he had created to get away from the scene of the crime.

The attack followed a bloody year for Turkey. Several terror attacks in the country were carried out in December alone, including the assassination of a Russian ambassador to Turkey by an off-duty police officer.

Story continues

The New Year's attack was condemned by world leaders including Pope Francis, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the White House and others.

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Some officials complained that the expulsion ruined families' celebrations of New Year's Eve, Russia's main gift-giving festivity.

Elena Krylova, a spokeswoman for the presidential affairs administration, was quoted by the Tass news agency as saying that a visit for the children to see the holiday tree in the State Kremlin Palace is being organized.
The cholera outbreak that hit Haiti after Hurricane Matthew slammed the island has been contained but persists due to lack of funding, according to the United Nations.

An epidemic of the waterborne diseasewhich spread after a massive earthquake shook the nation in 2010saw a resurgence after Matthew devastated the country in early October.

The number of recorded cholera cases more than doubled in Haiti between September and October. Almost half of the patients were in the two southern departments hardest hit by the hurricaneareas that until now were not major focal points of the fight against cholera.

Suspected cases of the disease fell 25 percentfrom 2,400 to 1,800between October to November, according to the latest report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Haiti.

The UN says the situation has improved thanks to a three-fold increase in the deployment of emergency teams, the delivery of drinking water aid and a vaccination campaign.

But funding is critical to support the humanitarian needs of the poorest country in the Americas, said Mourad Wahba, the deputy special representative for the UN's stabilization mission in Haiti.

No funds have been set aside yet beyond the first quarter of 2017, which OCHA said could lead to a heightened risk of hospital mortality if none are ultimately allocated.

"The rainy season will return and inevitably there will be an increase in the number of cholera cases," said Wahba.

"I'm optimistic, but it all depends on the funding."

Cholera struck nearly 40,000 patients between January and November, killing 420 of them. On a global scale, Haiti's cholera epidemic is the most vicious in recent history.

The disease causes acute diarrhea and is transmitted through contaminated drinking watera major challenge in a country with poor sanitary conditions.

According to numerous independent experts, cholera was introduced to Haiti by infected Nepalese UN peacekeepers sent to the Caribbean country following the earthquake.

Since October 2010, the epidemic has killed more than 9,400 Haitians and infected more than 800,000 people.

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Was it an accident? Was it intentional? Who cares! Kris Dunn just pulled some AND1 Tour junk on Shabazz Napier, and its fun to watch Napiers spirit leave his body as he turns to watch Dunn track down the dribble. You can almost hear his internal monologue. Please dont dunk this and put me on highlights until I die.

Unfortunately, even if Dunn heard said monologue he disregarded it entirely, like a waiter who definitely saw you put your finger up for service but who was too busy doing whatever it was he needed to do to come get you another drink. Look, weve all got things we have to do in this world, and Dunn had to embarrass Napier for the entire internet to see. Those are the rules.

Dunn then kicked the ball out for a made jumper by Gorgui Dieng, so it should live on in highlights for a little bit. Could you imagine if Dieng missed that shot? Hed never live that down.

The Trail Blazers won 95-89, proving that revenge is a dish best served  seriously, who cares? That assist should have been worth seven points and given Minnesota the win, and were not hearing it any other way.

(Bleacher Report on Twitter)
Kuwait City (AFP) - A court in Kuwait on Monday sentenced a couple to death after finding them guilty of torturing their three-year-old daughter until she died, it said in a statement.

The parents, both Kuwaitis, were arrested in May and accused of beating and torturing the girl until she died and then keeping her body in a freezer for a week.

The court statement only gave the verdict but, according to media reports at the time of their arrest, they had been annoyed by their daughter's constant crying.

The father, 26-year-old Salem Buhan, and mother, 23-year-old Amira Hussein, were charged with murder after police found burn marks on the shoulders and legs of the toddler's body, according to the interior ministry.

The ministry also said they were drug addicts.

The verdict is not final as it must be reviewed by the appeals and supreme courts.

Executions in Kuwait are carried out by hanging.

Barring the execution of five men in mid-2013, the Gulf emirate has stopped executing people since 2007 although dozens of men and women are on death row.
Lionsgates musical romance La La Land took home the top honor at the 21st edition of the Capri Hollywood International Film Festival, with the Italian fest naming the movie best film of the year.

The award was announced Monday by festival founder and producer Pascal Vicedomini. Damien Chazelles La La Land, starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, won more prizes than any other film at this years fest, with six trophies. Those include best actress for Stone, best ensemble cast, best photography for Linus Sandgren, best score for Justin Hurwitz, and best song for City of Stars.

Lion and Hacksaw Ridge both followed closely behind with five awards each. The Weinstein Companys Lion won the Humanitarian Award, best supporting actor for Dev Patel, best supporting actress for Nicole Kidman, best adapted screenplay for Saroo Brierley and Luke Davies, and the Capri Peace Award for Sia for her song Never Give Up.

Mel Gibsons Hacksaw Ridge won best drama, best director, best editor for John Gilbert, best producer for Bill Mechanic, and best actor for Andrew Garfield, an award that he shares with Michael Keaton for The Founder.

The comedy of the year prize went to Meryl Streeps Florence Foster Jenkins, which also won European director of the year for Stephen Frears. Fire at Sea received awards for best documentary and best European movie of 2016.

Best script went to Kenneth Lonergans Manchester by the Sea, and Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo won best set design and decorations and best costumes for Martin Scorseses Silence. Toni Erdmann was named best foreign-language film, and Disneys Moana took the prize for best animated movie.

In TV, Medici: Masters of Florence won the fests TV Series 2016 honor.

This was an extraordinary edition for the quality of the artists who attended and the variety of works presented, said Vicedomini in a statement. Im positive that most of our award winners will go on to be honored at the Golden Globes and the Oscars. Best wishes to everyone and see you at the 22nd edition of Capri, Hollywood.

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RENO, Nev. (AP)  Madeleine Pickens wanted the African-American chef she recruited from the country club she owns in Southern California to cook "black people food"  not "white people food"  at her rural Nevada dude ranch and wild horse sanctuary, according to a federal lawsuit accusing her of racial discrimination.

Armand Appling says the wealthy philanthropist and ex-wife of Oklahoma energy tycoon T. Boone Pickens told him fried chicken, BBQ ribs and corn bread would be perfect for the tourists who pay nearly $2,000 a night to stay in plush cottages, ride horses and take Wild West "safaris" on ATVs at her Mustang Monument Wild Horse Eco-Resort.

Appling alleges he was fired 2014 in retaliation for complaining about a hostile work environment. He says Pickens' stereotypical references were commonplace at the Elko County ranch stretching across 900 square miles on the edge of the Ruby Mountains about 50 miles west of the Utah line.

Among other things, he says Pickens, who is white, instructed him to terminate two other black kitchen staffers  one she referred to as her "bull" or "ox" and another who had "too much personality." He says she told him they didn't "look like people we have working at the country club" and didn't "fit the image" of the staff she wanted at the ranch.

Pickens' lawyers argue that even if all the allegations are true, none of her comments were racially motivated. At worst, Pickens' remarks "reflect a non-racial personality conflict and amount to discourtesy, rudeness or lack of sensitivity," they wrote in recent court filings.

U.S. District Judge Miranda Du said during a hearing in Reno last week that Appling's lawyers have failed so far to prove the sort of racial hostility needed to win such a civil rights claim. She dismissed the original lawsuit that was filed in February but gave them until Jan. 13 to refile an amended complaint seeking unspecified damages from Pickens' nonprofit, Save America's Mustangs.

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"It takes a lot to prove these allegations," Du told California attorney Willie Williams on Thursday.

Du agreed with Pickens' lawyer, Dora Lane of Reno, that the only comment that specifically referred to race was the reference to "black people food."

Lane said categorizing foods by ethnicity is commonplace in the restaurant industry. Some restaurants serve Mexican food, others Chinese or Thai food, she said.

"The suggestion that such categorizations are inherently offensive is nonsense," Lane argued in earlier court documents. "This is especially true here, given that Pickens' alleged comments actually reflect a preference for 'black people food' rather than a racial animas against 'black people' or 'black people food.'"

Williams said Pickens' comments about the fired employees "not fitting in" reinforces a long history of African-Americans not being allowed into elite, private-club settings. Pickens owns the exclusive Del Mar Country Club north of San Diego where Appling worked before she hired him for a 5-month stint in Nevada.

"In many cases, the people fighting to keep African-Americans out of these private clubs would use code phrases like 'they do not fit the image,'" Williams said in court documents. He added the use of the words "ox" and "bull" implies ownership of property, given "America's long history of slavery where they were considered personal property of their owners."

Lane argued it was a complimentary reference to physical strength and "was not accompanied by any overtly racial slurs."

"Indeed, Appling does not allege that he ever heard any overtly racial epithets, such as the 'N-word,'" she wrote in court documents.

But Williams told the judge last week the comments must be viewed in the context of racial stereotypes.

Du agreed that Lane's arguments focus on the "plain meaning of words" while seemingly ignoring the context of comments made about "African-Americans in history and stereotypes that could give rise to racial animas."

"If the alleged comments were not directed at him, but others who look like him, it may affect his work environment," the judge said.
By Alonso Soto BRASILIA (Reuters) - A prison riot has left at least 56 dead, with decapitated bodies thrown over prison walls in the bloodiest violence in more than two decades in Brazil's overcrowded penitentiary system, officials in the Amazon city of Manaus said on Monday. Sergio Fontes, the security chief for Amazonas state, told a news conference the death toll could rise as authorities get a clearer idea of the rebellion, sparked by a fight between rival drug gangs. Fontes told reporters several decapitated bodies were thrown over the prison wall, with most of those killed coming from the Sao Paulo-based First Capital Command (PCC) drug gang. Authorities had previously said around 60 were dead. "This was another chapter in the silent and ruthless war of drug trafficking," he said. Justice Minister Alexandre de Moraes will travel to Manaus on Monday to meet with Amazonas Governor Jose Melo Oliveira and other federal security officials regarding the riot, his ministry said. Pedro Florencio, the Amazonas state prison secretary, said the massacre was a "revenge killing" in a feud between criminal gangs in Brazil. The violence began late Sunday and was brought under control by around 7 a.m. AMT (6 a.m. ET) on Monday, Fontes said. A total of 184 inmates escaped, with 40 recaptured by Monday afternoon. Just as the riot began in one unit of the Anisio Jobim prison complex, dozens of prisoners in the second unit started a mass escape in what authorities said was a coordinated effort to distract guards. Overcrowding is extremely common in Brazil's prisons, which suffer endemic violence and what rights groups call medieval conditions with food scarce and cells so packed that prisoners have no space to lie down. The Anisio Jobim prison complex currently houses 2,230 inmates despite having a capacity of only 590. Hours after the Anisio Jobim prison revolt ended, prisoners at in an adjoining detention center began a riot and attempted to escape. Authorities said the situation was quickly brought under control. Watchdog groups sharply criticize Brazil for its prisons where deadly riots routinely break out. "These massacres occur almost daily in Brazil," said Father Valdir Silveira, director of Pastoral Carceraria, a Catholic center that monitors prison conditions in Brazil. "Our prisons were built to annihilate, torture and kill." The violence was the latest clash between inmates aligned with PCC, Brazil's most-powerful drug gang, and a local Manaus criminal group known as the North Family. The Manaus-based gang is widely believed to be attacking PCC inmates at the behest of the Rio de Janeiro-based Red Command (CV) drug gang, Brazil's second largest. BROKEN TRUCE Security analysts have said that a truce that held for years between the PCC and CV was broken last year, resulting in months of deadly prison battles between the gangs and sparking fears that chaos will spread to other prisons. In the latest riot, a group of inmates exchanged gunfire with police and held 12 prison guards hostage late on Sunday in the largest prison in Manaus, an industrial city on the banks of the Amazon River, Globo TV reported. Fontes said 74 prisoners were taken hostage during the riot, with some executed and some released. A video posted on the website of the Manaus-based newspaper Em Tempo showed dozens of bloodied and mutilated bodies piled on the prison floor as other inmates milled about. Sunday's riot was the deadliest in years. A 1992 rebellion at the Carandiru prison in Sao Paulo state saw 111 inmates killed, nearly all of them by police retaking the jail. Maria Canineu, director of Human Rights Watch for Brazil, said the most recent violence was the result of "no government in 20 years giving much attention to the penitentiary system." Canineu said that for years it has been difficult for states to receive any funding help from the federal government for prisons. President Michel Temer announced last week that the federal government would furnish states with 1.2 billion reais ($366 million), mostly to improve infrastructure and security in existing prisons and to build new ones. (Reporting by Alonso Soto and Pedro Fonseca in Rio de Janeiro; Writing by Brad Brooks and Bruno Federowski; Editing by Daniel Flynn, Alan Crosby and David Gregorio)
BENGHAZI, Libya (AP)  A prominent member of the presidential council of Libya's U.N.-backed government in Tripoli resigned on Monday, a major blow to the fledgling body attempting to assert authority over the fractured North African nation.

Citing the inability of the government to rule the country, Musa al-Koni's announcement was the first such resignation by one of the nine members of the council, formed in early 2016.

"We failed to resolve the political crisis," he told reporters at a televised press conference in the capital, Tripoli. "We failed to solve citizens' everyday problems, and the problems have increased since we entered the country and unsolved problems have accumulated."

Al-Koni, a deputy prime minister from southern Libya, leaves the council with internal conflict on the rise in Libya, even as its factions have managed to drive out most of the Islamic State militants who had been plaguing it in the central coastal city of Sirte, which had been its last bastion in Libya.

Last week, the deputy head of the presidential council, Fathi Al-Mijabri, issued a decree to appoint one of his loyal supporters as the head of the intelligence services, stoking the ire of other members who called his move illegal.

The bickering comes just after the central bank approved a $26 billion annual state budget for the country.

The U.N.-brokered presidential council was created as an attempt to establish a unity government to end the chaos that has plagued Libya since the ouster and killing of longtime strongman Moammar Gadhafi in a 2011 uprising. Instead, Libya remains divided between east and west, with no effective government and rival factions and militias.

The presidential council, headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj, has little power despite it being Libya's internationally recognized government.

The parliament in Libya's eastern city of Tobruk has refused to endorse the U.N. peace deal because it would give the council control over the army, effectively squeezing out Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter who commands the Libyan National Army and who dominates the east.
In this April 12, 2016, file photo, Patrick Conway, director of the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation, poses for a photograph in the center's offices in Baltimore County, Md. Heart attacks and broken hips are the cause of much suffering as people grow older, and now Medicare is trying to change the way it pays for treatment to promote better quality and try to contain costs. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

Heart attacks and broken hips cause much suffering and worry as people grow older. This year, Medicare wants to start changing how it pays for treatment of these life-threatening conditions, to promote quality and contain costs. Beneficiaries and family members may notice a new approach.

Hospitals and doctors in dozens of communities selected for large-scale experiments on this front are already gearing up. The goal is to test the notion that better coordination among clinicians, hospitals, and rehab centers can head off complications, prevent avoidable hospital re-admissions and help patients achieve more stable and enduring recoveries. If results back that up, Medicare can adopt the changes nationwide.

The cardiac and hip fracture experiments are the latest development in a big push under the Obama administration to reinvent Medicare, steering the program away from paying piecemeal for services, regardless of quality and cost. It's unclear whether Donald Trump as president will continue the pace of change, slow down or even hit pause.

Trump's Health and Human Services nominee, orthopedic-surgeon-turned-congressman Tom Price, has expressed general concern that the doctor-patient relationship could be harmed by Medicare payment changes seeking to contain costs. And the Medicare division that designed the experimentsthe Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovationis itself under threat of being abolished because it was created by President Barack Obama's 2010 health care law.

Some outside groups, including AARP, worry that Medicare may be moving too fast and that focusing on cost containment could lead to beneficiaries being shortchanged on rehab care.

Innovation center director Patrick Conway, who also serves as Medicare's chief medical officer, is plowing ahead nonetheless. "Delivery system reform and paying for better care are bipartisan issues," Conway said. And quality ranks ahead of cost savings in evaluating any results, he added.

The cardiac and hip fracture experiments focus on traditional Medicare, which remains the choice of nearly 7 in 10 out of Medicare's 57 million beneficiaries. The cardiac experiment involves both heart bypass and heart attack patients. The trials join similar ongoing tests involving surgery for hip and knee replacement, as well as care for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

In the experiments, doctors, hospitals, and rehab centers get paid the regular Medicare rates. But hospitals are given responsibility for overall quality and cost, measured against benchmarks set by Medicare. If the hospital meets or exceeds the goals, it earns a financial bonus, which can be shared with other service providers. If the hospital falls short, it may have to pay the government money.

"Now your doctor and hospital are working together to make sure they are well coordinated," said Conway.

Under the old system, if a patient was discharged from the hospital after a heart attack, "they might hand you a piece of paper that said please follow up with your primary care doctor," Conway continued. "In this model, the hospital is going to have a strong incentive to make sure you follow up."

Overall, about 168,000 Medicare beneficiaries are treated for heart attacks in a given year, while 48,000 undergo heart bypass surgery for clogged arteries and 109,000 have surgery for broken hips.

Around the country, hospitals in 98 metro areas will be involved in the cardiac experiment. The hip surgery experiment involves 67 areas that are also part of Medicare's ongoing test with hip and knee replacements.

Areas in the cardiac test include Boston, as well as Akron, Ohio; Charleston, South Carolina; Fort Collins, Colorado; Utica, New York; and Yuma, Arizona. A smaller group of communities will be involved in a related experiment that pays hospitals for coordinating rehab care for heart patients. Although the benefits of cardiac rehab are widely recognized, only a small share of patients receives it.

The hip fracture test includes the Miami, New York, and Los Angeles metro areas, as well as Austin, Texas; Bismarck, North Dakota; Flint, Michigan, and New Orleans.

Hospitals are not happy with the changes, though doctors have generally been supportive. A big concern for hospitals is that Medicare requires mandatory participation by all the facilities in areas selected for these tests. But Conway says that's likely to lead to even better results. The idea is that hospitals will watch each other's performance closely, and the ones that have room to improve will try to catch the high achievers.

 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
(Reuters) - A getaway car thought to have been stolen by a man who escaped from a maximum security detention facility in Rhode Island over the weekend has been found in neighboring Massachusetts, authorities said on Monday.

James Morales, 35, suspected of stealing weapons from a U.S. Army Reserve Center in Massachusetts in November 2015, escaped from the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility on Saturday, prompting a manhunt.

The Massachusetts State Police said they have recovered the car believe was stolen by Morales.

"Morales remains at large and is being intensively sought by law enforcement," they said.

Officials from the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility, which was holding Morales, did not respond to requests for comment. The facility is operated by the Central Falls Detention Facility Corporation.

Morales is thought to have scaled a building and climbed over razor-wire fencing before stealing a getaway vehicle, local media reported the U.S. Marshals Service as saying, adding law enforcement found bloodied prison clothing they believe he was wearing at the time of the escape.

Two corrections officers at the facility have been placed on leave pending an investigation, WBZ-TV News reported.

Morales is suspected of stealing six military rifles and 10 handguns from a U.S. Army Reserve Center in Worcester, about 45 miles (70 kms) west of Boston, in November 2015.

He broke into the facility through a kitchen window, federal prosecutors said, citing surveillance video and an electronic monitoring bracelet Morales had been ordered to wear by a court as a condition of release on bail for a separate sexual assault charge.

Morales had gone to the facility earlier that week to pick up copies of his military discharge papers.

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Bernard Orr)
On Jan 2, we issued an updated research report on Marriott International, Inc. MAR.



Starwood Acquisition



After announcing the acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts on Sep 23, Marriott has become the worlds largest hotel company, spanning across 120 countries with over 6,000 properties. Shares of the company have gained nearly 21% since the date while Marriotts peer group has gained 8.6% in the same time frame, depicting the positive effect of the acquisition.



With the completion of this acquisition, Marriott's distribution has more than doubled in Asia and the Middle East & Africa combined. Also, the merger is expected to result in a bigger brand with increased scale and a robust development pipeline in the long run. Marriott believes that the deal will be accretive to cash flow and earnings by the second year following closure and result in annual cost savings of at least $250 million on the back of lower operating, and general & administrative expenses.





Other Prospects



With the boost in the economy and an improvement in business and leisure travel, Marriott is well poised to grow in the near as well as long term, in major North American and international locations.



Meanwhile, Marriott is consistently trying to expand its presence worldwide and capitalize on the demand for hotels in the international markets. The company anticipated gross room additions of 6% in 2016.



The hotel company is also trying to expand its footprint outside the U.S., especially in Asia, Latin America, Middle East and Africa. In addition to the consistently growing European pipeline, the company expects its distribution in the Caribbean and Latin American region too to increase 75% by 2018.



Moreover, digital innovations and social media are starting to play an increasingly important role in bookings, by connecting directly with guests, which in turn can lead to increased loyalty and market share.



The company also believes that the linking of three industry-leading guest loyalty programs  Marriott Rewards, Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest would lead to an even larger loyalty community.



Most importantly, frequent share buybacks and continuous increase in quarterly dividend payments affirm the companys optimistic outlook and growth prospects.



Risks Faced



Despite immense growth potential, a sluggish economy in Brazil is weighing on demand in the Latin American region. In the Middle East, political unrest and low oil prices continue to hurt tourism. Moreover, the slowdown in the Chinese economy is hurting discretionary spending and, in turn, travel. Also, Marriott expects pandemic virus like Zika to continue to temper growth in the Caribbean region.



Meanwhile, in the domestic market, the company is facing increased competition in New York due to oversupply of hotels. Further, soft demand in the oil producing regions is expected to continue hurting RevPAR (Revenue per Available Room).



In Europe too, economic/political conditions are expected to remain challenging post-Brexit. Given Marriotts considerable presence in Europe, this might limit its business growth. Additionally, soft economic conditions in France, weak demand in Russia as well terror threats in some major locations are expected to hurt revenues of the company.



On the other hand, Marriotts considerable international presence makes it highly vulnerable to fluctuations in exchange rates. Significant currency headwinds are also affecting most of the other hoteliers across the world, including Hyatt Hotels Corporation H, Hilton Worldwide Holdings HLT, Wyndham Worldwide Corporation WYN, etc. This volatility is expected to prevail in the near term.



Bottom Line



Due to all these factors, estimates for the companys earnings have been moving down over the past few days. Resultantly, current quarter and current year estimates have been revised downward by 4.6% and 3.6%, respectively, over the last 60 days, reflecting some anticipation in analysts minds.



However, we believe that after sorting out the integration challenges posed by acquisitions in general, this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company is well poised to grow in the long term, despite the headwinds.



You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here .



Zacks' Top 10 Stocks for 2017



In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest tickers for the entirety of 2017?



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Zacks Investment Research
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Small groups of protesters blockaded some roads and gasoline stations in Mexico on Monday to protest a government price deregulation that sent the price of fuel up by as much as 20 percent over the weekend.

One group blockaded a privately owned gasoline station on Mexico City's main boulevard, shouting: "The people, united, will never be defeated!"

"This will increase the cost of living for all Mexicans. It will make more expensive transportation, basic food stuffs, food, and it will ultimately hit Mexican families," said Rafael Sotocruz, a nurse who was protesting at the station.

On a busy highway leading into the capital from the west, another group blocked traffic and held up a banner reading "Enough already!"

Reports on social media and local newspaper sites suggested small, intermittent protests popped up at a half dozen other sites across the country.

The Mexican government said the deregulation had long been planned, but unfortunately coincided with rising world oil prices. The deregulation is aimed at ending subsidies that the government says largely benefit wealthier Mexicans and at attracting interest in private participation in the newly opened fuel market

"Unfortunately, it coincided with a significant increase in international oil prices," said Miguel Messmacher, Mexico's assistant finance secretary.

That, and a drop in the value of the Mexican peso against the dollar in 2016, probably would have resulted in gas price hikes last year, but the government was still setting prices then. Mexico imports much of its gasoline, even though it exports crude oil.

"It was precisely because we were limiting these (price) movements in some ways that gave rise to this pent-up increase," Messmacher said.

"These things always create bad feelings," he added. "That is very clear, and very understandable. It is very clear to us that this is obviously an unpopular measure."

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When the deregulation took effect on New Year's Day protesters snarled traffic on one of the country's main north-south highways.

Gasoline supplies have begun stabilizing after some stations were recently left dry due to what officials described as panic buying, increased holiday demand, unforeseen shipping delays and damage to pipelines that officials blamed on a surge in fuel thefts.

Authorities still haven't explained why pipelines thefts increased so dramatically in early December, but the government was forced to increase military patrols by 60 percent to combat the thefts. Thieves steal about $1.4 billion worth of fuel products annually from pipelines operated by the state oil company, Pemex, according to official estimates.

The 2017 price deregulation is part of a broader overhaul of Mexico's energy sector passed two years ago under President Enrique Pena Nieto allowing some private investment and ending more than seven decades of state monopoly over oil.

In a second phase later this year, other companies will be allowed to begin importing and distributing gasoline instead of Pemex handling the entire supply chain.
Sweet Dees got a new gig over on Fox  but is it your cup of tea?

Its Always Sunny in Philadelphias Kaitlin Olson stars in The Mick, which kicked off its midseason run with a special New Years Day premiere.

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The series centers on Olsons Mickey who, make no mistake, is an absolute degenerate. In an opening montage, she can be seen putting out a cigarette in a cantaloupe, doing whippets from a can of whipped cream, washing a Twinkie down with mouthwash and shaving her armpits openly in the aisles of a grocery store. As it turns out, this is her way of preparing to visit her estranged, rich sister Pamela (Old Christines Tricia OKelley) in hopes of snagging a loan.

Their awkward reunion is cut short when the FBI raids Pamelas posh Connecticut residence and arrests both her and her husband for fraud. At some point, they manage to flee the country, leaving Mickey responsible for her niece and nephews.

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Obviously not fit to be the kids legal guardian, you might be left to wonder how Mickeys first few days of parenting went down. Well, lets recap:

* After getting off on the wrong foot with snooty niece Sabrina (The Night Ofs Sofia Black-DElia), Mickey challenges her to a drinking contest, dosing her absinthe with six different sleep aids to keep her from heading out to a party. Later, she inadvertently encourages Sabrina to steal an owl from school and release it back into the wild. After Sabrina sets her up to be attacked by the owl, Mickey may or may not have fed it to her for dinner.

* Mickey advises Chip (Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camps Thomas Barbusca), the middle child, to stand up to his bully by revealing the kid has a tiny pecker. Unfortunately, the kids pecker is unusually large, and sends Chip running home with a bloodied nose.

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* Theres also adorable younger nephew Ben (newcomer Jack Stanton), who Mickey lets skip out on school because he misses his parents. During their afternoon bonding sesh, Mickey sets a park trash can on fire to distract an ice cream vendor, and steals popsicles for the both of them. She later uses Bens unlimited credit card to take them both on a shopping spree.

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There are other characters who populate The Mick, including Mickeys schlub of a boyfriend Jimmy (Angie Tribecas Scott MacArther), who leaves her for dead after accidentally hitting her with his car while fleeing the FBI raid. We also meet Liz (Vice Principals Susan Park), the meddling neighbor eager to prove that Mickeys not fit to look after the kids. Last but not least is Alba the maid (Last Man Standings Carla Jimenez); Mickey quickly forms a bond with her, which comes in handy when Liz and a security guard come a-knockin at a moment when she appears completely out of her element.

The dark comedy, which closes out Episode 1 with the reveal that the Pamela and her husband wont be back anytime soon, will likely require one or two more viewings before audiences can decide whether theyre hooked. Nonetheless, The Mick is a fine showcase for Olson. The show settles into its regularly day and time  Tuesdays at 8:30/7:30c  on Jan. 3.

What did you think of The Mick? Grade the premiere via our poll, then chime in below.

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Zagreb (AFP) - Around 50 migrants staged a protest in the Croatian capital Zagreb on Monday claiming they have suffered attacks by unknown assailants, state-run HRT television reported.

The protesters gathered in front of an asylum seekers centre where they are housed, carrying banners saying "Refugees are not criminals" and "We came for peace."

The migrants claimed that several of them were attacked in the city at the weekend, and accused the police of failing to respond to their reports of violence.

According to Zagreb police, two incidents were reported on Saturday, involving a total of five migrants, and that police were now looking for the alleged assailants. The nature of the attacks was not disclosed.

One of the migrants, whose nationalities were not revealed, was taken to a hospital while the remaining four declined medical help, the police statement said.

Croatia lies on the so-called Balkan route taken by hundreds of thousands of migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa since mid-2015 on their way to western Europe.

The route was effectively shut down in March, but migrants have continued to cross the region in smaller numbers -- a few hundred a day -- often brought there by traffickers.

Croatia, a member of the European Union, has said it can accommodate around 600 migrants in its reception centres which are currently full.
By Michael O'Boyle CLEARWATER, Fla. (Reuters) - In central Mexicos Mezquital Valley, new pick-up trucks bounce along unpaved roads and U.S.-style houses are springing up alongside cornfields. But people are afraid that remittances from family members abroad, a primary source of funding for such purchases, may soon dry up. During the holiday season, even as money and gifts have flowed into the area from relatives working in the United States, residents have fretted about what a Trump presidency will mean for them and family members working in the United States. During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump said he would stop allowing wire transfers of money out of the United States from Mexican nationals unless Mexico agreed to fund a border wall. Migrants in the United States are expected to have sent a record $27 billion in remittances into Mexico in 2016, according to BBVA Bancomer, an increase of more than $2 billion over 2015. Remittances jumped nearly 25 percent to almost $2.4 billion in November from a year earlier, the biggest annual increase for any month since March 2006, Mexican central bank data released on Monday showed. Monica Arroyo, who lives in a village outside Ixmiquilpan, the Mezquital Valleys largest town, said she depends on the $200 a month her daughter, an undocumented restaurant worker in Clearwater, Florida, sends home. If they return our migrants, therell be more poverty, because up there they have work and help maintain us, she said. Here there is no work. In recent months, Trump has not elaborated on his threat to block money transfers, and a 10-point immigration plan on his transition website makes no mention of the subject. But the possibility is affecting migrants' remittance decisions. Members of the Trump transition team did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Remittances have become a huge prop for the Mexican economy, compared to the $18.5 billion in revenue from oil exports in 2015 or nearly $340 billion in manufactured goods, according to the national statistics agency. MIXED RESPONSES In Florida, Arroyos daughter, who asked to be identified only by her last name, Hernandez, said she and her husband decided against sending holiday presents to Mexico this Christmas out of fear they will need money if they lose their jobs or be deported after Trump takes office. "My husband and I are living with this fear there's going to come a moment where all of a sudden we're going to have to go," Hernandez said, speaking in the living room of her Florida apartment as her three U.S.-born children played by a Christmas tree. Other Mezquital Valley migrants in Florida say they are sending more money than usual this holiday season in case they are unable to do so once Trump takes office. One migrant, an auto mechanic who asked to be identified only by his first name, Salomon, because he does not have papers, said his wife recently panicked and sent their entire nest egg back to Mexico, thinking it would be safer there. She told me 'if something happens to us, maybe we can still keep the little we have', he said in an interview in Clearwater. In 2015, the area around Ixmiquilpan, home to about 94,000 people, received about $100 million in remittances from abroad, according to data from Mexicos central bank, more than 10 times the municipal government's annual budget. Maria de la Luz Pioquinto, an immigrant from Ixmiquilpan who runs a money transfer business in Clearwater, said her Mexican customers doubled their average transfers right after the Nov. 8 election but are now waiting to see what happens. They are worried about still having work, and they are worried about providing for their families back home, she said. DOLLAR FEVER Leonardo Rodriguez was one of the first migrants from the Mezquital Valley to the Gulf Coast of Florida, ending up in Clearwater in 1987 after making a wrong turn trying to get to Disney World. He said he understands why young people have continued to go north. "Why would you study if, when you get out, there is no work? Instead they decide to go to another country." Rodriguez now lives in the United States legally and owns three restaurants. He works with local officials in Mexico to help channel remittances into projects in Ixmiquilpan, including a roof over a village school yard. Michael Clemens, who studies remittances and migration at the Center for Global Development, says that "for countless towns like Ixmiquilpan, remittances are an economic lifeline." The money sent back usually gets reinvested locally, he said, "in better schooling for kids, better care for the elderly, and better housing." Blocking the funds, he said, would mean "that more people close to the edge fall over the edge." (Additional reporting by Roberto Aguilar; Editing by Dave Graham, Sue Horton and James Dalgleish)
Its not easy being a mixed martial artist, even when youre as skilled and famous as Ronda Rousey. It seems like the higher the public lifts you up when youre winning, the harder theyll toss you back down to the ground after a loss or two. For Rousey, this means her latest loss at UFC 207 has opened the floodgates to endless memes and snarky comments directed her way. But anyone can paste a picture of Ronda Rousey getting punched into the cover art for Radioheads The Bends. It takes someone special to come up with an original new dance, and fellow MMA star Michael Venom Page is that special someone.

Page knows a little bit about brutal MMA losses, having dealt out several of them during his career in regional UK promotions and Bellator. Most recently, he made headlines for literally caving in the skull of his opponent with a flying knee and following it up by throwing a Poke Ball at his downed foe.

In this video, an oldschool breakbeat plays as a voice hypnotically suggests we all do the Ronda Rousey. Page staggers around his impromptu dancefloor, his shoes flying through all the major footwork no-nos Ronda performed in her 48 second loss to Brazilian powerhouse Amanda Nunes.

If theres one criticism we have with this video, its that it didnt include the Airplane, which was what Rousey was basically doing by the end of the fight when the referee stepped in to save her.

UFC

Rousey has been scarce since her loss last Friday night, but she did release an official statement to ESPN saying she needs to take some time to reflect and think about the future. Whether shell return to the cage again isnt clear, but wed certainly love it if she did. Perhaps the second half of 2017 can feature another Ronda Rousey dance, one that involves pumping your fist in the air in victory.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A team of University of California, San Francisco scientists has turned the mysteries of embryonic development into colorful Disney-like videos, portraying for the first time in detail the precarious journey of the earliest days of life.

Their videos reveal the long-hidden choreography between a mouse embryo and the mother's uterus as it prepares for pregnancy, and their 3-D imaging technique could lead to improved treatments for women, showing what's needed for a successful pregnancy, researcher Ripla Arora and a team from UCSF wrote in the latest issue of the journal Development.

"You need a 'conversation' between the embryo and the mother" as the newly conceived life seeks a secure spot to grow, said Arora, a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of co-author Diana Laird, an associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at UCSF.

By understanding these dynamic processes, it becomes easier to identify how and why things go wrong, which could provide a deeper understanding of infertility or miscarriage.

For instance, the technique could help explain why pregnancies fail because of certain genetic mutations, exposure to environmental toxins in plastics and common household products, or even metabolic disease and obesity.

"We hope to finally understand aspects of early pregnancy that remained a mystery," said Laird, "such as how the embryo finds its home within the uterus and what factors are needed for it to implant successfully."

Their 3-D imaging technique has been used in other fields of medicine, such as viewing organs, but until now, it had never been used to view a wandering embryo inside a quickly changing uterus.

The early days of conception are a so-called "black box" in reproductive medicine because two-dimensional modeling doesn't fully capture the complex process.

While scientists have deeply studied the early development of the tiny embryo itself, they have only limited understanding of the much larger environment in a uterus that embryos must navigate.

The changing landscape of the uterus is unexplored terrain. We don't know why it is sometimes welcoming and at other times formidable. As a result, in vitro fertilization doctors can't explain why some implanted embryos flourish while others don't - posing a heartbreaking and expensive experience for couples.

The UCSF team's footage - computationally highlighted, with bright colors - shows a tiny mouse embryo, colored red, implanted in a cozy pocket of its mother's uterus, colored gray, surrounded by multihued glands.

It visualizes for the first time how the structure of the animal's uterus changes as the moment of embryonic attachment comes closer.

The uterine lining becomes folded, like a mountain range, creating little pockets.

The embryo lands in one of these pockets, perhaps preparing itself to attach.

As it attaches, the ductwork of the uterine glands - which provide nourishment - change shape and direction, pointing toward the newly implanted embryo like flowers facing the sun.

Timing is everything. "The uterus is only receptive to attachment of the embryo for a brief time," said Laird.

The researchers suspect these changes are key to the uterus's ability to accept and nourish an embryo through its first weeks.

Visualizing this process is a needle-in-a-haystack challenge. A mouse embryo is roughly 100 microns in size - about the diameter of a human hair. The uterine horn, where it implants, is about 50 times larger.

Two state-of-the-art tools made the discovery possible: high-end microscopes and specialized software to render images of biological tissues.

"This has been the culmination of advanced microscopy techniques and computer science," said Laird.

The beauty of the 3-D model, said Arora, is that it offers a close-up view of the tiny embryo and, by zooming out and rotating, also shows the entire larger uterine structure.

It is unethical to use this same approach to study human pregnancies, because it is invasive and destructive.

But the team's analyses of human uteri, discarded after hysterectomies, shows we share similarities and differences with mice. While the geometry of a human uterus seems less complex, the density and organization of our uterine glands are more complex.

The researchers hope future experiments will reveal whether the human uterus also forms pockets and reorients the glands.

"Being able to do these experiments in mice," said Laird, "will help us understand what makes pregnancy a success in humans, as well."

2016 The Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.)

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
FRASER, Mich. (AP)  Most residents evacuated from 22 homes after a sinkhole developed in suburban Detroit should return in a week, officials said Sunday as a former congresswoman took charge on her first day as Macomb County public works commissioner and declared "all hands on deck."

Candice Miller said it probably will take a month to build a temporary bypass to get around the sewer line that failed and caused the sinkhole in Fraser. The sinkhole was discovered on Dec. 24. Three homes likely are beyond repair.

Miller publicly appealed to more than 300,000 residents in 11 communities to reduce toilet flushes and take brief showers to ease pressure on the broken line.

"We are going to solve this problem ... I don't know how much it's going to cost, and I don't know what the final fix will be. It will most likely be some sort of lining that will be necessary in this pipe," Miller told reporters, speaking over the roar of heavy machinery.

Residents evacuated from 19 of the 22 homes, mostly because utilities had to be shut off, should be able to return by Jan. 9, Fraser Mayor Joe Nichols said.

Miller, a former Michigan secretary of state, served 14 years in Congress before running this year for public works commissioner in Macomb County. She said she's reaching out to federal and state governments for financial help. Gov. Rick Snyder plans to visit the site.

"It's all hands on deck. We want everyone involved in this thing," said Miller, a Republican.

County Executive Mark Hackel, a Democrat and the county's top elected official, repeatedly expressed confidence in Miller. He said residents affected by the sinkhole definitely "need to be made whole." It's unclear how that will happen.

Miller defeated longtime public works Commissioner Anthony Marrocco, who didn't tour the sinkhole site during his last week in office.

"There has been zero transition. ... I was never contacted by the former commissioner," Miller said.

___

Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwhiteap
Lagom is the latest Scandinavian lifestyle trend to hit the UK [Photo: Instagram/dyerlinee]

No one knew how to pronounce it but hygge  or the Danish art of living cosily  took over the winter of 2016.

Now, theres another Scandinavian lifestyle trend to jump on to. Forget hot chocolates and layers upon layers of knitwear and enter the time of lagom.

The idea of being frugal and creating balance, lagom translates to just the right amount. Its a state of having not too much of one-or-the-other, but more a Goldilocks just right, according to Kathleen Bryson, a PhD student in evolutionary anthropology.

If this is the first time youre hearing the word, you may be surprised to find that its the title of a Bristol-based magazine celebrating people with a good work/life balance, the name of a Korean beauty brand and the inspiration behind IKEAs latest project. Live Lagom is a three-year initiative aiming to teach people how to make sustainable living easier, more affordable and attractive. The furniture giant is handing out gift vouchers to customers to encourage them to purchase IKEAs range of eco-friendly products.

Lagom has inspired a number of brands from beauty to fashion [Photo: Instagram/168_____cm]

This is a way of life for most households in Sweden. Scandinavians are greener than Britons because theres a feeling of collective action  everyones doing their bit, IKEAs head of sustainability, Joanna Yarrow told the Evening Standard.

Although the word is seen as being pretty dull in Sweden, it seems a sense of stability in post-Brexit Britain is what people are really looking for. Lagoms focus on environmentalism and reducing waste will appeal to those already embarking on the clean living hype.

We think lagom will become even bigger than hygge. In a world of extremes and contradictions, a calm, soothing promise of a happier, more balanced way of life is very attractive, said the founder of UK-based fashion brand, LAGOM.

The concept is all about sustainable living [Photo: Instagram/paris.foodie]

According to the BBC, the term has seen a steady increase in Google searches and has been tweeted over 13,500 times in the past three months alone.

So how can you get involved? It can be a simple case of watching your spending and researching the brands that you buy. Instead of handing over 5p for a plastic bag, why not bring a reusable one with you every time?

Story continues

After all, its the little things that count.

How to hygge: 8 ways to master the Danish art of living cosily

This is how your morning latte is ruining the environment
Jerusalem (AFP) - Police grilled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for three hours on Monday on suspicion of receiving gifts from businessmen, as part of a graft probe that has shaken the country's politics.

Investigators quizzed Netanyahu at his residence in central Jerusalem under caution "on suspicion of receiving benefits", a police spokesman said afterwards, adding there were no further details to give.

Ahead of the questioning, Netanyahu denied any wrongdoing and told his political opponents to put any "celebrations" on hold.

The justice ministry said in a statement that officers from a police anti-corruption unit carried out the questioning, adding that Netanyahu was "suspected of having received gifts from businessmen".

The long-running graft inquiry has looked into whether wealthy Israeli and foreign businessmen have offered gifts worth tens of thousands of dollars as well as another unspecified issue, according to media reports.

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit has reportedly decided to upgrade the inquiry to a criminal probe, although he has yet to confirm this.

Earlier Monday, screens were mounted at the entrance to the compound in central Jerusalem in an apparent bid to shield the investigators' arrival.

"We hear all the media reports. We see and hear the festive spirit and atmosphere in television studios and in the corridors of the opposition," Netanyahu told lawmakers from his Likud party on Monday, according to a video posted to his Facebook page.

"I want to tell them to wait for the celebrations. Do not rush. I told you and I repeat: There will be nothing because there is nothing. You will continue to inflate hot air balloons and we will continue to lead the state of Israel."

- Months-long inquiry -

Police have carried out the probe in secret over some eight months and recently made an important breakthrough, reports said. About 50 witnesses are said to have been questioned.

Story continues

In July, Mandelblit said he had ordered a preliminary examination into an unspecified affair involving Netanyahu, with no details given.

US billionaire and World Jewish Congress president Ronald Lauder has been among those questioned in the probe over gifts he allegedly gave Netanyahu and alleged spending on trips for him, Israeli media reported.

Lauder, whose family founded the Estee Lauder cosmetics giant, has long been seen as an ally of Netanyahu, who in the late 1990s put him in charge of negotiating with then Syrian president Hafez al-Assad.

Netanyahu has acknowledged receiving money from French tycoon Arnaud Mimran, who was sentenced to eight years in prison over a scam amounting to 283 million euros involving the trade of carbon emissions permits and taxes on them.

Netanyahu's office said he had received $40,000 in contributions from Mimran in 2001, when he was not in office, as part of a fund for public activities, including appearances abroad to promote Israel.

He has also come under scrutiny over an alleged conflict of interest in the purchase of submarines from a German firm.

Media reports have alleged a conflict of interest over the role played by the Netanyahu family lawyer, David Shimron, who also acts for the Israeli agent of Germany's ThyssenKrupp.

Beyond those issues, Israel's state comptroller released a critical report in May about Netanyahu's foreign trips, some with his wife and children, between 2003 and 2005 when he was finance minister.

- 'Campaign of provocation' -

Netanyahu, 67, is in his fourth term as prime minister and currently heads what is seen as the most right-wing government in Israeli history.

Widely known by his nickname Bibi, he has served as premier for a total of nearly 11 years, fast approaching revered founding father David Ben-Gurion's 13 years.

Polls have shown that if elections were held now, his Likud party would finish behind the centrist Yesh Atid, but that voters still prefer Netanyahu as prime minister.

The inquiry has led to fierce debate in Israeli politics, with Netanyahu's allies accusing opposition politicians and some in the media of unfairly pressuring the attorney general.

Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi, in comments on army radio on Monday, denounced what he called a "campaign of provocation and incitement" against Mandelblit.

However, others have accused Mandelblit of moving too slowly in the highly charged case.

Netanyahu's predecessor as prime minister, Ehud Olmert, was forced to resign while dogged by corruption allegations.

Olmert entered prison in February and is serving 27 months for corruption, making him Israel's first former premier to serve jail time.
Paris (AFP) - The New Year's Eve carnage in which 39 people were killed at an Istanbul nightclub is the latest attack by Islamic militants on places where people gather to dance.

Here are four of the main attacks:

- Carnage in Istanbul -

Shortly after Turkey rings in 2017, a gunman bursts into the exclusive Reina nightclub, raking partygoers with bullets and killing 39, mostly foreigners.

Another 65 people are wounded at the venue which was packed with more than 700 people, some of whom jump into the freezing waters of the Bosphorus to escape.

The gunman manages to flee the scene, with the bloodshed claimed by the Islamic State group, citing Turkey's military intervention against IS in Syria.

- Florida gay club massacre -

On June 12, 2016, a gunman opens fire inside Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, killing 49 people and wounding 53 in the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history.

Armed with an assault rifle and a pistol, shooter Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old American of Afghan descent, holds police at bay for three hours until they storm the building, killing him.

US authorities say Mateen claimed to be an "Islamic soldier" who had pledged allegiance to IS, with the extremist group later identifying him as one of its militants.

- 'Dante's inferno' at the Bataclan -

On November 13, 2015, three armed men wearing explosive belts storm the Bataclan concert hall in Paris, killing 90 people during a gig by US rock group Eagles of Death Metal.

One attacker is killed by a police officer, while the other two detonate their explosive belts as security forces storm the building. Survivors are forced to climb over the bodies of the dead to escape, with one police officer describing it as "Dante's Inferno."

At the same time, other gunmen open fire on bars and restaurants in the city while others blow themselves up outside the Stade de France stadium.

Claimed by IS, the attacks kill 130 people and wound another 350 in the worst-ever terror attacks on French soil.

Story continues

- Bali nightclub bombings -

On October 12, 2002, the Sari Club and Padi bar in Bali are hit by a car bomb. Both are filled with foreign tourists who have come to enjoy the nightlife in Kuta, the biggest resort on the island, and 202 people, mostly tourists, are killed.

Among the victims are 88 Australians, 38 Indonesians, 22 Britons and seven US citizens.

The attack is attributed to the Jemaah Islamiyah, a south-east Asian network linked to al-Qaeda.
WASHINGTON, Jan 2 (Reuters) - No evidence has emerged to suggest Russian hacking influenced the outcome of the U.S. presidential election and it would be irresponsible to jump to conclusions before receiving a final intelligence report, Donald Trump's spokesman said on Monday.

"There is zero evidence that they influenced the election," Sean Spicer told Fox News.

Due to become White House press secretary when Trump enters the White House on Jan. 20, Spicer told CNN the president-elect would see the intelligence report once it was completed later this week. On Saturday, Trump warned against being quick to pin the blame on Russia for the hacking of U.S. emails.

"The idea that we're jumping to conclusions before we have a final report is irresponsible," Spicer told CNN.

President Barack Obama expelled 35 Russian suspected spies and imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence agencies last week for alleged Kremlin involvement in hacking that intelligence officials said aimed to help the Republican Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 election.

Leading lawmakers from both parties have voiced alarm at the suggestion of Russian interference, whether or not it made a difference in the outcome.

Republican John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has scheduled a Thursday hearing on foreign cyber threats. The new Congress, elected on Nov. 8, takes office on Tuesday.

Calling for closer ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump has repeatedly played down the hacking affair.

Over the weekend Trump said he knew "things that other people don't know" and would disclose some information on the issue on Tuesday or Wednesday. He gave no further detail.

"He's going to talk about his conclusions and where he thinks things stand," Spicer told CNN. "He's not going to reveal anything that was privileged or shared with him classified."

On Sunday Spicer said the White House may have disproportionately punished Russia.

Story continues

"It's baffling," U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell, a Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told MSNBC on Monday. "President-elect Trump does not have any better information than President Obama."

A Gallup Poll released on Monday showed less than half of Americans were confident in Trump's ability to handle an international crisis, to use military force wisely or to prevent major scandals in his administration.

The poll said at least seven in 10 Americans were confident in presidents Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton in those areas before they took office.

(Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Howard Goller)
By James Pearson SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has been working through 2016 on developing components for an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), making the isolated nation's claim that it was close to a test-launch plausible, international weapons experts said on Monday. North Korea has been testing rocket engines and heat-shields for an ICBM while developing the technology to guide a missile after re-entry into the atmosphere following a lift-off, the experts said. While Pyongyang is close to a test, it is likely to take some years to perfect the weapon. Once fully developed, a North Korean ICBM could threaten the continental United States, which is around 9,000 km (5,500 miles) from the North. ICBMs have a minimum range of about 5,500 km (3,400 miles), but some are designed to travel 10,000 km (6,200 miles) or further. North Korea's state media regularly threatens the United States with a nuclear strike, but before 2016 Pyongyang had been assumed to be a long way from being capable of doing so. "The bottom line is Pyongyang is much further along in their missile development than most people realize," said Melissa Hanham, a senior research associate at the U.S.-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California. She said the North's test in April of a large liquid-fuel engine that could propel an ICBM was a major development. "The liquid engine test was astounding," Hanham said. "For years, we knew that North Korea had a Soviet R-27 missile engine design. They re-engineered the design of that engine to double its propulsion". North Korea has said it is capable of mounting a nuclear warhead on a ballistic missile but it claims to be able to miniaturize a nuclear device have never been independently verified. The isolated nation has achieved this progress despite U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions for its nuclear tests and long-range rocket launches dating back to 2006. The sanctions ban arms trade and money flows that can fund the country's arms program. North Korea has enough uranium for six bombs a year and much of what it needs for its nuclear and missile programs relies on Soviet-era design and technology. Labor is virtually free. It can produce much of its missile parts domestically and invested heavily in its missile development infrastructure last year, funded by small arms sales and by taxing wealthy traders in its unofficial market economy. PROPAGANDA OFFENSIVE Throughout the year, North Korean state media showed images of numerous missile component tests, some of which revealed close-up details of engines and heat shields designed to protect a rocket upon re-entry into the earth's atmosphere. The propaganda offensive may have revealed some military secrets, but it may have also been a bid to silence outside analysts, many of whom had remained skeptical of the North's missile program. "They're answering the public criticisms of U.S. experts," said Joshua Pollack, editor of the U.S.-based Non proliferation Review. "A lot of people had questioned whether they had a working ICBM-class heat shield". "So they showed us". Despite the research, Pyongyang has experienced considerable difficulties getting its intermediate-range Musudan missile, designed to fly about 3,000 km (1,860 miles), off the ground. It succeeded just once in eight attempted launches last year. North Korea has fired long-range rockets in the past, but has characterized those launches as peaceful and designed to put an object into space. Still, the South Korean defense ministry believes the three-stage Kwangmyongsong rocket used by Pyongyang to put a satellite in space last February already has a potential range of 12,000 km (7,457 miles), if it were re-engineered. Doing so would require mastering safer "cold-launch" technology, and perfecting the ability of a rocket to re-enter the earth's atmosphere without breaking up. "North Korea is working hard to develop cold-launch technology and atmospheric re-entry but South Korea and the U.S. will have to assess further exactly which level of development they have reached," South Korean defense ministry official Roh Jae-cheon told a briefing on Monday. North Korea began stepping up its missile development in March 2016, Roh said, but added that there were no "unusual signs" related to test preparations, according to the South Korean military. That same month, Kim Jong Un was photographed looking at a small, ball-like object that North Korean state news agency KCNA said was a miniaturized nuclear warhead - the device North Korea would need to fulfill its ICBM threat. "2016 marked the year North Korea truly ramped up their WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) program," Hanham at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey said. "I think we're going to see a (ICBM) flight test in 2017". (Additional reporting by Jeongeun Lee; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
This is not a drill: Doctor Strange will definitely be in Thor: Ragnarok

Marvel fans, rejoice! Our suspicions were right: Doctor Strange has a confirmed part in Thor: Ragnarok. Now, weve just got to wait to figure out how big his role actually is. We first suspected that Benedict Cumberbatch would be in the next Thor film a few months ago. At that time, a picture emerged of Chris Hemsworth holding a business card with Doctor Stranges address on it. Then, Thor: Ragnaroks director talked about a potential Cumberbatch cameo, but didnt spill the beans. Now, finally, we know for sure: Doctor Strange WILL be in Thor: Ragnarok.

via GIPHY

Based on the post-credits scene in Doctor Strange, we figured our suspicions were correct. At least ~spoiler alert (though if you havent seen Doctor Strange, do it already!)~ we knew that the out-of-this-world warrior and the budding Sorcerer Supreme crossed paths.

Now, D23, the official Disney fan club, is telling us Doctor Strange will indeed have a role in the upcoming film. In an article about exciting Disney things for 2017, it mentions Thor: Ragnarok. It reads:

If you need even more intergalactic, world-saving action, Thor: Ragnarok in November brings together Thor, the Hulk, and Doctor Strange to face off against intergalactic baddies both familiar and new.

So, unless Doctor Strange can help fight bad guys without Benedict Cumberbatch actually being in the movie, it seems like he definitely will be present. Now, theres no official confirmation by Marvel Studios or Kevin Feige.

However, it seems pretty likely that Cumberbatch will at least have a cameo. (Though lets be honest, were hoping for a supporting role. Or, if not, wed love to see him in a couple scenes at least.)

We may not have any concrete answers until the movie comes out in November. It seems like a long time to wait, but at least were getting three Marvel films next year. The excitement for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming might just quell the questions  for now.
Washington (AFP) - US President Barack Obama will deliver a farewell speech next week from his political stronghold of Chicago, one of the last times he will be able to advocate for his policies before the inauguration of Donald Trump.

The Republican political novice has vowed to rip up key Obama initiatives such as the so-called Obamacare healthcare reform act, to back out of climate change agreements and to reassess ties with foreign allies and foes.

Obama will hand over the reins of power to Trump on January 20.

"On Tuesday, January 10, I'll go home to Chicago to say my grateful farewell to you, even if you can't be there in person," Obama said in a short statement released Monday, noting that the tradition of a presidential farewell speech dates back to George Washington.

Obama, who is returning to Washington on Monday after a two-week family vacation in Hawaii, said he was just beginning to write his remarks.

"I'm thinking about them as a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways you've changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here," he said.

On Sunday he said in a tweet: "It's been the privilege of my life to serve as your President. I look forward to standing with you as a citizen."

Obama celebrated his election to the White House eight years ago in front of a huge and ecstatic crowd in Chicago, his adopted hometown.

He will deliver his speech next week from the McCormick Place convention center, the site of his victory speech after winning re-election in 2012.
When two Arizona parents headed to the hospital to give birth to their twins, they werent expecting to leave with two babies born in separate years.

As 2017 got closer, Holly and Brandon Shay said they thought their twins could be born on New Years.

Read: Mom Who Nearly Gave Up Twins With Down Syndrome Reveals Why She's Glad She Kept Them

It was a surprise. The timeline kept getting closer and closer and when we went to the hospital we didn't know that we were going to get admitted, Brandon told InsideEdition.com.

Holly was admitted to Banner Thunder Medical Center in Glendale at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday at 37 weeks pregnant.

Everett Shay became Banner Healths first baby born in 2017 when he arrived at 12:01 a.m., but his brother, Sawyer Shay, had been born 11 minutes prior at 11:50 p.m., just before the New Year hit.

The babies were both almost born in 2016, but Everett was being stubborn and after losing suction a few times we were able to miraculously extract Everett as the clock officially struck midnight and the time in seconds was rounded to the nearest Minute for a 12:01 birth, Brandon said.

Sawyer weighed in at 5 pounds, 5 ounces, while Everett was 4 pounds, 8 ounces, hospital officials said.

Read: 80-Year-Old Identical Twin Sisters Achieve Their Goal of Hiking the Appalachian Trail

Their birthdays are so special and now it is going to be shared by everyone to tell the story for years to come, said Brandon. Their personalities are really awesome and I think they are going to be best friends forever.

The twins were one of four sets born in separate years this New Year, including twins in Georgia, Utah and California.

Watch: See How These Conjoined Twins Are Now Thriving After Being Separated 2 Years Ago

Related Articles:
In response to a series of superbug outbreaks around the country, some doctors and hospitals are trying out disposable scopes to combat the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

U.S. regulators recently approved two new colonoscopes designed to be used just once and thrown away. They will sell for $250 or less apiece - compared with roughly $40,000 or more for a conventional scope that lasts several years but must be disinfected after each use. Other companies are promoting such devices - flexible, lighted tubes used to peer deep inside the body - for use in the lungs and kidneys.

The new scopes are coming primarily from smaller companies looking to challenge a handful of dominant device makers. The upstarts are seizing on growing evidence that many reusable instruments cannot be cleaned reliably, even when manufacturer's instructions are followed.

"If you can tell patients we have a disposable device so there's really no chance of infection, that has to be very appealing," said Chris Lavanchy, engineering director at the ECRI Institute, a nonprofit organization that tests medical devices. "This could allay public fears."

Scopes include a wide array of devices used on millions of patients annually. As they snake through a patient's throat, intestines and other cavities, they pick up mucus, blood and thousands of microbes. But the delicate devices can't be sterilized like a scalpel because intense heat would destroy crucial components.

Instead, the scopes are brushed and washed with disinfectants in preparation for the next patient. Despite those efforts, contamination can persist and drug-resistant bacteria can result in patient infections that are difficult or even impossible to treat.

The threat has led to safety alerts from the Food and Drug Administration and a recent U.S. Senate investigation into repeated failures by manufacturers and hospitals to report outbreaks.

Overall, as many as 350 patients at 41 medical facilities worldwide were exposed to or infected by contaminated gastrointestinal scopes from 2010 to 2015, according to the FDA. And at least 35 patients at U.S. hospitals have died since 2013 after developing infections tied to tainted scopes, according to hospitals and public health officials.

For now, just a handful of medical centers are experimenting with the disposable colonoscopes. Some doctors remain skeptical about whether a cheaper scope will provide the high-quality images and versatility they need to diagnose and treat patients effectively. Many doctors count on the sophisticated cameras on existing scopes as well as multiple channels inside the device to accommodate surgical instruments.

Dr. Simon Lo, a nationally known gastroenterologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, said he shares those concerns. Nonetheless, he said he's eager to try the disposable colonoscope from German device maker Invendo Medical in the coming months. The scope secured clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in August.

"I'm not totally sold this will be comparable to the (conventional) scopes other companies have spent decades perfecting. It's almost too good to be true with it being so cheap," Lo said. "But this is a fantastic possibility and at least gives us an alternative to the current scopes."

Physician groups such as the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy maintain that the overall risk of infection is very low from these reusable devices. They say the benefits of screenings and many other procedures far outweigh any potential danger.

But some doctors say a simpler, single-use scope could be sufficient for many routine examinations. It could also be preferred for immunosuppressed patients who are more susceptible to infection and for patients who have already tested positive for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and would be likely to spread it.

"For those patients, it would be great to use this and throw it away," Lo said.

His hospital, Cedars-Sinai, reported four infections in 2015 from contaminated duodenoscopes, which are inserted down a patient's throat and used to treat problems in the digestive tract such as cancers and blockages in the bile duct.

Colonoscopes, which look at the inner lining of the large intestine, haven't been linked to the recent outbreaks, but concerns about cleaning and the spread of bacteria apply to all types of reusable scopes. In 2015, the FDA warned about the risk to patients posed by bronchoscopes, used to examine problems in the airway and lungs.

In one study, researchers found that more than 75 percent of colonoscopes and gastroscopes were still contaminated after cleaning and disinfection in accordance with manufacturer guidelines.

Hospitals have experimented with a wide variety of new safety measures over the past two years. Some facilities started testing scopes for contamination after cleaning and holding them in quarantine for 48 hours to check them again for bacterial growth.

Those steps added layers to what was already a labor-intensive process. It costs about $75 or more to clean a scope each time.

"There is a lot of time and money tied up in that," said John Cifarelli, chief commercial officer for Invendo. "The best solution is a device that doesn't have to be cleaned."

The leading scope makers haven't shown much interest thus far in single-use devices, which could affect their longstanding dominance in the business.

Olympus Corp., which controls 85 percent of the U.S. market for gastrointestinal scopes, didn't respond to a request for comment. The Tokyo-based company, linked to numerous infections in the U.S. and Europe, conducted a voluntary recall of its duodenoscopes in 2016 and made repairs designed to reduce the contamination risk.

In a statement, another big manufacturer, Fujifilm, said it "has no plans at this time to market single-use disposable scopes, and cannot speak to the benefits or risks associated with such products."

Israeli company GI-View received FDA clearance in August for its single-use colonoscope, called Aer-O-Scope, priced at about $200. The company's chief executive, Tal Simchony, acknowledges that his smaller company faces an uphill battle against the industry giants. But he said he's optimistic it can address the "ick" factor some patients feel with a reusable scope.

Other companies see opportunity, too. Boston Scientific, a bigger device maker, promotes a disposable ureteroscope to aid in treatment of kidney stones and other procedures. Ambu A/S, based in Denmark, has sold a single-use bronchoscope for about $300 in the U.S. for the past few years.

In Europe, two biomedical engineers are raising money to build a prototype and manufacture what could become a full line of disposable endoscopes. Francisco Soriano, one of the engineers in Barcelona, said he learned the business from repairing scopes with his father, who was a longtime Olympus technician.

"We must reinvent the endoscope as we know it," Soriano said. "Our vision is to eliminate cross-infection completely."

2016 Kaiser Health News

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Pentagon warned Sunday that North Korea would face serious consequences if it makes good on its most recent threat of testing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that the strongly worded rebuke was issued just hours after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced that the country would soon be able to test a missile capable of reaching the U.S.

The Pentagon urged North Korea to refrain from provocative actions and inflammatory rhetoric that threaten international peace and stability, reiterating that the U.S. was prepared to employ the full spectrum of U.S. extended deterrence capabilities to defend its allies.

Any launch by North Korea involving ballistic-missile technology is explicitly prohibited by several U.N. resolutions, the statement said, urging all states to impress upon Pyongyang that such a test would be unacceptable.

Kim delivered the warning during a televised New Years address, during which he mentioned missile tests carried out over the past year that had antagonized Washington, AFP reports.

We are in the final stages of test-launching the intercontinental ballistic missile, the North Korean leader was quoted by AFP as saying, referring to Pyongyang as a military power of the East that cannot be touched by even the strongest enemy.

To date, Pyongyang has not successfully tested a missile capable of reaching American shores, but appears to be making progress toward its stated goal of achieving an ICBM. North Korea has carried out more than 20 ballistic missile tests in 2016, and five nuclear tests throughout the past decade, reports the New York Times.

Sundays threat of an impending ICBM test is the latest and boldest in the countrys escalating rhetoric toward the U.S., made just weeks in advance of the inauguration of Donald Trump as the next U.S. President.

Such a test carried out under a new U.S. Administration could present a serious trial for the new President, who has not publicly indicated how he might respond to such a threat and has suggested that he favored reducing defense assistance for U.S. allies such as South Korea.

[AFP]
(Adds quote, context)

LIMA, Jan 2 (Reuters) - The office of Peru's attorney general announced on Monday that it has asked Odebrecht for a "significant sum" of money as part of talks toward a plea deal, after the Brazilian company acknowledged distributing bribes to unnamed Peruvian officials.

The total amount Odebrecht will be required to pay will be negotiated with the company after it makes an initial deposit, said Hamilton Castro, the lead prosecutor investigating the public works contracts in Peru that Odebrecht may have won through bribes.

Last month Odebrecht, at the center of Brazil's biggest ever graft scandal, signed a plea deal in the United States in which it admitted to distributing hundreds of millions of dollars to secure contracts in several countries in Latin America, including $29 million in Peru from which it obtained more than $143 million in benefits.

"The illegal earnings that the company obtained must be returned to the Peruvian state, that's why we're negotiating a significant sum of cash that must be deposited in public coffers as prepayment. It will not be the total sum," Castro told a press conference.

Castro, who traveled to Switzerland to talk with prosecutors about Odebrecht last year, said he expects prosecutors abroad to provide the names of Peruvian officials who took bribes from Odebrecht in coming months.

But Castro said direct talks with the company would quicken the investigation that he started in November after intelligence revealed potential bribes in Peru.

Odebrecht did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Peru was the first country outside Brazil where the family-owned construction company ventured nearly four decades ago. It is home to some of Odebrecht's most ambitious projects, including an irrigation tunnel through the Andes and a highway through the Amazon.

(Reporting By Mitra Taj, Additional reporting By Bruno Federowski in Sao Paulo; Editing by Tom Brown)
LIMA (Reuters) - The office of Peru's attorney general announced on Monday that it has asked Odebrecht for a "significant sum" of money as part of talks toward a plea deal, after the Brazilian company acknowledged distributing bribes to unnamed Peruvian officials. The total amount Odebrecht will be required to pay will be negotiated with the company after it makes an initial deposit, said Hamilton Castro, the lead prosecutor investigating the public works contracts in Peru that Odebrecht may have won through bribes. Last month Odebrecht, at the center of Brazil's biggest ever graft scandal, signed a plea deal in the United States in which it admitted to distributing hundreds of millions of dollars to secure contracts in several countries in Latin America, including $29 million in Peru from which it obtained more than $143 million in benefits. "The illegal earnings that the company obtained must be returned to the Peruvian state, that's why we're negotiating a significant sum of cash that must be deposited in public coffers as prepayment. It will not be the total sum," Castro told a press conference. Castro, who traveled to Switzerland to talk with prosecutors about Odebrecht last year, said he expects prosecutors abroad to provide the names of Peruvian officials who took bribes from Odebrecht in coming months. But Castro said direct talks with the company would quicken the investigation that he started in November after intelligence revealed potential bribes in Peru. Odebrecht did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Peru was the first country outside Brazil where the family-owned construction company ventured nearly four decades ago. It is home to some of Odebrecht's most ambitious projects, including an irrigation tunnel through the Andes and a highway through the Amazon. (Reporting By Mitra Taj, Additional reporting By Bruno Federowski in Sao Paulo; Editing by Tom Brown)
Paris (AFP) - The playboy son of Equatorial Guinea's leader, notorious for his extravagant taste in cars, homes and Michael Jackson memorabilia, went on trial Monday in France accused of plundering his country to fund his jetset lifestyle.

Teodorin Obiang, his country's vice-president, is suspected of using more than 100 million euros ($106 million) of state money to buy a mansion on one of the swankiest avenues in Paris as well as a collection of Italian supercars.

As proceedings opened on Monday without the 47-year-old party-loving bachelor, his lawyers called for the trial to be adjourned. The time to prepare his defence was "far too short," his lawyer Emmanuel Marsigny told the court.

The court said it would announce on Wednesday its decision on the defence's request for the adjournment, which was called a "delaying" tactic by the prosecution and the NGO Transparency International, one of the plaintiffs in the case.

The trial is the first arising out of an investigation into the French assets of a trio of African leaders accused of leading a life of luxury abroad while their citizens live in poverty.

It sets a precedent for France which has long turned a blind eye to African dictators parking their ill-gotten gains in Parisian real estate and luxury products.

It came about after nearly a decade of lobbying by anti-corruption groups Sherpa and Transparency.

"In the beginning, there was simply no political will in France to listen to us," William Bourdon, a lawyer for Sherpa, wrote in September.

Equatorial Guinea, Africa's only Spanish-speaking nation, is the continent's third-biggest oil producer but more than half of its population live below the poverty line.

It is regularly criticised by human rights groups for its repressive laws, corruption, as well as unlawful killings and torture by its security forces.

- Timber fortune -

Obiang is not expected to attend the trial or serve jail time even if he is convicted of the charges of corruption, embezzlement, misuse of public funds and breach of trust.

Story continues

US officials said he had "shamelessly" looted his country in 2014 and forced him to forfeit property including a villa in Malibu and some of his Michael Jackson collection.

In November, Swiss prosecutors said they had also opened a money laundering probe targeting Obiang and seized 11 luxury cars in Geneva, including a Bugatti Veyron worth around two million euros.

As part of that investigation, his 76-metre (250-foot) yacht "Ebony Shine" was seized in the Netherlands in December, according to the Swiss magazine L'Hebdo.

In Paris his house on Avenue Foch, which boasts a cinema, spa, hair salon and taps covered in gold leaf, is estimated to be worth around 107 million euros.

When French judicial officials first launched raids in Paris in 2011, they hired trucks to haul away his Bugattis, Ferraris, Rolls Royce and other cars.

Prosecutors allege the shopaholic lined his pockets to the tune of nearly 110 million euros between 2004-2011, when he was agriculture minister for his father, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema.

This powerful position gave him control over the lucrative timber industry which is Equatorial Guinea's main export after oil.

A so-called "revolutionary" tax imposed on wood sales was transferred to his personal accounts, prosecutors allege.

He has "always said that he earned the money legally in his country," Marsigny told AFP before the start of the trial.

Obiang and the Equatorial Guinea government have fought unsuccessfully to prevent the case coming to trial, including at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

It rejected a request to suspend the case in December.

- 'Bad' glove -

Born in 1969, Obiang was 10 when his father overthrew his bloodthirsty uncle, the dictator Francisco Macias Nguema.

Now Africa's longest-serving ruler, Teodoro Obiang Nguema made his son vice-president in June just after being re-elected with his usual score of more than 90 percent of votes cast.

During one of his appeals against the French trial, a lawyer acting for the French government said Obiang had a "compulsive need to buy".

His overall wealth is difficult to estimate, but the US Justice Department said in 2014 that he had racked up $300 million through embezzlement, extortion and money laundering.

In a US cable published by the WikiLeaks website in 2010, Obiang was said to live "the life of an international playboy and is widely accused of corruption."

The music fan is known to have a collection of Michael Jackson memorabilia and bought a crystal-covered glove worn by the artist during his "Bad" tour, worth hundreds of thousands of euros.
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli police were expected to question Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday over whether he illegally accepted gifts from wealthy supporters, media reports said, in a probe shaking the country's political scene.

The long-running inquiry has looked into whether Israeli and foreign businessmen have offered gifts worth tens of thousands of dollars as well as another unspecified issue, according to the reports.

Attorney general Avichai Mandelblit has reportedly decided to upgrade the inquiry to a criminal probe, though he has yet to confirm this.

Police and Netanyahu's office declined to comment on Monday.

Public radio said Netanyahu has agreed to be questioned at his residence. It was not clear when it would occur, though some reports said it would not be until 7:00 pm (1700 GMT).

Screens were mounted at the entrance to the compound in central Jerusalem in an apparent bid to shield the investigators' arrival.

In a Facebook post at the weekend, Netanyahu rejected all allegations against him and said his political opponents and some news outlets wanted to bring down his government.

Police have carried out the inquiry in secret over the course of some eight months and recently arrived at an important breakthrough, reports said. Some 50 witnesses are said to have been questioned.

In July, Mandelblit said he had ordered a preliminary examination into an unspecified affair involving Netanyahu, with no details given.

US billionaire and World Jewish Congress president Ronald Lauder has been among those questioned in the probe over gifts he allegedly gave Netanyahu and alleged spending on trips for him, Israeli media reported.

Lauder, whose family founded the Estee Lauder cosmetics giant, has long been seen as an ally of Netanyahu, who in the late 1990s put him in charge of negotiating with then Syrian president Hafez al-Assad.

- 'Campaign of provocation' -

Netanyahu has acknowledged receiving money from French tycoon Arnaud Mimran, who was sentenced to eight years in prison over a scam amounting to 283 million euros involving the trade of carbon emissions permits and the taxes on them.

Story continues

Netanyahu's office said he had received $40,000 in contributions from Mimran in 2001, when he was not in office, as part of a fund for public activities, including appearances abroad to promote Israel.

He has also come under scrutiny over an alleged conflict of interest in the purchase of submarines from a German firm.

Media reports have alleged a conflict of interest over the role played by the Netanyahu family lawyer, David Shimron, who also acts for the Israeli agent of Germany's ThyssenKrupp, which builds the Dolphin submarines.

Beyond those issues, Israel's state comptroller released a critical report in May about Netanyahu's foreign trips, some with his wife and children, between 2003 and 2005 when he was finance minister.

Netanyahu, 67, is in his fourth term as prime minister and currently heads what is seen as the most right-wing government in Israeli history.

He has served as premier for a total of nearly 11 years, fast approaching revered founding father David Ben-Gurion's 13 years.

Polls have shown that if elections were held today, his Likud party would finish behind the centrist Yesh Atid, but that voters still prefer Netanyahu as prime minister.

The inquiry has led to fierce debate in Israeli politics, with Netanyahu's allies accusing opposition politicians and some in the news media of unfairly pressuring the attorney general.

Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi, in comments on army radio on Monday, denounced what he called a "campaign of provocation and incitement" against Mandelblit.

Others have however accused Mandelblit of moving too slowly.

Netanyahu's predecessor as prime minister, Ehud Olmert, was forced to resign while dogged by corruption allegations.

He entered prison in February and is serving 27 months for corruption, making Olmert the first former Israeli premier to serve jail time.
Vatican City (AFP) - Pope Francis on Monday defended the Catholic Church's much-vaunted "zero tolerance" approach to abuse, while admitting the ancient institution had so far lacked the courage to go all out on stopping paedophile priests.

The church "recognizes the sins of some of her members: the sufferings, the experiences and the pain of minors who were abused sexually by priests. It is a sin that shames us," he said in a letter made public Monday.

"I would like us to renew our complete commitment to ensuring that these atrocities will no longer take place in our midst," he added in the letter, addressed to the world's bishops to mark the Massacre of the Innocents on December 28.

"Let us find the courage needed to take all necessary measures" to protect children.

"In this area, let us adhere, clearly and faithfully, to 'zero tolerance'," he said.

A string of historic paedophilia cases in North America and Europe has unleashed widespread criticism of the Catholic hierarchy, including allegations that in some cases bishops were aware of sexual predators among the priesthood but failed to curb them.

Francis came to power in 2013 promising a crackdown on cover-ups and a zero tolerance approach to abuse itself, but victims' groups have expressed discontent with his record on ridding the church of the taint of paedophilia.

In June, the pope announced that Catholic bishops guilty of negligence in child abuse cases can now be dismissed from office.

A "college of legal experts" -- cardinals and bishops -- was set up to help the pope arrive at a definitive decision in each case.

But a US group representing victims of paedophile priests accused the Vatican at the time of seeking to put a brake on efforts to stop abusers and bring them to justice by creating extra red tape.
We issued an updated research report on South Korean steel producer POSCO PKX on Jan 2, 2017. The company is one of the largest steel producers in the world in terms of output. We believe that the company has strong long-term growth potential, but its exposure to risks has dimmed its growth opportunities.



In 2016, POSCOs American Depository Receipt (ADR) yielded 48.6% return, underperforming 70.8% return generated by the Zacks categorized Steel Producers industry.

POSCO faces stiff rivalry from other players in the industry. Global steel manufacturers with an expanded production capacity and new market entrants, especially from China and India can give rise to a significant price competition. Also, the company is highly leveraged, with non-current liabilities of approximately KRW 14.9 trillion at the end of third-quarter 2016. Its liability to equity ratio was 70.4% at end of the quarter. If unchecked, higher debt levels might increase the companys financial obligations and prove to be detrimental to its profitability.



Moreover, POSCOs geographical expansion of business has given rise to geopolitical and foreign currency fluctuation risks. With respect to price, the company operates in a highly competitive environment.



Over the last 60 days, earnings estimates for the stock declined 2.4% to $5.30 per ADR for 2017.



Notwithstanding the negative impacts of above-mentioned woes, we believe that POSCO stands to benefit from its regional diversifications and superior product portfolio including hot-rolled and cold-rolled products, plates, wire rods, silicon steel sheets and stainless steel products. In addition, business diversification, with operations in growth businesses including energy, materials, infrastructure and trading, works in the companys favor.



In addition, POSCO has undertaken measures to dispose some of its profitable but non-core assets, in order to improve its core competitiveness. By 2017, the company aims to reduce its low-performing domestic affiliates by 50% and overseas businesses by 30%. In the first nine months of 2016, the company has restructured 16 subsidiaries while it sold 14 assets.



Over the long run, POSCO aims to improve its businesses and services. By 2017, the company targets to generate earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of KRW 7.5 trillion and achieve debt/EBITDA ratio of 3.1x. Also, the company intends to improve its cash position and profitability by reducing KRW 500 billion in costs annually and decrease consolidated debt by KRW 6.7 trillion to KRW 20.7 trillion.



We believe that the above-mentioned headwinds and tailwinds clearly justify POSCOs Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).



Some better-ranked stocks in the industry include Angang Steel Company Limited ANGGY, Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. SCHN and AK Steel Holding Corporation AKS. While both Angang Steel Company and Schnitzer Steel Industries sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), AK Steel Holding carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



Angang Steel Company Limiteds earnings estimates for 2017 have been revised upward over the last 60 days.



Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. reported better-than-expected results in the last four quarters, with an average earnings surprise of 71.32%. Also, its earnings estimates on the stock improved for fiscal 2017 and 2018, over the last 60 days.



AK Steel Holding Corporations average positive earnings surprise was 170.80% for the last four quarters. Also, its earnings estimates for 2017 have been revised upward over the last 60 days.



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President Barack Obama said today he will deliver his farewell address on January 10 in Chicago, his adopted hometown and where his victory speech eight years ago in Grant Park drew more than 200,000 people. Next weeks speech will be at McCormick Place, and it will be an evening event  meaning the major broadcast networks will certainly break into primetime programming to cover the remarks. Usually, such POTUS speeches go off around 9 PM ET.

Invites have been going out the past week to Obama political friends, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The White House made some details official today.

Im just beginning to write my remarks, Obama said in his note to supporters today (read it in full below). But Im thinking about them as a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways youve changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here.

GOP President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn into office January 20. He and Obama have had a precedent-setting transitional period since Trump was elected, with Obama working to stake his claim that he made America better during his two terms, and Trump and his team vowing to undo many of the Obama administrations work.

Here Obamas full message today:

In 1796, as George Washington set the precedent for a peaceful, democratic transfer of power, he also set a precedent by penning a farewell address to the American people. And over the 220 years since, many American presidents have followed his lead. On Tuesday, January 10, Ill go home to Chicago to say my grateful farewell to you, even if you cant be there in person. Im just beginning to write my remarks. But Im thinking about them as a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways youve changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here. Since 2009, weve faced our fair share of challenges, and come through them stronger. Thats because we have never let go of a belief that has guided us ever since our founding  our conviction that, together, we can change this country for the better. So I hope youll join me one last time. Because, for me, its always been about you.

Story continues

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President Obama will give his farewell address from Chicago on Jan. 10, in what will likely be his last public appeal in office to preserve the signature achievements of his presidency like the Affordable Care Act.

Many of those achievements, such as gains in the fight against climate change and the Affordable Care Act, are under attack from congressional Republicans and President-elect Donald Trump.

In an email to supporters, Obama wrote that the address would be a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways youve changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here.

Obama said he was following the precedent set by George Washington, who established a peaceful transfer of power as a hallmark of the American government and also wrote the first presidential farewell address 220 years ago. Many Presidents have given farewell addresses, including George W. Bush in 2009.

Since 2009, weve faced our fair share of challenges, and come through them stronger, Obama wrote Monday in the email to supporters. Thats because we have never let go of a belief that has guided us ever since our founding  our conviction that, together, we can change this country for the better.
It's too late to help a 13 year old girl, brutally assaulted by someone who should never have been here in the first place. But with Republicans in control of Congress and a president willing to do what's necessary to keep illegal aliens out of the country, hopefully, travesties like rape and murder of innocents by illegals will become far less common.

He was deported again a few months later, as well as twice in 2015, most recently in October 2015

In 2013 he was charged with entering without legal permission and subsequently deported in early 2014

He was deported five more times between 2011 and 2013

Martinez-Maldonado had eight voluntary removals before his first deportation in 2010, which was followed by another voluntary removal that same year

He has been deported 10 times and voluntarily removed from the U.S. another nine times since 2003

A Mexican man accused of raping a 13-year-old girl on a Greyhound bus that traveled through Kansas had been deported 10 times and voluntarily removed from the U.S. another nine times since 2003, records obtained by The Associated Press show.

Three U.S. Republican senators  including Kansas' Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts  demanded this month that the Department of Homeland Security provide immigration records for 38-year-old Tomas Martinez-Maldonado, who is charged with a felony in the alleged Sept. 27 attack aboard a bus in Geary County.

He is being held in the Geary County jail in Junction City, which is about 120 miles west of Kansas City.



+1 Tomas Martinez-Maldonado a Mexican national accused of raping a 13-year-old girl on a Greyhound bus that traveled through Kansas had been deported 10 times and voluntarily removed from the U.S. nine times since 2003

U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, from Iowa and chairman of the judiciary committee, co-signed a Dec. 9 letter with Moran and Roberts to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, calling it 'an extremely disturbing case' and questioning how Martinez-Maldonado was able to re-enter and remain in the country.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it has placed a detainer  a request to turn Martinez-Maldonado over to ICE custody before he is released  with Geary County. ICE declined to discuss his specific case beyond its October statement regarding the 10 deportations.

Court filings show Martinez-Maldonado has two misdemeanor convictions for entering without legal permission in cases prosecuted in 2013 and 2015 in U.S. District Court of Arizona, where he was sentenced to serve 60 days and 165 days respectively.

A status hearing in the rape case is scheduled for Jan. 10. Defense attorney Lisa Hamer declined to comment on the charge, but said, 'criminal law and immigration definitely intersect and nowadays it should be the responsibility of every criminal defense attorney to know the possible ramifications in the immigration courts.'

Nationwide, 52 percent of all federal prosecutions in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 were for entry or re-entry without legal permission and similar immigration violations, according to Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University.

It's not unusual to see immigrants with multiple entries without legal permission, said David Trevino, a Topeka immigration attorney also representing Martinez-Maldonado. Most of Martinez-Maldonado's family lives in Mexico, but he also has family in the United States, and the family is 'devastated,' Trevino said.

'(President-elect Donald Trump) can build a wall 100 feet high and 50 feet deep, but it is not going to keep family members separated. So if someone is deported and they have family members here ... they will find a way back  whether it is through the air, under a wall, through the coast of the United States,' Trevino said.

He declined to comment on his client's criminal history and pending charge.

Records obtained by AP show Martinez-Maldonado had eight voluntary removals before his first deportation in 2010, which was followed by another voluntary removal that same year. He was deported five more times between 2011 and 2013.

In 2013, Martinez-Maldonado was charged with entering without legal permission, a misdemeanor, and subsequently deported in early 2014 after serving his sentence. He was deported again a few months later, as well as twice in 2015  including the last one in October 2015 after he had served his second sentence, the records show.

ICE said in an emailed statement when it encounters a person who's been deported multiple times or has a significant criminal history and was removed, it routinely presents those cases to the U.S. attorney's office for possible criminal charges.

Cosme Lopez, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office for the District of Arizona, declined comment on why prosecutors twice dismissed felony re-entry after deportation charges against Martinez-Maldonado in 2013 and 2015 in exchange for guilty pleas on misdemeanor entry charges.

Arizona ranks third in the nation  behind only the Southern District of Texas and the Western District of Texas  for the number of immigration prosecutions among the nation's 94 federal judicial districts for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, TRAC records show.

Moran told the AP in an emailed statement that the immigration system is 'broken.'
As Queen Elizabeth II spends her 13th day out of the public eye, forgoing annual holiday traditions while battling what's been called a heavy cold, many have been wondering what comes next for the royal family following the queens death or abdication.

Buckingham Palace reported Friday the queen was continuing to recover from her illness, along with the Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip. Long before the queen became sick just before Christmas, rumors were swirling for years about who would become the first king to hold the throne since 1952. Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeths son and the longest-serving heir apparent in British history, has been first in line to be king since then. However, its been said the 68-year-old could spark a "constitutional crisis" by immediately passing the throne to his son, Prince William.

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Photo: Reuters

It might sound like a long-shot, but its happened before. A similar phenomenon occurred in 1936 when King-Emperor Edward VIII proposed to marry American socialite Wallis Simpson, who was in the midst of divorcing her second husband. The news caused widespread confusion over the fate of the British empire, with a dramatic and historic abdication speech following the untimely succession of Edwards brother, the Duke of York.

"You must believe me when I tell you that I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love," he said at the time. "I have made this, the most serious decision of my life, only upon the single thought of what would, in the end, be best for all."

Of course, Prince Charles' abdication from the throne is even further complicated by opening the ceremonial role of queen as well. While Queen Elizabeth II was the official successor of power when Edward abdicated, her rocky relationship with Charles wife Camilla Parker Bowles, the cause for his divorce to Princess Diana, makes for an extremely uncertain transition of power that throws the royal familys modern tradition of hereditary succession into jeopardy.

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Much like Edward, Prince Charles has faced similar controversy in his lifetime, including when he divorced Princess Diana after having an affair with Camilla Parker Bowles as well as lobbying letters he sent to ministers across several U.K. governments entitled the "black spider memos."

Meanwhile, Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton have enjoyed significantly higher approval ratings than Charles, though none were as high as Queen Elizabeths.

When the queen ultimately steps down from the throne, either through abdication or death, the proceeding succession of the royal family is intricately planned, with Prince Charles immediately becoming king. Whats more than likely to happen, barring an event unprecedented in modern royalty, is exactly what the Palace has planned for decades: Prince William will continue to serve in his role under his fathers throne.

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Prince William on Monday praised China's decision to ban all ivory trade and processing activities by the end of 2017. The Duke of Cambridge said the move could save elephants from extinction.

China, which has the biggest ivory market in the world, made the announcement following a resolution at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in South Africa in October 2016.

"I congratulate the Chinese Government for following through on this important commitment. This battle can be won," Prince William wrote in a statement. "We need all countries to step up to the plate and do their part to end the illegal wildlife trade & save these species before it's too late."

The details of the ban were made public by the China's State Council on Friday. The commercial processing and sale of ivory will stop by March 31, and a full halt to the market will be made by the end of the year.

Prince William has been an advocate of banning ivory sale which is a leading cause for elephant poaching. The 34-year-old British royal made wildlife crime and conservation a personal cause and has lobbied the presidents of China, the U.S. and African countries to strengthen wildlife protection.

Last year, Prince William expressed the fear that the African elephant could disappear from the wild due to poaching by the time Princess Charlotte is 25 years old. His daughter with his wife is 20 months old.

Prince William

Photo: REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Meanwhile, China's ban on ivory sale has also been welcomed by conservation group WWF, which called it a "historic announcement... signaling an end to the world's primary legal ivory market and a major boost to international efforts to tackle the elephant poaching crisis in Africa."

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The WWF said while elephant poaching in Africa peaked in 2011, around 20,000 continue to be killed illegally each year across the continent, mostly owing to demand for ivory, particularly in China.

Elly Pepper, deputy director of wildlife trade for the Natural Resources Defense Council, also praised China for its "great leadership" on the issue.

"Setting such an aggressive timeline to close  once and for all  the largest domestic ivory market in the world is globally significant," Pepper reportedly said. "It's a game changer and could be the pivotal turning point that brings elephants back from the brink of extinction."

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In February, the Louvre in Paris will present masterpieces from the Leiden Collection as part of a season-long spotlight on the Dutch Golden Age. Highlights from the show will then travel to Shanghai, Beijing and Abu Dhabi in 2017 and 2018.

The Leiden Collection, assembled since 1993 by American philanthropist Thomas Kaplan and his wife, Daphne Recanati Kaplan, is the largest private collection of works by Rembrandt, with more than 250 paintings and drawings by the artist, as well as works by several generations of his pupils.



The Leiden Collection consists of several Leiden painters including Gerrit Dou and Frans van Mieris as well as Jan Steen and Jan Lievens, and its Rembrandts include the large-format "Minerva."

"Masterpieces of the Leiden Collection: The Age of Rembrandt" will focus on 17th-century Dutch painters, displaying 30 works from the region of Leiden in the Netherlands. Ten works by Rembrandt, as well as a painting recently attributed to the artist, will also be featured.

The exhibition will aim to illuminate the mixed repertoire of Dutch painting as well as show how a single painter can practice mixed genres.



On the occasion of the exhibition, the Kaplans will officially present the Louvre with "Eliezer and Rebecca at the Well" by Rembrandt pupil Ferdinand Bol, which has been on loan to the Louvre's Dutch galleries since 2010.

"Masterpieces of the Leiden Collection" will show at the Louvre from February 22 through May 22, 2017. After that, 60 highlights will travel to the Long Museum in Shanghai and to the National Museum in Beijing in 2017 and 2018, followed by the Louvre Abu Dhabi.

From January 23, the Leiden Collection will be viewable via an online catalog at www.theleidencollection.com.

Find out more about "Masterpieces of the Leiden Collection: The Age of Rembrandt" at www.louvre.fr/en/expositions/masterpieces-leiden-collection-age-rembrandt.
MEXICO CITY, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Remittances to Mexico posted their biggest jump in over ten years in November in a possible reaction to the U.S. election victory of Donald Trump, who threatened to block the transfers and eroded confidence in the peso currency during the campaign.

Mexicans abroad sent home nearly $2.4 billion in transfers in November, 24.7 percent higher than a year earlier, marking their fastest pace of expansion since March 2006, according to Mexican central bank data on Monday.

President-elect Trump ran a campaign steeped in anti-Mexican rhetoric and threatened to halt transfers from Mexican nationals unless Mexico agreed to pay for the massive wall he has vowed to build on the U.S. southern border to keep out illegal immigrants.

Trump's surprise Nov. 8 election triumph also sent the Mexican currency to record lows in a sell-off fueled by his threats to scrap a trade deal between Mexico and the United States, and to levy punitive tariffs on Mexican-made goods.

Goldman Sachs economist Alberto Ramos said in a client note the weak peso fanned the remittance surge, noting workers could be "strategically front-loading" transfers to avoid potential taxes or restrictions from the incoming U.S. administration.

The value of the remittances considerably exceeds that of Mexico's oil exports, Ramos noted.

The payments from Mexicans living in the United States are a key source of income for many families in Mexico, where around half the population lives in poverty.

Bank BBVA Bancomer has forecast that those Mexicans will have sent a record $27 billion in remittances into Mexico in 2016, an increase of more than $2 billion over 2015.

Mexico's central bank governor Agustin Carstens said last month that a rise in remittances was due to a weak exchange rate, more U.S. jobs and fears over Trump's policies.

Mexico's government said in November that it is ready to lobby the U.S. Congress and use all legal means possible to stop Trump blocking remittances.

(Reporting by Alexandra Alper, editing by W Simon)
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP)  After a judge ruled Monday that Dylann Roof is competent to represent himself, the same jury that last month unanimously found him guilty in the slayings of nine black parishioners at a South Carolina church will return to court to begin contemplating his punishment.

With the 22-year-old representing himself, the process is sure to be unconventional. But even if Roof is sentenced to death, it's highly unlikely he'd be executed anytime soon.

While prosecutors plan to call up to 38 people related to the nine people killed and three who survived the June 2015 slaughter during Bible study at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, Roof said last week he plans on calling no witnesses and presenting no evidence.

Roof was found guilty last month on 33 federal charges, including hate crimes and obstruction of the practice of religion. A jury took less than three hours to return its verdict, and a judge dismissed the jury for a break over the holidays.

Typically in what's known as the sentencing phase, defense attorneys call relatives and other witnesses to testify about their client's unsteady state of mind before and during the crimes. Given that background, the defense hopes, a jury might be more likely to spare the defendant's life and opt against the death penalty.

But Roof, who is acting as his own attorney, has said he plans to do no such thing.

In his journal, which was read in court during his trial, Roof said his doesn't believe in psychology, which he called "a Jewish invention" that "does nothing but invent diseases and tell people they have problems when they don't."

Roof also seems to be determined to try to keep evidence embarrassing to him or his family out. Not only did he take over his own defense, but he asked the judge at a hearing last week if he could file a motion limiting what prosecutors can introduce.

Roof also was adamant that a transcript of a hearing where he was found mentally competent not be released to the public.

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"I know this is not a legal argument, but the unsealing of the competency hearing defeats the purpose of me representing myself," Roof said at last week's hearing.

Neither Roof, nor U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel nor prosecutors have given specifics on the evidence Roof is objecting to.

On Thursday, Gergel ordered another competency evaluation of Roof "in an abundance of caution," after his standby counsel filed a sealed motion again questioning Roof's mental ability to proceed.

On Monday, over the objection of an attorney representing media outlets including The Associated Press, Gergel ordered the competency hearing to be closed to the public. Saying he'd have to sequester jurors if he opened up the proceedings, the judge promised to release a transcript after Roof is sentenced.

"This is an incredibly sensitive moment in this proceeding," Gergel said. "We are putting in the hands of 12 people the life and death of a person."

After a daylong hearing, Gergel ultimately ruled Roof is competent to stand trial and also to represent himself at sentencing. He also granted Roof's request for an extra day to prepare for his case.

Roof's lawyers tried repeatedly both to stop him from being his own lawyer and to work mental health-related evidence into the first phase of his trial, saying they feared Roof fired them because he feared the attorneys would present evidence that would embarrass him when trying to save his life.

Prosecutors objected at every turn, and Gergel wouldn't allow any of it into court, ruling mitigation evidence is allowable during sentencing and not before.

Court papers show prosecutors are expected to present evidence showing that Roof picked his victims because of their race, killed them to incite more violence, showed no remorse and killed three particularly vulnerable people who were 70 years old or older.

Evidence speaking to Roof's mental state, one expert argues, could make the difference between life and death.

"The Dylann Roof case is a classic example of the type of problem you can have when an obviously mentally ill or emotionally disturbed defendant is permitted to represent himself," said Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center. "There's a huge difference in the eyes of a jury between someone they perceive as evil or despicable and someone they perceive as being seriously mentally ill. ... If you take mental health out of it, you are putting a thumb on the scale of death."

Both the judge's decision to allow Roof to represent himself and waive the introduction of mental health evidence are sure to be raised in an inevitable appeal, Dunham argued.

Roof also faces nine murder charges in state court, where prosecutors have also said they will seek the death penalty in a trial likely to begin sometime next year.

Whether he's sentenced to death or not, it's unlikely Roof would be executed anytime soon, in either jurisdiction. The federal government hasn't executed anyone since 2003, and there are years of appeals between a death sentence being levied and carried out.

South Carolina's death chamber hasn't been used since 2011, due at least in part to a lack of availability for the drugs the state uses for lethal injection.

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Associated Press writer Jeffrey Collins contributed to this report.

___

Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP . Read more of her work at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/meg-kinnard/ .
The Rose Parade featured a beautiful float honoring Pulse Nightclub victims

This morning, just outside of Los Angeles, the 128th annual Tournament of Roses Parade marched through Pasadena. The parade included brightly colored floats made of flowers, marching bands, and other spectacles. And this years Rose Parade featured a float to honor the Pulse Nightclub victims.

As we all remember too well, on June 12th, 2016, a man attacked Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The mass shooting killed 49 people and wounded 53 others. The attack was deemed a hate crime and an act of violence against LGBT people. While no one can change the tragedy that happened at Pulse, we are deeply touched by the beautiful memorial. The float makes a statement of support and solidarity with the LGBT community and those traumatized by the shootings.

This float in the Rose Parade honored the 49 victims of the Pulse shooting with 49 white stars.

The float is called To Honor & Remember Orlando. The 49 white stars lie on a bed of red roses, and the float lit up the parade with its beautiful double rainbow design and white dove floating overhead.

Additionally, according to KTLA, the tree with purple flowers at the back of the float features messages of condolence for the victims and their families. The float is also filled with 5,000 memorial notes and messages of comfort that were collected from around the world.

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) in Los Angeles commissioned the float as a remembrance of the beautiful lives lost to that tragic event. The AHF provides HIV/AIDS medical care in the U.S and throughout the world.

The spokesman for the foundation, Ged Kenslea told ABC News, This is very important to speak out against the stigma and homophobia and discrimination that gave rise or contributed to this terrible tragedy.

The float also released 49 white doves into the air, in commemoration of those lost in the shooting.

49 doves  1 for each person killed  were released from the float honoring the Orlando victims & survivors. #RoseParade



( @MellyMozzer) pic.twitter.com/CPT2I9BSPH  States United (@SUPGVNetwork) January 2, 2017

Three survivors of the shooting, as well as Pulse co-owner Barbara Poma, and Orlando Commissioner Patty Sheehan, rode on the float during the Rose Parade.

The beautiful message of remembrance and hope on this float brings tears to our eyes as we move into 2017.

Although we are saddened every time we remember the horrific injustice that happened at Pulse that night, we know that it is so important to never forget. The Rose Parades support for and solidarity with the LGBT community inspires us. With those lovely flowers and the floats powerful design, AHF found beauty and hope in the face of this terrible tragedy.

We think its a beautiful way to start 2017. And a powerful reminder to never stop fighting for love and equality.
New year, new man!

Wendi Deng, the ex-wife of billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch, rang in 2017 with 21-year-old Hungarian model Bertold Zahoran, who made their relationship Instagram official on Sunday with a photo in which the duo are smiling and holding hands.

Zahoran captioned the snap with wishes for a happy new year in several different languages.

The 48-year-old businesswoman and her new beau spent the holiday weekend in St. Barts with her daughters  Grace, 15, and Chloe, 13  from her relationship with Murdoch. The couple spent time strolling on the beach hand in hand.

Although Deng did not share a photo with Zahoran, she posted photos with each of her children during the getaway. The Murdoch daughters posted a picture jumping into the crystal-blue water with supermodel Karlie Kloss during the trip.

Deng has reportedly been dating the model since May, marking her longest relationship since splitting from Murdoch, 85, in 2013 after 14 years of marriage.

Murdoch cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split, although speculation over Dengs relationship with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the godfather of daughter Grace, was widespread  though she had denied anything untoward took place.

Both Tony and Cherie Blair are good friends, Deng previously told Vogue. That continues to be the case. I could worry about what people say all day long, but its not a very productive way of using my energy. If you ask my friends, theyll tell you that I dont complain very much.

In the same article, Deng shot down rumors of an affair with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ive never met Putin, she told the magazine. But wow, so much press about it. Why did they choose me?

Zahoran has launched a successful modeling career, working for brands such as Polo Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein, according to his Instagram account.

This year, Murdoch married for the fourth time to model and actress Jerry Hall, 59  the former longtime partner of Rolling Stones rocker Mick Jagger.




Moscow (AFP) - A plane carrying 35 diplomats expelled from the United States over Russia's alleged meddling in the US presidential election arrived in Moscow early Monday, Russian state television reported.

A Russian Il-96 plane carrying the diplomats and their families landed at Moscow's Vnukovo airport at 2:05 am local time (23:05 GMT) after having taken off from Washington on Sunday, state television said.

State television showed the diplomats and their families gathering their luggage on the tarmac in the rain before heading inside the terminal.

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 White House.

Moscow has repeatedly dismissed the allegations.

The expulsions of the diplomats -- described as intelligence operatives based at the Russian embassy in Washington and the consulate in San Francisco -- were part of a package of sanctions ordered by President Barack Obama Thursday in the final weeks of his administration.

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."

Russian President Vladimir Putin last week rebuked the outgoing president for "unfriendly steps" amounting to "a provocation aimed at further undermining Russian-American relations."

The Kremlin strongman warned that Russia reserved the right to respond but refrained from ordering the tit-for-tat expulsion of American diplomats from Russia, saying that Moscow's next move will be "based on the policies pursued by the administration of president Donald Trump."

Putin's decision has been interpreted as a sign he is looking to Trump to rebuild US-Russian ties after the US presidential inauguration later this month.
By Andrea Mandala

MILAN, Jan 2 (Reuters) - The sale of three small Italian banks, rescued in 2015, to bigger rival UBI has been delayed by at least a week at the request of the European Commission, three sources close to the matter said.

The sale of Banca Etruria, Banca Marche and CariChieti to UBI, Italy's fifth-largest lender, was expected to be finalised by the end of 2016.

These three banks and a fourth, CariFerrara, were rescued from bankruptcy in 2015 but Italy is now struggling to find buyers for them after rejecting bids from private equity funds over the summer.

UBI has expressed an interest in buying three of the lenders, but set conditions including for the banks' new non-performing loans to be taken off their balance sheets and the option to use its own internal risk models to weigh the lenders' assets.

Before the deal is concluded, the Commission has asked Italy's resolution fund, which owns the banks, to ask the rejected bidders if they are still interested, the people said.

"It's a necessary step linked to legal issues and requested by Brussels to ensure a competitive process, also given the fact that UBI's offer is worse than the old proposals," one of the sources said.

The Commission had no comment, while the ECB declined to comment.

The objective is to find out whether any of the bidders might consider resubmitting their offer. Should one of them decide to re-enter the race, a new timeline would be set to conduct due diligence and present new offers.

The three binding bids received last year included offers from U.S. investment funds Apollo Global Management and Lone Star, sources said at the time.

"If there is no response, the deal with UBI can be finalised pretty quickly. There are no major obstacles," the first source said.

A second source added that a deal with UBI was already "taken for granted and could be finalised within days".

In order to facilitate the sale to UBI, Italian bank bailout fund Atlante has presented an offer for two-thirds of the 3.7 billion euros ($4 billion) of gross problematic loans of the three small banks, sources said last week.

(Additional reporting by Francesco Canepa in Frankfurt and Robert-Jan Bartunek in Brussels; Writing by Agnieszka Flak; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)
SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd will announce this month the results of an investigation into what caused some of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones to catch fire, the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported on Monday citing unnamed sources.

The South Korean firm said in October it was examining all aspects of the phone, suggesting there may be a combination of factors that contributed to one of the costliest product safety failures in tech history.

The world's top smartphone maker warned of a $5.1 billion hit to its operating profit over three quarters following its decision to permanently halt Galaxy Note 7 sales in October.

Investors and analysts have said it is critical for Samsung to identify the root cause of the fires in order to rebuild consumer trust and avoid repeating the same mistakes.

A Samsung Electronics spokesman declined to comment.

(Reporting by Se Young Lee; Editing by Stephen Coates)
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LONDON  A rental car containing backpackers' mobile phones, passports, bank cards, and other valuables fell off a ferry and drifted out to sea off the shore of Fraser Island, Australia, on New Year's Eve.

SEE ALSO: Backpacker 'body slams' a crocodile after trying to get a selfie with it

The car  which had no passengers in it at the time  rolled off a car ferry between Inskip Point and Fraser Island at around 10:00 a.m.

The backpackers were headed to the island to ring in the new year. Dramatic footage posted on Facebook by 9 News Brisbane shows the moment the car fell off the ferry before it drifted out to sea.

Katrina Lawrence  whose vehicle was parked next to the one that rolled off  told ABC that the ferry's bridge was still open when the car began rolling backwards.

"We were behind our car and my husband called out that the car next to us was rolling. It was rolling back to the bridge which was still down," said Lawrence.

"A young guy tried to grab it by the bull bar but he didn't have much luck."

According to Lawrence, the car rolled off the back off the ferry and into the water where it floated for around 30 seconds before sinking slightly.



Chloe Swift  part of the same backpacker group  told ABC it was a "really sad and scary start" to their trip to Fraser Island.



"There were a lot of girls obviously crying. Their phones and everything are in the car that sunk," she said.

"The people who have lost their stuff have to go back to the hostel and borrow stuff they have lost," Swift continued.

Here's hoping 2017 will bring better luck for the backpackers.

BONUS: Firefighters rescue dog that slipped through the ice on Lake Michigan
Getty Image

Wikileaks alleged campaign against Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton throughout the election has spurred plenty of bipartisan caution. Yet that hasnt stopped Fox News personality Sean Hannity from openly embracing the websites editor-in-chief Julian Assange, who remains sheltered in Londons Ecuadorian embassy while evading calls for his arrest. Hence the anchors September interview with him back in September, and the Fox News Channels Monday announcement that Hannity will be flying to London to chat with Assange in person.

Politicos Alex Weprin and other political reporters broke the news on Twitter, explaining Hannity and Assange would meet at the Ecuadorian embassy and record the interview, which is scheduled to air on Fox News Tuesday evening.

Inbox: Sean Hannity traveling to London to interview Julian Assange inside the Ecuadorian embassy. Airs tomorrow.  Alex Weprin (@alexweprin) January 2, 2017

(Interview starts airing tomorrow and snippets continue being broadcast throughout week, per Fox)  Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) January 2, 2017

Prior to Wikileaks and Assanges continued involvement in the American presidential election, Hannity railed against the Australian fugitive back in 2010. At the time, the media watchdog organization leaked hundreds of thousands of classified diplomatic cables to the press  a move Hannity mulled over countless times on his show.

Then 390,000 other documents were released. Many of them classified documents. And now we have this. What is  why? Why didnt they go after this guy and why didnt they arrest him? Why didnt they stop this from being published when we had so much time to do it? Hannity exclaimed in reaction to Assanges sexual assault charges in Sweden. Why cant Obama do something about the WikiLeaks? We got this four months ago. You know, we can stop pirating a music and Hollywood movies, but we cant stop this guy from stealing highly classified documents that puts peoples lives at risk?

(Via Alex Weprin on Twitter and The Daily Beast)
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)
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 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, 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 offense and we're going to tell our colleagues what's at stake if we don't push back," Graham said.

(By Margarita Antidze and Sergei Karazy; editing by Robin Pomeroy)
By Devidutta Tripathy and Suvashree Choudhury

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Banks, led by market leader State Bank of India, announced sharp cuts to their lending rates after a recent surge in deposits, raising hopes that lower borrowing costs will help spark credit growth in Asia's third-largest economy.

SBI, the country's biggest lender by assets, said on Sunday it had cut its so-called marginal cost of funds-based lending rates (MCLR) by 90 basis points, while unveiling new products for mortgage loans, one of the fastest-growing areas.

Several other lenders including Punjab National Bank, Union Bank of India, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Dena Bank also cut their lending rates by 45-90 basis points across tenures. Analysts expect more lenders to follow suit.

Banks have received an estimated 14.9 trillion rupees ($219.30 billion) in old 500, and 1,000 rupees notes from depositors since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government on Nov. 8 unexpectedly banned the banknotes in a bid to fight counterfeiting and bring unaccounted cash to the economy.

That had raised expectations banks would have room to cut lending rates, which is seen as vital to increase credit growth and spark a revival in private investments.

Arundhati Bhattacharya, chairman of SBI, said at a news briefing on Monday, the rate cuts were intended to "jump start" credit growth and could raise it by 100-200 bps in the year ending in March.

SBI now expects credit growth for 2016/17 fiscal year to be 8-9 percent, Bhattacharya said, still lower than the lender's previous formal guidance of 10-12 percent growth.

Any signs of a revival in credit could ease some of the worries from Modi's move, which has sparked a severe cash shortage that has paralysed parts of the economy.

A private survey on Monday showed factory activity plunged into contraction in December as the currency crackdown severely hurt output and demand.

Although India's gross domestic product grew 7.3 percent in the July-September quarter from a year earlier, the fastest pace of growth among large economies, much of that has been led by consumer demand.

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MARGIN PROTECTION

Worries that profit margins at banks would be hurt hit the shares on Monday, with SBI falling 2.6 percent.

But lenders took steps to protect their margins. SBI, for example, raised the premium it charges on home loans to 65 basis points above the reduced one-year MCLR of 8 percent, according to details released on Monday.

The rate cuts also come after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday admonished banks to "keep the poor, the lower middle class, and the middle class at the focus of their activities," and to act with the "public interest" in mind.

Modi's comments were made in a special New Year's eve speech in which he defended his ban on higher-value cash notes and announced a slew of incentives including channelling more credit to the poor and the middle class.

"The combined impact of banks cutting lending rates and subvention provided by the government to small businesses is likely to help turn around growth faster than expected in the next fiscal year," said Saugata Bhattacharya, chief economist at Axis Bank, the third-biggest Indian lender.

($1 = 67.9445 rupees)

(Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Rafael Nam)
New year, new Sherlock: Our favorite pompously rude detective is back to kick off Season 4 with a ripping good mystery. Sundays premiere, The Six Thatchers, not only delivers lots of action and laughs (mostly at Sherlocks expense) but a truly shocking twist for one of the shows main characters.

First things first: We need to clean up that whole mess of Sherlock killing Charles Augustus Magnussen in cold blood in His Last Vow. Mycroft informs his government cronies that Sherlocks role in Magnussens death will never leave the room, and reveals doctored surveillance footage that exonerates his brother. So Sherlock is officially off the hook but the authorities do want to know why hes still expecting more tricks from a dead Moriarty. He tells them he plans to wait for Moriarty to make the next move: Im the target. Targets wait.

RELATEDSherlock Season 4 Preview: Mark Gatiss on Sherlock vs. Baby Watson  Plus: Could This Be the Final Season?

To keep himself busy while he waits, Sherlock tells John and a pregnant Mary that hell go back to solving a string of crimes like everythings normal. And in a fun montage, we see him rattling off solutions to awed clients, barely burning a brain cell in the process. (Its never twins, he drolly informs John during one investigation.)

Sherlock Season 4 PBS Masterpiece

But they drop their cases when Mary goes into labor, and John rushes to drive her to the hospital. (Please, someone get us a GIF of a pain-crazed Mary shoving Sherlocks face into the car window.) Its a baby girl  Rosamund Mary, shes named  and John asks Sherlock to be a godfather. Sherlock dismisses the very idea of it all (God is a ludicrous fiction), but he relents when John informs him therell be cake. Later, we see Sherlock trying to make a logical argument to Baby Rosie and failing miserably, so hes exactly how you think hed be with kids.

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Then the real case arrives: At Cabinet minister David Wellsburys 50th birthday party, he gets a Skype call from his young son Charlie in Tibet. But a week later, when a drunk driver smashes into a parked car in Davids driveway, the car explodes and Charlies body is found in it. In fact, the body had been dead for a week, John declares. Oh, this is a good one! Sherlock exclaims. Is it my birthday?

Sherlock meets with the grieving parents  but feels a pricking in [his] thumbs when he notices a table of Margaret Thatcher memorabilia nearby. He senses a plaster bust of Thatcher is missing (it was smashed by burglars, Davids wife says) and then spins an explanation of Charlies death: He was hiding inside that car to surprise his father on his birthday, then had a seizure and wasnt found until the car burnt up. Makes sense but were only 20 minutes into the episode; this cant be the real answer, right?

RELATEDBenedict Cumberbatch: Sherlock Might End After Very Complete Season 4

Sherlock Season 4 Episode 1 The Six Thatchers

Sherlocks not satisfied, either, and keeps having visions of Moriarty. The plot thickens when Lestrade finds another smashed Thatcher bust  this one, with blood on it. Conferring with a hacker friend, Sherlock learns that only six of the Thatcher busts were made, and makes a beeline to find the only one still intact. He gets there just in time, as a masked burglar is ready to snatch the bust. A fistfight ensues before Sherlock uses the Thatcher bust to smack the burglar in the face. He assumes the burglar works for Moriarty, but the burglar doesnt know who Moriarty is, defiantly asking Sherlock: You think you understand? You understand nothing.

And that might be an understatement: Sherlock finds a memory stick with the initials A.G.R.A. on it hidden inside the bust. It matches a memory stick that held all of Marys secrets that John destroyed. Wait Marys involved in this? The burglar knows who she is and tells Sherlock to tell her shes a dead woman walking before escaping into the night.

Sherlocks mind is reeling (like ours is) and he confronts Mary, showing her the memory stick. She explains she was part of an elite team of mercenary agents, along with the burglar (named A.J.), carrying out missions for whoever paid the most. The memory sticks contained all their personal information, and served as insurance so that no member could rat the rest out; A.J. hid his in the Thatcher bust before he was captured.

VIDEOSBenedict Cumberbatch Hosts SNL: Watch Best and Worst Sketches

Marys stunned to know A.J. is alive  and even more stunned to hear he wants her dead. Sherlock offers to protect her as part of his godfather vows, but she doses him with sleeping powder and runs off. After writing John a, um, Dear John letter, Mary adopts a series of disguises and aliases, ending up in Morocco but Sherlock beats her there. How did you find me? she asks. Im Sherlock Holmes, he shrugs. That, and he stuck a tracer on the memory stick. Johns there, too, and isnt happy that she lied to him. But before they can get her back to London, shots ring out. Its A.J. He explains he was tortured after Mary escaped, and he always blamed the English woman. But cops shoot A.J. before he can explain.

Turns out the English woman isnt Mary, but Mrs. Norberry, the doddering secretary we saw in the opening scene with Mycroft and the government cronies. Sherlock tracks her down to the London Aquarium, and she explains how she got rich selling government secrets, using A.G.R.A. as her personal hit squad. The cops arrive to take her away, but first, she fires her gun at Sherlock and Mary dives in front and takes the bullet!

John tries to save his wifes life, but Mary says, I think this is it you made me so happy. After apologizing to Sherlock for shooting him that one time, Mary tenderly tells John: Being Mary Watson was the only life worth living. And with that, she dies. John unleashes a primal wail of grief and then lashes out at Sherlock: You made a vow! (And if youre not tearing up by now, youre made of stronger stuff than we are.)

In the aftermath, we see Mrs. Norberry being led away by the cops, John solemnly walking through a graveyard, and Sherlock seeing a therapist (!). After sharing a nice moment with Mrs. Hudson, though, he receives a CD in the mail, with the words Miss Me? written on it. (Uh-oh.) But its not from Moriarty; its from Mary. In a pre-recorded video to be played after her death, she gives him one last case to solve: Save John Watson. Which will be tough, since John refuses to see him. Sigh.

What did you think of the Sherlock Season 4 premiere, and the big Mary twist? Give us your take in the comments.



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Sleater-Kinney paid tribute to two music legends Saturday night at their San Francisco show, where the band  made up of Carrie Brownstein, Corin Tucker, and Janet Weiss  performed covers of George Michaels Faith and David Bowies Rebel Rebel.

The New Years Eve concert marked Sleater-Kinneys first time back on the stage since playing Chicagos Riot Fest this past September. They saved the two covers for last, with Spoons Britt Daniel and the Thermals joining them for the Bowie track.

It feels like we lost something elemental, Brownstein tweeted soon after Bowies death in January 2016, as if an entire color is gone.

Michael, who died Dec. 25, also holds special significance for Brownstein: In her 2015 memoir Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl, she wrote about an important realization she had when she went to a stop on his Faith tour, which is that she would much rather be the object of desire than dole it out from the sidelines. She formed her first band, Excuse 17, just a few years later.

See Sleater-Kinneys renditions of Faith and Rebel Rebel below.
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BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico urged other European leaders on Monday to stop calling referendums on domestic issues, saying they posed a threat to the EU and to the euro. Last June Britain voted in a referendum to leave the European Union and last month Italian voters rejected a constitutional reform plan. Right-wing, anti-immigrant parties in France, the Netherlands, Italy and elsewhere are demanding referendums on their membership of the EU or the euro. "I am asking EU leaders to stop with adventures like the British and Italian referendums (...) on domestic issues which pose a threat to the EU," said Fico, whose country handed over the rotating six-month EU presidency to Malta on January 1. "Britain is not a eurozone country, Italy has a huge impact on the banking sector, the euro. "What will we do if ... there is a referendum in Italy on the euro and Italian citizens decide they don't want the euro," Fico told reporters. In Slovakia the small far-right People's Party has started a petition to call a referendum on the country's membership of the EU and of NATO, though it is unlikely to pass. Even if the party raises the 350,000 signatures needed, legal rules require a 50 percent turnout for the vote to be valid. More than 90 percent of Slovak voters on a turnout of 52 percent voted for the country to join the EU in a 2003 referendum. Slovakia joined the bloc in 2004 along with the Czech Republic and eight other, mostly eastern European nations. (Reporting By Tatiana Jancarikova; Editing by Gareth Jones)
PARIS (AP)  After years of investigation, France on Monday put the son of the president of Equatorial Guinea on trial for corruption, charged with spending many millions in state funds  much of it allegedly in cash  to feed an opulent lifestyle of fast cars, designer clothes, works of art and high-end real estate.

But the defendant, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, in the first of several planned trials of foreign figures allegedly thriving on ill-gotten gains, was absent and his lawyers sought a postponement to better prepare their case.

Obiang, who is also Equatorial Guinea's second vice president, faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of corruption, money laundering and embezzlement.

Obiang's lawyer, Emmanuel Marsigny, argued that he was not given a "reasonable delay" to prepare a defense for his client's actions spanning 14 years and that the trial date notification was sent to a Paris address though his client lives at the presidential palace in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea.

"It is not just an address he declared. He lives there," Marsigny told the court.

"Believe me, Mr. Nguema (Obiang) is not a big-time bandit," he said. "He just wants his rights observed."

It was not immediately clear if the court would grant a delay.

Representing Transparency International, which helped bring the case, lawyer William Bourdon accused the defense of trying to paralyze the judicial system through a series of "opportunistic" and "malicious" maneuvers.

Obiang's trial came after two non-governmental organizations targeting corruption and an association of Congolese citizens living abroad launched a lawsuit in France nearly 10 years ago against leaders in nearly a half-dozen African countries, including the late Gabon president Omar Bongo, charging they used state funds during or after their tenures to buy properties and luxury goods in France.

According to court documents, Obiang allegedly used millions of dollars in public money to stay in luxury Parisian palaces and later purchased a mansion located on one of the French capital's most sought-after avenues. The defense said the acquisition serves as Equatorial Guinea's embassy, and the International Court of Justice ruled that France must treat the Paris mansion as Equatorial Guinea's diplomatic mission  but gave the green light for the trial, despite Obiang's claims of diplomatic immunity.

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Obiang allegedly bought up to 15 cars in France for 5.7 million euros (currently $6 million) and once splashed nearly 20 million euros at an arts auction.

A former majordomo, a governess and others employed by him in Paris told investigators that their boss came to France with suitcases full of cash and paid mainly in cash for luxury goods, according to the indictment.

"Teodoro Obiang is part of a small club, a small but global club of corruptors," said William Bourdon, the lawyer for Transparency International. "Their common characteristic is they will never confess. Never. Have you ever heard of a global corruptor turn to his people, a hand over the heart, and tell them: 'I am sorry, I apologize'? No ... He's been using all possible legal tools to invalidate the trial."

The case highlights the well-known corruption and mismanagement of the economy of Equatorial Guinea, rich in oil and gas, and the dramatic gap between the privileged ruling class of the central African country and much of the population, which thrives mainly on subsistence farming.

The former Spanish colony is run by Africa's longest-serving president, the father of the defendant, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

Exiled opposition leaders were among those present at the Paris trial, including the president of the Progress Party, Severo Moto, who lives in Madrid. He claimed before the trial that Obiang was not present "because he is afraid."

"The country knows very well that he's a thief," he said.

Obiang's lawyer passionately contends that his client's hands are clean.

"What Mr. NGuema (Obiang) did in his country was perfectly legal," he said, claiming that only in France would such a trial take place.

However, Swiss authorities opened a preliminary investigation last year, and the U.S. filed claims in 2011 against Obiang's U.S.-held assets worth more than $70 million, alleging they were the proceeds of corruption. Obiang reach a deal with the U.S. in 2014 to sell a Malibu mansion, a Ferrari and a collection of Michael Jackson memorabilia to raise more than $30 million.
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea has banned the sale of 10 models of Nissan, BMW and Porsche vehicles after the carmakers were found to have fabricated certification documents, in the latest fallout from the Volkswagen emissions scandal.

The government announced in August that it would ban all 10 models after conducting an investigation into whether foreign carmakers besides Volkswagen AG falsified documents on emissions and noise-level tests.

Nine of the models have been banned since last month and Nissan's Qashqai diesel sport utility vehicle has been banned since June, the environment ministry said on Monday.

It said it has also fined the carmakers' local units a combined 7.17 billion won ($5.9 million) for the affected 4,523 vehicles already sold in South Korea.

Spokespersons at the South Korean units of Nissan Motor Co Ltd and BMW AG acknowledged the findings in the government investigation, saying they would try to achieve certification for those affected models again. A spokesperson at Porsche AG, which is owned by Volkswagen, was not immediately available for comment.

South Korea has been tough with Volkswagen, filing complaints against local executives, suspending sales of most of its models and imposing fines for alleged forging of documents on emissions or noise-level tests.

In the latest move, South Korea said last month that it will file criminal complaints against five former and current executives at Volkswagen AG's South Korean unit and fine the company a record 37.3 billion won for false advertising on vehicle emissions.

South Korea's sales of imported cars fell 7 percent in the first 11 months of last year, heading for their first annual sales decline since 2009.

(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by Susan Fenton)
Southwest Airlines Co. LUV announced that the companys facilities maintenance technicians have voted against the tentative deal, which was outlined in Oct 2016. Notably, had the deal been approved, it would have marked the first contract for the group after being accreted into the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA).

The deal has received a negative vote from 19 of the 34 employees who voted. A total of 37 employees were eligible to vote on the deal. Negotiations on the contract had started in Jun 2013. Post rejection of this contract, the company has not mentioned any date when negotiations are expected to resume.

John Zuzu  Senior Director Corporate Facilities of Southwest Airlines  stated that the company will assess the votes outcome and work on creating a contract, fulfilling the requirements of the employees as well as the company.

Southwest Airlines Appearance Technicians and Pilots have ratified new agreements in Nov 2016. The companys flight attendants, represented by Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 556, too voted in favor of a tentative deal in Oct 2016.

We note that Southwests stock has outperformed the broader Zacks categorized Transportation-Airlines industry. The company gained 25.42%, while the industry gained 17.16% over the same period.

Zacks Rank

Southwest Airlines carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

The company recently had an incident where some flights were delayed due to a technical glitch on its website. Passengers were unable to check in or change their flight schedules online. Since the glitch occurred right before the holiday season, the number of passengers affected was comparatively high. However, the airlines promptly ensured that operations were quickly restored to normal.

Southwest Airlines faces competition from peers, such as JetBlue Airways Co. JBLU, Delta Air Lines Inc. DAL and Alaska Air Group ALK.



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Mogadishu (AFP) - Twin suicide car bombs claimed by the Al-Qaeda aligned Shabaab insurgent group wounded nine people Monday at the entrance to Mogadishu's fortified airport and a nearby hotel, officials said.

The first blast occurred at the Medina Gate entrance to Mogadishu airport, home to the UN, aid agencies and foreign missions and contractors as well as the headquarters of the African Union military mission, AMISOM.

Soon afterwards another, larger vehicle exploded outside the Peace Hotel, popular with foreign visitors to Somalia.

The blasts left a scene of destruction with rubble strewn across the road and some nearby villas all but collapsed, however there were no immediate reports of fatalities other than the bombers.

"The number of casualties was very minimal compared to the magnitude of the blast," said Abudkadir Mohamed, a security officer, adding that "at least nine people were wounded" including two of the hotel's security guards.

The Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement issued by its Anadalus Radio media arm.

"The Mujahedeen fighters carried out two suicide attacks one of them targeting a checkpoint alongside the road to Halane," the statement said using the local name for the airport compound.

"This was to clear the way for another bomber who was driving a truck which targeted Peace Hotel."

The Shabaab is fighting to overthrow the internationally backed government in Mogadishu and regularly uses suicide bombers against government, military and civilians.

Mogadishu airport is a regular target but this is the first time the well-known and popular Peace Hotel has been attacked.

Somalia is in the midst of a drawn-out election process to choose a new government with most of the parliamentarians sworn in last week.
Astronomers from across the U.S. are heading to Texas this week for the 229th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS). The biannual meeting, which features new developments in astronomy, astrophysics and planetary science, is often called the "Super Bowl of astronomy."

The event will feature more than 1,600 lectures, short speeches and poster presentations that will highlight the latest research and discoveries, from the solar system to the farthest reaches of the universe. At least 2,400 scientists, students, teachers and journalists will attend, including two Space.com reporters, who will bring you the latest news from the conference right here at Space.com.

Attendees will explore a wide variety of space subjects, such as the hunt for exoplanets and the elusive "Planet Nine"; the formation and evolution of stars and galaxies; the nature of black holes, dark matter and dark energy; solutions to light pollution; the influence U.S. politics will have on astronomy; and astronomers' roles in fighting climate change. For aspiring astronomers, the meeting will host workshops for analyzing astronomical data as well as career planning.

"The biggest astronomy news we know about in advance for 2017 is the Aug. 21 solar eclipse, which will be a total eclipse in a narrow (roughly 70-mile-wide [or 113 kilometers]) band from the Oregon coast to the South Carolina coast," AAS press officer Rick Fienberg wrote in an email to Space.com. "That's one theme that cuts across the whole meeting, with a plenary lecture, a splinter meeting, a poster session, scattered other oral presentations and a seminar for science writers." [Total Solar Eclipse 2017: When, Where and How to See It (Safely)]

These are but a few examples of the vast number of astronomy findings that will be presented at this winter meeting of AAS. Throughout the week, Space.com reporters Calla Cofield (@CallaCofield) and Sarah Lewin (@SarahExplains) will report the news and discussions from the meeting.

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Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.

Editor's Recommendations
After "Deadpool," a new "Captain America" movie, "Suicide Squad" and "Doctor Strange" came to theaters this year, here's a look at some of the superheroes heading to the big screen in 2017.

Logan

Hugh Jackman is set to play Wolverine for the ninth and final time in this third and last "X-Men" spin-off dedicated to the mutant with metal claws. Inspired by the "Old Man Logan" comic book, this installment appears to be more violent than its predecessors.

US release: March 3

Wonder Woman

A superhero movie with a female director and a female lead has got to be a first. The origins of the famous Amazonian superheroine -- less well-known that those of her male counterparts -- are the subject of this movie directed by Patty Jenkins ("Monster"). Seen this spring in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," Gal Gadot will be back playing Wonder Woman, this time accompanied by Chris Pine and Robin Wright.

US release: June 2

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Since Tobey Maguire hung up his cape after Sam Raimi's trilogy, and Andrew Garfield stepped down after Marc Webb's pair of "The Amazing Spider-Man" movies, it's Tom Holland who will be stepping into Spider-Man's costume for this latest movie. Seen at the beginning of the year in "Captain America: Civil War," next summer sees the superhero go up against Vulture, an enemy played by Michael Keaton. Thanks to a new partnership between Marvel and Sony, Robert Downey Jr will also star in the movie, in the role of Iron Man.

US release: July 7

Thor: Ragnarok

Marvel's Norse god returns in fall 2017 for a third adventure which sees him cross paths with a powerful and mysterious adversary played by Cate Blanchett. Chris Hemsworth will once again take the lead role in a star cast featuring Tom Hiddleston, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Hopkins and Idris Elba.

US release: November 3

Justice League

The DC Comics heroes are joining forces to battle a fearsome enemy. The movie brings together Batman (Ben Affleck), Superman (Henry Cavill), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), The Flash (Ezra Miller) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) in the same production. The movie also introduces Aquaman (Jason Momoa), ahead of his solo movie coming 2018, and the actor J.K. Simmons, in the role of Commissioner Gordon.

US release: November 17
Stockholm (AFP) - Sweden has sent one of its most notorious killers to Germany to stand trial for allegedly murdering a Jewish woman in 1992, a chief prosecutor said on Monday.

"He agreed to be sent to Germany," Krister Petersson, chief prosecutor at the international public prosecution office in Stockholm, told AFP.

Dubbed as "Laserman" in Swedish media, 63-year-old John Ausonius went on a six-month shooting spree with a laser sight in 1991-1992, injuring 10 immigrants and killing one in Sweden.

He was sent to Germany about a week ago from Sweden, where he was serving life behind bars for the gun attacks.

A Swedish citizen, Ausonius is the number one suspect in the investigation into the murder of 68-year-old Blanka Zmigrod in Frankfurt on February 23, 1992. He denies the charges.

An employee at a restaurant in Frankfurt, Zmigrod, was shot in the head as she was on her way home, according the German-Jewish weekly Juedische Allgemeine.

Ausonious had reportedly argued with Zmigrod before the murder, accusing her of theft, the weekly said.

Born as Wolfgang Alexander Zaugg in Sweden to a German mother and a Swiss father, he was reportedly obsessed with his identity and rejected his foreign origins.
Beirut (AFP) - A dozen Syrian rebel factions have suspended talks on new peace negotiations, accusing President Bashar al-Assad's regime of violating a four-day-old ceasefire with attacks near Damascus that continued Tuesday.

In the northwestern province of Idlib, an air strike killed at least 25 members of former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, including senior figures.

The rebels' decision threatens the process sponsored by regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey, which began with a truce and is meant to lead to negotiations in the Kazakh capital Astana this month.

The ceasefire has brought quiet to large parts of the country but has been undermined by sporadic violence, particularly fighting in the Wadi Barada region north of Damascus that supplies the capital's water.

Government forces backed by fighters from Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah continue to press a two-week offensive there, despite the ceasefire which began on December 30.

A dozen rebel groups announced late Monday the "freezing of all discussion linked to the Astana negotiations".

They said they had respected the ceasefire, but accused the regime of "major and frequent violations, notably in the (rebel) regions of Wadi Barada and Eastern Ghouta", near Damascus.

"If things don't return to how they were before, the accord will be considered null and void," they said.

It was signed by a dozen groups, including the Army of Islam, Faylaq al-Sham and the Sultan Murad Brigade, which is close to Turkey.

- 'Critical phase' -

Fierce fighting in Wadi Barada continued Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Government forces used barrel bombs and artillery after advancing Monday to the outskirts of the Ain al-Fijeh spring, the area's main water source, the Britain-based monitor said.

Regime shelling killed two civilians in Wadi Barada as well as one in the town of Douma, which is east of Damascus, it added.

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The regime accuses rebels of deliberately damaging infrastructure, poisoning the water supply with fuel then cutting the flow to Damascus altogether.

Rebels say government strikes caused the damage, which has left four million people in Damascus without water since December 22.

The regime says Fateh al-Sham is in the area, a claim opposition fighters deny. Fateh al-Sham, along with the Islamic State (IS) group, is excluded from the truce.

The Observatory said an air strike by unidentified aircraft on Tuesday killed at least 25 Fateh al-Sham members including senior figures and at least four prisoners near Sarmada in Idlib province.

Fateh al-Sham, on its Telegram account, accused the US-led coalition of carrying out the raid.

An AFP correspondent saw several strikes hitting the town including one on a Fateh al-Sham checkpoint.

Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman warned the truce was in a "critical phase" and faced "collapse" if sponsors Russia and Turkey did not intervene to save it.

The monitor and Russia's defence ministry reported on Tuesday dozens of ceasefire violations.

- Spillover in Turkey -

The ceasefire and planned talks are the latest effort to negotiate an end to Syria's conflict, which has killed more than 310,000 people since it began with anti-government protests in March 2011.

Ankara and Moscow back opposing sides in the conflict but have worked closely of late, brokering a deal allowing civilians and rebels to leave Aleppo city before government troops seized it last month.

The UN Security Council has backed the Russian-Turkish efforts, despite them offering a competing track to UN-sponsored talks set to resume in Geneva in February.

Both Russia and Turkey have launched military interventions in Syria. Moscow entered on the government's side in September 2015, while Ankara began an offensive against IS and Kurdish militants in August 2016.

The conflict has spilled into Turkey, with a string of deadly attacks claimed by or blamed on IS or Kurdish groups.

On Monday, IS took responsibility for a New Year's attack on an Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people.
By Sally Hayden BEIRUT (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The screams of a dozen Syrian and Palestinian children pierce the air of a community center in Lebanon's Shatila refugee camp. Yet the children are not hurt. They are yelling to express the anger and fear they feel as victims of conflict in special "peace education" classes. "We don't hit each other. We don't say bad things about each other. Boys don't hit girls," said 11-year-old Hala, who asked not to be identified for security reasons. Hala fled Deir el Zor in Syria and has been living in Lebanon for less than two years. She said one of her favorite activities is "playback", where each child will tell a story or describe a situation that is bothering them and will have the other children act it out. Organized by Basmeh and Zeitooneh, a local charity, the classes in a chaotic fifth floor room were set up to help children voice their opinions, release the stress caused by war and displacement and rediscover their imaginations, staff say. They hope by providing children with activities such as painting, dram and storytelling, they will be less vulnerable to recruitment by militant groups preying on children and teenagers who may be out of school with little to occupy them. "These kids have been through a lot. They're traumatized in many different ways," said "peace education" project manager Elio Gharios. "They're agitated, maybe introverted, aggressive at times," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Lebanon is home to more than 1 million Syrian refugees, half of them children. In 1949, it opened the Shatila camp in Beirut to host Palestinian refugees fleeing Israel's founding in 1948. As a new wave of Syrian refugees joined the ranks of the displaced, Shatila has grown upwards, with some buildings now six floors high. Houses are damp and overcrowded, and the tangled electricity wires that hang across the streets cause multiple deaths a year. More of an urban slum than a traditional refugee camp, Shatila which covers one square kilometer is home to as many as 42,000 people, according to Rasha Shukr, the Beirut area manager for Basma and Zeitooneh. BRAINWASHING Gharios, a charismatic 24-year-old Lebanese psychology graduate, said children aged between seven and 14 attend the classes with up to 20 children in each session. Each class starts with the children deciding on rules for how they can and cannot treat each other. "They need to know that finding peaceful ways to resolve conflicts is a very important matter ... They are reminded every time that violence is not the solution, it's not the way," Gharios said. "They're young, it is the teenagers who are easiest to brainwash. Many children know how to roll a joint, say, and they're 12 or 11. Many have witnessed things happen in here where someone would hold a gun against someone else's head." Young Syrian refugees are at particular risk of being recruited by extremist groups in Lebanon and elsewhere because their recent displacement often fuels a sense of hopelessness, says UK-based charity International Alert, which funds projects in Shatila camp, including the classes. Palestinian groups including Hamas militants and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement are active inside Shatila, according to charities working there. Islamic State and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, another extremist group, have also been known to target young refugees online, they say. International Alert says these classes make children less vulnerable to recruitment because they provide them with a safe environment to discuss problems, learn conflict resolution skills and to rebuild a sense of purpose. RECRUITMENT Caroline Brooks, Syria projects manager at International Alert, which supports similar programs throughout Lebanon, Syria and Turkey, said there were many reasons why children may join an extremist group. Often there is a need for a sense of significance, purpose, and belonging, and sometimes there is a desire for revenge, she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. A lack of alternatives and the need to make a living are also strong pull factors, Brooks said. Conflict and displacement tend to fuel the abuse and exploitation of children, refugee experts say. For example, many children are forced to work or beg to feed themselves and their families, young girls face greater risk of being married off and domestic violence increases, they say. "Peace education" classes, which started this year, have already had some impact, Brooks said citing a 17-year-old in the program who was approached by an Islamic State recruiter through Facebook. The teenager immediately reported it to a member of staff involved in the classes. For Hala, the classes which she has been attending for right months have made a huge difference to her and her younger siblings. "My brothers changed. They became much happier," she said. (Reporting by Sally Hayden; Editing by Katie Nguyen.; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, womens rights, trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org to see more stories.)
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand will need to delay a planned general election until 2018 to allow time to pass the necessary laws, a member of the military government's national assembly said on Monday. But a spokesman for the government said it remained on track for an election this year as set out in its roadmap to restore civilian rule. The junta toppled an elected government in 2014 in a bid to enforce calm in a country divided by more than a decade of conflict between a military-backed royalist establishment and populist political forces. Somjet Boonthanom, a member of the military-appointed National Legislative Assembly (NLA), told Reuters that elections would likely be delayed until March or April 2018. "This is not a postponement but because of the intricacies involved in drafting election laws, elections will not happen this year," he said. Until now, the junta has said it is sticking to plans for an election in late 2017. "As far as the government is concerned, we are on track with the roadmap. The NLA's opinions are their own," said Major General Sansern Kaewkamnerd, spokesman for the prime minister's office. Thailand's army has carried out 12 successful coups since 1932. The next step in the transition back to civilian rule is for new King Maha Vajiralongkorn to endorse a constitution which was approved in a referendum last year. Critics argue that provisions in the constitution will entrench the hold of the military even after elections. (Reporting by Cod Satrusayang; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Bill Marshall, the producer and writer who founded the Toronto International Film Festival in 1976, died Sunday morning of cardiac arrest. He was 77. The festival announced his death with a pair of statements from Marshalls family and TIFF director Piers Handling.

Marshall 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, Handlings statement reads. After founding the festival in 1976 along with co-founders Henk Van der Kolk and Dusty Cohl, Marshall served as director of the organization for its first three years. TIFF, which celebrated its 40th year in 2015, has evolved into one of the most influential and prestigious festivals on the indie film circuit.

Marshall immigrated to Canada from Glasgow, Scotland in 1955; a proud Canadian, as his familys statement called him, he was honored with the Order of Canada for his contributions to the arts, and served as president of the Canadian Association of Motion Picture Producers.

Bill was a visionary in the Canadian film industry, the family statement reads, 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 theater productions, including the Toronto production of the hit musical Hair.

In addition to being a leader in the Canadian film industry, Marshall was involved in the citys politics, having served as campaign manager and chief of staff for three different mayors.

Among those remembering Marshall on Twitter are TIFFs artistic director Cameron Bailey and Toronto Mayor John Tory, who tweeted a statement saying Marshall always thought big, and we were the winners thanks to his creativity and determination.

Bill Marshall, co-founder of TIFF and gentleman badass. Thank you for everything. Rest in Peace. pic.twitter.com/2t5nmaeMHy  Cameron Bailey (@cameron_tiff) January 1, 2017

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Here is my statement on the death of TIFF founder, Bill Marshall. pic.twitter.com/5eMDUG53wY  John Tory (@JohnTory) January 1, 2017

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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, Marshalls familys statement reads. 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.

He is survived by his wife Sari Ruda, children Lee, Stephen, and Shelagh, and six grandchildren.
Istanbul (AFP) - Islamic State jihadists Monday claimed the shooting rampage at a glamorous Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 on New Year's night, while police arrested eight suspects but the attacker remained on the run.

The statement by the extremist group -- which Turkey is fighting in neighbouring Syria -- was the first undisputed claim it has made for an attack in Turkey despite being blamed for several assaults over the last year.

Anti-terror police made their first arrests over the attack, which unleashed scenes of panic among party-goers at one of Istanbul's swankiest venues and killed mostly foreign tourists.

The shooting took place just 75 minutes into 2017 after a bloody year in Turkey in which hundreds of people were killed in violence blamed on both IS jihadists and Kurdish militants.

In a statement circulated on social media, the jihadist group said one of the "soldiers of the caliphate" had carried out the attack on the Reina nightclub.

It accused Turkey, a majority-Muslim country, of being a servant of Christians, in a possible reference to Ankara's alliance with the international coalition fighting IS in neighbouring Syria and Iraq.

- 'Continue with determination' -

The IS statement said the attack was in response to Turkey's military intervention against the jihadists in war-ravaged Syria where Turkish troops are pressing on with a four-month incursion to oust IS jihadists the border area.

Turkey is also spearheading a ceasefire plan with Russia to form a basis for peace talks on Syria.

But after a cabinet meeting in Ankara chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the government vowed that the operation in Syria, dubbed Euphrates Shield, would continue.

"This was a message for our cross-border operations, above all the Euphrates Shield," said Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus.

"We will carry on our cross-border operations and Euphrates Shield and with determination," he added.

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After a lightning successful start to the operation recapturing towns from IS including Jarabulus, the Turkish military has taken dozens of casualties as it tries to capture Al Bab where IS has put up a stronger fight to remain in control.

- 'Danger continues' -

Arriving by taxi at the plush Reina nightclub on the shores of the Bosphorus, the gunman produced a weapon, reportedly a Kalashnikov, and shot dead a policeman and civilian at the entrance.

He then fired off four magazines containing a total of 120 bullets around the club which was filled with an estimated 700 people. Terrified guests flung themselves into the freezing waters of the Bosphorus in panic.

But after changing clothes, the gunman left the nightclub in the ensuing chaos and has managed to evade security forces.

There were no reports that security services had come close to detaining the gunman but Kurtulmus said physical and fingerprint data had been obtained.

"It is a difficult investigation," he said, vowing to "speedily" identify the attacker and "if there are outside supporters and the forces behind them".

Kurtulmus said anti-terror police have detained eight suspects. But there was no indication of their relationship to the attacker and the minister did not comment on the IS claim.

Hurriyet daily said investigators believe the gunman may be from the Central Asian states of Kyrgyzstan or Uzbekistan.

The attacker may be linked to the same cell that in June carried out a triple suicide bombing and gun attack at Istanbul's Ataturk airport blamed on IS that left 47 people dead, the paper added.

But pro-government daily Yeni Akit caused a furore on social media with a headline declaring the United States was the "number one suspect" over the attack.

- 'Panicking and blood' -

Twelve Turks were killed in the attack alongside 27 foreigners, including one Belgian-Turkish dual national. Sixty-five people were wounded.

The foreigners who died -- most of them from Arab countries and including Muslims -- had come to the club to celebrate a special night in style.

They included three Lebanese nationals, two Jordanians and three Iraqis, officials in their respective countries said. At least one German was killed.

A Canadian woman, a Russian woman and a teenage Arab Israeli were also among the dead. Turkish press reports said at least seven Saudi nationals died but this has yet to be confirmed by Riyadh.

Indian film producer Abis Rizvi, son of a former MP, was also among those killed, prompting tributes from the Bollywood community.

The attack evoked memories of the November 2015 carnage in Paris when IS jihadists unleashed a gun and bombing rampage on nightspots in the French capital, killing 130 people including 90 at the Bataclan concert hall.

"I think back to those moments, I can't erase them from my memory," survivor Yusuf Kodat from Alsace in France told AFP as he returned to the scene of the attack by the Bosphorus.

"The people panicking, the blood, the noise of the gunshots, the explosions. That's what I keep on thinking about," Kodat said.
Last January's first VIBE Missoula event was an experiment: What happens if you hold an international ballet competition in the Northern Rockies?

It brought the Vienna International Ballet Experience to the United States for the first time, courtesy of a local connection with the Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre, a dance school based here.

It featured almost a week's worth of competitions from international and American dancers, plus an array of lectures, panels and movies that were all open to the Missoula public.

"Last year, we had zero idea what to expect. Who would know?" said Charlene Campbell Carey, the RMBT's director.

They estimate that 6,000 people attended the events in total, proving successful enough that the event has returned for 2017, with even more interest from international dancers of varied styles for 2017 and years beyond.

"We're at 250 and I think it will swell to 300 even though we're past registration," Carey said.

They're set to descend on Missoula Jan. 10-14, with a similarly diverse slate of events and some familiar faces.

Dandara Amorim Veiga, a Brazilian teenager who won the grand prize last year, is returning. Veiga traveled two days to Sao Paulo last year to make the event, where she was offered a scholarship to study in Portugal and then the prestigious Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater program.

"People will remember her and be excited to see her," Carey said.

The event is new enough that it draws dancers like Veiga who are looking for the next step in their career at a competition with less of the stressful atmosphere of established events.

"'Maybe if I'm in the right place at the right time somebody will see me and I'll be discovered,'" Carey said, depicting the mindset. "It has that feeling because it's new."

Missoula audiences were attracted to the first-year novelty as well. Carey founded the RMBT in 1998 and is quite familiar with the crowds at ballet performances here.

"I didn't recognize 80 percent of the people there," she said. "It's usually the opposite."

The dancers are coming from Portugal, Spain, Africa, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, Colombia and more. Carey said the small-town atmosphere, complete with snow for some competitors who may never have seen it in person, is an attraction for many.

Here's a guide to some of the VIBE Missoula events. For a complete schedule, go to rmbt.org/vibe-schedule.

Dance challenges

The heart of the event is the dance challenges, in which competitors from around the world compete in multiple categories.

The competitions are scheduled Jan. 10-13 in the Dennison Theatre on campus. Warm-ups run from 8-9 a.m., and the challenges take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or later if need be.

The international jury of professionals will be seated in a center row, and each dancer or team's score will be read after their performance. (The event doesn't have an emcee.)

Each individual or team has only two to three minutes. "They're moving along very quickly," Carey said.

Tuesday features the open category, which includes hip-hop, flamenco, Native American, tap, and other dances, followed by contemporary dance.

Wednesday and Thursday are dedicated to a "ballet gauntlet," Carey said, with groups or individuals specializing in classical and neoclassical ballet.

Friday promises the most excitement, when the finalists in all categories compete for the titles.

Gala

The festival culminates with a gala scheduled Jan. 14 at the Wilma Theatre that features performances by the winners and works you won't see elsewhere during the week. It's the only ticketed event, and anyone who wants to go should note that it sold out last year. Tickets are $25-$50, available at thewilma.com.

'Art of Diplomacy'

Last year, the organizers partnered with the Mansfield Center at UM to present a lecture series on the overlapping worlds of dance and diplomacy.

Carey said many of the visiting professionals have life experiences with the Chinese cultural revolution and the Cold War in Soviet Russia that the panels can help relate, courtesy of programming by Abraham Kim, executive director at the Mansfield Center, and the Montana World Affairs Council.

This year "The Art of Diplomacy" is set for Jan. 12-13 in the UC Ballroom.

The first night, which promises dance, music and storytelling, is billed as an "International Tasting Reception and Gala" and requires tickets.

Friday is a public symposium with panels and performances. On the docket are discussions about the role of dance in Chinese culture; and the effect of art on suicide, racism, sexism and more.

For more information, go to rmbt.org/vibe-usa/#/art-of-diplomacy.

Art exhibition

The Montana Museum of Art and Culture has scheduled a panel on Malvina Hoffman, who sculpted a series of bronzes of dancer Ana Pavolva, and the role of Radio City Music Hall in American culture. The panel includes Carey, plus Didi Hoffman, Malvina Hoffman's biographer, and Barbara Koostra, director of the MMAC.

The talk is slated at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 12, at UM's Masquer Theatre.

Block party

Jan. 10 opens with a block party planned for 5-8 p.m. in downtown Missoula. At Montgomery Distillery, dancers from Africa will share stories and art; at the Florence Hotel's Governor's Room at 6 p.m., the Missoula Youth Symphony and Missoula Writing Collaborative students will perform, followed by a hip-hop dance class for the community. At the Top Hat, there's a square dance with VIBE guests from 5-8 p.m.

Returning Montana dancer

Maria Sascha Khan grew up in Pray, not far southwest of Livingston, and pursued her career to the top levels in Russia, where she was a principal dancer with the Ekaterinburg State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. She's returning to her home state and VIBE to serve as a juror this year. She'll give a lecture, "If These Tutus Could Talk," that will cover her time working in Russia and around the world.

The talk is scheduled 11 a.m.-noon Jan. 10 at the Masquer Theater.

Later in the day, Khan will sign copies of a new dance photography book, "The Art of Movement," by Ken Browar and Deborah Ory of the NYC Dance Project.

The signing is scheduled at 6 p.m. Jan. 10 in the Florence lobby.

Film series

For her 1990 "Blond Ambition" tour, Madonna recruited young, gay and out dancers and hit the road for a record-setting tour documented in the film, "Truth or Dare." One of those dancers, Carlton Wilburn, is scheduled to be on hand for a screening of Ester Gould's "Strike a Pose," a new documentary about their lives after the tour. He'll also scheduled to take part in a discussion about HIV afterward at 7 p.m. Jan. 12 at the Roxy Theater.

At 7 p.m. Jan. 13, director Raymond Wong of the Jumping Frames International Dance Festival in Asia is scheduled to curate a series of dance videos and films, with a panel of VIBE guests.
Ankara (AFP) - Turkey will press on with its military operation in Syria despite the deadly attack on an Istanbul nightclub that was a "message" against the campaign, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said on Monday.

"This was a message for our cross-border operations, above all the Euphrates Shield," he said, using the mission name of Turkey's campaign inside Syria.

"We will carry on our cross-border operations and Euphrates Shield and with determination."

Thirty-nine people were killed and dozens wounded on Sunday when a gunman stormed a popular Istanbul nightclub and sprayed bullets at revellers celebrating the New Year.

The shooting was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, which said it was in response to Turkey's intervention in Syria. Kurtulmus made no comment on the claim.

Turkish troops entered northern Syria on August 24 in support of pro-Ankara Syrian rebels, with the aim of ousting IS jihadists as well as Kurdish militia from the border area.

After a lightning successful start to the operation recapturing towns from IS including Jarabulus, the Turkish military has taken dozens of casualties as it tries to capture Al Bab where IS has put up a stronger fight to remain in control.

After Al Bab, the military intends to head west to Manbij.

"In Jarabulus, Al Bab, Manbij or wherever it needs to go, we will continue these operations until these terror organisations no longer remain a threat to Turkey," Kurtulmus said during a televised press conference in Ankara.

He said the attack was also because of Turkey's attempts to create peace in the region, after Ankara teamed up with Moscow to agree a ceasefire for Syria.

But he vowed: "Our initiatives for new peace in the Middle East will be realised."
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish warplanes and artillery have struck Islamic State targets in Syria, killing 22 of the group's militants, while Russian aircraft hit jihadists near the Islamic State-controlled town of al-Bab, Turkey's military said on Monday. In a round-up of its military operations over the past 24 hours in support of rebels in northern Syria, the army said the Russian aircraft destroyed Islamic State targets in the area of Dayr Kak, 8 km (5 miles) southwest of al-Bab. The Turkish military operation, dubbed 'Euphrates Shield', was launched more than four months ago to drive Islamic State militants away from the border region and in recent weeks the forces have been besieging the town of al-Bab. (Reporting by Orhan Coskun; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Nick Tattersall)
They may have successfully seized power twelve times in the last eight decades but Thailand's army chief has said military coups are officially a thing of the past.

The comments caused much merriment on social media given the military's long track record of toppling elected governments -- the latest a 2014 putsch that brought the current junta to power.

The military have promised to hold elections once a new constitution is in place, although the date for polls keeps slipping.

In an interview with Thai media outlets published on Monday, General Chalermchai Sitthisat was asked whether the military would intervene if civilian politicians disliked by the army brass were voted back in.

"I can confirm that there won't be a coup. What would be a reason for having to have the coup? There won't be a coup. We have already learned from what happened (in the past)," he said.

The remarks were soon seized upon in Thai social media, one of the few sites where dissent still flourishes given the junta's ban on political gatherings and protests.

"If the army says something like that it means they will do the opposite for sure," joked Eakapong Leesinla on Facebook.

"Why ask such a question," added Pim Pongchandr on Facebook. "We all know what he was going to answer, who would say yes?"

Chalermchai, a former head of Thailand's special forces, was appointed by coup leader and current Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha in September.

In 2014, then army chief Prayut famously declared there would be no coup days before his military toppled the administration of Yingluck Shinawatra.

His predecessors removed her brother Thaksin in 2006 and have a raft of previous successful putsches to their name including three takeovers each in both the 1950s and 1970s.

Prayut says he was forced to seize power to curb political corruption and bring much-needed stability to the country after a decade of political turmoil between Shinawatra supporters and their opponents.

But critics say the putsch was an attempt by the military and its allies within Bangkok's elite to ensure the Shinawatras, who are seen as champions of the downtrodden by large swathes of the rural and urban poor, are never in power again.
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP)  Twins delivered 10 minutes apart at an Arizona hospital over the New Year's weekend have different birth years.

Phoenix TV station KNXV-TV reports (http://bit.ly/2i0Ib1q) that parents Holly and Brandon Shay welcomed their first son, Sawyer, into the world at 11:51 p.m. Saturday at Banner Hospital.

Their second son, Everett, arrived one minute after midnight on Sunday.

The father joked that Sawyer will tease his brother about being the older sibling.

The same thing happened over the weekend in San Diego.

Twin girls born at Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns were delivered at 11:56 p.m. Saturday and at midnight on Sunday.
It's almost hard to believe, but when America's Next Top Model premiered in 2003 on UPN -- yes, that was a network until 2006 -- there were no major social media platforms. In fact, social media as we know it didn't even exist yet.

Facebook didn't launch until 2004. Twitter followed two years later, with platforms like Tumblr (2007), Instagram (2010), Pinterest (2010), Snapchat (2011) and Vine (2013) to come over the next decade.

While Tyra Banks has always tried to keep America's Next Top Model relevant -- introducing new challenges and themes to fit the ever-evolving definition of a model or Tyra's own needs -- social media wasn't a major component of the show until cycle 19, when the public was allowed to vote and Bryanboy was added as a social media correspondent.

MORE: The 'ANTM' Glossary You Need to Model 'H-2-T'

"The reason we're still on the air is we're always looking for ways to push the envelope," Tyra said in 2013.

By cycle 22, which Nyle DiMarco would eventually win, the contestants were competing in social media-inspired challenges, from hashtag-themed photoshoots to "living photos" created by Flixel -- a company Tyra invested in and featured heavily in cycle 21. Tyra scoured Instagram to find would-be contestants with the best selfies and biggest followings. There was even the web-only The Comeback Series, which allowed audiences to vote on Facebook for which model they wanted to return to the competition.

Along the way, Tyra, who calls herself "obsessed with technology," embraced social media, not only by investing in Flixel and featuring it on her show, but becoming a user on platforms like Vine and learning how to make GIFs. "You've seen me on Vine being the fool. It's something I enjoy myself," Banks said in that same interview. (Check out some of her best Vines here.)

Of course, over the past few years, modeling has evolved as Instagram stars -- Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner among them -- have become the faces of high-profile brands and campaigns, eventually going from filters to the runway. And when Rebecca Romijn suggested to ET that they weren't true supermodels, Tyra came to the defense of Gigi, Kylie and Instagram sensations alike.

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MORE: The 8 Biggest 'ANTM' Makeover Meltdowns

"We witness young girls on reality shows and super popular girls on social media now being called Supermodels and think, 'WHAT?! It's not fair! Is that kind of success even real?' I've gotta be blunt. Yes. IT IS REAL," Tyra wrote in an essay title "Model War."

On cycle 23, now hosted by Rita Ora, social media scores may be gone, but their presence is always felt, thanks to the emphasis that the winner be a "triple B" -- that is, a boss, a brand and a business -- with contestants constantly being reminded how something might play out on social media. Even Instagram and Snapchat play a pivotal role on the show, with contestants attempting their best poses on the platforms. In another episode, one model's prized selfie with Zendaya causes #squadgoals envy among the other girls.

Snapchat, which has reached a new level of popularity over the past few years, plays a pivotal role in the latest episode of America's Next Top Model -- and ET has your first look.

DJ Khaled, a music personality and internet phenomenon, even swings by to teach the contestants a few lessons about the platform. (His popularity is largely due to his popular Snapchat videos, in which he embraces life as a living meme.) "The fans and the people that's going to support you, they have to be connected to you.  We're superstars, but the only way to do it is to really be it, live it," DJ Khaled tells the aspiring models before sending them out on the streets of New York City wearing nothing but lingerie to film Snapchat videos.

One pair of contestants prove they "get it" right away, with a video that's on message, on brand and authentic. "She's being herself," DJ Khaled says. Yes, even Tyra would be proud.

America's Next Top Model airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on VH1.

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By Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON, Jan 2 (Reuters) - A new, Republican-controlled U.S. Congress convenes on Tuesday eager to repeal major portions of President Barack Obama's healthcare law and roll back environmental and financial industry regulations, but could quickly become embroiled in fights over President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet choices.

Despite his promise to unite a deeply divided country, Trump will be sworn in on Jan. 20 leading a Republican Party that early on will push legislation through Congress without significant - or any - Democratic support.

According to a Gallup poll released on Monday, Trump will take office with less than half of Americans confident in his ability to handle an international crisis, use military force wisely or prevent major ethics lapses in his administration.

Leading Democrats on Monday warned of a fierce fight over Obamacare, which is expected to have 13.8 million people enrolled in the program that aims to provide health insurance to economically disadvantaged people and to expand coverage for others.

"We're going to fight as hard as ever to protect the ACA (Affordable Care Act), said Representative Steny Hoyer, the House of Representatives' second-ranking Democrat.

Speaking to reporters, Hoyer and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said they would launch an effort to mobilize grassroots support for Obamacare by explaining how repeal would create a ripple effect hurting a majority of Americans.

For years, Republicans have hammered away at Obamacare, insisting it was unworkable and was hampering job growth. With control of Congress and the White House, they will be in a position to enact a repeal bill.

The U.S. Senate will have more than legislation on its hands in the new year.

It has the daunting task of debating and voting on the scores of appointees Trump already has announced to head his Cabinet departments and for other top jobs in the new administration.

It also is expected to receive a Supreme Court nomination early on from Trump, triggering a likely confirmation war.

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Prominent Senator John McCain has warned that Rex Tillerson, Trump's choice for secretary of state, will have to explain his relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom McCain has called a "thug and a murderer."

Tillerson, who spent much his career at Exxon Mobil Corp , has been involved in business dealings in Russia and opposed U.S. sanctions against Russia for its incursion into Crimea.

Meanwhile, Democrats are expected to strongly oppose Republican Jeff Sessions to be attorney general, in part because of his opposition to immigration and past remarks that showed racial insensitivity.

And given Trump's campaign promise to "drain the swamp" in Washington of special interests, especially Wall Street influence, Democrats are also poised to attack the nomination of Steven Mnuchin to be treasury secretary.

Mnuchin is a successful private equity investor and hedge fund manager who spent 17 years at Goldman Sachs Group Inc .

While the Senate will be tied down for weeks debating these and other controversial nominees, Trump is expected to win approval of most, if not all.

Besides Obamacare repeal, Republicans also want to curtail or kill regulations aimed at further controlling industrial emissions that contribute to climate change and banking industry reforms enacted in the wake of the near-collapse of Wall Street several years ago.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who waged bitter battles against Obama over the past eight years, has warned his fellow Republicans against overreaching following their Nov. 8 election victories.

In an interview with Kentucky Educational Television on Dec. 19, McConnell said, "It's certainly no time for hubris" and there is "not much I can do (legislatively) with Republicans only in the U.S. Senate."

While he repeatedly called for removing Obamacare "root and branch," McConnell said in the interview that his top priorities for the new Congress were dealing with "massive overregulation" that he said has been a brake on the U.S. economy and accomplishing tax code changes to stop companies from moving jobs offshore.

(Reporting By Richard Cowan; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
By Stephen Kalin ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - The declining effectiveness of Islamic State attacks against Iraqi forces in eastern Mosul suggests the militants are starting to run out of resources with the campaign in its third month, a U.S. general told Reuters. Since the U.S.-backed offensive began on Oct. 17, elite troops have retaken a quarter of the city 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 will be driven out of the country by April. The second phase of the campaign, launched last week following nearly a month of deadlock, has pushed Islamic State out of several more areas in eastern Mosul despite fierce resistance. Iraqi forces have yet to enter the west. "They've got a finite amount of resource that are on the eastern side and the fact that their capability is waning indicates that those resources are starting to dwindle," U.S. Army Major General Joseph Martin, head of ground forces for the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State, told Reuters on Sunday. "I see the commanders' reporting coming in and I see the exquisiteness of their SVBIED (suicide vehicle borne improvised explosive device) system, the sophistication of their SVBIEDs continuing to get lower and lower, the boom of the different IEDs continuing to have a lower yield - all tell me that the enemy's capacity is diminishing over time. We see that as a positive indicator," he said in a phone interview from Baghdad. Daily suicide attacks and roadside bombs, along with snipers and mortars, have been the most lethal Islamic State tactics in resisting the 100,000-strong Iraqi force. Despite being pushed back in Mosul, the militants have continued to launch deadly bomb attacks in other parts of the country, including at least twice in the heavily fortified capital Baghdad over the past three days. An arms monitoring group said last month that the militants had been producing weapons on a scale and sophistication that matched national military forces and had standardized production. The technical precision of their work means it could not be described as "improvised" weapons production, it said in a report. Martin, who took up his post in mid-November, said it was difficult to know how much ordnance Islamic State has stockpiled in Mosul. "They've had two years to prepare for this defense and so I don't know how much stuff they have stored inside mosques, inside of schools, inside of hospitals," he said. The coalition shelled a mortar tube on Sunday located between two schools in eastern Mosul, and last week hit a van carrying Islamic State fighters in a hospital parking lot, possibly incurring civilian casualties. Martin said the militants were regularly using municipal facilities for military means, including transporting weapons in ambulances. "As they lose capacity, they never cease to amaze me at the level they will take their despicability. They have done some things during the course of this campaign that I thought, 'It surely can't get any worse than that'," he said. URBAN TERRAIN The coalition has bombed all five bridges connecting east and west Mosul, forcing Islamic State to transport casualties across the Tigris River by boat. Along with Iraq's air force, the coalition is striking some militant positions in the west but for now, Martin said, "our focus principally is on the east side". He said the Mosul campaign was on track, but "in terms of timeline, we're on Iraqi time. This is going to take some time." Iraqi forces made initial quick advances in outlying towns and villages which Islamic State had mostly emptied of civilians. But progress slowed as they entered built-up areas of Mosul where they must use caution to avoid civilian casualties. Islamic State has used the terrain to its advantage, concealing car bombs in narrow alleys, posting snipers on tall buildings with civilians on lower floors, and constructing underground tunnels and surface-level passageways between buildings to avoid detection. Individual fighters have staged attacks in "liberated" areas which Iraqi forces have struggled to clear fully. Martin compared Mosul to the American city of Philadelphia, with a civilian population of about 1.8 million and almost 3,000 km (1,900 miles) of roads. "There's in excess of 200,000 buildings," he said. "Let's say that there's six rooms in each building ... That's 1.2 million rooms that they've got to contend with and make sure that are clear. That's 1.2 million rooms that they've got to discriminate between the enemy and the civilians that live there." (Reporting by Stephen Kalin; Editing by Alison Williams)
Kiev (AFP) - Ukraine on Monday reported a one-third drop in its use of natural gas and general energy savings that will be cheered by its financial backers from the International Monetary Fund.

The IMF has long identified Ukraine as one of Europe's most inefficient countries when it comes to fuel consumption.

A large part of the problem came from state subsidies that homes and enterprises had been awarded since Soviet times.

That assistance was a vast drain on the budget and allowed Ukrainians to use gas cheaply and without conservation.

This all changed last year as the government started to push up prices levied on home users.

Many people saw their gas and energy bills double -- a change that prompted some protests on the streets.

Prices on companies had gone up even earlier.

Data released by Ukraine's main energy transport company showed gas use falling by 32.7 percent last year.

Ukraine has not imported any blue fuel from Russia in 13 months because of a freeze in ties between the two neighbours and disputes over prices.

Most of the imports came from Slovakia.

Ukraine also imported much smaller amounts from Hungary and Poland.

The IMF has long demanded energy savings to be part of Ukraine's austerity measures that were approved when the Fund awarded cash-starved Kiev a $17.5-billion (16.7-billion-euro) rescue package last year.

Ukraine's state energy company said last week that it could survive the winter without purchasing any Russian gas.

Brussels is still trying to find a compromise between Kiev and Moscow that would reduce Ukraine's demand from EU countries and lower prices for European consumers.

Yet some analysts noted that the gas consumption figure was not all good news.

Ukraine's economy shrank by nearly 10 percent last year and output at the country's giant steel and chemical companies fell by even greater amounts.

The reduced production meant that companies used less natural gas for conversion into energy.

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The Ukrainian economy is budgeted to grow by three percent this year and analysts will be watching closely to see what that does to gas consumption.

A continued decline would mean that industries and homes really are being more efficient.

A rise in gas use would imply that neither have done as much to cut down on wasteful consumption as the IMF had hoped.
BILLINGS  Having spent weeks learning to manipulate metal through the application of extreme heat, 10 inmates at the Montana Womens Prison graduated from the prisons introductory welding program last week in an emotional ceremony that suggested something else had been forged in the workshop.

I know I can succeed because Ive seen the success. I've seen success on the faces of the other inmates in the program Erin Gravelin, an inmate and program graduate, said during the ceremony. I can show you the success in my weld.

The course began in late October and involved multiple four-hour lessons a week, many taught by Great Falls College Montana State University instructor Bob Baker. Inmates learned a variety of welding techniques, including oxy-fuel cutting, gas metal arc welding, flux core arc welding and shielded metal arc welding.

The pilot program was a collaborative effort between Montana State University Billings City College, Great Falls College Montana State University, the U.S. Department of Labor and Industry, the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, Montana Correctional Enterprises, Billings Adult Education and the Montana Women's prison.

At the programs conclusion, welds were examined and all samples presented by inmates passed inspection according to industry standards, Baker said.

"They just put their helmets down and went after it, he said. They were a great class, they really were. They really wanted it.

One of his students, Misty Cockrill, said that the ability to go out into the workshop trailer and focus all her thoughts on welding allowed her to forget her status as an inmate and feel a sense of freedom.

You feel like youre actually doing something good for yourself, she said.

Cockrill said the physical labor brought back positive memories of her youth growing up on a farm, and said she hopes to continue her education in welding through a pre-release program.

For Gravelin's part, she said she never saw herself learning to weld before the class and ultimately went into it thinking she could use it to make jewelry. She said she's now less interested in jewelry and more interested in learning more about the craft.

"A person's weld is like their signature. It says a lot," she said.

Both she and Cockrill said they hoped the class would be offered for other inmates in the future because of the personal growth and feelings of self-confidence they experienced through the class.

As Gravelin described it, welding is a complex process that requires lots of information processing and problem solving. "You definitely have to be able to see as a whole," she said.

As he stood up to deliver a speech to the graduates, Baker began to tear up. "We made it," he said. "I was hoping I could get up here and not get emotional. ... I wouldn't trade it for anything, seriously."

Baker told the audience  made up mostly of inmates  that he believed the key to the class's success was the women's ability to feel good about themselves. "All the books, the things we gave you, weren't going to work unless you began to believe in yourselves. That was the greatest thing I saw," he said.

"Now when you get out, you can wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and say, 'There's one amazing woman right there.' "
BAGHDAD (AP)  A service member in the U.S.-led coalition battling the Islamic State group has died in a "non-combat related incident" in Iraq.

A statement from the U.S. military said the service member was killed on Monday, without providing further details. It did not identify the individual or give a nationality.

According to the Pentagon, there are 4,815 U.S. troops in Iraq, including special operations forces. They are mainly providing logistical and other support to Iraqi combat forces, but have been operating closer to the front lines as part of a massive operation to retake the IS-held city of Mosul.
BOSTON (AP)  As marijuana shops sprout in states that have legalized the drug, they face a critical stumbling block  lack of access to the kind of routine banking services other businesses take for granted.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, is leading an effort to make sure vendors working with legal marijuana businesses, from chemists who test marijuana for harmful substances to firms that provide security, don't have their banking services taken away.

It's part of a wider effort by Warren and others to bring the burgeoning $7 billion marijuana industry in from a fiscal limbo she said forces many shops to rely solely on cash, making them tempting targets for criminals.

After voters in Warren's home state approved a November ballot question to legalize the recreational use of pot, she joined nine other senators in sending a letter to a key federal regulator, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, calling on it to issue additional guidance to help banks provide services to marijuana shop vendors.

Twenty-eight states have legalized marijuana for medicinal or recreational use.

Warren, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, said there are benefits to letting marijuana-based businesses move away from a cash-only model.

"You make sure that people are really paying their taxes. You know that the money is not being diverted to some kind of criminal enterprise," Warren said recently. "And it's just a plain old safety issue. You don't want people walking in with guns and masks and saying, 'Give me all your cash.'"

A spokesman for the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network said the agency is reviewing the letter.

There has been some movement to accommodate the banking needs of marijuana businesses.

Two years ago, the U.S. Department of the Treasury gave banks permission to do business with legal marijuana entities under some conditions. Since then, the number of banks and credit unions willing to handle pot money rose from 51 in 2014 to 301 in 2016.

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Warren, however, said fewer than 3 percent of the nation's 11,954 federally regulated banks and credit unions are serving the cannabis industry.

Taylor West, deputy director of the National Cannabis Industry Association, a trade organization for 1,100 marijuana businesses nationwide, said access to banking remains a top concern.

"What the industry needs is a sustainable solution that services the entire industry instead of tinkering around the edges," Taylor said. "You don't have to be fully in favor of legalized marijuana to know that it helps no one to force these businesses outside the banking system."

Sam Kamin, a professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law who studies marijuana regulation, said there's only so much states can do on their own.

"The stumbling block over and over again is the federal illegality," he said.

The federal government lumps marijuana into the same class of drugs as heroin, LSD and peyote. Democratic President Barack Obama's administration has essentially turned a blind eye to state laws legalizing the drug, and supporters of legalizing marijuana hope Republican President-elect Donald Trump will follow suit.

Trump officials did not respond to a request for comment. During the presidential campaign, Trump said states should be allowed to legalize marijuana and has expressed support for medicinal use. But he also has sounded more skeptical about recreational use, and his pick for attorney general, Alabama U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, is a stern critic.

Some people in the marijuana industry say the banking challenges are merely growing pains for an industry evolving from mom-and-pop outlets.

Nicholas Vita, CEO of Columbia Care, one of the nation's largest providers of medical marijuana products, said it's up to marijuana businesses to make sure their financial house is in order.

"It's not just as simple as asking the banks to open their doors," Vita said. "The industry also needs to develop a set of standards that are acceptable to the banks."
Washington (AFP) - Dale Earnhardt Jr., a second-generation star driver in America's most popular auto racing circuit, announced Sunday on Twitter he married long-time girlfriend Amy Reimann on New Year's Eve.

The ceremony took place in front of friends and family as well as some of Earnhardt's rival racers in the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR).

The two had dated since 2009 and announced their engagement in June 2015.

"Happily married!!! What an amazing experience. Looking forward to the rest of our lives @Amy_Reimann. #honeymooners," Earnhardt tweeted.

Reimann, who changed her last name to Earnhardt on Twitter, acknowledged the nuptials only by tweeting: "I sure wish my husband would wake up! @DaleJr."

The wedding took place in North Carolina at Childress Vineyards, owned by NASCAR race team owner Richard Childress.

Other drivers attending included Danica Patrick, who posted on Instagram that she caught the bouquet, Kyle Busch, Ricky Stenhouse, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex.

Earnhardt, who missed the last 18 races of the 2016 season after a concussion in a crash at Michigan, has been medically cleared to resume NASCAR competition when the 2017 campaign launches at next month's Daytona 500.

The 42-year-old American is the son of Dale Earnhardt Sr., the NASCAR legend who was killed in a crash at the 2001 Daytona 500. The elder Earnhardt won seven career NASCAR season crowns, matching Richard Petty and 2016 champion Jimmie Johnson for the all-time record.

Earnhardt Jr., a two-time Daytona 500 winner, has been selected NASCAR's most popular driver 14 years in a row from 2003-2016. He has 26 career triumphs, the most recent at Phoenix in 2015.
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While the world's most populous nation China has restrictions on the number of children a couple can have, India  which is fast catching up with China on people count  doesn't impose any such law on its citizens.

As a result, many Indian families, still wrapped in the shackles of patriarchy, don't see it as a problem to keep producing children until a boy is born. And sometimes, an entire village has to intervene to halt the juggernaut.

SEE ALSO: Indian man single-handedly digs well in 40 days, after his wife is denied access to water

A couple in the western Indian state of Gujarat, which is also Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state, had to be stopped by locals from having their eighteenth offspring, the Times of India reported.

Hailing from a tribal area in Gujarat, this farmer couple has one son and 16 daughters, but their pursuit for a second male child towered over their discretion. Until, "the villagers persuaded us to put a full stop to our family expansion," the 44-year-old father told the publication.

First, I wanted a son for our old age. After I fathered so many girls, I desperately wanted sons to look after my girls. But that didnt happen," he added.

But on persuasion of villagers, he and his 40-year-old wife have finally embraced family planning.

All's well that ends well.
warren buffett 2006

Eddie Lampert, CEO of Sears Holding Group and a hedge fund manager, announced on Thursday that his fund is once again extending a massive loan to the struggling retailer.

The $200 million loan (with the option to increase the amount to $500 million) will bring the total amount Lampert has lent Sears in the past two years up to at least $1 billion.

The fall from grace of both Lampert, once considered the "next Warren Buffett," and Sears was laid out by the Berkshire Hathaway CEO 11 years ago.

In an interview between Buffett and a group of University of Kansas students that has been circulating since 2005, Buffett was asked about Lampert and his attempt to turn around Sears. In his reply, the famed investor laid out the road map for the retailers' continued decline.

"Eddie is a very smart guy but putting Kmart and Sears together is a tough hand," said Buffett to the Kansas crowd. "Turning around a retailer that has been slipping for a long time would be very difficult. Can you think of an example of a retailer that was successfully turned around?"

Buffett also compared it to his previous experience investing in retail in the 1970s. For him, the constantly changing winds of consumer preferences make it impossible for any retailer to catch up to more forward-thinking stores when you've fallen behind. From Buffett:

"Retailing is like shooting at a moving target. In the past, people didn't like to go excessive distances from the street cars to buy things. People would flock to those retailers that were near by. In 1966 we bought the Hochschild Kohn department store in Baltimore. We learned quickly that it wasn't going to be a winner, long-term, in a very short period of time. We had an antiquated distribution system. We did everything else right. We put in escalators. We gave people more credit. We had a great guy running it, and we still couldn't win. So we sold it around 1970. That store isn't there anymore. It isn't good enough that there were smart people running it."

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Buffett said that other competitors such as Costco and Walmart could provide better deals while operating on smaller margins, making it hard for Sears and Kmart to compete.

"Costco is working on a 10-11% gross margin that is better than the Walmart's and Sam's," Buffett said.

"In comparison, department stores have 35% gross margins. It's tough to compete against the best deal for customers. Department stores will keep their old customers that have a habit of shopping there, but they won't pick up new ones."

This is what has happened. The focus on downsizing their store footprint and becoming a resource light under Lampert hasn't translated into sustainable sales or profits. Instead, the stores have been hemorrhaging customers and other retail competitors have lapped both Sears and Kmart.

The future, predicted Buffett, will not be very different from Sears' current struggles.

"How many retailers have really sunk, and then come back?" the famed investor said. "Not many. I can't think of any."

He's not called the "Oracle of Omaha" for nothing.

NOW WATCH: Watch Yellen explain why the Federal Reserve decides to raise rates





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After becoming a father last fall, Chance The Rapper took special care to keep his daughter out of the limelight. On the day of her birth, he took to Instagram to ask fans for "a little privacy in this time for me and my new family to get settled." Now, more than a year later, the Chicago rapper is finally ready to show off his fatherly side on social media.

Last night, Chance made a string of Instagram posts introducing his daughter Kensli to the world. The heartwarming posts feature Kensli meeting President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, relaxing with her dad, learning to play the harmonica, and waddling around the house. Chance dotes on his little girl in the captions of his posts, expressing how fulfilling fatherhood has been for him so far.

"This is the girl who reintroduced me to God. She's the woman who reminded me how to be a man, and taught me how to love," he writes in one caption. "She is everything I am but much better. I can't wait for her to one day help the world the way she has helped me."

Check out Chance's adorable posts below.

 now I can't stop  A video posted by Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) on Dec 31, 2016 at 4:15pm PST

Look up Kensli, say cheese! A photo posted by Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) on Dec 31, 2016 at 4:11pm PST

Ima cry. Dads know you can't/won't get this love anywhere else. We are the chosen few, the responsibility is heavy but duty is an honor. Mothers better know it ain't one thing in this world we can without you. Thank you to her mother, my mother and God for making all things possible. I can't wait to get back to this A video posted by Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) on Dec 31, 2016 at 4:25pm PST

This is the girl who reintroduced me to God. She's the woman who reminded me how to be a man, and taught me how to love. She is everything I am but much better. I can't wait for her to one day help the world the way she has helped me. A photo posted by Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) on Dec 31, 2016 at 4:09pm PST

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Lil Uzi Vert proved to be one of the most promising breakout stars of 2016, and he's poised to make even bigger waves this year. The Philadelphia rapper recently shared that he collaborated with Kanye West in the studio and inked a deal with Wiz Khalifa's Taylor Gang record label. Before gearing up to release more new music in 2017, Uzi shared one last video before 2016 drew to a close.

The new Yashxana-directed clip is set to Uzi's track "P's & Q's" from his Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World project, which he shared in April. The playful, bouncy song is brought to life by colorful visuals and whimsical special effects. The video follows Uzi as he tries to capture the heart of his crush in a Japanese schoolhouse. The clip fades in an out of an animated comic book world, displaying Uzi's love for manga. Throughout the video, characters are shown with bug eyes and animated pink hearts floating around their heads, adding to the playful vibe of the video.

Watch the lively clip above.

conic duos +++ epic shoot w these two last night  #waitonit A photo posted by YX (@yashxana) on Sep 8, 2016 at 1:00pm PDT

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Tara Walker Lyons had no idea what to expect when she took the stage at 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 6 and the challenges she has faced since then, Lyons said that all eyes in the 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 her 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 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 one way to stop this crime against children: We have to find a way to bring it into the light. 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 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 if the program had 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 world  Elianah 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 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 the 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.
Donald Trump tried to take credit for Sprints plan to create 5,000 jobs in the U.S. The plans were in place before the election, so there is some question about how much credit he should get. But Trumps habit of claiming more credit than he deserves stands in sharp contrast to President Obamas inability to communicate all of the good things that have happened during his presidency.

A report by Catherine Rampell in The Washington Post cites a poll on Obamacare: Astonishingly, about a third of respondents believe the share of Americans without health insurance has risen in the last five years. Even a sizable chunk of Clinton voters (21 percent) believes this. In fact, the uninsured rate has fallen precipitously, and now stands at an all-time low.

Related: Economists, Blogs, and Donald Trump

Or, to cite another example, how many people know that Obama cut payroll taxes for workers in an attempt to stimulate the economy? Workers received a Making Work Pay tax cut of $400 ($800 for couples) that was distributed in small amounts in 2009 and 2010. Amazingly, it was intentionally underplayed based upon an idea from behavioral economics that the tax cut would stimulate the economy more if workers were unaware of it. There is some debate about how well the tax cut worked, but the point is that very few people were even aware that they received it.

The Obama administrations lack of effective communication with the public was a big mistake. When Bill Clinton was president, it seemed like you could hardly turn on the TV without seeing someone vigorously and effectively defending his administration, and there was certainly no shortage of people defending George Bush. But, at least as I see it, the Obama administration did not benefit as much as it should have from effective spokespeople in the media (and where were members of the House and Senate for the past 8 years, they dropped the ball too).

There is a way in which the Obama administration communicated admirably, but unfortunately, it was mostly with policy wonks. What I will miss the most when Obama leaves office is the excellent work performed by his Council of Economic Advisers. The role of the CEA is to provide objective economic analysis that the president can use to make informed decisions.

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For example, when George W. Bush was considering imposing a tariff on imported steel, the chair of the CEA at the time, Glenn Hubbard, warned him of the consequences for the US economy. Bush imposed the tariffs anyway (though they were rescinded two years later when other countries threatened to retaliate), but at least he did so with full knowledge of the potential harm it would do.

Related: Why the Public Has Stopped Paying Attention to Economists

President Obama appointed top-notch economists to the CEA, and the work they have done on a variety of issues is careful and academically rigorous (for example, since August there have been reports on Active Labor Market Policies: Theory And Evidence For What Works, Labor Market Monopsony: Trends, Consequences, and Policy Responses, and The Performance of Community Banks over Time).

One piece of research, a report on Occupational Licensing, changed my mind. I have always thought about occupational licensing as a way to overcome a market failure due to lack of information about the quality of, say, medical procedures. The idea is that since consumers lack the knowledge needed to evaluate the quality of the service they receive, licensing and professional groups can police members and enforce quality standards. This is

This is useful and serves the interest of consumers, but the report convinced me it has gone too far. In many cases, licensing thwarts competition by erecting barriers to entry with no corresponding benefit to consumers, and it would be helpful to reevaluate the need for licensing using the guidelines given in the report.

What we seem to be getting from the Trump administration, which has floated Larry Kudlow as head of the CEA  he has no formal training in economics  is a slate of appointments that will provide political cover for whatever the administration wants to do. I find that distressing. One of the most important roles of the CEA is to shut down bad ideas, but it looks as if it will be transformed into a cheerleading agency for whatever Trump proposes.

I understand that macroeconomics has not performed perfectly in recent years, but it would be a mistake to use the shortcomings as a reason to throw out economic analysis altogether. There is a substantial body of both theoretical and empirical analysis of policies such as tax cuts for the rich, the imposition of tariffs, infrastructure spending, shutting down immigration, and the other things Trump has talked about. Even with policies I disagree with, there are good and bad ways to put them into place. Ignoring what economists have learned would be a big mistake.

Even with policies I disagree with, there are good and bad ways to put them into place. Ignoring what economists have learned would be a big mistake.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
WWE Network

WrestleMania 33 is still a few months away. April 2 will cap off a massive WrestleMania week in Orlando, and even though were still pretty far out, WWE is said to have at least three matches locked in for the biggest show of the year. But they might have locked down more than that, as a new report indicates WWE has decided on a host city for 2018s WrestleMania 34.

Ryan Satin at Pro Wrestling Sheet reports that multiple sources with direct knowledge have stated WrestleMania will return to New Orleans in 2018. The Superdome (or Silverdome, if youre Hulk Hogan) was host to WrestleMania XXX, the site of Daniel Bryans greatest triumph and one of the best top-to-bottom WrestleMania cards of all time.

Pro Wrestling Sheet claims that an official announcement will be forthcoming, and that the Jan. 9 Raw in New Orleans would be a likely place and time to make that announcement. But as with all pro wrestling rumors and reports, please take that with a grain of salt. After all, we all thought Minnesota was locked in to host this years event  until it wasnt. If the Big Easy hosts Mania for the second time in five years, thats a big feather in their cap. Maybe WWE just likes cities with drive-through daiquiri places.
The xx have a new album out this month called I See You, and they previously shared a taste of the album with "On Hold" and another new track on SNL called "I Dare You." Now, with the album arriving next week on January 13 via Young Turks, the group has seen fit to share another preview of the album with "Say Something Loving." After initially teasing the song with a video of them performing the track at Karaoke in Tokyo, they've shared the song proper via Spotify.

As with the previous slices of music we've heard from the forthcoming album, "Say Something Loving" is an upbeat affair. The vibrant new track is definitely a lot more expansive than we're used to hearing from the trio, exploring more and more of what they're capable of as musicians. There's definitely a sunny take on their usual brand of pop music, and it'll make a nice way to start the year as far as albums go. The xx will tour in support of the album this Spring with seven sold-out nights at London's Brixton Academy.

Listen to "Say Something Loving" below and check out the trio performing the track at a karaoke place in Tokyo below that.

A few weeks ago we were in Tokyo and filmed ourselves doing karaoke to our new song 'Say Something Loving', we had a lot of fun! xx The xx pic.twitter.com/zctL2funtL  The xx (@The_xx) January 1, 2017

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The future of tech is a lonely one, and frankly, we're for it.

For those who delight in methodically cutting human interactions from day-to-day tasks, 2017 promises more where that came from. Introverts, this is your time.

1. For your morning coffee: The Starbucks app

The Starbucks app in use.

Image: starbucks

Though the Starbucks app already lets users order and pay for drinks without waiting in line, the coffee chain will soon add a new AI voice-command feature called "My Starbucks Barista." Rather than swiping through a menu and selecting an order, users will be able to place orders via voice command or messaging.

Basically, it's the social interaction of talking to a barista without having to actually talk to a barista.

2. For your moviegoing experience: Apple eyes new releases

An Apple TV streaming box.

Image: eric risberg/AP

For those who love movies but hate screaming teenagers who kick the backs of bacteria-infested seats, Apple hears you.

In December, Bloomberg reported that executives from the tech company have lobbied studios in Hollywood for access to new releases. Consider the higher rental fee a small price to pay for just staying home.

3. For your cab ride home: Self-driving cars

An Uber driverless car.

Image: Eric risberg/AP photo

Yes, technically there are drivers manning the front seat in Uber's brand new fleet of self-driving cars. And yes, the California DMV immediately cracked down on the company for operating self-driving vehicles in San Francisco without a permit.

But considering that relentless Uber  after being told to cease operations in California  is moving the entire program to Arizona, we've still inched just a little bit closer to a potential future of taxis without drivers.

4. For dining out: A restaurant with no cashiers and no waiters

Image: rex features/AP photo

At Eatsa, there's no need for human interaction. Customers just walk in, enter orders with a robotic cashier and wait for food to appear in the cubbies lining the restaurant wall.

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The chain began in San Francisco (obviously) and has since expanded to New York. And though the chain staffs actual humans to cook the food and help people place orders should they need assistance, efficient, interaction-free dining is the goal here. It's like Seamless, but for people who feel like going outside.

5. For shopping: Amazon Go

Amazon Go wants to make IRL shopping an infinitely simpler operation. In December, the company announced a wild new shopping experience that lets buyers walk into a store, grab what they need and walk out. That means no waiting in lines and no arguing about whether bananas are or are not on sale today.

The company's first Amazon Go store is currently only open to employees, though it's expected to open to the public in 2017.

6. For companionship: Talk to a small hologram stuck in a jar

Amazon has Alexa. Google has Google Home. Gatebox Labs has...this little hologram of a woman trapped inside a jar. The Japanese company sells a tiny digital assistant named Azuma Hikari, who gives off strong Her vibes. She'll tell you the weather, text you flirtatious messages while you're at work and turn on the lights before you get home. Whether she's cute or creepy is for you to decide.








Apple and Google have been in a heated race to take over the automotive space for some time now, and both companies have had middling success. Today, the battle for the touchscreen on the dashboard of your next new car may have swung dramatically in Googles favor thanks to a new partnership between Alphabet and Fiat Chrysler. In a pre-CES press release, Fiat Chrysler announced that its Uconnect in-vehicle infotainment system will now be integrated with Android.

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Most new vehicles that come with some form of a touchscreen interface utilize whatever operating system the manufacturer managed to cobble together. Theyre often slow, clunky, and not terribly attractive. Apples CarPlay and Googles Android Auto have thus far existed on the fringe, allowing owners of supported vehicles to use the platforms if they want, but as a secondary option behind the default built-in software.

Now, Fiat Chrysler is using Android 7.0 to support its Uconnect software, taking over the job of designing and maintaining its own custom Android skin, and fully integrating Andriods app support and other features on a core level. A working concept of the Android/Uconnect marriage will be on display at CES 2017.

Its a smart move for Google, who is a seasoned veteran when it comes to handing over the keys to its mobile platform to manufacturers. Apple, on the other hand, keeps things much more locked-down, and its hard to imagine Cook and company giving anyone  especially an automotive manufacturer  the freedom to tweak iOS in a similar way.

Its interesting to note that many brands under the Fiat Chrysler umbrella are on Apples list of CarPlay proponents, including Chrysler, Fiat, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, and Alfa Romeo. Its unclear if any vehicle that would utilize the Android-flavored Uconnect software would also support CarPlay, but thats probably a long shot.

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By Sankalp Phartiyal

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Smartphone component maker Wistron Corp, which counts Apple Inc among its customers, has applied for permission to expand its plant in the Indian city of Bengaluru, a high-ranking regional government official said on Monday.

The Taiwanese contract manufacturer has also requested that its application be fast-tracked, the official at the state government of Karnataka in southern India told Reuters.

The move comes less than two weeks after the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple was in talks with India's federal government about the possibility of assembling products in one of the world's biggest smartphone markets, where the U.S. tech firm controls less than 2 percent.

Apple setting up production in India would be a significant win for the government which has embarked on a major campaign to attract global manufacturers under the slogan "Make in India".

"Wistron has approached us to expedite certain clearances with regards to the augmentation and expansion of its existing unit," said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter and so declined to be identified.

Whether Apple will begin manufacturing in India is unknown, but Wistron's desire to expand "pretty quickly" could represent "several steps in that direction," the official said.

Apple did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Wistron could not be reached for comment.

Analysts have said local manufacturing could come as part of a wider strategy for Apple to expand in India and even lower prices after Chief Executive Tim Cook visited the country in May and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Certainly that (local manufacturing) will help in some level of cost optimization," said Gartner research director Anshul Gupta. "Because looking at the current tax structure, local facilities do provide some kind of cost advantage."

Another of Apple's Taiwanese suppliers, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd - commonly known as Foxconn - also has a manufacturing facility in southern India.

(Reporting by Sankalp Phartiyal; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
The world's leading showcase for new technologies, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), is celebrating 50 years of its existence in 2017. Since its launch in 1967, it's been the venue for the unveiling of most groundbreaking new technologies in consumer electronics for the last 50 years, including video cassettes, audio CDs, Blu-ray discs, and the Xbox, to name but a few.

Several major multimedia innovations have emerged at the American trade show, which is held in Las Vegas every year. The two most famous examples are perhaps the video recorder, presented by Sony in 1970 when it premiered its U-Matic system prototype, and the compact disc (CD) premiered in 1981, which was also developed by Sony in collaboration with Philips.

CES was also the venue for the display of the first DVDs (Toshiba, 1996) and the first Blu-ray discs (Sony, 2003), which finally vanquished the competing HD DVD format (Toshiba).

Among the consumer appliances that first appeared at CES, the most noteworthy are the camcorder (JVC and Sony, 1981), and the first plasma screens (Toshiba and Hitachi, 2001).

There were also other inventions that didn't survive the test of time: who can remember the LaserDisc (Philips, 1974), the CD-i (Philips and Sony, 1991) or the MiniDisc (Sony, 1993)?

In the area of video games, CES hosted the presentation of such legendary consoles as the NES (Nintendo, 1985) and the Xbox (Microsoft, 2001).

More recently, the CES has seen the first OLED televisions and the first 3D TVs. And let's not forget that Las Vegas also premiered the first Android tablets, just a few weeks before Apple launched the iPad in 2010.

The first-ever CES, which was held in New York in June 1967, brought together some 200 exhibitors. Since then the event has moved to Nevada, and become the key trade fair of its kind. Every year the CES welcomes more than 3,500 exhibitors from around the world.

See the major innovations presented at the CES since 1967: ces.tech/50-years-timeline/
Hackers are targeting unsuspecting users with a new type of mobile virus that spreads through legitimate-looking word documents sent via WhatsApp, which could then steal sensitive information from users, including online banking credentials and other data.

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The WhatsApp con almost certainly targets Android users. IBTimes doesnt mention the operating system explicitly in its report, but malware like this typically only works on Googles operating system and not the iPhone. Furthermore, these WhatsApp viruses have only been discovered in India so far, a market where low-end Android smartphones running older versions of Android are very popular.

Hackers are taking advantage of two big organizations in the region to convince users to click on the message attachment. The malicious WhatsApp messages contain names of major organizations in India including NDA (National Defense Academy) and NIA (National Investigation Agency). The documents that circulate via messages are typically in Excel format, although Word and PDF files have been reported as well. The documents are able to access personal data on the phone, including banking credentials and PIN codes.

Central security services in India have issued a notification to defense and security establishments in the region. Its believed the attack targets people in uniform.

As these two organizations are very popular and known within the country and abroad and there is a curiosity about them, it is possible that it may affect the mobile phones of people interested in these subjects, officials told the Economic Times. However, it has been analyzed that the men and women in defense, paramilitary and police forces could be the target groups.

Its unclear at this time what else this virus does on a phone or tablet, or whether WhatsApp is taking any action to prevent the scam.

A recent report profiled what must be one of the scariest examples of Android malware at work. Russian intelligence targeted Ukrainian army with an Android virus that turned the devices the military used for targeting their artillery pieces into tracking devices that could transmit the troops exact position.

Story continues

As always, the best way to protect your data is to avoid clicking on dubious links, no matter how you receive them, and limit app use to applications downloaded from official app stores.

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President Barack Obama has scheduled his farewell address for January 10th, according to an email statement released earlier today, reported by Reuters. The President will reportedly use the venue as an opportunity to thank those who have supported him over the past eight years while also offering some commentary on what the future holds for the country, especially after such a volatile year in the political and cultural landscape. The event will come just ten days before President-elect Trump is set to be sworn in as the commander-in-chief on January 20th.

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Im thinking about (my farewell) as a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways youve changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here, Obama said in the statement. Since 2009, weve faced our fair share of challenges, and come through them stronger. Thats because we have never let go of a belief that has guided us ever since our founding  our conviction that, together, we can change this country for the better.

President Obama will give the address from his hometown of Chicago. He served in the Illinois Senate for seven years before being elected to the U.S. Senate, where he represented Illinois for another three years before winning the 2008 presidential election. He gave his victory speech in Chicagos Grant Park, and returning to the city to offer his final remarks as President will be a fitting final send-off. Obama has said he plans to remain in Washington for a while after leaving office.

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The hurricane was only the beginning of Casey Smith's troubles this past fall.

Smith, a Missoula real estate agent, last year bought a 44-foot sailboat named The Swell Horizon to fulfill his dream of sailing around the southern Atlantic. The sailboat was parked in Savannah, Georgia, in October when Hurricane Matthew swung up the Atlantic seaboard, first hitting Florida before moving along the coast before spinning out to open ocean in North Carolina.

Though the United States only felt a category 1 or 2 hurricane, Matthew still caused plenty of damage along the coast, flooding the Carolinas and destroying hundreds of boats.

According to a Weather Channel storm recap from Oct. 10, wave surges of about 8 feet blew through local marinas in Tybee Island and Savannah, where Smiths boat was parked and beached. The area saw wind gusts of 96 mph and about 17.5 inches of rain.

That storm blew Smith and his boat 2 miles into the ocean after his anchor snapped in marshland, bringing them to rest on the shore of Tybee Island, Georgia.

He was rescued (unwillingly) by the U.S. Coast Guard, but was soon released to go back to his floating home stuck on the beach.

The Swell Horizon was dug up against a bank of mud leaning toward the ocean, which at high tide left it stranded on a thin bar of sand between flooded marshland and open sea.

His beached boat would eventually have to be crane-lifted off shore, after five failed attempts and numerous broken nylon and steel cables failed to pull it off shore.

Smith documented the whole adventure on Facebook Live video, with his 450 friends chiming in encouragement and disbelief as try after try failed to move the 38,000-pound boat.

Smith used a small sport cabin fishing boat to commute back and forth between the shore and his beached ketch, protecting it from roving looters.

Theres people after a hurricane just cruising, he said. The same pair of shirtless fisherman came by almost every day to tell Smith that his boat was really nice, and that hed better take care to watch it.

Smith and a friend eventually spray painted "OWNER SALVAGE DO NOT BOARD" on a piece of plywood tied to the boat.

The week after Hurricane Matthew, Smith called BoatUS, the marine equivalent of AAA, who promised to send out a barge to get the boat back in the water.

They took their time calling him back, so he looked for someone willing to help pro bono, eventually meeting Jack, a shrimp boat captain.

Boy, thats a lotta boat, said Jack, shaking his head as he and Smith mulled over the best way to go about saving his craft.

They started with 600 feet of 1-inch nylon rope, which was looped around the lower end of The Swell Horizon and tied to the back of the shrimp boat.

Smith remembers the high whine of the engines and the boats sharp lean toward shore as it tried to budge his 44-foot sailboat.

No luck.

A little over a week later, the insurance company put a surveyor in charge of Smiths case, who showed up with another shrimp boat and some nylon webbing to give it another try.

The two immediately grappled over whether Smith would be present for the extractions, the insurance agent not wanting Smith to get worried about his boat being hurt while they pulled it off shore.

If you dont think Im going to be out there and part of this equation, Smith said  "well, its a good thing I was.

Immediately, Smith didnt like how they went about pulling his boat off shore  he said the nylon webbing was tied to the upper rail, which ended up pulling the boat deeper into the mud as a small tugboat strained the ties.

The crew dug out around the rudder, putting giant airbags under the boat blowing them up so the boat was almost upright, lifting Smiths hopes that the boat could be moved.

In hindsight, that mightve blown the keel, he said.

Also, they could only try to pull the boat from shore during twice-daily high tides.

For reasons on which Smith was never clear, two of the tries took place at night. He donated his spotlight to help during those attempts; curiously enough, the boat crews that came didnt bring any lamps.

After the first failed attempt, the insurance agent arranged for two tugboats, one smaller, the other a larger harbor tugboat, to try and pull Smiths boat offshore.

Tugs are known for their power-to-size ratio, making them ideal for maneuvering huge tankers around crowded harbors.

The crew aimed a water hose under The Swell Horizon, blasting water underneath its hull to help it move out of the mud.

In full throttle, the boat pulled and pulled until the 2-inch steel line broke. The next line snapped as well.

After three attempts in 45 minutes, the boat moved a smidge, but wasnt leaving its spot on the beach.

You could look at it and see that physics would not allow what they were trying to do, no matter the horsepower, Smith said. It was really upsetting.

***

That night, Smith was sleeping in his truck outside the pier where his fishing boat was parked, as he had been doing the two weeks since the hurricane.

One of the pier workers rapped on his window, Casey, you better get down here. Your boats sinking.

Smith, thinking it was a joke, rolled over, but was eventually roused to find his sport cabin fishing boat filling with water.

He pumped it out and was relieved to find the engine intact.

I dont know what I would have done without it, he said, still not sure why it started taking on water.

Four days later though, The Swell Horizon was off the beach, after the insurance company decided to pull out all the stops, calling in a barge that had been cruising the coast after the hurricane, picking up wrecked yachts with a crane.

And with that, his boat was back in the waves, though with a broken rudder Smith didnt know about until later.

The fact that she was floating above the waterline  I was just stoked about that, he said. Things were a little messy, but things were intact and good to go.

Overjoyed at having his boat back, Smith tied it to a rented spot at the pier and went back to sleep another night in his truck.

He got up early the next morning, excited to start repairing his boat.

Smith walked up to the woman staffing the gate at the marina and introduced himself as the new guy who had rented a space the previous night. As they spoke, he glanced over her shoulder, wondering why he couldnt see The Swell Horizon.

Oh," the woman told him. "It's sunk."

Two of the through-hull fittings, which allow water to flow out of the boat, but not in, had broken overnight, bringing a flood of seawater into The Swell Horizon.

That flooding ruined his whole electrical system, which, combined with the other damage from the hurricane, doomed The Swell Horizon to totaled status.

At this point its been three weeks since the storm and my sailboat and my fishing boats gone down, he said. At which point, he started to think:

You shouldnt be in Savannah. You shouldnt be doing this.

Smiths mother lives in Missoula and her health declined this year, he said, adding to the feeling he should maybe be closer to home.

***

Now, while dealing with his insurance company on the payout for The Swell Horizon, hes looking for a new boat on the West Coast, to cut down the long drives from Georgia to Montana hes done six times this year.

I figure Mexicos as good as the Bahamas. And Alaskas as nice as Maine, he said.

Smiths even seen the same model boat for sale, the solid fiberglass hull construction tempting him, though newer boats are much more comfortable.

Despite its short life, The Swell Horizon will always be special to Smith, and not just for riding out a hurricane.

He sailed it from Brunswick to port in Savannah in 17 hours, The Swell Horizon cruising at a swift 8 knots, with the wind over Smiths shoulder the whole 136 nautical miles up the Atlantic seaboard.

I sailed it one trip, he said. It was maybe the best day of sailing Ive had in my entire life.
Samsung was expected to reveal the findings of its Galaxy Note 7 explosions investigation by the end of 2016. That didnt happen, but a fresh report indicates that Samsung may soon announce its conclusions together with the South Korean government. The announcement will most likely be made on January 10th or by the end of January at the latest, a source familiar with the matter said.

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According to The Korea Herald, there were at least two investigations into the Galaxy Note 7 exploding batteries. Samsung asked the US-based safety organization UL to find the cause of the fires. The state-run Korea Testing Laboratory also launched its own investigation to explain the Galaxy Note 7s fire risk.

Apparently, its KTL that will announce the conclusions, the report notes. We have not yet confirmed the outcome of ULs investigation, a KTL official said without expanding on the matter. Neither Samsung nor the government explained what went wrong with the phone. But The Herald says its not a simple battery malfunction, and the two sides are fine-tuning details to reach the final outcome.

Industry watchers, meanwhile, say that its crucial for Samsung to explain what happened with the phablet to regain consumers trust before the Galaxy S8 arrives sometime by April. Samsung Electronics must transform itself after learning an expensive lesson last year, vice chairman and CEO of Samsung Kwon Oh-hyun said Monday during a speech.

The Korean government will take other actions to prevent similar accidents in the future, a source revealed. The government is preparing a revision to safety regulations to prevent a similar accident from occurring, an official said.

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Theres a good chance that most Missoulians dont know much about their newly elected state legislator Shane Morigeau, including how to say his last name correctly: It's pronounced MOR-i-zho. Dont worry, even Bernie Sanders mispronounced it after Morigeau introduced the former presidential candidate in Caras Park earlier this year.

Morigeau, 32, will represent House District 95  a large swath of central and western Missoula  in the upcoming legislative session after winning the November election. A Democrat, he also recently ran for  and won  the position of House minority whip, a very rare occurrence for an incoming freshman representative.

Morigeau is a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and grew up in Ronan. He worked as a firefighter and a river guide and spent lots of free time hunting and playing in the outdoors. He once earned a pilots license for single-engine planes before attending forestry school at the University of Montana.

He liked his forest policy classes so much that he enrolled in law school at the University of Montana, then earned a masters degree in law, with a focus on indigenous law and policy, at the University of Arizona before taking a job as the in-house counsel for the CSKT. He worked for two sessions at the legislature as an advocate and lobbyist and even helped with the Flathead Water Compact.

He is using up his paid leave to commute to Helena to be a lawmaker, but he and his wife Jamie Iguchi decided he should run  with encouragement from his mother Constance  because he wants to make a difference.

I ran for the legislature for a lot of reasons, he explained. Its not something I did on a whim. I want to help, and I think I can help the Democratic Party. Not everyone can devote their time to public service, and I have an opportunity to do so and hope to make the best out of it.

Morigeau said he is committed to finding ways to make progress on a number of issues. He said he will advocate for clean energy without sacrificing jobs, infrastructure spending, reducing homelessness, expanding health options for the mentally ill or drug-addicted, raising the minimum wage, reducing the cost of college tuition and Native American issues, among other things. On the issue of renewable energy, he said hes hoping to find common-ground solutions.

Montanas tricky, right, because we have communities like Colstrip and people whose livelihoods and well-being depend on the fossil fuel industry, he said. We cant take that for granted. Montana has benefited greatly from fossil fuels and extraction, but the way the industry is moving is toward renewables in so many different places. To see this expansion of renewables and clean energy, its the future.

Morigeau said that if Montana embraces clean energy technology, then the state will bring good-paying technology jobs here.

We have a very good opportunity right now to jump in and capture and embrace that and start creating jobs for Montanans in some communities where they are losing them, he said.

***

The issue of creating tech jobs and attracting skilled workers also ties in with his core belief that college tuition costs are way too high. He believes that students who perform well should have access to cheaper and even free college education, a belief he shares with Bernie Sanders.

Thats why education is important, he said. We should be developing programs where we capture industries that keep workers here. We have this grand opportunity here to do more, branch out in more ways and recruit companies. We are one of the windiest states in America. We should really be thinking big picture about industries that can bring jobs in and make sure the environment is protected. A lot of times we are just thinking about the quickest return we can get, but I think we just need to have a lot more long-term look on a lot of these things.

Morigeau said his studies in college gave him a perspective on issues facing indigenous people all over the world. He is proud to be a member of the Indian Caucus in the House.

I am passionate about Indian issues and working with the tribes that are close to 8 percent of Montanas population, he said. Im proud of the Democrats in the legislature. We look like Montana. We have teachers, Indians, a lot of women. When I look at our party sitting in a room, I feel like Im in our community here in Missoula. We have a lot of women and minorities."

"If you look across the aisle (at the Republicans), there is a different makeup, although they have some women chairs. But thats just reflective of the different communities they come from.

***

Morigeau said he made the decision to run for a leadership position, even though hes a young freshman representative, because he believes that young people should contribute if they have skills.

Ive never been an establishment type of person, he said. That doesnt mean I dont respect knowledge and experience. But if people have some capabilities or talent they can offer right now, whether they are 15 or 100 years old, we should harness and utilize that.

Although he acknowledged that the upcoming session will be tough for Democrats because they are outnumbered 41-59 in the House, Morigeau believes he will work will with people across the aisle.

I think I bring a diverse background of education and culture, he said. The Flathead Reservation is a mix of Democrats and Republicans. People want a candidate who is going to make things better for Montanans. They dont want career politicians. In Montana, you have to get stuff done.

He believes that, especially in national politics, the party in power often hinders good things from happening because they dont want a politician from the other party getting credit for an accomplishment.

A lot of times the fight is, We want to have the record for doing this, and We dont want this politician to have the press or publicity for getting this done, and who suffers? We do. The people in local communities. Its frustrating to walk in and see that, he said.

With all these new responsibilities, Morigeau credits his wife with keeping him grounded. She also works at a law firm and the two met at a Continuing Legal Education seminar.

She is very smart and articulate, he said. She didnt grow up on the reservation. She is Japanese-American, so she comes from a different background and has a different view. Her experiences are different from mine, so its nice to have that grounding to be able to discuss things. I have to give my wife a standing ovation for making me a better person. Its nice to have that in life.

Morigeau's favorite quote applies to his family life, his work and his goals for the upcoming legislative session:
Three ski areas in western Montana were unexpectedly forced to close Monday due to extreme cold and wind. Snowbowl outside of Missoula, Discovery Ski Area near Philipsburg and Blacktail Mountain near Lakeside all announced they were shut down for safety reasons, and all three will be closed Tuesday, as well.

The National Weather Services monitoring station at Point 6 near Snowbowl was recording temperatures of around minus-10 degrees all morning Monday, with sustained winds in the 30 mph range. However, with gusts up to 56 mph, that meant windchills of minus-43 degrees.

Its just too cold to be up on the mountain, Snowbowl owner Brad Morris said in a recorded message on the ski hotline.

Arla Rosso at Blacktail Mountain said that the managers decided it was a safety issue.

These cold temperatures are unsafe for skiers, she said.

The frigid blast that hit Missoula on Monday is only expected to get worse on Tuesday, although winds shouldnt be any higher.

We have a forecast of minus-7 degrees for (early Tuesday morning) in Missoula, said NWS meteorologist Jeff Kitsmiller. We are still forecasting wind, with a windchill of somewhere around minus-20 degrees. The high on Tuesday should make it up all the way to about 1 degree. Its going to get colder but not necessarily windier.

The lowest recorded high temperature for Jan. 3 in Missoula was 3 degrees set in 1959. That night, it got down to minus-8 degrees.

Kitsmiller said the length of time this bone-chilling front is expected to last might be unprecedented for Missoula.

The amount of time it will be cold will probably be close to a record, he said. It just hasnt happened in a little while. This time of year, its not uncommon to have highs below zero, but this will be one of the longer stretches of being cold that weve had in a while.

Kitsmiller said there is a low-pressure trough of air that is centered over Seattle right now.

Because of that low, there is high pressure over on the east side of the (continental) divide, he explained. And all this cold air is rushing through all the mountains and gaps, which is why were getting wind and cold.

Kitsmiller said its possible that one of the days towards the end of the week will be even colder than Tuesday.

We do see a warmer weather system for the weekend, and it does look like it would probably bring snow, he said. We are still uncertain on the very end of the week. There is still a lot of question about that. We have a few models showing it warming up.
The caregiving industry is in an almost perpetual staffing crisis, and there are no easy or cheap solutions. Consumers receive inadequate care and are often prisoners in their own homes due to inadequate staffing levels, but it's often not the company's fault. From what I've observed, most of the staff do an admirable job caring for our consumers. It's a problem of societal invisibility.

We no longer live in a society where family has to care for their family with disabilities. They let companies like the Missoula Developmental Services Corporation, A.W.A.R.E. Inc., and Opportunity Resources, Inc. provide the care they cannot. We should not blame the family because the needs of the clients often require a lot of time, financial costs, patience and effort. It's hard to get by in Montana when not caring for a person with disabilities. So, logically, people have little choice but to place their family in the services of nonprofits providing round-the-clock care to people with disabilities.

Now it seems the citizens of our state want to have their cake and eat it too. They can't care for their family for a variety of reasons, but the people (not necessarily family of people with disabilities) and lawmakers of Montana and the USA don't want to adequately fund the care these most vulnerable people receive. Our state government, in the interest of saving costs, often passes our responsibility to fund the care onto the federal government.

Due to our low wages, many front-line workers, direct support professionals (DSPs), rely on federal assistance and Section 8 vouchers. For many of us who don't qualify for federal aid, we face housing, medical, dental and food security issues. How can our staff care for others when we worry about our next meal or how to cover a needed root canal?

We are very fortunate to have a university in Missoula because we have more students willing to work for lower wages while in school. This is not an ideal solution because turnover with students is quite high in a field depending heavily on consistency, and we still have very serious staffing issues.

In most businesses, if the return is not high enough, the business either increases prices or cuts unprofitable services while focusing on profitable ones. The state controls a vast majority of the funding. There's relatively very little funding coming from donations and other sources. In effect, the state has a monopoly on funding, so agencies providing services in our state beg like dogs for scraps at a dinner table every legislative session. There is no penalty on our legislature and our governor, who previously vetoed budgetary increases in the field, to underfund services. If anything, there are rewards. They can campaign on being fiscally responsible during future elections. All this while voting for a raise for themselves. Since the state contracts services for people with disabilities out to agencies, they are able to separate themselves from the issues they cause. The consumers of the services aren't likely to fight for their rights like other Montana citizens. Without DSPs, many can't leave their own beds, let alone drive to Helena to protest their treatment.

It is not possible in our field to cut unprofitable services. We can't leave a citizen, with all associated rights, in their own urine and feces for days because it's unprofitable. It's inhumane, neglectful and against Montana state law. So the state, as the primary funding source, leaves providers in a bind yet absolves themselves of the responsibility.

We have a choice. Please encourage your legislature and Gov. Steve Bullock to increase funding for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Thank you.
I am writing from Bozeman, where I reside, in another town with a university in our beautiful state. And I am writing with a heart that feels as if it is filled with lead in the hope that your paper will publish my letter as a resident of this great state.

Why lead? I read today of a group on campus in your beautiful city that supports blacklisting as a means of hiding its head in the sand and hoping that by blacklisting a professor it can feel it is the better group of people than any others.

This group on campus is supported with money by a man who considers white males of a particular religious ideology to anyone else. He is against helping, listening to or considering at any time the ideas of those who are not U.S. citizens, not white and not Christian. And yes, I know his name, as he resides in Bozeman. But the idea of students on campus believing they have the power to attempt to ruin a man's life - in this case a professor  is repugnant to the very ideals on which we believe as a country.

These young people who don't like a professor because he challenges their narrow thinking do not know what they are doing as they are reacting instead of thinking, as did the Hitler Youth Corps who turned in the own families to feed the fires of hatred and ignorance. The ideology of this campus group does far more harm than good when it assumes that getting rid of anyone it doesn't like is how to live their lives. I feel sorry for them  and they know who they are. Why? Because in their small world they believe all can be made OK with one list of names. No university should tolerate this behavior. This act, this list, is draconian and no one will benefit, least of all our university system and the future of our young people.

Tobin Miller Shearer is guilty only of believing that an open mind is beneficial to all.

Carolyn Hopper,

Bozeman
Donald Trump says we should get on with our lives and move off the topic of Russian interference in U.S. elections. How noble of this man to encourage us to forget the debt he personally owes a foreign dictator.

He told us during the campaign that Hillary Clinton was a lightweight who couldnt stand up to tough foreign leaders like Vladimir Putin. Yet who was Putin afraid to have in the White House  Clinton or the willfully ignorant lapdog who disputes every U.S. intelligence agency and the computer experts who have weighed in on the hacks?

Should we move on? Regarding Russia, yes; the sanctions put in place today may be enough to stop further attacks, at least for now.

Regarding the breaches, no, not without thorough investigation. Who or what else has been hacked and who might be blackmailed at our country's expense? Does anyone really think the Republican National Committee has no dirty laundry? Even your grandma does.

Trumps who cares? response shows him to be craven in the face of threats. When intelligence briefings made clear the facts, he stopped attending briefings. Can America survive a president who plugs his ears and yells LALALA when information is difficult to digest? Weve been down the road of cherry-picked intelligence before and Iraq continues to be the outcome. As for moving on, has Tweetmaster Trump moved on from his pique over Saturday Night Live parodies? He is a man without proportion, all to America's disadvantage.

For insight into Trump and those who continue to stand by him in the face of his cowardice, check out "Escape from Freedom" by Erich Fromm. It describes all too clearly what makes him tick and what makes his apologists rise to his defense. And no, it wasnt written by a Clinton supporter. It was first published in 1941.

Suzanne Parson,

St. Ignatius
HELENA  Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock, after being sworn in to start his second term Monday, emphasized unity between his party and Republicans, who control the Legislature and took back three of the state's five elected statewide offices in November's election.

The differences we have, while amplified at times, are small compared to what unites us, Bullock told about 400 people who packed the Capitol rotunda and gathered on the two floors above.

Before any of us are Democrats or Republicans, were Montanans. And Montanans elected us to serve, not to score political points.

Republican Corey Stapleton was sworn in as secretary of state, Elsie Arntzen as the superintendent of public instruction and Matt Rosendale as state auditor. All assume the offices from Democrats who were term-limited.

Bullock and his Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney won re-election to remain the only members of their party to hold statewide office. Republican Attorney General Tim Fox also won re-election in a landslide. Justices Jim Shea and Dirk Sandefur were also sworn in.

Montanas Legislature, which meets in odd-numbered years for 90 days, also convened Monday and legislators were sworn in at noon. Republicans, who controlled both the House and Senate in the 2015 session, picked up three seats in the Senate to make it 32-18 and kept their majority in the House, 59-41.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have said a tight state budget and shrinking revenues, caused by a decline in oil, gas and coal production, will be the biggest issue of the session. Legislators also said they will focus on trying to pass an infrastructure bill, though Democrats and Republicans are divided on what sorts of projects should be included and how the state should pay for them.

"The elections are over," Bullock told state legislators and officeholders in attendance. "Let us all not forget that we were each elected to run government and our constitutional offices irrespective of partisanship and for the benefit of all Montanans.

Bullock said Montanans have placed their trust in their elected officials and called on those in attendance to rise above the less-than-civil nature of the 2016 presidential election.

It may be a challenging time in this experiment we call representative democracy, Bullock said. Here in Montana we, the leaders Montana elected, Democrats and Republicans, to rise above that political discourse and demonstrate to those that we represent that we won't allow the toxicity that we see at so many levels of gov infecting what we do in this building for the folks back home.

Im optimistic Montana can continue to be shining example of how the political system is supposed to work, he said.

Bullock also called out successes of his first term, including the passage of the HELP Act, under which more than 61,000 Montanans have signed up for Medicaid the Disclose Act, which changed campaign finance reporting laws; high graduation rates and low unemployment rates.

The ceremony emphasized a message of inclusiveness. Seating was reserved for tribal leaders and state Rep. George Kipp, D-Heart Butte, sang an honor song for all Montanans and tribes.

Bullock also emphasized Montanans should have the freedom to worship when and how we choose and and Pastor Marianne Niesen, who gave the benediction, noted the end of the Christmas and Hanukkah sessions, calling for peace and unity.

At the end of December, Bullock joined with Attorney General Tim Fox, U.S. Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Steve Daines, R-Mont., and U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., to issue a letter saying they stand together against anti-Semitism and white nationalism and condemned calls to take action against the Jewish community in the small town of Whitefish in northwestern Montana.

Bullock also addressed tribal leaders, saying hes pleased with what the state and Montanas eight tribes have accomplished together and said he hopes to continue building government-to-government relations.
The society corner in Victorian Butte newspapers recorded all and sundry events, including New Years Eve parties. An item from the Butte Bystander for Jan. 8, 1898, reports such a gathering at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Erastus Thomas, 213 E. Quartz (not West Quartz; the article is in error). East Quartz is one of the oldest parts of Butte, with the first cabin allegedly built there in the 1860s. By 1900, there were 58 dwellings in the block bounded by Granite, Quartz, Arizona, and Ohio Streets. Four were three-story boarding houses, and six were two-story homes, four-plexes, and apartments while the rest were single-story homes, but many of the latter had additional buildings that were likely inhabited. Its reasonable to estimate that the population of this block exceeded 200 in 1900. Today, there are two houses in this area.

The narrow single-story Thomas home must have been crowded with 27 party-goers at a sit-down dinner. The house was built between 1888 and 1891 as part of the Thornton Addition, so it was fairly new in 1897. The location was convenient, just two blocks north of the site of the Washington School, two blocks east of the Butte Brewery, and immediately below the Parrot Mine complex where Erastus worked as an engineer.

The 1897 New Years Eve party list reveals the cosmopolitan nature of Butte. We can determine that the attendees came from all over Butte and from all walks of life. Mrs. Ellof Peterson managed a boarding house at 10 E. Gagnon St.; Martin Brecke was a miner who lived at 725 N. Montana. Michael Geiger, who attended with his wife and daughter, lived at 1109 W. Woolman where he ran the Home Industry Publishing Company. The Bjorgums were probably Mr. and Mrs. Martin Bjorgum. He was a tailor with a shop at the northeast corner of Main and Mullins in Centerville; he and his family lived at #6 ONeill St. in Walkerville. Another tailor, George Erickson, worked for Henry Jonas at 11 E. Granite St. but lived at 503 S. Montana.

Mary Hoban, widow of John, boarded at 107 W. Quartz. (The Sherman, which stood immediately west of the ORourke Building, is part of todays jail/BSB parking lot.) Another widow, Mrs. Albertine Minger, establishes a connection to the East Side: she lived at the boarding house at the northeast corner of East Galena and Shields Avenue, just below the looming Pennsylvania Mine headframe at the southern margin of the Butte Hill. The two-story building there also was home to party attendees David Trotter (a machinist) and Louis Demars, who both lived there and operated a grocery store at the same location. Demars also ran a confectionery at 323 S. Main (across from where Naranche Stadium is today). Today, the old corner of Galena and Shields is under the waste rock on the rim of the Berkeley Pit just a bit northwest of the viewing stand; Shields has been significantly relocated.

The party list gives a cross-section of Buttes middle class, from tailors and grocers to engineers, publishers, machinists and miners, boarding-house mistresses and widows living (apparently) independently. Michael Geiger was active with the clerks union and was among the defendants in the lawsuit brought by Hum Fay and other Butte Chinese businessmen against the unions for their attempted boycotts in 1896. The Chinese won the lawsuit.

The Butte Bystander was a short-lived, labor-oriented newspaper published from 1890 to 1897 as The Butte Bystander then from 1897-98 as just The Bystander.
What would repeal of the federal Affordable Care Act mean for the 61,000 Montanans who have Medicaid coverage under that law?

According to Montana law, their Medicaid would end if the federal government stops paying 90 percent or more of the costs of their care. The ACA says that funding will never be less than 90 percent of costs.

Last year, the Republican majority in Congress passed a bill repealing parts of the Affordable Care Act, including provisions that authorize funding for Medicaid expansion in the 50 states. President Barack Obama vetoed that bill.

In 2016, the federal government paid virtually 100 percent of the costs of caring for the 61,000 new enrollees. By contrast, the state of Montana is responsible for about 30 percent of the costs of caring for the rest of its Medicaid enrollees  children, disabled and elderly adults.

The 2015 Montana HELP Act authorized the state to start enrolling low-income people of all ages. The law received bipartisan support from Montanas health care providers, business leaders, clergy and human service organizations.

Since Montana began enrolling folks under the HELP Act on Jan. 1, 2016, Montana hospitals are seeing fewer people who have no money to pay for needed care. The federal Medicaid money is helping to trim losses at our community hospitals that care for indigent patients.

New Medicaid enrollees live in all 56 counties, including 8,174 in Yellowstone County.

The HELP Act has been tremendously successful in 2016. If Congress repeals it, all Montanans will feel the pain. The cost shift of indigent care to those who have insurance will intensify. Lives will be disrupted as people scramble to find care they need, but cant afford.

The Washington, D.C., GOP idea of repealing the ACA without first figuring out a replacement plan is bad medicine for the nation and for Montana.

Congress should not rip health care away from tens of thousands of Montanans and millions of Americans without first presenting a real and viable alternative that protects patients and that provides a foundation for states, health care providers and insurers to responsibly plan for the future, Gov. Steve Bullock wrote in a letter to U.S. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy the week before Christmas. Bullock is right.

The leader of the Montana House agrees that Montanans cant be left without the coverage they got starting in January 2016. The state of Montana is going to have to look at trying to help keep those people covered, Speaker Austin Knudsen, R-Culbertson, told The Gazette.

But neither the governor nor the Montana Legislature can know how to plan until Congress presents its plan. We call on Montanas Congressional delegation  Jon Tester, Steve Daines and Ryan Zinke  to ensure that Montana is protected from ACA repeal without replacement.

-- The Billings Gazette
With the 2017 Legislature set to begin on Jan. 2, the old saying, Dont tell me your priorities; show me your budget, comes to mind. The budget proposed by Gov. Steve Bullock invests in our future in a number of ways. Montana can have a solid physical infrastructure while at the same time investing in the next generation and providing early education for all Montanas children. Montana remains one of five states without a statewide pre-K education program. We owe it to our working families to change this.

Some Republican lawmakers do not support pre-K, choosing instead to use the $14 million budgeted for early education as a short-term Band-Aid for Montanas highways. This is a false choice. We can invest in infrastructure while at the same time providing a bright future for Montanas next generation. Thanks to Bullocks leadership, our state budget is in good health, unlike other states that are struggling to keep the lights on. We do not have to choose between educating our kids and repairing crumbling bridges. We can, and should, do both.

While there are so many wonderful things about living in Montana, the cost of quality day care for a four-year-old is not one of them. Montana is one of the most expensive states to find good placements for little ones. It averages between $600 and $800 per month in many places around the state  more than the cost of college tuition. This squeezes working families, many of whom are saddled with their own educational debt and pinching pennies to save for their childs college tuition. Too many families find themselves in the bind of making just too much to qualify for Head Start or other help, but not enough to afford decent pre-K. We can do better.

Kids in early education see an immediate boost in literacy, spelling, and math that puts them months ahead of their counterparts. By the end of the second grade, kids with an early learning foundation see significantly better scores in math, comprehension and vocabulary. Fifth-graders with a pre-K foundation do much better in reading, math and science. These students continue to score better on tests and are 30 percent to 50 percent less likely to repeat a grade. They stay in school, graduate from high school, and become productive members of society.

Outdated studies falsely indicating the benefits of a quality pre-K education do not last past third grade have been disproven. A 2014 study by Nobel laureate economist James Heckman shows that students who received pre-K education were more likely to graduate high school, have higher IQs, experience better overall health, and less likely to be incarcerated than their peers who did not experience high-quality early learning programs. The rate of return on the public investment in pre-K education is 13 percent.

We do not want to take money away from our youngest learners for a short-term solution that fails to make positive long-term changes. Various funding sources, including bonding, exist to provide for Montanas physical infrastructure, while at the same time setting the stage to provide Montanas children with an early edge in life.

We can and should do both. Improving Montana is what all legislators, Democrats and Republicans, were elected to do. Working families across Montana depend on it.

-- Rep. Kim Dudik, D-Missoula, collaborated on this guest opinion with Democratic Reps. Nate McConnell, of Missoula; Casey Schreiner, of Great Falls; Laurie Bishop, of Livingston; and Jacob Bachmeier, of Havre.
HELENA  Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock, after being sworn in to start his second term Monday, emphasized unity between his party and Republicans, who control the Legislature and took back three of the state's five elected statewide offices in November's election.

"The differences we have, while amplified at times, are small compared to what unites us," Bullock told about 400 people who packed the Capitol rotunda and gathered on the two floors above.

"Before any of us are Democrats or Republicans, we're Montanans. And Montanans elected us to serve, not to score political points."

Republican Corey Stapleton was sworn in as secretary of state, Elsie Arntzen as the superintendent of public instruction, and Matt Rosendale as state auditor. All assume the offices from Democrats who were term-limited.

Bullock and his Lieutenant Gov. Mike Cooney won re-election to remain the only members of their party to hold statewide office. Republican Attorney General Tim Fox also won re-election in a landslide. Justices Jim Shea and Dirk Sandefur were also sworn in.

Montana's Legislature, which meets in odd-numbered years for 90 days, also convened Monday, and legislators were sworn in at noon. Republicans, who controlled both the House and Senate in the 2015 session, picked up three seats in the Senate to make it 32-18 and kept their majority in the House, 59-41.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have said a tight state budget and shrinking revenues caused by a decline in oil, gas, and coal production will be the biggest issue of the session. Legislators also said they will focus on trying to pass an infrastructure bill, though Democrats and Republicans are divided on what sorts of projects should be included and how the state should pay for them.

"The elections are over," Bullock told state legislators and officeholders in attendance. "Let us all not forget that we were each elected to run government and our constitutional offices irrespective of partisanship and for the benefit of all Montanans."

Bullock said Montanans have placed their trust in their elected officials and called on those in attendance to rise above the less-than-civil nature of the 2016 presidential election.

"It may be a challenging time in this experiment we call representative democracy," Bullock said. "Here in Montana, we (are) the leaders Montana elected  Democrats and Republicans  to rise above that political discourse and demonstrate to those that we represent that we won't allow the toxicity that we see at so many levels of government infecting what we do in this building for the folks back home.

"I'm optimistic Montana can continue to be a shining example of how the political system is supposed to work," he said.

Bullock also called out successes of his first term, including the passage of the HELP Act, under which more than 61,000 Montanans have signed up for Medicaid; the Disclose Act, which changed campaign finance reporting laws; high graduation rates; and low unemployment rates.

The ceremony emphasized a message of inclusiveness. Seating was reserved for tribal leaders, and state Rep. George Kipp, D-Heart Butte, sang an honor song for all Montanans and tribes.

Bullock also emphasized Montanans should have the "freedom to worship when and how we choose," and Pastor Marianne Niesen, who gave the benediction, noted the end of the Christmas and Hanukkah sessions, calling for peace and unity.

At the end of December, Bullock joined with Attorney General Tim Fox; U.S. Sens. Jon Tester, D-Montana, and Steve Daines, R-Montana; and U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana to issue a letter saying they stand together against anti-Semitism and white nationalism and condemned calls to take action against the Jewish community in the small town of Whitefish in northwestern Montana.

Bullock also addressed tribal leaders, saying he's pleased with what the state and Montana's eight tribes have accomplished together and said he hopes to continue building government-to-government relations.
Not a single email is stored in the state archives, even though Montana leaders have used them to conduct state business for decades and state law requires emails of importance to be preserved.

The mass and routine deletion of emails gained attention in campaigns nationwide this fall. In Montana, Republicans centered attacks on the realization that no emails existed from Democrat Gov. Steve Bullocks term as attorney general. But the problem is more widespread.

Its all over the place, Senate Majority Leader Fred Thomas, R-Stevensville, said of the way the state currently manages records. State law is being violated.

The state archives are supposed to be the final destination for the most important records about state government and how leaders made their decisions. The fact no emails have made it that far  despite being the modern equivalent of letters and memos that stock archival shelves  is a sign something is wrong. Experts describe a two-pronged problem: Agencies are deleting emails too soon, and the archives do not have the storage or equipment to accept them.

As a result, Montanans have lost decades of public information.

Records managers, journalists, and historians say improvements to rules, funding, and culture are needed to prevent further losses that violate the publics constitutional right to know what government is doing.

National experts say a failure to manage electronic records properly can cause many problems, including opening up states to lawsuits, risking the release of personal information about residents, losing critical insights about past decisions or operations, weakening public trust in government, and driving up bills for digital storage that would not be needed with smarter management.

We live in a Google society. People go onto the internet, Google something, and get an instantaneous result. They expect the same from their government. When they dont get it, they think government is hiding something, said Mary Beth Herkert, Oregons state archivist, who has worked with national organizations to develop best practices for electronic public records. Government needs to be transparent, accountable, and accessible.

Joe DeFilippis, who leads records management for Montanas executive branch, agreed but said, For some things, our retention practices might be out of touch.

Unlike some states that merge archival and records management functions, the responsibility to maintain public records is divided in Montana between the records manager at the Secretary of State's office and the archivist who works under the governor. Legislative and judicial records are overseen separately.

In practice, retention decisions are made by individual state agencies, and few of them have preserved emails consistently, if at all, according to dozens of interviews and results of records requests made by Lee Montana Newspapers.

Montana is not alone in struggling to provide transparency in the digital age. Because email is used by government employees for so many different purposes, it has been a particular challenge for states to manage.

Its like the old fashioned desk inbox, but no box to sort it. Its the largest record-holding system in any state, but its not a records management system, said Vermont State Archivist Tanya Marshall, spokeswoman for the National Association of Government Archives and Record Administrators. Most states are sitting on terabytes of data that hasnt been managed.

Email is only part of Montanas ongoing struggle to preserve electronic files as public records. State officials still must develop or update strategies for other formats, such as text messages, social media posts, digital maps, and data collected by license-plate readers.

Some officials point to a cleanup of the states public records law in 2015 as a first step toward improvement.

The rewrite clarified the definition of public information to be flexible enough to adapt to new technologies. It also expanded membership on the State Records Committee, which writes guidelines, in an effort to increase awareness among a broader group of state employees. But the rewrite did not provide practical solutions for fulfilling open-government duties.

In broad terms, any record created by a Montana government employee in any format is public unless the law explicitly exempts it, such as some confidential records involving personnel and private information such as Social Security numbers.

Some records, such as an email asking a coworker to lunch, are considered transitory and can be deleted in 30 days without review. Other records, such as the governor discussing policy ideas with an industry lobbyist, must be retained for at least three years and even then cannot be destroyed without the permission of the State Records Committee. And the law requires some records to be preserved permanently.

But interviews and records reveal that many state agencies assume all emails are transitory and that none of the content would trigger longer retention. As a result, public records requests for emails routinely produce the response that none exist.

Such dead-end requests often involve employees who no longer work for the state. One month after a public employee changes agencies or leaves office, a state software system deletes all of that persons emails. The automated system operates independently from records managers, typically meaning no one reviews the emails for preservation before they are destroyed.

The most high-profile example is the deletion of emails sent from 2009 to 2012 by Bullock and other Department of Justice staffers. It was discovered that no emails had been preserved when Yellowstone Club Founder Timothy Blixseth requested them as part of a lawsuit against the state. The governor's office did not respond to repeated requests for the name of the department's records manager at the time.

Another Lee Newspapers request for emails between members of the Protect Montana Kids Commission and Child and Family Services Administrator Sarah Corbally came up empty. Department of Public Health and Human Services Spokesman Jon Ebelt said her emails were deleted after her departure this spring  even though she was a central voice during the commissions discussions about how to reform child protective services and many of the groups recommendations will be reviewed by the 2017 Legislature.

When emails no longer exist, their content is not available for review, making it impossible to know how many would have legally required longer retention. Nonetheless, open-government watchdogs and historians argue it is highly likely that at least a few emails among those sent by top officials would have been important enough to trigger such retention.

If those arent being captured and stored, then that really takes the legs out from underneath the public records law, said Adam Marshall, an attorney for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. "The public records law can only provide access to what exists.

John MacDonald, a lobbyist for the Montana Newspaper Association who previously worked as a reporter and editor for the Associated Press, agreed it is an important duty of government to preserve records.

The departure of an elected official from office does not mean information created, used, or maintained by that official is suddenly no longer subject to our public information and public records laws, he said. We recognize that how information and public records are created and shared also creates challenges for how they are maintained, but that function is critical to how our government operates.

DeFilippis said he currently recommends important emails be printed off for preservation.

The practice of printing out emails for retention has been used by some states since the 1980s, said former Kentucky Archivist Barbara Teague.

But nobody would do that anymore, said Teague, who leads the Council of State Archivists' State Electronic Records Initiative. That's because the practice frequently misses messages that must be retained and does not leverage search tools native to digital formats.

Current best practices promote preserving records in their original form or using archival software to convert them to other types of digital files as well as classifying electronic documents as they are created rather than waiting until they reach archives.

You cant manage electronic information manually. It just doesnt work that way, Herkert said. Its a huge change in philosophy to manage information on the front end. Were so afraid of deleting anything, our systems are so crowded with junk its just not manageable or accessible.

Montana Archivist Jodie Foley noted that the revitalized State Records Committee has improved discussions about records management in IT decisions and might someday lead the state to adopt software tools that make it easier to sort records according to legal requirements.

The ultimate goal is for a lot of this to be automated to whatever extent we can afford so people arent overwhelmed by the vast amount of information were talking about, Foley said, noting some agencies are testing a new file management system with some of those abilities.

The cost of an electronic records system for Montana would depend on the rules the state puts in place. But Oregon has adopted a system that they offer to other governments for $37 per employee per month, including installation, year-round support, and storage.

In Montana, a champion to lead improvements has not emerged.

Several elected leaders, including Bullock and Secretary of State Linda McCulloch, expressed uncertainty about whether the current email management and broader digital records practices need to be fixed at all.

A handful of legislators have proposed modest changes that do not line up with the priorities of state records managers and IT professionals. Legislators have failed to fund some improvements that have been requested, and governors have killed others with line-item vetoes.

Thomas said the discovery that the Bullock emails had been destroyed was a wake-up call. He has requested a bill draft to add an enforcement provision to state public records law. Currently, when records are not retained or released as required, there is no recourse except a lawsuit.

Incoming Secretary of State Corey Stapleton said he supports adding teeth to public records law or beefing up training, although he admits still having much to learn about how the current system works.

Weve got a lot of agencies doing their own thing, which isnt bad. Everybody wants autonomy. I get that, Stapleton said. But the problem is that we have a lot of inconsistency, and the public probably deserves a certain baseline of compliance and of expertise.

He also suggested that limiting the focus to emails is misguided.

If Im going to bribe you for $100,000, Im not going to email you. Im going to text you, he said. The ways people communicate to avoid communicating publicly are well ahead of our policies.

McCulloch called enforcement premature.

We havent decided whats important yet, she said. If (records managers) are only doing a job a couple hours a month, things are going to slip through the cracks. Then who do you blame? The records manager? I mean, is that fair? ... They take this very seriously. They do as good a job as theyre allowed to do depending on the time they have to spend on it.

Its something we need to address, House Minority Leader Jenny Eck, D-Helena, said. I just hope we approach it with a problem-solving mentality, not as a gotcha.

Eck wondered whether the email issue might just be a convenient political target for Republicans. Bullock said the topic came up because they want him to atone for or defend what the practices have always been.

When I left the office of AG, my email account, just like everybody else's that left, was closed, Bullock said in October. Yes, that effectively means those emails are no longer available. And thats exactly what happened for every other employee there. Thats what happened also with Attorney General McGrath, Attorney General Mazurek, Attorney General Racicot, Governor Martz, and Governor Schweitzer.

When asked if it would be a mistake to continue to delete all emails of elected officials, Bullock repeatedly said it was not on his priority list to make changes.

Public officials in Montana and nationwide have routinely expressed concerns about the cost of preserving emails and other digital records as required by law, said Doug Robinson, executive director of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers.

How do you get attention and resources for something that doesnt seem particularly exciting to legislators and the general public? he said.

Herkert argued the investments are worth it.

Its one of those things you have to spend a little bit up front because in the long run youre going to get huge cost savings, Herkert said. In the electronic world, whats happening is that agencies are spending an inordinate amount of money storing information they dont need to store, and they are settling lawsuits out of court because they cant be sure they have everything theyre supposed to have.

Thomas dismissed cost as an excuse not to act and suggested public records are important enough that some funding could be found even in a tight year.

These things need to be brought to the Legislature, he said, calling public records critically important to efficient and transparent government.

Foley agreed.

The records we preserve preserve the rights of individual citizens, Foley said. If they dont know what their government is doing and why theyre doing it, theyve lost some of their right to know and the right to understand.
Notice is hereby given that all persons indebted to the estate are requested to make immediate payment to the undersigned, and creditors having claims against the estate shall file them with the clerk of the above named district court, as provided by law, duly authenticated, for allowance, and unless so filed by the later to occur four months from the date of the second publication of this notice or one month from the date of the mailing of this notice (unless otherwise allowed or paid), a claim is thereafter forever barred.
NOTICE OF PROBATE OF WILL, OF

APPOINTMENT OF EXECUTOR, AND

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

IN THE MATTER OF

THE ESTATE OF

MARY M. GARRETT,

Deceased.

To All Persons Interested in the Estate of Mary M. Garrett, Deceased, who died on or about November 19, 2016:

You are hereby notified that on December 16, 2016, the last will and testament of Mary M. Garrett, deceased, bearing date of August 11, 2016, was admitted to probate in the above named court and that Daniel D. Garrett and Alice J. Gaylor was appointed executor of the estate. Any action to set aside the will must be brought in the district court of said county within the later to occur of four months from the date of the second publication of this notice or one month from the date of mailing of this notice to all heirs of the decedent and devisees under the will whose identities are reasonably ascertainable, or thereafter be forever barred.

Notice is further given that all persons indebted to the estate are requested to make immediate payment to the undersigned, and creditors having claims against the estate shall file them with the clerk of the above named district court, as provided by law, duly authenticated, for allowance, and unless so filed by the later to occur of four months from the second publication of this notice or one month from the date of mailing of this notice (unless otherwise allowed or paid), a claim is thereafter forever barred.

Dated December 16, 2016.

Date of second publication

2nd day of January, 2017

Daniel D. Garrett

Executor of the Estate

2835 170th Street

Muscatine, Iowa 52761

Alice J. Gaylor

Executor of the Estate

1940 Cranbrook Cross

Muscatine, Iowa 52761

Gary R. Allison

#AT0000400

Attorney for the Executor

Allison & Mather, P.C.

226 E. 2nd St.

Muscatine, IA 52761

Probate Code Section 304
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 government from setting their own minimum wage rates.

Whats less clear is whether they 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 being 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 raising it 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 this year and in Wapello County by 2019.

That patchwork system doesnt work, House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, said, echoing comments by her colleague 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.

The patchwork of minimum wages is a burden to business, especially those which operate in multiple counties, according to Mike Ralston, president of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry. Even in 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.

He called the wage differentials an impediment to business development that also increases administrative 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 creates confusion and a hardship on employers. Branstad has been coy about whether he would support an increase this year. Lawmakers must look at whats fair and realistic, the governor said, but added that $15 an hour is unrealistic.

However, Democratic lawmakers and liberal interest groups argue that even $15-an-hour is not enough to support Iowa families. Also a report from the Iowa Policy Project showed that 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.

Thats because 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, House Majority Leader Chris Hagenow, R-Windsor Heights, said, Its because those individual counties have deviated that we need to act.

Some Republicans agree with Hogg that its time to raise the 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 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.
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 bu. last year, will use 11.0 billion bu. here this year, will export 2.2 billion bu., and will still have 2.4 billion bu. 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 bu. during the current marketing year.

The numbers for the coming 2017/18 crop year, according to USDA forecasts, improve only slightly: 1.1 billion bu. less production, 1 billion bu. less domestic usage, a relatively small (300 million bu.) drop in exports, and an average projected price of $3.60 per bu.

Thats what 2.4 billion bu. 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 bu. production, 1.9 billion bu. crushed domestically, and 2.0 billion bu. exported. As such, cash prices are forecasted to average a very modest $9.20 per bu. for the year. And thats the good news.

The bad news is that the relatively big, 480-million bu. carryover into the new crop yearadded to above-normal 2017 acres and back-to-normal yieldswill drain market prices. USDA sees little chance of a price breakout; it forecasts 2017/18 beans to average a dismal $8.75 per bu.

Wheats coming year will be marginally better. Market forecasters see this years average price climbing from a bleak $3.90 per bu. to a little less bleak $4.50 per bu. 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 teamno 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?

Either way, American agriculture has a lot riding on Donald Trump in an already tough-looking 2017. Any hiccup, stumble, or tweeteither intentional or accidentalwill carry a steep cost for everyone.

 2017 ag comm

The Farm and Food File is published weekly throughout the U.S. and Canada. Source material, past column and contact information are posted at www.farmandfoodfile.com.




During its first summer, the blog presented a series of posts under the general title of "Theologians Under Hitler," ta2016: king its title from a major book and video by the same name produced by the United Methodist Church.





Economic justice has been a recurrent theme of the blog, and the author has frequently taken less-than-popular positions on various issues from low wages and union-busting activities to unsung political candidates both national and local.





The Musical Patriot was one of the first blogs to warn about the seriousness of the Trump candidacy. This was at a time when pundits of mainstream media were claiming Trump would never be nominated.





Issues also given attention have included music both good and bad, the environment including global climate change, European political unrest such as in Greece, the Russian view of modern American life, and the Chinese economic threat to American economic dominance.





This vast array of issues has been somewhat unusual for a small-scale blog. It has, of course, provided a more interesting and varied menu for its readers compared with single-item blogs.





Readership has recently seen an uptick as readers from all continents except Antarctica have visited and read posts.





Most recently, The Musical Patriot has concentrated heavily on the D. Trump candidacy with the blog writer viewing Trump as essentially a fascist and demagogue. Many examples have been given and a clear picture of the real estate mogul has emerged.





The Musical Patriot looks forward to a continued presence on the web during the critical days ahead. Readers will continue to be valued wherever they may reside.

On Saturday, May 28, 2016, The Musical Patriot web log marks its tenth anniversary live on the World Wide Web. From the beginning The Musical Patriot has been interested in world affairs from an ethical, philosophical, and artistic viewpoint.
The statue of Annie Moore at Ellis Island.

Moore went on to give birth to at least ten children and died of heart failure, at the age of 50, in 1924. She is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Queens. Her grave is marked by a Celtic cross made of limestone imported from Irelan d.

Ellis Island opened with great celebration on January 1, 1892 and on its first day the station processed 700 immigrants. Annie Moore, a 17-year-old from Cobh, Ireland was the first immigrant through and was greeted by officials who gave her a $10 gold coin. Each immigrant underwent a health check to ensure they did not carry infectious disease and were interviewed before being sent by ferry to Manhattan.
First, let it be said that the Kramer family never intended to be library scofflaws.

The four Kramer children loved their local branch library in Rockville, Maryland, and visited it often when they were growing up in suburban Washington in the 1960s and '70s. Their parents, described by son Jon as freethinkers and avid readers, checked out books on all manner of topics, including camping tips and vegetarian cooking.

"Unlike less enlightened folks, we loved our library! So much so in fact that we apparently absconded with part of it," Jon Kramer wrote to Montgomery County Library Director Parker Hamilton on Thanksgiving Day.

As Kramer tells it, he was searching through his deceased parents' library at their vacation cabin in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area along the Minnesota-Ontario border in early November, when he found two books, each borrowed more than 42 years ago.

Kramer made a quick calculation. He figured the books had been missing from the public library shelves for 31,046 days, and at a 1970s-era fine rate of a nickel a day, he figured family owed the library $1,552.30.

Late fines for books from the Montgomery County libraries now max out at $15, but Kramer didn't mind ratcheting up the fee. He wrote a check and a letter.

"Every year, we think about what we can do to make the world a little better around Thanksgiving time," Kramer said in an interview.

Hamilton said she was happy to get the donation, which she can use to buy multiple books. More importantly, she and other librarians were delighted by the "love letter" to the library that accompanied it, calling it "a ray of sunshine."

The recovery of overdue books happens regularly in the library world. A New York City library just received "Gone With The Wind," overdue by 57 years. Portland State University in Oregon just retrieved two academic tomes that had been checked out in 1963. There are others, and by these terms, the Kramers are barely overdue: "How To Live 365 Days a Year," offered to the Bethesda-Chevy Chase (Maryland) Library 50 years after it was checked out, and "The Birth of Rome," checked out for 73 years from the Chestnut Green Elementary School in Prince George's County, Maryland, and returned in 2010.

The Kramers' books, "The New Way of the Wilderness" (1958), by Calvin Rutstrum, and "365 Meatless Main Dishes" (1974), by William Kaufman, are both out of print but important artifacts in the Kramer family history.

Kramer, who traveled from his Minneapolis home last week to Maryland for a Christmas visit with his siblings, said his father borrowed the first one because he remembered a childhood trip to the northern Minnesota wilderness and dreamed of taking his family there.

"I think he was just trying to bone up on camping," Kramer said. "That book became like his bible."

He must have skipped the chapter and verse on the importance of packing light for wilderness trips, however, because his son said both parents went "a bit overboard."

"You know, you take a lot of portages [between lakes] up there," he said. "We hauled so much [stuff], it took multiple relays to portage. I swear we spent days to get to Cherokee Lake, which is only five miles in. We carried frozen food, chaise lounges, we even had folding tables, for crying out loud."

The second book is what led to the discovery that the books were overdue.

Kramer is trying to create a family cookbook and was going through his mother's cookbook collection when he came across the vegetarian compendium. He flipped it open and found a stamp from the Montgomery County library, and a checkout date of December 1974.

Uh-oh.

He then remembered a copy of the camping book "that really looked old." He dug out the green hardcover, looked inside, and found a card with a June 13, 1973 due date.

Minnesotan Kramer is probably out of reach of the long arm of the (entirely fictional) Montgomery County library overdue patrol squad, but his sister lives in Baltimore, and his two brothers live in Olney, Maryland, and Gaithersburg, Maryland

In his letter, he told Hamilton, "It is our hope that you will refrain from calling the FBI to report this as international trafficking of stolen goods, and instead allow us the freedom of maintaining the ill-begotten literature on loan for the next 85 combined years or so, at which time we hope to make another payment to your venerable institution on their behalf."
Napa County will seek state legislation to allow local grape growers to increase an annual, self-imposed assessment that helps pay for farmworker housing.

The county runs three dormitory-style migrant farmworker housing centers with a total of 180 beds. That provides places to live for workers who help make Napa Countys internationally famous wine country possible by tending its vines.

Much of the money for the $1.3 million annual operating cost comes from a $10-per-acre annual assessment paid by vineyard owners and a $13-a-day rent paid by lodgers.

But the centers are running at a loss and savings will run out in a couple of years, former county Housing and Intergovernmental Affairs Director Larry Florin said in September. The county is looking for solutions.

Vineyard owners cant raise the $10-per-acre assessment because it is capped by state legislation. The Napa County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 20 authorized staff to seek state legislation that would raise the cap to $15 per acre.

Success at the state level wouldnt automatically raise the assessment, a county report said. Rather, it would enable eligible vineyard owners to vote on a higher assessment.

The move has the support of the wine industry, said Rex Stults of Napa Valley Vintners.

It kind of comes with a handshake agreement that we dont foresee see the actual assessments going up by five bucks right away, Stults said.

Rather, vineyard owners would be asked to phase in the per-acre assessment hikes. The present deficit could be covered by a $1-per-acre increase mirrored by a $1 increase in the daily rent paid by farmworkers, he said.

On a related note, Stults said that the state pays tens of millions of dollars for farmworker housing in the Central Valley. Napa County receives no annual state payments and seems to get penalized for being so innovative and successful with its program, he said.

We would really like to change that dynamic, Stults said.

The Board of Supervisors agreed. It also authorized staff to seek state money to help support the local program through the Office of Migrant Services or other housing funding sources.

Weve been to Sacramento and everyone thinks Napa is so well-off, Board Chairman Alfredo Pedroza said.

But Napa County has a successful model because the growers, farmworkers and the county all contribute. The message to Sacramento is that it would be maximizing its investment by investing in Napa, Pedroza said.

The county will work with state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa and Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, on farmworker housing legislation.

Napa County runs the Calistoga, Mondavi and River Ranch centers through a partnership of the Napa County Housing Authority, Napa County Housing Commission and nonprofit California Human Development Corp.

County officials have expressed concern about the farmworker housing budget situation for several years now. Supervisors monitor it when they sit as the Napa County Housing Authority Board of Directors.

An update on the situation came during June budget hearings, as supervisors prepared the pass the 2016-17 farmworker housing budget. Auditor-Controller Tracy Schulze said costs are rising, but revenues are not.

The county has kept the budget in the black by using about $100,000 annually from farmworker housing savings. But those savings are predicted to dwindle to nothing over the next few years, barring any changes.

We are doing everything we can to maintain costs and keep our costs low, but we are also needing to look for additional revenue sources, Schulze told supervisors.
Ten years ago Friday, at a.m. Baghdad time, Saddam Hussein was led up a flight of stairs in his old Istikhbarat military intelligence headquarters in Baghdad's Kadhimiyah district. The site was rumored to have housed torture chambers where supposed "enemies of the state" had suffered during his rule. Masked executioners led the former president toward a large noose. He followed obediently, with no visible fear, refusing to wear a hood. As pro-Shiite shouts of "Muqtada, Muqtada, Muqtada" pierced the morbid stillness, cameras whirred and flashed, creating a spectral aura.

A voice shouted, "Go to hell."

Saddam replied, "The hell that is Iraq?"

Midway through his recitation of the shahada, the Islamic profession of faith, the floor dropped from under Saddam, an audible crack echoing inside the warehouselike structure as his neck was broken. Within a few minutes, he was dead.

In a statement shortly after the execution, President George W. Bush said that while the execution wouldn't immediately end the sectarian violence already tearing apart Iraq, it would mark "an important milestone on Iraq's course to becoming a democracy that can govern, sustain and defend itself, and be an ally in the war on terror." Saddam's death was supposed to give birth to a new era in Iraq and the region.

But the new era didn't last five minutes. A cluster of Shiites wildly celebrated beside Saddam's body, creating a sense of an undisciplined lynching rather than a clinical state-sponsored operation. Within hours, at least 75 people were killed in bombing attacks across the country, in what were likely Sunni retaliatory strikes targeting Shiites. The U.S. military, meanwhile, announced the deaths of six more U.S. troops, making that December the most violent month for U.S. service members in two years.

Billowing smoke now obscures the sunrise in towns across the Middle East 10 years after Saddam's execution, and 13 years after Bush's promise that "a free Iraq is going to be one that will have an amazingly positive effect on its neighborhood." The neighborhood is a now a charnel house.

At the time of the execution, the Arab Spring had yet to ignite -- and be mercilessly extinguished. Though Syria and Libya remained repressive dictatorships, relations with Libya were the best they had been in decades, with the Bush administration moving to restore full diplomatic relations with Moamar Gadhafi's regime. Egypt, too, appeared reliably stable, though critics of Hosni Mubarak remained unsatisfied by the scope or pace of the limited reforms he had agreed to. Always-volatile Yemen remained under the control of corrupt autocrat Ali Abdullah Saleh, who famously referred to the challenge of holding the fractious country together as "dancing on the heads of snakes." The embers of violence in Iraq, already beginning to burn brighter in sectarian bloodletting that was growing worse by the day, had not yet flared into a conflagration that would spread across the borders.

They soon would, though. The region's dictatorships would prove to be a tinderbox that, once lighted, would consume the lives of more than 400,000 in Syria, thousands in Egypt, Libya and Yemen, and eventually between 200,000 and 500,000 in Iraq itself. Millions would flee their homes, causing a humanitarian crisis for which the world was utterly unprepared. Within a few years, refugees would pose a threat to Europe's social fabric, and a new terrorist organization named the Islamic State, even more lethal and barbaric than al-Qaida, would be born. With Iran's Sunni foe Saddam eliminated, the Shiite theocracy became ascendant, exercising a powerful influence over the new Iraqi government, expanding its reach into Yemen as Houthi rebels took over the capital, and positioning itself to help push Bashar al-Assad to victory in Syria.

Who can forget Donald Rumsfeld's pronouncement -- delivered with the unwavering confidence that characterized his leadership -- that the Iraq War might last "five days or five weeks or five months, but it certainly isn't going to last any longer than that"? As it turns out, the current struggle to liberate Mosul -- for the third time, this time from a terrorist organization, the Islamic State, that didn't even exist when Saddam was killed -- is now projected to last longer than Rumsfeld assured us the entire war would. Just this week, the first of 1,700 soldiers from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division hugged their loved ones goodbye before deploying to Iraq. The youngest were 5 years old when the United States launched the invasion to remove Saddam.

One wonders how anyone, most notably the war's architects, can cling to the view that delivering Saddam to the gallows was worth the trillions of dollars spent, not to mention the 4,500 service members killed, the more than 30,000 wounded, or the hundreds of thousands of violent deaths across the region since his overthrow. That doesn't even count the millions forced to flee the violence with little more than the clothes on their backs, or the terror threats that are now a routine feature of American and European landscapes. None of the American policymakers responsible for this have been held to account as their British counterparts were in the U.K.'s damning Chilcot Report.

All this brings to mind something I learned while reporting my book on Iraq. Saddam had repeatedly expressed the same sentiment to some of the people responsible for him during his three years in captivity: You'll wish you had me back.

It is disturbing even to entertain this notion, spoken as it was by a ruthless tyrant with so much blood on his hands. It is especially disturbing when I think about brave friends and fellow soldiers whose belief in their mission never flagged, some struck down in the prime of their lives. Yet when viewed in relation to the cataclysmic chain of events set in motion by the war to remove him from power, Saddam Hussein's words seem perversely prophetic.

Will Bardenwerper served as an infantry officer in the United States Army and is the author of the upcoming "The Prisoner in His Palace: Saddam Hussein, His American Guards, and What History Leaves Unsaid." He wrote this for The Washington Post.
What a success! 2016 was the first year of operation for our nonprofit, Napa Valley Pull.

Our mission is to guide kids and families back to the basics and learn to help out each other and our community.

Our team of 30 local BMX bicycle racing riders ranging in age from 4 to 70 was fortunate enough to participate in many Napa area events. And children participating in our program were asked to keep grades at a B average to stay on the team and throughout this process we saw all GPAs go up.

We could not have this success if not for the Napa community and our 2016 sponsors. On behalf of Napa Valley Pull, Id like to acknowledge our amazing sponsors and those who supported us throughout the year.

First, Id like to recognize Donny Robinson. Donny is Napa born and bred, won the BMX Olympic Bronze Medal in Beijing and is a former world number one BMX rider. Donny is a big supporter of Napa Valley Pull and an inspiration to me and the team.

We had some amazing sponsors, so Id like to salute our following sponsors: Jimmy Vasser Chevrolet and Toyota, Tory Lee Designs, Syar, Napa Valley Transportation, Silverado Electric, California Wood Floors, Schmitt Company, Poor House Design, Napa Electric, Bell Products, Squeeze Inn Burgers, Embassy Suites, Jam Cellars, Truchard Winery, Napco, Foster Lumber, Coliseum, The Hub Bike Store, Super Cross Bikes, Tangent Bike Products, Andrews and Thornley GC, Napa Valley Petroleum, Soscol Auto Body, Norman Rose restaurant, Pyro Novelties and all the individuals who continue to support our cause.

We look forward to 2017 and doing more for the kids and the community.

Neil Evans, team manager

Napa Valley Pull
Peter Mondavi Sr. and his sister-in-law Margrit Biever Mondavi, married to Peters brother, the late Robert Mondavi, were two of the most prominent members of the Napa Valley wine industry who died in 2016.

Peter Mondavi Sr., who ran the familys Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena for more than 50 years, died Feb. 20 at his St. Helena home on the winery estate. He was 101.

Mondavi was a pioneer and innovator in the wine industry, helping to establish early standards for wine quality, including cold fermentation and sterile filtration on white and rose wines.

He spent a lifetime building, growing and protecting his familys business, which was bought by his parents in 1943.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Mondavi acquired more than 800 acres of Napa Valley land that was the foundation for the winerys estate-driven wines. He was fiercely determined to keep the winery in the family in a time of corporate buyouts. During a nine-year period, beginning in 2001, Mondavi spent $22 million in replanting 400 prime acres of vineyards with red Bordeaux varietals, instituting sustainable farming practices and implementing state-of-the-art winemaking equipment.

Mondavi was the last of the Napa Valley Vintners Living Legends named in 1986. Among other honors he was inducted into the Culinary Institute of America at Greystones Vintners Hall of Fame in 2012.

Margrit Mondavi

Artist, author, widow of internationally renowned wine icon, Robert Mondavi, Margrit Biever Mondavi died Sept. 2 in her Coombsville home. She was 91.

Considered the first lady of the Napa Valley, Mondavi was the first female tour guide in the valley and with her late husband helped put the Napa Valley on the world stage. For many years, she was vice president of cultural affairs, focusing on wine country cuisine and culture, at the Robert Mondavi Winery, which Robert founded in 1966.

Through culinary programs featuring the worlds great chefs, with art exhibits and programs that spotlighted the nations leading contemporary artists and an enduring summer concert series, Mondavi complemented Roberts remarkable wines with great food and art.

Together, they helped spread the gospel of the cultured good life. They helped endow the Napa Valley Opera House, a new enology and viticulture school and a performing arts center, both at U.C. Davis.

Margrit Mondavi made a $2 million gift to the new university art museum, which opened in November and funded scholarships. She was the guiding light in creating Festival Napa Valley, which became a celebration for joyful living, generosity, bringing people together through food, wine and culture, according to Rick Walker, CEO and president of the event.

Neil Aldoroty

Neil and Karen Aldoroty moved to St. Helena in 1999 and started a premiere wine storage facility, 55 Degrees on Church Street. Neil died March 19 at age 69 after fighting cancer for 23 years.

Aldoroty was a medical doctor and a psychiatrist, who through the later part of his life helped hundreds of people with terminal illnesses after being diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 1993.

As a passionate wine lover, it was important for Aldoroty to help new vintners launch their releases and and be a part of the wine community.

Donn Chappellet

Donn Chappellet, co-founder of Pritchard Hills renowned Chappellet Winery and a respected leader in the Napa Valley wine community, died on May 22 at age 84.

Donn and Molly Chappellet guided their winery, the second post-Prohibition winery in the Napa Valley, for almost 50 years. The Chappellets dedicated their family to creating world-class wines equal in stature to First Growth Bordeaux, which Donn collected. He applied a hands-on approach, driving tractors in the vineyard, tending the vines, helping to build Chappellets iconic pyramid-shaped winery and contributing to the blending process.

Chappellet was active as a founding member of the Wine Services Co-op and one of the first 18 members of the Napa Valley Vintners Association.

In the decades that followed, Chappellet became renowned for its exceptional limited-production cabernet sauvignons that are among the worlds most structured and age-worthy cabernets.

Richard John Duarte

Long-time grape grower Richard John Duarte died Nov. 21 at his Napa home at the age of 79.

As a teenager, Duarte worked alongside his grandfather and father in learning the craft of viticulture at Vineyards Inc., one of Napa Valleys first vineyard management companies. After graduating from St. Helena High School and serving in the U.S. Navy, Duarte returned to his work in the Napa Valley. He bought the vineyard management company in 1971.

From the 1960s through the early 1990s, Duarte was the steward for some of the valleys great vineyards, including Marthas Vineyard, Bosche, Hewitt, Vine Hill and Moffitt. His commitment to quality provided a foundation for wineries like Hetiz Cellar, Beaulieu Vineyards, Mondavi, Freemark Abbey, Duckhorn and Cakebread to produce some of the valleys legendary vintages.

Richard Miami

A great lover of the arts, especially film, drama and live performances in the Napa Valley, Richard Miami died June 23, at age 67.

He was a master of planning and hospitality, who created the OMGIM (Oh My Gosh Its Monday) concert series at Domaine Chandon, which featured local artists. He graduated from St. Helena High School and later earned bachelors and masters degrees in drama from San Francisco State University. Miami set a standard for superior hospitality at the Robert Mondavi Winery and maintained that standard throughout his career in the Napa Valley wine industry.

Mary Weber Novak

The founder of renowned Spottswood Estate Vineyard & Winery, Mary Weber Novak died Sept. 25 after a brief fight with cancer. She was 84.

Through her hard work, insight and perseverance, Novak represented the spirit, graciousness and vision that helped build the Napa Valley. She was one of the first women to run a major Napa Valley winemaking estate and she was a vital part of the fabric of the Napa Valley and its wine community since 1972.

She and her husband, Jack, bought the 31-acre Spottswoode estate in 1970 and acquired an adjacent 15 acres in 1972, when they began to replant the vineyard,w which had been established in 1882. Jack died in 1977, at the age of 44.

Novak was quietly instrumental in establishing Spottwoode as one of the valleys great family-owned wineries and a first growth-caliber property.

After numerous highly acclaimed vintages in the mid-to-late 1980s, made by Tony Soter, Novak stopped selling grapes to other wineries in order to focus exclusively on their own wines. That decision helped to establish Spotteswoode as a benchmark of quality for more than three decades. In 1985, Novak and Soter began farming the vineyard organically, when organic farming was in its infancy.

William Arthur Seavey

William Arthur Seavey, 86, died on Sept. 21. A thoughtful man of great integrity, his life was characterized by tremendous devotion to his family. After a long career, he and his wife, Mary, focused on their hillside property at the base of Howell Mountain near Lake Hennessey in the 1980s.

They replanted the pre-Prohibition vineyards, restored an 1881 stone barn as a winery and barrel aging cellar and founded Seavey Vineyard, which gradually became a renowned estate winery, producing several thousand cases a year of critically-acclaimed wine. By the early 2000s, this land had become their home.

Barbara Howell Shafer

After a brief battle with cancer, Barbara Howell Shafer died at her home on May 21. She was 82.

Her wanderlust and quest for adventure were lifelong. She moved to the Napa Valley in 1968, where she married Richard Howell, a Napa native. She conducted wine tours and would make picnics for her clients. She started a small catering business and later opened a bed-and-breakfast in their Victorian 1847 house in Rutherford. She was widowed in 1998.

Shafer married vintner John Shafer in 1998 and she spent the last two decades of her life traveling the world for music, art tours and to promote Shafer Vineyards. Her passions were people, music, the arts and food. She was caring, kind, principled and empathetic for the plight of the voiceless.

Dennis Zablosky

Legendary tasting room manager at Calistogas Frank Family Vineyards, Dennis Zablosky died Dec. 9 at age 71.

A native of Napa, Zablosky had worked in the Hanns Kornell Champagne Cellars tasting room before Rich Frank bought it in 1992. He knew about hospitality, was not pretentious about wine and he never forgot a face. He was a larger-than-life personality with a giant heart who cared about people. He was always present with a smile and a story, and sometimes the story would even be true.
Monday, December 26, 2016 by: Daniel Barker Tags: lawsuit , Monsanto , PCBs , pollution , toxins , Washington This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author

(Natural News) The state of Washington has joined the list of those who have filed lawsuits against Monsanto over lingering environmental pollution caused by PCBs  a group of now-banned and highly toxic chemicals that the company manufactured between 1935 and 1977.

Several West Coast cities, including San Diego, Portland and at least half a dozen others, have also filed PCB lawsuits against Monsanto, but the Washington case marks the first time an entire state has entered into such litigation.

The state is seeking damages from the agribusiness giant on grounds of negligence, failure to warn the public about the dangers of PCBs, and trespass and injury of Washingtons natural resources.

Before becoming an agrichemical company, Monsanto was the sole manufacturer of PCBs, which were used as insulation for electronics and for many other industrial and commercial applications.

After PCBs were linked to cancer, birth defects, liver damage and other serious health problems, their use was finally banned in 1979. But the chemicals remain in the environment, even several decades later.

In a statement, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson said:

PCBs have been found in bays, rivers, streams, sediment, soil and air throughout Washington state, with more than 600 suspected or confirmed contamination sites from Puget Sound to the Wenatchee River, Lake Spokane to Commencement Bay.

Monsanto lied about the dangers of PCBs for decades

Ferguson accused Monsanto of manufacturing PCBs for decades while hiding what they knew about the toxic chemicals harm to human health and the environment.

His accusation was based on documents that showed Monsanto knew from the very beginning that PCBs were toxic.

From The Associated Press:

Ferguson, a Democrat, pointed to internal Monsanto documents that show the company long knew about the danger the chemicals posed. In 1937, an internal memo said testing on animals showed systemic toxic effects from prolonged exposure by inhaling PCB fumes or ingestion.

Other committee memos from the following decades showed that the company was aware all along of the dangers associated with PCBs, but in 1969 Monsanto sent a letter to to the New Jersey Department of Conservation that said: Based on available data, manufacturing and use experience, we do not believe PCBs to be seriously toxic.

Ferguson said that there are PCBs in every waterway in the state, including the Skagit River, where Fergusons ancestors settled in the 19th century.

That river, the Skagit River, which my family depended on to a great degree in the 19th century as they homesteaded here, is now contaminated by PCBs, as are the fish, an infuriated Ferguson said. That makes me mad.

Seattles Duwamish River has been designated an EPA Superfund cleanup site  largely due to PCBs  and the state Department of Health has issued 13 fish consumption advisories for several lakes and waterways polluted by the toxic chemicals.

Not surprisingly, Monsanto has denied any wrongdoing, saying that PCBs were a lawful and useful product, and that any cleanup costs are the responsibility of third parties that used Monsantos PCBs to manufacture other useful products.

But if Monsanto lied about the dangers of PCBs  as the companys own documents indicate  then the courts may rule in favor of the plaintiff, which in this case could mean damages amounting to millions or even billions of dollars.

Monsantos toxic legacy

Its impossible to name another company that has played a bigger role in poisoning the planet than Monsanto. Between PCBs, glyphosate, DDT, Agent Orange and other toxic products, the risk of the average persons developing serious health issues has been multiplied beyond measure by a single, greedy corporation.

It appears that Monsanto can no longer hide behind its lies as easily as it once did  public awareness is increasing as new lawsuits continue to be filed and new information becomes available exposing the dangers of glyphosate, GMOs and the companys deceptive practices in general.

It may take more than a single lawsuit to put Monsanto out of business for good, but its a step in the right direction.

Sources:

TheDailySheeple.com

EcoWatch.com

APNews.com

Reuters.com
(Natural News) If youre not familiar with George Soros by now, consider it a homework assignment to look him up. To scratch the surface lightly, Soros, a white male, has heavily funded the Black Lives Matter movement in an attempt to advance his left-wing globalist agenda.

Soros is now financing the group which is helping Facebook flag fake news. But Soros isnt the only left-winged financier of the new International Fact-Checking Network. The IFCN has drafted a code of five principles for news websites to accept. Facebook recently announced that it will work with third-party fact-checking organizations, who are signatories to the code of principles.

Stories on Facebook that have been determined to be fake by the fact-checking organizations will be flagged and disputed. There will be a link to the corresponding article explaining why, and disputed stories will rank significantly lower in the Facebook News Feed.

The INFC is hosted by the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. A cursory search of the institute revealed that the IFCN is openly funded by George Soros Open Society Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Google, and the National Endowment for Democracy. Its sad to note that the left-wing is solely in charge of disputing news stories. The mainstream media are just as guilty of being vilified news outlets when it comes to misconstruing things, but now all their news will be real, and all opposing views will be flagged. The fact checking organizations are basically granting the left-wing the ability to produce all the fake news they wish.

Poynter has hosted controversial journalism programs before, including one that got accused of downplaying the threat of global Islamic terror. FoxNews.com reported that the course suggested that reporters should keep the death tolls from Islamic terror in context by comparing the death tolls to those killed annually by malaria, HIV/AIDS, and other factors. The course went on to teach reporters that the term Jihad means internal struggle, and discussed right-wing activists as people who attempt to link American Muslims to terror.

Its clear how big of an impact the INFC will have on those who get their news from social media platforms, like Facebook. The course goes on to provide a good-journalism tip to reporters, suggesting that they check if an interviewee has a bias or stake in the material being covered, but only goes on to cite examples of anti-Muslim groups.

Its hard to believe that the left-wing is winning the war on news control. The American people continue to embrace the companies and technologies that are destroying us, ultimately destroying themselves.

Sources:

Breitbart.com

TheGatewayPundit.com
Friday, December 30, 2016 by: JD Heyes Tags: Amazon , employees , living wage , NaturalNews.com , tents This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author

(Natural News) It may be the worlds largest technology giant and retailer, but many of Amazons workers appear to be living like they were deployed in a war zone: In tent cities.

As reported by the UKs Courier newspaper (why hasnt an American media outlet reported on thislike Amazon founder Jeff Bezos Washington Post, which he owns?), which reported exclusively, Amazon workers at one of the companys England-based fulfillment centers are actually sleeping in tents.

Reporters for the paper recently discovered at least three tents in a wooded area beside the online retail behemoths base near Dunfermline, Scotland, which has sparked new concerns that some employees have to sink to depths unheard of for workers of other companies just to survive.

Last month the company came under heavy scrutiny and criticism from local activists who said that some employees at the fulfillment center are working as many as 60 hours per week, and for little more than the going minimum wage. They also said workers were harshly treated in some cases.

Some are forced to live in tents as the dead of winter approaches

As you might expect, Amazon officials have denied those charges, saying they value every employee and try to maintain a culture of direct dialogue with workers. But the news that some staff have been forced to live very simply and without modern conveniences as the bitterly cold winter arrives has led to new questions about the health and welfare of Amazon workers at the facility.

In fact, one employee who asked not to be identified in the story was initially reluctant to speak to the paper, but did describe the company as a poor employer while criticizing working practices at the site.

In addition, the worker added that he chose to stay in a tent because it was cheaper and easier than commuting back and forth between the facility and his home in Perth, though his tent and camping gear disappeared shortly before the report was published.

But another tent that had been set up appeared to be abandoned, with trash, discarded sleeping bags and cans of drink among the items that were thrown about.

Willie Rennie, MSP, the Scottish Liberal Democrat Party leader, has repeatedly called on Amazon to improve its working conditions and its tax record. He once again criticized the company after being told that some of the fulfillment centers workers had been forced to live in nearby woods.

Amazon should be ashamed that they pay their workers so little that they have to camp out in the dead of winter to make ends meet, he told the paper. He added the company needed to take a long, hard look at its business practices.

Company concerned about safety and wellbeing of employees?

He also said that the company only pays a small portion of its earnings in taxes, while receiving millions of the pounds from the government in the form of subsidies, so the least they should do is pay the proper living wage.

Earlier this year, Rennie demanded that Amazon receive no more public funding until executives could guarantee that they would pay their workers higher wages amid reports that some staff were being paid far less than the current living wage.

Amazon employs some 1,500 workers on a permanent basis at the Dunfermline center, but also added another 4,000 seasonal jobs to assist the company with the holiday shopping season.

The company, in a statement, said that it places its employees safety and wellbeing above everything else, as it creates several thousand new permanent jobs at the facility. And the company also said that it was paying competitive wages including overtime pay.

The fulfillment facility in Dunfermline is Amazons largest.

Sources:

TheCourier.co.uk

NaturalNews.com
Friday, December 30, 2016 by: David Gutierrez Tags: cybersecurity , hacking , quest diagnostics This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author

(Natural News) (NaturalNews) Medical laboratory company Quest Diagnostics has announced that hackers gained access to its mobile app in later November, stealing the personal health information of 34,000 people. The company has directly contacted the patients affected.

Its no wonder that Quest Diagnostics was an alluring target for hackers. It is a Fortune 500 company that provides diagnostic services to one in three US adults every single year. Each year, it also provides services to half of the countrys hospitals and physicians.

The breach took place via its mobile app, MyQuest by Care360, which allows patients to manage their appointments and view their test results. The hack gave an unauthorized third party access to patient names, birth dates, lab results and telephone numbers. The hacked data did not contain Social Security numbers or financial or insurance information.

Patient privacy not safe

The hack is only the latest in a surging number of cyberattacks on health care companies. In the first 11 months of this year, 92 separate health care-related data breaches were reported (not including the Quest Diagnostics breach, which was reported this month). Last year, hacks compromised records for more than 12 million patients.

For hackers, developing a targeted attack is a significant effort, so its no surprise that they focus on healthcare organizations that store highly valuable patient data (significantly more valuable than credit cards  ), said Israel Levy, CEO of security company BUFFERZONE. He called the Quest Diagnostics hack yet another indication that despite regulations like HIPAA, healthcare organizations still arent doing enough to protect themselves.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires health care providers to guard the privacy of patients information. Thus, records stored or transmitted on remotely accessible networks should be protected with the highest levels of digital security  which by and large, does not seem to be happening.

In a high-profile case last year, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield  the second largest insurer in the country  suffered a data breach affecting the records of an astonishing 78.8 million people. In that case, no medical or credit card information was lost, but patients were warned that the information lost  names, birth dates, social security numbers, employment information, email addresses and even street addresses  was sufficient to fuel various types of identity theft and fraud. It also provided a way for scammers to contact patients, posing as representatives of Anthem, and try to gather more information.

Highly profitable targets

Evidence suggests that the hacked information sells for lucrative sums on the black market. Earlier this year, a hacker claimed to be selling a total of 655,000 patient records from three different health care organizations. The seller was asking for $100,000 to $395,000 per database.

Hackers can also find other ways to make money from the health care industry. In February of this year, Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center paid $16,664 (40 bitcoins) in ransom to hackers who had shut down its computer network. In this type of attack, known as ransomware, hackers encrypt the victims data and provide the decryption key only upon receiving a ransom payment.

Hospital CEO Allen Stefanek said patient care was unaffected and hospital records remained uncompromised, but that administrators had decided that the quickest and most efficient way to restore our systems and administrative functions was to pay the ransom.

Computer security experts normally advise against paying ransom, although in some cases this is contradicted by law enforcement, said Adam Kujawa, head of malware intelligence for digital security company Malwarebytes.

Unfortunately, a lot of companies dont tell anybody if they had fallen victim to ransomware and especially if they have paid the criminals, Kujawa said, but I know from the experiences I hear about from various industry professionals that its a pretty common practice to just hand over the cash.

Sources:

Baltimore.cbslocal.com

FoxNews.com

FoxNews.com

FoxNews.com

Fox6Now.com

MyQuest.QuestDiagnostics.com
(Natural News) Excuse the brevity of this entry, but theres not enough time to detail all the evil thats unfolding right now. Suffice it to say that Obama is right now attempting to start a raging war before he leaves office. There are two types of attempts hes making: 1) War with Russia, and 2) War against the American people. Hes also hoping to be part of a successful Marxist coup on January 20, but thats very unlikely to go anywhere.

Obama is trying to start World War III before Jan. 20

Check DrudgeReport.com and Breitbart.com to stay up to speed on this. Paul Craig Roberts also has extremely important insight on whats shaping up (he was part of the Reagan administration), and my own contacts inside the bureaucracy are signaling that Obama is setting landmines across the bureaucracy to function as sabotage trip wires that will blow up in President Trumps face.

Barack Obama  who is quite literally a sleeper cell agent who has been trying to destroy America from day one  is now attempting to provoke Russia into military conflict. He has now begun expelling Russian diplomats from the USA as a cover story for the democrats completely fabricated Russian hacking conspiracy theory regarding the hacking of email accounts belonging to Jon Podesta and the DNC. (It was actually an inside job achieved by a Bernie Sanders supporter.)

Fortunately, it looks like Russia is mocking Obama for his incredible stupidity and not taking him seriously anymore. If cooler heads prevail in all this, Obama will be out of office in roughly 20 days, and a new President Trump will restore sane, stabilizing relations with Russia.

But until Jan. 20 comes, make no mistake that traitor Obama is trying to provoke Russia into an escalating conflict with the USA. This is deliberate, insane and deeply criminal. Im already hearing whispers of desires to see Barack Obama arrested and charged with criminal acts of treason against the United States yet it is doubtful that any such charges could really be leveled against a former President whose actions took place while he was in office (so dont get your hopes up).

Nevertheless, it is increasingly apparent to an expanding number of people that Obama is an active traitor who has deliberately given aid to Americas enemies while destroying trust among Americas allies. (Just two words prove the assertion: 1) Iran. 2) Israel.)

DrudgeReport.com suffered 90 minute blackout due to DDoS attacks

Also today, the DrudgeReport.com website, which has remained a highly effective thorn in the side of the Obama regime, was taken offline for 90 minutes by a coordinated DDoS attack believed to have come from the U.S. government itself.

A tweet from conservative media icon Matt Drudges verified Twitter account Thursday night appeared to accuse the government of interfering with his website, DrudgeReport.com, just hours after the Barack Obama administration announced new sanctions against Russia over election hacking, reports IBtimes.com.

Is the US government attacking DRUDGE REPORT? Biggest DDoS since sites inception. VERY suspicious routing [and timing], the tweet to Drudges 457,000 followers read.

Natural News warned it will be targeted for take down before President Trump is sworn in



A few weeks ago, InfoWars.com personnel received a threat that claimed their site would be taken down in a government censorship purge. Now, that same threat has been made to Natural News via channels Im not yet ready to make public.

The threat asserts that many of the websites falsely labeled Russian propaganda by the fraudulent Washington Post story have been targeted for government take down action before President Obama leaves office  all while Obama signs hundreds of pardons to protect the criminals associated with the DNC and the Clinton crime family.

Right now, sites such as DrudgeReport.com and RT are being probed in what are called DDoS stress tests to determine the level of DDoS traffic needed to bring down each site. This result is calculated into the full assault plan which will distribute government cyber attack resources across all the targeted sites in the most efficient manner, dedicating only the amount of DDoS traffic needed to bring down each site. This tactic, by the way, is something Ive heard called DDDoS or distributed-distributed denial-of-service attack. Its conducted at a scale that can only be achieved by nation states such as China, North Korea or the USA. In this case, its the USA, under Barack Obama, that would be engaging in cyber war against the independent media.

In effect, we may be looking at a situation where Barack Obama uses the full resources of the corrupt sectors of his regime to wage cyber warfare against independent journalism in order to halt the only remaining free press from warning Americans about what Obama is actually doing.

Natural News readers should prepare for our website to be subjected to heavy attacks, coordinated DDoS waves, and possibly even attempted DNS hijacking or (Obama) government confiscation of our hosting servers.

In case our DNS is taken over, you can access NaturalNews.com directly from any browser by typing in the following IP address:

162.244.66.146

You should write this down, physically, on a piece of paper and tape it to your monitor. If you ever notice that NaturalNews.com is not responding, try the IP address instead.

If Drudge, InfoWars and NaturalNews all go down, it means WAR has begun

Furthermore, if NaturalNews.com is deliberately taken down, you should interpret this as a sign that Obama is initiating a government war against the American people, and you would be wise to lock and load in preparation for the kind of Second Amendment activation that was designed to save the Republic from tyranny.

To be clear, yes, I am explicitly stating that a coordinated attack against independent media by the criminal Obama traitor should be interpreted as an act of WAR against America the final stage of Obamas long train of subversion to transform America into a Marxist police state under totalitarian control. Personally, I think he will fail in this effort, but like most radical leftists, hes insane enough to try it! (FLASHBACK: Obamas Department of Homeland Security purchases 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition, including sniper rounds.)

We are now entering the most dangerous time for America since World War II

I fully realize that to the uninformed, these warnings may sound unbelievable, but to those working inside the system right now as part of the counter coup operation to save America from Obamas last, desperate effort to destroy this nation, what Im writing here is very well understood and widely known to be true. Those of you reading this from inside the FBI, CIA, DHS and NSA know exactly what Im talking about. If youre on the side of America, I send you prayers for your strength and courage in protecting America for the next 20 days or so, after which things will significantly calm down.

If all goes well and the patriots inside the bureaucracy succeed in their mission, you will never know anything happened at all. There will be no take down of independent media websites, no war with Russia and no successful coup on Jan. 20. That is our desired outcome. We seek a peaceful transition of power to the Trump administration, where highly experienced and patriotic cabinet members will begin the arduous process of unwinding the Obama poison pills, time bombs and trip wires he has planted across the bureaucracy.

But make no mistake: Obama is an active, conscious traitor to America, and hes not going to go away without sabotaging everything in sight on his way out. His targets absolutely include free speech websites that refused to surrender to his anti-American rhetoric and subversive actions. All legitimate free press publications in America  and their editors  are now at extreme risk for the next 20 days.

Check NaturalNews.com throughout each day. We are now publishing new stories several times throughout the day, and well keep publishing as long as we are able. If we stop publishing or go offline for an extended period of time, you should quite rationally assume the worst.
(Natural News) In Magnolia, Texas, it is now a felony crime to walk your own children home from school. Er, I mean the government indoctrination center. Seriously, parents can now be charged with serious crimes for merely meeting their children at the school and walking them home.

The principal has decided that no matter how close the student lives to the school, the student must either take the bus, or the parent must wait in a long car pickup line, reports Fox 26 in Houston.

Try to walk your student off the campus and you could face criminal charges Fox26 knows of 2 other parents who were just threatened with arrest.

This is yet more evidence that even in Texas, the government thinks it owns your children. Parental rights are being obliterated across the country at a breathtaking pace, including in California where the state can now mandate government injections of your children with aluminum, mercury and other toxic substances that cause autism and neurological disorders.

The same government that has mandated these immunizations has also granted blanket legal immunity to the vaccine industry, so if a mandated vaccine harms your child, its now your problem to deal with and you cant sue the manufacturer for its defective, harmful product. In effect, the government can force you to harm your child, then deny you due process in seeking compensation for damage to your child.

Man charged with DUI for driving under the influence of caffeine

Meanwhile in California, a man was arrested and charged with a DUI for driving while under the influence of caffeine. 38-year-old Joseph Schwab has been fighting a DUI for over a year, despite the fact that he was not under the influence of any illegal drugs at the time, he did, however, test positive for caffeine, reports The Free Thought Project.

[The officer] arrested him and took him to jail so his blood could be drawn for other drugs. His blood tests came back negative for all illegal drugs. But he did test positive for caffeine. For some reason, this was enough to charge Schwab with a DUI.

In doing this, Californias incredibly stupid police state bureaucrats are setting a precedent that could get you charged with a felony crime for drinking Starbucks or Pepsi while behind the wheel.

Indeed, California can now raise all sorts of money to fund its illegal alien benefits programs by arresting and charging coffee drinkers with DUIs, generating huge cash flow revenues for the insane police state known better as Collapsifornia. (Much of the justice system in California is really just revenue generation.)

Solano County DA morons finally drop DUI charges after 16 months, admitting zero evidence

Now, after 16 months of threatening this 36-year-old driver with felony charges, the libtardocrats of Solano County have admitted they have no evidence of anything and must therefore drop the charges.

In their own twisted words, they still imply the driver was on some sort of drugs, but claim they couldnt find them even after administering a forced blood test:

After further consideration, without a confirmatory test of the specific drug in the defendants system that impaired his ability to drive, we do not believe we can prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt, says the county press release.

District Attorney Krishna Abrams typifies the kind of tyrannical bureaucrats you find throughout the California injustice system. They dont care whether theres any evidence at all. Youre guilty just because they want to get you (and the state has granted them exceptional powers to destroy the lives of innocent people).

Ive seen other California DAs ruin the lives of completely innocent people, in Ventura County and LA County in particular. Theres no question that California has the most corrupt bunch of DAs in the entire country, and they all act like salivating tyrants who seethe with anger toward anyone who refuses to bow to their power. They are far more interested in prosecuting independent-minded people than criminal-minded people, it turns out.

What this case illustrates is the arbitrary nature of the state to use any reason possible to find a person guilty, writes John Vibes at TFTP. The police state has claimed a right to search your most private property  your own blood. And, whatever they find inside it  can and will be used against you in a court of law.

Remarkably, thats true even if they find nothing at all.

Which leads me to ask the obvious question: Whats the point of blood tests when California bureaucrats have already decided youre guilty even before the test results come back?

Ultimately, this gets back to the core falsehoods of liberalism, the new religion of Collapsifornia: Evidence is not necessary when they BELIEVE they are right. This same sort of lunatic, anti-science nonsense is what underlies the entire climate change hoax, too.

See my article The top 10 most outrageous science hoaxes of 2016 to learn more.
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




These new corvettes will be based on the existing Tuo River-class. The missiles would be launched from the American Mk41 vetical launch system. According to NCSIST, the test was successful and the data was satisfactory.



The naval variant of the Tien Kung III missile was tested from its existing, land-based launcher. It was pointed out that the tail of the missile can fold. NCSIST plans to integrate the missile with its own researched and developed vertical launch system. The institute has negotiated with the US side to purchase two sets of Mk41 vertical launch systems, and is awaiting the export license, in addition to technology transfer. The test took place at Jiupeng base located in Pingtung County in Southern Taiwan. The missile is intended for three Air Defense Catamaran corvettes which the ROC Navy (Republic of China - Taiwan) ordered in March 2016. These new corvettes will be based on the existing Tuo River-class. The missiles would be launched from the American Mk41 vetical launch system. According to NCSIST, the test was successful and the data was satisfactory.The naval variant of the Tien Kung III missile was tested from its existing, land-based launcher. It was pointed out that the tail of the missile can fold. NCSIST plans to integrate the missile with its own researched and developed vertical launch system. The institute has negotiated with the US side to purchase two sets of Mk41 vertical launch systems, and is awaiting the export license, in addition to technology transfer.
Malaysian citizens were invited to select one of three "group of names" based on one theme each:

- Theme 1: Fighter (Pejuang) "Symbol of the fighting spirit in defending the country's sovereignty".

- Theme 2: Weapon (Senjata): "Upholding the power of traditional weapons used by the warriors of the homeland against invaders".

- Theme 3: Courage (Nilai Keberanian): "Upholding the courage and heroism in the fighting spirit of the individual and the troops".



The results of the poll (hence the name of the future class of frigates) should be revealled soon by the Royal Malaysian Navy.


23:50

The Supreme Court's ruling, which says seeking votes in the name of "religion" amounts to "corrupt practice", "clashes" with the Hindutva as "a way of life" verdict delivered by Justice J S Verma, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi said on Monday.

In a majority verdict, the Supreme Court held that any appeal for votes on the ground of "religion, race, caste, community or language" amounted to "corrupt practice" under the election laws.

"Justice J S Verma, in the Manohar Joshi case, defined Hindutva as a way of life in 1995. This point has not been considered here and as such parties contesting polls on Hindutva plank can take a stand that they are seeking votes on the basis of (concept of) way of life and not on religion," Owaisi told reporters in Maharashtra's Aurangabad when asked to react on the verdict.

"The Supreme Court has added a few things under Section 123 of The Representation of People Act but this judgement may clash with the Hindutva verdict as saffron parties can contend they are not seeking votes on the basis of religion," said the Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad.

The AIMIM leader, however, clarified he had not yet gone through the entire apex court judgement.





Replying to a question, Owaisi said he is not disappointed by the judgement but was expecting the bench to review Justice Verma's verdict.





To another query, the 47-year-old MP said, "Ours is a participatory form of democracy and it is seen that minority representation is not sufficient. For 14 per cent Muslims, there are only 23 MPs whereas the number should be 60."

"Representation should be given to minorities at all levels, including local bodies, Assembly and Parliament," said Owaisi.
The requested page is currently unavailable on this server.

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COLLECTIVE MADNESS



Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."
Additional Sessions Judge Raj Kumar Tripathi remanded lawyer Rohit Tandon and Kotak Mahindra Bank Manager Ashish Kumar to 14 days judicial custody after Enforcement Directorate did not seek custody for further interrogation.

Meanwhile Tandon has moved his bail application.

The court has sought reply from ED and listed the matter for further hearing on January 4.

The Enforcement Directorate on December 28 arrested Tandon on charge of converting Rs 60 crore in demonetised currency into new notes in connivance with the bank manager.

Tandon was arrested after grilling by ED officials for almost a week and booked under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Kumar was arrested on Wednesday.

ED sources said Tandon gave Rs 1.5 crore as commission to Ashish Kumar, posted at Kotak Mahindra Bank's Connaught Place branch, for converting his Rs 34.93 crore demonetised high-value currency into new notes.

Cash of Rs 13.65 crore, including Rs 2.6 crore in new notes, was seized from Tandon's office in Greater Kailash-I area of south Delhi during a raid by Delhi Police on December 10.

Tandon's T&T law firm and residence, before this operation, were separately searched by the Income Tax Department, which said he had declared undisclosed income of over Rs 125 crore.

--IANS akk/vd

( 252 Words)

2017-01-02-17:14:07 (IANS)
The Congress party on Monday demanded that the government disclose how much money in old currencies has come back to the banking system until December 30. It also sought to know whether the returning old notes will be destroyed, and if yes, will it be done under the supervision of a Supreme Court-appointed committee or a joint parliamentary committee. "The 50-day deadline of the government to deposit money expired on December 30, but the sufferings of the people continue," said Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari while briefing the media. "It raises a few questions. About Rs 14.86 lakh crore in 500/1,000 rupee notes were withdrawn from the economy on November 8. We want the government to disclose how much of it has come back to the banking system till December 30. "Who will be the custodian of these notes which have come back? Will that be the Reserve bank of India (RBI)?" said Tewari. "If these currencies have to be destroyed, will the government be willing to undertake this exercise under the supervision of a Supreme Court-appointed committee or at least under a joint parliamentary committee?" he added. The Congress also wanted to know from the government how much of the old notes are fake, and to what extent the terror financing has reduced. "We want to know how much of it is black, how much is grey, blue, yellow and white... How much fake currencies have been found. What is the quantum of terror financing that has gone down," added Tewari. Under normal circumstances, when a series of currency notes are demonetised, the central bank has the infrastructure to be able to absorb old notes, deal with them and put out new currencies, he said, adding that in this case, the RBI was totally unprepared. "What is the government going to do to ensure that all these old notes do not leak back into the system? "Why this question is germane because still some schemes like Garib Kalyan Yojana, facility to exchange notes in the RBI and deposits by NRIs are going to continue until March 31 and some until June," said Tewari. --IANS sid/nir/bg ( 366 Words) 2017-01-02-19:56:09 (IANS)
Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala earlier announced that the grand old party would hold protests across the country at block as well as national level.

The high point of the campaign will be a national conference of party leaders on demonetisation, which will be held during the second phase in Delhi.

In the first phase, the party ensured that senior leaders held press conferences across the nation and spoke at length about the flaws of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation move.

The party leaders will hold press conferences on January 2-3 and distribute material highlighting why the demonetisation move was immature.

On January 6, the party leaders and workers will protest outside the Collectorate offices in all districts across the country.

The party's women wing will hold a 'thali' protest across the nation on January 9.

The Congress also released a booklet titled 'Arthquake' on the government's demonetisation move.

The second phase of the nationwide protest will begin on January 11 and the third phase between January 20 and 30. (ANI)
Now when the ball is in the court of the Election Commission over the political 'coup' in the ruling Samajwadi Party, the two erring factions of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav have rushed to New Delhi, after cancelling the national convention of the party, scheduled on January 5. Shivpal Singh Yadav, who was ousted by Akhilesh as the state party chief, today informed the media that the January 5 meet has been cancelled. However, he did not give any concrete reason for the cancellation. The January 5 meet was called after yesterday Akhilesh was declared SP national president, in place of Mulayam. There are also reports that the state government had refused to give permission to hold a meeting at the Janeshwar Mishra Park for the meet. Mulayam and Akhilesh are all set to reach before the EC in Delhi today. It seems that the rift is still not bridged as last night even after Mulayam complained of high blood pressure, Akhilesh who stays at the adjoining bungalow did not rush to see his father. Akhilesh said,"sometimes to protect the ones you love you must make right decision.What I did was a tough decision but 1 had to take it for the betterment of the party and the party supporters".UNI MB RJ 1040 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0432-1090308.Xml
Playing the emotional card, Samajwadi Party MP Amar Singh on Monday said he won't mind his expulsion from the party but would definitely feel bad if Mulayam Singh Yadav discards him from his heart. "I will feel bad if Mulayam Singh Yadav will discard me from his heart and if I would be expelled from the party then it will not be regretful for me," Singh told the media on his arrival at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here. Singh further said that he would not mind being called as villain as long as Mulayam is with him. Singh, who left for Delhi from London on Sunday, is expected to meet Mulayam and then visit the Election Commission's office at around 2 p.m. along with him. Samajwadi Party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav had yesterday demanded for Singh's ouster from the party while addressing a party convention at the Janeshwar Mishra Park in Lucknow. Singh had earlier clarified that he was not behind the rift in the Samajwadi Party family and requested Mulayam to save him from being portrayed as a villain in the family feud. "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 should relieve me," Singh told ANI in London. "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. The party split yesterday with a national convention declaring Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav the new national president, a post that was held by his father. The convention also made Mulayam the Samajwadi Party's patron. Admitting that he has taken a 'tough' stand, Akhilesh yesterday justified the turn of events in the Samajwadi Party. "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," he tweeted. (ANI)
Extremely perturbed with the ongoing feud, Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav on Monday said the party's election symbol is his signature, adding he will go to Delhi and fight for the right as he has not done any wrong in his political career. "Nobody can accuse me of anything. I have never done anything wrong. The media has always supported me. I have not done any wrong or corrupt thing. The Supreme Court freed me from all allegations levelled against me. I am not unwell at all. I am completely healthy. I will go to Delhi," Mulayam told the media here. Admitting that he has taken a 'tough' stand, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav yesterday justified the turn of events in the Samajwadi Party. The party split yesterday with a national convention declaring Akhilesh the new national president, a post that was held by his father. The convention also made Mulayam the Samajwadi Party's patron. Party leader Amar Singh will also accompany Mulayam to the Election Commission's office in the national capital to stake the party's 'cycle' symbol. This comes after the Samajwadi Party's national convention convened by Mulayam on January 5 was put on hold. "As per Mulayam Singh Yadav's order, national convention of Samajwadi Party called by him on January 5th has been put on hold," Shivpal Yadav said. The crisis further deepened in the ruling Samajwadi Party as Mulayam declared all the resolutions passed in the emergency convention called yesterday by expelled leader Ram Gopal Yadav as "null and void" terming the convention itself as "unconstitutional and illegal". In a very eventful day yesterday, Mulayam expelled his close colleagues MPs Naresh Agrawal and Kironmoy Nanda besides again expelling Ram Gopal Yadav from the party for six years. Akhilesh also appointed Naresh Uttam as state party chief who replaced Shivpal Yadav. His supporters laid a siege over the party headquarters in Lucknow and forcibly removed Shivpal's nameplate outside his office. Amid the ongoing political tussle in the Samajwadi Party, Akhilesh who has been nominated party president, is expected to approach the Election Commission today to stake claim for the party's 'cycle' symbol. Sources said the new president has to approach the Election Commission according to the party's convention to stake claim as the real Samajwadi Party. As per the party's constitution, the president of the party allots symbols for an election. (ANI)
A Delhi Police head constable committed suicide by shooting himself with his service revolver at a police post in Supreme Court early this morning. The head constable was identified as Chand Pal. He shot himself near the Gate G of the Supreme Court. Further details are awaited. (ANI)
Tata AutoComp Systems Limited, a leading auto-component conglomerate, today announced completion of the acquisition of TitanX - a leading global engine cooling supplier in line with its strategy of expanding globally and fortifying presence in the cooling and emission control segments. Company chairman Praveen Kadle in a statement said: "With the successful acquisition of TitanX, we look forward to leverage TitanX's global presence that fits well into our well-defined global growth strategy. The acquisition further reiterates our commitment in delivering solutions that will cater to the changing needs of global customers. Offering improved products and services are our strength and we are confident that this acquisition will further help provide world-class products and services for the automotive industry." "The acquisition of TitanX will help further strengthen and enhance our offering to our commercial vehicle customers outside India. Through the acquisition of TitanX we will have the scale, portfolio and resources necessary to usher in a new era of innovative products and solutions for our global customers. In India, we have Tata Toyo Radiator Limited, a Joint Venture with TRAD, Japan, which will continue to serve its customers in India." Tata AutoComp Systems Limited Ajay Tandon, MD & CEO, added: TitanX is a world leading supplier of powertrain cooling solutions for commercial vehicles and the company serves most of the western world's OEMs, including Volvo, Scania, Daimler, and Iveco. TitanX has manufacturing plants in Sweden, USA, Mexico, Brazil, and China.UNI XC-PC AD1233 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0108-1090448.Xml
Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav, facing a 'political coup" by his son and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, has rushed to Delhi to meet the Election Commission (EC) for derailing the efforts of Akhilesh to get the cycle election symbol. Mulayam Singh Yadav, accompanied by his younger brother Shivpal Yadav and friend Amar Singh, have reached Delhi to meet Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Nasim Zaidi at 1400 hrs. Before leaving for New Delhi, Mulayam ruled out his health woes. "You see, I am fit" The SP chief further claimed that the party's election symbol was his signature, hence there is no question of anyone getting it by holding an illegal meeting and toppling. "I have made this party with strong dedication and hard work, but now some people are trying to throw me out. "Media ne hamesha mera sath diya hai, maine koi bhrashtachar ya galat kaam nahi kiya. Ilzaam laga bhi toh SC ne mujhe bari kiya hai (Media has always supported me. I have never done any corruption or wrong thing. Once an allegation was made against me, but the Supreme Court had given me a clean chit)," he said. Earlier, Mulayam had also cancelled his proposed national convention here on January 5, after his son and UP CM put all spanners not to give permission to hold any meeting at the government venue. The meeting was slated to be held at the Janeshwar Mishra Park, where a meeting was held yesterday to declare Akhilesh as the party's national president, removing Mulayam. Shivpal Singh Yadav, who was ousted by Akhilesh as the state party chief, today informed the media that the January 5 meet has been cancelled. However, he did not give any concrete reason for the cancellation. The January 5 was called after Akhilesh was declared the SP's national president, in place of Mulayam. There were also reports that the state government had refused to give permission to hold a meeting at the Janeshwar Mishra Park. It seems that the rift is still not bridged as last night, even after Mulayam complained of high blood pressure, Akhilesh who stays at the adjoining bungalow, did not rush to see his father. Akhilesh said, "Sometimes to protect the ones you love, you must make the right decision.What I did was a tough decision, but 1 had to take it for the betterment of the party and the party supporters".UNI MB CJ RJ 1230 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-1090367.Xml
BJP got a shot in the arm in Karnataka, when former Minister V Srinivas Prasad joined the party today. The veteran Dalit leader was welcomed into the party fold by BJP State President and Lok Sabha member BS Yeddyurappa, Union Ministers HN Ananth Kumar and DV Sadananda Gowda, Opposition Leader in the Legislative Council KS Eshwarappa, former Deputy Chief Minister R Ashok, BJP National General Secretary R Muralidhar Rao, and the In-Charge of party affairs in Karnataka, at the party office in Jaganath Bhavan here. Mr Prasad had quit from MLA post, as well as the primary membership of Congress after being dropped from the Cabinet unanimously by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who effected a major reshuffle by dropping 14 Ministers and inducting 13 new faces in October. He had been openly questioning Mr Siddaramaiah about removing him from the Ministry, without informing and had termed the Chief Minister's action as nothing, but dictatorship. Mr Prasad, who had served as Union Minister twice, once in the late Indira Gandhi Cabinet and in NDA Ministry headed by AB Vajpayee Ministry, from Samajwadi Party. Mr Prasad will seek re-election from Nanjangud Assembly constituency on BJP ticket in the by-election, to be held shortly.UNI MSP HVB RJ 1323 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0432-1090476.Xml
Mr Modi, who is arriving on a six-hour visit to the temple town from New Delhi will address the 104th Indian Science Congress at Sri Venkateswara University, between 1150 and 1224 hours.

Later, the Prime Minister will motor up to Tirumala hills, where he would offer prayers to the lord Balaji between 1345 and 1355 hours after a brief halt at Padmavathi Guest House.

After darshan of the lord Venkateswara Swamy, the Prime Minister will motor down to Tirupati Airport from where he will leave for New Delhi at around 1545 hours.

However, this is Mr Modi's second visit to the temple since he became Prime Minister.

He had earlier offered worship at the hill shrine on October 22 last year.

Security has been beefed up at the hill and also in and around of the temple city of Tirupati following the visit of Prime Minister.UNI KNR CS 1524

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Alleging that the dispute within the Samajwadi Party family was a drama for doing corruption and confusing people, BJP president Amit Shah today alleged that corruption was at the peak in the present Akhilesh Yadav regime and there is an urgent need for its removal. "The present SP government was doing nothing except corruption and was promoting goondas. All the schemes sent from the Centre for implementation in the state for the poor and downtrodden get stuck in Lucknow as the government here is not interested in serving the people," he said. "The infighting in the SP family is just a drama and it was an effort to divert the attention of the people from their corruption and misrule," he added. Addressing Maha Parivartan rally here at the Ram Bai Ambedkar grounds, Mr Shah gave an example that the Lucknow-Agra expressway was a glaring example of corruption by the Akhilesh Yadav government. "Recently, Prime Minister Modi had laid the foundation stone for four national highways connecting all four dhams of Uttarakhand. Surprisingly, the cost of the NH 4 which will have several tunnels under the mountains and is longer than the Lucknow-Agra Expressway, is costing less, which proves the corruption of the UP government,'' he said. Asking people of the state to give BJP a chance to come to power after watching the last 10-year corrupt governments of the SP and BSP, he said, "UP is like a power transformer which is burnt out and now it should be replaced. "If you give your mandate to the BJP in the coming assembly polls, then I can promise that after coming to power within a week's time, all the goondas would have to leave the state or mend their ways," he announced. Mr Shah said during the past two and a half years of the rule, the Modi government has launched 90 schemes for the poor and downtrodden with one scheme per week, but it is unfortunate that none was implemented fully in the state. The infighting in the SP family led to non implementation of the proposed insurance schemes for the farmers, he claimed. About demonetisation, he said all the Opposition leaders now have just one name to recite that is only 'notebandi'. "Earlier, these people used to ask what Modiji had done on black money, but now they are asking why has the PM taken this action. They have lost their black money and are totally irritated with the BJP," he stated. Union Minister Uma Bharti also blamed that the fight in the SP family was just an eyewash. "The SP only wants power and for that they can go to any extent," she said, adding that demonetisation has totally ruined Ms Mayawati and hence she was only attacking Narendra Modi.'' Later, UP BJP president Keshav Prasad Maurya, while welcoming the PM in the rally, said a BJP government will bring an honest and transparent governance.UNI MB RSA SHK 1530 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-1090582.Xml
The family members of journalist Hari Prakash claimed that he was murdered. He was missing for the last two days.

The police recovered a bottle of poison from the journalist, and his body has been sent for the post-mortem examination.

"We are working on two angles -- murder and suicide, and soon the case will be solved," a police official told IANS.

Prakash was working as a correspondent of a local Hindi newspaper.

--IANS ns/pgh/vt

( 97 Words)

2017-01-02-17:16:07 (IANS)
Congress leader Dr. Karan Singh on Monday said that the ruling government should be willing to talk to the Separatists as discussion is the only way forward to solve the Kashmir issue. "We should talk to the separatist, if they are ready to talk then we should also proceed," Singh told ANI here. Singh also urged that Centre must also engage in a dialogue with Pakistan as it would be beneficial for both the sides. "We need to talk to Pakistan, until there is no dialogue, there would be no solution to the Kashmir issue," he said. Earlier, Dr Sheikh Mustafa Kamaal, additional general secretary of J&K National Conference alleged that the present ruling coalition of BJP and PDP were hell bent to erode the secular fabric of the State so painstakingly built by National Conference against all odds including the well entrenched groups with communal mindset dating back to bloody and painful days of partition of the Indian Sub-Continent. (ANI)
Mr Pandian, who has been soliciting support of various political parties for the agitation, today called on DMK Treasurer and Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly M K Stalin and sought his party's support.

Later, talking to reporters, Mr Stalin said the DMK had been consistently urging the State government to convene a special session of the State Assembly to adopt a resolution seeking to declare Tamil Nadu a drought hit state.

''We have also met Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and handed him over a letter in this regard. But there was no response from the State government'', he added.

Pointing out that the DMK always supported the agitations by farmers and based on that the DMK would extend support to the January five agitation also by farmers associations, he added.

Referring to the increasing number of suicides by farmers in the delta districts, Mr Pandian criticised the state government for maintaining silence on the issue.

''A statement from the Chief Minister will do...it will provide some solace to the suffering farmers'', he added.

Meanwhile, Mr Pandian met VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavanand sought his party's support for the agitation.

After the meeting, Mr Thirumavalavan said it was shocking that the state government did not exert pressure on the Centre to declare Tamil Nadu as drought hit.

He also pledged his party's support to the farmers agitation.UNI GV CS 1740

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This task would begin in the first week of this month and carried out in Rishikesh, Haridwar, Garh Mukhteshwar, Sahibganj, Kolkata and Navdweep, a statement said here today.

The Urban Local Bodies would be the nodal agency to monitor this work while State Programme Management Groups (SPMGs) and collectorate office would supervise these works under the aegis of NMCG at state and district level respectively.

Notably, the River Surface Cleaning (RSC) work was introduced last year in cities of Allahabad, Kanpur, Varanasi, Mathura-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh and Patna in Bihar. Trash skimmers were deployed at the foregoing locations and tonnes of floating waste was collected and disposed off in a proper manner.

This task was performed under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) head. In the coming days, more towns would be identified for carrying out similar activities.

The Namami Gange programme was launched as a mission to achieve the target of cleaning river Ganga in an effective manner with the unceasing involvement of all stakeholders, especially five major Ganga basin States Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal. UNI RBE SW SHK 1737

-- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0427-1090922.Xml
India and Sri Lanka today agreed to a set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to expedite the release and handing over of fishermen in each other's custody on completion of respective legal and procedural formalities. The immediate release of the fishermen presently in custody was also announced following talks between Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh and Minister for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development of Sri Lanka Mahinda Amaraweera in Colombo. The talks followed the first meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on fisheries held in New Delhi on December 31 last year, an official statement said. The JWG, constituted in pursuance of the decision taken at the Ministerial meeting held in New Delhi on November 5, 2016, was co-chaired by Secretary (Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries), India and Secretary (Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development), Sri Lanka. The Ministers exchanged views on possible mechanisms to help find a permanent solution to the fishermen issues. The co-chairs of the JWG briefed the Ministers on the outcome of the first JWG meeting for consideration of the Ministers and further directions to take the process forward. As part of the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) agreed to by both sides, it was decided to intensify cooperation on patrolling and to institute periodic interaction between the Coast Guard of the two countries. An understanding was reached to ensure that there was no physical harm or loss of life while apprehending fishermen by Navy and Coast Guard of the two countries. It was agreed to explore the possibility of introducing effective tracking systems for the fishing vessels and making the use of onboard communication equipment mandatory. The Ministers appreciated the efforts taken by the JWG in operationalising the ''Hotline'' between Indian and Sri Lankan Coast Guard, which would ensure quick decision making and response. Both the sides discussed the issue of releasing fishing vessels in each other's custody. The Indian side requested for the immediate release of Indian fishing vessels. The Sri Lankan side agreed to consider the request in view of the progress being made by the JWG. The Sri Lankan side reiterated that the practice of bottom trawling needs to end at the earliest. The Indian side assured that bottom trawling would be phased out in a graded time-bound manner within a practicable timeframe keeping in mind the capacity building of the fishermen who have to be diversified into deep sea fishing as well as other coastal fisheries activities including mariculture, pearl farming and seaweed culture. They were briefed about the measures already instituted including the decision to construct a new fishing harbour at Mookaiyur in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu, and the capacity building programme for Indian fishermen on deep sea fishing that commences tomorrow at Chennai and Kochi. The next JWG meeting will be held in Colombo in April this year to review the progress made in addressing the fishermen issues in a comprehensive manner.UNI NY SW SHK 1950 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0099-1091284.Xml
The Supreme Court today set aside a Delhi High Court order, which had held four journalists guilty of contempt in 2007 for writing articles in a tabloid about former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Y K Sabharwal. A bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Tirath Singh Thakur and also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar, said that the Delhi High Court did not have the jurisdiction to pass such an order as it was not empowered to punish for the contempt of a superior court which itself was not invoking such power despite being vested with it.The Delhi HC had convicted four senior journalists of the Mid-Day daily tabloid of contempt of court for "tarnishing the image of the Supreme Court" by publishing certain scandalous articles about former Chief Justice of India, YK Sabharwal.Those found guilty were MK Tayal, Editor (City), SK Akhtar, the then Publisher, Vitusha Oberoi, Resident Editor, and Irfan Khan."The publications, in the garb of scandalising a retired Chief Justice of India, have, in fact, attacked the very institution, which according to us is nothing short of contempt," a bench of the Delhi HC, comprising Justice RS Sodhi and BN Chaturvedi, had said.Mid Day dated May 19, 2007 had carried news reports that the sealing orders issued by a Bench headed by Justice YK Sabharwal was intended to benefit his sons who had ties with mall developers.While allowing the appeals filed by the four journalists in the contempt case, the Apex Court, in its 14-page order, said, "The power to punish for contempt vested in a Court of Record under Article 215 does not, however, extend to punishing for the contempt of a superior court. Such a power has never been recognised as an attribute of a court of record nor has the same been specifically conferred upon the High Courts under Article 215."The Apex Court delivered its verdict on the petition filed by four journalists of the now defunct Delhi tabloid against the High Court's decision to take suo motu cognizance of the articles to initiate contempt action against them.They had moved the apex court pending the hearing in the High Court which had on September 11, 2007 directed them to be present before it for pronouncement of quantum of sentence.During the pendency of the appeal, the Supreme Court had stayed the proceedings before the Delhi HC. UNI XC RP1953 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0298-1091215.Xml
Mohammad Shahid (25) who was working as labourer in Bengaluru and ailing since the past two months was going to his village along with his wife Rukhsana (22) and two toddler daughters.

The family had boarded the Bengaluru-Patna Bagmati Express but Shahid's condition deteriorated on the way. He was detrained at Ghoradongri yesterday afternoon and rushed to community healthcare centre where he was declared brought dead.

Confronted by tragedy in an alien land, his wife Rukhsana lost her bearings. However, on learning of her trauma, locals reached the hospital and started making arrangements for sending the body to the deceased's native place. Local legislator Mangal Singh Dhurve spearheaded the fund collection. UNI XC-PS AE SHK 1932

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In ongoing specialdrive against smuggling of liquor into 'dry' Bihar, huge consignments of liquorwere seized in Begusarai and Supaul districts since last 12 hours.While 370 bottles of Indian MadeForeign Liquor (IMFL) were seized in Begusarai district, more than 90 bottles of liquor were seized inSupaul district.A Begusarai report said that policeseized 370 bottles of foreign liquor from a potato laden truck under Chhaurahipolice station area and nabbed four liquor peddlers. While two bootleggers werenabbed from the truck, two motorcyclists following the truck were also arrestedfrom the spot. The consignment was being smuggledfrom Rajaasthan when it was intercepted. A Supaul report said that SashastraSeema Bal (SSB) jawans seized huge consignment of liquor and arrested threetipplers when they were returning after celebrating new year late last night.Police said that SSB jawansintercepted a cyclist when he was carrying 90 bottles of country liquor near Dagmaracheck post on Indo-Nepal border. The liquor peddler made good his escape afterabandoning his cycle on the spot. In another seizure, SSB jawansarrested three tipplers with liquor when they were returning from Nepal after celebrating new year. UNI XC DH SJC -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0212-1091334.Xml
All India Majlis-e-Ittehad Ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi observed that the definition of Hindutva as 'A Way of Life' by Justice JS Verma would clash with today's Supreme Court ruling that termed seeking votes in the name of religion, caste and creed during polls as illegal. Addressing the newsmen here after apex court's ruling, Mr Owaisi said, ''The consideration of Justice JS Verma ruling on definition of Hindutva in the Manohar Joshi case that it is a way of life was not taken into account here and as such the parties which are contesting elections on the Hindutva card will take it as a defence and claim that they are asking for votes on the basis of way of life and not religion.'' Replying to a question, he said that he was not disappointed by the judgment but was expecting that the bench should have considered and reviewed the Justice Verma's ruling. He rued that the views of three judges out of a seven-judge bench were unfortunately not considered on the issue. He further said that he has not gone through the copy of today's judgment but it appears from the media reports that the Supreme Court had added few things under section 123 of the Representation of People's Act (RPA) that may give a loophole to the saffron parties to say that they are not asking for votes on the basis of religion. Replying to another question, the MIM chief said, ''For 14 percent of Muslims, there are only 23 members of Parliament, whereas the number should be 60.'' He demanded that representation should be given to minoritiesat all levels including the Panchayat, Municipal Council, Assembly and Parliament. Mr Owaisi also demanded to give reservation to the Muslims on the basis of the recommendations of the Rangnath Mishra, Rajendra Sachar and Mahemud ur Rehman's reports. ''Empirical data is also available and if the Government is serious about development of the minorities, then it should consider these recommendations,'' he added.UNI VKB SS HK SNU 2303 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0171-1091486.Xml
The first smart police station was inaugurated at Wagle Estate here today. Speaking after inaugurating the first smart police station, Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh underscored the need to improve the service level in the police stations as well as pgradation of the technology at the stations. He said that the service rendered at the police stations should be citizen-friendly and based on the experience of the Wagle Estate Police Station. He said other 33 police stations will also be converted into smart police stations. The police chief also inaugurated a Gym for the policemen in the Commissionerate located in the premises of the Wagle Estate Police Station. UNI XR SS VS SDR SNU 2322 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0171-1091495.Xml
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.

--IANS soni/vt

( 186 Words)

2017-01-01-17:34:06 (IANS)
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/ ( 254 Words) 2017-01-02-03:22:07 (IANS)
South Korea's government and airline companies will meet tomorrow to discuss China's rejection of applications by Korean carriers to add charter flights between the two countries for early this year, a government official said today.South Korean Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho said on Sunday he would look into whether China's decision, which came ahead of a traditional surge in Lunar New Year travel, was "related to" the planned deployment of a US anti-missile system in South Korea.Yoo told reporters there were "several suspected cases of non-tariff barriers" following last year's decision to deploy the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system and South Korea needed to determine China's "real intention".China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on a holiday, while China's Civil Aviation Administration was not immediately reachable.China worries that the THAAD's powerful radar can penetrate its territory and has objected to the deployment, which South Korea and the United States say is aimed solely at countering any threat from North Korea.South Korean carriers Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air and Jin Air, an affiliate of Korean Air Lines , said their applications for charter flights to China were rejected for January and February, with no reason given."It is regrettable," a spokesman at Jeju Air said.The companies already operate scheduled flights to China but wanted to add charter flights at busy times.The transport ministry had sent a letter to China's ministry seeking cooperation on the proposed flights and it would also meet the companies to ponder a next step, a ministry official said."We will hold a closed-meeting with major airline affiliates tomorrow morning to discuss measures," the ministry official said, without elaborating on what type of measures might be considered.China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines had asked South Korea to hold off on approving their applications to add charter flights in January, citing "a situation in China", said the official who is not authorised to speak to media and declined to be identified.A China Eastern press official denied that it had asked South Korea to hold off approving applications to add charter flights. A China Southern media official was not immediately available.The Korea Tourism Organization said charter flights typically accounted for 4 to 5 per cent of available seats between the two countries."Travellers can switch over to regular scheduled flights, so we do not expect huge losses," said Han Hwa-joon, China team director.Shares in South Korean cosmetics-related companies and airlines dropped on news reports of the charter denials. Korean cosmetics are a hot-selling item for visitors from China, South Korea's biggest source of tourists.Shares in cosmetics maker Amorepacific Corp were down 5 percent on Monday, their biggest daily percentage loss since Oct. 25 and Korean Air Lines Co Ltd shares fell 2.2 percent to their lowest level since July 14.REUTERS VS AN1527 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0440-1090668.Xml
Addressing the Umat-e-Rasool march staged on Shahrae Quaideen, Siraj said the bloc of Muslim countries must abandon the so-called world body if the United Nations Security Council cannot move for 1.2 billion Muslims in the world.

He called upon Muslims to make a joint military, market and formulate one syllabus.

Haq accused the UN of hypocrisy saying that why international organisations are not even acknowledging the plight of Muslims.

He said action is taken by them when they think it is necessary to protect the interests of world powers,

Many people participated in the march carrying placards and banners, inscribed with slogans criticising the duplicity of Muslim rulers and apathy of international powers.

Siraj said the march was an expression of solidarity with the oppressed Muslims across the world.

He said Muslim women and children in Syria were subjected to rape, torture and execution.

Siraj asked the government to play a proactive role against the brutalities being faced by Muslims.

He said his party would ensure social justice if it ever came to power. (ANI)
Authorities made the announcement through loudspeakers and displayed banners at prominent places at the border to apprise Pakistani nationals about the new restrictions prior to expiry of the deadline which was December 31, reports the Dawn.

Earlier, authorities had permitted Pakistani nationals to use their CNICs for cross-border movement but ended the relaxation after receiving information about preparation of fake CNICs in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.

According to officials, the Shinwari tribal people, living on both sides of the Durand Line, would be exempted from possessing passport as they were already issued temporary 'Rahdari' cards by Khyber Agency political administration after necessary verification.

However, no visa on passport would be required by Pakistani nationals. (ANI)
The assailants detonated two car bombs at a security checkpoint near the Hotel Peace, leaving three police officials dead and injuring another three civilians, local police told Efe news.

The Somali terror group al-Shabaab claimed the attack.

Located near the Halane base, host to UN and African Union (AU) personnel, Hotel Peace is frequented by diplomats and government officials.

Local resident Nasteho Ibrahim, who lives near the scene of the explosions, told Xinhua news agency the blasts were huge.

"The blasts were very heavy and we could feel the impact from our houses shaking," he added.

--IANS ksk/bg

( 132 Words)

2017-01-02-18:58:07 (IANS)
However, the gunman is not among those arrested, reports the Guardian.

The Turkish military said it had carried out raids against ISIS in Syria in response to the attack. Turkish jets struck eight targets, and tanks and artillery fired on 103 targets near al-Bab, killing 22 fighters.

Meanwhile, the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack.

"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," ISIS said in a statement. (ANI)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is steering clear of the World Economic Forum in Davos, a meeting expected to be dominated by debate over the looming presidency of Donald Trump and rising public anger with elites and globalisation.Merkel has been a regular at the annual gathering of political leaders, CEOs and celebrities, travelling to the snowy resort in the Swiss Alps seven times since becoming chancellor in 2005.But her spokesman told Reuters she had decided not to attend for a second straight year. This year's conference runs from Jan. 17-20 under the banner "Responsive and Responsible Leadership". Trump's inauguration coincides with the last day of the conference."It's true that a Davos trip was being considered, but we never confirmed it, so this is not a cancellation," the spokesman said.It is the first time Merkel has missed Davos two years in a row since taking office over 11 years ago and her absence may come as a disappointment to the organisers because her reputation as a steady, principled leader fits well with the theme of this year's conference.The German government declined to say what scheduling conflict was preventing her from attending, nor would it say whether the decision might be linked to the truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market that killed 12 people in mid-December.But after the Brexit vote in Britain and the election of Trump were attributed to rising public anger with the political establishment and globalisation, leaders may be more reluctant than usual to travel to a conference at a plush ski resort that has become synonymous with the global elite.TRUMPOne European official suggested that the prospect of having to address questions about Trump days before he enters the White House might also have dissuaded Merkel, whose politics is at odds with the president-elect on a broad range of issues, from immigration and trade, to Russia and climate change.During the US election campaign, Trump described Merkel's refugee policies as "insane".Like Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, who announced in early December that he would not seek a second term next year, will not be in Davos.The WEF had also hoped to lure Matteo Renzi, but he resigned as Italian prime minister last month. European leaders that are expected include Mark Rutte of the Netherlands and Enda Kenny of Ireland. British Prime Minister Theresa May could also be there.Although the WEF does not comment on which leaders it is expecting until roughly a week before the meeting, the star attraction is expected to be Xi Jinping, the first Chinese president to attend.Members of President-elect Donald Trump's team, including Davos regulars like former Goldman Sachs president Gary Cohn and fund manager Anthony Scaramucci, are also expected. WEF Chairman Klaus Schwab was invited to Trump Tower last month, although the purpose of the visit was unclear.German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen, who was elected to the WEF board of trustees last year, is expected to attend, as are senior ministers from a range of other European countries, as well as top figures from the European Commission. REUTERS VS BL2017 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0440-1091262.Xml
A Syrian migrant who arrived in Germany two years ago has been arrested on suspicion of seeking funds from Islamic State to drive truck bombs into a crowd, a German state prosecutor's office said today.The arrest follows an attack two weeks ago when a Tunisian whose asylum request had been rejected rammed a truck into a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 people. The man, Anis Amri, 24, was later shot dead by Italian police.In the latest case, the prosecutor in the western city of Saarbruecken said the 38-year-old Syrian was detained on Saturday and a formal arrest warrant was issued on Sunday on suspicion that he was trying to raise 180,000 euros (189,000 dollar) to fund an attack.Prosecutor Christoph Rebmann said the man, whom he did not name, was suspected of seeking the money from Islamic State in Syria to buy trucks and load 400-500 kg (880-1,100 pounds) of explosives into each of them."He is suspected of ... requesting 180,000 euros from a contact person in Syria on his cell phone from Saarbruecken in December, 2016 so that he could acquire vehicles to pack with explosives and drive them into a crowd," Rebmann said in a statement.The man has admitted making contact with Islamic State, which is also know as ISIS, but denied he had any plans to stage an attack."He said he wanted the money from ISIS to support his family back in Syria," Rebmann told Reuters, adding that the Syrian had said he wanted to fool the jihadist group into sending him the money.The Syrian is from the city of Raqqa, Islamic State's main stronghold in the country. The prosecutor's office in Saarbruecken, near the French border, had been alerted to his activities by the BKA federal crime office.The Syrian came to Germany on Dec 5, 2014, just before a wave of more than 1.1 million asylum-seekers arrived from the Middle East, Africa and Asia in 2015. He was given permission to stay in Germany on Jan. 12, 2015.Chancellor Angela Merkel, who made the now-controversial decision to open the country's borders to refugees in September, 2015, described Islamist terrorism on New Year's Eve as the greatest test facing Germany.She has also said she is sickened by the prospect that refugees Germany has tried to help could mount attacks.Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said that failed asylum seekers who are regarded as a danger should be detained until they can be deported. He made the suggestion in a guest column in Tuesday's edition of the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper.Political analysts, conservative allies and diplomats have said a major attack could damage Merkel's hopes of winning a fourth term in September's election. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has blamed her policies for the Dec. 19 Berlin attack.In October, a Syrian refugee committed suicide in prison after being arrested on suspicion of planning an attack on a Berlin airport. REUTERS SDR BL2315 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-1091502.Xml
BEIJING, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday extended condolences to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte over casualties and damage caused by Typhoon Nock-ten.

In a message, Xi sent condolences to the Philippine president, and through him, to the people affected by the disaster.

China and the Philippines are friendly neighbors, and the Chinese government and people are deeply worried about the Philippine people who have been hit and become homeless in the disaster, Xi said, adding China is ready to provide emergency assistance.

Xi expressed the belief that the Philippine people, under the leadership of Duterte and his government, will overcome the disaster and rebuild their homes.

Nock-ten, which battered the northern part of the Philippines on Christmas Day, has left six people dead and 19 others missing, and incurred damage worth 80 million U.S. dollars.
ISTANBUL, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-eight foreigners from nine countries are among the 39 people killed in a terror attack early Sunday morning on a popular night club in Istanbul, Turkish media said.

NTV said 35 dead bodies have been identified so far, with 20 confirmed to be from foreign countries, including Saudi Arabia (7), Iraq (4), India (2), Tunisia (2), Syria (1), Canada (1), Israel (1), Lebanon (1) and Kuwait (1).

Of the 11 Turks killed in the attack, one was of Belgian origin, NTV said.

A gunman stormed into a high-end night club known as Reina in the district of Besiktas, and shot at hundreds of people gathering there for New Year celebrations, killing 39 people and injuring 69 others, with four in critical condition, according to the Turkish authorities.

The police have launched a manhunt for the militant who is on the run after slipping out of the nightclub in chaos.
by Christine Lagat

NAIROBI, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- The unprecedented rise of populism in large parts of the West poses a grave threat to the multilateral system that has sustained global peace and prosperity, according to Kenyan scholars.

They warned in separate commentaries published by a local daily that 2017 could present new uncertainties in multilateral affairs due to the rise of far-right parties in the West that advocate isolationism and xenophobia.

Peter Kagwanja, CEO of a Nairobi-based pan-African think-tank Africa Policy Institute, said that growth of political movements in the West that espouse radical ideologies is a mortal threat to world peace and stability.

"The year 2016 will be remembered as the year when right-wing populism broke the seams and forcibly returned on the world stage to haunt the global liberal order," said Kagwanja.

He noted that Britain's vote to disengage itself from the European Union and presidential victory of Donald Trump in the United States have emboldened far-right political ideologies in many parts of the world.

The scholar warned that the divisive rhetoric from U.S. President-elect would undermine Africa's young democracies that are on the verge of a leap into an industrial era.

"Trump's wedge politics based on ethno-nationalism is likely to inject a divisive and violent tinge into Africa's nascent democracies, and undermine their stability," Kagwanja said.

The wave of nationalism in the West may undermine global diplomacy and efforts to tackle pressing challenges like poverty, disease, terrorism, climate change and inequality, according to him.

He also noted that the global financial markets are in peril unless the rising tide of nationalism in the west is contained.

Macharia Munene, a Nairobi-based international relations scholar, warned that far-right political movements in the West could shrink the influence of multilateral institutions like the United Nations.

He predicted a blatant disrespect for international law and norms by the incoming U.S. administration, which will in turn undermine action on global security threats like terrorism, climate change, illegal migration and violent conflicts.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- At least 12 people were killed and three more wounded during a shootout at a New Year party in southeastern Brazil, police sources revealed Sunday.

The attack took place in the city of Campinas, near Sao Paulo, when a man climbed the wall of a house and shot his ex-wife, his 8-year-old son and various other relatives, before turning the gun on himself. More ammunition was found on his body.

According to daily O Globo, the 40-year-old man, whose name was not released, had not accepted the separation. A witness told the newspaper that she had heard the man saying he would kill his ex-wife after she won the custody of their child.

A neighbor told the press that one of the injured escaped the house to fetch help.

The identities of the deceased have also not been made public but nine men, two women and a child were among the dead.
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Jennifer Dionne, associate professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford University, has teamed up with Miriam B. Goodman, a professor of molecular and cellular physiology, to feed nanoparticles to millimeter-long worms.

When struck by a near-infrared laser, the particular nanoparticles glow and change color depending on the pressure around them, giving off real-time information about the forces they're undergoing while they're still inside the barely visible worms, known as Caenorhabditis elegans, according to a Stanford University news release on Sunday.

The ultimate goal of the work by the interdisciplinary partnership is to detect force in human cells, because as in humans, digestion in worms involves mechanical gnashing and shoving that can provide insight into how these nanoparticles register cellular force.

"Altered cellular-level forces underlie many disorders, including heart disease and cancer," said Dionne. "This would be a nanoscale readout that you could use in vitro or in vivo to detect disease at a very early stage."

So far, Dionne's lab has made the nanoparticles, and Goodman's worms have eaten the high-tech snack and the researchers have taken static images of the nanoparticles inside the worms.

"The color that each nanoparticle emits changes from red to orange when there is a mechanical force on the order of nanonewtons to micronewtons, a force range thought to be very relevant for intercellular forces," said Alice Lay, a graduate student in the Dionne lab who is leading the experiments.

The tiny size of the nanoparticles means they have the potential to produce extremely high-resolution force maps, providing a window into the push and pull of and by cells on a deeply subcellular level. Someday, these biocompatible nanoparticles could be ingested or injected into a person in a specific area, such as at a wound site or suspected tumor. Through reading the colors emitted by the nanoparticles, labs could create a force map that indicates the fine-scale activity of the cells around that area.

"Mechanical forces play a significant role in determining the fate and function of a cell or of an organ," Dionne was quoted as saying in the release. "For example, every time our heart beats, our ears hear or a wound heals, cellular forces are involved."

After studying healthy worms, the team will introduce mutations into the mix to discern the role of gene expression on cellular forces. These mutations will allow the team to better understand digestive and related disorders, including acid reflux and hernia formation.
SEOUL, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- A presidential hopeful of South Korea's biggest opposition party took the top spot in all of New Year's presidential polls by local media outlets, beating former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who is seen as the last remaining hope in the conservative camp.

An early presidential election is forecast to be held as President Park Geun-hye was impeached in the parliament on Dec. 9 over a scandal involving Park and her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil, who is suspected of meddling in state affairs behind the scenes.

The constitutional court has up to 180 days to rule, but the court is widely expected to permanently remove Park from office in late February or in early March. A presidential election must be held within 60 days after the final ruling.

According to a conservative Chosun Ilbo newspaper survey released on Monday, Moon Jae-in, former chairman of the main opposition Minjoo Party, took the first place under all scenarios, overtaking Ban, whose second, five-year term as the UN chief ended two days earlier.

The career diplomat has never officially declared his run for South Korean presidency, but he has been viewed as the most powerful presidential candidate in the conservative camp. He is forecast to come back to his hometown in mid-January.

Under a simulated showdown between Moon and Ban, the former beat the latter by 42.2 percent to 35.5 percent based on a scenario of coalition between Ban and Ahn Cheol-soo, former chief of the minor opposition People's Party which is composed of former members of the Minjoo Party.

Under the three-way scenario, Moon gained 39.3 percent support in a simulated presidential election, followed by Ban with 28.7 percent and Ahn with 11.4 percent.

The four-way scenario, including a candidate from the ruling Saenuri Party, also gave Moon the first place with 37 percent. He was trailed by Ban with 24.8 percent, Ahn with 11.1 percent and the Saenuri player with 2.5 percent.

In a poll by liberal newspaper Hankyoreh, Moon outwent Ban by a wider margin. In a showdown, the former won the latter by 51.8 percent to 35.9 percent. The three-way scenario gave Moon the highest 44.6 percent, surpassing Ban's 30.0 percent and Ahn's 13.7 percent.

The presidential impeachment and candlelight vigils, which had lasted for 10 straight Saturdays and drew a total of 10 million people, hit the hardest support for the former UN chief as he is known to be close to President Park and her party.

According to the Chosun Ilbo newspaper, Ban's support tumbled to 17.4 percent in December from 27.4 percent three months earlier. In the same period, Moon's approval scores advanced from 16.5 percent to 24 percent.

Moon's dominance, however, is not a foregone conclusion as there are numerous variables awaiting ahead of the early presidencial race.

In the Minjoo Party's primary, Moon can be beaten by other presidential hopefuls such as Lee Jae-myung, mayor of Seongnam city to the southeast of Seoul, who moved into the third place in recent presidential surveys for his active participation in the candlelit vigils and progressive welfare policies during his mayorship.

Ban's comeback to South Korea could lift or pull down his apporval rating as he is suspected of having received around 230,000 U.S. dollars from a South Korean business tycoon when he was the country's foreign minister and even when working as the UN chief, according to local media speculations.

The early presidential election can act as an upper hand for Ban as it shortens a verification period as next leader, but the influence-peddling scandal further raised people's standard for moral qualification. It can lead Ban to have troubles in explaining the media speculations.

Whether Ban would side with a political party or create a new party can be a decisive factor. The People's Party, composed mostly of former Minjoo Party members, and conservative lawmakers leaving the ruling Saenuri Party have appealed to Ban forming a so-called "third playing field."

The third playing field refers to a grand coalition where non-mainstreamers from both the ruling and opposition blocs gather and compete to field a single presidential candidate.

Before his retirement, the former UN chief told local journalists in New York about his preference for a bipartisan cooperation and a political grand coalition, indicating his willingness to join the third playing field.

Meanwhile, Moon ranked first in presidential surveys by Joongang Ilbo newspaper and Yonhap news agency.

The Joongang survey showed Moon beating Ban by 47.2 percent to 39.8 percent in a showdown. The runner-up to President Park in the 2012 election also led the three-way scenario with 41.8 percent, far exceeding Ban's 34.6 percent and Ahn's 14.5 percent.

Yonhap poll showed 21.6 percent of 2,022 respondents favoring Moon the most as their next leader. Ban was 4.4 percentage points behind Moon with 17.2 percent.
BEIJING, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- More than three years ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed to build the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road.

Looking back at 2016, the Belt and Road Initiative has gained fruitful early achievements, promoting connectivity and opening up possibilities and potentials for development along the ancient trade route.

SILK ROAD ECONOMIC BELT STRINGS ROADS TOGETHER

One day in golden October in Kashgar of China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, a fleet of 50 trucks of a joint trade convoy carrying large containers started to roll along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

After passing the Pamirs, crossing the Har goolun Range, and threading Pakistan's western region, the fleet finally arrived at its destination -- the Gwadar Port of Pakistan, concluding its 3,115-km journey in a month.

The containers carried by the fleet were shipped to the United Arab Emirates and other countries, marking the Gwadar port's first export of containers to overseas destinations, and showing that the port has restored the designed handling capacity.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that CPEC is destined to transform the entire country and open up a world of possibilities for not just Pakistan but also Central Asian states.

In February 2016, China Railway Tunnel Group completed building the Qamchiq Tunnel in Uzbekistan, the longest tunnel in Central Asia. It is part of the 169-km Angren-Pap railway line, a major state project. After completion of the rail line, Uzbekistan's domestic transport will no longer have to go through foreign territories.

"If we say 2013 is the year of proposal, 2014 is the year of guideline, 2015 is the year of top-level design, then 2016 is the year of implementing landmark projects of the Belt and Road Initiative," said Zhao Lei, a professor at China's Central Party School. "Many European countries have high approval rates on the Belt and Road Initiative."

Perhaps the busy-running China-Europe trains give the best illustration to people's acceptance. Since the Belt and Road proposal, trains running between Europe and China have been burgeoning. By June 2016, trains had been running nearly 2,000 times between China and Europe, with a total of import and export value of 17 billion U.S. dollars.

Many other projects are also under way. The China-Belarus industrial park is in development, the Hungary-Serbia railroad is to be constructed by the Chinese side soon, cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries has been further expanded.

The Silk Road Economic Belt, with a nature of inclusiveness and openness, has become a vital link connecting regional development and China's transformation.

21ST CENTURY MARITIME SILK ROAD CONNECTS ROADS AND PORTS

In October 2016, the contract for the second phase of the China-Laos railway project was signed in Lao capital of Vientiane.

Kicked off in late 2015, the construction of the project is expected to be completed in five years. Upon completion of the railway, a trip from Vientiane to the Chinese border will take only four hours, turning Laos from a landlocked country into a land-linked nation.

On Jan. 21, 2016, at the ground-breaking ceremony of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway, Indonesian President Joko Widodo launched the country's first ever high-speed railway project in Walini, West Java Province.

With a maximum design speed of 350 km per hour, the travel time between Jakarta and Bandung will be cut from over three hours to less than one hour once the project is finished.

The Belt and Road Initiative provides opportunities not only for a new round of China's opening-up, but also for the growth of world economy.

On Aug. 10, 2016, Chinese shipping giant COSCO acquired 67 percent stake of Piraeus Port Authority through the Athens Stock Exchange, officially becoming the controlling shareholder of the Greek port.

Piraeus is expected to operate as a hub in Europe for the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, and to connect the Silk Road Economic Belt with the China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line.

According to Chinese ambassador to Greece Zou Xiaoli, Piraeus was not merely an economic project, but also a bridge to connect the peoples of Greece and China.

In Africa, the Chinese-built Ethiopia-Djibouti railway has officially opened service, marking a milestone in cooperation between China, Ethiopia and Djibouti.

In Cambodia, the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone has attracted hundreds of enterprises, providing a model of China-Cambodia cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.

In Myanmar, a consortium of six foreign companies led by China's CITIC has won two bids to build an industrial park and a deep-sea port in the Kyaukpyu Special Economic Zone in Rakhine State, which will improve the country's infrastructure, local people's employment and livelihood.

In Sri Lanka, the green light has been given to the delayed Colombo Port City. Through the Maritime Silk Road, China will support the country in becoming a shipping, logistics and even financial hub in the Indian Ocean.

A CHINESE MATTER, ALSO A WORLD MATTER

It has been nearly two years since the Chinese-owned company Southeast Asia Telecommunications entered the Cambodian market. With an investment of 150 million U.S. dollars, a fiber network extending 10,000 km, and over 1,000 base stations, the company has improved the efficiency of communications in Cambodia, and was spoken highly of by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Apart from opening up a new market in Cambodia with the dedication to high-speed Internet and high-quality phone calls, the company is also shouldering social responsibility by launching the Youth Sci-Tech Education Base and the Cloud Data Center.

"Previously, people saw most 'Belt and Road' programs in areas such as energy and infrastructure. In 2016, cooperation between China and those countries along the routes have been expanded to education, culture, medical care and telecommunications," said Zhao of the Central Party School

If the "hard connection" of the Belt and Road draws countries geographically closer, then the "soft connection" brings people together.

Till now, over 100 countries and international organizations have expressed willingness to actively support and join the initiative, 40 of which have signed cooperation deals with China.

In 2017, a Belt and Road summit will be held to further map out the blueprint of the initiative, explore business opportunities and deepen alignment of development strategies between China and the relevant parties.

On June 22, 2016, during a speech at the Legislative Chamber of the Uzbek Supreme Assembly in Tashkent, Xi called for building a green, healthy, intelligent and peaceful Silk Road, laying out the future of the initiative.

According to Huang Rihan, Executive Director of the Belt and Road Institute at the Center for China and Globalization think tank, a green Silk Road urges environmental protection and intensive cultivation for sustained development.

A healthy Silk Road means closer cooperation in medical care and health among related countries. An intelligent Silk Road calls for people cultivation and exchanges. A peaceful Silk Road aims at implementing a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security concept in Asia, then promoting world peace and stability, Huang added.

While addressing the Uzbek Parliament, Xi invited other countries to attend the 2017 Belt and Road summit. The summit will not only look back at the fruitful harvest made so far under the initiative, but also set up a new starting point for the future, observers said.

"The Belt and Road Initiative will not be a flash in the pan, nor will it be formalism," said Zhao, "China will go deep with the initiative and turn it into real benefits."

"The agreement reached in November by the UN General Assembly to further promote the Belt and Road Initiative worldwide shows that its construction involves not just China, but also countries along the routes and the world at large," said Wang Yiwei, a professor at Renmin University of China.
Photo taken with mobile phone on June 13, 2016 shows customers selecting gun at a shop in Orlando, the United States. The American society has been buzzing with measures to prevent further gun-related violence in the United States, after a shooting spree in an Orlando nightclub left 49 dead and 53 wounded on Sunday. (Xinhua file photo/Yin Bogu)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- In 2016, 232 black Americans in the United States were shot and killed by police, accounting for nearly a quarter of the total 957 deaths from fatal police shootings, according to a database compiled by The Washington Post.

The figures indicated that there were an average of 2.6 people fatally shot by police each day in 2016, with more than one black people shot and killed every two days.

In addition, the number of Hispanics shot dead by police stood at 160 in 2016.

Although the figures are considerably high, they are shy of those of 2015 when a total of 991 people were shot dead by police, including 258 black people and 172 Hispanics.

The Washington Post started recording fatal police shootings in January 2015 based on news reports, public records, social media and other sources.

It documented those shootings in which a police officer, in the line of duty, shot and killed a civilian -- the circumstances that most closely parallel the 2014 killing of black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

The death of Brown, together with the killing of another African-American Eric Garner in New York City in the same year, makes "Black Lives Matter" an nationally recognized activist movement.

Although the FBI has a national database of fatal police shootings, the information is not updated regularly, reported online news website International Business Times.

FBI officials announced in early 2016 that changes would be made to improve the national data system, but the updated regulations and requirements for recording the data wouldn't take effect until 2017, the IBT added.
TIANJIN, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese woman who ran a small recreational shooting gallery in northern China's Tianjin Municipality has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison for illegal gun possession.

The sentence shocked the public and caused widespread debate about the criteria for legally defining guns.

Zhao Chunhua, 51, moved to Tianjin to live with her daughter, and opened a roadside shooting gallery to help her family but was arrested in October. Among the model guns seized from her stall, six were identified as real guns by police.

Zhao's daughter believed they were just toy guns using plastic bullets to hit balloons, and said she would appeal to a higher court.

According to a 2010 Ministry of Public Security document on firearms identification, unauthorized guns able to fire bullets with a force of over or equal to 1.8 joules per square centimeter are considered illegal firearms.

The force of the six guns owned by Zhao ranged from 2.17 to 3.14 joules per square centimeter, exceeding the statutory standard, the court said.

However, the standard was soon criticized following the verdict. A netizen called XiaoL said even a self-made slingshot has a force of 10 to 20 joules per square centimeter, thus the legal standard is too strict.

Another netizen @Hongshui said that the 1.8 joules per square centimeter standard is too technical and vague a legal definition for the public to follow, and could easily lead to passive crimes.

"A weapon can be determined as a gun if it is able to cause serious injuries or blindness by shooting within 30 centimeters in the eyes of a person," a lawyer who once served on a technology department of a police station told Xinhua. "Based on the legal rule, we calculated the 1.8 joules per square centimeter standard."

The sentence was also widely questioned.

"Three years and six months for possessing six toy guns -- isn't it too heavy?" wrote netizen Yikesong.

Cui Jianhua, a lawyer in Beijing, said the key issue with the conviction was the issue of subjective intention, specifically if "she knew exactly that they were guns but still chose to possess them."

Based on common sense, no one would assume toy guns at a shooting gallery were real guns. Therefore, Zhao had no subjective intention, and it did not constitute a crime, Cui said.

But Yang Yueming, a lawyer in Tianjin, said as long as the weapons were regarded as real guns by the police, the owner should be punished according to the criminal law, which stipulates three to seven years in prison for serious offenders illegally possessing firearms.

"Legally the verdict is fair. But the court should also consider the defendant's potential harm to society and the social consequences of the case, demonstrating the law's role to educate and save," Yang said.

Zhao's plight echoed the case of a man in eastern China's Fujian Province, who was given life imprisonment in 2015 for purchasing 24 imitation guns online. Police deemed 20 of the guns as real guns powered by compressed gas.

The provincial higher people's court ordered a retrial in October 2016after the case caused widespread discussion.

"The punishment obviously did not fit the crime," the court said.

With the weapon identification standard and injury force description as they are, lawyers have advised the public not to randomly purchase toy guns.
A girl waits for aid at dock in Juba, South Sudan, Aug. 13, 2011. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

JUBA, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Extreme levels of food insecurity are expected across South Sudan through at least the first half of 2017, a food security analysis released shows.

The report by the Famine Early Warning Systems (FEWS Net), an agency providing early warning and analysis on food insecurity, says food availability is likely to be lower than normal due to below-average production and volatile trade, adding that very high prices will further limit food access.

"Despite the ongoing harvest, levels of acute malnutrition remain at Crisis and Emergency thresholds in many counties," FEWSNet said.

"Given the likely early depletion of household stocks and continued constraints to normal livelihood activities, high levels of acute malnutrition are expected to persist throughout the outlook period."

According to the report, humanitarian needs in the country continue to rise due to more than three years of civil conflict and economic decline.

It is estimated that about 3 million people have been displaced, of which more than 1.2 million people have fled to neighbouring countries as refugees, since fighting between rival political factions first broke out in December 2013.

In the absence of humanitarian assistance, the report warns, some households in Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Unity regions could exhaust their capacity to cope and be in catastrophe.

The report says that continued emergency humanitarian assistance and improved access is needed urgently to save lives.

In Unity, where over 50 percent of the population is already internally displaced, ongoing conflict has caused new displacements in Mayendit, Rubkona, and Leer in December, it says.

The report says food insecurity is particularly severe among internally displced persons (IDPs) in Leer, the majority of whom are displaced to nearby swamps and lack access to food aid or basic health services.

"Although Unity hosts the largest number of IDPs, internal displacement has increased most rapidly in Greater Equatoria, where the number of IDPs has increased 250 percent since July," it says.

The report reveals that many displaced households lack access to their farms and are unable to harvest second season crops.

Insecurity throughout Eastern Equatoria region is forcing many to flee to Kenya, where the rate of refugee arrivals increased from about 300 people per week in September to over 1,000 people per week in November.

Conflict also continues to limit the delivery of assistance in many other counties, including in areas of Western Bahr el Ghazal, southern and central Unity, and Greater Equatoria.

However, emergency assistance reached many households in need in Lainya and Yei of Central Equatoria in October and November, respectively.
BEIJING, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- China on Sunday launched its first freight train to London, the China Railway Corporation said.

Departing from Yiwu West Railway Station in eastern Zhejiang Province, the train will travel for about 18 days and more than 12,000 kilometers before reaching its destination in Britain.

Yiwu is known for producing small commodities, and the train mainly carried such goods, including household items, garments, cloth, bags and suitcases. It will pass through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, Belgium and France before arriving in London.

London is the 15th city in Europe added to China-Europe freight train services.

The service will improve China-Britain trade ties, strengthen connectivity with western Europe, while better serving China's Belt and Road Initiative, an infrastructure and trade network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along ancient trade routes, the China Railway Corporation said.
File photo taken on July 16, 2016 shows Donald Trump speaking at a campaign event in New York, the United States. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

by Christine Lagat

NAIROBI, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- The unprecedented rise of populism in large parts of the West poses a grave threat to the multilateral system that has sustained global peace and prosperity, according to Kenyan scholars.

They warned in separate commentaries published by a local daily that 2017 could present new uncertainties in multilateral affairs due to the rise of far-right parties in the West that advocate isolationism and xenophobia.

Peter Kagwanja, CEO of a Nairobi-based pan-African think-tank Africa Policy Institute, said that growth of political movements in the West that espouse radical ideologies is a mortal threat to world peace and stability.

"The year 2016 will be remembered as the year when right-wing populism broke the seams and forcibly returned on the world stage to haunt the global liberal order," said Kagwanja.

He noted that Britain's vote to disengage itself from the European Union and presidential victory of Donald Trump in the United States have emboldened far-right political ideologies in many parts of the world.

The scholar warned that the divisive rhetoric from U.S. President-elect would undermine Africa's young democracies that are on the verge of a leap into an industrial era.

"Trump's wedge politics based on ethno-nationalism is likely to inject a divisive and violent tinge into Africa's nascent democracies, and undermine their stability," Kagwanja said.

The wave of nationalism in the West may undermine global diplomacy and efforts to tackle pressing challenges like poverty, disease, terrorism, climate change and inequality, according to him.

He also noted that the global financial markets are in peril unless the rising tide of nationalism in the west is contained.

Macharia Munene, a Nairobi-based international relations scholar, warned that far-right political movements in the West could shrink the influence of multilateral institutions like the United Nations.

He predicted a blatant disrespect for international law and norms by the incoming U.S. administration, which will in turn undermine action on global security threats like terrorism, climate change, illegal migration and violent conflicts.
BAGHDAD, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- French President Francois Hollande arrived in Baghdad on Monday to meet with French forces in Iraq and to hold talks with Iraqi leaders over the fight against the Islamic State (IS) militant group, Iraqi official television reported.

Hollande is expected to meet with Iraqi President Fuad Masoum, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and other top Iraqi officials to discuss the fight against the IS, the state-run Iraqiya channel said.

Hollande, who is travelling with Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, is also expected to visit Arbil, the capital of semi- autonomous region of Kurdistan, and meet with Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani.

He will visit French troops taking part in the anti-IS offensive in northern Iraq.

France has around 500 troops fighting alongside forces of a U.S.-led coalition, the second largest contributor to the international coalition that has carried out thousands of air strikes against the IS in Iraq and Syria, and provided military equipment, training to Iraqi forces.

Hollande's visit to Iraq is his second as French president. He last visited to the country in September 2014.

His latest visit came amid a major offensive by Iraqi security forces, backed by an international coalition, to root out IS militants from its last major stronghold in and around Mosul.
People gather at the site of a car bomb attack in Baghdad, Iraq, on Jan. 2, 2017. Up to 35 people were killed and 61 others wounded on Monday in a car bomb explosion at a Shiite neighborhood in eastern Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

BAGHDAD, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Up to 35 people were killed and 61 others wounded on Monday in a car bomb explosion at a Shiite neighborhood in eastern Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua.

"The latest report said that 35 people were killed and 61 wounded in the car bomb explosion in Sadr City neighborhood," the source said on condition of anonymity.

The attack took place before noon when a booby trapped car detonated at the crowded 55 intersection in the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City in eastern part of the Iraqi capital, the source said.

The massive blast destroyed several shops nearby and many stalls at an outdoor market, and setting fire to several vehicles, the source said.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State (IS) militant group, in most cases, is believed responsible for bombings targeting Iraqi security forces as well as crowded areas, including markets, cafes and mosques across the country.

The attack came amid a major offensive by Iraqi security forces, backed by an international coalition, to drive out 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.
LONDON, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- The real cause of the sinking of Titanic was not a collision with a giant iceberg, as commonly believed, but a fire that had weakened the liner's hull, a new documentary has claimed.

In "Titanic: the New Evidence", journalist Senan Molony, who has been researching the disaster for 30 years, held that a fire caused serious damage to Titanic's hull, which happened to be in the same area where the iceberg hit.

He believed that the fire had been raging in a coalbunker since the liner left the shipyard in Belfast, but wasn't noticed.

When the iceberg hit, the hull had been weakened by the blaze so much that a minor knock became an unimaginable disaster, said Molony.

The documentary, aired during the New Year on British television, presents pictures revealing dark marks on the starboard side of the ship as proof of a fire.

Titanic left Southampton, Britain, on April 10, 1912 to start her maiden voyage. It sank four days later after hitting an iceberg in the Atlantic, causing the loss of more than 1,500 lives.
BAGHDAD, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- French President Francois Hollande vowed on Monday to continue supporting Iraq in its fight against the Islamic State (IS) militant group and to help in the reconstruction efforts of damaged cities.

"My visit to Iraq is to convey support and solidarity from France to the operation of liberating Mosul," Hollande said during a joint news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

"France will actively participate in the reconstruction efforts in Mosul after defeating the IS there," Hollande said.

Hollande added that recapturing Mosul, Iraq's second largest city and the last major IS stronghold in the country, was "a matter of weeks not years. The sooner the better."

However, Hollande cautioned that efforts must then focus on Raqa in Syria.

"What will happen in Iraq and Syria will affect the security situation in France and Europe," Hollande said.

As for French jihadi citizens, Hollande said France will fight any French jihadist it locates in the battlefields of Iraq, pledging to arrest them if they return home and to work on de-radicalizing their children.

According to French diplomatic sources, there are around 60 French citizens fighting with IS in Iraq's northern city of Mosul, and hundreds elsewhere in Iraq and Syria.

"We will fight them like we do all jihadists, since they are attacking us, masterminding attacks on our own territory," Hollande told a news conference.

Abadi, for his part, hailed France's participation in the anti-IS international coalition, asserting "the international coalition has no combative forces on the ground, and their role is only to support Iraqi forces."

Abadi confirmed that Iraqi forces "are in the last stages of eliminating Daesh (the Arabic acronym for IS) from Iraq."

"We hope it will be eradicated from the whole region," the Iraqi leader said.

Hollande also met with his Iraqi counterpart, Fuad Masoum, and the two discussed bilateral relations as well as the war against IS.

"We stressed in our talks on the need for French support to Iraq in the current stage, including training Iraqi forces, in addition to discussing a national reconciliation,"a statement issued by Masoum's office quoted him as saying.

During his visit, Hollande also met with Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jubouri, and the two discussed the fight against IS and the status of displaced persons.

"The victories of the Iraqi security forces came as a result of support from friendly countries," Jubouri said. "We want the international community to exert efforts to relieve displaced persons through cooperating with the Iraqi government and international as well as local humanitarian organizations."

Hollande, travelling with Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, flew into Arbil, the capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan, Monday afternoon.

France has around 500 troops fighting alongside the U.S.-led coalition forces, the second largest contributor to the international coalition, which has carried out thousands of air strikes against the IS in Iraq and Syria, in addition to providing Iraqi forces with military equipment and training.

This is Hollande's second visit to Iraq as French president. He last visited Iraq in September 2014.

Hollande's visit comes amid a major offensive by Iraqi security forces, backed by an international coalition, to drive IS militants out from their last major stronghold in Mosul.
Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (R) greets French President Francois Hollande prior to their meeting in Baghdad on January 2, 2017. (AFP/Xinhua)

BAGHDAD, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- French President Francois Hollande vowed on Monday to continue supporting Iraq in its fight against the Islamic State (IS) militant group and to help in the reconstruction efforts of damaged cities.

"My visit to Iraq is to convey support and solidarity from France to the operation of liberating Mosul," Hollande said during a joint news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

"France will actively participate in the reconstruction efforts in Mosul after defeating the IS there," Hollande said.

Hollande added that recapturing Mosul, Iraq's second largest city and the last major IS stronghold in the country, was "a matter of weeks not years. The sooner the better."

However, Hollande cautioned that efforts must then focus on Raqa in Syria.

"What will happen in Iraq and Syria will affect the security situation in France and Europe," Hollande said.

As for French jihadi citizens, Hollande said France will fight any French jihadist it locates in the battlefields of Iraq, pledging to arrest them if they return home and to work on de-radicalizing their children.

According to French diplomatic sources, there are around 60 French citizens fighting with IS in Iraq's northern city of Mosul, and hundreds elsewhere in Iraq and Syria.

"We will fight them like we do all jihadists, since they are attacking us, masterminding attacks on our own territory," Hollande told a news conference.

Abadi, for his part, hailed France's participation in the anti-IS international coalition, asserting "the international coalition has no combative forces on the ground, and their role is only to support Iraqi forces."

Abadi confirmed that Iraqi forces "are in the last stages of eliminating Daesh (the Arabic acronym for IS) from Iraq."

"We hope it will be eradicated from the whole region," the Iraqi leader said.

Hollande also met with his Iraqi counterpart, Fuad Masoum, and the two discussed bilateral relations as well as the war against IS.

"We stressed in our talks on the need for French support to Iraq in the current stage, including training Iraqi forces, in addition to discussing a national reconciliation,"a statement issued by Masoum's office quoted him as saying.

During his visit, Hollande also met with Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jubouri, and the two discussed the fight against IS and the status of displaced persons.

"The victories of the Iraqi security forces came as a result of support from friendly countries," Jubouri said. "We want the international community to exert efforts to relieve displaced persons through cooperating with the Iraqi government and international as well as local humanitarian organizations."

Hollande, travelling with Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, flew into Arbil, the capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan, Monday afternoon.

France has around 500 troops fighting alongside the U.S.-led coalition forces, the second largest contributor to the international coalition, which has carried out thousands of air strikes against the IS in Iraq and Syria, in addition to providing Iraqi forces with military equipment and training.

This is Hollande's second visit to Iraq as French president. He last visited Iraq in September 2014.

Hollande's visit comes amid a major offensive by Iraqi security forces, backed by an international coalition, to drive IS militants out from their last major stronghold in Mosul.
A Syrian man gestures in the former rebel-held Salaheddin district in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on December 23, 2016 after Syrian government forces retook control of the whole embattled city. (AFP/Xinhua)

TEHRAN, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry said on Monday the Islamic republic will respect the outcome of peace talks between the Syrian government and the opposition groups planned to be held in the following days in Astana of Kazakhstan, Tasnim news agency reported.

Iran has no intention of imposing its views on participants in an upcoming round of political negotiations for peace in Syria, the Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said.

"Whatever decision they (the Syrian government and opposition) make, we will respect it," he said, stressing that Iran, at the same time, has not backed down from its stances on the need for preserving Syria's territorial integrity.

Qasemi expressed the hope that inter-Syrian talks would yield results and create a prospect for peace.

Iran has done its utmost to help restore peace to Syria, and it will attend the imminent peace talks "without any preconditions," Press TV also quoted the spokesman as saying on Monday.

According to the report, the Syrian government and the opposition groups reached a nationwide ceasefire deal in December, brokered by Russia and Turkey. The two sides also agreed to attend inter-Syrian talks in Astana.

The deal followed an earlier truce agreement in the Syrian city of Aleppo, which paved the way for the evacuation of remaining civilians and armed men and put back the northwestern city under Damascus control after years of fighting.

Qasemi also hailed a recent visit to Iran by the Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem, saying that the trip, made in a very appropriate time, was part of constant consultations between Iran and regional countries, including Syria.

Iran will not allow Syria to turn into a place where other countries can exert their influence, he stressed.
Gabina VOA is designed to be an infotainment youth radio show broadcasting to Ethiopia and Eritrea in the Amharic language. The show brings varied perspectives on issues concerning young people in the Horn of Africa region. Gabina in the Amharic language is a front row taxi ridesymbolic of the shows content as a fun ride that takes audiences from point A to point B. Gabina VOAs main goal is Enlightening young people, introducing them to cutting-edge technological innovations, exposing them to new processes and ideas so they can be productive, informed and self-governing citizens.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye bows during her speech to the nation at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Nov. 29, 2016. (Xinhua/Blue House)

COPENHAGEN, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Danish police said on Monday that the daughter of impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye's longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil was attending a hearing at a local court after her arrest on Sunday.

Chung Yoo-Ra was arrested by the North Jutland Police at 7:54 p.m. local time after a tip from a journalist said that the woman wanted by the police of South Korea for economic crime was staying at a certain address in Aalborg, Denmark, according to a press release by the police.

Three other adults and a child were also at the address, but none of them were wanted by the police, according to the press release.

Police communication advisor Simon Gosvig confirmed that Chung was attending a local hearing that started at 2 p.m., and an update will be issued after the hearing.

Upon her arrest, Chung confessed that she was aware that the South Korean authorities wanted her for questioning, according to the police, adding that she was in Denmark for horse racing.

The North Jutland Police is in dialogue with the director of public prosecutions who is awaiting the final request of extradition from the South Korean authorities.

Choi is charged with using her friendship with President Park to extort funds from large businesses and meddling in state affairs though she has no government position and security clearance.

Chung is alleged to have received illegal favors when entering a prestigious university.
A file photo taken on July 21, 2016 shows Donald Trump takes the stage on the last day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, the United States. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- As Donald Trump prepares to take the U.S. presidential oath on Jan. 20, over half of Americans are skeptical about his ability to handle an international crisis, to use military force wisely or to prevent major scandals in his administration, according to a new poll released on Monday.

In comparison, at least seven in 10 Americans were confident in Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton in these areas before they took office, says a Gallup poll.

Forty-six percent of poll respondents are confident Trump can handle an international crisis, 47 percent believe he will use military force wisely, while 44 percent think he can prevent major scandals in his administration, the poll shows.

However, Americans express somewhat more confidence in Trump to work effectively with Congress (60 percent), to handle the economy effectively (59 percent), to defend U.S. interests abroad as president (55 percent), and to manage the executive branch effectively (53 percent), said Jeffrey M. Jones, a poll analyst with the Gallup.

But even in these areas, Americans are far less confident in Trump than they were in his predecessors, when comparisons are available, Jones said.

The results for Trump are based on a Dec. 7-11 Gallup poll conducted via telephone interviews, with a random sample of 1,028 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

The poll results are consistent with prior Gallup polling showing Trump having a much lower favourable rating than prior presidents-elect and a much lower approval rating for how he has handled his presidential transition.

The poll's margin of sampling error is 4 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting.
by Xinhua writer Wang Xue

CAIRO, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- The 2016 Chinese-Egyptian Culture Year drew to an end successfully as some 150 various kinds of cultural activities were held in both countries, which is seen as a breakthrough.

In January 2016, the Egyptian Ministry of Culture and the Chinese Embassy in Cairo launched the 2016 Sino-Egyptian Culture Year which marks the 60th anniversary of joint diplomatic relations.

After upgrading the relations between the two countries to a "comprehensive strategic partnership," the culture year came to boost friendly ties and enhance mutual understanding and future development between the peoples of the two nations, whose relations have deep roots back in history.

Actually, marking 2016 as a culture year was the fruit of agreement between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi during their meeting in Beijing in December 2014.

To highlight its importance, the opening ceremony of the culture year was attended by Xi and Sisi in the ancient city of Luxor in January 2016, as the two leaders vowed to boost cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

During the opening ceremony show, more than 200 elite performers from both countries staged a cultural dialogue; both have deep roots in their ancient civilizations.

"We achieved 'new high' in this culture year on the quality and quantity of the cultural activities we held," said Chen Dongyun, Head of the Chinese Culture Center and Cultural Councilor of the Chinese Embassy in Cairo.

"The show in Luxor was a big success, reflecting the new spirit of the two oldest civilizations in this new era," she stressed, referring to the opening show of the culture year.

Other activities, Chen said, also made Egyptians know more about China, not only as an economic power, but also a cultural power.

She added that new media, such as social networks, are being used in broadcasting information of cultural activities and as a tool to talk to internet users in Egypt.

Chen also revealed that over 90 cultural events were held during the culture year in Egypt, a prominent rise compared to the average number of Chinese activities held in Egypt in the past years, which stood at about dozens.

Regarding the Egyptians events in China, Chen said the Egyptian government sent many cultural delegations to present the Egyptian art and culture to the Chinese people.

"The Egyptian culture was warmly welcomed by Chinese people, especially those new and modern style Egyptian shows," Chen said.

In addition to the mutual exchange of culture and art, the culture year also focused on cooperation in various fields such as tourism, sports, cinema, heritage and even archaeology.

In a recent interview, Egyptian minister of antiquities Khaled al-Anany told Xinhua that Chinese archaeologists are very interested in starting excavations in his archaeologically rich country.

Al-Anany, who paid an official visit to China last month, said Egyptian and Shanghai museums signed a Memory of Understanding on cultural cooperation earlier this year, adding that an Egyptian delegation from his ministry is flying to China soon to discuss mutual cooperation with their Chinese counterparts.

In another interview, director of Egypt's National Center for Translation (NCT) Anwar Moghith said the culture year is a great chance to know more about Chinese culture, describing it as "a gate to the Chinese culture."

The official said the NTC recently translated 20 books from Chinese into Arabic, and another 20 Chinese books from European languages into Arabic.

"I have met with many Chinese officials who are very keen to cooperate," Moghith said, adding that "we should translate more Chinese works because Egyptians really need to know more about China and its culture with a history of thousands of years."

One of the most prominent features of the culture year was the naming of China as the guest of honor of the 38th Cairo International Film Festival in November.

"The Chinese delegation brought a reviewing week of Chinese movies, including 16 Chinese movies, and also held a seminar," Chen highlighted.

Chen added that the culture year founded the sodality of the sinologists and translators of the Arab world in Cairo, aiming to collect and support the sinology and Chinese-Arabic translation in Egypt and Middle East region.

As the new year comes, the 2016 Chinese-Egyptian Culture Year will end with a great closing ceremony which will be held on Jan. 7 in China.

"Now we have signed cooperation contracts with five Egyptian organizations and we also have cooperative relations with over 30 Egyptian organizations," Chen said proudly. "Next year will be another year of fruitful achievements."
Tourists visit an old street in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province, Jan. 2, 2017. The number of visitors to the city reached 272,100 during the New Year holiday. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)
Sookhai looks towards 2017

Trinidad and Tobago may be down, but we are not out! Now is the time for us as a people to find new spaces for collaboration and creativity.

Now is the time to build new, genuine and realistic partnerships amongst our nations stakeholders, notably the State, the private sector, civil society and our universities; UWI and UTT, so as to build a roadmap towards economic growth and address our social ills. In his New Years message, Sookhai urged Government to embark on a Strategic Economic Recovery Plan for Trinidad and Tobago. He cited the December 14, 2016 report from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), which stated that TT experienced a deep contraction of 4.5 percent in 2016 while other economists put the estimated contraction was put at 6.0 percent.

In addition to this, our hydrocarbon fields have been maturing for some time now and this is reflected in the declining output of ammonia, methanol and urea. Our export earnings continue to significantly decline, and our debt to GDP ratio continues to rise.

This is a worrying trend. Sookhai argued that it is therefore time for the creation of a Strategic Economic Recovery Plan, one which should seek to capture the ideas and views of the widest possible population of our society in order to create a deep sense of commitment to the success of this plan and build on patriotism. Crime and violence, especially acts committed against women and children, were denounced by the CCIC president, who said it is imperative that we begin the work needed to teach men that violence, abuse, sexual harassment are all wrong and contribute to a culture of fear for our women.

As men we must learn to take responsibility for our actions and behaviours and learn new ways to deal with our hurts and anger. Speaking specifically about the high murder rate, which is causing panic, fear and distress in our populace, Sookhai argued that if we are to improve as a society, and if TT is to attract future investment, meaningful solutions to crime can only be achieved through a stakeholder approach and out of the box thinking.
Man dies in fire

Police said that Jameel Alambi, 37, had no chance of escaping the inferno which gutted three wooden apartments, one on top each other, in the building. The floor of each apartment was made of wood and Alambi, who lived on the top floor, is believed to have fallen from his apartment home to the one below when fire ate away the flooring. His charred, unrecognisable remains were found near the wheelchair hours after firemen doused the flames. Police sources told Newsday that when the New Year began, shortly after midnight, the sky overlooking the apartment building lit up with firework set off by persons from the Mango Rose area with a firework response from those at nearby Nelson Street. As the war continued, sparks from the fireworks from both Mango Rose and Nelson Street ignited the wooden rafters of the apartment complex.

It is believed that the burning roof led to the floor of the top apartment igniting.

Alambis mother Roslyn tried her best to get her wheelchair-bound son out of the burning apartment on the third floor. When she could not, she ran out of the apartment to seek help but by then it was too late and the third-floor apartment caved in, followed by a similar collapse of the second floor apartment.

Alambis body was found among ruins in the ground floor apartment. His remains were taken to the Forensic Science Centre for autopsy tomorrow.

For most of December, amid the Yuletide Season, debate raged across the country over the wholesale use of fireworks not only at Christmas time but also at Divali and Independence Day much to the detriment of the health and well-being of the elderly and peoples pets.

It has been well documented that criminals use the cover of the noise of fireworks to shoot and kill rivals.

There have been calls for the banning of scratch bombs, stringent regulation on the sale of fireworks and harsher penalties for persons breaking existing laws regarding the sale of unauthorised types of fireworks, especially those containing gun powder. Investigations into Alambis death are continuing.
First murder recorded for 2017

A male relative who went into the yard, spotted Winters body on the ground and raised an alarm.

Officers of the Arouca Police Station were alerted as well as the District Medical Officer. The body was ordered removed to the Forensic Science Centre for an autopsy to be done tomorrow. Yesterday, head of the Northern Division Senior Superintendent MacDonald Jacob told Newsday that despite the first murder being recorded in his division, he wanted to thank all his officers who came out on Old Years Night to ensure that crime was kept at a minimum.

He said that Acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams rang in the New Year with him and other officers on duty in the Division.

According to Jacob, the Acting CoP even went on patrol with his subordinates and assisted in the coordination of the anti-crime drive between Old Years Night and New Years morning.

Hours earlier, 2016 ended with a murder taking place at 10.30 pm on Saturday - the 462nd murder for that year. Princes Town resident Akim Gonzales, 21, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds near a dump in San Fernando.

Police said that at 10.30 pm on Saturday, several gunshots were heard along Lady Hailes Avenue in San Fernando. Gonzales aunt, whom he was visiting at the time, together with other relatives were alerted to the shooting and went to the dump area. According to the report, relatives eventually reached an area overgrown with bushes behind the dump site where they saw his body face down near a shack.

Gonzales who was unemployed, lived at Gunness Circular in Princes Town.

(Additional reporting by LAUREL V. WILLIAMS)
Replace hopelessness with Christ-like values

My dear sisters and brothers, in my Christmas Homily, I stressed the need for every believer in this land of ours to become another Christ. This is necessary if we are to walk in the light, he told a packed congregation. We must not be outwardly content to walk in despair and hopelessness. To walk in the light demands from all of us a conscious and concerted effort, he said.

Alluding to the domestic abuse and violence which affected many families over the past year, Harris also urged listeners to heed the advice of Pope Francis who has called repeatedly for world peace, harmony in the home, and intercession to the Blessed Mother.

Let her show us the image of God in each and every person and treat everyone with the love and respect that every image of God deserves, he said.

The archbishop said that if TT were to progress as a nation in 2017, the country must denounce the things which held it back.

Referring to the countrys motto, Together we aspire. Together we achieve, he said, Let us together say no to selfishness and greed.

Let us say no to violence and abuse. Let us so no to dishonesty and corruption, and together let us say yes to love, yes to hope and to the values that Jesus taught us.

If we do that, we will walk in the light. The mass was preceded by a solemn vigil to commemorate the centennial of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima. It featured a public unveiling of a 500 pound, eight-foot statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary as she had appeared to three young shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal in 1917. The statue carved by Portuguese sculptor Guilherme Ferreira Thedim in 1949. It is expected to be taken to several parishes in the coming months. The statue has travelled from Fatima and Lisbon in Portugal to Dublin and Dundalk in Ireland and finally to Port-of-Spain.
Fr Sirju: Bring back forefathers virtues

What got them through? They are the same virtues that will get us through in these times. I think one of those virtues is faith. The priest reminded the congregation that Jesus faced hardships and most people in the village where He grew up, were poor and destitute. A large congregation of people turned out for the New Years Day Mass, many of whom brought gifts they had gotten for Christmas.

He is Lord and Saviour and He is our example.

When we look at Him, we realise the humble circumstances in which He grew up.

They (villagers) could not afford meat everyday, they could not afford to build their houses, so they made do with what they had.

So, think how Jesus grew up. The hardships He faced is an encouragement to us as well. Fr Sirju noted that sometimes one measures poverty, in terms of material goods, but not in terms of love.

He added that a house without love is a, poor home. Once again he challenged the congregation to reminisce on the virtues of their forefathers.

He said: When we do not have enough of some of the items we are accustomed to, we can remember, maybe our parents, and our foreparents and what was important to them.

What was important was not everything you like to eat or wear but it was family, friends and neighbours. Sirju acknowledge that while in Trinidad and Tobago there is still a strong sense of community as a country, that bond has been weakening significantly and thus must be strengthened
TTMA delegation to visit Venezuela

We had not been able to tap into the entire amount that had been offered to us initially, she said. Newsday was yesterday unable to contact TTMA president Dr Rolph Balgobin.

Last May, during Maduros visit to TT, he had signed an agreement with Government for the purchase of US$50 million of food products from TT to ease his countrys food shortage.

Although three shipments of food supplies were sent during June, July and September the entire US$50 million had not been used up.

(See Page 29A) The delegation, Goopee-Scoon said, will be expected to look at a wider range of products and greater volumes.

I think now that the system has been put in place and there is some comfort with the level of operations, and the certainty of payments, she said, We now have greater interests among the manufacturers. It is expected, too, she said that her ministry and Venezuelas newly created Ministry of Basic Industries will sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) towards collaborating in commercial projects.

The Venezuelans, she said, have promised to send a draft of the MOA early this year. As soon as it has been forwarded to us, we will act on it, she said noting that it will first have to go to Cabinet for approval before it is signed. It is a pivotal point that we get involved in the beginning to collaborate so we can use the synergies of both countries and work together due to our proximity and excellent fraternal relations, she said.

Venezuelas Minister of Basic Industries Juan Arias visit to TT in mid-December last year, Gopee-Scoon said, was all about commercial possibilities, improving trade relations and working collaboratively with regards to investments on either side. Apart from the proposal of investing in several acres of pine forests in Venezuela, she said, We are thinking along the lines of an aluminum project as well, but we did not discuss the details. On the use of pine trees, Gopee-Scoon said, the idea is that the trees would be felled in Venezuela where the factories will remain, but TT will provide chipboards and the materials to bind the wood.

The finished products will then be forwarded to TT for marketing and distribution. Let us see where it takes us, she said noting that both countries have shown the willingness to advance relations, not only in energy, but in other commercial areas of cooperation including trade and other industries.
Medical tests for Frankie

Khan and his wife Laura returned to the country at around noon last Thursday.

On how soon Khan would resume his ministerial duties, one official last Thursday told Newsday, Obviously, he will have to take easy for a while. Regarding the Government retreat scheduled to take place next week at the Diplomatic Centre in St Anns, the officials indicated that it would be Khans call if he is able to attend and there would be no problem if he opted not to. At a post-Cabinet news conference at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) in St Clair on December 22, 2016, Minister in the OPM, Stuart Young, said certain media reports which claimed Khan suffered a heart attack were incorrect. Young explained, It is a complication to do with his heart and brought on by a viral infection. They found fluid in his lungs and they are treating that situation now. Young said Khan, earlier this year, had, some issues related to his heart and he went through some non-invasive medical procedures. He said it was for Khan and his family to decide what would be the next step in his treatment and whether this would involve him being medically evaluated in TT when he returns. Finance Minister Colm Imbert acted for Khan, he was reassigned from Rural Development and Local Government to the Energy portfolio on October 31, 2016 when Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley reshuffled the Cabinet.
Kamla: FATCA will be repealed

My colleagues and I will to continue to work on your behalf as a government in waiting, and I assure you that our Opposition caucus will be ready to collaborate with the Government and the Parliament to pass laws that enhance the lives of our citizens, she declared.

She said, however, they will reject any measure that infringes on citizens rights and freedoms and cited the FATCA specifically.

The FATCA Bill is an example of how we treat with critical legislation that impacts all of us.

The Government needs to be responsible and consider the views of experts that this US legislation is badly flawed and infringes the sovereignty of many countries, and will likely be repealed by the new administration, she added. She continued: Our position will remain constant in 2017: we will pass good laws but oppose anything that compromises our independence and poses a threat to our rights and freedoms. Earlier this month the Opposition stayed away from the sitting on the FATCA bill accusing Government of not keeping its word to send the legislation to a Joint Select Committee. FATCA is a US legislation that primarily seeks to prevent tax evasion by US taxpayers by using non-US financial institutions and offshore investment instruments.

In this country, the required legislation was not passed by its September 30 2016 deadline and the new deadline is February 2017.

A number of business associations, including the Bankers Association of Trinidad and Tobago, the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and the American Chamber of Industry and Commerce Trinidad and Tobago (AMCHAM T&T), have expressed disappointment that the initial deadlines were not met.
Rambachan: 2017, an eruption of war

Noting the Government holds a two-day retreat on Tuesday and Wednesday, Rambachan called on Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to make crime the only issue discussed at the retreat. Claiming that the Government, Police Service and the Judiciary have each failed to play their roles in curbing crime in TT, Rambachan said, It will soon be left to the citizens to launch their own war against the criminals. Civil strife is a possibility in this country if people continue to feel that they have to fend for themselves.
Afghanistan women raise arms to fight Taliban, IS

Israel,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Terrorism,Human Interest/Society, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Kabul, Jan 2 (IANS) Several women have raised arms against Taliban militants and Islamic State (IS) loyalists in northern Jawzjan province of Afghanistan, officials said.

Photographs of the women armed with assault rifles emerged on the social media websites as the majority of people endorse the courage of the women to form an uprising to resist against the militants who are desperately attempting to expand foothold in the northern parts of the country, Khaama Press reported on Monday.

The "uprising" by women first took shape earlier in November last year in Darzab district.

The revolt was launched under the leadership of a female militia commander to stop the Taliban militants from seizing control of the strategic areas in this province, including Darzab district.

The group led by a 53-year-old woman, Zarmina, has risen to 45 fighters.

Earlier in 2014, an Afghan woman killed at least 25 Taliban militants to avenge the murder of her son in western Farah province.

--IANS

soni/vt
TIFF co-founder Bill Marshall dead

Canada,Cinema/Showbiz,Hollywood, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Toronto, Jan 2 (IANS) Producer Bill Marshall, who co-founded the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 1976, has died at the age of 77 here.

Marshall died of cardiac arrest on January 1 in a hospital, according to his family, reports variety.com.

Marshall produced feature films and documentaries - the most noted one was the Canadian film "Outrageous!". He also produced live theatre productions.

A statement from the festival read: "We are deeply saddened by the passing of our friend and TIFF Chair Emeritus Bill Marshall.

"Founder of the Festival of Festivals in 1976 (along with co-founders Henk Van der Kolk and Dusty Cohl), Bill was also the organisation's 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."

Marshall moved to Canada from Glasgow, Scotland, in 1955. He served as campaign manager and chief of staff for three different Toronto mayors and an advisor to Canadian politicians.

In addition, he helped establish the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, The Toronto Film and Television Office and he was past president of the Canadian Association of Motion Picture Producers.

He is survived by his wife Sari Ruda, his children Lee, Stephen and Shelagh and six grandchildren.

--IANS

nn/rb/mr
Religious groups hail SC ruling on caste, creed vote

Delhi,National,Immigration/Law/Rights,Politics,Religion, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 2 (IANS) Religious organisations across the ideological divide welcomed the Supreme Court's ruling on Monday barring political parties and candidates from seeking votes in the name of religion, caste, community, race or language.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad said that the politics based on caste, community and religion has harmed the country.

"We welcome the decision of the Supreme Court," VHP International General Secretary Surendra Jain told IANS.

He said the politics based on caste, language, region or religion has "harmed our nation very much", and added that "national integration has also been damaged by this practice".

"Vote bank politics should be curbed by this decision. This judgement may prove a landmark in nation-building," the VHP leader added.

On the other side of the divide, Jamat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) said the prohibition to use religion etc. to garner vote should be strictly implemented.

"Although the Supreme Court ruling was not something new as the existing law already bars people from stoking communal sentiments to get votes, but now this order should be implemented in letter and spirit," JIH Secretary General Mohammed Salim Engineer told IANS.

He said that the Supreme Court took notice of it was an evidence of the fact that such practice by political parties and candidates have been "rampant".

The apex court on Monday said that seeking votes on the basis of caste, community, religion or language was illegal.

A constitution bench headed by Chief Justice T.S. Thakur by a 4:3 majority passed the order on the basis of Section 123(3) of the Representation of People's Act.

--IANS

mak-aks/ahm/vt
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LA landmark sign 'Hollywood' altered to 'Hollyweed' in New Year

United States,Human Interest/Society, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Los Angeles, Jan 2 (IANS) 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/
Small auto firms log volume growth, majors see sales dip

Tamil Nadu,National,Business/Economy, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Chennai, Jan 2 (IANS) Small automobile companies logged volume growth as compared to major players in the industry whose sales dipped as seen from the sales numbers announced by companies.

The currency crunch due to demonetisation of 500 and 1,000-rupee notes coupled with customers postponing purchase decisions has hit some of the major players in the industry.

For instance, Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd (M&M), Ashok Leyland Ltd, Bajaj Auto Ltd and Maruti Suzuki Ltd saw their sales dipping while companies like Nissan Motor India Pvt Ltd, Volkswagen and Eicher Motors logged volume growth.

"The auto industry continues to go through challenging times, grappling with the short-term effects of demonetisation as well as reduced and postponed purchase decisions," said Pravin Shah, President and Chief Executive (Automotive) at M&M.

"We do hope that the implementation of GST along with some right initiatives taken by the government in the upcoming Union Budget on 1st February, will provide a veritable boost to the auto industry and the economy in general," Shah added.

Nissan Motor India Pvt Ltd sold 3,711 units in the domestic market, up from 3,065 units sold the same month a year ago.

"Nissan India achieved healthy sales in December by posting 21 per cent year-on-year growth despite the challenges of demonetisation," Arun Malhotra, Managing Director of Nissan Motor India, said.

Similarly Volkswagen sold 4,348 units as compared to 2,577 units sold in December 2015.

Hyundai Motor India achieved 5.2 per cent growth in domestic sales to 5,00,537 units in calendar year 2016, as against 4,76,001 units in 2015.

Exports, however, were down by 3.4 per cent in the year to 161,517 units as compared to 1 67,268 shipped out in 2015.

On the other hand, the largest car-maker in India, Maruti Suzuki India reported a one per cent dip in its total sales for December.

According to the company, its sales during the month stood at 117,908 units from 119,149 units sold in the same month last year.

For December, the company's domestic sales were down by 4.4 per cent to 106,414 units from 111,333 units sold during the corresponding month of 2015, but exports surged by 47.1 per cent with 11,494 units shipped out -- from 7, 816 units sold abroad in December last year.

On its part, M&M announced that it sold 36,363 vehicles compared to 37,915 vehicles during December 2015. The company logged negative sales in passenger and commercial vehicles segments for the period under review.

Two-wheeler maker Eicher Motors Ltd closed last month logging at 42 per cent sales growth as compared to sales figures of December 2015, a statement said on Monday.

Eicher Motors sold 57,398 units last month, up from 40,453 units sold in December 2015, the statement said.

Two- and three-wheeler major Bajaj Auto saw a whopping 22 per cent fall in its sales last month at 225,529 units as compared to 289,003 units sold in December 2015.

On the other hand, commercial vehicles major Ashok Leyland Ltd registered a negative growth last month selling 10,731 units, down from 12,154 units sold in December 2015.

For Ashok Leyland, the fall in sales was a steep 20 per cent at 1,949 units in the light commercial vehicles (LCV) segment as compared to the eight per cent fall in the medium and commercial vehicles category at 8,782 units.

--IANS

vj/in/vt
Shooting with Martin Freeman after split was weird, says Abbington

United Kingdom,Cinema/Showbiz,Hollywood, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

London, Jan 2 (IANS) Actress Amanda Abbington says shooting for "Sherlock" with actor Martin Freeman after their split was weird.

The former lovers play on screen couple Mary and John Watson in the show, which is back with its fourth season. Abbington opened up about her breakup from Freeman in an interview to Sunday Telegraph's Stella magazine, reports mirror.co.uk.

"Yes, (it was) so weird. Especially playing new parents again, up all night feeding and things, because we were effectively revisiting how it was when we first got together," Abbington said.

She said while there were "pressure points" during the filming, she would love to work with her Freeman again in the future.

Abbington explained that while the split was "upsetting", it was an amicable one -- and the breakup will be better for their children too.

"Martin and I remain best friends and love each other, and it was entirely amicable, but we realised we'd come to the end of our time together," she said, adding that he sees their two kids as much as he wants.

--IANS

sug/rb
Can't seek votes on religion, race, caste, language: SC

Delhi,National,Immigration/Law/Rights,Politics,Religion, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 2 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that seeking votes on the basis of religion, race, caste or language of a candidate or his rival or even that of the voters is illegal and could jeopardise the electoral process.

A constitution bench headed by Chief Justice T.S. Thakur, by a 4:3 majority judgment, said election was a secular exercise and the functioning of an elected representative too had got to be secular.

Pointing out that religion had no place in the electoral process, essentially a secular activity, the court said the government must be alive to the constitutional ethos and its obligations to uphold them.

The majority judgment came from Chief Justice Thakur, Justice Madan B. Lokur, Justice S.A. Bobde and Justice L. Nageswara Rao. Justice Lokur pronounced it.

Chief Justice Thakur also gave his additional reasons while concurring with the judgment. Justice Bobde too gave his separate reasoning.

While agreeing that seeking votes by invoking religion, race, caste, community and language was a corrupt practice, the dissenting judgment by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit said prohibiting people in electoral fray from speaking about the legitimate concerns of the people reduced democracy to abstraction.

Pointing out that there should be no judicial drafting of the law, Justice Chandrachud, speaking for the dissenting judges, said that no government system was "perfect".

There was also no law that prohibited dialogue and discussion on the issues that concerned voters and the same should not be construed as an appeal to gain votes, he said.

It also noted the success with which elections have been held so far.

The mixing of State activities with religion was not permissible, the majority judgment said, pointing out that the relationship between man and God was an individual choice.

The court said this while interpreting Section 123(3) of the Representation of People's Act, 1951, that spells out corrupt practices.

Section 123(3) says: "The appeal by a candidate or his agent or by any other person with the consent of a candidate or his election agent to vote or refrain from voting for any person on the ground of his religion, race, caste, community or language or the use of, or appeal to religious symbols ..., for the furtherance of the prospects of the election of that candidate or for prejudicially affecting the election of any candidate will be a corrupt practice."

--IANS

pk/mr
Dissatisfied customers can demand service charge not be levied: Government

Delhi,National,Immigration/Law/Rights,Business/Economy, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 2 (IANS) Customers dissatisfied with service at any hotel or restaurant can opt to seek that service charge not be levied, as this is optional or discretionary as per the Consumer Protection Act, an official statement said on Monday.

The Department of Consumer Affairs, in a statement, also asked state governments to advise hotels and restaurants to disseminate information, such as through displays, that "the service charges are discretionary or voluntary".

The department said that it received complaints from consumers that many hotels and restaurants charged "service charge in the range of 5-20 per cent, in lieu of tips" and consumers were "forced to pay irrespective of the kind of service provided".

A clarification was sought from the Hotel Association of India, which replied that the "service charge is completely discretionary and should a customer be dissatisfied with the dining experience, they can have it waived off", as per the department.

The department have also asked the state governments to sensitise the companies, hotels and restaurants regarding provisions of the Act.

--IANS

spk/sm/vd
Demonetisation put India back by 30 years: Congress

Goa,National,Politics, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Panaji, Jan 2 (IANS) Demonetisation has sent India 30 years back in time, the Goa unit of the Congress said and claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech on New Year's Eve was a damp squid.

"We were expecting some good news for the people. What I find (instead) are petty announcements keeping in mind assembly elections, in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Goa. The speech was empty and hollow," Goa Congress president Luizinho Faleiro told a press conference on Monday at the Congress state headquarters in Panaji.

Faleiro also said the central government's model of governance was as "bankrupt" as the Gujarat model of governance, which was used by Modi to project his prime ministerial credentials.

The Congress leader said the BJP-led coalition government in Goa was fraught with misrule and claimed the leaders of an alliance partner in Goa, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, had themselves criticised the functioning of the state government on repeated occasions.

"Goa has seen misrule for the last five years of the BJP. They have destroyed whatever was there in Goa," he said.

"According to one of the senior members of the BJP-led cabinet for the last five years, the BJP has taken Goa 10 years behind. Instead of going forward they are going behind," Faleiro said, quoting former Public Works Department Minister Sudin Dhavalikar who was sacked by Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar last month, following the criticism of his leadership.

--IANS

maya/pgh/bg
'Coffee With D' makers claim to get death threats

Delhi,Cinema/Showbiz,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 2 (IANS) The director and producer of "Coffee With D" -- a film which revolves around a journalist's attempt to fix an interview with Dawood Ibrahim -- on Monday filed a complaint against callers who have been threatening them to make changes in the film if it shows the underworld don in bad light.

The film's director Vishal Mishra and producer Vinod Rahani alleged that they were receiving threat calls since December 14, 2016, from different numbers and locations on a daily basis.

"The trailer was launched on December 14, 2016 in Mumbai. Since then, we are getting threat calls from internet numbers and one of them was a Dubai number," Mishra said.

Mishra also alleged that the movie's entire team has got threats, and that's why they moved to Delhi from Mumbai and lodged a complaint at the Parliament Street police station.

They urged the police officers to take action.

Rahani said he received the first threat call on December 26, 2016.

"The first time I received a call was from one Nayeem when I was in Nagpur on December 26, 2016. The caller threatened me to remove parts of the film which portray underworld don Dawood Ibrahim in bad light and make fun of him," Rahani alleged.

"Nayeem also told me that he was calling on behalf of 'Chhota Shakeel' and threatened to kill the entire families of the film crew if I fail to comply with his demands," he said.

R.P. Meena, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, told IANS: "We have not registered an FIR in this connection on their allegations. Their complaint is being studied for further course of investigation if needed."

The movie features comedian Sunil Grover in the role of the TV journalist. Last month, Sunil wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to get Dawood Ibrahim nabbed and to expedite the process of his trial for his involvement in the 1993 Mumbai blasts.

--IANS

sp/rb/bg
Emergency teams continue to battle forest fire in Bavaria

Germany,Environment/Wildlife, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Berlin, Jan 2 (IANS) Emergency teams on Monday worked to extinguish a forest fire on Jochberg mountain in Bavaria, Germany.

Local firefighters were reportedly battling the blaze with up to seven helicopters, after a 100 hectare area caught fire on Sunday, Efe news reported.

The fire was believed to have been started by two distressed hikers, possibly as they tried to signal for help when one of them got injured, according to police.

One of the men had reportedly fallen nearly 100 metres and broken a leg.

It was thought that the incident may have led the pair to start a fire as a means of drawing attention to their situation.

But police were not sure whether the fire was started before or after one of the hikers fell.

--IANS

ksk/bg
Manhunt continues for Istanbul nightclub attacker

Turkey,Defence/Security,Terrorism, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Istanbul, Jan 2 (IANS) The manhunt continues for the lone gunman who killed 39 persons and injured 69 others at a high-end nightclub in Turkey's Istanbul.

The unknown assailant, who escaped amid the "chaos", opened fire at Reina nightclub early on Sunday when more than 700 people gathered to celebrate the new year, the BBC reported.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu confirmed a "manhunt for the terrorist is under way. Police have launched operations. We hope the attacker will be captured soon".

But as the search continued, the first funerals of those killed at the nightclub were held.

At least 28 foreigners, including two Indians, were killed in the attack, authorities said.

"The (Indian) victims are Abis Rizvi, son of former Rajya Sabha MP, and Khushi Shah from Gujarat," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a tweet.

As many as 11 Turks were killed as the horrific massacre unfolded near the Bosporus Strait, prompting a rescue operation by the Coast Guard.

Others were citizens from Israel, France, Tunisia, Lebanon, India, Belgium, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, XInhua news agency reported.

The motive behind the attack is not clear, but authorities suspect the Islamic State militant group, which is already linked to at least two terror attacks in Turkey last year, was involved.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said such groups tried "to create chaos". "They are trying to demoralise our people and destabilise our country."

The banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has distanced themselves from the killings, with the group's Murat Karayilan saying they would "never target innocent civilians".

At least three of the injured were in critical condition.

Istanbul was already on high alert with some 17,000 police officers on duty in the city, following a string of terror attacks in recent months.

--IANS

py/
Leopard enters Bengal town, captured

West Bengal,National,Environment/Wildlife, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Kolkata, Jan 2 (IANS) A leopard entered a town in West Bengal's Uttar Dinjapur district on Monday and injured several persons before it was confined to a house and caught, an official said.

The animal's sighting in Raiganj led to panic among the residents and it also injured some people before it was finally confined in a house, Chief Wildlife Warden Pradeep Vyas told IANS.

"A team from Sukhna (in north Bengal) was dispatched to tranquilise the animal which had been locked up inside a house it entered and a nylon net was put up around the room in the house to prevent it from escaping," he said.

Confirming that a number of people had been injured, Vyas, also the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests in Bengal, said that that the local Forest Department officials faced difficulty in subduing the animal as they are not experienced in handling leopards.

He said that they suspect the leopard was from neighbouring Bihar because there are no leopards in that part of Bengal.

"The captured big cat has been sent to the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary in north Bengal," he added.

--IANS

sgh/sana/vd
A group of diverse but like-minded individuals, the members of ARC have come together in their common desire to fight hatred, bigotry, intolerance and violence because of the harm these antisocial behaviors cause to our society. In that effort, we will not use or sanction the use of illegal actions (such as violence or intimidation) in pursuit of our desired aims and if we learn of anyone who does use these unethical methods we will report those individuals to the authorities. Instead, we will use the guarantees found in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that ensure freedom of legal speech and expression.
UP has to change for India to progress: Modi

Uttar Pradesh,National,Politics, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Lucknow, Jan 2 (IANS) Hitting out at the Samajwadi Party and BSP for "banishing" development from Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged the people to rise above caste and vote for progress.

Addressing a rally here which he said was the biggest of his life, Modi, without taking names, ridiculed the Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the BSP and asserted that when the entire opposition was clamouring for his head, he was determined to end corruption.

"There is this party, which for the last 15 years has been struggling to establish their son as an acceptable leader," Modi said targeting Congress and its Vice President Rahul Gandhi.

"There is another, which is busy trying to settle its ill-gotten money in various banks and escape scrutiny," he said, in an apparent reference to Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party. And he targeted the ruling Samajwadi Party by saying: "Then there is this third party which is busy trying to save their family from breaking up."

"In the past few weeks, we have seen bitter foes and arch rivals like the Samajwadi Party and BSP come together to seek my removal.

"When they are all clamouring to remove Modi, I am saying remove corruption and black money," he said, pointing to his November 8 decision to demonetise Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes that caused an unprecedented cash crunch.

Claiming that development work was carried out by the BJP when it ruled Uttar Pradesh until it lost power 14 years ago, Modi accused successive governments of indulging in politics at the cost of progress.

"Parties should not play politics with the poor, voters and farmers but in UP politics comes in the way of development.

"It pains me when I see how governments in the state have functioned. Even for building a road, they first measure political considerations. Development is not their preference. The Centre in the last two and a half years provided Rs 2.5 lakh crore to the state. Had this money been properly utilised, UP's condition wouldn't be like it is now," he said.

Calling on the people to vote for BJP in the coming assembly elections, Modi said development of Uttar Pradesh was imperative if the country had to progress.

"We want India to march ahead, want poverty to be eliminated, illiteracy to end, diseases to end. But all these dreams will be fulfilled only when the fortune of UP is changed. For India to progress, UP has to progress."

He pointed to the poor law and order in the state, lack of security for women and land grabbing.

"Rise above caste politics and vote for development," said Modi.

He lashed out at the BSP for finding "politics" in the recently launched BHIM mobile app dedicated to Bhim Rao Ambedkar.

On demonetisation, Modi said the money deposited in the banks would be used for the welfare of the people.

"The poor in the state have been looted for long, the middle class marginalised for long... Time has come to change all this and the change will begin in Uttar Pradesh."

--IANS

md-and/vd/mr
Islamic State claims Istanbul club attack

Turkey,Politics,Defence/Security,Terrorism, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Ankara/Rome, Jan 2 (IANS/AKI) The Islamic State jihadist group has taken credit for the gun attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul which killed 39 people on New Year's Eve, mostly foreigners, and injured 70.

The group said in a statement the attack was carried out by "a heroic soldier".

"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 Christians celebrate their apostate holiday," the statement said.

The IS accused Turkey of shedding the blood of Muslims through "its air strikes and mortar attacks" in Syria.

IS released the statement on the encrypted messaging service Telegram. The group also claimed a bombing in Baghad's Shia Sadr City district on Monday that killed at least 35 people and blasts at two Shia markets that killed at least 28 in the Iraqi capital on Saturday.

The attack on the Reina nightclub was the first attack in Turkey claimed by the group, which Turkish authorities suspect of being behind several deadly bombings in the country over the past year.

Eleven Turks and 28 foreigners died late on Saturday when a gunman entered the Reina, which was packed with around 600 revellers.

The killer randomly fired up to 180 bullets at people with a long-barrelled gun in an assault lasting seven minutes.

Bollywood producer Abis Rizvi was one of those who died. Some partygoers who managed to flee jumped into the freezing cold Bosphorus Strait to escape.

Seven of the victims were from Saudi Arabia, three each from Iraq and Lebanon, two each from Jordan, India and Morocco and one each from Syria, Israel, France, Tunisia, Belgium, Kuwait, Canada and Russia.

The body of one victim was not immediately identified. Three people wounded in the assault remain in critical condition, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Sunday.

Turkey has launched a massive manhunt for the gunman, who managed to escape after the attack and was not immediately identified.

Turkish media reports quoted police sources as saying he may have been from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan.

"We hope the attacker will be captured soon," said Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu. He called the attack "a massacre, a truly inhumane act of savagery".

Security measures had been heightened in major Turkish cities since the attack, with police barring traffic from key squares in Istanbul and in the capital Ankara.

In Istanbul, 17,000 police officers were put on duty, some disguised as Santa Claus and others as street vendors, Turkey's Anadolu news agency reported.

Turkey is currently in a state of emergency following a failed coup in mid-July.

A member of the US-led coalition against IS, the country faces multiple security threats including the fallout from the war in neighbouring Syria.

Over 180 people died in a series of attacks in Turkey last year, some carried out by Kurdish militants, according to officials.

--IANS

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Echoes of summer unrest disrupt J&K legislature (Roundup)

Jammu And Kashmir,National,Politics, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Jammu, Jan 2 (IANS) The budget session of the Jammu and Kashmir legislature began on a stormy note on Monday, with opposition members creating ruckus over a deadly unrest that left nearly 100 people dead in the valley in the last summer.

A ruling BJP member accused the opposition of insulting the national anthem as they didn't stop protesting when it was played after Governor N.N. Vohra hurriedly ended his speech amid the din.

As soon as members assembled in the upper house of the bicameral legislature, National Conference and Congress leaders flashed placards that read "stop killings", "release protesters", and raised anti-government slogans over the killings of civilians in Kashmir Valley during the five months of turmoil after the July 8 killing of militant leader Burhan Wani.

They also protested the use of force by security forces against protesters that injured thousands.

Amid the uproar, Legislative Council Chairman Haji Anayat Ali read obituary references and repeatedly requested the protesting members to calm down. However, after the ruckus the opposition members walked out.

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti sparked a row when she allged that the National Conference was responsible for pushing Kashmiris to militancy after the rigging of the 1987 assembly elections.

"People who sowed seeds of secession by demanding plebiscite in the state also rigged elections in 1987 to give birth to militancy," Mufti said.

The National Conference members took exception to the remark and retorted that the Chief Minister's father, the late Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, was part of the National Conference-Congress government in 1987. They asked Mehbooba Mufti if she can also hold him responsible for the alleged rigging of the polls.

They disrrupted Governor N.N. Vohra constantly when he began addressing the joint sitting of the two houses later.

The protesting members gathered near Speaker Kavinder Gupta's podium and didn't relent even as the Governor continued his address.

Vohra hastily ended his address, reading only the first and last paragraphs of its printout. He called for working towards the resolution of conflicts and emotionally regretted the loss of lives during the months of the unrest.

"I call upon this august house to play a leading role to establish it as a very strong institution of functioning democracy. The disturbances and violent conflicts...have engendered a worrisome decline in our social norms, relations and hierarchies and stands of political discourses," he said in the address, a copy of which was given to the media later.

"The irreparable pain of losing someone we love is not unknown to us. While the political rhetoric may result in keeping us at odds, our grief brings us together -- whether of a mother who has lost her young soldier son on duty at the Line of Control or of a mother whose child has been killed by a tear gas shell or blinded by pellets."

He urged all, including "parents, protesters, politicians and the law enforcers", to "introspect seriously and identify what we should or could have done better or differently".

On the issuance of domicile certificates to refugees from west Pakistan, the Governor said the state government has facilitated their identification to enable them to get work in the paramilitary forces and other central government establishments.

"This identification does not change the status of the west Pakistan refugees. They continue to be non-state subjects."

The house was adjourned and the national anthem played.

Ruling alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party's Ravinder Raina alleged that the National Conference and Congress created ruckus when the national anthem was being played.

"Even the Governor walked away. This is grave insult of the anthem," Raina said, demanding apology from the National Conference, the Congress and the Governor.

--IANS

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3 killed in Somalia twin car bomb blasts

Somalia,Terrorism, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Mogadishu, Jan 2 (IANS) At least three people were killed on Monday in a double car bomb attack here in the Somalian capital, security officials said.

The assailants detonated two car bombs at a security checkpoint near the Hotel Peace, leaving three police officials dead and injuring another three civilians, local police told Efe news.

The Somali terror group al-Shabaab claimed the attack.

Located near the Halane base, host to UN and African Union (AU) personnel, Hotel Peace is frequented by diplomats and government officials.

Local resident Nasteho Ibrahim, who lives near the scene of the explosions, told Xinhua news agency the blasts were huge.

"The blasts were very heavy and we could feel the impact from our houses shaking," he added.

--IANS

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SC bars seeking votes over religion, ruling hailed (Roundup)

Delhi,National,Immigration/Law/Rights,Politics,Religion, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 2 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that seeking votes on the basis of religion, race, caste or language of a candidate or a rival or of the voters is illegal. It said election was a secular exercise and elected representatives too have to work on secular lines.

Most political parties as well as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Jamat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) hailed the ruling. The dissenting voice came from within the bench.

A Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice T.S. Thakur was split 4:3, with three of seven judges not agreeing with the observation of the narrow majority.

The majority judgement came from Chief Justice Thakur, Justice Madan B. Lokur, Justice S.A. Bobde and Justice L. Nageswara Rao.

The majority ruling said mixing of State activities with religion was not permissible, pointing out that the relationship between man and God was an individual choice.

The court said this while interpreting Section 123(3) of the Representation of People's Act, 1951, that spells out corrupt practices.

While agreeing that seeking votes by invoking religion, race, caste, community and language was a corrupt practice, the dissenting judgement by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit said prohibiting people in electoral fray from speaking about the legitimate concerns of the people reduced democracy to abstraction.

Pointing out that there should be no judicial drafting of the law, Justice Chandrachud, speaking for the minority group, observed that there was also no law that barred dialogue and discussion on issues that concerned voters and the same should not be construed as an appeal to gain votes.

Many political parties and religious bodies welcomed the ruling.

Communist Party of India leader D. Raja said the court had sent out a strong message.

"One will have to wait to find out if the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh) and other Sangh Parivar outfits and various fundamentalist groups will abide by this ruling," Raja told IANS.

Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi told IANS that the ruling was vital in the wake of "religious and caste equations" dominating politics. "Some parties have made religion and caste part of their ideology. This needed to be discouraged."

Rashtriya Janata Dal spokesman Manoj Jha said the ruling would help in "curing an anomaly" created by an earlier verdict by the apex court.

"I believe this is a milestone moment for Indian politics and public life," said Jha. while pointing to the 1995 verdict by Justice J.S. Verma-headed bench.

The court then held that seeking votes in the name of Hinduism was not a "corrupt practice" , which would result in setting aside the election of the winning candidates.

Trinamool Congress MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said: "We welcome the verdict that establishes elections to be a secular exercise."

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad said the politics based on caste, community and religion had harmed the country.

"We welcome the decision of the Supreme Court," VHP International General Secretary Surendra Jain told IANS.

He said politics based on caste, language, region or religion had "harmed our nation very much" and that "national integration has also been damaged by this practice".

The Jamat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) said the prohibition to use religion to gain votes should be strictly implemented.

"Although the Supreme Court ruling is not something new as the existing law already bars people from stoking communal sentiments to get votes, this order should be implemented in letter and spirit," JIH Secretary General Mohammed Salim Engineer told IANS.

--IANS

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Demonetisation: Exide two-wheeler OEM battery sales down in December

Orissa,National,Business/Economy, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Haldia (West Bengal), Jan 2 (IANS) Battery maker Exide Industries on Monday said that its sales in the replacement market have not impacted due to demonetisation, but its two-wheeler OEM battery sales have dipped 30 percent in December.

Asked about the impact of demonetisation, company MD and CEO G. Chatterjee said: "In motorcycles, we have seen the sales of OEM (original equipment manufacturer) have dipped by 30 percent in December. Since there is one to one correlation, our sales also down by same in the segment in the month of December.

"We have not felt any impact in the sales for replacement market," he said.

Inaugurating the new plant at the company's factory here, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee assured the battery maker for providing 25 acres of land from Haldia Development Authority( HDA).

"After getting the land from HDA, we will set up a smelting plant there with an investment of Rs 120 crore," Chatterjee said.

Built in technical collaboration with East Penn Manufacturing Company of the US and at a capital investment of Rs 700 crore, the new plant will use "punched grid technology" to manufacture the technically advanced lead acid storage batteries in the country.

"With the implementation of new technology, we will manufacture batteries for car. We will invest additional Rs 300 crore in a period of 18 months starting from next April to manufacture batteries for motorcycles," he said.

The new range of batteries will not only be a lot more robust, being manufactured in a modern plant with advanced robotics and automation, the manufacturing process will also eliminate human errors to a large extent, said Chatterjee.

Established in 1981, the Haldia factory which contributes 30 per cent of company's business produces both automotive as well as industrial batteries in its 41 acres site.

For expansion in Haldia factory, the company has been looking for 25 acres of land adjacent to the existing factory.

"We are in talks with Kolkata Port Trust for this," Chatterjee added.

Currently, Haldia plant's capacity is 2.2 million batteries annually. With the implementation of new technology, the capacity will be 3.5 million from the next fiscal, he said.

The battery maker's other manufacturing factories are located in Shyamnagar in West Bengal, Hosur in Tamil Nadu, Chinchwad, Ahmednagar and Taloja in Maharashtra, Bawal in Haryana, Pune, Uttaranchal and Bengaluru.

--IANS

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Former Congress minister joins BJP in Karnataka

Karnataka,National,Politics, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Bengaluru, Jan 2 (IANS) Congress leader and former Karnataka Minister V. Srinivasa Prasad on Monday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.

"I have joined the BJP to strengthen its presence in the state and help Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the development front," Prasad told reporters at the BJP officer after he was formally enrolled into the party at a function attended by top leaders including Union Ministers H.N. Ananth Kumar and D.V Sadananda Gowda, and state chief B.S. Yeddyurappa.

The veteran Dalit leader, who represents Nanjangud (reserved) constituency in Mysuru district since 2008, was appointed Revenue Minister in the Siddaramaiah government in May 2013 but dropped last July in a major reshuffle. He had resigned from the seat in October and had in recent time, indicated he would be joining the BJP.

"I was deeply hurt as Siddaramaiah, whom I know for years, dropped me from the cabinet unceremoniously and without even giving a hint," he said.

"I have joined the BJP after the people in my constituency endorsed my decision to quit the Congress during my interaction with them at Nanjungud, Chamarajangar and T.Narsippura," he added.

Prasad said he will contest on the BJP ticket in the Nanjangud assembly by-election due in February.

Hundreds of Prasad's supporters and Congress cadres in the district are set to join the BJP and campaign for his victory in the bye-poll, which is seen as crucial, since Siddaramaiah hails from the same region.

A five-time Lok Sabha lawmaker from the Chamarajanagar (reserved) Lok Sabha constituency for Congress member from 1980 to 1996, when he resigned and joined the Janata Dal-United, he won it in the 1999 elections on a JD-U ticket.

Prasad, who also served as Civil Supplies Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government (1999-2004), had rejoined the Congress in 2008.

--IANS

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Congress demands complete data on banned notes

Delhi,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 2 (IANS) The Congress party on Monday demanded that the government disclose how much money in old currencies has come back to the banking system until December 30.

It also sought to know whether the returning old notes will be destroyed, and if yes, will it be done under the supervision of a Supreme Court-appointed committee or a joint parliamentary committee.

"The 50-day deadline of the government to deposit money expired on December 30, but the sufferings of the people continue," said Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari while briefing the media.

"It raises a few questions. About Rs 14.86 lakh crore in 500/1,000 rupee notes were withdrawn from the economy on November 8. We want the government to disclose how much of it has come back to the banking system till December 30.

"Who will be the custodian of these notes which have come back? Will that be the Reserve bank of India (RBI)?" said Tewari.

"If these currencies have to be destroyed, will the government be willing to undertake this exercise under the supervision of a Supreme Court-appointed committee or at least under a joint parliamentary committee?" he added.

The Congress also wanted to know from the government how much of the old notes are fake, and to what extent the terror financing has reduced.

"We want to know how much of it is black, how much is grey, blue, yellow and white... How much fake currencies have been found. What is the quantum of terror financing that has gone down," added Tewari.

Under normal circumstances, when a series of currency notes are demonetised, the central bank has the infrastructure to be able to absorb old notes, deal with them and put out new currencies, he said, adding that in this case, the RBI was totally unprepared.

"What is the government going to do to ensure that all these old notes do not leak back into the system?

"Why this question is germane because still some schemes like Garib Kalyan Yojana, facility to exchange notes in the RBI and deposits by NRIs are going to continue until March 31 and some until June," said Tewari.

--IANS

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Trump's criticism of Lockheed Martin can save Australia 'millions'

Australia,Business/Economy,Defence/Security,Diplomacy, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Canberra, Jan 2 (IANS) US President-elect Donald Trump's attack on warplane manufacturer Lockheed Martin could cut millions of dollars off Australia's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Programme, a leading defence expert said on Monday.

Late last year, Trump tweeted the Joint Strike Fighter programme had become "very, very expensive", threatening to shut it down if delays and costs continue to blow out, Xinhua news agency reported.

Defence expert Andrew Davies from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said while it would be disastrous for Astralia's defence plans if Trump decides to cancel the $379 billion programme, but if Trump's public criticism results in a cut-priced fighter, Australia invariably benefits.

"If Trump can negotiate a lower price, then there is a potential upside for Australia, absolutely," Davies said.

Australia has rights to an additional 58 F-35s, and if Lockheed Martin cuts the price even by only five per cent, it would create an overall saving of around $232 million.

Australia's Defense Industry Minister Christopher Pyne has maintained that the country was still "committed to the JSF programme".

"It is well advanced and will produce the world's most potent fighter aircraft. We will work closely with the incoming US administration to maximise the benefits to Australia of the programme," Pyne said.

"Obviously, if we can reduce the cost and prevent further delays, we will do so as a partner country in the JSF programme."

Lockheed Martin chief executive Marillyn Hewson has previously said the company will attempt to "aggressively" drive down the cost of the delayed and costly fighter in response to Trump's actions.

"I had a very good conversation with Trump. I gave him my personal commitment to drive the cost down aggressively," Hewson said.

--IANS

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War over 'cycle' as Mulayam knocks EC's door (Roundup)

Delhi,National,Politics, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi/Lucknow, Jan 2 (IANS) The ugly battle raged on Monday in Uttar Pradeshs ruling Samajwadi Party with party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav approaching the Election Commission to secure his right over its election symbol "cycle".

A day after being dethroned as the Samajwadi Party national president by his warring son and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Mulayam Singh insisted the party belonged to him and declared the action against him unconstitutional.

"Samajwadi Party's election symbol is my signature," he said in Lucknow.

Accompanied by his brother Shivpal Yadav, Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh and actress-turned politician Jaya Prada, Mulayam Singh met Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi in the national capital.

The meeting lasted around 30 minutes where Mulayam Singh, as the party founder, is said to have asserted his right over the election symbol.

While Mulayam Singh and his aides were tight-lipped about the meeting, informed sources said he discussed party constitution with Zaidi, claiming he was still the party president.

Mulayam Singh is also said to have argued that the convention called in Lucknow by Akhilesh supporters violated the party rules and hence anything that happened at the meeting was invalid.

He also cancelled a national convention called by him on January 5.

Meanwhile, the Akhilesh camp will be sending its General Secretary-turned-mentor Ram Gopal Yadav as its emissary to the poll panel on Tuesday.

Mulayam confidant Amar Singh appeared unfazed by his "expulsion" from the party by Akhilesh Yadav and insisted his allegiance to Mulayam Singh.

"I was with Mulayam and will remain with him. My association with him made me a hero and if needed I can become a villian also," he said.

Amid the tug of war between the father and son, a group of party activists gathered outside Mulayam Singh's residence here, raised slogans in his support and sought unification of the party.

The supporters, however, did not raise slogans against Akhilesh Yadav or Ram Gopal Yadav. Instead, they urged Mulayam Singh to make Akhilesh Yadav the face of the election campaign.

According to constitutional experts, in all likelihood, the poll panel could freeze the party symbol and allot new symbols to both the factions to contest the assembly elections scheduled this year.

This might come as a blow to both sides as the symbol "cycle" is a well established brand.

At a convention held in Lucknow on Sunday, Akhilesh Yadav annointed himself the Samajwadi Party President and said Mulayam Singh would remain a "Marg Darshak".

The Akhilesh camp also named a new state unit chief in place of Shivpal Yadav and sacked Amar Singh, who the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister has repeatedly dubbed a "dalal".

The open rebellion prompted Mulayam Singh to again sack Ram Gopal Yadav from the Samajwadi Party. Both Ram Gopal Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav had been sacked on Friday too but were taken back a day later.

--IANS

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Khattar to go to 50 villages never visted by any minister, officer

Punjab,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Chandigarh, Jan 2 (IANS) Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced on Monday that he will visit 50 such villages in the state where neither any minister or officer of the level of Sub Divisional Magistrate have ever visited.

Khattar, who recently completed his tour of all 90 assembly constituencies in the state, told media here that the move was aimed at ensuring development in these villages also.

"During the visit to the 50 identified villages, we will interact with the people to understand their problems and ensure the development of the village and redressal of the grievances," he said.

The identified villages are those where no Chief Minister, minister or SDM-level officer has visited in the past five decades ever since Haryana was created on November 1, 1966.

Khattar claimed that 3,500 announcements made by him so far, work on 1,200 of these announcements has either been completed or is in progress.

"Concerned officers have been directed to ensure implementation of these announcements within next three months. I will remain in Chandigarh during this period to monitor their implementation," he said.

He said that during the 10-year rule of the previous Congress, 6,300 announcements were made but about 900 of these announcements were "non-feasible".

"As compared to it, only 42 of the announcements made by me were non-feasible. But efforts would be made for their implementation," he added.

--IANS

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President stresses on modernisation of defence forces

Delhi,National,Defence/Security, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 2 (IANS) President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday stressed on the need for modernising the defence forces as a group of probationers of the Indian Defence Accounts Service called on him.

The probationers are from the 2015 batch of Indian Defence Accounts Service.

Talking to the group, the President congratulated the Indian Defence Accounts Service officers for having succeeded in the civil services exam, one of the toughest examinations in the country.

"The President said that the Indian armed forces have a huge responsibility to defend the nation. To achieve this objective, our armed forces should modernise," a statement said.

Mukherjee, who is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, said that the responsibility of the Defence Account cadre has always been onerous and in the scenario of ever increasing defence outlay, their responsibilities are only bound to increase.

The President told the officers their focus should not be only on the financial aspects but also on the overall defence scenario and their role while rendering financial advice should be to facilitate the process.

Mukherjee also said that as watchdogs, they need to be careful in discharging their duty of scrutinising financial expenditure.

Established 267 years ago, the Defence Account department was then known as the military accounts department.

This department remained under the administrative control of the Ministry of Finance till 1983.

On the introduction of the integrated financial advice scheme, it came under the control of the Defence Ministry.

--IANS

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'Fascist' attacks to intensify on Trinamool: Mukul Roy

West Bengal,National,Politics, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Kolkata, Jan 2 (IANS) Trinamool Congress Vice President Mukul Roy on Monday said "fascist" attacks on his party will increase in the coming days due to its protest against the Narendra Modi government's demonetisation move.

"The fascist attacks will intensify in the days to come as we have opposed the Centre's anti-people decisions," Roy told reporters here.

However, he said he would not speak on the issue of the Modi government's "vendetta politics" and misuse of central agencies.

"I do not want to give a reply. Whatever has to be said on this has already been said by our party chairperson," he added.

Roy's statement came three days after the Central Bureau of Investigation arrested Trinamool MP Tapas Paul for his alleged involvement in Rose Valley chit fund scam and a day before another party MP Sudip Bandopadhyay is scheduled to be questioned by the agency.

Immediately after Paul's arrest, Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee accused the central government of directing the moves of the central investigation agency and dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to arrest all her party MPs.

--IANS

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Congress to protest demonetisation's 'faulty implementation' on Jan 7

Delhi,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 2 (IANS) Terming the demonetiasation drive as anti-people, Congress' Delhi unit on Monday said that it will stage protest against it across the city on January 7, as part of its party's pan-India programme.

"Party will hold protest demonstrations across the city against the anti-people policies and corruption of the central government which has pushed the country towards a financial anarchy by the faulty implementation of the demonetisation," Congress spokesperson Sharmistha Mukherjee told reporters here.

The Congress leader said that the Mahila Congress will also observe a "Thali-Peet Demonstration" on January 9 at the district levels, along with other frontal organisations in the city.

Slamming Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not announcing any measures to ease the cash transactions from the banks and the ATMs during his address to the nation on December 31, Mukherjee said: "The people of India were eagerly awaiting his address to the nation.

"They were hoping that he will inform the nation about how much black money has been unearthed during 50 days of demonetisation. But he has decided to remain silent over it."

Mukherjee also said that 115 people had died due to different reasons following demonetisation. "But their families have not been given a penny as compensation. And Modiji did not even mention about them in his speech," she alleged.

Attacking Modi for the alleged kickbacks he received when Gujarat Chief Minister, Mukherjee said: "Modiji has not yet replied to Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi's poser about allegedly receiving Rs 65 crore from the Aditya Birla group and the Sahara group."

Hitting out at the government over demonetisation, Mukherjee said, "Modiji had said that demonetisation will cleanse the country of black money, action will be taken on the corrupt, and terrorism would be stamped out."

"But nothing has happened and it is very strange that during demonetisation, BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) leaders were caught with unaccounted money," she accused.

The Congress leader also said that it seems that the BJP had prior knowledge about demonetisation move. "That's why crores of rupees were invested in land and property by RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh) and BJP leaders in Odisha and Bihar," she said.

--IANS

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Never expected biopic on my life: Mariyappan Thangavelu

Tamil Nadu,Cinema/Showbiz,Southern Cinema,Sports, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Chennai, Jan 2 (IANS) Indian Paralympic gold medalist Mariyappan Thangavelu, on whose life filmmaker Aishwarya Dhanush is making a biopic, says he never expected such a film to be made.

"Even though I'm really happy about this project, I never expected, even in my dreams, a film to be made on my life. It feels very special and I see it as an impetus to continue working hard," Thangavelu told IANS.

In 2016 Summer Paralympic games held in Rio de Janeiro, Thangavelu won gold for India in the T-42 high jump category.

The first look poster of Aishwarya's biopic titled "Mariyappan" was unveiled by superstar Shah Rukh Khan, and the film will be made in Tamil and English.

Talking about the project, he said: "I'm yet to officially sign the contract. If my story can inspire youngsters from rural backgrounds, I'll be thrilled and nothing more can give me happiness than that."

The film will have music by Sean Roldan, dialogues by Raju Murugan and cinematography by R. Velraj.

Asked if he would like to see any popular actor play his part, Thangavelu said: "I'll leave it to the team to choose the right actor. It doesn't matter who plays my part, but I just wish the story inspires a lot of people."

He hopes the film paves way to more sports-based films from Tamil filmdom.

Thangavelu is currently busy training for the upcoming Asian Games.

--IANS

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Opposition interrupts Governor's address in J&K legislature

Jammu And Kashmir,National,Politics, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Jammu, Jan 2 (IANS) The opposition in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday interrupted Governor N.N. Vohra's address to the joint session of the bicameral legislature here.

As the Governor started his address, members of the opposition parties, including the National Conference, Congress and others, stood up shouting slogans against the PDP-BJP government.

The Governor rushed to the concluding part of his speech amid the din.

--IANS

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Beijing continues orange alert for air pollution

China,Environment/Wildlife,Human Interest/Society, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Beijing, Jan 2 (IANS) Beijing on Monday continued the orange alert for heavy air pollution until Thursday.

The Chinese capital dawned with blue skies and less-polluted haze due to cold air from the north, but forecasts indicated that the smog will return to significant levels on Tuesday and Wednesday, Efe news reported.

The orange alert, the second most serious level on a scale of four, was initially announced from December 30 to January 1, but has now been extended until midnight on Wednesday.

On Sunday, the dense polluted fog that covered northeastern China in recent days forced 309 flights to be cancelled and all motorways in the port city Tianjin, east of Beijing, to be closed.

Some 126 flights at Beijing Capital International Airport were also cancelled.

Beijing on Sunday recorded the concentrations of more than 500 micrograms per cubic metre of PM 2.5 particles, the most harmful to health, which is 50 times more than the World Health Organisation's recommended levels.

A total of 24 Chinese cities started 2017 with a red alert - the most serious level - for heavy air pollution, and 21 others, including the capital and Tianjin, are on the orange alert, and have banned the most polluting vehicles from the road and stopped production in certain factories.

--IANS

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Deepika nervous yet excited about Hollywood debut

Maharashtra,Cinema/Showbiz,Bollywood,Hollywood, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Mumbai, Jan 2 (IANS) Actress Deepika Padukone says she is nervous and excited about her Hollywood debut "xXx - Return of Xander Cage" that stars Vin Diesel.

"I am really excited. This is my Hollywood debut. I am very nervous, but I am also very excited. And today is the beginning to that journey. Hopefully, we will be coming to India soon," Deepika said on January 1 before leaving for abroad to kick-start the film's promotion.

"In terms of promotion, first we will head to Mexico. As far as the release is concerned, we will first release the movie in India. While shooting the film, I discussed this with my unit... that it would be great to first release it in India and I am happy that it is finally happening," she added.

After her Hollywood debut later this month, Deepika will be known for being more than a Bollywood actress.

Talking about it, she said: "I think I'd like to be known as a good person and a good actor. But I also feel very proud that I get to represent my country, especially in this kind of action franchise of the film."

"I am really excited. I am also very sure we will enjoy this film because of its content. There is a lot of action, adventure in the film, which we have not seen in Indian films before. So, I can't wait to bring this movie to India and show it to everyone."

"xXx: Return of Xander Cage", helmed by D.J. Caruso, also stars Donnie Yen and Samuel L. Jackson.

--IANS

iv/nn/vm
Kamal Haasan to resume 'Sabaash Naidu' shoot

Tamil Nadu,Cinema/Showbiz,Southern Cinema, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Chennai, Jan 2 (IANS) Actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan will finally resume shooting for upcoming trilingual comedy "Sabaash Naidu" from later this month after being out of action for nearly six months due to a leg injury.

In July 2016, Haasan fractured his leg after he slipped and fell from the stairs of his office here.

"From the third week of January, he plans to resume shooting. He has just returned from London where he had undergone medical checkup with an orthopedic. He's fit to start shooting, and the next schedule will take place in Hyderabad," a source from the film's unit told IANS.

"Sabaash Naidu", a spin-off on Haasan's Balram Naidu character from "Dasavatharam", is being simultaneously shot in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi.

The film also stars Ramya Krishnan, Shruti Haasan and Brahmanandam.

--IANS

hp/rb/vm
Hollande arrives in Iraq to visit French troops

Iraq,Politics,Defence/Security, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Baghdad, Jan 2 (IANS) French President Francois Hollande arrived in Baghdad Monday on an official visit to meet the French forces deployed in Iraq.

Hollande will discuss the war against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group with Iraqi authorities as well as the relations between the two countries, a source from the Iraqi Foreign Ministry told Efe news.

Hollande will also meet Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, President Fuad Masum and Parliament Speaker Salim al-Juburi later on Monday.

France is part of the US-led international coalition's fight against IS, contributing about 500 soldiers and some 30 Rafale aircraft.

The French Defence Ministry said its aircraft have destroyed more than 1,700 targets since joining the coalition.

--IANS

ksk/vt
But as minor powers neither Australia nor PNG seems to have the clout or the leadership capable of doing much more than reconsidering.

Donald Trump will rearrange the deckchairs on the good ship USA and both Australia and PNG will have to reconsider their relationships with a faltering great power, particularly in terms of defence, security and trade.

There will be elections in France, Netherlands, Germany, Papua New Guinea and possibly Italy and Australia if Turnbull implodes.

I THINK that everyone would agree that 2017 is going to be an interesting year. Hopefully it will not be too disastrous.

For our mutual benefit in uncertain times, PNG and Australia should be drawing together and perhaps taking a lead from New Zealand, which has long eschewed dependence on the USA.

This lack of leadership is a curious problem.

Veteran Australian social commentator Hugh Mackay observes in his latest book, Beyond Belief: How We Find Meaning, With or Without Religion, that all organisations eventually become corrupt and I think this is the core of the problem.

He includes organised religion, political parties and corporations in this sweeping statement, explaining that once these organisations start to rot from the inside there isnt much that can be done. The only real solution is to scrap them and start over.

There are some clear indications that many people in the world are beginning to think this way. There are even suggestions that democracy, and capitalism, have been corrupted and have run their course.

The symptoms of this growing train of thought are the popularity of minor parties and political movements, which are evolving in two distinct ways.

The first is the rise of reactionary groups, like Pauline Hansons One Nation Party. I think these are only short term aberrations that will flower, wilt and die quickly as people realise how hypocritical, hollow, divisive and ineffective they are.

The second symptom is more interesting and epitomised by Bernie Sanders, the independent socialist from Vermont who gave Hillary Clinton, the Wall Street insider, a good run for her money and would probably have beaten the great fraud Donald Trump in the US presidential race.

Bernies support comes from a re-energised young demographic that includes whites, blacks, Hispanics and other minorities, many of whom hadnt voted before until he came along. Being an old hippie, he also has support from a significant section of educated baby boomers  now in their sixties and seventies.

Bernie probably wont run for president again, although he hasnt ruled out the idea, but someone in his movement just might, perhaps his son Levi.

We havent got anyone like Bernie in Australia but PNG has got Gary Juffa.

In Australia neither the Labor Party nor the Greens, both supposedly socialist leaning, represent this new wave of change.

A lot of what Gary has been talking about resonates with what Bernie has been espousing. This is very clear when you read Bernies book, Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In.

Bernie started off in local government in the small state of Vermont and was mayor of Burlington for some years. He observed then how councils inevitably drift from supporting ordinary people to supporting business. Gary has been making this point about PNG politics.

PNG probably has a better chance than Australia in creating a progressive political party simply because things are so bad there and its political parties are such ephemeral bodies.

A lot of people realise this, particularly PNG women, and the time is ripe for the emergence of something new.

PNG politicians seem to come and go  enticed by the rewards of office - and government is thoroughly corrupted.

Medieval thinking, like the bigman and wantok systems, are still too pervasive and are no longer helpful to an honest society.

These are the influences that will have to be defeated by the relatively small group of intellectuals and activists forming around Governor Juffa.

Such a crusade is a big ask but no one expected Bernie Sanders to do as well as he did in this years United States elections.

Perhaps when Gary Juffa has finished in PNG he can come to Australia to give us a hand.
SC decision in Mhadei water dispute case 'victory from jaws of defeat' for Goa: Parrikar

Goa,National,Immigration/Law/Rights,Politics, Tue, 03 Jan 2017 IANS

Panaji, Jan 3 (IANS) Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar called the Supreme Court's decision Monday directing the Karnataka government file a fresh petition with the Mhadei Water Disputes Tribunal in connection with the water dispute with Goa a "victory from the jaws of defeat".

"Karnataka has been asked by the Supreme Court to withdraw the SLP. This is a great victory for Goans which has been snatched from the jaws of defeat," Parrikar said, while speaking at a function here.

The apex court had allowed the neighbouring state of Karnataka to file a fresh petition with the Tribunal, while asking it to withdraw its special leave petition filed last year.

The Karnataka government had filed the SLP, after the Supreme Court in August last year, had dismissed the Tribunal had dismissed its petition to released 7 TMC water from the Mhadei river, which flows into Goa from Karnataka into the Kalsa-Bhandura canal, which had sparked protests across the Ssuthern state.

Goa and Karnataka are currently battling out a dispute over the latter's controversial Kalsa-Bhandura dam project across the waters of the Mhadei river at a central tribunal. Mhadei, also known as the Mandovi river, is known as a lifeline in the northern parts of the state. It originates in Karnataka and meets the Arabian Sea in Panaji.

While the river traverses 28.8 km in Karnataka, it is 81.2 km in length in Goa. Karnataka plans to construct seven dams on the river, aimed at diverting the waters into its water-starved Malaprabha basin in North Karnataka.A

"It was neither easy, nor cheap to re-establish it (Goa's claim over the river water). I think it was important for the survival as well as the future of Goa... We won because we put up a fight," Parrikar said, while also blaming the actions of earlier governments, which he claimed allowed Goa's claims over the river water to be diluted.

--IANS

maya/vd
Over 100 migrants saved in Mediterranean

Italy,Crime/Disaster/Accident,Immigration/Law/Rights, Tue, 03 Jan 2017 IANS

Rome, Jan 3 (IANS/AKI) A charity rescue ship has picked up 114 migrants from the Mediterrrean including eight women and 22 children, of whom 16 were unaccompanied

The rescue took place overnight amid calm seas and were carried out by the Aquarius, which is operated by the international charities Sos Mediterranee and Doctors without Borders.

The migrants were plucked from a white, inflatable dinghy early on Monday and were mainly from Senegal and from Guinea, but also from Uganda, Mali and Ivory Coast.

The migrants told rescuers they had been at sea for around four hours after setting sail from the Libyan coast at around midnight on Sunday.

Sos Mediterraneee saved over 10,000 migrants in the Mediterranean last year in more than 50 rescue operations.

Over 358, 400 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea in 2016 through 21 December, arriving mostly in Greece and Italy, the International Organisation for Migration said on 23 December.

Last year was the deadliest on record in the Mediterranean with 5,000 perishing during their attempt to reach Europe from North Africa, according to the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR.

--IANS/AKI

vd
Implants impact sex life: Alicia Douvall

United States,Cinema/Showbiz,Hollywood,Lifestyle/Fashion, Tue, 03 Jan 2017 IANS

null

Los Angeles, Jan 3 (IANS) Model and reality TV star Alicia Douvall, who claims to have undergone 350 cosmetic alterations for her body, says her butt implants amongst others, have long been ruining her sex life.

Douvall had last month revealed that her butt implants were leaking, but she is still undecided about whether to have them removed or not.

Douvall says that men think the implants are for "their pleasure", but the alterations stop her from being able to do "certain things" in the bedroom, reports dailymail.co.uk.

""There are certain sex things I wouldn't do because of my implants," Douvall told The Sun newspaper.

"I'm worried about all of my implants during sex. It definitely makes an impact on your sex life, it changes things. Men think those implants are there for their pleasure but it's 'look but don't touch'," she added.

--IANS

sas/rb

null
Upcoming Asus Smartphones in 2017

New Delhi, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 NI Wire

Chinese Mobile phone manufacturer Asus is planning to grow their market in India by introducing new models of Smartphones in 2017

India is big mobile phone market and Chinese mobile phones manufactures are taking this as an advantage. Asus is planning to introduce news mobile phones to strengthen its foothold in growing mobile phone market in India. Chinese manufactures are earning huge money from Indian market.

As per the leaks and rumors company will introduce following models of the smartphones:

Zenfone 4

Zenfone 3 Zoom and

upgraded version of Zenfone 3 Max

These phones will be introduced in upcoming days and these phones are expected to come with many advance features.

A new model of Asus phone X00GD, was spotted on TENAA with RAM options of 2/3/4GB and 4,850mAh battery. This phone is also expected to be launched in CES 2017. As per the leak phone will come with pre-installed Android Nougat. Here is the brief specification of X00GD phone:

Android Nougat operating System

Phone will have 5.2 inch display with 2.5 D glass

Screen resolution will be 720p.

Phone will have 1.5GHz octa-core processor

Phone will come in three variants, 2GB + 16GB, 3GB + 32GB, and 4GB + 64GB models

Main camera is 13-megapixel

Front camera is 8-megapixel

Battery power of this phone is 4,850mAh

Asus phone X00GD seems good phone with decent specification. Price of this phone is expected to be around Rs. 16,999 in Indian market. This will be an expensive phone in Indian market.

Zenfone 4

Asus recently introduced Zenfone Go 4.5 LTE in the India market with LTE support at a price of Rs 6,999. Asus is aggressively unveiling new Smartphone in Indian market.

Zenfone 3 Zoom

As per the leaks Asus Zenfone 3 Zoom will be the first Smartphone from Asus to have dual camera with specification of 16-MP. This will phone is also said to have to have 13-megapixels front camera. If we see the specification of screen, it may come in 5.5-inch FHD display and this screen will further have a 2.5D glass on top for protection.

This phone is expected to come with Qualcomms Snapdragon 625 processor clocked at 2.0 GHz. It is still not clear whether phone come in RAM Storage variants or not.

Asus Zenfone 3 Zoom has huge battery power with 4,850 mAh capacity.

Zenfone 3 Max

The Zenfone 3 Max is another amazing Smartphone from Asus with advanced feature and great configuration. This phone comes with a display of 5.5-inches size and IPS LCD display. Screen is HD with 720 x 1,280 pixels resolution. The pixel density of the phone is 267ppi.
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A Traveller's Tribute to His Own Country

Download I Can See My Country Clearly Now

Much-travelled journalist Daniel Kumbon was born in Enga Province, university educated and is now back working among his own people.

He is totally committed to them, as he he is to his nation - a Papua New Guinean who has been successful able to blend the rich traditions of Melanesia with the requirements of a modern state.

In this book, the award-winning writer tells of his travels to the old world and the new and reflects on how his many experiences revealed Papua New Guinea to him in a new light.

This is a fine book from a fine man - and has been offered to PNG Attitude readers as a new year gift for 2017.

You can read more about Daniel, his books and his articles if you simply search in Google or another search engine for "Daniel Kumbon".
Click the photo to write a caption and have a chance to win a free subscription to the Norfolk Daily News.


Algerias finances have been severely battered by the slump in oil prices, dwindling from $178 billion in 2014 to $114 billion by the end of 2016, Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal said.

Speaking to state television, Sellal set the tone for appeasing worries saying that the situation is under control as criticism mounts over the unsustainability of the levels of spendings which took a toll on the foreign exchange reserves that fell from $190 billion in 2013.

Algeria will maintain a subsidy system worth $18 billion in 2017, Sellal added, in a bid to appease social tensions over the increase in some taxes in a state where social peace hinges on the states generous handouts.

In the absence of efficient economic diversification, Algeria plans to cut spending by 14 percent in 2017, after a 9 percent cut this year, in an effort to counter the impact of the oil price slide.

The IMF estimates that Algeria needs a barrel price of $110 to maintain macro-economic balance at a moment economic analysts warn of an upcoming budget crisis if oil prices remain at current levels around $50 per barrel.

Observers see that Algerias heavy dependence on hydrocarbon revenues, which make up 95% of exports, will further diminish the countrys foreign exchange reserves. Recently, Algiers resorted to foreign debt with a 900-million-euro loan from the African Development Bank.

The drop in oil price with the ensuing lift of subsidies is a manifestation of the predicament of the rentier state which carries the risk of domestic unrest as social cohesion hinges on state largesse.
Two Moroccans were identified among the 39 people killed in the terror attack in Istanbul during New Years Eve celebrations. Their bodies will be repatriated at the expense of King Mohammed VI.

Four other Moroccans were injured in this barbaric attack and admitted to the hospital, according to the Moroccan foreign affairs ministry.

Wielding a long-barrelled weapon and dressed entirely in black, the gunman opened fire just over an hour into the New year and, in a seven-minute attack, killed 39 of 12 nationalities and injured 70 others.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. Security experts say there are similarities with the suicide bomb and gun attack at Istanbuls Ataturk airport in June.

The mass shooting followed more than 30 violent acts over the past year in Turkey, which is a member of the NATO alliance and a partner in the US-led coalition fighting ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

The country suffered several bombings in 2016, including three in Istanbul alone, a failed coup attempt in July and renewed conflict with Kurdish rebels in the southeast of the country.

ISIS Jihadists carried out suicide bombings last January and March that targeted tourists on Istanbuls famous Istiklal Street and launched an attack at Ataturk airport in June, claiming the lives of 45 people.
Moroccan authorities thwarted an illegal immigration attempt by nearly 1000 Sub-Saharan nationals who tried to jump the six-meter barbed wire fence of the city of Ceuta.

The operation led by Moroccan authorities succeeded in foiling this mass attempt to storm the Spanish occupied enclave and resulted in the injury of 50 members of the Moroccan security forces, of whom 10 are severely wounded, the interior ministry said in a statement.

From now on those making such attempts will be presented before the competent judicial authorities who will decree their expulsion from the kingdom (of Morocco) or heavier penalties, according to the gravity of the act, added the statement.

Spanish authorities, for their part, said that two would-be migrants were allowed into Ceuta to be taken care of at a local hospital while the rest were returned to Morocco.

Spanish sources also said that five Spanish policemen were wounded as Sub-Saharans used rocks and metal bars in order to break through the gates of the fence.

On December 9, more than 400 migrants attempted to break through the fence and on January 1, 52 would-be migrants were rescued off shore Malaga.

Ceuta has been under Spanish occupation since the 16th century. Morocco claims the city along with the other Spanish occupied enclave of Mellilia as an integral part of its national territory.
Diplomatic ties between Morocco and Iran were officially reestablished with the accreditation of a new Moroccan Ambassador in Tehran, Hassan Hami, who presented his credentials to the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday.

Iranian local media said that Rouhani expressed to the Moroccan Ambassador the willingness of his country to reinforce ties with the Kingdom at all levels, including economy, culture, and science.

For his part, the Moroccan Ambassador expressed the Kingdoms appreciation of Irans stands in favor of dialogue and diplomacy in resolving international conflicts, the same media reports said.

The return of the Moroccan Ambassador to Tehran signals new era in relations between the two countries after the Kingdom severed diplomatic ties in 2009 on the backdrop of a rift over Irans interference in the religious sphere of Morocco.

Moroccos decision to severe diplomatic relations with Iran was also made following Iranian statements prejudicial to Bahrains sovereignty and territorial integrity.
I wasnt there when my grandfather died. But I can picture the moment as if I had been.

I see snow falling in large, wet clumps. Its dark but for the flickering, harsh light of a single parking lot lamp. Within its rays I catch a glimpse of my uncle, kneeling over my grandfather, desperately trying to pump life back into his fathers heart, breath back into his namesakes lungs. The CPR isnt working, however.

Its cold, so the tears are freezing to my uncles face. He had only been away for a few minutes. The two of them had driven to the local hardware store for a last minute need. But when they had arrived, my grandfather said he wasnt feeling well, and so he stayed in the car while my uncle ran inside. By the time my uncle returned, my grandfather  just a couple months into retirement  had suffered a major heart attack and died.

It was Christmas Eve. Thirty-three years ago.

I know that it was 33 years ago because I was born a year later, also in December.

My family said I was an answered prayer  the only thing that made Christmas bearable, a season now marred by the anniversary of my grandfathers death.

Truth is the holidays can be difficult for many people. Amid bright lights and festive parties, some of us feel very alone. We may be grieving the death of a loved one or the dream of a loved one never to be. We may be parted from family or friends  or from children by divorce or the estrangement of time. We may be struggling with addiction, or wondering how were going to come up with the money to buy gifts for our family this year (or even how were going to keep the lights on). We may be facing the new year from a hospital bed, or a nursing home, or a rehab center, or a prison.

Or perhaps we just didnt feel the Christmas spirit this year  we were too busy or too stressed, while God was too silent.

On Dec. 21, Westminster Presbyterian Church gathered with members of the Auburn community on the longest night of the year to light candles in the dark  one for our grief, one for our courage, one for our memories, one for our love, and one, in the center, for Christ. The community of the faithful gathered as it has every year for the last 12 years to call on Christ to come once again and fill our broken hearts.

This was my first experience of Westminsters Service of the Longest Night, but I have participated in similar (also known as Blue Christmas) services at other churches. Last year, the church my wife and I visited in Kentucky gave away hand-knit prayer shawls. This year, Westminster gave each person a wooden candleholder, hand carved by elder Robyn Warn and containing a candle lit that evening in memory of a loved one or a prayer yet unanswered.

That night we listened for the good news and sang of the hope that would soon be found again in a manger. We turned our eyes toward the light and found comfort there. And yet, we did not hurry through the pain; we did not rush toward Christmas. Sometimes, when youre hurting, you just need folks to stop trying to fix everything and instead be in solidarity with your grief. You dont want to hear that God has a plan, or that God just wanted another angel, or that God never gives us more than we can handle. You dont want advice. You just want exactly what Christ offeredEmmanuel, God with us. You want a companion for the darkness, someone to hold you tight and let you cry.

Rachel Whaley Doll, a friend who struggled with infertility, says, The most beautiful thing a church member said to me during our struggle was This just sucks, and I had words with God today about you. 

So, I guess you could say, we too had words with God that evening. We brought it all  the pain, the anger, the fear, the hope, the joyful memories and longings, even the doubts. God accepted every bit, and answered, as God always has, not with cheap fixes or platitudes, but with the love of a child who suffers with us and, with a gentle kiss, heals our wounds.

We called this child, Jesus, the Messiah.
Photo: Astrid Riecken/Getty Images

The Republican Party has used health care to its advantage for the last seven years by following the same strategy: advocating an alternative plan that does not and cannot exist. During this entire time, President Obama has held power. This has afforded them the luxury of posturing against the status quo  and, indeed, doing everything in their power, at both the federal and the state level, to make it worse. Republicans could denounce the messy negotiations in Congress, and then the messy reality of American health care, while promising that giving them power would let them start over and design a new reform that would protect everybody without having any objectionable features. After the election unexpectedly put them in full control of government, I predicted they would follow a repeal and delay plan, because it is the only way to keep the lie going. The closer they get to taking action, the more clear it becomes to Republicans that their own propaganda has trapped them and given them no escape. Railing against Obamacare was easy, but the responsibilities of power have taken all the fun out of denying medical care to the poor and sick.

From the standpoint of the most ideologically committed elements of the conservative base, destroying Obamacare was always the most salient pledge. Republican rhetoric treated the law as an existential threat to American freedom  the worst thing since slavery, as incoming Trump cabinet member Ben Carson put it. But from the standpoint of the electorate as a whole, the pledge to replace it with something terrific, as Trump put it, mattered just as much. A large number of Trump voters who get coverage through Obamacare simply felt Trump couldnt repeal a law that had done so much good for them, reports Sarah Kliff, who spoke with many of them.

But any plan to replace Obamacare with something terrific, or even something almost as good as Obamacare, will violate conservative dogma. Theres no way around this. Despite the apparent complexity of the issue, its a very simple problem of resource allocation. In a free-market system, tens of millions of Americans will not be able to afford medical care because the cost of their treatment exceeds their income, either because theyre too poor, or because theyre too sick. A Kaiser Family Foundation analysis finds that 52 million Americans under the age of 65 have preexisting conditions that would make it impossible for them to purchase health insurance in the individual market that existed before Obamacare. An insurance-industry study from 2008 found that 13 percent of people who applied for coverage in the individual market were rejected  a figure that doesnt even count the 34 percent of people who had to buy policies that excluded coverage of treatments for their preexisting conditions, let alone those who didnt even bother applying because they knew they couldnt afford it.

Covering people who cant afford to pay for their own medical care means making other people pay for it. You can do that through direct tax-and-spend transfers, or through indirect regulatory methods (like making insurance companies overcharge healthy people and undercharge sick ones). Republicans oppose these methods because they oppose redistribution in general. And yet politics requires them to promise a plan that does not deprive Americans of access to treatment. This is the reason none of their plans has advanced beyond the white-paper concept phase either they contain too much redistribution to be acceptable to the GOP, or too little coverage to be acceptable to the public, or both.

The health-care plans people like are ones such as Medicare, or employer-sponsored insurance  plans in which all customers pay the same rates regardless of age or preexisting conditions, and which dont put them at risk of paying out huge costs if they get sick. Obamacare is less popular than those kinds of insurance because it has more market features. Theres more age discrimination, and higher deductibles designed to force consumers to be price-conscious. Republican health-care plans go much, much farther in this direction. They offer threadbare, catastrophic coverage with enormous deductibles. The English, vernacular term for the kind of insurance Republican health-care plans would offer is crappy. There is no world in which Republicans are going to give people something terrific or even close to it.

Some Republicans appear to have convinced themselves they can muddle through the dilemma somehow. Congressional staffers tell Philip Klein, a staunch Obamacare critic, that they plan to repeal the law quickly, and then replace it not all at once but with a series of legislative changes that could be enacted in a series of shorter bills  for instance, one bill could theoretically be passed to address individuals with preexisting conditions. This plan is so laughably hopeless its difficult to believe Republicans would attempt it. Its impossible to gauge the impact of one change to the health-care system without knowing what other changes will be enacted. None of the stakeholders in the health-care system is going to support any discrete changes that could dramatically alter their business models without knowing what other changes may or may not follow.

Preexisting conditions are an obvious example of this problem. If insurers will be required to provide below-cost plans to people with expensive medical needs, they need to know what other measures will be put in place to compensate them: Subsidies? Regulations on healthy customers? Hospitals need to know how many uninsured patients they should expect to show up in their emergency rooms. In particular, popular parts of health-care reform (like benefits people get) need to be attached to unpopular parts (like ways to pay for it). You cant address it in pieces. During the debate in Congress over health-care reform, Republicans ginned up a talking point about how reform should be done in small steps, but no serious person of any ideological perspective would construct a reform by passing a bunch of bills one at a time, without knowing whether the next bill will pass.

Blowing up Obamacare, and then bringing up a series of small bills in the hope that they add up to something decent is not a strategy. Its what Homer Simpson came up with when he faced a test he knew he couldnt pass. (Ive been working on a plan. During the exam, Ill hide under some coats, and hope that somehow everything will work out.)

Even some very conservative Republicans, who have spent years denouncing Obamacare as a socialist monstrosity, have acknowledged the political impossibility of throwing 20 million people off their insurance. If Republicans blow up Obamacare, the media and the left will blame the repeal vote for any turmoil in insurance markets, editorializes The Wall Street Journal, Republicans will own health care, like it or not. John Goodman, a conservative health-care-policy activist, concedes, Its not going to be politically possible to throw 20 million people out on the street without health insurance.

Repeal-and-delay is the ultimate backhand acknowledgement that the party has no answers. Their wan hope is that by repealing the law, they can satisfy the blood lust of conservative activists. The repeal wont take place for years. Then they can hide under some coats and hope it all works out.

But even this step has proven extremely tricky. If Republicans repeal Obamacare without creating a replacement, insurers will have little reason to stay in the marketplace. Theyll start canceling plans immediately, and the news will be filled with stories of Americans being thrown off their medication and, in some very real cases, dying. Repeal-and-delay will actually require taking additional action to prevent a meltdown. Insurers have begun negotiating behind-the-scenes with Republicans in Congress for concessions that would allow them to continue to cover their existing customers. Hospitals are also warning Republicans that blowing the system up without a replacement would expose them to massive financial risk. Obamacare financed its coverage expansion in part by reducing payments to hospitals that have to treat uninsured customers who show up at the emergency room, on the grounds that there would be fewer of them. If Republicans create millions more uninsured people, theyll start showing up in emergency rooms, and the hospitals will be on the hook.

Republicans can certainly patch up the exchanges and keep them going during a transition period. All it would require is halting their relentless efforts to blow up the law and start trying to make it work. (They want to pump money back in to the insurers without appearing like theyre giving them a handout or bailing them out, one insurance lobbyist explains.) But if they do this, then theyll have essentially proven that they can fix Obamacare. And if they can fix it, why would they let it expire? Especially when the deadline for the replacement approaches and, inevitably, Republicans have still failed to produce a replacement?

The most likely answer is that Republicans never craft a replacement. They repeal Obamacare, but delay the effective date of the repeal, and then Obamacare becomes a cliff that Congress votes to keep extending. There is no majority in Congress behind any one specific plan to replace Obamacare, but there is probably a majority against blowing it up immediately. That will likely become the new status quo. Theres no transition to a new plan. The transition is the plan. Or, at least, it will be.

Sahil Kapur reports that Republicans in Congress are contemplating a transition period that could last as long as four years. It is obviously ludicrous to rush to repeal the law while delaying the effective date of the repeal for four years. Arch-conservatives in Congress are already lobbying to move up the repeal date for this reason  but even if they succeed in phasing out Obamacare over two or three years rather than four, it just means that Congress will have to pass another extension. The most likely outcome is that Republicans keep extending the law until Democrats have the presidency again, at which point theyll no longer have an incentive to prevent mass suffering, and can go back to opposing anything Democrats try to do to make the system work. Republicans just need to keep the system from collapsing on their watch.

If Republicans truly believed Obamacare creates more victims than beneficiaries, they would blow it up immediately. And if they really had an alternative that was more popular, they would wait to write it before they eliminated it. Repeal-and-delay proves that neither one of these is true. They have no better plan. All they can do is promise some better plan lies over a horizon that will never arrive.
Commuters check out a station on the newly opened Second Avenue subway line. Photo: Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Danny Wrynn stands on the outskirts of the crowd smashed together at the still-blocked-off entrance to the gleaming 96th Street Station on Second Avenue. Wrynn, an MTA employee, wears a blue hat with the agencys logo for his visit to the brand-new stop. Its never as nice as day one, he says. He would know  and not just because he works the G train. He went to the Hudson Yards debut, and though its been awhile, he saw the opening of the Jamaica Center and the F train station at 21st StreetQueensbridge in Long Island City in the late 1980s. Im a train buff, he adds.

Hes not the only subway enthusiast among those lined up at the entrance to the 96th Street Subway entrance, waiting for the station to officially  and finally  open at 11:45 a.m., ahead of the first departure of the re-branded Q at noon. Most are bundled in puffy coats, and there are plenty of kids wriggling at their parents feet. Theres some festive gear: a pair of hard hats; a few Q-train-themed ones; and a guy in 2017 glasses paying tribute to the New Year and the brand-new subway thats arrived with it.

The crowd at 96th St. Is waiting in anticipation pic.twitter.com/qXRUgJPuDd  Dan Rivoli (@danrivoli) January 1, 2017

Others, like Brad Balfour, an Upper East Sider who lives around the corner from the 96th Street entrance, the lines opening is more a consolation than a celebration. It was torture from the minute it started, he says. The Second Avenue line may be notorious not just for its expense, but also for its delays  its an infrastructure project dreamed up nearly a century ago  and those who stayed in the neighborhood have dealt with almost a decade of construction  a chorus of digging and drilling and the occasional unsettling blast.

Im glad its here now that its done, Balfour says, but it was a boondoggle.

In keeping with that tradition, the clock ticks a few minutes past 11:45 a.m. before Governor Andrew Cuomo arrives, joining MTA chair Tom Prendergast at the 96th Street stations entrance. Cuomo, who presided over the lines swank inaugural ride and party the night before, welcomes the crowd, though his greeting doesnt reach the back. Shut up and open the subway, a man yells. Lets go, screams a woman.

Touring the massive 96th Street Station on the Second Avenue Subway. It's...big. Too big. pic.twitter.com/TznPVyYotX  Jason Rabinowitz (@AirlineFlyer) January 1, 2017

And then the crowd jams forward: The Second Avenue subway is open. Smartphones and small digital cameras float above heads like satellites as people cross the threshold of the station, recording their descent down the escalators to the station below.

96th Street Station.

A Metrocard swipe is the price of admission into the station, which at 96th Street is outfitted with a mural, Blueprint for a Landscape by Sarah Sze. Everyone goes down another flight from the mezzanine to the tracks. The trains wait. Their silver sides are plastered with the new Second Avenue logo; the insides are uncharacteristically clean and plastered with proSecond Avenue PSAs. The first train fills up on Track 2, rush-hour-delay packed. The doors close and it takes off, cameras following its path out of the station. An MTA station agent applauds, and other bystanders join in. One woman cries out: Finally.

PSAs for days pic.twitter.com/kKu7xKGMU9  Jen Kirby (@j_kirby1) January 1, 2017

Another MTA platform agent, standing in front of the yet-to-be-opened train still in the station, assures the people left behind. Youll be the first, he says, on Track 1.

All aboard.

The doors open and people board the Q, grabbing seats or spots near the windows. Stand clear of the closing doors, please, says the PA. The doors ding shut. Straphangers erupt in cheers and applause as the train lurches forward, headed south.

Its wonderful, like being a kid in a candy store, says Rebecca Cruz, an Upper East Sider who nabbed a seat. Everyone is talking to each other.

Beajea Payne, who lives in East Harlem, brought her three kids for the ride. Her 7-year-old son, Jamari, is autistic and a train fanatic. Weve been anticipating this for a long time, she says. Her son wears a red hat and grips the subway pole while cradling an A train figurine. I love the Q, Jamari adds, with wonder, as the train departs.

72nd Street turnstiles.

After 86th Street, the Second Avenue subway becomes, well, the subway. We are delayed because of train traffic ahead, crackles the PA. People laugh  of course, theyre halted in a train tunnel already. But the novelty of being the first to be delayed on the Second Avenue line wears off fast. Why wont they tell us whats going on? someone asks aloud. A couple looks askance at a boy who is watching a video, no headphones, the sound on too high. A man in a blue jacket leans his forehead against the subway pole, closes his eyes.

Train traffic ahead.

As the train crawls to the next station, Sylvia Rivera, who lives in East Harlem, says she had to ride the train because she and her husband had been waiting decades for the line. Her husband, however, had missed it. He passed away. He never got see it. The ride was beautiful, she insists, before getting off at the next stop.

Bernice Canadate, a 54-year-old Upper West Side resident, grabs a seat when the train empties out. I wanted to see if it was worth the wait. It was, for the most part, except for the delays. It was a longer ride than I expected, she says. I guess theyre testing us.

Q coming into the station.

By 57th and 7th Avenue, whatever spell that had made New Yorkers turn into tourists for a brief afternoon breaks. The train clears out. A woman opens a book and pages through it. A pile of crumbs has appeared near the car doors. A man with a rolling suitcase wedged between his legs says he is actually trying to get somewhere.

LOVE this portrait of Lou Reed by Chuck Close in NYC's new Second Ave. subway. pic.twitter.com/Bz9iMTo3vF  Steve Silberman (@stevesilberman) January 1, 2017

But back up at the new stations on Second Avenue, crowds are still pouring in. They didnt get on the first train, maybe, but being there on opening day is good enough. Everyone needed a Second Avenue subway selfie  in front of Lou Reed, one of Chuck Closes Subway Portraits at 86th Street, or the new subway maps, or even the waiting trains. At 96th Street, Steve Bloom, a native New Yorker who lives in Bensonhurst, snaps a few photos. He had traveled the entire Q line, from Coney Island, to get here. He says he didnt doubt that the Second Avenue subway would open. I just didnt think it would be in my lifetime.
Photo: Getty Images

New Yorks Sex Diaries series asks anonymous city dwellers to record a week in their sex lives  with comic, tragic, often sexy, and always revealing results. This week, a 43-year-old doctor in New York to focus on her love life for the first time ever: single, bisexual, staying in Cobble Hill.

DAY ONE

6 a.m.: I wake up pretty early most days. Im a doctor living in Boston, but I consider myself from New York (grew up nearby, went to college and med school there). I specialize in womens health and love my work. Its cliche but true: I chose my career over anything else. Next year I turn 44, and Im ready to make positive changes in an otherwise stagnant love life.

2 p.m.: Im totally in the zone all day at work. Im not on social media and barely text anyone. I cant fit distractions into my day  there isnt a second for a breather.

3:30 p.m.: I pack up early because Im taking the train into New York to stay with my sister. Her husband is away, so we have the place to ourselves for a week. I took a whole week off!



Over Thanksgiving, I confided in my sister about my loneliness. I told her I truly did not know what to do about it. She asked point-blank: Are you a lesbian? Its not the first time a family member has tried to get me to confess to some closeted love life. If only I were a lesbian, I responded. Then Id at least have a partner!

What is the term for someone who loves no one and is loved by no one? Thats what I am. Family not included, of course. I think I am bisexual, but the truth is, I dont even know. Ive kissed women at various gay bars Ive visited while traveling for work. One girl and I hooked up back at my hotel room and she gave me the best orgasm of my life by going down on me. I was REALLY nervous, but holy shit, it was the best thing ever. Ive also had sex with about ten men in my life and enjoyed that every time. So, I dont know. Sexual identification is the least of my issues. I just want a great relationship!

8 p.m. I arrive at my sisters apartment and she has wine ready. She says she has one condition: Shell hand over the wine if I hand over my iPhone. We are going full-blown into the world of online dating, or so Im told. I pretend to be reluctant, but Im really excited.

9 p.m. I literally cant keep my eyes open so I give my sister permission to line up anyone and anything to keep us busy for the next week. She has great taste in people (married a wonderful guy) and also used to date women for a brief period  she gets it. Right now, though, the only hookup I can think about is between me and the guest bed.

DAY TWO

11 a.m. Its Saturday, my sister doesnt have to work, and Im free as a bird! We go through what my sister set up for me  shes only downloaded Bumble and Tinder so far. I like the profile she made. Good pics. Not sure if it sounds braggy because of the doctor thing, but she assures me people have to flaunt what theyve got on these things. I think Im pretty attractive. Im fit. I dont look 43  though I think 43 is a beautiful age. Because I dont want kids, Im not worried about men ruling me out for my age. If they want a young chicken to give them a big family, they dont want me anyway.

1 p.m. We take a spin class and make some concrete plans for the evening via my dating apps. Two women are engaging in conversation. I dont like super-butch women, unless theyre, like, pretty AND butch. Of course, anything can change because of chemistry, but I have to work with my initial attraction at this point, I think.

3 p.m. Plans are set. Im meeting a woman at a Cobble Hill wine bar at 7. Her name is Shana and shes also in the womens-health world. She looks like a model, like, actress-beautiful  it makes me wonder if shes even a real person or some creeper. But Im willing to take the risk. My sister convinces me to pile on one more date at 9:30, right after, just because this guy (Peter) offered to meet up right on my sisters block at this little bar. Two dates. Im pumped!

6 p.m. Im a little nervous. My sister and I practice conversations. I guess I get shy on dates and dont really know what to talk about since Im honestly way behind the times on pop culture and normal banter topics.

9:30 p.m. I am having such a good time with Shana that I literally forget to meet Peter.

11 p.m. Shana is awesome. We drank two bottles of wine and now were back at her place, which frankly is not that nice  and she has roommates. But in the moment, Im okay with it. We are going at it pretty hard-core. Im really wet and when she puts her fingers inside me, I come right away. I hope I can orgasm again, but Ive never been a multiple-orgasm girl. Lets see 

DAY THREE

7 a.m. I pretty much passed out at Shanas. I wake up with a bad hangover and just want to get back to my sisters place. We smoked cigarettes last night, her apartment is gross, and I just feel terrible. I kiss Shana on the cheek good-bye and basically run out.

8 a.m. My sister is up waiting for the scoop on both Shana and Peter. Thats when I look at my phone and realize I completely stood him up. The whole night makes me feel icky. Shana was kind of a skank, I tell my sister. I shower and crawl into bed for a few hours.

12:30 p.m. When I wake up, my sister is out running errands. I dont really want to think about last night. This happens to me sometimes: I get so turned off by dating experiences that I dont want to date at all. Nothing was wrong with Shana, but she was dirty in a way that makes me feel dirty now. I text Peter that I completely fucked up and would love a second chance.

1:30 p.m. Peter writes back, No problem at all. It happens. How about this afternoon? I really like his answer. He let me off the hook graciously. Despite looking and feeling like shit, I agree to meet him at 3 as long as he lets me buy him the first drink.

3:30 p.m. Peter is lovely! Nice face, nice disposition. He moved here from Italy about ten years ago so theres an accent, which never hurts. Also, he is a scientist of sorts  a topic I can dig into. He has one child who lives with his ex in Europe. Im curious about this  but its too soon to ask too many questions.

5 p.m. He confesses that he has a Tinder date at 6 all the way uptown so better get the check. I enjoyed his company and apologize one more time for last night. We kiss good-bye (on the lips!). A bit of tongue. He asks if we can meet up again before I go back to Boston. Yes, yes, yes.

DAY FOUR

9 a.m. My sister has work, so I have her apartment to myself. I love being in New York. But my job in Boston is pretty great  for now, Ive got to stay there. A couple people online seem to be obsessed with me not living in New York. Its so close? Their issue, not mine!

11:30 a.m. Reading the paper and having a breakfast sandwich at a great local cafe. Nothing could feel better. Theres a really nice guy hanging out here who helped me get online. No wedding ring. But drinking  tea? Okay, I can forgive that. I am horrible at being outwardly flirtatious but would like to talk to him more. I see him start to pack up 

11:39 a.m. Me: Can you recommend a good place for pho around here? (Lame, but at least its something.)

Turns out he owns a restaurant in the area. He knows all the right places. It takes a lot of courage but I ask him if he wants to text me the name of a few spots. He is really friendly about it and we exchange numbers. I sound like a teenager, I know. Anyhow, now I have good restaurant recs and a potentially nice guy texting me. This is more than I can say for a few days ago.

1:30 p.m. Im on my sisters couch flirting with my onliners. I find the girls write back so much faster. Its much easier to get the ball rolling with a woman. Men wait to respond and then they write non-answers or blah answers. Not all, of course.

7 p.m. What a time-suck! I flirted with strangers online all freaking day and now Im tired. Plans to see Peter tomorrow  the resto guy never wrote, alas. Shana texted, but I feel like throwing up thinking of our wasted, cigarette-contaminated night together.

9 p.m. I masturbate to thoughts of sex with two men. They roll me from one to the other, fucking me every which way. Its a highly misogynistic scene  odd, considering Ive devoted myself to womens issues. But fantasies should be embraced, not repressed.

DAY FIVE

9 a.m. I drink coffee, eat pastries, and shop all day. Literally, I do this until 4 p.m., when I come home freezing, feeling broke, and ready for a nap. Ah, the New York staycation! The resto guy did text me, offering to have a drink at one of his restaurants before I leave. Im into it, although my sister said his restaurants are super cheesy. Not a great sign, but she can be judge-y  Ill make up my own mind.

7 p.m. I meet Peter at a Chinatown restaurant because hes obsessed with these certain dumplings and I wanted to try them myself.

9:30 p.m. Were at a dive bar in Chinatown having a ton of fun. But then he tells me more about his kid in Europe. He never sees the kid  only about twice a year. They Skype once a week or so. I think this is a little weird. Who doesnt see their kid as much as humanly possible? I dont think Peter is going to be my future boyfriend and thats really what Im looking for. So I call it a night. We make out for a while in the taxi back to Brooklyn, but Ive turned off the idea of Peter. And once that happens, theres no going back for me.

DAY SIX

11:30 a.m. Meeting Resto Guy at one of his cafes for brunch. He looks great and I notice he treats his staff really kindly and with respect. He tells me he is sober  he has a DARK past. I admire the sobriety. We talk a lot about my work and some of the addicts Ive worked with. Its an easy conversation.

1 p.m. We hug good-bye. Snore. But really, a make-out at his workplace would be unprofessional. I also kind of feel like he might have a girlfriend. I mean, why wouldnt he?

6 p.m. My sister got us into a lesbian party in Williamsburg. We have no idea what to expect. It starts at 9, but we start drinking wine now while getting ready. Its so rare for either of us to focus on outfits, hair, and makeup, but we have fun playing the part, almost like were little girls again. I ask her if she misses women now that shes married to a man and she says pretty bluntly that she loves her husbands great dick (among other things). I want to un-know this, but Im happy for her.

9:30 p.m. The lesbian party is pretty much like any other party  the music is just really good and the women are extremely hip. I dont think my future relationship is here, though that doesnt stop me from pounding five to ten margaritas. I am WASTED. I meet a medical student who is much younger than me but goes to the same school I went to. We dance a little. This is embarrassing in front of my sister  luckily, she goes home. I drink more and dance more and end up fully hooking up with this girl on the dance floor. So much tongue. So many hands. At one point she puts her hands down the back of my jeans and Im pretty sure she fingers my ass. I want to grind against her harder. My vagina is pounding. The whole thing is really sexy, but Im getting dizzy 

11 p.m. Puking on the Billyburg sidewalk. Manage to Uber myself home. Barf.

DAY SEVEN

9 a.m. Somehow I woke up feeling okay. The throwing up helped. And I drank liters of water before bed. I am ready to go home.

2 p.m. I head to the train station after having lunch with my sister at work. I had the best week with her; I love her so much. But Im ready to go back to the life I built for myself at the hospital.

9 p.m. Im home. Tired. The week in New York opened me up to new people and a few new experiences. Im glad it all happened. And now Im ready to keep online dating in Boston. Im getting closer to finding someone  its a priority now, which I havent been able to say before in my adult life. Wish me luck!

Want to submit a sex diary? Email sexdiaries@nymag.com and tell us a little about yourself.
Jan. 2, 1937

John E. Connor of Geneva completed 48 years of service with the Lehigh Valley Railroad New Year's Eve, stepping from the platform of his train at Geneva to return to private life. He was born at Union Springs Nov. 12, 1861. When 20 years old he worked on the Cayuga Lake railroad running along Cayuga Lake and quit that vocation to become a machinist in Geneva. Work being slack, he again returned to railroading, working on the Fall Brook and New York Central roads. He became identified with the Lehigh in 1888 and continued in that service.

Mr. Connor had the unique distinction of being the only man to resign from the noted Black Diamond flier. He worked up to conductor on that train and asked to be assigned to another position he liked better.

Jan. 2, 1962

Three representatives of the Auburn General Electric plant turned over to representatives of four Auburn organizations sizeable checks today. The company Charity Fund representatives are Mrs. John S. Gasokeski, Mrs. Roberta Vistoces and Mrs. Leta Dykerman.

Receiving checks were Ashley M. Congdon of the Cayuga Health Association $200; Calvin E. Green, executive director of the Cayuga County United Fund, $2,991; William W. Jackson, director of the Booker T. Washington Community Center, $100; and Major Leland E. Waldron of the Auburn Salvation Army, $100.

Jan. 2, 2007

Jan. 2, 2012

AURORA  By most standards any day in January when the temperature is in the 40s makes for a fairly pleasant winter day. But for a few dozen brave souls gathered on the bank of Cayuga Lake, the cold breeze blowing off the lake was an indication of just what they were in store for when the jumped in the lake for the annual Polar Bear Plunge.

Among those bold enough to take on the lake was Haley Yorkey. Yorkey, 9, was making her first winter dip. She said for many years she asked her mother if she could join her father, Chris, and this year, Yorkey got her mother to approve. Her father, Chris, has taken the plunge for the past four years and was excited to have his daughter and the rest of his family, who stayed on shore, there with him.
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i'm so sorry for going OT but wtf is this omg?????? http://onwatchseries.to/stranger_things/season-2

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Pfft i fell for that shit too. I think because the actual date is unknown they just marked season two down as the first day of 2017.

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I got in trouble awhile back for going OT on the top comment, just letting you know sis



Plus this post is about homophobia so it's kinda tacky tbh

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you know all about being inappropriate & tacky sis come on now

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The episode titles were released months ago in a teaser video for the upcoming series

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You guys have any movie sites? I only know that movie4k...

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lol was this honestly worth going ot?

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was this really the post to go OT on?



like i've been in shit before for posting an OT comment but like... was it really that pressing lol.

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At times I want to punch and I want to slap a lot of people when I read and hear the shit that comes out their mouthes !!! I



Same.

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lol at pharrell being a voice of reason



gonna try to see the movie tomorrow. maybe a double header with fences.

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i fucking love this



i wish people keep making God this evil vengeful thing. Im agnostic but if there is a God i honestly think he would embrace everyone especially the ones who do not use his name to be superior or get ahead in life while putting other down.



Edited at 2017-01-02 12:23 am (UTC)

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I've actually gotten into debates about this with people who are religious. When they talk about going to hell if you don't believe and so on, but someone like a murderer can get in if they believe and repent, I look them dead in their eyes and tell them that if God actually turns away good, moral people because they don't believe in a specific religion, I want no part of that god or that heaven. They get so bent out of shape because I actually tell them I'd rather go to hell than be in a place that lets in murderers as long as they "repent" before they die, but would turn away a Muslim.

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This is precisely why I'm on the way to becoming a Christian Universalist.

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I doubt this was what you were getting at but I'd view a God the same way Idols are represented. Egotistical to say the least. It's not enough that you are a good and moral person. You have to worship (nowadays without any proof in order to demonstrate faith) a God to receive any benefits.

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The funny thing is it used to be quite popular for Christians specifically (I don't know about other monolith religions) to admire atheists because their morals were considered a product of their own free will so good for the sake of being good instead of good for the sake of an end game. Now we've gone full circle and anyone who doesn't think/act like you is somehow affecting your own ride to heaven or whatnot.

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This is so perfect.

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yessss

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or even just read the damn bible. eating shrimp is a sin as bad as being gay and the idea of "let he without sin cast the first stone" is a repeated theme.



dumb dumbs.

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yes, esp that last sentence!

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Seriously, her statement had me saying "MTE" on so many points.

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My sentiments exactly! I've always felt this way about religion and wish more people did as well

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Send it straight to hell by popping it. It's what Burrell deserves.

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"I unequivocally repudiate ANY AND ALL hateful comments against the LGBTQ community. Actually I'm tired of that label. We all belong to the same community, a shared community called humanity."



l m a o yes let post-sexuality be the new post-racial

we are one and we are all homo something or other

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Lol Janelle running far away from being lumped in with the other lady-lovers. I know a girl she dated..

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yeah i rme at that part. she's not straight but still.

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yeah that made me cringe even tho everything else was good

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yup i caught that last night when she posted it and was gonna leave a reply about it but didn't want to start drama  - it's annoying to hear someone be "tired" of those labels are so important for us with those identities

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we are all one sexuality.



the human sexuality.



everything else was right but that was silly.

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Mte, how unfortunate

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I love her and the rest of her comment, but yeah. :-/

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her being a little messy isn't new, though. i love her but i still side-eye the way she used the word "schizo" in a couple of her early songs.

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Lmao bless ha heart

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yeah i wasn't feeling that

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Haha, some motherfuckers were born to be grandfather's.

He's just got the bone structure for it.

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lmfao i see it

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lMFAO

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mte puggish sexist fuckface

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I'm still kinda upset & disappointed @ myself for how much I didn't dislike him in Arrival

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What gross comments. I can't stand this religious bullshit.

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omg

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destroy ha

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DEAD @ BEDRAGGLED WIG

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saw this on tumblr and someone said 'that's what you get when you bite the hand that keeps you in kitten heels'. I SCREAM-T XD

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lmaoo

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LOL

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Bravo lol

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Tattered wigs as an instrument has had me in tears for days lmao

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ahahahahahaha

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Jesus I am cackling so hard

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Wikipedia editors have been extra vicious lately and I'm living for it TBH

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LMAO

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hahaha tattered wigs

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lmao, at first I thought that this was actually from somewhere like wikipedia until I kept reading lol.

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bedraggled wig



askfdnlvnkjfdgn

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Bedraggled wig lmfaooooo

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Lmmfao omfg

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Yaaas!

Keep her pressed, unlike her dried new growth!!



Gonna keep her hashtag going on Facebook every few days.

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I also thought that Instagram was Sidney Poitier's for a split second D:

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Cackling

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looooool fuck

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That's probably me tomorrow lmao ah....

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How does she factor into this film? Is she acting in it? Singing? I have no idea.

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I don't think she does, but IIRC Pharrell is on the soundtrack so there's the connection

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i always find conservative christians hilarious bc the book of matthew makes it p clear none of them will get into heaven

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Like the amount of people who are straight up like the Pharisees and don't even realize it ASTOUNDS ME.



Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiike....did you not read that part or......???

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isn't her husband closeted or something?

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yeupppp which means she very well could be a self hating lez - happens a lot

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i adore janelle but that "tired of that label" comment........... the rest of the post was coming from a good place so i don't want to come for her too much but it still hurts to hear people dismiss your identity for something more tame like "no labels!!! we're all humans!!!"

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:((((((( it's still so unreal, I hope things are good for her from now on

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What adorable names for her mom and grandma <3

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ikr, there's a cute story behind the one for debbie too. I can't find where billie talks about it but Debbie used to sing this song to her as a child, so billie ended up calling her abadaba instead of grandma or something.



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Billie's always looked more like her dad to me but here I totally can see in bb Debbie's face so much of Billie

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Bless her heart. May she find comfort and peace and continue to find strength.

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she is such a strong person



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Still can't believe they're both gone

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Poor child. It's such a devastating loss.

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What cute names. Stay strong Billie 

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Aw poor Billie. I've had her in my thoughts so much, this must be the worst time for her.

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I rewatched Postcards From The Edge yesterday and I cried so much thinking about Carrie and Debbie and Billie 

I'm gonna miss them dearly and I didn't even knew them so I can't even imagine wath she's going through

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Lol, nice

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I can't even imagine how she's handling it given how close all three of them were. My favorite story about billie and carrie is one carrie wrote in her old blog:



Anyway, on this night, Billie and I were watching Greys Anatomy and the lead character had just found out that she was pregnant. But she didnt want to announce it until she told her best friend. And her boyfriend couldnt understand that. Shes my person the pregnant doctor told him, If I killed someone, she would be who I called to help me hide the body. Until I can tell her something important thats happened to me, it isnt completely true. A violent analogy, sure. But also vivid enough to make the point. After she said this, Billie, without moving her eyes from the screen said in a matter of fact voice, Youre my person. I think that was one of the most magical moments of my life. If not just flat out THE most magical moment of my life. Cause, I mean, she didnt say it to flatter me or make me feel good. She said it like it was the simple truth. And Im not a person that goes around cherishing things  moments or otherwise  but Ill cherish that moment all my life. And theres nothing you can do to stop me.

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uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh h

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This made me tear up. I can't imagine what she's going through.

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The love this family has for each other is so beautiful :')

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aww ;__;

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awww  :(

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This is how I feel about my mom. I'm so sad for Billie. :(

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she's a beautiful writer

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aww <3

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i'm tearing up :(

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This is such a cute anecdote....annnd it made me tear up a bit.

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I THOUGHT I WAS OVER BEING UPSET OVER THIS. 

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irl tears.

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god i've been crying so much over her and debbie and this just brought the tears again

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Oh god this so sweet. I can't imagine how hard this is for Billie.

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Oh my God :(

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That's 100% how i felt about my mom. Sometimes our relationship would be resemble but she was still always the person i most wanted to share happiness with and depended on in sadness.

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this is how i feel about my mom </3 I'm so heartbroken for her

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imma cry

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This is so me and my mom so now I want to cry.





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welp, these tears

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that's so sweet, but it makes me so sad.

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Awww I've never watched Grey's but I've heard of this scene. My dearly departed dad was my person. <3

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Omg. This is so my mum and me. My heart breaks for this family.

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ugh my heart.

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that was true for carrie fisher too tbh.



i love the story about how when billie got hired for her role in star wars nobody knew who she was, and she wanted it that way and she purposefully hung out with the other "extra" type of actors. but one day during filming carrie had a cold and wasn't feeling well, and without thinking she went up to her and said something like "mom, are you ok" and when the others reacted like "wait, what...you're carrie fisher's daughter" she was like oh crap, now they know.

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why

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Nigel Farage is such a cock.

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A rotting one, with hepatitis.

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benedict cumberbatch will play him

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What kind of Doctor Who monster escapee face



His outside matches his inside

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urghhhhhhh

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This... doesn't sound good

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Who wants to watch this? No thanks.

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I mean I guess? Do we not take moments for examination before we capitalize on something?

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ikr? i mean, brexit still hasn't been fully implemented so... i'm guessing the movie would be just about the vote and not the consequences?

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2016 gave us so many cowards but Farage was one of the biggest. Fucking hate that despicable man.

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Warner Bros don't deserve harry potter & Lego Movies.

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fences just leaked! First screener leak.

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PM

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hmu too please <3

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Its funny how i never even hear of those movies until they leak and i watch a lot of tv 

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PM please?

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btw, am I allowed to post the link here?





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thank god!! (also can you pm me as well. dont see it on piratebay rn)



Edited at 2017-01-02 09:43 pm (UTC)

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Could you pm me a link bb?



TYFYT

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link please?

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No

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too soon people!

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I've always found Nigel Farage's scrunched up face and laugh so horrifying, it's worse than those ghosts in Asian horrorfilms that have unnaturally wide open black mouths.

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Ha! That is fantastic and very fitting! I've read a couple of Lovecraft's short stories and enjoyed them, never thought I'd see his work quoted on ontd, though.

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Even though not everyone I voted for won, I'm happy with the results. [Most of] ONTD has good taste. ^_^

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"[Most of] ONTD has good taste"



bitchuknowthatsalie

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Sis the ones with bad taste are just the most vocal about their wrong opinions (or at least this is me being optimistic tbh)

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none for carol? :(



yay for mad max & the sw cast tho

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Lol, ONTD dislikes Cate and Rooney. Of course none for Carol.

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prob not enough ppl saw Carol, lbr.

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Yas Brie snatch that Oscar

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yeah kylo ren

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Mte. I never vote in these things, so that was a nice surprise.

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Hmm... I'm thinking I should check out Ex-Machina

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I didn't vote at all because I don't watch enough movies to really judge, but this all looks very nice.

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I'm so sad Wall Street didn't win best villain. THAT IS A VILLAIN



but I'm so happy my nomination of Poe and BB8 won!! and FURIOSA!!!!! AND MAD MAX!!!!!

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lol ikr Kylo sucked as a villain

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Same, I feel like we are alone when it comes to our opinion on Kylo Ren/Adam Driver lol.



EDIT: oops I didn't scroll down haha



Edited at 2016-01-10 11:13 pm (UTC)

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I was surprised by that one. I thought Christian Grey was a better villain, I mean he was a serial killer after all.

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hmm not bad actually. i was expecting worse. (crimson peak winning horror is a bad win tho)

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LMAO best couple :')



the rest is great tho, also cue all the "EX MACHINA IS OVERRATED/SHIT!!!/PPL ONLY LIKE IT BC OF OSCAR THIRST!!!!" comments.

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it's true tho

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it was supremely overrated even before people here started stanning it for oscar

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YES, I ONLY LIKED IT BECAUSE OF OSCAR THIRST, but most of the other taste-having ONTDers aren't such transparent stans as I am and actually liked it for legitimate reasons.



Sommmeee people just like getting extra. They can suck it tbh.YES,ONLY LIKED IT BECAUSE OF OSCAR THIRST, but most of the other taste-having ONTDers aren't such transparent stans as I am and actually liked it for legitimate reasons.

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I *really* liked Ex-Machina.

It can be interpreted in so many ways and it has so many references to rape culture/sexism culture.

I loved the part when she trapped the blond guy to escape and he could see her take off her skin and put on a new one and new clothes (also a new arm?). It was such a cool reference to men watching women dress/undress without their consent and how that's alwas made to look like something intriguing/romantic/etc. In Ex-Machina it was a "You're trapped and I'm gnna let you die here while I make myself look like a normal human being to go out and fool the whole of humanity". The movie had sooo many subtle revenge fantasy moments. I loved it.

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Bless the on screen couple and love scene wins!

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Yay for our icons as well.

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Great job OP! I wish there was more diversity (Like variety in films.) in the voting but it was still fun posts.



Sad about Carol getting iced out and what feels like ONTD only seeing Mad Max and Star Wars and then voting based on their feelings on those two films, but still. Yea.



Edited at 2016-01-10 10:55 pm (UTC)

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i agree

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ia. truly bad and cheesy



it follows >>>





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it's honestly trash. i couldn't even finish watching it because it was so bad

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wtf no, I loved it.

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lmao mte

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I voted for the Catholic Priests so...

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lol ikr, he just wanted to be Vader so bad.

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should've been WALL STREET

damn ONTD

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mte

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Balem Abraxas was ROBBED!

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Lmao now look at all the other nominees, sis.

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There is a wide variety of opinions on whether or not OPEC will deliver on its promised cuts of 1.2 million barrels per day, and a lot hangs in the balance. The difference between OPEC members complying with the deal and ignoring it altogether is a big one. It will go a long way in determining whether or not the oil price rally continues on its upward trajectory or begins to fizzle.

But while large cuts from OPEC are generally very bullish for oil prices, there is a side effect on the oil market from those reductions that could mute the price impact. Taking such a large volume of oil off the market does not make that production capacity go away. Indeed, moving 1.2 mb/d of capacity from active production into idled capacity will provide a substantial buffer to any unforeseen supply disruption.

That has always been the logic behind OPECs use of spare capacity. Saudi Arabia is pretty much the only country that has a large volume of oil capacity sitting on the sidelines, output that can be ramped up within a few weeks or months. The EIA defines spare capacity as output that can be turned on within 30 days and sustained for at least 90 days. Periods of low oil prices and low price volatility tend to correspond with periods of time in which Saudi Arabia has a large cushion of spare capacity. If the global oil market suffers from a surprise outage  say from a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina or a man-made disaster like the war in Iraq  then there is capacity that can be called upon to plug any supply deficit.

Saudi Arabia has done this in the past, and because the oil markets are aware that such a capacity exists, volatility tends to be lower than it otherwise would be. When Saudi Arabia ratchets down production, which necessarily creates a larger buffer of spare capacity, volatility tends to soften. The opposite also tends to be true: when the market tightens, and Saudi Arabia ramps up production to meet demand, it does not always lead to lower prices. A smaller spare capacity can spook oil traders, especially when an outage occurs. In the period between 2003 and 2008, when OPEC was producing at elevated levels and running down spare capacity, it corresponded with the largest and longest bull run for oil in recent memory. OPECs spare capacity ran below 2 mb/d for most of that period. Related: The End Of The Oil And Gas Bankruptcy Wave

(Click to enlarge)



All of this is to say that the large cuts in production in 2017, assuming that they do occur, are not entirely bullish for oil prices. Saudi Arabia has promised to cut output from 10.6 mb/d down close to 10.0 mb/d. That will move a slice of active production into latent spare capacity. Add to that the smaller contributions from other OPEC and non-OPEC members, and the global spare capacity is set to grow for the first time in years (aside from a small uptick at the end of 2015). Related: Can U.S. Shale Add 1 Million Bpd In 2017?

More spare capacity will provide a bit of buffer to any potential outage in 2017, smoothing out the sharp edge of a hypothetical price spike. If youve got OPEC full adherence for the first six months, the market should be relatively insulated from political risk because that cushion is available, Alan Gelder, a vice president of Wood Mackenzie Ltd., told Bloomberg in an interview. Only a major outage in Saudi Arabia would be an unfixable problem for the oil market, he says. [A]nything else should be able to be accommodated.

That suggests that oil price volatility could be lower in 2017. Volatility is already at its lowest level in a year, which underscores the same argument: volatility plunged following the OPEC deal, as a greater level of certainty spread over the market (see chart: OVX is an index that tracks oil price volatility). And the resulting spare capacity that will result from the OPEC deal could lead to a sustained period of lower volatility. The managed market of OPEC has always been more stable than the free market in which OPEC jockeyed for market share.

(Click to enlarge)



Figure CBOE Crude Oil Volatility Index (^OVX)

The one other factor to keep an eye on is the near-record level of oil inventories, which will act as a second form of spare capacity  supply that can be called upon in a moments notice. That is another reason to believe that volatility will be less of a problem in 2017 than it was in 2016. The flip side of that is that the OPEC cuts will tighten the supply/demand balance, and will likely force drawdowns in inventories over the course of 2017. Once inventories come down to long-run averages, then there will be a smaller buffer for the global oil market. But, again, OPEC should have a little bit more capacity to work with to resolve any unexpected problem. After more than two years of volatility, we could be in for a smoother ride in 2017.

By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Larger quotas expected later in 2017

China will cut its export quotas to the countrys oil majors by 40 percent in the first round of licenses for 2017, reports Reuters, even as traders expect allowances for overseas sales to meet or exceed this years record levels.

The Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs said the four state majors will be allowed to sell 12.4 million tonnes (90.9 million barrels) of gasoline, gasoil and jet fuel abroad next year, down from 20.5 million tonnes in the same round this year. The sharp decline in export quotas has more to do with out-sized goals in 2016 than it does with demand in 2017, however.

The shrinking quota doesnt reflect shrinking demand from overseas. Instead, it reflects a shift in company exporting strategy, said a China-based trader who declined to be named, adding that companies were better matching exports to quotas.

We expect the total quota for 2017 to be on par or a bit higher than 2016, the trader added.

China issued a record-high export quota of 46.1 million tonnes of oil products in 2016, up 80 percent from 2015. In the first 11 months of the year, it exported 43 million tonnes of oil products, up 35 percent from a year earlier.



Related: Outlook For Coal Unlikely To Improve

Traders expect that quotas will be increased in the second quarter when demand from construction and transportation pick up after the winter slowdown. China usually releases three or four rounds of quotas per year.

Teapot refiners removed from quota list

As part of the ongoing effort to liberalize its oil and gas industry, China added smaller, independent refiners to its overall quotas last year. The so-called teapot refiners have been removed from the most recent round of quotas, however.

Teapots account for only a fraction of Chinas fuel exports, but dropping them will hand the export business back to the majors and deal a blow to the small but fast growing group that has brought new competition to Chinas oil industry.

With 6.1 million tonnes, Sinopec Corp (ticker: SNP) won about half of the total in the first round. Sinochem Group did not receive any quota for jet fuel.

Out of the three products, gasoil accounted for 5.3 million tonnes, 42 percent of the total allotted to the four majors; gasoline for 3.7 million tonnes, 30 percent of the total, and jet fuel with 3.5 million tonnes made up the remaining 28 percent of products.

Related: Shale Spending Is Set To Soar

Domestic demand may wain as prices rise

On the other side of the import/export equation, China  the second-largest consumer of oil in the world after the U.S.  may start have less of an appetite for crude in 2017 as it becomes more expensive.

China has been taking advantage of lower crude oil prices to fill its strategic petroleum reserves, but as the cost of crude goes up, the country may stop its opportunistic purchases.

Emerging market demand, and specifically from China, has been really strong in 2016, Matt Smith, head of commodities research at shipment-tracking firm ClipperData, told CNBC.

However, theyve been on these sorts of bouts of bargain hunting and opportunistic purchases to essentially fill their stockpiles, their strategic reserves. And so, as prices rise, and as theyve risen recently, were likely to see less of that bargain hunting next year, he said.

By Oil & Gas 360

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
From Truthdig

The final stages of capitalism, Karl Marx predicted, would be marked by global capital being unable to expand and generate profits at former levels. Capitalists would begin to consume the government along with the physical and social structures that sustained them. Democracy, social welfare, electoral participation, the common good and investment in public transportation, roads, bridges, utilities, industry, education, ecosystem protection and health care would be sacrificed to feed the mania for short-term profit. These assaults would destroy the host. This is the stage of late capitalism that Donald Trump represents.

READ:What We Expect to See in 2017

Trump plans to oversee the last great campaign of corporate pillaging of America. It will be as crass and brazen as the fleecing of the desperate people, hoping for a miracle in the face of dead-end jobs and ruinous personal debt, who visited his casinos or shelled out thousands of dollars for the sham of Trump University. He will attempt to unleash a kleptocracy -- the word comes from the Greek kle'pto, meaning thieves, and kratos, meaning rule, so it is literally "rule by thieves" -- one that will rival the kleptocracies carried out by Suharto in Indonesia and Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines.

It is not that Trump and his family will use the influence of government to increase their wealth, although this will certainly take place on a massive scale; it is that hundreds of billions of federal dollars will be diverted into the hands of cronies, sleazy bankers, unethical financial firms and scabrous hedge fund managers. The pillars of the liberal state will be obliterated.

The only possibility for halting the destruction being designed by the Trump transition team is sustained resistance and civil disobedience that will create popular pressure for impeachment. This is why I will be at the march in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 21 and speak that evening at a rally with Kshama Sawant and Jill Stein.

Trump is impulsive, ignorant and inept. His corruption and greed are so unfettered he may become a burden and embarrassment to his party and the nation, as well as a danger to himself. The longer he stumbles in the unfamiliar corridors of governmental power the more vulnerable he becomes. But if we are not in the streets to hold the system accountable he may be able to cling to power and inflict significant damage.

Laurence Tribe, a professor of constitutional law at Harvard Law School, has argued that Trump could be impeached under the Constitution's emoluments clause. This clause prohibits a federal officeholder from receiving from a foreign power anything of value that could compromise the exclusive loyalty owed to the Constitution. Trump's global businesses make him vulnerable, Tribe argues, to foreign pressure from countries where he has assets. "Trump's continued interest in the Trump Organization and his steady stream of monetary and other benefits from foreign powers put him on a collision course with the emoluments clause," Tribe wrote in The Guardian.

If, however, we suffer another catastrophic domestic terrorist attack or launch a new war, the political space to examine and prosecute Trump and remove him from office will disappear. The rhetoric from the Oval Office will become bloodcurdling. The security and surveillance state will go into hyperdrive. Any dissent, including mere criticism of the president, will be attacked as helping our enemies. Trump and his kleptocrats, under the familiar cover of national security and war, will transform huge sums of government money into personal assets.

The Trump transition team is busy anointing its coterie of kleptocrats. The appointment of Betsy DeVos (from a family with a net worth in excess of $5 billion) to become secretary of education means she will oversee the more than $70 billion spent annually on the Department of Education. DeVos -- the sister of Eric Prince, who founded the notorious private security firm Blackwater Worldwide -- has no direct experience as an educator. She promoted a series of for-profit charter schools in Michigan that make money but have had dismal academic results. She sees vouchers as an effective tool to funnel government money into schools run by the Christian right.

Her goal is to indoctrinate, not educate. She calls education reform a way to "advance God's kingdom." Trump has already proposed using $20 billion of the department's budget for vouchers. The American system of public education, already crippled by funding cuts, will be destroyed if Trump and DeVos succeed.

The Veterans Administration spends $152.7 billion a year on veterans' benefits that include general health care and treatment in VA hospitals. Last week Trump publicly weighed allowing veterans to use the for-profit health care system. Cleveland Clinic CEO Toby Cosgrove (annual salary $2.3 million) is one of the front-runners to head the VA.

"I've been saying we have to take care of our vets," Trump told reporters Wednesday at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla. "We are working on something to make it great for our veterans because they are treated very, very unfairly."

"We think we have to have kind of a public-private option, because some vets love the VA," he added. "Definitely an option on the table to have a system where potentially vets can choose either/or all private."

Rep. Tom Price, a Georgia Republican (net worth $13 million), has been selected by Trump to be secretary of health and human services. He plans to abolish Obamacare. He said he expects the House to push for Medicare privatization "within the first six to eight months" of the Trump administration.

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(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).


16-06-23 12 End Solitary Confinement

(Image by Felton Davis) Details DMCA



In an interview on Sept. 9, 2015, Sally Q. Yates, deputy U.S. attorney general, responded to growing criticism of the lack of criminal prosecution of high-level corporate criminals with this declaration: "Corporations can only commit crimes through flesh-and-blood people. It's only fair that the people who are responsible for committing those crimes be held accountable." What she said was obviously true and essential for a nation that claims to have the rule of law.

Yet, as the Boston Globe pointed out, eight days later General Motors was allowed to pay a $900 million fine for knowingly selling cars with defective ignition switches that caused 124 deaths. "Does that sound like a lot? GM's revenues last year were 172 times as much. No criminal charges were filed against any of the executives." Some "flesh-and-blood" GM executives got away with a lot of blood on their hands.

Anyone who can read knows about all the high-level financial executives who have escaped prosecution for felonies that contributed to the 2007-08 financial crisis. Perhaps the most glaring example is Angelo Mozilo, former Countrywide Financial Services CEO. His company flooded the financial market with subprime mortgages obtained through fraudulent applications.

The SEC charged him with securities fraud and insider trading, but reached a settlement with him four days before his criminal trial in October of 2010. Instead of getting a prison sentence, he was allowed to pay a $67.5 million dollar fine ($20 million of which was paid by Countrywide). He did not have to admit wrongdoing. Last June the SEC dropped its civil lawsuit against Mozilo. He is now free to enjoy his $600 million net worth left over from his glory days at Countrywide.

The really bad news, worse even than the $12.8 trillion loss to the American economy and the impunity of the criminals who caused it, is the public's passive acceptance of the lack of prosecution. We have, as the saying goes, "moved on."

It's not that we've gotten less inclined to lock people up. On the contrary, the American incarceration rate grew from 209 per 100,000 in 1980 to over 693 per 100,000 in 2015. The U.S. has the world's highest incarceration rate. Russia's rate is 453, and China's is 118. Our neighbors Mexico and Canada have 212 and 114 respectively. Although our country has only 4.4% of the total world population, it has 22% of the world's prison population.

One of the grimmest facilities in the American gulag is Rikers Island. It sits in the middle of New York City's East River, just offshore from LaGuardia Airport, ten miles or so from Manhattan's multimillion-dollar apartments and the towering headquarters of the world's largest banks. Part of the island was built on a landfill of garbage and ash--a suitable substrate for a place to dump throw-away people.

Rikers exemplifies problems found throughout our broken prison system. The island's inmate population averages 10,000. As Grist magazine points out, "about 40 percent of the Rikers population has been diagnosed with a mental illness. And the overwhelming majority of the people incarcerated on the island -- about 90 percent -- are black or Latino." A majority have not been convicted of any crime. They languish in jail because they can't afford bail.

One of them was 32-year old Candie Hailey. In 2012 she was charged with attempted murder. She spent 29 months in jail, including 27 months of solitary confinement, before she was found innocent at her trial.

Even then the Bronx district attorney wasn't through with her. She was put on trial again, this time on charges of felony mischief during her time in Rikers. The case against her was so weak that the judge asked the prosecutor to drop the felony charges. In exchange, Hailey pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct and was released with no criminal record. She is now suing the city for $10 million, claiming that she was physically and sexually abused by her guards at Rikers.

According to Solitary Watch, an organization opposed to the widespread abusive practice of solitary confinement, Hailey exhibited mental health problems soon after she was jailed. These were exacerbated by prolonged solitary confinement. As Solitary Watch explains,

"She would regularly hurt herself by banging her head against a wall and cutting herself. Such behavior would bring a moment of reprieve from solitary when she would be taken to the mental clinic. . . . After each one of her multiple suicide attempts, officers wrote her a disciplinary ticket, and with each ticket came 30 more days of solitary confinement."

Hailey is now an activist against solitary confinement. As she said to a VICE News reporter, "It's torture. There's no other way to describe it but torture." There are more than 80,000 people in solitary confinement in American prisons and jails. They spend 23 hours a day for weeks, months, even years and decades in a cell that is typically 6 x 9 feet. Meals and communication with prison staff are often through slots in steel doors. The living conditions in these cells can vary at the whim of guards.

In his 2014 book The Divide, Matt Taibbi aptly describes what has become the American injustice system: "The cleaving of the country into two completely different states--one a small archipelago of hyper-acquisitive untouchables, the other a vast ghetto of expendables with only theoretical rights."
This piece is a reprint from NewsBred.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement of financial aid to pregnant women in his new year's address has led to suggestions that Muslim women would benefit the most from this scheme as they produce more children than any other religious sect in India.

Muslims today comprise of 184 million people in India or around 14.5 percent of total population (compared to Hindus who have fallen below 80%) as of 2015.

A Pew Research Center report predicts that by 2050, India will overtake Indonesia to have the largest Muslim population in the world. The Muslims are expected to swell to 310 million, or almost 18% of the population, while Hindus would hover around 77%. As of now, Indonesia has 209 million, followed by India (176 million) and Pakistan (167 million).

This has led to unseemly concern among Hindus that Muslims are in an overdrive to produce more children so as to skew the demographic profile of India. They put the arguments below in support of their theory:

(i) That Muslims in India are poorer and less educated, which results in high growth rate;

(ii) That Muslim women get married at an early age (16-20 years), which means higher fertility rate;

(iii) That Muslims have younger children (0-6 years) population as compared to Hindus

(iv) That Muslims in India are less interested in adopting family-planning measures in India.

However facts and figures fly in different directions.

Muslims have witnessed a sharp fall in growth rate to 24.60 in the 2001-2011 decade compared to 29.52 growth of the previous decade (1991-2001). An average Muslim family is of lesser number (5.15) in 2011 than what it was a decade earlier (5.61). The average members of an Indian family is 4.45 persons. This points out upward mobility of Indian Muslims in terms of education and career growth.

Indeed, across all religious groups in India, there's been a decline in population growth. Buddhists have shown the sharpest decline due to an ageing population.

As of now, Indian Muslims are in majority in two states: the Union Territory of Lakshadweep and Jammu and Kashmir.

Just three states--Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Assam--comprise almost 47 percent of entire Muslim population in India. Rampur is the only district with a Muslim majority in Uttar Pradesh. The Muslim population in West Bengal and Assam has been fuelled by refugees from neighbouring Bangladesh.

So folks, hold your horses. Don't see the PM's announcement as a sop to Muslims. It's an inclusive scheme for all Indians. Welcome it instead of tearing it apart on religious lines.

(As an aside, Muslims are likely to equal Christians by 2050 (around 2.82 billion). Hindus would be around 1.38 billion. The world's total population is set to rise to 9.3 billion by 2050, a rise of 35%.)
From To The Point Analyses

Netanyahu called the resolution "shameful." He went so far as to tell the foreign secretary of New Zealand, one of the countries that brought the resolution forward for a vote, that this action was the equivalent of "an act of war." He then started recalling Israeli ambassadors from the Security Council states that backed the resolution. Finally, Netanyahu said Israel would "not abide by it [the resolution]." All in all it was quite a performance.

In order to put the prime minister's outrage in context, let's look at what, in part, the resolution actually says. It "reaffirms the obligation of Israel, the occupying Power, to abide scrupulously by its legal obligations and responsibilities under the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War " and recalling the advisory opinion rendered on 9 July 2004 by the International Court of Justice, condemning all measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, including, inter alia, the construction and expansion of settlements, transfer of Israeli settlers, confiscation of land, demolition of homes and displacement of Palestinian civilians, in violation of international humanitarian law and relevant resolutions..."

In other words, UNSC Resolution 2234 told the Israeli government that it is obliged to follow the rule of law -- in this case international law. Mr. Netanyahu's response was to repudiate that law. Thus, the Israeli prime minister ran from the law -- something outlaws do.

This is nothing new. Israel has been acting in a criminal fashion in (among other areas) the West Bank of Palestine for the past 50 years -- and doing so with impunity. "Impunity" is the key word here. The prime minister's response was, in part, to the unexpected refusal of the United States to continue its half-century practice of protecting the Zionist state from any consequences for its illegal behavior.

However, and this is the important point, what is missing from these responses to Netanyahu's tantrum is any public recognition of the main point of Resolution 2234. That is the fact that Israel stands in violation of the rule of law. And by doing so for decades, the Zionist state has eroded the force of international law generally. No state leader, including those who directly voted for the resolution at the U.N., has deigned to follow up on this point publicly.

-- In a world of nation-states, the concept of national sovereignty has often served as protection against outside interference even in the face of criminal state behavior. For instance, a national government can claim that its laws oppressing minority groups reflect national security needs. Israel is not the first state to take just such a position. Outside states have traditionally been reluctant to interfere lest their own national sovereignty be eroded by the precedent of open intervention. On the other hand, surreptitiously, Western powers have been avid practitioners of selective "regime change." Hypocrisy is rampant. In such conditions the rule of law and the notion of justice are allowed to remain provincial and, at an extreme, indistinguishable from criminality.

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Empty hospital bed - where is this patient now?

(Image by Biogotron) Details DMCA



Have you ever looked closely at the detail on your hospital and doctor bills? Have you noticed that the amount billed is rarely the amount paid by your insurance? And aren't you glad that you only have to pay about 25% of the amount the insurance company paid? Welcome to the peculiar world of medical billing in America! Let's look at why it is as it is - and how Medicare and other programs are about to be turned into a piggy bank for special interests.

Let's say three people - Larry, Moe, and Curly Joe, are hurt in a mysterious eye-poke incident in which each of them sustained identical injuries. They are taken to the same hospital in the same ambulance, given the same medications, treated by the same doctors, and kept overnight for observation. They are all discharged at the same time, each with a bill for $20,000.

Larry is uninsured. He pays part of the bill with all the money he has available on the day after the accident, and agrees to pay the balance with a series of monthly installments. He pays a total of $20,000 plus interest, and the medical providers make about $18,000 on his visit. Of course, sometimes Larry doesn't always pay his bills, but this one could haunt him forever.

Moe has medical insurance through Cigna Healthcare, and he met his annual deductible earlier in the year. His plan provides for a co-pay of 20%, and the hospital files a claim for $20,000 on his behalf. Cigna knows what medical care costs, and determines that the services given to Moe were worth $4,000 - and so they send a check for $3,200 to the hospital. The hospital accepts the payment, writes off $16,000, and charges $800 to Moe, who gladly pays it. Even after the writeoff, the medical providers make about $2,000 on his visit.

Curly Joe has Medicare, and had also met his annual deductible. The hospital files a claim for $20,000 on his behalf when he is discharged. Medicare's schedule is more restrictive than Cigna's and only values the services rendered at $3,000. So they send a check for $2,400 to the hospital. The hospital accepts the payment, writes off $17,000, and charges $600 to Mr. Joe, who gladly pays it. Even after the writeoff, the medical providers make about $1,000 on his visit.

Is this right? Is it just? Is it fair? Nope, it's just the way it's done here in America. Private insurers like Cigna, and public programs like Medicare, protect patients from "balance billing" - the difference between the original inflated bill and the combined amount paid by the insurer and your own co-pay. It's presently illegal for our Medicare-licensed hospital to collect any more than $600 from Curly Joe. How does Medicare enforce this? Hospitals, doctors, and others enroll themselves as licensed providers to treat Medicare patients. They must agree to accept payment - generally in full - according to a schedule of customary costs [1]. If a Medicare-licensed provider is caught trying to collect the inflated amount, their license is revoked [2]. Similar agreements apply to Medicaid, Obamacare, and federally-funded state programs [3].

That's the way it works now, but don't count on it in the future.

Congressman Tom Price (R-GA) is Trump's nominee for Director of Health and Human Services - the biggest cabinet post in government. HHS oversees Obamacare, Medicare, Medicaid, and more [4]. Conventional wisdom says that Price was selected for this post to oversee the dismantling of the Affordable Care Act. But his record in Congress shows that the threat goes far beyond that.

In 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2015 Price introduced H.R. 6171 (111th), H.R. 969 (112th), H.R. 969 (113th), and H.R. 3100 (114th) [5] into Congressional committee that would effectively eliminate any penalty for violating the medical provider agreements for Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare, and other state and federal programs. In effect, this legislation would permit doctors, hospitals, and pharmacists to enjoy their participation in government healthcare programs, and still be able to go after patients for any remaining balance of inflated bills. There's little doubt that Price, as head of HHS, could directly affect how flexibly medical provider agreements are enforced, if at all. He might even be in a position to persuade Congressional Republicans to pass a bill like those of his own that died in committee [5].

Some 44 million Americans depend on Medicare, and that number is growing as we get older. We've paid into the program for all of our working lives, and premiums continue to be deducted from our Social Security checks every month. Until now, Medicare has been a pretty good program for keeping our elders out of the poorhouse. But let's look at the consequences for seniors facing inflated medical bills.

Consider Curly Joe's example above, but instead of an eye-poke incident, substitute a bout with cancer, a heart attack, or a stroke. The hospital bills $200,000, submits a Medicare claim, and accepts a payment of $24,000. Now, in a post-Price world, the hospital bills Mr. Joe for $176,000 - not $6,000. If he's lucky, Mr. Joe has a savings account to draw upon. If not, the hospital takes what it can get and forces him into bankruptcy and into a life of dismal poverty in his twilight years.

Why would anybody think this is a good idea? There's big money in the nest-eggs of our seniors. Medical providers would be able to charge whatever they want, and collect whatever they can, to be sure. But there's another hidden agenda here - the interests of the financial services industry. Exposing seniors to unlimited medical expense liability opens up a whole new market for insurers. Catastrophic, high-deductible policies similar to umbrella liability policies would be necessary to avoid the risk of financial calamity for Medicare patients. Medical providers and health insurance companies will realize even greater profits - all at the expense of American seniors who had been looking forward to enjoying a comfortable retirement.

Some would want this post-Price world to come about without anybody noticing - but we're not all stooges! Warning klaxons would be sounding all over the place if we knew what's going on. And people need to know - especially the Senators on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee[6] who will be looking most closely at the nominee. Every Senator who will be called upon to confirm his appointment must also know. Price's record in the House of Representatives must betray his intentions during confirmation hearings. Even if he is ultimately confirmed, his evil deeds would have to be done in the light of day.

Help raise the alarm, won't you please? Call your congressman, badger your legislators, and write your senators, even if they are Republicans. If you have a senator who sits on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee [6] make every effort to tell him or her what's going on! (Committee members are listed in link [6].) Contact your party's state and national headquarters and sound the alert. Give them all copies of this article. And tell your friends, even if they're young - after all, they could lose their inheritances as their parents get fleeced on their deathbeds. Besides, even young people might want a little security in their later years.

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The Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) will go ahead with their three day protest in Patiala starting May 28 against Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh.

The BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) President Joginder Singh Ugrahan Sunday said the state government was also responsible for the miseries of the farmers.

Capt Amarinder Singh had requested the BKU to call off the protest saying it would complicate the Covid-19 management in the state.

He also reminded the farmers about his unequivocal support to them. He said, The farmers should reciprocate the good gesture of the state government.

The Congress party has extended support to the nationwide protest by farmers on May 26 against the three progressive laws passed by the Union government.

Recently in an interview with CNN News 18, Punjab Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa accepted that Covid-19 cases were rising in the state because of farmers protest.

The daily new cases of Covid-19 have surpassed 5000 in the state. The state has reported more than 13000 Covid-19 deaths.

The Amarinder Singh government remained a mute spectator when the protesting farmers were destroying business properties in the state in the name of protest.
Flagstaff recorded 3 inches of snow, a baby girl at FMC and 75 Polar Plungers at Lake Mary to welcome in 2017 Sunday.

After hundreds endured the cold drizzle and flurries Saturday night for fireworks and two drops of the Great Pine Cone from the Weatherford Hotel, a cadre of volunteers led by Jack Welch cleaned up the slush-covered confetti Sunday morning.

Then it was out to the boat ramp at upper Lake Mary for the 7th annual Flagstaff Polar Plunge at high noon. Unlike last year, when 4 inches of ice locked up the lake and made for a shrunken plunge pool, there was barely an inch this time. Volunteers led by Bill Smith walked out in insulated waders to chop the ice up to chest-high depths, and Jake Bacon skimmed the rest from the end of the dock. A record 75 plungers went off in three waves to the cheers of nearly as many onlookers.

Back at Flagstaff Medical Center, new mom Letitica Mussler and new dad Glenn Pond were getting acquainted with daughter Elena Pond, who arrived in the world at 12:47 a.m. weighing 7 pounds 4 ounces.

After coming three weeks early, she was tucked in at FMC's Special Care Nursery Sunday afternoon.

The couple recently moved to Ash Fork from Texas. Mussler said their second daughter, who is 6, is eagerly waiting to greet her new sibling.

The Weather Service reported that 3 inches of snow had fallen at Pulliam Airport by mid-afternoon on Sunday, with only lingering snow showers in the forecast for Sunday night.

Winds with speeds of 25 to 35 mph and gusts to 55 mph were forecast Monday for northern Arizona. But by midafternoon the Weather Service had reported a top gust of 43 mph in Doney Park and 37 mph in Winslow and canceled the wind advisory soon after.

High temperatures in Flagstaff will move back up into the 40s through the end of week, with rain showers possible most days.


"challenging fun"

- Entertainment Weekly

Dear Paul, I just dreamed of airships flying between raindrops. I just returned from 2042 CE, where I sold my hardcover copy offor seventy million Neo-Euros, because it had your response to this e-mail from way back in 2007 scotch-taped onto the inside of the cover. A Paul Levinson collector paid top Neo-Euro, because of the authentic archaic e-mail printout from you. It turns out that not many of your e-mails from before your tenure as CEO of HBO/Cinemax and terms as United Nations Secretary General will survive that far into the future. So, please respond to this e-mail, to help found my great-grandchildren's fortune. My Will will stipulate that they must share with your great grandchildren. Thanks! Tom
The mathematical (and other) thoughts of a (now retired) math teacher,
Foxconn, a major Apple supplier, will spend the vast sum on an industrial complex in the sprawling southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, state media says

Taiwan tech-giant Foxconn plans to build an $8.8-billion factory in China, state media said Saturday, amid reports its billionaire boss is cooling off on future US investments.

Foxconn, a major Apple supplier, will spend the vast sum on an industrial complex in the sprawling southern city of Guangzhou.

The factory will make large-screen liquid crystal displays (LCD), the firm said at an event in the Chinese city on Friday. It will be operational by 2019.

"We have in China a government that knows how to be efficient and supports new technology," said Foxconn president Terry Gou in an interview with China's 21st Century Business.

"As to whether we'll invest in the US in the future I've no idea. As a matter of fact, the new administration isn't in office and its new policies aren't in place," Gou added.

Foxconn employs around a million workers at its factories across China and has operations in more than 10 countries.

In the US, it has a plant in Virginia for packaging and engineering which employs over 400 people.

Earlier this month Foxconn confirmed it was in talks over a new US investment, while Japanese telecoms giant SoftBank shares soared after President-elect Donald Trump unveiled a $50 billion deal with the two firms.

Trump announced the agreementwhich he said would bring 50,000 jobsin the lobby of Trump Tower in New York.

Gou said he would only divulge details after discussions with relevant US authorities, but made no mention of it during the factory announcement Friday.

The Guangzhou plant will be jointly run by Foxconn and Japan electronics firm Sharp, which Foxconn has a 66 percent stake in.

 2017 AFP